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 TUPPET
VS
TEAM GIO/THEON
TUPPET TACTICS
We are playing in a lopsided 4-2-3-1 formation and will be looking to play direct & attacking football. The 3 behind the striker are all versatile players, comfortable over any attacking position in center or wide areas. The idea is to get compact through center while defending and then spread out quickly on a counter attack. This is helped by work rate of Gullit & Hassler.
My midfield 2 of Berti-Tommasi provides a solid platform for attacker to work and Scifo as the playmaker of the team should benefit greatly from so many hard working, technical runners around him.
My defense is the usual 4 person defense with attacking fullbacks (Brehme more attacking than Petrescu) and a world class CB combo through center backed by a fantastic goal keeper. Blanc is my ball playing defender and provides a great outball from deep.
More expended detail on players and their roles -
Attack
Voller is playing as traditional number 9, nicknamed by Roma fans il tedesco volante" ("the flying German") he would primarily use his experience, pace & finishing to pin opposition CB back. We're using him in his 90-91 season when he won Copa Itallia with Roma, reached UEFA cup final and finished as their top scorer.
Gullit is playing as a Second Striker from left side, supporting Voller in goal scoring duties. On average he'd be starting higher than Hassler on the other wing but he'll drop deep while defending and use his unmatched physicality and heading prowess while attacking, cutting in on his favored right foot. His fantastic heading is crucial for us to make full use of crossing of Brehme, Hassler & Petrescu. Even though its post-injury Gullit he was still a world class player and is one of the best attacker in the draft. He was an essential part of the Capello's Milan starting 52 times in the league in two seasons of winning back to back serie A in 91 & 92. He than proved his class again by leading Sampdoria to Coppa Italia & a 3rd place Serie A finish in 94 as their top scorer.
Hassler was one of the finest midfielder in the 90s and is in bang in the middle of his peak here. He'll be playing as a right sided attacking midfielder role and would help in playmaking duties. He would also be helping in the midfield when required with his non stop work rate. He is my main source of width on the right side and I am hoping for him to dominate that flank. He was a very good dribbler and had a great cross on him. We're using him in his 91-94 Roma stint where he reached to Coppa Italia final and came third in world player of the year ratings.
Midfield
Enzo Scifo is my primary playmaker. He was a classic old school playmaker in Rivera mode with tons of flair and skill, accurate passing, great vision and a good shot. Surrounded by hard working, technical player my hope is that he would make up for his lack of defensive work rate by providing great passes to my attacking trio. We're using him in his Torino Stint where he won Coppa Italia in 92-93 and reached UEFA cup final in 91-92.
Nicola Berti would be my B2B midfielder, providing some steel and tough tackling to my midfield. Berti was a complete midfielder and was one of the lynchpin of early 90s very successful Inter Milan side, winning UEFA cup 2 times in 92 & 94, scoring in both finals. His role here is to roam around and win the ball. He was a very good passer, had a great shot on him & was technically proficient and should mesh well with the likes of Gullit, Scifo and Hassler. He also won Inter player of the year in 94.
Damiano Tommasi is my holding midfielder. While not one of the biggest name he is exactly the kind of work horse required to balance my midfield and provide a solid platform for my attacking players. Tommasi was quick, strong, tenacious & hardworking, could play as DM, CM or CB, possessed good technique and was an accurate passer. He won Serie A & Pallone d'Argento in 2000-01 season and manager Capello labeled him as team's most important player.
Defense
Brehme is my left back and is primary width provider on the left side for my team. He is probably the best crosser on the field and is given complete freedom to attack. His crosses with Voller & Gullit's heading should be a good attacking route for my team.
Petrescu is slightly less attacking on the right side. Peterescu was exceptional in both defence and attack on the right . 95 international caps tells it's own story about Dan Petrescu, one of Romania's finest ever footballers. Rose to prominence in Serie A in that absolutely mental Foggia team under the tutelage of Zdeněk Zeman, Petrescu also played for Genoa in Italy during the decade. To add to his 95 international caps, Petrescu also played in four major International tournaments during the draft's timeframe.
