Boards.ie 2019 Draft Semi-Final Game 2 - Mr.Nice Guy and SlickRic

IncognitoMan

Second match of the Semi Finals. To face Redzerdog in the final.

Mr.Nice Guy and SlickRic

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.

SlickRic

So here is my team.



Thinking behind my picks:

Attack
I went with my gut when I was thrown into the draft, that I needed to get my spine right, first and foremost, starting with my attacking areas because there was still top tier talent available. Getting Aguero and Hazard together at the start gave me a platform to which I know from the off that I had goals, no matter what I did with much of the rest of my team.

Solidity
from there, it was about solidity down the centre of the team. Mascherano and Carvalho immediately provided that as two elite players in their positions. I want the team to be flexible in how it plays - able to press when needed, meaning you need energy, but also the tactical and technical nous to not only recover the ball quickly, but to keep the ball when you get it, so as to strangle the opposition. the likes of the aforementioned Mascherano, Dembele, Cazorla, Cole, and Aguero (as seen under Pep) allow that in abundance. But I also wanted a team with grit, and able to soak up pressure against teams that will no doubt be excellent in this draft. I feel Masch and the Carra/Carvalho partnership allow that, with Pearce at LB and Flowers in goal being solid as fúck.

On the Dembele pick, which some (I know) found slightly controversial. I took him early enough because there were very few players left at even that early stage at round 6, that have his skillset in being able to sit and provide bite, but also be able to keep the ball as well as anyone, and perhaps most importantly - dribble with the ball. break the lines. himself, Cazorla and Hazard are all adept at linking up and striking relationships with similarly talented players, but they can also take responsibility and run with the ball.

the other key thing about the midfield 3 is that they are all mobile, and that will be needed. With Petrescu (who I'll get to in a minute) and Pearce (to a slightly lesser extent) playing high at times, the role of those midfielders is to be able to shift across the pitch quickly and instictively when the opposition tries to hit their men directly on the counter. between them, they will fill those gaps left by the full backs, in order to keep the pressure on.

and if the opposition is able to beat them, Carvalho and Carragher are as good at one-on-one defending as you're likely to see. And Carvalho one of the great defensive readers of the game.

Full backs
Petrescu was also a key nab for my team. He was a modern full back before the term existed. He will be needed to provide the width to allow Cole to do a lot of his work on the inside right channel. He can run, cross and see a pass. Pearce, at 30 years old, can do the same on the other, as well as being a dead ball specialist.

Creativity
In Hazard, Aguero, J.Cole and Cazorla, i have some of the most creative collection of talents you could hope for. while i've spoken about the hard work and tactical discipline, at the end of the day, they are there to create and score. I should have no problem doing that.

In conclusion
I hope you will all see that the team is balanced, solid, creative and potent. i don't believe they are too many chinks to speak of, with every player having a specific skillset that is essential to the overall function of the team.

P.S.
Some of the criticisms of my team have been fair. No team is perfect. But some are non-nonsensical. the idea that Dembele is a bad passer, or doesn't dribble through the lines is fanciful. As is the idea that Joe Cole or Cazorla don't track back. Cole in particular was a key cog in Mourinho's Chelsea heyday for goodness sake.

SlickRic

i hinted during the draft that the balance of MNG's team was a huge strength, and so it's proved.

this will be a tight match, of that there is no question.

honestly, i think this match will mostly come down to moments. both midfields are mobile, but i think my midfield will control the tempo and game better, which is where I can get an edge.

I believe, as ever, that Hazard and Aguero, supported by Cole and Cazorla in the pockets, will be extremely difficult to stop.

i believe both setups will be tough to breakdown, but i believe my central defensive axis of Masch, Carra and Carvalho can control the game enough in order to get enough of a foothold to get the ball enough to my creative, dynamic players to edge it.

1-0 or 2-1 to myself.

Mr.Nice Guy

My team:

My thought process...

