No Flair Draft - QF: BIG DUNK vs Enigma_87

[Physiocrat]

BIG_DUNK

Enigma_87

BIG_DUNK Tactics

Flexible 4-1-3-2 shape. Solid and compact in the defensive phase, clever movement and direct in the attacking phase.

Law and Seeler are unleashed in my system. My potent strike partnership offers off-ball industry, clever link-up play across the pitch and elite finishing. Two hard-working forwards who will make intelligent runs in both the inside and outside channels. Häßler, Jugović and Matthäus will supply world-class crosses and long passes to my front two. Seeler and Law are both lethal in the air, in the box or running into the last third on the end of crosses. Law and Seeler's intelligent movement will pull my opponent's defence out of position, creating space for each other or my midfielders to exploit.

Both Jugović and Häßler can drift inside from the wing into clever positions between the lines. Two very industrious and creative side midfielders, who will help defensively, supporting my fullbacks and help in the build-up phase, able to tuck in or stay wide. Voronin is the perfect defensive screen in front of my back line, while linking defence to the attack with his excellent ball distribution. Voronin can also provide deep cover, never allowing us to be outnumbered defending a counterattack, but also allowing Belodedici to step up to initiate attacks. The defensive security and high workrate of Voronin, Häßler and Jugović provides the platform for Matthäus to play his peak box-to-box role, with the freedom to make his driving penetrative runs beyond Law or Seeler. When defending my midfield quartet will form a compact line.

We have a balanced centreback partnership in Stam, a tough and physically dominant stopper, paired with Belodedici, an elegant and intelligent sweeper, both experts in positioning, reading of the game and tackling. At right back is Gerets, whose tenacious defending and endless running down the flank made him an influential one-man wing. Gerets will be encouraged to overlap Häßler, supporting the attack. Briegel is a versatile defender boasting incredible physique and able provide width down the flank or covering centrally.

Enigma_87 Tactics

Formation: 4-3-3, similar to Bayern around Robbery and Lewa. Exploit the flanks, moderate press and control the proceedings in the middle of the park.

Defence:
Two great full backs in Cole and Zanetti, with the latter being the more attacking one in this game. Cole will be in his balanced role, providing support in attack. Dias and Cannavaro are at the heart of defence. Dias will be key in his distribution from the back, Cannavaro as a stopper and foil alongside him. Moderate defensive line.

Midfield:
So after the first game the midfield is revamped with the addition of two midfield maestros - Gundogan and Thiago. Souness is holding in this game in a more deeper role where he is protecting the back four. Souness has the tactical and defensive nous to keep the line whilst Gundo and Thiago will act as two dynamic 8's like Gundogan playing alongside KdB and Thiago played with Kimmich or Fabinho as holder.

Attack:
The focal point of the team - one of the finest wingers the game ever seen, which also enjoyed great success playing together - Robben and Ribery. As a complete central forward we have Marco van Basten who would feed off the creativity behind him but also be what would be expected from modern #9.

Focal points:
- Robbery and Van Basten. A trio that had it all and would be very difficult to stop.
- Defensive line consisting of two of the most balanced full backs that are solid at the back and can keep things tight. In the Dias/Cannavaro is also IMO a very complimentary pair and as good as it gets given the theme of the draft
- midfield line that can control the pace and tempo of the game, but also each one of them can contribute in the defensive phase and harass the opposition and force them into losing possession.

A little bit of Marco magic:


Tactics:
- Building from the back. We have a midfield that is comfortable on the ball with of course the help of our midfield line dropping back like Thiago/Souness/Gundogan do to offer passing lanes.
- Aggressive press. We aim to win possession back quickly. The aim is to keep the opposition passing lanes short so we are closer to the ball and win it back quickly. Our team is full of athletic players that can keep up with a high tempo and limit the opposition time on the ball.
- win the ball and stretch the opposition on counter. When we have three excellent passers in the middle it's easy to use the flanks and stretch the opposition flank especially when on counter or when the opposition loses the ball. Our aim is to both use the flanks to create superiority out wide when our winger beats the full back but also use van Basten prowess in the box.

Little stuff on Gundogan:

 

[Physiocrat]

@BIG DUNK @Enigma_87

Game on!

 

[Pythagoras]

Reinforcement 1: Eric Gerets

Offering a superior match engine and stamina levels to Kaltz. A more tenacious fullback joins my back line, supplying both the defensive quality and overlapping runs on the right flank, well suited for my 4-1-3-2 formation. The triangle with Voronin and Häßler has both the quality on the ball and immense workrate off the ball to prove to be both inventive and resilient.

Lets not forget Czibor has to get past Gerets.. a tremendous right-back, an icon.

Eric Gerets - The Lion


Eric Maria Gerets was born on 18th May, 1954 in Rekem, Belgium.Gerets began his career playing for his local amateur team AA Rekem, before joining the then Belgian league title holders Standard Liege.Initially, Gerets was unable to break into the first team under Rene Hauss, as the titleholders were packed with such talent as Wilfried Van Moer, Christian Piot , Nico Dewalque, Jean Thiessen and Leon Semmeling. Gerets eventually made his debut on 16 April, 1972; replacing Silvester Takac in a league game against FC Diest. Despite making this debut in the 1971-72 season, Gerets did not become a regular until the following season, when he replaced the 29-year old Liege stalwart and Belgian International, Jacques Beurlet as the first choice right-back for the Rouches. These formative years at Standard Liege were not marked by success either, as the mid to late 70s marked a decline in Liege’s fortunes and they seemed destined to finish third in the league each season (after Club Brugge and Anderlecht).

Despite the lack of domestic success, Gerets had developed into a tough, disciplined and tactically shrewd right back; this progression meant that inevitably Gerets would soon gain his first international cap and did so on October 1975, against the GDR. This cap would herald the beginning of an international career that would end with him becoming theRode Duivelsthird most capped player with 86 appearances.

Gerets played at four major tournaments, with the first being the 1980 European Championship in Italy. Gerets only scored two goals in his entire international career and one of these would come in this tournament as he scored the opening goal in the 2–1 win against Spain which ensured that Belgium qualified as group winners. The Belgium team of 1980 is considered to be the first of the nations ‘golden generation’ and certainly most exciting to emerge at that time due to the offensively-minded Erwin Vandenbergh, Jan Caulemans, Julien Cools, Francois van der Elst and Liege teammate Van Moer. Raymond Goethals’ team wowed audiences and defied expectation by reaching the final that year but lost to West Germany by a single goal (1–2) scored by Horst Hrubesch two minutes from time. Two years later, the World Cup in Spain arrived and Gerets had already been handed the Captains armband. Despite a famous victory over defending champions Argentina, however; the Gerets led Belgians could only manage the 2ndround.

