Remake Draft R16| Downcast vs Sjor Bepo

[Joga Bonito]

Voters are asked to consider the XIs featured as remakes of classic teams, and to consider to what extent the manager has succeeded in re-creating both the individual roles and the overall functionality of the original. THIS IS NOT A FANTASY MATCH BETWEEN TWO SIDES, but rather a comparison of remakes.

Please feel free to tag the managers if you require more information about their set-ups/players etc.

Team Downcast
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Write-Up - ZONA MISTA ('ZM)

Philosophy/Ideology of tactical set-up

Zona mista ("Mixed Zone"), often referred to as Gioco all'italiana ("The Game in the Italian Style") is a tactic used in Italian association football mainly from the second half of 1970s to the mid-'90s.

The introduction of this system has been attributed to Luigi Radice and Giovanni Trapattoni, then coaches of Torino and Juventus, respectively. The tactic reached the highest sporting level with Trapattoni's Juventus becoming 1985 club world champion, and the Italian national team, managed by Enzo Bearzot, which won the FIFA World Cup in 1982, for the first time since 1938, with outstanding participation from the Blocco-Juve.

Style - Pragmatic

Regarded as the tactical evolution of catenaccio, zona mista requires each outfield player to perform, systematically and simultaneously, the zonal marking and continuous attack on the spaces characteristic of totaalvoetbal, but also engaging in the defensive individual marking characteristic of Italian football.

In this system, a player who moves out of his position is replaced by another from his team, thus retaining the team's intended organisational structure, and each player performs a different function. Several players, such as the libero, thewing-back (terzino fluidificante), the winger (ala tornante) and the box-to-box_midfielder (mezzala) simultaneously play roles in both defense and attack, while the playmaker (regista) (Michel Platini) regularly runs to the opponents' box to try and score. This flexibility made it much more versatile, fluid and offensive than the rigid standard scheme used in Italy at the time.

Although it is one of the first to use four defenders, ZM is aesthetically more related to formations which succeeded it: 3-5-2 and an asymmetric 4-3-3 system.

Defense - 4 defenders

Defensive Line - Custom (man-marking CBs & a sweeper)
Off the ball - Aggressive closing down
On the ball - Role of the sweeper + Basic & risk-free passing to midfield + recourse to the LB

In pure zonal defense, every midfielder and defender is given a particular zone on the field to cover. When a player moves outside his zone, his teammate expands his zone to cover the unmarked area. However, the Catenaccio philosophy called for double-marking when dealing with strong players. So, ZM combined the strength of zonal marking with that of Catenaccio.

The sweeper is free to roam and assist other defenders. A fullback plays in both defensive and advanced position on the left flank. The two stoppers, who started then to be called "centre back", mark their zones.

Midfield

We have a defensive midfielder, a central midfielder, a playmaker and a winger who covers tthe right flank and sometimes acts as an additional striker.

Attack

A centre forward plays upfront. A second striker plays wide to the left (a derivation of Catenaccios left winger) and drifts inside to act as a striker or to cover the playmaker when the playmaker drops into a defensive position.

Players Role

Goalkeeper - Courtois
As a Legend of the Game, Zoff is unique. However, I see some similarities in terms of style of play (sobriety) and personnality (composure and humility).

Terzino Fluidificante - Zambrotta - Offensive LB
Cabrini was almost a completed side-back, showing his world-class defensive and offensive quality. Zambrotta is regarded by pundits as one of Italy's greatest attacking full-backs/wing-backs who excelled both at offensive and defensive play.

Libero - Bonucci - Sweeper
Scirea was a graceful defender of great vision and ball controlling skills and tactical ability, played the sweeper, or libero, role for most of his career, and contributed to the development of this position initiated by Franz Beckenbauer in the 1970s. Bonucci was a former midfielder who is usually deployed as ball-playing centre back in a three-man defence. His unique playing style has led Giovanni Galli - who played with Scirea - to compare him to former sweeper Gaetano Scirea. His defensive attributes, as well as his skill on the ball, vision, and accurate passing, moved La Repubblica to dub him as “Beckenbonucci”, a reference to former German sweeper Franz Beckenbauer.

Left Man-Marking CB - Tudor
Sergio Brio was a defender not particularly technically gifted, although he was known for his strength, tenacity, and physicality, as well as his ability in the air, which often made him a goal threat on set pieces. He was also known for his concentration, and was an excellent man-marker, and reader of the game. Tudor is made for the position.

Right Man-Marking CB - Barzagli - able to play as a RB when necessary.
Barzagli is not as aggressive as Gentile but he has the required skills and expectations. Barzagli is known for his strong and powerful physical build as a CB and has stood out in Italy and in Europe in recent years, due to his marking, aerial prowess and tackling ability. The "Wall" is capable of playing as a full-back on the right flank.

Mediano - Senna - Defensive midfielder
Bonini was deployed as a defensive midfielder during his time at Juventus and excelled in his new role as a ball winner, and at breaking down opposition plays, due to his tactical intelligence and positional sense, supporting his more creative team-mates defensively. Senna did a similar job with Vlilareal & Spain.

Centrocampista Centrale - Matuidi - Box-to-Box player
Tardelli made his name as a hard-tackling yet technically skillful and one of the finest midfielders in the 80s. A tenacious, and energetic player, he is regarded as one of the greatest Italian midfielders of all time. Although Tardelli was mainly renowned for his stamina and defensive ability. Matuidi is not as elegant as him but I see a similar style of play.

A la tornante - Kuyt - Wing-forward
Regista - Riquelme - Playmaking & Attacking Midfielder
Seconda Punta / Fantasista - Kaka - Free-Role Side-Attacker
Prima Punta - Schevchenko - Complete striker

All the roles and my choices will be fully explained in my next posts

Other considerations

- This system is not made for typical 'wingers' like Ribéry or Robben. The four offensive players are rather inclined to combine together around the penalty area because the offensive style is pragmatical.
- The offensive players are encouraged to switch their roles and roam freely. A player who moves out of his position is replaced by another teamate, thus retaining the team's intended organisational structure, and each player performs a different function: influence of the Total Football Philosophy.

 

[Joga Bonito]

Downcast's Modern Remake.................................................../............................Juventus 1983/Giovanni Trapattoni (Lop-sided 4-4-2)

 

[Joga Bonito]

Team Sjor Bepo
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Philosophy/Ideology of tactical set-up

A difficult to break down 5-3-2 system predicated on tactical flexibility, discipline, all-round action and organisation from back to front. Featuring:

• A rock-solid defense with clear roles and great distribution from the back - frontlined by Rafael Márquez, and an attacking outlet on the left flank.
• A midfield with two high-workrate almost half-back players in Ribéry and Turan on either side of a brilliant box-to-box midfielder in Gündogan.
• A strike duo of Suárez and Forlán with proven chemistry at the highest level, and great off-the ball movement - in the mold of Völler and Klinsmann.

Style
Its pretty difficult to find the general premise in their play as they mixed it up but i would say they were a counter-attacking side that was capable of playing possession football when they wanted. But lets say the main tactic is to play it on the counter-attack with direct passing, most often through the middle until the final third where the team will either continue to combine through the middle or will go to the left flank.

Defense
Defensive Line - Deep/Normal
Marking - Man marking CBs & a sweeper
Off the ball - Aggressive closing down
On the ball - Rapid transitions through sweeper + Basic & risk-free passing to midfield, combination of both really.

Midfield
Defensive Line - Deep/Normal
Marking - Zonal
Off the ball - Aggressive closing down
On the ball - Pretty fluid midfield three with Gundogan as a central figure. The other two will form their game on the back of his. When Gundogan drops deep to open the space for a direct ball towards Suarez/Gundogan in the pocket between defence and midfield they will stretch the play to make that space even bigger. When Gundo goes on one of his runs at least one of them will stay narrow to protect the midfield.

Attack
Defensive - Constant pressure
Off the ball - One stays up front all the time and the other drops deep or offers outlet in wide areas, they will interchange between 2 roles.
On the ball - Proven partnership on the highest stage, they linked up perfectly before so they are a good replacements for Voller and Klinsmann as the two of them also had a great understanding.

