Synth Draft: QF- Gio vs 2mufc0

[Physiocrat]

Gio

2mufc0

Gio

TACTICS: 3-5-2

Diego Maradona is the fulcrum of the team. He is joined in a glittering attack by the explosive Hristo Stoichkov and the quintessential no9 and penalty box reference point Lineker. Much like Argentina '86, we go 3-5-2 with a focus on hard work, discipline and balance. A South American trio form the midfield unit: both top-class enforcer Leonel Alvarez and the legendary game-running Paulo Roberto Falcao. On the flanks the outstanding playmaking class of Andreas Brehme on the left complements the grizzly graft of Angelo Di Livio on the right. At the back, the defensive trio marry the physicality and dynamism of Hans-Georg Schwarzenbeck and Luis Pereira, with the rarefied reading and anticipation of Franco Baresi.

WHY WE WILL WIN:

• Stronger spine comprised of Baresi, Falcao and Maradona. That's GOAT strength in key areas complemented by the right support acts.
• Brehme/Stoichkov form a hell of a left flank to face up to Donadoni and Adams.
• A defence well placed to handle 2mufc0's main threats. An ageing and injured Baresi famously silenced peak Romario in 1994 and he is at his impeccable peak here. Meanwhile, Rummenigge's more physical game suits the dynamic Luis Pereira and powerful Schwarzenbeck.
• Sparkling attack with Maradona (v Fernandez/Tardelli) and Stoichkov (v Adams) having potentially decisive advantages over their opposing men.

2mufc0

Formation 3-5-2

Had to do some rearranging from the last game after bringing in one of greatest strikers of all time Romariointo the team. He will be partnered by Rummenige who will play the wide forward, behind them roaming and making bursting runs into the box will be Keegan . All three of these players are technical and intelligent enough to combine effectively and cause problems for the opposition. They are also very flexible and able to interchange.

Width will be provided by Gordillo and Donadoni as wing backs, both fantastic attackers with great engines able to get back and defend too. In the middle of the park i continue with Luis Fernandez providing screening and Tardelli in the B2B role. I have also strengthened my team by bringing in Morten Olsen not only a fantastic defender but also able to step into midfield and start attacks. Next to him are Krol & Adams providing defensive solidity. And in goal one of Argentina's best ever Fillol.

I believe this team has a fantastic spine and has a combination of speed, power, work rate and skill being able to give any team a tough game.

 

[Physiocrat]

@Gio @2mufc0

Have a great game

 

[Pat_Mustard]

It's hard to look beyond Gio in this one. Di Livio remains a real vulnerability against the right opposition but there's no serious gulf in quality here vs Gordillo so he should have an effective match here. Maradona actually looks fairly well-marshalled here with the likes of Fernandez/Tardelli/Olsen to compete with him, but he'll still be influential of course and there's so much quality to contend with elsewhere now as well.

 

[Deleted member 101472]

Why was Gio able to put together such a team like this at the QF stage?

 

[2mufc0]

It's hard to look beyond Gio in this one. Di Livio remains a real vulnerability against the right opposition but there's no serious gulf in quality here vs Gordillo so he should have an effective match here. Maradona actually looks fairly well-marshalled here with the likes of Fernandez/Tardelli/Olsen to compete with him, but he'll still be influential of course and there's so much quality to contend with elsewhere now as well.

Imo it's a close game and will be disappointed if it ends up one sided.

But again it appears the Maradona effect will sway a lot of people, which is fair enough I guess, he's head and shoulders above any other attacking player in this draft.

I believe I have some strong players in central areas to give him a hard game. And my front 3 will cause his defence problems, I also think my wide players are better, I have a better striker and Rummenige is better than stoichkov.

 

[Physiocrat]

Even though Baresi dealt brilliantly with Romario in '94 that Brazil side was hardly the greatest creatively. In 2mufc's setup I can see Romario being provided with much better service. Now will a peak age Baresi cope with this, quite possibly however I think just looking at the 94 final as a battle between those two misses the overall context.

 

[Moby]

Why was Gio able to put together such a team like this at the QF stage?

It's all @Invictus fault.

 

[Invictus]

It's all @Invictus fault.

To be fair, it could've been muuuuch worse if he had gotten his hands on your sweeper pick. Anyway, don't wanna go into any sort of detail in the match thread since that will detract from the in-game discussions, so I'll tag @Arbitrium elsewhere.

