All Time Chain Draft - R1: The Stain vs Šjor Bepo

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

vs

.......................................Team The Stain.................................................................Team Šjor Bepo ....................

​

Team The Stain

4-4-1-1:​

Playing from out the back; Koeman will have permission to play his sweeper role, bringing the ball out from defence, helping to close the gap behind central midfield (the "stopper" role of the central defenders). His tactical intelligence will surely set up Giggs and Beckham down the wings. Kaka and RvN will benefit from the odd through-/long-ball. The covering duty will go to Stam, a role that suits his athleticism.

The left side is more attacking, so Ashley Cole will be focused more on defence, just like he thrived in. Doesn't mean he won't occasionally join in attack. Gerets will overlap more than Cole simply because he has Stam, Essien and Beckham whom can cover.

In midfield; both the central midfielders have endless energy and can fulfil both defensive and attacking duties. The idea is that since Koeman steps out of defence to cover the left side behind central mid (when in possession); Essien will cover the right side. Although he has more defensive obligations; Essien will have opportunities to drive forward with the ball for the odd long-shot/one-two.

This gives Robson the freedom to drive the ball forward and arrive late in the box. Robson will attack alongside Giggs to the left. Kaká will drift to the right to link up with Beckham. This doesn't mean that Kaká is confined to the right side, just that it'll be his starting position. He is free to roam around.

I have several match winners and leaders in the team. We have many ways to goal:​

Direct play from central defence, Giggs crossing and challenging his full-back, Robson linking up with Giggs/Kaká/RvN, Kaká's unpredictability, Beckham's crossing, RvN's dribbling and playing off the shoulder of opposition defence, long shots, set pieces, etc.

We will defend as a cohesive unit and will pounce on the opportunity to counter-attack; mainly down the left side to utilize Giggs' pace. Ruud and Kaká had great pace to so if not down the left, through the middle.

Set pieces:

Corners: Beckham.
Short distance free-kicks: Beckham.
Long distance free-kicks: Koeman.
Penalties: Koeman.​

Attack:​

• Leading the line is the lethal striker Ruud van Nistelrooy. He scored 150 goals in 219 matches for United, 35 of those in the CL which is still a record for the club. The greatest target striker in the world in the first half of the 00's. Finished 6th in the Ballon d'Or 03' & 07'. RvN was known for his instinct, strength, technique and speed. I think my favourite goal of his was against Charlton. Rooney goes past a few players on the left. Dribbles into the penalty area and chips it towards RvN who has his back against the goal and is marked by a defender. He chest's the ball, does a 180 and smacks it high into the net.

• Playing behind him is 07' Ballon d'Or winner; Kaká. That season he led Milan to CL glory. He earned UEFA club footballer of the year and was voted best forward. He was also top scorer in the CL. He was known for his extraordinary pace and technique. Not just a provider but also a scorer of goals.

Midfield:​

• Flying down the left wing is Ryan Giggs. One of the greatest legends for United, he is the clubs longest servant with 962 matches and 150 goals.

• David Beckham will patrol the right wing. A team player with incredible work rate. Most known for his crossing and free-kicks.

• In central midfield we find Michael Essien. A tough tackling endless worker. His high energy levels meant he would occasionally join in attack where he'd utilize his very good long shot.

• Next to him we find the team captain marvel; Bryan Robson. A complete midfielder capable of driving on the whole team to victory. 345 matches and 74 goals for United. Known for his great tackles, ball winning and passing abilities he was also a good header of the ball. What set him apart from other midfielders was his ability to get to the goal. Robson captained both Manchester United and England for more than a decade.

Defence:​

• On the left is major cnut; Ashley Cole. Best left-back in the world in the early 00's. Arguably England's best left-back ever. He shut down C. Ronaldo consistently and will be a handful for any winger in the draft.

• On the other side is Eric Gerets. "The Lion", a warrior that at his peak was regarded as one of the top right-backs in Europe. Captained PSV when they won the European Cup (CL) in 88'. Part of the Belgian teams (captain 82'-90') that finished runner up in EURO 80' and 4th in the WC 86.

