That's a harsh assessment. Combining the teams you'd probably take Sjor's back four, defensive midfielder and Van Basten through the middle.
Sjor Bepo VS Cal - All-time 3 yr peak - Auction Draft
- Thread starter Annahnomoss
- Start date
What's people's thoughts on Schmeichel in a high line? From memory he was never that great with the ball at his feet and had some high profile blunders, I think at Middlesborough and Barnsley. As such I'm not sure how suited he is at this level in a high posession side. Disclaimer: Schmeichel is the best keeper I've ever seen.
@Šjor Bepo
You have the quality of players in the squad but the set up isn't ideal for such a game and the tactics you've chosen to adopt. The technical advantage that they have will be too much of a burden for your team and you'll struggle to have enough of the ball to hurt them on the counter. Also the protection you have in front of your defense isn't enough to stop them for the full 90.
In essence I think this match will turn into a park the bus exercise rather than a great pragmatic team playing vs a great ball playing team. You're to out matched in the middle of the park technically. Playing out is going to be really difficult and your back 4 will work overtime.
Breitner and Davids are great players but none are cultured footballers on the ball. No real great passing and keeping of the ball. Beckham is in the same boat so there will be no respite.
The decision to have Viera on the bench makes no sense. One of the best midfield performances by an opposition player we've seen was by Schweinsteiger and he's basically viera lite. He needs to be on the pitch. The exclusion of the mercurial Laudrup also doesn't make sense. Elite technicians like him have always had strong games vs barca(remember Sneijder?) and he isn't as good. He'd be a great weapon with all the space behind the defenders that they're gonna leave.
Something like this and I'd have give my vote a bit more thought.
--------------Van basten---------
--------Laudrup----Albert-----
---------Breitner-----Viera------
------------------Davids-----------
Maldini--Baresi--Kohler--Cafu
-------------------Zenga-------------
In a similar shape as the chelsea 05/06 team just with better players.
------------------Drogba----------------
-------------Cole--------Robben-------
---------Lampard----Essien-----------
------------------Makelele-------------
----gallas---Terry----Carvahlo--Ferreira
---------------------Cech-----------------------
Or the current juve side.
Not only will your team be defensively solid but it'll also be able to efficiently play out from the back with viera being the class first receiver from defence.
Or you could always be bolder and go with:
--------------------Van Basten--------------
--------------Albert------------Szibor-------
---------------Laudrup-----Viera----------
-------------------------Davids---------------
You have the quality of players in the squad but the set up isn't ideal for such a game and the tactics you've chosen to adopt. The technical advantage that they have will be too much of a burden for your team and you'll struggle to have enough of the ball to hurt them on the counter. Also the protection you have in front of your defense isn't enough to stop them for the full 90.
In essence I think this match will turn into a park the bus exercise rather than a great pragmatic team playing vs a great ball playing team. You're to out matched in the middle of the park technically. Playing out is going to be really difficult and your back 4 will work overtime.
Breitner and Davids are great players but none are cultured footballers on the ball. No real great passing and keeping of the ball. Beckham is in the same boat so there will be no respite.
The decision to have Viera on the bench makes no sense. One of the best midfield performances by an opposition player we've seen was by Schweinsteiger and he's basically viera lite. He needs to be on the pitch. The exclusion of the mercurial Laudrup also doesn't make sense. Elite technicians like him have always had strong games vs barca(remember Sneijder?) and he isn't as good. He'd be a great weapon with all the space behind the defenders that they're gonna leave.
Something like this and I'd have give my vote a bit more thought.
--------------Van basten---------
--------Laudrup----Albert-----
---------Breitner-----Viera------
------------------Davids-----------
Maldini--Baresi--Kohler--Cafu
-------------------Zenga-------------
In a similar shape as the chelsea 05/06 team just with better players.
------------------Drogba----------------
-------------Cole--------Robben-------
---------Lampard----Essien-----------
------------------Makelele-------------
----gallas---Terry----Carvahlo--Ferreira
---------------------Cech-----------------------
Or the current juve side.
Not only will your team be defensively solid but it'll also be able to efficiently play out from the back with viera being the class first receiver from defence.
Or you could always be bolder and go with:
--------------------Van Basten--------------
--------------Albert------------Szibor-------
---------------Laudrup-----Viera----------
-------------------------Davids---------------
Last edited:
Don't like the tactics from Sjor. He would be better off with a christmas tree and clog up the middle.
..............MvB...................
......Albert...Laudrup............
...Davids..Vieira..Breitner....
Maldini...Baresi...Kohler...Cafu
Since Cal doesn't have a dedicated AM, you can get away by playing 3 defensively sound CM's in the middle.
..............MvB...................
......Albert...Laudrup............
...Davids..Vieira..Breitner....
