Week 21 & 22

Newcastle 0 - 2 Brentford

Broja x 2 (Odegaard x 1, Pen)
MOTM - Odegaard
Red Card - Van Dijk

North London derby day, Spurs in contention for more silverware, Arsenal hoping to secure the 3rd place trophy and an FA Cup

Tab lining up in 3-2-3-2 vs Jets 4-3-3, this game promises goals and as always high drama.

Home advantage and form going to the cockerels gives them a nice head start.

Tabs tactics are well thought, he knows I like and use that formation, his defence works, the midfield pivot works and that front-five is pretty nifty.

nice options from the bench as well, not just the personnel but also the system changes

Jet

A big game to stop our rivals winning the title. There should be no other motivation. We feel Spurs Spurs have weaknesses that should’ve been exploited this year and we are here to do that today. Their RB hates playing RB and has been publicly asking to play CB, and their LB has been replaced by a Serie A OAP. Their strengths is probably in CM where we have packed our CM trio with strength and toughness to dismantle the Spurs team. We also feel that all of Spurs CBs are physically weak, so we’ve selected Calvert Lewin as a curveball to bully them. If they suspect this they’ve clearly read our tactics so we claim fraud.

a lot of words that say nothing..... you need better scouts of your own though, and we can't claim fraud in this case (it's only Lubo we level that at)

this may be me being harsh but yeno, it is what it is - Tab has a landslide on the tactical battle, Jet I know what kind of player you have, we all do but I feel that in these tight games against the best teams and tacticians more is needed than just telling me your midfielder is the best in europe, I'm not feeling a game plan as such, atleast not as in depth as that your opponent has laid out.

Spurs 3-1 Arsenal
Havertz (Fabinho) KDB (Ferran) De Ligt (Neves)

DCL (SMS)

MOTM - Ruben "The wonderkid from Porto" Neves

Liverpool vs Chelsea

Liverpool start with the advantage home Chelsea with form, and I think in this game with the fans behind them and their setup they would have more of possession. Chelsea set up with a very athletic midfield and feel this would overrun the Pool midfield when they are attacking.
As much as I agree that you don’t need two dms or any dms Tino in that formation don’t think Coutinho is the man you’d want there, would be after someone that can better control a game and has more energy, especially against Chelsea. But the setup with the wbs involved in build up two AMs coming in negates that, making it a good setup in attack, and a strong back line to fall back on.
Chelsea same comment as always, tactics are strong but could be a lot clearer and better by stating the obvious less and making clearer/focusing on tactical parts and expanding these.
Quality wise Chelsea have the upper hand as you’d expect, but Pool do have top quality in important areas.
Gameplan goes to Tino, Chelsea’s gameplan is very much varied play and a bit of everything, and prefer Tino’s as more focused and deliberate.
Subs I preferred Chelsea’s, wasn’t convinced replacing Busquets was a good thing although can see why you’d want energy, I thought Fans changes would’ve impacted game well.
Slots very even then.

Liverpool 1 - 2 Chelsea
Benzema (Neto); Mbappe (Bellingham), Gnabry (Mbappe)

Arsenal - Newcastle Utd
Wolverhampton - Brentford
Watford - Tottenham Hotspur
Leeds Utd - Leicester City
Chelsea - Manchester Utd
Liverpool - Manchester City



So an eventful season comes to end with today’s games, The title race is going to the wire with Leicester going to a resurgent Leeds at Elland road whilst Totteringham hotspurs visit Watford.
Arsenal tee off at home to Newcastle in the faint hope of nabbing the 3rd place trophy whilst Ludy must be wondering how the hell does his side end up in a battle to scrape top 7. Welshcakes has quietly gone about his business and cements the bees as a solid mid-table team.

A bright opening salvo at the Emirates see Saka charge down the flank, pop a cross into the box but unfortunately it sails over Dybala’s head.
Over at Molineux, Brentford are dominating the early phases of play, Wolves certainly have that on the beach feel about them today and it’s certainly got that buzz about the crowd too, heightened further still when Domenico Berardi, beloved of Wolves fans ghosts in at the back stick to meet Szoboszlai’s cross to put the Bee’s one up.

