Michaelf7
Gio
Michaelf7 Tactics
My team will be playing a 4-4-2 Diamond Formation. Boniek will play as the more deep lying of the two strikers favouring the left hand side although he has freedom to drift. As most of my players are well known, I will first discuss Belodedici who is the least well known player on my team before mentioning some of my teams strengths and advantages that I think I will have in this match.
Miodrag Belodedici was the first player to win the European Cup with two different clubs and was an important player on both occasions that the European Cup/Champions League was won by an Eastern European club. In this post @Enigma_87 describes Belodedici as both a defensive organizer and a playmaker from deep.
Team Strengths
THE 3-5-2 FIT
The defence are all natural fits. Cannavaro excelled there for Parma while Förster is pretty much the quintessential man-marking stopper in a back 3. An additional layer of protection is offered by Shesternyov, who, as a defence-first sweeper, has the dynamism and pace to shut out much of the space Romario would look for. With Shesternyov's compatriot Yashin offering further premium insurance cover, collectively that's a tough unit for the Brazilian to unlock.
Manning the left flank is Brehme who won the World Cup in the same role and system. Matthaus inside him did the same. Zidane in the hole is well versed in operating with narrower Serie A / France attacks and has the technical and physical toolkit to navigate and unlock tight spaces. Rivaldo is pretty much textbook as a second striker who can roam wide. Like Brehme and Matthaus, he has won a World Cup in exactly the same system.
KEY TACTICAL BATTLES
Lothar Matthaus and Graeme Souness are tasked to take care of Platini. By subduing the French playmaker, no easy task admittedly, Michael's ability to create chances will be seriously neutered. It'll be an absolute war of attrition in that midfield area so I'd envisage it's most likely that the more creative types (Platini and Zidane) will be cancelled out. In turn I feel that the game gets decided in wider areas where our wing-backs should provide the ammo to the attack to make the difference.
Chance creation will rely on players out wide. Andreas Brehme and Carlos Alberto should take control of their flanks, coaxing the ball into the feet of Rivaldo and Spencer to strike for goal. Both wing-backs and Rivaldo offer a viable route to goal through their pinpoint crossing to one of the greatest aerial threats of all time in Spencer. It's worth noting that only 1 of Michael's 10 outfielders break the 6ft mark whereas we have a big attack in Spencer, Rivaldo and Zidane, never mind the additional set-piece threat offered by our 3 central defenders.
Gio
Michaelf7 Tactics
My team will be playing a 4-4-2 Diamond Formation. Boniek will play as the more deep lying of the two strikers favouring the left hand side although he has freedom to drift. As most of my players are well known, I will first discuss Belodedici who is the least well known player on my team before mentioning some of my teams strengths and advantages that I think I will have in this match.
Miodrag Belodedici was the first player to win the European Cup with two different clubs and was an important player on both occasions that the European Cup/Champions League was won by an Eastern European club. In this post @Enigma_87 describes Belodedici as both a defensive organizer and a playmaker from deep.
Team Strengths
- The proven combination of Tardelli, Boniek and Platini who played together at Juventus.
- Looking at Gio's squad, I think I'll have the edge in the midfield battle
- Having two elite goalscorers in Platini and Romario
THE 3-5-2 FIT
The defence are all natural fits. Cannavaro excelled there for Parma while Förster is pretty much the quintessential man-marking stopper in a back 3. An additional layer of protection is offered by Shesternyov, who, as a defence-first sweeper, has the dynamism and pace to shut out much of the space Romario would look for. With Shesternyov's compatriot Yashin offering further premium insurance cover, collectively that's a tough unit for the Brazilian to unlock.
Manning the left flank is Brehme who won the World Cup in the same role and system. Matthaus inside him did the same. Zidane in the hole is well versed in operating with narrower Serie A / France attacks and has the technical and physical toolkit to navigate and unlock tight spaces. Rivaldo is pretty much textbook as a second striker who can roam wide. Like Brehme and Matthaus, he has won a World Cup in exactly the same system.
KEY TACTICAL BATTLES
Lothar Matthaus and Graeme Souness are tasked to take care of Platini. By subduing the French playmaker, no easy task admittedly, Michael's ability to create chances will be seriously neutered. It'll be an absolute war of attrition in that midfield area so I'd envisage it's most likely that the more creative types (Platini and Zidane) will be cancelled out. In turn I feel that the game gets decided in wider areas where our wing-backs should provide the ammo to the attack to make the difference.
Chance creation will rely on players out wide. Andreas Brehme and Carlos Alberto should take control of their flanks, coaxing the ball into the feet of Rivaldo and Spencer to strike for goal. Both wing-backs and Rivaldo offer a viable route to goal through their pinpoint crossing to one of the greatest aerial threats of all time in Spencer. It's worth noting that only 1 of Michael's 10 outfielders break the 6ft mark whereas we have a big attack in Spencer, Rivaldo and Zidane, never mind the additional set-piece threat offered by our 3 central defenders.
which leans it for him at this point
