BRUM vs spurs (cup)

----------------------------------------Lunin--------------------------------
Henrichs-----------Diop---------------Maguire------------Chilwell
-------------------------Valverde----------Kondogbia-----------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Neres------------------------------------------------------------------Kluivert
--------------------------------------Philipp----------------------------------------
-------------------------------------Higuain-------------------------------------

Subs - Lafont, Ruben Dias, Kessie, Cristante, Anderson, Adama, Zaha

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

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
Lunin 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. Diop and Maguire bring a whole lot of experience and pace to the defence. Maguire 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. Kondogbia will be covering for them when they go attacking.

Defence Mids
Kondogbia + Valverde
Kondogbia 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.
Valverde will look to sit deep and be the gap between the defence and the midfield and play as the deep lying playmaker. When he has the ball I want him to pass the ball forward and try and play through balls for our wingers to run onto. I want the team to use him as an outlet to get play started or when the oppo is pressing us I want him to use his expert ball control to keep hold of possession of the ball. When not in possession of the ball I want him to sit alongside Kondogbia in the middle and protect the defence.

Wingers
Neres + 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 left and Neres likewise from the right. 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. Henrichs and Chilwell 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.

Attack Mid
Maximilian Philipp
Philipp will be playing just behind Higuain and will look to help him out in attack. Be ready for passes into your feet and shoot if you see an opportunity. Mix up your attacking runs to throw off the oppo DM. I want him to dribble with the ball and play 1 2's with the rest of the team. Shoot if you see an opening.

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 Kluivert/Neres to make infield runs ahead of you.

Subs if LOSING BY 65MINS
Put on Zaha for Kondogbia, Adama for Neres and Cristante for Valverde to bring some more pace on. Play a high line and try and get a goal. Change formation to 41212.

------------------------------------Lunin--------------------------------
Henrichs----------Diop-----------Maguire------------Chilwell
---------------------------------Cristante------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adama--------------------------------------------------------------Kluivert
-----------------------------------Philipp------------------------------------
---------------------Higuain--------------Zaha-------------------------


Subs if WINNING BY 80MINS
Take off Philipp and put on Ruben Dias in CB. Play defensive with everyone in our own half defending for their lives, waiting to hit the oppo on the counter attack. Adama on for Neres and Zaha for Higuain.

------------------------------------Lunin--------------------------------
Henrichs------Diop----Maguire------Dias-------Chilwell
-----------------------Valverde--------Kondogbia----------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------Adama---------------------------------------------Kluivert---------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------Zaha---------------------------------------

Subs if DRAWING BY 65MINS
Adama on for Neres
Kessie on for Kondogbia
Zaha on for Higuain
Fresh legs to bring on.

Birmingham City v Tottenham Hotspur

Courtois
Boateng Hummels Hernandez
Cancelo Verratti Gotze M.Alonso
Werner Aguero Martial

Subs:
Hart, Bailly, Dier, Khedira, Under, Arnautovic, Sturridge

Captain: Hummels
Free Kicks: Alonso
Penalties: Aguero
Corners: Gotze

Moving the ball at speed will be the focus of our play as we go with an attacking 3-4-3 formation today as we aim for victory. Our front three will be key components of this style as we feel we pose threats from all angles with plenty of goals in our lineup. Verratti and Gotze offer great quality on the ball from central midfield as they both possess a fantastic range of passing, able to break the lines and play that killer pass in to our attacking trio. We will look to dictate the play and frustrate the opposition when in possession, continually moving them around, making them chase the ball by switching flanks. In doing so we will not only be wearing them down but also continually pulling them out of shape, breaking down their defensive structure as we look to make numerous openings as we go for goals in today’s match up.

Whilst the opposition have some dangerous players we will look to significantly limit their impact by retaining possession, we will force them to track back or risk leaving their defence exposed when we push forward in numbers. We aim to make things uncomfortable for them and we feel that limiting their ability to have the ball in attacking areas will severely limit any threat posed. When they are in possession our FBs and wingers drop in as we play a compact 5-4-1 formation. The aim of the game will be to break at speed with our wide players offering an immediate outlet when we win back possession. Turning defence into attack in the blink of an eye.

We aim to play on the front foot, hit them early to take the lead and then exploit the space in behind as they push forward for an equaliser. We start fast, high intensity and pressing from the front, putting them under immediate pressure we can force mistakes early on.

Defence:

We go with a strong defensive unit at the back, packed with experience and quality we look to nullify the threat posed by the oppositions attack. We play three strong and aerially imposing CB’s to deal with the threat posed by their forwards. We will look to be dominant at the back as we aim to take the sting out of the opposition early on and play on the front foot. Our FBs have license to push forward when in possession, Alonso in particular offers a real threat down the left with his strong attacking prowess. Martial will often drift infield taking the opposition FB with him which will create space for Alonso to exploit, he will at all times be looking for the runs of Aguero whose movement and finishing is simply world class. We aim to keep the oppositions wingers down the line and do not let them come infield.

If the opposition play one up top then Hummels will mark, strong and aggressive we feel he has all the tools to deal with any opponent. Boateng and Hernadez will sweep up and cover in behind. They will also provide support to the fullbacks, dropping into the space out wide when we are on the attack, eliminating the space for any counter.

Midfield:

Gotze alongside Verratti will be key to our style of play with their quick passing. Keep the ball moving, continually recycling possession and making the opposition chase shadows. Don’t force the issue as we aim to run them down, tired legs leads to tired minds and we feel that this will lead to plenty of openings as we continually move them out of shape. Forming a double pivot in front of our defence they not only offer protection but form the first line of our attack. Look for the early runs of the wide players as they possess electric pace and will be looking to get in behind the oppositions defence at all times. Verratti will sit while Gotze will play between the lines and link up the midfield and attack, we aim to go on the offensive and rack up the goals.

Forwards:

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

Subs;

If winning:
60 mins: Gotze off, Khedira on.
75 mins: Werner and Hernandez off, Bailly and Dier on. We tighten up with a solid defensive unit as we see the game out with an impenetrable back 5 and defensive midfield cover.

If drawing:
60 mins: Gotze off, Arthur on.
75 mins: Hernandez off, Under on. We switch to two up top in a 4-2-2-2 formation. Under and Martial on the flanks with a deadly front two of Aguero and Werner as we go for the winner.

If losing:
55 mins: Hernandez off, Under on.
65 mins: Gotze off, Sturridge on. We go for goals, goals, goals.

-------------------Buffon
Florenzi----Sokratis----Verthongen----Cucurella
------------------Dorsch
------------Rabiot-------Kovacic
Mkhi-------------------------------Son
------------------Lacazette
Subs
Strakosha, Retsos, Bertrand, Locatelli, Inaki, Gameiro, Gylfi

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.

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 counters, 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, they should take it forward, if not, keep it simple with the occasional long ball thrown in to keep the opposition from setting up against one style.



For the full backs 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.

 Their objective when attacking will be to keep making runs past the winger on the inside and outside, giving the opposition full back that split second of indecision on who to 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.

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. 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, looking to use the movement of the other CM's and the attackers to drag the opposition defensive players out of position. They also all have an eye for a pass so will look to take advantage of the front 3 all flitting around and play them in with through balls and quick one touch play. We will also occasionally take the occasional long shot, with the aim being to make sure defenders aren't content to sit back and forcing them to make a decision. When defending, they are looking to press the middle third of the pitch, pressing the opposition CMs/Wingers in conjunction with other players as they are on the ball to rush their decisions and win the ball back.


Both wingers today will be looking will be to drift around when deeper players are in possession, looking to combine with the other attacking players to get little areas of space before using their pace and trickery respectively to drift between the CB and FB and get in behind them. When they are on the ball the emphasis will be more on cutting inside with the occasional long shot to test the keeper, and only occasionally putting in crosses, getting involved in a fast intricate style of passing with the centre mids and Gameiro, looking to create the passing triangles which will just take players out of the game. They should also look to run at players as they will be cautious not to give away a set piece. 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 and then use his strength to cut in front of the defender, causing them to either stop their forward momentum completely, or make the foul.
When defending, he will be working with the wingers to cut off the passing lines for their CB's, forcing them or the keeper to launch it long, then using his tireless energy reserves to work back and press their centre mids.



Set Pieces


Corners - Kovacic takes the corners, most of the time looking to have the ball at an attackable height around 8-10 yards out between the posts, the FB's stay back to prevent counters, the CB's and Lacazette work in a group to make little blocks and cross-runs to lose a marker so 1 or 2 can get a run at the ball, Son and Dorsch flit around away from the main attacking group looking to pounce on mistimed touches and flicks around the area. Rabiot 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. Mkhi 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


Penalties - Lacazette is the designated taker.

Subs



If Winning


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




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



If Drawing
70 Mins - Gylfi for Kovacic - add a bit more urgency into attacks, show the opposition we are going for the win.

If Losing



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

Leicester v WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS

Injuries: Maffeo, Shaw, Sturaro, Garcia

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

Subs: Leno, Vida, Matic, 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, Marquinhos and Tah at centreback, Hakimi and Strinic at fullback, Rakitic, Fernandinho and Meyer in midfield, Di Maria and Perisic either side of Immobile upfront.

This game is about controlling the tempo and giving us the best chance of getting the win today. 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.

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

Hakimi/Strinic - Both of you to force the 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: Di Maria, Immobile and Perisic off, Vida, Alcacer and Diawara on. Change to 5-3-1-1, Vida an extra CB, midfield trio of Diawara, Fernandinho and Meyer, with Rakitic in the AM role providing support to Alcacer upfront.

