Sheep Draft 3 - Line-ups and Tactics

Zona Mista :: Il gioco all'Italiana​

...aka "Helenio's Heroes"​

​

La Squadra
Goalkeeper: Ubaldo Fillol, Arg
Libero: Ronald Koeman, Ned
Center Back: Fernando Hierro, Spa
Center Back: Domingos da Guia, Bra
Left Wingback: Roberto Carlos, Bra
Mediano: Obdulio Varela, Arg aka "El Negro Jefe" (Captain)
Regista: Luisito Suárez, Spa
Mezzapunta: Michael Laudrup, Den
Tornante: Steven Gerrard, Eng
Mezzala: Raymond Kopaszewski, Fra aka "Kopa"
Seconda Punta: Thierry Henry, Fra


Set Pieces
Corner Kicks: Gerrard and R. Carlos
Long Free Kicks: Koeman and R. Carlos
Short Free Kicks: Thierry Henry


Style of Play
Counterattack with an emphasis on playing the ball on ground to the feet of Kopa and Laudrup or the space in front of Gerrard, R. Carlos, or Henry. We will look to capitalize off opponent's mistakes in possession and punish them for not having enough defensive-minded players on the pitch.

The midfield 3 complement each other very well, and there are good combinations on either side of the field (Gerrard, Suarez, and Kopa or Laudrup, R. Carlos, and Henry) as well as up front (Kopa and Henry).

Henry will drop deep and wide to find space where he can and break out quickly. Kopa will not be tracking back, so instead, he will be waiting until we regain possession and then checking back into spaces between the lines looking to receive the ball at his feet and turn.

​

 

If you guys could double-post your line-ups in the recap thread (https://www.bigsoccer.com/community/threads/sheep-draft-3-recap-thread.1939750/page-3), I'd appreciate it.

Since that thread is also a non-discussion thread, it's an easy place to keep all the teams contained and easy to resource.

 

Players
1) Gilmar (Brazil)
2) Francisco Arce (Paraguay)
3) Antonio Cabrini (Italy)
4) Gaetano Scirea (Italy)
5) Branko Zebec (Yugoslavia)
6) Giovanni Trapattoni (Italy)
7) Rui Costa (Portugal)
8) Kaka (Brazil)
9) Andriy Shevchenko (Ukraine)
10) Zico (Brazil)
11) Kenny Dalglish (Scotland)

Captain - Scirea
Penalties - Zico or Shevchenko
Direct free-kicks - Zico, occasionally Shevchenko or from 25 yards or more Arce
Indirect free-kicks - Zico or Arce, but may be taken short or played into space for a player to react to
Corners - Zico or Dalglish, Cabrini if a left-footed option is preferred

Formation

Tactics
We are to play a skillful passing game with the emphasis on movement off the ball and quality on it. Players are encouraged to be inventive; they are free to play 'off the cuff' but also be aware of a free team-mate. Kaka and Rui Costa in midfield will look to open up the pitch with their fluid movement and slick passes as well as dribbling and the forwards can then look to benefit from the space with their own creativity and shooting accuracy. Zico is the free player who will be looking for the space to provide his magic either in midfield or in or near the opposition penalty area. Dalglish will himself roam around at times and will drop deep to try and play in Shevchenko or an onrushing midfielder, or interact with Zico. Dalglish is also encouraged to use his quality shooting from the angles of the penalty area when he feels comfortable doing so.
Kaka and Rui Costa are playing from a starting position deep in the midfield but one or occasionally even both can provide extra energy and dynamism by surging into attacking areas. Most of their passes will be played with the aim of releasing the forward players though, and they are asked to help closing down the opposition in midfield and tracking back towards their own goal. When we have the ball they are free to play across the whole width of the pitch. Trapattoni will get involved in some passing movements as an extra man in midfield but he is to be a steady presence in the middle of the pitch as well as moving back towards defence when the opposition are attacking and also to cover for any forward runs or dribbles by Scirea. Trapattoni can also be assigned the task of picking up an opposition star number 10 or forward.
Arce and Cabrini will pick their moments to provide width, while Zebec will mainly play as a marker and centre-back to compliment Scirea's libero role but can swap roles with Trapattoni and provide some more pace and energy to the midfield too. Generally the defenders are to be cautious about moving forwards but at any time one of them can join in and be covered by Trapattoni. Scirea can help instigate our moves with intelligent passes and occasionally dribbles from deep.

Tactical adjustments
Shevchenko can be left as the solo striker with Dalglish dropping behind him and alongside Zico, to form a Christmas Tree formation. The midfield and forward line would then be like this:
-------Rui Costa------Zebec-------Kaka------
--------------Zico-----------Dalglish----------
-------------------Shevchenko-------------
Kaka and Rui Costa will be moving around the pitch anyway but could also switch sides in this setup. Trapattoni would then take the centre-back role.
Trapattoni can be permanently kept in a defensive position while he is tracking a star player and so the defence would then look like this:
--------------------Scirea----------------------
Arce------Trapattoni----Zebec-------Cabrini
Zico would drop deeper into midfield if this happened and look to release Shevchenko and Dalglish on the break.

