The Double Draft - QF 1: Downcast Vs. Skizzo/Pat

With featured players in their prime, who will win the match?

  • Total voters
    13
  • Poll closed .

Chesterlestreet

Man of the crowd
Joined
Oct 19, 2012
Messages
19,791
TEAM DOWNCAST:

The Changes

Careca <-> Romario
Tardelli <-> Matthäus
Brown <-> Ferrara
Conti <-> Reuter
Areola <-> Fillol

Matthäus - the ultimate complete midfielder

“The Superman” was a powerful dynamo midfielder. He was renowned for his perceptive passing, positional sense, movement, tireless, acceleration and well-timed tackling, as well as his explosive shot.

He played in 5 World Cups (more than any other outfield player, record for the most WC appearances with 25 games) and 4 Euros. The Ballon d'Or 1990 is the most capped German player with 150. The first half of his career was performed as a box-to-box midfielder. Afterwards, He moved down to play as Libero. He played in professional level for 22 seasons.
Diego Maradona "he is the best rival I've ever had. I guess that's enough to define him", in his book Yo soy el Diego (I am the Diego)

Romario - Authentic Brazil - The New Striker
  • Johan Cruyff defined him as a "genius of the goal area".
  • Ronaldo: "Romário was the most decisive player who I played with, he was a great goal scorer, finisher, skilful, opportunist. I think I learnt all of that from him".
  • Roberto Baggio: "Romário is one of the greatest players of all time. He has good technique and personality. He is a master of art in the penalty area."
  • Diego Maradona on who was the best player he ever saw play: "It is between Romário and Van Basten".


I'm like any Brazilian: I like to go out and enjoy myself.

We Brazilians, happily or unhappily, leave a lot to the last minute.

God created me to delight people with my goals.

The coach should keep out of the way... He is an important figure, of course, but is more likely to lose a match than win it. Matches are won by players.

The night has always been my friend. When I go out I feel good, then I always score goals.

I am not happy to play for Barcelona, but Barcelona should be happy that I play there.

Will I become a coach in the future? No way. I'd never be able to put up with someone like me.

I have scored against every team, every country, every defender in the world.

Officially I'm not playing any more. I've stopped. My time is up. Everything has been a lot of fun.
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The Starting XI

Diego Armando Maradona - Playmaking-Attacking Midfielder - The greatest footballer of all-time?



Ferenc Puskas - Inside-left Forward - The greatest Eastern European footballer?
"The Galloping Major" was one of the most prolific scorers ever: 662 Goals in 669 Games as a professional player. He had great striking technique and was a deadly goal finisher with his precision left-foot, maybe the greatest shooter ever. He operated his game as an inside-left and always performed a formidable ball control to the nearby penalty box area and shot by himself or assist to his teammate. Known for his professionalism, he's one of the most consistency footballers, one of the best players in the World in the highest age at 33 years old in 1960 and remained making scores until retirement at 39 year olds. He was both a prominent member and captain of the legendary Hungarian national team, known as the Mighty Magyars.

Romario -Fast striker - The 2nd most prolific scorer in history of football only to Joseph Bican
"O Baixinho" scored more than 1,000 goals during his career including unofficial matches. He is one of the greatest first touch goal-getters of all-time, processed great shooting and dribbling technique.



Matthaus - Box-to-Box Version Inter 88/92 !- The greatest post-war central midfielder of all-time?

World Cup Participation : 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998 (25 Games)
1990 World Soccer Player Of The Year
1991 FIFA World Player Of The Year
European Footballer Of The Year : 1990 Gold, 1991 Silver
2 Times German Footballer Of The Year (1990, 1999)



Luis Monti - The Destroyer or 'The Double Wide'
Considered as the greatest Half-Back in the pre-war era. Monti was gotten his nickname because of his coverage on the pitch, was a rugged and ruthless player, but had good technical skills to go with his strong tackling. He played as an attacking centre half in the old-fashioned Metodo system. As such he would mark the opposing centre forward when his team were defending, but would be the main midfield playmaker when his team was on the attack. He played in two World Cup finals with Argentina and Italy. A match against Austria in World Cup 1934 was one of the best remembered games of his, Monti responsible for marking Matthias Sindelar who was one of the greatest attackers in that era, This task was a lot of success completed.
World Cup All-Star Team (1930, 1934)

Roberto Carlos - Offensive Left-Back in a "Zona Mista" tactical system
One of the most team decorated footballers & the best football entertainers. Famous for his powerful and banana free-kick, excellent technique, recuperation, high work-rate and speed. Awesome style of play.

