Pat_Mustard
General_Elegancia/Invictus
Pat_Mustard Tactics
“We want to press, we want to press all day and play proactive football. Sometimes we can do that high but if not possible, we have to read it as a team and drop lower. But we want to press and that has to be the intention all day.” Erik ten Hag
Formation: Lobanovsky-inspired 4-1-3-2
We've dropped our lines back a few yards on the teamsheet, simply to reflect the reality that we're not likely to be able to play as much of this match in the opponent's half of the pitch as we'd like - that Krol/VVD/Di Stefano/Schuster central axis is clearly going to impose their own periods of territorial dominance on us, and we have to be prepared to mix bouts of intense high pressing with a pragmatic willingness to drop back and defend against their spells of pressure. That will open up opportunities for us as well - while the opposition looks solid through the centre, De Bruyne and Rummenigge attacking their left flank and Nedved surging at or behind Carvajal look like highly profitable avenues for the counter-attack.
The New Signings:
We limited our spending in the previous reinforcement round in the hope of splashing the cash for the final, and we've landed our dream target in Pavel Nedved. Two-footed with a Swiss Army knife of a skillset, his ability to play all across midfield and his inexhaustible capacity for hard graft mark him out as an ideal final piece of the jigsaw for a Lobanovsky-inspired team.
The second signing is German goliath Hans-Peter Briegel. Frankly, I'm not convinced that he's necessarily a better player than the man he replaces, but he might just be a better fit for this team and this match. Firstly, we're likely to be forced deeper in this match at times than we'd like, and Briegel's skill set and experience as a centre back probably lends itself better to those phases than persevering with Robertson. Secondly, Briegel chimes particularly well with the Lobanovsky ideal of universality: he made Kicker Magazine's Bundesliga Team of the Season four times in a row from 1979-80, alternating between LB and CB each season , before moving to Verona and playing mainly in midfield throughout their improbable Scudetto-winning campaign in the 1984-85 season.
Nedved and Briegel complete a team that has been built to press hard and and play direct, full-throttle football. No undue emphasis on possession here, just wave after wave of swift attacks with plenty of players pouring forward, whether we win the ball back high up the pitch or further back. The tireless Ian Rush sets the tone as the CF-cum-first defender who will run himself into the ground out-of-possession.
General_Elegancia/Invictus Tactics
DEFENSE
Andoni Zubizarreta: as the goalkeeper of the Dream Team at Cruyff's Barcelona, Zubizarreta was technically accomplished, a forward-thinking organizer, adept at rushing off his zone and playing with high defensive lines, had a keen positional sense, was stylish yet efficient as a distributor of the ball, and also a noteworthy shot-stopper. Good fit for the approach, and possesses the skill set to consistently and directly feed the ball to Di Stéfano.
David Alaba: part of several aggressive teams that employed high lines over the years with Bayern (from Heynckes' Champions League winners to Flick's Champions League winners), one of the best ball-playing defenders of his generation (with the 3rd most assists from a fullback in the Champions League era after Dani Alves and Marcelo), an intelligent presser and counter-presser, proficient at effortlessly transitioning from defense to attack, could shunt up and down the flank but also tuck in if need be. Good fit for the approach; and wrt. Di Stéfano, Alaba could stretch the field on the left, provide industry and movement and guile, and also link up at the edge of the inside-left zone of midfield.
Ruud Krol: the greatest Dutch defender of all time, the quintessential totaalvoetballer, utterly complete in a myriad aspects. Intuitive strategist and very active off the ball, very smooth on the ball, above-average recovery speed and speed in general, comfortable in wider areas, and possessed a sixth-sense for danger. Good fit for the approach, matches the totaalvoetballing principles of the GOAT (who was arguably the most complete footballer of them all) and can also use his passing range to bring Di Stéfano into the game.
To get a sense for how good he was as a central defender, Krol won the Guerin d'Oro for Player of the Year, had a more impressive performance index than the likes of Scirea and was rated as the best foreign player in Serie A from 1980 to 1982...
