Walrus making something of a comeback here, only 5 votes between them now...
New Fantasy Draft: Brought to you by Cal? - Round 1 - Match 4
- Thread starter Dr. Dwayne
- Start date
neither team really stood out for me so I just went for the one with more United players again
After a stirring half-time team talk my boys are making a fight of it.
i am surprised people assume that Solius has a stronger backline. If anything De Silvestri-Evans-Mancienne-Santon is a much stronger defence.
De Silvestri has played a lot of games for Lazio and Fiorentina. And both De Silvestri and Santon are versatile with respect to playing on both flanks.
It is based on a backline used to playing the more defensively strong leagues (the English and Italian) while Solius is depending on a backline from the Bundesliga (good players but Badstuber has lost his place in the team and Breno is on loan at Nurenberg and has managed only 8 appearances), Belgian league and Spanish.
Walrus team is clearly stronger in defence and has a much better balance in midfield and even attack
De Silvestri has played a lot of games for Lazio and Fiorentina. And both De Silvestri and Santon are versatile with respect to playing on both flanks.
It is based on a backline used to playing the more defensively strong leagues (the English and Italian) while Solius is depending on a backline from the Bundesliga (good players but Badstuber has lost his place in the team and Breno is on loan at Nurenberg and has managed only 8 appearances), Belgian league and Spanish.
Walrus team is clearly stronger in defence and has a much better balance in midfield and even attack
As I said before, I do feel my team has the better balance and defensive stability to it. I didn't get a chance to post my individual player info etc at the start, but basically solius is weak in defence. In addition to what sajeev just said, his fullbacks are very attacking minded and with all that in mind - the lack of a defensive or deep playing midfielder would cost him.
Coming up against aguero, welbeck, muniain and taarabt that back line would be punished IMO.
On the other side of the pitch as sajeev also said - I have a defense with experience at the highest level and in the strongest leagues, for the most part. Evans for me should be one of (if not the) best CB in the draft. The lad was pretty much a first teamer for Manchester united last year in a team heralded as having a fantastic defence and breaking a clean sheet record. He had a dip in form this season - so did Rooney, but I bet he would still be picked were he eligible.
I look at the 3 areas of the pitch - defence midfield and attack, and I think that I win in each of them. Solius has more exotic names and exciting foreigners, but in terms of actual experience and strength it's very debatable for me. If you took a player like gibson, made him gibsonez and put him in the Belgian league, he would look outstanding. The same alooked in several other cases too. The only area of the pitch where I feel he beats me is the GK
Either way, the turnaround has been emphatic. Cracker of a game!
Coming up against aguero, welbeck, muniain and taarabt that back line would be punished IMO.
On the other side of the pitch as sajeev also said - I have a defense with experience at the highest level and in the strongest leagues, for the most part. Evans for me should be one of (if not the) best CB in the draft. The lad was pretty much a first teamer for Manchester united last year in a team heralded as having a fantastic defence and breaking a clean sheet record. He had a dip in form this season - so did Rooney, but I bet he would still be picked were he eligible.
I look at the 3 areas of the pitch - defence midfield and attack, and I think that I win in each of them. Solius has more exotic names and exciting foreigners, but in terms of actual experience and strength it's very debatable for me. If you took a player like gibson, made him gibsonez and put him in the Belgian league, he would look outstanding. The same alooked in several other cases too. The only area of the pitch where I feel he beats me is the GK
Either way, the turnaround has been emphatic. Cracker of a game!
Seems I need to back my side up a bit here, have said nothing since the vote started.
A front 3 of Costa - Benzema -Ayew will be trouble enough for any team in this draft. I think Costa's ability in particular is being underrated. Being told some of them lack experience is something I didn't expect. Walrus is bigging up Munain and Welbeck on the wings and I think some people are falling for. It isn't even Welbeck's natural position, and the pair of them have nothing in experience in terms of the highest level. Costa and Ayew both having played regularly at Champions League level. He's also picking on the defence too, despite him and others ignoring Michael Mancienne at the heart of his own defence who has very, very little top level experience. He has potential but this is not what we are voting on. Breno and Badstuber have both played for one of the top teams in the world, Marcelo is easily the best left-back in the draft and Opare is a solid RB, they won't both be bombing forward like headless chickens.
