vs
Team Pat:
Formation/Style of Play: Counter-attacking 4-3-3/4-5-1. Defend deep, press aggressively in midfield, and counter at speed.
We're fortunate that both our maverick and our original and better liability reached their respective zeniths in counter-attacking systems: Terry as the bedrock of Chelsea's historically miserly defence of the mid-to-late 2000s, Prosinecki as the young midfield maestro in the Red Star Belgrade team that conquered Europe in 1991. There was differences in the two setups of course, notably that Red Star played with a libero rather than the zonal defence we're fielding here, but it's a boon that both players find themselves in familiar terrain. With the scrupulous, meticulous Lahm in midfield, we'll be less loose on the ball when moving it through the central areas than previously, but this remains a counter-attacking team at heart.
Liability One: John Terry
He's possibly second only to Sergio Ramos in terms of his dismal draft forum status being so utterly at odds with his wider reputation, but for me Terry is one of if not the most generous allocations from the liability list. His imperious aerial game will come in handy against the extreme threat posed by Spencer in the air. To partner him, we've upgraded Carvalho with Thiago Silva, whose pace and covering instincts mesh nicely with Terry's skill set. Behind them is a GOAT GK in Buffon, and ahead of them the suffocating, grimly effective midfield screener Deschamps.
Liability Two: Wim Suurbier
While I'm happy to wax lyrical about Terry, I'm more reticent about Suurbier, although I've never been entirely sure why his draft forum reputation is quite so tarnished. My impression of him is that he's a quick, powerful athlete with a great engine and a nasty streak, whose attitude went a fair way towards compensating for his technical mediocrity. As far as his overall defensive game goes, I'm simply not sure how it stacks up, and I'm interested in getting into the nitty-gritty in the match thread.
I've placed Lahm in a hybrid right midfield role, a manoeuvre I had in mind from the outset if I found myself with a liability RB. Defensively I'm not sure how much cover Suurbier needs, but Lahm is well-suited to providing it in any case. Offensively, I feel it boosts the right wing from functional to something with a fair bit more verve and menace. I'm watching a Netherlands vs Poland match at the minute, where Suurbier alternates between overlapping and hanging back in the inside right midfield zone, with Neeskens then often attacking down the wing, and I see a similar dynamic forming here with Lahm.
Elsewhere:
Team Gio
TACTICS - 3-3-3-1
The team retains its 50s and 60s feel but is freshened up to accommodate a high risk / high reward liability in Alexander Arnold. The shape is chosen specifically to get the best out of him and arguably increases the centre-stage exposure of Deyna. Out goes Matthews, Boszik and Hidegkuti, in comes Varela, Spencer and Trent. The idea is increase the cohesion and complementarity in the attack and defensive midfield areas for Deyna and Trent.
MAVERICK - KAZI DEYNA
Deyna was an impressive goalscorer from midfield, averaging just under a goal every two games at both club (602 games, 267 goals) and country (97 games, 41 goals). He partnered Lubanski well and Alberto Spencer feels like a natural upgrade.
Although the team is themed very much as a 1950s and 1960s tribute in its personnel, style and tactics, I've diverged so slightly from the theme by partnering Deyna with fellow Pole Boniek in the attacking midfield spots. Their peaks didn't quite collide for Poland, but their influence ensured the national team were at the forefront of the international game for over a decade. They should be a complementary partnership - Boniek's high-octane vertical style contrasting with Deyna's close control and adeptness in tight spaces. Czibor and Boniek offer threats and energy in both the inside and outside channels and stylistically should complement Deyna to ensure he remains centre stage.
LIABILITY 1 - JOSE SANTAMARIA
Santamaria is in familiar surroundings here, playing much the same system he shone in for Uruguay at the 1954 World Cup (part of the all-star team) and then on to European Cup dominance with Real Madrid. It's a familiar back 3, with Djalma - also in the 1954 WC All-Star team - taking up his RCB from the tournament and offering impeccable defensive covering. On Santamaria's left is his international compatriot Victor Andrade, regarded as the best half-back in the world at the time, playing off both flanks during his World Cup career. Right in front of him patrolling midfield is World Cup winning captain Obdulia Varela and the pair renew what was arguably the most solid defensive axis in international football. The best goalkeeper in the world during the 1950s, Vladimir Beara, backs them up. Individually it's strong and everyone is in familiar surroundings.
LIABILITY 2 - TRENT ALEXANDER ARNOLD
With the right framework in place, Klopp showed it was possible to get incredible results out of Alexander-Arnold from the RB position. We've also seen this season in particular how vulnerable he can be without the right back-up around him. Instead I've tried something different, but which is influenced by a couple of the more interesting positional uses we've seen:
Team Pat:
Formation/Style of Play: Counter-attacking 4-3-3/4-5-1. Defend deep, press aggressively in midfield, and counter at speed.
We're fortunate that both our maverick and our original and better liability reached their respective zeniths in counter-attacking systems: Terry as the bedrock of Chelsea's historically miserly defence of the mid-to-late 2000s, Prosinecki as the young midfield maestro in the Red Star Belgrade team that conquered Europe in 1991. There was differences in the two setups of course, notably that Red Star played with a libero rather than the zonal defence we're fielding here, but it's a boon that both players find themselves in familiar terrain. With the scrupulous, meticulous Lahm in midfield, we'll be less loose on the ball when moving it through the central areas than previously, but this remains a counter-attacking team at heart.
