................................................................ TEAM RAEES ................................................................................................................... TEAM ENIGMA / TRV ............................................
TEAM RAEES
Formation: 4-2-4 (with 4 fluid forwards*)
5 Key Points
- Robust rearguard... Burgnich not venturing forward, and Varela holding give the team an immense stability in a defensive sense and the fact they're supporting players such as the likes of Chumpitaz and Don Elias.. means it will take something exceptional to score one let alone two goals past our side. Rivelino's lack of pace and not being able to play in his favoured position on the left, means he'll be coming up against guys like Varela and Figueroa.. and Dinho won't find it easy with Burgnich breathing down his neck and then finding Varela in the midfield when he cuts in.
- Super-compatible midfield duo oozing with leadership, determination and class ... A wonderful midfield pairing full of aggression and leadership. Whereas Tigana and Tardelli were generally more support players in their respective sides, Masopust was the shining light for the 1962 World cup finalists and their dynamic playmaker and Varela was the colossus who inspired Uruguay to unassailable heights in 1950. Masopust can dictate the play with freedom knowing full well Varela has his back, but he will no doubt also put in a shift going backwards too.
- Gullit v Marcelo 'a devastating mismatch'... As much as I love Marcelo and I myself declare him the best left back ITW... this is just a real bad match up for him in a tactical sense and I don't think having Vidic there helps, as they both just lack that top level athleticism to keep a specimen like Gullit quiet when he's running at them with pace, power and precision. If that isn't enough, Marcelo's best assets will be neutered by Gullit's defensive work-rate. If there is one right midfielder you'd back to keep tabs on a Marcelo.. its Gullit, with his endeavour, strength and nous.
- Seeler and Rivaldo, ideal orchestrators who will conduct beautiful symphonies from the Fab Four... we have two incredibly intelligent footballers at 9 and 10, who will set the tone in terms of constantly finding pockets of space and linking up with or playing in the more brutish and incisive Stoichkov and Gullit. Seeler was a wonderfully complete forward who was a 9.5, a false 9 and traditional 9 rolled into one and Rivaldo was winger/AM/SS and at times 9 all in one. They could be effective from anywhere and that gives guys like Stoichkov and Gullit licence to roam, knowing Seevaldo can occupy their berths if need be.
- The sheer brute physicality of our side from goalkeeper to up front... A physical monster in goals, physically robust players across the defence bar arguably Chumpitaz (who was still squat and strong), dynamos in midfield, and in Gullit, Stoichkov and Seeler.. powerhouses in attack. Even Rivaldo was immensely strong and one of the best shielders of the ball in the modern game, capable of holding the ball up against anyone (just don't aim for his face though!).
Manuel Neuer is one of the best keepers in the draft and of all time. Given his trademark style of play in terms of using his feet in the build-up phase or launching counters with his hands, he can be the ideal genesis of several attacks as well.
In the heart of defense, we have someone who's a seamless fit with just about anyone and one of the few GOAT caliber defenders to boast sweeper level technique and defensive nous in addition to the physique and athleticism of some of the best stoppers over the years. Could wax lyrical all day long, but to cut a long story short, Don Elías Figueroa is quite simply one of the greatest ever and undoubtedly the greatest and most complete from the South American continent.
To the right of him is another legendary centerback - El Capitán de America, Héctor Chumpitaz - widely regarded as one of the best central defenders in history and as one of the true Sudamerican greats - alongside the likes of Santamaría and Nasazzi.
A quick, resolute and powerful figure belying his small-ish frame, Chumpitaz is a seamless fit with the Don, and the collective defensive and leadership ability of the duo, on top of rare athleticism and man-marking ability will help safeguard the central zones against Ro-Ro.
To the left of Chumpitaz is one of the most most tactically malleable players of all time, Leovegildo Júnior. A world class player as leftback, box-to-box playmaker, or defensive midfielder, here Júnior will operate as a playmaking leftback who can dovetail wonderfully with Masopust while boasting good levels of defensive awareness given the relatively complete nature of his game and the intelligence with which he operated on the pitch:
Completing the defence is 'The Rock', Taricisio Burgnich - Burgnich remains the gold standard as a defensive right back and he will look to tuck in besides Chumpitaz (as he did for Picchi in the Grande Inter side of the mid-60's. Not many players could mark Ronaldinho in his prime, but then again he never quite faced a Vogts or a Burgnich who will endeavour to stick to him like glue. Their barging battle will be one to savour.
