Why? No striker in this draft is clearly better than Aguero, marginally only 2-3 are better. Only Ronaldinho as a left winger is better than Ribery. So they could weather those two, I don't think he will need to upgrade since there is no right back in this pool to counter goofy.
This it the part of these drafts that I don't like. Ivanovic might not be able to hypothetically "contain" prime Ronaldinho at his prime, but he'll sure will do a better job than Juanfran - which makes it an instant upgrade, but people tend to look at these drafts as "okay, I'll admit losing the Ronaldinho matchup so i'll have a slightly better attacker in my side instead of upgrading the defense".
Not saying you've went in that direction(I think you didn't, with Vidic), but people tend to look at it like that. I mean look at some of the defenders in the QFs - Sokratis, Kolo Toure, Koscielny, Baines, Chivu, Albiol, Lichsteiner, no one is looking at defenses anymore.
We did have a lengthy discussion on our 2nd pick and we simply felt Iniesta as a whole offered a significant upgrade, not individually as a Muppet pick but rather as a whole tactically.
We had issues with certain voters voicing concerns over Kroos pulling his weight defensively in a midfield pivot of sorts with Silva more of a pure #10. With Iniesta's industry off the ball and his ability to slot in as part of a midfield trio when needed, it significantly improved our midfield as a whole both functionally and individual wise.
We also felt that our attack was getting overlooked at times and ultimately didn't get their fair share of dues. Whilst we felt that Sterling-Silva-Müller-Lewa would have been a brilliant and a selfless front 4 brimming with team ethic, there was a bit of individualism and X factor missing there with too many of them being just viewed as supporting players and not sole match winners. Anyway that was the vibe I got during match day discussions.
The addition of Ribéry and Iniesta completely changes that and I'll stick my head out and say that we probably have the most balanced attack here, striking the right blend of creativity, goalscoring prowess, individualism and team ethic.
Add Iniesta's obvious quality - for me, the third best player in the draft after Xavi and Ronaldinho - and it became a no brainer. Iniesta also has a great platform to shine here with midfield partners Kroos-Cambiasso extremely comfortable in possession and being excellent passers whilst fellow forwards Ribéry-Müller-Lewa are terrific technically with great link up play and capable of being on the same wave length as the magical Spaniard. Kroos, Ribéry, Müller and Lewa also have the experience of playing in Pep's extreme systems which is a nice bonus too.
Contrast this with an individual upgrade (not that significant) for Juanfran with Zabaleta or Ivanovich. You do gain a fair bit more defensive solidity obviously but then you do lose a fair bit going forward and is it truly worth breaking that Atleti connection as an urgent pick at that too?
Keep in mind that Juanfran is an excellent, reliable FB himself and someone who's pulled his weight and made significant contributions to the best defense in recent history.
If there was a great RB (Alves is good but wouldn't really strengthen our defense from a purely defensive perspective) there then fine enough but the FB pool here is astoundingly poor.
Just for better context, the RBs in the quarter finals.
Raees - Carvajal
MJJ - Piszczek
TRV - Lichsteiner
Isotope - Sagna
Theon - Albiol
VivaJanuzaj - Ivanovich
Crappy - Caceres
So yes, we did evaluate our options, potential encounters and the tactical implications of our potential pick. We didn't just go Wahey Iniesta is free, feck defense.
I mean look at some of the defenders in the QFs - Sokratis, Kolo Toure, Koscielny, Baines, Chivu, Albiol, Lichsteiner, no one is looking at defenses anymore.
You could very well add Clichy and Mertesacker to that list.
I'd feel a lot more comfortable with Lahm in my team against Ronaldinho than with Juanfran, Piszczek or Albiol.
Well ofc but we already have 2 Germans and with one of them being post 90 it's hard to accommodate Lahm. Besides he was gone by our turn.
. Good luck beating that team in the final.
