Reality-Monopoly Draft - R1: mazhar vs Onenil

With players at peaks, who will win this match?

  • Total voters
    23
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Edgar Allan Pillow

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vs
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...................................... Team mazahar ............................................................................. Team Onenil ...............................

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TEAM MAZHAR

Write-Up

Subs: Denis Irwin, Joaquin, Marco Asensio

Formation: lopsided Christmas Tree (4-3-2-1)

Summary
Given that OneNil has a technically proficient yet tenacious and determined side, the plan is to take control of the game from the midfield with skill and finesse. To complement the flair in our side, the team has steel and tenacity of its own in defence, midfield, and attack.

Tactics
The team will seek to take control of the midfield by outnumbering it and dragging OneNil's team out of shape with fluid movement and quick passing in between their lines.

Defensively, we will tighten the midfield and close down spaces there, forcing them to play the ball out wide and force crosses into the box to defenders who are all strong in the air and provide apt positioning and reactions.

On the attack, we will go with quick short passing and constant movement up front to drag their midfield and defence apart.

Player Profiles
GK: Gigi Buffon - One of the best goalkeepers of all time, Buffon has been a stalwart for the Italian national team and Juventus. It's a pity that he hasn't yet won a Champions League out of 2 final appearances, but he has won multiple Serie A's and a World Cup, which is still quite an accomplishment. He will provide composure at the back with his reliable shot-stopping and precise positioning.

RB: Sandy Jardine - It's sad that not much attention is put on him, but he really is one of Scotland's best ever full backs. Never mind the fact that he was quite a cultured footballer; his ambidexterity made him quite dangerous going forward as demonstrated here. I'll let this video do the rest of the talking for me.

CB (stopper): Tarcisio Burgnich - Given that he basically played this role for Inter, he should be right at home as the right centre back in a back 4. Looking at his pictures, he looks like a freak, and my word, his athleticism really made him formidable. He may not have been tall, but he was reliable in the air, and while he wasn't as technically adept as Picchi or Facchetti, he was a perfect foil for Giacinto, allowing him to bomb forward whilst he manned the right inside area reliably. His strong tackles and aggressive man-marking combined with his rock-like physique make him a tough opponent to overcome.

CB (sweeper): Willi Schulz - Most commonly known as "World Cup Willi", he seemed to make defending look like child's play whenever he stepped foot on the pitch. His positioning, anticipation, and reading of the game were so good that stoppers like Burgnich were able to play their aggressive game knowing that Willi would be there to sweep up. Whenever you watch his games, notice how he gets into the minds of his adversaries. Anytime he heads the ball out of the box, sweeps up attacks, and closes down a forward in space, they just run out of ideas. On top of that, his reliability on the ball gave him the ability to play ball out from the back and allow the midfielders to push up further. This video is a perfect example of his overall abilities.

LB (attacking): Karl-Heinz Schnellinger - Some of you may be thinking, "Hold on, why is he playing as an attacking left back when all I see of him is his defending?" Well, he was one of the first all-rounded full backs who was equally strong going forward and defending alongside Nilton Santos. I couldn't simply restrict him to a more defensive role. Besides, whenever he plays, he basically starts playing his own game, and it always fits perfectly with whatever side he's on. His intelligence is such that he always had an idea of when to push up and attack and when to stay back and defend, and his ability on the ball made him a threat going forward. Having played with Schulz at left back, he's quite at home, and his reliable defending makes him great to deal with either wingers or more inside forwards/midfielders.

CM (deep-lying playmaker): Didi - "But Didi always played in a midfield 2!" Yeah, but notice how he played the role. The man had enough stamina to cover lots of ground, but Didi never chose to do so. He played like a chess player, thinking two steps ahead and positioning himself accordingly. On the ball, his excellent close control and dribbling made him great at handling pressure and tight spaces. His passing accuracy, range, and vision is too good to not be unleashed, and by putting him in a Pirlo-like role, I'm allowing him to play his natural game in getting on the ball and taking control of the match.

CM (Playmaker): Luka Modrić - "Wait a minute, two playmakers in the midfield?! It's Didi in Real Madrid all over again!" That would be true if it were any playmaker, but Luka Modrić isn't just any playmaker. The cousin of Mark Viduka is a proper team player. He played alongside Xabi Alonso and Toni Kroos for Real Madrid, and he didn't detract from either's game, so how will he make Didi less influential? This almost-altruistic quality about him combined with his intelligence make him deserving of the 3 Champions Leagues that he currently has. He's also surprisingly adept off the ball with his apt positioning and work rate making him quite useful at winning the ball from the opposition and keeping the midfield tight.