THE MIDFIELD
Patrolling the midfield area is El Negro Jeffe Obdulio Varela - the man who brought Brazil to its knees in 1950, and led Uruguay to the summit of the football world in front of a hostile 200,000 strong Maracanã Stadium. Given the up-tempo nature of our team, the talismanic Varela is going to be the center of gravity player - involved in both breaking down the opposition moves and instigating the build-up play from the back with efficient passes primarily to the slaloming wizard alongside him. To the left of him is arguably the finest left-half in football history and the first Eastern European Ballon D'Or winner, Josef Masopust - a dominant force in his half of the field, he will play a big part in our build-up play with his strength in possession, drag markers slightly wider towards his favorite inside and outside left channels (thus providing auxiliary width), and link up with the forwards with his ability to go on surging runs.
THE ATTACK
Spearheading the attack is one of the most clinical and complete strikers of all time, with 43 goals in 72 games for Germany and an incredible 404 in 476 for Hamburg, ranking him as the 7th highest goalscorer of all time Uwe Seeler. Now, in my opinion, every team needs a presence up front who can take the attention of the central defenders and distract them. On top of that, this presence should also be a reliable goalscorer who will make the most of the supply that he gets. On top of that, this presence needs solid ball control and skills in order to resist the challenge of the defenders and link up with other dynamic players around him. Finally, this presence must be good in the air and strong on the floor so that he isn't bullied out of the game. For me, Uwe Seeler fit that profile perfectly, and he is the perfect final jigsaw to my puzzle.
Behind him we have three Ballon D'or winners... to the left of him we have Hristo Stoichkov who was the perfect blend of flair and ruthlessness. He was just as likely to create something out of that lovely left peg of his as he was to pounce on a minor defensive error in brutal fashion. He was as complete an attacker as it could get - physically, technically and most importantly, mentally - almost taking Bulgaria to a world cup triumph and winning the European Cup for Barca.
On the opposite flank is Ruud Gullit, The Black Tulip - A complete and versatile player, Gullit epitomised the ethos of Total Football as he was naturally adept in several positions, and was capable of aiding his team defensively as well as offensively due to his work-rate, ball-winning abilities, and tactical intelligence in addition to his skill and physical qualities. Regarded as one of the greatest players of all-time,[24] his foremost attribute was his athleticism, as he used his strength and speed, combined with his technique, to great effect; he was also strong in the air, as he was tall, powerful, and an excellent jumper. Yet, unusually for a man of his stature, Gullit was an elegant player, who also possessed outstanding natural balance, poise, technical ability, and dribbling skills, which gave a graceful style to his game.Gullit also was noted for his intelligence, creativity, vision, and spatial abilities, qualities that helped him score goals early in his career and enabled him to play in a deeper role as a playmaker late in his days, where he was known for creating chances for teammates. Gullit thus combined physical presence with flair, mental acuity, formidable technique and natural touch, to become an iconic figure in world football.
And in a free second striker/10 role akin to his peak at Barcelona is Rivaldo - a true genius of Brazilian football, who is usually used in wider roles (when attempting to shoehorn many great players which tended to happen for the NT) but here is given full berth to showcase his full array of skills...top tier dribbling, long shots, volleys, incredible vision and range of passing, not to mention a deadly finisher. For Barcelona, he tended to play in the hole in a free-roaming role and his great shielding ability, meant he drew a lot of attention but was able to wriggle his way through destroying the likes of Redondo at his peak and scoring two goals even against midfields run by the likes of Roy Keane.
TEAM ENIGMA / TRV
Formation: 5-2-3 to 5-3-2 fluid, counter attacking.
Defensive line: normal
Style: very direct, fast tempo. Open up the flanks and stretch the play with Marcelo and Zambrotta, making the pitch as wide as possible to create one-on-one situations for Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Rivellino to exploit. No matter how good a defender you are, you aren't stopping any of Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Rivellino, in one-on-one situations. Compact in midfield and at the back.
Also, once we win back the possession, we would utilize Sammer's vision and passing range by having him initiate swift counter attacks and catching Raees' defense out of position or in one-on-one situations where Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Rivellino can run his defense ragged.
Short team profiles:
(GK) De Gea - steadily becoming one of the best keepers to have graced the game. Imperious for United and probably the outstanding player we have had since Fergie retired.
(LB/LWB) Marcelo Vieira - Probably the best attacking modern day full back. Marcelo has won 4 La Liga titles and 3 CL medals to his name, being absolutely vital for both attack and defence at Real. Another big game player who doesn't shy under pressure.
(RB/RCB) Claudio Gentile - Rugged ruthless defender - one of the centerpieces in the most successful Juve side in the late 70's, early 80's. Excellent defender becoming notorious for marking out players like Maradona and Zico quite successfully and limiting their game and effect on the match at the highest level.
(Libero) Matthias Sammer - not many defenders have won the Ballon D'or on the back of great defensive displays both for club and country. A colossal figure and modern day Beckenbauer he wasn't that far off from his predecessor in terms of quality.