I haven't even started on Dzagoev and Ninis, Dzagoev being another with Champions League pedigree, unlike Taraabt who has only proven himself at Championship level.
A front 3 of Costa - Benzema -Ayew will be trouble enough for any team in this draft. I think Costa's ability in particular is being underrated. Being told some of them lack experience is something I didn't expect. Walrus is bigging up Munain and Welbeck on the wings and I think some people are falling for. It isn't even Welbeck's natural position, and the pair of them have nothing in experience in terms of the highest level. Costa and Ayew both having played regularly at Champions League level. He's also picking on the defence too, despite him and others ignoring Michael Mancienne at the heart of his own defence who has very, very little top level experience. He has potential but this is not what we are voting on. Breno and Badstuber have both played for one of the top teams in the world, Marcelo is easily the best left-back in the draft and Opare is a solid RB, they won't both be bombing forward like headless chickens.
I haven't even started on Dzagoev and Ninis, Dzagoev being another with Champions League pedigree, unlike Taraabt who has only proven himself at Championship level.
How surprising. Tissue?
What a come back by Walrus, no idea how.
Taarabt is captain for a QPR team who have just won promotion to the PL. Simply to be made captain at such a young age says something for his character. He has been one of the standout players of the Championship - which is by no means that weak a league.
Mancienne is my least experienced defender, but even he has over 100 caps spread over the Championship and PL. Compare that to Breno who has half that many caps, spread over the Bundesliga and Brazilian Serie A. Experience wise, Mancienne wins that one I would say.
And whilst Mancienne has Evans alongside him - a player with vast experience at the top level with United, and part of a record breaking defence last season, Breno is alongside a Bundesliga compatriot in Badstuber, who whilst is by no means a bad player - he again only has 55 caps at the top level (Bundesliga).
For me, Evans-Mancienne is a much stronger pairing than Badstuber-Breno, defensively at least.
Up front with the attack - Douglas Costa is more of a central player than a winger anyway (since you mentioned the wing not being Welbecks natural position - he has plenty of experience playing there) and playing in the Ukrainian league would make any player look good. Throw Welbeck into the Shakhtar side and he would look amazing.
Ayew again is a good player, but he couldnt even break into the Marseille first team for a while, going on loan to prestigious clubs like Lorient and Arles-Avignon. Even in the first team for Marseille you wouldnt regard it as a strong league, same old story here.
Muniain is again one of my less experienced players, but even he has 56 caps in La Liga for Atletic Bilbao.
Finally back into midfield and again - player-by-player you would say Solius has the talent, but not the balance. He has three attacking midfielders and a relatively weak back four...I do apologise, but that team would get ripped to shreds against a good attack. Defour is a great player, but he isnt a defensive midfielder, and he only has experience in a weak league again. Ninis is in the same position having only played in the Greek league, and Dzagoev only in the Russian league. They have a few games of CL experience each yes, but the vast majority of all of them have never played at what I would call the top level.
Its a shame we didnt have this debate at the start of the thread, but whilst Solius has a very strong team when you look at it, if you delve a bit deeper you realise a startling lack of experience, a lack of players who play in the biggest leagues (England, Spain, Itality) and defensive vulnerability.
Game On
Mancienne is my least experienced defender, but even he has over 100 caps spread over the Championship and PL. Compare that to Breno who has half that many caps, spread over the Bundesliga and Brazilian Serie A. Experience wise, Mancienne wins that one I would say.
And whilst Mancienne has Evans alongside him - a player with vast experience at the top level with United, and part of a record breaking defence last season, Breno is alongside a Bundesliga compatriot in Badstuber, who whilst is by no means a bad player - he again only has 55 caps at the top level (Bundesliga).
For me, Evans-Mancienne is a much stronger pairing than Badstuber-Breno, defensively at least.
Up front with the attack - Douglas Costa is more of a central player than a winger anyway (since you mentioned the wing not being Welbecks natural position - he has plenty of experience playing there) and playing in the Ukrainian league would make any player look good. Throw Welbeck into the Shakhtar side and he would look amazing.
Ayew again is a good player, but he couldnt even break into the Marseille first team for a while, going on loan to prestigious clubs like Lorient and Arles-Avignon. Even in the first team for Marseille you wouldnt regard it as a strong league, same old story here.