The 1980s arrived with an ambitious Standard Liege determined to replicate the success of the late 60’s / early 70’s. To achieve this, theRouches hired a succession of managers including legendary Feyenoord manager Ernst Happel, before settling on a Cup Winners Cup winning coach known in some circles as “le sorcier” or “le magicien”, but formally known as Raymond Goethals. The determination of the Liege board meant that Goethals was given the funds to fit out the Liege side with proven talent, as well as dipping into the clubs own youth team pool. Weathering the influx of newcomers, Gerets remained in defence and became a Captain who would lead established, older players such as like Arie Haan, Simon Tahamata, Walter Meeuws and Jos Daerden, as well as greener, youth team graduates such as Guy Vandermissen and Michel Preud’homme. Harnessing this fine balance of youth and experience, Standard finished runners up in the league in 1980, before winning the national cup in 1981 with a 4–1 win over Lokeren SC. This team had broken their duck with the cup victory and under Gerets’ captaincy, the Rouches would go on to win two consecutive titles and reach a European Cup Winners Cup Final, losing to Barcelona. Despite this, individually Gerets would go on lift his aforementioned 2nd title and was also presented with the 1982 Golden Shoe as Belgium’s best league player. In what was to be his last season at the club, Gerets captained Liege to their ninth league title; one which would prove to be their last for 25 years.

In 1983, Gerets was 29 and for several years had longed for a transfer abroad. When that call finally came, it was from AC Milan. Gerets left Standard and as per tradition, Internazionale made what they believed to be an equivalent signing to upstage their rivals (see Klinsman, Breame & Matthaus to Inter in order to upstage the Rossoneris signings of Gullit, Van Basten and Rijkaard) so Ludo Coeck moved from Anderlecht to the Nerazzurri that same summer. Whilst Gerets and his new teammates struggled to curb Juve’s dominance; a storm was brewing back home in Belgium.

An investigation had been carried out into bribery and corruption in Belgian football and the inquiry had uncovered unxeplained and / or suspicious transactions in the Standard Liege bank accounts dating back to the 1981/82 season. Raymond Goethals and numerous Liege players past and present, were arrested and questioned – despite some of whom being in training with the national team at this time – Eric Gerets was one of those players. Confessions were given and some admitted that, in 1982, they had bribed the players of Waterschei at the behest of Goethals, who was concerned that the title would be lost if it was not purchased. Goethals, the Waterschei and Liege players were found guilty and subsequently suspended by the Belgian FA. Gerets received a suspension of one year and ended his Milan career, playing only thirteen games; the suspension would also mean that he would also miss the next European Championship in France.

By the time the ban had been lifted, Eric Gerets was in his early 30’s and when he was approached by Dutch side MVV Maastricht, it appeared that his career was winding down and that he would be condemned to a succession of roles in lower leagues. Gerets accepted the offer and the right back took shelter with MVV for half a season, before a surprising phone call came from PSV Eindhoven manager Jan Reker.

PSV were in a period of stagnation. It had been eight years since last Eredivise title, nine years since their last KNVB cup victory and seven years since their last European trophy. When Jan van Beveren lifted that UEFA Cup on that night 26 April, 1978; little did he or his teammates know that this would signal the end of that team and be the beginning of such a barren period. The following season it started; a6-0 UEFA Cup loss against Saint-Etienne hastened the sacking of Kees Rijvers, a man who had led the North Brabant side to three consecutive titles and two cups. The Captain van Beveren, disillusioned by this sacking and the state of Dutch football; left the Netherlands unhappily for the NASL after spending a decade at the club and accumulating 291 league games. Next, frequent clashes between record goalscorer Willy Van der Kuijlen and Rijvers’ replacement Thijs Libregts led to the former’s departure in 1982 after 18 seasons at the club and accumulating 308 goals in 528 games.

In 1985, this torpor forced the club chairmen Jacques Ruts and Kees Ploegsma into a new way of thinking and change of direction. The new era began when Hans Kraay Snr, became the new director of football; followed by the appointment of Jan Reker as coach. These two men would work together to build the team that would take its first steps in attaining Eredivisie dominance once more. Under this new regime, a different kind of player was signed – cultured performers and players with flair such as like Ruud Gullit from Feyenoord, Soren Lerby from Monaco and Gerald Vanenburg from Ajax. One of the first signings of the era was Eric Gerets and he joined alongside Frank Arsnesen and Gullit. With the team already claiming talented stalwarts like Huub Stevens and Willy van de Kerkhof; under the Captaincy of Gullit, PSV headed the league table for the majority of the 1985-86 season before claiming the Eredivisie with an emphatic 8-2 win against Go Ahead Eagles.

The following season, the new era of stability was shaken by an instance of infighting which harkened back to the then recent past; Gullit criticized the club and (now manager) Hans Kraay Snr. in an interview and the subsequent warning Gullit received was deemed too lenient by Kraay, who himself resigned also. He was replaced by 41 year old Guus Hiddink, in his first managerial role upon graduating from assistant to Kraay. Hiddink immediately allowed Gullit to join AC Milan and replaced the gap in the team by signing Ronald Koeman from Ajax; handing the Captains armband to Eric Gerets in the process.

In 1986, the Belgian national team’s ‘Golden Generation’ would fulfill their potential. The manager Guy Thys retained the team that had, since 1980, established themselves as players on the main stage. With Gerets marshaling defense and Jean-Marie Pfaff minding goal, the team had a backbone which gave confidence to an extremely dangerous midfield dominated by Anderlecht players. Such is the standing of the Belgian league at that time, that Gerets and Pfaff were the only two players in the side which did not play domestic football in their own country. Qualification had been at the expense of the Netherlands, as the neighbours met in a playoff match to decide who would go to Mexico. The Oranje of 1986 included Ruud Gullit, Frank Rijkaard and Marco Van Basten, and although these players were the finished article domestically, this force had yet to translate onto the international scene (that would come two years later).

The Rode Duivels made it through the group stage to face a Soviet Union side comprising of seven members of the Dynamo Kyiv, Cup Winners Cup team. The Soviets took the lead through Igor Belanov and the Belgians equalised just after the interval with a goal courtesy of Enzo Scifo. Belanov reinstated Russia’s lead before the Jan Ceulemans put the Belgians level once again. An Eric Gerets cross provided the opportunity for an unmarked Stéphane Demol to put the Belgians ahead for the first time and the result was effectively sealed by Nico Claesen. Igor Belanov completed his hat-trick to make the game 4-3 but the Rode Duivels held their nerve and made it to the last 8 for the first time in their history. Their quarter-final opponents were Spain, whose 85th minute equalizer from Juan Antonio Senor took the game into extra-time and then to penalties (Caulemens had given Belgium the lead after 35 minutes). Converted penalties from Claesen, Scifo, Hugo Broos, Patrick Vervoort and Leo van der Elst meant that the Belgians had reached the semi-final, Argentina and the man synonymous with that World Cup; Diego Maradona. Unfortunately, a 0-2 loss to the eventual champions, meant that Belgium would leave Mexico in fourth place but achieving their best finish ever in World Cup competition.


