Boards.ie 2019 Draft Quarter Final Game 3 - Match 3 : martyos121 vs redzerdrog

IncognitoMan

The Match 3 of the Quarter Finals

martyos121 vs redzerdrog

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 game-plan 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).

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


Anyone can vote, but try to give at least one reason why you picked one side.

Do not cast a vote until both posters have submitted their teams.

Voting will close after 24 hours

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.

martyos121

My team set up, copied from the previous match:

martyos121 wrote: »

To be copied into the match thread once open

My formation and tactics are fairly simple, but I’m going for a tried and tested approach that takes inspiration from a couple of different teams. Here’s how I’ll line up to begin with:



As many could tell from just that line up, it’s a counter attacking style I’ve adopted and intended to use from the start, and it’s modelled on Leicester City’s title winning season, with some minor tweaks and obviously much more talented personnel. It also takes elements from Houllier’s Liverpool side, and plays very much to the strengths of Michael Owen who I’ll be partnering with Lukaku up front, to form what I hope would be a much more deadly, clinical version of the Owen-Heskey partnership of old, which was highly successful to begin with. I’ll get into the tactics and what I want from my players a bit now:

Goalkeeper

Reina was a great pickup for me here, as I was looking for a keeper who wasn’t just a great shot stopper, but also had the ability to distribute the ball accurately and quickly, to begin very direct counter attacks by kicking the ball into space for Owen and Overmars to run onto, or straight on top of Lukaku to knock it down for a teammate. I’ll also be asking him to play the sweeper keeper role to an extent, because my back four has the pace to maintain a high line and keep the pressure on at times.

Centre Backs

I’m adamant that I’ve got the best centre back pairing in this competition. Both are PFA Player of the Year winners and really stood out in a sport where defenders usually go under the radar. I don’t need to speak too much of their qualities here because they’re clear to see, but in terms of how I want them playing; Virgil will lead and organise the entire back line as he does currently at the highest level for Liverpool. McGrath won’t have to worry about those duties, I have him in here purely to defend. They both have a great turn of pace, so they’ll be keeping a fairly high line and trying to catch the opposition offside if my midfield are controlling the game, and will have few problems catching a forward who occasionally gets in behind them. If my side is losing the midfield battle or defending a lead, they’ll be sitting back in a more traditional position for centre halves and snuffing out any danger in the box, heading crosses away with ease which both are well known for.

On the ball, McGrath with his excellent ability in possession will keep it simple and play short passes, while Virgil will be the playmaker from defence when required, pinging his trademark diagonal balls out to Kuyt to or occasionally down the line for Overmars to chase. Both will offer a significant threat from set pieces too, primarily the Dutchman.

Full Backs

Baines and Johnson are two of the most experienced fullbacks in this draft, and between them have come up against many of the wingers drafted at some point. It’s a small thing, but familiarity is key in one-on-one battles and I’m expecting that to factor in a little bit. Much like the centre backs, their position will vary depending on the opposition and how the game will flow. In moments where my team is on top and building attacks, Johnson will be close behind Dirk Kuyt and giving him an option on the overlap or occasionally inverting his run and cutting it back for a midfielder or delivering a cross for Lukaku at the near post. Baines will take a more defensive position, letting Overmars roam a little further forward but he’ll be overlapping as well when Overmars cuts inside and takes on his fullback, offering an added threat with his superb crossing ability. Most of his deliveries will come from deep though, hanging balls up for Lukaku at the back post. Baines will also be my set piece specialist.

In more defensive situations, the pair will fall back into a solid line of four and try to keep their shape, they’ll aim to keep the opposition wingers at bay and stop the crosses coming in. On the counter attack, one will always stay back behind the halfway line and the other will provide an option on the overlap to stretch the move if the opposition defenders tuck in to deal with my front two.

Midfield

I’ll go through this section individually, as this is the main area which will mirror the title winning Leicester City side.

Fabinho wasn’t my first choice for this position and was a controversial pick, but I feel he was the best equipped of what was left to take on my interpretation of the Kante role. His ball winning ability is of the highest quality and I’ll be asking him to hassle opposition midfielders as often as possible, particularly in the few seconds after my team would lose the ball. He’ll sit back a little more than Kante would have in the same role, vying to dominate the midfield alongside Scholes with his neat passing and ability to play the ball in tight areas.

