DP Draft - R1: EAP vs SInister

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

vs

............................................ TEAM EAP ...................................................................................................... TEAM SINISTER .....................................................



TEAM EAP:

Formation:

4-3-2-1

Tl;dr Tactical summary:

+ Solid defence, monster of a midfield and a versatile attack blends creativity and goal scoring.
+ Top notch midfield unit blending physicality and creativity with everyone able to make a impact offensively and defensively.
+ All hardworking and skilled players with added extra special in having left footed players (Demyanenko, Mackay and Tostao) along the flank adding a bit of natural width to the team.
+ Tostao and Eusebio in a free role behind a mobile monstrosity like Elkjaer is a force any defence will find it hard to handle. Creativity, skill, lethal goal scoring instinct...this unit has it all!

Players and Tactics:

- With Higuita injured, Claudio Bravo mans the goal. This is the good 2014-16 pre-Man City version where he was La Liga Team of the Season: 2014–15, Copa América Team of the Tournament: 2015, 2016 and Copa América Best Goalkeeper: 2015, 2016. During this peak, he was well regarded for his shot stopping, ball distribution and overall regarded as a top Keeper!
- No Passarella. No Cannavaro. So we get the dynamite duo of Paolo Montero and Sergio Ramos in central defence. Disciplinary records aside, both are highly competitive, physical, talented and tenacious defenders who been mainstay in defence for Juventus and Real Madrid with multiple league titles to their name.
- Anatoliy Demyanenko and Eric Gerets man the wings. Both are 'one man flank' fullbacks with insane stamina and ability to shuttle the flank all match long providing good balance between attack and defence.

- Fernando Redondo is the game runner who will control the game with his vision, creativity and ability to dictate the tempo.
- Roy Keane does Roy Keane. No further intro needed.
- Dave Mackay, a natural Left Half, "a footballer of monumental gifts, of drive, intelligence, of an unquenchable desire to win, of physical prowess that saw opposition players simply bouncing off him and possessed of a left foot that had surely been brought down from heaven on the wings of angels"

- Tostao a versatile hardworking and prolific left forward who's can play as striker, AM and SS and comfortable drifting wide too. Highly creative, he can score, hold up the ball and open space for this team mates and provide the creative spark in final third!
- Eusebio. GOAT. The Black Pearl. Noted for this stamina, creativity and ability to pick up ball from deep and run at defenders and signature ferocious right footed shot!
- Preben Elkjaer. Complete forward, powerful and dynamic and near unstoppable.

Finally:

A bit more on Tostao, thanks to @Theon :

https://www.redcafe.net/threads/the...en-vs-joga-bonito-theon.457276/#post-26000223

"He was a player almost without position, except for that which he himself decided on. Neither midfielder nor forward, wherever a pass needed making, a run needed embarking upon, or a shot needed converting, Tostão was invariably involved. He was both elusive and obvious – a hide and seek champion in plain sight.
...
As a player he’s probably the most complete attacker on the park – a proper playmaking #10 in possession, with exceptional intelligence and off-the ball movement and a proper goal-scorer to boot – hitting 249 goals in 378 games for Cruzeiro and 32 in 54 for Brazil internationally.
...
Given how complete Tostão was he could naturally operate across the park, generally as a second striker but also as an attacking midfielder, centre forward (as in 1970) or as a left winger."

-----

TEAM SINISTER

The current best goalkeeper in the world Jan Oblak who has the highest percentage of saves since 2014, three legendary defenders in world cup winning Thuram who can comfortably play as a full back and center back, the best ever Manchester United defender Stam who is also capable of playing a right back and the greatest defensive player ever Maldini(c) who needs no introduction, three central midfielders- all action midfielders in treble winning and monstrous Y. Toure, a genuis Modric who has all the individual accolades worth winning and a versatile, energetic and Copa America and UCL finals MOTM winning, the prolific creator Di Maria, two wing backs in prolific and ever running UCL winner Robertson and two times world cup winning greatest right wingback Cafu, one second striker in the greatest Soviet outfield player of all time Streltsov and a ever combating and greatest player to put on the Liverpool shirt Luis Suarez(fck you Dalgish).

