Team Gio/Theon
WHY WE WILL WIN:
- Stronger spine. Rivelino is ctp's top boy and ranks a respectable 31st in the IFFHS Greatest South American Player rankings. But we've got Teo Cubillas at 17th and Elias Figueroa at 8th - as well as Pedro Rocha at 37th. And that's not including the European shining lights such as Kazi Deyna - the greatest Pole of all - Asparuhov, 8th in the 1965 Ballon D'Or, and considered the greatest Bulgarian of all-time, and Bulgarelli, the man Capello ranks as the greatest Italian midfielder of all-time. Fundamentally there is a decisive quality gap.
- We will overwhelm Team ctp with the endless creativity boasted by Pedro Rocha, Kazi Deyna and Teo Cubillas. The combination play will be too hot to handle. Each of Clodoaldo, Bulgarelli, Asparuhov and Anczok down the left are a technically gifted support cast who fit in terms of style and in providing the hard-working and physical platform for success.
- Considering the opponent's strengths, Ctp is solid on the flanks but we should be able to cancel him out there. At the back Don Figueroa stands imperious and should run the show.
- We fancy the technical and physical Gundi Asparuhov to get the better of the centre-halves he's facing. Asparuhov has previous in scoring against Mezsoly at the World Cup and should thrive on the creative service he'll receive in order to repeat that feat here.
TEAM GIO/THEON
TEAM CTP
TEAM CTP
Team ctp
BEAUTIFUL FOOTBALL - NO ITALIANS ALLOWED
"Attack! Attack! AttacK!" goes a famous United chant. My team is set up to deliver just that kind of football, relentlessly attacking, flying wingers, lots of goals, and a genius at the heart of it all.
Great dribbling and the ability to beat a man one-on-one will be key to my team's success, with the best player on the pitch at the centre of it. Rivelino, who starred for what is perhaps the greatest international team of all time, Brazil's 1970 World Champions, will be a threat every time he gets the ball, drawing defenders and opposition midfielders to himself. Then he'll beat them on the dribble and go on one of his dangerous runs into the box to try and score, or - as that won't work all the time - he'll pass to a teammate who runs into the space Rivelino created. Oh, and he's a great free kick taker, too - better not foul my attackers too much.
If one player like that is hard to deal with, how about two more? On the right is Reinhard Libuda, nicknamed "Stan" for his Matthews-esque dribbling, one of the greatest German wingers of all time and probably the only player who has bridged the divide and is a legend for both Schalke and Dortmund. He is an old-fashioned winger, who'll be beating his full-back all game and creating chances for others to score. Libuda is not a prolific scorer, but he scores important goals, like the winner for Dortmund in the CWC final 1966, sealing the first European trophy for a German club.
He is joined, on the left side, by River Plate legend Oscar Más. "Pinino" is a more direct player, quick and blessed with a rocket of a left foot. Another fantastic dribbler. He's a prolific goalscorer, too, with 169 goals in 309 games for River Plate. Más will look to beat his opponent, then score himself, but also get on the end of chances the others create. He has licence to move about and drift into the centre, switching positions with Rivelino and Heynckes up top.
Jupp Heynckes completes the attack. A great German striker who had the misfortune of peaking at the same time as Gerd Müller, he's sometimes overlooked, but he'll be the main striker for my team. Heynckes is the third highest scorer in Bundesliga history and was an important part of Gladbach's brilliant 70's side that beat Bayern domestically more often than not. I'm looking to take advantage of his intelligent movement, be it when he's playing on the shoulder of defence to make runs and finish off attacks, or when he's dragging players out of position to create space for the others. As part of that tactic, he will sometimes move wide, switching positions with Más. Heynckes played on the wing at times in his career, and will make that work brilliantly.
The ball doesn't start upfront, so there's need of some more players. Manuel Velázquez Villaverde will be the maestro in midfield. A Real Madrid canterano, he was an important part of the all-Spanish Real side post Puskas-di Stefano alongside players such as Gento, Amancio, and Pirri. He's one of those players who play the game at their own pace, never hurried, never pressured. A sublime passer of the ball, he will find attackers in space and give my them the platform to perform.
My midfield is completed by total football's Wim Jansen. A mainstay in the great Dutch side of the 70's and his club PSV, Jansen will bring the tactical intelligence and tireless running to cover any open spaces my team needs. Where the others are focused on attacking, Jansen - who is no slouch in that regard either, he'll do his share for the build-up - adds the necessary focus off the ball. Note that he won't be a classic defensive midfielder, sitting in front of the defence, he'll add support all over the pitch, wherever he's most needed.
The rock solid pairing of Klaus Fichtel and Kálmán Mészöly is at the centre of my defence. It's a kind of classic stopper and libero combination, with Mészöly, who played both at centre back and centre half able to step out of defence to intercept and disrupt attacks, and Fichtel mopping up behind him. Mészöly was a key player for Vasas SC in Hungary, winning multiple league titles and Mitropa Cups, as well as the Hungarian national team, finishing third at the Euros and twice in the quarters at the World Cup. His strength in the air and in the tackle earned him the nickname "the Blond Rock". Fichtel, one of the best Bundesliga defenders of his day, had the misfortune of having Beckenbauer in his position for the national team and getting caught up in the Bundesliga bribery scandal of the early seventies, which didn't allow for an extensive international career. He's not a great playmaker like other liberos, more of a brilliant defender capable of hitting a good long ball - and maybe finding his clubmate Libuda with it. Not much will get past the two.
They are joined on the flanks by Silvio Marzolini and Horst-Dieter Höttges. Marzolini is considered by most the best Argentine leftback off all time - "Zanetti, but better" is a good description. Tall and elegant, he is a great defender, but also very good going forward. He'll resume his wing partnership with Más from the Argie international team - at club level they were rivals, Marzolini spent his career at Boca. In terms of style, Höttges is the opposite. My grandfather likes to bring up Höttges when complaining about modern players being too soft. Höttges is a hard tackling defender, very physical and strong. In his younger years he was good at supporting the attack as a fullback, before moving to the centre later in his career. One thing is certain, it will hurt to go up against him.
In goal is Bilbao legend José Ángel Iribar, one of the best ever Spanish keepers and longterm member of the national team, the last bastion of defence.
They'll have a job to do with the way the team is set up, but I'm confident that my defence is good enough to keep the score down and my attack will bang them in, so that we can say to any team: We'll outscore you!
Pretty shocked at the score - It was 4-1 when I last checked and I genuinely believe we have the better defence, midfield and attack here.
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