Just a flexibility option. If I have ball in left flank and Cruyff is dragging Vogts out wide, Bettega will move to middle with Weah stretching play ahead. Shows flexibility both ways.
Point I mention above. Defending a lead.
The goal is in the middle though and protected just fine.Don't need to. Against your "non-existant" flank defence, my grandmother can move the ball forward effectively.
If only protecting the goal was as simple of putting some people there. McGrath is a weakness you can't afford.
Based on what? He's asked to defend a fairly central threat here in Bettega, not much problem for the guy who took out Baggio while not being 100% fit.
Come on, that's just nonsense.
This isn't the first time he would be coming against a mobile forward. He's a cracking defender first and foremost and here he's defending a forward who isn't going to go wider than his comfort zone, that's his job, period. He'll have 4 other defenders next to him, your midfield isn't gonna throw much to load my duo off the ball and they'd gladly help out in plugging any spaces.
Now you are going all anto
Now you are going all anto
It was a bit tongue in cheek but going all anto would be saying that will decide the game, I'm not saying that, but it's definitely a factor - match preparation and anticipating your opponent matters in big games, it's what makes managers good 'tactically' when they are tactically prepared.You are making it sound like I am playing with 10 men.
Fixed.
I'm not going to get dragged down when you misrepresent a fairly famous player. Mobile forward is not wing forward. He's played left wing for Italy and Right Wing for Juventus. Gigted, good workrate and a classic supporting striker.
Yeah, you have Demyanenko and Bettega getting some joy.
Won't Cruyff be even more central than Bettega?
Really?
Neither could. McGrath didn't.
Tbf, he wasn't a man marker either (United or Villa) ..... but that didn't seem to bother him when he was asked to man mark Baggio in the WC and took him out of the game?
That's the point. Cover whom? Without fullbacks, he'll have to handle Demyanenko and Cruyff all alone.
Aye, at the end this is what it shades it for me. Laudrup in there could be a different picture I guess, but across the pitch Moby has a bit more quality.
I know this is late but yeah update no problem.And Frankly, it doesn't matter at all.
Tactical Change: @Physiocrat can I update OP with this?
Cruyff and Bettega switch flanks. Cruyff will face an out of position McGrath and my advantage is enhanced.
Might as well play Laudrup there instead of Bettega and with Cruyff moving up, but then that plays right into Rijkaard and Souness' hands.Partly related to that and moreso due to the general tactics and shape of the match, I think I'd have preferred a formation graphic and tactic that overtly committed to contaiment and counter-attacking:
Figueroa placed firmly in the defensive line, the whoe team pulled deeper, and Bettega and Weah as more of a classic partnership: harassing the deeper players in Aldo's build up, working channels, linking up on attack, with Cruyff dropping deep to orchestrate it all as soon as they regain possession.
This, this and this.I've got some sympathy with Edgar's tactical arguments regarding his wing backs here. Sure, on the balance of play they'll be pegged back alot of the time by Aldo's wingers, but I'm not convinced by the argument that they can't afford to attack at all. Firstly, there's just not much of a quality differential between EAP's wing backs and Aldo's wingers. More importantly, it just doesn't really tally with how football is played these days. Particurly with a very well-constructed three man central defence and a defensively-orientated central midfield, one of Demyanenko and Branco can risk getting forward in possession without constantly being exposed on the counter. In Branco's case he doesn't even need to advance that far to bring that brilliant left peg into effect.
That said, I'm not convinced that McGrath would have had the nightmarish game against Bettega that was suggested (Cruyff presents a different set of problems entirely). He was excellent covering in wide areas as a centre back, has played at full back albeit at right back, and Joga made a great all touches video of him in a left-sided midfield role against Platini's Juventus.
Also, Bettega really needs more exploration as a player in one of these drafts. I know he played as a right-sided attacker later in his career, but I don't think we've seen any footage of significance (or any footage at all?) of how he played that role. From the bits and pieces I've seen and read he seems decidedly like a centre forward who was played out there due to workrate and tactical discipline rather than a natural fit as a wide man.
Partly related to that and moreso due to the general tactics and shape of the match, I think I'd have preferred a formation graphic and tactic that overtly committed to containment and counter-attacking:
Figueroa placed firmly in the defensive line, the whoe team pulled deeper, and Bettega and Weah as more of a classic partnership: harassing the deeper players in Aldo's build up, working channels, linking up on attack, with Cruyff dropping deep to orchestrate it all as soon as they regain possession.
I think it would work like a charm against Edgar's set-up. I do think it would be weak against other tactics but against this one, it works well.
I think you could have potentially started the match with McGrath on the right and Vogts as the LCB. Vogts has played on the left before, most notably against Johnstone in the WC qualifiers where he kept him quiet on both (iirc) occasions. Likewise, McGrath is relatively more comfortable on the right, always playing as the RCB and even as an RB at times (such as that display against Netherlands in Euro 1988 and against the Danish Dynamites for eg). It would make more sense with Rijkaard being there as the DM dropping into defense, I'd much rather Vogts on the left flank than McGrath myself.Won't Cruyff be even more central than Bettega?
Also, I can also switch Vogts and McGrath.
Thanks for that. I thought he was using the 60s Pele then but yes the width provision was the main problem.
Yeah, that had crossed my mind, and it would have made sense. I personally didn't see a big deal in which side either of them play given that even with Vogts on the right I've not exactly put him there for his ability out wide - they have identical jobs and that are primarily of out and out defensive roles that would work in tandem with Scirea. It's a fairly simplistic defensive profile for which the primary skillset required in terms of pure defending is possessed by both at around the same degree. I also expected Cruyff to start on the left so that just tilted the scale a little bit given Vogts' history with him but neither would be having any particular difficulty defending those inside channels either side in my opinion.
I really don't see what Bettega brings, especially in counter attacking approach that Laudrup can't deliver, along with his obvious upgrade on vision, technique and passing ability.
In the set up I posted? Laudrup would have hated it IMO and would likely have ended up going AWOL. If he was prone to drifting out of matches even in a favourable set up this really isn't his gig. Bettega would be far better in the defensive phase, better at foraging and feeding off scraps, and far more likely to nick a goal on the counter.
Aye, that's ringing some bells for me.
This is what I was on about!
It's not really McGrath vs Bettega....as you have an overlapping fullback supporting on either flank. A off position McGrath double teamed when I have possession is a clear mismatch imo.
This was what I had in mind, but with Rijkaard and Souness they have 2 GOAT DMs who can track Cruyff's movement centrally. I wanted him in a place where he can drift out wide and exploit space where Aldo doesn't have any players and link with wingbacks.
Simply put, Laudrup operates in front of his defence. Bettega will operate behind his defence.
Aye, the lack of anyone designated to track Demyanenko is problematic for Aldo in fairness, although you could put McGrath pretty much anywhere on the pitch and I'd struggle to accept that he won't get the job done
.In that formation graphic I was actually going to put the two arrows on Cruyff horizantally. Ideally you'd want about 8 arrows on him, just to show that he's going to roam absolutely anywhere to pick up the ball. Think his run to win the penalty vs West Germany in the 1974 WC final, where he's the deepest Dutch player on the pitch at one point except for their goalkeeper.
Aye, this, and Bettega's play with his back to goal is also a huge plus. This is a slightly odd example, picked solely as it happened to appear on my TV screen a few minutes ago, but look at how Boksic wins the ball for his goal from 0:50 in this video:
