Fantasy Draft- Chesterlestreet vs Rpitroda

Who will win considering players' peak?


  • Total voters
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crappycraperson

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This isn't complicated. It's a simple matter of playing to everyone's strengths.

Defense: The back four is mobile and fast. Their primary concern is with defending - hence two old school fullbacks, both top class, used to actually performing defensive duties but more than capable of joining in the attack when the opportunity arises. Both Aldair and McGrath are decent enough on the ball, but I don't need them to engage in anything too fancy here. They're up against a lone striker and a very dangerous No 10 - which will keep them busy but not overwhelmed. They'll have Petit to help them out defensively as well - and Robson too, who is no stranger to getting his hands dirty.

Offense: Valderrama runs the show. As an orchestrator he has many options to go for here. He can combine with both Robbo and Littbarski - or he can aim his lethal passes at Francescoli and Ronaldo, OR at Cabrini/Bezsonov whenever they join the attack.

Valderrama is the playmaker. Robson is the box-to-box operator. Petit is the anchor.

Both Francescoli and Littbarski have rather free roles. They're free roaming attacking midfielders, if you will, roles which suits them both perfectly. This is the younger Francescoli - the trickster and goal scorer - more than the older, the playmaker. So he won't be getting in Valderrama's way here - rather, I think Francescoli's movement and trickery will suit Valderrama's vision and passing very well indeed. And something similar can be said for Littbarski - whose role will perhaps be slightly more restrained, however: he will operate in a slightly wider role, making him more of a winger at times than Francescoli, whose role is quite free.

Bryan Robson is the box-to-box player incarnate. He represents a balancing factor (defensive/offensive), a disruptive factor (defensive) and a direct, offensive threat. His knack for getting into the box is undisputed - he's a goal threat, pure and simple.

And then there's the fat lad up front. Like I said, I don't know much about him - but I'm sure he'll come in handy.

Key points: balance, use of right personnel in right roles, goal threat.

Link to player profiles:

https://www.redcafe.net/threads/transfer-fantasy-draft.390872/page-54#post-15795502

Team Chester

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vs

Team Rpitroda

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TACTICAL OVERVIEW

The team sheet above highlights the unique blend of both physical and technical qualities that this team possesses. The overall strategy of the team is to initate fast, direct, and devastating attacks. Despite my team’s ability to maintain control of the football, the team will look to exploit the pace of Pires and Laudrup on the wings, by using M Laudrup as a focal point to use his esquisite movement and devastating creative ability to carve openings for the wingers and Vieri. The team will maximise the physical strengths of Vieri by providing supply both to play off him but also for him to bury into the back of the net. My midfield has so much energy that they can contribute in both phases, and enough intelligence that Keane and Vieira will position themselves as such to ensure the defence is never exposed on the break. The understanding my defense has will allow them to cope, especially with the cover of B Laudrup who has the energy to go up and down the right flank, and Keane and Vieira who are notorious for their work rate to protect but also spring out at the right time.

Player Profiles
rpitroda said:
TEAM SHEET OVERVIEW

VDS had a long and successful career, accumulating various individual and team honors, and breaking numerous records along the way. Renowned for his distribution, fantastic reflexes, and all-round game with virtually no weakness, VDS made history both in total caps for the Netherlands, but record time gone without conceding a goal (1,311 minutes). A shrewd organiser, his value in ensuring the back 4 perform their duties to perfection should not be ignored, nor should his brilliant distribution which, with the likes of the Laudrups and Pires operating in attacking areas, could lead to numerous chances. Having won the Champions League both at the start and towards the end of his career, VDS was not only magnificent for a short burst, but throughout his long and distinguished career.

In front of VDS operate Pallister and Bruce. Regarded by most as the best defensive partnership to have graced the Premier League (ahead of the likes of Kolo/Sol, Rio/Vidic, and Terry/Carvalho), the partnership brought astute defensive abilities, pace, organisation, and composure on the ball. A proven partnership in real life, the two would, as they did, produce a performance which is significantly greater than the sum of it’s parts (a la Yorke/Cole).

To complete my Man Utd defensive line up, I have Neville and Evra, arguably two of our best full backs in history. The defence combines the best of the beginning of the sucessful Man Utd era, a class of 92 representative in Neville, and the modern success represnted by Evra. Neville was an astute defender, comfortable on the ball and able to contribute going forward. Evra in his prime was fast, energetic, as lethal as any left back going forward, and a solid defender.

