Draft Last 16: Rushden vs Redzerdrog

Frankie Lee

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.
Rushden needs to post his team first as Redzerdrog's team has already been submitted, if the team is not posted in 24 hours there shall be a walkover.
Best of luck to both.

Rushden

Sorry for the delay, my team is above. Had a bigger post but lost it when my computer restarted.

My defence is very solid. Carvalho and Toure are an excellent pairing and a pairing I believe are well able to deal with any attack Redzer has. I cant see him getting any joy through the middle. I'd expect Clichy and Lauren to do their jobs well defensively while also providing support for the wingers, especially Lauren as he potentially has Le Tiss on his wing who wouldn't be one for tracking back, should provide a lot of 2 on 1s versus Cole which is needed given Cole's quality.

Essien is midfield could dominate a midfield and run a game all on his own, he truly was a midfielder that had everything, destructive, box to box and an attacking threat, a true midfield powerhouse. Redknapp will play beside him to help control the game ,dictate play and provide another threat around the box.With Keane and Arteta in midfield for Redzer it's likely both midfields will nullify eachother, I don't expect this game to be won in midfield.

In attack I expect McManaman and Lauren to cause problems for Cole due to him getting no help. On the other side Duff is capable of destroying Jones all game and Clichy wont hesitate to get forward and support. I've opted for Sheringham in behind Rooney but they're interchangeable and I'd expect them to switch regularly. Redzer's central defence is the weakest part of his team I think so would expect Rooney and Sheringham's cleverness and quality to cause problems for two body on the line style defenders who struggle with their positioning.

I think the central defence partnerships are the key difference in this game, Carvalho and Toure have the ability to shut out Redzer's attack while I don't belive Carragher and Vermaelen have the same quality. A 2-0 win for me is how I'd see this going.

Skylinehead

Redzerdogs team:



Find your football tactics app at this11.com

I will just go through my team for now and I will reply once both teams are in.

My team is full of leaders and commitment certainly wont be an issue here. It is full of warriors who will not give and inch and will not back down. They will work like trojans without the ball but then also have to the quality and intelligence to dominate ever area of the game. It is a well balanced team and was selected to get the most out of every player rather than force certain individuals into a system that doesn't suit them.

Goalkeeper
Nigel Martyn is one of the elite keepers here. At the turn of the century who was the best keeper in the league for a period. He is most certainly a strength to build on.

Defense
My defense is extremely well balanced. I expect Varmaelen and Carragher to dovetail well. Both are very strong leaders. Carragher was the cornerstone of stingy Liverpool defenses for years and is big game player who will never let you down. Varmaelen has that touch of quality about him and in his first year in particular was the stand out cb in the league. He is also very good on the ball.
My full backs are amongst the strongest in the draft. They are both quality defenders first and foremost but are also extremely strong and comfortable on the ball. Ashley Cole was the best full back in the world for a number of years and one of the best the game has ever seen. He is one of the few truely world class players in the draft. Rob Jones was regarded as one of the best defenders of his generation and was a very similar player to Cole. If it wasnt for injuries he would have been the no1 pick for RB in the draft, he was that talented.

Midfield
The driving force of my team the inspirational leader which is Roy Keane. Does absolutely everything you want in a midfield player and more. To partner him Mikel Arteta who I think will dovetail perfectly with Keane. Arteta's range of passing will be a perfect platform for the team but he certainly does not need babysitting and is well able to put the foot in himself that is why I think himself and Keane will work so well together.

Attack
I will talk about my two wide players initially. Although they start wide they have the creative freedom to come inside when needed if the fullback are providing enough with. On the right you have a proper big game player in Dirk Kuyt, his work rate, intelligence and most of all his knack for scoring crucial goals will be and asset. The only winger to outscore Kuyt during his time in the league was ronaldo himself. On the other side the genius that is Matt Le Tissier. Just to put things into context this guy has 161 goals in 443 games for SOUTHAMPTON that is a record of a goal ever 2.75 game which is incredible. In the 93-94 season he scored 25 league goals from midfield something which lampard, gerrard or scholes has never done. The next season he scored 30 goals for Southampton 20 of which were league goals. This type of peak performance is made even more remarkable it was for a struggling side like Southampton.

