SOTON vs Spurs
---------------------------------Dragowski-----------------------
-------------Fofana-------Upamecano------Badiashile---------
-------------------------Ndidi--------------Valverde---------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adama-----------------------Odegaard----------------------------Pulisic
--------------------Greenwood------------Rashford-------------------------
Subs - Dest, Ait-Nouri, Tonali, Szoboszlai, Reinier, Richarlison, Kean
CAPTAIN - RASHFORD
CK'S - ØDEGAARD
FK'S - ØDEGAARD
PENALTIES - RASHFORD
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. When we have the ball I want the team to play pass and move football. Don't stay static, try and get in behind the oppo defence as there is a lot of pace in our attacking players. As the game goes on, when we don't have the ball I want the team to defend from the front line and pressure the oppo and try and win possession back. Do this in fits and bursts as it is a tiring tactic.
Defence
GK to be confident in box. Don't take risks. Punch the ball away if the shot is too powerful. Command your area. The back 3 is well balanced and full of pace and power. Badiashile and Fofana will be playing as the outside CB's and will look to close down the oppo wingers. Upamecano in the middle will marshall the defence and look to snuff out any attacks from the oppo striker/s. All 3 of these CB's are very good at playing from the back and I want them to use that ability if they have some space to dribble into from defence.
Defence Mids
Ndidi + Valverde
These 2 will be the main defensive force to cover our defence. When the oppo LW is attacking down the wings I want Ndidi to close him down and put a tackle in or stop him getting to the byline. Likewise with Valverde who will be tasked with the same job against the oppo RW. This will allow our front five to focus solely on attacking with no defensive restrictions put on them. If either Ndidi or Valverde are helping out on the wings I want the other DM to stay in the middle of the pitch and close down the oppo AM if they play one. When in possession pass the ball out to the wings or to Ødegaard who will drop deep from time to time. Valverde will be allowed to stretch his legs and run with the ball from deep if there is space to do so in the centre of the pitch. But he must not forget his main job which is to protect the defence.
Wingers
Adama + Pulisic
These 2 will be the focal point of my attack. I want to give them the freedom to express themselves in attack so they do not have to track back and help out in defence. Pulisic will be looking to cut in from the left and Adama will be looking to get to the byline and whip some crosses into the box. I want you both to try and beat the oppo fullbacks with your pace and dribbling ability but don't try too hard as if you see them doubling up on you you can either pass back into the centre of the pitch to one of our DM's or play quick one two's with Ødegaard. The main role of the wingers will be to get some crosses, low balls into the box as we are playing 2 strikers in strike and it will be harder for the oppo defence to defend than the typical one striker they normally come up against. When we are defending corners I want both of them to stay near the halfway line so we can hit the oppo on the counter attack. .
Attack Mid
Martin Ødegaard
The Big Ø will be the playmaker and chance creator for our attackers. His technical ability on the ball is world class and he is the type of player that can run all match without getting tired. Off the ball I want him to press the oppo midfielders. When we have possession of the ball try and find space in the attacking third of the pitch for you to receive the ball and use your playmaking ability to create chances for the team. Look out for runs from our wingers and strikers and thread some pinpoint passes to them.
Strikers
Marcus Rashford MBE + Greenwood
These 2 blood brothers will be the main goalscorers of the team. Rashford is a striker that has the deadly combination of pace and finishing. He will look to use his pace to get the better of the oppo defence. Be vary of crosses into the box and try and get in front of your marker. Time your runs off the shoulders of the oppo CB's and use your pace to get away from them. Play quick pass and move combinations with your teammates to find spaces in the oppo defence.
Greenwood will use his physical ability and hold up play to bring others in to the game. He's a proper two footed striker equally as strong on his right as he is on his left so I don't want him to hesitate to shoot when he has an opportunity to shoot.
Subs if LOSING BY 65MINS
Put on Reinier for Valverde and Richarlison for Pulisic to bring some more attacking impetus on. Play a high line and put a lot of pressure on the oppo to win the ball back.
------------------------------------Dragowski-----------------------
-----------------Fofana------Upamecano-------Badiashile----------
----------------------------------------Ndidi--------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adama----------Odegaard------------Reinier------------Richarlison
--------------------Greenwood------------Rashford-------------------------
Subs if WINNING BY 80MINS
Take off Ødegaard and put on Tonali in DM. Play defensive with everyone in our own half defending for their lives, waiting to hit the oppo on the counter attack. . Take the wingers off and put on Dest and Ait Nouri as wingbacks who'll offer a lot more defensive stability.
-----------------------------------Dragowski-----------------------
------------Fofana-----------Upamecano--------Badiashile--------
------------------------------Tonali--------Ndidi------------------------------
Dest------------------------------Valverde-------------------------Ait-Nouri
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------Greenwood--------------Rashford----------------------
Subs if DRAWING BY 65MINS
Richarlison on for Pulisic
Kean on for Greenwood
Tonali on for Valverde
Fresh legs to bring on.
------------------------Neuer
Castagne---Soyuncu---Hermoso---Hernandez
----------------------Jorginho
--------------Foden--------Brozovic
Ocampos--------------------------------Barnes
-----------------------Kane
Pope
Denayer
Walker
Adams
Menino
Malen
Vardy
Injuries have hit us pretty hard this week, so some rotation has been put in place to try and cope. We have decided to maintain the 4-3-3 system, as performances seemed to have improved with it, and there is some semblance of stability coming through it as well. The defence remains much the same, which I believe to be an important part of stable growth, and Barnes and Brozovic make more than capable replacements coming in. I want to see us adopt the high intensity pressing system we have utilised so far, with a quick movement based possession system when we have control of the ball, relying mainly on 1-3 touch moves, allowing for nobody to be caught on the ball. The importance with this is to retain both the quick movement of the football, but also patience to not rush balls forward. If we need to move the ball around the back to keep it and draw the opposition on, then we have the players capable of playing such a game.
Building attacks from deep will be core to this system. The most important thing is that nobody in these deep roles should ever be left isolated. Option should be plentiful, with Jorginho and Neuer providing chances forward/backward, whilst there are also he individual defenders themselves. Brozovic will make himself busy, running widthways across the pitch, to provide a slightly wider option, helping to connect the FB with the wingers, and also supporting the overlap of the FB. Castagne should be our main driving outlet from deep, getting forward and carrying the ball into dangerous areas, whilst fitting the minimal touch system, whilst Hernandez will be more reticent in contributing to attacks. Usually, when Castagne pushes forward, Hernandez will slot inside, and a back three will be put into effect, however, should we be losing the game, Hernandez should be more entitled to contribute offensively. The midfield three that we have named is made up of players capable of coollecting the ball and moving it quickly. Jorginho will operate as a deep lying playmaker, and we shall rely on him to mainly dictate the play, as opposed to him being the deep presser. Brozovic will operate as the engine room, box-to-box option, whilst Foden serves as a more conventional outlet in the 10 role, looking to operate in between the lines, and find space to best utilise the attacking players in front of him. These three distinct roles should help with the transition process.
Once the ball is progressed into the other half, we should be looking at 6-7 players contributing offensively, drawn from the attackers, the two more advanced midfielders and then one or both FBs. This gives us plenty of options. Ocampos and Castagne should rotate their style of approach, with Castagne capable of serving as both an overlap and an underlap option. This will make it harder for the two of them to be tracked, as well as for the opposition to know the method that they will be attacked with. Barnes is a direct runner, looking to use his pace to get in behind. Because of this, we will see him cutting inside more frequently. As such, Foden will operate a slightly left-sided AM role, allowing for him to push out wide and flourish in the space left by whoever is given the job of tracking Barnes. This versatitlity gives us the ability to switch up our attacking approach plenty. As for Kane, well, we can rely on him to contribute aerially and on the ground. He is there to score goals, and create space for the other attackers. He can do both of these by keeping himself between the goalposts, and making a nuisance of himself. If he gets the odd cheeky ‘penalty’ then that’s just a bonus 😉
When we lose possession of the ball, the high press should be engaged. Routine now, but Kane will target the central players, mainly the CBs and GK. Foden will sit on the deeper midfield player, whilst Barnes and Ocampos will harry the FBs. This level of attention makes it difficult to play out from the back, forcing them either into mistakes or long balls forward. If the high press is beaten, then we need to buy time for Brozovic and the FBs to get into position. Brozovic will tuck in alongside Jorginho, and the two will alternate their pressing runs, with one sitting deeper in the pivot at all times, so that we don’t get outmanned at the back. Castagne and Hernandez should, by now, have been given plenty of time to get back into position.
Substitutions
If losing/drawing
Vardy on for Jorginho 65 mins
Brozovic will operate as a deeper lying midfielder, whilst Vardy will go up top and support Kane.
Malen on for Barnes 72 mins
A different slant on the 4-3-3, with Kane through the centre, and Vardy and Malen playing central support striker roles. Ocampos and Foden will operate as the wider CMs, both capable of pushing into the wider areas.
If winning
Denayer on for Barnes 70 mins
Change to a 3-4-3, with Brozovic dropping deeper, and Foden shifting to LW.
Bournemouth Tactics: League round 20 (Home to Wolves)
Captain: Ibañez
Vice Captain: Zubeldia
Team:
----------------Simón
Aarons--Ibañez—Botman---Lodi
---------------Zubeldia
-------W-Prowse---Gonçalves
Antony-------------------------Suárez
------------------Núñez
SUBS: Maximiano, Lewis, Araújo, Assunção, Guimarães, Sancet, Kaio
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: Simón is a big mobile keeper and very athletic. 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: Zubeldia 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. W-Prowse and Gonçalves will play just in front of Zubeldia. W-Prowse will be a more box to box type. He will be involved all over and will offer as much in defence as in attack. Gonçalves 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 Antony and Suárez 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 Gonçalves, W-Prowse and Núñez 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 W-Prowse may sit a bit deeper allowing Gonçalves 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.
Núñez 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: Gonçalves, Suárez or Antony with Ibañez, Botman, Zubeldia and Núñez to offer an aerial threat. Gonçalves and Suárez (with his thunderbolt left foot) may try their luck with several free kicks from distance.
Penalties: Núñez
Substitutions: (if winning on 80 minutes) Araújo for Botman, Kaio for Núñez and Guimarães for W-Prowse, 3 like for like substitutions.
If losing (on 80 minutes) Sancet for W-Prowse and Kaio for Antony. Shift to a 4-1-3-2 attack. Kaio and Sancet offering fresh legs, pace and a bit of the unknown in attack.
--------------Zubeldia
Sancet-----Gonçalves----Suárez
-----------Núñez---Kaio
Leicester vs PORTSMOUTH
The greatest team to ever grace a blue kit, steeped in heritage and prestige vs some team that are intrinsically linked with Walkers crisps. Leicester all joking apart are a quality out-fit and deservedly right up there at the sharp end, home advantage to makes filbert street a daunting place to visit, we have form and momentum in our favour plus the fact that Welshy knobbled his better defenders.
With all this in mind we’ve decided that Leicester should be attacked, we’re not playing possession for possession’s sake, that just gives RoF’s well drilled side to get back in 2 banks of four and sit-in. so Neves will sit as the quarter-back, pick his head up and go long, turn the Lesta players and let us exploit the spaces with pace and power.
……………………………………Ederson………………………….
Bellerin…………………..Dias…………Romagnoli……………Ferland
……………………………………Neves…………………………………….
Berardi……………………….Zaniolo……………………………Insigne
………………………Ronaldo………….Immobile…………………………
Subs: Pickford, Doherty, Todibo, Zagadou, Busquets, Belotti, Aguero
I know that’s a very aggressive attacking line-up but Kenny Dalglish once said that the best form of defence is to attack – I think he said that but his accents properly thick. RoF I imagine will go with a heavy handed approach to the midfield, this is ok though we’re expecting and as per my tweet the other day only 4 players have made over 50 tackles and 50 interceptions in this years Premierleague, one of the 4 was Ruuuuuuben Neves. Fantastic work-rate he’ll harry the ball carrier and slow him down, whilst our 3 attacking midfielders will cover the runs from Leicester’s midfielders quickly closing out any options, they have to play their own style of quick ball.
So yes we’re out-gunned centrally but going short there is part of the plan, we defend from the front. Ronaldo may be slowing down and he’s not great defensively but in a way that helps us today, by staying up top it very much cuts out the tippy-tappy nonsense before Leicester can even attempt to build from the back, if they get sloppy the last person you want running through on goal is Ronaldo – the greatest goal scorer of all time, other than Pele who seems to be counting goals scored playing in the garden with the grand-kids.
Immobile is such a hardworking front-man and his surname is ridiculously inaccurate, whilst Ronny stays central, Ciro will run the flanks and really harass the Leicester defenders into trying to go longer with their passes, by playing on our front foot we have a very good chance of winning turn-over balls in advanced positions.
Berardi and Insigne are two very skillful players, they’ll look to vary their runs and avoid being predictable, they can cut in and cause over-laps but it needs to be mixed with stretching the defence and banging some crosses in for #Ronaldomobile to get on the end of. Defensively I want the front-four to drop back no deeper than the half-way line.