(LCB) Nemanja Vidic - One of the best United defenders of all time. Excellent pure defender but also monster in the air.
(RWF) Gianluca Zambrotta - right up there with the best attacking Italian wing-back/full backs of all time. A force going forward he'll stretch the opposition defence.
(LCM) Jean Tigana - From Claude Makelele to Didier Deschamps and even now N'Golo Kante, France have had some geniuses in this position, but none finer than Jean Tigana. A really classy central midfielder, Tigana had it all; stamina, technique, vision. He won 52 caps for the national team, winning the European Championships and making two World Cup semi-finals. Tigana was runner-up to compatriot Michel Platini in the 1984 Ballon d'Or.
(RCM) Marco Tardelli - Hard tackling midfielder, epitomizing the Catenaccio era, but very skillful on the ball and excellent in transition, alongside Tigana forms a top notch midfield unit.
(AM/SS) Rivelino - Integral part of Brazil's best team ever he was one of those players who can dribble you in a phone booth and was an example for the younger generation. He possessed enormous flair and talent with a cannonball of a shot(named “The Atomic Kick”).
(SS) Ronaldinho - Another Ballon D'or winner and at his peak there are very few that can claim to be better. True artist of the game who could take any defence apart in his heyday.
(CF) Ronaldo - The best #9 in the game.
Team tactics and style:
Defence - marshaled by Sammer, our defence is complimented a rugged defender in Gentile who will man-mark Rivaldo and one of the greatest stoppers in the modern game, who is also one of the finest defenders in the air - Vidic. Marcelo will be an attacking wing back stretching the opposition defence and providing width on the left, like Zambrotta on the right. Sammer will play in his natural role whilst Vidic and Gentile will stay back when he surges in and one of our double pivot midfielders will cover for him when he overloads the midfield.
Midfield - Tigana and Tardelli will form the double pivot midfield base - both solid in the defensive phase and able to contribute forward. Rivellino will be no stranger to the midfield battle as his work rate is well appreciated.
Attack - The best #9 in the game, complimented by a proven partnership in Ronaldinho, bot of whom will get plenty of support both from the flanks and Marcelo on the left and Rivelino centrally. A great attacking unit with plenty of flair - Ronaldinho, Rivelino, Ronaldo, top class finisher in the box in Fenomeno and goalscoring threats out wide in our wing-backs. Our attack would be very difficult to handle with plenty of pace, technique and ruthless finishing.
Advantages:
Attack - obviously our main focal point is our fearsome attack. Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and Rivelino is one of the most (if not the) entertaining attack that graced the game. Not only they are awesome individually but compliment pretty well each other. Ronaldo with his natural game and slaloming runs and excellent finishing. Ronaldinho with his creativity and ability to unlock any defence and Rivellino with his cannon of a left foot, playmaking ability and top notch work rate. Our attack will interchange and confuse its markers a lot like 2002 Brazil, but this time round the peak versions of Ronaldinho and Ronaldo.
Midfield - our midfield is an excellent base to build our attacking unit and can hold their own against pretty much every other midfield pair in history. Both Tardelli and Tigana are in their zone here breaking up play and launching quick counter attacks finding our attacking trio or stretching the game on the flanks. Our midfield line is very dynamic and has the edge on energy, stamina and work rate throughout the 90 minutes.
Defence - the opposition defence boasts with some excellent defenders namely Chumpitaz and Figueroa, but our defence isn't far off. We have one of the best markers in history in Gentile and Sammer in his Ballon D'or winning form and right into his zone, flanked by two top notch stoppers. Gentile will man mark Rivaldo - this suffocating the opposition main creative force in the attacking third and we will be very compact at the back with nice mixture of defensive ability and ability at dealing with crosses.
Individual battles - Raees has done a pretty good job picking some of his defenders and Varela to fit against our attack, but despite being good fits, Burgnich won't stop Ronaldinho or Rivellino when facing them time and time on the pitch and as good as Figueroa/Chumpitaz are Raees defence will get stretched by Marcelo and Zambrotta leaving space for Ronaldo in the middle.
With Burgnich most likely marking Ronaldinho and Varela most likely marking Rivellino, we would look to take them out of their comfort zones and have them defend Ronaldinho and Rivellino in zones they aren't comfortable defending especially one-on-one. This will create some sort of chaos in his defense and more importantly leave their midfield extremely open to be exploited. And, in Tardelli, Tigana and Sammer we have the perfect players who can exploit that by making their trademark penetrating runs through the midfield. And as they have often showed, that too in the big stages, Tardelli, Tigana and Sammer can be the difference makers with their off the ball runs as they can pop up with vital goals or assists.
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