La Liga/Serie A/BuLi Draft - QF Marty1968 vs Skizzo/Pat_mustard

[Enigma_87]

I agree with harms sentiment I think Seedorf and Gattuso should be in one line, Seedorf left, Gattuso right as holding. This was how they played with Kaka on top and Pirlo at base. A forward and left arrow on Seedorf would do the trick showcasing that he'll move around but in this formation it seems like Gattuso is the DM and Seedorf is box to box.

Now for the two midfields I have general preference for Seedorf(or call it bias) and for me he's the best one in there, having Gattuso offers protection as and having played in a team together in similar formation is a nice bonus. On the other hand Skizzo/Pat midfield seems well balanced and excellent as well. Can see Hierro/Baraja/Zanetti working well together leaving Moller in a free role to do his magic.

Up front, Benzema would have been perfect foil for both Bale and Neymar(who will be a lot to Ronaldo in that formation). Zamorano is a bit different and won't provide the same movement and qualities as Benzema, Eto'o type of striker.

Both defences are well equipped for the task ahead of them, Ruggeri is excellent in the air and Chielini as no nonsense defender will work pretty well against Zamorano. The challenge for them here will be Bale/Neymar cutting in.

It will be pretty even battle in midfield as Zanetti will have to keep tabs on Neymar and drop on the right. While I like Seedorf/Gattuso more in that case, Moller takes the edge over Scholl. Interesting match up this, bit on the fence as I like some of Marty's players more, but Skizzo/Pat have really nice diamond with Moller having the edge in #10 position.

 

[Skizzo]

Draft games and tactics et al, will always be given differing levels of importance by different people. Anto was always an advocate of preparing for the team you were up against and any tactical missteps could be punished. There's a bit of an advantage for us there, with Marty prepping his team to face our 442, instead of our current incarnation. There was also a mention of this in the OP

In attack I have real pace, creativity and flair. Scholl will have a lot of the ball and will require someone to mark him to prevent him dictating the game. Hierro can do this but would be a waste of his talents so someone else will have to.

fortunately, with how we are lining up, we will still have Baraja and Hierro to lock horns with the midfield, with Zanetti being an absolutely pain in the ass by buzzing around.

Gattuso will offer little going forward, so Hierro is able to cover the runs of Seedorf when he comes from deep, and Baraja can shadow Scholl. I won't make the argument of us having players everywhere, but with Mannini/Neymar, Hierro/Seedorf, and Baraja/Scholl, it allows Zanetti to move wide and deep to assist with Neymar, or switch to Seedorf and allow Hierro to drop deep in to space to cover anyone cutting inside (Neymar and Bale)

BUT

The biggest advantage for us here is when the ball is turned over.

who tracks back to cover our midfield runners?

Gattuso is already back to try and keep tabs on Moller. Seedorf will use his fantastic work rate to track Zanetti, but who covers the runs of Baraja now? Is Scholl dropping all the way back to play a central midfield position? Or will Seedorf try and cover both? Bale and Neymar won't track back, so suddenly we have a numbers advantage in midfield in attack.

Our two strikers are picked up by the center backs, Moller tracked by Gattuso, Baraja/Zanetti tracked by Seedorf. Even if we don't look at it as a numerical advantage and assume one of Baraja and Zanetti won't burst forward, it still leaves dangerous players all being picked up one on one, and that's not a good situation for Marty to find himself in. He doesn't have the personnel to negate all those threats, and I can see us having enough creativity and movement to break through with those match ups.

 

[Gio]

- Skizzo has a nice diamond, not sure why he depicted it as 4-3-3

Looks like a 4-3-1-2. Which is often a more realistic formation than the 4-1-2-1-2.

 

[Pat_Mustard]

Initial thoughts:
- Marty did a poor job creating the formation pic. He should've just put both Seedorf and Gattuso deeper as a pair of holding midfielders, without any arrows.
- Would've preferred a completely different striker to Zamorano here - Benzema would've been perfect (by the way, did he really went unpicked or am I forgetting something?). Yes, we can see the Zamorano - Scholl connection which is in a lot ways reminiscent of his duet with Laudrup, but still - a selfless forward with a decent hold-up play would've been perfect for this pair of wing-forwards, who are the best players in Marty's team. Also, Benzema would've been much more dangerous against Chiellini and Ruggeri, who are both physical monsters first and foremost and will counter Zamorano's strengths
- Skizzo has a nice diamond, not sure why he depicted it as 4-3-3

To be honest, I'm not a fan of either team here.