"Not only is he a very hard worker, he has a good brain and he provided some calmness and composure to the midfield. His passing was neat and his contribution was outstanding. He was not only winning the ball, he was passing well. We thought that he was very influential. He did not just work hard, he made the other people play well around him".

CM (B2B): Patrick Vieira - With the poise and finesse of Modrić and Didi, Vieira is a perfect to the pair, adding physicality, energy, and a presence on both ends of the pitch. However, he isn't just a mere workhorse. As seen for Arsneal and France, Vieira showed great dribbling skill and passing in his game. This makes him the perfect outlet for the playmakers in our team as well as a handful for the opposition. The Keane-Vieira battles were never one-sided affairs, and I see Vieira being crucial in swinging the midfield battle to our favour.

LAM (Creator): Pavel Nedved - What can I say, he had it all in his game. He had the dribbling to beat opposing defenders, a cannon of a right foot to blast shots into the net, and the vision to spot passes that few can. However, what I want to focus on is his sheer determination to win at all costs and his never-say-die attitude. This mentality made it so that he would track back and support the defence, get on the ball and beat defenders with a dribble or a key pass, and score such powerful yet beautiful goals. I'll let this quote from this article sum up his attitude:

Not only did Nedved stay faithful to the Old Lady in her time of direst need, he also stayed loyal to his own intense brand of football. While he was very much the complete midfielder, his enterprising play was often streaked with an aggression that bordered on the uncontrolled. There is perhaps a clue as to his inclination to stay constant to Juve here, in that as much as Nedved was a dynamic footballer he was also a remarkably bloodyminded individual. Nedved basically admitted as much in a 2013 interview with Czech outlet iDNES.cz, saying of his early years as a footballer: "I knew the training pitch better than anyone. When others went out clubbing, I went to sleep. When others had Christmas, I went out in the woods to run."

SS (Free Role): Denis Law - You know what I like about Denis Law other than his world class finishing and love of this club? I like how Denis Law was so intelligent in his movement and positioning that he could drop back all the way into midfield, build attacks, then eventually drop into the box and score a goal/provide an assist or key pass. I'm sorry, but there is NO WAY YOU CAN RESTRICT THIS MAN. He has to play a free role! Not only will it bring the best out of Law, but it will bring the best out of the team. Just look at this video and see how much trouble the opposition had in dealing with not only him but Scotland as a whole (huge thanks to @Joga Bonito).

CF (Forward): Uwe Seeler - Now, in my opinion, every team needs a presence up front who can take the attention of the central defenders and distract them. On top of that, this presence should also be a reliable goalscorer who will make the most of the supply that he gets. On top of that, this presence needs solid ball control and skills in order to resist the challenge of the defenders and link up with other dynamic players around him. Finally, this presence must be good in the air and strong on the floor so that he isn't bullied out of the game. For me, Uwe Seeler fit that profile perfectly, and he is the perfect final jigsaw to my puzzle. His 43 goals in 72 games and an incredible 404 in 476 for Hamburg (plus the 2 in 1 game for Cork Celtic) demonstrate his goalscoring prowess and consistency. Fun fact: Levin Öztunalı is his grandson.

Team Onenil

Tactics

Building around Bican with versatility in case he got injured was the plan. With no footage it was hard but mostly Bican sounds like the early 20th century prototype of il fenomeno. He had Olympic level speed, great aerial ability and was known for being clinical with both feet. This makes him the perfect point of attack to run into space to build a flexible side that is comfortable counter attacking.

Stoichkov and Bergkamp make a very fluid and multi skilled forward partners. Bergkamp will drop a little deeper to instigate while Stoichkov will combo with both Facchetti on the left flank while also interchanging with Bergkamp as needed. Bican is the perfect striker to maximize Bergkamp’s passing skills I listed in the last draft since he is well suited to get on any of Bergkamp’s wide range of passes.

Facchetti and Zanetti are also tactically important. Both are capable of dominating their respective flanks though they will of course receive both offensive and defensive support during different phases. Both Facchetti and Zanetti and capable of providing Bican and Stoichkov all sorts of service as well as working with Bergkamp when Dennis drops in the hole.

Bozsik and Vidal offer a partnership with no real weaknesses. Bozsik was great at positioning and reading the game as well being good at timing his tackles. These qualities and his range of passing are key. Vidal provides a good foil to this skill set with his workrate, familiarity with pressing schemes and overall good teamwork.

The three at the back is the perfect mix of skills for handling two striker formations. Ciro was a world class all around defender with both man marking and zonal skills. Des Walker brings a physical and tenacious defending style to the table. His recovery pace was superb and he is well suited to the RCB covering for Zanetti. While Vasovic’s supreme tactical sense and reading of the game strings together the team the same way he completed the Ajax EC Champions XI.
 