The spine of my team could not be better represented than the midfield combination of Vieira and Keane. An honour to be able to field these two legends next to each other on the same field, they are indeed renowned for their fierce rivalry. Often touted as similar, they actually have a perfect blend in qualities to create the ultimate hard working midfield. Keane has the better ball control, composure, and passing range. Vieira is the better defender, and able to keep the ball ticking. No blade of grass would go untouched. No opposition player would have even a split second to blink with these two hounding them down. Soft skill should also not be ignored. Notorious were both players in driving their teams forward, and no doubt they would ensure 100% commitment across the park.

The attacking quartet is comprised of the Laudrup brothers, Pires and Vieri. M Laudrup, voted the best foreign player in spain in 1999 for the preceding 25 years (a period which included the likes of Maradonna, Romario, Ronaldo(9), Stoichkov, and many many more), was a brilliant playmaker. Notorious for his elegent playing style, astounding technical ability, and natural talent, Laudrup pulled the strings through his ingenuity and creativity. An exemplary gentlemen (never picked up a red card), he was a true leader by example and has received high praise from all echealons of the game. Pires takes up the left flank position. Pires ha da unique combination of skills in that he was excellent as dribbling, passing, and shooting, which allowed him to not only rack up numerous assists throughout his career, but also score a number of esquisite goals. Pires was technically supreme, despite a career hampered by injuries. Although he took time to adjust to the English game, once he did he was a key component of the Arsenal side that went undefeated for a whole season. On the other flank, B Laudrupis reunited with his brother in this team, and has himself had a brilliant career. His exceptional pace and near perfect ball control allowed him to beat defenders with ease, and his unselfish nature allowed him to create wonderful opportunities to those around him; a perfect situation with the likes of Laudrup(M) and Vieri around to pounce on chances, along with Pires. Which leads on perfectly to Vieri, who at one point was regarded as the best striker in Europe and was the most expensive player in the world after his 1999 transfer. Vieri was a tough forward, strong and this allowed him to excel in duals in the air. This is a perfect complement to the creativity that he has behind him to supply him. Vieri was a deadly finisher, and had wonderful technique despite his strong presence.
 
I voted for Chester. That front 3 just seems to clever for the United back 4, whereas McGrath is a good option to deal with Vieri.

Chester`s left side will risk being overloaded but Neville isn`t excessively dangerous as the RB to do so.

Can`t believe I`m voting against the far-superior midfield 3, but I think Ronaldo with that service means a 3-2 win.
 
Robson is easily the best CM on the pitch. One of Keane or Vieira will have to do a job on him. On the other hand Laudrup will be too much for Petit
 
Already gone back and forth on this one about four times. Really tough. Every time I'm about to vote for rpitodra, I see that fatty Ronaldo up front.
 
Robson is easily the best CM on the pitch. One of Keane or Vieira will have to do a job on him. On the other hand Laudrup will be too much for Petit

Wouldn't fancy Petit's chances against Laudrup as such, that's true. But centrally - looking at it in terms of numbers, which is only half fair, but still - Laudrup AND Vieri are up against Aldair and McGrath AND Petit (whose main function here is a defensive one).
 
Sorry trippy. I have voted Chester. Few reasons- Original Ronaldo vs United back two is a plus for Chester. Again one of Keane/Vieira would have to stop Ronaldo from dribbling the ball from outside the box to goal. Add to that Valderama and Robson and it is worse than Petit + Chester's back two taking care of Vieiri and Laudrup. I also agreed with others that Vieiri is wrong type of striker for Laudrup.
 
I'll wait for both to put across their points but leaning towards Chester. Fenomeno is deadly by himself and I really like Littbarski in there, who would be a real handful.
 
Difficult game here, two fine teams. I think Chester is going for something with higher potential but which has a lot more risk involved to it. If he can get Francescoli working well here without getting congested between Ronaldo and Valderrama then he has an incredible side here. The width will be fine coming from Cabrini who was outstanding, but I am not sure if Francescoli can work wonders in that role or if it is slightly too occupied for him to shine.

Rpitroda has something a bit more cynical, dead certain to play well albeit not quite the same potential. Keane and Vieira are both at Robsons level and Laudrup is better than Valderama. Feels like quite a clear edge centrally here for Rpitroda, and Laudrup with enough touches will always lead to things with his dribbling and passing.
 
