---------------------------Hassen
Sidibé-------Gomez---------------N'Koulou--------Duarte
-----------------Kessié------------Höjbjerg
Ojo-----------------------Ziyech-----------------------Woodburn
----------------------------Ünal

Subs: Diop; Traore; Oyarzabal; Ejaria; Sinkgraven

Captain: Hassen
Crossing free-kicks: Ünal/Kovalenko
Shooting free-kicks: Ünal/Kovalenko
Penalties: Kessié
Corners: Kovalenko

The gameplan is to defend with a mid to low block, using intense pressing and then to hit the opposition on the break with the pace & dribbling ability of our forwards and quick passing of the team. Namely Ojo, Ünal & Woodburn. By drawing the opposition onto us, we want to create a space behind their defence for us to run into.

Defence: Defend just outside the box and do not allow penetration beyond that. Track runners and put in all types of tackles and clearences. Try not to get caught out of position. Fullbacks to come close to the centre backs and defend the goal, forcing the opposition out wide where the play will be restricted and more difficult for them to create chances.

Double pivot to sit in front of the defence and assist with pressing in midfield ensuring not much gets passed and through to the defence. Höjbjerg will use his outstanding passing range to move the ball forward as quickly as possible and into space for our forwards to run into. Allow the opposition to build to an extent where they're on top of us and then win the ball back and break at lightening speed. Kessié will be the main defensive enegiser bunny running around putting tackles everywhere. Ziyech will be the free roaming attacking midfield using his movement to create space and passing & creativity to create chances in the final third. He will be disciplined off the ball to help keep the team compact and defend in front of the deep midfield 2.

Ojo & Woodburn to cut inside from the wide positions and run straight at the centre of the defence. This will open space on the outside for the fullbacks to overlap and stretch the opposition's defence and create space in the centre for our wide forwards. When defending they should drop back and help their respective fullbacks creating a 4411 formation as we look to keep it tight.

Strikers: Ünal is a complete forward in the making. Freedom to roam all over the attacking and find space as he sees fit. Making runs beyond or on the side of the defence. Equally adept at playing in others as well creating chances for himself or getting on the end of team moves. He will be handful for almost any defence.

Subs:
60min - Sinkgraven for Höjbjerg
75min - Traore for Unal
80min - Oyarzabal for Ojo

------------------Pickford------------------
Semedo--van Dijk--Jagielka--Denayer
-----------Diawara---Dembele-----------
Robben-----------Alli----------Lingard
-----------------Lacazette-----------------

Meret, Tierney, Samper, Roberts, Burke, M.Dembele, Nunez

We have Pickford in goal who is a big target to aim for, he oozes confidence and this will run through out the team. Will dominate his box and look to start quick counter attacks from the back.

Jagielka will mark the striker, and van Dijk will be the ball player who will take it out of defence. Both comfortable on the ball especially van Dijk who will start attacks from the back. he is also top class in the air and strong in the tackle. They will remain tight when we are under attack! The fullbacks can attack if they see fit, Semedo is especially good and supporting the winger so he will be up and down the pitch, Denayer will attack sporadically. When they do attack, get beyond the wingers and scream for the ball even if it is just a decoy for the wingers. Defend as a four, stay in a line and stay strong.

Diawara is our defensive midfielder a big game for the youngster but has been proven on the big stage and Dembele and Alli are our playmakers and attacking midfielders, Dembele is the playmaker a good combination with the other two and once Diawara has the ball won, a little pass sideways/forwards to either of the two and we are away very quickly on the attack, Dembele who will look to pass it forward to the attacking players, both can tackle so dont let their midfield near our defence! Alli is the one likes to support the striker so he will be making the late runs into the danger area. He has skills to take him passed players and his passing i svery good as he will look to get Lacazette into a shooting opportunity. Will link well with Robben and Lingard.

Robben and Lingard are very quick and can score spectacular goals, so we have given them freedom to attack the fullbacks, Robben tends to cut inside whereas Lingard will go to the outside and cross in, Robben can score from distance with accuracy so on they go.

We defend as a team, it isnt all about attack, so again a strong 4 in a line when we defend, two banks of 4/5 are always difficult to penetrate.

Lacazette is quick and good eye for goal, will look to link up quickly with Alli as he comes forward with Dembele as they will be a big threat today hopefully. All about movement as they look to put away the chances to win this game. Always stays on the last man moving across the line.

Captain Virgil van Dijk
Penalties Lacazette
Free Kicks Robben
Corners The wingers will take

Substitutes
If we are losing Burke will come on for Lingard and Tierney for Denayer which will give us an attacking Left Back and fresh Left Wing on 60 minutes

Young Dembele on for Alli on 80 minutes and will push forward to go 442

If we are winning Samper will come on for Alli and sit in the midfield with the other two on 70 minutes and young Dembele for Lacazette on 80 minutes

if we are drawing, Dembele for Lacazette and Burke for Lingard on 65 minuets

Juventus vs whoever

--------------------Storari-------------------

Lirola------Oliveira-----Poole------DiMarco

Passlack----Nagy---Maia--------Pjaca

----------------Silva-----Kean------------------


4-4-2, very young team, do yo' thing boyz

——————Donarrumma
-----Gimenez—Christensen—Romagnoli
Vrsaljko—Kranevitter——Tielemans-------Shaw
————O.Dembele————Asensio
—————————Williams

Subs: Kepa, Mammana, Blin, Merino, Lozano, A.Correa, T.Abraham

Captain: Youri Tielemans
Free Kicks: Youri Tielemans
Corners: Youri Tielemans
Penalties: Youri Tielemans

Key game in the group stage a win sees us qualified so we need to be on top form. If we can suffocate them we can control the possession and look to get on the front foot.

Defend from the front, right from the off and as soon as Dysko gain possession, using the 3 forwards and the WBs as the high block of 5 to press them, Williams into the face of the DMs/CBs with Dembele and Asensio closing in on the area of play and looking to block the route out wide, with Vrsaljko and Shaw pushed right up onto the Dysko wide men, tight to them and making sure they can’t be used as Dyskos out ball, force them to go into the middle and as soon as they make that forward pass everyone closes in on the man on the ball and cut off the support from his team mates, Kranevitter and Tielemans pushed right onto the Dysko attacking midfielders and Dembele and Asensio hounding the man on the ball, Vrsaljko and Shaw tucked further infield to add to the pressure, all the while blocking the wide route, with the 3 CBs pushed up and surrounding the CFs so they can’t find an inch of space. Suffocating our opponents in such a manner will allow us to win possession quickly when its been lost and stay on the front foot throughout, always using the two closest men to the ball to press the ball with their team mates focused on squeezing the space and closing the passing routes.

If Dysko get into wide areas they’ll find the route to goal blocked by a 3-2-5 press down the flanks, WBs and AMs doubling up against their wide players and looking to win the battles from there, with Williams as the out ball and the opposite AM and our CMs narrowing to the play to block Dyskos route in field, the three CBs coming across, again allowing us to keep a compact defensive press, they give us that extra protection if Dysko work the ball out. In the high press we will use Christensen as a forward thinking aggressive defender, always looking to get to the ball in front of the attackers, with Gimenez and Romagnoli as the cover. Players become more disciplined when we have to defend deeper, keep in a bank of 5 and one of 4 making sure that we squeeze space and don’t get caught out aggressively pressing players.

Attack starts right from the keeper with he and ‘defensive’ block of 5 looking to feed the high block of 5 into space. When we get the ball Gimenez and Romagnoli pull wide and Vrsaljko and Shaw push right up into the attacking 5, looking to force the wingers to follow them back, allowing the spread out CBs to drag Dyskos attempted press away from the middle to create gaps in the midfield third, Gimenez and Romagnoli wide stretching them out and Christensen as the initial playmaker with his pressing range. When we draw Dyskos forwards out to press it should free Kranevitter and Tielemans into space, Kranevitter will be restricted in his play, just looking to move it quickly but his discipline as well as 3 CBs to cover should allow a more free role for Tielemans who will look to find the central gaps, get on the ball and connect defence to attack, being the deep lying playmaker with his energy to cover large spaces at pace and taking advantage of any space he can find. This then leaves the high 5, WBs pushing right up the field looking to be the players who make the field really wide, keep Dyskos wide players focused on defending the flanks so that Tielemans and the 3 central forward players can out number Dysko in the midfield and really hurt their defence. When we attack through the middle we will have Asensio in a free role where he’s at his best, able to drop deeper to launch attacks and able to run at defenders and DMs and put them on the back foot. Dembele and Williams then look to occupy the defenders by moving off each other, so that when one drops into the open midfield spaces the other looks to spin in behind with their pace. In central attacks we can also use direct balls from Christensen to Williams to get him in behind straight away. When we need to stretch things more we look to attack wide areas, getting the ball out to the WB and then having the AM on the side go out and double up with him, with both WBs excellent at playing quick one touch football to get into the box or to the byeline to cross, we can open them up down the flank and then use the two other attackers again to our advantage, one coming towards the front post to drag a CB with him leaving more space for the other to attack in the middle of the box. Both Vrsaljko and Shaw are excellent infield which allows them to make inside runs when Dembele and Asensio run wide, another option to really drag Dysko about. We want to really use the flair we have today, Asensio and Dembele in particularly are unstoppable when they get running at defenders.