Player Roles
Illgner - Buffon - Commanding goalkeeper

Augenthaler - Marquez - Sweeper
Buchwald - Lucio - Man marking centerback
Kohler - Boateng - Man marking centerback
Berthold - Ujfalusi - Defensive fullback
Brehme - Aurelio - Wingback

Littbarski - Ribery - Roaming winger
Matthaus - Gundogan - Box to box playmaker
Häßler - Arda Turan - Technical box to box midfielder

Klinsmann - Forlan - Hard working striker
Voller - Suarez - Hard working striker

Specific Tactical Manoeuvres
Lucio man marking Platini just like Buchwald marked Maradona. I know its not me against downcast but its easier to explain like this. When Platini droops deep and Lucio follows him then will Ujfalusi tuck in and help out defence. Just like Berthold, he can play both positions(cb and fb). Same goes for covering Lucio runs, something that Buchwald also liked to do.

Spoiler: Buchwald in Lucio mode

Matthaus - Gundogan

 

[Joga Bonito]

Sjor Bepo's Modern Remake............................................................/............................Germany 1990 - Beckenbauer (3-5-2)

 

[Joga Bonito]

Good luck gents

@Downcast @Šjor Bepo

 

[Ecstatic]

Thanks. Good luck @Tuppet

 

[Ecstatic]

A Tactical History Of Juventus In The European Cup Final - PART 1
Catenaccio defeated by Total Football in 1973: Juventus 0-1 Ajax

Stefan Kovacs had built upon the groundwork laid by his predecessor Rinus Michels, overseeing the development of Total Football to the point of aesthetic completion. The exact level of value he added in this process is up for debate, with some suggestion that Ajax was by this stage essentially democratically run by the players with captain Johann Cruyff as their ringleader.

Whatever Kovacs did or did not do, the results were stunning. Ajax laid waste to Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals of the 1973 European Cup, winning 4-0 in Amsterdam, before brushing aside Real Madrid with swagger in the last four en route to the final, where they faced Juventus.

Juventus had invested heavily in assembling their squad, bringing in striker Pietro Anastasi for a then-world record fee of 650 million lire. Under modest Czechoslovak coach Cestmir Vycpalek, who had taken over following the sudden death of Armando Picchi, Anastasi would line up in a front three alongside Roberto Bettega and the 35-year-old Jose Altafini, who a decade previously had scored the goals that steered AC Milan to European Cup victory over Benfica.

That front three was the tip of a 1-3-3-3 formation. Behind them, captain Sandro Salvadore swept up beneath a three-pronged defensive blanket of Gianpietro Marchetti, Francesco Morini and Silvio Longobucco, while in midfield Franco Causio, Giuseppe Furino and Fabio Capello would attempt to link defence and attack. Against this Ajax it would prove to be a hard task.

Ajax were philosophically and stylistically entirely different to their Italian counterparts. Their renowned 4-3-3 was a constantly interchanging, interconnected web of fluid movement and accurate passing. Vycpalek’s Juve went man-for-man across defence and midfield, but there was only so far they could follow their men before completely losing their own shape. Cruyff’s wanderlust was a particular nuisance for Morini, with the elegant Dutchman dropping well into his own half to receive the ball, rendering his marker harmless.

Juve’s man-marking was unable to cope with the movement, flair and creativity of Total Football.

In a manner some would call typical of calcio at the time, Juventus sat deep and waited for a mistake to be made or for an attack to peter out, though on five minutes their plan was up in smoke. Horst Blankenburg, on one of his many strides forward from defence, floated in a wonderful cross from the left which was met by Johnny Rep, who leapt above Marchetti to loop his header over Dino Zoff.

There were few signs of life for the Italians in the first half. The 1973 vintage Altafini was portlier and slower than the younger model, and less able to get on the end of his team’s counter-attacks; those rarest of occasions when Juventus dared to threaten the authority of their Dutch masters.

The second half was a mild improvement, at least in the sense that Ajax had fewer genuine chances. Juventus pushed further up the pitch as the match wore on in a vain attempt to force an opportunity for themselves but it was not to be as Ajax held on to their lead.

For a fourth consecutive year the title remained in the Netherlands, for a third consecutive year it remained with Ajax, who for a second consecutive year won by defeating Italian opposition, having beaten Inter Milan in 1972. Total Football had trumped Catenaccio, as well as all others that stood in its path. The dominance was deserved.

 

[Ecstatic]

A Tactical History Of Juventus In The European Cup Final - PART 2

Zona Mista enables a second shot at Continental glory in 1983: Juventus 0-1 Hamburg

Juventus were 10 years removed from their bitterly disappointing first European Cup final experience in 1983 and, having knocked out the holders Aston Villa, they earned a second shot at continental glory, this time against Hamburg.


There was enough quality, both on the pitch and the bench, to ensure Juventus were cast as favourites here. Hamburg had dismissed Valeriy Lobanovskyi’s Dynamo Kiev, but they were generally regarded as a hard-working yet surmountable side.

Although many years had passed and Bettega’s hair had greyed, there was one continuing theme from the Juventus of ‘73, that being man-marking. Hulking centre-back Sergio Brio was assigned to Hamburg’s captain and main goal threat, Horst Hrubesch, while nominal right-back Gentile was assigned to Lars Bastrup. Although not quite as ineffective as it was 10 years previously when up against Total Football; when men became shadows, it did have negative ramifications.

In an attempt to breach Juventus’s defensive bulwark, Hamburg coach Ernst Happel decided to play Bastrup on the right of his attack, forcing Gentile to follow him and opening up space down the right side of Juve’s defence. Trapattoni’s asymmetric system meant that Tardelli, his right-sided tornante (returner), should have provided the necessary cover for Gentile’s displacement, though that didn’t stop Felix Magath from unfurling a beautiful strike from this area to put Hamburg 1-0 up.

Bad starts in European Cup finals had become a tradition for Juventus. Once again, they found themselves a goal down inside the first ten minutes. Once again, they would have to chase the game. English commentator Barry Davies summed up the scenes minutes later as Boniek denied Manfred Kaltz with a goal line clearance, calmly assessing, “the Italians are all over the place”.

Gentile’s man-marking of Bastrup opened up space down the right side of Juve’s defence.

It wasn’t all bad. Gentile’s newfound positioning at least gave left-back Cabrini greater license to surge forward and join in attacks, while for the second half Trapattoni brought Tardelli infield, pushing defensive midfield worker Massimo Bonini to the right in order to stymie the double threat of Jurgen Milewski and forward-minded left-back Bernd Wehmeyer.

Scirea played the libero role with great fluency, emerging on either flank with creative intent and dictating the rhythm, while Boniek and Platini did their utmost to spark Juve into life, though the latter did so with surprisingly little success.

That year’s Ballon D’Or winner, Platini drifted in and out of the game, largely unable to escape the clutches of attention from his opposition. With less than 20 minutes remaining, he found himself in the penalty area, where he chipped the ball over Uli Stein only to be nudged over. Controversially no penalty was given and Juventus’s European dreams came crashing down once again. Hamburg maintained their narrow advantage until the final whistle to be crowned champions against the odds.

 

[Ecstatic]

A Tactical History Of Juventus In The European Cup Final - PART 3

Zona Mista means 1st European Cup Victory in 1985


Juventus and Liverpool were the dominant forces in Italian and English football respectively in the 1970s and ‘80s, so when they met in the 1985 European Cup final, the expectation was that they would put on a show to linger in the memory. This was not to be. Prior to the match, Liverpool fans charged at a group of Juventus supporters, who tried to flee by climbing a wall. The wall collapsed, killing 39 people.

The football itself took a backseat; indeed the entire game was played in a slight haze, understandably so given what had already happened by the time the players took to the field that evening, although there is disagreement as to the amount of knowledge the players had of the tragic incident.

Juventus had not changed much from two years before, with man-to-man still their preferred style of marking in defensive areas. Furthermore, their asymmetric system was made up almost entirely of the same faces that had populated the line-up in defeat to Hamburg, with just three notable differences. Stefano Tacconi had taken over from Zoff between the sticks. In front of him, in came Luciano Favero to replace Gentile, who had been sold to Fiorentina. In attack, Massimo Briaschi took the place of Bettega, who had by now retired from football altogether.

Briaschi played as a deep-lying forward, offering further linkage between Rossi up front and the midfield. It’s worth noting that Rossi had cut an isolated figure against Hamburg two years previously. That individual performance, alongside the fact that Briaschi and Rossi had been attacking partners in the Lanerossi Vicenza side of the late 1970s that won Serie B and finished runners-up in Serie A in back-to-back seasons, suggests that Briaschi’s arrival in 1984 was in no way coincidental.

