Author Topic: Balkan XI Draft:: Foregone Hazell v Jersey Kopite, Group D Match II (Read 1332 times)

deFacto please, you bastards · « **on:** July 7, 2019, 05:34:22 pm »

Foregone Hazell

Jersey Kopite

Foregone Hazell

Quote

Although Kyrgiakos lacks pace, he was solid defender and a Greek God. Corluka can cover him if necessary anyway and with Shaqiri and Salihamidzic out wide on their 'correct' side, Strinic and Seitaridis can also cover without worrying about venturing too far forward. This is because Tugay will be able to drop deeper and dictate play with Inler doing the dirty work, so to speak. Shaqiri and Salihamdizic will therefore be able to stay out wide and be in space to collect the ball or come inside (ooh-err) if the opposition fullback follows them too far wide. Their trickery/pace means either suits them fine. The former will allow them to get crosses in, David Moyes style to one of Gareth Keenan's dad's favourite footballers, Darko Kovacevic, and to Stoichkov whilst the latter will mean Stoichkov will be able to cause havoc from deeper as he links up with the wide players and ex-Sheffield Wednesday legend Kovacevic. Either way, the opposition is in trouble. The team will be backed ably by Stelea in goal, my second favourite goalkeeper with Bogdan in their name.

Jersey Kopite

Quote

Oblak - Cynics muttered when I picked a keeper early on. Let them chuckle. Jan Oblak is one of the highest rated keepers in the world and a good shout for the best Balkan keeper of all time. A star for Ateltico Madrid whom he helped to the Champions League final in 2016 and a Europa League win in 2018, he has consistently been rated the best keeper in Spain. He won Primeira Liga Best Goalkeeper in Portugal in 2013–14 and the Spanish equivalent for La Liga in 2015-2016 and 2017-2018, as well as winning the La Liga Zamora trophy for four consecutive seasons between 2015 and 2019, keeping 100 clean sheets in his first 178 games. An incredible feat for a top class 'keeper.

Iovan - You've probably not heard of Stefan Iovan. I know I hadn't. But that gives insufficient credit to the legacy of the first captain of a Balkan side to lift a European Cup. Iovan played for Steaua Bucharest for a decade, amassing 285 appearances, during which time the Romanian giants lifted 5 league titles and four national cups, as well as their sensational European Cup win in 1986. He helped his side keep a clean sheet against Barcelona in the final and followed in the footsteps of some of our own heroes from the preceding years by lifting Big Ears. He was capped for Romania 35 times in his career. Not a well known player in these shores but a hero in Romania for his achievements.

Manolas and Savic - Not a trendy pick as far as centre backs go, and not a hipster pick either. Two solid defenders, both currently carving out impressive careers at Europe's top clubs. Manolas, who in recent weeks moved from Roma to Napoli, was for some years a stalwart of the Giallorossi, a first team player for 5 years after his move from Olympiakos and one of Europe's most highly rated defenders. His wikipedia biography sums him up perfectly so I am shamelessly stealing it.

"Manolas possesses the speed to keep track of smaller, quicker attackers while also possessing the strength needed to battle with more physical opponents. Without the ball, he is both assertive and attentive, never neglecting his defensive duties and always keen for a challenge. He is also a deceptively quick footballer, given his size, able to sweep up behind a high-line but also having the versatility and discipline to play deeper. Few players better combine the virtues of an old-fashioned centre-half with the modern need to build play from the back."

Savic is perhaps underrated in England after an unremarkable spell at Manchester City, but he left the club with a Premier League winners medal to add to his earlier title with with Partizan Belgrade. His career was resurrected by Fiorentina where he played with distinction, helping the team maintain a regular place in the top four of Serie A ultimately earning a transfer to Ateltico Madrid where he has fought against the likes of Godin and Gimenez for first team football in Simeone's set up. With a similar record at Atletico to my keeper Oblak, he has formed a part of a side to restore real pride to Atletico Madrid and have them challenging at the top end of the table and in Europe. He has earned 50 caps for Montenegro (the fourth highest of any player since the formation of the national side) and scored 5 goals.

Fazlagic - I'm not going to claim to have an in depth knowledge of football in the Balkans in the 1960s. Suffice to say I found this name with a bit of research and it's hard not to be swept away by some of the stuff written about him. Wikipedia underplays his qualities by describing him as " a Bosnian-Herzegovinian retired professional footballer and manager, considered one of the best full-backs of his generation." He was a key player in Sarajevo's 1967 Yugoslav league win and was only knocked out of an early European Cup after a horrendous refereeing decision at Old Trafford, something we can all sympathise with. In 1971 he signed a pre-contract agreement with Juventus which would have made him the most expensive defender in the world at that point, but an injury scuppered his move. Fazlagić made 19 appearances for Yugoslavia and was the captain of Yugoslavia during the 1968 European Football Championship, where Yugoslavia finished runners up. He was named in the team of the tournament. A classy player who might have gone on to achieve even more of not for injury.

Basturk - 2002 was so nearly Basturk's year. His Leverkusen side were runners up in the league, made the Champions League final and Turkey went deep in the World Cup. Ultimately he was unable to land any of the trophies, but his contributions to all were significant, so much so that Baştürk finished ninth in the voting for the 2002 Ballon d'Or. A classy midfielder with an eye for a pass and a good goal scoring record (45 goals in 300 professional appearances), he was a few games from real greatness in one year. Whilst he may not be considered one of the best to play the game he remains well regarded in Turkey, despite finishing his career at Blackburn Rovers.

