[Football] Current World XI Draft

[turienzo's lovechild]

So this is Team Turienzo, managed by Roberto Mancini. The team is built around goals, goals and more goals. Luisao will skipper the side as he does for Benfica and he will be carrying the burden of defending almost single handedly. Johnson and Shaw will be rampaging up the wings with wanyama dropping deep to create a barrier in front of the defence. Cabaye and xavi will be pulling the strings and dictating the tempo of the game, with Iniesta busying himself around the oppositions area. Reus and Navas offer a more direct element of the team, creating chances for the sides target man and goal machine, Huntelaar. Expect plenty of 7-6 thrillers.

 

[Frutos]

I'll post my full team and summary when I'm at home this evening, but my final pick is ALVARO ARBELOA

Over to you one last time [MENTION=13376]albionalex[/MENTION]

 

[albionalex]

My last pick is Phil Jagielka

Meaning my team is:

Category 1 - Has played at least 200 times for one club.
Has made at least 200 appearances for the same club. League & Cup both count. Friendlies however, do not. The 200 appearances can be spread over more than one spell at the club. Managers who have been in charge of one club for 200 games count.

Carlo Ancelotti

Category 2 – Has made over 70 International appearances.
Has over 70 full International caps. Youth games do not count. All friendlies count, as do major tournaments. Managers who have managed ONE nation 70+ times count. Managers who have achieved 70+ International games over 2+ nations DO NOT count.

Luka Modric

Category 3 - Has never played at a World Cup
Has failed to play a single minute of football at a World Cup. Making the squad but failing to make in to the pitch counts. Managers who have never managed an International team do not count.

David Luiz

Category 4 - Plays/Manages outside the “top 5” leagues.
Currently plays for (or manages) a club that do not play in one of the following leagues; La Liga, Premiership, Bundesliga, Ligue1 or Serie A. Players on loan do not count.

Jackson Martinez

Category 5 – Has been the top goal scorer in a top-flight season.
Any player who has finished as the top scorer in any division that is the highest in its country. E.g – Premiership, La Liga, Bolivian Professional Football League, Lativan Premiership etc. Obviously managers cannot be entered in to this category.

Andre-Pierre Gignac

Category 6 – Played football in at least 4 different countries
Any footballer who has played a full professional game for different teams in 4 or more leagues. For example, playing for Swansea would class as English, due to Swansea playing in an English league. Managers who have managed in 4 different countries count.

Simon Kjaer

Category 7 – Has been relegated during his career
Has been relegated with any club during his career. The player (or manager) must have been at the club when they were mathematically relegated. Relegation due to breach of rules (a-la Juventus for match fixing.) do not count.

Giuseppe Rossi

Category 8 – Has played in a Champions League Semi-Final/Final.
Has played in or managed a team in the last four of the Champions League. Unused subs do not count.

Felipe Luis

Category 9 – Is under 24 years of age.
Was 23 years old or younger on the 1.1.2014. All ages taken from Wikipedia.

Thibaut Courtois

Category 10 - Has won a league title with 2 different clubs.
Has won any league title with at least 2 different teams. This could be the same league twice with two different clubs, or two different league titles with different clubs.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Category 11 – Is over 30 years old.
Player was 30 years or older as of the 1.1.2014. Managers are not allowed in this category.

Phil Jagielka

Category 12 - Has faced Brighton at some point in his career
Has either played or managed against BHAFC in a first team game. Friendlies and cup games all count.

Branislav Ivanovic

 

[albionalex]

Managed by Carlo Ancelotti, my team would be excellent at counter attacking, with a great deal of pace in attack and my front four full of goals. Modric is one of the best passers in the world whilst Luiz is able to get forward and defend. I have a solid defence with two of the best ball playing centre backs in the world and two full backs who are as good going forward as they are defending. Behind them I have the best young keeper in the world. Very happy with my team.

 

[stripeyshark]

Here's my Stripeyshark XI in glorious formation. Managed by Luiz Phillipe Scolari.

1- Joe Hart 256 games for Manchester City
Two Premier League titles and three consecutive Golden Gloves (most clean sheets)

2- Luiz Phillipe Scolari Managed Portugal 74 times
World Cup winner with Brazil and has won 17 different competitions

3- Seamus Coleman Never played at a World Cup
In this year's PFA Team of the Year and Everton Player of the Season

4- Asamoah Gyan Plays in the UAE Professional League
39 goals in 77 games for Ghana and 100 goals in 89 games for Al-Ain

5- Antonio Di Natale Serie A Top Scorer in 2010 and 2011
175 goals in 329 games for Udinese and in the last 3 Serie A Teams of the Year

6- Wesley Sneijder Played in Holland, Spain, Italy and Turkey
Won the league title in 4 countries and 4 MotM awards at the last World Cup

