The Modern / Current Players Draft

Pat_Mustard said:
Theon's deadline has expired and he doesn't appear to have posted anything since Monday night. What to do @Edgar Allan Pillow ?
Click to expand...
Just get on with the drafting. He has a complete starting 11 anyway and worst case, he can add his sub at the end if he doesn't show up today. Waiting for managers in the 12th round is a bad idea. We often had someone adding his last player after the draw was made, because he went missing for a few days.

De Gea
Coleman Kolo Koscielny Kolarov
Khedira Schweinsteiger
Sanchez Sneijder Robinho
Ibrahimovic
​
Doubt he'll change anything there anyway.
 
sajeev said:
that is a poor defence along with Khedira

Great attack though
Click to expand...
I'm pretty sure all the teams have either a weak defense, midfield or attack. It's overall one of the stronger teams in the draft in my opinion.
 
Balu said:
Just get on with the drafting. He has a complete starting 11 anyway and worst case, he can add his sub at the end if he doesn't show up today. Waiting for managers in the 12th round is a bad idea. We often had someone adding his last player after the draw was made, because he went missing for a few days.

De Gea
Coleman Kolo Koscielny Kolarov
Khedira Schweinsteiger
Sanchez Sneijder Robinho
Ibrahimovic
​
Doubt he'll change anything there anyway.
Click to expand...

C-KKK or Cokokoko?
 
1408441272514_Image_galleryImage_File_photo_dated_09_07_20.JPG

  1. Pat_Mustard: 1. Xavi 2. Villa 3. Dani Alves 4. Barzagli 5. Verratti 6. Laporte 7. Tevez 8. Kwadwo Asamoah 9. Deisler 10.Mandanda 11. Lars Bender
  2. Raees: 1. Ronaldinho 2. Hummels 3. Chiellini 4. De Jong 5. Gundogan 6. Isco 7. Carvajal 8. Park Ji Sung 9. Higuain 10. C Bravo 11. Marquinhos
  3. Physiocrat: 1. Robben 2. Fabregas 3. J. Boateng 4. Wilshere 5. Alba 6. Nani 7. Rafael 8. Berbatov 9. Vermalean 10. Igor Akinfeev 11. Gustavo
  4. MJJ: 1. Kaká 2. Torres 3. Essien 4. Matic 5. Pique 6. Neuer 7. Baines 8. Sokratis 9. Piszczek 10. Pjanic 11. Cassano
  5. Stobzilla: 1. Lahm 2. Alaba 3. Vidal 4. Rooney 5. Turan 6. Özil 7. Griezmann 8. Luiz 9. Bonucci 10. Valdes 11. Otamendi
  6. The Red Viper: 1. Iniesta 2. Terry 3. Neymar 4. Van Persie 5. Hargreaves 6. Marcelo 7. Cahill 8. Lichtsteiner 9. Ramsey 10. Sirigu 11. Cazorla
  7. Isotope: 1. Suárez 2. Eto'o 3. Mascherano 4. Pepe 5. Koke 6. Chivu 7. Marchisio 8. Sagna 9. Mata 10. Keylor Navas 11. Balzaretti 12. Rojo
  8. Theon: 1. Schweinsteiger 2. Ibrahimovic 3. Sánchez 4. Sneijder 5. De Gea 6. Koscielny 7. Khedira 8. Robinho 9. Kolo 10. Kolarov 11. Coleman 12.
  9. BorisDeLedFora: 1. Vidic 2. Kompany 3. De Rossi 4. Cavani 5. Rakitic 6. Hamsik 7. Arbeloa 8. Vicente 9. Walcott 10. Ter Stegen 11. Richards 12. Kehl
  10. Snow: 1. Hazard 2. Modric 3. Busquets 4. Azpilicueta 5. Adriano 6. Thiago 7.Srna 8. Garay 9. Badstuber 10. Lloris 11. Cuadrado 12. Diego
  11. VivaJanuzaj: 1. Thiago Silva 2. Yaya Touré 3. Ivanovic 4. Pogba 5. Gotze 6. Alex Song 7. Clichy 8. Diego Costa 9. Pedro 10. Mertesacker 11. Begović 12. Błaszczykowski
  12. NoPace: 1. Kroos 2. Reus 3. Ramos 4. Di María 5. Ledley King 6. Falcao 7. Casillas 8. Filipe Luis 9. T.Rosicky 10. Motta 11. Debuchy 12. Donovan
  13. Barney: 1. Gerrard 2. Alonso 3. Martínez 4. Benatia 5. Zabaleta 6. Ricardo Rodriguez 7.Valencia 8. Benzema 9. Demichelis 10. Hart 11. Podolski 12. Benayoun
  14. Skizzo: 1. Müller 2. Evra 3. Godín 4. D. Silva 5. Miranda 6. Sterling 7. Lewandowski 8. Matuidi 9. Juanfran 10. Handanovic 11. Lassana Diarra 12. Seydou Keita
  15. crappycraperson: 1. Ribery 2. Agüero 3. Varane 4. Carrick 5. Vertonghen 6. Cech 7. Lavezzi 8. Coentrao 9. Joaquin 10. Moutinho 11. Oscar 12. Cáceres
  16. NM: 1. Bale 2. Cole 3. Maicon 4. Cambiasso 5. James Rodriguez 6. Courtois 7. Subotic 8. Dante 9. Strootman 10. Mario Gomez 11. Malouda 12. Fletcher
@The Red Viper
 
...I'm a little bored.​


Pat_Mustard:
Mandanda
Alves ----- Barzagli -- Laporte -- Asamoah
Bender -- Xavi -- Verratti
Deisler
Villa -- Tevez

