Balu & Pedro's homage to Béla Guttmann
In 1959 the great Béla Guttmann created one of the greatest European club sides of all time, sacking 20 players on his arrival but promoting a core of brilliant youth players, who would dominate Europe for two years and Portugal for the rest of the decade. All of Guttmann's sides were free flowing attacking teams, often top heavy, but with incredible workrate from all players. His Benfica side built around the great Mário Coluna was the peak of his career and of the tactical development of the game in his era. He used Coluna as a withdrawn attacker in a role that's probably best described as an attacking box to box midfield role. Coluna's role stands for the bridge between the old WM system and the new 4-2-4 and not too different to later versions of the 3-4-3 and 3-3-4 (like Michels' Ajax, Cruyff's Barca or van Gaal's Ajax) versatile players moving between defense and midfield and between midfield and attack gave the team an advantage in the different phases of the game.
During the draft we created a short journey along Guttmann's career with a few great stories and a bit of background information on our players. You can find them 'here'. It's well worth the read.
Our tactics in this game:
We used Guttmann's Benfica side as the blueprint for our team. It's a fantasy draft about the managers, so his best team is the perfect starting point. We take the three best player from that side and fill the team with all the other greats, lucky enough to play under this iconic manager during their career.
In possession:
Guttmann's teams were always attacking sides based on the Hungarian philosophy of the 40's and 50's. Brilliant technical sides, usually top heavy with 5 attackers but great workrate throughout the team. We expect to face a 3 man defense with Rijkaard as the central defender and a 3 man midfield of Schweinsteiger, Guardiola and van Bommel in front of them as protection. A few points:
1. The heart of our team is the midfield. Bozsik, one of the alltime great deep lying playmakers, will keep the game ticking and spread the ball. Coluna's driving runs through midfield offer another dimension to get the ball to our devastating attack like the following quote explains "In a truly dynamic team, it was Coluna that directed the play, Coluna that drove in so many crucial long-range shots and Coluna that set up the strikers so frequently." The final piece to give that midfield a wonderful balance is a tough defensive midfielder, capable of playing the easy pass to his teammates and a central defender with great distribution to play the ball out of defense. You don't get control of the game against these players, it's that simple.
2. In attack, one of the greatest goalscorers of all time in Puskás, who will drift in and around the box. Two outstanding wingers, both key attackers in their club sides, will provide width and drag the opposing wide centerbacks out wide, but also offer a huge goalthreat through runs into the box.
3. Our biggest threat here is the amazing Eusébio. A physical beast and basically unstoppable, when running at a defense, equally threatening in the box and with an outstanding shot from outside. With Rijkaard probably trying to keep Puskás in check and Coluna causing havoc in midfield, there's simply no player in the opposing team, who can defend him.
2. In attack, one of the greatest goalscorers of all time in Puskás, who will drift in and around the box. Two outstanding wingers, both key attackers in their club sides, will provide width and drag the opposing wide centerbacks out wide, but also offer a huge goalthreat through runs into the box.
3. Our biggest threat here is the amazing Eusébio. A physical beast and basically unstoppable, when running at a defense, equally threatening in the box and with an outstanding shot from outside. With Rijkaard probably trying to keep Puskás in check and Coluna causing havoc in midfield, there's simply no player in the opposing team, who can defend him.
When defending:
One point should be clear, we'll see goals on either side here, but we'll score more. We expect to face a 3-4-3/3-3-4 with Rivaldo being the key player in a second striker role, both teams aren't too different in terms of playing style and formations. There's no way the defenses can keep all that attacking brilliance on the pitch quiet and who wants that to happen anyway. Still, a few points how we try to minimize the influence of our opponent's player and why our players are well suited to the roles given to them in this game.
1. Defending against Rivaldo. The obvious decision. We have a great, tough defensive midfielder who fought battles in the roughest games in Southamerica against brilliant playmakers, so we unleash 'Tito' Gonçalves on Rivaldo to limit his influence.
2. Both our wide centerbacks have experience as fullbacks. Cesare Maldini started similar to his son as a rightback, was used as a right footed left back a few times for the nationalteam and became a centerback and sweeper later in his career. It's a bit similar with Matosas on the left, who played leftback for the nationalteam a few times. Both have exactly the attributes you want from wide centerbacks in a back three.
3. We expect one of Schweinsteiger or van Bommel to stay deep and help against Eusébio, because Guardiola is certainly the wrong player to do that job, which leaves a wonderful midfield battle. Coluna and Bozsik against Guardiola and one of Schweinsteiger or van Bommel. Don't make the mistake and underrate Bozsik's contribution in defense. He wasn't the quickest and would struggle against pace, but he had excellent positioning and didn't shy away from physical defending.
4. Defending against counterattacks. First of all, this isn't a gung-ho team, the back three will keep their shape when the team moves forward as a unit. We have great anticipation in the center through Bozsik and Ramos, physical defending through Tito, Cesare Maldini and Matosas and in Grosics a sweeper keeper minimizing the threat of through balls in behind the defense.
5. Everyone will contribute in defense. There are no passengers here. If de Boer moves forward, one of our forwards will track him, same goes for Rijkaard.
6. We have a leftback on the bench and have the option to change to a 4-2-4 or 4-3-3 later during the game.
2. Both our wide centerbacks have experience as fullbacks. Cesare Maldini started similar to his son as a rightback, was used as a right footed left back a few times for the nationalteam and became a centerback and sweeper later in his career. It's a bit similar with Matosas on the left, who played leftback for the nationalteam a few times. Both have exactly the attributes you want from wide centerbacks in a back three.
3. We expect one of Schweinsteiger or van Bommel to stay deep and help against Eusébio, because Guardiola is certainly the wrong player to do that job, which leaves a wonderful midfield battle. Coluna and Bozsik against Guardiola and one of Schweinsteiger or van Bommel. Don't make the mistake and underrate Bozsik's contribution in defense. He wasn't the quickest and would struggle against pace, but he had excellent positioning and didn't shy away from physical defending.
4. Defending against counterattacks. First of all, this isn't a gung-ho team, the back three will keep their shape when the team moves forward as a unit. We have great anticipation in the center through Bozsik and Ramos, physical defending through Tito, Cesare Maldini and Matosas and in Grosics a sweeper keeper minimizing the threat of through balls in behind the defense.
5. Everyone will contribute in defense. There are no passengers here. If de Boer moves forward, one of our forwards will track him, same goes for Rijkaard.
6. We have a leftback on the bench and have the option to change to a 4-2-4 or 4-3-3 later during the game.
Final words:
Good luck and have fun
.-----------Team Balu---------------------------------------------------------------------Team PDC
VS
. He probably would anyway, after all, van Gaal let him do his thing and didn't limit him to 'playing a role for Rivaldo/Kluivert'.