Subs:

If Winning: Correa for Dembele 70’, fresh legs in an important part of the pitch, he plays left, Asensio right AM. Abraham and Blin for Tielemans and Williams 80’, Blin more disciplined gives us 5 players to defend at all times. Abraham gives us a target man if we need to relieve any pressure.

If Drawing: Abraham and Correa for Williams and Asensio 70’, change in attack to freshen things up. Merino for Tielemans 80’, like for like.

If Losing: Abraham for Christensen 65’, 4-2-3-1 with Asensio in behind Abraham and Dembele and Williams on the wings. Correa for Williams 75’, great impact sub running at tired defenders. Lozano for Dembele 80’ like for like looks to hurt tiring players.

On behalf of Tino

Blyth

……………………………Buffon………………..
……………Barzagli…Silva…Rugani……….
Yedlin………..De Rossi…Motta……..De Sciglio
…………………………….Insigne………………………
…………………..Zlatan……………Munir……………….

Subs: Cragno, Hause, Iorfa, Cataldi, Mauri, Sadiq, Enzo

Well after a feckin disgraceful season the boys owe it to themselves and mainly to me to go out and perform well in the cup.

This is gonna be fast paced wide play I know our midfield is a little pedestrian with De Rossi and Motta but they’re in the team to hold the centre, they don’t need “legs” for that – can’t put a price on experience.

Our Back 3 are all comfortable on the ball and very good no nonsense defenders – will take a high line today as we look to bombard our opponents with raking diagonal balls to really stretch their defence. In possession they’ll spread wide making it a wide back 3 as we look to maintain an easy out ball.

Yedlin and De Sciglio have great engines on them and they will be expected to cover the ground and really give us some attacking width, both men are quick so getting back in time will be no bother.

De Rossi and Motta will screen the defence as we look to get a good grip of the midfield area, defensively as our Wing-backs recover, Motta will hold the DM position whilst De Rossi will slot in at CB covering either our LCB or RCB as they shuffle wide.

Insigne – the #10 given free licence to roam about, a fantastic lil player with very quick feet will link the midfield and attack – everything good about our play goes through him.

Zlatan & Munir – traditional big man/little man partnership here Zlatan will be my big powerhouse striker and will draw men to him, Munir will play off the shoulder using his pace and acceleration to time his runs to perfection.

Subs:
60 mins
Cataldi > Motta
Mauri > De Rossi

--------------------- Areola ----------------------

Mensah ---- Holding ---- Varane ---- L.Digne

---------------------- Kante ----------------------

--------------- Pjanic ----- Neves ---------------

Berardi --------------------------------- Gabriel

---------------------- Aguero ---------------------

Lafont, Chilwell, Holgate, Locatelli, Grujic, Mbappe, Defrel

In goal Areola a fantastic shot stopper and a keeper that instills confidence in the back four, shouting instructions to his defenders. Out very quickly to shut down strikers and close there shooting angles down. Punches clear what he cant catch from high balls and likes to release early to set up quick counters.

Holding in beside Varane, on this occassion Varane will man mark the CF. Varane is quick and skillfull for a CB, with great marking abilities, powerfully built so marking the CF should be no trouble as he has to man up to him, will keep him away from goal and be on to him quickly as he comes forward so he can intercept any though he has of going for goal. When in possession he will carry the ball out and start attacks from the back. Holding alongside is fantastic in the air, so will mark any other big players that come into our danger area, strong in the air and strong in the tackle and make sure he is strong enough to get the ball away from danger. Both go up for corners and are a huge threat.

Mensah and Digne at fullback, we must keep the wingers quiet, stop them and we stop a lot of there attacks. Mensah and Digne are perfect for this . They will look to keep them away from shooting areas where is dangerous in any position. This is a vital clash in this game. They will be up against quality wingers so look to force him away from goal and backwards, Digne with his attacking prowess, will push his back, Mensah sits back and tucks in to become a 3 at the back a bit and allows Digne to attack but his marking abilities are sound, both have good positional sense and very quick, do not make rash desicions and will stay on their feet. Both FBs can attack. One goes the other stays (Digne more often then Mensah) as they look to make an extra man down the flank for our wingers to cut inside or play neat one twos to free the wingers up.

Kante is their to protect the young back 4 and to stop the AM getting the ball from midfield to the striker, he must be right on top of him looking to close him down at the quickest opportunity, let him dictate play and there striker will get plenty chances, we must not let this happen. So quick and into him, fairly and stop this! Kante himself will look to dictate from deep as he picks up from the defence and looks to drive us forward with precision passing. Neves v the second most advanced midfielder much the same, but obvs when we have the ball he is allowed to move forward and push him back, Neves should have a bit of time to look around him for the pass, Use his upper body strength to get him away from the player. Pass and move always look for the return pass. When they have then close down the CM, he will look to ping the ball about so get to him before that opportunity arises. When he passes he then moves forward to support the forward line. We have put Pjanic in a slightly withdrawn No.10 role against there DM he must be strong, Pjanic is an all round fantastic midfielder,, however he will look to take the DM on one v one drag him about open up spaces for others to drive into, with the ball at feet look to play quick one twos with those around him so he makes the runs into the box looking for that return ball that will get him in on goal. If the ball is played to him with his back to goal hold it up, draw the foul from the DM, if it doesnt come then look to lay it off, look to play the slide pass into Aguero. All three are good all round midfielders, But Kante i want to sit in the hole with the two either side when defending.

Against a 343 its imperitive we stick to our task, do not give them the time they desire on the ball.

Berardi and Gabriel are known for their creativity, speed, and technical ability and are fearless, explosive attacking midfielders who can change the game with a turn of pace or a dribble. Both technically excellent in limited areas, fast explosive acceleration during the first ten yards. Which more often than not takes them passed defenders and allows them to get into dangerous areas. Always play with there heads up looking for the runs of others to get the ball into there feet. When they have the ball look to stick close to fullbacks and stop them coming forward. Always be looking for Pjanic and Neves inside as the five make an awesome attack wise in behind Aguero and a scary proposition for there back line. He likes his fullbacks coming inside, so, Gabriel and Berardi always stay wide and do not allow them inside to stifle Pjanic and Neves, if they do come inside then Berardi and Gabriel will have some freedom down the flanks. We understand that even if there fullbacks are beaten one of three cbs will push across, so really look to get the ball in early to Aguero and the other winger so we end up two on two or possibly one on one which 9 times out of 10 Aguero will come out on top.

Aguero will get plenty chances, he must put away there side who will be solid at the back, however I want to target the slower of the three. There CBs will be dragged out wide so hopefully he will have a few one on one situations so get into positions that he can go for goal or at very least drag players away for other players especially the spare winger to drive into the space. Split them apart to create space, we are quick, so our forwards must hit them with pace to drag them all over the place. Aguero is good in the air for a wee fella and two good feet, can score from various angles/ranges..All of our front four/five will be a threat today we must go for it and keep pace with the league leaders. Can hold it up and look for runners, in particular Berardi, Pjanic and Gabriel running into support. Pjanic will be making his runs also so be watchful of him just to lay it off to the side

Captain - Varane
Penalties - Aguero
Free kicks - Pjanic
Corners - Wingers

Losing
60 Mins - Mbappe for Neves, we go 442 with Gabriel going up front and Mbappe to the LW, two strikers to go at there back 3

70 Mins - Holgate and Defrel for Mensah and Digne, Holgate inot a back 3 and Defrel up front 343 fresh legs up top and we really go for this

Winning -
70 Mins - Locatelli for Neves, he shores things up
80 Mins - Chilwell for Gabriel, he sits in, in front of Digne to support him defensively
88 Mins - Holgate for Berardi, again he goes to RB and Mensah will protect him in RM this will hopefully see the game out

Drawing -
65 Mins - Locatelli for Neves, Mbappe for Gabriel fresh legs, same formation, Mbappe to find the space against a tiring RCB

If we go ahead after this
Holgate for Berardi switch with Mensah

If we fall behind after this
Defrel on for Digne and go up top, 3 at the back, Pjanic right up in a No.10 role 3412 with Berardi and Mbappe pushing on as well

---------------------------Hassen
Sidibé-------Gomez---------------N'Koulou--------Duarte
-----------------Kessié-------------Höjbjerg
Traore----------------Kovalenko------------------Ojo
----------------------------Ünal

Subs: Diop; Ejaria; Woodburn; Ziyech; Sinkgraven

Captain: Hassen
Crossing free-kicks: Ünal/Kovalenko
Shooting free-kicks: Ünal/Kovalenko
Penalties: Kessié
Corners: Kovalenko

The gameplan is to defend with a mid to low block, using intense pressing and then to hit the opposition on the break with the pace & dribbling ability of our forwards and quick passing of the team. Namely Ojo, Ünal & Woodburn. By drawing the opposition onto us, we want to create a space behind their defence for us to run into.

