Bournemouth Week 1 (away to Liverpool)
Captain : Gabriel
Vice Captain : Benítez
------------------Benítez
William--Romero--Gabriel----Firpo
-------------Roca----Bentancur
------------------Arthur
Mendez-----------------------Oyarzabal
------------------Gómez
SUBS: Musso, Lodi, Murilo, Guimarães, Zaracho, Everton, Pedro
SUMMARY: This week we go with a 4-3-3 set up although we will be a tad more conservative and operate with one holding/defensive midfielder (Roca) who will be complimented with a deep sitting box to box midfielder (Bentancur). In front of them Arthur will operate as the link between midfield and attack. This I feel will give us a better balanced midfield and while being absolutely defensively sound with 2 ‘sitting’ Bentancur will also be allowed the freedom (when the time arises) to link with Arthur and attack. I think this set-up lets us link up quickly with our attack while at the same time that little bit of extra cautiousness means it will be easy for us to close the door in midfield with all 3 players as comfortable sitting and breaking up attacks if necessary.
We want to play a nice tidy and crisp passing game. Our aim is to move the ball forward as quickly and as effectively as possible. When we have the ball we will use it wisely and when we don’t have the ball then we will press our opponents all over the park with high urgency to win it back. We want to keep the ball on the deck and attack as a team and equally as important defend as a team. This team is bursting with pace. We will utilise that to our advantage and make the pitch wide and use our flying wingers to cause all sorts of mayhem. It will also be a tool that we use to hit opponents on the counter where we know we can out pace any team.
Goalkeeper: Benítez 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: We will operate with one holding/defensive midfielder (Roca). He will be the midfield general. A physical pacey midfielder he will be there to boss this area for us. Breaking up play and filling in as an extra defender if one of our back 4 has ventured forward. He will be there to protect the defence and do a lot of the unseen dirty work in the centre of the park. He is essential to our game plan and while sitting deep will still offer a lot with his great passing ability. He also has a thunderbolt right foot. He will be complimented with a deep sitting box to box midfielder (Bentancur). He has a more conservative role this week and while being a little more constrained than normal he will still have the opportunity to bomb forward when the time is right. They will both have to put a defensive shift in and both are very strong in the tackle. We will look at their enthusiasm and relentless pressing of the opposition as a way to hopefully get a bit of a grip on the midfield and at the very least not make it plain sailing for the opposition. In front of them Arthur will operate as the link between midfield and attack.
Wingers/Centre Forward: When in possession both Mendez and Oyarzabal 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 Arthur, Bentancur and Gómez in to play. They can vary their attacks as they see fit. Both players can play all across the middle so don’t be surprised to see them swapping wings. At times Bentancur may sit a bit deeper allowing Arthur 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 playing off the shoulder of the last man he is deadly in and around the box. A bag of energy and very strong we will also look for him to hold up and bring others in to play if it doesn’t seem to be on for him. We will look to get bodies in the box when attacking so he should always have an outlet. He is also great in the air and will provide an option from set pieces. When the shot is on he will take it but we also want to put himself about in the box and think that his lightning pace will be a real handful for defences. He will also be alert to any scraps in and around the goal. He has the ability to produce something sublime and create a chance out of nothing.
Free Kicks/Corners: Arthur, Oyarzabal or Mendez with Romero, Gabriel, Roca and Gómez to offer an aerial threat. Arthur and Oyarzabal (with his thunderbolt left foot) may try their luck with several free kicks from distance.
Substitutions: (75 mins) If winning (and comfortable) then 3 like for like subs – Murilo for Romero, Guimarães for Roca and Pedro for Gómez.
If losing (70 mins) then switch to a 4-1-3-2 and replace Bentancur with Pedro and Mendez with Everton. Fresh legs and 2 attackers that carry a goal threat about them. We will look to their pace and freshness to offer us something different.
--------------Roca
Everton------Arthur-----Oyarzabal
----------Pedro -----Gómez
Bournemouth Week 2 (home to Norwich)
Captain: Benítez
Vice Captain: Roca
Team:
--------------------Benítez
Emerson--Romero—Gabriel--Lodi
---------------------Roca
-----------Guimarães---Arthur
Mendez----------------------------Vargas
--------------------Gomez
SUBS: Musso, William, Murilo, Fernandes, Pyerre, Zaracho, Cunha
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: Benítez 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: Roca 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. Guimarães and Arthur will play just in front of Roca. Guimarães will be a more box to box type. He will be involved all over and will offer as much in defence as in attack. Arthur 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 Mendez and Vargas 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 Arthur, Guimarães and Gomez 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 Guimarães may sit a bit deeper allowing Arthur 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.
Gomez 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: Arthur, Vargas or Mendez with Romero, Gabriel, Roca and Gomez to offer an aerial threat. Arthur and Vargas (with his thunderbolt left foot) may try their luck with several free kicks from distance.
Penalties: Gomez
Substitutions: (if winning on 80 minutes) Murilo for Gabriel, Cunha for Gomez and Pyerre for Guimarães, 3 like for like substitutions.
If losing (on 80 minutes) Zaracho for Guimarães and Cunha for Mendez. Shift to a 4-1-3-2 attack. Cunha and Zaracho offering fresh legs, pace and a bit of the unknown in attack.
---------------Roca
Zaracho---Arthur----Vargas
--------Gomez---Cunha
Comment deleted by Article Creator
Comment deleted by Article Creator
---------------------- Courtois --------------------
Cancelo --- Koulibaly --- Umtiti ---- F.Mendy
-------------- Busquets --- Ndombele ----------
O.Dembele -------- Dybala -------- M.Asensio
------------------- Timo Werner -----------------
Subs:
Etheridge, Manolas, Martinez, De Bruyne, Bale, Icardi, Piatek
Captain: Koulibaly
Free Kicks: Dybala
Penalties: Dybala
Corners: Wingers
Huge competition for places this season as we kick things off and go with an attacking 4-2-3-1 for our season opener. Some big name players ready to step in from the bench ensures that our starting XI will be raring to go and all looking to put down a marker to earn their spot in the squad for the league opener. Moving the ball at speed will be the focus of our play as we go for goals and look to pick up where we left off last season.
We will to put down a marker and dictate the play from the off, continually moving the ball and making the opposition constantly chase. In doing so we will not only be wearing them down but also continually pulling them out of shape, breaking down their defensive structure which will create openings for our forwards to exploit.
When they are in possession our wingers drop in as we play a compact 4-4-1-1 formation. The aim will be to break at speed as soon as we win back possession with our wide players offering an immediate outlet, turning defence into attack in the blink of an eye.
We go with a solid defence, a powerful double pivot in CM and a front 4 blessed with great technical ability and a goal threat from every angle.
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. They have pace in their frontline and we look to counter this with an abundance of pace all across our backline. If the opposition play one up top then Koulibaly will mark. Strong, pacy and aggressive we feel he has all the tools to deal with any opponent. Umtiti will sweep up and cover in behind, a fantastic reader at the back he also has great covering speed should they look to play the ball over the top. We will look to be dominant and physically impose ourselves early on. They will undoubtedly go for pace out wide and therefore it is important that the free CB acts as secondary cover to support the fullback. Double up on their wingers where possible and we feel we can severely limit their impact.
Our fullbacks will stick tight to the wide men, safe in the knowledge that they have supporting cover in behind with Busquets also drifting across from DM to offer additional support. When in possession both Cancelo and Mendy have license to push forward with both having great quality in the final third. We look to draw the opposition onto us by sitting deep when they are in possession, limiting the space in behind and drawing them further up the field creating space for us to hit them on the counter.
Midfield:
Busquets will be our holding player in the middle of the field. A top class DM we rely on his fantastic reading of the game to break up the opposition play, winning back possession and setting us up on the counter as we look to get the ball into our creative players as quickly as possible. He’ll pick up their most advance CM or drift across to offer cover on the wingers. He’s also a fantastic passer which will be key on winner the midfield battle and ball retention. Alongside him we have the powerhouse Ndombele. A real box to box threat he forms the perfect double pivot in front of our defence. He and Busquets will control that area of the field and physically impose themselves on the opposition . Whilst he also has great distribution Ndombele has license to push forward and carry the ball in possession. Run at the opposition, drawing them in before releasing one of our front 4. We feel that due to his sheer size and dual threat of passing and dribbling he could create a real mismatch in this area of the field.
Forwards:
Goals will be the name of the game and we go with pace all across our frontline with Dembele, Werner and Asensio all looking to get in behind the opposition at any opportunity. If they play a high line we feel we have the speed to exploit the space left in behind as we look to get the ball forward as quickly as possible. If they sit deep to try and limit this threat then this will create all sorts of space for Dybala to exploit. He will operate between the lines, safe in the knowledge that Busquets and Ndombele offer great defensive protection whilst our wingers will look to hug the touchline, creating a hole for Dybala to work his magic. He has license to go for goal at any opportunity and a penchant for the spectacular. Our wingers will be unpredictable, mixing up their play by picking up the ball and driving to the byline before crossing for one of our forwards to finish or cutting inside and going for goal with both capable of a sublime strike from distance.
Werner will drift across the frontline, playing as the CF but not in an orthodox to role, we want him to pull the CB’s out of position as much as possible. Drift out wide taking a CB with you and creating space for Dybala to exploit whilst at other times, playing on the shoulder of the last man ready to pounce on any through ball as we look to break early on the counter attack. This unpredictability will make him difficult to manage whilst we look to create havoc in our opponents defence. He and Dybala will look to get into the box and with the delivery of our wide men we expect them to have plenty of opportunities to finish.
Subs;
If winning:
70 mins: Dybala off, Martinez on. Additional protection in the middle of the park.
80 mins: Dembele off, Manolas on. 5-4-1 shut up shop time as we tighten up with a solid defensive unit and see the game out.
If drawing:
60 mins: Ndombele off, De Bruyne on.
70 mins: Dembele and Werner off, Bale and Icardi on. Time for the big guns to work their magic.
If losing:
55 mins: Ndombele off, De Bruyne on.
65 mins: Umtiti and Werner off. Icardi and Piatek on. We revert to 3-4-3 with Icardi, Dybala and Piatek up top as we go for goals, goals, goals.
comment by Fan Gillhaus 1903 (U3339)
posted 2 hours, 39 minutes ago
comment by Fan Gillhaus 1903 (U3339)
posted 34 minutes ago
Chelsea v Spurs - Super Cup
---------------------- Oblak -----------------------
Walker ---- van Dijk ---- Lenglet ---- Lucas.H
--------------------- Llorente ---------------------
-------------- Zaniolo ---- de Jong ---------------
Mbappe ---------------------------------- Neymar
----------------------- Leao ------------------------
Meret, Kehrer, Aouar, Bailey, Greenwood, Kluivert, Grealish
Our game is based soley on 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, the back 4 must stay solid with Llorente ahead of them just in front harassing the man with the ball before they get to our back 4 and our midfield will be in and around the half way line, Leao slightly higher up, this will congest the midfield and allow us 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.
Lenglet picks up the CF, van Dijk 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, both must attack high balls to get the ball away from the Spurs big men. 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. Walker especially is a huge threat down the right hand side. If either get caught up field I want Llorente to drift to the side and this allows the fullbacks to make their way to midfield to cover. I want both van Digt and Lenglet to go up for corners, with the fullbacks and Llorente sitting back.
In the centre of the pitch are Llorente, de Jong & Zaniolo. Llorente our deepest player sitting just in front of the CB's he will shadow there AM and not allow him to control the game, Zaniolo and de Jong have to be disciplined and lend a hand to stop them coming through. Llorente 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 he is always looking for the ball to start again if need be, 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. de Jong slightly higher up the pitch, and our playmaker, he makes things tick in the centre, 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 Llorente as best as possible and again in possession get it to the front 3 but also look for fullbacks and Zaniolo 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. Zaniolo is essential to our style of play, he is the link between defence and attack, I want him higher up the pitch today so as we break quickly he will look to set up our front three and at times be in an advanced No.10 role and look for the de Jong/Llorente/CB 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 Mbappe and Neymar will cause them problems drifting in an out, thus allowing Zaniolo 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 Leao who can beat any defender with pace and the other winger (Mbappe or Neymar) 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 Leao who will sit on the last foot so he can spring them and have a shoot or sight mentality, 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 by dropping slightly back to get numbers for the attack. We are quick up front so when we hit the Spurs defence they will struggle to cope especially as the game comes to the last 10/15ins as defenders tire with the movement and the pace we do it at
Captain - van Dijk
Pens - Neymar
Corners - Wingers
Free Kicks - Neymar
Subs:-
Losing -
60 Mins - Leon Bailey for Leao, Mbappe go up front and Bailey to RW, good burst of energy and pace down the right an through the middle
70 Min - Greenwood for Zaniolo, go up top 4-4-2
80 Mins - Kluivert for Walker - 3-4-1-2 with Neynar going into No.10
Extra Time - Aouar for de Jong
Winning -
70 Mins - Aouar for Zaniolo, energy and more defense minded when needed
80 Mins - Kehrer for Walker, Greenwood for Leao
Drawing -
65 Mins - Bailey for Leao, switch with Mbappe
75 Mins - Aouar for Llorente, de Jong to Dm and Aouar in beside Zaniolo, more threat from behind the striker
85 Mins - Grealish for Zaniolo, see if he can work wonders with fresh legs
----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------- Courtois -------------------
Cancelo --- Koulibaly --- Umtiti --- F.Mendy
-------------- Busquets --- Ndombele ---------
Bernardo -------- De Bruyne ---------- G.Bale
----------------------- Icardi ---------------------
Subs:
Etheridge, Manolas, Barkley, Dembele, Asensio, Dybala, Werner
Captain: Koulibaly
Free Kicks: De Bruyne
Penalties: Icardi
Corners: De Bruyne/Bernardo
We mix things up after the Supercup victory in midweek as we make a number of changes. Most notably we mix up our attack as we opt for an entirely different front 4, all eager to prove their worth and will no doubt be looking to make a point in the Community Shield.
We expect a game of total football against quality opposition and slightly tweak our tactics accordingly. De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva come into our line up with these two being pivotal to how we play. They will interchange throughout the game and will look to implement our style of quick, slick, incisive passing. As always we look to play at speed with Bale the X factor in our lineup as we feel his direct pace and power dovetails perfectly with the technical ability of KDB and Bernardo.
We go with an attacking 4-2-3-1 formation as we look to dictate the play from the off, continually moving the ball and making the opposition chase. In doing so we will not only be wearing them down but also continually pulling them out of shape, breaking down their defensive structure which will create openings for our forwards to exploit.
When our opponents are in possession our wingers drop in as we play a compact 4-5-1 formation. The aim will be to break at speed as soon as we win back possession with our wide players offering an immediate outlet, turning defence into attack in the blink of an eye.
Defence:
We go with a strong defensive unit at the back, packed with quality and experience we look to nullify the threat posed by the oppositions attack. If the opposition play one up top then Koulibaly will mark. Strong, pacy and aggressive we feel he has all the tools to deal with any opponent. Umtiti will sweep up and cover in behind, a fantastic reader at the back he also has great covering speed should they look to play the ball over the top. We will look to be dominant and physically impose ourselves early on. Given the quality of the opposition it is important that the free CB acts as secondary cover to also support our fullbacks.
Our fullbacks will stick tight to the wide men, safe in the knowledge that they have supporting cover in behind with Busquets also drifting across from DM to offer additional support. When in possession both Cancelo and Mendy have license to push forward with both having great quality in the final third. We look to draw the opposition onto us by sitting deep when they are in possession, limiting the space in behind and drawing them further up the field creating space for us to hit them on the counter.
