NEWCASTLE 4-1-4-1
__________Alisson
Azpi____Alder___Godin___Robbo
___________Kante
Salah___Koke___Pjanic____Mane
__________Suarez
SUBS: Skriniar, Rose, Milner, Radja, Rebic, Reus, Lukaku
Captain: Diego Godin
Penalties: Luis Suarez
Corners: Miralem Pjanic
Freekicks: Miralem Pjanic
Crossing Freekick: Koke
The formation deployed today is so that we gain as much control as possible higher up he pitch. We expect to have more of the ball so patience is key. We also expect the four behind the striker to drift around a bit, getting into positions where their natural play can cause damage. The striker up front presses when we don’t have the ball and the two closest players will support and cut passing lanes to help win the ball higher up. The quality of our players will allow us to break through the oppositions press. When we have the ball we will want to attract the press and use the spaces that they open up to attack.
Full backs will get forward when the opportunity arises. Our full backs are good at feeding our forward line with their ability on the ball and we aim to utilize that with their ability to get up the pitch and tactical arareness. We also need our full backs to widen the pitch for us. Our centre halves are good on the ball, and a long punt every now and then to utilize our pace out wide is encouraged.
The defensive midfielder will drop in to form a back three so that the centre backs can split wide to push the full backs general position higher up in line with the midfielders (and wide forwards engage their back line along with the striker). In doing so we create a four man midfield to overpower their midfield. This will allow our midfield to be flexible, if one of their midfielders steps forward, one of ours will move into the space they vacated.
By having our wide forwards up front when we have the ball it will effectively create space out wide. We would expect our full backs to sometimes go infield to collect the ball from the keeper, while one of the midfielders goes wide so when he receives the ball he will have time to look up and pick passes as the opposition midfield will be reluctant to press which will leave a man free in midfield. This can be done by a midfielder too, dropping deep to create a free man in the first line with time on the ball, ping it straight to the striker who can lay it off to the other onrushing midfielder.
If short passing options aren’t available the passing range and accuracy of our keeper will safely transfer the ball forwards via our full backs, wherever they are on the pitch. The keeper can also dink the ball into space for the striker or wide forward to control taking out 6 or 7 opposition players in the process.
When we don’t have the ball we will expect our four behind the striker to drop into a 4-5-1 in support of our defensive midfielder. We will also create triangles to trap the opposition players that have the ball, cutting the passing lanes and others putting pressure on players that might receive the ball. We stop the oppositions rhythm and force them into mistakes with our pressure. To stop their counter attacks after we lose the ball, three players will swarm the ball carrier before he can get his head up to play. If they beat the immediate press when the team’s main goal is to push their play wide where they can do the least damage. Our midfielders are an integral part to our play, when we win the ball back we will create space and time for them with our team shape.
Subs
65 mins: Radja comes on for Pjanic, our legs will start to tire, so will theirs, Radja will add box to box ability and energy late in the game.
75 mins: Lukaku comes on for Suarez, a different style of forward play for the opposition to think about.
If winning 80 mins: Skriniar comes on for Koke to close out the game. He is capable in defensive midfield alongside kante.
If losing/drawing 80 mins: Reus comes on for Koke and play 2 up front.
--------------------- Courtois --------------------
------------- E.Bailly ------- D.Sanchez --------
Cancelo ----------- Verratti ---------- M.Alonso
------------- Eriksen ------- Modric -------------
---- Bailey -------- Aguero -------- Werner ----
Subs:
McCarthy, Hernandez, Boateng, Khedira, Draxler, Zaha, Sturridge
We make a couple of tactical tweaks with this weekend’s opponents in mind, we anticipate that they will likely look to funnel the majority of their play through their strong central midfield. With that in mind deploy to Verratti as a DM, we feel he has the ability to not only break up play but as a very intelligent reader of the game we expect him to position himself to cut off the passing lanes to their forwards.
The second key change comes on the flanks, given the relatively narrow formation we expect our opponents to employ we look to hit them out wide at pace, stretching the field and getting our forwards in behind. With that in mind we deploy the deadly Werner at LW, a position he has comfortably operated in before as we look to utilise him not as a winger but as a wide forward, drifting out wide to create space and making darting runs infield beyond our main striker and in behind the opposition defence. It is likely they will play with two attacking fullbacks and two or possibly even three solid CBs who for all of their defensive nous, are not blessed with great pace. We look to exploit this with both Werner and Bailey coming off the flanks and using their explosive pace to get in behind
Aguero will also be key in our set up with his superb hold up play key. At times he will look to drop slightly deeper, in doing so he will bring a CB with him, creating a key attacking phase and mismatch in the oppositions defensive unit. We will look to get the ball into his feet, a quick one two with Modric/Eriksen who will receive the ball back and then play it into the open space vacated by Aguero. With an opposition CB taken out of play when Aguero drops deep there will be plenty of space for Bailey and Werner to exploit as we transition from a 2 WG, 1 CF attack to a 1 AM, 2 CF attack as per below.
----- Modric ------ Eriksen ----
------------ Aguero -------------
-- Bailey ----------- Werner --
Defence:
Attention to detail will be key in this match and similar to our attack, we go with a defensive unit selected specifically with today’s opponents in mind. We feel there’s a high chance they go two up top with Icardi likely to be accompanied by a physical target man. If so then Bailly will mark Icardi, as a strong pacy defender we feel he has all the tools to keep the CF at bay. Stick tight when he’s playing through the middle, impose yourself physically and most of all stay alert when balls are played into the box. Icardi is a poacher however Bailly will be keyed in on nullifying the threat he poses. If they play only one up top then Bailly marks and Sanchez covers in behind.
Alongside Bailly we go with Sanchez, a physically imposing defender who is very strong in the air. Stick tight to the CF and be dominant in the air. If they go with a target man then make sure he spends the afternoon with his back to goal, we feel we have the pace to deal with the threat posed by the opposition so we aren’t afraid to play on the front foot and get stuck in, safe in the knowledge we have the superior speed to deal with any balls over the top. Fullbacks have license to push forward but only one at a time, if the opposition play narrow then we will create plenty of space out wide as we look to stretch the opposition.
Midfield:
We have a midfield that oozes quality and expect the middle of the park to be an epic battle. As alluded to previously, Verratti will sit in front of the defence with the main focus of cutting out the passing lanes and not letting the opposition break between the lines. There’s a fair chance they’ll employ the maestro Iniesta as an AM so pace shouldn’t be an issue, instead the focus will be limiting his impact and not letting him dictate the game. We’ll look to cut out the balls into the feet of the strikers and instead make them try to force the issue with balls in behind which we feel will play to our advantage given the pace of our CB’s.
Eriksen and Modric will look to do the damage going the other way. The best way to limit the oppositions chances is ball retention, make them chase the ball with quick interlinking passes. With some ageing legs we feel if we can make them run then they will tire, which in turn will open up some space for us to do create havoc. With the runs of our front three, the vision and perfect weight of pass that both Eriksen and Modric possess should create plenty of chances. Win the midfield battle by dominating possession and dictating the play will be our main aim.
Forwards:
Frightening pace, electrifying dribbling and deadly finishing, we feel our front three have it all. Bailey operates more as a conventional winger, take the opposition on and make jinking runs into the box to draw a foul. Werner operating as a wide forward, his main aim will be to get in behind the defence however don’t be afraid to mix it up and play through the middle if Aguero drifts wide. Our main focus will be both wide players making runs in behind the defence and going for goal. With them playing on their stronger sides they will be in position to deliver quick balls in the box when in possession out wide. Aguero’s movement is fantastic and he will pounce on any balls played into the box. He is also the master of getting the early shot away and we encourage him to do so at will.
Subs;
If winning:
65 mins: Modric off, Khedira on. Fresh legs and increased defensive cover in the midfield of the pitch, whilst the focus remains on ball retention we bring on another astute passer.
75 mins: Werner and Bailey off, Boateng and Hernandez on. Shut up shop time. We go 5-4-1 with Boateng slotting in to help deal with any balls launched in to the box. Alonso sits in front of Hernandez as additional defensive cover as we form a solid defensive unit and see the game out.
If drawing:
65 mins: Verratti off, Draxler on. We look to quicken the tempo with Draxler slotting in as a third CM, a new added threat with great vision, passing ability and a keen eye for goal.
75 mins: Bailey off, Zaha on. We switch to 4-2-2-2, with Eriksen and Zaha on the flanks whilst Aguero and Werner form a clinical strike partnership.
If losing:
55 mins: Verratti off, Draxler on. 4-3-3 with our wide players pushing further forward and Modric, Eriksen, Draxler forming a midfield trio.
65 mins: Alonso off, Sturridge on. We revert to 3-4-3 with Aguero, Werner and Sturridge up top as we go for goals, goals, goals.
————————Ter Stegen
Odriozola——Sule————Upamecano——Gaya
————Keita——Torreira——Milinkovic
——————Dybala———Lozano
——————————Kane
Subs: Pope, Rudiger, Rodri, McKennie, Harit, Brandt, Sancho
Captain: Marc Andre Ter Stegen
Penalties: Harry Kane
Free Kicks: Paulo Dybala/Lucas Torreira
Corners: Lucas Torreira
In possession, the aim is to create space between the lines. Our FBs will stay deep in build-up, hogging the touchline to stretch the Bournemouth press. Our Ams stay central to occupy a couple of their midfielders to give our midfield 3 more space. The CMs find the gaps to receive the ball and stabilise possession in the opposition half. Torreira drops towards the CBs to combine with the defence in short combinations, drawing the opposition forward, opening up space behind them. Sule and Upamecano have excellent passing ranges and will look to fire laser passes into the next lines.
Having 5 players centrally in midfield means that the opposition midfield has a lot of decisions to make on which runners to go with, often they’ll choose those closest to goal which leaves more room for our CMs. Keita and SMS have to use this to their advantage, bringing possession forward and drawing the high press of Bournemouth, before using their bursts to beat the press, or quickly moving the ball to a teammate in a better position to find the Ams in space.
Between the 5 we want to see strong positional play, creating triangles to overload the opposition and using third man runs to break the lines. Eg if a CM moves moved wide in behind the opposition winger, drawing his marker out of the middle, then one AM can drop into the vacated space and the other make a move behind the opposition FB (Usually Dybala to link and Lozano to run). Likewise, if Dybala drops deep to receive the ball between the lines in the half spaces, a CM can run off of him centrally and Lozano can attack the wing. Retain the structure in the attacks as the ball moves forward, if the one AM finds himself wide then the other will come into the half space and the CM will remain central. Kane occupies the CBs and keeps the opposition back line deep by positioning close the box, make sure the back line can’t step up and limit the space for the midfield to play in. In the final third he has more room to get involved with players closer to him, he will then have to use his movement in the box to get his goals, or drop deep/drift wide to draw the CBs apart and open space for runners. Dybala and Lozano will have a lot of freedom to orchestrate attacks, both can beat men and make good runs behind the opposition defence, both can drop deep and link, both can go wide and create.
Our narrow midfield means the opposition will have to defend more narrowly to stop space opening up for us, this means that the FBs are going to have freedom to join attacks from wide. They will run from deep where they are harder to pick up, and more difficult to defend than a static winger with his back to goal, drive down the line and get whipped balls into the forwards/ link with the midfielders.
When pressing/counter-pressing we set up with Dybala and Lozano pushed alongside Kane in a 4-3-3, with a narrow mid-block. Instead of harrying the CBs, we close the passing lanes to midfield and create the structural foundations to press anyone that looks to break our lines, taking advantage of having 6 players centrally. The two lines of 3 will form to compact triangles with Torreira and Kane ahead of their flanking players, keeping DM and CF, and RCM and RAM, LCM and LAM connected and close together. Kane blocks the passing lane to the DLP, with the AM’s blocking the easy route to midfield. We can set a trap, either bating their advanced CMs to drop back to pick up possession or forcing their possession into undesirable wide spaces.
If the CMs drop deeper, it allows us to take advantage of better structural organisation, with the ball side CM, AM and Torreira and Kane all well connected and ready to press the ball carrier from all sides, whilst using their cover shadows to block passing lanes, looking to force errors and win the ball back quickly. If the DLP gets the ball then Kane turns to press from behind, with Torreira already taking up an excellent position to be able to press quickly, with the 4 flanking players able to squeeze the centre quickly. Having Torreira positioned higher off the ball allows us to make use of his intelligence in breaking up play, knowing that he has the energy of Keita and Milinkovic covering him. We maintain this system in deeper blocks too.
We expect a large portion of their possession to have to go wide. From here we press in triangles using the close connections between the ball side CM and AM to defend the wide area together, cutting off the route back central, whilst Kane positions himself between the two Cbs so they can’t circulate the ball to the other side. As our press moves on to their FBs, Torreira and the far side CM shuffle across, with the far side AM dropping back in to create a line of 4 across the field, allowing us to maintain coverage of the centre, half spaces and far side so that if they do manage to beat the press, we have our midfield line there to slow them down.
The back 4 always maintains close compactness to the midfield, adding to the difficulties in playing through us, and moves across the field in conjunction with the rest of the team. Due to the well drilled midfield and forward lines, our FBs can maintain a strong defensive position off the ball, which means they can always be very quick into the wingers as soon as they shape to receive a pass, keeping them under pressure. Any longer balls or crosses are easy pickings for our CBs, with Sule marking the CF and Upamecano covering.
Subs:
If Winning: Rodri for Milinkovic 70’, Torreira plays LCM. Harit and Rudiger for Lozano and Odriozola 80’.
If Drawing: Brandt for Milinkovic 70’, 4-2-3-1. Sancho for Lozano 75’, looks to get at tiring defenders. McKennie for Torreira 80’, adds fresh legs in midfield and can drive us forward.
If Losing: Brandt and Sancho for Odriozola and Gaya 60’, 3-4-3, Torreira will drop back to CB, Sancho and Lozano on the flanks looking to push us higher up the field, Dybala and Brandt supporting Kane. Harit for Milinkovic 70’, more creative in midfield.
------------------------ Oblak -------------------------
Vrsaljko ----- Varane ----- Umtiti ----- A.Sandro
---------------------- Eric Dier -----------------------
--------------- Fabinho ---- P.Pogba ----------------
Mbappe ------------------------------------ B’deschi
------------------- Lewandowski ---------------------
Gunn, Henrichs, Kessie, Aouar, Belotti, Barrow, Neres
We want to play high tempo football, quick on the break and really pressurise the opposition with an in your face performance, we want to hit them quickly so we need to press them quickly to get the ball, when we defend we need a strong back 5/6, (the back four in a line to make it difficult to break through, we don't sit too deep and Dier, Fabinho & Pogba just in front harassing the man with the ball before they get to our back 4 and the front 3 in and around the half way line, Lewandowski slightly higher up, this will congest the midfield and stop them playing it through us, stop them coming forward from the back, however, if they do push forward onto us and we get the ball they will be on the back foot and will really struggle with our front 3/4 with Fullbacks who are always ready to pounce and hit them with pace and quick free flowing football
Umtiti and Varane at CB, Umtiti picks up the CF, Varane sits spare picking up a 2nd CF/AM if he gets away from Dier or Dier goes off, keep the forward(s) away from the danger area, by getting onto them quickly and be strong, take the ball away from them and play it away out of defence, look to get it out wide quickly when we retain possession, Both are very comfortable on the ball so can bring it out when in no danger and look for the pass longer to the wingers or Striker to hit them quickly with pace, to get us moving forward. Vrsaljko and Sandro at fullback, we must keep the wingers quiet, stop them and we stop a lot of there attacks. Both are perfect for this, They will look to keep them away from shooting areas and stop them becoming dangerous in any position by standing tall against them and keeping them on there 'bad' foot. When they attack an drive down the wing to support, only at a time as to not let ourselves be exposed, they drive down the line in support of the wingers, Sandro and Vrsaljko get outside Mbappe and Bernardeschi to allow him to cut inside. the two always make themselves available to the wingers. I want both Varane and Dier to go up for corners, with the fullbacks and Umtiti sitting back.
In the centre of the pitch are Dier, Fabinho and Pogba, Dier our main defensive player sitting just in front of Umtiti and Varane he will shadow there AM and not allow him to control the game, Fabinho their to lend a hand to stop them coming through. Dier must be aware of all that is around him, be in the right place at the right time and look to cover for defensive players moving forward, he has to impose himself early on the AM to make him wary of holding onto the ball too long, once on the ball look around, head up and pick the pass that will get us moving forward quickly, can be out to the fullbacks or indeed a longer ball to the front three to take the opposition out of it as they are still high up the pitch. Fabinho's role is to assist Dier but slightly higher up the pitch, he will stop the run of play quicker to make our defenders jobs a lot easier, make our midfield very difficult to pass through, protect our defence as best as possible and again in possession get it to our more creative players up front, keep it simple. Can move forward to assist and look for balls coming out so he can either, shoot or whip straight back in.
Pogba is our central creator, not everything will go through him, but he is essential to our style of play, he is the link between defence and attack, as we break quickly he will look to set up our front three. At times he will drop deeper to pick up the ball get his head up and see who is in the best position to receive the ball and that's where he will put it, he will follow his pass and make up the numbers up front. When he doesn't drop deep i.e when the defenders go long, he will look to form a front four as they move around and look to tear the defence apart.
Our wingers are extremely quick, when we don't have the ball they drop back a bit to make up the numbers as they attack, push into the faces of the opposition to force them into mistakes and hopefully in the end they lose the ball, when they do lose the ball we charge at them and we do it quickly, either a long ball over defenders, go through Pogba or indeed out to one of our attacking fullbacks.however, the movement up front between Bernardeschi and Mbappe will cause them problems as they switch around at times, will see us make their defenders move out of position to follow their player, thus allowing Pogba to pick his moment to move into space either as a 10 or out wide. If he does push wide this will allow Mbappe/Bernardeschi to go in central as we will have an attacking fullback up and supporting. Quick passing in triangles that will get us in and beyond their defenders and eventually to Lewandowski who has the power and ability to beat any defender and the other winger who will look to get into space to get a shot off, if there defence is on top then we can always go direct at times and fire early crosses especially from deep from the fullbacks into Lewandowski right on top of the young goalkeeper to put a lot of pressure on him, we must always make sure he is well supported, if he cant get the shot away he will be looking to bring others into the game.
Captain - Varane
Pens - Lewandowski
Corners - Wingers
Free Kicks - Pogba
Subs -
Losing -
65 Mins - D.Neres for Bernardeschi, fresh pace and trickery
75 Mins - Dier move to CB and Belotti for Sandro, Barrow for Vrsaljko 343 attacking Dier the man marker at the back
Winning -
70 Mins - Kessie for Dier, Fabinho to DM and Kessie into Fabinho's role
80 Mins - Henrichs for Mbappe to help down the right
86 Mins - Belotti for Lewandowski
Drawing -
70 Mins Aouar for Dier, Fabinho to DM and Aouar to a more attacking midfield role
80 Mins - Neres for Bernardeschi
Balanced 4-2-3-1
We setup with a strong defensive platform, hitting Pompey with quick pacey attacks as we go direct and down the wings when attacking. We go with two strong defensive midfielders in front of the defence, looking to give the defence strong cover and give the attacking players more freedom to break forward quickly.
Seamless interchanging of positions in attack, and relentless pressing from our midfield in when defending the final third. Attacking down the wings, with Carvajal or Marcelo bombing forward on the overlap one at a time, giving the attacking midfielders real freedom in attack.
We defend with 10 men behind the ball and relatively deep, not allowing any space in behind for Auba to use his pace. The two strong dms, help to ensure there is no space in front of the defence for kdb or Griezzman to operate. The attacking midfield trio come deep to get behind the ball and ensure there is no space, picking up runners from deep. Ensuring there is no space and that we outnumber them significantly. When we win the ball we break quickly.
In attack we use the pace and quick link up play of our AMs, target Pompey out wide. We always leave one fb back, the other bombs forward. Sane on the right, a natural right footer looks to use his pace and the oppositions lack of a left footed cb to go down the outside and drive behind. If 3 cbs, press the lcb, force a mistake.
Hummels adds a great ability to read the play which we feel is perfect next to Ramos who loves to get stuck in, and the attacking full backs. Allow the opposition to have the ball in their own half. Doucoure will play in a box to box role next to Casmiro, strong defensively but also adding power to our attack when we can break.
We look to play out quickly from the back. The attacking trio look to find space as soon as we win the ball. Sane always looks to play as wide as possible on the right, stretch the opposition and create space for Doucoure, Coutinho and Hazard inside. Hazard has more freedom on the left, play his natural game while Coutinho always looks for space in between the opposition defence and attack.
------------------ Neuer
Carvajal - Ramos - Hummels - Marcelo
--------- Casemiro - Doucoure
L.Sane -------- Coutinho ------- Hazard
---------------- C.Ronaldo
Subs. Pereira, Alexander Arnold, Partey, Gundogan, Lopes, Geubbels, D.Costa
We defend in a 4-2-3-1 formation. We defend with a relatively deep line, not allowing Auba space behind. Control the opposition by pressing the space with a narrow, compact rigid defensive unit, so that KdB and Griezzman can't find space. Or if they play wide players then they wont find space in the areas they like to when coming inside. When we lose the ball the closest midfielder presses the ball, the second closest presses the obvious passing channel. Allowing others to get deep and into shape. Looking to stop or slow any counter attacks.
The cbs keep next to each other and don't get sucked out of their line letting the dms deal with forwards that drop deep. Keep the line. Ramos the cb marking their most advanced forward. Hummels the cb that looks to sweep up, he will work with Casemiro to ensure that their second most advanced attacker (Griezzman likely) is always picked up. With these two under lock and key, Casemiro again will then work with Doucoure to keep KdB quiet. This means there is always one free to press any deep runners from deep.
Coutinho will look to hold the space in front of the two dms to stop any passing lanes here and ensure there is no space for players from deep to break into, simply being in the right place. Sane has a great work ethic and so we expect him to really help Carvajal out. If he's picking up an attacking wb, this should allow Carvajal to be more zonal, and be in a position where he can help Sane/cbs if they do get in behind. On the other side Marcelo deals with their most attacking wide player. If they play wide players Casemiro holds a central position picking up the AM, and Doucoure is ball side of him helping the fb and winger to defend against their threat as the wide players they could play like to come inside anyway.
Hazard and Coutinho focus on dropping deep and being in the right positions to block passing lanes and ensure there is no space for the opposition to work in.
Leave no space for them in between the lines, make it difficult for them to create, if they beat a man, they'll run into another. Casemiro presses the space in front of our cbs, sweeping up danger in front of the defence when it gets through, Doucoure goal side of Casemiro pressing the ball.
Defenders marshalling the team in a tight formation narrowing to the side of play, ensuring there are no gaps in the formation.
Attack
Centre backs play out, they have the option to go long or have the fbs, Casemiro and Doucoure offering options. One of the full backs look to drive forward and link with the wide men and midfielders.
Coutinho and Hazard will always be looking for space in between their midfield and defence. We want quick one twos in the opposition half, using our wingers to get in behind and link with Ronaldo.
Ronaldo has freedom to play his natural game and get the goals.
Subs. If winning or drawing after 70 mins bring on Partey for Doucoure. Fresh injection of pace and power.
If winning or drawing after 75 mins bring on D.Costa for Ronaldo. Fresh power to inject up top and help us push forward when attacking.
If winning after 80 mins bring on Guebbels. Pure pace and power to help us get at space Pompey leave when they push for a goal.
If losing after 60 mins bring on D.Costa for Sane. 4-2-2-2. Both fbs attacking.
If losing after 70 mins bring on Gundogan for Doucoure.
If losing after 75 mins bring on Trent Alexander for Carvajal. Fresh pace and great crossing ability for the front two.
Hull City vs MANCHESTER CITY
Line Up:
--------------------------Rico--------------------------
Pereira--------Lindelof----Romagnoli--------Jorge
------------------------Witsel-------------------------
--------------Fred---------------Rafinha-------------
Willian---------------Fekir----------------Oyarzabal
Captain: Romagnoli
Penalties: Fekir
Direct Free Kicks: Willian
Indirect Free Kicks: Rafinha
Corners: Oyarzabal
Substitutes: Dragowski; Caricol; Zagadou; A.Pereira; Golovin; Gelson; Correa
Game Plan:
We will start in a 4-3-3 formation, dropping back to 4-5-1 in defence, in order to reinforce the midfield out of possession. Axel Witsel plays as a holding midfielder, flanked by Fred and Rafinha, while Willian and Oyarzabal operated down the wings and Fekir holds the False 9 position. All 3 front men can play across the pitch and will be encouraged to swap positions to keep defenders guessing.
The main objective of the frontline is to force the Hull GK to look for direct balls up to the forwards, where our large back four are set up to control any aerial threat. If the goalkeeper does try to go short to his centre-backs, we will them towards the central channel, while blocking the passing lanes to the either the holding midfielder or CM partnership. Our central forward player is key here, as he will constantly be closing the passing lanes through the middle.
We will prevent the Hull midfielders from linking up with their forwards, forcing them to play backwards and then piling the pressure on the player in possession. Fred and Witsel stand out in particular here, organising the defensive effort and ensuring Hull cannot establish a dominance in the centre of the pitch.
Should Hull launch an attack, the aim is to remain tight in the defensive third - the two wing forwards will drop into midfield to cover any overlapping runs made by the Hull full backs, and we will completely crowd the central channel of the pitch; this will force Hull to either make their play down the flanks against 2 athletic defenders, or play backwards where our forward will be waiting to press and intercept.
We will be lethal on the counter-attack. The speed of the first wave of our breaks will ensure they escape concerted pressure from Hull. Our attackers surge forwards, positioning themselves in behind the line of pressure ahead of the ball, thus providing the player who won the ball plenty of possession. Fred will be the standout player in these situations; with an impressive understanding of when and where to attack the free space both with and without the ball.
We will vary our approach in attack, alternating between direct play and passing through the thirds. Rico will often look to move the ball into the opposition half as quickly as possible, while the midfield has plenty of strength, aggression, and attacking intent in the middle of the park, constantly seeking to exploit any gaps in behind their opposing midfielders. Fred has the ability to make particularly good use of the space on the inside, projecting his side forwards in attack where they will outnumber the Hull defensive midfield area. Moreover, having Rafinha in the midfield will add another dimension to our attack, as his dribbling through the centre of the pitch can draw players out of position and open up space for our attackers to run into. In addition to this, his technical prowess at feeding through-balls in tight spaces will create numerous chances for our forwards to put away.
In the attacking phase, we will opt for combination play, swapping between short passes to lure the Hull defenders into the opposition half and more ambitious passes through the thirds. Our high tempo will disrupt our opponents, both in midfield and in the final third. The pace and movement of our forwards will cause chaos for the Hull midfielders, who will be put under severe pressure to attempt to protect their midfield against the pace and direct nature of our attack. We will put our opponents under constant pressure, with our dangerous front three of Willian, Fekir and Oyarzabal forcing their way in behind their full-backs and posing constant problems for the centre-backs. At the same time, our full backs have the athleticism and talent to get up the pitch along the byline and drill in low, hard crosses that will cause panic among the defenders.
As a collective, we are well balanced. In the final third we will locate our biggest threats in prime positions, where they will cause constant uncertainty in the last line of defence. Oyarzabal, Fekir and Willian will regularly find openings with their pace and direct play, successfully exploiting the space in between the centre-backs and the full-backs alongside them.
