Reserves Draft | Aldo Staine 14-6 EAP

[Moby]

TEAM ALDO STAINE

VS

TEAM EDGAR ALLAN PILLOW

Spoiler: Changed at 2-5 down.

 

[Moby]

Team Aldo Staine Tactics​

​

Team Instructions
Formation : 4-2-3-1
Playing Style : Quick counter attacking strategy
Defensive Line : Deep
Preferred Zone of Action : Final Third


Player Instructions
Willy Sagnol - Right Back - Support
Armando Picchi - Centre Back - Sweeper
Pietro Vierchowod - Centre Back - Stopper
Joan Segarra - Left Back - Automatic
Dunga - Central Midfielder - Holding Midfielder
Fritz Szepan - Central Midfielder - Box-to-Box Midfielder
Teofilo Cubillas - Attacking Midfielder - Goalscoring Playmaker
Amancio - Right Winger - Attacking Winger
Mario Kempes - Left Forward - Goalscoring Wing-Forward
Preben-Elkjaer - Striker - All Round Forward


Tactical Layout

Starting from the back is the legendary Brazilian keeper Gilmar, absolutely adept in a deep defensive line bring forward his brilliant 1v1 play, excellent positioning and shot stopping to the team. Protecting the keeper is the four man defense revolving around the legendary Italian Sweeper Armando Picchi partnered by the animal Pietro Vierchowod. Picchi's wonderful reading of the game and defensive nous will perfectly compliment Vierchowod's all action aggressive play. Vierchowod will be allowed to close down his opponent quickly and go into hard tackles and challenges while Picchi remains at the back as the cover and he doesn't let much past him. Picchi's forward play will also be used to bring the ball out of the defense and play it forward quickly and sensibly leading to many a counters.

Flanking them are two other European stalwarts in Willy Sagnol and Joan Segarra. The Frenchman will form a tight right side of the defense next to Picchi, will stay compact in defense and extremely alert and quick to react against his threat, while possessing the stamina and determination to shut down that flank, similarly Segarra's masterful defensive technique and concentration will complete the watertight backline with his exceptional concentration, tackling, athleticism, strength and most importantly the ability to stand up on the biggest of occasions will be key in protecting the goal. In attack, Sagnol will be allowed to perform his trademark overlapping runs on the outside of the right winger whipping in delicious crosses to the middle while the right footed Segarra makes full use of the space in the front of him to compliment the left forward and show his goal scoring ability, which he did on several important occasions. Can't help but think of him as a Spanish Giacinto Facchetti - The Grand Captain will be captaining this side as well.

Shielding this immense backline is the powerful duo of Dunga and Fritz Szepan. Dunga will be playing in his comfort zone, in front of a compact defense using his high levels of concentration and reading of the game along with his metronomic passing ability to further quicken the transition. Alongside, the more attack minded Szepan will play as the box to box midfielder, providing incredible defensive nous at the back and fantastic desire and determination to carry the ball forward as well as the ability to spray it around. Completing the midfield is the greatest Peruvian player of all time - Teofilo Cubillas. A wonderfully gifted playmaker, he will link up the defense and attack with his unpredictable passing and creativity, while his well renowned goalscoring ability will be highly vital in providing an immense goal threat to the team.

In attack, the right side is occupied by the Flamboyant Spaniard Amancio, who while being a brilliant dribbler who could skin his fullback at pace was also a more than capable goal scorer, having won the Pichichi a couple of times. He will be allowed the platform by Sagnol behind him as well as Szepan on his side to take on his fullback again and again till he finds a way through and provides the service. Conversely, when the play is taking place on the opposite flank, he will make his trademark darting runs towards goal and add to the goal threat.

On the left is the WC Golden Ball Winner, Mario Kempes. An absolute weapon in attack, he will have a free role on the left side of the pitch where he did most of his damage from, to take on the opposition CBs and providing fine passing and movement as well as bulldozing past his opponent with pace and strength. His immense work rate would be highly valuable and would contribute to the midfield battle in terms of pressing and give us an option of breaking quickly down that side. Not to mention, he is the team's primary goal threat and in his element in this formation.