Tactics:

Formation- 5-3-2
Defensive Line- High wing, with center backs playing the modern three in back, without the designated sweeper role.
Playing Style- Direct, counterattacking football.

A formidable defense line with two supremely attacking full backs who can both create chances and also defend, and they both the backs of two of the greatest full back center back hybrid and if that is not enough they have a monster in the end to defend them, who also can play as a full back, and if that is not enough we have the a formidable goalkeeper who has no weakness in this draft.

An all action midfielder where our midfield have the muscle, speed, trickery and ability to create things out of nothing.

I have two bullish forwards, who are also supremely talented on the ball, and can score a goal from anywhere in the 30 meters range.

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

@Lord SInister All the best

@GodShaveTheQueen

 

[Lord SInister]

@Lord SInister All the best

@GodShaveTheQueen

All the best to you too mate.

 

[Skizzo]

Edgar definitely suffering from the injuries there. Especially compared to the opposition with Cafu, Maldini, Stam and Thuram

I do prefer Edgar’s midfield and attack though, but not sure how that back line would hold out with their somewhat swashbuckling style.

 

[Lord SInister]

We have some interesting direct confrontation between Ramos and Suarez, and Suarez has scored 11 times against Ramos, including a hattrick, especially to be noted that match was missing Messi and Neymar had also left Barcelona.

And you know who assisted him twice in that match an attacking right back, Sergi Roberto, and who do I have the best attacking right back of all time.

 

[Pat_Mustard]

hardworking and skilled players with added extra special in having left footed players (Demyanenko, Mackay and Tostao) along the flank adding a bit of natural width to the team.

Demyanenko was right-footed, no?

Everything aside from that injury-ravaged defensive core looks excellent though, and even that isn't bad, although it clearly suffers in comparison to Lord's freaky Maldini/Stam/Thuram unit.

 

[harms]

Dynamite up front, dynamite at the back!
How high is the probability of Edgar finishing this game with 11 players?

It’s quite impressive that he was able to field a back line at all after that injury plague.

 

[harms]

Demyanenko was right-footed, no?

Everything aside from that injury-ravaged defensive core looks excellent though, and even that isn't bad, although it clearly suffers in comparison to Lord's freaky Maldini/Stam/Thuram unit.

Technically right-footed, yeah (although he’s close to Brehme in terms of being pretty much completely ambidextrous).

 

[harms]

Streltsov isn’t the greatest Soviet outfield player of all-time by the way, that would be Blokhin. He most likely would’ve ended up becoming one if not for all of the off-the-pitch trouble.

World-class and absolutely devastating at his young peak though.

 

[Lord SInister]

I cannot see votes without voting, hence voting for myself, dont count that vote.

 

[Lord SInister]

Streltsov isn’t the greatest Soviet outfield player of all-time by the way, that would be Blokhin. He most likely would’ve ended up becoming one if not for all of the off-the-pitch trouble.

World-class and absolutely devastating at his young peak though.

I should be thankful to you, I think or it was someone else for that video of him in match compilation thread.
As someone in that thread said, he video there reminds of a more skillful Haaland.

 

[General_Elegancia]

Demyanenko was right-footed, no?

Everything aside from that injury-ravaged defensive core looks excellent though, and even that isn't bad, although it clearly suffers in comparison to Lord's freaky Maldini/Stam/Thuram unit.

Yes,he is right foot but he is completely ambidextrous who used left as well as right.On defensive although he had great athleticism I don’t rate him as high as Brehme .He had some troubles in defensive against great dribblers or overlapping wing-backs (ex.Soviet vs Belgium).

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

Yes, Sinister D unit is impressive,but then I believe an advantage in all other outfield positions.

