Draft Knockout match 1: Jax Teller vs ITT Pat

Bounty Hunter

First off both Jax Teller & ITT Pat will get to reply showing us their teams and tactics for this fixture. Only after that will a poll be added for voting purposes.

You are to vote on which team you think would win in a straight Vs match up. What constitutes a team more likely to win is totaly up to each voters own discretion but perhaps you can be swayed by either posters write ups especially if you are not 100% familiar with a player in their team because after all any player from any era was eligible to be drafted in this draft so nobody is expected to recognize nor rate every single name.

In previous drafts only those taking part had their votes counted when cast...This is not the case this time, all votes from boards.ie posters will be counted once the polls are added. However in the case of a tied vote only those votes from people who explained why they voted in such a way on thread will count. Please if you aren't competing here don't post until their have done their write ups too

people dont have to agree with each others opinions and the draftee's are bound to defend their teams chances but lets try and not go round in circles arguing people and try and keep it civil. Once the two draftees have posted their sides and the write ups to go with them I (or another mod)will add the Polls and 48hrs for voting will begin.

Good luck fellas and have at it!

G.K.

Fwiw, it wasn't just partcipants' votes that counted before (May have been in the drafts before I took part), it was just anyone with an explanation. May want to update the op.

Jax Teller

Neuer

Bayern & Germany No.1 for the last few years and the best keeper in the world at the moment in my opinion. Bayern splashed out €22m for him making him the second most expensive goalkeeper ever.
Goalkeeper of the year in the Bundesliga this year.

Suurbier

He was so quick and had so much style, that he was the right back, right midfielder and right winger at the same time, he also had great stamina so getting back into position was no problem. Suurbier was a key member of the dominant Ajax side which won 6 consecutive Eredivisie titles & 3 consecutive European cups in the late 60s early 70s.

Santamaria
A strong, uncompromising player, known for his high stamina and consistency, he was indispensable for the Real Madrid team which won three consecutive European Cups, five La Liga titles and the World Club Cup. Should have won a World Cup in 1950 with Uruguay but his club wouldn't let him play in the tournament. One of a handful of players to have played at a World Cup for 2 different countries.

Lucio

A strong centre-back with a good aerial ability and ability to start attacks from the back. A great leader for his country Brazil. One of the best defenders of the last 10 or 12 years.

Marzolini

A left back who starred for Argentina through the 1960s with defensive strength and aerial ability with great skill on the ball and an attacking instinct which gave him huge influence over the whole left side of the pitch.
(Bobby Charlton named him in the back 4 for his perfect 11 alongside Djalma Santos, Beckenbauer & Bobby Moore. I'll take his word that he was very good.)

Deschamps (C)

Deschamps a World cup and European championship winning captain, kept Makelele out of the French team for years , that proves how good he was to me .A player once described as a water carrier by Eric Cantona. Basically his job is to protect the back 4 and give the attacking players the ball to play with and he does a pretty good job of that.

Pirlo

Simply put one of the finest deep lying playmaker to have played the game. Praised for his technique, dribbling, control, incredible vision, inventive play and his accurate passing ability, he is also a set-piece specialist and is known for his long distance shooting and passing. A key player in the Italian national team since his debut in 2002, Pirlo won the 2006 World Cup and put in some wonderful performances in helping his side to the final of Euro 2012 where they were beaten by Spain.

Iniesta

Guardiola once said to this Xavi about Iniesta “You're going to retire me. This lad is going to retire us all." One of the most important players behind Barcelona’s & Spain’s success over the past 6 or 7 years. Versatile, intuitive, masterful, a midfield maestro.

Ribery

Fast, tricky and an excellent dribbler he has great control with the ball at his feet. Many would have questioned his defensive work rate before this season but he has improved on that massively. Whether he’s cutting in onto his favoured right foot or going down the line with his left foot he is always a danger. Voted Bundesliga player of the year for 12/13

Bale

Excellent going forwards, with a goal-scoring touch. He can deliver a great cross on the run and he is also a free-kick specialist. Maybe some will say he can’t play on the right but I feel he has proven over the past year or 2 he can play there.
PFA Player of the year for 12/13

Ronaldo

One of the most complete strikers of all time, 467 goals in 678 games for club & country. Record goal scorer in World Cup history. Pacey, intelligent, skilful & an excellent finisher. One of 3 players to win have won Fifa World player of the year 3 times.