Midfield:
Busquets will be our holding player in the middle. A top class DM we rely on his fantastic reading of the game to break up the opposition play, winning back possession and setting us up on the counter as we look to get the ball into our creative players as quickly as possible. He’ll pick up their most advanced CM or drift across to offer cover to the wingers. He’s also a fantastic passer which will be key on winner the midfield battle and ball retention. Alongside him we have the powerhouse Ndombele. A real box to box threat he forms the perfect double pivot in front of our defence. He and Busquets will control that area of the field and look to physically impose themselves on the opposition, winning back possession and getting the ball into our attacking players as quickly as possible.
Attack:
Our main attacking play will revolve around the trio of Bernardo, De Bruyne & Bale stationed behind Icardi. De Bruyne in particular will be the heartbeat of our side, chief architect we rely his passing and vision to set the tempo of play. Bernardo stations on the right but has license to cut infield at any moment, a proficient dribbler with incredible work rate, he combined with De Bruyne will be creators in chief, looking for that killer through ball at any opportunity. If they find themselves in space they’re also encouraged to go for goal as we mix up our play to keep the opposition guessing.
De Bruyne has license to drop deep, picking up the ball in our own half and hitting a diagonal cross field ball for Bale to run onto in behind. Bale will be on his toes at all times, looking to use his pace and power to drive to the byline and flash the ball across the face of the goal for Icardi a tap home or cut back to the edge of the box where De Bruyne will be waiting to smash home. Bale also has license to go alone, using his pace and stamina to drive past the RB and go for direct for goal smashing across the keeper ala Inter away at the San Siro.
De Bruyne will also interchange with Bernardo, with the mercurial Portuguese playing through the middle. When stationed out on the right De Bruyne will be looking to utilise is superb crossing ability and specifically target Bale at the back post. The Welshman has a great leap and is strong in the air, this combined with De Bruynes delivery could present a potential mismatch at the back post with Bale likely to cause real problem for their RB when the ball is in the air.
Icardi plays through the middle. The brief is simple for the Argentine, get into the box and do what you do best. With the creativity of Bernardo and De Bruyne, coupled with the breakaway speed of Bale we feel he will be presented with plenty of chances and his predatory instincts could well see him enjoy a favourable afternoon.
Subs;
If winning:
70 mins: Bale off, Dembele on. Fresh legs and pace on the counter.
80 mins: Bernardo off, Manolas on. Switch to 5-4-1 with additional defensive cover as we look to see the game out.
If drawing:
60 mins: Ndombele off, Dybala on. Dybala behind Icardi with KDB alongside Busquets in the double pivot.
70 mins: Bernardo off, Dembele on. Fresh legs and additional pace on the counter as the game opens up.
If losing:
55 mins: Busquets off, Dybala on. Ndombele & KDB in a midfield two.
65 mins: Umtiti, Werner on. We revert to 3-4-3 with Icardi, Dybala and Werner up top as we go for goals, goals, goals.
High tempo total football 4-3-3
We setup with a strong side full of pace and power, playing with a high tempo in defence and attack. We have a cm trio that are all strong defensively, giving freedom to our attacking freedom to get the best out of them. Jesus comes in up top, giving us a forward to run the channels and a front three full of pace. The wide forwards have freedom to drift inside or wide to find space, width will be provided by an attacking full back.
In the midfield trio we have two powerful runners on their natural side, with Thiago our playmaker in the centre. In defence the cm opposite play drops behind the other two cms who press the play as the trio narrow, similarly in attack the cm opposite play stays deepest but the trio do not play so narrow. We have a defence full of pace and great energy in front so play a reasonably high line, helping us press Spurs in high area, and aidint distribution out from the back line.
We look to play our usual high tempo attacking game and take the game to Spurs, seeking to exploit space behind their midfield. We have a strong side defensively and in attack, our team is built to give Hazard, Thiago and Felix the space and freedom to find the ball in space in attacking positions to hurt Spurs.
Laporte the man marker next to Varane who is free to use his pace to sweep up. In midfield, the trio narrow in front with the cm opposite play dropping behind, allowing the other two to press with cover. The wide forward on the side of play drops deep to add protection in front of the fb and next to the two presisng cms. Closing down the space, narrowing to the side of play. Win the ball back from Spurs quickly before they can get anywhere.
Quick passing and moving to find space in between the opposition lines. Using the pace of our wide cms, wide forwards and fbs (one bombs forward at a time) to create space as we push forward.
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 high tempo play. We look to vary our play, we can go long from the back or Neuer to mix the play up.
We have a trio who can all drop deep to offer an option and collect the ball from defence, a fluid midfield. Likewise a fluid front three, who can switch positions or drop deep to collect the ball from midfield. This fluidity will help the players to get away from their markers, catch the opposition out and create space. As we move forward we get quick one twos in the opposition half.
------------------ Neuer ------------------
----------------------------------------------
Carvajal -- Varane -- Laporte -- Mendy
----------------------------------------------
------ Tolisso -- Thiago -- Rabiot ------
-----------------------------------------------
--- J.Felix -------------------- Hazard ---
------------------- Jesus ------------------
Subs. Schmeichel, Pavard, Rodri, Ceballos, Coutinho, Correa, Ronaldo
Defending high
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 gets into a narrow rigid formation behind the ball in position to press high up the park. Stop them breaking and press them high up the park.
In a narrow, rigid formation, we will look to press the space, not allowing them options. Keep them from advancing to positions where they can’t hurt us, by trying to win the ball back very quickly. Then break quickly in these high positions when we do win the ball.
As Spurs advance into higher areas of the park and into our half, our shape will resemble a 4-1-3-2. Our wide forward on the side of play will track any forward runs made by their fb, and the cm opposite play drops behind the other two cms pressing the space behind the two cms pressing the ball, sweeping up danger behind them and in front of the defence.
The wide forward opposite play drops with Jesus in the space in between the opposition defence and midfield, and either side of dm. This will make it difficult for their to dm to circulate possession back to their defence.
The wide forward and the two cms are the trio pressing the ball, and look to force Spurs backwards. With the two forwards left forward this is where we look to press the opposition into mistakes and win the ball in high areas. With pace to join the attack quickly and overload Spurs.
When Spurs get past the initial press higher up the park, we drop deeper into a narrower tighter formation narrowing to the side of play, ensuring there are no gaps in the formation. Our fb’s have fantastic pace up against their wide forwards, bide their time, not diving in.
Subs.
If winning after 70 mins bring on Ronaldo for Jesus. As Spurs will push for a goal, give us fresh power to hit up top, presence to hold the ball up and go more direct.
If winning after 75 mins bring on Rodri for Tolisso. Rodri moves to dm, with two cms ahead.
If winning after 75 mins bring on Correa for Felix. Fresh pace to offer a new outlet in attack, and high work rate.
If drawing after 70 mins bring on Coutinho for Tolisso and Rodri for Rabiot. Rodri dm, Thiago cm, Coutinho AM.
If drawing after 75 mins bring on Ronaldo for Jesus.
If losing after 60 mins bring on Pavard and Ronaldo for Tolisso and Jesus. 3-5-2, fbs to lm and rm. Defending higher up the park. Thiago and Rabiot cm, Felix to AM. Hazard off Ronaldo.
NEWCASTLE
-----------------------Alisson
-----Matip-----Hummels-----Vertonghen
Trent-----Henderson------Kante-------Robertson
-------Salah-------Firmino---------Mane
Subs
Rose, Reus, Mount, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Witsel, Suarez, Lozano
Captain: Jordan Henderson
Hummels is the defensive leader and will be the one to set the defensive line on the pitch, the centre backs will always stay back to stop counter attacks but will take turns marauding forward as they are all capable of stepping into midfield. The CB’s will communicate with each other so they are clear in where the attacking threats are. When dealing with the opposition, we will avoid sliding tackles unless necessary instead looking to use our experience to just guide players away from danger. When on the ball, if the opposition are giving them space to come out with the ball, then they should take it forward, if not, keep it simple and play it to a man in space with the occasional long ball to the front 3 or the wing backs to keep the opposition from setting up against one style of play.


For the wing backs today the objective is to provide the width for the team and keep the oppositon stretched as much as possible, both still have a defensive mindset so will be getting back into a back 5 if we lose the ball. They will smash crosses in on offer, but will keep it safe if required and let the pressure build up in the final third, or run to the byline and put in fast and low crosses relying on both the faster reactions and control of our attackers and the pressure of the situation on their centre backs to hastily clear the ball without being in full control of the situation.
The focus of the midfield 2 will be to use their high energy, all action styles to get themselves around the middle of the pitch, working to control the midfield battle whilst still having the attacking nous to create chances for us. When we are in the attacking third, they will always be looking to make themselves available for a pass to keep recycling the ball, keeping the pressure up with us looking to use the movement of the other CM's and the front 3 to drag the opposition defensive players that little bit more which could be the difference in getting a player behind them. They also all have an eye for a pass so will look to take advantage of the front 3 all flitting around and play them in with through balls and quick one touch play. We will also occasionally take the occasional long shot, with the aim being to make sure defenders aren't content to sit back and forcing them to make a decision. When defending, they are looking to press the middle third of the pitch, pressing the opposition CMs/Wingers in conjunction with other players as they are on the ball to rush their decisions and win the ball back.


Both wide forwards 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 the striker, looking to create the passing triangles which will just take players out of the game. They should also look to run at players as they will be cautious not to give away a set piece due to the ability of our set piece takers. When the opposite winger has the ball, the one without the ball should look to find space between the CB and FB to add an extra body in the box. When defending, they should be stopping the passing lines to the full backs primarily, then focus on ensuring our full backs dont get outnumbered. The striker’s main role is to create space for the wide forwards, dropping deep going wide tackling from the front.


When the striker is attacking, he will look to constantly drift around the defenders looking to get himself a bit of space enough for him to get the ball and pass it along to another attacker or face up the defenders and take them on. When running onto a ball, He will also be looking to use his reactions to get ahead of the defender and then use his strength to cut in front of the defender, causing them to either stop their forward momentum completely, or make the foul, his unpredictable style when on the ball will look to cause a bit of doubt in the minds of the defender. 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. He will play his natural game.

Set Pieces


Corners - Trent
Free Kicks - Trent
Penalties - Salah
Subs


If Winning
70 mins - Witsel for Henderson - Keep it safe, fresh legs and generally adding a defensive mentality to the midfield.
80 Mins - Keita for Mane - Change to a 3-5-2 to dominate midfield.
80 Mins - Lozano for Salah - Fresh legs.
If Drawing
65 Mins - Ox for Henderson - Add a bit more urgency into attacks.
75 Mins - Mount for Matip - Change into a 4-3-3 and push higher up.
80 Mins - Suarez for Bobby - Poaching play to finish off chances as we throw the kitchen sink at them.
If Losing
65 Mins - Reus for Matip - Plays second striker to add attacking threats.
80 Mins - Suarez for Bobby - Poaching play to finish off chances as we throw the kitchen sink at them.
High tempo attacking 4-3-3
At home we setup with an attacking side to take the game to Arsenal, playing with a high tempo in defence and attack. We have a cm trio that are all strong defensively, giving freedom to our attacking freedom to get the best out of them. Jesus comes in up top, giving us a forward to run the channels and a front three full of pace. The wide forwards have freedom to drift inside or wide to find space, width will be provided by an attacking full back.
Quick passing and moving to find space in between the opposition lines. Using the pace of our front trio to stretch the opposition and create the space for our midfielders to dominate possession.
In the midfield trio we have two players that can help us control possession either side of Rodri offering the athleticism. All three are strong defensively, Ceballos and Thiago both offering a high work rate off the ball.
In defence Rodri drops behind the other two cms who press the play as the trio narrow, similarly in attack Rodri stays deepest but the trio do not play so narrow. We have a defence full of pace and great energy in front so play a reasonably high line, helping us press Arsenal in high area, and aiding distribution out from the back line.
We look to play our usual high tempo attacking game and take the game to Arsenal, seeking to exploit space behind their midfield. We have a strong side defensively and in attack, our team is built to give Hazard, Felix, Thiago and Ceballos the space and freedom to find the ball in space in attacking positions to hurt Arsenal.
Laporte the man marker next to Varane who is free to use his pace to sweep up. In midfield, the trio narrow in front with Rodri dropping behind as dm, allowing the other two to press with cover. The wide forward on the side of play drops deep to add protection in front of the fb and next to the two pressing cms. Closing down the space, narrowing to the side of play. Win the ball back from Arsenal quickly before they can get anywhere.
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 high tempo play. We look to vary our play, we can go long from the back or Neuer to mix the play up.
We have a trio who can all drop deep to offer an option and collect the ball from defence, a fluid midfield. Likewise a fluid front three, who can switch positions or drop deep to collect the ball from midfield. This fluidity will help the players to get away from their markers, catch the opposition out and create space. As we move forward we get quick one twos in the opposition half.
------------------ Neuer ------------------
----------------------------------------------
Carvajal -- Varane -- Laporte -- Mendy
----------------------------------------------
----- Thiago --- Rodri --- Ceballos ------
-----------------------------------------------
--- J.Felix -------------------- Hazard ---
------------------- Jesus ------------------
Subs. Schmeichel, Pavard, Tolisso, Coutinho, L.Sane, Zaha, Lautaro
Defending high
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 gets into a narrow rigid formation behind the ball in position to press high up the park. Stop them breaking and press them high up the park.
In a narrow, rigid formation, we will look to press the space, not allowing them options. Keep them from advancing to positions where they can’t hurt us, by trying to win the ball back very quickly. Then break quickly in these high positions when we do win the ball.
As Arsenal advance into higher areas of the park and into our half, our shape will resemble a 4-1-3-2. Our wide forward on the side of play will track any forward runs made by their fb, and Rodri drops behind the other two cms . Rodri pressing the space behind Thiago and Ceballos pressing the ball, sweeping up danger behind them and in front of the defence.
The wide forward opposite play drops with Jesus in the space in between the opposition defence and midfield, and either side of dm. This will make it difficult for their to dm to circulate possession back to their defence.
The wide forward and the two cms are the trio pressing the ball, and look to force Arsenal backwards. With the two forwards left forward this is where we look to press the opposition into mistakes and win the ball in high areas. With pace to join the attack quickly and overload Arsenal.
When Arsenal get past the initial press higher up the park, we drop deeper into a narrower tighter formation narrowing to the side of play, ensuring there are no gaps in the formation. Our fb’s have fantastic pace up against their wide forwards, bide their time, not diving in.
Subs.
If winning after 70 mins bring on Sane for Felix. Fresh pace, and more natural width.
If winning after 75 mins bring on Tolisso for Ceballos. Fresh legs and power as the game opens up.
If winning after 80 mins bring on Lautaro for Jesus. Fresh pace and power up top.
If drawing after 70 mins bring on Zaha and Sane for Ceballos and Felix. Rodri dm, Thiago cm, Hazard AM. Zaha RW, Sane LW. More natural width.
If drawing after 75 mins bring on Tolisso for Rodri. Fresh pace in important area of park to keep tempo up. More of a goal threat too.
If losing after 60 mins bring on Sane and Zaha for Ceballos and Felix. Rodri dm, Thiago cm, Hazard AM. Zaha RW, Sane LW. More natural width.
If losing after 75 mins bring on Tolisso for Rodri.
Attacking 4-3-3
At home, we aim to dominate the midfield and control the game playing a copy of Pep's City formation. With great pace at the back, we play a reasonably high line, using our two pacey wingers to stretch the game and pin back the opposition full backs, creating the space for our get our central to dominate possession of the ball. Benzema up top offers the perfect front man to help us control possession, and also to get on the end of our wide mens crosses.
