Tactics

Watford: Champions League 2nd leg vs Man City
Captain: Kelleher
Vice-Captain: Collins

-----------------Kelleher
Bradley---Collins---Quansah--Murillo
-----------Evertton--Jones
--------------------White
Domínguez---------------------Henrique
--------------------Castro

SUBS: Mamardashvili, Wesley, Beraldo, Moscardo, Enciso, Prestianni, Igor

SUMMARY: This week we go with a 4-3-3 set up although we will be a tad more conservative and operate with Evertton as the holding/defensive midfielder who will be complimented with an energetic box to box midfielder (Jones). In front of them White will operate as the link between midfield and attack. This I feel will give us a better balanced midfield and while being absolutely defensively sound with 2 ‘sitting’ Jones will also be allowed the freedom (when the time arises) to link with White and attack. I think this set-up lets us link up quickly with our attack while at the same time that little bit of extra cautiousness means it will be easy for us to close the door in midfield with all 3 players as comfortable sitting and breaking up attacks if necessary.
We want to play a nice tidy and crisp passing game. Our aim is to move the ball forward as quickly and as effectively as possible. When we have the ball we will use it wisely and when we don’t have the ball then we will press our opponents all over the park with high urgency to win it back. We want to keep the ball on the deck and attack as a team and equally as important defend as a team. This team is bursting with pace. We will utilise that to our advantage and make the pitch wide and use our flying wingers to cause all sorts of mayhem. It will also be a tool that we use to hit opponents on the counter where we know we can out pace any team.
Goalkeeper: Kelleher is a big mobile keeper and very athletic. A great shot stopper, he will communicate with the back 4 and be commanding with the high ball. He will not take any risks. He is a great distributor with both hand and foot and we will look to this as a way to launch quick attacks.
Defence: Our 2 full backs are there firstly to defend and make sure they stay on the right side of their opponents whether they be out wide or cutting inside. When we are on the attack they will be allowed to use their power and pace to provide the overlap on the flanks. They both have the power and the lungs to work the touchline for 90 minutes. They will make the pitch wide and always offer themselves as an option in attack. Our 2 centre halves are big 6 feet plus ball playing defenders. Both good in the air and equally as good with the ball at their feet. They will be asked to do the simple things well. Be aggressive but controlled in the tackle and never lose your man when defending dead ball situations. They will be able to bring the ball out of defence but if in doubt take absolutely no chances and clear it. Both big men will be a real aerial threat at set pieces.
Midfield: We will operate with Evertton as the one holding/defensive midfielder. He will be the midfield general. A physical pacey midfielder he will be there to boss this area for us. Breaking up play and filling in as an extra defender if one of our back 4 has ventured forward. He will be there to protect the defence and do a lot of the unseen dirty work in the centre of the park. He is essential to our game plan and while sitting deep will still offer a lot with his great passing ability. He also has a thunderbolt right foot. He will be complimented with a deep sitting box to box midfielder (Jones). He has a more conservative role this week and while being a little more constrained than normal he will still have the opportunity to bomb forward when the time is right. They will both have to put a defensive shift in and both are very strong in the tackle. We will look at their enthusiasm and relentless pressing of the opposition as a way to hopefully get a bit of a grip on the midfield and at the very least not make it plain sailing for the opposition. In front of them White will operate as the link between midfield and attack. He will be our creator and can find that magic pass to break open a defence and release one of our front three.
Wingers/Centre Forward: When in possession both Domínguez and Henrique will be expected to go for the direct approach and use their power and speed to take on the opposition defence and beat them and bring White, Jones and Castro in to play. They can vary their attacks as they see fit. Both players can play all across the middle so don’t be surprised to see them swapping wings. At times Jones may sit a bit deeper allowing White to slot in between both wingers, just behind the CF.
As well as an attacking force both wingers will also have to put a defensive shift when called upon and act as back up for their respective full backs.
Castro starts as the CF. He won’t be short of support or ammunition with the attacking talent behind him. Great playing off the shoulder of the last man he is deadly in and around the box. A bag of energy and very strong we will also look for him to hold up and bring others in to play if it doesn’t seem to be on for him. We will look to get bodies in the box when attacking so he should always have an outlet. He is also great in the air and will provide an option from set pieces. When the shot is on he will take it but we also want to put himself about in the box and think that his lightning pace will be a real handful for defences. He will also be alert to any scraps in and around the goal. He has the ability to produce something sublime and create a chance out of nothing.
Free Kicks/Corners: White, Henrique or Domínguez with Collins, Quansah and Castro to offer an aerial threat. White and Henrique (with his thunderbolt left foot) may try their luck with several free kicks from distance.

