Your Leagues XI to look out for in 07/08

Lennon is technically average. He has pace and some random skills, but little end product.

Bentley>Beckam>Minler>Young>SWP>Lennon

Calidad wrote:Lennon is technically average. He has pace and some random skills, but little end product.

Bentley>Beckam>Minler>Young>SWP>Lennon

Disagree...and no way is Bentley the best out of the lot.

Rafael Nadal wrote:

Calidad wrote:Lennon is technically average. He has pace and some random skills, but little end product.

Bentley>Beckam>Minler>Young>SWP>Lennon

Disagree...and no way is Bentley the best out of the lot.

I forgot all about Bentley, he currently looks like the best prospect for the right side.

Bentley is not better than Lennon or Wright-Phillips.

No one done a Spanish XI yet?

-----------Hildebrand
--------Alexis--Pepe--Puerta------
----------Sunny--R Garcia---------
Mata-------Fernandez------Gavilan
-----------Aguero--Sobis------------

Probably $h!t selections. But I don't know enough about the teams outside of the top 6/7.

Puerta & Alexis had pretty good seasons. But it will be interesting to see how Alexis handles the pressure of playing for a bigger club, and whether or not Puerta can sustain the performances that he did last season. Torres might be a better inclusion, but I decided against it because I don't think he'll ever be more than a 'good' LB, whereas Puerta is far more dynamic.

I'm expecting Gavilan, Sunny & Mata - particularly the former to have impressive seasons, assuming that they are given regular football of some sort.

Fernandez & Aguero came in with huge reputations, and didn't quite perform to the level that some expected. Aguero was thrown into the deep end, and by Aguirre's own admission, played more than he should of, due to the numer of injures. Fernandez never really settled either, and had a few niggling injuries. Sobis is another that I expect to raise his game. Like Matias & Kun, he showed his undoubted quality, but not on a consistent basis.

I realise the representation for the smaller clubs is poor, but like I said, I don't know enough about them really. Though maybe Lopez of Depor may be worth a shout.

Rafael Nadal wrote:Bentley is not better than Lennon or Wright-Phillips.

He's got better delivery, passing, technique and shooting. He's not as fast though which is why i think he might end up playing centrally. I would definitely take Bentley over those two, although maybe he's just more my kind of player.

Rafael Nadal wrote:Bentley is not better than Lennon or Wright-Phillips.

Well, maybe not. But I'd certainly have him over either of those two however, despite the fact he's not strictly a winger.

We are not scared to field youngsters, otherwise Sahin would not be the youngest player ever to play in the Bundesliga (played for Dortmund at the age of 16).

A real pity that we lost this highly talented German born youngster to the Turkish FA. They played him in their senior team to rule out the possibility of him changing his mind in future.

But yes, the Eredivisie is a young (especially attacking) player's paradise.

That was because of a Dutchie, wasn't it?

BLut

I 110% agree with you, he should have played for Germany!

That specific case, yes, but there are a ton of other examples where a German coach played a youngster very early. E.g. Matthäus, who had his debut at the age of 17, and was in the EC winning squad of 1980 at the age of 18, playing a few matches.

Hertha Berlin and Stuttgart are more recent examples, or Werder even.

1980 your last player you remember...

Just kiddin'

I agree Germany is changing a bit to Dutch style! I admire the Germans who have the guts to look at the western neighbours!

Haha no, but he is the most prominent example.

Hertha played 17 year old Jerome Boateng recently, for example, who is a starter now for them at the age of 18.

P.S.: It will be very interesting to see if Hitzfeld will play 17 year old Toni Kroos next season. He is a huge talent, one of the most promising youngsters on his position (central midfield, playmaker).

I dont think so maybe in the Pokal , we already got players who can play AMC like Schlaudraff , Sosa,Schweni,Ribery.
Lets hope Jerome isnt like George in attitude.

You mean Kevin Boateng, his brother?

Jerome actually has a mercenary attitude already, and will most probably leave Hertha for HSV. Unless Hertha are really serious about their plan to punish him for his attitude (he demanded a million EUR a year recently, although he just has played a few matches from the beginning for them; HSV are willing to pay him that, what a surprise... ) by playing him in the Regionalliga (second team).

