The Modern Draft: R1 - Theon vs PatMustard

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

vs

Spoiler: Sub - Pat_M (11-5-0)

.......................................... Team Theon ......................................................................................... Team Pat Mustard .....................................

Team Theon

TACTICS

A 4-3-3 with devastating pace and trickery on the wings, flanking the best striker in the draft in Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The midfield is balanced and complimentary, with Schweinsteiger and Khedira replicating their World Cup winning partnership whilst Wesley Sneijder adds a touch of quality in the final third. Albiol has been selected to keep it secure on the right and track Tevez when he cuts inside, while De Gea provides the last line of defence in goal.

Some short points:

The speed and movement of Robinho and Sanchez when Ibrahimovic holds up the ball looks very hard to defend against. Pat is playing two offensive wingbacks so there will be space for Robinho and Sanchez to exploit here - which leaves the centre backs exposed.

Sneijder was excellent at his peak, leading Inter to the treble in 2009/10 and reaching the final of the 2010 World Cup. I don't think the opposition have a defensive midfielder good enough to limit Sneijder's influence when he gets on the ball, or Khedira when he storms forward. In general I think that defence lacks protection.

This is a huge task for the uncapped 20 yr old Laporte - against a 6 ft 5 colossus who has scored 128 goals in his last 157 games. Ibrahimovic has been at the pinnacle of European Football for the last ten years, has over 100 International Caps and has won 11 league titles with 6 different clubs in 4 different countries. With an excellent midfield supplying him from deep and two quick wingers on the flanks, Ibrahimovic has the perfect platform to affect the game.



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Team Pat Mustard

Tactics

A lop-sided 4-3-3 with very attacking full backs, an exceptionally mobile and technically gifted midfield, and two prolific goalscorers spearheading the attack. I reunite the outstanding Barcelona trio of Xavi, Villa and Dani Alves, and augment them with a creative and industrious supporting cast.

I’d initially hoped to utilise Xavi in a manner far removed from the tiki-taka approach, with a deep defensive line and a predominantly counter-attacking approach, with Xavi picking the ball up deep and springing two ultra-attacking wing backs in Alves and Bastos at the earliest opportunity.

Drawing Theon, with his superb attacking six, has necessitated a reassessment and a shift to more moderate and varied tactics. Bastos won’t be risked from the start against Sanchez, with his goal threat being sacrificed for the far more well-rounded and defensively capable Asamoah, who matches up quite well with Sanchez in terms of pace and athleticism. He’ll drive forward in possession and use his excellent ball-carrying skills, but he won’t be attacking the penalty area as frequently as Bastos would, or as often as Alves will on the opposite flank.

The defensive line will be moderate, and the attacking tactics varied. If they regain possession with Theon having committed plenty of men forward, Xavi or Verratti have licence to hit Alves or one of the attackers to launch a quick counter. I don’t necessarily want a relentless back and forth battle with such an excellent attacking unit as opposition though, so Xavi is entrusted with dictating the tempo and deciding when to retain possession and opt for the patient build up instead. When we lose possession, one of the front men will aggressively pursue the ball, with the rest of the team dropping back towards the halfway line where the more aggressive team press will begin in earnest. I have the advantage of having an entire team composed of players who will put in a thorough shift defensively, with my midfield trio being brilliant at cutting off passing lanes and Bender in particular being a superb ball winner.

Theon’s attacking six is top-notch, but even by the standards of this draft his defence is fairly weak. Aside from De Gea, I wouldn’t choose a single member of his back four to replace one of mine. I just can’t see his centre backs living with the movement of Villa and Tevez, and Deisler, Xavi and Alves will craft plenty of chances for them.

My right wing looks a particularly promising avenue for me. Robinho won’t track back much, and Alves’ link up with Deisler will be too much for Kolarov to live with. Koscielny and Toure will struggle with Tevez and Villa’s movement anyway, but having to cover for Kolarov will compromise their defensive shape even more.

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

@Theon @Pat_Mustard

Game On. Best of luck to both of you!