In the defensive transition, we will re-organise quickly and effectively after losing the ball, Rafinha and Fred leading the way in swarming around the man in possession, with both being used to implementing a high pressing system, with Axel Witsel adept at covering the inside lanes and intercepting play. We will prevent Hull from outnumbering us in this phase of the game, reducing the threat of the counter-attack.
Substitutes:
45 MINUTES (If winning, save this change for the 60th minute, otherwise :-
Angel Correa comes on for Oyarzabal - Correa favours the central areas and will be more aggressive. Giving the Wolves centre backs cause for concern and freeing up space for Willian and Fekir. Correa's pressing ability, too, will spell bad news for Wolves.
60 MINUTES (If winning, save this change for the 70th minute, otherwise :-
If drawing: Aleksandr Golovin for Fred - Both players have a fairly similar playing style. Golovin plays with intensity and will re-invigorate the pressing process in the centre of the park, while quickly changing defence to attack with mazy runs and incise passes.
70 MINUTES :-
Gelson Martins for Willian - Gelson can play on the left and look to cut in, both freeing space for Jorge to occupy, and allowing Fekir to play on the right where he is such a creative menace, Martins will be looking to use his pace and dribbling prowess to cut holes in the Hull defence late in the game. He will look to pass before shooting, generating chances for Fekir and Correa to bury.
BRUM vs Arsenal
---------------------------------Lafont--------------------------------
Hysaj------------Diop---------------Stones---------------Dalot
----------------------------------Ndidi--------------------------------------
-----------------Hamsik----------------Kondogbia---------------------
Under-------------------------------------------------------------Kluivert
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------Higuain------------------------------------------
Subs - Lunin, Mukiele, Fabian Ruiz, I Sarr, Chiesa, Robben, Benzema
CAPTAIN - HAMSIK
CK'S - HAMSIK
FK'S - KLUIVERT
PENALTIES - HIGUAIN
A good win to start the season last week and we want to continue it against an Arsenal side missing their key defender Kompany. We will focus on wing play by using our pacy wingers to create chances to score. Arsenal have some dangerous wingers in Costa and Malcom but if we defend well we should limit their danger with Ndidi helping our fullbacks double up against them. Arsenal are not the strongest defensively so I want my wingers to get at the oppo fullbacks.
I want us to hold a deep defensive line to start of with so the oppo dont get an early goal. Keep things simple in the beginning and only pressure the oppo when they get in our half. When we have the ball I want the team to play pass and move football. Don't stay static, try and get in behind the oppo defence as there is a lot of pace in our attacking players. As the game goes on, when we don't have the ball I want the team to defend from the front line and pressure the oppo and try and win possession back. Do this in fits and bursts as it is a tiring tactic.
Defence
Lafont is a quality young keeper. Don't take risks. Punch the ball away if the shot is too powerful. Command your area. The defence is well balanced. Stones and Diop bring a whole lot of experience and pace to the defence. Stones will use his experience to marshal the defence and Diop will look to use his pace to close the oppo strikers down. Stay vocal with each other and cover for each other if oppo gets past one of you. Full backs will start of with a conservative mind set and not attack too much but as the game goes on I want them to make overlapping runs and get some crosses in to the box. Ndidi and Kondogbia will be covering for them when they go attacking.
Defence Mid
Ndidi
Ndidi will be the anchor in the middle. Stay back in front of the defence and protect the defence with your life. If the oppo play an AM then stick close to him and mark him if possible. When our fullbacks are attacking then your main priority will be to cover for them. When in possession pass the ball out to the wings or play a through ball from deep to our wingers.
Centre Mids
Kondogbia + Hamsik
Kondogbia will play more as a b2b mid but will be able to help both in attack and defence as he has a lot of stamina. He will be making run's forward and helping our attackers with quick passes and penetrating runs from deep. Hamsik will be playing CM on paper but his main role will be to help in attack. When not in possession of the ball Hamsik will look to close down the oppo DM's and win the ball off them. No need to stay too deep as Kondogbia and Ndidi are adequate cover in the middle. When attacking I want Hamsik to make runs into the oppo box and bring others into the game. Play 1 2's with the wingers and create space for yourself and your teammates. Shoot if you see an opening at goal.
Wingers
Under + Kluivert
These 2 will be the focal point of my attack. They are 2 young and hungry players and I want to give them the freedom to express themselves in attack. Kluivert will be looking to cut in from the right and Under likewise onto his left. I want you both to try and beat the oppo fullbacks with your pace and dribbling ability but don't try too hard as if you see them doubling up on you you can either pass back or into the centre of the pitch to one of our CM's. I want you both to be aware of our fullbacks and play pass and move 1 2's with them to try and penetrate the oppo back line. Hysaj and Dalot are no slouches attacking wise so use them! If you can cut in onto your stronger foot, don't be afraid to shoot from range as you both have the ability to score from long range. If there is no space to do so then take the ball to the byline and whip in crosses for Higuain to get his head on. When we are defending corners I want both of them to stay near the halfway line so we can hit the oppo on the counter attack.
Striker
Gonzalo Higuain
Higuain will look to use his strength to get the better of the oppo defence. Be vary of crosses into the box as you are decent in the air, and if you are through on goal, use your expert finishing to score. Time your runs off the shoulders of the oppo CB's and hold the ball up for Kluiver/Under to make infield runs ahead of you.
Subs if LOSING BY 65MINS
Put on Benzema for Kondogbia, Robben for Under and Chiesa for Hamsik to bring some more pace on. Play a high line and try and get a goal. Change formation to 41212.
--------------------------------Lafont--------------------------------
Hysaj-------------Diop-----------Stones------------Dalot
-------------------------------Ndidi------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Robben----------------------------------------------------------Kluivert
-------------------------------Chiesa------------------------------------
----------------Benzema-----------Higuain--------------------------
Subs if WINNING BY 80MINS
Take off Hamsik and put on Mukiele in CB and play defensive with everyone in our own half defending for their lives, waiting to hit the oppo on the counter attack. Sarr on for Kluivert and Chiesa for Under.
-------------------------------Lafont--------------------------------
Hysaj-------Mukiele------Diop--------Stones-------Dalot
---------------------Ndidi--------Kondogbia----------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------Chiesa-----------------------------------------Sarr---------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------Higuain----------------------------------------
Subs if DRAWING BY 65MINS
Robben on for Under
Fabian on for Hamsik
Benzema on for Higuain
Fresh legs to bring on.
------------------------- Ederson
-------- Van Dijk ------ Javi.M ------- Koulibaly
K.Walker ----- Busquets ----- Tolisso -------- B.Mendy
---------------- De Bruyne -- Griezmann
---------------------- Aubameyang
Subs: Butland, Pavard, Otamendi, Bentancur, Lemar, Mahrez, Jesus
First and foremost we need to be solid defensively today, aware of the threat they pose up top and pace in behind so we drop deep and look to contain when their on the ball, allow them possession in their defensive half where they can't hurt us but pack midfield and defensive areas with bodies whilst keeping a rigid structure throughout.
FB's are less adventourous when attacking today, one generally sits deeper. We use their pace to track their forwards looking to get their foot in when they're wide and isolated down the flanks using our 3 CB's for additional support, Mendy then given more freedom then Walker to attack the space left by Marcelo when he gets forward today.
Up top look to keep it simple, no risks of over playing but generally mixing it up as we dont want to be too predictable, a quick counter attacking overload from deep will be key especially in wider areas with Walker and Mendy's pace, front 3 burst forward and hit our opponents hard when they over commit.
At times going long ball as we feel our forwards are more of a match for their defence. Auba look to stay on his toes looking to occupy their CB's in behind and creating space in the final third for the two in behind, look to target Hummels as he is frightened of pace, commits very early so look to turn him with that change of pace and expose the channels.
Tolisso comes into the side in mf, gives us more of a dynamic box to box midfielder alongside Busquets who will look to be his usual self and keep things ticking over. Tolisso look to be more of the ball carrier looking to inject urgency when required and creating that extra bit of space.
When the ball is played to Casemiro, we need to get on him early like a fly to sh*t. a top dm but struggles when pressed so look to target him.
Hardworking and great work ethic throughout , we may not be pleasing on the eye today but our sights are set on getting the job done, simply staying solid defensively and taking our chances when they arise.
3-4-1-2 - On the ball:
It starts from the back. Ederson is very able with his hands and feet and should look to find our players in space.
The CB trio are excellent on the ball, very good passing success rates and should look to move the ball into mf quickly. At times collecting short from Ederson and getting their heads up, looking for movement from the attackers and attempting diagonal or long balls into feet, so we can can counter at pace and bypass their mf press.
Van Dijk & Koulibaly should shift slightly wider when on the offense allowing our wing-backs to push up in a bank of 4 in mf.
Busquets and Tolisso, a midfield pair that will provide plenty of energy and will work their socks off for the side to allow others around them to express themselves. They should look to stamp their authority with their work rate and power looking to take a grip on mf and shielding our defence, oppressing the opposition midfielders and covering every blade of grass out there.
When attacking, Javi.M sits just infront of the defence and makes himself available for a pass back. A passing outlet if we are being vigorously pressed whilst also allowing us to create space when working the ball around in triangles, also prevent counter attacks.
De Bruyne + Griezmann will look to play more the AM role and inbetween the lines, roaming in the oppositions half and looking to act as the links between midfield and attack. Picking up pockets of space and using their awareness to dictate the play, running at their backline and using quick pace and incisiveness to commit defenders on the break.
Flanks will be key as we look to expose them in wide areas and create space in midfield.
Two quick & skilful WG-backs in Walker and B.Mendy, need to hug the touchline and provide the width allowing us to stretch the opposition. Always on the move so we can get them in behind and use them as outlets going forward when picking a pass.
Very possession orientated, comfortable playing quick 1-2's and accelerating into space, overlapping often and getting early deliveries into the box for our strikers to attack.
When Leicester are in possession we will sit deep as a unit with 10 men behind the ball ensuring their is no space left in behind.
We form a rigid structure looking to press the space and dropping off with men behind the ball, only allowing them to play where we want them too, stifle the midfield and stop them from picking their passes into a forward attacker.
Essentially a 3-5-2, 5 in mf working to minimise the space in midfield zones and preventing them from finding their attackers. Our wing-backs then drop off to mark the oppositions wingers and help our CB's to prevent any space being left in behind.
Key is leaving no gaps or space to get in behind, working as a staunch unit so their quick attackers have to come deeper to get involved making their first point of contact with the ball much deeper than they anticipated and notably further away from our final third.
When we have them deep we have more to work with, we can plug at them and tactically foul in areas that will prevent them from playing with any flow, breaking up the game and frustrating the oppoistion.
If we manage to win the ball we must immediately look to counter and hit the opposition hard. Walker & Mendy can come up to support the play and provide the width. The front 3 burst forward.
Subs:
IF WINNING: 70th minute – (3-5-2)
- Bentancur > Tolisso
- G.Jesus > Aubameyang
- Pavard > Javi.M (84th min)
Compact 3-5-2, we get fresh legs on and keep things solid, Jesus used as an outlet to surge forward when possible
IF DRAW: 70th minute – (3-4-3)
- Bentancur > Tolisso
- Lemar > KDB
- Mahrez > Auba (75th min)
3-4-3, stretch the play and look to play more in wider areas at this stage where we think Leicester are most susceptible to being exposed.
IF LOSING: 77th minute – (4-4-2 - direct)
- G.Jesus > Javi.M
- Mahrez > Tolisso
- Lemar > Griezmann
4-4-2, direct. long balls into the box and constantly looking for the two strikers.
Flood forward and look for an equalizer/winner.
C - Javi.M
FK's - De Bruyne / Griezmann
Corners - De Bruyne
Pens – Griezmann
Sorry forgot Lemar and Bentacur injured so change to Mertens and Can on subs and substitutions like for like
Villa vs Spurs: 3-4-3 (NARROW)
Injuries:
Pezzella
Keane
Lallana
Vardy
Matuidi
Luiz (suspended)
……………………………………De Gea…………………………
……………….De Vrij………….Bonucci…………Chiellini
Bellerin………………Vidal…………..Neves………………Max
…………………….Icardi…Morata….Rashford………….
Subs: Forster, Cahill, Sidibe, Gagliardini, Iniesta, Adama, El Shaarawy
Spurs are a strong outfit and will be a good test, but one in which we feel we have a good chance of passing. Changed the system today, yes it’s narrow certainly up front but that’s a strength not a weakness.
Last week we went with a possession heavy set-up and whilst we did ok we still lost, this week is less about possession but more about quick direct attacking football. We want those long diagonals being hit, turn the Spurs defence and get in on goal. I want us hitting them at pace throughout the game, proper in your face football.
Spurs are blessed with pacey wingers and in Aguero they have a proper match winner, Max and Bellerin are no slouches they’ll look to show their men the line and force the cross, as good as Aguero is in the air, he’ll be up against it with our back three.
De Gea is for me the best keeper in the world, his shot stopping is second to none and he doesn’t seem to get so physically roughed up anymore, will command his box – but the 3 in front of him know their business as good as any. With the ball, any of our back five are an option, or he can go long and direct.
The Back Three:
two thirds of the best defence put together in Italy for the best of a decade with De Vrij alongside them is about as solid as you’ll find anywhere, all are big strong specimens, not the quickest of defences so they’ll sit deep and hold the 18 yard line, let spurs try and draw us out. In possession RCB and LCB will hit those diagonals to Morata, he’ll flick it on or bring it down…we go from back to front in 5 seconds – we’ll kill them on the counter…..once they’ve been stung they’ll be more wary about committing so we need to be clinical. Defensively they won’t be drawn out. They’re drilled enough to hold position…Bonucci silences Aguero, whilst Chiellini and De Vrij sweep and keep an eye out for runners from midfield – they won’t go wide, if our wing backs can’t stop the cross they’ll deal with the ball in the box, no point being caught in no mans land.
Bellerin and Max – both given licence to get forward, Bellerins pace is enough to keep Spurs LB pegged back, as no-one can afford to give him a headstart. The real threat come from the left, Max assists in big numbers – he’s got 3 strikers to aim at, could be a good afternoon for the German.
The Pivot:
Neves is the DM, great range of passing and the tenacity to get stuck in and put a foot in, will be some player this kid, he’s a real baller, with him sitting infront of the defence playing QB, dictating the tempo and spreading the ball about as well as pinging the balls over the top. The bonus is once play breaks down he’s already in situ to defend in the spaces that Eriksen is so good at operating in.
Vidal is the muscle in the engine room, such a beast…he’s assigned one major task today and that’s sit on former teammate, Gail Platt…wherever he goes be on his toes, don’t let him settle in to the game – we know tab is a fan of a 3 man midfield, no idea who the 3rd spoke is but we figure that with Eriksen and Modric marked, he’ll have to go long and our defence can deal with that.
So basically Neves deep lying playmaker and Vidal box to box destroyer.
The Trident:
Nice and narrow, but rather than stepping on each other’s toes I think they complement each other nicely.
Morata – big strong and physical, good in the buildup with quick feet, we want him positioning himself between the two centre-backs but slightly in front, his primary tasks are to either bring the ball down and lay it off or flick it on to the other two, by playing just infront of the defence he can win us some pretty cheap free kicks just by being climbed on. Anything into the box he can attack goal bound.
Icardi – has a much better work ethic than given credit for, scores in huge numbers, we want him operating in the gaps between RCB and RB, will get loads of service from the flanks or flick on’s just be on his toes and ready to pounce.
Rashford – bags of pace and can finish, where as Icardi operates in the spaces we want Rashford coming inside so running on beyond Morata and causing confusion as to which defender takes which striker, hopefully creating a bit more space for Max to whip a ball in.
Defensively:
their keeper has the ball
Morata will sit between the centre halves, taking both out of the game for a short kick
Rashford and Icardi will drift wide marking their FB’s forcing the keeper to go long.
Without the ball:
Morata will stay splitting their CB’s giving us an out ball and target man, whilst Rashford and Icardi will drop to the halfway line, closing off the passing lines that Spurs will look to exploit.
Subs 70 Mins:
El Sha > Rashford
Adama > Morata (Icardi goes central)
Iniesta > Neves
--------------------Buffon
Clyne---Sokratis---Vertonghen---F.Luis
------------------Locatelli
------------Rabiot-------Kovacic
Mkhitaryan---------------------------Sterling
------------------Lacazette
Subs
Uzoho, Retsos, Grimaldo, Brozovic, Henderson, Gameiro, Inaki
Buffon is a commanding presence at the back, when he calls for a ball, the defence know he will take control, they have complete confidence in each other and stops those little split second doubts which could lead to a chance. When he has the ball he will look to offload quickly in the direction of the front 3 to get those quick counters started.
Verthongen is the defensive leader and will be the one to set the defensive line on the pitch, both centre backs will stay back with either one of the full backs or the DM always prepared to make it a back 3 when we lose possession to stop counter attacks, Both CB"s will communicate with each other so they are clear in where the attacking threats are. When dealing with the opposition, we will avoid slide tackles unless necessary instead looking to just guide players off the ball. When on the ball, if the opposition are giving them space to come out with the ball, then they should take it forward, if not, keep it simple with the occasional long ball to the front 3 thrown in to keep the opposition from setting up against one style of play.
For the full backs today the objective is to sit back and tuck in slightly when defending, looking to stop balls being played between them and the centre backs, with the secondary advantage of discouraging the wide men from cutting inside, forcing them to cross, which gives us a better chance of getting the ball back quickly and launching an attack of our own.
Their objective when attacking will be to keep making runs past the winger on both the inside and outside, giving the opposition full back that split second of indecision on who they go with. They will only occasionally put floated crosses in, preferring to either play shorter passes to the wingers or players who have come out from the middle of the pitch to keep possession and let the pressure build up in the final third, or run to the byline and put in fast and low crosses relying on both the faster reactions and control of our attackers and the pressure of the situation on their centre backs to hastily clear the ball without being in full control of the situation.
The focus of the midfield 3 will be to use their high energy, all action styles to get themselves around the middle of the pitch, working in collaboration with the front 3 to control the midfield battle whilst still having the attacking nous to create chances for us. When we are in the attacking third, they will always be looking to make themselves available for a pass to keep recycling the ball, keeping the pressure up with us looking to use the movement of the other CM's and the front 3 to drag the opposition defensive players that little bit more which could be the difference in getting a player behind them. They also all have an eye for a pass so will look to take advantage of the front 3 all flitting around and play them in with through balls and quick one touch play. We will also occasionally take the occasional long shot, with the aim being to make sure defenders aren't content to sit back and forcing them to make a decision. When defending, they are looking to press the middle third of the pitch, pressing the opposition CMs/Wingers in conjunction with other players as they are on the ball to rush their decisions and win the ball back.
Both wingers today will be looking will be to drift around when deeper players are in possession, looking to combine with the other attacking players to get little areas of space before using their pace and trickery respectively to drift between the CB and FB and get in behind them. When they are on the ball the emphasis will be more on cutting inside with the occasional long shot to test the keeper, and only occasionally putting in crosses, getting involved in a fast intricate style of passing with the centre mids and Lacazette, looking to create the passing triangles which will just take players out of the game. They should also look to run at players as they will be cautious not to give away a set piece due to the ability of our set piece takers. When the opposite winger has the ball, the one without the ball should look to find space between the CB and FB to add an extra body in the box. When defending, they should be stopping the passing lines to the full backs primarily, then focus on ensuring our full backs dont get outnumbered.
When Lacazette is attacking, he will look to constantly drift around the defenders looking to get himself a bit of space enough for him to get the ball and pass it along to another attacker or face up the defenders and take them on. When running onto a ball, He will also be looking to use his reactions to get ahead of the defender and then use his strength to cut in front of the defender, causing them to either stop their forward momentum completely, or make the foul.
When defending, he will be working with the wingers to cut off the passing lines for their CB's, forcing them or the keeper to launch it long, then using his tireless energy reserves to work back and press their centre mids.
Set Pieces
Corners - Kovacic takes the corners, most of the time looking to have the ball at an attackable height around 8-10 yards out between the posts, the FB's stay back to prevent counters, the CB's and Lacazette work in a group to make little blocks and cross-runs to lose a marker so 1 or 2 can get a run at the ball, Mkhi and Sterling flit around away from the main attacking group looking to pounce on mistimed touches and flicks around the area. Locatelli looks to limit the opposition keeper from moving too far off his line, looking to take a defender with him to create less space for the keeper and one less man in the main action area. Rabiot takes a position just outside the box to pick up weak clearances and go for the odd thundercunt, as well as occasionally providing the short option to draw defenders out of the box.
Free Kicks - Mkhi takes Direct FK's
For Indirect FK's, same instructions as Corners
Penalties - Lacazette is the designated taker.
Subs
If Winning
70 mins - Inaki for Mkhi - The wingers tuck back, but look to get out quickly and counter if the opposition over-commit for a route back into the game.
82 + 86 Mins - Henderson for Kovacic and Gameiro for Lacazette - Actively time waste and really frustrate the opposition.
If Drawing
70 Mins - Henderson for Locatelli - Add a bit more urgency into attacks, show the opposition we are going for the win.
If Losing
67 Mins - Gameiro, Retsos and Inaki for Locatelli, Luis and Clyne - switch to a 3-5-2 with emphasis on the wings backs acting as wingers and just pile forward in numbers.
--------------------Lloris
Danilo---Manolas---Sane---Rodriguez
-----------Goretzka---Herrera
Malcom--------Aspas---------Costa
------------------Cavani
Pickford, Llorente, Maitland-Niles, Ramsey, Foden, Tadic, Wood
A change of formation and a change of pace for today’s game. I have reverted to a 4-2-3-1, but without a conventional number 10 sitting in behind Edinson Cavani. Today I intend to play a counter attacking game, given the pace that I believe we posses on the break, utilising our wide men and Aspas to hit the opposition with devastating effect. The system I have in place requires great discipline from the players I have picked today. For the counter attack to work then everyone needs to be on their game and know how to play.
Defensively I have picked Salif Sane to step in for the injured Kompany, which I see as a move away from a ball playing defender and towards a more rough and physical presence. This is what I want from Sane. Him and Manolas will work as a defensive unit, with Salif challenging for aerial balls and being strong in the tackle, pushing forward to support the press, whilst Manolas covers the space in behind him. Both will pick up the ball and look to distribute it long, knocking balls over the top down the line for wingers, or into the head or chest of Cavani. Should they be under pressure then balls should be made available to their respective full back or one of the deep lying centre mids. I do not want either spending too much time on the ball as that invites pressure.
Danilo and Rodriguez will be playing a more muted role today. I won’t be demanding them to energetically get themselves up and down the line, but I will be looking for them to play the ball out from the back, and make themselves available for switches of play. They will be allowed to get forward and overlap, but only ever one at a time so that we don’t get caught out defensively with too much space in behind. These overlapping runs will provide extra men forward on the counter, and allow their respective winger to cut inside and try to get in the penalty area. Not committing them both forward should make it easier defensively, and both have the space and energy to get back and make covering runs, and if not then we will have two deep lying midfielders covering them.
Herrera and Goretzka, like Sane and Manolas, will work as a unit in the middle for me today. Neither will be given much license to get forward, save for at free kicks and corners, and will instead sit deep and shield the defence. Herrera will act as a wild dog in midfield, pressing and harassing the opposition into losing possession in the middle of the pitch. When he presses forward then Goretzka will cover the space in behind him, and vice versa should it be Goretzka that pushes forward to try and win possession. When on the ball we will keep them sitting just in front of the defence, but with them looking to play defence splitting passes over the top to our pacy wingers.
Iago Aspas plays a shadow striker role today, operating in a role where he sits back, before making runs from deep beyond Cavani in support of the wide players. He will stay forward when defending corners, and will stay up with Cavani when the opposition move forward. Aspas will spend most of the game looking to challenge for and win the second balls that drop off Cavani. I think that, by trying to get in behind and adding another body in the box, we can cause havoc for the Birmingham defence.
In Malcom and Costa we have two wide men that can stretch the opposition, whilst also utilising their pace to get in behind the Brum defence. When they have the ball they will be direct, either carrying the ball down the line before whipping a ball in for Cavani or drilling it low for Aspas, or charging at the opposition centre backs, creating space for the two strikers that we are playing. When off the ball they will aim to pull the opposition defence out of position, again to create some space in behind. When the opposition have the ball, I expect them to drop back mid way into our half, marking the space, and allowing them to contribute to quick counter attacks.
It may seem that Edinson Cavani may have a muted role due to the reliance on counter attacks and pace that I have stressed thus far in my tactics, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. I intend for Cavani to be the focus of our attacks, with Costa, Malcom and Aspas running off him. Cavani will use his physical presence to win aerial balls, which will set up the movement from the other players that I just mentioned. He will of course, still be allowed to get in the box, as he poses such an aerial threat, as well as one on the ground. When they have the ball I expect him to harry and press at the back, forcing errors from the defenders.
Substitutions
If winning
Iago Aspas off for Aaron Ramsey 65 mins
Taking off the shadow striker for a deeper lying CM. Ramsey will drop back and we will revert to a 4-3-3 system. Herrera will play at the heart, with Ramsey and Goretzka either side of him. They will still look to play balls over the top out wide, and Goretzka will be allowed to play a box to box role, so he still contributes going forward and gets into the box.
Malcom off for Dusan Tadic 75 mins
Tadic may not be an obvious change at this time, but I expect him to come on and slow down the pace of the game, picking up the ball and whipping in crosses for Cavani. He will also look to hold the ball out wide, as we intend to retain possession for the last few minutes of the game whilst we lead.
Ricardo Rodriguez off for Ainsley Maitland-Niles 80 mins
A change to the defence, but fresh legs for the last ten minutes, when Birmingham will probably be throwing the kitchen sink at us. AMN is strong and quick, allowing us a bit more pace to cover down that side.
If losing/drawing
Ander Herrera off for Phil Foden 70 mins
An attacking midfielder on for our dogged midfielder. Foden will play a different role to Herrera, whilst playing mainly deeper than he is maybe accustomed to. We will try to get him on the ball, so that he can drive forward with it and play incisive and dangerous passes. He is our wild card.
Diego Llorente and Chris Wood on for Danilo and Riccardo Rodriguez 80 mins
A change of formation as we chase the points. We will be going 3-2-3-2, with Aspas, Malcom and Costa all playing off Wood and Cavani who will utilise their physicality to try and create space and cause problems in the box. Goretzka will sit in front of the defence and shield, whilst Foden has the license to attack.
WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS v Chelsea
Injuries: Begovic, Tah, Matic, Celina
------------------- Arrizabalaga
Hakimi - Marquinhos - Vida - Strinic
----- Rakitic - Fernandinho - Meyer
------ Di Maria - Immobile - Perisic
Subs: Leno, Mina, Shaw, Sturaro, Ozil, Vitolo, Alcacer
-----------------
A tough but winnable game today against Chelsea, hopefully our back four will keep their attack at bay while causing problems of our own to their defence.
We are playing a 4-3-3 today, Arrizabalaga in goal, Marquinhos and Vida at centreback, Hakimi and Strinic at fullback, Rakitic, Fernandinho and Meyer in midfield, Di Maria and Perisic either side of Immobile upfront.
This game is about controlling the tempo and giving us the best chance of getting the win today. Chelsea are going to fight hard and our best hope is to be strong, disciplined and keep our concentration levels at maximum.
