1997/98 CL Group 😄 Lobanovskiy’s Dynamo trounce van Gaal’s Barcelona

von AR am 22.12.2017 in den Kategorien Champions League,Retro Analysis mit 6 Kommentaren

VS

In the span of two weeks, Dynamo Kyiv managed to secure a couple of their most impressive wins in their club history. Through being drawn against FC Barcelona in the Group Stages of the 1997/98 Champions League, some of Europe’s managerial titans were able to square off. Valeriy Lobanovskiy would be matched against Louis van Gaal. In the matches, Dynamo were too much for Barcelona thanks to their well-designed strategy, despite having inferior talent.

 

The Iron Tulip was in his first season in Spain, while Lobanovskiy in the first year of his third spell at Dynamo, following silverware heavy periods during the 1970’s and 80’s. Entering the matches, Dynamo Kyiv had 4 points in the group, winning their match against PSV Eindhoven and drawing against Newcastle United. Barcelona only had one point, a draw versus PSV. Also of note, Barcelona captain Pep Guardiola was missing from both matches due to a calf injury, which would go on to plague him for most of the season.

Matchday 3 (Dynamo Kyiv 3 – FC Barcelona 0)

Barcelona were afforded to have the majority of possession in this match, with Dynamo favoring defensive organisation in their midfield and defensive thirds over high pressing. The away side were shaped in van Gaal’s preferred 4-3-3. Oscar Garcia played as the number 6 in the opening phases of the match, while his brother Roger played to the left of him. Luis Enrique paired with Roger on the right side. Luis Figo and Rivaldo were the starting wingers, and Christophe Dugarry started at the number 9.

Dynamo Kyiv played what was then described as a 4-4-2, and nowadays is more considered a 4-2-2-2. Kosovskyi would typically stay wider on the left, giving room for Shevchenko to float up high and check into the left halfspace at opportune moments. On the right side, Maximov was positioned in the right halfspace, hardly moving wide and mainly acting as defensive reinforcements for the central midfield tandem. When in attack, he would sometimes move inside and switch places with Rebrov, or act as an option to switch to, but Maximov’s primary function was stability.

Dynamo Defending

When defending, Serhiy Rebrov would slide back and the two attacking midfielders would move into line with the center midfielders, creating a 4-4-1-1. Dynamo initiated their pressure around the half line, led by the industrious defensive work of Shevchenko and Rebrov. The midfield four demonstrated excellent understanding of when they needed to help support the strikers in their pressing efforts, or remain closer to the defensive line.

Dynamo aimed to outnumber Barcelona in the middle, and using a mixture of good zonal cover and man-orientations, Barcelona struggled to find valuable space for most of the evening. Dynamo’s players were occasionally dragged out of their original positions by Barcelona’s movements, hoping to have them not follow into the space they aimed to move into. However, due to the versatility of Dynamo’s players, when another player would move centrally from wide for example, they would have no issues with moving centrally. This does sound like man-marking, but Dynamo often maintained exceptional structure and compactness while also staying close to their player. On many occasions though, they were able to pass their player on into the player that traveled into the zone. Essentially, the shape of Dynamo’s defense remained the same, while the players may have been in different areas than normal. A summary graphic of how Dynamo defended is below.

Dynamo’s mixed marking system, with local man-orientations, Vashchuk acting as the extra player in the back ready to step up to pressure, and maintaining cover on far sides of the pitch.

Where Dynamo ramped up the pressure was when Barcelona would play entry balls into the middle. In efforts to escape their marks, it was common for the midfielders drop deeper and be facing the receiver of the pass, rather than face forward when getting the ball. In the time it took for the pass to reach the destination, a member of Dynamo would step up to pressure the second the receiver got the pass. Oftentimes, this player would leave their respective line in order to apply said pressure. Depending on the area of the pitch they were in and the surrounding players, a midfielder would drop into the defensive line to provide coverage so they would not be exposed in behind. This pressure would cue to the whole team to move up the pitch once they won the ball.

Barcelona’s Attempts to Solve

One of the most interesting characteristics of van Gaal’s team in this match was how Michael Reiziger was utilized. Rather than play as a conventional full back that is high and wide which is more common nowadays with four at the back systems, van Gaal had Reiziger move inside as a false full back. In response, a 3-4-3 would form with the remaining back 3 adjusting, while Oscar Garcia would move up to the top of the triangle to play as the 10, instead of the six spot he was listed as playing from the start.

This left van Gaal’s team with two conventional outside backs, Ferrer and Sergi, effectively playing center back, and bolstered the central presence during build up to help attempt break down the Ukrainian champions. Since Sergi didn’t commit Maximov by taking an advanced position, Maximov often would pinch inside to cover the space that Roger most frequently roamed. To alleviate the problems with Reiziger, Rebrov’s positioning became more oriented to the Dutchman. With Shevchenko’s positioning on Kyiv’s left side, this provided Sergi with a plethora of space on the left side for him to move up or dribble when he got the ball.

However, in these positions, Sergi rarely took the opportunity to engage Kyiv by dribbling at them. Instead, Sergi would play long balls up to Dugarry, whose main function was to act as a target man and get on the end of any crosses from Rivaldo and Figo. Dugarry either aimed to challenge the goalkeeper vertically, or use his physicality to draw multiple defenders to free up other players. Oscar’s positioning at the top of the diamond put him in a spot where he could easily get on the end of these second balls or also challenge aerially. Rivaldo also played these passes or looked to take long shots with this space, a less than optimal use of the avenues provided by this space.

This tactic ended up doing more harm than good for Barcelona, as the frequency of the long balls was just enough so that Barcelona could overcommit in attack and create large distances between the forwards and Reiziger with the backs. Dynamo were afforded more space to counter attack with these gaps. In addition, because of the advanced positions, it becomes less likely that Barcelona track back to limit Dynamo’s powers in transition.

Dynamic Dynamo

Intensity Differences

The most surprising feature of this match was the stark contrast in intensity between Barcelona and Dynamo. van Gaal has historically implemented solid pressing schemes into his teams defense, but during this fixture, his team were quite passive and slow to react defensively when in transition, and when they were organized. When compared to Dynamo, they were much slower with their pressing actions and timing. Attacking wise, they were also unintense in comparison. This can partially be attributed to how van Gaal wants his teams to play, but the tempo during circulation in possession was much lower than the speed at which Dynamo moved the ball during most phases of their attack.

