Edgar Allan Pillow
Ero-Sennin
TEAM PAT
Formation: 4-4-2 Diamond
Johan Cruyff comes into the team as Diego's replacement and has a free role at the tip of the diamond, orchestrating and overloading as he sees fit. He's reunited with one of his chief partners in crime from WC 74 Wim van Hanegem, who comes back into the team to complete the diamond alongside Stielike and Mendieta. At the other end of the pitch the GOAT libero Franz Beckenbauer completes the team. He played briefly at international level with Stielike, who can drop in if necessary when Beckenbauer advances with the ball. He's familiar with Kaltz too, who he enjoyed two successful seasons with at Hamburg, where they won the league together at the tail end of the Kaiser's career.
TEAM MOBY
Key Highlights:
- Fairly straight forward line up built around Messi to shine with a platform that would allow him to dominate the game at the heart of the game, having the freedom to drop deep or take on the defenders and score.
- The familiar wing-combo from the treble winning Bayern team, bringing in the pace, skill and technique needed to take fullbacks on and create chances for the men in the middle.
- A creative axis in the middle without compromising in terms of workrate and steel in De Bruyne and Overath - two highly skillful passers who can combine to dominate midfield and retain possession, as well as play the required delicious through balls to provide the service to the trio up front. De Bruyne is GOAT level in terms of playing the final ball, which would put a ton of chances on a plate for the front three.
- Proven World Cup winning combination of Overath and Bonhof in midfield, the WC final they won against the Netherlands team led by Johan Cruyff. While Vogts famously marked Cruyff in the game, the midfield put in a massive shift in terms of plugging the gaps against that flamboyant Netherlands team and will be expected to do the same here in terms of putting all action combative tireless performances and get the job done vs Cruyff again.
- Baresi comes in to marshall the defense, one of the greatest individual defenders ever seen, as well as one of the greatest leaders for organising the backline, and not to mention has tremendous ability on the ball to play the ball out and start attacks. His elite reading of the game will be vital in terms of cutting the service from Cruyff and co. and in general reading Cruyff's game and constantly breaking it up either by taking proactive measures or putting in those insane blocks for the opposition forwards and protecting the goal. Alongside him he has another defender in Vidic who would put his life on the line and complement Baresi well as the stopper.
- Two highly acclaimed fullbacks in Schnellinger and Gerets complete the watertight defense. Gerets' physicality, stamina, pace and engine would be vital in going outside Robben when we attack and also keep tabs on someone like Neymar (if he starts there) in terms of marking him and not getting outrun in any scenario. He is fresh from marking out Cristiano out of the game in the semi, so Neymar is child's play for him.
- Match winning keeper in goal.