The Modern / Current Players Draft

harms

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I lost my bottle a bit with Zhirkov. Outside of that Zenit UEFA Cup run and Euro Championships in 2008 where he was incredible I just felt I wasn't familiar enough with him as a player, especially as alot of the discussion I found when researching him strongly suggested he was more left winger or even left attacker than left back.
Zhirkov had nothing to do with Zenit, he played for CSKA. My favorite modern Russian player (or he was, at least, it's hard to love them, they all have awful personalities)

He was originally a left-sided midfielder and then Hiddink moved him to left back position, where he was fantastic - the thing is that he was capable of handling the whole flank on his own

In Chelsea he played some games further forward, due to Cole occupying left back position.


:drool:
 

Pat_Mustard

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A never-nude? I thought he just liked cut-offs.
Zhirkov had nothing to do with Zenit, he played for CSKA. My favorite modern Russian player (or he was, at least, it's hard to love them, they all have awful personalities)

He was originally a left-sided midfielder and then Hiddink moved him to left back position, where he was fantastic - the thing is that he was capable of handling the whole flank on his own

In Chelsea he played some games further forward, due to Cole occupying left back position.


:drool:
Given that I haven't even remembered what club he played for I was definitely right not to pick him :lol:. I could have sworn he played alongside Arshavin at club level as well, but evidently its just his Euro Championships performance that stuck in my mind.
 

Skizzo

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Another question do some of you get awol arrows when you got to submit on sharemytactics? It seems to add them at will. I add them by right clicking on the players in the line up.
Left clicking and right clicking adds arrows..so you might be clicking on them again by accident. I kept doing the same thing and I couldn't figure it out for the longest time.
 

harms

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Countering with skill 11:

---------------Mandzukic-----------
--------------De Bruyne------------
------Valbuena---------------------
----------------Gabi--------Navas
---------------Tiago-----------------
Mathieu------------------Torosidis
----BrunoAlves--Manolas------
--------------Reina------------------

Lots of creativity and skill in attack. A proven midfield partnership with one presser and one holder. 2 Solid CB's and Mathieu is comfortable in a back 3 when Maggio pushes up.

Another option, playing as Liverpool do:


--------------Sturridge-------------
--------Pastore---Arshavin------
Bernat-Schneiderlin-Inler-Maggio
---Mathieu-Coloccini-Jagielka---
--------------Reina------------------

2 lazy geniuses who could really dribble in their heyday behind a pacy striker. Power and passing in the midfield and 2 classic wing-backs out wide. Mobile defense with 2 wider CB's who've played a lot at fullback in their career and a leader in the middle.
L. Fabiano - Mandzukic
VdV
Emre------- Tiago---
Gabi
Schmelzer------------------Maggio
----Agger---Papadopaulos-
Reina​
Thiago is Snow's 6th pick.
 

antohan

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Martín Cáceres

@Skizzo
Was just checking if anyone had picked him. RB/LB/RCB/LCB, no brainer pick if you ask me, gives you soo much flexibility.

Surprised no one had a stab at Josema Giménez, doesn't have a three year peak to speak of but has a top U-20 WC and superb performances in pressure cooker WCQ and WC games against the likes of England and Italy. A significantly more talented and already better player than many of those picked IMO.
 

harms

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Snow is Thiago the Spanish. Mine is Tiago Mendes the Portuguese.
Oh! I was sure that he wasn't picked, but then I looked back and saw that Snow did pick him. Didn't even think about the Spanish one at the time! Then he should be in unpicked XI, no doubt about that (how the hell wasn't he picked? :eek: Some awful midfielders were)
 

Pat_Mustard

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A never-nude? I thought he just liked cut-offs.
Surprised no one had a stab at Josema Giménez, doesn't have a three year peak to speak of but has a top U-20 WC and superb performances in pressure cooker WCQ and WC games against the likes of England and Italy. A significantly more talented and already better player than many of those picked IMO.
I had a look at him as a reserve choice to Laporte and Marquinhos (I'd pretty much decided to get a centre back and fill one of the post-1990 slots with that pick) but he just hasn't made enough senior appearances at club level to sell him for me at least. It might have been a different story if I'd watched a bit more of U-20 WC mind.
 

