Moby
Dick
The aim of this poll is to decide which team will win based on all the players at their peak.
Cutch's tactics
Formation/Selection
A very fluid and cohesive 4-3-3. Lionel Messi in his favoured 'false no.9' role
Lothar Matthaus comes into the side alongside his german colleague Paul Breitner who has his old mate from their ‘FC Breitnigge’ days Karl Heinz Rummenigge now on the left in close attendance. The newly acquired Georgie Best is on the right wing to target Theons defensive weak link Roberto Carlos.
Defending
My back 4 will play relatively deep when without the ball, to defend against Theons skilful attackers. I have 2 phenomenal all-round box to box midfielders in Breitner and Matthaus who will drop infront of the defence to form a compact backline when Theons side is attacking. Nesta, Ayala and Matthaus will use their exceptional reading of the game to hopefully thwart the majority of Theons attacks. In Nesta and Maldini I have the 2 finest exponents of defending in recent memory. The defending will be disciplined and staying on the feet. With the exception of Roberto Carlos the preference would be generally to allow Theons side to shoot from range and prioritising ensuring off the ball runners are tracked. On the wings the fullbacks will generally show the wingers on the outside. When C Alberto or R Carlos attack, Rummenigge or Iniesta will help out.
Attacking fullbacks.
Wim Suurbier (Right back of the great Holland and Ajax side of the 70s) and Paulo Maldini are superb athletes who can get up and down the pitch all game. They will look to get forward when they can in this game and test the willingness of Ronaldinho and Jairzinho in tracking back. It won’t be a massive feature of this game given their defensive responsibility but it would be foolish not to take advantage of their incredible engines and the number advantage it would mean going forward.
Midfield battle
Matthaus and Breitner form a robust pairing in midfield and are supplemented by the creative and probing Iniesta just infront.
Matthaus, the man Maradona described as the toughest he’d ever faced is again assigned to do a job on him. Both he and Breitner will look to show their athleticism and power in both boxes and both have a rocket of a shot on them that they’ll look to unleash when they can. Iniesta and Messi infront will pull their markers around the pitch to create the space for the 2 to run into.
Xavi will look to orchestrate things for Theons side and get the ball to Maradona and so he will be heavily pressed throughout by Breitner who will be over him like a rash. Xavi’s influence will be significantly reduced surely by having Iniesta and Messi on the opposition in this game.
Jean Tigana could be extremely overworked in this game, with a very big defensive responsibility pinned on his shoulders.
The hope would be that my midfield with the strong running of Matthaus and Breitner is just too powerful for Theons. Theons side would usually expect to have the bulk of the possession but it certainly won't be the case in this game, pretty much 50:50 i'd expect.
Roaming attackers
I’ve got an extremely fluid and skilful attackline with players who will look to run with the ball and beat players when they can. This side will be extremely dangerous in the area between Theons defence and midfield with Messi and Iniesta often linking up in this area and looking for the off the ball runs of Rummenigge and Best who will be looking to catch the opposition fullbacks napping. As we’ve seen countless times there could be a situation seemingly totally under control, and then a simple give and go 1-2 between Iniesta and Messi and suddenly a defenders out of the game and Lionels heading towards goal. Baresi will look to marshal for Theons side but there'll be less emphasis on defending in this team than the watertight Milan and Italy ones he's used to playing in.
Best v R Carlos
This has the potential to be the biggest mismatch on the pitch. When Best gets the ball on the right he will be looking to tear the defensively suspect Roberto Carlos a new one at every opportunity, and when this occurs or when Messi drops deep this will pull Baresi or Passarella out of position. As good as Theons defence is on paper, its impossible to keep both Best and Messi quiet all game, and with the resources assigned in dealing with the 2 of them, and the slippyness of Iniesta, there should be potential for creating lots of scoring opportunities.
Familiarity
My side is made up of some of the most famous and proven football pairings.