Defence: Defend just outside the box and do not allow penetration beyond that. Track runners and put in all types of tackles and clearences. Try not to get caught out of position. Fullbacks to come close to the centre backs and defend the goal, forcing the opposition out wide where the play will be restricted and more difficult for them to create chances.

Double pivot to sit in front of the defence and assist with pressing in midfield ensuring not much gets passed and through to the defence. Höjbjerg will use his outstanding passing range to move the ball forward as quickly as possible and into space for our forwards to run into. Allow the opposition to build to an extent where they're on top of us and then win the ball back and break at lightening speed. Kessié will be the main defensive enegiser bunny running around putting tackles everywhere. Ziyech will be the free roaming attacking midfield using his movement to create space and passing & creativity to create chances in the final third. He will be disciplined off the ball to help keep the team compact and defend in front of the deep midfield 2.

Ojo & Woodburn to cut inside from the wide positions and run straight at the centre of the defence. This will open space on the outside for the fullbacks to overlap and stretch the opposition's defence and create space in the centre for our wide forwards. When defending they should drop back and help their respective fullbacks creating a 4411 formation as we look to keep it tight.

Strikers: Ünal is a complete forward in the making. Freedom to roam all over the attacking and find space as he sees fit. Making runs beyond or on the side of the defence. Equally adept at playing in others as well creating chances for himself or getting on the end of team moves. He will be handful for almost any defence.

Subs:
60min - Sinkgraven for Höjbjerg
75min - Woodburn for Ojo

Cambuur Tactics :

Captain : Danilo
Vice Captain : Lemos

Team:
--------------------Ederson
Garcia-------Lemos---Dória-------Arana
-------------------Danilo
----------Bentancur---Paredes
Martins----------------------------Malcom
-------------------Zaldívar


SUBS: Batalla, Zeca, Bernardo, Walace, Otávio, Correa, Santos Borré

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

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

Midfield: Danilo will be the midfield general. A physical pacey midfielder he will be there to boss this area for us. Breaking up play and filling in as an extra defender if one of our back 4 has ventured forward. He will be there to protect the defence and do a lot of the unseen dirty work in the centre of the park. He is essential to our game plan and while sitting deep will still offer a lot with his great passing ability. He also has a thunderbolt right foot. Bentancur and Paredes will play just in front of Danilo. Bentancur will be a more box to box type. He will be involved all over and will offer as much in defence as in attack. Paredes 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 Martins and Malcom 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 Paredes, Bentancur and Zaldívar 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 Bentancur may sit a bit deeper allowing Paredes 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.

Zaldívar 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: Paredes, Malcom or Martins with Lemos, Dória, Danilo and Zaldívar to offer an aerial threat. Paredes and Malcom (with his thunderbolt left foot) may try their luck with several free kicks from distance.

Substitutions: (if winning) Otávio for Martins, Santos Borré for Zaldívar and Walace for Bentancur, 3 like for like substitutions.


(If losing on 70 minutes) Santos Borré for Bentancur, Otávio for Martins. Shift to a 4-1-3-2 attack. Santos Borré and Otávio offering fresh legs, pace and a bit of the unknown in attack.

-------------------Danilo
Otávio---------- Paredes----------Malcom
---------Zaldívar --------Santos Borré

Captain: Max Meyer
Penalties: Aubameyang
Free Kicks: Brandt (Geis)

---------------------------Horn
Weiser------Stark------------Süle-------Henrichs
---------------Weigl----------Dahoud
-----Pulisic-----------Meyer--------------Brandt
--------------------Aubameyang

Subs: Wellenreuther, Klostermann, Tah, Geis, Goretzka, Schöpf, Dolberg


Our defensive unit consists of Niklas Stark and Niklas Süle paired up at centre-back, Mitchell Weiser at right-back and Benjamin Henrichs at left-back, with Julian Weigl and Mahmoud Dahoud as our midfield ‘double pivot’ screening them.

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

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

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

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

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

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

The attacking unit consists of Christian Pulisic, Max Meyer and Julian Brandt as our band of three attacking midfielders with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as our lone central striker.

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

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

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

Weiser and Henrichs can surge up the wings in the knowledge that Weigl and Dahoud can drop into the space left behind if needed. As they come up the wings, both Christian Pulisic and Julian Brandt who are fast two-footed speed merchants, excellent in tight spaces and fantastic dribblers will cut inside or make runs into the box. Max Meyer our attacking central midfielder’s diminutive physique and low centre of gravity will enable him to navigate away from defenders at a frighteningly quick pace. Meyer is blessed with an instant first touch and can dribble with the ball at such a close proximity to his feet that it makes him almost impossible to tackle this creative passer who will look to play Pulisic, Brandt or Aubameyang in via fast passing combinations.

Upfront, Aubameyang isn’t just quick, he’s blisteringly quick. Not only does he have a calm head when chances come his way, he scores all different types of goals and is brutishly strong on the ball. While mastery of the ball in terms of technical flair and intricate dribbling are aesthetic treats, there will be few sights more eye-catching in this match than our dynamic forward tearing past toiling defenders.


Sub: 60 Mins: Geis on for Weigl

At this stage of the game I’ll be looking to bring in the dead-ball specialist of our team (not that Brandt isn’t an excellent dead-ball player).

Geis is as gifted as defensive midfielder as Weigl but if as expected the game is close, then set-play opportunities as the game enters its final phase could be crucial.

Sub 70 Mins: Goretzka on for Dahoud

Goretzka has a massive engine on him and will bring a fresh intensity in terms of his pressing game. The midfield is where this game may be won or lost, and we do not intend on losing this battle.

Sub 80 Mins: Schöpf on for Meyer

The talented Schöpf has an eye for goals late in games. With 10 minutes left this master of the dribble and contributor of valuable goals from midfield will be eager to leave a lasting impression.

Meyer gives the captain’s armband to Süle before leaving the pitch

------------------Pickford-----------------
Semedo--van Dijk--Jagielka--Denayer
-----------Diawara---Dembele-----------
Robben-----------Alli------------Lingard
-----------------Lacazette----------------

Meret, Tierney, Samper, Roberts, Burke, M.Dembele, Nunez

We have Pickford in goal who is a big target to aim for, he oozes confidence and this will run through out the team. Will dominate his box and look to start quick counter attacks from the back.

Jagielka will mark the striker, and van Dijk will be the ball player who will take it out of defence. Both comfortable on the ball especially van Dijk who will start attacks from the back. he is also top class in the air and strong in the tackle. They will remain tight when we are under attack! The fullbacks can attack if they see fit, Semedo is especially good and supporting the winger so he will be up and down the pitch, Denayer will attack sporadically. When they do attack, get beyond the wingers and scream for the ball even if it is just a decoy for the wingers. Defend as a four, stay in a line and stay strong.

Diawara is our defensive midfielder a big game for the youngster but has been proven on the big stage and Dembele and Alli are our playmakers and attacking midfielders, Dembele is the playmaker a good combination with the other two and once Diawara has the ball won, a little pass sideways/forwards to either of the two and we are away very quickly on the attack, Dembele who will look to pass it forward to the attacking players, both can tackle so dont let their midfield near our defence! Alli is the one likes to support the striker so he will be making the late runs into the danger area. He has skills to take him passed players and his passing i svery good as he will look to get Lacazette into a shooting opportunity. Will link well with Robben and Lingard.

Robben and Lingard are very quick and can score spectacular goals, so we have given them freedom to attack the fullbacks, Robben tends to cut inside whereas Lingard will go to the outside and cross in, Robben can score from distance with accuracy so on they go.

We defend as a team, it isnt all about attack, so again a strong 4 in a line when we defend, two banks of 4/5 are always difficult to penetrate.

Lacazette is quick and good eye for goal, will look to link up quickly with Alli as he comes forward with Dembele as they will be a big threat today hopefully. All about movement as they look to put away the chances to win this game. Always stays on the last man moving across the line.

Captain Virgil van Dijk
Penalties Lacazette
Free Kicks Robben
Corners The wingers will take

Substitutes
If we are losing Burke will come on for Lingard and Tierney for Denayer which will give us an attacking Left Back and fresh Left Wing on 60 minutes

Young Dembele on for Alli on 80 minutes and will push forward to go 442

If we are winning Samper will come on for Alli and sit in the midfield with the other two on 70 minutes and young Dembele for Lacazette on 80 minutes

if we are drawing, Dembele for Lacazette and Burke for Lingard on 65 minutes

……………………………Buffon………………..
……………Barzagli…Silva…Rugani……….
Yedlin………..De Rossi…Motta……..De Sciglio
…………………………….Insigne………………………
…………………..Zlatan……………Munir……………….

Subs: Cragno, Hause, Iorfa, Cataldi, Mauri, Sadiq, Enzo

Well after a feckin disgraceful season the boys owe it to themselves and mainly to me to go out and perform well in the cup.

This is gonna be fast paced wide play I know our midfield is a little pedestrian with De Rossi and Motta but they’re in the team to hold the centre, they don’t need “legs” for that – can’t put a price on experience.