Zaniolo is our #10 a really silky player we want him playing between the lines, look to operate in the space that Leicesters deepest midfielder will be operating in, not sure who’s marking whom but that’s his job, keep him occupied so he cant drop deep to help mark #Ronaldomobile, but come deep to offer Neves a simple pass – even if it’s not taken the intention will create some space for the other forwards to work in.
Neves is all action and we’ve gone through his skill set, shield the defence and slow them down waiting for the cavalry to get back. With the ball quick passes, bypassing Leicesters midfield and heavy press – their full-backs are quick but our wingers aren’t slouches either…. If we peg back their full backs deep in their half it takes some pressure off our own defenders.
Ferland and Bellerin I normally give them freedom to rampage forwards but today they’re much more restrained, they don’t go past half-way. So when we have possession they effectively operate in the space where we’d normally have Centre-Mids. Both are decent on the ball so what they’ll bring is wide cross-field diagonals – Neves out wide to either, then they hit one cross field the other way – we’re gonna make Leicester run like excited Collies. The advantage of them being in that space is that IF Leicester get the ball whilst Neves goes to the man and our AM’s are tracking-back Ferland and Bellerin are already in advanced positions to attack the spaces, use their speed and nip in to get the ball before damage is done.
Dias and Romagnoli – captain elect of City and Captain of Milan, these two are still young but battle hardened, Lautaro is out which is typical he scored the other week so its possible he’d have fired blanks today we expect to be facing Dybala who is the greatest #10 in world football. Dias will be his man get out to him quick and clatter him on his touch, Dibbles is great with ball to feet and comfy back to goal so we just have to keep nibbling away, Roma is the spare man (unless Rof goes two-up-top)
Subs 70 mins
Busquets > Neves (like for like)
Aguero > Immobile (like for like)
----------------------- Martinez -------------------------
Pereira ------ Kalidou ------ Skriniar ------ Chilwell
------------------------ Kamara -------------------------
--------------- T.Soucek ---- Tielemans --------------
Dembele ------------------------------------- S.Gnabry
------------------------- Lukaku -------------------------
Maignan, Lenglet, Koopmeiners, Aouar, Nkunku, Gouiri, Lacazette
Again, 343, 541, 433, all depends how the passage of play is going, we can transition into any of the above formations, we have two powerful CBs you defend the lines with everything they have, their job is to stop the striker getting any chances or at least any easy chances, they stay as a pair, they stay solid, they let nothing passed, Koulibaly man marks the striker, Skriniar supports him, clear everything, both clear first ask questions later, when in possession they can pass it out wide to fullbacks or to the midfielders ahead of them.
When we attack, Kamara is a very important part of this formation, he sits in front of the two CBs, sometimes right in between them forming a 3 man back line, this allows Pereira and Chiwell to attack, they can both go at the same time, we want to really have a go and if this means 7 going forward then so be it, we want to hit them with numbers and plenty of pace, The fullbacks drive down the line, which ever side it is use Soucek/Tielemans to get round defenders, quick one/twos, play the triangles to get up and beyond them, then they have Dembele and Gnabry as well the further afield they get, this is quick football, no messing today, once they are in space look to play it into Dembele or Gnabry or fire in a cross which will see plenty of numbers in the danger area to aim for as Soucek/Tielemans, opposite winger and Fullabck will be their waiting and obvs the main man Lukaku will be there to do what he does best, Soucek and Tielemans are the heart beat of the team, as said, fullbacks will use them to go round players as will wingers, there job is to make sure the run these players make isn't gone to waste as they play the ball into space for them to drive into, always available for the pass and will make the dangerous runs into the box to get on the end of the cross coming in. Lukaku always stays as No.9, he is a beast in the nicest of ways, he can be played in, he will shrug defenders off, can take them on, also, as crosses come in a very good chance he will win the header. If he cannot go for goal, hold it up, there will be players driving in from all angles, he just has to pick the right one out. For corners and set pieces lets pile pressure on them, we have plenty of power and heght with the CBs and Soucek in the danger area.
When defending Kamara's primary role in front of the defence or in the heart of it, he is the 'free' CB/DM, 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, he has a lot of grit and determination to his game so 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. We do go 4141 or 541 when defending our attacking fullbacks become proper fullbacks as they flit back into defence, again plenty numbers and easy transition from our attacking formation, the four more attacking midfielders make a bank of 4, not gonna say they are the best defensively, but if they make this line and keep focussed on the job ahead then it should be fine, harass them when they have the ball, look to make them play stupid misplaced passes so we can gather the ball and break with pace.
We must defend as a team tho, from the front, everyone hot on the tails of the opposition, we cant give away cheap goals,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 - Koulibaly
Free Kicks - Tielemans
Pens - Lukaku
Corners - Wingers
Subs -
Losing
70 Mins - Gouiri for Dembele, he goes LCF, Gnabry RCF more attacking with Kamara dropping itno CB and the FBs becoming attacking WBs, Aouar for Soucek at the same time
Winning -
70 Mins - Koopmeiners for Soucek, a bit more defensive
80 Mins - Nkunku for Dembele we are now playing 541
Drawing -
70 Mins - Aouar for Soucek, Gouiri for Dembele, switch with Gnabry
80 Mins - Nkunku for Gnabry
------------------------- Oblak --------------------------
W-Bissaka ---- Romero ---- Bastoni ---- Robertson
------------ K.Laimer ----------- Locatelli ------------
------------------------ Grealish ------------------------
------ Havertz ------- Mbappe -------- Neymar ------
Meslier, Konsa, de Jong, Ferran, Musiala, Daka, Raphinha
We like playing from the back and quick on the break and really pressurise the opposition with an in your face performance from the front we do not allow them to play from the back or allow their midfield to dominate, I want our front three play quite a high line, put pressure on the defence, we cant get in behind quite easily as there fullbacks like to push forward, 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 Locatelli and Laimer 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, Grealish slightly higher up always on top of the midfielders stopping them passing between each other, defend from the front, 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 4 with Fullbacks who are always ready to pounce and hit them with pace.
We have the Worlds best goalkeeper behind our defence which consists of Bastoni and Romero. Romero picks up the CF he is quick and powerful so will stop the threat of their No.9, Bastoni spare picks up the AM or any other player that's roams into the danger area, with the experienced Oblak behind he will constantly be shouting and keeping the bank of 4 in a line as to not leave gaps, if they get away from our midfield, keep the forward(s) away from the danger area, get onto them quickly, take the ball away from them and play it out of defence, look to get it out wide quickly, Both CBs 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 keep the wingers quiet, stop their attacks 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 we cant afford be exposed but this is mostly Robertson,who will drive up and down the pitch for 90+ mins, they drive down the line in support of the wingers drive on the outside making an extra man. If either get caught up field I want Lamier to drift to the side to cover spaces made by our fullbacks, this gives our fullbacks more freedom to make their way to midfield to cover. This allows Locatelli to stay central and pick up anyone else or indeed get the ball and get us moving, Grealish also covers by dropping back to fill in the midfield even just to follow any defender that moves up field or to fill the gap Laimer has made by moving to pick up men. Bastoni to go up for corners, with the fullbacks and Romero sitting back.
Laimer is is tenacious, energetic and feisty, just what we need in our midfield, he is our deepest midfielder sitting just in front of the CB's he will shadow there AM and not allow him to control the game, 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, will at times drop between the 2 Cbs to get the ball, 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 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. Locatelli will help stop the run of play quicker to make our defenders jobs a lot easier, protect our defence as best as possible, in possession get it to the front 3/4 but also look for fullbacks 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, he will also look for piercing balls for the front 3 to drive onto and go for goal. Our midfield maestro Grealish is essential to our style of play, he is the link between defence and attack he controls the pace of the game, as we break quickly he will look to set up our front three, also, he will drop back at times to pick it up then look to his dribbling and passing capabilities to get him around player and if their is space he will into the danger area to unleash a powerful drive, sometimes taking a foul as he is a tricky player to mark. When in possession always head up looking for the movement of our front three to play them in, he draws players in, often taking a kick or two while he does it, gaining many free kicks, so as he does this he will pass the ball away sometimes taking 2/3 players out of the game leaving a lot more room for others to make something dangerous, he will pass and move to always make himself available. After the pass he can push wide or central to make that extra man 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 and create space for the front 3. All of our midfield three must press the opposition and get to grips with this game very early on.
Our forward line is extremely quick and inter changeable, there movement will cause the opposition defence all sorts of problems, drifting wide, forcing them out of position as they will be following their man, this will allow others to move into different space, ie Mbappe moving to the right allowing Havertz to become the CF. We will run them ragged.This will allow Grealish more time on the ball hopefully and more space as he looks to thread players in to the space they have created. Grealish is very important as he will go left and right to create an overload for them to worry about therefore with his passing abiltity and creativeness he can make use of the space for others to get in on goal. Its all about being quick and clever today, we need goals, so always on the move, create space for each other, but always make use of the space wisely. When we don't have the ball, its up to these guys to harass them, not the best defensively, but all I ask is to follow the man and look to support the rest of the team as best as possible.
Captain - Oblak
Pens - Mbappe
Free Kicks - Grealish
Corners - Grealish
Subs -
Losing/Drawing -
65 Mins - Ferran for Robertson, we go 343, Bissaka RCB, Ferran to the Right, Grealish left. Daka on for Havertz - Mbappe - Daka - Neymar as a front 3
73 Mins - de Jong for Locatelli and try and create something
Winning -
78 Mins - de Jong for Nemar, he goes into CM with Grealish going LM, Raphinha for Havertz and go RM, 4-1-4-1
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Tottenham Hotspur v SHEFFIELD UNITED
----------------------Lopes
Lamptey, Andersen, T. Silva, Grimaldo
-------------Kovacic, Gallagher
---Mahrez-------James-------------Isco
----------------------Suárez
Subs: Tomiyasu, Tagliafico, Ampadu, Lamela, Brooks, Klimowicz, Mertens
Captain: Thiago Silva
Free Kicks: Mahrez (Lamela), James, Isco (Mertens)
Penalties: Suárez
Our defensive unit consists of Joachim Andersen and Thiago Silva paired up at centre-back, Tariq Lamptey at right-back and Álex Grimaldo at left-back, with Mateo Kovacic and Conor Gallagher as our midfield ‘double pivot’ screening them.
This ‘double pivot’ is the key to our team and in Kovacic and Gallagher 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 Gallagher can press the ball without leaving lots of space, as Kovacic 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 Gallagher's role, he will press almost anywhere in his own half to allow defenders to stay in the defensive line.
With Gallagher running his socks off for the team, our high tempo will be dictated by his partner in holding midfield, Mateo Kovacic.
Kovacic 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 Kovacic such a talent.
The attacking unit consists of Riyad Mahrez, James Rodríguez and Isco as our band of three attacking midfielders with Luis Suárez 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 Kovacic or Gallagher, then our 4-2-3-1 can spring into attack.
Lamptey and Grimaldo can surge up the wings in the knowledge that Kovacic and Gallagher can drop into the space left behind if needed. As they come up the wings, both Riyad Mahrez and Isco, who are excellent in tight spaces and fantastic dribblers will cut inside or make runs into the box.
James Rodríguez, our attacking central midfielder’s low centre of gravity will enable him to navigate away from defenders. James 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 with his quick flicks and one-touch passing, will combine exceptionally well with Mahrez, Isco & Suárez to create openings and goal scoring opportunities for each other.
Upfront, Suárez will be utilised to “bind” our oppositions defenders in place by occupying them with his positioning, to the point of blocking their defenders in order to create space for Mahrez, James & Isco to exploit between the lines as this trio look to profit from Suárez’s off-the-ball actions.
Suárez will act as a focal point around which our team will build our attacks, using his strength to hold off their defenders. Suárez is proven adept at one-touch passing and quick flicks in combination play and of course Suárez’s stock in trade when the occasion calls for it – intelligent dummies to fool their defenders.
All 4 of our most advanced players are equally gifted in terms of assisting and scoring goals, and as thus we will not be purely reliant on Suárez on this front, although I expect of course for him to find the back of the net on a number of occasions.
Subs on 75 mins
Lamela on for Mahrez and Mertens on for Isco
Double substitution - Lots of fresh legs, pace and dribbling trickery in the last 15 minutes to look to unlock the opposition’s defence for a late goal regardless of the score line.
Attacking high press 3-4-1-2
A home to Pompey we go with an attacking side, that is firstly solid at the back but more importantly gives us a solid core to build attacks from and target Pompey down the left and with a front two. We go with a side with a high work rate, full of energy to press from the front. We will direct our attacks down the wings, the Cm duo provide defensive strength in front of the cbs giving them freedom to attack.
Our formation allows us to mix our style, able to build patiently with the defenders quality on the ball but also attack directly with pace out wide and two up top. The front two set the tempo for the game with their pace and high tempo styles. Both have the ability to drop deep and join in the attacks. Fernandes the AM, similarly plays with high intensity and has the ability to move up top, adding fluidity to our team, draw Pompey defenders out of position with fluidity of the front 3.
We have three cms able to pick a pass, and with the ability to dictate the tempo of the game and control possession. Rodri plays as the defensive midfielder, Goretzka with the power and intelligence in the box to box role to fill in when needed.
The width is provided by the wing backs, and by an over lapping cb. Stealing a Sheffield tactic, we allow one cb to get forward at a time. Godfrey/Alaba seeking to overlap the attacking wbs. This will see us always have two cbs and Rodri in front when we attack offering cover. We have great pace in the other midfielders to get back quickly.