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

If losing: Tah, 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.

——————————Ter Stegen
Odriozola———Rüdiger————Diallo————Castro
————————Keita—————Torreira
B.Silva————————Dybala———————Sancho
————————————Kane

Subs: Pope, Christensen, Rodri, Milinkovic-Savic, Loftus-Cheek, Guedes, Brandt

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

We want to drop players deeper in build up, and start with slower ball circulation to draw their forward and midfield lines forward, so that we can later exploit the space in behind. We move the ball out to the FB on the touchline, creating back 3 on ball side and using Torreira to help circulate. Keita will position himself slightly higher than Torreira, in line with the far CB and Dybala will drop to Keita’s hight on the ball side. Ball side winger stays high and pins his FB so he can’t join the press. As soon as they are drawn in we circulate the ball back through the defence (keeper if needed) and look to either use the far side CB to carry the ball forward if the Newcastle winger hasn’t tucked in, or move the ball into the far side FB by the touchline if the winger has tucked in. This Fb can carry the ball forward but from here also has easy access to play the ball into midfield behind the press, or find his winger in a 1 v 1 with the FB.

Once we progress the ball we look to quickly exploit the space between the opponents defence and midfield, ether side of the DM or out wide, adapting our shape in game to go and attack where the space opens up. In Torreira we have a player who will sit and control the tempo of our game, always available for a pass and to recycle possession, particularly as a second passer in short passing combinations, his composure on the ball, as well as the CBs, allows us to go back to them and keep possession, and allow their team mates ahead to change their movements and run into space, with all 3 of them capable of playing laser passes between opponent lines. Keita has a box to box role, and his higher positioning in comparison to Torreira allows us to create triangles in the midfield, the staggering of the 3 central players heights means we have the option to use quick diagonal passing, which draws more opponents towards the pass and opens up new spaces behind. Keita will look to move the ball quickly, as well as using his pace and dribbling to break opponent lines, either with the ball at his feet, or with his movement.

The Fbs are crucial, they allow for overloads to open up the opposition. At times we want them overlapping, particularly Odriozola, as this allows Dybala and Silva to overload the right half space and leave the FB with a decision to make, stay wide, opening up space for Silva and Dybala to exploit between FB and CB, or tuck in and leave an easy pass on for Odriozola who can whip in crosses. When receiving the ball deeper I want both FBs to make diagonal runs into the half spaces, with our wingers pinning back their FBs this forces the opposition midfield to react. The diagonal runs draws more players in and opens up more passing lanes, either back wide to the winger for a 1 v 1 battle, or into Dybala/Keita, who can escape their markers.

The front 4 look to attack the opposition at pace. With the front three maintaining a high position and pinning the opposition defensive line back, Dybala should make full use of his 10 role to exploit the space between the lines. If we can create a 1 v 1 battle with the DM, we feel Dybala can take the super hand and create chances. He will be constantly on the move, often drifting wide where he can create triangles with FB and winger to open up the flanks, dropping deeper to receive the ball either side of the DM and behind the CMs, and making runs off of Kane to get behind the opposition. Sancho will look to hold width at all times, a key aim is to get the ball to the wingers in quick transitions from build up, and we believe Sancho with his dribbling can win his 1 v 1 battle and get crosses into the strikers. He’s also great at slowing the game down, drawing the opposition defence across and then beating 2-3 men, with Dybala, Keita, Silva and Kane to attack the box this will be hard to defend. Silva has a license to come into the half space more often. Kane’s role is to be on the move around the penalty box, getting into scoring positions.

Off the ball we press firstly in a 4-4-2, Dybala joining Kane in looking to force the CBs wide on the ball, Sancho will push high onto his FB with Silva dropped off and tucked in more, as we look to force their build up out to the LB, as they have massive injuries here, and likely have to play Azpi on his weaker side. Once the ball goes wide we swing our defensive pendulum, Sancho dropping back, Silva stepping up, Dybala drops back into midfield for a 4-1-4-1 shape, with Keita able to go and help Silva box the FB in. If they move the ball to the other side the pendulum swings, right sides players dropping and left sided players stepping up. We fall into a mid block, not looking to press the man but instead pressing passing lanes, so that the opposition have no where to go. Dybala and Keita are staggered, the ball side player slightly higher, with Torreira behind the two of them, the staggering in midfield makes it harder for Newcastles AM’s to find space between midfield and defence. Our FBs stay compact to the CBs so the half spaces can be closed off. When the ball is wide the back 4 shuffles across on the same pendulum as the midfield. We wait for a mistake, or a pass towards the touchline, and then we can be more aggressive.

Subs:

If Winning: Brandt for Sancho 70’. Loftus-Cheek for Dybala 75’. Rodri for Keita 80’.

If Drawing: Milinkovic-Savic for Keita 70’. Brandt and Guedes for Silva and Sancho 75’, fresh legs out wide.

If Losing: Christensen and Milinkovic-Savic for Keita and Sancho 60’, 3-5-2, make us more difficult to press with an overload deeper, it will force them to pull forward their FBs when they want press higher, Dybala can drift wide to find space behind them, SMS and B.Silva will be the CMs with Torreira at the base of midfield, both of these CMs can also stretch wide and open up holes in the middle that Dybala can drop into. Use this phase of them game to stop them pressing and allow us to set up position in their half. Guedes for Torreira 75’, 3-4-3, use this phase of the game to start overloading the half spaces.

------------------------Lloris
-------Manolas---Llorente---Sane
Danilo------Goretzka----Ramsey---Van Aanholt
--------Malcom-------------------Costa
------------------------Cavani
Pickford, Maitland-Niles, Tuanzebe, Cook, Tadic, Wood, Foden
Another change of formation today should bamboozle the opposition a bit. We picked up our first point last time, and I expect to go a step further today. I have picked a side that I think allows us license to attack and commit men to attack whilst also providing us with an adequate defensive base. For this system to work we have to focus on the energy and pace that we possess both through the middle and out wide, and need to know our positional game and how to work with the ball and without it.
We do intend to play with the ball out the back, relying on Manolas and Sane spreading the play to our attacking wing backs. Llorente will look to provide an option between them, and will focus his distribution forward to our central midfield players. Balls out should be kept as simple as possible, with options provided short and simple, as players drop deep to pick up the ball. When off the ball they will work as a unit, allowing them to press members of the attack, whilst not creating positional space to be exploited behind them. Llorente will cover the others as they press forward, making sure that space behind is not present. All three will get forward for free kicks providing an aerial threat.
Goretzka and Ramsey will also contribute to the defensive system, with them alternating between pushing forward and sitting deep. When the opposition has the ball they will sit in front of the three men, covering the space and pushing out wide, to cover the spaces vacated by the wing backs. Both players have the manoeuvring ability to operate in this sort of deep lying system. When we pick the ball up, they will look to spread the play out wide, either to the wing backs or the inside forward wingers. One of them will also be allowed to operate as a box to box midfielder so that we can get as many men into the box as possible. When this happens, the other will sit back to shield the defence.
Danilo and PVA are both attacking full backs, and so today I have decided to give them license to bomb forward and contribute to the attack. Both will push forward and overlap their respective narrow wingers. They won’t cut inside due to the fact that they should both be on their stronger foot and are both capable of whipping in great balls for our aerially strong striker. When off the ball they will get back into position, so as to cover the space out wide and prevent the opposition wingers from attacking effectively. They will keep their opposite number pinned out wide, before winning the ball back and attacking with pace on the counter. When our defenders have the ball they will pull out wide and provide a short passing option for the defenders.
Our narrow wingers are both direct players that are very capable of utilising their pace to run at the opposition and get in behind their defence. They sit slightly more narrow than conventional wingers so that they can target the central areas of the opposition defence, whilst the wing backs occupy the opposition wide players. Malcom and Costa are both quick players and so can stretch the opposition’s central areas, which will create a bit more space for Cavani that he can utilise to best effect. When we don’t have the ball they will stay forward, so as to either keep the opposition full backs in their defensive third, or to utilise the space that they leave behind when they push forward, running into space to make themselves available for the ball in behind.
Edinson Cavani has already proved himself to be potent in front of goal so far this season, and with Costa and Malcom he has two supporting players that are very capable of not only running at defenders, but also getting in behind, pulling their defenders apart, and creating space for Cavani to drop off slightly so that he can pick up the ball. He is physical enough to deal with the attention that he will no doubt be getting, and also to provide a consistent threat from set pieces and the crosses from our wide wing backs. With Costa, Malcom and a CM also getting into the box, there will be plenty of players to pick up the second ball should it drop to them.
Substitutions
If drawing/losing
Salif Sane off for Phil Foden 65 mins
Switch to a 4-2-3-1 with Foden playing in behind Cavani as a second striker. Goretzka and Ramsey will sit deep in midfield, covering the loss of a defender. Foden can get in behind defenders along with Costa and Malcom.
Aaron Ramsey off for Ainsley Maitland Niles 75 mins
A more attacking midfielder to come on for Ramsey. AMN will look to engineer it that we are playing further up the pitch. Goretzka will sit further back, whilst AMN looks to drift into space higher up and dictate the tempo and pace of the game. As well as this he will play a high tempo box to box role.
Danilo off for Dusan Tadic 80 mins
An attacking substitution as we look for a goal. Tadic will look to push forward with the ball from deep, dictating the play out wide and looking to get the ball in the box as often as possible.
If winning
Malcom off for Lewis Cook 70 mins
Switch to a 3-5-1-1, with Lewis Cook playing at the heart of the Arsenal midfield. He will serve as the linchpin, looking to dictate the play by hitting balls over the top to our attackers, specifically through to Douglas Costa, who will look to run past Cavani.
Edinson Cavani off for Chris Wood 80 mins
Chris Wood will play the same role as Cavani, but with slightly fresher legs.
Douglas Costa off for Dusan Tadic 85 mins
Tadic is a tidy player capable of keeping possession, and when we hold possession we are unlikely to concede. At this point we are making changes to close out the game.