Raees:
Bravo
Marquinhos -- Hummels -- Chiellini --
Carvajal ----------- De Jong ---------- Park - --
Gundogan
Ronaldinho -------- Isco ---
Higuain

Physiocrat:
Akinfeev
Rafael -- Boateng -- Vermaelen -- Alba
Gustavo -- Wilshere
Robben -- Fabregas ---- Nani
Berbatov

MJJ:
Neuer
Piszczek -- Sokratis -- Pique ---- Baines --
Essien -- Matic
- Kaka ---- Pjanic -- Cassano
Torres

Stobzilla:
Valdes
Bonucci -- Otamendi -- Alaba --
Luiz
Lahm -- Vidal
-- Ozil ---- Turan - Griezmann
Rooney

The Red Viper:
Sirigu
Lichtsteiner -- Terry -- Cahill -- Marcelo ---
Hargreaves -- Ramseyy --
Cazorla -- Iniesta -- Neymar
Van Persie

Isotope:
Navas
---- Sagna -- Pepe -- Chivu -- Balzaretti
Mascherano
--- Koke---- Marchisio -
Mata
Eto'o -- Suárez

Theon:
De Gea
-- Coleman ---- Kolo -- Koscielny -- Kolarov
---- Khedira -- Schweinsteiger
Sánchez -- Sneijder -- Robinho
Ibrahimovic

BorisDeLedFora:
Ter Stegen
Richards -- Vidic -- Kompany -- Arbeloa
De Rossi -- Rakitic
Walcott -- Hamsik -- Vicente
Cavani

Snow:
Lloris
Srna -- Badstuber- Garay- Azpilicueta
Busquets
Modric -- Thiago
Cuadrado -- Adriano -- Hazard --

VivaJanuzaj:
Begović
Ivanovic -- Silva - Mertesacker - Clichy
Touré -- Song -- Pogba
Pedro ------------ Gotze -------
Costa


NoPace:
Casillas
Debuchy -- King -- Ramos -- Luis --
Kroos -- Motta
-- Reus -- Rosicky -- Di María
Falcao


Barney:
Hart
Zabaleta - Demichelis - Benatia - Rodriguez
Martínez -- Alonso
Valencia -- Gerrard -- Podolski
Benzema


Skizzo:
Handanovic
Juanfran -- Godín -- Miranda -- Evra
Diarra -- Matuidi
Müller -- Silva -- Sterling
Lewandowski

crappycraperson:
Cech
Vertonghen -- Varane -- Cáceres -- Coentrao
Carrick -- Moutinho
Joaquin -- Oscar -- Ribery
Aguero

NM:
Courtois
Maicon - Subotic -- Dante -- Cole -
Cambiasso -- Strootman
Bale ------ James -- Malouda
Gomez​
 
  1. Pat_Mustard: 1. Xavi 2. Villa 3. Dani Alves 4. Barzagli 5. Verratti 6. Laporte 7. Tevez 8. Kwadwo Asamoah 9. Deisler 10.Mandanda 11. Lars Bender 12.
  2. Raees: 1. Ronaldinho 2. Hummels 3. Chiellini 4. De Jong 5. Gundogan 6. Isco 7. Carvajal 8. Park Ji Sung 9. Higuain 10. C Bravo 11. Marquinhos 12.
  3. Physiocrat: 1. Robben 2. Fabregas 3. J. Boateng 4. Wilshere 5. Alba 6. Nani 7. Rafael 8. Berbatov 9. Vermalean 10. Igor Akinfeev 11. Gustavo 12.
  4. MJJ: 1. Kaká 2. Torres 3. Essien 4. Matic 5. Pique 6. Neuer 7. Baines 8. Sokratis 9. Piszczek 10. Pjanic 11. Cassano 12.
  5. Stobzilla: 1. Lahm 2. Alaba 3. Vidal 4. Rooney 5. Turan 6. Özil 7. Griezmann 8. Luiz 9. Bonucci 10. Valdes 11. Otamendi 12.
  6. The Red Viper: 1. Iniesta 2. Terry 3. Neymar 4. Van Persie 5. Hargreaves 6. Marcelo 7. Cahill 8. Lichtsteiner 9. Ramsey 10. Sirigu 11. Cazorla 12. Höwedes.
  7. Isotope: 1. Suárez 2. Eto'o 3. Mascherano 4. Pepe 5. Koke 6. Chivu 7. Marchisio 8. Sagna 9. Mata 10. Keylor Navas 11. Balzaretti 12. Rojo.
  8. Theon: 1. Schweinsteiger 2. Ibrahimovic 3. Sánchez 4. Sneijder 5. De Gea 6. Koscielny 7. Khedira 8. Robinho 9. Kolo 10. Kolarov 11. Coleman 12.
  9. BorisDeLedFora: 1. Vidic 2. Kompany 3. De Rossi 4. Cavani 5. Rakitic 6. Hamsik 7. Arbeloa 8. Vicente 9. Walcott 10. Ter Stegen 11. Richards 12. Kehl.
  10. Snow: 1. Hazard 2. Modric 3. Busquets 4. Azpilicueta 5. Adriano 6. Thiago 7.Srna 8. Garay 9. Badstuber 10. Lloris 11. Cuadrado 12. Diego.
  11. VivaJanuzaj: 1. Thiago Silva 2. Yaya Touré 3. Ivanovic 4. Pogba 5. Gotze 6. Alex Song 7. Clichy 8. Diego Costa 9. Pedro 10. Mertesacker 11. Begović 12. Błaszczykowski.
  12. NoPace: 1. Kroos 2. Reus 3. Ramos 4. Di María 5. Ledley King 6. Falcao 7. Casillas 8. Filipe Luis 9. T.Rosicky 10. Motta 11. Debuchy 12. Donovan.
  13. Barney: 1. Gerrard 2. Alonso 3. Martínez 4. Benatia 5. Zabaleta 6. Ricardo Rodriguez 7.Valencia 8. Benzema 9. Demichelis 10. Hart 11. Podolski 12. Benayoun.
  14. Skizzo: 1. Müller 2. Evra 3. Godín 4. D. Silva 5. Miranda 6. Sterling 7. Lewandowski 8. Matuidi 9. Juanfran 10. Handanovic 11. Lassana Diarra 12. Seydou Keita.
  15. crappycraperson: 1. Ribery 2. Agüero 3. Varane 4. Carrick 5. Vertonghen 6. Cech 7. Lavezzi 8. Coentrao 9. Joaquin 10. Moutinho 11. Oscar 12. Cáceres
  16. NM: 1. Bale 2. Cole 3. Maicon 4. Cambiasso 5. James Rodriguez 6. Courtois 7. Subotic 8. Dante 9. Strootman 10. Mario Gomez 11. Malouda 12. Darren Fletcher.