Substitutions: (80 mins) If winning, then 3 like for like subs – Beraldo for Collins, Moscardo for Evertton and Igor for Castro.
If losing (60 mins) then switch to a 4-1-3-2 and replace Jones with Igor and Domínguez with Prestianni. Fresh legs and 2 attackers that carry a goal threat about them. We will look to their pace and freshness to offer us something different.
----------------Evertton
Prestianni---White---Henrique
-------------Igor--Castro

Europa League Final

BRENTFORD v Aston Villa

🤧🤒🤕🤢
Richard Ríos
Ange-Yoan Bonny
Micky van de Ven
Thiago Almada


______________🇳🇱Verbruggen
_______________🇳🇱van Hecke
______🇫🇷Jacquet_________🇬🇷Koulierakis
________________🇳🇱de Jong
____🇭🇺Szoboszlai____________🇫🇷Cissé
________________🇮🇱Gloukh
🇬🇭Semenyo_______________________🇩🇪Brown
________________🇳🇱Emegha

Subs
🇫🇷 Lucas Chevalier
🇹🇷 Ferdi Kadıoğlu
🇳🇱 Ryan Flamingo
🇺🇸 Johnny Cardoso
🇵🇹 Mateus Fernandes
🇪🇸 Gabri Veiga
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Omari Hutchinson

Captain: de Jong
Free Kicks: Szoboszlai / Gloukh
Penalties: Szoboszlai

Our team contained a mixture of experience and enthusiastic youth. Backing up this eclectic, exciting mix of footballers with a distinct philosophy harking back to the romanticised eras of yester-year.

We line up with two lightening quick wingers in Semenyo and Nathaniel Brown patrolling each flank with the intelligent and technically superb Oscar Gloukh behind our complete centre forward Emanuel Emegha. We pack the midfield with de Jong, Szoboszlai and Djaoui Cissé protecting the back-three of Jacquet, van Hecke, and Koulierakis.

We operate with van Hecke as a sweeper. Pre-historic as it seems today, playing a sweeper helps negate the opposition's threat in the attacking third. With our opponents centre forward or centre forwards being picked up by Jacquet and Koulierakis – this leaves van Hecke to pick up stray balls, runs from deep and anything our opponents throw at him.

van Hecke always looks to drop deeper and pick up the loose ball if Jacquet and Koulierakis fail to deal with the first ball

We will be comfortable in having 3 defenders against our opponents central attackers, Jacquet and Koulierakis are comfortable picking up a forward each and if they fail to control the opposition’s forward line, van Hecke is the contingency plan.

From the off, our opponents may realise that they need to get their wide players into the game to breach our narrow defence.

This is an obvious ploy to breach our defence, and we will react to this. We will respond by getting Szoboszlai and Cissé to track the wingers back. When they do this, Gloukh will drop deeper to fill in the central midfield so the deeper lying Frankie de Jong is not outnumbered in the middle of the field.

Switching of play
When faced with doubling-up, switching the ball quickly and directly can lead to a team finding an area of the pitch with no opposition player in. Such tactical nuances are a distinct part of our team. This is an obvious and logical tactical ploy; however, some people do not find this logical style of play attractive or in keeping with flair – as it will often mean that talented players are instructed to play a pass instead of attempting to pass his marker.

