Billy No Mates Draft: R1 - E/S/P vs harms

[Physiocrat]

E/S/P

Formation: 4-3-2-1

Strategy: A dominant midfield core to overwhelm opponent through the middle supported by attacking fullbacks providing width.

Tactics:

Strong Defence:

- GREATEST GOALKEEPER OF ALL TIME!!!!

- Two GOAT 'flank owning' fullbacks who can dominate the flank both offensively and defensively will be the primary providers of width.
- Figueroa and McGrath and two classy players who make defending an art. Strength, pace, intelligence, vision, ability on the ball, they have it all.

Between these 4 the back line is as strong as it gets.

Defensively super-solid yet dynamic Defensive/Central Midfield:

- Rijkaard is the deepest player in the midfield. World Class at both CB and DM positions he'll be perfect bridge between defence and midfield. With his characteristic all action playing style, he'll move up to support the attack or drop back to free up our lethal fullbacks.

- van Hanegem and Pirri will provide the box-to-box presence. Both are players renowned for ability to boss the midfield and have a reputation for being excellent defensively.

All 3 players can dominate box to box. And they are flanked by two brilliant fullbacks. This will ensure a smooth transition between midfield and attack. And both van Hanegem and Pirri have better than decent goal returns themselves for defensive players.

Ballon d'Or duo in Attacking Midfield:

- Tactically, Baggio will be play a bit forward than Kopa will have additional playmaking duties.

The class of Baggio and Kopa is beyond debate. Both have excelled as free roaming attackers and will play their favourite roles here. Baggio will make his famous runs from Left Midfield and roam all over the final third and will be difficult to mark out. Kopa won the Ballon d'Or playing AM type role for France and both Inside Right and Outside Right positions in Real Madrid. Here he has authority to drop to AM and dictate play or move out right and link with Pirri/Cafu opening spaces for Baggio/Eto'o.

- With that monster midfield trio behind them, they would not have much defensive duties and so can concentrate on creating havoc in the final third.

One of the best Centre Forward of his generation:

Samuel Eto'o is one of the best CF's of this generation. A complete player with all round skills, he is quite lethal in front of the goal and also versatile in playing back to goal and setting up plays for Baggio/Kopa to score.

Countering perceived lack of width defensively:

- Neither Rummenigge nor Rensenbrink are traditional wide players. Both are IFs who like to cut into the middle....something that will not help them here as they are in place of Pirri and van Henagem when off the ball.

- Presence of Rijkaard dropping into defence give extra protection when they make their runs into the middle.

Why I will win:

+ Attacking between his midfield and defence - I see Baggio and Kopa operating between his midfield and defence. His DM's would have van Hanegem and Pirri ahead of them and Baggio/Kopa behind them. I see my attack having frequent one of one battles with his defenders and that will be a clear source of goals.

+ Dominance in midfield: With the extra legs in the middle, his player will find it far harder to move the ball around and will be easier for me to recover and move back into attack.

+ Stronger Defence - Be it man-to-man or as a unit, my defence is stronger and will be able to deal with his excellent attacking trio. van Hanegem and Pirri have proven ability on dropping back and supporting their fullbacks

 

[Physiocrat]

harms

My team will play 4-3-3 - a classical formation for all Dutch-themed sides including the current Barcelona.

Attack

The main threat here is, of course, my forward line - the best player of all time, Pele, is flanked by 2-times Ballon D’Or winning Rummenigge and Ballon D’Or runner-up, 2 times World Cup All-Stars team member Rob Rensenbrink. All of them are athletic and hardworking guys who are perfectly capable of interchanging with each other. Rensenbrink was a more traditional winger while Kalle was a wide forward but they all got goals and assists in them, dovetailing beautifully with Pele here.

Midfield

My midfield is based on the ball-retaining ability and high-intense pressing, something like the latest Barcelona treble-winning side with upgrade on Rakitic and an oldish Iniesta. Busquets is the best DM of the last decade at least. Falcão is absolutely perfect for the system - as much a grafter as he was a creative genius he combines British box-to-box style with his natural brazilian joga bonito. Netzer wasn’t your typical №10, he was a very all-rounded midfielder who ran all over the pitch in order to completely dominate the game. It was his presence that transformed a rather boring German side to a sight to watch in 1972, when he was unlucky not to get Ballon D’Or, finishing just 2 points behind Beckenbauer (this was probably the closest vote in Ballon D’Or history).

