Football/Soccer Winning XI Draft Thread-PICKS ONLY

[mcfly21]

Round 4, Pick 74 Philip Lahm





Philip Lahm is a lb, but since he is right footed he is also able to play on the right as well. This versitility as a fb to play both sides is crucial for us since both sides lack depth in elite players. This pick gives us more flexibility moving forward, as well as an elite attacking fb.

team mcsergz
de rossi
aguero
fabiano
lahm

[stakman1011]

Round 4 Pick 75

Nicolas Anelka





Sorry for the delay everyone. We considered going another direction here, but we decided we needed an excellent striker to really get the most out of Arshavin and Tevez. With the addition of Anelka, our offense is going to be potent indeed.

At times, Chelsea has failed to get the best out of Anelka's considerable talents. Our team will make no such mistake. We're going to use Anelka where he's at his best, in the middle of the park. There he can use his pace and finishing ability to deliver on the many chances created by the likes of Arshavin and Tevez.

His pace is a fantastic and valuable weapon that I'm sure will give us a deadly punch both during sustained possession and on lightning-fast counter attacks.

He's a fixture for Chelsea and France and well, he can score goals like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jS0rAC7p90&feature=fvw

And even more impressively, this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jS0rAC7p90&feature=fvw

Pay particular attention to the first goal when he simply pushes the ball past the defender, leaves him absolutely for dead, and blasts the ball into the upper corner. What's not to love?

Team so far:

Arshavin
Tevez
Pique
Anelka

[ThaSaltCracka]

Round 4, Pick 76, Michael Carrick



With Michael Carrick our team gets a player that is very comfortable and composed in the middle of the field.

Ceire says about Carrick: “Carrick can pick out some killer passes (when he has the time), I love Unnamed and he would be great with Carrick next to him but I feel with the team right now you do need someone who can make something happen or help control the tempo of a game, link the defense with mf and forwards ect, like Carrick. “

Pretty much agree. Carrick is like a poor man’s Fabregas in that they both are able to control the tempo of the game, however Carrick is a better defensive player than Fabregas, and it shows.

He has spent his entire career in England, first entering the Premier league with West Ham, then Tottenham, and now at Manchester United.

His time at Tottenham was a period in which the team played its best football, and its no coincidence they haven’t been the same since he was sold.

He has always been able to chip in assists, 6,6,4,3, and 5 the past five seasons, as well as the odd goal. I think with his passing ability he should be able to find Forlan fairly often. His defensive positioning would also allow our team to win more balls in the middle of the field.

At 27 years old we are also getting a player in his prime.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dfgl_YaS90

Team thus far:
FW: Forlan
MF: Carrick
CB: Terry
FB: Sagna

[EmpireMaker2]

Round 4, Pick 77 Ricardo Carvalho



During the 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 seasons there weren't maybe center backs better than Carvalho. During his five year spell as a Chelsea centerback him and John Terry have been the best partnership in the world. So good in fact that they have led Chelsea to the lowest goal against total 5 consecutive years in the EPL only being tied with Man U last year.

I believe if he didn't get injured last year he would of been one of the top 30 picks, and the 4th center back taken overall. He was an intergral part in Porto winning the Champions League. He was such a good player that after the CL win Chelsea signed for almost 20 million pounds in 2004 pretty much unheard of for a center back five years ago. He is also one of the best dribblers of the ball of any centerback in the world. Of the other top centerbacks Vidic, Rio, and Terry none of them possess the all around soccer talent that he does, but are clearly better defenders/tacklers of the ball.