Ruggeri - CB
“The Big Headed One” always gave his best and committed to marshalling a tight defense, skillful at marking and positioning and excellent in the air. Indispensable player to help Argentina to reach 2 consecutive WC final round. One of few players in history of the game to win 4 league titles with 4 different teams. In 1986, he is believed to be the best defender in the World for his performance help his team to win Copa Libertadores Cup and FIFA World Cup. One of the three defenders in history to win South American footballer of the year award.
World Cup Participation : 1986, 1990, 1994 (16 Games)1986 South American Defender of The Year
1989 Spanish La Liga Player Of The Year
1991 Argentine League/Sportsman of The Year
1991 El Pais South American Footballer Of The Year

Ferrrara - CB - One of the most underrated top defenders ever
He started his career at Napoli before moving to Juventus and became captain soon after joining the team, and soon became one of the most experienced and decorated players. A true commader in Juventus's backline, being an experienced and dominating defender. Internationally, He was never truly realized despite his impressive tally of caps. There are two reasons for this: 1. Italy had a host of other world class players in his position that often blocked his route. 2. He was very unfortunate with injuries. Not so well-known outside his native-country, but within Italy he is regarded as just another illustrious defender in a long-line of world class Italian defenders. Ferrara is considered as the best defender in series A by media rating once in 1987. He was nominated in Ballon'Dor once in 1997.
Scrirea - One of top 5 greatest Sweepers of All-Time! My preferred defender
wub.gif

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.
World Cup Participation : 1978, 1982, 1986 (18 Games)
1980 UEFA Euro Best Defender



Reuter - RB - 80s-90-00s
He was a durable dependable right sided midfielder and defender noted for his excellent speed on the field (100 m in 11.2 s) was nicknamed " der Turbo". Reuter was part of the 1990 World Championship team, as well as on winning teams that competed in the Euro 1996, and the Champions League in 1997. He played on five teams that won the German Championship, and in 1984, a team that won the U-16 European Championship. .#Deutsche Qualität

Ubaldo Fillol - GK - 70-80s - 1978 FIFA World Cup’s Best Goalkeeper - 2nd Greatest South American GK of All-Time
"The Duck” was totally voted in top five South American footballer of the year in 8 times. His best highlight is the performance in world cup 1978 which he made many brilliant saves especially final match until Argentina won their victory first world cup. Known for his exceptional fast reflexes to ever play the game plus his excellent shot-blocking and positional play. Stats: 58 Games with Argentina (20 Clean Sheets). Record all-time most penalty saves in Argentine football. Carrizo - born in 1926 - is the Greatest South-American of All-Times

KEY CONSIDERATIONS

- The Ma-Pu-Ro attack is comprised of 3 top scorers (Puskas 4 times Pichichi, Maradona best top scorer of the Seria A in 1988 and Romario)against 2 for Pat/Skizzo.
- To stop both Maradona & Matthaus is almost impossible
- No reliance on 1 CF or 1 playmaker.
- 30% of the goals are scored on set-pieces: I possess Maradona, Matthäus, Robert Carlos depending the distance from the goal.
- Winning spirit: 9 WC Winners part of my starting 11
- Maradona: bad memories for Rijkaard in the Calcio: to be explained later

 
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TEAM SKIZZO/PAT_MUSTARD:

[URL='http://sharemytactics.com/71554/'][/URL]
NOTE: FORMATION CHANGE MADE AT 21:30




Formation: 3-4-2-1

Firstly, Downcast has assembled a juggernaut of a team. Arguably the pick of all the teams in the first round, he has reinforced formidably with Matthaus and Romario. We expect him to line up a little differently than last time, but with a heavy focus on attacking through the middle, and we’ve set up to counter this with a 3-4-2-1, with an emphasis on crowding the centre of the pitch when we’re out of possession and funnelling his attacks out wide. In possession, the trio of Cuyff, Schiaffino and Henry will utilise their superb movement and short passing games to stretch the width of the pitch and create overloads, aiming in particular to exploit space behind the wing backs and pull Ruggeri out of his comfort zone.