Dynamo were much quicker to react to almost everything that happened on the pitch, demonstrating a higher level of responsiveness when it came to pressing cues alongside other events. One of the most stark contrasts between Dynamo and FC Barcelona was their approach to fouling and freekicks. Dynamo often used tactical fouling to prevent Barcelona from getting quality shots on goal, frequently conceding fouls just at the top of the penalty area. The logic behind this was that free kicks were much easier for Shovkovskiy to defend that shots in open play. In addition, they also used tactical fouling to prevent counter attacks in the manner Guardiola teams do in the present, by fouling around the halfway line Dynamo’s midfield can get behind the ball to defend.

Attack

Lobanovskiy’s team also were intelligent in their use of playing short from free kicks. During the 90’s, many teams would habitually play the ball long after a foul, using the opportunity to progress up the field as quick as possible. Dynamo recognized that opponents would prepare for this and retreat accordingly. Therefore when they played short, there was no pressure applied to the player with the ball for a long duration, allowing for runs to develop.

Rebrov’s opening goal came from such a circumstance, with his run to the byline in the right halfspace creating a scoring angle that was quite difficult to score. The second goal also came from a quick free kick, with the ball reentering play the second the referee blew the whistle. The high degree of responsiveness and fast reaction speeds were traits to marvel at of Lobanovskiy’s side, as they frequently looked to increase the tempo and take advantage of teams that used these moments in the game to slow down the match.

Transition moments were instrumental in how Dynamo emphasized their collective superiority, exhausting Barcelona throughout the first match. Upon recovering possession, the home side often played long balls up the pitch into the center forwards when the ball was recovered in deeper areas. These were usually played into space for Shevchenko, who would intelligently open his runs away from Barcelona’s remaining back 3 to create space for himself. Combined with his pace advantage, he was the most dangerous player between the two teams during both fixtures. Further discussion of Shevchenko will come later.

As previously mentioned, with Barcelona’s gaps due to a lack of staggering, Dynamo were able to effectively and easily counter attack via Rebrov and Shevchenko. It made their long passes more probable of reaching their target, and gave more space for counterattacking runs to develop. Going into the later stages of the match, the desperation of Barcelona to get on the scoresheet made these gaps quite large. As seen with the image below, the lack of midfield presence gives Rebrov time to play the long ball up toward Shevchenko. The isolation of the backs allows Shevchenko to begin his run from a deeper position to pick up speed, allowing him to run by the backs with ease. Hesp is forced to come out and ends up getting sent off in this challenge, which effectively sealed the match.

During the moments where Dynamo built up inside Barcelona’s half, the best properties of their 4-2-2-2 were showcased. Shevchenko and Rebrov as center forwards had a large amount of freedom in their roles in attack. At certain spells, both of them would be deeper and in front of Barcelona’s defensive, occupying positions between the lines. To call them a double false 9 would be extreme, but the duo understood that Cuoto and Ferrer would not follow them up, leaving them with significant amounts of space to receive the ball. Kosovskyi and Maximov started their runs once passes into the strikers were played. Due to good timing of attacking movements, some great combination sequences were seen in Dynamo’s chance creation, creating several quality goalscoring chances.

Due to Shevchenko’s position, Ferrer has to step when the pass comes. This frees up space in behind for Rebrov, who begins his run after Husin passes, and Shevchenko cleverly flicks into Rebrov.

Defensive Transitions

Transitions into attack were not the only marvel of Lobanovskiy’s team, as their transitions on the other side of the ball were equally effective as well. Dynamo were strong in their counterpressing when conceding possession, as the attacking players were fast in their reactions to hunt for the ball. During these chases for the ball, Dynamo players frequently would adjust their body positioning to deny passes out of the pressing scheme.

It was common for Barcelona players to not anticipate the pressure coming. The pressure would either come behind them via backpressing, or Barcelona misjudged the speed at which Dynamo players were closing them down. At multiple moments during the match, players can been seen looking at Dynamo while players are counterpressing and not adjusting the speed of their actions. Many won tackles for the Ukrainians originated from this and it appeared as if Barcelona had not faced a team of this intensity level throughout the season.

When Barcelona were able to play through the initial wave, Dynamo would then look to delay while the midfield could catch up or tactically foul as a last resort. During these moments of delaying, Hubin would drop into the back 4 while one of the center backs stepped up to confront the ball carrier. Simulataneously, the remaining midfielders would backpress Barcelona, leading to possession turning over as the away side lacked the ability to play in tight space to solve the problems Kyiv were posing.

Prior to laying the ball off to Rivaldo, Barcelona beat Dynamo’s first wave of counterpressing. Vashchuk steps toward Rivaldo to delay, giving more time for Maximov and Kalitvintsev to backpress and win the ball 3 vs 1.

Louis van Gaal’s team were left with a lot of work to have a shot at qualifying after this match, reckoning many adjustments be made in their approach for the return fixture.

Matchday 4 (FC Barcelona 0- Dynamo Kyiv 4)

Adjustments

For the must win fixture at Camp Nou, van Gaal made several changes to his team, which are outlined in the team movements found to the right. Lobanovskiy selected the same squad with exception of Maximov being replaced by Khatskevich. The most fundamental of which being the shift to Rivaldo as a center forward, which would go on to be a regular sight for the remainder of Barcelona’s season. Ferrer and Reiziger would switch roles, meaning Ferrer would act as the false fullback during Barcelona’s build up play.

Barcelona’s struggles in the previous fixture were largely mounted toward a lack of presence in connecting the midfield and forwards. Since Dugarry played as a target man, the method of attacking that Barcelona deployed was accommodated toward his skill set, which was not conducive to breaking down a deeper defending team with the intensity of Dynamo. There was one sequence that provided one of the best looks for Barcelona, in which Figo drifted inside from his normal spot on the right flank. After Oscar Garcia received the pass from Cuoto, his quick one touch flick to Figo had broken through Dynamo’s lines, and provided a glimpse of how Barcelona would attempt to defeat Dynamo by having the majority of possession yet again.

The sequence described above.