We will direct our attacks down the wings. Both wing backs will have freedom to attack, bombing down the wings and crossing for the front two. The overlapping cbs, wbs and with front two will give us an overload in attacking situations.
We defend in a narrow formation, limiting the space for Pompey to play in. The wingback on the opposite side of play will drop back into defence forming a back four. The wb on the side of play helps the cb (acting as a fb) on the side of play defend against the attacking winger and fb.
The defence and midfield press as a unit, ensuring there is no space between the lines for Pompey attacking mids. When defending, Rodri plays zonally in front of the cbs and will pick up the most attacking cm in the area. Goretzka will play ball side of Rodri and always press the passing lanes. Goretzka will pick up the 2nd most attacking cm if they break forward. Fernandes presses zonally Rodri side of Goretzka. Mane looks to exploit the space out wide wherever there is space and Dybala splits the space between their cbs.
When we win the ball we attack at pace. Use the wing backs bombing forward linking with the wide forwards to create.
——————————— Alisson ———————————
————————————————————————————
————— Godfrey — Laporte — Alaba ——————
————————————————————————————
Carvajal —— Goretzka —— Rodri —— Sterling
—————————— B.Fernandes ————————————
————————————————————————————
———————— P.Dybala —— S.Mane ———————
Subs. Henderson, J.Gaya, Mount, Thiago, Ziyech, Jesus, Osimhen
Defence
When we lose the ball high up the park we always look to win it back straight away, don’t give Bournemouth a chance to counter. The closest 2/3 players press. Allowing others to get back into position behind the ball. Henderson also guards against hopeful long balls over the top looking to be on edge of his box when we are in possession in opposition half.
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.
When the opposition 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 set out above. Our defence have fantastic pace up against their forwards, bide their time, not diving in.
Attack
We counter quickly when we win the ball aiming our attacks down the wings. If the counter is not on we look to get the wing backs and wide forwards doubling up on their fbs.
The back 3 are all comfortable on the ball and look to play out, helping us move the ball quickly having a strong base.
Subs.
If winning after 70 mins bring on Gaya for Sterling. Fresh legs, pace and shore up defence.
If winning after 75 mins bring on Mount for Fernandes.
If winning after 80 mins bring on Jesus for Dybala
If drawing after 70 mins bring on Mount for Rodri.
If drawing after 75 mins bring on Ziyech for Carvajal.
If drawing after 77 mins bring on Thiago for Fernandes. More control and creativity from deep to make more space for all attacking players on.
If losing after 60 mins bring on Ziyech for Carvajal.
If losing after 65 mins bring on Mount for Goretzka. More attacking.
If losing after 80 mins bring on Osimhen for Fernandes. Dybala deeper, gives a big man in the box.
Newcastle 4-3-3 / 2-3-5
____________Mendy
Trent___Stones___Virgil__Shaw
____________Fabinho
_________Kroos__Modric
Coman_______Olmo_______Oyar
Subs: Begovic, Llorente, Barella, Christensen, Eriksen, Lemar, Morey
Today I’d like to take complete control of midfield, holding possession and stretch their back line while outnumbering every area of the middle third and final third of the pitch. Our full backs will play as inverted fullbacks assuming the role as box to box and pivoting midfielders, thereby pushing our midfielders further forwards creating a 5 man attack.
______________Mendy
________Stones_____Virgil_______
______Trent___Fabinho__Shaw
Coman_____Kroos___Modric_____Oyar
_______________Olmo______________
By doing so I will always have an extra man in midfield, including wide passing options, creating overloads. It will also help us stretch the field wider as I would expect opposition players to drift in-field to try and mitigate the presence of the extra bodies in midfield leaving wide areas for our wide players to exploit. As such the wide players will be given instruction so hug the touchline when waiting to receive the ball, then they can cut in and play their natural game but providing pass options initially is a must.
I fully expect us to create difficulty for the opposition in assessing exactly how and where to cover space and how to effectively pressure the ball. Create pass options to drag players out of position when they struggle to cope with the extra man in midfield exploiting gaps between the lines.
Our attacks will be taking a very vertical approach which allows the attacking midfielders to receive the ball in space allowing us to hurt them. Our version of a vertical approach is passing the ball up and down the field, with players inviting pressure as they receive and release the ball thereby creating a gap for another player to move into to receive a recycled pass. Eventually a path to goal will appear and it’ll be up to the players to exploit that playing their natural games. The whole point of this system is about opening greater space in between the lines for the attacking midfielders to receive. The attacking midfielders will also be expected to break the lines and make runs beyond the striker to find space higher up the pitch creating goal-scoring opportunities. The fullbacks therefore have many options to pass to, the 9, the 10s, and out wide depending on the natural movements of the players.
Defensive stability is very important to the way we want to play. One of the rules ultimately in football is you cannot score if you don’t have the ball, so we aim to keep the ball as much as possible with the ongoing ball recycling process of trying to drag players out of position finding space to exploit. When the opposition do gain possession they immediately face a block of five in the middle and our third of the pitch, quickly changing back to a standard 4-5-1 in two flat lines (plus the striker up top). Doing so will allow us to effectively defend our wide areas stopping any crosses coming in while congesting the middle enough for minimal gaps to appear between the lines. We press less to minimise the risk of gaps appearing but instead rely on cutting passing lanes and options. Once possession is regained, we immediately progress up the pitch and revert back to 2-3-5. The central defensive triangle of both CBs and the DM are good in the air capable of winning plenty of duels in the air as well as on the ground, in addition of course to their exceptional passing ability. It is important to have players that occupy those three positions that have on-the-ball intelligence, astute awareness of how to cover space in transition, and an aerial presence.
Subs.
65 mins - Barella on Modric off. Fresh legs.
70 mins losing/drawing - Eriksen on Kroos off. Better finisher in the box from midfield.
75 mins losing/drawing - Lemar on Oyar off. Better penetration down the left and will play inside left more.
75 mins winning - Llorente on Kroos off. Fresh legs while not losing creative quality.
Red card
In all cases go 4-4-1 and take off Modric and replace with
Cbs - Christensen
Full backs - morey
Midfield - llorente if Fabinho sent off
Forwards - lemar
SOTON VS Arsenal
------------------------------------Kalajdzic-----------------------
---------Upamecano--------Demiral--------Badiashile-------------
-----------------------------Ndidi---------Valverde---------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bailey---------------------------Odegaard----------------------------Pulisic
--------------------------Jovic-----------------Rashford-------------------------
Subs - Dest, Ait-Nouri, Ndombele, Tchouameni, Wirtz, Richarlison, Kean
CAPTAIN - RASHFORD
CK'S - ØDEGAARD
FK'S - ØDEGAARD
PENALTIES - RASHFORD
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. When we have the ball I want the team to play pass and move football. Don't stay static, try and get in behind the oppo defence as there is a lot of pace in our attacking players. As the game goes on, when we don't have the ball I want the team to defend from the front line and pressure the oppo and try and win possession back. Do this in fits and bursts as it is a tiring tactic.
Defence
I know Kalajdzic isn't a GK but he's 6 foot 7 inches tall. He has to be able to save some shots right? RIGHT????GK to be confident in box. Don't take risks. Punch the ball away if the shot is too powerful. Command your area. The back 3 is well balanced and full of pace and power. Badiashile and Upamecano will be playing as the outside CB's and will look to close down the oppo wingers. Demiral in the middle will marshall the defence and look to snuff out any attacks from the oppo striker/s. All 3 of these CB's are very good at playing from the back and I want them to use that ability if they have some space to dribble into from defence.
Defence Mids
Ndidi + Valverde
These 2 will be the main defensive force to cover our defence. When the oppo LW is attacking down the wings I want Ndidi to close him down and put a tackle in or stop him getting to the byline. Likewise with Valverde who will be tasked with the same job against the oppo RW. This will allow our front five to focus solely on attacking with no defensive restrictions put on them. If either Ndidi or Valverde are helping out on the wings I want the other DM to stay in the middle of the pitch and close down the oppo AM if they play one. When in possession pass the ball out to the wings or to Ødegaard who will drop deep from time to time. Valverde will be allowed to stretch his legs and run with the ball from deep if there is space to do so in the centre of the pitch. But he must not forget his main job which is to protect the defence.
Wingers
Bailey + Pulisic
These 2 will be the focal point of my attack. I want to give them the freedom to express themselves in attack so they do not have to track back and help out in defence. Pulisic will be looking to cut in from the left and Bailey likewise who will cut in from the right. I want you both to try and beat the oppo fullbacks with your pace and dribbling ability but don't try too hard as if you see them doubling up on you you can either pass back into the centre of the pitch to one of our DM's or play quick one two's with Ødegaard. The main role of the wingers will be to get some crosses, low balls into the box as we are playing 2 strikers in strike and it will be harder for the oppo defence to defend than the typical one striker they normally come up against. When we are defending corners I want both of them to stay near the halfway line so we can hit the oppo on the counter attack. .
Attack Mid
Martin Ødegaard
The Big Ø will be the playmaker and chance creator for our attackers. His technical ability on the ball is world class and he is the type of player that can run all match without getting tired. Off the ball I want him to press the oppo midfielders. When we have possession of the ball try and find space in the attacking third of the pitch for you to receive the ball and use your playmaking ability to create chances for the team. Look out for runs from our wingers and strikers and thread some pinpoint passes to them.
Strikers
Marcus Rashford MBE + Jovic
Rashford is a striker that has the deadly combination of pace and finishing. He will look to use his pace to get the better of the oppo defence. Be vary of crosses into the box and try and get in front of your marker. Time your runs off the shoulders of the oppo CB's and use your pace to get away from them. Play quick pass and move combinations with your teammates to find spaces in the oppo defence.
Jovic will use his physical ability and hold up play to bring others in to the game. He's a proper two footed striker equally as strong on his right as he is on his left so I don't want him to hesitate to shoot when he has an opportunity to shoot.
Subs if LOSING BY 65MINS
Put on Wirtz for Valverde and Richarlison for Pulisic to bring some more attacking impetus on. Play a high line and put a lot of pressure on the oppo to win the ball back.
---------------------------------------Kalajdzic-----------------------
-----------Upamecano---------Demiral--------Badiashile----------
----------------------------------------Ndidi--------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bailey----------Odegaard------------Wirtz----------------Richarlison
-------------------------Jovic------------Rashford-------------------------
Subs if WINNING BY 60MINS
Take off Ødegaard and put on Tchouameni in DM. Play defensive with everyone in our own half defending for their lives, waiting to hit the oppo on the counter attack. . Take the wingers off and put on Dest and Ait Nouri as wingbacks who'll offer a lot more defensive stability.
---------------------------------------Kalajdzic-----------------------
----------Upamecano--------Demiral--------Badiashile--------
------------------------------Tchou--------Ndidi------------------------------
Dest------------------------------Valverde-------------------------Ait-Nouri
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------Jovic--------------Rashford----------------------
Subs if DRAWING BY 65MINS
Richarlison on for Pulisic
Kean on for Jovic
Ndombele on for Valverde
Fresh legs to bring on.
Bournemouth vs WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS
A nice to trip to the south coast, always nice to go and see Elsie’s Samba beats. Fans of Wolverhampton Wanderers, will be wondering where all the feckin players have gone and how much they wasted getting their hero’s names on their shirts.
A very different feel to this wolves side from the one that drew away at man city. Elsie has a fantastic bunch of players, very underrated and we can’t take this trip to the side rooted at the bottom for granted.
We know LC likes to play a 4-3-3 so we’ve adopted a 4-2-3-1 we can go man for man today and gauge just how good our youngsters are in comparison.
………………………………………Bayindir…………………………..
J.Justin………………Tapsoba…………Konate……………B.Williams
…………………………….Rice……………Tonali…………………………….
Eze………………………………Brahim………………………..Kluivert
……………………………………Vlahovic……………………………….
Subs: Bishop (GK), Kumbulla, R.Williams, T.Davies, Aouchiche, Petter-Hauge, Boadu
Bayindir comes in between sticks, standing at an impressive 1.98m or more or less 6ft5 we expect him to cut an imposing figure, any aerial balls with 12 yards of goal we expect him to come out and deal with, catch rather than punch. With ball to feet, no nonsense just get your foot through it.
Hamez Justin has had a fantastic season at Leicester cut cruelly short by injury, but his class is there for all to see, we want him flying up the wings, getting the over-laps and putting balls into the box, defensively stay on your feet and jockey your man down the line, He kept pace with Adama so no need to risk anything he has the pace to rely on. Just about 6ft tall so any balls being switched over to his flank aerially he should be a contender for winning it.
Williams on the left flank isn’t as good going forwards but he still has great ability, will look to get up and support Kluivert, defensively the same approach as Justin, show the line and force and the cross, rather than getting turned inside out.
Tapsoba and Konate both standing at 6ft3 are well accomplished at the rough and tumble so any physicality that B’mouth bring we can handle. Both are relatively over the ground so we go with a zonal marking approach today, get in on B’mouth’s first touches and hit them hard, get the ball and recycle it quickly, turn them round and make them chase back towards their own goal.