Skizzo

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Oh! I was sure that he wasn't picked, but then I looked back and saw that Snow did pick him. Didn't even think about the Spanish one at the time! Then he should be in unpicked XI, no doubt about that (how the hell wasn't he picked? :eek: Some awful midfielders were)

Name and shame.

NAME AND SHAME!
 

harms

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Name and shame.

NAME AND SHAME!
:D Awful is way too harsh, but I don't think that Kondobia or Wilshere deserves to be here. And Song is a bad fit for Viva's team in my opinion (and he was always overrated due to him being able to chip the ball over to Van Persie)

Maybe (and probably) it's my personal bias. But Thiago is one of the most defensively capable midfielders out here in his peak
 

Snow

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With my Azpilicueta pick I realized that I couldn't pick Gabi. That sucked. Wanted more flair anyway so Thiago Alcantara was a great pick to complement Modric and Busquets IMO.
 

harms

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With my Azpilicueta pick I realized that I couldn't pick Gabi. That sucked. Wanted more flair anyway so Thiago Alcantara was a great pick to complement Modric and Busquets IMO.
Yeah, he is. And I thought about how great this pick was and completely forgotten about it when started to compile my unpicked XI :lol:
 

antohan

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I had a look at him as a reserve choice to Laporte and Marquinhos (I'd pretty much decided to get a centre back and fill one of the post-1990 slots with that pick) but he just hasn't made enough senior appearances at club level to sell him for me at least. It might have been a different story if I'd watched a bit more of U-20 WC mind.
Indeed, he was a friggin' wall and single-handedly responsible for the clean sheets against the fancy Spaniards and France, who only won it on penalties.

His lack of senior apppearances is to his credit, in a way. I mean, how do you break up Miranda-Godín? You don't, simple, which means he has actually had more appearances for the NT than Atlético. The kid is confident in his own abilities, but not a spoilt brat, he bides his time fully aware that he is at the right club, in the right setup, and he will make it. Miranda got injured for three weeks, he came on and Atlético's defensive record actually improved. Once Miranda got back, did he complain during a transfer window amid various bids from bigger European clubs? Did he start yapping and making a tit of himself? The feck he did.

He will be outstanding, all he needs is the experience and mellowing that comes with age, his only flaw is that in being so determined and committed he can, well, overcommit at times. But no one holds that against Keano (who actually never mellowed, quite the opposite :lol:).
 

Skizzo

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Player Profiles
Samir Handanovic

The Slovenian keeper at Inter Milan set a record during the 10-11 season by saving six penalty kicks. He's earned 74 caps for his country, making him the third most capped player. Appeared in the team of the season in the 10-11, and 12-13 seasons.


Patrice Evra


Evra, whom Sir Alex praised for his leadership, also describing him as one of the best left-backs in Europe, has served as captain for both Manchester United and France.

The son of a diplomat, Evra was born in Senegal and arrived in Europe when he was a year old. He was raised in France and began his football career playing for various clubs in the Ile-De-France region, such as hometown club CO Les Ulis and CSF Brétigny. In 1997, he had a stint at professional club PSG. A year later, Evra seized his first footballing opportunity in neighbouring Italy when he signed his first professional contract with Marsala in Sicily. He made his professional debut with the club and, in the ensuing season, joined Monza. After a year playing with Monza, Evra returned to France to play for Nice. Originally a midfielder, while playing at Nice, he was converted into a full-back. In 2002, Evra moved to Monegasque club Monaco and contributed to the team that won the Coupe de la Ligue in 2003. He also featured in European competition for the first time in his career and, in the 03-04 season, was the starting left-back on the Monaco team that reached the 2004 Uefa Champions League final. In that same season domestically, Evra was named the (UNFP) Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year. He was also named to the organisation's Ligue 1 Team of the Year.


