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HIMANNV TACTICS -
- Mid block
- Deeper press
- Counters and quick transitions
- Can play buildup if the counter is not on.
Going to focus more on the players and their club stints as that seems more relevant to this kind of draft.
Kempes (Valencia)
Kempes played for Valencia on two different occasions. He featured for them from 1976–1981, which is right at his peak. He scored 125 goals in 187 appearances during this time and won the following individual accolades during this time:
- FIFA World Cup Golden Boot: 1978
- FIFA World Cup Golden Ball: 1978
- FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1978
- Ballon d'Or: 1978
- Onze d'Or: 1978
- Olimpia de Plata: 1978
- South American Footballer of the Year: 1978
- UEFA Cup Winners' Cup top scorers: 1979–80
His second stint (1982-1984) wasn't too shabby either and he scored 21 goals from 42 games in the league.
Krankl (Rapid Wien)
Another player who had 2 stints at the chosen club. Krankl played for Rapid Wien from 1970–1978 and scored 185 goals in 252 games for them. He made his move to Barcelona in the middle of the year that he won the Ballon d'Or silver ball, the Onze d'Argent, the Pichichi Trophy, and the European Golden Shoe right at his peak. His second stint was from 1981 to 1986, where he was again in excellent goalscoring form, scoring 151 goals in 197 appearances. During the time playing for this club, he was easily a legend for them and for the league as a whole as well. He was:
- Austrian Player of the Year: 1973, 1974, 1977, 1982, 1988
- Austrian Bundesliga Top Goalscorer: 1973–74, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1982–83
Platini (Juventus)
Top tier player at his absolute peak with 3 Ballon d'Or wins on the trot, no need for any more to be said.
Medel (Universidad Católica)
Medel played for Universidad Católica from 2006–2009 and was a full international and won Chilean Player of the Year (2008) during his stint there. He rejoined them out of love for the club at the tail end of his career although he didn't officially play. Most of you probably have seen him play - he's an aggressive sort of player and is nicknamed the Pitbull.
Here he is playing for the club:
Cerezo (Atlético Mineiro)
Cerezo played for Atlético Mineiro from 1972–1983, a long stint. He became a full international during his time at the club and won the following awards while there:
- Bola de Ouro: 1977, 1980
- Bola de Prata: 1976, 1977, 1980
- FIFA XI (Reserve): 1979[18]
- World XI Soccer: 1983
Keane (Nottingham Forest)
Keane played for Forest from 1990–1993 and became a full international during this time. By 1992, he was hot property and plenty of clubs were after him. It took a British record transfer fee for United to finally sign him.
Excellent b2b midfielder and heavily involved in the game even at the time. You'd be forgiven for thinking he was playing for United here:
Dietz (Duisburg)
Bernard Dietz is a Duisburg legend and they even named the club's mascot after him. He played for them between 1970–1982. He is one of the highest scoring defenders in Bundesliga history and the 4th highest goal scorer for their club in the all time stakes. He played all of his International games (53) during his time at the club and won the following awards:
- kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season: 1973–74, 1974–75, 1975–76, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1979–80
- Onze Mondial: 1977
Moore (West Ham)
Ballon d'Or runner up while playing for the Hammers and their greatest ever player by a distance. Needs no introduction.
Boli (Auxerre)
Although he's well known for his time in Marseille because, y'know, he scored the most important goal in their history that won them the Champions League, Boli actually spent more time in Auxerre. From 1983–1990 to be precise. During this time he was a full international for France and won the Etoile d'Or, He's an absolute unit and an excellent physical defender.
Alves (Sevilla)
Dani Alves played for Sevilla from 2003–2008. During his time with the club, he won:
- UEFA Cup Most Valuable Player: 2005–06
- UEFA Team of the Year: 2007
- ESM Team of the Year: 2006–07
Scored a goal and an assist to win the game 2-1, dealt with both Ronaldinho and Messi, got Giuly sent off, and was an absolute menace in both halves of the football pitch. No wonder they went on to sign him.
Higuita (Atlético Nacional)
Played for the side from 1986–1991 and later from 1993–1997, the majority of career and his peak years. During this time he was in the South American Team of the Year: 1989, 1990 and won numerous club accolades.