The 3-4-3 and its variants have an impressive lineage, with our star signing Johan Cruyff at its centre. Cruyff’s iconic Barcelona ‘Dream Team’ of the early 1990s deployed a 3-4-3 to memorable effect, as did Louis van Gaal’s 1995 CL-winning Ajax side. More recently, the formation has undergone something of a resurgence, with the likes of Chile and Mexico at international level and Napoli at club level playing 3-4-3 variants. It is Cruyff disciple Pep Guardiola, however, who has been the highest level 3-4-3 exponent, deploying the formation at both Barca and Bayern to good effect. It’s one of Pep’s Bayern versions that is the closest analogue to what we’re fielding here.

We’ve opted for a 3-4-2-1 with wing backs for two principal reasons. Firstly, the main vulnerability of the system is facing width, and Downcast’s team is unlikely to overwhelm us on the flanks. Cabrini and McGrain will certainly hold their own versus Reuter and Roberto Carlos in their respective tussles, and we don’t see the likes of Puskas and Romario providing much in the way of supplementary width. Secondly and interrelatedly, the system will provide us with a suffocating presence in the middle of the pitch where Downcast is so strong. Our three man defence of Rijkaard, Passarella and McGrath melds technical and tactical brilliance with outstanding leadership and athleticism,and Van Hanegem and Schuster in central midfield are two of the finest all-rounders in the draft. Ahead of them are two of the greatest orchestrators and on-field technicians the game has ever seen in Cruyff and Schiaffino.

Key Tactical Points:

1) Out of possession, one of Cruyff and Schiaffino will always drop back into central midfield. The tactics are to flood the centre of the pitch, closing off passing lanes and shepherding the opposition into playing the ball out wide. Here we fancy our wing backs to at least hold their own against Conti/Reuter and Roberto Carlos. Furthermore, for all their talents, Downcast’s team lacks both obvious supplemental width and aerial threat, so we expect the likes of McGrath and Passarella to comfortably deal with crosses.

2) Targetting Ruggeri: Ruggeri is a fine defender, who we were happy to field all the way to the final in a previous All-Time Draft. He’s at his best, however, duelling directly with a strong centre forward, and at his most vulnerable against precisely the threats he faces here. Henry, Cruyff and Schiaffino provide the sort of pace and trickery that he’ll struggle with, compounded by the fact that they’ll be constantly interchanging and seeking to create overloads. Even with the support of the superb Scirea, this isn’t an assignment that he’ll enjoy, nor is it one that plays to his strengths.

3) Supplementary Width: This is an area where we have an edge. Puskas, Romario and to a lesser extent Maradona all favour the centre of the pitch and will come up against our powerful and numerically stacked spine. In contrast, Henry is one of the most mobile strikers in the draft and was famous for exploiting the left wing, while Cruyff arguably probed the length and width of the pitch more comprehensively than any of the other great playmakers in history. Here, he’ll be looking to create overloads against Ferrara and Ruggeri, and find space in behind Roberto Carlos, while Schaffino’s short passing game should dovetail beautifully together.

4) Tactical Intelligence: This is unquestionably a tactically demanding set up, but we have the rich seam of tactical intelligence throughout the side to pull it off. Cruyff, of course, is possibly the most cerebral player ever, and his compatriots van Hanegem and Rijkaard are used to similarly rigorous set ups as well. Schiaffino and Schuster, meanwhile, were both sufficiently well-rounded and intelligent to play as liberos later in their career.

And lastly, as always, good luck Downcast!
 
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Note: There's something odd about the formating above - fonts and colours - but it should look alright (enough) now.

Let me know if there's any text missing.

Also - as a general note - it's not a good idea to include embedded vids in the OP: These won't show up when the post is simply copy/pasted in its entirety, so the URLs will have to be retrieved separately by the (match) thread starter, and then embedded one by one (which is a bit of a pain in the arse): So, if you want vids for illustration purposes, it's better to post them yourself after the match is on.

Same goes for spoilers and quotes and that sort of thing - the plainer you keep the formating, the easier it is for the thread starter to reproduce your OP.
 