Eze comes in on the right wing, he’s looked good for Palace with his fast direct running and likes to hit them from distance, he likes to drift centrally and with JJ running the line and taking a man away with him, this creates that space that Eze needs, he has great technique requiring very little backlift so if he gets half a yard he has the freedom to unleash a shot.
Kluivert on the other flank, is quick and direct, another that likes to cut inside and with Williams running the line, he has that space to work in, but rather than pot-shots from distance we want him laying off to Diaz and then running into the box to support the big-man.
Brahim plays as our #10, classy little player, we want him operating 30 yards out, advancing to the edge of the D as the attacks progess, don’t go too deep as he’ll have 3 men ahead of him – potentially 5 with our FB’s. he’ll be that bit behind for any clearances. Genuinely both footed so can spread the play and link all our men in swift movements.
Rice and Tonali are a midfield duo to be genuinely excited about, Rice statistically is one of if not the best DM in the premier league and has the stats to back this up, Sandro-T is a blend of Pirlo and Gattuso….this solid foundation allows one to go and one to sit, they alternate their runs. Both have great passing ranges and as above both put their foot in. we expect them to win the midfield battle and allow our front four to really impose themselves on the game.
Vlahovic is our #9 today, 6ft2 will be our proper targetman giving our wideman and #10 to play off, good feet for a big man and 12 goals in 27 games for a struggling Fiorentina show he has the capabilities to be a great asset. Play with his back to goal bring the ball down, lay it off and spin the defence to get on the end of the return ball.
Set-pieces – Tonali is on them, none of this short corner routine that I find annoying and wasteful, just put the ball up into the mixer and be done with. Tapsoba/Konate/Justin/Rice/Vlahovic – the 5 of them are 6ft+ so they pack the box, one front stick, one back, one on the pen spot and the other 2 taking markers with them.
Subs 65 mins – fresh legs
Boadu > Vlahovic
T.Davies > Tonali
----------------- Ter Stegen ----------------
Cancelo -- De Ligt --- Ramos -- Reguilon
--------------- N’Golo Kante --------------
J.Sancho ------ De Bruyne ------- L.Sane
---------- T.Werner --- Griezmann -------
Subs:
Sanchez, Pavard, P.Torres, Casemiro, B.Silva, Asensio, Morata
Tactics:
We look to continue our fine form as we continue our free flowing attacking football in today’s 4-1-3-2. With home advantage we look to go on the offensive as we go for goals.
As always tactical flexibility is our greatest weapon which means that whilst we’re 4-1-3-2 in possession, when the opposition are in possession we will drop back into a 4-2-3-1.
When we lose the ball De Bruyne will drop in alongside Kante in a DM/CM double pivot with Griezmann dropping into the #10 role. Giving us a stronger defensive platform and ensuring we limit the space for them to operate. Likely to be up against a three man midfield this means that
------- Kante - De Bruyne
Sancho - Griezmann - Sane
------------ Werner
As soon as we win back possession we spring onto the offensive with KDB pushing forward and Griezmann up top alongside Werner.
Defence:
We go with a strong defensive unit at the back, packed with pace and quality as we look to nullify the threat posed by the oppositions attack. If the opposition play one up top then Ramos will mark. Strong, aggressive and a great reader of the game we feel he has all the tools to deal with any opponent. De Ligt will act as cover, sweeping up and offering cover in behind to eliminate any balls over the top. The Dutchman sweeping up from the back and immediately looking to get us on the counter with his fantastic vision and passing.
Our fullbacks will stick tight to the wide men, safe in the knowledge that they have supporting cover in behind with De Ligt also drifting across to offer additional support. When in possession both Cancelo and Reguilon have license to push forward with both having great quality in the final third.
Midfield:
Kante will be our holding player in the middle. An all action player we rely on his fantastic tenacity and high level work rate 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 act as the shield in front of our defence and pick up their most advanced AM, cutting out their supply line in the process. He’ll stay back at all times and anchor the midfield.
De Bruyne will be instrumental as plays his strongest position in the AM role. A player with superb vision he will look to get on the ball as much as possible, running at the opposition drawing them in and committing a defender before playing that decisive pass. He’s also a great goal scorer perfectly capable of striking a thunderbolt from distance at any moment, if the opposition drop off he has license to go for goal at any moment.
Forwards:
In this set up our attack is where the fun really begins. With a back four and strong DM anchor this allows us to essentially play with a front five when in possession and enables us to really cause some damage.
De Bruyne will act as the playmaker whilst out wide we look to hit them with the pace and skill of Sancho and Sane. We want them to hug the touch line, make the pitch as wide as possible and exploit any space on offer. We want them to be direct, get on the ball and go straight at the opposition, looking to either supply one of our front two, cut the ball back to KDB or go direct for goal themselves.
Up top we go with a dynamic duo partnership of Werner & Griezmann.
Werner will look to stretch the defence, playing on the shoulder of their last man he will look to use his pace to get in behind and can be deadly in one on one situations. Griezmann will be the link up man, drifting between the lines making him incredibly difficult to pick up and causing havoc when Werners run in behind free him up to work his magic. The Frenchman possessing a wand of a left foot and capable of bending one in the top bin at any moment.
With a trio of Sancho, De Bruyne and Sane supporting our front two they will have a dream supply line as we go for goals in today’s match up.
Subs:
If winning:
75 mins: Werner off, Casemiro on. Tighten up defensively as we bring an extra DM alongside Kante.
85 mins: Griezmann off. Morata on. Fresh legs up top as we look to pick them off on the break.
If drawing/losing:
75 mins: Reguilon & Sane off, B.Silva & Asensio on. Extra attacking impetuous with B.Silva slotting in alongside KDB. Asensio also offers fresh legs as we go for the winner.
----------------------Neuer
Walker---Soyuncu----Hermoso---Hernandez
----------------------Brozovic
----------------SMS-----------Foden
Chiesa-----------------------------------Depay
----------------------Kane
Pope
Simakan
Guerreiro
Jorginho
Alberto
Ocampos
Isak
Opted again for the 4-3-3, hoping to build some momentum from last time, and naming pretty close to our strongest eleven, I think. High intensity is definitely required in both the possession and the press. I want to see quick movement of the ball, with 1-3 touch stuff, never dallying in possession, and constant movement when not directly on the ball, so as to always provide options, and keep the opponent guessing as to where its going to end up. Off the ball, we will be pressing high, and flooding central areas, making it difficult to play through the middle, and look to transition from defense to attack as quickly as we can.
The defensive setup today is almost that of a flat back four. Almost. Walker will be given some license to use his pace and push on, but when he does I want to see Hernandez tuck inside, with Soyuncu covering that wide right space, to operate as an unconventional back three. You know the drill by now, Tino. Hernandez will attack less, instead sitting deeper and covering the space, to prevent us from being hit too easily on the attack. In all four of these players, as well as Neuer behind them, I think we have players comfortable on the ball, so moving it around and playing out from the back should be no issue. In Brozovic, we have a player of shuttling across the pitch, moving the ball quickly from one side to the other, and always providing a short, forward option to the defender on the ball. If he is struggling due to being marked, then SMS can drop slightly deeper to provide another option, as well. We will be mainly looking to build attacks this way, along with the occassional driving run from Walker.
The midfield three are all adept technical players, and building attacks from these areas mean they need dynamic movement in front of them. I want to see this come from Depay and Chiesa. With Foden operating almost as an AM, there will be less space inside, so I would like for them to sit slightly wide to start, coming inside to look for space, but either way stretching the opposition defence. Both players will like to target the penalty area, but approaches to this should be suitably varied. Depay can operate slightly more centrally, whilst Chiesa sticks slightly wider. This means we should always have those wider options to spread the play, and then contract it again with our quick movement. When Depay does come inside, it will create space for Foden to target, ghosting into the LW areas to exploit the vacancy of defender. Kane will sit in the middle, between the goalposts, capable to drop off and allow Depay or Foden to push beyond him, but mainly staying as the main goal threat. I want to see balls through to him, for him to latch onto and fashion goalscoring chances. Equally, Kane is a danger from crosses, so this is a reasonable approach too. This will be more the way when Walker attacks. I want to see him push past Chiesa, get to the by-line, and whip balls in for Kane to attack, or pull them back for Foden on the edge of the area, in the pocket of space that he wants to operate in.
When we lose possession, the high press must be engaged. Kane will target the right side of their defence, and also cover the goalkeeper, whilst Chiesa will push up and target their left. Depay will drop back, and help to flood the middle third, whilst we buy time for others to get into position. The team shape should be something like
-----------Brozovic
Foden------SMS----Depay
--------Chiesa---Kane
Adopting this shape means that, should we win the ball back, we have Chiesa in an advanced enough position to exploit his speed and direct running, by quickly moving the ball into the attacking two. It also means that we have three bodies pressing the high midfield, making it harder to play through, whilst brozovic sits deeper, patrolling the deeper portion of the middle third, shielding the defence. Foden and Depay will also push slightly wider, should it look like that is their preferred route to goal.
Substitutions (Red Card)
Assume that for most it is Chiesa making way, unless otherwise specified, with SMS and Brozovic in the double pivot, and Foden operating at RW. In this role, Depay will be part of the two man press instead.
Neuer – Nick Pope on
Walker – Simakan on (less adventurous)
Soyuncu or Hermoso – Simakan on
Hernandez – Guerreiro on
Brozovic – No subs, SMS drops deeper
SMS – No subs. Brozovic covers the role.
Foden – No subs.
Chiesa – Foden moves to RW
Depay – Foden moves to LW
Kane – Isak on.
Substitutions (Normal)
If winning
Jorginho on for Chiesa 75 mins
Foden moves to RW, with Jorginho sitting alongside Brozovic, and SMS operating in front of them.
Simakan on for Foden 85 mins
Go to a back three to see out the game. Depay goes to operate alongside Kane, in a 3-4-1-2
If losing/drawing
Isak on for Walker 70 mins
Switch to a set back three, with Isak moving alongside Harry Kane. Rely on Brozo to cover RWB, and SMS to cover LWB areas.
Ocampos on for Chiesa 76 mins
Freshen up attack.
Newcastle 4-3-3 / 2-3-5
____________Mendy
Trent____Dias_____Virgil____Shaw
_____________Koke
_______Barella____Modric
Salah_______ASilva_______Coman
Subs: Angelino, Llorente, Olmo, Koulibaly, Silas, Lemar, Oyar
Today I’d like to take complete control of midfield, holding possession and stretch their back line while outnumbering every area of the middle third and final third of the pitch. Our full backs will play as inverted fullbacks assuming the role as box to box and pivoting midfielders, thereby pushing our midfielders further forwards creating a 5 man attack.
______________Mendy
_________Dias_______Virgil_______
______Trent____Koke___Shaw
Salah____Barella___Modric____Coman
______________ASilva______________
By doing so I will always have an extra man in midfield, including wide passing options, creating overloads. It will also help us stretch the field wider as I would expect opposition players to drift in-field to try and mitigate the presence of the extra bodies in midfield leaving wide areas for our wide players to exploit. As such the wide players will be given instruction so hug the touchline when waiting to receive the ball, then they can cut in and play their natural game but providing pass options initially is a must.
I fully expect us to create difficulty for the opposition in assessing exactly how and where to cover space and how to effectively pressure the ball. Create pass options to drag players out of position when they struggle to cope with the extra man in midfield exploiting gaps between the lines.
Our attacks will be taking a very vertical approach which allows the attacking midfielders to receive the ball in space allowing us to hurt them. Our version of a vertical approach is passing the ball up and down the field, with players inviting pressure as they receive and release the ball thereby creating a gap for another player to move into to receive a recycled pass. Eventually a path to goal will appear and it’ll be up to the players to exploit that playing their natural games. The whole point of this system is about opening greater space in between the lines for the attacking midfielders to receive. The attacking midfielders will also be expected to break the lines and make runs beyond the striker to find space higher up the pitch creating goal-scoring opportunities. The fullbacks therefore have many options to pass to, the 9, the 10s, and out wide depending on the natural movements of the players.
Defensive stability is very important to the way we want to play. One of the rules ultimately in football is you cannot score if you don’t have the ball, so we aim to keep the ball as much as possible with the ongoing ball recycling process of trying to drag players out of position finding space to exploit. When the opposition do gain possession they immediately face a block of five in the middle and our third of the pitch, quickly changing back to a standard 4-5-1 in two flat lines (plus the striker up top). Doing so will allow us to effectively defend our wide areas stopping any crosses coming in while congesting the middle enough for minimal gaps to appear between the lines. We press less to minimise the risk of gaps appearing but instead rely on cutting passing lanes and options. Once possession is regained, we immediately progress up the pitch and revert back to 2-3-5. The central defensive triangle of both CBs and the DM are good in the air capable of winning plenty of duels in the air as well as on the ground, in addition of course to their exceptional passing ability. It is important to have players that occupy those three positions that have on-the-ball intelligence, astute awareness of how to cover space in transition, and an aerial presence.
Subs.
65 mins - Llorente on Modric off. Fresh legs.
70 mins losing/drawing - Olmo on Barella off. Better finisher in the box from midfield.
75 mins losing/drawing - Oyar on Coman off. Better penetration down the left and will play inside left more.
75 mins winning - Lemar on Kroos off. Fresh legs while not losing creative quality.