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Good luck @oneniltothearsenal @ctp. Let's hope that you guys can get involved in the discussions and make for a good match. :)

First Thoughts
I was sort of expecting a back 3 from OneNil here. The opposition are fully reliant on their width from Facchetti and Zanetti, and I'm glad to have Nedved in the side to deal with Zanetti whilst having solid, dependable defenders on the right to keep an eye on Stoichkov.

The fact that I have 3 midfielders where OneNil has 2 will make it easier for me to maintain possession and take control of the game. Vidal is, indeed, a proper warrior of a player, but him and Boszik against three technically proficient midfielders will make it tough for his team to get control. I see Vieira and Vidal cancelling each other out like Keane and Vieira did (what with both being so combative), so my extra free man in Didi will be crucial here in buildling from the back.

He has some very good defenders who won't be easy to get past, but that's where Law comes into play. As Joga's compilation video shows, he was causing lots of problems for central defenders with his movement and dribbling. With Vieira's late runs into the box, Nedved's tireless game, and Seeler's presence, Law is going to be key here in breaking down the opposition.
 
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Lovely teams. Nice to see Jardine get some recognition, I can see him dovetailing really well with the neat-and-tidy possession that Modric and Didi will command. And as a Scotsman, he'll be properly accustomed to having an uncompromising grizzler like Burgnich inside him. Not seeing any obvious chinks on onenil's side either. Walker and Ferrara can fly under the radar but are pure defenders well versed in dealing with the best of their generation.

More interesting though, with spunk receptacles Facchetti and Zanetti on one side and Seeler on the other, I wonder who @antohan will plump for.
 
Gio said:
More interesting though, with spunk receptacles Facchetti and Zanetti on one side and Seeler on the other, I wonder who @antohan will plump for.
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Nedved too, to make the choice even more difficult
 
If there's any concern about Boszik or Bergkamp getting freed up to play their game due to OneNil's setup, again, this is where Law comes into play. Every single video I've seen of him involves him going back all the way to the midfield to support his team off the ball. I've seen him go all the way to the back line to support his full backs. I've seen him drop deep into the midfield to pick up the ball and build up attacks. He'll be crucial in making sure that Boszik won't be free to dictate the game, allowing Modric and Didi to pay more attention to Bergkamp.
 
Fantastic teams, both of them. Love the use of Law, having just recently rewatched 1963 England vs the Rest of the World game.

Maybe would've preferred less striker-ish and more playmaking №10 for onenil though, the unpicked Bochini, for example.
 
I don't get @mazhar13's side. You have Didí and Modric sobapparently it is best to have Vieira in the LCM role :confused:

There's little going on on the right as well. Even if you wanted Didí as some sort of DLP pivot (why?) I'd play Modric-Vieira, invert Law-Seeler and play Nedved right.

Same players, different balance.

@oneniltothearsenal has a nicely constructed side as usual, with a bit of everything. Would just swap Ferrara and Walker personally.
 
harms said:
Fantastic teams, both of them. Love the use of Law, having just recently rewatched 1963 England vs the Rest of the World game.

Maybe would've preferred less striker-ish and more playmaking №10 for onenil though, the unpicked Bochini, for example.
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Fair point. Particularly with Stoichkov around, although the way I imagined it working was Stoichkov moving to either flank at will while Bergkamp is really the second striker.
 
antohan said:
I don't get @mazhar13's side. You have Didí and Modric sobapparently it is best to have Vieira in the LCM role :confused:

There's little going on on the right as well. Even if you wanted Didí as some sort of DLP pivot (why?) I'd play Modric-Vieira, invert Law-Seeler and play Nedved right.

Same players, different balance.

@oneniltothearsenal has a nicely constructed side as usual, with a bit of everything. Would just swap Ferrara and Walker personally.
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Yeah basically this. Don't think Didi/Modric is particularly complimenting tbh.
 
mazhar's midfield seems to be a tad too defensive. Didi plus one of Vieira should suffice. He really should shuttle Modric out wide and in a more offensive position than current.

Have second thoughts on Bergkamp/Stoichkov partnership. They would be better off with a proper #10 who can drop back and pull strings.
 