Defence

My backline was created with Barca’s system in mind, so I needed fast and smart central defenders first and foremost. We all know how fast Rio was in his prime - even when he made an unusual mistake he was always able to cover for it with his ridiculous burst of acceleration. And Vierchowod, one of the best man-markers to ever play the game and a personal nightmare of Maradona was known exactly for that too: "[Vierchowod] was an animal, he had muscles to the eyelashes. It was easy to pass by him, but then when I raised my head, he was in front of me again. I would have to pass him two or three more times and then I would pass the ball because I couldn't stand him anymore».

On the right I have one of the very few modern players that can fit in a GOAT category. «Philipp Lahm is perhaps the most intelligent player I have ever trained in my career. He is at another level», said Guardiola about him - and this is the man who coached Messi, Iniesta, Xavi and Müller! On the left I have Bossis - also incredibly intelligent defender who played all along the back-line. With Rensenbrink being more of a traditional wing-forward I won’t ask Bossis to contribute much offensively and rather ask him to sit back and control the shape of my defense.

Last, but not least, in goal I have a great Swedish goalkeeper, who earned 77 caps for his country and was awarded Swedish Golden Ball 2 times, in 1971 and 1978. But feck that, just look at his name! Even Marvel decided to name the character after him.

On the bench: Eduard Streltsov

Why I will win:
1. Pelé
2. My midfield is better. This is not a dig at Edgar's midfield, I genuinely believe that he has the second best (after mine) midfield in the draft, absolutely love Van Hanegem - Rijkaard combo, but I will still have control of the game with Busquets - Falcão - Netzer.
3. My defence is very well-suited to face Edgar's attack. Eto'O won't outpace anyone here and Baggio will be attacking the zone between my most intelligent defender in Lahm and all-rounded Ferdinand.
4. My attack, built around the best player ever, with the kind of service Netzer, Falcão and Busquets provide, will score tons of goals, regardless of the opposition.

 

[Physiocrat]

Please can I you put a 24hr poll up please with the following options?

E/S/P wins by 1 goal
E/S/P wins by 2 goals
E/S/P wins by 3 goals
harms wins by 1 goal
harms wins by 2 goals
harms wins by 3 goals

@Rado_N

 

[Physiocrat]

@Edgar Allan Pillow @Skizzo @Pat_Mustard @harms

 

[crappycraperson]

Oh boy..

The 3 amigos have clearly got the better defensive 5 here. I don't rate Biscuits as much as some others on this forum, infact I don't believe he was worthy of being picked in this draft pool. And given EAP's strongest attacking threat comes mostly through central area, that is a major point of concern for harms IMO. Falcao with a better DM partner in a midfield duo would have been a much better set up in this match up IMO.

But on the flip side, harms attacking trio is pretty potent. I rate EAP's back 5 a lot though, less convinced by his midfield and attacking set up. Etoo can look out of place here but I think him against Vierchwood and Rio is a fair match up. If he was up against top tier CBs, I think it would have been a bigger problem.

Leaning EAP at this stage but will hear out harms.

 

[Rado_N]

Poll'd

 

[Physiocrat]

Poll'd

Thanks

 

[harms]

Oh boy..

The 3 amigos have clearly got the better defensive 5 here. I don't rate Biscuits as much as some others on this forum, infact I don't believe he was worthy of being picked in this draft pool. And given EAP's strongest attacking threat comes mostly through central area, that is a major point of concern for harms IMO. Falcao with a better DM partner in a midfield duo would have been a much better set up in this match up IMO.

But on the flip side, harms attacking trio is pretty potent. I rate EAP's back 5 a lot though, less convinced by his midfield and attacking set up. Etoo can look out of place here but I think him against Vierchwood and Rio is a fair match up. If he was up against top tier CBs, I think it would have been a bigger problem.

Leaning EAP at this stage but will hear out harms.

