The Third Sheep Draft - QF: Chesterlestreet vs Enigma/Red Tiger

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

vs

...................................... Team Chester .................................................................................. Team Enigma/Tiger ............................................


Team Chester

Key points/strengths/roles:

Spoiler: Player roles.

GK: Fillol. Strenghts: Reflexes. Match winning saves.

CB: Franklin. Style: Fairly conservative. Will use his ball playing quality to bring the ball out, but mainly through passing (as opposed to making any wild runs with the ball up the pitch).

CB: Wright. Style: Conservative. A stopper.

RB: Bezsonov. Style: Balanced. Should be able to venture forward to an extent and combine with Mendieta.

LB: Júnior. Style: Balanced. Part of his natural game is to drift inside to an extent, and given the fact that my opponents' strength is mainly a central one, this is not something I will discourage, especially when I'm off the ball.

DM: Mullery. Style: Fairly conservative. He will mainly hold. Nevertheless, he's normally capable of contributing a fair bit offensively, and I don't think that part of his game will be entirely stifled here. Useful for joining the attack on the counter, certainly, and his speed and stamina will enable him to get back and forth without this being overly hazardous.

CM: Blanchflower. Style: Playmaker. Very far from being a luxury player, however, Will track back and keep the shape defensively whenever called upon. Will seek to get on the ball and use it creatively. Key strength (relevant to this particular match): Passing range (and precision, needless to say). Blanchflower finding runners, both left and wright (Rensenbrink will be a particularly useful target) will be an important weapon for me.

RM: Mendieta. Style: Balanced. Role: Allrounder/wide midfielder. Will move inside when off the ball to help out centrally, but will nevertheless primarily function as a wide midfielder, seeking to stretch play on the right.

AM/Custom: Šekularac. Role: Free/attacking. His task will be to get on the ball as much as he can, and use both his dribbling and his ingenious playmaking qualities to cause havoc. He's a trouble maker – that is his primary function here. He is a goal threat to an extent too, but I mainly depend on him to create room and opportunities for others, Larsson and Rensenbrink in particular.

LW: Rensenbrink. Role: Winger/finisher. He will operate in his natural style, as a tricky, pacey left winger who likes to cut in. More of a threat in the box than a chalk licking crosser, but his overall game will be balanced in terms of how much he seeks to create and how much he seeks to get on the end of what others serve up.

CF: Larsson. The focal point of the attack and the main finisher. A natural goal scorer with both head and feet. His intelligence and crisp passing make him much more than a sheer box player, however, and he will drift around to an extent, using both these qualities to set up his team mates and - not least - keep dragging whoever is marking him around the shop. He won't be operating statically in the box, waiting to be served.

General:

I see this match as similar to the last one. A tight affair, in other words. Lack of wide strength has been a common theme in this draft. I thought both myself and my opponents lacked this to a degree going into the knockout stages. They still do - whereas I have strengthened significantly in that respect, bringing in a natural left winger to compliment Mendieta on the opposite flank (thus, also, allowing Šekularac to operate in a more ideal role for him). Will it be enough? Time and the voters will tell, but I'm pleased with this team - I think it's well balanced and of a generally very high quality.

Player profiles (and links).

https://www.redcafe.net/threads/the-third-redcafe-sheep-draft.411575/page-54#post-18495327

Team Enigma / Red Tiger

GK: Rinat Dasayev - The best goalkeeper of the 80's. Nicknamed the "Iron Curtain" he's a tall keeper with magnificent reflexes. However his biggest strength is the ability to command his box and area, his anticipation and aerial presense. One of the most dependable keepers - usually prevented any dangerous situation before it even happened.

RB: Vogts - He will be up against Rensenbrink(most likely) or Sekularac. After effectivelly neutralizing Cruyff I think he'll get the better of Rensenbrink as well. Great marker, tackler and if he's given space can whip an excellent cross.

CB: McNeill - Solid, great in the air, strong into tackle will be probably up against Larsson and neutralizing him in the air and on the ground.

CB: Cannavaro - One of the best central defenders at his peak, will anticipate and neutralize any danger that Owen would most likely be able to create.

LB: Komano - Fast, reliable. Having to be up against not a very fast and skillful wide midfielder won't let him be exposed(Mendieta), given proper shielding from Seedorf when needed, but having more pace than Mendieta will help him get back into his position fast.

DM/MC: Redondo - Arguably the best defensive midfield. He and Seedorf will be able to screen the defence, also combine well together and control the midfield. He will most likely spray passes to the wing or try to find Shearer and Singori with a direct pass from deep.

DM/MC: Seedorf - Strong, very physical, excellent reading of the game, excellent technically, he and Redondo would control possession and find space from deep.

AML: Nedved - will be up against Bezsonov most of the time when he has the ball, and I think his trickery and directness will most likely get better of him most of the time.

In the hole/SS - Signori - pace and exploiting the space around Shearer. He needs little space to get a goal himself. Not sure how Chester's CB pair will deal with his pace/trickery and directness.

AMR: - Stojkovic - will be up against Junior, who has the tendency to tuck in most of the time, which is exactly Stojkovic favorite movement. Junior has most notably offensive game while Stojkovic is one of the best dribblers in history and most likely he'll find himself in space.

CF: Shearer - Tougher and stronger than both of Chester's central pair. In this game he'll also have slight height advantage over Franklin and huge over Wright.

Key points:

Midfield battle. Our both central midfielders are a bit similar in terms of style and key qualities, however I think we have the superiority here, both in terms of playmaking (Blanchflower/Redondo) and work rate and engine(Mullery/Seedorf)

Rinat Dasayev reinforcement. While Roa had excellent reflexes, Dasayev is considered one of the top 10 best in history. His ability to read the game, collect the ball and his command of the area is one of the best for a keeper.

Shearer: Most likely with his presense and sheer power he'll be able to sneak a goal or two. Last game he was up against two very physical CB's in Hansen and McGrath and IMO Wright/Franklin(excellent CB pair of course) are not better suited for his style.

Creativity: I feel we have more quality up the field with Signori/Nedved/Stojkovic pulling the strings behind Shearer and Redondo/Seedorf spraying passes from deep.

Rensenbrink vs Vogts - Rensenbrink is a very good addition to Chester's lineup however he'll be up one of the best markers in the game and he should get the better off him.

Komano vs Mendieta. On the right flank most likely it will be Mendieta(who also has to tuck inside to help the midfield as with Signori dropping from deep we'll have an advantage there) and I don't think Chester can provide enough presence on his right side of the pitch. Bezsonov would most likely have to watch his zone,otherwise Nedved would tear the space apart.

Link to more descriptive player profiles:

https://www.redcafe.net/threads/the-third-redcafe-sheep-draft.411575/page-58#post-18576716

https://www.redcafe.net/threads/the-third-redcafe-sheep-draft.411575/page-58#post-18576720

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

@Chesterlestreet @Enigma_87 @RedTiger

Game On. All the best!

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

Chester 1-0 Enigma/Tiger
Chester 2-1 Enigma/Tiger
Chester 3-2 Enigma/Tiger
Chester 3-0 Enigma/Tiger
Enigma/Tiger 1-0 Chester
Enigma/Tiger 2-1 Chester
Enigma/Tiger 3-2 Chester
Enigma/Tiger 3-0 Chester

@Rado_N @Zarlak Can you please set up the poll as above? The usual, all votes visible, votes changeable, public poll, 24 hrs.

