Draft of Drafts

[tpmazembe]

I think your wingbacks are wasted behind two such attacking wingers, if they go up field you are going to get caught out. I also fear for your defence as Varela and Santamaria are going to have an awful lot of work to do. Mattheus at his best was a very attacking two way player, who is going to fill in for him when he makes his forays upfield?Dj Santos played with Garrincha and it didn't waste his talents.Our LB and RB are solid defenders, and will be asked to stay back. I would not call it a waste, rather a tactical option. Given any team with offensive wingers you will naturally limit your backs' forays forward against equal opposition. Rather than pick purely defensive backs, we have two that excelled at both..a much more flexible option. They are smart enough to use their judgment when to push forward to support.

Mattaus may have gotten his greatest renown for his offensive thrusts in the early nineties, but he was a great pure d-mid in the early 80s. He will also be asked to play that role here, and limit his forays. Our whole team is based on this idea of multi-positional flexibility (other than Ronaldo and Maier of course).

We can play three at the back, with Fachetti (who played Libero) Santamaria and Amoros, and push Varela to d-mid (where he also is comfortable). We can play three at the back with Mattaus, Varela and Santamaria, and push Fachetti and Amoros up to midfield. We can have either Fachetti or Amoros play more as an out out winger on the left, push Czibor inside to partner Ronaldo....etc.

We can ask Platini to move back in midfield at some points (a bit like when he was with St. Etienne) and partner Distefano, or release DiStefano to play alongside Ronaldo. The tactical variations are many, but the base case is as presented.

We'll be looking to continue in that flexibility mode with our 3 subs.

[Dark Savante]

hmm I really think this draft should be based around the pinnacle of these guys' careers.
If you play Matthaus at libero, you're taking an old man who was a shadow of himself by then. I think it is relevant that time lines should be followed because at his peak Matthaus never went anywhere near stoppers in a 3man backline and it cannot just be assumed he could do that job.

If for example the assumption you're making that the prime 80's-early 90's Matthaus would have both those abilities of his peak years coupled with the composure of his latter years then it is unfounded because it was never tested out. I think for all intents and purposes we should try and keep this draft as realistic as possible and not fill in any blanks ourselves.

The arguement for other players such as a 17year old Pele vs an older version are entirely different, because he was exceptional all the way thru his career and didn't do what MAtthaus did whic was play past the point where he should have retired.

[tpmazembe]

hmm I really think this draft should be based around the pinnacle of these guys' careers. Why the wonder? We took Mattaus as our D-mid. Anyone who saw him play the position knows he's one of the best all time there. He can be used at other spots as noted, but our line-up is clear. It can be debated that his greatest success was more upfield, but in my lifetime he and Rickjaard are the best I've seen at that position (there are two playing today who may jump in there by time careers end). He's solid at the d-mid spot - physical, blessed with stamina, able to man mark (he did just that against the likes of Maradona, Zico and Platini), and make an intelligent pass.

Falcao should get a shout-out at the d-mid spot (he didn't make the top 55), though not as strong in the tackle.

[Dark Savante]

We took Mattaus as D-mid. He can be used at other spots as noted, but our line-up is clear. It can be debated that his greatest success was more upfield, but in my lifetime he and Rickjaard are the best I've seen at that position. He's solid at the d-mid spot.

Falcao should get a shout-out at the d-mid spot (he didn't make the top 55), though not as strong in the tackle.

I was reffering to your reference point of Matthuas as a libero. Can't argue
about him in midfield.

[tpmazembe]

I was reffering to your reference point of Matthuas as a libero. Can't argue
about him in midfield.
Gotcha....just a tactical option in a pinch.

[comme]

No post again DS? What is Team D up to?

[comme]

Team E comme, Merengue, Excape Goat, lanman

Round 11, pick 4 (overall pick 54)

Elias Figueroa

Nation: Chile

Birth Date: October 25, 1946

Clubs: Penarol, Internacional, Palestino, Universidad Católica

Caps 47 goals 2

Honours: Uruguayan Champion 1967 and 78, Brazilian Champion 1975, Chilean Champion 1978,84, South America Player of the Year 1974,75,76

Elias Figueroa Brander was born October 25, 1946 in Valparaiso, Chile. Because of his elegance and presence on the pitch, Figueroa received the proud nickname "Don Elias", which he is known as throughout the world. Figueroa is the only player voted South American "Footballer of the Year" three consecutive times, 1974, 1975 and 1976.

