TEAM 2MUFC0
VS
TEAM INVICTUS/ECSTATIC
TACTICS 2MUFC0
VS
TEAM INVICTUS/ECSTATIC
I believe the formation picture is pretty clear on how i will be setting up and there are many legends in the lineup who don't need any introduction. Looking at the opposition there are some fantastic attackers and fine defenders, however looking at their squad they are most likely to play a midfield of Varela and Pirlo and against my 3 man midfield and the personnel i have in midfield i would most likely dominate the midfield.
Main points on why i think my team would win:
- Likely to dominate a 2 man midfield, Gerson-Simeone-Charlton midfield 3 is physical, skillful and powerful while Varela would be upto the task Pirlo is likely to struggle ina midfield 2 and they won't get much help from Zico playing in the 10 role. Varela won't be able to do it by himself. And with Baresi stepping up at times we will have control of the midfield.
- After cutting of the supply i also have the defence to deal with the threat, Buffon-Baresi-Cannavaro at the core are formidable defenders not only in terms of skill but also leadership and mentality and are big match players. Then i have the old school stopper world cup winner Jack Charlton bringing that physical presence.
- The previous point also extends into the midfield everyone knows what Sir Bobby is about and in Simeone we have someone who will drive the midfield and Gerson able to keep the play ticking over.
- Upfront i have Eusebio who will be deadly on the counter.
- The master libero setting up attacks from the back Baresi
- Eusebio and Sir Bobby will relish the knock downs from Shearer, with Sir Bobby one of the best long range shooters of all time.
- Both of my strikers are serial goal scorers at the highest level with 959 career goals between them.
- Carvajal and Leo Junior are able to run the flanks and get good crosses into Shearer, the team is able to attack in various ways.
TACTICS INVICTUS/ECSTATIC
DEFENSIVE STRATEGY
We'll start by highlighting the strength in defense (in terms of both configuration and reliable quality) against an attack that will rely significantly on Eusébio for dynamism and fluidity through the final third.
Gianluca Zambrotta will have the most offensive oriented role of the quartet - capable on going on lung-busting runs for 90+ minutes, he will flank Ronaldinho on the outside channel and seek to repeatedly create numerical overloads against the opposition right wingback. Another facet of Zambrotta's game that will be useful here is his expertise at tucking in a wee bit to temporarily add an extra man in midfield areas.
Now that the attacking strategy through defense is covered, we turn our sights to three venerated defenders' defenders that will collectively attempt to out-scheme and outwit the opposition attack:
Captain América Héctor Chumpitaz was renowned for his great technique, his leadership, his organization ability on the field; a strong reader of the game with excellent ball skills and distribution, he marshaled a capable defense to support Peru’s attack led by Teofilo Cubillas. Overall, Chumpitaz is considered one of the greatest defenders of all-time and was named to the list of best World Cup players of all time by Terra.com in 2006 - on top of being selected as the 35th best South American footballer of the 20th century by the IFFHS in 2000.
On the right, we've decided to employ a slightly unorthodox approach to provide extra security against Eusébio - a wingback would be counter-intuitive considering the opposition's narrow-ish attack. El Mariscal Roberto Perfumo is another South American defensive behemoth and will play in a slightly offset position from his younger days. We do not want him to surge up the flank. He will advance a bit in support of Jarizinho, but will function mostly as a cover defender given his grit, positional nous and understanding of spaces. His presence will allow us to keep the Portuguese forward in check and monitor any advances by Júnior.
Then there's the grand old German defensive sweeper, Willi Schulz (via @mazhar13) - who was one of the greatest center-backs in the world in the mid-1960s and a reference point for West Germany - peaking with a Top 12 finish in the Ballon D'Or. Schulz was not only superb in positional play as a conservative sweeper with no urge to join the attack of his teams and focused on marshalling his defense but also had a high quality at man-to-man duels. He was noted for his calmness even under pressure, his solid passing game, aerial ability and a special expertise at sliding tackling. Kicker rate Schulz in 3 world-class seasons and 6 seasons include world-class of international-class include the 1966 World Cup. This rating is the best ever for German center-back position.
With Schulz and Chumpitaz being comfortable on either the left or right side, we could designate Chumpitaz as an extra marker on Eusébio given his physicality, athleticism and low center of gravity - and leave Schulz to mind Shearer as the defensive sweeper.
And the man shielding the goal is appropriately nicknamed The Iron Curtain, Rinat Dasayev. We'll quote @Enigma_87 for this one: simply put - The best goalkeeper of the 80's. He's a tall keeper with magnificent reflexes. However his biggest strength is the ability to command his box and area, his anticipation and aerial presense. One of the most dependable keepers - usually prevented any dangerous situation before it even happened.
CENTRAL MIDFIELD
In midfield we have Andrea Pirlo - widely regarded as one of the most celebrated central midfielders in football due to his vision, ball control, creativity and passing ability, as well as for being a free-kick specialist. Here we are going to use Pirlo in a role that is somewhat similar to the 2006 World Cup Italian team - here, Pirlo is going to be one of the Top 3 creators in the team on the ball after Zico and Ronaldinho.
Patrolling the midfield area is El Negro Jeffe Obdulio Varela - the man who brought Brazil to its knees in 1950, and led Uruguay to the summit of the football world in front of a hostile 200,000 strong Maracanã Stadium. Given the up-tempo nature of our team, the talismanic Varela is going to be the center of gravity player - involved in both breaking down the opposition moves and instigating the build-up play from the back with efficient passes primarily to Pirlo alongside him, and then Zico or Ronaldinho.
OFFENSIVE STRATEGY
Up front we needed a dynamic, tactically perceptive, efficient and industrious forward to lead the line - and we believe we have the perfect fit in two time Ballon D'Or winner Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. A target striker might have hampered the fluidity of the attack despite holding more of nominally higher line, but Rummenigge can disorient the opposition defense, go wider if need be to pull central markers, and most importantly - link up brilliantly with the trio behind him given his all-round play and technique.
And speaking of the trio, we reach the most exhilarating part of the team featuring some the purest proponents of o jogo bonito of the Seleção...
On the right we have Furacão Jairzinho - a spellbinding superstar of the greatest national team of all time - Brazil 1970, and one of only two player to have scored in each match of the World Cup for the eventual champions. A supremely gifted athlete, Jairzinho was a devastating offensive threat - renowned for his powerful runs, bamboozling dribbles, superb short passing, scintillating pace, and lethal shooting ability, evidenced by 33 goals for Brazil, 200+ goals for Botafogo, and an incredible 9 goals at the World Cups, third highest for a Brazilian player after Ronaldo and Pelé.
Through the middle is the crown jewel of the team - Zico - nicknamed The White Pelé, he has everything that you need from a player for this position. A diminutive playmaker, with a small, slender physique, he was a two-footed player, known for his flair, exceptional technique, ball control, and dribbling skills, as well as his use of tricks and feints to beat opponents with the ball - and is mentioned in the same breath as the likes of Maradona and Platini for his sumptuous play through the '70s and '80s. And if that wasn’t enough, his goal scoring record from this position is simply breathtaking - with a peak of 105 goals in just 2 seasons at Flamengo and 19 goals in just 24 games in close to prime Serie A.
And on the left of the dazzling attack is a guy who needs needs no introduction given the era he played in. A mindbogglingly talented creative threat who peaked as the greatest player in the world in the mid 2000s - providing a mix of goals, assists, bewitching skills and unleashing an endless repertoire of crafty moves that flabbergasted opponents, and left them foaming at their mouths...Ronaldinho.