Our Back 3 are all comfortable on the ball and very good no nonsense defenders – will take a high line today as we look to bombard our opponents with raking diagonal balls to really stretch their defence. In possession they’ll spread wide making it a wide back 3 as we look to maintain an easy out ball.

Yedlin and De Sciglio have great engines on them and they will be expected to cover the ground and really give us some attacking width, both men are quick so getting back in time will be no bother.

De Rossi and Motta will screen the defence as we look to get a good grip of the midfield area, defensively as our Wing-backs recover, Motta will hold the DM position whilst De Rossi will slot in at CB covering either our LCB or RCB as they shuffle wide.

Insigne – the #10 given free licence to roam about, a fantastic lil player with very quick feet will link the midfield and attack – everything good about our play goes through him.

Zlatan & Munir – traditional big man/little man partnership here Zlatan will be my big powerhouse striker and will draw men to him, Munir will play off the shoulder using his pace and acceleration to time his runs to perfection.

Subs:
60 mins
Cataldi > Motta
Mauri > De Rossi

Wellington Phoenix tactics – First fixture in the shield away to Cambuur

-----------------Butland-------------------
Jung-----Bailly----Wimmer--Grimaldo
------------------X.Alonso----------------
D.Costa-----Fernandinho----Deulofeu
--------------Fekir---Milik---------------

Subs: Foderingham, Arbeloa, Lascalles, Coquelin, Gnabry, Iwobi, Rashford

Captain – X.Alonso
Vice – Fernandinho
Corners – Costa
FKs from deep – X.Alonso
FKs at goal - Costa
Pens - Milik

Today is an odd situation, we're trying to pick ourselves up after the disappointment of missing out on being in the main event, but we're also a little relieved to have the opportunity to play out of the spotlight and with a little freedom. Away to Cambuur is probably the hardest game we've got in the shield and to get it out of the way first is a nice luxury. The first half hour could really set the tone for the competition for us, so we'll try to get out there and play at a high intensity, this time with no pressured heaped on us. We know Cambuur like to play good football with a youthful athletic side, so they should have gaps to exploit but should make it a really good game for the neutrals. As usual we're playing an attacking 4-1-3-2 system, built with the goal of winning the ball back early and high up the pitch, where we can do damage to the opposition. Essentially we will be looking to win the ball back high up the pitch and from there we have great ball playing defenders and the maestro Alonso, picking out passes. The plan is that playing outside of the conventional formation with give us the upper hand due to the shock factor and the extra player will mean that the opposition defence will always be occupied. While they'll probably have contingencies in place, hopefully by flooding the box with fluid attackers we can have their defenders falling each other and giving this side the big defeat they've been due all season. Obviously our midfield two will be put under more strain, but Alonso is such an intelligent reader of the game who has never relied on pace or an all action style and Fernandinho is just an animal who is in great shape and great form, who can cover a lot of ground, support the defenders and the attacks and has enough ability to move the ball on to the better players.

Our defence will play high, we realise this is a risk against a team with as young, skillful & powerful as Cambuur, but our defence is as fast and powerful as anyones and will be playing on the front foot. Although we will have to be more wary of midfield runners with this formation, I would bet that we will still have a free man along the back line, which really means our players can attack the ball with confidence, keeping Cambuur in their own half. As always, although we are playing a high line and pushing to keep the play in the opposition half, we will not play an offside trap unless it’s clear – this means the defenders can read the game and drop off half a yard in anticipation of a ball coming over the top to give them the edge on the striker. This, matched with their sheer pace, should be enough to mean that it will take something very special for Cambuur to get in behind us and even when they do, they have the formidable frame of Butland to get past!

IN SUMMARY – we’re looking to press Cambuur into either playing themselves into trouble and making mistakes at the back or resorting to clearing the ball, which our defence can deal with comfortably given their attributes and recycle position back to Alonso, to get us started again.

Butland – New signing looking to impress and we all know what he's about as he's proven himself in the PL and more importantly the Dream League! He will play as you want a keeper to play – alert all game and full of confidence. He’ll command his box and inspire confidence throughout the rest of the team – especially with a young defence ahead of him. Otherwise, usual stuff (off his line quickly when needed, big at one on ones, great shot stopper and collect crosses).

Grimaldo & Jung – both players with incredible engines, pace to burn and ability on the ball. It’s important to keep them grounded and remind them they’re defenders first – but these qualities listed above will make them very hard to beat in any 1v1 situation. Given our formation, they won’t really be getting forward too often, but they will have their chances. Mainly we want them getting the right side of their attacker and making us hard to beat, but when we’re with the ball I do want them to be hugging the opposite touchline, not too far up the pitch, just to give an option to switch the play and keep our width if the wide forward drifts inside to join the play. I don’t want them making overlapping runs all the time when the play is on their side though, just stretching the play with the switch option.

Wimmer & Bailly – Bailly to attack the ball more, while Wimmer drops off a little and covers the rest of the defence if they get beaten. Wimmer to also try and spot trouble early and cut it out accordingly, if this means dropping off and getting caught one on one, he will stand tall and shimmy the man – making himself hard to beat and allowing the rest of the very pacey defence to get back behind him quickly and giving the forward player a lot of work to do. Usual thing really, but with more licence to attack the ball and they’ll probably be on the ball a bit more than usual, starting things up – so enjoy it and show what you can do!

X.Alonso – Playing a similar role to how he has operated at Bayern in the last year or so. He has a very talented, energetic side around him and he’s the cool head in the middle to bring it all together and make them tick. He’ll be protecting the defence as ever, with his reading of the game and picking up the ball from the defence and spraying passes around. This should be a fun challenge for him, something slightly different which I believe he will relish. The movement in front of him will make this aspect of his game relatively easy given his ability to pick a pass, but more importantly a lot of fun for him! Defensively he may get caught 2v1 now and again but he has the intelligence to know when to foul, when to hold people up and allow Fernandinho to get back and when to call a defender out to help him.

Fernandinho – A big coup for us - he's essentially a luxury version of Diame, on steriods. And we'd been doing well with Diame! He has bags of energy, good passing, good shot, good decision making. These attributes make this man the perfect box to box player for our formation today. He will play slightly ahead of Alonso, his main role will be to put the Cambuur DM under too much pressure to settle on the ball and play them out of trouble. He should thrive on getting on the ball in dangerous areas, rather than a more reserved role, with a lot of movement and pace around him causing problems for the opposition, giving him a little more space than usual as well. Defensively, I just want him to be very aware of the counter attack and when Alonso is being doubled up on bust a gut to get back and help him. But when we are pressing the opposition in a normal situation he will be up high on the DM.

Deulofeu & Costa – hungry, direct, pacey and unpredictable, which will make them a constant pain for Cambuur. Deulofeu gets the nod over Iwobi today because of his more direct style, LC's defence will likely leave gaps coming forward and Deulofeu will look to get at them as quickly as possible and this will make him a huge asset to us. Costa's role is more or less the same, but equally important for the balance of the team and because he is outrageously good at it. I want him always looking to get forward, beat a man, taking the quickest route into the box, whether that be a direct run in or down the line and whip a ball in. I want them always wanting the ball too, always moving off the ball. Off the ball it’s simple, just drop in and get goalside of your FB as soon as you can. Not so much defensive responsibility today with our FBs playing as defenders, not wing backs, so they will look to get at the full backs in 1v1 battles, keep them pinned back and just try to beat them and get the ball in the box. If the opposition FBs do try and push on, let them – we will try and stop the attack very quickly and aggressively at the back and then when we get the ball back, the wingers will have space and we will outnumber the defence 4 to 3.

Costa is my star man, he's changed the feel of the club and the momentum - he'll be eager to show what an impact he can have by leading us to cup glory.

Milik – natural game for him today – playing as a proper CF, keeping the CBs occupied all game, challenging for anything in the air, holding up the play and bringing others into the game and generally springing to life when the ball is anywhere near the box. Was a close pick between him and Rashford, but he seems to have forged a good bond with Fekir and his scoring record in the league was outrageous.

Fekir – luxury role today as wherever he goes he will be a nuisance. He can play exactly as he likes, roaming around and playing off Milik. This means when he plays as a CF their defence will be stretched and tested, when he drops off the DM will be too occupied with Fernandinho to deal with him and he will be able to run at the defence. For him it’s all about getting on the ball in the spaces he finds, wherever they may be and just enjoying himself and really giving Cambuur a torrid time.

Subs:

If losing/drawing at 65 mins - Coquelin, Iwobi & Rashford on for Alonso, Iwobi & Milik.

As I feel Coquelin could cover the ground defensively better than Alonso, the FBs will push on and overlap a bit more as we go in search of an equiliser. A risk to leave more gaps, but I feel we are in as good a position as anyone to take that risk with our defensive players as anyone is and it is a risk we have to take to get through the group.

I feel like Rashford and Iwobi would link up very well as their natural games compliment each other IMO, Rashford drifting out wide and playing on the last man, Iwobi drifting inside and picking up good positions between the lines, I feel they would really link up well and their movement, pace and understanding would cause problems for any tiring defence.


