versus
Harms
My team will set up to play on the counter, although in no way am I parking the bus. The idea is to reduce space for Blokhin & Kalle as much as possible and to exploit the pace and trickery of my attackers to the maximum effect. Cannavaro joins the team and assumes the role of the defensive leader — his experience in different formations, including the role of a wide center back in Parma’s back three, is crucial with an attacking full back such as Alves on his right. Robben starts ahead of Matthews on the right — while individually it’s hard to pick the best out of the two, the Dutchman is a more natural fit next to Dani Alves, one of the players I’ve built my side around.
George Best has 5 consecutive seasons with 20+ goals; Mazzola has 3; Robben scored 144 goals in 309 games for Bayern Munich & Law’s goalscoring prowess is not something I need to even comment on. All of them were proper big game players — I’m sure others are even more well-known, but Mazzola, for example, finished as a European Cup’s top scorer in 1964/65 after scoring a goal in each of the semi-finals against Borussia Dortmund and providing a match-winning brace in the final against Real Madrid.
Edgar’s attack, on the other hand, heavily relies on his two forwards, as neither of his midfielders were really prolific. The Blokhin - Rummenigge pair was successfully used before as the ultimate forward partnership for a goalscoring number 10 like Platini, where their ability to go wide and stretch the opposition’s defence was as important as their clinical finishing. Here, they carry all of the goalscoring responsibility on their shoulders. Also, both, exceptional players that they were, are better suited for a more direct and counter-attacking system with lots of space to exploit… and Edgar’s set of midfielders, as well as my tactics, is more suited for a possession-based game.
Rummenigge faces Ashley Cole, one of the best defensive left backs of all-time & probably the toughest opponent Cristiano ever had, and Pietro Vierchowod. Kalle stated multiple times on the record that Vierchowod was one of the most difficult defenders to play against, always adding the fact that he still managed to score against him… which he didn’t. He faced Vierchowod 5 times in his career and failed to score in any of those games and the goal against Sampdoria he so often remembers happened when Vierchowod wasn’t even in the matchday squad.
Blokhin’s direct opponent, Dani Alves, is one of the few fullbacks that has a pace and energy to keep up with him, as he showed multiple times against the likes of Cristiano. I don’t expect him to handle Blokhin on his own though — and in Cannavaro & Tigana he has the best cover he can wish for.
EAP
Formation: WM / 3-2-3-2
Tactics: Compact defence, dominant midfield and smooth linkup/transition to overwhelming attack.
Writeup: Tl;dr version
Compact Defence with complementary and versatile players. Balanced offence in possession and enough bodies in middle to dominate opposition. Complimentary offence with all players capable of creating for others and scoring for themselves.
Perhaps you can try to argue with Falcão, but he played in a very direct Roma side.
