Who would win based on players solely rated for their listed tournament? ----------------------------------Team Enigma----------------------------------------------------------------Team Downcast
GK: Ulbaldo Fillol WC 1978 - quite possibly the best South American keeper had a blinder in the WC in 1978. He decided the game against Poland, saving a penalty by Kazimierz Deyna, and helping Argentina to win the first World Cup with a superb performance in the final against Holland. Fillol was voted the best goalkeeper of the 1978 World Cup, conceding only 4 goals in 7 games against the likes of Brazil, Netherlands, Italy, France, Peru, boasting with incredible attacking threats in their ranks.
DL: Paolo Maldini WC 1994- Many remember the incredible performance Baresi put against Romario in the final, but it was grande Paolo who put a pretty uninspiring(apart from Baggio) Italian side through the finals. Baresi was injured in the group stage, and Maldini put excellent performances both as a LB and CB bossing the defence and putting masterful performances in a patched up defence most of the time. He was voted in the team of the tournament and later 3rd in Ballon D'or on the back of that WC.
DR: Manuel Amoros WC 1986 - Best right back in Mexico and voted team of the tournament he provided solid performances against the likes of Brazil, France, the Soviet Union, etc in a team that conceded just 2 goals up until the SF's against West Germany. He provided defensive solidity and had a amazing performance against Brazil in the QF's.
CB: Bobby Moore WC 1966 - probably the highest peak of a defender in a WC tournament at the biggest stage with some of the GOATS on the other side of the pitch. Sir Geoff Hurst said he was his hero, Sir Alf Ramsey claims he was the best he ever worked with and that England would never have won the World Cup without him. Franz Beckenbauer, an opponent in that 1966 final, called him "the best defender in the history of the game" and Pele agreed. There were the last-ditch tackles - perfectly timed, of course - and the instinctive sense for danger that led Jock Stein to quip that "there should be a law against him as he knows what's happening 20 minutes before everyone else". And the final performance was truly spectacular:
CB: Elías Figueroa - Don Elías was elected best defender in the 1974 WC and in the team of the tournament after a majestic display against the best team (and striker) in the tournament along with the Dutch side. He nullified an in form Gerd Muller and produced a 10/10 performance that is rare to be seen up against one of the best forwards in history. After all games Figueroa took part in that WC he received a standing ovation by the German fans - a testimony of how he performed and how high was rated during those games. An absolute colossus in the box he won every challenge in the area, marshaled the Chile defence, attacked the first ball and was usually a one man defence.
The Makelele role WC 2006: Makelele formed a great partnership with Vieira in that tournament. Eventually it was Cannavaro who grabbed the headlines, but France was the other team with rock solid defence and midfield in that tournament, conceding just twice while eliminating some of the best sides in the tournament like peak Ronaldinho led Brazil, Ronaldo's Portugal and absolutely dominating Spain midfield boasting with Xavi, Alonso and Fabregas in their ranks.
Playmaker: Didi WC 1958: Golden ball winner, team of the tournament and the star of the tournament. In 6 games he scored 1 goal, and provided 6 assists. Key Performance: Brazil 5 - 2 France (Semi Final) 1 Goal, 2 Assists
One of the very best midfielders ever in the top of his game.
AM: Pelé WC 1970: Strong contender of the best individual performance at international stage ever, Pele was at his best at the time - more mature, more well rounded and was the cornerstone behind one of the greatest teams in history. He played as an AM most of the time timing his runs in the box, scoring important goals, setting up team mates, getting stuck in and also dribbling his way through opponents left, right and centre. He was literally everywhere.
LW: Hristo Stoichkov WC 1994 - Star of the tournament in an underdog Bulgarian side - he was at his best level scoring 6 and winning the Golden Boot. A menace throughout he is in his favorite LWF role here in a free role like the very same tournament.
RW: Zbigniew Boniek WC 1982 - After his stunning hat trick against Belgium in the 1982 World Cup, Pelé himself stated this, that a player such as Boniek needs to be unleashed and his talent should not be confined and limited to a role in midfield. And indeed it did - after his amazing performance in the WC, later he was third in the Ballon D'or the same year he got transferred to Juventus. Finished the tournament with 4 goals in total the other against a pretty strong Peru side. Rated 3rd in the tournament by Castrol - only marginally behind Zico and Rossi
CF: Gerd Muller WC 1970 - Der Bomber won the Ballon D'or the same year on the back of that WC performance, and what a performance it was. A strong contender for the very best individual performances in an international tournament. Muller netted the Golden Shoe for his ten strikes and he also provided three assists ensuring he makes the record books once again for the best ever individual contribution by a player in a single finals since 1966. Trailing Morocco in the first game it took an equaliser from Uwe Seeler and a late winner from Muller to secure the two points. Muller's winner was trademark bomber stuff as he nodded in from barely a yard out after the ball rebounded off the crossbar.
The Nationalmannschaft were rolling with Muller in particular in sparkling form. A hat-trick including a bullet header for his third was the highlight in the next match against Bulgaria while he added another hat-trick in West Germany's final group game against Peru. All in the space of 20 minutes!
Muller's second hat-trick of the tournament proved he wasn't just a poacher as he scored a goal with both feet and added a dipping header for his third. Seven goals already and that was just the group stage.