Despite the systematic similarities to the 1983 model, this Juve were more cautious. Scirea – who was by now wearing the captain’s armband – and Cabrini were less adventurous; perhaps an acknowledgement of the quality of a Liverpool side coached by Joe Fagan, who was himself following on from the outstanding groundwork laid by both Bob Pailey and Bill Shankly.

Briaschi and Platini gave good support to Rossi in the 1985 final.

A regular occurrence in this match was the sight of Scirea standing directly adjacent to Tacconi, who would drop the ball only for his captain to pass it back to him. Liverpool centre-forward Ian Rush was determined to press the pair, so the frequent use of the tactic could be seen as a way of Juventus luring in Rush to create extra space for the rest of their defenders when playing the ball out from the back.

Platini was in fine fettle, leading from the middle in an attempt to open up the Liverpool defence. His teammates were not always up to speed with him, however, such as in the 38th minute, when the French number 10 broke away on the counter only to look around and find little support.

Platini would score the defining goal of the game, sending Grobelaar the wrong way from the penalty spot on 58 minutes after Boniek had been brought down just outside the box. Referee Andre Daina’s decision to award that spot-kick was controversial, as was his decision not to give Liverpool one on 76 minutes, when Bonini went straight through Ronnie Whelan, missing the ball entirely.

These refereeing decisions were two of multiple curiosities surrounding a game that many felt should not have gone ahead and, despite Liverpool’s efforts, they were enough to ensure Juventus finally got their hands on the European Cup in their third final.

The Bianconeri held on with football that was stout but not particularly endearing in a purely visual sense, barely mustering up another half-chance after going ahead, although it was enough to secure an historic win.

As well as being effective in praxis, Trapattoni’s Juve were significant in a theoretical sense in that their asymmetric Zona Mista system was the forefather of a formation that would become a hallmark of the modern Juventus.

Trapattoni’s (R) Zona Mista system was a precursor to the 3-5-2 Juve use to this day.

Pulling back the right-sided tornante, pushing the left-back further on and withdrawing the right-back into a more central position would effectively turn the Zona Mista into the 3-5-2, a system utilised by Antonio Conte and, to a lesser degree, Massimiliano Allegri as Juve romped to four consecutive scudetti from 2012 to 2015. Indeed, this system may very well be Allegri’s choice for this Saturday’s meeting with Barcelona.

 

[Ecstatic]

Juventus ZM: a very strong modern defence... 100% Juventino

In pure zonal defense, each player covers an area of the field; when a player moves outside that area, and when you move outside of this area, even fellow department shake to keep your team pretty short, and usually sided with the flexible and suitable for 4- 4-2. However, if you have to deal with very skilled players, according to the Italian school, you'd rather have a man who acts in the area and one ready to fix any errors. Zona mista faithfully reproduces the defensive techniques and most of the formation of Catenaccio.

The Golden Age of Zona Mista version Juventus achieved through foreign creative talents

In 1982, the arrival of schemers Boniek and Platini added class to an already strong Juventus side. These World class talents had been brought in to supplement a team predominantly made up of 1982 World Cup winners; Zoff, Gaetano Scirea; Claudio Gentile, Antonio Cabrini; Marco Tardelli and Paolo Rossi. It allowed Trapattoni to implement the Zona Mista system.

 

[Ecstatic]

THE #10 in the ZM system - CREATIVITY PART 1 - Platini vs Riquelme

In this system, the playmaker (regista) regularly runs to the opponents' box to try and score. Michel Platini is one of the top 5 offensive midfielders of All-Time and then you can understand he is really unique. Why? Because Platini was both an exceptional playmaking & attacking midfielder like Roberto Baggio or Maradona. Furthermore, he used to be really all over the pitch and score a lot of goals. He is a 'Total Offensive Player'. Given the pool available, I had 2 main options: to pick a world-classs playmaking midfielder or a world-class attacking midfielder. I have chosen the 1st option with Riquelme who is a world-class playmaker but only an excellent attacking midfielder.

Riquelme will be the conductor of the team as he did 68 times with Argentina (17 goals). Juan Roman Riquelme is probably the most talented playmaker in the World during the 2000s. His main assets are passing skill and setting the tempo of play and being one of the best free-kick specialists in his time.

Spoiler: Platini Profile

Date Of Birth : 21 June 1955
Nation : France
Position : Playmaking-Attacking Midfielder
Height : 178 cm
Major Club : Nancy, Juventus
Caps : 72 Games (41 Goals/20 Assists)
Professional Score Record : 318 Goals/ 580 Games
World Cup Participation : 1978,82,86 (14 Games/5 Goals/4 Assists)
Club Honours : 1 Time French League, 1 Time French Cup
2 Times Italian Series A, 1 Time Copa Italia
1984 European Cup Winners’ Cup
1985 European Cup Winner, 1983 Runner-Up
1985 Intercontinental Cup
International Honours : 1984 European Championship Winner
1986 FIFA World Cup Third place

Individual Achievement

2 Times French Player of The Year (1976, 1977)
1986 FIFA World Cup All Star Team
1984 Guerin Italian Series A Player of The Year
1984 European Championship Top Scorer - Best Player
European Footballer of The Year : Gold (1983,1984,1985), 1977 and 1980 Bronze Ball
World Soccer Player of The Year : Gold (1984, 1985), 1983 Silver
1994 FIFA World Cup All-Time Team
1998 FIFA World Team of The Century
1999 IFFHS France Player of The Century
Golden Ball French Player of The Century
Juventus' Greatest Player Ever
French Ligue Greatest Ever
European Championship Most Consecutive Games Scorer
European Championship All-Time Top Scorer - Greatest Player Ever

“Napolean of Football” Michel Platini is widely considered as the greatest midfielder in history of European football and the finest footballer in the Europe during the middle 1980s. He was famous as a leader of “The Magic Sqaure” alongside Alain Giresse, Luis Fernández and Jean Tigana , the group of midfield players that formed the heart of the French national team throughout the 1980s. He is also widely regarded as the greatest passer in football history as well as one of history's greatest free kick specialists and finishers and also possessed superlative reading the game skill, intelligently movement to score a large number of goals. He holds the record for most goals (9) scored in European Championship final tournaments despite only appearing in one such tournament (1984). Despite being a midfielder, he held the national team top scorer record until striker Thierry Henry surpassed in 2007. Platini also finished in 4th and 5th Ballon'Dor three times. He was voted 4th best player of the 1986 FIFA World Cup Tournament. Platini was voted 5th, 5th,7th World’s greatest footballer of all-time by France Football, World Soccer and IFFHS poll, Respectively.

Spoiler: Riquelme Profile

Date Of Birth : 24 June 1978, Height : 182 cm
Nation : Argentina, Caps : 54 Games (18 Goals)
Position : Playmaker, Major Club : Boca Junior, Villareal
World Cup Participation : 2006 (5 Games/4 Assists)
Club Honours : 3 Times Argentina Apertura, 1 Time Clausura
International Honours : 2007 Copa America Runner-Up
2008 Olympic Game Gold Medal
Individual Achievement : Boca Juniors Greatest Player Ever
3 Times Argentinean League Footballer of The Year
2 Times Silver Ball South American Footballer of The Year (2000,2008)
2001 South American Footballer of The Year
2005 Spanish La Liga Foreign Footballer of The Year
2007 Copa Libertadores Cup Most Valuable Player

After he won the best player in South America, He signed for Barcelona but his coming seems to be political signing for Luis Van Gaal and he was mostly dropped as a reserved player for matches. Consequently, he moved to Villareal and becoming the indispensable playmaker to lead them finished third place of Spanish league in 2005 and incredibly reached semi-final round in UEFA Champion League 2005 -2006 despite the first participation. He came back to play in his homeland again and became the most important player of Argentina national team in World Cup 2010 qualification until Maradona got to control and dropped him out of squad due to discontent.

Argentine Footballer of the Year: 2000, 2001, 2008, 2011
FIFPro World XI Nominee: 2006, 2007

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2006/jun/18/worldcup2006.sport8
http://www.offthepostnews.co.uk/?p=6081
http://www.fifa.com/news/y=2012/m=11/news=they-said-juan-roman-riquelme-1944193.html

Spoiler: Riquelme with Argentina

I have to admit Riquelme is an unperfect replacement because the best equivalent of Michel Platini is ... Platini Michel.