Barcelona started strong with their attempts to play through Dynamo. They bolstered their presence in creative zones by fielding Oscar Garcia and Giovanni higher up the pitch, while having Rivaldo drop deeper so he can move into open lanes to be found by Cuoto and Reiziger. The Brazilian duo of Giovanni and Rivaldo attempted to interchange early as a means of escaping their man-orientations or dragging out Dynamo defenders.

These movements didn’t accomplish much, but both players were frequent targets of passes early to move Barcelona up. Due to their spots in between their midfield and defense, they were hard to cover for Dynamo’s mixed marking scheme. van Gaal’s team succeeded early thanks to Dynamo being both overzealous in their attempts to win the ball by having multiple players challenge the receiver. Quick layoffs broke through these tight channels between the players, and having a player move forward at the backs of Dynamo’s players were the brightest signs of Barcelona potentially getting something in the match. After Barcelona conceded a set piece goal in the 9th minute, Dynamo had more success defensively thanks to a series of defensive adjustments.

How Barcelona were hoping to play through Dynamo in the second leg with increased presence in creative zones. More use of Rivaldo, Figo, and Giovanni.

Dynamo’s Reactions

After having their lines broken often in the first ten or so minutes, Lobanovskiy’s team naturally adjusted and became more zonally oriented in their positioning and ball winning efforts. Rather than be concentrated on the particular players to the outside of them, Dynamo focused more centrally. Both wide midfielders tucked inside, while Shevchenko moved to the right to be an outlet for counterattacking. This was designed to limit the access into Rivaldo and Giovanni, leaving the ball to be in the control of less dangerous players in front of Dynamo.

Since passes were more difficult to fit into central zones due to less space being provided, Barcelona turned to dribbling as the primary means of attempt to go forwards. Without Dugarry to potentially be a target man, there was little use for any balls played wide since Dynamo had a physical advantage in the center. Rather than attempt to outnumber Dynamo and space themselves out a bit in the process, Barcelona ended up toppling on top of each other in possession, making it easy for Dynamo to pressure and eliminate several passing options simultaneously. Barcelona’s less than optimal spacing made it so by pressing the central players, they could make Barcelona’s play more predictable. Thus, Dynamo win the ball and play to Shevchenko easier for their attacks.

Through more focused pressure on the ball carrier in central zones, Barcelona’s options to play forward were eliminated by Dynamo.

Andriy Shevchenko – Mbappe Before He Was Alive

21 years old at the time of these matches, Shevchenko was hands down the best and most influential player for either team in these two games. The first half of Matchday 4 was the Shevchenko show, as he was the primary outlet for all of Dynamo’s attacks, alongside their main creator. In the matches played, there were two players that the Ukrainian would eventually finish third in the Ballon D’Or voting to in 1999 and 2000 respectively: Rivaldo and Luis Figo. However, the two of them did not perform to their full ability in these two fixtures. With a hat-trick in the first half of fixture two and a stellar performance in the first, these were the matches that introduced Andriy to the world.

As a player, Andriy had an interesting profile that suited himself very well for the style that Dynamo played. First off, he is quick and has fast acceleration into getting into full stride, allowing him to quickly develop dynamical advantages off the ball. This trait also assists greatly with dribbling by players with the amount of space that was provided for him to work with on the right wing against Sergi and others that would cover him. This made him a constant threat on the counter attack that Louis van Gaal’s team had no answer for.

Shevchenko also possess excellent ability in tight spaces and pressing resistance, which prolonged Dynamo’s attacks and allowed them to get more numbers up the field. It also allows Dynamo to develop attacks in Barcelona’s half without having to maintain long spells of possession to progress up the field. In many teams that aim to play a counter attacking style, their center forward lacks these abilities. During the course of a match, not having a center forward with adequate pressing resistance shortens the amount of time your team has to attack. Out of fatigue, other attackers players eventually come later and later in supporting the striker when it’s played up to him, leaving him isolated. This makes it easier for the opposition to win the ball, and thus increases the pressure on the defense to deal with the opponent’s attack.

With Shevchenko’s strong positional sense about good spaces to go into, he was the problem for Barcelona to deal with during both matches. He regularly solved tight and difficult situations by using slight touches and flicks to find his teammates nearby. When he was alone, Shevchenko also understood excellently where his defender was in relation to his back, and executed some lovely dummies and touches around their defenders that are Dennis Berkamp-esque.

 

If I were to compare him to a modern player, it is difficult to not see how Kylian Mbappe’s game is quite similar to the Ukrainian legend. Irrespective of their backgrounds, both of them are remarkable in transition thanks to their physical traits and abilities to dribble by players on the run. Shevchenko to me exhibited more cleanliness in his technical actions at a younger age than Mbappe, and is better in smaller spaces with multiple players surrounding him. However, Mbappe does have a have a stronger physical profile, and is able to use his body better than 21 year old Shevchenko.

Both of them have an uncanny ability of attracting multiple defenders towards them as a result of their skill to dribble by opponents. With Shevchenko, defenders are drawn to him because just one defender isn’t often able to win the ball off him. On the other hand, Mbappe can easily burn by one player so another is needed to support him. Two of these scenes are outlined below. As Mbappe develops, Shevchenko I believe would be a good model for him to improve his game, as if the young Frenchman can fine tune his decision making and pressing resistance in tight spots, when combined with his physical game, it will be difficult to imagine him not winning a Ballon D’Or in the 2020’s.

A moment in which Shevchenko’s presence attracted both centerbacks to the right touchline.

A scene against Bayern where Mbappe’s strong dribbling ability attracts multiple defenders, freeing up space for teammates. Clicking the picture takes you to the analysis.

 

Conclusion

Lobanovskiy is largely heralded as Eastern Europe’s greatest manager and considered to be ahead of his time when it came to the application of science in football, and not many analyses of him exist in public circulation. This crop of players at Dynamo would eventually reach the semi finals of the Champions League in 1999. While Lobanovskiy always had an eye to the future, it is worth mentioning at Jose Mourinho was on the touchline for these matches as an assistant for FC Barcelona. One can only speculate how much these performances from Dynamo impacted the development of his own personal game model. However, given his mentors, it is more likely Mourinho would have favored attacking play. Perhaps the football seen from the Mourinho Porto, Chelsea, Inter, and now Manchester United teams is Lobanovskiy’s posthumous legacy.