 

[VivaJanuzaj]

Goals galore here, can't really decide who'll score more.

 

[Theon]

Theon’s attacking six is top-notch, but even by the standards of this draft his defence is fairly weak. Aside from De Gea, I wouldn’t choose a single member of his back four to replace one of mine.

Laporte is the weakest defender on the pitch. He's currently uncapped and behind Koscielny for the French national team so I think it's a real push to try and claim he is somehow better. I would also have Kolarov ahead of Bastos and obviously De Gea ahead of Mandanda. So of your back five only Barzagli and Alves would be improvements.

Neither defence are much cop to be honest, but I think mine is more balanced with Albiol whereas you have two extremely offensive fullbacks which is going to leave your centre backs exposed. There is also much better protection from midfield in Schweinsteiger and Khedira, who are on another level to Veratti and Bender as a pairing.

 

[VivaJanuzaj]

Neither defence are much cop to be honest, but I think mine is more balanced with Albiol whereas you have two extremely offensive fullbacks which is going to leave your centre backs exposed

I completely agree with this.

There is also much better protection from midfield in Schweinsteiger and Khedira, who are on another level to Veratti and Bender as a pairing.

I'm not sure about this part though, Khedira & Schweinteiger are much much better, but Bender(Lars) is very defensive minded and Veratti is also very capable defensively, whereas the german duo will probably look to help offensively more, especially when you got a full back who won't contribute anything offensively.


For me, the game will probably be decided on the point by Theon's first quote, but I'm kind of imagining this as a game from side to side where the midfield's influence is smaller than most games, and if that's true than I guess that Schweinsteiger&Khedira's will to go to more advanced positions than Bender&Veratti might be the deciding factor.

 

[Snow]

I think that Robinho has the lowest peak of the attackers on the pitch. Every season he's played he's been inconsistent and he's not much of a team player. When he played up front with Zlatan he didn't score too much. That being said, Theon's front three are better in 1v1 situations which I imagine will be a factor in this match.

Would be better to play wingers against Theon as he's got an attack minded Kolarov on his left and Albiol tucked inside on the right.

Overall I think Theon's team is better prepared for the match and his weaknesses aren't being made the most off. On a player by player comparison Theon edges it for me. It's not a deciding factor but it is a factor.

For me the unknowns are the left backs, Robinho and Deisler (can't remember Deisler playing).

 

[antohan]

@Pat_Mustard wrong teamsheet? I seeno Asamoah.

@Theon, I don't quite get the modfield arrangements. You have the better unit, but I'm not quite clear why you deployed it like that. Schweini seems to be there to make up the numbers rather than shine.

 

[Joga Bonito]

his goal threat being sacrificed for the far more well-rounded and defensively capable Asamoah, who matches up quite well with Sanchez in terms of pace and athleticism. He’ll drive forward in possession and use his excellent ball-carrying skills, but he won’t be attacking the penalty area as frequently as Bastos would, or as often as Alves will on the opposite flank

Agreed with this. I'd say Asamoah is the better choice than Bastos for this encounter, as he offers much more defensively without too much of a drop offensively. Besides Bastos vs Sanchez is only going to go one way...

You forgot or made a mistake with your team sheet, me thinks. @Pat_Mustard

BTW what's the rationale behind Tevez as left inside forward and Villa as the CF. Whilst Villa's peak was at CF for Valencia, it makes more sense to reverse their positions imo, as I've never really rated Tevez in wide positions, unless you have a particular reason for that move ofc.

Looks set to be a cracking match and will see how it plays out before voting.

 

[Theon]

@Theon, I don't quite get the modfield arrangements. You have the better unit, but I'm not quite clear why you deployed it like that. Schweini seems to be there to make up the numbers rather than shine.

That's definitely not intentional - I actually thought he looked nice there when it was drawn up. He maybe lacks a forward arrow of some sort, as he will contribute all over the pitch.

The main way I set it up like this was to try and replicate the Germany World Cup winning midfield set up, which was Schweinsteiger at his best - playing at the highest level.