Bit of useless trivia : My first 3 picks Roanldo, Iniesta & Pirlo have been the Man of the Match in the last 3 World Cup Finals.

I'd like to see Itt-Pat team ( Have seen his 11 players but not sure how he is going to lineup) before I make any comments on tactics.

Best of Luck Pat .

ITT-Pat

Peter Shilton - Shilton enjoyed a 31-year career, playing 1005 league games, and 1237 games overall, more than any other player. He was 47 when he hung up his boots. He also played a record 125 times for England, despite competition from the likes of Banks and Ray Clemence throughout his career. He was part of Brian Clough's all-conquering Nottingham Forest side, where his honours included two European Cups. He was also named the PFA Player of the Year in 1978.

Sergio Ramos - Ramos has been mainstay for Real Madrid and Spain since the age of 19. His honours include three La Liga titles, two European Championships and a World Cup. For a defender, he has a very keen eye for goal, with 44 goals which will be key as his forward runs will be needed due to my team lacking width. At age 27 he already has 103 international caps.

Ronald Koeman - During his career, Koeman won two European Cup titles, five Dutch championships, three Dutch Cups, four Spanish championships, a Spanish Cup and he was also in the winning Dutch national team at the Euro 1988. Even though he was a defender he had a fantastic shot and scored 223 goals in his career and his ventures forward will play a key part in my team's quest for opening up the opposition.

Sol Campbell - Sol Campbell has been one of the greatest defenders of the Premier League era honours include two Premier League titles and four FA Cups. He was also the first player to represent England on the pitch at six consecutive international tournaments.

Roberto Carlos - My incredibly fast left back will also be crucial up and down the wing supplementing the team's lack of width. In 573 club games, scoring 65 goals, his honours included four La Liga titles and three European Cup and with Brazil he won the 2002 World Cup while collecting 125 caps.

Clarence Seedorf - Seedorf is littered with a vast array of titles having won league titles in four different countries as well as four European Cups with three different clubs. His work ethic and energy will be key in my teams battle to stifle Ribery and Bale.

Paul Scholes - Described by many as the greatest midfielder of his generation, Scholes is one of the very best passers of the ball there has ever been and is certainly adept at controlling a game. Scholes spent 19 years at Old Trafford and etched his name into the history of the club. He is one of the most decorated players in English football history having won eleven Premier League Titles, three FA Cups, two League Cups and two European Cups. Early in his career, as an attacking midfielder, Scholes had an uncanny knack of being in the right place at the right time, ghosting into the box to score numerous goals from midfield. He then became a playmaker, sitting deep and dictating play with raking passes, this was a mark of his exceptional ability and quality. Zinedine Zidane called Scholes the “complete footballer”. Xavi labelled Scholes as his role model and Pep Guardiola believed Scholes is the best midfielder of his generation. He will be key to my team in retaining possession and also to release Platini, Weah and Raul.

David Beckham - David Beckham is one of the greatest crossers of the ball and free-kick takers that has ever played the game, as evidenced by him being third in the Premier League's all time time assist provider chart, with 152 assists in 265 appearances. With United, he won the Premier League title six times, the FA Cup twice, and the European Cup. He also won a La Liga title during his time with Madrid. At international level, the former England captain has won 115 caps, which is a record for an outfield player. He twice came second in the World Player of the Year award, behind Rivaldo in 1999 and behind Figo in 2001.

Michel Platini - Platini is considered one of the best passers and free-kick artists ever and, despite being a midfielder, has scored the second most goals for the French National team. Over the course of four years at Juventus, he won two Serie A titles, one European Cup, and a Cup winners Cup. Despite being a midfielder, he was Serie A's top-scorer three times and was awarded three Ballon d'Ors on the spin. For France, he won the 1984 European Championship, where he finished top-scorer with nine goals, a sum yet to be equalled in the competition.

George Weah - Weah was a forward of exceptional pace and talent and was immense at his peak. He is the only African to have to win FIFA World Player of the Year, an award accompanied by the Ballon d’Or, European Footballer of the Year and, naturally, African Footballer of the Year.