I will reply later as I'm going to the doctor now, but I can't agree with you on Busquets. You don't win 2 trebles being the only defensive-minded midfielder without being absolutely awesome. Look how different managers describe him.


Usual bs comment by EAP about lack of width and Rensenbrink not being a wide player

 

[MJJ]

EAP has the better back six, harms the better front four. Not sure who is going to win here.

 

[Moby]

harms' back 7 can keep the ball for an awful amount of time with ESP's front trio not adding much pressing high up the field, if at all, and that is one hell of a defensive tactic. There's just insane amount of class on the ball there, including the defenders. How much will Baggio, Kopa and Eto'o hurt the opposition with the little chances on the ball they'll get?

On the other hand, that defense with Rijkaard in front of it and Yashin behind it is a great contender to contain the barrage of attacks harms plans to throw at them.

Ain't no one gonna score here or what.

 

[Moby]

Harms has a couple of valid points there.
Between Ferdinand and Pietro you have two of the quickest centre backs you can find anywhere, and that is a major problem for Eto'o, as his burst of acceleration was crucial in opening up a yard or two for him. What that pace also does is compress the action zones completely into their favour, given the fact that ESP has packed their team with two key players operating between the lines, compressing that space will halt the proceedings there, to a large extent. A pretty much nailed on back 7 there, harms, and that is what I love about possession football, with one tactic you cripple the opposition, and bring your midfielders into the game for a larger amount of time which gives them a lot of opportunities to influence the game.

You look like you've followed Pep's philosophy a bit in creating your team, so let me ask you, how much creative freedom is allowed in the final third of the pitch to your players (not just attackers)?

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

Usual bs comment by EAP about lack of width and Rensenbrink not being a wide player

It was more of an afterthought than anything noteworthy. He is against Cafu, I think I'm OK either way.

EAP has the better back six, harms the better front four. Not sure who is going to win here.

I think I'm built to stop his attach. My defence is better and midfield is defensively better. But Busquets will not be able to handle Baggio or Kopa when I spring them out. Esp with support from attacking fullbacks and van Hanegem/Pirri, I definitely will score. Eto'o was fantastic wherever he played and he is facing his peers not GOAT level CB's here. I think my attack will definitely get the upper hand when we have the ball.

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

Harms has a couple of valid points there.
Between Ferdinand and Pietro you have two of the quickest centre backs you can find anywhere, and that is a major problem for Eto'o, as his burst of acceleration was crucial in opening up a yard or two for him. What that pace also does is compress the action zones completely into their favour, given the fact that ESP has packed their team with two key players operating between the lines, compressing that space will halt the proceedings there, to a large extent. A pretty much nailed on back 7 there, harms, and that is what I love about possession football, with one tactic you cripple the opposition, and bring your midfielders into the game for a larger amount of time which gives them a lot of opportunities to influence the game.

You look like you've followed Pep's philosophy a bit in creating your team, so let me ask you, how much creative freedom is allowed in the final third of the pitch to your players (not just attackers)?

van Hanegem and Pirri are excellent at pressing the ball. They have a high workrate and will cover every blade of grass in that midfield. They are built for a possession based football, but I certainly don't think it will be successful against my packed midfield.

On the flip side, Baggio and Kopa will be operating in spaces between his defenders. Baggio especially is a threat all over the final third and I do not see Busquets able to track of keep an handle on him throughout the game. A pass from van Hanegem and Baggio running in for Left will be a straight route to goal for me.

 

[Gio]

I'm surprised ESP didn't bite the bullet and play a back three. Like the choice of Eto'o though for Baggio and Kopa. At first glance he's underwhelming in this company, but you can see how he would foil the other two and do the dirty work down the flanks, stretching a very good Harms defence both horizontally and vertically.

 

[Moby]

van Hanegem and Pirri are excellent at pressing the ball. They have a high workrate and will cover every blade of grass in that midfield. They are built for a possession based football, but I certainly don't think it will be successful against my packed midfield.

