.......................................... TEAM ENIGMA ................................................................................. TEAM SKIZZO/PAT ......................................
Defensive line:- Normal.
Style:- Direct, fast tempo. Limit the opposition creative players by controlling the midfield and break at every opportunity. Open up the flanks and stretch the play. Messi and Ronaldinho to cut inside, and either attack or link-up. Breitner to test the opposition keeper from distance and along with Vieira making late runs in the box.
GK:- Gordon Banks - Considered by many to be amongst the Top-3 goalkeepers of all time, Gordon Banks will forever be remembered for his save from Pelé's header during the 1970 World Cup and rightly so. Yet those who saw Banks play knew he was capable of repeating such saves week after week. He wasn't just great - he was consistently on top of his game and a Banks' mistake was very rare indeed.
LB:- Giacinto Facchetti - One of the greatest, most pioneering and era-defining players of his time. This was a man – who above all else played the game with impeccable spirit and morality – who was decades ahead of his time at full-back; a man who scored 75 goals in over 600 games for a largely defensive Inter Milan. The greatest left wing-back of all time.
LCB:- Bobby Moore - Sir Geoff Hurst said he was his hero, Sir Alf Ramsey claims he was the best he ever worked with and England would never have won the World Cup without him. Franz Beckenbauer, an opponent in that 1966 final, called him "the best defender in the history of the game" and Pelé attested to that as well. A supreme reader of the game, excellent tackler and a true leader of the defence he's one of the best in history to stop Muller in this game.
RCB:- Ciro Ferrara - An immovable object and an unstoppable force. The lynchpin of the all-conquering Juventus side in the late 90s and early 21st century, Ciro Ferrara was one of the greatest defenders of all-time. But what made him so unique? It is worryingly uncommon, even in the modern game, that we see a defender with considerable technical ability, so much so, that when such a player even shows signs of emerging, they’re a highly sought after commodity. Ciro Ferrara had this ability in abundance; often seen marauding forward out of defence with players in tow, or reading and intercepting passes as they were made; he was always several steps ahead of his opponents. Throughout his 20-year playing career, Ferrara made an impressive 500 appearances shared between Napoli and Juventus. A commanding presence at the back and a remarkable ability to turn defence into attack; Ferrara was irreplaceable on the team sheet. Certain performances standout from Ferrara; a game between two Italian giants in Juventus and Inter in the 97/98 season saw Ferrara come up against an on fire Ronaldo. The rest is history.
Ferrara occupied an unenviable position, marking often regarded the greatest Brazilian striker of all-time behind Pele. Regardless, he managed to get forward, play key passes and outmuscle Ronaldo on several occasions, keeping the attacker relatively quiet. This game wasn’t unique, a great performance yes, but its just another example of Ferrara’s style; confident and formidable, Ferrara didn’t shy away from big games and didn’t back out of tackles. He had a versatility that made him adaptable for any position across the back line. Combined with a manner with the ball that made him look like he belonged on any part of the field.
RB:- Carlos Alberto - A player of great technique, elegancy, and strong character, "O Capitano Do Tri" is considered by many as the greatest right back to have graced the game of football. The captain of the greatest International side of all time, the Brazilian Team of 1970 FIFA World Cup. In the final match against Italy, he scored the fourth goal. It was the last and most memorable goal of that brilliant tournament. A thunderous finish to an outstanding collective play that symbolized the dominance of Brazil during that tournament, and that is to this date one of the most replayed goals in television, an all-time World Cup highlight.
CDM:- Fernando Redondo - The pure essence of elegance. A master at controlling the tempo of the game, the term "Rolls Royce Midfielder" is apt for Redondo. When you hear this name, the first thing that comes to mind is that outrageous and mesmerizing piece of skill at Old Trafford. But he was much more than that. It's hard to describe Redondo, because even if you think of the highest praise and the most eloquent descriptions, it just won't be enough to get a grasp of the magnitude of his legacy. So, we would just quote what two of the greatest managers of all time had to say about Fernando Redondo.
B2B:- Patrick Vieira - At his peak, Patrick Vieira was a footballing Death Star, a physical and technical monstrosity who decided games with one scything tackle or searching pass. If Thierry Henry was Arsenal’s superstar, then Vieira was its nuclear soul, an irresistible force of nature that made the midfield his personal, unconquerable universe. A complete midfielder who was silky but at the same time could be rough and hard when he had to. A true midfield general.