I decided early on when I made my first pick of Frank Lampard that I wanted my team to be very much in the mould of Mourinho's 4-3-3 Chelsea side from his first run there. With that being the case I sought a team with a strong spine, coupled with exciting wide men, and a clinical finisher, not to mention a stubborn defence, and so I hope that's the impression my XI provides.

Given that it was the centre of the park that caught my eye for my first pick, I will begin explaning my thoughts there:

Midfield

The pick of Frank Lampard was a key component of my team. It was mentioned that longevity and peak performance would be taken into account, and if so then Frank Lampard surely becomes one of the game's most valuable assets. He has scored more goals than any midfielder in the league, notching up double figures in ten straight seasons, and is also the fourth all-time assist provider. That is incredible consistency I think it's fair to say.

As mentioned, I wanted my midfield to resemble what Lampard played with at club level. He would tend to be paired with a box-to-box type (Essien for example) and usually would have a holding midfielder to protect (e.g. Makelele). For my box-to-box role I chose Darren Fletcher, a player who, while admittedly not the most glamorous of options, at his peak in the late 2000s had become one of Ferguson's most trusted lieutenants, someone Ferguson has described as a "big game player", and making the PFA Team of the Season in 09-10. With his energy, workrate and desire to play the ball forward, he fulfils what I need in this position. And behind the pair of them adding an extra layer of protection in the holding role is Didi Hamann, a sitting player adept at tidying up, as well as capable of pinging some lovely passes to the forward channels for my attackers to utilise.

I wanted my midfield to have a healthy balance and I think this trio of a forward-thinking player, a midfield dynamo, and a deep-lying player gives me that.

Attack

It is up top where I think I have my team's USP: the Arjen Robben and Damien Duff partnership, so devastating in Mourinho's first spell. These two love to be direct and run at the opposition, and had a habit of combining well together that was rare for wingers. Both are also flexible enough to alternate on either wing should that be so desired.

As noted, I wanted my team to have that type of '05/'06 Chelsea vibe to it, and felt I needed someone who could play the lone striker which Didier Drogba did so well. In Ruud Van Nistelrooy I have a top tier striker that can fulfil this role for me. Van Nistelrooy is comfortable working up top on his own, and of course has historically worked well with Robben.

With these two wingers bombing forward, dribbling inside, they will stretch opposition FBs, allowing my own FBs the option to overlap and exploit the space. Should my wingers beat their man, opposition CBs will face the dilemma of whether to go and close the space, knowing by doing so they will then give one of the all-time great fox-in-the-box strikers in Van Nistelrooy the chance to move into a shooting positon, not to mention Lampard's late runs into the box as a further headache. There should be enough chances created over 90 minutes for my team to get on the scoresheet.

Defence

I wanted a big strong character at the heart of defence and in Jaap Stam I have one of the most physically dominant CBs the league has ever seen. I sought someone alongside him that could be mobile and aggressive in winning the ball, and considered the likes of Otamendi - who ended up unpicked - but I though Stephane Henchoz was an ideal partner because I had the famous Hyypia and Henchoz combo in my mind. I feel Stam and Henchoz would work similarly well as a partnership, with attributes that complement one another well. Those two will not be bullied.

In Steve Finnan and Danny Rose as my full-backs I have two dependable players that have each made the PFA Team of the Year (back-to-back in Rose's case), and who are both competent going forward, as well as winning back possession.

Finally, with Brad Friedel, one of the Premier League's longest and most respected servants in goal, who had a habit of being an absolute wall when at his peak, I don't see this team giving away too many opportunities. Again this fits the Mourinho style model I was looking for: solid at the back, dangerous when springing forward.

Final Thoughts

There are many fine teams in this draft, Slick's side being one of them, and I believe my team is very well suited for finding match-winning moments in such tight contests as these. The midfield three has a nice balance that I think would combine well, and all with a mentality that would not be found wanting. The defence is combative and stubborn, with a highly reliable number one between the posts. And my front three has the skill to create space and exploit it.

It is for these reasons I hope my team gets the nod to advance. Thanks for reading.

