............................ Team Skizzo/Pat................................................................... Team MJJ ............................
Skizzo/Pat's tactics -
Skizzo/Pat's tactics -
We’ve assembled a squad with cast-iron credentials and pedigree at the very highest level. With our newest additions, we boast a stunning 8 European Cup/CL winners in our starting XI, with another two on the bench. 13 of our squad have won a European club trophy, and of the others, John Charles is a multiple-time Scudetto winner and Bobby Moore a World Cup-winning captain.
We retain our lopsided 4-2-3-1 formation, with Charles dropping into defence, Roy Keane replacing Ince, the legendary Denis Law arriving at centre forward, and can now introduce George Best on the left wing to terrorize the defence.
Defence:
We field one of the all-time great British goalkeepers in Neville Southall. In front of him, Moore and Charles form an all-star central defence, the finest in the draft and arguably the best possible in this draft pool. Moore commands the defence with his peerless reading of the game, impeccable timing in the tackle and great distribution and Charles completes this brick wall with his speed, strength , footballing ability and unbeatable aerial prowess.
Midfield:
The great Roy Keane replaces Ince to complete a ferociously competitive and richly talented central midfield alongside Lisbon Lions Auld and Murdoch. George Best provides the skill and wizardry to trouble Sherwood and stretch MJJ’s defence. Best will be slightly more advanced than Beckham. Beckham will do as Beckham did, dropping deeper or infield to make Utd’s 4-4-2 work against elite opposition, and finding Law and Best with arguably the most consistent source of quality crosses in history.
Attack:
The great Denis Law takes over at centre forward. Quite possibly Utd’s greatest ever striker, he brings a fantastic range of qualities to the role. Quick, strong in the air, creative and fiercely committed, he is first and foremost a deadly finisher and prolific goalscorer. He’ll thrive on the service from our midfield. As if MJJ didn’t have enough to worry about, Best is the most prolific winger in this game by a good margin, and Auld averaged a goal every 3 games from central midfield in his second stint at Celtic!
How The Game Will Be Won:
First and foremost, goal threat. Denis Law scored 46 goals in 42 games and George Best 32 goals from the wing in their most prolific seasons. Auld averaged a goal every 3 games from midfield in his second spell at Celtic. As if that wasn’t enough, we’ve got the great John Charles (43 goals in 41 games in 1953/54) to attack set pieces and corners. MJJ has added Dixie Dean to his attacking line up, but he will be hard pressed to win many headers against an equal talent in Charles, therefore losing one of his major advantages he held over defenders at the time he played.
Secondly, we have the superior defence. Moore and Charles is a centre back partnership that could hold its own in an all-time world draft. In the context of a British and Irish draft, its simply unbeatable. We’re at the very least as strong at full back.
Finally, proven partnerships. We retain the Lisbon Lions core that has served us so well. Auld and Murdoch formed probably the greatest center midfield partnership of their time, and played most other teams of that time off the park. They have the familiarity of playing with each other, and an understanding that can be the difference in a close game such as this. Neville and Beckham also have the understanding of playing together after spending years marauding and running the right wing for United. They have the benefit of knowing when each will be making runs, and when to overlap if the opportunity arises. They also offer cover for each other and can both put in a defensive shift when necessary. We now add the formidable Roy Keane to the Neville/Beckham dynamic. We can also boast having 2/3 of the Holy Trinity with Law and Best, and their understanding and individual brilliance can help swing things our way.
Now I know that just because players played together, it doesn't mean they should win, but here we have players who can be considered among the best at their positions on an individual basis, but now we are also able to add the benefit of playing them in tandem with their teammates who they dominated domestically and in Europe with.
An extra note regarding the midfield, and wingers vs fullbacks. In the midfield battle, we have the added benefit of Beckham to tuck in to our midfield and provide extra protection, and also to double up on Giggs as necessary with Neville. The benefit swings in our favour since Giggs will be in a more advanced position, meaning he won't be readily as available to fall into MJJ's midfield. As for fullbacks, little is known about MJJ's pair...which may be a benefit to him in some instances, but ultimately tells us little. All he's provided us is that both of them were great at slide tackles...which against the wizardry of George Best offers nothing. Also Beckham's biggest asset is his ability to provide assists without needing to beat his man, so MJJ's full backs will offer little protection against the wingers we have here.
Sums the defense up very well.