We have four of City's key midfielders from last season, while Danilo and Mahrez also add a former City partnership on the right.
Going forward we look to use the ability of our central trio in tight spaces to get behind the Toon midfield, and then play one of our attacking trio through on goal. We will look to spread the ball wide, get our wingers on the last men in defence. They stay wide on the touchline in the first two thirds of the park. In the final third they have freedom to stay wide or to look to get inside their man and through on goal.
One full back bombs forward at a time, combining with the winger to double up on the opposition full back.
Defensively we drop into a narrow 4-1-4-1 formation. The two wide men get back in to help us defend in a narrow shape. Fernandinho the midfielder dropping deeper behind the midfield four, sweeping up any danger in between the lines as the free man. The four midfielders in front of him look to press the ball, as the whole side narrows to the side of play. Closing out any space.
Rudiger is the central forward that man marks their forward, he has the pace and power to mark their most advanced forward. Romagnoli one of the best in the game for reading the play and mopping up is the sweeper of the two. Both importantly are strong on the ball.
----------------- Arrizabalaga
Danilo --- Rudiger --- Romagnoli --- Theo.H
------------------ Fernandinho
----------- Gundogan---- D.Silva
Mahrez -------------------------------- Lemar
-------------------- Benzema
Subs: Henderson, Hakimi, Allan, Palacios, di Maria, Neres, Cutrone
Our defensive unit consists of Rudiger and Romagnoli paired up at centre-back, Danilo at right-back and Hernandez at left-back, with Fernandinho as our defensive midfielder screening them.
Helping the defenders maintain solid positioning is a key part of Fernandinho's role, he will press almost anywhere in his own half to allow the bank of four defenders and midfielders to maintain their position, ensuring the zonal structure shape is maintained with no space for the opposition to work in.
Attack
We will control the tempo of our attacking play. Looking to play quickly when we feel we can counter, or slow the play when the opposition are back in a solid structure.
One of Danilo or Theo can surge up the wings in the knowledge that there are three other defenders to cover. As they come up the wings, both Mahrez and Lemar who are excellent in tight spaces and fantastic dribblers will cut inside or make runs into the box.
Our two central midfielders are excellent in tight spaces and will look to link up with the wingers, playing quick one twos to set them off into space, or taking the time to play daring through balls that will cut the opposition open.
Benzema will occupy the opposition’s centre backs, holding up possession and looking to turn the defender and shoot. He’ll be strong in the air and look out for his teammates trying to pick him out from deep. He'll get in the box, and always provide an option for the wide players. The winger opposite play always looks to get into the box adding an extra option for the wide player looking to cross or create in the middle.
Subs.
After 70 mins bring on Allan for Fernandinho . Fresh energy in an important position.
After 75 mins bring on Cutrone for Benzema and Di Maria for Lemar.
--------------------- Courtois ------------------
Cancelo -- Koulibaly --- Umtiti --- F.Mendy
------------- Busquets --- Ndombele --------
Bernardo ---------- Dybala ---------- Asensio
---------------------- Icardi --------------------
Subs:
Manolas, Godin, J.Martinez, Hudson-Odoi, Bale, Werner, Piatek
Captain: Koulibaly
Free Kicks: Dybala
Penalties: Icardi
Corners: B.Silva
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 Icardi will be key components of this style as we feel we pose threats from all angles with plenty of goals in our lineup. Busquets and Ndombele offer great quality and protection on the ball from a slightly deeper position as they both possess a fantastic range of passing, ability to break up the play and initiate 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 front four offering an immediate outlet when we win back possession. Turning defence into attack in the blink of an eye.
Defence:
We go with a strong defensive unit at the back, packed with quality and experience we look to nullify the threat posed by the oppositions attack. If the opposition play one up top then Koulibaly will mark. Strong, pacy and aggressive we feel he has all the tools to deal with any opponent. Umtiti will sweep up and cover in behind, a fantastic reader at the back he also has great covering speed should they look to play the ball over the top. We will look to be dominant and physically impose ourselves early on. Given the quality of the opposition it is important that the free CB acts as secondary cover to also support our fullbacks.
Our fullbacks will stick tight to the wide men, safe in the knowledge that they have supporting cover in behind with Busquets also drifting across from DM to offer additional support. When in possession both Cancelo and Mendy have license to push forward with both having great quality in the final third. We look to draw the opposition onto us by sitting deep when they are in possession, limiting the space in behind and drawing them further up the field creating space for us to hit them on the counter.
Midfield:
Busquets will be our holding player in the middle of the field. A top class DM we rely on his fantastic reading of the game to break up the opposition play, winning back possession and setting us up on the counter as we look to get the ball into our creative players as quickly as possible. He’ll pick up their most advance CM or drift across to offer cover on the wingers. He’s also a fantastic passer which will be key on winner the midfield battle and ball retention. Alongside him we have the powerhouse Ndombele. A real box to box threat he forms the perfect double pivot in front of our defence. He and Busquets will control that area of the field and physically impose themselves on the opposition . Whilst he also has great distribution Ndombele has license to push forward and carry the ball in possession. Run at the opposition, drawing them in before releasing one of our front 4. We feel that due to his sheer size and dual threat of passing and dribbling he could create a real mismatch in this area of the field.
Attack:
Goals will be the name of the game and we go with quality all across our frontline with B.Silva and Asensio looking to get at the opposition when in possession whilst Icardi leads the line and Dybala floats in behind, dropping into pockets of space to link up the midfield and attack making himself extremely difficult to pick up.
Asensio starts on the left, we look to his directness and speed to get in behind the opposition and whip balls across the face of goal for Icardi to tap home. We feel this dovetails nicely with the threat we possess on the other flank, B.Silva stations on the right but has license to cut infield at any moment, a proficient dribbler with incredible work rate, he will look to get on the ball as much as possible and really set our tempo in attack. With fantastic vision and distribution he will look to be our creator in chief.
Dybala plays centrally, floating between the lines he will have space to work his magic. He will look to get himself forward alongside Icardi adding an additional threat when the ball is in the box whilst also having license to go direct for goal from distance and a penchant for the spectacular.
Icardi plays up top. The brief is simple for the Argentine, get into the box and do what you do best. With the creativity and craft of B.Silva and Dybala, coupled with the breakaway speed of Asensio we feel he will be presented with plenty of chances and his predatory instincts could well see him enjoy a favourable afternoon.
Subs;
If winning:
70 mins: Dybala off, Martinez on. Switch to a defensive 4-3-3.
80 mins: Bernardo off, Manolas on. Switch to 5-4-1 shut up shop time as we see the game out with a solid defensive unit.
If drawing:
60 mins: Ndombele off, Bale on. Bernardo moves centrally with Bale adding fresh legs and an extra dimension to our attack.
75 mins: Dybala off, Werner on. We move to an attacking 4-2-2-2 formation with a front two of Werner & Icardi with Bale & Asensio on the flanks.
If losing:
55 mins: Ndombele off, Bale on.
65 mins: Umtiti and Dybala off, Werner & Piatek on. We revert to 3-4-3 with Icardi, Piatek and Werner up top as we go for goals, goals, goals.
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NORWICH CITY v Southampton
-----------------------Müller
Aarons----Godfrey---------Aké -------Lewis
--------------Eiting--------Sanches
Wilson--------------Brooks-------------James
----------------------Dolberg
Free Kicks – Wilson (then Buendía from 75 mins)
Subs: Ward, Ampadu, Berge, Buendía, Almirón, Pukki, Parrott
Our defensive unit consists of Ben Godfrey and Nathan Aké paired up at centre-back, Max Aarons at right-back and Jamal Lewis at left-back, with Carel Eiting and Renato Sanches as our midfield ‘double pivot’ screening them.
This ‘double pivot’ is the key to our team and in Eiting and Sanches 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 Sanches can press the ball without leaving lots of space, as Eiting 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 Sanches’s role, he will press almost anywhere in his own half to allow defenders to stay in the defensive line.
With Sanches running his socks off for the team, our high tempo will dictated by his partner in holding midfield, Carel Eiting.
A holding midfielder through and through, Eiting 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 Eiting such a talent.
The attacking unit consists of Harry Wilson, David Brooks and Daniel James as our band of three attacking midfielders with Kasper Dolberg 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 Eiting or Sanches, then our 4-2-3-1 can spring into attack.
Aarons and Lewis can surge up the wings in the knowledge that Eiting and Sanches can drop into the space left behind if needed. As they come up the wings, both Harry Wilson and Daniel James, who are fast speed merchants, excellent in tight spaces and fantastic dribblers will cut inside or make runs into the box. David Brooks our attacking central midfielder’s low centre of gravity will enable him to navigate away from defenders at a frighteningly quick pace. Brooks 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 Wilson, James and Dolberg in via fast passing combinations.
Up front Dolberg’s biggest strength is his ability to move between the lines, which will make him extremely difficult to mark. Dropping into midfield will allow space for Wilson and James to advance and make runs from out to in. From these positions, they can make attempts on goal. Also, Dolberg has the ability to switch positions with our wide players, allowing them the freedom to move inside.
Dolberg’s speed on and off the ball is an attribute that will cause our opposition lots of problems. His movement deep into midfield will give him the opportunity to receive the ball without being marked and drive with the ball towards the goal.
Subs on 75 mins
Buendía, Almirón, Pukki on for Wilson, Brooks & Dolberg respectively
Triple substitution - Loads of fresh legs and pace to trouble the opposition for a late goal regardless of the score line
LIVERPOOL
___________Pope
Trips____de Ligt___Sule___Zinchenko
__________Kovacic
________Rakitic___Fabian
Sancho______Kane________Sterling
SUBS: Sanchez, Kessie, Haidara, Castro, Son, Ziyech, Can
Captain: Harry Kane
Penalties: Harry Kane
Corners: Rakitic
Freekicks: Rakitic
Crossing Freekick: Rakitic
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: Haidara comes on for Fabian, our legs will start to tire, so will theirs, Haidara will add box to box ability and energy late in the game.
75 mins: Ziyech comes on for Sancho, a different style of forward play for the opposition to think about.
If winning 80 mins: Kessie comes on for Can to close out the game. He is capable in deep midfield alongside Kovacic in a 4-2-3-1.
If losing/drawing 80 mins: Son comes on for Rakitic and play 2 up front.
PORTSMOUTH vs Chelsea
----------------------------------------De Gea-----------------------------------
--------------------Militao---------Ramos-----------Diallo----------------
---------------------------Goretzka---------Verratti-------------------------
AWB------------------------------------------------------------------------Gaya
----------------------------------------Pogba--------------------------------------
------------------------Aguero-----------------Martial----------------------
Subs - Butland, Azpilicueta, Rice, Pjanic, SMS, Alli, Mateta
CAPTAIN - RAMOS
CK'S - VERRATTI
FK'S - POGBA
PENALTIES - AGUERO
When we don't have possession of the ball in our half I want the whole team except the strikers and Pogba to get in our half and defend. Play a deep defensive line so that oppo can't use their pacy forwards to beat the offside trap. When we win possession of the ball I want the players to keep hold of possession and try and work some space. We have good ball players in Verratti and Goretzka in the centre and they will help keep us ticking.
Defence
De Gea in net, command your box and don't do anything flashy. The defence is well balanced, with all 3 CB's having the pace to play the 3atb formation with ease. Ramos will focus on the oppo striker and will look to stick close to him and to watch out for his attacking runs. Militao and Diallo will look to stop the oppo LW/RW from creating chances as they will be helping our wingbacks double up on them. When either Militao or Diallo go to help the wingbacks I want Verratti to just sit a little more deep as to give Ramos some extra cover should someone from the opposition midfield make a late run into the box. Wingbacks 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. Watch out for oppo wingers and stop them cutting in onto their stronger foot.
Centre Mids
Goretzka + Verratti
Verratti will be the more defensive of the two as I want him to focus on helping out in covering for our wingbacks when they are out of position. Main job is to get the ball from deep and look to open up the oppo with your superb range of passing. Use your low centre of gravity to get away from oppo challenges and play quick simple passes with your teammates to work some space in the middle. Also when the oppo AM has the ball close him down asap don't give him time on the ball. Goretzka will play a b2b role. Make runs forward and play pass and move passes with teammates and help the attack whenever you can. They both will be the engines that keep us ticking in the middle.
Wing backs
AWB + Gaya
AWB and Gaya will look to help both in attack and defence. When the oppo has the ball come back into the defence to make a rock solid back 5. Make forays forward when we have the ball in the oppos side of the pitch but track back when we don't. Get some low crosses into the box as my strikers are good at playing in between the lines.
Attack Mid
Paul Pogba
Pogba will be playing in AM today. We feel it is his best position as we will release all defensive duties for him and all he has to focus on is scoring/creating chances for others. I want him to use his strength and power to take on the oppo DM and to hassle him at every opportunity. Use your strength to hold the ball up and wait for the killer runs of Martial and Aguero so your can time your passes to perfection. Make runs into the box and use your height to win headers if there are crosses into the box.
Strikers
Aguero + Martial
I want both the strikers to use their pace and play off of the oppo shoulders and try and beat the offside trap. Be aware of lofted through balls and time your runs as best as you can. When in the box use your quickness and agility to get into good positions away from oppo defenders.
IF WINNING BY 65 MINS
Take off Aguero and put on Rice in DM to give the defence even more protection. Formation will be 361 and AWB and Gaya will make less attacking runs now. SMS on for Pogba and Pjanic on for Goretzka aswell.
IF LOSING BY 65 MINS
Take off Goretzka and put on Mateta in strike. Mateta will play in the middle of Martial and Aguero who both will play close to each other and put a tonne of pressure in the oppo defence. Defend high up and try and score a goal.
IF DRAWING BY 65MINS
Pjanic on for Verratti
SMS on for Pogba
Mateta on for Martial
Fresh legs.
SOUTHAMPTON vs Norwich
------------------------------------Pickford-----------------------
Odriozola----------R Dias--------------Upamecano---------Chilwell
------------------------------------Torreira--------------------------------------
-----------------Lo Celso------------------------N'Kunku---------------------
-------------------------------------Paqueta----------------------------------------
-------------------------Haller-----------------Kean--------------------
Subs - Lunin, Kabak, Tielemans, J Rodríguez, Richarlison, Under, Dembele
CAPTAIN - DIAS
CK'S - LO CELSO
FK'S - LO CELSO
PENALTIES - HALLER
We are going for the 4132 formation this week. We will be focusing on playing through the middle but Lo Celso and Nkunku have freedom to drift to the wings from time to time as they have a good variety of passing so they can cross the ball into the box for the big man Haller.
I want us to hold a deep defensive line to start of with so the oppo don't get an early goal. Keep things simple in the beginning and only pressure the oppo when they get in our half. The main tactic in our attack will be to use Haller to win the aerial duels and to flick the ball forward to Kean, who can use his pace to get away from the oppo defence.
Defence
Pickford is a quality keeper. Don't take risks. Punch the ball away if the shot is too powerful. Command your area. The defence is well balanced. Dias and Upamecano bring a whole lot of power and pace to the defence. Dias will use his expert marshalling ability to marshal the defence and Upamecano 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. Torreira will be covering for them when they go attacking.
Defence Mids
Torreira
Torreira will be the anchor in the middle. Stay back in front of the defence and protect the defence with your life. Cover for our FB's when they go attacking. Torreira will also be the bridge to connect the defence and midfield. I want him to get the ball from deep and look for the runs of players around him. He is an excellent passer and I want him to use all the different variety he can. Play long through balls for Kean to run on to. Play long balls into Haller so he can use his strength to hold the ball. Torreira will be the lynchpin for my team.