Difficult game here, two fine teams. I think Chester is going for something with higher potential but which has a lot more risk involved to it. If he can get Francescoli working well here without getting congested between Ronaldo and Valderrama then he has an incredible side here. The width will be fine coming from Cabrini who was outstanding, but I am not sure if Francescoli can work wonders in that role or if it is slightly too occupied for him to shine.

Rpitroda has something a bit more cynical, dead certain to play well albeit not quite the same potential. Keane and Vieira are both at Robsons level and Laudrup is better than Valderama. Feels like quite a clear edge centrally here for Rpitroda, and Laudrup with enough touches will always lead to things with his dribbling and passing.

That's not a bad summary, I think - and, yes, the true key here is Francescoli. Personally I think he is a perfect fit for this role: he is something like a free roaming second striker; very distinct from both Valderrama, who plays slightly deeper than a regular No 10 and from Ronaldo, who - simply - leads the line.

I agree that trippy's trio is impressive in terms of names and credentials - but what do they actually do here? Someone has to keep an eye on Robson, someone has to help out Bruce n' Pally against Ronaldo and Francescoli. I wouldn't let Valderrama do as he pleases either - he can punish you severely - and Laudrup...well, he's a great player but he can't win this on his own. How well does he link up with Vieri?

Trippy's wide men I feel very confident about, to put it point blank. With everything in the balance I have them covered easily. And then it's up to him to offset the balance, I suppose - with whom? And through what? There is one great creative/offensive force out there - Laudrup. Is that enough? I doubt it.
 
This is too difficult for me to decide. Chester's attack is very good. Francescoli can be very troublesome to rpitroda's team with his movement and trickery. There's also Ronaldo de Lima, too. That guy troubled every single sort of opposition with his innate talent and skill. I don't think Bruce and Pallister will have it easy against him. I think Evra can contain Littbarski as Littbarski's dribbling wouldn't really faze Evra, for me. Plus, if Littbarski is to play as a winger, Evra shouldn't have much trouble.

rpitroda also had great attackers in the Laudrup brothers, Pires, and Vieri. Vieri will definitely be a handful for McGrath and Aldair with his physical presence. Plus, Pires and Laudrup's movement and trickery will cause Chester's full backs problems. Robson seems a bit more lacking in discipline in his game, so Petit and Robson will have trouble dealing with the movement of the wide players, Keane, and Vieira. Laudrup, like Valderrama, is very good at keeping the ball under pressure and distributing it.

In terms of keepers, both are great. Kahn is someone who'll keep his defence on his toes and will appear to stop everything that comes at him. van der Sar is a more calming presence and will ensure that the defenders ahead of him play with confidence and the assurance that van der Sar won't make mistakes. Plus, van der Sar's very good on the ball and can be very useful in building up the attacks for rpitroda's team.

Nope, both teams are too equal for me. I think something else will decide this match for me.

Both midfields are very aggressive. I expect there to be lots of fouls in this match, so I expect the set piece takers to deliver the results along with the players in the box. I believe the set pieces will decide this match, for me, as there will be too many fouls for both teams to really orchestrate a proper attack.

Looking at the set piece takers, Chester has Valderrama, and rpitroda has M. Laudrup as the two main set piece takers. In terms of threats in the box, Chester has McGrath and Robson, and rpitroda has Bruce, Pallister, Evra, Vieira, and Vieri (let me know if I missed out on anyone). I believe rpitroda's players will be a handful in the box for Chester's players, and I believe rpitroda's team will come out on top in terms of set pieces.

Before I actually vote, I'd like to know a bit more about how both teams will deal with set pieces.
 
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Vieri once again gets zero credit in these drafts. Scored plenty against the best CBs in Seria A history.

Indeed, he isn't a fancy name like Robson and Ronaldo which means he will get overlooked.

Same goes to Pires. Surprising really for United fans because he was devastating against us so many times with Arsenal.
 
This is too difficult for me to decide. Chester's attack is very good. Francescoli can be very troublesome to rpitroda's team with his movement and trickery. There's also Ronaldo de Lima, too. That guy troubled every single sort of opposition with his innate talent and skill. I don't think Bruce and Pallister will have it easy against him. I think Evra can contain Littbarski as Littbarski's dribbling wouldn't really faze Evra, for me. Plus, if Littbarski is to play as a winger, Evra shouldn't have much trouble.

rpitroda also had great attackers in the Laudrup brothers, Pires, and Vieri. Vieri will definitely be a handful for McGrath and Aldair with his physical presence. Plus, Pires and Laudrup's movement and trickery will cause Chester's full backs problems. Robson seems a bit more lacking in discipline in his game, so Pires and Robson will have trouble dealing with the movement of the wide players, Keane, and Vieira. Laudrup, like Valderrama, is very good at keeping the ball under pressure and distributing it.

