The Modern / Current Players Draft

A lot of my next possible picks gone. Pretty much all of them I think. Vidal would have been a great pick for me. Essien too. The way this draft has gone I don't think that Hazard criticism was warranted at all.
 
The Xavi-Dani Alves combo is probably the most important in getting the best out of both players.

Isotope said:
Really? I rate Masch as the best available DM after Schweni. WC isn't that far long ago.
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It will be easier to find above average centre mids later on than it will centre backs, but yeah you probably want your best players in their best positions.
 
Looks like people should start snapping up the remaining CB's. There's only a handful more remaining before you're going to be really scraping the barrel to find any picks that will require minimal justification.
 
Balu said:
The nationality rule makes Eto'o the way better pick for your team though. You really could use another Spaniard.
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Aye, that's a big factor admittedly. I was almost relieved when Eto'o was picked as I like Villa more and it took a difficult decision out of my hands, but for sure not being able to pick any more Spaniards is a serious handicap now.

Chesterlestreet said:
Very good point, actually.

I was musing on who he could pick to cover Xavi's arse and/or complement him earlier and realized that most of my candidates turned out invalid, as they're just a bit too old.

That said, I did my musing having a Barca'esque set-up in mind. And part and parcel of Xavi in a draft is probably whether you can sell him in a set-up which is NOT clearly Barca'esque. That is the main challenge with him, arguably.

I personally think he would shine in other set-ups too, clearly so - but he no doubt suffers somewhat from a kind of typecast syndrome particular to certain players.
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I think I've got the main elements in place now to give Xavi a decent run out - a quick striker with exceptional movement and a great outlet out wide. The full Barca tiki-taka set-up was never really going to be possible with the limited pool and nationality restrictions, so in that respect I was always going to have to try him in a less specific system, which frees me up nicely in terms of future picks. Of course it runs the risk of falling flat on its arse, but I'd prefer that to desperately hoping that a tiny few players somehow survive until my next pick!
 
Pat_Mustard said:
I think I've got the main elements in place now to give Xavi a decent run out - a quick striker with exceptional movement and a great outlet out wide. The full Barca tiki-taka set-up was never really going to be possible with the limited pool and nationality restrictions, so in that respect I was always going to have to try him in a less specific system, which frees me up nicely in terms of future picks. Of course it runs the risk of falling flat on its arse, but I'd prefer that to desperately hoping that a tiny few players somehow survive until my next pick!
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That's the only way to do it, my fellow drunkard. You don't want to reproduce a Barca model surrounding Xavi. It's both futile (as you'll never get the necessary credit for lesser versions of the key players in the historical team he shone in) and immensely boring at that. See how he fares in a different setting - see if people give him credit for the individual player he was.

My stance is that Xavi and Iniesta are players whose historical roles in that team actually limit their potential in a setting like this, if one insists on "realism". Feck that. They transcended that system per their innate qualities as footballers - it's clear as day to me. It was painful at times, just past the golden era of Pep's Barca, to see Iniesta operate like some sort of robot in a script gone stale. Take one look at the man with the ball at his feet - and you see what sort of potential lies there. He could have played in a different team - a completely different team - and used his qualities to immense effect. Same for Xavi.
 
Pat_Mustard said:
I think I've got the main elements in place now to give Xavi a decent run out - a quick striker with exceptional movement and a great outlet out wide. The full Barca tiki-taka set-up was never really going to be possible with the limited pool and nationality restrictions, so in that respect I was always going to have to try him in a less specific system, which frees me up nicely in terms of future picks. Of course it runs the risk of falling flat on its arse, but I'd prefer that to desperately hoping that a tiny few players somehow survive until my next pick!
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Xavi was always treated a bit unfairly outside of tiki-taka in these drafts, so maybe it's time to correct it a bit. I enjoyed watching the more direct 2008/09 Xavi (Euro and treble) a lot more than the short passing monster he became afterwards, even though the latter version is probably the more unique and dominant player.
 
Barney said:
I wouldn't call Schweini a DM. Mascherano is the second best destroyer in the draft after an unpicked one who I shall not name.
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At the last WC, Schweini was a DM (although in younger days, he's B2B). Him and Masch in the Final gave the best DM performance I've seen in recent years.
 
BorisDeLeFora said:
It will be easier to find above average centre mids later on than it will centre backs, but yeah you probably want your best players in their best positions.
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Agreed. Although I'd probably only get a left-over CB. So might as well went with one of the best out there, regardless position.
 