Special Thanks to Footballia for the match footage. 

 

 

Nandor Hideguti scoring v England at Wembley in Nov 1953.

 

Decent article on Nandor Hideguti.

 

One of the stars of Hungary’s ‘Magical Magyars’ of the 1950s, Nándor Hidegkuti was the man whose revolutionary role as a deep-lying centre forward confused defenders all across the world and helped to make the team one of the most feared in the game’s history. 
 

He helped his country to win an Olympic gold medal and reach the 1954 World Cup Final, as well as scoring a famous hat-trick in a 6-3 win over England at Wembley.

 

Nándor Hidegkuti was born into a middle class family in Budapest on 3 March 1922.  His earliest experiences of football involved playing with a ball made from rolled-up stockings. 

 

At the age of 12, Nándor Hidegkuti joined the junior team of Újlaki FC before progressing to the senior ranks at 16, while at the same time finding work in a factory. 

 

In 1940, he joined second-tier side Gázművek, where he stayed for three years before moving on to Elektromos in 1943 and Herminamezei in 1945.

 

It was while with Herminamezei that Nándor Hidegkuti won his first international cap, scoring twice in a 7-2 win over Romania, but it took him a couple of years to become a regular in the team.  In 1947, he signed for top flight side MTK Hungária and it was there that Nándor Hidegkuti would spent the remainder of his playing career. 
 

A highly intelligent player, he was equally competent in a variety of positions across the forward line.  Often used as a winger early in his career, many of his greatest successes came in the playmaker role either as an inside forward or in the deep position which became his trademark.

 

Although MTK were only a mid-table side when he arrived, they gradually became one of the top Hungarian sides, with Nándor Hidegkuti’s 26 goals in 28 games in the 1948-49 season leading to a second place finish

 

.  When the Communist regime took over Hungary in 1949, MTK came to be allied with the secret police. 

 

Over the next ten years, the club ended up changing its name with some regularity and Hidegkuti represented MTK in the guises of Textiles SE, Bástya SE and Vörös Lobogó.

 

It was with the club playing under the name of Bástya that Hidegkuti won the first major honours of his career.  Bástya claimed the league title in 1950-51, finishing four points clear of Honvéd, before adding cup success a year later as Hidegkuti scored a career high 28 league goals.

 

  Hungary were at this time building towards the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki and Hidegkuti sealed his place in the squad as he started to score goals with greater regularity at international level, including a hat-trick against Romania and two more against East Germany.

 

When the Olympics came around, a very promising Hungarian team announced themselves on the world stage in great style.  With Nándor Hidegkuti on the right wing, Hungary swept through the tournament.  Perhaps the most impressive result came in the semi-final against reigning champions Sweden, Nándor Hidegkuti scoring one of the goals in a 6-0 win. 

 

A 2-0 win over Yugoslavia in the final sealed the gold medals and on the back of that performance, Hungary were invited to play a friendly match against England at Wembley the following year.

 

It was that match that Nándor Hidegkuti would make his greatest impact.  MTK’s continued success at domestic level, which brought another league title under the Vörös Lobogó name in 1953, had been built around a revolutionary style of forward play.

 

  In that system, Hidegkuti was played as a nominal centre forward but in a much deeper role, drawing the opposing centre-half out of position and leaving huge gaps for his inside forwards to exploit.  With many of the players who used this system in the national team, coach Gusztáv Sebes implemented it there too and in the Wembley match, England did not know how to cope.

 

Hidegkuti scored in the opening minute and despite an English equaliser, added another after 20 minutes.  The England defenders did not know whether to react to his new position or leave him free to roam in yards of space, but whichever they did Hungary could not be contained. 

 

Hidegkuti completed his hat-trick early in the second half, as Hungary went on to win 6-3 and emphasize their status as the best team in the world, as well as exposing England tactical deficiencies.

 

On a long unbeaten run, Hungary were overwhelming favourites for the 1954 World Cup held in Switzerland.  Nándor Hidegkuti did not play in their first game against South Korea, but was in the team for the second match against a much changed West Germany. 

 

He scored twice in the 8-3 win which sealed a quarter-final place and in that match got an early goal against Brazil to give his team a lead which they never relinquished.

 

  It seemed that the semi-final with Uruguay would be another easy win when Hidegkuti added to Zoltán Czibor’s early goal to give Hungary a 2-0 advantage, but they eventually needed extra-time to see off the holders with a 4-2 win.

 

With a rematch against West Germany in the final, all seemed set for Nándor Hidegkuti and Hungary to claim the world title, but despite taking a 2-0 lead inside eight minutes the Germans fought back and eventually won 3-2, ending the best chance Hungary would ever have to win the World Cup. 

The disappointment was enormous, but for Hidegkuti there was at least domestic success to fall back on.  He helped Vörös Lobogó to win the international Mitropa Cup competition in 1955 and with the MTK name restored, another league title in 1958. 

 

He also represented the club in the inaugural European Cup in 1955-56.

 

Unlike many of his 1954 team-mates, Nándor Hidegkuti had remained in Hungary after the revolution of 1956 and got the chance to play in a second World Cup in 1958 aged 36. 

 

He played two of Hungary’s groups games, against Wales and Mexico, captaining the team each time.  He was not present however in the play-off defeat to Wales which knocked Hungary out. 

 

The end of the tournament brought Nándor Hidegkuti’s retirement not just from international football, after 39 goals in 69 matches, but from the game as a whole.

 

Having retired Nándor Hidegkuti moved into coaching, initially with MTK and then in 1960 with Fiorentina in Italy.  His first season in Florence was a huge success, winning both the Coppa Italia and the European Cup Winners Cup after a 4-1 aggregate win over Rangers in the final. 

 

He left in 1962 to join Mantova, before returning to Hungary with Győri ETO a year later.  With Győri he won a league title in his first season and the Hungarian Cup in 1965, as well as leading the team to the semi-finals of the European Cup in the same year.

 

Nándor Hidegkuti went on to coach several more Hungarian teams, including old club MTK, but the team struggled in the bottom half of the league.  The last great success of his career actually came in Egypt with Al-Ahly. 
 