If winning - Coquelin, Iwobi & Rashford on for Fekir, Iwobi & Milik. Move to 4-3-3

----------Coq-----Alonso---------
-------------Fernandinho------------
Costa------Rashford----Iwobi

Take a little sting out of the game with more men in the middle and more control of the game, we can move the ball around a little more to tire Cambuur out and run them down, rather than constantly going at them. That said we will still have a really pacey, direct front three so we can choose to mix it up and try and pick them off a little more meticulously (as opposed to our relentless style early on) as we tire them out.

——————Donarrumma
-----Gimenez—Christensen—Romagnoli
Vrsaljko—Kranevitter——Tielemans-------Shaw
————O.Dembele————Asensio
—————————Williams

Subs: Kepa, Mammana, Blin, Merino, Lozano, A.Correa, T.Abraham

Captain: Youri Tielemans
Free Kicks: Youri Tielemans
Corners: Youri Tielemans
Penalties: Youri Tielemans

Tricky away leg but we believe we can keep it tight and steal a win. If we can suffocate them we can control the possession and look to get on the front foot.

Defend from the front, right from the off and as soon as Forres gain possession, using the 3 forwards and the WBs as the high block of 5 to press them, Williams into the face of the DMs/CBs with Dembele and Asensio closing in on the area of play and looking to block the route out wide, with Vrsaljko and Shaw pushed right up onto the Forres wide men, tight to them and making sure they can’t be used as Forres out ball, force them to go into the middle and as soon as they make that forward pass everyone closes in on the man on the ball and cut off the support from his team mates, Kranevitter and Tielemans pushed right onto the Forres attacking midfielders and Dembele and Asensio hounding the man on the ball, Vrsaljko and Shaw tucked further infield to add to the pressure, all the while blocking the wide route, with the 3 CBs pushed up and surrounding the CFs so they can’t find an inch of space. Suffocating our opponents in such a manner will allow us to win possession quickly when its been lost and stay on the front foot throughout, always using the two closest men to the ball to press the ball with their team mates focused on squeezing the space and closing the passing routes.

If Forres get into wide areas they’ll find the route to goal blocked by a 3-2-5 press down the flanks, WBs and AMs doubling up against their wide players and looking to win the battles from there, with Williams as the out ball and the opposite AM and our CMs narrowing to the play to block Forres route in field, the three CBs coming across, again allowing us to keep a compact defensive press, they give us that extra protection if Forres work the ball out. In the high press we will use Christensen as a forward thinking aggressive defender, always looking to get to the ball in front of the attackers, with Gimenez and Romagnoli as the cover. Players become more disciplined when we have to defend deeper, keep in a bank of 5 and one of 4 making sure that we squeeze space and don’t get caught out aggressively pressing players.

Attack starts right from the keeper with he and ‘defensive’ block of 5 looking to feed the high block of 5 into space. When we get the ball Gimenez and Romagnoli pull wide and Vrsaljko and Shaw push right up into the attacking 5, looking to force the wingers to follow them back, allowing the spread out CBs to drag Forres attempted press away from the middle to create gaps in the midfield third, Gimenez and Romagnoli wide stretching them out and Christensen as the initial playmaker with his pressing range. When we draw Forres forwards out to press it should free Kranevitter and Tielemans into space, Kranevitter will be restricted in his play, just looking to move it quickly but his discipline as well as 3 CBs to cover should allow a more free role for Tielemans who will look to find the central gaps, get on the ball and connect defence to attack, being the deep lying playmaker with his energy to cover large spaces at pace and taking advantage of any space he can find. This then leaves the high 5, WBs pushing right up the field looking to be the players who make the field really wide, keep Forres wide players focused on defending the flanks so that Tielemans and the 3 central forward players can out number Forres in the midfield and really hurt their defence. When we attack through the middle we will have Asensio in a free role where he’s at his best, able to drop deeper to launch attacks and able to run at defenders and DMs and put them on the back foot. Dembele and Williams then look to occupy the defenders by moving off each other, so that when one drops into the open midfield spaces the other looks to spin in behind with their pace. In central attacks we can also use direct balls from Christensen to Williams to get him in behind straight away. When we need to stretch things more we look to attack wide areas, getting the ball out to the WB and then having the AM on the side go out and double up with him, with both WBs excellent at playing quick one touch football to get into the box or to the byeline to cross, we can open them up down the flank and then use the two other attackers again to our advantage, one coming towards the front post to drag a CB with him leaving more space for the other to attack in the middle of the box. Both Vrsaljko and Shaw are excellent infield which allows them to make inside runs when Dembele and Asensio run wide, another option to really drag Dysko about. We want to really use the flair we have today, Asensio and Dembele in particularly are unstoppable when they get running at defenders.

Subs:

If Winning: Correa for Dembele 70’, fresh legs in an important part of the pitch, he plays left, Asensio right AM. Abraham and Blin for Tielemans and Williams 80’, Blin more disciplined gives us 5 players to defend at all times. Abraham gives us a target man if we need to relieve any pressure.

If Drawing: Abraham and Correa for Williams and Asensio 70’, change in attack to freshen things up. Merino for Tielemans 80’, like for like.

If Losing: Abraham for Christensen 65’, 4-2-3-1 with Asensio in behind Abraham and Dembele and Williams on the wings. Correa for Williams 75’, great impact sub running at tired defenders. Lozano for Dembele 80’ like for like looks to hurt tiring players.

Captain: Niklas Süle
Penalties: Aubameyang
Free Kicks: Geis

--------------------------Horn
Weiser------Stark------------Süle-------Henrichs
---------------Geis------------Dahoud
---Pulisic-----------Coutinho--------------Carrasco
--------------------Aubameyang

Subs: Nyland, Klostermann, Kempf, Goretzka, Schöpf, Bruun Larsen, Dolberg


Our defensive unit consists of Niklas Stark and Niklas Süle paired up at centre-back, Mitchell Weiser at right-back and Benjamin Henrichs at left-back, with Johannes Geis and Mahmoud Dahoud as our midfield ‘double pivot’ screening them.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Geis is also our dead-ball specialist (although in all fairness we have several excellent options), so do watch out for his pin-point accuracy from free kicks.

The attacking unit consists of Christian Pulisic, Philippe Coutinho and Yannick Ferreira Carrasco as our band of three attacking midfielders with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as our lone central striker.

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

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

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

Weiser and Henrichs can surge up the wings in the knowledge that Geis and Dahoud can drop into the space left behind if needed. As they come up the wings, both Christian Pulisic and Yannick Ferreira Carrasco who are fast two-footed speed merchants, excellent in tight spaces and fantastic dribblers will cut inside or make runs into the box. Philippe Coutinho our attacking central midfielder’s diminutive physique and low centre of gravity will enable him to navigate away from defenders at a frighteningly quick pace. Coutinho is blessed with an instant first touch and can dribble with the ball at such a close proximity to his feet that it makes him almost impossible to tackle this creative passer who will look to play Pulisic, Carrasco or Aubameyang in via fast passing combinations.

It must be said that all three of our attacking midfielders also have an eye for goal, so whilst I’d expect Aubameyang to be our top goal scorer I will be looking for Pulisic, Coutinho and Carrasco to be getting themselves in amongst the goals.

Upfront, Aubameyang isn’t just quick, he’s blisteringly quick. Not only does he have a calm head when chances come his way, he scores all different types of goals and is brutishly strong on the ball. While mastery of the ball in terms of technical flair and intricate dribbling are aesthetic treats, there will be few sights more eye-catching in this match than our dynamic forward tearing past toiling defenders.

Sub 70 Mins: Goretzka on for Dahoud

Goretzka has a massive engine on him and will bring a fresh intensity in terms of his pressing game. The midfield is where this game may be won or lost, and we do not intend on losing this battle.

Sub 80 Mins: Schöpf on for Pulisic

The talented Schöpf has an eye for goals late in games. With 10 minutes left this master of the dribble and contributor of valuable goals from midfield will be eager to leave a lasting impression.

--------------------- Areola ----------------------

Mensah ---- Holding ---- Varane ---- L.Digne

---------------------- Kante ----------------------

--------------- Pjanic ----- Neves ---------------

Berardi --------------------------------- Gabriel

---------------------- Lukaku ---------------------

Lafont, Chilwell, Holgate, Locatelli, D.Suarez, Mbappe, Embolo

In goal Areola a fantastic shot stopper and a keeper that instills confidence in the back four, shouting instructions to his defenders. Out very quickly to shut down strikers and close there shooting angles down. Punches clear what he cant catch from high balls and likes to release early to set up quick counters.

Holding in beside Varane, on this occassion Varane will man mark the CF. Varane is quick and skillfull for a CB, with great marking abilities, powerfully built so marking the CF should be no trouble as he has to man up to him, will keep him away from goal and be on to him quickly as he comes forward so he can intercept any though he has of going for goal. When in possession he will carry the ball out and start attacks from the back. Holding alongside is fantastic in the air, so will mark any other big players that come into our danger area, strong in the air and strong in the tackle and make sure he is strong enough to get the ball away from danger. Both go up for corners and are a huge threat.

