Team Joga/Gio
Overview: The side retains the shape and core tenets of our original 3-5-2 set-up, with our new addition, El Fenomeno slotting in seamlessly, into an attack starring the ultimate orchestrator in Diego Maradona and the quintessential forward in Ferenc Puskas.
THE BACK LINE
Three time Ballon d'Or nominee, "Iron Curtain' Rinat Dasayev stands guard in between the sticks with his superlative 'cat' like shot-stopping skills and inch perfect distribution from the back - which truly makes for a tremendous and varied supply line from deep, in fine synchrony with Krol and Scirea. The defensive supremo Gaetano Scirea commanded the rearguard like few others and actively embedded himself in the various phases of the game emphatically - being the imperious presence as the penultimate figure in the defensive unit; reading the game and imposing himself on the flow of the match and choreographing play from the back in fine style. He was given umpteen freedom at the back and boy did Scirea deliver time after time - one of the five players in the history of the game to have won all the international club tournaments and that's before we count his masterclass in masterminding Italy to the 1982 WC win. As Zoff aptly summarised “there will never be another of his kind”.
An unsurpassable brickwall at the back, trying to get past Lilian Thuram was quite the fruitless task as many a top forward found out to their dismay. At his apogee, Thuram simply possessed the best warrior-like facets of a stopper, with none of the potential weaknesses, that even some of the best of this breed tend to be plagued with. An exquisite blend of sheer physicality, tactical nous and raw power, Thuram was the model stopper whose match-winning displays for both club and country earned him a bronze ball and a Guerin d'Oro. "No one wants to be marked by Thuram. They know the game is already halfway lost".
A man steeped in the defensive dark arts of the infamous catenaccio, Giacinto Facchetti brought a whole new complexion to the Italian, nay the very game itself with his marauding bolts down the left flank. His defensive prowess in conjunction with his pace, poise and technique allowed his sides to swiftly switch from rearguard to raid in devastating fashion. In fact it speaks volumes that Facchetti's game proved to be the inspiration for one Der Kaiser - “I learned from him to get forward in attack”. The impact of Ill Capitano was undeniable - being one of the two full backs ever to win the ballon d'Or Silver Ball, and playing an integral role in Italy's Euros triumph and WC final run, besides two European Cups and two further EC finals amongst various other trophies for his beloved Inter.
Eric Gerets was a zestful dynamo and a galvanising presence at the back for several excellent teams, captaining the Belgian 'golden generation' which made the Euros 1980 final and a best ever top 4 finish in the WC - where they were rather unfortunate to face a strong German side in the final and ill-fated to face a Maradona on a crazed one-man campaign - and the the European Cup winning PSV vintage where he won ten trophies. A formidable leader at the rear with his no nonsense defending and irrepressible running, it was only fitting that he was labelled the "Lion of Flanders".
Totaalvoetbal connoisseur Ruud Krol, was the defensive cornerstone of the 1970s Ajax/Dutch vintage and he was truly a complete presence at his back with his tactical nous and defensive ability - in addition to being a classy operator on the ball. Krol is tailor made for this LCB role and he excelled both as a FB and as CB - winning 3 European cups and making the WC Final as a FB; and as a CB leading Netherlands to the WC Final being their best player, establishing himself in the elite batch of CBs who finished in the podium of the ballon d'Or and of course winning the Guerin d'Oro (POTY) in an absurdly stingy Serie A.
ENGINE ROOM
One of the greatest midfield dynamos ever, Paul Breitner was a fearsome colossus to behold, whose concoction of tigerish combative qualities and technical brilliance, made for a truly potent brew. His tireless running and ferocious tackling enabled him to break up opposition attacks, but when play swirled towards the other end, he would be there again, slipping through intelligent passes and often finding the net himself - averaging a near 1 in 2 record at his peak. A defensive lynchpin of the highest calibre, it would actually be doing a disservice to Frank Rjkaard to pigeon-hole him into a category. The Dutchman, after all, was a classic “universalist” as Sacchi would call it – equally proficient breaking up attacks, striding forward powerfully and playing defense splitting balls. A real virtuoso who simply made the midfield territory his and owned it like few others.
Breitner won just about everything there is to win as a maverick left back, finishing 4th in the ballon d'Or in addition to scoring a WC final goal, before transitioning into an all conquering midfield general - leading ze Germans to an European Cup and a WC final, in addition to smashing in yet another WC final goal and winning the ballon d'Or silver ball.
Likewise Rijkaard simultaneously functioned as a centre back for Netherlands, triumphing in Euro 1988, and as a complete midfielder for the consecutive European Cup winning Milan - even scoring the winner in the 1990 EC final and bagging two ballon d'Or bronze balls. All before finally playing an exacting DM/libero role for the revolutionary European Cup winning Ajax. It wasn't just their class but rather their malleability and all round games which made them rise as the creme of the crop.
Together Breitner and Rijkaard form a multifaceted midfield duo which can fluidly translate between various phases - acting as a defensive barricade off the ball, being the driving force forward or the creative bedrock for the offense on the ball.
Good one