Evra's performances with Monaco culminated into a move to English club Manchester United in January 2006. While playing for Manchester United, Evra has won a slew of trophies, which included winning the Football League Cup in his debut season at the club. In his second season, he eclipsed compatriot Mikael Silvestre and Gabriel Heinze as first-choice left-back and has since won five Premier League titles, one UEFA Champions League title, one FIFA Club World Cup , three League Cups, and four Community Shield titles. Evra has been named to the (PFA) Team of the Year on three occasions. For his performances during the 08-09 season, he was named to both the FIFPro World XI and the UEFA Team of the Year.



Juanfran

Juanfran is the latest mold breaker for Atletico Madrid. Juanfran has the stamina similar to Zabaleta, but beyond that there’s nothing physically impressive to his play style. There are no darting rundowns of speedy La Liga wingers, there’s no moment of him shoving a massive striker off the ball, there’s even very few crunching tackles being made. There’s nothing eye-popping to the Spanish right back. He’s comfortable being pedestrian.

Yet, that’s Juanfran’s greatest strength. There are very few players in the world more comfortable in their own skin than him. He’s never pressing for a moment, and this coupled by his hard to equal intelligence is a deadly combo. Juanfran simply never makes mistakes, and that’s why he’s evolved into a world class right back. In the easiest position in football to be caught out of position — hello, fellow countrymen Alberto Moreno and Jordi Alba — Juanfran is an omnipresent being. When an opposing winger gets the ball in a situation that’s a counter against any other team in Europe, there is no counter. You can’t catch Atletico’s centerbacks out alone, and it’s a huge part of what makes them so hard to beat. Paolo Maldini famously said, “If I have to make a tackle, then I have already made a mistake.”

Juanfran is the human embodiment of that quote.

routinely showcases an immense ability to read games and be in the right place at the right time. His positioning is excellent and makes him the perfect companion for the more active Godin.
That’s not to say he’s offensively incapable. Juanfran is very smooth on the ball, with a style very similar to his defense. You’ll never see him dribbling by three or four guys — he can do it, but why make bad decisions? — as he’ll always happily find an open teammate with a pass. He’s so aware of the positioning of the opposing defense that it always feels as if he’s delivering a big cross just by being in the right place at the right time.

This situation intelligence has turned Juanfran from an unspectacular winger to the lifeline of the Atletico way. Without him, the team’s system would greatly change. He’s not the best player on the squad through quality, but there’s no player they lean on more than Juanfran. And only Diego Godin, his teammate on the world’s most intimidating defensive line, provides an equally irreplaceable presence for Diego Simeone. And he does all that while being physically unspectacular in the most physically demanding position in the sport.


Diego Godin and Miranda

Godin and Miranda epitomize everything there is to love about Simeone’s hard working group. They never stop running, never stop talking and are an extremely organized bunch. While city rivals Real Madrid boast the combative and at times risky centre-back pairing of Pepe and Sergio Ramos, the South American partnership of Godin and Miranda exudes a tranquillity not often seen in modern day defences.

Even summer singing Toby Alderweireld, who was expected to challenge for a starting spot, has been frozen out behind the immense partnership constructed between the two defenders.

Godin, who previously made his mark on the highflying Villarreal teams of the mid 2000s, is a fast and surprisingly composed defender. He combines his physical presence with an ability to play the ball comfortably out of defence. He’s also a dominating figure in the air often first to any cross that dares enter the box.

Miranda routinely showcases an immense ability to read games and be in the right place at the right time. His positioning is excellent and makes him the perfect companion for the more active Godin.

Miranda is a cerebral defender who can be combative when needed but it’s his tactical know-how that sets him apart. He’s less prone to dive into tackles and risk getting carded. He’s only been booked seven times all season in 41 games and has still yet to receive red.

He’s rarely caught out of position as well, important for an Atletico side that is so dependent on its shape. Though he possesses the quality we are unlikely to see Miranda marauding through the centre of the pitch like some of his compatriots. He’s tidy and he knows his role.



