Draft Quarter Final: Andersonisgod vs Bucketybuck

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.
Best of luck to both.

bucketybuck

I'm starting at a disadvantage because AIG never submitted a team and so will have 14 players to choose from, but I will be away tomorrow so in the interest of getting things moving here is my team:

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Defensive tactics:

Once again I will be keeping a solid defensive unit of six, a tactic which is perfect to negate AIG's best players. Fabregas, Nasri and Gerard all want to play through the middle but I will be denying them space all day. Batty and De Jong will be sitting deep and tramping on the toes of the midfielders while Irwin and O'Shea will also be tasked with staying in tight when appropriate to deny Gerrard the space to drift right and Nasri any room to drift left.

Any width for AIG comes from Rafael and Baines as wing backs and they don't concern me one bit. Rafael can have the ball all he wants, as a United fan I know full well his attacking skill consists of coming forward and attempting a cross, but he can't cross the ball and even if he could I have a massive advantage aerially, neither Fowler nor Anelka are going to compete with Stam, Johnsen or O'Shea in the air. Thats if he can get past Irwin of course, and we know how that battle goes. Baines has a lot better delivery, but my aerial advantage still stands and for this game I have dropped Van Der Vaart for Darren Anderton who, although a serious attacking threat in his own right, is also capable of tracking Baines down the wing if need be.

Anelka is at his best running at pace beyond the defenders but again I will be sitting quite deep and neither him nor Fowler will have any space to operate in. No long balls over the top I'm afraid, Le Sulk will certainly be sulking by the time this game is over.

The tactic defensively here is all about space, space, space. AIG's players want it but they simply won't find it. There will be no intricate passing ahead of the centre circle, there will be no hollywood balls to men in space, Fabregas, Gerrard, Nasri, Anelka and Fowler will have my lads in their faces the entire game and they won't like it.

Attacking tactics.

While AIG is getting frustrated trying to find a way through my brick wall I will have three superb counter attacking players constantly ready to pounce. Ginola and Ronaldo need no introduction and for this game they will be joined by Darren Anderton. Anderton was a superb player, a mainstay of the England team and had 126 assists in the Premier league, he is still in the top ten ever for PL assists. He will track Baines when he has to, but when the ball breaks he will be launching himself up the field with the other two.

I also need to address something raised in the first game, the suggestion that Batty and De Jong can't control a game in midfield. Firstly those two lads were no chumps, with multiple titles and 122 international caps between them, these are two very technically gifted players. I make no bones about wanting them for their defensive skills but their passing is also perfect for what I need. No bullshit Gerrard style hollywood balls, their job will be to win the ball and fire off direct 10 yard passes to the feet of Ronaldo, Ginola or Anderton, either of whom will then carry the ball forward at speed.

So we will be counter attacking, but we will also be running directly at AIG's many weak spots. The traffic jam up front means he will need Baines and Rafael to push forward, and as soon as that breaks down Rafael is going to find himself forward and with two of the PL's most dangerous wingers goalside of him. Ginola alone will tear Rafael a new one, and Ronaldo will also be instructed to run at that side when applicable. I even like Rafael but he is in trouble this time, and I can see a few cards as he constantly struggles to try and get goalside of Ginola.

Ronaldo is nominally selected in the centre but he will have a free role to collect the ball and then go where he wants. The big problem here for AIG is that his midfield is soft as putty, he has nobody who can anchor it well enough to prevent my counter attacks, not Petrov and certainly not David Luiz. When Ronaldo picks it up in the middle he will be able to run right through the middle, they won't stop him, the only time he won't be surging through the middle is when he is surging down one of the wings left empty by the attacking full backs.

Jurgen Klinsmann is going to have a ****ty day, plowing a lone furrow against two good defenders but he is well fit for it and all he has to do is create space for the three lads as they surge forward.

In conclusion,

Its a simple game. I can stop AIG, he can't stop me. His best players want to come through the middle but I am set up explicitly to stop that. His only width comes from the full backs, but I'm not worried about their crosses and they have bigger problems to worry about anyway.
On the flipside he doesn't have the players to stop me, his full backs can't handle my wingers and he doesn't have a centre midfield worth a damn to stop them surging forward. Even if he changes formation he can't solve these problems, he will still have players who like to play through the middle, no width and a soft underbelly.

Andersonisgod

Soccer formations made easy with this11.com

In the interest of fairness, I will keep my starting eleven and shape the same as it was in the first game so that I don’t gain any advantage from BucketyBuck posting his team up early.