Regardless of opinion to such regulated thought processes in regard to talented, individualistic players – these tactics do work. The quick movement to an area where an opponent are a man-short allows us to keep possession comfortably as well as creating opportunities.

Playing against teams using a three/four bank system, based on strict straight lines gives us the opportunity to find space in the most predictable of positions on the pitch.

de Jong and Gloukh are always available to receive the ball, with the ability to dissect our opponents midfield with ease.

Our flexible, hard-working 3-1-2-3-1 system allows us to have a spare-man available when the opposition are on the ball, but significantly, it gave flexibility and strength in keeping possession. With de Jong and Gloukh both floating around the half-way line and attacking third respectively, we are able to move the ball with ease.

The rigidness of the three/four bank systems make it difficult for opponents to react to these players, as if they did move out of position to get closer to Gloukh and de Jong, the shape of the team can fall apart. To combat the constant space Gloukh receives, our opponents wide players may find themselves moving infield. This however gives Nathaniel Brown and the completely ambidextrous Semenyo more space to receive the ball.

Our use of Szoboszlai and Cissé is interesting too. As well as having defensive responsibilities, they are instructed to run from deep to connect with the wingers and forwards. It will be their late runs that were most dangerous to penetrate the opponents defence especially if they operate with a high-line. To do this, both Szoboszlai and Cissé will show superb tactical understanding and discipline, not to mention supreme physical fitness. The combination of quick passing and runs from deep will be a constant menace for the opposition back-line. The implication of this is if a high-line is played, used to combat the threat of Gloukh, then they'll need to drop deeper and deeper to negate the threat of these quick triangles through the midfield.

We will always be looking to stretching the opposition defence with Semenyo and Brown always looking to stay wide in the build-up of moves. It will be therefore unsurprising that either Szoboszlai or Cissé will be the ones to break the deadlock in this game.

The players have game intelligence instilled inside them. Our system is flexible, always allowing us to have a man-over in all areas of the pitch. It may restrict individualism and spontaneous creativity. As a collective however, our team are phenomenally well-drilled and creative, the system forms a base for our players to play aesthetically delightful football as a team.

Subs:
70 mins
Flamingo on for Jacquet
Fernandes for Cissé

80 mins
Hutchinson on for Semenyo

Comment Deleted by Article Creator

Aston Villa Europa League Final v Brentford

------------------------ A.Meret -----------------------
Bellanova --- M. Guehi --- P. Torres --- Cambiaso
-------------- J.Kimmich --- Tielemans -------------
-- M. Rogers ---------------------------- Raphinha --
------------------------ J.David -----------------------
------------------------ Watkins -----------------------

D.Raya, Coppola, B.Kamara, Goncalves, Estupinan, Mouzakitis, Retegui

A big chance for silverware, against a nice team in Brentford, but we must go for the jugglier, so fairly attacking to get at them quickly!

A solid back 4 with Guehi looking to pick up the main striker, he is quick and powerful CB, so will look to bully the striker, be on his toes at all times looking to intercept and ball through to No.9 nip in ahead when he can but nothing rash so he doesnt lose out in possession. Pau alongside, again a very tough, robust defender, he will be spare and will lead the back line, will help out Guehi if needed or pick up a CF/SS/AM, Both can play it out and very good on the ball so no need for rash punts up field unless tequired and no other option, will look to play it to the fullbacks or the midfielders ahead

Attacking Fullbacks will attack at the same time look for the one/two with the winger ahead but will time these and not bomb forward willy nilly, Both will be driving down the line to support the wingers, allowing them to drift inside, also both good crossers and have 2/3 to aim for, defending, keep the wingers to the outside away from danger, try and keep them on there 'bad' foot so they find it difficult to get a cross in, I do not want to see my defenders dive in, so stay tall and use upper body strength to keep there chances to a minimum. This is a solid back 4 who will be difficult to attack, must stay focussed.

