Boards.ie Football Draft; Quarter final Game 2; Blatter v ynwa17

Blatter

Presenting Game 2 in the Quarter final of the Boards.ie soccer forum Football Draft.

Poll will stay up for 96 hours, anyone may vote, however only votes attached with reasoning on thread will be counted.

ynwa17, submit your team and counter argue and the very best of luck.

Blatter

This is a side with a good blend of experience and youth, which has very nice balance and good energy about it. It is composed of extremely hard working and determined players complimented with plenty of technical ability and skill. They will play with the modern, fluid 4-3-3 formation, which has been hugely successful for several teams in recent years.

Goalkeeper: Anders Lindegaard will be my man between the sticks. He's a 6'4'' Danish international who won the goalkeeper's award in the Norwegian league and was also awarded with the title of Danish goalkeeper of the year, both in 2010. He is currently battling David de Gea for the number one spot at Manchester United and has impressed in both the Champions League(v Benfica away) and in the PL (v Norwich) this season. He has no noticeable goalkeeping weaknesses and is generally very competent.

Central Defense: Desailly and Alex are a centre back partnership that will compliment each other very well. Desailly is recognized as one of the most accomplished defenders to play the game having won virtually every major team award in club football picking up 116 caps for France along the way. He was also named in the PL foreign team of the decade in 2002. He was a master at reading the game and an excellent ball playing central defender. He will snuff out many attacks before they start.

Alex, who has 18 international caps for Brazil, will be the attacking centre back that will get much closer to the opposition centre forward and match him for strength and ability in the air. He also takes a rasping free kick from long range. Overall, himself and Desailly are a very good partnership.

Fullbacks: Gibbs and Walker are two young, very promising players. They have pace to burn, are very good on the ball and reliable defensively. Gibbs has plenty of Champions League experience for Arsenal and Walker is looking every bit the part for Spurs this season. They will both be given plenty of license to get forward to compliment my attack as my Defensive midfielder (Owen Hargreaves) and box to box player (Darren Fletcher) will provide more than adequate enough cover for them. They will also get plenty of help from my two wingers, Adam Johnson and Park Ji Sung, who should also compliment them well in attack.


Central Midfield: Wesley Sneijder will be the key man here. He is a set piece specialist who will be the primary play maker and will make the team tick. He has fantastic vision, passing and shooting along with good physical attributes and a high work rate. He is the perfect link from midfield to compliment my wingers and centre forward.

Owen Hargreaves will be my defensive midfielder who will sweep up everything on front of my back four. But he's not your typical 'destroyer' as he offers so much more than that. He's an excellent passer of the ball who will expertly link the play from defense to midfield. He had been out injured for a long time but he made a very successful comeback for Man City a couple of weeks ago. He scored a peach of a goal and had a 92% pass completion rate. Although he looked fresh and mobile in that match, he may have lost some of his previously very high physical attributes, but has evidently not lost any of his natural fooballing ability. I believe he is an excellent asset for one off games, which bodes well for my team in this competition as there is only a handful of potential games.

Completing my three man midfield will be Darren Fletcher. He has become a key player for Manchester United over the past few years and is a very good, consistent box to box player. He has excellent stamina, strength and work rate, is useful in the air and is also technically competent. I believe my midfield has an excellent balance with a defensive midfielder, box to box player and play maker and should be more than a match for any other midfield.


Wingers: Both my wingers are versatile enough to play on either wing. Which wing they will play on depends on the opposition. For example, if I came up against a team with Messi playing RW, I would definitely have Park Ji Sung on that side of the pitch. He is a superb defensive winger with work rate that you wouldn't believe. He has excellent stamina, is tactically very aware and has brilliant discipline. But he is not just a work horse, he is also very assured technichally, makes very intelligent forward runs and is notorious for scoring important goals in big games.

Adam Johnson is my other winger. He is a very talented player who also has good work rate. His link up play and vision are excellent. He also whips in a nice cross and you always know he has a goal or an assist in his locker.