Lastly, up front is another all round forward in Elkjaer, who will be providing his exceptional all round play to bring others into play - a highly valuable feature in this team given the goal scoring prowess of the three behind him as well as well capable of netting himself. He formed a beautiful partnership with Michael Laudrup and a similar attack can be expected with him being partnered by Cubillas, who is well capable of bombing forward and scoring when Elkjaer drops deep to provide his link up play.

Key Factors
- The pace of the attack is fearsome and is valuable for the counter attacking strategy the team is following. There will be no rest given to the opposition defense once we get the ball, we will attack with lightning quick counters.

- The completeness of the attackers, all of them provide exceptional passing, movement, link up play and goal scoring, not to mention the likes of Elkjaer and Kempes being hardcore work horses who will be working their socks off on and off the ball.

- The ability to bring the ball from back to front with quality passing options. Three out of four defenders are excellent on the ball, with Picchi being a fine outlet to play it out and both Sagnol and Segarra being fantastic technically to carry it forward. Again, counter attacks galore.

- The midfield duo again being a perfect fit for the team strategy, they form an impregnable back six and have no trouble whatsoever in controlling the distribution and constantly provide the front four with the service.

- Amazing complementary partnerships all over the pitch. Picchi and Vierchowod are tailor made to form a historic partnership. Segarra's adventurous attacking play and right footedness complements the wing forward on that side while Sagnol's overlapping on the outside will be mouth watering in tandem with the swashbuckling wing play of Amancio.

- Lastly, there is an immense amount of goal threat in the team, and we'll get on the scoresheet almost certainly. Be it from open play where all four at the front have excellent records or a magical free kick from Cubillas or even a strike from the attacking Segarra. Or a cross from Sagnol headed down by Elkjaer with the likes of Kempes and Cubillas always ready to unleash a shot.

 

[Moby]

Team Edgar Allan Pillow Tactics​

Team Instructions:

Formation: WW (3-2-3-2)
Playing Style: Flexible attack with a strong core.
Defensive Line: Normal
Preferred Zone of Action: Wide/Central Midfield

Player Roles:

Gyula Grosics: Sweeper Keeper. His peak was playing with a 3 man defence.

Victor Andrade: Wide Left Centre Back. Victor Andrade began his career at RB before moving to LB. Cover for threats from Amancio.
Miguel Angel Nadal: Centre Back - Comfortable as CB and DM. Defensive mainstay in the box. The beast will be a physical match to Elkjaer.
Danny Blind: Wide Right Centre Back - Danny Blind began his career as a Right Back before moving to center. He'll cover for threats from Kempes.

Emlyn Hughes: Potential to drop to CB/LB. Provide support to Victor from Sagnol.
Nobby Stiles: Central defensive shield. Provide cover from Cubillas/Szepan.

Liam Brady: Drifts between LW and CM.
Jan Ceulemans: - Versatile as AM and SS. Operates slightly deeper creating for strikers. Potential to interchange with Dalglish during attack.
Michel: Drifts between RW and CM.

Kenny Dalglish: Operates in the hole behind Rush. Potential to interchange with Ceulemans/Rush during attack.
Ian Rush: Advanced striker. Poacher. Potential to interchange with Dalglish during attack.

Tactical Versatility:

Most of my players are versatile and have operated comfortably in multiple positions. This gives my excellent freedom in switching between defence and attack and using multiple routes of attack to keep opposition guessing.

Defence:

Both my side backs have good reading of the game with intelligent positioning and good with the ball at their feet. They are comfortable when needed to step out to cover an oncoming threat. Nadal is known for his tremendous physical style of play and "The Beast" will be more than a match for the force of Elkjaer.

Depending my opponents attack route, Emlyn will split his responsibilities between providing cover for Victor Andrade and providing support through the middle. Stiles will cover Cubillas primarily (not man mark) and help out against Szepan/Gattuso when they advance forward.

Midfield:

Built on a stable base with 2 monsters of defensive midfielders, attack is a orchestra in motion. Brady and Michel are highly creative and will drift between center and wide midfield exploiting gaps and ensuring a regular supply of balls to my forwards. Ceulemans is the lung of the team and possessed of enormous work rate and creativity, he'll be a perfect bridge to attack.