The 2 in midfield are very strong and tenacious, will always get stuck in, press there attacking midfielders, wont give there midfield any time on the ball, we will look to dictate play with neat slick passing, winning the ball and setting the attacking players free into space, Kimmich is the main DM will stick to the AM like glue, wherever he goes he will be there snapping at his heals, he doesnt venture very far from were he need to be thus giving support to the back line. Tielemans is more B2B/Playmaker, but doesnt neglect his defensive duties, when we defend he sits alongside Kimmich making life as difficult as possible for the opposition midfield, get right in their faces, when in possession he will carry the ball forward, very difficult to knock off the ball, has 3/4 quality players ahead of him so look for the space to pass, his passing his usually spot on and tends to find his player, he will move into to space and always make himself available for a return ball. J.David will be allowed to roam in a free role and pick out players at will, he can push more forward soemtimes even making it a 442/424, when attacking he moves into a free role basically anywhere across the line where he will become dangerous and help others making himself available for the ball, he has freedom of the pitch he is our creative spark in the middle of the pitch, drag markers around creating space for others to move into, he will be a nuisance for them, can go wide or join Watkins up top. Will look for the 3 around him plus one fullback as we drive forward, pass and drive into space and become a danger to their goal he will look for anything coming out from defence and go for goal. in defence Kimmich and Tielemans is very solid in front of the defence, just hassle the midfield and make them misplace their passes or lose possession with David pushing the DMs and defenders all over the place.

Wingers/wide midfielders when we attack get down the line drive at fullbacks, really take them on, either with skill and pace or at times they will have a fullback with them so quick passing round their fullback should give us space for one of them to fire in to the box, whilst this is happening the opposite winger will be moving into space in the danger area to make up numbers, again defending, track their fullbacks and stop them gaining ground. I want them when we have the ball to play up high, Both will always be nipping in and around Watkins and both capable of getting the goals, track their fullbacks if they come forward and stop them attacking

Watkins, always on the last man across the back four, he and David will always be dragging players away to make space for themselves and each other, getting into dangerous positions waiting for the ball to come his way, he makes runs other forwards dont he has the intelligence find the space for others to find, he should get plenty supply, either to feet or a cross in, he is very good in the air, he doesnt defend, no need too, if he stays up top this will stop their defenders moving forward especially with the 3 behind buzzing around.

Captain - Kimmich
Pens - Raphinha
Free Kicks - Raphinha
Corners - Wingers

Losing -
65 mins - Goncalves for Tielemans, a bit more creative and look to spark something in midfield, Retegui for J.David, 442/424 he is right up top with Watkins
75 Mins - Mouzakitis for Bellanova, Kimmich moves to RCB in an attacking 343 formation

Kimmich - M. Guehi - P. Torres
M. Rogers - Goncalves - Mouzakitis - Cambiaso
O. Watkins - Retegui - Raphinha

if this goes to ET, then go back to 442, Kimmich RB, Cambiaso LB, Raphinha LW and Watkins supporting Retegui

Winning -
75 Mins - B.Kamara for J.David, he goes into the DM role in a 4141 formation, Retegui for Watkins
84 Mins - Mouzakitis for Tielemans

Drawing -
70 Mins - Goncalves for Rogers, Mouzakitis for Tielemans, Retegui for Watkins

Mines above pal

sorry never noticed

All 😊 shall I repost

BRENTFORD v Aston Villa

🤧🤒🤕🤢
Richard Ríos
Ange-Yoan Bonny
Micky van de Ven
Thiago Almada


______________🇳🇱Verbruggen
_______________🇳🇱van Hecke
______🇫🇷Jacquet_________🇬🇷Koulierakis
________________🇳🇱de Jong
____🇭🇺Szoboszlai____________🇫🇷Cissé
________________🇮🇱Gloukh
🇬🇭Semenyo_______________________🇩🇪Brown
________________🇳🇱Emegha

Subs
🇫🇷 Lucas Chevalier
🇹🇷 Ferdi Kadıoğlu
🇳🇱 Ryan Flamingo
🇺🇸 Johnny Cardoso
🇵🇹 Mateus Fernandes
🇪🇸 Gabri Veiga
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Omari Hutchinson

Captain: de Jong
Free Kicks: Szoboszlai / Gloukh
Penalties: Szoboszlai

Our team contained a mixture of experience and enthusiastic youth. Backing up this eclectic, exciting mix of footballers with a distinct philosophy harking back to the romanticised eras of yester-year.