Isaksson - A choice a bit by default, because there arent many keepers that I rate in the league that arent already more or less established. I had him or FabianskiI know hes rated highly for Sweden

Bale - one of few new left backs in the league, with obvious talent, who should get games since Tottenham dont have much other quality in the position.

Taylor - Taylor does have all the attributes to be a top class player. Hes more than the stereotypical English centre half, because he can read the game and can move with the ball at his feet. We have two experienced right back options in Solano and Geremi now, we still need a left back, but hopefully Rozehnal will be a success in partnering Taylor, who I think might learn particularly from having a partner who can play a bit, as well as benefitting from a more solid, intelligent defensive unit.

Alex - apparently Mourinho had some reservations over his pace, but I think he will walk into the League and perform well when called upon. Its very hard to see anyone displacing Terry or Carvalho, but if Alex does perform very well, maybe Chelsea might even be tempted to try a 3-5-2 variation at some point, especially with them still lacking a right back.

Sagna - without knowing a huge deal about him, Im inclined to trust Wengers judgement, particularly in paying a decent fee for him, and I think he will get playing time considering Im not overrawed with Hoyte, whilst Traore is still young. Generally I expect Arsenal to have a good season.

N'Zogbia - I think under Allardyce N'Zogbia will at least get a good number of games, whether or not he establishes himself as a starter, and I have faith that he will come good. I know he has called himself a central midfielder rather than a winger before, and whilst his best moments for us have always come from the wing, I think he has the attributes to be a good box-to-box player, so he could play there if Duff regains any sort of form on the wing. For me, like I said in another thread, of the midfielders we have at the moment, N'Zogbia perhaps is most suited to partnering Barton in that hes got a similarly rounded game.

Muntari - I confess to having a penchant for Muntari largely due to the fact I regularly used him as a left winger or wing-back on older versions of PES. But I think he has the attributes for the Premiership, and I expect Portsmouth to have a reasonably good season.

Jenas - Im going to stick my neck out a bit and predict that Jenas will have a very good season, and prove some doubters wrong. In his early days at Newcastle, he seemed to have a very good footballing brain, which is largely what gives me the confidence that he can and will come good. But since then hes not progressed as I thought he would, seems to lose the plot in some matches and substitute his brain for a few little tricks, like kicking the ball off opposing players for throws. Still hes a regular starter for a Tottenham team that are constantly improving, and he could be a key player for them in central midfield.

Nani - Of Man Utds two attacking signings so far, it seems like Anderson is being regarded as a more complete product, and Im looking forward to seeing both in the Premier League. I reckon that Scholes is still likely to play regularly for Man Utd, and with Nani being able to play on the left or the right, he might get more games than Anderson, so Im going for him to excel.

Viduka - It seems a definite that Viduka will be a starter at Newcastle, because Allardyce wants a big man who can hold up the ball to go with Owen or Martins. And as such he could become a sort of pivot for the whole team, with lots of pace around him. His finishing is top class too.

Adebayor - I rate him very much. Obviously more onus will be on him and the other Arsenal strikers now Henry has gone, and it will be interesting to see how Wenger plays it, what the front line actually is, with Van Persie the only one I see as a definite starter. But I think Adebayor definitely has the potential to start scoring goals consistently.


Special mentions go to Woodgate, who I think is a wonderful defender, who I think could force his way into the England side if he plays the full season, but who is at Middlesborough, a club that to my mind doesnt seem to be going anywhere, and thus it might be hard to really excel or make a notable impact in the league; Malouda who should be a very good player for Chelsea, but who I didnt pick for several reasons - due to an abundance of left sided players already in the eleven I have, because I dont know what formation Mourinho will play and if a winger like Malouda will play regularly, and lastly because, if Robben stays, he will have competition for a spot; Ryan Babel, who I feel will be a success but perhaps not this season, and I also doubt whether Liverpool will use him in such a way that will bring out the best in him; and Mascherano, who I considered would give more bite to my midfield, before I reconsidered that I wasnt really forming a team but a list of disparate players who only need work in their own teams, and also that, whilst it will be his first full season playing regularly in the league, hes already very highly regarded.

"da man" for england TO REPLACE BECKS.... read the whole sentence...

Quick player with good ball control is exactly what I said... maybe we just like different attributes in players...

Kimbo wrote:Milner isn't being called "da man" for England.