 

[Enigma_87]

Two excellent teams. I don't think the gap is so huge as mentioned. Identical set ups and formations so it will go down to personal battles and individual quality across the park.

I'm not sure how well will Keegan perform in that #10ish position and who will be designated(if any) to run the game for @2mufc0, whilse Gio has almost perfect setup for Maradona. Falcao especially is a great fit and given the Falcao/Zico pairing him and Maradona would dovetail pretty well.

As of now I'm leaning towards @Gio but will follow the discussion.

 

[Gio]

Even though Baresi dealt brilliantly with Romario in '94 that Brazil side was hardly the greatest creatively. In 2mufc's setup I can see Romario being provided with much better service. Now will a peak age Baresi cope with this, quite possibly however I think just looking at the 94 final as a battle between those two misses the overall context.

Very true. It's only a ready-to-hand example. The main point is it's hard to think of anyone better than Baresi at dealing with Romario, whose unique skillset poses problems for so many defenders, even the great ones.

Just as an aside on that Brazil side. It doesn't really compare with 1982 or 1970 for sure. But they moved the ball a lot more elegantly than anyone else at the time and only Colombia and Holland had a relatively comparable smoothness in possession. Compared to their great sides from previous WC-winning campaigns it particularly lacks the legendary creative players, but Mazinho and Rai were very silky and their two full-backs were fantastic going forward.

 

[Ecstatic]

Will comment your game later. Useless post I know.

 

[idmanager]

That is almost a final ready team. Quite obvious where the next reinforcements are coming.
The semifinals and finals I presume would end up being anti-climaxes at this rate.

 

[Pat_Mustard]

Imo it's a close game and will be disappointed if it ends up one sided.

But again it appears the Maradona effect will sway a lot of people, which is fair enough I guess, he's head and shoulders above any other attacking player in this draft.

I believe I have some strong players in central areas to give him a hard game. And my front 3 will cause his defence problems, I also think my wide players are better, I have a better striker and Rummenige is better than stoichkov.

You've got a solid team and I don't think this would be an easy match for Gio's side, but I'm just not seeing many favourable head to head contests there. He's quite weak defensively at RWB but Gordillo isn't going to massively exploit that. I didn't think Alvarez looked particularly good on limited viewings but then I'm unsure of Keegan in that deeper, No. 10 role. Your CM duo look really well-suited to the task at hand, but I'm not sure what style of play you're going for. You're a bit short of creativity overall to go toe to toe with him, yet Gordillo and Donadoni don't seem ideal as wing backs for bunkering down and playing uber-defensively. Just a tough, tough match up for you, which would have been the case for any of us if we'd been drawn against Maradona with a really well-crafted team around him.

 

[Pat_Mustard]

Just as an aside on that Brazil side. It doesn't really compare with 1982 or 1970 for sure. But they moved the ball a lot more elegantly than anyone else at the time and only Colombia and Holland had a relatively comparable smoothness in possession. Compared to their great sides from previous WC-winning campaigns it particularly lacks the legendary creative players, but Mazinho and Rai were very silky and their two full-backs were fantastic going forward.

You seem to be forgetting someone here.

Spoiler

fecking champagne football. I agree that Brazil played some great stuff in that tournament though, and weren't nearly as dour as suggested.

 

[harms]

Not sure that Keegan is going to have a great game. I can buy him in a pair with Rummenigge, and he'd be a perfect partner for Romario up front but, imo, a number 10 role behind 2 strikers isn't ideal for him.

 

[idmanager]

Not sure that Keegan is going to have a great game. I can buy him in a pair with Rummenigge, and he'd be a perfect partner for Romario up front but, imo, a number 10 role behind 2 strikers isn't ideal for him.

Agreed. Felt the same.

 

[Physiocrat]

Very true. It's only a ready-to-hand example. The main point is it's hard to think of anyone better than Baresi at dealing with Romario, whose unique skillset poses problems for so many defenders, even the great ones.

Just as an aside on that Brazil side. It doesn't really compare with 1982 or 1970 for sure. But they moved the ball a lot more elegantly than anyone else at the time and only Colombia and Holland had a relatively comparable smoothness in possession. Compared to their great sides from previous WC-winning campaigns it particularly lacks the legendary creative players, but Mazinho and Rai were very silky and their two full-backs were fantastic going forward.

That's a fair assessment

 

[2mufc0]

I was expecting to lose this game but that score . This must have been the highest votes draft game so far in this draft.