Laurent Blanc is my ball playing CB. He was already named Europe's best CB in 98 & 99 when he was signed by Inter milan, where he continued his superb form and was named Inter's player of the year for year 2000.
Luigi Appolini would be my stopper CB to form a solid partnership with Blanc. Appolini in 90s was one of the many victims of Italy's riches in defensive positions. Still he did manage to play in the 94 final where he kept clean sheet along with Baresi only to lose on penalties. In league Appolini was a rock for Parma throughout the 90s. Winning Coppa Italia 2 times and the UEFA cup two times.
Michael Konsel rounds off the defense as a world class GK. Considered to be one of the greatest Austrian goalkeepers of all time (having been elected the third-best Austrian Goalkeeper of the 20th Century). one of Roma's best ever goalkeepers, Konsel was a consistent and efficient goalkeeper, who stood out for his shot-stopping ability and longevity throughout his career. Nicknamed the panther, he possessed good reflexes and, having played both as midfielder & defender in his youth, was also known for his ability with the ball at his feet, as well as his speed and adeptness when coming off his line to collect crosses or when rushing out to anticipate opponents.
GIO/THEON TACTICS
DEFENCE
The defence is built around two of the meanest units in 90's Serie A - Baresi's Milan unquestionably remain the gold standard for defending during the era and unsurprisingly recorded the best defensive record across the decade (15 goals conceded in 93/94), but just as impressive was the Torino defence in 91/92 led Cravero which conceded just 20 goals - the second best defensive record in the entire decade.
Given those credentials its no surprise that the heart of the defence contains three of the highest peaks in the draft- with the central trio rated the 1st, 2nd and 3rd best performers (in any position) during the 90/91 season:
Serie A 1990/91: highest rated players
Reuniting the impregnable Zenga-Baresi axis from Italia '90, Zenga's three IFFHS World Goalkeeper of the Year awards mark him out as one of the finest keepers in the pool. On the left is Luigi De Agostino, who was also part of that famous Italian World Cup '90 defence, and whose energetic presence replaced Antonio Cabrini down the left for Juventus and Italy. To the right is Cravero's partner in crime Pasquale Bruno, whose physicality and relentlessly ruthless defending was an important part of that great Torino side.
MIDFIELD
We expect the all-conquering Juventus partnership of Didier Deschamps (highest rated midfielder in 96/97) and Paulo Sousa (Serie A Player of the Year in 94/95, third highest rated midfielder in Europe) to take meaningful control of the midfield - both fit the theme to a tee, playing their best football in the era and forming one of the most complimentary pairings of the decade.
To their right Mazinho replicates his hybrid CM-RM role which he performed for distinction with Brazil (winning the World Cup in '94) and Lecce and Fiorentina during the early '90s. The trio is packed with physicality and defensive solidity - as well as cultured distribution from the technically excellent Sousa.
ATTACK
Linking the midfield is Roma legend Guiseppe Giannini, a superb technician and playmaker who captained the side as the talismanic #10 figurehead prior to the rise of Francesco Totti. With his work-ethic Giannini was comfortable playing across the midfield and will contribute to both phases of the game, but primarily he will move into pockets of space to thread balls through to the electric Ruben Sosa and George Weah spearheading the attack.
Sosa and Weah were all-round attackers who both hit their peaks in 90's Serie A - Sosa smashing in 20 strikes in 28 games in 92/93, and Weah securing a Ballon D'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year in 94/95. With their electric pace both players are lethal on the counter attack (something Weah performed for Milan with huge success) and both fit the formation given their ability to roam wide and penetrate through the channels.
WHY WE WILL WIN
TEAM TUPPET
VS
TEAM GIO/THEON
We are playing in a lopsided 4-2-3-1 formation and will be looking to play direct & attacking football. The 3 behind the striker are all versatile players, comfortable over any attacking position in center or wide areas. The idea is to get compact through center while defending and then spread out quickly on a counter attack. This is helped by work rate of Gullit & Hassler.
My midfield 2 of Berti-Tommasi provides a solid platform for attacker to work and Scifo as the playmaker of the team should benefit greatly from so many hard working, technical runners around him.