"brilliant on the ball, good dribbling, he can run at defences"

These are all the same thing, saying it in 3 different ways doesn't give him 3 outstanding attributes. At the moment he is a quick player with good control, that's it.

bluenine wrote:And Milner has done much more than Lennon in an England shirt?? Oh wait, Milner has not played for england yet!

Milner is a talented kid, but Lennon impresses me more... brilliant on the ball, good dribbling, he can run at defences...

Kimbo wrote:

bluenine wrote:I agree with Deano... very talented and promising winger, he is da man for england now, becks time is getting over...

Kimbo wrote:

Rafael Nadal wrote:
Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur)-Already shown the talent he has. Has a few parts of his game to improve, should he do this in the coming season...he'll be the man for the England right midfield space.

Most notably his passing, shooting, and crossing - all quite handy weapons for a winger.

How is Lennon "da man" for England? He's done nothing in an England shirt. Currently Wright-Phillips, Beckham, Milner, and Young should all be ahead of him IMO.

blutgraetsche wrote:You mean Kevin Boateng, his brother?

Jerome actually has a mercenary attitude already, and will most probably leave Hertha for HSV. Unless Hertha are really serious about their plan to punish him for his attitude (he demanded a million EUR a year recently, although he just has played a few matches from the beginning for them; HSV are willing to pay him that, what a surprise... ) by playing him in the Regionalliga (second team).

Yeah Kevin (dont know what was I thinking), the c**t(talented one though) has left his affects it seems or does it run in the fam.

Yeah, "da man" to replace Beckham, i know what you meant and i disagree. Personally i look at what a player can do with the ball over athleticism.

bluenine wrote:"da man" for england TO REPLACE BECKS.... read the whole sentence...

Quick player with good ball control is exactly what I said... maybe we just like different attributes in players...

Kimbo wrote:Milner isn't being called "da man" for England.

"brilliant on the ball, good dribbling, he can run at defences"

These are all the same thing, saying it in 3 different ways doesn't give him 3 outstanding attributes. At the moment he is a quick player with good control, that's it.

bluenine wrote:And Milner has done much more than Lennon in an England shirt?? Oh wait, Milner has not played for england yet!

Milner is a talented kid, but Lennon impresses me more... brilliant on the ball, good dribbling, he can run at defences...

Kimbo wrote:

bluenine wrote:I agree with Deano... very talented and promising winger, he is da man for england now, becks time is getting over...

Kimbo wrote:

Rafael Nadal wrote:
Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur)-Already shown the talent he has. Has a few parts of his game to improve, should he do this in the coming season...he'll be the man for the England right midfield space.

Most notably his passing, shooting, and crossing - all quite handy weapons for a winger.

How is Lennon "da man" for England? He's done nothing in an England shirt. Currently Wright-Phillips, Beckham, Milner, and Young should all be ahead of him IMO.

Bashmachkin wrote:
N'Zogbia - I think under Allardyce N'Zogbia will at least get a good number of games, whether or not he establishes himself as a starter, and I have faith that he will come good. I know he has called himself a central midfielder rather than a winger before, and whilst his best moments for us have always come from the wing, I think he has the attributes to be a good box-to-box player, so he could play there if Duff regains any sort of form on the wing. For me, like I said in another thread, of the midfielders we have at the moment, N'Zogbia perhaps is most suited to partnering Barton in that hes got a similarly rounded game.

Ustari - young goalkeeper that Getafe snapped up for just 6 million euros. Very highly rated, and I'm a bit disappointed we lost out on him after tracking him almost all season. I think he'll be a real success in the league. Also want to mention Hildebrand - it'll be interesting to see if he can replace Canizares. I certainly think so.

Clemente Rodriguez - a LB who impressed me a lot whenever I saw Boca play. Won't set the league alight, but a useful signing by Espanyol.

Abidal - comes with a big reputation. If he can learn to attack more often, I think he'll be fantastic.

Metzelder - not often that we say (in recent years) that Madrid have made a smart signing.

Santi Cazorla - was superb for Recreativo last year, and Villarreal were quick to use their 2 million euro buyback option. Let's see if he can continue his form in the UEFA Cup.

Raul Garcia - impressed at Osasuna, can he take it to a higher level with Atletico and break into the Spanish national team?

Toure Yaya - will either be a huge hit or a big flop if he doesn't understand his position and is out of depth with the technical level required.

