Boards.ie 2019 Draft Game 7 - redzerdrog v correction

IncognitoMan

This is the thread for redzerdrog v correction

If you want to use a site to set your side out these are good:

https://this11.com/#!/editor/

https://www.buildlineup.com/

Each poster can go as in detail as you wish in your write-ups including set up for your own side. Once the two posters have set out their teams they are allowed one post each to explain their gameplan against their opposition (exposing the other team's weakness or to draw attention to a player they think doesn't work in the other team etc).

I would ask people to hold off casting votes until both posters have submitted their teams.

If one team does not set put their side/tactics inside a 24hr period they will automatically forfeit the tie.

Each poster who votes must give some kind of reason in the thread as to why they voted one way or another to have their vote in the poll counted. This is in the interest of fairness and to discourage voting because you like/dislike a certain poster and to encourage voting for a set of players/ tactical approach instead.

Good luck to both posters.

redzerdrog

First of all I attempted to create a well balanced team on the players peak ability. My picks were always based upon how they fit into the system i had identified and very happy with the outcome in the end.

Goalkeeper
Jens Lehmann Premier League Winner and part of the invincible's team. For me he is rock solid but also brings great leadership skills and I have always viewed him as a big game player

Defense
I will start with my Centre Back pairing of Kompany and Radebe. They are two iconic defenders that offer exactly what I want in a partnership. String defenders who are excellent on the ball, both having started their careers as CM's.
Peak Kompany was the best CB on the planet. Even beyond his peak he lead his team to an incredible league victory stepping up to the plate when his team needed him the most. He is a leader and warrior on top of being an excellent defender. Radebe is leader in his own right but as well as his ball playing ability he was a superb reader of the game and was lightning quick for a centre back which I am sure will come in handy.

My Full Back pairing of Dixon and Robertson are two of the strongest in the draft i would feel. Dixon was a rock solid defender (purposely selected to cover Ronaldo) but also the first full back that I remember to be comfortable on the ball and offer an attacking threat. He will help provide width on the right.
I would feel that Robertson has been one of the best left backs in the world over the past 18 month. His pace and energy both defending and attacking will be invaluable to my team. We have seen the quality of his delivery over the past few years and it is mouth watering to think that Ronaldo and Yaya will be arriving at the back post attacking these. I think they will have a fieldday against any side from this area.

Center Midfield
I feel that my Centre midfield is well balanced to defend, create, attack and dominate in possession and work well without possession.
David Batty is a two time premier league winner and 3 times in the toty. A brilliant holding midfielder who was brilliant at covering ground, tenacious in the tackle and could ping a pass too. It is rare to get a holding midfielder who was a comfortable on the ball as Batty. He will win the ball back, spread it wide to the full backs, lay it off to yaya and quickly launch counter attacks through Ronaldo and Mane.
Yaya Toure and Ramsey can both do it all, Defend, Attack, Create and Score goals. I think they will both operate as Box to Box/Attacking midfielders fluently throughout the game. Yaya was a phenomenal player who could do absolutely everything you could want from a midfielder. He will help down the right and I see him linking up with Ronaldo very well. Ramsey will do a similar job in the inside left channel. He has probably been Arsenals best player over the last 7 or 8 years and at his peak and operating in this set up I think he would flourish. Both players have the Luxury of David Batty behind them but how I see it working is one will get themselves into the box while the other will arrive late to the edge of the box. Both players have the game intelligence to thrive in this set up.
We are dealing with guys with unbelievable numbers from Midfield Yaya had 79 goals and 50 Assists in his time at city which for a CM is fantastic, in 13/14 he scored 20 Goals and 9 assists in the premier league from CM :eek:
Ramsey also has put up serious number and has 65 Goals and 65 Assists for Arsenal.

Attack
Where to start only with the best player to ever play in the premier league and second best player of all time Ronaldo. Ballon Dor winner and was absolutely phenomenal in his time in the league. With him on one side and Mane on the other they will absolutely terrorise defenders with Pace, power, dribbling ability, guile, technique and most of all clinical finishing. I think I also have the perfect CF in Bobby Firmino to get the best out of these two and he was picked for this reason. He is a quality player in his own right but his in game intelligence and ability to create space and chance for others is extraordinary, he is selfless in his work. Firmino will help with the press and similar to what he does for Salah he will do the same for Ronaldo.

