------------------------------------ JIM BEAM-------------------------------------------------------------------------- PAT MUSTARD-----------------------------------
Jim Beam's write up:
Tactics: 4-3-3, high press, high possession with emphasis on dominating the game, players interchanging position during the attack.
Tom Finney goes to the right in a role that should suit him to the teeth in this set-up enabling him to cause havoc from his favorite position during Preston North End days.
Style of play: Emphasis not only on possession for the sake of it but on hurting the other team while being in possession through the gaps that open up. The team must act as a collective in both phases of the game.
Upgrades
Velimir Zajec
A two time Yugoslavian player of the year (1979, 1984) and one of the best Croatian players of all time, Dinamo Zagreb and Panathinaikos legend who also played as a midfielder, but his best performances came as a defender.
What makes the above achievement even more admirable is that he is the only defender to win it twice and only one along with Dragan Stojković who managed to win it twice.
As a Dinamo captain he was the leader of the team which won the Yugoslavian championship after 24 years (shorter then Pool, la!!) picking 2 cups before going to Panathinaikos where he again won 1 league trophy and 2 cups taking a very average team to the semi-final of European Cup in 1985 where they were thrown out by Liverpool.
For the Former Yugoslavia national team, Zajec played 36 games (1977-85), scored one goal, and was a captain of Yugoslavia 1982 World Cup squad held in Spain.
What he will bring to the team?
Velimir Zajec was a brilliant footballer first and foremost, positionally sound, calm, and confident in defence with great marking abilities and always on the front foot. To cut it short, he is the most skillful defender to come out of the former Yugoslavia. And his passing and ball-playing abilities were on another level. Yes, I would put him easily above even Velibor Vasović, not because I have him now, but just looking purely at the technique and the way they played. Just incredible for a defender as you can see from the rare footage.
The man just glided through the field if given the opportunity, with fantastic vision and passing, and will add even more to the already exceptional ball-playing ability of the team. He has a perfect environment with Camacho, Baresi, and Voronin or the way the team is shaped to be in his element.
João Manuel Vieira Pinto or shortly João Pinto
An already familiar name to most people. Blessed with playmaking and goalscoring ability and one of the key figures from the Portuguese "Golden Generation" along with Rui Costa and Luis Figo. A forward who was technically brilliant, but probably far more rated in Portugal then outside as he is considered as one of the best players that gave his best years to the Portuguese league.
What he will bring to the team?
Pinto was a technically brilliant player, possessing both great passing ability along with being a dangerous goalscorer (at his peak, in 3 seasons he scored 57 goals in 126 games for Benfica). He was a player who operated behind the main striker and all over the attacking line. He was also very aggressive in the defensive phase and had a knack for turning it on in the biggest games.
On the other side was a certain Luis Figo, but the game fully belonged to Pinto. The performance that evening was great as it could be and wouldn't be out of place in "best hat-tricks of all time" books, adding 2 assists with it and deciding the league title in the process.
Pat Mustard's write up:
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Style of Play: Counter-attacking with quick transitions. Fortress of a defence, bulwarked by a hard-working central midfield, is built to withstand protracted spells of pressure. All defenders are excellent on the ball too, and along with the technically adroit trio of Dunga, Modric and Magath, will provide a high quality of service to the match-winners up front.
Felix Magath:
Best known these days as a mentalist manager who attempts to treat injuries with cheese, Magath was an outstanding, technically magnificent attacking midfielder in his day. The nerve centre and orchestrator of an outstanding Hamburg team in the late 70s and early 80s, he won 3 Bundesliga titles, a European Cup and a European Cup-Winners Cup, as well as Euro 80 with West Germany. Rated world class once and international class 8 times by Germany's Kicker magazine, he twice featured in their team of the season, and was described by them as follows in July 1983 when he usurped the great Paul Breitner as ther highest-ranked offensive midfielder:
"In Felix Magath, Breitner has a worthy successor. To be sure, the playmaker of HSV does not appear as dynamic as Breitner but he is more inventive and technically superior. Wonderful are his crosses that he bends so well and his freekicks and his well-timed passes. Magath's fantastic ball control also was seen when he scored his "goal of the year" in Athens against Juventus. Too bad that the 29-year old has resigned from playing in the national team. Magath could be very useful for Derwall's team.
An all-touches video of his performance vs Nottingham Forest in the 1980 European Cup Final:
I've started making one for his match-winning performance vs Juve in the 183 European Cup final but I'm unlikely to get it finished before this match ends, but suffice to say he looks brilliant against illutrious opponents. Here's his winning goal anyway:
Luc Nilis:
"I’ve played with big players like Figo, Romario, Zidane, Rivaldo, Djorkaeff and Raul, but it clicked best with Luc Nilis, with whom I played at PSV.” Ronaldo
"He was the master for me." Ruud van Nistelrooy
High praise from two of the greatest forwards of their generation, and indicative of Nilis' cerebral and selfless style of play. The assist for Ruud at the start of this video illustrates this perfectly, squaring the ball for an easy tap-in rather than taking the shot himself:
Remarkably, given Ronaldo's meteoric rise at PSV, it was Nilis rather than the great Brazilian who won the Dutch Footballer of the Year award in 1995, which he followed up with two consecutive seasons where he finished as Eredivisie top scorer. Sadly, he suffered a career-ending injury only three matches into his stint at Aston Villa when he could have announced his talents to a broader audience, but not before scoring this superb debut goal:
Last edited:
)
.