Tevez was a little gem to get at the stage i got him. Again he will add bite to my attack. He will work like a demon, press and harry the opposition but most of all he has the ability to score and create plenty of goals. During his time in the league he was absolute quality and a key man in 3 title winning teams. He will play off the main striker in Wright.
I think Wright and Tevez as a partnership will also work well Ian Wright who is an amazing goal scorer. He has a record of 128 goals in 221 games for Arsenal. In 4 separate seasons he scored 30 goals for Arsenal. The peak being the 93-94 season when Wright scored 34 goals of which 23 where league goals.

bucketybuck

My random thoughts:

- Loved Le Tissier, but would never have picked him for a draft. Big fish in a small pond but never did it on the big stage.
- I know Kuyt might have good stats, he still isn't top drawer.
- The best thing to say about Carragher is that he is better than Vermalean.
- Ashley Cole will chew McManaman up and spit him out.
- Keane is my favourite player ever, but if you wanted one player to face him Essien might be it.
- The keepers are a bit of a wash
- Toure and Carvalho, the lesser partners in two great partnerships, but that does't mean they should be underestimated. Two great players at their peak.
- Few better right backs than Rob Jones.

Redzerdogs team worries me, which Le Tissier is going to turn up? He can't afford to have a lazy git wandering around waiting for a bit of magic. Kuyt and Tevez are the opposite, they will work hard but are they going to create the magic for Ian Wright to profit from? I'm not sure.

Rushden has a lot more solid and balanced team. Clichy aside he has a better defence, he can compete in midfield, has capable wingers and a very capable strikeforce. He is going to score goals and that should win him the game.

redzerdrog

Needless to say i disagree with rushden summation of the game. I dont know which part to take most offence to. The part were he thinks Lauren will handle le tiss, that he thinks midfield is even, that his defence and weak keeper will keep my attack to nil but prob most of all that duff has the beating of jones!!!!

Saying that I do like Rushdens team and it is nice and well balanced, however that is the problem in is too nice! Id go as far as say soft with the exception on essien and rooney.

I see this game being won the middle. Redknapp wont be able to handle things and wont have a moment on the ball in there with Keane, Arteta and then even Tevez snapping ot his heals. Essien cant and wont control the game on his own leaving the attack starved of possession. Then you have his most creative player in mcmanaman up against the best lb in the game and I cant see him getting any change there. Id have full confidence in Jones against Duff i actually think Duff will do more defending than Jones will. All in all that will leave Rushdens team pinned back for most of the game meaning Rooney will get frustrated and come too deep leaving nobody up top.

Then my attack of Wright and Tevez will be perfect against Rushden Two CBs I loved Carvalho but he needed a terry/vidic type player beside him. I think this pairing is a bit soft add the genious of le tiss and i see lots of goals.

Brien

Redzerdog shades it for my vote, I like the 4231 formation first.

I think defensively both teams are quite strong. Arteta and Keane can easily cover for Le Tiss, while I can see a goal or two from Redzerdogs front 4.

Martyn is stronger then James, and both keepers would be tested in that game.

One of the deciding factors was Tevez -V- Sheringham. Rooney and Wright are/were both class. The supporting forwards influence is huge, and Tevez wins on pace, energy and determination.

End score, 1-2

Liam O

I would have Le Tissier but I wouldn't dream of having him left wing. Redzerdrog has a team that would give their all and be functional but doesn't really appeal to me. I see Rushden as having a real weapon in Essien and being better overall in defense and having more balance and threat from out wide which is huge in successful PL teams.

eagle eye

Yep this one is tough to call but I'd have Le Tiss in the hole I think.

redzerdrog

eagle eye wrote: »

Yep this one is tough to call but I'd have Le Tiss in the hole I think.

He was more effective in the hole the later his career went on but during his peak of 93-95 where he scored 55 goals in 2 season he played more of an inside left position drifting in from the laft which he will do here regularly.

Chrissybhoy

Struggling to decide here they cancel each other out so much

LuckyLloyd

You can throw Le Tiss nominally on the left and live with him doing **** all defensively when you have one of the greatest left backs in the history of the game to lock up your left side. The idea of Le Tiss and Tevez in the one side interlinking with an ice cold goal machine like Wright is exciting.

I think the center half pairing and goalkeeper combination is relatively weak - but again you kind of get away with that when you have Keane cleaning house infront of them and two excellent fullbacks either side. It's a very interesting team - you can poke holes but the weak points are balanced out by huge strengths. One thing is for sure - despite Le Tiss being on the field, with the ferocious energy and hard running of Tevez / Kuyt / Keane / Wright Redzerdog is going to be able to press high up the pitch. Having great recovery fullbacks like Cole and Jones will allow him to get away with it also. I think it would be a nightmare team to play against.

Rushden has some nice things also. Rooney is a warrior that will lead his side well and - while supported by Duff and McManaman - there's goals there. The problem for me is that Sheringham is going to struggle here against Keane who will be locking up that space infront of the back four and Redknapp (and I say this as a weary Liverpool fan of the Evan's era) is going to get eaten alive here. Essien is brilliant, but he's got a huge amount of work to get through here with Tevez and Le Tiss causing mischief and the clever movement and good positions of Kuyt in the mix.

