The Millennium Draft: R1 - Gio vs Enigma_87

[Physiocrat]

Gio

Enigma_87

Gio Tactics

The opportunity here is to build a complementary team around Andres Iniesta and Virgil Van Dijk as my opening two picks.

PUT THE MIDFIELD ON THE FRONT FOOT WITH A HIGH LINE DEFENCE ALLOWING THEM TO OPERATE IN THE OPPOSITION HALF

Van Dijk, Boateng, Walker and Allison all won Champions Leagues playing dominant football enabled by a high defensive line. Given the pace in Henry in the opposition attack, it's valuable too that they are all exceptionally quick and expert at covering in behind, with Allison creating a pincer-movement from the other direction. Arguably those 4 are the clearest and most effective exponents of the high-line tactic in their respective positions over the last 30 years.

BUILD COMPLEMENTARY PIECES AROUND INIESTA

Firstly there is Marcos Senna who was such a commanding pivot for Spain at Euro 2008, renewing his partnership with Iniesta here. Secondly there is Marco Verratti, whose extreme press-resistance provides shades of Xavi and dovetails ideally with Iniesta. And thirdly, Neymar takes up his left-sided slot ahead of Iniesta, renewing their left-sided CL-winning tandem of 2014/15. Together there should be plenty of synergy, particularly with the proven Man City right-flank duo of Walker and Mahrez in place, while the high-octane Sorin and Senna were keystones of the great Villarreal side of the mid-2000s.

Therefore we should have a strong platform for Iniesta to shine in the opposition's half, with complementary, technical players to zip the ball around and feed it into dangerous areas. The 1v1 ability of Neymar and Mahrez will be dangerous in the attacking third. Centrally Shevchenko spearheads the attack through his all-round Ballon D'Or winning game. He can press from the front, link up with Neymar, Mahrez and Iniesta, and provide plenty of direct goal threat against Ayala and Campbell.

Enigma_87 Tactics

Formation: 4-1-3-2
Tactics: direct, lot of vertical movement. Thiago/Silva looking to dictate the tempo and use the pace of Foden, Henry and early Del Piero to slice through the opposition.

Defence:
Two balanced full backs in Lahm and Luis contributing in both phases. Sol Campbell and Ayala are playing as a CB combo. Both are excellent in the air but also fast on the deck and able to tackle the opposition forwards.

Midfield:
The heart of the team - Makelele is playing in his favorite holding role where he protects the back four and his nimbleness and ability to read the game would come in handy in disrupting the opposition midfield and time on the ball. Bernardo and Thiago are two excellent passers and ambidextrous midfielders who can contribute in both phases and also can slice the opposition lines with their accurate passing. Thiago will play mostly through the middle whilst Bernardo will look to open up the opposition flank and exploit Sorin on the right. Foden will play on the left where IMO he's at his absolute best and his versatility and movement would come handy in gluing midfield and attack.

Attack:
Henry and Del Piero are one great duo to finish off chances. Henry played with a 9.5 sorts of forward in Bergkamp and Del Piero (before the injury) will act as a versatile SS whilst Henry will be as a free role in the attacking partnership.

Foden focus:

Phil Foden’s performances have blossomed ever since he broke into Manchester City’s first team four seasons ago. The academy graduate starred once again on Saturday, as City eased to victory in the derby against Manchester United in the Premier League. Foden proved to be a constant thorn in United’s defense, linking up with Joao Cancelo time and time again down the left-hand side as Aaron Wan-Bissaka wasn’t given a moment’s peace. The 21-year-old was unlucky not to get a goal of his own in the 2-0 win, having seen a shot hit the post during the second half, and he could have easily claimed an assist as City dominated from kick-off.

Guardiola has played Foden centrally, on the right and left wing, and in two midfield roles, and he has also starred for England in a more deep-lying role. The City boss says he has no idea whether Foden will ever settle into a regular role or spend his career switching from position to position. For now, Guardiola is not wasting any time worrying about where best to deploy him because Foden is putting up some impressive performances in whatever positions his manager asks him to play in. The most important part of Foden’s game is that he understands the game and also understands what is required of him against a specific team. The 21-year-old star was a creator by dropping deep in the false nine role in the match against Club Bruges, but he showed another side to his game to get the final touch to two goals in City’s win against Brighton.
the attacking and creativity stats for Phil Foden in the 2021-22 season indicate that Foden has been highly successful in the attacking actions that he has attempted, and almost all the metrics are much higher than the median league value. Foden has attempted an average of 2.239 shots per 90 minutes and lies in the 84th percentile for the same. The young midfielder has approximately five touches in the opposition’s penalty area per 90 minutes and is better than 97% of the players in the league. Foden has attempted 10 attacking actions per 90 minutes and has completed almost 50% of these attacking actions.

