Arsenal tactics

----------------------------Bravo-----------------------------
Jara----------Fernandez-----De Vrij---------Cole
----------------------Xavi------Gago------------------
Joaquin-----------------Diaby-----------------------Perisic
-------------------------Ibrahimovic----------------------

Subs: Hateboer, Silva, Van Anken, El-Haddadi Drogba

Captain: Xavi
Free kick takers: Zlatan and Xavi
Penalty takers: Zlatan
Corner takers: Joaquin and Xavi

General: Playing with tempo and high energy especially in midfield will be key to this game against a very good side in Man Utd. I feel if we penetrate their midfield and do not give them any space, we can give them so many problems. We need to attack the middle of the park and use Diaby and Ibra's skills to get at the CB's and shoot on sight. Defensively we need to be cautious and not be over-committing and have the players to nullify their attack with numbers and organisation.

Bravo
Wonderful shot-stopper and great on 1v1s. Has to be vocal on set-pieces and aggressive on corners by taking no prisoners as he has the ball. Stay big and not charging out when it isn't needed.

Jara and Cole
Important that both are disciplined and make no rash tackles. They will use their experience to position themselves well to take the ball rather than tackle. They will not be making too many forward runs as the opposition may target them so we need them organised. Both to be strong arieally and they will receive support from time to time by their respective wingers.

De Vrij and Fernandez
Both quality young CB that are quick and can handle their own with ease. Both to be strong in tackles but be fair. Nothing rash and nothing committing unless its absolutely necessary. Both are good in the air and can read the game well. If one goes to a player to stop, the other holds back to cover. De Vrij to marshall the back 4 and always be vocal on defending set-pieces adnd corners.

Xavi and Gago
Key battles but Xavi will them by surprise to how quickly he will realise the ball and play forward to Diaby and Ibra. Xavi will patrolling the midfield and making sure that we release the ball offensively and effectively so Utd do not get back in time and re-organise themselves. Gago will play as a DM but has the capabailities to distribute the ball perfectly to start random attacks. However, he will be supporting the back 4 and adding as a extra shield to our defence.
Xavi will drop back to help when we are being attacked in midfield.

Joaquin and Perisic
Both are to use the length of the pitch to make more room for Diaby and Zlatan to manoeuvre and take advantage of that themselves. Both to be direct and run at fullbacks with pace and peg them back and look for runs from midfield and Zlatan to exploit. Both to also help their respective fullbacks if needed.

Diaby
More of a free role to penetrate the midfield and defence and use his pace and skill to fly past them. Diaby to be chasing down the ball and making sure that the midfield area do not have time to pick a pass or dictate the game whatsoever and will be helped by Zlatan and the other midfielders. Diaby to feed in Zlatan or use him as a decoy and go for goal himself.

Zlatan
He will be always on the shoulder of the last man but hovering along the back line to confuse which defender picks him up which helps our wingers to target the vacated space and attack it quickly. Zlatan to shoot at sight whenever he has a clear shot ranging from 35yards. Strong in the air and dominating but also has the skill to pass a player 1vs1.

Subs:
Silva for Gago 65mins
Silva is a proper DM and remains discipline and shields the back 4.

------------------------Enyeama--------------------------
Janko----------Luisão-----------Omeruo--------Oczipka
-------------------------Samper-------------------------
-----------Britton---------------------Halilovic--------
Robben---------------Immobile-----------------Hazard


Aréola, Perrey, Suliman, Kouyate, Baker, Lawrence, Lingard, Schöpf, Robert, Roberts, Rowe, Green, Wilson


main page: http://www.ja606.co.uk/articles/viewArticle/271146


Week 3:

------------------------Enyeama--------------------------
Janko----------Kouyate---------Omeruo------Oczipka
-------------------------Samper-------------------------
-----------Britton-------------------Halilovic--------
Robben---------------Immobile-----------------Lingard

Subs: Aréola, Lawrence, Green, Schöpf, Wilson

Squad: Perrey, Suliman, Rowe, Roberts, Robert, Baker


Enyema takes his place in goal, he's and ever present at club and international level and has the experience needed to command his defence. He'll be looking to claim aerial balls and play the ball out to feet rather than hitting it long.

Janko and Oczipka take up the fullback positions. Oczipka is very much the modern attacking fullback though he is also good defensively. He has excellent positional awareness and gets up and down the pitch tirelessly. Janko is a beast with similar attributes as well as being solid. The fullbacks will provide width to our attacks, working in unison with the wide forwards.

Kouyate and Omerou take up the cb slots. Omerou is already a fully fledged international with Nigeria, he's good with the ball and will be the ball player from the back. Kouyate is solid and tough in the tackle, he'll win anything that comes his way, he's also good with the ball at his feet.

Samper will return to the DM role after injury. He's an intelligent player who has ability with the ball at his feet. It's very difficult to get past him. When the fullbacks push on, Samper will sit between the 2 centre backs creating a back 3.

Britton and Halilovic return to their midfield roles. Britton will be key in keeping possession and getting the ball to team mates through shorter passes. Halilovic will be the link between the midfield and the attack.
The trio will play reminiscent of Busquets, Xavi and Iniesta at Barcelona a few years ago when they were a bit more forward thinking and quicker to move the ball about.

Robben and Lingard occupy the wide forward roles, both are very capable assisters but also have an eye for goal. Everyone knows Robben as one of the current best wingers in the world, while. Both men will look to run at their opponents, pushing them back. They'll have support from the 2 advanced midfielders and Immobile will be showing to feet if they cut inside.

Immobile leads the line in the front 3, he's coming off the back of a very successful season as too scorer in Serie A. He's a Goalscorer who's also very good with the ball at his feet. Despite the name he is actually very mobile and quick!


Our game plan is to move the ball about quickly, we've got good passers of the ball in the side and we want to make the opposition tire themselves out chasing the ball. When we get into the last third of the pitch we will look to be a bit more direct in terms of the wide men running in behind, creating angles for through balls. Immobile will come to receive the ball when it's in the middle of the pitch, but will play of the last defender when the ball is out wide.

We'll be looking to play a high pressing game, winning the ball back as high up the pitch as possible, not giving our opponents time to settle. Our players will hunt in packs of 2/3 closing off the angles for a pass, forcing them back. If we win the ball back off their defence we will break at speed and with supporting runners. When we bring the ball out from the back we will play a more patient passing game, looking for openings, but then hitting them when one appears.

Captain: Enyeama
Penalties: Robben
Freekicks: Robben


Subs after 75 mins if losing:

Green on for Lingard, look to use his pace to get in behind

If winning/drawing:

Move to 4-2-3-1

--Brit--Sam
Rob--Hal--Lin
-----Imm

with 5 mins to go Wilson on for Immobile

----------------------------------Horn-----------------------------------

Darmian----------Stones-----------Kongolo-----------Bernat

------------------------------Iturraspe-------------------------------

------------------Thiago------------Aranguiz------------------------

Januzaj------------------------------------------------------Depay

-------------------------------Alcacer--------------------------------

subs: Yedlin, Besic, Lopes, Mastour, Promes

Game plan: our plan today is to go at Basingstoke from the off,our second game of the season and after defeat last time out everyone will be fired up and raring to go. We will look to press high up the pitch and condense the space in the midfield for the likes of Ramsey and Carvalho. Successful pressing is dependant on group understanding, collective perception of ball, opponent and team mate, and a massive amount of hunger and desire to have the ball. It isn’t possible to press for 90 minutes. We will have to pick our times wisely in order to do it successfully. If our players are tracking back or not close enough to the ball it isn't sensible to press the ball, we will look to capitalise on poor passes by the opposition or when a player is facing his own goal or has his head down when receiving the ball, at these times to opposition player does not have a full view of the pitch and cannot pick a forward pass.

In possession we will have many lines of players in order to create easy triangles for the players on the ball, the player on the ball should always have at least 2 passing options, the full backs will also go forward creating an almost 3-4-3(2-3-2-3)formation when in possession, this reverts to a 4-1-4-1 formation when we lose possession.

In Possession

------------------------Stones-------Kongolo------------------

Darmian---------------------Iturraspe--------------------Bernat

-----------------------Thiago-------------------Aranguiz------------

Januzaj-----------------------------------------------------------Depay

----------------------------------Alcacer-----------------------------

out of possession

Darmian-------------Stones------Kongolo-----------Bernat

-------------------------------Iturraspe-------------------------------

Januzaj------------Thiago------------Aranguiz---------Depay

---------------------------------Alcacer----------------------------------

Timo Horn: very young, but a fantastic goalkeeper, excellent shot stopper and very confident coming off his line, will look to release the ball quickly in order to start attacks, when he gets the ball the full backs will push forward and the centre backs will spread out offering themselves for the pass, will only go long if there is no other option.

Defence: as has been spoken about in the game plan section, the full backs will look to push up the field when we are in possession creating the multiple lines across the pitch which is the basis of our possession philosophy. The central defenders will look to stay close to one another when out of possession, the full backs will also tuck in leaving little room in the centre of the pitch as Basingstoke will look to do most of their attacking through the middle, while the midfield and attack will cover the defence of the wide areas, this is not the specific job of one player as we are playing in a fluid system, it will be whoever is available to do the job at that point in time, our players have great discipline and concentration to perform in this system.