 

[Enigma_87]

Thanks
@Edgar Allan Pillow for putting it up!

@Chesterlestreet
good luck mate.

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

@Gio FYI

 

[Chesterlestreet]

Thanks
@Edgar Allan Pillow for putting it up!

@Chesterlestreet
good luck mate.

Same to you, and thanks EAP!

 

[Rado_N]

Chester 1-0 Enigma/Tiger
Chester 2-1 Enigma/Tiger
Chester 3-2 Enigma/Tiger
Chester 3-0 Enigma/Tiger
Enigma/Tiger 1-0 Chester
Enigma/Tiger 2-1 Chester
Enigma/Tiger 3-2 Chester
Enigma/Tiger 3-0 Chester

@Rado_N @Zarlak Can you please set up the poll as above? The usual, all votes visible, votes changeable, public poll, 24 hrs.

This shit is getting complicated!!

That what you were after?

 

[Chesterlestreet]

My first impression is that I don't like how that arrow on Rensenbrink looks. Aesthetically, I mean. Just looks...shabby somehow. But the point of it is obviously simple and clear enough: He cuts in. It doesn't mean anything beyond that - unless anyone is confused.

Similarly for Mendieta. He works up and down (hence the faded red arrow pointing backwards) per default. More specifically, he plays the role of a winger offensively - and also drifts centrally, especially when defending (unless he's actually tracking a wide player, that is - the man isn't an idiot).

 

[Enigma_87]

Same to you, and thanks EAP!

Thanks!

Right off the bat I see you have put Sekularac instead of Owen, maybe for more counter attacking style, leaving only Larsson as a natural goalscorer in the team. Rensenbrink will be marked by Vogts out of the game in that configuration as expected. I'm not sure if Mendieta and Sekularac would offer enough penetration and goalscoring opportunities on their own and provide Larsson with service.

 

[Chesterlestreet]

This shit is getting complicated!!

We're evolving - possibly into a monster.

Looks good, though - just right.

 

[Chesterlestreet]

Thanks!

Right off the bat I see you have put Sekularac instead of Owen, maybe for more counter attacking style, leaving only Larsson as a natural goalscorer in the team. Rensenbrink will be marked by Vogts out of the game in that configuration as expected. I'm not sure if Mendieta and Sekularac would offer enough penetration and goalscoring opportunities on their own and provide Larsson with service.

Yep, I do sacrifice an obvious goal threat in Owen - and it's a worry, no doubt. Then again, I don't expect to score loads in this match. If I have to do that, I'm in trouble.

However, Rensebrink adds a significant upgrade in terms of overall balance, as his presence means I now sport two fully functional flanks with players in their best roles. He's also a goal scorer in his own right - not a devastating goal threat, but a winger with a goal in him.

The other benefit is mentioned above: I get Sekularac in his best role, without the "drift out wide" order he was under in the last match. He now plays as an attacking midfielder/second striker/free role trouble maker - whose instruction is simply to skin anyone he can and set up anyone who looks keen on a pass.

 

[Stobzilla]

I like the look of both teams, but Komano is not in this company, Mendieta can have him here and there is a leaning towards the right hand side for Chester's attack to exploit it, if Seedorf backs away to help him it can open space for Blanchflower to work his magic.

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

This shit is getting complicated!!

That what you were after?

Thanks!

 

[Enigma_87]

Yep, I do sacrifice an obvious goal threat in Owen - and it's a worry, no doubt. Then again, I don't expect to score loads in this match. If I have to do that, I'm in trouble.

However, Rensebrink adds a significant upgrade in terms of overall balance, as his presence means I now sport two fully functional flanks with players in their best roles. He's also a goal scorer in his own right - not a devastating goal threat, but a winger with a goal in him.

The other benefit is mentioned above: I get Sekularac in his best role, without the "drift out wide" order he was under in the last match. He now plays as an attacking midfielder/second striker/free role trouble maker - whose instruction is simply to skin anyone he can and set up anyone who looks keen on a pass.

I think Rensenbrink would be kept quiet by Vogts. Vogts is considered to be one of the best man markers in history and most notably has done the job against Cruyff in that final:

he's the one that usually always dispossessed Cruyff, not the one that made the peno, mind
Rensenbrink is a quality player, but IMO not the same class as Cruyff and Vogts, who can always be his shadow and not let him breathe should keep him quiet.

I like the look of both teams, but Komano is not in this company, Mendieta can have him here and there is a leaning towards the right hand side for Chester's attack to exploit it, if Seedorf backs away to help him it can open space for Blanchflower to work his magic.

To be fair, I'm not sure how Mendieta will utilize that right side. He also needs Mendieta to provide some defensive cover as he has instructed him and also his formation is build on counter attack. Komano, of course not the same class to Mendieta, but he's very quick and can regain position. I'm not sure Mendieta is the right choice to exploit the right flank.

Let's not forget that on the left there is Nedved as well. If Bezsonov tries to roam forward, Nedved will punish him and he's excellent direct player that given space can not only give the right pass but also score himself.

As for Seedorf he'll only cover if needed. I'm not sure how effective can Mendieta be in that role attacking wise while he has to cover defensively as well.

Besides in the middle of the park we have also Redondo who is great at reading the game and anticipation and can cut off any dangerous passes.

I think our team will enjoy most of the possession as Chester has set up more defensively compared to last game.

 

[Chesterlestreet]

I like the look of both teams, but Komano is not in this company, Mendieta can have him here and there is a leaning towards the right hand side for Chester's attack to exploit it, if Seedorf backs away to help him it can open space for Blanchflower to work his magic.

I do feel the right flank, with Mendieta and Bezsonov, is pretty sharp - and that it should be a worry for my opponents here. Komano is a decent player for a sheep, but that's about it.

On the same note, and on the previous one (goal threats), Mendieta is capable of grabbing a goal in a tight affair - and Bezsonov has a powerful shot on him. This isn't something to brag about in a setting where you absolutely depend on putting multiple efforts behind the oppo keeper - obviously not. But, again, I don't think I need to put on a scoring fest here in order to win the match.

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

Komano is the obvious weak link here. But then he has Nedved and Seedorf, two players with workrate to put in a shift. Overall somehow Enigma's formation seems to be a bit off. From what I read Signori is a Striker/Left Winger and Stojkovic is better off through the middle.

..........Shearer..........
Signori...Stojkovic...Nedved

The current formatons seems to be more of a lopsided 4-4-2 rather than the 4-2-3-1 depicted in the pic.

 

[Chesterlestreet]

I think Rensenbrink would be kept quiet by Vogts. Vogts is considered to be one of the best man markers in history...

No doubt, but if you plan on using him as a man marker, he will offer nothing going forward. You have an arrow on him - he won't be able to contribute freely offensively if he is to keep Rensenbrink quiet. The latter is the first man Blanchflower will look for with a liberating long-range pass.

Additionally, Rensenbrink will drift inside - plenty. That's part of his remit here. When he does that, Vogts will have to stop marking him like a shadow - or leave a space which can easily be exploited. Man marking a drifter is tricky.

But yes, I obviously admit that Vogts is excellently suited to deal with any winger - as such. So, Rensenbrink's impact as a dribbler and trickster out wide will clearly be limited when Vogts, and not a lesser player, is on him.