B2B:- Paul Breitner - Paul Breitner is one of German's greatest and most decorated football player of all time. The German footballer of the year 1981 was an outstanding athlete. He was strong, quick and had lots of stamina. As a midfielder, Breitner was an all-action packed midfielder. A box-to-box midfielder who tried to impose his will on the game by simply doing everything you can expect from a midfielder. Defending, winning back the possession, starting attacks, providing the final ball and score vital goals. One of the 4 players in the history of the game to have scored in multiple FIFA World Cup Finals. And, it wasn't just vital goals. He scored goals quite consistently as well. Constantly hitting double digits in terms of goals scored.
LWF:- Ronaldinho - A two-time FIFA World Player of the Year in 2004 and 2005 and one-time Ballon D'or winner in 2005, Ronaldinho is often considered as one of the most skillful players to have graced the football field. Renowned for his technique, flair, tricks, insane close-control and no-look passes, no one embodied the Joga Bonito spirit like Ronaldinho did. A true joy to watch.
RWF:- Lionel Messi - The GOAT. Goals, be it solo goals or outside the box or from free-kicks. Assists, be it through-balls to the other attacks or diagonal balls to the overlapping full-backs. Dribbling, be it one on one or one vs five/six. Lionel Messi ticks all the boxes. In terms of absolute peak as well as sheer consistency. The World Cup is all that is missing from Messi's résumé for him to be considered "The Undisputed GOAT".
ST:- Just Fontaine - Mostly famous for breaking new ground with his incredible 13 goals at the 1958 FIFA World Cup, the former France legend Just Fontaine held the record 50 years on, making his the longest-surviving benchmark in sport.
In 1956, he joined Reims, the biggest club in France at the time, where he had the touch challenge replacing Real Madrid-bound Raymond Kopa. He succeeded beyond expectations, finding the back of the net 121 times in six seasons, including one year almost entirely lost to a serious leg injury. A recurrence of that knee injury forced him to retire at just 27 years old.
In total, the instinctive finisher fired 165 goals in 200 top-flight games, giving him an average of 0.825 strikes per match. He also topped the French scoring charts in both 1958 and 1960, coming second in 1957 and 1959. At the root of his prolific scoring rate was an ability to score from any angle, with both feet and his head. "I jump so high to head the ball that when I come down again I have snow in my hair," he joked. Fontaine 'had it all; he was two-footed, great in the air and had speed to burn'.
Defence:- Marshaled by Bobby Moore at his peak, alongside another fantastic defender in Ciro Ferrara who dovetails him nicely stylistically and the GOAT full backs in Facchetti and Carlos Alberto, we can claim to have one of the best defences in the draft, especially when it is protected by well oiled midfield trident in Redondo, Breitner and Vieira.
Midfield:- Redondo, Breitner and Vieira have it all in midfield - physicality, skills, passing ability and superior positional sense which can help us take control of the proceedings in midfield. The three of them have enough work rate, steel and silkiness on the ball to control the proceedings of the game, limit the opposition in terms of getting the ball to the flanks or Müller. Breitner is enormous asset going forward and he regularly scored around 20 goals per season in all comps from midfield. All three are excellent team players that support our attacking three.
Attack:- Messi has the biggest impact in attack on the pitch by far and is the most decisive player, who should win the game for us. Combined with a peak Ronaldinho and Fontaine our attack has the x-factor and unpredictability needed to dislodge the comfort of the opposition defenders and decide the match. With Fontaine attacking the space vacated by Beckenbauer and his top notch movement, it will create ample amount of space for the likes of Ronaldinho and Messi to thrive. Both are outstanding dribblers who are masters in tight spaces and could eviscerate any defender in one-on-one situations. So, they would require extra attention. Otherwise, its game-over. But its a pick your poison situation for the opposition. Because if they double up on Ronaldinho and Messi, that allows the two best wing-backs of all time, Facchetti and Carlos Alberto to maraud and dominate the games from the flanks and be the difference maker. And with late runs from Vieira and Breitner, it adds an extra dimension to our attack.