Thoughts on the game:
Defence: Downcast has build his team around the great chemistry between Kopa and Fointaine and his attack is the major point in his team. On the other hand our team has 3 of the best pure defenders in the game at their absolute top level - Figueroa, Maldini and Moore. Figueroa in particular is excellent at negating goalscorers and his performance against Muller was something truly special, cancelling out the German who was an unstoppable goal machine in all other games. In this game Figueroa is a great fit for Fontaine and given his stature of the game and in the height of his powers he'll be tasked to keep him at bay. Apart from that Amoros is excellent balanced defender contributing in both phases - equally apt on the left and right side of the pitch. Fast, agile and a great defender he's an excellent fit for Henry especially having Moore on that side covering for him when needed. All in all I think our defence is packed with great quality, reading of the game and positional sense, while also having the brute force, pace and aerial game of Figueroa.
Midfield: I think our team has the advantage here with Didi being the best midfielder on the pitch and running the show from deep, provided the protection Makelele offers(similar to what Zito offered in 1958).
In the defensive phase - Boniek, Stoichkov, Pele, Didi and Makelele - all of them will participate and support the line to get the ball back. Boniek is renown for his non stop running and working his socks off on the pitch. Same could be said for Stoichkov, who despite playing in a free role tracked back and helped the midfield a lot in the 4-3-3/3-4-3 formation in 94 WC. Pele himself offered excellent team work and got the ball back and provided support for Gerson/Clodoaldo midfield on plenty of occasions(more to follow as highlights from him of every game). Didi himself of course is not a passenger and his positional sense and incredible reading of the game will come handy covering space in the defensive phase.
In the attacking phase - Boniek and Stoichkov offer plenty of energy, pace and ability to stretch the defence while also covering a lot of ground. Stoichkov left foot crosses can be exploited by Muller/Pele, especially the latter, mirroring his goal out-jumping Burgnich in the final against Italy. Same can be said about Boniek, who had a great WC, setting up Muller/Pele. Pele will be in his natural 1970 game, while Muller excelled and formed a great partnership with Seeler in the same 1970 WC.
Atttack: Our attack consist of lot of grit, determination,flair, creativity but also predatory instinct. Muller won't need many chances to decide the game and given his credentials in terms of finishing in that tournament I'd back him to score most of his chances. The attack is based on great support by Stoichkov, Boniek and Pele, who had magnificent individual performances in the aforementioned tournaments.[/QUOTE]
DOWNCAST UNDER GERMAN OCCUPATION A striker holder of the record for most goals scored in a single WC tournament with 13 goals (also 4 assists) FONTAINE 1958 - 1958 FIFA WC: Golden Shoe Best Forward - 21 caps: 30 Goals - Career 200 Goals/ 240 Games
Just Fontaine was the most prolific scorer in the Europe in the late 1950s. He scored four goals against former World Cup champion West Germany. He has also scored the third most goals of any player in the World Cup finals overall. Fontaine became the 2nd player after Alcides Ghiggia to score in every match of a WC. He was a classic forwardability to score from any angle, with both feet and his head. He played for Stade de Reims in their golden era alongside Raymond Kopa. Fontaine is forced to retire early at 29 y.o because of a recurring injury that effect his longevity was so short.
Henry reached his International Peak as a left wing-forward: pace, power and goals
HENRY 2000 - 2000 UEFA Euro Winner & part of the Tournament Team Best XI - Euro 2000 Final Man of the Match because Nesta, Cannavaro & co were unable to keep him under control - Career 321 Goals + 165 Assists / 695 Games - 117 caps with France: 51 Goals & 29 assists -
Henry 2000 was extremely fast and mobile. He started playing as a left-winger for Monaco and Juventus before being signed for Arsenal. His style of play is not to wait the ball in penalty box. Oppositely, He always tried to control the ball and find an occasion to make score or assist. Then he moved to Barcelona and changed position to left-wing-forward. He won the triple champs with the club in 2009.
Der Boss, the 7th best scorer in the history of the World Cup, with 10 total goals in 10 games RAHN 1954 - International peak as a right wing-forward - 1954 FIFA WC Winner & 1954 WC Team Best XI - 40 caps with West Germany : 21 Goals
"The Boss" Helmut Rahn is one of the great legends in history of German football and the greatest German winger in history of World Cup, was the greatest German forward in the mid-50s, was sparked by the heroic antics of the German team during the 50’s. Particularly, a right-winger, Rahn showed his great performance in World Cup 1954 final, scores important twce goals and an assist help West Germany to win the game 3-2 over the apparently unbeatable Hungarian team. Rahn was notable for his mentality, team work ability and his powerful shooting. Rahn also finished in top ten Ballon'Dor in 1959. In 2004, 50 years after the Bern match, a life size statue of him was put up near Georg-Melches-Stadium.
The Ballon D'Or 1958 holder of the record for most assists in a single WC (9 assists)
KOPA 1958 - Right Attacking-Playmaking Midfielder - 1958 FIFA WC Team best 11 - Career 200 Goals/ 240 Games - 45 caps with France: 18 Goals + 20 Assists- 1958 FIFA World Cup Third Place
Raymond Kopa is the great legendary French football who is regarded as the finest playmaker in the World during the second half 1950s. Kopa was the progeny of a Polish immigrant family. He was a free-role playmaker who ran to many areas in attacking line, quick, agile and excellent in dribble combined with playmaking abilities. He played as attacking midfielder for Stade Reims in his early career during its glory years. After he with the club lost Real Madrid in European Cup final 1956, He was signed to the Santiago Bernabeu, played for them for three seasons primarily as right-winger and fortunately won European Cup all seasons. Kopa was an important key player as attacking midfielder to lead France finish third place in World Cup 1958 with his many assists to Just Fontaine who overshadowed him by scoring so many goals. Kopa left Real Madrid for financial considerations (!) to return to play for Stade Reims.