I was talking of pressing his defence, not midfield, so that is a job for the front three, Pirri and VanHan will be operating in different areas, entirely, to that. It's not just his midfield who is class on the ball, but Rio, Lahm and Maxime will take the piss out of your front three if they try to chase it. And that again contributes to the midfield always having an option to play it back knowing the defence won't be pressurised by your attackers and they can rebuild again.

Boring as feck, I know, but your immensely talented players might be left crying out for the ball.

 

[Moby]

I'm surprised ESP didn't bite the bullet and play a back three. Like the choice of Eto'o though for Baggio and Kopa. At first glance he's underwhelming in this company, but you can see how he would foil the other two and do the dirty work down the flanks, stretching a very good Harms defence both horizontally and vertically.

He's fine in this company individually, #9s are hard to come by and once you cross the initial Muller-Van Basten-Romario-Ronaldo tier, there's a lot of options and their value depends more on the system than their ability - as was discussed earlier in the thread.

Him being against two incredibly quick CBs who can fearlessly drag him away from goal is what I was looking at. Talking of which, how good was Hellstrom at sweeping, @harms ?

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

I was talking of pressing his defence, not midfield, so that is a job for the front three, Pirri and VanHan will be operating in different areas, entirely, to that. It's not just his midfield who is class on the ball, but Rio, Lahm and Maxime will take the piss out of your front three if they try to chase it. And that again contributes to the midfield always having an option to play it back knowing the defence won't be pressurised by your attackers and they can rebuild again.

Boring as feck, I know, but your immensely talented players might be left crying out for the ball.

Fair enough, but I need to point out that it works both ways.

But playing a midfield 5, I've reduced spaces for them to operate in advanced positions....and at the same time the distance between my own players is now reduced as well. All of my players are great on the ball and with simple short passes, we can get past his midfield quicker and easier than he can get past mine.

And as I mentioned Baggio is excellent from outside the box. I'll just link to one of my favourite watches here. Baggio doesn't need to press his defence, But rather they need to step up to cover him. Versatility of Eto'o in holding up his CB's or stretching them vertically and horizontally will make Baggio shine better this match.

The #20 goal in the compilation is a classic example. With that blistering run, which neither Netzer nor Busquets will be able to match, he'll just cut apart and get free. Tbh, harms attack is exceptional...but the biggest goal threat in this match is a free roaming Baggio! He has the speed and intelligence to get into left attacking midfield throughout the match and my midfield has the passing ability to get him the ball consistently.

 

[Moby]

@Edgar Allan Pillow I agree that once Baggio, and in fact Kopa who I personally rate higher than Baggio in the role you've given the two of them - would pose a dangerous threat. But as regards to Baggio roaming - how much of it will be with the ball and how much of it will be without the ball, is the question. And thus my comments regarding harms' defensive strategy that relies on starving you off the ball rather than letting you have it and defend against it. All your points are fair once your team gets the ball - the whole short passing interplay, etc, agreed. But first we need to decide how much of an opportunity will they get to do that.

Let's say we make a list of 20 excluding the two keepers, with 1 being the man who touched the ball the most and 20 being the one with the lowest amount of touches - where do you think Baggio will rank in that?

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

@Aldo Possession is not a be all and end all. In the 2009 CL finals which a good United played against a great Barca, the possession was Barca 51%-49% United.

And I certainly have more number of players in middle here. Maybe he might retain possession in his own half, but with 7 players ahead of them, I don't think possession in my half would be favourable to him. Irrespective of overall possession certainly see Baggio having more shots on/off target here than any of his attackers..simply because he has more space and time than any of his front trio.

 

[Moby]

@Aldo Possession is not a be all and end all. In the 2009 CL finals which a good United played against a great Barca, the possession was Barca 51%-49% United.

And I certainly have more number of players in middle here. Maybe he might retain possession in his own half, but with 7 players ahead of them, I don't think possession in my half would be favourable to him. Irrespective of overall possession certainly see Baggio having more shorts on/off target here than any of his attackers..simply because he has more space time than any of his front trio.

That's what I am talking about, his 2/3rds would have him see most of the ball and that is where your attacking players need it than his midfielders and defenders rotating it around. What I'm talking about refers more to situation when his team would be under an attacking spell from yours and would need to slow the tempo down, and they can effectively start and stop the game by keeping the ball for the desired duration.