Scholes will be the playmaker here of course, providing the much needed link between defence and attack. If he finds himself with the ball at his feet during a counter attack, there’s no better man to make that key pass whether it’s from 50 yards or 5. In possession, he’ll keep things ticking over with Fabinho and bring the wingers into play to stretch the opposition. On top of all that, Scholes is a significant goal threat from any range and if he’s given space for a shot or makes a late run into the box, there are few better midfielders to convert a chance than him. I’d call him the Drinkwater of my team to keep the Leicester comparison going as that’s the role he’ll occupy, but it just sounds ridiculous. :pac:

Overmars will be dynamite on the counter attack of course, but from general play, I’ll be asking him to start out very wide and trying to beat his man with his dazzling skills on the ball and his electrifying pace, cutting inside or taking the ball down the line. He can cross or shoot well from either foot, so his unpredictability will test the opposing defence and he also has the option of cutting it back to Baines to whip in a cross, so much of my attack will come down that side of the pitch.

Kuyt is the workhorse of this team. He’s primarily in there to link up once again with Glen Johnson and add some defensive steel to the right hand side. He’ll be bombing up and down the wing as ever and making runs into the opposition’s penalty area from out wide, and there are few better at getting into goalscoring positions from out wide than Kuyt. He can cross the ball well, he can shoot, he can tackle and he’ll be putting all of those skills to use in my team, and he’ll do it for the full 90 minutes given his remarkable stamina and work ethic. Won’t be my number one option for building attacks, but he can’t be taken lightly be defenders or they will be punished.

In defensive situations, Scholes and Fabinho will sit in front of the back four and keep their shape. Overmars and Kuyt will be sat a little further forward, the latter helping out my weakest defender in Glen Johnson and Overmars giving Baines a bit more to do in defence while he himself waits for the chance of a counter attack, offering me an outlet on the left hand side to start one off.

Forwards

As I’ve already alluded to, I’m looking to reform the Owen and Heskey partnership of old, but with a significant upgrade on the latter in Romelu Lukaku. Michael Owen in his prime has always worked well alongside a big man, so by having him play off Lukaku, he’ll be excellent at anticipating the knock down from his strike partner and identifying the spaces he can run into. The other main reason I chose to draft Owen so early on is that he had deadly pace, and I’m going to take full advantage of that on the counter attack with quality service from a number of areas, mainly between Reina, van Dijk and Scholes with their excellence in long range distribution.

Lukaku will be a solid goal threat in his own right, and he’ll be the number one target for Baines and Overmars to pick out at the back post. He’s got good pace for a target man too, so that threat can’t be ignored either. Another man who’ll threaten from set pieces. He’s mainly in the team to get the most out of Owen, but he’s an accomplished goal scorer and won’t let a good chance go to waste.

———————————————

With that, I’ll wrap up with a picture of how my team will line up without the ball, a position from which I’ll hope they’ll not only hold out defensively and earn a clean sheet, but also enable me to operate a lethal counter attacking strategy and nick a win:

redzerdrog

Where I see this game being won and lost is below.

Midfield for starters I don't think Marty is set up to get the best from either of his midfielders. Playing scholes so deep that he will be tracking Yaya is gona be a disaster for scholes who I can see giving away free kicks galore in this match up. Fabinho although a gamble is a good player however the majority of his gametime in the premier league has been at the base of 3 man midfield. We really don't know yet if he can cut it in a 2 man midfield and this is big negative for me in this draft. I see scholes and Fabinho struggling to get a grip on things versus my 3 man midfield and they will not get a dig out from either striker.

Strikers I like peak Owen and he will be dangerous but Lukaku in this set up where you are relying on him to hold up the ball and link up with own is a disaster. His touch just isnt good enough and also even at his absolute peak requires too many chances to score. I also think that Kompany and Radebe are well equipped to defend against this pair.

My attack Mane up against Glen Johnson I think will provide a lot of success for me. While Kuyt might help out he will have Robbo to deal with and I think he will struggle against robbos pace.