Another Collective King of the pass to support the trio
NETZER 1972 - Left-Attacking/Playmaking Midfielder
1972 European Championship Team of The Tournament
1972 Silver Ball European Footballer of The Year
2 Times German Footballer of The Year (1972, 1973)
"Karajan Of European football" was considered to be one of the greatest passers in the game's history. Iconic playmaker and is considered one of the most talented midfielders of all times, gaining a lot of attention with his long passes and pushes from deep within his own half of the pitch. Apart from his superior ball skills, his natural authority made him the undisputed leader of his team. His highlight in international club consists of UEFA runner-up with Gladbach and European Cup semi-finalist with Real Madrid. According to German footballer of the year voting, he was German midfielder of the year for three times. He was named in Bundesliga team of the season seven times. The Brazilian Anchor who brings balance ZITO 1962 - The guy who made the bridge between the defenders and the front 5 FIFA World Cup Winners (1958,1962) + 1962 FIFA World Cup All-Star Team
“The Manager” is one of the most successful and decorated defensive midfielders ever, was the greatest South American defensive midfielder in the first half 1960s and is the greatest defensive midfielder in history of Copa Libertadores Cup He was highly strong and tough in defensive role but rather slow. Zito was an organized midfielder, a pragmatic and claiming influence to his team and often filled with individualistic attacking talents. He was one of key players of Santos to achieve one of the most peak performance in history of South American club and played for only Santos club in his entire career. Zito was a fortunate Brazilian player to win twice World Cup as he was substituted to Dino Sani who got injury in 1958 and was almost lost his first team position to Zequinha just before the 1962 tournament.
The defence SCHNELLINGER 1962 - World-Class Robust Centre-back
World Cup Participation : 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970 (16 Games)
1966 FIFA World Cup Runner-Up +1970 FIFA World Cup Third Place 1962 FIFA World Cup All-Star Team + 1962 Bronze Ball European Footballer of The Year + 1962 German Footballer of The Year
3 Times European Defender of The Year (1962, 1963, 1964)
Karl-Heinz Schnellinger was the best defender in the World in the first half 1960s. He was a consistent world-class defender who mainly played as left-back in 4-4-2 system but he sometimes was used as sweeper for Germany which he was still rated in world-class in world cup 1970. He was noted for his superlatively positional play, tackling ability, physical power pace and his winning mentality. Moreover, Schnellinger also did offensively duty well especially his long passing. His best year was 1962 which was the only year he won 2 major individual awards. According to German Footballer of the year voting, He was German defender of the year only twice times. Schnellinger was voted in 5th, 11th and 12th Ballon'Dor between 1963 and 1965, respectively..
BECKENBAUER 1972 - Sweeper - BALLON D'OR 72 Caps : 103 Games (14 Goals) WC Participation : 1966, 1970, 1974 (18 Games) 1974 FIFA World Cup Winners + 1966 FIFA World Cup Runner-Up 1972 European Championship Winners + 1976 Euro Runner-Up 2 Times UEFA Euro Best Defender (1972, 1976) European Footballer Of The Year : Gold (1972, 1976), Silver Ball (1974, 1975) 4 Times German Footballer Of The Year (1966, 1968, 1974, 1976)
3 Times FIFA World Cup All-Stars Team (1966, 1970, 1974)
1966 FIFA World Cup Young Player Of Tournament 1974 FIFA World Cup Silver Ball - Best Defender 1966 Bronze Ball European Footballer of The Year 1994 FIFA World Cup All-Time Team 1998 FIFA World Team Of Century
“Der Kaiser” Franz Beckenbauer is regarded as one of the greatest footballers ever in history of the game and the greatest German footballer of all-time. He originally started playing as defensive midfielder before moved to attacking libero which he controlled rhythmic in defensive able to advance on offensive mission with his elegant style of play. Beckenbauer was rated for Kicker magazine in 10.5 world-class seasons and 2.5 international-class seasons, This would be according to his record the most appearances in top five of Ballon D’or with 10 times. He was known for his leadership and effectiveness to read the game. His creativity, passing, long shooting, holding with ball and defensive game led him as one of the most completed footballer the world has ever produced. He scored more than 50 goals and made 67 assists in his whole club career. Beckenbauer was voted 4th and 6th World player of century from World Soccer and France football’s poll, respectively, was voted 3rd the best player in history of World Cup by France Football, was finished 2nd in UEFA Jubilee Poll as the best European footballer in last 50 years.
PAUL BREITNER 1972 - LB - EURO 1972 TEAM OF THE TOURNAMENT UEFA European Football Championship Winner: 1972
FIFA World Cup Winner: 1974 + Runner-up: 1982 UEFA Euro Team of the Tournament 1972
FIFA World Cup All-Star Team 1974
Footballer of the Year in Germany 1981
Ballon d'Or 1981 (Runner-up)
FIFA World Cup All-Time Team
Nicknamed “Der Afro” for his big curly hair, Paul Breitner was a starplayer at an early age. Paul started his career as a full-back, but moved up in midfield towards the end of his career. He had a very good right foot shot which he used frequently with great results.
Breitner was a member of some of the finest teams Europe has produced. West Germany won the European Championship in 1972 and two years later, on home soil, they mopped up their second World Cup title. Breitner scored three goals from his defensive position, two long range thunderbolts against Chile and Yugoslavia and a penalty in the final against Holland. Also in 1974, Bayern Munich won the European Cup making it a fantastic year for “Der Afro”. At 22, he had already won everything a footballer could dream about winning.