Some of the comments have been exaggerated and there's no reason try and respond now. I can see why his team is considered better but certainly don't think by this margin.

If you did the individual player comparisons it will probably be close to equal. If it's because of Diego then we might aswell hand the draft to Gio already.

Well done @Gio good luck with the rest of the draft.

 

[Physiocrat]

I was expecting to lose this game but that score . This must have been the highest votes draft game so far in this draft.

Some of the comments have been exaggerated and there's no reason try and respond now. I can see why his team is considered better but certainly don't think by this margin.

If you did the individual player comparisons it will probably be close to equal. If it's because of Diego then we might aswell hand the draft to Gio already.

Well done @Gio good luck with the rest of the draft.

TBF the votes don't necessarily indicate how close them game voters think it will be. If most voters think Gio has a slight advantage it could look like a drubbing on votes but if you asked each voter it would likely be by 1 goal, two at most. We trialed scores as well as votes but it was very cumbersome and didn't work as intended

 

[2mufc0]

TBF the votes don't necessarily indicate how close them game voters think it will be. If most voters think Gio has a slight advantage it could look like a drubbing on votes but if you asked each voter it would likely be by 1 goal, two at most. We trialed scores as well as votes but it was very cumbersome and didn't work as intended

Yeah makes sense if you look at it that way, just thought I would get some votes as I honestly believe this team has a chance of winning.

 

[idmanager]

If it's because of Diego then we might aswell hand the draft to Gio already.

Last round, maybe. But this round, his additions are just wow. Best among the rest IMO. Absolutely amazing.
Doesn't happen a lot, but I think Maradona would not have been the first name most people following the draft would have noticed on that formation.
That spine is so sexy. Its easy to overlook most good oppositions against this team IMO.

 

[2mufc0]

Last round, maybe. But this round, his additions are just wow. Best among the rest IMO. Absolutely amazing.
Doesn't happen a lot, but I think Maradona would not have been the first name most people following the draft would have noticed on that formation.
That spine is so sexy. Its easy to overlook most good oppositions against this team IMO.

Yeah can't really argue with those two reinforcements. But his centre backs, rwb, Alavrez, Lineker and his keeper (if anyone takes this position into consideration) are underwhelming compared to the rest of the team.

 

[Gio]

TBF the votes don't necessarily indicate how close them game voters think it will be. If most voters think Gio has a slight advantage it could look like a drubbing on votes but if you asked each voter it would likely be by 1 goal, two at most. We trialed scores as well as votes but it was very cumbersome and didn't work as intended

Yeah, I think the scorelines idea would have provided a more realistic take on matters. Trying to keep it clean, simple and easy was the tricky part.

 

[BeforeKeanetherewasRobson]

I was expecting to lose this game but that score . This must have been the highest votes draft game so far in this draft.

Some of the comments have been exaggerated and there's no reason try and respond now. I can see why his team is considered better but certainly don't think by this margin.

If you did the individual player comparisons it will probably be close to equal. If it's because of Diego then we might aswell hand the draft to Gio already.

Well done @Gio good luck with the rest of the draft.

Thing is, if a lot of people see it as 55/45, they can only vote for a winner so you probably won't get a reflection of whether people thought it'd be tight, just who they'd go for?

Maradona has an influence on votes (how can he not, loads think he's No.1?) but wouldn't personally say he individually makes or breaks it for me. I like Gios front three, the midfield two looks good and I'm a huge fan of Brehme and Baresi so a lot of ticks.

I'm also a fan of Romario, Fernandez, Adams, Krol (especially) and Keegan... just not in the position suggested, see him as a forward pairing/SS.

Next time eh?

 

[idmanager]

Yeah can't really argue with those two reinforcements. But his centre backs, rwb, Alavrez, Lineker and his keeper (if anyone takes this position into consideration) are underwhelming compared to the rest of the team.

Talking about Alvarez and Di Livio, I like how they are placed. Not tactically, but psychologically.
Brehme beside Alvarez. Falcao beside Di Livio. Its easy to miss the short comings with these mind games with the voters, if you can call them that
I guess I personally rate Schwarzenbeck better. Read lots of good stuff about him and how underrated and in the shadows he was of the Kaiser. (Not watched too much, so not 100% sure obviously).
Hulshoff was another such defender picked in these drafts. Can't remember who picked him but that was one more underrated pick I loved.