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Since I won't be around much, and I know there'll be a mountain of posts from @Downcast when he returns, I thought I'd take the opportunity to poat some initial thoughts before it gets lost in the bombardment :p

Firstly, they're fairly similar set ups, with 3 central defenders, two marauding full backs, and creative attacking players through the middle. Obviously that's a fairly basic, barebones assessment.

The difference in set ups, and where we feel we can exploit the opposition set up, is with our 3 attacking players who will create space with their pace, movement and creativity. I'm not convinced by the ability of the opposition defense to be comfortable with that challenge.

On the flip side, as we touched on in the OP, all of the key players on the opposition will be looking to move into the same central areas. None of Matthaus, Puskas, Romario or Maradona will look to stretch play wide, and with our two hard working midfielders, and a back three who have all been renowned for their monstrous defensive performances (which would be needed here, granted) we feel we can keep it tight at the back and use the pace and movement up front to steal a goal or two.

We'll expand more once discussions start.

And there's never a bad time to enjoy some footage of some of the greats on display here :)







And I'd be shot by @Pat_Mustard if I left without posting this

 
Downcast assembled an absolutely monstrous team.

Although I don't rate Reuter at this level (personal preference) and he'll be up against Cabrini, Cruyff and Henry most of the time, but Ferrara, Monti and Matthaus is a brilliant cover.

And the second point - I don't think that Romario is the right type of center forward for Puskas, Maradona and Matthaus. Van Basten would've been perfect, Kocsis would've been great as a cheaper alternative

Still edging towards Downcast here
 
Good luck @Pat_Mustard & @Skizzo

Skizzo said:
Since I won't be around much, and I know there'll be a mountain of posts from @Downcast when he returns, I thought I'd take the opportunity to poat some initial thoughts before it gets lost in the bombardment :p
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:lol: No, just 2-3-4 posts to start :D

Skizzo said:
And I'd be shot by @Pat_Mustard if I left without posting this

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2 opposing managers against me. Humm. It reminds me this pic. @harms could find a similar pic for Messi!

BELARG4.jpg
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Argentina 1-0 Belgium - WC 1982
 
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As good as Skizzo and Pats tactics are I can't find a way that Downcast loses this. His team is unbelievable for the 2nd round and if he gets lucky with injuries again could sail through to the final without many changes.
 
P-Nut0712 said:
As good as Skizzo and Pats tactics are I can't find a way that Downcast loses this. His team is unbelievable for the 2nd round and if he gets lucky with injuries again could sail through to the final without many changes.
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Yeah, very lucky because I have all my 3 GOATS contrary to Invictus or ctp for example.
 
Skizzo/Pat - any views on how Passarella and Rijkaard will play on the ball?
 
harms said:
Downcast assembled an absolutely monstrous team.

Although I don't rate Reuter at this level (personal preference) and he'll be up against Cabrini, Cruyff and Henry most of the time, but Ferrara, Monti and Matthaus is a brilliant cover.

And the second point - I don't think that Romario is the right type of center forward for Puskas, Maradona and Matthaus. Van Basten would've been perfect, Kocsis would've been great as a cheaper alternative

Still edging towards Downcast here
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1. Yeah, Reuter is my weakest player and doesn't belong to the top 30 of the 'greatest RB of All-Time'. I understand he is very solid and pacy. My top priorities were a CF, a stopper (able to play as a RB) and a central midfielder. In Germany, Vogts-Lahm-Kaltz-Höttges are better

2. The most interesting options to replace Careca were Gerd Muller, Van Basten, Romario and Kocsis. The budget for the striker was 23m maximum (given the price for Matthaus).

- Gerd Muller: 25m
- Van Basten: 30m
- Romario: 23m

If I had lost Romario, then the top priority would have been Kocsis for a cheap price. It would have been interesting because with the savings, I could have taken a RB.

To answer your question:

- On the one hand, the partnership Kocsis-Puskas would have been perfect: an Hungarian version of the duo Cole-Yorke. It makes sense. Proven partnership.
- On the other hand, Romario offers more mobility. I will make some posts to present Romario.
 
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DISCLAIMER

I'm a big fan of the opposing players. I won't say any word about the players of pat/skizzo.

But, I have to express my views regarding your tactical system and how your players are used or should be used

Some posts will follow.
 
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My main concern is the midfield 'Van Hanegem-Schuster' in terms of defensive contribution.