-------------------------Perin
Vrsaljko---Milenkovic ---David Luiz----Tagliafico
----------------Rudy-----------Kampl
---Brekalo-----------Ziyech--------------Forsberg
-------------------------Jovic

Subs: Müller, Klostermann, Caleta-Car, Gagliardini, Rebic, Waldschmidt, Mitrovic


Our defensive unit consists of Nikola Milenkovic and David Luiz paired up at centre-back, Sime Vrsaljko at right-back and Nicolás Tagliafico 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 Josip Brekalo, Hakim Ziyech and Emil Forsberg as our band of three attacking midfielders with Luka Jovic 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.

Vrsaljko and Tagliafico 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 Josip Brekalo 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 Brekalo, Forsberg and Jovic in via fast passing combinations.

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

Jovic 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, Jovic will brush aside defenders and run past them with nonchalance.

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


Subs on 75 mins
Mitrovic on for Jovic, Rebic on for Forsberg and Waldschmidt on for Brekalo

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

Bournemouth Tactics: Week 12
Captain: Grohe
Vice Captain: Paredes

Team:
------------------Grohe
Militão--Rabello—Senesi--Saracchi
-----------------Paredes
-----------Palacios---Paquetá
Pussetto------------------------Everton
-------------------Gómez

SUBS: Ronaldo, Angulo, Álvarez, Maycon, Vargas, Cunha, Pedro

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

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

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

Midfield: Paredes will be the midfield general. A physical pacey midfielder he will be there to boss this area for us. Breaking up play and filling in as an extra defender if one of our back 4 has ventured forward. He will be there to protect the defence and do a lot of the unseen dirty work in the centre of the park. He is essential to our game plan and while sitting deep will still offer a lot with his great passing ability. He also has a thunderbolt right foot. Palacios and Paquetá will play just in front of Paredes. Palacios will be a more box to box type. He will be involved all over and will offer as much in defence as in attack. Paquetá will be the midfield magician. Clever, elusive and tricky we will look to him for creating the midfield openings with his eye for a pass. We will look at their enthusiasm and relentless pressing of the opposition as a way to hopefully get a bit of a grip on the midfield and at the very least not make it plain sailing for the opposition.

Wingers/Centre Forward: When in possession both Pussetto and Everton will be expected to go for the direct approach and use their power and speed to take on the opposition defence and beat them and bring Paquetá, Palacios and Gómez in to play. They can vary their attacks by going wide or cutting inside as they see fit. Both players can play all across the middle so don’t be surprised to see them swapping wings. At times Palacios may sit a bit deeper allowing Paquetá to slot in between both wingers, just behind the CF. As well as an attacking force both wingers will also have to put a defensive shift when called upon and act as back up for their respective full backs.

Gómez starts as the CF. He won’t be short of support or ammunition with the attacking talent behind him. Great big old fashioned centre forward. We will look for him to hold up and bring others in to play if it doesn’t seem to be on for him. An eye for a pass and not afraid to have a go from distance. We will look to get bodies in the box when attacking so he should always have an outlet. He is also great in the air and will provide an option from set pieces. When the shot is on he will take it but we also want to put himself about in the box and think that his power pace will be a real handful for defences. He will also be alert to any scraps in and around the goal. He has the ability to produce something sublime and create a chance out of nothing.

Free Kicks/Corners: Paquetá, Everton or Pussetto with Rabello, Senesi, Paredes and Gómez to offer an aerial threat. Paquetá and Everton (with his thunderbolt left foot) may try their luck with several free kicks from distance.
Penalties: Gómez

Substitutions: (if winning on 80 minutes) Álvarez for Senesi, Pedro for Gómez and Maycon for Palacios, 3 like for like substitutions.

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

----------------Paredes
Vargas------- Paquetá ----Everton
---------Gómez --------Pedro

Comment deleted by Article Creator

------------------------ De Gea -------------------------
Bellerin ----- Bonucci ----- Chiellini ----- Phil Max
------------------------ Danilo --------------------------
---------------- Barkley ---- R.Neves -----------------
Chiesa ----------------------------------------- Willian
------------------------ Icardi --------------------------

Letica, Barzagli, Iniesta, Vidal, Rashford, B.Traore, Morata

Control possession high up the field, pass and move into positions that can hurt them, when we defend we do so as a team from the front and really pressurise them into quick , misplaced passes for us to pick up, in their face performance, especially Barkley, Neves and Danilo as we try to nullify their midfield and stop them creating chances for the forwards.

Bellerin and Max have freedom to attack, but only one at a time, one always staying back so we will have a back 3, they will bomb down the line supporting the wingers, which will allow the winger to cut inside and support Icardi. They look to play one twos with the attacking midfield 2 which will get him beyond there fullback and whip in dangerous crosses. Both tough defenders and intelligent so know when to tackle and when just to try and shimmy out wide. When defending and on the cautious side and remain vigilant at all times in the line of four, keep it tight.. Bonucci the more mobile and quicker CB will mark the CF, use his strength and speed to keep the CF away from the danger area. Chiellini alongside is the spare defender and helps out where needed, bot very powerful defenders, dominate in the air and good on the ball, so when in possession they can carry the ball out from defence and look to send our forwards away. Stay tight as a four and let nothing through. Both up for corners, fullbacks and Danilo stay back. When we are in possession the ball will come from the back, so these guys must look for movement ahead of them so they can pick there pass, both CBs are comfortable with ball at feet and will take the ball out of defence to allow them to come on to us before he passes, this will create space as hew will force them to break away from the players they are marking..

Danilo's primary role is to win possession and then start an attacking phase. Within this he needs to cover spaces in between the midfield and defence where the opposition’s number 10 will likely to be operating whilst also being aware when the full-backs had pushed forward.Take care of of the No 10/SS is also a main focus, stick to him like glue and stop him becoming a threat, very good in the air so can attack long/high balls before they get to our defenders. Once he is in possession of the ball nice simple balls to those around him.

Neves is our box-to-box midfielder and has responsibility throughout the pitch. He is expected to score goals and create chances for team mates, whilst also helping in the defensive third. One requirement of this role are high fitness levels due to the amount of running they are expected to do. The box-to-box midfielder is more likely to be found on the side of the pitch where the full-back that is less efficient in the attacking third plays to provide balance on both flanks. Barkley's main responsibility is to create chances for the three attackers in front of him. He will often find himself the furthest forward of the three midfielders and sometimes even in the number 10 role if the correct situation arises. The main requirement of Neves is creativity; he needs to be able to play a pass that penetrates the opposition’s defense or dictates the direction of the attack These three should work well together and between them have everything a midfield needs.

Wingers are going to cause problems out wide, with the support they will have, they will look to push the fullbacks back and get into the danger area. both sides will definitely pose a threat with quick one twos, using Barkley to play around them with the ball going in triangles quickly until the break is on. If fulbacks drive passed wingers they can cut inside looking to make a nuisance of themselves centrally again using barkley to get into danger areas. Both wingers have a fantastic forward to aim for in Icardi so if they get to the bye line then get the crosses in for him to attack.Icardi will get plenty chances, however he must put away there side who will be solid at the back, however I want to target the slower of the two/three with the aid of Barkley and the wingers and sometimes the fullbacks. Get into positions that he can go for goal or at very least drag players away for other players to drive into the space. Again, target the slower of the cbs, split them apart to create space, we are quick, so our forwards must hit them with pace to drag them all over the place. He can score from various angles/ranges with hopefully a few crosses coming in he can get up and above defenders for. Can hold it up and look for runners, in particular Willian Chiesa and Barkley will be making runs so be watchful of them just to lay it off to the side if he cant go for goal himself. But especially look for Barkley as he times his runs perfectly so a little touch back to him allows him to go for goal.

We must defend as a team tho, from the front, so wingers track back and cover the fullbacks, even just to stop them supporting the wingers, we must drive into them and pressurize them into mistakes

Captain - Chiellini
Pens - Icardi
FK's - Neves
Corners - Wingers

Subs:-
Losing -
70 Mins - B.Traore for Barkley, he goes up top with Icardi 4-4-2
80 Mins - Barzagli and Rashford for Bellerin and Max we go attacking 3-4-3 with Rashford LCF

Winning -
70 Mins - Vidal for Barkley to shore things up in midfield
80 Mins - Iniesta for Neves to hold on to the ball

Drawing -
70 Mins - Iniesta for Neves & Tashford for Willian
80 Mins - B.Traore for Chiesa

Red Card - always go 4-4-1
De Gea - Letica for Barkley
Bellerin - Barzagli for Barkley
Max - Barzagli for Barkley, Chiellini to LB, Barzagli to CB
Danilo - Vidal for Barkley
Neves - Vidal for Barkley
Barkley - Nothing
Wingers - the other plays in a free role
Icardi - Barkley plays in a free role up top then replaced with Traore if losing with 10 to go

Subs - if losing when red card is given, with 10/15 to go Barzagli on for fullback and Rashford on for fullback as stated and go 3-4-2

----------------------- Oblak ----------------------
Fabinho ----- Stones ----- Romag ----- Sandro
---------------------- Tousart ---------------------
---------------- Pjanic ----- Pogba ---------------
Mbappe ---------------------------------- Neymar
------------------- Lewandowski -----------------

Meret, F.de Jong, H.Aouar, Maddison, Bernardeschi, N.Pepe, Piatek

Possession football, quick on the break and really pressurise the opposition with an in your face performance from the front, we want to hit them quickly so we need to press them quickly to get the ball, when we defend, Pjanic, Tousart & Pogba just in front harassing the man with the ball before they get to our back 4 and the front 3 in and around the half way line, Lewandowski slightly higher up, this will congest the midfield and allow Pjanic and Pogba to dictate play, stop them coming forward from the back, however, if they do push forward onto us and we get the ball they will be on the back foot and will really struggle with our front 3/4 with Fullbacks who are always ready to pounce and hit them with pace.