Midfield and Attack: Ander Iturraspe will by and large stay in position in the holding role in the midfield. He will look to snuff out space for the opposition attacking players, and always be available for a pass when we are in possession, possesses great strength and is a very tidy user of the ball. The 4 midfield players in front of Ander will play very fluidly, and as has already been stated they will look to press the opposition when the time is right, all 4 possess good pace and stamina and are able to get up and down the pitch.

Thiago and Aranguiz will get up and down the pitch throughout, both are very quick and very creative and can carry the ball. Both will look to move the ball quickly, as will the whole team, we will play with a high tempo throughout the game not giving Basingstoke any breathing space, without the ball they will look to pressurise the opposition in the centre of the pitch, but as spoken of earlier, only when it is sensible, no point doing it willy nilly and being picked off, we need to be very wary of Ramsey and the other Basingstoke CM's and give them as little space and time as possible, this will be key to winning the match.

Adnan Januzaj and Memphis Depay will look to move wide when in possession, both have the ability to run at the opposition and will look to move inside at times and take the opportunity to shoot and link with Alcacer they both have the pace and movement to make runs beyond Alcacer in the centre forward positions, we are playing a very fluid system and will not just be looking to throw the ball into the box at every opportunity so their movment, pace and runs into the channels will be crucial in creating space and chances during the 90 minutes. When Depay and Januzaj do move inside, Darmian and Bernat will look to provide the outlet wide with overlapping runs.

Alcacer will play as the centre forward for us today, his pace, movement and energy suits the change in the way we are going to play, he will look to roam across the pitch, dragging defenders out of position which will leave space for the other attackers and our midfield to benefit from, as stated previously in the tactics he is part of the fluid front 5 we are playing with today so will pop in different areas of the pitch on occasion, we are not just going to throw the ball into the box at every opportunity so his running of the channels and his technical ability are crucial in the way we want to play.

Substitutions: if losing after 65 minutes, Quincy Promes for Charles Aranguiz, Thiago to move alongside Iturraspe in a double pivot role, while Promes will play just off Alcacer in a free roaming role, looking to get on the ball as much as possible and using his pace and skill to cause havoc among the. Basingstoke defence.

80 minutes: Hachim Mastour for Adnan Januzaj incredibly talented young Italian, will look to play a similar role to Promes, but use his intelligence and passing ability more than his pace in the wide areas, can beat a man for fun and possesses a fantastic shot on him

Captain: Thiago
Freekicks: Thiago
Penalties: Thiago

TAIWAN

4-2-3-1

______________________Scuffet___________________
Coleman______Musacchio_____Laporte___Pleguezuelo
________________Can______Ward-Prowse___________
J. Rodriguez___________Barkley______________Drmic
_____________________Di Natale__________________
SUBS: De Santis, Hendrix, J. Teixeira, Brandt, Toni

Captain: Di Natale
Right free-kicks: J. Rodriguez
Left free-kicks: Di Natale
Penalties: Di Natale
Right corners: J. Rodriguez
Left corners: J. Rodriguez


General:
GEGENPRESSING is a highly-organised approach to regaining possession and minimising space for the opposition used by Dortmund, and now used by Taiwan. My opponents are rapidly closed down by well-rehearsed, co-ordinated pressing movements, often by two or more players, allied with intelligent positioning to restrict space for opposition to pass and move into. The best moment to win the ball is immediately after after my team just lost it. Once we have regained possession, the transition from defence to attack will be explosive. We will be an attacking team. Aim is to move the ball around efficiently and with purpose, with many forward passes and none of Spain’s useless sideway passes. Play on the counter if dominated, but move the ball around when they sit back. Passing will be quick and intelligent, players moving into space and plenty of interchange between the three attacking midfielders. Team will look at the striker as the focal point with the attacking midfielders running off and beyond him, linking up efficiently. When defending Barkley and Drmic will drop back to help, J Rodriguez stays up as the out ball and Di Natale prepared for anything lumped up to him. Team must attempt to block shots at all times. Deep defensive line.

Scuffet:
Claim crosses if possible. Always clear lines, and hoof up the pitch towards the strikers whenever possible. The ball must stay clear of the 18 yard box at all times. Communication is key with centre halves to avoid confusion when deciding who claims a loose ball / cross.

Musacchio and Laporte:
Deals with opposition attackers. Laporte keeps an eye on their attacking midfielder when he gets close to the 18 yard line. Laporte will also mark their striker closely not allowing him space to turn. Laporte or Can will deal with knock-downs to their supporting player depending on who is closer. Musacchio will try and win headers when long balls are played towards the back line. Musacchio will also clean up any balls / players who manage to get past Laporte. Laporte will be the centre half who steps up and clears up balls before it reaches their attackers, but must only go if he’s 100% sure he’ll get it. Go up for corners.

Coleman and Pleguezuelo:
Will get forward in turns when we get possession, if they aren’t individually under too much pressure. Will sit back when without the ball, but bomb forward when the opportunity arises. Main aim is to provide width and provide extra bodies in midfield to link up play. They should thump in crosses to Di Natale when it’s on. Shoot if there is a clear sight of goal. Stays back for corners. Must not commit to tackles otherwise wingers will skip past them, just stay close, limit their space and show them onto their weaker foot.

Can and Ward-Prowse:
Sits deep, breaks up play and snap at their heels. Can is an engine that can cover a lot of ground when defending. Can will hardly ever go past the half-way line. Ward-Prowse will buzz around and dictate play, bursting forwards at times to provide an extra body in attack. Ward-Prowse will be a bit ahead of Can to be more involved in exchanging passes with full backs / J. Rodriguez, even going level with J. Rodriguez at times to use his incredible vision to find teammates. Can stays close to the centre halves. Both sprays balls wide to fullbacks when they get forward. Stays back for corners. Will not allow the opposition any time on the ball in front of centre halves. Can sticks to position when fullbacks flys forwards, providing cover if needed. Ward-Prowse drops deeper when this happens.

J. Rodriguez, Barkley and Drmic:
Will constantly swap positions with each other. Will look to thread through balls to Di Natale and exchange passes with each other. Constantly drifting in and out of position, into space to make it difficult to mark. Can cross when out wide. Drmic should always track back to help the fullbacks and midfield when defending. Barkley can burst past Di Natale and shoot if needed. Goes to near post to anticipate crosses. Constantly runs at their defence. All will press the opposition when without the ball.

Di Natale:
Holds up the ball, brings the three attacking midfielders into play. Play on the shoulder of the last man, always sets himself at the far post for crosses. Will keep the centre halves occupied. Will chase down opposition centre halves when they have the ball.

SUBS:
Winning/Drawing:
75 mins: Drmic OFF Dembele ON
Straight swap, will do the same job except will hold the ball up for onrushing teammates more.

Losing:
75 mins: Barkley OFF Toni ON
Go 4-2-4 with Toni and Di natale centre J. Rodriguez right Drmic left. Ward-Prowse supports, Can holds and sprays passes from deep.

Basingstoke tactics vs Notts

----------------------Fabianski--------------------
Corchia----Rekik----Heylen---Kurwaza
----------------------Carvalho----------------------
----------------Ramsey---Kallstrom-------------
-----------------------Morrison-----------------
----------------Deulofeu--Berbatov----------

Subs: Mersin, Bellerin, Grimaldo, Bouetius & Gnabry

Corners and FKs - Deulofeu
Pens - Berbatov
C - Ramsey

Today we're trying something new, its partly down to injuries but it also makes sense given the abundance of decent central midfielders Stockport have. While we're playing a 4-4-2 diamond, it has a slight twist in that its not two out and out centre forwards, as Deulofeu will be playing a free role off Berbatov which means he can roam out to either wing and look to get at the full backs and cause them problems, whilst Morrison will be trying to get up alongside Berbatov whenever he gets the chance and work off of him, so at times it will work like an unorthodox 4-3-3, which should make us difficult to figure out. I'm also a fan of this because not only does the movement make us difficult to stop, but all three players can change a game in an instant and will be getting supplied by two fantastic CMs in Ramsey and Vilhena. Off the ball we want to play our high pressing game again, especially as Stockport don't have much pace up front or out wide to get in behind us. Our whole team is really built around Ramsey, he's superb going back and forward, has an unbelievable engine, can operate well in tight spaces, pick a pass, time his runs and finish beautifully, so I'm hoping for a big game from him today. Lastly, I want us to trouble their goalie, as he is young and inexperienced I want to be hitting crosses into areas where he doesn't know if he should be coming for them or not, I want us shooting when we get a chance and making sure we're following up shots as there's a good chance he'll spill them out to us, this is something Berbatov will be good at. I also want Vilhena stood on the keeper from all corners, not impeding him or fouling him, just making him uncomfortable and ruining his concentration in the hope he makes a rash mistake.

Fabianski - experienced gk today who knows what will be expected from him. He's a good shot stopper with good handling, he'll just need to command his area and be aware of being quick off his line as we're playing a high line, just in case.

FBs - Although not mentioned yet the FBs will be pretty vital in today's game. They're both solid defensively and full of pace and energy which will be important as they'll be up and down. As Stockport don't have a huge amount of danger down the wings Corchia and Kurwaza will have the chance to push on a lot and at times will be playing like wingers, offering our width, making overlapping runs for Deulofeu, offering an out ball for the midfield and getting crosses into the box.