 

[Balu]

The main way I set it up like this was to try and replicate the Germany World Cup winning midfield set up, which was Schweinsteiger at his best - playing at the highest level.

I think your team is closer to Germany 2010 though, which was arguably an even better Schweini. Not with the legendary battle we saw in the final, but over the whole tournament he was more influential in the team. I would have gone with the 4231, I'd argue his performance in that 4-0 win against Argentina was just as good as the one in the final 2014. But then it doesn't really look that much different on paper:

 

[Theon]

I think that Robinho has the lowest peak of the attackers on the pitch. Every season he's played he's been inconsistent and he's not much of a team player. When he played up front with Zlatan he didn't score too much.

Robinho was well past his peak by the time he was playing with Zlatan at AC Milan. Robinho's peak was in his very early 20's, he never became has good as he should have been but for that period he was one of the most explosive, dangerous forwards in the world. It was when City broke the transfer record bringing him to the Premiership that he started to truly decline.

There isnt much between a peak Sanchez or Robinho at all IMO - Robinho was a better, more technical dribbler, whereas Sanchez is a better goalscorer and better mentally.

 

[antohan]

That's definitely not intentional - I actually thought he looked nice there when it was drawn up. He maybe lacks a forward arrow of some sort, as he will contribute all over the pitch.

The main way I set it up like this was to try and replicate the Germany World Cup winning midfield set up, which was Schweinsteiger at his best - playing at the highest level.

Yeah, he was immense (but I already thought he was pre-WC) but you have three forwards where Germany had one.

The question is whether you want him to be doing some sort of Pirlo role there pinging balls to those forwards (in a counter-attacking setup) or as a driving force in midfield providing better support to the attack and a more midfield-controlled approach to the game.

Issue there is Khedira is a bit wasted as a pure holding midfielder... It's one of those "nice to have" problems when your players are just too good for their roles and I may be underrating him somewhat.

All in all, because you have Robinho and Sanchez instead of Ozil and Muller it DOES make a huge difference to how the game plays out IMO, which is why I want a clearer understanding of the setup.

 

[crappycraperson]

Went for Theon. His front 6 pretty much seals the deal . Pat does not quite have the line up to absord Theon's attacking threat and hurt his weakness in defense. I also echo what Snow said about Robinhio, very inconsistent and if you are going by defining peak over a period of 2-3 years rather than a period of half a season, he suffers. I think only post 1990 players should get some leniency when it comes longevity of their peak performances, not others.

 

[NoPace]

Both backlines would struggle, but Schweinsteiger and De Gea is pretty damn good protection in front and behind of Theon's, whereas Pat's entire back 7 has questions about it.

Dani Alves would have a strong game, but that comes with a price, as his forward runs will leave Barzagli and Lars Bender to deal with Sneijder and a quicker than people remember peak Robinho (dominant at the 2007 Copa America) and I think that ends in tears.

Theon 3, PM 2 for me.

 

[antohan]

I think your team is closer to Germany 2010 though, which was arguably an even better Schweini. Not with the legendary battle we saw in the final, but over the whole tournament he was more influential in the team. I would have gone with the 4231, I'd argue his performance in that 4-0 win against Argentina was just as good as the one in the final 2014. But then it doesn't really look that much different on paper:

Indeed. I wonder if the concern was playing Sneijder further up? Maybe he wanted to avoid getting into a discission over Ibra and Sneijder?

I just don't see why it isn't a straightforward 4-2-3-1.

 

[antohan]

The one thing Pat has going for him, strongly, is Alves-Deisler vs. Robinho-Kolarov. He would beast that flank, but at the risk of giving Robinho a lot of space. And he won't get anywhere near enough credit for Deisler as Theon will get for Robinho having that space.

It's a big part of the game that. The other flank, not so much, which makes what else happens in the middle very important.

 

[Balu]

And he won't get anywhere near enough credit for Deisler

I'm desperately looking for footage that shows how amazing Deisler was at his peak . Either I suck at finding something or no one has made a good compilation about him. All I find is docu videos about his depression, interviews about his early retirement .