ANDRADE - RB - 1924 Olympics Games Best Player
World Cup Participation : 1930 (4 Games)
1930 FIFA World Cup Champion
3 Times Copa America Winners (1923, 1924, 1926) Individual Achievement : 1926 Copa America Best Player
1930 FIFA World Cup All-Stars Team
“The Black Winder” Jose Leandro Andrade was the greatest footballer in the World during the middle 1920s, was credited with being an intelligent and honest player who never celebrated his goals. He was a football artist who could simply do anything with the ball. He was a tall guy with elastic movements, who always preferred the direct, elegant game without physical contact and was always ahead with his thoughts by several moves. He preferred to play a direct style without the physicality of many of his team mates. Andrade won his first Olympic gold medal at the 1924 Olympic football tournament in Paris. He was recognized as being the first black international football player to play Olympic football, once perform phenomenon dribbling get through seven opponents. Despite not being at his peak he managed to be one of Uruguay's best players as they won the 1930 World Cup. At the end of the tournament he was selected in the All-Star team. In 1994 he was selected by France Football as number ten in their World Cup Top-100. He was also voted 29th World’s player of century by IFFHS’s poll. Ladislao Mazurkiewicz WC 1970 - 1970 FIFA World Cup Best Goalkeeper Caps : 36 Games (15 Clean Sheets) + 1967 Copa America Winner + 1999 IFFHS Uruguay Goalkeeper of The Century
Ladislao Mazukiewicz is one of the best goalkeepers ever to come from the Americas. His early career with Penarol saw an impressive victory with two consecutive unbeaten seasons in 1967 and 1968. Marzurkiewicz helped the Uruguay national team to qualify to the semifinals of the 1970 World Cup. He totally kept five clean sheets in World Cup final tournament. He notably won six international games in row without concede goal between 1969 and 1970. Mazurkiewicz was voted by IFFHS’s poll 5th South American’s greatest goalkeeper of all-time and 12th World’s greatest goalkeeper of the century.
WEST GERMANY RULED EUROPE AND THE WORLD IN THE 70S: EURO 72 WINNER AND WC 74 WINNER
WEST GERMANY 1972 EUROPEAN CHAMPION
From left to right: Beckenbauer, Maier, Schwarzenbeck, Heynckes, Netzer, Wimmer, Müller, Höttges, Kremers, Breitner and Hoeneß.
A strong team playing a pragmatic style, not dissimilar to England but with somewhat more technique and determination. They had a balance of great players throughout, in a team in a team built around the legend Franz Beckenbauer and his Bayern Munich team-mates that had won the European Cup three times in succession. It also included the goal machine that was Gerd Muller. The team was also influenced by the Total Football style of the Dutch teamthey beat in the 1974 World Cup final, blending this with steely German pragmatism to great effect. ----> Breitner and Beckenbauer are symbols of that style:
If there is a player who epitomizes the success at football's biggest stage that's Pele.
Some cold, "boring" data:
Brazil with Pelé:
On Pelé’s era, Brazil became synonym with football all over the world. Great footballers wore their colors. We must give special nod to Garrincha, one of the best players of all time; Brazil while playing with Pelé and him has never lost a single game – total of 40 matches with 36 wins and 4 draws (Pelé scored 44 and Garrincha, 11 goals).
With the “King” on the field, Brazil played 60 official games until 07/28/1968 with 44 wins (73.33%), 8 draws (13.33%) and 8 defeats (13.33%), in a 2.33 points per game average. The “Seleção” scored 156 (2.6 per game) and suffered 56 goals (0.93 per game).
In those games, Pelé scored impressive 59 goals in a 0.98 per game average. He was responsible for 37.82% of Brazil’s goals and for 27.83 of the total goals scored.
Brazil without Pelé.
It is well known the quality of Brazilian footballers in those golden years. Play had the luxury of playing in different moments alongside great players like Garrincha, Didi, Gérson, Carlos Alberto, Rivellino, among others. Brazil even managed to win the 1962 World Cup after Pelé suffered an injury in their second game. However, did Brazil really keep the same performance without the “King”?
Brazil in that time played 67 games with 41 wins (61.19%), 12 draws (17.91%) and 14 defeats (20.89%) in a 2.01 points per game average. The “Seleção” scored 145 (2.16 per game) and suffered 87 goals (1.29 per game).
Conclusion on Pelé’s effect on Brazil:
As you can see, without Pelé, Brazil remains an imposing team, but gets worse in every category. With him, they increased their points by 15.92%; won more (73.33 against 61.19%), tied and lost fewer games (respectively 13.33 against 17.91% and 13.33 against 20.89%). Furthermore, the “Seleção” also improved their number of goals scored (2.6 against 2.16 per game) and suffered (0.93 against 1.23 per game).
The beginning by Tim Vickery:
I was not the first to fall into this mistake. Nor was I the last. The myth that Brazil are a bunch of samba swaggerers with a disregard for defence is powerful and attractive. But it’s not true. It is the case that Brazil have been blessed with the most outstanding and devastating individual attacking talent, of which Pelé is the most obvious example. But this alone is never enough to guarantee victory. In a low-scoring game such as football, in which defending is so much easier than attacking, a team must be proficient both with and without the ball.
And some quotes from Zagallo:
· Did you know much about him before the World Cup?
Me and all the other players from Rio only knew Pelé when he was called up to the Brazil squad. That’s when I met him. There was no national championship in those days. He had hardly played in Rio. We didn’t know him.
· There must have been some concern about his age?
There was. We talked about it. “Who is this kid? If he’s here it must be that he’s good, there has to be something special about him” — that kind of thing. In the training sessions we started to have a look at him. Right away we could see that he had great ability. So we weren’t worried about him: he was showing us on the field that he had wonderful technique despite his youth. But then he got injured in a training game against Corinthians, and he wasn’t fit to play until the third game of the World Cup, against the Soviet Union.
