Rivals Draft - Gio vs NM

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

vs
TEAM GIO

ON THE BALL:

• Classic 4-3-3 with a false 9. Several classy technicians in central midfield and wide areas.
• Litmanen should particularly enjoy the freedom to drop into the hole and then burst forwards.
• Various routes to goal - two wide forwards/wingers who can stretch the play and go direct for goal, both cutting onto their stronger foot; central midfielders who can probe, cut open and threaten from range; dynamic overlapping full-backs.

OFF THE BALL:

• Compact positional play with moderate line. Onopko sweeps in front of the defence offering protection to the crafty duo of Gamarra and Da Guia. Lytovchenko, Costa and Litmanen all bring good work rate into central areas solidifying the core.

PLAYER PROFILES TO FOLLOW



TEAM NM

Write Up:

The team is set up to unleaseh the creativity of the attackers - Neymar, Johnstone and Kane. The goal of the midfield will be to break up play and set a platform to relase the front 3. The CBs are hard while the full backs have the ability to both shut down opposition wingers and contribute when they go forward.

We will also always have an out ball if under pressure. Johnstone and Zebec's speed, Kane and Neymar's hold up ability, van Hanegemem's passing etc. means that I would plan for plenty of possession and the ability to dominate the other team.

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

NM's formation:

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

@Gio @NM All the best!

 

[NM]

@Gio voting for me to see results.

Alright folks I actually think I have a shot here (I hope), My front 3 is clearly the star of the show. I don't know enough about his midfield so won't comment (though Rui Costa as a CM looks suspect) while in defense his CBs are better while my wing backs are better. I think I edge this tbh.

 

[Edgar Allan Pillow]

though Rui Costa as a CM looks suspect

He's fine. He usually dropped deeper to play rather than a typical attacking #10.

 

[Gio]

Trying to see my team-sheet.

A bit more on my players:

OSCAR CORDOBA
Outstanding goalkeeper who built on an imperious South American keeper at club and international level when he moved to Europe - first as an emergency rescue act for Perugia in Serie A, then at Besiktas for four years, winning the league in his first season.

MANUEL AMOROS
Top class wing-back who was an important part of the all-conquering Marseille side of the late 1980s and early 1990s, winning the title in 3 seasons and reaching 2 Champions League finals. Should forge a dominant wing partnership with Savicevic.

KENNY SANSOM
Mr Consistent who was an ever-present in the PFA Team of the Year in 8 consecutive seasons - the most of any defender in the history of the English game.

DOMINGOS DA GUIA
Often regarded as Brazil's best ever defender who spent two seasons at Boca in his mid-20s.

CARLOS GAMARRA
Played for Corinthians at the peak of his late 1990s powers, when he was also voted as the best defender in South America and won the Bola De Prata.

VIKTOR ONOPKO
Spartak Onopko was very much peak Onopko, scoring 21 goals in his first two seasons, winning Footballer of the Year in both campaigns, and crowned with three conseutive league wins. Generally under-rated, but a proper defensive player who shone very highly in Russian football.

JARI LITMANEN
Enjoyed several successful seasons at Ajax, culminating in a dominant mid-90s peak where he bossed the Champions League as the fulcrum of Van Gaal's system.

RUI COSTA
Early 20s Benfica star who knew how to play alongside other creatives and who would hit the ground running in Serie A with Fiorentina.

HENNADIY LYTOVCHENKO

Some footage of Hennady Lytovchenko, one of the top tier of '80s ussr midfielders. and part of the Euro 88 team. He has became known for his excellent right-foot passing and shooting, vision and partnership with Protasov at Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, who had their years as a title-challenger mostly coinciding with his presence. Not a quick player, but high workrate and skillful on the ball, he favoured the right side and imo drifted between a style that fits in with a lot of the more technical - wide in a 4-4-2 - British/Irish midfielders of that era like John Robertson, Kevin Sheedy, Trevor Steven, Strachan and a more contintental central organising role. For the NT generally played a supporting role as Loban preferred organising his schemes through his own players with orchestrational/through ball abilities in Mykhaylychenko and Zavarov ( Lytovchenko having only just moved to Kyiv). Surprisingly for someone that was a very consistent assist provider from dead balls, he was only an occasional taker of shots from free kicks.

His and Protasov move to Dynamo for the 88 season was a source of considerable bitterness among fans at the times as Kyiv had long been accused by rivals of owing success to poaching all the other Ukrainian clubs talent, but actually ended up almost certainly being a huge motivating factor in Dnipro winning their second ever league title (first in 83) in 88 despite their two star players heading to an already generally stronger club. They have finished second in 87 with those two leading the way, but a decline was now expected by everyone only for the reverse to happen. To add further insult Dnipro then finished aboved them in second place for the 89 season too.