Vogts' counterpart on the left, however, is - I don't like repeating it, but it's the truth - a sheep.

 

[Enigma_87]

Komano is the obvious weak link here. But then he has Nedved and Seedorf, two players with workrate to put in a shift. Overall somehow Enigma's formation seems to be a bit off. From what I read Signori is a Striker/Left Winger and Stojkovic is better off through the middle.

..........Shearer..........
Signori...Stojkovic...Nedved

The current formatons seems to be more of a lopsided 4-4-2 rather than the 4-2-3-1 depicted in the pic.

Signori has been used as a left winger/second striker and striker, depending on his partner.
IMO Signori has always been best off the striker he has plenty of pace, also trickery and can exploit openings. He prefers more a central role, which caused tension with his manager(Sacci) in 94 World Cup when he was asked to play on the left wing against Bulgaria.

Signori is one of the most prolific strikers in the 90's in the peak of Seria A. I think he'll be most dangerous centrally.

Stojkovic is either a deep lying playmaker, #10, but also he drifts wide. In the formation he's inside right attacker, who will exploit the wing, something which is close to his perfect #10 position.


^^ this is against Diego Maradona's Argentina in 90's world cup.

He likes to drift wide and dribble in, like Rensenbrink in that formation. No doubt he'll provide width, he's not a natural winger of course and most likely he'll cut inside or whip in a cross.


this is against Milan in 88 when he tore them apart in 2 legs almost putting Red Star through before the Belgrade fog fell.

Those are examples how he can use the wing and the width if he's provided space.

He spends a lot of time on the wing and he can provide width.

The idea between the arrows is that both Nedved/Stojkovic/Signori are highly mobile players. They can interchange and swap positions because of their natural flair and dribbling abilities - they can open space up, dribble past couple of players and also exploit space.

Nedved and Seedorf are definitely workhorses. They can cover a lot of ground and their stamina is one of the best I've seen live.

The arrows in that formation is to picture the movement of the forward line, I think that's definitely their best positions in terms of playing style. They will of course interchange, because their natural instinct to find space, but both Stojkovic and Nedved are natural with both feet, and capable of putting a shift on the wing. Stojkovic however most of the time drifts on the right while Nedved will on the left.

The formation should be 4-2-3-1 with the three of them(Stojkovic/Nedved/Signori) in front of Redondo and Seedorf. Nedved of course will be very busy as he'll most likely be running most of the time. Nedved and Stojkovic should be considered left and right inside forwards in that formation.

 

[Enigma_87]

No doubt, but if you plan on using him as a man marker, he will offer nothing going forward. You have an arrow on him - he won't be able to contribute freely offensively if he is to keep Rensenbrink quiet. The latter is the first man Blanchflower will look for with a liberating long-range pass.

Additionally, Rensenbrink will drift inside - plenty. That's part of his remit here. When he does that, Vogts will have to stop marking him like a shadow - or leave a space which can easily be exploited. Man marking a drifter is tricky.

But yes, I obviously admit that Vogts is excellently suited to deal with any winger - as such. So, Rensenbrink's impact as a dribbler and trickster out wide will clearly be limited when Vogts, and not a lesser player, is on him.

Vogts' counterpart on the left, however, is - I don't like repeating it, but it's the truth - a sheep.

Vogts will be marking the zone Resenbrink operates(the arrow as I wasn't sure if you have fielded a flat 4-4-2 or 4-5-1 as now with Mendieta and Rensenbrink more advanced). As shown against Cryuff he's excellent of covering a zone and marking his man all over the pitch.

I think with Stojkovic drifting right he'll provide enough creativity and options when up against Junior. Junior is a class LB but IMO will have trouble with prime Stojkovic pace and trickery.

I agree that Komano is our main liability, but he's up against Mendieta, who is pretty slow and yes Komano is only decent, but he has pace. Mendieta also likes to tuck in and is not an out and out winger. Maybe if you enjoy most of the possession he will be much more useful imo. On a counter set up however I'm not sure how Mendieta can break through, from memory he's slow. If you go with Bezsonov to overlap you're asking for trouble, as Mendieta can't cover the full back ground if he has to track Nedved as the latter is much faster than him, and also can beat him or create an advantage if the counter doesn't work out.

 

[Chesterlestreet]

I'm off to do some work and then to watch the historical (?) Chelsea match. Will be back, of course, later this evening.

For now, though, I'll focus on my new man: I'll shamelessly steal S/P's post on him from the last round, and make more of an emphatic point about the thing my opponents well and truly lack in this match: Quality in wide areas. What they offer are makeshift solutions more than natural fits. Their top class fullback is better defensively than offensively per default, and is instructed specifically (although his arrow in the formation pic seems to contradict this, unless the same new man is grotesquely underestimated) to man mark his winger. Their left back is the weakest player on the park by some distance. And he too is instructed to go forward, making him all the more suspect. They have no natural wide players offensively – only the great Pavel Nedved comes close to being one, and he is less of a natural wide man than Mendieta (a player who isn't altogether dissimilar in terms of “ideal role” in an offensive sense) for me.

Stolen from S/P:

Spoiler: Praise for Rensenbrink

At that time, Club Brugge were coached by the former Dutch International Frans de Munck and following Rob Rensenbrink into blue-black was fellow compatriot Henk Houwaart. The Dutch were joining a team which already included Belgian Internationals such as Pierre Carteus , Raoul Lambert , Fons Bastijns and Erwin Vanden Daele; Rensenbrinks impact on this group of players was instantaneous and in his first season the club won the Belgium Cup.

By 1971, Robbie had a 2:1 goal scoring ratio and had propelled Club Brugge to the runners-up spot in both 1970 and 1971. Inevitably, Rensenbrink once again received attention from coaches at home and abroad (receiving his nickname from the Hungarian coach Lajos Baróti). Leaving his position on the board at Club Brugge, Constant Vanden Stock became President of RSC Anderlecht in 1971. The coach in charge of les Mauves was the man who had given Robbie his International debut; German coach Georg Kessler. Both Stock and Kessler immediately set about bringing a player they both knew well to the capital.

Expecting a move back to his native Holland, Rensenbrink surprised everyone once more by signing for Anderlecht in exchange for Wilfried Puis and Johnny Velkeneers. It would be at the Parc Astrid where Robbie would stay for the next nine seasons, scoring 143 goals in 262 games and becoming a legend in the process. Rensenbrinks success in Belgium would come at the expense of a reputation in his homeland, however.

At the close of his International career, Rensenbrink would not have 50 caps to commemorate his time in the national team. Following his international debut in 1968, Rob picked up relatively few caps due to competition for the forward positions with Johan Cruyff & Piet Keizer. The KNVB were not completely ignorant of his talents, however; Rinus Michels included him for the 1974 FIFA World Cup squad and despite being around for just under ten years as a player, the World Cup in West Germany would be Rensenbrink’s first international tournament appearance.

Rensenbrinks performances at the World Cup had led to numeorus overtures from top European clubs but despite this interest, Rensenbrink agreed to stay at Anderlecht. This decision would mean that he would become a legend for les Mauves, forming almost telepathic partnerships with the players supporting him. Assisted by Belgian midfield duo Ludo Coeck and Paul Van Himst as well as Hungarian striker Attila Ladynski, Rensenbrink brought the title back to Brussels at the end of his first season there and then once again two years later.