Attack:

The classic partnership of Dalglish/Rush is the best ever attacking duo in PL and one of the best in the world. They have an intimate understanding of each other and Liverpool's dominance in Europe attests to that. Rush is a predator par excellence in the box. Possess with a fantastic workrate and often termed as "first line of defence" in his ability to track back he leads the line. Kenny plays off Rush in the hole. A master in reading of the game and awareness of space, he is a scorer as well as a creator himself. With Ceulemans also possessing a fantastic scoring record, the interchange between Kenny withdrawing and Ceulemans attacking will confuse any defence and is a opportunity for goals galore.

 

[Moby]

Good luck, @Edgar Allan Pillow

Game on.

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

Good luck to you too @Aldo @The Stain

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

I'll kick things off here...

By choosing to play deep defensive line and counter attacking strategy Aldo has given my team a huge advantage. With the deep line I see most of the game being played in my final tird wide/central midfield...exactly where want it to be. Give players like Brady, Ceulemans and Michel enough time on the ball and they'll find a way through, Aldo's appellant CB's notwithstanding.

With 5 creative members ahead of them (and my AM trio capable of dropping deeper and known for workrate and midfield support) I don't see Stiles and Hughes venturing far ahead at all. They will be ready whenever my opponent gets the ball to counter.

Defensively:

- Amancio/Sagnol is the most obvious route and it's well protected by Andrade and Crazy Horse Hughes.
- Kempes is a wide forward. He'll not stretch my defence much and a wide CB like Blind is perfect match to keep him in check.
- Nadal is a physical match for Elkjaer. He will not be bullied off the ball/air.
- Stiles on Cubillas. With Aldo's strategy Cubillas will see less of the ball and whenever he see it, he'll also see Stiles there to put a stop to that.


Offensively:

- The flexibility of my AM trio will be hard to follow. Wide men stretching out of moving in to support the other flank..it's very versatile and difficult to defend against.
- Ceulemans and Daglish will keep interchanging and Brady making his runs/feeding them passes and Michel' s stellar crossing ability...it's a treasure chest of creativity.
- Not to underestimate Dagllish/Rush. Dalglish was a master at creating space and with Rush occupying the CBs it's all natural.

Conclusively:

I will have (1) more possession (2) more attempts on target and eventually (3) outscore him.

 

[Moby]

I will have (1) more possession (2) more attempts on target and eventually (3) outscore him.

And one less defender than you need.

Kempes and Elkjaer in a 2v2 against Nadal and Blind is absolutely suicidal. Any situation in a 2 v 2 is a problem but here you don't have any other defender to come forward in help.

Next, since we are going to counter at lightning pace and the transition is excellent given the ball players I have all over the park, it will not let any of your midfielders be able to track back in time, which is key for a formation like yours to work. Often your defenders will not only be caught up in acres of space but also outnumbered by attack who will be devastating on the counter.

3. My backline is good enough (man to man it is better than yours) to soak the pressure your team can put on me with the two central midfielders being brilliant defensively as well as the four defenders who will make a water tight unit. As a result your defenders and DMs will have to push forward leaving acres of spaces for me to counter and I have just the tool to execute that.

4. Stiles, was a great man marker, a strategy impossible to implement against my attack. I have three immensely versatile players in attack in Kempes, Cubillas and Elkjaer who can constantly interchange. In the 1986 WC, Elkjaer often dropped back to collect the ball, hold it up and wait for someone like Laudrup to make his run and play him in. Similar runs of play will happen with him and Cubillas and at blistering pace. Not only your players will struggle to keep up with anyone in a 1v1 but also the constant movement will be a nightmare to defend against, specially for a gung ho formation that you have gone with.

Basically, there's very little protection in your team against my counters be it in terms of quality, pace or numbers. On the other hand I will always have enough numbers, who are also the better players on the park, at the back to repel most of your attacks with little discomfort.

We also have mentally strong players who will easily take the reigns here and drive the team forward. Segarra is considered one of the greatest leaders Barca has seen, Picchi was the leader at the back in that Grande Inter team and made a career out of playing a deep backline, soaking quality attacks and lastly, Dunga captained Brazil to a WC win.

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

Disagree with nearly all of it.

With Stiles there you need a way other than Cubillas to get the ball forward and if Kempes drops back to create you lose a threat upfront.

You will not have possession with the strategy you play. The interchangeable Dalglish / Ceulemans with Rush ahead is far more lethal than Kempes / Cubillas.

