Premier League Draft QF - Skizzo vs Isotope

Who will win the match?

  • Total voters
    17
  • Poll closed .

Šjor Bepo

Wout is love, Wout is life; all hail Wout!
Joined
Mar 29, 2011
Messages
16,199
PL-Team-formation-tactics.png

vs
YES-1-formation-tactics.png



Team Skizzo

I've assembled a team of Premier League stalwarts who have all won major honours and many of whom have been discussed as all time legends of the Premier League Era. The team itself is a 433/451 with a fairly direct style. All players are fairly well known, so rather than go into detail about who they are, I'll go over their credentials and why I selected chose them to be included. Between them, they have the following titles and awards:

TEAM HONOURS
Premier League Titles - 14
FA Cups - 14
League Cups - 5
Champions League - 5
PL TOTY - 8

Every player in the team has won trophies and had a consistent output at a high level. Impressive collection of awards, although with Frank Lampard and Ryan Giggs in the team, those numbers might look skewed. The numbers above however, don't include either of them. Their stats and awards are highlighted here separately.

Ryan Giggs
PL Appearances - 632
PL Goals - 109
PL Assists - 162 (Premier League Record)
PL Titles - 13
FA Cups - 4
League Cup - 3
Champions League - 2
PFA Young Player of the Year - 2
PFA Team of the Century
PFA Player of the Year - 1

Premier League Records
Most assists
Most titles
First Man Utd player to score 100 goals
Second midfielder to score 100 goals for a single club

Frank Lampard
PL Appearances - 609
PL Goals - 177
PL Assists - 102
PL Titles - 3
FA Cups - 4
League Cup - 2
Champions League - 1
FWA Footballer of the Year - 2005
PL Player of the Year - 1
PFA Team of the Year - 3
FIFPro World XI - 1
UEFA Midfielder of the Year - 2008
Chelsea Player of the Year - 3
Chelsea's All Time Leading Goalscorer

Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand
Both of these players accomplishments are also left out of the above statistics, and they warrant being highlighted on their own. Voted as the Premier League's Best ever partnership, Rio and Nemanja complemented each other in all the best ways, bringing the best out of each other, forming a real friendship, and raising each others game to the point of winning multiple Premier League Title's, a Champion's League Trophy, and others. Nemanja Vidic is also one of only three players who have been voted Premier League Player of the Year on two occasions, the others being Thierry Henry and Cristiano Ronaldo. Not bad company.

So between Peter Schmeichel, Ashley Cole, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, and Ryan Giggs, we have five players who make a consensus All Time PL XI. Frank Lampard is in with a shout of making it too. Frank Lampard is in the top 10 all time scorers, and Les Ferdinand is 11th.

How we'll play and why I think we'll win:

  • Our defense is put together with the best center back pairing, the best left back, the best goalkeeper, and the defender Sir Alex claimed was the "best natural defender" in the squad. The opposition lacks width and has no real wide players to stretch the defense or make them uncomfortable.
  • With no true wide players, it would require players from the middle to go wide to assist, otherwise Anderton and Giggs will be one on one with their full backs, which on the counter and running directly at them with pace would cause trouble.
  • We have players comfortable on the ball from the back to the front. Schmeichel can launch the ball forward with his long throws to the wing. Rio and Cole are both comfortable on the ball, Alonso and Petit could spray passes short and long, and both wide players can carry the ball forward to relieve pressure when needed.
  • Set Pieces would be key. We'd love to get the ball in the box and let Vidic, Petit, both Ferdinand cousin's, get in and make De Gea uncomfortable with their presence and physicality.
  • Our wide players would stretch the play, opening area's in the defence for Les Ferdinand to make runs and show for the ball, Lampard to run from deep and arrive late, or put crosses in and make De Gea deal with them.
  • Our game plan would be to attack with quick, direct play forward. Once we win the ball, we have multiple outlets who can spring an attack vertically, leaving Giggs and Anderton to run one on one against their full backs. Quick transitions would create open areas to attack, and leave space for runners from deep to come in and arrive late in the box.
  • Defensively, we'd keep it compact, and with no real wide players to stretch the play, I'd feel comfortable with being able to sit in and defend in compact lines.



Team Isotope

Sturdy defence, and creative midfield and forward.
- Rooney is at home on his free role: pressing, playmaking, scoring, is moving in space between opponents CBs and midfield, or dropping to midfield.
- With a dynamic pacey Auba upfront, positioning to capture Vidic's lack of pace.
- Trio de Bruyne, Y. Toure, and Kante will dominate midfield center.
- McGrath will be marshalling the defence, and the right type to subdue L. Ferdinand.
- Normal backline and pressing.
 
Dont like wingers on one side, dont like wingbacks on other....think skizzo defence wins this for him though.
 
Just a couple of quick thoughts of my own to get things started.

Firstly
McGrath will be marshalling the defence, and the right type to subdue L. Ferdinand.
Click to expand...