Spoiler: Youtube Videos

 

[Ecstatic]

THE #11 in the ZM system - CREATIVITY II - Boniek vs Kaka

Boniek used to be the second striker (Seconda punta or "Fantasista"). His role was to play wide to the left (a derivation of Catenaccios left winger) and drift inside to act as a striker or to cover the playmaker when the playmaker drops into a defensive position.

In other words, Boniek is not a pure left winger but a Free-Role Side-Attacker. He has the freedom to move in order to create opportunities from the left or the middle of the park. Boniek is known to be a wonderful right-winger at the beginning of his career; but here, he spends 50% of his time on the left and 50% in the centre. Not to mention the fact he was able to score: 10 goals in 82/83. So, I was looking for a very versatile player able to play as a forward and a playmaker.

Spoiler: Boniek Video

Kaka is the greatest Brazilian footballer and World’s best attacking midfielder in the late 2000s. His outstanding performance for Sao Paulo and Brazil U-20 led him signing for AC Milan. Kaka didn’t disappoint his club within six seasons and become the greatest foreigner in Series A during the mid-2000s. 2007 was his best year that he won so many individual awards.

Spoiler: Boniek Profile

Date Of Birth : 3 March 1956, Height : 181 cm
Nation : Poland, Caps : 80 Games (24 Goals)
Position : Free-Role Side-Attacker
Major Club : Widzew Lodj, Juventus
World Cup Participation : 78,82,86 (16 Games/6 Goals/3 Assists)
Club Honours : 1 Time Italian Series A, 2 Times Copa Italia
1984 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, 1985 European Cup
International Honours : 1982 FIFA World Cup Third Place
Individual Achievement : 2 Times Polish Player of The Year (78,82)
1982 Polish Sport Personality of The Year
1982 FIFA World Cup All-Stars Team
1982 Bronze Ball European Footballer of The Year
1999 IFFHS Poland Player of The Century

“Zibi” Zbigniew Boniek was a symbolic Eastern European footballer during the 1980s. Arguably his best performance of his career for Poland came in the 1982 World Cup in a second phase match against Belgium where he scored a magnificent hat-trick, one of the best hat-tricks in World Cup history. He was finally voted in 4th place player of the tournament. Boniek start playing as a right-winger before switched to a free-role attacking midfielder, could go running on the left, right side or the centre and his best performance would be appeared as a winger. His speed, dribble and vision to make many assists were always impressive. He was notable playing as an attacking trio with Michel Platini and Paulo Rossi in Juventus in their successful years. In the 1985 - 1986 season, he was rated by Guerin Sportivo as the greatest Foreign player. In addition to 1982, Boniek also finished 9th, 11th and 6th in 1979, 1981 and 1985 Ballon'Dor respectively.

Spoiler: Kaka Profile

Date Of Birth : 22 April 1982, Height : 186 cm
Nation : Brazil, Caps : 87 Games (29 Goals/17 Assists)
Position : Attacking Midfielder, Major Club : AC Milan
World Cup Participation : 2002,06,10 (10 Games/1 Goal/4 Assists)
Club Honours : 1 Time Italian Series A
2007 UEFA Champion League Winner, 2005 Runner-Up
International Honours : 2 Times FIFA Confederation Cup (2005, 2009)
Individual Achievement : 2002 Brazilian League Footballer of The Year
3 Times Series A Foreign Footballer of the Year (2004, 2006, 2007)
2 Times Series A Footballer of the Year (2004, 2007)
2005 UEFA Champions League Best Midfielder
2007 UEFA Club Footballer of the Year, Top Scorer, Best Forward
2007 Ballon’Dor, FIFA and World Soccer Player of The Year
2007 IFFHS World‘s Best Playmaker, IAAF Latin Sportsman of the Year
2009 FIFA Confederations Cup Golden Ball

Kaka also played for Real Madrid “The Galacticos III” but injury much impact his performance until he is not able to a regular starter of the club. For Brazil national team, he always perform in the level of superstar. Kaka was named in UEFA Team of the year and FIFPro World XI three times. He could be considered in 2.75 wold-class domestic season according to media rating. Kaka was also voted in 4th place FIFA World Player of the Year twice times in 2008 and 2009.

Spoiler: PES STATISTICS DEMONSTRATE KAKA-BONIEK SIMILARITIES

KK

Positions: ★ AM, SS

Nationality: Brazilian

Age: 25

Height: 186 cm
Weight: 73 kg

Injury Tolerance: B
Foot: R
Side: B

Attack: 90
Defence: 50
Balance: 84
Stamina: 84
Top Speed: 89
Acceleration: 95
Response: 81
Agility: 84
Dribble Accuracy: 89
Dribble Speed: 95
Short Pass Accuracy: 86
Short Pass Speed: 85
Long Pass Accuracy: 84
Long Pass Speed: 82
Shot Accuracy: 84
Shot Power: 84
Shot Technique: 85
Free Kick Accuracy: 75
Curling: 81
Header: 74
Jump: 80
Technique: 90
Aggression: 87
Mentality: 77
Keeper Skills: 50
Teamwork: 83

Condition/Fitness: 6
Weak Foot Accuracy: 6
Weak Foot Frequency: 6

SPECIAL ABILITIES:
★ Dribbling
★ Reaction
★ Passing
★ 1-1 Scoring

PLAYER INDEX CARDS:
P04 - Darting Run
S01 - Marauding
S02 - Passer
S03 - 1-on-1 Finish
S16 - Roulette Skills

Boniek:

Positions: ★ SS, SM, AM, WF

Nationality: Polish

Age: 27

Height: 181 cm
Weight: 75 kg

Injury Tolerance: B
Foot: R
Side: B

Attack: 90
Defence: 58
Balance: 79
Stamina: 93
Top Speed: 93
Acceleration: 91
Response: 83
Agility: 82
Dribble Accuracy: 88
Dribble Speed: 95
Short Pass Accuracy: 84
Short Pass Speed: 75
Long Pass Accuracy: 85
Long Pass Speed: 78
Shot Accuracy: 82
Shot Power: 88
Shot Technique: 86
Free Kick Accuracy: 72
Curling: 77
Header: 80
Jump: 84
Technique: 92
Aggression: 90
Mentality: 87
Keeper Skills: 50
Teamwork: 86

Condition/Fitness: 7
Weak Foot Accuracy: 7
Weak Foot Frequency: 7

SPECIAL ABILITIES:
★ Dribbling
★ Tactical Dribble
★ Reaction
★ Penalties
★ 1-Touch Pass
★ Outside

PLAYER INDEX CARDS:
P04 - Darting Run
P10 - Incisive Run
P15 - Free Roaming
P17 - Chasing Back
S01 - Marauding
S04 - PK Taker
S05 - 1-touch play
S06 - Outside Curve

He is known for his peaceful characteristic. Kaka was extraordinary in speed and technique and performed as advanced playmaking role, producing many goals.

Spoiler: Kaka on Youtube

 

[Ecstatic]

The striker: Ballon d'Or 1982 replaced by the Ballon d'Or 2004 - a necessary upgrade

Paolo Rossi is the famous Italian striker from The 1982 FIFA World Cup that he won every three important awards. He was an average footballer in his club career. It was partially because of his injury after his great years for Vicenza. He was out of games for fully two seasons. On the other hand, He really born for big tournaments, won the ball in both World Cup especially his opportunism came at the best time for Italy, and he was the most important role led Italy won World Cup in 1982. His best game was match against Brazil that he did hat-trick. However, the 1982 Ballon D'or given to him has been considered as one of the least deserved in history of the awards because of his irregular domestic season. He was a prototype speedy center-forward, able to penetrate at will and deadly in front of goal, and was regarded as one of the greatest strikers in penalty box in his prime. In his last three seasons in Italian Series A, He scored less than five goals in league and finally decided to retire at age just 31 years old. Rossi also finished 5th place Ballon'Dor in 1978. He is named in 11th FIFA World Cup Best player of all-time by France Football.