Lytovchenko and Protasov eventually moved to the financially dodgy at the time Olympiakos in a backward career step no doubt facilitated by the random appearance of Blokhin there in his first entirely unqualified for managerial role.

footage is mostly just goals with unfortunately hardly any passing, but the highlight of the couple of seasons at the end of his career with Olympiakos does highlight some dead ball delivery as well.

BRIAN LAUDRUP
Prime Laudrup who enjoyed his best years at Ibrox where he stayed despite a bid from Barcelona. For many the best to have ever played in the Scottish game, he was twice Player of the Year and showed his class for Denmark at every tournament in the 1990s (winning the Euros in 92, player of the tournament in the 95 Confederations Cup, second top scorer at Euro 96, and in the all-star team at World Cup 98). To give a flavour of just how influential he was, he scored or assisted 12 out of Rangers' 14 goals in the first three months of the season after joining.

DEJAN SAVICEVIC
2nd in the Ballon D'Or for Cvezda where he won the European Cup.


SUB: DAVOR SUKER
Early 20s goalsmith who notched 39 goals in 68 games for Dimano Zagreb. Will enjoy the level of service around him.

 

[Gio]

@Gio voting for me to see results.

Alright folks I actually think I have a shot here (I hope)

You certainly do. Solid team.

, My front 3 is clearly the star of the show.

I will respectfully disagree. Fairly even if we look at respective Ballon D'Or placings:

Laudrup - 6th
Savicevic - 2nd
Litmanen - 3rd

compared with:

Neymar - 3rd
Kane - 10th
Johnstone - 3rd

Plus there's quite a lot of ball-hogging on there, whereas Savicevic could do that but Litmanen and Laudrup were more economical in their use of it.

I don't know enough about his midfield so won't comment (though Rui Costa as a CM looks suspect)

I think Costa looks fine there, particularly next to the graft of Onopko and Lytovchenko. I know both will go under the radar, but they are IMO strong picks under the rules of this draft.

Only comment I'd make is that your CBs aren't a great fit for tracking Litmanen's clever movement and would probably prefer a more conventional centre-forward to tussle with. And I think they'd be happier dealing with crosses from our wingers, but won't be that comfortable when Savicevic and Laudrup start running at them. So however we rate the respective attacks, I'd say your centre-halves and goalkeeper have questions to respond to they might not like here.

 

[NM]

You certainly do. Solid team.


I will respectfully disagree. Fairly even if we look at respective Ballon D'Or placings:

Laudrup - 6th
Savicevic - 2nd
Litmanen - 3rd

compared with:

Neymar - 3rd
Kane - 10th
Johnstone - 3rd

Plus there's quite a lot of ball-hogging on there, whereas Savicevic could do that but Litmanen and Laudrup were more economical in their use of it.

I think Costa looks fine there, particularly next to the graft of Onopko and Lytovchenko. I know both will go under the radar, but they are IMO strong picks under the rules of this draft.

Only comment I'd make is that your CBs aren't a great fit for tracking Litmanen's clever movement and would probably prefer a more conventional centre-forward to tussle with. And I think they'd be happier dealing with crosses from our wingers, but won't be that comfortable when Savicevic and Laudrup start running at them. So however we rate the respective attacks, I'd say your centre-halves and goalkeeper have questions to respond to they might not like here.

Respectfully disagree on the attackers. Kane has been carrying Spurs for years, and Ballon D'or is now a popularity contest vs a real award which it was in the past, we cannot compare it. He isn't a ball hog either.

I disagree on Costa - I always saw him as a #10 and a flair player (though I only saw him in AC Milan) and he looks like a weak link if you want him in a midfield 3.

Also on the defenders - agree they might prefer a normal CF to deal with but I don't think they will struggle. Like most defenses one will pick up the man and one will play the stopper role.

More questions around how you will deal with Zebec and Santos who are fantastic. Zebec and Neymar are a perfect combo. A creative winger with a fantastic pacy LB behind him

 

[Gio]

I disagree on Costa - I always saw him as a #10 and a flair player (though I only saw him in AC Milan) and he looks like a weak link if you want him in a midfield 3.

A few points on Rui Costa:

• That Milan side was a very hard-working unit off the ball: they had to be to make the Christmas tree work.
• He had more legs earlier in his career at Fiorentina and Benfica. He also had impressive physical strength for a playmaker which made him so difficult to dispossess in crowded midfields.
• In an era when teams are widely playing a #6 and two #10s as their CM trio, ours looks more balanced.

This is the shape Portugal played at Euro '96 against Turkey for example:

A 4-1-3-2 where Rui is flanked by two wingers and only has Paulo Sousa behind him offering central control.

He was the archetypal playmaker because he was very much a team player, always looking for a pass rather than personal glory; he had an amazing ability to utterly dominate a game without finding himself in the headlines.

 

[Demyanenko_square_jaw]

Here's a clip with most of Lytovchenko's national team goals (one missing). It replays them with longer build-up or replays with different angles. is worth it for some as you get to see him play a great one two and make his runs from midfield.


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