Reserves Draft SF1 | BBRBB/Skizzo vs Tuppet

[Balu]

TEAM BBRBB/SKIZZO

TEAM TUPPET

​

 

[Balu]

BBRBB's Tactics

Team Instructions

Formation : 4-2-2-2
Playing Style : balance of quick counter attacks and possession spells
Defensive Line : Medium
Preferred Zone of Action : Central

Player instructions

Gianluigi Buffon - complete GK
Simply one of the greatest of all time. He has everything you want in a keeper: lightning quick reflexes, great shot stopping, top class aerial command, a true leader. He has won almost every trophy and individual award you can have.

My central defense is made by the best two defenders of their era. You can often hear that defenders are not as strong as they used to be. I disagree, those two guys are the real deal. If one wants to assign them roles Thiago Silva will be the ball-playing, anticipating one while Godin will be the stopper, although they both know everything about defending.

Thiago Silva - CB
He is a very strong and agressive defender with high pace that allows him to match every forward on the planet. Looking at him now only his sense of anticipation, positioning and a complete bag of tricks would let you guess that he used to be a skinny defender who had to rely more on skills than physicality. Developing his grown man body and learning from the best like Maldini and Nesta made him one of the most feared and respected defenders in the world. He already has 14 team trophies and 20 individual awards, one world cup or a Champions League win would definitely cement his place as one of the all time greats.

Diego Godin - CB
Diego Godin is the leader of the most impressive defence of recent history. Everyone knows how tough it is to beat Atletico, with Godin being the cornerstone of the defensive setup, but Diego has also turned Uruguay back into a relevant nation on the international stage, winning two Copa Americas and reaching the later stages of the World Cup. He is always at the right place at the right time doing the right thing, winning his duels and influencing his teammates to play better. He has regularly had to fight against the odds facing some of the greatest attackers of all time, and he has won consistently.

Maicon - Right Back
He was gifted with outstanding physical attributes, athleticism, excellent technical and crossing ability, as well as a powerful shot, making him a serious attacking threat down the right wing. This is the Maicon of his peak years for Mourinho and Brazil 2010, disciplined and unbeatable defensively while being able to wreak havoc on demand on the right flank.

Júnior - Playmaking left back
Júnior was widely known for his versatility. Perfectly two-footed he was operating on the left side of the pitch, either as a left back as he will be used today or as a midfielder. He will influence defence, tasked to shut down the opposite winger with the help of Overath, offer his technical skill in midfield to add to the stranglehold we will have in the center of the pitch and timely run down the left flank to offer width.

Alain Giresse - AM playmaker
Giresse was one of the standout CM of his generation. Operating from the right for Bordeaux or in France's famous carré magique he brings the total package: great passer long and short, agile, dribbler, reliable shooting he has everything you want from a creative player and his workrate will help a lot in defensive phase.
He will be operating as a wide attacking midfielder, providing runs down the flank and through the middle.

Mario Zagallo - AM/IF support and attack
The man that made Pele, Didi and Garrincha work in the Brazil '58 team. He was capable of providing width, supporting the main playmakers, and also cutting inside to be a threat himself. A hard working player who would provide support defensively on the defensive side as well as the attack.

Javier Mascherano - Defensive minded CM
We have a Swiss army knife in midfield. Mascherano's main task will be to shield the defense. He will harass the opponent's creative players, block the passing lines and cover for the teammates who venture out of position, if needed he can drop back in central defence when the situation calls for it.
On top of his defensive prowess he knows how to pick a pass and will contribute to the fluidity of counter attacks and general ball movement.

Nils Liedholm - All round CM
Several of my players can be labelled playmakers but Liedholm will still be my main man. Why? Because he's one of the best technicians the game have ever seen. He was a most elegant player with great vision, passing, crossing and a deadly shoot with his left foot. The legend states that it took him 2 years after he joined Milan AC to misplace his first pass; shocked by this anormal event, the Milan crowd gaving a five minute long ovation. He was also an accomplished athlete, training regularly the 100m, 3000m and high jump, making him physically dominant and allowing him to work hard for the team at the highest level until the age of 39. As our playmaker his job will be to link up with the other players, putting them in the best possible situations, deliver a ball in to the forwards and be a dangerous goal threat himself.