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

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

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

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

Losing -
65 Mins - Bernardeschi for Pogba, he goes to RW and Mbappe play off the shoulder of Lewandowski in a more 4-4-2
80 Mins - Piatek for Sandro he goes up top and we play an attacking 3-4-3, N.Pepe for Lewandoswki, he goes RW, Bernardeschi LW Mbappe-Piatek-Neymar front 3

Winning -
75 Mins - de Jong for Pogba, gives our midfield a bit more bite as they bring on more attack minded players
80 Mins - Bernardeschi for Lewandowski, he goes to RW with Mbappe using his pace in a CF role to harass them when they have the ball

Drawing -
70 Mins - Piatek for Lewandowski, straight swap and he will just look for everything in the box to pounce on
80 Mins - Bernardeschi for Pogba, again he goes to RW with Mbappe behind Piatek

----------------------- Courtois ------------------------
Cancelo ---- Boateng ----- Hummels -- Hernandez
--------------- Khedira ----- Verratti ----------------
Werner -------------- Eriksen --------------- Martial
---------------------- Kun Aguero ---------------------

Subs:
Hart, Lenglet, Dier, Arthur, Under, Bailey, Sturridge

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

Moving the ball at speed will be the focus of our play as we go with an attacking 4-2-3-1 formation today as we aim for 3 points. Our three AM’s in support of Aguero will be key components of this style as we feel we pose threats from all angles with plenty of goals in our lineup. Verratti and Khedira offer great quality on the ball from a slightly deeper position as they both possess a fantastic range of passing, able to break the lines and play that killer pass in to our attacking quartet. We will look to dictate the play and frustrate the opposition when in possession, continually moving them around, making them chase the ball by switching flanks. In doing so we will not only be wearing them down but also continually pulling them out of shape, breaking down their defensive structure as we look to make numerous openings as we go for goals in today’s match up.

Whilst the opposition have some dangerous players we will look to significantly limit their impact by retaining possession, we will force them to track back or risk leaving their defence exposed when we push forward in numbers. We aim to make things uncomfortable for them and we feel that limiting their ability to have the ball in attacking areas will severely limit any threat posed. When they are in possession our wingers drop in as we play a compact 4-5-1 formation. The aim of the game will be to break at speed with our wide players offering an immediate outlet when we win back possession. Turning defence into attack in the blink of an eye.

We aim to play on the front foot, hit them early to take the lead and then exploit the space in behind as they push forward for an equaliser. We start fast, high intensity and pressing from the front, putting them under immediate pressure we can force mistakes early on.

Defence:

We go with a strong defensive unit at the back, packed with experience and quality we look to nullify the threat posed by the oppositions attack. We have two strong and aerially imposing CB’s to deal with the threat posed by their forwards. We will look to be dominant at the back as we aim to take the sting out of the opposition early on and play on the front foot. Our fullbacks have license to push forward when in possession, Cancelo in particular offers a real threat down the right with his strong attacking prowess. Werner will often drift infield taking the opposition FB with him which will create space for Cancelo to exploit, he will at all times be looking for the runs of Aguero whose movement and finishing is simply world class. We aim to keep the oppositions wingers down the line and do not let them come infield.

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

Midfield:

Khedira comes in to control the midfield to offer additional protection through the middle, sitting alongside Verratti he will be key to our style of play with their quick passing. Keep the ball moving, continually recycling possession and making the opposition chase shadows. Don’t force the issue as we aim to run them down, tired legs leads to tired minds and we feel that this will lead to plenty of openings as we continually move them out of shape. Forming a double pivot in front of our defence they not only offer protection but form the first line of our attack. Look for the early runs of the wide players as they possess electric pace and will be looking to get in behind the oppositions defence at all times. Eriksen plays ahead of them in the AM role, a gifted technician in his own right he will be looking to craft opportunities all afternoon. With the runs of Werner, Martial and Aguero to pick out we feel that he will thrive. An assist master we also encourage him to go for goal should the opportunity arise, we anticipate the opposition sitting deep and an Eriksen thunderbolt from distance is always on the cards when given space.

Forwards:

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

Subs;

If winning:
60 mins: Werner off, Lenglet on. Move to 5-3-2, FB’s sit deep alongside 3 CB’s eliminating any space for the opposition.
75 mins: Martial off, Dier on. 5-4-1 shut up shop time as we tighten up with a solid defensive unit as we see the game out and take the 3 points.

If drawing:
60 mins: Khedira off, Arthur on. Extra creativity in CM.
75 mins: Verratti off, Bailey on. We switch to two up top in a 4-2-2-2 formation. Eriksen alongside Arthur in CM, Bailey and Martial on the flanks with a deadly front two of Aguero and Werner as we go for the winner.

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

NEWCASTLE 4-3-3

___________Alisson
Azpi____Alder___Godin___Robbo
__________Jorginho
________Kante___Silva
Salah______Suarez________Mane

SUBS: Milner, Radja, Lukaku, Alli, N’Zonzi, James, Reus

Captain: Diego Godin
Penalties: Luis Suarez
Corners: David Silva
Freekicks: Luis Suarez
Crossing Freekick: David Silva

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Subs

70 mins: Radja comes on for Silva, 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: N’Zonzi comes on for Jorginho to close out the game. He is capable in deep midfield alongside Kante in a 4-2-3-1.

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

BRUM vs Portsmouth

-----------------------------------Lafont--------------------------------
Dalot-----------Skriniar---------------Maguire------------Chilwell
--------------------Valverde--------------Kondogbia-----------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Neres------------------------------------------------------------------Kluivert
--------------------------------------Philipp----------------------------------------
-------------------------------------Higuain-------------------------------------

Subs - Lafont, Ruben Dias, Kessie, Cristante, Anderson, Adama, Zaha

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

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. Skriniar and Maguire bring a whole lot of experience and pace to the defence. Maguire will use his experience to marshal the defence and Skriniar will look to use his pace to close the oppo strikers down. Stay vocal with each other and cover for each other if oppo gets past one of you. Full backs will start of with a conservative mind set and not attack too much but as the game goes on I want them to make overlapping runs and get some crosses in to the box. Kondogbia will be covering for them when they go attacking.

Defence Mids
Kondogbia + Valverde
Kondogbia 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.
Valverde will look to sit deep and be the gap between the defence and the midfield and play as the deep lying playmaker. When he has the ball I want him to pass the ball forward and try and play through balls for our wingers to run onto. I want the team to use him as an outlet to get play started or when the oppo is pressing us I want him to use his expert ball control to keep hold of possession of the ball. When not in possession of the ball I want him to sit alongside Kondogbia in the middle and protect the defence.

Wingers
Neres + 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 left and Neres likewise from the right. 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. Dalot and Chilwell 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.

Attack Mid
Maximilian Philipp
Philipp will be playing just behind Higuain and will look to help him out in attack. Be ready for passes into your feet and shoot if you see an opportunity. Mix up your attacking runs to throw off the oppo DM. I want him to dribble with the ball and play 1 2's with the rest of the team. Shoot if you see an opening.

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 Kluivert/Neres to make infield runs ahead of you.

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

---------------------------------Lafont--------------------------------
Dalot----------Skriniar-----------Maguire------------Chilwell
-------------------------------Cristante------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anderson------------------------------------------------------------Kluivert
---------------------------------Philipp------------------------------------
---------------------Higuain--------------Zaha-------------------------


Subs if WINNING BY 80MINS
Take off Philipp and put on Ruben Dias in CB. Play defensive with everyone in our own half defending for their lives, waiting to hit the oppo on the counter attack. Anderson on for Neres and Zaha for Higuain.

------------------------------------Lunin--------------------------------
Dalot------Skriniar------Maguire------Dias-------Chilwell
-----------------------Valverde--------Kondogbia----------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------Anderson------------------------------------------Kluivert----
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------Zaha---------------------------------------

Subs if DRAWING BY 65MINS
Anderson on for Neres
Kessie on for Kondogbia
Zaha on for Higuain
Fresh legs to bring on.

-------------------Buffon
Florenzi----Sokratis----Verthongen----Luis
-----------------Brozovic
------------Rabiot-------Kovacic
Sterling-------------------------------Son
------------------Lacazette
Subs
Strakosha, Retsos, Cucurella, Locatelli, Mkhi, Gameiro, Gylfi

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.

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 counters, 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, they should take it forward, if not, keep it simple with the occasional long ball thrown in to keep the opposition from setting up against one style.



For the full backs 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.

 Their objective when attacking will be to keep making runs past the winger on the inside and outside, giving the opposition full back that split second of indecision on who to 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.