Elkjaer was never a prolific goal scorer and with Kempes operating deeper you overestimate your goal threat.

Yes your CBs are stellar, but I still don't see them being able to stop my attack especially when I have the bulk of possession. My AM trio can create far more than your team and I have a better strike force upfront.

 

[harms]

I don't rate Nadal here - and he has probably the most crucial role in Edgar's team. Apart from his outstanding physicality he was, actually, pretty average defender - and Elkjaer is not just about physicality.


And I was sure that Andrade played on the right or in the middle, not on the left? I can be wrong though

 

[Moby]

With Stiles there you need a way other than Cubillas to get the ball

Are you saying Stiles has taken Cubillas completely out of the game? Anyone else agrees this is possible?

The interchangeable Dalglish / Ceulemans with Rush ahead is far more lethal than Kempes / Cubillas.

We can let the voters decide which is better. The greatest Peruvian player of all time and the man who drove his team to a WC win, both have WC top scorer awards to their names along with domestic scoring feats.

What isnt debatable is that Cubillas and Kempes are attacking the inferior backline. Nadal and Blind are both easily inferior to Picchi and Vierchowod, not to mention they have way less support and are going to be facing deadly counters and would be outnumbered.

Elkjaer was never a prolific goal scorer and with Kempes operating deeper you overestimate your goal threat.

Where have I mentioned he is dropping deep? It is your own assumption that somehow Stiles has taken Cubillas out of the game, when the Peruvian isn't even going to be playing in his zone the whole game and would interchange between the midfield and forward lines the whole game and since that Kempes has to come deep.

NONE OF THAT IS TRUE. Kempes is attacking your CBs, and he's going to get the better of Blind and the space between Blind and Nadal, given Blind has to protect the wide area as well. Individually, Kempes is more than good enough to punish that area not to mention there's very little resistance.

Yes your CBs are stellar, but I still don't see them being able to stop my attack especially when I have the bulk of possession.

Let's not pretend you are playing tiki taka here. You'd have 55% or so possession at best. All of my defensive players are going to close your players down quickly and the turnover percentage will be very high.

 

[Moby]

And I was sure that Andrade played on the right or in the middle, not on the left? I can be wrong though

Yes, he was a right-half, his only claim to fame on the left is the WC 1950 final where he switched to the left, otherwise he played his entire career on the right.

Not only Edgar is short on numbers and quality, he has one of the crucial players in his team out of position.

 

[Ecstatic]

Preliminary comments

@Edgar Allan Pillow

Very surprised not to see a 4-4-2 or a 3-5-2 system. For example, who will have to follow Amancio? Andrade or Hughes?

@Aldo

I know Kempes is versatile and I am OK with his positioning.

Out of curiosity: what is his preferred position? Wing-forward? Support Striker? Offensive midfielder?

And I was sure that Andrade played on the right or in the middle, not on the left? I can be wrong though

Sorry if I'm wrong, I thought Andrade was a right-back.

 

[Moby]

So, EAP has played a right back on the left who is against one of the best wingers of his generation in Amancio, with the overlapping support of Sagnol and forward play of Szepan on that side.

It's one of the easiest routes to goal for me.

 

[Moby]

what is his preferred position? Wing-forward? Support Striker? Offensive midfielder?

I have given him the role in which he excelled and drove Argentina to a WC win.

When we picked him, we could have played him up front given he's an amazing goal scorer, but we have given him a free role where he can not only provide his immense goal threat and offensive play but also his work rate and stamina would be invaluable in winning the ball in dangerous positions against players like Blind and Nadal.

He's the best as a support striker or a wing-forward, and here he is playing on that left side of the pitch where he played in the 1978 WC and was the best player in the tournament, winning both the Golden Ball and Golden Boot.

 

[harms]

Kudos for going with MM (has this formation ever been used in the real football? It's not classic WW or WM), but I don't like Dalglish, Ceulemans and Brady together and Edgar's defensive line is questionable. I guess that's the result of not trying hard enough - I think Edgar mentioned a few times that he picked players out of his head, without any research or planning.

Voting for Aldo.

 

[Enigma_87]

Probably all know my opinion of Nadal and he's the weak link in Edgars team.
I really like the front 5 tho. I think they are excellent in the way they compliment each other tactically and a proven scouse partnership up top.