Mostly due to my aesthetic preference for 4-3-1-2 rather than a diamond in the formation graphic . But also to indicate a subtle difference in Hierro's role - with his goalscoring record from central midfield and the powerhouse defensive support he's got in this midfield we don't need to limit him to a pure DM/holding role. Rather he can pick and choose his moments to break forward.

 

[Pat_Mustard]

Looks like a 4-3-1-2. Which is often a more realistic formation than the 4-1-2-1-2.

Aye, if we were to take a bird's eye view of our off the ball formation, I don't really see Hierro as occupying a different line to Baraja and Zanetti, whereas Moller will clearly be drifting between the CM and attacking line most of the time.

 

[Skizzo]

@Enigma_87

Now for the two midfields I have general preference for Seedorf(or call it bias) and for me he's the best one in there, having Gattuso offers protection as and having played in a team together in similar formation is a nice bonus. On the other hand Skizzo/Pat midfield seems well balanced and excellent as well. Can see Hierro/Baraja/Zanetti working well together leaving Moller in a free role to do his magic.

See above about my thoughts on the midfield. Won't have a bad word to say about Seedorf, especially when it comes to his work rate. Our advantage lies purely on the flip side. With him assuming our line up to be a 442, his midfield looked up to the task, but suddenly with the Baraja/Hierro/Zanetti axis, playing behind Moller, his midfield suddenly looks outmanned on the defensive side.

Either Scholl has to drop all the way back, or Seedorf has to do the work of two men, which he's capable of doing, but against two players in Baraja and Zanetti (Who has a ridiculous engine on him to rival the best) he'll be left with too much to do.

It will be pretty even battle in midfield as Zanetti will have to keep tabs on Neymar and drop on the right. While I like Seedorf/Gattuso more in that case, Moller takes the edge over Scholl. Interesting match up this, bit on the fence as I like some of Marty's players more, but Skizzo/Pat have really nice diamond with Moller having the edge in #10 position.

In regards to matching up on defense, you nailed it. Pretty even battle, with Zanetti doing a job where necessary, and Hierro/Baraja facing up on Seedorf/Scholl. But Moller on Gattuso, and a numerical advantage on the attacking side when we move forward, we feel we have enough to swing the game in our favour.

 

[Skizzo]

I'll be off to get some breakfast now since @Pat_Mustard is around. Ill be back on later, but just wanted to throw out a few initial thoughts and clear up some of the questions raised.

 

[Skizzo]

I will leave this here though

Andreas Moller, back in his AM position, just a small sample of his ability and what he offers. On top of his all time leading assist record (highlighted by both managers ) he also has a near 1 in 3 goal scoring record.

 

[Pat_Mustard]

Some GIFs of Moller doing the business on a big stage, the UEFA Cup final for Juve vs Dortmund. He'd later win the CL with Dortmund vs Juve.

Spoiler

Assisting Dino Baggio from a well-worked free kick:

Spoiler

Lovely through ball to Baggio:

Spoiler

Assisting Baggio (he started this move by bursting forward down the left wing ):

Spoiler

There's not much between our German playmakers in terms of quality, although we feel our man has a clear edge as a goalscorer and has a significantly better pedigree on the international stage. He's also got the better platform here, having less onerous defensive duties picking up Gattuso than Scholl has vs our CMs, and facing an opponent in Gattuso who was better in a more roving role than as a holding midfielder.

 

[Marty1968]

Draft games and tactics et al, will always be given differing levels of importance by different people. Anto was always an advocate of preparing for the team you were up against and any tactical missteps could be punished. There's a bit of an advantage for us there, with Marty prepping his team to face our 442, instead of our current incarnation. There was also a mention of this in the OP



fortunately, with how we are lining up, we will still have Baraja and Hierro to lock horns with the midfield, with Zanetti being an absolutely pain in the ass by buzzing around.

Gattuso will offer little going forward, so Hierro is able to cover the runs of Seedorf when he comes from deep, and Baraja can shadow Scholl. I won't make the argument of us having players everywhere, but with Mannini/Neymar, Hierro/Seedorf, and Baraja/Scholl, it allows Zanetti to move wide and deep to assist with Neymar, or switch to Seedorf and allow Hierro to drop deep in to space to cover anyone cutting inside (Neymar and Bale)

BUT

The biggest advantage for us here is when the ball is turned over.

who tracks back to cover our midfield runners?