Virgil van Dijk:
Dani Carvajal: A contemporary great at the fullback position, Carvajal was a consistent and indispensable presence for Real Madrid teams that won 5 European Cups while assisting as many goals in the competition as Luís Figo! Capable in all phases of the game; a tenacious fullback who boasted good technical skills, pace in offensive and defensive transitions, stamina to motor up-and-down as a genuine flank-dominator and present himself as an option for the ball, and the discipline to always mind his positional duties. Good fit for the approach, should offer himself as a a receiving option out wide (when Di Stéfano targets that part of the pitch) and could also ping the ball to the main man from advantageous positions.
MIDFIELD
Wim Jansen: a no-nonsense, energetic, selfless, combative and versatile player who could operate as a defensive midfielder, defensive box-to-box midfielder, fullback or even central defender on occasion. Good fit for the approach because the famous organization and press of the Dutch national team was predicated on his characteristics as a tackler and stabilizer in midfield, along with his tactical intelligence and nose for covering spaces; and well suited to an archetypal water-carrier role in service of the leading light, Di Stéfano.
Bernd Schuster: a spielmacher with a wide range of stand-out qualities. Exquisite dribbler, innovative passer in short, medium and long ranges, dynamic in and out of possession, aggressive in the tackle, scored a multitude of goals over the course of his career, and athletically a force of nature who could powerfully traverse vast spaces. Good fit for the approach; and also, he forged a short-lived but wonderful alliance with Maradona at Barcelona, which should suit Di Stéfano — with Schuster being his trusted partner, buzzing in the vicinity...sometimes alongside and sometimes behind or ahead (the Blonde Engel to go with the Blond Arrow).
ATTACK
Zoltán Czibor: One of the greatest wide attackers of all time, and arguably the best possible pick for this role. A complete and modern player even though he played back in the day, Czibor was gifted with blistering pace, an inventive passer, ranged freely to pose a substantial goalscoring and creative threat, linked up wonderfully with other forwards (most notably the likes of Puskás, Kocsis, Hidegkuti, Kubala, Budai), excelled at delivering precise high or low crosses, and was a consummate team player who was active off the ball and willingly tracked the movement of opposition runners. His primordial-totaalvoetbal background with Honvéd and Gusztáv Sebes's legendary Mighty Magyars makes him an ideal fit for the approach, and his skill set and application will be deeply appreciated by Di Stéfano.
Jupp Heynckes: in his footballing days (most notably at Borussia Mönchengladbach and with the European Championship winning West German team in 1972), Heynckes struck a telepathic understand with the fabled controller, Günter Netzer. A wing forward by nature, he made significant contributions during the build-up stages, was a willing and active runner both on and off the ball, possessed an excellent turn of pace and clockwork rhythm and was a threat in the air, and had a memorable 3 year peak where he plundered 129 goals in 139 matches at club level for a goals-per-game ratio of 0.93. Good fit for the approach, and also a smashing fit with Di Stéfano given his movement, grafting nature, tactical foresight and eye for goal.
And finally, a bit on our lord and savior...
Why we should win
General_Elegancia/Invictus
Pat_Mustard Tactics
“We want to press, we want to press all day and play proactive football. Sometimes we can do that high but if not possible, we have to read it as a team and drop lower. But we want to press and that has to be the intention all day.” Erik ten Hag
Formation: Lobanovsky-inspired 4-1-3-2
We've dropped our lines back a few yards on the teamsheet, simply to reflect the reality that we're not likely to be able to play as much of this match in the opponent's half of the pitch as we'd like - that Krol/VVD/Di Stefano/Schuster central axis is clearly going to impose their own periods of territorial dominance on us, and we have to be prepared to mix bouts of intense high pressing with a pragmatic willingness to drop back and defend against their spells of pressure. That will open up opportunities for us as well - while the opposition looks solid through the centre, De Bruyne and Rummenigge attacking their left flank and Nedved surging at or behind Carvajal look like highly profitable avenues for the counter-attack.
The New Signings:
We limited our spending in the previous reinforcement round in the hope of splashing the cash for the final, and we've landed our dream target in Pavel Nedved. Two-footed with a Swiss Army knife of a skillset, his ability to play all across midfield and his inexhaustible capacity for hard graft mark him out as an ideal final piece of the jigsaw for a Lobanovsky-inspired team.
