DP Draft 480p QF: Skizzo vs Gio

[GodShaveTheQueen]

---------------------------------------SKIZZO----------------------------------------------------------------------------------GIO---------------------------------------

TEAM SKIZZO

Formation - 532/352

Injuries were a bit rough for both of us, although I think hit Gio a little harder with Baresi and Romario out. Solid team from his as always though. On our end, we've had to shuffle the pack a little again, with Nesta coming in at the back to keep things tight, and Krol and Alves manning the wingback spots to bomb up and down and spread the play. Laudrup looking to pull the strings in behind a mobile and clinical front two. Edwards and Robson would look to get stuck in in the middle, with Robson looking to bomb on more regularly to support the attack.

TEAM GIO

THE INSPIRATION - JOHAN CRUYFF'S 3-4-3 DREAM TEAM

AND

PEP GUARDIOLA'S 3-4-3 MIDFIELDER-FEST:

AND LOUIS VAN GAAL'S 3-4-3:

FULL-BACKS IN A BACK 3?

• Cruyff tore up the rule book by choosing Sergi and Ferrer as either side of his back 3 in what had traditionally been the domain of man-marking stoppers. What mattered to him was this movement:
  
  
• Brehme and Vogts combine archetypal German defensive fortitude with the quality on the ball that Cruyff, Guardiola and Van Gaal demanded of their defenders. They are similar in style to Sergi and Ferrer but are clear upgrades in quality.

A HOLDING MIDFIELDER AT CB?

• What do you need from the guy in the middle of the 3?
  • Organisational ability?
  • Leadership?
  • Defensive awareness, covering and screening?
  • Ball-spraying and vision?
• Tito ticks all these boxes.
• It might seem a little left-field, but it's a tactical maneouvre that has been used a few times over the years, with most recently both Busquets and Mascherano playing the same role. To be frank, someone like Pique would probably have been a midfielder 40 years ago, but was the truest thing to a defender in any of the competitive Barcelona sides post Puyol. Indeed, many defensive midfielders from previous generations would be more suited to CB in the modern game.

A MIDFIELD DIAMOND?

• Does what it says on the tin. Souness, Zidane, Neeskens and Davids combine to form a robust and tactically astute diamond. Both Davids and Neeskens have the energy and experience to perform the demanding side roles. Neeskens can call upon his RB experience for Ajax, while Davids played the same role in the same system for Van Gaal's all-conquering Ajax. Souness has spoken of his own role for Liverpool where he dropped off the midfield to create the same structure and he has the requisite combination of silk and steel to play in a positive and proactive set-up. Ahead, Zidane renews his Juventus midfield partnership with Davids, and will relish the hard-working platform behind him.

THE ATTACK

• Blokhin leads the line to stretch the play and press from the front. His abilities working across the line and out wide will allow Rivaldo and Cubillas to cut inside towards goal. All three are comfortable across the attack and can interchange as they see fit. For example, Cubillas can drop into a false 9 role, while both Rivaldo and Blokhin will be dangerous cutting onto their stronger feet. Plenty of options and multiple lines of attack.

 

[GodShaveTheQueen]

Good luck @Skizzo @Gio

 

[GodShaveTheQueen]

Beautiful teams to say the least.

 

[Skizzo]

Thanks @GodShaveTheQueen

good luck @Gio

been up the last 24 hours and just getting off work so going home to crash out. I’ll be around later.

 

[Himannv]

Lovely team and tactics from Gio.

 

[Gio]

Thanks @GodShaveTheQueen

good luck @Gio

been up the last 24 hours and just getting off work so going home to crash out. I’ll be around later.

All the best. Won’t be on much over the next few hours

 

[Šjor Bepo]

oi! @Gio

 

[Skizzo]

Love what @Gio put together there, especially considering his injuries to key players with no quality replacements.

If, for the sake of posing questions, I was going to ask anything…it would be the suitability of Souness and Goncalves in those key roles. They could both do the job, but with Laudrup lined up opposite, and two mobile, relatively clinical strikers, having two players who are unfamiliar may be a small difference in the end result.