Foden has mostly featured on the left side in front three but has also been playing as a false nine in some of the games. Even if Foden starts the game on the left flank, the City front three keep shuffling their positions, making it tougher for the opposition’s defense against them. The City front three have had several permutations and combinations this season as Pep keeps switching his front three.
Foden has attempted more passes into the penalty area from the left flank, and these passes have had a higher xT than the passes played from the right flank. As Foden is a left-footed player, it is easier for him to dribble past players on the left flank and put in a cross with his preferred foot.
Foden can play as a striker, false nine, left-winger, as well as a right-winger, and has been highly effective in doing so. The versatility of Foden gives Pep Guardiola more depth to his squad as Foden can adjust to any position in the front line. In the game against Liverpool in October, Foden played as a left-winger as they had already analyzed that James Milner will be the weak link for the Liverpool team, and City were successful in doing so. There have been matches where Foden has featured in a false nine role for his team and has also succeeded in that role. Foden is a midfield player with a lot of sense of goal.

Del Piero before the injury:
Nice little comp by @Šjor Bepo

The season before the injury Del Piero scored 21 goals in Serie A, his highest ever tally, assisting most of Pippo Inzaghi's 18 goals, creating the highest scoring Serie A partnership of all time. That season Alex also scored 10 goals in the Champions League, a record in its original format. The Juventus team that lost the Champions League final to Real Madrid that May was clearly missing their inspirational number 10, who missed most of the game through injury. That injury was to hamper his leadup to the World Cup, in which he performed fairly well, creating chances when he came on against Cameroon while setting up Vieri's goal against Austria. Just as he was finding his feet in the tournament, Italy lost to eventual winners France in a penalty shootout.

 

[Physiocrat]

@Gio @Enigma_87

Game on!

 

[harms]

@Physiocrat I thought that @Gio picked such a non-Gio-looking side until I’ve read the write ups and realized that you’ve mislabeled the formation pictures.

 

[Enigma_87]

Thanks @Physiocrat ! but yeah you need to change the labels

Good luck @Gio

@Physiocrat I thought that @Gio picked such a non-Gio-looking side until I’ve read the write ups and realized that you’ve mislabeled the formation pictures.

dunno if that's a good thing or bad thing for my side

 

[Querulous Megapode]

dunno if that's a good thing or bad thing for my side

For what it's worth, I really, eally liked your chances for a minute.

[/Appropriate emoji -- I just really hate using those things]

 

[Frank Grimes]

Both good teams but I vote for the team with the Henry and Del Piero forward line, think that is @Enigma_87, confusing. If it is not I will change vote. Lahm in the team is the clincher. His versatility and leadership qualities gives that team a decent edge.

 

[Physiocrat]

@Gio @Enigma_87 Should be sorted now

 

[Enigma_87]

Both good teams but I vote for the team with the Henry and Del Piero forward line, think that is @Enigma_87, confusing. If it is not I will change vote. Lahm in the team is the clincher. His versatility and leadership qualities gives that team a decent edge.

Cheers mate!
Yeah I think Lahm /Bernardo flank has the upper hand here and they can outwork and possibly overload the Neymar/Sorin one creating advantage for us.

I also like the directness of Henry against Boateng in this game and he can cause him some trouble especially catching him on the backfoot.

@Gio @Enigma_87 Should be sorted now

Cheers!

 

[Physiocrat]

Just wondering if Gio's left side is a bit too attacking. Maybe someone like KDB at RCM instead on Iniesta at LCM would give the side more balance.

 

[Gio]

Just wondering if Gio's left side is a bit too attacking. Maybe someone like KDB at RCM instead on Iniesta at LCM would give the side more balance.

The left flank is largely the same but a more energetic version of Luis Enrique's all-conquering treble-winning Barcelona side from 2014/15. Here is the team they played in the final of the Champions League:

The left flank differences are Van Dijk instead of Mascherano - i.e. a much superior CB who gives the team less running to do so gives us more defensive protection. And Sorin who is one of the most energetic left-backs of all time, famed for his commitment, hustle and lung-busting runs (and who could also play CB). Now that Barcelona side, as well as winning the treble, conceded a meagre 21 goals in La Liga.