CBS - same as last week, Zouma will be attacking the ball, going directly against the striker whilst Heylen will drop off a little as the ball comes forward just in case Zouma is beaten which is unlikely as he's likely to be up against Lambert. Heylen will be in better position to organise the defence and will try to keep our high line a straight line! Although we should have the pace to make the high line work perfectly today.

Carvalho - sitting midfielder doing what he does best today just anchoring the midfield and protecting the defence. He'll be onto the opposition quickly, coming into them with big tackles and moving the ball on quickly. As much as anything his presence will hopefully make less experienced players like Quintero nervous when they get the ball, and hopefully panic and mishit their passes.

Ramsey and Vilhena - both get to play in their favoured box to box role today, although hopefully that description won't be literally as I want to spend a lot of the game in the Stockport half. They've both got good engines so won't find the pressing game too hard, they should be able to get all over the likes of Rakitic and Hughes quickly and pressure them into mistakes. As a pair I think ours are slightly more talented and I hope that shows today. In terms of box to box running I want one of them sitting back while the other goes forward to support, as often the FBS will be forward too so we'll need to defend against counter attacks, but both are good at timing their runs and I expect them to make a difference going forward, Ramsey especially in his favoured role.

Morrison - today Morrison will be in a role that should be difficult to track for the opposition. Without the ball he'll be helping in the pressing game, getting on Schneiderlin trying to stop him starting attacks, but with the ball he'll be floating between Schneiderlin and the CBs, often causing confusion over who should pick him up. For example he'll drift onto the CBs alongside Berbatov, but at the right time drop into the space in front of the defence and before the DM realises he's there, he's already done his damage. He's a supremely talented player and with this freedom it should feed his ego and get the best out of him.

Deulofeu - again I want him to cause confusion, he'll be lining up as a CF but will play all along the front line, almost daring the FBs to get forward so he can attack the space they leave. He'll be looking to play on the last man, getting off Berbatovs flicks, balls into the channels etc and his pace and movement should make him a nightmare, especially if no one knows where he is or who he should be picking up.

Berbatov - same as last week for Berbatov, just with slightly different personnel around him. Holding the ball up, bringing others into play and getting into the box at the right times as the ball goes wide or in this match, when we have a shot on goal, just in case the keeper spills it.

Subs - 65 mins Grimaldo for Kurwaza. Fresh legs, same role.

Can you use these tactics please with Kallstrom in for Vilhena in the text? And Rekik for Zouma. Thanks

****************WEEK 4 TACTICS START HERE************

southend vs BLYTH 4-3-3 (4-5-1 without the ball)

....................Neto...................
Maggio.....Rugani...Vlaar....Robertson
....................Alonso...................
.........Rosicky............Gauld..........
Berardi...............................Insigne
.....................Destro.....................

Subs: Rubinho, Maldini, Palombo, Dongou, Dicko
Capt: Vlaar
Corners: Alonso/Insigne
Free kicks (long) : Alonso
Free kicks (short) : Insigne
Pens: Destro

Tough game today with top away at 3rd. Shuffling the pack again today, Southend have real firepower upfront but we're confident we can get at their defence. Have even decided to play with a midfield this week. Fast paced direct football on the counter this week will be key altough we do have the players to slow the ball down and keep the ball if needed.

Neto: Sweeper keeper, fast off his line will look to come and claim any loose balls before Southends fast and mobile attack latch onto them. Always looking for quick throws or kicks to start our counter-attacks, has plenty of runners in the team so should be able to find an "out" ball.

Maggio/Robertson: Defensively will be disciplined and not dive but attempt to show their man down the line and force the cross, Offensively both have their part to play as we look to overwhelm Southends full backs Maggio and Robertson will create overlaps for Rosicky and Gauld as well as Berardi and Insigne. Both men will stay back for set-pieces as cover for Vlaar and Rugani to venture forwards.

Rugani/Vlaar: Tough test today for this fledgling partnership, Studge is their danger man and will be looked after by Man of Concrete Ron Vlaar. Won't dive in unless he has to but he will be like a second skin for Studge, blocking off his turns and runs by all means possible, not adverse to the dark arts Vlaar will stop him. Rugani today is the spare man and will be responsible to track any runs from midfield or Southends second striker, calm and comfortable in possession the Italy U21 international will looks to carry the ball out of defence and link up with our midfield.

Alonso: Will sit infront of the defence and act as a shield tracking Southends midfielders and looking to intercept any through balls towards the front man(men). Xabi has a wonderful range of passing and with 5 runners infront of him plus our full backs pushing on he will look to get the ball down and spray it around stretching Southends defence and midfield to create space for our attacking players to exploit.

Rosicky/Gauld: Not renown for their defensvie skills but will sacrifce themselves for the team, without the ball both men will tuck in to create alongside Alonso a central 3 making it hard for Southend to play through us. Both players have great technique and can spot a pass, Rosicky may be less direct than Gauld but has a great footballing brain and will always find space or a pass to a colleague, will push on more so to keep Southends full backs pegged back. Gauld loves the ball at his feet and will look to charge forwards into the space created by Robertson's overlap, a very tidy little player will look for intricate 1-2's with Insigne.

Berardi/Insigne: Have big roles to play today, I have them as wingers but I guess they're more like inside forwards, they will tow the line but always looking to cut inside and play each other and Destro in. They have been instructed to attack the space between the full-backs and centre-backs, because our own full backs and wide midfielders are pushing on this then gives Southends defenders a dilema with regards to who tracks their run if the full back comes across then we have space out wide if the CB moves over then Destro is unmarked or atleast one on one. when Southend have the ball both will drop back effectively making us a 4-5-1 blocking off space across the midfield and allowing us to press. but still giving us the flexibility to launch fast direct counter attacks.

Destro: Lone striker today but has the build and the attributes to play with his back towards the goal, will look to hold up play and set-up opportunites for his team-mates before getting in and around the 6 yard box himself for any rebounds or tap ins. Should have plenty of service from wide positions so will look to attack the ball splitting the defenders.

Subs 65 Mins regardless

Dicko > Insigne - Shape and system stays the same but where as Insigne is full of trickery and nice touches, Dicko brings raw pace and power will look to run at the defence drawing tackles (fouls) whilst also having the freedom to goal for goal himself.

Palombo > Rosicky. Palomob will go to anchor man and Alonso moves further forward into Rosicky's role. Changes our balance slightly but I feel adds more strength, Palombo is a proper anchor man and will come into the side to try and maintain the centre of the pitch, Alonso further forward utilises his passing range and long distance shooting.

Comment deleted by Site Moderator

Week 4:

------------------------Enyeama--------------------------
Janko----------Luisão---------Omeruo------Oczipka
-------------------------Samper-------------------------
-----------Britton-------------------Halilovic--------
Robben---------------Wilson------------------Hazard

Subs: Abidal, Lawrence, Green, Schöpf, Lingard

Squad: Areola, Suliman, Roberts, Robert,

Injuries : Rowe, Perrey, Kouyate, Immobile, Baker


Enyema takes his place in goal, he's and ever present at club and international level and has the experience needed to command his defence. He'll be looking to claim aerial balls and play the ball out to feet rather than hitting it long.

Janko and Oczipka take up the fullback positions. Oczipka is very much the modern attacking fullback though he is also good defensively. He has excellent positional awareness and gets up and down the pitch tirelessly. Janko is a beast with similar attributes as well as being solid. The fullbacks will provide width to our attacks, working in unison with the wide forwards.

Luisao and Omerou take up the cb slots. Omerou is already a fully fledged international with Nigeria, he's good with the ball and will be the ball player from the back. Luisao is our leader, he is solid and tough in the tackle, he'll win anything that comes his way, he'll look to move the ball on through Samper in front of him.

Samper will take up the defensive midfield role. He's an intelligent player who has ability with the ball at his feet. It's very difficult to get past him. When the fullbacks push on, Samper will sit between the 2 centre backs creating a back 3.

Britton and Halilovic return to their midfield roles. Britton will be key in keeping possession and getting the ball to team mates through shorter passes. Halilovic will be the link between the midfield and the attack.
The trio will play reminiscent of Busquets, Xavi and Iniesta at Barcelona a few years ago when they were a bit more forward thinking and quicker to move the ball about.

Robben and Hazard occupy the wide forward roles, both are very capable assisters but also have an eye for goal. Everyone knows Robben as one of the current best wingers in the world. Both men will look to run at their opponents, pushing them back. They'll have support from the 2 advanced midfielders and Wilson will be showing to feet if they cut inside.

Wilson leads the line in the front 3, he's young and quick with an eye for goal. He's a goalscorer who's also very good with the ball at his feet.

Our game plan is to move the ball about quickly, we've got good passers of the ball in the side and we want to make the opposition tire themselves out chasing the ball. When we get into the last third of the pitch we will look to be a bit more direct in terms of the wide men running in behind, creating angles for through balls. Immobile will come to receive the ball when it's in the middle of the pitch, but will play of the last defender when the ball is out wide.

Our opponents like to play a possession based game so we'll be looking to play a high pressing game, winning the ball back as high up the pitch as possible, not giving our opponents time to settle. Our players will hunt in packs of 2/3 closing off the angles for a pass, forcing them back. If we win the ball back off their defence we will break at speed and with supporting runners. When we bring the ball out from the back we will play a more patient passing game, looking for openings, but then hitting them when one appears.