Of course, my team’s own set up and aims remain the same, therefore I will repost this.

The aim is simple, to dominate territory. With that in mind, I’ve had a specific type of player in mind throughout. It’s essential for the fluidity of this system that each player is versatile, can operate in numerous positions on the pitch giving the players the freedom to change formation throughout the game. Possession is obviously a big a factor in this setup and my picks reflect that, each player in the side is very comfortable on the ball, the short link up play between Fabregas/Nasri/Baines down the left and the laser sharp accuracy of Gerrard’s diagonal passes to Rafael down the right or Anelka over the top brings variation to the play.

The fluidity of the system will normally be seen when we have the ball. Luiz drops back to create a 3 man defence, Rafael and Baines offer width and incisiveness down the flanks. Gerrard, Fabregas and Nasri have the freedom to roam and to create havoc on the edge of the box while Fowler and Anelka will be looking for passes played in behind. Fowler will operate more primarily from the center while Anelka may roam from side to side and work the channels, his pace and skill make him dangerous.

Off the ball I believe we have the requirements to deal with most situations. King, Koscielny and Luiz are all extremely fast, extremely athletic and extremely gifted one vs one defenders, these attributes are important when playing a system that requires 3 at the back, which often leads to more 1 vs 1 defending than systems that utilize 4 at the back. Rafael and Baines shuttle up and down, their pace should allow them to recover to create a 5 when needs be, Gerrard is an excellent box to box player and capable ball-winner in the center of the pitch while Fabregas, Nasri, Fowler and Anelka will press the back line to stop easy the opposing team playing out from the back. If the initial press is unsuccessful, Fabregas drops back alongside Gerrard while Nasri drops onto the deepest of the opposing midfielders.

However the opposition analysis obviously must change.

Opposition Analysis:

On the ball their main attacking thrust comes through Ronaldo and Ginola, with Klinsmann an accomplished finisher of moves. Anderton is a technically proficient player, though not blessed with lightening pace, and Irwin offers a good outlet down the left. O’Shea, while a relatively solid defender in certain situations is a weakness down the opposition right flank on the ball, he also does not offer any kind of attacking threat down the right flank, both him and Anderton lack the necessary pace to provide incision. To turn the opposition possession into our advantage, the focus is to box in the trio of Johnsen, O’Shea and De Jong, this triangle of players lack the necessary abilities to play out of an aggressive pressing game, this is where the off the ball efforts of Nasri, Fabregas and Baines will focus, aware that Anderton doesn’t provide an overly dangerous outlet ball down the right flank. Against this aggressive press Batty and De Jong should struggle.

I also feel that Ronaldo in the number 10 is a failure to use him to his best potential. His strength comes from running beyond the backline, the number 10 position inherently makes this difficult to do, while the aim is to deny him service through negating the opposition passing out from the back, also feel that Ronaldo’s playmaking skills from the center of midfield have never been his strongpoint and we are significantly happier to see him here than out wide where he poses the vast majority of his threat.

On the ball we again focus on Buckety’s left hand side, with Anelka being allowed to shift over to the left, Nasri drifting wide and Baines overlapping down the left, the idea is to create triangles around O’Shea and Anderton, occasionally if we can draw Johnsen out from his center back position we may find extra space in the box for Fabregas to break into or Fowler to exploit. Given the comparative disadvantage in height within our side the game end product of these triangles must quick passing interchanges, ending with slide rule passes across the box or cut backs to the penalty spot, where Fowler and Gerrard are lethal. The glaring weakness of Buckety’s side is his right hand side, on and off the ball this is where we aim to exploit to the fullest extent therefore taking the game away from the possibly crowded middle part of the pitch and playing in an area where our threat is greatest.

In conclussion, while Ronaldo and Ginola are massively talented players I think that defensively they can be found wanting, resulting in our midfield dominating this game, I also feel that Ronaldo being played out of position hinders his impact on the game. Our attack is built around our ability to move the ball quickly, to isolate O'Shea, to work triangles around him and create chances from there, which Fowler is more than capable of taking. While our midfield isn't the strongest from a physical sense, Luiz's ability to press in the midfield is invaluable here and the aim is to capitalise on the lack on the ball prowess of Batty and De Jong in midfield and to force mistakes at the back from O'Shea on the ball. We also feel that if the opposition resorts to direct passes, our defence should handle this comfortably. Overall I feel that we have more ways of winning the game and that our aggressive approach to focusing on Buckety's weaknesses should see us overcome our own perceived weaknesses.

bucketybuck

I'm actually delighted to see AIG's tactics. Look at that high line!!! My lads are going to have an absolute field day running into that!