Arrizabalaga - Distribute from the back to the fullbacks/CM's, stay in communication with your defence throughout, be wary of long range efforts and ensure you stay big for any one on ones. On occasion go long for Immobile.
Marquinhos/Vida - Marquinhos mark their striker, force them high up the pitch thus limiting his impact close to goal, and Vida to be the spare man, be first to the second ball and their AM making runs from midfield. When in possession bring the ball out of defence and use the midfielders ahead of you to help us play out from the back. Both of you go forward for setpieces.
Hakimi/Strinic - Both of you to force the Chelsea wingers out wide, do not allow them to come inside as this will cause more problems for our midfield. They will want to cut inside so force them outside and block their crosses at source. They will try to create problems infield so its vital you only show them down the wing. If they play a diamond with no wingers you will need to form a narrow back four with the CB's and leave no spaces in behind. When we have possession, push forward and support Di Maria and Perisic as they will try to run inside the fullback and you will provide the overlap to either create space or supply crosses into the area for Immobile and link with Rakitic and Meyer. You will need to track back very quickly to ensure we don't get caught on the break.
Fernandinho - Our DM today, sit in front of the back four, break up play, watch out for runs from deep from the opposition, when in possession use your range of passing to look for teammates in advanced positions, use Rakitic and Meyer alongside you if you're closed down.
Rakitic/Meyer - Two box to box midfielders today, one either side of Fernandinho at DM. Both of you are required to get back and assist Fernandinho in front of the back four when we don't have the ball, but both with the ability and the freedom to push forward and join the front three, while always leaving at least one of you behind the ball. Look to link with Di Maria, Perisic or Immobile.
Di Maria/Perisic - Both with the trickery to beat the Chelsea fullback and get crosses in, you will also have our fullback overlapping giving you the chance to cut inside and get shots in. Look to supply Immobile with chances and also provide yourself with chances. Link up with Rakitic and Meyer, and capitalise on the space Immobile's presence will create for you.
Immobile - you will be expected to occupy the Chelsea centrebacks, hold up possession and look to turn the defender and shoot. Be strong in the air and look for your teammates trying to pick you out from deep. Shoot on sight. Stay on the last defender's shoulder for any passes in behind. Look to interchange with Di Maria or Perisic on occasion. Try and link with the two alongside you to create opportunities.
------------------
Subs 70 mins;
If winning: Meyer, Di Maria and Immobile off, Sturaro, Mina and Alcacer on. Change to 5-4-1, Mina an extra CB, with a flat midfield four, Sturaro at RM, Perisic deeper to LM, Rakitic and Fernandinho central, the fresh legs of Alcacer up top chasing everything and holding the ball up. Absorb pressure and hit on the break with Sturaro and Perisic joining Alcacer.
If drawing: Meyer off, Ozil on. Switch to a 4-2-3-1, Ozil ahead of Rakitic and Fernandinho, behind Immobile. Try and find a winner.
If losing: Vida, Fernandinho and Meyer off, Ozil, Vitolo and Alcacer on. 3-1-4-2, Hakimi - Marquinhos - Strinic at the back, Rakitic the playmaker from deep, Vitolo - Di Maria - Ozil - Perisic behind Immobile and Alcacer upfront. Push for goals.
MANCHESTER CITY vs Hull City
Line Up:
--------------------------Rico--------------------------
Pereira--------Lindelof----Romagnoli--------Jorge
------------------------Witsel-------------------------
--------------Fred---------------Rafinha-------------
Willian---------------Fekir----------------Oyarzabal
Captain: Romagnoli
Penalties: Fekir
Direct Free Kicks: Willian
Indirect Free Kicks: Rafinha
Corners: Oyarzabal
Substitutes: Dragowski; Caricol; Zagadou; A.Pereira; Golovin; Gelson; Correa
Game Plan:
We enter this game as the home team and, thus, have the advantage as we look to pick up 3 points in what will be a closely contested battle throughout.
We will start in a 4-3-3 formation, dropping back to 4-5-1 in defence, in order to reinforce the midfield out of possession. Axel Witsel plays as a holding midfielder, flanked by Fred and Rafinha, while Willian and Oyarzabal operated down the wings and Fekir holds the False 9 position. All 3 front men can play across the pitch and will be encouraged to swap positions to keep defenders guessing.
The main objective of the frontline is to force the Hull GK to look for direct balls up to the forwards, where our large back four are set up to control any aerial threat. If the goalkeeper does try to go short to his centre-backs, we will them towards the central channel, while blocking the passing lanes to the either the holding midfielder or CM partnership. Our central forward player is key here, as he will constantly be closing the passing lanes through the middle.
We will prevent the Hull midfielders from linking up with their forwards, forcing them to play backwards and then piling the pressure on the player in possession. Fred and Witsel stand out in particular here, organising the defensive effort and ensuring Hull cannot establish a dominance in the centre of the pitch.
Should Hull launch an attack, the aim is to remain tight in the defensive third - the two wing forwards will drop into midfield to cover any overlapping runs made by the Hull full backs, and we will completely crowd the central channel of the pitch; this will force Hull to either make their play down the flanks against 2 athletic defenders, or play backwards where our forward will be waiting to press and intercept.
We will be lethal on the counter-attack. The speed of the first wave of our breaks will ensure they escape concerted pressure from Hull. Our attackers surge forwards, positioning themselves in behind the line of pressure ahead of the ball, thus providing the player who won the ball plenty of possession. Fred will be the standout player in these situations; with an impressive understanding of when and where to attack the free space both with and without the ball.
We will vary our approach in attack, alternating between direct play and passing through the thirds. Rico will often look to move the ball into the opposition half as quickly as possible, while the midfield has plenty of strength, aggression, and attacking intent in the middle of the park, constantly seeking to exploit any gaps in behind their opposing midfielders. Fred has the ability to make particularly good use of the space on the inside, projecting his side forwards in attack where they will outnumber the Hull defensive midfield area. Moreover, having Rafinha in the midfield will add another dimension to our attack, as his dribbling through the centre of the pitch can draw players out of position and open up space for our attackers to run into. In addition to this, his technical prowess at feeding through-balls in tight spaces will create numerous chances for our forwards to put away.
In the attacking phase, we will opt for combination play, swapping between short passes to lure the Hull defenders into the opposition half and more ambitious passes through the thirds. Our high tempo will disrupt our opponents, both in midfield and in the final third. The pace and movement of our forwards will cause chaos for the Hull midfielders, who will be put under severe pressure to attempt to protect their midfield against the pace and direct nature of our attack. We will put our opponents under constant pressure, with our dangerous front three of Willian, Fekir and Oyarzabal forcing their way in behind their full-backs and posing constant problems for the centre-backs. At the same time, our full backs have the athleticism and talent to get up the pitch along the byline and drill in low, hard crosses that will cause panic among the defenders.
As a collective, we are well balanced. In the final third we will locate our biggest threats in prime positions, where they will cause constant uncertainty in the last line of defence. Oyarzabal, Fekir and Willian will regularly find openings with their pace and direct play, successfully exploiting the space in between the centre-backs and the full-backs alongside them.
In the defensive transition, we will re-organise quickly and effectively after losing the ball, Rafinha and Fred leading the way in swarming around the man in possession, with both being used to implementing a high pressing system, with Axel Witsel adept at covering the inside lanes and intercepting play. We will prevent Hull from outnumbering us in this phase of the game, reducing the threat of the counter-attack.
Substitutes:
45 MINUTES (If winning, save this change for the 60th minute, otherwise :-
Angel Correa comes on for Oyarzabal - Correa favours the central areas and will be more aggressive. Giving the Wolves centre backs cause for concern and freeing up space for Willian and Fekir. Correa's pressing ability, too, will spell bad news for Wolves.
60 MINUTES (If winning, save this change for the 70th minute, otherwise :-
If drawing: Aleksandr Golovin for Fred - Both players have a fairly similar playing style. Golovin plays with intensity and will re-invigorate the pressing process in the centre of the park, while quickly changing defence to attack with mazy runs and incise passes.
70 MINUTES :-
Gelson Martins for Willian - Gelson can play on the left and look to cut in, both freeing space for Jorge to occupy, and allowing Fekir to play on the right where he is such a creative menace, Martins will be looking to use his pace and dribbling prowess to cut holes in the Hull defence late in the game. He will look to pass before shooting, generating chances for Fekir and Correa to bury.
*In the event of a red card*
If we get a red card to any position on the pitch behind the forward three, we will bring on a player to replace the carded man and play in a 4-3-2 formation. We will look to bunker down in our half more and close off space only as they advance, giving them very little room to play the ball around and make use of the spare man, before looking to hit on a fast break. If we lose one of our forward three, we will play the same formation and tactics but no new player will be drafted in as a replacement.
Replacements:
GK: Dragowski
FB: Caricol
CB: Zagadou
CM (excluding Rafinha): Andreas Pereira
Rafinha: Aleksandr Golovin
MANCHESTER CITY vs Hull City
Line Up:
--------------------------Rico--------------------------
Pereira-------Zagadou----Romagnoli--------Jorge
------------------------Witsel-------------------------
--------------Fred---------------Rafinha-------------
Willian---------------Fekir----------------Oyarzabal
Captain: Romagnoli
Penalties: Fekir
Direct Free Kicks: Willian
Indirect Free Kicks: Rafinha
Corners: Oyarzabal
Substitutes: Dragowski; Caricol; Milenkovic; A.Pereira; Golovin; Gelson; Correa
Game Plan:
We enter this game as the home team and, thus, have the advantage as we look to pick up 3 points in what will be a closely contested battle throughout.
We will start in a 4-3-3 formation, dropping back to 4-5-1 in defence, in order to reinforce the midfield out of possession. Axel Witsel plays as a holding midfielder, flanked by Fred and Rafinha, while Willian and Oyarzabal operated down the wings and Fekir holds the False 9 position. All 3 front men can play across the pitch and will be encouraged to swap positions to keep defenders guessing.
The main objective of the frontline is to force the Hull GK to look for direct balls up to the forwards, where our large back four are set up to control any aerial threat. If the goalkeeper does try to go short to his centre-backs, we will them towards the central channel, while blocking the passing lanes to the either the holding midfielder or CM partnership. Our central forward player is key here, as he will constantly be closing the passing lanes through the middle.
We will prevent the Hull midfielders from linking up with their forwards, forcing them to play backwards and then piling the pressure on the player in possession. Fred and Witsel stand out in particular here, organising the defensive effort and ensuring Hull cannot establish a dominance in the centre of the pitch.
Should Hull launch an attack, the aim is to remain tight in the defensive third - the two wing forwards will drop into midfield to cover any overlapping runs made by the Hull full backs, and we will completely crowd the central channel of the pitch; this will force Hull to either make their play down the flanks against 2 athletic defenders, or play backwards where our forward will be waiting to press and intercept.
We will be lethal on the counter-attack. The speed of the first wave of our breaks will ensure they escape concerted pressure from Hull. Our attackers surge forwards, positioning themselves in behind the line of pressure ahead of the ball, thus providing the player who won the ball plenty of possession. Fred will be the standout player in these situations; with an impressive understanding of when and where to attack the free space both with and without the ball.
We will vary our approach in attack, alternating between direct play and passing through the thirds. Rico will often look to move the ball into the opposition half as quickly as possible, while the midfield has plenty of strength, aggression, and attacking intent in the middle of the park, constantly seeking to exploit any gaps in behind their opposing midfielders. Fred has the ability to make particularly good use of the space on the inside, projecting his side forwards in attack where they will outnumber the Hull defensive midfield area. Moreover, having Rafinha in the midfield will add another dimension to our attack, as his dribbling through the centre of the pitch can draw players out of position and open up space for our attackers to run into. In addition to this, his technical prowess at feeding through-balls in tight spaces will create numerous chances for our forwards to put away.
In the attacking phase, we will opt for combination play, swapping between short passes to lure the Hull defenders into the opposition half and more ambitious passes through the thirds. Our high tempo will disrupt our opponents, both in midfield and in the final third. The pace and movement of our forwards will cause chaos for the Hull midfielders, who will be put under severe pressure to attempt to protect their midfield against the pace and direct nature of our attack. We will put our opponents under constant pressure, with our dangerous front three of Willian, Fekir and Oyarzabal forcing their way in behind their full-backs and posing constant problems for the centre-backs. At the same time, our full backs have the athleticism and talent to get up the pitch along the byline and drill in low, hard crosses that will cause panic among the defenders.
As a collective, we are well balanced. In the final third we will locate our biggest threats in prime positions, where they will cause constant uncertainty in the last line of defence. Oyarzabal, Fekir and Willian will regularly find openings with their pace and direct play, successfully exploiting the space in between the centre-backs and the full-backs alongside them.
In the defensive transition, we will re-organise quickly and effectively after losing the ball, Rafinha and Fred leading the way in swarming around the man in possession, with both being used to implementing a high pressing system, with Axel Witsel adept at covering the inside lanes and intercepting play. We will prevent Hull from outnumbering us in this phase of the game, reducing the threat of the counter-attack.
Substitutes:
45 MINUTES (If winning, save this change for the 60th minute, otherwise :-
Angel Correa comes on for Oyarzabal - Correa favours the central areas and will be more aggressive. Giving the Wolves centre backs cause for concern and freeing up space for Willian and Fekir. Correa's pressing ability, too, will spell bad news for Wolves.
60 MINUTES (If winning, save this change for the 70th minute, otherwise :-
If drawing: Aleksandr Golovin for Fred - Both players have a fairly similar playing style. Golovin plays with intensity and will re-invigorate the pressing process in the centre of the park, while quickly changing defence to attack with mazy runs and incise passes.
70 MINUTES :-
Gelson Martins for Willian - Gelson can play on the left and look to cut in, both freeing space for Jorge to occupy, and allowing Fekir to play on the right where he is such a creative menace, Martins will be looking to use his pace and dribbling prowess to cut holes in the Hull defence late in the game. He will look to pass before shooting, generating chances for Fekir and Correa to bury.
*In the event of a red card*
If we get a red card to any position on the pitch behind the forward three, we will bring on a player to replace the carded man and play in a 4-3-2 formation. We will look to bunker down in our half more and close off space only as they advance, giving them very little room to play the ball around and make use of the spare man, before looking to hit on a fast break. If we lose one of our forward three, we will play the same formation and tactics but no new player will be drafted in as a replacement.
Replacements:
GK: Dragowski
FB: Caricol
CB: Milenkovic
CM (excluding Rafinha): Andreas Pereira
Rafinha: Aleksandr Golovin
Comment deleted by Article Creator
Changed Philipp on the bench to Brekalo
------------------------Perin
Conti-----Caleta-Car-----Söyüncü----Guerreiro
----------------Rudy---------Kampl
Thauvin--------------Ziyech--------------Forsberg
-----------------------Mariano
Subs: Horn, Klostermann, Elvedi, Lobotka, Gómez, Brekalo, Jovic
Our defensive unit consists of Duje Caleta-Car and Caglar Söyüncü paired up at centre-back, Andrea Conti at right-back and Raphaël Guerreiro at left-back, with Sebastian Rudy and Kevin Kampl as our midfield ‘double pivot’ screening them.
This ‘double pivot’ is the key to our team and in Rudy and Kampl 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 Kampl can press the ball without leaving lots of space, as Rudy can maintain a good position to react if the initial press is bypassed. Our double pivot will offer huge defensive stability and will ensure that a structured shape is maintained.
Having two defensive midfielders centrally prevents others being dragged out of position to press.
Helping the defenders maintain solid positioning is a key part of Kampl’s role, he will press almost anywhere in his own half to allow defenders to stay in the defensive line.
With Kampl running his socks off for the team, our high tempo will dictated by his partner in holding midfield, Sebastian Rudy.
A holding midfielder through and through, Rudy is not just your “win the ball and pass it on to the closest player” – there is a real creative mind in his locker, but it’s his ability to be the shield of the back four and then be creative once he gets the ball that makes Rudy such a talent.
The attacking unit consists of Florian Thauvin, Hakim Ziyech and Emil Forsberg as our band of three attacking midfielders with Mariano Díaz as our lone central striker.
Our 4-2-3-1 is set up to have that wonderful ‘springy' quality - it absorbs pressure without breaking and then snaps back with surprising force.
In defence our 4-2-3-1 covers space very effectively, with the band of three attacking midfielders and centre forward able to press the opposition high up the pitch while the two defensive midfielders ensure that there is no space left in front of the defence. Then the back four can either play a high line, compressing the space even further, or drop deeper as preferred.
Once we have won the ball back, often by Rudy or Kampl, then our 4-2-3-1 can spring into attack.
Conti and Guerreiro can surge up the wings in the knowledge that Rudy and Kampl can drop into the space left behind if needed. As they come up the wings, both Florian Thauvin and Emil Forsberg, who are fast speed merchants, excellent in tight spaces and fantastic dribblers will cut inside or make runs into the box. Hakim Ziyech our attacking central midfielder’s low centre of gravity will enable him to navigate away from defenders at a frighteningly quick pace. Ziyech is blessed with an instant first touch and can dribble with the ball at such a close proximity to his feet that it makes him almost impossible to tackle this creative passer who will look to play Thauvin, Forsberg and Mariano in via fast passing combinations.
An out and out explosive centre-forward, Mariano is known for the abundance of pace and power that he possesses. Standing tall at close to 6ft, Mariano has a strong and sturdy physical frame that he’ll use well to bully the Chelsea defence.
Mariano has a fierce right-foot and is an equally strong header of the ball too, which will make him a huge threat in and around the penalty box. With his pace combined with his dribbling ability and the power that he possesses, Mariano will brush aside defenders and run past them with nonchalance.
While he is explosive and dangerous with the ball at his feet, what makes Mariano even more exciting is his excellent movement off the ball and the ability to make those smart runs in behind the defenders.
Sub on 70 mins
Brekalo on for Forsberg
Like for like change – fresh legs as we enter the final quarter of the game
Subs on 80 mins
Klostermann on for Conti, Gómez on for Thauvin
2 pairs of fresh legs on the right side should apply some late pressure to the left hand side defence of Chelsea as the 90 mins mark approaches. Klostermann providing the width whilst Gómez will look to cut inside at every opportunity with Klostermann providing overlapping opportunities.
Leicester City v WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS
Injuries: Marquinhos, Ings, Sturaro, Maffeo
--------- Arrizabalaga
Hakimi - Tah - Vida - Strinic
Rakitic - Fernandinho - Meyer
Di Maria - Immobile - Perisic
Subs: Leno, Mina, Shaw, Diawara, Ozil, Vitolo, Alcacer
-----------------
A tough but winnable game today against Leicester, hopefully our back four will keep their attack at bay while causing problems of our own to their defence.
We are playing a 4-3-3 today, Arrizabalaga in goal, Tah and Vida at centreback, Hakimi and Strinic at fullback, Rakitic, Fernandinho and Meyer in midfield, Di Maria and Perisic either side of Immobile upfront.
This game is about controlling the tempo and giving us the best chance of getting the win today. Leicester are going to fight hard and our best hope is to be strong, disciplined and keep our concentration levels at maximum.
Arrizabalaga - Distribute from the back to the fullbacks/CM's, stay in communication with your defence throughout, be wary of long range efforts and ensure you stay big for any one on ones. On occasion go long for Immobile.
Tah/Vida - Tah mark their striker, force them high up the pitch thus limiting his impact close to goal, and Vida to be the spare man, be first to the second ball and their AM making runs from midfield. When in possession bring the ball out of defence and use the midfielders ahead of you to help us play out from the back. Both of you go forward for setpieces.
Hakimi/Strinic - Both of you to force the Leicester wingers out wide, do not allow them to come inside as this will cause more problems for our midfield. They will want to cut inside so force them outside and block their crosses at source. They will try to create problems infield so its vital you only show them down the wing. If they play a diamond with no wingers you will need to form a narrow back four with the CB's and leave no spaces in behind. When we have possession, push forward and support Di Maria and Perisic as they will try to run inside the fullback and you will provide the overlap to either create space or supply crosses into the area for Immobile and link with Rakitic and Meyer. You will need to track back very quickly to ensure we don't get caught on the break.
Fernandinho - Our DM today, sit in front of the back four, break up play, watch out for runs from deep from the opposition, when in possession use your range of passing to look for teammates in advanced positions, use Rakitic and Meyer alongside you if you're closed down.
Rakitic/Meyer - Two box to box midfielders today, one either side of Fernandinho at DM. Both of you are required to get back and assist Fernandinho in front of the back four when we don't have the ball, but both with the ability and the freedom to push forward and join the front three, while always leaving at least one of you behind the ball. Look to link with Di Maria, Perisic or Immobile.
Di Maria/Perisic - Both with the trickery to beat the Leicester fullback and get crosses in, you will also have our fullback overlapping giving you the chance to cut inside and get shots in. Look to supply Immobile with chances and also provide yourself with chances. Link up with Rakitic and Meyer, and capitalise on the space Immobile's presence will create for you.
Immobile - you will be expected to occupy the Leicester centrebacks, hold up possession and look to turn the defender and shoot. Be strong in the air and look for your teammates trying to pick you out from deep. Shoot on sight. Stay on the last defender's shoulder for any passes in behind. Look to interchange with Di Maria or Perisic on occasion. Try and link with the two alongside you to create opportunities.
------------------
Subs 70 mins;
If winning: Perisic, Di Maria and Immobile off, Diawara, Mina and Alcacer on. Change to 5-3-1-1, Mina an extra CB, midfield trio of Rakitic, Fernandinho and Diawara, the fresh legs of Alcacer up top chasing everything and holding the ball up with Meyer in the AM role providing support and chasing down their deep playmaker.
If drawing: Meyer and Immobile off, Ozil and Alcacer on. Switch to a 4-2-3-1, Ozil ahead of Rakitic and Fernandinho, behind Immobile. Try and find a winner.
If losing: Vida, Fernandinho and Meyer off, Ozil, Vitolo and Alcacer on. 3-1-4-2, Hakimi - Tah - Strinic at the back, Rakitic the playmaker from deep, Vitolo - Di Maria - Ozil - Perisic behind Immobile and Alcacer upfront. Push for goals.
------------------------- Oblak ------------------------
Henrichs ----- Varane ----- Rugani ----- A.Sandro
----------------------- Jorginho -----------------------
---------------- Fabinho ---- P.Pogba ---------------
Mbappe -------------------------------------- Neymar
-------------------- Lewandowski --------------------
Gunn, F.Mensah, Tousart, H.Aouar, Bernardeschi, Barrow, A.Pereira
We want to play high tempo football, quick on the break and really pressurise the opposition with an in your face performance, we want to hit them quickly so we need to press them quickly to get the ball, when we defend we need a strong back 5/6, we don't sit too deep and Jorginho, Fabinho & Pogba just in front harassing the man with the ball before they get to our back 4 and the front 3 in and around the half way line, Lewandowski slightly higher up, this will congest the midfield and allow Jorginho to dictate play, stop them coming forward from the back, however, if they do push forward onto us and we get the ball they will be on the back foot and will really struggle with our front 3/4 with Fullbacks who are always ready to pounce and hit them with pace and quick free flowing football
Rugani and Varane at CB, Varane picks up the CF, Rugani sits spare picking up the AM if he gets away from our midfield, keep the forward(s) away from the danger area, by getting onto them quickly and be strong, take the ball away from them and play it away out of defence, look to get it out wide quickly when we retain possession, Both are very comfortable on the ball so can bring it out when in no danger and look for the pass longer to the wingers or Striker to hit them quickly with pace, to get us moving forward. fullbacks must keep the wingers quiet, stop them and we stop a lot of there attacks They will look to keep them away from shooting areas and stop them becoming dangerous in any position by standing tall against them and keeping them on there 'bad' foot. When they attack an drive down the wing to support, only at a time as to not let ourselves be exposed, they drive down the line in support of the wingers, Sandro and Henrichs get outside Mbappe and Neymar to allow him to cut inside. the two always make themselves available to the wingers. I want both Varane and Rugani to go up for corners, with the fullbacks and Fabinho sitting back.
In the centre of the pitch are Jorginho, Fabinho and Pogba, Jorginho our deepest player sitting just in front of Rugani and Varane he will shadow there AM and not allow him to control the game, Fabinho their to lend a hand to stop them coming through. Jorginho must be aware of all that is around him, be in the right place at the right time and look to cover for defensive players moving forward, he has to impose himself early on the AM to make him wary of holding onto the ball too long, once on the ball look around, head up and pick the pass that will get us moving forward quickly, can be out to the fullbacks or indeed a longer ball to the front three to take the opposition out of it as they are still high up the pitch. He is our quarterback and will hopefully run the game at his pace with direction. Fabinho's role is to assist Jorginho but slightly higher up the pitch, he will stop the run of play quicker to make our defenders jobs a lot easier, make our midfield very difficult to pass through, protect our defence and Jorginho (when he is in possession)as best as possible and again in possession get it to our more creative players up front, keep it simple. Can move forward to assist and look for balls coming out so he can either, shoot or whip straight back in.
Pogba is our central creator, not everything will go through him, but he is essential to our style of play, he is the link between defence and attack, as we break quickly he will look to set up our front three. At times he will drop deeper to pick up the ball get his head up and see who is in the best position to receive the ball and that's where he will put it, he will follow his pass and make up the numbers up front. When he doesn't drop deep i.e when the defenders go long, he will look to form a front four as they move around and look to tear the defence apart.
Our wingers are extremely quick, when we don't have the ball they drop back a bit to make up the numbers as they attack, push into the faces of the opposition to force them into mistakes and hopefully in the end they lose the ball, when they do lose the ball we charge at them and we do it quickly, either a long ball over defenders, go through Pogba or indeed out to one of our attacking fullbacks.however, the movement up front between Neymar and Mbappe will cause them problems as they switch around at times, will see us make their defenders move out of position to follow their player, thus allowing Pogba to pick his moment to move into space either as a 10 or out wide. If he does push wide this will allow Mbappe/Neymar to go in central as we will have an attacking fullback up and supporting. Quick passing in triangles that will get us in and beyond their defenders and eventually to Lewandowski who has the power and ability to beat any defender and the other winger who will look to get into space to get a shot off, if there defence is on top then we can always go direct at times and fire early crosses especially from deep from the fullbacks into Lewandowski right on top of the young goalkeeper to put a lot of pressure on him, we must always make sure he is well supported, if he cant get the shot away he will be looking to bring others into the game.
Captain - Varane
Pens - Lewandowski
Corners - Jorginho
Free Kicks - Pogba/Neymar
Subs:-
Losing -
65 Mins - H.Aouar for Jorginho, Fabinho drops to DM and Aouar and Pogba look to direct the game higher up the field
75 Mins - Barrow for Sandro, he goes up top 3142
82 Mins - Bernardeschi for Mbappe look for a full on 10 mins from him down the right hand side, H.Aouar goes to LM and Neymar right up top 343
Drawing -
65 Mins - H.Aouar for Jorginho, Fabinho goes to DM and Aouar alongside Pogba to create something higher up
80 Mins - Bernardeschi for Mbappe again a hard 10 or so mins from him
Winning -
75 Mins - Tousart for Pogba he and Fabinho really protect our defence
80 Mins - Pereira for Neymar 451 a straight midfield 5
Attacking 4-3-3
At home we look to take the game to Wolves. Building from the back, when in possession we look to move forward as a unit. One full back bombs forward at a time, looking to provide width. Coutinho always lookng to find space behind the Wolves midfield and getting the wide players attacking the full backs.