On the other hand, Toure and Carvalho is a great center half pairing and should be able to give Wright difficulty with the combination of the former's athleticism and Carvalho's nous. Clichy is a weakness but Duff will track back and help him. Lauren will get less help but he's stronger.

============

Jaysus it's tough really when I think about it more.

I think my ultimate thinking is that either of Sheringham / Rooney dropping deep are going to struggle to get involved and the hard pressing of Tevez / Kuyt / Wright is going to make it difficult for Rushden to establish an effective base of possession. Duff and McManaman would have made it work against most opponents but Cole and Jones are probably the best fullback pairing in the draft just right for the task. As such, I see Rushden struggling to score and having difficulty keeping Redzer out.

Redzerdog shades it therefore for me.

Ferris_Bueller

Very similar teams here, will go with Rushden as I think he has slight advantage in a few areas such as the wings and up front. Keane is a huge assest for redzer but Essien is one of few players who could probably put it up to him. Arteta and Redknapp are then roughly of similar ability too, I think redzer will struggle for width and if his full backs push on too much I think Rushden will capitalize because his full backs are no slouches either and he has two good wingers IMO. Big fan of Toure & Carvalho at the back too, both have pace, intelligence and are quite comfortable on the ball, neither are really the type to go and attack a ball but redzer has virtually no aerial threat in his team. Struggling to imagine these two teams facing one another to be honest but I'll go with Rushden as I think he has the slightly better team.

keeponhurling

Excuse me, but has nobody else spotted that one of the teams seems to have David James in goals ?!!!

The OP itself seems to have also conveniently glossed over this fact

menoscemo

keeponhurling wrote: »

Excuse me, but has nobody else spotted that one of the teams seems to have David James in goals ?!!!

The OP itself seems to have also conveniently glossed over this fact

Yes, I noticed that and I am voting Redzerdog solely based on that. I think the teams are quite equally matched in other areas so for me it comes down to James v Martyn and that's a no contest...

Chrissybhoy

I vote Redzerdog only because Tevez will make something happen to win a tight match

Frankie Lee

As has been said already these two good teams are extremely well matched and cancel each other out in many areas. I'm going to have faith in Le Tissier producing the moment of magic that separates the two teams, with Martyn less likely to cost Redzerdrog the game than James too. Hardly anything between the teams though.

eagle eye

I'm going for Rushden, don't like le Tiss where he is and I think Vermaelen is an awful defender and I've always thought that even when some were raving about him because he scored a few goals.

SlickRic

Redzerdog by a hair.

too much dynamism up front. Vermaelen is a weakness, but there's too much elsewhere, and anyway, Carragher should organise him well enough to get through this game.

Le Tissier on the left should be re-thought if possible for future games IMO.

Winston Payne

Another tight wee match here.


Rushden's attack VS Redzerdrog's defence:
The strike partnership is stronger both individually and in combination than the defensive partnership facing them. Both Carragher and Vermaelen liked to attack the ball, though you'd trust Carragher to hold his position better than Vermaelen. Rooney always struggled against Carragher when he faced him though. That has to be borne in mind. Close, aggressive physical pressure from Carragher, and Carvalho actually, funnily enough, is something that Rooney dealt less and less well with as his career progressed. It comes down to how Vermaelen copes on the other side, and I don't think it's well. Sheringham will attract him up the pitch, and Sheringham and Rooney would interchange pretty well. I'd back Sheringham to leave Carragher at least the once. He was a skillful dribbler and could finish adroitly even from range. Rushden scores one in this game.


Cole comes out on top against McMananman. I don't think that's a particularly controversial statement. McManaman was good on his day but he's up against a player who's in the conversation to be the Premier League's best in his position. I don't see Rushden getting joy on this side. Even with Lauren providing support, it doesn't appear that promising on Rushden's right. Lauren runs past Le Tissier every time, but to what effect? Lauren was comfortable in possession but would you say he was a skillful dribbler? Or great crosser? Odds are against Rushden on crosses anyway, Vermaelen and Carragher are both good in the air. You could argue for Sheringham pulling wide and then the three on the right working a cutback, but to who? Essien hasn't actually scored that many in his career. Rooney has two men to lose.


On the left it's a bit more promising. Duff at his peak was a very tricky dribbler. I think he'd beat Jones once or twice and then either attack the box directly himself or look for Sheringham or Rooney inside. Clichy would be working Kuyt backwards as well, so no double marking on him, which is what teams would sometimes do to Duff in his latter Blackburn days, he was that good. The goal I would back Rushden to score, it would have it's genesis on the left in my view.