The interchanging and movement of this front 3 while being supplied by Yaya, Ramsey, robertson et all is gona to tough for any team to stop. When looking at the stats I was suprised by how many assists Ronaldo had for utd he contributed an unbelievable 118 Goals and 68 Assists in 6 seasons for Utd. In his peak season of 07/08 he contributed a total of 42 Goals :eek:
Mane has 84 goals and 36 assists for liverpool and southampton breaking double figures in every season he has spent in the premier league and peaking last season when he contributed 22 premier league goals.
Although Firmino contributes so much more than goals and assists he is also no slouch and has contributed 66 Goals and 47 Assists since joining Liverpool again breaking double figures league goals each season. In the 2017/18 season was probably his peak where he contributed 27 goals and 17 assists.

I dont think any team can keep this side scoreless looking at those numbers.

General play
I think this team is adaptable, quick and pacey on the counter attack but also deadly while in possession. I have already spoke about Robertson delivery and Ronoldo and yaya attacking at the back post. Firmino attacking the front and Ramsey lurking outside the box but this is only one example. Yaya and Ramsey have teh ability to switch the play, play through balls in behind and also utilize Firmino to help link up play.

In possession this team creates 3 on 2s all over the park. If you look closely you will see triangles everywhere (Dixon, Yaya, ronaldo) (Yaya, Ronaldo, Firmino) (Ramsey, Mane, Firmino) even (Batty, Kompany, Radebe) in possession they will help keep the ball moving and get it to the forward line as efficiently as possible. However these triangles will also help my defensive set up, hunting in packs and closing down the space and options. The only player not natural in doing this is Ronaldo and that is why i have set up with players like Firmino, Yaya and Dixon who will do his work for him and allow him to just score and create tons of goals.

I think I am biased but i feel that this team has a strong spine, even stronger down the wings and is well balanced in both attack and defence.

Hopefully I have got what I was thinking and planning across well enough. Its been enjoyable to be involved in one of these again.

correction

Shay Given is a reliable keeper with excellent reflexes and a leader in the backline.

Bacary Sagna is an infallible right back with stamina that allows him to go up and down the wing all game. A full back who was so good in the air and such a solid defender he played centre back on multiple occasions without issue.

Steve Bould was a stalwart of the Arsenal defence of the 90's and known for his dominant, uncompromising performances. An excellent organizer, he will keep the backline in check.

Laurant Koscielny is fast, agile and a top one on one defender. He is the kind of centre back you can have man marking a star striker and feel confident that it won't be a problem.

Nigel Winterburn was another stalwart of that Arsenal defence of the 90's. A left back with great defensive nous which allowed him to play consistently into his later years.

Alexis Sanchez is a world class footballer in every sense of the word. At Arsenal he was one of, of not the, most feared attacker in the league. His ability to beat his man was sublime along with incredible vision and an eye for goal. In many ways he is the complete attacker, he could really do it all.

Michael Essien is a physically dominant box to box midfielder. A powerful, tough tackling midfielder known for his energetic performances. In addition to his physical, energetic style, Essien also possess wonderful technique and a scorcher of shot from distance.

Luka Modric What can you even say about this guy? The ultimate midfield maestro, he can play with both feet and go long and short. His ball control, positional play and ability to retain possession is almost unrivaled in this generation. He really is my manager on the pitch.

Ryan Giggs has 13 Premier League and 2 Champions League medals. He hold the record for most assists in the Premier League. Simply put, he is the ultimate Premier League player. No one is more associated with the league than this man. At his peak he possessed elite speed, dribbling and crossing.

Nicolas Anelka before the transfer window exploded was one of the most expensive player of all time, cumulatively. It's not surprise why several top teams wanted this guy. At Arsenal he was an explosive goalscorer with pace to burn and non stop running in behind. At Chelsea he was the ultimate shadow striker, playing off of Didier Drogba to form one of the best partnerships of the decade.

Didier Drogba is the most physically commanding centre forward the league has ever seen. Drogba was the ultimate big game player with a goalscoring record at club level of 10 goals in 10 finals winning 10 trophies. A powerful striker of the ball and an excellent set piece taker, he truly is the complete striker.