Mensah and Digne at fullback, we must keep the wingers quiet, stop them and we stop a lot of there attacks. Mensah and Digne are perfect for this . They will look to keep them away from shooting areas where is dangerous in any position. This is a vital clash in this game. They will be up against quality wingers so look to force him away from goal and backwards, Digne with his attacking prowess, will push his back, Mensah sits back and tucks in to become a 3 at the back a bit and allows Digne to attack but his marking abilities are sound, both have good positional sense and very quick, do not make rash desicions and will stay on their feet. Both FBs can attack. One goes the other stays (Digne more often then Mensah) as they look to make an extra man down the flank for our wingers to cut inside or play neat one twos to free the wingers up.

Kante is their to protect the young back 4 and to stop the AM getting the ball from midfield to the striker, he must be right on top of him looking to close him down at the quickest opportunity, let him dictate play and there striker will get plenty chances, we must not let this happen. So quick and into him, fairly and stop this! Kante himself will look to dictate from deep as he picks up from the defence and looks to drive us forward with precision passing. Neves v the second most advanced midfielder much the same, but obvs when we have the ball he is allowed to move forward and push him back, Neves should have a bit of time to look around him for the pass, Use his upper body strength to get him away from the player. Pass and move always look for the return pass. When they have then close down the CM, he will look to ping the ball about so get to him before that opportunity arises. When he passes he then moves forward to support the forward line. We have put Pjanic in a slightly withdrawn No.10 role against there DM he must be strong, Pjanic is an all round fantastic midfielder,, however he will look to take the DM on one v one drag him about open up spaces for others to drive into, with the ball at feet look to play quick one twos with those around him so he makes the runs into the box looking for that return ball that will get him in on goal. If the ball is played to him with his back to goal hold it up, draw the foul from the DM, if it doesnt come then look to lay it off, look to play the slide pass into Lukaku . All three are good all round midfielders, But Kante i want to sit in the hole with the two either side when defending.

Against a 343 its imperitive we stick to our task, do not give them the time they desire on the ball.

Berardi and Gabriel are known for their creativity, speed, and technical ability and are fearless, explosive attacking midfielders who can change the game with a turn of pace or a dribble. Both technically excellent in limited areas, fast explosive acceleration during the first ten yards. Which more often than not takes them passed defenders and allows them to get into dangerous areas. Always play with there heads up looking for the runs of others to get the ball into there feet. When they have the ball look to stick close to fullbacks and stop them coming forward. Always be looking for Pjanic and Neves inside as the five make an awesome attack wise in behind Lukaku and a scary proposition for there back line. He likes his fullbacks coming inside, so, Gabriel and Berardi always stay wide and do not allow them inside to stifle Pjanic and Neves, if they do come inside then Berardi and Gabriel will have some freedom down the flanks. We understand that even if there fullbacks are beaten one of three cbs will push across, so really look to get the ball in early to Lukaku and the other winger so we end up two on two or possibly one on one which 9 times out of 10 Aguero will come out on top.

Lukaku will get plenty chances, he must put away there side who will be solid at the back, however I want to target the slower of the three. There CBs will be dragged out wide so hopefully he will have a few one on one situations so get into positions that he can go for goal or at very least drag players away for other players especially the spare winger to drive into the space. Split them apart to create space, we are quick, so our forwards must hit them with pace to drag them all over the place. Lukaku is a powerful boy so can brush passed players with ease and is very good in the air with two good feet, can score from various angles/ranges..All of our front four/five will be a threat today we must go for it and keep pace with the league leaders. Can hold it up and look for runners, in particular Berardi, Pjanic and Gabriel running into support. Pjanic will be making his runs also so be watchful of him just to lay it off to the side

Captain - Varane
Penalties - Lukaku
Free kicks - Pjanic
Corners - Wingers

Losing,
65 Embolo for Neves he goes up top 442
75 Mbappé fro Gabriel

Winning
75 Locatelli for Neves, sit in beside Kante
80 Chilwell for Gabriel

Drawing
70 Mbappé and Embolo for Gabriel and Berardi
ET Locatelli for Neves

Pens
Lukaku
Embolo
Berardi
Pjanic
Gabriel
Mbappé
Digne
Mensah
Varane

Obvs depends who is on

---------------------------Hassen
Sidibé-------Gomez---------------N'Koulou--------Jonny
-----------------Kessié-------------Höjbjerg
Traore----------------Kovalenko------------------Son
----------------------------Ünal

Subs: Diop; Ziyech; Woodburn; Ojo; Sinkgraven

Captain: Hassen
Crossing free-kicks: Ünal/Kovalenko
Shooting free-kicks: Ünal/Kovalenko
Penalties: Kessié
Corners: Kovalenko

The gameplan is to defend with a mid to low block, using intense pressing and then to hit the opposition on the break with the pace & dribbling ability of our forwards and quick passing of the team. Namely Traore, Ünal & Son. By drawing the opposition onto us, we want to create a space behind their defence for us to run into.

Defence: Defend just outside the box and do not allow penetration beyond that. Track runners and put in all types of tackles and clearences. Try not to get caught out of position. Fullbacks to come close to the centre backs and defend the goal, forcing the opposition out wide where the play will be restricted and more difficult for them to create chances.

Double pivot to sit in front of the defence and assist with pressing in midfield ensuring not much gets passed and through to the defence. Höjbjerg will use his outstanding passing range to move the ball forward as quickly as possible and into space for our forwards to run into. Allow the opposition to build to an extent where they're on top of us and then win the ball back and break at lightening speed. Kessié will be the main defensive enegiser bunny running around putting tackles everywhere. Kovalenko will be the free roaming attacking midfield using his movement to create space and passing & creativity to create chances in the final third. He will be disciplined off the ball to help keep the team compact and defend in front of the deep midfield 2.

Traore & Son to cut inside from the wide positions and run straight at the centre of the defence. This will open space on the outside for the fullbacks to overlap and stretch the opposition's defence and create space in the centre for our wide forwards. When defending they should drop back and help their respective fullbacks creating a 4411 formation as we look to keep it tight.

Strikers: Ünal is a complete forward in the making. Freedom to roam all over the attacking and find space as he sees fit. Making runs beyond or on the side of the defence. Equally adept at playing in others as well creating chances for himself or getting on the end of team moves. He will be handful for almost any defence.

Subs:
60min - Ziyech for Höjbjerg
75min - Woodburn for Son

SC Cambuur Tactics (4-3-3)

Captain: Ederson
Vice Captain: Dória

----------------Ederson
Garcia---Lemos---Dória---Arana
-----------Danilo---Paredes
-----------------Otávio
Martins---------------------Malcom
----------------Zaldivar

SUBS: Batalla, Montes, Walace, Almirón, Moreno, Schiappacasse, Calero


SUMMARY: This week we go with a 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 set up and operate with one holding/defensive midfielder (Danilo) who will be complimented with a deep sitting box to box midfielder (Paredes). 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’, Paredes 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 (slipping back to a 4-5-1) means it will be easy for us to close the door in midfield with all 3 players as comfortable sitting and breaking up attacks if necessary.
We will focus on our own gameplan and perfecting that. We want to play a nice tidy and crisp passing game. Our aim is to move the ball forward as quickly, efficiently and as effectively as possible. We want to continue where we left off last season and search for that perfect balance between defence and attack. Use our pace and power and build our attacks up from the back. If there is nothing on, then we will be patient and ball retention is important. When we have the ball we will use it wisely and when we don’t have the ball then we will press our opponents all over the park with high urgency to win it back. We want to keep the ball on the deck and attack as a team and equally as important defend as a team. This team is bursting with pace. We will utilise that to our advantage and make the pitch wide and use our flying wingers to cause all sorts of mayhem. It will also be a tool that we use to hit opponents on the counter where we know we can out pace any team. Ideally we want to play attractive free flowing football. Sometimes that’s not possible so getting the opponent on the counter and doing a ‘smash and grab’ job today would suit us fine.

Goalkeeper: Ederson 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 (Danilo). 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 (Paredes). 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. This I feel will give us a better balanced midfield and while being absolutely defensively sound with 2 ‘sitting’, Paredes 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.

Wingers/Centre Forward: When in possession both Martins and Malcom 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, Paredes and Zaldivar 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 Paredes 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.
Zaldivar 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: Otávio, Malcom or Martins with Lemos, Dória, Danilo, and Zaldivar to offer an aerial threat. Otávio and Malcom (with his thunderbolt left foot) may try their luck with several free kicks from distance.

Substitutions: (80 mins) If winning (and comfortable) then 3 like for like subs – Montes for Lemos, Morero for Martins and Calero for Zaldivar.

If losing (70 mins) then switch to a 4-1-3-2 and replace Paredes with Calero and Martins with Schiappacasse. 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.

