26 replies to this topic

[Davey Baby]

So, you're picking a side comprised from the top six clubs, excluding us.

What does it look like? Something like this? I'm sure I've forgotten someone? Who?

How many of our lot make that team? How many make the 16?

Mata? Sturridge? Ramires? Cech? Ashley? Terry? Ivan? Luiz?

Kalou .. ?

What do you say .. ?

Hart
Walker
Enrique
Kompany
Vidic
Yaya
Silva
Modric
Van Persie
Rooney
Bale

Subs ..

Reina
Vermaelen
Jones
Wilshere
Nani
Suarez
Aguero

[TrojanMan]

GK - Hart, Reina
D - Kompany, Vermaelen, Richards, Vidic
MF - Silva, Modric, Yaya, Nani, Bale
F - Van Persie, Aguero, Suarez, Rooney

Who starts depends on the formation.  I've left 1 spot open because I'm sure I'm forgetting someone.

From our team, Sturridge, Mata, Terry, and maybe Ramires would be the most likely to crack that team.

[Phillip]

I cannot fault any of the choices of the above two posters.  And I think only Mata would crack into that starting lineup.

[Myles_91]

Subs: Vorm, Walker, Bale, Valencia, Aguero

[Zeta Orionis]

[shedpensioner]

Hart

Walker
Kompany
Jones
???? (no good left backs in top 6)

Toure
Modric
Silva

Aguero
RVP
Bale

Its made me feel sick naming some of them, I'm off for a drink so I feel better!

[Zeta Orionis]

Cole is still the best LB in the league at the moment, afaiac.

[footballoholic]

-----------------Hart
Sagna- Kompany - JT- Enrique
---------------Yaya
---Nani --------------- Bale
--------------Silva
--------RVP-----Aguero

Sadly, that team would probably still get beat by Barca.

[TrojanMan]

BlueSkies, on 29 December 2011 - 05:58 PM, said:

Cole is still the best LB in the league at the moment, afaiac.

I'm not sure Cole is the best LB on our team, at the moment.

He's getting torched down the left side far more often than the rotating band of Ivanovic/Bosingwa/Ferreira on the right side.

[Myles_91]

BlueSkies, on 29 December 2011 - 05:58 PM, said:

Cole is still the best LB in the league at the moment, afaiac.

He has been in decline for a good 18 months at least. As earlier mentioned I don't think he is even the best Left Back at our club atm let alone the league.

Baines
Enrique
Assou-Ekotto

For me are all better

[Castiel]

Assou-Ekotto isn't consistent enough for me.  I'll concede that Bale is better than I thought but lets see if he can keep it up this time around.  Modric and VDV are class.  But please stop being mesmerised by the rich vein of form they're going through.  It happens to teams sometimes and wont last.  Remember us raping teams in 2010?  We collapsed around this time of year pretty suddenly.  They have 3 top players, a few good ones and a loan from City which transformed their side.  I honestly don't believe they have the legs to keep it up through the season.  Footballaholic's 11 is what I'd pick with Vidic in for Terry assuming no Chelsea.  Mata, Terry and Rambo would have shouts at making a Prem season 11 but its too early for me to call that.  Also agree that Cole's decline is growing more apparent by the week.  I hope Bertrand is ready to step up because Cole strikes me as the type to retire suddenly once his time is up.

[Spiller86]

4-4-1-1: Reina, Richards, Vidic, Kompany, Evra, Modric, Toure, Nani, Rooney, Bale, RVP

Subs: Hart, Aguero, Gerrard, Silva, Jones

If our boys are included, Terry comes in for Kompany, Petr is very close to being in ahead of Hart and Reina, Mata might find a spot on the bench and I'd still have Frank.