Lassana Diarra

Originally dubbed as "the new Makalele", he didn't play much at Chelsea or Arsenal, and only made 20+ appearances after moving to Pompey. He made enough of an impression for Real Madrid to purchase him. Diarra's performance for Real Madrid in his first few months earned him a spot among the starting eleven on UEFA's 2008–09 La Liga Breakthrough Team. The Madridista joined Sevilla's Diego Perotti as the only foreigner on the list. According to the UEFA website, he "joined Real Madrid in the winter transfer window with a very low profile, although in a few short months he managed to convince the demanding Madridista fan base." He has unusually good ball control for a defensive midfielder and has been praised for his physical strength in defense.[54] Due to his versatility, Madrid’s La Sexta television commentators refer to him as a "todocampista" or "jack of all trades.


 

NoPace

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His lack of senior apppearances is to his credit, in a way. I mean, how do you break up Miranda-Godín? You don't, simple, which means he has actually had more appearances for the NT than Atlético. The kid is confident in his own abilities, but not a spoilt brat, he bides his time fully aware that he is at the right club, in the right setup, and he will make it.
Gimenez has played well basically every time I've seen him, but in a draft like this, that makes no sense.
 

Skizzo

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Player Profiles Cont'd

Blaise Matuidi

Matuidi showed exactly why he is considered to be the ‘Duracell Bunny’ of Carlo Ancelotti’s display with a performance against Valencia that saw him seemingly cover every blade of grass as les Parisiens fought off the advances of the Spaniards. If the match at Parc des Princes was reduced to a firefighting mission by the hosts, it was Matuidi who always seemed quickest to the point of danger. Uefa’s statistics showed that he covered around 10.5 kilometres over the course of the matchMatuidi’s seeming omnipotence was induced by his terrific reading of the game.
Such intelligence is a transferable skill, and during 2012-13 he has established himself as PSG’s most consistently excellent performer, with the exception of perhaps only Thiago Silva and, arguably, Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
That the 25-year-old has established himself in the PSG squad is testimony to his indefatigable spirit; that he is now one of their most-vital cogs is a mark of his quality.
Indeed, Matuidi is perhaps the most underrated midfielder in Europe at present. His arrival in Paris came in 2011, when he joined from Saint-Etienne in a relatively understated €7.5 million deal given that Jeremy Menez was signed on the same day and attracted a good deal more press attention.
Not that a move to a big club was a surprise for the France international. Arsenal had long tracked him only to turn their attentions elsewhere, as PSG moved quickly to replace the retiring Claude Makelele.
Matuidi has a similar style about his play, only with a modern twist. While he possesses the same solid defensive attributes as the France legend, he is also capable of becoming a dynamic attacking presence and has contributed three goals to PSG’s Ligue 1 push as this side of his game continues to develop and improve.
Against Valencia, though, it was his discipline and maturity that was to be applauded. In his first Champions League season, he acted as a seasoned pro as his side came under increasing pressure, pinpointing the potential sources of danger and - more often than not - quashing them.




Raheem Sterling

After a promising debut season a couple of years back, Sterling began to show remarkable improvements in his passing, link up play and vision last season as he helped Liverpool to a second place finish and narrowly missing out on the title. His form last season has seen him become one the football world’s most talked about prospects with many believing him to have the potential to reach the very top of the game.

At the same age as Sterling, Cristiano Ronaldo was earning himself the frustration of Manchester United fans who felt that he was more concerned with doing flicks and tricks over winning games. As he matured, he eventually learned what it meant to become a match winner and hasn’t looked back since. Sterling, on the other hand, is already beginning to develop a more mature game as evidenced by the stark improvements he has made to his passing game. Already a devastating dribbler, Sterling’s ability to pick out a pass last season made the Liverpool attack a fluid machine, which seen them rake up the goals like never before.

His talents haven't gone unrecognized, as he was named the European Golden Boy.