Enigma_87 said:
Don't think Didi/Modric is particularly complimenting tbh.
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I'm surprised that you'd say that. I never seemed to notice him have any issues whenever he played alongside a playmaker. He's worked well with Xabi Alonso in Ancelotti's lopsided 4-3-3, and he worked well enough with Toni Kroos to win 2 Champions Leagues and a La Liga. I've never noticed Modric conflict with any playmaker who played in the team with him, so I struggle to see how he would not be complimentary with Didi. It's not like he's a ball hogger. Modric is an ultimate team player who not only offers incisive, accurate, and dangerous passing but also mobility, hard work, and significant team play.

I'll let Michael Cox sum up Modric here and show why he would work excellently with Didi:
Michael Cox on Modric vs. Bayern Munich 2014 1st leg said:
A more pertinent choice was the use of Bastian Schweinsteiger at the top of Bayern's midfield triangle, instead of in his customary deep midfield role. This was presumably because Guardiola wanted him to press Xabi Alonso and Luka Modric, Real's deep-lying playmaking duo, and prevent them from turning defence into attack smoothly. But this failed, and Schweinsteiger's deployment close to the striker Mario Mandzukic greatly stifled Bayern's attacking play.
...
The home side's outstanding player, however, was Modric, thriving in precisely the sort of game Real recruited him for. Two seasons ago, Bayern outplayed Real at this stage partly thanks to a star performance from Kroos, who combined intelligent passing with mobility and the ability to evade challenges. At the time, Real lacked that type of player – Alonso was not mobile enough, Sami Khedira not technical enough, and Mesut Özil's contributions too intermittent.

But Modric has solved that issue. There was one perfect example of his role, shortly after Real had gone ahead, where he effortlessly skipped around Schweinsteiger's challenge before playing in Benzema on the left, who crossed for Ronaldo to blaze over.

This was not an obvious evening to marvel at passing statistics considering Bayern's futile possession play but it is precisely the fact Real recorded only 28% of possession that makes Modric's 97% pass completion rate so impressive. Anyone can complete passes when their side are dominating but Modric's ability to find team-mates so consistently, when under pressure, proves he belongs at this level.
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Source: http://www.zonalmarking.net/2014/04/25/real-bayern/

This shows Luka Modric’s outstanding performance, completing 97% of his passes and also helping to win the ball high up the pitch:
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Real’s main weakness in recent seasons, especially against ball players, has been the tendency of Sergio Ramos and Pepe to be drawn out of the backline, leaving gaps in the defence and diving into rash tackles...but neither player was ever tempted up the pitch to close down Muller or Mandzukic between the lines.

That was primarily because Real minimised the space there so well, which is remarkable considering they’re using two pure technicians in the midfield zone, combined with two wide players who naturally want to attack. On paper, Luka Modric and Xabi Alonso can surely only work together with a holding midfielder behind, or perhaps an energetic, powerful shuttler alongside.

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No – instead Ancelotti has managed to make them extremely disciplined, and the midfield quartet as a whole played extremely deep throughout this game, conceding space in front, but denying any between the lines. Neither Modric nor Alonso are natural tacklers – the latter would have been better off remembering that, considering he’ll now miss the final after collecting an unnecessary booking – but their positional play is excellent, and obvious bonus is that when they win the ball, they distribute it brilliantly into attack.

In the 2nd spoiler, swap Xabi Alonso with Didi, and swap Bale and Di Maria with Vieira and Nedved, and you don't get that much of a difference. I really struggle to see how this midfield won't work that well.
 
My problem is that I don't think playing Didi as a Alonso equivalent is doing him justice - he was much more all-rounded and usually played further forward, quite often appearing as an inside forward (in the old interpretation of this term, but still), and scoring enough goals. Modric can definitely work with another playmaker though, no question about that.
 

Josef Bican

805 goals in 530 matches RSSSF
IFFHS named Bican the Greatest Goal Scorer of 20th Century
Blazing Olympic athlete level speed - 10.8 100 metre

Left Rapid Vien when Austria became fascist, uncomfortable in Prague when Czech became communist.

While we don’t have surviving footage we can draw several conclusions from the historical data.

He was blisteringly fast - Olympic competitor level speed.

He was clinical both with his feet and his head - statistics and pictures support this.

He was a bit of a free spirit not wanting to live under a harsh regime.

By all accounts Bican was like an early 20th Century prototype of il fenomeno. He was pacy, had leap, and was clinical but crucially, his father was a footballer so he grew up around football early developing the required technique as well. This combination just put him far ahead of his peers then and likely now as well.

“I heard so many times that it was easier to score in my day,” he said.