Van Hanegem is a brilliant box-to-box while Schuster is an Attacking Midfielder.

Consequently, I was sure Rijkaard would play as a defensive midfielder given your squad.

That is why, I had prepared some gifs regarding Milan Ac about the 'battle midfield'.

Let's analyse one game Napoli 4-1 Milan (88/89) of Rijkaard (here DM), Baresi & co.

Please click on the gifs to get a complete vision. Gifs are inserted into quotes not to make your screen sluggish.

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Head Maradona





Puskas left + Maradona + Romario right





Maradona relax under pressure





Football is sample - Ferrara gives the ball to Maradona


 
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Hum... Some could say 'Oh, he was good only in this particular game against Milan."
 
So, let's look at the other confrontations then.
 
Other confrontations - Maradona vs Milan







 
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Now, let's move on and talk about the other players
 
Chesterlestreet said:
TEAM SKIZZO/PAT_MUSTARD:
4) Tactical Intelligence: This is unquestionably a tactically demanding set up, but we have the rich seam of tactical intelligence throughout the side to pull it off. Cruyff, of course, is possibly the most cerebral player ever, and his compatriots van Hanegem and Rijkaard are used to similarly rigorous set ups as well. Schiaffino and Schuster, meanwhile, were both sufficiently well-rounded and intelligent to play as liberos later in their career.
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1. I fully agree with you regarding Cruyff and the tactical intelligence of your players.

2. Are you sure Rijkaard has played in a similar rigorous set up? In any case, Rijkaard could do a decent job here.


Milan 88-94

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Euro 1988 Final - Netherlands 2 -0 @harms :(
2000px-Netherlands_vs_Soviet_Union_1988-06-25.svg.png
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@Downcast .. very beautiful team, the front three may not fit in an orthodox manner but so much talent there that creating chances on goal is inevitable. Good usage of Gifs too.. Diego is a beast.
 
Henry could be considered as the greatest French striker of All-Time given his CV. Versatile player with a high work-rate.

IMHO - Cruyff has to be your Super Star and the team has to be built to please him.

Sure, Cruyff would be fantastic here but I would have preferred a tactical system where:

- Cruyff operates as a false 9 so that he would have the freedom to enlighten all the pitch and the entire game

- Henry on the left as he did with Barcelona and...Monaco when he was 17-18 years old. And at the age of 17, he was already a phenomenon - like Dembélé BTW (the latter is rather an attacking midfielder)
 
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I will come back in 3-4 hours

Raees said:
@Downcast .. very beautiful team, the front three may not fit in an orthodox manner but so much talent there that creating chances on goal is inevitable. Good usage of Gifs too.. Diego is a beast.
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Thanks. The Gifs make the threads living :)
 
Gio said:
Skizzo/Pat - any views on how Passarella and Rijkaard will play on the ball?
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Neither are likely to be pressed particularly hard by Romario or Puskas when they regain possession so they're free to advance into midfield in possession while the other holds the fort alongside McGrath in defence. I'd have said at the start that Passarella would be told to curtail his forays upfield, but given the scoreline I suppose we might as well free him up to burst upfield in search of a goal occasionally if he wants to :lol:.

 
result:eek:
Voted for skizzo and pat(cant remember when was the last time i voted against them:nervous:), both top teams but i like theirs little bit more as its more balanced.
Not the biggest fan of Matthaus in this system, i prefer him and he is at his best when he is the main star of the team, here where he needs to do the dog work for Puskas and Maradona i dont know, cant see it(someone like Davids, Tigana, Schweini would be a much better fit IMO). Can do a decent job thats for sure but it wont be nowhere near the peak Matthaus.
As for Cruyff, he doesnt need to play as a false nine, he can play as a fullback if his role is right and here it is, he will be the main man and the supporting cast fits him very well, specially Henry so i can see them having a great partnership.
 