 
@MJJ picks Saviola

  1. Pat_Mustard: 1. Xavi 2. Villa 3. Dani Alves 4. Barzagli 5. Verratti 6. Laporte 7. Tevez 8. Kwadwo Asamoah 9. Deisler 10.Mandanda 11. Lars Bender 12.
  2. Raees: 1. Ronaldinho 2. Hummels 3. Chiellini 4. De Jong 5. Gundogan 6. Isco 7. Carvajal 8. Park Ji Sung 9. Higuain 10. C Bravo 11. Marquinhos 12.
  3. Physiocrat: 1. Robben 2. Fabregas 3. J. Boateng 4. Wilshere 5. Alba 6. Nani 7. Rafael 8. Berbatov 9. Vermalean 10. Igor Akinfeev 11. Gustavo 12.
  4. MJJ: 1. Kaká 2. Torres 3. Essien 4. Matic 5. Pique 6. Neuer 7. Baines 8. Sokratis 9. Piszczek 10. Pjanic 11. Cassano 12. Saviola
  5. Stobzilla: 1. Lahm 2. Alaba 3. Vidal 4. Rooney 5. Turan 6. Özil 7. Griezmann 8. Luiz 9. Bonucci 10. Valdes 11. Otamendi 12.
  6. The Red Viper: 1. Iniesta 2. Terry 3. Neymar 4. Van Persie 5. Hargreaves 6. Marcelo 7. Cahill 8. Lichtsteiner 9. Ramsey 10. Sirigu 11. Cazorla 12. Höwedes.
  7. Isotope: 1. Suárez 2. Eto'o 3. Mascherano 4. Pepe 5. Koke 6. Chivu 7. Marchisio 8. Sagna 9. Mata 10. Keylor Navas 11. Balzaretti 12. Rojo.
  8. Theon: 1. Schweinsteiger 2. Ibrahimovic 3. Sánchez 4. Sneijder 5. De Gea 6. Koscielny 7. Khedira 8. Robinho 9. Kolo 10. Kolarov 11. Coleman 12.
  9. BorisDeLedFora: 1. Vidic 2. Kompany 3. De Rossi 4. Cavani 5. Rakitic 6. Hamsik 7. Arbeloa 8. Vicente 9. Walcott 10. Ter Stegen 11. Richards 12. Kehl.
  10. Snow: 1. Hazard 2. Modric 3. Busquets 4. Azpilicueta 5. Adriano 6. Thiago 7.Srna 8. Garay 9. Badstuber 10. Lloris 11. Cuadrado 12. Diego.
  11. VivaJanuzaj: 1. Thiago Silva 2. Yaya Touré 3. Ivanovic 4. Pogba 5. Gotze 6. Alex Song 7. Clichy 8. Diego Costa 9. Pedro 10. Mertesacker 11. Begović 12. Błaszczykowski.
  12. NoPace: 1. Kroos 2. Reus 3. Ramos 4. Di María 5. Ledley King 6. Falcao 7. Casillas 8. Filipe Luis 9. T.Rosicky 10. Motta 11. Debuchy 12. Donovan.
  13. Barney: 1. Gerrard 2. Alonso 3. Martínez 4. Benatia 5. Zabaleta 6. Ricardo Rodriguez 7.Valencia 8. Benzema 9. Demichelis 10. Hart 11. Podolski 12. Benayoun.
  14. Skizzo: 1. Müller 2. Evra 3. Godín 4. D. Silva 5. Miranda 6. Sterling 7. Lewandowski 8. Matuidi 9. Juanfran 10. Handanovic 11. Lassana Diarra 12. Seydou Keita.
  15. crappycraperson: 1. Ribery 2. Agüero 3. Varane 4. Carrick 5. Vertonghen 6. Cech 7. Lavezzi 8. Coentrao 9. Joaquin 10. Moutinho 11. Oscar 12. Cáceres
  16. NM: 1. Bale 2. Cole 3. Maicon 4. Cambiasso 5. James Rodriguez 6. Courtois 7. Subotic 8. Dante 9. Strootman 10. Mario Gomez 11. Malouda 12. Darren Fletcher.
@Physiocrat
 
Mattia De Sciglio



​


An early pioneer of self-help and personal development guides, W. Clement Stone once wrote that each person “is a product of our environment,” and should therefore “choose the environment that will best develop you toward your objective.” If that aim was to be the finest defender of your generation, there could be no better place to hone that craft than in Milan over the last two decades. There, watching and learning from some of the finest stoppers ever, one could not fail to learn the skills necessary to succeed.

