Wanted to post something very similar to this!
Which team do you prefer....
-------------------Friedel----------------------
Walker----Kaboul------King-----Assou-Ekotto
Lennon------Parker-----Modric-------Bale
----------------Van der Vaart---------------
------------------Adebayor------------------
Or
---------------------Lloris----------------------------
Walker-----Kaboul-----Vertonghen-----Assou-Ekotto
-------------Sandro-------Dembele-----------------
Dempsey---------Sigurdsson----------------Bale
--------------------Adebayor---------------------
I prefer the second team. Mainly because Parker and Friedel are players who frustrate me and I think Dembele and Siggy can become as good as Modric and VDV respectively. Also we have another player besides Adebayor who can play up top and score goals. Defoe doesn't work as the second choice striker in the system we are trying to play.
Look at the second team, and then look at the Newcastle team which finished a couple points behind us. They didn't have great players in every position but they have a class goalkeeper and strikers, and we were missing that although we have at least rectified that problem.
Mightily disappointed to miss out on Moutinho but on the other hand this team is only 1 player away from being top class and if we can hang on and get good results until January maybe we can finally complete the team and get the player we need in.
Let's not forget that our options for alternative top class midfielders may have been limited with no champions league football. We've forgotten that!