"The great player has to know how to lose his marker, drag his marker around, find a place on the field where he won’t be marked so tightly, because if the defender follows him then it opens up a space for someone else. And Pelé dragged his marker away from his zone of action, and as a consequence he was able to pick up the ball and bring it forward. He was intelligent; he knew it all. He knew how to deal with this situation.
It was around this time that I remember that there was a defender bearing down on me and with just the slightest touch on the ball I took him out of the game. And Pelé came up to me and said, “You’re intelligent.” It was not a dribble that looked anything wonderful or caught the attention of the public, but it was a touch that was enough to beat the defender. And Pelé was looking, paying attention, learning. Pelé was extraordinary. He was complete, right foot, left foot, in the air, calm enough to kill the ball on his chest because as he was killing it he was already adjusting position for the shot. He even played one-twos off the legs of his opponents! The calm that other players have in midfield, he had inside the penalty area. That sums him up."
He prepared as never before to play a good tournament in 1970. For it to be his high point. He’d been injured at the start of 1958, and at 17 he wasn’t quite the Pelé he went on to be. In 62 he was injured in the second game and he was injured again in 66. So 1970 was his chance to show his genius. So he really prepared to show his football. With Santos he played all over the world, but with the national team, the event that really made his reputation was the World Cup in Mexico.
So he was using the competition to make a statement of his worth. Were you ever worried that personal project might interfere with team?
No, because his influence was collective. He made things easier for the others, because he attracted the marking. So his desire to show his talent was something completely natural. And he was always a good teammate, he was always concerned with things he thought were not correct from the collective point of view. I’ll give you an example from 1970. We were in our base in Mexico and our base was behind bars and the public were on the other side of the bars. The players kept on going over to sign autographs and Pelé called a meeting with all the players and coaching staff, and said, “Look, we’re here to win the World Cup, and I’m feeling that our attention is not properly focused because all the time we’re going over to sign autographs and have our photos taken and this is not good, and we have to change our way of thinking on this.”
So both on the field and off it he was exceptional. At the end, after we had beaten Italy in the final, he came over to me, gave me a hug and said, “We had to be together to win the World Cup for the third time.” It was the best Pelé with the national team. A kid in Sweden gave signs of genius, and in Mexico he fulfilled all that promise and closed the book with a golden key. And I had the privilege to see it all from close up, as player and coach, and as friend.
· So the team was Pelé and 10 more. But, in the short time available you made plenty of changes to those 10. Did you know what you were going to do as soon as you took over?
I totally changed the team. I took over without a fixed idea of what I was going to do — but I knew there would be a lot of changes, because I didn’t accept the idea of 4-2-4. Saldanha had been using 4-2-4. Years earlier Saldanha had been my coach at Botafogo. But he wasn’t really a coach. He was a journalist, and as a coach he didn’t have much idea. There’s no way we could have won the World Cup using that system. If in 1958 we were already moving towards 4-3-3, how could you go back to 4-2-4 in 1970? We had to move forward.
· He was the only player you left up the field(Tostão). Do you accept the label of 4-5-1 for that team?
I do. Because we played as a block, compact, as you say leaving only Tostão up field. Jairzinho, Pelé, Rivelino, all tracked back to join Gerson and Clodoaldo in the midfield. I’m happy to see the team in terms of 4-5-1. We brought our team back behind the line of the ball. We didn’t want to give space for the Europeans to hit us with quick counter attacks. Our team was not characterised by strong marking. Our method of defending was to position ourselves in zone, cover the space and not carry out man-to-man marking. If we had gone with high-pressure marking then by the second half we would have run out of gas. So we saved our energy, dropped back, and then when we won possession the technical quality of our team stood out.
Some data for Boniek from the world cup 1982 and his masterful performance
Zibi Boniek - the midfield dynamo - THE WHOLE SHOW FOR POLAND
Arguably the best player Poland has ever produced, Boniek will forever be remembered for his role in the country's 3rd place at the 1982 World Cup. However, his absence from the tournament's semi-final will go down as one of the great "what if's" of the game. Robbed of their star man, could Poland have upset the odds and reached the final?
Starting his career with his hometown club Zawisa Bydgoszcz, Boniek was soon being tipped for great things. One of Poland's biggest clubs, Widzew Lodz, were in for him immediately, and his form there as an attacking midfielder or forward saw him gain his first national cap in 1976, aged only 20. He was taken to the 1978 World Cup finals in Argentina but sat out the first two group games against West Germany and Tunisia. However, he was brought in for the final game against Mexico and made an immediate impact, scoring twice and outshining more celebrated team-mates such as Deyna and Lato as he inspired the Poles to a 3-1 win that meant they went through as group winners. He kept his place in the tough group 2 matches against Argentina, Brazil and Peru, and, despite failing to score, the 22 year old Boniek had impressed everyone with his commitment, work-rate and no little skill.
Boniek remained at Widzew Lodz until the 1982 World Cup, where another sparkling tournament meant an inevitable move to one of Europe's top clubs. The Poles went into the tournament in Spain as one of the dark-horses, and started off with a respectable 0-0 draw against Italy. Another goal-less draw against surprise package Cameroon meant they went into the final game against Peru needing a win to ensure a place in the next phase. With Boniek, Smolarek, Buncol and Lato pulling all the strings going forward, they crushed the South Americans 5-1 and, as in 1978, they went through as group winners. Probably the best performance of his international career came in the opening match of the second phase - a fantastic hat-trick against Belgium within just 50 minutes. Still one of the best hat-tricks in the tournament's history, it featured all the Boniek traits - guile, determination, pace and skill. A draw against the Soviet Union in the final game meant that Poland had reached the semi-finals. However, a crazy 88th minute yellow card meant that Boniek would miss the match against the Italians. Without their talisman, the Poles went out to a brace from Paulo Rossi in the Nou Camp. And whilst Boniek returned for the 3rd place play-off victory over France, his tournament had been soured by the semi-final suspension.