Captain: Luisao
Penalties: Robben
Freekicks: Robben


Subs after 75 mins if losing:

Abidal on for Halilovic and move to 3-5-2 to lure them onto us and bring them out.

-----------Eny
---Ome--Luis----Abi
-------Sam--Brit
Jan------Haz-----Ozc
-------Rob
------------Wil


After 80 mins bring on Green for Janko to bring fresh pace down the flank. He will run at them at 100% for the remainder of the game, he's quick and agile and should easily have the beating of the fullback.



If winning/drawing:

Green on for Halilovic, use his pace on the left wing, Hazards ingenuity in the middle

Move to 4-2-3-1

--Brit--Sam
Rob--Haz--Gre
-----Imm

Arsenal tactics

----------------------------Bravo-----------------------------
Arias----------Fernandez-----De Vrij---------Cole
------------------------------Silva-------------------------------
-----------------------Xavi--------Gago------------------
Joaquin-------------------------------------------Perisic
-------------------------Ibrahimovic----------------------

Subs: Raeder, Naldo, Van Anken, Coman, El-Haddadi, Drogba

General: Our main target is to soak up possesion from the opposition and let them have the ball deep in their half and then hit them with a pacey break targeting their weak full-backs and isolating them to 1v1 against our talented forwards. We have a top midfield which as Silva as the destroyer, Gago who can tackle and find a pass and Xavi who will distribute quickly and efficiently. We have to make the ball do the work and make them run after it so they can lose their shape and we certainly have the personnel to find the killer pass to feed Ibra or go for goal themselves. We are really up for this and will be relentless to show how good we are.

Right from Bravo to Ibra, we defend as a team. Ibra to chase down anyone coming within our half way line and he stays on that line as the lowest he can come. Bravo commands the goal very well and is a aggressive keeper in the air.

De Vrij will be keeping the back 4 in check and making sure that we are not tto deep or too high up. We have the pace and height to match and beat any forwards. Fernandez to be sweeping and play as the last man if any player does get through. Cole and Arias have the licence to go forward but making sure that someone will cover them.
All defenders to try and look to stay on their feet and intercept rather than committing to rash tackles which could result in a yellow and we have to be more timid.

Midfield
The opposition have a decent midfield but we can easily match them with our quality too. We make them chase us all day and we have the players to keep the ball and move them all around like puppets. Silva to stay ahead of the CB's and be a shield to our goal. Silva is no nonsense and will bully players with his physical presence but he can also pick a good pass and districute the ball quickly. Gago and Xavi play in central midfield and will be assisting Ibra and co with quick passing and can advance forward to give Ibra space.
Joaquin and Perisic are two top wingers and will see the ball more than anyone as we think that the opposition's will not handle our talented players and we will make strides in this tactic. Both have the legs and skill set to either drive in to goal or see Ibra and someone coming late from midfield to assist.

Ibrahimovic will lead the line and stay with the last man. Ibra is good enough to occupy of their defenders and because his talent is there for all to see. Ibra will try and move the defenders along the line and make a quick dash to receive a pass from our talented midfield. Ibra has licence to shoot and will dominate the defence with his power and skill with ease.

Subs: Gago off for Coman 70mins
-----------------------Silva-----Xavi--------------------
---Joaquin----------------Coman----------------Perisic

Coman's pace will be a factor on the tired legs of the opposition. He can assist Ibra up top two if needed but he will be direct and speeding at them as no defender can handle pace.

--------------Ochoa

Kalas--Yepes--Balanta--Vrsjalko


-----------Rabia---Gerrard

----------------Cahill

---------Origi---------Volland

----------------Ramos


We will look to play a game centered around a strong defence and the ability to push forward with speed and directness. Defensively we must be compact and keep their best players off the ball.

Our defence works as an outfit with Kalas, Yepes and Balanta sitting deep and working as a group to deal with the opposition. Key to us is the ability to isolate Di Natale, the lone Taiwan striker. All of our defenders are capable of playing the ball from the back. Vrsjalko will operate partly as an attacker, pushing back the attacking runs of Coleman.

Rabia will stick to Barkley and stop him from having any time on the ball. This is part of the plan to isolate Di Natale and restrict opposition tactics.

Gerrard is our deep lying playmaker though he will play further forward than usual. His aim is to dictate the play and push the ball forward at a quick pace for more attacking and energised players.

Cahill will start in the advanced midfield role however the attacking trio will rotate, making it difficult for the opposition to stop. All three offer different qualities that should outfox the opposition. Cahill will pressurise the oppositions CMs with tireless performances and act as another player playing off Ramos. Volland will use his skill and guile on the ball to take it past players and run directly at the opposition to expose any lack of pace and weaknesses they may have. Origi will use his pace and directness to run at slower opponents and expose weaknesses in their defence.

Ramos has the aim of bringing the other attacking players into the game. He will play with his back to goal and lay the ball off to the 'wingers'.


Captain: Gerrard
Free kicks: Gerrard
Penalties: Gerrard

Substitutions

Rabia off Aguilar on 65 mins -

Fresh legs in the midfield

----------------------------------Navas-----------------------------------

Yedlin----------Stones-----------Romagnoli-----------Bernat

------------------------------Iturraspe-------------------------------

------------------Thiago------------Aranguiz------------------------

Januzaj------------------------------------------------------Depay

-------------------------------Alcacer--------------------------------

subs: Christensen, Besic, Lopes, Totti, Promes

Game plan: our plan today is to go at Cambuur from the off,our second game of the season and after defeat last time out everyone will be fired up and raring to go. We will look to press high up the pitch and condense the space in the midfield for the likes of Rafinha, Goretzka etc. Successful pressing is dependant on group understanding, collective perception of ball, opponent and team mate, and a massive amount of hunger and desire to have the ball. It isn’t possible to press for 90 minutes. We will have to pick our times wisely in order to do it successfully. If our players are tracking back or not close enough to the ball it isn't sensible to press the ball, we will look to capitalise on poor passes by the opposition or when a player is facing his own goal or has his head down when receiving the ball, at these times to opposition player does not have a full view of the pitch and cannot pick a forward pass.

In possession we will have many lines of players in order to create easy triangles for the players on the ball, the player on the ball should always have at least 2 passing options, the full backs will also go forward creating an almost 3-4-3(2-3-2-3)formation when in possession, this reverts to a 4-1-4-1 formation when we lose possession.

In Possession

------------------------Stones-------Romagnoli------------------

Yedlin---------------------Iturraspe--------------------Bernat

-----------------------Thiago-------------------Aranguiz------------

Januzaj-----------------------------------------------------------Depay

----------------------------------Alcacer-----------------------------

out of possession

Yedlin-------------Stones------Romagnoli-----------Bernat

-------------------------------Iturraspe-------------------------------

Januzaj------------Thiago------------Aranguiz---------Depay

---------------------------------Alcacer----------------------------------

Keylor Navas: A truly fantastic goalkeeper, excellent shot stopper and very confident coming off his line, will look to release the ball quickly in order to start attacks, when he gets the ball the full backs will push forward and the centre backs will spread out offering themselves for the pass, will only go long if there is no other option.

Defence: as has been spoken about in the game plan section, the full backs will look to push up the field when we are in possession creating the multiple lines across the pitch which is the basis of our possession philosophy. The central defenders will look to stay close to one another when out of possession, the full backs will also tuck in leaving little room in the centre of the pitch as Cambuur will look to do most of their attacking through the middle, while the midfield and attack will cover the defence of the wide areas, this is not the specific job of one player as we are playing in a fluid system, it will be whoever is available to do the job at that point in time, our players have great discipline and concentration to perform in this system.

Midfield and Attack: Ander Iturraspe will by and large stay in position in the holding role in the midfield. He will look to snuff out space for the opposition attacking players, and always be available for a pass when we are in possession, possesses great strength and is a very tidy user of the ball. The 4 midfield players in front of Ander will play very fluidly, and as has already been stated they will look to press the opposition when the time is right, all 4 possess good pace and stamina and are able to get up and down the pitch.

Thiago and Aranguiz will get up and down the pitch throughout, both are very quick and very creative and can carry the ball. Both will look to move the ball quickly, as will the whole team, we will play with a high tempo throughout the game not giving Cambuur any breathing space, without the ball they will look to pressurise the opposition in the centre of the pitch, but as spoken of earlier, only when it is sensible, no point doing it willy nilly and being picked off, we need to be very wary of Ramsey and the other Cambuur's CM's and give them as little space and time as possible, this will be key to winning the match.

Adnan Januzaj and Memphis Depay will look to move wide when in possession, both have the ability to run at the opposition and will look to move inside at times and take the opportunity to shoot and link with Alcacer they both have the pace and movement to make runs beyond Alcacer in the centre forward positions, we are playing a very fluid system and will not just be looking to throw the ball into the box at every opportunity so their movment, pace and runs into the channels will be crucial in creating space and chances during the 90 minutes. When Depay and Januzaj do move inside, Yedlin and Bernat will look to provide the outlet wide with overlapping runs.

Alcacer will play as the centre forward for us today, his pace, movement and energy suits the change in the way we are going to play, he will look to roam across the pitch, dragging defenders out of position which will leave space for the other attackers and our midfield to benefit from, as stated previously in the tactics he is part of the fluid front 5 we are playing with today so will pop in different areas of the pitch on occasion, we are not just going to throw the ball into the box at every opportunity so his running of the channels and his technical ability are crucial in the way we want to play.

