PLEASE READ BEFORE VOTING: voting should be based on player performances in Serie A/Coppa Italia from the 90/91 season to 99/00. Performances outside this timeframe or other competitions do not count.
TEAM 2mufc0/Invictus
VS
TEAM Raees
2MUFC0/INVICTUS TACTICS
Player Profiles
Tactics
We have based our formation on France's 'magic square' of the 80's, we have put our best player Zidane in his favoured inside- left attacking midfield position and the team has been built around him. Karembeu and Di Napoli will be behind him creating a strong base to build from, while Boban will supplement our creative play from midfield, he will also drift wide right supporting Angloma in attack.
We will also utilise Boban's fantastic engine which allows him to tuck back into midfield when defending. To provide width we have Jarni and Angloma who can dart down the wings, with Ravanelli linking up with Jarni on the left and Boban with Angloma on the right. With service from wide areas and Zidane in central areas, Bierhoff will have plenty of chances to score and in his Serie A form he is at the peak of his powers.
In defence, Vierchowod and Tudor will be at the heart, Vierchowod is one of the best Serie A defenders of all time and Tudor was one of Juve's best CB's during that period. Both are pure defenders, physical, intelligent and great in the air, they will be extremely tough to break down. Jarni and Angloma are the full backs, both defensively solid. In goal Tacconi will provide that last line of defence, considered to be in the top 5 Italian keepers of all time.
RAEES TACTICS
TACTICAL OUTLINE
4-3-3 (FALSE 9)
PHILOSOPHY - Dominate the game, look to the likes of Moller, Francescoli to drift across the pitch and control the tempo and use Boksic as a battering ram out wide and up top.. with a desire to play Amoroso in, our assassin up front who will rarely be out wide but has experience of being up front in a wideish role in a 3-4-3 for Udinese. Use our full backs to provide width and keep the game stretched.. exploiting the oppositions lack of legs.
KEY PLAYERS (IN FOCUS)
TEAM 2mufc0/Invictus
VS
TEAM Raees
2MUFC0/INVICTUS TACTICS
Player Profiles
Standing 6’ 2 (1.88m), and supremely athletic – particularly for the era in which he played – Tacconi cut an imposing figure for opposing strikers, often panicking them into making mistakes which then allowed him to make comfortable saves. He would concede 29 goals in his first season, winning the Scudetto, but it would be in European action where he truly made the difference, starting a trend that would continue throughout his time with the club. More info here.
Strong, quick athletic fullback able to defend and attack, Serie A peak with Inter in 1996-97 ESM team of the year, consistently one of the better right backs during his time in Serie A.
Nicknamed lo Zar, Vierchowod was a tenacious and physical left-footed centre-back, who possessed great pace; regarded as one of Italy's best ever defenders, during his career, he was considered one of the fastest defenders in the world, and one of the toughest Serie A defenders of the 1980s and the 1990s, due to his immense strength, tight marking of opponents, and hard tackling style of play. More here.
Tudor was considered one of Croatia's best defenders in the period between the late 1990s and mid-2000s. Tudor was a large, hard-working, strong and imposing defender who excelled in the air, making him a dangerous goal threat during set pieces. He was also a tight man-marker and a hard tackling defender, with great tactical intelligence. More here
Complimenting Angloma we have Robert Jarni known for his work up and down the flank, like Angloma able to man the flank in attack aswell as defence.
Energetic, strong and technical midfielder who played for Sampdoria in the mid 90's. Karembeu had taken to Serie A with aplomb, becoming one of the league’s most accomplished players. “I had never seen anyone with a greater work capacity,” admitted Eriksson in his 2013 book Sven: My Story. “When he ran intervals in training, nobody could keep up.” As intimidated as they were by his athletic prowess, however, Karembeu ingratiated himself immediately, and not just because of his commensurate technical gifts. Respectful and learned, it was no surprise when his teammates donned t-shirts protesting the French government’s nuclear testing on New Caledonian territory in 1995. On and off the field, he became one of the team’s most important references. More here.
A versatile and well-rounded midfielder, De Napoli was usually deployed as either a central or defensive, where he was capable of both supporting his more creative teammates defensively, and of functioning as a deep-lying playmaker after winning back possession, courtesy of his range of passing, and ability to build plays and create chances from midfield with long balls; he was also deployed on the wing on occasion. A quick, hard-working, and tenacious player, with good technique, he was known in particular for his notable stamina, as well as his excellent man-marking ability, which endowed him with the ability to break down the opposition's play, and subsequently transition the ball from defence to attack; he also possessed a powerful and accurate shot from distance, and was known for his ability to make attacking runs and charge forward with the ball from deeper areas of the pitch. His tenacity and combative playing style earned him the nickname "Rambo" from the Napoli fans throughout his career. In addition to his playing ability, he was also known for his correct behaviour on the pitch, and for his ability to lead his teammates by example. More here .
