Auction Draft QF1 - Aldo vs rpitroda

[Moby]

Aldo's Tactics

We are playing an asymmetric 4-2-2-2 formation.

The basic plan is to stay compact and deep inside our own half and release the attacking players with quick counters. More to follow underneath.

The defense has one big change from the last game. Ronald Koeman steps in and replaces Des Walker. Known for his ball playing skills, reading of the game and organization of defense, Koeman was a highly skilled defender who led Barca's dream team to constant success. The defense will work around him, and allow him sufficient freedom to orchestrate the attacks as he used to do. In Montero, he is partnered with a hard as nails defender who won't allow an inch and provide immense physicality. It will be made sure that Montero is responsible of closing down the opposition forward while Koeman acts as the covering defender. When Koeman wants to push forward to start attacks, he will be ably covered with Bossis on his right hand side, who was an accomplished defender himself. Denis Irwin will provide the width, as would Bossis but more than overlapping it would be crosses and diagonals from deep, like both of them used to do constantly. Irwin has more freedom to bomb forward than Bossis who will remain at the back and mostly tucked in with the two CBs.

Shielding them are two all round workhorses. Lerby and Essien bring in reserves of endless stamina and energy, and would constantly harry the opposition midfield, closing them down as quickly as possible and both are capable of bringing the ball out of defense with neat technical ability. If that's not on the cards, sweep it back to Ronald who will find the men up front. Both these CMs are well capable of going out wide, both in defense and attack and specially in the case where Bossis is acting as the third CB, Essien can close down the threat on that side.

The new addition Di Maria will play his role of an attacking midfielder, who is equally at ease at going out wide and coming into the middle, the role in which he excelled this season driving Madrid to a CL win. His work rate would be immense in supporting the midfield. In a lot of instances here he will be testing Evra by stretching him towards the touchline and taking him on 1v1.

Platini is in his element here playing as a number 10 in a setup that resembles the French team in which he attained his peak. Di Maria's role resembles that of Giresse who was a roaming attacking midfielder, where Di Maria lacks in playmaking as compared to the Frenchman, he makes it up with his wing play and ability to beat his man. Cristiano is the roaming forward, a la Rochetau. So the setup should bring the best of Platini, who has quality options ahead of him to make the best of his playmaking skills, while also the fluidity that allows him to bomb forward in the box from time to time and put his efficient goal scoring to great effect.

Cristiano as the previous game has a free role as a wide forward. The best way to describe a player like Cristiano would be a bully, who picks out the weakness in the opposition defense and makes sure to punish it. His movement is immense, and combined with his electric pace and acceleration, he will make sure to make the best of the chances created by Platini and the counters started by Koeman and the support cast. Weah is the skillful number 9, whose role is to allow as much support and freedom to the rest of the attack. We have seen how someone like Benzema helps in allowing Cristiano the freedom, and the service when needed to move around as much as he wishes to, and Weah would not be that different. He doesn't have to stay in the box the whole time, instead compliment his teammates and interchange throughout the game.

As already described, the attack is extremely fluid and it will be impossible for anyone to man mark them. Under the leadership of the genius Platini, the attack will constantly switch around, making the best of the versatility and the polyfunctionality of the front 3. These players are capable of doing more than one job for the team and that will be fully used. Something like this :

When without the ball, the whole team will work immensely hard barring the front two who will await for counters. Both Platini and Di maria are capable of putting in heavy shifts and it will make sure there's always a lot of bodies in midfield and they will drop into their own half frequently. This way there will be no space allowed for the opposition to exploit, and there will always be bodies close to each other to help in closing down and not let a defender get caught in a 1v1.

We will also play a direct game and look to use the big stature of Weah and Cristiano up front with long passes, throws and crosses from deep, with Platini present to latch on to any loose balls. That is one route, the other is using Platini is a deep position on the field, with the rest of the three darting forward and letting Platini find the best option. And obviously the front three's express pace can be released with a quick diagonal from either fullbacks or a Koeman through ball to feet and catch the opposition defense out of shape.

We also possess a furious threat from set pieces. Koeman and Platini are two wonderful set piece takes and with them standing on the dead ball it can easily result in a winning goal in a tight game. Cristiano and Di Maria would also, as per their natural game, make the most of any slight contact to win free kicks in dangerous areas. And from that range, you don't want to have Koeman or Platini standing on the dead ball.