Gattuso is already back to try and keep tabs on Moller. Seedorf will use his fantastic work rate to track Zanetti, but who covers the runs of Baraja now? Is Scholl dropping all the way back to play a central midfield position? Or will Seedorf try and cover both? Bale and Neymar won't track back, so suddenly we have a numbers advantage in midfield in attack.

Our two strikers are picked up by the center backs, Moller tracked by Gattuso, Baraja/Zanetti tracked by Seedorf. Even if we don't look at it as a numerical advantage and assume one of Baraja and Zanetti won't burst forward, it still leaves dangerous players all being picked up one on one, and that's not a good situation for Marty to find himself in. He doesn't have the personnel to negate all those threats, and I can see us having enough creativity and movement to break through with those match ups.

Don't see a problem with Seedorf covering Zanetti and Baraja with assistance of Benarrivo covering the most attacking of the two (likely to be Zanetti). Benarrivo was not one of those rampaging full-backs who would get caught out upfield. This was a conscious decision I made, particularly with Neymar in front of him. Benarrivo will be able to focus on Zanetti as Mannini won't get forward much due to the threat of Neymar on the counter. Seedorf will therefore, be able to cover any forward runs Baraja makes and Gattuso will help to organise who is picking up whom which he did so well throughout his career. The cohesion that Seedorf and Gattuso showed during their time at Milan (along with Costacurta) is what made them such a great organised team that gave them such success.

 

[harms]

Mostly due to my aesthetic preference for 4-3-1-2 rather than a diamond in the formation graphic . But also to indicate a subtle difference in Hierro's role - with his goalscoring record from central midfield and the powerhouse defensive support he's got in this midfield we don't need to limit him to a pure DM/holding role. Rather he can pick and choose his moments to break forward.

Yeah, good point about Hierro

 

[Pat_Mustard]

As Harms has mentioned and as we said on our OP, we have question marks over the compatibility of Marty's forward line, specifically as regards Zamarano.

- Firstly, he generally thrived with a strike partner, initially Butragueno for Real who was then phased out in favour of the young Raul towards the end of Zamarano's Real career.
- Secondly, he's playing with inverted wingers here whose instinct is to cut inside in search of goals, a significant difference from the Real set up he thrived in with Michel providing a great supply of crosses.
- Chiellini and in particular Ruggeri are in any case well-suited to dealing with his threat in the air.
-We question whether he has the variety and subtlety in his approach play to really bring the best out of Neymar and Bale.

He remained a hard-working and likeable centre-forward even when he joined Inter at 29 years old and the goals dried up, but his purple patches as a goalscorer certainly came in different set ups to Marty's (with the exception of Scholl in the Laudrup role we admit), and we don't see him having much joy here.

 

[Marty1968]

Zamorano and Scholl would work together nicely just like he did with Laudrup as you've mentioned. He would also have Seedorf's outstanding vision and passing to assist in addition to the link up play with Scholl. Service from the wings would come from Bale and Benarrivo who was a good crosser of the ball. Neymar will cut inside as we've both made clear and is pretty apparent.

From set pieces I have multiple options with Scholl, Neymar and Seedorf all deadly from set pieces.

 

[Ecstatic]

I wouldn't say he was at Gullit's level, although they were quite similar in a lot of things. The one thing that separates him and Gullit is hunger on the pitch, the latter was just crazy in getting every single 50-50, aerial duel, interception, tackle, every single thing. Gullit at his peak was unstoppable once he reached the final third. Pace, strength, shooting, vision, one touch play, aerial ability and dreadlocks! He was a sort of beast never seen before or after. The closest, I'd say, that comes to a rampage on the pitch.

Seedorf, while not quite at that level, was a class above his contemporaries for years. What I liked about him most was his efficiency on the ball. A bit of a percentage player, rarely lost the ball or made a bad pass, always kept it moving and always kept looking for ways to open a defense. Compared to someone like Gullit, he was a lot calmer and measured in his approach.

I think Gullit was more a support striker while Seedorf is rather a box-to-box midfielder.

 

[Moby]

I think Gullit was more a support striker while Seedorf is rather a box-to-box midfielder.

