EAP VS Pat/Skizzo - All time 3 year peak - Auction Draft

Who would win based on players in their 3 yr peak?

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    26
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Moby

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EAP's Tactics

Skizzo's team is strong through the middle, but lacks wide players upfront. To counter that my tactics is built around a strong defensive central core allowing my full backs to exploit his weakness out wide.

A strong back 3 led by Balon d'Or winning Sammer supported by a defensively sound midfield duo of Edwards and Falcao will compress space for his midfielders to operate during their attacks.

May at first look be a underwhelming choice, but he is a perfect fit for the counter attacking set up, I'm employing there. Large, typical old fashioned CF leading the line with two extremely good players and prolific goal scorers in Charlton and Jairzinho to take advantage of his hold up play.

Flank Attack:-

Carlos Alberto / Falcao / Jairzinho:
The winning combination for one of the greatest WC teams ever (Brazil 1970) will continue their domination here. Cabrini is good, but Jairzinho and Carlos Alberto are better.

Lizarazu / Duncan Edwards / Bobby Charlton:
Edwards and charlton are a highly successful proven combo that needs no introduction for United fans. Though Duncan is playing more centrally here, with outside manned by Lizarazu, this will be a productive wing for my team.

TEAM EDGAR ALLEN PILLOW
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TEAM PAT/SKIZZO
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Pat/Skizzo's Tactics

Formation: 3-5-2

Style of Play: Counter-attacking/quick transitions


We’ve bolstered our line up with some of the best additions imaginable. The great Elias Figueroa comes in to command an all-South American three man defence, whilst one of the very best and most well-rounded centre forwards in history in Eusebio provides a much-needed focal point up front. Lastly, the most difficult yet the greatest signing of them all. Diego Maradona is quite possibly the greatest footballer that has ever lived, and incontestably in that elite top tier. As the best player available, he simply had to be signed, even at the expense of Michel Platini.


We line up in a 3-5-2/5-3-2 formation with attacking wing backs who have the proven discipline to maintain the team’s shape defensively. With a moderately deep defensive line (note to EAP: NOT CAMPED OUT ON THE EDGE OF OUR PENALTY AREA!), Van Hanegem patrolling his left midfield channel area with customary aggression and Tardelli doing likewise on the right, we invite Edgar to try to play through us when he’s on the ball. With no real advantage in width on his part we’re confident we can deal with that more often than not. His centre forward Kocsis excelled in the air, but Figueroa and Ruggeri in particular will just not be dominated in that area.


Given our confidence that he doesn’t have a huge chance of counter-attacking successfully against us, Eusebio is the man that provides the token press on whatever defender is in possession. If as expected Junior starts at left back and drifts into midfield whilst EAP has possession, then Gullit will be the one to harass whichever of Junior/Falcao/Edwards is in his zone – its an interesting advantage that Gullit is one of the only footballers, never mind attackers, fit to compete with Edwards in terms of sheer physicality.


The team is set up both to contain EAP’s excellent collection of attackers, but also to maximise our superior threat going forward. The painful decision to bench Platini (though he’s primed to come on in a switch of formation) comes with the advantage of utilising the two greatest attackers on the pitch to their fullest:


In possession, Maradona has licence to do what he wants. Drifting to either wing or driving straight through the centre of the pitch, he’s just the best player on the pitch, and the most likely to turn an organised defence into a shambles. Ahead of him, Eusebio, along with Original Ronaldo, is probably the deadliest counter-attacking centre forward in the draft, and the thought of Maradona drawing defenders onto him before threading a through ball to Eusebio is as close to perfect as it gets in these draft games.

If EAP devotes a man marker to Maradona, and who could blame him, the options are still abundant:


1) Maradona will beat him often enough to win the game for us anyway.

2) We build the attack through one of our great attacking wing backs instead

3) We have another first rate passer in Van Hanegem, who is very capable of finding Gullit with a cross-field pass within seconds of us regaining possession.