[geezer]

...........................Hart
Richards......Vidic......Kompany.......Enrique
..........................Lucas
.......Silva.........Yaya Toure...........Bale
............Aguero..........V. Persie

Subs: Reina; Walker; Parker; Rooney; Modric

[Zeta Orionis]

I'm just not seeing this "getting skinned every game" that other people seem to be. The problem is I think that he set a very high standard for most of his career as he was probably the best in the world for a good few years, so any decline is going to look pretty drastic, even though he's still one of the best. Sure he's getting older, a little slower and he's pretty sh*t going forwards (but he's never been great going forwards), but the criticism he's coming in for is massively over the top for me. Bertrand should definitely get games here and there, as Cole needs to be rested sometimes, but he's still the #1 at the moment.

[Davey Baby]

Castiel, on 29 December 2011 - 08:40 PM, said:

They have 3 top players, a few good ones and a loan from City which transformed their side.  

Footballaholic's 11 is what I'd pick with Vidic in for Terry assuming no Chelsea.

I hope Bertrand is ready to step up because Cole strikes me as the type to retire suddenly once his time is up.

King is a top defender, although I'm aware of his dodgy knee. Parker has been brilliant for a year and a half. Walker looks like a real find. Friedel is top quality too. They are not bad.

Footballoholic's team omits Modric. For me he's a must.

As for Cole, I strongly believe we will be signing Pereira as his direct replacement. I agree with Myles that Assou-Ekotto, Baines and Enrique are all good players, possibly playing at a higher level than Cole at the moment, but Cole still has that appreciation of his position, he knows how to time his runs and find space. As an overlapping full-back he has few peers, although his days at the very top level may be numbered.

[Zeta Orionis]

I bloody hope we don't sign Perreira.

[Castiel]

Davey Baby, on 29 December 2011 - 09:50 PM, said:

King is a top defender, although I'm aware of his dodgy knee. Parker has been brilliant for a year and a half. Walker looks like a real find. Friedel is top quality too. They are not bad.

Footballoholic's team omits Modric. For me he's a must.

As for Cole, I strongly believe we will be signing Pereira as his direct replacement. I agree with Myles that Assou-Ekotto, Baines and Enrique are all good players, possibly playing at a higher level than Cole at the moment, but Cole still has that appreciation of his position, he knows how to time his runs and find space. As an overlapping full-back he has few peers, although his days at the very top level may be numbered.

Modric is in contention with Silva for that lineup.  Silva could compete in Barcelona's midfield.

King can't stay fit and Parker has been good for them, but he isn't a great player.  He's actually running out of steam now and wont last the entire season.  Spud fans have been saying this themselves, calling for Sandro to get some games.  Fridel is a stop gap.  

Some people are just going to be intent on bigging them up for some reason I'll never understand.  Its just a run of form.  City practically obliterated them at WHL before that run of form started.  We stopped City dead in their tracks and held the mighty Spurs to a draw at their place, despite missing around 10,000 chances.  I'll be revisiting this at the end of the season to name and shame you Spud sympathisers, believe me.

[Eggy McMuffin]

Hart

Richards Vidic Kompany Enrique

Lucas Toure

Nani----Rooney----Silva

Van Persie

There were a couple of close calls such as Bale and Nani, Modric and Rooney, Vidic and Vermaelen. The team with Chelsea players included wouldn't be much different. In fact I think the only real competition that can be offered is Studge and Nani, Ramires and Toure, Mata and Nani and Cole and Enrique. That's purely based on form though and obviously in terms of actual ability I'd rate Cole above Enrique and at least one of Mata and Studge would make it in. It just shows how much we've underperformed in my view.

God, I sound properly depressed there, don't I?

So I shall liven up a little. Romeu looks like he's going to keep on getting better and if he does he'll be better than Lucas this time next year. Ramires just needs to work on his finishing to be better than Toure and in fact one of the best (I almost wrote 'pest' there) in the world. Sturridge also needs to work on his finishing and make his crossing a little better to be one of the best in the world. Mata is well up there and just needs to find his role whether it's in the centre or we get someone else to play there so he can stay wide. Torres is still Torres. Luiz and Terry have started to play better with the deeper line and we know Luiz has the ability to become truly world class. Cech, Terry, Cole and Drogba are still who they are even if they're getting older or just generally lacking what used to be there like Cech is. A couple of signings and we're sorted.