Nicknamed Zorro, Boban was a talented and creative yet tenacious player, known for his use of feints to beat opponents. He was gifted with excellent vision, passing range, dribbling skills, technical ability, and an eye for the final ball; he mixed these attributes with a unique tactical versatility and intelligence, which enabled him to be deployed in several midfield and offensive positions throughout his career. In addition to his preferred playmaking role behind the forwards as an attacking midfielder, he was also capable of playing on the wing, as a central midfielder, or even as a supporting striker, due to his powerful and accurate bending shots from distance; he was also effective from set-pieces. Throughout his career, he also became known for his vocal presence, determination and aggression on the pitch, as well as his strong character. More here.
The man doesn't need any introduction, one of the best players in the draft and most consider his best club football was played at Juve. The heart of the team. Wiki page.
Ravanelli was a quick, dynamic, physically strong, and hardworking left-footed striker, with notable temperament, who was known for his eye for goal, as well as his energy and defensive contribution off the ball, which often saw him drop back into deeper possessions in order to help his team win back possession. Although he was initially not the most naturally talented or skilful player, he was able to improve his technique and movement significantly during his time with Juventus, where he established himself as a top striker. A prolific goalscorer, who was good in the air, and who possessed a powerful and accurate shot, in addition to his ability to score goals, Ravanelli was also capable of playing off of his team-mates, due to his link-up play, which, combined with his other skills, made him a complete forward; this also enabled him to play in a supporting role, as a second striker or even as a winger, positions in which he often utilised his ability in the air to get on the end of high balls and create chances for other strikers by providing them with headed assists from knockdowns.
A large and prolific striker, Bierhoff was a strong, physical, and powerful player, who played mainly as a target man in the centre-forward role. Known in particular for his aerial ability, he was able to execute headers with extreme precision, having scored several critical goals in the air throughout his career, for both club and country; he also possessed a powerful shot. Serie A top scorer 97-98.
Tactics
We have based our formation on France's 'magic square' of the 80's, we have put our best player Zidane in his favoured inside- left attacking midfield position and the team has been built around him. Karembeu and Di Napoli will be behind him creating a strong base to build from, while Boban will supplement our creative play from midfield, he will also drift wide right supporting Angloma in attack.
We will also utilise Boban's fantastic engine which allows him to tuck back into midfield when defending. To provide width we have Jarni and Angloma who can dart down the wings, with Ravanelli linking up with Jarni on the left and Boban with Angloma on the right. With service from wide areas and Zidane in central areas, Bierhoff will have plenty of chances to score and in his Serie A form he is at the peak of his powers.
In defence, Vierchowod and Tudor will be at the heart, Vierchowod is one of the best Serie A defenders of all time and Tudor was one of Juve's best CB's during that period. Both are pure defenders, physical, intelligent and great in the air, they will be extremely tough to break down. Jarni and Angloma are the full backs, both defensively solid. In goal Tacconi will provide that last line of defence, considered to be in the top 5 Italian keepers of all time.
RAEES TACTICS
TACTICAL OUTLINE
4-3-3 (FALSE 9)
PHILOSOPHY - Dominate the game, look to the likes of Moller, Francescoli to drift across the pitch and control the tempo and use Boksic as a battering ram out wide and up top.. with a desire to play Amoroso in, our assassin up front who will rarely be out wide but has experience of being up front in a wideish role in a 3-4-3 for Udinese. Use our full backs to provide width and keep the game stretched.. exploiting the oppositions lack of legs.
KEY PLAYERS (IN FOCUS)
- SEBASTIAN NELA 'INCREDIBLE HULK' (ROMA LEGEND): How this guy has gone under the radar I do not know.. a league winner for Roma in the classic side led by Falcao and still a pillar of the side in the early nineties, an absolute powerhouse who could operate at either flank despite being left footed and insanely powerful shot, with great dribbling/crossing ability. He'll be a force to be reckoned with down our left hand side and with Cafu doing the same down the other flank.. its going to be a battle royale down the flanks
- ENZO FRANCESCOLI 'EL PRINCIPE' (CALIGARI HALL OF FAMER): His time in Italy didn't quite match the heights of the rest of his career, but he was 29/30 when he landed in Italy, so whilst not at his peak physically, he still showed more than enough during his time in Italy to prove he could handle the league and become a key component for Caligari alongside Fonseca and Herrera. He was initially used in midfield, before moving further up into a more attacking role where he helped Cagliari earn a surprising sixth place, earning a spot in the UEFA Cup (in a very competitive league). The brilliance of his play remained as effervescent as ever.. magical dribbling at pace, the touches, the elegance the playmaking.. it was still all there even if the goalscoring instinct had dullened during his phase in Italy. In our team, he is not in the side to be our goalscorer.. he's a creator and with guys like Boksic, Amoroso and Moller around him.. he can operate at his best (just look at the video below of his time in Italy)...
Unlike Recoba and Nakata Boban looks great here, imo.