Honours

Club

FC Porto

* Portuguese Liga: 1998-99, 2002-03, 2003-04
* Portuguese Cup: 2002-03
* UEFA Champions League: 2003-04
* UEFA Cup: 2002-03

Chelsea FC

* Premier League: 2004–05, 2005-06
* FA Cup: 2006–07, 2008–09
* FA Community Shield: 2005
* Carling Cup: 2005, 2007

Individual

* Portuguese Footballer of the Year: 2002-03
* UEFA Club Best Defender of the Year: 2003-04
* UEFA Team of the Year: 2003-04
* UEFA Euro Team of the Tournament: 2004
* FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 2006
* Chelsea Players' Player of the Year: 2007-08

Team Thus Far

Forward-David Villa
CM-Xabi Alonso
Forward-Klass-Jan Huntelaar
CB-Ricardo Carvalho

[kitaristi0]

Round 4 - Pick 82 - Alessandro Del Piero



Juve legend, magic touch, free kick specialist, sexy Italian adverts, Juventus all time top scorer, over 600 career appearances, etc etc etc. And in case you think he's getting old, 88 goals in 166 appearances in the last four seasons say's hello.

Youtube Video
Goal vs Real Madrid
10 goals

Honours:

Juventus F.C.

* Serie A: 1994-95, 1996-97, 1997-98, 2001-02, 2002-03
* Coppa Italia: 1994-95
* Supercoppa Italiana: 1995, 1997, 2002, 2003
* Serie B: 2006-07
* UEFA Champions League: 1995-96
* UEFA Super Cup: 1996
* Intercontinental Cup: 1996
* UEFA Intertoto Cup: 1999

Juventus Youth Team

* Torneo di Viareggio: 1994

Italy National Football Team

* UEFA Under-21 European Championship: 1994, 1996
* FIFA World Cup: 2006

Individual

* Bravo Award: 1996
* Italian Footballer of the Year: 1998, 2008
* ESM Team of the Year: 1995-96, 1996-97, 1997-98
* Intercontinental Cup Man of the match: 1996
* UEFA Champions League Top Scorer: 1997, 1998
* FIFA 100
* Coppa Italia Top Scorer: 2006
* Golden Foot: 2007
* Serie B Top Scorer: 2007
* Serie A Top Scorer: 2008
* Premio Nazionale Carriera Esemplare "Gaetano Scirea": 2008
* USSI Silver Ball (Serie A Fair Play Award): 2008-09
* UEFA Champions League 10-Year Jubilee Poll - Best Attacker
* Juventus All-Time top scorer
* All-Time Juventus appearances leader

Orders

* 5th Class / Knight: Cavaliere Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana: 2000
* 4th Class / Official: Ufficiale Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana: 2006

Team kitaristi0

Zlatan Ibrahimovic
David Silva
Alessandro Del Piero

[sl8a]

Round 4
Pick 83
Bastian Schweinsteiger



Enthusiasm, determination, creativity - three important qualities of which Bastian has vast reserves. From a very young age of 19, Schweinsteiger has managed to command a regular first team place with Bayern Munich, one of Europe's top clubs. The 20 year old midfielder has now cemented his reputation as one of Germany's most gifted players.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecrJESD0zYM
Honours
Club

* Bayern Munich
o Bundesliga Champion: 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008
o DFB-Pokal: 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008
o DFB-Ligapokal: 2004, 2007
o German U-17 championship: 2001
o German U-19 championship: 2002

National Team

* FIFA Confederations Cup Third Place: 2005
* FIFA World Cup Third Place: 2006
* UEFA European Football Championship Runner-up: 2008
Individual

* Man of the Match: for his performance in the Game for Third Place of Germany versus Portugal (8 July), FIFA World Cup 2006
* Man of the Match: for his performance in the Quarter-final Game of Germany versus Portugal (19 June), UEFA Euro 2008

Team Sl8a:
Vidic
Pato
Dzeko
Schweinsteiger

[derwipok]

Round 4 - Pick 84 - Yuri Zhirkov



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WslrR4sTHeE

I think I'm getting good value here with Yuri Zhirkov. He's a very good player and he can play either leftback or left winger, which gives me more oppurtunities to pick in the later rounds.
Zhirkov is a very fast player with good technique and great ball control. He knows how to dribble past opponents, he can net the ball if he gets the chance and he can cross the ball in the middle. You can say that he's very good at creating chances and he will create them for Benzema and Lampard in my team.
Zhirkov may not be the best in the defense, but he's quite solid there and is totally able to play leftback, although a very attacking one.