Hughes/Stiles as holding - no issue with that. The back three tho...

For
@Aldo

wasn't Szepan more of a #10 or AM rather than b2b used here?

and btw what does Preferred Zone of Action : Final Third mean?

Edited:

just realized that is Victor Andrade there.

 

[montpelier]

shock vote for EAP from me, all those Liverpool players (didn't you have Phil Neal as well?) wise to leave him out, I probably couldn't have coped with that,

 

[Moby]

GOAL THREAT IN OUR TEAM :

Elkjaer:
38 in 69 for Denmark.
143 in 333 in league games.

Kempes:
300 goals in 552 league games
20 in 43 for Argentina
6 in 1978 WC (Golden Boot).
Pichichi twice.

Cubillas:
314 goals in 534 club games
26 in 81 for Peru
6 in 1974 WC
5 in 1978 WC

Amancio:
119 in 344 league games
11 in 42 for Spain
Pichichi award twice.

 

[Moby]

Nadal is the biggest weak link in the team. He's going to be against 1 or 2 of my attacking players running with devastating pace, movement and intent and he lacks the qualities needed for that position. He was good athletically but never had the sort of reading of the game required to see out such an attack. It was his partner, Ronald Koeman who was responsible of that while Nadal would provide the strength. That isn't enough here at all. Not to mention he will be against Elkjaer who was a tireless player who would constantly either make runs behind him or hold the ball and let the arriving party blitz past the Spaniard.

It screams goals.

 

[Moby]

wasn't Szepan more of a #10 or AM rather than b2b used here?

He was a half back who played center-half and had defensive duties in his team more than most other players. He was an unconventional half back for his time that unlike other center halves who spent the time in marking the opposition threat, Szepan took the initiative in attack and was able to drive forward with the ball but most importantly it was his passing and distribution that was his primary attacking weapon. Something that goes perfectly with our theme as he along with the likes of Picchi, Segarra, Dunga would be vital in starting counters within a blink of an eye and catch that undermanned backline off guards a lot of times in the match.

 

[Gio]

Spent the last few minutes trying to get my head round how Edgar's team will play - particularly off the ball. In practice I can see the following:

• Hughes dropping into defence (as he has done successfully in the past) and it becoming a more conventional back four
• Blind able to sweep in from the right (as I don't really fancy Nadal's covering ability there)
• Andrade largely occupied with Amancio and offering enough defensive solidity to enable Brady to attack and not have to do the typical hard-running duties of the wide midfielder in a 352.
• Michel tracking Segarra's runs forward and vice versa: good wee battle that one. Michel swinging it into the onrushing Cuelemans though would be a fantastic route to goal.
• Stiles and Hughes killing that space in front of the back three to stifle Aldo/Stain's creativity

That all sounds quite reasonable. But feck me it took some head-scratching to get there.

Aldo/Stain's set-up is a lot more straightforward. Easier to understand and fairly logical. I'd swap Elkjaer and Kempes though, I'm not sure that would work as well it ought to. And I say that from experience having used the same pair wrongly in the past. That said the pair would naturally swap and be quite fluid in many ways. The other problem for Aldo/Stain is the lack of a genuine wide left threat to expose what looks to be a somewhat out of position Danny Blind. Unless EAP can convince me that he has strong credentials as a right-back. Yet in his current role dealing with Kempes and a floating Elkjaer and a bursting Cubillas, he looks fine and more akin to the sweepy stuff he did so well for Ajax. And because Blind can play fairly narrow, that enables Nadal to play a more compact game, which suits his physicality down to the ground.

And I was sure that Andrade played on the right or in the middle, not on the left? I can be wrong though

Pretty sure Victor has form on the left, so not a concern here. He was more about ball-winning so his positioning is less critical than his assignment on the park.

 

[Enigma_87]

He was a half back who played center-half and had defensive duties in his team more than most other players. He was an unconventional half back for his time that unlike other center halves who spent the time in marking the opposition threat, Szepan took the initiative in attack and was able to drive forward with the ball but most importantly it was his passing and distribution that was his primary attacking weapon. Something that goes perfectly with our theme as he along with the likes of Picchi, Segarra, Dunga would be vital in starting counters within a blink of an eye and catch that undermanned backline off guards a lot of times in the match.