Substitutions: if losing after 65 minutes, Quincy Promes for Charles Aranguiz, Thiago to move alongside Iturraspe in a double pivot role, while Promes will play just off Alcacer in a free roaming role, looking to get on the ball as much as possible and using his pace and skill to cause havoc among the Cambuur defence.

if still losing after 75 minutes: Francesco Totti for Adnan Januzaj, Promes to switch to RW and Totti to play in behind Alcacer, will play-a-make and look to use his class and intelligence to carve out opportunites, either for others or for himself.

Captain: Thiago
Freekicks: Thiago
Penalties: Thiago (Totti when and if he comes on)

TAIWAN

4-2-3-1

______________________Scuffet___________________
Coleman______Musacchio_____Laporte___Pleguezuelo
_____________Tielemans___Ward-Prowse___________
Drmic_________________Barkley_____________Brandt
_____________________Di Natale__________________
SUBS: De Santis, Hendrix, J. Teixeira, Iheanacho, Dembele

Captain: Di Natale
Right free-kicks: Ward-Prowse
Left free-kicks: Di Natale
Penalties: Di Natale
Right corners: Ward-Prowse
Left corners: Ward-Prowse


General:
GEGENPRESSING is a highly-organised approach to regaining possession and minimising space for the opposition used by Dortmund, and now used by Taiwan. My opponents are rapidly closed down by well-rehearsed, co-ordinated pressing movements, often by two or more players, allied with intelligent positioning to restrict space for opposition to pass and move into. The best moment to win the ball is immediately after after my team just lost it. Once we have regained possession, the transition from defence to attack will be explosive. We will be an attacking team. Aim is to move the ball around efficiently and with purpose, with many forward passes and none of Spain’s useless sideway passes. Play on the counter if dominated, but move the ball around when they sit back. Passing will be quick and intelligent, players moving into space and plenty of interchange between the three attacking midfielders. Team will look at the striker as the focal point with the attacking midfielders running off and beyond him, linking up efficiently. When defending Barkley and Brandt will drop back to help, Drmic stays up as the out ball and Di Natale prepared for anything lumped up to him. Team must attempt to block shots at all times. Deep defensive line.

Scuffet:
Claim crosses if possible. Always clear lines, and hoof up the pitch towards the strikers whenever possible. The ball must stay clear of the 18 yard box at all times. Communication is key with centre halves to avoid confusion when deciding who claims a loose ball / cross.

Musacchio and Laporte:
Deals with opposition attackers. Laporte keeps an eye on their attacking midfielder when he gets close to the 18 yard line. Laporte will also mark their striker closely not allowing him space to turn. Laporte or Tielemans will deal with knock-downs to their supporting player depending on who is closer. Musacchio will try and win headers when long balls are played towards the back line. Musacchio will also clean up any balls / players who manage to get past Laporte. Laporte will be the centre half who steps up and clears up balls before it reaches their attackers, but must only go if he’s 100% sure he’ll get it. Go up for corners.

Coleman and Pleguezuelo:
Will get forward in turns when we get possession, if they aren’t individually under too much pressure. Will sit back when without the ball, but bomb forward when the opportunity arises. Main aim is to provide width and provide extra bodies in midfield to link up play. They should thump in crosses to Di Natale when it’s on. Shoot if there is a clear sight of goal. Stays back for corners. Must not commit to tackles otherwise wingers will skip past them, just stay close, limit their space and show them onto their weaker foot.

Tielemans and Ward-Prowse:
Sits deep, breaks up play and snap at their heels. Tielemans is an engine that can cover a lot of ground when defending. Tielemans will hardly ever go past the half-way line. Ward-Prowse will buzz around and dictate play, bursting forwards at times to provide an extra body in attack. Ward-Prowse will be a bit ahead of Tielemans to be more involved in exchanging passes with full backs / J. Rodriguez, even going level with J. Rodriguez at times to use his incredible vision to find teammates. Tielemans stays close to the centre halves. Both sprays balls wide to fullbacks when they get forward. Stays back for corners. Will not allow the opposition any time on the ball in front of centre halves. Tielemans sticks to position when fullbacks flys forwards, providing cover if needed. Ward-Prowse drops deeper when this happens.

Drmic, Barkley and Brandt:
Will constantly swap positions with each other. Will look to thread through balls to Di Natale and exchange passes with each other. Constantly drifting in and out of position, into space to make it difficult to mark. Can cross when out wide. Brandt should always track back to help the fullbacks and midfield when defending. Barkley can burst past Di Natale and shoot if needed. Goes to near post to anticipate crosses. Constantly runs at their defence. All will press the opposition when without the ball.

Di Natale:
Holds up the ball, brings the three attacking midfielders into play. Play on the shoulder of the last man, always sets himself at the far post for crosses. Will keep the centre halves occupied. Will chase down opposition centre halves when they have the ball.

SUBS:
Winning/Drawing:
75 mins: Brandt OFF Dembele ON
Straight swap, will do the same job except will hold the ball up for onrushing teammates more.

Losing:
75 mins: Barkley OFF Dembele ON
Go 4-2-4 with Dembele and Di natale centre Drmic right Brandt left. Ward-Prowse supports, Tielemans holds and sprays passes from deep.

Formation: 3-1-5-1 (3-3-3-1/4-2-3-1)

----------------------------Rajkovic
-------Veltman-------------Jedvaj---------Hinteregger
-----------------------------Blind
-------------Jojic---------------------- Höjbjerg
Zivkovic------------------Klaassen-------------------Thomas
-----------------------------Fischer

Subs: Zelenkia, Engels, Bazoer, Ritzmaier, Muric
Captain: Blind
Corners: Zivkovic (Muric)/Thomas (Ritzmaier)
Free Kicks: Höjbjerg

From kick off we’ll have a ‘pressing’ 3-1-5-1 formation with the aim of playing a nice passing game and using our obvious pace to get the opposition on the back foot, with the ultimate aim of causing some serious damage to Salisbury’s back line.

Rajkovic is an extremely talented young keeper. He is extremely composed, commands his area, and distributes the ball in a very intelligent and quick minded manner.

The trio of Veltman, Jedvaj and Hinteregger are composed defenders who will look to play a low risk, sensible defensive game. There is no need for risk taking, as they will find support from Blind when required and will always have plenty of options when looking to distribute the ball. All 3 are strong in the air and all 3 are technically gifted with the ball at their feet.

In front of this defensive trio, Blind will play as the defensive midfielder who is also comfortable at slipping into the back 4 if required (this is especially so if Salisbury attempt to use continuous wide attacking phases). Blind is a great tackler, has a big engine and is also a great passer of the ball. He will keep the ball moving with neat tidy passing, whilst not doing anything too extravagant and fancy, and he is more than capable of getting stuck in the nitty gritty of things.

In front of Blind we have Jojic and Höjbjerg who are two of the finest young passing and composed footballers in European football today. They will look to play a quick passing style of play, playing beautifully timed balls for Zivkovic on the right, Thomas on the left and Klaassen down the centre to run onto.

When we are on the back foot so to speak Jojic and Höjbjerg will drop much deeper and so on (I have carefully selected players who are comfortable with a defensive game as they are in an attacking sense) – technically becoming a 3331 or as mentioned above a 4231 formation. We aim to use this flexibility to tinker with the formation according to how the game pans out.

Jojic and Höjbjerg have more than enough pace to get back into shape again and thwart any possible counters.

Zivkovic, Klaassen and Thomas have no defensive worries in this match. They are purely here to batter opponents with wave and wave of tidy and varied pacy attacks. All three are extremely talented individuals with fantastic pace and skills. The ability to go past a player, take on defence and to play the sort of tricks that will wrong foot the opposition. They are as equally at home at making assists for Fischer and each other as they are at creating chances for themselves.

All 3 have tremendous engines and the intentions are to batter the Salisbury back line until they have no option but to submit to this constant attacking threat from the right, left and straight down the middle.

Fischer up front will thrive off this constant willingness to attack by Zivkovic, Thomas and Klaassen by latching on to those killer through-balls, or he will be equally at home running from deep with the ball and looking for clever 1-2’s with Klaassen to pierce the Salisbury defence.

Subs: I’m well aware that my attacking line is a high energy tactic. So I’ll bring Ritzmaier on for Thomas, and Muric on for Zivkovic on 70 minutes.

Should have read Zelenika on the bench wrong spelling

comment by Lubo - Silvestri + Taylor = The Revolution Begins (U14008)
posted 14 hours, 45 minutes ago
--------------Ochoa

Kalas--Yepes--Balanta--Vrsjalko


-----------Rabia---Gerrard

----------------Cahill

---------Origi---------Volland

----------------Ramos


We will look to play a game centered around a strong defence and the ability to push forward with speed and directness. Defensively we must be compact and keep their best players off the ball.

Our defence works as an outfit with Kalas, Yepes and Balanta sitting deep and working as a group to deal with the opposition. Key to us is the ability to isolate Di Natale, the lone Taiwan striker. All of our defenders are capable of playing the ball from the back. Vrsjalko will operate partly as an attacker, pushing back the attacking runs of Coleman.

Rabia will stick to Barkley and stop him from having any time on the ball. This is part of the plan to isolate Di Natale and restrict opposition tactics.