 

[The Law of Denis]

I'm desperately looking for footage that shows how amazing Deisler was at his peak . Either I suck at finding something or no one has made a good compilation about him. All I find is docu videos about his depression, interviews about his early retirement .

Literally the first link on YouTube

 

[Balu]

Literally the first link on YouTube

I don't think that does him fully justice and the music drives me crazy. I found that one though and would have posted it if I can't find a better one . Still looking.

 

[The Law of Denis]

I don't think that does him fully justice and the music drives me crazy. I found that one though and would have posted it if I can't find a better one . Still looking.

Very true. Deisler was one of my favorite footballers, an amazing shame how his career ended.

 

[Theon]

Issue there is Khedira is a bit wasted as a pure holding midfielder...

Aye, internationally Schweinsteiger was always deeper as Khedira lacks the ability and intelligence to play a that role to a high level. He's best when given freedom to press high and play box to box which is one of the reasons that partnership worked so well.

On the question you asked before then obviously the latter, maybe I've drawn Schweinsteiger too deep but he won't be playing like Pirlo at all! The positioning is just to show that he is playing slightly deeper than Khedira which I thought looked fine. He'll still be playing his usual complete game.

I need to go now, so I'll leave you guys with a pretty immense Schweiny vid

 

[Balu]

That is one awesome video .

 

[VivaJanuzaj]

music drives me crazy

It won't be a youtube compilation if the music won't be horrible.

 

[Pat_Mustard]

@Pat_Mustard wrong teamsheet? I seeno Asamoah.

@Theon, I don't quite get the modfield arrangements. You have the better unit, but I'm not quite clear why you deployed it like that. Schweini seems to be there to make up the numbers rather than shine.

feck ! Aye, Asamoah should have been starting. I'm 100% certain I changed it but sharemytactics has been a pain in the arse for me lately.

 

[Pat_Mustard]

I've redone the line up. Could you add it the OP @Edgar Allan Pillow

Bastos was always likely to come on at some stage but he wasn't supposed to start, the cheeky bastard!

 

[Balu]

use this one @Edgar Allan Pillow , I doubt @Pat_Mustard wants to make Villa invisible. The re-submit option is awesome by the way. So easy to make small changes.

 

[VivaJanuzaj]

 

[Annahnomoss]

I don't really like Theon's midfield here with Sneijder being a bit overkill considering the team already has Schweinsteiger and Ibrahimovic who would see a lot of ball and Robinho and Sanchez would be ball carrying players as well. Luckily doesn't have the midfield to take advantage of that with only Lars Bender in a defensive role. Overall the quality of both midfields are quite even with Xavi being the best player on the pitch here.

Up front Theon has everything going for him though with Zlatan who provided as many goals/assists in as many games as Messi last year, with a Cavani played out of position and Lavezzi as partners who I think are poor partners for him. Sanchez is tailor-made to play with Zlatan and get on the end of all the through-balls while still being great at providing width and he showed that with Messi.

With Zlatan, Sanchez would get the ball much more than when playing with Messi as Zlatan doesn't really carry the ball a lot which is something Sanchez ideally does himself. Robinho also looks like he'd be satisfied in this role, cutting in from the wing and seeing quite a lot of ball at his feet.

Write-up points to Pat though, but so far I am leaning towards Theon.

 

[Pat_Mustard]

Spoiler

use this one @Edgar Allan Pillow , I doubt @Pat_Mustard wants to make Villa invisible. The re-submit option is awesome by the way. So easy to make small changes.

FFS, I'm having a shocker here with these teamsheets . Thanks mate!

 

[Pat_Mustard]

BTW what's the rationale behind Tevez as left inside forward and Villa as the CF. Whilst Villa's peak was at CF for Valencia, it makes more sense to reverse their positions imo, as I've never really rated Tevez in wide positions, unless you have a particular reason for that move ofc.

