Aston Villa v WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS

Injuries: Garcia, Mina, Celina, Ozil

------------------ Arrizabalaga
Hakimi - Marquinhos - Tah - Strinic
---- Rakitic - Fernandinho - Meyer
----- Di Maria - Immobile - Perisic

Subs: Leno, Vida, Shaw, Diawara, Sturaro, Vitolo, Alcacer

-----------------

A tough but winnable game today against Villa, hopefully our back four will keep their attack at bay while causing problems of our own to their defence.

We are playing a 4-3-3 today, Arrizabalaga in goal, Marquinhos and Tah at centreback, Hakimi and Strinic at fullback, Rakitic, Fernandinho and Meyer in midfield, Di Maria and Perisic either side of Immobile upfront.

This game is about controlling the tempo and giving us the best chance of getting the win today. Villa are going to fight hard and our best hope is to be strong, disciplined and keep our concentration levels at maximum.

Arrizabalaga - Distribute from the back to the fullbacks/CM's, stay in communication with your defence throughout, be wary of long range efforts and ensure you stay big for any one on ones. On occasion go long for Immobile.

Marquinhos/Tah - Marquinhos mark their striker, force them high up the pitch thus limiting his impact close to goal, and Tah to be the spare man, be first to the second ball and their AM making runs from midfield. When in possession bring the ball out of defence and use the midfielders ahead of you to help us play out from the back. Both of you go forward for setpieces.

Hakimi/Strinic - Both of you to force the Villa wingers out wide, do not allow them to come inside as this will cause more problems for our midfield. They will want to cut inside so force them outside and block their crosses at source. They will try to create problems infield so its vital you only show them down the wing. If they play a diamond with no wingers you will need to form a narrow back four with the CB's and leave no spaces in behind. When we have possession, push forward and support Di Maria and Perisic as they will try to run inside the fullback and you will provide the overlap to either create space or supply crosses into the area for Immobile and link with Rakitic and Meyer. You will need to track back very quickly to ensure we don't get caught on the break.

Fernandinho - Our DM today, sit in front of the back four, break up play, watch out for runs from deep from the opposition, when in possession use your range of passing to look for teammates in advanced positions, use Rakitic and Meyer alongside you if you're closed down.

Rakitic/Meyer - Two box to box midfielders today, one either side of Fernandinho at DM. Both of you are required to get back and assist Fernandinho in front of the back four when we don't have the ball, but both with the ability and the freedom to push forward and join the front three, while always leaving at least one of you behind the ball. Look to link with Di Maria, Perisic or Immobile.

Di Maria/Perisic - Both with the trickery to beat the Villa fullback and get crosses in, you will also have our fullback overlapping giving you the chance to cut inside and get shots in. Look to supply Immobile with chances and also provide yourself with chances. Link up with Rakitic and Meyer, and capitalise on the space Immobile's presence will create for you.

Immobile - you will be expected to occupy the Villa centrebacks, hold up possession and look to turn the defender and shoot. Be strong in the air and look for your teammates trying to pick you out from deep. Shoot on sight. Stay on the last defender's shoulder for any passes in behind. Look to interchange with Di Maria or Perisic on occasion. Try and link with the two alongside you to create opportunities.

------------------

Subs 70 mins;
If winning: Perisic, Di Maria and Immobile off, Sturaro, Vida and Alcacer on. Change to 5-3-1-1, Vida an extra CB, midfield trio of Sturaro, Fernandinho and Rakitic, the fresh legs of Alcacer up top chasing everything and holding the ball up with Meyer in the AM role providing support and chasing down their deep playmaker.

If drawing: Meyer and Immobile off, Diawara and Alcacer on. Switch to a 4-2-3-1, Diawara and Fernandinho in midfield, Rakitic to AM behind Alcacer. Try and find a winner.

If losing: Tah and Meyer off, Vitolo and Alcacer on. 3-1-4-2, Hakimi - Marquinhos - Strinic at the back, Fernandinho the playmaker from deep, Vitolo - Di Maria - Rakitic - Perisic behind Immobile and Alcacer upfront. Push for goals.

Liverpool vs MAN CITY

Line up:

Dragowski
Pereira Caldara Zagadou Toure
Zielinski Witsel Strootman
Robben Fekir Richarlison

Substitutes: Woodman; Milenkovic; Digne; Strootman; Marchisio; Gelson; Oyarzabal; Rafinha

Captain: Witsel
Penalties: Fekir
Direct Free Kicks: Richarlison
Indirect Free Kicks: Zielinski
Corners: Zielinski

Game plan:

Away from home against a strong side and with a poor selection of injuries this week, we choose to deploy hard-working players at the centre of the park so that they can press the home side into making mistakes while providing enough cover for our backline. We setup with a strong defensive platform, hitting Liverpool with quick attacks in numbers as we go direct and down the wings, with our full backs pushing up to stretch the opposition formation. We go with 3 all-action box-to-box midfielders in front of the defence, looking to give the defence strong cover and give the attacking players more freedom to break forward quickly.

We will start in a 4-3-3 formation, dropping back to 4-5-1 in defence, in order to reinforce the midfield out of possession. Witsel plays as the central midfielder, flanked by Zielinski and Strootman, while Robben and Richarlison operated down the wings and Fekir holds the False 9 position. All 3 front men can play across the pitch and will be encouraged to swap positions to keep defenders guessing.

The main objective of the frontline is to force the opposition GK to look for direct balls up to the forwards, where our large back four are set up to control any aerial threat. If the goalkeeper does try to go short to his centre-backs, we will them towards the central channel, while blocking the passing lanes to the either the holding midfielder or CM partnership. Our central forward player is key here, as he will constantly be closing the passing lanes through the middle.

We will prevent the Liverpool midfielders from linking up with their forwards, forcing them to play backwards and then piling the pressure on the player in possession. Zielinski and Strootman stand out in particular here, organising the defensive effort with high-octave pressing, and ensuring Liverpool cannot establish a dominance in the centre of the pitch.

Should Liverpool launch an attack, the aim is to remain tight in the defensive third - the two wing forwards will drop into midfield to cover any overlapping runs made by the Liverpool full backs, and we will completely crowd the central channel of the pitch; this will force Liverpool to either make their play down the flanks against 2 athletic defenders, or play backwards where our forward will be waiting to press and intercept.

We will be lethal on the counter-attack. The speed of the first wave of our breaks will ensure they escape concerted pressure from Liverpool. Our attackers surge forwards, positioning themselves in behind the line of pressure ahead of the ball, thus providing the player who won the ball plenty of possession. Zielinksi will be the standout player in these situations; with an impressive understanding of when and where to attack the free space both with and without the ball.

We will vary our approach in attack, alternating between direct play and passing through the thirds. Dragowski will often look to move the ball into the opposition half as quickly as possible, while the midfield has plenty of strength, aggression, and attacking intent in the middle of the park, constantly seeking to exploit any gaps in behind their opposing midfielders. Zielinski and Strootman have the ability to make particularly good use of the space on the inside, projecting their side forwards in attack where they will outnumber the Liverpool defensive midfield area. Moreover, giving Zielinski free reign in the midfield will add another dimension to our attack, as his dribbling through the centre of the pitch can draw players out of position and open up space for our attackers to run into. In addition to this, his technical prowess at feeding through-balls in tight spaces will create numerous chances for our forwards to put away.

In the attacking phase, we will opt for combination play, swapping between short passes to lure the Liverpool defenders into the opposition half and more ambitious passes through the thirds. Our high tempo will disrupt our opponents, both in midfield and in the final third. The pace and movement of our forwards will cause chaos for the Liverpool midfielders, who will be put under severe pressure to attempt to protect their midfield against the pace and direct nature of our attack. We will put our opponents under constant pressure, with our dangerous front three of Robben, Fekir and Richarlison forcing their way in behind their full-backs and posing constant problems for the centre-backs. At the same time, our full backs have the athleticism and talent to get up the pitch along the byline and drill in low, hard crosses that will cause panic among the defenders.

As a collective, we are well balanced. In the final third we will locate our biggest threats in prime positions, where they will cause constant uncertainty in the last line of defence. Richarlison, Fekir and Robben will regularly find openings with their pace and direct play, successfully exploiting the space in between the centre-backs and the full-backs alongside them.

In the defensive transition, we will re-organise quickly and effectively after losing the ball, Strootman and Zielinski leading the way in swarming around the man in possession, with both being used to implementing a high pressing system, with Witsel adept at covering the inside lanes and intercepting play. We will prevent Liverpool from outnumbering us in this phase of the game, reducing the threat of the counter-attack.

Substitutes:
60 MINUTES (If winning, save this change for the 65th minute, otherwise)
If drawing: Marchisio for Zielinski – Marchisio will add a humongous well of experience to the midfield, as well as a powerful engine that hasn’t yet been majorly impacted by age. He will be able to get himself about the pitch in defence, and can dictate the tempo of the midfield when on the ball.

65 MINUTES (If winning, save this change for the 75th minute, otherwise)
Oyarzabal for Richarlison – Oyarzabal will provide more defensive cover for Toure on the left hand side. He is also an accomplished finisher and able to pop up, seemingly unnoticed, to grab a goal.

75 MINUTES :-
Rafinha for Strootman – This facilitates a slight tactical adjustment to a 4-2-3-1 but with the same overall ethos. Marchisio and Witsel form a deeper pivot, allowing Rafinha to work in the pocket, but the ex-Barcelona man is also well-versed in the pressing game.

--------------------------Lloris
Danilo---Manolas—Kompany—Sane---Rodriguez
--------------------Herrera-----Cook
--------Malcom----------------------------Costa
-----------------------------Cavani
Pickford, Llorente, Maitland-Niles, Foden, Aspas, Tadic, Sessegnon
Yet another change of formation for today, as we prepare for a tough trip to Leicester. We know that they have quality across the team, especially going forward, and so we have decided to set up with a defensive, park the bus ethos when they have the ball, but switch to a quick counter attacking model, utilising the pace out wide to get in behind and stretch the opposition’s defence. We have two central midfielders who will work in a press, and defenders capable of playing the ball out of the back.
We do intend to flood the defensive areas with the five to seven men we have at the back. We won’t allow any space for the opposition to exploit, and we will look to force them out wide where they will struggle to get chances at goal, with the three defenders I have picked then I know that we won’t be losing too many of the aerial balls into the box. They will be capable of getting underneath the ball and getting it clear. When we have possession of the ball at the back I don’t want any shilly shallying around, and instead I want attacks to be started quickly, either with long balls forward for MCC to chase or by playing it short forward to our CMs. They will then start the attacks. Defensively, Kompany will man mark and press the main striker, whilst Manolas and Sane look to outmuscle and outstrengthen the opposition attackers.
Due to my desire to keep the opposition in wide positions, I expect Danilo and Rodriguez to play important roles. They may not be the most adept defensively, but they are both capable of getting the ball and then getting rid, moving it down the line and to our pacy, attacking wingers. I don’t expect either player to commit forward to our attacks, unless they see a wide field of space that they can exploit to attack into and contribute going forward, where they will overlap the unconvenctional wide players that we have picked for today. Usually, however, they will sit as part of the flat back five that I have picked for today.
I have picked Herrera and Cook to sit in front of the defence, with Cook playing as a deep lying midfield player, whilst Herrera operates as a ball winning midfielder, pressing and harassing the opposition midfielders, trying to win the ball back and force them into mistakes. Cook will sit in just behind him, and pick up the ball whenever it breaks for him. We don’t want to allow them to have any time on the ball in dangerous positions, so I will insist that these players press the opposition in the advanced midfield positions, allowing them to have posession in the deeper positions of the midfield where they can’t hurt us. When the midfielders pick up the ball they will look to release it to our wingers to chase and get in behind, not holding the ball for too long, and instead releasing it forward for our wingers to chase and get at the opposition.
With Malcom and Costa I have picked two wingers who are both quick and direct, able to run at the opposition and stretch them. They will, as usual, target the opposition centre backs, so as to pick up on two things. Either they will be specifically targeting Cavani, in which case there will be space for our wingers, or the added bodies attacking the middle will create more space for the clinical Cavani to exploit. When the opposition has the ball, our two wide players will come back to help defend the middle of the pitch, specifically targeting and harassing the opposition defensive midfielders, not allowing them to start attacks from deep should they start to drop off and not play in the positions of the pitch controlled by Cook and Herrera, who will be pressing the areas in advanced positions of the midfield. Costa and Malcom are key to our counter attacking game, looking to make the right runs in behind and attacking the opposition.
Cavani is the outlet that we build our attacks around. He is a physical presence up front, who will occupy the attention of the defenders when they have the ball, pressing them, forcing them backwards and into making mistakes. When we have the ball he will try to get in behind them, and winning physical battles against the opposition defence, knocking balls down for the attacking wingers that are playing off him. Cavani is clinical in attacking, goalscoring positions, and will not require multiple chances to grab goals. We know that we wont be creating too much against this Leicester defence, so we have to take those that come along.
Red Card Substitutions
Lloris – Salif Sane off for Jordan Pickford, who goes to play in goal. Obviously.
Danilo and Rodriguez – Salif Sane off for Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who can slot in at either full back position.
Sane, Kompany, or Manolas – Switch to only playing two centre backs, with a flat back four.
Cook or Herrera – Salif Sane off for Ainsley Maitland-Niles, who will slot into either role in the midfield.
Malcom – Salif Sane off for Dusan Tadic, who will play on the right hand side of the attack.
Costa – Salif Sane off for Ryan Sessegnon, who will play on the left hand side of the attack.
Cavani – Salif Sane off for Iago Aspas who will going to play in the striker role.
Substitutions
If drawing/losing
Lewis Cook off for Phil Foden 70 mins
A more attacking midfielder brought on for the deep lying playmaker. Foden comes on and plays further forward, controlling the ball and trying to dictate the play, looking for balls over the top for our wide men to chase.
Ander Herrera off for Ainsley Maitland-Niles 75 mins
Fresh legs in this role and a quicker option for bursting forward in a box to box midfield style.
Douglas Costa off for Ryan Sessegnon 80 mins
A quick wide player that can stretch the attack and offers a different option to Costa, with fresh legs on the left hand side.
If winning
Malcom off for Ainsley Maitland-Niles
Switch to a 5-3-2, with Herrera, Maitland Niles and Cook operating as a midfield three.

