Fitting peak Maradona and peak Messi in an All-Time Argie XI

Physiocrat

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My 7 year old son asked me if Maradona was born at the same time as Messi would they play together for Argentina, to which the answer is yes. How you would fit them in though to me doesn't seem obvious if we have anything other than the early winger Messi.

For putting both peak Messi and Maradona together I came up with this all-time Argie side. You can view it as a 442 double false 9 or a version of a magic square.

.........Maradona.....Messi.....

Kempes...............................Canigga.

...........Redondo.......Ardilles...........

Sorin....Ayala............Ruggeri.....J.Zanetti

.......................Keeper..............

The idea is to give both Messi and Maradona complete freedom and have to hard runners to get on the end of their through balls.
 
It’s never going to be an ideal fit. Something like 4-2-2-2 may work best.

Batistuta - Di Maria*
Maradona - Messi
Redondo - Ardilles**
Marzolini - Passarella - Ruggeri - Zanetti
Carrizo​

* maybe Caniggia. I want a fast & hard-working outlet up front. Kempes can work too but naturally he’s going to overlap with M&M more.
** Mascherano is another option if we want to even further protect that back line.
 
harms said:
It’s never going to be an ideal fit. Something like 4-2-2-2 may work best.

Batistuta - Di Maria*
Maradona - Messi
Redondo - Ardilles**
Marzolini - Passarella - Ruggeri - Zanetti
Carrizo​

* maybe Caniggia. I want a fast & hard-working outlet up front. Kempes can work too but naturally he’s going to overlap with M&M more.
** Mascherano is another option if we want to even further protect that back line.
Click to expand...

I thought Kempes with Caniggia would give M&M two hard working runners to aim at (hence the benching of Batigol).
 
C.Tevez
D.Maradona - L.Messi
F.Redondo - E.Cambiasso - O.Ardiles
S.Marzolini - D.Passarella - O.Ruggeri - J.Zanetti
U.Fillol​
 
Which Messi? The false 9 one or the RWF version?

Think Maradona would be an easier fit in the latter one in Iniesta's role.
 
To me, Di Stefano also needs to be fit into an All Time Argentina side and the best way to do that imo is a 4-3-2-1 Christmas tree formation with the following line up:

GK: Ubaldo Fillol
RB: Javier Zanetti
CB: Oscar Ruggeri
CB: Daniel Passarella
LB: Juan Pablo Sorin (Note: I rate Silvio Marzolini higher than Sorin but Sorin is a better FB fit for the narrow formation
DM: Fernando Redondo
RCM: Diego Simeone
LCM: Alfredo Di Stefano
RCAM: Lionel Messi
LCAM: Diego Maradona
ST: Gabriel Batistuta
 
Michaelf7777777 said:
To me, Di Stefano also needs to be fit into an All Time Argentina side and the best way to do that imo is a 4-3-2-1 Christmas tree formation with the following line up:

GK: Ubaldo Fillol
RB: Javier Zanetti
CB: Oscar Ruggeri
CB: Daniel Passarella
LB: Juan Pablo Sorin (Note: I rate Silvio Marzolini higher than Sorin but Sorin is a better FB fit for the narrow formation
DM: Fernando Redondo
RCM: Diego Simeone
LCM: Alfredo Di Stefano
RCAM: Lionel Messi
LCAM: Diego Maradona
ST: Gabriel Batistuta
Click to expand...
At this point you lose all the hope of this team being more (or even equal) than the sum of its parts. Di Stéfano in midfield with two ball-hogging attacking midfielders ahead of him… meh. It reminds me those all-time great teams with 5 number 10s getting shoehorned together.

(Not replying to you anymore) Tevez is a nice shout though. Should fit Messi & Maradona better than Batigol, I’d think.
 
The 2022/2023 Man City formation, only players from the last 30 years.

GK: Carlos Roa

CB: Lisandro Martinez
CB: Walter Samuel
CB: Roberto Ayala

DM: Fernando Redondo
DM: Javier Zanetti

AML: Kily Gonzalez
AMC: Diego Maradona
AMC: Lionel Messi
AMR: Angel di Maria

CF: Gabriel Batistuta
 
Enigma_87 said:
Which Messi? The false 9 one or the RWF version?

Think Maradona would be an easier fit in the latter one in Iniesta's role.
Click to expand...

Well I'm not fussed between those two versions but ideally F9 version. I think the F9 version the MSN version aren't too dissimilar.
 
Kempes.............Maradona.............Messi.
................Di Stefano........Simeone.............
.............................Redondo..........................
Marzolini...... Passarella......Ayala.....Zanetti

Or a diamond

............Kempes...................Messi..............
..........................Maradona............................
............Cambiasso.............Simeone.............
.............................Redondo..........................
Marzolini...... Passarella......Ayala.....Zanetti
 
If you were making a team just for Messi and just for Maradona you would want two off the ball runners to create space and collect the through balls so I am surprised with the lack of runners in these sides.
 
Claudio Lopez - Maradona - Messi
Ardiles - Redondo - Simeone
Marzolini - Passarella - Ruggeri - Zanetti
Fillol​

If the task is to get the best out of the big two, then Lopez offers the pace, width and energy to stretch the backline to create the vertical and horizontal space required.

Could also do something like:

Batistuta
Maradona - Messi
Sorin - Redondo - Mascherano - Zanetti
Samuel - Passarella - Ruggeri
Fillol​
 
fillol
ruggeri passarella marzolini
zanetti-----------------------------sorin
ardiles redondo
maradona
messi alvarez
​
kempes, lopez, tevez all great shouts but alvarez was immense at WC when they won and after shitload of bigger names that worked nicely on paper with messi, he was finally the one so id keep him. Offers great balance to the team as he can play, has pace and will work of the ball like a maniac.
 
Šjor Bepo said:
fillol
ruggeri passarella marzolini
zanetti-----------------------------sorin
ardiles redondo
maradona
messi alvarez
​
kempes, lopez, tevez all great shouts but alvarez was immense at WC when they won and after shitload of bigger names that worked nicely on paper with messi, he was finally the one so id keep him. Offers great balance to the team as he can play, has pace and will work of the ball like a maniac.
Click to expand...

Would you not want two runners ahead of Maradona and Messi?

I do like the Alvarez pick though
 
Physiocrat said:
Would you not want two runners ahead of Maradona and Messi?

I do like the Alvarez pick though
Click to expand...

zanetti and sorin would be up high, ardiles and redondo would have freedom as well + too many bodies up would just congest the space

edit: id maybe put di maria instead of sorin
 
Šjor Bepo said:
zanetti and sorin would be up high, ardiles and redondo would have freedom as well + too many bodies up would just congest the space

edit: id maybe put di maria instead of sorin
Click to expand...

Ah OK. I was imagining Redondo and Ardilles playing double-pivot and generally being quite deep (that's at least how I imagined their role in my side)
 
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