 

[Enigma_87]

I was expecting to lose this game but that score . This must have been the highest votes draft game so far in this draft.

Some of the comments have been exaggerated and there's no reason try and respond now. I can see why his team is considered better but certainly don't think by this margin.

If you did the individual player comparisons it will probably be close to equal. If it's because of Diego then we might aswell hand the draft to Gio already.

Well done @Gio good luck with the rest of the draft.

Think it should be close for most voters as you have an excellent team. Where Gio wins it IMO is the core where he has GOAT's in Baresi and Maradona, Falcao who is very highly rated around here, same for Brehme and Stoichkov.

Di Livio and Alvarez are indeed weak spots bur probably Keegan in a bit unfamiliar role and not facing an out and out winger in Gordillo works a bit in Gio's favor in this matchup.

 

[Physiocrat]

Yeah, I think the scorelines idea would have provided a more realistic take on matters. Trying to keep it clean, simple and easy was the tricky part.

The best idea was EAPs win by 1, 2 and 3 goals but it didn't work from memory but I can't exactly remember why.

 

[Ecstatic]

Why was Gio able to put together such a team like this at the QF stage?

Gio made a good job as usual: consistent strategy, opportunities seized and a practical 3-5-2 system that hides more easily what some might consider as a "sheep" in a different tactical setup. He has a brilliant team of course.

That said, there are 16 managers. Some managers tend to make odd teams, that is the charm of these drafts. Then, you have managers (including myself) who made some mistakes. Some recent examples.


Example 1: I was more interested in choosing my subs (Bochini, Cueto) rathen than finishing my starting 11 I've decided to take Stielike even if I knew he played with Kaltz who was one of my top 4 priorities in this draft

Example 2: EAP picked Robson who played with his GK :/ - on the bench for the following game

Example 3: Physio picked Stielike in the latest reinforcement round - on the bench for the following game

Example 4: 2mufc. He was the 1st to pick in the reinforcement round. Romario is wonderful but he played with the RB Gerets in Eindhoven. Hoddle on the bench play. A 2nd GK so less options in midfield. Hoddle on the bench played with Adams IIRC

WHAT HAPPENS WITH PASSARELLA INSTEAD OF ROMARIO

Given the facts that Tardelli blocks Italy (Cabrini, Baresi...) and Rummenige Germany (Schuster, Kaltz, Stielike...), he could have taken Passarella and then...another available offensive player who could have been... Gullit unpicked. So, 2 mufc could have submitted the following team

---------------------Rummenige ---
------------------ Keagan
Gadocha--------------------------------- Gullit
------------------- Tardelli Fernandez
--- Krol ----- Passarella ---- Adams --- Gerets

Top defence. 3 Ballons d'or on the pitch: not so bad. Robust and compact 4-4-2. The remake "Gullit vs. Brehme".

Tactically, something relatively comparable with the 4-4-2 of SAF:

------------- Cantona / Hughes
Giggs---------------------------- Kanchelskis
---------- Ince ---- Keane

WHAT HAPPENS WITH BEST INSTEAD OF ROMARIO



---------------------Rummenige ---
------Gadocha------------------------------ Gullit
---------------Francescoli/Bochini/Socrates
-------------Tardelli------------- Fernandez
--- Gordillo -----Krol ---- Adams ------ Gerets



---------------------Rummenige ---
------Gadocha------------------------------ Gullit
-------------Tardelli------------- Cueto
----------------------- Fernandez
--- Gordillo -----Krol ---- Adams ------ Gerets


---------------------Rummenige ---
------Gadocha------------------------------ Gullit
-------------Kempes 78------------- Tardelli
----------------------- Fernandez
--- Gordillo -----Krol ---- Adams ------ Gerets



---------------------Rummenige ---
------Gadocha---------Gullit------------- Best
-------------Tardelli------------- Fernandez
--- Gordillo -----Krol ---- Adams --- Gerets

WHAT HAPPENS WITH FALCAO INSTEAD OF ROMARIO

---------------------Rummenige ---
------Gadocha------------------------------ Gullit
-------------Tardelli------------- Falcao
----------------------- Fernandez
--- Gordillo -----Krol ---- Adams ------ Gerets


-------------- --- Keagan-----Rummenige
------------- Francescoli/Bochini/Socrates
--------Tardelli--------------------------- Falcao
----------------------- Fernandez
--- Gordillo -----Krol ---- Adams ------ Gerets

 

[Ecstatic]

Other comments on the confrontation later

 

[Ecstatic]

- Stoickhov + Brehme MOTM
- Maradona factor but I love the duo Fernandez/Tardelli full of energy
- Keegan isn't really a #10
- Donadoni & Adam to suffer against Stoickhov
- Gordillo is hard to rated: no videos if IIRC

Gio deserves to win even if there isn't a a big gap in terms of quality between the 2 teams.