------------------------- Ederson
Pavard -------- Van Dijk ------ Koulibaly ------- Mendy
------------------------- Busquets
----------------- De Bruyne --- D.Silva
Mahrez -------------- Griezmann -------------Aubameyang

Subs: Butland, Otamendi, Ghoulam, J.Martinez, Can, Lemar, G.Jesus

4-3-3, possesion based, control the game in mf and look to play with plenty of width, attacking with pace going forward.

FB's go forward one at a time, one generally sits deeper most likely Pavard. We use their pace to track their forwards looking to get their foot in when they're wide and isolated down the flanks with our wingers track back. Mendy then given freedom to attack going forward and provide the width.

Up top look to keep it simple, no risks of over playing but generally mixing it up as we dont want to be too predictable, a quick counter attacking overload from deep will be key especially in wider areas with Pavard's and Mendy's pace, De Bruyne and front 3 burst forward and hit our opponents hard when they over commit.

At times going long ball as we feel our forwards are more of a match for their defence. Griezmann look to stay on his toes looking to occupy their CB's in behind and creating space in the final third for the two alongside him, targeting the slower of the CB's, look to turn him with that change of pace and expose the channels.

De Bruyne and D.Silva as a duo in mf, look to control the tempo of the game and get us going forward, stretch the play and look to take control of the game.

4-3-3 - On the ball:
It starts from the back. Ederson is very able with his hands and feet and should look to find our players in space.

The CB duo are excellent on the ball, very good passing success rates and should look to move the ball into mf quickly. At times collecting short from Ederson and getting their heads up, looking for movement from the attackers and attempting diagonal or long balls into feet, so we can can counter at pace and bypass their mf press.

Busquets will provide plenty of energy and work his socks off for the side to allow others around them to express themselves. He should look to stamp his authority with his work rate and power looking to take a grip on mf and shielding our defence, oppressing the opposition midfielders and covering every blade of grass out there.

When attacking, Busquets sits just infront of the defence and makes himself available for a pass back. A passing outlet if we are being vigorously pressed whilst also allowing us to create space when working the ball around in triangles, also prevent counter attacks.

De Bruyne + Silva will look to play more the AM role and inbetween the lines, roaming in the oppositions half and looking to act as the link between midfield and attack. Picking up pockets of space and using their awareness to dictate the play, running at their backline and using quick pace and incisiveness to commit defenders on the break.

Flanks will be key as we look to expose them in wide areas and create space in midfield.

Two quick & skilful WG-backs in Pavard and B.Mendy, need to hug the touchline and provide the width allowing us to stretch the opposition. Always on the move so we can get them in behind and use them as outlets going forward when picking a pass.

Very possession orientated, comfortable playing quick 1-2's and accelerating into space, overlapping often and getting early deliveries into the box for our strikers to attack.

When Bournemouth are in possession we will sit deep as a unit with 10 men behind the ball ensuring their is no space left in behind.

We form a rigid structure looking to press the space and dropping off with men behind the ball, only allowing them to play where we want them too, stifle the midfield and stop them from picking their passes into a forward attacker.

Essentially a 4-5-1, 5 in mf working to minimise the space in midfield zones and preventing them from finding their attackers. Our wingers then drop off to mark the oppositions wingers and help our CB's to prevent any space being left in behind.

Key is leaving no gaps or space to get in behind, working as a staunch unit so their quick attackers have to come deeper to get involved making their first point of contact with the ball much deeper than they anticipated and notably further away from our final third.

When we have them deep we have more to work with, we can plug at them and tactically foul in areas that will prevent them from playing with any flow, breaking up the game and frustrating the oppoistion.

If we manage to win the ball we must immediately look to counter and hit the opposition hard. Walker & Mendy can come up to support the play and provide the width. The front 3 burst forward.

Subs:
IF WINNING: 70th minute – (4-3-3)
- Can > D.Silva
- G.Jesus > Griezmann
- Ghoulam> Mendy (84th min)
Compact 4-3-3, we get fresh legs on and keep things solid, G.Jesus used as an outlet to surge forward when possible

IF DRAW: 70th minute – (4-2-3-1)
- Lemar > Auba
- G.Jesus > Griezmann
- Can > D.Silva (75th min)
stretch the play and look to play more in wider areas at this stage where we think Bournemouth are most susceptible to being exposed.

IF LOSING: 77th minute – (4-4-2 - direct)
- G.Jesus > D.Silva
- Lemar > Auba
- Ghoulam > Mendy
4-4-2, direct. long balls into the box and constantly looking for the two strikers.
Flood forward and look for an equalizer/winner.

C - Van Dijk
FK's - De Bruyne
Corners - De Bruyne / Silva
Pens – Griezmann

Villa week 4 vs Pompey


……………………………………De Gea…………………………
……………….De Vrij………….Bonucci…………Chiellini
Bellerin………………Vidal…………..Neves………………Max
…………………….Icardi…Morata….Vardy………….
Subs: Forster, Luiz, Sidibe, Matuidi, Iniesta, Adama, El Shaarawy

Pompey are a strong outfit and will be a good test, but one in which we feel we have a good chance of passing. Changed the system today, yes it’s narrow certainly up front but that’s a strength not a weakness.


Last week we went with a possession heavy set-up and whilst we did ok we still lost, this week is less about possession but more about quick direct attacking football. We want those long diagonals being hit, turn the defence and get in on goal. I want us hitting them at pace throughout the game, proper in your face football.


Bournemouth are blessed with pacey wingers but Max and Bellerin are no slouches they’ll look to show their men the line and force the cross, as good as their striker is in the air, he’ll be up against it with our back three.


De Gea is for me the best keeper in the world, his shot stopping is second to none and he doesn’t seem to get so physically roughed up anymore, will command his box – but the 3 in front of him know their business as good as any. With the ball, any of our back five are an option, or he can go long and direct.




The Back Three:

two thirds of the best defence put together in Italy for the best of a decade with De Vrij alongside them is about as solid as you’ll find anywhere, all are big strong specimens, not the quickest of defences so they’ll sit deep and hold the 18 yard line, let spurs try and draw us out. In possession RCB and LCB will hit those diagonals to Morata, he’ll flick it on or bring it down…we go from back to front in 5 seconds – we’ll kill them on the counter…..once they’ve been stung they’ll be more wary about committing so we need to be clinical. Defensively they won’t be drawn out. They’re drilled enough to hold position…Bonucci silences the striker, whilst Chiellini and De Vrij sweep and keep an eye out for runners from midfield – they won’t go wide, if our wing backs can’t stop the cross they’ll deal with the ball in the box, no point being caught in no mans land.

Bellerin and Max – both given licence to get forward, Bellerins pace is enough to keep Bmouth LB pegged back, as no-one can afford to give him a headstart. The real threat come from the left, Max assists in big numbers – he’s got 3 strikers to aim at, could be a good afternoon for the German.


The Pivot:
Neves is the DM, great range of passing and the tenacity to get stuck in and put a foot in, will be some player this kid, he’s a real baller, with him sitting infront of the defence playing QB, dictating the tempo and spreading the ball about as well as pinging the balls over the top. The bonus is once play breaks down he’s already in situ to defend in the spaces that their AM is so good at operating in.
Vidal is the muscle in the engine room, such a beast…he’s assigned one major task today and that’s sit on former teammate, Gail Platt…wherever he goes be on his toes, don’t let him settle in to the game – we know tab is a fan of a 3 man midfield, no idea who the 3rd spoke is but we figure that with Eriksen and Modric marked, he’ll have to go long and our defence can deal with that.
So basically Neves deep lying playmaker and Vidal box to box destroyer.



The Trident:

Nice and narrow, but rather than stepping on each other’s toes I think they complement each other nicely.

Morata – big strong and physical, good in the buildup with quick feet, we want him positioning himself between the two centre-backs but slightly in front, his primary tasks are to either bring the ball down and lay it off or flick it on to the other two, by playing just infront of the defence he can win us some pretty cheap free kicks just by being climbed on. Anything into the box he can attack goal bound.

Icardi – has a much better work ethic than given credit for, scores in huge numbers, we want him operating in the gaps between RCB and RB, will get loads of service from the flanks or flick on’s just be on his toes and ready to pounce.

Vardy– bags of pace and can finish, where as Icardi operates in the spaces we want Vardy coming inside so running on beyond Morata and causing confusion as to which defender takes which striker, hopefully creating a bit more space for Max to whip a ball in.

Defensively:

their keeper has the ball

Morata will sit between the centre halves, taking both out of the game for a short kick
Vardy and Icardi will drift wide marking their FB’s forcing the keeper to go long.

Without the ball:

Morata will stay splitting their CB’s giving us an out ball and target man, whilst Vardy and Icardi will drop to the halfway line, closing off the passing lines that Bmouth will look to exploit.

Subs 65 mins
Matuidi > Vidal
El Sha > vardy
Iniesta > Neves

Villa week 5 vs Wolves



……………………………………De Gea…………………………
……………….De Vrij………….Bonucci…………Chiellini
Bellerin………………Vidal…………..Neves………………Max
…………………….Rashford..Icardi….Vardy………….
Subs: Forster, Luiz, Sidibe, Matuidi, Iniesta, Adama, Grey

Wolves are a strong outfit and will be a good test, but one in which we feel we have a good chance of passing. Changed the system today, yes it’s narrow certainly up front but that’s a strength not a weakness.


Last week we went with a possession heavy set-up and whilst we did ok we still lost, this week is less about possession but more about quick direct attacking football. We want those long diagonals being hit, turn the defence and get in on goal. I want us hitting them at pace throughout the game, proper in your face football.


Bournemouth are blessed with pacey wingers but Max and Bellerin are no slouches they’ll look to show their men the line and force the cross, as good as their striker is in the air, he’ll be up against it with our back three.


De Gea is for me the best keeper in the world, his shot stopping is second to none and he doesn’t seem to get so physically roughed up anymore, will command his box – but the 3 in front of him know their business as good as any. With the ball, any of our back five are an option, or he can go long and direct.




The Back Three:

two thirds of the best defence put together in Italy for the best of a decade with De Vrij alongside them is about as solid as you’ll find anywhere, all are big strong specimens, not the quickest of defences so they’ll sit deep and hold the 18 yard line, let spurs try and draw us out. In possession RCB and LCB will hit those diagonals to Morata, he’ll flick it on or bring it down…we go from back to front in 5 seconds – we’ll kill them on the counter…..once they’ve been stung they’ll be more wary about committing so we need to be clinical. Defensively they won’t be drawn out. They’re drilled enough to hold position…Bonucci silences the striker, whilst Chiellini and De Vrij sweep and keep an eye out for runners from midfield – they won’t go wide, if our wing backs can’t stop the cross they’ll deal with the ball in the box, no point being caught in no mans land.

Bellerin and Max – both given licence to get forward, Bellerins pace is enough to keep Bmouth LB pegged back, as no-one can afford to give him a headstart. The real threat come from the left, Max assists in big numbers – he’s got 3 strikers to aim at, could be a good afternoon for the German.


The Pivot:
Neves is the DM, great range of passing and the tenacity to get stuck in and put a foot in, will be some player this kid, he’s a real baller, with him sitting infront of the defence playing QB, dictating the tempo and spreading the ball about as well as pinging the balls over the top. The bonus is once play breaks down he’s already in situ to defend in the spaces that their AM is so good at operating in.
Vidal is the muscle in the engine room, such a beast…he’s assigned one major task today and that’s sit on former teammate, Gail Platt…wherever he goes be on his toes, don’t let him settle in to the game – we know tab is a fan of a 3 man midfield, no idea who the 3rd spoke is but we figure that with Eriksen and Modric marked, he’ll have to go long and our defence can deal with that.
So basically Neves deep lying playmaker and Vidal box to box destroyer.



The Trident:

Nice and narrow, but rather than stepping on each other’s toes I think they complement each other nicely.

Morata – big strong and physical, good in the buildup with quick feet, we want him positioning himself between the two centre-backs but slightly in front, his primary tasks are to either bring the ball down and lay it off or flick it on to the other two, by playing just infront of the defence he can win us some pretty cheap free kicks just by being climbed on. Anything into the box he can attack goal bound.

Icardi – has a much better work ethic than given credit for, scores in huge numbers, we want him operating in the gaps between RCB and RB, will get loads of service from the flanks or flick on’s just be on his toes and ready to pounce.

Vardy– bags of pace and can finish, where as Icardi operates in the spaces we want Vardy coming inside so running on beyond Morata and causing confusion as to which defender takes which striker, hopefully creating a bit more space for Max to whip a ball in.

Defensively:

their keeper has the ball

Morata will sit between the centre halves, taking both out of the game for a short kick
Vardy and Icardi will drift wide marking their FB’s forcing the keeper to go long.

Without the ball:

Morata will stay splitting their CB’s giving us an out ball and target man, whilst Vardy and Icardi will drop to the halfway line, closing off the passing lines that Bmouth will look to exploit.