My defense is the usual 4 person defense with attacking fullbacks (Brehme more attacking than Petrescu) and a world class CB combo through center backed by a fantastic goal keeper. Blanc is my ball playing defender and provides a great outball from deep.
More expended detail on players and their roles -
Attack
Voller is playing as traditional number 9, nicknamed by Roma fans il tedesco volante" ("the flying German") he would primarily use his experience, pace & finishing to pin opposition CB back. We're using him in his 90-91 season when he won Copa Itallia with Roma, reached UEFA cup final and finished as their top scorer.
Gullit is playing as a Second Striker from left side, supporting Voller in goal scoring duties. On average he'd be starting higher than Hassler on the other wing but he'll drop deep while defending and use his unmatched physicality and heading prowess while attacking, cutting in on his favored right foot. His fantastic heading is crucial for us to make full use of crossing of Brehme, Hassler & Petrescu. Even though its post-injury Gullit he was still a world class player and is one of the best attacker in the draft. He was an essential part of the Capello's Milan starting 52 times in the league in two seasons of winning back to back serie A in 91 & 92. He than proved his class again by leading Sampdoria to Coppa Italia & a 3rd place Serie A finish in 94 as their top scorer.
Hassler was one of the finest midfielder in the 90s and is in bang in the middle of his peak here. He'll be playing as a right sided attacking midfielder role and would help in playmaking duties. He would also be helping in the midfield when required with his non stop work rate. He is my main source of width on the right side and I am hoping for him to dominate that flank. He was a very good dribbler and had a great cross on him. We're using him in his 91-94 Roma stint where he reached to Coppa Italia final and came third in world player of the year ratings.
Midfield
Enzo Scifo is my primary playmaker. He was a classic old school playmaker in Rivera mode with tons of flair and skill, accurate passing, great vision and a good shot. Surrounded by hard working, technical player my hope is that he would make up for his lack of defensive work rate by providing great passes to my attacking trio. We're using him in his Torino Stint where he won Coppa Italia in 92-93 and reached UEFA cup final in 91-92.
Nicola Berti would be my B2B midfielder, providing some steel and tough tackling to my midfield. Berti was a complete midfielder and was one of the lynchpin of early 90s very successful Inter Milan side, winning UEFA cup 2 times in 92 & 94, scoring in both finals. His role here is to roam around and win the ball. He was a very good passer, had a great shot on him & was technically proficient and should mesh well with the likes of Gullit, Scifo and Hassler. He also won Inter player of the year in 94.
Damiano Tommasi is my holding midfielder. While not one of the biggest name he is exactly the kind of work horse required to balance my midfield and provide a solid platform for my attacking players. Tommasi was quick, strong, tenacious & hardworking, could play as DM, CM or CB, possessed good technique and was an accurate passer. He won Serie A & Pallone d'Argento in 2000-01 season and manager Capello labeled him as team's most important player.
Defense
Brehme is my left back and is primary width provider on the left side for my team. He is probably the best crosser on the field and is given complete freedom to attack. His crosses with Voller & Gullit's heading should be a good attacking route for my team.
Petrescu is slightly less attacking on the right side. Peterescu was exceptional in both defence and attack on the right . 95 international caps tells it's own story about Dan Petrescu, one of Romania's finest ever footballers. Rose to prominence in Serie A in that absolutely mental Foggia team under the tutelage of Zdeněk Zeman, Petrescu also played for Genoa in Italy during the decade. To add to his 95 international caps, Petrescu also played in four major International tournaments during the draft's timeframe.
Laurent Blanc is my ball playing CB. He was already named Europe's best CB in 98 & 99 when he was signed by Inter milan, where he continued his superb form and was named Inter's player of the year for year 2000.
Luigi Appolini would be my stopper CB to form a solid partnership with Blanc. Appolini in 90s was one of the many victims of Italy's riches in defensive positions. Still he did manage to play in the 94 final where he kept clean sheet along with Baresi only to lose on penalties. In league Appolini was a rock for Parma throughout the 90s. Winning Coppa Italia 2 times and the UEFA cup two times.