We line up with two lightening quick wingers in Semenyo and Nathaniel Brown patrolling each flank with the intelligent and technically superb Oscar Gloukh behind our complete centre forward Emanuel Emegha. We pack the midfield with de Jong, Szoboszlai and Djaoui Cissé protecting the back-three of Jacquet, van Hecke, and Koulierakis.

We operate with van Hecke as a sweeper. Pre-historic as it seems today, playing a sweeper helps negate the opposition's threat in the attacking third. With our opponents centre forward or centre forwards being picked up by Jacquet and Koulierakis – this leaves van Hecke to pick up stray balls, runs from deep and anything our opponents throw at him.

van Hecke always looks to drop deeper and pick up the loose ball if Jacquet and Koulierakis fail to deal with the first ball

We will be comfortable in having 3 defenders against our opponents central attackers, Jacquet and Koulierakis are comfortable picking up a forward each and if they fail to control the opposition’s forward line, van Hecke is the contingency plan.

From the off, our opponents may realise that they need to get their wide players into the game to breach our narrow defence.

This is an obvious ploy to breach our defence, and we will react to this. We will respond by getting Szoboszlai and Cissé to track the wingers back. When they do this, Gloukh will drop deeper to fill in the central midfield so the deeper lying Frankie de Jong is not outnumbered in the middle of the field.

Switching of play
When faced with doubling-up, switching the ball quickly and directly can lead to a team finding an area of the pitch with no opposition player in. Such tactical nuances are a distinct part of our team. This is an obvious and logical tactical ploy; however, some people do not find this logical style of play attractive or in keeping with flair – as it will often mean that talented players are instructed to play a pass instead of attempting to pass his marker.

Regardless of opinion to such regulated thought processes in regard to talented, individualistic players – these tactics do work. The quick movement to an area where an opponent are a man-short allows us to keep possession comfortably as well as creating opportunities.

Playing against teams using a three/four bank system, based on strict straight lines gives us the opportunity to find space in the most predictable of positions on the pitch.

de Jong and Gloukh are always available to receive the ball, with the ability to dissect our opponents midfield with ease.

Our flexible, hard-working 3-1-2-3-1 system allows us to have a spare-man available when the opposition are on the ball, but significantly, it gave flexibility and strength in keeping possession. With de Jong and Gloukh both floating around the half-way line and attacking third respectively, we are able to move the ball with ease.

The rigidness of the three/four bank systems make it difficult for opponents to react to these players, as if they did move out of position to get closer to Gloukh and de Jong, the shape of the team can fall apart. To combat the constant space Gloukh receives, our opponents wide players may find themselves moving infield. This however gives Nathaniel Brown and the completely ambidextrous Semenyo more space to receive the ball.

Our use of Szoboszlai and Cissé is interesting too. As well as having defensive responsibilities, they are instructed to run from deep to connect with the wingers and forwards. It will be their late runs that were most dangerous to penetrate the opponents defence especially if they operate with a high-line. To do this, both Szoboszlai and Cissé will show superb tactical understanding and discipline, not to mention supreme physical fitness. The combination of quick passing and runs from deep will be a constant menace for the opposition back-line. The implication of this is if a high-line is played, used to combat the threat of Gloukh, then they'll need to drop deeper and deeper to negate the threat of these quick triangles through the midfield.

We will always be looking to stretching the opposition defence with Semenyo and Brown always looking to stay wide in the build-up of moves. It will be therefore unsurprising that either Szoboszlai or Cissé will be the ones to break the deadlock in this game.