4) We’ve got an entirely different proposition waiting on the bench to change things around

In terms of tempo, we have two options. Firstly, the quick counter-attack, aiming to exploit the pace advantage that Maradona, Eusebio and Gullit will have over his defence. Secondly, the more patient build up - with both our wing backs and both our central midfielders so comfortable in possession, we can pass him to death as well. Our two primary playmakers in Maradona and Van Hanegem will assess the options and build each attack accordingly.

Why We’ll Win:


Centre Forwards: Kocsis has superb pedigree, but as a famously brilliant aerial threat he’ll find little joy against the bruising Ruggeri and Figueroa. On the other hand, who on EAP’s right central defence can cope with the pace and dribbling of Eusebio, the best and most well-rounded centre forward on the pitch?


Our defence: Figueroa is the greatest defender on the pitch, and one of the very best in the draft. He’s complemented by the incredibly athletic Chumpitaz on the left, and Ruggeri on the right. We expect much of EAP’s threat to revolve around Charlton and Rivelino’s interchange on his left wing – I can’t think of two more rugged, seasoned campaigners than Ruggeri and Tardelli to suss that out. Ruggeri, of course, won a World Cup whilst playing in this formation.


Versatility: We don’t know how Edgar will line up, but we’re certain he doesn’t have a sexier Plan B than us – le carré magique, with Maradona and Platini both playing ahead of Van Hanegem and Tardelli. Good luck man-marking against that. We don’t see quite that same potential for in-match change with EAP’s squad.


Better Players:


1) The best player on the pitch – Maradona

2) The best playmaker – Maradona and Platini

3) The best defender – Figueroa

4) The best centre forward – Eusebio


At the risk of appearing reductionist, we feel we have a significant advantage in terms of player quality in key areas.
 
Defense: I think I have better set of players.

Midfield: Edwards/Falcao is better than Tardelli/van Hanegem

Attack: He has better individuals, but lack a complementary partnership.
- Maradona is up against a packed defense and will not get time and space to do his magic consistently. Anyway I don't think a counter attacking strategy will get the best out of Maradona.
- Gullit is better behind a striker in a free role.
- Eusebio is also better on the right. Mine is much better balanced.

(+) Vieri being perfect for this, get on headers or holds up the ball for Charlton/Jairzinho running in. Both Charlton and Jairzinho are prolific goal scorers.
(+) My transitions will be much effective and smoother than his, both in the wings and through the middle.
(+) With my wide midfielders, his full backs will be under more consistent pressure than mine and I have better chance of capitalizing on a gap there.
 
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I need a big, strong centre-forward? Let's bench Kocsis.

I have arguably the greatest right-back of all-time? He'll keep Kocsis company.

Rivelino and Junior aren't great together? Let's drop both.
 
harms said:
I need a big, strong centre-forward? Let's bench Kocsis.

I have arguably the greatest right-back of all-time? He'll keep Kocsis company.

Rivelino and Junior aren't great together? Let's drop both.
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It's a transition phase. I got outbid and could not enhance my original team. Anyway forget the bench, they'll be back on if I get the win this and get proper reinforcements.

The choice of Vieri over Kocsis was purely because of my strategy. Both are excellent CF's, but Vieri is a proven star in a counter attacking set up. When I switch back to a balanced/possession setup, Kocsis will be back on. You really can't fault Vieri as a weakness in this, right?
 
Edgar Allan Pillow said:
So, Platini got dropped? I think it's a mistake.

And Eusebio on the left? He was better at right wing imo. Kind of too similar to Gullit. Don't think that is a complementary pairing upfront at all.
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Eusebio is playing at centre forward, not on the left or right wing. He's on the left side of the partnership as that's whee he predominantly seemed to have played, and where he can exploit his speed advantage over Burgnich to the fullest. Beyond being exceptionally well-rounded, I have no idea what you mean by saying he and Gullit are too similar to form a complementary pairing. Eusebio is one of the greatest No 9s in history, Gullit is reprising his verstile supporting attacker peak role. Gullit will be helping to provide width on the right, Eusebio will be a bit more central. Its a bizarre criticism really imo.
 
