UEFA Cup/Europa League Draft Semi Final 1

[Lee909]

Pick two teams to go through to the final

Polls close Friday 

 

aRdja

 

 

 

 

John 102

 

 

 

Elite

 

 

 

Lifetime Fan

 

 

 

[Bjornebye]

Ardja

 

Great keeper and defence there. I think Deco and Muller are very similar. Two top forwards. 

 

John 102

 

Not a side you'd want to go into battle against. Arguably the hardest side I've seen in any draft. Best striker in the whole draft. 

 

Elite

 

Great back 4. Solid enough midfield and attack. You have to remember just how good Rooney was at his peak. 

 

Lifey

 

Aren't going to concede many at all and some great players but you'd have been better off taking any left-back instead of shoe-horning Willian in completely out of position. 

[No2]

2 from 3 here - Lifey's team can't compete at this level with Willian at left back.

 

John - looks like a mourinho side, wouldn't fancy trying to break them down. Ronaldo gets you my vote.

 

Elite squeezes my 2nd vote by a nose, front 2 with Nedved and Aimar would run amok.

[Guest Alex_K]

I think John's team is a pretty clever outfit. Wanted Godin+Ayala the turn he took them: what a partnership that would be. Very complementary, with really strong full backs, really powerful midfield and then the wrecking ball Ronaldo up top. The Mourinho comparison is pretty apt - more like one of his 00 teams (who could actually play football when they wanted) rather than the dirge hes managed in the 10s.

 

I also go with Elite by a whisker. His and Ardja's teams v similar in some respects. V fine margins but Bonhof is probably a more prestigious choice than Hamann, Nedved goes over Deco, then the other 2 are much of a muchness. Thon was in the Germany world cup winning/runner up squads but didn't make the pitch in any of the finals so that's a mark down. Would probably have flipped Gentile/De Boer positionally but otherwise both defences v good.

 

Lifetime - was a bit confused by your Wildcard because that seemed to throw everything off kilter early on. Few too many players a bit out of position or lacking some quality - always thought Ardilles was a bit more of a novelty player than a truly class one.

[aRdja]

John102 gets my first vote.
 

My next vote is a difficult choice. Buffon could reasonably claim as the best Italian goalkeeper ever, and Giuliani doesn’t have a cap to his name. The Willian selection at LB is a bit baffling and ultimately will cost you @lifetime fan, surely you’d pick just a run-of-the-mill LB instead?

[Allan]

John & Elite for me.

 

John has an excellent side, best side in this group for me, possibly the entire draft - He could perhaps have gone a little more attacking and taken Michel over Manolo Sanchis. The remainder of the back 4 don't really need a sweeper, especially given that Fernandinho is sat just in front of them.

 

Elite has 2 of my favourite ever players in his side in Hyypia & Zanetti. Like others though, I'd have had Gentile & de Boer the other way round. Given when he picked his keeper, there wasn't a huge choice - all of the better keepers in the 80s were seemingly on the losing side - Immel, N'Kono & Schumacher.

 

aRdja - Very solid base, one paced midfield despite all being good players, and an interesting forward line. It's a good side, but it's not quite good enough to take my vote away from Elite.

 

Lifey - The panic pick of Willian at left back - could have taken Filipe Luis from Atleti. I do think the midfield gets overrun, even with another of my favourite ever players in there anchoring the trio. Like the forward line, plenty of goals and creativity there, and Buffon is up there among the best ever between the posts for me. The centre half pairing provides plenty of leadership - good, solid defenders too.

[lifetime fan]

15 hours ago, Alex_K said:

Lifetime - was a bit confused by your Wildcard because that seemed to throw everything off kilter early on. Few too many players a bit out of position or lacking some quality - always thought Ardilles was a bit more of a novelty player than a truly class one.

 

I took Schifo as he was a class player, but then realised much later I would need three picks for the 80's then which was by far the weakest decade for picks.

 

Ardilles was a quality player though.

[lifetime fan]

2 hours ago, Dynamite said:

Lifey - The panic pick of Willian at left back - could have taken Filipe Luis from Atleti. I do think the midfield gets overrun, even with another of my favourite ever players in there anchoring the trio. Like the forward line, plenty of goals and creativity there, and Buffon is up there among the best ever between the posts for me. The centre half pairing provides plenty of leadership - good, solid defenders too.

 

I made two serious fuck ups with my picks.

 

One being the 80's and then not realising until too late I couldn't take Lizarazu at LB.

[lifetime fan]

Elite and John.

[Elite]

John followed by Ardja for me. 

[Bjornebye]

Bump