No Flair Draft R2 - NM vs Himannv

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

vs


TEAM HIMANNV

Formation: 4-2-2-2

Tactics:

The feeling we have is that the left flank will be able to advance quite a bit and we will have a lot of presence on that side of the pitch up against Djalma Santos, who is obviously a good player but not ideal for a more modern advancing role. With Cabrini having more chances to advance we feel there will be more opportunities in the game for our team down that side of the pitch.

Apart from this, our tactic is to press higher up the pitch and try to win the ball off the opposition back 4 and midfielders.

In general we expect to have more of the ball than the opposition and we intend to roughly play in a 3-3-4 kind of shape in possession:

Schweinsteiger is a key player for us in possession and is set up to run this game from the middle with adequate support and protection. Here's a sample of what he can do:



Additionally we also expect Benzema and Shevchenko to form a thriving partnership up front. Shevchenko's pace and movement off the ball in addition to his ability to play off others feels like a perfect fit with Benzema and we expect those two to combine well and score. Even though I have him on the right in the formation graphic, Shevchenko could also operate on the left and will switch with Benzema when the situation calls for it.



Don't need to say a whole lot about Benzema I reckon. He can be both creator and goal scorer. He can play with someone ball dominant and someone who will work off the ball. Just the perfect well-rounded no.9.



-------------------------------

TEAM NM


Tactics:

Defense: Godin and Vidic as CBs. Both are great stoppers, while Godin is great on the ball (Vidic is no slouch but playing alonside Rio meant he didn't have to do much). Djalma Santos and Facchetti are amongst the GOATs at the full backs. Casemiro will drop in as needed

Midfield: Casemiro will sit, while Keano and Robson as B2B midfielders is my dream. Bruno will be the AM - finally giving him a midfield that will allow him complete freedom to create! Also looking forward to the interplay between him and Griezmann

Attack: Kocsis is amongst the greatest pure CFs and having Griezmann will float around like he usually does (hence he's included in both midfield and attack here)

Defensive phase: The full back 4 plus the 3 central midfielders will fall back.. Keane / Robson / Casemiro means there will be terrific work-rate and defensive nous. Bruno too, but here I'd keep him a little further up so that he / Griezmann / Kocsis will force some of the other team to stay back.

Offensive Phase: Casemiro drops back to make it a back three, while the full backs bomb on. Keane and Robson will be B2B and go forward as needed, while Fernandes and Griezmann will find pockets. Djalma Santos and Facchetti will be responsible for crossing it in to Kocsis (one of the great headers of the ball) and any lay-offs will find willing team maters (Bruno, Griezmann, Keane/Robson)..

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

@Himannv @NM All the best!

 

[Himannv]

Good luck @NM

 

[NM]

@Himannv good team.. How do you expet to have more of the ball when you are effectively playing 4-4-2 against a 4-5-1 setup, where 4/5 in midfield for me are tireless runners?

I actually think your formation plays right into my hands. I expect my guys to dominate the midfield with the extra man tbh.

Also can somebody educate me on Holshoff?

 

[Himannv]

@Himannv good team.. How do you expet to have more of the ball when you are effectively playing 4-4-2 against a 4-5-1 setup, where 4/5 in midfield for me are tireless runners?

I actually think your formation plays right into my hands. I expect my guys to dominate the midfield with the extra man tbh.

Also can somebody educate me on Holshoff?

My feeling is that the personnel you have are more suited to playing off the ball than on it. As such, your presence in midfield is more about winning back the ball than retaining possession. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, it just clashes with the point you're trying to make.

I don't feel your point about numbers makes sense without you providing some insight on how you intend to play offensively. Djalma is not the type of player to get forward much so you lack presence on the right, which in turn makes it easy for my team to defend against you. Since you seem to indicate you want to use your numbers in midfield to have more control of the game, it then follows there is space wider for my team to exploit. We are more than capable of playing off the ball if we need to.

Regarding Barry Hulshoff:

He's a player in the late 60s early 70s who played in the famous Ajax team of that time alongside Cruyff. That team is a total football team so he is generally good on the ball although his primarily skill is actually a beast-like stopper. He's huge, mobile, quick and ventures forward when required. His anticipation is quite good despite his aggressive approach to the game. He's featured in Eric Batty's World XI in 1973 alongside Moore and Beckenbauer,, so among the top CBs of his time.