All in all the setup is designed to bring the best out of key players who are surrounded by hard working selfless players willing to let them make the impact on the game.

TEAM ALDO

TEAM RPITRODA

​

rpitroda's tactics

The team sheet above highlights the unique blend of both physical and technical qualities that this team possesses. The overall strategy of the team is to initate fast, direct, and devastating attacks. Despite my team’s ability to maintain control of the football, the team will look to exploit the pace of Pires and Laudrup on the wings, by using M Laudrup as a focal point to use his esquisite movement and devastating creative ability to carve openings for the wingers and Vieri. The team will maximise the physical strengths of Vieri by providing supply both to play off him but also for him to bury into the back of the net. My midfield has so much energy that they can contribute in both phases, and enough intelligence that Keane and Effenberg will position themselves as such to ensure the defence is never exposed on the break. The understanding my defense has will allow them to cope, especially with the cover of B Laudrup who has the energy to go up and down the right flank, and Keane who is notorious for his work rate to protect but also spring out at the right time. My defence combines two legends in Costacurta and Kohler, two strong and hard working yet intelligent defenders.

Where the game will be won for me:

1) Platini is the key provider. Neither Ronaldo or Weah are known for their playmaking ability. They need supply, something Platini is key in providing. Keane will significantly dampen the control that Platini will be able to exert. Platini is one of those players who you can't stop simply. But Keane will minimise his influence.

2) Ronaldo and Weah are great players but in terms of getting into the box, there are no others in Aldo's team who are renowned for doing so on an often basis. Kohler and Costacurta are brilliant defenders especially with Neville and Evra to support, they can handle the challenge.

3) Laudrup will be given more space in this game because of Effenberg. He will be much more supportive than having Keane and Vieira there which will cause his midfield problems. Effenberg and Keane are also extremely combative - I wonder if Aldo's midfield can handle that? I think I win the midfield battle clearly and now laudrup has that extra support, the ability to get space ad fashion chances becomes easier.

4) the pace and trickery of my wide men will cause significant problems for Aldo's defence and Vieri now has an additional supply point in effenberg which will significantly increase the number of changes I can create.

 

[Moby]

@rpitroda

Edit : Voted for myself, to see the score. Good luck, trippy.

 

[RoadTrip]

Thanks for setting it up buddy. Voted for myself too. Be back in a bit and good luck.

 

[antohan]

Wait, wasn't Michael transfer-listed?

 

[Moby]

Wait, wasn't Michael transfer-listed?

No one bought him.

 

[antohan]

No one bought him.

So trippy wouldn't sell him to me because he needed him to win the first game, and would maybe sell him before the next round. Goes on to lose back to back games and now wants to sell but has no takers. Karma

I like how that back four of yours regroups when Irwin goes forward. My biggest concern with your side is actually whether Casillas is the ideal keeper when facing Vieri. Well, not whether, he just isn't.

 

[Moby]

So trippy wouldn't sell him to me because he needed him to win the first game, and would maybe sell him before the next round. Goes on to lose back to back games and now wants to sell but has no takers. Karma

I like how that back four of yours regroups when Irwin goes forward. My biggest concern with your side is actually whether Casillas is the ideal keeper when facing Vieri. Well, not whether, he just isn't.

The 6TP thing has haunted a few players. Maybe I am the only one who has no confusion regarding that, as mine are spent on two players who are indispensable but for those who have it spread out, bringing in a 6TP player can be a nightmare. Trippy himself has Figo and Henry rotting on the bench. But apart from that he did a really good job on revamping the defense and midfield without losing any TP points and improving it. There's not much between Vieira and Effenberg, some might even rate Effenberg higher while as much as we all respect Bruce and Pally for their services, Kohler is at another level.

I take your point Re: Casillas. Nothing I could do about that, really.

 

[RoadTrip]

I was only really testing the water with putting Laudrup for sale. Wasn't a big deal - if someone had taken him i would have recreated Vieri - Baggio and maybe have had a few different transfers.

 

[Chesterlestreet]

Good upgrades for trip, no doubt about it.

Classic switch-a-roo issue: I'd play Kohler on the left. Minor point, though - they'll do fine as they are and both are clear upgrades on Bruce/Pally, that much is obvious.

