New Fantasy Draft: brought to you by Cal? - Round 1 - Match 8

[Dr. Dwayne]

* The aim of the game is to select a team of 11 players from all the current footballers playing who are born on or after June 25, 1987.
* Players chosen will be judged on their careers so far, everything they have achieved, selection should not be based on how good you think they'd become.
* The poll will last for 24 hours

Match 8 - Lokomotiv Mighty Boosh vs Racing Danish Voice

Mighty Boosh

The Team

I believe what truly sets my team apart from alot of others in this draft is experience. Each and every one of my team is a proven performer for their club and as the rules of the competition quite clearly state "players chosen will be judged on their careers so far, everything they have achieved" I believe my team has a huge advantage over others who have drafted reserve team players with major European clubs who have in fact hardly had any playing time. 7 players from my team have received International and the others; Carrico, Willian, Azpilicueta and Luiz Gustavo are all on the fringes of a call-up.

Danish Voice

More details of the teams can be found: https://www.redcafe.net/f7/new-fantasy-draft-completed-teams-327994/

 

[Mighty Boosh]

Tactics

The heart of the defence is marshalled by the German international Jerome Boateng and the current Sporting Lisbon captain Daniel Carrico. Tough tacklers, they can more than hold their own against quality opposition as well as posing an attacking threat from corners. They are ably supported by fullbacks, PSV and Holland left back Erik Pieters and Marseille's Spanish right back Cesar Azpilicueta. Both are defensively sound but Azpilicueta in particular provides an excellent attacking outlet and will look to provide Willian with plenty of support up the right flank. The defence is further strengthened by the Colombian international and OGC Nice shot-stopper David Ospina. Ospina is a hugely talented player with excellent reflexes and good control of his area. Goalkeeper is an area that probably won’t get much attention from voters in this draft but Ospina is truly a top drawer keeper.

In Luiz Gustavo and Javi Martínez, we have two strong players who will control the midfield and link well with the attack. Luiz Gustavo will be the defensive midfielder, a grafter and workhorse while Javi Martínez as a central midfielder will be the heartbeat of the side much as he is for his club Athletic Bilbao. Out wide, we have two attacking wingers in Arsenal's Nasri and Shakhtar's Willian. These two have the creativity and pace to provide the through balls and crosses to unlock any opposition defence.

Up front and providing the goals we have Mario Balotelli and Abel Hernandez. Balotelli is agile, pacy and powerful and will be able to handle the toughest of defenders. His fiery attitude aside, he is hugely gifted and offers the team a different dimension in attack. Abel Hernandez complements him well, left footed he is an up and coming star for both Uruguay and Palermo. With the ability to be effective as a lone striker he can offer Balotelli greater freedom to attack from deep and Nasri can undertake a more central role.

Against Danish Voice I will be looking to the pace and talent of Willian and Nasri to exploit the weakness at full back in his team. Both Isla and Insua are very attack minded with Insua being a defensive liability as we all saw at Liverpool. Boateng and Carrico are two physically imposing defenders and should be able to restrict the chances of his lone striker Higuain.

 

[Mighty Boosh]

The Players

David Ospina: Hugely talented Nice and Columbia shot stopper. At the age of 22 he has already established himself as first choice for club and country making over 200 senior appearances. He has excellent reflexes, controls his area well and is one of the main reasons his club OGC Nice have remained in the French top flight despite their limited resources. In Ospina I'm confident I have one of the best keepers in the draft.

Cesar Azpilicueta: A right wing back who narrowly missed out on the Spanish World Cup squad. Started his career at Osasuna making over 100 first team appearances before moving to Marseille this Summer where he established himself in the starting line up before suffering a bad knee injury. He's been capped at every youth level for Spain making 17 u-21 appearances and it's only a matter of time before he breaks into the senior team.

Jerome Boateng: A fast, tough tackling, physically strong and composed German centre back currently playing in the Premier League with Man City after joining them in a £10 million deal from Hamburg. Having made over 120 appearances at club level he has also established himself in the national side and was part of the German U-21 team that won the 2009 European Championships before representing the senior team at the 2010 World Cup earning 13 caps. I've selected him in his preferred position of centre back but he is equally adept at both right and left back. Since joining City he has been unlucky with injuries and the huge competition for places but he is certainly a player with a bright future.