Maldini...Baresi...Kohler...Cafu
Since Cal doesn't have a dedicated AM, you can get away by playing 3 defensively sound CM's in the middle.
Im playing against one of the best if not the best possession side in history of the game(well, at least one version of that team). If i had chosen the different tactic i would have been battered like many teams before, United included. I have 3 midfielders with immense engine and workrate in front of my back 4 + Albert and Czibor would help out. Taking in mind the quality of my back 4 it should be enough to stop cal? team of scoring more then once.
parking the bus is the only proven tactic that works against Barcelona, if i tryed anything else it would be an disaster and my players would be helpless against Xavi, Iniesta and Messi. As for distribution from the back i think i have more then enough, for starters all of the players in my team are very good on the ball. Baresi is fantastic for a defender, Maldini is a good passer and can carry the ball out, just like Cafu on the other side. Beckham is one of the best passers of the ball in history of the game and Breitner is quality.
Both Davids and Breitner are better players then Vieira so the only way for Vieira to get in the team is me dropping some of the attacking players. Czibor is one of the greatest wingers of all time and will destroy Dani Alves on that side. Beckham is a workhorse with fantastic end product and fantastic fit for the tactic as well as the players around him, specially Cafu and Van Basten.
And we get to the Balon d'Or winner Florian Albert who is perfect fit for the tactic and opposition, all you have to do is watch his performance against Brazil at the WC and you will see why he is the first name on the teamsheet for this game. He is that elite technician you are mentioning, just a better fit then Laudrup as he gives us more direct threat and good workrate.
the middle will be packed as Beckham will tuck in and help as cal? doesnt have proper wide player there. Both his players prefer to get inside. So you have Beckham, Davids and Breitner all in pretty much central area in front of back 4 + if i decided to go with christmas tree im losing my threat from wide positions and that also affects on the threat of Van Basten.
Leaving Czibor on the bench against a Barca-esque side is the silliest idea I've heard in a long time. Wing play is by far the best way to get in behind Cal's defensive set-up and Sjor has a final ready all time great winger in his squad. Never in a million years should Czibor be on the bench and the game turned into a congested midfield battle, because it would make it that much easier for Barca's pressing.
as a bayern fan how do you see Schweinsteiger, Lahm and Robben in that team?
I can only see Schweini doing decent job there(nowhere close to Busquets) and i rate him as the best midfielder in the world and better player then Ronaldo for example.
Lahm on the left is worse then the one on the right + with Ronaldo in front he isnt the best solutions as cal needs someone to offer width.
Robben, already mentioned that before, i cant see neither him or Ronaldo doing their job properly and i cant see that front three work even though they look pretty damn impressive on the paper.
i thought about it but my attack would be to one dimensional.....Albert gives my attack that x factor + think i have enough defensive wise, 3 workhorses in front of the GOAT back 4 with Czibor and Albert helping in more higher pressure, most of the time pressuring Schweinsteiger and Vidic.
Albert is a great player but against a team like Cal I believe you are better of with Vieira there. You are not going to need the most complex routes to goal against such a side, you already have Czibor exposing his weakness and van Basten is much more than just a striker. I would much rather see van Basten getting more time on the ball as well anyhow.
Vieira, Davids, Breitner and Beckham have the intensity and ability needed and it is hard to improve that quartet defensively. Ronaldo and Lahm doesnt look like it would get the best of Cafu and a supporting Beckham any more than the opposite. Breitner and Maldini on the other side looks about as good as it can get at defending the left flank.
I think Alberts role is more important if you want to try and actually outplay Cal by attempting to take out Schweinsteiger and I dont think it would be successful at all considering how good he is and that Xaviesta thrives in little space with little time on the ball.
That said I really rate Albert but I dont think he is right for this game over Vieira.
i really wanted Albert in the side, think he is perfect for this match. Well rounded offensive player who is absolutely lethal on the break as he is fast and agile with brilliant dribbling skills. If you watch his role in that Brazil game, almost every ball he gets is at the start of the counter and he is basically performing a one man show. I really cant see who can stop him, both Rio and Vida(specially!) have problems against quality dribblers so thats a big advantage for me.
I can make the sub even though i think im better with him in the team if the guys who voted for me agree, both of them haha
edit: looks like i got few more votes in the meantime, apologies
I can make the sub even though i think im better with him in the team if the guys who voted for me agree, both of them haha
edit: looks like i got few more votes in the meantime, apologies
I don't really like Lahm at leftback all that much unless it's a very specific set-up in which he can add to the midfield and doesn't have to provide width. I already made that criticism quite a few times in drafts. It's really the only problem I see in Cal's team though and Barca made it work with Abidal - Villa on the left and Iniesta drifting wide, so it's more a minor issue for me.