At his prime, surely. Though even then given Sacchi's tactics, he tracked back immensely and played a big part in Milan being compact and Sacchi's rule of the defensive and offensive line not being separated by more than 35 yards. Even Van Basten had to drop back all the time due to that. Watch Gullit's defensive work here:

Amazing use of the offside rule as well as suffocating the opposition to a degree they literally have no space left to do anything. Insanely risky and demanding which is why players like Gullit and Rijkaard were pivotal for them. They used to flank out in milliseconds from that insanely tight shape.
Brilliant tactical arrangement. Got wrecked by Diego though.

 

[Ecstatic]

@Aldo Good to know. thanks

 

[Marty1968]

At his prime, surely. Though even then given Sacchi's tactics, he tracked back immensely and played a big part in Milan being compact and Sacchi's rule of the defensive and offensive line not being separated by more than 35 yards. Even Van Basten had to drop back all the time due to that. Watch Gullit's defensive work here:

Amazing use of the offside rule as well as suffocating the opposition to a degree they literally have no space left to do anything. Insanely risky and demanding which is why players like Gullit and Rijkaard were pivotal for them. They used to flank out in milliseconds from that insanely tight shape.
Brilliant tactical arrangement. Got wrecked by Diego though.

Some terrible offside calls on that video....

 

[Pat_Mustard]

If we didn't go in more depth on Zanetti and his role here, we'd be doing him an injustice. Neymar is a menace and Marty's standout threat IMO, but we don't feel we could do much more to mitigate against his threat here with a fine defensive right back in Mannini supported by the tactically brilliant and athletically monstrous Pupi.

Of course he's a wonderful ball-carrier in the offensive phase and a fantastic asset in transitions. Here's a ridiculous example of his abilities (at 38 ) of his ability to burst forward, and his pace.



With the way both teams are set up, Zanetti is allowed to drop in and collapse space on Neymar. While Mannini is a formidable match up in terms of speed, having Zanetti double up will reduce the biggest threat for Marty. With Bale up on the other side trying to get the better of Lizarazu somehow, and Zamorano up against the physicality of Chiellini/Ruggeri, Neymar will need to have the game of his life. With Zanetti helping to double up on him, and all midfielders covered and accounted for, it would be tough to force a way through there. We wouldn't rule out a moment of magic from Seedorf from long range, but when that ends up being one of your best chances to score, it doesn't bode well.

Something we focused on in our write up, is our ability to set up in terms of negating the oppositions biggest threats (Lizarazu on Bale, double team on Neymar, and covering everyone in midfield on defense). On the flip side, we feel we've highlighted (or started to) how Marty isn't fully equipped to handle our scoring threats, and that can be the difference in swinging the game our way.

 

[Balu]

Amazing use of the offside rule as well as suffocating the opposition to a degree they literally have no space left to do anything.

Yeah, wouldn't work with the new offside rules though. It's quite fascinating to watch Sacchi's offside trap and the same is true for Ajax in the 70's and then think how easily it could be exploited in today's rules, because they constantly put a player offside who would be considered passive in today's game.

 

[harms]

those offsides

 

[Moby]

Some terrible offside calls on that video....

Thats why the rule was changed.

It was fine at the time.

 

[Ecstatic]

League peak for Zamorano in 1994/95: 27 goals - Pichichi trophy

Real Madrid 5 -0 Barcelona

Santiago Bernabeu

7 January 1995

Barcelona had won four consecutive La Liga crown prior to this season. This was the Barcelona team coached by Johan Cruyff that had taken the world by storm and had sown the seeds for Barca’s tika-taka style of total football. Real Madrid welcomed their rivals to the Santiago Bernabeu looking to end Barca’s dominance in La Liga. Barcelona’s side of stars was now falling apart and this capitulation of the squad was coincided by the rise of Madrid. Youngsters like Raul, Fernando Hierro and Luis Enrique were set to take the stage by storm and go on to dominate world football.

However, this particular night belonged to a Chilean striker. Ivan Zamorano was bought by Real Madrid from Sevilla for $5 million in 1992. Zamorano played for Los Blancos for four years, smashing in 77 goals in 137 appearances. His crowning glory in a Madrid shirt came in the 1994-95 season when he scored 27 goals and won the Pichichi trophy for being the season’s top scorer. His zenith of the season came in this particular game against Barcelona where he scored a hat trick against Madrid’s fiercest rivals.

This Madrid team, in addition to having Spanish youngsters like Hierro, Raul and Enrique, also had stars like Zamorano, Milla, Amavisca and the Danish playmaker Michael Laudrup. Zamorano and Laudrup in particular formed a feared partnership, with the Dane creating a majority of the Chilean’s goals that season. Barcelona’s power on the other hand was waning. Former Barca manager Pep Guardiola, who oversaw Barca’s 5-0 win over Madrid in 2011 was part of this team. Players like Koeman, Romario and Stiochkov were on the slide and the Madrid team took advantage of this and turned out 5-0 winners on the day.