 

[RoadTrip]

5-1? Didn't expect that!

 

[Chesterlestreet]

Rough start for trip's boys.

To elaborate on the switch-a-roo thing: I can't think of many good CBs who would've been positively out of place on either side in a two man partnership in the middle. So it shouldn't make much of a difference unless there is something very particular which says that X should be on the right - to deal specifically with Y, for instance, Y being prone to attack from one side. And so forth.

In this case one could argue that Kohler is the better of the pair - and that Ronaldo is the bigger threat, and he will likely attack from the left more than anything - and there you have a reason to sport Kohler on the right. So, yeah, I retract my switch-a-roo remark, actually!

 

[RoadTrip]

Problem is I don't know what to say, I've had no feedback lol other than from you Chester

 

[Moby]

Rough start for trip's boys.

To elaborate on the switch-a-roo thing: I can't think of many good CBs who would've been positively out of place on either side in a two man partnership in the middle. So it shouldn't make much of a difference unless there is something very particular which says that X should be on the right - to deal specifically with Y, for instance, Y being prone to attack from one side. And so forth.

In this case one could argue that Kohler is the better of the pair - and that Ronaldo is the bigger threat, and he will likely attack from the left more than anything - and there you have a reason to sport Kohler on the right. So, yeah, I retract my switch-a-roo remark, actually!

If that actually manifests in the game and Cristiano is facing a major roadblock from Kohler, he would simply switch and find another route. That's what I meant when I called him a "bully" in the writeup and that is something that for me has been a major adaptation that has, among other reasons, led to his scoring record boost up. This was something he wasn't up to speed when at United, and we all remember when he had trouble shackling Cole, and kept knocking on the same door. Apart from other changes like the positional change getting him a bit further up the pitch and closer to goal, this is something he has really improved on and knows how to exploit the weakness of a defense, and hence scored many goals due to this. In a broader definition, it is the part of his off the ball movement which is clearly his strong weapon, and I believe it is something that should be highlighted. An example for that would be his goal against us last CL, where when the ball was about to be crossed, he was closest to Evra which gave Evra the responsibility to win that aerial duel. Now, if that was a hypothetical game played on paper like this one, you would never have a scenario like that being talked about. Cristiano would never be contesting with Patrice in an aerial battle right in front of goal, but that is exactly what happened, and it was him targetting the weakness. It's not to say he needs a glaring weakness in the opposition to score, but when he sees one, he pounces on it.

Either ways, that is pretty much a strong instruction, to all of the front 3, that they cannot spend much time in one position if things are not working out. Switch it around, don't let their defense settle down and be comfortable, always give them something to think about.

 

[Chesterlestreet]

Fair enough that, Aldo - I have no issues with that reasoning. My point was solely about Kohler, Costacurta and the old switch-a-roo. And on that note it wouldn't matter whether Ronaldo moves about - you could still say that him attacking from the left, which is what he has build his reputation on these last few years, is the biggest direct threat for trippy's defence. And as such it still makes sense to sport Kohler on the right. You can't easily contain a player like Ronaldo - all you can do is set up in the way which makes most sense - and then you'll just have to deal with him switching sides and mixing it up and being a general nuisance.

 

[Chesterlestreet]

Now, one point which could be made here is that Aldo sports two relatively small fellers in the middle back there. Montero was more than decent in the air for a player of his stature, of course - a bit of the Passarella/Ayala/Cannavaro thing there. Koeman wasn't anything special in the air, though - that wasn't his forte.

Anto has mentioned Cassilas - I take it that his point is that the latter isn't a monster physically either. In short (no pun intended) Aldo's defence should suit Vieri here - I can see 'em struggling considerably with his power and aerial ability.

Sorry if I seem biased against Aldo here - I am not. I'm merely trying to do a little bit for the balance of what has looked like a one-sided affair thus far in terms of votes.

 

[antohan]

There's not much between Vieira and Effenberg, some might even rate Effenberg higher.

There's no doubt in my mind that Effenberg-Keane > Vieira-Keane.

 

[Kazi]

Prefer rpitodra's monstrous midfield and defence, but Aldo's team looks unstoppable going forward.

 

[Cutch]

Aldo. So cool with his moving formations

 

[Cutch]

Having said that, I think posting a lineup the wrong way round should be a bannable offence.