Spoiler: Paolo Rossi Profile

Date Of Birth : 23 September 1956
Nation : Italy, Caps : 48 Games (20 Goals)
Height : 174 cm, Position : Striker
Major Club : Vicenza, Juventus
World Cup Participation : 1978, 1982, 1986 (14 Games / 9 Goals)
Professional Score Record : 116 Goals/ 279 Games
Club Honours : 1 Time Italian Series A, 1 Time Copa Italia
International Honours : 1982 FIFA World Cup Champion
Individual Achievement : 1 Time Italian Series A Top Scorer
1978 FIFA World Cup Silver Ball
1982 FIFA World Cup Golden Shoe- Golden Ball
1982 European Footballer of The Year
1982 World Soccer Player of The Year
1982 L'Equippe Sports Personality of The Year
1983 European Cup Top Scorer

"Sheva" Andrei Shevchenko was the greatest Eastern European footballer and one of the best forwards in the World during the first half 2000s, He is a all-round striker, possesses high acceleration, considerable dribbling, intelligent positional play and deadly strike in both foots. Moreover, His stamina and header-shooting are in the good criteria. He started a prominent player with his impressive performance for Dinamo Kiev especially in UEFA Champion League 1999. That led AC Milan to buy him. During his seven seasons in Italy, He established himself as one of the best strikers in the league, and scored more than 25 goals per season five times.

Spoiler: Scheva Profile

Date Of Birth : 29 September 1976, Height : 183 cm
Nation : Ukraine, Caps : 103 Games (46 Goals)
Position : Fast Striker, Major Club : Dinamo Kiev, AC Milan
World Cup Participation : 2006 (5 Games/2 Goals)
Professional Score Record : 330 Goals/ 654 Games
Club Honours : 5 Times Ukrainian League, 3 Times Ukrainian Cup
1 Time Italian Series A, 1 Time Copa Italia
1 Time FA Cup, 1 Time English League Cup
2003 UEFA Champion League Winner, 2005 Runner-Up
International Honours : 1958 FIFA World Cup Third Place
Individual Achievement : 6 Times Ukrainian Footballer of The Year
1 Time Ukrainian League Top Scorer, 2 Time Series A Top Scorer
1999 UEFA Champion League Best Forward
2000 Series A Foreign Footballer of The Year
3 Times UEFA Champion League Top Scorer (1999, 2001, 2006)
2004 European Footballer of The Year, 2 Times Bronze Ball (1999,2000)
2004 Bronze Ball FIFA World Player of The Year, Ukraine All-Time Top Scorer
3 Times Bronze Ball World Soccer Player of The Year (1999,2000,2004)

On the other hand, He failed to achieve as an important role for Chelsea at the late career. That was because of being unable to adapt with English style of game that seems too fast for him. Shevchenko is a top scorer in 2002 World Cup qualifying in UEFA Zone. Shevchenko prominently made 18 consecutive years of caps for Ukraine. Shevchenko is named in ESM team of the month 18 times and team of the year 3 times. He was also voted in 5th place in the 2000 FIFA World Player of the Year and 4th place in 2003 Ballon'Dor.

Why this choice?

In 1982/83, Paolo Rossi is not a specialized striker (target striker or advance striker or poacher...) but rather a all-round striker with limited dribbling skills. Physically, he looks like David Trezeguet and have a good header shouting but he has a different style of play: he likes to move a lot thanks to his pace and good stamina. Rossi wasn't a pure scorer in 82/83. Easy choice to hire Scheva - the complete striker - who scored similar goals in a Calcio context at the domestic & European stage...

Spoiler: Scheva & Rossi : Goals

On the left, Paolo Rossi 82/83 with only 7 goals in 23 games in Serie A - Goals from 53 to 60. On the right, Scheva best of.

Scheva & Kaka Chemistry

As you can see, Kaka likes to outflank the opposing team on the left. Of course - like Boniek - he enlightens the game all over the pitch, especially between the striker and the other midfielders.

Spoiler: Scheva-Kaka connection

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

Nice remake Downcast.

I'm a bit hesitant on Ribery's role for Sjor.

Two excellent efforts!

 

[Ecstatic]

Left-Side of a strong complete defence: Zambrotta & Tudor

Zambrotta & Cabrini: complete & versatile LBs

Then, we have a complete left-back, having at its disposal the entire band. Cabrini was almost a completed side-back, showing his world-class defensive and offensive quality but his right-foot was the only disadvantage that it was not rather useful in some occasions.

Spoiler: Cabrini Goals

Zambrotta is regarded by pundits as one of Italy's greatest attacking full-backs/wing-backs. Although naturally right-footed, he was an ambidextrous player who excelled both at offensive and defensive play, which made him tactically versatile, allowing him to be deployed on the left as well as on the right side of the pitch, as a full-back or wing-back in a 4 or 5-man defence, or even as a winger or wide midfielder, a position in which he was often played earlier on in his career. His main attributes were his pace, marking ability, tackling, strength, tenacity, and stamina. A tenacious and hard-working player, he was also gifted with good technique and ball skills, as well as an excellent crossing ability and a powerful shot from outside the area.

Spoiler: Cabrini Profile

Date Of Birth : 8 October 1957
Nation : Italy, Caps : 73 Games
Height : 178 cm, Position : Left-Back
Major Club : Juventus
World Cup Participation : 1978,1982,1986 (18 Games)
Club Honours : 6 Times Italian Series A
2 Times Copa Italia, 1977 UEFA Cup
1983 European Cup Runner-Up
1984 European Cup Winners Cup
1985 Intercontinental Cup
International Honours : 1982 FIFA World Cup Champion

Individual Achievement : None

“The Beautiful Antonio” Antonio Cabrini is considered as the greatest full-back of the world during 1980s. Because of his popularity as a fascinating and good-looking football player, On the field, his technical and physical qualities made of him the most popular defender of the history of Italian football.

But His left-foot was good enough to create many goals for his team especially scored 9 goals for Italy is the all-time record for Italian defender. He was one of the main players of Juventus in their glory era which was the most successful team in Italy. According to media rating, he is the best defender of Series A twice times in 1984 and 1986. He was voted from www.channel4.com as a starter in Juventus all-time XI. Cabrini was voted in 13th and 14th Ballon'Dor in 1978 and 1983, respectively.

Spoiler: Zambrotta Profile

Gianluca Zambrotta born 19 February 1977) is a retired Italian professional footballer and manager, who played as a full-back or as a winger.

Throughout his club career, Zambrotta played for several different Italian clubs: he began his career with local club Como in 1994, and gained prominence while playing for Bari, which earned him a transfer to Juventus in 1999; during his seven seasons with the club, he won two consecutive Serie A titles in 2002 and 2003. He also later spent two seasons with Barcelona between 2006 and 2008, before returning to Italy to play for Milan, where he won his third Serie A title in 2011. He ended his career after a season with Swiss club Chiasso in 2014, whom he later went on to coach.

At international level, he won 98 caps for the Italian national team, playing at three World Cups, three European Championships, and the 2000 Olympics. He was part of their side that reached the Euro 2000 final, and he was also selected to the Euro 2004 Team of the Tournament. He was most notably a key member of the starting lineup of the Italian squad that won the 2006 FIFA World Cup, and he was selected in the Team of the Tournament for his performances.

Zambrotta was decorated as Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (Cavaliere O.M.R.I.) in 2000 and he was made an Officer of the same order (Ufficiale O.M.R.I.) in 2006.

Spoiler: Champions League Final 2003

Spoiler: WC Final 2006

The stopper Brio to be replaced by Tudor

In addition to his athletic ability, Brio was also known for his concentration, and was an excellent man-marker, and reader of the game.

Tudor spent much of his career at the Italian club Juventus, winning several trophies, and during this time, he was considered one of Croatia's best defenders in the period between the late 1990s and mid-2000s. Tudor was a large, hard-working, strong and imposing defender, who excelled in the air, making him a dangerous goal threat during set pieces. He was also a tight man-marker and a hard tackling defender, with great tactical intelligence.

Spoiler: Brio Profile

Sergio Brio (born 19 August 1956) is a former Italian footballer, in the role of centre back, who played for Juventus F.C. in the late 1970s and the 1980s and was part of their European Cup victory in 1985. An atypical continental defender, he was not particularly technically gifted, although he was known for his strength, tenacity, and physicality, as well as his ability in the air, which often made him a goal threat on set pieces; this also allowed him to play as a centre-forward earlier in his career.