 

Captain: Daniel Passarella
PK: Daniel Passarella

I will spare you from prasing my own players as I'm sure after all these drafts you are familar and have your own opinion about at least 10 of them.

My leftback Oscar Malbernat might be the one player who needs a bit of clarification.
To be honest - no I did not plan to draft him and I did know very little about Malbernat before I made my pick. Bobby Charlton was quite obviously my main target in this pair.

He spent most of his career playing for Estudiantes winning three consecutive Copa Liberatdores as their captain and retired at a young age of 29. A tough and rough guy - the footage I got from him was in the three Intercontinental Cup 68, 69 and 70. The one against Manchester United should be your best bet if you are interested.
Yeah, I don't expect any drafter to actually watch those games... but you know that's all I got, can't give you any fancy facts, trophies and stats about Malbernat. And I sure don't want to make him something he isn't either. Alltime great? Maybe not. Worst player in the draft or even sheep? I don't think so.

I was going for stamina and fitness with all of my D and MF, some tough guys who will fight 90 mins and beyond.
Then three offensive-minded player who can win a game on their own anytime in Charlton, Sivori and Bergkamp and your goalscoring CF in Careca up front.

Formation: Straight forward 4-2-3-1 or whatever you wanna call it.

 

Here it is. I shall call my team FC Gold.



Formation: hybrid 4-2-3-1/4-2-4
Style: Attacking
Pressing: High upfield
Captain: Dino Zoff (Vice Captain: Deschamps)
Set Pieces: corners - Iniesta, Messi : free-kicks - Messi : penalties - Messi

Goalkeeper: Zoff
Center Backs: Thuram and Pique
Attacking Fullbacks: Zambrotta and Brehme
Defensive Midfielder: Deschamps
Deep Playmaker: Iniesta
Wingers: Jairzinho and Gento
Advanced Playmaker: Messi
Forward: Kocsis

Style of Play - details:

In Attack - Zambrotta and Brehme will look to hug the sidelines and push forward whenever appropriate. Iniesta as the deep playmaker will look for space to link up play and build attacks from our half of the field. Jairzinho and Gento will initially look to stretch the field wide and as the ball progresses upfield they will look to cut inside one at a time. When one cuts inside, the other winger stays wide. This alternate movement from the wingers also depends on the movement of Messi and Kocsis. The wingers will also look to dribble and take players on. Messi will mostly look to drop deep, link up and help Iniesta with the playmaking duties. He will also look for opportunities to dribble the ball and take on players, as well as to play through balls for Jairzinho, Gento and Kocsis. Kocsis will mainly look to lead the line and play in the channels, though he also may look to drop deep and switch places with Messi. In general, all 4 front players will be asked to move and be fluid, searching for space, linking up with each other, dribbling and shooting. They need to provide scoring treat both from wide and through the middle. Thuram, Pique and Deschamps will hold their positions in attack and should always provide options for back passes as needed to recycle the ball. Iniesta will not look to make forward runs, but instead will look to provide options for simple short passes to be played to him, specifically in the middle third. The main idea is to spread the field, move the ball quickly and safely to the front 4 with ground passes. Speed of play is important and should vary, but it will be on the quicker side.

In Defense - It starts with high pressing as soon as the ball is lost. The defensive line will be high. Messi will defend lower/deeper than Kocsis and Iniesta will play closer with Deschamps. Fullbacks and Center Backs need to get their shape right and play close to Iniesta and Deschamps. The team in general will look to stay as compact as possible and not leave too many gaps between the lines. All players will be active in the defensive phase. The goal is to win the ball back as quickly as possible and transition into a new attacking phase. Marking will be zonal. The players will look to force opponents wide and prevent crosses. Wingers will pinch inside and help with the compactness of the team in defense.

Set Pieces tactics:

Attacking corners:

Zambrotta, Brehme and Deschamps will stay back. Thuram and Pique will attack each post. Jairzinho will be on the opposing goalkeeper. Kocsis will make run from inside the penalty area. Gento will be lurking just outside the penalty area. Messi or Iniesta will be the takers, with the other one offering short option.

Defending corners:

Zambrotta and Brehme will stay at the near and far post respectively. Thuram and Pique will man-mark the two most dangerous areal threats of the opponents. Jairzinho, Gento and Deschamps will mark zonally. However, occasionally Deschamps may be asked to track the most dangerous runner. Gento may be asked to watch out for short taken corner kicks. Iniesta will sit at the end of our penalty area, keeping an eye on anyone waiting for shooting opportunities. Messi and Kocsis will stay upfield for counterattacks.

