Draft Semi Final: Redzerdrog vs LuckyLloyd

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.

redzerdrog

Use this11.com for drawing your football tactics

Just going with the same graphic as the last game!

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. I expect both to get on the ball a lot more this game due to the extra cover provided in front.

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. Then there is the athletism and workrate of Ramirez into the mix making the midfield even more dynamic.

Keane will control the game from here but will also drive the team forward. I see Arteta playing a playmaking role. Providing another option to pick the ball from defence and setting up attack. He will shuffle to cover the left channel when needed and trebling up on that wing when required. Ramires will play box to box but will specifically target the channel between Walker and Pearce with Jones going outside and Tevez trebling up. I can't see Kewell providing much help and if the CB shuffle over to help it will leave space for Wright and Le Tiss to cause damage.

Attack
Free Role/ Inside Left what ever you want to call it I have 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. I feel Le Tissier is very under appreciated in this draft and I can only presume most don't remember his peak, I was gona link a youtube clip only I don't know how.:o

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 will also work well with Tevez and Le Tiss. 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.

Frankie Lee

Originally Posted by LuckyLloyd
My XI:

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Friedel

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Arbeloa---Terry (C)---Walker

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Pearce

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Mascherano

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Ince

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Silva

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Beardsley

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Kewell

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Van Nisteelroy


Subs:

Berbatov
Kinkladze
Djorkaeff

I am very happy with the finished product. I think my team:

- is well balanced
- will be strong at setpieces
- has plenty of creativity
- has a clutch goalscorer to finish what we create

The spine of the team is very solid I think. Friedel / Terry / Walker are a very solid and dependable center back and keeper combination and will be excellently protected by Mascherano and Ince infront. Those two should establish a base of possession against the vast majority of opponents meaning Beardsley should be able to get on the ball and help present chances for Ruud and if Ruud gets a chance in the opposition box he'll generally score.

But the flanks of my team are very strong also. Pearce and Arbeloa are fullbacks who defend well but can get up the pitch to contribute to the attack also. I expect that with Ince and Mascherano winning the battle in the middle they will have chances to get up the pitch. Kewell and Silva provide pace and guile respectively and have the ability to come inside to link up with Beardsley and / or get down the line depending on the weaknesses of the opposition.

Being honest, I'm not hugely worried about tweaking things for specific opponents. Masch and Ince in the middle give me the confidence that I'll have a platform to inflict my game on opponents and the belief that I have enough quality to capatilise on the platform. I also have no worries about set pieces and don't feel I have a weak point in my backline or in terms of the structure of my team.

Finally, I think my team has the 'X Factor' of experience and big game ability throughout the eleven. Players like Terry / Pearce / Mascherano / Ince / Silva are tried and tested big game characters. And Beardsley and Van Nisteelroy just tended to product the goods consistently across a league season. If you want to make it a physical battle I'd fancy my players all day long and in a game of chess I think we have the solid structure and experience to grind it out and rely on the quality in the side.

Frankie Lee

Graphic version.

redzerdrog

Interesting match up here

How I think I will win this game is down to the set up and shape of my team. The 3 in midfield offer both protection to the defence, a platform to build attacks and the ability to join the attacks. I can see my team over running Lloyds full backs as he will get no help from his wingers. Lloyds midfield two are both excellent but I think they will struggle with getting out numbers especially when you add Tevez and Le Tiss into the mix.

My team will press hard and I think Lloyds team will struggle to get the ball to is attacking midfield trio as neither Ince or Masch are the most attack minded or playmakers. Once they do get the ball they have to deal with Keane cleaning house and depending which wing we will have Arteta and Ramires helping out two of the strongest full backs in the draft in the draft.

One issue I have with Lloyds is his use of John Terry. Terry is the no1 CB in this draft as far as I am concerned but the use him as a Right Centre Back has to devalue him significantly. I am struggling to remember any occasion which Terry played as a RCB. I definitely think this would have an effect on Terrys overall performance. The biggest problem is that Terry has been moved out of position for Des Walker who was in his 30s while playing in the Premiership. I think this is a weakness in Lloyds team and I will be hoping that Wright/Tevez/Le Tiss will be able to exploit this.

Overall I think it will be a tight match with my team winning by a single goal.

#15

I like both teams and I said early on these were two of the better XIs.

It's a very close one.
I actually think redzerdrogs team will win the physical battle. Leaning slightly towards his team at the minute.

eagle eye

I like the set up for Redzerdrog in this one with Le Tissier is a more suitable position. He'll get support and width from Cole on that side of the field and he has great cover in midfield and good creativity too. The front three are going to score a lot of goals.

Lloyd's team for me has less creativity in it and I think Des Walker is a huge weakness at RCB.


Redzerdrog for me and by more than a goal.

