Moby
Invictus
Moby
For the final, we have transformed into a standard 5-2-1-2 formation based on an unbreakable defensive line, all action powerhouses in midfield and a trio of absolute geniuses in attack.
Watertight defensive line led by the defensive general Gaetano Scirea bringing in tremendous presence at the back and organising the defense with his leadership skills and providing that touch of genius in defense, a man absolutely crucial for that defense to be at their best, not to mention his unrivalled ability to distribute the ball from defense or carry it forward. Flanking him are two absolutely complete defenders comprising the all action defensive juggernaut Paul McGrath and one of the best Bundesliga defenders and another all round defensive rock in Rune Bratseth - a true force in defense and also capable of doing this.
The all important wingbacks are two German world champions - the unmatched two way game of Andreas Brehmeand the outstanding man marker and defensive colossus in Berti Vogts. Not much needs to be said about Brehme as a wing-back after his dominating performances in this role to win Germany the 1990 WC, as for Vogts, there's little doubt on his defense and going forward he was a crucial cog in the Gladback team of the 70s.
Two absolute powerhouses ahead of them marshalling the midfield area in Graeme Souness and Frank Rijkaard - the two are absolutely tactically astute, tremendously hard working midfield generals with both having the class and ability on the ball to flip the action in seconds.
Last but not the least - The Brazilian Trio!
The mouthwatering combination of the creative genius of Zico, the technical mastery of Tostao and the explosive goalscorer Romario. All three pack an elite level of technique, skill, flair, dribbling and goalscoring - all three have bucket loads of goals in their careers both at the club and national levels and it will be a mammoth task to outscore that unit!
Key Points:
Invictus
Formation: Balanced 4231
Player Profiles
We'll start by highlighting the wing wizards who've been cornerstones of the team since the Quarterfinals. George Best is considered by most to be the greatest winger of all time with Garrincha:
With this quartet, we believe we have the perfect cast to launch an onslaught through the wider areas in an effort to spread out the attack and create a blitzkrieg effect from all angles.
Spearheading the attack is probably the best Number 9 you could imagine, Marco Van Basten. The Flying Dutchman dominated defenders in the greatest and arguably toughest defensive environment of all time - late '80s and early '90s Serie A - evidenced by his record of 3 Ballon D'Or titles while playing in the league. He offers the perfect skillset for our team given the complete nature of his game - the mobility to get on the end of through balls, hold up play to act as a pivot for the central attacking midfielder, being an imposing target for Džajić and Best's deliveries, etc.
Orchestrating the game through the middle is the latest addition to the team, Diego Maradona. We could wax lyrical all the livelong day, but as this FourFourTwo article points out - If you’ve seen Diego Maradona with a ball at his feet, you’ll understand - so we'll just let this video speak for itself:
Patrolling the center of the park is the monstrous box-to-box tandem of Der Terminator Lothar Matthäus, and French legend Jean Tigana - two complete midfielders capable of magic on the ball whilst also providing drive, energy and defensive fortitude in a crucial area of the pitch. In our opinion Matthäus is the best central midfielder of all time, and Tigana one of the greatest defensive box-to-box players along with the likes of Keane. They should be able to provide a tireless and concrete platform for the likes of El Pibe de Oro and El Beatle to work their magic.
Behind them - acting as the anchors of defense is the complementary pairing of Le Président Laurent Blanc: ballplayer extraordinaire, an astute defender and a natural master-of-puppets from deep, and lo Zar (the Tsar) Pietro Vierchowod: one of the most accomplished and ruthless stoppers of all time, and the epitome of unflinching Italian defensive spirit as regards blocking Romário:
Why we should win:
1. Superiority in wider areas: this has been a recurring theme throughout the tournament. We were quite fortunate to pick Džajić and McGrain and Lato in the drafting phase. And then Best and Krol served as timely reinforcements. In our opinion, we consistently had the best wings in the draft ever since @Tuppet got eliminated in Round 1 - and that remains the case in this match - which should give us a distinct advantage in case the central-ish areas become too congested for our liking.
2. More threatening attack: the addition of Maradona serves as a timely boost for the final. Maradona of the Carpathians was a brilliant player and served us well as the creator in chief in previous rounds, but the original namesake adds extra dimensions to the attack behind Van Basten as the best player in this draft and arguably the most creative player of all time - while also taking the attention away from Džajić and Best because you can only mind so many threatening players as regards individual marking before the opposition's defensive system collapses on itself.