Liability One: John Terry
He's possibly second only to Sergio Ramos in terms of his dismal draft forum status being so utterly at odds with his wider reputation, but for me Terry is one of if not the most generous allocations from the liability list. His imperious aerial game will come in handy against the extreme threat posed by Spencer in the air. To partner him, we've upgraded Carvalho with Thiago Silva, whose pace and covering instincts mesh nicely with Terry's skill set. Behind them is a GOAT GK in Buffon, and ahead of them the suffocating, grimly effective midfield screener Deschamps.
Liability Two: Wim Suurbier
While I'm happy to wax lyrical about Terry, I'm more reticent about Suurbier, although I've never been entirely sure why his draft forum reputation is quite so tarnished. My impression of him is that he's a quick, powerful athlete with a great engine and a nasty streak, whose attitude went a fair way towards compensating for his technical mediocrity. As far as his overall defensive game goes, I'm simply not sure how it stacks up, and I'm interested in getting into the nitty-gritty in the match thread.
I've placed Lahm in a hybrid right midfield role, a manoeuvre I had in mind from the outset if I found myself with a liability RB. Defensively I'm not sure how much cover Suurbier needs, but Lahm is well-suited to providing it in any case. Offensively, I feel it boosts the right wing from functional to something with a fair bit more verve and menace. I'm watching a Netherlands vs Poland match at the minute, where Suurbier alternates between overlapping and hanging back in the inside right midfield zone, with Neeskens then often attacking down the wing, and I see a similar dynamic forming here with Lahm.
Elsewhere:
- Muller's supreme off-the-ball movement and utilisation of space will complement the on-the-ball genius of Prosinecki and Neymar.
- George Weah looks an ideal line-leader for a counter-attacking team: lightning quick, powerful, aggressive, able to hold the ball up and create for himself, he'll pose a serious threat in the air against Gio's short-ish defence.
Team Gio
TACTICS - 3-3-3-1
The team retains its 50s and 60s feel but is freshened up to accommodate a high risk / high reward liability in Alexander Arnold. The shape is chosen specifically to get the best out of him and arguably increases the centre-stage exposure of Deyna. Out goes Matthews, Boszik and Hidegkuti, in comes Varela, Spencer and Trent. The idea is increase the cohesion and complementarity in the attack and defensive midfield areas for Deyna and Trent.
MAVERICK - KAZI DEYNA
Deyna was an impressive goalscorer from midfield, averaging just under a goal every two games at both club (602 games, 267 goals) and country (97 games, 41 goals). He partnered Lubanski well and Alberto Spencer feels like a natural upgrade.
Although the team is themed very much as a 1950s and 1960s tribute in its personnel, style and tactics, I've diverged so slightly from the theme by partnering Deyna with fellow Pole Boniek in the attacking midfield spots. Their peaks didn't quite collide for Poland, but their influence ensured the national team were at the forefront of the international game for over a decade. They should be a complementary partnership - Boniek's high-octane vertical style contrasting with Deyna's close control and adeptness in tight spaces. Czibor and Boniek offer threats and energy in both the inside and outside channels and stylistically should complement Deyna to ensure he remains centre stage.
LIABILITY 1 - JOSE SANTAMARIA
Santamaria is in familiar surroundings here, playing much the same system he shone in for Uruguay at the 1954 World Cup (part of the all-star team) and then on to European Cup dominance with Real Madrid. It's a familiar back 3, with Djalma - also in the 1954 WC All-Star team - taking up his RCB from the tournament and offering impeccable defensive covering. On Santamaria's left is his international compatriot Victor Andrade, regarded as the best half-back in the world at the time, playing off both flanks during his World Cup career. Right in front of him patrolling midfield is World Cup winning captain Obdulia Varela and the pair renew what was arguably the most solid defensive axis in international football. The best goalkeeper in the world during the 1950s, Vladimir Beara, backs them up. Individually it's strong and everyone is in familiar surroundings.
LIABILITY 2 - TRENT ALEXANDER ARNOLD
With the right framework in place, Klopp showed it was possible to get incredible results out of Alexander-Arnold from the RB position. We've also seen this season in particular how vulnerable he can be without the right back-up around him. Instead I've tried something different, but which is influenced by a couple of the more interesting positional uses we've seen:
- Last season's shift of Trent into the inside-right channel, to get into that De Bruyne half-space, where he enjoyed a hugely creative season with 12 assists in 32 league games, boasting his highest long pass success and expected assist rates of his career.
- His current incarnation as a half-6, which thus far has seen him rack up a load of assists with opposition teams unsure how to deal with him.
What this hopefully provides are the following benefits:
- Defensively he has much less critical responsibility. Behind him is Djalma Santos, perhaps the best player possible to cover any concentration lapses. Inside are two of the greatest defensive midfield warhorses of all time in Varela and Mackay. That pair will keep him right.
- He has great options to hit going forward. Spencer comes into the team and will be in his element getting on the end of Trent's crosses and through-balls. Boniek and Czibor too offer the swirling direct runs that Trent enjoyed timing his deliveries for in Salah and Mane. Boniek too has that endless two-way game which helps to shut down the flank.