I also think we’re somewhat more comfortable at the back since there’s no real width from the two forwards on the flank, and with everyone looking to drift inside, we can remain comfortably compact with Nesta marshaling back there. Also would wonder how Rivaldo would fare in a setup like this this that requires on the fly tactical flexibility and delegating to other primary playmakers.

And such ends my biased post as I’m off to start shift and wait for the inevitable @Joga Bonito vote of death. If I’m not back around again, good luck for the rest of the match @Gio !

 

[Gio]

Love what @Gio put together there, especially considering his injuries to key players with no quality replacements.

If, for the sake of posing questions, I was going to ask anything…it would be the suitability of Souness and Goncalves in those key roles. They could both do the job, but with Laudrup lined up opposite, and two mobile, relatively clinical strikers, having two players who are unfamiliar may be a small difference in the end result.

I also think we’re somewhat more comfortable at the back since there’s no real width from the two forwards on the flank, and with everyone looking to drift inside, we can remain comfortably compact with Nesta marshaling back there. Also would wonder how Rivaldo would fare in a setup like this this that requires on the fly tactical flexibility and delegating to other primary playmakers.

And such ends my biased post as I’m off to start shift and wait for the inevitable @Joga Bonito vote of death. If I’m not back around again, good luck for the rest of the match @Gio !

Fair questions to ask. It's an ambitious set-up after all.

Firstly on Souness. I think he'd relish the role. As a central midfielder for Liverpool, he had a good engine but was never really a box-to-box presser in the way that, for example, Neeskens is ahead. He typically sat behind the ball, dictating play and snuffing out attacks. He had a box-to-box game insofar as he contributed at both ends of the park and had an impressive goalscoring record. But it wasn't in the Frank Lampard style, the goals he often scored were more in the pattern of Liverpool pinning the opposition into their box, then it's squared for Souness who steps forward and sticks one in the top corner from 25 yards. First goal here is a good example, where he pings it wide from the pivot position and it's worked back out to him to score.

But typically he'd be fine in this set-up. Liverpool typically built-up in this sort of structure:

(Mixing up the eras a little here, but broadly representative of Pool at the time)

It's a 4-4-2 but when you broke it down the build-up was more like a 4-1-3-1-1 or even 2-3-3-1-1. When he was partnered with McDermott, who loved bombing on, he had to be the holder. In the modern game he'd probably be a pivot in a 4-3-3 or part of a double pivot in a 4-2-3-1 / 3-5-2.

 

[Gio]

I also think we’re somewhat more comfortable at the back since there’s no real width from the two forwards on the flank, and with everyone looking to drift inside, we can remain comfortably compact with Nesta marshaling back there. Also would wonder how Rivaldo would fare in a setup like this this that requires on the fly tactical flexibility and delegating to other primary playmakers.

For the sake of a counter-argument, your attack is also fairly narrow which suits our 3-4-3 system. Aguero in particular won't want to venture wide. I can't see us getting stretched because of that, particularly with the width that Davids and Neeskens can offer in defensive support.

I'm okay with Rivaldo here. I've done a big post on what he can provide from the left side of the park. In terms of his ability to follow a system, he did that well enough for Brazil in 1998, when they played a narrow 4-4-2. And similarly in working with other playmakers, he did that well alongside Ronaldinho in 2002. But even the peak of his club career was spent as part of a 3 alongside a classic 10 in Giovanni and a playmaking wide man in Figo. Having said all of that, ultimately if he wanted to go and grab the game by its balls - and he is the most compelling match-winner on the park - we can easily rotate players around - Blokhin can go left, Davids can go left, Cubillas can drop deeper, etc

 

[GodShaveTheQueen]

Couldnt make my mind up till the end. Almost voted Gio but went with Skizzo at the end.

Those midfields are stuff dreams are made of but what won Skizzo's vote for me is -

1. His defense seems on point to deal with the barrage of Gio's attackers
2. The Souness position is very important for this setup. It should be someone capable of dropping as a CB and I am not sure he could play that role, especially with Tito who himself is playing in a secondary position (albeit well envisioned)

 

[Gio]

Good game @Skizzo. You were unlucky to lose out in the first round so glad to see you prevail here.

