Draft Last 16: Ferris Bueller vs Frankie Lee

Frankie Lee

This game will be up and running so. Poll will be added when both teams are up, but votes in the thread with a little reasoning will be the ones that count towards the winner.
Voting finishes 24 hours after the second player's team is announced.

Ferris_Bueller

No time like the present! Not sure if you wanted me to post it on this thread but someone can copy and paste it into another match thread if needs be.



Tactics:

Was sort of guessing what team Frankie will play but since he has already PM'd that onto Skylinehead he can't change it. What stands out about his team is that he has the strongest centre half pairing in the tournament (McGrath & Kompany) so therefore I'm making it my aim to exploit him down the wings where he is relatively weak in Gary Kelly and Alexander Kolarov. I believe I have the best wingers in the tournament in Giggs and Ljungberg and they should cause big problems to his full backs and make Kompany/McGrath push wide leaving gaps for Michael Owens pace. Neither of us have the strongest midfield, so I've gone for 3 in the middle, Song to provide a lot of energy and his primary job will be keeping tabs on Scholes and closing him down at every opportunity, while Ballack will provide more steel and creativity from the middle and also a goal threat. I'm not too worried about Fernandinho who has played very few PL games and Gravesen (although doubt he will play) who had a short peak. Barry will be the anchor allowing my two full backs to attack and support my wingers as I really think Kelly & Kolarov will struggle with Giggs/Riise on the left and Ljungberg/Coleman on the right.

Defensively Vidic and Cahill should be very solid, both defenders are good in the air which will be one of Ferdinands main threats, while Barry and also Song should be able to provide a good shield in front of the back four when my team is on the back foot.

Overall I think my team has plenty of experience, with over 25 Premier league titles between them all and 5 Champions League titles too, Michael Owen may struggle to lead the line but his blistering pace will cause problems for any defender in this draft, particularly if Kompany and McGrath are having to help deal with my wingers. In their prime both Giggs and Ljungberg chipped in with their fare share of goals and my defenders all have decent goalscoring records for defenders, with Vidic and Cahill being dangerous from set pieces (also Riise with his powerful free kicks). My team is physically strong through the middle and can also play the ball around, they have a lot of pace down the wings and up front which should stretch Frankies defence quite a bit.

Probably left a few things out but just want to get this started, over to you Frankie, best of luck!

Frankie Lee

I have a lot of respect for Ferris Bueller's squad and believe that they are two fairly well matched teams. However I believe that my team will slightly stronger in the key areas through the middle.

Joe Hart has been a very good keeper in the Premier League even with the criticism he receives but I think the form of De Gea since the 2012/13 season has shown he is capable of performing to a higher level than Hart.

My central defensive pairing is my strongest area, Paul McGrath is God while Kompany is a complete defender who is a fantastic leader. Both are excellent in the air, deceptively quick and just very very very excellent. They should be able to deal with whatever forwards are thrown at them.

My full backs are average and will come under pressure. Kolarov was a risky pick but I consider him a very underrated footballer who has two league medals to his name and played an important role in last seasons success playing 30 games. He is allowed attack. Gary Kelly has to focus solely on Giggs.

Midfield I have Scholes. Scholes dictates games better than anyone who has ever played in the Premier League, he can't be touched. Fernandinho is a player who covers loads of ground, is technically excellent and very quick. He played a crucial role in City's title win last season and they struggled in any game he was missing in. He will provide great cover for the full backs. Poyet possesses a major goalscoring threat from midfield and will be very helpful attacking and defending set pieces.

Joe Cole's cleverness will cause trouble for Seamus Coleman's defensive naivety. Robben will destroy Riise who Rafa Benitez would usually play left midfield rather than left back. If his full backs go forward he is in trouble.

For the first 5 season's of the Premier League Les Ferdinand was second only to Alan Shearer in goal scoring, more prolific than whatever striker Ferris has to offer. He has the pace to trouble Vidic and the cleverness and physicality to expose Cahill.

Overall I think I can just about edge this, barely, hopefully.

Liam O

It's tough but I have to give it to Ferris. Robben and Cole aren't who I'd want up against the wingers that Ferris has. His wingers will track back more to help the full backs which neither team is strongest with.

Edit: mixed up the CBs but as I said below there is a lot more of a stable base in front of Ferris' CBs and the wide players being able to contribute at both ends will win it for him.

Junior D

I think I'm going to have to go with Frankie Lee

From my viewpoint, I see two pretty evenly matched teams but with contrasting styles of play. Ferris' team looks set up to play a more contain and counter attack style of football whereas Frankie's team looks a more attack minded control team.