Sounds a bit like Ballack from that description.

 

[Gio]

Yes, he was a right-half, his only claim to fame on the left is the WC 1950 final where he switched to the left, otherwise he played his entire career on the right.

Not only Edgar is short on numbers and quality, he has one of the crucial players in his team out of position.

But Andrade's here for his defensive qualities. From everything I've seen and read about the guy, he seems fairly similar to the Italian roaming-man-marking-full-back mould of Bergomi, Burgnich and Gentile. It's perhaps not optimal going forward, but for a purely defensive assignment he's a good fit for dealing with your only wide attacker.

 

[montpelier]

Nadal was a proper player, great player, youse are all going mad. Back 4 would look better to me for him though, maybe.

Crap Emlyn to LB & 4-1-2-2-1 from there, woffle on about your 'magic square' of Brady, Michel, Ceulemans & DivingKenny & watch the votes flood in.

(happy to delete obvs )

if 'helpful' input like this is not appreciated)

 

[Enigma_87]

Nadal was a proper player, great player

He was really not. I'd rate him about the same as Abelardo at CB.

 

[Moby]

Pretty sure Victor has form on the left, so not a concern here. He was more about ball-winning so his positioning is less critical than his assignment on the park.

There isn't enough evidence for me to play him on the left, less so in this setup. We considered him ourselves but we quickly decided that while he was good enough to play on the side to fulfil a particular team instruction, he wasnt a natural on the left. Now that problem compounds with the fact that Amancio will take him with himself outwide, and Brady will have to track Sagnol, who was quicker and more athletic than the Irishman with Szepan breaking through the middle. It's basically one threat too many on that side against an player of his comfort zone in a highly demanding setup.

Hughes dropping into defence (as he has done successfully in the past) and it becoming a more conventional back four

Problem is, we are playing on the counter and inviting them to attack. Naturally his midfielders will be pushing up to break our strong core down and that will result in precisely the opposite, that is leaving gaps in behind.

The other problem for Aldo/Stain is the lack of a genuine wide left threat to expose what looks to be a somewhat out of position Danny Blind.

While we are not sporting a genuine left winger, we have two players in Kempes and Cubillas both of whom are absolutely at home exploiting the left side of the pitch. Both will interchange as it suits them and will have enough between them to turn Blind around.
Not to mention, we are not camping outside their box that we need to stretch that defense. It will already be on the backfoot as soon as we counter and it will not need width from both sides. We were careful in setting up that way, having genuine width on one side and the intricate close passing, movement and interchange on the other between Kempes and Cubillas. Like you said, Kempes, Cubillas and Elkjaer can occupy all three of those positions with ease and not only will that damage any man marking ability, it will be a nightmare to predict, less so by defenders like Nadal who are hardly a good reader of the game.

Aldo/Stain's set-up is a lot more straightforward. Easier to understand and fairly logical. I'd swap Elkjaer and Kempes though,

I have given Kempes the role in which he had the best time of his career, driving Argentina to that WC win and having the team revolve around him. Sure, they can be swapped and will be interchanging a fair bit but with him up front we may lose his work rate, drive and determination that is vital in turning around possession in midfield and in dangerous areas. In this role with the freedom he has, he will be darting into the box attacking the CBs with Elkjaer occupying one of them (there is only one in this case anyway). I believe that to bring out the best of both of them. The reason we prioritised Elkjaer ahead of a few other forwards was his fantastic all round play and ability to bring players around him into the game, and we have surrounded him with world class goal scorers which he will relish playing next to.

 

[Moby]

Nadal was a proper player, great player, youse are all going mad. Back 4 would look better to me for him though, maybe.

Let's put it this way. Elkjaer and Kempes attacking Blind and Nadal with Amancio running past the out of position Andrade is a far easier route to goal than Kenny and Rush against Picchi and Vierchowod (both excellently suited to handle those two respective threats). We have a better defense in terms of quality and numbers.

 

[Gio]

There isn't enough evidence for me to play him on the left, less so in this setup. We considered him ourselves but we quickly decided that while he was good enough to play on the side to fulfil a particular team instruction, he wasnt a natural on the left. Now that problem compounds with the fact that Amancio will take him with himself outwide, and Brady will have to track Sagnol, who was quicker and more athletic than the Irishman with Szepan breaking through the middle. It's basically one threat too many on that side against an player of his comfort zone in a highly demanding setup.

