Eternity RPC Board
Reflections on playing against Blacaria Pt II
Time for Catenaccio
![[Image: kTZotRDl.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/kTZotRDl.jpg)
(Gipo Viani, inventor of Catenaccio, with Giovanni Trapattoni)
First of all, Blacaria is unstoppable. His attack waves are simply too intense. Many crosses, many attackers, many runs, many scoring chances and corner kicks. So far, 4-4-2 is the only remedy I have against the insane intensity of his play. Therefore, this leaves me only one option: old-fashioned Italian Catenaccio.
I tried a more controlling, posession-oriented approach, using a 3-4-1-2. This meant that my 3 at the back played 1v1 against Blac's attackers, with 4 hard-working midfielders switching between offense and defense, and controlling the play in the middle of the pitch. Two strikers and an attacking midfielder were supposed to patiently unlock Blac's defence, creating overloads in the centre and waiting for the opening to appear. First game, 1-1 (due to a late equalizer from my striker in the 80th minute). Next game: 5-0 for Blac. Everything his players touched turned into gold. My players were completely disorganized by the sheer terror and chaos caused by Blac's outstanding wingers, his magnificent nr.10, and his natural goal-scorer in the central striker position. Those players were supported by an entire reserve army of supporting players. Opponents were running and going anywhere: run wide, drop deep, run into the penalty area, wait on the edge of the penalty box - and every time they found a free man who released the shot. Goal.
Yesh, yesh. Drastic times require drastic meassures. If I can't control the game, I must resort to the dark arts of football. I must destroy the game. Blac leaves me no other option but to return to the old Catenaccio, that emerged in Italy in the 1950's and 60's and brought terror and destruction to Europe. Football commentators across the continent dreaded: will this be the end of football?
Catenaccio
In 1965, Inter Milan played the European Cup final against the hot favorites of FC Benfica. By then, Inter Milan had already come to dominate the Italian Serie A with ''Catenaccio'', Italian for door-bolt. With a door-bolt, a bolt slides behind two metal pieces, putting a lock on the door. In football, this ''bolt'' was the Libero, an extra defender playing behind the defense to clear any ball that got through. But Catenaccio was more than just a schematic invention. It was also a mentality. It was a mentality dead-set on nullifying the play of the opponent. The entire team was involved in defending and frustrating the game. Against bigger opponents, there was not even the intention to win or to score goals anymore. Everything was about obstructing, frustrating, and nullifying the opponent. Everything was permitted: from psychological warfare and provocations, to bringing along Hooligans, diving, bribing the referee, giving elbows, and even doping.
The European final of 1965 went down as one of the most scandalous displays of ''anti-football'' in history. Benfica, a team full of gifted attackers, was blunted by Inter Milan's nihilism. For Inter, it was a matter of survival. If the opponent was better at playing football than they were, why would they play football? After a rather unexpected goal, Inter took the lead in what was an extremely one-sided game. They decided to play every ball back to the goalkeeper, frustrating the Benfica players and the fans in the stadium as well. The match was horrible to watch and bled to death. Inter won the final, having attacked only once or twice in the entire game. Fear spread in Europe: was this the future of football?
Neo-Catenaccio
If Blac's teams are simply better than mine, with their attacking intensity, he leaves me no other option. I must refuse to play. Its not possible in today's game to copy a system that worked in the 1960's. The original Catenaccio fell out of fashion in the 1970's, and was transformed by managers like Giovanni Trapattoni, Gigi Radice, and Enzo Bearzot, in what was called ''Zona Mista''. This was an updated version of Catenaccio that combined elements of the new ''Total Football'' that had conquered Europe. Zona Mista was, in a sense, an embryonic 3-5-2 in the making. With it, Juventus dominated Europe in the 1980s, and in 1982 Italy beat what many considered the best Brazilian team in history at the World Cup. The Italians eventually won the cup as well.
