Gio
General_Elegancia/Invictus
Gio Tactics
LEADING FROM THE FRONT
Spearheading the attack is Kylian Mbappe, whose decisive record at the highest level ratchets up our goal-threat (35 goals in 54 games in the Champions League, including goals against Bayern Munich, Man City, Real Madrid and Barcelona over the past two seasons). More pertinently to the shape of this game he has scored heavily against both David Alaba (6 goals in 7 games) and Dani Carvajal's Real Madrid (3 goals in 4 games). His searing acceleration and devastating close control makes him dangerous in both tight and open spaces and his movement looks tailor-made for the passing quality of Pirlo from deep. Attacking from the left side is the posterboy of the golden age of Serie A, Beppe Signori. He elevated Lazio to title contenders up against some of the greatest teams in history. In a miserly era for attackers, he scored 188 goals in Serie A, achieving a goals-to-game ratio that was better than anyone else in the top 10 Serie A scorers of all time (with the exception of Meazza and Nordahl who both played in somewhat more open eras). Both forwards will relish the service and space provided by the inventive Roberto Mancini who drops into a false 9 role where he can utilise his creativity and passing. Given GE's team looks relatively less strong at full-back, Mancini is selected because he is likely to maximise Signori and Mbappe's threat in behind.
DUELLING IT OUT IN MIDFIELD
The midfield is built around the talents of Andrea Pirlo in a balanced 4-3-3 system which we expect to wrestle control of the game. As the playmaking heart-beat of Milan's Champions League wins in 2003 and 2007, of Italy's World Cup win in 2006, and the player of the tournament at Euro 2012, he is a serial tournament dominator who delivers against the best teams on the biggest occasions. His £60m price tag was perhaps somewhat of a bargain, but also reflects that building the right set-up around him is not straightforward.
With that in mind, we have paired him first with Edgar Davids whose ravenous ball-winning and recirculating abilities complement Pirlo's attributes. As a partnership it has shades of the highly successful Pirlo/Gattuso dynamic for club and country, fired up a couple of levels in possession where we expect Davids surging runs from midfield to pose all sorts of problems. On the other side of Pirlo we have introduced Marco Tardelli whose high-energy box-to-box style complements Pirlo perfectly. With the added defensive protection provided by Davids and Tardelli, it should help to slow down Di Stefano's influence on the game, while providing the platform for Pirlo to perform.
STRENGTH AT THE BACK
Franco Baresi leads a San Siro themed defence which looks water-tight all over the park. To his left is his Milan counterpart Karl-Heinz Schnellinger, who mirrors Maldini's ability to defend well centrally while also providing good quality on the ball – backed up by his run of 3rd, 6th, 11th and 12th position in the Ballon d’Or between 1962 (where he was Germany’s best player in the World Cup) and 1966. Baresi's partner in the centre is his national team counterpart Giuseppe Bergomi. Together Baresi and Bergomi kept a clean sheet in two thirds of their games together (30 out of 50 matches), including a run of 11 clean sheets in 13 games up to and including the 1990 World Cup when they hit their peaks. Completing the back four is Javier Zanetti who, like Davids, Tardelli and other Duracell bunnies in the side, has the energy to match the opposition and then inject a load of flank-dominating quality on top of that. The partnership between Zanetti / Mbappe looks tailor-made to get the best out of both of them and we fancy it to cause all sorts of problems down GE's left side.
General_Elegancia/Invictus Tactics
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, 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 quintessential totaalvoetbal defender, 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).
Raymond Kopa: Le Napoléon du Football, one of the greatest attackers of all time. A creative genius, Kopa had a fantastic ability for dribbling at close quarters and a great intelligence on the pitch which made him a regular on the right wing for Real Madrid when they started to conquer Europe. Kopa once described himself as “the greatest collective individualist in French football”; he gave his team relief, the chance to breathe. France Football, which organizes the Ballon D'or award, wrote: "Technically, Kopa has perfected the game ... finesse, precision, passing. He masters the wonder of the dribble, by feints alone, the ball left there on the grass [before] starting up again, at just the right time. We have never seen [anyone] better at performing the one-two. ... Kopa does not merely pass to teammates randomly; he always puts them in the best position. His true place is to create, inspir[ing], guiding and serving the attack to perfection."