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

That's what I am talking about, his 2/3rds would have him see most of the ball and that is where your attacking players need it than his midfielders and defenders rotating it around. What I'm talking about refers more to situation when his team would be under an attacking spell from yours and would need to slow the tempo down, and they can effectively start and stop the game by keeping the ball for the desired duration.

Well keeping the ball in his own half effectively starves his own forwards too! When moving to midfield, I can depend on van Hanegem and Pirri harrying Netzer/Falcao and they have to keep passing back. Space ahead is at a premium.

When I have the ball, none of his midfielders are going to go all out to get the ball back.

At best the overall possession for this match will be 53%-47% with the difference being him holding the ball back in his own half. Nothing that really would have a major impact in this match.

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

Being the best player and winning the Ballon d'Or in an all time great Real Madrid side which already features Di Stefano, Puskas and Gento makes one a special player.

I hereby present to you...Raymond Kopa

Young Kopa:

When Raymond Kopa was born in Noeux-les-Mines in October 1931, Coal mining shaped the landscape of eastern Pas-de-Calais. Kopa's family came from Poland, just like the families of tens of thousands of coal miners in northern France. The young Kopa began working in the mines at 14 and from the start, he was determined to do everything to get out of the mine and football was an option.

In 1949, Kopa reluctantly decided to enter France's young football player trial. He won the northern competition and qualified for the national final. "So I was really disappointed when a second division side from western France, SCO Angers, made me the only offer," Kopa recalls.

Rise to Stardom:

After two years in the second division, French Cup winners Stade de Reims signed Kopa. With very strong legs, his dribbles were already dazzling the crowds. He was amazingly efficient in possession, as if the ball was tied to his foot. On 5 October 1952, a year after joining Reims, he won his first cap for France against West Germany and good reviews in the press. But after an all-star match against a United Kingdom side in Belfast, British journalists called his dribbling skills "diabolical". After a game for France against Spain in Madrid, on 17 March 1955, and a sensational display, his career rocketed and the Spanish sports daily Marca nicknamed him 'Little Napoleon'.

Peaking at Real Madrid:

Kopa had signed one of the most lucrative contracts of the 1950s, tying him to Real Madrid CF for three years. The Madrid crowd quickly warmed to their new recruit, affectionately calling him 'Kopita' – little Kopa. "They were three fantastic years, we won three European Cups, two Spanish league titles and only lost one game at home in the whole period – unfortunately it was the one game we were forbidden to lose, a derby against Atlético, a real shame," Kopa remembers.

Playing Style:

Many football critics have compared Kopa to another great dribbler, the Brazilian Garrincha. Like Garrincha, Kopa was not fast, unlike Gento, but they were both quick and agile over a very short distance. Garrincha was more of a pure winger; Kopa rapidly evolved into a versatile playmaker. He was perhaps the first classical No10.

"I loved to dribble. Dribbling was my key ability, where I could really make a difference. The media and public at first thought I dribbled too much. But what could I do – this was my main weapon, my way to play the game."

- Brilliant dribbler.
- Great in possession. Very hard to be knocked off the ball.
- One for the first great #10's, a creative and intelligent playmaker.
- Versatile. Played RW and brought balance to a RM side featuring Gento on the left. Played AM, IR and OR all brilliantly.
- Has a nice burst of pace him him. Able to get that lead over defenders in final third.

 

[Enigma_87]

Looking at the two formations for about 5 mins. This looks dead even for me. I'll refrain myself from voting to see what the two(or in this case 4) managers would say.

I share the initial thoughts - E/S/P team has the better backline + Rijkaard and harms has the better front 5.

I'm not sure if 5-3-2 in transition to 3-5-2 wouldn't have suited team E/S/P better instead of the Christmas tree...

From the setup I see Pirri who will be box to box and not deep playmaker?

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

I'm surprised ESP didn't bite the bullet and play a back three.

I'm not sure if 5-3-2 in transition to 3-5-2 wouldn't have suited team E/S/P better instead of the Christmas tree...