“But the chances were the same a hundred years ago and will be the same a hundred years from now.”

https://www.dreamteamfc.com/c/archi...story-of-the-worlds-greatest-ever-goalscorer/

"Josef Bican - who died at the age of 88 in December - was arguably the best Czech footballer ever. There is no argument about one fact - he scored more goals than any other Czech player in the history of the game and is one of the Czech all time sporting greats. Josef Bican was born in Vienna on September 25, 1913. His mother Ludmila was a Viennese Czech and his father Frantisek came from Sedlice, near Blatna in southern Bohemia. The young Josef - Pepi for short - attended a Czech school in Vienna - the Jan Amos Komensky school. In an interview which he gave a few years before he died, Josef Bican recalled spending the summers with his grandmother in Bohemia when he was a boy. "We went on a train called The Czech Heart. Hundreds and hundreds of children took that train to Czechoslovakia for those two months every summer. In Vienna there was terrible poverty. People were hungry - it was after the war. I won't forget that too soon. My grandmother was poor, really poor, but those two months were like heaven on earth to me." Josef's father Frantisek was a footballer and played for Hertha Vienna.

He fought in World War I and returned uninjured. It was a cruel irony then that he was to die at 30, of an injury sustained during a football match, when he was kicked in a kidney. He refused an operation and died. Josef was just eight year's old. Pepi's mother worked in a restaurant kitchen and had great difficulty making ends meet. In later life Bican recalled how he had often gone without shoes. He said that playing football barefoot as a child had left him with great ball control skills. "In Vienna there were thousands of boys who played football every day. In those days there weren't games or bikes, nothing like that. They didn't exist at all. We didn't even have footballs - we used to make these things called hadraks - rag balls - and we played all day, from morning to evening."

At the age of 12, Josef Bican started playing for the Hertha Vienna junior team. One of the club's sponsors gave him a schilling every time he scored - money which was much appreciated at home. Later the big Vienna club Rapid spotted Pepi and gave him a contract. Did he receive much as an 18-year-old player? "Nothing at all compared to today. In those days I got 150 schillings. That was a lot of money. A worker, a good worker, got 20/25 schillings a week. Rapid wanted to keep me so much that they started paying me 600 schillings. I was around 20 then." Pepi's mother Ludmila only came to watch him play a couple of times. On one of those occasions she was sitting very near the pitch - when an opponent fouled her son she ran onto the field and began beating him with her umbrella.

Josef Bican was extremely fast, and could run the 100 metres in 10.8 seconds - as fast as many sprinters in those days. He was a great all round player and could score with both feet as well - he even took penalties with both feet. It was said of him that he only missed one goal-scoring chance in 20. Bican became an Austrian international, and played for Austria in the 1934 World Cup finals in Italy, where they got to the semi-finals. The 1934 finals were to be Bican's last World Cup.

In 1937 he left Vienna and joined Slavia Prague and applied for Czechoslovak citizenship. He eventually received it, but a clerical error meant that he couldn't play for Czechoslovakia in the 1938 World Cup finals in France. As was and is typical of Czech sports clubs, Slavia Prague had many different sections. Josef's wife Jarmila recalled how the club chairman let him know how important he was to the club. "Chairman Valousek always said we have 14 sections Josef. You have to make money for them all. And there weren't sponsors in those days. And he said don't forget we have an equestrian section and you've got to make money for hay for the horses. I think today's footballers wouldn't be able to support 14 sections - or pay for the hay for the horses!"

Throughout World War II - during the Nazi protectorate - Bican continued to play for Slavia, and kept on scoring goals with ease and regularity. Indeed he was the highest scorer in the league 12 times in his career. One unwelcome side affect of his success on the pitch was bad feeling in the dressing room. Several of his teammates envied his skills and he was called, among other names, an Austrian bastard. Bican's success gave him something of an entree into high society. He played tennis with the famous actor Vlasta Burian, dined with the actor Jan Werich and knew the film star Adina Mandlova.

After the war several of Europe's big clubs were interested in signing Bican. Juventus Turin were very keen and offered Pepi handsome terms. How cruel fate can be - Bican was advised that there was a real chance the Communists could take over in Italy. He made the fateful decision to stay in Prague. When the Communists came to power in Czechoslovakia in 1948, Bican refused to join the Communist party, just as before the war he had refused to join the Nazi party in Austria. In danger of losing his flat in Prague to a communist functionary, Bican tried to improve his standing with the regime by leaving Slavia and joining the club Vitkovice zelezarna. Zelezarna means steelworks and the team had a working class following. In 1951 Bican signed with Hradec Kralove.

On the first of May 1953 he got in trouble with the local Communist party. "It was May Day and they persuaded me to take part in the May Day parade. From the loud speakers you could hear Long Live President Zapotocky, Long Live President Zapotocky. But people came out on the streets and shouted Long Live Bican, Long Live Bican. But you know, I myself wasn't responsible for that. The factory Communist Party committee called me in to the office and said these two comrades will escort you to the train station and in one hour you'll be out of Hradec Kralove. I hadn't moved so fast in a while. I packed my suitcase and they really went all the way to the station with me and waited till the train had gone. It's a wonder they didn't wave!"