Lo Celso will look to pick the ball up from deep and use his pace and energy to dribble the ball out. Make runs forward and help our attacking players whenever you can. Play quick passes forward and drift on over to the wings from time to time and whip in some crosses into the box for Haller to get onto as you have a great cross on you. When not in possession of the ball I want him to close down the oppo CM's and to not give them anytime to dictate play.
Nkunku will have a similar role to Lo Celso but his will be more focused on him using his power to complement the more technical Lo Celso. He can attack and defend with ease and he will be the engine in the middle.
Attack Mid
Lucas Paqueta
Paqueta will be playing just behind Haller and Kean and will be the playmaker to create chances for our forwards. 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.
Strikers
Haller + Kean
Haller will look to use his strength to get the better of the oppo defence. Be vary of crosses/long balls into the box as you are very good 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 Kean to make runs ahead of you.
Kean will look to use his pace to trouble the oppo defence. He has pace to burn and with Haller by his side he will get ample opportunities to use that pace. Time your runs off of the oppo defenders shoulders and be on the lookout for through balls/flick ons from Haller.
Subs if LOSING BY 65MINS
Put on Richarlison for Nkunku and Under for Lo Celso to bring some more attacking impetus on. James Rodríguez on for Paqueta aswell. Play a high line and try and get a goal. Change formation to 41212.
------------------------------------Pickford--------------------------------
Odriozola------------R Dias-------Upamecano------------Chilwell
------------------------------------Torreira------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Under--------------------------------------------------------------Richarlison
------------------------------------Rodriguez-------------------------------
---------------------------Haller--------------Kean------------------------
Subs if WINNING BY 80MINS
Take off Kean and put on Kabak in CB. Play defensive with everyone except Haller in our own half defending for their lives. Tielemans on for Paqueta and to add a bit more energy into the midfield. If we win possession from deep I want to hoof it upfield to Haller so he can use his strength to shield the ball and to try and win a foul.
------------------------------------Pickford--------------------------------
Odriozola------Kabak----Upamecano------R Dias-------Chilwell
------------Tielemans--------Torreira------Nkunku----------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------Kean----------Haller----------------------------------
Subs if DRAWING BY 65MINS
James Rodríguez on for Paqueta
Richarlison on for Kean
Dembele on for Haller
Fresh legs to bring on.
Man City
----------------------- Areola -----------------------
Guilbert ---- Skriniar ---- Bonucci ---- Marcelo
---------------------- W.Ndidi ----------------------
Gnabry ------- Bruno ----- Neves ------- Ribery
------------------- Lewandowski ------------------
Heaton, Mukiele, McGinn, Maier, Ferran, Barnes, Lukaku
Control possession high up the field, pass and move into positions that can hurt them, when we defend we do so as a team with two banks of four with Ndidi an insurance between the two lines and Wesley harassing their backline and really pressurise them into quick , misplaced passes for us to pick up, in their face performance, especially Ndidi, Neves and Bruno in the centre as we try to nullify their midfield and stop them creating chances for the forwards.
Guilbert and Marcelo 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 Lewandowski. They look to play one twos with the midfield 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.. Skriniar the more mobile and quicker CB will mark the CF, use his strength and speed to keep the CF away from the danger area. Bonucci alongside is the spare defender and helps out where needed, both powerful defenders, Both will dominate in the air and both 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 cbs up for corners, fullbacks stay back and a midfielder just sitting in front of them. 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..
Ndidi's primary role in front of the defence 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, he also has a mean shot from distance and isn't afraid to have a go. Bruno's main responsibility is to both create chances for the three attackers in front of him and indeed score the goals himself. He will often find himself the furthest forward of the three midfielders and sometimes even in the number 9 role if the correct situation arises. The main requirement of Bruno 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, Gnabry especially I want to drive on the outside and play as a natural winger not an inside forward. both sides will definitely pose a threat with quick one twos, using Neves/Bruno 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 Bruno to get into danger areas. Both wingers have a fantastic forward to aim for in Lewandowski so if they get to the bye line then get the crosses in for him to attack.Lewandowski will get plenty chances, however he must put away there side who will be solid at the back, however I want to bully the slower/weaker of the two/three with the aid of Bruno 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/weaker 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 Ribery and Gnabry 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 Bruno and Neves driving forward 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 - Bonucci
Pens - Lewandowski/Replacement
Free Kicks - Bruno
Corners - Bruno
Subs -
60 Mins - Barnes on for Ribery, fresh legs
Losing -
75 Mins - Lukaku for Neves - we go 442 and a bit more direct to Lukaku
80 Mins - McGinn for Guilbert, Marcelo to LCB in a 3, McGinn to add ectra drive in midfield and Bruno to No.10 3412
Winning -
75 Mins - Maier for Bruno, more defence minded to help stop there more advanced subs
80 Mins - McGinn for Neves, all out action again to stop their threats 451
Drawing -
70 Mins - McGinn for Neves
80 Mins - Lukaku for Lewandowski
------------------------ Oblak ------------------------
Walker ----- van Dijk ----- Lucas.H ----- Schulz
-------------- Fabinho ------ de Jong --------------
Mbappe ------------- Eriksen ------------- Neymar
---------------------- E.Cavani ----------------------
Gunn, Llorente, Zaniolo, Aouar, Bailey, Kluivert, Belotti
Our game is based soley on 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, the back 4 must stay solid with Fabinho and de Jong ahead of them just in front harassing the man with the ball before they get to our back 4 and our midfield will be in and around the half way line, Cavani slightly higher up, this will congest the midfield and allow us 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.
van Dijk picks up the CF not much gets passed him, Lucas 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, both must attack high balls to get the ball away from the opposition big men. 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. both are huge threat down the flanks. If either get caught up field I want Fabinho to drift to the side and this allows the fullbacks to make their way to midfield to cover. I want both van Digt and Lucas to go up for corners, with the fullbacks and Fabinho sitting back.
In the centre of the pitch are Fabinho, de Jong and Eriksen. Fabinho our deepest player sitting just in front of the CB's he will shadow there AM and not allow him to control the game, Eriksen and de Jong have to be disciplined and lend a hand to stop them coming through. Fabinho 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 he is always looking for the ball to start again if need be, 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. de Jong slightly higher up the pitch, and our playmaker, he makes things tick in the centre, 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 Fabinho as best as possible and again in possession get it to the front 3 but also look for fullbacks and Eriksen 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. Eriksen is essential to our style of play, he is the link between defence and attack, I want him higher up the pitch today so as we break quickly he will look to set up our front three and at times be in an advanced No.10 role and look for the de Jong/Fabinho/CB 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 Mbappe and Neymar will cause them problems drifting in an out, thus allowing Eriksen 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 Cavani who can beat any defender with power and what pace he has left and the other winger (Mbappe or Neymar) 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 Leao who will sit on the last foot so he can spring them and have a shoot or sight mentality, 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 by dropping slightly back to get numbers for the attack. We are quick up front so when we hit their defence they will struggle to cope especially as the game comes to the last 10/15ins as defenders tire with the movement and the pace we do it at
Captain - van Dijk
Pens - Neymar
Corners - Wingers
Free Kicks - Neymar(left), Eriksen(right)
Subs:-
70 Mins - Belotti for Cavani straight swap
Losing - 75 Mins - Bailey for Schulz, he goes to RW, Mbappe using his pace up front and Walker to RCB 3412
82 Mins - Kluivert for Eriksen, Neymar up top, Kluivert LW 343
Winning -
75 Mins - Aouar for Eriksen and we put Fabinho into a deep role in front of defence with Aouar and de jong either side
85 Mins - Llorente for de Jong to shore it up in the closing mins
Drawing -
75 Mins - Aouar for de Jong - straight swap
Fixture 2
Chelsea v Leicester
Southampton v Arsenal
Newcastle v Portsmouth
Bournemouth v Norwich City
Tottenham v Wolverhampton
Manchester City v Liverpool
Bournemouth Week 2 (home to Norwich)
Captain: Benítez
Vice Captain: Roca
Team:
--------------------Benítez
Emerson--Romero—Gabriel--Lodi
---------------------Roca
-----------Guimarães---Arthur
Mendez----------------------------Vargas
--------------------Gomez
SUBS: Musso, William, Murilo, Fernandes, Pyerre, Zaracho, Cunha
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: Benítez 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: Roca 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. Guimarães and Arthur will play just in front of Roca. Guimarães will be a more box to box type. He will be involved all over and will offer as much in defence as in attack. Arthur 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 Mendez and Vargas 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 Arthur, Guimarães and Gomez 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 Guimarães may sit a bit deeper allowing Arthur 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.
Gomez 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: Arthur, Vargas or Mendez with Romero, Gabriel, Roca and Gomez to offer an aerial threat. Arthur and Vargas (with his thunderbolt left foot) may try their luck with several free kicks from distance.
Penalties: Gomez
Substitutions: (if winning on 80 minutes) Murilo for Gabriel, Cunha for Gomez and Pyerre for Guimarães, 3 like for like substitutions.
If losing (on 80 minutes) Zaracho for Guimarães and Cunha for Mendez. Shift to a 4-1-3-2 attack. Cunha and Zaracho offering fresh legs, pace and a bit of the unknown in attack.
---------------Roca
Zaracho---Arthur----Vargas
--------Gomez---Cunha
----------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------- Areola ------------------------
Mukiele ---- Skriniar ---- T.Mings ---- Marcelo
----------------------- Ndidi ------------------------
--------------- Bruno ------- Pjanic ---------------
Gnabry ------------------------------------ D.Jota
------------------ Lewandowski -------------------
Heaton, Guilbert, Neves, Maier, McNeil, Lazaro, Lukaku
Control possession high up the field, pass and move into positions that can hurt them, when we defend we do so as a team with two banks of four with Ndidi an insurance between the two lines and Wesley harassing their backline and really pressurise them into quick , misplaced passes for us to pick up, in their face performance, especially Ndidi, Pjanic and Bruno in the centre as we try to nullify their midfield and stop them creating chances for the forwards.
Mukiele and Marcelo 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 Lewandowski. They look to play one twos with the midfield 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.. Skriniar will mark the CF, use his strength and speed to keep the CF away from the danger area. Mings alongside is the spare defender and helps out where needed, both powerful defenders, Both will dominate in the air and both 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 cbs up for corners, fullbacks stay back and a midfielder just sitting in front of them. 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..
Ndidi's primary role in front of the defence 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.
Pjanic 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, he also has a mean shot from distance and isn't afraid to have a go. Bruno's main responsibility is to both create chances for the three attackers in front of him and indeed score the goals himself. He will often find himself the furthest forward of the three midfielders and sometimes even in the number 9 role if the correct situation arises. The main requirement of Bruno 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, Gnabry especially I want to drive on the outside and play as a natural winger not an inside forward. both sides will definitely pose a threat with quick one twos, using Pjanic/Bruno 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 Bruno to get into danger areas. Both wingers have a fantastic forward to aim for in Lewandowski so if they get to the bye line then get the crosses in for him to attack.Lewandowski will get plenty chances, however he must put away there side who will be solid at the back, however I want to bully the slower/weaker of the two/three with the aid of Bruno 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/weaker 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 Jota and Gnabry 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 Bruno and Pjanic driving forward 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 - Marcelo
Pens - Lewandowski/Replacement
Free Kicks - Pjanic
Corners - Bruno
Subs -
60 Mins - Lazaro for Jota, switch with Gnabry
Losing -
75 Mins - Lukaku for Bruno 4-4-2
83 Mins - McNeil for Marcelo, Mukiele to RCB, McNeil to LW and Gnabry to the left of Lewandowski - 3-4-3
Winning -
75 Mins - Neves for Bruno, 451
83 Mins - Lukaku for Lewandowski
Drawing -
75 Mins - Neves for Pjanic, Lukaku for Lewandowski
Red Card
GK - Heaton for Bruno 4-4-1
RB - Gulibert for Bruno (to RB) - 4-4-1
LB - Guilbert for Bruno (to LB) 4-4-1
CB - Guilbert for Bruno (to RB, Mukiele to CB)
Ndidi - Neves for Bruno
Bruno - Nothing
Pjanic - Neves for Bruno
Winger - Bruno shift out wide
Lewandowski - Lukaku for Bruno
------------------------ J.Oblak -------------------------
Walker ------ van Dijk ------ Lenglet ------ Lucas.H
--------------- Fabinho ------- de Jong ----------------
Mbappe --------------- Pogba ---------------- Neymar
----------------------- Lacazette ------------------------
Gunn, Llorente, Tonali, Chiesa, Bailey, Schulz, Belotti
Our game is based soley on 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, the back 4 must stay solid with Fabinho and de Jong ahead of them just in front harassing the man with the ball before they get to our back 4 and our midfield will be in and around the half way line, Lacazette slightly higher up, this will congest the midfield and allow us 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.
van Dijk picks up the CF not much gets passed him, Lenglet 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, both must attack high balls to get the ball away from the opposition big men. 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. both are huge threat down the flanks. If either get caught up field I want Fabinho to drift to the side and this allows the fullbacks to make their way to midfield to cover. I want both van Dijk and Lucas to go up for corners, van Dijk has a terrific leap so will be a huge threat, with the fullbacks and Fabinho sitting back.
In the centre of the pitch are Fabinho, de Jong and Pogba. Fabinho our deepest player sitting just in front of the CB's he will shadow there AM and not allow him to control the game, Eriksen and de Jong have to be disciplined and lend a hand to stop them coming through. Fabinho 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 he is always looking for the ball to start again if need be, 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. de Jong slightly higher up the pitch, and our playmaker, he makes things tick in the centre, 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 Fabinho 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 between defence and attack, I want him higher up the pitch today so as we break quickly he will look to set up our front three and at times be in an advanced No.10 role and look for the de Jong/Fabinho/CB 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 Mbappe and Neymar will cause them problems drifting in an out, 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 Lacazette who can beat any defender with power and what pace he has left and the other winger (Mbappe or Neymar) 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 Lacazette who will sit on the last foot so he can spring them and have a shoot or sight mentality, can move central, 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 by dropping slightly back to get numbers for the attack he is a very tireless worker, who also helps defend from the from by harassing there back line/DM. We are quick up front so when we hit their defence they will struggle to cope especially as the game comes to the last 10/15ins as defenders tire with the movement and the pace we do it at
Captain - van Dijk
Pens - Lacazette/Mbappe
Corners - Wingers
Free Kicks - Neymar
Losing -
65 Mins - Chiesa for Pogba - he goes to RW, Mbappe up top with Lacazette 4-4-2
75 Mins - Bailey for Walker, Lucas to LCB, Bailey to LW, Neymar to LCF - 3-4-3
80 Mins - Belotti for Lacazette straight swap
Winning -
75 Mins - Llorente for Pogba, he goes right in between Fabinho and de Jong to strengthen our midfield
85 Mins - Schulz for Neymar 4-5-1, Schulz helping defensively
88 Mins - Belotti for Lacazette
Drawing -
70 Mins - Chiesa for Pogba, switch with Mbappe, he will make the runs just off Lacazette
80 Mins - Belotti for Lacazette, straight swap, Tonali for de Jong, will look to play the killer pass between the line for the front three to latch onto
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Tactics
Page 1 of 70
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posted on 13/8/19
BM
posted on 18/8/19
Bournemouth Week 1 (away to Liverpool)
Captain : Gabriel
Vice Captain : Benítez
------------------Benítez
William--Romero--Gabriel----Firpo
-------------Roca----Bentancur
------------------Arthur
Mendez-----------------------Oyarzabal
------------------Gómez
SUBS: Musso, Lodi, Murilo, Guimarães, Zaracho, Everton, Pedro
SUMMARY: This week we go with a 4-3-3 set up although we will be a tad more conservative and operate with one holding/defensive midfielder (Roca) who will be complimented with a deep sitting box to box midfielder (Bentancur). In front of them Arthur will operate as the link between midfield and attack. This I feel will give us a better balanced midfield and while being absolutely defensively sound with 2 ‘sitting’ Bentancur will also be allowed the freedom (when the time arises) to link with Arthur and attack. I think this set-up lets us link up quickly with our attack while at the same time that little bit of extra cautiousness means it will be easy for us to close the door in midfield with all 3 players as comfortable sitting and breaking up attacks if necessary.