Your bigger threat there isn't Amancio v Andrade but Sagnol's overlap. There's nothing in Andrade's game to suggest he won't be fine dealing with Amancio. On the ball as an outlet for opening up the park, yes that is clunky. But it's not as critical to the outcome of this game as his defensive assignment.

Problem is, we are playing on the counter and inviting them to attack. Naturally his midfielders will be pushing up to break our strong core down and that will result in precisely the opposite, that is leaving gaps in behind.

Possibly. But going by the formation graphics, that looks like a tight holding two in front of the back three. They might have the ball, but there is nothing to suggest that those two are going to leave space in behind them. They didn't really play that well and, without reading all the spiel in the OP, I don't imagine EAP has asked them to press all over the park.

The rest I agree with.

 

[montpelier]

I don't really dispute the numbers argument, would be some kind of 4-1-4-1 for me. Stiles as the 1, ruthless was Nobby and a very gorgeous narrow 4, Brady left, Michel right, Kenny & Ceulemans supporting Rush. You could even describe it as the 4-3-2-1 Christmas tree for a maybe better fit of player to the job you want them to do. Arrow Stiles back on your diagram.

<prepares invoice for EAP>

 

[Moby]

Your bigger threat there isn't Amancio v Andrade but Sagnol's overlap.

Precisely.
Just to be clear I am not calling out for people to believe that Amancio alone would skin Andrade all day long, of course the Uruguayan was a great defender and if it was just Amancio, the battle would be a lot more even.

However, everytime Amancio breaks with the ball on that side, he will have a man on both sides, with Sagnol overlapping on the outside and Szepan breaking through the midfield.

And all that without giving their players enough time to get back in position with our excellent transitioning from all over the pitch which means further disarray and his defenders having to make crucial decisions all the time. Such a demanding setup requires better defenders, to be blunt, than the likes of Nadal in that pivotal central role.

 

[Moby]

I don't really dispute the numbers argument, would be some kind of 4-1-4-1 for me. Stiles as the 1, ruthless was Nobby and a very gorgeous narrow 4, Brady left, Michel right, Kenny & Ceulemans supporting Rush. You could even describe it as the 4-3-2-1 Christmas tree for a maybe better fit of player to the job you want them to do. Arrow Stiles back on your diagram.

<prepares invoice for EAP>

While that might provide the better balance, it still doesn't change the fact that we have the better defense, who has a better chance to keep his attack out than his has against ours.

He took a big risk in this game with this strategy and it wasn't a wise decision, in my opinion. He should have been a lot more pragmatic and cautious and the sort of pace, movement, interchanging and deadly goal threat of my team, all onrushing time and again on the counter.

 

[montpelier]

Szepan was a bit 'Mr Slow' isn't it? If you read his wiki write-up. Don't fancy him & Dunga vs. my EAP's formidable AM/F foursome.

 

[Moby]

Szepan was a bit 'Mr Slow' isn't it? If you read his wiki write-up. Don't fancy him & Dunga vs. my EAP's formidable AM/F foursome.

Good thing they are sitting in front of a deep backline without much space left behind.
If you do need pace, I have one of the quickest CBs of all time in Vierchowod, someone who would have been perfect in the other team where you actually need pace against players rushing on a counter with little support for yourself.
I have detailed already - Szepan's passing and distribution is what is going to cause damage, while his lack of pace (and what I read is he wasn't the quickest of his generation, relatively) won't be exposed here. He'll always have men around him defending as a unit.

What' the issue with Dunga? He led Brazil to a WC win. Again playing a role that suits him perfectly, unlike someone like Blind on the opposite side, a CB playing as a RCB/RB.

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

And I was sure that Andrade played on the right or in the middle, not on the left? I can be wrong though

There isn't enough evidence for me to play him on the left, less so in this setup.

He is equally comfortable on the left. He started off as a RB and then moved to LB when the regular RB was injured. Quite versatile that way. Here's the starting lineup for 1950 WC Finals. That's Victor on the left of a Back 3. Exactly the same position he is playing here.

