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....................................... TEAM 2MUFC0 ...................................................................................... TEAM ENIGMA .......................................
TEAM 2MUFC0
I will be going with the same tactic as the last round but welcome the legend Paolo Maldini to the team who comes straight in for an upgrade on Gentile. Maldini will play a similar role tucking in when we don't have the ball, but is a far superior player to Gentile when going forward and will be able to support Nedved more down the right hand side.
With this lineup i am looking at the way to get the best out of my two star players in defence and midfield Scirea and Platini. Looking at their career peaks was for Juve in the early 80's which ultimately led to European dominance in 1985 and for Scirea world dominance with Italy in 82, i have emulated the 'Zona Mista' tactic which was perfected by Giovanni Trapattoni.
Zona mista (Italian pronunciation: [ˈdzɔːna ˈmista]; in English language: "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.[1] The tactic reached the highest sporting level with Trapattoni's Juventus becoming the first club in history to reach the European Treble having won the three seasonal UEFA competitions and, in 1985, the first European side to win the Intercontinental Cup since it was restructured since years before,[2] 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;[3] making both teams between the greatest in sport's history.[4]
Regarded as the tactical evolution of catenaccio,[5] 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 markingcharacteristic 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, the wing-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/trequartista) (e.g. Michel Platini, Lothar Matthäus or Roberto Baggio) 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.[5][6] Although it is one of the first to use four defenders, zona mista is aesthetically more related to formations which succeeded it: 3–5–2 and an asymmetric 4–3–3system.[7][8]
Zona mista proved highly successful at national and international level: with it, Torino won the 1975–76 Serie A, its first after the Superga air disaster; Juventus played some of its finest football ever, setting the most enduring record in the history of Italian football by winning six league titles and two cups in ten years.[9] Juventus then extended this success to the international arena, starting in 1977 when the club won the UEFA Cup without foreign footballers, an unprecedented achievement for any country's team.[10] Subsequently, it lifted the Cup Winners' Cup, the European Champions Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup, making it the first, and so far only, club to have won all possible official international competitions.[11] These achievements lifted the Serie A for the first time to the top of the confederation ranking at the end of the 1985–86 season, a position maintained for the following three seasons.[12]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zona_mista
Regarded as the tactical evolution of catenaccio,[5] 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 markingcharacteristic 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, the wing-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/trequartista) (e.g. Michel Platini, Lothar Matthäus or Roberto Baggio) 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.[5][6] Although it is one of the first to use four defenders, zona mista is aesthetically more related to formations which succeeded it: 3–5–2 and an asymmetric 4–3–3system.[7][8]
Zona mista proved highly successful at national and international level: with it, Torino won the 1975–76 Serie A, its first after the Superga air disaster; Juventus played some of its finest football ever, setting the most enduring record in the history of Italian football by winning six league titles and two cups in ten years.[9] Juventus then extended this success to the international arena, starting in 1977 when the club won the UEFA Cup without foreign footballers, an unprecedented achievement for any country's team.[10] Subsequently, it lifted the Cup Winners' Cup, the European Champions Cup, the UEFA Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup, making it the first, and so far only, club to have won all possible official international competitions.[11] These achievements lifted the Serie A for the first time to the top of the confederation ranking at the end of the 1985–86 season, a position maintained for the following three seasons.[12]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zona_mista
This system allows Scirea to orchestrate from the back (known as one of the best of all time in this respect) and Platini space in the middle able to create chances for the attackers and he will also be able to make runs into the box and score himself. One of his best qualities was bringing in goals from the no.10 position, he was Serie A top scorer for 3 seasons in a row, quite an accomplishment for an attacking midfielder in one of the best defensive leagues at the time.
Team overview:
GK: Oliver Kahn at his peak level he is probably around the top of the pile when it comes to GK's, winning the golden ball in WC2002 over the likes of R9, Rivaldo etc.
CB: Gaetano Scirea one of the best ball playing CB's off all time and one of Italy's finest.
CB: Jurgen Kohler considered by some Germany's best defender of all time.
RCB/RB: Paolo Maldini considered as one of the greatest defenders of all time and one of the most versatile.
LB: Antonio Cabrini one of one of the best LB's of all time.
B2B CM: Lothar Matthaus arguably the greatest CM of all time and probably the most complete, he will link defence with attack.