Around this time, teammates described watching the silent Rensenbrink during training sessions and describing his movement and skill as art. More beautiful, in fact; more precise. By all accounts, watching Robbie in these sessions were akin to peering into the Leonardo’s sketch books; the smooth, elegant way of releasing the ball or his dribbling technique when he retained it. When not in possession; quick acceleration, his movement off the ball and ability to find space met with comparisons to George Best.


Despite the comparisons, however; the way he touched the ball was his own and no one else’s. It was like handwriting, and Robbie had beautiful handwriting.

As if following his lead, fellow compatriots Jan Mulder, Jan Ruiter, Leen Barth and later Arie Haan, Peter Ressel and Ronny van Poucke joined the Belgian Champions. The Dutch contingent were very successful in Anderlecht and with talented home grown youngsters such as Franky Vercauteren and Francois Van der Elst, Anderlecht would appear in three consecutive Cup Winners Cup finals; winning two of them (in 1976 and 1978). European Super Cup triumphs also followed over peak Bayern Munich and Liverpool sides in 1976 & 1978. Rensenbrink scored goals in all four of these finals as well as scoring 30 in 43 European appearances for Anderlecht.

The Dutch went into the '78 tournament arguing over formations, money, and how many stripes they were prepared to wear on their shirts but despite this now time-honoured unrest; again, they reached the final. Regardless of the chaos surrounding him; with the slight but imposing shadow of Cruyff gone from the dressing room, the serene Resenbrink produced some of the greatest football of his career playing on the left-hand side of a front three alongside Johnny Rep and René van de Kerkhof. During the final against Argentina; with the score at 1-1, Rensenbrink – played though by Ruud Krol in the last 30 seconds of normal time, shot from a narrow angle which was deflected on to the post and bounced clear. It would remain in the minds of many of his countrymen for years to come. In extra time, Argentina’s Mario Kempes and then Daniel Bertoni closed this chapter of Dutch football history once and for all.


Rensenbrink finished the tournament as the 2nd highest scorer with 5, behind Kempes on 6. Rensenbrink played some of the qualifiers for Euro 80, but following a 2–0 defeat by Poland in a qualifier for Euro 80, he retired from international football at the age of 32, having scored 14 times for his country and accumulating 46 caps.

Rensenbrink was a humble and modest man; in personality there appear to be parallels with Dennis Bergkamp in that both were reputedly an understated and calm presence in the dressing room. Robbie missed two penalties in his entire career, and often enjoyed telling the keeper beforehand where he was going to place the ball, and then still beating him there. Like The Iceman (or non-flying Dutchman), Rensenbrink could also score unbelievable goals from technically impossible angles.

The comparisons with the younger man end there, however; a common complaint was that whilst Bergkamp was able to score goals like a silent assassin, he did not display that killer instinct enough. So whereas Bergkamp was not ‘a killer’; with 208 goals in 467 matches, Rob Rensenbrink was.


Jan Mulder said:
Robbie Rensenbrink was as good as Cruyff, only in his mind was he not

 

[RedTiger]

Komano is the obvious weak link here. But then he has Nedved and Seedorf, two players with workrate to put in a shift. Overall somehow Enigma's formation seems to be a bit off. From what I read Signori is a Striker/Left Winger and Stojkovic is better off through the middle.

..........Shearer..........
Signori...Stojkovic...Nedved

The current formatons seems to be more of a lopsided 4-4-2 rather than the 4-2-3-1 depicted in the pic.

It's not just about reading though, enigma grew up having Stojkovic as his favorite player, the videos he's shown me is proof enough that stojkovic can play anywhere across the front 3. If you watch his performance against Argentina, it's evident that he's not only a trequartista but a fine deep playmaker.

 

[Enigma_87]

I'm off to do some work and then to watch the historical (?) Chelsea match. Will be back, of course, later this evening.

Cheers, mate, hopefully historical with a win and a new manager

For now, though, I'll focus on my new man: I'll shamelessly steal S/P's post on him from the last round, and make more of an emphatic point about the thing my opponents well and truly lack in this match: Quality in wide areas. What they offer are makeshift solutions more than natural fits. Their top class fullback is better defensively than offensively per default, and is instructed specifically (although his arrow in the formation pic seems to contradict this, unless the same new man is grotesquely underestimated) to man mark his winger. Their left back is the weakest player on the park by some distance. And he too is instructed to go forward, making him all the more suspect. They have no natural wide players offensively – only the great Pavel Nedved comes close to being one, and he is less of a natural wide man than Mendieta (a player who isn't altogether dissimilar in terms of “ideal role” in an offensive sense) for me.

As for Komano instructions, he's instructed to operate in the zone. Most likely we'll have more control of the game and enjoy possession so with the ball naturally the back line will also move forward. He will not be asked to overlap or play as a wing back. Same goes for Vogts of course, as Rensenbrink will most likely track back when off possession.

It's not just about reading though, enigma grew up having Stojkovic as his favorite player, the videos he's shown me is proof enough that stojkovic can play anywhere across the front 3. If you watch his performance against Argentina, it's evident that he's not only a trequartista but a fine deep playmaker.

being a Balkan myself has to play a part in it. He was the most talked player of his generation in Yugoslavia and that talks for itself - generation consisting of Savicevic, Prosinecki, Boban, Boksic, Jugovic, Katanec, Pancev etc...

Stojkovic is rather not fondly remembered as his career was interrupted by injuries and then he opted to play in Japan when the league was not that good and not viewed by the general public.

At his peak however he was a special player. He ripped apart Milan in 88/89 when after the 2 games they wanted to sign him and he dribbled past the entire Milan defence twisted the great Franco Baresi to score a wonder goal. He ripped apart Spain in 1990 world cup scoring 2 goals, then outshone Maradona against Argentina where he created at least 5-6 clear cut chances for goals. He also played a major part in the tie against Real Madrid in the 80's when they beat them 4-2(leading 3-0) at half time with Hugo Sanchez claiming 2 to win the tie later on on away goals.

In terms of style he was either a deep lying playmaker, a winger, a #10. His skill on the ball was often unmatched and he had an instinct to go wide and receive the ball, dribble past 1-2 players and cross it in or cut inside. He was apt to play in a lot of position basically all over the attack and in the same time good with both feet(his right was his better one of course.)

^^ just to show how he could cross a ball with both feet(opposition is a bit crap of course but still 3 assists in European cup 1st round).

^^ couple of nice ones at Marseille as well. You'll notice a cocky little fellow there as well.

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

I'm surprised at the one sided scoreline.

Junior/Resenbrink will have majority of the ball that wing as neither Vogts nor Stojkovic can provide width that flank. Defensively it's a match..but given the ball time, I expect Resenbrink to get past sooner or later.

I grade the other flank also to Chester. Nedved is better than Mendieta, but Komano vs Bezsonov tilts this back in Chester favour...albeit slightly.

The midfield 2 is pretty even. I really like the Redondo/Seedorf combo, but Blanchflower is better and I reate Mullery was slightly below Stiles (his peer). Can't decide either way.

I expect voters unfamiliarity with Sekularac/Larsson skewed this in favour of Enigma, but I'm not that convinced with his set up in front. I still think he's better off with a 4-3-3.