Nándor Hidegkuti - deep-lying center forward
One of the key members of the Golden Hungarian team of the 50s, he is known for pioneering the "false 9" position. He was often dropping deep in midfield to distribute play to the forwards while remaining a very dangerous goal threat. Don Revie sums up pretty well how feared he was: "In the summer of 1954 England and Scotland were knocked out of the World Cup series in Switzerland. That competition was won by Germany, but dominated by Hungary, who played with a deep-lying centre forward, Nandor Hidegkuti. Alongside him; Sandor Koscis and Ferenc Puskas, two of the greatest inside-forwards in the world. But whatever people claim of Koscis and Puskas, it was the man Hidegkuti who tore the England defence to shreds at Wembley in November 1953. It was Hidegkuti, again playing his hide-and-seek centre-forward game, who shattered England in the return match in Budapest in May 1954, when we were thrashed 7-1."

Luigi Riva - All round ST
The last piece of the puzzle. With so many creative players in our squad we needed the perfect striker up front and Riva is just that. He was very mobile, with quality movement off the ball, he liked to initiate or relay one twos or triangle plays and finished chances ruthlessly. Great in the air, and also with the ball on the ground, he's the perfect player to finish chances, and bring the other danger players in to the play as well. He will like Hidegkuti, Liedholm, Giresse or Júnior as much as they will like him.


Game plan

Our 4222 formation can be seen as being a narrow formation, and it will be to an extent. Although with Giresse and Zagallo, we have two wide attacking midfielders who can move centrally to link play, as well as stretching the play wide. With the creativity in midfield from Liedholm, and the quality of our attacking playmakers in Zagallo, Giresse, and Hidegkuti, we are comfortable in our ability to create chances, and we have the perfect predator in the box in Riva to finish those chances.
Defensively, Liedholm is an all round player who will put in a strong shift in the midfield. Mascherano is capable of dropping in to a dm position, or into defense if necessary, with the idea of compressing as much space as possible for the opposition.



Why we will win

-We have a lot of playmaking power, all the players play in their perfect position, yet they all thrive in smooth collective passing play and don't require to hog the ball. Imagining them in action is mouth watering.
-Our opponents strengths are countered well with our own. (Muller cutting inside being negated by Junior's comfort with either foot defensively for example)
-Our defense is rock solid, and the opposition will have to try to win duels consistently if he wants to create danger. Seeler is a fantastic outlet, but will be in for a tough time against Silva and Godin to win those aerial battles.
- Hidigkuti's role of dropping deeper will cause issues with who steps up to track him, or let him drop into the hole unmarked. That movement, along with Riva's movement in and around the box, will create opportunities for us to exploit.
- The positioning of our AM's will cause problems for the attacking nature of the opposition full backs. If they push up, they leave space for us to stretch them out. Zagallo especially will look to attack space in behind Ferriera, an area that will be open and vacated by the movement of Hidegkuti.

Good luck @Tuppet

 

[Balu]

Tactics: Team Tuppet

FORMATION

A classic 4-2-2-2 system also known as a Brazilian magic square.

Previously used by Madrid, Juventus and France, the formation is best known as the regular system of the Brazilian National Team winning the World Cup in '94, reaching the Final in '98 and most famously captivating the imagination with breathtaking football in '82.

Tactic Explanations

• The inspiration of this squad is mostly, Brazil 1982 side. We are hoping to play similarly swashbuckling attacking football here and control the game as much as possible. However Skizzo's midfield is probably his strongest point and I don't think there would be a clear winner of possession/midfield battle.

• Florian Albert is a great fit for the "Zico role" in this tactic. A similar player with great vision, creativity, dribbling skills and goal scoring, he would be the primary outlet through whom our team's game flow. Some quotes on his playmaking qualities -

• Lajos Tichy said:
  He would come deep, gallop past [opponents] like they didn’t exist, and then thread these wonderful through-balls for us to run on to.

• Independent said:
  The younger man, who scored 32 times in 75 internationals from 1959-74 and created countless chances for the likes of Lajos Tichy, then later Ferenc Bene, was a destructive attacking wanderer capable of dictating the tempo of play. His technique was exquisite, the accuracy of his passing was matched by its intelligence, he could shoot ferociously with either foot, he dribbled divinely and was a shrewd tactician.
  