Edgar Allan Pillow said:
Defense: I think I have better set of players.

Midfield: Edwards/Falcao is better than Tardelli/van Hanegem

Attack: He has better individuals, but lack a complementary partnership.
- Maradona is up against a packed defense and will not get time and space to do his magic consistently. Anyway I don't think a counter attacking strategy will get the best out of Maradona.
- Gullit is better behind a striker in a free role.
- Eusebio is also better on the right. Mine is much better balanced.

(+) Vieri being perfect for this, get on headers or holds up the ball for Charlton/Jairzinho running in. Both Charlton and Jairzinho are prolific goal scorers.
(+) My transitions will be much effective and smoother than his, both in the wings and through the middle.
(+) With my wide midfielders, his full backs will be under more consistent pressure than mine and I have better chance of capitalizing on a gap there.
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There's alot to address here. Firstly, from your write up, Charlton made only 47 appearances in the two seasons prior to Duncan's death and was nowhere near his peak - its a stretch to emphasise that as a proven partnership. Vieri is up against a defence full of monsters in the air. Its a terrible match up for him stylistically, and he doesn't have the advantage in individual quality to compensate. A great centre forward in generational terms, and a good one full stop, but far from a stand out in this company.

I'm very interested in why you think you have the better set of defenders, when Figueroa is clearly the greatest defender on the pitch and our centre backs are probably 3 of the 5 best South American centre backs ever. Edwards/Falcao is not better than Van Hanegem/Tardelli. Van Hanegem is often touted as the best Dutch footballer ever behind Cruyff, and he's a staple inclusion in any sensible all-time Dutch XI. Tardelli is one of the greatest and most successful defensive box to box midfielders ever - I've no doubt Edwards was a monster, but he didn't get the chance to put together a comparable body of work.

Your perceived advantage in width is minimal at best. I'd argue our wing backs are more noted for their attacking qualities than yours, with Cabrini tipping the balance. Jairzinho I'll give you, to an extent, whilst Charlton presumably you aren't playing as a line-hugging left winger. We have Gullit who can peel out to the right wing to great effect and has played as a winger (GIFs incoming) and Maradona, who can drift anywhere and can do this from a wide position:



The transitions point just seems spurious without any elaboration. We have the famously composed Figueroa and the technically excellent Chumpitaz in defence, we have two wonderful in possession wing backs, and most of all we have Van Hanegem, whose composure and technique in playmaking from deeper areas is second to none. Why exactly do you have smoother transitions?
 
harms said:
I need a big, strong centre-forward? Let's bench Kocsis.

I have arguably the greatest right-back of all-time? He'll keep Kocsis company.

Rivelino and Junior aren't great together? Let's drop both.
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:lol: It's an embarrassment of riches, no doubt, which is my major beef with this draft.

That said, I can't fault any of the choices made with this particular game in mind:

1) Vieri over Kocsis: Kocsis wasn't a big, strong centre-forward. In fact, what drove Sebes to adopt the false 9 (i.e. moving to 3-2 instead of 2-3 upfront) was the lack of a traditional centreforward: neither Puskas nor Kocsis where one. Kocsis was rather lean and wiry, a great great header of the ball, but not down to him being a giant. In this game, surrounded by defender who are big, strong and good in the air, I would bank on Vieri being a match more than Kocsis. He's also a fecking bulldozer when he picks up speed on the break, exactly the sort of battering ram Charlton and Jairzinho could play off.

2) Djalma. I agree, best RB of all-time AFAIC and I found it absurd EAP kept looking for toher right backs. In this game and setup, specifically, Carlos Alberto is a better alternative and has a proven partnership with Jairzinho. It sounds crazy he is on the bench though, but I would fully expect to see him on the pitch once EAP stops messing around with building a team around Sammer as libero. It's an all-time draft, and he was excellent, but it's already starting to look underwhelming when others can sport Maradona, Pelé, Eusebio... Platini on the bench as well :lol:

3) Playing Charlton or Rivelino in that role is a coin toss. Objectively, I'd probably play Rivelino as the one most likely to revel in this setup going forward. Charlton will be more disciplined, and even when he didn't play with Duncan that much, I would expect them to sync better, which is crucial for a team soaking and relying on quick transitions.