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. 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, looking to use the movement of the other CM's and the attackers to drag the opposition defensive players out of position. They also all have an eye for a pass so will look to take advantage of the front 3 all flitting around and play them in with through balls and quick one touch play. We will also occasionally take the occasional long shot, with the aim being to make sure defenders aren't content to sit back and forcing them to make a decision. When defending, they are looking to press the middle third of the pitch, pressing the opposition CMs/Wingers in conjunction with other players as they are on the ball to rush their decisions and win the ball back.


Both wingers today will be looking will be to drift around when deeper players are in possession, looking to combine with the other attacking players to get little areas of space before using their pace and trickery respectively to drift between the CB and FB and get in behind them. When they are on the ball the emphasis will be more on cutting inside with the occasional long shot to test the keeper, and only occasionally putting in crosses, getting involved in a fast intricate style of passing with the centre mids and Gameiro, looking to create the passing triangles which will just take players out of the game. They should also look to run at players as they will be cautious not to give away a set piece. 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 and then use his strength to cut in front of the defender, causing them to either stop their forward momentum completely, or make the foul.
When defending, he will be working with the wingers to cut off the passing lines for their CB's, forcing them or the keeper to launch it long, then using his tireless energy reserves to work back and press their centre mids.



Set Pieces


Corners - Kovacic takes the corners, most of the time looking to have the ball at an attackable height around 8-10 yards out between the posts, the FB's stay back to prevent counters, the CB's and Lacazette work in a group to make little blocks and cross-runs to lose a marker so 1 or 2 can get a run at the ball, Son and Sterling flit around away from the main attacking group looking to pounce on mistimed touches and flicks around the area. Rabiot 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. Brozovic 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 - Florenzi takes Direct FK's


Penalties - Lacazette is the designated taker.

Subs



If Winning


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




82 + 86 Mins - Locatelli for Rabiot and Retsos for Florenzi - Actively time waste and really frustrate the opposition.



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

If Losing



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

Newcastle v WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS

Injuries: Mina, Sturaro, Vardy, Vitolo

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

Subs: Leno, Vida, Matic, Diawara, Ozil, Januzaj, Alcacer

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hakimi/Strinic - Both of you to force the Newcastle 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 Newcastle 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 Newcastle 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: Di Maria, Immobile and Perisic off, Vida, Alcacer and Diawara on. Change to 5-3-1-1, Vida an extra CB, midfield trio of Diawara, Fernandinho and Meyer, with Rakitic in the AM role providing support to Alcacer upfront.

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

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

Line Up:

--------------------------Pavlenka------------------------------

---------------Akanji-------Luiz-------Zagadou----------------

Mukiele-----------Partey-------Witsel-----------Guerreiro

-----------------Moura---------------Fekir----------------------

-------------------------Richarlison------------------------------

Subs: Audero; Pereira; Holding; Dahoud; Gelson; Mariano; Golovin

Captain: Witsel
Penalties: Richarlison
Free Kicks: Fekir
Corners: Fekir

Game Plan:

We will look to triple mark whomever has the ball in any area of the pitch – with one player closing down the ball, one player cutting off space and the last player marking the closest man. By triple-marking at all times, we not only increase the effectiveness with which we can apply pressure to the opposition but we also reduce the amount each individual player has to run.

By pressing high and in numbers we can minimise the space in which Villa can play. When Villa play from the back, Fekir and Moura will look to intercept the space in between the two centre backs and cut off the option of a cross-field ball while Richarlison will close down the man with the ball. If the right-sided centre back has the ball then our left winger will close down the right back while our midfielders will press closer as well, and vice versa with the other side of the pitch. The aim here is to limit the playing space our opponents have, which forces them to move the ball back to the keeper, move the ball long or move it in to the centre where our CMs, our wingers and our forwards can close down the space quickly and force them in to hasty decisions. If they manage to move the ball out wide, then our full backs will look to push up (depending on which side of the pitch the ball is on) to close down the space while our winger on that side challenges for the ball and the closest centre mid closes down the passing lanes.

The formation itself is actually more of a 3-4-2-1 formation. Starting at the back, the three defenders are Luiz, Zagadou and Akanji along with the mobile and energetic pairing of Partey and Witsel. Width is provided by the wing-backs Guerreiro and Mukiele. Ahead lie the mobile unit of Fekir, Moura and Richarlison. Fekir and Moura are natural inside forwards and Richarlison can drop into space or offer himself as a target man.

Pavlenka is in goal for us today and he can play well as a sweeper keeper, he has the pace and awareness to come out of goal to sweep up balls over the top and he is confident at claiming crosses and high balls, not to mention being a terrific shot stopper. When he gets the ball, he will look to clear it out to the flanks instantly, to initiate a quick breakaway in the area that we will have more players than our opponents.

Should Villa opt to go long with the ball, we have 3 tall CBs all capable of winning the aerial duel with the CF, while also having players to cover the 2nd ball. The idea is to compact the centre of the pitch, with the 3 CBs covering all space through the middle to stop any quick interplay and to nullify any central creative players. The striker is, obviously, out- numbered up front. The wing backs can mark the space out wide while the two defenders on either side of the central defender in the back three can mark the half spaces. All our CBs are intelligent and read the game well, playing zonally to track the central runs made by the opposition.

The movement from the forwards is enabled by Luiz who effectively plays as a sweeper in front of the other two centre-backs. He can start attacks by bringing the ball into midfield, or he can drop back into defence to intercept passes. When building out from the back, the back three split and stretch as wide as they can in order to break the press as the pressing team has a greater distance to cover. All 3 CBs in the side are good on the ball and have played at full back, so are fine with stretching wide. The two wing backs position themselves high up the pitch to create more space for the back three. If the opposition press high on the three centre-backs then the left or right centre back moves into a conventional full back position.

Mukiele and Guerreiro will push forward to deny the opposition full-backs space and will seek to create an overload. By creating this numerical advantage in the opponent’s half, Fekir and Moura can attack the channels between full-back and centre-back where they are most dangerous as playmakers/inside forwards.
Alternatively, the wing-backs can cut inside and swap positions with the inside-forwards. Richarlison is the focal point and he will occupy at least one of the opposing centre-backs which means that we will always have a man spare in attack with this method, and even if an opposing midfielder drops, Partey and Witsel can push up to sustain the overload. Because we have so much attacking threat we will always find space.

Similarly to our attack, defensively we will always have a spare man due to the energy of the both full-backs, Guerreiro and Mukiele. They can: press up to the opposing full-backs, or track the inside forwards. Then the centre-backs can sweep or push up to the opposition's creative centre-attacking midfielders. And then there is our duo of Partey and Witsel, who have the energy and positional awareness to, with the help of the pressing game from the front 3, overload the opposition’s central midfield and make it impossible for them to play through the middle.


Substitutions:

If Winning: Dahoud for Moura 65’, Switch to a 3-5-2 with more numbers in midfield. Gelson and Pereira for Richarlison and Mukiele 75’, Both provide extra legs for the press, with Moura and Fekir dropping deeper to help defend knowing that they can dribble the ball further up the pitch on the attack.

If Drawing or Losing: Gelson for Moura 70’, fresh energy and ideas. Mariano and Golovin for Richarlison and Mukiele 75’

IN CASE OF RED:
Pavelnka: Bring on Audero for Moura – Move to 5-2-1-1
Zagadou: Holding for Moura – Move to 5-2-1-1
Luiz: Holding for Moura – Move to 5-2-1-1
Akanji: Holding for Moura – Move to 5-2-1-1
Mukiele: Pereira for Moura - Move to 5-2-1-1
Guerreiro: Pereira for Moura - Move to 5-2-1-1
Partey: Fekir drops into middle – Move to 5-2-1-1
Witsel: Fekir drops into middle – Move to 5-2-1-1
Moura: No change
Fekir: No change
Richarlison: No change

——————————Ter Stegen
Odriozola——Sule——————Rudiger———Gaya
——————————Torreira
—————B.Silva———————Keita
Sancho——————Dybala———————Lozano

Subs: Pope, Diallo, McKennie, Lofts-Cheek, Brandt, Guedes, Kane

Captain: Marc-Andre Ter Stegn
Free Kicks: Paulo Dybala / Lucas Torreira
Corners: Bernardo Silva / Lucas Torreira
Penalties: Paulo Dybala

The aim of our build up play will be to get the ball into the free CB, as well as drawing Hull’s midfield forward. Position our midfield deeper, with Torreira just ahead of the CBs, CMs dropping towards play, CBs stretched out and FBs slightly higher in line with Torreira, creating a diamond in both half spaces through which we can escape pressure, before switching to the CB on the free side (can use Ter Stegen when needed). CB can carry the ball forward and plays a ball into the CM on his side to provoke one of the Hull’s DMs into stepping up, the CM can play it immediately back back to the CB, Torreira or the FB, who will then play it vertically into the inverted winger/Dybala who drop behind the pushed up DM. Equally, if the CB brings it forward and the opposition don’t break their structure, he can play a long ball out to the opposite flank to stretch the game.

When establishing possession we use short passing combinations, minimal spacing between players, staggered between the lines. Allows for quick movement of the ball, shifting constantly to different lines, drawing more of a reaction from the opposition and sucking them in towards the ball to open up space elsewhere, which we can quickly switch into. The constant movement of the ball, and constant movement of our players, changing runs and swapping positions, creates a mental overload on the opponent, with some players chasing to follow the ball, and others the man, allowing us to break their defensive structure and unmark ourselves higher up the field. The opponent then has to react to the hole that they leave, and this sucks defenders out of the last line of defence, allowing us to play in their blindsides.