David Silva

Everyone knows about David Silva, and has seen how important he's been to City since he joined. I'll just leave this thread here to emphasize how highly he's rated.

https://www.redcafe.net/threads/how-good-is-david-silva.397858/

Some of the quotes from that thread from United fans.

He's the #10 I wish Mata was, to be frank.
One of my favourites too, always looks like he has time on the ball even though he's usually surrounded. Rarely makes the wrong decision too.
Absolutely brilliant player. I was arguing that Mata is as good a player Silva is, but I realize that I was totally wrong, he's simply a level or two above. A productive Iniesta in my eyes.
Silva is better than Hazard it's not even a debate. Hazard may go on to surpass (debatable) him but as it stands now Silva is on another level.
I was praising him in the match day thread before he'd even scored. If you can't see Silva's genius and clear superiority over Hazard then you're beyond help.
He's already one of the best players ever to play in the PL.
...when he's getting himself involved, he's almost unplayable.



Thomas Muller

Muller is able to play anywhere in the attacking midfield and on the front three forward positions. When asked about his natural position, he once told German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung that he was a “raumdeuter” which translates to a space interpreter. Because of this definition along with his style of play he often get compared to soccer legend and Bayern Munich icon Gerd Muller who famously was always at the right place to score goals even though they weren’t the most beautiful.

Germany used to play the 4-2-3-1 mostly but due to the rise of creative players coming from the country along with Low’s attacking philosophy, the three-time World Cup winners play in a 4-3-3 with plenty of passing and movement involved. Because of this, Muller’s play is critical to their success because the side depends on him to run the channels accurately to open up the pitch while making timely passes if he’s deep in the midfield

At the 2010 World Cup he scored five goals in six appearances as Germany finished in third place. He was named the Best Young Player of the tournament and won the Golden Boot as the tournament's top scorer, with five goals and three assists. At the 2014 World Cup he played a major role in helping the team win the trophy, scoring five goals and receiving the Silver Boot as the tournament's second top goalscorer, and was also named in the World Cup All Star XI.




Robert Lewandowski

Just last year he was heralded as the most complete forward in the world. Suddenly after joining Bayern he seems to have come under scrutiny, quite unfairly at that. The 26-year-old’s tally of four Bundesliga goals and two assists is a more than satisfactory return even by Bayern’s exacting standards, meaning he has been directly involved in 40 per cent of the side’s league goals so far this season. Yet Lewandowski’s ability to find the target is only one of the reasons he has settled and earned the respect of his team-mates so swiftly in the Bavarian capital.

“Robert is a fantastic player,” said Arjen Robben after the victory over Hannover. “He’s not the kind of striker who just stays up front and puts the ball in the net.” Indeed, the Polish attacker was constantly mobile, at times weaving between defenders to look for space, at others pressuring the last defender or even dropping deep to collect a pass. It is telling that only three team-mates, David Alaba, Philipp Lahm and Thomas Müller, have covered more ground than the forward in the Bundesliga in 2014/15.

However, as excellent as Lewandowski's off-the-ball movement is, it was his breathtaking skill that caught the eye at the Allianz Arena against Hannover: his velcro-like control of passes from Rafinha and Xherdan Shaqiri respectively were as good as the subsequent goals themselves. “He’s a very good footballer and it’s great fun to play alongside him,” Robben enthused.

Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has been equally taken with the club’s new No9, highlighting the qualities that have helped the Pole become an instant first-team regular: “He’s been playing really well in training and in our other games but when you go up against a five-man defence it's not easy. But he often draws two markers to him and that helps create space for other players, like Mario Götze for example. That's why sometimes he's not always in the game but today he was. Lewandowski is one of the best strikers in the world.”
 

antohan

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Gimenez has played well basically every time I've seen him, but in a draft like this, that makes no sense.
I probably didn't make that clear enough. Of course it's not great he hasn't been playing regularly, but it IS remarkable that he has had more NT starts than club starts two seasons on the trot.