Subs 65 mins
Matuidi > Vidal
El Sha > vardy
Iniesta > Neves

Bournemouth Week 6:

Bournemouth (4-3-3) Away
Captain : Veríssimo
Vice Captain : Rossi

--------------------Rossi
Militão---Conti---Veríssimo---Saracchi
---------Paredes-------Wendel
----------------- Paquetá
Pussetto---------------------------Everton
-------------------Gomez

SUBS: Ramírez, Senesi, Olivera, Danilo, Vargas, Cunha, Pedro


SUMMARY: This week we go with a 4-3-3 set up although we will be a tad more conservative and operate with one holding/defensive midfielder (Paredes) who will be complimented with a deep sitting box to box midfielder (Wendel). In front of them Paquetá 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’ Wendel will also be allowed the freedom (when the time arises) to link with Paquetá 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 will focus on our own gameplan and perfecting that. 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. We want to continue where we left off in seasons past and search for that perfect balance between defence and attack. Use our pace and power and build our attacks up from the back. If there is nothing on then we will be patient and ball retention is important. 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. We want to press and pressurise the opponents at any given chance and not give them a moment’s peace on the ball. We really want to make the pitch wide in this game and pull the opposition out of shape. We will look to our strength to really have a go at their defence. We will use the fitness levels of our young team to play with an outrageous tempo from the off – pressing the opponents and going for the jugular to try and get in front. If that is successful and gets us in front then it will be up to the player’s own discretion on how to manage the ferocity and pace of how we play.
Goalkeeper: Rossi is a big mobile keeper and very agile. 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 one holding/defensive midfielder (Paredes). 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 (Wendel). 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 Paquetá will operate as the link between midfield and attack.
Wingers/Centre Forward: When in possession both Pussetto and Everton 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 De Paquetá, Wendel and Gomez 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 Wendel may sit a bit deeper allowing Paquetá 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.
Gomez 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: Paquetá, Everton or Pussetto with Conti, Veríssimo, Paredes and Gomez to offer an aerial threat. Paquetá and Everton (with his thunderbolt left foot) may try their luck with several free kicks from distance.

Substitutions: (75 mins) If winning (and comfortable) then 3 like for like subs – Senesi for Conti, Danilo for Paredes and Pedro for Gomez.
If losing (70 mins) then switch to a 4-1-3-2 and replace Wendel with Pedro and Pussetto with Cunha. 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.
--------------Paredes
Cunha------Paquetá-----Everton
--------Pedro -----Gomez

Red Card Subs:
Keeper: Ramírez for Rossi and take off Paquetá: 4-4-1
FB: Olivera as direct replacement (LB/RB) and take off Paquetá: 4-4-1
CB: Senesi as direct replacement and take off Paquetá: 4-4-1
CM: Danilo as direct replacement and take off Paquetá: 4-4-1
LW/RW/AM: Move Paquetá to LW/RW: 4-4-1
CF: Pedro as direct replacement and take off Paquetá: 4-4-1

Week 6 tactics

--------------------Buffon
Florenzi---Sokratis---Vertonghen---Cucurella
-------------------Rabiot
------------Dorsch-------Kovacic
Sterling-------------------------------Son
------------------Lacazette
Subs
Strakosha, Inigo, Clyne, Brozovic, Henderson, Gameiro, Mkhi

Buffon is a commanding presence at the back, when he calls for a ball, the defence know he will take control, they have complete confidence in each other and stops those little split second doubts which could lead to a chance. When he has the ball he will look to offload quickly in the direction of the front 3 to get those quick counters started.


Verthongen is the defensive leader and will be the one to set the defensive line on the pitch, both centre backs will stay back with either one of the full backs or the DM always prepared to make it a back 3 when we lose possession to stop counter attacks, Both CB"s will communicate with each other so they are clear in where the attacking threats are. When dealing with the opposition, we will avoid slide tackles unless necessary instead looking to just guide players off the ball. When on the ball, if the opposition are giving them space to come out with the ball, then they should take it forward, if not, keep it simple with the occasional long ball to the front 3 thrown in to keep the opposition from setting up against one style of play.




For the full backs today the objective is to sit back and tuck in slightly when defending, looking to stop balls being played between them and the centre backs, with the secondary advantage of discouraging the wide men from cutting inside, forcing them to cross, which gives us a better chance of getting the ball back quickly and launching an attack of our own.

 Their objective when attacking will be to keep making runs past the winger on both the inside and outside, giving the opposition full back that split second of indecision on who they go with. They will only occasionally put floated crosses in, preferring to either play shorter passes to the wingers or players who have come out from the middle of the pitch to keep possession and let the pressure build up in the final third, or run to the byline and put in fast and low crosses relying on both the faster reactions and control of our attackers and the pressure of the situation on their centre backs to hastily clear the ball without being in full control of the situation.


The focus of the midfield 3 will be to use their high energy, all action styles to get themselves around the middle of the pitch, working in collaboration with the front 3 to control the midfield battle whilst still having the attacking nous to create chances for us. When we are in the attacking third, they will always be looking to make themselves available for a pass to keep recycling the ball, keeping the pressure up with us looking to use the movement of the other CM's and the front 3 to drag the opposition defensive players that little bit more which could be the difference in getting a player behind them. They also all have an eye for a pass so will look to take advantage of the front 3 all flitting around and play them in with through balls and quick one touch play. We will also occasionally take the occasional long shot, with the aim being to make sure defenders aren't content to sit back and forcing them to make a decision. When defending, they are looking to press the middle third of the pitch, pressing the opposition CMs/Wingers in conjunction with other players as they are on the ball to rush their decisions and win the ball back.


Both wingers today will be looking will be to drift around when deeper players are in possession, looking to combine with the other attacking players to get little areas of space before using their pace and trickery respectively to drift between the CB and FB and get in behind them. When they are on the ball the emphasis will be more on cutting inside with the occasional long shot to test the keeper, and only occasionally putting in crosses, getting involved in a fast intricate style of passing with the centre mids and Gameiro, looking to create the passing triangles which will just take players out of the game. They should also look to run at players as they will be cautious not to give away a set piece due to the ability of our set piece takers. When the opposite winger has the ball, the one without the ball should look to find space between the CB and FB to add an extra body in the box. When defending, they should be stopping the passing lines to the full backs primarily, then focus on ensuring our full backs dont get outnumbered.



When Gameiro is attacking, he will look to constantly drift around the defenders looking to get himself a bit of space enough for him to get the ball and pass it along to another attacker or face up the defenders and take them on. When running onto a ball, He will also be looking to use his reactions to get ahead of the defender and then use his strength to cut in front of the defender, causing them to either stop their forward momentum completely, or make the foul.
When defending, he will be working with the wingers to cut off the passing lines for their CB's, forcing them or the keeper to launch it long, then using his tireless energy reserves to work back and press their centre mids.



Set Pieces


Corners - Kovacic takes the corners, most of the time looking to have the ball at an attackable height around 8-10 yards out between the posts, the FB's stay back to prevent counters, the CB's and Lacazette work in a group to make little blocks and cross-runs to lose a marker so 1 or 2 can get a run at the ball, Son and Sterling flit around away from the main attacking group looking to pounce on mistimed touches and flicks around the area. Dorsch looks to limit the opposition keeper from moving too far off his line, looking to take a defender with him to create less space for the keeper and one less man in the main action area. Rabiot takes a position just outside the box to pick up weak clearances and go for the odd thundercunt, as well as occasionally providing the short option to draw defenders out of the box.





Free Kicks - Kovacic takes Direct FK's



For Indirect FK's, same instructions as Corners





Penalties - Lacazette is the designated taker.

Subs



If Winning


70 mins - Mkhi for Son - The wingers tuck back, but look to get out quickly and counter if the opposition over-commit for a route back into the game.




82 + 86 Mins - Brozovic for Dorsch and Clyne for Florenzi - Actively time waste and really frustrate the opposition.



If Drawing
70 Mins - Brozovic for Dorsch - Add a bit more urgency into attacks, show the opposition we are going for the win.

If Losing



67 Mins - Gameiro, Mkhi and Inigo for Dorsch, Cucurella and Florenzi - switch to a 3-5-2 with emphasis on the wings backs acting as wingers and just pile forward in numbers.

week 7 tactics

-------------------Strakosha
Clyne----Sokratis----Inigo----Luis
-------------------Locatelli
------------Rabiot-------Kovacic
Sterling-------------------------------Son
------------------Lacazette
Subs
Uzoho, Retsos, Cucurella, Dorsch, Henderson, Gameiro, Mkhi

Strakosha is a commanding presence at the back, when he calls for a ball, the defence know he will take control, they have complete confidence in each other and stops those little split second doubts which could lead to a chance. When he has the ball he will look to offload quickly in the direction of the front 3 to get those quick counters started.


Verthongen is the defensive leader and will be the one to set the defensive line on the pitch, both centre backs will stay back with either one of the full backs or the DM always prepared to make it a back 3 when we lose possession to stop counter attacks, Both CB"s will communicate with each other so they are clear in where the attacking threats are. When dealing with the opposition, we will avoid slide tackles unless necessary instead looking to just guide players off the ball. When on the ball, if the opposition are giving them space to come out with the ball, then they should take it forward, if not, keep it simple with the occasional long ball to the front 3 thrown in to keep the opposition from setting up against one style of play.




For the full backs today the objective is to sit back and tuck in slightly when defending, looking to stop balls being played between them and the centre backs, with the secondary advantage of discouraging the wide men from cutting inside, forcing them to cross, which gives us a better chance of getting the ball back quickly and launching an attack of our own.

 Their objective when attacking will be to keep making runs past the winger on both the inside and outside, giving the opposition full back that split second of indecision on who they go with. They will only occasionally put floated crosses in, preferring to either play shorter passes to the wingers or players who have come out from the middle of the pitch to keep possession and let the pressure build up in the final third, or run to the byline and put in fast and low crosses relying on both the faster reactions and control of our attackers and the pressure of the situation on their centre backs to hastily clear the ball without being in full control of the situation.


The focus of the midfield 3 will be to use their high energy, all action styles to get themselves around the middle of the pitch, working in collaboration with the front 3 to control the midfield battle whilst still having the attacking nous to create chances for us. When we are in the attacking third, they will always be looking to make themselves available for a pass to keep recycling the ball, keeping the pressure up with us looking to use the movement of the other CM's and the front 3 to drag the opposition defensive players that little bit more which could be the difference in getting a player behind them. They also all have an eye for a pass so will look to take advantage of the front 3 all flitting around and play them in with through balls and quick one touch play. We will also occasionally take the occasional long shot, with the aim being to make sure defenders aren't content to sit back and forcing them to make a decision. When defending, they are looking to press the middle third of the pitch, pressing the opposition CMs/Wingers in conjunction with other players as they are on the ball to rush their decisions and win the ball back.


Both wingers today will be looking will be to drift around when deeper players are in possession, looking to combine with the other attacking players to get little areas of space before using their pace and trickery respectively to drift between the CB and FB and get in behind them. When they are on the ball the emphasis will be more on cutting inside with the occasional long shot to test the keeper, and only occasionally putting in crosses, getting involved in a fast intricate style of passing with the centre mids and Gameiro, looking to create the passing triangles which will just take players out of the game. They should also look to run at players as they will be cautious not to give away a set piece due to the ability of our set piece takers. When the opposite winger has the ball, the one without the ball should look to find space between the CB and FB to add an extra body in the box. When defending, they should be stopping the passing lines to the full backs primarily, then focus on ensuring our full backs dont get outnumbered.



When Lacazette is attacking, he will look to constantly drift around the defenders looking to get himself a bit of space enough for him to get the ball and pass it along to another attacker or face up the defenders and take them on. When running onto a ball, He will also be looking to use his reactions to get ahead of the defender and then use his strength to cut in front of the defender, causing them to either stop their forward momentum completely, or make the foul.
When defending, he will be working with the wingers to cut off the passing lines for their CB's, forcing them or the keeper to launch it long, then using his tireless energy reserves to work back and press their centre mids.



Set Pieces


Corners - Kovacic takes the corners, most of the time looking to have the ball at an attackable height around 8-10 yards out between the posts, the FB's stay back to prevent counters, the CB's and Lacazette work in a group to make little blocks and cross-runs to lose a marker so 1 or 2 can get a run at the ball, Son and Sterling flit around away from the main attacking group looking to pounce on mistimed touches and flicks around the area. Locatelli looks to limit the opposition keeper from moving too far off his line, looking to take a defender with him to create less space for the keeper and one less man in the main action area. Rabiot takes a position just outside the box to pick up weak clearances and go for the odd thundercunt, as well as occasionally providing the short option to draw defenders out of the box.





Free Kicks - Kovacic takes Direct FK's



For Indirect FK's, same instructions as Corners





Penalties - Lacazette is the designated taker.

Subs



If Winning


70 mins - Mkhi for Son - The wingers tuck back, but look to get out quickly and counter if the opposition over-commit for a route back into the game.




82 + 86 Mins - Dorsch for Rabiot and Cucurella for Sterling - Actively time waste and really frustrate the opposition.



If Drawing
70 Mins - Mkhi for Locatelli - Rabiot to DM, add a bit more urgency into attacks, show the opposition we are going for the win.

If Losing



67 Mins - Gameiro, Mkhi and Retsos for Locatelli, Luis and Clyne - switch to a 3-5-2 with emphasis on the wings backs acting as wingers and just pile forward in numbers.

4-3-3 Total Football

At home against Everton, we look to take the game to them. Go for the win and look to score goals entertaining the fans.

A quick and direct game centered around numerical supremacy and the idea of overwhelming the opposition based on the speed of our transitions and pace on and off the ball, passing and moving. We feel we can get in between the lines against them and out number them when we get forward.