 

[Theon]

I've not been following this draft but Platini feeding Ronaldo is an unbelievably good combination. How did you guys allow that to happen?

Montero is a good enough partner for Koeman, despite not being the tallest he was good in the air.

 

[Gio]

Although Walker was a purer defender than Koeman, it makes absolute sense to bring in Ronald here. Ronaldo, Di Maria and Platini will be devastating on the counter-attack and his ability to find them is unique. He alongside Montero is a fine fit for Vieri as well. In saying all of that, I think Michael Laudrup would get some joy in the middle there.

 

[Cutch]

I've not been following this draft but Platini feeding Ronaldo is an unbelievably good combination. How did you guys allow that to happen?

Serious constraints in this one mate. The elite players carry a TP (top player) score which is limited to 12 a team. Those 2 alone amount to the full 12 which probably would have restricted significantly the building of the rest of Aldo's side

 

[Theon]

Serious constraints in this one mate. The elite players carry a TP (top player) score which is limited to 12 a team. Those 2 alone amount to the full 12 which probably would have restricted significantly the building of the rest of Aldo's side

Cheers man, I've just had a look now and seems pretty damn hard.

Absolutely love your team by the way Favourite by a mile - who did you upgrade with?

 

[Cutch]

Cheers man, I've just had a look now and seems pretty damn hard.

Absolutely love your team by the way Favourite by a mile - who did you upgrade with?

Cheers mate. I brought in Seedorf to complete the diamond and then Albertini and Roberto Baggio for a Plan B. For Baggio to play i've to drop Pirlo (for Albertini) and a defender.

 

[RoadTrip]

Absolutely no votes? I must say even I'm surprised at that.

- How will Lerby and Essien cope with Effenberg and Laudrup? I see a big mismatch here. Platini is the best no.10 on the pitch agreed but Laudrup is no slouch. Add to that that Keane will do a significantly better job on Platini than Lerby or Essien will on Laudrup, I'm surprised this has been ignored.

- all of Aldo's players like going through the middle primarily which means my defence can stay compact. This will limit the damage his players can do. The exception being when Di Maria moved left and Ronaldo right, but from those positions their threat to goal is much less in te particular case of Di Maria. Also Neville and Evra are both accomplished defenders in their prime.

- Vieri is a very strong defender. I don't see how Koeman and Montero could easily deal wht a quick break where Laudrups or Pires pick out Vieri in the box.

- Koeman likes to come forward. But I wonder what happens if he gets caught out? I have wonderfully quick attackers, a very pacey midfield and a brilliant playmaker in Laudrup to do the damage. Koeman is the type of player where this could happen.

 

[Theon]

Cheers mate. I brought in Seedorf to complete the diamond and then Albertini and Roberto Baggio for a Plan B. For Baggio to play i've to drop Pirlo (for Albertini) and a defender.

Damn, that is rough. These restrictions are a killer.

That is still an awesome side but I am not sure Baggio is worth all of that, as good as he was. Could you not have gone for Totti? His passing would have been perfect with a poacher like Rossi and the deep runs from Kaka. I don't think he's much worse either and closer to Baggio than Albertini was to Pirlo.

Baresi would have been a nice upgrade to Cannavaro as well and keeps that Milan theme!

Maldini - Nesta - Baresi - Cafu - Pirlo - Gattuso - Seedorf - Kaka - Totti - Rossi

But yeah, don't want to divert this thread too much so I'll try and pop on when its your game to discuss it then.

 

[Cutch]

Feck, completely missed Totti. Think i wanted Baggio for his ability to come in from the flanks (which a team would lack playing a diamond) and to commit players. Thought he'd dovetail well with Kaka

 

[Chesterlestreet]

Regarded as trios I'd say Keane-Effenberg-Laudrup have a definite edge over Essien-Lerby-Platini. The former are easily better at contributing to the attack (excluding Platini and Laudrup, obviously - but Keane and Effenberg easily have Lerby and Essien's number in that regard) and better balanced on the whole. Plus - something which is often completely overlooked in these games - in Keane and Effenberg you have two of the most determined fighters in the entire draft - absolute mentalists who will never lie down and die.

Dealing with Effenberg in particular when he joins the attack is a much greater challenge in terms of the so-called midfield battle than dealing with Lerby* or Essien, who look more like "protection" behind Platini than, say, contributors. Relatively speaking - needless to say.