Bican also recalled how on the way to the station a group of around 50 workers stopped him and the comrades and asked if there was any problem. Bican replied that there wasn't. That's OK, said one of the workers - otherwise we would have gone on strike. Pepi was glad he'd replied as he did - he said he'd have got at least 20 years in prison for inciting a strike. Bican returned to the club he remained associated with till the end of his life, Slavia Prague. Actually in those days it's name was changed to the more Communist-sounding Dynamo Prague. He ended his career with the club, retiring in 1955 at the incredible age of 42. Not surprisingly, he was the oldest player in the league.

Having become used to the good life, Josef Bican was not a happy man under the Communist system. Apart from losing one's health, becoming poor is the worst thing that can happen to anyone, Pepi said, speaking year's later from bitter experience. He and his family got some of their property back after 1989, though not all of it. Having got on the wrong side of the Communists, the Bicans found themselves ostracized by people they had considered friends. Ludmila Bicanova recalled how they were treated in those years. "We lost our friends. Our phone didn't ring. We got no post. Even the Czechoslovak Physical Exercise Union - when things were worst - wouldn't help. They wouldn't give him a job - apart from on the roads! And when Pepi went to visit the Union, they ran away like rats so they wouldn't have to greet him. We had no chance at all and nobody gave us any support." During the Prague Spring of 1968, Bican was told that if he got a coaching job abroad he would be allowed to go. Bican played for Slavia Prague's old boys in those days. He impressed the visiting Belgian team Tongeren and they hired him as coach.

At that time the great Brazilian player Pele was heading for his 1,000th goal and journalists were on the lookout for another player who had netted a thousand. What about Pepi Bican, said the former German player Bimbo Binder - he's scored 5,000! When asked by reporters why he hadn't drawn more attention to his achievements, Bican replied "who'd have believed me if I said I'd scored five times as many goals as Pele?!" And a lot of Czechs believe that Bican scored 5,000 goals. That figure seems unlikely, to be honest. At least the normal practice is to count league goals only. Josef Bican scored 643 league goals, 196 of those in the Austrian league - a wonderful achievement by any standards. Josef "Pepi" Bican spent the last few months of last year in hospital with heart problems. He had hoped to be home for Christmas. He died on December 12, at the age of 88 - the grand old man of Czech football."

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http://www.slavia.cz/zobraz.asp?t=bican-pepi

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harms said:
My problem is that I don't think playing Didi as a Alonso equivalent is doing him justice - he was much more all-rounded and usually played further forward, quite often appearing as an inside forward (in the old interpretation of this term, but still), and scoring enough goals. Modric can definitely work with another playmaker though, no question about that.
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Oh, I'm not playing him as an Alonso equivalent. The role I've given Didi is to allow him to flourish and play his own natural game. With Modric, Vieira, and Nedved, Didi is free to take control of the midfield and, thus, the game. This will be similar to how Andrea Pirlo played for AC Milan in their diamond/Christmas Tree formation where he had the freedom to drift around, dictate the game, and even push forward. He, Modric, and Vieira can all interchange naturally.
 
mazhar13 said:
Oh, I'm not playing him as an Alonso equivalent. The role I've given Didi is to allow him to flourish and play his own natural game. With Modric, Vieira, and Nedved, Didi is free to take control of the midfield and, thus, the game. This will be similar to how Andrea Pirlo played for AC Milan in their diamond/Christmas Tree formation where he had the freedom to drift around, dictate the game, and even push forward. He, Modric, and Vieira can all interchange naturally.
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I don't think Pirlo role suits him either and I would totally play him in front of Modric & Viera. Didi was far more attacking than say Pirlo and played as almost an inside forward role. He scored 113 goals (313 apps) just for Botafogo, compare this to Pirlo's 32 goals for Milan. He is probably your third best goal threat.

I also don't think that Didi didn't cover a lot of ground, from his world cup clips it seem obvious to me that he was as good as covering ground as any other midfielder. His Real stint seem to have put out an impression of a lazy deep lying midfielder but thats just not seem true from watching his games. He probably didn't enjoy physical tackles etc, but it doesn't seem he was playing any sort of shielded deep lying role.
 
Tuppet said:
I don't think Pirlo role suits him either and I would totally play him in front of Modric & Viera. Didi was far more attacking than say Pirlo and played as almost an inside forward role. He scored 113 goals (313 apps) just for Botafogo, compare this to Pirlo's 32 goals for Milan. He is probably your third best goal threat.