7- Aleksander Kolarov Relegated in 2005 with Čukarički
Two Premier League titles and Serbian Player of the Year 2011

8- Mesut Özil Played in the Champions League semi-final for Real Madrid
148 assists in the last 6 seasons and UEFA Team of the Year (2012 and 2013)

9- James Rodriguez Born 12 July 1991, making him 22
Signed for AS Monaco for €45 million, won 5 league titles and a Europa League

10- Pepe Won two league titles each with Porto and Real Madrid
Team of the tournament at the last 2 European Championships and 12 winner's medals

11- Thiago Motta Born 28 August 1982, making him 31
2 Champions Leagues, 5 League titles and caps for Brazil and Italy

12- Laurent Koscielny Played against Brighton in the 2012-13 FA Cup 4th Round
Part of Arsenal's most successful team in 9 years and a superb defender

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

I've just noticed that [MENTION=26348]tomfitz12[/MENTION] and [MENTION=22841]stripeyshark[/MENTION] both appear to have Leighton Baines in their team...

 

[Guy Fawkes]

I've just noticed that [MENTION=26348]tomfitz12[/MENTION] and [MENTION=22841]stripeyshark[/MENTION] both appear to have Leighton Baines in their team...

Good spot, [MENTION=22841]stripeyshark[/MENTION] should have Aleksander Kolarov in the side and not Baines

 

[stripeyshark]

Good spot, [MENTION=22841]stripeyshark[/MENTION] should have Aleksander Kolarov in the side and not Baines

Bugger. I was having an England left back debate with someone as I was putting in my team. I'll correct it tomorrow.

 

[Frutos]

So, the final lineup for FC FRUTOS is as follows:

Coach: Josep Guardiola

In terms of how these players fit into the categories, they fit as follows:

CATEGORY ONE (MADE OVER 200 APPEARANCES FOR ONE CLUB): Josep Guardiola (247 Games In Charge Of Barcelona)
As far as I am concerned, the best coach in the world and really the only choice for FC Frutos given the style of players I've picked. He was outstanding as a player and already has more accolades to his name as a coach than most will achieve in their entire careers while still only being in his mid 40s. He's incredibly intelligent, with a knowledge and understanding of the game which puts most others to shame, and he was named "Catalan Of The Year" in 2009...how could I chose anyone else to lead my team?

CATEGORY TWO (MADE OVER 70 INTERNATIONAL APPEARANCES/MANAGED ONE NATION OVER 70 TIMES): Lionel Messi (83 Appearances For Argentina)
I could spend half an hour typing out all of the achievements, both in teams and individually, that Lionel Messi has to his name, but I'll just sum it up like this instead: the greatest player I've ever seen, the top scorer in the entire history of FC Barcelona and already generally regarded one of the best of all-time...and he's still only 26.

CATEGORY THREE (HAS NEVER PLAYED AT A WORLD CUP/MANAGED AN INTERNATIONAL TEAM BUT NOT AT A WORLD CUP): Kevin Großkreutz
Part of the revolution of young, technically skilled players who have transformed German football and the German national team in the last few years, and a star under Jurgen Klopp at Dortmund. How he hasn't been picked for Brazil 2014, I've really no idea - perhaps his kebab-throwing antics on a night out recently have counted against him in the eyes of Joachim Low, but they are no barrier to a place in the FC Frutos starting lineup.

CATEGORY FOUR (PLAYS OR MANAGES OUTSIDE OF LA LIGA/PREMIERSHIP/SERIE A/LIGUE 1/BUNDESLIGA): Alan Dzagoev (CSKA Moscow - Russian Premier League)
The breakout star, and indeed the joint top scorer, of Euro 2012, and probably the biggest name in the Russian Premier League right now. He's going to light up the 2014 World Cup and surely secure a move to one of the giants of the game in the process, but not before lighting up the FC Frutos right wing.

CATEGORY FIVE (HAS BEEN TOP GOAL SCORER IN A TOP-FLIGHT SEASON): Mario Gómez (Bundesliga 2010/11)
If you want goals, Mario is your man. Just shy of a 1 in 2 record at senior International level (25 in 59) and a club record far in excess of that average (225 in 378). He may not be as a big of a name as some of the strikers in this competition, but he knows how to find the back of the net and with service like he's getting in this team, that isn't going to be a problem.

CATEGORY SIX (PLAYED/MANAGED IN AT LEAST 4 DIFFERENT COUNTRIES): Stevan Jovetić (Montenegro/Serbia/Italy/England)
Along with Dzagoev, he's the man to bring pacy wide play to my team and serve up chances on a plate for Gómez to tuck away. Man City paid £22 million to sign him from Fiorentina last Summer, and although he might not have broken through as a first team regular yet, time is very much on his side. Internationally, he's already picked up 30 caps at the age of 24, and is already his country's second-highest ever goalscorer.