With Hiddink in charge on the side lines and Gerets leading on the pitch, the 1987-88 Eredivisie season turned out to be the most successful in PSV’s history. With the North Brabantian side scoring 117 goals, the league title was quickly secured with four matches remaining. The KNVB Cup was next and Roda JC were PSVs opponents. The game finished 3-2 to PSV in extra time and Gerets scored twice, the first and only time he would ever do so in his career. The European Cup campaign began with wins against Fenerbahce and Rapid Vienna; Bordeaux and Real Madrid were dispatched in the quarter and semi finals, respectively. The final against Benfica was held in Stuttgart and remained goalless after extra time meaning a penalty shootout would decide the tie. Converted penalties from Koeman, Kieft, Ivan Nielsen, Vanenburg, Lerby and Ivan Janssen kept the tie at deadlock until Hans Van Breukelen saved the sixth Benfica penalty by Antonio Veloso. PSV had won the European Cup and completed the treble.

The success of this European Cup win meant that PSV were able to sign Romario but lost Koeman who left the side to rejoin Johan Cruyff at Barcelona. Despite the loss of Koeman, the 1988-89 season title was secured once again and PSV also defeated Groningen in the KNVB Cup Final of that year. In the European Cup, Real Madrid returned their revenge for the previous seasons defeat by eliminating PSV in the quarter-finals. The following season PSV could only manage second in the league, but won the KNVB Cup after defeating Vitesse (1-0) and in 1990, Hiddink left to join Fenerbahche and was replaced by Bobby Robson.

In 1990, the now 36-year-old Gerets also went to the World Cup in Italy. It was to be his last major tournament and his Red Devils were knocked out by England in the second round after a late, memorable volley from David Platt. Following this defeat, Gerets handed the Captains armband to Francois van der Elst, bowing out of the national team with a total of 86 caps and two goals.

With Gerets retained as club captain by the incoming Robson, PSV won a further two league titles; the first one on goal difference (with Ajax) and the second one in the penultimate match against Groningen. Amidst this success, there were parallels with the Ruud Gullit saga, as another of PSV’s superstars became too big for the club with negative consequences. This time it was Romario; adored by the fans for his three consecutive golden boots (1989, 1990 and 1991) but who angered his teammates with unprofessionalism and selfishness. Robson’s frequent clashes with the Brazilian (and lack of European success) led to the Englishman’s sacking in 1992. By this time, Gerets was 38 years old and felt the time was right to bow out. The Belgian’s final match was against Tottenham Hotspur and ended with a goal. A penalty was conceded by Spurs and his teammates allowed him to step up. On the 60 minute mark, Gerets was substituted to an emotional standing ovation.

He left the pitch on that final day, considered to be one of the greatest players in Belgian football history and at his peak he was regarded as one of the best right-backs in Europe. His contribution to PSVs success is immeasurable; he provided the stability season after season and this allowed the club to build on their success. The bravery, courage and heart he offered on the pitch earned him a nickname: “The Lion (of Flanders)”. Few would have predicated this peak would have been after the age of 31. In light of the trying times which led to him signing for PSV, it was a nickname well and truly earned.

 

[Pythagoras]

Reinforcement 2: Miodrag Belodedici

The double stopper partnership of Stam-Buchwald is upgraded with the perfectly balanced centreback partnership of Stam-Belodedici. Both will maximise eachother's game. For me, Belodedici is one of the most talented ball-playing centrebacks available in this draft so it is a major coup to sign him for this fixture. His clever positioning, reading of the game and expert interceptions will complement Stam's aggressive and powerful style. Belodedici also adds an element of class in terms of being able to bring the ball out of defence. His expected chemistry and synergy with Stam and Voronin will be key in stopping Van Basten.

Miodrag Belodedici - The Stag - the great libero who conquered Europe twice

Only 25 men have ever played in and won a European Cup final for an eastern European team. Miodrag Belodedici is two of them. The Romanian libero, known as the Deer because of the elegance of his play, became the first player to win the trophy with two different clubs, which would make his story significant enough; what makes it remarkable is that between his two finals he was sentenced to 10 years in jail for treason.

The Story of Belodedici is replete with symbolism. A modest man, who merited to become a true a star, but always avoided that image, was defined by that very symbol – the star. First, the Star from Bucharest. Then, the Red Star from Belgrade. And yet another one star, the communist one. Each of them made an indelible mark on the life of this man, who himself made history in European football.

An ethnic Serb, Belodedici (Belodedić in Serbian: in both cases pronounced ‘Belodedich’) was born in the Romanian village of Sokol, in the historical region of Banat. Banat itself is an epitome of the unavoidable coexistence of peoples in the Balkans – a region straddling the border between Serbia and Romania, with a collage of peoples, including many Serbs living on the Romanian side of the border and even more ethnic Romanians living in Serbia.

At the age of 17, he was scooped by Luceafarul Bucharest, a Romanian Communist equivalent of La Masia or Ajax’s famous youth academy. But that was only an interim phase, prepping him for much bigger things to come. Steaua Bucharest, the Romanian powerhouse, was building a fearsome squad, and Belodedici soon became an important piece of that amazing mosaic. In 1986, the anonymous boys from Steaua bowled over the entire European football world. They pushed to the final of the European Champions Clubs’ Cup, where they faced Barcelona. The game was tough. Both sides dug in and it ended scoreless after 120 minutes of play. Mile was instrumental in defending, with exemplary calmness and fortitude. Then came the penalties. The hero of the game was Helmut Duckadam, who saved all four of Barcelona’s penalties, making Steaua the first Eastern European team to ascend to the pinnacle of the European club football.



Next stop was Belgrade. Once there, he wanted to play football again. Even though a relative suggested they could pay a visit to Partizan FC, Belodedici had long ago made his mind: the only option was his childhood sweetheart, the Red Star. That’s how he got to Mr Dzajic. The poor man was in utter shock: Belodedici had to repeat six times who he is and why he is there. But in the end, one man’s loss was another man’s gain: the strictness of Romanian Communism pushed one of the best defenders at the time to Yugoslavia – still a Socialist country, but a Disneyland compared to Ceausescu’s fief.