My team is high energy, closing down from the front and quick counters with pace and power. In Shay Given I have an ultra reliable keeper and a vocal leader. He is not quite a modern ball playing keeper but this is no problem as he will be going long to Drogba up top where we will pack the middle with Drogba looking to knock it down to Alexis or Anelka. Either way with those 3 and Essien we will be aiming to pick up the second balls/pressure the opposition immediately if we do not. When we do win the ball from goal kicks we will play fast to create chances. Both Alexis and Giggs are world class dribblers and crossers or the ball with Drogba being among the biggest aerial threats the game has ever seen. Anelka in his Bolton and Chelsea days is about as smooth a technician as you can imagine, his excellent touch and control combined with his vision opens up many avenues when he drops deeper to collect the ball and play in the wingers and potentially even Essien coming from deeper. Now would be a good time to remind everyone that Anelka and Drogba had a serious proven partnership for a couple of seasons.

If we cannot take the ball from goal kicks or win it quickly via the press we will drop back and soak up the pressure. Anelka and Drogba will stay high up the field to occupy the opposition centre backs with Anelka capable of bothering a deep lying playmaker if need be too. My 4 across the midfield are all hard workers with high levels of concentration and will have no problem staying alert in defence. Modric is the teams technical leader, he has the brains and the trust. The rest of the team will take their ques from him, whether this means to press more, to stand off, to maintain possession or to launch a quick counter. He is one of the best all round midfielders of this era and he has the game sense to know what to do situation dependent.

My back 4 is solid as a rock. Both full backs have stamina for days. Winterburn will be more inclined to sit back to make us less susceptible to counters. Sagna will overlap with Alexis sitting narrower than Giggs. Both full backs are proficient one on one defenders and will not struggle much defending their posts from crosses, being decent in the air. My centre back pairing has the aerially dominant Steve Bould and the quicker, aggressive tackler Koscielny. Luis Suarez once listed Koscielny as the toughest defender he faced in the Premier League and it is not surprising. He has a terrier like mentality and with his quickness and elite level tackling is a nightmare to face as an attacker. Bould will keep them in line and ensure everyone stays tuned in for 90 minutes.

Things to watch our for on this team:

Ryan Giggs decimating his full back and whipping crosses in for Drogba to feast on. You combine the Giggs we saw in the 90's with peak Drogba and that is close to unstoppable for me.

Alexis Sanchez holding the ball and drawing defenders in opening up space for Essien to drive in to. Alexis is notorious for being able to simply stand still on the ball as his defender watches unsure of what to do. His full back will need help and this will likely draw men away from Essien which is someone you don't want to leave unmarked.

Modric hitting Anelka through the lines to set up rapid counter attacks. Both of these players are super intelligent in game with super technical ability so expect to see them look for and play off each other.

redzerdrog

How I see the game being won and lost.

First of All playing Sanchez on the right wing is a massive weakness for me. He has absolutely no form in premier league from the right wing. His best seasons came with Arsenal where he played centrally or from the left and we have seen how ineffective he is on the wings for Utd. I can't imagine he will like chasing Robbo up and down that wing all day.

Midfield battle. I really like Essien and Modric as a pairing but dont think correction is utilizing them properly here having Modric the deeper of the two. I think Modric will struggle to get involved here and My 3 man midfield of Batty, Yaya and Ramsey will come out on top.

Ronaldo V Winterburn i think is a massive mismatch and although Winterburn was a very good player in his day he was in his 30s for the majority of his premier league career and was 35 years old when winning the league in 97/98 with arsenal. Winterburn positional sense was quite good which helped with his lack of pace over them years but he is up against peak Ronaldo here. Another weakness I would see is Winterburn is quite short compared to Ronaldo who is one of the best attacking headers of the ball we have seen. I have mixed feeling about Koscelny some days he looks excellent other he just goes to mush. I dont think you can rely on him in this back 4.

I do like Corrections strikers, however I think the only way he can actually get the ball to his strikers is through Giggs. Giggs will spend a lot of time helping out Winterburn and when he does get it I think Dixon is very good match for Giggs. Also Kompany and Radebe are well equipped to handle Drogba and Anelka when the ball does manage to find its way forward.

Morzadec

correction

Redzerdog wins for me.

The combination of Robbo and Mane out left is a proven one and having Sanchez on the right wing means that Sagna is very likely to get doubled up on here. Sagna is superb but this is still a potent double up here.