Ronaldo against Baines there is only ever one winner here aswell.

I love Marty's two CBs but as pointed out this Paul McGrath is in his mid 30s but also I think Firmino is the perfect player to go up against these. His movement off the ball will pull them all over the place and create space for mane and Ronaldo. As Marty's midfield two will have their own hands full he will get no help there creating real problems for the CBs to either stay or go with Firmino and allow him into pockets of space.

martyos121

Given the strength of redzer’s attack and midfield, I’d set up very defensively here in a low block with two banks of four, with Overmars and Kuyt sitting just in front of my fullbacks to fill the spaces and hopefully track his overlapping fullbacks. I’ll rely purely on the strength of my counter attacks.

While redzer has one of the best overall teams in this draft, I do think there are still areas to exploit.

First of all, Robbo and Dixon are two great attacking fullbacks, but that doesn’t come without penalty. As I’m happy to let my opponent control the midfield here and dominate possession, his fullbacks will naturally look to get forward as my well-structured defence aims to frustrate his forward line.

The turnover of possession will be key here, and I’ll look for my centre backs to clear the ball into wide areas and if Reina manages to catch a cross or a shot, he’ll be pinging the ball quickly down the left hand side with Overmars running into the empty space left by Dixon’s forward runs.

On the other side, Kuyt will remain just ahead of Johnson and not be too adventurous, focusing on locking down that flank to keep the excellent duo of Robbo and Mane as quiet as possible.

Lukaku will occasionally drift wide to the right if Robbo fails to track back once I’ve got the ball, but he’ll be mainly trying to drag Radebe out wide with him and potentially create a situation where Owen is directly up against Kompany. This is a huge mismatch for pace in my favour of course and I’ll be counting on Overmars to play Owen in behind of Kompany, or Lukaku to head the ball down for him as he comes short into the number 10 position, with Overmars trying to make runs inside from the left if Dixon is slow to get back or fails to track him.

In terms of keeping redzer from scoring, I do think I’m well equipped for that too. In a low block structure with two banks of four holding their positions firmly, it’ll instantly cut off a lot of the supply to his dangerous wingers, and the overlapping fullbacks will be tracked, especially down my right flank with the defensively solid Kuyt. I have to accept that my opponent’s wingers will beat my fullbacks on the dribble at some point, but again, I have a pair of centre backs well used to clearing the danger whether it’s from a low cross into the six yard box or a high ball aimed towards a forward.

One option for my opponent here is Ronaldo’s trademark runs to the back post and going up for a header, but he’ll be up against Virgil van Dijk in the air and despite Ronaldo’s vertical threat, I don’t fancy any player to win an aerial duel with the Dutchman. His midfield will be constantly probing and trying to work a way through, but I think my defence will be a tough one to unlock in this structure. Yaya Toure will be my biggest headache to defend against here as he has a lot of weapons to hurt me which a lot of midfielders lack, but if he remains on the right hand side of that midfield, I’ll be switching Fabinho with Scholes if Yaya begins to overpower the latter.

While Firmino is a hugely talented player, I don’t have anything specifically to say about him as he often struggles to influence games against teams like mine. He’ll drop back and help the midfield, but he won’t be a major threat in the box and certainly won’t be dragging my centre backs out of position in such a disciplined defensive setup.

TL;DR version:
I’m going to set up against this strong team like Mourinho or Simeone would, a low block with two banks of four, neutralise the pace of my opponent’s side and try to nick a goal on the counter attack. I believe it’s the only way I can win this one, and that’s a testament to the strength of redzerdrog’s team.

Blue giant

Going to go for Redzerdog. I think Ronaldo will cause mayhem for Baines and I think the runs from deep from Toure and Ramsey could result in a few chances with Scholes not being amazing defensively and Fabinho a liability in an all time premier league draft. I do think Overmars will cause problems for Dixon with Toure and Ronaldo neither too willing to defend. Ultimately will have to go for Redzerdog with Fabinho's complete lack of longevity and experience playing in a 2 man midfield costing martyos

Mr.Nice Guy

I see this one as an even contest.

