Edgar Allan Pillow
Ero-Sennin
TEAM MOBY
The team is clearly playing a highly technical and possession oriented brand of football with a splurge of directness and fast breaks, highly fluid movement and all round midfielders who will contribute in both phases of the game making this an incredibly unpredictable team with the offense being led by the mercurial Lionel Messi - as the scoring-creating hybrid phenomenon.
In defense we have the unique sweeper keeper freak in Manuel Neuer. Absolutely at home with the ball at his feet and an incredible mix of a brilliant shot stopper and a crazy sweeping machine, he will be guarding goal behind the CB duo which was at the heart of the Dutch total football giants Ajax - Velibor Vasovic and Barry Hulshoff. Vasovic was an elite sweeper who was a cornerstone of the Ajax defense in the late 60s, while Hulshoff partnered him as the physical stopper complementing him perfectly.
Out wide are two technically immense fullbacks in Lahm and Junior. Both adept at either going out wide or joining the midfield, they would be a great asset to have in defense as well as when keeping the ball, providing creative outlets from the back and making overlapping runs down the flank doubling up on the opposition.
In midfield, at the base is Nestor Goncalves. A defensive juggernaut, Goncalves was a huge leader of a title winning machine like Penarol, and while his primary duties were to defend the opposition threat and curb them, he was an excellent passer of the ball. Next to him are Josef Masopust and Luis Suarez Miramontes. Two Ballon D'or winning midfielders, both of whom are a great hybrid of offensive creative genius as well as tremendous engine and mental toughness off the ball, making this unit tough as steel while being an unstoppable force going forward, with both Masopust and Suarez capable of bombing forward and scoring goals themselves, Masopust with the traditional dribbling and penetration and Suarez with being the chief architect of the team, they are well placed to impact the game in both phases.
In attack, we have Hristo Stoichkov on the left as the wing forward darting in towards goal and providing the immense stamina and work rate along with being a deadly goal scorer as well as an insane dribbler. Up front is Eusebio, one of the greatest goalscorers the game has ever seen and someone who can easily drop deep to bring others into play as well as be the goal machine that he was. And lastly, there is Lionel Messi, more in his 14-15 incarnation where he was a mental creative machine for the front 3 that we saw devastate the entire world of football, while always being an absolute goal machine himself and one of the greatest dribblers the game has seen.
Overall, the attack really gels together in terms of the fluidity, goal threat, all three being able to create for others or score themselves and having an absolute GOAT in Messi to knit it all together and provide the kind of genius that not many have been able to stop. The midfield provides a great mix of ability on and off the ball and would be a massive competition for any combination that comes against them, while the defense fits in perfectly with the theme of the team in terms of their ability on the ball, while being incredibly intelligent and full of dynamism to never be caught off guard by the opposition.
TEAM ENIGMA:
Formation: 4-3-3
Defensive line: Balanced
Style: Fluid, Direct, Attacking
Tactics: Tactically we will look to stretch the pitch through world-class wing-play whilst Redondo, Davids and Didi dominate possession in the middle. On the ball we will shift the ball quickly, probing for opportunities to release the explosive offensive abilities within the front three.
Defence:
- A fantastic unit led by the greatest defender of all time in Franco Baresi - unmatched in his combination of playmaking, ball-winning and defensive reading of the game. Opting for a classing sweeper-stopper combination, his partner Oscar Ruggeri compliments Baresi with his aggression, physicality and aerial ability.
- At right back we have arguably the greatest defensive right back of all time in Berti Vogts (two time Footballer of the Year in Germany, highest average rating by Kicker in ’73, ’75, ’76, ’77 ahead of the likes of Gerd Muller and Beckenbauer). Similar to Tassotti in style Vogts will tuck in and provide Baresi with the platform to influence the match.
- At left back the machine-like Hans-Peter Briegel provides physicality and energy which will be vital in restricting Messi when he gets on the ball. In possession Briegel will push forward to support Rivaldo on the left wing and stretch Moby’s backline.
- The pivot of our midfield is Fernando Redondo – the one-man midfield who led Real Madrid to Champions Leagues success in ’98 and ’00. Arguably the most compete midfielder since Matthaus, Redondo will orchestrate play from deep whilst providing defensive solidity and elite-level ball-winning.
- Bringing balance and unmatched physicality to the side, Edgar Davids compliments the technical style of Redondo/Didi as the team’s engine-room and ball-winner (who was also excellent in possession – which is often overlooked). His energy on the left of midfield will be vital in containing Messi when he drifts infield.
- Linking midfield and attack is the legendary Didi, one of the best midfielders in history and star of the ’58 World Cup. With a 1 in 3 goal record Didi is both decisive in the final third whilst also a supreme technician with his passing and dribbling ability.
- On the flanks we have two Ballon D'or winners, beginning with Luis Figo - in his absolute zone here with a defensive right back behind him, providing him the opportunity to stretch the pitch and target Junior 1 vs 1 with his dribbling and trickery.
- On the left Rivaldo has freedom to drift centrally to impact the game as a goalscorer (averaging 29 goals a season between ’98 and ’01 for Barcelona) and link up with his Brazilian strike partner – an explosive combination filled with creativity, pace and technical quality.
- Leading the line is Romario – the absolute gold-standard when it comes to clinical #9’s. His burst of pace and movement should pose problems for Moby’s backline, particularly with the quality of service he will receive from Didi, Rivaldo, Figo and Redondo.
1. Baresi led defence – Both teams have a fantastic attack but we would give our defence a clear edge which should prove pivotal over the course of the game. Whilst Eusebio was a fantastic forward, there is no one better than Baresi to track his movement dropping deep or sniff out danger when he tries to push forward – in contrast we don’t see Moby’s centre backs offering the same protection against Romario. Similarly we feel Vogts is virtually the best possible option (along with maybe Thuram) to play this right back role vs Stoichkov.
2. Ball-winning ability in midfield - Both teams have fantastic ball-players in midfield but we feel we have an edge in defensive ball-winning to recover possession (particularly if Moby plays Rivelino over Goncalves). Amongst all midfielders Davids stands out as the most mobile and energetic ball-winner, but we also have the likes of Redondo who ran midfield’s virtually single handledly for Madrid and is well equipped at recovering the ball and shielding the back four.
3. Service to Romario – As a striker Romario is known for his blistering pace, ability to beat defenders 1 vs 1 and his decisive finishing. With both of Moby’s defenders lacking pace over short distances Romario should be able to capitalise from the stacked creativity throughout the team. From the through balls of Redondo / Didi, the wingplay and crosses of Luis Figo or the slick Brazilian one-two interplay with Rivaldo – Romario is going to get numerous chances in this match and he has the proven ability to make it count.
2. Ball-winning ability in midfield - Both teams have fantastic ball-players in midfield but we feel we have an edge in defensive ball-winning to recover possession (particularly if Moby plays Rivelino over Goncalves). Amongst all midfielders Davids stands out as the most mobile and energetic ball-winner, but we also have the likes of Redondo who ran midfield’s virtually single handledly for Madrid and is well equipped at recovering the ball and shielding the back four.
3. Service to Romario – As a striker Romario is known for his blistering pace, ability to beat defenders 1 vs 1 and his decisive finishing. With both of Moby’s defenders lacking pace over short distances Romario should be able to capitalise from the stacked creativity throughout the team. From the through balls of Redondo / Didi, the wingplay and crosses of Luis Figo or the slick Brazilian one-two interplay with Rivaldo – Romario is going to get numerous chances in this match and he has the proven ability to make it count.
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