In terms of keepers, both are great. Kahn is someone who'll keep his defence on his toes and will appear to stop everything that comes at him. van der Sar is a more calming presence and will ensure that the defenders ahead of him play with confidence and the assurance that van der Sar won't make mistakes. Plus, van der Sar's very good on the ball and can be very useful in building up the attacks for rpitroda's team.

Nope, both teams are too equal for me. I think something else will decide this match for me.

Both midfields are very aggressive. I expect there to be lots of fouls in this match, so I expect the set piece takers to deliver the results along with the players in the box. I believe the set pieces will decide this match, for me, as there will be too many fouls for both teams to really orchestrate a proper attack.

Looking at the set piece takers, Chester has Valderrama, and rpitroda has M. Laudrup as the two main set piece takers. In terms of threats in the box, Chester has McGrath and Robson, and rpitroda has Bruce, Pallister, Evra, Vieira, and Vieri (let me know if I missed out on anyone). I believe rpitroda's players will be a handful in the box for Chester's players, and I believe rpitroda's team will come out on top in terms of set pieces.

Before I actually vote, I'd like to know a bit more about how both teams will deal with set pieces.
Great post except the Robson bit
 
Indeed, he isn't a fancy name like Robson and Ronaldo which means he will get overlooked.

Same goes to Pires. Surprising really for United fans because he was devastating against us so many times with Arsenal.

Heh. With respect there is more separating Christian Vieri and Ronaldo than a fancy name.

Don't get me wrong, I rate Vieri highly. I'm not sure how effective he'll be here, though - he looks a bit isolated to me, not being the most complete or mobile of strikers.
 
Chester has a very good team. Undeniably. And it is indeed a very close game, one I may lose because often the importance of having a proven partnership and being able to contextually assess their combination being much stronger than their individual parts is overlooked. That said, fat Ronaldo is a wonderful player, one of my favourite ever. He would be a handful for almost any defence.

Therefore my focus will be on stopping the supply to him, and I believe that can be done. Keane and Vieira is a work horse of a combination. The idea of the set up will be to condense the spaces in defence. Make it tight. And once that is done the right moment will appear for Keane and Vieira to unleash their might. Robson is a great player but to diminish one of his key box to box strengths, we will give him space when he is deep and hassle him hard when he approaches. Whether you rate him higher than Keane depends, but I would question anyone who says his work rate is clearly better than Keane or Vieiras. And this is where my advantage is amplified because Robson is much more vital in chesters ability to attack than Keane and Vieira are in mine. Robson will have more responsibilities. More energy needed. No doubt he is good enough, but he can't focus 100% on everything all the time - that's impossible for any player. Whereas Keane and Vieira can, to solely condense the space and time in midfield and in front of the back four.

This follows to my point on Petit. A good player but Laudrup will torment him. Petit will need help, and this will limit the impact of Chesters midfielders being able to attack, which is where I think the battle to control his attacking strengths falls in my favour as Keane and Vieira can buy time and protect the defense while his midfielders go from one box to another.

A special mention to my wingers and Vieri. I believe my attacking 3 (excluding m Laudrup who gets his plaudits) is being underrated. Not so much the indicvidual abilities but how as a combination they are perfect. Pires and Laudrup are the perfect types of players to supply Vieri and on top of that, have the pace and trickery to exploit his defense. Not to mention Pires is lethal too and will enjoy playing of Vieri and the supply of the Laudrups.
 
Heh. With respect there is more separating Christian Vieri and Ronaldo than a fancy name.

Don't get me wrong, I rate Vieri highly. I'm not sure how effective he'll be here, though - he looks a bit isolated to me, not being the most complete or mobile of strikers.

Oh don't get me wrong. I won't lie to win a match. Ronaldo is obviously the much better player. But despite that, Vieri still doesn't get the credit he deserves.
 