Born in 1992 just as the Rossoneri were becoming the last club to successfully defend the European Cup, Mattia De Sciglio has benefited from the knowledge and experience of the plethora of legends to have graced the Milan back-line. Joining his hometown club as a 10-year-old, he went from idolising Paolo Maldini to watching him from the San Siro sidelines as a ball boy, before watching the captain closely in training.

As if seeing the legendary number three – and other iconic players such as Alessandro Nesta – regularly wasn’t enough, he was fortunate enough to benefit from the number of retired Rossoneri greats on the club’s coaching staff. “De Sciglio is our pride and joy,” Filippo Galli told La Gazzetta dello Sport earlier this month, echoing comments from Franco Baresi who said he saw a boldness and confidence in De Sciglio which reminded him of a young Maldini.


It is the latter to whom De Sciglio is often compared, an idea helped by the fact he can play comfortably on either flank and has already filled in as a central defender when an injury crisis rocked the club. Graduating through every age group of the club’s academy, he would make his full debut in late 2011 when he was still only 18-years-old, but his real breakthrough would be the following season.

There he become a mainstay of the side as only five players would start more league games for Milan that campaign, as his quality and versatility caught the eye of Cesare Prandelli, with the Italy coach giving him his first taste of international football in March 2013. De Sciglio would immediately look comfortable there too, eventually becoming a regular for the Azzurri, part of the squad which finished third in the Confederations Cup that summer.

Injuries ruined his 2013/14 campaign, but he continued to impress when fit and was handed the No.2 shirt at Milan, never looking out of place or overawed in a position graced by some of football’s finest full-backs. “I hope to live up to the standards of Cafu and Tassotti,” De Sciglio said and, given those guiding him along the way, it shouldn’t be a surprise that he has begun to do just that.

Why you need to know him

With Prandelli leaving more experienced options – such as Domenico Criscito and Christian Maggio – at home this summer, Mattia De Sciglio is almost certainly Italy's number one choice at full-back for this World Cup. The Azzurri, like many sides in today’s game, rely on their full-backs for width, which in turn makes them one of the most important tactical influences in the team. The 21-year-old has shown he is more than capable of fulfilling the demands of such a role, making him highly likely to catch the eye in Brazil over the coming weeks, though injury kept him out of Italy's opening game against England.

When the domestic action returns next season, he will be key for Milan too, particularly as youth team boss Filippo Inzaghi is promoted to first team coach, reuniting him with his former charge. With the Rossoneri defence so porous last term, it is sure to be under the spotlight in 2014/15. Many will expect his return to fitness to lead to an instant upturn in fortune. It may be a lot of pressure and expectation to place on such a young player, but that is the harsh reality in which Milan are now forced to operate.

Strengths

Averaging 2.5 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game over his 59 appearances thus far for Milan shows De Sciglio's defensive solidity, and he is more than comfortable in possession too, rarely giving the ball away and keeping the attack flowing. Comparisons to his hero Maldini are never too far away, while an odd-looking running style makes him easily noticeable on the pitch. Starting out as a central defender has given him exceptional ability to read the game, and he also won more than 60% of the aerial duels he contested last season.

De Sciglio rarely slides into tackles, having both the pace and confidence to make standing challenges, while his ambidexterity also makes him comfortable enough to lead into them with either foot. With that defensive assuredness evident in either full-back role, in attack he is far more effective on the left. Cutting in onto his right foot to join the attack, he is much more incisive in that position, while passing is solid, completing 82.1% of his attempts last term.

Weaknesses

His positioning is often excellent and he makes few individual errors. However, their rarity perhaps makes mistakes – such as the one which led to Fred’s goal in De Sciglio’s international debut against Brazil – appear more glaring. The steady improvement in his crossing since breaking into the Milan side is encouraging, and perhaps his biggest weakness is now his predictability in attack. Where he seems to always cut in from the left, on the opposite flank he can be quite static, often just hugging the touchline and waiting for the ball instead of making proactive decisions. That may improve with time, but for now he remains quite one-dimensional going forward and that makes him relatively easy to close down.

They said...

Adriano Galliani says De Sciglio only needs to “bulk up a bit” in order to emulate Maldini, the Milan vice president adding to the growing legion of people drawing that particular comparison. But perhaps the words of another Milan stalwart are more telling; with Mauro Tassotti insisting “it was only logical to make De Sciglio a part of the first team due to his performances in training.” Currently assistant coach for the Rossoneri, the former full-back is ideally placed to assess the young defender, and he continued his praise in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport. “I see myself in De Sciglio.” Tassotti continued: “He has a bit of my characteristics; a mix of athleticism and technique – and also the same stamina.”

Did you know?

Despite growing up in Milan, De Sciglio wasn’t originally a fan of the Rossoneri, although he did switch allegiances while still a young boy. "Initially I was a Juventino like my father,” he admitted in an interview with La Stampa last year, going on to confess “my mother and my grandfather made me change. I did not have a poster of Maldini in my room like it has been said, I liked Buffon, Del Piero, Nedved and Thuram.”