vs Skizzo/Pat:- We are up against a very good team, but IMO we have more quality through our ranks. We're going with our attacking unit of Ronaldinho, Messi and Fontaine so that we can exploit the space left by Kaiser when he marches forward and also having Messi running in the space vacated by Roberto Carlos when going forward. As good as Roberto Carlos was going forward, he was kinda a loose cannon at the back and lacked the discipline to deal with top quality right wingers/wing-forwards. And in Messi, we have the perfect player, who with his pace and close-control who can take complete advantage and dominate that zone of then pitch. On the other flank, we trust Ronaldinho to get the better of Andrade, considering Facchetti also helping in attack and the former being a supreme dribbler on the ball.
Our midfield has a great engine and considering Laudrup is not the most hardworking #10, we will usually have numerical advantage there causing Beckenbauer to move through the lines pretty often to help out. That is of course what we need so that Fontaine and Messi can exploit the space and win the game.
In terms of defence, we're well equipped in dealing with Skizzo's attack. Johnstone and Rivaldo are well covered by GOAT full backs, Muller and Laudrup are in between the zone of Moore, Ferrara and Redondo and we will always have a spare man to cover for Muller/Laudrup in the defensive phase.
TEAM PAT:
Skizzo/Pat tactics
Formation: 4-3-3
We line up in a 4-3-3 formation featuring our new recruits, Brazilian express train Roberto Carlos and playmaking demigod Michael Laudrup. Franz Beckenbauer remains our star turn. Playing in a familiar setup and reunited with his greatest partner in crime Gerd Muller, we hope Beckenbauer will prove to be the decisive influence in this match.
Defence:
One of the very greatest goalkeepers ever in Peter Schmeichel is our last line of defence. Ahead of him, Beckenbauer marshals the defence, and the team as a whole, from his favoured RCB/libero position. Beckenbauer was simply the master of providing the ‘plus one’ in every area of the pitch as he strode forward, whilst maintaining a near sixth-sense in terms of fulfilling his defensive responsibilities. Beside him, Marcel Desailly is his complementary CB partner –a supreme athlete and natural defender who has starred in similar set ups for France. Flanking Beckenbauer at right back is one of the great defensive FBs in Victor Andrade. For anyone hoping to get a handle on Andrade Jr, this match vs Hungary is required viewing. He looks a player ahead of his time, both an athletic phenom and a wonderfully composed footballer. Tellingly, that superb Hungary team only edged past Andrade’s Uruguay after Andrade went off injured and the shackles were finally released from the great Zoltan Czibor.
This is a familiar defensive structure for Beckenbauer, who once again finds himself flanked on the right by a defensive full back and partnered in central defence by an athletically-privileged and resolute stopper, with a buccaneering left back completing the defence. In this latter role Roberto Carlos provides a dynamic two-way flank presence, with his redoubtable attacking output complemented by brilliant recovery pace that is sure to be a valuable commodity against Robben/Messi.
Central Midfield:
Spiritual successor of Obdulio Varela and the midfield lynchpin of Penarol’s hugely successful 1960s vintage, Nestor Goncalves anchors the midfield. Partnering him is box to box hurricane Johan Neeskens. It’s the Beckenbauer/Neeskens link up that excites us most about our team, with their shared ability to defend to all-time great levels, before transitioning with dizzying technical ability and dynamism. After missing out on him during the initial drafting, we've finally landed Michael Laudrup, and with him the top-notch creativity and playmaking presence that we wanted to knit together our offence.
Attack:
The greatest big-match goalscorer of all-time spearheads our attack, and Muller will relish reuniting with his general Beckenbauer. He scarcely needed more than a half-chance to decide a match, but serviced by Joya, Laudrup and Johnstone he looks good value to score at least once. Notably, even Bobby Moore was unable to consistently thwart Muller, who scored twice in three games against Moore's England. On the wings, Johnstone’s adroit dribbling and ability to beat multiple defenders is complemented nicely by Joya’s well-rounded wingmanship – there’s elements of that superb Johnstone/Bobby Lennox partnership in terms of Joya’s direct style, scintillating pace and off the ball movement complementing Johnstone’s more intricate style. Johnstone, too, has previous against a Moore-led defence, tormenting the England rearguard and scoring twice in this superb 1966 British Home Championship match.