Pushing forward as a team and with a higher line allows us to get our attacking players in more dangerous positions, always looking to find space in between the defence and midfield, and to find space going beyond their defence in behind. It also makes it easier to retain possession ensuring we have options just behind, with the defence hugely important in keeping possession. We have four players that are fantastic on the ball at the back, and importantly they also have great pace to get back.
We start with a high tempo, take control of the game early. Look to take advantage of the gaps between the lines of the opposition. Pushing up as a team allows us to control possession better, always ensuring we have an option. Gundogan is the deeper playmaker, looking to get involed in all the build up play and also gets forward into the final third as well. We always keep 3 defenders and Casemiro back. Giving us plenty cover at the back.
Seamless interchanging of positions in attack, and relentless pressing from our midfield in when defending the final third. Attacking down the wings, with Carvajal or Marcelo bombing forward on the overlap one at a time, giving the attacking midfielders real freedom in attack. The two wide players and Coutinho have fantastic pace to get at the opposition defence, and in behind.
An attacking side but built on a strong defence, we look to simply take the game to Wolves with a high tempo, entertain and score more goals than them.
------------------ Neuer
Carvajal - Ramos - Kehrer - Marcelo
--------- Casemiro - Gundogan
---------------- Coutinho
M.Lopes ----------------------- Hazard
---------------- C.Ronaldo
Subs. Schmeichel, Laporte, Doucoure, Ceballos, Martial, Geubbels, D.Costa
Key to our attack is quick passing getting in between the lines. Get the cms on the ball in behind their attacking midfielders. Predominantly short passing on the deck, but varying our play when a counter is on.
Defending in numbers
We look to control the opposition by pressing the space with a narrow rigid defensive unit, only allowing them to play in areas we want them to. When we lose the ball the closest player presses the ball, the second closest presses the obvious passing channel. Stop any attacks before they begin.
In a narrow, rigid formation, we press the space, not allowing them options. Draw them in to positions where they can’t hurt us, and then try and win the ball back. Then get forward quickly.
As Wolves advance into higher areas of the park and into our half, our shape will resemble a 4-1-4-1. The winger opposite play looks to play quite far up, in a position to get at them quickly on the break. Casemiro presses the space in front of our cbs, look to stop any midfielders having any space in a crucial area.
In this tight formation narrowing to the side of play, ensuring there are no gaps in the formation. Gundogan picks up the most advanced cm. The winger opposite play comes inside and sits on their deepest cm while Coutinho presses the second most advanced cm.
In this formation push them backwards and wide away from danger. Force them to take risks. Our defence have fantastic pace up against their forwards, bide their time, not diving in.
Attack.
Get the ball to our attacking cms and wide players (wingers and attacking fb), get them linking up with quick passing, getting the ball to our wingers and get balls into Ronaldo. Their movement will be key in opening up the opposition defence.
Positional structure, in addition to our technical players will be key to our quick passing gameplan going forward. Our approach in build up is to play a flexible asymmetric shape, 2 cb supported closely by a slightly more advanced line of Casemiro and the fb opposite play. Ahead Gundogan, the attacking fb, and a wide man/Coutinho seeking to offer a trio of options ahead of them. Ronaldo plays his natural game, world class link up play and most importantly goals.
Subs.
If winning after 65 mins bring on Geubbels for Lopes. Pure pace.
If winning after 75 mins bring on Doucoure for Gundogan. More power in cm as legs start to tire, ensure we stay on top in midfield and slightly more freedom to attacking mids.
If winning after 80 mins bring on Ceballos for Coutinho.
If drawing or losing after 60 mins bring on D.Costa and Laporte for Carvajal and Marcelo. 3-5-2.
If drawing or losing after 70 mins bring on Geubbels for Lopes. Pure pace to open the opposition, react in the box and at 6ft gives more height in the box for Gundogan, Coutinho, Hazard to deliver for.
NEWCASTLE 4-1-4-1
__________Alisson
Azpi____Alder___Godin___Rose
___________Kante
Salah___Koke___Radja____Mane
__________Suarez
SUBS: Skriniar, Trippier, N’Zonzi, Dele, Bobby, Chesney, Lukaku
Captain: Diego Godin
Penalties: Luis Suarez
Corners: Koke
Freekicks: Koke
Crossing Freekick: Koke
The formation deployed today is so that we gain as much control as possible higher up he pitch. We expect to have more of the ball so patience is key. We also expect the four behind the striker to drift around a bit, getting into positions where their natural play can cause damage. The striker up front presses when we don’t have the ball and the two closest players will support and cut passing lanes to help win the ball higher up. The quality of our players will allow us to break through the oppositions press. When we have the ball we will want to attract the press and use the spaces that they open up to attack.
Full backs will get forward when the opportunity arises. Our full backs are good at feeding our forward line with their ability on the ball and we aim to utilize that with their ability to get up the pitch and tactical arareness. We also need our full backs to widen the pitch for us. Our centre halves are good on the ball, and a long punt every now and then to utilize our pace out wide is encouraged.
The defensive midfielder will drop in to form a back three so that the centre backs can split wide to push the full backs general position higher up in line with the midfielders (and wide forwards engage their back line along with the striker). In doing so we create a four man midfield to overpower their midfield. This will allow our midfield to be flexible, if one of their midfielders steps forward, one of ours will move into the space they vacated.
By having our wide forwards up front when we have the ball it will effectively create space out wide. We would expect our full backs to sometimes go infield to collect the ball from the keeper, while one of the midfielders goes wide so when he receives the ball he will have time to look up and pick passes as the opposition midfield will be reluctant to press which will leave a man free in midfield. This can be done by a midfielder too, dropping deep to create a free man in the first line with time on the ball, ping it straight to the striker who can lay it off to the other onrushing midfielder.
If short passing options aren’t available the passing range and accuracy of our keeper will safely transfer the ball forwards via our full backs, wherever they are on the pitch. The keeper can also dink the ball into space for the striker or wide forward to control taking out 6 or 7 opposition players in the process.
When we don’t have the ball we will expect our four behind the striker to drop into a 4-5-1 in support of our defensive midfielder. We will also create triangles to trap the opposition players that have the ball, cutting the passing lanes and others putting pressure on players that might receive the ball. We stop the oppositions rhythm and force them into mistakes with our pressure. To stop their counter attacks after we lose the ball, three players will swarm the ball carrier before he can get his head up to play. If they beat the immediate press when the team’s main goal is to push their play wide where they can do the least damage. Our midfielders are an integral part to our play, when we win the ball back we will create space and time for them with our team shape.
Subs
65 mins: Dele comes on for Radja, our legs will start to tire, so will theirs, Dele will add box to box ability and energy late in the game.
75 mins: Bobby comes on for Suarez, a different style of forward play for the opposition to think about.
If winning 80 mins: N’Zonzi comes on for Koke to close out the game. He is capable in defensive midfield alongside kante.
If losing/drawing 80 mins: Lukaku comes on for Koke and play 2 up front.
Red Card
Red Card:
In all cases Radja subbed off, if Radja red then no change, go 4-4-1
If goal keeper, Chesney
If full backs, Trippier, Lb azpi goes lb
If CB, Skriniar
If centre mids, N’Zonzi
If wings, Bobby
If striker, Bobby
Villa Vs Bmouth
……………………………………De Gea…………………………
……………….De Vrij………….Bonucci…………Chiellini
Bellerin………………Vidal…………..Neves………………Max
…………………….Icardi…Morata….Vardy………….
Subs: Forster, Luiz, Sidibe, Matuidi, Iniesta, Adama, El Shaarawy
Bournemouth are a strong outfit and will be a good test, but one in which we feel we have a good chance of passing. Changed the system today, yes it’s narrow certainly up front but that’s a strength not a weakness.
Last week we went with a possession heavy set-up and whilst we did ok we still lost, this week is less about possession but more about quick direct attacking football. We want those long diagonals being hit, turn the defence and get in on goal. I want us hitting them at pace throughout the game, proper in your face football.
Bournemouth are blessed with pacey wingers but Max and Bellerin are no slouches they’ll look to show their men the line and force the cross, as good as their striker is in the air, he’ll be up against it with our back three.
De Gea is for me the best keeper in the world, his shot stopping is second to none and he doesn’t seem to get so physically roughed up anymore, will command his box – but the 3 in front of him know their business as good as any. With the ball, any of our back five are an option, or he can go long and direct.
The Back Three:
two thirds of the best defence put together in Italy for the best of a decade with De Vrij alongside them is about as solid as you’ll find anywhere, all are big strong specimens, not the quickest of defences so they’ll sit deep and hold the 18 yard line, let spurs try and draw us out. In possession RCB and LCB will hit those diagonals to Morata, he’ll flick it on or bring it down…we go from back to front in 5 seconds – we’ll kill them on the counter…..once they’ve been stung they’ll be more wary about committing so we need to be clinical. Defensively they won’t be drawn out. They’re drilled enough to hold position…Bonucci silences the striker, whilst Chiellini and De Vrij sweep and keep an eye out for runners from midfield – they won’t go wide, if our wing backs can’t stop the cross they’ll deal with the ball in the box, no point being caught in no mans land.
Bellerin and Max – both given licence to get forward, Bellerins pace is enough to keep Bmouth LB pegged back, as no-one can afford to give him a headstart. The real threat come from the left, Max assists in big numbers – he’s got 3 strikers to aim at, could be a good afternoon for the German.
The Pivot:
Neves is the DM, great range of passing and the tenacity to get stuck in and put a foot in, will be some player this kid, he’s a real baller, with him sitting infront of the defence playing QB, dictating the tempo and spreading the ball about as well as pinging the balls over the top. The bonus is once play breaks down he’s already in situ to defend in the spaces that their AM is so good at operating in.
Vidal is the muscle in the engine room, such a beast…he’s assigned one major task today and that’s sit on former teammate, Gail Platt…wherever he goes be on his toes, don’t let him settle in to the game – we know tab is a fan of a 3 man midfield, no idea who the 3rd spoke is but we figure that with Eriksen and Modric marked, he’ll have to go long and our defence can deal with that.
So basically Neves deep lying playmaker and Vidal box to box destroyer.
The Trident:
Nice and narrow, but rather than stepping on each other’s toes I think they complement each other nicely.
Morata – big strong and physical, good in the buildup with quick feet, we want him positioning himself between the two centre-backs but slightly in front, his primary tasks are to either bring the ball down and lay it off or flick it on to the other two, by playing just infront of the defence he can win us some pretty cheap free kicks just by being climbed on. Anything into the box he can attack goal bound.
Icardi – has a much better work ethic than given credit for, scores in huge numbers, we want him operating in the gaps between RCB and RB, will get loads of service from the flanks or flick on’s just be on his toes and ready to pounce.
Vardy– bags of pace and can finish, where as Icardi operates in the spaces we want Vardy coming inside so running on beyond Morata and causing confusion as to which defender takes which striker, hopefully creating a bit more space for Max to whip a ball in.
Defensively:
their keeper has the ball
Morata will sit between the centre halves, taking both out of the game for a short kick
Vardy and Icardi will drift wide marking their FB’s forcing the keeper to go long.
Without the ball:
Morata will stay splitting their CB’s giving us an out ball and target man, whilst Vardy and Icardi will drop to the halfway line, closing off the passing lines that Bmouth will look to exploit.
Subs 65 mins
Matuidi > Vidal
El Sha > vardy
Iniesta > Neves
--------------------Buffon
Lirola---Sokratis---Vertonghen---F.Luis
------------------Locatelli
------------Rabiot-------Kovacic
Mkhitaryan---------------------------Sterling
------------------Lacazette
Subs
Strakosha, Inigo, Grimaldo, Brozovic, Henderson, Gameiro, Sabitzer
Buffon is a commanding presence at the back, when he calls for a ball, the defence know he will take control, they have complete confidence in each other and stops those little split second doubts which could lead to a chance. When he has the ball he will look to offload quickly in the direction of the front 3 to get those quick counters started.
Verthongen is the defensive leader and will be the one to set the defensive line on the pitch, both centre backs will stay back with either one of the full backs or the DM always prepared to make it a back 3 when we lose possession to stop counter attacks, Both CB"s will communicate with each other so they are clear in where the attacking threats are. When dealing with the opposition, we will avoid slide tackles unless necessary instead looking to just guide players off the ball. When on the ball, if the opposition are giving them space to come out with the ball, then they should take it forward, if not, keep it simple with the occasional long ball to the front 3 thrown in to keep the opposition from setting up against one style of play.
For the full backs today the objective is to sit back and tuck in slightly when defending, looking to stop balls being played between them and the centre backs, with the secondary advantage of discouraging the wide men from cutting inside, forcing them to cross, which gives us a better chance of getting the ball back quickly and launching an attack of our own.
Their objective when attacking will be to keep making runs past the winger on both the inside and outside, giving the opposition full back that split second of indecision on who they go with. They will only occasionally put floated crosses in, preferring to either play shorter passes to the wingers or players who have come out from the middle of the pitch to keep possession and let the pressure build up in the final third, or run to the byline and put in fast and low crosses relying on both the faster reactions and control of our attackers and the pressure of the situation on their centre backs to hastily clear the ball without being in full control of the situation.
The focus of the midfield 3 will be to use their high energy, all action styles to get themselves around the middle of the pitch, working in collaboration with the front 3 to control the midfield battle whilst still having the attacking nous to create chances for us. When we are in the attacking third, they will always be looking to make themselves available for a pass to keep recycling the ball, keeping the pressure up with us looking to use the movement of the other CM's and the front 3 to drag the opposition defensive players that little bit more which could be the difference in getting a player behind them. They also all have an eye for a pass so will look to take advantage of the front 3 all flitting around and play them in with through balls and quick one touch play. We will also occasionally take the occasional long shot, with the aim being to make sure defenders aren't content to sit back and forcing them to make a decision. When defending, they are looking to press the middle third of the pitch, pressing the opposition CMs/Wingers in conjunction with other players as they are on the ball to rush their decisions and win the ball back.
Both wingers today will be looking will be to drift around when deeper players are in possession, looking to combine with the other attacking players to get little areas of space before using their pace and trickery respectively to drift between the CB and FB and get in behind them. When they are on the ball the emphasis will be more on cutting inside with the occasional long shot to test the keeper, and only occasionally putting in crosses, getting involved in a fast intricate style of passing with the centre mids and Lacazette, looking to create the passing triangles which will just take players out of the game. They should also look to run at players as they will be cautious not to give away a set piece due to the ability of our set piece takers. When the opposite winger has the ball, the one without the ball should look to find space between the CB and FB to add an extra body in the box. When defending, they should be stopping the passing lines to the full backs primarily, then focus on ensuring our full backs dont get outnumbered.
When Lacazette is attacking, he will look to constantly drift around the defenders looking to get himself a bit of space enough for him to get the ball and pass it along to another attacker or face up the defenders and take them on. When running onto a ball, He will also be looking to use his reactions to get ahead of the defender and then use his strength to cut in front of the defender, causing them to either stop their forward momentum completely, or make the foul.
When defending, he will be working with the wingers to cut off the passing lines for their CB's, forcing them or the keeper to launch it long, then using his tireless energy reserves to work back and press their centre mids.
Set Pieces
Corners - Kovacic takes the corners, most of the time looking to have the ball at an attackable height around 8-10 yards out between the posts, the FB's stay back to prevent counters, the CB's and Lacazette work in a group to make little blocks and cross-runs to lose a marker so 1 or 2 can get a run at the ball, Mkhi and Sterling flit around away from the main attacking group looking to pounce on mistimed touches and flicks around the area. Locatelli looks to limit the opposition keeper from moving too far off his line, looking to take a defender with him to create less space for the keeper and one less man in the main action area. Rabiot takes a position just outside the box to pick up weak clearances and go for the odd thundercunt, as well as occasionally providing the short option to draw defenders out of the box.
Free Kicks - Mkhi takes Direct FK's
For Indirect FK's, same instructions as Corners
Penalties - Lacazette is the designated taker.
Subs
If Winning
70 mins - Sabitzer for Mkhi - The wingers tuck back, but look to get out quickly and counter if the opposition over-commit for a route back into the game.
82 + 86 Mins - Brozovic for Kovacic and Gameiro for Lacazette - Actively time waste and really frustrate the opposition.
If Drawing
70 Mins - Brozovic for Locatelli - Add a bit more urgency into attacks, show the opposition we are going for the win.
If Losing
67 Mins - Gameiro, Inigo and Sabitzer for Locatelli, Luis and Lirola - switch to a 3-5-2 with emphasis on the wings backs acting as wingers and just pile forward in numbers.
Arsenal vs MANCHESTER CITY
Injuries:
Jorge 28/03/96 22 Brazil LB FG
Woodman 04/03/97 21 England GK Home Grown
Ross Barkley 05/12/93 24 England CM Home Grown
Willian 09/08/88 30 Brazil RW FG
Line Up:
--------------------------Rico--------------------------
Pereira-------Caldara----Romagnoli--------Digne
------------------------Witsel-------------------------
-----------Marchisio-------------Rafinha------------
Robben--------------Fekir--------------Richarlison
Captain: Romagnoli
Penalties: Fekir
Direct Free Kicks: Robben
Indirect Free Kicks: Rafinha
Corners: Rafinha
Substitutes: Dragowski; Caricol; Lindelof; Fred; Golovin; Gelson; Correa
Game Plan:
We enter this game as the home team and, thus, have the advantage as we look to pick up 3 points in what will be a closely contested battle throughout.
We will start in a 4-3-3 formation, dropping back to 4-5-1 in defence, in order to reinforce the midfield out of possession. Axel Witsel plays as a holding midfielder, flanked by Marchisio and Rafinha, while Robben and Richarlison operated down the wings and Fekir holds the False 9 position. All 3 front men can play across the pitch and will be encouraged to swap positions to keep defenders guessing.
The main objective of the frontline is to force the Arsenal GK to look for direct balls up to the forwards, where our large back four are set up to control any aerial threat. If the goalkeeper does try to go short to his centre-backs, we will them towards the central channel, while blocking the passing lanes to the either the holding midfielder or CM partnership. Our central forward player is key here, as he will constantly be closing the passing lanes through the middle.
We will prevent the Arsenal midfielders from linking up with their forwards, forcing them to play backwards and then piling the pressure on the player in possession. Marchisio and Witsel stand out in particular here, organising the defensive effort and ensuring Arsenal cannot establish a dominance in the centre of the pitch.
Should Arsenal launch an attack, the aim is to remain tight in the defensive third - the two wing forwards will drop into midfield to cover any overlapping runs made by the Arsenal full backs, and we will completely crowd the central channel of the pitch; this will force Arsenal to either make their play down the flanks against 2 athletic defenders, or play backwards where our forward will be waiting to press and intercept.
We will be lethal on the counter-attack. The speed of the first wave of our breaks will ensure they escape concerted pressure from Arsenal. Our attackers surge forwards, positioning themselves in behind the line of pressure ahead of the ball, thus providing the player who won the ball plenty of possession. Marchisio will be the standout player in these situations; with an impressive understanding of when and where to attack the free space both with and without the ball.
We will vary our approach in attack, alternating between direct play and passing through the thirds. Rico will often look to move the ball into the opposition half as quickly as possible, while the midfield has plenty of strength, aggression, and attacking intent in the middle of the park, constantly seeking to exploit any gaps in behind their opposing midfielders. Marchisio has the ability to make particularly good use of the space on the inside, projecting his side forwards in attack where they will outnumber the Arsenal defensive midfield area. Moreover, having Rafinha in the midfield will add another dimension to our attack, as his dribbling through the centre of the pitch can draw players out of position and open up space for our attackers to run into. In addition to this, his technical prowess at feeding through-balls in tight spaces will create numerous chances for our forwards to put away.
In the attacking phase, we will opt for combination play, swapping between short passes to lure the Arsenal defenders into the opposition half and more ambitious passes through the thirds. Our high tempo will disrupt our opponents, both in midfield and in the final third. The pace and movement of our forwards will cause chaos for the Arsenal midfielders, who will be put under severe pressure to attempt to protect their midfield against the pace and direct nature of our attack. We will put our opponents under constant pressure, with our dangerous front three of Robben, Fekir and Richarlison forcing their way in behind their full-backs and posing constant problems for the centre-backs. At the same time, our full backs have the athleticism and talent to get up the pitch along the byline and drill in low, hard crosses that will cause panic among the defenders.
As a collective, we are well balanced. In the final third we will locate our biggest threats in prime positions, where they will cause constant uncertainty in the last line of defence. Richarlison, Fekir and Robben will regularly find openings with their pace and direct play, successfully exploiting the space in between the centre-backs and the full-backs alongside them.
In the defensive transition, we will re-organise quickly and effectively after losing the ball, Rafinha and Marchisio leading the way in swarming around the man in possession, with both being used to implementing a high pressing system, with Axel Witsel adept at covering the inside lanes and intercepting play. We will prevent Arsenal from outnumbering us in this phase of the game, reducing the threat of the counter-attack.
Substitutes:
45 MINUTES (If winning, save this change for the 60th minute, otherwise :-
Angel Correa comes on for Richarlison - Correa favours the central areas and will be more aggressive. Giving the Wolves centre backs cause for concern and freeing up space for Robben and Fekir. Correa's pressing ability, too, will spell bad news for Arsenal.
60 MINUTES (If winning, save this change for the 70th minute, otherwise :-
If drawing: Aleksandr Golovin for Marchisio - Both players have a fairly similar playing style. Golovin plays with intensity and will re-invigorate the pressing process in the centre of the park, while quickly changing defence to attack with mazy runs and incise passes.
70 MINUTES :-
Gelson Martins for Robben - Gelson can play on the left and look to cut in, both freeing space for Digne to occupy, and allowing Fekir to play on the right where he is such a creative menace, Martins will be looking to use his pace and dribbling prowess to cut holes in the Arsenal defence late in the game. He will look to pass before shooting, generating chances for Fekir and Correa to bury.
----------------------- Courtois
-------- E.Bailly ---- Boateng ---- D.Sanchez
Cancelo ---- Verratti ----- Modric ----- M.Alonso
------------------------ Bailey
--------------- Aguero ------- Asensio
Subs:
McCarthy, Hernandez, Lenglet, Dier, Eriksen, Zaha, Sturridge
We come into this weekends game full of confidence after picking up maximum points thus far and look to turn the screw against our winless opponents in front of a raucous home crowd.
We aren’t expecting many surprises from our opponents who we expect to set up in with a similar three at the back formation, however unlike our opponents we set ourselves up to go on the offensive. We pack our side with creative talent, crucially focusing on the middle of the park to dominate possession and hit the opposition at speed. With three solid central defenders we opt against the negative tactic of deploying an out an out DM in midfield as we feel this is overkill and ultimately restricts the attacking prowess of the side.
Instead we field the creative talents of Verratti and Modric, both pass masters in their own right however Verratti carries a bit of bite and has the tenacity to win the ball back in the challenge, whilst Modric will use his world class ability to dictate the game and feed our attacking talent.
Whilst we line up solid defensively with 3 CB’s we very much field plenty of attacking prowess with our WB’s, CM’s and attacking trio all carrying a real goal threat.
We throw in a couple of curve balls to create mismatches and tip the tie in our favour. The first and probably most notable tactical switch is playing the lightening Bailey through the middle. Having evaluated the opposition we feel Bailey presents a complete mismatch for their midfield.
Set up perfectly for the counter attack he has the freedom to drop slightly deeper to pick up the ball and immediately drive at the opposition with frightening pace, bursting through central midfield and creating a 3 on 3 situation up against the opposition defence. Aguero and Asensio split wide as we drive through the heart of their side with Bailey then in position to feed either of the front two or go for goal himself. This situation will also force an opposition CB to engage Bailey and leave us two for two against their defence, either ball to Aguero or Asensio and they’re through on goal.
The second tweak is Asensio, deployed up top where he has featured successfully recently he offers a threat in behind with his directness and forms the perfect partnership with Aguero. To confuse the opposition further Asensio and Bailey have the freedom to interchange positions, with the Spaniard dropping into AM and the lightning Jamaican moving up top. In short, the oppositions defence will be left scratching their heads for the majority of the game as they consistently have to work out which players to mark in our interchangeable front 3.
Defence
We expect the opposition to play with either one up top and two wide forwards or two up top and an AM. We account for both formations by playing a strong and more importantly, quick back three. When the opposition are in possession we sit deep, their centre forward will inevitable rely on his pace and we feel this tactic is the perfect antidote. Eliminate the space in behind and take out the ball over the top, a key aspect of their game nullified. We also have the pace to go with the runners and with our shape enabling us to drop into a back 5 they will at times be faced with a brick wall. We feel the injury to their RB spot is a key one, both our FB’s will look to get forward and offer width however Alonso in particular will have license to get forward and join the attack without a threat coming the other way. We respect the danger of Mendy and for that reason Cancelo will be more disciplined, stick with his runs and give him no space down the left, taking away yet another of their attacking artillery.
Midfield
CM will be a key, for that reason we go possession based but also with players that possess great vision and are able to pick a pass in the blink of an eye. We will really look to punish the opposition on the counter so it is vital that we have the players with the vision to hurt them. Receive the ball, head up and look for the decisive pass. We will have runners out wide, Bailey through the middle and our two strikers up front. Modric is in the form of his life and we expect him dictate the game, if the opposition attempt to put a DM on him this frees up Verratti to dictate the play. We carry a dual threat in this position which will be vital in creating plenty of goal scoring chances.
Forwards
Frightening pace, electrifying dribbling and deadly finishing, we feel our front three have it all. As previously explained Bailey will drop slightly deeper, creating a complete mismatch for their midfield, however when we’re in possession he’ll push forward and create a front three. Bailey on the right, Asensio on the left and Aguero through the middle. This will leave us three on three against their back line and only requires us to beat one man to create an overload. When not in possession we operate with a front two, Aguero has fantastic movement and will look to punish the opposition when given half a chance. Asensio will look to make runs in behind however crucially if the opposition drop off and sit deep, he has the ability to score absolute pearlers from distance.
If winning:
65 mins: Bailey and Alonso off, Dier and Hernandez on. We bring an out an out DM on to replace an AM as we tighten up and congest the middle of the field. We drop into a permanent back 5 with Hernandez bringing increased protection.
75 mins: Asensio off, Lenglet on. Completely shut up shop time as we bring on a fourth CB. Tighter than forte knox our defence will be impenetrable as we form a solid unit and see the game out.
If drawing:
65 mins: D.Sanchez off, Eriksen on. We switch to 4-3-3 with Bailey joining Aguero and Asensio up top whilst Eriksen forms a midfield trio with Modric and Verratti.
75 mins: Bailey off, Zaha on. We go for the winner with Modric and Eriksen pushing forward and operating as a devastating dual AM duo. A new increased threat from the flank as we go for goals.
If losing:
55 mins: D.Sanchez off, Eriksen on. 4-3-3
65 mins: Alonso and Verratti off, Sturridge and Zaha on. We revert to 3-4-3 with Aguero, Sturridge and Asensio up top as we go for goals, goals, goals.
