2023 Sheep Draft R1 - prolifik vs. Sjor Bepo

[Michaelf7777777]

prolifik:

Sjor Bepo:

prolifik Tactics:

We'll line up in a 4-3-3 with Messi in the false 9 role alongside Zibi Boniek and old friend Neymar. Messi and Neymar of course developed great chemistry during their time at Barca, and often played in a similar alignment during Neymar's first season there (with Alexis Sanchez/Pedro in Boniek's role). Boniek should also thrive in this role with his knack for making unpredictable runs in behind, a perfect fit for the penetrating passes of Messi and Neymar.

The midfield offers a mix of physicality and technique, with Rodri sitting in front of the back four, Rijkaard in his customary box-to-box role, and the energetic Thon in a more advanced position linking up with the forwards. With Rodri comfortable dropping in between the centre-backs, Kaltz and Alaba will be free to push on and provide width from the full-back positions. Chilavert is capable outside his area and both Ayala and Schnellinger are quick, mobile defenders, so we can play a fairly high line and adopt an aggressive defensive approach which will turn the opposition over and create transition opportunities for the front three. (The ball-carrying ability of Rodri, Rijkaard, and Thon is also a plus in this regard.)

Sjor Bepo Tactics:

tactics: lobanovsky counter-attacking

 

[Michaelf7777777]

@prolifik @Šjor Bepo

 

[Šjor Bepo]

tactics is to sit back and congest the middle of the park, not that worried about anyone apart from Messi so IMO if i stop him its done. Dont like Neymar with false 9 Messi and midfield doesnt concern me going forwards. Plan would be to allow space and time out wide where im happy for Alaba and Kaltz doing their thing.

Apart from Messi who would have insane amount of bodies around the only one that can create for himself is Neymar and he is against Jusufi who was World Class in his era and will have great amount of help from Valverde.


To score id fancy myself on the counter, a great mix of passers and ball carriers in first two thirds + Elkjaer up front.

 

[Jim Beam]

What a rabbit out of hat from Bepo. I mean, you look at names before the match and it is clearly prolifik on the top. But this stuff where Bepo mixes old, new and not so familiar names with perfect tactics is something that only he manages to constantly do. I mean, who else can put Valverde and say it lifts the team?

 

[Synco]

Bepo's defensive tactics against Messi seem decent (but then it's still Messi), and I do think he could disrupt the opposition's possession enough to somewhat limit the alien's time on the ball. But I see prolifik's wing pairs as a real threat against Bepo's FBs, especially Gemmell (can't judge Jusufi). Although the compact defensive formation turn should help them.

Two main things speaking for Bepo's team:

• This setup brings the best out of Gerd Müller, one of the few things in football not too far off Messi's impact when it comes to winning a game
• That front five will be a nightmare to face when they're out of possession - a set of relentless, hardworking bastards, which totally matches Bepo's tactics

Not too fazed about possible downsides of the F9-Messi/Neymar combo - I think the MSN setup is optimal, but I also think both have the intuition and off-the-ball-movement to effectively play off each other. (Counter-argument is that Neymar wasn't really prolific in 13/14, but it was also a season of settling in + injuries. Must say I haven't followed Barca close enough at that time to really judge.)

@Šjor Bepo
Watched the Wilkins comp, brilliant stuff. But can you say something about playing him as your #6? He looks good defensively, and he is the deepest MF at times, but his overall game looks more two-way to me, so maybe best suited to the midfield three further up?

 

[Šjor Bepo]

Bepo's defensive tactics against Messi seem decent (but then it's still Messi), and I do think he could disrupt the opposition's possession enough to somewhat limit the alien's time on the ball. But I see NM's wing pairs as a real threat against Bepo's FBs, especially Gemmell (can't judge Jusufi). Although the compact defensive formation turn should help them.

Two main things speaking for Bepo's team:

• This setup brings the best out of Gerd Müller, one of the few things in football not too far off Messi's impact when it comes to winning a game
• That front five will be a nightmare to face when they're out of possession - a set of relentless, hardworking bastards, which totally matches Bepo's tactics

Not too fazed about possible downsides of the F9-Messi/Neymar combo - I think the MSN setup is optimal, but I also think both have the intuition and off-the-ball-movement to effectively play off each other. (Counter-argument is that Neymar wasn't really prolific in 13/14, but it was also a season of settling in + injuries. Must say I haven't followed Barca close enough at that time to really judge.)