CATEGORY SEVEN (HAS BEEN MATHEMATICALLY RELEGATED DURING HIS CAREER): Fabricio Coloccini (Newcastle - 2009)
The veteran of my team at 32, but anyone who has stayed loyal servant to Newcastle through relegations, promotions and Alan Pardew deserves a bit of credit and recognition. Despite looking oddly like Sideshow Bob from the Simpsons, he's been a consistent figure at the heart of Newcastle's defence and was even named to the PFA Team Of The Year in 2012...no mean feat for a Newcastle player. Along with Ćorluka, he's going to be part of the defensive platform which allows my more creative players further forward to do their stuff while knowing that we're covered at the back.

CATEGORY EIGHT (HAS PLAYED/MANAGED IN A CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMI FINAL/FINAL): Juan Mata (Chelsea - 2012)
£37.1 million. That's how much Manchester United had to pay to sign Mata from Chelsea, and he really is worth every penny. He's been one of the shining stars of a poor United team and of a slightly better Spanish team over the last few years, and will be key to Spain's hopes of retaining their World Title in Brazil in a few weeks. I'm using him slightly deeper than he might normally play, but I reckon the creative midfield triangle of Mata, Messi and Alcântara is going to lead to nothing but goals for FC Frutos.

CATEGORY NINE (IS UNDER 24 YEARS OF AGE): David De Gea (Born 7th November 1990 - Aged 23)
Manchester United might have been hilariously crap for much of the season, but De Gea has still stood out as a consistently strong performer (voted both Players Player Of The Season and Fans Player Of The Season at United for 2013/13) - there's only so much any keeper can do with such an appalling defence in front of him. Internationally, Spain's embarrassment of riches from front to back means that he is yet to make his senior debut, but that really is only a matter of time. This is the heir to Sant Iker's throne both in the Spain team and perhaps even as the best goalkeeper in the world.

CATEGORY TEN (HAS WON A LEAGUE TITLE WITH TWO DIFFERENT CLUBS): Thiago Alcântara (Barcelona 2009/2010/2011/2013, Bayern Munich 2014)
Insofar as anything that costs £21 million can be a bargain, Thiago Alcântara is it. Honed at La Masia and seen at Camp Nou as the eventual heir of Xavi and Iniesta before Pep Guardiola and Bayern Munich took advantage of his buyout clause to take him to Germany and add his class to their midfield. He's sadly going to miss the World Cup through injury and Spain will miss him in Brazil, but he is still here to add some creativity to the heart of FC Frutos.

CATEGORY ELEVEN (IS OVER 30 YEARS OF AGE): Álvaro Arbeloa (Born 17th January 1983 - Aged 31)
A versatile fullback who has helped Spain to 2 European Championships and 1 World Cup, he adds some vital experience to the FC Frutos defence. Under-rated by many, perhaps overshadowed by bigger, flashier names, he's still racked up over 50 international caps for arguably the top side in the world as well as playing over 100 times for Real Madrid, and you don't do either of those things without having more than a bit of talent about you.

CATEGORY TWELVE (HAS FACED BRIGHTON AT SOME POINT IN HIS CAREER): Vedran Ćorluka (Spurs vs. Albion, July 2011)
He's been around Europe and seen it all, yet is still only 28. He's played in top leagues around the continent and built a reputation as a solid, no-nonsense centreback who will be an asset to any team's defence. He has over 70 caps for his country and will line up for them again in Brazil this year. He's also a bloody nice bloke, as demonstrated during his time at Tottenham when a nightclub waiter admired the £36,000 Hublot watch he was wearing...so he handed it over as a gift. On the pitch though, he's not going to be gifting opposition strikers anything at all.

To sum my team up, I'd say it's a combination of tiki-taka flair via De Gea, Mata, Alcântara, Messi and Arbeloa, combined with the German efficiency of Gómez and Großkreutz and the Eastern European steel of Ćorluka, Jovetić and Dzagoev. Add in just a dash of South American craziness in Coloccini and then top it all off by adding probably the best coach on the planet today in Guardiola, and you have a recipe for one simple thing - VICTORY.

What's that? You'd like some stats to back up my claims? No problem - these stats are all taken from Wikipedia, are for the 11 players combined, and are correct as of 20/5/2014:

- AVERAGE AGE: 26
- SENIOR CLUB APPEARANCES: 3465
- SENIOR CLUB GOALS: 913
- SENIOR INTERNATIONAL APPEARANCES: 406
- SENIOR INTERNATIONAL GOALS: 96
- DOMESTIC TOP FLIGHT CHAMPIONSHIPS: 27
- OTHER DOMESTIC TROPHIES: 36
- EUROPEAN/INTERNATIONAL CLUB TROPHIES: 16
- INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS (SENIOR AND YOUTH): 17

As these show, this is a team at it's physical peak and with a record of success running through it that makes it a surefire bet for victory in this competition.