Zamorano scored a hat trick with goals from Amavisca and Luis Enrique, who would go on to play for the Blaugrana in later years, completing the rout. Madrid went on to win La Liga that season to end Barca’s four year dominance and Barcelona were left to lick their wounds in fourth position.

 

[Ecstatic]

Next, a post about Klinsmann

 

[Ecstatic]

League peak for Klinsmann in 1995/96: 31 goals (16 in Bundesliga + 15 in the European Cup) - UEFA Cup winner


UEFA Cup Final - 1st leg against Bordeaux

UEFA Cup Final - 2nd leg against Bordeaux - Klinsmann scored the 3rd goal

 

[Pat_Mustard]

Good stuff on both Zamarano and Klinsmnn @Downcast

 

[Skizzo]

Nice posts @Downcast although I'd point out that in your Klinsmann post, he's used in a very similar set up to what we have here, to get the best out of him.

Zamorano played in a 2 man forward line, with Laudrup behind. Does we see the best out of him with two inverted wingers, and no striker/AM to play off?

 

[Ecstatic]

Thanks for your posts.

Good question.

Zamorano used to play with Salas when it comes to the Chilean squad, or Ronaldo in Milan (with Djorkaeff behind)

I guess Scholl has to be close to him.

 

[Moby]

I guess Scholl has to be close to him.

I wouldn't say his game necessarily mirrors those of the names you mentioned.

 

[Skizzo]

I wouldn't say his game necessarily mirrors those of the names you mentioned.

It's an interesting one with Scholl in this game, because we're trying to figure out how he works. If he's pushing up to play off Zamorano, and then with Bale and Neymar cutting in as well, it all crowds around our solid core. Plus he doesn't contribute as much to a midfield which will need his help at times.

If he plays deeper, it opens up some space, but then Zamorano become isolated, playing in a system he's not used to, with inverted wingers he doesn't particularly complement very well.

Thanks for your posts.

Good question.

Zamorano used to play with Salas when it comes to the Chilean squad, or Ronaldo in Milan (with Djorkaeff behind)

I guess Scholl has to be close to him.

So Scholl has to push up to support him closely, meaning he's gonna have a long way to track back against Baraja who will burst forward. Something to consider, because that edges an otherwise close midfield battle in our favour.

 

[Ecstatic]

I wouldn't say his game necessarily mirrors those of the names you mentioned.

Sure.

 

[Marty1968]

Good stuff on both Zamarano and Klinsmnn @Downcast

Nice posts for both sides there. Nicely done.

 

[Marty1968]

It's an interesting one with Scholl in this game, because we're trying to figure out how he works. If he's pushing up to play off Zamorano, and then with Bale and Neymar cutting in as well, it all crowds around our solid core. Plus he doesn't contribute as much to a midfield which will need his help at times.

If he plays deeper, it opens up some space, but then Zamorano become isolated, playing in a system he's not used to, with inverted wingers he doesn't particularly complement very well.



So Scholl has to push up to support him closely, meaning he's gonna have a long way to track back against Baraja who will burst forward. Something to consider, because that edges an otherwise close midfield battle in our favour.

I think it's a bit unfair to say that Zamorano could only play in a two man front line. He worked his socks off and with Neymar and Bale supporting him would not be the isolated figure that some might think looking at the line up. The fact that Bale and Neymar are on the pitch will mean Scholl won't have to play the support role for Bam Bam for the whole game and can very cleverly pick his moments to drift into the pocket between the back line and Baraja/Hierro. His link up play with Bayerns strikers when at his best was exemplary and here he doesn't just have one outlet in Zamorano....he has three options in front of him with the two wingers.

 

[Moby]

If he plays deeper, it opens up some space, but then Zamorano become isolated, playing in a system he's not used to, with inverted wingers he doesn't particularly complement very well.

That's how Scholl would have to operate, specially given the fact there is Rino in there. Puts the burden of buildup on Seedorf and Scholl.

Having said that, while that might not be best for Zamo, it could be good for Neymar. He likes receiving those Messi diagonals, of course it's not gonna be that accurate but from deep they can pick out his runs with an element of surprise. If Mannini loses concentration at that moment it can be hurtful.

