Beam/Synco
antohan
Beam/Synco
Tactics: 4-2-3-1; attacking and fluid, with interchangeable front four and the intention to dominate the game
Building around the GOAT:
Maybe it is hard to spot it at first with many imperious names, but yes, it is around Marco van Basten. With the rules of the draft you sometimes don't quite manage to hit the exact peak of the player, but luckily here, even that hit the nail on the head. Marco van Basten was the most complete striker ever. There are few people who had a better goalscoring record, there are some who managed to have brilliant link up play and movement, but none managed to have it all on such a monstrous level as van Basten at his very peak. His allround game as a striker was the best that was ever seen. And this version of van Basten (late Ajax one and early Milan) is exactly that. Dribbling, heading, movement, pace, intelligence, link up, hold up, finishing and flair. There is simply nothing Marco couldn't do.
Many times people have to choose: do they prefer style over substance. Well, the Swan of Utrecht had it both.
The rest of the team:
Although I'm fairly sure van Basten would perform even in a Mourinho-like set up without any problems, the idea was to give him the best possible platform to perform. A team full of creativity, intelligence and unselfishness in which van Basten would enjoy playing, we presume.
Ammunition is provided from one of the best in the business in Michael Laudrup, with the predatory instincts of Oleg Blokhin on the side. The best thing about it is, with Laudrup feeling at home in that fantastic attacking trio along with Stoichkov and Romario, this can't be closer then that. Heck, you could argue it's even better. So, it looks like the team is built for him as well.
To feel even more cousy, he is paired with Fernando Redondo reuniting their brilliant partnership in Real Madrid in Laudrup's last swan song. (Although we play the peak Barca version of Laudrup here.) And N'Golo Kante rounds off the midfield trio, bringing another complementary piece to the team as one of the best b2b midfielders ever.
At the back, Gaetano Scirea and Nemanja Vidic make a perfect sweeper - stopper combo, with the energy of Ricardo Pavoni and efficient intelligence of Philip Lahm on the side.
Lastly, Igor Chislenko. From the available footage, Chislenko was a brilliant team player who had an immense workrate, but was a fantastic winger in his own right. He loved to link up with the rest of the team, being a great goalscoring threat on his own, bringing a full array of problems to the opposition team even on the opposite wing, and not disturbing the dynamics of Blokhin - Laudrup - Van Basten in any way. He rather complements it perfectly.
We will borrow harms' video for a better understanding:
Conclusion:
A team with style and substance. Same as the man leading the attack
antohan
TEAM ANTOHAN: WC Winning GOATs + Rest of the World Peaches XI
I know Beam has van Basten, Redondo, Scirea and a whole load of great players as per usual. Personally, I put less emphasis on blockbuster names and focused on constructing a team that naturally fits and gels together.
I'm particularly chuffed with the balance and fit within the midfield trio, a tall order when the components span four decades. It has everything you would want from a midfield unit.
Rui Costa is a #10 that isn't a floating trequartista but a proper midfielder as well, more of an 8.5 if you will. If you ask me, Zidane has the World Cup and the Euros, but has nothing on Rui Costa performance-wise in that second half of the 90s. Souness is a match for any box-to-box midfielder out there. Some are better, some worse, but it would never be anything other than a contest of equals. Finally, Tito anchors that midfield, shields the defence and can playmake from deep. Furthermore, if late on we needed to close the game out, we can bring on Koke for Simonsen to play alongside Souness and have Tito as pivot with the option of dropping into a back 3. "Mmmm, Koke?", I hear you thinking... Yeah, Koke, a player for whom grinding out results is his element, being brought on to do just that.
The frontline needs no intro. The two superstars in the team have had it all built around them, including a partner in crime whose ability is only overshadowed by his selflessness and dedication to the team. Goofy and Simonsen will get on like a house on fire.
Behind them, two great fullbacks, used to running the flank all by themselves if needs be. I'm aware Petrescu will get targeted, I would have preferred Zanetti of course but once he was gone I picked him up straight away. He can do the job required of him, and then some.
Back three has a superb keeper protected by two excelent CBs. All-rounders, not agricultural stoppers or ball-playing fannies: strong, robust CBs that on their day can do as good a job as any pairing, if not better.