Zona Mista fell out of fashion in the later 1980's and early 1990's as it became too predictable as literally every Italian team played it in almost the exact same way. Some teams switched to the newest hype, 4-4-2, others adopted the modern 3-5-2 that was invented by the Argentines in 1986. The lack of wingers being used in Italy and the frequent use of 3 central defenders gave rise to narrow formations that used an extra attacking midfielder, such as the 3-4-1-2 implemented by Capello with AS Roma and Dino Zoff as Italy's coach at Euro 2000, and the rise of the 4-3-1-2 used by Marcello Lippi's Juventus, Inter Milan, and AC Milan under Carlo Ancelotti.
With ever more teams packing the midfield with 4-3-1-2, using no wingers, the 3-5-2 was able to make its comeback. Many Italian teams have switched to 4-3-3 as well, also in response to both 4-3-1-2 and 3-5-2. The 4-3-1-2 remains popular this season among smaller Serie A clubs. It was also the preferred formation of Inter Milan under Jose Mourinho, that won the Championsleague in 2010. In the semi-finals, Inter faced Barcelona. As if it was a rehearsal of the 1965 events, legendary attack vs despised defence, Mourinho brought Barcelona to its knees in what many considered a scandalous affair. Mourinho was accused of pure anti-football, but he defended himself arguing that it would be insane to try and out-play Barcelona in their own game. Against Barcelona Inter officially used a 4-2-3-1 formation, but it was actually a formless thing that morphed into whatever was required to stop Barcelona from getting through, while leaving 1 or 2 attackers up front to wait for a break opportunity.
I have been working (and testing) methods to implement Catenaccio in a modern sense. Not that I changed the concept itself, I simply implemented its core features in a modern sense. And the lab results so far have proven that can withstand long periods of intense pressure and attacks coming from all sides. It is one big mess on the pitch if you look at it, because my own area is swarmed by defenders, there is an organization beneath the chaos. If Blac's teams win by spreading chaos and fear among my defenders, I will use chaos to strengthen my defensive organization! MUAHHAHAHA.
The days of Blac's endless goal-scoring are numbered! My experiments required a lot of returns to the design room, but I've managed to develop a defensive organization that has proven it can stay rock-solid for 90 minutes, and even snag a late goal in the 92nd minute. I can't wait to introduce my Neo-Catenaccio to Blac on the pitch.
![[Image: REtYg3yl.png]](http://i.imgur.com/REtYg3yl.png)
Time for Catenaccio
(Gipo Viani, inventor of Catenaccio, with Giovanni Trapattoni)
First of all, Blacaria is unstoppable. His attack waves are simply too intense. Many crosses, many attackers, many runs, many scoring chances and corner kicks. So far, 4-4-2 is the only remedy I have against the insane intensity of his play. Therefore, this leaves me only one option: old-fashioned Italian Catenaccio.
I tried a more controlling, posession-oriented approach, using a 3-4-1-2. This meant that my 3 at the back played 1v1 against Blac's attackers, with 4 hard-working midfielders switching between offense and defense, and controlling the play in the middle of the pitch. Two strikers and an attacking midfielder were supposed to patiently unlock Blac's defence, creating overloads in the centre and waiting for the opening to appear. First game, 1-1 (due to a late equalizer from my striker in the 80th minute). Next game: 5-0 for Blac. Everything his players touched turned into gold. My players were completely disorganized by the sheer terror and chaos caused by Blac's outstanding wingers, his magnificent nr.10, and his natural goal-scorer in the central striker position. Those players were supported by an entire reserve army of supporting players. Opponents were running and going anywhere: run wide, drop deep, run into the penalty area, wait on the edge of the penalty box - and every time they found a free man who released the shot. Goal.
Yesh, yesh. Drastic times require drastic meassures. If I can't control the game, I must resort to the dark arts of football. I must destroy the game. Blac leaves me no other option but to return to the old Catenaccio, that emerged in Italy in the 1950's and 60's and brought terror and destruction to Europe. Football commentators across the continent dreaded: will this be the end of football?