 

[Skizzo]

I think it's a bit unfair to say that Zamorano could only play in a two man front line. He worked his socks off and with Neymar and Bale supporting him would not be the isolated figure that some might think looking at the line up. The fact that Bale and Neymar are on the pitch will mean Scholl won't have to play the support role for Bam Bam for the whole game and can very cleverly pick his moments to drift into the pocket between the back line and Baraja/Hierro. His link up play with Bayerns strikers when at his best was exemplary and here he doesn't just have one outlet in Zamorano....he has three options in front of him with the two wingers.

I didn't say he could ONLY play in a 2 man system, but that's where he was at his best. If you're going to highlight his goal record, it would be a good idea to have him in a similar system to where he played at the peak you're highlighting.

In a single striker, inverted winger formation, I don't see that getting the Zamorano you highlighted in the OP.

 

[Skizzo]

That's how Scholl would have to operate, specially given the fact there is Rino in there. Puts the burden of buildup on Seedorf and Scholl.

Having said that, while that might not be best for Zamo, it could be good for Neymar. He likes receiving those Messi diagonals, of course it's not gonna be that accurate but from deep they can pick out his runs with an element of surprise. If Mannini loses concentration at that moment it can be hurtful.

I agree, and that's what we're trying to highlight really. While the front three might look good, it's not getting the best out of all the players as initially painted.

Like I said above, in this set up, you don't get peak Zamorano, so his goal scoring exploits become less relevant. With using Scholl deeper, do you get the same returns that were highlighted in his assist stats? You might get Neymar in his comfort zone, but having to sacrifice the input of two other main players is detrimental.

Especially when we have an attacking unit that all fit and would bring the best out of each other. In my (obviously biased) opinion.

 

[Marty1968]

Whether Zamorano is going to be effective in this role is down to personal opinion. I think he'd still do well with the incredible talent and creativity around him which I have.

Besides Zamorano I have the two most prolific scorers on the pitch in Bale and Neymar both of whom average over a goal every other game.

 

[Skizzo]

Whether Zamorano is going to be effective in this role is down to personal opinion. I think he'd still do well with the incredible talent and creativity around him which I have.

Besides Zamorano I have the two most prolific scorers on the pitch in Bale and Neymar both of whom average over a goal every other game.

It's easy for Bale to pad some stats playing for Madrid. He's talented of course, but 2 goals in a 5-0 win, or 4 goals in a game where Madrid score 10 doesn't relate to him being up against Lizarazu.

So you're sacrificing some of Zamarano's influence by playing him alone. Who's playing second fiddle to who here? Neymar I assume is gonna be the main man for you. Bale becomes second fiddle, and is already going to have a lesser impact because of Lizarazu.

Not to mention that they both play in dominant teams, which you don't have here.

 

[Theon]

I don't have any problem with Zamorano and IMO the criticism has gone way overboard. I don't really understand it personally.

He played in a two striker system at Real but it's not like he lacks any offensive support in this match, with Neymar, Bale and Scholl all around him. I kind of understand how maybe more of a technician would be better up front to bring it all together, which Zamorano wasn't, but this doesn't seem a problem either way.

It's just more of a direct approach to the match and I can see him working well playing to his strengths, with good movement and exceptional ability in the air. His movement will certainly create space for the other forwards.

I prefer the Zamorano role in this match than the one given to Zanetti personally.

 

[Skizzo]

I don't have any problem with Zamorano and IMO the criticism has gone way overboard. I don't really understand it personally.

He played in a two striker system at Real but it's not like he lacks any offensive support in this match, with Neymar, Bale and Scholl all around him. I kind of understand how maybe more of a technician would be better up front to bring it all together, which Zamorano wasn't, but this doesn't seem a problem either way.

It's just more of a direct approach to the match and I can see him working well playing to his strengths, with good movement and exceptional ability in the air. His movement will certainly create space for the other forwards.

I prefer the Zamorano role in this match than the one given to Zanetti personally.

Not sure how it constitutes "going overboard" when all we've done is point out that his scoring record reflects him playing in a different setup and system than he has here.

What issue do you see with Zanetti's role?

 

[Theon]

Not sure how it constitutes "going overboard" when all we've done is point out that his scoring record reflects him playing in a different setup and system than he has here.

What issue do you see with Zanetti's role?

I think he's a better right back than a central midfielder in a diamond.

Zanetti could play across the park and was always a competent midfielder but it was never his best role.