........................................................... TEAM ISO ............................................................................................................................. TEAM PAT ................................................................
TEAM PAT
- The plan, if I'd made it far enough, was to persevere with the 3-4-2-1 until I'd made a few defensive reinforcements, but after analysing the opposition squad I'm going to gamble on switching to a back four earlier than expected.
- Isotope is exceptionally strong in the defensive phase both in terms of his defenders and his potential midfield composition - I want both quality and numbers to break down that defensive structure.
- Conversely, he looks weaker in terms of his build-up play from defence, and match-controlling ability from midfield. With his reliance on the classic No.10 Rui Costa to assume the playmaking mantle and Casemiro squarely in his zone, we look well capable of dominating possession and troubling the opposition and creating direct chances with short bouts of counter-pressing.
- I'm stretching Ze Roberto's positional versatility to the maximum by fielding him at LB in a back four, but I'm not seeing much that's beyond his compass defensively here, with presumably Jorginho at RB/RWB and maybe Seedorf peeling wide at times. He's racked up plenty of appearances at LB over the years, he has the athleticism and tenacity to deal with his fairly limited 1v1s adequately, and he has the excellent left peg and attacking instincts to provide the requisite width for the formation going forward.
- Marquinhos gets the nod over Aldair due to his superior recovery pace, which enables us to push the defensive line up a bit to support our possession phases.
- Pele, in his earliest incarnation as an exceptionally well-rounded CF, replaces Careca. Zico remains our primary playmaker in the final third, with Neymar as a good fit as the complementary double No. 10 - comfortable peeling wide, great off-the-ball movement, proven at playing the sidekick role to Messi but still capable of winning matches by himself. It's the potency of this attack, coupled with the strong seam of ball progression ability from deeper areas, that provide a credible path to victory here.