LuckyLloyd

I think Redzer drafted very well as one would expect and he has a very strong team. No setup or tactical game plan is perfect however. His lineup lacks a natural width and the decision to swap out Kuyt will diminish his ability to press to the extent that he could with the first round configuration. Ramires can get wide and Ramires can press and he has excellent fullbacks that can push up the pitch but when any of that happens it will give me the room to get a feed of ball into Kewell / Beardsley / Silva when I win it back. And I think Van Nisteelroy will get chances up against Vermaelen and Carragher.

Whether that would win the game is hard to say, but I can see how I can get useful possession in his final third and I certainly believe that my forward players have the quality to make that count for a goal or two.

He has Roy Keane so I'm not going to pretend that I'm going to win the midfield battle, but I definitely think a Masch / Ince combo is the type of duo I'd pick to take him on and try to hold my own against him. Allied to that, while the movement, vision and clever positioning of Le Tissier and Tevez is scary I'd feel that Terry is the type of defensive organiser you want to be communicating danger and Arbeloa / Pearce / Masch / Ince are tactically sound and disciplined players who will have the mental and physical grit required to dig in and counter repeated efforts.

I think it would be a hell of a contest anyway, that much isn't for debate!

jem

Both Good teams. Des walker seems to be very under rated above. He was a class player good on the ball and fast.
However think redzer's back 5 shades it.Rob Jones was an excellent full back both defending and attacking and was very unlucky with regard to injuries ( shin splints if my memory serves me)
Likewise think his midfield does just about shade it as well.
While lloyds front 3 is better.
Would be a close game with Redzer's winning by the odd goal.

bucketybuck

The first thing I did was list the two teams and rate the players individually out of ten, surprisingly Lloyd's team won that comparison comfortably enough, 89 to 82! But I do believe the tactics play a massive part so lets look at what happens on the field.

Defensively Lloyd wins imo. I don't rate Vermaelan at all, and while I respect Carragher he is not top drawer compared to the likes of Terry/Ferdinand/Campbell. Ashley Cole is top drawer, and Jones was a very capable player.
On the other side, I must be one of the few that remembers how good Des Walker was, a superb player, and Terry and Pearce are great defenders. I think Arbeloa is a weakness but he will get away with it here, he doesn't have to face a direct winger, just Cole coming from deep and Le Tissier inside him, that will suit him better than a game of pace.

The midfield area will be a romper stomper. While Keane is the greatest Paul Ince won't be intimidated at all, I can see Ince and Mascherano getting all up in peoples faces. Ince is also a goal threat, he was a proper box to box midfielder and a real player.
Redzer on the other hand has a very well balanced Midfield, Keane will do everything, Ramires will do a lot of work and while Arteta is the poor partner he will provide the class. Redzer wins the midfield battle, but Ince and Mascherano will do plenty to keep them honest.

I think Llyod wins the attacking battle as well. Tevez was good but for me his terrier like grafting compensated for the fact he was never as good in terms of quality as the likes of Silva or the real top quality forwards. Le Tissier had skill, but he was a luxury player that never had to do it in a big game. He didn't have the drive and my personal opinion is that he won't produce in a game of this magnitude, just as he never did internationally.

Ian Wright was a proper goal scorer, but RVN was the proper goalscorer. I'd be happy with either but would prefer RVN.

I'm going to vote for Lloyd, I think he has the better team and I think that Redzer will struggle for goals. Ince and Masch can shut down Tevez and Le Tissier easily enough, the midfield three will get on the ball a lot but may not be able to utilise that possession, and while Jones/Cole have a lot of space to run into they are better defenders than attackers, Rob Jones never scored a goal for Liverpool as I recall.

On the other hand Kewell, Beardsley and Silva are an incredibly creative trio supplying an ace goal poacher. They won't find it easy with Keane et al pressurising them, but they will produce something especially against Vermaelen and Carragher.

Ferris_Bueller

I like that way of doing it by marking each player out of ten buckety, I have redzer come out on top by one point, so not much in it when you compare them player for player.

Both have solid defences, not much in it at all. Terry is easily the best centre half on the pitch and he will be tough to get past, Carragher is also a very good defender IMO especially when you consider how long he played in the league for as well, each teams second centre half is a bit weaker, particularly Vermaelen. Then redzer has very good full backs, couldn't really ask for much better from him there, Lloyd also has pretty good full backs particularly Pearce but Arbeloa is the weakest full back on the pitch. When you factor in both teams goalkeepers I would have to say redzer has a slight advantage here.

Midfield is going to be a battle, and in a battle Mascherano and Ince are two men you would love to have on your side, however Roy Keane is probably the one player in the whole draft you wouldn't want them coming up against. I'm a big fan of Ramires and Arteta there too, both players who can offer protection playing deep but are also capable of producing the goods while in possession. Arteta is a solid playmaker and Ramires is full of energy and can carry the ball forward very well, although neither are as good as Ince or Mascherano. I can't see Beardsley dropping back to offer much help in midfield either, while it is a tough contest I just feel as if redzers midfield will work better as they have a little bit of everything, and due to him playing three players deep enough I don't think Ince and Mascherano will be as effective as they have been against other teams in the draft.