Back home Romania, Mile was denounced as a traitor. The legend has it that even judicial proceedings were brought against him in Romania, resulting in a ten-year prison sentence should he ever return home. But in several interviews for various Serbian outlets, Belodedici himself denied it. He was a persona non grata, but not a convict. But he did earn a 12-month suspension from UEFA. All of that meant that the first months of his Belgrade sojourn were spent incognito. He played football for Red Star’s reserve team, but could only appear on a pitch under an alias. However, it was a ‘worthwhile investment’. In a matter of years, Red Star developed into a team that would eventually subjugate Europe and the world. It was a squad that commanded respect, and although, as usual, the main spotlight was on the offensive half, featuring Pancev, Prosinecki, Savicevic, Jugovic, Mihajlovic, the back was just as impressive. Mile was paired with Ilija Najdoski, and the two formed a formidable defensive wall.

Similar but different, they seamlessly complemented one another. Najdoski, the gladiator, was a demonstration of brute force, with an impeccable command of the airspace. Belodedici, the gentleman, with superior technique and overview, pulled the strings between defence and offence. It was that very graciousness in play which, early on in his career, earned him the nickname ‘the stag‘.

The project peaked in the 1990/1991 season, with what could be described as a deja-vu for Miodrag. Another triumphant campaign for an Eastern European team. Another nail-biting final. Another penalty shoot-out. Only this time, Mile was one of the scorers. Another title. The only difference was the International Cup. While Steaua lost to River Plate in Tokyo final, Red Star licked the Chilean outfit Colo Colo 3:0.

Following the collapse of Communism in Eastern Europe and the ignominious end of the Ceausescu regime in Romania, Belodedici was ‘rehabilitated’, making it possible for him to return to his national team. Having missed one world cup for political reasons (1990 in Italy), Mile re-entered the Romanian national team at the best possible moment: the golden generation had come of age and was readying up to make its mark at the USA ’94 World Cup.

Belodedici joined the likes of Popescu, Munteanu, Lobont, Petrescu and the unforgettable Gheorge Hagi, one of the last remaining true no. 10s in world football.Romania pulled up a dazzling performance, topping its group and eliminating the mighty Argentinians in the second round. Everything was a fairy tale until the quarter finals, where Romania faced Sweden, another Nordic upstart, emulating Denmark’s European Championship success two years prior. Once again, the game went into overtime. Again, there was a penalty shoot-out. But this time, Belodedici, the last shooter in the line, missed. Actually, the shot was saved by Thomas Ravelli.

Which leaves just one issue. If the Steaua of 86 played the Red Star of 91, who would win? "Which team am I playing on?" asks Belodedici.

Belodedici – the libero

One of the classiest defenders you’ll see was Miodrag Belodedici. The Romanian won the European Cup with Steaua a few years earlier and was given the key role in Red Star’s defence. Belodedici played as the libero, sweeping up behind the other defenders, controlled the defence after his will and regularly stepped up with the ball to initiate attacks.



The above picture is from the second-leg with the other three defenders circled in yellow. Belodedici is just out of shot.



Now, Belodedici is visible, organizing his fellow defenders. We can clearly see the man-marking from Jugovic, Radinovic and Marovic with the Romanian sweeping behind them.



Here is an interesting shot of the back-four. Belodedici as the libero again, with the other three making up almost a diamond defence in this instance. It could regularly look like this too, with Mihajlovic, defending far more on the left than Binic on the right, filling in as a left-back.

Belodedici earned the nickname “The Deer” because of his elegant style of play, and would regularly glide through the defensive line with the ball at his feet ready to set up attacks.



With the ball it usually looked a normal back-four, with Jugovic trying to get on the ball in midfield. However, as seen below, it had a different look when Belodedici stepped out.





He was both the man cleaning up defensively and organizing the team, as well as the deep-lying playmaker, who exchanged duties with Jugovic to get the mercurial talents of Prosinecki and Savicevic on the ball as much as possible.

All in all Belodedici had a glorious career - 2 European cups with Eastern European sides, 1 Intercontinental cup, 1 UEFA Super Cup, 6 Romanian league titles with 5 domestic cups, 3 Yugoslav league titles with 1 domestic cup. He conquered wherever he went and his pinnacle in his rather unfortunate international career, blemished by regime and the inability to feature with some great Romanian talent was the 94 WC - reaching the QF's a feat that is still unbeaten to this date - topping their group and eliminating Maradona led Argentina.

Mile is now in his fifties. He is still very much the same man he used to be. But age has treated him well. Apart from a grey lock or two, he still has the same youthful smile and a flash in his eyes. Reminiscing about his past, he always says he has no regrets. And he shouldn’t. It was a great run, and he definitely deserved every bit of it.

Spoiler: AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH MIODRAG BELODEDICI, ONE OF THE GREATEST LIBEROS IN HISTORY

https://thesefootballtimes.co/2016/02/01/exclusive-interview-romania-legend-miodrag-belodedici/

Almost 30 years ago, Red Star Belgrade won the European Cup. It was Miodrag Belodedici’s second after winning the competition with Steaua Bucharest five years earlier. It hadn’t all been rosy, though. A defector, he escaped communist Romania for war-torn Yugoslavia, playing in the match which helped kick-start the Yugoslav wars.

Bari 1991; Belodedici steps up to the penalty spot facing Marseille goalkeeper Pascal Olmeta and, behind him, the sky-blue Marseille fans, banners and flags, with Red Star leading the penalty shootout 2-1. He stuttered in the run-up and coolly slotted the ball in the bottom corner, to the right of Olmeta. Jean-Pierre Papin and Carlos Mozer of Marseille and Red Star’s Siniša Mihajlović followed. All scored before Darko Pančev, later of Internazionale, fired in securing Yugoslavia’s first and only European Cup.

For Belodedici it was history made – no player before him had played in two European Cup finals with two different clubs and won them both. “On the field, after I lifted the trophy, I didn’t know that I was the first player to win the European Cup with two clubs,” he tells These Football Times. “I only found out afterwards from the club’s representatives. I was surprised and also proud for the accomplishment, it was and still is a great feeling.”

That final has been remembered as wholly unremarkable – “boring” being Mihajlović’s take – because their game plan was just to hand the ball to Marseille and counter-attack when possible. But as uneventful the 120 minutes were, Belodedici’s path to it was anything but.

Nine years prior to that game, Belodedici made his professional debut for Steaua Bucharest, where, in his first stint at the club, he would win five Romanian titles, four cups and, against all odds, the 1986 European Cup in Seville thanks to Steaua goalkeeper Helmuth Duckadam saving all of Barcelona’s penalties in the shoot-out.

Two years into his first contract he even impressed enough to be called up for the national team, where he would have the pleasure of lining-up alongside Romanian great Gheorghe Hagi. “It was amazing for him to play with me,” he cheekily states. “I’m just joking. He was an extraordinary player, extremely talented. Whenever he received the ball, the opponent didn’t know where it was. He had this talent to hide the ball and, in a fraction of a second, to go right pass you without any possibility to catch him.”

The duo became club teammates too when Hagi joined the then European champions in 1987.