Forward: Robin van Persie will lead my line as he does brilliantly for both Holland and Arsenal. He has not had a major injury in almost a year now and has flourished. He matched the Premier League record for goals scored between January 1 and the end of a season, netting 18 times in 19 appearances. What's more, he set a new record for scoring in 9 consecutive away matches. van Persie's quality has never been in doubt. He is an expert goal-taker and goal-maker with a penchant for free-kicks.


Captain - M. Desailly

Corner kicks - Sneijder and van Persie

Free kicks - Sneijder, van Persie, Hargreaves and Alex

Penalties - van Persie

ynwa_17

Attachment one is my team line up for this game, attachment two is the switch between 451 and 523. Sorry Im currently at work, I'll fix it up later.

Team:

Heurelho Gomes

Gael Givet

Glen Johnson

Martin Skrtel

Michael Dawson

Xavi

Gareth Barry

Gareth Bale

Stuart Downing

David Silva

Ian Rush



This team has quite a number of key strengths, strengths which will see them overcome quite a lot of tricky challenges. If we start from the back:



In Goal we have Huerelho Gomes. A man prone to the odd fumble and drop cross, but a keeper with a history of honours to match some of the very best. He played a key role in PSV’s surge to the Semi-Finals of the Champions League, where they were narrowly beaten by an AC Milan side filled with quality. In the same year and the same competition he saved two penalties in the shoot out against Lyon. He was an extremely influential member of the Tottenham side that gained qualification to the Champions League for the first time ever in the club’s history. The man has won 5 league titles in two different countries and won the Confederations Cup twice with Brazil. Say what you want about his reputation but he is as strong a keeper as they come.



Our centre back pairing of Martin Skrtel and Michael Dawson is up there with the best. Carlos Tevez once said of Dawson that he was “the best English defender I have played against" and I think it’s difficult to top that. Dawson has for long spells, been the most impressive English centre back in the league – Often overlooked by England based on the reputation of John Terry and Rio Ferdinand. That said, Dawson just carries on doing what he does best – Defending. Very few can match Dawson for brute strength and ability to read the game. Still only 27, he has his best years ahead of him.



Skrtel lacks the tactical knowledge of Dawson, but there aren’t many who have his ability to read a game. Like Gomes, he makes the odd slip up, but his consistency and tackling can not be doubted. His philosophy is ‘Get the ball at all costs’ and while it doesn’t always work out, it will compliment Dawson’s ability to clean up in behind him should anything go wrong.



At left back we have Gael Givet – A very underrated yet accomplished defender. Givet played a key role in Monaco’s shock Champions League campaign in 2003/2004, which saw them lose to Porto in the Final. The following year, Givet was one of the key performers in the Monaco defense, which saw him outshine Man United’s Patrice Evra. After a spell at Marseille, Givet found himself on loan then ultimately signing a permanent deal at Blackburn Rovers. A French international, his ability to play at both left back and centre back offers a huge versatility option to the side.



At right back, we have Liverpool and England defender Glen Johnson … Some say England’s answer to Dani Alves. An incredible player going forward, but his defensive abilities are often called in to question. Few can doubt Johnsons strength, pace and ability to cross a ball, which offers a very good outlet for the overlap with a team full of speedy wide men.



In midfield we have Gareth Barry. The left-footed midfielder had become one of the most reliable in the Premier League while at Villa and built a reputation for his versatility and consistency. His form did not go unnoticed by England boss Fabio Capello, who gave him a holding role in the centre of midfield. Barry has become one of the most influential midfielders in England over the past 5 or 6 seasons. As his career progressed throughout the noughties, the list of clubs tracking him grew and grew with the top 4 in England after him. 52 goals in 441 appearances for Villa saw him make the move to big spending Man City and their squad of superstars. Nevertheless, Barry established himself as the first name on the teamsheet missing just 7 league games in two seasons for the Citizens. Mark Hughes once said of Barry ''He just comes in and gets the job done on a daily basis. You can hang your hat on Gareth Barry - he's able to produce performance after performance and that is invaluable to any team." – That’s why he’s in my side.