We start with a high tempo, take control of the game early. Look to take advantage of the gaps between the lines of the opposition. Pushing up as a team allows us to control possession better, always ensuring we have an option. Thiago is the deeper playmaker, looking to get involved in all the build up play and also gets forward into the final third as well. We always keep 3 defenders back. Giving us plenty cover at the back.

Seamless interchanging of positions in attack, and relentless pressing in our own half when defending.

Everyone attacks, everyone bar Ronaldo defends. Well Coutinho and Hazard do their best. Everyone attacks bar the cbs and Casemiro. Great pace and creativity throughout our side. Thiago the playmaker, Coutinho the attacking mid linking play and finding space in between the lines. Using the pace of our wide players and link up play of Ronaldo to create.

Knock the ball about the opposition, tiring them out, and allowing us to push players forward into attack. Isolate their attacking players. Let the ball do the work, and tire them out chasing us.

As soon as we get the ball to our midfield, we look to move the ball quickly, quick passing and moving. Carvajal the fb that we look to get attacking, Wendell more reserved giving more freedom to Hazard in attack.

Casemiro the dm reading the play looking to win the ball back, Thiago offers an inteligent defensive player next to him with Lopes' energy also important for pressing. Coutinho and Hazard simply look to get into the right positions when we defend. Getting back and pressing the space, blocking passing channels.

------------------- Neuer
Carvajal - S.Ramos - Kehrer - Wendell
---------- Casemiro - Thiago
----------------- Coutinho
- M.Lopes -------------------- E.Hazard -
----------------- C.Ronaldo

Subs. Schmeichel, Laporte, Doucoure, Gundogan, Guedes, Martial, L.Martinez

Defence

We have a quick defence and energy in midfield to stop quick breaks, plus Coutinho and Hazard.

We defend in a 4-3-2-1 formation. Use Lopes hard working nature to have him drop deeper next to Casemiro and Thiago. Casemiro pressing the space in front of the cbs. Allowing either Thiago or Lopes to press the ball. Coutinho and Hazard narrow to the side of play we're defending.

Control the opposition by pressing the space with a narrow, compact rigid defensive unit, only allowing them to play in areas we want them to.

Look to leave no space for them in between the lines, make it difficult for them to create. Their great dribblers and so if they beat a man, they'll run into another. In this tight formation narrowing to the side of play, ensuring there are no gaps in the formation.

As we drop deeper we are really compact. No space in between the lines. Isolate their attackers and force them to take risks.

Attack

Building from the back, when in possession we look to move forward as a unit. One full back bombs forward at a time, looking to provide width. Coutinho always looking to find space behind the Everton midfield and getting the wide players attacking the full backs.

Pushing forward as a team and with a higher line allows us to get our attacking players in more dangerous positions. It also makes it easier to retain possession ensuring we have options just behind, with the defence hugely important in keeping possession. We have four players that are fantastic on the ball at the back, and importantly they also have great pace to get back.

We let our attackers play natural game in the final third. Create chances and score. Simple.

Subs.
If winning after 68 mins bring on Gundogan for Coutinho. Gundogan deeper at cm, giving us more cover and fresh energy in the middle.
If winning after 75 mins bring on Guedes for Lopes. Fresh pace.
If winning after 80 mins bring on Doucoure for Thiago. Fresh power to see out the game.

If drawing after 70 mins bring on Gundogan for Wendell. More creativity on. 3-6-1. Carvajal playing as a cb. Kehrer and Carv offering great pace in back 3.
If drawing after 75 mins bring on Martial for Lopes and Doucoure for Thiago. 3-5-2, Martial up top with Ronaldo. More power in cm and up ntop.

If losing after 60 mins bring on Martial and Laporte for Carvajal and Wendell. 3-5-2.
If losing after 70 mins bring on Gundogan for Casemiro.

NEWCASTLE 4-3-3

___________Alisson
Trip____Godin___Umtiti___Robbo
__________Jorginho
________Kante___Koke
Mane______Suarez________Reus

SUBS: Milner, Radja, N’Zonzi, James, Bobby, Rebic, Lukaku

Captain: Diego Godin
Penalties: Luis Suarez
Corners: Koke
Freekicks: Luis Suarez
Crossing Freekick: Koke

The formation deployed today is so that we gain as much control as possible higher up he pitch. We expect to have more of the ball so patience is key. We also expect the four behind the striker to drift around a bit, getting into positions where their natural play can cause damage. The striker up front presses when we don’t have the ball and the entire team will support him cut passing lanes to help win the ball higher up. The quality of our players will allow us to break through the oppositions press. When we have the ball we will want to attract the press and use the spaces that they open up to attack.

Full backs will get forward when the opportunity arises. Our full backs are good at feeding our forward line with their ability on the ball and we aim to utilize that with their ability to get up the pitch and tactical arareness. We also need our full backs to widen the pitch for us. Our centre halves are good on the ball, and a long punt every now and then to utilize our pace out wide is encouraged. Our right back will also tuck in to help solidify the team.

The regista will drop in to form a back three so that the centre backs can split wide to push the full backs general position higher up in line with the midfielders (and wide forwards engage their back line along with the striker). In doing so we create a four man midfield to overpower their midfield. This will allow our midfield to be flexible, if one of their midfielders steps forward, one of ours will move into the space they vacated. The regista will be the link between our defence and midfield and because of the way he plays, he will draw the opponents forward towards him to attack the ball, pulling their team’s lines apart. This will create more spaces between the lines for our midfield and forward lines to move into. The right centre mid will be the more defensive one in his box to box role, closing down space and cutting passing lanes with his incredible interception ability. Playing alongside the regista will give him less areas of the pitch to cover, and shorter distance needed to win the ball back to start the next attack. Both centre mids will float between the lines during the attacking phase just behind our forwards.

By having our wide forwards up front when we have the ball it will effectively create space out wide. We would expect our full backs to sometimes go infield to collect the ball from the keeper, while one of the midfielders goes wide so when he receives the ball he will have time to look up and pick passes as the opposition midfield will be reluctant to press which will leave a man free in midfield. This can be done by a midfielder too, dropping deep to create a free man in the first line with time on the ball, ping it straight to the striker who can lay it off to the other onrushing midfielder.

If short passing options aren’t available the passing range and accuracy of our keeper will safely transfer the ball forwards via our full backs, wherever they are on the pitch. The keeper can also dink the ball into space for the striker or wide forward to control taking out 6 or 7 opposition players in the process.

The striker’s main role will be to create space for the wide forwards. He will drop deep into a ten to drag defenders out and create space for our wide forwards to run into. This will tie into our quick short passing which is aimed at dragging their players out of position and create space between their lines. Our team will always recycle the ball back to the regista to keep possession and to keep the ball moving.

When we don’t have the ball we will expect our four behind the striker to drop into a 4-5-1 in support of our regista and right centre mid. We will also create triangles to trap the opposition players that have the ball, cutting the passing lanes and others putting pressure on players that might receive the ball. We stop the oppositions rhythm and force them into mistakes with our pressure. To stop their counter attacks after we lose the ball, three players will swarm the ball carrier before he can get his head up to play. If they beat the immediate press when the team’s main goal is to push their play wide where they can do the least damage. Our midfielders are an integral part to our play, when we win the ball back we will create space and time for them with our team shape. There will be times when we are under the cosh and will have the option of deploying a bowl shaped 5 at the back, with the right centre mid dropping in to make closing down the opponents very effective.

Subs

65 mins: Radja comes on for Koke, our legs will start to tire, so will theirs, Radja will add box to box ability and energy late in the game.

75 mins: Bobby comes on for Suarez, a different style of forward play for the opposition to think about.

If winning 80 mins: N’Zonzi comes on for Jorginho to close out the game. He is capable in defensive midfield alongside Kante in a 4-2-3-1.

If losing/drawing 80 mins: Lukaku comes on for Jorginho and play 2 up front.

-------------------------- Oblak --------------------------
Fabinho ------- Stones ------- Varane ------- Sandro
------------------------- Tousart -------------------------
------------------ Pjanic ------- Aouar ------------------
Mbappe ----------------------------------------- Neymar
---------------------- Lewandowski ---------------------

Gunn, Henrichs, de Jong, Kessie, Maddison, Rodrigo, Belotti

We want to possession football, quick on the break from out wide and really pressurise the opposition with an in your face performance from the front, we want to hit them quickly so we need to press them quickly to get the ball, when we defend we need a strong back 5/6, we don't sit too deep and Pjanic, Tousart & Aouar just in front harassing the man with the ball before they get to our back 4 and the front 3 in and around the half way line, Lewandowski slightly higher up, this will congest the midfield and allow Pjanic and Aouar to dictate play, stop them coming forward from the back, however, if they do push forward onto us and we get the ball they will be on the back foot and will really struggle with our front 3/4 with Fullbacks who are always ready to pounce and hit them with pace and quick free flowing football

Stones and Varane at CB, Varane picks up the CF, Stones sits spare picking up the AM if he gets away from our midfield, keep the forward(s) away from the danger area, by getting onto them quickly and be strong, take the ball away from them and play it away out of defence, look to get it out wide quickly when we retain possession, Both are very comfortable on the ball so can bring it out when in no danger and look for the pass longer to the wingers or Striker to hit them quickly with pace, to get us moving forward. fullbacks must keep the wingers quiet, stop them and we stop a lot of there attacks They will look to keep them away from shooting areas and stop them becoming dangerous in any position by standing tall against them and keeping them on there 'bad' foot. When they attack an drive down the wing to support, only at a time as to not let ourselves be exposed, they drive down the line in support of the wingers, Sandro and Fabinho get outside Mbappe and Neymar to allow them to cut inside. the two always make themselves available to the wingers. I want both Varane and Stones to go up for corners, with the fullbacks and Tousart sitting back.

In the centre of the pitch are Pjanic, Tousart and Aouar. Tousart our deepest player sitting just in front of the CB's he will shadow there AM and not allow him to control the game, Pjanic and Aouar must be disciplined and lend a hand to stop them coming through. Tousart must be aware of all that is around him, be in the right place at the right time and look to cover for defensive players moving forward, he has to impose himself early on the AM to make him wary of holding onto the ball too long, once on the ball look around, head up and pick the pass that will get us moving forward quickly always making himself for a return ball from a deeper angle as he he spreads it from side to side then eventually forward, can be out to the fullbacks or indeed a longer ball to the front three to take the opposition out of it as they are still high up the pitch. Pjanic slightly higher up the pitch, he will stop the run of play quicker to make our defenders jobs a lot easier, make our midfield very difficult to pass through, protect our defence and Tousart as best as possible and again in possession get it to the front 3 but also look for fullbacks and Aouar as they move into space, keep it simple, he has a very good range of pass. Either pass and move(triangles) into space or look for a piercing through ball to our front three to drive onto.Can move forward to assist and look for balls coming out so he can either, shoot or whip straight back in. Aouar is essential to our style of play, he is the link(alongside Pjanic) between defence and attack, as we break quickly he will look to set up our front three and at times be in a 10 role and look for the Pjanic pass. he will follow his pass and make up the numbers up front. When he doesn't drop deep i.e when the defenders go long, he will look to form a front four as they move around and look to tear the defence apart. All of our midfield three must press the opposition and get to grips with this game very early on.

Our wingers are extremely quick, when we don't have the ball they drop back a bit to make up the numbers as they attack, push into the faces of the opposition to force them into mistakes and hopefully in the end they lose the ball, when they do lose the ball we charge at them and we do it quickly, either a long ball over defenders, go through the cms or out to one of our attacking fullbacks.however, the movement up front between Neymar and Mbappe will cause them problems as they switch around at times, will see us make their defenders move out of position to follow their player, thus allowing Aouar to pick his moment to move into space either as a 10 or out wide. If he does push wide this will allow Mbappe/Neymar to go in central as we will have an attacking fullback up and supporting. Quick passing in triangles that will get us in and beyond their defenders and eventually to Lewandowski who has the power and ability to beat any defender and the other winger who will look to get into space to get a shot off, if there defence is on top then we can always go direct at times and fire early crosses especially from deep from the fullbacks into Lewandowski right on top of the young goalkeeper to put a lot of pressure on him, we must always make sure he is well supported, if he cant get the shot away he will be looking to bring others into the game.

Captain - Varane
Pens - Lewandowski
Corners - Pjanic
Free Kicks - Pjanic

Subs
Losing -
65 Mins - Rodrigo for Aouar 4-4-2
75 Mins - Maddison for Sandro he goes to an AM role 3412
85 Mins - All out 3214

Winning -
75 Mins - Kessie for Aouar, more grit against new players coming on
85 Mins - Rodrigo for Lewandowski, run down everything

Drawing -
70 Mins - Maddison for Aouar 4231
80 Mins - Rodrigo for Lewandowski, fresh legs, swap with Mbappe and Mbappe's pace will hurt them hopefully

comment by RenegadeOF (U9457)
posted 10 hours, 48 minutes ago
4-3-3 Total Football

At home against Everton, we look to take the game to them. Go for the win and look to score goals entertaining the fans.

A quick and direct game centered around numerical supremacy and the idea of overwhelming the opposition based on the speed of our transitions and pace on and off the ball, passing and moving. We feel we can get in between the lines against them and out number them when we get forward.

We start with a high tempo, take control of the game early. Look to take advantage of the gaps between the lines of the opposition. Pushing up as a team allows us to control possession better, always ensuring we have an option. Thiago is the deeper playmaker, looking to get involved in all the build up play and also gets forward into the final third as well. We always keep 3 defenders back. Giving us plenty cover at the back.