Muniain is again one of my less experienced players, but even he has 56 caps in La Liga for Atletic Bilbao.
Finally back into midfield and again - player-by-player you would say Solius has the talent, but not the balance. He has three attacking midfielders and a relatively weak back four...I do apologise, but that team would get ripped to shreds against a good attack. Defour is a great player, but he isnt a defensive midfielder, and he only has experience in a weak league again. Ninis is in the same position having only played in the Greek league, and Dzagoev only in the Russian league. They have a few games of CL experience each yes, but the vast majority of all of them have never played at what I would call the top level.
Its a shame we didnt have this debate at the start of the thread, but whilst Solius has a very strong team when you look at it, if you delve a bit deeper you realise a startling lack of experience, a lack of players who play in the biggest leagues (England, Spain, Itality) and defensive vulnerability.
Game On
but have both of them in mid-field while they are both primarily attackers, hence the lack of balance in mid-field.
As for defence, Breno hasn't managed to break into the Nurnberg team (has 10 appearances for them). Badstuber has been playing more at left-back than in the centre.
Overall the Evans-Mancienne pairing is as good/bad as the Breno-Badstuber (if anything a bit better).
Marcelo is still more of attacking player as is Opare.
De Silvestri and Santon are relatively more defensive-minded
I've made most of my points, but a last one would be to mention that the German league is considered my some to be the 3rd best league now, replacing Italy.
i could grant you that, but in terms of defenses, the Serie A still has the upper hand by some margin
Fair point, and the Bundesliga has a lot of young talent coming through. I think if we give it a few years, it will be comfortably ahead of Serie A.
For the here and now though, whilst they have some good young players and a few good teams, the league as a whole is still relatively weak. That will change as a lot of the older Italian stars retire and the young German team grows up (im generalising here) but right now I wouldnt call the Bundesliga particularly strong.
I'm off for a couple of hours now, will be back just before the final whistle. For those of you reading along waiting before casting your votes - reread the analysis and do the right thing! After all, everyone likes an underdog and a turnaround
Need your votes lads.
wow what an unexpected come back.
I would vote for you dude, but i cant.
Have taken a slim lead again.
no its draw. You are bottling it dude. Are you Arsenal in disguise?
It was 18 - 19 when I posted that.
pull your team together, regroup and fight on. Not over yet!
isn't Team and AC in the name, a bit of redundancy?
I never even gave my team a name 
it was Dwayne.
it was Dwayne.With clock ticking on, Solius is just ahead of Walrus.
I never even gave my team a name
Yes, I thought this match up need some added spice. I may name the teams from here on.
Can I have a better one if I win?
1 vote between you with about 40 minutes to go...
No, you have been christened Team Solius AC.
Still time for a last minute recovery from the boys!
Come on lads, if nothing else, let me win by 1 vote so that Valentino regrets voting for me, theres a worthy cause!
Come on lads, if nothing else, let me win by 1 vote so that Valentino regrets voting for me, theres a worthy cause!
Also, FWIW I reckon whoever wins this tie will go on to win the draft.
We'll see about that...
Haha rather NOT! When result got even i was already all sweating like "OMG what have i done "
You stay deluded even at the face of the defeat dont you? I am sure solius team can go far. But you were doomed the moment you wasted that 3rd pick on song
How so?
Solius wins by 23-20...
Nice, credit to Walrus for an exciting match up, that shit was tense.
I would make a thread for a grudge match between my team and yours, but I wouldnt want to bring Phelans Shorts into all this.
Well done Solius, good game - yours was the one team I didnt want to be drawn against, tis unfortunate. I still stand by my matchday comments though, and I think your lack of players experienced in the top leagues (especially in midfield) could prove a hinderence.
Walrus do you want to take on a scouting role for me?
If so report to val ASAP.
If so report to val ASAP.
I would love nothing more than to have a grudge match versus your team. And i am sure that my boss would be more than happy to have a practize game before a huge quarterfinal match. To try some new ideas. But the fact that you already out of the tournament just kills the interest.
Oh hiring new staff i dont likę the sound of it. Not least because after mentioning me you say asap and i have not clue the hell it means. Surely it aint a some synonyme for sack, is it?