Playing alongside Barry is Xavi. Very few compare to Xavi. He is the ideal grafter in the middle of Barca’s perfectly oiled machinery. Almost impossible to take the ball off him, he is technically probably the best midfielder of his kind in the world, and many still cannot see why he was not awarded the FIFA player of the year in 2010. He is also an amazingly clever player while defending, and manages to regain possession with relative ease, very rarely committing fouls. Sitting along side Barry in midfield, it gives us great protection in front of the defence and add to that his ability to go forward. His ability to link up with Silva, Bale and Downing will be paramount to our success in this competition. With 6 La Liga’s, 3 Champion’s Leagues, a World Cup and a European Championship just to name a few, few can touch Xavi for honours. Still only 31, Xavi has plenty of life left in him and should go on to become one of the legends of the game.



We move on to Stuart Downing. One of the key points about Stuart Downing is that he is consistent. He played 38 games last season for Villa in the league and over the past few years has averaged over 34 games per season in the league. That is a point that should not be overlooked. With a winger, one of the main things you need is consistency and with the English wideman that’s what you are getting. Downing's ability to cross the football is what he is known for, and for good reason. Downing put in 324 crosses last season, up there with the highest in the premier league. With the ability to play on both the left and the right, Downing offers both a versatile and exciting option.





On the other side we have Gareth Bale. After two inspired performances against the then European Champions, Gareth Bale’s praise soared through the roof. Two top quality performances against Inter Milan in the group stage of the Champions League threw him into a shower of admiration from the country’s press and pundits alike. Bale had shown in these two matches that he was perfectly capable of destroying any right back in the world. His change of pace was outstanding; his dribbling brilliant and the way he kept turning Maicon was frightening. With his frightening speed and willingness to run at and behind the full back, Bale offer’s a fantastic option outwide when combined with the passing ability of Xavi behind in and in along side him, the man I’ll move on to next, David Silva.



David Silva is capable of playing on the wing, as a striker or in the hole. Having spent 6 seasons at Valencia, winning the Copa Del Rey and helping Valencia to qualify for the Champions’ League in his last season before moving on to Man City where his career and reputation has only been boosted further. He played a key role in helping Man City to achieve their first every Champions League place with a stunning 15 assists in his first season in England. The diminutive figure also secured his first ever trophy in England, winning the FA Cup. Silva is the player that makes the City attack dangerous. The way that he is able to distribute the ball and find Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko in space is what makes this club go. Silva has created more goal scoring chances from open play than any other player in the Premier League this season. He’s not renowned for his pace, but he is startlingly quick along the ground. This is a good asset to have playing in his position off the striker because (a) it sometimes (depending on the strategy to deal with him) pushes up the defense to restrict the time and space the player has on the ball which then leads to (b) more opportunities to run beyond the defenses, particularly in between centre-backs and full-backs.



Last but not least, Ian Rush. Just one word is needed to describe Ian Rush's Liverpool career: goals. The Welshman scored 346 of them in 660 appearances, a club record which will take some beating. Nothing shakes the Kop more than a goal, and no one has caused quite so much structural damage to the famous stand as Rush. More importantly, his predatory instincts were instrumental in the Reds dominating the game for most of the 1980s. He was loved at Anfield, feared at every opposition ground and renowned throughout Europe. With 5 League titles, 3 FA Cups, 5 league cups and a European Cup topped off by being Liverpool’s top goalscorer of all time there is no one I’d rather have leading my line than Ian Rush.



Main Strengths:



Ability:



No one can doubt this side’s ability. Throughout the pitch, the side oozes quality. From the strength of Michael Dawson, to the speed of Glen Johnson, to the playmaker that is Xavi, the goalscoring ability of Ian and everything in between, the side is strong. Xavi and Silva will pull the strings going forward and with both of them combining, that should mean plenty of open space for Bale, Downing and Johnson (pushing forward) to run in to. That should mean plenty of goalscoring opportunities for Ian Rush and with a record like his, you wouldn’t bet against him to score. The passing ability of this side is second to none.