He won five titles in six years with the Cairo club before returning to Hungary in 1980, eventually ending his coaching career with a brief spell in the UAE. 

 

After suffering from heart problems, Hidegkutii died in 2002, shortly before his 80th birthday. 

 

MTK’s stadium in Budapest is named in his honour.

 

Edited October 27, 20214 yr by erskblue

another great player from the Serie A

watch that assist at 4;53

Edited October 29, 20214 yr by azpi28

56 minutes ago, azpi28 said:

another great player from the Serie A

watch that assist at 4;53

Ah the good old Serie A, when Palermo was always a dangerous opponent to any team...

49 minutes ago, wizardous said:

Ah the good old Serie A, when Palermo was always a dangerous opponent to any team...

And fiorentina 

Chiesa’s father playing in this game 

1 hour ago, azpi28 said:

And fiorentina 

Chiesa’s father playing in this game 

Serie A in 2000s was religiously watched in my Montenegro. Trust me, it was that crazy I can't even find the appropriate words to describe it.

We've had nearly every single game televised for free, because our TV stations were literally "stealing" signal from foreign broadcasters, and that system somehow managed to last for years without anyone complaining. I even remember some Italians coming to Montenegro to watch those games. All you needed to watch football was an analog antenna, and it was not that long ago. Timeless memories. 😂

Edited October 29, 20214 yr by wizardous

41 minutes ago, wizardous said:

Serie A in 2000s was religiously watched in my Montenegro. Trust me, it was that crazy I can't even find the appropriate words to describe it.

We've had nearly every single game televised for free, because our TV stations were literally "stealing" signal from foreign broadcasters, and that system somehow managed to last for years without anyone complaining. I even remember some Italians coming to Montenegro to watch those games. All you needed to watch football was an analog antenna, and it was not that long ago. Timeless memories. 😂

that's beautiful, to watch that wonderful AC Milan team and Fransesco Totti, Del Piero, Nedvet & more on a stolen signal. Was it in Italian or did you have your own commentators? I remember Jovetić playing for Fiorentina 

2 hours ago, azpi28 said:

that's beautiful, to watch that wonderful AC Milan team and Fransesco Totti, Del Piero, Nedvet & more on a stolen signal. Was it in Italian or did you have your own commentators? I remember Jovetić playing for Fiorentina 

Yes we did have our own commentators. The most famous of them is a walking encyclopedia of all sports, but a hugely biased Milan fan, so it was always sort of a spectacle when he was doing the commentary.

Jovetić at Fiorentina was surely one of the best young players in the world. Such a shame he never reached his full potential due to severe injuries. The first one when he ruptured his ACL and missed a whole season was probably crucial. Still he has played in each of top 5 leagues which is remarkable.

We also had Vučinić playing in Italy, who is arguably our best player in the last 20 years or so. Pure class. Just look at what he did to us back in 2008. 

 

If you let him get it on his left foot, you were screwed.

Stoichkov came to America late in his career and still was belting out 30 yard screamers into the top corner.

 

 

@Scott enjoyed that video! what a player, reminds me a little bit of… 

and another eastern european great

 

Edited October 29, 20214 yr by azpi28

still makes me sad. 

On 09/03/2021 at 13:45, Gol15 said:

Anderson Luís De Souza - Deco (Portugal)

O Mágico Deco

Born in Brazil but later on became a Portuguese and played for Portugal. Complete central midfielder, unnoticed by many due to the fact that while he was in Barcelona there were others who were showman while he was quietly doing his job at the top level both when in defensive tasks and in offense.

 

Good story about him:

 

 

 

Found another great rare clip:

 

Dejan Stankovic - Il Drago, The Dragon (Serbia/Yugoslavia) Active 1995-2013

 

He started off in Red Star Belgrade and became the youngest captain in the clubs history before leaving to Italy where he spent his whole career. He's a member of the famous "tripleta" Inter squad but he also won with his first Italian club Lazio the Serie A title and multiple domestic and European cups as well.

He was known for his strong right foot that was dangerous from a long range distance and as a well-rounded central midfielder he was always a potential threat, he is a member of the Inter Hall of Fame and is currently the manager of his first club Red Star Belgrade. 

 

Here are all of his goals for Lazio and Inter:

 

 

Nice read here with a mention of another almost forgotten name, Samuel Eto'o that has won 2 trebles in a row:

https://thesefootballtimes.co/2020/02/05/the-record-breaking-brilliance-of-peak-dejan-stankovic/

 

 

i absolutely love how the crowd reacts when they see the replay

 

 

such an elegant player

 

Edited November 6, 20214 yr by azpi28

Forlan with #5 as well 

Edited November 29, 20214 yr by azpi28

The forgotten story of ... Just Fontaine's 13-goal World Cup.

www.theguardian.com

 

1958, an inexperienced French striker set a record for the most goals in a World Cup – and he wasn't even wearing his own boots

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Just Fontaine was almost unstoppable at the 1958 World Cup. Photograph: Popperfoto /Alamy

 

Rob Smyth

12 Jan 2012 

Records are made to be broken, especially that deliciously snappable Milli Vanilli vinyl, but with some you might as well save your energy.
There is surely no storm perfect enough for Just Fontaine's record of 13 goals in a World Cup, set with France in 1958, to be beaten.

In only one of the last nine tournaments has a player scored even half as many, when Ronaldo managed eight in 2002.

Fontaine was a born finisher, smooth and strikingly two-footed. There are similarities with the greatest goalscorer of them all, Gerd Müller: both were squat men with formidable strength, particularly in their tree truck thighs and both had a supernatural awareness and serenity in their patch of land, the 18-yard box.

Like a few of France's greatest players, Fontaine wasn't born in France. He was born of a Spanish mother in Marrakech, then part of French Morocco, and started his club career with USM Casablanca. Fontaine later moved to Nice and then Reims, as a replacement for the Madrid-bound genius Raymond Kopa. It was with Kopa, one of the great No10s, that he would have such an impact in Sweden in 1958. Fontaine went into the tournament at his peak: he was 24 years old, relatively fresh because of an unplanned winter break for a knee operation, and had just hit 34 goals in 26 league games to help Reims to the double.