The midfield battle:
A real gutsy clash here. Two box-to-box powerhouses and two creative minded central players who could both move and scrap themselves. I'm going to disappoint some and say that Essien and Keane would not be clashing directly with each other for much of the game. Why would they when there is a prize ahead of them to charge through if they can get to their man fast enough? If you wanted to stop the opposing team playing, and that would be the first concern of Keane and especially Essien, you'd press the man on your side of the field. A Treble year Keane, or even the one the year after, who had a better season in my view, would give Redknapp real bother. The other side of the equation is that once Keane is on the ball himself, he's able to do more with it than Essien. Keane's range and reliability of passing was exceptional. Him and Arteta would move the ball that bit smarter and quicker than the other two. Redzerdrog edges the midfield battle.


Redzerdrog's attack VS Rushden's defence:
Rushden's defence looks a better unit than Redzerdrog's, and I think is ideally suited to facing the attack in front of them. Both Toure and Carvalho are comfortable coming up the pitch and engaging the striker up high, but I think Toure would take on that role more and Carvalho would be tasked with sitting deeper and covering, something he had the pace and judgement to do. Wright will not get anything handy here against two physical centre halves. Tevez won't have a lot of space to play in either with Toure stepping out on top of him. An Invincibles or Double-winning Toure against Tevez is a scrap I fancy the Ivorian in. Similarly Lauren would get right on top of Le Tissier. He was an hard, front-foot defender who would give Le Tissier a real problem to deal with. Lauren was a good tackler, but even if Le Tissier beats him, Lauren has the pace to recover. If Le Tissier decides to supply the ball early, it's a hard battle for Wright to win in the box. Clichy looks after Kuyt well on the other side. Kuyt hasn't got the pace or the skill to get the better of him. If Kuyt comes high to try and play the poacher as he often did in his latter days at Liverpool, that's huge space for Clichy and Duff to break into.


The balance of the game:
It's very evenly matched out there. The wide duels come down to very fine margins, it's hard going in midfield, and the strikers have work to do with the issues each face, Rushden's with less of the ball, Redzerdrog's with the individual battles. I'm going to vote for Rushden, just. I fancy his striking partnership to pinch one more than Redzerdrog's. He doesn't see as much of the ball but one contest out wide favours him that little bit more and Vermaelen's positioning issues against a striker like Sheringham cannot be overlooked. Rushden 1 - 0 Redzerdrog.

Magico Gonzalez

You can't throw Le Tissier out left, has no pace. He must be in the hole where Tevez is.

Tevez is not a number 10 or a player who is best served playing behind another striker. He is a finisher, an out and out striker.

I think you've badly compromised your attack by playing players out of position. Kuyt was a makeshift right sided attacking player. He was really a striker that found a role out there. He was honest and worked hard, but he has neither the pace of the skill to live in this kind of game. I say that as a Liverpool fan. He was a reliable player of a not exactly vintage Liverpool side, nothing more.

Arteta is not in the pantheon of greats either, again, a relaible enough player but Essien won't be troubled by him. That's a nicely balanced midfield, explosive Essien, nice distribution from Redknapp, width and pace, all linking into Rooney playing his best position and Sheringham directing traffic.

This is the first lop sided pairing I've seen. I'm going with Rushden, comfortable 2-0.

redzerdrog

Magico Gonzalez wrote: »

You can't throw Le Tissier out left, has no pace. He must be in the hole where Tevez is.

Tevez is not a number 10 or a player who is best served playing behind another striker. He is a finisher, an out and out striker.

I think you've badly compromised your attack by playing players out of position. Kuyt was a makeshift right sided attacking player. He was really a striker that found a role out there. He was honest and worked hard, but he has neither the pace of the skill to live in this kind of game. I say that as a Liverpool fan. He was a reliable player of a not exactly vintage Liverpool side, nothing more.

Arteta is not in the pantheon of greats either, again, a relaible enough player but Essien won't be troubled by him. That's a nicely balanced midfield, explosive Essien, nice distribution from Redknapp, width and pace, all linking into Rooney playing his best position and Sheringham directing traffic.

This is the first lop sided pairing I've seen. I'm going with Rushden, comfortable 2-0.

Not that it matters as the voting is long over but that is some of the worst analysis I have seen yet

LuckyLloyd

redzerdrog wrote: »

Not that it matters as the voting is long over but that is some of the worst analysis I have seen yet

Ha, was thinking the same thing! :pac: