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 Prath92/Crappy
VS
TEAM MOBY/PAT_MUSTARD
PRATH92/CRAPPY TACTICS
Goalkeeper
Luca Bucci - A reliable goalkeeper who won multiple honours with Parma.who was known for his consistency, athleticism, and acrobatic style of play. He was highly regarded for his speed when rushing off his line to anticipate strikers outside the area who had beaten the offside trap, and for his ability to get to ground quickly to collect or parry the ball, and was also effective at stopping penalties.Furthermore, Bucci was highly competent with the ball at his feet
Defence
Andrea Fortunato - A strong, hard-working, dyanmic, energetic, and gregarious team player, Fortunato was known for his pace, class, stamina, determination, and tactical intelligence as a footballer, which enabled him to cover the left flank well and win back possession effectively. He also had a good left foot and was known for his crossing accuracy from the touchline, and ability to beat opponents, make attacking runs down the wing, and deliver balls to teammates in the area. He had been compared to Paolo Maldini and Antonio Cabrini by his managers
Mark Iuliano - A key player for Juventus in the late 90s, he was regarded as one of the best and most consistent Italian defenders of his generation, Iuliano was a large, tenacious, and physically strong defender, who excelled in the air, and who was an accomplished man-marker and an experienced tackler.
Lorenzo Amoruso - Another Reliable CB who was key to Fiorentina’s success during the mid 90s where they reached Cup Winners Cup and won the Coppa Italia and super Cup.
Paolo Negro - He was a strong, aggressive, tenacious, hard-tackling, physical player, who excelled in the air, and who possessed a powerful shot from distance. He was also a tactically intelligent, reliable, and versatile player, and a cautious, disciplined defender, who excelled at zonal-marking. He was also an attentive man-marker, with reliable technique and distribution, as well as good pace and stamina, which allowed him to be effective when going forward along the right flank after winning back possession.
Midfield
Demetrio Albertini - Albertini was a complete, experienced and composed midfielder, who was gifted with stamina, power, technique, and class, which allowed him to be regarded as one of the best midfielders of his generation. His key strengths as a player were his mentality, his excellent vision, tactical knowledge and ball control, but above all, his brilliant passing range, which made him a bonafide legendary member of the Milan of the 90s. During his time with Milan, he won 5 league titles, 2 Champions Leagues, 2 Uefa Super Cups and three Italian Super Cups. A proper “Metronome”.
Paul Ince - A tenacious, athletic, and hard-working player, Ince was known for his tireless running and ability to provide defensive support to his team in midfield. He was extremely effective in both attack and defence. Some may think he was not at his best during his time at Inter but he helped Inter finish third in his second season, scoring as many as 7 goals from a midfield position. Inter wanted to extend his contract but he left on his own accord.
Stefan Schwarz - A reliable midfielder who was hardworking but at the same time technically gifted. He was part of a very good side Fiorentina had in the late 90s under Viola, winning the Italian and the Super Italian Cup. Was also a part of the Swedish that came third in the 94 world cup too. He complements Ince and Albertini well
Attack
Pavel Nedved - A mainstay in the Lazio team of the late 90s. Due to his crossing ability, with his left foot, as well as due to his ability to cut inside and shoot with his right foot. Primarily known for his powerful shots and volleys from distance, as well as his stamina, he was also noted for his speed, endurance, technique and goal-scoring ability. He was also an accurate set piece taker
Déjàn Savicevic - One of the most gifted playmakers of the 90s Milan side, he was often played out wide on the wings there, on either flank, due to his ability to provide crosses to teammates in the area from the left wing, or cut into the centre onto his stronger left foot from the right. Milan bought him before the 90/91 season for a fee around 9.4 million, at a time when the world record fee was 10 million. He had some troubles in his early days for Milan due to being a Berlusconi purchase rather than a Capello one, but when he got to prove himself he shone. He scored 15 goals in 42 matches in 2 seasons from 1994-1996.
Christian Vieri - Vieri was a complete, quick, prolific and opportunistic striker, with a keen eye for goal. He was unique and direct offensive in his style of play, which blended power with pace and a solid technique. Which made him quite dangerous both in the air and with the ball at his feet.