On the other side he has the Ronaldo factor and I think Winterburn is going to struggle to handle him. Correction's centre back pairing is decent but it's far from the best in the draw, and Given is good but again maybe not elite. Redzerdog is smart by putting Firmino in here as a 9 who will drop into the pocket and play more as a 10, he will help getting the best out of Ronaldo and Mane. I think Bould and Koscielny will find this hard to cope with.

So I see goals for Redzerdog.

Modric and Essien is a superb midfield, but playing a 4-4-2 they might find it hard to play possession football, with no one to link up between the lines - you're asking Anelka to do this or Giggs or Sanchez to come infield a bit. I don't think this is any of their natural games, particularly with Sanchez coming in frmo the right. Sagna will help out and provide passing options, not sure if Winterburn quite offers the same engine to get up and he'll be nervous about Ronaldo. So despite this great duo, I think the physicality and numbers of Redzerdogs team means that I wouldn't expect dominance from Correction here.

Up top I think Kompany is a good type of defender to defend Drogba because you need to be physical. Dixon is good but peak Giggs would have the beating of him more often than not, so there could be chances here. I'm not sure Sanchez drifting in from the right is going to have huge impact and Robbo is really adept defensively. Could see some goals here, but nowhere near as many as at the other end.

dr.kenneth noisewater

correction

Rezodog, Really like this team, advantage of first pick and double picks really shining through. Great front 3. Like the balance in midfield and has plenty of goal threat from Yaya and Ramsey. Strong defence but not too sure on Radebe, always likely to have a mistake imo but Kompany should cover that. 
Correction, would be worried about that defence especially at LB with Ronaldo attacking. Agree that having Modric as the deeper CM is a mistake and think him and Essien could get over run. Really like the front 4 but think Drogba with Sanchez and Giggs either side would have been ideal with another CM in for Anelka would have been a better balance. Anelka and Sanchez are just too lazy to have in the same team I think.

Easy decision here for me, Redzordog to win this.

martyos121

correction

Have to go for Redzerdrog here as well. That front line is simply terrifying and the service to them is also of a high standard. The added threat of Toure getting forward from midfield would overwhelm correction's defence I reckon.

I do love the Drogba and Anelka partnership though, reforming them was a great bit of drafting. I'd fancy correction's side against a couple of the teams put up so far, but redzer's side is formidable and one of the best in the competition so I have to side with it here.

bucketybuck

correction

My thoughts:

- I really like Corrections midfield and attack, Essien and Modric would definitely work as a midfield 2, Giggs and a peak Sanchez will raise merry hell out wide while peak Anelka paired with Drogba will be crazy hard to stop.
- I'm not as sure about the Arsenal defence however. Sagna was one of the better right backs but the others are all lower tier, and there is no way Given should have went before the keeper he couldn't dislodge from the Blackburn team.

On the other side:
- Mane and Firmino obviously work well together and the other guy is Ronaldo, yeah thats a dangerous attack. Add in a peak Toure rampaging in behind and that will be hard to stop, I wonder if people forget how unstoppable Toure could be at times. David Batty was hugely underrated and Ramsey a very nice foil to everybody else.
- I don't like the Robertson pick but that is still a good defence. I had Lehmann (and Batty) in a previous draft so know well his stats, Kompany is top drawer, Dixon and Radebe both very good players indeed.


I think Corrections great attack is let down by a lesser defence, and its hard to look past the fact that Ronaldo is going to be going at an older Nigel Winterburn. Apart from that, while the midfield two are great, they are still just a two and so that defence won't get the benefit of any shielding in front of them. I have to vote Redzerdrog based on that.

Skylinehead

I'm going for correction, just.

Main reason is midfield. Modric and Essien are going to run that game, because Batty can't do it on his own. Ramsey and Yaya Toure are a strange pairing, they'll occupy the same space, always wanting to go forward and shirk defensive duties, leaving corrections midfield to run amok.

Sanchez should not be on the right, but he did perform there for Barcelona. And he'll be coming inside, as Sagna provides decent width.

Giggs to Drogba is a dream combo in a game like this. Anelka was proven to be a great foil for Drogba too, so that's a strong attack. Redzer has Ronaldo of course, and a Mane-Firmino partnership. Defensively, redzer is stronger, but in both cases I think attack will trump defence. And I can't look past the midfield battle.