Attacking free-kicks:

Again, Zambrotta, Brehme and Deschamps will stay back. Thuram and Pique will look to attack each post. Jairzinho and Kocsis will be in the penalty area looking to make runs. Gento will be lurking outside the area looking to pounce on any miss-clearances. Iniesta will stand with the taker Messi.

Defending free-kicks:

Jairzinho, Gento, Iniesta and Kocsis will be on the wall. Zambrotta, Brehme and Deschamps will zone-mark, while Thuram and Pique will man-mark the areal threats. Messi will stay forward. Occasionally, Kocsis may also stay forward.

That's my team. Hope you like it.

 

Make your football formation with this11.com

The aim of my draft is to recreate a team that combines Brazil 1958 with Brazil 1970, but I considered my team more liked the team in 1970 than in 1958. So if you do not want to read the rest of the write-up, you can look at the brackets and the names of the players listed above to determine if my team could be considered a copy of Brazil 1970. In general, Jose Altafini is the biggest difference between Brazil 1970 and my team. He will play as a classic number 9. I also hope to solve the defensive midfield problems of this formation by drafting Dave Mackay, a true destroyer. The attackers must track back and the fullbacks must be ready to support the midfield. I also have much better back four than both Brazil 1958 and 1970.
Formation
Since both 1958 and 1970 played in a very similar formation and used similar tactics, I will also start my team in a 4-2-4 formation. However, the players will be instructed to move around the field so that the formation will turn into 4-5-1, 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1 or 4-2-2-2 at times. Brazil 1970(also sometimes Brazil 1958) played this tactics and people still argues over their actual formation.
Defense:
#1 Petr Cech/ goalkeeper

#5 Germano/centerback: He is the cultured defender who normally starts the attack from the back. He played under Bela Guttmann at Benfica(see Zizinho). So he should understand this formation very well.

#4 Jurgen Kohler/stopper:

#2 Cafu(Carlos Alberto & DJ Santos)/ rightback: In real life, Cafu usually enjoyed charging down the wing and crossed, but I think he will get into Garrincha’s way on my team. So Cafu needs to adjust his game to suit Garrincha. Cafu will reinforce the midfield, cut inside or send in early crosses, but the right wing belongs to Garrincha.

#3 Bixente Lizarazu(Everaldo, N.Santos)/ leftback: Both Everaldo and N.Santos were actually very defensive as compared to the modern fullbacks even through the latter was considered a pioneer attacking fullback. In 1970, Rivelino, Pele and Tostao took turns to work the left wing, but Brazil basically did not generate much attack from the left wing. Lizarazu should have the space to attack through the left wing because Rivelino often drifted toward the middle and I don’t have a Tostao(a false 9)on my team. However, I don’t see the left wing as an important element of the attack. It is just an extra option that Brazil did not have in 1958 and 1970.

Midfield
#6 Dave Mackay(Zito, Clodoaldo) /The destroyer: He will add physical toughness and discipline to this team. With Mackay’s protection, the fullbacks will have better cover and Gerson will become a better player. On paper, he is the blue-collar workhorse among artists, but his passing ability, his vision, and his first touch were as good as Zito and Clodoaldo. Besides, I am not using him as a playmaker. I only need him to maintain the procession game.

#8 Gerson(Gerson, Didi)/ the deep-lying playmaker: Be himself. Gerson will spread the plays around and control the tempo of the game. I reunited Gerson with Rivelino and also with Garrincha who played with him at that great Botafogo side of the 1960’s. Zizinho was also a close friend of his father. He will be very comfortable with his passing options.

Foward
#7 Garrincha(Garrincha,Jairzinho)/Right wing: Be himself! He will march up and down the right wing as he had done for many years. He will draw 2 to 3 defenders to his side.

#11 Rivelino(Rivelino, Zagello)/false left wing/left midfielder: Be himself. The formation will become 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, depending where he plays at that given point.

#10 Zizinho(Pele )/ attack midfielder/secondary striker: In 1957, Zizinho joined Bela Guttman’s Sao Paulo with Vicente Feola as his assistant coach and some cited as the beginning of the 4-2-4 formation in Brazil. A year later, Vicente Feola took over Sao Paulo and then, the Selecao. He brought the 4-2-4 formation to the national team and tried to bring Zizinho back to the Wolrd Cup in 1958. I never saw Zizinho in action, but these information convinced me to believe that he will fit into this team nicely. In real life, Pele wanted to become his idol Zizinho, but Zizinho will become Pele on this imaginary team. He will have in a free role as an attacking midfielder or secondary striker. According to Pele, he is a good defender too. So he will track back when the team is defending. He might be playing deeper than Pele did in 1958 and 1970.