Yet his part in the tournament was not set in stone. Fontaine had played only five times in as many years for France before the tournament; after scoring a hat-trick on his international debut, in a World Cup qualifier, he was not picked again for three years. (This is nowhere near as daft as it sounds: Fontaine was one of 11 debutants in a dead rubber 8-0 win against Luxembourg, who were such weak opponents that he would probably have needed to score all eight to catch the eye.)

He continued to put goals on the board for Reims, and was eventually recalled, although when France arrived in Sweden for the World Cup, he had only scored one international goal in 53 months.
The France national selector Paul Nicolas privately told both Fontaine and René Bliard that they would be the man to play ahead of Kopa and the excellent Roger Piantoni. Fate sorted out a potentially tricky situation: Bliard went home after he was injured in a warm-up match.

Fontaine feasted on a steady stream of gorgeous passes from Kopa – man had not discovered the sweeper in those days – and their partnership, though short-lived at international level, was legendary. Fontaine scored in all six matches, starting with a hat-trick in an unexpected 7-3 demolition of a decent Paraguay side who led 3-2 at one stage. Two more followed in a 3-2 defeat to Yugoslavia, before he scored one and made one (for Kopa, a rare example of the fluffer being fluffed) in the 2-1 win over Scotland that put France into the quarter-finals.

There they met a tired Northern Ireland, who were dismissed 4-0. Fontaine scored two, the second a supreme goalscorer's goal. France's performance was so majestic that the Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet said: "You have to go back a very long way in history to find any trace of a team that has played as elegantly in Sweden as the French."

In the semi-finals they met the favourites Brazil, who had Pelé, Garrincha, Nílton Santos, Didi, Vavá, Mario Zagallo and the rest. Vavá scored in the second minute, but seven minutes later Fontaine equalised classily after a beautiful buildup. "One has never seen a finer goal," wrote the man from the Guardian. It remained 1-1 until the 36th minute, when Vavá broke the leg of the France captain, Robert Jonquet. There were no substitutes in those days, so Jonquet spent the rest of the game wincing on the wing, and Brazil trounced the 10 men 5-2.

It meant that, to beat Sandor Kocsis's record of 11 goals in a World Cup, set with Hungary in 1954, Fontaine needed to score three in the third-place play-off against West Germany. He hit four in a 6-3 win. The game was competitive only in name – "Fontaine only had to stay on his feet to score goals," wrote Cris Freddi is his definitive history of the World Cup – but even then, Fontaine had scored nine in the first five games, in a tournament where no other player hit more than six. "These were easy pickings," adds Freddi, "but his credentials as a goalscorer stand up to any scrutiny."

His overall total could have been more than 13. He hit the bar twice against Scotland and let Kopa take a penalty against West Germany, even though at that stage he only had 10 goals for the tournament.

Fontaine's scoring feats are even more improbable in view of the fact that he was not even wearing his own boots: he had to borrow a pair from a team-mate (not, as some of you familiar with tales of magic boots might suspect, Jimmy "Dead Shot" Keen, but Stéphane Bruey).

Nor did he receive a Golden Boot at the end of the tournament: in those days there was no formal presentation, and he had to make do with an air rifle from a local newspaper. Forty years later he received a golden boot from Gary Lineker as part of a television programme tracing the history of the award.

Fontaine broke his leg twice in 1960 and, as a consequence, played his last international at the age of 27, finishing with the computer-game record of 30 goals in 21 appearances. His strike rate of 1.43 goals per game is the highest of anybody with 30 international goals. In 10 competitive internationals he scored 21 times.

He went on to manage France, Luchon, Paris Saint-Germain, Toulouse and Morocco, with mixed success.
He also inspired an indie band who "don't really do happy!". Now, at the age of 78, he lives in Toulouse, owns two Lacoste shops and predicts results for the French pools. "I spend my days playing belote [a French card game]," he says. "Other than that I watch the African Nations Cup, the Premier League, the Bundesliga, Serie A, La Liga ..."

Fontaine has regularly dismissed the idea that goals were a cheaper currency in his day. "No, it wasn't easier to score in 1958," he said, possibly 0.00000000004 seconds after watching a video of David Luiz. "The state of the ball, the length of the trip over and the amateurism of the backroom staff made everything much more complicated than today. I had somebody else's boots as well. And the last great World Cup scorer, Ronaldo, played against teams such as China and Costa Rica. Above all else, referees protect strikers much more than they did in my day. So let me repeat it: 13 goals is an enormous total. Beating my record? I don't think it can ever be done."

 With thanks to Paul Doyle and Cris Freddi

Edited November 29, 20214 yr by erskblue

Sad to hear the passing of a legend of player, one who won the lot, and boy he could play a bit, Ray Kennedy RIP

On 29/10/2021 at 17:55, azpi28 said:

And fiorentina 

Chiesa’s father playing in this game 

Fiorentina my Team of choice, they had Batistuta my favourite striker ever, the season showing is the one where he went Roma

9 december 2001

Edited December 9, 20214 yr by azpi28

 

Edited December 16, 20214 yr by azpi28

Argentinians and Serie A (Part II): Omar Sívori.

Argentinians and Serie A (Part II): Omar Sívori – 

June 23, 2015thegentlemanultra

 

In 1957, Juventus opened their cheque book and signed Argentinian inside forward Omar Sívori for a world record transfer fee, remunerating River Plate with a staggering ten million pesos (£91,000).

Italy, now free from Fascism, was experiencing an economic boom; whilst Argentina was still in political turmoil after president Juan Perón had been overthrown in a coup d’état led by the Revolución Libertadora two years previously. The lure of earning a big salary in Italy was still bringing top Argentinian players to Serie A, and the same season saw two other talented Argentines recruited after Antonio Angelillo was signed by Inter and Humberto Maschio by Bologna.

Together, the three were nicknamed the “trio of death” thanks to their intrepid attitude and ruthless finishing skills which saw them amass a combined 299 Serie A goals in 660 appearances.

Like the 1934 World Cup Oriundi before them, their Italian heritage allowed them to play for the Italian national team, despite having previously played for Argentina. La Albiceleste; who were in with a good chance of winning the 1958 World Cup after their triumph at the 1957 South American Championship, played without their three heroes who had departed for Italy.

The Argentines were duly humiliated in the tournament and the players, regarded as deserters and traitors, were banned from representing Argentina in the future. They went on to be capped for the Italian national side, before the ban on playing for more than one country was imposed not long after.