Jupp Heynckes: in his footballing days, 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 tireless runner both on and off the ball, possessed an excellent turn of pace and 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, industriousness, tactical foresight and eye for goal.
Carlos Tévez: an irrepressible force of nature whose infectious work rate spread throughout the team. A multi-faceted center forward, Tévez could function as the point of attack or in a twin-pronged strike force, and is one of the absolute best fits for the approach as he had an incredible drive to win and worked his bollocks off and even engaged in a fair bit of shithousery, offered plenty of verve up front, brought deeper players into the game and scored with aplomb (300+ career goals). Terrific fit with Di Stéfano as the latter would appreciate Tévez's footballing ability, movement, selflessness and workmanlike attitude and appetite for loose balls in his vicinity, tireless pressing capabilities and unflinching Argentinian “grinta”.
General_Elegancia/Invictus
Gio Tactics
LEADING FROM THE FRONT
Spearheading the attack is Kylian Mbappe, whose decisive record at the highest level ratchets up our goal-threat (35 goals in 54 games in the Champions League, including goals against Bayern Munich, Man City, Real Madrid and Barcelona over the past two seasons). More pertinently to the shape of this game he has scored heavily against both David Alaba (6 goals in 7 games) and Dani Carvajal's Real Madrid (3 goals in 4 games). His searing acceleration and devastating close control makes him dangerous in both tight and open spaces and his movement looks tailor-made for the passing quality of Pirlo from deep. Attacking from the left side is the posterboy of the golden age of Serie A, Beppe Signori. He elevated Lazio to title contenders up against some of the greatest teams in history. In a miserly era for attackers, he scored 188 goals in Serie A, achieving a goals-to-game ratio that was better than anyone else in the top 10 Serie A scorers of all time (with the exception of Meazza and Nordahl who both played in somewhat more open eras). Both forwards will relish the service and space provided by the inventive Roberto Mancini who drops into a false 9 role where he can utilise his creativity and passing. Given GE's team looks relatively less strong at full-back, Mancini is selected because he is likely to maximise Signori and Mbappe's threat in behind.
DUELLING IT OUT IN MIDFIELD
The midfield is built around the talents of Andrea Pirlo in a balanced 4-3-3 system which we expect to wrestle control of the game. As the playmaking heart-beat of Milan's Champions League wins in 2003 and 2007, of Italy's World Cup win in 2006, and the player of the tournament at Euro 2012, he is a serial tournament dominator who delivers against the best teams on the biggest occasions. His £60m price tag was perhaps somewhat of a bargain, but also reflects that building the right set-up around him is not straightforward.
With that in mind, we have paired him first with Edgar Davids whose ravenous ball-winning and recirculating abilities complement Pirlo's attributes. As a partnership it has shades of the highly successful Pirlo/Gattuso dynamic for club and country, fired up a couple of levels in possession where we expect Davids surging runs from midfield to pose all sorts of problems. On the other side of Pirlo we have introduced Marco Tardelli whose high-energy box-to-box style complements Pirlo perfectly. With the added defensive protection provided by Davids and Tardelli, it should help to slow down Di Stefano's influence on the game, while providing the platform for Pirlo to perform.
STRENGTH AT THE BACK
Franco Baresi leads a San Siro themed defence which looks water-tight all over the park. To his left is his Milan counterpart Karl-Heinz Schnellinger, who mirrors Maldini's ability to defend well centrally while also providing good quality on the ball – backed up by his run of 3rd, 6th, 11th and 12th position in the Ballon d’Or between 1962 (where he was Germany’s best player in the World Cup) and 1966. Baresi's partner in the centre is his national team counterpart Giuseppe Bergomi. Together Baresi and Bergomi kept a clean sheet in two thirds of their games together (30 out of 50 matches), including a run of 11 clean sheets in 13 games up to and including the 1990 World Cup when they hit their peaks. Completing the back four is Javier Zanetti who, like Davids, Tardelli and other Duracell bunnies in the side, has the energy to match the opposition and then inject a load of flank-dominating quality on top of that. The partnership between Zanetti / Mbappe looks tailor-made to get the best out of both of them and we fancy it to cause all sorts of problems down GE's left side.