#9 Jose Altafini(Vava, Tostao)/Striker: He will be the biggest difference between Brazil 1970 and my team. In 1970, Tostao was a false 9, but Jose Altafini will play as a classical number 9. On paper, Pele replaced him in 1958. In actuality, they were different type of players. He was fighting for a spot with Vava who was also an out and out striker. He proved later in Italy that he was a great goal-scorer and an all-round striker. He should fit in well with any types of players. His size should open space for the smaller Zizinho. He can also play with his back toward the goal…. laying off passes to the rest of the team. And he will score plenty of goals.

 

Use this11.com for drawing your football tactics

Line-up:
GK: Sepp Maier (West Germany)
RB: Nelinho (Brazil)
CB: Paul McGrath (Republic of Ireland)
CB: Laurent Blanc (France)
LB: Paolo Maldini (Italy) ©
DM: Arie Haan (Netherlands)
CM: Danny Blanchflower (Northern Ireland)
CM: Clarence Seedorf (Netherlands)
AM: Sócrates (Brazil)
SS: Roberto Baggio (Italy)
ST: Ronaldo (Brazil)

Set Pieces: The majority (corners, direct free-kicks) assigned to Baggio, with Nelinho , Sócrates and Seedorf occasionally contributing too. Haan, with his right foot like a traction engine, may also try and blast one in from long-range from time to time. Indirect free-kicks will mostly be short, quick passes, though we do possess aerial threats, in our two centre-backs, and will look to take advantage of that on occasions

Playing to the main strength of our side, the team will be set out to play a quick, fluid passing game, somewhat similar in style to the Barcelona and Spain sides of recent years. We’re are certainly more than capable of achieving this, as all my players possess fantastic technical skills, even the likes of McGrath and Blanc, who were known as great ball-playing centre-backs in their day and would make the occasional run forward when the opportunity presented itself.
In the 4-4-2 diamond formation, our main source of creativity will clearly come through the centre of the pitch, though with Nelinho (a noted goal-scorer for his position) and Maldini deployed at full-back, we have the width to attack from the flanks and drawn the opposition’s defenders out wide, creating holes through the middle which can then be exploited. Seedorf can also move out wide onto the left-wing, giving space for Haan to push up into the centre of the pitch when we possess the football, while Baggio, in his ‘free-role’, will obviously be roaming around the channels, utilising the flanks, as well as dropping deep to link up with Sócrates and the rest of the midfield.
Haan will essentially be playing as a ‘mediano’ at the base of the midfield, holding the fort down, especially when the full-backs bomb forward, as well as adding some inventive play, with his long and short range passing ability. In many ways, he could be considered a deep-lying playmaker in this role too, but that definition would be belying his defensive capabilities, which were a key factor in the Netherlands’ success at the 74 and 78 World Cups, respectively. Ahead of him, Blanchflower will be playing a similar role to how Xavi operate for club and country; largely driving the play through the centre of the pitch, by finding space with short and accurate passes, while also pressing the opposition hard when without the ball. Seedorf meanwhile will have a comparable role to that of Blanchflower, though will be given license to play higher up the pitch, moving out onto the left-wing or even joining up alongside Sócrates in that attacking midfield role – he’ll fundamentally be the Iniesta to Blanchflower’s Xavi. As for Sócrates himself, at the tip of that diamond, a great deal of the play will flow through him in that central role; his passing vision on the pitch, including killer through balls to either Ronaldo or Baggio, being a pivotal key towards unlocking the opposition’s defence. The roles of both Baggio and Ronaldo essentially speak for themselves. Both will be playing their conventional and most suited positions; Baggio, as the trequartista/deep-lying forward, who enjoys roaming around the final third of the pitch, while Ronaldo as that speedy, goal-scoring striker, playing off the last defender, latching onto passes from the midfield and of course making those trademark solo runs from deep, which were such a staple of his early career. Both he and Baggio should link up extremely effectively and their combined presence around the opposition’s area will undoubtedly prove an absolute nightmare for defenders.

 

Arrows FC:



Captain: DiStefano
Penalties: DiStefano, then Breitner
Set Pieces: Bozsik to take deeper FKs, DiStefano, Bertoni and Romario to share direct FK duties, Bozsik and Bertoni to take corners
Formation: Unbalanced 4-4-1-1. There will be two banks of four (as discussed below), while Bertoni will float flank to flank (primarily playing on the right) with Romario staying as the furthest forward. Described in more detail below.
Players: My players are who they are - there are no sheep or overly obscure names here. Potentially Bertoni is less well known than others - he was a very attacking right sided player who in his prime was more of a forward than a winger, and in that role scored the third goal in the 1978 World Cup final.
Formation (advanced): The back four will be a standard flat line, although both Lahm and especially Nilton Santos will be expected to provide width. Nilton Santos is probably the best attacking left back in history, so is well suited for that role. Bozsik will sit in front of the back 4 and play the role of deep-lying playmaker. I do not expect all play to go through him, but he will link the defense to midfielders further up the pitch. I do not expect Bozsik to move too high up the pitch, as pace was not his strongest asset. Breitner will function as a left sided box to box midfielder. He will make runs into the box but also cover Nilton Santos when Santos goes forward or Lahm when Lahm goes forward. I've listed Bozsik on the right because he's going to spend a bit more time there since Bertoni's not likely to track back, but Bozsik and Breitner will switch from side to side as needed. Mazzola and DiStefano will occupy central midfield. DiStefano will spend more time orchestrating play while Mazzola will make more runs into the box without the ball to support Romario; both will have the freedom to go into the left channel. Bertoni will play out wide on the right and look to cut inside more than cross. Due to Bertoni spending more time on the right, Lahm will go forward less to compensate. Bertoni will also have the freedom to move to the left side and drag defenders with him so that the attack doesn't become too predictable. Romario will do what Romario does - score.
Style of Play: While I expect this side to retain possession well (there are no clods or water carriers here, and all 4 defenders are comfortable on the ball), I have no intention of asking them to play any sort of tiki-taka or Barcelona-style possession game. The intention is to be far more direct. Other than Bozsik, the front 5 were all pacy and aggressive players, and will not be passing the ball side to side too much. While that will result in more loss of possession, all three of my midfielders are very capable of tracking back - DiStefano and Mazzola were some of the first of the "complete midfielder" breed. I do not expect Romario or Bertoni to spend any time behind the ball other than when pressing up the pitch, but I am willing to concede some possession at times and to be very aggressive in tacking to get it back, and then to break forward quickly. The defensive line will not be overly high and while Billy Wright might make the occasional run forward, it won't be a common occurrence. In short - balanced and direct without committing the sin Cruyff accused the English of - giving the ball right back after we've won it.
I couldn't really come up with an immediate analog of what famous side this team resembles, though I'm certainly open to suggestions.

 

Make your football formation with this11.com


Nominal formation: 4-4-1-1
Alternate: 4-2-3-1

Captain: Stefan Effenberg

GK: Peter Shilton (England)
RB: Danny McGrain (Scotland)
CB: Carlos Puyol (Spain)
CB: Franco Baresi (Italy)
LB: Javier Zanetti (Argentina)
RW: Luis Figo (Portugal)
CM: Stefan Effenberg (Germany)
CM: Seba Veron (Argentina)
LW: Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal)
SS: Alessandro Del Piero (Italy)
CF: Telmo Zarra (Spain)

Key attributes:

This team could be characterized by the following words in describing its best attributes:

(brackets indicate players who most epitomize this feature on the team)
Heart/Passion (McGrain, Puyol, Effenberg, C.Ronaldo, Del Piero)
Physical power(McGrain, Puyol, Effenberg, C.Ronaldo, Zarra)
Big game players (Puyol, Baresi, Zanetti, Figo, Del Piero)
Leaders (Puyol, Baresi, Effenberg, Del Piero)
Aerial prowess (Puyol, Effenberg, C.Ronaldo, Zarra)
Football Intelligence (Baresi, Zanetti, Veron, Figo, Del Piero)

Overall balanced approach to play with touch of flair and creativity

Summary:

The typical formation would be a traditional 4411, with one primarily attacking full back and the other more defensive, with one more traditional winger and the other possessing a more 'free role' to attack from various angles and positions on the field. The SS is your typical creative type, with higher goal output than would normally be seen from this position. The CF is classic physical presence with an incredible instinct for goal from both the air and the ground. Finally, and key to making this formation work at the highest level, is two CM who can both play in both directions, with one being a more dominant and physical presence and the other being able to create through his precision passing or ability to carry the ball through the middle on a dribble. Both CM also possess the ability to keep the ball moving with excellent passing range and top notch field vision.

In certain game situations, where a more compact approach is required for tighter games, or games against especially strong midfield's, this team could revert to a 4231 with both CM dropping deeper, and more individual attacking reliance being placed on the wing forwards. Both CM are comfortable enough passers and technicians to operate and dictate play from a deeper position, with one assuming a more DLP role.


Winning mentality:

Finally, and most importantly, this team is packed with winners. Between the players, this team has won over 50 top flight league championships, 12 Champions Leagues/European Cups and dozens of other domestic medals. This is the team with the most medals combined of any team in the sheep draft.

Defence:

The FB's are perfectly balanced as a pair with McGrain being the more rugged, hard nosed natural defender of the two and Zanetti being the more cultured, technical and offensive of them. McGrain would have a slightly more defensive role, allowing Zanetti to storm forward more often in contributing as part of the 3rd wave of attack. Balance again is key in evaluating the CB pairing. In Puyol we have a harder nosed, more physical CB who excels with tougher aerial battles and a more aggressive approach to defending than his partner Baresi. Baresi is the game reader extraordinaire. The man who can clean up after Puyol aggression and spot a play before it unfolds. An excellent compliment to Puyol's more raw approach. He would also maintain the primary responsibility for taking the ball out of the back and distributing to his midfield.