Gerrard is our deep lying playmaker though he will play further forward than usual. His aim is to dictate the play and push the ball forward at a quick pace for more attacking and energised players.

Cahill will start in the advanced midfield role however the attacking trio will rotate, making it difficult for the opposition to stop. All three offer different qualities that should outfox the opposition. Cahill will pressurise the oppositions CMs with tireless performances and act as another player playing off Ramos. Volland will use his skill and guile on the ball to take it past players and run directly at the opposition to expose any lack of pace and weaknesses they may have. Origi will use his pace and directness to run at slower opponents and expose weaknesses in their defence.

Ramos has the aim of bringing the other attacking players into the game. He will play with his back to goal and lay the ball off to the 'wingers'.


Captain: Gerrard
Free kicks: Gerrard
Penalties: Gerrard

Substitutions

Rabia off Aguilar on 65 mins -

Fresh legs in the midfield



----------------------------------------------------------------------
Substitutes are

Morgan
Aguilar
Nathan
Gutierrez
Leckie

Arsenal tactics

----------------------------Bravo-----------------------------
Jara----------Fernandez-----De Vrij---------Cole
----------------------Xavi------Gago------------------
Joaquin----------------Coman-------------------Diaby
-------------------------Ibrahimovic----------------------

Subs: Raeder, Arias, Naldo, Silva, Van Anken, , Drogba

General tactics:
Counter-attack with pace. We shall not hoard the ball and come to a stand still. Instead we shall use your pacey attacking midfielders to be on the move constantly and charge at the defenders. We have a very balanced side of two central midfielders that can distribute the ball well. Every single player will be passing the ball quick and make sure it is a positive offensive pass. Defence remains strong and athletic and and they can start the counter-attack with precise passing. We press in our own half but in zones so we keep our shape and be disciplined with it.

Defence:
Starting from the keeper all the way to the strikers, when we tackle, we do not dive or commit early as it would be easy for the opposition to fool us. We try to intercept and use our skills and physical aspect to barge and take the ball off them. De Vrij will be marshalling our defence and making sure that we have cover for all positions if a defender decides to bomb forward.
Fernandez and De Vrij to cover each other at all times. The fullbacks will be strong in the air for goal kicks and will use their strength to outmuscle the attackers. The fullbacks can go forward to assist but only one at a time and make sure that they have cover just in case the opposition counter.

Midfielders:
We have two of the best ball distributors around and they can certainly find anyone with a inch of space. Xavi and Gago to be central and spray the ball quickly and effectively. Gago to be more defensive minded and be more disciplned whilst Xavi has the licence to play quick 1-2 passes with the attackers and go for goal or feed Zlatan.
Diaby and Joaquin have the pace and skill to outwit most defences and will be running at their respective defenders at all times when 1 v 1. Seldomly, they may make dummy runs to create space for Ibra and Coman to have an attempt at goal.
Coman will be assisting Ibra as much as possible and he will have a free role and target defenders who are slow so he can fly past them and go for goal or assist Zlatan. Coman to be pressing the defenders off the ball and trying to make a mistake from them.

Fowards:
Zlatan is the main striker and will play off the last defender. He shall stay with the last defender even if we are being attacked because he will be crucial in tactic of counter-attack and there is no question of his abilities and ruthlessness in front of goal. The midfielders will be looking for Zlatan but if he is outmarked then they will use their initiative to find alterbatove players who are in better positions and target them to score the goals.

Subs: Silva for Gago 65mins. Silva is a proper DM and no nonsense midfielder. He shall stay disciplined and be the extra line for our defence

If losing...Drogba on for Coman 75mins. Drogba to play up top with Ibra.

BLYTH vs Taiwan 3-6-1

......................Neto......................
......................Rio....................
..............Vlaar......Brooks.............
Maggio..........Palombo.......Robertson
.............Delph......Alonso..............
.....................Gauld..................
....................Berardi...................

Subs:Rubinho,Rugani,Cristante,Rosicky,Neilton

Captain: Vlaar
Corners: Alonso
Free Kicks: Alonso
Pens: Alonso

Tinkering again today but it's enforced upon us with Destro's injury and Insigne's suspension.
After our extensive scouting of Taiwan and their use of the much coveted
Eh, sexy lady
Op, op, op, op
Oppa Gegenpressing Style. we've set up to turn their strength into a potential weakness. 3 centre backs and a 4 man midfield set in a diamond shape will not only control the centre of the pitch against their 4-2-3-1 but will turn their high line and heavy pressing against them as we retain possession through the middle and hitting them quickly on the counter whilst making them chase shadows. We may not have much width today but controlling the midfield is where we feel the game will be won.

Neto: no need for him to be the sweeper keeper today as he has Rio infront of him doing that job, will play his usual game, big stong and confident will look to claim crosses and quick throw outs starting the counter attacks.

Ferdinand: May have lost his pace but still has the vision he always had, reads the game as good as any defender I know of, so should fill the sweeper role to perfection, will push up into the centre back position as Brooks/Vlaar move across to support their wing back when Taiwan attack down either flank. Will look to go forwards for all set-pieces

Brooks/Vlaar: Brooks comes in for his debut today and not just because we share the same surname. Part of USA's world cup squad and also a goalscorer, Big strong and very physical at 1.93m (6ft4) he'll be the man to deal with any crosses into box leaving Vlaar or Rio to deal with the second ball, Will be a threat at set-pieces for us as an attacking option. Defensively will look to double up with Robertson if Taiwan attack down the left allowing Rio to step in and cover for him.
Vlaar will play on the right of my CB's to accomodate the left footed Brooks, will look to double up with Maggio incase we're attacked down the right flank. Vlaar like Brooks and Rio clears 6ft so we should be pretty comfortable with Taiwan controlling the wide areas of the pitch and putting crosses in, on the flip side all 3 will be a threat for us in an attacking sense of free kicks and corners. Zonal Marking in place for my CB's so the man that isn't doubling up with a full back will watch Taiwans striker.

Maggio/Robertson: both were asked to play a restrained attacking style last week but this week they have more licence to get forwards, Heavy responsibility on their shoulders today as Taiwan have great attacking full backs so Maggio and Robertson will need to push on to try and peg them back into their own half and isolating Taiwans wingers. Defensively they will show the man the line and encourage the cross as thats where we are most comfortable. If the man tries to cut in then take him out. Both will stay back to cover for Set-pieces

Palombo: The anchor man today won't stray forward will sit infront of the defence and supply the muscle to the midfield, for me the man deserves more than his 22 Italy caps but hey-ho. Will play it simple, break up play and lay it off to a more technical player ala Mascherano. His main concern will be to check the run of Taiwan's Attacking midfielder will stay goal side and not allow him to turn him.

Delph/Alonso: Delph is another debutant today and he will be the engine of the side, has good pace,power and touch. Will play the box to box midfielder role today helping the defence and trying to support Gauld/Berardi. Alonso doesn't have the legs to play box to box as such but will drift looking to do a shift at the back as well as dictating play further forwards. Alonso and Delph have key roles today as they will be under heavy pressure from Taiwan but with Palombo behind and Gauld tucking in as well as runs from our wing backs they should have enough easy balls for neat passing triangles pulling their opponents out of position and creating spaces in their defence.

Gauld: the number 10 today, Mini Messi will need a big game, defensively will just drop back slightly to help out the CM's, when we have the ball he'll roam looking to mix it up between playing neat passes with the mids and getting the ball down and driving at Taiwans defence, has very quick feet so will look to draw the tackle and then quickly release the ball for Berardi to latch onto.

Berardi: he may only be 19 but big things are expected of this starlet he normally plays off the wing and on his debut season in Serie A last year scored an impressive 16 goals and chipped in 9 assists from his 29 games. Another of my 6ft+ squad (only Delph,Robertson and Gauld are under 6ft from my starters) but with a great touch and great pace should be able to play the lone striker role to perfection. Will look to sit on the shoulder of the last defender and try and split to the two centre backs, young hungry and full of running should link up perfectly with Gauld. Licence to shoot on site

Subs:65 mins regardless of score

Neilton > Gauld. Pretty much like for like and the shape stays the same. Neilton has been likened to Neymar jr and if he only gets to be half that good then its good enough for us. His direct running in the closing stages could prove to be a match winner

Cristante > Delph. Shape stays the same but Cristante is more comfortable on the ball with a lovely eye for a pass, if we're winning then he'll help retain possession ala Pirlo and just take the sting out of the game, if we're losing then he'll push on shooting from distance or looking to play clever through balls

----------------Ochoa

Janmaat--Yepes--Kalas---Vrsjalko

-----------Rabia----Gerrard

----------------Lallana

-----McCormack---Volland

---------------Ramos

Kitsiou
Morgan
Aguilar
Cahill
Smith


For today's match we aim to sit the team up with more attacking flair to pen back the Fishguard midfield. For us it is key to isolate the Fishguard attackers from their defence as that will limit the amount of football they can play and also makes it easier to target danger men such as Fischer or Klaasen.

Janmaat is the key member of the back four today as he has the difficult job of preventing Fischer from playing. It is vital he sticks tight to him and doesn't let him have a yard of space. To help him with this he will have Kalas playing RCB to try and stop Fischer getting away from him. Yepes will be able to Marshall the defence and that is his key role. He will keep the Fishguard attacker under a close guard not giving him any space. Vrsjalko will be allowed to bomb forward and peg back Fishguard attacks down the left. His role will be to attack fish guards right side and target either their FB or to draw one of their CMs out of position. We feel that the relative inexperience of the Fishguard team means that this setup is likely to get the desired result as they will be less position ally aware.