In particular, that in a season where he started a single league game, he was so comfortable:
  • having his debut against Colombia alongside a near-retired player called back due to suspensions.
  • stepping in for the captain after the debacle against Costa Rica, for two make or break games against England and Italy.
  • switching constantly from 4 to 5 at the back and back to 4, all game long, as if he did that every week and hadn't just spent an entire season not playing at all.
How many times do we say we have to wait for players to get match practice, to hit form, etc? He is different class, that's why he can just step into games like that after months of inactivity and have a blinder.

That was really the main point, and also the temperament bit in how he has reacted and gone about things when having to bide his time, differently from that other little shit he faced in the U20s...
 

Physiocrat

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Left clicking and right clicking adds arrows..so you might be clicking on them again by accident. I kept doing the same thing and I couldn't figure it out for the longest time.
Thanks. Sorted it now and got the image to embed. Monday will be interesting.
 

VivaJanuzaj

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Player profiles:

Asmir Begovic -
The strong Bosnian keeper is a superb shot stopper, he had a key role in Stoke's defensive superiority and tactics. Begovic, who is 1.96m, is a magnificent shot stopper with great instincts and a very dominant aerial control in the box. Begovic lead the Stoke defense to 15 clean sheets under him in two PL seasons.

Branislav Ivanovic - Ivanovic is the best RB in the PL and maybe in the world for the last two-three seasons. He's one of the main players in Chelsea who won the CL, and one of the main men to lead Chelsea's to this year's brilliant campaign. Originally a CB, Ivanovic started out as a fairly defensive full back, but as the time moved on he discovered he has a really good attacking instinct which allowed to him to score 4 goals and assist 4 more while helping Chelsea keep 13 clean sheets in 27 PL games this season.

Per Mertesacker - Mertesacker isn't the most glamorous CB in the draft, but he knows his business. An aerial beast at 1.98m, you won't find it easy against him with crosses. Mertesacker compensates his lack of pace with his positioning and like any big defender enjoys being partnered with a strong quick CB.

Thiago Silva - The best modern CB in the world, a complete and monster of a CB. Silva managed to make David Luiz very comfortable defensively in the WC, and he's been a key factor to Brazil's success until he was suspended and missed the Semi Final thrashing, which shows his worth in the team. Silva is a leader on top of all, and a perfect partner to most defenders.

Gael Clichy - Arsenal's Clichy was a superb full back. Moved to Arsenal's first team to replace A.Cole who left, Clichy stepped up and made significant contribution to Arsenal's attacking team, making it to the 2006-07 PFA team of the year and finally bought by Manchester City in 2011. Clichy's prime season was 2007-08 when Arsenal finished just 4 points behind us and Clichy contributed 6 assists in the PL.

Alex Song - Before Song moved to Barcelona in 2012, he was a fantastic CDM for Arsenal. Song's physical presence was immense, and he almost equally added to attack as he did defensively. Song had great defensive awareness and a brilliant sliding tackle, which allows him to play the DM role in West Ham today and his prime at Arsenal was massive.

Paul Pogba - The one who left, to be honest I can't emotionally begin to explain how great he is. Every team I see how fecking amazing he is for Juventus or France NT a small part of me dies, such an immense talent, superb ball control and long shot and great reading of the game. Pogba is a beast, both technically and physically.

Yaya Toure - The best midfielder in the PL in the last 3-4 years, since he's been booted out of Barcelona and reaching City, Yaya has shown Barca how wrongly they've used him. Yaya is often being judged for being too sluggish and lazy when defending with Fernandinho, and in my team he gets a much more offensive role to unleash his playmaking abilities. Toure's skills on the ball has been a key factor for City's growth, he's been unplayable at some big games, passing brilliantly threaded balls in, shooting scorchers from distance and finishing off in style from inside the box. At his prime season of 13/14 he lead City to the PL title and finished off the season with 20 goals in 35 PL appearances. A monster.