Daniel Carrico: Sporting Lisbon's captain and leader he has been touted as the next Carvalho in his homeland. Linked with a £15 million move to City in January as a possible solution to their defensive problems it won’t be long before he moves to a top European side.

Erik Pieters: PSV and Holland left back who has been everpresent for the Dutch league leaders this season. Capped 5 times by the Dutch national team he also has plenty of European experience playing in the Europa League. Defensively he is very solid.

Javi Martinez: This man will boss my midfield, he's a teriffic player and was part of the Spanish World Cup winning squad. Atheltic Bilbao have been rewarded for splashing out nearly €6 million on a raw 17 year old who hadn't yet made a first team appearance. He has since played over 160 games for the scoring 18 goals and has become the heartbeat of the side. Standing at 6 foot 3 and weighing 86 kg he offers a physical presence in the midfield and is a player I think would thrive in England after being linked with joining us on a number of occasions.

Luiz Gustavo: Vastly experienced and will act as my midfield enforcer. He was an integral part of the Hoffenheim side that took the Bundesliga by storm a few years ago until he was sold to Bayern Munich in January which prompted current Schalke manager Ralf Rangnick to resign as Hoffenheim manager. He has made a very positive start to his career at Bayern playing 18 games many as a starter.

Willian: Pacy Brazilian Attacking Midfielder who has had an excellent season for Shakhtar Donetsk and is on the fringes of the Brazilian squad. He's been extremely productive this season playing in 38 games with 12 assists and 7 goals. He was particularly impressive in the Champions League for Shakhtar and scored a stunning goal against Roma to help them through to the quarter finals. A summer move looks likely as he is in the final year of his contract and there are many potential suitors including Chelsea and Arsenal.

Samir Nasri: Nasri long touted as the new Zidane has had a superb season with Arsenal, scoring 10 goals and was included in the PFA team of the season as well as being nominated for player of the year. Named Ligue 1's Young Player of the Year when playing for Marseille he soon joined the Gunners in a £15 million move. He has really stepped up to the plate in the absence of Fabregas this season and can play as a left attacking midfielder or in a withdrawn central role or tucked in behind a lone striker. His excellent vision and impressive passing ability make him an ideal playmaker for my team.

Mario Balotelli: The man everyone loves to hate. Balotelli is undoubtedly hugely talented and is finally starting to string a few games together with City. An impressive strike rate of 20 goals in 59 appearances for Inter earned him a big money move to City where he has scored 6 times in 16 games. Capped twice for Italy and a winner of the Golden Boy Award given to the top under-21 year old playing in Europe he has already achieved quite alot in a short career. Agile, quick and powerful he has the key attributes to be a top quality striker.

Abel Hernandez: This is the man Palermo looked to as a replacement for Edison Cavani and so far he has delivered. A player I have actually seen live when Uruguay came to Lansdowne Road for an internatonal friendly recently. At times he ran the Irish defence ragged and managed to get on the score sheet, his second goal in three caps for the senior side. A powerful runner with the ball and strong in the air he has appeared 45 times for Palermo in Serie A.

 

[Danish Voice]

My team/tactics

I’m going with a 4-3-1-1 formation with very offensive full backs. Isla and Insua are allowed to get forward as often as possible to try and press Mighty Bosh back into his own half.

De Jong’s the creator in a midfield where M’Vila and Rakitic will do the running and protect the defence. Rakitic has a powerful shot and will be a threat from distance.

My team is experienced. Apart from Dominguez every single one of my players has played for their national sides.

 

[IBleedRed]

I like Boosh's defense a bit more but I think DE's offense will be too much to handle

 

[Danish Voice]

My players

Rui Patricio One of the best goalies around for this age class. First choice at Sporting Lissabon for the last couple of seasons. Has three caps for Portugal.

Mauricio Isla Extremely offensive right wing back. Has played over 100 Serie A games for Udinese. Started every game for Chile at the World Cup last summer.

