........................................... Team Skizzo ................................................................................. Team crappy ......................................
Team Skizzo
The Team
Our team will be lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Samir Handanovic will be our man between the sticks. The back four is made up of three members of the great Athletico Madrid defence which has been so stingy over the last few seasons. Diego Godin and Miranda form the central partnership, a partnership which has been able to shut out opposing teams, and score quite a few themselves with set pieces. Patrice Evra and Juanfran take the full back spots.
In Midfield we have Estaban Cambiasso and Toni Kroos. Cambiasso will be the slightly more withdrawn of the two, focusing more on the defensive side, looking to break up attacks and track runners. Kroos will use his fantastic positioning and reading of the game to look to close down passing lanes, and disrupt the flow of the opposition's attack. Once winning back the ball, Cambiasso will be tasked with recycling the play and keeping possession with his tidy passing. Kroos will be responsible for dictating play from deep with his fantastic range of passing and vision.
The front four is made up of a fluid unit, consisting of Raheem Sterling, Thomas Muller, David Silva, and Robert Lewandowski leading the line. The three attacking midfielders are all mobile, and will look to constantly be moving, causing a huge problem for the opposition. Lewandowski has been called the most complete forward in the World over the last few years, and he would thrive on the movement, passing, and ability of the men behind him.
Why we would win
Quite simply, because he wouldn't be able to stop us scoring. We have a huge goal threat from all of our front 4, and their movement would cause chaos amongst his defence. Sterling on the left side, with his pace and direct running, would mean Caceres would need to be at his best. Sterling has given defenders all kinds of headaches with his speed. On the other side, Muller is playing wide right, looking to drive into the box, or find passes to link up with the other attackers. Muller drifting into space would play into his strength's against someone like Coentrao, who can occasionally leave something to be desired with his defensive awareness. Silva will now be playing centrally, having more of a direct influence on our playmaking, and a little deeper than in the previous match. Silva will thrive in pockets of space between the defence and midfield, and will wreak havoc with the movement ahead of him. Lewandowski runs. A lot. With a central pairing of Varane and Vidic, they can be got at. Vidic is a huge improvement for his defence, but as a whole unit, they lack the overall ability to be able to deal with a potent an offence as this.
On the defensive side, we're set up well to stop his attacking threat. Ribery, Gerrard, and Aguero are his biggest danger men. Juanfran has already shown he can deal with tricky wingers, by shutting down Hazard when Atletico met Chelsea. Ribery offers a similar threat, but Godin will be positioned on that side, swapped with Miranda to offer more protection when Ribery tries to cut inside. Joaquin will look to run down the line and try to get the ball across. Evra has the pace to deal with that. And with Godin and Miranda in the middle, they have enough height to deal with balls into the box. Gerrard will be looking to drive into the box, but Cambiasso would match his physicality, and look to minimize his influence. Lastly, we come to Aguero. A definite match winner on his day, but would struggle to find much space to attack with Godin and Miranda.
Overall, there's goals in this game, for both sides. I can safely say, however, that our team is much better equipped to deal with the opposition's threats, than vice versa. We have more than one avenue, and more influential players who can change the game in our favour.
Good luck Crappy!
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Team Crappy
Team Tactics
Attack
Aguero, Ribery and Joaquin form a dynamic trio upfront. Joaquin will play the traditional winger role out wide, Ribery plays in his favoured role on the left where he will have the freedom to cut in and link up with Aguero and Gerrard. The team is capable of attacking in every possible sense - going out wide to cross, dribbling past defenders towards goal, surging midfield runs, through balls from deep, intricate passing in final third, long range shots etc.
Midfield
The ever understated Carrick, one of the bed rocks of United's consistent run through the latter half of last decade, plays the role of fulcrum in the midfield. Partnering him will be Portugal's best midfielder of recent times, Moutinho. He is as complete midfielder as one can be, capable of playing great through balls from anywhere on the pitch and not a defensive liability in any sense. Gerrard gets to play in his best role as the front man of a MF 3, where he will have the freedom to make those forward runs. Make no mistake though, he will still be part of the midfield battle unlike some other number 10s.
Defense
Varane and Vidic form one of the best CB partnerships in this draft. No words need to be spoken about Vidic at his peak while Varane is the best young defender about. Both complement each other really well and should be able to tackle any kind of threat thrown at them. Coentrao out wide on left provides great engine to the side while Caceres adds some tenacity. Moreover, the Portuguese will get to link up with Ribery who will relish his overlapping runs ala Alaba at Bayern. Petr Cech, a monster in his proper prime for Chelsea, forms the bed rock of the defense.
Key Points
- Lewandowski up against Vidic-Varane is a match up in my favor. Vidic faced plenty better strikers during his prime and I don't see pole making any kind of impact here.
- I have a ridiculous number of players capable of creating openings for goal in Ribery, Joaquin, Gerrard, Moutinho and Carrick. Heck even Coentrao skipping down left can put in a cross or two. Too much creative quality in the side not to result in a goal.
- Gerrard's biggest asset while playing as a part of MF 3 was the fact that he could produce as much impact as other number 10s while still being part of the midfield battle.
- 3 of his back 4 are from Atheltico's team but I don't believe they can be as effective here since for starters they don't have to cover for an as attacking full back as Evra for their club team. They are also part of a much more organised set up with better protection in front of them. Likes of Sterling and Silva won't provide any kind of defensive protecting out wide that a side like Atheltico's relies on.
- I know people don't give keepers any credence but a prime Cech circa 2004-2007 is streets ahead of Handovic. There is only one keeper on the park that can potentially keep everything out.[/QUOTE]