The second signing is German goliath Hans-Peter Briegel. Frankly, I'm not convinced that he's necessarily a better player than the man he replaces, but he might just be a better fit for this team and this match. Firstly, we're likely to be forced deeper in this match at times than we'd like, and Briegel's skill set and experience as a centre back probably lends itself better to those phases than persevering with Robertson. Secondly, Briegel chimes particularly well with the Lobanovsky ideal of universality: he made Kicker Magazine's Bundesliga Team of the Season four times in a row from 1979-80, alternating between LB and CB each season , before moving to Verona and playing mainly in midfield throughout their improbable Scudetto-winning campaign in the 1984-85 season.
Nedved and Briegel complete a team that has been built to press hard and and play direct, full-throttle football. No undue emphasis on possession here, just wave after wave of swift attacks with plenty of players pouring forward, whether we win the ball back high up the pitch or further back. The tireless Ian Rush sets the tone as the CF-cum-first defender who will run himself into the ground out-of-possession.
- Uli Stein was one of a long line of slightly insane German goalkeepers and, usefully for a high-line defence, he was quite happy to come off his line. Kicker magazine describes him as "one of Germany’s all-time greatest goalkeepers who enjoyed an outstanding career in the Bundesliga despite inciting several scandals. Uli Stein must be rated as a truly complete goalkeeper, very strong in all aspects of goalkeeping, terrific on the line and at leaving his goal, in one-on-one situations, a very charismatic figure, a dominant person with an aggressive mentality."
- Stam and Mozer were monsters athletically and both have experience in high line defences - there's few better pairings to defend those big spaces behind them, and deal with 1v1s when we're facing the counter attack. Equally, both were dominant in the air, and look ideal in that regard for mitigating against the aerial threat of Seeler.
- The relentlessly competitive German Uli Stielike plays the Konkov role at the base of midfield. Kicker sums him up neatly as "a highly-talented, hard-running and hard-working defensive midfielder with a penchant for adamant tackling. As a midfielder, Stielike was a destroyer and a creator at the same time, with an emphasis on destroying...One of the reasons why Stielike was so revered in Spain was because he was so consistent. It looked almost like Stielike could not play badly at all."
- With Stielike as the reference point as the holding player, the other three midfielders have freedom to interchange and surge forward in search of goals. Breitner, the sumptiously gifted dynamo who would pop up all over the pitch, seems ideal for this system. Kevin De Bruyne has established himself as one of the greatest chance-creation machines in modern football, as well as being a ceaseless runner and team-player. The turbo-charged Nedved completes the attacking midfield line.
- Double Ballon d'Or winner, thoroughbred athlete, excellent technician and a proper team player: Rummenigge is a potential matchwinner in any company. Factor in that he hit his peak after moving off the flanks into a two-man frontline, and that he's reunited here with his most-celebrated partner in crime Paul Breitner, and his threat is ratcheted up even more.
- It was noted in the Dead Drafters thread regarding Lobanovsky's 70s Dynamo team that they really lacked a ruthless CF to convert their dominance into goals. Ian Rush looks a quality remedy - prolific, extremely fast, and tidy in the build up, he was also an incredible grafter.
General_Elegancia/Invictus Tactics
- Formation: fairly straight-forward and vertically oriented 4—3—3, with Alfredo Di Stéfano as the box-to-box “architect” of the team.
- Style: Relentless and proactive from start to finish, lots of pressing and also interplay given the personnel at hand, and a near-constant emphasis on the attacking side of the game.
- How the role suits the GOAT: healthy combination of industry and technical prowess around him, well-timed runs and movement in and out of possession, the freedom to influence the proceedings and proverbially be at the heart of the game at almost all times, the absence of some megalomaniac twerp who will challenge his authority in vain, capable deputies to lend a helping hand, and also the chance to regularly explore the inside-left or central segment of the pitch...
- How the Peaches suit the GOAT (and the philosophy at large):
DEFENSE
Andoni Zubizarreta: as the goalkeeper of the Dream Team at Cruyff's Barcelona, Zubizarreta was technically accomplished, a forward-thinking organizer, adept at rushing off his zone and playing with high defensive lines, had a keen positional sense, was stylish yet efficient as a distributor of the ball, and also a noteworthy shot-stopper. Good fit for the approach, and possesses the skill set to consistently and directly feed the ball to Di Stéfano.