Torreira and the CBs are the second pass facilitators of this style, with a better view of the pitch ahead of them, and more space to work in they have the best access to passing lanes, and can make the best choice of where to build attacks. When these guys get the ball with space, the players ahead of them must make runs, particularly using a Keita, or a winger to make a run in behind their defence for a quick lofted pass.

B.Silva is the main creator in the side today, roaming the midfield to link play, and find space in the half space / between the lines, as well as drifting wide to overload their FBs, as well as combining closely with Dybala. Keita will have a box to box role, his energy will be key when recovering possession, but he links play well too, and his direct runs can be a huge threat.

Our wingers look to creates positional superiority alongside our CMs and Dybala. Both can stretch the game and pin the FBs back, to open up more 1 v 1 battles for our CMs and themselves, whilst both can invert and link with the CMs/Dybala to overload the midfield and force the Fbs into tucking in and leaving space wide, or leaving the CMs vulnerable. Both can make runs behind, the pace they have means the Hull defence have to drop and become detached from midfield, or risk being beaten in a foot race.

Dybala as the false 9 aids our chance creation. He can drop to overload their midfield, exploiting gaps either DM leaves, or exploiting the space between them when Hull are stretched. It also means that a CB can be tempted to follow him, which can leave a huge gap in the Hull back line for the pace of our wingers and even CMs to exploit. The front three can be very fluid today, sometimes Dybala drifting wide and a winger taking up the CF role.

Off the ball we use a 4-5-1 shape. We will look to high press, with three key triggers. Firstly a ball played between CBs. Dybala will look to pressure the ball carrying CB, closing vertical passing lanes. When the CB passes to the other CB, ball side CM will step up and press in the same manner as Dybala, creating a 4-4-2. Wingers stay tucked into the half spaces to make vertical passes difficult, Torreira always slightly deeper than the other CM to create a strong core. This should force them to the corners, which is our next pressing trigger. When this apps, the winger steps out to press the FB, with CF and CM in the first line of defence also pushing out to the wing, looking to pen the FB in, with our FB pushing higher up to condense space and cut passing lanes to the winger (far side winger, Torreira and the other CM create a strong midfield 3).

The final trigger is pressing from GKs. Our front three will come narrow, covering the width of the box, wingers pressing the Cbs if they try to play out, CMs can go out to the FBs when needed, whilst Dybala covers passing lanes to the deepest CM. Force them to go long from GKs.

The back line adjusts their position based on the position of the ball and team mates, so when Hull have the ball with their defence and we are high pressing, the back 4 will be pushed up right behind the midfield line, keeping minimal space between the lines, shutting down passing lanes in the middle to force the opponents wide or long. Our 3 lines move up and down in unison, so when Hull have periods of established possession in our half, our 4-5-1 shape falls right back together to keep us compact, using the same pressing triggers as we would higher up.

Subs:

If Winning: Loftus-Cheek for Sancho 70’. Kane and McKennie for Lozano and Dybala 80’, Silva LW.

If Drawing: Kane for Sancho 70’, Dybala to LW, Kane one to make more runs behind. Dybala will have a free role, pop up on the opposite side half space, make it difficult to mark him and provide a link between midfield and Kane. Guedes for Lozano 75’, with Dybala having a free role, Guedes allows us to change the shape of our attack as needed, either stretching the game on the touchline, or creating a 1-2 shaped front three. Loftus-Cheek for Keita 80’.

If Losing: Brandt for Keita 60’, two creative midfielders now to open up the opposition. Kane for Gaya 65’, he goes up front, with Dybala creating more of a diamond midfield with a 3-4-3 shape, fluid movements of Silva, Brandt and Dybala can cause a lot of trouble. Guedes for Sancho 75’.

Attacking 4-3-3

We look to play our usual attacking game and take the game to Bournemouth, controlling possession and the tempo of the game. Control possession and find space in between the opposition lines. Get Thiago and Modric on the ball and looking to play killer balls to open up the opposition using the pace of our attacking players.

Key to our attack is quick passing play, not looking to force the play but moving the ball quickly. Pass and move. Tire the opposition out physically and mentally with our possession play. Predominantly short passing on the deck, but varying our play when a counter is on.

As you'd expect, possession starts at the back, Laporte the man marker next to Ramos who is free. In midfield, Casemiro reading the play looking to win the ball back as the dm, Thiago and Modric will offer inteligence defensively, with the pressing of Thiago also improtant.

Getting Modric and Thiago on the ball and get pushing up the pitch, they are used to being on the offensive and playing in tight spaces, so we look to them to pick the passes. But if they play a high line they can pick the passes through or over the top to expose the space behind them. Quick one twos between the two and the attacking trio and Marcelo and Alexander-Arnold always looking to provide an option.

The defence will be patient on the ball, will be hugely important in keeping possession and pushing us up the pitch. Playing a reasonably high line, with good pace at the back and energy in front. As soon as we get the ball to our midfield, we look to move the ball quickly, quick passing and moving. Bournemouth have great pace in attack, but they'll be tired from chasing us keep the ball while we also have pace at the back.

In attack we play with width to stretch the game and open up Bournemouth. One fb bombing forward at a time (usually Marcelo). The other fb advances ahead of the cbs but is more reserved and offers the option to switch going back the way.

Hazard has a free role in attack, with Marcelo offering width on the left. On the right, Sane stays wide stretching the game looking to take on their lb.


--------------------- Neuer
T.A-Arnold - S.Ramos - Laporte - Marcelo
-------------------- Casemiro
------------ Thiago.A ---- Modric
L.Sane ------------------------------ Hazard
------------------- C.Ronaldo

Subs. Schmeichel, Kehrer, Doucoure, Ceballos, Coutinho, Correa, D.Costa

Defending in numbers

When we lose the ball the closest player presses the ball, the second closest presses the obvious passing channel. As they’re doing this everyone else bar Ronaldo gets behind the ball into position. Stop them breaking.

In a narrow, rigid formation, we will look to 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 Bournemouth advance into higher areas of the park and into our half, our shape will resemble a 4-1-4-1. Our wingers will track any forward runs made by their fbs, and Casemiro presses the space in front of our cbs, sweeping up danger in front of the defence, the cms pressing their midfield.

In this tight formation narrowing to the side of play, ensuring there are no gaps in the formation. Casemiro will be key, reading the play in between the defence and midfield, getting across to cut out any danger. Modric picks up the most advanced cm. The winger opposite play comes inside and sits on their deepest cm while Thiago presses the space next to and in front of Casemiro. Our fb’s have fantastic pace up against their wide forwards, bide their time, not diving in.

Attack.
Get the ball to our midfield trio, get them linking up with quick passing, getting the ball to our wingers and get balls into Ronaldo. The trio's movement will be key in opening up the opposition defence.

The cm trio seeking to collect the ball from the defence, and seeking to start our attacks from the back. Spreading play, and setting the tempo of the game. We look to find space between their defence and midfield, committing defenders from there and playing killer balls.

We want quick one twos in the opposition half. Thiago, Modric and the wingers will always be looking for the killer ball. If it is not on, we are happy to keep the ball moving and keep possession.

Ronaldo has freedom to play his natural game and get the goals.

Subs. If winning after 70 mins bring on Costa for Ronaldo. Fresh energy. Pushes tempo up.
If winning after 75 mins bring on Correa for Hazard. Super sub. Fresh pace and energy, pushing tempo up.
If winning after 80 mins bring on Doucoure for Modric. Injects power and energy.

If drawing after 60 mins bring on Coutinho for Modric. More attacking.
If drawing after 70 mins bring on Costa for Sane. Ronaldo moves left, Hazard right.

If losing after 60 mins bring on Kehrer and Correa for Marcelo and TAA. 3-5-2. Hazard up top with Ronaldo. Sane left, Correa right.
If losing after 70 mins bring on Coutinho for Casemiro.

-------------------------- Ederson
Walker ------ Otamendi ------ Umtiti --------- Mendy
------------------------- Busquets
--------------- De Bruyne ------ Tolisso
R.Mahrez ------------- D.Mertens -------- Aubameyang

Subs: Butland, Javi.M, Ghoulam, Koke, O.Dembele, Lemar, Griezmann

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

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

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

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

De Bruyne and Tolisso as a duo in mf, look to control the tempo of and get us going forward, stretch the play and look to take control of the game with the front 3 attackers constantly making runs in behind and making themselves available off the ball.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

IF LOSING: 77th minute – (4-4-2 - direct)
- Lemar > Auba
- Griezmann > Tolisso
- O.Dembele > Mahrez
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 - KDB
FK's - De Bruyne
Corners - De Bruyne / Mahrez
Pens – Auba