Spoiler: Tudor Profile

Although primarily a central defender, he was capable of playing anywhere along the back line and even as a defensive midfielder, which was made possible due to his tactical versatility, stamina, and his surprisingly capable technique, ball control, and distribution skills, for such a large, physical player.
Despite his talent, he was also prone to injuries, which is often thought to have affected his playing career.

He represented Croatian national side at Euro 2004, and the 2006 World Cup, but missing the 2002 World Cup due to injury. Tudor announced his retirement on 22 July 2008, at the age of 30, after the problems with his right ankle reappeared. He spent his last season playing for his youth club, Hajduk Split.

 

[Ecstatic]

Right-Side of a strong complete defence: Bonucci & Barzagli

Bonucci - the new Scirea

There is a sweeper, but because of the change in the offside rule, he must be very careful to move at the right time. At this stage, the sweeper can sometimes also become a playmaker, and lend a hand in the building phase.

Spoiler: Scirea Profile

Date Of Birth : 25 May 1953
Nation : Italy, Caps : 78 Games, Height : 178 cm
Position : Advanced Sweeper, Major Club : Juventus
World Cup Participation : 1978, 1982, 1986 (18 Games)
Club Honours : 7 Times Italian Series A, 2 Times Copa Italia
1977 UEFA Cup, 1984 UEFA Cup Winners’s Cup
1985 European Cup, 1983 Runner-Up
1985 Intercontinental Cup
International Honours : 1982 FIFA World Cup Winners
Individual Achievement : 1980 UEFA Euro Best Defender

Gaetano Scirea is one of the best defenders the world has ever seen, was a World-Class classic libero and was the best defender of the World in the 1st half 1980s, has never been as well-known from fan around the world as his great ability. Consequently, He is regarded as one of the most underrated footballers of all-time. Scirea was a graceful defender of great vision and ball controlling skills and tactical ability, played the sweeper, or libero, role for most of his career, and contributed to the development of this position initiated by Franz Beckenbauer in the 1970s. In the latter part of his career, Scirea played a more defensive central-defender role, which he excelled at just the same. According to media rating, he is the best Series A defender only once in 1979. He was a gentleman never got sent-off or suspended in his career. Scirea is also one of only nine players in the history of the European football that won all three major UEFA football competitions. Scirea was nominated in Ballon'Dor only once and finished 12th place in 1982.

Spoiler: Bonucci Profile

A former midfielder who is usually deployed as ball-playing centre back in a three-man defence(although he is also capable of playing in a four-man defence),he is known for his technique, passing range, and his ability to launch an attack with long passes. A tall and strong defender, with good anticipation, solid tackling, and an ability to read the game, he also excels in the air, and frequently poses a threat from set pieces.Although he was once criticised for being inconsistent and prone to errors or lapses in concentration in his youth, he showed notable improvements during the 2014–15 season, and established himself as one of the best defenders in Italy and in Europe, also drawing praise from manager Pep Guardiola, who described Bonucci as one of his "favourite ever players". His unique playing style has led Giovanni Galli to compare him to former sweeper Gaetano Scirea. In 2012, The Guardian named him the 88th Best Player in the World. In 2016, his defensive attributes, as well as his skill on the ball, vision, and accurate passing, moved La Repubblica to dub him as “Beckenbonucci”, a reference to former German sweeper Franz Beckenbauer.

Barzagli: a marker able to play on the right-wing

Gentile - a very tough marker - generally played at Centre Back but switched to Left or Right Back when needing to mark certain wide-playing attackers.

Regarded as one of the best defenders of his generation, Barzagli is known for his strong and powerful physical build as a centre-back, and for being "strong in terms of anticipation, concentration and positional sense." He has stood out in Italy and in Europe in recent years, due to his marking, aerial prowess, and tackling ability, as well as his correct behaviour, capacity to read the game, and his adeptness in one on one situations; these attributes have enabled him to be voted to the Serie A Team of the Year for 3 consecutive seasons, also making him an important member of both his club and national sides. His calm composure, tactical awareness, pace, consistency, technique, and ball playing ability have recently enabled him to be regarded as one of the best and most complete defenders in the world. Although he is usually deployed as a centre-back in a three or four-man defence, Barzagi is also capable of playing as a full-back on the right flank. Due to his consistent defensive performances in recent years, he has been given the nicknames "The Wall" and "La Roccia" (the rock) by fans.

Spoiler: Gentile Profile

Date Of Birth : 27 September 1953
Nation : Italy, Caps : 71 Games
Position : Stopper, Semi-Right-Back
Height : 178 cm, Major Club : Juventus
World Cup Participation : 1978, 1982 (13 Games)
Club Honours : 5 Times Italian Series A
2 Times Copa Italia, 1977 UEFA Cup
1983 European Cup Runner-Up
1984 European Cup Winners Cup
International Honours : 1982 FIFA World Cup Champion
Individual Achievement : 1982 FIFA World Cup Best Defender

Gentile born in Libya, is one of the toughest and roughest defenders in the history of the game, considered by many as one of football 's greatest ever man markers. One of Gentile's most favored tactics was to stand behind the striker who had the ball while kicking between his opponent's legs to play the ball, leaving the opposing player's legs beaten and bruised. Gentile was also a master of the hard tackle to get the ball, not the player, and was rewarded for his skill by a career that lacked even a single sending off. Gentile is considered as the best defender in Series A once in 1977. In World Cup 1982, He notably man-marked Diego Maradona out of the game, also performed a violent tackle from behind on Zico and later ripped the Brazilian's shirt in half during a tussle. Gentile was never nominated in Ballon'Dor.

Spoiler: Barzagli Profile

A three-time member of the Serie A Team of the Year, Barzagli is regarded as one of Italy's and Serie A's best and most consistent defenders. After playing for several smaller Italian clubs in his early career, he eventually came to prominence while playing for Palermo, and later won five consecutive Serie A titles with Juventus between 2012 and 2016, as well as a Bundesliga title in 2009, during his time with German club VfL Wolfsburg.

At international level, he has represented the Italian national football team at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games, winning a bronze medal, two FIFA World Cups (2006 and 2014), two UEFA European Championships (2008 and 2012), and at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, where he also won a bronze medal. He was most notably a member of the Italian 2006 World Cup winning squad, as well as a starting member of the Italian squad that reached the UEFA Euro 2012 final.

Spoiler: Youtube Videos

 

[Ecstatic]

Who is Bettega?

The Remake Draft

Why Kuyt to replace him?

The Remake Draft

 

[Šjor Bepo]

great effort @Downcast , good luck in the game.

 

[Ecstatic]

great effort @Downcast , good luck in the game.

Nice remake Downcast.

I'm a bit hesitant on Ribery's role for Sjor.

Two excellent efforts!

Great efforts of @Tuppet

Impressed by all his gifs

 

[Šjor Bepo]

Player Roles

Illgner - Buffon - Commanding goalkeeper - Illgner has a key component of the West German defense in '90. Whilst he isn't the most decorated German keeper of all time, Bodo was in his elements through that stretch where he ultimately won European Keeper of the Year in 1991 at the young age of 24, providing a sense of reliability in that position - with a combination of good anticipation of the game, prowess in the air from crosses, composure in 1-on-1 situations, and overall - just a quality stopper in the traditional goalkeeper sense without a lot of added frills on top, who became the first ever to shut out the opposition in a World Cup final. Buffon brings forth a comparable and complete skillset - except qualitatively, he is just better all the across the board, and was similarly unassailable in that fine 2006 edition of the tournament with eventual champions Italy, apart from being European Goalkeeper of the Year at the young age of 24.

Augenthaler - Marquez - Sweeper - In between the two brutes was Augethaler, or 'Eyes' - a trademark sweeper who while not as physically imposing as his stopper partners, was still a very good defender; and on top of that provided a modicum of finesse from the back, as well as the spare man factor, coming out of almost nowhere to make timely interceptions and break down opposition plays, or instigate attacks. Augenthaler's mastery on the ball - in terms of both short and long passes, and ability to read and diagnose plays called for a very specific fit. Now, a lot of people seem to 'hate' on the ponytail for no particular reason; but at his peak, Márquez was very good at what he did - an excellent passer of the ball in terms of technique and execution, possessing a natural knack for the game wrt reading the plays, and being an organizer at the back. With the two colossī on either side of him, Márquez will have the remit to plug the gaps, diagnose build up plays, and do what Eyes did so proficiently in terms of being the spare man - so he'll pretty much be in his elements from a functional sense.