Chesterlestreet said:
3) Supplementary Width: This is an area where we have an edge. Puskas, Romario and to a lesser extent Maradona all favour the centre of the pitch and will come up against our powerful and numerically stacked spine. In contrast, Henry is one of the most mobile strikers in the draft and was famous for exploiting the left wing, while Cruyff arguably probed the length and width of the pitch more comprehensively than any of the other great playmakers in history. Here, he’ll be looking to create overloads against Ferrara and Ruggeri, and find space in behind Roberto Carlos, while Schaffino’s short passing game should dovetail beautifully together.
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I think that's a fair point, but in terms of Maradona and Matthaus both shone when they got into wide areas with their speed and all-roundedness. Not that you'd ever deploy them directly out wide, but in deploying a 3-5-2 they do the necessary wide work IMO.



harms said:
And the second point - I don't think that Romario is the right type of center forward for Puskas, Maradona and Matthaus. Van Basten would've been perfect, Kocsis would've been great as a cheaper alternative
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I think he fits well. He ain't going to duplicate anything that Diego will do and he'll forever be on the end of things in the box after his partner has done the hard creative work.

@Downcast Any chance of spoilering some of these videos? My poor computer is struggling to keep up here.
 
Šjor Bepo said:
Not the biggest fan of Matthaus in this system, i prefer him and he is at his best when he is the main star of the team, here where he needs to do the dog work for Puskas and Maradona i dont know, cant see it(someone like Davids, Tigana, Schweini would be a much better fit IMO). Can do a decent job thats for sure but it wont be nowhere near the peak Matthaus.
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Matthaus is not a #6 but rather a #8 or box-to-box if you prefer. I don't think Matthaus would be 'frustrated' because - as usual - 5 defensive are here to support him.

---> With Germany, he used to play in a 3-5-2 sytem: WC 1990 winner. 5 defensive players to support him
---> With Inter Milan, he used to play in a Zona Mista tactical system: I need the Italian version of Matthaus!!!

Good question: Are Matthaus & Maradona able to play together? The answer is Yes.
I thought long & hard about this point.

The career peak of Matthaus is between 1988 and 1992

  • Serie A: 1988–89
  • Supercoppa Italiana: 1989
  • UEFA Cup: 1990–91
  • FIFA World Cup: 1990
  • UEFA Euro Team of the Tournament: 1988
  • FIFA World Cup Silver Ball: 1990
  • FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1990
  • Onze d'Or: 1990
  • Footballer of the Year in Germany: 1990
  • Goal of the Year in Germany: 1990, 1992
  • World Soccer Awards Player of the Year: 1990
  • IFFHS World’s Best Player: 1990
  • Bravo Otto – Bronze award: 1990
  • Ballon d'Or: 1990
  • FIFA World Player of the Year: 1991
  • Golden Pirate: 1991

Matthaus played for Inter Milan between 88 & 92

1do36m4.jpg
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If you prefer:

Brehme = Roberto Carlos = someone who owns the left flank
Bianchi = Reuter = someone who owns the right flank
Mandorlini-Ferri-Bergomi /// Scirea+ Ferrara + Ruggeri
Matteoli = Monti

--> All in all, Maradona is more offensive than Berti while Reuter is more defensive than Bianchi.
--> 2 CFs.

As you can see, Matthaus was able to operate - at his prime - on the right side when necessary. Bianchi is a right winger and Matthaus used to cover him when necessary.

Gio said:
Any chance of spoilering some of these videos? My poor computer is struggling to keep up here.
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Done !
 
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Let's talk about Germany.

WC Final 1986

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Germany 90-96 was rather flexible

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As you can see, Maradona tends to play on the left part of the pitch while Matthaus had the opportunity to support a central attacking midfielder like Magath.

Maradona also knows how to play with 2 CFs.

napoli-1989.jpg
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Downcast said:
Matthaus is not a #6 but rather a #8 or box-to-box if you prefer. I don't think Matthaus would be 'frustrated' because - as usual - 5 defensive are here to support him.

---> With Germany, he used to play in a 3-5-2 sytem: WC 1990 winner. 5 defensive players to support him
---> With Inter Milan, he used to play in a Zona Mista tactical system: I need the Italian version of Matthaus!!!

Good question: Are Matthaus & Maradona able to play together? The answer is Yes.
I thought long & hard about this point.