Mr.Nice Guy

First off, good luck to Slick and may the best team win.

This will be a tough tie, but I believe I have the edge in key areas to get the victory. I’ll go through the areas of the field where I think this game will be won and lost.

My wingers vs Slick’s FBs

For me, this is the area where my team will have the most joy. I think Robben vs Pearce is strongly weighted in my favour and will be a big factor in the outcome. Pearce was a great LB overall, but I’d put him in the bracket of guys like Neville Southall and Bryan Robson as men whose best days were just before the Premier League. When the PL era got underway, Pearce was 30 years old. Now I’m not saying he wasn’t capable in his thirties, but if we take just speed alone as an example, is he going to be able and mobile enough to keep pace with an Arjen Robben in his early 20s? I don’t see it. I think Robben gives him a real hard time and can see Pearce getting at least a booking which would further hinder him as the match goes on.

On the other side, again I like my chances with Duff against Petrescu. I think Petrescu was a fine RB in his day but I think the speed and skill of peak Duff from his Blackburn and early years at Chelsea wins that duel fairly handily over the game.

If my wingers get the better of these match-ups, as I think they will, that will put a lot of pressure on Slick’s midfield to plug the gaps, and thus significantly limit his attack at the other end. I’ll touch on that next.

The midfield battle

I like the balance of Slick’s midfield and I think we have a similar philosophies in this area. I believe my personnel, however, gives me the edge. In Frank Lampard I have someone who is a bona fide Premier League legend, a man with the most goals from midfield, most goals from outside the box and the 4th-most assists. I believe to stop him you’d need to have a player of similar status, with outstanding defensive attributes, like a Roy Keane, Patrick Vieira type, and with respect to Mousa Dembele, he is not that level. I feel Lampard gets the better of this duel over the course of the contest. It could be argued Mascherano will offer assistance, and I accept he can help out at times, but as touched on above, if my wingers get the beating of the FBs, I think Mascherano has his hands full – he simply can’t be everywhere over the full 90.

Cazorla is a good player but I would be confident that a peak Darren Fletcher, who made the PFA Team of the Season in 09-10 (and who had an excellent record against Arsenal), would be capable of limiting his attacking threat. Hamann would also be there as a buffer, and I believe he would have less work to do than his counterpart Mascherano.

I feel my team is going to be on the front foot for most of the contest and the pressure from my potent attack will eventually prove too much.

Strikers vs defence

We both have top quality strikers who don’t need many opportunities to finish, but I believe Van Nistelrooy in this tie gets to dine off more service than Aguero would be offered.

Joe Cole was a good player but I think Danny Rose, a two-time, back-to-back member of the PFA Team of the Season, and who this most recent season helped his Spurs side reach a Champions League final, would be able to hold his own well in that tussle.

The Hazard-Aguero combo is for sure my biggest concern, and those two can of course cause damage, but if Pearce is in a mismatch against Robben, and I’ve already argued why I think he would be, then surely Hazard’s attacking instincts would be largely curtailed as he would have to offer assistance to help out his FB. On the occasions when Hazard does run at my defence, I’m confident Steve Finnan, a Champions League winner with a clever reading of the game, aided by my experienced CBs, would be capable enough of minimizing the threat.

Aguero is a top class centre-forward of course, yet in Jaap Stam I’ve an elite CB who won a treble in a team that regularly had to face other great pacy, tricky strikers like Thierry Henry and Michael Owen - and was able to do so alongside guys like Henning Berg and Ronny Johnson (players I respect but who it's fair to say weren’t as capable as a Stephane Henchoz, forging a famous partnership with Hyypia that’s still remembered today). I’m trying to be a fair man and I will accept that Slick's players are capable of getting on the scoresheet, but I honestly don’t think they would find more than one goal.