Toby Alderweireld Central defender, hasn't looked back since replacing Vermaelen at Ajax in the summer of 2009. A Belgian international with a powerful shot. Has scored some absolutely cracking goals from distance this year.

Alvaro Dominguez The Atletico Madrid defender has a couple of season at the highest level. Started the Europa League Final last season´. Are expected to take part in U21 Euro next month.

Emiliano Insua One of few Liverpool academy players to make it through to the first team. On loan at Galatasaray this season. Not the best defensively, but has some real attributes going forward.

Yann M'Vila Strong defensive midfielder who's excelled for his club Rennes for a couple of seasons now. Made his debut for France under Laurent Blanc last August. Probably going to a bigger club this summer, United apparently interested.

Ivan Rakitic The more offensive minded player in my central midfield. Left Schalke for Sevilla in January and has made a flying start in La Liga, being one of the stars of the second half of the season.

Pedro Broke into the Barcelona side after their Treble win in 2009, can play both left and right side of the attack. Expect him to be one of the top 10 players in the world in two years time.

Siem De Jong Graduate from Ajax' famous academy. Can both create and score goals. Can play just behind the striker or as a forward. Made his debut for Holland in 2010.

Kevin Grosskreutz One of the stars of the future of German football. An integral part of Dortmund's attack and a German international.

Gonzalo Higuain Not much to say about this guy. One of the very best finishers around.

 

[Dr. Dwayne]

I hope everyone was pleased with their respective team's prefixes & suffixes (except Cal? who chose his own).

 

[IBleedRed]

I hope everyone was pleased with their respective team's prefixes & suffixes (except Cal? who chose his own).

I chose mine and regret it a bit with the fantastic job you are doing so far

 

[Valentino]

Mighty Bosh. This is fantasy soccer not some essay writing tourney. I mean its beautiful effort from you and all. But i cant be bother to read all that. I mean not now. I will read it tomorrow and vote accordingly. But i believe you will lose some votes from lazy people. You should summarized it or smth LOL

 

[Big-Red]

Mighty Bosh. This is fantasy soccer not some essay writing tourney. I mean its beautiful effort from you and all. But i cant be bother to read all that. I mean not now. I will read it tomorrow and vote accordingly. But i believe you will lose some votes from lazy people. You should summarized it or smth LOL

You complain you don't know the players, now you complain they say too much...

Seriously can we get a retrospective ban on this guy, FA where are you??

 

[GingerPrince11]

Doc, you're doing a great job, cheers, we really appreciate it.

And you guys are writing too much, or it looks that way on my iPhone, I didn't bother reading it and I am sure many others won't either.

 

[Big-Red]

Doc, you're doing a great job, cheers, we really appreciate it.

And you guys are writing too much, or it looks that way on my iPhone, I didn't bother reading it and I am sure many others won't either.

It's not actually much at all, Boosh's is intimidating but a skim over the players you aren't familiar with and you're sorted.

 

[Valentino]

You complain you don't know the players, now you complain they say too much...

Seriously can we get a retrospective ban on this guy, FA where are you??

dude do you read what i said? i am not complaining. i am just afraid that lazy people wont read it and mighty bosh may loose some votes cause of that. And he clearly dont deserve it for doing this extra effort presenting his team.

 

[Big-Red]

dude do you read what i said? i am not complaining. i am just afraid that lazy people wont read it and mighty bosh may loose some votes cause of that. And he clearly dont deserve it for doing this extra effort presenting his team.

Now you dare compliment him!! If I've learnt one thing today it's that complimenting people gets you in trouble with footballing associations.

 

[Enigma_87]

My players

Rui Patricio One of the best goalies around for this age class. First choice at Sporting Lissabon for the last couple of seasons. Has three caps for Portugal.

Mauricio Isla Extremely offensive right wing back. Has played over 100 Serie A games for Udinese. Started every game for Chile at the World Cup last summer.

Toby Alderweireld Central defender, hasn't looked back since replacing Vermaelen at Ajax in the summer of 2009. A Belgian international with a powerful shot. Has scored some absolutely cracking goals from distance this year.