3. Since both teams are quite strong through the spine, it could come down to favorable individual matchups in certain areas. One such matchup is Van Basten vs. Scirea - the former was a top, top defender - but not the greatest in the air when he was isolated against taller players boasting a great leap. That's one department where Marco could and should cause him trouble with precise crosses from Best, Krol and Džajić - and lobs from Maradona.
Another thing to be considered is the players' records against each other - how big of a factor the will end up being is subjective and up for debate, but it does give us a historical reference point in terms of the narrative. e.g. Rijkaard was an incredible player who shut down some of the best players in football history, but Maradona ran him ragged on several occasions - including this 4-1 demolition job in 1988/89.
4. Strength in defense: our team features a rock-solid and highly complementary central defensive partnership with Vierchowod and Blanc. And they're flanked by the rugged McGrain and the masterful Krol. You could point out that the opposition has an expert orchestrator like Scirea to conduct things and that's a fair observation, but Krol captained the Netherlands to the 1978 World Cup final and was exalted for his tactical intelligence and leadership - qualities that made him an idol for the likes of Franco Baresi:
Invictus
Moby
For the final, we have transformed into a standard 5-2-1-2 formation based on an unbreakable defensive line, all action powerhouses in midfield and a trio of absolute geniuses in attack.
Watertight defensive line led by the defensive general Gaetano Scirea bringing in tremendous presence at the back and organising the defense with his leadership skills and providing that touch of genius in defense, a man absolutely crucial for that defense to be at their best, not to mention his unrivalled ability to distribute the ball from defense or carry it forward. Flanking him are two absolutely complete defenders comprising the all action defensive juggernaut Paul McGrath and one of the best Bundesliga defenders and another all round defensive rock in Rune Bratseth - a true force in defense and also capable of doing this.
The all important wingbacks are two German world champions - the unmatched two way game of Andreas Brehmeand the outstanding man marker and defensive colossus in Berti Vogts. Not much needs to be said about Brehme as a wing-back after his dominating performances in this role to win Germany the 1990 WC, as for Vogts, there's little doubt on his defense and going forward he was a crucial cog in the Gladback team of the 70s.
Two absolute powerhouses ahead of them marshalling the midfield area in Graeme Souness and Frank Rijkaard - the two are absolutely tactically astute, tremendously hard working midfield generals with both having the class and ability on the ball to flip the action in seconds.
Last but not the least - The Brazilian Trio!
The mouthwatering combination of the creative genius of Zico, the technical mastery of Tostao and the explosive goalscorer Romario. All three pack an elite level of technique, skill, flair, dribbling and goalscoring - all three have bucket loads of goals in their careers both at the club and national levels and it will be a mammoth task to outscore that unit!
Key Points:
- A combative defensive line that will get stuck in and provide a massive guard for the goalie.
- A powerful midfield unit making it a massive back 7 to break up. Rijkaard's ability to drop into defense particularly useful here during the instances Scirea/Bratseth/McGrath charge forward with the ball.
- Incredible ability on the ball at the back with all three of Scirea, Bratseth and McGrath capable of distributing it forward and carrying it when needed.
- An all time great orchestrator at the heart of the game.
- Two great forwards leading the attack complimenting each other perfectly with Tostao playing off Romario.
- The sheer amount of goal tally in that attack and the Brazilian chemistry that would elevate the entire performance even further.
- The key USP of this team being it's offense will be overwhelming for the CB pair who no doubt are good defenders but are facing an incredible attacking force with none other than Zico feeding them. There is a disparity in the quality of defenses in the two teams.
- With a front two, the defense will require support from the midfield to handle them, hence reducing their ability to dominate the game on the frontfoot and curbing their attacking game.
- The ability of Zico to constantly shuttle between an orchestrator to a goalscorer with plenty of playmaking ability in midfield and defense will constantly create confusions in the defensive shape and create spaces.
- Absolutely elite goalscoring ability that would be more clinical of the two teams and put away all the chances that come their way.
- Quality delivery from out wide from the likes of Brehme adding to the list of attacking weapons in the team.
- A formidable defensive midfield pairing with possibly the greatest defensive midfielder of all time - as good as you can get to tackle someone like Maradona.
- To add to that, a defense led by none other than Gaetano Scirea (who has faced and stopped Maradona before) with 4 quality defenders around him is as good as it gets to contain that attack.
Invictus
Formation: Balanced 4231
Player Profiles
We'll start by highlighting the wing wizards who've been cornerstones of the team since the Quarterfinals. George Best is considered by most to be the greatest winger of all time with Garrincha:
And on the other side is the second best winger in the pool, Dragan Džajić - who's probably a Top 5 all-time winger in his own right:
Backing them is the balanced duo of Danny McGrain (arguably the greatest rightback in British football and a consummate defenders' defender). And someone who's regarded as one of the absolute best defenders of all time - the Total Defender given his legendary performances both out wide and as a sweeper, and arguably the best fullback in the pool, Ruud Krol.