* ...who can certainly get forward given the chance, but is definitely less of a threat than Effenberg. All is relative, as the man said.

 

[antohan]

- Koeman likes to come forward. But I wonder what happens if he gets caught out? I have wonderfully quick attackers, a very pacey midfield and a brilliant playmaker in Laudrup to do the damage. Koeman is the type of player where this could happen.

Please, don't make up stuff about Koeman, he is already sufficiently underrated to now make him out to be someone prone to constantly go AWOL. Not sure who you are thinking about but Koeman wasn't a libero and didn't need to go anywhere to contribute to the attack, his peg did all the work.

 

[Chesterlestreet]

In keeping with the "all is relative" mantra - and in order to throw a bit of criticism trippy's way too - one could question the claim that his midfield is "pacey", no? Neither Keane nor Effenberg were particularly fast - certainly not the latter if memory serves. I won't say this makes them any less effective in their roles - but fair is fair, they weren't impressively fast players.

 

[RoadTrip]

Please, don't make up stuff about Koeman, he is already sufficiently underrated to now make him out to be someone prone to constantly go AWOL. Not sure who you are thinking about but Koeman wasn't a libero and didn't need to go anywhere to contribute to the attack, his peg did all the work.

If I'm not mistaken Koeman loved taking free kicks and penalties and his mentality with the ball was to contribute to the attacking phase. Going forward is a vague term and not once did I say loves running forward like a madman. So please, get off your high horse?

 

[RoadTrip]

In keeping with the "all is relative" mantra - and in order to throw a bit of criticism trippy's way too - one could question the claim that his midfield is "pacey", no? Neither Keane nor Effenberg were particularly fast - certainly not the latter if memory serves. I won't say this makes them any less effective in their roles - but fair is fair, they weren't impressively fast players.

They are not sprinters, correct. Pace was probably the wrong word. But they are like vultures. When they sense the moment, the speed of their reaction and drive to get what they are trying to do done gives them immense work rate. That and they will always have steam to keep going.

 

[RoadTrip]

@antohan it's funny how when you come into a match thread you have your favourites and there is no balance in what you say. Quick to jump at a comment which you can leach off to support your overall agenda in what's happening. Frankly it takes the fun out of a game for me, and is very off putting to want to continue with these drafts for me.

There is a way to make comments and have opinions. Look at everyone else. Your posts are on the whole aggressive in nature and patronising in tone as if your knowledge supersedes that of everyone ever who watched football.

You are a very knowledgeable man, a very good drafter too, and some of your posts are magnificent and I enjoy reading them. But then, there's a way of conveying that and in my opinion at times you neglect that.

I respect your opinion and frankly you probably know much more then me. But the way you convey your points is highly off putting.

 

[Chesterlestreet]

They are not sprinters, correct. Pace was probably the wrong word. But they are like vultures. When they sense the moment, the speed of their reaction and drive to get what they are trying to do done gives them immense work rate. That and they will always have steam to keep going.

Agreed! Indeed! Like I said above they're immense fighters - an intangible quality which is often far more useful to have in your locker than pure speed.

 

[RoadTrip]

Anyway, back to the match - the shoreline surprises me but Aldo's attack is devastating and the presentation of his tactics especially with the gif are awesome

I would question though the quality of Weah and Di Maria, in particular the latter. Ronaldo and Platini I accept will torment most defences. But we are talking about Evra Kohler Costacurta and Neville here. I fail to see the qualities Di Maria has to punish that defence or the versatility Aldo portrays to effectively play that roaming role.

I also think my attack has the qualities to punish Aldo's defence. I genuinely believe that. As Platini supplies Ronaldo, I have Laudrup who has wingers to supply. All against a much weaker defence IMO.

And most of all, Keane and effenberg in my opinion have a number of Lerby and Essien.

In my opinion Keane is quality enough to have an impact on Platinis ability to dictate play. No one can control Platini but control the supply to Ronaldo and he CAN be taken out of the game. I can hardly think of many players I'd want to stop Platini then Keane.

 

[Moby]

Absolutely no votes? I must say even I'm surprised at that.