Bournemouth (4-3-3) Round 21 (Away to Man City)
Captain: Pereira
Vice-Captain: Cleiton
-----------------Cleiton
Aarons--Pereira--Bremer---Lewis
-------Assunção--W-Prowse
----------------Pyerre
Veron----------------------González
--------------Evanilson
SUBS: Bursik, Azate, Paulo, Talles, Kaio (only 5 subs as I sold the rest of the squad
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 (Assunção) who will be complimented with an energetic box to box midfielder (Ward-Prowse). In front of them Pyerre 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’ Ward-Prowse will also be allowed the freedom (when the time arises) to link with Pyerre 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: Cleiton is a big mobile keeper and very athletic. 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 (Assunção). 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 (Ward-Prowse). 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 Pyerre will operate as the link between midfield and attack.
Wingers/Centre Forward: When in possession both Veron and González 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 Pyerre, Ward-Prowse and Evanilson 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 Ward-Prowse may sit a bit deeper allowing Pyerre 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.
Evanilson 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: Pyerre, González or Veron with Pereira, Bremer, Assunção and Evanilson to offer an aerial threat. Pyerre and González (with his thunderbolt left foot) may try their luck with several free kicks from distance.
Substitutions: (75 mins) If winning (and comfortable) then 2 like for like subs –Azate for Assunção and Kaio for Evanilson.
If losing (70 mins) then switch to a 4-1-3-2 and replace Ward-Prowse with Kaio and Veron with Talles. 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.
High tempo narrow 4-3-3
A top of the table clash we go with a balanced side, with a strong central midfield trio and hard working attackers making us a strong defensive outfit firstly. Narrow in defence making us hard to beat, narrow in attack as we look to target the Chelsea cbs and find space in between the defence and midfield.
We play a high tempo 4-3-3 in and out of possession. Mount comes in over Fernandes for his strong defensive play. Dybala in his favoured right hand side position behind the striker, Jesus offering more pace to stretch Chelsea in the inside forward role as he looks to get in close to Lautaro. Goretzka in to add more power to the midfield in defence and attack, as we go with a high tempo.
We will always look to have one wide forward coming inside and playing centrally with Lautaro as we look to target their cbs with this movement and pace. Narrow also defensively as we look to push Chelsea’s wide forwards out wide and away from goal, where it’s easier for us to defend.
Rodri and Goretzka are the two that look to drop deep and collect the ball from the defence, and spread the play. Rodri dictating the tempo of the game moving the ball quickly. The defence are all fantastic on the ball though, they look to move it quickly and with a narrow front 3 we also give them freedom to play long. Look to get the ball to the front 3 as quickly as possible, finding them in pockets of space. One of the fbs bombs forward at a time providing width.
Quick passing football in to feet in first two thirds, and in the final third we give all players creative freedom to use their quality to create and produce magic to open up the opposition.
Our all action front 3 stay high up the park when we’re in possession, Dybala though has freedom to find his favoured pockets of space in behind Lautaro and out on the right.
The central trio have the quality and strength to win the midfield battle, with the cbs behind them offering the perfect base to build and play quick flowing football out from the back.
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 as narrow.
Laporte the man marker as he is the stronger physically and can dominate in the air next to Marquinhos who is free to use his reading of the game and 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. Closing down the space, narrowing to the side of play. Win the ball back from them quickly before they can get anywhere. Defence plays relatively deep when the opposition get in our half, leaving little space for the pace of their attackers.
We have a cm duo who can both drop deep to offer an option and collect the ball from defence. 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. With this fluid front three, Goretzka supports creating and linking the play, Mount gets in and around the box looking for the final ball or shooting.
Positional structure, in addition to our technical players will be key to our quick passing gameplan going forward. Our approach in build up is to play a flexible asymmetric shape, giving bodies on different lines to increase the options we have in possession, and to create gaps in the opposition, and space for our players.
———————————— Schmeichel ———————————
Carvajal ——Marquinhos —— Laporte —— D.Alaba
—————————————- Rodri ————————————
———————— Goretzka —— M.Mount ———————
——— P.Dybala ————————————— G.Jesus ——
———————————— L.Martinez ——————————
Subs. Henderson, T.Hernandez, Thiago, B.Fernandes, Zaha, Neto, Osimhen
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 Chelsea advance into higher areas of the park and into our half, our shape will resemble a 4-3-2-1. Inside forward on the side of play drops deep and Rodri 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 man on the side of play that drops and the two cms (Goretzka and Mount) are the trio pressing the ball, and look to force Chelsea 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 their defence.
When Chelsea 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 Pedro Neto for Dybala. More pace and power up top to stretch tired legs.
If winning after 75 mins bring on Thiago for Mount. Strong defensively and hard working, fresh energy in Cm.
If winning after 80mins bring on Osimhen for Lautaro. Power and pace up top to bully tired cbs.
If drawing after 70 mins bring on Bruno Fernandes for Mount and Neto for Jesus. More creativity and pace as game opens up and legs tire.
If drawing after 80 mins bring on Osimhen for Dybala. Lautaro moves to Dybala position. More direct, power and pace.
If losing after 65 mins bring on Fernandes for Goretzka.
If losing after 70 mins bring on Neto for Dybala. More pace.
If losing after 82 mins bring on Osimhen for Mount. Lautaro moves to second striker role. Big man up top.
SHEFFIELD UNITED v Arsenal
-----------------------Lopes
Lamptey, Tomiyasu, T. Silva, Grimaldo
----------------Kovacic, Höjbjerg
----Mahrez-------James-----------Isco
----------------------Mertens
Subs: Kelleher, Guehi, Tagliafico, Ampadu, Gallagher, Brooks, Klimowicz
Captain: Thiago Silva (Höjbjerg if Silva is 🟥)
Free Kicks: Any of Mahrez, James, Isco, Mertens
Penalties: Mertens (or Mahrez if Mertens is 🟥)
Our defensive unit consists of Takehiro Tomiyasu and Thiago Silva paired up at centre-back, Tariq Lamptey at right-back and Álex Grimaldo at left-back, with Mateo Kovacic and Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg as our midfield ‘double pivot’ screening them.
This ‘double pivot’ is the key to our team and in Kovacic and Höjbjerg 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 Höjbjerg can press the ball without leaving lots of space, as Kovacic 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 Höjbjerg's role, he will press almost anywhere in his own half to allow defenders to stay in the defensive line.
With Höjbjerg running his socks off for the team, our high tempo will be dictated by his partner in holding midfield, Mateo Kovacic.
Kovacic 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 Kovacic such a talent.
The attacking unit consists of Riyad Mahrez, James Rodríguez and Isco as our band of three attacking midfielders with Dries Mertens 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 Kovacic or Höjbjerg, then our 4-2-3-1 can spring into attack.
Lamptey and Grimaldo can surge up the wings in the knowledge that Kovacic and Höjbjerg can drop into the space left behind if needed. As they come up the wings, both Riyad Mahrez and Isco, who are excellent in tight spaces and fantastic dribblers will cut inside or make runs into the box.
James Rodríguez, our attacking central midfielder’s low centre of gravity will enable him to navigate away from defenders. James 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 with his quick flicks and one-touch passing, will combine exceptionally well with Mahrez, Isco & Mertens to create openings and goal scoring opportunities for each other.
Upfront, Mertens clinical finishing means that he is always a danger in the opponent's box. He has the ability to find space for himself or his teammates even when he is tightly marked by defenders. He'll drop deep at times, but will also spend much of his time playing on the shoulder of the opponents’ deepest defender, stretching play and threatening to break in behind with his electric pace.
Subs on 75 mins
Brooks on for James
Fresh energy, trickery and pace in the last 15 minutes to look to unlock the opposition’s defence for a late goal regardless of the score line.
In the case of a 🟥 we move to a 441 formation
If Lopes sent off then Kelleher on for James (Brooks)
If Lamptey sent off then Tomiyasu moves to RB and Ampadu comes on for James (Brooks) and will play at CB
If CB or Kovacic sent off then Ampadu comes on for James (Brooks) to play these positions
If Grimaldo sent off then Tagliafico comes on for James (Brooks) and plays at LB
If Höjbjerg is sent off then it's Gallagher on for James (Brooks)
If Mahrez sent off no sub as James (Brooks) moves to RW
If Isco sent off then Tagliafico on for James. Grimaldo moves to LW with Tagliafico at LB
If Mertens is sent off Isco moves upfront and as above Tagliafico comes on for James (Brooks) and plays at LB with Grimaldo moving into LW position
--------------------------- Oblak ---------------------------
W-Bissaka ----- Romero ----- Bastoni ----- Robertson
-------- F. de Jong --- Locatelli --- Camavinga -------
-- Mbappe ------------- Håland ------------- Neymar --
Meslier, Konsa, G.Rodriguez, N.Mendes, Ferran, Grealish, Malen
Obvs a tough game, however a win is all we care about, they have undoubted quality so we take the game to them..
Our game is based solely on possession football, especially the midfield where we want to dominate, quick on the break and really pressurise the opposition with an in your face performance from the front, up against it but our trio has everything we need to stop them controlling the game, 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 the midfield ahead of them 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, Haaland slightly higher up, this will congest the midfield and allow us to dictate play, defend from the front, 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.
Romero picks up the CF he wont let much passed him, Bastoni spare picks up the AM if he gets away from our midfield, both powerful boys so keep the forward(s) away from the danger area, get onto them quickly, take the ball away from them and play it out of defence, look to get to our midfield quickly, Both are comfortable on the ball so can bring it out when in no danger and look for the pass to those in front to hit them with pace, both must attack high balls to get the ball away from the opposition big men. Fullbacks keep the wingers quiet, stop their attacks. 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!!, Robertson is a dangerous weapon to have and he will do more attacking than Boissaka as he supports Neymar down the left, often driving passed him to whip in dangerous balls, Bissaka the same but not as often as he makes up the back 3. If either get caught up field I want the midfielders to help them out by filling the gaps so we don't get exposed, this allows the fullbacks to make their way to midfield to cover. CBs to go up for corners, with the fullbacks and Locatelli sitting back.
We have a powerful midfield trio that has the lot. Locatelli is our deepest midfielder sitting just in front of the CB's, he will shadow there AM and not allow him to control the game, they have undoubted quality in there midfield and I want him to be quick and aggressive to the challenge, this is why he is in as we can allow them to dictate play, having a player like Locatelli allows more time for Camavinga and de Jong, he 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, he will drop in between the two CBS to pick up the ball and start from the back, 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 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 & Camavinga will help stop the run of play quicker to make our defenders jobs a lot easier, protect our defence as best as possible, in possession get it to the front 3/4 but also look for fullbacks 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. de Jong and Camavinga move forward to assist and look for balls coming out so he can either, shoot or whip straight back in. Both are essential to our style of play, they are the link between defence and attack, as we break quickly they will look to set up our front three and push on, look to receive a pass and drive on. They will drop back at times to pick it up and will look to their dribbling capabilities to get them around players, and into the danger area to unleash a powerful drive. When in possession always head up looking for the movement of our front three to play them in, he will follow his pass and make up the numbers up front.After the pass they can make up the extra man further forward as Locatelli stays and covers. All of our midfield three must press the opposition and get to grips with this game very early on. When defending this is a tight 3 man midfield.
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 our defenders are superb long ball passers, go through the cms or out to one of our attacking fullbacks, however, the movement up front between Neymar and Mbappe will cause them problems drifting in an out, thus allowing de Jong and Camavinga to pick their moments to move into space. Quick passing in triangles that will get us in and beyond their defenders and eventually to Haaland who can beat any defender with power/pace and the other wingers 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 Haaland and the rest that have made their way into the danger area so they can spring them and have a shoot or sight mentality at times, , we must always make sure Haaland is well supported, especially wingers one of whom at times will be right on his shoulder or alongside depending which side we are attacking from, 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.
Captain - Oblak
Penalties - Haaland
Free Kicks - de Jong
Corners - Wingers
Subs
Losing/drawing
Nothing to lose but everything to gain
Konsa for Bissaka, Ferran for Robertson, Grealish for Camavinga
Oblak
E.Konsa - Romero - Bastoni
F.Torres - F.de Jong - Locatelli - Grealish
Mbappe - Haaland - Neymar
all out go for it
Winning -
75 Mins - Guido Rodriguez fo Camavinga, he goes in between def/mid as our enforcer, nails everything that goes near him
79 Mins - N.Mendes for Neymar helps down the left defensively as we look to close it out, Robertson not so attacking either, however if we concede they can push forward
86 Mins - Konsa for Mbappe, he goes RB, Bissaka just ahead 4-1-4-1 really close it out hopefully
------------------------- Martinez -------------------------
P.Kalulu ------ S.deVrij ------ Skriniar ------ Chilwell
-------------------------- Kamara -------------------------
----------------- T.Kroos ------- P.Pogba ----------------
Dembele --------------------------------------- S.Gnabry
------------------------- R.Lukaku -------------------------
Maignan, Koopmeiners, Bentancur, Nkunku, Gouiri, Benzema, J.Alvarez
Again, 343, 541, 433, all depends how the passage of play is going, we can transition into any of the above formations, we have two powerful CBs you defend the lines with everything they have, their job is to stop the striker getting any chances or at least any easy chances, they stay as a pair, they stay solid, they let nothing passed, Skriniar man marks the striker, de Vrij supports him, clear everything, both clear first ask questions later, when in possession they can pass it out wide to fullbacks or to the midfielders ahead of them.