We want to play a nice tidy and crisp passing game. Our aim is to move the ball forward as quickly and as effectively as possible. When we have the ball we will use it wisely and when we don’t have the ball then we will press our opponents all over the park with high urgency to win it back. We want to keep the ball on the deck and attack as a team and equally as important defend as a team. This team is bursting with pace. We will utilise that to our advantage and make the pitch wide and use our flying wingers to cause all sorts of mayhem. It will also be a tool that we use to hit opponents on the counter where we know we can out pace any team.
Goalkeeper: Benítez 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: We will operate with one holding/defensive midfielder (Roca). He will be the midfield general. A physical pacey midfielder he will be there to boss this area for us. Breaking up play and filling in as an extra defender if one of our back 4 has ventured forward. He will be there to protect the defence and do a lot of the unseen dirty work in the centre of the park. He is essential to our game plan and while sitting deep will still offer a lot with his great passing ability. He also has a thunderbolt right foot. He will be complimented with a deep sitting box to box midfielder (Bentancur). He has a more conservative role this week and while being a little more constrained than normal he will still have the opportunity to bomb forward when the time is right. They will both have to put a defensive shift in and both are very strong in the tackle. We will look at their enthusiasm and relentless pressing of the opposition as a way to hopefully get a bit of a grip on the midfield and at the very least not make it plain sailing for the opposition. In front of them Arthur will operate as the link between midfield and attack.
Wingers/Centre Forward: When in possession both Mendez and Oyarzabal 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 Arthur, Bentancur and Gómez in to play. They can vary their attacks as they see fit. Both players can play all across the middle so don’t be surprised to see them swapping wings. At times Bentancur may sit a bit deeper allowing Arthur 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 playing off the shoulder of the last man he is deadly in and around the box. A bag of energy and very strong we will also look for him to hold up and bring others in to play if it doesn’t seem to be on for him. We will look to get bodies in the box when attacking so he should always have an outlet. He is also great in the air and will provide an option from set pieces. When the shot is on he will take it but we also want to put himself about in the box and think that his lightning pace will be a real handful for defences. He will also be alert to any scraps in and around the goal. He has the ability to produce something sublime and create a chance out of nothing.
Free Kicks/Corners: Arthur, Oyarzabal or Mendez with Romero, Gabriel, Roca and Gómez to offer an aerial threat. Arthur and Oyarzabal (with his thunderbolt left foot) may try their luck with several free kicks from distance.
Substitutions: (75 mins) If winning (and comfortable) then 3 like for like subs – Murilo for Romero, Guimarães for Roca and Pedro for Gómez.
If losing (70 mins) then switch to a 4-1-3-2 and replace Bentancur with Pedro and Mendez with Everton. Fresh legs and 2 attackers that carry a goal threat about them. We will look to their pace and freshness to offer us something different.
--------------Roca
Everton------Arthur-----Oyarzabal
----------Pedro -----Gómez
posted on 18/8/19
Bournemouth Week 2 (home to Norwich)
Captain: Benítez
Vice Captain: Roca
Team:
--------------------Benítez
Emerson--Romero—Gabriel--Lodi
---------------------Roca
-----------Guimarães---Arthur
Mendez----------------------------Vargas
--------------------Gomez
SUBS: Musso, William, Murilo, Fernandes, Pyerre, Zaracho, Cunha
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: Benítez 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: Roca 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. Guimarães and Arthur will play just in front of Roca. Guimarães will be a more box to box type. He will be involved all over and will offer as much in defence as in attack. Arthur 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 Mendez and Vargas 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 Arthur, Guimarães and Gomez 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 Guimarães may sit a bit deeper allowing Arthur 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.
Gomez 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: Arthur, Vargas or Mendez with Romero, Gabriel, Roca and Gomez to offer an aerial threat. Arthur and Vargas (with his thunderbolt left foot) may try their luck with several free kicks from distance.
Penalties: Gomez
Substitutions: (if winning on 80 minutes) Murilo for Gabriel, Cunha for Gomez and Pyerre for Guimarães, 3 like for like substitutions.
If losing (on 80 minutes) Zaracho for Guimarães and Cunha for Mendez. Shift to a 4-1-3-2 attack. Cunha and Zaracho offering fresh legs, pace and a bit of the unknown in attack.
---------------Roca
Zaracho---Arthur----Vargas
--------Gomez---Cunha
posted on 21/8/19
Comment deleted by Article Creator
posted on 21/8/19
Comment deleted by Article Creator
posted on 21/8/19
---------------------- Courtois --------------------
Cancelo --- Koulibaly --- Umtiti ---- F.Mendy
-------------- Busquets --- Ndombele ----------
O.Dembele -------- Dybala -------- M.Asensio
------------------- Timo Werner -----------------
Subs:
Etheridge, Manolas, Martinez, De Bruyne, Bale, Icardi, Piatek
Captain: Koulibaly
Free Kicks: Dybala
Penalties: Dybala
Corners: Wingers
Huge competition for places this season as we kick things off and go with an attacking 4-2-3-1 for our season opener. Some big name players ready to step in from the bench ensures that our starting XI will be raring to go and all looking to put down a marker to earn their spot in the squad for the league opener. Moving the ball at speed will be the focus of our play as we go for goals and look to pick up where we left off last season.
We will to put down a marker and dictate the play from the off, continually moving the ball and making the opposition constantly chase. In doing so we will not only be wearing them down but also continually pulling them out of shape, breaking down their defensive structure which will create openings for our forwards to exploit.
When they are in possession our wingers drop in as we play a compact 4-4-1-1 formation. The aim will be to break at speed as soon as we win back possession with our wide players offering an immediate outlet, turning defence into attack in the blink of an eye.
We go with a solid defence, a powerful double pivot in CM and a front 4 blessed with great technical ability and a goal threat from every angle.
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. They have pace in their frontline and we look to counter this with an abundance of pace all across our backline. If the opposition play one up top then Koulibaly will mark. Strong, pacy and aggressive we feel he has all the tools to deal with any opponent. Umtiti will sweep up and cover in behind, a fantastic reader at the back he also has great covering speed should they look to play the ball over the top. We will look to be dominant and physically impose ourselves early on. They will undoubtedly go for pace out wide and therefore it is important that the free CB acts as secondary cover to support the fullback. Double up on their wingers where possible and we feel we can severely limit their impact.
Our fullbacks will stick tight to the wide men, safe in the knowledge that they have supporting cover in behind with Busquets also drifting across from DM to offer additional support. When in possession both Cancelo and Mendy have license to push forward with both having great quality in the final third. We look to draw the opposition onto us by sitting deep when they are in possession, limiting the space in behind and drawing them further up the field creating space for us to hit them on the counter.
Midfield:
Busquets will be our holding player in the middle of the field. A top class DM we rely on his fantastic reading of the game to break up the opposition play, winning back possession and setting us up on the counter as we look to get the ball into our creative players as quickly as possible. He’ll pick up their most advance CM or drift across to offer cover on the wingers. He’s also a fantastic passer which will be key on winner the midfield battle and ball retention. Alongside him we have the powerhouse Ndombele. A real box to box threat he forms the perfect double pivot in front of our defence. He and Busquets will control that area of the field and physically impose themselves on the opposition . Whilst he also has great distribution Ndombele has license to push forward and carry the ball in possession. Run at the opposition, drawing them in before releasing one of our front 4. We feel that due to his sheer size and dual threat of passing and dribbling he could create a real mismatch in this area of the field.
Forwards:
Goals will be the name of the game and we go with pace all across our frontline with Dembele, Werner and Asensio all looking to get in behind the opposition at any opportunity. If they play a high line we feel we have the speed to exploit the space left in behind as we look to get the ball forward as quickly as possible. If they sit deep to try and limit this threat then this will create all sorts of space for Dybala to exploit. He will operate between the lines, safe in the knowledge that Busquets and Ndombele offer great defensive protection whilst our wingers will look to hug the touchline, creating a hole for Dybala to work his magic. He has license to go for goal at any opportunity and a penchant for the spectacular. Our wingers will be unpredictable, mixing up their play by picking up the ball and driving to the byline before crossing for one of our forwards to finish or cutting inside and going for goal with both capable of a sublime strike from distance.
Werner will drift across the frontline, playing as the CF but not in an orthodox to role, we want him to pull the CB’s out of position as much as possible. Drift out wide taking a CB with you and creating space for Dybala to exploit whilst at other times, playing on the shoulder of the last man ready to pounce on any through ball as we look to break early on the counter attack. This unpredictability will make him difficult to manage whilst we look to create havoc in our opponents defence. He and Dybala will look to get into the box and with the delivery of our wide men we expect them to have plenty of opportunities to finish.
Subs;
If winning:
70 mins: Dybala off, Martinez on. Additional protection in the middle of the park.
80 mins: Dembele off, Manolas on. 5-4-1 shut up shop time as we tighten up with a solid defensive unit and see the game out.
If drawing:
60 mins: Ndombele off, De Bruyne on.
70 mins: Dembele and Werner off, Bale and Icardi on. Time for the big guns to work their magic.
If losing:
55 mins: Ndombele off, De Bruyne on.
65 mins: Umtiti and Werner off. Icardi and Piatek on. We revert to 3-4-3 with Icardi, Dybala and Piatek up top as we go for goals, goals, goals.
posted on 21/8/19
comment by Fan Gillhaus 1903 (U3339)
posted 2 hours, 39 minutes ago
comment by Fan Gillhaus 1903 (U3339)
posted 34 minutes ago
Chelsea v Spurs - Super Cup
---------------------- Oblak -----------------------
Walker ---- van Dijk ---- Lenglet ---- Lucas.H
--------------------- Llorente ---------------------
-------------- Zaniolo ---- de Jong ---------------
Mbappe ---------------------------------- Neymar
----------------------- Leao ------------------------
Meret, Kehrer, Aouar, Bailey, Greenwood, Kluivert, Grealish
Our game is based soley on 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, the back 4 must stay solid with Llorente ahead of them just in front harassing the man with the ball before they get to our back 4 and our midfield will be in and around the half way line, Leao slightly higher up, this will congest the midfield and allow us 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.
Lenglet picks up the CF, van Dijk 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, both must attack high balls to get the ball away from the Spurs big men. 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. Walker especially is a huge threat down the right hand side. If either get caught up field I want Llorente to drift to the side and this allows the fullbacks to make their way to midfield to cover. I want both van Digt and Lenglet to go up for corners, with the fullbacks and Llorente sitting back.
In the centre of the pitch are Llorente, de Jong & Zaniolo. Llorente our deepest player sitting just in front of the CB's he will shadow there AM and not allow him to control the game, Zaniolo and de Jong have to be disciplined and lend a hand to stop them coming through. Llorente 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 he is always looking for the ball to start again if need be, 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. de Jong slightly higher up the pitch, and our playmaker, he makes things tick in the centre, 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 Llorente as best as possible and again in possession get it to the front 3 but also look for fullbacks and Zaniolo 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. Zaniolo is essential to our style of play, he is the link between defence and attack, I want him higher up the pitch today so as we break quickly he will look to set up our front three and at times be in an advanced No.10 role and look for the de Jong/Llorente/CB 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 Mbappe and Neymar will cause them problems drifting in an out, thus allowing Zaniolo 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 Leao who can beat any defender with pace and the other winger (Mbappe or Neymar) 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 Leao who will sit on the last foot so he can spring them and have a shoot or sight mentality, 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 by dropping slightly back to get numbers for the attack. We are quick up front so when we hit the Spurs defence they will struggle to cope especially as the game comes to the last 10/15ins as defenders tire with the movement and the pace we do it at
Captain - van Dijk
Pens - Neymar
Corners - Wingers
Free Kicks - Neymar
Subs:-
Losing -
60 Mins - Leon Bailey for Leao, Mbappe go up front and Bailey to RW, good burst of energy and pace down the right an through the middle
70 Min - Greenwood for Zaniolo, go up top 4-4-2
80 Mins - Kluivert for Walker - 3-4-1-2 with Neynar going into No.10
Extra Time - Aouar for de Jong
Winning -
70 Mins - Aouar for Zaniolo, energy and more defense minded when needed
80 Mins - Kehrer for Walker, Greenwood for Leao
Drawing -
65 Mins - Bailey for Leao, switch with Mbappe
75 Mins - Aouar for Llorente, de Jong to Dm and Aouar in beside Zaniolo, more threat from behind the striker
85 Mins - Grealish for Zaniolo, see if he can work wonders with fresh legs
----------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------
posted on 23/8/19
---------------------- Courtois -------------------
Cancelo --- Koulibaly --- Umtiti --- F.Mendy
-------------- Busquets --- Ndombele ---------
Bernardo -------- De Bruyne ---------- G.Bale
----------------------- Icardi ---------------------
Subs:
Etheridge, Manolas, Barkley, Dembele, Asensio, Dybala, Werner
Captain: Koulibaly
Free Kicks: De Bruyne
Penalties: Icardi
Corners: De Bruyne/Bernardo
We mix things up after the Supercup victory in midweek as we make a number of changes. Most notably we mix up our attack as we opt for an entirely different front 4, all eager to prove their worth and will no doubt be looking to make a point in the Community Shield.
We expect a game of total football against quality opposition and slightly tweak our tactics accordingly. De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva come into our line up with these two being pivotal to how we play. They will interchange throughout the game and will look to implement our style of quick, slick, incisive passing. As always we look to play at speed with Bale the X factor in our lineup as we feel his direct pace and power dovetails perfectly with the technical ability of KDB and Bernardo.
We go with an attacking 4-2-3-1 formation as we look to dictate the play from the off, continually moving the ball and making the opposition chase. In doing so we will not only be wearing them down but also continually pulling them out of shape, breaking down their defensive structure which will create openings for our forwards to exploit.
When our opponents are in possession our wingers drop in as we play a compact 4-5-1 formation. The aim will be to break at speed as soon as we win back possession with our wide players offering an immediate outlet, turning defence into attack in the blink of an eye.
Defence:
We go with a strong defensive unit at the back, packed with quality and experience we look to nullify the threat posed by the oppositions attack. If the opposition play one up top then Koulibaly will mark. Strong, pacy and aggressive we feel he has all the tools to deal with any opponent. Umtiti will sweep up and cover in behind, a fantastic reader at the back he also has great covering speed should they look to play the ball over the top. We will look to be dominant and physically impose ourselves early on. Given the quality of the opposition it is important that the free CB acts as secondary cover to also support our fullbacks.
Our fullbacks will stick tight to the wide men, safe in the knowledge that they have supporting cover in behind with Busquets also drifting across from DM to offer additional support. When in possession both Cancelo and Mendy have license to push forward with both having great quality in the final third. We look to draw the opposition onto us by sitting deep when they are in possession, limiting the space in behind and drawing them further up the field creating space for us to hit them on the counter.