It should be a far closer match than the scoreline indicates.

 

[Chesterlestreet]

Yeah, this is going well.

Don't have much to add, really - the grand majority of voters don't comment, as per usual. That's the game, though.

I think I've said what needs to be said, actually. Either you think I'll grab a narrow win here - or you don't. It's not very complicated.

The names on a team sheet game doesn't work in my favour here, that's pretty obvious, but I'm in no mood to post essays about the virtues of my players - so fair fecks. Let it sink.

 

[RedTiger]

neither Vogts nor Stojkovic can provide width that flank.

Seriously EAP? That's the best right side in the entire draft!

 

[Chesterlestreet]

Seriously EAP?

Vogts can't provide width if he's actually - as stated - tasked with keeping Rensenbrink quiet. He's supposedly marking said Rensenbrink.

And Stoikovich is precisely what I labeled a makeshift solution in terms of width. He can easily drift wide-ish as part of his game - no question about it - but he isn't a natural wide man. He can roam wide-ish to provide an outlet, certainly, but it hardly constitutes a significant factor.

The importance of width can clearly be overstated, but if we're talking basic approaches here, and basic routes to goal - I do have your number in the wide department. I have what I've already called fully functional flanks. You don't have that. At worst, for me, Vogts completely stifles Rensenbrink - out wide. But Rensenbrink still cuts in - that's his game and his remit: He's a forward as much as he is a "winger" in the line-hugging sense.

And on the other side I have the Bezsonov/Mendieta combo. Your main block against that is our Japanese friend, who may find himself entirely out of his depth dealing with it.

Again, I don't like targeting him in this fashion - but that's what a sheep draft is all about, surely. To minimize the impact of the liabilities you end up with.

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

Seriously EAP? That's the best right side in the entire draft!

Vogts is a great man marker, but if you are expect him to provide width and run up and down all through the match, then he's wrong sort of full back for it. I accept that Stojkovic is comfortable out wide. But I still expect him to cut in and use his dribbling to advantage, not hug the touchline and sling crosses in. With Stojkovic, I'd prefer to have someone like Bezsonov in your team to provide that attacking outlet from the fullback position.

 

[Fergus' son]

Enigma wins this, either by one goal or three goals, definitely not two goals.

 

[Enigma_87]

I'm surprised at the one sided scoreline.

Junior/Resenbrink will have majority of the ball that wing as neither Vogts nor Stojkovic can provide width that flank. Defensively it's a match..but given the ball time, I expect Resenbrink to get past sooner or later.

I don't think Juinior/Rensenbrink will have the majority of the ball, as Chester has set up his side for counter attack so he will most likely have less possession. Stojkovic was feared by many at his peak, he came on top against a Milan defence including peak Baresi and Rijkaard, as well as other top defenders in the beginning of the 90's where we had a lot of top top defenders.

I don't think Rensenbrink will have room to breathe as Vogts kept quiet Cruyff in a WC final and as good Rensenbrink is, he's no Cruyff. Vogts is also usually rated as the best European right back and he was pivotal in a defence that was led by Beckenbauer and probably the best Germany had, winning WC and European championships back to back.

I grade the other flank also to Chester. Nedved is better than Mendieta, but Komano vs Bezsonov tilts this back in Chester favour...albeit slightly.

I'd call it a tie, Nedved is much better than Mendieta, both offensively and defensively, as is Bezsonov to Komano, however I think Komano, regardless of being a sheep matches Mendieta well, because Mendieta is set up to play in a counter attacking side while being...well slow...

The midfield 2 is pretty even. I really like the Redondo/Seedorf combo, but Blanchflower is better and I reate Mullery was slightly below Stiles (his peer). Can't decide either way.

I think our midfield should come on top. Of course Chester's midfield is quality, but IMO Redondo tips this in our favor. Redondo was often the sole midfielder with defensive duties in a RM side and did excellently as the accolades and titles won by him speak for itself.

I expect voters unfamiliarity with Sekularac/Larsson skewed this in favour of Enigma, but I'm not that convinced with his set up in front. I still think he's better off with a 4-3-3.

It should be a far closer match than the scoreline indicates.

I think Signori/Shearer is bound to bring in more goals.

Both have over 700 goals in their careers on top level, playing for a club that was by far not the top in their country.

I think Chester will find it hard to get the goal/s or appropriate service for Larsson as Rensenbrink will most likely be kept quiet and Sekularac as skillful and tricky he is IMO is not a natural goalscorer.

I think Mendieta is the weak link in that setup as he's not the best choice for the right wing to exploit our weakness.

 

[Enigma_87]

Vogts is a great man marker, but if you are expect him to provide width and run up and down all through the match, then he's wrong sort of full back for it. I accept that Stojkovic is comfortable out wide. But I still expect him to cut in and use his dribbling to advantage, not hug the touchline and sling crosses in. With Stojkovic, I'd prefer to have someone like Bezsonov in your team to provide that attacking outlet from the fullback position.

I think Vogts role here is to cut the service for Larsson. IMO Chester has three options to get the goals - either get the ball to Larsson from deep - which IMO we have a good combo in Redondo and Seedorf to read the game and intercept a pass, Rensenbrink, where Vogts will hunt him like a hound and not give him space and Sekularac who will either be kept quiet by Seedorf or one of the CB to intercept.

Most of the time Larsson will be tucked inside 2 CB - one who is great in the air McNeill and 1 that is really great stopper.

Besides we have Dasaev as well as an upgrade for this round as he was maybe the greatest keeper in the 80's and really good on one on ones if chester's forwards manage to go through.

On Mendieta I think most is said, but I doubt he'll have the trickery and pace to work in that formation. On the right side Chester needs more of Stojkovic type to create havoc.

I don't think we'd need Vogts for this game to provide width. Most likely Chester's side will be inside its own half while Nedved and Stojkovic will provide the width. His right side apart from Mendieta has Bezsonov, who if he goes forward leaves Nedved who is much faster than Mendieta. I don't think he'll be that adventurous on that side.

I think Chester's side has 2 natural goalscorers and threats in Rensenbrink(who I think will be matched well by Vogts) and Larsson(with over 400 goals in his career, albeit in Helsinborg and much poorer Scottish league playing for the best team).

Apart from them Sekularac, Mendieta have around 50 goals in their entire career, while Blanchflower and Mullery as well are not known asset for getting goals and most probably they will be too deep to be a weapon.

From set pieces our side has a very big height advantage and I don't think Chester has free kick specialists in his side, while we have Stojkovic, Shearer, Signori and Nedved.

In comparison to that we have Shearer and Signori(Signori formed a great partnership with Casiraghi who is similar in his gameplay to Shearer, although not in the same league of course) with more than 700 goals in their career, then you have Nedved with over 150 strikes for both club and country in top league, Stojkovic over 150 goals for club and country(although around 50 are the J League in Japan so in lesser league, but so are Larsson's in Helsingborg).

Then you have Seedorf close to 150 goals who can score from the center line(ask Atletico Madrid) and you have Billy McNeill from set pieces who scored in finals and important matches and is about 3 inches above everybody in the box( even the keeper).

 

[Chesterlestreet]

Right. Ales have been drunk. I had to, in order to withstand the United match. So, I'm allowed. Just saying. But keep it in mind, in case I get bitchy.

