Pat
Gio
Pat Tactics
Formation: 4-2-3-1
The Xavi and Di Stefano dynamic has been a divisive issue throughout the draft, and after much rumination and furrowing of the brow I've decided that it's one headache too many against Gio's latest juggernaut. In truth, this mightn't have been an ideal assignment for Xavi anyway - imposing a proper dominance of possession against this opposition is a tough ask in a team that was never really built around Xavi, and with their multitude of gifted ball-carriers there'll be a requirement to defend across large areas that's better suited to thoroughbred athletes like Seedorf and new signing Duncan Edwards. In any case, the keys to the kingdom well and truly belong to The Don now.
The draft started as a rebuild of Argentina 1986 and to close the loop on Diego Maradona it now finishes by drawing inspiration from his Napoli side of 1984-1987.
Back by popular demand is Thierry Henry. His job is to stretch the play both horizontally and vertically. His natural selflessness (as shown for example by the 20 assists in EPL 2002/03) makes him an easy foil for the more dominant personalities elsewhere in the attack. He shares many of the same traits as Claudio Caniggia - electric pace, works the channels, loves to peel left and then drive back inside. Maradona's partnership with Caniggia is so much more than the sum of their parts there is a 30-minute film just on their link-up play for club and country.
With Maradona / Henry feeling fairly natural - hypothetically speaking - a real-life tandem is renewed as George Best and Charlton hook up together again. Best is backed up by Cafu behind him, and will be well serviced by Charlton's range and Maradona dropping into the hole, allowing him the freedom to do both the traditional wingplay and the head-for-goal stuff that characterised his game.
To draw a real-life comparison, Best will play a similar role to Daniel Bertoni who operated off the right in Napoli's 4-3-1-2 in the mid-1980s. Bertoni was cut from the same cloth as Best as a silky winger/forward who could play on both sides and loved to twist inside and outside defenders. In their 1984/85 campaign together, Bertoni enjoyed the best season of his career, scoring 15 in 34 games, while Maradona's campaign was the highest rated by the Italian media of his time in Europe.
The midfield trio balances the defensive discipline of Valery Voronin who has just the sort of GOAT-slaying CV to slow down Di Stefano. Alongside him Johan Neeskens is chosen ahead of Paul Breitner for his mobility, tenacity and high-octane two-way game (see Salvatore Bagni). Bobby Charlton brings it all together in his own unique multi-faceted way, and should relish the passing outlets he has on both flanks. In particular he will be extremely hard to stop getting on the end of cut-backs from the likes of Best and Henry, or even just firing shots from the edge of the box after Diego has danced around a challenge or two to create space.
In defence Gaetano Scirea is in command - he has Voronin just ahead to protect and cover - and has a classic stopper in Costacurta who, used to getting ordered about by Baresi, will be in familiar territory. Both full backs are from the top shelf in Cafu and Facchetti, solid defensively where Facchetti's physical and athletic prowess makes him a robust fit for the Robben/Rummenigge axis of Pat's attack. They are key to influence the shape of the match through their almost unmatched two-way games.
Gio
Pat Tactics
Formation: 4-2-3-1
The Xavi and Di Stefano dynamic has been a divisive issue throughout the draft, and after much rumination and furrowing of the brow I've decided that it's one headache too many against Gio's latest juggernaut. In truth, this mightn't have been an ideal assignment for Xavi anyway - imposing a proper dominance of possession against this opposition is a tough ask in a team that was never really built around Xavi, and with their multitude of gifted ball-carriers there'll be a requirement to defend across large areas that's better suited to thoroughbred athletes like Seedorf and new signing Duncan Edwards. In any case, the keys to the kingdom well and truly belong to The Don now.
- The defence remains unchanged with the two highly mobile CBs flanked by an aggressive attacking LB in Krol on one side, and the more reserved Bergomi on the other wing. There's an abundance of recovery pace there to enable us to push the line up during possession phases, and no shortage of backs-to-the-wall grit and defensive nous when we're under the cosh.
- Whatever permutation of Maradona/Charlton/Best etc etc etc the opposition field is clearly going to mandate a heavyweight defensive presence in our midfield, and to that end we prioritised Edwards in the reinforcement round - an athlete and ball-winner of the highest calibre with an innate gift for reading and imposing himself on a match. Seedorf's top-notch all-around skill set and versatility enabled him to round off all manner of midfield units throughout the 90s and 00s and so it should prove here: he has the technical ability to mesh with Di Stefano, the athleticism to defend against Best, Maradona and company, and the propensity to wor the right-sided channels that will enable him to dovetail with Robben.
- Both Stoichkov and Robben possess pretty much the full complement of weapons that you'd want from your wide attackers, but there'll be a different emphasis for each that plays to their respective strengths. With a CF in Denis Law who will want to drop off and contribute to the build up, Stoichkov will channel his prodigious energy towards making off-the-ball runs behind Gio's defence. On the other flank, we want Robben orientated more towards driving forward with the ball from deeper areas.
The draft started as a rebuild of Argentina 1986 and to close the loop on Diego Maradona it now finishes by drawing inspiration from his Napoli side of 1984-1987.
Back by popular demand is Thierry Henry. His job is to stretch the play both horizontally and vertically. His natural selflessness (as shown for example by the 20 assists in EPL 2002/03) makes him an easy foil for the more dominant personalities elsewhere in the attack. He shares many of the same traits as Claudio Caniggia - electric pace, works the channels, loves to peel left and then drive back inside. Maradona's partnership with Caniggia is so much more than the sum of their parts there is a 30-minute film just on their link-up play for club and country.
With Maradona / Henry feeling fairly natural - hypothetically speaking - a real-life tandem is renewed as George Best and Charlton hook up together again. Best is backed up by Cafu behind him, and will be well serviced by Charlton's range and Maradona dropping into the hole, allowing him the freedom to do both the traditional wingplay and the head-for-goal stuff that characterised his game.
To draw a real-life comparison, Best will play a similar role to Daniel Bertoni who operated off the right in Napoli's 4-3-1-2 in the mid-1980s. Bertoni was cut from the same cloth as Best as a silky winger/forward who could play on both sides and loved to twist inside and outside defenders. In their 1984/85 campaign together, Bertoni enjoyed the best season of his career, scoring 15 in 34 games, while Maradona's campaign was the highest rated by the Italian media of his time in Europe.
The midfield trio balances the defensive discipline of Valery Voronin who has just the sort of GOAT-slaying CV to slow down Di Stefano. Alongside him Johan Neeskens is chosen ahead of Paul Breitner for his mobility, tenacity and high-octane two-way game (see Salvatore Bagni). Bobby Charlton brings it all together in his own unique multi-faceted way, and should relish the passing outlets he has on both flanks. In particular he will be extremely hard to stop getting on the end of cut-backs from the likes of Best and Henry, or even just firing shots from the edge of the box after Diego has danced around a challenge or two to create space.
In defence Gaetano Scirea is in command - he has Voronin just ahead to protect and cover - and has a classic stopper in Costacurta who, used to getting ordered about by Baresi, will be in familiar territory. Both full backs are from the top shelf in Cafu and Facchetti, solid defensively where Facchetti's physical and athletic prowess makes him a robust fit for the Robben/Rummenigge axis of Pat's attack. They are key to influence the shape of the match through their almost unmatched two-way games.