Ferdinand faced McGrath on seven occasions while Ferdinand was with QPR and Newcastle, and McGrath was with Aston Villa and Derby. From those seven games, Ferdinand scored in five of them.

May, 1993, One goal in a 2-1 win


August 1993, One goal in a 4-1 loss


November 1995, One goal in a 1-1 draw


April 1995, One goal in a 1-0 win


April 1997, One goal in a 3-1 win


The other issue I see for the opposition would be Yaya, de Bruyne, and Rooney all wanting to operate within the same general area. They would all be at their best either operating in, or running into, the same space between the lines of the defense and midfield. Yaya was a formidable midfielder, but never played with ball dominant players in the area directly ahead of him.
FA Cup final 2011
300px-Man_City_vs_Stoke_2011-05-14.svg.png


2013 FA Cup Final
300px-Man_City_vs_Wigan_2013-05-11.svg.png


League Cup Final 2014
300px-Man_City_vs_Sunderland_2014-03-02.svg.png
 
Šjor Bepo said:
Dont like wingers on one side, dont like wingbacks on other....think skizzo defence wins this for him though.
Click to expand...

Do they end up being too “winger-y” for you? I know they both lack the “cutting inside” kind of threat, but in terms of two hard-working out and out wingers who can deliver a ball, work both ways, and beat a man while offering some goal threat, they fit the bill. I agree having one regular winger and one cutting inside would offer a better balance. Unless it’s Giggs and Becks of course.

Especially in a game like this with no opposition wingers and where Giggs is backed up by Cole, it lets him hit those holes in behind the wingbacks with a quick ball from Alonso et al.
 
Skizzo said:
Do they end up being too “winger-y” for you? I know they both lack the “cutting inside” kind of threat, but in terms of two hard-working out and out wingers who can deliver a ball, work both ways, and beat a man while offering some goal threat, they fit the bill. I agree having one regular winger and one cutting inside would offer a better balance. Unless it’s Giggs and Becks of course.

Especially in a game like this with no opposition wingers and where Giggs is backed up by Cole, it lets him hit those holes in behind the wingbacks with a quick ball from Alonso et al.
Click to expand...

Its just that side midfielders in a 4 and wide forwards in a front 3 require different skill sets and you have former in the latter.
 
Šjor Bepo said:
Its just that side midfielders in a 4 and wide forwards in a front 3 require different skill sets and you have former in the latter.
Click to expand...

Giggs wouldn’t be out of place in a front three IMO. Anderton I agree is more suited to a 4 man midfield setup, although this isn’t a standard 433. Point taken though :)
 
Šjor Bepo said:
Its just that side midfielders in a 4 and wide forwards in a front 3 require different skill sets and you have former in the latter.
Click to expand...
I recently watched the Sir Alex documentary called Never Give In, and there’s a little piece on Giggsy in there where Sir Alex scouts him personally. He notes the shape of his feet, poise when running, pace, intelligence, etc. and calls him the future. I think he’s one of those players who can do anything.
 
I think I’ve posted this before too, but it just highlights another key distributor from the back for quick counters and transitions before the opposition has a chance to reset…

 
Just a reminder of how exciting Rooney as a player. From left, center, and left; Balance, strength, speed, touch. He was one of a kind.
 
Isotope said:
Just a reminder of how exciting Rooney as a player. From left, center, and left; Balance, strength, speed, touch. He was one of a kind.
Click to expand...


He really was a class player. As much as I enjoyed him with Ronaldo, Tevez, RVN etc, I kinda wish he had more time to shine on his own to see what he could really have done over a longer period of time as the main guy.
 
yeh. Like Scholes, Rooney's contribution was spread out over the years.

06/07 : 23 goals, 15 assists in 55 games.
07/08 : 18.........., 14 .............in 43
08/09 : 20.........., 13 .............in 49
09/10 : 34.........., 7 .............in 44
10/11 : 16 goals 14 assists in 40 games.

He's pretty consistent in goal+assist /game ratio over 5 seasons.
 
I like a lot what @Isotope has done to upgrade/progress with his team and that shape looks spot on to me considering the roster he has. They fit well to his strengths.

@Skizzo has more quality over the park though and really edges this for me. He has specialized it seems when it comes to PL drafts so he's the manager to beat :D Great team.
 
Interesting match up. @Isotope i see @Skizzo right hand side as a weak spot with Brown, Anderton and Lampard (he’s pushing on and leaving a space).

How would you expose this? Seems like a missed opportunity as there’s only really Riise offering a threat with Rooney and KdB looking narrow?

On the other side Giggs and Cole v Azpilcueta and King is a good battle.
 
I haven't gone through the thread yet, so not sure if someone else felt the same but dont think Skizzo set his midfield right. Petit should be at the base and Alonso in between the lines. I also think he got a bit greedy with Rio-Vidic. Should have added an upgrade to the front line as it looks a bit uninspiring as compared to the excellent midfield and defensive personnel.