 

[Gio]

I also like the directness of Henry against Boateng in this game and he can cause him some trouble especially catching him on the backfoot.

As much as I love him, I think our defence is as good a match for Henry as we could have hoped for given the pace and athletic ability of Van Dijk, Boateng and Walker. Walker has made a career out of dealing with the type of rapid left-sided forward that Henry is. And Boateng's peak was very impressive, the defensive bedrock that enabled Germany and Bayern to win everything.

Here he is in the World Cup Final, producing what the Guardian described as a man-of-the-match performance:

 

[Physiocrat]

The left flank is largely the same but a more energetic version of Luis Enrique's all-conquering treble-winning Barcelona side from 2014/15. Here is the team they played in the final of the Champions League:

The left flank differences are Van Dijk instead of Mascherano - i.e. a much superior CB who gives the team less running to do so gives us more defensive protection. And Sorin who is one of the most energetic left-backs of all time, famed for his commitment, hustle and lung-busting runs (and who could also play CB). Now that Barcelona side, as well as winning the treble, conceded a meagre 21 goals in La Liga.

That's fair, although Dani Alves at RB balances the attack here. I could see you being a bit too lopsided in attack which might lead to over commitment on that side.

 

[mazhar13]

Both sides are really good. Gio's side looks incredibly balanced, whilst Enigma's looks more fun. Both sides back lines that I really like to see with players who aren't given as much of a spotlight (Filipe Luis, Sorín, Boateng, and Ayala). Both sides also have incredibly silky players who are able to deal with any and all situations. As a result, I need to get nitpicky to find a winner, but for now, I see a tight 2-2 draw.

 

[Enigma_87]

As much as I love him, I think our defence is as good a match for Henry as we could have hoped for given the pace and athletic ability of Van Dijk, Boateng and Walker. Walker has made a career out of dealing with the type of rapid left-sided forward that Henry is. And Boateng's peak was very impressive, the defensive bedrock that enabled Germany and Bayern to win everything.

Here he is in the World Cup Final, producing what the Guardian described as a man-of-the-match performance:

TBH Henry is a rare breed of his own and even GOAT defenders like Cannavaro had issues with him at his peak.

Boateng peak was a bit on the short side though and when he struggled with injuries he wasn't the same player again and was a calamity at the back at one point for Bayern.

VVD is obviously one of the top players of his generation but IMO both Del Piero and Henry would have luck against Boateng and Walker who has the physical traits but could switch off from time to time.

 

[Gio]

TBH Henry is a rare breed of his own and even GOAT defenders like Cannavaro had issues with him at his peak.

Boateng peak was a bit on the short side though and when he struggled with injuries he wasn't the same player again and was a calamity at the back at one point for Bayern.

VVD is obviously one of the top players of his generation but IMO both Del Piero and Henry would have luck against Boateng and Walker who has the physical traits but could switch off from time to time.

I think if I had Cannavaro I'd operate more conservatively to play to his strengths against Henry. Here Boateng matches up well with his extreme physical abilities and pace, shadowed by the same in Van Dijk and Walker. And I would say that between 2012 and 2016 he brought it all together at the top level very impressively to win everything there is to win. Post-peak Boateng wasn't the same specimen granted.

One point on Walker is that he relished those foot races in behind. And he became a cheat code for City over the last 7 years enabling that high line - with slower CBs than here - because he was effectively playing as a right-sided sweeper mopping up anything slid into that space.

 

[Gio]

Bit of a scalp that @Enigma_87 as your team is rock-solid as ever. The Del Piero/Henry partnership is a lovely combination and I liked your use of the 3 attacking CMs, all of whom are a bit under-rated for me (Foden in particular seems to be getting pelters on the main FF).

 

[mazhar13]

As expected, this was bound to be a close match. Personally, I thought Enigma's side got more out of the attacking players than Gio's did, but this is where I become nitpicky. I'd much rather Sheva be partnered with another striker or a second-striker #10 than play this sort of a lone striker as he's at his best when he's not leading the line on his own. Neymar could have become that kind of a player, but at his peak, he was a forward who spent a whole lot more time out wide than he did in the middle.

 

[Enigma_87]

Bit of a scalp that @Enigma_87 as your team is rock-solid as ever. The Del Piero/Henry partnership is a lovely combination and I liked your use of the 3 attacking CMs, all of whom are a bit under-rated for me (Foden in particular seems to be getting pelters on the main FF).

Cheers, Gio, all the best going forward!