Painting him as some sort of out or position shoe-in is blatantly incorrect. He's not only competant, but as the more defensive of the Andrade family he's perfectly placed to stop Amancio.

You did. Victor Rodriguez Andrade (RB/LB).

Victor played both at ease. More of a defender as well. JL was better going forward.

That's pretty identical I would say. Do notice Victor Rodriguez Andrade played on the right vs. Bolivia and Spain, then Juan González got injured and Gambetta was brought in on the right with Victor on the left for the games against Sweden and Brazil.

 

[Moby]

He is equally comfortable on the left. He started off as a RB and then moved to LB when the regular RB was injured. Quite versatile that way. Here's the starting lineup for 1950 WC Finals. That's Victor on the left of a Back 3. Exactly the same position he is playing here.

Painting him as some sort of out or position shoe-in is blatantly incorrect. He's not only competant, but as the more defensive of the Andrade family he's perfectly placed to stop Amancio.

Read up, I've mentioned that game before you could and everyone knows he played on the left there, everyone knows the reason why he did as well. It was a swap after five minutes, to fulfil a particular team instruction which was to provide early aggressive tackling on that side.

Has he had a run on the left for a long period for his club?

You have a LB who played one game on the left and is actually an RB and is facing Amancio with Sagnol overlapping.
You have a CB on the right playing as a RB/RCB facing the Cubillas-Kempes double whammy.

As opposed to my team where not only every player is in his perfect position but most of them are enjoying the roles and responsibilities which made them the greats they are, not just one game here and there.

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

Nadal is the biggest weak link in the team.

Probably all know my opinion of Nadal and he's the weak link in Edgars team.

Definitely not. This is the first time in drafts that Nadal has been perceived as a weakness and he has featured often before.

Part of Cryuff's dream team
5 x La Liga
1 x European Cup, UEFA Super Cup
2 x Copa del Ray
4 x Supercopa de Espana

I fail to see him as a simple brute or any weakness in defence.

Moreover in this setup...

- He has Andrade and Blind in the flanks
- He has Stiles/Hughes who both are capable of dropping back if needed ahead of him and
- He has Grosics a sweeper keeper who's not afraid of stepping out to close attackers behind him

 

[Moby]

@Edgar Allan Pillow you wanna quote anto on Andrade?

Víctor was José Leandro Andrade's nephew. He idolised his uncle so much he insisted on being referred to using both his parents' surnames, otherwise he would have just been one of a million Rodríguez's. He played as a right halfback just like him, although he was stronger in defensive phases while somewhat less adventurous going forward.

 

[Moby]

Definitely not. This is the first time in drafts that Nadal has been perceived as a weakness and he has featured often before.

You fail to realise the context. No one is calling him a shit defender on bad in this company (though hes easily the weakest on the pitch, well it's between him and Blind and both pale in comparison to my Italian duo) but he's not suited for this role whatsover. In the right setup with the right company where you need a strong physical presence, sure, but not one where you need pace, reading of the game, excellent reactions and sound tackling technique not to mention the fact that he's outnumbered must of the time with his back to the wall.

 

[Moby]

He has Andrade and Blind in the flanks

The former has nothing more than a couple of games as the evidence and is against the twin-wing force of Amancio and Sagnol. I don't need to remind of Sagnol's overlapping prowess, do I?

The latter:

And that is not an accurate description of that setup itself. It was often a three at the back with Blind as the central CB who would allow Rijkaard to drop deep and make it a back four.

It's a flawed setup that you are sporting, simple as that.

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

You fail to realise the context. No one is calling him a shit defender on bad in this company (though hes easily the weakest on the pitch, well it's between him and Blind and both pale in comparison to my Italian duo) but he's not suited for this role whatsover. In the right setup with the right company where you need a strong physical presence, sure, but not one where you need pace, reading of the game, excellent reactions and sound tackling technique not to mention the fact that he's outnumbered must of the time with his back to the wall.

And you are doing all this playing a deep line and me having a better midfield? Seriously?

With a clear domination in the middle, and your own defensive strategy, I fail to see how any of the defenders will be under consistent pressures. The counters will not be frequent as you think and they are well set up to handle this.

Anyway my point was that I do not plan to keep you out whole game. This is a attacking set-up I have and my point was I'll outscore you.