For Isotope, I am disappointed that he switches from the 4132. It's a really nice team. Not sure about King at RCB, Azpil could slot in there if he has or can upgrade to a different RWB. He ain't winning my vote this round though even if I like his team better. Punishment for not sticking with that 4132.
 
GodShaveTheQueen said:
I haven't gone through the thread yet, so not sure if someone else felt the same but dont think Skizzo set his midfield right. Petit should be at the base and Alonso in between the lines. I also think he got a bit greedy with Rio-Vidic. Should have added an upgrade to the front line as it looks a bit uninspiring as compared to the excellent midfield and defensive personnel.

For Isotope, I am disappointed that he switches from the 4132. It's a really nice team. Not sure about King at RCB, Azpil could slot in there if he has or can upgrade to a different RWB. He ain't winning my vote this round though even if I like his team better. Punishment for not sticking with that 4132.
Click to expand...

Rio was always gonna be my first pick, and I couldn’t get any of the flashiest forwards so decided to get the best CB pairing to deal with other flashy attacks for now.
 
Skizzo just doesn’t know how to draw his midfield in his formation graphic. Art fail.

Isotope changed the most fun aspect of his team and they’re somehow worse than what they were in R1.
 
GodShaveTheQueen said:
I haven't gone through the thread yet, so not sure if someone else felt the same but dont think Skizzo set his midfield right. Petit should be at the base and Alonso in between the lines. I also think he got a bit greedy with Rio-Vidic. Should have added an upgrade to the front line as it looks a bit uninspiring as compared to the excellent midfield and defensive personnel.

For Isotope, I am disappointed that he switches from the 4132. It's a really nice team. Not sure about King at RCB, Azpil could slot in there if he has or can upgrade to a different RWB. He ain't winning my vote this round though even if I like his team better. Punishment for not sticking with that 4132.
Click to expand...

Alonso definitely belongs at the base of midfield. Not sure if Petit can go more box to box but I certainly prefer this to the setup in the first round.

I preferred the 4-1-3-2 as well. Here I feel the use of all of Azpilicueta, Toure and Kante is suboptimal. Though I think King at RCB is perfectly fine.
 
Himannv said:
Skizzo just doesn’t know how to draw his midfield in his formation graphic. Art fail.

Isotope changed the most fun aspect of his team and they’re somehow worse than what they were in R1.
Click to expand...

Ive described it in depth, but every which way I’ve drawn it, someone’s complained :lol:
 
sherrinford said:
Alonso definitely belongs at the base of midfield
Click to expand...

The Liverpool version could play a much more expansive role for me, so I didn't prefer him in the deep role.

I see the current personnel similar to Benitez midfield

---------------------Gerrard-----
-----Alonso----------------------
-----------Mascherano-------
 
GodShaveTheQueen said:
The Liverpool version could play a much more expansive role for me, so I didn't prefer him in the deep role.

I see the current personnel similar to Benitez midfield

---------------------Gerrard-----
-----Alonso----------------------
-----------Mascherano-------
Click to expand...

I think that position just burdened Alonso with getting forward to support the attack. He was always a natural anchor.
 
Skizzo said:
cheers mate. I was hoping my defense would win out because my attackers are a bit lackluster compared to your array of talent :lol:
Click to expand...
sorry i wasn't really in discussion. First, i like your team more than mine. 2nd, my main water line was busted. I've been busy digging up my front yard. Hahhaa..
 
Isotope said:
sorry i wasn't really in discussion. First, i like your team more than mine. 2nd, my main water line was busted. I've been busy digging up my front yard. Hahhaa..
Click to expand...

well I’d say that was more of a priority! Hope everything’s going alright. Don’t open up a sinkhole or anything!
 
Skizzo said:
well I’d say that was more of a priority! Hope everything’s going alright. Don’t open up a sinkhole or anything!
Click to expand...
Found the problem. Hopefully.

No sinkhole here. Just a thick sticky clay. Fortunately it's still wet season so a lot easier to dig.
 
sherrinford said:
I think that position just burdened Alonso with getting forward to support the attack. He was always a natural anchor.
Click to expand...

Might I recomment you to register for the next draft in case you havent planned to already
 
GodShaveTheQueen said:
Nah, just a genuine invite as we are usually short on numbers. Nothing to do with your views.
Click to expand...

Would have liked to have participated in this one but was late to check in. Would need to be a relatively modern one - I couldn't be bothered with players I've never heard of being constantly picked!
 
sherrinford said:
Would need to be a relatively modern one - I couldn't be bothered with players I've never heard of being constantly picked!
Click to expand...

.....and scrappy lost interest in you.

Welcome mate, judging by early days you gonna be a great addition.
 
Enigma_87 said:
@Skizzo has more quality over the park though and really edges this for me. He has specialized it seems when it comes to PL drafts so he's the manager to beat :D Great team.
Click to expand...

My problem now is that the other guys are hogging all the best forwards and I’m stuck making marginal upgrades at best :lol: might be hitting the end of the road here soon.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.