Buchwald - Lucio - Man marking centerback - This position needed a very specific fit in the physical sense of the term, moreso than others where only the positional skillset would suffice. And the reason behind that is that Buchwald was a tough cookie - able to thwart attackers with his imposing stature, a quality man marker who famously blanketed Diego Maradona in the final of '90, and provided great coverage ability as a pure stopper. But apart from that, an often overlooked aspect of his game was that he was also a good distributor compared with more generic stoppers - often foraying a bit further forward towards midfield while in possession of the ball. The Leverkusen version of Lúcio is a great fit for that description. A defender of great strength, boasting quality man-marking skills, who liked to enforce his will upon the attackers with aggressiveness and 'orrible cnut factor, so to speak. But apart from that, provided that extra bit of chutzpah to rove further forward.

Kohler - Boateng - Man marking centerback - How do you procure a replacement for arguably the greatest stopper of all time in an era where pure defensive standards have plummeted almost across the board? Bit of a conundrum, that. Anyhow, to expand a bit on the Kohler function - for the West Germany '90 team, he did what he did best. And that was being a metaphorical brick wall, an insurmountable animal at the back, and a domineering marker. Since there was a paucity for that detailed description in the pool, Jerome Boateng was the borderline crème de la crème of the crop. A physically proficient centerback who's probably the finest 'powerful' pure defender we've seen in the last sort of 3-4 year period, apart from that other Brazilian prat. And, he's great in the air - have some of that.

Berthold - Ujfalusi - Defensive fullback - For this position, the team needed a defensively secure centerback first and foremost, who in addition to that - offered that hint of versatility to start out wide, and provide the same sense of defensive astuteness to the right fullback role. As opposed to the more adventurous Reuter, Berthold was a defender first who didn't go on as many barnstorming runs, more adequate than expansive - which reflected in his coverage ability and marking skills out wide and attention to detail in terms of positioning - an overall reliable presence. Ujfaluši had a comparable skillset at his peak, and was vital for that Fiorentina team of the mid 2000s (not to be conflated with his Atlético stint - where he admittedly deteriorated as a defender), and was a constant presence at the back, known primarily for his defensive skills, and consistent positioning - when played out wide.

Brehme - Aurelio - Wingback - Brehme was the primary multi-faceted defensive outlet for West Germany '90 in an offensive sense. His skillset list was long, and I'm sure most are aware of it, especially when he was in his pomp at that period. But just to regurgitate the descriptions - truly two footed, roving up and down relentlessly, a paragon of the art of passing for defenders, venomous inside shot, tactical werewithal - and so on, and so forth. Finding a qualitative and functional fit for him was an unenviable task, and there's one specific players who matches him perfectly above all others. But with only so many premium picks, and an overload of multi-taskers, there was a need for calculated gambles. And that's how Aurelio came to the fore. Whilst not remotely as good as him on a qualitative level, he had a lot of skillset similarities - beautiful control and passing with both feet, sublime touch and precision, speed, great movement, shot execution, 'relentlessness', and being decently sound in the defensive side of the game.

 

[Šjor Bepo]

Häßler - Arda Turan - Technical box to box midfielder - Starting off a complete midfield trio was the pint sized dynamo Häßler - an insanely creative and boisterous attacking midfielder who had the versatility to go a bit wider, motor to buzz around all day and flood the midfield, or drop into the hole between the offensive duo. As opposed to his heroic 1992 EURO performances where he almost ran the show, and ranked third in the World Player of Year award - Häßler had the ever so slightly reserved role in '90, setting the stage for Matthäus - who in turn transformed into an omnipresent entity. So for this position, the player had to be tactically coherent, and hardworking, and willing to compromise individual acclaim for great team glory; whilst still maintaining great offensive quality. And Arda Turan is the nigh perfect fit for that role - given his unique combination of immense workrate, vision, technique and underrated dribbling skills in Simeone's Atlético setups - for which he ended up being nominated for the European Team of the Year.

Littbarski - Ribery - Roaming winger - The demonic Bavarian Littbarski played a crucial role in the West German setup in '90. While he's commonly associated with his immense dribbling skills, control, ability and mazy runs - he also displayed a great sense of team ethic and industriousness both on and off the ball to lend a solid structure to the midfield core. Drifting ever so slightly wide, he could go either way, and that perplexed many an opposition - one moment he's be dribbling wider - dancing like a dervish, then BAM! sticks in and become the added midfield man. Franck Ribéry is quite similar in that he has fiendish dribbling skills and technique that leaves defender frothing at their mouths, is a quick-twitch magician in wider areas, but also allied that with a great work-rate at his peak. Picking defenses apart and toying with his marker - with a combination of finesse and speed; but had that elusive steady woodchipper gene that few players of his offensive quality possess.

Matthaus - Gundogan - Box to box playmaker - The Remake Draft

Klinsmann - Forlan - Hard working striker - Klinsmann was the metaphorical hungry wolf for West Germany in '90 - a quick and naturally gifted striker with lethal finishing ability, patrolling the most advanced areas and sniffing out weaknesses in the opposition defenses. But also, in the theme of the entire team - a willing worker off the ball. Diego Forlán had a lot of similar qualities at his peak - combining great finishing skills, speed and technique with his blue collar nature - peaking with two European Golden Shoe and one World Cup Golden Ball award(s). One underlying quality that made him the overwhelming favorite to start with Luis - was the devastating combination they formed in the late 2000s to the early parts of the current decade. That bonus dash of proven chemistry will be vital as far as replicating the Völler-Klinsmann brother-from-another-mother partnership goes. Doesn't hurt that their respective playing style characteristics are eerily similar either.

Voller - Suarez - Hard working striker - If there were two adjectives one might attach with Völler, they would be hardworking, and determined. In the '90 World Cup - he provided an intoxicating blend of insane aggressiveness and sheer bloody mindedness, in addition to his offensive qualities as a player. With that in mind, our team has made a pact with Satan, and called upon the services of one Luis Suárez, in the hopes that he will provide that bit of 'dark arts' graft to the team. All unfunny jokes aside, the one trait that defines Suárez is determination, similar to Völler - a will to win, as it were. And that is exceedingly important within the framework of the '90 West German team, because not only were they awesome players, they had the tenacity to push the issue down the opposition's throat. And no one symbolized that spirit better than Völler. And that's aside from their similar playing style, both on and off the ball, except Suárez has ascended to a higher level than Völler.

 

[Ecstatic]

Please note that Barzagli and Bonucci will play tonight against Belgium at the Euro

 

[Šjor Bepo]

I'm a bit hesitant on Ribery's role for Sjor.

why? Ribery works harder then any other modern(when i think about it, i shouldnt limit him to the modern ones) winger, a perfect team player that is also capable of tormenting defenders on his own. Proved himself, in fact played his best football in a counter-attacking side that played very direct, similar to this side. As well as being a great defender he is a great user of the ball, very good decision making for a winger and is comfortable in the middle of the field so a little narrower role shouldnt be a problem IMO as he in fact plays more as a left midfielder then a left winger.

 

[Enigma_87]

Overall I think both managers have done pretty good job.

My concerns are Kaka in Boniek role, Riquelme in Platini's role and Kuyt/Bettega for downcast.

For Sjor are Gundogan/Aurelio and Arda in Habler's role.

I think Ribery is very good pick for Sjor's team to replace Littbarski.

 

[Šjor Bepo]

@Enigma_87 i can understand concerns about Gundo and Aurelio but in my vision Arda(Atletico version) is pretty much close to perfect so i would love to hear why do you have concerns about him

 

[VivaJanuzaj]

Downcast has done a fantastic job imo.

 

[Ecstatic]

Overall I think both managers have done pretty good job.

My concerns are Kaka in Boniek role, Riquelme in Platini's role and Kuyt/Bettega for downcast.

Kaka/Boniek

If you watch a full game of Juventus version 82/83, you will be surprised to see the influence of Total Football on the philosophy of Trappatoni. Why?
Because you will see that Platini and Boniek switch in their roles. They share the same main responsibility which is to enlighten the game.
So, you can see Platini trying to dribble on the left or Boniek in the central area launching long balls for Rossi or Bettega cutting inside.