While everything couldn’t be getting any better on the pitch, off it things couldn’t get much worse. The country was collapsing and civil unrest was at its peak, leading to what would be the Romanian Revolution in December 1989. Romania had been under the dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu, leader of the communist regime that was becoming increasingly totalitarian. Belodedici – then also serving in the army like many other players of Steaua which for all intents and purposes was the ‘Army Club’ – saw a chance to escape to neighbouring Serbia through a transfer.

Backed with trophy-laden success in Romania, he didn’t have much trouble finding a club – once he was recognised as a European Cup winner, anyway. Red Star and Partizan Belgrade in particular were after his services and he chose Red Star, the club he had always supported. His actions, though, didn’t go unnoticed – or unpunished.

“Being in the army at that time, my action was considered a desertion, but I was never sentenced [for treason],” he says. “I was suspended by UEFA for a year and, after playing two qualifying matches for the [1990] World Cup, I lost the opportunity to play in the final tournament. I also missed out on a Champions Cup final, the one Steaua lost to AC Milan [in 1989].”

But if he thought he was escaping a nation’s collapse, he had instead just stepped unsuspectingly into an even greater one.

Come May 1990, Ceaușescu had been toppled in Romania and his national teammates were preparing for the Italy World Cup he was suspended for because of defection. Across the border in Yugoslavia, however, all of a sudden Belodedici found himself in one of the most infamous football games in history: Dinamo Zagreb against Red Star. “I remember the match against Dinamo Zagreb that ended as a riot,” he says. “I saw the fans taking down the fences and running towards the field and [Zvonimir] Boban kicking the policeman.”

The Boban kick has become one of the most notorious moments in footballing history and showed just how close the country was to civil war. As a policeman was hitting a Dinamo fan, Boban kicked the man in uniform “for the Croatian cause” as he later stated. Meanwhile, the leader of the Red Star ultras fighting the Dinamo fans on the pitch, Arkan, would later be fighting as a paramilitary group commander in the war a year later.

“I ran with my colleagues towards the dressing room. Those were not pretty scenes to be involved in. But as a professional player, you get used to it even with that kind of an atmosphere – before the incidents. This is your work and you have to concentrate on what you are doing on the field. Also, as a player, you realise that sometimes if you get spat at, you just wipe yourself and get on with your game.”

And pick themselves up they did. Here they were, the following summer at the Adriatic coast in Bari, across the sea from Yugoslavia, celebrating winning Europe’s most prestigious club competition, a place where Belodedici would have been playing in his first World Cup game against the Soviet Union the previous summer had he been allowed to represent his country.

He became Romania’s most decorated player in history – more so than Hagi. It also sent the Red Star fans at the other end of the stadium into delirium just ten days after Croatia had held an independence referendum with a clear majority wanting away with Belgrade. In a sense it was Red Star fighting against not just against everyone else in Europe but many in their own country, and they somehow came out on top.

As a result of the Yugoslav war, Red Star would play the following season away from their home ground in the European Cup, instead playing at neutral venues in Budapest and Sofia for their home ties. Picking up three wins in their group, against Anderlecht and Panathinaikos twice, it still wasn’t enough as they lost out on the chance of entering the knockout stage to eventual runners-up Sampdoria.

Yugoslavia then broke-up, and Red Star haven’t appeared in the Champions League group stage since. As for Belodedici, he was signed by Valencia under current Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink before returning and retiring at Steaua Bucharest. He would also play in Euro 96 and Euro 2000 where Romania reached the last eight stage at the expense of England, coming via that dramatic late penalty after Phil Neville brought down Viorel Moldovan in the closing minutes of the game.

More importantly, he finally got his one chance to play in a World Cup for his country in the US 1994 tournament, helping his Romanian side reach the quarter-finals. It didn’t end quite the way he would have hoped, though. Against Sweden, the game reached stalemate after the match finished 2-2 after extra time. He stepped up to take another big penalty, and this time he missed. Romania were out and their most successful World Cup tournament was over.

He and the Romanians were dejected, but with a dangerous escape and a game which helped kick-start a war under his belt, on reflection the penalty for Belodedici could probably have been a lot worse.

He retired a modern legend, perhaps the last great sweeper of the modern era and a player who personified technical ability from the back. An intelligent man and footballer, Belodedici has spent his later years working with young players in the national youth teams on their play out of defence and their ability to dictate games. For those lucky youngsters, there are few legends in the world better equipped to be teaching them the art of the modern game.

Spoiler: Miodrag Belodedici: The Most Underrated Player in Football History

"The 1985/86 season was a wonderful season for Steaua. The teams were winning against all the smaller teams in the start of the European Cup. They won against Vejle and Honved. After beaten Anderlecht in the semi-final they realised how good they were. They won the home game 3-0 and were totally in control of the game. The Deer was keeping the game under defensive control. They lost 1-0 away, but that wasn´t enough to stop Steaua for coming to the final.

The best comparison to him would be Bonucci because Bonucci is the only player that still looks like Libero to an extent. Belodedici had great passing ability and also a great vision of the pitch. Belodedici was the anchor of the defence and controlled the game for Crvena Zvezda and in my opinion the most important player for Crvena Zvezda. He ended 8th at the Ballon d´Or in 1991.

Petrovic's team was a team with a great deal of depth. Stojanovic among the poles, the physical strength of the Macedonian powerhouse Najdoski, Jugovic's phosphorus, Prosinecki's genius, Stojkovic's crystalline class and Savicevic's imagination make it too easy for Darko Pancev to score a goal. But the defence was directed by Miodrag Belodedici, who was considered one of the best defenders of the 90s. The European Cup campaign was magical for Crvena Zvezda beating Bayern Münich, Rangers and Dynamo Dresden before playing against Marseille in the final."

 

[Pythagoras]

An Italian article on Jugović's career and ability (translated into English by google!)

https://sport.virgilio.it/vladimir-jugovic-centrocampista-tuttofare-804536

Spoiler: Vladimir Jugovic, the Serbian all-rounder who conquered Italy and the whole world

The career of Vladimir Jugovic, a phenomenal and often underrated midfielder, capable of making the difference for Sampdoria, Juventus and Lazio.

When Vladimir Jugovic appears on the spot at the Olimpico to take the last penalty of the series between Juventus and Ajax, all the ghosts of the past pass before the Juventus fans. For the Old Lady, who would lose many other finals in the future, the Champions League was a cursed cup already in 1996: among her flashbacks of Vietnam there were already Magath's cold goal against Hamburg and the defeat against 'Ajax of 1974. That trophy had been missing in Turin since 1985 and the tension was more than justified.