I also don't think that Didi didn't cover a lot of ground, from his world cup clips it seem obvious to me that he was as good as covering ground as any other midfielder. His Real stint seem to have put out an impression of a lazy deep lying midfielder but thats just not seem true from watching his games. He probably didn't enjoy physical tackles etc, but it doesn't seem he was playing any sort of shielded deep lying role.
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Indeed, for Botafogo, he played quite an attacking role, but for Brazil, in a 4-2-4, he was the man dictating play from the midfield and having all attacking plays run through him. I am not putting him here because I see him as lazy (quite the opposite, in fact, given that I used him in a 2-man midfield in the Americas Draft); no, I want him to be the main midfield man, the man who can take control and boss the midfield. This is not a positionally rigid role; it just shows that he'll be the one who all of the attacks will run through. With a team player like Modric, he will have the freedom to drift forward if needed rather than stay back. Plus, with Vieira around, both he and Didi can interchange naturally with their dynamic playing styles. On top of that, with Didi being quite positionally astute defensively adept, he'll easily be able to cover for Vieira when he rampages forward along with Modric. If Didi is the one to push forward, Vieira will be useful in winning the ball quickly with his aggressive pressing whilst Modric can mind the gaps.
 
To be fair the formation and write up doesn't at all indicate that you wanted a free-roaming Didi. And Pirlo's comparison is, again, way off, at least in my opinion.

It's not the best way to use Vieira, but I would put him as the deepest midfielder with Didi having the free reign and Modric playing a secondary playmaker closer to the right
 
harms said:
To be fair the formation and write up doesn't at all indicate that you wanted a free-roaming Didi. And Pirlo's comparison is, again, way off, at least in my opinion.
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I'm not analogising him to the old, Juve Pirlo. I'm comparing him to the younger, AC Milan Pirlo, the one who was a star of the 2006 World Cup. Didi will be given that kind of freedom to play his midfield game. He won't be held back in those deep areas; he will be allowed to roam forward when needed. That's why I'm playing Modric alongside him as Modric will allow him to play his natural game. My aim was always to give Didi the freedom to play his natural game: pick up the ball from the midfield, dictate the attacks, and be influential in all phases of the attack.
 
harms said:
To be fair the formation and write up doesn't at all indicate that you wanted a free-roaming Didi. And Pirlo's comparison is, again, way off, at least in my opinion.

It's not the best way to use Vieira, but I would put him as the deepest midfielder with Didi having the free reign and Modric playing a secondary playmaker closer to the right
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Do you not think Modric could excel in a DLPesque role with the steel of Vieira ahead?
 
Team mazhar: who is in charge of attacking on the right flank? Jardine, Vieira or Law?
 
Ecstatic said:
Team mazhar: who is in charge of attacking on the right flank? Jardine, Vieira or Law?
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Law will be manning the right flank, but Jardine will be there to support him. However, that doesn't mean that I have someone hanging around there at all times. The fluid setup means that there will be different threats there at different times. They key is to make sure that Facchetti gets dragged into the middle to create free spaces for whoever's there.
 
I'd have simply played 4-4-2 with Joaquin and Nedved on the wings and Vieira-Didi in the middle. As much as I rate Modric, think the move will free up Didi and likewise bring out the Law-Seeler partnership better.

As it stands Facchetti-Stoichkov seems to be the most potent outlet in the match imo.
 
Edgar Allan Pillow said:
Modric is better capable of drifting wide with Didi moving up to occupy that space.
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I don't think Didi ever played this deep. Its like playing Zidane/Di Stefano behind Modric. I think Didi somehow has got this deep midfielder rep, but he was more or less an attacking midfielder. For example in his Real Madrid stint he was playing in a 3-2-5 (ish) formation and he was part of the 5, along with Di Stefano with something like this -

Gento ----------- Puskas ------------Herrera

--------DiStefano ---------- DiDi ----------
---------- Vidal -----------Ruiz ---- -----------

-- Zagarra ----Santamaria ---Marquinhos--

Even in world cup 1958 he was playing a similar attacking role, with Bellini moving up to support Zito and Nilton/Orlando/Djalma forming a 3 man defense.
 