  
• The left side of the square is covered by Valentino Mazzola, one of the all time greats, he'll be playing in his favorite position left inside forward position. He is a different type of player to great Socrates, while Mazzola was a great playmaker in himself, I don't think he was as adept at it as Socrates. But what Mazzola lacks there, he more than make up for it by providing immense work rate (A huge improvement over Socrates), goal scoring threat and sheer charisma.

• A rough guide to cult football said:
  A dazzling left inside forward adept in all areas of the pitch, Mazzola was the fulcrum of a Torino side that won 5 consecutive league titles.
  
  
• A rough guide to cult football said:
  Along with a roaring shot and a deceptively strong physique, Mazzola would also direct team's play.
  
  
• The 2 Germans up top covers goal scoring bases for the team. Both Seeler and Muller are brilliant finisher, hard workers, provide fantastic movement and ability to peel to wide areas. Seeler would play as the focal point of attack, being peerless in air, he would be the target of crosses from wide areas. His hold up play would aide Muller, Mazzola and Albert immensely to score of their own. While Muller would do his usual find the space and ghost past defenders to score goals thing.

• Cerezo and Leandro takes similar roles to their role in 1982 squad. Leandro is One of the great unknowns whose career was cut short by injury but during his prime years became a legend in Brazil. A player with great dribbling ability, precise crossing and excellent motor, it was said he basically managed to cover two positions on the right wing. At his peak he was brilliant winning 2 Bola de Prata award, the Copa Libertadores and Intercontinental cup against Liverpool. Here his connection with Cerezo means he would be assured while moving forward.

• on Leandro said:
  In 1982, he was the star-studded Brazilian team's unsung hero, a secret weapon capable of delivering decisive crosses to the forwards, or indeed taking a pop himself. He also had an ability to dribble past players and probably covered more ground than any other player in the team
  
  
• On the left side Evra plays the basic modern full back role, providing width with lung busting runs and dribbling, while trying to get back in time. Evra in his prime was fast, energetic, as lethal as any left back going forward, and a solid defender. He is different than Junior of original 82, in that he is more of a winger than a playmaker, he suits to the tactic perfectly however.

• Evra is also covered with Bonhof on the left side, who is playing a defensive box to box role. His experience as a left wing back would be invaluable in covering Evra's marauding runs. While Bonhof does not possesses the finesse and silky playmaking skills of Falcao (How many midfielder's really does ?) he however provides more steel to the square and with his special skillset as left wingback, relieves the width problem even further.

• At heart of defense is a great complimentary partnership of 2 fine individual defenders. Roberto Perfumo is playing as a stopper, while Ciro Ferrara would be a ball playing defender. Both of these defenders are among the best in the draft and compliment each other perfectly. Behind them is Carrizo who is ranked as the greatest south american goalkeeper by IFFHS and is widely regarded as the first sweeper keeper.

• I am sure the question of width would arise in discussion so a quick rundown on that. The primary width provider in my team are my full backs, both are pretty good at it, with Leandro doing this role in the original 82 squad and Evra doing this throughout his career for United and even now for Juventus, winning everything there's to win in process.
• However beside these two on the left side both Bonhof and Mazzola could peal wide and stretch the play (or cover Evra). Bonhof has played as a left wing back in his career and Mazzola has played all over but especially on the inside left. On the right side, Thomas muller has played as a right winger/midfielder throughout his career and his intelligence and nose for space means he could easily drift there if thats where the space is. The front 4 could (and would during the game) easily transform to something like -

Spoiler: front 4

 

[Balu]

@Skizzo @BBRBB @Tuppet

Good luck to all of you.

 

[Tuppet]

Best of luck @Skizzo @BBRBB , Thanks @Balu for setting it up, especially for converting quotes in my writeup to normal text.

 

[BBRBB]

Good luck @Tuppet, I'll let @Skizzo do the talking.

 

[Šjor Bepo]

tuppet front 4 looks epic
two very good teams, would have to do little more research of Perfumo and Leandro before voting though....