- How will Lerby and Essien cope with Effenberg and Laudrup? I see a big mismatch here. Platini is the best no.10 on the pitch agreed but Laudrup is no slouch. Add to that that Keane will do a significantly better job on Platini than Lerby or Essien will on Laudrup, I'm surprised this has been ignored.

- all of Aldo's players like going through the middle primarily which means my defence can stay compact. This will limit the damage his players can do. The exception being when Di Maria moved left and Ronaldo right, but from those positions their threat to goal is much less in te particular case of Di Maria. Also Neville and Evra are both accomplished defenders in their prime.

- Vieri is a very strong defender. I don't see how Koeman and Montero could easily deal wht a quick break where Laudrups or Pires pick out Vieri in the box.

- Koeman likes to come forward. But I wonder what happens if he gets caught out? I have wonderfully quick attackers, a very pacey midfield and a brilliant playmaker in Laudrup to do the damage. Koeman is the type of player where this could happen.

Regarded as trios I'd say Keane-Effenberg-Laudrup have a definite edge over Essien-Lerby-Platini. The former are easily better at contributing to the attack (excluding Platini and Laudrup, obviously - but Keane and Effenberg easily have Lerby and Essien's number in that regard) and better balanced on the whole. Plus - something which is often completely overlooked in these games - in Keane and Effenberg you have two of the most determined fighters in the entire draft - absolute mentalists who will never lie down and die.

Dealing with Effenberg in particular when he joins the attack is a much greater challenge in terms of the so-called midfield battle than dealing with Lerby* or Essien, who look more like "protection" behind Platini than, say, contributors. Relatively speaking - needless to say.

* ...who can certainly get forward given the chance, but is definitely less of a threat than Effenberg. All is relative, as the man said.

Just to clear up some stuff.

I rate Laudrup as highly as you guys and I am not going to pretend that he would have no say in the game, but at the end of the day, he was a playmaker, in fact he was usually way too unselfish for his own good. It has already been raised how Vieri is not an ideal striker to combine with him, given Laudrup needs no time to pick a great pass, you need an equally good off the ball movement to latch on to that, which is certainly a danger but I am hoping Koeman's reading othe game would allow him to intercept his supply.

As for Lerby and Essien, firstly they are equally if not more hard working than Keane and Effenberg, so they won't just get run over like they are not there. Their job is to protect the defense, cut out supply from Laudrup, and protect the flanks only when needed. I agree with your point that they are not as good as Effenberg or Keane in attack, even though Essien has come up with some absolute screamers in his time, but regardless, there is a reason I dropped Pep while knowing those two are not the greatest going forward, because I have Koeman in defense. He is going to do the job of orchestrating from deep and I can say for certain that there are not many better than him for that job. So like I mentioned in the write up, once these two win it back, Koeman takes over and finds his target. OR Platini takes over, who will be in close attention when we don't have the ball. This is without taking into account that both Irwin and Bossis are quality ball players, which is above the level or a normal defender. Combined within these players should be able to compensate for the lack of attacking prowess from Lerby and Essien, as harsh as it is for them to be called that. I mean, they might not be the best but they are not Makelele or Mauro Silva. Lerby in particular was praised of carrying the ball forward effectively, but anyway, hopefully the players better suited for that will do that job.

I also don't understand the lack of width in my team. How much more width can I provide? Do people consider Cristiano at Madrid a "central" player? Isn't he praised so much for providing allthose goals while not playing central and starting in wide areas, specially in counters? To add to that he is backed up by Denis Irwin, and Di maria is stretching play on the other side. I honestly don't believe that my attack has "all players who like to come centrally". Even in the scenario which trippy is portraying where Cristiano is stretching play, it doesn't destroy my goal threat with Platini bombing into the box in the middle. Platini's solo runs should also not be neglected, here. I wouldn't have paid 6 TP points and a truckload of cash if I just wanted a run of the mill number 10, it's a player who can hurt you in three VERY effective ways, that is creating, scoring and set pieces.

The last point has been addressed already, Koeman isn't going on any runs. I started my write up saying it is a defense that revolves around him, stays compact and organized under his leadership and allows him to run the game from deep. In a case where he needs any help, he has Bosses, a quality defender in my book, to act as a third CB.

Lastly with both teams playing a direct game, it would be an open end to end affair that suits me. I pack a bigger punch going forward with a top quality passer to not waste absolutely any time in transition, while he lacks any comparable ball playing ability in defense and I can definitely see my team's transition being quicker and more fluid.