Junior shouldn't be on the pitch. I really like him, have picked him several times, but Lizarazu is a better defender and a better fit going forward. Unless we are talking Toro and not Brazil Junior... I could see him guarding the flank but having a personal detail on Gullit when he drops deep. He would be better at that than Lizarazu.

EAP is looking more cohesive to me, Pat/Skizzo have more mouthwatering players, but I can't see how they can play on the counter. You need to hand over control/initiative to the oppo and then have the spine to live with that. I feel EAP has it but Pat/Skizzo don't, they will be the ones controlling the game and possession and the ones exposed to counters, never the other way around.

If I had to bet on either side scoring 3-4 goals I can only see Pat/Skizzo possibly doing it, but that doesn't mean they are favourites to win inside 90 minutes.

Tough one.
 
My recollection of Eusebio videos watched in a previous draft were mostly of him in a right side, picking up ball in the deep and beating defenders with his pacey runs. I never said he was not capable, but that I would put him at his best playing off a striker in a free role on the right. Gullit playing off Eusebio also feels a bit off to me with you having Maradona here. Maradona will try to dribble past himself and not quite sure on he would operate with a drifting Gullit there. Not questioning the player quality here, just my opinion that it may not bring out the best of all 3.

Agree with Figueroa byw. He is he best defender on the pitch, but Sammer in his Balon d'or role the gap is not that significant at all. As for other CB's I certainly don't see them as better than yours. Burgnich in a defensive RCB role was one of the best in that position and Forster is regarded as one of the greatest man markers in the game.

I certainly rate Carlos Alberto better than Cabrini. With his Brazil 1970 partnership with Jairzinho, it's one your flank will find it hard to defend against throughout the match.

Again I consider Edwards was considered a rock. I read that he once started the match as a CF, before replacing a CB who was injured. Such is his versatility and dominance in multiple positions.

Bobby Charlton said:
Physically, he was enormous. He was strong and had a fantastic football brain. His ability was complete – right foot, left foot, long passing, short passing. He did everything instinctively.

“He was the only player who made me feel inferior,” he said.
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On that day in November 1957, the Welsh manager was Edwards’ mentor and Manchester United’s assistant manager Jimmy Murphy.

Before the game, Murphy stood in the centre of the Welsh dressing room, going through the strengths and weaknesses of each member of the England side in great detail. As detailed in the book Manchester United Greats by David Meek, Murphy talked about 10 players, but not Edwards, prompting Reg Davies, the Newcastle inside-forward, to put up his hand.

“What about Edwards?”

“Just keep out of his way son, there’s nothing I could say that could ever help us.”
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Sir Matt Busby said:
I rate Duncan Edwards the most complete footballer in Britain – perhaps the World.
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Not belittling van Hanegem here, but you are comparing a best dutch footballer to one of the best midfielders globally. One time, world's highest paid footballer, the eighth king of Rome, one of the most talented Brazilian midfielders of all time, he certainly deserves his place in history ahead of van Hanegem.
 
For me I have Charlton and Jairzinho operating behind Vieri. I certainly don't expect Vieri alone to be a threat. He'll just hold up the ball for one of Charlton/Jairzinho to run in and combine beautifully.

Your front 3 is just not set up for a counter attacking strategy. Maradona is not one who naturally drops deeper to create when you are defending...which Gullit will obviously do and that's where I don't see your front 3 working smoothly in transitions.
 
Edgar Allan Pillow said:
For me I have Charlton and Jairzinho operating behind Vieri. I certainly don't expect Vieri alone to be a threat. He'll just hold up the ball for one of Charlton/Jairzinho to run in and combine beautifully.