Central Midfield:

In Stefan Effenberg, we have the vocal leader of the team, and the midfield general that is key to any high functioning midfield duo. His physical presence, tough tackling and mobility adds some steel and bite to the middle and will make any attacker think twice before storming up the middle. However, the man is no Nigel de Jong, and is more than able when in possession of the ball. He has top class passing ability, great vision of the field and the ability to keep the ball progressing up the field of play. And finally, he has an excellent shot. In his partner, Seba Veron, we have our creativity and passing, a visionary genius who will be the fulcrum for everything through the middle. His ability to pick a pass, both possession based and penetrative based, short and long, will be the key to getting the ball to my main attacking threats in open space. And not to be out done, the man is mobile enough, physical enough, and disciplined enough to cope with the demands of the 2 way role required in a central midfield pairing.

Wingers:

Luis Figo. The man, the legend. Luis will play a more traditional role as a RW, and will look to provide creativity from the flank. In contrast to his counter part C. Ronaldo, he has a high enough work ethic to play a more two way based wing role. His pinpoint crossing will also be looked too as a major offensive weapon to the aerial ability possessed by my team in the shape of Zarra and C.Ronaldo coming in from the opposite flank. Meanwhile, C. Ronaldo will be granted a more free role, which will be afforded to him based on the protection his flank can be given by Effenberg, and McGrain playing a deeper role as a FB, allowing Baresi to shift over as required. C.Ronaldo will bring directness to the attack, pace, power and the ability to come in off the wing at the far post to attack Figo's crosses.

Strikers:

Finally, in attack, we have a well balanced SS/CF pairing in Del Piero and Zarra. Del Piero will be the natural link player up front and will look to drop deep and play between the lines, often allowing C.Ronaldo to run beyond him to link up with Zarra and confuse the defence. Del Piero will also chip in with his fair of goals, often garnering 20 a season in a SS role, although this will be in support of the primary goal machines of Zarra and C.Ronaldo. Telmo Zarra. Although only 5' 11”, the man had an uncanny ability to both physical compete with any defender in the same. Known for finishing, both in the air and on the ground, he was able to get over 252 La Liga goals in his career, while winning over 5 Pichichi trophies in his career for highest goal scorer in a season. One of his greatest achievements coming in the year he scored 38 league goals in only 30 games. Bottom line, the man knew how to score and put away chances. The perfect compliment to join C.Ronaldo is finishing all the chances and openings created by Figo, Veron and Del Piero.

Set Piece Takers:

Long free kicks: C.Ronaldo
Short free kicks: Luis Figo/Del Piero
Corners: Luis Figo
Penalties: Del Piero

 

Keeper

Ladislao Mazurkiewicz - good solid keeper, certainly at no disadvantage here

Defence

Berti Vogts - a top quality realiable full back, defensively better than the equivalent in the majority of rival teams here.

Karl-Heinz Schnellinger - another one for reliability, at ease with the ball and without it. Full backs bringing stability to the back four.

Hector Chumpitaz - Classy type, can play the covering role and bring the ball out. Potential captain.

Victor Valussi - has the mould for a perfect foil to Chumpitaz - a stopper who would generally mark the target man. People will point out the sheep factor, but he is in a conservative defence filled with top class players, and all of them natural leaders. You don't want to have to mother a player, but with Vogts and Chumpitaz leading by example either side of him this should minimise his weaknesses.


I hope the formation conveys what's in my head - there are no free roaming full backs here, its a responsible approach in trying to keep any gaps from appearing. If it gets stale, Schnellinger can move to link up with the midfield quite naturally and Chumpitaz brings the ball out of defence as a ball-playing CB.


Midfield

Wim Jansen - the engine of the midfield - great athlete, technically sound and can win the ball back. Won't be his job to venture any further though, he has enough ground to cover at the back.

Ricardo Bochini - one of the best passers with a defence-splitting through ball his speciality. Obviously good all-round technique. If you have reservations about his pace, look up some of his older clips. Going forward, its easy to see how a teenage Maradona took inspiration from him, though he won't be joining up with the front two frequently.

Tom Finney - a classic winger, brilliant on the ball, teasing your full back and probably another opponent simultaneously. Another with great work ethic.

Zoltan Czibor - the wide threat comes on both sides. Very quick, direct and with great ball control, Czibor is the most attacking of the midfield four. To this end he posseses a rasping long range shot too, making him a goal threat from the wing. Of course, he is another good athlete so don't expect too much space behind him.

Unquestionably Jansen's job is defensive - he will generally protect the defence but he has the stamina to chase the ball down and win back posession. He is good with the ball too. In his partnership with Bochini I'm going to try and pre-empt critics by pointing out that Willem van Hanegam was a natural playmaker that somewhat relied upon Jansen at club and country. I'm not saying Jansen's game was all about doing the dirty work, but he was mobile and a good team player.

