vs 
....................................... TEAM INVICTUS .................................................................................... TEAM P-NUT .......................................
TEAM INVICTUS
FORMATION: WONKY 4-3-2-1
Nothing too elaborate in the tactics for this match either, we plan on playing a balanced game and will look to keep it tight in the central areas whilst exploiting our advantage out wide - with Di Stéfano as the omnipresent puppet master and Nordahl the physical battering ram and world class finisher upfront.
We feel we have the edge due to:
1. SUPERIOR QUALITY IN MIDFIELD
In the previous match, the opposition had Zico - who edged out Rivera at #10. But now, the tables have turned - with a GOAT caliber orchestrator in Di Stéfano outclassing Platini. Both great players. But in terms of offensive output, drive, the ability to be 'at several places at once', leadership, workrate etc etc - The Don had Le Roi beat by a fair margin, in our estimation.
Furthermore, Di Stéfano is the crown jewel of a midfield of tremendous ability. He's backed up by the greatest Volante along with Falcão - Fernando Redondo: the best central midfielder in the world in the '90s, and a man who famously dismantled a robust United midfield boasting Roy Keane and Paul Scholes:
“He had succeeded where a year earlier Edgar Davids and Zinedine Zidane had failed; the most feared midfield quartet in Europe were not only contained but given a master class in ball retention and midfield orchestration by the Argentine. Roy Keane had never been so thoroughly dominated in a single game, especially not this Roy Keane, at the physical peak of his career. His gorgeous back-heel encapsulated his overall performance.
He made games his own; it was as if he was untouchable at times. On the left wing, he back-heeled the ball around the defender before retrieving it on the touchline and slotting it across the box for Raul to tap in. It rounded off a perfect game in which he became one of the few players to genuinely dominate Roy Keane from start to finish. Even Sir Alex Ferguson, after the match, heaped praise on Redondo - What does this player have in his boots? A magnet?”
His partner Obdulio Varela - is another player who wouldn't look out of place in an All-Time South American XI - the archetype of the Rioplatense No. 5; able to handle himself physically, superb at shielding his defense and linking play to the midfield. Widely considered one of the greatest Captains in the history of football and the best defensive midfielder to hail from South America. He will primarily mark Platini, and secondarily - help jam the central areas for Ronaldo.
As a combination, this midfield has everything - the most complete midfielder (if not player) in football history, arguably the most talented holding midfielder ever, and one of the greatest destroyers of all time - with two of the players being the most inspirational field generals in football history to boot.
In terms of guile, technical ability and work-rate we expect this trio to dominate any midfield combination the opposition will throw in our direction - in our view it is perfectly balanced and stylistically gets the most out of the collective talent on show.
2. MAJOR GULF IN QUALITY IN WIDER AREAS
Cole and Lahm are good players in the context of post-modern football - but in our view the opposition fullbacks are going to be outnumbered, outstretched and severely outclassed against the combination of Garrincha/Andrade and Ronaldinho/Facchetti.
Particularly if the opposition plays a narrow diamond formation - there is going to be too much space out wide and too little protection for the opposition fullbacks, especially when neither of them evidenced the ability to consistently play as lone flank managers at a high level - in a manner that will be required of them in this match.
That's probably the greatest winger ever in Garrincha, arguably the greatest fullback ever in Facchetti, the first superstar of football (preceding Pelé) in Andrade. And this guy:
3. EXPLOITING THE PHYSICAL ADVANTAGE UP FRONT
For the record, Franco Baresi is arguably the best central defender in football - a great reader of the game, and fantastic distributor from the back. We are therefore certainly not going to minimize the impact the will have on the game.
But our striker choice is almost an anti-Baresi, and that unique skillset is the reason we picked him in the first place. At 5 ft 9 inches tall, and weighing ~70 kgs - one of Baresi's very few weaknesses was that he could be beaten in the air and struggle against supreme physical monsters. Enter Gunnar Nordahl:
World Player of the Century: #46
IFFHS Sweden Greatest Player of The Century
A behemoth in the opposition box - naturally athletic and quick despite his imposing 6'1" and 95 kg frame - boasting devastating power and aerial dominance. He is known as one of the most clinical strikers ever - constantly challenging the defense with penetrative runs and finishing a record five times Serie A top goalscorer (no body else has managed more than three).
Serie A Top Scorer (5): 1950, 1951, 1953, 1954, 1955
Allsvenskan Top scorer (4): 1943, 1945, 1946, 1948
Olympic Games Top Scorer (1): 1948
He scored more than one goal per game if we take a three year peak - 442 goals in 504 matches and at international level 43 goals in 33 games. It was not easier to score in the Italian league back then either, the average top scorer finished at similar amounts every year as these days: 20-30. Only Nordahl has won 5 top scorer awards in the Serie A history - which stands as a record to this day. Nordahl was completely dominant, by having won 5 times in 6 seasons - an unparalleled feat. He dominated the box like Müller and was always in the right place after having made or found space for himself.
Nordahl remains the highest scorer in the history of AC Milan (incredible for a club that hosted Van Basten, Shevchenko, Weah, Inzaghi - among others), the 3rd highest scorer in Serie A history with with 225 goals in 291 games (his ratio of 0.77 goals per game is the highest among the Top 50 scorers of all time), and was until recently the highest scorer in a single Serie A season with 34 goals in 37 matches - a record that stood for over 60 years. That's aside from his record of 1.3 goals per game at international level.
* Credit: Caf's resident Scandinavian football expert Annahnomoss.
In a match-up of Milan greats - Nordahl's primary task is to play on the shoulder and keep Baresi engaged in aerial and physical duels.
With two fantastic flanks in Ronaldinho/Facchetti and Garrincha/Andrade doubling up on the opposition fullbacks, Nordahl will have an abundance of service from wider areas - in particular floated crosses to the back post which he can attack aerially against Baresi (5 ft 9) and Gentile (5 ft 10).
In addition to his pure goalscoring, tactically the combination of physical presence and natural technical ability makes Nordahl a fantastic spearhead for the midfield/wingers to play off - he offers elite level hold up play which will allow the likes of Ronaldinho and Di Stefano to break forward, the latter who lest we forget scored an incredible 307 goals in 396 games at Real Madrid.
4. THE WRATH OF KAHN VS JAN OBLAK
Ballon D'Or 3rd: 2001, 2002
FIFA World Player of the Year 2nd: 2002
Best European Goalkeeper: 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
IFFHS World's Best Goakeeeper: 1999, 2001, 2002
UEFA Best Goalkeeper: 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
Bundesliga Keeper of the Year: 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
German Footballer of the Year: 2000, 2001
2002 World Cup Golden Ball
) is as good a player at beating a man as any on the pitch. He is at his most dangerous when drifitng wide and having another striker further up the pitch to occupy the centre backs. You will note from my OP this is exactly the type of situation I intend to create and the devastating effects it yields.