Schweinsteiger is a fantastic fit in the Busquets role, I'd argue he's actually an upgrade on Busquets, who while being of course excellent, doesn't provide anything that Schweinsteiger can't do just as good and Schweini offers a lot more. Schweini has played as a lone holding midfielder for Germany for most of the last 5 years and even next to Martinez, Schweinsteiger usually did all the build-up from the back.
Don't see anything wrong with Robben. He was a surprisingly hard worker on the right over the last few years and since Heynckes took over a lot less selfish and often a real team-player. He probably won't make the dummy runs, Pedro and Villa did so often for Messi, so that Messi get into great goalscoring positions himself. But if Messi accepts that he's more provider than finisher in this team, both Ronaldo and Robben will enjoy playing in this set-up a lot. It's all theoretical though, Robben's up against Maldini after all. As fantastic as Robben has been over the last 5-6 years, he won't have a big impact in this game.
Not specifically - Baresi, Scirea and Beckenbauer too had more problems with quality dribblers than with non-quality dribblers.
Schweiny > Ronaldo and these comments, you'll lose all your credibility!
i dont see what did i say wrong, in Cal tactic both Rio and Vida will face Czibor/Albert 1v1 and on open space(on the counter) and they wont have much chance against them, someone like Thuram would be a better fit. I was probably harsh on Rio but i stand by what i said about Vidic(who i rate very highly but in other systems), even Carlton Cole battered him 1v1, Carlton Cole! I tried to find the video of that but couldn't, with most of us being United fans i assume most of us/you remember that.
As for Schweini > Ronaldo comment, i dont really care about my credibility, there are a lot of nonsense being said in draft games so 90% of the draft players wouldnt have any credit by that criteria. I really dont want to participate in debate Schweinsteiger vs Ronaldo debate, in my opinion Schweinsteiger is the best midfielder in the world and if i had to chose between him and Ronaldo for my team i wouldnt think more then a minute, in the end we see which players are winning team trophies and which ones are winning individual ones. Dont get me wrong, i rate Ronaldo but not that highly as most of the people here(not even close to Messi for example).
no doubt Schweini is update defensively but for the Tiki Taka Buske is level above him in offensive part of the game. I really rate both of them very highly but for "Tiki Taka" Buske is the perfect fit. Would Schweini be able to restrain himself to the simple passing game and giving Xaviesta all the freedom + Busquets technique and ability under pressure it so underrated.
Yeah, my main concern are this dummy runs as i dont see neither him or Ronaldo doing that so basically cal? needs 2015 Messi and not the one he has even though that Messi also had fantastic passing, but not even close to the current one.
Gone for Cal in the end. It's such a great side.
Yeah, he would. Just look at the world cup last year, where he did just that and left the majority of possession to Kroos. And Schweini's short passing game isn't behind Busquets in my opinion, which is no slight on Busquets, both are excellent in that regard. Give Schweini two midfielders like Xavi and Iniesta in front of him with incredible off the ball movement and constantly making themselves available for the easy pass, and you'd see it.
lets say you are right, i still believe Busquets is better for the role but i dont have "issue" with Schweini anymore.
I'm very surprised that Vieira was left out, I'd have thought he would be perfect to play Mourinho's A380 system if you wanted to play it.
i felt i had enough defensively with 3 workhorses and two that would contribute....btw congrats on the win, good luck in the next round
It looked odd when he posted the pictures on the thread, even more so on a teamsheet.
the game is over but lets see if this changes anything, i for one think that this is the weaker team but some of you want Vieira so here you go......
@Annahnomoss tactical change, Vieira for Albert
@Annahnomoss tactical change, Vieira for Albert
It never ceases to amaze me how Beckham spells instant doom to any team featuring him. People crying out for Patrick feckin' Vieira when Edgar Davids and Paul Breitner are already on the pitch. Nutters.
Two teams practically got the better of that side, inter and bayern. Bayern were much more convincing in their win. Why? Cause they themselves were great on the ball and yet solid defensively. Being just solid defensively is going to be game where the only question is how long can your team hold on for.
Davids wasn't a better 'footballer' than Viera and that's the point(its debatable whether he was a better player period). I'm not saying drop either, I'm saying play them with him. Breitner in midfield wasn't a defensive specialist while both Viera and Dravid were.
Beckham is the one that doesn't really fit here. Yes, he played a very high work rate and had a wonderful attitude but honestly, his reading of the opposition play isn't good enough for him to be in this midfield battle. Also isn't the greatest in tight spaces.
Albert is in both teams that I listed. Laudrup would give Van Basten and Albert all the ball they need to hurt the opposition. Look, in terms of finding your man behind the opposition football hasn't produced a better player than laudrup.
Your defence is perfect, the rest needs adjusting.
Bayern beat them when Barca was finished(that particular team) and Inter beat them how? With parking the bus and hitting them with counters.....
Davids probably wasnt better "footballer" but he was a better player and Breitner was both.