Two people, however, are said to have lived that moment in total serenity. The first is the lawyer Agnelli, who, while everyone turned away for fear of witnessing the penalty, apparently reassured the people around him with the words "Stay calm, he's Serbian...". The other is Vladimir Jugovic himself, who in a state of total ataraxia stares into van der Sar's eyes and hints at a smile, one hundred percent sure of scoring a goal . Juga takes a run-up, crosses the shot and beats the Dutch goalkeeper to the edge of the post. Juventus returns to the top of Europe and certifies its status as the best team in the world.

It is probably the apotheosis, not only for the Juventus world, but also for the career of Jugovic, one of the strongest midfielders in Serie A of the 90s. In our country, the Serbian has worn the shirts of Sampdoria, Juventus, Lazio and Inter, receiving affection and acclaim practically everywhere. A success story, about a serial winner, capable of winning any trophy at club level.

A story marked from the beginning: Jugovic's debut
It was clear from the beginning of his career that Vladimir Jugovic's destiny in the world of football was to collect trophies . Like many Yugoslavian champions of the time, the midfielder from Trstenik trained in the youth team of Red Star Belgrade and made his league debut at the age of twenty, in 1989. Even as a boy, people spoke highly of him, but despite his talent , the first times among the greats are not easy. Jugovic plays little, so the club sends him on loan to a smaller club, Rad Belgrade. The coach there is Ljupko Petrovic, who dotes on him and takes advantage of his talent and insertions in the attacking midfield position.

The months on loan are the springboard for Juga, but also for his coach: both, in fact, find themselves at Red Star the following season. 1990/91 was a historic year for the Serbian team, capable of winning its first and only European Cup at the San Nicola di Bari against Marseille . Jugovic is a regular starter for that team, this time, however, at center midfield. Given the competition in the attacking midfield, in fact, Petrovic recalibrates him as a midfielder, where with his flexibility he can carry out any task, be it directing, interdiction or insertions.

If we consider the first year on loan, Jugovic achieved three Yugoslav championships in a row with Red Star, the Champions League and the Intercontinental Cup, won as an absolute protagonist thanks to a brace against the Chileans Colo Colo, which earned him the man of the match award.

For that extraordinary team, full of champions like Mihajlovic, Prosinecki and Savicevic, it will be the swan song. The dissolution of Yugoslavia , the war and the resulting sanctions by the UN, which impose an embargo on the Federation even in sport (club teams are prohibited from participating in European competitions), will lead to a diaspora of players from Red Star, many of which will reach our championship.

Jugovic at Eriksson's Sampdoria
Jugovic arrived in Italy in the summer of '92, at Sampdoria. At that moment, president Mantovani's club was experiencing a moment of transition . Fresh from the blow of the European Cup final lost at Wembley against Barcelona , the Blucerchiati lost their captain, Gianluca Vialli, and also Vujadin Boskov, the coach of the Scudetto. Sven Goran Eriksson sits on the bench, fresh from an experience at Benfica. In the squad there are still Italian champions such as Mancini, Lombardo, Vierchowod and Pagliuca, but also young prospects such as Enrico Chiesa, Claudio Bellucci, Eugenio Corini and Nicola Amoruso .

Jugovic immediately established himself as a starter and on the first day he showed up with a goal : a right-footed free kick from thirty meters against Lazio, with the ball going into the bottom corner of the far post. In terms of scoring, the first season at Marassi will remain the best for the Serbian in Italy, with 9 goals in 33 league games. Such a complete player doesn't need much time to settle into a new country, and so Jugovic definitively conquers the heart of the southern steps on the eighth day, in a Derby della Lanterna won 4-1: the former Red Star scores the 3-1 on the counterattack, after the goalkeeper also missed, with Genoa exposed in search of an equalizer.

The first title in Italy, however, did not arrive until the following season. Samp won the 1993/94 Italian Cup after beating Vincenzo Guerini's surprising Ancona 6-1 in the second leg final, capable of reaching the bottom of the competition despite playing in Serie B.

The victory earned the Blucerchiati access to the 1994/95 Cup Winners' Cup. For Jugovic it will be the last year in Genoa, but also the most difficult. In Serie A, in fact, due to some injuries he only made 21 appearances. However, the situation in the Cup Winners' Cup is very different, where he manages to play almost all the matches. In that season, Sampdoria was once again a team full of champions , almost equal to that of the Scudetto. Mancini, Lombardo and Vierchowod are still in their places, Zenga has replaced Pagliuca in goal, while the foreigners are established champions such as Platt, Mihajlovic and Gullit. Not to mention, of course, Juga himself, who almost dragged Eriksson's team to the final.

In the semi-final, in fact, Samp meets Arsenal, in the last year before the Wenger era. At Highbury the English won 3-2 and Jugovic kept his team alive with a brace . The second goal was particularly noteworthy, with Roberto Mancini seeing the Serb's insertion out of the corner of his eye and triggering it with a back-heel that left the entire London defense stunned . At Marassi, the return match ends with the same result, this time in favor of Sampdoria. However, Arsenal went through on penalties. It will be the last great regret for that team full of phenomenal players.

Lippi's soldier: Jugovic at Juventus
After three seasons at the highest level, in Italy and Europe, Jugovic has such a reputation as to attract the attention of Juventus . The Old Lady boasts a midfield among the best in the world, a mix of running, tactical intelligence, insertions and good feet made up of the Deschamps-Paulo Sosa-Conte trio. Moggi also manages to add Serbian to names like this. Committed on three fronts, the Bianconeri, in fact, cannot afford to have only eleven starters. Lippi's game is extremely wasteful. A vertical football with the ball and extremely intense, where no one, including attackers, is exempt from pressing and retreating.

Jugovic, in this sense, is the ideal midfielder for the Viareggio coach. His repertoire is so complete that, in his Italian experience, he will find himself acting as a midfielder, as a midfielder, but also as a winger. «At Red Star I played in front of the defense. Then in Italy, since I have good characteristics to finish on goal, they discovered that it was a shame to keep me away from the goal . And so I moved further forward," he said.

Juga could fulfill many functions on the pitch. Due to his versatility, he would earn the nickname Mezzasquadra at Lazio . He had a great sense of insertion, but he could also remain more blocked to participate in the construction of the maneuver, where his ability to hide the ball from his opponents and evade pressure was notable, many times even with a Veronica . «He knows how to give peace of mind to his teammates, because when he has the ball at his feet he is always in control of the situation », Eriksson said of him.

In the non-possession phase, then, he didn't even spare a drop of sweat and was furious in his pressing. Many times, after having uprooted the ball from the opponents' feet, he managed to verticalize it, sending his teammates towards goal , with a great ability to combine aggression and vision of the game. In this sense, he was a perfect soldier for Lippi's game, where every ball recovery could become a lethal transition. It is always difficult to compare different eras, but with these characteristics Jugovic would have had no difficulty adapting to today's football.