The players have game intelligence instilled inside them. Our system is flexible, always allowing us to have a man-over in all areas of the pitch. It may restrict individualism and spontaneous creativity. As a collective however, our team are phenomenally well-drilled and creative, the system forms a base for our players to play aesthetically delightful football as a team.

Subs:
70 mins
Flamingo on for Jacquet
Fernandes for Cissé

80 mins
Hutchinson on for Semenyo

Chelsea Champions Legue Final v Man City

----------------------- A.Trubin -----------------------

R.Lewis --- C. Romero --- Ruben Dias --- Kerkez

----------- E.Fernandez --- Declan Rice -----------

--- M.Olise -------- Bellingham ------- Barcola ---

------------------------ Mbappe -----------------------

E.Martinez, L.Colwill, S.Tonali, A.Guler, K.Yildiz, A.Cordero, D.Vlahovic

Mon then final game against top opponents but we have the team to do it Ihope!

We need to use our pace, power and experience to have a go at them, we must remain focussed on the defensive side too. We have plenty pace, power and most importantly goals throughout this team and will be looking to cause some damage to their back line even if they get numbers back we will look to expose the gaps and dominate that part of the pitch, with a very quick and dangerous front 3/4 Defend as a team, press them all over the pitch, chasing back as they attack, close them down early, pressurize them quickly.

Dias is the spare man allowing the other three to man mark when the opposition ie(CF, Winger, AM, No.10)s are driving forward, if they play 2 up top he will man mark the 2nd striker leaving Romero to take care of the main man probably a Chelsea reject, the CF in for a tough game despite how big and strong he is, Romero is equal to him, both stick to their jobs, give the striker a yard or two, dont sit right on him as if he is lost then the striker is away, giving them a wee bit of room allows them time to adjust to where he is going and gives them that extra second to manouver into position to stop the threat and stop the attack, dont dive in, just shimmy the player to give him second thoughts on what he is doing, allowing our boys to win the ball and get it away from danger, both very good and coming out from the back with the ball and will look to set up attacks from the back, if under pressure boot it away if you have too.

Our fullbacks will come inside to squeeze the opposition and force them backwards, I want no gaps allowing them to be dangerous, close them down quickly, I want Rice taking care of the AM or the most advanced CM, simple instruction to stop him dictating play when he has the ball at feet, pressure him into mistakes, Kerkez look to push wide allowing Barcola to cut inside, taking their RB with freeing up space for Kerkez one twos which will either get Kerkez out wide to cross in or Mbappe to get into the box with a nice slide rule pass, R.Lewis likewise on the right, with Olise ahead of him drive down the line looking for one twos allowing Olise to cut inside with or without the ball to create spaces for Lewis to move into. Kerkez and Lewis however, i dont want them just randomly up the pitch, they focus on defending as up against two quality players.

Enzo and Rice must be patient, obvs City's midfield has some great players and very formidable, provide some support to our defense when we are in retreat they harrass the man with the ball with Rice doing the marking job on the most advanced midfielder opposition may become a bit wary of hanging onto the ball too long, when attacking Rice sits in as the fullbacks attack he will be there to give our 2 CBs support just in case we lose it so we always have at least 3 back. When he has the ball he will look to dictate play and play in those in front and get attacks started. Enzo has more license today and will will provide more creativity & will push a little further forward when we have no pressurie on us, allowing Bellingham to push on and support Mbappe in a central attacking position to give us numbers up top, like said, if we push forward they have to crawl back, so even if we lose the ball they do not have the numbers up top to unleash a counter giving us time to get back, pass and move quickly and precisely and move into a dangerous area be creative with his passing, demand the ball be confident in his abilities, shoot if he can and has an opportunity to do so.