David Alaba: part of several aggressive teams that employed high lines over the years with Bayern (from Heynckes' Champions League winners to Flick's Champions League winners), one of the best ball-playing defenders of his generation (with the 3rd most assists from a fullback in the Champions League era after Dani Alves and Marcelo), an intelligent presser and counter-presser, proficient at effortlessly transitioning from defense to attack, could shunt up and down the flank but also tuck in if need be. Good fit for the approach; and wrt. Di Stéfano, Alaba could stretch the field on the left, provide industry and movement and guile, and also link up at the edge of the inside-left zone of midfield.
Ruud Krol: the greatest Dutch defender of all time, the quintessential totaalvoetballer, utterly complete in a myriad aspects. Intuitive strategist and very active off the ball, very smooth on the ball, above-average recovery speed and speed in general, comfortable in wider areas, and possessed a sixth-sense for danger. Good fit for the approach, matches the totaalvoetballing principles of the GOAT (who was arguably the most complete footballer of them all) and can also use his passing range to bring Di Stéfano into the game.
To get a sense for how good he was as a central defender, Krol won the Guerin d'Oro for Player of the Year, had a more impressive performance index than the likes of Scirea and was rated as the best foreign player in Serie A from 1980 to 1982...
Virgil van Dijk:
The complete package, so to speak — one of the landmarks of defending at the peak of his powers. van Dijk is peculiar in the sense that he has next to no discernable weaknesses — simultaneously a rugged, immovable rock from a purely defensive standpoint and a cultured ball-player for possession oriented teams, excellent at anticipating and diagnosing situations before they develop but also possessing the explosiveness to make split-second interventions if he has to, wins the vast majority of aerial duels but also imperious on the ground, spectacular at manning islands of spaces on his own (centrally or through half spaces) but effective when asked to defend compactly in numbers, and rarely caught out position because of his footballing IQ. One of the most influential players for his side during set-pieces to boot (aided by athleticism and massive 6'5" frame), and has an keen sense for resorting to tactical fouls when his team is under tremendous pressure. Perfect central defender for this scheme, in our opinion; and his defensive nous, passing ability and mentality will be appreciated by a savant in Di Stéfano.
Dani Carvajal: A contemporary great at the fullback position, Carvajal was a consistent and indispensable presence for Real Madrid teams that won 5 European Cups while assisting as many goals in the competition as Luís Figo! Capable in all phases of the game; a tenacious fullback who boasted good technical skills, pace in offensive and defensive transitions, stamina to motor up-and-down as a genuine flank-dominator and present himself as an option for the ball, and the discipline to always mind his positional duties. Good fit for the approach, should offer himself as a a receiving option out wide (when Di Stéfano targets that part of the pitch) and could also ping the ball to the main man from advantageous positions.
MIDFIELD
Wim Jansen: a no-nonsense, energetic, selfless, combative and versatile player who could operate as a defensive midfielder, defensive box-to-box midfielder, fullback or even central defender on occasion. Good fit for the approach because the famous organization and press of the Dutch national team was predicated on his characteristics as a tackler and stabilizer in midfield, along with his tactical intelligence and nose for covering spaces; and well suited to an archetypal water-carrier role in service of the leading light, Di Stéfano.
Bernd Schuster: a spielmacher with a wide range of stand-out qualities. Exquisite dribbler, innovative passer in short, medium and long ranges, dynamic in and out of possession, aggressive in the tackle, scored a multitude of goals over the course of his career, and athletically a force of nature who could powerfully traverse vast spaces. Good fit for the approach; and also, he forged a short-lived but wonderful alliance with Maradona at Barcelona, which should suit Di Stéfano — with Schuster being his trusted partner, buzzing in the vicinity...sometimes alongside and sometimes behind or ahead (the Blonde Engel to go with the Blond Arrow).