I'm not going to pretend to you that the wide men are the best cover for full backs as they are both forward thinking players. Naturally they will be a little more advanced than a standard bank of 4 in the middle (though hopefully they can be rained in a little more than you would automatically think), but I feel the conservative back four allow this not to damage the team too much. Instead the combination of hard workers, some unique passing and dribbling abilities and that long range Czibor drive provide a varied threat to trouble defences who will be worried about the main goal threat...

Forwards

Gerd Muller - Carlsberg don't do goalscorers, but if they did it would probably be something like Niclas Bendtner (not a big fan of Carlsberg). A more classy beverage producer would give you the greatest in history. All of the best defences of his era were found out by Muller. Give him an inch and he'll take a mile, don't give him anything and he'll still take at least half a yard. Biggest threat going in the box, the ultimate poacher, but he'll still peel off his marker and nip behind the defence. Not so unbeatable on a sustained sprint but he'll have finished it by the time you realise he has slipped away.

Samuel Eto'o - gone for the pacier option instead of the bigger RVN, but bear in mind Eto'o is average height at 5'11 and not the weakest. A consistent goal threat at the highest level for several years, I am still searching for an answer as to why barca got shut of him.

The front two are both strikers, but very different ones. They have plenty of service from the midfield. The key here is matching Eto'o's pace with Muller's threat around the box. Play a high defence and risk letting Eto'o through a channel from a Bochini through ball. Try to deny this by narrowing the back 4? Two of the biggest attacking threats are in wide positions. Play deep and of course Muller is incredibly hard to keep from scoring. The biggest threat on the pitch is probably Bochini's genius passing reaching Muller a split second after he makes a move on his marker.


Formation in summary - A flat back four will link up with midfield sensibly, leaving no holes. The midfield four contains wingers who will naturally advance with the ball or arrive to support the strikers, but not all at once. Jansen will play a restricted role concerned with protecting the defence and shutting down any opponents coming out of midfield with the ball, whereas Bochini plays a central role, moving forward to look for the key pass to the front men. The front two are both goal threats who will look to worry the central defence and finally lose their man to open up scoring opportunities.

Style of play - this will be fairly balanced as there are so many different options going. Finney rarely gives the ball away whereas Czibor is quite direct. Highlight reels won't disclose to me Bochini's general treatment of possesion so I don't know how often that killer ball will be attempted, but I guess overall we will be a little more on the direct side with the ball mostly on the ground. With the defence though, we know what we're getting and that is good distribution, particularly from the likes of Chumpitaz and Scnellinger. As mentioned above, there are a multitude of threats to the opponents who may be mostly concerned with Muller.

 

My general positional draw for now...

 

Gameplan:

Thanks to the speed, strength, and footballing intelligence of my 2 CB's Stam and Ferdinand, they will play a high line. This will restrict the movement of the opposition in the midfield when my team is not in possession, and help push the team forward in attack, keeping the team compact and slick. The fullbacks will have licence to push forward when they believe it to be of benefit to the current attack, and run back in line of the CB's when possession is lost. They are both attacking fulbacks, and I see no need in restricting their game. The main difference will be that Ashley Cole is effective going forward and in defence and can run that line all day, Belletti will have more help on the defensive end from the hard working Donadoni, who will at times fill in gaps and help double team.

The centre of midfield is made up of 2 all timers (arguably both in the top 10). Platini is the orchestrator and pivot of what goes through the team, and will use his considerable football brain for what is best for the team, be it moving forward, or picking off pinpoint passes to the forward\wings. Matthaus is the rock in the middle, he will make any opposition midfield work hard, and with the high defensive line and support from Platini and Gullitt will hopefully be able to restrict the opposition in getting any desired passing rhythm.

As stated above Donadoni will work hard in both directions. Sticking to the sideline and picking out his pinpoint passes or cutbacks on offence, and coming back to help out Beletti in defence when needed. Dzajic will have a purely attacking role, helping out with pressing the opposition in their own half but no further back. He will concentrate on being an attacking force be it wide or cutting in towards goal to offer another threat.

With Gullit's engine and versatility he will have a free role between attack and midfield. he will come back to form a trio in the middle when necessary, and push forward when advantageous (crosses, filling in for Sindelar when he drops back etc). Sindelar though mainly staying forward will also drop back to pick the ball up, so he can use his considerable dribbling ability to run at the defence, also allowing Gullit\Dzajic to ghost in and offer opposition defences new problems. In effect the forwards are not static and easy to pick up or mark, and their differing strengths and movement will really test the opposition defences.