DM: Desailly one of the best midfield destroyers known for his tenacity and high work rate providing screening for the defence allowing Matthaus to get forward.
RW: Pavel Nedved on the left known for his incredible work rate combined with dribbling, shooting and passing going forward, will be the workhorse going up and down the right side
LW/LF: Zbigniew Boniek pacey and tricky forward and is famous for the great link up play he had with Platini which is recreated in this side, he will also have Cabrini making overlapping runs supporting him.
AM: Platini who needs no introduction.
ST: Upfront i have one of the best no. 9's in the history of the game Marco van Basten capable of scoring impossible goals and an allround CF. He will have world class service from the Platini/Boniek/Nedved
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TEAM ENIGMA
Formation: 4-3-3
Defensive line: Normal
Style: Counter attacking - direct style - high work rate
Players:
GK: Sepp Maier - One of the best keepers of all time. The man won it all in terms of team achievements - 4 Bundesliga titles, 3 back to back CL titles, WC, EURO. His individual achievement include - three times German player of the year - the most achieved by a goalkeeper in an era where German football was brimming with talent (Beckenbauer, Netzer, Vogts,Breitner, etc). German goalkeeper of the century, 1974 WC all star team and many more. Nicknamed "the cat" he was characteristic with his impossible saves and the ability to shut out opponent attackers.
LB: Giacinto Facchetti - Arguably the best left full back ever. His ability to man his own flank is essential to our wing play. He was strong, tall, elegant and imposing defender in his playing days, he rarely seemed to lose his cool. Revolutionized the full back position playing 634 official games and scoring 75 goals. He played for the Internazionale team remembered as La Grande Inter. Facchetti is remembered as one of the first truly great attacking-full backs. He would make marauding runs upfield using his wonderful dribbling and crossing. He also possessed wonderful stamina and scored important goals.
RB: Carlos Alberto - Regarded as one of the best full backs ever Carlos Alberto Torres was well one of the most iconic figures in the game scored one of the most famous goals ever witnessed in the game. He was the captain of the 1970 WC winning side playing sublime football and Alberto was the pinnacle of attacks playing as an attacking right back of the modern era. Alberto went on to earn 53 caps for the national side scoring an 8 goals by bombing forward and causing havoc as relentless attacking full back. Apart from his attacking output he was also a brilliant defender often playing as a CB for his club teams and winning everything under the sun.
CB: Albert Schesternyov - Probably the best central defender to come out of the Soviet Union. He was tall, fast and very physical defender who on top of that was an excellent man marker.
Libero: Franz Beckenbauer - A living legend on and off the pitch, Franz Anton Beckenbauer is commonly considered one of the greatest players of all time. At the pinnacle of his wonderful career Beckenbauer’s nickname was highly suitable, as he literally ruled the football world; ‘Kaiser Franz‘, as he was widely known across the globe, captained the first team to win consecutively the European Championship (in 1972) and the World Cup (two years later), uniting the two crowns for the first time ever (France and Spain have since done it).
CB: Héctor Chumpitaz - One of the finest defender coming from South America. Strong, imposing, and damn fast he was the pillar of Peru's best team ever, whilst also winning numerous personal accolades:
* 1969 Best Defender CONMEBOL
* 1971 Best Defender CONMEBOL
* 1973 All Stars CONMEBOL: Captain
* 2000 World Soccer's: The 100 Greatest Footballers of All Time
* 2004 South American - Player of the Century: Ranking Nº 35
* 2007 Midfield Dynamo's 10 Heroes of the Copa América
* 2007 Copa America All-Star team, all-time
* 2008 All Stars CONMEBOL in the last 50 years
* 2008 Defender all-time goalscoring: Ranking Nº 32
CM(B2B) - Willem Van Hanegem - a complete midfielder as it gets. Energetic, with enormous work rate and solid defensively. True leader on the pitch and one of the all time greats in his position, he was regarded as the engine behind Johan Cruyff's vision. As one of the few standout Feyenoord players in a team constituted by Ajax's style of play, Van Hanegem's impeccable passing skills and work rate have never been forgotten.
CM/Playmaker - Günter Netzer - Arguably the best German playmaker ever(quite an achievement considering the other candidates). With his long blonde hair immortalised by students of fashion as well as students of football, with his unforced genius in finding space – his and his team mates space – through exuberant movement and extravagant passing that was never wasteful or self-indulgent; and with the inherent flair that presented itself through audacious goals, Gunter Netzer did evoke the contradictory spirit of the Gods.