1. Between his tactics and personnel, my team will enjoy a bulk of possession.
2. The defensive capacity of his midfield is close to nothing. My forward trio will have a direct run at his defence all game long. Godo as they may be, it's impossible to save all shots at goal all game.

Impressive as Suarez/Streltsov may be, they'll be restricted to odd shots at goal and mostly from distance.

If you're looking at players who can individually influence the game on their own....I believe Eusebio, Tostao, Suarez and Redondo will be on top of that list!

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

Plus a frustrated Suarez attempting to take a bite of my players and getting sent off is highly likely too.

 

[Lord SInister]

Plus a frustrated Suarez attempting to take a bite of my players and getting sent off is highly likely too.

He doesn't need to bite anyone, he just needs to provoke Ramos with his dives

 

[General_Elegancia]

Bravo maybe was one of the best keepers in La Liga,when he stayed at Barcelona but even in his peak form he was inferior to Oblak(despite Oblak is more fit in defensive oriented team and Bravo is more on offensive).

Ramos and Montero are greats but both of them need a covering cb who can cover their tackles or mistakes a lot of times.I don’t think this duo would be great fit and especially both of them are/were red cards collector (+Keane too)so they need a great service from covering cb.On Lord team,they have three of top3 centers back that fit in their most suitable roles(Stam CB,Maldino LCB,Thuram RCB) and they have 2 tireless motors that can run up and down the flanks perfectly.

Albeit Edgar forwards is superior to Lord but I still think that Lord forwards will give more trouble to EAP defenders than EAP forwards give to Lord goddess backline.Especially Preben lonely in the front,he would meet the greatest 1 on 1 players both Maldiin and Thuram and Stam is tough cb too.So,I don’t think Preben can harms damage to their center-backs(It’s different to Jventus backline scenerios).Eusebio and Tostao will give some troubles to their backlines,sure but I don’t think it’s easy job since both of them face Maldini and Thuram who could shut down Ronaldo(R9).

I vote to Lord due to the strength of backline that I think it is too much difference from EAP.On midfielders and strikers I will talk in another comment.

 

[Lord SInister]

Yes, Sinister D unit is impressive,but then I believe an advantage in all other outfield positions.

1. Between his tactics and personnel, my team will enjoy a bulk of possession.
2. The defensive capacity of his midfield is close to nothing. My forward trio will have a direct run at his defence all game long. Godo as they may be, it's impossible to save all shots at goal all game.

Impressive as Suarez/Streltsov may be, they'll be restricted to odd shots at goal and mostly from distance.

(a) my midfield consists to three players comfortable with ball and ability to dribble past any midfielder, and Yaya Toure was a world class defensive midfielder who was converted into a box to box midfield to maximize his attacking prowess. Modric and Di Maria are two players admired for running their shocks off and helping the team defensively. My defense is no slouch.

(b) Suarez and Streltsov have plenty of feeders, especially the wingbacks, Modric and Di Maria

 

[General_Elegancia]

I don’t think it‘s a nice thing that two warriors and fighters(plus red cards collector) compliment each other.They can show an error prone that you can’t expect although you win a lot of possessions.

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

Especially Preben lonely in the front,he would meet the greatest 1 on 1 players both Maldiin and Thuram and Stam is tough cb too.So,I don’t think Preben can harms damage to their center-backs(It’s different to Jventus backline scenerios).Eusebio and Tostao will give some troubles to their backlines,sure but I don’t think it’s easy job since both of them face Maldini and Thuram who could shut down Ronaldo(R9).

The game is not a series of 1 vs 1s. Yaya was never a holding type DM and there exists a big gap between Yaya and Stam.

For example, Eusebio's game was built around picking up the ball from the deep and using his pace to run at defenders and unleashing a thunderous shot from just outside the box. Who will be covering him? He would have time and space to do what he excelled in and would be taking shots all game. I don't really see Maldini vs Eusebio as being 1 vs 1 at all!

