The Road Trip Draft QF: Moby vs Jim Beam

Who will win this match based on all the players at their peaks?

  • Total voters
    19
  • Poll closed .

harms

Shining Star of Paektu Mountain
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Moby ----------------------VS----------------------------- Jim Beam-------------
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Moby's Tactics

Formation: 4-2-3-1​
Super solid defense with complimentary partnerships and no slouches at the back with a rolls royce of a ball playing defender and a cohesive midfield oozing with creativity and control providing the swash buckling attack full of pace, tricks, dribbling and goals, with the GOAT goalscorer having chances out for him on a plate.

The team has been built to get the best out of Ronaldo, providing him a massive array of service and workrate all over the park and making sure that he does what is the most important thing in a football match - score goals. In this setup, it is impossible to stop him.

Defense
In Bergomi and Scirea, we have a world class partnership of a stopper and a ball playing CB, with Bergomi doing bulk of the covering and providing the physicality, aerial ability and 1v1 shield. In Scirea, we have a truly elite class sweeper bringing in tremendous leadership, game reading, anticipation, interceptions and the ability to defend against GOAT level talents.

The mightily consistent and reliable left back from the incredible defense that won the 1998 WC in Lizarazu on the left, who is a tank on the flank, closing all the gates at the back and having the guile and stamina to constantly support the attack. Lastly, 'The Lion', the Belgian legend, European Cup winning captain at PSV and the tireless presence of Eric Gerets will complete the defense on the right. Supreme mental tenacity and grit with a never say die presence in defense, and a constant dedication to join the attack and overlap with intent.


Midfield
At the base of the midfield shielding the defense is Uli Stielike, the German great and an absolute shoe in for this position, be it anchoring the midfield, dropping into defense if and when Scirea wants to charge forward and provide the impenetrable platform for the attack to shine.

He's partnering Luis Suarez Miramontes, the Ballon D'or winning midfield general, playing in his peak incarnation here as the absolute cerebrum of the team, being the heart and orchestrating every move, controlling the tempo of the team and charging forward in buildups with intent and devastating creativity.

In front him as the attacking midfielder, is one of the greatest players the game has ever seen, the talismanic Zinedine Zidane. The GOAT level #10, will bring his unparalleled creativity, passing, penetration, control, tenacity, physicality and absolutely unbeatable big game ability in providing the attack with a plethora of clear cut chances.

It's a dream partnership as far as creative duos go, and both would absolutely revel in each other's presence. There is no way their creative influence can be curbed, and the two of them will take the game by the scruff of it's neck and churn chance after chance.

Attack
On the right is the GOAT winger, Luis Figo. His physical prime that made him an electric, relentless and devastating presence on the wing in very similar setups is the one that will grace the field here. His tandem of creativity, crossing and goalscoring would be a proposition not many can contend with, being able to combine with the midfield and pass through a defense, or cross it to the waiting heads of Seeler and Ronaldo, or smash in curlers from the edge of the box. Uncontrollable influence at the very heart of the game.

The no. 9 of the team is Uwe Seeler, the incredible all round forward who brought a wide diverse range of qualities at the very biggest of stages. His aerial ability and extreme determination and workrate in and around the box would allow him to constantly hassle defenders and have the ball in dangerous areas, either for knockdowns for Ronaldo or to go for goal himself. His ability on the ground is even better, allowing him to facilitate Ronaldo in a similar fashion Benzema does at Madrid and get the best out of him. As well as able to combine with the rest of the creative unit.

Lastly, there is Cristiano Ronaldo. The supreme goalscoring machine, in his peak machine incarnation. The only way he has ever been kept off the scoresheet is by having the midfield service cut off, but here we have a vast array of players intending to get him in on the act in Lizarazu, Scirea, Suarez, Zidane, Seeler and Figo. That's a massive supporting cast and in a setup like that, he is going to prowl across the defense and smash a few in.

1.-Cristiano-Ronaldos-Champions-League-Goals-By-Season_180412_114013.png


Top Goalscorer in Champions League History

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Top Assist Maker in Champions League History

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Cristiano Ronaldo's Honours and achievements
Club
As of 26 May 2018
Sporting CP

Manchester United[557][558]

Real Madrid[558]

International
Portugal

Individual
Awards
Performances
Orders
Records
As of 24 September 2018
World
Continental
Spain
  • Most hat-tricks in La Liga history: 34[605]
  • Most goals scored from penalty kicks in La Liga history: 61[606]
  • Fastest La Liga player to score 150 league goals (140 games)[607]
Portugal
Real Madrid

Pointers for this game (will add to this during the game):

1. With Dani Alves playing at Right Back it's possible there will be records shown where Alves won against Ronaldo, however that was when Alves played for a tiki taka Barca which suffocated the Madrid midfield and cut off the service to Ronaldo. There is no such possibility here, with 3 absolutely elite creators in Figo, Suarez and Zidane supplying Ronaldo as well as truly impactful creators in Seeler and Scirea who can bypass the midfield either going direct to Ronaldo and using Seeler as the second man. The set up will ensure Ronaldo gets a free run across the defense being unable to be marked and will no doubt end up scoring. At the end of the day, Alves' defense and positioning against early counters and direct attacks can be exploited especially in a back and forth game and that would be a route for goal for us.

2. Against a creative player like Cruyff, having a GOAT sweeper and mind reader like Scirea is as close to a kryptonite as you can get. Not only will he be crucial in cutting out his passes and making sure nothing leaks behind, he can just as easily push forward and contain the incoming service at the source, making heavy dents on the creative unit of the opposition.

3. Gullit and Stoichkov are facing two top tier European fullbacks in Lizarazu and Gerets, who are a great match for them. Stoichkov's energy and workrate will be matched by 'The Lion' of Belgium, as well as his no nonsense approach in man marking. Lizarazu being an integral part of the defense that won the 98 WC and 2000 Euro, will be his usual athletic self against an opponent like Gullit.

4. Litmanen is a classy #10, and will be playing in the same zone as Uli Stielike, who is well placed to constantly be in his face and cut off the links between him and the attack. Uli's energy, tackling, tactical awareness and physicality will be of great use in this duel.

5. Going forward, I trust my flanks to get the better of the opposition. Figo + Gerets vs Cole will be a favourable match up for us, as Figo can provide the width as well as dribble inside and his crosses with Seeler and Ronaldo to aim will be deadly.

6. Vasovic likely starts on the right, the channel which Cristiano will be attacking, in which case his forward runs, ability to join midfield and playing the ball will all be coming with a huge risk with someone of Ronaldo's off the ball quality making runs in that space. Scirea, Suarez, Figo, Zidane can easily pick those runs behind the sweeper and a 1v1 will be punished by the game's most elite goalscorer!


Jim Beam's Tactics

Formation: 4-3-3

Playing style: fluid, high-tempo, attacking

There is not much changing in terms of our approach or playing style and the opposition already knows it. We will play the game that suits this team and it's set of players the most. Make the game as fast and open as you can and go for the opponent throat and for the kill.

As already been done, we will stay true to the basic principles of total football giving not just Cruyff, but all the others around him the best possible platform to perform.


Attacking phase: make the pitch as big as you can while attacking and with the ball, stretch the opposition by providing numerous options each time our player is in possession.


Defensive phase: when we lose the ball, press the opposition, at times fanatically. Don't allow them time and space on the ball and constantly harass them. Make them into mistakes or into using long balls.

‘Pressuring high limits the amount of running players must do. When you win back the ball, there are 30 metres to goal rather than 80’.

To make everything above work you need fantastically technically-gifted players who are comfortable to play in multiple positions. In short, you need defenders who can attack and attackers who can defend. This team has exactly that in its personnel. Defending starts from the front by constantly pressing the back-line and the player who has the ball and attacking starts with building from the back.

"When you play a match, it is statistically proven that players actually have the ball 3 minutes on average … So, the most important thing is: what do you do during those 87 minutes when you do not have the ball."


Thoughts on the game

I already made one comment about the opposition team in the first round and I stand by it. Brilliant team and the best platform built around Ronaldo that I have seen so far. So, we will try to shut down Ronaldo. A mighty unpleasant task must say.
And we will try to do that by not shutting down the man itself (although he didn't enjoy many encounters with Dani Alves), but primarily those who provide him the service.
Litmanen will press the opposition holding midfielder at all times with the ball. Schweinsteiger and Voronin will do what they know best when they don't have the ball and that is to shut down the opposition creative midfield options while Ashley Cole will have a specific task off marking Figo out of the game. The task he has already done not just on Figo, but on pretty much every winger he faced during his career.

And last but not least, think Johan Cruyff will have a great game here wondering around the pitch and orchestrating this team, capable of either killing you with the pass at any given time or finishing the move by himself.

After all, the man is a form of art in itself.

 
Does anyone know whether Zidane and Suarez have ever played with another dominant playmaker?
 
Personally I preferred Iniesta there, but there’s nothing with Zizou here, obviously, a fantastic set up for him (and everyone else). Will have to think on this one.

I also liked tactical versatility that Bessonov gave JB’s team, but on the other hand their offensive contribution is incomparable and Alves is a good fit for a gung ho pressing side.
 
I also preferred Iniesta there.

The 4-3-3 with Suarez and Iniesta looked fantastic. Think this is a step back in terms of compatibility.
 
Physiocrat said:
Does anyone know whether Zidane and Suarez have ever played with another dominant playmaker?
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Suarez played with Corso, who played as another playmaker when he cut inside. And Mazzola — a completely different player to Zidane, but he also shared some of a creative duties, especially in the attacking third. Personally I’m of the opinion that Suarez can play with pretty much anyone.
 
harms said:
Personally I preferred Iniesta there, but there’s nothing with Zizou here, obviously, a fantastic set up for him (and everyone else). Will have to think on this one.

I also liked tactical versatility that Bessonov gave JB’s team, but on the other hand their offensive contribution is incomparable and Alves is a good fit for a gung ho pressing side.
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Theon said:
I also preferred Iniesta there.

The 4-3-3 with Suarez and Iniesta looked fantastic. Think this is a step back in terms of compatibility.
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I myself wasn't too thrilled with dropping Don Andres, and the whole Spain/Barca synergy with Luisito. However, at the time of constructing that and something that wasn't raised in the previous game was the fact that if you look at the peak Barca ethos under Pep in terms of tiki taka, out of their 3 stars in Messi, Xavi and Iniesta, Andres is probably the least likely to produce the same amount of impact and influence in a different system and also the least exposed. Xavi was wonderful in Euro 08 in a more fluent direct setup, Messi was great in Enrique's Barca where they countered like crazy but Iniesta is definitely most at home in a very possession based setup.

That contradicts the most critical part of the theme here, which is maximising the goal scoring potential of Cristiano Ronaldo. He is clearly my absolute weapon in attack and a clash of philosophies wouldn't go down great in terms of maximising his goal threat, something that allows me unrivalled match winning power. In Zidane, not only do you get at least an equally great player in terms of individual quality (most would probably rate him higher in terms of an singlehanded game changer) but also someone who is easier to imagine to be on the same tune as Cristiano, and one who would absolute love someone as turbo rapid, explosive and deadly in front of goal as Cristiano making those runs behind the defense.

A quick example is the France - Spain game in the 2006 World Cup. Zidane came against a superpower midfield of Alonso, Fabregas and Xavi, and with the help of another midfield general in Vieira who was brilliant as well, he constantly drew their midfielders and defenders while having Malouda and Ribery make darting runs in behind, and that's exactly how they scored the first goal. That's very much the intention here, the opposition has decided to hound us and I completely welcome that, I'll use Zidane's unreal ball retention and close control to draw the likes of Vasovic and Voronin forward and instantly release Figo, Ronaldo and Seeler in behind them. For that tactic in particular, I love Zidane in that very role constantly putting a player of the stature of Cristiano through on goal.
 
Like Dani Alves Chances In this game, always liked his performances v Ronaldo, especially this;

 
Also prefer Iniesta to Zidane in this set up.

Iniesta is a great foil for possession system but also for highly technical players around him and to me this set up is better for him than Zidane. Zidane was the dominant playmaker in his teams, although probably it won't be that much of an issue playing alongside Luisito.
 
Moby said:
I myself wasn't too thrilled with dropping Don Andres, and the whole Spain/Barca synergy with Luisito. However, at the time of constructing that and something that wasn't raised in the previous game was the fact that if you look at the peak Barca ethos under Pep in terms of tiki taka, out of their 3 stars in Messi, Xavi and Iniesta, Andres is probably the least likely to produce the same amount of impact and influence in a different system and also the least exposed. Xavi was wonderful in Euro 08 in a more fluent direct setup, Messi was great in Enrique's Barca where they countered like crazy but Iniesta is definitely most at home in a very possession based setup.

That contradicts the most critical part of the theme here, which is maximising the goal scoring potential of Cristiano Ronaldo. He is clearly my absolute weapon in attack and a clash of philosophies wouldn't go down great in terms of maximising his goal threat, something that allows me unrivalled match winning power. In Zidane, not only do you get at least an equally great player in terms of individual quality (most would probably rate him higher in terms of an singlehanded game changer) but also someone who is easier to imagine to be on the same tune as Cristiano, and one who would absolute love someone as turbo rapid, explosive and deadly in front of goal as Cristiano making those runs behind the defense.

A quick example is the France - Spain game in the 2006 World Cup. Zidane came against a superpower midfield of Alonso, Fabregas and Xavi, and with the help of another midfield general in Vieira who was brilliant as well, he constantly drew their midfielders and defenders while having Malouda and Ribery make darting runs in behind, and that's exactly how they scored the first goal. That's very much the intention here, the opposition has decided to hound us and I completely welcome that, I'll use Zidane's unreal ball retention and close control to draw the likes of Vasovic and Voronin forward and instantly release Figo, Ronaldo and Seeler in behind them. For that tactic in particular, I love Zidane in that very role constantly putting a player of the stature of Cristiano through on goal.
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Iniesta is a proper big game player too tho. He always seemed to pop up with important goals and he also did pretty well for Spain in 10' and 12' and was still great under Tito and Martino until he faded away.
 
Enigma_87 said:
Iniesta is a proper big game player too tho. He always seemed to pop up with important goals and he also did pretty well for Spain in 10' and 12' and was still great under Tito and Martino until he faded away.
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The two are pretty even in the big goal stakes. Zidane has a brace in a World Cup final, probably the greatest single Champions League final winning goal, a panenka penalty in another World Cup final, etc...

The Spain 10 and 12 teams were pretty much possession dominant, especially the former.

At the end of the day they are fine margins, they both bring great match dominating ability in their own ways. The Zidane-Cristiano 1-2 punch here is going to be absolutely impossible to defend. That's a match made in heaven.
 
I actually agree that Zidane is more likely to click with Ronaldo if you want Ronaldo to be that main man in your system.

But, having said that, I prefer Iniesta overall not being here. Iniesta was not only offensively fantastic, but his defensive contribution and pressing ability that he brings to the team is hard to ignore. You are losing that player who could provide extra bit of resilience in the midfield battle or limit Vasovic when he steps out into the midfield. But even that aside, you also lose that needle ability that Iniesta has in his game going through the lines of pressure and because of that I think that my midfield would have bigger problems in containing such a type of player. They will have problems with Zidane also, don't get me wrong, but considering my midfield players characteristics Iniesta would cause more problems and would be much more penetrative in his game. I also think Iniesta is more press resistent than Zidane.

harms said:
With Dani Alves playing at Right Back it's possible there will be records shown where Alves won against Ronaldo, however that was when Alves played for a tiki taka Barca which suffocated the Madrid midfield and cut off the service to Ronaldo.
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Dani Alves did very well against Ronaldo, especially in terms of holding him 1 vs 1 while also having massive influence up front. As for Barcelona tiki taka system it was defensive set-up and pressing that actually suffocated Madrid midfield most of the times, pretty similar to mine here.

harms said:
2. Against a creative player like Cruyff, having a GOAT sweeper and mind reader like Scirea is as close to a kryptonite as you can get. Not only will he be crucial in cutting out his passes and making sure nothing leaks behind, he can just as easily push forward and contain the incoming service at the source, making heavy dents on the creative unit of the opposition.
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I am not sure that leaving defensive duties and going chasing Cruyff around the pitch is the best way off holding him. You follow Cruyff leaving gaps for Litmanen who is exceptional around penalty area, not to mention Hristo and Gullit who will immediately push in.

harms said:
4. Litmanen is a classy #10, and will be playing in the same zone as Uli Stielike, who is well placed to constantly be in his face and cut off the links between him and the attack. Uli's energy, tackling, tactical awareness and physicality will be of great use in this duel.
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Litmanen will often be a bit deeper, playmaking and spreading passes from the central area or drifting on the right. However, If Cruyff goes deeper you will immediately find him around penalty area which is why I don't think there is a direct clash while I'm in the attack. Unless, you're going to man-mark him in the defensive phase, the duty that Litmanen has on Stielike and which he did so good while he was in Ajax.

harms said:
6. Vasovic likely starts on the right, the channel which Cristiano will be attacking, in which case his forward runs, ability to join midfield and playing the ball will all be coming with a huge risk with someone of Ronaldo's off the ball quality making runs in that space. Scirea, Suarez, Figo, Zidane can easily pick those runs behind the sweeper and a 1v1 will be punished by the game's most elite goalscorer!
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Vasovic starts on the left like he did many times with Ajax for multiple reasons. That way CB that is likely to stay behind in Kohler watches the Ronaldo area with his one eye allowing Alves to push a bit more. Vasovic goes on the side which has more conservative fullback in Cole who will watch over Figo. It brings much more balance to the back four and overall to the whole team imo.
 
Jim Beam said:
But, having said that, I prefer Iniesta overall not being here. Iniesta was not only offensively fantastic, but his defensive contribution and pressing ability that he brings to the team is hard to ignore. You are losing that player who could provide extra bit of resilience in the midfield battle or limit Vasovic when he steps out into the midfield. But even that aside, you also lose that needle ability that Iniesta has in his game going through the lines of pressure and because of that I think that my midfield would have bigger problems in containing such a type of player. They will have problems with Zidane also, don't get me wrong, but considering my midfield players characteristics Iniesta would cause more problems and would be much more penetrative in his game. I also think Iniesta is more press resistent than Zidane.
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I'll just nip this pressing discussion in the bud.

It's simply not a tactic I am interested in with the team I have put out there. It's a tactic you have to fully commit to and it comes with a lot of potential damage if it isn't done correctly. I am not going to try to waste my energy chasing your players in your own half. Happy to take their time coming forward and I completely trust my backline marshalled by one of the greatest defenders to play the game in Scirea and one who was an absolute master of containing opposition attacks. While your team is in your own half, you will be encouraged to push your players forward, especially Alves and Vasovic, because any spaces that are left behind them will be worth pure gold for me. With my passers in the team starting right from Scirea at the back - someone who would easily rival a traditional playmaker when it comes to creative and pin point passing - to Suarez, Zidane and Figo, I would be enjoying playing on quick breaks, breaking with lightning pace against your backtracking defense and hitting you with one of the most clinical and deadly goalscorers the game has seen.
 
Moby said:
I'll just nip this pressing discussion in the bud.

It's simply not a tactic I am interested in with the team I have put out there. It's a tactic you have to fully commit to and it comes with a lot of potential damage if it isn't done correctly. I am not going to try to waste my energy chasing your players in your own half. Happy to take their time coming forward and I completely trust my backline marshalled by one of the greatest defenders to play the game in Scirea and one who was an absolute master of containing opposition attacks. While your team is in your own half, you will be encouraged to push your players forward, especially Alves and Vasovic, because any spaces that are left behind them will be worth pure gold for me. With my passers in the team starting right from Scirea at the back - someone who would easily rival a traditional playmaker when it comes to creative and pin point passing - to Suarez, Zidane and Figo, I would be enjoying playing on quick breaks, breaking with lightning pace against your backtracking defense and hitting you with one of the most clinical and deadly goalscorers the game has seen.
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So, you will basically allow Cruyff lead team to dictate the game and overload the midfield? Ok, I'm also perfectly fine with that.

What if you fall 1-0 behind which can easilly happen in games of such margins. You will change the entire approach or allow the same?
 
Jim Beam said:
Dani Alves did very well against Ronaldo, especially in terms holding him 1 vs 1 while also having massive influence up front. As for Barcelona tiki taka system it was defensive set-up and pressing that actually suffocated Madrid midfield most of the times, pretty similar to mine here.
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Addressed the same in the OP. Ronaldo never had such an astounding creative cast stretching from back to front in terms of players who would compliment him absolutely brilliantly.

1. Scirea's precision and instinctive through balls as soon as the ball is won.
2. Lizarazu's ability to go on the sprint soon as he has the ball and playing Cristiano behind your defense via the left corridor.
3. Suarez being well close to the backline, deciding either to dribble past your midfield and release the front 3, or launch missiles from deep.
4. Zidane, an expert in contracting the entire opposition midfield onto himself leaving acres of spaces for the rest of his team and in this case a trio of deadly hound mentality up front.
5. Figo blitzing past his markers and targetting Cristiano and Seeler aerially or finding him with those delicious lobs that would tee him up for a thunderbolt.
6. Seeler's tireless and determined nature of play accepting selflessly the better goalscorer on the pitch and tussling for 90 minutes to feed him the scraps in deadly areas.

There really is no way whatsoever that you ever come close to taking out all those routes of service like Barca could do by suffocating Ozil especially with Mou going in with the likes of Pepe in midfield and barely the same amount of creativity and genius running throughout the team.

The minute Madrid moved away from that and installed a quality creative engine in their team, they won 4 CLs in 5 seasons with Cristiano laughing his way to Champions League top scorer awards season after season with Ballon D'ors collecting on his doorstep.

So I beg to differ from the narrative of Alves under peak Guardiola vs a Mou led Madrid being the driving force in a match like this.
 
Jim Beam said:
So, you will basically allow Cruyff lead team to dictate the game and overload the midfield? Ok, I'm also perfectly fine with that.

What if you fall 1-0 behind which can easilly happen in games of such margins. You will change the entire approach or allow the same?
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As long as you are in your own half, I am not going to instruct my forward line to waste their energy chasing your defenders. It's the kind of style of play Zidane himself used for most of the time during his 3peat at Madrid and reaped great rewards as that's what suits Cristiano the best.

In my half, you will obviously face tremendous resistance from Seeler, Figo, Zidane and Suarez. And my I comfortable have the better back 4 in this game shielded by one of game's most effective anchor men who won awards playing that role and there will be no space whatsoever for your players to manoeuvre the ball before it's won back quickly with my players stationed precisely to counter with intent. Here's a preview:

 
Moby said:
Addressed the same in the OP. Ronaldo never had such an astounding creative cast stretching from back to front in terms of players who would compliment him absolutely brilliantly.

1. Scirea's precision and instinctive through balls as soon as the ball is won.
2. Lizarazu's ability to go on the sprint soon as he has the ball and playing Cristiano behind your defense via the left corridor.
3. Suarez being well close to the backline, deciding either to dribble past your midfield and release the front 3, or launch missiles from deep.
4. Zidane, an expert in contracting the entire opposition midfield onto himself leaving acres of spaces for the rest of his team and in this case a trio of deadly hound mentality up front.
5. Figo blitzing past his markers and targetting Cristiano and Seeler aerially or finding him with those delicious lobs that would tee him up for a thunderbolt.
6. Seeler's tireless and determined nature of play accepting selflessly the better goalscorer on the pitch and tussling for 90 minutes to feed him the scraps in deadly areas.

There really is no way whatsoever that you ever come close to taking out all those routes of service like Barca could do by suffocating Ozil especially with Mou going in with the likes of Pepe in midfield and barely the same amount of creativity and genius running throughout the team.

The minute Madrid moved away from that and installed a quality creative engine in their team, they won 4 CLs in 5 seasons with Cristiano laughing his way to Champions League top scorer awards season after season with Ballon D'ors collecting on his doorstep.

So I beg to differ from the narrative of Alves under peak Guardiola vs a Mou led Madrid being the driving force in a match like this.
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The minute they moved away Mou system, the result was the same on the field where they met the most - La Liga.

Figo will be shut down (more on that later) and Zidane and Suarez will have one the best defensive beasts on their shoulder in Bastian and Voronin, so yes, most of that creative outlet will have problems.

So, it's time to bang on that Seeler drum a bit more if you ask me.
 
Jim Beam said:
I am not sure that leaving defensive duties and going chasing Cruyff around the pitch is the best way off holding him. You follow Cruyff leaving gaps for Litmanen who is exceptional around penalty area, not to mention Hristo and Gullit who will immediately push in.
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You didn't interpret that correctly. It's not a man marking assignment. Cruyff's style of play revolved around taking the ball in deep areas and running at the defense with usually a through ball as the final ball. An elite reader of the game like Scirea with his unrivalled intercepting ability will be able to cut out that service before a regular CB would who would rather wait and back off against Cruyff, inviting danger. Scuffing out attacks before they developed into danger is what Scirea did his entire career, he was supremely confident in going either out wide our pushing forward when it meant stopping an attack at the very earliest.

Having a great stopper and covering defender behind him in Bergomi with two defense first fullbacks in Lizarazu and Gerets with Stielike, someome who can easily guard the backline against any other of your players trying to make a run into that area means Scirea has the perfect supporting cast to provide that kind of marshalling influence from the back that made him one of the most unique game changers from the defensive line.
 
Jim Beam said:
The minute they moved away Mou system, the result was the same on the field where they met the most - La Liga.

Figo will be shut down (more on that later) and Zidane and Suarez will have one the best defensive beasts on their shoulder in Bastian and Voronin, so yes, most of that creative outlet will have problems.

So, it's time to bang on that Seeler drum a bit more if you ask me.
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I will back all of Figo, Suarez and Zidane to win those respective duels while on the ball, especially when playing on quick breaks and releasing the players in front of them with your defenders likely out of position after having pushed forward with the ball.
 
Moby said:
As long as you are in your own half, I am not going to instruct my forward line to waste their energy chasing your defenders. It's the kind of style of play Zidane himself used for most of the time during his 3peat at Madrid and reaped great rewards as that's what suits Cristiano the best.

In my half, you will obviously face tremendous resistance from Seeler, Figo, Zidane and Suarez. And my I comfortable have the better back 4 in this game shielded by one of game's most effective anchor men who won awards playing that role and there will be no space whatsoever for your players to manoeuvre the ball before it's won back quickly with my players stationed precisely to counter with intent. Here's a preview:

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Preview of what? That's video of Mourinho Madrid on the counter, something you previously said it didn't suit Ronaldo when he faced Barcelona and Alves.
 
Moby said:
I will back all of Figo, Suarez and Zidane to win those respective duels while on the ball, especially when playing on quick breaks and releasing the players in front of them with your defenders likely out of position after having pushed forward with the ball.
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There is more energy, mobility and grit in my midfield unit no matter how you will put it. While at the same time, all having fantastic playmaking abilities.
No way they will lose that battle collectively.
 
Gulf in Class pt 1.
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In terms of defense, while Vasovic and Kohler is a very solid player (no idea how Kohler, who player in the uber defensive line ups of InterMilan and Germany is blending in this passing based team?), Scirea is a cut above them and belongs to the absolute top echelons of central defenders. A true mastermind who marshalled his teams to World Cup glory, Serie A wins in a really tough era, and Champions League masterclasses. Absolute royalty and one who can be trusted to hold the fort in a game like this.

With another Tier 1 defender when it comes to stoppers (roughly the same tier as Kohler except he's in a far more friendly environment), he'll be in his true free self from the back conjuring attacks, counters, and forming an extreme watertight defensive line leaving no room for error.


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Gaetano Scirea, born on the 25th of May 1953 in the small Lombardy town of Cernusco sul Naviglio, is arguably the most decorated and talented Italian footballer in Calcio history.

Scirea began his footballing career with humble Bergamo outfit Atalanta. Scirea made his Serie A debut for the Nerazzurri against Cagliari on the 24th September 1972. He made an immediate impact and many took notice of the young defender.

Scirea would spend two seasons at the Stadio Atleti Azzurri d’Italia before joining the club that would transform him from a man to a demigod… Juventus.

Scirea made his debut for the Italian national team, under legendary coach Enzo Bearzot, against Greece on the 30th of December 1975, just over two years since making his Serie A debut. Once at Juventus, Scirea settled in quickly and formed a legendary defensive partnership with tough-tackling hardman Claudio Gentile.

The two were complete opposites in almost every department. Gentile was a loud outspoken figure who relied on bullying the opposition’s attackers into submission, while Scirea was the quiet “libero” (sweeper) who preferred to play with grace and tactical ability and lead by example.

Perhaps it was this contrast in the two’s styles that made it such a successful partnership. Scirea and Gentile’s partnership for Juventus as well as the national side resulted in incomparable success.

Scirea would go on to play for La Nazionale for over a decade and spend 14 seasons at Juventus.

With Italy, Scirea formed part of a legendary Azzurri team for the 1982 World Cup that included players like Dino Zoff, Franco Baresi, Giuseppe Bergomi, Antonio Cabrini, Bruno Conti, Paolo Rossi, Marco Tardelli and Gabriele Oriali.

Italy started the tournament slowly and were held to draws with newcomers Cameroon, Poland and Peru. Italy qualified for the next round only because they had scored one more goal than Cameroon had.

The Italian media critisied the national team’s performances, while the players were still reeling from the recent Serie A betting scandal. Italy were then grouped with Argentina and Brazil, the task of reaching the semi-finals seemed almost impossible.

Thanks to a solid defensive effort and goals from Tardelli and Cabrini the Italians coasted past Argentina. Then followed the greatest attacking game in World Cup history as Italy managed to trump Brazil 3-2 to set up a semi-final with Poland.

Italy were a wall in defence and brushed Poland aside 2-0 in the semi-finals. Italy went on to beat West Germany 3-1 in the final, with Scirea and Gentile crucial components of Italy’s triumph.

Scirea went on to play in the 1986 World Cup but Italy were knocked out in the second round by France. Scirea announced his international retirement after the tournament having notched up 78 caps and two goals.

With Juventus, Scirea joined the elite in history. He is one of only five players to have won every single international club trophy recognised by FIFA and UEFA. He is also only one of nine players to have won the three major UEFA club football competitions.

Scirea at his time with Juventus won seven Scudetti, two Italian Cups, one UEFA Cup , one UEFA Cup-Winners Cup, one European Cup , one UEFA Super Cup and one Intercontinental Cup.

Scirea hung up his boots at the end of the 1987-88 season and immediately took up the role of a scout for the Turin giants.

However a year later Gaetano Scirea died in a car accident in Poland after going to scout Juventus’ next opponents in the UEFA Cup, Górnik Zabrze. Scirea’s car collided with another vehicle that was carrying canisters of gasoline, which exploded on impact and killed Scirea and three other passengers instantly.

In 2005, at the suggestion of former national coach Enzo Bearzot, Italy and Juventus both retired the No.6 jersey in recognition of Scirea’s incredible service.

Since Scirea’s death many fair-play and sportsmanship awards have been given his name due to the manner in which he always conducted himself on the field.

Recently the annual Memorial Gaetano Scirea tournament, which incorporates 18 under-14 sides from across Europe, took place. The tournament ended with Inter claiming their fifth title in the competition with a 3-0 victory over Juventus. The tournament honours the memory of Scirea and certainly does his career justice with a great quality of football from the youngsters.

Gaetano Scriea will always be remembered for his humility and conduct. Of all his achievements perhaps the most impressive one is that he never received a red card in his entire 513 game career. His World Cup win in 1982 cemented him as a legend, but his Juventus success made him mythical.
 
Gulf in Class pt 2.
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The deep lying playmaker, the cerebrum, the one who controls the tempo of the game, dictates play, the orchestrator. There isn't a role more crucial than that as we've seen some of the greatest teams of all time have a truly world class playmaker at the heart of the game stamping his authority on the game.

Among all the central midfielders on show here, there is only one who stands out as the absolute metronome that can take the game by the scruff of its neck, make sure the punch is waited for the right moment and hit with the right power. It doesn't have to be a possession dominating one. Luis Suarez Miramontes, dominated midfields playing a Catenaccio setup back in Italy in the 60s, breaking the Madrid harmony after Eusebio put the initial dents and taking his team to glory back to back.

United have a brutal counter attacking force in the 00s and Scholes was absolutely key for it's transitions, the speed of though, the pin point accuracy of finding anyone on the pitch in a fraction of a second and kickstarting swashbuckling attacks plenty of times in a match. That's the kind of thrust only one player on the pitch is capable to provide and that is Luisito!

As neat as Bastian is on the ball, and he is indeed a very efficient passer, there's that and there's having the ability to absolutely open up a game with one small swing of the boot being 5 steps ahead of everyone else in the game. That level of creativity and genius again will stand head and shoulders above the opposition and the result will follow.

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Regarded as one of Spain’s greatest ever players, Luisito was noted for his graceful and elegant style of play. He was an excellent passer of the ball and also had explosive shooting skills. He started his playing career for Deportivo La Coruna but soon was transferred to FC Barcelona in 1955. Despite averaging a goal every two games, Luis Suarez was not a striker. He was a playmaker. The nickname “El Arquitecto” was given to Suarez because of his excellent vision and ability to direct play. It was said that Suarez knew where he wanted to put the ball even before he received it. Reminds you of anyone?

“Architect of Spain’s maiden European triumph”
Luis Suarez was the star performer for the triumphant Spanish side when they won the European Nation’s Cup in 1964, a tournament they hosted. Since there were only 4 teams participating in the final round, the tournament directly began from the semifinals. Spain’s first match was against Hungary at the Santiago Bernabeu. Orchestrated by the brilliant Luis Suarez, Spain overcame a Hungary side brimming with their own talent to reach the final on its home soil. El Arquitecto assisted Jose Maria Pereda for the opening goal. However, Hungary managed to find an equalizer in the 84th minute but Luis Suarez’s experience came in handy as he directed his younger compatriots to find the winner. Their efforts were rewarded when the skilful Amancio Amaro scored in the 112th minute to send Spain into the final.
 
Gulf in Class pt 3.
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As if having a tremendous mastermind at the back and an architect in the middle wasn't enough, we have The Scientist!

The opposition midfield boasts of Jari Litmanen, Bastian Schwiensteiger and Valery Voronin. All very solid, important players in a team. But none of them have ever come close to the absolute peak match winning clutch ability providing some of game's greatest moments as Zinedine Zidane has.

Talk about X Factor! If you want one man to provide that final killing blow when your team has asserted dominance in the rest of the areas and has provided him the platform to shine brightly, Zidane would be absolutely right up there. Somewhat underrated in current times, but there was no shortage of absolute adulation and praise poured on him for his constant heroics.

Be it World Cup 1998 where he delivered France their first World Cup with a towering performance in the final leading from the front, or one of the truly elite attacking performances of all time in Euro 2000 where he continued to get International success with France in 2000, or with Madrid in 2001 where he provided the most iconic Champions League final winning goal or back for France in 2006 when he led his nation again at the rear end of his career and displayed some of the most elegant, yet ruthless displays of football especially in the match against Brazil.

That's the kind of individual greatness, the ability to END the game in one strike or to completely leave the opponents chasing shadows for ages, that will again prove to be the absolute difference here. It's compounding into something that you wouldn't want to bet against.

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Zinedine Zidane is one of the most famous French football players of all time, widely regarded as a master of the fundamentals and techniques of the game. He is known for his excellent control and dribbling skills, his magic ball touch, his focused vision and great leadership traits. During his active soccer years, no player would surpass the way he controlled and received the ball. He scored 31 goals, out of his 108 international outings. Since his retirement, Zidane has actively participated in his beloved game as a manager. In his active years, he was celebrated as the top notch player for France. His excellence in football has bestowed Zidane some coveted awards and awards such as the FIFA World Player of the Year thrice, and the Ballon D'Or once.

Zinedine Zidane was born in Marseille, France, on June 23, 1972. At the tender age of five, young Zidane was introduced to the football game. Together with his neighborhood friends, he played football, at the main square of the housing complex known as, the Place Tartane. In his early days, his love for football was mainly influenced by Olympique Marseille players; Jean-Pierre Papin, Enzo Francescoli and Blaz Sliskovic who were his soccer stars idols.

At the age of ten, Zidane bagged his first player license for the junior team of a local club from La Castellane. He perfected his skills on the rough streets of La Castellane in Marseille, France. However, his term at the club was short lived and after about one and a half years he was transferred to SO Septemes-les-Vallons. His alliance with Septemes, however, lasted for about two and a-half-years, after which he among those selected for a three day training in Aix-en-Province at the CREPS.

While training at CREPS, his skills were ascertained by AS Cannes recruiter, Jean Varraud, at a French Football Federation training camp. He was taken in where he spent his next three years, perfecting his skills in the Cannes' Youth division.

Professional career
After his training in the Cannes' Youth division, Zinedine Zidane, pursued football as a professional career. He made his first professional appearance at Cannes, at the age of 17, scoring his first goal. In 1992, he was transferred to the Bordeaux as a midfielder. Here, he proved his sterling all-around soccer skills that propelled his popularity. However, he was prone to occasional episodes of temper. Nonetheless, he was the real embodiment of control, he knew how to work his way with the ball at his feet, how to maneuver through the defense, how to pass the ball to a teammate and how to rocket a shot at the goal.

In 1996, Zidane was later transferred to Italy's Juventus FC This transfer heightened his visibility and expectations in the pitch. In the next two seasons, he steered Juventus FC to an Italian Super Cup, a UEFA Super Cup, an Intercontinental Cup and a pair of Series A.

The peak of his career was in 1998 when France held the World Cup. Zidane steered Les Bleus through the tournament, where his dribbling and crisp passing skills scored two goals for France against Brazil in the finals. He became a national hero, by shutting down Brazil in the 3-0 win World Cup finals. In 2000, he once again spearheaded, the French's team to international glory at the European Championship where culminated a 2-1 win against Italy.

One year later, in 2001, Zidane was signed up by the Spanish Club, Real Madrid, for a world-record transfer fee of more than $66 million. This investment proved very fruitful, with Zidane, helping Real Madrid win the coveted UEFA Champions League title in his first year after he was signed up. The next season was also very successful, with his prowess skills helping Real Madrid win the La Liga Champions.

In 2006, Zidane declared that he would retire soon after the 2006 World Cup held in Germany. However, at a turn of events, his career came to a premature end in the finals when France advanced to the finals with Italy. His career ended fashionably, when one of the opponents, Marco Materazzi enraged him with his comments (which according to Materazzi were "stupid words" about the opponent's sister), in the allocated extra time. In return he slammed his head against the Italian's opponent's chest, leading to his automatic disqualification. Subsequently, France loosed to Italy on penalty kicks.

Legacy and Post Playing Career
Zinedine Zidane has created a legacy of his own in soccer with his many achievements and accolades. In 2004, he was named the best European soccer player of the past 50 years by the UEFA Golden Jubilee Poll. This, subsequently, led to his name being included in the FIFA 100, Pele's List of the 125 greatest living soccer players of all time. He also won the French Player of the Year Awards twice in the years, 1998 and 2002. Additionally, he is also one of the very few soccer players to win the FIFA World Player of the Year/ Ballon d' Or Awards three times.
 
Question:

Just where do we rank Dani Alves in an all time right back list?
 
Gulf in Class pt 4.
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During the late 90s and early 00s, the age of continental uproar in terms of superstars in Europe, with your Ronaldos, Zidanes, Beckhams and all creating headlines, there was a Portuguese man who made his way to the highest echelons of wing play, displaying the array of wing wizardry that hasn't been seen before or after at that magnitude, in that big body of work, across that many rivals, and with that much class.

The opposition has two very good wide men in Stoichkov and Gullit, but neither of them would get into my team. Especially not ahead of none other than Luis Figo! The absolute truth when it comes to wingplay, be it constantly ripping the flip out of his marker, which he will definitely bring in here if you talk about peak Figo who was a tremendous athlete, massive frame that ran at you with pace and skill, or shooting missiles from out wide with absolutely pin point accuracy. He's hardly half bad as an auxiliary midfielder and can just as easily play it through the middle but his service from out wide will be again - changing the game.

He has two brilliant aerial players in Cristiano and Seeler to aim at, with Zidane marauding forward who himself is a wonderful header of the ball (a GOAT level save preventing him from winning ANOTHER world cup with a header in 2006), and with those targets he will reek absolute havoc. As solid as Cole is, he is not going to contain peak Figo, who was a tremendous counter attacking player and someone who would burn his markers time and again during a game. He'll be getting assists in this game.

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Luis Figo: The man who could be King of Football
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Figo's glittering, and at times controversial, career began with Sporting Lisbon in Portugal before he moved to Spanish giants Barcelona in 1995, quickly establishing himself as one of its best players.

Alongside an all-star cast that included Brazilian pair Rivaldo and Ronaldo, as well as Dutch striker Patrick Kluivert, Figo was part of the Barca team that won back-to-back La Liga titles in 1998 and 1999.

He also won five cup competitions in Catalonia, including the UEFA Cup Winners Cup and the UEFA Super Cup in 1997.

By this time Figo had established himself as one of the finest players in the world and one who was adored by the club's fans. So when it was announced he was leaving to join Barca's biggest rival, Real Madrid, it was seen as not just a betrayal of the club but the whole region.

Then Barcelona president Joan Gaspart reacted to news that Real had activated Figo's £37.5 million ($56m) buyout clause by vowing: "I won't forget this. Someone who does this to me will pay for it."

Figo was denounced as a "money-grabber" and was afforded a vitriolic reception on his first visit to Barcelona's Nou Camp stadium with his new club, though it would intensify in the 2003 season as coins, bottles and even a pig's head was thrown at him by a rancorous home support.

But his defection to the Bernabeu helped Real re-establish themselves as Spain's pre-eminent force as they won the La Liga title in 2001, going on to secure a prized European Champions League crown the following season.

His signing kick-started Real's "Galacticos" brand with stellar names such as Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo and David Beckham also acquired. By the time Figo left for Inter Milan in 2005 he had collected seven trophies -- the same amount he won at Barca.

In Italy, Figo won four successive Serie A titles, one Italian Cup and three Italian Super Cups before retiring in 2009.

Figo also represented his national team with distinction, becoming the country's most capped player with 127 appearances.

Portugal made the semifinals of Euro 2000 and went out of the 2002 World Cup at the group stage before suffering a heart-breaking, shock defeat to Greece in the final of Euro 2004, which it hosted.

He retired from international football at the 2006 World Cup, after he captained his side to the semifinals, where it was beaten by France.
 
Stoichkov and Gullit are such perfect complements to Cruyff its hard to see myself voting for Moby but I'll hold off until I have a drink today before voting
 
Gulf in Class pt 5.
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Staying on the wings, again while the opposition relies on Stoichkov and Gullit to provide the decisive blows to their opposition, the stand staring in the face of destiny. There is only one way to have a change against peak Cristiano Ronaldo (and that is a decade long peak!) and not allow him to score against you in a game of this magnitude.

With the absolute elite stature of superstars described above and the rest of the supporting cast, the one man that will shine the brightest on this stage is Cristiano! One of game's greatest goalscorers, and greatest players the game has ever seen. Countless records breaking those standing for decades, countless trophies across two leagues and a hat trick of Champions Leagues to add to the two won previously, there isn't a bigger definition of a WINNER.

The entire time has been handpicked to get this guy in incredible goalscoring opportunities throughout the game via an irresistible multi pronged attack and there is nothing you can do against a force of nature like that. His entire career absolutely towers above even contemporary greats like Hristo and Gullit in terms of the sheer consistency and longevity as well as the absolute peak.

Goals win matches, and I have guaranteed goals here.

i
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oneniltothearsenal said:
Stoichkov and Gullit are such perfect complements to Cruyff its hard to see myself voting for Moby but I'll hold off until I have a drink today before voting
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It's definitely a well built attack, but so is the one on the other side. With far greater overall quality in the entire front 6. Players proven to deliver on the biggest of stages time and again.

That attack is also facing the far better defense of the two on show, while against Cruyff there is the incredible duo of Scirea and Bergomi (hardly gets better in terms of a stopper sweeper combo).

In midfield Suarez and Zidane provide far greater ability to unlock the defense as compared to the opposition and that is again that is incredibly crucial in deciding a big game.

All the absolutely critical factors tile heavily in my favour here, as much as one can try to convolute it.
 
Arbitrium said:
Question:

Just where do we rank Dani Alves in an all time right back list?
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Can answer for me, a tier bellow obviously... His national achievements stand on his way and he is not best suited for every system.

However, put him in a possession-based, high-tempo system which is on the front foot and the results are quite scary.

The Brazilian, who has now won six league titles at Barcelona, has hit a century of assists and could overtake former Blaugrana star Luis Figo on 105 in the coming months

Dani Alves has become the third player in La Liga history to register 100 assists after Lionel Messi and Luis Figo. Messi leads the way with 127 assists in La Liga, while in his 10 seasons in Spain with Barcelona and Real Madrid, Figo set up 105 goals.
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That's my right back, mind you.

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That's before he left Barcelona. The argument about having Messi doesn't stand as he has a familiar set-up with Cruyff orchestrating it and Gullit in front of him with Litmanen pushing from the middle.
All that while having solid defensive contribution against Ronaldo.

As you notice, Figo is also mighty impressive here, but there is a problem that he has to go through Ashley Cole which isn't the easiest defender to stand in your way. Figo will know, they met before.
 
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Cole and Figo faced each other 2 times and while we can disregard the last meeting a bit which had Figo over his peak at the age of 34 in the WC, Portugal still had a man advantage after Rooney sending off.

In 2004 they met in Portugal with Figo at the age of 32 and still in Madrid. And while you can say that's not still the best version of Figo, you can say the same about Cole who was 23 at the time playing for Arsenal and wasn't so defensively astute as in his later years. Figo started the game on Cole flank and was moved to the other side, eventually substituted when the score was still 1-0 for England. Figo was chosen for the best XI of that Euro despite that.

You can argue it's too small of a sample, but then you can take Cristiano's words who met with him numerous times.

Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed the toughest opponent he has ever faced is former Arsenal and Chelsea defender Ashley Cole.

"Over the years I had some great battles with Ashley Cole, he does not give you a second to breathe. He was such a tenacious player when he was at his peak, quick, tough in the tackle. You knew it would never be an easy game."
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Jim Beam said:
Cole and Figo faced each other 2 times and while we can disregard the last meeting a bit which had Figo over his peak at the age of 34 in the WC, Portugal still had a man advantage after Rooney sending off.

In 2004 they met in Portugal with Figo at the age of 32 and still in Madrid. And while you can say that's not still the best version of Figo, you can say the same about Cole who was 23 at the time playing for Arsenal and wasn't so defensively astute as in his later years. Figo started the game on Cole flank and was moved to the other side, eventually substituted when the score was still 1-0 for England. Figo was chosen for the best XI of that Euro despite that.

You can argue it's too small of a sample, but then you can take Cristiano's words who met with him numerous times.
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It's good you bring up having a tenacious fullback because few others would fit that description better than Eric Gerets.

In addition to being a tremendous defender, athlete, tactically super aware, he was a massive leader, captaining the PSV team to the European Cup glory and being a pivotal role in the great Belgium outfit of the 80s.

Against Stoichkov, who is one of your key outlets to scoring, he will be stuck to him like a leech, tirelessly shuttling all day and making him sick of the Belgian's sight. It's the ruthless aggression he brought in and again, like most of my players, brought that performances at the biggest of stages.

Not to mention him combining with Figo in attack on the other side will give Cole a torrid time. The three of Gerets, Figo and Suarez and use a combination of slick passes to quickly find themselves behind your defense, and use the combination in overlap as well to outnumber Cole. If you simply just look at that flank Cole is the weaker fullback of the two especially when you look at one as leading his team to European Cup glory, something that dwarves anything Cole has achieved in his career.
 
Moby said:
It's good you bring up having a tenacious fullback because few others would fit that description better than Eric Gerets.

In addition to being a tremendous defender, athlete, tactically super aware, he was a massive leader, captaining the PSV team to the European Cup glory and being a pivotal role in the great Belgium outfit of the 80s.

Against Stoichkov, who is one of your key outlets to scoring, he will be stuck to him like a leech, tirelessly shuttling all day and making him sick of the Belgian's sight. It's the ruthless aggression he brought in and again, like most of my players, brought that performances at the biggest of stages.

Not to mention him combining with Figo in attack on the other side will give Cole a torrid time. The three of Gerets, Figo and Suarez and use a combination of slick passes to quickly find themselves behind your defense, and use the combination in overlap as well to outnumber Cole. If you simply just look at that flank Cole is the weaker fullback of the two especially when you look at one as leading his team to European Cup glory, something that dwarves anything Cole has achieved in his career.
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That's all good and fine, but Stoichkov will constantly try to move in behind the lines to score and not going to act like a normal winger Gerets is likely to contain.
Cole will have a classic winger in the mold of early Ronaldo on his side. Who did have success against his Chelsea side when he was put on the other flank and far away from Cole like in CL final.
 
Jim Beam said:
That's all good and fine, but Stoichkov will constantly try to move in behind the lines to score and not going to act like a normal winger Gerets is likely to contain.
Cole will have a classic winger in the mold of early Ronaldo on his side. Who did have success against his Chelsea side when he was put on the other flank and far away from Cole like in CL final.
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You mean attack the inside channel manned by a defender who would likely occupy the RCB spot if there was an argument for an all time back 5?

Between Gerets and Bergomi, there's no space whatsoever for Hristo to make any inroads. That's a ruthless defensive combination right in his face, and one that would be heavily favoured to overcome that threat most times.
 
Moby said:
You mean attack the inside channel manned by a defender who would likely occupy the RCB spot if there was an argument for an all time back 5?

Between Gerets and Bergomi, there's no space whatsoever for Hristo to make any inroads. That's a ruthless defensive combination right in his face, and one that would be heavily favoured to overcome that threat most times.
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I love your backline (Scirea is an immense defender and one I would put him immediately in my back line... no offence Vasovic), but they will be put on the pressure with you on the backfoot and waiting on the counter.
Being on the back foot you're giving Cruyff what he wants the most, the ball at his feet and a chance to test that defense time and time again. By giving me control you'll have to deal with multiple crosses into the box or just bombing you with long-range efforts (Bastian, Litmanen, Cruyff, Stoichkov). That way, you are hoping to win the lottery with none of those shots finding the top corner and none of those crosses find any of my players bursting into the box (Gullit most likely).
 
Jim Beam said:
I love your backline (Scirea is an immense defender and one I would put him immediately in my back line... no offence Vasovic), but they will be put on the pressure with you on the backfoot and waiting on the counter.
Being on the back foot you're giving Cruyff what he wants the most, the ball at his feet and a chance to test that defense time and time again. By giving me control you'll have to deal with multiple crosses into the box or just bombing you with long-range efforts (Bastian, Litmanen, Cruyff, Stoichkov). That way, you are hoping to win the lottery with none of those shots finding the top corner and none of those crosses find any of my players bursting into the box (Gullit most likely).
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Maybe watching Mourinho all this while has led people believe that not pressing in the opponent penalty area instantly equals parking the bus and having 10 players behind the ball.

You aren't going to have the ball for more than 4-5 seconds in our half in one go. That, I can guarantee you.
 
Moby said:
You aren't going to have the ball for more than 4-5 seconds in our half in one go. That, I can guarantee you.
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Ok, but how exactly can you guarantee that? You're relying on technically brilliant players who will always have an option to pass to hand it to you? After all, I will have a numerical advantage in your half. Unless you pull back your main attacking threats to contain it. Still, not best known for their defensive strengths.
 
Jim Beam said:
Ok, but how exactly can you guarantee that?
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You'll be up against that back 4 + the two CMs both known for their exceptional workrate and defensive nous as soon as you start making your transition. Clearly I back the ball winning ability of that back-unit to curb any attacking moves that come down any path. The only time you can enjoy time on the ball is in your own half.

All channels are perfectly covered, there are no holes for you to exploit like you did in the previous game. A free-roaming Scirea has the authority and the allowance to shut down all the dangers that you can present to us.

Not to mention by doing this your defenders have been successfully dragged further up the pitch with acres of space looming behind them and when swift move to punish it brutally with the sharpest goal drilling machine most of us have seen in their lifetimes.
 
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