Rakitic - One of the greatest and most decorated midfielders in Croatian football history, Ivan Rakitic is the centre piece of my side. He has been a star wherever he has played, winning the Swiss league with Basel before moving to Schalke and then on to Sevilla. There he won the Europa League 2014 as club captain and earned a move to Barcelona. It is no small feat to become a mainstay of one of the greatest club sides in Europe during a strong period for them, but he has managed it for 5 consecutive years, amassing 265 appearances for Barca and scoring 35 goals. In his first season with Barça, he won the treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League. He scored the first goal of the 2015 Champions League Final and became the first player ever to win the Champions League a year after winning the Europa League while playing for two clubs. In his 5 years in Barca, at the heart of the side, he has won four Spanish titles and four Spanish cups to go with his European Cup medal. At international level he has over 100 caps for Croatia and was a key member of the side that reached the 2018 world cup final, scoring winning penalty kicks in their last 16 game and quarter final along with a goal against Argentina in the group stages. A superb footballer.

Stelios - Who can forget Stelios Giannakopoulos's shiny bald head flying up and down the right wing for Greece and Bolton? Not I. A legend at Olympiakos where he won seven consecutive league titles between 1997 and 2003 before the crowning achievement of his career as a member of the Euro 2004 winning Greek side. He moved to Bolton in 2003 (which at the time was viewed as a positive career move) where he became a fan favourite, highly rated for his goals and assists and linked with a moved to (amongst others) Liverpool in 2005. He remained at Bolton and became a fixture in their most successful team on the modern era, reaching a League Cup final and playing in Europe. In his last season he helped them to avoid relegation before being released by the club. And just in case that's not enough, he is currently a professional Firefighter working for the Hellenic Fire Service. Top bloke.

Ivan Perisic - Another "current" player but one who has achieved a huge amount in his career, not least avoiding a transfer to Manchester United despite being linked with them in every transfer window. Sensible. Perisic is a versatile and skillful attacking player who I've stuck on the left wing. He made a name for himself while playing for Club Brugge, where he was the Belgian Pro League top goalscorer and was named Belgian Footballer of the Year for 2011. This earned him a transfer to Borussia Dortmund, with whom he won the 2011–12 Bundesliga After a stint at Wolfsburg he was signed by Inter where he remains to this day. It's on the international stage where he has really made a name for himself though, scoring a winner against Iceland in the World Cup group stages before netting a vital goal to level the semi-final against England. He followed that up by becoming the first Balkan player to ever score in a world cup final when he struck against France, though alas he ended up on the losing side. 23 goals scored in an 83 cap haul, it's easy to see why he remains so highly rated. A dangerous and talented player.

Savicevic - The star of the show, and a double European Cup winner (back when that really MEANT something...). His playing style is set out in detail by someone writing on Wikiepdia who has more time for research than I do:

"Considered by many in the sport to be the best footballer Montenegro has ever produced, Savićević was a classic number 10 who preferred functioning in a free role as a playmaker; throughout his career, he was usually deployed in an attacking midfield role, either in a central position behind the striker(s), or out wide on the wings, on either flank, due to his ability to provide crosses to teammates in the area from the left wing, or cut into the centre onto his stronger left foot from the right. He was also deployed as a supporting forward, and occasionally in a central midfield role as a deep-lying playmaker in midfield, or, with even less frequency, along the front line as a main striker. A quick, technically gifted, and agile player, with an athletic physique, he was known in particular for his outstanding pace and acceleration on the ball, as well as his excellent dribbling ability, and close control, which allowed him to beat opposing players with ease; he was also highly regarded for his vision, tactical knowledge, and passing accuracy, which made him a highly effective assist provider, although he was also capable of scoring goals himself as well as creating them, due to his powerful and accurate shot on the run, as well as his precision from penalties. His talent, unpredictability and exploits during his time at Milan earned him the nickname "Il Genio" ("the genius", in Italian)."

So there.

What is clear is his incredible success as a footballer. He led Red Start Belgrade in the most glorious chapter of their history, winning three consecutive league titles and lifting the European Cup with them in 1991. For his role he was runner up in the 1991 Ballon D'Or. He scored vital goals in both legs of the quarter final against Dynamo Dresden and in the semi final against Bayern Munich. He was rewarded for his efforts with a transfer to European giants AC Milan where he won three league titles and another European Cup, scoring in the final in a 4-0 demolition of Barcelona. A wonderfully gifted footballer who just about edged into my consciousness as a young football fan for his exploits.

Viduka - An Aussie who qualifies via his parents Croatian nationality, Mark Viduka is in my mind a hugely underrated forward. His success in the Croatian league with Dinamo Zagreb (three league titles in three seasons, including two league and cup doubles) helped him earn a move to Celtic where his 25 goals in 28 games caught the attention of Leeds United. They signed him in 2001 and he went on to become a prolific striker for the club, scoring 72 goals in 5 seasons at the club (including four in one game against us - sorry) and impressing both domestically and in Europe. In his early days at the club his goals helped push them towards the top 4 and silverware - in his latter days they kept Leeds afloat. In the 2002–03 campaign, Viduka scored 22 goals, including a hat-trick in a 6–1 win at Charlton Athletic and the winner in a 3–2 victory at Arsenal on the penultimate day of the season that effectively saved United from relegation. His hat-trick in the Charlton game is the most recent hat-trick to date by a Leeds United player in the Premier League. In a long career, Viduka scored a hugely impressive 258 goals in 507 professional appearances, a remarkable goalscoring rate.

Hazell · « **Reply #1 on:** July 7, 2019, 05:46:10 pm »

I would like to point out that whilst others have focused on their individual players my tactics concern the team and how they would play. But I don't think I should get extra points for that. Make your own minds up, it's only for a laugh.