That's pretty much how we will be in our defensive phase. Both tactics write up and formation picture arrows show the flexibility. Rijkaard drops back to play Ajax style role and Kopa move centrally to be a classic AM and it's a 5-3-2 with all players perfectly suitable to that formation too.

I consider that one of the highlights of our team. Tactical versatility that allows us to move freely adapt and not restricted to a particular formation. In this particular case moving from 4-3-2-1 to a 5-3-2 is a natural progression of the game and not a tactical change.

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

From the setup I see Pirri who will be box to box and not deep playmaker?

Pirri was a CM. He played a midfield 2 in a 4-2-4 before moving to sweeper position later in his career. High workrate, stamina, fantastic passing range and an above average goal scorer for his position/era. Great defensively with good instincts to contribute to attack.

 

[Enigma_87]

Pirri was a CM. He played a midfield 2 in a 4-2-4 before moving to sweeper position later in his career. High workrate, stamina, fantastic passing range and an above average goal scorer for his position/era. Great defensively with good instincts to contribute to attack.

yeah he was. That was my idea to see what his contribution to both ends will be, will he be in more defensive minded role to combat harms midfield and start attacks from deep, or he will contribute both attack and defence like he no doubt can.

I see the midfield pretty even with harms probably enjoying a bit more possession. E/S/P team has no doubt the better defence and harms the better attack. This is a game that has 1-0 or 2-1 written all over. Just depends who can score first as I can see both teams capable of shutting the game down if they took the lead.

 

[harms]

He's fine in this company individually, #9s are hard to come by and once you cross the initial Muller-Van Basten-Romario-Ronaldo tier, there's a lot of options and their value depends more on the system than their ability - as was discussed earlier in the thread.

Him being against two incredibly quick CBs who can fearlessly drag him away from goal is what I was looking at. Talking of which, how good was Hellstrom at sweeping, @harms ?

He was a fairly modern keeper for his days, not like Van Beveren, for example, who was, for all his talents, a line-hugger

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

ah harms is back! Now I need to go to the hospital for my annual physical. Your turn, mate!

 

[Skizzo]

Morning fellas. And first of all, good luck @harms

 

[harms]

EAP has a better defence is a fair assessment, but it doesn't nullify me having a better attack.
Brehme is better than Bossis even though for our systems both are a perfect fit.
Figueroa is better than Vierchowod
Ferdinand is better than McGrath
Lahm for me is better than Cafu but overall they are pretty equal and, like Brehme/Bossis a better suited to each manager preferences.

While in attack we have Pele vs Eto'O ;
Kalle, who won the same amount of Ballon D'Ors as Baggio and Kopa combined
Rensenbrink, who is the only natural wide player - and suddenly it's EAP and not harms who have width problems


I remember feeling unjust in the Euro draft when I tried to argue about Platini. But in Euro draft Platini was simply untouchable. In this draft, Pele is that player - a player who will score, assist and will run around terrifying defenses and you have no means to stop him



"I am European Figueroa", said Beckenbauer. Well, look what Pele does to European Figueroa and think what he would do to the original one

 

[harms]

ah harms is back! Now I need to go to the hospital for my annual physical. Your turn, mate!

Was at the doctor myself

 

[harms]

"Free-roaming" Baggio is still firstly Lahm's problem, even if you shoehorn him in the Christmas three. And I can see the german winning that battle. If not, Ferdinand and Busquets (surprisingly underrated, I thought better of you guys) are ready to cover. Baggio is most certainly not the easiest route to goal in this game, it's still Pelé with all the service from midfielders and from out wide

 

[harms]

Morning fellas. And first of all, good luck @harms

Good luck to you too

 

[mazhar13]

A couple of questions before I properly assess both teams.

• What's Pele's role in your team, @harms? I can make up a role for him that suits him perfectly, but I want to see what you're doing with him.
• How much attacking freedom do van Hanegem and Pirri get, @Edgar Allan Pillow @Skizzo @Pat_Mustard ? What are their exact roles in your midfield?

 

[harms]

A couple of questions before I properly assess both teams.