When we attack, Kamara is a very important part of this formation, he sits in front of the two CBs, sometimes right in between them forming a 3 man back line, this allows Kalulu and Chiwell to attack, they can both go at the same time, we want to really have a go and if this means 7 going forward then so be it, we want to hit them with numbers and plenty of pace, The fullbacks drive down the line, which ever side it is use Kroos/Pogba to get round defenders, quick one/twos, play the triangles to get up and beyond them, then they have Dembele and Gnabry as well the further afield they get, this is quick football, no messing today, once they are in space look to play it into Dembele or Gnabry or fire in a cross which will see plenty of numbers in the danger area to aim for as Kroos/Pogba, opposite winger and Fullabck will be their waiting and obvs the main man Lukaku will be there to do what he does best, Kroos and Pogba are the heart beat of the team, most will go through them, fullbacks will use them to go round players as will wingers, there job is to make sure the run these players make isn't gone to waste as they play the ball into space for them to drive into, always available for the pass and will make the dangerous runs into the box to get on the end of the cross coming in.They both have great shots from distance as wlell so don't be afraid to have a pop at goal. Lukaku always stays as No.9, he is a beast in the nicest of ways, he can be played in, he will shrug defenders off, can take them on, also, as crosses come in a very good chance he will win the header. If he cannot go for goal, hold it up, there will be players driving in from all angles, he just has to pick the right one out. For corners and set pieces lets pile pressure on them, we have plenty of power and heght with the CBs, Kroos and Pogba in the danger area.
When defending Kamara's primary role in front of the defence or in the heart of it, he is the 'free' CB/DM, 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, he has a lot of grit and determination to his game so 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. We do go 4141 or 541 when defending our attacking fullbacks become proper fullbacks as they flit back into defence, again plenty numbers and easy transition from our attacking formation, the four more attacking midfielders make a bank of 4, they make this line and keep focussed on the job ahead then it should be fine, harass them when they have the ball, look to make them play stupid misplaced passes so we can gather the ball and break with pace.
We must defend as a team tho, from the front, everyone hot on the tails of the opposition, we cant give away cheap goals,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 - Skriniar
Free Kicks - Kroos
Pens - Lukaku
Corners - Wingers
Losing -
65 mins - Kamara drop to LCB with fullbacks pushing on, Gnabry to RW and Gouiri come on for Dembele and go left
75 Mins - Kalulu and Chilwell off, Gnabry and Gouiri drop back a bit wit Julian Alvarez going in at No.10 and Benzema on 3412
Drawing -
70 Mins - Benzema for Lukaku, Gouiri for Dembele(switch with Gnabry)
75 Mins - Koopmeiners for Kamara, look to create from deep
Losing/drawing
Nothing to lose but everything to gain
Konsa for Bissaka, Ferran for Robertson, Grealish for Camavinga
This sub on 65mins
Man City Sub
Winning
75 Mins - Koopmeiners for Pogba, Benzema for Lukaku
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SOTON VS Leeds
----------------------------------Ramsdale-----------------------
---------Upamecano--------Stones--------Badiashile-------------
-----------------------------Ndidi---------Valverde---------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bailey---------------------------Odegaard----------------------------Pulisic
--------------------------Jovic-----------------Rashford------------------------
Subs - Ait-Nouri, Adama, Ndombele, Tchouameni, Kulusevski, Szoboszlai, Kean
CAPTAIN - RASHFORD
CK'S - ØDEGAARD
FK'S - ØDEGAARD
PENALTIES - RASHFORD
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. When we have the ball I want the team to play pass and move football. Don't stay static, try and get in behind the oppo defence as there is a lot of pace in our attacking players. As the game goes on, when we don't have the ball I want the team to defend from the front line and pressure the oppo and try and win possession back. Do this in fits and bursts as it is a tiring tactic.
Defence
GK to be confident in box. Don't take risks. Punch the ball away if the shot is too powerful. Command your area. The back 3 is well balanced and full of pace and power. Badiashile and Upamecano will be playing as the outside CB's and will look to close down the oppo wingers. Stones in the middle will marshall the defence and look to snuff out any attacks from the oppo striker/s. All 3 of these CB's are very good at playing from the back and I want them to use that ability if they have some space to dribble into from defence.
Defence Mids
Ndidi + Valverde
These 2 will be the main defensive force to cover our defence. When the oppo LW is attacking down the wings I want Ndidi to close him down and put a tackle in or stop him getting to the byline. Likewise with Valverde who will be tasked with the same job against the oppo RW. This will allow our front five to focus solely on attacking with no defensive restrictions put on them. If either Ndidi or Valverde are helping out on the wings I want the other DM to stay in the middle of the pitch and close down the oppo AM if they play one. When in possession pass the ball out to the wings or to Ødegaard who will drop deep from time to time. Valverde will be allowed to stretch his legs and run with the ball from deep if there is space to do so in the centre of the pitch. But he must not forget his main job which is to protect the defence.
Wingers
Bailey + Pulisic
These 2 will be the focal point of my attack. I want to give them the freedom to express themselves in attack so they do not have to track back and help out in defence. Pulisic will be looking to cut in from the left and Bailey likewise who will cut in from the right. I want you both to try and beat the oppo fullbacks with your pace and dribbling ability but don't try too hard as if you see them doubling up on you you can either pass back into the centre of the pitch to one of our DM's or play quick one two's with Ødegaard. The main role of the wingers will be to get some crosses, low balls into the box as we are playing 2 strikers in strike and it will be harder for the oppo defence to defend than the typical one striker they normally come up against. When we are defending corners I want both of them to stay near the halfway line so we can hit the oppo on the counter attack. .
Attack Mid
Martin Ødegaard
The Big Ø will be the playmaker and chance creator for our attackers. His technical ability on the ball is world class and he is the type of player that can run all match without getting tired. Off the ball I want him to press the oppo midfielders. When we have possession of the ball try and find space in the attacking third of the pitch for you to receive the ball and use your playmaking ability to create chances for the team. Look out for runs from our wingers and strikers and thread some pinpoint passes to them.
Strikers
Marcus Rashford MBE + Jovic
Rashford is a striker that has the deadly combination of pace and finishing. He will look to use his pace to get the better of the oppo defence. Be vary of crosses into the box and try and get in front of your marker. Time your runs off the shoulders of the oppo CB's and use your pace to get away from them. Play quick pass and move combinations with your teammates to find spaces in the oppo defence.
Jovic will use his physical ability and hold up play to bring others in to the game. He's a proper two footed striker equally as strong on his right as he is on his left so I don't want him to hesitate to shoot when he has an opportunity to shoot.
Subs if LOSING BY 65MINS
Put on Kulusevski for Valverde and Diaby for Pulisic to bring some more attacking impetus on. Play a high line and put a lot of pressure on the oppo to win the ball back. Adama the speed demon on for Bailey aswell.
-------------------------------------Ramsdale-----------------------
-----------Upamecano---------Stones--------Badiashile----------
----------------------------------------Ndidi--------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adama--------------Odegaard---------Kulusevski--------------Diaby
-------------------------Jovic------------Rashford-------------------------
Subs if WINNING BY 60MINS
Take off Ødegaard and put on Tchouameni in DM. Play defensive with everyone in our own half defending for their lives, waiting to hit the oppo on the counter attack. . Take the wingers off and put on Adama and Ait Nouri as wingbacks who'll offer a lot more defensive stability.
-----------------------------------Ramsdale-----------------------
----------Upamecano--------Stones--------Badiashile--------
------------------------------Tchou--------Ndidi------------------------------
Adama-------------------------Valverde--------------------------Ait-Nouri
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------Jovic--------------Rashford----------------------
Subs if DRAWING BY 65MINS
Diaby on for Pulisic
Kean on for Jovic
Ndombele on for Valverde
Fresh legs to bring on.
----------------- Ter Stegen ----------------
Cancelo -- De Ligt --- Ramos -- Reguilon
------------------ Casemiro -----------------
--------- De Bruyne --- B.Silva ------------
J.Sancho ------- T.Werner -------- L.Sane
Subs:
Virginia, Pavard, P.Torres, Neuhaus, Antony, Hazard, Morata
Captain: Ramos
Free Kicks: De Bruyne
Penalties: De Bruyne
Corners: Wingers
We’re in fine form and with the wind in our sails we go in search of yet another 3 points. Today’s fixture is as tough as they come however we go with a side that oozes with class and is built to win.
We know that the opposition have been hit hard with midfield injuries and therefore we look to take the game to them in this area of the field. In a game such as this winning the midfield battle is key to success and we go with one of the strongest midfield trio’s in the league in today’s 4-3-3.
Our twin AM's of Kevin De Bruyne & Bernardo Silva, anchored with defensive rock that is Casemiro offer us the perfect blend in middle full of quality, exquisite passing, superb vision and equally just as important, high work rate. Our pressing ability means that they won’t get a minutes rest as we look to quickly recover possession and dominate from the off.
When they’re in possession we sit deep in a 4-5-1. We have the perfect players to open them up on the counter with a front three which is absolutely lightening. Giving us a real attacking threat both in and out of possession.
Defence:
We go with a strong defensive unit at the back, packed with pace and quality as we look to nullify the threat posed by the oppositions attack. If the opposition play one up top then Ramos will mark. Strong, aggressive and a great reader of the game we feel he has all the tools to deal with any opponent. De Ligt will act as cover, sweeping up and offering cover in behind to eliminate any balls over the top. The Dutchman sweeping up from the back and immediately looking to get us on the counter with his fantastic vision and passing.
Our fullbacks will stick tight to the wide men, safe in the knowledge that they have pace to keep up with any opponent. When in possession both Cancelo and Reguilon have license to push forward with both having great quality in the final third.
Midfield:
Casemiro will be our holding player in the middle. An all action player we rely on his fantastic tenacity and high level work rate 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 AM and cut out their supply line. He’s also a fantastic passer which will be key in winning the midfield battle and ball retention.
Further up the field is where things get really exciting as we go with twin AM's and creators in chief De Bruyne and B.Silva. We look to get them on the ball as much as possible. Both fantastic engines and their off the ball work will contribute to shutting down the opposition and winning back possession however it is in the final third we expect them to shine. Playing with twin AM’s we will create real problems to their DM.
It will be a case of pick your poison with both players offering fantastic vision and a killer through ball as we look for the fantastic movement of our front three who will be consistently be looking to get in behind.
Both KDB and Bernardo are also encouraged to go for goal direct. KDB in particular has a fantastic strike from distance whilst Bernardo is more than capable of dribbling past players and firing off a strike himself.
Forwards:
Speed, speed & more speed is the order of the day! In Werner, Sancho & Sane we have some of the quickest forwards in the game and we look to them to put the opposition to the sword today. When in possession we want our widemen to push forward alongside Werner forming a deadly front three.
KDB & B.Silva be our link up players, both looking for that quick ball in behind their defence. We look to play direct, plenty of balls in behind their defence, get them turning and allow our lightening forwards plenty of space to run into behind. Sancho and Sane offer goals and assists in abundance. Both wingers will look to be direct, cutting inside and going direct for goal one moment and driving down the line, dazzling the opposition before whipping the ball into the box the next.
Werner plays through the middle and will have a talented supply line around him. The brief is simple, get into the box and put the ball in the back of the net. We want him to sit on the shoulder of the last man, the German is absolutely lightening and has the ability to stretch the defence, getting on the end of the through balls from KDB, B.Silva, Sancho & Sane we expect the German to thrive.
If winning:
75 mins: Bernardo off, Pavard on. Tighten up defensively as we bring on an extra CB, moving to 5-4-1 to see out the win.
85 mins: Werner off, Morata on.
If drawing/losing:
75 mins: Sane off, Hazard on. Fresh legs and a player capable of a bit of magic.
80 mins: Bernardo off, Morata. Two up top with Morata alongside Werner and a creative trio of Sancho, KDB & Hazard behind. Goals.
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Tactics
Page 32 of 70
33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37
posted on 22/3/21
SOTON vs Spurs
---------------------------------Dragowski-----------------------
-------------Fofana-------Upamecano------Badiashile---------
-------------------------Ndidi--------------Valverde---------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adama-----------------------Odegaard----------------------------Pulisic
--------------------Greenwood------------Rashford-------------------------
Subs - Dest, Ait-Nouri, Tonali, Szoboszlai, Reinier, Richarlison, Kean
CAPTAIN - RASHFORD
CK'S - ØDEGAARD
FK'S - ØDEGAARD
PENALTIES - RASHFORD
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. When we have the ball I want the team to play pass and move football. Don't stay static, try and get in behind the oppo defence as there is a lot of pace in our attacking players. As the game goes on, when we don't have the ball I want the team to defend from the front line and pressure the oppo and try and win possession back. Do this in fits and bursts as it is a tiring tactic.
Defence
GK to be confident in box. Don't take risks. Punch the ball away if the shot is too powerful. Command your area. The back 3 is well balanced and full of pace and power. Badiashile and Fofana will be playing as the outside CB's and will look to close down the oppo wingers. Upamecano in the middle will marshall the defence and look to snuff out any attacks from the oppo striker/s. All 3 of these CB's are very good at playing from the back and I want them to use that ability if they have some space to dribble into from defence.