• In central defence we find the greatest defender-scorer ever; Ronald Koeman. 225 goals in 647 matches. A leader known for his long shooting and set pieces ability. Won the European treble with PSV in 88' (with Gerets). Best defender at the EURO 88's which Holland won. Holds the record for consecutive penalties converted in La Liga: 25.

• His partner is Jaap Stam. Explosive central defender who possessed great pace, strength and ball-playing abilities. Voted best defender 2 consecutive CL's; 98'-00'.

• In goal is Belgian Michel Preud'homme. He was one of the best goalkeepers in the world during the late 80's and the early 90's. Won the Lev Yashin award (best keeper) at the WC 94'. Highest place in Ballon d'Or was 10th in 89'.

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

Team Šjor Bepo

Tactics

My AM would say its a broadly attacking, classic and non-lopsided 4-2-3-1 formation what ever that means. Normal defensive line with pressure when opponent gets the ball in our half and when we win it its not going to be fancy tiki taka staff but normal/direct passing, if there is a chance for the quick counter we will take it as we have 2 top class wingers and attacking midfielder who is known for his qualities in transition.


How I will score:

The mercurial Netzer will be the creative hub of the team and will be given entire freedom to dictate the game as he sees it: picking the ball up from deep or playing between the lines (he won't just stand in the opponents half and wait for the ball). One option is playing delightful through balls to the seriously underrated, Ballon d'Or winning, Papin (102 goals in 145 games for Marseilles at his peak, also 30 goals in 54 games for France). Papin was a lot more than just a poacher, blessed with a great touch, he could score volleys, header and smash them in from 20 yards; he was also pretty quick with decent dribbling ability. A through ball behind the less than mobile Koeman will cause The Stain no end of problems. Netzer though could also unleash two of the greatest wingers of all-time: Gento (6 time European Cup winner) and Amancio. Both extremely quick, tricky and good crosses of the ball. The biggest mismatch will be Gento on Gerets who will cause him no end of problems crossing high, low, cutting it back for Papin and Netzer or even Amancio drifting in (he has a non-too shabby 119 goals in 344 games- pretty good for a traditional winger); Gento himself had a a 1 in 2 record in his best season. Cashley's an excellent defender but Amancio has a very different, traditional, style to C Ronaldo, so any argument that he can stop Ronaldo, so he can stop Amancio is far from the truth.

Spoiler: Gento

The front 4 will be well supported by the World Cup winning duo of Rainer Bonhof and Bastian Schwiensteiger. Bonhof will play his tireless box-to-box role whilst Schweinsteiger will play a little deep providing good defensive cover as wee as a great passing range. Even if the Stain can stop Netzer from creating it will be very difficult to stop Bastian providing quality balls to the wingers.

Netzer's or even Bonhof fantastic free kick ability will be put to good use as Amancio, Gento and Papin will likely draw many fouls indeed. Either going for goal or putting wonderful crosses in for Forster, Papin or Babbel it's a real route to goal.

Spoiler: Netzer

How I'll stop The Stain from Scoring:

Since both Amancio and Gento are used to owning the flank without any help from the full-backs Lahm and Babbel can play quick conservatively. With Bonhof and Bastian in front of them it will create a very strong back 6; Lahm's intelligence at left-back will be very useful to combat Beckham's threat. Probably the best possible player to have against Beckham who i rate very highly. The Stain's threat is mostly on the counter with RVN the major target which plays into our hands as we have one the best man-markers in Forster who can keep him quiet; Metzelder, despite not being the flashiest name was a very dependable CB for both Dortmund and his national team in many years and he should be a good fit for Forster. Kaka will be a threat but with the know-how of Bastian and the legs of Bonhof I'm confident he'll be kept relatively quiet. Also with a conservative back-line he won't have that many options to unleash a quick pass.

If all else fails the stalwart German keeper (with 76 caps and runner-up in two World Cup finals) Harald Schumacher will provide an iron gate for any potential attack; if all else fails the iron gate will just take the Stain's players out but as ever the Stain won't even get a free kick.