Just to address some misconceptions though, who said Ronaldo was playing as a number 10? We have to stick his name somewhere, but as I stated in my writeup Ronaldo will have a free role. He won't be sitting in the middle trying to play like Van Der Vaart, he will be going where he wants and carrying the ball from deep. If the opposing manager thinks Ronaldo is going to be sitting in the middle trying to spray passes around he is in for a shock. In AIG's own words, "His strength comes from running beyond the backline", and that is indeed what Ronaldo is going to be doing, especially with that backline sitting as high up the field as they are.

Also, where did this idea that Darren Anderton was slow come from?

Mainly though, my delight comes from the fact that I set my team up to deny AIG any space to play intricate triangles and to deny him space behind the defence to run into, yet from reading his tactics thats exactly what he wants to try and do! More than that, his main tactic is to get Samir Nasri, Nicolas Anelka and Cresc Fabregas to press me!!! Samir Nasri pressing hard for 90 minutes! Good luck with that!

Brien

Buck has my vote, and its largely thanks to de jong and batty. Everyone here has star players, but not every team has a way to nullify them. AIG has three strong defenders and an attack. Buckety has 6 strong defenders and a lightning quick attack. That's the difference I can see.

Iused2likebusts

Bucketybuck for me much better balance to his team. I'd prefer if one of his midfielders was a bit more forward thinking in his passing but that's only a small criticism. I'd expect a handy 2 0 win on the counter attack.

redzerdrog

Such a strange match up!

If Buckety had of set up to his own strengths he wins this easy but as is I hate his set up. he is sitting to deep and gifting possession to aig which is very dangerous with the passing ability of Gerard and cesc and having Nasri, Anelka and fowler ahead they are bound to get chances. even though Buckety has set up to limit the space I am unsure what he will get playing Ginola so deep as the lazy git offers nothing defensively only now he is attacking from 20 yards further back than he should be. Sitting so deep it also invites some long range efforts from Gerrard and a peak Gerrard is the best about for this.

I see AIG scoring at least once maybe twice.

Now the problem for AIG is when they lose possession they have nobody to win it back. If he had someone unpicked like Lucas and played Gerrard further forward his team would work better. As is when Buckety gets possession AIG is in trouble. Rafael and Baines are not intelligent enough to play the wingback roles effectively and once Ginola get past Rafael he won't get back. Anderson and Baines the other side is a bit of a damp squid that is why I'd have played Ronaldo on the right but as is I suppose Ronaldo can target the space down either channel and he will have success from either side.

Buckety to nick a 3-2 win for me

Ulysses Gaze

Bucketybuck for me.

His back 4 are all top quality defensively and Fowler and Anelka will really struggle against them. Anelka's pace will be nullified by Stam's and if he does drop deep, he'll have to contend with Batty and De Jong.

Nasri will be eaten alive by Batty and De Jong (particularly De Jong!). He's a player who blows hot and cold at the best of times and a few robust tackles from those two and I can see him not being up for it.

I don't see AIG getting much joy on the flanks as O'Shea and Irwin are disciplined defenders. So is Baines for AIG, but Rafael is not and I can see Ginola giving Rafael a torrid game. Plenty of frees and possibly a penalty or red card from the Brazilian. Particularly if the Brazilian keeps bombing forward and getting caught out of position as happens with Man Utd.

If there is a weakness in Buckety's it is lack of a playmaker. Ronaldo is not that type of player.However given that AIG will have 75% possession, the pace in Buckety's team means they will be lethal on the counter. Klinsmann's pace and movement allied with Ronaldo's will be a nightmare for AIG to defend against.

2-1 Buckety

LuckyLloyd

Yeah Buckety for me - Batty and De Jong will protect an already strong backline well. I expect a feed of possession to Ronaldo / Ginola in space against defenders one on one and that will be decisive.