 

[harms]

Like BBRBB's team much better than in the previous round.

I don't usually like magic square interpretations, but tuppet's looks quite good

 

[Physiocrat]

@Skizzo @BBRBB

Wasn't Liedholm an inside forward who most likely today would be an AM? Watching him in the '58 World Cup final he certainly didn't play like a deeper playmaker; Didi played more in the position you've assigned him. That said he could have the skills for it but I'd need to see the case for it.

Any thoughts our resident Swedish expert? @Annahnomoss

 

[Tuppet]

Jose Leandro Ferreira
​

The team that Brazil took to the 1982 World Cup in Spain was the first that I really remember. I was 12 at the time and was captivated by the way they played the game. I was a right-back for my school team at the time – we won ONCE in five years – and decided I would model myself on the defender they called Leandro. Full of attacking intent, he spent more time in the opposition half than he did in his own and at times seemed to simply play as a second right winger. My PE teacher didn’t appreciate it when I tried to do the same. Leandro only played for one team – Flamengo – in a 12-year domestic career. I also only played for one team. For different reasons.

That quote tells pretty much the whole story of Leandro, a typical Brazilian full back, Leandro was brilliant at attacking. Cut from the same cloth as Cafu, Alves, Maicon etc, he was a player you would rely on to run the wing by himself.

Leandro, full name José Leandro de Souza Ferreira, (born March 17 1959 in Cabo Frio, Brazil) is a former defender at Flamengo, winning four Brazilian national titles, five Rio State championships, one Libertadores da América, and one Intercontinental Cup against Liverpool. He also played in the Brazilian national team in the 1980s, including the 1982 FIFA World Cup, along with Zico, Júnior, Falcão, Sócrates, and others. Leandro was capped 27 times for Brazil between September 1981 and May 1986. He was considered one of the best right backs of Brazilian soccer.

Below I try to show some of his attacking work down the right wing -

1. Most of us have seen this goal, and its rightfully remembered for Zico's awesome finishing, but that cross came from Leandro

2. A fine breakaway goal. Socrates had an acre of space, but he still had to select the right option, as did Leandro who received the ball after overlapping on Brazil's right. As often happened with this team, both players chose wisely, Leandro's cross passed into the net (via the post) by Zico.

3. That dude can shoot !! Reminds me of Evra vs Bayern

4. Some more goalscoring prowess, a fine run on right with a pretty good finish -

5. Dribbling, shooting from distance -

Finally here is a list produced by one of the Brazilian ( I think) website -
Laterales Derechos

01. DJALMA SANTOS (Djalma Pereira Dias dos Santos)
02. CARLOS ALBERTO (Carlos Alberto Torres)
03. CAFÚ (Marcos Evangelista de Moraes)
04. LEANDRO (José Leandro de Souza Ferreira)
05. JORGINHO (Jorge de Amorim Campos)
06. DANI ALVES (Daniel Alves da Silva)
07. MAICON (Maicon Douglas Sisenando)
08. NELINHO (Manuel Rezende de Mattos Cabral)
09. DE SORDI, Nílton
10. ZÉ MARÍA (José María Rodrigues Alves)
11. JOSIMAR (Josimar Higino Pereira)
12. HUMBERTO (Humberto Monteiro)

Not that I necessarily agree with the list (think Alves should be higher), it still shows he is rated highly in Brazil, where he played most of his football.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnD5Spbbuk0

 

[Chesterlestreet]

Wasn't Liedholm an inside forward who most likely today would be an AM? Watching him in the '58 World Cup final he certainly didn't play like a deeper playmaker; Didi played more in the position you've assigned him. That said he could have the skills for it but I'd need to see the case for it.

Usually played as an inside forward. As with several of the old school positions, however, translating it to modern ones isn't a simple operation. Some inside forwards operated more like strikers, others more like midfielders: Liedholm (who was mainly a playmaker – a great passer and so forth) would definitely belong in the second category.

Personally, I don't see it as unreasonable to field him as more of a central midfielder (rather than a purely attacking one, if you will), based on his particular traits: I think you can probably make a case for him being an inside forward who liked to drop fairly deep at times to do his orchestrating. However, if I were to simply stick a (modern) label on him, I'd say he's an attacking midfielder of some sort – so whether he'll work as a central one would depend on the setup as a whole. Here, he's working with a designated defensive midfielder – and two wide or wide-ish players who both have plenty of graft in them, and who will help out defensively much more than a pair of straight (attacking) wingers would – so, yeah, why not?

