The Alex/Mouse one is really tough. I think Mouse has the advantage in the back line and defensive midfielders and Alex has more strength up front. I think a match between them would almost come down to whether someone like van Basten at his prime could conjure up something to unlock that mouse defence. I think I'll give my vote to Mouse by a tiny amount. Alex very unlucky.
Semi final 1: Kata vs Mouse Kata Code: Kahn Zanetti Hierro Carvalho Sergi Simeone Albertini Nedved Zidane Stoichkov Ĺ uker Manager: Guus Hiddink vs Mouse Code: Cech Cafu Thuram Maldini Cole Deschamps Seedorf Luis Enrique Del Piero Barnes Shevchenko Manager: Alex Ferguson
Semi Final 2: Eds vs Heef Eds Code: Buffon Matthaus Desailly - Belodedici Maicon Carlos Hoddle - Robson Stojkovic Batistuta - Eto'o Mourinho vs Heef Code: Zubizarreta Sammer Baresi Popescu Jorginho Brehme Redondo Boban Scifo Klinsmann Kempes Manager: Giovanni Trapattoni
Going to have to go with mouse, KATA's X-Factor of Zidane just not enough to get him over the line here IMO.
KATA Will be disappointed to go out, but Eds' defensive line is better than mine. Buffon > Zubi and Matthaus > Sammer. Baresi & Popescu > Desailly & Belodedici and the wing backs offer quite different options. Hard to go past Roberto Carlos as the best left wing back in the period though, but Brehme has a much better defensive technique IMO. I think I have the edge in the midfield and up front, personally. The ability that Enzo Scifo had cannot be overstated. Klinsmann/Kempes offers more than Batistuta/Eto'o in my mind, but I don't think there's a weak link in Eds' team either. I've made no secret of a liking for Eds' line up, so if I go out, so be it.
Mouse - so very close. Heef's team amazes me in that he's able to have a team at 'semi-final level' even whilst restricting himself, in terms of time period. I don't agree that he has a superior midfield, and I'd probably consider suggesting he had a better central defense (Baresi & Sammer is just ridiculous) but it's very close.