June 28, 1982— Zbigniew Boniek of Poland put on a show that deserved better than a stadium that seemed nearly two thirds empty. He scored three goals in three different ways as Poland defeated Belgium, 3-0, in the opening game of the second round of the World Cup competition.
Boniek scored on a pass, on a header and on a dribble against Theo Custers, the Belgian keeper. After eight minutes in the second half, sure enough, Boniek did it himself. He dribbled through three Belgian defenders going to the right, faking Custers into coming out and going past Custers for an uncontested goal. The Poles thrilled the fans in the stadium by declining to sit on the ball in the second half with a 3-0 lead and made many other dashing attempts on goal. Everyone cheered.
Points for the Golden Ball vote among journalists.
Enigma has a near perfect team.
Not really convinced on Downcast midfield and think I referred to this in Game 1 too. Not really sure of Netzer/Kopa will work as good as Netzer/Wimmer.
Enigma has a near perfect team.
Not really convinced on Downcast midfield and think I referred to this in Game 1 too. Not really sure of Netzer/Kopa will work as good as Netzer/Wimmer.
Makelele in Zito's role is the biggest question mark for me. He was great with a defensive powerhouse like Vieira next to him who provided a lot of mobility in the absence of which the infamous bypassing of Makelele (especially with the likes of Netzer and Kopa) can be a real danger.
In the aftermath of the Second World War, 8 players from Germany and France have been gathered to celebrate peace for the pleasure of ball games.
1. In times of War, the soldiers need a strong leadership. Napoleon of Football (Kopa) and der Kaiser.
2. The Battle of was a key battle. Please don’t UNDERRATE (always good to type this word here) the battle of ultimate scorers between France (Fontaine) and Germany (G. Muller). G. Muller is above in terms of greatness but Fontaine 58 has nothing to envy in terms of impact with 13 goals in a single WC. The team has been built to pleaseFontaine who consequently will duplicate his performances: a happy player always performs at his best.
3. Why? Because nothing can beat the Deadly Blood Brothers. On the one hand, Just Fontaine 1958 was also a mobile CF whose speed was pretty good (pace is the exclusive property of Henry 2000) who liked to combine with Napoleon of Football (Kopa). Fontaine also excels in dynamic play. My team offers a similar tactical system to France 1958: I have chosen the players who perfectly suit him. Kopa 58 was the main provider of assists (9) for France 58 and his striker Fontaine. They were friends on the pitch but also off the pitch… until the death of Kopa (they kept in touch).
"In '58 we shared the same rooms, we'd spend nights talking about football
Fontaine
4. Despite being in a state of peace, we are still in times of trouble and there is a Rise of the Extreme Right here with alliance of the pure winger with the Uruguayan complete defensive player. The winger Rahn is a winger of the 50s: with a relatively straight-forward style (10 WC games 10 goals), he is only interested in playing with the midfielders and the CF. In other words, he didn’t need a full-back to score x goals in WC games. Typical division of roles in the wing of a team playing old-school football.
5. Stoickhov is a great left-footed offensive player able to operate on the left or right wing. He is pretty mobile who will clearly tend to cut inside. Stoickhov ideally requires a full-time right-back with a high work-rate and a passion for the defense in all its forms. I have him and his name is Jose Leandro Andrade, excellent both as a RB or a Defensive Midfielder and considered as a ‘GOAT’. The rare recordings suggest a dynamic player and ’aggressive’ player in the best sense of the word. VIDEOS
6. You cannot lose a war with Angry Hungry Thierry Henry 2000. If you watch the video below and his eyes, you would easily understand he would be a tactical headache for Enigma and a nightmare for XXX . He reached his international peak in a similar role: free license to exploit his insane speed (at his maximum capacity as he was XX years old) and join the battle line. Thierry Henry used to play with the offensive LB Lizarazu and would be pleased to play with Paul Breitner. Please open the spoiler and watch his eyes and understand why he was MOTM against Italy (EURO 2000 Final).
7. The German Military Base where the best defender of the WC 62 resides (Schnellinger) and… der Kaiser. Schnellinger was a robust player, very strong defensively. In the last game, I used Schnellinger 66 because I failed to get a top LB.
8. The Brazilian Control Tower Zito is the right man to make the bridge between a Military Base and 5 artillery men. He did the exactly same job for Brazil (between 4 defenders and 5 artillery men). And he did the job very well: best 11 at the WC 62. If you are surprised to see Zito here in Europe, it would simply mean you don’t know he is a mercenary soldier…
9. Despite the moderate defensive support of the central midfielder Didi, Makelele 2006 was 33 years old (relatively on the decline) will suffer against Young players: Angry Hungry Henry (22 years old) and my other young players whose career peak corresponded to their international peak.
10. Last but not least, Breitner-Netzer-Beckenbauer is a proven successful partnership but also a pure joy to watch: to be explained later
Makelele in Zito's role is the biggest question mark for me. He was great with a defensive powerhouse like Vieira next to him who provided a lot of mobility in the absence of which the infamous bypassing of Makelele (especially with the likes of Netzer and Kopa) can be a real danger.
All of the midfielders will participate of the defensive phase and especially Boniek will bring a lot of work rate, stamina and running in midfield. Stoichkov did the same in 94 and also I've used some quotes from Zagallo from that world cup and how the 4-2-4 transitioned to 4-5-1 and the role of Pele.
