Welcome to Wombletown
Wombletown has taken a more defensive approach to this tournament. The squad and tactics were constructed around the unique talents of Beckenbauer. He'll operate as a libero in a five man back line. Kohler and Vidic will be assigned man marking responsibilities in the center. Facchetti and Thuram will play as wingbacks. With so much offensive quality in the opposing sides, the wings must play disciplined defense but both have the capability to go forward on the counter. The wingbacks will be the primary source of width in this setup.
The midfield will be a narrow triangle with Souness sitting a bit deeper than Gerrard and Pogba. The latter two will play box-to-box. Up front, Charles will play as more of a target man while Shevchenko will be asked to drop deeper when necessary. Chilavert in goal wouldn't be my choice for a long season but in a short tournament, he's an inspirational and ushakable presence.
The gaffer Rehagel lives for situations like this. More fancied attacking sides have often grown frustrated against his well organized system. He's o stranger to 5-3-2, having used it to great success at Werder Bremen. His Greek underdogs in 2004 played with Traianos Dellas in the sweeper role so he'll be able to get much greater things from Der Kaiser.
The team has taken well to Rehagel's kontrollierte offensive system. I anticipate we'll play more direct than most teams in this tournament but don't be fooled by my route one schtick. These players have the skills to be more creative than just hoofing it forward. However, they'll be creative with five passes rather than fifteen. Direct football leads to more free kicks which will be crucial in a tournament loaded with talent. I think more goals will be scored off set plays than normal but the dice will tell.
The bench offers some enticing attacking threats for when we're up 2-0 and looking for a third. Klinsmann is a proven goal scorer on the biggest stages. Waddle and Ze Roberto allow us to switch to a four man back line with more advanced players on the wings. Okocha can create something out of nothing if that's what we need. If it comes down to penalties, we can pull a LVG and bring Beasant in as a specialty keeper. Chilavert can change shirts and stay in the game so he can step up first to take his kick. It's a sign of this team's depth that Crompton, the #6 right back of all-time according to some guy on Big Soccer, will be deployed primarily to make sure there are no shenanigans.