Catenaccio
In 1965, Inter Milan played the European Cup final against the hot favorites of FC Benfica. By then, Inter Milan had already come to dominate the Italian Serie A with ''Catenaccio'', Italian for door-bolt. With a door-bolt, a bolt slides behind two metal pieces, putting a lock on the door. In football, this ''bolt'' was the Libero, an extra defender playing behind the defense to clear any ball that got through. But Catenaccio was more than just a schematic invention. It was also a mentality. It was a mentality dead-set on nullifying the play of the opponent. The entire team was involved in defending and frustrating the game. Against bigger opponents, there was not even the intention to win or to score goals anymore. Everything was about obstructing, frustrating, and nullifying the opponent. Everything was permitted: from psychological warfare and provocations, to bringing along Hooligans, diving, bribing the referee, giving elbows, and even doping.
The European final of 1965 went down as one of the most scandalous displays of ''anti-football'' in history. Benfica, a team full of gifted attackers, was blunted by Inter Milan's nihilism. For Inter, it was a matter of survival. If the opponent was better at playing football than they were, why would they play football? After a rather unexpected goal, Inter took the lead in what was an extremely one-sided game. They decided to play every ball back to the goalkeeper, frustrating the Benfica players and the fans in the stadium as well. The match was horrible to watch and bled to death. Inter won the final, having attacked only once or twice in the entire game. Fear spread in Europe: was this the future of football?
Neo-Catenaccio
If Blac's teams are simply better than mine, with their attacking intensity, he leaves me no other option. I must refuse to play. Its not possible in today's game to copy a system that worked in the 1960's. The original Catenaccio fell out of fashion in the 1970's, and was transformed by managers like Giovanni Trapattoni, Gigi Radice, and Enzo Bearzot, in what was called ''Zona Mista''. This was an updated version of Catenaccio that combined elements of the new ''Total Football'' that had conquered Europe. Zona Mista was, in a sense, an embryonic 3-5-2 in the making. With it, Juventus dominated Europe in the 1980s, and in 1982 Italy beat what many considered the best Brazilian team in history at the World Cup. The Italians eventually won the cup as well.
Zona Mista Italy:
![[Image: DMA1oHEl.png]](http://i.imgur.com/DMA1oHEl.png)
With ever more teams packing the midfield with 4-3-1-2, using no wingers, the 3-5-2 was able to make its comeback. Many Italian teams have switched to 4-3-3 as well, also in response to both 4-3-1-2 and 3-5-2. The 4-3-1-2 remains popular this season among smaller Serie A clubs. It was also the preferred formation of Inter Milan under Jose Mourinho, that won the Championsleague in 2010. In the semi-finals, Inter faced Barcelona. As if it was a rehearsal of the 1965 events, legendary attack vs despised defence, Mourinho brought Barcelona to its knees in what many considered a scandalous affair. Mourinho was accused of pure anti-football, but he defended himself arguing that it would be insane to try and out-play Barcelona in their own game. Against Barcelona Inter officially used a 4-2-3-1 formation, but it was actually a formless thing that morphed into whatever was required to stop Barcelona from getting through, while leaving 1 or 2 attackers up front to wait for a break opportunity.
I have been working (and testing) methods to implement Catenaccio in a modern sense. Not that I changed the concept itself, I simply implemented its core features in a modern sense. And the lab results so far have proven that can withstand long periods of intense pressure and attacks coming from all sides. It is one big mess on the pitch if you look at it, because my own area is swarmed by defenders, there is an organization beneath the chaos. If Blac's teams win by spreading chaos and fear among my defenders, I will use chaos to strengthen my defensive organization! MUAHHAHAHA.
The days of Blac's endless goal-scoring are numbered! My experiments required a lot of returns to the design room, but I've managed to develop a defensive organization that has proven it can stay rock-solid for 90 minutes, and even snag a late goal in the 92nd minute. I can't wait to introduce my Neo-Catenaccio to Blac on the pitch.