Seamless interchanging of positions in attack, and relentless pressing in our own half when defending.

Everyone attacks, everyone bar Ronaldo defends. Well Coutinho and Hazard do their best. Everyone attacks bar the cbs and Casemiro. Great pace and creativity throughout our side. Thiago the playmaker, Coutinho the attacking mid linking play and finding space in between the lines. Using the pace of our wide players and link up play of Ronaldo to create.

Knock the ball about the opposition, tiring them out, and allowing us to push players forward into attack. Isolate their attacking players. Let the ball do the work, and tire them out chasing us.

As soon as we get the ball to our midfield, we look to move the ball quickly, quick passing and moving. Carvajal the fb that we look to get attacking, Wendell more reserved giving more freedom to Hazard in attack.

Casemiro the dm reading the play looking to win the ball back, Thiago offers an inteligent defensive player next to him with Lopes' energy also important for pressing. Coutinho and Hazard simply look to get into the right positions when we defend. Getting back and pressing the space, blocking passing channels.

------------------- Neuer
Carvajal - S.Ramos - Kehrer - Wendell
---------- Casemiro - Thiago
----------------- Coutinho
- M.Lopes -------------------- E.Hazard -
----------------- C.Ronaldo

Subs. Schmeichel, Laporte, Doucoure, Gundogan, Guedes, Martial, L.Martinez

Defence

We have a quick defence and energy in midfield to stop quick breaks, plus Coutinho and Hazard.

We defend in a 4-3-2-1 formation. Use Lopes hard working nature to have him drop deeper next to Casemiro and Thiago. Casemiro pressing the space in front of the cbs. Allowing either Thiago or Lopes to press the ball. Coutinho and Hazard narrow to the side of play we're defending.

Control the opposition by pressing the space with a narrow, compact rigid defensive unit, only allowing them to play in areas we want them to.

Look to leave no space for them in between the lines, make it difficult for them to create. Their great dribblers and so if they beat a man, they'll run into another. In this tight formation narrowing to the side of play, ensuring there are no gaps in the formation.

As we drop deeper we are really compact. No space in between the lines. Isolate their attackers and force them to take risks.

Attack

Building from the back, when in possession we look to move forward as a unit. One full back bombs forward at a time, looking to provide width. Coutinho always looking to find space behind the Everton midfield and getting the wide players attacking the full backs.

Pushing forward as a team and with a higher line allows us to get our attacking players in more dangerous positions. It also makes it easier to retain possession ensuring we have options just behind, with the defence hugely important in keeping possession. We have four players that are fantastic on the ball at the back, and importantly they also have great pace to get back.

We let our attackers play natural game in the final third. Create chances and score. Simple.

Subs.
If winning after 68 mins bring on Gundogan for Coutinho. Gundogan deeper at cm, giving us more cover and fresh energy in the middle.
If winning after 75 mins bring on Geubbels for Lopes. Fresh pace.
If winning after 80 mins bring on Doucoure for Thiago. Fresh power to see out the game.

If drawing after 70 mins bring on Gundogan for Wendell. More creativity on. 3-6-1. Carvajal playing as a cb. Kehrer and Carv offering great pace in back 3.
If drawing after 75 mins bring on Martial for Lopes and Doucoure for Thiago. 3-5-2, Martial up top with Ronaldo. More power in cm and up ntop.

If losing after 60 mins bring on Martial and Laporte for Carvajal and Wendell. 3-5-2.
If losing after 70 mins bring on Gundogan for Casemiro.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Updated subs, didn’t mean Guedes

BRUM vs Bournemouth

---------------------------------Lafont--------------------------------
Hysaj------------Skriniar---------------Maguire---------------Dalot
----------------------------------Ndidi--------------------------------------
-----------------Hamsik----------------Cristante---------------------
Neres-------------------------------------------------------------Keita
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------Higuain------------------------------------------

Subs - Lunin, Mukiele, Fabian Ruiz, Kondogbia, F Anderson, Gnabry, Benzema

CAPTAIN - HAMSIK
CK'S - HAMSIK
FK'S - NERES
PENALTIES - HIGUAIN

This is the week that form comes into play and while we suffered our first loss last week, our form is better than Bournemouth's, and I want to use the home advantage to get some goals and play exciting attacking football.

I want us to start the game with a high tempo, close the oppo down and win the ball back quickly. Play quick passes forward and try and get an early goal. I want Neres and Keita to use their pace on the wings to create chances for the rest of the team. When we have the ball I want the team to play pass and move football. Don't stay static, try and get in behind the oppo defence as there is a lot of pace in our attacking players.

Defence
Lafont is a quality young keeper. Don't take risks. Punch the ball away if the shot is too powerful. Command your area. The defence is well balanced. Skriniar and Maguire bring a whole lot of experience and pace to the defence. Maguire will use his experience to marshal the defence and Skriniar will look to use his pace to close the oppo strikers down. Stay vocal with each other and cover for each other if oppo gets past one of you. Full backs will start of with a conservative mind set and not attack too much but as the game goes on I want them to make overlapping runs and get some crosses in to the box. Ndidi and Cristante will be covering for them when they go attacking.

Defence Mid
Ndidi
Ndidi will be the anchor in the middle. Stay back in front of the defence and protect the defence with your life. If the oppo play an AM then stick close to him and mark him if possible. When our fullbacks are attacking then your main priority will be to cover for them. When in possession pass the ball out to the wings or play a through ball from deep to our wingers.

Centre Mids
Cristante + Hamsik
Cristante will play more as a b2b mid but will be able to help both in attack and defence as he has a lot of stamina. He will be making run's forward and helping our attackers with quick passes and penetrating runs from deep. Hamsik will be playing CM on paper but his main role will be to help in attack. When not in possession of the ball Hamsik will look to close down the oppo DM's and win the ball off them. No need to stay too deep as Cristante and Ndidi are adequate cover in the middle. When attacking I want Hamsik to make runs into the oppo box and bring others into the game. Play 1 2's with the wingers and create space for yourself and your teammates. Shoot if you see an opening at goal.

Wingers
Neres + Keita
These 2 will be the focal point of my attack. They are 2 young and hungry players and I want to give them the freedom to express themselves in attack. Keita will be looking to cut in from the right and Neres likewise onto his left. I want you both to try and beat the oppo fullbacks with your pace and dribbling ability but don't try too hard as if you see them doubling up on you you can either pass back or into the centre of the pitch to one of our CM's. I want you both to be aware of our fullbacks and play pass and move 1 2's with them to try and penetrate the oppo back line. Hysaj and Dalot are no slouches attacking wise so use them! If you can cut in onto your stronger foot, don't be afraid to shoot from range as you both have the ability to score from long range. If there is no space to do so then take the ball to the byline and whip in crosses for Higuain to get his head on. When we are defending corners I want both of them to stay near the halfway line so we can hit the oppo on the counter attack.

Striker
Gonzalo Higuain
Higuain will look to use his strength to get the better of the oppo defence. Be vary of crosses into the box as you are decent in the air, and if you are through on goal, use your expert finishing to score. Time your runs off the shoulders of the oppo CB's and hold the ball up for Keita/Neres to make infield runs ahead of you.

Subs if LOSING BY 65MINS
Put on Benzema for Cristante, Anderson for Neres and Gnabry for Hamsik to bring some more pace on. Play a high line and try and get a goal. Change formation to 41212.

--------------------------------Lafont--------------------------------
Hysaj-------------Skriniar-----------Maguire------------Dalot
-----------------------------------Ndidi------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anderson----------------------------------------------------------Keita
-----------------------------------Gnabry------------------------------------
---------------------Benzema-----------Higuain--------------------------


Subs if WINNING BY 80MINS
Take off Hamsik and put on Mukiele in CB and play defensive with everyone in our own half defending for their lives, waiting to hit the oppo on the counter attack. Anderson on for Neres and Gnabry for Higuain.

-------------------------------Lafont--------------------------------
Hysaj-------Mukiele------Skriniar--------Maguire-------Dalot
------------------------Ndidi--------Cristante ----------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------Anderson--------------------------------Keita----------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------Higuain----------------------------------------


Subs if DRAWING BY 65MINS
Anderson on for Neres
Fabian on for Hamsik
Benzema on for Higuain
Fresh legs to bring on.

*RED CARD SCENARIO*
-If GK gets sent off, take off Cristante and put on Lunin. Change formation to 441 with Hamsik and Ndidi in centre mid.
-If any of the defenders get sent off, take of Cristante and put on Mukiele, who can play anywhere across the back four, in the sent off players position. Change formation to 441 with Hamsik and Ndidi in centre mid.
-If any of my 3 CM's get sent off, change formation to 441 with the 2 remaining CM's in centre mid.
-If my striker gets sent off, take off Cristante and put on Benzema in strike. Change formation to 441 with Hamsik and Ndidi in centre mid.

-------------------------Lloris
Cedric-------Manolas---Sane-----Rodriguez
-------Goretzka-----Herrera-----Fabregas
----Malcolm--------Cavani------------Costa
Pickford, Maitland-Niles, Llorente, Cook, Sessegnon, Aspas, Foden

Pre-season has allowed us the opportunity to experiment with a few new positions, and today I wish to try a 4-3-3 formation to combat against Tottenham. We are still embracing the pace out wide which proved so important for us at the end of last season, combined with what we think is a better hold in midfield. I think in this game we have brought in three midfielders who will help us control the ball and control the possession. The midfield battle should be ours to lose, with midfield harriers and players who are good on the ball with a bit of finesse.
Defensively we have gone from a three at the back to a four. This may seem like a risk to some, but I think it will work. In Sane and Lloris we have two players with experience capable of marshalling the rest of them. We will intend to play the ball out of the back, converting defense to attack with pace, without relying on long balls forward. Cedric and Rodriguez will be allowed to push forward to contribute going forward, with both being very capable of getting down the line and getting involved in chances, whether that is getting into the box or providing dangerous crosses. Lloris will operate as a sweeper keeper, comfortable with the ball at his feet and coming off his line to good effect.
Herrera is the linchpin of our midfield, sitting deep and offering more defensively. There will be no third centre back role today, but he will stay deep, sitting in front of the defence and getting stuck in if they try and run at Sane and Manolas. He will stick tight to anyone who tries to play in the number ten role, not allowing Tottenham any room to develop any attacking moves in that space. Defense is important here.
Goretzka is going to be pushing forward today, playing a box to box role which requires him to use his energy and engine to get up and down the pitch. When he gets the ball he will look to spread the play out wide, and when the ball is there he will look to bomb into the box, to get on the end of loose balls or even provide an aerial threat. We believe that by getting as many bodies in the box as we can then we will score more goals. When off the ball, he will get back and defend with Herrera, harassing and niggling, using his energy to compensate for the lack of this trait in Fabregas.
Cesc will be given somewhat of a free role in this team, being allowed to drift across the midfield and pick up points of space, before looking to either spread the play, or ping balls over the top for our willing runners. His defensive duties will be limited, but he will be tasked with pressing the ball in the upper middle third of the pitch, whilst Herrera and Goretzka press behind him. On top of this, I am expecting Fabregas to mix this up by looking to get the ball into Cavani’s feet, as well, allowing him to use his strength to charge at the defence and create goal scoring situations.
In Malcolm and Costa we have two very willing runners playing out wide. Both these players are direct on the ball, and have bundles of pace between them. They will look to get in behind the opposition defence, whilst mixing this up by also at times sticking wide to pull and move the opponent’s defenders. This variety will cause the Tottenham defence to never really know what is coming next, or how to combat it. They will also be blessed with overlapping runs from the full backs, which they should look to utilise. Their endless movement will look to create space for other players, whilst also always moving into space of their own. By getting in behind they will also create chances, and in Fabregas we have a top level playmaker that will be able to find those lofted through balls over to our two Brazilian wide men.
Cavani predictably leads our line for today. He, like other players in the team, has bundles of energy which he will use to get in behind, whilst also being a physical presence who is comfortable mixing his game up to keep defenders guessing on what he will do next. He demonstrated this ability to do different things in his displays for Uruguay at the World Cup, as well as with each and every goal that he scored showing a different way that he can get the better of defenders. He is clinical, strong and willing to work hard. By getting a variety of balls into the box from wide positions I believe that we can get the best out of some of these traits, and by utilising the passing skill of Fabregas I believe we can also create plenty of one on one scenarios in which he might be able to score.
Subsitutions
Cesc Fabregas off and Phil Foden on 65 mins
Fresh legs in the advanced playmaker role. Foden may be young but he demonstrated in the Community Shield that he knows how to pick a pass and excel on the ball. He will play a similar role to Fabregas, and look to exploit pockets off space in the middle third.
If losing/drawing
Malcolm off and Iago Aspas on 70 mins
Aspas will play slightly more inside than Malcolm, looking to drop off and then run off Cavani. He will use his pace to exploit space created by his strike partner. We will then have two strong goalscorers on the pitch to hopefully pull us back into the game. Danilo will provide the width by bombing forward down the right hand side more often.
Leon Goretzka off and Lewis Cook on 77 mins
Partly for the fresh legs in what will have been a very tiring role for Ramsay, but also so we can have another gifted young playmaker getting into spaces in the final third, dictating the play and helping to create chances for our attacking players. Cook and Foden will push forward, leaving Herrera at the back to defend.
If winning
Cesc Fabregas off and Lewis Cook on 65 mins
Fresh legs in that role, with Cook coming on to play it slightly deeper and more conservatively, allowing us to defend with three energetic players in the midfield. He will sit deeper and dictate the play from here, as opposed to looking for space further up the field.
Cedric Soares off and Ainsley Maitland-Niles on 75 mins
A risky move to change the defence, but fresh legs may be needed down that right hand side to accommodate for a more attacking approach from the opposition the longer the game goes on. Cedric is more sturdy and stable defensively, and will sit deeper than Danilo did, with less license to get forward.
Edinson Cavani off and Iago Aspas on 80 mins
We will play the last ten minutes with Iago Aspas up front, allowing Cavani a rest. Aspas will look to stretch the tiring Tottenham defence by running in behind and getting on any through balls or crosses. We feel that his pace perfectly sets him up to do this.