Defence Mids
Ndidi + Valverde
These 2 will be the main defensive force to cover our defence. When the oppo LW is attacking down the wings I want Ndidi to close him down and put a tackle in or stop him getting to the byline. Likewise with Valverde who will be tasked with the same job against the oppo RW. This will allow our front five to focus solely on attacking with no defensive restrictions put on them. If either Ndidi or Valverde are helping out on the wings I want the other DM to stay in the middle of the pitch and close down the oppo AM if they play one. When in possession pass the ball out to the wings or to Ødegaard who will drop deep from time to time. Valverde will be allowed to stretch his legs and run with the ball from deep if there is space to do so in the centre of the pitch. But he must not forget his main job which is to protect the defence.
Wingers
Adama + Pulisic
These 2 will be the focal point of my attack. I want to give them the freedom to express themselves in attack so they do not have to track back and help out in defence. Pulisic will be looking to cut in from the left and Adama will be looking to get to the byline and whip some crosses into the box. I want you both to try and beat the oppo fullbacks with your pace and dribbling ability but don't try too hard as if you see them doubling up on you you can either pass back into the centre of the pitch to one of our DM's or play quick one two's with Ødegaard. The main role of the wingers will be to get some crosses, low balls into the box as we are playing 2 strikers in strike and it will be harder for the oppo defence to defend than the typical one striker they normally come up against. When we are defending corners I want both of them to stay near the halfway line so we can hit the oppo on the counter attack. .
Attack Mid
Martin Ødegaard
The Big Ø will be the playmaker and chance creator for our attackers. His technical ability on the ball is world class and he is the type of player that can run all match without getting tired. Off the ball I want him to press the oppo midfielders. When we have possession of the ball try and find space in the attacking third of the pitch for you to receive the ball and use your playmaking ability to create chances for the team. Look out for runs from our wingers and strikers and thread some pinpoint passes to them.
Strikers
Marcus Rashford MBE + Greenwood
These 2 blood brothers will be the main goalscorers of the team. Rashford is a striker that has the deadly combination of pace and finishing. He will look to use his pace to get the better of the oppo defence. Be vary of crosses into the box and try and get in front of your marker. Time your runs off the shoulders of the oppo CB's and use your pace to get away from them. Play quick pass and move combinations with your teammates to find spaces in the oppo defence.
Greenwood will use his physical ability and hold up play to bring others in to the game. He's a proper two footed striker equally as strong on his right as he is on his left so I don't want him to hesitate to shoot when he has an opportunity to shoot.
Subs if LOSING BY 65MINS
Put on Reinier for Valverde and Richarlison for Pulisic to bring some more attacking impetus on. Play a high line and put a lot of pressure on the oppo to win the ball back.
------------------------------------Dragowski-----------------------
-----------------Fofana------Upamecano-------Badiashile----------
----------------------------------------Ndidi--------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adama----------Odegaard------------Reinier------------Richarlison
--------------------Greenwood------------Rashford-------------------------
Subs if WINNING BY 80MINS
Take off Ødegaard and put on Tonali in DM. Play defensive with everyone in our own half defending for their lives, waiting to hit the oppo on the counter attack. . Take the wingers off and put on Dest and Ait Nouri as wingbacks who'll offer a lot more defensive stability.
-----------------------------------Dragowski-----------------------
------------Fofana-----------Upamecano--------Badiashile--------
------------------------------Tonali--------Ndidi------------------------------
Dest------------------------------Valverde-------------------------Ait-Nouri
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------Greenwood--------------Rashford----------------------
Subs if DRAWING BY 65MINS
Richarlison on for Pulisic
Kean on for Greenwood
Tonali on for Valverde
Fresh legs to bring on.
posted on 22/3/21
------------------------Neuer
Castagne---Soyuncu---Hermoso---Hernandez
----------------------Jorginho
--------------Foden--------Brozovic
Ocampos--------------------------------Barnes
-----------------------Kane
Pope
Denayer
Walker
Adams
Menino
Malen
Vardy
Injuries have hit us pretty hard this week, so some rotation has been put in place to try and cope. We have decided to maintain the 4-3-3 system, as performances seemed to have improved with it, and there is some semblance of stability coming through it as well. The defence remains much the same, which I believe to be an important part of stable growth, and Barnes and Brozovic make more than capable replacements coming in. I want to see us adopt the high intensity pressing system we have utilised so far, with a quick movement based possession system when we have control of the ball, relying mainly on 1-3 touch moves, allowing for nobody to be caught on the ball. The importance with this is to retain both the quick movement of the football, but also patience to not rush balls forward. If we need to move the ball around the back to keep it and draw the opposition on, then we have the players capable of playing such a game.
Building attacks from deep will be core to this system. The most important thing is that nobody in these deep roles should ever be left isolated. Option should be plentiful, with Jorginho and Neuer providing chances forward/backward, whilst there are also he individual defenders themselves. Brozovic will make himself busy, running widthways across the pitch, to provide a slightly wider option, helping to connect the FB with the wingers, and also supporting the overlap of the FB. Castagne should be our main driving outlet from deep, getting forward and carrying the ball into dangerous areas, whilst fitting the minimal touch system, whilst Hernandez will be more reticent in contributing to attacks. Usually, when Castagne pushes forward, Hernandez will slot inside, and a back three will be put into effect, however, should we be losing the game, Hernandez should be more entitled to contribute offensively. The midfield three that we have named is made up of players capable of coollecting the ball and moving it quickly. Jorginho will operate as a deep lying playmaker, and we shall rely on him to mainly dictate the play, as opposed to him being the deep presser. Brozovic will operate as the engine room, box-to-box option, whilst Foden serves as a more conventional outlet in the 10 role, looking to operate in between the lines, and find space to best utilise the attacking players in front of him. These three distinct roles should help with the transition process.
Once the ball is progressed into the other half, we should be looking at 6-7 players contributing offensively, drawn from the attackers, the two more advanced midfielders and then one or both FBs. This gives us plenty of options. Ocampos and Castagne should rotate their style of approach, with Castagne capable of serving as both an overlap and an underlap option. This will make it harder for the two of them to be tracked, as well as for the opposition to know the method that they will be attacked with. Barnes is a direct runner, looking to use his pace to get in behind. Because of this, we will see him cutting inside more frequently. As such, Foden will operate a slightly left-sided AM role, allowing for him to push out wide and flourish in the space left by whoever is given the job of tracking Barnes. This versatitlity gives us the ability to switch up our attacking approach plenty. As for Kane, well, we can rely on him to contribute aerially and on the ground. He is there to score goals, and create space for the other attackers. He can do both of these by keeping himself between the goalposts, and making a nuisance of himself. If he gets the odd cheeky ‘penalty’ then that’s just a bonus 😉
When we lose possession of the ball, the high press should be engaged. Routine now, but Kane will target the central players, mainly the CBs and GK. Foden will sit on the deeper midfield player, whilst Barnes and Ocampos will harry the FBs. This level of attention makes it difficult to play out from the back, forcing them either into mistakes or long balls forward. If the high press is beaten, then we need to buy time for Brozovic and the FBs to get into position. Brozovic will tuck in alongside Jorginho, and the two will alternate their pressing runs, with one sitting deeper in the pivot at all times, so that we don’t get outmanned at the back. Castagne and Hernandez should, by now, have been given plenty of time to get back into position.
Substitutions
If losing/drawing
Vardy on for Jorginho 65 mins
Brozovic will operate as a deeper lying midfielder, whilst Vardy will go up top and support Kane.
Malen on for Barnes 72 mins
A different slant on the 4-3-3, with Kane through the centre, and Vardy and Malen playing central support striker roles. Ocampos and Foden will operate as the wider CMs, both capable of pushing into the wider areas.
If winning
Denayer on for Barnes 70 mins
Change to a 3-4-3, with Brozovic dropping deeper, and Foden shifting to LW.
posted on 26/3/21
Bournemouth Tactics: League round 20 (Home to Wolves)
Captain: Ibañez
Vice Captain: Zubeldia
Team:
----------------Simón
Aarons--Ibañez—Botman---Lodi
---------------Zubeldia
-------W-Prowse---Gonçalves
Antony-------------------------Suárez
------------------Núñez
SUBS: Maximiano, Lewis, Araújo, Assunção, Guimarães, Sancet, Kaio
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: Simón is a big mobile keeper and very athletic. 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: Zubeldia 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. W-Prowse and Gonçalves will play just in front of Zubeldia. W-Prowse will be a more box to box type. He will be involved all over and will offer as much in defence as in attack. Gonçalves 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 Antony and Suárez 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 Gonçalves, W-Prowse and Núñez 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 W-Prowse may sit a bit deeper allowing Gonçalves 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.
Núñez 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: Gonçalves, Suárez or Antony with Ibañez, Botman, Zubeldia and Núñez to offer an aerial threat. Gonçalves and Suárez (with his thunderbolt left foot) may try their luck with several free kicks from distance.
Penalties: Núñez
Substitutions: (if winning on 80 minutes) Araújo for Botman, Kaio for Núñez and Guimarães for W-Prowse, 3 like for like substitutions.
If losing (on 80 minutes) Sancet for W-Prowse and Kaio for Antony. Shift to a 4-1-3-2 attack. Kaio and Sancet offering fresh legs, pace and a bit of the unknown in attack.
--------------Zubeldia
Sancet-----Gonçalves----Suárez
-----------Núñez---Kaio
posted on 26/3/21
Leicester vs PORTSMOUTH
The greatest team to ever grace a blue kit, steeped in heritage and prestige vs some team that are intrinsically linked with Walkers crisps. Leicester all joking apart are a quality out-fit and deservedly right up there at the sharp end, home advantage to makes filbert street a daunting place to visit, we have form and momentum in our favour plus the fact that Welshy knobbled his better defenders.
With all this in mind we’ve decided that Leicester should be attacked, we’re not playing possession for possession’s sake, that just gives RoF’s well drilled side to get back in 2 banks of four and sit-in. so Neves will sit as the quarter-back, pick his head up and go long, turn the Lesta players and let us exploit the spaces with pace and power.
……………………………………Ederson………………………….
Bellerin…………………..Dias…………Romagnoli……………Ferland
……………………………………Neves…………………………………….
Berardi……………………….Zaniolo……………………………Insigne
………………………Ronaldo………….Immobile…………………………
Subs: Pickford, Doherty, Todibo, Zagadou, Busquets, Belotti, Aguero
I know that’s a very aggressive attacking line-up but Kenny Dalglish once said that the best form of defence is to attack – I think he said that but his accents properly thick. RoF I imagine will go with a heavy handed approach to the midfield, this is ok though we’re expecting and as per my tweet the other day only 4 players have made over 50 tackles and 50 interceptions in this years Premierleague, one of the 4 was Ruuuuuuben Neves. Fantastic work-rate he’ll harry the ball carrier and slow him down, whilst our 3 attacking midfielders will cover the runs from Leicester’s midfielders quickly closing out any options, they have to play their own style of quick ball.
So yes we’re out-gunned centrally but going short there is part of the plan, we defend from the front. Ronaldo may be slowing down and he’s not great defensively but in a way that helps us today, by staying up top it very much cuts out the tippy-tappy nonsense before Leicester can even attempt to build from the back, if they get sloppy the last person you want running through on goal is Ronaldo – the greatest goal scorer of all time, other than Pele who seems to be counting goals scored playing in the garden with the grand-kids.
Immobile is such a hardworking front-man and his surname is ridiculously inaccurate, whilst Ronny stays central, Ciro will run the flanks and really harass the Leicester defenders into trying to go longer with their passes, by playing on our front foot we have a very good chance of winning turn-over balls in advanced positions.
Berardi and Insigne are two very skillful players, they’ll look to vary their runs and avoid being predictable, they can cut in and cause over-laps but it needs to be mixed with stretching the defence and banging some crosses in for #Ronaldomobile to get on the end of. Defensively I want the front-four to drop back no deeper than the half-way line.
Zaniolo is our #10 a really silky player we want him playing between the lines, look to operate in the space that Leicesters deepest midfielder will be operating in, not sure who’s marking whom but that’s his job, keep him occupied so he cant drop deep to help mark #Ronaldomobile, but come deep to offer Neves a simple pass – even if it’s not taken the intention will create some space for the other forwards to work in.
Neves is all action and we’ve gone through his skill set, shield the defence and slow them down waiting for the cavalry to get back. With the ball quick passes, bypassing Leicesters midfield and heavy press – their full-backs are quick but our wingers aren’t slouches either…. If we peg back their full backs deep in their half it takes some pressure off our own defenders.
Ferland and Bellerin I normally give them freedom to rampage forwards but today they’re much more restrained, they don’t go past half-way. So when we have possession they effectively operate in the space where we’d normally have Centre-Mids. Both are decent on the ball so what they’ll bring is wide cross-field diagonals – Neves out wide to either, then they hit one cross field the other way – we’re gonna make Leicester run like excited Collies. The advantage of them being in that space is that IF Leicester get the ball whilst Neves goes to the man and our AM’s are tracking-back Ferland and Bellerin are already in advanced positions to attack the spaces, use their speed and nip in to get the ball before damage is done.