Insult would later be added to injury when in 1961, Sívori scored twice for Italy in their 4-1 friendly win over Argentina in Florence. Nicknamed Cabezón (big head), Sívori’s personality was as immense as his footballing skill. At Juventus he played in an attacking trident made up of the clubs second all-time top scorer Giampiero Boniperti and Il Gigante Buono (The Gentle Giant), Englishman John Charles.

With 167 goals for the Bianconeri, Sívori joins Boniperti among their all-time top scorers, sitting in fifth spot. The prolificacy of this front three led to Scudettowins in 1958, 1960 and 1961 for the Turin club. Boniperti remembers Sívori’s ‘winning mentality’ fondly, recalling his attempt to show a lack of fear to his opponents by playing with his socks rolled down.

Standing at just 5’5”, Sívori terrorised his opponents with his speed, dazzling ball control and for outwitting his opponents with his penchant for a nutmeg. His sublime skill and dominant displays (he scored six goals in one match against Inter), earned him the European Footballer of the Year award in 1961. This award would not be won by another Argentinian until Lionel Messi was voted winner in 2009. But by then, Sívori was representing his adopted nation of Italy, since he had earned Italian citizenship in the same year.

Often in trouble with referees, his ungoverned personality led to the end of his time at Juventus in the 1964-65 season after he fell out with coach Heriberto Herrera. However, by this time, he had firmly cemented his place in the hearts of the Vecchia Signora faithful. Sívori did not enjoy anything like the same kind of success in his subsequent move to Napoli. He spent four seasons with the Azzuri, ravaged by injury and lack of discipline, letting his fiery temper get the better of him. He was released after his final game; ironically against Juventus, when he was banned for kicking Erminio Favalli.

After the curtain had fallen on his playing career, Sívori became a coach in his homeland of Argentina and even coached the national team between 1972 and 1973. His emblematic status in Italy also saw him play himself in two films; Idoli controluce in 1965 and Presidente del Borgorosso Football Club in 1970.  
 

His life sadly came to a premature end when he died from pancreatic cancer in 2005, aged 69. However he has undoubtedly left a unique legacy behind him. His sale from River Plate to Juventus raised enough money for the Argentinian club to build the fourth and final stand of the iconic El monumental stadium in his name.

As an oriundo, he became one of the select few in footballing history that have played for more than one country at international level, and his achievements for Juventus has seen him go down in history as one of their greatest ever players. His short stature, audacious attitude and his brilliance on the field has naturally seen him compared to Diego Maradona, himself an Argentine export who made history in Serie A.

By Chloe Beresford: @ChloeJBeresford

Edited January 11, 20224 yr by erskblue

 

another great Argentinian player

On 20/03/2021 at 20:30, erskblue said:

PACO GENTO: THE HABITUAL EUROPEAN CUP WINNER

29/12/2015 by GIRI ANANTHA

www.thesefootballtimes.co

 

 

FRANCISCO GENTO MAY NOT BE A NAME that many of today’s younger supporters will recognise, however he is one of the most successful and decorated players of all time at club level.

Though he didn’t know it at the time, Francisco Gento’s sixth European Cup winner’s medal in 1966 would create a record that still stands nearly half a century later.

Paco, as he was known, also collected a record 12 La Liga titles with the great Real Madrid sides of the 1950s and 1960s. He also played in European club finals in three different decades, a wholly rare achievement. He achieved it feat by playing in European Cup finals in the 1950s and 1960s, and he was still there when he played for Real Madrid against Chelsea in the 1971 European Cup Winners’ Cup final.

He is also the only player to play in the European Cup for 15 consecutive seasons.

All in all, he played in the final on eight occasions, winning six. His record of eight finals was finally matched by Paolo Maldini, though Maldini only won it on five occasions.

At international level, Gento represented Spain in two World Cups, in 1962 and 1966, but was unfortunate in 1964 when he wasn’t selected for the European Championships, which Spain went on to win.

It was Spain’s first major success at international level, a feat they would not repeat for another 44 years until they won it again in 2008. Despite missing out on international success, he is still considered one of La Roja’s greatest ever players.

It’s perhaps strange to consider that the legendary Real player failed make a positive early impression in his first few games. Reminiscing about his first few months at Santiago Bernabéu, he said: “They [the fans] used to say that I’d run so fast I’d run off the pitch, leaving the ball behind. But everything can change depending on your willpower and the sacrifices you’re willing to make. You have to really love football and want to be the best.”

Paco Gento was born in 1933 in Guarnizo, a village in the community of Cantabria. As a youngster, he played football but was also succeeding in athletics. It was his participation in the 100 metres where he undoubtedly developed his phenomenal speed, which later became his trademark.

It’s alleged that at his peak with Real Madrid, he could clock 100 metres in around 11 seconds and was just as fast with the ball as without it.

It’s little wonder, then, that he is considered one of the best left-wingers in the history of the game. Defenders must have loathed to see the sight of a charging Paco coming towards them, beating them fore trickery and speed and leaving nothing but his dust in their faces.

He was the son of a chauffeur and the young and humble Paco had to leave school to help support the family early in his teenage years. He would eventually break into professional football, not with Real, but with his local side Racing Santander. His time at Santander was short-lived; he played just 10 games, scoring twice, before he was snapped up by Real Madrid. There would be no stopping the winger now.

Timing and luck can sometimes mean everything and for Paco, these vital ingredients materialized at just the right moment. He stepped into a part of Real Madrid’s history at precisely the right juncture and rode the tremendous wave of unprecedented success in which he was a part of everything. In this respect, the same could be said of Phil Neal at Liverpool and Ryan Giggs at Manchester United. Just like Paco Gento, they too came into a team and won everything along the way.

Gento played with some of the biggest names in football, namely Alfredo Di Stéfano, Ferenc Puskás and Raymond Kopa. Kopa was voted European Footballer of the Year in 1958 with the ‘Blond Arrow’, Di Stéfano, winning the accolade either side of Kopa. It’s quite unbelievable that the Ferenc Puskas, ‘The Galloping Major’, never won the coveted award, but he was still a legendary name, having played for the powerful Magical Magyars of the 1950s who many regarded as the best national side in the world at the time.