Conclusion:
Football is a simple game. Twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win.
Gary Lineker

We have a complete defence and midfield of germans players so we are counting on german discipline, specially to have someone like Bastian who is a true warrior on the field and a natural born leader.

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

Game on~

@The Stain
@Šjor Bepo

All the best!

 

[Rado_N]

Boom, in before the request!

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

Boom, in before the request!

Thanks! That's pro-active modding.

 

[Rado_N]

 

[VivaJanuzaj]

Boom, in before the request!

Bloody great team @The Stain . Missed just how balanced and good it is before the draw. This will be the first one sided match imo, Metzelder will suffer from Ruud with Beckham-Giggs-Kaka providing.

 

[Šjor Bepo]

Bloody great team @The Stain . Missed just how balanced and good it is before the draw. This will be the first one sided match imo, Metzelder will suffer from Ruud with Beckham-Giggs-Kaka providing.

if there is an football segment where Metzelder is at home at this level its dealing with crosses.....

@The Stain when Koeman steps out with the ball who will cover for him? You dont have a holding midfielder nor a defensive fullback who can step up.

 

[Balu]

Bloody great team @The Stain . Missed just how balanced and good it is before the draw. This will be the first one sided match imo, Metzelder will suffer from Ruud with Beckham-Giggs-Kaka providing.

Surely Förster will give Ruud an intense 90 minute long hug and won't let go until after the final whistle? Ruud isn't directly up against Metzelder all that much and Förster is pretty much the perfect centerback to deal with Ruud. And Metzelder actually was a very good centerback until his disastrous spell at Real. I always rated him highly, but injuries and a bad career choice ruined his career.

 

[The Stain]

if there is an football segment where Metzelder is at home at this level its dealing with crosses.....

@The Stain when Koeman steps out with the ball who will cover for him? You dont have a holding midfielder nor a defensive fullback who can step up.

It says when in possession, he'll bring the ball out of defence. Nothing about him joining in attack. Even if he would join in, he has Cole and Stam to cover. The idea is that when we lose the ball, Koeman and Essien will guard that space behind Robson/Essien (if Robson is high up the pitch, although unlikely if we lose the ball in the middle of the park). He'll then retake his position next to Stam.

 

[Gio]

Bloody great team @The Stain . Missed just how balanced and good it is before the draw. This will be the first one sided match imo, Metzelder will suffer from Ruud with Beckham-Giggs-Kaka providing.

Nah the teams are very even. Maybe the United contingent will swing a few votes, but it should be pretty close.

 

[The Stain]

You say the biggest mismatch is Gerets vs Gento. I'd say Giggs vs Babbel and Kaká vs Metzelder are worse. Granted, it's difficult to find much on Gerets without watching games. He is however rated as nr 32 out of the 100 best fullbacks ever on positional hall of fame ( http://xtraimmortal.blogspot.se/ ). Yes the rankings possibly need updating (Lahm 35) but Babbel isn't even on the list..

I'll give you some PES ratings @antohan -style in a bit .

 

[VivaJanuzaj]

Surely Förster will give Ruud an intense 90 minute long hug and won't let go until after the final whistle? Ruud isn't directly up against Metzelder all that much and Förster is pretty much the perfect centerback to deal with Ruud. And Metzelder actually was a very good centerback until his disastrous spell at Real. I always rated him highly, but injuries and a bad career choice ruined his career.

The way I see it, Schweinsteiger with all his all-roundness is not a water carrier and will never be, with the push his entire midfield can give all of Robson-Essien-Giggs-Beckham-Kaka will need attention, so once Kaka finds some space or Schweinsteiger gets caught once up field they'll be Kaka & RVN running at Forster-Metzelder. Plus, Ruud's bound to reach an early ball from Beckham to the close corner who won't be necessarily high and play into Metzelder's strength. The lad was a very decent CB but not in the same level as the rest of the players on pitch.

