Bench: Alario, Driussi, Correa, Bentancur, Ziyech, Matuidi, Maia, Sanchez, Sarr, Perez, Cillessen
Figured I'd get around to this rather than do something productive. I won't delve too much in to tactics and I'll only touch on the players a bit.
Lack of a top traditional DM means I'm straying from a 4-3-3 for probably the first time. Allan and Matuidi have played DM before, but both are now more CMs really and I want the cover for the backline.
Attack: Nobody touches this top line. That was obvious when I got Neymar, but this season is backing that up. 44 goals and 17 assists thus far for Neymar-Kun-Messi and we're still technically not even halfway through the season. So easily 100 goals from this team overall where as with most other teams in this sort of draft you rarely see that. So goals from all over, but a lot of creativity there to boot. These guys have won at every level and are proven big match performers. Then behind them you've got Pastore. Excellent player who were if not for injuries would get a lot more the due he deserves. He adds a ton more creativity and this season isn't struggling with injuries so much as he is his manager's selection. I would say that playing regularly and in this team would suit him very well.
Midfield: Tough call with selection here. I wanted Allan's defensive work though (guy put up Kante like numbers with Udinese as a DM and still puts up good defensive numbers) along with Ramsey's passing game. Allan not only puts in the defensive work, but going into this season he averaged at least 5 assists a season in the previous four. He's also got a lot of very good experience at this stage in his career. Ramsey while panned yet again when I chose him is a proven big match player. He's also having a good season chipping in 3 goals and 6 assists (which is tied for second in the league) now that he's being played more regularly and in his proper position.
Defense: Really like the quality I have at CB. Marquinhos is arguably the best U-23 CB in the World and he has a ton of proven experience already. Kompany still has it and he's played almost as many matches as last season, so while his injuries are a concern I'll still get some mileage out of him. He brings a ton of experience and leadership as well as a threat on set pieces. Conti was excellent last season and from what I understand looked to be doing well with Milan before his injury. He's a good attacking back (8 goals and 5 assists last season), but he's also pretty sound defensively. Dalbert's Italian move doesn't seem to be going well, but he's hardly been given a lot of chances. He was very good for Nice. Again, a guy who can get forward but who is also defensively sound and who I think would do quite well in this team.
GK: Ter Stegen's season thus far isn't really a surprise. He's already well proven for a GK at the age of 25 and his ability on the ball plays really well into my team.
Bench: Definitely some question marks here and I'm short one bench option at the back, but also some excellent options. Correa has proven himself a very useful option off the bench at Atleti so just imagine what he does with this team and the players he can learn from as he's still only 22. Still he's got two solid seasons under his belt with Atleti already and put up 4 goals and 8 assists in only 10 starts last season. Matuidi is another excellent option on the bench and a player I could see starting his fair share. Not sure if moving to Juventus has worked out so well, but I think he does fine in my team. He's a versatile player who allows me to be a bit versatile with my formation/midfield. Another player who is also pretty proven at the big stage. That brings me to Davinson Sanchez. Already looking pretty good in the Premiership and the times I've seen him play he seemed to have a lot of the defensive responsibility. He'd get plenty of minutes in this team and even affords me the option of playing three at the back. He's already got a ton of great experience and is very proven on some big stages such as the Europa League where he helped take Ajax to the Final but also in winning the Copa Libertadores. That brings me to Ziyech. Thrilled to grab him where I did. He brings a lot of creativity off the bench. He's got some great experience already too and is a great deputy to have for a guy like Pastore. In Cillessen I have a very solid backup who has a lot of experience at the top levels and who also can play the ball from the back. After those players come the question marks, but it's still quite early to judge. Alario and Driussi are quite proven based on their performances for River not only in Agentina but also in the Copa Libertadores. They also are well proven playing together. Both have showed a few sparks thus far in their respective European adventures. I chose Alario in particular because he brings something different up top. Bentancur is a versatile player who I'd use more in midfield. From what I've seen and heard he's impressed with Juventus, but he's been played out of position a bit. As composed as he looks on the ball at his age he still looks a solid option for the future. Thiago Maia looked excellent in Brazil, but in France it sounds like he's had a rough start. Being at Lille might have a lot to do with that though. Still early days but I wouldn't have to rely on him too much just yet. Peres could easily start at RB for me and is an excellent option off the bench. Another threat going forward but also a player who is responsible enough defensively. Sarr for me is a backup CB I was also going to field at LB, but I think CB will be where he gets the lion's share of his minutes as he's not done so well at LB. I really like him as a young CB option because he's left-footed and can play the ball from the back. He's also got good experience for his age.
Overall while this wasn't my favorite draft of all time I'm still very pleased with this side overall and especially how it compares to the rest of the teams. I'd have drafted a bit differently in the middle rounds, but that's only because a few players went higher than I expected. Still to see a team with Messi, Neymar and Aguero and then the rest of this squad in a draft with this many participants... add to that the fact that I had to trade up to get Messi, I had to trade to get Neymar and I made a lot of other trades... Again, very pleased. Going forward there could be some question marks, but considering the strength of this team now I would in the real World be able to buy to fill some holes. And a U-25 core of Neymar, Marquinhos and ter Stegen basically looks as though I've got top 3 players in those positions in the future which is not to mention Neymar looking like the heir to Messi as the World's best player.