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Tactics
Page 2 of 20
6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10
posted on 16/8/18
NEWCASTLE 4-1-4-1
__________Alisson
Azpi____Alder___Godin___Robbo
___________Kante
Salah___Koke___Pjanic____Mane
__________Suarez
SUBS: Skriniar, Rose, Milner, Radja, Rebic, Reus, Lukaku
Captain: Diego Godin
Penalties: Luis Suarez
Corners: Miralem Pjanic
Freekicks: Miralem Pjanic
Crossing Freekick: Koke
The formation deployed today is so that we gain as much control as possible higher up he pitch. We expect to have more of the ball so patience is key. We also expect the four behind the striker to drift around a bit, getting into positions where their natural play can cause damage. The striker up front presses when we don’t have the ball and the two closest players will support and cut passing lanes to help win the ball higher up. The quality of our players will allow us to break through the oppositions press. When we have the ball we will want to attract the press and use the spaces that they open up to attack.
Full backs will get forward when the opportunity arises. Our full backs are good at feeding our forward line with their ability on the ball and we aim to utilize that with their ability to get up the pitch and tactical arareness. We also need our full backs to widen the pitch for us. Our centre halves are good on the ball, and a long punt every now and then to utilize our pace out wide is encouraged.
The defensive midfielder will drop in to form a back three so that the centre backs can split wide to push the full backs general position higher up in line with the midfielders (and wide forwards engage their back line along with the striker). In doing so we create a four man midfield to overpower their midfield. This will allow our midfield to be flexible, if one of their midfielders steps forward, one of ours will move into the space they vacated.
By having our wide forwards up front when we have the ball it will effectively create space out wide. We would expect our full backs to sometimes go infield to collect the ball from the keeper, while one of the midfielders goes wide so when he receives the ball he will have time to look up and pick passes as the opposition midfield will be reluctant to press which will leave a man free in midfield. This can be done by a midfielder too, dropping deep to create a free man in the first line with time on the ball, ping it straight to the striker who can lay it off to the other onrushing midfielder.
If short passing options aren’t available the passing range and accuracy of our keeper will safely transfer the ball forwards via our full backs, wherever they are on the pitch. The keeper can also dink the ball into space for the striker or wide forward to control taking out 6 or 7 opposition players in the process.
When we don’t have the ball we will expect our four behind the striker to drop into a 4-5-1 in support of our defensive midfielder. We will also create triangles to trap the opposition players that have the ball, cutting the passing lanes and others putting pressure on players that might receive the ball. We stop the oppositions rhythm and force them into mistakes with our pressure. To stop their counter attacks after we lose the ball, three players will swarm the ball carrier before he can get his head up to play. If they beat the immediate press when the team’s main goal is to push their play wide where they can do the least damage. Our midfielders are an integral part to our play, when we win the ball back we will create space and time for them with our team shape.
Subs
65 mins: Radja comes on for Pjanic, our legs will start to tire, so will theirs, Radja will add box to box ability and energy late in the game.
75 mins: Lukaku comes on for Suarez, a different style of forward play for the opposition to think about.
If winning 80 mins: Skriniar comes on for Koke to close out the game. He is capable in defensive midfield alongside kante.
If losing/drawing 80 mins: Reus comes on for Koke and play 2 up front.
posted on 17/8/18
--------------------- Courtois --------------------
------------- E.Bailly ------- D.Sanchez --------
Cancelo ----------- Verratti ---------- M.Alonso
------------- Eriksen ------- Modric -------------
---- Bailey -------- Aguero -------- Werner ----
Subs:
McCarthy, Hernandez, Boateng, Khedira, Draxler, Zaha, Sturridge
We make a couple of tactical tweaks with this weekend’s opponents in mind, we anticipate that they will likely look to funnel the majority of their play through their strong central midfield. With that in mind deploy to Verratti as a DM, we feel he has the ability to not only break up play but as a very intelligent reader of the game we expect him to position himself to cut off the passing lanes to their forwards.
The second key change comes on the flanks, given the relatively narrow formation we expect our opponents to employ we look to hit them out wide at pace, stretching the field and getting our forwards in behind. With that in mind we deploy the deadly Werner at LW, a position he has comfortably operated in before as we look to utilise him not as a winger but as a wide forward, drifting out wide to create space and making darting runs infield beyond our main striker and in behind the opposition defence. It is likely they will play with two attacking fullbacks and two or possibly even three solid CBs who for all of their defensive nous, are not blessed with great pace. We look to exploit this with both Werner and Bailey coming off the flanks and using their explosive pace to get in behind
Aguero will also be key in our set up with his superb hold up play key. At times he will look to drop slightly deeper, in doing so he will bring a CB with him, creating a key attacking phase and mismatch in the oppositions defensive unit. We will look to get the ball into his feet, a quick one two with Modric/Eriksen who will receive the ball back and then play it into the open space vacated by Aguero. With an opposition CB taken out of play when Aguero drops deep there will be plenty of space for Bailey and Werner to exploit as we transition from a 2 WG, 1 CF attack to a 1 AM, 2 CF attack as per below.
----- Modric ------ Eriksen ----
------------ Aguero -------------
-- Bailey ----------- Werner --
Defence:
Attention to detail will be key in this match and similar to our attack, we go with a defensive unit selected specifically with today’s opponents in mind. We feel there’s a high chance they go two up top with Icardi likely to be accompanied by a physical target man. If so then Bailly will mark Icardi, as a strong pacy defender we feel he has all the tools to keep the CF at bay. Stick tight when he’s playing through the middle, impose yourself physically and most of all stay alert when balls are played into the box. Icardi is a poacher however Bailly will be keyed in on nullifying the threat he poses. If they play only one up top then Bailly marks and Sanchez covers in behind.
Alongside Bailly we go with Sanchez, a physically imposing defender who is very strong in the air. Stick tight to the CF and be dominant in the air. If they go with a target man then make sure he spends the afternoon with his back to goal, we feel we have the pace to deal with the threat posed by the opposition so we aren’t afraid to play on the front foot and get stuck in, safe in the knowledge we have the superior speed to deal with any balls over the top. Fullbacks have license to push forward but only one at a time, if the opposition play narrow then we will create plenty of space out wide as we look to stretch the opposition.
Midfield:
We have a midfield that oozes quality and expect the middle of the park to be an epic battle. As alluded to previously, Verratti will sit in front of the defence with the main focus of cutting out the passing lanes and not letting the opposition break between the lines. There’s a fair chance they’ll employ the maestro Iniesta as an AM so pace shouldn’t be an issue, instead the focus will be limiting his impact and not letting him dictate the game. We’ll look to cut out the balls into the feet of the strikers and instead make them try to force the issue with balls in behind which we feel will play to our advantage given the pace of our CB’s.
Eriksen and Modric will look to do the damage going the other way. The best way to limit the oppositions chances is ball retention, make them chase the ball with quick interlinking passes. With some ageing legs we feel if we can make them run then they will tire, which in turn will open up some space for us to do create havoc. With the runs of our front three, the vision and perfect weight of pass that both Eriksen and Modric possess should create plenty of chances. Win the midfield battle by dominating possession and dictating the play will be our main aim.
Forwards:
Frightening pace, electrifying dribbling and deadly finishing, we feel our front three have it all. Bailey operates more as a conventional winger, take the opposition on and make jinking runs into the box to draw a foul. Werner operating as a wide forward, his main aim will be to get in behind the defence however don’t be afraid to mix it up and play through the middle if Aguero drifts wide. Our main focus will be both wide players making runs in behind the defence and going for goal. With them playing on their stronger sides they will be in position to deliver quick balls in the box when in possession out wide. Aguero’s movement is fantastic and he will pounce on any balls played into the box. He is also the master of getting the early shot away and we encourage him to do so at will.
Subs;
If winning:
65 mins: Modric off, Khedira on. Fresh legs and increased defensive cover in the midfield of the pitch, whilst the focus remains on ball retention we bring on another astute passer.
75 mins: Werner and Bailey off, Boateng and Hernandez on. Shut up shop time. We go 5-4-1 with Boateng slotting in to help deal with any balls launched in to the box. Alonso sits in front of Hernandez as additional defensive cover as we form a solid defensive unit and see the game out.
If drawing:
65 mins: Verratti off, Draxler on. We look to quicken the tempo with Draxler slotting in as a third CM, a new added threat with great vision, passing ability and a keen eye for goal.
75 mins: Bailey off, Zaha on. We switch to 4-2-2-2, with Eriksen and Zaha on the flanks whilst Aguero and Werner form a clinical strike partnership.
If losing:
55 mins: Verratti off, Draxler on. 4-3-3 with our wide players pushing further forward and Modric, Eriksen, Draxler forming a midfield trio.
65 mins: Alonso off, Sturridge on. We revert to 3-4-3 with Aguero, Werner and Sturridge up top as we go for goals, goals, goals.
posted on 18/8/18
————————Ter Stegen
Odriozola——Sule————Upamecano——Gaya
————Keita——Torreira——Milinkovic
——————Dybala———Lozano
——————————Kane
Subs: Pope, Rudiger, Rodri, McKennie, Harit, Brandt, Sancho
Captain: Marc Andre Ter Stegen
Penalties: Harry Kane
Free Kicks: Paulo Dybala/Lucas Torreira
Corners: Lucas Torreira
In possession, the aim is to create space between the lines. Our FBs will stay deep in build-up, hogging the touchline to stretch the Bournemouth press. Our Ams stay central to occupy a couple of their midfielders to give our midfield 3 more space. The CMs find the gaps to receive the ball and stabilise possession in the opposition half. Torreira drops towards the CBs to combine with the defence in short combinations, drawing the opposition forward, opening up space behind them. Sule and Upamecano have excellent passing ranges and will look to fire laser passes into the next lines.
Having 5 players centrally in midfield means that the opposition midfield has a lot of decisions to make on which runners to go with, often they’ll choose those closest to goal which leaves more room for our CMs. Keita and SMS have to use this to their advantage, bringing possession forward and drawing the high press of Bournemouth, before using their bursts to beat the press, or quickly moving the ball to a teammate in a better position to find the Ams in space.
Between the 5 we want to see strong positional play, creating triangles to overload the opposition and using third man runs to break the lines. Eg if a CM moves moved wide in behind the opposition winger, drawing his marker out of the middle, then one AM can drop into the vacated space and the other make a move behind the opposition FB (Usually Dybala to link and Lozano to run). Likewise, if Dybala drops deep to receive the ball between the lines in the half spaces, a CM can run off of him centrally and Lozano can attack the wing. Retain the structure in the attacks as the ball moves forward, if the one AM finds himself wide then the other will come into the half space and the CM will remain central. Kane occupies the CBs and keeps the opposition back line deep by positioning close the box, make sure the back line can’t step up and limit the space for the midfield to play in. In the final third he has more room to get involved with players closer to him, he will then have to use his movement in the box to get his goals, or drop deep/drift wide to draw the CBs apart and open space for runners. Dybala and Lozano will have a lot of freedom to orchestrate attacks, both can beat men and make good runs behind the opposition defence, both can drop deep and link, both can go wide and create.
Our narrow midfield means the opposition will have to defend more narrowly to stop space opening up for us, this means that the FBs are going to have freedom to join attacks from wide. They will run from deep where they are harder to pick up, and more difficult to defend than a static winger with his back to goal, drive down the line and get whipped balls into the forwards/ link with the midfielders.
When pressing/counter-pressing we set up with Dybala and Lozano pushed alongside Kane in a 4-3-3, with a narrow mid-block. Instead of harrying the CBs, we close the passing lanes to midfield and create the structural foundations to press anyone that looks to break our lines, taking advantage of having 6 players centrally. The two lines of 3 will form to compact triangles with Torreira and Kane ahead of their flanking players, keeping DM and CF, and RCM and RAM, LCM and LAM connected and close together. Kane blocks the passing lane to the DLP, with the AM’s blocking the easy route to midfield. We can set a trap, either bating their advanced CMs to drop back to pick up possession or forcing their possession into undesirable wide spaces.
If the CMs drop deeper, it allows us to take advantage of better structural organisation, with the ball side CM, AM and Torreira and Kane all well connected and ready to press the ball carrier from all sides, whilst using their cover shadows to block passing lanes, looking to force errors and win the ball back quickly. If the DLP gets the ball then Kane turns to press from behind, with Torreira already taking up an excellent position to be able to press quickly, with the 4 flanking players able to squeeze the centre quickly. Having Torreira positioned higher off the ball allows us to make use of his intelligence in breaking up play, knowing that he has the energy of Keita and Milinkovic covering him. We maintain this system in deeper blocks too.
We expect a large portion of their possession to have to go wide. From here we press in triangles using the close connections between the ball side CM and AM to defend the wide area together, cutting off the route back central, whilst Kane positions himself between the two Cbs so they can’t circulate the ball to the other side. As our press moves on to their FBs, Torreira and the far side CM shuffle across, with the far side AM dropping back in to create a line of 4 across the field, allowing us to maintain coverage of the centre, half spaces and far side so that if they do manage to beat the press, we have our midfield line there to slow them down.
The back 4 always maintains close compactness to the midfield, adding to the difficulties in playing through us, and moves across the field in conjunction with the rest of the team. Due to the well drilled midfield and forward lines, our FBs can maintain a strong defensive position off the ball, which means they can always be very quick into the wingers as soon as they shape to receive a pass, keeping them under pressure. Any longer balls or crosses are easy pickings for our CBs, with Sule marking the CF and Upamecano covering.
Subs:
If Winning: Rodri for Milinkovic 70’, Torreira plays LCM. Harit and Rudiger for Lozano and Odriozola 80’.
If Drawing: Brandt for Milinkovic 70’, 4-2-3-1. Sancho for Lozano 75’, looks to get at tiring defenders. McKennie for Torreira 80’, adds fresh legs in midfield and can drive us forward.
If Losing: Brandt and Sancho for Odriozola and Gaya 60’, 3-4-3, Torreira will drop back to CB, Sancho and Lozano on the flanks looking to push us higher up the field, Dybala and Brandt supporting Kane. Harit for Milinkovic 70’, more creative in midfield.
posted on 18/8/18
------------------------ Oblak -------------------------
Vrsaljko ----- Varane ----- Umtiti ----- A.Sandro
---------------------- Eric Dier -----------------------
--------------- Fabinho ---- P.Pogba ----------------
Mbappe ------------------------------------ B’deschi
------------------- Lewandowski ---------------------
Gunn, Henrichs, Kessie, Aouar, Belotti, Barrow, Neres
We want to play high tempo football, quick on the break and really pressurise the opposition with an in your face performance, we want to hit them quickly so we need to press them quickly to get the ball, when we defend we need a strong back 5/6, (the back four in a line to make it difficult to break through, we don't sit too deep and Dier, Fabinho & Pogba just in front harassing the man with the ball before they get to our back 4 and the front 3 in and around the half way line, Lewandowski slightly higher up, this will congest the midfield and stop them playing it through us, stop them coming forward from the back, however, if they do push forward onto us and we get the ball they will be on the back foot and will really struggle with our front 3/4 with Fullbacks who are always ready to pounce and hit them with pace and quick free flowing football
Umtiti and Varane at CB, Umtiti picks up the CF, Varane sits spare picking up a 2nd CF/AM if he gets away from Dier or Dier goes off, keep the forward(s) away from the danger area, by getting onto them quickly and be strong, take the ball away from them and play it away out of defence, look to get it out wide quickly when we retain possession, Both are very comfortable on the ball so can bring it out when in no danger and look for the pass longer to the wingers or Striker to hit them quickly with pace, to get us moving forward. Vrsaljko and Sandro at fullback, we must keep the wingers quiet, stop them and we stop a lot of there attacks. Both are perfect for this, They will look to keep them away from shooting areas and stop them becoming dangerous in any position by standing tall against them and keeping them on there 'bad' foot. When they attack an drive down the wing to support, only at a time as to not let ourselves be exposed, they drive down the line in support of the wingers, Sandro and Vrsaljko get outside Mbappe and Bernardeschi to allow him to cut inside. the two always make themselves available to the wingers. I want both Varane and Dier to go up for corners, with the fullbacks and Umtiti sitting back.
In the centre of the pitch are Dier, Fabinho and Pogba, Dier our main defensive player sitting just in front of Umtiti and Varane he will shadow there AM and not allow him to control the game, Fabinho their to lend a hand to stop them coming through. Dier must be aware of all that is around him, be in the right place at the right time and look to cover for defensive players moving forward, he has to impose himself early on the AM to make him wary of holding onto the ball too long, once on the ball look around, head up and pick the pass that will get us moving forward quickly, can be out to the fullbacks or indeed a longer ball to the front three to take the opposition out of it as they are still high up the pitch. Fabinho's role is to assist Dier but slightly higher up the pitch, he will stop the run of play quicker to make our defenders jobs a lot easier, make our midfield very difficult to pass through, protect our defence as best as possible and again in possession get it to our more creative players up front, keep it simple. Can move forward to assist and look for balls coming out so he can either, shoot or whip straight back in.
Pogba is our central creator, not everything will go through him, but he is essential to our style of play, he is the link between defence and attack, as we break quickly he will look to set up our front three. At times he will drop deeper to pick up the ball get his head up and see who is in the best position to receive the ball and that's where he will put it, he will follow his pass and make up the numbers up front. When he doesn't drop deep i.e when the defenders go long, he will look to form a front four as they move around and look to tear the defence apart.
Our wingers are extremely quick, when we don't have the ball they drop back a bit to make up the numbers as they attack, push into the faces of the opposition to force them into mistakes and hopefully in the end they lose the ball, when they do lose the ball we charge at them and we do it quickly, either a long ball over defenders, go through Pogba or indeed out to one of our attacking fullbacks.however, the movement up front between Bernardeschi and Mbappe will cause them problems as they switch around at times, will see us make their defenders move out of position to follow their player, thus allowing Pogba to pick his moment to move into space either as a 10 or out wide. If he does push wide this will allow Mbappe/Bernardeschi to go in central as we will have an attacking fullback up and supporting. Quick passing in triangles that will get us in and beyond their defenders and eventually to Lewandowski who has the power and ability to beat any defender and the other winger who will look to get into space to get a shot off, if there defence is on top then we can always go direct at times and fire early crosses especially from deep from the fullbacks into Lewandowski right on top of the young goalkeeper to put a lot of pressure on him, we must always make sure he is well supported, if he cant get the shot away he will be looking to bring others into the game.
Captain - Varane
Pens - Lewandowski
Corners - Wingers
Free Kicks - Pogba
Subs -
Losing -
65 Mins - D.Neres for Bernardeschi, fresh pace and trickery
75 Mins - Dier move to CB and Belotti for Sandro, Barrow for Vrsaljko 343 attacking Dier the man marker at the back
Winning -
70 Mins - Kessie for Dier, Fabinho to DM and Kessie into Fabinho's role
80 Mins - Henrichs for Mbappe to help down the right
86 Mins - Belotti for Lewandowski
Drawing -
70 Mins Aouar for Dier, Fabinho to DM and Aouar to a more attacking midfield role
80 Mins - Neres for Bernardeschi
posted on 18/8/18
Balanced 4-2-3-1
We setup with a strong defensive platform, hitting Pompey with quick pacey attacks as we go direct and down the wings when attacking. We go with two strong defensive midfielders in front of the defence, looking to give the defence strong cover and give the attacking players more freedom to break forward quickly.
Seamless interchanging of positions in attack, and relentless pressing from our midfield in when defending the final third. Attacking down the wings, with Carvajal or Marcelo bombing forward on the overlap one at a time, giving the attacking midfielders real freedom in attack.
We defend with 10 men behind the ball and relatively deep, not allowing any space in behind for Auba to use his pace. The two strong dms, help to ensure there is no space in front of the defence for kdb or Griezzman to operate. The attacking midfield trio come deep to get behind the ball and ensure there is no space, picking up runners from deep. Ensuring there is no space and that we outnumber them significantly. When we win the ball we break quickly.
In attack we use the pace and quick link up play of our AMs, target Pompey out wide. We always leave one fb back, the other bombs forward. Sane on the right, a natural right footer looks to use his pace and the oppositions lack of a left footed cb to go down the outside and drive behind. If 3 cbs, press the lcb, force a mistake.
Hummels adds a great ability to read the play which we feel is perfect next to Ramos who loves to get stuck in, and the attacking full backs. Allow the opposition to have the ball in their own half. Doucoure will play in a box to box role next to Casmiro, strong defensively but also adding power to our attack when we can break.
We look to play out quickly from the back. The attacking trio look to find space as soon as we win the ball. Sane always looks to play as wide as possible on the right, stretch the opposition and create space for Doucoure, Coutinho and Hazard inside. Hazard has more freedom on the left, play his natural game while Coutinho always looks for space in between the opposition defence and attack.
------------------ Neuer
Carvajal - Ramos - Hummels - Marcelo
--------- Casemiro - Doucoure
L.Sane -------- Coutinho ------- Hazard
---------------- C.Ronaldo
Subs. Pereira, Alexander Arnold, Partey, Gundogan, Lopes, Geubbels, D.Costa
We defend in a 4-2-3-1 formation. We defend with a relatively deep line, not allowing Auba space behind. Control the opposition by pressing the space with a narrow, compact rigid defensive unit, so that KdB and Griezzman can't find space. Or if they play wide players then they wont find space in the areas they like to when coming inside. When we lose the ball the closest midfielder presses the ball, the second closest presses the obvious passing channel. Allowing others to get deep and into shape. Looking to stop or slow any counter attacks.
The cbs keep next to each other and don't get sucked out of their line letting the dms deal with forwards that drop deep. Keep the line. Ramos the cb marking their most advanced forward. Hummels the cb that looks to sweep up, he will work with Casemiro to ensure that their second most advanced attacker (Griezzman likely) is always picked up. With these two under lock and key, Casemiro again will then work with Doucoure to keep KdB quiet. This means there is always one free to press any deep runners from deep.
Coutinho will look to hold the space in front of the two dms to stop any passing lanes here and ensure there is no space for players from deep to break into, simply being in the right place. Sane has a great work ethic and so we expect him to really help Carvajal out. If he's picking up an attacking wb, this should allow Carvajal to be more zonal, and be in a position where he can help Sane/cbs if they do get in behind. On the other side Marcelo deals with their most attacking wide player. If they play wide players Casemiro holds a central position picking up the AM, and Doucoure is ball side of him helping the fb and winger to defend against their threat as the wide players they could play like to come inside anyway.
Hazard and Coutinho focus on dropping deep and being in the right positions to block passing lanes and ensure there is no space for the opposition to work in.
Leave no space for them in between the lines, make it difficult for them to create, if they beat a man, they'll run into another. Casemiro presses the space in front of our cbs, sweeping up danger in front of the defence when it gets through, Doucoure goal side of Casemiro pressing the ball.
Defenders marshalling the team in a tight formation narrowing to the side of play, ensuring there are no gaps in the formation.
Attack
Centre backs play out, they have the option to go long or have the fbs, Casemiro and Doucoure offering options. One of the full backs look to drive forward and link with the wide men and midfielders.
Coutinho and Hazard will always be looking for space in between their midfield and defence. We want quick one twos in the opposition half, using our wingers to get in behind and link with Ronaldo.
Ronaldo has freedom to play his natural game and get the goals.
Subs. If winning or drawing after 70 mins bring on Partey for Doucoure. Fresh injection of pace and power.
If winning or drawing after 75 mins bring on D.Costa for Ronaldo. Fresh power to inject up top and help us push forward when attacking.
If winning after 80 mins bring on Guebbels. Pure pace and power to help us get at space Pompey leave when they push for a goal.
If losing after 60 mins bring on D.Costa for Sane. 4-2-2-2. Both fbs attacking.
If losing after 70 mins bring on Gundogan for Doucoure.
If losing after 75 mins bring on Trent Alexander for Carvajal. Fresh pace and great crossing ability for the front two.
posted on 18/8/18
Hull City vs MANCHESTER CITY
Line Up:
--------------------------Rico--------------------------
Pereira--------Lindelof----Romagnoli--------Jorge
------------------------Witsel-------------------------
--------------Fred---------------Rafinha-------------
Willian---------------Fekir----------------Oyarzabal
Captain: Romagnoli
Penalties: Fekir
Direct Free Kicks: Willian
Indirect Free Kicks: Rafinha
Corners: Oyarzabal
Substitutes: Dragowski; Caricol; Zagadou; A.Pereira; Golovin; Gelson; Correa
Game Plan:
We will start in a 4-3-3 formation, dropping back to 4-5-1 in defence, in order to reinforce the midfield out of possession. Axel Witsel plays as a holding midfielder, flanked by Fred and Rafinha, while Willian and Oyarzabal operated down the wings and Fekir holds the False 9 position. All 3 front men can play across the pitch and will be encouraged to swap positions to keep defenders guessing.
The main objective of the frontline is to force the Hull GK to look for direct balls up to the forwards, where our large back four are set up to control any aerial threat. If the goalkeeper does try to go short to his centre-backs, we will them towards the central channel, while blocking the passing lanes to the either the holding midfielder or CM partnership. Our central forward player is key here, as he will constantly be closing the passing lanes through the middle.
We will prevent the Hull midfielders from linking up with their forwards, forcing them to play backwards and then piling the pressure on the player in possession. Fred and Witsel stand out in particular here, organising the defensive effort and ensuring Hull cannot establish a dominance in the centre of the pitch.
Should Hull launch an attack, the aim is to remain tight in the defensive third - the two wing forwards will drop into midfield to cover any overlapping runs made by the Hull full backs, and we will completely crowd the central channel of the pitch; this will force Hull to either make their play down the flanks against 2 athletic defenders, or play backwards where our forward will be waiting to press and intercept.
We will be lethal on the counter-attack. The speed of the first wave of our breaks will ensure they escape concerted pressure from Hull. Our attackers surge forwards, positioning themselves in behind the line of pressure ahead of the ball, thus providing the player who won the ball plenty of possession. Fred will be the standout player in these situations; with an impressive understanding of when and where to attack the free space both with and without the ball.
We will vary our approach in attack, alternating between direct play and passing through the thirds. Rico will often look to move the ball into the opposition half as quickly as possible, while the midfield has plenty of strength, aggression, and attacking intent in the middle of the park, constantly seeking to exploit any gaps in behind their opposing midfielders. Fred has the ability to make particularly good use of the space on the inside, projecting his side forwards in attack where they will outnumber the Hull defensive midfield area. Moreover, having Rafinha in the midfield will add another dimension to our attack, as his dribbling through the centre of the pitch can draw players out of position and open up space for our attackers to run into. In addition to this, his technical prowess at feeding through-balls in tight spaces will create numerous chances for our forwards to put away.
In the attacking phase, we will opt for combination play, swapping between short passes to lure the Hull defenders into the opposition half and more ambitious passes through the thirds. Our high tempo will disrupt our opponents, both in midfield and in the final third. The pace and movement of our forwards will cause chaos for the Hull midfielders, who will be put under severe pressure to attempt to protect their midfield against the pace and direct nature of our attack. We will put our opponents under constant pressure, with our dangerous front three of Willian, Fekir and Oyarzabal forcing their way in behind their full-backs and posing constant problems for the centre-backs. At the same time, our full backs have the athleticism and talent to get up the pitch along the byline and drill in low, hard crosses that will cause panic among the defenders.
As a collective, we are well balanced. In the final third we will locate our biggest threats in prime positions, where they will cause constant uncertainty in the last line of defence. Oyarzabal, Fekir and Willian will regularly find openings with their pace and direct play, successfully exploiting the space in between the centre-backs and the full-backs alongside them.