Here's an extract from a UEFA article on him upon his passing:

The no-nonsense stopper helped the Amsterdam outfit win the European Champion Clubs’ Cup three times in succession, in 1971, 1972 and 1973, as well as the European/South American Cup in 1972. Previously, he had also played in Ajax’s first European Champion Clubs’ Cup final in 1969, when they were beaten by Milan.

Deventer-born Hulshoff was a mainstay of the golden Ajax team that revolutionised the game with their swashbuckling “total football”. A tough defender who was strong on the ball, and almost unbeatable in the air, as well as a dangerous presence when joining the attack, he played a total of 385 official matches for Ajax between 1966 and 1977, scoring 24 goals.

He also played 14 times (six goals) for the Netherlands between 1971 and 1973, but a knee injury meant that he missed the 1974 FIFA World Cup, in which the brilliant Dutch team led by Johan Cruyff finished as runners-up.

Here's a compilation of him in a game against Real Madrid:

 

[Physiocrat]

I think Djalma could and did get forward more when he didn't have to cover for the Garrincha and with Robson's comfort outwide I think that side workd. I'm less convinced of Facchetti as he doesn't seem to be a modern style overlapper. @Synco Any thoughts on Facchetti here?

 

[Himannv]

Congratulations @NM - good luck for the rest of the draft.

 

[NM]

GG @Himannv

 

[Synco]

I think Djalma could and did get forward more when he didn't have to cover for the Garrincha and with Robson's comfort outwide I think that side workd. I'm less convinced of Facchetti as he doesn't seem to be a modern style overlapper. @Synco Any thoughts on Facchetti here?

Haven't seen remotely enough from Facchetti for such an estimation. The long post was just a work-in-progress thing, using rather bold working hypotheses from only one game, which then are to be adjusted and corrected on more material. He did some textbook overlapping in the following game (EC final 1964), using his left foot. So like Krol and Junior, he can definitely do it. Although I've generally seen more underlapping and attacking the box as a second wave box-to-box player, which looks pretty natural for a right-footed player.

Like Djalma, I think his habits on the pitch were most of all a reflection of contemporary tactics. He definitely loved to bolt forward, and why shouldn't he seek out wide areas, if spacing requires him to do so. Same with Djalma, who I have no trouble imaging as an attacking-happy fullback, if he gets the freedom. So I'd definitely buy this setup, although I'm also keeping some questions in the back of my head.

 

[Physiocrat]

Haven't seen remotely enough from Facchetti for such an estimation. The long post was just a work-in-progress thing, using rather bold working hypotheses from only one game, which then are to be adjusted and corrected on more material. He did some textbook overlapping in the following game (EC final 1964), using his left foot. So like Krol and Junior, he can definitely do it. Although I've generally seen more underlapping and attacking the box as a second wave box-to-box player, which looks pretty natural for a right-footed player.

Like Djalma, I think his habits on the pitch were most of all a reflection of contemporary tactics. He definitely loved to bolt forward, and why shouldn't he seek out wide areas, if spacing requires him to do so. Same with Djalma, who I have no trouble imaging as an attacking-happy fullback, if he gets the freedom. So I'd definitely buy this setup, although I'm also keeping some questions in the back of my head.

 

[Demyanenko_square_jaw]

You can see Facchetti's World Cup heat-maps on the Sofascore database for old world cups if you want to get a rough idea of his positional approach for Italy. Both per tournament and by individual game.

 

[Physiocrat]

You can see Facchetti's World Cup heat-maps on the Sofascore database for old world cups if you want to get a rough idea of his positional approach for Italy. Both per tournament and by individual game.

That's a brilliant tool. From his heatmap he does stay wide left but his forward forays are limited. But as Sync points out, that will be a function of tactics in part.

 

[Synco]

You can see Facchetti's World Cup heat-maps on the Sofascore database for old world cups if you want to get a rough idea of his positional approach for Italy. Both per tournament and by individual game.

Great find. Lots of relevant stats as well, like passes in opposition half, crosses, dribbles, etc. Makes it much easier to make basic comparisons between the main fullbacks from the top 30 lists. The oldies can only be judged on a handful of WC games, but the 2010s/20s ones are well covered.

 

[Demyanenko_square_jaw]

yeah, it's a great resource. I don't put too much faith in the more subjective algo'ish stats (stuff like duels won/lost, key passes) and overall player ratings, but it's great for the concrete stuff that quickly gives you a rough idea of a player's activity and style. I've been using it for an occasional timewaster for quite a while now.