His technical accomplishments, his football intelligence, his thoughtful analysis of the numerous options available to a player – available to a gifted player, or to a renegade player at least – at any given split second on the football field, and his uncanny and awe-inspiring ability to execute them perfectly, left him immune to contrived, soulless football.
When it comes to discussing the finest midfielders of all time, the name of Gunter Netzer is often criminally overlooked. However, it is worth remembering that no player has single-handedly humiliated England at Wembley like the German did during a now legendary Euro '72 quarter-final first-leg clash in London. The then Borussia Monchengladbach playmaker ran the show from start to finish and capped a wonderful display with a late penalty in a thoroughly deserved 3-1 win.
Netzer maintained his majestic form in the semi-final and final; the Soviet Union could not get close to him as they were thrashed 3-0 in the Brussels showpiece.
RW: Jairzinho - "The Hurricane" was an amazing footballer, who at his peak formed a great partnership with Carlos Alberto producing one of the best WC performances from a player in 1970. Scoring over 250 goals in his career he was prolific and electrifying forward and man for the occasion.
SS: Eusébio - considered one of the greatest goalscorers ever, the "Black Panther" lit up the WC in 1966. Hard to imagine a more decisive player than him who turned the game against North Korea practically on his own with Portugal having their back to the wall and being 3-0 down. Eusebio's nine goals in England propelled Portugal to a third-place finish, and a succession of opposing teams simply had no answer to the power and pace of his play. Eusébio was the catalyst of the great Benfica side that was one of the best European teams in the early 60's.
CF: Denis Law - "The King" was a complete CF and probably the best strikers United had in their history. Denis was the showman supreme. He was more than a mere goal scorer whose cavalier thrusts and menacing darts brought panic to opposing defences. Law was an inspiration to those around him at club and country level and to younger generations of fans everywhere. Team-mates adored him, opponents feared him and fans revered him. He was a free spirit, an extrovert, a complete one-off, a rare combination of impudence and intelligence, class and clout. Denis Law is, was and always will be The King. He will form a truly complimentary partnership along with Eusebio, that has already happened back in 1963:
Player roles:
GK: Sepp Maier - Excellent shot stopper, wall for opposing attackers.
LB: Giacinto Facchetti - Enthusiastic full back manning the whole flank and contributing in both phases
RB: Carlos Alberto - Like Facchetti on the other side, he'll be contributing in both phases and renewing his awesome partnership with Jairzinho.
CB: Hector Chumpitaz - complete CB who combines strength, pace and an excellent man marker.
CB: Albert Schesternyov - Physical defender and excellent man marker will take care of Van Basten both on the deck and in the air
Libero: Franz Beckenbauer - overload the midfield, track Platini's runs and generally neutralize the opposition attack
CM: Willem Van Hanegem - Box to box in his favorite role - the engine of the team.
CM: Netzer - The playmaker of the team, will be running the game with his exquisite passing game and vision.
RW: Jairzinho - Right winger in his 1970 role.
SS: Eusebio - second striker and free roaming forward, playing in free role and causing havoc in the opposition defence with pace, power and darting runs.
CF: Denis Law - Complete striker with top notch movement and excellent finishing
Key Points:
- Amazing defence consisting of two GOAT wing backs, the best defensive player in history in Beckenbauer complimented by a tall physical defender in Schesternyov and one of South America greats in Chumpitaz with Maier being the last line of defence.
- complimentary midfield full of grit, determination, engine and awesome playmaking ability in Netzer.
- Attack lead by two of the greatest goalscorers in the game in Eusebio and Law, whilst also having a proven right flank combo and Facchetti on the left.
- Very direct side capable of moving the ball very fast with Netzer/Hanegem and Beckenbauer able to find our attackers with pinpoint passes.
- Equally devastating both on the flanks and also through the middle.
Tactics: We have made some slight alterations to the team compared to last game with the sole purpose of having Schesternyov up against van Basten. Van Basten being great in the air and also 2mufc focal point in attack had to be taken care of personally.
In addition to that we have arguably the greatest defensive player in Beckenbauer who will be tracking Platini and also overloading the midfield when in possession.