 

[Šjor Bepo]

Ruud isnt the type of player who will create something out of nothing so lets deal with service:
I think i have a better midfield and they can have the upper hand in the game so my wingers will have more chances to attack stains fullbacks then the other way around. Stains team is obviously focused on the wing play and that way he wont get the best out of Kaka who shined in a team that was built around him but even then Kaka is a brilliant player but he will play against Bastian who is even better and im comfortable that him and quality pressure of my midfield trio can stop him.
Beckham is against Lahm, probably the perfect player to stop him. One of the most intelligent players in history of the game, you dont need Pep saying that to see it.
Giggs will be against Babbel and they faced up few times before. Babbel was on the winning side 3 times while Giggs only won once(99 final) and they have one draw.
Giggs vs Babbel
United 1:1 Bayern - Giggs assist but destroyed Strunz before assisting Keane.
United 2:1 Bayern - CL final, 2 corner goals
United 0:1 Pool - clean sheet for Babbel
Pool 2:0 United - clean sheet for Babbel
Pool 2:1 United - charity shield

@The Stain of course its in possession, but even then you need someone to cover for him. I see you posted in the meantime, how is Kaka against Metzelder? And this lists are a joke, anybody who watched Lahm knows he is by far the best fullback on the pitch and i rate Cashley very highly.

Lets talk about about who will stop my players in attack. Playing with two box2box players against Netzer isnt the smartest thing if you ask me and he will cause much more trouble then Kaka. There is no way that Gerets can stop Gento so Stam will have to leave his position and then you have Papin and Koeman 1v1 and i know on who i would put my money in that battle.

 

[Šjor Bepo]

The way I see it, Schweinsteiger with all his all-roundness is not a water carrier and will never be, with the push his entire midfield can give all of Robson-Essien-Giggs-Beckham-Kaka will need attention, so once Kaka finds some space or Schweinsteiger gets caught once up field they'll be Kaka & RVN running at Forster-Metzelder. Plus, Ruud's bound to reach an early ball from Beckham to the close corner who won't be necessarily high and play into Metzelder's strength. The lad was a very decent CB but not in the same level as the rest of the players on pitch.

Bastian will play holding midfielder role, when and this will be a rare moments in the game when he would decide there is little risk involved and he bombs forward i will have Bonhof to cover as he can also play in a holding role so there will always be someone around Kaka.

 

[Balu]

The way I see it, Schweinsteiger with all his all-roundness is not a water carrier and will never be, with the push his entire midfield can give all of Robson-Essien-Giggs-Beckham-Kaka will need attention, so once Kaka finds some space or Schweinsteiger gets caught once up field they'll be Kaka & RVN running at Forster-Metzelder. Plus, Ruud's bound to reach an early ball from Beckham to the close corner who won't be necessarily high and play into Metzelder's strength. The lad was a very decent CB but not in the same level as the rest of the players on pitch.

I'm not sure I understand what you mean with 'water carrier'? He sure as hell can do a disciplined job in midfield though and if he does move forward, Bonhof is still around and a pretty good pick to help out against Kaka.

I agree that Metzelder is the weakest player on the pitch, but he's not necessarily a liability here, at least not one that Ruud will easily exploit.

 

[VivaJanuzaj]

I'm not sure I understand what you mean with 'water carrier'? He sure as hell can do a disciplined job in midfield though and if he does move forward, Bonhof is still around and a pretty good pick to help out against Kaka.

I agree that Metzelder is the weakest player on the pitch, but he's not necessarily a liability here, at least not one that Ruud will easily exploit.

What I'm saying, is against this exploding midfield like Stain's, who is so bloody good at going forward, with a CB out of his depth like Metzelder(again, he might be decent or very reliable, but in this pool he's still out of his depth), you either need a DM who can shield that defence very good like a Makalele or Desailly or Busquets for example, or you need to be able to take advantage of it's gung-ho and outscore your opponent. I just don't see either of them from a very good Sjor team who just came against an opponents who it's gung-ho style will work wonders against that weakened defence.

 

[Balu]

That doesn't make much sense to me and I don't really understand how Schweinsteiger - Bonhof isn't an excellent shield for a defense, but fair enough, let's agree to disagree.