Rabia has a very important job for today's game. Once again he will be assigned to stick to the danger man in midfield (in this case Klaassen) it is key that Rabia gives him no time on the ball and prevents him from playing attacking football. Rabia will also sit deep and can fill in at LB for Vrsjalko should he be caught out of position.

We feel that by cutting off the supply to the attacker by targeting Fischer and Klaasen we are minimalising opposition opportunities and thus reducing their chances of getting a goal.

Gerrard will continue to play the deep lying playmaker role, looking to start swift attacks and playing the killer ball over the heads of the Fishguard midfield. His lack of energy will be made up for by the presence of Rabia who will be able to cover runs behind Gerrard.

Lallana plays a deeper role than usual. It will be up to him to link our defense with our attacking trio. He has the guile and ability to deal with the threat of an inexperienced Fishguard midfield. When Fishguard have possession he will stay up field to prevent runs forward from Blind and restrict the Fishguard defender.

McCormack and Volland are both proven goalscorers. They will play off Ramos today in an attempt to play a more attacking style and outnumber the Fishguard defenders. Ramos will be strong and physical, dominating the more ball playing opposition whilst McCormack and Volland will be quick to apply pressure on midfielders and defenders who have the ball in an attempt to win it back high up the field

Free kicks - Steven Gerrard
Penalties - Steven Gerrard
Captain - Steven Gerrard

Substitutions


Aguilar on Rabia off 60 minutes

Gives us fresh legs in the midfield after a blockbuster performance from our Egyptian.

Formation: 3-1-5-1 (3-3-3-1/4-2-3-1)

----------------------------Rajkovic
-------Veltman-------------Engels---------Hinteregger
------------------------------Blind
-------------Horvath---------------------- Höjbjerg
Zivkovic-------------------Klaassen-------------------Fischer
-----------------------------Mitrovic

Subs: Zelenkia, Boilesen, Andersen, Thomas, Bakkali
Captain: Blind
Corners: Zivkovic (Bakkali)/Fischer (Thomas)
Free Kicks: Höjbjerg

From kick off we’ll have a ‘pressing’ 3-1-5-1 formation with the aim of playing a nice passing game and using our obvious pace to get the opposition on the back foot, with the ultimate aim of causing some serious damage to Colchester’s back line.

Rajkovic is an extremely talented young keeper. He is extremely composed, commands his area, and distributes the ball in a very intelligent and quick minded manner.

The trio of Veltman, Engels and Hinteregger are composed defenders who will look to play a low risk, sensible defensive game. There is no need for risk taking, as they will find support from Blind when required and will always have plenty of options when looking to distribute the ball. All 3 are strong in the air and all 3 are technically gifted with the ball at their feet.

In front of this defensive trio, Blind will play as the defensive midfielder who is also comfortable at slipping into the back 4 if required (this is especially so if Colchester attempt to use continuous wide attacking phases). Blind is a great tackler, has a big engine and is also a great passer of the ball. He will keep the ball moving with neat tidy passing, whilst not doing anything too extravagant and fancy, and he is more than capable of getting stuck in the nitty gritty of things.

In front of Blind we have Horvath and Höjbjerg who are two of the finest young passing and composed footballers in European football today. They will look to play a quick passing style of play, playing beautifully timed balls for Zivkovic on the right, Fischer on the left and Klaassen down the centre to run onto.

When we are on the back foot so to speak Horvath and Höjbjerg will drop much deeper and so on (I have carefully selected midfielders who are comfortable with a defensive game as they are in an attacking sense) – technically becoming a 3331 or as mentioned above a 4231 formation. We aim to use this flexibility to tinker with the formation according to how the game pans out.

Horvath and Höjbjerg have more than enough pace to get back into shape again and thwart any possible counters.

Zivkovic, Klaassen and Fischer have no defensive worries in this match. They are purely here to batter opponents with wave and wave of tidy and varied pacy attacks. All three are extremely talented individuals with fantastic pace and skills. The ability to go past a player, take on defence and to play the sort of tricks that will wrong foot the opposition. They are as equally at home at making assists for Mitrovic and each other as they are at creating chances for themselves.

All 3 have tremendous engines and the intentions are to batter the Colchester back line until they have no option but to submit to this constant attacking threat from the right, left and straight down the middle.

Mitrovic up front will thrive off this constant willingness to attack by Zivkovic, Fischer and Klaassen by latching on to those killer through-balls, or he will be equally at home running from deep with the ball and looking for clever 1-2’s with Klaassen to pierce the Colchester defence.

Subs: I’m well aware that my attacking line is a high energy tactic. So I’ll bring Bakkali on for Zivkovic, Andersen on for Klaassen, and Thomas on for Fischer on 70 minutes.

Notts County tactics vs The Arsenal

----------------------------------Scuffet-----------------------------------

Darmian----------Stones-----------Romagnoli-----------Bernat

-----------------Iturraspe------------Thiago-------------------------

---------------------------Marcos Lopes----------------------------

Januzaj------------------------------------------------------Depay

-------------------------------Alcacer--------------------------------

subs: Kongolo, Diaz, Aranguiz, Mastour, Totti


Game plan: our plan today is to be a little less gung ho and attacking than usual, we're experimenting with a new system and will be looking to be a little more cautious in defence. We will still look to press in our own half and our defensive line will be a little deeper than usual, but we wont be sitting on the edge of own 18 yard box, that would be dangerous with Ibrahimovic, the further away from our own box he is the better, our line will look to be around 15 yards outside the box. Successful pressing is dependant on group understanding, collective perception of ball, opponent and team mate, and a massive amount of hunger and desire to have the ball. It isn’t possible to press for 90 minutes. We will have to pick our times wisely in order to do it successfully. If our players are tracking back or not close enough to the ball it isn't sensible to press the ball, we will look to capitalise on poor passes by the opposition or when a player is facing his own goal or has his head down when receiving the ball, at these times to opposition player does not have a full view of the pitch and cannot pick a forward pass. When we win the ball back we will break with pace and precision, the likes of Januzaj, Depay, Rony Lopes and Alcacer all have the pace and movement to be an effective. attacking foursome, while Iturraspe and Thiago provide the quality passing to provide them.

In possession we will have many lines of players in order to create easy triangles for the players on the ball, the player on the ball should always have at least 2 passing options, the full backs will also go forward creating an almost 3-4-3(2-3-2-3)formation when in possession, Iturraspe and Thiago will play as a pivot so one may move forward while the other sits in, this reverts to a 4-5-1 formation when we lose possession.

------------------------Stones-------Romagnoli------------------

Darmian-----------Iturraspe--------Thiago--------------Bernat

----------------------------Marcos Lopes---------------------------

Januzaj--------------------------------------------------------Depay

----------------------------------Alcacer-----------------------------

out of possession- the full backs will look to tuck in while Januzaj and Depay will track back to cover the wide areas and double up on the wide players.

Darmian-------------Stones------Romagnoli-----------Bernat

-------------------------------Iturraspe-------------------------------

Januzaj------------Thiago------------Lopes---------Depay

---------------------------------Alcacer----------------------------------

Scuffet: very young, but a fantastic goalkeeper, excellent shot stopper and very confident coming off his line, will look to release the ball quickly in order to start attacks, when he gets the ball the full backs will push forward and the centre backs will spread out offering themselves for the pass, will only go long if there is no other option.

Defence: as has been spoken about in the game plan section, the full backs will look to push up the field when we are in possession creating the multiple lines across the pitch which is the basis of our possession philosophy. The central defenders will look to stay close to one another when out of possession not giving Ibrahimovic any time and space, if he manages to turn one Cb the other should always be there snuffing him out, the full backs will also tuck in leaving little room in the centre of the pitch for the runs of the AM's of Arsenal, while Januzaj and Depay look to cover in the wide areas.

Midfield: Iturraspe and Thiago will play as the CM 2 today, they will perform in a double pivot, they are both extremely comfortable in possession and will look to keep the ball moving as much and quickly as possible, Ander is naturally the more defensive of the two, so Thiago will be the more likely to get forward and join the attacks while Ander holds his position in the defensive area of the pitch so as not to leave us exposed.

Marcos 'Rony' Lopes makes his debut for Notts County today, he is an exceptionally talented young Portuguese attacker, he has extraordinary vision and great dribbling and passing ability, he will look to use these attributes to great effect, when he receives the ball he will look to turn and run at the opposition through the middle of the pitch, this Arsenal side while experienced does lack pace in the centre of the pitch, he can create chances for the likes of Alcacer, Depay and Januzaj who will use their movement and pace to run in behind the Arsenal defence, or he can score goals himself as he has proved so far as he has been the star of the Euro u-19 championships for Portugal.

Adnan Januzaj and Memphis Depay will look to move wide when in possession, both have the ability to run at the opposition and will look to move inside at times and take the opportunity to shoot and link with Alcacer and Rony Lopes they both have the pace and movement to make runs beyond Alcacer in the centre forward positions, we are playing a very fluid system and will not just be looking to throw the ball into the box at every opportunity so their movment, pace and runs into the channels will be crucial in creating space and chances during the 90 minutes. When Depay and Januzaj do move inside, Darmian and Bernat will look to provide the outlet wide with overlapping runs.