Midfield:
Busquets will be our holding player in the middle. A top class DM we rely on his fantastic reading of the game to break up the opposition play, winning back possession and setting us up on the counter as we look to get the ball into our creative players as quickly as possible. He’ll pick up their most advanced CM or drift across to offer cover to the wingers. He’s also a fantastic passer which will be key on winner the midfield battle and ball retention. Alongside him we have the powerhouse Ndombele. A real box to box threat he forms the perfect double pivot in front of our defence. He and Busquets will control that area of the field and look to physically impose themselves on the opposition, winning back possession and getting the ball into our attacking players as quickly as possible.
Attack:
Our main attacking play will revolve around the trio of Bernardo, De Bruyne & Bale stationed behind Icardi. De Bruyne in particular will be the heartbeat of our side, chief architect we rely his passing and vision to set the tempo of play. Bernardo stations on the right but has license to cut infield at any moment, a proficient dribbler with incredible work rate, he combined with De Bruyne will be creators in chief, looking for that killer through ball at any opportunity. If they find themselves in space they’re also encouraged to go for goal as we mix up our play to keep the opposition guessing.
De Bruyne has license to drop deep, picking up the ball in our own half and hitting a diagonal cross field ball for Bale to run onto in behind. Bale will be on his toes at all times, looking to use his pace and power to drive to the byline and flash the ball across the face of the goal for Icardi a tap home or cut back to the edge of the box where De Bruyne will be waiting to smash home. Bale also has license to go alone, using his pace and stamina to drive past the RB and go for direct for goal smashing across the keeper ala Inter away at the San Siro.
De Bruyne will also interchange with Bernardo, with the mercurial Portuguese playing through the middle. When stationed out on the right De Bruyne will be looking to utilise is superb crossing ability and specifically target Bale at the back post. The Welshman has a great leap and is strong in the air, this combined with De Bruynes delivery could present a potential mismatch at the back post with Bale likely to cause real problem for their RB when the ball is in the air.
Icardi plays through the middle. The brief is simple for the Argentine, get into the box and do what you do best. With the creativity of Bernardo and De Bruyne, coupled with the breakaway speed of Bale we feel he will be presented with plenty of chances and his predatory instincts could well see him enjoy a favourable afternoon.
Subs;
If winning:
70 mins: Bale off, Dembele on. Fresh legs and pace on the counter.
80 mins: Bernardo off, Manolas on. Switch to 5-4-1 with additional defensive cover as we look to see the game out.
If drawing:
60 mins: Ndombele off, Dybala on. Dybala behind Icardi with KDB alongside Busquets in the double pivot.
70 mins: Bernardo off, Dembele on. Fresh legs and additional pace on the counter as the game opens up.
If losing:
55 mins: Busquets off, Dybala on. Ndombele & KDB in a midfield two.
65 mins: Umtiti, Werner on. We revert to 3-4-3 with Icardi, Dybala and Werner up top as we go for goals, goals, goals.
posted on 24/8/19
High tempo total football 4-3-3
We setup with a strong side full of pace and power, playing with a high tempo in defence and attack. We have a cm trio that are all strong defensively, giving freedom to our attacking freedom to get the best out of them. Jesus comes in up top, giving us a forward to run the channels and a front three full of pace. The wide forwards have freedom to drift inside or wide to find space, width will be provided by an attacking full back.
In the midfield trio we have two powerful runners on their natural side, with Thiago our playmaker in the centre. In defence the cm opposite play drops behind the other two cms who press the play as the trio narrow, similarly in attack the cm opposite play stays deepest but the trio do not play so narrow. We have a defence full of pace and great energy in front so play a reasonably high line, helping us press Spurs in high area, and aidint distribution out from the back line.
We look to play our usual high tempo attacking game and take the game to Spurs, seeking to exploit space behind their midfield. We have a strong side defensively and in attack, our team is built to give Hazard, Thiago and Felix the space and freedom to find the ball in space in attacking positions to hurt Spurs.
Laporte the man marker next to Varane who is free to use his pace to sweep up. In midfield, the trio narrow in front with the cm opposite play dropping behind, allowing the other two to press with cover. The wide forward on the side of play drops deep to add protection in front of the fb and next to the two presisng cms. Closing down the space, narrowing to the side of play. Win the ball back from Spurs quickly before they can get anywhere.
Quick passing and moving to find space in between the opposition lines. Using the pace of our wide cms, wide forwards and fbs (one bombs forward at a time) to create space as we push forward.
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 high tempo play. We look to vary our play, we can go long from the back or Neuer to mix the play up.
We have a trio who can all drop deep to offer an option and collect the ball from defence, a fluid midfield. Likewise a fluid front three, who can switch positions or drop deep to collect the ball from midfield. This fluidity will help the players to get away from their markers, catch the opposition out and create space. As we move forward we get quick one twos in the opposition half.
------------------ Neuer ------------------
----------------------------------------------
Carvajal -- Varane -- Laporte -- Mendy
----------------------------------------------
------ Tolisso -- Thiago -- Rabiot ------
-----------------------------------------------
--- J.Felix -------------------- Hazard ---
------------------- Jesus ------------------
Subs. Schmeichel, Pavard, Rodri, Ceballos, Coutinho, Correa, Ronaldo
Defending high
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 gets into a narrow rigid formation behind the ball in position to press high up the park. Stop them breaking and press them high up the park.
In a narrow, rigid formation, we will look to press the space, not allowing them options. Keep them from advancing to positions where they can’t hurt us, by trying to win the ball back very quickly. Then break quickly in these high positions when we do win the ball.
As Spurs advance into higher areas of the park and into our half, our shape will resemble a 4-1-3-2. Our wide forward on the side of play will track any forward runs made by their fb, and the cm opposite play drops behind the other two cms pressing the space behind the two cms pressing the ball, sweeping up danger behind them and in front of the defence.
The wide forward opposite play drops with Jesus in the space in between the opposition defence and midfield, and either side of dm. This will make it difficult for their to dm to circulate possession back to their defence.
The wide forward and the two cms are the trio pressing the ball, and look to force Spurs backwards. With the two forwards left forward this is where we look to press the opposition into mistakes and win the ball in high areas. With pace to join the attack quickly and overload Spurs.
When Spurs get past the initial press higher up the park, we drop deeper into a narrower tighter formation narrowing to the side of play, ensuring there are no gaps in the formation. Our fb’s have fantastic pace up against their wide forwards, bide their time, not diving in.
Subs.
If winning after 70 mins bring on Ronaldo for Jesus. As Spurs will push for a goal, give us fresh power to hit up top, presence to hold the ball up and go more direct.
If winning after 75 mins bring on Rodri for Tolisso. Rodri moves to dm, with two cms ahead.
If winning after 75 mins bring on Correa for Felix. Fresh pace to offer a new outlet in attack, and high work rate.
If drawing after 70 mins bring on Coutinho for Tolisso and Rodri for Rabiot. Rodri dm, Thiago cm, Coutinho AM.
If drawing after 75 mins bring on Ronaldo for Jesus.
If losing after 60 mins bring on Pavard and Ronaldo for Tolisso and Jesus. 3-5-2, fbs to lm and rm. Defending higher up the park. Thiago and Rabiot cm, Felix to AM. Hazard off Ronaldo.
posted on 27/8/19
NEWCASTLE
-----------------------Alisson
-----Matip-----Hummels-----Vertonghen
Trent-----Henderson------Kante-------Robertson
-------Salah-------Firmino---------Mane
Subs
Rose, Reus, Mount, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Witsel, Suarez, Lozano
Captain: Jordan Henderson
Hummels is the defensive leader and will be the one to set the defensive line on the pitch, the centre backs will always stay back to stop counter attacks but will take turns marauding forward as they are all capable of stepping into midfield. The CB’s will communicate with each other so they are clear in where the attacking threats are. When dealing with the opposition, we will avoid sliding tackles unless necessary instead looking to use our experience to just guide players away from danger. When on the ball, if the opposition are giving them space to come out with the ball, then they should take it forward, if not, keep it simple and play it to a man in space with the occasional long ball to the front 3 or the wing backs to keep the opposition from setting up against one style of play.


For the wing backs today the objective is to provide the width for the team and keep the oppositon stretched as much as possible, both still have a defensive mindset so will be getting back into a back 5 if we lose the ball. They will smash crosses in on offer, but will keep it safe if required and let the pressure build up in the final third, or run to the byline and put in fast and low crosses relying on both the faster reactions and control of our attackers and the pressure of the situation on their centre backs to hastily clear the ball without being in full control of the situation.
The focus of the midfield 2 will be to use their high energy, all action styles to get themselves around the middle of the pitch, working to control the midfield battle whilst still having the attacking nous to create chances for us. When we are in the attacking third, they will always be looking to make themselves available for a pass to keep recycling the ball, keeping the pressure up with us looking to use the movement of the other CM's and the front 3 to drag the opposition defensive players that little bit more which could be the difference in getting a player behind them. They also all have an eye for a pass so will look to take advantage of the front 3 all flitting around and play them in with through balls and quick one touch play. We will also occasionally take the occasional long shot, with the aim being to make sure defenders aren't content to sit back and forcing them to make a decision. When defending, they are looking to press the middle third of the pitch, pressing the opposition CMs/Wingers in conjunction with other players as they are on the ball to rush their decisions and win the ball back.


Both wide forwards 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 the striker, looking to create the passing triangles which will just take players out of the game. They should also look to run at players as they will be cautious not to give away a set piece due to the ability of our set piece takers. When the opposite winger has the ball, the one without the ball should look to find space between the CB and FB to add an extra body in the box. When defending, they should be stopping the passing lines to the full backs primarily, then focus on ensuring our full backs dont get outnumbered. The striker’s main role is to create space for the wide forwards, dropping deep going wide tackling from the front.


When the striker is attacking, he will look to constantly drift around the defenders looking to get himself a bit of space enough for him to get the ball and pass it along to another attacker or face up the defenders and take them on. When running onto a ball, He will also be looking to use his reactions to get ahead of the defender and then use his strength to cut in front of the defender, causing them to either stop their forward momentum completely, or make the foul, his unpredictable style when on the ball will look to cause a bit of doubt in the minds of the defender. 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. He will play his natural game.

Set Pieces


Corners - Trent
Free Kicks - Trent
Penalties - Salah
Subs


If Winning
70 mins - Witsel for Henderson - Keep it safe, fresh legs and generally adding a defensive mentality to the midfield.
80 Mins - Keita for Mane - Change to a 3-5-2 to dominate midfield.
80 Mins - Lozano for Salah - Fresh legs.
If Drawing
65 Mins - Ox for Henderson - Add a bit more urgency into attacks.
75 Mins - Mount for Matip - Change into a 4-3-3 and push higher up.
80 Mins - Suarez for Bobby - Poaching play to finish off chances as we throw the kitchen sink at them.
If Losing
65 Mins - Reus for Matip - Plays second striker to add attacking threats.
80 Mins - Suarez for Bobby - Poaching play to finish off chances as we throw the kitchen sink at them.
posted on 28/8/19
High tempo attacking 4-3-3
At home we setup with an attacking side to take the game to Arsenal, playing with a high tempo in defence and attack. We have a cm trio that are all strong defensively, giving freedom to our attacking freedom to get the best out of them. Jesus comes in up top, giving us a forward to run the channels and a front three full of pace. The wide forwards have freedom to drift inside or wide to find space, width will be provided by an attacking full back.
Quick passing and moving to find space in between the opposition lines. Using the pace of our front trio to stretch the opposition and create the space for our midfielders to dominate possession.
In the midfield trio we have two players that can help us control possession either side of Rodri offering the athleticism. All three are strong defensively, Ceballos and Thiago both offering a high work rate off the ball.
In defence Rodri drops behind the other two cms who press the play as the trio narrow, similarly in attack Rodri stays deepest but the trio do not play so narrow. We have a defence full of pace and great energy in front so play a reasonably high line, helping us press Arsenal in high area, and aiding distribution out from the back line.
We look to play our usual high tempo attacking game and take the game to Arsenal, seeking to exploit space behind their midfield. We have a strong side defensively and in attack, our team is built to give Hazard, Felix, Thiago and Ceballos the space and freedom to find the ball in space in attacking positions to hurt Arsenal.
Laporte the man marker next to Varane who is free to use his pace to sweep up. In midfield, the trio narrow in front with Rodri dropping behind as dm, allowing the other two to press with cover. The wide forward on the side of play drops deep to add protection in front of the fb and next to the two pressing cms. Closing down the space, narrowing to the side of play. Win the ball back from Arsenal quickly before they can get anywhere.
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 high tempo play. We look to vary our play, we can go long from the back or Neuer to mix the play up.
We have a trio who can all drop deep to offer an option and collect the ball from defence, a fluid midfield. Likewise a fluid front three, who can switch positions or drop deep to collect the ball from midfield. This fluidity will help the players to get away from their markers, catch the opposition out and create space. As we move forward we get quick one twos in the opposition half.
------------------ Neuer ------------------
----------------------------------------------
Carvajal -- Varane -- Laporte -- Mendy
----------------------------------------------
----- Thiago --- Rodri --- Ceballos ------
-----------------------------------------------
--- J.Felix -------------------- Hazard ---
------------------- Jesus ------------------
Subs. Schmeichel, Pavard, Tolisso, Coutinho, L.Sane, Zaha, Lautaro
Defending high
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 gets into a narrow rigid formation behind the ball in position to press high up the park. Stop them breaking and press them high up the park.
In a narrow, rigid formation, we will look to press the space, not allowing them options. Keep them from advancing to positions where they can’t hurt us, by trying to win the ball back very quickly. Then break quickly in these high positions when we do win the ball.
As Arsenal advance into higher areas of the park and into our half, our shape will resemble a 4-1-3-2. Our wide forward on the side of play will track any forward runs made by their fb, and Rodri drops behind the other two cms . Rodri pressing the space behind Thiago and Ceballos pressing the ball, sweeping up danger behind them and in front of the defence.
The wide forward opposite play drops with Jesus in the space in between the opposition defence and midfield, and either side of dm. This will make it difficult for their to dm to circulate possession back to their defence.
The wide forward and the two cms are the trio pressing the ball, and look to force Arsenal backwards. With the two forwards left forward this is where we look to press the opposition into mistakes and win the ball in high areas. With pace to join the attack quickly and overload Arsenal.
When Arsenal get past the initial press higher up the park, we drop deeper into a narrower tighter formation narrowing to the side of play, ensuring there are no gaps in the formation. Our fb’s have fantastic pace up against their wide forwards, bide their time, not diving in.
Subs.
If winning after 70 mins bring on Sane for Felix. Fresh pace, and more natural width.
If winning after 75 mins bring on Tolisso for Ceballos. Fresh legs and power as the game opens up.
If winning after 80 mins bring on Lautaro for Jesus. Fresh pace and power up top.
If drawing after 70 mins bring on Zaha and Sane for Ceballos and Felix. Rodri dm, Thiago cm, Hazard AM. Zaha RW, Sane LW. More natural width.
If drawing after 75 mins bring on Tolisso for Rodri. Fresh pace in important area of park to keep tempo up. More of a goal threat too.
If losing after 60 mins bring on Sane and Zaha for Ceballos and Felix. Rodri dm, Thiago cm, Hazard AM. Zaha RW, Sane LW. More natural width.
If losing after 75 mins bring on Tolisso for Rodri.
posted on 28/8/19
Attacking 4-3-3
At home, we aim to dominate the midfield and control the game playing a copy of Pep's City formation. With great pace at the back, we play a reasonably high line, using our two pacey wingers to stretch the game and pin back the opposition full backs, creating the space for our get our central to dominate possession of the ball. Benzema up top offers the perfect front man to help us control possession, and also to get on the end of our wide mens crosses.