 

[Physiocrat]

Usually played as an inside forward. As with several of the old school positions, however, translating it to modern ones isn't a simple operation. Some inside forwards operated more like strikers, others more like midfielders: Liedholm (who was mainly a playmaker – a great passer and so forth) would definitely belong in the second category.

Personally, I don't see it as unreasonable to field him as more of a central midfielder (rather than a purely attacking one, if you will), based on his particular traits: I think you can probably make a case for him being an inside forward who liked to drop fairly deep at times to do his orchestrating. However, if I were to simply stick a (modern) label on him, I'd say he's an attacking midfielder of some sort – so whether he'll work as a central one would depend on the setup as a whole. Here, he's working with a designated defensive midfielder – and two wide or wide-ish players who both have plenty of graft in them, and who will help out defensively much more than a pair of straight (attacking) wingers would – so, yeah, why not?

That's a fair summary. I wasn't meaning he was a modern inside-forward just that from what I saw today he'd either operate as a 10 or an 8 in midfield. So to be fair with Mascherano and Zagallo it's not that unreasonable.

 

[Balu]

Usually played as an inside forward. As with several of the old school positions, however, translating it to modern ones isn't a simple operation. Some inside forwards operated more like strikers, others more like midfielders: Liedholm (who was mainly a playmaker – a great passer and so forth) would definitely belong in the second category.

Personally, I don't see it as unreasonable to field him as more of a central midfielder (rather than a purely attacking one, if you will), based on his particular traits: I think you can probably make a case for him being an inside forward who liked to drop fairly deep at times to do his orchestrating. However, if I were to simply stick a (modern) label on him, I'd say he's an attacking midfielder of some sort – so whether he'll work as a central one would depend on the setup as a whole. Here, he's working with a designated defensive midfielder – and two wide or wide-ish players who both have plenty of graft in them, and who will help out defensively much more than a pair of straight (attacking) wingers would – so, yeah, why not?

From what I've seen of him and read about him, I think Iniesta is a really good modern comparison. An attacking midfielder, who offers a lot of classic CM traits along with brilliant dribbling at rather slow pace instead of a more goalscoring attacking midfielder.

Could be wrong though, and our Swedish posters on the Caf probably know more about him. But that's the impression I have of Liedholm.

 

[Annahnomoss]

@Skizzo @BBRBB

Wasn't Liedholm an inside forward who most likely today would be an AM? Watching him in the '58 World Cup final he certainly didn't play like a deeper playmaker; Didi played more in the position you've assigned him. That said he could have the skills for it but I'd need to see the case for it.

Any thoughts our resident Swedish expert? @Annahnomoss

Definitely a bit odd. It would be really offensive and he'd probably be best in a midfield three in a modern formation. He was a great passer but also worked hard for the team and knew how to play plenty of positions so it wouldn't be the end of the world or anything.

 

[Chesterlestreet]

The magic square is always interesting to see. I don't know – to me, what you need in order to escape a certain criticism is very hard to achieve, viz. a selection of players who all make more or less perfect sense in that formation: If you don't have that, the (obvious) criticism will be that you're just using the formation to pile a bunch of players together in a fancy looking square.

I think this is a pretty good effort, though. I've seen far worse – that's for sure. Müller is a player who might work brilliantly in what is essentially a bit of a hybrid role.

 

[Annahnomoss]

Usually played as an inside forward. As with several of the old school positions, however, translating it to modern ones isn't a simple operation. Some inside forwards operated more like strikers, others more like midfielders: Liedholm (who was mainly a playmaker – a great passer and so forth) would definitely belong in the second category.

Personally, I don't see it as unreasonable to field him as more of a central midfielder (rather than a purely attacking one, if you will), based on his particular traits: I think you can probably make a case for him being an inside forward who liked to drop fairly deep at times to do his orchestrating. However, if I were to simply stick a (modern) label on him, I'd say he's an attacking midfielder of some sort – so whether he'll work as a central one would depend on the setup as a whole. Here, he's working with a designated defensive midfielder – and two wide or wide-ish players who both have plenty of graft in them, and who will help out defensively much more than a pair of straight (attacking) wingers would – so, yeah, why not?