Basically I wanted to play Villa in his peak position. Offensively, Tevez gets more licence to drop deep and either thread passes or run with the ball in the slightly more withdrawn role. As far as providing width, he isn't really charged with getting to the byline, just foraging the inside left channel that he likes to work so much, while Asamoah provides the option out wide. Another factor was that defensively I'd prefer Tevez to mostly be the one dropping deeper to contribute more to the team press, as he's so effective at that with his workrate and physical strength.

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

Sub updated.

 

[Pat_Mustard]

Laporte is the weakest defender on the pitch. He's currently uncapped and behind Koscielny for the French national team so I think it's a real push to try and claim he is somehow better. I would also have Kolarov ahead of Bastos and obviously De Gea ahead of Mandanda. So of your back five only Barzagli and Alves would be improvements.

Neither defence are much cop to be honest, but I think mine is more balanced with Albiol whereas you have two extremely offensive fullbacks which is going to leave your centre backs exposed. There is also much better protection from midfield in Schweinsteiger and Khedira, who are on another level to Veratti and Bender as a pairing.

Koscielny won't be ahead of Laporte in the France pecking order for long. France's great depth at centre back is all that's really prevented him getting his chance. Leaving aside long term prospects, if Utd could sign Koscielny or Laporte on loan for next season only would you really choose Koscielny? Laporte already looks better than Koscielny ever has.

I know you wrote that when Bastos appeared in my botched formation graphic ahead of Asamoah, but Asamoah is superior at both ends of the pitch to Kolarov, who seems to have a struggle on his hands earning a place in the City team ahead of a past his (fairly average) prime Clichy.

Its a massive stretch to claim that your midfield protection is better. Verratti in particular will happily stay in the holding role all match long whereas Khedira has never looked comfortable staying back and maintaining a disciplined position. Bender is a prolific ball winner, and Xavi will do a far better job at closing down passing lanes, forcing errors and making interceptions than Sneijder possibly will. Not to mention the contribution to the team press that my front men will make, as opposed to the two defensive passengers you're carrying.

Verratti's defensive capabilities in the holding role are getting overlooked a bit. He's got proven big match pedigree there already

I completely agree with this.


I'm not sure about this part though, Khedira & Schweinteiger are much much better, but Bender(Lars) is very defensive minded and Veratti is also very capable defensively, whereas the german duo will probably look to help offensively more, especially when you got a full back who won't contribute anything offensively.


For me, the game will probably be decided on the point by Theon's first quote, but I'm kind of imagining this as a game from side to side where the midfield's influence is smaller than most games, and if that's true than I guess that Schweinsteiger&Khedira's will to go to more advanced positions than Bender&Veratti might be the deciding factor.

I wouldn't necessarily agree with that. I'll certainly be playing a passing game, and Xavi guards possession more jealously than just about any mifielder in history. He won't allow the game to bypass him, and he's surrounded by players who are comfortable in possession. He'll know when to slow the pace of the game down and play keep ball for awhile. Deisler will thrive linking up with a player of Xavi's brilliance. The technical brilliance on show between those two is just

 

[Pat_Mustard]

A few quotes from a big Juventus forum regarding Barzagli. He's held in massively high regar over there. I amintain that Barzagli and Laporte are a far more convincing centre back pairing than Toure and Koscielny.

If Barzagli is fit and on form, I would instantly drop Chiellini. That won't happen though.

Don't care if we drop chiellini or bonucci but barzagli needs to start once he builds up his fitness. Honestly I would have barzagli and caceres as the CBs but I know that's just a fantasy.

Would LOVE to have him back...such a reliability.
Best CB we had since Canna days.
Bonucci or Chiello,rotation for either won't be bad at all.

Best centre back since Cannavaro is high praise.

http://forum.juventuz.org/threads/32021-Andrea-Barzagli/page182

 

[Physiocrat]

Gone for Theon. His attack will be too much for Pat's defence. Also with the Asamoah sub Pat has effectively vacated the left flank.