We have four of City's key midfielders from last season, while Danilo and Mahrez also add a former City partnership on the right.
Going forward we look to use the ability of our central trio in tight spaces to get behind the Toon midfield, and then play one of our attacking trio through on goal. We will look to spread the ball wide, get our wingers on the last men in defence. They stay wide on the touchline in the first two thirds of the park. In the final third they have freedom to stay wide or to look to get inside their man and through on goal.
One full back bombs forward at a time, combining with the winger to double up on the opposition full back.
Defensively we drop into a narrow 4-1-4-1 formation. The two wide men get back in to help us defend in a narrow shape. Fernandinho the midfielder dropping deeper behind the midfield four, sweeping up any danger in between the lines as the free man. The four midfielders in front of him look to press the ball, as the whole side narrows to the side of play. Closing out any space.
Rudiger is the central forward that man marks their forward, he has the pace and power to mark their most advanced forward. Romagnoli one of the best in the game for reading the play and mopping up is the sweeper of the two. Both importantly are strong on the ball.
----------------- Arrizabalaga
Danilo --- Rudiger --- Romagnoli --- Theo.H
------------------ Fernandinho
----------- Gundogan---- D.Silva
Mahrez -------------------------------- Lemar
-------------------- Benzema
Subs: Henderson, Hakimi, Allan, Palacios, di Maria, Neres, Cutrone
Our defensive unit consists of Rudiger and Romagnoli paired up at centre-back, Danilo at right-back and Hernandez at left-back, with Fernandinho as our defensive midfielder screening them.
Helping the defenders maintain solid positioning is a key part of Fernandinho's role, he will press almost anywhere in his own half to allow the bank of four defenders and midfielders to maintain their position, ensuring the zonal structure shape is maintained with no space for the opposition to work in.
Attack
We will control the tempo of our attacking play. Looking to play quickly when we feel we can counter, or slow the play when the opposition are back in a solid structure.
One of Danilo or Theo can surge up the wings in the knowledge that there are three other defenders to cover. As they come up the wings, both Mahrez and Lemar who are excellent in tight spaces and fantastic dribblers will cut inside or make runs into the box.
Our two central midfielders are excellent in tight spaces and will look to link up with the wingers, playing quick one twos to set them off into space, or taking the time to play daring through balls that will cut the opposition open.
Benzema will occupy the opposition’s centre backs, holding up possession and looking to turn the defender and shoot. He’ll be strong in the air and look out for his teammates trying to pick him out from deep. He'll get in the box, and always provide an option for the wide players. The winger opposite play always looks to get into the box adding an extra option for the wide player looking to cross or create in the middle.
Subs.
After 70 mins bring on Allan for Fernandinho . Fresh energy in an important position.
After 75 mins bring on Cutrone for Benzema and Di Maria for Lemar.
posted on 29/8/19
--------------------- Courtois ------------------
Cancelo -- Koulibaly --- Umtiti --- F.Mendy
------------- Busquets --- Ndombele --------
Bernardo ---------- Dybala ---------- Asensio
---------------------- Icardi --------------------
Subs:
Manolas, Godin, J.Martinez, Hudson-Odoi, Bale, Werner, Piatek
Captain: Koulibaly
Free Kicks: Dybala
Penalties: Icardi
Corners: B.Silva
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 Icardi will be key components of this style as we feel we pose threats from all angles with plenty of goals in our lineup. Busquets and Ndombele offer great quality and protection on the ball from a slightly deeper position as they both possess a fantastic range of passing, ability to break up the play and initiate 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 front four offering an immediate outlet when we win back possession. Turning defence into attack in the blink of an eye.
Defence:
We go with a strong defensive unit at the back, packed with quality and experience we look to nullify the threat posed by the oppositions attack. If the opposition play one up top then Koulibaly will mark. Strong, pacy and aggressive we feel he has all the tools to deal with any opponent. Umtiti will sweep up and cover in behind, a fantastic reader at the back he also has great covering speed should they look to play the ball over the top. We will look to be dominant and physically impose ourselves early on. Given the quality of the opposition it is important that the free CB acts as secondary cover to also support our fullbacks.
Our fullbacks will stick tight to the wide men, safe in the knowledge that they have supporting cover in behind with Busquets also drifting across from DM to offer additional support. When in possession both Cancelo and Mendy have license to push forward with both having great quality in the final third. We look to draw the opposition onto us by sitting deep when they are in possession, limiting the space in behind and drawing them further up the field creating space for us to hit them on the counter.
Midfield:
Busquets will be our holding player in the middle of the field. A top class DM we rely on his fantastic reading of the game to break up the opposition play, winning back possession and setting us up on the counter as we look to get the ball into our creative players as quickly as possible. He’ll pick up their most advance CM or drift across to offer cover on the wingers. He’s also a fantastic passer which will be key on winner the midfield battle and ball retention. Alongside him we have the powerhouse Ndombele. A real box to box threat he forms the perfect double pivot in front of our defence. He and Busquets will control that area of the field and physically impose themselves on the opposition . Whilst he also has great distribution Ndombele has license to push forward and carry the ball in possession. Run at the opposition, drawing them in before releasing one of our front 4. We feel that due to his sheer size and dual threat of passing and dribbling he could create a real mismatch in this area of the field.
Attack:
Goals will be the name of the game and we go with quality all across our frontline with B.Silva and Asensio looking to get at the opposition when in possession whilst Icardi leads the line and Dybala floats in behind, dropping into pockets of space to link up the midfield and attack making himself extremely difficult to pick up.
Asensio starts on the left, we look to his directness and speed to get in behind the opposition and whip balls across the face of goal for Icardi to tap home. We feel this dovetails nicely with the threat we possess on the other flank, B.Silva stations on the right but has license to cut infield at any moment, a proficient dribbler with incredible work rate, he will look to get on the ball as much as possible and really set our tempo in attack. With fantastic vision and distribution he will look to be our creator in chief.
Dybala plays centrally, floating between the lines he will have space to work his magic. He will look to get himself forward alongside Icardi adding an additional threat when the ball is in the box whilst also having license to go direct for goal from distance and a penchant for the spectacular.
Icardi plays up top. The brief is simple for the Argentine, get into the box and do what you do best. With the creativity and craft of B.Silva and Dybala, coupled with the breakaway speed of Asensio we feel he will be presented with plenty of chances and his predatory instincts could well see him enjoy a favourable afternoon.
Subs;
If winning:
70 mins: Dybala off, Martinez on. Switch to a defensive 4-3-3.
80 mins: Bernardo off, Manolas on. Switch to 5-4-1 shut up shop time as we see the game out with a solid defensive unit.
If drawing:
60 mins: Ndombele off, Bale on. Bernardo moves centrally with Bale adding fresh legs and an extra dimension to our attack.
75 mins: Dybala off, Werner on. We move to an attacking 4-2-2-2 formation with a front two of Werner & Icardi with Bale & Asensio on the flanks.
If losing:
55 mins: Ndombele off, Bale on.
65 mins: Umtiti and Dybala off, Werner & Piatek on. We revert to 3-4-3 with Icardi, Piatek and Werner up top as we go for goals, goals, goals.
posted on 29/8/19
Comment deleted by Site Moderator
posted on 30/8/19
NORWICH CITY v Southampton
-----------------------Müller
Aarons----Godfrey---------Aké -------Lewis
--------------Eiting--------Sanches
Wilson--------------Brooks-------------James
----------------------Dolberg
Free Kicks – Wilson (then Buendía from 75 mins)
Subs: Ward, Ampadu, Berge, Buendía, Almirón, Pukki, Parrott
Our defensive unit consists of Ben Godfrey and Nathan Aké paired up at centre-back, Max Aarons at right-back and Jamal Lewis at left-back, with Carel Eiting and Renato Sanches as our midfield ‘double pivot’ screening them.
This ‘double pivot’ is the key to our team and in Eiting and Sanches 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 Sanches can press the ball without leaving lots of space, as Eiting 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 Sanches’s role, he will press almost anywhere in his own half to allow defenders to stay in the defensive line.
With Sanches running his socks off for the team, our high tempo will dictated by his partner in holding midfield, Carel Eiting.
A holding midfielder through and through, Eiting 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 Eiting such a talent.
The attacking unit consists of Harry Wilson, David Brooks and Daniel James as our band of three attacking midfielders with Kasper Dolberg 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 Eiting or Sanches, then our 4-2-3-1 can spring into attack.
Aarons and Lewis can surge up the wings in the knowledge that Eiting and Sanches can drop into the space left behind if needed. As they come up the wings, both Harry Wilson and Daniel James, who are fast speed merchants, excellent in tight spaces and fantastic dribblers will cut inside or make runs into the box. David Brooks our attacking central midfielder’s low centre of gravity will enable him to navigate away from defenders at a frighteningly quick pace. Brooks 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 Wilson, James and Dolberg in via fast passing combinations.
Up front Dolberg’s biggest strength is his ability to move between the lines, which will make him extremely difficult to mark. Dropping into midfield will allow space for Wilson and James to advance and make runs from out to in. From these positions, they can make attempts on goal. Also, Dolberg has the ability to switch positions with our wide players, allowing them the freedom to move inside.
Dolberg’s speed on and off the ball is an attribute that will cause our opposition lots of problems. His movement deep into midfield will give him the opportunity to receive the ball without being marked and drive with the ball towards the goal.
Subs on 75 mins
Buendía, Almirón, Pukki on for Wilson, Brooks & Dolberg respectively
Triple substitution - Loads of fresh legs and pace to trouble the opposition for a late goal regardless of the score line
posted on 31/8/19
LIVERPOOL
___________Pope
Trips____de Ligt___Sule___Zinchenko
__________Kovacic
________Rakitic___Fabian
Sancho______Kane________Sterling
SUBS: Sanchez, Kessie, Haidara, Castro, Son, Ziyech, Can
Captain: Harry Kane
Penalties: Harry Kane
Corners: Rakitic
Freekicks: Rakitic
Crossing Freekick: Rakitic
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: Haidara comes on for Fabian, our legs will start to tire, so will theirs, Haidara will add box to box ability and energy late in the game.
75 mins: Ziyech comes on for Sancho, a different style of forward play for the opposition to think about.
If winning 80 mins: Kessie comes on for Can to close out the game. He is capable in deep midfield alongside Kovacic in a 4-2-3-1.
If losing/drawing 80 mins: Son comes on for Rakitic and play 2 up front.
posted on 31/8/19
PORTSMOUTH vs Chelsea
----------------------------------------De Gea-----------------------------------
--------------------Militao---------Ramos-----------Diallo----------------
---------------------------Goretzka---------Verratti-------------------------
AWB------------------------------------------------------------------------Gaya
----------------------------------------Pogba--------------------------------------
------------------------Aguero-----------------Martial----------------------
Subs - Butland, Azpilicueta, Rice, Pjanic, SMS, Alli, Mateta
CAPTAIN - RAMOS
CK'S - VERRATTI
FK'S - POGBA
PENALTIES - AGUERO
When we don't have possession of the ball in our half I want the whole team except the strikers and Pogba to get in our half and defend. Play a deep defensive line so that oppo can't use their pacy forwards to beat the offside trap. When we win possession of the ball I want the players to keep hold of possession and try and work some space. We have good ball players in Verratti and Goretzka in the centre and they will help keep us ticking.
Defence
De Gea in net, command your box and don't do anything flashy. The defence is well balanced, with all 3 CB's having the pace to play the 3atb formation with ease. Ramos will focus on the oppo striker and will look to stick close to him and to watch out for his attacking runs. Militao and Diallo will look to stop the oppo LW/RW from creating chances as they will be helping our wingbacks double up on them. When either Militao or Diallo go to help the wingbacks I want Verratti to just sit a little more deep as to give Ramos some extra cover should someone from the opposition midfield make a late run into the box. Wingbacks 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. Watch out for oppo wingers and stop them cutting in onto their stronger foot.
Centre Mids
Goretzka + Verratti
Verratti will be the more defensive of the two as I want him to focus on helping out in covering for our wingbacks when they are out of position. Main job is to get the ball from deep and look to open up the oppo with your superb range of passing. Use your low centre of gravity to get away from oppo challenges and play quick simple passes with your teammates to work some space in the middle. Also when the oppo AM has the ball close him down asap don't give him time on the ball. Goretzka will play a b2b role. Make runs forward and play pass and move passes with teammates and help the attack whenever you can. They both will be the engines that keep us ticking in the middle.
Wing backs
AWB + Gaya
AWB and Gaya will look to help both in attack and defence. When the oppo has the ball come back into the defence to make a rock solid back 5. Make forays forward when we have the ball in the oppos side of the pitch but track back when we don't. Get some low crosses into the box as my strikers are good at playing in between the lines.
Attack Mid
Paul Pogba
Pogba will be playing in AM today. We feel it is his best position as we will release all defensive duties for him and all he has to focus on is scoring/creating chances for others. I want him to use his strength and power to take on the oppo DM and to hassle him at every opportunity. Use your strength to hold the ball up and wait for the killer runs of Martial and Aguero so your can time your passes to perfection. Make runs into the box and use your height to win headers if there are crosses into the box.
Strikers
Aguero + Martial
I want both the strikers to use their pace and play off of the oppo shoulders and try and beat the offside trap. Be aware of lofted through balls and time your runs as best as you can. When in the box use your quickness and agility to get into good positions away from oppo defenders.
IF WINNING BY 65 MINS
Take off Aguero and put on Rice in DM to give the defence even more protection. Formation will be 361 and AWB and Gaya will make less attacking runs now. SMS on for Pogba and Pjanic on for Goretzka aswell.
IF LOSING BY 65 MINS
Take off Goretzka and put on Mateta in strike. Mateta will play in the middle of Martial and Aguero who both will play close to each other and put a tonne of pressure in the oppo defence. Defend high up and try and score a goal.
IF DRAWING BY 65MINS
Pjanic on for Verratti
SMS on for Pogba
Mateta on for Martial
Fresh legs.
posted on 31/8/19
SOUTHAMPTON vs Norwich
------------------------------------Pickford-----------------------
Odriozola----------R Dias--------------Upamecano---------Chilwell
------------------------------------Torreira--------------------------------------
-----------------Lo Celso------------------------N'Kunku---------------------
-------------------------------------Paqueta----------------------------------------
-------------------------Haller-----------------Kean--------------------
Subs - Lunin, Kabak, Tielemans, J Rodríguez, Richarlison, Under, Dembele
CAPTAIN - DIAS
CK'S - LO CELSO
FK'S - LO CELSO
PENALTIES - HALLER
We are going for the 4132 formation this week. We will be focusing on playing through the middle but Lo Celso and Nkunku have freedom to drift to the wings from time to time as they have a good variety of passing so they can cross the ball into the box for the big man Haller.
I want us to hold a deep defensive line to start of with so the oppo don't get an early goal. Keep things simple in the beginning and only pressure the oppo when they get in our half. The main tactic in our attack will be to use Haller to win the aerial duels and to flick the ball forward to Kean, who can use his pace to get away from the oppo defence.
Defence
Pickford is a quality keeper. Don't take risks. Punch the ball away if the shot is too powerful. Command your area. The defence is well balanced. Dias and Upamecano bring a whole lot of power and pace to the defence. Dias will use his expert marshalling ability to marshal the defence and Upamecano 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. Torreira will be covering for them when they go attacking.