--------------------Pickford
Danilo----Manolas----Kompany---Rodriguez
------Goretzka---Herrera----Ramsey
Malcom-----------Cavani-------------Costa
Lloris, Maitland-Niles, Sane, Fabregas, Callejon, Aspas, Cook
A change in formation again for today, seen as we are coming up against a strong Liverpool outfit. I expect Liverpool to try and attack us, so I have picked a side that I think can play an effective counter attacking game, hitting the opposition on the break with pace out wide and a conventional target man with a physical presence up front for those players to play off. I have also opted for a midfield trio today, who I hope can stamp their authority on the game.
I have decided to keep Pickford playing in goal for today. His role will largely be one of distributing the ball. Similar to the ball that was so effective against Spain for England, I anticipate Pickford to cut out the opposition midfield, by pinging direct balls forward to Cavani, who will look to bring others into the game. This allows us to turn defense into attack very quickly. I also insist that he get rid of the ball quickly, with no unnecessary dallying.
The full backs that I have selected today are both attacking options who like to bomb forward. Due to the three midfielders I will allow them to push forward and contribute to our offensive play when we have the ball going forward. Should they pick the ball up in the defensive third they will look to carry the ball down the line, overlapping our wide options. The spaces in behind them will be covered by our midfield. Both players will look to get back quickly, however, to contribute defensively and keep opposition wide men stuck out wide. They will be, however, players primarily focused on supporting the attack, as I believe that plays to their strengths.
Manolas and Kompany form my first team defence, and will work as a standard two today, with Kompany sticking tight to the opposition striker, whilst Manolas covers the space in behind, not allowing them to turn Vincent, without being pounced upon by our Greek semi-sweeper. When they get the ball in possession, they will look to quickly distribute it directly to Cavani, who will take these balls in the same way as if they were coming from Pickford. Likewise, I don’t want either player holding the ball too long, and if a short option is needed then they should be spoiled for choice with options in midfield and the full backs.
Herrera is my midfield choice for sitting in front of the centre backs today. He will marshall the area in between the midfield and defence, not allowing any Liverpool players to find holes in our team. He will use his sheer energy to harass and hastle the opposition into losing possession. He is the screen for the defence. When he gets the ball he will look short to his fellow central midfielders, and will similarly provide options when it is them that picks up the ball.
Ramsey and Goretzka sit slightly further forward than Herrera, but not substantially. Their game is to play a similar one to Herrera as well, but occupying a different space. They will work as a unit to win the ball back before it gets into any dangerous positions in and around the edge of our penalty area. Part of this role means that they will look to control the wide spaces that might be vacated by our full backs pushing forward. Both these players also have a bit more of a license to get forward, looking to get in and around the edge of their penalty area, to pick up any loose scraps that might fall their way. When they pick up the ball they can either perform quick interchanges in the middle, or look forward for a direct ball to Wood.
Edinson Cavani plays a pivotal role in this system, and is given a chance to prove any doubters wrong. He will play primarily with his back to goal outside the penalty area, looking to win balls and bring other players into the play, specifically the two wide men playing alongside him. He is a physical enough presence to successfully play this role. I also expect him to get into the box when we have the ball out wide. Crosses will be aimed low and to his feet, as that better suits the other attackers, and Wood is an effective reaction finisher with his feet. We will play to his strengths and not look to release him over the top.
Costa and Malcom are direct wingers who are playing in the same line as Cavani today. Their roles will see them make a nuisance of themselves, using their pace and movement to draw the opposition defence around and out of position, before then using their blistering pace to make the runs that Cavani can lay them off for. These runs will see them get in behind the opposition defence, and get into one on ones with the opposition keeper. Both players must be defensively disciplined as well, however, dropping back to support their full backs, before surging forward with the ball when we win it back.
Substitutions
If drawing/losing
Aaron Ramsey off for Iago Aspas 70 mins
A change of formation on the cards, with Aspas slotting in as a second striker in behind Cavani. He will largely do the same role as Malcom and Costa, but fresh legs and an extra man should cause some problems for the opposition. Goretzka will slot in alongside Herrera.
Leon Goretzka off for Cesc Fabregas 77 mins
A bit more of an attack minded player coming on in midfield, who will look to play positive balls forward at any opportunity, dictating the play and especially looking for those dangerous over the top balls.
Riccardo Rodriguez off for Jose Callejon 85 mins
A switch to wing backs as we go for another goal at least. Callejon and Danilo will push forward, and contribute even more to the attacking third. Danilo will play LWB with Callejon at RWB
If winning
Malcom and Douglas Costa off for Lewis Cook and Iago Aspas 75 mins
Change to a 4-1-3-2 formation, with Cook sitting in behind the three starting midfielders. Aspas goes up front to join Cavani.
Aaron Ramsey off for Salif Sane 80 mins
Switch to a 5-3-2 formation, with the extra defender allowing a bit more physical presence, and more men to defend our goal.

RE-MADE TACTICS WITH CHANGED PLAYER:


Line Up:

--------------------------Pavlenka------------------------------

--------------Holding------Akanji------Zagadou----------------

Mukiele-----------Partey-------Witsel-----------Guerreiro

-----------------Moura---------------Fekir----------------------

-------------------------Richarlison------------------------------

Subs: Audero; Pereira; Wober; Dahoud; Gelson; Mariano; Golovin

Captain: Witsel
Penalties: Richarlison
Free Kicks: Fekir
Corners: Fekir

Game Plan:

We will look to triple mark whomever has the ball in any area of the pitch – with one player closing down the ball, one player cutting off space and the last player marking the closest man. By triple-marking at all times, we not only increase the effectiveness with which we can apply pressure to the opposition but we also reduce the amount each individual player has to run.

By pressing high and in numbers we can minimise the space in which Villa can play. When Villa play from the back, Fekir and Moura will look to intercept the space in between the two centre backs and cut off the option of a cross-field ball while Richarlison will close down the man with the ball. If the right-sided centre back has the ball then our left winger will close down the right back while our midfielders will press closer as well, and vice versa with the other side of the pitch. The aim here is to limit the playing space our opponents have, which forces them to move the ball back to the keeper, move the ball long or move it in to the centre where our CMs, our wingers and our forwards can close down the space quickly and force them in to hasty decisions. If they manage to move the ball out wide, then our full backs will look to push up (depending on which side of the pitch the ball is on) to close down the space while our winger on that side challenges for the ball and the closest centre mid closes down the passing lanes.

The formation itself is actually more of a 3-4-2-1 formation. Starting at the back, the three defenders are Holding, Zagadou and Akanji along with the mobile and energetic pairing of Partey and Witsel. Width is provided by the wing-backs Guerreiro and Mukiele. Ahead lie the mobile unit of Fekir, Moura and Richarlison. Fekir and Moura are natural inside forwards and Richarlison can drop into space or offer himself as a target man.

Pavlenka is in goal for us today and he can play well as a sweeper keeper, he has the pace and awareness to come out of goal to sweep up balls over the top and he is confident at claiming crosses and high balls, not to mention being a terrific shot stopper. When he gets the ball, he will look to clear it out to the flanks instantly, to initiate a quick breakaway in the area that we will have more players than our opponents.

Should Villa opt to go long with the ball, we have 3 tall CBs all capable of winning the aerial duel with the CF, while also having players to cover the 2nd ball. The idea is to compact the centre of the pitch, with the 3 CBs covering all space through the middle to stop any quick interplay and to nullify any central creative players. The striker is, obviously, out- numbered up front. The wing backs can mark the space out wide while the two defenders on either side of the central defender in the back three can mark the half spaces. All our CBs are intelligent and read the game well, playing zonally to track the central runs made by the opposition.

The movement from the forwards is enabled by Akanji who effectively plays as a sweeper in front of the other two centre-backs. He can start attacks by bringing the ball into midfield, or he can drop back into defence to intercept passes. When building out from the back, the back three split and stretch as wide as they can in order to break the press as the pressing team has a greater distance to cover. All 3 CBs in the side are good on the ball and have played at full back, so are fine with stretching wide. The two wing backs position themselves high up the pitch to create more space for the back three. If the opposition press high on the three centre-backs then the left or right centre back moves into a conventional full back position.

Mukiele and Guerreiro will push forward to deny the opposition full-backs space and will seek to create an overload. By creating this numerical advantage in the opponent’s half, Fekir and Moura can attack the channels between full-back and centre-back where they are most dangerous as playmakers/inside forwards.
Alternatively, the wing-backs can cut inside and swap positions with the inside-forwards. Richarlison is the focal point and he will occupy at least one of the opposing centre-backs which means that we will always have a man spare in attack with this method, and even if an opposing midfielder drops, Partey and Witsel can push up to sustain the overload. Because we have so much attacking threat we will always find space.

Similarly to our attack, defensively we will always have a spare man due to the energy of the both full-backs, Guerreiro and Mukiele. They can: press up to the opposing full-backs, or track the inside forwards. Then the centre-backs can sweep or push up to the opposition's creative centre-attacking midfielders. And then there is our duo of Partey and Witsel, who have the energy and positional awareness to, with the help of the pressing game from the front 3, overload the opposition’s central midfield and make it impossible for them to play through the middle.


Substitutions:

If Winning: Dahoud for Moura 65’, Switch to a 3-5-2 with more numbers in midfield. Gelson and Pereira for Richarlison and Mukiele 75’, Both provide extra legs for the press, with Moura and Fekir dropping deeper to help defend knowing that they can dribble the ball further up the pitch on the attack.

If Drawing or Losing: Gelson for Moura 70’, fresh energy and ideas. Mariano and Golovin for Richarlison and Mukiele 75’

IN CASE OF RED:
Pavelnka: Bring on Audero for Moura – Move to 5-2-1-1
Zagadou: Holding for Moura – Move to 5-2-1-1
Akanji: Holding for Moura – Move to 5-2-1-1
Holding: Holding for Moura – Move to 5-2-1-1
Mukiele: Pereira for Moura - Move to 5-2-1-1
Guerreiro: Pereira for Moura - Move to 5-2-1-1
Partey: Fekir drops into middle – Move to 5-2-1-1
Witsel: Fekir drops into middle – Move to 5-2-1-1
Moura: No change
Fekir: No change
Richarlison: No change

Bournemouth Tactics: League Cup (away to Villa)

Captain: Grohe
Vice Captain: Paredes

Team:
------------------Grohe
Bustos--Militão—Senesi--Saracchi
-----------------Paredes
-----------Palacios---Paquetá
Pussetto------------------------Everton
-------------------Gómez

SUBS: Ronaldo, Murilo, Álvarez, Maycon, Vargas, Cunha, Pedro

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

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

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

Midfield: Paredes will be the midfield general. A physical pacey midfielder he will be there to boss this area for us. Breaking up play and filling in as an extra defender if one of our back 4 has ventured forward. He will be there to protect the defence and do a lot of the unseen dirty work in the centre of the park. He is essential to our game plan and while sitting deep will still offer a lot with his great passing ability. He also has a thunderbolt right foot. Palacios and Paquetá will play just in front of Paredes. Palacios will be a more box to box type. He will be involved all over and will offer as much in defence as in attack. Paquetá will be the midfield magician. Clever, elusive and tricky we will look to him for creating the midfield openings with his eye for a pass. We will look at their enthusiasm and relentless pressing of the opposition as a way to hopefully get a bit of a grip on the midfield and at the very least not make it plain sailing for the opposition.

