Not a wing back role. Who said that?
"David Beckham will man the right side flank, and has the ability to be up and down the wing all game" - from the description it is pretty close to a wing back role tbh. A similar description you have for Bossis. Either way he's assigned a lot more defensive role to having Gazza behind him.
And Villa did all that in a much superior side to Ruud's Dutch side.
Sure, but Huntelaar had better goal scoring ratio in similar side(even worse) at that time. Villa was right up there on the goal scoring charts of La Liga playing for a team that couldn't even finish top 10.
I assume all of your players goals came in the same roles and positions they are playing in here? I was just pointing out there's players on both sides who have similar goal scoring records.
There is a big difference in midfield and attack tho. Popescu played as a sweeper at CB whilst of course as midfielder he was in a much more advanced role. Beckham also has a lot more defensive responsibilities manning the whole flank compared to Luisito, Nedved, etc.
Didn't you also state you were playing in a counter attacking set up? So you'd be inviting pressure in your game also...either that, or you've prepared them for a game plan which you're no longer implementing.
I'd imagine the two sides would be playing a direct style. Probably you have a much deeper approach so we will have to step up - at least from the deep line and overall description. Obviously our task when we lose the ball is to get it back and start a counter.
Ruud's goal scoring pedigree speaks for itself in league, international, and Champions League play. Trying to Man mark him out of the game is somewhat suicidal, especially with Kaka roaming around looking to exploit open space.
Really? Nistelrooy is by far your best attacking threat, countering him and Kaka should really diminish a lot of your attacking output and Ruud's style falls directly into Kohler's. He will outmuscle and outbattle him on the pitch.
Would i be hard pressed to find more tactically astute players? When I have de Boer, Tigana, Bossis, Burgnich...all who played in systems which requires an understanding of everything going on.
Sure, so are Rensenbrink - total football, Luisito - the architect, Gerets and Coluna who are also great battlers and grafters on the pitch and Netto who played in 3-4 positions at top level in his career, not to mention Nedved who is also one of the most versatile midfielders in history and possesses stamina levels comparable to Cafu, Davids and well - Gerets.
Obviously your players are also tactically sound, but I was responding to how we will organize in defence
We'll be playing to limit space to operate. I doubt Gerets will be attacking as much as you'd expect him to, as Kaka wouldnfpot into that open space to look to start counters. I don't care how fast you think Gerets would be getting back, once Kaka is off, he's off.
As I've said, apart from Kaka you still have to have bodies forward and whilst Kaka will be duly noted our players in transition are perfectly capable of defending their lines and tracking back.
So you expect to double him with who? Whatever double teams you intend to deploy on him, which aren't guaranteed to work anyway, means someone else is open.
He won't be as I mentioned you have 2 players that could possibly outpace our midfield on counter - Tigana and Kaka. Souness, Becks, Bossis, etc - all need some time to hit top speed. Whilst our wing backs, Nedved, Rensenbrink, etc when in transition could catch up with them.
I'm not sure what the point is here? Beckham isn't the paciest? No, but he's only needing to beat Capdevilla on offense, and help out if necessary defensively when he'd be somewhat withdrawn anyway. He's not playing as an attacking right winger, nor does he have a specific marking job out wide. Same with Bossis. He'll help out on defense when necessary, and look to work forward when there's space to do so.
of course, but in this way Becks is more of a provider than a goalscorer which again underlines my point that we have more direct(and various) threat in attack.
Either Nedved moves with Bossis when he moves up, or Gerets steps out to meet him. Either way it forces a reshuffle of your side which may be too much to ask at times when your players are trying to figure out who's double teaming Kaka at any given moment.
Coluna, Netto, Rio, Gerets, Capdevila? Any two of them could double him whilst Nedved moves in to transition.