Michael Konsel rounds off the defense as a world class GK. Considered to be one of the greatest Austrian goalkeepers of all time (having been elected the third-best Austrian Goalkeeper of the 20th Century). one of Roma's best ever goalkeepers, Konsel was a consistent and efficient goalkeeper, who stood out for his shot-stopping ability and longevity throughout his career. Nicknamed the panther, he possessed good reflexes and, having played both as midfielder & defender in his youth, was also known for his ability with the ball at his feet, as well as his speed and adeptness when coming off his line to collect crosses or when rushing out to anticipate opponents.
GIO/THEON TACTICS
DEFENCE
The defence is built around two of the meanest units in 90's Serie A - Baresi's Milan unquestionably remain the gold standard for defending during the era and unsurprisingly recorded the best defensive record across the decade (15 goals conceded in 93/94), but just as impressive was the Torino defence in 91/92 led Cravero which conceded just 20 goals - the second best defensive record in the entire decade.
Given those credentials its no surprise that the heart of the defence contains three of the highest peaks in the draft- with the central trio rated the 1st, 2nd and 3rd best performers (in any position) during the 90/91 season:
Serie A 1990/91: highest rated players
Reuniting the impregnable Zenga-Baresi axis from Italia '90, Zenga's three IFFHS World Goalkeeper of the Year awards mark him out as one of the finest keepers in the pool. On the left is Luigi De Agostino, who was also part of that famous Italian World Cup '90 defence, and whose energetic presence replaced Antonio Cabrini down the left for Juventus and Italy. To the right is Cravero's partner in crime Pasquale Bruno, whose physicality and relentlessly ruthless defending was an important part of that great Torino side.
MIDFIELD
We expect the all-conquering Juventus partnership of Didier Deschamps (highest rated midfielder in 96/97) and Paulo Sousa (Serie A Player of the Year in 94/95, third highest rated midfielder in Europe) to take meaningful control of the midfield - both fit the theme to a tee, playing their best football in the era and forming one of the most complimentary pairings of the decade.
To their right Mazinho replicates his hybrid CM-RM role which he performed for distinction with Brazil (winning the World Cup in '94) and Lecce and Fiorentina during the early '90s. The trio is packed with physicality and defensive solidity - as well as cultured distribution from the technically excellent Sousa.
ATTACK
Linking the midfield is Roma legend Guiseppe Giannini, a superb technician and playmaker who captained the side as the talismanic #10 figurehead prior to the rise of Francesco Totti. With his work-ethic Giannini was comfortable playing across the midfield and will contribute to both phases of the game, but primarily he will move into pockets of space to thread balls through to the electric Ruben Sosa and George Weah spearheading the attack.
Sosa and Weah were all-round attackers who both hit their peaks in 90's Serie A - Sosa smashing in 20 strikes in 28 games in 92/93, and Weah securing a Ballon D'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year in 94/95. With their electric pace both players are lethal on the counter attack (something Weah performed for Milan with huge success) and both fit the formation given their ability to roam wide and penetrate through the channels.
WHY WE WILL WIN
- Far better goalkeeper - The difference in quality between three-time IFFHS Goalkeeper of the Year winner Zenga and a 35-37-year-old Konsel couldn't be wider.
- Midfield superiority - Although Berti is a solid campaigner, Tommasi's peak (if he starts) is arguably 01/03. By contrast, we have Deschamps, Sousa and Mazinho who reached some of the highest peaks in the whole of 90's Serie A. Given the calibre of the supporting cast, the deep-lying playmaking of Sousa should be too hot to handle and should provide the foundation for midfield control.
- Ability to contain - As leaders of the two meanest defences in all of 90's Serie A, Baresi and Cravero can weather their way out of any storm - particularly with the likes of Deschamps patrolling the middle of the park.
- Ability to counter - On the break Sosa and Weah are explosive and likely to burn past Apolloni and Blanc with their pace and sheer power - Weah became the best player in the world doing just this in a counter-attacking Milan side and he's as likely as anyone on the park to make the difference.
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