In the defensive transition, we will re-organise quickly and effectively after losing the ball, Rafinha and Fred leading the way in swarming around the man in possession, with both being used to implementing a high pressing system, with Axel Witsel adept at covering the inside lanes and intercepting play. We will prevent Hull from outnumbering us in this phase of the game, reducing the threat of the counter-attack.
Substitutes:
45 MINUTES (If winning, save this change for the 60th minute, otherwise :-
Angel Correa comes on for Oyarzabal - Correa favours the central areas and will be more aggressive. Giving the Wolves centre backs cause for concern and freeing up space for Willian and Fekir. Correa's pressing ability, too, will spell bad news for Wolves.
60 MINUTES (If winning, save this change for the 70th minute, otherwise :-
If drawing: Aleksandr Golovin for Fred - Both players have a fairly similar playing style. Golovin plays with intensity and will re-invigorate the pressing process in the centre of the park, while quickly changing defence to attack with mazy runs and incise passes.
70 MINUTES :-
Gelson Martins for Willian - Gelson can play on the left and look to cut in, both freeing space for Jorge to occupy, and allowing Fekir to play on the right where he is such a creative menace, Martins will be looking to use his pace and dribbling prowess to cut holes in the Hull defence late in the game. He will look to pass before shooting, generating chances for Fekir and Correa to bury.
posted on 18/8/18
BRUM vs Arsenal
---------------------------------Lafont--------------------------------
Hysaj------------Diop---------------Stones---------------Dalot
----------------------------------Ndidi--------------------------------------
-----------------Hamsik----------------Kondogbia---------------------
Under-------------------------------------------------------------Kluivert
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------Higuain------------------------------------------
Subs - Lunin, Mukiele, Fabian Ruiz, I Sarr, Chiesa, Robben, Benzema
CAPTAIN - HAMSIK
CK'S - HAMSIK
FK'S - KLUIVERT
PENALTIES - HIGUAIN
A good win to start the season last week and we want to continue it against an Arsenal side missing their key defender Kompany. We will focus on wing play by using our pacy wingers to create chances to score. Arsenal have some dangerous wingers in Costa and Malcom but if we defend well we should limit their danger with Ndidi helping our fullbacks double up against them. Arsenal are not the strongest defensively so I want my wingers to get at the oppo fullbacks.
I want us to hold a deep defensive line to start of with so the oppo dont get an early goal. Keep things simple in the beginning and only pressure the oppo when they get in our half. When we have the ball I want the team to play pass and move football. Don't stay static, try and get in behind the oppo defence as there is a lot of pace in our attacking players. As the game goes on, when we don't have the ball I want the team to defend from the front line and pressure the oppo and try and win possession back. Do this in fits and bursts as it is a tiring tactic.
Defence
Lafont is a quality young keeper. Don't take risks. Punch the ball away if the shot is too powerful. Command your area. The defence is well balanced. Stones and Diop bring a whole lot of experience and pace to the defence. Stones will use his experience to marshal the defence and Diop will look to use his pace to close the oppo strikers down. Stay vocal with each other and cover for each other if oppo gets past one of you. Full backs will start of with a conservative mind set and not attack too much but as the game goes on I want them to make overlapping runs and get some crosses in to the box. Ndidi and Kondogbia will be covering for them when they go attacking.
Defence Mid
Ndidi
Ndidi will be the anchor in the middle. Stay back in front of the defence and protect the defence with your life. If the oppo play an AM then stick close to him and mark him if possible. When our fullbacks are attacking then your main priority will be to cover for them. When in possession pass the ball out to the wings or play a through ball from deep to our wingers.
Centre Mids
Kondogbia + Hamsik
Kondogbia will play more as a b2b mid but will be able to help both in attack and defence as he has a lot of stamina. He will be making run's forward and helping our attackers with quick passes and penetrating runs from deep. Hamsik will be playing CM on paper but his main role will be to help in attack. When not in possession of the ball Hamsik will look to close down the oppo DM's and win the ball off them. No need to stay too deep as Kondogbia and Ndidi are adequate cover in the middle. When attacking I want Hamsik to make runs into the oppo box and bring others into the game. Play 1 2's with the wingers and create space for yourself and your teammates. Shoot if you see an opening at goal.
Wingers
Under + Kluivert
These 2 will be the focal point of my attack. They are 2 young and hungry players and I want to give them the freedom to express themselves in attack. Kluivert will be looking to cut in from the right and Under likewise onto his left. I want you both to try and beat the oppo fullbacks with your pace and dribbling ability but don't try too hard as if you see them doubling up on you you can either pass back or into the centre of the pitch to one of our CM's. I want you both to be aware of our fullbacks and play pass and move 1 2's with them to try and penetrate the oppo back line. Hysaj and Dalot are no slouches attacking wise so use them! If you can cut in onto your stronger foot, don't be afraid to shoot from range as you both have the ability to score from long range. If there is no space to do so then take the ball to the byline and whip in crosses for Higuain to get his head on. When we are defending corners I want both of them to stay near the halfway line so we can hit the oppo on the counter attack.
Striker
Gonzalo Higuain
Higuain will look to use his strength to get the better of the oppo defence. Be vary of crosses into the box as you are decent in the air, and if you are through on goal, use your expert finishing to score. Time your runs off the shoulders of the oppo CB's and hold the ball up for Kluiver/Under to make infield runs ahead of you.
Subs if LOSING BY 65MINS
Put on Benzema for Kondogbia, Robben for Under and Chiesa for Hamsik to bring some more pace on. Play a high line and try and get a goal. Change formation to 41212.
--------------------------------Lafont--------------------------------
Hysaj-------------Diop-----------Stones------------Dalot
-------------------------------Ndidi------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Robben----------------------------------------------------------Kluivert
-------------------------------Chiesa------------------------------------
----------------Benzema-----------Higuain--------------------------
Subs if WINNING BY 80MINS
Take off Hamsik and put on Mukiele in CB and play defensive with everyone in our own half defending for their lives, waiting to hit the oppo on the counter attack. Sarr on for Kluivert and Chiesa for Under.
-------------------------------Lafont--------------------------------
Hysaj-------Mukiele------Diop--------Stones-------Dalot
---------------------Ndidi--------Kondogbia----------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------Chiesa-----------------------------------------Sarr---------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------Higuain----------------------------------------
Subs if DRAWING BY 65MINS
Robben on for Under
Fabian on for Hamsik
Benzema on for Higuain
Fresh legs to bring on.
posted on 18/8/18
------------------------- Ederson
-------- Van Dijk ------ Javi.M ------- Koulibaly
K.Walker ----- Busquets ----- Tolisso -------- B.Mendy
---------------- De Bruyne -- Griezmann
---------------------- Aubameyang
Subs: Butland, Pavard, Otamendi, Bentancur, Lemar, Mahrez, Jesus
First and foremost we need to be solid defensively today, aware of the threat they pose up top and pace in behind so we drop deep and look to contain when their on the ball, allow them possession in their defensive half where they can't hurt us but pack midfield and defensive areas with bodies whilst keeping a rigid structure throughout.
FB's are less adventourous when attacking today, one generally sits deeper. We use their pace to track their forwards looking to get their foot in when they're wide and isolated down the flanks using our 3 CB's for additional support, Mendy then given more freedom then Walker to attack the space left by Marcelo when he gets forward today.
Up top look to keep it simple, no risks of over playing but generally mixing it up as we dont want to be too predictable, a quick counter attacking overload from deep will be key especially in wider areas with Walker and Mendy's pace, front 3 burst forward and hit our opponents hard when they over commit.
At times going long ball as we feel our forwards are more of a match for their defence. Auba look to stay on his toes looking to occupy their CB's in behind and creating space in the final third for the two in behind, look to target Hummels as he is frightened of pace, commits very early so look to turn him with that change of pace and expose the channels.
Tolisso comes into the side in mf, gives us more of a dynamic box to box midfielder alongside Busquets who will look to be his usual self and keep things ticking over. Tolisso look to be more of the ball carrier looking to inject urgency when required and creating that extra bit of space.
When the ball is played to Casemiro, we need to get on him early like a fly to sh*t. a top dm but struggles when pressed so look to target him.
Hardworking and great work ethic throughout , we may not be pleasing on the eye today but our sights are set on getting the job done, simply staying solid defensively and taking our chances when they arise.
3-4-1-2 - On the ball:
It starts from the back. Ederson is very able with his hands and feet and should look to find our players in space.
The CB trio are excellent on the ball, very good passing success rates and should look to move the ball into mf quickly. At times collecting short from Ederson and getting their heads up, looking for movement from the attackers and attempting diagonal or long balls into feet, so we can can counter at pace and bypass their mf press.
Van Dijk & Koulibaly should shift slightly wider when on the offense allowing our wing-backs to push up in a bank of 4 in mf.
Busquets and Tolisso, a midfield pair that will provide plenty of energy and will work their socks off for the side to allow others around them to express themselves. They should look to stamp their authority with their work rate and power looking to take a grip on mf and shielding our defence, oppressing the opposition midfielders and covering every blade of grass out there.
When attacking, Javi.M sits just infront of the defence and makes himself available for a pass back. A passing outlet if we are being vigorously pressed whilst also allowing us to create space when working the ball around in triangles, also prevent counter attacks.
De Bruyne + Griezmann will look to play more the AM role and inbetween the lines, roaming in the oppositions half and looking to act as the links between midfield and attack. Picking up pockets of space and using their awareness to dictate the play, running at their backline and using quick pace and incisiveness to commit defenders on the break.
Flanks will be key as we look to expose them in wide areas and create space in midfield.
Two quick & skilful WG-backs in Walker and B.Mendy, need to hug the touchline and provide the width allowing us to stretch the opposition. Always on the move so we can get them in behind and use them as outlets going forward when picking a pass.
Very possession orientated, comfortable playing quick 1-2's and accelerating into space, overlapping often and getting early deliveries into the box for our strikers to attack.
When Leicester are in possession we will sit deep as a unit with 10 men behind the ball ensuring their is no space left in behind.
We form a rigid structure looking to press the space and dropping off with men behind the ball, only allowing them to play where we want them too, stifle the midfield and stop them from picking their passes into a forward attacker.
Essentially a 3-5-2, 5 in mf working to minimise the space in midfield zones and preventing them from finding their attackers. Our wing-backs then drop off to mark the oppositions wingers and help our CB's to prevent any space being left in behind.
Key is leaving no gaps or space to get in behind, working as a staunch unit so their quick attackers have to come deeper to get involved making their first point of contact with the ball much deeper than they anticipated and notably further away from our final third.
When we have them deep we have more to work with, we can plug at them and tactically foul in areas that will prevent them from playing with any flow, breaking up the game and frustrating the oppoistion.
If we manage to win the ball we must immediately look to counter and hit the opposition hard. Walker & Mendy can come up to support the play and provide the width. The front 3 burst forward.
Subs:
IF WINNING: 70th minute – (3-5-2)
- Bentancur > Tolisso
- G.Jesus > Aubameyang
- Pavard > Javi.M (84th min)
Compact 3-5-2, we get fresh legs on and keep things solid, Jesus used as an outlet to surge forward when possible
IF DRAW: 70th minute – (3-4-3)
- Bentancur > Tolisso
- Lemar > KDB
- Mahrez > Auba (75th min)
3-4-3, stretch the play and look to play more in wider areas at this stage where we think Leicester are most susceptible to being exposed.
IF LOSING: 77th minute – (4-4-2 - direct)
- G.Jesus > Javi.M
- Mahrez > Tolisso
- Lemar > Griezmann
4-4-2, direct. long balls into the box and constantly looking for the two strikers.
Flood forward and look for an equalizer/winner.
C - Javi.M
FK's - De Bruyne / Griezmann
Corners - De Bruyne
Pens – Griezmann
posted on 18/8/18
Sorry forgot Lemar and Bentacur injured so change to Mertens and Can on subs and substitutions like for like
posted on 18/8/18
Villa vs Spurs: 3-4-3 (NARROW)
Injuries:
Pezzella
Keane
Lallana
Vardy
Matuidi
Luiz (suspended)
……………………………………De Gea…………………………
……………….De Vrij………….Bonucci…………Chiellini
Bellerin………………Vidal…………..Neves………………Max
…………………….Icardi…Morata….Rashford………….
Subs: Forster, Cahill, Sidibe, Gagliardini, Iniesta, Adama, El Shaarawy
Spurs are a strong outfit and will be a good test, but one in which we feel we have a good chance of passing. Changed the system today, yes it’s narrow certainly up front but that’s a strength not a weakness.
Last week we went with a possession heavy set-up and whilst we did ok we still lost, this week is less about possession but more about quick direct attacking football. We want those long diagonals being hit, turn the Spurs defence and get in on goal. I want us hitting them at pace throughout the game, proper in your face football.
Spurs are blessed with pacey wingers and in Aguero they have a proper match winner, Max and Bellerin are no slouches they’ll look to show their men the line and force the cross, as good as Aguero is in the air, he’ll be up against it with our back three.
De Gea is for me the best keeper in the world, his shot stopping is second to none and he doesn’t seem to get so physically roughed up anymore, will command his box – but the 3 in front of him know their business as good as any. With the ball, any of our back five are an option, or he can go long and direct.
The Back Three:
two thirds of the best defence put together in Italy for the best of a decade with De Vrij alongside them is about as solid as you’ll find anywhere, all are big strong specimens, not the quickest of defences so they’ll sit deep and hold the 18 yard line, let spurs try and draw us out. In possession RCB and LCB will hit those diagonals to Morata, he’ll flick it on or bring it down…we go from back to front in 5 seconds – we’ll kill them on the counter…..once they’ve been stung they’ll be more wary about committing so we need to be clinical. Defensively they won’t be drawn out. They’re drilled enough to hold position…Bonucci silences Aguero, whilst Chiellini and De Vrij sweep and keep an eye out for runners from midfield – they won’t go wide, if our wing backs can’t stop the cross they’ll deal with the ball in the box, no point being caught in no mans land.
Bellerin and Max – both given licence to get forward, Bellerins pace is enough to keep Spurs LB pegged back, as no-one can afford to give him a headstart. The real threat come from the left, Max assists in big numbers – he’s got 3 strikers to aim at, could be a good afternoon for the German.
The Pivot:
Neves is the DM, great range of passing and the tenacity to get stuck in and put a foot in, will be some player this kid, he’s a real baller, with him sitting infront of the defence playing QB, dictating the tempo and spreading the ball about as well as pinging the balls over the top. The bonus is once play breaks down he’s already in situ to defend in the spaces that Eriksen is so good at operating in.
Vidal is the muscle in the engine room, such a beast…he’s assigned one major task today and that’s sit on former teammate, Gail Platt…wherever he goes be on his toes, don’t let him settle in to the game – we know tab is a fan of a 3 man midfield, no idea who the 3rd spoke is but we figure that with Eriksen and Modric marked, he’ll have to go long and our defence can deal with that.
So basically Neves deep lying playmaker and Vidal box to box destroyer.
The Trident:
Nice and narrow, but rather than stepping on each other’s toes I think they complement each other nicely.
Morata – big strong and physical, good in the buildup with quick feet, we want him positioning himself between the two centre-backs but slightly in front, his primary tasks are to either bring the ball down and lay it off or flick it on to the other two, by playing just infront of the defence he can win us some pretty cheap free kicks just by being climbed on. Anything into the box he can attack goal bound.
Icardi – has a much better work ethic than given credit for, scores in huge numbers, we want him operating in the gaps between RCB and RB, will get loads of service from the flanks or flick on’s just be on his toes and ready to pounce.
Rashford – bags of pace and can finish, where as Icardi operates in the spaces we want Rashford coming inside so running on beyond Morata and causing confusion as to which defender takes which striker, hopefully creating a bit more space for Max to whip a ball in.
Defensively:
their keeper has the ball
Morata will sit between the centre halves, taking both out of the game for a short kick
Rashford and Icardi will drift wide marking their FB’s forcing the keeper to go long.
Without the ball:
Morata will stay splitting their CB’s giving us an out ball and target man, whilst Rashford and Icardi will drop to the halfway line, closing off the passing lines that Spurs will look to exploit.
Subs 70 Mins:
El Sha > Rashford
Adama > Morata (Icardi goes central)
Iniesta > Neves
posted on 18/8/18
--------------------Buffon
Clyne---Sokratis---Vertonghen---F.Luis
------------------Locatelli
------------Rabiot-------Kovacic
Mkhitaryan---------------------------Sterling
------------------Lacazette
Subs
Uzoho, Retsos, Grimaldo, Brozovic, Henderson, Gameiro, Inaki
Buffon is a commanding presence at the back, when he calls for a ball, the defence know he will take control, they have complete confidence in each other and stops those little split second doubts which could lead to a chance. When he has the ball he will look to offload quickly in the direction of the front 3 to get those quick counters started.
Verthongen is the defensive leader and will be the one to set the defensive line on the pitch, both centre backs will stay back with either one of the full backs or the DM always prepared to make it a back 3 when we lose possession to stop counter attacks, Both CB"s will communicate with each other so they are clear in where the attacking threats are. When dealing with the opposition, we will avoid slide tackles unless necessary instead looking to just guide players off the ball. When on the ball, if the opposition are giving them space to come out with the ball, then they should take it forward, if not, keep it simple with the occasional long ball to the front 3 thrown in to keep the opposition from setting up against one style of play.
For the full backs today the objective is to sit back and tuck in slightly when defending, looking to stop balls being played between them and the centre backs, with the secondary advantage of discouraging the wide men from cutting inside, forcing them to cross, which gives us a better chance of getting the ball back quickly and launching an attack of our own. Their objective when attacking will be to keep making runs past the winger on both the inside and outside, giving the opposition full back that split second of indecision on who they go with. They will only occasionally put floated crosses in, preferring to either play shorter passes to the wingers or players who have come out from the middle of the pitch to keep possession and let the pressure build up in the final third, or run to the byline and put in fast and low crosses relying on both the faster reactions and control of our attackers and the pressure of the situation on their centre backs to hastily clear the ball without being in full control of the situation.
The focus of the midfield 3 will be to use their high energy, all action styles to get themselves around the middle of the pitch, working in collaboration with the front 3 to control the midfield battle whilst still having the attacking nous to create chances for us. When we are in the attacking third, they will always be looking to make themselves available for a pass to keep recycling the ball, keeping the pressure up with us looking to use the movement of the other CM's and the front 3 to drag the opposition defensive players that little bit more which could be the difference in getting a player behind them. They also all have an eye for a pass so will look to take advantage of the front 3 all flitting around and play them in with through balls and quick one touch play. We will also occasionally take the occasional long shot, with the aim being to make sure defenders aren't content to sit back and forcing them to make a decision. When defending, they are looking to press the middle third of the pitch, pressing the opposition CMs/Wingers in conjunction with other players as they are on the ball to rush their decisions and win the ball back.
Both wingers today will be looking will be to drift around when deeper players are in possession, looking to combine with the other attacking players to get little areas of space before using their pace and trickery respectively to drift between the CB and FB and get in behind them. When they are on the ball the emphasis will be more on cutting inside with the occasional long shot to test the keeper, and only occasionally putting in crosses, getting involved in a fast intricate style of passing with the centre mids and Lacazette, looking to create the passing triangles which will just take players out of the game. They should also look to run at players as they will be cautious not to give away a set piece due to the ability of our set piece takers. When the opposite winger has the ball, the one without the ball should look to find space between the CB and FB to add an extra body in the box. When defending, they should be stopping the passing lines to the full backs primarily, then focus on ensuring our full backs dont get outnumbered.
When Lacazette is attacking, he will look to constantly drift around the defenders looking to get himself a bit of space enough for him to get the ball and pass it along to another attacker or face up the defenders and take them on. When running onto a ball, He will also be looking to use his reactions to get ahead of the defender and then use his strength to cut in front of the defender, causing them to either stop their forward momentum completely, or make the foul.
When defending, he will be working with the wingers to cut off the passing lines for their CB's, forcing them or the keeper to launch it long, then using his tireless energy reserves to work back and press their centre mids.
Set Pieces
Corners - Kovacic takes the corners, most of the time looking to have the ball at an attackable height around 8-10 yards out between the posts, the FB's stay back to prevent counters, the CB's and Lacazette work in a group to make little blocks and cross-runs to lose a marker so 1 or 2 can get a run at the ball, Mkhi and Sterling flit around away from the main attacking group looking to pounce on mistimed touches and flicks around the area. Locatelli looks to limit the opposition keeper from moving too far off his line, looking to take a defender with him to create less space for the keeper and one less man in the main action area. Rabiot takes a position just outside the box to pick up weak clearances and go for the odd thundercunt, as well as occasionally providing the short option to draw defenders out of the box.
Free Kicks - Mkhi takes Direct FK's
For Indirect FK's, same instructions as Corners
Penalties - Lacazette is the designated taker.
Subs
If Winning
70 mins - Inaki for Mkhi - The wingers tuck back, but look to get out quickly and counter if the opposition over-commit for a route back into the game.
82 + 86 Mins - Henderson for Kovacic and Gameiro for Lacazette - Actively time waste and really frustrate the opposition.
If Drawing
70 Mins - Henderson for Locatelli - Add a bit more urgency into attacks, show the opposition we are going for the win.
If Losing
67 Mins - Gameiro, Retsos and Inaki for Locatelli, Luis and Clyne - switch to a 3-5-2 with emphasis on the wings backs acting as wingers and just pile forward in numbers.
posted on 18/8/18
--------------------Lloris
Danilo---Manolas---Sane---Rodriguez
-----------Goretzka---Herrera
Malcom--------Aspas---------Costa
------------------Cavani
Pickford, Llorente, Maitland-Niles, Ramsey, Foden, Tadic, Wood
A change of formation and a change of pace for today’s game. I have reverted to a 4-2-3-1, but without a conventional number 10 sitting in behind Edinson Cavani. Today I intend to play a counter attacking game, given the pace that I believe we posses on the break, utilising our wide men and Aspas to hit the opposition with devastating effect. The system I have in place requires great discipline from the players I have picked today. For the counter attack to work then everyone needs to be on their game and know how to play.
Defensively I have picked Salif Sane to step in for the injured Kompany, which I see as a move away from a ball playing defender and towards a more rough and physical presence. This is what I want from Sane. Him and Manolas will work as a defensive unit, with Salif challenging for aerial balls and being strong in the tackle, pushing forward to support the press, whilst Manolas covers the space in behind him. Both will pick up the ball and look to distribute it long, knocking balls over the top down the line for wingers, or into the head or chest of Cavani. Should they be under pressure then balls should be made available to their respective full back or one of the deep lying centre mids. I do not want either spending too much time on the ball as that invites pressure.
Danilo and Rodriguez will be playing a more muted role today. I won’t be demanding them to energetically get themselves up and down the line, but I will be looking for them to play the ball out from the back, and make themselves available for switches of play. They will be allowed to get forward and overlap, but only ever one at a time so that we don’t get caught out defensively with too much space in behind. These overlapping runs will provide extra men forward on the counter, and allow their respective winger to cut inside and try to get in the penalty area. Not committing them both forward should make it easier defensively, and both have the space and energy to get back and make covering runs, and if not then we will have two deep lying midfielders covering them.
Herrera and Goretzka, like Sane and Manolas, will work as a unit in the middle for me today. Neither will be given much license to get forward, save for at free kicks and corners, and will instead sit deep and shield the defence. Herrera will act as a wild dog in midfield, pressing and harassing the opposition into losing possession in the middle of the pitch. When he presses forward then Goretzka will cover the space in behind him, and vice versa should it be Goretzka that pushes forward to try and win possession. When on the ball we will keep them sitting just in front of the defence, but with them looking to play defence splitting passes over the top to our pacy wingers.
Iago Aspas plays a shadow striker role today, operating in a role where he sits back, before making runs from deep beyond Cavani in support of the wide players. He will stay forward when defending corners, and will stay up with Cavani when the opposition move forward. Aspas will spend most of the game looking to challenge for and win the second balls that drop off Cavani. I think that, by trying to get in behind and adding another body in the box, we can cause havoc for the Birmingham defence.
In Malcom and Costa we have two wide men that can stretch the opposition, whilst also utilising their pace to get in behind the Brum defence. When they have the ball they will be direct, either carrying the ball down the line before whipping a ball in for Cavani or drilling it low for Aspas, or charging at the opposition centre backs, creating space for the two strikers that we are playing. When off the ball they will aim to pull the opposition defence out of position, again to create some space in behind. When the opposition have the ball, I expect them to drop back mid way into our half, marking the space, and allowing them to contribute to quick counter attacks.
It may seem that Edinson Cavani may have a muted role due to the reliance on counter attacks and pace that I have stressed thus far in my tactics, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. I intend for Cavani to be the focus of our attacks, with Costa, Malcom and Aspas running off him. Cavani will use his physical presence to win aerial balls, which will set up the movement from the other players that I just mentioned. He will of course, still be allowed to get in the box, as he poses such an aerial threat, as well as one on the ground. When they have the ball I expect him to harry and press at the back, forcing errors from the defenders.
Substitutions
If winning
Iago Aspas off for Aaron Ramsey 65 mins
Taking off the shadow striker for a deeper lying CM. Ramsey will drop back and we will revert to a 4-3-3 system. Herrera will play at the heart, with Ramsey and Goretzka either side of him. They will still look to play balls over the top out wide, and Goretzka will be allowed to play a box to box role, so he still contributes going forward and gets into the box.
Malcom off for Dusan Tadic 75 mins
Tadic may not be an obvious change at this time, but I expect him to come on and slow down the pace of the game, picking up the ball and whipping in crosses for Cavani. He will also look to hold the ball out wide, as we intend to retain possession for the last few minutes of the game whilst we lead.
Ricardo Rodriguez off for Ainsley Maitland-Niles 80 mins
A change to the defence, but fresh legs for the last ten minutes, when Birmingham will probably be throwing the kitchen sink at us. AMN is strong and quick, allowing us a bit more pace to cover down that side.
If losing/drawing
Ander Herrera off for Phil Foden 70 mins
An attacking midfielder on for our dogged midfielder. Foden will play a different role to Herrera, whilst playing mainly deeper than he is maybe accustomed to. We will try to get him on the ball, so that he can drive forward with it and play incisive and dangerous passes. He is our wild card.
Diego Llorente and Chris Wood on for Danilo and Riccardo Rodriguez 80 mins
A change of formation as we chase the points. We will be going 3-2-3-2, with Aspas, Malcom and Costa all playing off Wood and Cavani who will utilise their physicality to try and create space and cause problems in the box. Goretzka will sit in front of the defence and shield, whilst Foden has the license to attack.
posted on 19/8/18
WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS v Chelsea
Injuries: Begovic, Tah, Matic, Celina
------------------- Arrizabalaga
Hakimi - Marquinhos - Vida - Strinic
----- Rakitic - Fernandinho - Meyer
------ Di Maria - Immobile - Perisic
Subs: Leno, Mina, Shaw, Sturaro, Ozil, Vitolo, Alcacer
-----------------
A tough but winnable game today against Chelsea, hopefully our back four will keep their attack at bay while causing problems of our own to their defence.
We are playing a 4-3-3 today, Arrizabalaga in goal, Marquinhos and Vida at centreback, Hakimi and Strinic at fullback, Rakitic, Fernandinho and Meyer in midfield, Di Maria and Perisic either side of Immobile upfront.
This game is about controlling the tempo and giving us the best chance of getting the win today. Chelsea are going to fight hard and our best hope is to be strong, disciplined and keep our concentration levels at maximum.