@Šjor Bepo
Watched the Wilkins comp, brilliant stuff. But can you say something about playing him as your #6? He looks good defensively, and he is the deepest MF at times, but his overall game looks more two-way to me, so maybe best suited to the midfield three further up?

they played 442 so he had to be more complete but in both games(juventus with platini) i watched he was most often the deepest in both possession and defensive phase while Robbo and co. were going up and down all the time.

from limited knowledge about him id say DM with a bit of legs in front him could be his best possession as he didnt have athletic capabilities to go up and down whole game and his qualities were more brain based in all segments of the game.

 

[Demyanenko_square_jaw]

Wasn't Wilkins one of the probably unjust scapegoats of that era as an international player? i've read he was often derided as an ineffective sideways pass merchant and the usual cliches like that, though i can imagine in 1980s british football there were plenty of supporters who were not the most appreciative of the more methodical " reads the game and uses the ball very well without being flashy" tempo/shape controlling midfielders

I see Bepo got Mikhail An as a sheep. He was actually a very highly regarded prospect at one point and captained the ussr Euro 1976 Under 21-23 winners; one of those players who contemporaries always speak of as a talented "coulda been a contender" type. When he first appeared in the top league in 1973 as a key young player in getting Pakhtakor Tashkent promoted, he was seen as having similar high potential/ talent to his teammates Vasilis Hatzipanagis and Vladimir Fyodorov (though i think the latter was a prospect for physical reasons more than technical), in a team largely filled with 2nd tier league level players. However, his career ended up stagnating as he opted to remain with Tashkent despite their relegation again after the 1975 season ( Hatzipanagis then left permanently to live in Greece) and was stuck in the second league for a couple of seasons until regaining promotion. his career finished with a tragic end just when it seemed he might get back on track, being rated as one of the best in the midfield positions for 78 and starting to draw attention for the national team places again. He was on the way to another good season, until most of Pakhtakor Tashkent squad were killed in the August 79 Dniprodzherzynsk mid-air passenger crash.

There's hardly any footage of him, only the Euro 76 under-23 quarter final games against Michel Hidalgo's French team, which i see are on footballia/youtube. I have a very vague memory of them, so i think i'll use them as my viewing for the day and see what he looks like. Looking at the lineups, the French team is absolutely stacked and more experienced (their two over-age-when-tournament-started players allowed are Tresor and Henri Michel, the two highest rated league stars in their position) with the full defensive lineup for 1978 (Bossis, Tresor, Janvion, Lopez), five players from the Saint-Etienne European Cup final team of that season + Giresse, Lacombe and Battiston all heavily involved over the two legs. Soviet team has some good mids/attacking names in there with Kipiani, Oganesyan, Shengelia and some others players who went on to steady top league careers but looks like a more typically unbalanced non-senior side, with several lower-tier level players starting too. It should be interesting to see how they were able to compete with the French side.

 

[Šjor Bepo]

Wasn't Wilkins one of the probably unjust scapegoats of that era as an international player? i've read he was often derided as an ineffective sideways pass merchant and the usual cliches like that, though i can imagine in 1980s british football there were plenty of supporters who were not the most appreciative of the more methodical " reads the game and uses the ball very well without being flashy" tempo/shape controlling midfielders

no idea about scapegoat thing but in terms of use of the ball and passing yes, he was very different to your usual england midfielder at the time.

as i said, only watched 2 games but it was instant love....game vs Maradona is in thr other thread, second against Platini i will upload in few days as im yet to finish the second half but he was controlling the game almost Scholes like so his game was more expansive then just sideways passing(which i dont mind tbh even if it was true).

 

[Synco]

they played 442 so he had to be more complete but in both games(juventus with platini) i watched he was most often the deepest in both possession and defensive phase while Robbo and co. were going up and down all the time.

from limited knowledge about him id say DM with a bit of legs in front him could be his best possession as he didnt have athletic capabilities to go up and down whole game and his qualities were more brain based in all segments of the game.

Makes sense, cheers. In possession the DLP part looks spot on. The rest is probably down to positional discipline, as he seems to have defensive vision & bite (judging by that compilation at least).

 

[NM]

@prolifik simply has the better players imo. Not much more to say.