5-4 or something to correction

SlickRic

correction

Redzer for me. Used his 1st place in the Draft and double picks expertly.

the front line, while still having a brilliant front 3, has prime Yaya and Kompany down its spine too.

just too good.

against the absolute best teams in this, the midfield 3 might well be got at as I'm not convinced by Batty and Ramsey being allowed to always let Yaya do his best further up the field. but that is a nitpick.

Iused2likebusts

correction

Redzer for me . Two very strong teams particularly the front 6 players for both teams which are very evenly matched. I'd give Redzer the edge due to his stronger defence.

redzerdrog

SlickRic wrote: »

Redzer for me. Used his 1st place in the Draft and double picks expertly.

the front line, while still having a brilliant front 3, has prime Yaya and Kompany down its spine too.

just too good.

against the absolute best teams in this, the midfield 3 might well be got at as I'm not convinced by Batty and Ramsey being allowed to always let Yaya do his best further up the field. but that is a nitpick.

Just on this Yaya will not be allowed to just sit in the AM position the expectation is that he will work as a box to box midfielder. During his peak 13/14 season that is exactly how he worked as a all action midfielder alongside fernadinho with Silva/nasri taking the AM slot.
It was later in his city career that he was just allowed sit the AM position but at his peak he was very much box to box and still contributing 20 goals from that position

KBurke85

correction

Redzer for me. I like his team and the way it's set up. I think his attack will be too much for Corrections backline to cope with. I also don't think Modric and Essien will be able to cope with his midfield. His team looks like one of the strongest to me.

Liam O

correction

I think they are both similar level in terms of players picked but I like redzer's setup more so went with him. Very close as I don't overly rate Yaya as being able to play the all action role laid out above and think he got away with other players making him look good a lot of his career. Him, Batty and Ramsey would have the midfield against Scholes and Fabinho though.

SlickRic

correction

redzerdrog wrote: »

Just on this Yaya will not be allowed to just sit in the AM position the expectation is that he will work as a box to box midfielder. During his peak 13/14 season that is exactly how he worked as a all action midfielder alongside fernadinho with Silva/nasri taking the AM slot.
It was later in his city career that he was just allowed sit the AM position but at his peak he was very much box to box and still contributing 20 goals from that position

What I said doesn't contradict this at all. Yaya is box-to-box, but he is best further up the field. He can do more of that with a solid midfield with him. Silva is a level better than Ramsey and Fernandinho is a level better than Batty.

redzerdrog

SlickRic wrote: »

What I said doesn't contradict this at all. Yaya is box-to-box, but he is best further up the field. He can do more of that with a solid midfield with him. Silva is a level better than Ramsey and Fernandinho is a level better than Batty.

Yeah get what you are saying now thought you were saying that Yaya would just be allowed do his thing in the final 3rd.

Fernandinho has definitely got better with age though and Silva played a good bit of that season on the left. I just can't remember who else would have been in the midfield with him. Basically during his peak he performed with a myriad of midfield partners and combinations so wasnt just reliant on Fernandinho/silva to perform to be fair

Blue giant

I'm going to go for Redzerdog. It's a tight one but ultimately Ronaldo running at Nigel Winterburn makes me go for them. I think Redzerdog is wide open on the right wing though with Ronaldo and Yaya Toure not exactly known for their defensive effort or work rate. Ultimately has a better overall team though

Mr.Nice Guy

correction

I can see a good few goals in this one as both have very strong attacks and similar strengths in midfield. I can see correction having opportunities as Anelka and Drogba did work very well together, and Giggs will have his moments against Dixon.

Likewise though Toure and Ramsey will be dangerous going forward and will be tough to contain over 90 minutes. I also feel the pace and power of redzerdrog's attack will give Shay Given plenty of work to do.

For me, redzerdrog's attack has the edge and that proves the difference. I'm thinking something like a 3-2 win.

Trigger

correction

Think I'll have to go for Redzer here, the front three will be a handful and cant see Winterburn stopping Ronaldo. His midfield 3 I think will just get too much of the ball to the front three

Donnielighto

Going for correction. Don't think his team suffers from two in midfield and his front4 will get goals. Close run thing but correction by a nose. Redzer has a good team but I don't think there is as much threat overall, Ronaldo and Yaya very dangerous on the right, could bully. Think Ronaldo is better on the left but great player.