Point: What exactly is Redondo doing on the right? Not a major thing, certainly. But still.

Point: If you aim to win a tight affair, you should have a tight defence. I do. My opponents sort of do.

Central defence: Very good, no questions asked. Fullbacks: A world beater and a sheep. Excellent keeper.

Me: Central defence better than theirs (in my opinion), but has to be on par (in anything but a positively uninformed opinion). Fullbacks: Very good (both of them).

Midfielders:

They: A defensive midfielder (Redondo) whose main assets are nevertheless offensive and a "defensive" midfielder who is not very good in a purely defensive sense (Seedorf).

Me: A defensive midfielder (Mullery) whose main strengths are speed and tenacity and a "defensive" midfielder who is more than adequate in a purely defensive sense in addition to being the best passer on the park (Blanchflower).

Who is better suited to keep the opponent at bay? That's a key question here. The goal threat issue has been touched on. They have one obvious goal grabber - as do I. Second in line for them is Signori - who is no more of a significant goal threat than Rensenbrink. The rest is a matter of...what? System and circumstances. As is the rest of it, for that matter. I could argue that my CB pairing is ideally suited to deal with Shearer (they can handle him both on the ground and in the air). But it hardly matters - there is no obvious advantage to play out here. It's tight - as I said from the very beginning. I honestly believe my defence is tighter than theirs.

What I propose is that I'll win this narrowly - not by a huge margin.

 

[Gio]

This is a good match-up which, from an organiser's perspective, is nice to see given the fairly chaotic nature of the sheep draft generates the potential for diverging team quality. Both teams are mostly strong across the board and well crafted.

That said, I don't see any area where Enigma/RedTiger will have a clear upper hand. Where Chester has an advantage is in the absence of any sheep-level players and a set-up that does a steady job on Enigma's key threats. Namely, Nedved v Bezsonov and Stojkovic and Junior instinctively occupying the same area of the park. Not that Chester has any areas where he steamrollers Enigma, it's a close affair and there's probably a goal in it.

I'd call it a tie, Nedved is much better than Mendieta, both offensively and defensively, as is Bezsonov to Komano, however I think Komano, regardless of being a sheep matches Mendieta well, because Mendieta is set up to play in a counter attacking side while being...well slow...

Mendieta from 1998 to 2001 hit a similar level to Nedved's best performances. The main difference between the pair is that Nedved delivered a high level for another few seasons, while Mendieta fell off a cliff comparatively speaking. Both were hard grafting, hard running and contributed plenty off the ball.

Redondo was often the sole midfielder with defensive duties in a RM side and did excellently as the accolades and titles won by him speak for itself.

It wouldn't surprise me given the top-heaviness of many Real teams. But most of the time he played alongside the likes of your man Seedorf or/and Christian Karembeu latterly at least.

 

[Enigma_87]

This is a good match-up which, from an organiser's perspective, is nice to see given the fairly chaotic nature of the sheep draft generates the potential for diverging team quality. Both teams are mostly strong across the board and well crafted.

Thanks mate.

That said, I don't see any area where Enigma/RedTiger will have a clear upper hand. Where Chester has an advantage is in the absence of any sheep-level players and a set-up that does a steady job on Enigma's key threats. Namely, Nedved v Bezsonov and Stojkovic and Junior instinctively occupying the same area of the park. Not that Chester has any areas where he steamrollers Enigma, it's a close affair and there's probably a goal in it.

I think where Chester has advantage in right flank he won't be able to execute it or expose it. Mendieta is surely a quality player but his best qualities are far from those to being a right winger in this formation for one simple reason - he's very slow. Yes Komano is not in the same league, but he has the upper hand in pace while Chester side is clearly up for counter attacking formation.

You may argue that Bezsonov will charge forward, but then who is keeping eye on Nedved? Mendieta won't be able to track him back as Nedved is much faster, while Bezsonov will be further up the pitch when dispossessed.

I think where we will win is that we have overall better quality and that our team has more creativity and more players to execute that, while I think Chester's side has only 2-3 players where you can expect a goal.

Mendieta from 1998 to 2001 hit a similar level to Nedved's best performances. The main difference between the pair is that Nedved delivered a high level for another few seasons, while Mendieta fell off a cliff comparatively speaking. Both were hard grafting, hard running and contributed plenty off the ball.

I think they are similar - Nedved and Mendieta, just Nedved is just plain better and faster. I don't think however his qualities on the right wing are apt for this game.

It wouldn't surprise me given the top-heaviness of many Real teams. But most of the time he played alongside the likes of your man Seedorf or/and Christian Karembeu latterly at least.

Well in the CL final against Mendieta's Valencia, when they steamrolled them 3-0 he was the only DM in that formation only helped by McManaman for example.

When Karembeu was at RM(for three seasons), he was mostly used on the right. Of course he had defensive duties, but during his time at Real he wasn't a first name on the sheet and started less than half of the games usually.

 

[Gio]

Well in the CL final against Mendieta's Valencia, when they steamrolled them 3-0 he was the only DM in that formation only helped by McManaman for example.

When Karembeu was at RM(for three seasons), he was mostly used on the right. Of course he had defensive duties, but during his time at Real he wasn't a first name on the sheet and started less than half of the games usually.

Yeah. Real's success with the 3-5-2 in 2000 was quite telling. It showed you could get away with a more attacking midfield trio in a 3-5-2 as opposed to a 4-3-3. It also showed that McMamaman could play a more deferential role as the legs for ultimately more talented colleagues. And it's often a useful retort for those who thought Raul's game was mostly limited to finishing and one-on-ones. Anyway, we're digressing and agreed on the point that Redondo should have a good game here.

 

[Enigma_87]

Right. Ales have been drunk. I had to, in order to withstand the United match. So, I'm allowed. Just saying. But keep it in mind, in case I get bitchy.

It's a progress, that first half was the best I've seen us play, and hopefully if LvG will be shown the door tomorrow I'd be more than happy and more than enough reason to drink during midday.

Point: What exactly is Redondo doing on the right? Not a major thing, certainly. But still.

Not on the right, CM, just the right side, as Seedorf is CM on the left side. Both are central like in your central midfielders combo.

Point: If you aim to win a tight affair, you should have a tight defence. I do. My opponents sort of do.

Case: I think either of your CB lack the strength to keep a prime Shearer. Shearer is higher, stronger than both your defenders and if a good cross come in(when we have most of the ball we'll have more chances) he'll most likely capitalize. Signori as well is known to find space and also unlock tight defences.
Case in point. When you have tight defence around your box you won't want to make fouls anywhere near it, especially since you have Shearer,Stojkovic, Nedved and Signori behind the ball.

I think your defenders will make a lot of fouls around the box to get the ball off Stojkovic, Signori or Nedved.

Central defence: Very good, no questions asked. Fullbacks: A world beater and a sheep. Excellent keeper.

Me: Central defence better than theirs (in my opinion), but has to be on par (in anything but a positively uninformed opinion). Fullbacks: Very good (both of them).

I think Vogts is comfortably better than Bezsonov as is Junior better than Komano of course.

As for central defence I think we're on par. Of course I wouldn't swap Cannavaro for any of Wright/Franklin but again it's personal opinion.

Midfielders:

They: A defensive midfielder (Redondo) whose main assets are nevertheless offensive and a "defensive" midfielder who is not very good in a purely defensive sense (Seedorf).

