[Boromir88]

Two Towers Network - Group C Preview
-Boro88

*Team Name (Round team was knocked out in 2013 ; Goals scored - Goals conceded)*

GROUP C

Group C features 2 teams who made it to the final 2 matches (Tol-in-Gaurhoth the Champions, and Hithlum the Bronze match) and 2 teams eliminated in the Group stage. And despite several changes to all the teams TTN sees the same fate playing out...TIG and Hithlum will advance, Rohan and Isengard get left behind.

Hithlum (4th Place ; 16-12)
-Additions: MF Fingolfin, MF Forweg, DF Rochallor
-Losses: FW Hurin, MF Hador, DF Arroch

Hithlum is never an elite defense, usually just good enough to concede less goals than what the amazing duo of Turin and Beleg can produce. Swapping one horse for another doesn't weaken the defense, but no one should expect anything different from a defense that's "just good enough." They bring in Fingolfin to address the losses of Hurin and Hador. Fingolfin is a solid attacking MF, and of course there's still Turin and Beleg. However, they lost talent in the offense... Turin-Beleg-Fingolfin is not quite as dangerous looking as Turin-Hurin-Beleg-Hador. Still the trio will produce many goals and should with relative ease advance out of Group C, but it'll be hard to improve on their 4th place finish from 2013, unless the best partnership in all of Arda have a magical tournament.

Isengard (Group ; 2-8)
-Additions: DF Radagast, DF Meriadoc, DF Snowmane, GK Théoden
-Losses: MF Wormtongue, MF Nazgul #5, MF Lugdush, MF Wulf

Isengard perhaps has some of the most drastic shake up in the off-season. With several players changing positions and Saruman revamping the entire defense. A team that conceded 8 goals in 3 matches in 2013 definitely needed addressed. The additions do improve the defense, but by how much? They won't concede 8 goals this year, but Isengard also had a serious lack in scoring and I don't see bringing Treebeard down to the MF improving the goal-scoring. Isengard will get left out of the playoffs again, but they had a positive offseason and appear to be going in the right direction.

Rohan (Group ; 1-5)
-Additions: MF Eomer, DF Cirion, DF Ghan-buri-Ghan, DF Firefoot
-Losses: MF Brytta, DF Snowmane, DF Windfola, GK Théoden

Rohan also made many changes, but overall the talent on the roster is improved, and they're still one of the "low-budget" teams keeping their salary under 70 mil. Eomer takes Brytta's place in the MF, and that is an improvement. Then Rohan gets Cirion, Ghan, and Firefoot to replace Snowmane and Windfola, improving the defense. Hama steps in between the posts for Théoden, and that is a little bit of a loss, but with a better defense in front of him, the difference is negligible. As I mentioned in the "Surviving on a Low-Budget" article, I think the biggest issue holding Rohan back is how the team is organized. With Helm as the lone striker, he should be in the MF. The "Hammerfoot's" skills are better on set pieces or when delivering crosses and long blasts into the opponent's box, and occasionally being able to hammer home a long shot. Eomer and Eowyn should be the pair of FW who can work in tandem and run into open lanes. Rohan's 4-5-1 formation just doesn't fit the talent on the roster. IF they went to a 4-4-2...with Cirion and Firefoot additions improving the defense, Faramir commanding the MF with Helm to deliver set pieces, and Eomer and Eowyn as the FWs? That just looks like a much better formation, fitting the strengths of the roster.

Tol-in-Gaurhoth (Champion ; 15-5)
-Additions: MF Orodreth, MF Finduilas, DF Edrahil
-Losses: FW Thuringwethil, DF NilpWolf, DF Drauglin

I haven't included the changing new wolves and wights on this years TIG squad, since the depth of the TIG community is unrivalled when they tryout for the national team the competition is intense. I do include NilpWolf in the losses, since he has departed for Inter Beleriand. A defense that only gave up 5 goals in 7 matches has lost quite of bit of it's ferocious bite with both NilpWolf and Drauglin leaving and only getting Edrahil to replace them. There's no sugar-coating the fact the defense is weaker. BoroWolf had a solid 2013 campaign, but now being expected to fill in NilpWolf's paws and we're not too far removed from BoroWolf's 2012 debacle of getting sent off with a red card against The Downer squad and TIG not even making the playoffs. Don't get me wrong there is still excellent talent on this team, and the wolves have enough to get through this group (and I give them good chances to win this group over Hithlum). But TIG is fresh off a championship, so the necessary focus to repeat might be off, combined with the loss of defensive talent, I'm not seeing a back-to-back champion.