I suppose the points that came to mind for me when I was imagining a match between the teams were:
> I see Kolarov as a serious weak-link in Frankie's team. But thats about the only "weak" link I think he has. Kelly is a solid under-rated full-back who can hold his own and do a job without ever really standing out. I do think Kolarov would struggle with a peak Ljungberg, but then thats where McGrath and Kompany would come in. Ljungberg liked to make diagonal runs in behind the defence, but I think with the awareness and positional sense Frankie's centre-backs have, they could negate that. I also struggle to see where these passes would come from.

> As this is based on peak PL ability, I actually think Ballack was never consistently stand-out during his time in the premierleague with Chelsea. Therefore I think that although he would be seen as the main driving force of the midfield, he would struggle to impose himself on a peak Scholes would be dominant and assisted by a great player in Poyet

> The most poignant aspect that made my decision however was 3 of Ferris' back 4 in Riise, Cahill and Coleman. Robben would have a field day in the space allowed by Coleman if Coleman was to move forward as he does now. If Coleman was to stay back, it would take away variation from Ferris' team making them narrower and more easily dealt with. Riise is solid and has the ability to produce something spectacular, or else that small lapse in concentration and can allow the opposition to take advantage. As regards Cahill, I think he's looked good in solid Chelsea teams at times. He can be very error prone, especially if a big physical challenge with outside pace is put up to him. Ferdinand would really upset him, and I think with Cole's trickery and intelligence with Robben's pace, its just too much to cope with for Ferris Bueller's team


In saying all this, it really could go either way and I wouldn't be surprised if Frankie lost.
A 2-1 result for me with Robben and Ferdinand for Frankie and Owen for Ferris

A_Sober_Paddy

Liam O wrote: »

It's tough but I have to give it to Ferris. Robben and Cole aren't who I'd want up against the wingers that Ferris has. His wingers will track back more to help the full backs which neither team is strongest with. Owen might be isolated but up against Cahill and Vidic I think he is well matched. Both teams have pretty strong CBs but I think Kompany and McGrath shade it up against Ferdinand more than Vidic and Cahill up against Owen who was a phenom when he first came to prominence.

But Ferris' full backs are pretty much wing backs, very very attack minded i think Robben would rip both of them apart.

Also with Schools and Poyet attacking from deep with pull backs from Cole and Robben with any rebounds falling to the feet of Les i feel Frankie's side would cause all sorts of trouble against Riise, Coleman, Vidic and Cahill...

With Ferris strenght mainly lying out wide in attack i feel Owen will not be able to utilize the crosses when competting against McGrath and Vidic, how he'll have them for pace, but with him on his own, i feel they could handle him pretty well.

Frankie's team looks a tad more balanced to me, although not a massive fan of fernadiniho, but other than than its a solid side

If this was to be played today it would be very interesting to watch...reckon it could have a few goals in it...

Liam O

A_Sober_Paddy wrote: »

But Ferris' full backs are pretty much wing backs, very very attack minded i think Robben would rip both of them apart.

Also with Schools and Poyet attacking from deep with pull backs from Cole and Robben with any rebounds falling to the feet of Les i feel Frankie's side would cause all sorts of trouble against Riise, Coleman, Vidic and Cahill...

With Ferris strenght mainly lying out wide in attack i feel Owen will not be able to utilize the crosses when competting against McGrath and Vidic, how he'll have them for pace, but with him on his own, i feel they could handle him pretty well.

Frankie's team looks a tad more balanced to me, although not a massive fan of fernadiniho, but other than than its a solid side

If this was to be played today it would be very interesting to watch...reckon it could have a few goals in it...

If Robben and Cole where to stay forward which Robben always does and is all Cole's legs allow then Frankie has a big problem with Giggs and Ljungberg having all kinds of space with Coleman and Riise getting up. I think Ferris has set up his team well being solid in the middle which will deal with a lot of Cole and Robben's runs inside which they like to do and the pace up front would push him through.

redzerdrog

I can't decide at the moment and will have to consider it.

Some of the issues I have are:

I think ferris team would have been better going with Yorke rather than Ballack. Ballack for me was on the wain for chelsea and i think Barry and Song would have actually worked well in a Midfield two. I also think yorke would have brought out the best Owen but the way it is set up isnt suited to Owen's Strengths.

I really like Ljunberg in this team but I think there will be an over reliance on him for the goals in this side. Saying that id expect him to tear Kolorov a new one. On the other side Giggs was a fantastic professional but i think would have been better in a 4-4-2, in his role in this team he doesnt score enough goals for me, i think in his 22 years he only broke double figures twice. I think Kelly is maybe a bit under rated here and I can see him doing quite well against giggs.

I like ferris centre back partnership and think it is well balanced and perfect for dealing with Ferdinand to be honest.