Gregg and Best – Northern Ireland and Man Utd
Maldini and Nesta – Italy and AC Milan
Breitner and Rummenigge – Germany and Bayern Munich
Iniesta and Messi – Barcelona
In addition Ayala-Messi and Mattheus-Breitner to a lesser extent at International level.
Having these players alongside eachother in tandem can’t be understated and should ensure they get the best out of eachother. If this game was heading for a stalemate I’d be confident of ‘Breitnigge’ or Iniesta-Messi conjuring up a moment of magic.
TEAM Cutch
TEAM Theon
Theon's tactics
FORMATION
A devastating 4-2-3-1 formation filled with complimentary partnerships and the perfect blend of width, creativity and ruthless finishing.
Very similar to the set up in the last game except the defence has been significantly improved with the addition of Franco Baresi and Carlos Alberto
Defence
The heart of the defence is marshalled by two of the greatest centre backs of all time Franco Baresi and the great Argentine Daniel Passarella. Both are amongst the Top 5 ever centre backs and combine to form an impenetrable shield in front of Gordon Banks.
Two technically gifted footballers capable of taking control of the ball and instigating attacks from deep, which will help dominate possession against Cutch’s side. Along with this technical mastery Passarella brings a ferocious leap and a ruthless mentality to the defence, as well as an unbelievable scoring record of just under 1 in 3. His partner Baresi is simply the best of all time and between the two of them there is simply no better defense to limit the influence of Messi.
A partnership of Brazilian fullbacks round off the defence and offer a huge threat going forward. As Antohan called him “A Cafú with better defending” Carlos Alberto is arguably the greatest right back ever and the Captain of 1970 Brazil who remain the best football team in the history of the game.
On the other side Roberto Carlos will bomb forward in support of Ronaldinho to create a devastating 2 vs 1 against Suurbier who is the weakest defender on the pitch, whilst having the electric pace to combat even the best wingers. This is the exact role that Carlos perfected at Real Madrid which led him to numerous awards including twice being named UEFA Defender of the Year and coming second to Ronaldo in the FIFA World Player of the Year in 1997 and runner up in the 2002 Ballon D’Or.
Midfield
In midfield Xavi and Tigana will look to sit deep and keep it tight in front of the defence. Xavi will look utilise his exceptional passing range by spraying the ball around the pitch and through gaps into the feet of Maradona.
Tigana is the greatest French central midfielder of all time and brings a monstrous defensive work-ethic to toughen up the midfield whilst possessing the technical ability to fit the exquisite passing style of his team mates.
Maradona
The heart of the team - Diego Maradona has the freedom of the pitch ahead of the two centre mids in a system designed to get the best out of him. With the wingers stretching the pitch horizontally and the electric pace of Ronaldo pushing the defence back vertically, the pitch is at its absolute biggest giving Maradona the perfect platform to dominate this game.
Enrique - Maradona's team-mate at World Cup 1986 - "Diego was an example to everyone, not just in terms of his quality, but also for his commitment. He was the first to tackle and dive in when we lost possession, so how could we not do the same? He was contagious. When it came to his play, however, trying to imitate him was impossible."
Tenacious, determined and extraordinarily talented this is the perfect summary of Maradona and what he brings to the side. Whether it is with a pass, a dribble, a tackle or a goal Diego has the ability and mentality to raise a team like no player in the history of the game
Attack
The genius of Maradona is complimented with Brazilian flair, as two devastating wingers flank the greatest striker in football history.
Jairzinho and Ronaldinho bring pace, trickery and goals to either flank, with both capable either cutting inside or stretching the pitch out wide. Both can create chances but also possess a huge goal threat themselves, with Jairzinho scoring in every game in the 1970 World Cup including the final, and Ronaldinho scoring or assisting 157 goals in 181 appearances for Barcelona.
The attack is rounded off with Ronaldo who reached a level brilliance only matched by Pele, Maradona and Messi. He possesses an unrivalled combination of pace, skill and dribbling ability which simply guarantees goals – particularly with this service.
Ronaldo at the peak of his powers in the 1997 season – 47 goals in 49 game