This is too difficult for me to decide. Chester's attack is very good. Francescoli can be very troublesome to rpitroda's team with his movement and trickery. There's also Ronaldo de Lima, too. That guy troubled every single sort of opposition with his innate talent and skill. I don't think Bruce and Pallister will have it easy against him. I think Evra can contain Littbarski as Littbarski's dribbling wouldn't really faze Evra, for me. Plus, if Littbarski is to play as a winger, Evra shouldn't have much trouble.

rpitroda also had great attackers in the Laudrup brothers, Pires, and Vieri. Vieri will definitely be a handful for McGrath and Aldair with his physical presence. Plus, Pires and Laudrup's movement and trickery will cause Chester's full backs problems. Robson seems a bit more lacking in discipline in his game, so Petit and Robson will have trouble dealing with the movement of the wide players, Keane, and Vieira. Laudrup, like Valderrama, is very good at keeping the ball under pressure and distributing it.

In terms of keepers, both are great. Kahn is someone who'll keep his defence on his toes and will appear to stop everything that comes at him. van der Sar is a more calming presence and will ensure that the defenders ahead of him play with confidence and the assurance that van der Sar won't make mistakes. Plus, van der Sar's very good on the ball and can be very useful in building up the attacks for rpitroda's team.

Nope, both teams are too equal for me. I think something else will decide this match for me.

Both midfields are very aggressive. I expect there to be lots of fouls in this match, so I expect the set piece takers to deliver the results along with the players in the box. I believe the set pieces will decide this match, for me, as there will be too many fouls for both teams to really orchestrate a proper attack.

Looking at the set piece takers, Chester has Valderrama, and rpitroda has M. Laudrup as the two main set piece takers. In terms of threats in the box, Chester has McGrath and Robson, and rpitroda has Bruce, Pallister, Evra, Vieira, and Vieri (let me know if I missed out on anyone). I believe rpitroda's players will be a handful in the box for Chester's players, and I believe rpitroda's team will come out on top in terms of set pieces.

Before I actually vote, I'd like to know a bit more about how both teams will deal with set pieces.

Can't see that myself - there's nothing wrong with Robson's discipline (or put it like this, if there is, then trippy is in more trouble, sporting Keano) and Petit's a holder here, pure and simple. He isn't going to go off on any wild runs.

Very good post on the whole, though - and a very specific problem posed. I agree that trippy will cause problems for me from set pieces. I will have to rely on Robbo, who is an expert on exploiting space in the box, both from open play and from set pieces - and Ronaldo won't be easily neutralized in the box either. Defensively I have a more than decent set-up. Cabrini, to mention but one, can stay on anyone like a cheap suit - and Aldair is excellent in the air.

Re: Littbarski. He will play MORE like a winger than Francescoli (if we look on the formation as a 4-3-3 of sorts), but he isn't really a winger. He is an attacking midfielder whose role is reasonably free. And he is, make no mistake about it, a fantastic dribbler. Evra has had his arse handed to him by the likes of Lennon over the years - this is an entirely different proposition. He won't find it easy - quite to the contrary.
 
Heh. With respect there is more separating Christian Vieri and Ronaldo than a fancy name.

Don't get me wrong, I rate Vieri highly. I'm not sure how effective he'll be here, though - he looks a bit isolated to me, not being the most complete or mobile of strikers.

I was always impressed with Vieri's mobility (when fit) for such a big lump. A few have said that he wouldn't be a great partner for Laudrup, which I don't really understand - it looks to me like an excellent approximation of the Baggio/Vieri partnership that worked brilliantly. That said, I can hardly think of a better centre back than McGrath to nullify him. He'll relish the physical battle and he's got the strength, pace and anticipation to win it.
 
Can't see that myself - there's nothing wrong with Robson's discipline (or put it like this, if there is, then trippy is in more trouble, sporting Keano) and Petit's a holder here, pure and simple. He isn't going to go off on any wild runs.

Very good post on the whole, though - and a very specific problem posed. I agree that trippy will cause problems for me from set pieces. I will have to rely on Robbo, who is an expert on exploiting space in the box, both from open play and from set pieces - and Ronaldo won't be easily neutralized in the box either. Defensively I have a more than decent set-up. Cabrini, to mention but one, can stay on anyone like a cheap suit - and Aldair is excellent in the air.

