Fortitude....................................................................................................................................Zlatan 7
..........VS...........
Team Fortitude (J. Altafini dropped)
High press with high line and aggressive attack.
Defensive line: pace, aggression, aerial competence, physical strength, intelligence and reading of play plus two centrebacks who are able to play up and out of defense to open men on the inside or outside of them. I have confidence in the CB-pairing against any type of striker or support striker. Both full-backs are impressive overlappers and Kimmich has a wand for a foot, essentially being my Junior as and when necessary when not only joining the attack, but loitering in midfield when required and aiding the press.
Midfield: Rock-solid. Passing, pressing, press resistance, stamina, tackling, intercepting, reading of play, counter-attacking, aggression, mobility, defensive height, shooting and all three of them can switch positions on a whim, which not only enables formation flexibility, but also means there's no bad position to put them in i.e. my DM is being covered by a CM or AM; in this midfield, it amounts to the same thing as all of them are fluid and capable as DM's, CM's and no slouches in attack.
Attack: My front line is teeming with quality, flexibility and dynamism. Finney is my star man - a Cristiano before Cristiano and he will be a lethal proposition whether driving to the byline, cutting inside or plain supplying the tenacious terror, Carlos Tevez. With Tevez in place of Altafini for this game, I may lose some polish and finnesse, but I will gain more doggedness and outright ferocity from the Argentine pitbull.
Hoeneß is aggression and proactivity personified and not only will he drive to the box in attack, he will drop deep into midfield and link up with Kimmich, Hanappi and sometimes Haan as and when required to do so. His energy and intelligence combined with Kimmich and Hanappi makes for one of the hardest working and dynamic flanks in the draft outright. I am confident in him and it in both directions.
Arie Haan is one of, if not the greatest long-range shooter of all time. It would be downright negligent for any side to let him play from deep, which is great for me as it forces action towards him and makes simply holding position and trying to pick my players off very difficult to do. The moment the opposition decide to engage, the midfield carousal ensues, by which Toninho Cerezo and Hanappi both get space to work on or off the ball.
Cerezo is my ball retainer in midfield, and again, one of the best midfielders in the entire draft in this particular aspect of play. He is adept in any style of play or opportunistic scenario via his passing, dribbling and intelligence. I cannot say I have special plans in place for Zlatan 7 as my team will be the one pushing the pace and theirs, reacting to it. There is a lack of outstanding pace in Zlatan's attack, which means they will have to nurture the ball and build with considered football. Busquets is press resistant; Seedorf is a strong and rounded central midfielder, but I feel the rest of the components in the side are overkill for a 3-man midfield and in a 2, with Donadoni and Ginola flanking, they are extremely narrow with only decent overlappers in Pearce and Rezeiger to provide width. Overall, I don't believe this midfield to be potent enough against such an oppressive unit as I have
Just as verses Theoga, there's a question to be answered in how long Zlatan's side can hang with mine in terms of engines and high intensity play. My team is set up to be relentless, and with Tevez added, that has only redoubled the oppressive force - I just don't know if there is enough wind in Zlatan's proverbial sails to rebuff my marauders. My attack is individually problematic, but also collectively a very dogged unit - I feel one way, or another, they'll get the job done.
Team Zlatan 7 (A. Barzagli dropped)
This time using more width with Ginola and donadoni to get at the fullbacks keeping them pinned back or exploiting the space behind them
Good luck @Fortitude @Zlatan 7