 

[Balu]

There is no way that Gerets can stop Gento

Gerets was a brilliant defender, excellent fullback. He maybe won't stop Gento completely, but I don't think he'll get overrun and need constant help from a 2nd player either.

I think I like both teams a lot, Metzelder probably stands out a bit as a weaker name, but both teams look like well working, well drafted units to me. I guess it'll be difficult for Sjor to win here against all the United greats though.

 

[antohan]

That's a thing of beauty @The Stain. And @Šjor Bepo is looking stronger than I originally expected.

 

[Šjor Bepo]

What I'm saying, is against this exploding midfield like Stain's, who is so bloody good at going forward, with a CB out of his depth like Metzelder(again, he might be decent or very reliable, but in this pool he's still out of his depth), you either need a DM who can shield that defence very good like a Makalele or Desailly or Busquets for example, or you need to be able to take advantage of it's gung-ho and outscore your opponent. I just don't see either of them from a very good Sjor team who just came against an opponents who it's gung-ho style will work wonders against that weakened defence.

I think you are underrating Bastian defensively, in fact im 100% sure of it as he is at least class above Busquets in a protecting back 4 role. Think i have more then enough protection with Bastian and Bonhof in front, we can even add Netzer there and when we are talking about punishing a gung-ho style i have one of the best counters in the draft with Netzer qualities in transition, 2 flying intelligent wingers and Papin at the end who can score any type of goal.

@Balu i wouldnt say he was a brilliant defender, he was a good one but first and foremost he was an attacking fullback and there is nothing wrong there but from what i saw i read about Gento he is one of the best wingers/dribblers in history of the game.

 

[diarm]

I think I like both teams a lot, Metzelder probably stands out a bit as a weaker name, but both teams look like well working, well drafted units to me.

Agree with this. 2 very well constructed sides.

Both sides have cracking midfields and attacks. Both have a great left back and a good right back as well as two fine keepers. Stains side has the better centre backs though and that probably swings it for me rather than the United links.

 

[Skizzo]

What I'm saying, is against this exploding midfield like Stain's, who is so bloody good at going forward, with a CB out of his depth like Metzelder(again, he might be decent or very reliable, but in this pool he's still out of his depth), you either need a DM who can shield that defence very good like a Makalele or Desailly or Busquets for example, or you need to be able to take advantage of it's gung-ho and outscore your opponent. I just don't see either of them from a very good Sjor team who just came against an opponents who it's gung-ho style will work wonders against that weakened defence.

It's It's a bit of poor form to just highlight one weak defender and criticize them
White text for sarcasm

 

[VivaJanuzaj]

It's It's a bit of poor form to just highlight one weak defender and criticize them
White text for sarcasm

I think you are underrating Bastian defensively, in fact im 100% sure of it as he is at least class above Busquets in a protecting back 4 role. Think i have more then enough protection with Bastian and Bonhof in front, we can even add Netzer there and when we are talking about punishing a gung-ho style i have one of the best counters in the draft with Netzer qualities in transition, 2 flying intelligent wingers and Papin at the end who can score any type of goal.

@Balu i wouldnt say he was a brilliant defender, he was a good one but first and foremost he was an attacking fullback and there is nothing wrong there but from what i saw i read about Gento he is one of the best wingers/dribblers in history of the game.

But Schweinsteiger will always have that extra attacking input which Busquets won't, and that's exactly why I think you need a "water carrier" to deflect that weakness in Metzelder against such an attacking team.

 

[Šjor Bepo]

But Schweinsteiger will always have that extra attacking input which Busquets won't, and that's exactly why I think you need a "water carrier" to deflect that weakness in Metzelder against such an attacking team.

okay but thats why he has Bonhof next to himself, defensive workhorse who is also capable of playing disciplined holding midfielder role. I think Bastian proved himself in the holding midfielder role at the highest stage + in the rare moments when he decides to join the attack we have Plan B and cover in Rainer Bonhof.

 

[Gio]

And this lists are a joke, anybody who watched Lahm knows he is by far the best fullback on the pitch and i rate Cashley very highly.