Yup, I agree. His main negative was his pace like Balu says which could be important for a central midfielder in a 4-4-2 but the fact that it is Junior in the left back role compensates a bit for it. Offensively he'd be beautiful to watch in a role like that but defensively one can wonder whether Mascherano can cover enough for him.

 

[Chesterlestreet]

From what I've seen of him and read about him, I think Iniesta is a really good modern comparison. An attacking midfielder, who offers a lot of classic CM traits along with brilliant dribbling at rather slow pace instead of a more goalscoring attacking midfielder.

That sounds about right to me - except Liedholm had more of Xavi in him as far as the actual role he had in the team is concerned, i.e. he was more of a main string puller/playmaker/general than Iniesta. But in terms of position and style - yes, I don't think that's wide off the mark based on what I've seen.

Annah would be the resident expert here, though - as mentioned above.

 

[Annahnomoss]

Wouldn't count me as an expert on the topic either, so few sources available and I'd guess someone who speaks Italian would find more footage and documentaries than me. Even if Liedholm was known for his accurate passing I think he's still a lot more similar to an Iniesta. His passes weren't much about retention and most of his great plays were set up by beating his man so easily like Iniesta to an extent. Iniesta played at a much higher intensity though as Liedholms style was about as slow as it gets. He loved to walk towards his marker, full of confidence, then pull the defender left and right before he beat him or simply gained a step to set up a pass.

His pace was nowhere near as bad as you'd think when you watch him with the ball at his feet as then it was literally snail pacing his way through the opponents one after the other, but still nothing impressive. He's a funny player to watch.

 

[Chesterlestreet]

I'd say Bonhof and Mazzola are probably the most interesting players in that square: Cerezo is unquestionable for obvious reasons - and Albert in the Zico role strikes me as a good fit. Then you have Müller in that very tricky role - but if anyone can actually shine there as a more or less natural fit, I reckon he can. Seeler's role is unproblematic (and he's obviously a very good player, as such - a clear upgrade on the original, if we're thinking Brazil '82).

Brazil '82 wise, we have:

Bonhof = Falcao
Mazzola = Socrates

Should be plenty to discuss there.

To be clear, I'm not saying the task at hand is necessarily to replicate (but upgrade) the '82 team - but it's a natural starting point, not least since the manager himself uses it as such.

 

[Physiocrat]

Really intriguing game. I'm glad the draft carried on and some of my players were picked

At the moment I'm weighing up how Junior helping out the midfield will work especially when Muller is roaming. This is a potential area for exploitation for Tuppet. That said I'd like more from Tuppet as to how Mazzola will fit in. As to Chester, I reckon Bonhof and Cerezo are absolutely fine as a two. It's probably more defensively stable than with Falcao but with less creativity.

 

[Balu]

Yup, I agree. His main negative was his pace like Balu says which could be important for a central midfielder in a 4-4-2 but the fact that it is Junior in the left back role compensates a bit for it. Offensively he'd be beautiful to watch in a role like that but defensively one can wonder whether Mascherano can cover enough for him.

Yeah, that's an excellent point actually. Lovely set-up.

 

[Tuppet]

To be honest I do not think that the original Brazilian magic square can be upgraded in this draft pool, we could have a slightly different type of midfield (more direct or defensively better or better at keeping possession etc) but in same style the midfield is very hard to upgrade. So we can consider our square to be a more direct and pragmatic, yet less creative version of the original. Is it better ? I don't know, we would probably not concede goals on counter that easily, which is important given our opposition. We also have better cover in wide areas when our fullbacks decide to push forward as they must. But at the same time we do not have the same flair, although it should not stop us scoring, simply by the virtue of playing much superior and efficient forwards. But I doubt we would be so pleasing to the eyes.