There's not another defensive powerhouse next to him, but he's surrounded by positionally very astute players like Didi and Pele, possessing great reading of the game, but also lot of work rate and industry with the likes of Stoichkov/Boniek helping out.
We won't give the opposition a lot of free space and our industrious midfielder/forwards bring a lot of balance to that midfield.
Apart from that of course one of the biggest upgrade was Figueroa who along with Moore form a pretty solid central core to negate the danger centrally.
Enigma has a near perfect team.
Not really convinced on Downcast midfield and think I referred to this in Game 1 too. Not really sure of Netzer/Kopa will work as good as Netzer/Wimmer.
Claude Makelele – The Position, The Player And The Man
Claude Makelele, according to many, has breathed life into the role of a defensive midfielder. His arrival in the world of club football has been hailed and regarded by many as one of the most influential roles to have been incumbent of the position.
The defensive midfield job is perhaps one of the most thankless jobs in football. In a fast evolving modern game, even the full backs have a crucial overlapping role in attack that enables them to catch the public eye. The centre backs have also garnered much deserved attention over the years, thanks to their position being the final barrier of a defensive wall; which leads to many a spectacular last ditch clearance or a tackle. It is fairly needless to mention the midfielders and attacking players, who often have to be extraordinary in order to be effective and therefore grab a lot of eyeballs.
It is fitting then that one of the earliest and most successful exponents of this role went on to have the position named after him. We speak of course of Claude Makelele – A midfielder who played the role of the soundman at whichever gig his team performed at, ensured that the levels were balanced, the mix perfect and was largely recognized only when he was absent.
‘’We will not miss Makélelé. His technique is average; he lacks the speed and skill to take the ball past opponents, and ninety percent of his distribution either goes backwards or sideways. He wasn’t a header of the ball and he rarely passed the ball more than three metres. Younger players will arrive who will cause Makélelé to be forgotten’’ – Read Madrid president Florentino Perez commented about Claude Makelele after his departure from Bernabeu to Chelsea FC in the summer of 2003.
Perez wasn’t wrong in his reading of Makelele back then. His greatest error was that he misread the game itself. Claude Makelele’s arrival at Chelsea heralded the birth of a new successful era for the South London club. In sheer contrast, Real Madrid struggled to find a replacement for the Frenchman (unless one wants to count Thomas Gravesen) and endured three subsequent trophy-less years.
Players like Claude Makelele and Arsenal’s Gilberto Silva (who was aptly nicknamed the ‘invisible wall’), epitomized the characteristics of this new breed of the defensive midfielder. Claude Makelele’s game was heavily reliant on his excellent positional sense, anticipation and clean tackling.
He scored 18 goals in all, 9 of them coming when he played the role of a box to box midfielder with Nantes early in his career. In an attacking sense, Makelele hardly made the final, telling pass. However, there would rarely be an attack without him having initiated it.
Claude Makelele diligently won the ball back in midfield and usually released it to a player best positioned to hurt the opposition. If such an option weren’t available, he’d pass it to the player closest to him and move into a better position which offered better passing opportunities. He scored just two goals for Chelsea and one of them was particularly memorable as it was a spectacular strike from outside the box, against arch rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
After Fulham beat Chelsea in March 2006, manager Chris Coleman explained that he had designed his side’s tactics to bypass Makélélé through the wings in attack and pressurize him when Chelsea had the ball.
He explained that, ‘Makélelé is more than a mere defensive midfielder, but is actually Chelsea’s deep-lying playmaker, and Chelsea’s attacks are all channelled through him. Thus, denying him possession was instrumental in unravelling Chelsea today.’
Over the years, there has been many a debate about Claude Makelele and his abilities. There are many who say that he was underrated vastly once upon a time, however has come to be overrated now. ‘The Makelele Position’ was a term coined by English pundits who were used to seeing teams deploy a 2 man central midfield. His arrival changed it all.
Тhe midfield combination of Claude Makelele, Patrick Vieira and Zinedine Zidane did ensure that France reached the finals of the 2006 World Cup, only to lose to Italy in an agonizing manner. He amassed 72 caps for France in all. Throughout his career Claude Makelele won the Ligue 1, two La Liga titles, two Premier League titles, a Champions League winner’s medal and an array of cups.
Overrated or underrated is purely a matter of individual opinion. However, it cannot be argued upon that Claude Makelele wasn’t just a Chelsea or a French Legend, his contribution to football on the whole was immense. His style of play brought about a tactical revision and his legacy has been continued by unfashionable but extremely effective midfielders like John Obi Mikel and Sergio Busquets among a few others.
Also not that it's relevant to the WC in particular but Makelele was the sole central midfielder in Real's CL winning run and generally defensive powerhouse himself.
Also not that it's relevant to the WC in particular but Makelele was the sole central midfielder in Real's CL winning run and generally defensive powerhouse himself.
Disagree. Makelele was a late bloomer. He was still at Celta at the age of 27. At the age of 33 he won back to back titles in England in Mourinho's team and was the instrumental for both.
With Zito/Didi you also had the role of Zagallo who brought a lot of balance to that midfield. Neither Kopa, Rahn, nor Henry have comparable work rate nor offers the same protection to the midfield like him.
In my side I have Boniek with his industry who supports the midfield with his endless stamina, determination and grit.
Zito is pretty similar to Makelele actually and with Netzer/Kopa he also doesn't have a defensive powerhouse to help him out and here he's up against probably one of the biggest task of all time - Pele at his peak.