Captain of the Chilean National Team at WC'66 , WC'74 and WC'82, he was voted "Best Defender" of the 1974 Championships. Elias Figueroa was voted "Best Player in the World" in 1976. Voted Chilean "best player of all time", best foriegn player in the history of Brasilian Futebol and in 1998 "Don Elias" was selected to the South American "11 of the Century". He is also one of only a handful of players to have won titles in three counries Uruguay, Brazil and Chile.

[comme]

Sorry about this but I went ahead and picked because I wasn't sure if I'd be able to later. It's pretty difficult to get that much info on Figueroa so if any is wrong or anyone has more to add then please go ahead.

[Dark Savante]

Sorry about this but I went ahead and picked because I wasn't sure if I'd be able to later. It's pretty difficult to get that much info on Figueroa so if any is wrong or anyone has more to add then please go ahead.

I'm glad you posted up. The team member with the deciding vote has not shwn up and I'm going to give him a few more hours before deciding what to do. Aplogies for yet more inconvinience.

Nice to see your ultra modern defence collect a wise old head. :)

[comme]

Seeing as we are now able to talk about it and i'm sure you aren't going for him, I was quite keen on Scirea. However my team felt he was a bit too much of a sweeper.


BTW the Team E line up is

--------Schmeichel

Thuram Desailly Figueroa Carlos

Best Beckenbauer Bozsik Zidane

-------Kocsis Puskas

[Dark Savante]

Seeing as we are now able to talk about it and i'm sure you aren't going for him, I was quite keen on Scirea. However my team felt he was a bit too much of a sweeper.

I don't see the problem considering he'd have been paired with Baresi, but your lot is certainly good enough. Besides which, you pick again on Monday..

[imasyko]

Seeing as we are now able to talk about it and i'm sure you aren't going for him, I was quite keen on Scirea. However my team felt he was a bit too much of a sweeper.


BTW the Team E line up is

--------Schmeichel

Thuram Desailly Figueroa Carlos

Best Beckenbauer Bozsik Zidane

-------Kocsis Puskas

I have a question, I don't know these players (or not most of them), except for the descriptions everyone has added with their picks, but why pick a CB, and play Beckenbauer as a D-Mid, when he was the best sweeper in history? Wouldn't he be more natural on the backline, and you could then add another midfielder?

[Dark Savante]

I have a question, I don't know these players (or not most of them), except for the descriptions everyone has added with their picks, but why pick a CB, and play Beckenbauer as a D-Mid, when he was the best sweeper in history? Wouldn't he be more natural on the backline, and you could then add another midfielder?
Actually, this is what I had in mind for them since last month:

Team E: Team E have created a fascinating team which is probably the most flexible so far. I personally feel playing Beckenbauer alongsiide Boszik would be the killer move of the draft...If you can back them up with two awesome CB's. It's hard to even tell if they will go for a more penetrative #10 and put Zidane on the left or slot Zidane in the hole and let others run around him. R.Carlos presents a unique problem for all teams his stamina and speed is going to be a nightmare to contain, but will they play it so that he can be exploited in behind...I am most interested in seeing whom they pair Puskas with but I also want to see what they do with that midfield.

More later!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last edited by Dark Savante : 25 Apr 2004 at 01:29 PM.

Beckenbauer should ideally be placed in the position where he can hurt the opposition the most and control as much of the game and be as much of his teams engine room as possible so playing him in midfield is the best place for him, imo. Unlike most other CB's/Sweepers in this draft Beckenbauer was very adept at going from box to box, not just destroying, but destroying and then running the ball all the way back up the pitch - to the point of either scoring or setting up a team mate for a shot - so by playing him in front of a backline he has less energy to expend whilst still being the dominant defensive force - going thru Beckenbauer is a task in itself and even if you do he has the stamina and ability to just retrack a runner and turn a 2man cb line into a 3man line with him sweeping up.

Desailly and Figuera are legends in their own right so Beckenbauer wont be missed there, besides Desailly can also play DM so if anything Beckenbauer can still go to the backline mid game if team E so choses..


Team D's selection will be up within the next 2hrs ..

[imasyko]

Thanks, DS.