 

[Gio]

• Theon has a balanced and fluid set-up and I can understand the rationale of a 4-3-3 rather than 4-2-3-1. It's always important that Ibrahimovic has space to drop into and, with Sneijder reprising his Inter 4-2-1-3 role, I can see that working well.
• Both defences aren't great. However, I prefer how Pat's will function in the context of this game. Albiol provides a withdrawn and central support, but it's on the side that's going to receive the least amount of pressure. I also rate Barzagli quite highly based on his Serie A performances for Palermo and Juve and his international form.
• With that in mind, Pat's team will cause problems on the right-hand side of attack, with the foothold of possession provided by Xavi through the middle, Alves stretching down the flank, and Deisler popping up dangerously inbetween. With Robinho not likely to track back, Sneijder on the left-hand side of the three, and only Kolarov at full-back, that's a recipe for a significant advantage.

Gone for Pat.

 

[MDFC Manager]

This is very very close but I went for Pat as I think he has a great platform for his best players, Villa and Xavi to shine. Theon has a fantastic team as well, and looks like he'll win this, he'll be very strong in the next round

 

[Joga Bonito]

Gone for Theon. His attack will be too much for Pat's defence. Also with the Asamoah sub Pat has effectively vacated the left flank.

Asamoah is much better defensively than Bastos and is overall a better FB than Bastos imo. There could be question marks over Asamoah's suitability in a back 4, seeing as he's mainly played in a back 5 for Juve, but he's extremely solid defensively, being a defensive box to box by trade.

The scoreline is extremely harsh and I expected this match to be much closer.

I'm not overly convinced on Pat's midfield's functionality tbh, in the sense that there is a lack of a ball carrier in there, like a Deco/Iniesta or a forceful box to box ala Schweinsteiger. It seems too CM-ish with Verrati as the deep lying playmaker, Bender as the destroyer (tbf I haven't seen much of him so could be off the mark here) and Xavi as the midfield metronome. Xavi can dribble and carry it forward to a certain degree but its not really his forte. Although you could say that Deisler can function as an auxilary midfielder and all three of his forwards are capable of dropping deep and carrying the ball forward, so its not too much of an issue.

Both defenses aren't much cop but I'd say Pat's has the edge there with both attacks being more or less equally excellent to say the least. I'd give Theon the significant advantage in the midfield as well.

It's really close but I'm inclined to give Pat my vote, mainly on the basis of that right flank of his against the left flank of Theon's, the biggest disparity in this match up imo.

 

[Pat_Mustard]

• Theon has a balanced and fluid set-up and I can understand the rationale of a 4-3-3 rather than 4-2-3-1. It's always important that Ibrahimovic has space to drop into and, with Sneijder reprising his Inter 4-2-1-3 role, I can see that working well.
• Both defences aren't great. However, I prefer how Pat's will function in the context of this game. Albiol provides a withdrawn and central support, but it's on the side that's going to receive the least amount of pressure. I also rate Barzagli quite highly based on his Serie A performances for Palermo and Juve and his international form.
• With that in mind, Pat's team will cause problems on the right-hand side of attack, with the foothold of possession provided by Xavi through the middle, Alves stretching down the flank, and Deisler popping up dangerously inbetween. With Robinho not likely to track back, Sneijder on the left-hand side of the three, and only Kolarov at full-back, that's a recipe for a significant advantage.

Gone for Pat.

This is very very close but I went for Pat as I think he has a great platform for his best players, Villa and Xavi to shine. Theon has a fantastic team as well, and looks like he'll win this, he'll be very strong in the next round

Thanks lads. That's a more balanced and better articulated version of my views on how the game would pan out Gio. This looks pretty much over now, but I'll post up a nice article about Deisler to try to give a sense of quite how talented and highly rated he was:

He was hailed as the saviour of German football after it lay in tatters after World Cup '98. The hopes of a nation rested on the shoulders of Sebastian Deisler, who simply could not cope with the pressure. The saviour of German football had to be rescued himself.