For me Frankies use of Scholes is criminal. You have a peak Scholes available and he should be used in the position he was world class in that is where poyet is playing. To pick the Scholes that moved backed to the playmaker role is crazy. Early Scholes >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Later Scholes imo he was a bit over rated in the playmaker role but was exceptional in the earlier AM role.

I also don't like Joe Cole in this on the left, I really don't think it would work too well with Ferdinand. However I really like Robben and expect him to tear Riise a new one.

Again I like 3 of Frankies defence.

They just my thaughts so far haven't decided who I think wins yet unfortunetly

A_Sober_Paddy

Liam O wrote: »

If Robben and Cole where to stay forward which Robben always does and is all Cole's legs allow then Frankie has a big problem with Giggs and Ljungberg having all kinds of space with Coleman and Riise getting up. I think Ferris has set up his team well being solid in the middle which will deal with a lot of Cole and Robben's runs inside which they like to do and the pace up front would push him through.

Accept your point, but with Kelly at right back he won't be gonig to too far forward. Despite the 3 talented players up front for Ferris, i just feel that owen up front on his own against frankie's centre halves nullifies the threat from crosses...Its a side with 4 wingers and a striker who is shorter than both centre backs and his on his own, just feel it he had a striker with more presence his side would be more of a treat from all this talent on the flanks...

I think cole enjoys going to the byline and Ferdinand will be very dangers causing trouble, any balls that break on the edge of the box, bang poyet...

Brien

I vote frankie lee, coz I really like the look of his spine. Better keeper, kompany and mcgrath were beasts that could ruin a strikers day. Fernandinho and scholes are both so tidy and smart, ending up with Ferdinand. Robben on the side is obviously a massive threat too.

Pro. F

It looks to me that both teams are solid, but lacking in certain areas.

Frankie's lacks strong defensive players in midfield, and added to his wingers, that will leave them a bit exposed imo. He has a very good CB pair.

I think Ferris's team lacks that creative spark in the centre three, but I don't think his full-backs are as much of a problem as others do, especially with such a hard working midfield.

I think both teams have nice forward lines that would click.

Neither manager has gone into much detail about their gameplan, whether they'll look to control the game or play on the counter; short passing or long; high defensive line or deep; etc. So I'm going to assume that it will be standard PL style of relatively compact defence and attacking mostly on the counter, rather than looking to monopolise the ball. In that sort of end-to-end game I think Ferris's team's shape, considering all 5 midfielders on both teams, would be more reliable and so that would be the difference.

My vote: Ferris_Bueller

cj maxx

Cant really say why , but i've read others opinions and though it prob wont count , i vote for...... Ferris bueller
Very solid in defence but a pontent attack

bucketybuck

Regarding Frankie's team, weaknesses are Kolerov, Fernandinho and Cole. Kolerov isn't even a regular for his team while there are a lot of wide players I'd have picked ahead of Joe Cole, a player that never really fulfilled his potential.

For Ferris, I think Owen looks very isolated there, he will get gobbled up by McGrath/Kompany. On the other hand even on a bad day Ferdinand will be a handful for Vidic and Cahill. Riise and Coleman are also a problem, the likes of Robben will destroy either of them. I agree with the other poster, Ferris should have played Yorke up with Owen in a 442, the team would look a lot stronger then.

I'm going to vote for Frankie, the spine of his team looks very strong and Ferris hasn't really got a team that targets his weaknesses.

Chrissybhoy

Very evenly matched I went through it and I just go for ferris because of the top 3 I think his wingers have his full backs all day and as the game goes on Owen pace to get down the sides of frankies centre backs will tell. Frankies team just doesn't cause as much problems for me. So ferris just for me.

Iused2likebusts

Frankie would get my vote. The problem with ferris team is Owen up front on his own. To get the best out of ljunberg who likes to come off his wing you need a player with better hold up play than Owen. Frankie has a good CB partnership to deal with owens strengths. Kolarov while a bit of an issue defensively will supply great service to ferdinand and will have a lot of space to run into with cole cutting inside.I think Frankies team has a good chance of a clean sheet so would go for a narrow 1 0 win for Frankie.

Winston Payne

There used to be a lot of rubbish here, but it's gone now.

Liam O

Think you may have got the teams mixed up there Winston.

(I did the same last night)

Winston Payne

Liam O wrote: »

Think you may have got the teams mixed up there Winston.

(I did the same last night)

D-don't know what you're talking about.


EDIT: Discard my vote. I've had a mare, mixed up both teams, voted for the wrong person. Oh dear.

Frankie Lee

Nah it counts as a vote for Ferris, 5 a piece by my reckoning now.

IncognitoMan

My vote goes to Frankie Lee.

