Criteria Draft R1 - Eden vs Physiocrat

[Fenômeno]

Team Eden

vs

Team Physio

Tactics – Mixed
Defensive Line – Balanced
Marking – Zonal

A similar setup to Italy in 2006 but with a lot more flair – instead of Pirlo being flanked by Gattuso and Perrota, I have De Bruyne and Tigana. De Bruyne is in his favoured inside right position allowing Zambrotta to bomb-on. Krol being behind a genuine left-winger allows him to drop into midfield or go on the overlap. Pele has full-freedom to do his thing (mid to late 60s, peak version) and is partnered by the dynamic Alberto Spencer (he was far from just a heading merchant): the front two have great pace, trickery and also aerial ability; they will love the delivery from Giggs and De Bruyne.

 

[Fenômeno]

Good luck @Eden10 @Physiocrat

 

[Physiocrat]

Good luck @Eden10 @Physiocrat

Thanks for setting up

 

[Physiocrat]

I mostly like Eden's side but I have never been a big fan of Jairzinho but my biggest issue is the Rijkaard and Vieira midfield. Vieira was always best alongside a proper DM which Rijkaard is not.

So either Vieira is somewhat restricted or there will be gaps to exploit in the counter which with Pirlo passing to the pacey Giggs, Pele and Spencer will produce goals.

 

[Gio]

I don't mind Vieira and Rijkaard to be honest as a partnership - both box-to-box with plenty of top-end defensive attributes. But I think Pele and Spencer are a bad combination for Perfumo and Baresi to deal with.

Physio's team is lovely.

 

[Isotope]

I don't see Pirlo and Tigana partnership. Both played with more defensive partners in their career, which is not happening here.

 

[Physiocrat]

I don't see Pirlo and Tigana partnership. Both played with more defensive partners in their career, which is not happening here.

Defensive in what sense? Tigana is just a massive upgrade on Gattuso who also offers more going forward. Now you could say Tigana needs to be a bit restricted alongside Pirlo to allow him to do his thing but Krol can also enter the midfield so I don't think that argument hold.

 

[Enigma_87]

I mostly like Eden's side but I have never been a big fan of Jairzinho but my biggest issue is the Rijkaard and Vieira midfield. Vieira was always best alongside a proper DM which Rijkaard is not.

So either Vieira is somewhat restricted or there will be gaps to exploit in the counter which with Pirlo passing to the pacey Giggs, Pele and Spencer will produce goals.

yeah probably I agree with this and also there is little work off the ball between Jairzinho/Neymar/Laurdrup to support the midfield

 

[General_Elegancia]

Defensive in what sense? Tigana is just a massive upgrade on Gattuso who also offers more going forward. Now you could say Tigana needs to be a bit restricted alongside Pirlo to allow him to do his thing but Krol can also enter the midfield so I don't think that argument hold.

Agree

Italy’s defensive setup was typically a compact and narrow 4-4-1-1 (or 4-4-2), but in reality, it often resembled a 4-1-3-2 when defending. On paper, only two players (Gattuso and one wide midfielder) appeared to support Pirlo, but in reality, three players—Gattuso, Camoranesi, and Perrotta—consistently provided defensive coverage, creating an extremely compact shape(Italy’s defense are very compact and narrow in 2006).


The two wide midfielders, Perrotta and Camoranesi, were highly versatile, comfortable defending both centrally and out wide. Their tactical flexibility was crucial in maintaining defensive solidity while ensuring the team could transition effectively into attack. This role is reminiscent of players like Ryan Giggs and Kevin De Bruyne, who share a similar work rate, ability to operate in half-spaces, and effectiveness in both attack and defense. Their dynamic movement and tactical awareness made them invaluable assets in controlling the game both defensively and offensively.

Jean Tigana would be an excellent fit in this system. When Pirlo dropped into a back-three to bypass opposition pressing, Tigana could receive progressive passes and carry the ball forward using his dribbling and passing ability. Gattuso was often labeled as technically limited, but in reality, he was adequate on the ball—Tigana, however, was superior in this regard.

Tigana possessed everything Gattuso had like high-intensity pressing, ability to cut passing lanes, defensive coverage for fullbacks (both comfortable playing out wide) and capable of joining attacks dynamically

This makes Tigana an ideal alternative for providing defensive intensity while enhancing Italy’s build-up play in this system.