Team Gio & Theon
WHY WE WILL WIN:
- Better defence. Elias Figueroa and Bobby Moore are the standout central defenders in the draft (alongside the Kaiser) and in the top echelon of all time. Voted a record three time South American Footballer of the Year - Figueroa renews his partnership with his Penarol teammate Mazurkiewicz with whom they won all the club game could offer. Voted in the FIFA All Time World Cup XI as well as the World Team of the Century - Bobby Moore is equally impressive, quelling Eusebio in 1966, Pele in 1970 and making more recoveries of possession than any other player in the history of the World Cup.
- Better midfield. Based on the proven World Cup winning platform of Gerson and Clodoaldo, who dominated every midfield they faced in 1970, we should take control of the game from the middle of the park. The central midfield trio is boosted by the presence of playmaking genius Kazimierz Deyna - only Cruyff has created more chances in a World Cup than the silky Pole served up in 1974 (that puts him ahead of Maradona and Pele). With Cubillas darting around, the ball-playing excellence of Moore and Figueroa behind, the combination play will be too hot to handle.
- The greatest goalscorer of all time will be provided with the perfect platform to plunder goals. The collective creativity of the midfield behind, alongside the defence-stretching ability of Jairzinho and Cubillas, should give him the little service and space he needs to make the difference.Together Muller, Jairzinho and Cubillas have banged in over 1100 goals, netting 22 in the 1970 World Cup alone as the top three scorers. Importantly they are a complementary trio and will threaten Aldo's defence in a multitude of ways.
- Best and Pele won't get the service they need to have a match-winning influence. Aldo's full-backs will offer very little going forward, particularly if Vogts is on the wrong side dealing with Jairzinho, while his centre-halves will have their hands full with Muller and neither Pirri or Furino were known for their ability to pick a pass. Cubillas will drop into the inside-left channel, bolstering the midfield and cutting out any passing angles to the feet of Best. With a stronger set of possession players, all part of a cohesive ball-playing unit, just getting the ball to Aldo's top boys will be a challenge. And then they need to deal with Moore and Figueroa.
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Team Aldo
The team will be playing a 4-2-3-1 formation in this game, continuing from the previous one and we will be now looking for gaining higher control of the game in midfield and using the creativity and class of the attacking midfield to carve up the opposition.
Starting with the keeper, no introduction needed for our European Cup winning keeper. No one can forget the heroic save he made against Eusebio in the final. I strong and reliable keeper, he will be forming a watertight unit with the two centerbacks ahead of him.
Firstly, there is Hector Chumpitaz, one of the greatest defenders of all time and a standout one in this draft, the complete defender, Chumpitaz would provide a strong physical presence here as well as the sort of drive and determination you need from your centre half in this sort of a match. Partnering him is the "Iron Rinus", Rinus Israel, who compliments Chumpitaz perfectly in bringing the calm and collected presence at the back. Given how intelligent Muller is and trying to mark him wouldn't result in a huge difference, the key is to restrain the service provided to him and that is when having two great readers of the game in Chumpitaz and Israel has its benefits as they will be vigilant in not letting anything pass through to the German.
German legend, a contender for one of the greatest defensive fullbacks and man markers of all time, Berti Vogts joins the team and shores up right side of the defense. He will be playing as a man marker in this game, concentrating on keeping Jairzinho quiet. We all know his heroics in the 74 WC final against Cruyff, Jairzinho is another tricky opponent and clearly a star man in his attack and it deserves a man marking job. It is a great battle in this game which can clearly swing the balance, if Vogts can manage to curb Jairzinho's influence, and the service to Muller, it will greatly reduce his attacking threat.
Protecting the defence is the Italian workhorse Furino. Known as "Furia", Furino would provide endless reserves of tenacity and stamina and aggression, constantly winning the ball back and possessing good enough technical ability for a DM to turn defence into attack quickly.
Partnering him would be Madrid and Spanish legend and one of the best midfielders in the draft, Jose Pirri. An absolutely complete player, he has the tendency to be everywhere on the pitch and influence the game in both phases of the game. He will be sitting deeper in this game forming a double pivot with Furino, making a watertight shield for the back four as well as using his drive and energy to influence the proceedings and gain control of the game. Being as tactically aware and intelligent as he was, I expect him to make the crucial decisions in the middle of the park and dictate the game.
A bit of change has been made to the attack. Rivelino moves in centrally and takes the responsibility as the primary playmaker of the team. A mercurial talent, he was devastating through the middle often taking on players and threading in precise balls. Not a traditional #10, he was a determined hard working midfielder who always gave a hand to his teammates and his ability on the ball is well known. The Brazilian is often underrated when speaking of the all time great Brazilian legends, but he is right up there. A vital cog of the great 1970 Brazilian team.
The fifth Beatle, or whatever, George fkin Best. He is given a complete free role in the team to run absolutely anywhere across the frontline. He will be supplied the ball time and again by the rest of the team and run at players with pace and intent, leaving defenders for dead all over the place.
Onto the additions - 1. Dragan Dzajic, possibly the greatest Yugoslavian to ever play the game, and one of the greatest wingers of all time, alongside the likes of Gento and Best himself, on the left wing. Dzajic at his best was unstoppable with his great dribbling skills and close control at searing pace.
And 2. Pelé. Leading the line, the attack, the team. No shortage of goals in here, he doesn't have to completely be involved in the creative unit with the likes of Pirri, Rivelino, Dzajic and Best providing everything you can ask for, a younger Pelé, if you will, one who was an athletic phenomenon, specially given this draft is era specific, his physical advantages will be at full use in this game. While Figueroa and Moore is a great CB pair, they have a great task in hand trying to stop the Brazilian given the service behind them.
I believe the midfield battle to be close but with the class of Dzajic, Best, Pirri and Rivelino on the ball with all of them allowed the freedom to use the passing and creativity to the fullest means I would have an edge there on the ball. However what makes this midfield even better is the fact that Rivelino, Pirri and Furino combine a tremendous amount of energy, work rate, stamina and mental resilience. There's no shortage of steel and we can rough it up when we want to. There's very little weakness there and that should be a big factor in this game.
Gio and Theon have a great CB pair but having said that, the fullbacks are a tad underwhelming for a game of this stature. They are both against two of the greatest wingers of all time and they cannot let anything past them for an instance without risking the whole defense going out of shape and letting the likes of Pelé and Rivelino any space in and around the box. I believe that would be an area where my team would get some joy, and maybe even a match winning advantage.
With Vogts man marking Jairzinho, and a central core of Pirri, Furino guarding Israel and Chumpitaz there is very little the opposition can do when creating chances.
On the other hand my attack will have more joy against that back four, specially out wide. Sorry being a bit brief in the write up, I'l keep on adding once the match is underway. Good luck @Gio and @Theon
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