Vote FC Frutos.

 

[tomfitz12]

Vote FC Frutos.

you deserve to win simply for the work you put into everything

 

[Frutos]

you deserve to win simply for the work you put into everything

I had a day off yesterday and I was bored, hence the essay-length preview. I gambled that no-one would pick Arbeloa and ruin it all!

Its been said before, but there really are some superb teams in here, and no weak ones to my mind.

 

[tomfitz12]

I had a day off yesterday and I was bored, hence the essay-length preview. I gambled that no-one would pick Arbeloa and ruin it all!

Its been said before, but there really are some superb teams in here, and no weak ones to my mind.

look at my team and then tell me if you can still say that.

I picked way too many players from the same position by accident as I had to do a lot of reshuffling. I ended up with the sh!ttest formation in the world

 

[Reinelt12]

I'm currently creating a league on FM14 with our teams/players/managers in it as someone else suggested... I'll make each teams preferred tactic from the formations listed, and will put transfer embargos on all... I think i will need to add a player from each position from the Championship to all teams as reserves/subs in case of injuries/suspensions but will try to make them all similar standard... Any other ideas to make sure this works well?

 

[stripeyshark]

I'm currently creating a league on FM14 with our teams/players/managers in it as someone else suggested... I'll make each teams preferred tactic from the formations listed, and will put transfer embargos on all... I think i will need to add a player from each position from the Championship to all teams as reserves/subs in case of injuries/suspensions but will try to make them all similar standard... Any other ideas to make sure this works well?

How about choosing the 2nd choice keeper from the club the drafted keeper is from for each team? [MENTION=15934]Rohana[/MENTION]

 

[Rohana]

How about choosing the 2nd choice keeper from the club the drafted keeper is from for each team? [MENTION=15934]Rohana[/MENTION]

Without being able to check is there no team where multiple goalkeepers have been drafted from the same team? Maybe two from Real Madrid?!

Edit: Just remembered I have Chelsea's #2 in goal, so there's a flaw in your plan.

I'm currently creating a league on FM14 with our teams/players/managers in it as someone else suggested... I'll make each teams preferred tactic from the formations listed, and will put transfer embargos on all... I think i will need to add a player from each position from the Championship to all teams as reserves/subs in case of injuries/suspensions but will try to make them all similar standard... Any other ideas to make sure this works well?

I'd say make the reserves as weak as possible. How Injury/suspension prone a player is should be taken in to consideration for something like this, so a bigger punishment makes sense. Skrill Premier 'keeper against some of the attacks on here could be amusing.

 

[Rohana]

As a little side note, I will try to get on my laptop tomorrow to get the following done

- Post my final team description like the manifesto posted by Frutos. Got halfway through it earlier.

- Make another attempt to get through to Jay Cartwright and JOLovegrove who I think both have outstanding picks.

I may be well off, but I think they're both around my age or a tad younger so could be doing A Levels or a Degree so it's fair to give them a final chance. If they don't get on then we'll fill the gaps.


- Post a "voting sheet" with a list of categories and a couple of little extras that I've added since the last draft.

- Start figuring out what to do with the next draft if it's to happen. Will probably message a handful of you and ask for opinions.

 

[Gullflyinghigh]

I'm currently creating a league on FM14 with our teams/players/managers in it as someone else suggested... I'll make each teams preferred tactic from the formations listed, and will put transfer embargos on all... I think i will need to add a player from each position from the Championship to all teams as reserves/subs in case of injuries/suspensions but will try to make them all similar standard... Any other ideas to make sure this works well?

Oh, well that's upsetting, was going to be my bank holiday time killer

As for the reserve squad, my idea was to limit every team to a £0 transfer budget but allow transfers. We've all picked a manager to be in charge and the game will recognise the need to get some backup in...let nature take its course.

 

[Frutos]

- Make another attempt to get through to Jay Cartwright and JOLovegrove who I think both have outstanding picks.

I believe its only [MENTION=25389]Jay Cartwright[/MENTION] who has picks (THREE) left.

 

[Gazwag]

Oh, well that's upsetting, was going to be my bank holiday time killer

As for the reserve squad, my idea was to limit every team to a £0 transfer budget but allow transfers. We've all picked a manager to be in charge and the game will recognise the need to get some backup in...let nature take its course.

Do yours as well to see if the end result is similar

 

[Gazwag]

I believe its only [MENTION=25389]Jay Cartwright[/MENTION] who has picks (THREE) left.

His last log in was the 20th so there's hope