Raul - Raul notched up 741 appearances for Real after making his debut for the first-team in 1994 and there is no doubting his scoring record as he netted 323 times for Madrid and holds the record of all-time top La Liga scorer for Real Madrid with 227, a record previously held by Alfredo di Stefano. He is also the European Cup and Champions League's all-time record scorer. During his career his honours include six La Liga titles and three European Cups. His strengths were that he was very quick and creative, incredibly clever, and a very potent finisher in front of goal.

Jax Teller

Game plan.

I aim to play a high pressure possesion based game like Barca or Spain but with a more direct attack utlising the pace of Ribery, Bale & Ronaldo . With Pirlo & Iniesta pulling the strings in midfield & Deschamps there to mop up any danger ,I believe I've got a great chance of suceeding with that against Pat .

I believe I am set up quite well to deal with & exploit Pats team . Will go into greater detail in the morning .

Oh just let me say this I think he's has drafted some fantastic players but I just feel I've got a greater balance to my side . He could have done with a dedicated defensive midfielder in there .

Donnielighto

Jax for me, not a huge fan of his team and think ribery is too inconsistent but bale would murder carlos. more balance to his tema as well, dont hink eitehr of these teams will get past the next round though, both have serious problems as they are linin up. Pat could have done with a bigger physical presence up front as well, will be some decent crosses coming from his right flank

Jax Teller

You're entitled to your opinion regarding Ribery but I couldn't disagree with it more .
37 goals & 69 assists in his last 125 appearances for Bayern . That seem pretty consistent to me .

Donnielighto

Jax Teller wrote: »

You're entitled to your opinion regarding Ribery but I couldn't disagree with it more .
37 goals & 69 assists in his last 125 appearances for Bayern . That seem pretty consistent to me .

it isnt actually, game to game is consistency, brilliant on his day though

Trippie

Watched Seedorf at milan for years and dont think I have ever seen him make a tackle. If he is guarding the defense and doesnt tackle does that mean scholes will be left to make the tackles? Thats a red card waiting to happen there

LuckyLloyd

Dreadful matchup for ITT - he'll get cruxified on the break and Koeman can be pressured by that front three..

Moneymaker

Jax 2/3-0. He literally has the perfect team to play against Pats. There will be so much space for Iniesta and Pirlo to pick out passes for Ronaldo and co to do the damage.

Knex*

Against another team ITT-Pat could have caused a good few problems but I think the way Jax is set up and the obvious mismatch with Seedorf in the holding role, Jax is going to win this one for me.

IncognitoMan

Jax for me. I feel he has better balance.

redzerdrog

pat just about edges this for me, i cant have bale on the right wing what so ever think it is a major weakness to have him here

G.K.

As others have said, a torrid matchup for Pat. Jax to dominate the flanks and the ball too, because Pirlo and Iniesta should have a bunch of space to work their magic. Just unlucky who he was up against.

Jax Teller

redzerdrog wrote: »

pat just about edges this for me, i cant have bale on the right wing what so ever think it is a major weakness to have him here

Why is it weakness ? He's played there before and done well . It enables him to cut in onto his left foot and take a shot and as we've seen before he has quite a good left foot .
Ribery, Robben & Ronaldo all play in a similar manner and do it well .

I actually think it is a plus up against Roberto Carlos and no specialist Dm to put the tackles in .

redzerdrog

Jax Teller wrote: »

Why is it weakness ? He's played there before and done well . It enables him to cut in onto his left foot and take a shot and as we've seen before he has quite a good left foot .
Ribery, Robben & Ronaldo all play in a similar manner and do it well .

I actually think it is a plus up against Roberto Carlos and no specialist Dm to put the tackles in .

Because I wouldn't class him as a right winger and he rarely plays there he might have the ability to do so but his best form is certainly not from the right wing. You had the choice of any player in the history of the game yet choose to play someone out of position which I think is a lack of planning in selecting the team i think someone he isnt a great pick anyway but to pick him and play him out of position adds zero value to the team. Someone like Steve McManaman might have been a better fit for your team in my opinion

Jax Teller

redzerdrog wrote: »

Because I wouldn't class him as a right winger and he rarely plays there he might have the ability to do so but his best form is certainly not from the right wing. You had the choice of any player in the history of the game yet choose to play someone out of position which I think is a lack of planning in selecting the team i think someone he isnt a great pick anyway but to pick him and play him out of position adds zero value to the team. Someone like Steve McManaman might have been a better fit for your team in my opinion