 

[Lord SInister]

The game is not a series of 1 vs 1s. Yaya was never a holding type DM and there exists a big gap between Yaya and Stam.

For example, Eusebio's game was built around picking up the ball from the deep and using his pace to run at defenders and unleashing a thunderous shot from just outside the box. Who will be covering him? He would have time and space to do what he excelled in and would be taking shots all game. I don't really see Maldini vs Eusebio as being 1 vs 1 at all!

Yaya was never a holding midfielder? He was just that before his role was changed in City.

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

Plus I really don't see Elkjaer being lonely at the top here. Tostao will be operating behind him. If Stam is handling Elkjaer, then who covers Tostao? Both Eusebio and Tostao are good centrally so their matchup will not always be with Maldini/Thuram.

 

[harms]

I should be thankful to you, I think or it was someone else for that video of him in match compilation thread.
As someone in that thread said, he video there reminds of a more skillful Haaland.

It’s probably some of my own wording, but I always try to note that he is the greatest Soviet talent, not the greatest player. Although even based on his interrupted career you can say with confidence that he still is one of, although not the best ever Soviet players.

 

[harms]

Yaya was never a holding midfielder? He was just that before his role was changed in City.

He was, although you have to say which version you’re playing — Yaya had a very clear distinction between those two stages of his career.

 

[Lord SInister]

We do have recitfy the assessment that Edgar gave of Yaya not being a holding midfielder. He was rather a holding midfielder who is mistaken for being an out and out box to box midfielder.

 

[Lord SInister]

He was, although you have to say which version you’re playing — Yaya had a very clear distinction between those two stages of his career.

I am clearly choosing the holding midfielder version for this game. He was even used as centerback by Pep in a Champions League final.

 

[harms]

We do have recitfy the assessment that Edgar gave of Yaya not being a holding midfielder. He was rather a holding midfielder who is mistaken for being an out and out box to box midfielder.

He was a holding midfielder for Barca and more or less defensive passenger for City where Mancini created a new role for him that unleashed his goalscoring potential. Which version are you playing? Yaya never had a phase where he combined those 2 roles together in a balanced way, strangely enough.

Edit: you’ve already answered it, thanks.

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

We do have recitfy the assessment that Edgar gave of Yaya not being a holding midfielder. He was rather a holding midfielder who is mistaken for being an out and out box to box midfielder.

Not really. His role even at Barca isn't really comparable to what he's expected to do here. Unlike possession based Barca, you are playing on the counter here. So DM needs to be comfortable sitting deep and soaking pressure with high amount of defensive workrate. None of those requirements are met with Yaya.

 

[Jim Beam]

Edgar monstrous midfield might be just enough to lift the necessary burden of that defence.
On the other hand, Modric is probably the strongest when he is a bit on the backfoot with odds against him in a midfield battle. That's one of his biggest traits for which he isn't given enough credit and he will have some brilliant moments for sure.

Will think a bit more, but I would pay serious money to see Suarez against Ramos and Montero. Keane would probably slap everyone at halftime

 

[Physiocrat]

What's everyone's thoughts on Stam as central CB here? I'm not set on the need for a proper sweeper in such a setup but Stam to me was never as good a passer as you would want there. I mean John Stones, despite being a far inferior player, suited that role better for England in 2018.

 

[Gio]

Such a strong midfield from Edgar. Tactically weathers the injury storm without missing a step. Unfortunate that Eusebio is up against that formidable Maldini/Stam axis. Think Toure could be quite valuable there in terms of his presence and physical screening.

 

[GodShaveTheQueen]

This is a close one to call.

I really like Tostao-Elkjaer-Eusebio setup with the positions assigned, almost perfect. But the back 3 of Maldini-Stam-Thuram is as good a Kryptonite as any for such a narrow setup.

With a more tasty attacking duo, Sinister could have run away with this.