Bellingham in a No.10/Free role is the link between midfield and attack in a free role, he will pick it up from those behind and move it forward, especially to Marmoush who will be making runs to get himself into space, he has to find him, he will find him, he will be direct with his passing, wether out wide or to our striker, if he wants to play a risky ball to get us in then he will, I want him to be aggressive in his play and really drive at there defense, let the pass go as players come onto him, as this will take them out them game and less for our attackers to worry about, plenty options for him to aim for if he decides not to go for goal himself and he is always good for a goal or two. Defending, his workrate in good, his pressing is aggressive and immediate so will always help out the midfield by closing down any runners from deep and look to block the ball/player from advancing, look to start attacks very quickly. Will drop in beside Bruno therefore Rice will drop back one more step as we play 4141.

Our front three, full of goals, speed and frightening for the best ofr defenders to face, Our wingers are extremely quick and tricky, also a huge goal threat, when we don't have the ball they drop back a bit to make up the numbers as opposition attack squeeze the midfield as they play quite narrow, make sure their fullbacks attacks are nulified just stop them pushing forward and that stops a massive threat, push into the faces of the opposition to force them into mistakes and hopefully in the end they lose the ball, just get in the way of them moving forward, Olise and Barcola will cause them problems drifting in an out, with pace I also want to play a high line when attacking to push there attacking fullbacks back and nervous about pushing forward, although when they are pushing forward they will leave gaps for us to exploit, take men on and getting in behind their fullbacks, thus allowing Jude and the midfield more time and space to pick there moment to move into space as an attacking threat and eventually to Mbappe who can beat any defender with power/pace/movement, wingers who will look to get into space to get a shot off, if their defense is on top then we can always go direct at times and fire early crosses especially from deep from the fullbacks to midfield and Mbappe to run onto, we must always make sure he is well supported, especially wingers and Bellingham, who at times will be right on his shoulder or alongside. His movement is exceptional so always makes space for himself of others to move into, if he gets a chance it will more than likely turn into a goal.

Captain - Ruben Dias
Pens - Bellingham
Set Pieces - Bellingham
Corners - Wingers

Losing -
65 Mins - A.Guler for Enzo, he will push up beside Bellingham and provide some quality in the final 3rd
72 Mins - Kerkez and Lewis off, Colwill on to LCB, Vlahovic on and up top, Bellingham drop back a bit beside Rice

----- Romero - R.Dias - Colwill -----
------ Bellingham - Declan Rice -----
M.Olise ------- Guler -------- Barcola
-------- Mbappe ---- Vlahovic --------

Winning -
75 Mins - S.Tonali for Bellingham, into the space between defence and midfield to run the last 15 mins
83 Mins - Colwill for Enzo, to LCB 541/361
85 Mins - Guler for Olise

Drawing -
70 mins - Tonali for Enzo, Guler for Bellingham, Yildiz for Barcola

----------------- 🇮🇹 Donnarumma ----------------
-- 🇪🇸 Huijsen -- 🇳🇱 Van Dijk -- 🇮🇹 Calafiori --
------------- 🇪🇨 Caicedo -- 🇵🇹 J.Neves ----------
🇪🇬 M.Salah ------ 🇩🇪 F.Wirtz ------- 🇵🇹 R.Leao
------------- 🇳🇴 Haaland -- 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Kane -------------

Subs:
Trafford, A.Costa, Lewis-Skelly, Simons, Cherki, J.Pedro, Ekitike

Season finale and it’s a CL final against a top Chelsea side, what better way to the end the season!

In a game of this magnitude it’s often the side that can keep their composure that come out on top, with that in mind we go with a side packed with top level experience containing no less than 5 CL winners! (Donnarumma, Van Dijk, Joao Neves, Salah, Haaland)

With experience coursing throughout the side we look to use this to our advantage as we go with a 3-5-2 x 3-2-3-2 hybrid, interchangeable when attacking and defending giving us an element of unpredictability that will make it difficult for the opposition to contain.

Defensively we go with a compact back three, the opposition tend to go with plenty of pace up top and we look to counter this by sitting deep when out of possession. Let them have it on the flanks out wide, we keep our defensive unit tight knit knowing that we can comfortably deal with any balls into the box with our towering trio.