I can see there are many star-studded teams out there and I'm under no illusion that some of these stars are such because they can have sensational performances. I just think, as a team, this lot will perform even better than the sum of all these very good parts.
antohan
Beam/Synco
Tactics: 4-2-3-1; attacking and fluid, with interchangeable front four and the intention to dominate the game
Building around the GOAT:
Maybe it is hard to spot it at first with many imperious names, but yes, it is around Marco van Basten. With the rules of the draft you sometimes don't quite manage to hit the exact peak of the player, but luckily here, even that hit the nail on the head. Marco van Basten was the most complete striker ever. There are few people who had a better goalscoring record, there are some who managed to have brilliant link up play and movement, but none managed to have it all on such a monstrous level as van Basten at his very peak. His allround game as a striker was the best that was ever seen. And this version of van Basten (late Ajax one and early Milan) is exactly that. Dribbling, heading, movement, pace, intelligence, link up, hold up, finishing and flair. There is simply nothing Marco couldn't do.
Many times people have to choose: do they prefer style over substance. Well, the Swan of Utrecht had it both.
The rest of the team:
Although I'm fairly sure van Basten would perform even in a Mourinho-like set up without any problems, the idea was to give him the best possible platform to perform. A team full of creativity, intelligence and unselfishness in which van Basten would enjoy playing, we presume.
Ammunition is provided from one of the best in the business in Michael Laudrup, with the predatory instincts of Oleg Blokhin on the side. The best thing about it is, with Laudrup feeling at home in that fantastic attacking trio along with Stoichkov and Romario, this can't be closer then that. Heck, you could argue it's even better. So, it looks like the team is built for him as well.
To feel even more cousy, he is paired with Fernando Redondo reuniting their brilliant partnership in Real Madrid in Laudrup's last swan song. (Although we play the peak Barca version of Laudrup here.) And N'Golo Kante rounds off the midfield trio, bringing another complementary piece to the team as one of the best b2b midfielders ever.
At the back, Gaetano Scirea and Nemanja Vidic make a perfect sweeper - stopper combo, with the energy of Ricardo Pavoni and efficient intelligence of Philip Lahm on the side.
Lastly, Igor Chislenko. From the available footage, Chislenko was a brilliant team player who had an immense workrate, but was a fantastic winger in his own right. He loved to link up with the rest of the team, being a great goalscoring threat on his own, bringing a full array of problems to the opposition team even on the opposite wing, and not disturbing the dynamics of Blokhin - Laudrup - Van Basten in any way. He rather complements it perfectly.
We will borrow harms' video for a better understanding:
Conclusion:
A team with style and substance. Same as the man leading the attack
antohan
TEAM ANTOHAN: WC Winning GOATs + Rest of the World Peaches XI
I know Beam has van Basten, Redondo, Scirea and a whole load of great players as per usual. Personally, I put less emphasis on blockbuster names and focused on constructing a team that naturally fits and gels together.
I'm particularly chuffed with the balance and fit within the midfield trio, a tall order when the components span four decades. It has everything you would want from a midfield unit.
Rui Costa is a #10 that isn't a floating trequartista but a proper midfielder as well, more of an 8.5 if you will. If you ask me, Zidane has the World Cup and the Euros, but has nothing on Rui Costa performance-wise in that second half of the 90s. Souness is a match for any box-to-box midfielder out there. Some are better, some worse, but it would never be anything other than a contest of equals. Finally, Tito anchors that midfield, shields the defence and can playmake from deep. Furthermore, if late on we needed to close the game out, we can bring on Koke for Simonsen to play alongside Souness and have Tito as pivot with the option of dropping into a back 3. "Mmmm, Koke?", I hear you thinking... Yeah, Koke, a player for whom grinding out results is his element, being brought on to do just that.
The frontline needs no intro. The two superstars in the team have had it all built around them, including a partner in crime whose ability is only overshadowed by his selflessness and dedication to the team. Goofy and Simonsen will get on like a house on fire.
Behind them, two great fullbacks, used to running the flank all by themselves if needs be. I'm aware Petrescu will get targeted, I would have preferred Zanetti of course but once he was gone I picked him up straight away. He can do the job required of him, and then some.
Back three has a superb keeper protected by two excelent CBs. All-rounders, not agricultural stoppers or ball-playing fannies: strong, robust CBs that on their day can do as good a job as any pairing, if not better.
I can see there are many star-studded teams out there and I'm under no illusion that some of these stars are such because they can have sensational performances. I just think, as a team, this lot will perform even better than the sum of all these very good parts.
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