-----------------------Perin
Conti----Baumgartl-----Söyüncü---Tagliafico
--------------Rudy-----------Dahoud
Thauvin------------Kampl--------------Forsberg
---------------------Mariano

Subs: Horn, Klostermann, Guerreiro, Lobotka, Traoré, Brekalo, Batshuayi


Our defensive unit consists of Timo Baumgartl and Caglar Söyüncü paired up at centre-back, Andrea Conti at right-back and Nicolás Tagliafico at left-back, with Sebastian Rudy and Mahmoud Dahoud as our midfield ‘double pivot’ screening them.

This ‘double pivot’ is the key to our team and in Rudy and Dahoud we have a perfect pairing to initiate attacks by distributing the ball in an intelligent fashion, to be key players in circulation and to prevent dangerous opposition attacks, being disciplined in positioning and limiting space in between the lines.

The strength of our double pivot is that Dahoud can press the ball without leaving lots of space, as Rudy can maintain a good position to react if the initial press is bypassed. Our double pivot will offer huge defensive stability and will ensure that a structured shape is maintained.

Having two defensive midfielders centrally prevents others being dragged out of position to press.

Helping the defenders maintain solid positioning is a key part of Dahoud’s role, he will press almost anywhere in his own half to allow defenders to stay in the defensive line.

With Dahoud running his socks off for the team, our high tempo will dictated by his partner in holding midfield, Sebastian Rudy.

A holding midfielder through and through, Rudy is not just your “win the ball and pass it on to the closest player” – there is a real creative mind in his locker, but it’s his ability to be the shield of the back four and then be creative once he gets the ball that makes Rudy such a talent.

The attacking unit consists of Florian Thauvin, Kevin Kampl and Emil Forsberg as our band of three attacking midfielders with Mariano Díaz as our lone central striker.

Our 4-2-3-1 is set up to have that wonderful ‘springy' quality - it absorbs pressure without breaking and then snaps back with surprising force.

In defence our 4-2-3-1 covers space very effectively, with the band of three attacking midfielders and centre forward able to press the opposition high up the pitch while the two defensive midfielders ensure that there is no space left in front of the defence. Then the back four can either play a high line, compressing the space even further, or drop deeper as preferred.

Once we have won the ball back, often by Rudy or Dahoud, then our 4-2-3-1 can spring into attack.

Conti and Tagliafico can surge up the wings in the knowledge that Rudy and Dahoud can drop into the space left behind if needed. As they come up the wings, both Florian Thauvin and Emil Forsberg, who are fast speed merchants, excellent in tight spaces and fantastic dribblers will cut inside or make runs into the box. Kevin Kampl our attacking central midfielder’s low centre of gravity will enable him to navigate away from defenders at a frighteningly quick pace. Kampl is blessed with an instant first touch and can dribble with the ball at such a close proximity to his feet that it makes him almost impossible to tackle this creative passer who will look to play Thauvin, Forsberg and Mariano in via fast passing combinations.

An out and out explosive centre-forward, Mariano is known for the abundance of pace and power that he possesses. Standing tall at close to 6ft, Mariano has a strong and sturdy physical frame that he’ll use well to bully the opposition defence.

Mariano has a fierce right-foot and is an equally strong header of the ball too, which will make him a huge threat in and around the penalty box. With his pace combined with his dribbling ability and the power that he possesses, Mariano will brush aside defenders and run past them with nonchalance.

While he is explosive and dangerous with the ball at his feet, what makes Mariano even more exciting is his excellent movement off the ball and the ability to make those smart runs in behind the defenders.


Subs on 75 mins
Guerreiro for Dahoud, Traoré for Thauvin, and Batshuayi for Mariano

Lots of fresh legs and pace to trouble the opposition for a late goal regardless of the scoreline

---------------------- Courtois --------------------
---------- D.Sanchez ------- C.Lenglet ---------
Cancelo ----------- Verratti ---------- M.Alonso
-------------- Eriksen ------- Modric -------------
---- Asensio -------- Aguero -------- Werner ---

Subs:
McCarthy, Hernandez, Dier, Khedira, Draxler, Lucas Moura, Leon Bailey

Captain: Modric
Free Kicks: Eriksen
Penalties: Aguero
Corners: Eriksen

We make a couple of tactical tweaks with this weekend’s opponents in mind, we anticipate that they will likely look to funnel the majority of their play through their main central striker. With that in mind deploy to Verratti as a DM, we feel he has the ability to not only break up play but as a very intelligent reader of the game we expect him to position himself to cut off the passing lanes to their forwards.

The second key change comes on the flanks, given how we expect our opponents to play we look to hit them out wide at pace, stretching the field and getting our forwards in behind. With that in mind we deploy the deadly Werner at LW, a position he has comfortably operated in before as we look to utilise him not as a winger but as a wide forward, drifting out wide to create space and making darting runs infield beyond our main striker and in behind the opposition defence. Looking at past matches it is likely they will play with two attacking fullbacks and two or possibly even three solid CBs. We look to exploit this with both Werner and Asensio coming off the flanks and using their explosive pace to get in behind

Aguero will also be key in our set up with his superb hold up play key. At times he will look to drop slightly deeper, in doing so he will bring a CB with him, creating a key attacking phase and mismatch in the oppositions defensive unit. We will look to get the ball into his feet, a quick one two with Modric/Eriksen who will receive the ball back and then play it into the open space vacated by Aguero. With an opposition CB taken out of play when Aguero drops deep there will be plenty of space for Asensio and Werner to exploit in behind. We will however be looking to supply the chances to Aguero who is in a rich vein of form.

Defence:

Attention to detail will be key in this match and similar to our attack, we go with a defensive unit selected specifically with today’s opponents in mind. We feel there’s a high chance they physical target man up top. If so then Lenglet will mark, an intelligent defender who is strong in the tackle, he will look to stand up the striker, anticipate and cut off the ball into feet, we feel he has all the tools to keep the CF at bay.

Alongside Lenglet we go with Sanchez, he will offer cover in behind which will be important given the opposition have some pact wide players in their ranks. We look to cut out the ball over the top and with Sanchez offering a real physical presence in the air we expect these two to have all the tools to contain the oppositions forward. Fullbacks have license to push forward but only one at a time, if the opposition play narrow then we will create plenty of space out wide as we look to stretch the opposition. Alonso in particular offers a real threat down the left and we look to his superb delivery and potent goal threat as another string to our bow.

Midfield:

We have a midfield that oozes quality and expect the middle of the park to be an epic battle. As alluded to previously, Verratti will sit in front of the defence with the main focus of cutting out the passing lanes and not letting the opposition break between the lines. We’ll look to cut out the balls into the feet of the strikers and instead make them try to force the issue with balls in behind which we feel will play to our advantage given the pace of our CB’s.

Eriksen and Modric will look to do the damage going the other way. The best way to limit the oppositions chances is ball retention, make them chase the ball with quick interlinking passes. We contain two of the best passers in the game in CM and feel if we can make the opposition chase shadows then they will tire, which in turn will open up some space for us to do create havoc. With the runs of our front three, the vision and perfect weight of pass that both Eriksen and Modric possess should create plenty of chances. Win the midfield battle by dominating possession and dictating the play will be our main aim.

Forwards:

Frightening pace, electrifying dribbling and deadly finishing, we feel our front three have it all. Asensio operates more as a conventional winger, take the opposition on and make jinking runs into the box to draw a foul. He is capable of the spectacular and has license to shoot. However he is also a real creator and we expect him and Aguero to link up to devastating effect. Werner operates as a wide forward, his main aim will be to get in behind the defence however don’t be afraid to mix it up and play through the middle if Aguero drifts wide. Our main focus will be both wide players making runs in behind the defence and going for goal. With them playing on their stronger sides they will be in position to deliver quick balls in the box when in possession out wide. Aguero’s movement is fantastic and he will pounce on any balls played into the box. He is also the master of getting the early shot away and we encourage him to do so at will.


Subs;

If winning:
65 mins: Modric off, Khedira on. Fresh legs in the middle of the pitch with increased defensive protection, whilst the focus remains on ball retention we bring on another astute passer.


75 mins: Werner and Asensio off, Dier and Alberto on. Shut up shop time. We go 5-4-1 with Dier slotting in at CB to help deal with any balls launched in to the box. We also crowd the midfield making it impossible for the opposition to play through us as we see the game out.


If drawing:
65 mins: Verratti off, Luis Alberto on. We look to quicken the tempo with Alberto slotting in as a third CM, a new added threat with great vision, passing ability and a keen eye for goal.

75 mins: Modric off, Bailey on. We switch to 4-2-2-2, with Asensio and Bailey on the flanks whilst Aguero and Werner form a clinical strike partnership.


If losing:
55 mins: Verratti off, Draxler on. 4-3-3 with our wide players pushing further forward and Modric, Eriksen, Draxler forming a midfield trio.


65 mins: Alonso off, Bailey on. We revert to 3-4-3 with Aguero, Werner and Bailey up top as we go for goals, goals, goals.

**switch Luis Alberto for Moura on the bench.

WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS v Portsmouth

Injuries: Sturaro, Mina, Alcacer, Di Maria

------------------ Arrizabalaga
Hakimi - Marquinhos - Tah - Strinic
---- Rakitic - Fernandinho - Meyer
------- Vitolo - Immobile - Perisic

Subs: Leno, Vida, Shaw, Diawara, Januzaj, Ozil, Ings

-----------------

A tough but winnable game today against Portsmouth, hopefully our back four will keep their attack at bay while causing problems of our own to their defence.

We are playing a 4-3-3 today, Arrizabalaga in goal, Marquinhos and Tah at centreback, Hakimi and Strinic at fullback, Rakitic, Fernandinho and Meyer in midfield, Vitolo and Perisic either side of Immobile upfront.

This game is about controlling the tempo and giving us the best chance of getting the win today. Portsmouth are going to fight hard and our best hope is to be strong, disciplined and keep our concentration levels at maximum.

Arrizabalaga - Distribute from the back to the fullbacks/CM's, stay in communication with your defence throughout, be wary of long range efforts and ensure you stay big for any one on ones. On occasion go long for Immobile.

Marquinhos/Tah - Marquinhos mark their striker, force them high up the pitch thus limiting his impact close to goal, and Tah to be the spare man, be first to the second ball and their AM making runs from midfield. When in possession bring the ball out of defence and use the midfielders ahead of you to help us play out from the back. Both of you go forward for setpieces.

Hakimi/Strinic - Both of you to force the Portsmouth wingers out wide, do not allow them to come inside as this will cause more problems for our midfield. They will want to cut inside so force them outside and block their crosses at source. They will try to create problems infield so its vital you only show them down the wing. If they play a diamond with no wingers you will need to form a narrow back four with the CB's and leave no spaces in behind. When we have possession, push forward and support Vitolo and Perisic as they will try to run inside the fullback and you will provide the overlap to either create space or supply crosses into the area for Immobile and link with Rakitic and Meyer. You will need to track back very quickly to ensure we don't get caught on the break.

Fernandinho - Our DM today, sit in front of the back four, break up play, watch out for runs from deep from the opposition, when in possession use your range of passing to look for teammates in advanced positions, use Rakitic and Meyer alongside you if you're closed down.

Rakitic/Meyer - Two box to box midfielders today, one either side of Fernandinho at DM. Both of you are required to get back and assist Fernandinho in front of the back four when we don't have the ball, but both with the ability and the freedom to push forward and join the front three, while always leaving at least one of you behind the ball. Look to link with Vitolo, Perisic or Immobile.

Vitolo/Perisic - Both with the trickery to beat the Portsmouth fullback and get crosses in, you will also have our fullback overlapping giving you the chance to cut inside and get shots in. Look to supply Immobile with chances and also provide yourself with chances. Link up with Rakitic and Meyer, and capitalise on the space Immobile's presence will create for you.

Immobile - you will be expected to occupy the Portsmouth centrebacks, hold up possession and look to turn the defender and shoot. Be strong in the air and look for your teammates trying to pick you out from deep. Shoot on sight. Stay on the last defender's shoulder for any passes in behind. Look to interchange with Vitolo or Perisic on occasion. Try and link with the two alongside you to create opportunities.

------------------

Subs 70 mins;
If winning: Perisic, Vitolo and Meyer off, Vida, Diawara and Ozil on. Change to 5-3-1-1, Vida an extra CB, midfield trio of Diawara, Fernandinho and Rakitic, with Ozil in the AM role providing support to Immobile upfront.

If drawing: Meyer off, Ozil on. Switch to a 4-2-3-1, Rakitic and Fernandinho in midfield, Ozil to AM behind Immobile. Try and find a winner.

If losing: Tah and Meyer off, Ozil and Ings on. 3-1-4-2, Hakimi - Marquinhos - Strinic at the back, Fernandinho the playmaker from deep, Vitolo - Ozil - Rakitic - Perisic behind Immobile and Ings upfront. Push for goals.

