vs
Harms
Peter Schmeichel aside (although he would always be associated with the British football), I have 3 football cultures as the foundation for my team — Brazilian flair, Italian steel & the best that British football has to offer. But then I chose the players who are not only characterised by their nationality — my British front 3 & Sandro Mazzola are creative and unpredictable, and Falcão & Zito have enough graft in them to face any midfield. Overall it’s a more possession-oriented side than I usually construct, but I’m very happy with the balance between individual quality, suitability & workrate.
I think that in general my team does not require much explanation aside from one thing — the right wing with Stanley Matthews and Dani Alves. So, let me get onto that:
Dani Alves. He is a player that I had issues with for a long time — I never doubted his quality, but him being a part of the all-conquering Barca that spanked us in 2 CL finals & generally acting like a dick (diving & moaning to referees) didn’t help. As he and I grow older and with his retirement inevitably closing on, I’m beginning to let go of my bias and starting to simply appreciate him for the player he was before. He was not just a player elevated by Barcelona’s style — I’d argue that he was their 4th most important player after Messi, Xavi & Iniesta. And even if we choose to ignore his years there, we still have an incredible player who used to orchestrate Sevilla’s game from the right back position aged 24 (he was highest ranking defender in the 2007 Ballon d’Or list) & got the Copa America MVP award in 2019 aged 36, again, dictating the play from a right back position in a back 4.
Offensively, I think he is the most gifted right back of all-time — I’d have Cafu & Carlos Alberto (and maybe Kaltz) slightly behind him in that regard. What sets him apart is the sheer variety of his offensive arsenal — not only he was a master of a good old overlap & cross, he was equally comfortable in his short and long passing (and played a lot as a midfielder for Brazil & PSG) and often would cut inside to create a numerical advantage in midfield. I’ve provided him with an excellent cover and I expect him to be a brilliant influence on my team. And while he was not an all-time great defensively, you have to admit that he had a fair share of great games against the likes of Messi & Ronaldinho (at Sevilla) and, of course, the regular battles against Cristiano where he would often came out on top — all while retaining an incredible level of offensive presence.
Stanley Matthews. Often regarded as the archetypical right winger, Matthews had a bit more to his game — he would often drift inside and act as a playmaker. After Garrincha broke through, those two were often compared with each other as the best right wingers in history, and, despite both being known for their astonishing dribbling skills, they couldn’t have been more different. Matthews was the ultimate professional and it was that attitude and mentality that allowed him to play until he was 50 years old. He was always a team player, which is not only illustrated by his humble opinion that «the Matthews final» should be called «the Mortensen final», but also by his peculiar partnership with Jimmy Armfield. In the years when the distinction between forwards and defenders was set in stone, it was those two who introduced English football to a concept of an overlapping fullback. Stanley Matthews was often double-marked as the most threatening player on the pitch — and while he was good enough to beat both of his markers alone, there were times when he preferred to pull his markers deeper & wait for Armfield to make a run. They first tried that at Blackpool and later regularly used that trick for England.
Scrappy
Inspiration:
Pressing together as a team from the front
Pushing ahead together from the back in transition from defense to attack
Continuous positional switches and movement from the wingers (Giggs and Figo) and second striker (Gullit)
Compact and coherent movement in midfield
Coordinated movement in defense
Zonal Marking - Counter the opponent with the ball in your space