Mario Gotze - The biggest winner of WC 2014, Gotze may have not been the key player for Germany or Bayern in the past two years, but he's peak is undeniably great. Regarded as one of Germany's greatest talents, Gotze has the skill set of a classic AM, from a brilliant tactical awareness which makes his movements so dangerous, his top class passing and classy finishing, Gotze just needs the space to operate in and the freedom to lead to front side(which he doesn't get in Bayern), and he'll flourish. In season 2012-13(Dortmund) and 2013-14(Bayern), Gotze managed to grab himself 20 goals and 22 assists in 55 matches in the Bundesliga, even when he wasn't at his best for Bayern.

Pedro - Often underrated, Pedro always looked pale next to Messi, Neymar and co., but Pedro under Pep was a huge winner and was often the key player for Barcelona in big matches. Pedro has the skill to mostly look to create chances for his teammates despite having a very good goal instinct. Pedro's movement is one of the key reasons to his appreciation in Barcelona for the past few years, as his tireless movement off the ball constantly draws defenders out of position and stretching defenses. A whopping 15 goals and 10 assists in 37 in the 13/14 La Liga season, 13 goals and 8 assists in the league in the 2010/11 season and the list goes on and on. Big game player.

Diego Costa - I admit, when Costa moved to Chelsea I was one of the haters who said he'll be a flop and that the amazing season he had in Atletico was one hit season and nothing more, and after a joyful "I told you so" WC, Diego Costa came to the PL and started destroying every team faces him. A true fighter and kind of a nasty player, Costa is the kind of striker you want on your side - Extremely physical, superb movement, hunger for goals and a killer instinct. Costa can score from pretty much any kind of chance, wether it's a power through the defense with his strength, a crossed ball or finding the end of a through ball with his immense movement. 44 league goals in the last 54 league matches he's played, Diego Costa is a bloody goal machine.
 

Pat_Mustard

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A never-nude? I thought he just liked cut-offs.
Some half-arsed player profiles:

Steve Mandanda: A stellar performer for Marseille since 2007, he has won a league title and three League Cups and is now club captain. He has also won the Ligue 1 Goalkeeper of the Year award in 2008 and in 2011, with heavy competition during that period from the excellent Hugo Lloris. Mandanda has also proved a capable deputy for Lloris at international level, winning 19 caps so far.


Dani Alves: One of finest attacking full backs ever. His productivity from full back/wing back has been extraordinary for both Sevilla and Barcelona.


Andrea Barzagli: A fixture in the Serie A Team of the Season from 2011 through to 2014 when he was hit by injuries. A particularly well-rounded defender, he is quick, strong, tactically astute and a good passer.


Aymeric Laporte: One of the world’s best young centre backs. I almost referred to him as a ‘prospect’ but I’d argue he’s swiftly surpassing that stage already at 20 years old. Fast, intelligent and progressive in possession, he was crucial to Bilbao’s impressive league campaign last season.


Kwadwo Asamoah: A superb athlete and an excellent, well-rounded footballer, many Juventus fans feel his talents will ultimately be best utilised in the box to box midfield position he excelled in for Udinese and Ghana. I’ll be deploying his considerable talents on the left flank, as Juventus have. His speed, stamina, tackling and ball carrying make him a great fit for the role.


Michel Bastos: The former Lille, Lyon and Brazil left winger and left back is a personal favourite of mine. He was far from a defensive genius, but offensively he was a livewire with outstanding productivity in terms of goals and assists. Lightning quick, he was a skilful dribbler, inventive passer and had a penchant for spectacular long range goals.
 

Pat_Mustard

I'm so gorgeous they want to put me under arrest!
Joined
Jan 17, 2008
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A never-nude? I thought he just liked cut-offs.
Lars Bender: A box to box midfielder of boundless stamina, and a brilliant ball winner. He’ll add height and physicality to my technically excellent team.

Marco Verratti: A superbly talented defensive midfielder, Verratti has been compared to Andrea Pirlo on account of his superb passing range and ball control. He’s also a fierce competitor and a prolific if occasionally wayward tackler.