Wingers/Centre Forward: When in possession both Pussetto and Everton will be expected to go for the direct approach and use their power and speed to take on the opposition defence and beat them and bring Paquetá, Palacios and Gómez in to play. They can vary their attacks by going wide or cutting inside as they see fit. Both players can play all across the middle so don’t be surprised to see them swapping wings. At times Palacios may sit a bit deeper allowing Paquetá to slot in between both wingers, just behind the CF. As well as an attacking force both wingers will also have to put a defensive shift when called upon and act as back up for their respective full backs.

Gómez starts as the CF. He won’t be short of support or ammunition with the attacking talent behind him. Great big old fashioned centre forward. We will look for him to hold up and bring others in to play if it doesn’t seem to be on for him. An eye for a pass and not afraid to have a go from distance. We will look to get bodies in the box when attacking so he should always have an outlet. He is also great in the air and will provide an option from set pieces. When the shot is on he will take it but we also want to put himself about in the box and think that his power pace will be a real handful for defences. He will also be alert to any scraps in and around the goal. He has the ability to produce something sublime and create a chance out of nothing.

Free Kicks/Corners: Paquetá, Everton or Pussetto with Militão, Senesi, Paredes and Gómez to offer an aerial threat. Paquetá and Everton (with his thunderbolt left foot) may try their luck with several free kicks from distance.
Penalties: Gómez

Substitutions: (if winning on 80 minutes) Álvarez for Senesi, Pedro for Gómez and Maycon for Palacios, 3 like for like substitutions.

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

----------------Paredes
Vargas------- Paquetá ----Everton
---------Gómez --------Pedro

--------------------- A.Meret --------------------
Vrsaljko ---- Varane ---- Romag ---- L.Digne
-------------------- F.de Jong -------------------
------------ M.Pjanic ----- H.Aouar ------------
N.Pepe --------------------------------- Neymar
------------------ Lewandowski -----------------

A.Gunn, Fabinho, Pogba, Zaniolo, Gnabry, Rodrigo, Piatek

Possession football, quick on the break and really pressurise the opposition with an in your face performance from the front, we want to hit them quickly so we need to press them quickly to get the ball, when we defend, Pjanic, de Jong and Aouar just in front harassing the man with the ball before they get to our back 4 and the front 3 in and around the half way line, Lewandowski slightly higher up, this will congest the midfield and allow Pjanic and Aouar to dictate play, stop them coming forward from the back, however, if they do push forward onto us and we get the ball they will be on the back foot and will really struggle with our front 3/4 with Fullbacks who are always ready to pounce and hit them with pace.

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

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

Our wingers are extremely quick, when we don't have the ball they drop back a bit to make up the numbers as they attack, push into the faces of the opposition to force them into mistakes and hopefully in the end they lose the ball, when they do lose the ball we charge at them and we do it quickly, either a long ball over defenders, go through the cms or out to one of our attacking fullbacks.however, the movement up front between Neymar and Pepe will cause them problems drifting in an out, thus allowing Aouar to pick his moment to move into space either as a 10 or out wide. If he does push wide this will allow Pepe/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 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/Piatek
Corners - Pjanic
Free Kicks - Pjanic

Losing
70 Mins - Rodrigo for Pepe, Piatek for Aouar, we go a bit more direct with a 4-4-2 still playing quick football and hopefully open them up as they sit back a bit
80 Mins - F.de Jong goes into CB in a 3 man defence, L.Digne to LW and Neymar up front, Pogba comes on for Vrsaljko and he goes to CM

de Jong Varane Romag
Rodrigo Pjanic Pogba L.Digne
Piatek Lewandowski Neymar

Winning -
70 Mins - Rodrigo for Pepe straight swap
80 Mins - Fabinho for Aouar and he sits in to tighten up the midfield

Drawing -
65 Mins - Rodrigo for Pepe straight swap
75 Mins - Gnabry for Aouar, he goes to LW and Neymar into a No.10(free role)
80 Mins - Piatek for Lewandowski

------------------------ Letica ------------------------
Bellerin ----- Bonucci ----- Chiellini ----- D.Blind
------------------------ Danilo ------------------------
--------------- R.Neves ----- A.Iniesta --------------
Chiesa ---------------------------------------- Willian
------------------------- Icardi ------------------------

McCarthy, Samassékou, A.Gomes, B.Traore, Rashford, Morata, Wilson

Control possession high up the field, pass and move into positions that can hurt them, when we defend we do so as a team from the front and really pressurise them into quick , misplaced passes for us to pick up, in their face performance, especially Iniesta, Neves and Danilo as we try to nullify their midfield and stop them creating chances for the forwards.

Bellerin and Blind have freedom to attack, but only one at a time, one always staying back so we will have a back 3, they will bomb down the line supporting the wingers, which will allow the winger to cut inside and support Icardi. They look to play one twos with the attacking midfield 2 which will get him beyond there fullback and whip in dangerous crosses. Both tough defenders and intelligent so know when to tackle and when just to try and shimmy out wide. When defending and on the cautious side and remain vigilant at all times in the line of four, keep it tight.. Bonucci the more mobile and quicker CB will mark the CF, use his strength and speed to keep the CF away from the danger area. Chiellini alongside is the spare defender and helps out where needed, bot very powerful defenders, dominate in the air and good on the ball, so when in possession they can carry the ball out from defence and look to send our forwards away. Stay tight as a four and let nothing through. Both up for corners, fullbacks and Danilo stay back. When we are in possession the ball will come from the back, so these guys must look for movement ahead of them so they can pick there pass, both CBs are comfortable with ball at feet and will take the ball out of defence to allow them to come on to us before he passes, this will create space as hew will force them to break away from the players they are marking..

Danilo's primary role is to win possession and then start an attacking phase. Within this he needs to cover spaces in between the midfield and defence where the opposition’s number 10 will likely to be operating whilst also being aware when the full-backs had pushed forward.Take care of of the No 10/SS is also a main focus, stick to him like glue and stop him becoming a threat, very good in the air so can attack long/high balls before they get to our defenders. Once he is in possession of the ball nice simple balls to those around him.

Neves is our box-to-box midfielder and has responsibility throughout the pitch. He is expected to score goals and create chances for team mates, whilst also helping in the defensive third. One requirement of this role are high fitness levels due to the amount of running they are expected to do. The box-to-box midfielder is more likely to be found on the side of the pitch where the full-back that is less efficient in the attacking third plays to provide balance on both flanks. Iniesta's main responsibility is to create chances for the three attackers in front of him. He will often find himself the furthest forward of the three midfielders and sometimes even in the number 10 role if the correct situation arises. The main requirement of Iniesta is creativity; he needs to be able to play a pass that penetrates the opposition’s defense or dictates the direction of the attack These three should work well together and between them have everything a midfield needs.

Wingers are going to cause problems out wide, with the support they will have, they will look to push the fullbacks back and get into the danger area. both sides will definitely pose a threat with quick one twos, using Iniesta/Neves to play around them with the ball going in triangles quickly until the break is on. If fulbacks drive passed wingers they can cut inside looking to make a nuisance of themselves centrally again using barkley to get into danger areas. Both wingers have a fantastic forward to aim for in Icardi so if they get to the bye line then get the crosses in for him to attack.Icardi will get plenty chances, however he must put away there side who will be solid at the back, however I want to target the slower of the two/three with the aid of Iniesta and the wingers and sometimes the fullbacks. Get into positions that he can go for goal or at very least drag players away for other players to drive into the space. Again, target the slower of the cbs, split them apart to create space, we are quick, so our forwards must hit them with pace to drag them all over the place. He can score from various angles/ranges with hopefully a few crosses coming in he can get up and above defenders for. Can hold it up and look for runners, in particular Willian and Chiesa will be making runs so be watchful of them just to lay it off to the side if he cant go for goal himself. But especially look for Neves/Iniesta as they time their runs perfectly so a little touch back to him allows him to go for goal.

We must defend as a team tho, from the front, so wingers track back and cover the fullbacks, even just to stop them supporting the wingers, we must drive into them and pressurize them into mistakes

Captain - Chiellini
Pens - Icardi
FK's - Iniesta/Neves
Corners - Wingers

Subs:-
A.Gomes for Iniesta - 60 Mins

Losing -
70 Mins - Morata for Danilo - 442
80 Mins - C.Wilson for Bellerin, Blind to LCB then we go 343 with 3 out an out strikers to aim for

Winning
70 Mins - Samassékou for Danilo, fresh legs in that DM role
80 Mins - Morata for Icardi

Drawing -
70 Mins - Rashfordd for Willian, B.Traore for Chiesa, fresh legs to try and hurt tiring fullbacks