Despite such big names in the team, Paco’s brilliance on the wing provided many a goal for his more illustrious teammates. He was no slouch himself, scoring 128 times in 428 appearances in the league, a world-class return for a winger. He had lightning speed and got to loose balls first, despite opponents having a head start on him, and he possessed two great feet and liked taking powerful long shots with either leg.
Although known for his speed, he possessed a magical left foot with great, close control in tight situations and dribbled his way past two or three players before disappearing again down the wing to put in another inch-perfect cross. Playing in the shadows of more famous names, it speaks volumes about Gento that his medal haul more impressive than those of Di Stéfano or Puskás.

Having won the European Cup for the first five years since its inception, it’s actually his sixth and last victory, against Partizan Belgrade in 1966, which fills him with most joy and satisfaction. He was the experienced campaigner now, as well as the captain. The team were now known as the Yé-yé Real Madrid, with Yé-yé being a reference to The Beatles song “She Loves You” with its “Yeah Yeah Yeah”in the chorus.

After that sixth success, Catalan paper La Vanguardia, notoriously stingy in its praise of anything Madrid, reported: “Paco Gento embodies the old guard, the glory days, the flash of lightning launched on its way by a ball from Rial or Di Stéfano. No team ever played football the way that Real Madrid side did.

 

Di Stéfano, Gento and Puskás

 

“With the passage of time, Gento’s prodigious qualities have faded somewhat. His dribbles are performed more slowly and his galloping runs are no longer imperceptible to the naked eye. He’s still lightning, though the flashes come less frequently. Nevertheless, his presence on the field encourages his colleagues and brings order to the whole team.”

The times were changing and it was the Swinging Sixties with The Beatles being at the height of their fame. Around this time, there was a photograph of Paco surrounded by several of his teammates wearing Beatle mop top wigs. They were The Beatles of the football world.

His last European Cup triumph was in a side that was managed by a former teammate, Miguel Muñoz. Muñoz was captain when Real won its first two European Cups. He led them to success in 1960 and 1966, and became the first person to win the European Cup as both a player and manager.

With all of the success Paco enjoyed, particularly in the European Cup, it’s ironic that when the competition first started, he and the other Real players had no idea as to what the new tournament was about. They did not fully comprehend the importance of the new competition, like many others around the continent, and how big it would eventually become.

Real played their first game against Servette in Geneva in September 1955 but there doesn’t appear to be any footage of the game. Gento said: “I must confess that we had no idea how significant the tournament would become. We went to play and that was it. Nobody explained to us what would happen, neither the competition format nor that it was going to be something important for many years to come. I don’t think we really realised what it all meant until we won the first title in the final in Paris. Then we were able to see what the European Cup was all about. It was something indescribable.

“There was no television, no videos. I would love to be able to show my grandchildren those images from 60 years ago. Now that we see everything, I miss being able to have more of my things from that era.”

In 1960, Gento participated in the inaugural match – a two-legged affair back then – of the Intercontinental Cup between the winners of the Copa Libertadores, at the time Peñarol of Uruguay, and Real Madrid, the European champions. The winner would be considered the best club team in the world. Real Madrid dismantled Peñarol 5-1 on aggregate with Paco Gento getting his name on the scoresheet. Unofficially, Real, and Paco, could now claim to be world champions.

In 1971, after a glorious career, Gento made the difficult decision to call time on his career. After all, Father Time catches up with all of us and the decision to hang up his boots was not an easy one. In fact, for any professional footballer, retirement after so many years of doing something one loves can be incredibly difficult to take. Little wonder that there are players who cannot cope with the emptiness retirement leaves them with. Many have hit the bottle or even taken their own life. Agostino Di Bartolomei, the former Roma captain comes to mind. Shortly after retiring, he suffered from depression and shot and killed himself. It’s an emotional time, almost like the greatest chapter of one’s life being closed forever.

Paco decided to stay in the game and undertook some coaching but he failed to reach the heights of his playing career. He ended up taking an ambassadorial role with Los Blancos.

In December 2015, it was announced that Real Madrid president Florentino Pérezwould be proposing a move to make Francisco Gento the honorary president of the club. The event was presented by Emilio Butragueño, a former Real legend and currently the director of international relations. Pérez said: “Gento is here with us today, he is one of Real Madrid’s legends and won six European Cups. Much of what we are today, we owe to the side he played in along with Di Stéfano. The Board of Directors is going to propose appointing him as honorary president of Real Madrid.

“I want us to continue to remember our beloved Alfredo Di Stéfano. His memory accompanied us each year and is still present among us. May these words serve as a tribute to the best player of all time. Along with Santiago Bernabéu, Alfredo Di Stéfano and Paco Gento transmitted the values that continue to be sacred for every Real Madrid fan, regardless of their nationality, language, culture, ideology or religion. These values showed us that this shirt and badge never give in. Together, and united until the end, Real Madrid has managed to become the best club in the world.”

Gento recalled his great teammate Di Stéfano saying it would be up to him (Gento) to win their third successive European Cup final in 1958. How prophetic Di Stéfano’s trust in his teammate would turn out to be. It was indeed Gento who scored the crucial winning goal in a 3-2 victory against AC Milan that kept the trophy in Madrid. It was obvious that despite all the big stars Madrid had at their disposal during these golden years, the biggest names actually had such faith and respect in the ability of their speedy friend on the left wing. During this era, Gento was the one constant, an almost permanent figure that delivered the goods time and time again.

Even Sir Bobby Charlton, one of the world’s greatest players himself, said of Gento when he was watching him playing: “I was just sitting there, watching, thinking it was the best thing I had ever seen.”

Francisco Gento is not just a Real Madrid legend but a Spanish one as well. It would be fitting to bestow upon him the title of honorary president, succeeding his old friend and teammate from all those years ago, Alfredo Di Stéfano, who passed away in 2014. With so much hard work he put in for Real’s cause, there is no one better than Gento, one of only three players along with Di Stéfano and José María Zárraga, who played in all the first five European Cup successes, to be named honorary president of the club that he served for so long and with such great distinction.

By Giri Anantha

Sad news of this Real Madrid recent passing.

Roberto Bettega really was a great striker at his peak, for both Juventus and Italy.

I know I posted an article and footage of him before.