Xavi: Simply the greatest midfielder of his generation and one of the very greatest ever.

Sebastian Deisler: One of the sadder stories in modern football, Deisler’s career was cut short by injury and severe depression. Those of us fortunate enough to have seen him play will remember his superlative talent as a winger and attacking midfielder. Blessed with great vision, passing and ball control, he was a wonderfully creative player.

Carlos Tevez: Hardly a Redcafe favourite after his acrimonious departure from Utd, Tevez is nevertheless a brilliant attacker. Arguably in the form of his life this season at Juventus, he’s scored 20 goals in 28 games and demonstrated an outstanding finishing and eye for goal that strangely deserted him for much of his Utd career. What we did see as Utd fans is his freakish work rate, which combined with his goal threat, dribbling and eye for a pss makes him an outstanding addition to my frontline.

David Villa: One of the greatest strikers of his generation. Top scorer at Euro 2008, Silver Boot winner at World Cup 2010, he is Spain’s all-time top scorer and possessor of their best goals to games ratio since Di Stefano. Consistently prolific as the main man for Valencia, he had to sacrifice himself somewhat at Barca to get the best out of Messi. In doing so he demonstrated tactical acumen, creativity and workrate to complement his brilliant goalscoring ability.
 

Snow

Somewhere down the lane, a licky boom boom down
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I feel that in this draft, you don't need to bother as much with player profiles. If you have Ronaldinho, you have Ronaldinho. You don't need to explain him to people. There are only some players that need an introduction/reminding.
 

Raees

Pythagoras in Boots
Joined
May 16, 2009
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Player Profiles {The Defence}

GK - Claudio Bravo:
One of the goalkeeping stars of the world cup, captaining the Chilean national side ahead of the likes of Vidal. He is the favourite to win the Ricky Zamorra 'best keeper' award in La Liga this year and is Barcelona's number 1 ahead of Der Stegen. Acrobatic, brilliant leader, great 1 v 1, collecting crosses.. and probably the best keeper in the game with the ball at his feet.


RB - Dani Carvajal: Extremely rare for a home-grown product to come through the ranks at Real and solidify their position in the first team. He has been a real star at right back and one of the key performers in the 'La Decima' final alongside Di Maria. Equally great bombing forward and defending, he has proven pedigree at the highest level and is without doubt the best and most proven young right-back in the business today.

CB - Mats Hummels: world cup winner, key figure in a champions league final run for dortmund and at his peak (10-13) before the recent slump, was recognised as the best CB in the world outside of T.Silva, consistently producing the goods against the best team in the world (Bayern) and keeping the likes of Real Madrid at bay (C. Ronaldo & co - see spoiler). Libero-esque on the ball, uncompromising in the air and great reader of the game.


CB - Marquinhos: the new T.Silva. Quick, solid on the ball and the perfect blend of aggressive ball winner/composed sweeper depending on what the situation demands, no wonder he's the most sought after young defender outside of Varane. Starred at Roma before joining PSG for £30m at the age of 18. Memorable for his unforgettable performance v Barcelona where he and 'Luiz?' managed to keep out wave upon wave of relentless Barcelona attacks.. (see below)


CB/LB - Giorgio Chiellini: One of the most complete defenders in the game in the sense he's a deceptively quick ball playing defender/old school warrior type defender rolled into one. Bizarrely he is just as adept at playing at left back as he proved in Italy's Euro 2012 final run. Juventus' defensive lynchpin for years and although Juve have never excelled in europe, their defence wasn't found wanting and he has been a stalwart for the National team too.


RB/LB - Matthia De Sclglio: 6ft plus, quick, great reader of the game, ambidextrous, versatile and touted as a future AC Milan captain/legend.. it is no wonder he is seen as the 'heir to Maldini' and Italy's next great defensive hope. Seen as a rock solid young defender who needs to improve going forwards, in the mould of Luke Shaw.

 
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