The idea was to have a 'free role side attacker' and Kaka is perfect here because:

- he used to play behind 1 or 2 strikers, so he will have the opportunity to play as a #10
- he is very pacy and if you look at his goals/skills, you will see he likes to play on the left

Riquelme/Platini

I know the replacement is not perfect because Riquelme is rather slow and doesn't score a lot.

Platini version 1983 was a unique player who was all over the pitch:
- exceptional play-making player
- exceptional attacking midfielder
- exceptional statistics: goals, assists

Kuyt/Bettega

Thomas Muller would have been the best option but I'm rather happy with my choice.
Bettega was not a key player and left Torino in the summer 1983: his last game was the final of the European Cup against Hambourg. He was the worst player on the pitch imho.
So, Bettega version 1983 is a striker on the decline because his prime was in the 70s. Summer 1983: he joins Toronto.
He is good on the air and technically limited like Kuyt.
He is not a winger and he never outflanks the enemy. In reality, he is a forward asked to play on the right despite the facte he prefers to roam near the penalty area.

Stats of Bettega: similarity with those of Kuyt

 

[Ecstatic]

Boniek on the left

Kaka on the left

Then you can see Kaka starting on the left and cutting inside thanks to the mobility of Scheva

 

[Ecstatic]

Boniek & Kaka in the penalty area

Downcast has done a fantastic job imo.

Cheers

 

[Ecstatic]

The #1 Fifa ranking Belgium struggles badly against the team of Bonucci/Barzagli

 

[Šjor Bepo]

The #1 Fifa ranking Belgium struggles badly against the team of Bonucci/Barzagli

thats tells you more about Fifa rankings then it tells you about belgium and italy

 

[VivaJanuzaj]

The #1 Fifa ranking Belgium struggles badly against the team of Bonucci/Barzagli

Bonucci with that assist too

 

[Ecstatic]

thats tells you more about Fifa rankings then it tells you about belgium and italy

Ridiculous ranking indeed with a strong focus on the friendly games.

Bonucci with that assist too

You mean the new Scirea?

 

[Deleted member 101472]

Both great efforts and phenomenal write ups, but I think downcast replication of zona mista is brilliant, particularly the choices in the defence.

Ribery to replace Littbarski and Turan to replace Hassler... I cant get my head around these nor imagine the modern players performing the roles anywhere near as successfully.

Suarez and Forlan as Klinsmann and Voller though

 

[Šjor Bepo]

For Sjor are Gundogan/Aurelio and Arda in Habler's role.

as there is lack of discussion at the moment i will respond to this as well.
I tried to cover Matthaus/Gundogan issue the most so check their part in OP. Matthaus didnt played his role where he was usually at his best even though he had a brilliant tournament. Tried to cover their general play from one game(one half to be precise as i was to lazy to do the second one) and their general play was painfully similar. Gundogan ticks probably every box except scoring and after watching most of the tournament in last 10 days i would say that part of Lothar's game was the least important in that team.

After Alaba got picked early Aurelio was pretty much my first choice for Brehme and i was pissed off when i saw there is almost no footage online of his time at Valencia. It would be hard to find a better playmaker from the fullback position, his delivery was spot on. Good defender, can score goals and pretty decent dribbling wise. Here is his performance for Liverpool at Old Trafford where he kept Ronaldo quiet:

Fantastic footballer when fit, shame he was made out of glass but even that isnt important here as quality doesnt matter.

 

[Šjor Bepo]

Ribery to replace Littbarski and Turan to replace Hassler... I cant get my head around these nor imagine the modern players performing the roles anywhere near as successfully.

Hmm second comment about that, dont know tbh as in my vision of those two teams i had my doubts about certain players but have to say this 2 cross my mind. Thought both fit very well, specially as both played a pretty similar position at their peak in 2 counter-attacking sides.

 

[Ecstatic]

Ribéry is an excellent choice given the pool.

Littbarski was mainly a right-winger but mostly played as attacking midfielder for Koln. Here, he is an AM widely known for his excellent dribbling abilities and humorous attitude being one of the fan favorites in German Bundesliga... like Ribéry .

The only difference between them I see is “The Demon of Baviera” is an excellent dribbler in the central area while Ribéry is a typical winger.

Hard to find a better alternative in this case.

 

[Enigma_87]

@Enigma_87 i can understand concerns about Gundo and Aurelio but in my vision Arda(Atletico version) is pretty much close to perfect so i would love to hear why do you have concerns about him

Well, not my type of player really in that role. Very unique player, probably would have went with Schneider if he was available in that role.

Hassler was also a lot more explosive than Arda from what I remember. Not in terms of pure speed but the ability to weave his way towards the goal.

I can see the reasoning behind having Arda there tho - he matches him in terms of technique, albeit a bit different type, work rate and is a good passer.

Ribery is the best choice as well for me given the pool. I can't think of someone else that would be a better fit to be honest.

 

[Joga Bonito]

I think Turan for Häßler is a pretty good replacement - a downgrade technically and in dribbling prowess but the Turk boasts creative edge in fine balance with graft, and abilty to excel as a side midfielder which was what made Häßler an unique all-round package. Ribery for Littbarski seemed a bit off to me at first, but I can see Ribery being a good-ish remake for the 1990 version of Littbarski who wasn't so much a goalscoring wing-forward but relatively more of a cultured and tricky creative player. Well apart from the work-rate ,which Ribery had to a good extent but not to the level of Littbarski imo. Nevertheless a nice choice imo. Likewise Suarez and Forlan scream dynamism and an all-round game similar to the one that Völler-Klinsmann boasted. Suarez doesn't quite have the same wide-play though but other than that it's spot on.

Not really a huge fan of Buchwald for Lucio though, seems to be a real clash of styles there with Buchwald being a more conservative man-marking and versatile defender/midfielder - a spare man of sorts if need be. As opposed to Lucio who is more of an adventurous ball-playing defender and not much of a dedicated and disciplined man-marker imo. Gundogan also seems to be slightly harder to buy, as Matthäus was first and foremost a direct box to box dynamo and then a creative goalscoring influence, as opposed to Gundogan who is primarily a playmaker with good work rate etc. It's a really hard job to recreate Matthäus though but I'd preferred someone like Vidal as opposed to Gundogan - not overly significant though imo.

The rest of it is fairly spot on, esp the two centre-backs Marquez and Boateng who'd work seamlessly in their roles imo. Great effort overall.


On Downcast's remake, the defense is spot on tactically and I really like the midfield duo of Matuidi-Senna as a remake for Tardelli-Bonini which is bang on the money in terms of replicating their solidity and tireless game, complementing Platini (Riquelme) off the ball and providing him with the platform to excel. Zambrotta is a cracking choice for Cabrini and Bonucci is an inspired remake of Scirea imo. Lots to love about that defense as others have pointed out.

Riquelme for Platini is bit of an acquired taste but yeah, he's definitely one of the harder players to remake in this draft with his unique blend of playmaking abilities and goalscoring threat. Not overly keen on Kaka in Boniek's role as I can't see the Brazilian providing the same incessant movement off the ball, industry and a fair amount of width and defense stretching. On the ball he's fantastic but I don't quite see Kaka forging the same dynamic with Riquelme, that Boniek enjoyed with Platini. I think the 06-08 Rooney who was capable of playing in an inside left-ish role could have been a good choice myself - loads of movement off the ball, boundless reserves of energy and of course a fair bit of explosiveness and ability to take on the opposition - albeit in a more physical manner. I can see others buying into Kaka's directness and explosiveness on the ball being a good recreation of Boniek's game, so it's definitely a subjective topic.

Once again, an excellent remake overall. Kudos to both managers for their efforts.

 

[Šjor Bepo]

I'd preferred someone like Vidal as opposed to Gundogan - not overly significant though imo

Not that it matters and its a whole different discussion but Gundo ticks more boxes then Vidal, at least for that WC version of Matthaus. As for Gundo, before the injury he was more of a box to box(obviously not as dynamic as Lothar) player then he was a playmaker. Think him and few others went into undiscovered waters with their playing style. They pretty much combined playmaker role with b2b role or to be precise - they played the box to box role but with quality in possession of a playmaker....its was a pretty tough role to execute and you needed a really special talent for it so i think everybody pretty much gave up of that idea.