You say he doesnt fit i say he is perfect
He isnt deployed as a midfielder but he would help out, you dont have to be defensive specialist to help the team with constant pressure in your zone while defending from deep + Beckham tactical side of the game is underrated. As for the tight spaces, he doesnt have to be as he is playing in counter-attacking side. After we win the ball he would have the option of passing it to someone long or short or just run with the ball into the open space. There wont be much combining from my side.Yes, Albert is in both of your sides but in one version you dropped both Beckham and Czibor and in other one you have Laudrup playing in central midfield, i would get the hammering with that version and in the first one i would struggle on the counter....
As Annah said above, Beckham should do very well in this set-up. Unless you put someone on him (and "Barca" won't do that) you can't really stop him from creating something dangerous every now and then with the right sort of runs. And with Czibor and Albert you'd get the latter - plus Van Basten there too, who knows how (and when) to move about to get on the end of something.
Not bad at all when the aim is to soak it up and punish 'em on the counter. Beckham isn't a luxury player either by any stretch - he'll run his arse off when you ask him to.
Bad sub, in other words. Still, the match is obviously gone anyway.
Genuinely believe Messi/Ronaldo/Robben is a disaster and wouldn't work in real life + the defense of Bepo's team could put up great resistance anyway, but I can obviously see why a lot of people disagree.
Baresi and Maldini too had bad games against average opposition, that's my point. You can't judge a player, especially a defender by one game where he got "battered". Rio had no weaknesses and Vidic's lack of speed is not as critical as it gets pictured in these drafts.
Re: credibility. It was a tongue in cheek comment. Everyone is entitled to his own opinion.
i admit i was harsh on Rio but in my opinion Vidic 1v1 game is one of his weakest segments if not the weakest, and if anyone isnt judged by one game its him.
Last edited:
I agree. I don't love it at all and I have a hard time seeing the sort of team effort and tactical understanding that is needed defensively. Ronaldo also doesn't suit the possession game that they play either, he's far from his best when the opponents gets the time to set up their defense.
That said I think the quality of the side is possibly enough to make up for it and the fact that so many players would actually play well in the set out tactics. I have a really hard time being able to predict a winner here.
I don't think that Vidic is a weakness at all because of some incidents over a career, which has happened to everybody at some times. Actually hate when it is brought up against him as some sort of proofs that he wasn't a true top tier defender.
I didnt say that, Vidic is true top tier defender but he isnt perfect, 1v1 game isnt his forte in my opinion and he wouldnt be that good in that barca team, in other systems he is a top class centerback.
I don't think he's the greatest player for the system either, so I agree with the overall point, but I wouldn't say it is because of his 1 vs 1 game which was very strong. Pique, Puyol, Mascherano, Boateng aren't players known for their great 1 vs 1 abilities either, but they are still suited to the tactics. There is a lot more to suiting a possession team and a high line than your ability in 1 vs 1's, your ability to avoid them being for example.
Last edited:
I didnt say its only because of that, i used only that segment as its the obvious weakness and i had fantastic dribbler in my side to exploit it.
Will stop at that as i dont think its time or place to discuss the rest of the things....Barca, quality of today defenders and suitability of the same for certain tactics
ps: 17:11 - its on!
I loved the older tactics a lot better @Šjor Bepo , you should stick to your ground. Won't make me change my vote though.
Shocking. Nutters indeed.
The combined team
the game was finished so i decided to give the people what they want
like you, i also think the original one is much better.Feel like I have to vote for Sjor for making him change now
. Personally prefer Maldini/Breitner on the left(LCM) and Beckham/Cafu on the right with Davids and Vieira in the middle on the right side of Iniesta&Xavi. Kohler and Baresi is as good as a centre back pairing can get as well. I don't think that Maldini is going to be enough to stop Robben with Alves overlapping unless Maldini gets plenty of support from somebody.
Last edited:
??? Did Robben switch teams and started running at his own goal now? That would help Sjor big time. If not, then Maldini is taking care of Robben, not Lahm
.Cheers, Maldini!??? Did Robben switch teams and started running at his own goal now? That would help Sjor big time. If not, then Maldini is taking care of Robben, not Lahm
with getting some votes for my first change lets try another one in my opinion i weakened the team first time around but i got some votes, lets try it again! I will again make a sub that i think will weaken the team in hope i get more votes and make this interesting
@Annahnomoss sub: Laudrup for Beckham
annah and just for you, Breitner on the left balu and antohan will pull their hair up but you have to obey the wishes of game master haha
in my opinion i weakened the team first time around but i got some votes, lets try it again! I will again make a sub that i think will weaken the team in hope i get more votes and make this interesting @Annahnomoss sub: Laudrup for Beckham
annah and just for you, Breitner on the left
balu and antohan will pull their hair up but you have to obey the wishes of game master haha Updated.