I've stated why I picked Bale & Ribery before .Macca doesnt offer me what i was looking for .You have made your choice as you're entitled to do so but discounting Bale is wrong IMO .
Anyway moving on .

jem

ITT's team can easly move into a 3 at the abck with Koman as def mid.
Think his team will score goals with that 3 in attack.
Think weakness in Becham/scoles midfield as very little protection there- neither could tackle a granny.
Type of game that could end up a 3-3 draw with ITT going through on peno's

Amirani

For me it has to be Jax. His midfield trio of Pirlo, Iniesta and Deschamps should have plenty of the ball with none of Pat's midfield being the sort of types that are good at disrupting possession. As a result, the great attacking trio he's assembled will have plenty of opportunities to get at Pat's defense. Carlos has never been the best defensively, and Ribery has done well against Ramos before.

I'm a big fan of Pat's team in many ways. A midfield featuring Scholes, Platini and Seedorf would be a joy to watch, they're all excellent players. Beckham is an okay pick, but not at the expense of a combative midfielder in this case. Even someone like Gattuso, while not a legend of the game as such, would've added more to the team than Becks. Raul and Weah are a good strike force that would definitely cause Jax's defense problems given the chance. I just don't think they'd get enough chances to do so in this instance.

Prediction: Jax Teller 2-0 ITT-Pat

Skylinehead

jem wrote: »

ITT's team can easly move into a 3 at the abck with Koman as def mid.
Think his team will score goals with that 3 in attack.
Think weakness in Becham/scoles midfield as very little protection there- neither could tackle a granny.
Type of game that could end up a 3-3 draw with ITT going through on peno's

That could work if Roberto Carlos wasn't the LB, if it was someone like Maldini then a back 3 of him, Campbell and Ramos would do the job with Koeman in midfield.

homerjay2005

ITT-Pat to edge it for me. Ribery and Bale would be looking to cut in an awful lot and Pat's compact team would be very effective in combatting that. Also the times that they do go down the by-line and cross it in could still see Ronaldo a bit isolated in the middle. Going forward, Weah, Raul and Platini could have a field day especially with some pinpoint passes coming from Scholes and Beckham

Jax Teller

homerjay2005 wrote: »

ITT-Pat to edge it for me. Ribery and Bale would be looking to cut in an awful lot and Pat's compact team would be very effective in combatting that. Also the times that they do go down the by-line and cross it in could still see Ronaldo a bit isolated in the middle. Going forward, Weah, Raul and Platini could have a field day especially with some pinpoint passes coming from Scholes and Beckham

How exactly would he be effective at combatting Ribery & Bale cutting in ? None of his midfielders are great at tackling or defending .
Scholes & Beckham need the ball to use their pinpoint accuracy and I don't think he'll have enough of that to cause me too much trouble .

I honestly see my team dominating possession and winning easily enough . If he went to 3 at back I could see it being even worse .

PerrinV2

Gone for Jax's team,I feel the likes Pirlo and Iniesta might have end up having too much time on the ball to pick out the runs of of Ronaldo and co up top.
Huge fan of Pirlo too.

Insane Rambling

Jax's team for me, Pirlo and Iniesta would be afforded too much time on the ball matched up against Beckham and Scholes and with no out and out holding midfielder I think they would be much too open.

Don't see the problem with having Bale on the right myself, just allows him to cut in and unleash that left peg or going down the line and crossing with the outside of the left boot as he was doing more and more last season to good effect.

Bounty Hunter

very close game imo but i'd be going with Jax mostly because of his Central trio of Deschamp, Pirlo and Iniesta who will imo allow him to control possesion as despite Pat having great midfielders none of them are defensive ball winners and looking at his tactics I think Seedorf or Scholes could struggle trying to fill that role for his side. Bale & Ribery might not e perfect for this game but with a solid defense I think they will get enough ball to create enough chances for Ronaldo to win this. that said it's a game that in reality could go either way and Weah / Raul being backed by such creative / attacking quality from midfield could lead to goals so I feel bad almost going against Pat here.

eagle eye

Jax Teller wrote: »

How exactly would he be effective at combatting Ribery & Bale cutting in ? None of his midfielders are great at tackling or defending .
Scholes & Beckham need the ball to use their pinpoint accuracy and I don't think he'll have enough of that to cause me too much trouble .

I honestly see my team dominating possession and winning easily enough . If he went to 3 at back I could see it being even worse .