Most difficult position to sort out is obviously Falcao, his combination of box to box with playmaking is rather rare and I don't think there is any midfielder in the draft who would be able to replicate what he does. I spent a lot of time thinking whether I should play Blanchflower or Bonhof there (would ideally need a combination of the two and kicked myself on banning Van Hanegem), in the end decided to go for defensive solidity over creativity not least because defensive solidity was one of the issue in the 82 vintage. In that respect Bonhof's position is not that interesting after all. He has simply replaced a more creative player and brought more defensive solidity at the cost of creativity. Considering the two players in front of him I don't think thats a bad bargain. Having said all that I must make sure that I am not selling Bonhof short. His passing game be it long or short was pretty good and his box to box runs and dribbling were very good as well as evidenced by this world cup winning assist -


Also consider that he assisted 4 of 6 West German goals in Euro 78. Yeah he is no Falcao but he is no mug, would be perfectly at home in this tactic.

Mazzola's role is a much more interesting topic and I would elaborate on him later.

 

[Ecstatic]

Tactics: Team Tuppet

FORMATION

A classic 4-2-2-2 system also known as a Brazilian magic square.

Previously used by Madrid, Juventus and France, the formation is best known as the regular system of the Brazilian National Team winning the World Cup in '94, reaching the Final in '98 and most famously captivating the imagination with breathtaking football in '82.

@Tuppet

Please which squad of France ??


BRAZIL 94 & 98

 

[Physiocrat]

@Downcast I think he's referring to the EURO '84 France side

 

[Ecstatic]

@Downcast I think he's referring to the EURO '84 France side

Thanks. I see, the "Carré Magique" (golden square)

 

[BBRBB]

France 2004 was also a square, but definitely not magic!

 

[BBRBB]

Indeed Liedholm in this position is an attacking choice as he'd probably be slightly more at ease in a midfield 3, but partnered with a true DM and with plenty of support from Giresse, Zagallo and Junior it should work pretty well.

At the moment I'm weighing up how Junior helping out the midfield will work especially when Muller is roaming. This is a potential area for exploitation for Tuppet.

Müller will find himself in Thiago Silva's zone then, not a duel he's looking forward to, while Godin, Mascherano and Maicon take care of the Seeler threat.

 

[Tuppet]

On Valentino Mazzola's role in the tactic, its not very different than Socrates role was in the original, with a few additions. His remit is to drop in the midfield during the build up and make a midfield 3 while Albert moves forward. At other times, when Albert or Bonhof would build up the game he would be making runs to the left, stretching the defense and making space for Albert and Seeler.

He was instrumental in the functioning of the sistema, making darting runs off the ball and freeing up space for his team-mates to run into. It was this unpredictable movement, this pattern-weaving, that wrought havoc in the opposition ranks.

Mazzola's greatest strength from various sources is his ability to perform in multiple areas of the pitch a la De Stefano, with his Stamina, dribbling, two footedness and ability to score goals (considered one of the finest header of the ball) while running the midfield as well. He would be heavily involved in the buildup phase dropping deep to collect the ball and forcing the move forward.

He looked to dictate play, barking orders and demanding the ball wherever it was on the pitch – one minute picking up a short pass from the centre-half on the edge of his own box, the next arriving in the opposition penalty area to finish the move.

When Valentino Mazzola was unleashed, he dragged literally the whole squad with him, If he saw a team-mate relaxing at a dangerous moment, or if opponents threatened to take over, he rolled up his sleeves and brought the course of the game back on the desired track by force.

Its a complex role, and is probably even more involved than the Socrates role, one which would be really hard for a lesser player to implement. But Mazzola is not just a legend, he is one of the best and most complete player of all time, one who I can trust in this role. His completeness and similarity to De Stefano is noted in many places -

Were there more players like Di Stéfano and Pedernera back then, while today it’s simply not possible to play like that? After all, Valentino Mazzola and years later, Johan Cruijff are still similar players.

He alone is half the squad. The other half is made by the rest of us together

 

[Tuppet]

There is precious little footage available on Valentino, but still a few examples -

A nice defense splitting pass -

Dribble in opposition penalty area and finish -


His accomplishments and Stats however are beyond dispute, widely regarded as the heart beat of the 5 time league winning Grande Torino side, he was made captain of the Azzuri as well before the Superega disaster. Providing assists for all 4 goals in Italy vs Switzerland game in 1945. He also fininshed top scorer in the league once, while laying down many assists for his team mates.