Alcacer will play as the centre forward for us today, his pace, movement and energy suits the change in the way we are going to play, he will look to roam across the pitch, dragging defenders out of position which will leave space for the other attackers and our midfield to benefit from, as stated previously in the tactics he is part of the fluid front 4 we are playing with today so will pop in different areas of the pitch on occasion, we are not just going to throw the ball into the box at every opportunity so his running of the channels and his technical ability are crucial in the way we want to play.

Substitutions: 70 minutes, Marcelo Diaz for Ander Iturraspe, straight swap, a combative defensive midfielder with great energy but also quality on the ball, will perform the same role as Ander

if losing after 70 minutes: Totti for Lopes, Totti plays just off Alcacer and will be the fulcrum of the side, using his genius and experience to carve out chances either for himself or others.

if winning after 70 minutes, Charles Aranguiz for Rony Lopes, Diaz to play as a DM while Aranguiz goes alongside Thiago in a 4-3-3, team to less risks in possession and to time waste more

Captain: Thiago
Free Kicks: Marcos Lopes (Totti when and if he comes on)
Corners: Thiago

STOCKPORT vs. Farcelona.

-------------------------Forster---------------------------
Clyne--------Fonte-------------Ake-----------Durm-
----------------------Schneiderlin-----------------------
---------------Clasie-----------Rakitic-----------------
--------Ings------------Lambert---------Quintero-----

Subs: Horn, Targett, Hughes, Gallagher, Grealish

Tactics -

General - 4-3-3 today, with the inside forwards Ings cutting in a lot more than going wide and Quintero going wide rather than in. It may seem lopsided but I'll explain how I'll counter that below.

There's a reason I have gone for a bit a width, despite the players I have, and that is a reaction to Di's injury hit RB position. Arbeloa is out, leaving Tony Hibbert as the only likely stand in. Rather than stay narrow like the last few weeks, I'm going to focus on hitting this week point time after time with Quintero, allowing Ings and Lambert to get on the end of plenty of crosses.

Defence - As I sit here, sipping some Coffee, eating some half melted chocolate, I ponder the keeper dilemma that inhibits my team sheet... Horn or Forster? I went for the Englishman today, he's got the height and power to come and collect aerial balls which, with my own injury problems, could be the doing of me with Ake and Fonte at the back. When distributing the ball, he should look to go long to Lambert (He'll do some stuff with it, which will be explained later).

Of the back four, three (Fonte, Ake and Durm) will remain fairly conservative in their play, keeping a nice line, with the young German FB rarely being asked to break forward - Quintero is ahead of him and will be getting lots of width, meaning Durm needn't storm on overlapping runs, just offer an option if Quintero needs to go backwards. Clyne, on the other hand, will be asked to get up and down (with the three others staying deep they can cover for him), this is because Ings will be looking to cut inside all the time, meaning Clyne has to get forward to provide width and pull the opposition FB away from the penalty box.

Midfield - Clasie is playing on the right to offer extra cover for when Clyne goes forward. Schneiderlin is the DM and will simply look to stifle the play completely. Whilst it may seem a waste to employ two CMs who are allotted defensive tasks, in doing so, I can free up Clyne to stretch the pitch, and allow Rakitic to dictate the game, so overall I come out better for it. That isn't to say these two 'defensive' players can't play the ball as well, both are fantastic, technically sound players who will help form a fulcrum for our team to build upon.

Rakitic will be playing on the left of the central three, meaning he has less defensive duties (with Durm sticking deep) so he can get forward and really keep the game ticking over at a pace suitable for us. His positioning on the left also allows him to keep in close contact with Quintero, and as such can offer much deadlier assistance to the Columbian. Once he's given the ball through to Quintero, he needs to get forward, lurking around the edge of the box for pull backs and rebounds after Quintero beats Hibbert out at RB. This is where Rakitic can be deadly, his striking is second to none in this league imo, give him a chance from 18 or so yards and he will bury it.

So effectively, you have Schneiderlin as the destroyer, just stopping Di's attacks from the off. Clasie is slightly more advanced, but tasked with ensuring Barca don't exploit space left by Clyne. Rakitic is the playmaker, keeping close to Quintero to roll it in behind Hibbert, or into the Columbian's feet.

ST - Lambert is the target man from long balls (i.e. Forster's goal kicks). He needs to knock it down to Rakitic who can then play Quintero in, or, Lambert can flick the ball over to the LW corner for Quintero to race onto into the space which the ageing, slowing, Hibbert will inevitably leave. Once Lambert has moved the ball on, he needs to start plotting a charge toward the near post as Quintero will be whipping balls into the box time after time, so this is the best route to goal; rather than coming deep, he needs to look to get running towards goal if you catch my drift.

Next, I'll deal with Ings just to make sure you understand where he'll be once Quintero nips in. Ings is 'positioned' as a RF, but he'll be coming inside more often than going out wide (With Clyne doing that leg work for him). Once the ball has gone to Quintero, Ings needs to be speeding towards the *back* post (Remember, Lambert has the front). This will do two things, it'll pull a CB away from Lambert (giving the striker a better chance of winning it near post), and secondly, it will give us a threat at both sides of the goal, meaning the keeper will be caught in two minds as to come and collect or not.

Finally, we come onto the linchpin of the whole operation: Quintero. Mex won't like him playing as a 'winger' but ultimately he is the best player for the job. He might not be the fastest, but against Hibbert he doesn't need to be, his skill can carry him passed the wizened defender and into space, giving him time to pick out a deadly cross to either post, or pull it back to Rakitic who is, like I said, lurking at the edge of the box.

Or, Quintero can run into the box, this will pull a defender off of Lambert or Ings (assuming Di plays 2 CBs) and give us a spare, unmarked man in the box... Need I say more?

Subs:

Winning -

70 - Ings off for Gallagher - Go 4-1-2-1-2, a Four man midfield of Quintero, Rakitic, Schneiderlin and Clasie means we will dominate possession and will have the energy and tenacity to continuously close Di's side down, snuffing out all chances ahead of us.

Losing -

60 - Gallagher on for Ings - Gallagher is bigger and stronger in the air, and now that an hour has passed, Ings' immense pace will have lost the dangerous edge it brings us.

Jack Grealish is injured so swap him for Barmby

Basingstoke tactics vs Cambuur

4-2-3-1

-----------------------Fabianski----------------------
Corchia-----Zouma-----Rekik---Kurwaza
-------------Ramsey----Kallstrom------------
Deulofeu---------Vilhena--------Boetius
------------------------Austin---------------------

Subs: Mersin, Heylan, Grimaldo, Gnabry, Burke

Captain: Kallstrom
Vice: Ramsey
Penalties: Austin
Corners (left): Deulofeu
Corners (right): Kallstrom
FKs (left): Ramsey
FKs (right): Kallstrom

Today's game plan is to press high and attack quickly. Our full backs will be getting forward as often as possible and we will be playing with two deep CMs in the pivot rather than the usual DM. This opens up to matching Cambuur with a more technique based game based around possession, quick passing to work openings and trying to pounce on these openings with pace and precision that can't be stopped.

Fabianski - excellent shot stopper just needs to keep his concentration head on and command his area.

Corchia and Kurwaza are both excellent players with great engines. Both will be looking to get forward when possible and overlap our wingers giving them options and pinning back the opposition full backs. They will get the ball into the box at any opportunity.

CBs - Rekik to control the line and read the game. Zouma to take the main CF and bully him all game with his sheer physicality while Rekik covers the players around him. Could be a beautiful partnership over the season.

Kallstrom and Ramsey - today we'll look to them to control the game and protect the defence. Whilst neither is a natural DM they're naturally box to box players who are able to read the danger and snuff it out, strong in a tackle and when on the ball very able to turn defence into attack very quickly. Only one can go forward at any given time, whoever sits will be able to sit in with the CBs to offer cover for the FBs and consequently pick the ball up and spray passes, putting us on the front foot as both have a good range of passing. Ideally I want Kallstrom sitting more often, as he has less running in him, is stronger in the tackle and has a more varied range of passing.

Vilhena - today he gets a role with less responsibility further forward, free to express himself more and with a little more freedom. We want him defending from the front, getting on the midfield stopping them from starting attacks, but otherwise I want him to float around finding pockets of space and using his natural talent to cut them open and create chances. I also want him getting into the box when possible as soon as the ball goes out wide.

Deulofeu and Boetius - two exciting young wingers with pace and power and bags of ability to match. Today I want them to really enjoy themselves and get at the opposition defence whenever possible. They can swap wings when they please so long as they do their defensive duties on the respective wings. They'll also be looking for quick balls into Austin when he's in the box as his finishing is deadly and looking to use the overlapping runs of the FBs to their advantage - either as an out ball or a distraction to give them the split second their pace requires to let them shoot past a defender.

Austin - give him the ball and he will score, simple as. Anything in and around the box he will attack and he will finish, it's that simple. He'll be able to link up with the others and get on the end of their attacks and shown just how clinical he is and why he can go to the top.

Sub's 70 mins - Grimaldo for Kurwaza and Gnabry for Boetius. Both straight swaps to keep us fresh.

Swap Corchia for Fabian Johnson in my tactics