Well I have to say that I've never seen Bale play much where you have him and Ribery is a very in and out player. Great one day, awful the next so he really isn't the greatest. In fact I was very surprised to see him drafted in this thing. Also Iniesta favours the left too and you have him playing more to the right which for me does not suit him.

If you had Bale playing down the left I think things would be different but the way you have set up your team just doesn't fill me with confidence. For me ITT-Pat wins this because your attack doesn't work well together.

Big Pussy Bonpensiero

Jax at a canter.

eagle eye

THFC wrote: »

Jax at a canter.

Can you explain your reasoning for that? Its just that I see four players that lean towards the left side in attack(Bale, Iniesta, Ronaldo and Ribery) and I just cannot see how that will can work.

Jax Teller

eagle eye wrote: »

Well I have to say that I've never seen Bale play much where you have him and Ribery is a very in and out player. Great one day, awful the next so he really isn't the greatest. In fact I was very surprised to see him drafted in this thing.

If you had Bale playing down the left I think things would be different but the way you have set up your team just doesn't fill me with confidence. For me ITT-Pat wins this because your attack doesn't work well together.

Well I've seen him play there a few times before for example when Spurs beat City towards the end of the season he setup and scored one goal from the right wing another was his goal against Southampton & another goal he scored from the right wing was against Sunderland on the final day of the season .

My attack works perfectly IMO they're both inverted wingers the idea is for them to cut in onto their stronger foot and with Bale explosive pace it will be difficult to stop him coming inside and getting shots off or slipping in Ronaldo .

There's a video of all Bales goals this season quite a few of them come from the right wing . That's just his goals I'm sure I could find more of him playing well from the right if i was to look .

I'm a bit perplexed why you vote for Pat because of my attack not working ? What about his midfield ? How is he going to win the ball back off of me ?Pirlo & Iniesta will have a field day in there . Not one of his midfield are known for their tackling or defending .

I am pie

A back 4 of Carlos, Koeman, Ramos and Campbell could be a dream or a nightmare. Each one of those players has the potential for a gaff at that back, even Koeman whose real strength was his ability to play the ball out.

There isn't anyone in midfield to stabilise that progressive minded back 4. Scholes, Seedorf and beckham aren't a good blend in a mf 3. Take Seedorf out and throw someone more like Roy Keane in and you'd have a more convincing case. He'd provide some stability to that luxurious back 4.

Bale would have enough pace and physicality to shut down Carlos, who I think was vastly over rated in his defensive capabilities. Ribery would definitely keep Ramos occupied so I would question where the width would come from given that the midfield is going to struggle without an out and out anchor. I think that team would struggle with possession with Platini sitting in front of the 2 English lads and Seedorf.

Bale or Ribery to drag Sol Campbell out of position and isolate Ronaldo one on one against Koeman , Ronaldo has the pace and dribbling ability to leave Koeman flat. Iniesta playing 1-2´s in and around the box with Ronaldo would give any defence a long day.

Jax has it.

Winston Payne

This is a massacre in favour of Jax. ITT Pat's midfield is totally unbalanced, he has no natural ballwinner. The space granted to Pirlo and Iniesta will be ridiculous, and Pirlo could easily end up dropping back to form a double pivot with Deschamps, allowing Iniesta to join a forward band of three behind the striker, with the potential interchanging and dribbling threat that that three would be provide being ludicrously potent. ITT Pat would have no way of disrupting it either, Seedorf isn't a holding player.

Don't like Beckham in this at all to be honest, he was never a central midfielder by any stretch of the imagination and he lacks the class to hack it in this company. If he's pushed wider it only opens more space inside. He won't be able to push on much anyway with the threat of Ribery and Marzolini supporting.

Neither Scholes nor Platini will see enough of the ball to feed the front two, which is potent. Ribery against Ramos and Bale against Carlos is carnage from the defensive side of things. Given the service that Ronaldo would receive, this is a very lopsided scoreline in prospect. 3 or 4-1 to Jax.

Morte

Another vote for an emphatic victory for Jax. That midfield just looks horribly unbalanced and I think Jax has more quality as well. I felt a few picks like Scholes, Weah and Beckham, while certainly not bad players, were poor value for the round they went in.

Bounty Hunter

With 58% of the vote Jax Teller is into the quater-finals, hard luck Pat