Beyond all suppositions, the Serbian only needs one season to enter the history of the Old Lady. The penalty against Ajax is not his only heavy goal, because the former Red Star player also scored his goal in the semi-final against Nantes . In the first leg, with the score 1-0, Jugovic had scored the final double with a splendid right-footed shot from twenty meters, which ended up under the top corner of the far post.

After the triumph at the Olimpico, another Intercontinental Championship awaits the Juventus number eighteen, won with a feat by Del Piero against River Plate. The second season in Turin, however, is contradictory. Jugovic wins his first and only scudetto , but for Juve the curse of the Champions League finals begins again . Lippi and his men reach the bottom of the competition once again and waiting for them is Borussia Dortmund, full of former players like Kohler, Moller and Paulo Sosa, dumped by Juve in the summer of '96.

The precedents between the two teams favored the Bianconeri who, unlike the previous year with Ajax, this time started with the predictions in favour. A situation perhaps more difficult to manage from an emotional point of view , so much so that not even Jugovic, usually imperturbable and confident, seems too serene on the eve of the match. «We can't beat Borussia indefinitely. I was calmer last year, when the Dutch were the favourites."

An omen of misfortune that turns into reality . It ends 3-1 for the Germans, champions despite a magical heel from Del Piero having reopened the dispute. For Juve, who knows no gratitude, it is time to begin a new cycle. Among the first to be sacrificed was Jugovic , sold to Lazio. A transfer that really doesn't go down well with Lippi and which generates friction with the management.

The year at Lazio, the last great Jugovic
Not even the person concerned, however, takes it very well, and makes this known at the presentation press conference with the new club. «Honestly, I was a little surprised by this sale. Probably in Turin they thought about rejuvenating the team a bit. It was the club that chose to send me away. Also because at the end of the season coach Lippi would have wanted to keep me."

Jugovic probably would have willingly stayed at Delle Alpi, but in any case he doesn't struggle to immerse himself in the new reality, also because the coach is Erkisson , who he finds again after Genoa. As in every other team of his, he immediately becomes indispensable . At that point in his career, the Serbian had already built a reputation as a winner, capable of lifting trophies with any shirt. Lazio, however, hasn't put anything on the board for over twenty years , since the 1974 scudetto.

It may be a coincidence, but the Biancocelesti return to taste glory in Jugovic's year. With him came the victory of the Italian Cup, against an opponent of the caliber of Capello's Milan. For the former Juventus player and for the fans it is a year of satisfaction, with Lazio capable of winning four out of four derbies between the championship and the cup. The only stain on 1997/98 is the UEFA Cup final lost badly against Inter, in the match in which Ronaldo Nazario proves that he practices a different sport compared to the rest of human beings. «We arrived at the final in Paris tired, in difficulty and with some absences. Furthermore, the victory in the Italian Cup had also relaxed us a little. It's like this in Rome. When you win you risk unplugging a bit . They were strong, they had Ronaldo and were much more focused than us. It's a shame because we had clearly beaten them in the championship."

For Lazio that season represented the beginning of a cycle, the first stone on which Cragnotti would later build the team capable of winning the Cup Winners' Cup , the UEFA Super Cup and the Scudetto. However, Jugovic will not be part of that project.

In fact, during the World Cup in France, the Biancoceleste patron reached an agreement with Atletico Madrid for his transfer. The coach of the Colchoneros at that moment was Arrigo Sacchi and their center forward was Cristian Vieri, who repeatedly called Jugovic, his former teammate at Juve, to convince him to reach Spain. The Serbian allows himself to be dissuaded and accepts the transfer. Joke of jokes, however, after his arrival Vieri left Atletico for Lazio , who, if we want, had obtained the money to buy him by selling Jugovic. As if that wasn't enough, the team struggled to win, Sacchi was sacked and the Serbian suffered muscle problems . The choice to go to Spain probably represents the end of his career at a high level.

He will return to Italy, to Inter, at the behest of new coach Marcello Lippi. As we know, the marriage between the Viareggio coach and the Nerazzurri would have foundered within a season and a few months. Juga doesn't perform as well as he would like at San Siro. Furthermore, fans and journalists accuse him of being Lippi's pet . So, at the end of the 2000/01 season he left Italy to move to Monaco.

Jugovic has worn many different shirts, not only in our championship. In many cases, however, it was not he who decided to leave, and this is why, although he has never put down roots in any city, he is loved by all the fans for whom he has played. A rare case, but which demonstrates even more how the Serbian was one of the most particular protagonists of the golden period of Serie A.

Vladimir Jugovic Honours:
Campionato jugoslavo: 2 (Stella Rossa, 1990/91, 1991/92)
Coppa Italia: 2 (Sampdoria 1993/94, Lazio 1997/98)
Campionato italiano: 1 (Juventus, 1996/97)
Coppa di Lega francese: 1 (Monaco, 2002/03)
Coppa dei Campioni/Champions League: 2 (Stella Rossa 1990/91, Juventus 1995/96)
Coppa Intercontinentale: 2 (Stella Rossa 1991, Juventus 1996)
Supercoppa UEFA: 1 (Juventus 1996)

 

[Demyanenko_square_jaw]

He was a great player, but I'm not sure that highlighted part about Belodedici conquering wherever he went is quite true. From what I've been able to find out about his time in Spain, it seems he was eventually considered a flop there. I remember reading a translated Spanish article that talked about his time at Valencia, where he arrived seemingly at his peak and with huge expectations as arguably the best defender in Europe, something the club had not been shy about promoting to the fans. The main takeaways I got from it were that during the first season, an early 5-1 loss to Napoli in the first round of the Uefa Cup put the pressure on right away, and he then had an inconsistent time while adapting to Hiddink's system and the new league. He started very well for 93/94: Valencia were top of the league going into November, but a historic 7-0 second-leg destruction in the UEFA Cup against Karlsruhe, followed up by a one-sided loss to Real, resulted in Hiddink being sacked and his card being marked: He was sent out on loan to Sociedad at the end of the season, where things had fallen apart for good, but it didn't give any info on his time there, such as serious injuries. It's actually a really quick turnaround from one of the best in the world positionally, to finished at a high level. Quick decline obviously wasn't uncommon then for players at 28-30, but for a libero/centre back it's more unusual.



at that Vieri Jugovic story about the Atletico move. I always thought he was a player that moved too much; i had read about the Juventus sale being against Lippi's wishes but didn't know about the circumstances of that one. It didn't seem to make much career sense at the time, with Lazio on the rise and Atletico quite unstable.