Why we will win
1. We have a very strong midfield and attack which has both hard work and technical ability. A trio of Nedved Vieri and Savicevic supported by Schwarz Ince and Albertini will create chances even with the best of defenders. More over in addition to Vieri - Nedved, Dejan and Ince are capable of getting on the scoresheet.
2. A midfield of Ince Schwarz and Albertini is a very good trio and can dominate most midfields. It is excellent in both defensive work rate and ball winning abilities but is just as excellent in attacking contribution. More over they will be aided by Nedved who as hardworking as any winger/AM could be. We believe we can dominate possession in this match and create most chances as a result.
3. We also have a very reliable defence with defenders who were key to title wins. Both Fortunato and Iuliano were highly rated defenders who were reliable and consistent to a reasonable degree. Had it not been for Fortunato’s untimely demise, he was seen as a mainstay for Italian and Juventus set up. Iuliano was also key member for Juventus for a longtime in many title wins. Both Amoruso and Negro are also very reliable defenders who, even though they aren’t big names, they are well capable of performing to a very good level. Most importantly the defence has at least 4 midfielders in front of it, to enhance the overall defensive prowess of the team.
MOBY/PAT_MUSTARD TACTICS
Formation: 3-4-1-2
A classic Serie A formation, and a familiar one for our era-defining centre forward Gabriel Batistuta, who tore up Serie A for most of the decade and played a similar setup for Fiorentina. We’re content to cede some possession here, defend in numbers and then slice the opposition open on the counter with one of the finest attacks in the draft.
Goalkeeper: Luca Marchegiani. Boasts an impressive body of work and performance level across the entire decade, and has the edge in quality over his opposite number Bucci in this match.
Defence: Fabio Cannavaro and Julio Cesar flank our sweeper Luca Fusi. Fusi played much of his career as a midfielder before dropping back to play as a sweeper with distinction during his final two seasons with Torino. Torino boasted the fifth and sixth best defensive records respectively in those two Serie A seasons, and Fusi was ranked by Dbscalcio.it as their first and second best player respectively. His intelligent reading of the game and good distribution will kickstart our transitions here, and in the defensive phase he’s amply protected by two monstrous defenders in Cannavaro and Cesar. Cesar was an ox-strong and technical CB who excelled alongside Jurgen Kohler in a miserly Juve defence, while Cannavaro’s credentials as one of the all-time great Italian defenders speak for themselves.
At wing back, Alberto Di Chiari will run our left flank. An industrious and creative converted winger, he impressed for an excellent Parma team in the same role. At RWB we field the Juventus stalwart Birindelli. He’s got the most demanding individual assignment in our team vs Nedved, but his defence-first nature and the protection of our three man central defence will stand him in decent stead.
Midfield: The voracious ball-winner Almeyda partners the offensive B2B David Platt, who had a stellar Serie A career marred only by an unsuccessful season at Juventus, averaging around a goal every three games from midfield for Bari and Sampdoria. He has some history with our trequartista and leader Mancini, who effectively harassed him into signing for Sampdoria.
Trequartista: Roberto Mancini takes centre stage here in the role that he revered sufficiently to write a Masters Thesis on it. If the increasingly pervasive Sacchi 4-4-2 orthodoxy led to him playing much of his career in a two-man attacking line, his skill-set and instincts mark him as a classic trequartista. A wonderfully creative talisman who book-ended a decade at the cutting edge of Serie A with a Scudetto win at either side, he was at his zenith during Sampdoria’s 1990-91 triumph. Here, as with Sampdoria, he’ll be at home playing on the counter, and he’ll be in his element supplying two prolific goalscorers.
Attack: Batistuta’s credentials bear comparison with any forward in the draft: 151 goals in 243 Serie A games across the decade, all of them playing outside of the traditional powerhouse clubs for Fiorentina, with a high-water mark of 26 goals in 32 games in 1994-95. He’s in a familiar system here, and he’ll thrive off the creativity of Mancini and his dynamic, hard-running partner Enrico Chiesa, a consistently good performer across the decade who hit an astonishing peak in 1995-96 (playing with one Roberto Mancini at Sampdoria) of 22 goals in 27 Serie A appearances. A scorer of great goals as well as a great goalscorer, Chiesa had an incredible knack for the spectacular from long-range – videos to follow in the match thread.