Captain: Matthaus
Penalties: Platini
Free Kicks: Platini, Dzajic
Corners: Dzajic, Donadoni

 

Essentially, there are three things I was looking to do with this team

- Balance (Playing a good mix of natural right and left footers, and playing everyone in their proper positions)

- Leadership (almost every player in my team was an outstanding leader of his club and captain - with everyone of my back 5 captaining his country with Moore, Facchetti and Gerets still being the iconic captains of their country/club; and Vasovic was to Michels what Keane was to Ferguson and a player whom the likes of Krul all looked up to. The same pattern continues into midfield and attack with Liedholm and Seeler captaining their club and country at World Cups and European Cups)

- Always having the extra man in every part of the pitch (very much inspired by van Gaal's Ajax, this will be covered in more detail)

Nominally, my team lines up as




When in possession, and attacking via the left flank with Facchetti bombing up from deep, Vasovic would drop off to a nominal left CB position (as he used to in his Ajax days). On the left flank, I would hope to have a 3v2 situation with 3 natural left-footers in Facchetti, Liedholm (who played as a winger at the '48 Olympics) and Redondo; though of course teams could try and negate this by getting one of their midfielders to cover but this would play into the hands of Falcao who would have now moved into a deep lying playmaker position allowing him to switch the play to Cubilla who should be in acres of space.

With Hamrin having now moved into a second striker position, and with both Liedholm and Redondo capable of bursting towards the edge of the box, my right winger will have a lot of options including trying to cross to Seeler or to cut back to one of the incoming mids.

 

Similar story exists when I am attacking via the right flank, and again Falcao plays a pivotal play if I need to switch play.



My final wave of attack involves Vasovic (or even Falcao) attacking from deep. The idea here is to create the extra man in midfield who could potentially play 1-2s with the two nominal support strikers in Liedholm and Hamrin and create an opportunity. The fact that Vasovic scored a fair few (and in some very big games) goals in his career should make this feasible.



When defending, Vasovic drops back creating a flat back 4,and with Redondo and Cubilla assigned to tracking the run of fullbacks (again much like Ajax 95) and Liedholm dropping into a midfield two along with Falcao, I should be effectively able to create a second bank of 4 and prevent any of my fullbacks getting isolated 1v1.




That is pretty much it. I hope it is not too incoherent (and filled with typos) as this is a very late attempt to formalize my thoughts but if any of you has a question or remark about my formation or tactics, please give me a shout.

 

Perú FC

Player by player:

GK 01 Ricardo Zamora (Spain, 1916-1938)
Sources: Wikipedia, PES Stats Database

SW 05 Elías Figueroa (Chile, 1964-1982) (C)
Sources: Wikipedia, PES Stats Database

CB 02 Ciro Ferrara (Italy, 1984-2005)
Sources: Wikipedia, PES Stats Database

LB 03 Silvio Marzolini (Argentina, 1959-1972)
Sources: Wikipedia, PES Stats Database

RB 13 Maicon (Brazil, 2001- )
Sources: Wikipedia, PES Stats Database

DM 18 Pirri (Spain, 1963-1982)
Sources: Wikipedia, PES Stats Database

CM 08 César Cueto (Peru, 1968-1987)
Sources: Wikipedia, PES Stats Database

AM 10 Nándor Hidegkuti (Hungary, 1942-1958)
Sources: Wikipedia, PES Stats Database

LW 07 George Best (Northern Ireland, 1963-1984)
Sources: Wikipedia, PES Stats Database

RW 11 Allan Simonsen (Denmark, 1971-1989)
Sources: Wikipedia, PES Stats Database

CF 09 Alberto Spencer (Ecuador, 1953-1972)
Sources: Wikipedia, PES Stats Database

Line-up:

 

Tactical system:

My tactical drawing isn't complicated and appeals to the natural positions and roles of each player in my team. Ahead of the reliability of the legendary Ricardo Zamora will be located Ciro Ferrara and Elías Figueroa. Ferrara's role will be the marking man who covered all the spaces into the last line, meanwhile Figueroa will be his partner as sweeper and the leader of the defensive line, sometimes will take advantage of his ability as a deeply organizer to advance to the attack. By the sides Silvio Marzolini and Maicon will cover both flanks. Marzolini will remain as a classic side-back providing to the defense his excellent positioning, meanwhile Maicon will patrol all the right flank providing defense and attack thanks to his great athleticism. In midfield Pirri will be the team's valve, a classic sweeper of great stamina and with the ability to be a great deep-lying playmaker, will be the responsible for making a defensive triangle with the centrebacks and join with the attacking-playmakers, César Cueto and Nándor Hidegkuti. Cueto will bring the magic in the midfield as the main playmaker and passer, Hidegkuti will play in the hole between midfield and attack as was his characteristic role for the "Magical Magyars". Allan Simonsen and George Best will play as false extremes, Simonsen free to join the midfield and make diagonal attacks, Best playing as a wing-forward free to attack by the left. Finally, Alberto Spencer will be the centre-forward into the rival area taking advantage of his speed and power to the passes from his four attacking partners, also using his superb aerial game when the extremes open the field.