 

[Ecstatic]

What is the primary role of Thomas Muller here? Support striker? Right-winger potentially forward?

Below: ECL finals in 2012 & 2013

Below: WC final in 2014

 

[Ecstatic]

@Skizzo @BBRBB

Wasn't Liedholm an inside forward who most likely today would be an AM? Watching him in the '58 World Cup final he certainly didn't play like a deeper playmaker; Didi played more in the position you've assigned him. That said he could have the skills for it but I'd need to see the case for it.

Any thoughts our resident Swedish expert? @Annahnomoss

Good question


WC Final in 1958

Here, we have Zagallo & Liedholm &... Vava on the bench

 

[Tuppet]

What is the primary role of Thomas Muller here? Support striker? Right-winger potentially forward?

If I have to label him I would say he is a free roaming right sided support striker. If it sounds too wordy thats because Muller is again one of those players which are hard to put in a single position, so much so that Football Manager has to invent a new position (Raumdeuter) for him. Even in the formations posted above (e.g. in WC final 2014) he was hardly confined to the static role, popping all over the forward line.

In this game particularly, he would be playing the Eder role from 82, drifting to right wing to stretch the game, but also operating in central areas when there is space over there playing off Seeler to finish chances or providing assist from wide areas. Its a complex role but one that suits Muller very much.

 

[Tuppet]

As usual Joga/Balu described Muller perfectly when they had him in an older draft, so quoting here. It also helps that he is playing a similar role here -

Since his sudden rise to the limelight of world football in 2010, no player has transcended boundaries such as Thomas Müller. An amalgamation of other-worldly unorthodox and traditionally fundamental — the self anointed Raumdeuter finds unique ways to create space, yet consistently makes textbook decisions with his passing and finishing. Possessing a borderline supernatural spatial awareness and a superlative all-round game, Müller would be absolutely deadly in this free role a right sided forward. The unorthodox German would cherish playing in between the lines in a roaming role, with umpteen reserves of creativity and fluidity flowing through the side. It's testament to his quality that Thomas Müller has arguably been the most consistent and pivotal player for both club and country from 2009, alongside Lahm. No mean feat given that it's WC winning Germany and CL winning Bayern that we are talking about here.

 

[Ecstatic]

If I have to label him I would say he is a free roaming right sided support striker. If it sounds too wordy thats because Muller is again one of those players which are hard to put in a single position, so much so that Football Manager has to invent a new position (Raumdeuter) for him. Even in the formations posted above (e.g. in WC final 2014) he was hardly confined to the static role, popping all over the forward line.

In this game particularly, he would be playing the Eder role from 82, drifting to right wing to stretch the game, but also operating in central areas when there is space over there playing off Seeler to finish chances or providing assist from wide areas. Its a complex role but one that suits Muller very much.

Thanks. I see your rationale

 

[Tuppet]

Alright I am off to bed, win, lose or draw its been a good game. I would leave you with 2 brilliant attacking performances from my attackers. First is one of the best creative performance from Albert against Brazil in 66 -

Ballon D’Or winner in 1967 and a hero in Hungary’s game against the World Champions Brazil in 1966, when he dictated the game which was the first Brazil loss at the World Cup in 12 years. Hungary defender Sandor Matrai remembered: “Garrincha, Gerson and Tostao were on the field in Liverpool, but there were 50,000-plus neutrals roaring “Albert, Albert, Albert” throughout!

Second one is the sensational performance from Uwe Seeler against Santos, Pretty much everything you'd want from a No. 9 -

I have nothing but good things to say about Skizzo/BBRBB's defense, Godin and Silva are probably the best of what current generation has to offer. Still with an attack line comprising of some of the all time legends like Seeler, Albert and Mazzola would give trouble to even the best possible defenses.

 

[Ecstatic]

35 posts including:

- Tuppet: 8 posts
- Skizzo: no posts

So I go for @Tuppet despite the fact he put an end to the Orange Dream Team

 

[Ecstatic]

Congrats @Tuppet

You can start thinking about your 2 new recruits for the final

 

[BBRBB]

Congrats @Tuppet
Good luck for the final!