TEAM Prath92/Crappy
VS
TEAM MOBY/PAT_MUSTARD
PRATH92/CRAPPY TACTICS
Goalkeeper
Luca Bucci - A reliable goalkeeper who won multiple honours with Parma.who was known for his consistency, athleticism, and acrobatic style of play. He was highly regarded for his speed when rushing off his line to anticipate strikers outside the area who had beaten the offside trap, and for his ability to get to ground quickly to collect or parry the ball, and was also effective at stopping penalties.Furthermore, Bucci was highly competent with the ball at his feet
Defence
Andrea Fortunato - A strong, hard-working, dyanmic, energetic, and gregarious team player, Fortunato was known for his pace, class, stamina, determination, and tactical intelligence as a footballer, which enabled him to cover the left flank well and win back possession effectively. He also had a good left foot and was known for his crossing accuracy from the touchline, and ability to beat opponents, make attacking runs down the wing, and deliver balls to teammates in the area. He had been compared to Paolo Maldini and Antonio Cabrini by his managers
Mark Iuliano - A key player for Juventus in the late 90s, he was regarded as one of the best and most consistent Italian defenders of his generation, Iuliano was a large, tenacious, and physically strong defender, who excelled in the air, and who was an accomplished man-marker and an experienced tackler.
Lorenzo Amoruso - Another Reliable CB who was key to Fiorentina’s success during the mid 90s where they reached Cup Winners Cup and won the Coppa Italia and super Cup.
Paolo Negro - He was a strong, aggressive, tenacious, hard-tackling, physical player, who excelled in the air, and who possessed a powerful shot from distance. He was also a tactically intelligent, reliable, and versatile player, and a cautious, disciplined defender, who excelled at zonal-marking. He was also an attentive man-marker, with reliable technique and distribution, as well as good pace and stamina, which allowed him to be effective when going forward along the right flank after winning back possession.
Midfield
Demetrio Albertini - Albertini was a complete, experienced and composed midfielder, who was gifted with stamina, power, technique, and class, which allowed him to be regarded as one of the best midfielders of his generation. His key strengths as a player were his mentality, his excellent vision, tactical knowledge and ball control, but above all, his brilliant passing range, which made him a bonafide legendary member of the Milan of the 90s. During his time with Milan, he won 5 league titles, 2 Champions Leagues, 2 Uefa Super Cups and three Italian Super Cups. A proper “Metronome”.
Paul Ince - A tenacious, athletic, and hard-working player, Ince was known for his tireless running and ability to provide defensive support to his team in midfield. He was extremely effective in both attack and defence. Some may think he was not at his best during his time at Inter but he helped Inter finish third in his second season, scoring as many as 7 goals from a midfield position. Inter wanted to extend his contract but he left on his own accord.
Stefan Schwarz - A reliable midfielder who was hardworking but at the same time technically gifted. He was part of a very good side Fiorentina had in the late 90s under Viola, winning the Italian and the Super Italian Cup. Was also a part of the Swedish that came third in the 94 world cup too. He complements Ince and Albertini well
Attack
Pavel Nedved - A mainstay in the Lazio team of the late 90s. Due to his crossing ability, with his left foot, as well as due to his ability to cut inside and shoot with his right foot. Primarily known for his powerful shots and volleys from distance, as well as his stamina, he was also noted for his speed, endurance, technique and goal-scoring ability. He was also an accurate set piece taker
Déjàn Savicevic - One of the most gifted playmakers of the 90s Milan side, he was often played out wide on the wings there, on either flank, due to his ability to provide crosses to teammates in the area from the left wing, or cut into the centre onto his stronger left foot from the right. Milan bought him before the 90/91 season for a fee around 9.4 million, at a time when the world record fee was 10 million. He had some troubles in his early days for Milan due to being a Berlusconi purchase rather than a Capello one, but when he got to prove himself he shone. He scored 15 goals in 42 matches in 2 seasons from 1994-1996.
Christian Vieri - Vieri was a complete, quick, prolific and opportunistic striker, with a keen eye for goal. He was unique and direct offensive in his style of play, which blended power with pace and a solid technique. Which made him quite dangerous both in the air and with the ball at his feet.