Lets talk about about who will stop my players in attack. Playing with two box2box players against Netzer isnt the smartest thing if you ask me and he will cause much more trouble then Kaka. There is no way that Gerets can stop Gento so Stam will have to leave his position and then you have Papin and Koeman 1v1 and i know on who i would put my money in that battle.

All of the full-backs bar Babbel have been the best in the world at some point in their careers. Cole's the purest defender of the four. Lahm probably wins out on overall longevity. But none of them are weak links in this company. Even Babbel was an excellent man-marker who was a very reliable and under-appreciated defender.

 

[Šjor Bepo]

Agree with this. 2 very well constructed sides.

Both sides have cracking midfields and attacks. Both have a great left back and a good right back as well as two fine keepers. Stains side has the better centre backs though and that probably swings it for me rather than the United links.

while i agree that Metzelder is the worst player on the pitch he is a good fit to partner Forster and stains attack is a good fit to Metzelder.
On the other hand, while Koeman is class wasnt he mainly a SW in a 3 man defence?

 

[Šjor Bepo]

viva says i dont have enough to punish stains gung-ho style so lets start with Netzer and his qualities in transition from defence to attack:

Spoiler: Everything you have to know about Netzer - starting attack from deep, playing fantastic pass to the striker and quality finish from Netzer himself.

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

 

[The Stain]

That's a thing of beauty

Cheers! Happy with the balance.
---------------------------------------
Ok.. I'll let you do the trash talk in this game. I quite like your team. However..

Ruud isnt the type of player who will create something out of nothing

Spoiler: Out of nothing

Sure, he'll mostly rely on supply but my team has that in abundance.

Stains team is obviously focused on the wing play

Kaka is a brilliant player but he will play against Bastian who is even better

We will have many attacks down the wings but i have a certain Robson who might want a say in this game. The ultimate team player. I'm sure him and Essien will gladly give the ball to Kaká. I can just imagine Robson and Kaká on-two'ing their way through, yum.

Beckham is against Lahm, probably the perfect player to stop him.

Beckham wasn't someone who'd take on his fullback, though. It means Lahm will have to pressure him higher up the pitch. Unless you make him man-mark Beckham this will mean Becks can just chip it behind him into Kaká or Ruud running in behind. Kaká/Ruud vs Bonhof/Metzelder. I'm happy with that.

Lets talk about about who will stop my players in attack. Playing with two box2box players against Netzer isnt the smartest thing if you ask me and he will cause much more trouble then Kaka. There is no way that Gerets can stop Gento so Stam will have to leave his position and then you have Papin and Koeman 1v1 and i know on who i would put my money in that battle.

Gerets was a very good fullback. Gento won't have it as easy as you think. Also, i imagine my wingers will help out more in defense, especially Beckham.

Both Robson and Essien were excellent defensively and here; Essien is asked to be more defensive minded. He was much better in defence than in attack imo. how about this:

More than happy with him shielding my defense on that side.

Also, i mentioned his long shooting (again, he won't run in to the box):

On the other hand, while Koeman is class wasnt he mainly a SW in a 3 man defence?

Not for Barcelona (or EURO 88').

 

[Šjor Bepo]

Cheers! Happy with the balance.
---------------------------------------
Ok.. I'll let you do the trash talk in this game. I quite like your team. However..

Spoiler: Out of nothing

Sure, he'll mostly rely on supply but my team has that in abundance.

i like your team also, who doesnt its practically a United side Its not trash talk as i rate every single of your players but i have to find little things that go in my hand or we can just be quiet for 24 hours, im fine with that also as im feeling sick today.

We will have many attacks down the wings but i have a certain Robson who might want a say in this game. The ultimate team player. I'm sure him and Essien will gladly give the ball to Kaká. I can just imagine Robson and Kaká on-two'ing their way through, yum.

Of course Kaka will get fair share of ball time but the fact is, the team isnt built around him so i dont expect peak milan Kaka in the game.

Beckham wasn't someone who'd take on his fullback, though. It means Lahm will have to pressure him higher up the pitch. Unless you make him man-mark Beckham this will mean Becks can just chip it behind him into Kaká or Ruud running in behind. Kaká/Ruud vs Bonhof/Metzelder. I'm happy with that.