Isotope said:
At the last WC, Schweini was a DM (although in younger days, he's B2B). Him and Masch in the Final gave the best DM performance I've seen in recent years.
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Balu will have his say on this - but yeah, I suppose in effect Schweini was a DM, or a holder, of sorts in that team - much more so than Dolly Parton (whom people on here bizarrely regard as a defensively sound player).

Schweini is versatile, though. Rather complete as a midfielder, capable of playing many roles.
 
Chesterlestreet said:
Balu will have his say on this - but yeah, I suppose in effect Schweini was a DM, or a holder, of sorts in that team - much more so than *** (whom people on here bizarrely regard as a defensively sound player).

Schweini is versatile, though. Rather complete as a midfielder, capable of playing many roles.
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Yeah, depend on his partner. On Bayern last 2 CL Finals, he was box to box.
 
Chesterlestreet said:
Balu will have his say on this - but yeah, I suppose in effect Schweini was a DM, or a holder, of sorts in that team - much more so than **** his still unpicked midfield partner **** (whom people on here bizarrely regard as a defensively sound player).
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Better edit this one, mate ;). But yes, I agree. Schweini is a wonderful allrounder, but he's clearly a defensive midfielder at his best, just one who can actually defend and do the deep lying playmaking. Mascherano is closer to a destroyer. I'd go deeper into this, but it doesn't make a lot of sense without naming several of his midfield partners and almost all of them are still unpicked.
 
Edited. Damn.

Anyway, to conclude the reasoning - Mascherano, if you're looking for a certain kind of defensive midfielder, is brilliant. I've never liked him, for various reasons, but he is brilliant. And if you have him, play him as a DM for God's sake. He's nothing to speak of as a CB, but a brilliant DM, as he demonstrated very convincingly last summer.
 
Isotope said:
At the last WC, Schweini was a DM (although in younger days, he's B2B). Him and Masch in the Final gave the best DM performance I've seen in recent years.
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Well that's true. It was almost reminiscent of a different era, when two midfield warriors would go head-to-head and scrap it out, putting their bodies on the line, as much a physical and mental battle as a technical one. I loved it.
 
Gio said:
Well that's true. It was almost reminiscent of a different era, when two midfield warriors would go head-to-head and scrap it out, putting their bodies on the line, as much a physical and mental battle as a technical one. I loved it.
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It was. Possibly the grandest feature of the final, actually, with Messi being largely underwhelming (more so than being legitimately confined and restricted, I'm bold enough to say).
 
Gio said:
Well that's true. It was almost reminiscent of a different era, when two midfield warriors would go head-to-head and scrap it out, putting their bodies on the line, as much a physical and mental battle as a technical one. I loved it.
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Not like a bunch of pussies United have these last few years.
 
Chesterlestreet said:
That's the only way to do it, my fellow drunkard. You don't want to reproduce a Barca model surrounding Xavi. It's both futile (as you'll never get the necessary credit for lesser versions of the key players in the historical team he shone in) and immensely boring at that. See how he fares in a different setting - see if people give him credit for the individual player he was.

My stance is that Xavi and Iniesta are players whose historical roles in that team actually limit their potential in a setting like this, if one insists on "realism". Feck that. They transcended that system per their innate qualities as footballers - it's clear as day to me. It was painful at times, just past the golden era of Pep's Barca, to see Iniesta operate like some sort of robot in a script gone stale. Take one look at the man with the ball at his feet - and you see what sort of potential lies there. He could have played in a different team - a completely different team - and used his qualities to immense effect. Same for Xavi.
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Balu said:
Xavi was always treated a bit unfairly outside of tiki-taka in these drafts, so maybe it's time to correct it a bit. I enjoyed watching the more direct 2008/09 Xavi (Euro and treble) a lot more than the short passing monster he became afterwards, even though the latter version is probably the more unique and dominant player.
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Good points chaps. As a disclaimer of sorts, I do understand why people question the suitability of players for systems that they didn't play in/peak in. Its essential to these drafts, but its often taken too far. Balu makes a great point that Xavi has actually thrived in a more direct system. I loved that Xavi/Senna midfield. As for Iniesta, it seems crazy to me to argue that he couldn't thrive in a more direct system. A player with passing and dribbling that incisive doesn't need to play keep ball for ages before springing a defence.
 
PM your picks! I'll be around for another five hours or so, so you can PM them to me if you won't be around.
 
I'll be here if people want to pm picks too.
 
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