There’s been an early goal at Anfield, Man City have started really quickly and this fast paced , long ball football has paid dividends, Verratti launches one over the top of the midfield, Johnathan David gets on the end of it and slots home beautifully. 1-0 City

Bit of a stalemate so far at Elland road, as already relegated Leeds look to cost Leicester in the title race, that midfield three pivot making it difficult for Leicester, but the foxes three man midfield are just starting to get a grip on proceedings, you can feel the pressure building.

All quiet so far at Stamford bridge, but we have a breakthrough at Vicarage road here’s Alan McInally with the update. Elsie is going ballistic pitch side he clearly wants his side to play possession football but Palhinha tries to go backwards and only succeeds in selling Angelino short, who’s caught in no-mans land, he’s beaten to the ball by Jesus who slots it home at the second time of asking. 1-0 Spurs

News of that goal must have filtered through to the other grounds because Leicester have surged down the other end of the park, great work by Foden who lays it into Lautaro who puts his laces through the ball only to see it cannon back off the post… close

Arsenal finally have the breakthrough they deserve, “Wish” Grealish brings the balls down beautifully 30 yards out and bangs it straight into the top corner, no goalie on earth would have saved that banger from Maddison.

Penalty at Stamford bridge, the pacey Gnabry is on the charge, as he looks to cut inside his man Schlotterbeck left his leg trailing and Gnabry, ever the professional went over it. Ref didn’t need long to point to the spot. Tap in king Haaland steps up and ooohh just squeezes it in off the underside of the bar. 1-0 Chelsea

To mins to go till H/T and these games certainly have that end of season feel about them. Tired legs and mistakes a plenty leads to sloppy play and there we have that commentators curse

Leicester finally have the break-through. It’s been building and Leicesters footballing intelligence has really shown itself there a congested midfield negated beautifully by LCM and RCM pushing wide and opening up the channels as they went from back to front in 5 passes. A beautiful move finished off by Lautaro – showing in 1 minute the frustrations of the lad. 1-0 Leicester.

It’s been a great few minutes for Rof , as is often the case 1 goal can quickly follow a second, but this time it’s at Anfield, a beautiful free-kick slammed home by Paul Pogba. Not sure it was even a foul but VAR looked at it and drew all kinds of fancy lines so there we go two-nil City and I can’t see any way back in this game now for Liverpool.

Half-time

Busy 15 minutes for some of the managers as they look to get one last push out of their players. Feel particularly bad for Rof and Nadz. Nothing to do with two lots of team talks but it’s more that they’re hanging around in Leeds. Massive groans heard up in Newcastle, not sure if it’s the geordies having to deal with neglect from Ludy or Jet forgetting his password for his laptop and not being able to access his half time team talk.

Kick-off

Leicester start the second half very much like they ended the first, a surging run by Barella, who threaded it through beautifully for Felix to dink over the keeper. 2-0 Leicester

A whole raft of substitutions across all the games slow the pace and momentum right down, but in-between all these stoppages Arsenal have a second goal, it’s pretty comical to be fair. Locatelli pumps one into the box Dybala and Alverez chase the same ball but neither make proper contact with it and there’s Saka to tap it in… both sides lacking direction but 2-0 the Arsenal

A few more changes around the games and Rafa Leao makes an immediate impact as he finds a pocket of space and rifles one into the top corner. 2-0 Chelsea.


We’re into the final few minutes now and sparing any late drama Tottenham Hotspurs will retain their league title. Leicester’s dropped points last week proving critical but what a title race we’ve had from two quality sides and managers.

92nd minute

We have a goal, but it’s not a dramatic twist peeps. Broja adding Brentfords second goal of the day in a routine win, more nice play by Berardi who feeds him a tap-in to cap off a nice team display. 2-0 Brentford


Full-time and absolute jubilation nationwide as we all get to see the back of Leeds. Congrats to Tab commiserations to Rof… and well done everyone else, even Jet




Arsenal 2-0 Newcastle Utd – Maddison (kounde) Saka
Wolverhampton 0-2 Brentford – Berardi (szobszlai) Broja (Berardi)
Watford 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur - Jesus
Leeds Utd 0-2 Leicester City – Lautaro (Felix) Felix (Barella)
Chelsea 2-0 Manchester Utd – Haaland. Leao (Mbappe)
Liverpool 0-2 Manchester City - J.David (Verratti) Pogba

Watford: League week 2 (away to Aston Villa)
Captain: Palhinha
Vice-Captain: Remiro