Honours:

-UEFA Cup: 2005
-Russian Premier League: 2005, 2006
-Russian Cup: 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009
-Russian Super Cup: 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009
-Russian player of the year 2008
-UEFA Team of the year Euro 2008
-Nominee Ballon d'Or 2008

Team derwipok:

----------- GK -----------
RB ---- CB ---- CB - Zhirkov
-----Lampard - CM ------
Maxi ------------------ LW
------Benzema - F -----

[kitaristi0]

Round 4 - Pick 85 - Santi Cazorla



He's a Spanish winger who can play on both flanks and as an attacking midfielder. With him and David Silva I have a lot of flexibility in my attack and in my tactical choices, giving me a very potent offensive threat.

Youtube Video

Honours:

Villarreal CF:

* UEFA Intertoto Cup: 2004

Spain:

* UEFA European Championship: 2008

Individual

* Don Balón Spanish Footballer of the year: 2007

Team kitaristi0

Zlatan Ibrahimovic
David Silva
Alessandro Del Piero
Santi Cazorla

[Bigindiemen]

Round 4 - Pick 80 - Micheal Ballack





We felt that Ballack would be a great fit on our team. Our playmakers Pirlo needs a midfield that is willing to work for him, are physically strong and can play some defense. Ballack can do all that pretty wel and can actually play football as well.

In London he hasn't been as important for Chelsea as he used to be for Bayern/Germany because of some injury problems and the different tactics Chelsea use.

and he won a **** load of prices which is never a bad thing

Honours

Club

Chemnitz

* Saxony Cup: 1996

Kaiserslautern

* Bundesliga: 1997-98

Bayer Leverkusen

* Bundesliga: Runner-up 1999-00, 2001-02
* German Cup: Runner-up: 2002
* UEFA Champions League: Runner-up 2001-02

Bayern Munich

* Bundesliga: 2002-03, 2004-05, 2005-06
* German Cup: 2003, 2005, 2006
* German League Cup: 2004

Chelsea

* Premier League: Runner-up 2006–07, 2007–08
* FA Cup: 2007, 2009
* Football League Cup: 2007
* FA Community Shield: Runner-up 2006
* UEFA Champions League: Runner-up 2008

Germany

* FIFA World Cup: Runner-up 2002
* FIFA World Cup: Third-place 2006
* UEFA European Football Championship: Runner-up 2008
* FIFA Confederations Cup: Third-place 2005

Personal

* German Footballer of the Year: 2002, 2003, 2005
* UEFA Club Midfielder of the Year: 2002
* Selected in FIFA's 100 Greatest Living Players
* UEFA Euro 2008 Bronze Boot
* Euro 2008 Team of the tournament
* World Cup 2002 Team of the tournament
* World Cup 2006 Team of the tournament



Team Ambush/Bigindiemen

Andrea Pirlo
Didier Drogba
Pepe
Michael Ballack

[cashy]

Round 4 - Pick 87 - Juan Manuel Mata



With Mata I got the perfect "wing partner" for robben.
Robben is a player who dribbles past players a lot always looking for 1vs1 situation.
Mata on the other hand is a more direct player. Instead of taking on a lot of players he rathers goes for the pass or shot.

Mata is a fast player with good technique, good passing skills and good vision.
He is a good finisher and was 2nd best in assists in Liga liga last year just behind xavi.

He played a big part in Valencias free flowing attacking football and is underrated by most people. He is the perfect player for my system.

He recently turned 21 so there is a lot more to come from him in the coming season!

team cashy:
formation: 4-3-3
midfield: Fabregas, Van der Vaart
strikers: Robben, Mata

- - - - -Goalkeeper - - -
-RB - - CB - CB - - LB - -
- - - - - DM - - - - - - - -
- - - Fabs - - VDV - - -
Robben - - MS - - - -Mata

[Bjørn]

Round 4 - Pick 88 - Diego Milito





This pick is in many ways a reflection of a complete change of mind I had about the style of my team based on the midfielders that I think will be available to me later and what strikers aren't available to me now.