ATTACK
Zoltán Czibor: One of the greatest wide attackers of all time, and arguably the best possible pick for this role. A complete and modern player even though he played back in the day, Czibor was gifted with blistering pace, an inventive passer, ranged freely to pose a substantial goalscoring and creative threat, linked up wonderfully with other forwards (most notably the likes of Puskás, Kocsis, Hidegkuti, Kubala, Budai), excelled at delivering precise high or low crosses, and was a consummate team player who was active off the ball and willingly tracked the movement of opposition runners. His primordial-totaalvoetbal background with Honvéd and Gusztáv Sebes's legendary Mighty Magyars makes him an ideal fit for the approach, and his skill set and application will be deeply appreciated by Di Stéfano.
Jupp Heynckes: in his footballing days (most notably at Borussia Mönchengladbach and with the European Championship winning West German team in 1972), Heynckes struck a telepathic understand with the fabled controller, Günter Netzer. A wing forward by nature, he made significant contributions during the build-up stages, was a willing and active runner both on and off the ball, possessed an excellent turn of pace and clockwork rhythm and was a threat in the air, and had a memorable 3 year peak where he plundered 129 goals in 139 matches at club level for a goals-per-game ratio of 0.93. Good fit for the approach, and also a smashing fit with Di Stéfano given his movement, grafting nature, tactical foresight and eye for goal.
Uwe Seeler: In the center forward position is Uns Uwe, three times Footballer of the Year for Germany. The greatest striker the nation has ever produced behind Gerd Müller, he possessed the unique ability to form a telepathic understanding with his co-attackers and involve himself in the deeper or wider game to a point where he was almost a dual striker-winger or forward; all while establishing himself as one of the best examples you'll ever see of aerial prowess at the position, working hard on and off the ball and being an extraordinary natural goalscorer — to date, boasting the second highest goal tally of a German footballer with 575 scored in competitive matches. Good fit for the approach, and a terrific companion for Di Stéfano — given his tactical intellect, goalscoring prowess, penchant for making clever dummy runs, linking up the other forwards and offering cut-back passes.
And finally, a bit on our lord and savior...
Why we should win
- Countering the opposition's foremost strengths (i.e., collectivism and dynamism). They are built to press hard and play full-throttle football with athletic players. Our team is just as hard-working and battle-ready, and every channel of the pitch and every blade of grass will be covered. From the high-octane totaalvoetbaling defensive tandem of Krol and van Dijk (both of whom finished in the Ballon Do'Or Top 3) to the explosive livewires up front who will work their socks off; and there are zero slackers anywhere on the pitch (in or out of possession). To a man, they gave their best and were mindful of their individual duties within the overarching framework.
- Incredible goalscoring expertise, with upwards of 1600 goals for the Front 4. With approximately 200 goals for club and country, Czibor is the weakest goal-scorer from that lot. Heynckes scored 328 goals (with a 3 year peak of 130+ goals, and a Bundesliga ratio that trails only G. Müller and Lewandowski), Seeler plundered 582 goals over the course of his glittering career, and Di Stéfano scored 515 goals (with his Madrid record standing for 45 years and his European Cup record standing for a similar amount of time).
- Constantly chipping away at the opposition's wide configuration. Heynckes and Czibor were supreme menaces off the ball and considerable threats on it — their presence will definitely limit Amoros and Briegel's forward forays (on top of putting them through the wringer defensively, of course). Further back, Alaba and Carvajal (relatively free on certain occasions and comfortable in inside-channel zones) will double up to press and tackle De Bruyne and Nedvěd to disrupt their rhythm during routine reconnaissance missions.
- Di Stéfano's near-unparalleled ability to organize the game to his advantage, and a team that is built to accentuate his qualities. Only a select few strategists, like Cruyff or Beckenbauer, can compare with him...
His overpowering, magisterial aura as a field-general gives the team a favorable edge. With industrious, tactically smart, technically accomplished and selfless players like Czibor, Heynckes, Schuster and Seeler around him, a dogged water-carrier in Jansen clearing up some of the clutter and Alaba offering himself as an option from tucked-in fullback positions — as well as a central defense that will quickly transition the ball, he should be in his elements as the coordinator-in-chief and have relatively unfettered access to forward positions too.