-----------------Remiro
Mário--Felipe--Ibañez---Patterson
-----------Palhinha --Nunes
------------------Otávio
Correa------------------González
------------------ Núñez

SUBS: Grabara, Moura, Morato, Vinicius, Alzate, Evanilson, Cabral


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 (Palhinha) who will be complimented with an energetic box to box midfielder (Nunes). In front of them Otávio 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’ Nunes will also be allowed the freedom (when the time arises) to link with Otávio and attack. I think this set-up lets us link up quickly with our attack while at the same time that little bit of extra cautiousness means it will be easy for us to close the door in midfield with all 3 players as comfortable sitting and breaking up attacks if necessary.
We want to play a nice tidy and crisp passing game. Our aim is to move the ball forward as quickly and as effectively as possible. When we have the ball we will use it wisely and when we don’t have the ball then we will press our opponents all over the park with high urgency to win it back. We want to keep the ball on the deck and attack as a team and equally as important defend as a team. This team is bursting with pace. We will utilise that to our advantage and make the pitch wide and use our flying wingers to cause all sorts of mayhem. It will also be a tool that we use to hit opponents on the counter where we know we can out pace any team.
Goalkeeper: Remiro is a big mobile keeper and very athletic. A great shot stopper, he will communicate with the back 4 and be commanding with the high ball. He will not take any risks. He is a great distributor with both hand and foot and we will look to this as a way to launch quick attacks.
Defence: Our 2 full backs are there firstly to defend and make sure they stay on the right side of their opponents whether they be out wide or cutting inside. When we are on the attack they will be allowed to use their power and pace to provide the overlap on the flanks. They both have the power and the lungs to work the touchline for 90 minutes. They will make the pitch wide and always offer themselves as an option in attack. Our 2 centre halves are big 6 feet plus ball playing defenders. Both good in the air and equally as good with the ball at their feet. They will be asked to do the simple things well. Be aggressive but controlled in the tackle and never lose your man when defending dead ball situations. They will be able to bring the ball out of defence but if in doubt take absolutely no chances and clear it. Both big men will be a real aerial threat at set pieces.
Midfield: We will operate with one holding/defensive midfielder (Palhinha ). 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 (Nunes). 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 Otávio will operate as the link between midfield and attack. He will be our creator and can find that magic pass to break open a defence and release one of our front three.
Wingers/Centre Forward: When in possession both Correa and González 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 Otávio, Nunes and Núñez 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 Nunes may sit a bit deeper allowing Otávio 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.
Núñez 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: Otávio, González or Correa with Felipe, Ibañez, Palhinha and Núñez to offer an aerial threat. Otávio and González (with his thunderbolt left foot) may try their luck with several free kicks from distance.

Substitutions: (80 mins) If winning, then 3 like for like subs – Morato for Felipe, Vinicius for Palhinha and Cabral for Núñez.
If losing (60 mins) then switch to a 4-1-3-2 and replace Nunes with Cabral and Correa with Evanilson. 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.
----------Palhinha
Evanilson---Otávio---González
-------Cabral --Núñez

Watford: League week 3: HOME to Newcastle
Captain: Remiro
Vice Captain: Palhinha

Team:
-----------------Remiro
Mário---Ibañez—Felipe---Angeliño
-----------------Palhinha
-------------Nunes---Otávio
Ocampos-------------------------Correa
-------------------Núñez

SUBS: Grabara, Matheuzinho, Collins, Vinicius, Correa, Edwards, Evanilson

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: Remiro is a big mobile keeper and very athletic. A great shot stopper, he will communicate with the back 4 and be commanding with the high ball. He will not take any risks. He is a great distributor with both hand and foot and we will look to this as a way to launch quick attacks.

Defence: Our 2 full backs are there firstly to defend and make sure they stay on the right side of their opponents whether they be out wide or cutting inside. When we are on the attack they will be allowed to use their power and pace to provide the overlap on the flanks. They both have the power and the lungs to work the touchline for 90 minutes. They will make the pitch wide and always offer themselves as an option in attack. Our 2 centre halves are big 6 feet plus ball playing defenders. Both good in the air and equally as good with the ball at their feet. They will be asked to do the simple things well. Be aggressive but controlled in the tackle and never lose your man when defending dead ball situations. They will be able to bring the ball out of defence but if in doubt take absolutely no chances and clear it. Both big men will be a real aerial threat at set pieces.