Me: A defensive midfielder (Mullery) whose main strengths are speed and tenacity and a "defensive" midfielder who is more than adequate in a purely defensive sense in addition to being the best passer on the park (Blanchflower).

I think individually and as a combo our midfield pair is better. I don't berate yours of course it's quality, but IMO with the addition to having played together in the same team Seedorf and Redondo should get the nod.

Redondo has played in an era where he excelled when he played against Deschamps, Keano, Zidane, Ronaldo, Romario and many more that are in the hall of fame and most of the time he got on top. I'm not sure how ranked Redondo is here, but IMO he's at least top 3 and maybe the most complete DM in the game. He was really a special talent.

On the other hand we have Seedorf that has 4 CL - most than any other player with 3 different teams. Even a 34 years old Seedorf gave us a torrid time back in 2010 when we played Milan. From what I know of Blanchflower he was an excellent passer, but was he really that much better than Seedorf?

Who is better suited to keep the opponent at bay? That's a key question here. The goal threat issue has been touched on. They have one obvious goal grabber - as do I. Second in line for them is Signori - who is no more of a significant goal threat than Rensenbrink. The rest is a matter of...what? System and circumstances. As is the rest of it, for that matter. I could argue that my CB pairing is ideally suited to deal with Shearer (they can handle him both on the ground and in the air). But it hardly matters - there is no obvious advantage to play out here. It's tight - as I said from the very beginning. I honestly believe my defence is tighter than theirs.

What I propose is that I'll win this narrowly - not by a huge margin.

Well I think that both Nedved and Stojkovic add significant goal threat, apart from the obvious Signori/Shearer combo. Sekularac can create space and pass into space, but goalscorer he's not.

As for Shearer in tight space, he doesn't even need to be in the box, he has a thunderous strike and even given a little space he can do that(against Desailly for example):


One thing for Shearer - the guy was lethal from anywhere in and outside the box. In his career he played in Blackburn and Newcastle side which were good no doubt, but imagine how many he could score if he had the service Nedved/Stojkovic/Seedorf/Redondo/Signori could provide...

 

[Enigma_87]

Yeah. Real's success with the 3-5-2 in 2000 was quite telling. It showed you could get away with a more attacking midfield trio in a 3-5-2 as opposed to a 4-3-3. It also showed that McMamaman could play a more deferential role as the legs for ultimately more talented colleagues. And it's often a useful retort for those who thought Raul's game was mostly limited to finishing and one-on-ones. Anyway, we're digressing and agreed on the point that Redondo should have a good game here.

Well my point is Redondo was pivotal for their success and maybe their most important figure on the road to 2 CL's. Even with the Galacticos they couldn't even reach 2 CL finals without him. One telling fixture was 95/96 CL QF(I think) against Juve when they beat them 1-0 at Bernabeu with Redondo and then he missed the 2nd leg and they lost 2-0.

IMO Redondo stands out in the pack of those 4 midfielders. I really rate all four of them but again when I compare the two combos I wouldn't trade Redondo/Seedorf for Mullery/Blanchflower. Of course it's personal opinion.

But again for me he's the most complete DM and a first name on the sheet in all time draft.

Of course I'm not sure how rated is he around here, and in England in general as it's my first draft and given the other quality DM England have produced in the past.

As for Raul and Redondo I think this quote is apt for the discussion, some may find it interesting:

In the semi-finals Redondo and Raúl deliberately humiliated Bayern Munich. At times the two had fun simply passing to each other, making jokes about Carsten Jancker as the huge striker lumbered after the ball. More than once Redondo showed the ball to Bayern's Stefan Effenberg, waited for Effenberg to pounce, and then rolled it to a team-mate.

The Germans also sulked about a particularly frivolous bicycle-kick by Roberto Carlos. This, they felt, was bad manners.

In this Real side, Redondo and Raúl - perhaps the two key players - are best mates. Both like their peace before games. In the next few days, while his colleague Steve McManaman whiles away the time watching films and Nicolas Anelka and Geremi are busy on their Playstations, Redondo and Raúl will be reading bound volumes of paper known as books. The Thin One enjoys Jorge Luis Borges, Gabriel García Márquez and Italian fashion magazines.

 

[Joga Bonito]

Tight game as per usual.

Lots to like about both teams. Chester's CB and midfield duo complement each other brilliantly and his flanks are a treat as well, esp in how well they enhance each other's playing styles. Júnior is the perfect playmaking LB for a direct and creative inside left like Rensenbrink - a partnership akin to the one that he had with Eder for the Brazil 1982. Mendieta's graft and quality RM-like play would go hand in hand with Bezonov's directness, and Blanchflower's playmaking abilities. I don't mind him in this Beckham-esque RM role, given that he doesn't exactly need to do much ball-carrying on his own as a typical right winger of sorts, but rather is a balancing act on the right to the directness of Rensenbrink and Bezonov.

Enigma's defense, barring Komano, is excellent and his midfield pairing of Seedorf-Redondo is top notch too. Signori would surely enjoy playing off someone like Shearer and I can see the fair amount of wingsmanship that Nedved brings to the table, meshing together very nicely with Stoijkovic's more inward creative tendencies.

I do think both teams are well set up to nullify each others strengths for the most part. Both strikers would find it tough to get going here, with Larsson up against an imposing centre-back duo and Wright equally relishing the physical battle against Shearer. Likewise the tricky Rensenbrink and elusive Stoijkov are up against two excellent full-backs in Vogts and Júnior - with the former's tigerish qualities and the latter's ability to drift inwards and function as a LCM being perfect for their battles against their respective men. It also remains to be seen how much joy either Šekularac or Signori would have here, given that they are operating in the same areas as two solid and complete midfield duos. Midfield seems to be more or less a dead-lock as well. That being said I don't think Bezonov would be able to keep Nedved under the wraps for the entire ninety minutes, and you can expect Mendieta to have the beating of Komano.

I'd have refrained from voting but I gave the slight edge to Chester here. Firstly, that right flank that he sports is well poised in exploiting Komano's deficiencies and also Mendieta's graft would aid Bezonov immensely in his battle against Nedved, Engima's prime threat. Secondly, Júnior. Honestly, think he can exert a match-winning influence on this match. As I stated before he is well-suited to dealing with a RAM like Stoijkovic and his ability to influence play from the back and leave his mark on the 'midfield battle' could prove crucial here. He seemed to have a free role of sorts as a LB and he loved to drift inwards into midfield, so much so that the commentary mistakenly claimed he was playing in midfield despite him starting out as a LB, in Brazil's opener against Soviet Union in the 1982 WC. It was probably this particular and rather unique ability to influence play in midfield from the LB position which probably allowed Brazil to start with a rather light midfield, with only Falcão featuring in their midfield as their only proper central midfielder.

Given that he has the freedom to influence play centrally, as per Chester's instructions, and is up against a fairly narrow Stojkovic, with Vogts being busy handling Rensenbrink (who is also capable of tracking Vogts runs off the ball), I'd say Júnior could very well play a significant role in breaking the midfield dead-lock and giving Chester the slight edge here. Júnior's maverick like play also meant that space tended to open up at times on the left side of defense, although not often as he was quite an intelligent player tactically, and it meant that their LCB Luizinho or a spare midfielder had to cover for him at times. I think Franklin would be well up for those situations, should they arise, given his athleticism and tactical nous.