As you can see, Matthaus was able to operate - at his prime - on the right side when necessary. Bianchi is a right winger and Matthaus used to cover him when necessary.
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I know he is a #8 and defensive wise i dont have any problems with it, maybe i used the wrong term when i said dog work. He is at his best when played at number 10 and being given freedom to do what he wants, in that scenario he dominates the midfield on his own and pretty much combines two roles into one - b2b and number 10. With Puskas and Maradona on the pitch he cant do that, he would have to play in a supporting role and while im not sure how good he would be in that role im 100% sure he wouldnt be at his best. I wouldnt have any problems if he was a number 8 but with more freedom and different type of teammates, i cant see it with Maradona and Puskas.
It has little to do where he is positionally, he can play both on the left and right i have no problems with that.
 
Šjor Bepo said:
I know he is a #8 and defensive wise i dont have any problems with it, maybe i used the wrong term when i said dog work. He is at his best when played at number 10 and being given freedom to do what he wants, in that scenario he dominates the midfield on his own and pretty much combines two roles into one - b2b and number 10. With Puskas and Maradona on the pitch he cant do that, he would have to play in a supporting role and while im not sure how good he would be in that role im 100% sure he wouldnt be at his best. I wouldnt have any problems if he was a number 8 but with more freedom and different type of teammates, i cant see it with Maradona and Puskas.
It has little to do where he is positionally, he can play both on the left and right i have no problems with that.
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I respect your opinions including the fact you would be comfortable to see 'Cruyff as a full back' :p

In any case, I can't replicate Germany version 90 because:

- the super star is Maradona
- I don't have the equivalent of Littbarski & Hassler in terms of style of play if I did want to use Maradona as a support striker and put Puskas out.

My inspiration is rather Inter Milan 89-92

 
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Downcast said:
I respect your opinions including the fact you would be comfortable to see 'Cruyff as a full back' :p

In any case, I can't replicate Germany version 90 because:

- the super star is Maradona
- I don't have the equivalent of Littbarski & Hassler in terms of style of play if I did want to use Maradona as a support striker and put Puskas out.

My inspiration is rather Inter Milan 89-92

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Well, i hope you understand what i meant to say with that Cruyff line:p
As for Matthaus, i dont and didnt look your team as a replica of any other team but my point still stands, from my knowledge Matthaus was a main man in that Inter side while here he would have a support role for Maradona and Puskas.
 
Downcast said:
Henry could be considered as the greatest French striker of All-Time given his CV. Versatile player with a high work-rate.

IMHO - Cruyff has to be your Super Star and the team has to be built to please him.

Sure, Cruyff would be fantastic here but I would have preferred a tactical system where:

- Cruyff operates as a false 9 so that he would have the freedom to enlighten all the pitch and the entire game

- Henry on the left as he did with Barcelona and...Monaco when he was 17-18 years old. And at the age of 17, he was already a phenomenon - like Dembélé BTW (the latter is rather an attacking midfielder)
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We signed Cruyff with the plan of playing him as a False 9 but that went out the window when we drew you -we needed to flood the centre of the pitch as much as possible to combat your strength there. Cruyff is still very much our star however and he has licence to do whatever he wants in the offensive phase. I think he'd be very happy in this set up, with Henry stretching the play with his electric pace and an early Total Football prototype in Schiaffino alongside him. An excerpt from a Guardian article on Schiaffino that suggests he played in 3 different positions during a single WC:

though Uruguay did not retain their World Cup in Switzerland in 1954, both he and they gave a fine account of themselves.

In their opening game, Schiaffino scored the second goal in a 2-0 win against Austria. Then came the demolition of Scotland. Although he did not score any of his side's seven goals, Schiaffino pulled the strings throughout, showing an almost clairvoyant understanding with his centre-forward, Hector Miguez.

Next, in a sweltering Sunday afternoon quarter-final, England gave Uruguay a powerful run for their money. But it was Schiaffino's controversial goal, which made it 3-1, that really tipped the balance. Varela illicitly took a free kick from hand; Ambrois and Miguez conjured the ball to Schiaffino; and goalkeeper Gil Merrick was too slow to stop the shot. When injuries led Uruguay to realign their forces, Schiaffino, in the words of a commentator, "was withdrawn to take over the central defensive position, from where he was to show his real mastery as one of the greatest and most balanced all-round footballers on the contemporary scene".