Midfield: Palhinha 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. Nunes and Otávio will play just in front of Palhinha. Nunes will be a more box to box type. He will be involved all over and will offer as much in defence as in attack. Otávio 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 Ocampos and Correa 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 Otávio, Nunes and Núñez 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 Nunes may sit a bit deeper allowing Otávio 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.

Núñez 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: Nunes, Correa or Ocampos with Ibañez, Felipe, Palhinha and Núñez to offer an aerial threat. Otávio and Correa (with his thunderbolt left foot) may try their luck with several free kicks from distance.
Penalties: Núñez

Substitutions: (if winning on 80 minutes) Collins for Felipe, Evanilson for Núñez and Edwards for Ocampos, 3 like for like substitutions.

If losing (on 70 minutes) Edwards for Nunes and Evanilson for Ocampos. Shift to a 4-1-3-2 attack. Evanilson and Giovani offering fresh legs, pace and a bit of the unknown in attack.

------------Palhinha
Edwards---Otávio---Correa
---------Núñez---Evanilson

Watford League week 4: Away to Tottenham
Captain: Remiro
Vice Captain: Ibañez

------------------Remiro
Mário------Felipe---Ibañez----Angeliño
------------Palhinha---Alcaraz
-------------------Correa
Ocampos-------------------------González
--------------------Cabral

SUBS: Bursik, Matheuzinho, Morato, Vinicius, Alzate, Otávio, Evanilson

Goalkeeper: Remiro 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. One goes forward and one stays back. 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 into the stands. Both big men will be a real aerial threat at set pieces.
Midfield: We will operate with one holding/defensive midfielder (Palhinha). 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 gameplan 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 (Alcaraz). 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 Correa will operate as the link between midfield and attack. He will be our creator and can find that magic pass to break open a defence and release one of our front three. This I feel will give us a better balanced midfield and while being absolutely defensively sound with 2 ‘sitting’, Alcaraz will also be allowed the freedom (when the time arises) to link with Correa 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 easier for us to close the door in midfield with all 3 players as comfortable sitting and breaking up attacks if necessary.
Wingers/Centre Forward: When in possession both González and Ocampos 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 Correa, Alcaraz and Cabral 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 Alcaraz may sit a bit deeper allowing Correa 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.
Cabral 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 size and strength 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: Correa, Ocampos or González with Felipe, Ibañez and Alcaraz to offer an aerial threat. Correa, Alcaraz and González may try their luck with several free kicks from distance.
Penalties: Cabral, González, Palhinha
Substitutions: (80 mins) If winning then 3 like for like subs – Morato for Ibañez, Otávio for Ocampos and Evanilson for Cabral.
If losing (70 mins) then switch to a 4-1-3-2 and replace Alcaraz with Otávio and Ocampos with Evanilson. Fresh legs and 2 dangerous attackers that carry a goal threat about them. We will look to their pace and freshness to offer us something different.

----------------Palhinha
Otávio ------- Correa----------González
----------Evanilson---Cabral

Watford: League week 5 (away to Chelsea)
Captain: Palhinha
Vice-Captain: Remiro

-----------------Remiro
Mário----Felipe----João Victor---Angeliño
----------Palhinha --Nunes
-------------------Otávio
Edwards-----------------------------González
------------------- Núñez