—————————Ter Stegen
———Weiser——Sule———Upamecano——Gaya——
——————————Torreira————————————
——————Keita———————Milinkovic——————
————Dybala———————————Lozano————
———————————Kane—————————————

Subs: Pope, Diallo, Rodri, Tielemans, Loftus-Cheek, Brandt, Sancho

Captain: Marc Andre Ter Stegen
Free Kicks: Paulo Dybala/Lucas Torreira
Corners: Lucas Torreira
Penalties: Harry Kane

Starting with a mid-low block, so that they can’t find space in behind, a narrow 4-3-3 shape to start with. Instead of harrying the CBs, we close the passing lanes to midfield and create the structural foundations to press anyone that looks to break our lines in our half, taking advantage of having 6 players centrally. The two lines of 3 will form to compact triangles with Torreira and Kane slightly behind their flanking players, keeping DM and CF, and RCM and RAM, LCM and LAM connected and close together. Kane blocks the passing lane to the DM, with the AM’s blocking the easy route to midfield. We can set a trap, either bating their advanced CMs to drop back to pick up possession or forcing their possession into undesirable wide spaces, not allowing them to establish dominance in midfield, the key is to disconnect their attacking players by making it impossible to play through the middle.

If their CMs drop deeper, it allows us to take advantage of better structural organisation, with the ball side CM, AM and Kane all well connected and ready to press the ball carrier from all sides, whilst using their cover shadows to block passing lanes, looking to force errors and win the ball back. If either of Chelsea’s CMs start positioning themselves deeper alongside the DM then our CM on that side will go and play alongside Kane, using their energy to press and make sure Chelsea can’t use this tactic to set up easy possession. If the DM gets the ball then Kane turns to press from behind, with Torreira pushing up to limit the space in the central lanes, with the 4 flanking players able to squeeze the centre quickly.

We expect a large portion of their possession to have to go wide. From here we press in triangles using the close connections between the ball side CM and AM to defend the wide area together, cutting off the route back central, whilst Kane positions himself between the two Cbs so they can’t circulate the ball to the other side. As our press moves on to their FBs, Torreira and the far side CM shuffle across, with the far side AM dropping back in to create a line of 4 across the field, allowing us to maintain coverage of the centre, half spaces and far side so that if they do manage to beat the press, we have our midfield line there to slow them down. AM presses the FB, CM blocks his passing lanes.

The back 4 always maintains close compactness to the midfield, adding to the difficulties in playing through us, and moves across the field in conjunction with the rest of the team. Due to the well drilled midfield and forward lines, our FBs can maintain a strong defensive position off the ball, which means they can always be very quick into the wingers as soon as they shape to receive a pass, keeping them under pressure, not leaving space behind them for the wingers to attack and narrow to the CBs so that when they try cutting inside there’s multiple players to drop them on the floor. Any longer balls or crosses are easy pickings for our CBs, with Sule marking the CF and Upamecano covering.

When we do win it we want to be direct, using the pace of Keita and Lozano, and the ability to draw markers and find team mates of the likes of Torreira, Milinkovic and Dybala. Dybala will look to drop deep between the lines, drawing their midfielders towards him before releasing team mates into space, with Milinkovic and Keita able to run off him, as well as Lozano able to find the space left if the DM follows Dybala. Our FBs stay deeper in the initial transition, if we do need to pass it between the back four and Torreira to draw in Chelsea before releasing the CMs and Ams behind their midfield or wingers, we can.

Between the 5 in midfield we want to see strong positional play, creating triangles to overload the opposition and using third man runs to break the lines. Eg if a CM moves moved wide in behind the opposition winger, drawing his marker out of the middle, then one AM can drop into the vacated space and the other make a move behind the opposition FB (Usually Dybala to link and Lozano to run). We have a versatile set of players here which means we can transition to a 4-2-3-1 with Keita able to move into the attack and use his pace to stretch the game wide, as well as using his bursts through the middle. Kane occupies the CBs and keeps the opposition back line deep by positioning close the box, make sure the back line can’t step up and limit the space for the midfield to play in. In the final third he has more room to get involved with players closer to him, he will then have to use his movement in the box to get his goals, or drop deep/drift wide to draw the CBs apart and open space for runners. Dybala and Lozano will have a lot of freedom to orchestrate attacks, both can beat men and make good runs behind the opposition defence, both can drop deep and link, both can go wide and create, with plan A using direct balls into Lozano to carry us forward, in particular drifting wide in counters to find space behind the FB, or attack the RB with his dribbling if needed.

Our FBs are going to have freedom to join attacks from wide. They will run from deep where they are harder to pick up, and more difficult to defend than a static winger with his back to goal, drive down the line and get whipped balls into the forwards/ link with the midfielders.



Subs:

If Winning: Diallo for Lozano 70’, 5-3-2. Loftus-Cheek for Dybala 75’, gives us that drive and hold up play on the counter. Rodri for Keita 80’, Torreira will play in CM.

If Drawing: Loftus-Cheek for Lozano 70’, fresh legs with the ability to drive forward on the counter. Brandt for Dybala 80’, fresh legs. Tielemans for Keita 85’.

If Losing: Brandt for Milinkovic 60’, 4-2-3-1/4-4-2 with Brandt and Lozano coming from wide. Sancho and Tielemans for Keita and Lozano 70’, Sancho comes on to attack the tiring RB, Tielemans can pick up the ball deeper and connect with the attack quickly with his range of passing.

-------------------------- Ederson
Walker -------- Van Dijk ------ Koulibaly ------- Mendy
------------------------- Busquets
----------------- De Bruyne ---- Tolisso
O.Dembele ----------- Griezmann ---------- Aubameyang

Subs: Butland, Otamendi, Ghoulam, Bentancur, Mahrez, Sanchez, Mertens

4-3-3, possesion based, control the game in mf and look to play with plenty of width isolating their fb's, attacking with pace going forward.

FB's go forward one at a time, one generally sits deeper most likely Walker. We use their pace to track their forwards looking to get their foot in when they're wide and isolated down the flanks with our wingers track back. Mendy then given freedom to attack going forward and provide the width.

Up top look to keep it simple, no risks of over playing but generally mixing it up as we dont want to be too predictable, a quick counter attacking overload from deep will be key especially in wider areas with Walker's and Mendy's pace, De Bruyne, Tolisso and front 3 burst forward and hit our opponents hard when they over commit.

At times going long ball as we feel our forwards are more of a match for their defence. Griezmann look to stay on his toes looking to occupy their CB's in behind and creating space in the final third for the two alongside him, targeting the slower of the CB's, look to turn him with that change of pace and expose the channels.

De Bruyne and Tolisso as a duo in mf, look to control the tempo of and get us going forward, stretch the play and look to take control of the game.

4-3-3 - On the ball:
It starts from the back. Ederson is very able with his hands and feet and should look to find our players in space.

The CB duo are excellent on the ball, very good passing success rates and should look to move the ball into mf quickly. At times collecting short from Ederson and getting their heads up, looking for movement from the attackers and attempting diagonal or long balls into feet, so we can can counter at pace and bypass their mf press.

Busquets will provide plenty of energy and work his socks off for the side to allow others around them to express themselves. He should look to stamp his authority with his work rate and power looking to take a grip on mf and shielding our defence, oppressing the opposition midfielders and covering every blade of grass out there.

When attacking, Busquets sits just infront of the defence and makes himself available for a pass back. A passing outlet if we are being vigorously pressed whilst also allowing us to create space when working the ball around in triangles, also prevent counter attacks.

De Bruyne and Tolisso will look to play more the AM role and inbetween the lines, roaming in the oppositions half and looking to act as the link between midfield and attack. Picking up pockets of space and using their awareness to dictate the play, running at their backline and using quick pace and incisiveness to commit defenders on the break.

Flanks will be key as we look to expose them in wide areas and create space in midfield.

Two quick & skilful WG-backs in Walker and B.Mendy, need to hug the touchline and provide the width allowing us to stretch the opposition. Always on the move so we can get them in behind and use them as outlets going forward when picking a pass.

Very possession orientated, comfortable playing quick 1-2's and accelerating into space, overlapping often and getting early deliveries into the box for our strikers to attack.

When Wolves are in possession we will sit deep as a unit with 10 men behind the ball ensuring their is no space left in behind.

We form a rigid structure looking to press the space and dropping off with men behind the ball, only allowing them to play where we want them too, stifle the midfield and stop them from picking their passes into a forward attacker.

Essentially a 4-5-1, 5 in mf working to minimise the space in midfield zones and preventing them from finding their attackers. Our wingers then drop off to mark the oppositions wingers and help our CB's to prevent any space being left in behind.

Key is leaving no gaps or space to get in behind, working as a staunch unit so their quick attackers have to come deeper to get involved making their first point of contact with the ball much deeper than they anticipated and notably further away from our final third.

When we have them deep we have more to work with, we can plug at them and tactically foul in areas that will prevent them from playing with any flow, breaking up the game and frustrating the oppoistion.

If we manage to win the ball we must immediately look to counter and hit the opposition hard. Walker & Mendy can come up to support the play and provide the width. The front 4 burst forward.

Subs:
IF WINNING: 70th minute – (4-2-3-1)
- Bentancur > Tolisso
- Mertens > Griezmann
- Ghoulam> Mendy (84th min)
Compact 4-3-3, we get fresh legs on and keep things solid, Mertens as a false 9 used as an outlet to surge forward when possible

IF DRAW: 70th minute – (4-3-3)
- A.Sanchez > Auba
- Mertens > Griezmann
- Mahrez > O.Dembele (75th min)
Stretch the play and look to play more in wider areas at this stage where we think Wolves are most susceptible to being exposed.

IF LOSING: 77th minute – (4-4-2 - direct)
- Mertens > Tolisso
- Mahrez > Auba (Dembele LW, Mahrez RW)
- Bentancur > De Bruyne
4-4-2, direct. long balls into the box and constantly looking for the two strikers.
Flood forward and look for an equalizer/winner.

C - Van Dijk
FK's - De Bruyne
Corners - De Bruyne / Dembele
Pens – Griezmann

MAN CITY v Newcastle Utd

Line up:

Rico
Toure Caldara Zagadou Digne
Zielinski Witsel Rafinha
Robben Fekir Richarlison

Substitutes: Dragowski; Zagadou; Caricol; Barkley; Marchisio; Gelson; Oyarzabal

Captain: Witsel
Penalties: Fekir
Direct Free Kicks: Richarlison
Indirect Free Kicks: Zielinski
Corners: Zielinski

Game plan:

Away from home against a strong side and with a poor selection of injuries this week, we choose to deploy hard-working players at the centre of the park so that they can press the home side into making mistakes while providing enough cover for our backline. We setup with a strong defensive platform, hitting Newcastle with quick attacks in numbers as we go direct and down the wings, with our full backs pushing up to stretch the opposition formation. We go with 3 all-action box-to-box midfielders in front of the defence, looking to give the defence strong cover and give the attacking players more freedom to break forward quickly.

We will start in a 4-3-3 formation, dropping back to 4-5-1 in defence, in order to reinforce the midfield out of possession. Witsel plays as the central midfielder, flanked by Zielinski and Rafinha, while Robben and Richarlison operated down the wings and Fekir holds the False 9 position. All 3 front men can play across the pitch and will be encouraged to swap positions to keep defenders guessing.

The main objective of the frontline is to force the opposition GK to look for direct balls up to the forwards, where our large back four are set up to control any aerial threat. If the goalkeeper does try to go short to his centre-backs, we will them towards the central channel, while blocking the passing lanes to the either the holding midfielder or CM partnership. Our central forward player is key here, as he will constantly be closing the passing lanes through the middle.

We will prevent the Newcastle midfielders from linking up with their forwards, forcing them to play backwards and then piling the pressure on the player in possession. Zielinski and Rafinha stand out in particular here, organising the defensive effort with high-octave pressing, and ensuring Newcastle cannot establish a dominance in the centre of the pitch.

Should Newcastle launch an attack, the aim is to remain tight in the defensive third - the two wing forwards will drop into midfield to cover any overlapping runs made by the Newcastle full backs, and we will completely crowd the central channel of the pitch; this will force Newcastle to either make their play down the flanks against 2 athletic defenders, or play backwards where our forward will be waiting to press and intercept.

We will be lethal on the counter-attack. The speed of the first wave of our breaks will ensure they escape concerted pressure from Newcastle. Our attackers surge forwards, positioning themselves in behind the line of pressure ahead of the ball, thus providing the player who won the ball plenty of possession. Zielinksi will be the standout player in these situations; with an impressive understanding of when and where to attack the free space both with and without the ball.

We will vary our approach in attack, alternating between direct play and passing through the thirds. Rico will often look to move the ball into the opposition half as quickly as possible, while the midfield has plenty of strength, aggression, and attacking intent in the middle of the park, constantly seeking to exploit any gaps in behind their opposing midfielders. Zielinski and Rafinha have the ability to make particularly good use of the space on the inside, projecting their side forwards in attack where they will outnumber the Newcastle defensive midfield area. Moreover, giving Zielinski free reign in the midfield will add another dimension to our attack, as his dribbling through the centre of the pitch can draw players out of position and open up space for our attackers to run into. In addition to this, his technical prowess at feeding through-balls in tight spaces will create numerous chances for our forwards to put away.

In the attacking phase, we will opt for combination play, swapping between short passes to lure the Newcastle defenders into the opposition half and more ambitious passes through the thirds. Our high tempo will disrupt our opponents, both in midfield and in the final third. The pace and movement of our forwards will cause chaos for the Newcastle midfielders, who will be put under severe pressure to attempt to protect their midfield against the pace and direct nature of our attack. We will put our opponents under constant pressure, with our dangerous front three of Robben, Fekir and Richarlison forcing their way in behind their full-backs and posing constant problems for the centre-backs. At the same time, our full backs have the athleticism and talent to get up the pitch along the byline and drill in low, hard crosses that will cause panic among the defenders.