Read more at http://www.fourfourtwo.com/features...w-about-mattia-de-sciglio#u7hMRPqrjSWqyOpu.99
 
Last edited:
  1. Pat_Mustard: 1. Xavi 2. Villa 3. Dani Alves 4. Barzagli 5. Verratti 6. Laporte 7. Tevez 8. Kwadwo Asamoah 9. Deisler 10.Mandanda 11. Lars Bender 12.
  2. Raees: 1. Ronaldinho 2. Hummels 3. Chiellini 4. De Jong 5. Gundogan 6. Isco 7. Carvajal 8. Park Ji Sung 9. Higuain 10. C Bravo 11. Marquinhos 12. M. De Sciglio
  3. Physiocrat: 1. Robben 2. Fabregas 3. J. Boateng 4. Wilshere 5. Alba 6. Nani 7. Rafael 8. Berbatov 9. Vermalean 10. Igor Akinfeev 11. Gustavo 12.
  4. MJJ: 1. Kaká 2. Torres 3. Essien 4. Matic 5. Pique 6. Neuer 7. Baines 8. Sokratis 9. Piszczek 10. Pjanic 11. Cassano 12. Saviola
  5. Stobzilla: 1. Lahm 2. Alaba 3. Vidal 4. Rooney 5. Turan 6. Özil 7. Griezmann 8. Luiz 9. Bonucci 10. Valdes 11. Otamendi 12.
  6. The Red Viper: 1. Iniesta 2. Terry 3. Neymar 4. Van Persie 5. Hargreaves 6. Marcelo 7. Cahill 8. Lichtsteiner 9. Ramsey 10. Sirigu 11. Cazorla 12. Höwedes.
  7. Isotope: 1. Suárez 2. Eto'o 3. Mascherano 4. Pepe 5. Koke 6. Chivu 7. Marchisio 8. Sagna 9. Mata 10. Keylor Navas 11. Balzaretti 12. Rojo.
  8. Theon: 1. Schweinsteiger 2. Ibrahimovic 3. Sánchez 4. Sneijder 5. De Gea 6. Koscielny 7. Khedira 8. Robinho 9. Kolo 10. Kolarov 11. Coleman 12.
  9. BorisDeLedFora: 1. Vidic 2. Kompany 3. De Rossi 4. Cavani 5. Rakitic 6. Hamsik 7. Arbeloa 8. Vicente 9. Walcott 10. Ter Stegen 11. Richards 12. Kehl.
  10. Snow: 1. Hazard 2. Modric 3. Busquets 4. Azpilicueta 5. Adriano 6. Thiago 7.Srna 8. Garay 9. Badstuber 10. Lloris 11. Cuadrado 12. Diego.
  11. VivaJanuzaj: 1. Thiago Silva 2. Yaya Touré 3. Ivanovic 4. Pogba 5. Gotze 6. Alex Song 7. Clichy 8. Diego Costa 9. Pedro 10. Mertesacker 11. Begović 12. Błaszczykowski.
  12. NoPace: 1. Kroos 2. Reus 3. Ramos 4. Di María 5. Ledley King 6. Falcao 7. Casillas 8. Filipe Luis 9. T.Rosicky 10. Motta 11. Debuchy 12. Donovan.
  13. Barney: 1. Gerrard 2. Alonso 3. Martínez 4. Benatia 5. Zabaleta 6. Ricardo Rodriguez 7.Valencia 8. Benzema 9. Demichelis 10. Hart 11. Podolski 12. Benayoun.
  14. Skizzo: 1. Müller 2. Evra 3. Godín 4. D. Silva 5. Miranda 6. Sterling 7. Lewandowski 8. Matuidi 9. Juanfran 10. Handanovic 11. Lassana Diarra 12. Seydou Keita.
  15. crappycraperson: 1. Ribery 2. Agüero 3. Varane 4. Carrick 5. Vertonghen 6. Cech 7. Lavezzi 8. Coentrao 9. Joaquin 10. Moutinho 11. Oscar 12. Cáceres
  16. NM: 1. Bale 2. Cole 3. Maicon 4. Cambiasso 5. James Rodriguez 6. Courtois 7. Subotic 8. Dante 9. Strootman 10. Mario Gomez 11. Malouda 12. Darren Fletcher.
@Pat_Mustard
 