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PAT TACTICS -
"If Baggio were to play in today’s football, he’d score 50 goals per season. There’s no doubt about it. I don’t just mean with me or Manchester City, I mean with any coach and any team. Roby was a phenomenon when playing basically with only one good leg and in an Italian football that at the time was very difficult for a forward to survive in...In my team, he would certainly be a False 9. He wouldn’t have to run too much, but on the other hand he’d have 500 touches per game and score 50 goals per season." Pep Guardiola
"If I cry, then I apologise, but I get emotional when talking about Baggio. I got to know him at the end of his career when his knee was full of scars. He could barely move and still he was the best, I can only imagine what he was like during his best years."
Pep Guardiola
Frankly, I had bugger all idea what I was aiming to build in the early stages of the drafting, so opted for a homage to late-career Baggio when I realised he was still available. I shamelessly co-opt Pep's false 9 idea, and place Baggio in a possession-orientated setup flanked by the jet-heeled dribbling sensation Rensenbrink, and the intelligent and clinical Bebeto. The earliest appearance of Bebeto that I watched was on the right wing for Flamengo, so he has experience in wider positions, and the intelligence of his movement should enable him to thrive in a fluid False 9 set-up.
Everything else is fairly self-explanatory: a CB pairing with the recovery pace to push up a bit during possession phases, two FBs with excellent attacking attributes, and a midfield that is both incisive and extremely comfortable circulating the ball and retaining possession.
Sergio Goycochea (24-26): Won a domestic league title with Millonarios, and still a Millonarios player during his famous WC 90 breakout tournament, that earned him both a WC Golden Glove and Argentine Footballer of the Year as individual gongs.
Manuel Amoros (20-27): Played most of his peak at Monaco, where he achieved most of his considerable individual accolades.
Richard Gough (18-24): Overshadowed by Fergie's Aberdeen, Dundee United were nonetheless one of Scotland's last unlikely success stories, winning a league title and reaching a European Cup semi-final during Gough's time at the club. Gough himself established himself as a regular in the Scotland team in a very competitive era whilst playing for Dundee United, and won the PFA Players' Player of the Year in his
final season at the club. My one qualm with this pick is that he often, maybe predominantly, played at right back, although this seems to be a clear case of a player playing out of position to accomodate the needs of the team. He moved to Spurs for big money and immediately slotted in at CB.
Elias Figueroa (20-25?): Seems to have been one of those preternaturally brilliant Nesta/Maldini types who was basically one of the best defenders ever from the moment he stepped on a football pitch. Unsure as to whether he reached a higher level again at Internacional, but he was sufficiently brilliant at Penarol that fans were apparently crying at the airport during his farewell.
Yuri Zhirkov (21-26): Established himself as one of the most exciting wing backs of his time at CSKA Moscow, before his sub-optimal transfer west to Chelsea and injury battles led to his decline.
Javi Martinez (17-23): Spent six full seasons at Athletic Bilbao, encompassing his entire peak bar his first season with Bayern.
Paulo Falcao (18-26): Came to prominence in his trophy-laden eight year spell at Internacional, winning two Bola de Ouro awards on the bounce in 1978 and 1979 amidst fierce competition from the likes of Zico. His subsequent career at Roma and superb WC 82 brought his stupendous talents to a wider audience.
Herbert Prohaska (17-25, 28-34): Spent all but three seasons of his career at Austria Vienna and, even more clearly than his draft and real-life teammate Falcao, his stint in Serie A probably confirmed his level rather than elevated it.
Rob Rensenbrink (21-30): Spent his entire lethal peak at Anderlecht.
Roberto Baggio (33-37): Old, slow and riddled with injuries, Baggio somehow conjured up a late-career renaissance at Brescia, registering 75 goals and assists in 101 appearances, keeping a perennial yo-yo club in Serie A*, and remarkably, winning the only Guerin d'Oro of his career in 2001.
*from Wiki: "Before Baggio had joined Brescia, they had never been able to avoid relegation after being newly promoted to Serie A, in over 40 years. During the four years under Baggio, Brescia recorded their best ever Serie A run and were never relegated."
Bebeto (25-28): Entered his peak years at Vasca, winning South American Footballer of the Year award in 1989 and finishing as the Brazilian league top scorer in 1992.