 

[Enigma_87]

Bayern's Thiago Alcantara: The Anatomy of a Technically Perfect Midfielder

As Thiago Alcantara’s time at Bayern Munich creeps toward the midpoint of its third season, there is a feeling—finally—that the Spaniard is emerging as the elite central-midfield talent most projected him as when breaking through at Barcelona as an 18-year-old.
After accruing just over 100 senior appearances for the Catalan club, and in the process making a name for himself as one of the foremost, prodigious talents on the continent, he defected to Bayern Munich for a fractional price due to Barca’s gross mismanagement of the supposed Xavi heir apparent.
In that final season at the Camp Nou (2012-13), Tito Vilanova failed to award him enough starts to prevent his release clause dropping from €90 million to a meagre €25 million; a rare opportunity presented itself to grab a pre-eminent talent for a cut-price fee, and after a squabble, Bayern won the battle.

The summer in which things at Barcelona became tangled was the same summer Spain won the 2013 Under-21 European Championship, with Thiago, captain and prime playmaker, leading his team to victory and scoring a hat-trick in the final.
That squad was stacked with talent—they mauled all in their path, particularly Italy in the final—but two individuals stood head and shoulders above the rest. The first was Isco, who would win a move to Real Madrid weeks later following a jinking, technically stunning performance; and the second was Thiago, whose commanding role at the heart of La Furia Roja’s midfield genuinely made football look easy.

After Manchester United’s failed pursuit of his signature that summer—David De Gea even going so far as writing “see you in Manchester” on Thiago’s signed hat-trick ball from the final in attempt to sway him—Bayern happily welcomed him to his new home. Pep Guardiola, of course, was instrumental in the decision; the former Barca boss, newly instated in Munich, had appreciated Thiago’s talents far more than Vilanova and Jordi Roura had.
But injury struck, ruling him out for long spells and disrupting his rapid progress. Days after returning from a serious knee ailment, he reinjured the same ligaments and was condemned to another spell on the sidelines. Despite closing in on 30 months in Germany, he’s only just breached the 50-appearance mark for the club.
But if Bayern’s demolition of Arsenal proved anything on Tuesday night, it’s not only that the German giants are a rather ferocious beast once poked, but that Thiago is now fulfilling that promise. He’s not just an up-and-coming talent anymore; he’s fully capable of dictating and controlling games against some of Europe’s best sides.

He is the anatomy of the technically perfect midfielder—now that he’s put his injury troubles firmly in the rear-view mirror. Bayern sold Bastian Schweinsteiger this summer not just because of his declining fitness/performances, but because Thiago was ready to grasp the mantle.
With Xabi Alonso holding the fort, Thiago is allowed to express himself. The Barcelona academy product has clear traces of La Masia DNA in his game, with his ease in possession and remarkable comfort on the ball in tight spaces leading to extremely efficient games.
His natural slightness and agility allow him the ability to skip into space and past a marker; he’s not forced to pass his way out of trouble, he can slalom and dribble, too. In that sense, he’s got Marco Verratti’s attribute of being able to dribble and jink his way out of deep positions. Even when cornered or pressed on the edge of his own box, you can feel confident Thiago will drift out of trouble and spark an attack.

His passing accuracy (91.7 percent in the Bundesliga this season, per WhoScored.com) and ridiculous range make assists and clear-cut chances created an organic by-product of his game. He’s been one of the best players in the UEFA Champions League so far this season, garnering four assists in four games.
His fleet-footed, silky-smooth style makes him a joy to watch. Guardiola’s 2009 Barcelona side were a jaw-dropping sight, fizzing the ball about with outrageous accuracy and incisiveness, and Thiago looks—at times—to be cut from that same cloth. His all-conquering performance against Arsenal speaks volumes of his enhanced responsibility in this Bayern side.

“When Xavi does hang up his boots, it will be a time of wonderful reflection. However, at the same time Spain will be looking for the player who can proudly take the torch from the fabled midfielder,” B/R’s Tre’ Atkinson wrote in 2013. “That player is former teammate Thiago Alcantara.”

Barcelona were grooming Thiago as their next midfield controller—no doubts are held regarding that. But a quirk in his contract, forcing his release clause down to a basement rate due to a criminal lack of appearances, has robbed the Calatan club of the heir apparent.
Ironically, the 2012-13 season in which he was under-utilised was the one in which Xavi’s game began to decline ever so slightly. That’s not to tarnish one of the greatest midfielders ever to have played the game, but the opportunity to rotate Thiago in on a 50/50 basis and have him learn even more closely from the legend was there.
He’s the one who got away.
Now, he’s reaching a level of performance that makes him one of the most valuable central midfielders on the planet. He can dictate, control, set the tempo, create, assist and score. He’s not accustomed to finding the back of the net in the same way Paul Pogba is, but he can contribute and is comfortable staring down the goalkeeper’s sights.
Thiago is the man Bayern are building around, and rightly so. He is the anatomy of the perfect 2015 central midfielder, and there’s no coach better-placed on this planet to continue his rise to stardom than Guardiola.

 

[Enigma_87]

Good game @BIG DUNK !

literally nothing to separate the teams and if we play 100 more I reckon it’s still be 50:50

 

[Pythagoras]

Good game @BIG DUNK !

literally nothing to separate the teams and if we play 100 more I reckon it’s still be 50:50

We need a third game now to complete the trilogy

Congratulations and good luck!

Nothing bad to say against your team, my favourite XI so annoying to be put up against you again! The ready made wing-partnership of Ribéry and Robben combined with those two fullbacks is all-time great, and now add Van Basten into that mix and it’s near unbeatable. But I do feel an upgrade for Souness is needed though - I don’t see him as a true holding midfielder, more box-to-box - so in my eyes a Voronin-type defensive midfielder will make your midfield tactically perfect with the expert additions of Gündoğan and Thiago.

 

[Enigma_87]

We need a third game now to complete the trilogy

Congratulations and good luck!

Nothing bad to say against your team, my favourite XI so annoying to be put up against you again! The ready made wing-partnership of Ribéry and Robben combined with those two fullbacks is all-time great, and now add Van Basten into that mix and it’s near unbeatable. But I do feel an upgrade for Souness is needed though - I don’t see him as a true holding midfielder, more box-to-box - so in my eyes a Voronin-type defensive midfielder will make your midfield tactically perfect with the expert additions of Gündoğan and Thiago.

Thanks mate!
Your team was the one I wasn’t looking forward to play against. Not only after losing the first game but due to Gerets and Belodedici - both very solid upgrades and both favourites of mine.

A well polished direct team which has the players to excel in transition and on top of it very lethal on the counter. No mish mash of playing style just well thought out formation and player roles.

tbh I thought about the midfield a lot and the reason why I put Souness there is to have that dynamic duo of 2 8s in front of him where we can press higher up the pitch whilst Souness can hold fort but also has the tactical acumen not to lose position and keep the line.

At the end of the day I do think Voronin elevates the side a bit more but will see how the rest of the reinforcements go as I have some options to reshuffle.