---------------------------Danilo
Schiappacasse ------- Otávio----- Malcom
------------------Calero ---------Zaldivar

Penalties: Zaldívar, Otávio, Malcom, Danilo, Paredes, Martins, Lemos, Garcia

------------------Pickford-----------------
Semedo--van Dijk--Jagielka--Denayer
-----------Diawara---Dembele-----------
Robben-----------Alli------------Lingard
-----------------Lacazette----------------

Meret, Tierney, Samper, Roberts, Burke, M.Dembele, Nunez

We have Pickford in goal who is a big target to aim for, he oozes confidence and this will run through out the team. Will dominate his box and look to start quick counter attacks from the back.

Jagielka will mark the striker, and van Dijk will be the ball player who will take it out of defence. Both comfortable on the ball especially van Dijk who will start attacks from the back. he is also top class in the air and strong in the tackle. They will remain tight when we are under attack! The fullbacks can attack if they see fit, Semedo is especially good and supporting the winger so he will be up and down the pitch, Denayer will attack sporadically. When they do attack, get beyond the wingers and scream for the ball even if it is just a decoy for the wingers. Defend as a four, stay in a line and stay strong.

Diawara is our defensive midfielder a big game for the youngster but has been proven on the big stage and Dembele and Alli are our playmakers and attacking midfielders, Dembele is the playmaker a good combination with the other two and once Diawara has the ball won, a little pass sideways/forwards to either of the two and we are away very quickly on the attack, Dembele who will look to pass it forward to the attacking players, both can tackle so dont let their midfield near our defence! Alli is the one likes to support the striker so he will be making the late runs into the danger area. He has skills to take him passed players and his passing i svery good as he will look to get Lacazette into a shooting opportunity. Will link well with Robben and Lingard.

Robben and Lingard are very quick and can score spectacular goals, so we have given them freedom to attack the fullbacks, Robben tends to cut inside whereas Lingard will go to the outside and cross in, Robben can score from distance with accuracy so on they go.

We defend as a team, it isnt all about attack, so again a strong 4 in a line when we defend, two banks of 4/5 are always difficult to penetrate.

Lacazette is quick and good eye for goal, will look to link up quickly with Alli as he comes forward with Dembele as they will be a big threat today hopefully. All about movement as they look to put away the chances to win this game. Always stays on the last man moving across the line.

Captain Virgil van Dijk
Penalties Lacazette
Free Kicks Robben
Corners The wingers will take

Substitutes
If we are losing Burke will come on for Lingard and Tierney for Denayer which will give us an attacking Left Back and fresh Left Wing on 60 minutes

Young Dembele on for Alli on 80 minutes and will push forward to go 442

If we are winning Samper will come on for Alli and sit in the midfield with the other two on 70 minutes and young Dembele for Lacazette on 80 minutes

if we are drawing, Dembele for Lacazette and Burke for Lingard on 65 minutes

Forgot my penalty takers:

Geis
Schöpf
Aubameyang
Coutinho
Carrasco

Goretzka
Stark
Horn
Weiser
Süle
Henrichs

Lacazette
Dembele - CF
Robben
Dembele - CM
Alli

Lingard or Burke
Van Dijk
Semedo
Denayer
Diawara

——————————Donnarumma
———Gimenez———Christensen———Romagnoli
Vrsaljko————Chalobah——Tielemans—————Shaw
—————O.Dembele———————I.Williams
————————————Correa

Subs: Kepa, Aina, Kranevitter, Merino, Lozano, Asensio, T.Abraham

Captain: Youri Tielemans
Free Kicks: Youri Tielemans
Penalties: Youri Tielemans
Corners: Youri Tielemans

Very tough game, a goal down from the first leg but we have the crucial away goal and we have the ability to get the win at home and show that our first defeat in 5 months is nothing but a minor slip up. One minor change sees Chalobah into the midfield, full of confidence after his recent nutmegging of half the United team we have brought him in for his added power and ability to carry the ball forward quickly and spray passes.

Today we defend as an 11 in that we will always be compact no matter where the play is, so if we are in their half the defence is pushed up and if we are in our half the forwards are back helping out in that they’ll be between the opposition CMs and CBs so that off the ball they help us defend by pressing them from behind, particularly focusing on crowding out Varane and Kante so that can’t move the ball forward. With the 3 CBs and line of 4 that are solid defensively it means that other than this pressing, the forwards can focus on getting forward and hurting the remaining Forres defenders. As previously stated we stay as a group to make it compact, with Chalobah and Tielemans looking to use this to their advantage, it allows them to work in tandem to slow Forres’s attacks down, squeezing the space the man on the ball wants to use, which will allow the energetic WBs and Christensen, as well as one of the forwards to do the pressing, these four working constantly, the WBs narrowing in to our compact unit to get a foot in and one forward dropping slightly deeper than the other two, with Christensen able to step out of the back line and use his excellent aggressive form of defending to break down attacks before they can get into our third, knowing that we will always have two CBs behind him to cover as well as two WBs who can drop in if needed, using their pace to get back quickly if we make a mistake. This leaves Gimenez and Romagnoli using their pace and power to deal with the central striker, they won’t be caught out down the sides and in the air they should dominate, really bully the lone front man out of this game. Press them out into the wide areas as much as possible away from their strong midfield.

If Forres do get into wide areas we narrow to that side of the field with the WB and the CB on that side able to come out and defend against FB and winger, leaving two CBs to deal with the striker and the WB on the opposite side to tuck in so we always have that spare CB, although he will be focused on the winger looking to make inside runs. In these positions we can simply make things too compact to break through, Chalobah and Tielemans closed right in blocking the route out whilst one forward comes back to press, once again leaving us with two forwards free of defensive duties, close to the play but in positions where they are focusing on making runs when we win it back rather than trying to get a foot in, unless of course the ball goes back towards where they are. If Forres force us right back into our third then we stop the pressing and we squeeze space only, this means a back 5 will be erected, Dembele and Williams will drop in closer to the CMs and we will simply shut up shop and wait for the ball back.

Like previously said the teams moves up the field as a unit so when we attack the CBs push up too, so we can make it hard for them to break. Gimenez and Romagnoli will stretch out slightly so that there are no big gaps left by the WBs pushing up, with Chalobah and Tielemans also there being more disciplined so we have 5 players covering our attacks, this should mean that we can break counters up quickly and get back on the attack quickly, especially by getting the ball out to the wide CBs who can play the WBs in or play the forwards into the channels. In being disciplined we want Chalobah and Tielemans to provide that link between defence and attack, they can see Forres’ defence in front of them which means they know where the gaps are, they know where they can play the ball and they know where they can run into, with both also very capable at hitting shots from distance or winning the ball back higher up the field from mistakes and feeding the forwards, this means the forward 3 can use them for wall passes to get in quickly. The WBs will look to get forward whenever we win the ball, as soon as it goes to the three forwards they are overlapping and stretching the defence out, Vrsaljko looking to get to the byline and Shaw a little more creative in his attacking play can get the ball wide and then look to come infield with his trickery or by playing quick passes with the CMs or the attackers, his penetrating runs provide us with some different and we know their wide men won’t track our WBs. That then leaves the front three, with so much pace and trickery in the forward line we are going to cause plenty of problems, especially with them not having to worry about defending quite so much, instead they are there looking to get us up the field in a blink of the eye, carving Forres to pieces. All 3 of the forwards are comfortable out wide, theyre all comfortable in field or dropping deep to create things and they are all good at making runs in behind so if we can get them on a tangent, one coming deep to create another spinning in behind and one buzzing around looking to be a creator, we know we can draw Forres’ defenders about. When were attacking from deeper we can use the passing range of Christiensen and the like to launch attacks, bypass Forres’ forward press by looking to go longer and use our pace down the sides of their defence.

Subs:

If Winning on aggregate: Asensio for Williams 65’, will be the forward that drops in to press, he’s stronger defensively and has the range of passing to pick the counter attacks. Kranevitter for Tielemans 75’, extra DM into the midfield, close off all areas of the field. Merino for Dembele 80’, instead of a three pronged attack we will play a diamond midfield with a back 3 and WBs, this allows us to make the midfield really congested and hard to play through, just make it difficult for Forres’ to play

Vrsaljko Gimenez Christensen Romagnoli Shaw
Kranevitter
Chalobah Merino
Asensio
Correa

If Drawing on aggregate: Kranevitter for Chalobah 70’, fresh legs into midfield. Asensio for Correa 75’, Williams plays as the CF, Asensio helps keeping the pressing game working and provides a great link for the strikers, allows Dembele and Williams more freedom to play together. Tammy Abraham for O.Dembele 80’, a poacher in front of goal, go and grab us that late winner.

If Losing on aggregate: Asensio for Chalobah 60’ a more offensive minded midfielder, will link play faster and join the attacks. Lozano for Christensen 65’, change in style, go to a back 4 and have two wingers in Lozano and Dembele with FBs overlapping them, Williams and Correa up front. Tammy Abraham for Williams 75’, a goal poacher, looks to get in the box and score us goals.