 

[RoadTrip]

Agreed! Indeed! Like I said above they're immense fighters - an intangible quality which is often far more useful to have in your locker than pure speed.

Indeed. And against Platini that's what I'd prefer. Platini is a draft god you can hardly control but there aren't many players who I'd like to do a number on him. I mean in our previous game voters assumed Laudrup could be contained by Alonso. But in this game, people think platini will be running around free when a Keane is on him. And people tell me Laudrup is not underrated

 

[Chesterlestreet]

For my money, trip, what you need to do here is convince the voters that your wide men - Pires and Little Laudrup - will help Big Laudrup set up chances for Vieri. Those two haven't really entered the fray here - and in a sense they're the most important factor in your set-up: Michael Laudrup's quality is unquestionable - what he brings to the table is almost self-evident. But my feeling is that you rely too much on him to be the creator - same problem you had in our friendly, as I see it.

I think people probably underrate Vieri here - 'cause to my thinking he should have an edge over those CBs with his strength and nose for goals. But he needs service - and Pires and the other Laudrup need to step up to the plate in that regard.

 

[RoadTrip]

Just to clear up some stuff....

Good post but there are a few factors I contest:

1) Width. To clarify, I was not saying your team lacks wide options. I was referring to the runs your players would make to get into the defence and into goal scoring opportunities. Ronaldo loves to cut inside and depending on the flank so does Di Maria. That's where they are most dangerous. That's not saying you lack width but rather your best players run at the heart of the defence and I have central defenders and a pitbull in midfield who can not control, but have a significant impact in managing that.

2) Lerby and Essien. I highly contest your point. Purely on a work rate basis then maybe you can make a claim but to say they are on a par as a pairing is false. Keane and Effenberg offer so much more as a pair.

3) Transition. I don't understand this point. Laudrup doesn't have to unleash directly into Vieri. I have wingers who are extremely fast and skillful. Laudrup could unlock them who in turn can unlock Vieri. And I think it's unfair to estimate that because pires and laudrup can run in and outside the wing backs and M Laudruo has the quality to pick them out. Then I have Vieri to convert. b Laudrup was too unselfish I agree but with the likes of Pires coming in and Vieri in the middle, his desire to assist can certainly be met.

 

[Moby]

Anyway, back to the match - the shoreline surprises me but Aldo's attack is devastating and the presentation of his tactics especially with the gif are awesome

I would question though the quality of Weah and Di Maria, in particular the latter. Ronaldo and Platini I accept will torment most defences. But we are talking about Evra Kohler Costacurta and Neville here. I fail to see the qualities Di Maria has to punish that defence or the versatility Aldo portrays to effectively play that roaming role.

I also think my attack has the qualities to punish Aldo's defence. I genuinely believe that. As Platini supplies Ronaldo, I have Laudrup who has wingers to supply. All against a much weaker defence IMO.

And most of all, Keane and effenberg in my opinion have a number of Lerby and Essien.

In my opinion Keane is quality enough to have an impact on Platinis ability to dictate play. No one can control Platini but control the supply to Ronaldo and he CAN be taken out of the game. I can hardly think of many players I'd want to stop Platini then Keane.

TBH mate I don't see how my defense is "much weaker". I have Irwin, possibly the greates fullback our club has had, a man who guarantees a minimum of 7/10 performance in every game and was a key player in our treble win. As good as Evra was at his peak, I would never choose him ahead of Denis and this opinion is backed up the majority in here when we see the United all time XI being made. Kohler is possibly the best "pure defender" on the pitch, and he is a legend of the game and one of the greatest stoppers ever, but Koeman won 4 La Liga's in a row while one European Cup and reaching the final of another, this after already winning one, with scoring the winner in his earlier career. It's a bit disrespectful to him to be portrayed like a liability, when he coped with quality attacks frequently in his career. I won't say there's much between Montero and Costacurta. And coming to Bossis, he is usually rated as one of the best defenders to come out of his country, a country that isn't short of having quality defenders. Much like Irwin, he was someone who can be relied upon in most situations. He's a complete legend of French football, both for NT and domestic arena, and I can't really see what Neviller has over him. Bossis was also a key component of the brilliant French team that won the Euro and reached two WC semis in a row.