With this quartet, we believe we have the perfect cast to launch an onslaught through the wider areas in an effort to spread out the attack and create a blitzkrieg effect from all angles.
Spearheading the attack is probably the best Number 9 you could imagine, Marco Van Basten. The Flying Dutchman dominated defenders in the greatest and arguably toughest defensive environment of all time - late '80s and early '90s Serie A - evidenced by his record of 3 Ballon D'Or titles while playing in the league. He offers the perfect skillset for our team given the complete nature of his game - the mobility to get on the end of through balls, hold up play to act as a pivot for the central attacking midfielder, being an imposing target for Džajić and Best's deliveries, etc.
Orchestrating the game through the middle is the latest addition to the team, Diego Maradona. We could wax lyrical all the livelong day, but as this FourFourTwo article points out - If you’ve seen Diego Maradona with a ball at his feet, you’ll understand - so we'll just let this video speak for itself:
Patrolling the center of the park is the monstrous box-to-box tandem of Der Terminator Lothar Matthäus, and French legend Jean Tigana - two complete midfielders capable of magic on the ball whilst also providing drive, energy and defensive fortitude in a crucial area of the pitch. In our opinion Matthäus is the best central midfielder of all time, and Tigana one of the greatest defensive box-to-box players along with the likes of Keane. They should be able to provide a tireless and concrete platform for the likes of El Pibe de Oro and El Beatle to work their magic.
Behind them - acting as the anchors of defense is the complementary pairing of Le Président Laurent Blanc: ballplayer extraordinaire, an astute defender and a natural master-of-puppets from deep, and lo Zar (the Tsar) Pietro Vierchowod: one of the most accomplished and ruthless stoppers of all time, and the epitome of unflinching Italian defensive spirit as regards blocking Romário:
Why we should win:
1. Superiority in wider areas: this has been a recurring theme throughout the tournament. We were quite fortunate to pick Džajić and McGrain and Lato in the drafting phase. And then Best and Krol served as timely reinforcements. In our opinion, we consistently had the best wings in the draft ever since @Tuppet got eliminated in Round 1 - and that remains the case in this match - which should give us a distinct advantage in case the central-ish areas become too congested for our liking.
2. More threatening attack: the addition of Maradona serves as a timely boost for the final. Maradona of the Carpathians was a brilliant player and served us well as the creator in chief in previous rounds, but the original namesake adds extra dimensions to the attack behind Van Basten as the best player in this draft and arguably the most creative player of all time - while also taking the attention away from Džajić and Best because you can only mind so many threatening players as regards individual marking before the opposition's defensive system collapses on itself.
3. Since both teams are quite strong through the spine, it could come down to favorable individual matchups in certain areas. One such matchup is Van Basten vs. Scirea - the former was a top, top defender - but not the greatest in the air when he was isolated against taller players boasting a great leap. That's one department where Marco could and should cause him trouble with precise crosses from Best, Krol and Džajić - and lobs from Maradona.
Another thing to be considered is the players' records against each other - how big of a factor the will end up being is subjective and up for debate, but it does give us a historical reference point in terms of the narrative. e.g. Rijkaard was an incredible player who shut down some of the best players in football history, but Maradona ran him ragged on several occasions - including this 4-1 demolition job in 1988/89.
4. Strength in defense: our team features a rock-solid and highly complementary central defensive partnership with Vierchowod and Blanc. And they're flanked by the rugged McGrain and the masterful Krol. You could point out that the opposition has an expert orchestrator like Scirea to conduct things and that's a fair observation, but Krol captained the Netherlands to the 1978 World Cup final and was exalted for his tactical intelligence and leadership - qualities that made him an idol for the likes of Franco Baresi:
Vierchowod captained Sampdoria in peak Serie A, Blanc the French national team while being an adept reader of the game, and McGrain led Celtic for close to a decade. With that cast, we should be able to limit the opposition attack. And if the defensive line is breached, the opposition will face the gargantuan figure of Peter Schmeichel - who's among the greatest keepers ever and definitely the best in this pool. All in all this group won 2 World Cups - while reaching 3 additional finals, 2 European Championships, 4 European Cups - while reaching 3 additional finals, and 26 League titles - so it boasts an eclectic mix of defensive nous, tactical intelligence, and experience in terms of individual and collective quality.