In a magnificent semi-final against Hungary, a depleted Uruguayan team virtually used Schiaffino as centre-forward. With 15 minutes left, and Uruguay 2-0 down, his pass sent Hohberg, a naturalised Argentinian, racing through to score. Three minutes from time, Schiaffino made Hohberg the equaliser, but Hungary scored twice in extra time. In the meaningless third-place match against Austria, Schiaffino yet again sent Hohberg clear to score the first goal, though weary Uruguay lost the game 3-1.
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Šjor Bepo said:
result:eek:
Voted for skizzo and pat(cant remember when was the last time i voted against them:nervous:), both top teams but i like theirs little bit more as its more balanced.
Not the biggest fan of Matthaus in this system, i prefer him and he is at his best when he is the main star of the team, here where he needs to do the dog work for Puskas and Maradona i dont know, cant see it(someone like Davids, Tigana, Schweini would be a much better fit IMO). Can do a decent job thats for sure but it wont be nowhere near the peak Matthaus.
As for Cruyff, he doesnt need to play as a false nine, he can play as a fullback if his role is right and here it is, he will be the main man and the supporting cast fits him very well, specially Henry so i can see them having a great partnership.
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Thanks mate. I was very excited to pair up Cruyff and Henry myself.
 
Pat_Mustard said:
We signed Cruyff with the plan of playing him as a False 9 but that went out the window when we drew you -we needed to flood the centre of the pitch as much as possible to combat your strength there. Cruyff is still very much our star however and he has licence to do whatever he wants in the offensive phase. I think he'd be very happy in this set up, with Henry stretching the play with his electric pace and an early Total Football prototype in Schiaffino alongside him. An excerpt from a Guardian article on Schiaffino that suggests he played in 3 different positions during a single WC:


Thanks mate. I was very excited to pair up Cruyff and Henry myself.
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1. Oh! Sorry :nervous:

2. Maybe, pre-war players are underrated because I understand he was one of the greatest attacking midfielders.

3. Yeah, lovely partnership.

Cruyff certainly prefers the offensive players able to operate both in the penalty area and on the wings like Henry, Keiser, Rep, Stoickov or Rensenbrink.

dutch-soccer-legend-and-ajax-player-johan-cruyff-reacts-to-appluse-by-picture-id71502207
 
Cruyff: Henry made a mistake
By Lewis Rutledge
Last Updated: 01/01/70 1:00am


Johan Cruyff feels that Thierry Henry will regret his decision to stay at Arsenal.


The striker this week penned a new deal with The Gunners, ending widespread speculation linking him with a switch to Barcelona.

Cruyff, who played for and coached Barca, believes that Henry should have moved to Camp Nou to cement his status as one of the game's greatest ever players.

Barcelona defeated Arsenal in this week's UEFA Champions League final, and Cruyff reckons Henry's decision to stay in London was based purely on emotion.

"He has taken a decision in the heat of the moment when you should make them with a lot of consideration," said the Dutch legend.

"With his track record of what he has achieved in France and England it only lacked a spell in Spain to give him the rubber stamp.

"This spell could have been at Barcelona."

Cruyff believes that Barca will find it difficult to defend their European and Spanish crowns next season.

"Next year everything starts again from zero, nothing has been won and it is easier to arrive than to maintain success.

"For this reason it would have been good that Henry signed because he is a great player."


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Henry given No. 14 shirt
(Shanghai Daily)
Updated: 2007-06-26 09:24
France striker Thierry Henry completed his 24-million move from Arsenal to Barcelona yesterday.


xin_560604260934215217654.jpg

FC Barcelona's new signing Thierry Henry (R) of France and President Joan Laporta pose during his presentation at Nou Camp Stadium June 25, 2007.

"Thierry Henry is a player we've been after for many years and now he's here," Barcelona president Joan Laporta told a news conference.

"Johan Cruyff wanted to sign Thierry Henry for Barcelona when he was a young player. When I was elected president in 2003 I wanted to sign him, we also wanted to sign him last year and today it is a great pleasure to see him here.

Henry will be given the No. 14 shirt at his presentation, the squad number he had at Arsenal and the same as that worn by Barcelona great Cruyff
 
Edgar Allan Pillow said:
@Chesterlestreet can you add the manager names to the title? Downcast vs SkizzoPat?
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Missed this, sorry - fixed now.

I don't think it's necessary, personally - with AMs and whatnot it often makes the titles an eyesore, and everyone involved gets multi-tagged anyway, so they won't miss it.

For later search purposes, the name of the draft should be enough.
 
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