 

[Gio]

Keegan in that role might not suit a ball-dominating team, but I've seen Martin O'Neill effectively deploy Chris Sutton in the same position in Celtic's 3-5-2. It can work with a direct back-to-front game with a '10' full of graft (like Sutton and Keegan).

- Stoickhov + Brehme MOTM
- Maradona factor but I love the duo Fernandez/Tardelli full of energy
- Keegan isn't really a #10
- Donadoni & Adam to suffer against Stoickhov
- Gordillo is hard to rated: no videos if IIRC

Gio deserves to win even if there isn't a a big gap in terms of quality between the 2 teams.

I rate Donadoni and Gordillo highly: both were frequent flank dominators in the 1980s but also had that touch of class with their inventive dribbling and close control.

 

[Ecstatic]

Keegan in that role might not suit a ball-dominating team, but I've seen Martin O'Neill effectively deploy Chris Sutton in the same position in Celtic's 3-5-2. It can work with a direct back-to-front game with a '10' full of graft (like Sutton and Keegan).



I rate Donadoni and Gordillo highly: both were frequent flank dominators in the 1980s but also had that touch of class with their inventive dribbling and close control.

Thanks for the comment. I thought Donadoni was an Italian Pires.

 

[Gio]

Thanks for the comment. I thought Donadoni was an Italian Pires.

Not a bad comparison. Bit more graft about Donadoni under Sacchi's Milan IMO.

 

[Physiocrat]

Keegan in that role might not suit a ball-dominating team, but I've seen Martin O'Neill effectively deploy Chris Sutton in the same position in Celtic's 3-5-2. It can work with a direct back-to-front game with a '10' full of graft (like Sutton and Keegan).
.

Is that Sutton in the peak Everton Fellaini position?

 

[Gio]

Is that Sutton in the peak Everton Fellaini position?

Yeah. Sutton behind Hartson and Larrson. And not a regular tactic, but he did resort to it occasionally. I mean it's shit-on-stick football, but that Celtic team overpowered just about anybody they came up against.

 

[Physiocrat]

@Ecstatic

I picked Stielike in the hope I could replace Littbarski for Best and replace Franky with Stielike in the Semi. I probably made the biggest cock up of anyone int eh draft when I pick Cubillas as my second pick but I didn't see he's shared one season at Fort Lauderdale Strikers with Figueroa.

 

[Physiocrat]

Yeah. Sutton behind Hartson and Larrson. And not a regular tactic, but he did resort to it occasionally. I mean it's shit-on-stick football, but that Celtic team overpowered just about anybody they came up against.

It makes Walter Smith's long diagonal to the target man dominating the oppositions right back look like a Pep side.

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

Some of the comments have been exaggerated and there's no reason try and respond now.

Just got internet back....

Yeah at a glance it's a landslide, but honestly it's quite easy. I rate Donadoni and his workrate (just a shade behind Conti talentwise imo) but as a wingback, he's a misfit....esp with Stoichkov hovering there.

Did Gerets overlap with anyone? He'd have been perfect there. A straight 442 would have been more balanced. Gerets behind Donadoni would have been tough even for Brehme and Schwarzi.

If you really had to drop a player, it should have been Gordillo who was facing Di Livio.

 

[2mufc0]

Just got internet back....

Yeah at a glance it's a landslide, but honestly it's quite easy. I rate Donadoni and his workrate (just a shade behind Conti talentwise imo) but as a wingback, he's a misfit....esp with Stoichkov hovering there.

Did Gerets overlap with anyone? He'd have been perfect there. A straight 442 would have been more balanced. Gerets behind Donadoni would have been tough even for Brehme and Schwarzi.

If you really had to drop a player, it should have been Gordillo who was facing Di Livio.

Gerets played with Romario. I wouldn't have dropped him otherwise.

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

Gerets played with Romario. I wouldn't have dropped him otherwise.

Ah, still shouldn't have dropped him. As @Ecstatic says Best may have been a better reinforcement.