• What's Pele's role in your team, @harms? I can make up a role for him that suits him perfectly, but I want to see what you're doing with him.
• How much attacking freedom do van Hanegem and Pirri get, @Edgar Allan Pillow @Skizzo @Pat_Mustard ? What are their exact roles in your midfield?

He has a free central role, obviously. You don't pick Pele to restrict him.

 

[harms]

Finally, the player that I've always wanted to get my hands on.

From the Depths of space comes Karajan

How do you explain a man that owned a bar but never drank alcohol?

The son of a humble greengrocer who ended up running a notorious nightclub?

Who kept fast cars but never raced them? Who wore his blonde hair long like an Edwardian poet but insisted it was to hide his ugliness? A man who was nicknamed after a musical legend with a questionable past? An astute businessman who hated commercialism? A sex symbol who married an enigmatic goldsmith? A man who intellectuals salivated over but was apolitical?

And that was off the pitch.



Netzer's masterpiece in Germany’s ground-breaking 3-1 victory at Wembley in the Euro 1972 - a performance that caused the cultural critic of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Karl Heinz Bohrer, to write in an essay the immortal words, “Netzer came from the depths of space”.

Günter Netzer had overwhelmed Alf Ramsey's side in such exhilarating fashion that there were no German words to describe it. Literary scholar Karl Heinze Bohrer used the English word 'thrill', writing about Netzer's charging forward from the 'depth of space' in FAZ: "Thrill is is the transformation of geometry into energy, an explosion in the box that makes you mad with happiness". 'Dream football from the year 2000' - exclaimed L'Equipe.







Detailed write-up to follow...

 

[Skizzo]

"I am European Figueroa", said Beckenbauer. Well, look what Pele does to European Figueroa and think what he would do to the original one

ill put this down to a "tongue in cheek" comment on your part.

"Free-roaming" Baggio is still firstly Lahm's problem, even if you shoehorn him in the Christmas three. And I can see the german winning that battle. If not, Ferdinand and Busquets (surprisingly underrated, I thought better of you guys) are ready to cover. Baggio is most certainly not the easiest route to goal in this game, it's still Pelé with all the service from midfielders and from out wide

"Shoe horning" players in is a bit of a staple criticism in drafts. You're looking at the team sheet and seeing it as rigid, but far from it. there's flexibility all through the team, purposefully done. That same set of players can easily alter their style throughout the match as the game unfolds. With Eto'o able to stretch the lines vertically, Baggio has the freedom and ability to find the spaces around the defense. If Lahm is the one coming infield to try and solve that problem, it gives us space out wide.

As for understating Busquets, well he's always one that divides opinion. He's no doubt a good player, as his trophy cabinet speaks for itself, but I'd argue his task is the more difficult one. Eto'o is the one you use green laughing smileys for, but he's come up against "modern" defenses that include The likes of Ferdinand, and he's scored. Has Busquets done a job on anyone the quality of Kopa or Baggio? What about when it's Kopa and Baggio?

On the flip side, Figueroa and McGrath, with Rijkaard able to drop in, flanked by Cafu and Brehme, with Yashin behind? With all of your players wanting to go centrally, I'd question any "clear route to goal" there.

 

[harms]

Detailed write-up by brilliant @Joga Bonito on Netzer - one of the underrated heroes today on the pitch

Gunter Netzer write-up

 

[Skizzo]

• How much attacking freedom do van Hanegem and Pirri get, @Edgar Allan Pillow @Skizzo @Pat_Mustard ? What are their exact roles in your midfield?

They will both be playing their natural game. theyll have freedom to support the attack at times, knowing they have Rijkaard, Don Elias, and McGrath behind, plus each other.

Both are capable of playing box to box roles, offering a creative threat from deeper, while putting in a shift on defense.

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

E/S/P team has no doubt the better defence and harms the better attack.

You should see his defence against my attack.

Two great AMs in Baggio and Kopa. Both faster than any of his midfielders and very creative and great goalscorers.

Tbh, Baggio will roam all over the box and I don't believe Lahm will be able to contain him. And he's too fast for Business to handle. Same with Kopa, his initial burst of pace will get him free.

I certainly see lots of one vs one between my AMs and his defensive line. I will score and more than once.