.......................Team Annah..................................................................Team SirAF..........................................
Formation: 4-3-3-0
Tactics: Counter-attacking/Very direct
There are a lot of great reading in the old thread [link] about Best, Mortensen and Stanley Matthews already(among others).
The match will be colored by the fact that SirAF is in a position where he lost his last game - and needs to win this to have a chance to get out of the group stage.
Central Midfield; Bill Slater is arguably the best pure defensive midfielder in this draft with Nobby Stiles - he has successfully marked the likes ofDidi and Puskas - who are two of the best players ever. The Brazilians also thought Bill Slater was so physical on Garrincha that they opted to substitute him to save him for later stages.
Next to him we have Ron Burgess - who played in the legendary push-and-run Tottenham side of the 50's and 60's. Considered by Arthur Roweand Bill Nicholson the two trainers of the successful side to be the most influential player in the side - and Nicholson added that he also considered him greater than Dave Mackay.
One of the greatest captains ever - the defensive midfield playmaker Danny Blanchflower is in heaven, his partner in crime Ron Burgess the all action box to box midfielder is here, who already proved to be one of the best partnerships in the English League's ever and we've added Bill Slater to that.
Defensive line; Kenny Sansom, equally capable on the left and right will be playing on the right here. There aren't many full backs better suited to deal with Giggs in particular - Sansom was one of the fastest full backs available in the draft.
Next to him we have Billy McCracken, a defender so notorious for his intelligence, reading of the play and decisiveness that the FA had to change the offside rule. He's also an old school defender - used to defending in a two man defense - meaning he was extremely comfortable at defending out wide against winger. A great complementary right side overall for the task in hand.
It is likely my opponent will play Gerrard as a RM in a free role, which means that Mel Hopkins on the left will move centrally when Gerrardinevitably does so. Mel Hopkins was also a part of the Push'and'run Tottenham, and the Wales side of 1958. A LCB more than a full back - brilliant in the air - incredibly quick and great intelligence and reading of the game.
George Hardwick is the ball playing centre back - intelligent, great in the air, extremely strong in the tackle.
For those of you that have been following the draft, you may have noticed that I made a mistake in forgetting the maximum of six English players - hence why my two big strikers are sitting out this first match.
I'm facing a couple of good attacking players, George Best amongst others. Which is why I'll take a counter attacking approach to this fixture.
I believe that my CB pairing of Ledley King and Terry Butcher will be very solid, and to boot they will be protected by a midfield four of Carrick, Gerrard, Brooking and O'Shea. The Idea is to hit my opponent on the counter with the pace of Ryan Giggs and Steven Gerrard - who hopefully will feed my predator up front: Alex Ferguson - the man who scored a hat trick against Celtic in his prime.