Expected to get demolished after all 3 CBs were injured tbh. This was the only way out, but it really needed Baresi marshalling the defence to be fully credible. Could see some similarities with the Cruyff DT to be fair, which was always a bit chaotic at the back, but swashbuckling and explosive going forwards.

Couldnt make my mind up till the end. Almost voted Gio but went with Skizzo at the end.

Those midfields are stuff dreams are made of but what won Skizzo's vote for me is -

1. His defense seems on point to deal with the barrage of Gio's attackers
2. The Souness position is very important for this setup. It should be someone capable of dropping as a CB and I am not sure he could play that role, especially with Tito who himself is playing in a secondary position (albeit well envisioned)

On the second point, I'd tend to agree because the best interpretation of this shape was Van Gaal's Ajax in my view, rather than Cruyff's Barcelona. They had Rijkaard in that hybrid role, whereas Cruyff had Guardiola who certainly could not drop into defence as a CB.

 

[Skizzo]

Good game @Skizzo. You were unlucky to lose out in the first round so glad to see you prevail here.

Expected to get demolished after all 3 CBs were injured tbh. This was the only way out, but it really needed Baresi marshalling the defence to be fully credible. Could see some similarities with the Cruyff DT to be fair, which was always a bit chaotic at the back, but swashbuckling and explosive going forwards.

Cheers mate. The injuries definitely hit you harder, but pulling off something like that was masterful. I think if you had Baresi and were able to move Goncalves up to the DM spot that it would have been hard to topple. Especially since I think I lack a bit of synergy up too with Weah/Aguero. Couldn’t quite get a balance to it yet.

 

[Joga Bonito]

What was the rationale for Nesta playing as the sweeper with Hansen playing as the LCB? @Skizzo

Two brilliant sides, with Gio just a CB-DM away from completing his, which would have been more than capable of going all the way. The midfield trio and the forward line etc were bang on the money, but hard to look past the CB-DM duo which is pivotal for this setup.

Skizzo too could really have done with a Rivaldo/Blokhin like figure in his forward line but everything else fell in place nicely, esp that midfield and the defense (a Scirea away from making it formidable).

 

[GodShaveTheQueen]

What was the rationale for Nesta playing as the sweeper with Hansen playing as the LCB? @Skizzo

Was thinking about this but I guess the rationale is Nesta would be a better leader and organizer although he looks better suited for an out wide role. The lack of a wild forward makes it okay though for Hansen to be there in my eyes

 

[GodShaveTheQueen]

On the second point, I'd tend to agree because the best interpretation of this shape was Van Gaal's Ajax in my view, rather than Cruyff's Barcelona. They had Rijkaard in that hybrid role, whereas Cruyff had Guardiola who certainly could not drop into defence as a CB.

The perfect Van Gaal 3-4-3 in a draft has been my wet dream for a long while now and this comes super close. Baresi there and it would have been really special.

 

[Skizzo]

What was the rationale for Nesta playing as the sweeper with Hansen playing as the LCB? @Skizzo

Two brilliant sides, with Gio just a CB-DM away from completing his, which would have been more than capable of going all the way. The midfield trio and the forward line etc were bang on the money, but hard to look past the CB-DM duo which is pivotal for this setup.

Skizzo too could really have done with a Rivaldo/Blokhin like figure in his forward line but everything else fell in place nicely, esp that midfield and the defense (a Scirea away from making it formidable).

Basically what @GodShaveTheQueen said. I preferred having the best leader at the very back, and felt more secure with Hansen stepping out if needed as opposed to having him as the last man. Ideally going forward, I’d have someone else there instead of Hansen. Whether that be Krol or Nesta or someone else remains to be seen after these reinforcements and injuries again

 

[Joga Bonito]

Was thinking about this but I guess the rationale is Nesta would be a better leader and organizer although he looks better suited for an out wide role. The lack of a wild forward makes it okay though for Hansen to be there in my eyes

Basically what @GodShaveTheQueen said. I preferred having the best leader at the very back, and felt more secure with Hansen stepping out if needed as opposed to having him as the last man. Ideally going forward, I’d have someone else there instead of Hansen. Whether that be Krol or Nesta or someone else remains to be seen after these reinforcements and injuries again

Fair enough. Well played and good luck in the future rounds. Tough luck @Gio