Arrizabalaga - Distribute from the back to the fullbacks/CM's, stay in communication with your defence throughout, be wary of long range efforts and ensure you stay big for any one on ones. On occasion go long for Immobile.
Marquinhos/Vida - Marquinhos mark their striker, force them high up the pitch thus limiting his impact close to goal, and Vida to be the spare man, be first to the second ball and their AM making runs from midfield. When in possession bring the ball out of defence and use the midfielders ahead of you to help us play out from the back. Both of you go forward for setpieces.
Hakimi/Strinic - Both of you to force the Chelsea wingers out wide, do not allow them to come inside as this will cause more problems for our midfield. They will want to cut inside so force them outside and block their crosses at source. They will try to create problems infield so its vital you only show them down the wing. If they play a diamond with no wingers you will need to form a narrow back four with the CB's and leave no spaces in behind. When we have possession, push forward and support Di Maria and Perisic as they will try to run inside the fullback and you will provide the overlap to either create space or supply crosses into the area for Immobile and link with Rakitic and Meyer. You will need to track back very quickly to ensure we don't get caught on the break.
Fernandinho - Our DM today, sit in front of the back four, break up play, watch out for runs from deep from the opposition, when in possession use your range of passing to look for teammates in advanced positions, use Rakitic and Meyer alongside you if you're closed down.
Rakitic/Meyer - Two box to box midfielders today, one either side of Fernandinho at DM. Both of you are required to get back and assist Fernandinho in front of the back four when we don't have the ball, but both with the ability and the freedom to push forward and join the front three, while always leaving at least one of you behind the ball. Look to link with Di Maria, Perisic or Immobile.
Di Maria/Perisic - Both with the trickery to beat the Chelsea fullback and get crosses in, you will also have our fullback overlapping giving you the chance to cut inside and get shots in. Look to supply Immobile with chances and also provide yourself with chances. Link up with Rakitic and Meyer, and capitalise on the space Immobile's presence will create for you.
Immobile - you will be expected to occupy the Chelsea centrebacks, hold up possession and look to turn the defender and shoot. Be strong in the air and look for your teammates trying to pick you out from deep. Shoot on sight. Stay on the last defender's shoulder for any passes in behind. Look to interchange with Di Maria or Perisic on occasion. Try and link with the two alongside you to create opportunities.
------------------
Subs 70 mins;
If winning: Meyer, Di Maria and Immobile off, Sturaro, Mina and Alcacer on. Change to 5-4-1, Mina an extra CB, with a flat midfield four, Sturaro at RM, Perisic deeper to LM, Rakitic and Fernandinho central, the fresh legs of Alcacer up top chasing everything and holding the ball up. Absorb pressure and hit on the break with Sturaro and Perisic joining Alcacer.
If drawing: Meyer off, Ozil on. Switch to a 4-2-3-1, Ozil ahead of Rakitic and Fernandinho, behind Immobile. Try and find a winner.
If losing: Vida, Fernandinho and Meyer off, Ozil, Vitolo and Alcacer on. 3-1-4-2, Hakimi - Marquinhos - Strinic at the back, Rakitic the playmaker from deep, Vitolo - Di Maria - Ozil - Perisic behind Immobile and Alcacer upfront. Push for goals.
posted on 19/8/18
MANCHESTER CITY vs Hull City
Line Up:
--------------------------Rico--------------------------
Pereira--------Lindelof----Romagnoli--------Jorge
------------------------Witsel-------------------------
--------------Fred---------------Rafinha-------------
Willian---------------Fekir----------------Oyarzabal
Captain: Romagnoli
Penalties: Fekir
Direct Free Kicks: Willian
Indirect Free Kicks: Rafinha
Corners: Oyarzabal
Substitutes: Dragowski; Caricol; Zagadou; A.Pereira; Golovin; Gelson; Correa
Game Plan:
We enter this game as the home team and, thus, have the advantage as we look to pick up 3 points in what will be a closely contested battle throughout.
We will start in a 4-3-3 formation, dropping back to 4-5-1 in defence, in order to reinforce the midfield out of possession. Axel Witsel plays as a holding midfielder, flanked by Fred and Rafinha, while Willian and Oyarzabal operated down the wings and Fekir holds the False 9 position. All 3 front men can play across the pitch and will be encouraged to swap positions to keep defenders guessing.
The main objective of the frontline is to force the Hull GK to look for direct balls up to the forwards, where our large back four are set up to control any aerial threat. If the goalkeeper does try to go short to his centre-backs, we will them towards the central channel, while blocking the passing lanes to the either the holding midfielder or CM partnership. Our central forward player is key here, as he will constantly be closing the passing lanes through the middle.
We will prevent the Hull midfielders from linking up with their forwards, forcing them to play backwards and then piling the pressure on the player in possession. Fred and Witsel stand out in particular here, organising the defensive effort and ensuring Hull cannot establish a dominance in the centre of the pitch.
Should Hull launch an attack, the aim is to remain tight in the defensive third - the two wing forwards will drop into midfield to cover any overlapping runs made by the Hull full backs, and we will completely crowd the central channel of the pitch; this will force Hull to either make their play down the flanks against 2 athletic defenders, or play backwards where our forward will be waiting to press and intercept.
We will be lethal on the counter-attack. The speed of the first wave of our breaks will ensure they escape concerted pressure from Hull. Our attackers surge forwards, positioning themselves in behind the line of pressure ahead of the ball, thus providing the player who won the ball plenty of possession. Fred will be the standout player in these situations; with an impressive understanding of when and where to attack the free space both with and without the ball.
We will vary our approach in attack, alternating between direct play and passing through the thirds. Rico will often look to move the ball into the opposition half as quickly as possible, while the midfield has plenty of strength, aggression, and attacking intent in the middle of the park, constantly seeking to exploit any gaps in behind their opposing midfielders. Fred has the ability to make particularly good use of the space on the inside, projecting his side forwards in attack where they will outnumber the Hull defensive midfield area. Moreover, having Rafinha in the midfield will add another dimension to our attack, as his dribbling through the centre of the pitch can draw players out of position and open up space for our attackers to run into. In addition to this, his technical prowess at feeding through-balls in tight spaces will create numerous chances for our forwards to put away.
In the attacking phase, we will opt for combination play, swapping between short passes to lure the Hull defenders into the opposition half and more ambitious passes through the thirds. Our high tempo will disrupt our opponents, both in midfield and in the final third. The pace and movement of our forwards will cause chaos for the Hull midfielders, who will be put under severe pressure to attempt to protect their midfield against the pace and direct nature of our attack. We will put our opponents under constant pressure, with our dangerous front three of Willian, Fekir and Oyarzabal forcing their way in behind their full-backs and posing constant problems for the centre-backs. At the same time, our full backs have the athleticism and talent to get up the pitch along the byline and drill in low, hard crosses that will cause panic among the defenders.
As a collective, we are well balanced. In the final third we will locate our biggest threats in prime positions, where they will cause constant uncertainty in the last line of defence. Oyarzabal, Fekir and Willian will regularly find openings with their pace and direct play, successfully exploiting the space in between the centre-backs and the full-backs alongside them.
In the defensive transition, we will re-organise quickly and effectively after losing the ball, Rafinha and Fred leading the way in swarming around the man in possession, with both being used to implementing a high pressing system, with Axel Witsel adept at covering the inside lanes and intercepting play. We will prevent Hull from outnumbering us in this phase of the game, reducing the threat of the counter-attack.
Substitutes:
45 MINUTES (If winning, save this change for the 60th minute, otherwise :-
Angel Correa comes on for Oyarzabal - Correa favours the central areas and will be more aggressive. Giving the Wolves centre backs cause for concern and freeing up space for Willian and Fekir. Correa's pressing ability, too, will spell bad news for Wolves.
60 MINUTES (If winning, save this change for the 70th minute, otherwise :-
If drawing: Aleksandr Golovin for Fred - Both players have a fairly similar playing style. Golovin plays with intensity and will re-invigorate the pressing process in the centre of the park, while quickly changing defence to attack with mazy runs and incise passes.
70 MINUTES :-
Gelson Martins for Willian - Gelson can play on the left and look to cut in, both freeing space for Jorge to occupy, and allowing Fekir to play on the right where he is such a creative menace, Martins will be looking to use his pace and dribbling prowess to cut holes in the Hull defence late in the game. He will look to pass before shooting, generating chances for Fekir and Correa to bury.
*In the event of a red card*
If we get a red card to any position on the pitch behind the forward three, we will bring on a player to replace the carded man and play in a 4-3-2 formation. We will look to bunker down in our half more and close off space only as they advance, giving them very little room to play the ball around and make use of the spare man, before looking to hit on a fast break. If we lose one of our forward three, we will play the same formation and tactics but no new player will be drafted in as a replacement.
Replacements:
GK: Dragowski
FB: Caricol
CB: Zagadou
CM (excluding Rafinha): Andreas Pereira
Rafinha: Aleksandr Golovin
posted on 19/8/18
MANCHESTER CITY vs Hull City
Line Up:
--------------------------Rico--------------------------
Pereira-------Zagadou----Romagnoli--------Jorge
------------------------Witsel-------------------------
--------------Fred---------------Rafinha-------------
Willian---------------Fekir----------------Oyarzabal
Captain: Romagnoli
Penalties: Fekir
Direct Free Kicks: Willian
Indirect Free Kicks: Rafinha
Corners: Oyarzabal
Substitutes: Dragowski; Caricol; Milenkovic; A.Pereira; Golovin; Gelson; Correa
Game Plan:
We enter this game as the home team and, thus, have the advantage as we look to pick up 3 points in what will be a closely contested battle throughout.
We will start in a 4-3-3 formation, dropping back to 4-5-1 in defence, in order to reinforce the midfield out of possession. Axel Witsel plays as a holding midfielder, flanked by Fred and Rafinha, while Willian and Oyarzabal operated down the wings and Fekir holds the False 9 position. All 3 front men can play across the pitch and will be encouraged to swap positions to keep defenders guessing.
The main objective of the frontline is to force the Hull GK to look for direct balls up to the forwards, where our large back four are set up to control any aerial threat. If the goalkeeper does try to go short to his centre-backs, we will them towards the central channel, while blocking the passing lanes to the either the holding midfielder or CM partnership. Our central forward player is key here, as he will constantly be closing the passing lanes through the middle.
We will prevent the Hull midfielders from linking up with their forwards, forcing them to play backwards and then piling the pressure on the player in possession. Fred and Witsel stand out in particular here, organising the defensive effort and ensuring Hull cannot establish a dominance in the centre of the pitch.
Should Hull launch an attack, the aim is to remain tight in the defensive third - the two wing forwards will drop into midfield to cover any overlapping runs made by the Hull full backs, and we will completely crowd the central channel of the pitch; this will force Hull to either make their play down the flanks against 2 athletic defenders, or play backwards where our forward will be waiting to press and intercept.
We will be lethal on the counter-attack. The speed of the first wave of our breaks will ensure they escape concerted pressure from Hull. Our attackers surge forwards, positioning themselves in behind the line of pressure ahead of the ball, thus providing the player who won the ball plenty of possession. Fred will be the standout player in these situations; with an impressive understanding of when and where to attack the free space both with and without the ball.
We will vary our approach in attack, alternating between direct play and passing through the thirds. Rico will often look to move the ball into the opposition half as quickly as possible, while the midfield has plenty of strength, aggression, and attacking intent in the middle of the park, constantly seeking to exploit any gaps in behind their opposing midfielders. Fred has the ability to make particularly good use of the space on the inside, projecting his side forwards in attack where they will outnumber the Hull defensive midfield area. Moreover, having Rafinha in the midfield will add another dimension to our attack, as his dribbling through the centre of the pitch can draw players out of position and open up space for our attackers to run into. In addition to this, his technical prowess at feeding through-balls in tight spaces will create numerous chances for our forwards to put away.
In the attacking phase, we will opt for combination play, swapping between short passes to lure the Hull defenders into the opposition half and more ambitious passes through the thirds. Our high tempo will disrupt our opponents, both in midfield and in the final third. The pace and movement of our forwards will cause chaos for the Hull midfielders, who will be put under severe pressure to attempt to protect their midfield against the pace and direct nature of our attack. We will put our opponents under constant pressure, with our dangerous front three of Willian, Fekir and Oyarzabal forcing their way in behind their full-backs and posing constant problems for the centre-backs. At the same time, our full backs have the athleticism and talent to get up the pitch along the byline and drill in low, hard crosses that will cause panic among the defenders.
As a collective, we are well balanced. In the final third we will locate our biggest threats in prime positions, where they will cause constant uncertainty in the last line of defence. Oyarzabal, Fekir and Willian will regularly find openings with their pace and direct play, successfully exploiting the space in between the centre-backs and the full-backs alongside them.
In the defensive transition, we will re-organise quickly and effectively after losing the ball, Rafinha and Fred leading the way in swarming around the man in possession, with both being used to implementing a high pressing system, with Axel Witsel adept at covering the inside lanes and intercepting play. We will prevent Hull from outnumbering us in this phase of the game, reducing the threat of the counter-attack.
Substitutes:
45 MINUTES (If winning, save this change for the 60th minute, otherwise :-
Angel Correa comes on for Oyarzabal - Correa favours the central areas and will be more aggressive. Giving the Wolves centre backs cause for concern and freeing up space for Willian and Fekir. Correa's pressing ability, too, will spell bad news for Wolves.
60 MINUTES (If winning, save this change for the 70th minute, otherwise :-
If drawing: Aleksandr Golovin for Fred - Both players have a fairly similar playing style. Golovin plays with intensity and will re-invigorate the pressing process in the centre of the park, while quickly changing defence to attack with mazy runs and incise passes.
70 MINUTES :-
Gelson Martins for Willian - Gelson can play on the left and look to cut in, both freeing space for Jorge to occupy, and allowing Fekir to play on the right where he is such a creative menace, Martins will be looking to use his pace and dribbling prowess to cut holes in the Hull defence late in the game. He will look to pass before shooting, generating chances for Fekir and Correa to bury.
*In the event of a red card*
If we get a red card to any position on the pitch behind the forward three, we will bring on a player to replace the carded man and play in a 4-3-2 formation. We will look to bunker down in our half more and close off space only as they advance, giving them very little room to play the ball around and make use of the spare man, before looking to hit on a fast break. If we lose one of our forward three, we will play the same formation and tactics but no new player will be drafted in as a replacement.
Replacements:
GK: Dragowski
FB: Caricol
CB: Milenkovic
CM (excluding Rafinha): Andreas Pereira
Rafinha: Aleksandr Golovin
posted on 20/8/18
Comment deleted by Article Creator
posted on 22/8/18
Changed Philipp on the bench to Brekalo
------------------------Perin
Conti-----Caleta-Car-----Söyüncü----Guerreiro
----------------Rudy---------Kampl
Thauvin--------------Ziyech--------------Forsberg
-----------------------Mariano
Subs: Horn, Klostermann, Elvedi, Lobotka, Gómez, Brekalo, Jovic
Our defensive unit consists of Duje Caleta-Car and Caglar Söyüncü paired up at centre-back, Andrea Conti at right-back and Raphaël Guerreiro at left-back, with Sebastian Rudy and Kevin Kampl as our midfield ‘double pivot’ screening them.
This ‘double pivot’ is the key to our team and in Rudy and Kampl 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 Kampl can press the ball without leaving lots of space, as Rudy can maintain a good position to react if the initial press is bypassed. Our double pivot will offer huge defensive stability and will ensure that a structured shape is maintained.
Having two defensive midfielders centrally prevents others being dragged out of position to press.
Helping the defenders maintain solid positioning is a key part of Kampl’s role, he will press almost anywhere in his own half to allow defenders to stay in the defensive line.
With Kampl running his socks off for the team, our high tempo will dictated by his partner in holding midfield, Sebastian Rudy.
A holding midfielder through and through, Rudy is not just your “win the ball and pass it on to the closest player” – there is a real creative mind in his locker, but it’s his ability to be the shield of the back four and then be creative once he gets the ball that makes Rudy such a talent.
The attacking unit consists of Florian Thauvin, Hakim Ziyech and Emil Forsberg as our band of three attacking midfielders with Mariano Díaz as our lone central striker.
Our 4-2-3-1 is set up to have that wonderful ‘springy' quality - it absorbs pressure without breaking and then snaps back with surprising force.
In defence our 4-2-3-1 covers space very effectively, with the band of three attacking midfielders and centre forward able to press the opposition high up the pitch while the two defensive midfielders ensure that there is no space left in front of the defence. Then the back four can either play a high line, compressing the space even further, or drop deeper as preferred.
Once we have won the ball back, often by Rudy or Kampl, then our 4-2-3-1 can spring into attack.
Conti and Guerreiro can surge up the wings in the knowledge that Rudy and Kampl can drop into the space left behind if needed. As they come up the wings, both Florian Thauvin and Emil Forsberg, who are fast speed merchants, excellent in tight spaces and fantastic dribblers will cut inside or make runs into the box. Hakim Ziyech our attacking central midfielder’s low centre of gravity will enable him to navigate away from defenders at a frighteningly quick pace. Ziyech is blessed with an instant first touch and can dribble with the ball at such a close proximity to his feet that it makes him almost impossible to tackle this creative passer who will look to play Thauvin, Forsberg and Mariano in via fast passing combinations.
An out and out explosive centre-forward, Mariano is known for the abundance of pace and power that he possesses. Standing tall at close to 6ft, Mariano has a strong and sturdy physical frame that he’ll use well to bully the Chelsea defence.
Mariano has a fierce right-foot and is an equally strong header of the ball too, which will make him a huge threat in and around the penalty box. With his pace combined with his dribbling ability and the power that he possesses, Mariano will brush aside defenders and run past them with nonchalance.
While he is explosive and dangerous with the ball at his feet, what makes Mariano even more exciting is his excellent movement off the ball and the ability to make those smart runs in behind the defenders.
Sub on 70 mins
Brekalo on for Forsberg
Like for like change – fresh legs as we enter the final quarter of the game
Subs on 80 mins
Klostermann on for Conti, Gómez on for Thauvin
2 pairs of fresh legs on the right side should apply some late pressure to the left hand side defence of Chelsea as the 90 mins mark approaches. Klostermann providing the width whilst Gómez will look to cut inside at every opportunity with Klostermann providing overlapping opportunities.
posted on 24/8/18
Leicester City v WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS
Injuries: Marquinhos, Ings, Sturaro, Maffeo
--------- Arrizabalaga
Hakimi - Tah - Vida - Strinic
Rakitic - Fernandinho - Meyer
Di Maria - Immobile - Perisic
Subs: Leno, Mina, Shaw, Diawara, Ozil, Vitolo, Alcacer
-----------------
A tough but winnable game today against Leicester, hopefully our back four will keep their attack at bay while causing problems of our own to their defence.
We are playing a 4-3-3 today, Arrizabalaga in goal, Tah and Vida at centreback, Hakimi and Strinic at fullback, Rakitic, Fernandinho and Meyer in midfield, Di Maria and Perisic either side of Immobile upfront.
This game is about controlling the tempo and giving us the best chance of getting the win today. Leicester are going to fight hard and our best hope is to be strong, disciplined and keep our concentration levels at maximum.
Arrizabalaga - Distribute from the back to the fullbacks/CM's, stay in communication with your defence throughout, be wary of long range efforts and ensure you stay big for any one on ones. On occasion go long for Immobile.
Tah/Vida - Tah mark their striker, force them high up the pitch thus limiting his impact close to goal, and Vida to be the spare man, be first to the second ball and their AM making runs from midfield. When in possession bring the ball out of defence and use the midfielders ahead of you to help us play out from the back. Both of you go forward for setpieces.
Hakimi/Strinic - Both of you to force the Leicester wingers out wide, do not allow them to come inside as this will cause more problems for our midfield. They will want to cut inside so force them outside and block their crosses at source. They will try to create problems infield so its vital you only show them down the wing. If they play a diamond with no wingers you will need to form a narrow back four with the CB's and leave no spaces in behind. When we have possession, push forward and support Di Maria and Perisic as they will try to run inside the fullback and you will provide the overlap to either create space or supply crosses into the area for Immobile and link with Rakitic and Meyer. You will need to track back very quickly to ensure we don't get caught on the break.
Fernandinho - Our DM today, sit in front of the back four, break up play, watch out for runs from deep from the opposition, when in possession use your range of passing to look for teammates in advanced positions, use Rakitic and Meyer alongside you if you're closed down.
Rakitic/Meyer - Two box to box midfielders today, one either side of Fernandinho at DM. Both of you are required to get back and assist Fernandinho in front of the back four when we don't have the ball, but both with the ability and the freedom to push forward and join the front three, while always leaving at least one of you behind the ball. Look to link with Di Maria, Perisic or Immobile.
Di Maria/Perisic - Both with the trickery to beat the Leicester fullback and get crosses in, you will also have our fullback overlapping giving you the chance to cut inside and get shots in. Look to supply Immobile with chances and also provide yourself with chances. Link up with Rakitic and Meyer, and capitalise on the space Immobile's presence will create for you.
Immobile - you will be expected to occupy the Leicester centrebacks, hold up possession and look to turn the defender and shoot. Be strong in the air and look for your teammates trying to pick you out from deep. Shoot on sight. Stay on the last defender's shoulder for any passes in behind. Look to interchange with Di Maria or Perisic on occasion. Try and link with the two alongside you to create opportunities.
------------------
Subs 70 mins;
If winning: Perisic, Di Maria and Immobile off, Diawara, Mina and Alcacer on. Change to 5-3-1-1, Mina an extra CB, midfield trio of Rakitic, Fernandinho and Diawara, the fresh legs of Alcacer up top chasing everything and holding the ball up with Meyer in the AM role providing support and chasing down their deep playmaker.
If drawing: Meyer and Immobile off, Ozil and Alcacer on. Switch to a 4-2-3-1, Ozil ahead of Rakitic and Fernandinho, behind Immobile. Try and find a winner.
If losing: Vida, Fernandinho and Meyer off, Ozil, Vitolo and Alcacer on. 3-1-4-2, Hakimi - Tah - Strinic at the back, Rakitic the playmaker from deep, Vitolo - Di Maria - Ozil - Perisic behind Immobile and Alcacer upfront. Push for goals.
posted on 25/8/18
------------------------- Oblak ------------------------
Henrichs ----- Varane ----- Rugani ----- A.Sandro
----------------------- Jorginho -----------------------
---------------- Fabinho ---- P.Pogba ---------------
Mbappe -------------------------------------- Neymar
-------------------- Lewandowski --------------------
Gunn, F.Mensah, Tousart, H.Aouar, Bernardeschi, Barrow, A.Pereira
We want to play high tempo football, quick on the break and really pressurise the opposition with an in your face performance, we want to hit them quickly so we need to press them quickly to get the ball, when we defend we need a strong back 5/6, we don't sit too deep and Jorginho, Fabinho & Pogba just in front harassing the man with the ball before they get to our back 4 and the front 3 in and around the half way line, Lewandowski slightly higher up, this will congest the midfield and allow Jorginho to dictate play, stop them coming forward from the back, however, if they do push forward onto us and we get the ball they will be on the back foot and will really struggle with our front 3/4 with Fullbacks who are always ready to pounce and hit them with pace and quick free flowing football
Rugani and Varane at CB, Varane picks up the CF, Rugani sits spare picking up the AM if he gets away from our midfield, keep the forward(s) away from the danger area, by getting onto them quickly and be strong, take the ball away from them and play it away out of defence, look to get it out wide quickly when we retain possession, Both are very comfortable on the ball so can bring it out when in no danger and look for the pass longer to the wingers or Striker to hit them quickly with pace, to get us moving forward. fullbacks must keep the wingers quiet, stop them and we stop a lot of there attacks They will look to keep them away from shooting areas and stop them becoming dangerous in any position by standing tall against them and keeping them on there 'bad' foot. When they attack an drive down the wing to support, only at a time as to not let ourselves be exposed, they drive down the line in support of the wingers, Sandro and Henrichs get outside Mbappe and Neymar to allow him to cut inside. the two always make themselves available to the wingers. I want both Varane and Rugani to go up for corners, with the fullbacks and Fabinho sitting back.
In the centre of the pitch are Jorginho, Fabinho and Pogba, Jorginho our deepest player sitting just in front of Rugani and Varane he will shadow there AM and not allow him to control the game, Fabinho their to lend a hand to stop them coming through. Jorginho must be aware of all that is around him, be in the right place at the right time and look to cover for defensive players moving forward, he has to impose himself early on the AM to make him wary of holding onto the ball too long, once on the ball look around, head up and pick the pass that will get us moving forward quickly, can be out to the fullbacks or indeed a longer ball to the front three to take the opposition out of it as they are still high up the pitch. He is our quarterback and will hopefully run the game at his pace with direction. Fabinho's role is to assist Jorginho but slightly higher up the pitch, he will stop the run of play quicker to make our defenders jobs a lot easier, make our midfield very difficult to pass through, protect our defence and Jorginho (when he is in possession)as best as possible and again in possession get it to our more creative players up front, keep it simple. Can move forward to assist and look for balls coming out so he can either, shoot or whip straight back in.
Pogba is our central creator, not everything will go through him, but he is essential to our style of play, he is the link between defence and attack, as we break quickly he will look to set up our front three. At times he will drop deeper to pick up the ball get his head up and see who is in the best position to receive the ball and that's where he will put it, he will follow his pass and make up the numbers up front. When he doesn't drop deep i.e when the defenders go long, he will look to form a front four as they move around and look to tear the defence apart.
Our wingers are extremely quick, when we don't have the ball they drop back a bit to make up the numbers as they attack, push into the faces of the opposition to force them into mistakes and hopefully in the end they lose the ball, when they do lose the ball we charge at them and we do it quickly, either a long ball over defenders, go through Pogba or indeed out to one of our attacking fullbacks.however, the movement up front between Neymar and Mbappe will cause them problems as they switch around at times, will see us make their defenders move out of position to follow their player, thus allowing Pogba to pick his moment to move into space either as a 10 or out wide. If he does push wide this will allow Mbappe/Neymar to go in central as we will have an attacking fullback up and supporting. Quick passing in triangles that will get us in and beyond their defenders and eventually to Lewandowski who has the power and ability to beat any defender and the other winger who will look to get into space to get a shot off, if there defence is on top then we can always go direct at times and fire early crosses especially from deep from the fullbacks into Lewandowski right on top of the young goalkeeper to put a lot of pressure on him, we must always make sure he is well supported, if he cant get the shot away he will be looking to bring others into the game.
Captain - Varane
Pens - Lewandowski
Corners - Jorginho
Free Kicks - Pogba/Neymar
Subs:-
Losing -
65 Mins - H.Aouar for Jorginho, Fabinho drops to DM and Aouar and Pogba look to direct the game higher up the field
75 Mins - Barrow for Sandro, he goes up top 3142
82 Mins - Bernardeschi for Mbappe look for a full on 10 mins from him down the right hand side, H.Aouar goes to LM and Neymar right up top 343
Drawing -
65 Mins - H.Aouar for Jorginho, Fabinho goes to DM and Aouar alongside Pogba to create something higher up
80 Mins - Bernardeschi for Mbappe again a hard 10 or so mins from him
Winning -
75 Mins - Tousart for Pogba he and Fabinho really protect our defence
80 Mins - Pereira for Neymar 451 a straight midfield 5
posted on 25/8/18
Attacking 4-3-3
At home we look to take the game to Wolves. Building from the back, when in possession we look to move forward as a unit. One full back bombs forward at a time, looking to provide width. Coutinho always lookng to find space behind the Wolves midfield and getting the wide players attacking the full backs.