I know he isnt and thats why Lahm is perfect as he is very smart and tactically astute. Im sure he would find a way to stop him, it would be a brilliant battle between the two, shame we cant see it.

Gerets was a very good fullback. Gento won't have it as easy as you think. Also, i imagine my wingers will help out more in defense, especially Beckham.

I know he is good but Gento is GOAT material and one of the best dribblers ever. As he was very quick and direct winger i cant see how would Becks help Gerets out.

Both Robson and Essien were excellent defensively and here; Essien is asked to be more defensive minded. He was much better in defence than in attack imo. how about this:
More than happy with him shielding my defense on that side.
Also, i mentioned his long shooting (again, he won't run in to the box)

i never said they arent good defensively but they are both best in box2box roles and me having Netzer and Amancio who will cut in, you would be better of with someone like Carrick next to Robson.

 

[Chesterlestreet]

And Metzelder actually was a very good centerback until his disastrous spell at Real. I always rated him highly, but injuries and a bad career choice ruined his career.

Yes, I'd agree with that. Used to think he had a higher ceiling than, say, Mertesacker.

 

[Chesterlestreet]

United 2:1 Bayern - CL final, 2 corner goals

Minor point, but still: If memory serves Babbel wasn't much up against Giggs directly in that final, as Giggs largely played, uncharacteristically, on the right (Blomquist on the left) as part of Fergie's custom set-up for that particular match.

 

[Balu]

Yes, I'd agree with that. Used to think he had a higher ceiling than, say, Mertesacker.

Yeah, no doubt about his ceiling. I'd say his peak was already higher than Mertesacker's as well, just way shorter, interrupted by one season long injury and quickly ended once he joined Real and got injured again within a few months into his first season there. He missed another 6 months and never returned to full fitness. It's a shame really. He's still only 34, but his career basically ended 8 years ago .

 

[The Stain]

Lahm is pissed with you, Sjor

http://www.goal.com/en/news/15/germany/2014/05/27/4842952/lahm-i-dont-want-to-play-left-back

 

[crappycraperson]

All of the full-backs bar Babbel have been the best in the world at some point in their careers. Cole's the purest defender of the four. Lahm probably wins out on overall longevity. But none of them are weak links in this company. Even Babbel was an excellent man-marker who was a very reliable and under-appreciated defender.

Lahm is playing on left though, there is little doubt that he is at his best at right.

I really like Stain's team. The balance is great in there IMO. Going forward may be replace Essien with a proper DM and it will be even better.

 

[Moby]

What's the reason for underrating Gerets here? I agree Gento will give a hard time to any fullback but Gerets was a fantastic defender who captained his nation during their golden age. As Gio said, all four fullbacks well deserve to be a part of this, even if it means being a little bit generous to Babbel.

 

[Balu]

What's the reason for underrating Gerets here? I agree Gento will give a hard time to any fullback but Gerets was a fantastic defender who captained his nation during their golden age. As Gio said, all four fullbacks well deserve to be a part of this, even if it means being a little bit generous to Babbel.

Yeah, that's fair enough. If I didn't hate him that much, I might actually praise him a bit more. But I can't stand him, annoyed me to no end as a player whenever he opened hs mouth and it got even worse when he became a manager. Why can't he disappear for good . Quality player though.

 

[Mciahel Goodman]

Stain's side is incredibly well balanced.

 

[Moby]

Anyway having watched Stain's team being drafted from the sidelines I'm not surprised to see how nice it has turned out to be. So is Sjor's, and this is a really close one to call. Two of my favourites right from the onset.

 

[Šjor Bepo]

Minor point, but still: If memory serves Babbel wasn't much up against Giggs directly in that final, as Giggs largely played, uncharacteristically, on the right (Blomquist on the left) as part of Fergie's custom set-up for that particular match.

even better for Giggs - Babbel duel
As for Gerets, i didnt mean underrating him as i rate him highly but from the little i saw from Gento and from what i read about him, he is one of the best wingers of all time so i dont think Gerets would be able to match him.