The midfield is where Edgar scores big points though. Even the less shinier Mackay is going to be in his element there. To be fair, even Sinister's midfield is very good, who could forget that memorable season of Di Maria from the left CM under Ancelotti and of course the MotM performance in the Champions league final, but it pales in comparison to the opposition. Mind you, I have no problems with Yaya there. His Barca version is perfect there.

Edgar's defense even after being brutally damaged looks good because the wingbacks are spot on and can be taken to the final. He has really outdone himself with the initial drafting and is a huge favorite to win this draft if he wins this game. As I said after 4 picks, his team was already my favorite.

Edgar wins my vote here

 

[GodShaveTheQueen]

What's everyone's thoughts on Stam as central CB here? I'm not set on the need for a proper sweeper in such a setup but Stam to me was never as good a passer as you would want there. I mean John Stones, despite being a far inferior player, suited that role better for England in 2018.

I think with Yaya there, it is fine. In fact gives more freedom to Yaya to get involved in the build up. Also completely frees up the wing backs with 3 dedicated out and out defenders.

I do think all 3 of Madini/Stam/Thuram were decent on the ball to get it to the midfield or wingbacks. Cant expect much distribution or ball rotation from them but I don't think that is what the team is looking to do anyways

 

[GodShaveTheQueen]

His role even at Barca isn't really comparable to what he's expected to do here. Unlike possession based Barca, you are playing on the counter here.

Majority of his Barca career was not in possession based teams.

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

Majority of his Barca career was not in possession based teams.

Majority? He was there for 3 years. OP mentions treble, so under Pep in 2009 and next season.

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

Unfortunate that Eusebio is up against that formidable Maldini/Stam axis.

Have to say that a important facet Eusebio game was his powerful shots from just outside the box. I really don't see anyone from his side stepping out to cover outside the box....esp with Elkjaer occupying Stam. Probably on Yaya to drop back, but I'll bet on Eusebio for that battle.

 

[Pat_Mustard]

What's everyone's thoughts on Stam as central CB here? I'm not set on the need for a proper sweeper in such a setup but Stam to me was never as good a passer as you would want there. I mean John Stones, despite being a far inferior player, suited that role better for England in 2018.

Not a big issue for me really. Stam was less 'industrial' on the ball than he's given credit for (Sjor did a compilation quite recently where he played some nice long balls forward vs Liverpool I think), and I don't think there's necessarily a need for the central player in a modern back 3/5 to be the best ball-player. That said, while Maldini was very good on the ball Thuram was probably only decent, so the distribution from those central defensive zones isn't particularly impressive in this context. Not bad and not a game-deciding weakness, just not a huge strength in LS' otherwise great defence.

 

[Šjor Bepo]

What's everyone's thoughts on Stam as central CB here? I'm not set on the need for a proper sweeper in such a setup but Stam to me was never as good a passer as you would want there. I mean John Stones, despite being a far inferior player, suited that role better for England in 2018.

Dont like it.

 

[Zlatan 7]

That is some defensive line from sinister But beforeI got to that I preferred EAP team.

I think Montero and Ramos is enough to handle the attacking threat from sinister, could EAP score after winning the midfield battle, I don’t know.

 

[harms]

What's everyone's thoughts on Stam as central CB here? I'm not set on the need for a proper sweeper in such a setup but Stam to me was never as good a passer as you would want there. I mean John Stones, despite being a far inferior player, suited that role better for England in 2018.

It’s certainly not a weakness in any sense of the word but still you’d want someone more cultured on the ball there for the formation to work as well as it can. Even if it’s a lesser player overall like, I don’t know, Blankenburg or Augenthaler.

 

[Physiocrat]

It’s certainly not a weakness in any sense of the word but still you’d want someone more cultured on the ball there for the formation to work as well as it can. Even if it’s a lesser player overall like, I don’t know, Blankenburg or Augenthaler.

That's what I thought