Pens:

1. Marco Asensio
2. Andreas Christensen
3. Angel Correa
4. O.Dembele
5. Youri Tielemans
6. Iñaki Williams
7. Tammy Abraham
8. Matias Kranevitter
9. Herving Lozano
10. Jose Gimenez
11. Alessio Romagnoli
12. Luke Shaw
13. Sime Vrsaljko
14. Gianluigi Donnarumma

Juventus vs whoever

--------------------Storari-------------------

Lirola------Oliveira-----Poole------DiMarco

Passlack----Nagy---Maia--------Pjaca

----------------Silva-----Kean------------------


4-4-2, very young team, do yo' thing boyz

Mex - if Di doesn;t do tactics you may actually win

noooooooooooooo

Wellington Phoenix tactics – First fixture in the shield away to Cambuur

---------------------Valdes-------------------
Jung--Alderweireld---Koscielny--Grimaldo
------------------X.Alonso----------------
D.Costa-----Fernandinho----Deulofeu
--------------Fekir---Milik---------------

Subs: Foderingham, Arbeloa, Wimmer, Coquelin, Galloway, Iwobi, Rashford

Captain – X.Alonso
Vice – Alderweireld
Corners – Costa
FKs from deep – X.Alonso
FKs at goal - Costa
Pens - Milik

Today is a must win or we're essentially out of the running for the cup. We're still using it as a good opportunity to build for next season and I feel we've greatly improved our team this week and we're looking forward to showcasing this. I think we have a good blend between energy, pace, experience & technique now so I'm excited to see what we can do. As usual we're playing an attacking 4-1-3-2 system, built with the goal of winning the ball back early and high up the pitch, where we can do damage to the opposition. Essentially we will be looking to win the ball back high up the pitch and from there we have great ball playing defenders and the maestro Alonso, picking out passes. The plan is that playing outside of the conventional formation with give us the upper hand due to the shock factor and the extra player will mean that the opposition defence will always be occupied. While they'll probably have contingencies in place, hopefully by flooding the box with fluid attackers we can have their defenders falling each other and giving this side the big defeat they've been due all season. Obviously our midfield two will be put under more strain, but Alonso is such an intelligent reader of the game who has never relied on pace or an all action style and Fernandinho is just an animal who is in great shape and great form, who can cover a lot of ground, support the defenders and the attacks and has enough ability to move the ball on to the better players.

Our defence will play high, but our defence is as fast and powerful as anyones, not to mention as intelligent and experienced as they come and will be playing on the front foot. Although we will have to be more wary of midfield runners with this formation, I would bet that we will still have a free man along the back line, which really means our players can attack the ball with confidence, keeping Blyth in their own half. As always, although we are playing a high line and pushing to keep the play in the opposition half, we will not play an offside trap unless it’s clear – this means the defenders can read the game and drop off half a yard in anticipation of a ball coming over the top to give them the edge on the striker. This, matched with their pace, should be enough to mean that it will take something very special for Blyth to get in behind us and even when they do, they have the experienced Valdes to try and get past.

IN SUMMARY – we’re looking to press Blyth into either playing themselves into trouble and making mistakes at the back or resorting to clearing the ball, which our defence can deal with comfortably given their attributes and recycle position back to Alonso, to get us started again.

Valdes – New signing looking to impress and we all know what he's about as he's proving himself in the PL and more importantly the Dream League! He will play as you want a keeper to play – alert all game and full of confidence. He’ll command his box and inspire confidence throughout the rest of the team. Otherwise, usual stuff (off his line quickly when needed, big at one on ones, great shot stopper and collect crosses).

One reason I have picked him is because of his time at Barca, he can play with a defence who like to push up high and he can play the ball out from the back, this will be vital to starting a lot of attacks as our CBs are great on the ball too - Valdes can draw a CF into him and then release it to a CB and then we are on the attack with a man already out of play for Blyth.

Grimaldo & Jung – both players with incredible engines, pace to burn and ability on the ball. It’s important to keep them grounded and remind them they’re defenders first – but these qualities listed above will make them very hard to beat in any 1v1 situation. Given our formation, they won’t really be getting forward too often, but they will have their chances. Mainly we want them getting the right side of their attacker and making us hard to beat, but when we’re with the ball I do want them to be hugging the opposite touchline, not too far up the pitch, just to give an option to switch the play and keep our width if the wide forward drifts inside to join the play. I don’t want them making overlapping runs all the time when the play is on their side though, just stretching the play with the switch option.

Alderweireld and Kos – IMO two of the most complete defenders in the world right now, neither with any real weaknesses. I want them to work with each other and use their intelligence and experience to cover each other. We won't be letting one or the other attack the ball specfically, they will take control of their area and the other CB will work around them accordingly. They are decent in the air, quick on the ground, great at reading the game, great at picking out passes from the back and both experienced defenders. Alderweireld will lead the line a little more in terms of organisation but I'm really excited to see what the two of them can do together.

X.Alonso – Playing a similar role to how he has operated at Bayern in the last year or so. He has a very talented, energetic side around him and he’s the cool head in the middle to bring it all together and make them tick. He’ll be protecting the defence as ever, with his reading of the game and picking up the ball from the defence and spraying passes around. This should be a fun challenge for him, something slightly different which I believe he will relish. The movement in front of him will make this aspect of his game relatively easy given his ability to pick a pass, but more importantly a lot of fun for him! Defensively he may get caught 2v1 now and again but he has the intelligence to know when to foul, when to hold people up and allow Fernandinho to get back and when to call a defender out to help him.

Fernandinho – A big coup for us - he's essentially a luxury version of Diame, on steriods. And we'd been doing well with Diame! He has bags of energy, good passing, good shot, good decision making. These attributes make this man the perfect box to box player for our formation today. He will play slightly ahead of Alonso, his main role will be to put the Blyth DM under too much pressure to settle on the ball and play them out of trouble. He should thrive on getting on the ball in dangerous areas, rather than a more reserved role, with a lot of movement and pace around him causing problems for the opposition, giving him a little more space than usual as well. Defensively, I just want him to be very aware of the counter attack and when Alonso is being doubled up on bust a gut to get back and help him. But when we are pressing the opposition in a normal situation he will be up high on the DM.

Deulofeu & Costa – hungry, direct, pacey and unpredictable, which will make them a constant pain for Cambuur. Deulofeu gets the nod over Iwobi today because of his more direct style, Tino's defence will likely invite pressure and and Deulofeu will look to get at them as quickly and often as possible and this will make him a huge asset to us, as he wears their defence down. Costa's role is more or less the same, but equally important for the balance of the team and because he is outrageously good at it. I want him always looking to get forward, beat a man, taking the quickest route into the box, whether that be a direct run in or down the line and whip a ball in. I want them always wanting the ball too, always moving off the ball. Off the ball it’s simple, just drop in and get goalside of your FB as soon as you can. Not so much defensive responsibility today with our FBs playing as defenders, not wing backs, so they will look to get at the full backs in 1v1 battles, keep them pinned back and just try to beat them and get the ball in the box. If the opposition FBs do try and push on, let them – we will try and stop the attack very quickly and aggressively at the back and then when we get the ball back, the wingers will have space and we will outnumber the defence 4 to 3.

Costa is my star man, he's changed the feel of the club and the momentum - he'll be eager to show what an impact he can have by leading us to cup glory.

Milik – natural game for him today – playing as a proper CF, keeping the CBs occupied all game, challenging for anything in the air, holding up the play and bringing others into the game and generally springing to life when the ball is anywhere near the box. Was a close pick between him and Rashford, but he seems to have forged a good bond with Fekir and his scoring record in the league was outrageous.

Fekir – luxury role today as wherever he goes he will be a nuisance. He can play exactly as he likes, roaming around and playing off Milik. This means when he plays as a CF their defence will be stretched and tested, when he drops off the DM will be too occupied with Fernandinho to deal with him and he will be able to run at the defence. For him it’s all about getting on the ball in the spaces he finds, wherever they may be and just enjoying himself and really giving Blyth a torrid time.

Subs:

If losing/drawing at 65 mins - Coquelin, Iwobi & Rashford on for Alonso, Iwobi & Milik.

As I feel Coquelin could cover the ground defensively better than Alonso, the FBs will push on and overlap a bit more as we go in search of an equiliser. A risk to leave more gaps, but I feel we are in as good a position as anyone to take that risk with our defensive players as anyone is and it is a risk we have to take to get through the group.

I feel like Rashford and Iwobi would link up very well as their natural games compliment each other IMO, Rashford drifting out wide and playing on the last man, Iwobi drifting inside and picking up good positions between the lines, I feel they would really link up well and their movement, pace and understanding would cause problems for any tiring defence.


If winning - Coquelin, Iwobi & Rashford on for Fekir, Iwobi & Milik. Move to 4-3-3

----------Coq-----Alonso---------
-------------Fernandinho------------
Costa------Rashford----Iwobi

Take a little sting out of the game with more men in the middle and more control of the game, we can move the ball around a little more to tire Blyth out and run them down, rather than constantly going at them. That said we will still have a really pacey, direct front three so we can choose to mix it up and try and pick them off a little more meticulously (as opposed to our relentless style early on) as we tire them out.