As a collective, we are well balanced. In the final third we will locate our biggest threats in prime positions, where they will cause constant uncertainty in the last line of defence. Richarlison, Fekir and Robben will regularly find openings with their pace and direct play, successfully exploiting the space in between the centre-backs and the full-backs alongside them.

In the defensive transition, we will re-organise quickly and effectively after losing the ball, Rafinha and Zielinski leading the way in swarming around the man in possession, with both being used to implementing a high pressing system, with Witsel adept at covering the inside lanes and intercepting play. We will prevent Newcastle from outnumbering us in this phase of the game, reducing the threat of the counter-attack.

Substitutes:
60 MINUTES (If winning, save this change for the 65th minute, otherwise)
If drawing: Marchisio for Zielinski – Marchisio will add a humongous well of experience to the midfield, as well as a powerful engine that hasn’t yet been majorly impacted by age. He will be able to get himself about the pitch in defence, and can dictate the tempo of the midfield when on the ball.

65 MINUTES (If winning, save this change for the 75th minute, otherwise)
Oyarzabal for Richarlison – Oyarzabal will provide more defensive cover for Toure on the left hand side. He is also an accomplished finisher and able to pop up, seemingly unnoticed, to grab a goal.

75 MINUTES :-
Willian for Rafinha – This facilitates a slight tactical adjustment to a 4-2-3-1 but with the same overall ethos. Marchisio and Witsel form a deeper pivot, allowing Willian to work in the pocket

Bournemouth Tactics: Week 7
Captain: Conti
Vice Captain: Danilo

Team:
---------------Ramírez
Bustos--Conti—Veríssimo--Saracchi
-----------------Danilo
----------Paredes---Paquetá
Pussetto-------------------------Everton
------------------Pedro

SUBS: Rossi, Senesi, Olivera, Wendel, Lovera, González, Cunha

We want to play a neat crisp passing game at high tempo using our obvious pace to punish the opponent. Our formation will be a 4-3-3 that will allow our full backs to join in the attack when necessary and also offer us the flexibility to fall back into a more standard 4-4-2 when under pressure. We need to boss the midfield from the start and control the game with our own tempo. When in possession use the ball well and try and bring our wide men in to play. When chasing the ball press the opponent with urgency and all over the park. Don’t take too many risks and hold onto the ball. With our creativity and pace we will be able to open teams up. Wait for the chances to arise and take them when they come.

Goalkeeper: Ramírez is a big mobile keeper and very agile. 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: Danilo 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. Paredes and Paquetá will play just in front of Danilo. Paredes will be a more box to box type. He will be involved all over and will offer as much in defence as in attack. Paquetá will be the midfield magician. Clever, elusive and tricky we will look to him for creating the midfield openings with his eye for a pass. 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.

Wingers/Centre Forward: When in possession both Pussetto and Everton 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 Paquetá, Paredes and Pedro in to play. They can vary their attacks by going wide or cutting inside as they see fit. Both players can play all across the middle so don’t be surprised to see them swapping wings. At times Paredes may sit a bit deeper allowing Paquetá 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.

Pedro starts as the CF. He won’t be short of support or ammunition with the attacking talent behind him. Great big old fashioned centre forward. We will look for him to hold up and bring others in to play if it doesn’t seem to be on for him. An eye for a pass and not afraid to have a go from distance. 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 power 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: Paquetá, Everton or Pussetto with Conti, Veríssimo, Danilo and Pedro to offer an aerial threat. Paquetá and Everton (with his thunderbolt left foot) may try their luck with several free kicks from distance.
Penalties: Pedro

Substitutions: (if winning on 80 minutes) Senesi for Veríssimo, Cunha for Pedro and Wendel for Paredes, 3 like for like substitutions.

If losing (on 80 minutes) Lovera for Paredes and Cunha for Pussetto. Shift to a 4-1-3-2 attack. Pussetto and Lovera offering fresh legs, pace and a bit of the unknown in attack.

----------------Danilo
Lovera------- Paquetá ----Everton
---------Pedro --------Cunha

----------------------- Oblak ----------------------
Vrsaljko ----- Akanji ----- Varane ----- Sandro
---------------------- Tousart ---------------------
---------------- Pjanic ----- Pogba ---------------
Mbappe ---------------------------------- Neymar
------------------- Lewandowski -----------------

Gunn, Henrichs, de Jong, Aouar, Bernardeschi, Belotti, Rodrigo

Possession football, quick on the break and really pressurise the opposition with an in your face performance from the front, we want to hit them quickly so we need to press them quickly to get the ball, when we defend, we don't sit too deep with Pjanic, Tousart & Pogba just in front harassing the man with the ball before they get to our back 4 and the front 3 in and around the half way line, Lewandowski slightly higher up, this will congest the midfield and allow Pjanic and Pogba to dictate play, stop them coming forward from the back, however, if they do push forward onto us and we get the ball they will be on the back foot and will really struggle with our front 3/4 with Fullbacks who are always ready to pounce and hit them with pace.

Varane picks up the CF, Akanji spare picks up the AM if he gets away from our midfield, keep the forward(s) away from the danger area, get onto them quickly and be strong, take the ball away from them and play it out of defence, look to get it out wide quickly when we have possession, Both are comfortable on the ball so can bring it out when in no danger and look for the pass longer to the forwards to hit them with pace, fullbacks must keep the wingers quiet, stop them and we stop a lot of there attacks They will look to keep them away from shooting areas and stop them becoming dangerous in any position by standing tall against them and keeping them on there 'bad' foot. When they attack, only one at a time as to not let ourselves be exposed, they drive down the line in support of the wingers, Sandro and Vrsaljko get outside Mbappe and Neymar to allow them to cut inside. the two always make themselves available to the wingers. I want both Varane and Stones to go up for corners, with the fullbacks and Tousart sitting back.

In the centre of the pitch are Pjanic, Tousart and Pogba. Tousart our deepest player sitting just in front of the CB's he will shadow there AM and not allow him to control the game, Pjanic and Pogba must be disciplined and lend a hand to stop them coming through. Tousart must be aware of all that is around him, be in the right place at the right time and look to cover for defensive players moving forward, he has to impose himself early on the AM to make him wary of holding onto the ball too long, once on the ball look around, head up and pick the pass that will get us moving forward quickly always making himself for a return ball from a deeper angle as he he spreads it from side to side then eventually forward, can be out to the fullbacks or indeed a longer ball to the front three to take the opposition out of it as they are still high up the pitch. Pjanic slightly higher up the pitch, he will stop the run of play quicker to make our defenders jobs a lot easier, make our midfield very difficult to pass through, protect our defence and Tousart as best as possible and again in possession get it to the front 3 but also look for fullbacks and Pogba as they move into space, keep it simple, he has a very good range of pass. Either pass and move(triangles) into space or look for a piercing through ball to our front three to drive onto.Can move forward to assist and look for balls coming out so he can either, shoot or whip straight back in. Pogba is essential to our style of play, he is the link(alongside Pjanic) between defence and attack, as we break quickly he will look to set up our front three and at times be in a 10 role and look for the Pjanic pass. he will follow his pass and make up the numbers up front. When he doesn't drop deep i.e when the defenders go long, he will look to form a front four as they move around and look to tear the defence apart. All of our midfield three must press the opposition and get to grips with this game very early on.

Our wingers are extremely quick, when we don't have the ball they drop back a bit to make up the numbers as they attack, push into the faces of the opposition to force them into mistakes and hopefully in the end they lose the ball, when they do lose the ball we charge at them and we do it quickly, either a long ball over defenders, go through the cms or out to one of our attacking fullbacks.however, the movement up front between Neymar and Mbappe will cause them problems as they switch around at times, will see us make their defenders move out of position to follow their player, thus allowing Pogba to pick his moment to move into space either as a 10 or out wide. If he does push wide this will allow Mbappe/Neymar to go in central as we will have an attacking fullback up and supporting. Quick passing in triangles that will get us in and beyond their defenders and eventually to Lewandowski who has the power and ability to beat any defender and the other winger who will look to get into space to get a shot off, if there defence is on top then we can always go direct at times and fire early crosses especially from deep from the fullbacks into Lewandowski right on top of the young goalkeeper to put a lot of pressure on him, we must always make sure he is well supported, if he cant get the shot away he will be looking to bring others into the game.
(990 Words)

Captain - Varane
Pens - Lewandowski
Corners - Pjanic
Free Kicks - Pjanic

Subs

Losing
65 Mins - Rodrigo for Pogba, Rodrigo to RW and Mbappe to CF just off Lewandowksi
80 Mins - de Jong and Belottti on for Vrsaljko and Sandro, de Jong slot into a back 3 and we go attacking 343 with Belotti joing Mbappe and Lewandowski up front

Winning -
75 Mins - de Jong for Pogba, sit in a flat midfield 3 to shore it up
85 Mins - Rodrigo for Lewandowski, Mbappe up top Rodrigo out wide
88 Mins - Aouar for Neymar to close it out

Drawing -
70 Mins - Rodrigo for Pogba, we go 4231 with Mbappe behind Lewandowski and Rodrigo to the right
80 Mins - Aouar for Lewandowski, Mbappe up front with Aouar nehind him, look to hit them with pace through the middle for the final 10

----------------------- Courtois ------------------------
Cancelo ----- Boateng ----- Bailly ----- T.Hernandez
------------ Eriksen ---- Dier ---- Modric ------------
L.Bailey -------------- Aguero ------------- M.Asensio

Subs:
McCarthy, M.Alonso, Lenglet, L.Alberto, L.Moura, T.Werner, D.Sturridge

Captain: Modric
Free Kicks: Eriksen
Penalties: Aguero
Corners: Eriksen

Team Tactics

Moving the ball at speed will be the focus of our play as we go with an attacking 4-3-3 formation today. Our three CM’s will be key components of this style as Eriksen and Modric offer great quality on the ball whilst they both have the ability to break the lines and play a killer final ball to our attacking trio. We will look to dictate the play and frustrate the opposition, continually make them chase the ball by switching the ball between our midfield trio. The opposition have some dangerous players however we will look to limit their impact by retaining possession, we will force them to track back or risk leaving their defence exposed when we push forward in numbers. We aim to make things uncomfortable for them as we feel that if we limit their ability to have the ball in attacking areas the game will be won.

When the opposition are in possession our wingers drop in as we play a compact 4-5-1 formation. The aim of the game will be to break at speed with our wide players offering an immediate outlet when we win back possession. They will drive forward as we get men up in support of Aguero and carve the opposition open with devastating affect.

Defence:

We go with a strong defensive unit at the back, packed with pace and quality as we look to nullify the threat posed by the oppositions attack. We have two strong pacy CB’s to deal with the threat posed by the opposition forward. We will look to be dominant at the back as we aim to take the sting out of the opposition early on and play on the front foot. Our fullbacks have license to push forward when in possession, Cancelo in particular offers a real threat down the right. L.Bailey will often drift infield taking the opposition fullback with him which will create space for Cancelo to attack, he will at all times be looking for the runs of Aguero whose movement and finishing is simply world class. Hernandez will focus slightly more on his defensive duties to ensure we keep a balanced defence and have plenty of cover to snuff out any opposition counter attack.

If the opposition play one up top then Bailly will mark, strong and aggressive we feel he has all the tools to deal with any opponent. Boateng will sweep up and cover in behind, a fantastic reader at the back he will also be the one to bring the ball out from defence. Nothing fancy just look to get the ball into the feet of our CM trio who will do all the damage.

Midfield:

Dier plays in the DM role, solid defensively he will provide a shield in front of our back line and look to be our main ball winner in the middle of the park. With two creative playmakers either side of him he will focus solely on being a destructive force, breaking up the opposition play and supplying the ball to our playmakers to do the damage. We aim to dominate possession and go with two technically astute players either side. Ball retention will be key, keep the ball and make them chase. This will invariably open up space for our forwards as we pull the opposition out of space and look to exploit any openings. Eriksen and Modric operate as twin playmakers, both have a penchant for assists but don’t be afraid to shoot should the opportunity arise. With the pace of our front three the opposition will invariably drop deep and if the chance to shoot from distance arises then take it. We look to pepper the opposition with shots as we go for goals in the season opener.

Forwards:

Frightening pace, electrifying dribbling and deadly finishing, we feel our front three have it all. Our wide players will look to take the opposition on at will. Bailey and Asensio both have license to cut in from the flanks and go for goal, we encourage them to utilise their terrific pace and go at the opposition. Draw in the oppositions CB’s which in turn creates space for Aguero to be slipped in and finish. Both will look to make jinking runs into the box where they can draw a foul or drive to the byline and whip the ball into Aguero in the middle. Both wingers have fantastic workrate and will be a constant outlet as they make runs in behind when our playmakers are in possession. Aguero plays through the middle, a player with fantastic movement and real predator. Immediately look to get into the box when we’re on the attack as we look to lay down a marker.

Subs;

If winning:
65 mins: Modric off, Luis Alberto on.
75 mins: L.Bailey off, Lenglet on. 5-4-1 with Lenglet forming a CB trio alongside Boateng and Bailly as we tighten up and look to see the game out.

If drawing:
65 mins: Dier off, Luis Alberto on. Extra creativity.
75 mins: Hernandez and Modric off, M.Alonso and Werner on. FB’s push on more with Alonso’s delivery an added weapon whilst we bring on an additional forward as Werner plays up top alongside Aguero.

If losing:
55 mins: Dier off, Werner on.
65 mins: Hernandez off, Sturridge on. We revert to 3-4-3 with Aguero, Werner and Sturridge up top as we go for goals, goals, goals.