  1. Pat_Mustard: 1. Xavi 2. Villa 3. Dani Alves 4. Barzagli 5. Verratti 6. Laporte 7. Tevez 8. Kwadwo Asamoah 9. Deisler 10.Mandanda 11. Lars Bender 12.
  2. Raees: 1. Ronaldinho 2. Hummels 3. Chiellini 4. De Jong 5. Gundogan 6. Isco 7. Carvajal 8. Park Ji Sung 9. Higuain 10. C Bravo 11. Marquinhos 12. M. De Sciglio
  3. Physiocrat: 1. Robben 2. Fabregas 3. J. Boateng 4. Wilshere 5. Alba 6. Nani 7. Rafael 8. Berbatov 9. Vermalean 10. Igor Akinfeev 11. Gustavo 12. Sturridge
  4. MJJ: 1. Kaká 2. Torres 3. Essien 4. Matic 5. Pique 6. Neuer 7. Baines 8. Sokratis 9. Piszczek 10. Pjanic 11. Cassano 12. Saviola
  5. Stobzilla: 1. Lahm 2. Alaba 3. Vidal 4. Rooney 5. Turan 6. Özil 7. Griezmann 8. Luiz 9. Bonucci 10. Valdes 11. Otamendi 12. Kondogbia
  6. The Red Viper: 1. Iniesta 2. Terry 3. Neymar 4. Van Persie 5. Hargreaves 6. Marcelo 7. Cahill 8. Lichtsteiner 9. Ramsey 10. Sirigu 11. Cazorla 12. Höwedes.
  7. Isotope: 1. Suárez 2. Eto'o 3. Mascherano 4. Pepe 5. Koke 6. Chivu 7. Marchisio 8. Sagna 9. Mata 10. Keylor Navas 11. Balzaretti 12. Rojo.
  8. Theon: 1. Schweinsteiger 2. Ibrahimovic 3. Sánchez 4. Sneijder 5. De Gea 6. Koscielny 7. Khedira 8. Robinho 9. Kolo 10. Kolarov 11. Coleman 12.
  9. BorisDeLedFora: 1. Vidic 2. Kompany 3. De Rossi 4. Cavani 5. Rakitic 6. Hamsik 7. Arbeloa 8. Vicente 9. Walcott 10. Ter Stegen 11. Richards 12. Kehl.
  10. Snow: 1. Hazard 2. Modric 3. Busquets 4. Azpilicueta 5. Adriano 6. Thiago 7.Srna 8. Garay 9. Badstuber 10. Lloris 11. Cuadrado 12. Diego.
  11. VivaJanuzaj: 1. Thiago Silva 2. Yaya Touré 3. Ivanovic 4. Pogba 5. Gotze 6. Alex Song 7. Clichy 8. Diego Costa 9. Pedro 10. Mertesacker 11. Begović 12. Błaszczykowski.
  12. NoPace: 1. Kroos 2. Reus 3. Ramos 4. Di María 5. Ledley King 6. Falcao 7. Casillas 8. Filipe Luis 9. T.Rosicky 10. Motta 11. Debuchy 12. Donovan.
  13. Barney: 1. Gerrard 2. Alonso 3. Martínez 4. Benatia 5. Zabaleta 6. Ricardo Rodriguez 7.Valencia 8. Benzema 9. Demichelis 10. Hart 11. Podolski 12. Benayoun.
  14. Skizzo: 1. Müller 2. Evra 3. Godín 4. D. Silva 5. Miranda 6. Sterling 7. Lewandowski 8. Matuidi 9. Juanfran 10. Handanovic 11. Lassana Diarra 12. Seydou Keita.
  15. crappycraperson: 1. Ribery 2. Agüero 3. Varane 4. Carrick 5. Vertonghen 6. Cech 7. Lavezzi 8. Coentrao 9. Joaquin 10. Moutinho 11. Oscar 12. Cáceres
  16. NM: 1. Bale 2. Cole 3. Maicon 4. Cambiasso 5. James Rodriguez 6. Courtois 7. Subotic 8. Dante 9. Strootman 10. Mario Gomez 11. Malouda 12. Darren Fletcher.
I updated it because you missed out on Stobz' pick
 
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Seydou Keita is not one of the first names one associates to Barcelona’s era of success under Pep Guardiola, but in many ways he’s as representative of that period as it comes. The Malian came at the same time as Pep Guardiola and left at the same time as Pep, and he didn’t leave much of an impression on the average football fan during these four years. But Pep Guardiola and the Barcelona fans know very well just how crucial Keita was during these four years.

But while Guardiola's favourite leaves, the memories remain; be it constantly being the first name in line to to replace any segment of that glorious midfield trio, his memorable performance at the Bernabeu in the first leg of the Champions League semifinals, his league-winning goal against Levante or simply his overall attitude, astute tactical acumen and incredible work ethic, Barcelona fans will never forget Keita.

Keita was Guardiola’s first major signing in the summer of 2008 and he has featured in 170 matches since. Only Lionel Messi (187), Xavi Hernandez (183), Daniel Alves (180) and Victor Valdés (175) have racked up more appearances in the Pep Guardiola era. In 2011/2012 season, many suspected that with Cesc Fabregas’s arrival and Thiago Alcantara’s emergence, Keita would become surplus to requirements and barely get any minutes, but that hasn’t been the case at all, well on the contrary, with Fabregas flattering to deceive and Thiago struggling to rack up playing time. No surprise then, that many exquisitely talented midfielders have fallen wayward at Barça, given the immense technical and physical requirements combined with exacting tactical expectations, required to play under Guardiola's system and feature alongside Xavi, Iniesta and Busquets without looking out of place.

Not Seydou Keita though, he gave his all for the club during these four years and never failed to deliver what was expected of him on and off the pitch. His departure is a huge loss from a sporting perspective: Barcelona have no shortage of midfielders more technically gifted than Keita, but they do now lack that humble, hardworking guy who is content to play a supporting role to perfection regardless of which position he gets to play.

For three seasons, Keita was the first alternative to Xavi, Iniesta and Sergio Busquets, and he has never failed to deliver. No mean feat, given the extraordinarily specialized and near impossible roles that each of them play in Guardiola's irrepressible midfield. Andrés Iniesta’s unfortunate tendency to get injured very often made Keita an even more important player in the 10/11 season. He obviously couldn’t fully replace Iniesta, but his solid performances made sure that Barcelona’s midfield remained dominant even in Andrés’ absence.

The most recent example of this was in last season’s first leg of the Champions League semifinals at the Bernabeu. Many believed that José Mourinho would eliminate Barcelona again and with Iniesta sidelined for the first leg that belief was further strengthened.

However, the Malian put in a great performance next to Busquets and Xavi in midfield, showing great passing, adding steel to the midfield and helping a lot in defensive tasks, a performance that drew immense praise from Pep Guardiola in the aftermath. Watching that game makes it easy to realize why Keita has played so much in the Guardiola era. He is one of those rare players who accepts a unfancied supporting role and gives 100% whenever he’s called upon; a player that all managers would like to have.

Needless to say, every successful teams needs someone like that to complement the world-class players in the roster. For Barcelona, that guy was Keita but now he is gone; he was a defensive midfielder, a central midfielder, an attacking midfielder and even a full back. He was everything the team needed at any given time and always put in a quality shift no matter what was asked of him. His attitude was the perfect example for every La Masia trainee hoping to make it big in the first team.