Re: Littbarski. He will play MORE like a winger than Francescoli (if we look on the formation as a 4-3-3 of sorts), but he isn't really a winger. He is an attacking midfielder whose role is reasonably free. And he is, make no mistake about it, a fantastic dribbler. Evra has had his arse handed to him by the likes of Lennon over the years - this is an entirely different proposition. He won't find it easy - quite to the contrary.

The thing with Robson is that he will be involved everywhere and be all over the place. That's his style, and this, I feel, could be a weakness. Robson's strengths involve his stamina, movement, aggression, and ball-winning ability. I feel that trippy's attacking players may drag Robson all over the place and create space that the likes of Keane/Vieira and the wingers can exploit. Petit, being a holder, can't cover all of the ground against a fast-paced attack, I feel. No footballer can, and I've seen this happen against even the best of holders.

In regards to Evra vs. Littbarski, yes, Littbarski is an amazing dribbler and quite pacy, too, but looking at Evra at his peak, he hasn't really been troubled against such players. If Evra gets involved in 2 vs. 1 situations, though, he's in trouble.

Now, I've another thing to say about Francescoli and Ronaldo de Lima. Francescoli's been a central player for all of his career. By giving him and Ronaldo de Lima a free role, won't both conflict with each other given that both play fairly centrally? I'd like to know how free Francescoli is in his game. Will he be allowed to play his natural game, or are you going to use his talents to cause trouble in wider areas and stretch trippy's defence?
 
I'm looking forward to reading what @antohan has to share about Valderrama and Francescoli. I loved Valderrama on the fairly rare occasions I got to watch him - one of the most aesthetic and incisive passers I've seen, off either foot too. I vaguely remember him uncorking a ridiculous long pass against England in 1998 and I've just found the full match on youtube. No time to trawl through it now though for a pass that I'm not absolutely certain exists!
 
The thing with Robson is that he will be involved everywhere and be all over the place. That's his style, and this, I feel, could be a weakness. Robson's strengths involve his stamina, movement, aggression, and ball-winning ability. I feel that trippy's attacking players may drag Robson all over the place and create space that the likes of Keane/Vieira and the wingers can exploit. Petit, being a holder, can't cover all of the ground against a fast-paced attack, I feel. No footballer can, and I've seen this happen against even the best of holders.

In regards to Evra vs. Littbarski, yes, Littbarski is an amazing dribbler and quite pacy, too, but looking at Evra at his peak, he hasn't really been troubled against such players. If Evra gets involved in 2 vs. 1 situations, though, he's in trouble.

Now, I've another thing to say about Francescoli and Ronaldo de Lima. Francescoli's been a central player for all of his career. By giving him and Ronaldo de Lima a free role, won't both conflict with each other given that both play fairly centrally? I'd like to know how free Francescoli is in his game. Will he be allowed to play his natural game, or are you going to use his talents to cause trouble in wider areas and stretch trippy's defence?

Aye, his problems with Aaron Lennon were seen very much as an anomaly at the time. He comfortably handled far better wingers at his outstanding peak.

I don't see much conflict between Francescoli and Ronaldo, on the contrary it looks like a classic partnership where one naturally drops deep and the other naturally stretches the defence. Valderrama and Francescoli is maybe a bit more debatable but even then Chester has explained it well and Valderrama looked very happy dropping back into his own half and spraying passes from deeper than Francescoli will be operating.
 
The thing with Robson is that he will be involved everywhere and be all over the place. That's his style, and this, I feel, could be a weakness. Robson's strengths involve his stamina, movement, aggression, and ball-winning ability. I feel that trippy's attacking players may drag Robson all over the place and create space that the likes of Keane/Vieira and the wingers can exploit. Petit, being a holder, can't cover all of the ground against a fast-paced attack, I feel. No footballer can, and I've seen this happen against even the best of holders.

In regards to Evra vs. Littbarski, yes, Littbarski is an amazing dribbler and quite pacy, too, but looking at Evra at his peak, he hasn't really been troubled against such players. If Evra gets involved in 2 vs. 1 situations, though, he's in trouble.

Now, I've another thing to say about Francescoli and Ronaldo de Lima. Francescoli's been a central player for all of his career. By giving him and Ronaldo de Lima a free role, won't both conflict with each other given that both play fairly centrally? I'd like to know how free Francescoli is in his game. Will he be allowed to play his natural game, or are you going to use his talents to cause trouble in wider areas and stretch trippy's defence?