Your front 3 is just not set up for a counter attacking strategy. Maradona is not one who naturally drops deeper to create when you are defending...which Gullit will obviously do and that's where I don't see your front 3 working smoothly in transitions.
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The Maradona-Eusebio thing emerged before, I'm sure of it. Both at their best actually getting the ball around the halfway line and running at defences. Maradona and Eusebio overlap a bit too much for my liking here. You would ideally need someone who stays further up pinning back the defence to create the space. Gullit really isn't that player, more so when he is the only of the three likely to drop deep to help recover the ball.

It's definitely a mouthwatering array of forwards but somewhat dysfunctional/not adding to more than the sum of parts in a counter-attacking setup.

That said, I can't see much of that being relevant because they aren't countering anyone when playing against a parked bus. They are playing in congested spaces and the whole thing about having space and running at defences is out of the window. I actually think Platini could have a better game than Diego here as he is a very different player to Eusebio.
 
Pat_Mustard said:
Eusebio is playing at centre forward, not on the left or right wing. He's on the left side of the partnership as that's whee he predominantly seemed to have played, and where he can exploit his speed advantage over Burgnich to the fullest. Beyond being exceptionally well-rounded, I have no idea what you mean by saying he and Gullit are too similar to form a complementary pairing. Eusebio is one of the greatest No 9s in history, Gullit is reprising his verstile supporting attacker peak role. Gullit will be helping to provide width on the right, Eusebio will be a bit more central. Its a bizarre criticism really imo.
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To be fair to EAP, Eusebio was at his best when he dropped deeper and made those incredible runs forward, often with the ball. He wasn't really a true number 9 who stayed upfront, offered great hold-up play and all that. If played in a pair in attack, I'd rather have Eusebio as the deeper one of the two.

I'm not entirely sold on your set-up in attack and struggle to believe that it gets the best out of those players. I'd also argue that Maradona prefered to play with a real number 9, someone who just did the job in the final third, battled it out with the centerbacks and left all the build-up stuff completely to him.
 
That's what I meant by something off in his attack.

Eusebio-Gullit is not complementary.
Gullit-Maradona is not complementary.
Maradona-Eusebio is also not complementary.

Big names, but I really don't see them transitioning or playing off each other well.
 
It's fascinating that after drafting 12 players and then 2 more as reinforcements in an unrestricted alltime draft both teams still are such a mess.

I don't think Vieri was good enough to be picked at all, let alone should still start for Edgar in the quarterfinal. Very odd that he wasn't replaced. And I think Carlos Alberto as a wingback is a bit of a clusterfeck as well. He's primary an intelligent defender with good ability on the ball, not a tireless runner with pace who could own the wing on his own. He's a wonderful rightback in a back four, a wingback? Nope, not at all.
 
antohan said:
:lol: It's an embarrassment of riches, no doubt, which is my major beef with this draft.

That said, I can't fault any of the choices made with this particular game in mind:
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It was mostly a tongue in cheek comment, certainly not a serious issues, even though his obsession with right backs (the smallest pool in the draft and he picks 3 of them - maybe it's a strategic choice to left others without them?) is funny to watch.
 
Balu said:
I don't think Vieri was good enough to be picked at all, let alone should still start for Edgar in the quarterfinal. Very odd that he wasn't replaced. And I think Carlos Alberto as a wingback is a bit of a clusterfeck as well. He's primary an intelligent defender with good ability on the ball, not a tireless runner with pace who could own the wing on his own. He's a wonderful rightback in a back four, a wingback? Nope, not at all.
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Tbh, there were not many CF's on offer in this pool. Yes, if I get through CF will be a priority upgrade. But still, I think he would work well in my set up here.
 
Edgar Allan Pillow said:
My recollection of Eusebio videos watched in a previous draft were mostly of him in a right side, picking up ball in the deep and beating defenders with his pacey runs. I never said he was not capable, but that I would put him at his best playing off a striker in a free role on the right. Gullit playing off Eusebio also feels a bit off to me with you having Maradona here. Maradona will try to dribble past himself and not quite sure on he would operate with a drifting Gullit there. Not questioning the player quality here, just my opinion that it may not bring out the best of all 3.
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To the extent that he favoured any side, I'd say it was the left side.





