All players shall be judged only on their performances at the tournaments (From 1927 to 1960 the CEICs, from 1960 to 2012 the Euros). Please take this into account before voting. You can read up on the theme by clicking here.
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Team Raees:
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Team Raees:
My team will line up in a fluid 4-4-2 Diamond. The first thing to note is that there is a high level of technical brilliance in this team, from the goalkeeper, the full backs all the way to the strikers. Secondly, the side has the perfect blend of agility, pace and power again all through the side... the number of athletes in that team is nothing short of incredible,Beara, Zebec, Facchetti, Rijkaard, Henry.
My man between the sticks is "The ballet dancer with the hands of steel" 'Big' Vladimir Beara. Lev Yashin and Ricardo Zamora ...probably two of the biggest goalkeeping legends of all time considered him the greatest they had ever seen. Upon his death, the British press and Jonathan Wilson in particular penned articles on his passing.. which for a Eastern European keeper speaks volumes about his status within the game. Extremely agile, a great shot stopper, ferociously brave when coming for crosses.. he even saved a penalty against Puskas during a game v the Mighty Magyars.
In the heart of defence is the outstanding man-marker in the entire draft, Jurgen Kohler, who, aged 26 and coming off the back of an exceptional season with Juventus, was at his absolute peak in Euro 1992. He will dovetail delightfully with the pacy and left-sidedBranko Zebec...a superhuman footballer. He was considered to be world class in three separate positions, Sweeper/Left Back and Winger. Blessed with pace (he could run 100m in less than 11s in football boots), agility, aerial ability and a wonderful ability to read the game - there is no wonder that he is often included in the greatest of the 50-60's era teams andconsidered the best centre half from that era.
On the right is Manuel Amoros, the captain of France's Euro 1992 side. Amoros was one of the few French players who came out of that tournament with their reputation upheld, classy on the ball and defensively solid. On the left is the legendaryGiacinto Facchettiarguably the greatest left back at all time and in peak form, he lifted the Euro 1968 trophy as captain to add to his multiple European cups. A man mountain of a defender who was like Maldini in defence but like nothing else we have ever seen going forwards, he was a genuine threat... a playmaker/goalscorer from left back and that is why he trumps Paulo for me especially in European Championship football.Probably the most complete full back of all time and in Euros history.
In midfield we have a brilliant quartet of footballers and in the pivot position, we have none other than the star of Euro 2012 and the one man with the audacity to take on Tiki Taka single-handedly... Andrea Pirlo. This time he is not alone and will be flanked by two world class box to box midfielders.. furthermore he won't be feeding the likes of Balotelli and spreading it to the likes of Abate, but the likes of Henry, Facchetti. He will be at his absolute scheming best in this set up... free to orchestrate the game in a manner Mozart himself would struggle to emulate.
Bursting out from the heart of midfield to the left is Gerhard Hanappi, one of the foremost midfielders of the 1950. Combative with thighs like tree trunks, Hanappi offers plenty of dig for the midfield battle. But he also brings a 1-in-3 goal career record that bears comparison with Pavel Nedved. A perfect fit for a midfield diamond.
The imperious Frank Rijkaard will dominate the centre of the park, reprising the role he excelled in during 1992. Tactically perfect, he spent both Euro 1988 and Euro 1992 (and the rest of his career) switching position as the needs of the game demanded. As well as running midfield, Rijkaard offers significant threat at set-pieces as demonstrated by the inch-perfect header against Germany and a one-step-ahead-of-everyone-else headed assist for Bergkamp to grab the winner against Scotland in 1992.
At the apex of the midfield diamond is the star of Euro 1992 Thomas Hassler. Saved Germany's bacon with a stunning last-minute free-kick to salvage a draw in the opening match against CIS. Repeated the feat in the semi-final against Sweden, Hassler was an incisive and roaming attacking threat whose endless stamina ensured that opposing midfields (the Holland game apart) were both outpassed and outran.
Up front we have the sensational duo of Henry and Ibrahimovic. Thierry Henry was at his absolute best in Euro 2000 and tore Nesta, Maldini and Cannavaro apart in the final. Pace, guile, strength.. some of his hold up play in the final was magnificent. He would drift to the left and tear strips out of the opposition, turning defence into attack in an instant.Him and Facchetti down the left will be monstrous.
Zlatan Ibrahimovicis the perfect partner for Henry (check his relationship with Bergkamp). His Euros CV is exceptional: the joint third highest Euros goalscorer of all-time, including three outstanding goals against Italy in 2004, Greece in 2008 and France in 2012. Beyond the goals he brings unique technical ability, match-winning invention and serious strength to the table.
Flaws in his side
- Ruud and Ronaldo is a proven recipe for disaster. The goal hungry poacher and the ego-maniacal goal machine that hasn't really hit top gear at an International tournament. These two would bring out the worst in each other and as Ronaldo gets frustrated by Amoros and Ruud gets silenced by Kohler... I see bust ups galore in prospect.
- His midfield numerically, tactically and in terms of ability doesn’t match up to ours. I love me abit of Ballack but his side is not balanced in midfield and will be overrun by our 4. I can't see him laying a hand on Pirlo who will be free to run riot and dictate the game as he sees fit.
- His full backs also are not gifted enough to take advantage of our diamond formation. We can defend with ease and do not need to worry ourselves about overlapping runs.
- Henry will love playing against such a slow defence and with the vision of Pirlo, Ibrahimovic and Hassler.. he will get chance after chance to shit on that defence. Massive mismatch in our favour there.
Exploiting his weaknesses:
- In light of the lack of pace in PDC's central defence - Blanc and Pique, Thierry Henry's turbo acceleration and sheer speed will cause carnage. He caused all sorts of problems for Alessandro Nesta and Fabio Cannavaro in 2000 and, in this game, the relatively pedestrian Blanc and Pique are a bad match for what he brings to the table.
- PDC appears to suffer from an overly attack-minded midfield. It's basically asking any two from Ferrari, Ballack and Domengini to anchor the midfield when all three had attacking instincts. We have a proper midfield four who will work going backward and going forward in equal measure. We also have the best player on the park in Frank Rijkaard and are providing the perfect platform for the stars of Euro 1992 and 2012 in Hassler and Pirlo to shine. Fundamentally there is a clear tactical and quality advantage in midfield for us.
SELECT DETAILED PLAYER PROFILES (Can provide others on request)
VLAD BEARA
MANUEL AMOROS
BRANKO ZEBEC
GERHARD HANNAPI
I even wanted to include him in my "unpicked 11". I'm not sure about his position though - he played as an inside forward in the first game and as an outside right in the final (which was a surprise to a soviet defenders). I see that they can change through the game, but still, why mess with they starting positions?