July 4, 1998 was a low point in the otherwise successful history of German football. That was the date when the national team lost 3-0 in the quarter-finals of the World Cup held in France - as the reigning European champions. The hitherto impressive Christian Woerns' red card spelt the beginning of the end. The disappointment was considerable and German football was in the gutter. It required an urgent transformation. A very young Sebastian Deisler was anointed as the Messiah - but he could not take the pressure. And we tell his story today in the latest edition of the Germany Unity Series.

Hope Springs Up


The DFB paid for missing the chance to blood the next generation with a second successive elimination at the quarter-final stage. However, hope emerged from nowhere around Germany, as they celebrated Sebastian Deisler's debut for Borussia Moenchengladbach against Eintracht Frankfurt on September 8, 1998. Deisler took to the hallowed turf of the venerable (and now demolished) Boekelbergstadion. It would take another six months for him to make a serious breakthrough. Few will ever forget his 60-yard solo run in the 2-0 win over 1860 Munich, which crowned an outstanding performance. "The ball was struck in exactly the same place as [Guenther] Netzer's goal to make it 2-1 in the DFB-Pokal final against FC Koeln in 1973," Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported with great enthusiasm.

Full Of Praise

A new star was born. He would be the saviour - the messiah of German football - and all that after a mere 11 Bundesliga appearances. Gladbach's coach Friedel Rausch was already certain of it: "At some point, he will be mentioned in the same breath as [Fritz] Walter, [Uwe] Seeler and [Franz] Beckenbauer." National team coach Erich Ribbeck was also fulsome in his praise for the 19-year old: "A jewel. We can focus our play through Deisler and he plays through the pain barrier. We need such players."

Relegation And A Move To Hertha
The New Star Of The South



After three years and several injuries at Hertha Berlin, he made the move to der Rekordmeister, FC Bayern Munich. It was the logical next step for every talent in Germany to make their way to Bayern. From Deisler's point of view, it was an opportunity to go from being the focal point to blending into the background among the many stars at Bayern.

He arrived in Munich already on crutces. His Achilles heel - the right knee - had given way once more. No one at the time was aware of the mental toll it was taking. Bayern built their team around him. He was the successor to Stefan Effenberg as both playmaker and leader, although the two, in terms of their personalities, were like chalk and cheese.

Exemplary Support

In 2003 came a shock for every football fan. The now 23-year-old was suffering with depression and therefore had to call a halt to his career. Uli Hoeness showed exemplary and unstinting support towards Deisler in spite of everything and was willing to give the player time. Hoeness may attract both positive and negative reaction to his provocative comments to the media but he is one of the few figures in a leading role in the professional game, who can still view things through the eye of a professional footballer. Deisler had been thrown in at the deep end as the major hope of German football but admitted: "I never had the time to develop, never had the time to grow up and become an adult. For that, I am very grateful to Uli Hoeness. He believed in me right to the end but it was a very difficult period."

The Low Point Of His Career

Edmund Stoiber, a board member at Bayern who was also the CDU/CSU candidate for Chancellor in the 2002 general election, then described Deisler "as one of the biggest loss makers for FC Bayern". The professional footballer was viewed as a commodity. Nevertheless, the midfielder returned to the spotlight after his time out of the game and made a fresh start. However, yet again his knee always put pay to his plans. After missing out on the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea through injury, he was also unable to be part of the German squad in 2006 tournament, who were trying to win the World Cup on home soil. It meant he was unable to fulfil a destiny so many had earmarked for him at the start of his career.