The rest of the criticism doesn't make any sense to me. I don't see why Gullit would possibly be getting in Maradona's way - he'll be making runs looking to get on the end of one of his passes, not trying to obstruct him.

Agree with Figueroa byw. He is he best defender on the pitch, but Sammer in his Balon d'or role the gap is not that significant at all. As for other CB's I certainly don't see them as better than yours. Burgnich in a defensive RCB role was one of the best in that position and Forster is regarded as one of the greatest man markers in the game.

I certainly rate Carlos Alberto better than Cabrini. With his Brazil 1970 partnership with Jairzinho, it's one your flank will find it hard to defend against throughout the match.

Again I consider Edwards was considered a rock. I read that he once started the match as a CF, before replacing a CB who was injured. Such is his versatility and dominance in multiple positions.

Not belittling van Hanegem here, but you are comparing a best dutch footballer to one of the best midfielders globally. One time, world's highest paid footballer, the eighth king of Rome, one of the most talented Brazilian midfielders of all time, he certainly deserves his place in history ahead of van Hanegem.
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So you admit we have the best of the six central defenders on the pitch. That's a start :D.

I've never denied Edwards' quality, but again, he just didn't have the chance to mature into the finished article like Tardelli or put together an equivalent body of work. Suggesting that Falcao is a level above Van Hanegem is crazy talk. Van Hanegem would be my first choice out of all four central midfielders on the pitch, and I'd argue you've left a better midfielder than Falcao on your bench.
 
Pat_Mustard said:
I've never denied Edwards' quality, but again, he just didn't have the chance to mature into the finished article like Tardelli or put together an equivalent body of work. Suggesting that Falcao is a level above Van Hanegem is crazy talk. Van Hanegem would be my first choice out of all four central midfielders on the pitch, and I'd argue you've left a better midfielder than Falcao on your bench.
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Tbh, even as unfinished article, he was unquestionably brilliant. He may have gotten better, but it's no way a drawback to what he did when he played.

I watched quite a bit of van Hanegem and wanted him during the initial drafting, but here, we have to agree to disagree. Falcao will have a better impact on this game than van Hanegem. Falcao has a moving up Edwards, Charlton and Jairzinho ahead of him giving option to distribute the play, and that's discounting his own ferocious shots to the goal. For you, Maradona has to be a primary route to goal to get the best out of him and that takes away options for van Hanegem's distribution to be at it's full. I think you are better off with a Davids type midfielder behind Maradona.
 
Edgar Allan Pillow said:
Tbh, even as unfinished article, he was unquestionably brilliant. He may have gotten better, but it's no way a drawback to what he did when he played.

I watched quite a bit of van Hanegem and wanted him during the initial drafting, but here, we have to agree to disagree. Falcao will have a better impact on this game than van Hanegem. Falcao has a moving up Edwards, Charlton and Jairzinho ahead of him giving option to distribute the play, and that's discounting his own ferocious shots to the goal. For you, Maradona has to be a primary route to goal to get the best out of him and that takes away options for van Hanegem's distribution to be at it's full. I think you are better off with a Davids type midfielder behind Maradona.
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We have one in Tardelli.
 
Agree that Skizzo/Pat lack a pure #9 and I thought at the time they should have gone for Muller instead of Eusebio.

I also don't really like the three at the back system here - if I was them I would look at dropping Chumpitaz and subbing someone else on.

That said I still think they have a better team, with better players and more match winners. Not buying Vieri at this level in particular. Thats part of the problem with Skizzo/Pat's three at the back - I don't think it suits the team anyway, but it's not even necessary here either against a lone Vieri.
 
Pat_Mustard said:
To the extent that he favoured any side, I'd say it was the left side.
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Aye. Although he excelled at roaming across the front line, and he's brilliant thundering down the middle, often he'd take the ball onto his left side to outstretch the defender, quite Henry-esque.
 
