TEAM TUPPET
VS
TEAM MOBY
VS
TEAM MOBY
TACTICS TEAM TUPPET
Formation is straightforward 4-2-3-1.
The roles are simple enough and most players should be familiar to forum so I won't spend too much time on it as I want to spend more time on Ocwirk because he is probably the least recognizable player in my team.
Cruyff is the heartbeat of the team as main playmaker and secondary goal scorer. He is surrounded by 3 exceptional attackers, RVN is the poacher whose job is to get the ball in the net. Boniek provides incredible work rate, directness and movement on the left side while Littbarski with his dribbling and crossing would be more of a provider from the right side.
Davids and Ocwirk gives the attack a solid platform to work on. Davids is more defensive b2b player while Ocwirk is combination of deep lying playmaker and defensive midfielder. Ocwirk would be the holder staying disciplined in his position while Davids would cover every inch of the pitch with his incredible stamina.
On defensive side we have our big improvement where Maldini replaces Thiago Silva. Maldini would be more of a stopper while Blanc the ball playing defender, obviously both were fantastic on the ball. Vogts would be a conservative right back most likely not facing any out and out left winger he would tuck in and form an excellent defensive trio of Maldini / Blanc / Vogts which should be able to handle even the very best attackers. This in turn allows Zambrotta to rampage up and down the left side. Finally in Thibaut Courtois I have an excellent shot stopper.
Alright so in last game there were a couple of points raised, which I would like to clarify.
1. Ocwirk - Ocwirk is part of a midfield that has the task of contending with great Platini and so its important that his role and quality is conveyed in the write up. First question raised was of his position, he is mostly mentioned as an attacking center half and that seem to be distorting the perception. I tried to clarify in this post that center half would most closely resemble the modern DM position or even ball playing defender. Here's a very good Guardian article about this topic- https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2009/apr/22/where-have-box-to-box-midfielders-gone
From the article
Another way of looking at it would be other players that were called center half around the same time. in 1954 Kicker made a world XI -
As you can see the other players that Ocwirk had to compete with in the same position were Bozsik and Cajkovski which should give some idea of his role on the field.
Second question was about his quality, he is considered second greatest Austrian player ever, received 31st ranking in best European player from IFFHS and was one of two Austrians to be selected in world cup all star team. He was selected as captain of rest of the world XI two times, which was considered a great honor. Also just to get an idea of how he is rated in football community, here are a few rankings -
This ranks him as 8th greatest central midfielder.
Here he is ranked as 10th best central midfielder
This rates him as the 4th best defensive midfielder.
This is an unranked list of greatest B2B midfielders.
It should be clear that I am not suggesting that these ranks to be taken on face value, but its clear these guys have put a lot of effort in this and that he is very highly rated by almost all 3rd party sources. Him and Davids is a brilliant midfield both defensively and attacking and can go toe to toe with Platini.
2. RVN / Cruyff - Nistelrooy as classic number 9 seem not to fit the mould of fluid total football that Cruyff was famous for. But for the purpose of my tactics RVN fits perfectly, I have maintained that Cruyff was first and foremost a playmaker and would have played as number 10 throughout his career if Netherlands had a good goal scorer. Secondly RVN with his impeccable off the ball movement creates a lot of space for the 3 behind him, all of whom can play on either side and through the middle. I am expecting a lot of good interchange behind RVN. Finally Cruyff himself was a big fan of Romario who while more skill was a similar type of player. A poacher is exactly what I need to convert the service I am getting from the 5 midfielders.
A small point is on Maldini in particular and my defensive set up in general. While Maldini was an elegant defender he was not really a sweeper/libero kind. He was mostly a stopper and thus formed a quality partnership with Nesta. He was a no nonsense defender who was just very good with ball his feet but not someone who would build attack from back. His partnership with Blanc here has everything, Blanc was imperious in air and was a great passer from back. While Maldini was fast and tough tackler. They cover each other well, but throw in Vogts as another uncomprosmising defender on the other side of Blanc and the whole defensive set up really work very well.
TACTICS TEAM MOBY
We are playing a standard 5-3-2 formation based on an unbreakable defensive line, a grand mix of tactical and technical midfield, an absolute genius running the offense supported by a deadly forward line.
In goal is the incomparable Sepp Maier, the legendary German goalkeeper and one of the best ever at that.
Watertight defensive line led by the defensive general Gaetano Scirea bringing in tremendous presence at the back and organising the defense with his leadership skills and providing that touch of genius in defense, a man absolutely crucial for that defense to be at their best, not to mention his unrivalled ability to distribute the ball from defense or carry it forward. Flanking him are two absolutely uncompromising defenders comprising the Italian no nonsense defensive rock Giorgio Chiellini and one of the greatest out and out stoppers ever in Guiseppe Bergomi. Both the CBs are perfectly capable of defending both in the middle and covering for the wingbacks out wide naturally, make it a sound tactical setup.
The all important wingbacks are two French phenominons - the unmatched two way game of Manuel Amoros and the outstanding work animal Patrice Evra. The two wingbacks are perfect in the roles assigned to them, Amoros being a massive weapon both in defense and attack on the right while Evra who constantly provided width for us during our great run and at his peak was a colossus at the back due to his pace, stamina and concentration.
The midfield comprises of the Romanian legend Gheorghe Popescu partnering the all round midfield general Luka Modric. In Popescu we have the perfect midfield-defense hybrid who would be class at dropping into defense and allowing Scirea to impact the game on the ball which Luka's work rate, stamina, close control technique and outstanding creative passing would make it a well rounded unit.
Completing the midfield is none other than the unparalleled goalscoring creative genius Michel Platini. With the incredible platform behind him he will be at the heart of the game bringing in all time great levels of creativity, passing both long and short and an elite goalscorer all wrapped in one package. To further his strengths, he is absolutely at home in playing in a back 5 formation while being the primary threat in attack and taking that responsibility at the highest stage.
Completing the team is the deadly Italian duo of Alessandro Del Piero and Christian Vieri. Two forwards playing in a very 'Italian' setup something which they are most used to in as well as two forwards that make a highly complimentary pair with Del Piero being the free roaming forward while Vieri takes his role as the battering ram up front bringing in top quality finishing.
Key Points:
- A combative defensive line that will get stuck in and provide a massive guard for the goalie.
- A powerful midfield unit making it a massive back 7 to break up. Popescu's ability to drop into defense vital to release Scirea.
- Incredible ability on the ball at the back with all three of Scirea, Amoros and Evra capable of distributing it forward and carrying it when needed.
- An all time great orchestrator at the heart of the game.
- Two great forwards leading the attack complimenting each other perfectly with Del Piero playing off Vieri.
- The familiarity of key players in Scirea, Platini, Del Piero and Vieri in their respective roles with regards to the formation that would further allow them to be in their element.