The plan was to build a very strong physical team that wasn't great technically but would run a lot. Tackle a lot. Instead of pass a lot. But I'm not that happy with the options that kind of team would require up front as a centerforward.
There are a few good ones of that type left who are
very powerful strikers but I don't think they're up to the standards of the fast technical guys left. Especially not someone like Milito. So based on that and the players I plan to add later in other positions the plan is now a rarely compromised strong extremely hard working defensive organisation, with very direct attack through passing, lots of movement and lots of pace.

With this pick I take care of the pace, movement and finishing up front.

For starters one of Milito's nicknames is not "the tornado" for nothing.
He is a nightmare to mark. He has one of the best accelerations with and without the ball out of anyone.
So sick that even in what's very minimal space inside the box it can still make a difference and get him in position to strike again and again.
With his size, his great technique and pace is almost to be expected and those things do make him a very effective transition player but what's perhaps most remarkable about him is his work inside the penalty area.
He just makes the right runs again and again and the speed he does it with makes him tough to mark. He is a fox in box and he even has a pretty good header!

I first really noticed him for Zaragoza. Where sometimes he was striker and sometimes forward. I expect him, Rooney and my third player in attack to switch around a lot actually.
There he was part of what for a short while at least was a very fun attack to watch.

Here are his goals from one of those seasons: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ORoh-tfOz0

And this game where he scored 4 against Real Madrid I guess is where people really started taking notice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WICTv...eature=related

When playing for Genoa (where is a god) which he was instrumental in leading to a very impressive 5th place finish place this year (same points total as 4th) he has been the pure striker and mostly that's what he will do for me while also, which he is also good at (what's not to like!), combining with people coming forward from behind.
But when not in possession he is the one player who will have freedom on my team and with his acceleration and first touch will be expected to really deliver on the counter.

I don't know if he is the best player left overall. If it was more than 2-3 seasons I would go for someone else but right now this very moment in this role, on my team I don't see anyone better and if everything comes together with the team and tactics around him, I like him over most strikers out there actually!

Team so far:

RB: Jose Bosingwa
MC: Esteban Cambiasso
Forward: Wayne Rooney
Forward: Diego Milito

[Wrane]

Round 4, Pick 81: Miroslav Klose




72off:
We feel that Miroslav Klose was one of the best forwards remaining at this spot, a real world class finisher. His skills and versatility still afford us the freedom to do a couple different things in shaping our attack. He can lead the line, makes excellent runs, is good in the air, and has the short passing ability to play as a center forward and work intricate plays with former teammate Diego. He is another unselfish attacker, willing to do anything to help his team score, and win. He also possesses a strong workrate, and should fit in nicely as a key member of our offense. He has proven to be a top goal scorer for club and country, taking advatange of good chances scoring goals of beauty, as well as being able to pounce and poach from mistakes. He may be on the downside of his career, but he still has a role to play for us.

Wrane:
Klose while being one of the top strikers left, is also an amazing bold with our team. An unselfish player with great leadership, he'll leave tons of doors open for us to continue to build our team. Also his intelligence and 'runs' will give Diego extra options for the attack while leaving defenders chasing the ball. What most of all may be Klose's strength is his ability to head the ball. Standing at a 5 foot 11 inches, Klose seems a lot taller than that. Whether it's his timing or elevation, he has a knack of getting to crosses. Clichy (read other writeup) known for his runs down the left side will cross plenty of balls for Klose. Although maybe because of his heading ability, his natural football skill is underrated. He still has the goalscoring touch you hope to find in your striker and solid handling skills. Scoring 20 goals in '08 and 21 goals in '07, Klose is an excellent scoring threat for our team.