[Davey Baby]

Castiel, on 29 December 2011 - 11:03 PM, said:

King can't stay fit and Parker has been good for them, but he isn't a great player.  He's actually running out of steam now and wont last the entire season. Spud fans have been saying this themselves, calling for Sandro to get some games.  Fridel is a stop gap.  

Parker may not be a great player but I found it very hard to leave him out of my 16. He has been immense for Spurs, as he was for Wet Spam last season. He is a certain starter for England at the Euros and his stock has risen considerably. He has made a difference to Spurs. Spurs are a flair side. They attack with pace down the flanks, they have a proper playmaker in Modric, and they have a classic number 10 in VDV. They also have a decent striker. Parker has given them some much needed steel. Englishness if you like. You can bet those other players I've mentioned like playing with him. He lets them play. I'm aware of his limitations but he makes a difference and you can see why Harry wanted him. He was a vital signing for them. Spurs are a great team to watch, an attacking side in the old-fashioned sense, playing an old-fashioned formation, bit like Man Utd used to do. They are dependent on their players staying fit, because without King they lack real quality in the centre of their defence, and without Lennon and VDV they had no real replacements against us and suffered. Like you, I expect them to drop off in the second-half of the season, mainly because Harry's teams have a tendency of doing that, and also because they don't have the squad. I firmly believe that if he were backed with serious cash, he could build a title-challenging side, because he has the ingredients. He is close to having an awesome side and he knows it. Tottenham however is run as a business so they will probably end up short. Modric and Bale will eventually go and that will be their chance gone, because they are both top players, players we would love to have here. They have a choice, back the manager and spend some cash, and go for the main prize, or watch their best players go, with the promise of top wages and silverware. I can only see the latter option materializing, which is why Harry will probably be grateful when England comes calling. I commend Harry. He loves a footballer. A player's reputation doesn't bother him, he gets the best out of them. Adebayor, VDV, Di Canio. He is very good at handling footballers and he likes a maverick. His teams play good stuff, a bit too open to be consistent, to consistently grind out wins as you need to do to win the Prem, but Tottenham fans aren't complaining as they are seeing some damn good football. As for Friedel, whether he's a stop-gap or not is irrelevant, he's their keeper this season and he's a damn fine one. He was a canny signing. I'll shut up about Spurs now in case I get banned.

[Davey Baby]

Davey Baby, on 30 December 2011 - 12:07 AM, said:

Spurs are a great team to watch, an attacking side in the old-fashioned sense, playing an old-fashioned formation, bit like Man Utd used to do.

Carrying on this theme, I would say Parker very much performs the Keane role. Obviously he doesn't have the same quality, nor does he intimidate opponents in quite the same way, but he reminds me of Keane in the way he plays the game. Very similar, though Keane was world class. Both are/were defensive midfielders but not holding players, they did more than simply protect the back four, rather they operated in tandem with a partner, a more attacking one in the form of Scholes and Modric. They gave their partner more time to play, taking a lot of the physical brunt off them, and sitting while they attacked. Utd had Beckham and Giggs on the flanks (Lennon and Bale) and they played with a number 10 (Yorke or Sheringham) just as Spurs do (VDV). VDV is probably less of a forward but only because the modern game doesn't allow you to get overrun in midfield, hence very few sides play with only two central midfielders. Spurs are probably the closest thing to it, at the top of the game, hence the reason they are a bit open, but they are great to watch. Part of the reason that formation works for them is Parker. He does a sterling job. We had Essien, who was a vastly superior version of Parker, but we never played him as part of a two, in which he would have excelled. In short, you need a player who can do the work of two men and Essien fitted that mould, just as Yaya does today, but Parker for my money doesn't do bad, even though he will never be in the top bracket.