SUBS: Grabara, Matheuzinho, Morato, Vinicius, Alzate, Evanilson, Cabral


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 (Palhinha) who will be complimented with an energetic box to box midfielder (Nunes). In front of them Otávio 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’ Nunes will also be allowed the freedom (when the time arises) to link with Otávio and attack. I think this set-up lets us link up quickly with our attack while at the same time that little bit of extra cautiousness means it will be easy for us to close the door in midfield with all 3 players as comfortable sitting and breaking up attacks if necessary.
We want to play a nice tidy and crisp passing game. Our aim is to move the ball forward as quickly and as effectively as possible. When we have the ball we will use it wisely and when we don’t have the ball then we will press our opponents all over the park with high urgency to win it back. We want to keep the ball on the deck and attack as a team and equally as important defend as a team. This team is bursting with pace. We will utilise that to our advantage and make the pitch wide and use our flying wingers to cause all sorts of mayhem. It will also be a tool that we use to hit opponents on the counter where we know we can out pace any team.
Goalkeeper: Remiro is a big mobile keeper and very athletic. A great shot stopper, he will communicate with the back 4 and be commanding with the high ball. He will not take any risks. He is a great distributor with both hand and foot and we will look to this as a way to launch quick attacks.
Defence: Our 2 full backs are there firstly to defend and make sure they stay on the right side of their opponents whether they be out wide or cutting inside. When we are on the attack they will be allowed to use their power and pace to provide the overlap on the flanks. They both have the power and the lungs to work the touchline for 90 minutes. They will make the pitch wide and always offer themselves as an option in attack. Our 2 centre halves are big 6 feet plus ball playing defenders. Both good in the air and equally as good with the ball at their feet. They will be asked to do the simple things well. Be aggressive but controlled in the tackle and never lose your man when defending dead ball situations. They will be able to bring the ball out of defence but if in doubt take absolutely no chances and clear it. Both big men will be a real aerial threat at set pieces.
Midfield: We will operate with one holding/defensive midfielder (Palhinha ). 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 (Nunes). 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 Otávio will operate as the link between midfield and attack. He will be our creator and can find that magic pass to break open a defence and release one of our front three.
Wingers/Centre Forward: When in possession both Edwards and González 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 Otávio, Nunes and Núñez 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 Nunes may sit a bit deeper allowing Otávio 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.
Núñez 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: Otávio, González or Edwards with Felipe, João Victor, Palhinha and Núñez to offer an aerial threat. Otávio and González (with his thunderbolt left foot) may try their luck with several free kicks from distance.

Substitutions: (80 mins) If winning, then 3 like for like subs – Morato for Felipe, Vinicius for Palhinha and Cabral for Núñez.
If losing (60 mins) then switch to a 4-1-3-2 and replace Nunes with Cabral and Edwards with Evanilson. 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.
----------Palhinha
Evanilson---Otávio---González
-------Cabral --Núñez

Watford: League week 6: HOME to Man Utd.
Captain: Grabara
Vice Captain: Palhinha

Team:
-----------------Grabara
Mário---Ibañez—Felipe---Vázquez
-----------------Palhinha
-------------Nunes---Otávio
Ocampos----------------------González
-------------------Núñez

SUBS: Bursik, Matheuzinho, Collins, Vinicius, Correa, Edwards, Cabral

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: Grabara is a big mobile keeper and very athletic. A great shot stopper, he will communicate with the back 4 and be commanding with the high ball. He will not take any risks. He is a great distributor with both hand and foot and we will look to this as a way to launch quick attacks.

Defence: Our 2 full backs are there firstly to defend and make sure they stay on the right side of their opponents whether they be out wide or cutting inside. When we are on the attack they will be allowed to use their power and pace to provide the overlap on the flanks. They both have the power and the lungs to work the touchline for 90 minutes. They will make the pitch wide and always offer themselves as an option in attack. Our 2 centre halves are big 6 feet plus ball playing defenders. Both good in the air and equally as good with the ball at their feet. They will be asked to do the simple things well. Be aggressive but controlled in the tackle and never lose your man when defending dead ball situations. They will be able to bring the ball out of defence but if in doubt take absolutely no chances and clear it. Both big men will be a real aerial threat at set pieces.

Midfield: Palhinha 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. Nunes and Otávio will play just in front of Palhinha. Nunes will be a more box to box type. He will be involved all over and will offer as much in defence as in attack. Otávio 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 Ocampos and González 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 Otávio, Nunes and Núñez 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 Nunes may sit a bit deeper allowing Otávio 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.

Núñez 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: Nunes, Correa or Ocampos with Ibañez, Felipe, Palhinha and Núñez to offer an aerial threat. Otávio and González (with his thunderbolt left foot) may try their luck with several free kicks from distance.
Penalties: Núñez

Substitutions: (if winning on 80 minutes) Collins for Felipe, Cabral for Núñez and Edwards for Ocampos, 3 like for like substitutions.

If losing (on 70 minutes) Edwards for Nunes and Cabral for Ocampos. Shift to a 4-1-3-2 attack. Cabral and Giovani offering fresh legs, pace and a bit of the unknown in attack.

------------Palhinha
Edwards---Otávio--- González
---------Núñez---Cabral