[lanman]

Beckenbauer played most of his international games in midfield so I don't think there's a problem in that regards. I would be more concerned with him as part of a back-four, he was an attacking sweeper, not a central defender in a back four.

[Excape Goat]

I have a question, I don't know these players (or not most of them), except for the descriptions everyone has added with their picks, but why pick a CB, and play Beckenbauer as a D-Mid, when he was the best sweeper in history? Wouldn't he be more natural on the backline, and you could then add another midfielder?

DS has pretty much summed up why my team wanted to play Beckenbauer as a defensive midfielder. We also discussed the fact that Beckenbauer started off as midfielder and then moved to the sweeper position later in his career. He was remembered as a sweeper because he revolutionized the position. He actually made his name as a defensive midfielder. Basically, Bayern Munich put a defensive midfielder in the sweeper position. And he decided to use his attacking skills and ended up creating a new position. We are just putting him back where he belonged. Plus, we believed his true position was defensive midfielder. Over there, he will still be defending and attacking, but our defense won't be exposed when he moved forward.

[Dark Savante]

TEAM D
Dark Savante - captain, Spartak, Real Ray, Mobile


Round: 11 (Week 11)
Selection: 5
55th overall pick

Player: Romário de Souza Farias
nicknames: Baixinho Romario 'The Short One'
Born: 29/01/1966 Birth Place: Jacarezinho, Rio de Janeiro
Position: Striker
Career Span:later 1980's - 00's
Nationality: Brazilian
Goals/Caps: 54/69
Club Teams: Vasco da Gama, PSV (Hol), Barcelona (Spa), Flamengo, Valencia (Spa), Flamengo, Valencia (Spa), Flamengo

Profile / Stats:

3 x Dutch Championship : 1988-1989, 1990-1991, 1991-1992
2 x Dutch Cup : 1988-89, 1989-90
1 x Spanish Championship : 1993-1994
2 x Copa America : 1989, 1997
1x World Cup Winner : 1994
2 x Dutch League Top Scorer : 1988-89, 1990-1991
1 x Spanish League Top Scorer : 1993-1994
1 x World Club Cup Champion: 2000
1 x Olympic Silver Medalist: 1988
1 x Olympic Top Scorer: 1988
1 x FIFA World Player of the Year : 1994


Born in Jacarezinho, Rio de Janeiro, Romario displayed his promise from an early age. His height was always concieved to be a problem and many believed he wouldn't make it as a professional footballer, and then the goals came. Over 900 career goals at the top level of proffessional football along with a scoring record 2nd only to Pele marks Romario as one of the deadlist strikers in Brazil's gloried history. The feat is even more remarkable considering the fact that many Brazlian managers refused to pick him for the selecao. Romario's temprament is legenedary and as with many of the true greats of the game Romario was a free spirit who baulked at taking orders, he would always have the last laugh though, because his game on the pitch would silence even his most avid critics.

Romario's aim was always to usurp Pele as the highest scoring player ever to have come out of Brazil and not being far off 1000 goals, he nearly succeeded. Age has eventually caught up with him, but as with many of the true legends of the game Romario has been able to out-perform most of his peers well into his late 30's. Romario's game, even now, is based on sheer predatory finishing. He does little to help out the rest of the team but when a chance arises you can usually bet that he'll be there to take it. His deadly finishing is complemented by an electrifying burst of pace, amazing close control and balance borne of his low centre of gravity. The trademark Romario finish was the nonchalant, toe poked tap-in to the inside of the uprights. Despite his height, Romario was adept in every area of strike finishing, memorabily out jumping a defender twice his height to score a headed goal at USA '94.


This descision was a 3 way tie 1:1:1 with one no-show. Captains descision was final. So as it stands Romario was my sole pick.

Team D's formation

--------Banks
-----Krol---Baresi
D.Santos--------Maldini
-------Neeskens
---Zico-------Overath
--------Cruyff
----Romario---Gullit

With our midfield we can switch to a two man defnesive midfield with Cruyff going to the left OM spot and Cruyff, Gullit and Zico can alternate positions throughout a game.

[Spartak]

D.S., I guess you just ignored what I said then, huh? :rolleyes:

[Dark Savante]

D.S., I guess you just ignored what I said then, huh? :rolleyes:
I didn't recheck the thread sorry. checking now.

[lanman]

I've posted the individual records of each teams players on the recap thread: http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2582844#post2582844