Tuppet said:
I don't think Didi ever played this deep. Its like playing Zidane/Di Stefano behind Modric. I think Didi somehow has got this deep midfielder rep, but he was more or less an attacking midfielder. For example in his Real Madrid stint he was playing in a 3-2-5 (ish) formation and he was part of the 5, along with Di Stefano with something like this -

Gento ----------- Puskas ------------Herrera

--------DiStefano ---------- DiDi ----------
---------- Vidal -----------Ruiz ---- -----------

-- Zagarra ----Santamaria ---Marquinhos--

Even in world cup 1958 he was playing a similar attacking role, with Bellini moving up to support Zito and Nilton/Orlando/Djalma forming a 3 man defense.
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My suggestion was a narrow 442, not a 4231. There is no 'deep' player as it resembles Scholes-Keane duo. I put Modric ahead simply because he'll be operating as wide midfielder.
 
I've got no major issues with the midfield trio in isolation - as a collective they've got it all. They'd probably figure out what works best, with Didi pushing forward to influence the attack. A big glaring gap down the right though and it's only the greatest left wing back of all time in place to exploit it.
 
Edgar Allan Pillow said:
My suggestion was a narrow 442, not a 4231. There is no 'deep' player as it resembles Scholes-Keane duo. I put Modric ahead simply because he'll be operating as wide midfielder.
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Oh so Modric as LM and Nedved as RM, that makes sense. Thats actually very interesting, I would love that team. Lot of graft on wings to pin onenil's wingback back and Law/Seeler partnership in attack with Didi/Viera partnership in middle. I don't know if Modric would be rated highly in that role, but does have all the tools to play it.
 
Gio said:
I've got no major issues with the midfield trio in isolation - as a collective they've got it all. They'd probably figure out what works best, with Didi pushing forward to influence the attack. A big glaring gap down the right though and it's only the greatest left wing back of all time in place to exploit it.
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Aye, I always like it when managers commit tactically in their OP and Mazhar has done just that by setting his stall out to smother Onenil through the middle, but I'm not sure it was the right call in this particular match up. He has the individual quality to play to his own strengths more, and that lack of coverage down his right wing vs Facchetti is worrying. Law/Seeler as a classic attacking duo and a narrow 4-4-2 looks the better bet to me, but I'm still undecided here.
 
Joga Bonito said:
I'd have simply played 4-4-2 with Joaquin and Nedved on the wings and Vieira-Didi in the middle. As much as I rate Modric, think the move will free up Didi and likewise bring out the Law-Seeler partnership better.

As it stands Facchetti-Stoichkov seems to be the most potent outlet in the match imo.
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This. I'd play Viera/Didi as well as much as I love Modric, Didi is better and you only need one of them. Nedved as wide midfielder also gives balance whilst Joaquin the needed man on the right flank.

mazhar13 said:
I'm surprised that you'd say that. I never seemed to notice him have any issues whenever he played alongside a playmaker. He's worked well with Xabi Alonso in Ancelotti's lopsided 4-3-3, and he worked well enough with Toni Kroos to win 2 Champions Leagues and a La Liga. I've never noticed Modric conflict with any playmaker who played in the team with him, so I struggle to see how he would not be complimentary with Didi. It's not like he's a ball hogger. Modric is an ultimate team player who not only offers incisive, accurate, and dangerous passing but also mobility, hard work, and significant team play.
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I have no problem with Modric/Didi working well with each other to be honest. I just don't like Didi in DLP role. One role that I really think would restrict his game and he's your best midfielder. If you are playing them both I'd put Modric as a RM with Vieira/Didi in the middle. The roles is what irks me in the formation. Especially with Jardine in somehow defensive full back position.

A plain 4-4-2 would make a big difference in presentation IMO:

----------back four-----------
Modric--Vieira--Didi--Nedved
----------Law------------------
---------------Seeler----------

Think this would look a lot better.
 
Tuppet said:
Oh so Modric as LM and Nedved as RM, that makes sense. Thats actually very interesting, I would love that team. Lot of graft on wings to pin onenil's wingback back and Law/Seeler partnership in attack with Didi/Viera partnership in middle. I don't know if Modric would be rated highly in that role, but does have all the tools to play it.
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He did play there early on in his Spurs career but he's far better used right at the hub of things IMO. There was one match vs Barca last season IIRC that really brought home to me the extent of his defensive contribution. In the first half especially when Real were on the backfoot he was superb shielding his back four and instigating counters. Alongside a sturdier box to box player in Vieira he'd be excellent. Not watertight in the context of an all-time draft vs an attack like Onenil/CTP's, but certainly very competitive and good enough to provide a platform for his attack.
 
Okay, one last throw of the dice it is.

mQ8KO2p.png


Nedved goes to the right to support Jardine and suppress Facchetti. Didi's position has now changed in the pic, and Law's as well though they are still playing their natural game.

@Edgar Allan Pillow Please apply the formation pic change when you can.
 
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