If the opposition play with inverted wingers this works even more in our favour, don’t bother engaging them when out wide, we keep our shape safe in the knowledge that they’ll ultimately be looking to cut back infield and running into traffic. If they mix it up and go with out and out wingers we’ll happily see them down the line knowing our CB’s our agile enough to anticipate any cut backs or balls across our box.

In support of our 3 CB’s we go with 2 DM’s, giving us the safety of 5 defensive players at all times. Neves & Caicedo will shield our defence, if their FB’s push forward then they will work in tandem with our RCB & LCB to provide support and prevent any overloads out wide. If either DM is forced to drift out wide Wirtz will drop in giving us another body in the middle.

By sitting deep out of possession we nullify their speed and also set ourselves up perfectly to hit them on the counter. Our wide players Salah & Leao track back when out of possession but as soon as we win the ball back they break at speed. With their wingers and FB’s pushed upfield this will leave plenty of space for our speedy wide men to exploit as we hit them with pace and decisiveness on the break.

The beauty of this set up is it’s not all about player on the counter. We are equally as comfortable when in possession, our ball playing CB’s can bring it out from the back with Neves & Caicedo both possessing great passing ability and distribution in the middle of the park. They can look to hit our wingers, get the ball into Wirtz or supply our deadly duo up top giving us a plethora of options when in possession.

Wirtz plays at 10, he’ll be the perfect creator in the middle and will have a deadly front 4 to provide that killer pass.

At first glance a Haaland and Kane duo might look a bit samesy, however on closer inspection they are a duo that compliment eachother perfectly. Kane is a complete forward, deadly in and around the box but also equally adept at dropping deep, almost playing as a 9.5 at times as he loves to get involved in the build up play. In this system he’ll be in his element as he has license to roam and drop in the hole between their CB’s & DM’s to link up the play. When he does he’ll likely bring a CB with him and in doing so he’ll be leaving our deadly Viking up top one on one against their remaining CB, a frightening prospect.

Whilst Kane being an all rounder Haaland is an out and out goalscorer. No need for him to drop deep and get involved in the build up play with Wirtz and Kane pulling the strings. Instead we want him to do what he does best, play on the last man ready to pounce in behind using his pace and power to get away from their CB’s and bury the chances that fall his way.

Kane’s willingness to drop deep and Haaland’s desire to run in behind gives us the perfect duo up top.

Salah & Leao will look to be direct on the flanks. Out of possession we want them to be looking to make runs in behind their defence with Wirtz capable of threading the ball through the eye of a needle. In possession go at your man with option of cutting in field and going for goal or going down the line and cutting back for our of our strikers to finish.

Wirtz will be floating in the AM role. Behind him he’ll have our DM duo breaking down the oppposition, bundles of energy they’ll bring the defensive workrate allowing Wirtz to pick the ball up in space and drive at the opposition. If there’s space in behind release it if not we look to retain possession, moving the ball at speed before playing that killer pass as soon as we spot an opening.

Haaland & Kane work in tandem up top. Communication is key, if one runs to the front post then the other hits the back post. If our wide players have the ball then one anticipate the cutback whilst the other gambles on the ball across the 6 yard box. Defensively they will be a nightmare to contain and we are fortunate to possess two of the most elite finishers in the game. Do what you do best and bring the trophy home boys!

Subs:

If winning:
65 mins: Kane off, A.Costa on. 4-2-3-1.
75 mins: Calafiori off, Lewis-Skelly on.
80 mins: Salah off, Cherki on.

If drawing/losing:
65 mins: Caicedo off, Simons on. Extra creativity.
75 mins: Leao off, Joao Pedro on.
85 mins: Salah off, Cherki on

------------- Donnarumma -----------
--- Huijsen - Van Dijk - Calafiori --
--------- J.Neves -- Simons ---------
-- R.Cherki --- Wirtz --- J.Pedro --
--------- Haaland -- Kane -----------