Hugo Viana - bit of a coup for Osasuna, snapping him up since he was unsettled at Valencia. I certainly think he can replace Raul Garcia, and will finally get a first team spot, after not having one at Newcastle and Valencia the last 5-6 years.

Keita - brilliant signing by Sevilla IMO. From what I've heard, he's a skilful, technical player, and will really strengthen their central midfield.

Mark Gonzalez - didn't settle at Liverpool, but I think he'll re-find his deadly form of 2 years ago with Sociedad. Let's just hope Betis' new coach Cuper gives him enough freedom.

Henry - pretty obvious.


Spanish clubs are a bit further behind in the transfer market. ie. there are still a lot of transfers to come. So this is bound to change a lot, and it's not even a proper 11 in the first place (it's a 3-6-1 formation with 2 LBs )

For example, Sneijder, Riquelme, Quaresma, Simao, will all be in there if they move to La Liga (Valencia, Atletico, Atletico/Real Madrid, Atletico).


I also haven't considered players who aren't moving but need to be looked out for - example, Marquez and Ronaldinho want to regain their best form.



Honorable mentions:
Bojan, Dos Santos, Ricardo (new Betis keeper), Cleber Santana (Atletico), Arveladze (Levante), Saviola, Pepe, Mavuba (Villarreal), Garay (Racing Santander), Alexis, and Sunny.

what about guardado!

I went 433 !

Isaksson
Richards
Alex
Kaboul
Bale
Malouda
Fernandes
SWP
Da Silva
Torres
Bianchi

I can't really be arsed to go into reasons but...

----------Isaksson----------

---Kaboul--Taylor--Bale---

--------Mascherano--------

Young--Tuncay--N'Zogbia

------Bent---Da Silva------

XI best for the League 1:

Landreau (P.S.G): Almost saved Paris not to be relegated past year. France number two after Coupet.

Grosso (Lyon): Will be interesting to see how he can replace Abidal. Lyon supporters are very happy because they think he won't make as many mistakes as Abidal did.

Cheyroux Benoit (Marseille): More talented than his older brother Bruno, who played for Liverpool, will play an important role in Marseille's defensive midfield.

Nasri (Marseille): The revelation of last year. He will have to confirm (also for France) all the great work of last year. Should have been voted player of the year ahead of Malouda. 20 years old, great technique and vision. Often compared to Zidane because of his maturity and quality for his young age. Born in Marseille and Algerian of origins. Won the 2004 UEFA U-17 Championship, scoring the winning goal in the final.

Keita (Lyon): The new George Weah, as he called in France. Very elegant player. Bought for 16 millions euros. 2nd biggest fee for Lyon after Sonny Anderson. His price tag was 22 millions.

Bodmer (Lyon): Similar player as Steven Gerrard. Bought for peanuts in the deal involving Keita. Will replace Tiago who went to Juventus. This move from Lille should allow him to be called for the French team.

Maric Maric (Lille): Talented Croatian player, who has the similar attribute as Bodmer. Physical and skillful player.

Belhadj Nadir (Lyon): Might end up being the most valuable new player for Lyon. Very offensive left player, that can play either left back and replace Abidal, or on the the left wing to replace Malouda. Scored two goals for Algeria against Argentina (3-3), last month in Barcelona.

Ziani Karim (Marseille): Algerian international, but born in France like Belhadj. Skillful midfield player bought to replace Ribery. Has a similar game as this latter. Can dribble and score.

Ben Arfa (Lyon): One of the most talented French youngster, but quite moody. Had problems with Houllier so was either on the bench or playing for the C.F.A (third division). Will replace without any problem Malouda. Won the 2004 UEFA U-17 Championship with Nasri and Benzema. Great technique, left footed.


Gouffran (Caen): Often Compared to Henry because of his style. Only played in the League 2, but played for France under 21. Lyon wanted to buy him this year, but Caen refused.

Alive and Kicking wrote:
Grosso (Lyon): Will be interesting to see how he can replace Abidal. Lyon supporters are very happy because they think he won't make as many mistakes as Abidal did.

I'll make a list when most of the key transfers are done, and the league is going to start.

kas wrote:

Alive and Kicking wrote:
Grosso (Lyon): Will be interesting to see how he can replace Abidal. Lyon supporters are very happy because they think he won't make as many mistakes as Abidal did.

lets hope he doenst lose that tradition

Isnt Gouffran off to Arsenal.