A major part of the story of Brazilian football is the search to find a balance between attack and defence. No one exemplifies that quest more than Mario Zagallo. He was Pelé’s teammate and he was Pelé’s coach — the former in the World Cup wins of 1958 and 1962, the latter in 1970. In both capacities he played a key role in helping the brilliance of Pelé to shine. As tireless left winger or as astute team builder, Zagallo always believed that a side is not made up of attackers and defenders, but of players, all of whom, respecting their individual characteristics, could make a contribution whether the team was on the ball or trying to win it back.
Even bearing in mind the fact that he was dubbed ‘the Little Ant’ in his playing days, he seems almost incredibly small and frail for a man who figured in two World Cup finals. He had a health scare in 2005, and lost weight as a result. But the passion for the game burns as strongly as ever. He talks with the same shine in his eyes about modern players as he does when he reflects on the start of his career, over 55 years ago.
Brazil’s defensive system showed its worth in Sweden in 1958. They kept four consecutive clean sheets, not conceding a goal until they reached the semi-final.
We always had a spare man at the back. When the opposition played with two central strikers then our holding midfielder would drop back into the space between them. With just one out-and-out striker one of our centre-backs marked and the other was spare. Always having a spare man meant that we weren’t running risks.
Two incredible sides on display in similar setups and of similar quality as well. Great read so far. Downcast with less known names but with equally great performances. Kopa and Fontaine are just what the draft is all about. Stand out performers who in an all time draft wouldn't be quite as highly rated but their tournament peak was one of the best ever. Andrade and Rahn as well and Henry's 2000 was actually really damn good.
On the other hand you have some well known gems for Enigma who had out of this world tournaments as well.
Kopa was the Ballon d'Or 1958 because he was the best player of the WC 58: brilliant games, 9 assists (unbeaten record) in a single WC, some goals.
He played in a similar tactical system with France: you just need to read my previous posts and the streamable videos I've made.
I've watched 2 games of France 58: he was deployed as right central playmaker/attacking midfielder. So, he was capable to orchestrate the game as a deep-lying playmaker
Kopa was the Ballon d'Or 1958 because he was the best player of the WC 58: brilliant games, 9 assists (unbeaten record) in a single WC, some goals.
He played in a similar tactical system with France: you just need to read my previous posts and the streamable videos I've made.
I've watched 2 games of France 58: he was deployed as right central playmaker/attacking midfielder. So, he was capable to orchestrate the game as a deep-lying playmaker
France was pretty exciting team going forward and Kopa/Fontaine were pretty instrumental going forward and not disputing that of course, but as @Pat_Mustard mentioned in your game they were not the strongest side defensively. They conceded 15 goals in just 6 games including 5 against Brazil of 58 - with Didi producing a masterclass - 2 assists and 1 goal.
To be honest I think our side has the quality to negate Downcast best assets - Kopa and Fontaine. Figueroa is master at cancelling out quality strikers as he did against Muller in 1974 and I'd back him to produce the same quality here. On the other hand we have one of the best pure DM in Makelele and Moore in the form of his life providing cover.
France was pretty exciting team going forward and Kopa/Fontaine were pretty instrumental going forward and not disputing that of course, but as @Pat_Mustard mentioned in your game they were not the strongest side defensively. They conceded 15 goals in just 6 games including 5 against Brazil of 58 - with Didi producing a masterclass - 2 assists and 1 goal.
- a defender?
- a goalkeeper? or - a playmaker -a player part of a team comprised of 11 players - a Ballon D'or 1958, best player of the WC 58 who delivered 9 assists and enabled Fontaine to sore 13 goals in a single WC
- the man to be blamed for the defensive record and because France never won a WC in the 50s and 60s
The game against Brazil?
This French 1958 NT was one of the most talented of the WC and in the french football history. In the semi final, after only 30 min their best defender and one of the most talented player Robert Jonquet broke his leg in a shock with the "bull" Vava. At this time, the substitutions were not authorized, so France finish the game at 10 players. At this moment of the game, the score was 1-1 and only 2-1 for Brazil at half time. Noone knows really what could happen if France played all the match with 11 players. One thing is sure, the Brazil had to play his best game of WC during this semi final to beat France. After that, for the third place game, France burst the WC holder West Germany 6-3
This France NT was really a top one, led by their glory legend, the old "captain" Roger Marche who held during a long time the record of caps for France (until ths 80's !).
France finish with the best goalscorer of the WC : Just Fontaine who still hold the record of goal scorind in one single WC, and the best player of that tournament Raymond Kopa.
WEST GERMANY 1972 EUROPEAN CHAMPION
From left to right: Beckenbauer, Maier, Schwarzenbeck, Heynckes, Netzer, Wimmer, Müller, Höttges, Kremers, Breitner and Hoeneß.
A strong team playing a pragmatic style, not dissimilar to England but with somewhat more technique and determination. They had a balance of great players throughout, in a team in a team built around the legend Franz Beckenbauer and his Bayern Munich team-mates that had won the European Cup three times in succession. It also included the goal machine that was Gerd Muller.
I know very well the story about the battle midfield and used it in a previous draft (I had a midfield comprised of Platini, Robson and Rijkaard by the way)
I understand why Pat used it because he had Platini, Lerby, Fernandez, Kempes...players with a high work-rate.
Here, I think it's irrelevant because:
- the #6 Makélélé is 33 year old (international peak YES but carreer peak NO): deployed as a partner of Viera in 2006. He was still a good defensive midfielder tbh
- Didi: I like him but he is a central midfielder.
- Pelé: more offensive than my playmakers
So, I don't believe the Franco-German army would lose the battle midfield especially when we know the profile of my other players: Breitner-Beckenbauer-JL Andrade (who also have a strong track-record as defensive midfielders) and who used to join the midfield and...win the war.