Pushing forward as a team and with a higher line allows us to get our attacking players in more dangerous positions, always looking to find space in between the defence and midfield, and to find space going beyond their defence in behind. It also makes it easier to retain possession ensuring we have options just behind, with the defence hugely important in keeping possession. We have four players that are fantastic on the ball at the back, and importantly they also have great pace to get back.
We start with a high tempo, take control of the game early. Look to take advantage of the gaps between the lines of the opposition. Pushing up as a team allows us to control possession better, always ensuring we have an option. Gundogan is the deeper playmaker, looking to get involed in all the build up play and also gets forward into the final third as well. We always keep 3 defenders and Casemiro back. Giving us plenty cover at the back.
Seamless interchanging of positions in attack, and relentless pressing from our midfield in when defending the final third. Attacking down the wings, with Carvajal or Marcelo bombing forward on the overlap one at a time, giving the attacking midfielders real freedom in attack. The two wide players and Coutinho have fantastic pace to get at the opposition defence, and in behind.
An attacking side but built on a strong defence, we look to simply take the game to Wolves with a high tempo, entertain and score more goals than them.
------------------ Neuer
Carvajal - Ramos - Kehrer - Marcelo
--------- Casemiro - Gundogan
---------------- Coutinho
M.Lopes ----------------------- Hazard
---------------- C.Ronaldo
Subs. Schmeichel, Laporte, Doucoure, Ceballos, Martial, Geubbels, D.Costa
Key to our attack is quick passing getting in between the lines. Get the cms on the ball in behind their attacking midfielders. Predominantly short passing on the deck, but varying our play when a counter is on.
Defending in numbers
We look to control the opposition by pressing the space with a narrow rigid defensive unit, only allowing them to play in areas we want them to. When we lose the ball the closest player presses the ball, the second closest presses the obvious passing channel. Stop any attacks before they begin.
In a narrow, rigid formation, we press the space, not allowing them options. Draw them in to positions where they can’t hurt us, and then try and win the ball back. Then get forward quickly.
As Wolves advance into higher areas of the park and into our half, our shape will resemble a 4-1-4-1. The winger opposite play looks to play quite far up, in a position to get at them quickly on the break. Casemiro presses the space in front of our cbs, look to stop any midfielders having any space in a crucial area.
In this tight formation narrowing to the side of play, ensuring there are no gaps in the formation. Gundogan picks up the most advanced cm. The winger opposite play comes inside and sits on their deepest cm while Coutinho presses the second most advanced cm.
In this formation push them backwards and wide away from danger. Force them to take risks. Our defence have fantastic pace up against their forwards, bide their time, not diving in.
Attack.
Get the ball to our attacking cms and wide players (wingers and attacking fb), get them linking up with quick passing, getting the ball to our wingers and get balls into Ronaldo. Their movement will be key in opening up the opposition defence.
Positional structure, in addition to our technical players will be key to our quick passing gameplan going forward. Our approach in build up is to play a flexible asymmetric shape, 2 cb supported closely by a slightly more advanced line of Casemiro and the fb opposite play. Ahead Gundogan, the attacking fb, and a wide man/Coutinho seeking to offer a trio of options ahead of them. Ronaldo plays his natural game, world class link up play and most importantly goals.
Subs.
If winning after 65 mins bring on Geubbels for Lopes. Pure pace.
If winning after 75 mins bring on Doucoure for Gundogan. More power in cm as legs start to tire, ensure we stay on top in midfield and slightly more freedom to attacking mids.
If winning after 80 mins bring on Ceballos for Coutinho.
If drawing or losing after 60 mins bring on D.Costa and Laporte for Carvajal and Marcelo. 3-5-2.
If drawing or losing after 70 mins bring on Geubbels for Lopes. Pure pace to open the opposition, react in the box and at 6ft gives more height in the box for Gundogan, Coutinho, Hazard to deliver for.
posted on 25/8/18
NEWCASTLE 4-1-4-1
__________Alisson
Azpi____Alder___Godin___Rose
___________Kante
Salah___Koke___Radja____Mane
__________Suarez
SUBS: Skriniar, Trippier, N’Zonzi, Dele, Bobby, Chesney, Lukaku
Captain: Diego Godin
Penalties: Luis Suarez
Corners: Koke
Freekicks: Koke
Crossing Freekick: Koke
The formation deployed today is so that we gain as much control as possible higher up he pitch. We expect to have more of the ball so patience is key. We also expect the four behind the striker to drift around a bit, getting into positions where their natural play can cause damage. The striker up front presses when we don’t have the ball and the two closest players will support and cut passing lanes to help win the ball higher up. The quality of our players will allow us to break through the oppositions press. When we have the ball we will want to attract the press and use the spaces that they open up to attack.
Full backs will get forward when the opportunity arises. Our full backs are good at feeding our forward line with their ability on the ball and we aim to utilize that with their ability to get up the pitch and tactical arareness. We also need our full backs to widen the pitch for us. Our centre halves are good on the ball, and a long punt every now and then to utilize our pace out wide is encouraged.
The defensive midfielder will drop in to form a back three so that the centre backs can split wide to push the full backs general position higher up in line with the midfielders (and wide forwards engage their back line along with the striker). In doing so we create a four man midfield to overpower their midfield. This will allow our midfield to be flexible, if one of their midfielders steps forward, one of ours will move into the space they vacated.
By having our wide forwards up front when we have the ball it will effectively create space out wide. We would expect our full backs to sometimes go infield to collect the ball from the keeper, while one of the midfielders goes wide so when he receives the ball he will have time to look up and pick passes as the opposition midfield will be reluctant to press which will leave a man free in midfield. This can be done by a midfielder too, dropping deep to create a free man in the first line with time on the ball, ping it straight to the striker who can lay it off to the other onrushing midfielder.
If short passing options aren’t available the passing range and accuracy of our keeper will safely transfer the ball forwards via our full backs, wherever they are on the pitch. The keeper can also dink the ball into space for the striker or wide forward to control taking out 6 or 7 opposition players in the process.
When we don’t have the ball we will expect our four behind the striker to drop into a 4-5-1 in support of our defensive midfielder. We will also create triangles to trap the opposition players that have the ball, cutting the passing lanes and others putting pressure on players that might receive the ball. We stop the oppositions rhythm and force them into mistakes with our pressure. To stop their counter attacks after we lose the ball, three players will swarm the ball carrier before he can get his head up to play. If they beat the immediate press when the team’s main goal is to push their play wide where they can do the least damage. Our midfielders are an integral part to our play, when we win the ball back we will create space and time for them with our team shape.
Subs
65 mins: Dele comes on for Radja, our legs will start to tire, so will theirs, Dele will add box to box ability and energy late in the game.
75 mins: Bobby comes on for Suarez, a different style of forward play for the opposition to think about.
If winning 80 mins: N’Zonzi comes on for Koke to close out the game. He is capable in defensive midfield alongside kante.
If losing/drawing 80 mins: Lukaku comes on for Koke and play 2 up front.
Red Card
Red Card:
In all cases Radja subbed off, if Radja red then no change, go 4-4-1
If goal keeper, Chesney
If full backs, Trippier, Lb azpi goes lb
If CB, Skriniar
If centre mids, N’Zonzi
If wings, Bobby
If striker, Bobby
posted on 25/8/18
Villa Vs Bmouth
……………………………………De Gea…………………………
……………….De Vrij………….Bonucci…………Chiellini
Bellerin………………Vidal…………..Neves………………Max
…………………….Icardi…Morata….Vardy………….
Subs: Forster, Luiz, Sidibe, Matuidi, Iniesta, Adama, El Shaarawy
Bournemouth are a strong outfit and will be a good test, but one in which we feel we have a good chance of passing. Changed the system today, yes it’s narrow certainly up front but that’s a strength not a weakness.
Last week we went with a possession heavy set-up and whilst we did ok we still lost, this week is less about possession but more about quick direct attacking football. We want those long diagonals being hit, turn the defence and get in on goal. I want us hitting them at pace throughout the game, proper in your face football.
Bournemouth are blessed with pacey wingers but Max and Bellerin are no slouches they’ll look to show their men the line and force the cross, as good as their striker is in the air, he’ll be up against it with our back three.
De Gea is for me the best keeper in the world, his shot stopping is second to none and he doesn’t seem to get so physically roughed up anymore, will command his box – but the 3 in front of him know their business as good as any. With the ball, any of our back five are an option, or he can go long and direct.
The Back Three:
two thirds of the best defence put together in Italy for the best of a decade with De Vrij alongside them is about as solid as you’ll find anywhere, all are big strong specimens, not the quickest of defences so they’ll sit deep and hold the 18 yard line, let spurs try and draw us out. In possession RCB and LCB will hit those diagonals to Morata, he’ll flick it on or bring it down…we go from back to front in 5 seconds – we’ll kill them on the counter…..once they’ve been stung they’ll be more wary about committing so we need to be clinical. Defensively they won’t be drawn out. They’re drilled enough to hold position…Bonucci silences the striker, whilst Chiellini and De Vrij sweep and keep an eye out for runners from midfield – they won’t go wide, if our wing backs can’t stop the cross they’ll deal with the ball in the box, no point being caught in no mans land.
Bellerin and Max – both given licence to get forward, Bellerins pace is enough to keep Bmouth LB pegged back, as no-one can afford to give him a headstart. The real threat come from the left, Max assists in big numbers – he’s got 3 strikers to aim at, could be a good afternoon for the German.
The Pivot:
Neves is the DM, great range of passing and the tenacity to get stuck in and put a foot in, will be some player this kid, he’s a real baller, with him sitting infront of the defence playing QB, dictating the tempo and spreading the ball about as well as pinging the balls over the top. The bonus is once play breaks down he’s already in situ to defend in the spaces that their AM is so good at operating in.
Vidal is the muscle in the engine room, such a beast…he’s assigned one major task today and that’s sit on former teammate, Gail Platt…wherever he goes be on his toes, don’t let him settle in to the game – we know tab is a fan of a 3 man midfield, no idea who the 3rd spoke is but we figure that with Eriksen and Modric marked, he’ll have to go long and our defence can deal with that.
So basically Neves deep lying playmaker and Vidal box to box destroyer.
The Trident:
Nice and narrow, but rather than stepping on each other’s toes I think they complement each other nicely.
Morata – big strong and physical, good in the buildup with quick feet, we want him positioning himself between the two centre-backs but slightly in front, his primary tasks are to either bring the ball down and lay it off or flick it on to the other two, by playing just infront of the defence he can win us some pretty cheap free kicks just by being climbed on. Anything into the box he can attack goal bound.
Icardi – has a much better work ethic than given credit for, scores in huge numbers, we want him operating in the gaps between RCB and RB, will get loads of service from the flanks or flick on’s just be on his toes and ready to pounce.
Vardy– bags of pace and can finish, where as Icardi operates in the spaces we want Vardy coming inside so running on beyond Morata and causing confusion as to which defender takes which striker, hopefully creating a bit more space for Max to whip a ball in.
Defensively:
their keeper has the ball
Morata will sit between the centre halves, taking both out of the game for a short kick
Vardy and Icardi will drift wide marking their FB’s forcing the keeper to go long.
Without the ball:
Morata will stay splitting their CB’s giving us an out ball and target man, whilst Vardy and Icardi will drop to the halfway line, closing off the passing lines that Bmouth will look to exploit.
Subs 65 mins
Matuidi > Vidal
El Sha > vardy
Iniesta > Neves
posted on 25/8/18
--------------------Buffon
Lirola---Sokratis---Vertonghen---F.Luis
------------------Locatelli
------------Rabiot-------Kovacic
Mkhitaryan---------------------------Sterling
------------------Lacazette
Subs
Strakosha, Inigo, Grimaldo, Brozovic, Henderson, Gameiro, Sabitzer
Buffon is a commanding presence at the back, when he calls for a ball, the defence know he will take control, they have complete confidence in each other and stops those little split second doubts which could lead to a chance. When he has the ball he will look to offload quickly in the direction of the front 3 to get those quick counters started.
Verthongen is the defensive leader and will be the one to set the defensive line on the pitch, both centre backs will stay back with either one of the full backs or the DM always prepared to make it a back 3 when we lose possession to stop counter attacks, Both CB"s will communicate with each other so they are clear in where the attacking threats are. When dealing with the opposition, we will avoid slide tackles unless necessary instead looking to just guide players off the ball. When on the ball, if the opposition are giving them space to come out with the ball, then they should take it forward, if not, keep it simple with the occasional long ball to the front 3 thrown in to keep the opposition from setting up against one style of play.
For the full backs today the objective is to sit back and tuck in slightly when defending, looking to stop balls being played between them and the centre backs, with the secondary advantage of discouraging the wide men from cutting inside, forcing them to cross, which gives us a better chance of getting the ball back quickly and launching an attack of our own. Their objective when attacking will be to keep making runs past the winger on both the inside and outside, giving the opposition full back that split second of indecision on who they go with. They will only occasionally put floated crosses in, preferring to either play shorter passes to the wingers or players who have come out from the middle of the pitch to keep possession and let the pressure build up in the final third, or run to the byline and put in fast and low crosses relying on both the faster reactions and control of our attackers and the pressure of the situation on their centre backs to hastily clear the ball without being in full control of the situation.
The focus of the midfield 3 will be to use their high energy, all action styles to get themselves around the middle of the pitch, working in collaboration with the front 3 to control the midfield battle whilst still having the attacking nous to create chances for us. When we are in the attacking third, they will always be looking to make themselves available for a pass to keep recycling the ball, keeping the pressure up with us looking to use the movement of the other CM's and the front 3 to drag the opposition defensive players that little bit more which could be the difference in getting a player behind them. They also all have an eye for a pass so will look to take advantage of the front 3 all flitting around and play them in with through balls and quick one touch play. We will also occasionally take the occasional long shot, with the aim being to make sure defenders aren't content to sit back and forcing them to make a decision. When defending, they are looking to press the middle third of the pitch, pressing the opposition CMs/Wingers in conjunction with other players as they are on the ball to rush their decisions and win the ball back.
Both wingers today will be looking will be to drift around when deeper players are in possession, looking to combine with the other attacking players to get little areas of space before using their pace and trickery respectively to drift between the CB and FB and get in behind them. When they are on the ball the emphasis will be more on cutting inside with the occasional long shot to test the keeper, and only occasionally putting in crosses, getting involved in a fast intricate style of passing with the centre mids and Lacazette, looking to create the passing triangles which will just take players out of the game. They should also look to run at players as they will be cautious not to give away a set piece due to the ability of our set piece takers. When the opposite winger has the ball, the one without the ball should look to find space between the CB and FB to add an extra body in the box. When defending, they should be stopping the passing lines to the full backs primarily, then focus on ensuring our full backs dont get outnumbered.
When Lacazette is attacking, he will look to constantly drift around the defenders looking to get himself a bit of space enough for him to get the ball and pass it along to another attacker or face up the defenders and take them on. When running onto a ball, He will also be looking to use his reactions to get ahead of the defender and then use his strength to cut in front of the defender, causing them to either stop their forward momentum completely, or make the foul.
When defending, he will be working with the wingers to cut off the passing lines for their CB's, forcing them or the keeper to launch it long, then using his tireless energy reserves to work back and press their centre mids.
Set Pieces
Corners - Kovacic takes the corners, most of the time looking to have the ball at an attackable height around 8-10 yards out between the posts, the FB's stay back to prevent counters, the CB's and Lacazette work in a group to make little blocks and cross-runs to lose a marker so 1 or 2 can get a run at the ball, Mkhi and Sterling flit around away from the main attacking group looking to pounce on mistimed touches and flicks around the area. Locatelli looks to limit the opposition keeper from moving too far off his line, looking to take a defender with him to create less space for the keeper and one less man in the main action area. Rabiot takes a position just outside the box to pick up weak clearances and go for the odd thundercunt, as well as occasionally providing the short option to draw defenders out of the box.
Free Kicks - Mkhi takes Direct FK's
For Indirect FK's, same instructions as Corners
Penalties - Lacazette is the designated taker.
Subs
If Winning
70 mins - Sabitzer for Mkhi - The wingers tuck back, but look to get out quickly and counter if the opposition over-commit for a route back into the game.
82 + 86 Mins - Brozovic for Kovacic and Gameiro for Lacazette - Actively time waste and really frustrate the opposition.
If Drawing
70 Mins - Brozovic for Locatelli - Add a bit more urgency into attacks, show the opposition we are going for the win.
If Losing
67 Mins - Gameiro, Inigo and Sabitzer for Locatelli, Luis and Lirola - switch to a 3-5-2 with emphasis on the wings backs acting as wingers and just pile forward in numbers.
posted on 25/8/18
Arsenal vs MANCHESTER CITY
Injuries:
Jorge 28/03/96 22 Brazil LB FG
Woodman 04/03/97 21 England GK Home Grown
Ross Barkley 05/12/93 24 England CM Home Grown
Willian 09/08/88 30 Brazil RW FG
Line Up:
--------------------------Rico--------------------------
Pereira-------Caldara----Romagnoli--------Digne
------------------------Witsel-------------------------
-----------Marchisio-------------Rafinha------------
Robben--------------Fekir--------------Richarlison
Captain: Romagnoli
Penalties: Fekir
Direct Free Kicks: Robben
Indirect Free Kicks: Rafinha
Corners: Rafinha
Substitutes: Dragowski; Caricol; Lindelof; Fred; Golovin; Gelson; Correa
Game Plan:
We enter this game as the home team and, thus, have the advantage as we look to pick up 3 points in what will be a closely contested battle throughout.
We will start in a 4-3-3 formation, dropping back to 4-5-1 in defence, in order to reinforce the midfield out of possession. Axel Witsel plays as a holding midfielder, flanked by Marchisio and Rafinha, while Robben and Richarlison operated down the wings and Fekir holds the False 9 position. All 3 front men can play across the pitch and will be encouraged to swap positions to keep defenders guessing.
The main objective of the frontline is to force the Arsenal GK to look for direct balls up to the forwards, where our large back four are set up to control any aerial threat. If the goalkeeper does try to go short to his centre-backs, we will them towards the central channel, while blocking the passing lanes to the either the holding midfielder or CM partnership. Our central forward player is key here, as he will constantly be closing the passing lanes through the middle.
We will prevent the Arsenal midfielders from linking up with their forwards, forcing them to play backwards and then piling the pressure on the player in possession. Marchisio and Witsel stand out in particular here, organising the defensive effort and ensuring Arsenal cannot establish a dominance in the centre of the pitch.
Should Arsenal launch an attack, the aim is to remain tight in the defensive third - the two wing forwards will drop into midfield to cover any overlapping runs made by the Arsenal full backs, and we will completely crowd the central channel of the pitch; this will force Arsenal to either make their play down the flanks against 2 athletic defenders, or play backwards where our forward will be waiting to press and intercept.
We will be lethal on the counter-attack. The speed of the first wave of our breaks will ensure they escape concerted pressure from Arsenal. Our attackers surge forwards, positioning themselves in behind the line of pressure ahead of the ball, thus providing the player who won the ball plenty of possession. Marchisio will be the standout player in these situations; with an impressive understanding of when and where to attack the free space both with and without the ball.
We will vary our approach in attack, alternating between direct play and passing through the thirds. Rico will often look to move the ball into the opposition half as quickly as possible, while the midfield has plenty of strength, aggression, and attacking intent in the middle of the park, constantly seeking to exploit any gaps in behind their opposing midfielders. Marchisio has the ability to make particularly good use of the space on the inside, projecting his side forwards in attack where they will outnumber the Arsenal defensive midfield area. Moreover, having Rafinha in the midfield will add another dimension to our attack, as his dribbling through the centre of the pitch can draw players out of position and open up space for our attackers to run into. In addition to this, his technical prowess at feeding through-balls in tight spaces will create numerous chances for our forwards to put away.
In the attacking phase, we will opt for combination play, swapping between short passes to lure the Arsenal defenders into the opposition half and more ambitious passes through the thirds. Our high tempo will disrupt our opponents, both in midfield and in the final third. The pace and movement of our forwards will cause chaos for the Arsenal midfielders, who will be put under severe pressure to attempt to protect their midfield against the pace and direct nature of our attack. We will put our opponents under constant pressure, with our dangerous front three of Robben, Fekir and Richarlison forcing their way in behind their full-backs and posing constant problems for the centre-backs. At the same time, our full backs have the athleticism and talent to get up the pitch along the byline and drill in low, hard crosses that will cause panic among the defenders.
As a collective, we are well balanced. In the final third we will locate our biggest threats in prime positions, where they will cause constant uncertainty in the last line of defence. Richarlison, Fekir and Robben will regularly find openings with their pace and direct play, successfully exploiting the space in between the centre-backs and the full-backs alongside them.
In the defensive transition, we will re-organise quickly and effectively after losing the ball, Rafinha and Marchisio leading the way in swarming around the man in possession, with both being used to implementing a high pressing system, with Axel Witsel adept at covering the inside lanes and intercepting play. We will prevent Arsenal from outnumbering us in this phase of the game, reducing the threat of the counter-attack.
Substitutes:
45 MINUTES (If winning, save this change for the 60th minute, otherwise :-
Angel Correa comes on for Richarlison - Correa favours the central areas and will be more aggressive. Giving the Wolves centre backs cause for concern and freeing up space for Robben and Fekir. Correa's pressing ability, too, will spell bad news for Arsenal.
60 MINUTES (If winning, save this change for the 70th minute, otherwise :-
If drawing: Aleksandr Golovin for Marchisio - Both players have a fairly similar playing style. Golovin plays with intensity and will re-invigorate the pressing process in the centre of the park, while quickly changing defence to attack with mazy runs and incise passes.
70 MINUTES :-
Gelson Martins for Robben - Gelson can play on the left and look to cut in, both freeing space for Digne to occupy, and allowing Fekir to play on the right where he is such a creative menace, Martins will be looking to use his pace and dribbling prowess to cut holes in the Arsenal defence late in the game. He will look to pass before shooting, generating chances for Fekir and Correa to bury.
posted on 25/8/18
----------------------- Courtois
-------- E.Bailly ---- Boateng ---- D.Sanchez
Cancelo ---- Verratti ----- Modric ----- M.Alonso
------------------------ Bailey
--------------- Aguero ------- Asensio
Subs:
McCarthy, Hernandez, Lenglet, Dier, Eriksen, Zaha, Sturridge
We come into this weekends game full of confidence after picking up maximum points thus far and look to turn the screw against our winless opponents in front of a raucous home crowd.
We aren’t expecting many surprises from our opponents who we expect to set up in with a similar three at the back formation, however unlike our opponents we set ourselves up to go on the offensive. We pack our side with creative talent, crucially focusing on the middle of the park to dominate possession and hit the opposition at speed. With three solid central defenders we opt against the negative tactic of deploying an out an out DM in midfield as we feel this is overkill and ultimately restricts the attacking prowess of the side.
Instead we field the creative talents of Verratti and Modric, both pass masters in their own right however Verratti carries a bit of bite and has the tenacity to win the ball back in the challenge, whilst Modric will use his world class ability to dictate the game and feed our attacking talent.
Whilst we line up solid defensively with 3 CB’s we very much field plenty of attacking prowess with our WB’s, CM’s and attacking trio all carrying a real goal threat.
We throw in a couple of curve balls to create mismatches and tip the tie in our favour. The first and probably most notable tactical switch is playing the lightening Bailey through the middle. Having evaluated the opposition we feel Bailey presents a complete mismatch for their midfield.
Set up perfectly for the counter attack he has the freedom to drop slightly deeper to pick up the ball and immediately drive at the opposition with frightening pace, bursting through central midfield and creating a 3 on 3 situation up against the opposition defence. Aguero and Asensio split wide as we drive through the heart of their side with Bailey then in position to feed either of the front two or go for goal himself. This situation will also force an opposition CB to engage Bailey and leave us two for two against their defence, either ball to Aguero or Asensio and they’re through on goal.
The second tweak is Asensio, deployed up top where he has featured successfully recently he offers a threat in behind with his directness and forms the perfect partnership with Aguero. To confuse the opposition further Asensio and Bailey have the freedom to interchange positions, with the Spaniard dropping into AM and the lightning Jamaican moving up top. In short, the oppositions defence will be left scratching their heads for the majority of the game as they consistently have to work out which players to mark in our interchangeable front 3.
Defence
We expect the opposition to play with either one up top and two wide forwards or two up top and an AM. We account for both formations by playing a strong and more importantly, quick back three. When the opposition are in possession we sit deep, their centre forward will inevitable rely on his pace and we feel this tactic is the perfect antidote. Eliminate the space in behind and take out the ball over the top, a key aspect of their game nullified. We also have the pace to go with the runners and with our shape enabling us to drop into a back 5 they will at times be faced with a brick wall. We feel the injury to their RB spot is a key one, both our FB’s will look to get forward and offer width however Alonso in particular will have license to get forward and join the attack without a threat coming the other way. We respect the danger of Mendy and for that reason Cancelo will be more disciplined, stick with his runs and give him no space down the left, taking away yet another of their attacking artillery.
Midfield
CM will be a key, for that reason we go possession based but also with players that possess great vision and are able to pick a pass in the blink of an eye. We will really look to punish the opposition on the counter so it is vital that we have the players with the vision to hurt them. Receive the ball, head up and look for the decisive pass. We will have runners out wide, Bailey through the middle and our two strikers up front. Modric is in the form of his life and we expect him dictate the game, if the opposition attempt to put a DM on him this frees up Verratti to dictate the play. We carry a dual threat in this position which will be vital in creating plenty of goal scoring chances.
Forwards
Frightening pace, electrifying dribbling and deadly finishing, we feel our front three have it all. As previously explained Bailey will drop slightly deeper, creating a complete mismatch for their midfield, however when we’re in possession he’ll push forward and create a front three. Bailey on the right, Asensio on the left and Aguero through the middle. This will leave us three on three against their back line and only requires us to beat one man to create an overload. When not in possession we operate with a front two, Aguero has fantastic movement and will look to punish the opposition when given half a chance. Asensio will look to make runs in behind however crucially if the opposition drop off and sit deep, he has the ability to score absolute pearlers from distance.
If winning:
65 mins: Bailey and Alonso off, Dier and Hernandez on. We bring an out an out DM on to replace an AM as we tighten up and congest the middle of the field. We drop into a permanent back 5 with Hernandez bringing increased protection.
75 mins: Asensio off, Lenglet on. Completely shut up shop time as we bring on a fourth CB. Tighter than forte knox our defence will be impenetrable as we form a solid unit and see the game out.
If drawing:
65 mins: D.Sanchez off, Eriksen on. We switch to 4-3-3 with Bailey joining Aguero and Asensio up top whilst Eriksen forms a midfield trio with Modric and Verratti.
75 mins: Bailey off, Zaha on. We go for the winner with Modric and Eriksen pushing forward and operating as a devastating dual AM duo. A new increased threat from the flank as we go for goals.
If losing:
55 mins: D.Sanchez off, Eriksen on. 4-3-3
65 mins: Alonso and Verratti off, Sturridge and Zaha on. We revert to 3-4-3 with Aguero, Sturridge and Asensio up top as we go for goals, goals, goals.
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