Redzers front three definitely have more goals in them, but I can see Ince and Mascherano shutting out Le Tissier and then Terry/Pearce will make life difficult for Tevez too. Overall there is too much quality between the three to shut them out completely but I think this is one area of the pitch where Lloyd has the advantage. He only has Van Nistelrooy up front, but with Beardsley, Kewell and Silva feeding him with passes I think he will definitely nick a goal against Carragher and Vermaelen. Only thing about his three behind the striker is I would have preferred to see Silva in the centre but still I think this will be effective against redzers defence.

It's interesting because in previous games I think Lloyds defensive stability was his best asset, but I don't think it will be as effective against redzers team (mainly due to redzers midfield three), but then I do think his front four will have some joy too. Two very good teams who deserved to get this far, but I'm going to go with 2-1 to redzerdrog, Wright and Roy Keane grabbing the goals and Van Nistelrooy scoring one against him.

Liam O

While there are elements of Lloyd's team I don't like I think it's well set up for RvN to make a difference and I think redzerdrog's team isn't going to be able to move the ball through midfield as easily as Lloyd's team. Lloyd for me so.

Alf Veedersane

I think there's a slight disconnect between midfield and attack in Lloyd's team. In theory, Silva, Beardlsey and Kewell would take turns dropping deep to pick up the call but I just don't see that happening.

Redzer's team looks to have more of a link but little width. It's reliant on the full backs getting wide, for the most part and while Keane can drop back to help out the back two, there could be gaps there to exploit.

It would be tight and to be honest, you could play the game 100 times with 33 wins for either team and 33 draws.

But, if this is that other game, I think Redzer shades it. Just.

Dickerty

I will go with Lloyd due to two things - the trio of Terry, Walker and Masc, which will prove VERY difficult to get joy out of, and the front two who are two superb player in those positions. The wings leave a little to be desired, but the spine is where he wins it for me....

Winston Payne

Very intriguing match this. Differing strengths and weaknesses clashing all over the pitch.

Redzerdrog's attack VS LuckyLloyd's defence:
Redzerdrog's attacking unit looks pretty good. You have plenty of legs and good creativity. Terry looks after Ian Wright well enough, but Tevez against Des Walker has a look of carnage about it in Tevez's favour. There's also some very strong long-range shooting potential in the two attackers behind Wright. Le Tissier will be infield a good deal in this match, leaving Arbeloa a bit redundant a lot of the time. Given the battle that would be going on in midfield, Le Tissier would enjoy a chunk of space and that's danger. A clean sheet is out of the question for Lloyd, that attack is going to be at that defence on the regular. Walker will not be protected in this game against Tevez's threat and the supply of ball to the attack will be of good quality and in good quantity.


The midfield battle:
Roy Keane at the base of the midfield is a big problem for Beardsley. Keane is well capable of sitting in good positions to screen the ball to him, win it off him, distribute it himself and also go forward with Arteta shuttling over to cover his role. Silva off Arteta is a concern, and an avenue for counterattacks. Ramires would give Rob Jones very good cover against Kewell, and Lloyd would struggle to service the Aussie. Ramires pressing Mascherano from one side and Tevez pressing him from the other is a concern for Lloyd with no easy alleviation. Ince against Arteta is one battle that shades in Lloyd's favour, but Keane will give Arteta a good hand there, so Ince will not be breaking forward with any real freedom. Redzerdrog will be on top in the midfield.


LuckyLloyd's attack VS Redzerdrog's defence:
One good matchup for Redzerdrog in Carragher against Van Nistelrooy, one good matchup for Lloyd with Beardsley attracting Vermaelen out. Carragher presents a strong physical obstacle for Van Nistelrooy. With the limited supply of ball to the forwards, and Keane checking the amount of times that Vermaelen would have to come out, though perhaps not his inclination to, Lloyd's attack faces a struggle. Kewell has the better of Jones whenever he can get at him. Ashley Cole coming out and engaging Silva up the pitch and infield is an option, particularly with the security of Keane in midfield. If Lloyd scores in this game, I don't think he scores more than once.


The balance of the game:
Redzerdrog would enjoy most of the ball in this match. This suits his team and doesn't suit Lloyd so much. The regular supply of ball into Le Tissier is a big problem for Lloyd's defence, and Tevez would make a mess out of Walker. Lloyd's team has some counterattacking weapons but Redzerdrog's team are well balanced against that threat. Redzerdrog scores more than Lloyd and keeps his attack mainly at arm's length in this game. Redzerdrog's team wins this game 2-1.

Frankie Lee

5-3 Redzer by my count.