I think that Francescoli's natural game would make him stretch trip's defence by default, so to speak: his role is absolutely free, in the sense that he isn't playing BEHIND Ronaldo in anything approaching a No 10 role (he is more than capable of playing that role, but it's not the one he plays here - in terms of orchestrating things, that's primarily Valderrama's job), nor alongside him as some sort of "traditional" second striker. He plays a role similar to the one Littbarski is playing on the opposite side - a free, attacking midfielder role. But he will be more direct, more prone to go in for the kill, than Littbarski - who will resemble a winger more at times without actually being one.

Francescoli's penchant for dribbling will make him go on runs that will stretch trips's defence, though, yes - that seems obvious to me - and in that sense he will function as a "winger" of sorts in practice. I don't see him getting in Ronaldo's way at all - their roles should be well enough defined not to encroach on each other's territory - NOT like Rooney and RVP, in other words...
 
I don't see much conflict between Francescoli and Ronaldo, on the contrary it looks like a classic partnership where one naturally drops deep and the other naturally stretches the defence. Valderrama and Francescoli is maybe a bit more debatable but even then Chester has explained it well and Valderrama looked very happy dropping back into his own half and spraying passes from deeper than Francescoli will be operating.

Hmm, so there won't be much presence out wide, then. I doubt Robbo will be making runs out wide and will more likely be making vertical movements than horizontal ones. I'm just wondering if Francescoli is going to contribute to stretching the opposition defence. Ronaldo de Lima will spend most of his time in the middle and can handle the challenge of trippy's tight defence. Whether he can pass it, though, is debatable, unless Enzo's going to stretch trippy's defence and give a little more room for Ronaldo de Lima to operate in.

At this point, I feel like trippy's counterattacking setup will make it difficult for Chester's team to do much on the attack. With both midfields being very aggressive, this plays into trippy's hand as Chester's team won't have much time to orchestrate attacks and create chances from open play. Plus, if Robbo commits himself forward and trippy's team win the ball, then Chester's team will have trouble dealing with the fast-paced counterattack.

I'll give Chester one more chance to convince me that his team can deal with the challenges I have identified. So far, I'm siding with trippy's team but will be open to more of Chester's input.
 
I think that Francescoli's natural game would make him stretch trip's defence by default, so to speak: his role is absolutely free, in the sense that he isn't playing BEHIND Ronaldo in anything approaching a No 10 role (he is more than capable of playing that role, but it's not the one he plays here - in terms of orchestrating things, that's primarily Valderrama's job), nor alongside him as some sort of "traditional" second striker. He plays a role similar to the one Littbarski is playing on the opposite side - a free, attacking midfielder role. But he will be more direct, more prone to go in for the kill, than Littbarski - who will resemble a winger more at times without actually being one.

Francescoli's penchant for dribbling will make him go on runs that will stretch trips's defence, though, yes - that seems obvious to me - and in that sense he will function as a "winger" of sorts in practice. I don't see him getting in Ronaldo's way at all - their roles should be well enough defined not to encroach on each other's territory - NOT like Rooney and RVP, in other words...

I see what you mean, now. Thanks for the clarification.

If Francescoli is going to be more direct than Littbarski, then I'm back to being undecided on who to vote for. Francescoli's direct approach will definitely be a problem for Neville and co. in defence. At first, I thought your wide attacking midfielders would be set up similarly to that of Chelsea's. However, if Francescoli is going to go for the kill, then Valderrama and Littbarski will have more options on the attack.

EDIT P.S.: This is a really good match, and whatever decision I make will be a very difficult one.
 
I see what you mean, now. Thanks for the clarification.

If Francescoli is going to be more direct than Littbarski, then I'm back to being undecided on who to vote for. Francescoli's direct approach will definitely be a problem for Neville and co. in defence. At first, I thought your wide attacking midfielders would be set up similarly to that of Chelsea's. However, if Francescoli is going to go for the kill, then Valderrama and Littbarski will have more options on the attack.

EDIT P.S.: This is a really good match, and whatever decision I make will be a very difficult one.

You could say that I intend to give Valderrama, in particular, as many options as possible in terms of movement: Robson (making calculated runs), Littbarski (making calculated runs), Francescoli (moving constantly, looking to get the ball in dangerous positions) and the fat boy (making deadly runs + looking to collect the ball deep if this is necessary).

All the while every one of those players, bar the fat boy, are also excellent passers of the ball - capable of creating chances (especially for the fat boy) as well as finishing 'em.