Donnielighto

Buckety, reasons already posted but just to be clear. He should be much better at shutting down AIG than visa versa. Can see buckety getting counter goals

Winston Payne

Plenty of goals on in this game.


bucketybuck's attack VS Andersonisgod's defence:
On the surface it looks like bucketybuck's unit is up against it. There isn't a natural path of service central to Klinsmann, and the attack is outnumbered. But when you examine the characteristics of the players and the shape of the game it becomes much more promising. David Luiz will be a spare wheel for a lot of this game. He's got nobody to press out on in general play, and we all know what his concentration is like. Similarly, Koscielny can't be trusted to stay switched on all the time. bucketybuck will be enjoying a lot of joy from counter attacks out wide. It's two-on-one on both flanks, you don't need the ball to be played that cleverly or that quickly to spring the break out there. Batty in particular will have no trouble clipping the ball wide all the time. Ginola coming central and playing an angled or crossfield pass is also a likely and promising prospect, and Andersonisgod has nobody to reliably shut that down. Ginola wasn't just a touchline winger, and there's a lot of space for bucketybuck's players to attack. Himself and Irwin crossing for Ronaldo and Klinsmann in the box is yet another angle of attack that Andersonisgod can't shut down. Rafael is outnumbered, and while he might get on top of Ginola, that still leaves a man steaming up supporting the attack completely free. Safe to say, I am not as sold on Andersonisgod's team's pressing as he seems to be.

I think people are focusing too much on Ronaldo's nominal position. He'll drift wide on breaks and then come inside. He can beat any of the central or wide defenders, and on setpieces there's nobody in the defence that you'd say could shut him down 100%. With the movement of the attack, the lack of a holding player in front of the defence, and the dribbling threat of bucketybuck's attack I think he scores a good amount of goals in this game. I'm thinking three anyway. It's a very favourable match for the attack, the dynamic of the game suits them.


The midfield battle:
Batty and De Jong is a fearsome defensive shield and it needs to be. No doubt that Andersonisgod enjoys most of the possession here. bucketybuck's team will be dropping very deep. All three of Andersonisgod's midfielders will be attracted pretty high up the pitch. An overload and lots of creativity, that has a real thicket to get through. Anderton would shuttle well against Baines. Ginola won't track as well against Rafael, so there's a bit more joy for Andersonisgod on that side, albeit with Irwin still to get past.


Andersonisgod's attack VS bucketybuck's defence:
Anelka against Stam bears potential. Stam didn't like facing Anelka, though the compressed game helps Stam out somewhat. Fowler and Johnsen is an even match. Johnsen was a mobile defender who could read the game well. He played in midfield for patches of his career. His game is suited to keeping track of Fowler. Andersonisgod's play is funneled into the middle, playing into bucketybuck's hands. Service from the wing backs doesn't look promising against the aerial power of bucketybuck's defence. The central overload isn't a threat that can be dismissed just because it's tight in there, but the nature of the game doesn't favour his attack as much as bucketybuck's. You don't see a lot of goals for Andersonisgod here. I'd go for one, and say two absolute max.


The balance of the game:
A simple game in truth. Possession football against counterattacking football. Width of play against tight central play. The balance lies against Andersonisgod in this game. His central players are up against an iron defence, and his defence can resolutely be gotten at. He can't stop counterattacks out wide on either side, and Ronaldo against any of his defenders is a match favouring the Portuguese. bucketybuck wins 3-1.

Ferris_Bueller

Very tough to decide, have found myself changing my mind a few times. Bucketys team will be very hard to break down, if they sit deep it will be hard for anything to come through the middle and I don't consider AIGs wing backs good enough to offer a real threat, so AIG will definitely find it difficult as buckety is almost set up specifically to deal with his narrow midfield. However, you have to consider that it will be 3v2 in the middle of the pitch in favour of AIG, plus his midfield trio of Nasri, Gerrard and Fabregas are three world class players, whereas I would never have considered Batty or De Jong as world class, they might struggle to find space but they will definitely find it at times throughout the game, behind them then David Luiz is also very comfortable on the ball despite being quite eccentric.

Bucketys team will definitely get opportunities to break and I can see him scoring, but I don't think there will be enough goals in his team, he also lacks a good playmaker in the middle, Ronaldo will be effective in his free role but it's not the freakishly good Ronaldo of Real Madrid we're talking about, and from what I can see it's going to be up to David Batty to hit passes up to his attacking team mates and in a draft like this I don't think that will be good enough.

I voted for buckety in the poll but by the time of writing this I just think AIGs team will have too much quality, I can't see him scoring less than 2 and I can't see buckety scoring more than 2, so I'll go with 2-1 to AndersonIsGod.

#15

I like AIG's team but bucketybuck's team is built to win tight matches IMO. Rock solid defensive 6 and the Ronaldo factor to find a way to nick a goal.

Bucketybuck for me.