At the other end, I think Van Nistelrooy gets better joy against Carragher and Carvalho. I was a big fan of Carvalho who was class in his day but I think he will have his work cut out trying to shore up the occasions Robben and Duff get in behind Pearce and Petrescu. I don’t fancy Carragher’s chances against Van Nistelrooy – Carragher mentioned RVN when he had to put together an XI of the toughest United players he’d faced - and I think Ruud has the movement and instincts to get into positions and feed off the service of Duff and Robben to score.

Goalkeepers

This hasn’t been an oft-talked about area of the game but I’ll mention it because I think in this area I also have the edge. Which goalkeeper is more likely to produce a match-winning moment that could prove decisive? Tim Flowers or Brad Friedel? I would argue, genuinely without bias, it would be Brad Friedel.

Summary

In conclusion, it’s a tough match-up but I believe I have the edge in the key areas. I’m convinced Robben and Duff will be too difficult for Pearce and Petrescu to contain, and Van Nistelrooy will be ready to take advantage of the service.

I think I have the edge in the midfield battle too, with the biggest weapon in Lampard that can make the difference, and who I don’t believe Dembele is going to be able to put a lid on.

Of the two sides, I think mine is carving out the most key chances and think Slick’s attack would be constrained by having to contribute more help defensively than it would like to do.

For these reasons I see it being akin to a 2-1 in my favour.

SlickRic

may the best team win. i think we've thought about our teams somewhat similarly (with some differences, obviously), so it'll be interesting to see how people see it.

Ferris_Bueller

I am going to go for SlickRic. I think Hazard and Aguero will be a real handful for Henchoz and Finnan on one side, and I can see Cazorla and Cole dragging Rose into all sorts of awkward situations and exploiting him there too, I don't think MNG defence is that great aside from Stam and he is going to have his work cut out for him. Duff, Robben & RVN are a good front trio but I think Carragher and Carvalho with Mascherano in front are a good base at the back and Petrescu/Pearce may not be in the top bracket but I think they will be able to do a reasonable job on the wingers, neither of whom were world class players during the PL careers.

Midfield, I have to say I raised some eyebrows when I saw MNG pick Hamann and Fletcher however it has gone well for him in the draft and this is probably another game where having two holders will come in handy. It will leave a lot of the attacking onus on Lampard and I think Mascherano will have to do almost a man marking job on him. Overall I would go 1-0 to SlickRic with a goal from Hazard.

bucketybuck

How to separate 2 quite similar teams? I would rate the front trio in each team on a par, and the same for the defence with the note that MNG has the best defender on the field in Stam, but also the worst in Rose.

So to midfield, where I think Lampard is going to be the difference maker. I think Mascherano needs to help watch Robben and Duff so won't be man marking Lampard tight enough to always track those late approaches to the box. Slicks midfield isnt bad, but nobody there gives that goal threat that Lampard does and so I'm going with MNG.

Blue giant

I'm going with MNG. I think the two teams match up well with similar weaknesses in full back areas and I wouldn't rate Carragher or Henchoz very high either. I can see Slickric having the majority of possession which should play into MNG's hands as his team is set up perfectly to counter attack.

Hazard up against Finnan could be a mismatch but Fletcher should be able to help deal with Hazard since none of Slicks midfielders are known for making runs into the boxes. Aguero is obviously a big threat but MNG has one of the best pl cbs in Stam and a capable dm in Hamann sitting in front.

I think Robben and Duff have the beating of Slicks fullbacks and I'd fancy Van Nistelrooy to get a chance and he rarely misses. Mascherano and Dembele combined should be able to keep Lampard fairly quiet and I think Fletcher has been unfairly dismissed as a holding midfielder by some whereas I think MNG is using him well as a box to box midfielder which is a role he played brilliantly for United at times.

Ultimately I'll go 2-1 to MNG. Van Nistelrooy and Robben to score for MNG and Aguero to bag one for Slick

redzerdrog

I like the shape of both team s and both have their strengths and weaknesses so for me it's about how they match up.

Pearce is a weakness imo but I like the rest of slicks defence and the cbs match up quite well against rvn

Stam is the best defender on show but he is flanked by rose and henchoz who are both weaknesses. The reason henchoz is remembered for his last ditch tackles is that he was out of position so often.