Keita’s departure is undoubtedly one of the biggest losses for Barcelona in recent years, in more ways than one. In 50 years when people are looking at the great Barcelona of Pep Guardiola, all the focus will be centered on Messi, Iniesta and co. and Keita will be a footnote at best. But he was a part of it too, playing his role in the making of one of the great ever teams to perfection; his teammates know it, Pep Guardiola knows it and everyone who has been following the club closely knows it.

Seydou Keita is the kind of player who will always fly under the radar and will be underrated by the general public, the majority of whom tend to dismiss the less flamboyant players. But Barcelona owe some of their success to the Malian.

Keita hasn’t just been along for the ride, but has played a crucial role in making this Barcelona team what they are today and has earned a place for himself in the Catalan club’s illustrious history

The reaction from the club’s fans to Keita’s departure really sum it all up. Rarely does the departure of a ‘squad player’ provoke such strong feelings, but Keita isn’t just any squad player. He has been one of the unsung heroes of this glorious era at the club and he has earned his place in Barcelona history with the quality and unparalleled commitment and dedication he showed during four years. Things will not be the same without Seydou Keita.


Playing Style

The cultured Mali midfielder is a player who perfectly combines physical strength with technical ability and tactical awareness. His versatility enables him to play in any of the 3 midfield slots to a high level and even as an auxiliary left back when required. Keita is well versed in the dark arts, capable of screening the defense and putting a shift in whilst also bringing an element of class and composure to the table with his touch and passing.

Not the fanciest of passers or the most flamboyant of players around, the Malian consistently averages 90% plus passing percentage and plays the supporting defensive water carrier role to perfection. Despite not being a forward, Keita also possesses a terrific shot with his left foot, especially from distance, which makes him a real threat to goalkeepers; the fifteen goals he scored in the two years before joining Barça are testament to that.

“This is a guy who never plays poorly and who always makes the right decision.

“There are many players who, when they lose the confidence of a coach, are offended. They feel that they are the center of the universe and do not understand that the coach does it [drops them] for the good of the team.

“But one of the most wonderful things in these four years is to have met a guy like him.

“Today I’m happy that he has had such a huge game and scored a great goal. The work he does makes my job easier and I hope he will stay here as long as possible.” - Guardiola


"Whilst I am coach, there will always be a place for Keita in my squad” - Guardiola
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Cassano. Easily.

Both would kind of go down as wasted potential but Cassano still showed his promise much more than Saviola who ended up as a bench warmer at Barca and Real.
 
MJJ said:
But wasn't saviola peak at River which earned him a move to barca better than cassano.
Click to expand...

I won't say so.

Saviola probably had that peak of 2-3 years where you can say his peak was more consistent than Cassano. But yeah, Saviola at River had a bigger body of work than Cassano at Roma. But then, Cassano's peak is kind of scattered amongst clubs. Some of it was during his initial promise with Roma, then he redeemed himself at Samp helping them to qualify for UEFA CHampions League, had a good season with Milan as well.

Ideally, I would pick Cassano. As, he has played in a diamond set-up as well which helps. Also, In terms of sheer talent and ability, I'll take Cassano.
 
  1. Pat_Mustard: 1. Xavi 2. Villa 3. Dani Alves 4. Barzagli 5. Verratti 6. Laporte 7. Tevez 8. Kwadwo Asamoah 9. Deisler 10.Mandanda 11. Lars Bender 12. Michel Bastos
  2. Raees: 1. Ronaldinho 2. Hummels 3. Chiellini 4. De Jong 5. Gundogan 6. Isco 7. Carvajal 8. Park Ji Sung 9. Higuain 10. C Bravo 11. Marquinhos 12. M. De Sciglio
  3. Physiocrat: 1. Robben 2. Fabregas 3. J. Boateng 4. Wilshere 5. Alba 6. Nani 7. Rafael 8. Berbatov 9. Vermalean 10. Igor Akinfeev 11. Gustavo 12. Sturridge
  4. MJJ: 1. Kaká 2. Torres 3. Essien 4. Matic 5. Pique 6. Neuer 7. Baines 8. Sokratis 9. Piszczek 10. Pjanic 11. Cassano 12. Saviola
  5. Stobzilla: 1. Lahm 2. Alaba 3. Vidal 4. Rooney 5. Turan 6. Özil 7. Griezmann 8. Luiz 9. Bonucci 10. Valdes 11. Otamendi 12. Kondogbia
  6. The Red Viper: 1. Iniesta 2. Terry 3. Neymar 4. Van Persie 5. Hargreaves 6. Marcelo 7. Cahill 8. Lichtsteiner 9. Ramsey 10. Sirigu 11. Cazorla 12. Höwedes.
  7. Isotope: 1. Suárez 2. Eto'o 3. Mascherano 4. Pepe 5. Koke 6. Chivu 7. Marchisio 8. Sagna 9. Mata 10. Keylor Navas 11. Balzaretti 12. Rojo.
  8. Theon: 1. Schweinsteiger 2. Ibrahimovic 3. Sánchez 4. Sneijder 5. De Gea 6. Koscielny 7. Khedira 8. Robinho 9. Kolo 10. Kolarov 11. Coleman 12.
  9. BorisDeLedFora: 1. Vidic 2. Kompany 3. De Rossi 4. Cavani 5. Rakitic 6. Hamsik 7. Arbeloa 8. Vicente 9. Walcott 10. Ter Stegen 11. Richards 12. Kehl.
  10. Snow: 1. Hazard 2. Modric 3. Busquets 4. Azpilicueta 5. Adriano 6. Thiago 7.Srna 8. Garay 9. Badstuber 10. Lloris 11. Cuadrado 12. Diego.
  11. VivaJanuzaj: 1. Thiago Silva 2. Yaya Touré 3. Ivanovic 4. Pogba 5. Gotze 6. Alex Song 7. Clichy 8. Diego Costa 9. Pedro 10. Mertesacker 11. Begović 12. Błaszczykowski.
  12. NoPace: 1. Kroos 2. Reus 3. Ramos 4. Di María 5. Ledley King 6. Falcao 7. Casillas 8. Filipe Luis 9. T.Rosicky 10. Motta 11. Debuchy 12. Donovan.
  13. Barney: 1. Gerrard 2. Alonso 3. Martínez 4. Benatia 5. Zabaleta 6. Ricardo Rodriguez 7.Valencia 8. Benzema 9. Demichelis 10. Hart 11. Podolski 12. Benayoun.
  14. Skizzo: 1. Müller 2. Evra 3. Godín 4. D. Silva 5. Miranda 6. Sterling 7. Lewandowski 8. Matuidi 9. Juanfran 10. Handanovic 11. Lassana Diarra 12. Seydou Keita.
  15. crappycraperson: 1. Ribery 2. Agüero 3. Varane 4. Carrick 5. Vertonghen 6. Cech 7. Lavezzi 8. Coentrao 9. Joaquin 10. Moutinho 11. Oscar 12. Cáceres
  16. NM: 1. Bale 2. Cole 3. Maicon 4. Cambiasso 5. James Rodriguez 6. Courtois 7. Subotic 8. Dante 9. Strootman 10. Mario Gomez 11. Malouda 12. Darren Fletcher.
 