Versatility:



Another key strength of this team is versatility. With a small rejiggle of positions, this side can comfortably move from a 4231 to a 523 as shown below:








With Givet easily moving to central defense, we can drop Bale back and push Johnson forward. A 523 formation with Xavi pulling the string could tear sides apart. Without knowing the specific games, we will start with a 4231 but with the option of changing this should it not be working.

redzerdrog

very even match up here imo

keepers are level neither are 1st choice for their clubs

RB id have johnson over walker just slightly
LB givet or gibbs possibly gibbs narrowly
CB blatter wins out due to having desailly the other 3 cbs are fairly even

DM id have to go with barry over hargreaves
CM xavi>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>fletcher not even remotely close
AM silva > sneijder due to silva current form being far better

RW- park or downing both are out of position here but will call it a draw
LW- bale or johnson again I will call it a draw

CF- two fantastic players in rush and van persie and arguements can be made for either but i will have to call it a draw again

Overall I feel ynwa might nick this due to more creativity in midfield i like blatters front 4 also but they will have very little creativity coming from fletcher/hargreaves in midfield

Mitch Connor

Going for YNWA - Hargreaves has shown nothing in 3 years, Fletcher hasn't shown much i over a season. I think Silva is a better bet than Sneijder and Xavi is one of the very best in the world.

Bounty Hunter

This is really tough and has been made even tougher by RVP looking ncreasingly awesome by the game atm.

Personally I see this one as:

GK: even

Def: Desailly and co to win out here

Mid: Sneijder is awesome but Xavi & Silva win out here & Heargreaves is a ? for me

Att: even


Its the margin of difference in the centre of the park where I feel YNWA will win out and in a game filled with action (decent defenses could limit the scoring if on form) Rush would put away more chances.

tbh it was harder to vote on this one than any so far imo because there are so many unknowns i mean this match is the type that wouldnt have the same result if played twice imo.

G.K.

ynwa17

It's between the defences. Imo ynwa's is awful. Blatter's team will take their chances, even if they don't get many.

Big Pussy Bonpensiero

ynwa for me, Blatter's midf just doesn't cut the mustard. Flecther, Hargreaves and Park won't add much going forward, and I don't think is defence is good enough to handle ynwa's attack.

Blatter

Been busy the last couple of days so haven't had the chance to argue much...


I think my team as a whole defensively, is much more solid that ynwa's.

Why? My back 4 and goalkeeper are all reliable. They are well supplemented by two grafters in midfield and Park on the wing who is known for his defensive attributes. Sneijder is also known for putting his foot in and working hard for the team.



Silva, Xavi and Barry is obviously a very good midfield. Silva and Xavi are two of the best in the world at the moment, no question. But I do think having players like Fletcher and Hargreaves, is vital in stopping these guys getting into their rhythm. They will get about and make life difficult, and with Sneijder in there, I think I'd definitely get a decent chunk of possession. I'd concede that ynwa would overall get the better in midfield, but not to an extent where he'd completely dominate and win the match from there.

Bale is an obvious threat in ynwa's team. He's playing down the left hand side. Who do I have on the right? Park ji Sung and Walker. It's hard to find a better player than Park to track Bale and keep him quiet and Walker is in excellent form. He's strong, quick and has great stamina. Just what you need against Bale.

On the other side of the pitch, he has Downing, who is currently in poor form and many Pool fans aren't happy with him. I think Gibbs would handle him reasonably well, with Johnson giving him a hand the odd time.

Rush was excellent, but so was Desailly who I think, along with Alex, would be enough to keep him quiet.

Dawson is currently injured atm, but any Spurs fan will tell you he was in pretty poor form prior to the injury. Is there and chance himself, Skrtel and Glen Johnson is going to keep van Persie, Sneijder and Adam Johnson out? Not a chance imo.

Gomes is hardly going to breath confidence into the back 4 either, with him being prone to making high profile blunders and being generally inconsistent.


tl;dr

I think my team, as a whole defensively(it would be narrow minded to look at the back 4 in isolation) is set up well enough to have a chance of keeping ynwa's team scoreless.

Ynwa's team doesn't have a hope of keeping my team scoreless, imo and even if ynwa managed to score one, I think I'd manage at least two and win the game..

Blatter

I look like losing this one but I'll bump it anyway.

flahavaj

ynwa17

I think Blatter's back 6 have the solidity to nullify ynwa's threats and his front four could damage any defence. Blatter by a whisker.

ynwa_17

Looks like I won this?