Emiliano Insua One of few Liverpool academy players to make it through to the first team. On loan at Galatasaray this season. Not the best defensively, but has some real attributes going forward.

Yann M'Vila Strong defensive midfielder who's excelled for his club Rennes for a couple of seasons now. Made his debut for France under Laurent Blanc last August. Probably going to a bigger club this summer, United apparently interested.

Ivan Rakitic The more offensive minded player in my central midfield. Left Schalke for Sevilla in January and has made a flying start in La Liga, being one of the stars of the second half of the season.

Pedro Broke into the Barcelona side after their Treble win in 2009, can play both left and right side of the attack. Expect him to be one of the top 10 players in the world in two years time.

Siem De Jong Graduate from Ajax' famous academy. Can both create and score goals. Can play just behind the striker or as a forward. Made his debut for Holland in 2010.

Kevin Grosskreutz One of the stars of the future of German football. An integral part of Dortmund's attack and a German international.

Gonzalo Higuain Not much to say about this guy. One of the very best finishers around.

A bit bold to field up only ten players I reckon. I find your team much more balanced, so you decided to make a handicap or something?

 

[Mighty Boosh]

Mighty Bosh. This is fantasy soccer not some essay writing tourney. I mean its beautiful effort from you and all. But i cant be bother to read all that. I mean not now. I will read it tomorrow and vote accordingly. But i believe you will lose some votes from lazy people. You should summarized it or smth LOL

honestly didn't put that much effort into it Valentino, I did the write-up on the players and the reason it's so long is because some of them aren't exactly house hold names so just wanted to give people a bit of extra info and my assistant manager The Taurean worked on the tactics

 

[K Stand Knut]

I hope everyone was pleased with their respective team's prefixes & suffixes (except Cal? who chose his own).

I wasn't. It caused me to lose!

 

[Danny1982]

My team/tactics

I’m going with a 4-3-1-1 formation with very offensive full backs. Isla and Insua are allowed to get forward as often as possible to try and press Mighty Bosh back into his own half.

De Jong’s the creator in a midfield where M’Vila and Rakitic will do the running and protect the defence. Rakitic has a powerful shot and will be a threat from distance.

My team is experienced. Apart from Dominguez every single one of my players has played for their national sides.

Should it not be 4-2-3-1?

 

[Big-Red]

Should it not be 4-2-3-1?

Danish voice is clearly an incompetent manager, no chance of his team winning.

I'm backing whoever I vote for to the death in these threads now. My god....I'm Valentino.

 

[Danish Voice]

A bit bold to field up only ten players I reckon. I find your team much more balanced, so you decided to make a handicap or something?

I don't know how I forgot Dominguez

 

[Dr. Dwayne]

I wasn't. It caused me to lose!

Blame yourself, I didn't like the sound of Real K Stand Knut!

 

[Cal?]

I hope everyone was pleased with their respective team's prefixes & suffixes (except Cal? who chose his own).

I bet most people don't even know where Giravanz comes from (without googling).

 

[IBleedRed]

Good match so far

 

[Cal?]

11-11 right now... so close...

 

[K Stand Knut]

Blame yourself, I didn't like the sound of Real K Stand Knut!

You're right. Im an incompetent manager......

 

[The Taurean]

i hope people look up on boosh players. They are good as well as experienced which is requisite for this draft.

 

[Mighty Boosh]

I hope everyone was pleased with their respective team's prefixes & suffixes (except Cal? who chose his own).

I do quite like the ring of Lokomotiv Mighty Boosh, good job Dwayne

 

[Cal?]

Just over 30 minutes to go, MB with a 2 vote lead... can DV come back from here?

 

[Danny1982]

13 minutes to go, come on guys.......

 

[IBleedRed]

Im surprised more people wouldnt want to get in on a vote as close as this

 

[Cal?]

Mighty Boosh edges it 17-15...

 

[Mighty Boosh]

Good game Danish Voice, very close in the end.

What are people's thoughts on who I should replace? At the moment I'm thinking of swapping Abel Hernandez for Higuain but would like to hear if people have any other suggestions

 

[Danny1982]

Higuain will be my first choice.

Pedro on the right looks also tempting.