Think robben would have a field day with a player like Scholes playing passes into him. For me Scholes and the centre back pairing of McGrath and Kompany end up being the difference between these two sides. It's tight but I'll just give it to Frankie Lee.

redzerdrog

I think Ferris just edges this 1-0 for me.

eagle eye

I gotta give it to Frankie and it's because I just cannot see Coleman and Riise doing well as proper full backs in a four man defence. I can see Robben having far too much space and opening up things up.

eagle eye

Also I love that the results of the poll are hidden.

A_Sober_Paddy

redzerdrog wrote: »

I think Ferris just edges this 1-0 for me.

Any reasoning?

Frankie Lee

Post 8 of the thread he gives analysis so it counts.

redzerdrog

A_Sober_Paddy wrote: »

Any reasoning?

Yeh post #8 in the thread was hoping both guys might have put their case forward a bit more to change my mind one way or another. It is that close and initially I was siding with Frankie but think Ferris just about shades it mainly due to Ljungberg V Kolorov

Blue giant

I voted Frankie. I just see Robben tearing either Riise or Coleman a new one. Scholes will be able to control the game as well.

DerekDGoldfish

I think Frankie Lee has a far stronger spine down the middle of the team a peak scholes is better than anyone in Ferries team and a peak Robben and Ferdinand should cause significant problems.

So Frankie to win 2-0

Frankie Lee

Just over 3 hours to go, I lead by 2.

artanevilla

Ferris for me. Think Ballack, Song and Barry would control that midfield and be able to get the ball wide to exploit the weakness of the full backs I see in Frankies team. However I'm not sure Owen will be particulularly effective against the height of both Kompany and McGrath and McGrath was no slouch either.

If Frankie's wingers can get the ball to Ferdinand in the air, I think Vidic and Cahill will be exposed.

I'd say 1-1 really but Ferris to nick it 1-0, after controlling the midfield, nicking an early goal from a Ballack/Barry free kick and then sitting back for the remainder.

highgiant1985

My thoughts:

I like Ferris_Buellers set up with Owen up front and Giggs / Ljungberg they would cause problems for a lot of defense and I do see them scoring. That said Frankie Lees defense looks well balanced to me. I see Ferriss attack scoring 1 as Owen at his prime with Giggs / Ljungberg at prime would definitely create chances against any defense. Dea Gea while a good keeper can't save everything.

Frankie Lee has a nice attacking treat with Ferdinand and Robben (and Joe Cole who while a talented player can be disappointing IMO). I'm not sure Ferdinand would get much luck from Vidic and Cahill in defense but Ferris team as set up wouldn't IMO be able to contain Robben who is sure to get free at some stages so they would score at least 1 as well I reckon. Hart is not as strong as Dea Gea but still a good keeper and more than capable of being a solid performer in the side.

1-1 at this stage.

Midfield: Barry Song and Ballack is a strong solid midfield hard working and talented. Fernandinho Poyet and Scholes just have that bit more for me though with primarily Scholes being the difference between the two midfields. I think he'd be the difference needed to help Frankies team score a second and win 2-1.

So very close but for me its Frankie Lee to win 2-1.

highgiant1985

Frankie Lee wrote: »

Just over 3 hours to go, I lead by 2.

I was tempted to vote against you as you were only 1 ahead just to see what happens if it finishes in a draw :P but Scholes / Robben were just too good IMO. I could well see the game in real life finishing a draw but if there was a winner I'd see Scholes / Robben more likely to come up with the goods.

Frankie Lee

I win 9 votes to 7.

Thanks to Ferris Bueller for a very competitive game played in a good spirit and for putting in a fair bit of effort the last month in selecting his team. It has been a bit of a gruelling affair. Hopefully the other last 16 games can get underway soon.

Chrissybhoy

Well done FrankieLee that was hard one to vote on. Hopefully there all not that hard to call. Good start tho. Unlucky Ferris

Morzadec

I looked at this last night and didn't vote as it was too close to call! Maybe the right man just about won as Scholes could control the game.

Also there's an argument for Owen not being at his best playing by himself. Owen was a fantastic striker but I'm not sure if he would have been effective as the central point of a 433/451. Think he probably did his best in a 4-4-2 alongside a bigger striker and also with a central midfielder who could pick out a good through ball(Gerrard) - not sure if the quality was there in the centre for this.

Tough call though - both well-balanced teams

Ferris_Bueller

Can't say I disagree with any of the points made by everyone who voted, maybe I should have gone with a 4-4-2 with Yorke up beside Owen but don't think it would have won me the game either. My biggest regret of the draft in hindsight was picking Giggs as my first pick, at the time he felt like the biggest PL legend who wasn't picked. I was the only person to pick a winger as my first pick (apart from Ronaldo) and I don't think wingers have enough influence in a draft such as this, it left me short in centre midfield too.

Cheers to everyone who took the time to write up a vote and congratulations to Frankie Lee. Looking forward to the rest of the matches!