Theon said:
Not buying Vieri at this level in particular. Thats part of the problem with Skizzo/Pat's three at the back
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It's not just Vieri. Vieri is just the bully upfront who will occupy the defenders for the rest to move in.
- Jairzinho/Carlos Alberto has dominance in that wing and Jairzinho is a proven goal scorer. Scored in every match in his peak WC. Cabrini will definitely be overwhelmed and it's a advantage for me.
- Charlton was prolific too. He is playing his Left AM role here and is quite apt to get on the scoresheet here too.

His attack is too central and does not gel with each other. You are just counting on individual talent to outshine a bad partnership.
 
I'm somewhere beyond stunned at the level of criticism our attack is receiving to be honest. We expected criticism in our first game for our unbalanced midfield and attack and we deserved it, but this is just crazy imo.

Here Eusebio is partnered with an uber-intelligent and unselfish Gullit, who will shoulder a huge portion of the heavy lifting physically just like Torres did for him. They're getting supplied by Maradona and Van Hanegem...Yes, Eusebio liked to drop deep, but he was also exceptionally well-rounded and could do the lot really - poach in the box, play with his back to goal, run in behind.

Some quotes from Gio about Eusebio/Maradona from a previous draft that strike me as very reasonable:

Gio said:
I agree it's not a completely seamless fit with Eusebio and Maradona. But I wouldn't sacrifice Eusebio, even at 90% he's still better than pretty much any other striker. There's also the argument that with the stronger support, he has little need to drop and create for himself as he did so often in '66.
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Gio said:
As for Eusebio, the challenges of fitting him in are being slightly overplayed. He can be a world-class number 9 in this and has less need to create for himself as he did so brilliantly in '66. But what you would end up with is 80% Eusebio, 80% Zico, 80% the forward runs of Beckenbauer/Falcao. I can see why Anto wants a 100% Diego in there and if the price is Da Guia instead of Kohler (I mean he's only the second greatest South American defender of all time), then so be it.
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Meanwhile at the other end of the pitch, despite his lack of quality at this level and a terrible stylistic match up for him against our centre backs, Vieri is evidently scoring for fun judging by the scoreline.
 
Theon said:
Agree that Skizzo/Pat lack a pure #9 and I thought at the time they should have gone for Muller instead of Eusebio.

I also don't really like the three at the back system here - if I was them I would look at dropping Chumpitaz and subbing someone else on.

That said I still think they have a better team, with better players and more match winners. Not buying Vieri at this level in particular. Thats part of the problem with Skizzo/Pat's three at the back - I don't think it suits the team anyway, but it's not even necessary here either against a lone Vieri.
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If you'd done the decent thing and gotten eliminated Desailly was definitely on our shopping list, and we probably would have played a back four then :D
 
Edgar Allan Pillow said:
It's not just Vieri. Vieri is just the bully upfront who will occupy the defenders for the rest to move in.
- Jairzinho/Carlos Alberto has dominance in that wing and Jairzinho is a proven goal scorer. Scored in every match in his peak WC. Cabrini will definitely be overwhelmed and it's a advantage for me.
- Charlton was prolific too. He is playing his Left AM role here and is quite apt to get on the scoresheet here too.

His attack is too central and does not gel with each other. You are just counting on individual talent to outshine a bad partnership.
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Sorry but I'm not.

Neither attacks boast great complimentary partnerships, but they have a significant quality differential over your team which IMO is what will make the difference.

And Vieri the bully who will occupy his defenders? Vieri will be having a good game if he can keep Ruggeri on his toes, who is well matched against him. He'll do no more than that.

Which is part of the problem with Skizzo/Pat's team. I'm not sure why three centre backs are needed here.
 
Perhaps Rummenigge might be a better fit there as a goalscoring inside right. He was less complete than Gullit but then had a more pronounced edge when it came to goalscoring, making runs inside the box from a wider area and occasionally being a reference figure of sorts in the box. With Maradona and Eusebio already there, I can see Rummenigge being more ideal in bringing the best out of them as opposed to Gullit.
 
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