Why we will win
1. We have a very strong midfield and attack which has both hard work and technical ability. A trio of Nedved Vieri and Savicevic supported by Schwarz Ince and Albertini will create chances even with the best of defenders. More over in addition to Vieri - Nedved, Dejan and Ince are capable of getting on the scoresheet.
2. A midfield of Ince Schwarz and Albertini is a very good trio and can dominate most midfields. It is excellent in both defensive work rate and ball winning abilities but is just as excellent in attacking contribution. More over they will be aided by Nedved who as hardworking as any winger/AM could be. We believe we can dominate possession in this match and create most chances as a result.
3. We also have a very reliable defence with defenders who were key to title wins. Both Fortunato and Iuliano were highly rated defenders who were reliable and consistent to a reasonable degree. Had it not been for Fortunato’s untimely demise, he was seen as a mainstay for Italian and Juventus set up. Iuliano was also key member for Juventus for a longtime in many title wins. Both Amoruso and Negro are also very reliable defenders who, even though they aren’t big names, they are well capable of performing to a very good level. Most importantly the defence has at least 4 midfielders in front of it, to enhance the overall defensive prowess of the team.
MOBY/PAT_MUSTARD TACTICS
Formation: 3-4-1-2
A classic Serie A formation, and a familiar one for our era-defining centre forward Gabriel Batistuta, who tore up Serie A for most of the decade and played a similar setup for Fiorentina. We’re content to cede some possession here, defend in numbers and then slice the opposition open on the counter with one of the finest attacks in the draft.
Goalkeeper: Luca Marchegiani. Boasts an impressive body of work and performance level across the entire decade, and has the edge in quality over his opposite number Bucci in this match.
Defence: Fabio Cannavaro and Julio Cesar flank our sweeper Luca Fusi. Fusi played much of his career as a midfielder before dropping back to play as a sweeper with distinction during his final two seasons with Torino. Torino boasted the fifth and sixth best defensive records respectively in those two Serie A seasons, and Fusi was ranked by Dbscalcio.it as their first and second best player respectively. His intelligent reading of the game and good distribution will kickstart our transitions here, and in the defensive phase he’s amply protected by two monstrous defenders in Cannavaro and Cesar. Cesar was an ox-strong and technical CB who excelled alongside Jurgen Kohler in a miserly Juve defence, while Cannavaro’s credentials as one of the all-time great Italian defenders speak for themselves.
At wing back, Alberto Di Chiari will run our left flank. An industrious and creative converted winger, he impressed for an excellent Parma team in the same role. At RWB we field the Juventus stalwart Birindelli. He’s got the most demanding individual assignment in our team vs Nedved, but his defence-first nature and the protection of our three man central defence will stand him in decent stead.
Midfield: The voracious ball-winner Almeyda partners the offensive B2B David Platt, who had a stellar Serie A career marred only by an unsuccessful season at Juventus, averaging around a goal every three games from midfield for Bari and Sampdoria. He has some history with our trequartista and leader Mancini, who effectively harassed him into signing for Sampdoria.
Trequartista: Roberto Mancini takes centre stage here in the role that he revered sufficiently to write a Masters Thesis on it. If the increasingly pervasive Sacchi 4-4-2 orthodoxy led to him playing much of his career in a two-man attacking line, his skill-set and instincts mark him as a classic trequartista. A wonderfully creative talisman who book-ended a decade at the cutting edge of Serie A with a Scudetto win at either side, he was at his zenith during Sampdoria’s 1990-91 triumph. Here, as with Sampdoria, he’ll be at home playing on the counter, and he’ll be in his element supplying two prolific goalscorers.
Attack: Batistuta’s credentials bear comparison with any forward in the draft: 151 goals in 243 Serie A games across the decade, all of them playing outside of the traditional powerhouse clubs for Fiorentina, with a high-water mark of 26 goals in 32 games in 1994-95. He’s in a familiar system here, and he’ll thrive off the creativity of Mancini and his dynamic, hard-running partner Enrico Chiesa, a consistently good performer across the decade who hit an astonishing peak in 1995-96 (playing with one Roberto Mancini at Sampdoria) of 22 goals in 27 Serie A appearances. A scorer of great goals as well as a great goalscorer, Chiesa had an incredible knack for the spectacular from long-range – videos to follow in the match thread.
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