We feel that our team has great chemisty and variety of skills that mixes well.

Team so far:
Rio Ferdinand
Diego
Gael Clichy
Miroslav Klose



Club
~Werder Bremen
~DFB-Ligapokal: 2006
~Bayern Munich
~Bundesliga: 2007-08
~DFB-Pokal: 2008
~DFB-Ligapokal: 2007

National Team
~FIFA World Cup Runner-up: 2002
~FIFA World Cup 3rd Place: 2006
~UEFA European Football Championship Runner-up: 2008

Individual
~Bundesliga Top Goalscorer (25 goals): 2006
~German Footballer of the Year: 2006
~World Cup Silver Shoe: 2002
~World Cup Golden Shoe: 2006

[sixfour]

Round 3 - Pick 56 - Giorgio Chiellini, Juventus FC & Italy



Given my first two picks, it's somewhat obvious that I'm going to consolidate my defence with a central defender that, at the tender age of 24, has already solidified his place in Italy's central defence and seen him called the best defender in Serie A in 2007/8. Chiellini is awesome enough to injure former world player of the year Undrafted Centre Back and then pwn in Euro 2008, having Villa and Torres entirely in his pocket for 120 minutes, whereby he couldn't overcome the awesomeness of Marcos Senna in the shootout because enough of his liabilities of teammates failed him.

Round 4 - Pick 89 - Gianluca Zambrotta, AC Milan & Italy



Apparently Wikipedia says he plays right back, and everyone took every other good full back before I could get one, so I'm taking one now. I think he's won the world cup or something.

Greasy Chip Butty Select XI:

gk: casillas
rb: zambrotta
cb: chiellini
cm: senna

[Geddy Lee]

Round 4
Pick 90

Luka Modric



There’s a saying in football that I quite like: “Form is temporary, class is permanent.” The culture shock for a non-English speaking 23-year old, arriving on the world’s biggest professional football stage, was probably hard enough to deal with as is; Juande Ramos’ insistence on Luka playing as a deep-lying centre mid instead of allowing him to attack and create only made things worse. It would have been easy to write off Luka Modric as one of the biggest transfer disappointments of the 2008-09 EPL season after his acrimonious debut.

Enter Harry Redknapp, who replaced Ramos at the Spurs helm in October and immediately shifted Modric’s role from that of a deep-lying playmaker to a roaming left-sided midfielder, with an emphasis on creativity. Finally, EPL fans were treated to the Luka Modric that fans of Croatian football have enjoyed for the better part of the last 5 years. Delicate touch, sublime footwork, superb football IQ, exceptional vision and passing ability all wrapped up into a lightning-quick 5’9” frame. Modric was arguably Tottenham’s best player during the second half of the EPL season – Chelsea fans will certainly verify that claim reluctantly – and almost improbably led them to Europe after battling in the relegation zone before Christmas.

Luka’s been at the forefront of the recent Croatian football renaissance, the best player in a new golden generation of checkered heroes. His performance at Euro 2008, specifically against Germany, earned him plaudits from the international media and announced the arrival of the Croatian national team as legitimate contenders on the world stage. It’s amazing to think his best years are still ahead of him, and he’s only going to get better.

Luka provides my squad with flexibility thanks to his versatility; he is equally adept as a left winger, an attacking midfielder or a second striker. He’ll only benefit from playing with other quality playmakers by his side. Along with Xavi and Felipe Melo, I honestly believe I’ve assembled the most technically gifted midfield in the draft thus far. We will dominate possession and create opportunities from all angles.

Team Geddy Lee:

Xavi, MF
Felipe Melo, MF
Lucio, CB
Luka Modric, MF

[dkgojackets]

Round 4, Pick 91

William Gallas



This is my pick. Don't have much to say except I need some defense and he's a defender and I think he's good. I'll let others elaborate.

Brown Trout:

MC Steven Gerrard
DR Dani Alves
FC Emmanuel Adebayor
DC William Gallas