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.
- Special instruction(s): target Pirlo and disrupt his rhythm, ceaselessly find mano-a-mano situations with the much more dominant Di Stéfano, tactically foul him early and often, and isolate him with the “quadrilateral of death” (starting with Tévez if he withdraws every now and then, and passing through Schuster, Jansen and Di Stéfano himself if he wants to get his hands dirty). The objective is to ensure that our game-regulator has a cleaner platform and better foothold than the opposition's game-regulator. Especially with superior secondary playmakers in Kopa and Schuster (who will amplify the creative deficit between the teams).
- 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 presence of a much-trusted partner, 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, 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 quintessential totaalvoetbal defender, 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
Raymond Kopa: Le Napoléon du Football, one of the greatest attackers of all time. A creative genius, Kopa had a fantastic ability for dribbling at close quarters and a great intelligence on the pitch which made him a regular on the right wing for Real Madrid when they started to conquer Europe. Kopa once described himself as “the greatest collective individualist in French football”; he gave his team relief, the chance to breathe. France Football, which organizes the Ballon D'or award, wrote: "Technically, Kopa has perfected the game ... finesse, precision, passing. He masters the wonder of the dribble, by feints alone, the ball left there on the grass [before] starting up again, at just the right time. We have never seen [anyone] better at performing the one-two. ... Kopa does not merely pass to teammates randomly; he always puts them in the best position. His true place is to create, inspir[ing], guiding and serving the attack to perfection."
Plus, he was a calculating worker and a consummate team-player — those qualities make him a good fit for the approach and a high-quality ally for Di Stéfano as he takes on the opposition scourge...
Jupp Heynckes: in his footballing days, 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 tireless runner both on and off the ball, possessed an excellent turn of pace and 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, industriousness, tactical foresight and eye for goal.
Carlos Tévez: an irrepressible force of nature whose infectious work rate spread throughout the team. A multi-faceted center forward, Tévez could function as the point of attack or in a twin-pronged strike force, and is one of the absolute best fits for the approach as he had an incredible drive to win and worked his bollocks off and even engaged in a fair bit of shithousery, offered plenty of verve up front, brought deeper players into the game and scored with aplomb (300+ career goals). Terrific fit with Di Stéfano as the latter would appreciate Tévez's footballing ability, movement, selflessness and workmanlike attitude and appetite for loose balls in his vicinity, tireless pressing capabilities and unflinching Argentinian “grinta”.
And finally, a bit on our lord and savior...
WHY WE SHOULD WIN
- Superior playmaking cast, and many ways to attack the opposition. Kopa, Schuster and Di Stéfano are among the most accomplished and celebrated playmakers of all time, and could create an endless number of chances for the others (as well as themselves, of course). Even the defenders boast considerable on-the-ball abilities, with Alaba and Carvajal alone contributing 37 assists in the Champions League (trailing only Dani Alves and Marcelo for fullbacks in the Champions League era). All in all, the team can create with cheeky lofted passes, through balls, combination play, crosses, set pieces, et cetera.
- Superior goal threat, with close to 1500 goals for the Front 5. With 153 goals, Schuster 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), Kopa scored 159 goals, Tévez scored 321 goals and Di Stéfano scored 510 goals (with his Madrid record standing for 45 years and his European Cup record standing for a similar amount of time).
- Every one is a good systemic and tactical fit, the team is balanced from top to bottom and left to right, and every channel of the pitch and every blade of grass will be covered. From the totaalvoetbaling defensive tandem of Krol and van Dijk (both of whom finished in the Ballon Do'Or Top 3) to the livewires up front, there are zero slackers anywhere (in or out of possession). To a man, they put in the requisite work and were mindful of their individual duties within the overarching framework.
- A wealth of big game experience with close to 25 titles in the European Cup alone, aside from other big club games and international tournaments.
- Di Stéfano's near-unparalleled ability to organize the game in his favor. Only a select few strategists, like Beckenbauer or Cruyff, can compare with him — and his magisterial aura gives the team a favorable edge, and that effect will be more pronounced in the presence of his vaunted co-conspirator Raymond Kopa.
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