Round 1 Final Squad List
Final Team-Sheet for Round 1:
  1. Pat_Mustard: 1. Xavi 2. Villa 3. Dani Alves 4. Barzagli 5. Verratti 6. Laporte 7. Tevez 8. Kwadwo Asamoah 9. Deisler 10.Mandanda 11. Lars Bender 12. Michel Bastos
  2. Raees: 1. Ronaldinho 2. Hummels 3. Chiellini 4. De Jong 5. Gundogan 6. Isco 7. Carvajal 8. Park Ji Sung 9. Higuain 10. C Bravo 11. Marquinhos 12. M. De Sciglio
  3. Physiocrat: 1. Robben 2. Fabregas 3. J. Boateng 4. Wilshere 5. Alba 6. Nani 7. Rafael 8. Berbatov 9. Vermalean 10. Igor Akinfeev 11. Gustavo 12. Sturridge
  4. MJJ: 1. Kaká 2. Torres 3. Essien 4. Matic 5. Pique 6. Neuer 7. Baines 8. Sokratis 9. Piszczek 10. Pjanic 11. Cassano 12. Saviola
  5. Stobzilla: 1. Lahm 2. Alaba 3. Vidal 4. Rooney 5. Turan 6. Özil 7. Griezmann 8. Luiz 9. Bonucci 10. Valdes 11. Otamendi 12. Kondogbia
  6. The Red Viper: 1. Iniesta 2. Terry 3. Neymar 4. Van Persie 5. Hargreaves 6. Marcelo 7. Cahill 8. Lichtsteiner 9. Ramsey 10. Sirigu 11. Cazorla 12. Höwedes.
  7. Isotope: 1. Suárez 2. Eto'o 3. Mascherano 4. Pepe 5. Koke 6. Chivu 7. Marchisio 8. Sagna 9. Mata 10. Keylor Navas 11. Balzaretti 12. Rojo.
  8. Theon: 1. Schweinsteiger 2. Ibrahimovic 3. Sánchez 4. Sneijder 5. De Gea 6. Koscielny 7. Khedira 8. Robinho 9. Kolo 10. Kolarov 11. Coleman 12. Raul Abiol
  9. BorisDeLedFora: 1. Vidic 2. Kompany 3. De Rossi 4. Cavani 5. Rakitic 6. Hamsik 7. Arbeloa 8. Vicente 9. Walcott 10. Ter Stegen 11. Richards 12. Kehl.
  10. Snow: 1. Hazard 2. Modric 3. Busquets 4. Azpilicueta 5. Adriano 6. Thiago 7.Srna 8. Garay 9. Badstuber 10. Lloris 11. Cuadrado 12. Diego.
  11. VivaJanuzaj: 1. Thiago Silva 2. Yaya Touré 3. Ivanovic 4. Pogba 5. Gotze 6. Alex Song 7. Clichy 8. Diego Costa 9. Pedro 10. Mertesacker 11. Begović 12. Błaszczykowski.
  12. NoPace: 1. Kroos 2. Reus 3. Ramos 4. Di María 5. Ledley King 6. Falcao 7. Casillas 8. Filipe Luis 9. T.Rosicky 10. Motta 11. Debuchy 12. Donovan.
  13. Barney: 1. Gerrard 2. Alonso 3. Martínez 4. Benatia 5. Zabaleta 6. Ricardo Rodriguez 7.Valencia 8. Benzema 9. Demichelis 10. Hart 11. Podolski 12. Benayoun.
  14. Skizzo: 1. Müller 2. Evra 3. Godín 4. D. Silva 5. Miranda 6. Sterling 7. Lewandowski 8. Matuidi 9. Juanfran 10. Handanovic 11. Lassana Diarra 12. Seydou Keita.
  15. crappycraperson: 1. Ribery 2. Agüero 3. Varane 4. Carrick 5. Vertonghen 6. Cech 7. Lavezzi 8. Coentrao 9. Joaquin 10. Moutinho 11. Oscar 12. Cáceres
  16. NM: 1. Bale 2. Cole 3. Maicon 4. Cambiasso 5. James Rodriguez 6. Courtois 7. Subotic 8. Dante 9. Strootman 10. Mario Gomez 11. Malouda 12. Darren Fletcher.
 
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