I think redzerdrog has the edge on his left flank with Mane causing Johnson problems, while I think Robertson can largely contain Kuyt. On the right flank, however, martyos has the edge; I fancy Overmars against his old teammate Dixon, and peak Baines, aided by Van Dijk, I think limits the Ronaldo factor, which is very important.

I think the midfield battle is tight. I think redzerdrog's trio could do with a baller that can unlock a deep block, which martyos understandably would set up with. I'm not sure redzerdrog's midfield has the ability to get through the centre with 2 top CBs in Van Dijk and McGrath adept at reading danger. While martyos has a guy in Scholes that can unlock a defence with his passing, I don't see it in redzerdrog's midfield if Toure has his hands full on the physical front. Also not a fan of this 'Fabinho hasn't experience playing in a midfield duo' argument when we've seen him play this role with aplompb alongside Bakayoko at Monaco. Are we supposed to ignore when himself and Bakayoko helped Monaco achieve results against the likes of Spurs and Man City in this position in the Champions League? Fair enough he might not play in a two-man midfield for Klopp, but we have ample evidence that he does know how to play this role and would hardly be a fish out of water.

I see goals in this contest. Kompany is a great defender but not sure about Radebe at this level. I think Owen and Lukaku get on the scoresheet, aided by Overmars and Baines. At the other end I think Mane has the pace and skill to get a goal and while I think Ronaldo can be constrained - he's still Ronaldo so he's probably finding a way to score, but I don't see him having a vintage display.

Can see it being a 2-2 heading into the final stages, but I think martyos' striking pair have that little bit of quality required to find the difference. I'll say a 3-2 win for martyos.

duffman13

Really close one in that both teams excel in different areas. Redzers midfield and attack shade it but Martyos has a strong CB pairing. That said Baines against Ronaldo and Mane against Johnson is going to expose a lot of space with Cbs supporting which will free up space for firmino and Yaya on a late burst.

Redzer gets my vote here

dr.kenneth noisewater

Redzer has the advantage in midfield and then the threat of Ronaldo up top whos too good for Baines. Firmino wont have much impact but I dont think Lukaku and Owen will either. Can see it being a tight game but just think the midfield trio of Redzer will win in the end

Trigger

I think the fullbacks will lose this game for Marty, cant see them stopping that frontline, the rest is pretty even so would be a close one.

Redzer by a goal

SlickRic

Close but has to be redzer.

the strikeforce will end up being just a bit too much in what would be an even game.

Ferris_Bueller

Redzerdog for me, marty has two excellent centre halves which is probably the strong point of his team, however I think redzers front three are set up in a way to cause them problems as you will be dragging them all over the shop with Firmino dropping deep and Ronaldo and Mane being the real goalscoring threats in this team. Also redzers midfield would get the better of Scholes and Fabinho who I don't particularly rate as a pairing. I think a fairly comfortbale win for redzerdog in the end.

bucketybuck

I think Redzer has a stronger team all round to be honest. The attack is better, his 3 will win the midfield battle with Toure in particular getting a lot of joy. And defensively he measures up well, especially against a side that has the Lukaku question mark.

A comfortable Redzer victory for me.

Lucas Hood

Redzerdog for me also. He should outscore Marty.

Better balance to his team.

redzerdrog

Good game Marty. Your defensive set up had me worried early on

martyos121

redzerdrog wrote: »

Good game Marty. Your defensive set up had me worried early on

Well done redzerdrog, knew once the matchup was drawn that I was really up against it in this one.

Your team is one of the two strongest left in the draft IMO, and your attack is obviously world class, but Yaya Toure is one of the best picks in this draft too, really adds another dimension to any midfield trio. I’ll be paying close attention to tactics in the remaining matches as I feel it’ll come down to the narrowest of margins.

redzerdrog

martyos121 wrote: »

Well done redzerdrog, knew once the matchup was drawn that I was really up against it in this one.

Your team is one of the two strongest left in the draft IMO, and your attack is obviously world class, but Yaya Toure is one of the best picks in this draft too, really adds another dimension to any midfield trio. I’ll be paying close attention to tactics in the remaining matches as I feel it’ll come down to the narrowest of margins.

Funny enough I think yaya has been underrated by some in the matches so far