With all that being said, it's just a slight edge overall imo and I really wanted to refrain from voting as it looks it could go either way tbh.

I wasn't too sold on Sekularac, Mendieta and Júnior's roles in the previous match-up but with the inclusion of Rensenbrink in Chester's side, everything seems much clearer and it all seems like as though it has just fallen in place to me.

 

[Gio]

Well my point is Redondo was pivotal for their success and maybe their most important figure on the road to 2 CL's. Even with the Galacticos they couldn't even reach 2 CL finals without him. One telling fixture was 95/96 CL QF(I think) against Juve when they beat them 1-0 at Bernabeu with Redondo and then he missed the 2nd leg and they lost 2-0.

IMO Redondo stands out in the pack of those 4 midfielders. I really rate all four of them but again when I compare the two combos I wouldn't trade Redondo/Seedorf for Mullery/Blanchflower. Of course it's personal opinion.

But again for me he's the most complete DM and a first name on the sheet in all time draft.

Of course I'm not sure how rated is he around here, and in England in general as it's my first draft and given the other quality DM England have produced in the past.

Redondo gets a good reception around here. In some places of the net his admittedly endless elegance and stylishness can see him over-rated, but his influence on Real in the mid-to-late 1990s is compelling. There's probably an argument that Argentina may have won the '98 World Cup had he been available to join forces with peak Simeone and Veron in midfield. Nevertheless, it's hard to compare him and Blanchflower given we're talking about two very different eras.

 

[Moby]

Argentina may have won the '98 World Cup had he been available to join forces with peak Simeone and Veron in midfield.

One in the list of farces regarding Argentina and world cups.

 

[Enigma_87]

Redondo gets a good reception around here. In some places of the net his admittedly endless elegance and stylishness can see him over-rated, but his influence on Real in the mid-to-late 1990s is compelling. There's probably an argument that Argentina may have won the '98 World Cup had he been available to join forces with peak Simeone and Veron in midfield. Nevertheless, it's hard to compare him and Blanchflower given we're talking about two very different eras.

In 98 Redondo was at his peak as well. If he was fit and available he could easily made the difference. At the time in 98 they had a great team IMO. Apart from the ones you mentioned they had Ortega, Batistuta, Ayala, Zanetti and Roa was also in top for at the goal. Add to that Crespo and Claudio Lopez and they had little weaknesses.

Alas due to his bustup with the manager, we won't be able to know.

Redondo struggled with injuries as well, but having in mind he played in an era with a lot of great players and in an era that was in transition from the style in the 80's it's hard to argue about him being in at least top three in that position(Rijkaard and Matthaus the other two).

But again I feel he's a bit unpopular for those who didn't see him live as at that time the attackers were most likely to receive recognition.

Tight game as per usual.

Lots to like about both teams. Chester's CB and midfield duo complement each other brilliantly and his flanks are a treat as well, esp in how well they enhance each other's playing styles. Júnior is the perfect playmaking LB for a direct and creative inside left like Rensenbrink - a partnership akin to the one that he had with Eder for the Brazil 1982. Mendieta's graft and quality RM-like play would go hand in hand with Bezonov's directness, and Blanchflower's playmaking abilities. I don't mind him in this Beckham-esque RM role, given that he doesn't exactly need to do much ball-carrying on his own as a typical right winger of sorts, but rather is a balancing act on the right to the directness of Rensenbrink and Bezonov.

Enigma's defense, barring Komano, is excellent and his midfield pairing of Seedorf-Redondo is top notch too. Signori would surely enjoy playing off someone like Shearer and I can see the fair amount of wingsmanship that Nedved brings to the table, meshing together very nicely with Stoijkovic's more inward creative tendencies.

I do think both teams are well set up to nullify each others strengths for the most part. Both strikers would find it tough to get going here, with Larsson up against an imposing centre-back duo and Wright equally relishing the physical battle against Shearer. Likewise the tricky Rensenbrink and elusive Stoijkov are up against two excellent full-backs in Vogts and Júnior - with the former's tigerish qualities and the latter's ability to drift inwards and function as a LCM being perfect for their battles against their respective men. It also remains to be seen how much joy either Šekularac or Signori would have here, given that they are operating in the same areas as two solid and complete midfield duos. Midfield seems to be more or less a dead-lock as well. That being said I don't think Bezonov would be able to keep Nedved under the wraps for the entire ninety minutes, and you can expect Mendieta to have the beating of Komano.

I'd have refrained from voting but I gave the slight edge to Chester here. Firstly, that right flank that he sports is well poised in exploiting Komano's deficiencies and also Mendieta's graft would aid Bezonov immensely in his battle against Nedved, Engima's prime threat. Secondly, Júnior. Honestly, think he can exert a match-winning influence on this match. As I stated before he is well-suited to dealing with a RAM like Stoijkovic and his ability to influence play from the back and leave his mark on the 'midfield battle' could prove crucial here. He seemed to have a free role of sorts as a LB and he loved to drift inwards into midfield, so much so that the commentary mistakenly claimed he was playing in midfield despite him starting out as a LB, in Brazil's opener against Soviet Union in the 1982 WC. It was probably this particular and rather unique ability to influence play in midfield from the LB position which probably allowed Brazil to start with a rather light midfield, with only Falcão featuring in their midfield as their only proper central midfielder.

Given that he has the freedom to influence play centrally, as per Chester's instructions, and is up against a fairly narrow Stojkovic, with Vogts being busy handling Rensenbrink (who is also capable of tracking Vogts runs off the ball), I'd say Júnior could very well play a significant role in breaking the midfield dead-lock and giving Chester the slight edge here. Júnior's maverick like play also meant that space tended to open up at times on the left side of defense, although not often as he was quite an intelligent player tactically, and it meant that their LCB Luizinho or a spare midfielder had to cover for him at times. I think Franklin would be well up for those situations, should they arise, given his athleticism and tactical nous.

With all that being said, it's just a slight edge overall imo and I really wanted to refrain from voting as it looks it could go either way tbh.

I wasn't too sold on Sekularac, Mendieta and Júnior's roles in the previous match-up but with the inclusion of Rensenbrink in Chester's side, everything seems much clearer and it all seems like as though it has just fallen in place to me.

I think our main case for Komano is that I don't think Mendieta is the one to expose his weakness. Mendieta has a great engine and is a quality player, but his best position is certainly not the one he's playing here - wide right wing. He's not a great dribbler, not a great crosser, slow and lacks acceleration.

As for Bezsonov helping out, he has Nedved to worry about and will he be able to contribute all that much on the right flank?

As for Wright in a physical battle against Shearer, Wright as far as I know spend a lot of time at right back and then was moved to central half. He surely was well built but he was 5ft 8in (173cm)? Correct me if I'm wrong but that's 10 cm less in height than Shearer and at his physical peak fended off and won headers against defenders that had 10 cm advantage over him.

I'm not sure how Wright could win a physical battle against Shearer. The latter was like a battering ram inside the box.

I think where we would win the match is the overall advantage in creative players and goalscorers. Signori and Shearer both have impeccable resume when they have space in the box, but apart from Rensenbrink and Larsson I'm not sure where the goal will come from, and even if Chester's team scores I think we have the quality to outscore him during the game.