Defence Mids
Torreira
Torreira will be the anchor in the middle. Stay back in front of the defence and protect the defence with your life. Cover for our FB's when they go attacking. Torreira will also be the bridge to connect the defence and midfield. I want him to get the ball from deep and look for the runs of players around him. He is an excellent passer and I want him to use all the different variety he can. Play long through balls for Kean to run on to. Play long balls into Haller so he can use his strength to hold the ball. Torreira will be the lynchpin for my team.
Lo Celso will look to pick the ball up from deep and use his pace and energy to dribble the ball out. Make runs forward and help our attacking players whenever you can. Play quick passes forward and drift on over to the wings from time to time and whip in some crosses into the box for Haller to get onto as you have a great cross on you. When not in possession of the ball I want him to close down the oppo CM's and to not give them anytime to dictate play.
Nkunku will have a similar role to Lo Celso but his will be more focused on him using his power to complement the more technical Lo Celso. He can attack and defend with ease and he will be the engine in the middle.
Attack Mid
Lucas Paqueta
Paqueta will be playing just behind Haller and Kean and will be the playmaker to create chances for our forwards. 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.
Strikers
Haller + Kean
Haller will look to use his strength to get the better of the oppo defence. Be vary of crosses/long balls into the box as you are very good 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 Kean to make runs ahead of you.
Kean will look to use his pace to trouble the oppo defence. He has pace to burn and with Haller by his side he will get ample opportunities to use that pace. Time your runs off of the oppo defenders shoulders and be on the lookout for through balls/flick ons from Haller.
Subs if LOSING BY 65MINS
Put on Richarlison for Nkunku and Under for Lo Celso to bring some more attacking impetus on. James Rodríguez on for Paqueta aswell. Play a high line and try and get a goal. Change formation to 41212.
------------------------------------Pickford--------------------------------
Odriozola------------R Dias-------Upamecano------------Chilwell
------------------------------------Torreira------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Under--------------------------------------------------------------Richarlison
------------------------------------Rodriguez-------------------------------
---------------------------Haller--------------Kean------------------------
Subs if WINNING BY 80MINS
Take off Kean and put on Kabak in CB. Play defensive with everyone except Haller in our own half defending for their lives. Tielemans on for Paqueta and to add a bit more energy into the midfield. If we win possession from deep I want to hoof it upfield to Haller so he can use his strength to shield the ball and to try and win a foul.
------------------------------------Pickford--------------------------------
Odriozola------Kabak----Upamecano------R Dias-------Chilwell
------------Tielemans--------Torreira------Nkunku----------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------Kean----------Haller----------------------------------
Subs if DRAWING BY 65MINS
James Rodríguez on for Paqueta
Richarlison on for Kean
Dembele on for Haller
Fresh legs to bring on.
posted on 1/9/19
Man City
----------------------- Areola -----------------------
Guilbert ---- Skriniar ---- Bonucci ---- Marcelo
---------------------- W.Ndidi ----------------------
Gnabry ------- Bruno ----- Neves ------- Ribery
------------------- Lewandowski ------------------
Heaton, Mukiele, McGinn, Maier, Ferran, Barnes, Lukaku
Control possession high up the field, pass and move into positions that can hurt them, when we defend we do so as a team with two banks of four with Ndidi an insurance between the two lines and Wesley harassing their backline and really pressurise them into quick , misplaced passes for us to pick up, in their face performance, especially Ndidi, Neves and Bruno in the centre as we try to nullify their midfield and stop them creating chances for the forwards.
Guilbert and Marcelo 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 Lewandowski. They look to play one twos with the midfield 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.. Skriniar the more mobile and quicker CB will mark the CF, use his strength and speed to keep the CF away from the danger area. Bonucci alongside is the spare defender and helps out where needed, both powerful defenders, Both will dominate in the air and both 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 cbs up for corners, fullbacks stay back and a midfielder just sitting in front of them. 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..
Ndidi's primary role in front of the defence 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, he also has a mean shot from distance and isn't afraid to have a go. Bruno's main responsibility is to both create chances for the three attackers in front of him and indeed score the goals himself. He will often find himself the furthest forward of the three midfielders and sometimes even in the number 9 role if the correct situation arises. The main requirement of Bruno 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, Gnabry especially I want to drive on the outside and play as a natural winger not an inside forward. both sides will definitely pose a threat with quick one twos, using Neves/Bruno 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 Bruno to get into danger areas. Both wingers have a fantastic forward to aim for in Lewandowski so if they get to the bye line then get the crosses in for him to attack.Lewandowski will get plenty chances, however he must put away there side who will be solid at the back, however I want to bully the slower/weaker of the two/three with the aid of Bruno 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/weaker 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 Ribery and Gnabry 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 Bruno and Neves driving forward 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 - Bonucci
Pens - Lewandowski/Replacement
Free Kicks - Bruno
Corners - Bruno
Subs -
60 Mins - Barnes on for Ribery, fresh legs
Losing -
75 Mins - Lukaku for Neves - we go 442 and a bit more direct to Lukaku
80 Mins - McGinn for Guilbert, Marcelo to LCB in a 3, McGinn to add ectra drive in midfield and Bruno to No.10 3412
Winning -
75 Mins - Maier for Bruno, more defence minded to help stop there more advanced subs
80 Mins - McGinn for Neves, all out action again to stop their threats 451
Drawing -
70 Mins - McGinn for Neves
80 Mins - Lukaku for Lewandowski
posted on 1/9/19
------------------------ Oblak ------------------------
Walker ----- van Dijk ----- Lucas.H ----- Schulz
-------------- Fabinho ------ de Jong --------------
Mbappe ------------- Eriksen ------------- Neymar
---------------------- E.Cavani ----------------------
Gunn, Llorente, Zaniolo, Aouar, Bailey, Kluivert, Belotti
Our game is based soley on 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, the back 4 must stay solid with Fabinho and de Jong ahead of them just in front harassing the man with the ball before they get to our back 4 and our midfield will be in and around the half way line, Cavani slightly higher up, this will congest the midfield and allow us 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.
van Dijk picks up the CF not much gets passed him, Lucas 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, both must attack high balls to get the ball away from the opposition big men. 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. both are huge threat down the flanks. If either get caught up field I want Fabinho to drift to the side and this allows the fullbacks to make their way to midfield to cover. I want both van Digt and Lucas to go up for corners, with the fullbacks and Fabinho sitting back.
In the centre of the pitch are Fabinho, de Jong and Eriksen. Fabinho our deepest player sitting just in front of the CB's he will shadow there AM and not allow him to control the game, Eriksen and de Jong have to be disciplined and lend a hand to stop them coming through. Fabinho 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 he is always looking for the ball to start again if need be, 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. de Jong slightly higher up the pitch, and our playmaker, he makes things tick in the centre, 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 Fabinho as best as possible and again in possession get it to the front 3 but also look for fullbacks and Eriksen 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. Eriksen is essential to our style of play, he is the link between defence and attack, I want him higher up the pitch today so as we break quickly he will look to set up our front three and at times be in an advanced No.10 role and look for the de Jong/Fabinho/CB 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 Mbappe and Neymar will cause them problems drifting in an out, thus allowing Eriksen 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 Cavani who can beat any defender with power and what pace he has left and the other winger (Mbappe or Neymar) 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 Leao who will sit on the last foot so he can spring them and have a shoot or sight mentality, 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 by dropping slightly back to get numbers for the attack. We are quick up front so when we hit their defence they will struggle to cope especially as the game comes to the last 10/15ins as defenders tire with the movement and the pace we do it at
Captain - van Dijk
Pens - Neymar
Corners - Wingers
Free Kicks - Neymar(left), Eriksen(right)
Subs:-
70 Mins - Belotti for Cavani straight swap
Losing - 75 Mins - Bailey for Schulz, he goes to RW, Mbappe using his pace up front and Walker to RCB 3412
82 Mins - Kluivert for Eriksen, Neymar up top, Kluivert LW 343
Winning -
75 Mins - Aouar for Eriksen and we put Fabinho into a deep role in front of defence with Aouar and de jong either side
85 Mins - Llorente for de Jong to shore it up in the closing mins
Drawing -
75 Mins - Aouar for de Jong - straight swap
posted on 5/9/19
Fixture 2
Chelsea v Leicester
Southampton v Arsenal
Newcastle v Portsmouth
Bournemouth v Norwich City
Tottenham v Wolverhampton
Manchester City v Liverpool
posted on 5/9/19
Bournemouth Week 2 (home to Norwich)
Captain: Benítez
Vice Captain: Roca
Team:
--------------------Benítez
Emerson--Romero—Gabriel--Lodi
---------------------Roca
-----------Guimarães---Arthur
Mendez----------------------------Vargas
--------------------Gomez
SUBS: Musso, William, Murilo, Fernandes, Pyerre, Zaracho, Cunha
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: Benítez 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: Roca 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. Guimarães and Arthur will play just in front of Roca. Guimarães will be a more box to box type. He will be involved all over and will offer as much in defence as in attack. Arthur 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 Mendez and Vargas 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 Arthur, Guimarães and Gomez 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 Guimarães may sit a bit deeper allowing Arthur 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.
Gomez 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: Arthur, Vargas or Mendez with Romero, Gabriel, Roca and Gomez to offer an aerial threat. Arthur and Vargas (with his thunderbolt left foot) may try their luck with several free kicks from distance.
Penalties: Gomez
Substitutions: (if winning on 80 minutes) Murilo for Gabriel, Cunha for Gomez and Pyerre for Guimarães, 3 like for like substitutions.
If losing (on 80 minutes) Zaracho for Guimarães and Cunha for Mendez. Shift to a 4-1-3-2 attack. Cunha and Zaracho offering fresh legs, pace and a bit of the unknown in attack.
---------------Roca
Zaracho---Arthur----Vargas
--------Gomez---Cunha
----------------------------------------------------------------------
posted on 6/9/19
---------------------- Areola ------------------------
Mukiele ---- Skriniar ---- T.Mings ---- Marcelo
----------------------- Ndidi ------------------------
--------------- Bruno ------- Pjanic ---------------
Gnabry ------------------------------------ D.Jota
------------------ Lewandowski -------------------
Heaton, Guilbert, Neves, Maier, McNeil, Lazaro, Lukaku
Control possession high up the field, pass and move into positions that can hurt them, when we defend we do so as a team with two banks of four with Ndidi an insurance between the two lines and Wesley harassing their backline and really pressurise them into quick , misplaced passes for us to pick up, in their face performance, especially Ndidi, Pjanic and Bruno in the centre as we try to nullify their midfield and stop them creating chances for the forwards.
Mukiele and Marcelo 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 Lewandowski. They look to play one twos with the midfield 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.. Skriniar will mark the CF, use his strength and speed to keep the CF away from the danger area. Mings alongside is the spare defender and helps out where needed, both powerful defenders, Both will dominate in the air and both 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 cbs up for corners, fullbacks stay back and a midfielder just sitting in front of them. 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..
Ndidi's primary role in front of the defence 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.
Pjanic 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, he also has a mean shot from distance and isn't afraid to have a go. Bruno's main responsibility is to both create chances for the three attackers in front of him and indeed score the goals himself. He will often find himself the furthest forward of the three midfielders and sometimes even in the number 9 role if the correct situation arises. The main requirement of Bruno 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, Gnabry especially I want to drive on the outside and play as a natural winger not an inside forward. both sides will definitely pose a threat with quick one twos, using Pjanic/Bruno 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 Bruno to get into danger areas. Both wingers have a fantastic forward to aim for in Lewandowski so if they get to the bye line then get the crosses in for him to attack.Lewandowski will get plenty chances, however he must put away there side who will be solid at the back, however I want to bully the slower/weaker of the two/three with the aid of Bruno 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/weaker 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 Jota and Gnabry 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 Bruno and Pjanic driving forward 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 - Marcelo
Pens - Lewandowski/Replacement
Free Kicks - Pjanic
Corners - Bruno
Subs -
60 Mins - Lazaro for Jota, switch with Gnabry
Losing -
75 Mins - Lukaku for Bruno 4-4-2
83 Mins - McNeil for Marcelo, Mukiele to RCB, McNeil to LW and Gnabry to the left of Lewandowski - 3-4-3
Winning -
75 Mins - Neves for Bruno, 451
83 Mins - Lukaku for Lewandowski
Drawing -
75 Mins - Neves for Pjanic, Lukaku for Lewandowski
posted on 6/9/19
Red Card
GK - Heaton for Bruno 4-4-1
RB - Gulibert for Bruno (to RB) - 4-4-1
LB - Guilbert for Bruno (to LB) 4-4-1
CB - Guilbert for Bruno (to RB, Mukiele to CB)
Ndidi - Neves for Bruno
Bruno - Nothing
Pjanic - Neves for Bruno
Winger - Bruno shift out wide
Lewandowski - Lukaku for Bruno
posted on 7/9/19
------------------------ J.Oblak -------------------------
Walker ------ van Dijk ------ Lenglet ------ Lucas.H
--------------- Fabinho ------- de Jong ----------------
Mbappe --------------- Pogba ---------------- Neymar
----------------------- Lacazette ------------------------
Gunn, Llorente, Tonali, Chiesa, Bailey, Schulz, Belotti
Our game is based soley on 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, the back 4 must stay solid with Fabinho and de Jong ahead of them just in front harassing the man with the ball before they get to our back 4 and our midfield will be in and around the half way line, Lacazette slightly higher up, this will congest the midfield and allow us 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.
van Dijk picks up the CF not much gets passed him, Lenglet 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, both must attack high balls to get the ball away from the opposition big men. 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. both are huge threat down the flanks. If either get caught up field I want Fabinho to drift to the side and this allows the fullbacks to make their way to midfield to cover. I want both van Dijk and Lucas to go up for corners, van Dijk has a terrific leap so will be a huge threat, with the fullbacks and Fabinho sitting back.
In the centre of the pitch are Fabinho, de Jong and Pogba. Fabinho our deepest player sitting just in front of the CB's he will shadow there AM and not allow him to control the game, Eriksen and de Jong have to be disciplined and lend a hand to stop them coming through. Fabinho 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 he is always looking for the ball to start again if need be, 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. de Jong slightly higher up the pitch, and our playmaker, he makes things tick in the centre, 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 Fabinho 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 between defence and attack, I want him higher up the pitch today so as we break quickly he will look to set up our front three and at times be in an advanced No.10 role and look for the de Jong/Fabinho/CB 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 Mbappe and Neymar will cause them problems drifting in an out, 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 Lacazette who can beat any defender with power and what pace he has left and the other winger (Mbappe or Neymar) 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 Lacazette who will sit on the last foot so he can spring them and have a shoot or sight mentality, can move central, 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 by dropping slightly back to get numbers for the attack he is a very tireless worker, who also helps defend from the from by harassing there back line/DM. We are quick up front so when we hit their defence they will struggle to cope especially as the game comes to the last 10/15ins as defenders tire with the movement and the pace we do it at
Captain - van Dijk
Pens - Lacazette/Mbappe
Corners - Wingers
Free Kicks - Neymar
Losing -
65 Mins - Chiesa for Pogba - he goes to RW, Mbappe up top with Lacazette 4-4-2
75 Mins - Bailey for Walker, Lucas to LCB, Bailey to LW, Neymar to LCF - 3-4-3
80 Mins - Belotti for Lacazette straight swap
Winning -
75 Mins - Llorente for Pogba, he goes right in between Fabinho and de Jong to strengthen our midfield
85 Mins - Schulz for Neymar 4-5-1, Schulz helping defensively
88 Mins - Belotti for Lacazette
Drawing -
70 Mins - Chiesa for Pogba, switch with Mbappe, he will make the runs just off Lacazette
80 Mins - Belotti for Lacazette, straight swap, Tonali for de Jong, will look to play the killer pass between the line for the front three to latch onto
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