Midfield lampard is the star quality however don't like hamman and Fletcher with him and think it will struggle with creativity. Slicks midfield doesn't have a lampard but for me it just functions better. I see dembele causing Fletcher problems in these match ups.

Attacks, I don't like Cole on the right and he probably the weakest attacker on show however slick has two of the strongest in hazard/aguero. I really like mng attacking trio and they function very well together.

Overall I think slicks defence has a better chance of stopping mng attack than the other way round as i think mng struggles to get enough supply to his front men

3 - 1 win to slick

martyos121

A few things decide this one for me:

-Slick has the better of the wide areas. Hazard and Cole would have a lot more success against MNG’s fullbacks than the other way around I feel. I love Duff and Robben and they were great picks who’ll provide a threat on the counter attack, but Rose is prone to lapses of concentration and Joe Cole in his prime would cause him serious problems. Hazard against pretty much any right back is only going to go one way too, as good a defender as Finnan was. Both sets of wingers will have some joy, but the matchups favour Slick a bit more in this area.

-Carragher and Carvalho were two of the best centre backs of their generation, but I just don’t see them working well together and there’s not much pace between them. Stam and Henchoz are the better pairing IMO, I feel they cover each other’s weaknesses pretty well.

-The midfield is the area that’ll settle this one for me, and I have to go for Slick here. Lampard is the only dangerman to watch out for in MNG’s midfield as Hamann will have his hands full and Fletcher is more of a workhorse, but Slick has a lot of defensive solidity to manage the threat of Lampard and the skill of Dembele in tight areas and to keep the ball with his strength and dribbling ability is a big plus on top of the world class number 6 in Mascherano.

That makes it 2-1 to Slick in my book, but I’ve had to think hard about this one. There’s very little in it.

dr.kenneth noisewater

I'll go with MNG in this, think his defence is a bit better with Stam there and he'll get the advantage in midfield.

IncognitoMan

Currently tied at 3-3.

We are going to extra time. The other semi got extra time so we'll give this one some more time as well.

I've to head out for the day so I'll leave voting open until 6pm.

If we are still tied at 6pm I'll cast a deciding vote.

Donnielighto

Horrifically close. Lamprad in the midfield clinches it for me, not just his goal record, he is the classiest of the mf bunch there.

Think that the others in mf are relatively of a level with mascherano being a better dm and Fletcher being the most rounded of the rest. Plenty of talent in both attacks and both defences are of a level.


This could have been the final.

This is it

I'll vote Slick. I'd suggest the match would provide plenty of goals, Slick edging it with Aguero and Hazard supporting.

SlickRic

This is going exactly as I expected.

Lucas Hood

Such a close one. Going with MNG, Lampard with a penalty to decide it maybe.

lassykk

Have to go with MNG. The attacking front 3 with Lampard in behind just shades it for me

TitianGerm

I'd vote for Slick.

Peak Mascharno would keep tabs on Lampard and nullify him somewhat. Lampard would still be a threat though.

Dembelle is the better player than Fletcher and would easily come out on top in that battle.

I feel Carzola is been overlooked somewhat. He would end up dragging Didi out of his DM position, isolating him and then punishing his lack of pace with balls into space for the unrushing Dembelle or with a quick drop of the shoulder and fast feet.

I'd rank Cole and Duff on a similar level but Slicks combo of Augero and Hazzard is better than MNG RVN and Robben. But both sets of attackers would cause problems.

Stam is the best defender on the pitch but has the flakey Rose beside him which means he'll be concentrating on his left more which may create more space for Augero to exploit.

I love Finnan but I don't think he can cope with a Hazard in full flight.

Slick wins for me.

redzerdrog

Ding dong battle this

IncognitoMan

6-5 to mr nice guy?

I'm on the beer someone stick up the final. Leave it open until Monday midnight because of the bank holiday

Mr.Nice Guy

Good game, Slick. Had a feeling it would be a tight one.