The Battle Is Lost

As a consequence of both his battered body and his wounded soul, he announced at the beginning 2007 that he was ending his footballing career during what should have been his peak years. "He is one of the best players Germany has ever produced and therefore it is so difficult to comprehend. However, we have lost this battle," Uli Hoeness said about Deisler's tragic exit. In his career he played just 134 Bundesliga matches and he was capped on just 36 occasions for his country. It was a disappointing record for the man who carried the hopes of German football but the result of his injury-prone body. Knee and groin injuries, as well as depression, meant his career stagnated. The saviour of German football had to be rescued himself. "At the end I was completely done out, I was old and I was tired. I had run as far as my legs would take me, they wouldn't go on," Deisler told Tagesspiegel after his retirement. What remained was the realisation that he simply was not cut out for this business, this unforgiving business of professional football



Despite the presence of the new star in the team, Borussia Moenchengladbach were relegated to the 2.Bundesliga for the first time in their history and went down with a whimper. 'Basti Fantasti', who was already attracting the interest of many of Europe's top clubs, left the club after just 17 professional appearances and went to Hertha Berlin. The expectations in the capital were no less. "I was 19, 20 when the German people thought that I could save German football. Me alone. There was still Michael Ballack, but he was four years older and played at idyllic Kaiserslautern. They gave me no time to settle," Deisler later said in an interview with Die Zeit.

A Sad Clown


Whilst at the capital city club, Deisler made it into the national team on a regular basis. However, even then he no longer felt comfortable in his own skin. He lived in an imaginary world although he only later revealed that, after his career had come to an end. "I must be honest in saying that Hertha as a club were as unprepared as I was. They were happy to throw me to the lions. I became so unhappy when I tried to make others happy. I felt like a sad clown," he told Die Zeit.

Early Warning Signs


He was particularly disappointed with the management of Dieter Hoeness (now of Wolfsburg) after it became known that he would be moving to Bayern Munich. No one was there to shield Deisler from the barrage of criticism that came his way: "Instead he [Hoeness] stood by and watched as I was hounded out of Berlin. That's what began to spoil my view of football. That was my shot in the neck. I know today that that's the point at which I should have stopped."

Like Balu said, there's an annoying lack of decent compilations on youtube etc, which is partly a product of his career fizzling out right as Youtube was taking off. Some lovely goals here though:


And a quote from our own German football expert:

Deisler would still stand out in this generation of highly talented German AMs. It would have been wonderful to see an experienced Deisler leading this team, he was basically a better version of Kroos. More pace, more balls to play risky passes in attack with the same wonderful passing range and tactical understanding of the game. I would have loved to see him play during his peak with Schweinsteiger and Khedira in midfield, could have made the difference at the worldcup in 2010.

I haven't really done him justice here, but I'm glad to see my right wing of him and Dani Alves getting some love.

 

[Physiocrat]

Joga,

I don't deny Asamoah is better defensively but with Tevez inside left it makes the team very lopsided.

 

[Pat_Mustard]

Asamoah is much better defensively than Bastos and is overall a better FB than Bastos imo. There could be question marks over Asamoah's suitability in a back 4, seeing as he's mainly played in a back 5 for Juve, but he's extremely solid defensively, being a defensive box to box by trade.

The scoreline is extremely harsh and I expected this match to be much closer.

I'm not overly convinced on Pat's midfield's functionality tbh, in the sense that there is a lack of a ball carrier in there, like a Deco/Iniesta or a forceful box to box ala Schweinsteiger. It seems too CM-ish with Verrati as the deep lying playmaker, Bender as the destroyer (tbf I haven't seen much of him so could be off the mark here) and Xavi as the midfield metronome. Xavi can dribble and carry it forward to a certain degree but its not really his forte. Although you could say that Deisler can function as an auxilary midfielder and all three of his forwards are capable of dropping deep and carrying the ball forward, so its not too much of an issue.

Both defenses aren't much cop but I'd say Pat's has the edge there with both attacks being more or less equally excellent to say the least. I'd give Theon the significant advantage in the midfield as well.

It's really close but I'm inclined to give Pat my vote, mainly on the basis of that right flank of his against the left flank of Theon's, the biggest disparity in this match up imo.

Cheers mate. Deisler is my main ball carrier from midfield, while Tevez and both full backs are also useful in that regard. I've got to be honest though, I can see why people would feel the balance was a little off. I think it'd be great defensively though, excellent in possession, and I do think I've got enough ball-carrying ability elsewhere to compensate.