Dias and Romagnoli – captain elect of City and Captain of Milan, these two are still young but battle hardened, Lautaro is out which is typical he scored the other week so its possible he’d have fired blanks today we expect to be facing Dybala who is the greatest #10 in world football. Dias will be his man get out to him quick and clatter him on his touch, Dibbles is great with ball to feet and comfy back to goal so we just have to keep nibbling away, Roma is the spare man (unless Rof goes two-up-top)
Subs 70 mins
Busquets > Neves (like for like)
Aguero > Immobile (like for like)
posted on 27/3/21
----------------------- Martinez -------------------------
Pereira ------ Kalidou ------ Skriniar ------ Chilwell
------------------------ Kamara -------------------------
--------------- T.Soucek ---- Tielemans --------------
Dembele ------------------------------------- S.Gnabry
------------------------- Lukaku -------------------------
Maignan, Lenglet, Koopmeiners, Aouar, Nkunku, Gouiri, Lacazette
Again, 343, 541, 433, all depends how the passage of play is going, we can transition into any of the above formations, we have two powerful CBs you defend the lines with everything they have, their job is to stop the striker getting any chances or at least any easy chances, they stay as a pair, they stay solid, they let nothing passed, Koulibaly man marks the striker, Skriniar supports him, clear everything, both clear first ask questions later, when in possession they can pass it out wide to fullbacks or to the midfielders ahead of them.
When we attack, Kamara is a very important part of this formation, he sits in front of the two CBs, sometimes right in between them forming a 3 man back line, this allows Pereira and Chiwell to attack, they can both go at the same time, we want to really have a go and if this means 7 going forward then so be it, we want to hit them with numbers and plenty of pace, The fullbacks drive down the line, which ever side it is use Soucek/Tielemans to get round defenders, quick one/twos, play the triangles to get up and beyond them, then they have Dembele and Gnabry as well the further afield they get, this is quick football, no messing today, once they are in space look to play it into Dembele or Gnabry or fire in a cross which will see plenty of numbers in the danger area to aim for as Soucek/Tielemans, opposite winger and Fullabck will be their waiting and obvs the main man Lukaku will be there to do what he does best, Soucek and Tielemans are the heart beat of the team, as said, fullbacks will use them to go round players as will wingers, there job is to make sure the run these players make isn't gone to waste as they play the ball into space for them to drive into, always available for the pass and will make the dangerous runs into the box to get on the end of the cross coming in. Lukaku always stays as No.9, he is a beast in the nicest of ways, he can be played in, he will shrug defenders off, can take them on, also, as crosses come in a very good chance he will win the header. If he cannot go for goal, hold it up, there will be players driving in from all angles, he just has to pick the right one out. For corners and set pieces lets pile pressure on them, we have plenty of power and heght with the CBs and Soucek in the danger area.
When defending Kamara's primary role in front of the defence or in the heart of it, he is the 'free' CB/DM, 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, he has a lot of grit and determination to his game so 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. We do go 4141 or 541 when defending our attacking fullbacks become proper fullbacks as they flit back into defence, again plenty numbers and easy transition from our attacking formation, the four more attacking midfielders make a bank of 4, not gonna say they are the best defensively, but if they make this line and keep focussed on the job ahead then it should be fine, harass them when they have the ball, look to make them play stupid misplaced passes so we can gather the ball and break with pace.
We must defend as a team tho, from the front, everyone hot on the tails of the opposition, we cant give away cheap goals,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 - Koulibaly
Free Kicks - Tielemans
Pens - Lukaku
Corners - Wingers
Subs -
Losing
70 Mins - Gouiri for Dembele, he goes LCF, Gnabry RCF more attacking with Kamara dropping itno CB and the FBs becoming attacking WBs, Aouar for Soucek at the same time
Winning -
70 Mins - Koopmeiners for Soucek, a bit more defensive
80 Mins - Nkunku for Dembele we are now playing 541
Drawing -
70 Mins - Aouar for Soucek, Gouiri for Dembele, switch with Gnabry
80 Mins - Nkunku for Gnabry
posted on 27/3/21
------------------------- Oblak --------------------------
W-Bissaka ---- Romero ---- Bastoni ---- Robertson
------------ K.Laimer ----------- Locatelli ------------
------------------------ Grealish ------------------------
------ Havertz ------- Mbappe -------- Neymar ------
Meslier, Konsa, de Jong, Ferran, Musiala, Daka, Raphinha
We like playing from the back and quick on the break and really pressurise the opposition with an in your face performance from the front we do not allow them to play from the back or allow their midfield to dominate, I want our front three play quite a high line, put pressure on the defence, we cant get in behind quite easily as there fullbacks like to push forward, 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 Locatelli and Laimer 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, Grealish slightly higher up always on top of the midfielders stopping them passing between each other, defend from the front, 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 4 with Fullbacks who are always ready to pounce and hit them with pace.
We have the Worlds best goalkeeper behind our defence which consists of Bastoni and Romero. Romero picks up the CF he is quick and powerful so will stop the threat of their No.9, Bastoni spare picks up the AM or any other player that's roams into the danger area, with the experienced Oblak behind he will constantly be shouting and keeping the bank of 4 in a line as to not leave gaps, if they get away from our midfield, keep the forward(s) away from the danger area, get onto them quickly, take the ball away from them and play it out of defence, look to get it out wide quickly, Both CBs 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 keep the wingers quiet, stop their attacks 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 we cant afford be exposed but this is mostly Robertson,who will drive up and down the pitch for 90+ mins, they drive down the line in support of the wingers drive on the outside making an extra man. If either get caught up field I want Lamier to drift to the side to cover spaces made by our fullbacks, this gives our fullbacks more freedom to make their way to midfield to cover. This allows Locatelli to stay central and pick up anyone else or indeed get the ball and get us moving, Grealish also covers by dropping back to fill in the midfield even just to follow any defender that moves up field or to fill the gap Laimer has made by moving to pick up men. Bastoni to go up for corners, with the fullbacks and Romero sitting back.
Laimer is is tenacious, energetic and feisty, just what we need in our midfield, he is our deepest midfielder sitting just in front of the CB's he will shadow there AM and not allow him to control the game, 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, will at times drop between the 2 Cbs to get the ball, 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 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. Locatelli will help stop the run of play quicker to make our defenders jobs a lot easier, protect our defence as best as possible, in possession get it to the front 3/4 but also look for fullbacks 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, he will also look for piercing balls for the front 3 to drive onto and go for goal. Our midfield maestro Grealish is essential to our style of play, he is the link between defence and attack he controls the pace of the game, as we break quickly he will look to set up our front three, also, he will drop back at times to pick it up then look to his dribbling and passing capabilities to get him around player and if their is space he will into the danger area to unleash a powerful drive, sometimes taking a foul as he is a tricky player to mark. When in possession always head up looking for the movement of our front three to play them in, he draws players in, often taking a kick or two while he does it, gaining many free kicks, so as he does this he will pass the ball away sometimes taking 2/3 players out of the game leaving a lot more room for others to make something dangerous, he will pass and move to always make himself available. After the pass he can push wide or central to make that extra man 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 and create space for the front 3. All of our midfield three must press the opposition and get to grips with this game very early on.
Our forward line is extremely quick and inter changeable, there movement will cause the opposition defence all sorts of problems, drifting wide, forcing them out of position as they will be following their man, this will allow others to move into different space, ie Mbappe moving to the right allowing Havertz to become the CF. We will run them ragged.This will allow Grealish more time on the ball hopefully and more space as he looks to thread players in to the space they have created. Grealish is very important as he will go left and right to create an overload for them to worry about therefore with his passing abiltity and creativeness he can make use of the space for others to get in on goal. Its all about being quick and clever today, we need goals, so always on the move, create space for each other, but always make use of the space wisely. When we don't have the ball, its up to these guys to harass them, not the best defensively, but all I ask is to follow the man and look to support the rest of the team as best as possible.
Captain - Oblak
Pens - Mbappe
Free Kicks - Grealish
Corners - Grealish
Subs -
Losing/Drawing -
65 Mins - Ferran for Robertson, we go 343, Bissaka RCB, Ferran to the Right, Grealish left. Daka on for Havertz - Mbappe - Daka - Neymar as a front 3
73 Mins - de Jong for Locatelli and try and create something
Winning -
78 Mins - de Jong for Nemar, he goes into CM with Grealish going LM, Raphinha for Havertz and go RM, 4-1-4-1
posted on 27/3/21
Comment deleted by Site Moderator
posted on 28/3/21
Tottenham Hotspur v SHEFFIELD UNITED
----------------------Lopes
Lamptey, Andersen, T. Silva, Grimaldo
-------------Kovacic, Gallagher
---Mahrez-------James-------------Isco
----------------------Suárez
Subs: Tomiyasu, Tagliafico, Ampadu, Lamela, Brooks, Klimowicz, Mertens
Captain: Thiago Silva
Free Kicks: Mahrez (Lamela), James, Isco (Mertens)
Penalties: Suárez
Our defensive unit consists of Joachim Andersen and Thiago Silva paired up at centre-back, Tariq Lamptey at right-back and Álex Grimaldo at left-back, with Mateo Kovacic and Conor Gallagher as our midfield ‘double pivot’ screening them.
This ‘double pivot’ is the key to our team and in Kovacic and Gallagher 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 Gallagher can press the ball without leaving lots of space, as Kovacic 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 Gallagher's role, he will press almost anywhere in his own half to allow defenders to stay in the defensive line.
With Gallagher running his socks off for the team, our high tempo will be dictated by his partner in holding midfield, Mateo Kovacic.
Kovacic 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 Kovacic such a talent.
The attacking unit consists of Riyad Mahrez, James Rodríguez and Isco as our band of three attacking midfielders with Luis Suárez 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 Kovacic or Gallagher, then our 4-2-3-1 can spring into attack.
Lamptey and Grimaldo can surge up the wings in the knowledge that Kovacic and Gallagher can drop into the space left behind if needed. As they come up the wings, both Riyad Mahrez and Isco, who are excellent in tight spaces and fantastic dribblers will cut inside or make runs into the box.
James Rodríguez, our attacking central midfielder’s low centre of gravity will enable him to navigate away from defenders. James 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 with his quick flicks and one-touch passing, will combine exceptionally well with Mahrez, Isco & Suárez to create openings and goal scoring opportunities for each other.
Upfront, Suárez will be utilised to “bind” our oppositions defenders in place by occupying them with his positioning, to the point of blocking their defenders in order to create space for Mahrez, James & Isco to exploit between the lines as this trio look to profit from Suárez’s off-the-ball actions.
Suárez will act as a focal point around which our team will build our attacks, using his strength to hold off their defenders. Suárez is proven adept at one-touch passing and quick flicks in combination play and of course Suárez’s stock in trade when the occasion calls for it – intelligent dummies to fool their defenders.
All 4 of our most advanced players are equally gifted in terms of assisting and scoring goals, and as thus we will not be purely reliant on Suárez on this front, although I expect of course for him to find the back of the net on a number of occasions.
Subs on 75 mins
Lamela on for Mahrez and Mertens on for Isco
Double substitution - Lots of fresh legs, pace and dribbling trickery in the last 15 minutes to look to unlock the opposition’s defence for a late goal regardless of the score line.
posted on 28/3/21
Attacking high press 3-4-1-2
A home to Pompey we go with an attacking side, that is firstly solid at the back but more importantly gives us a solid core to build attacks from and target Pompey down the left and with a front two. We go with a side with a high work rate, full of energy to press from the front. We will direct our attacks down the wings, the Cm duo provide defensive strength in front of the cbs giving them freedom to attack.
Our formation allows us to mix our style, able to build patiently with the defenders quality on the ball but also attack directly with pace out wide and two up top. The front two set the tempo for the game with their pace and high tempo styles. Both have the ability to drop deep and join in the attacks. Fernandes the AM, similarly plays with high intensity and has the ability to move up top, adding fluidity to our team, draw Pompey defenders out of position with fluidity of the front 3.
We have three cms able to pick a pass, and with the ability to dictate the tempo of the game and control possession. Rodri plays as the defensive midfielder, Goretzka with the power and intelligence in the box to box role to fill in when needed.
The width is provided by the wing backs, and by an over lapping cb. Stealing a Sheffield tactic, we allow one cb to get forward at a time. Godfrey/Alaba seeking to overlap the attacking wbs. This will see us always have two cbs and Rodri in front when we attack offering cover. We have great pace in the other midfielders to get back quickly.
We will direct our attacks down the wings. Both wing backs will have freedom to attack, bombing down the wings and crossing for the front two. The overlapping cbs, wbs and with front two will give us an overload in attacking situations.
We defend in a narrow formation, limiting the space for Pompey to play in. The wingback on the opposite side of play will drop back into defence forming a back four. The wb on the side of play helps the cb (acting as a fb) on the side of play defend against the attacking winger and fb.
The defence and midfield press as a unit, ensuring there is no space between the lines for Pompey attacking mids. When defending, Rodri plays zonally in front of the cbs and will pick up the most attacking cm in the area. Goretzka will play ball side of Rodri and always press the passing lanes. Goretzka will pick up the 2nd most attacking cm if they break forward. Fernandes presses zonally Rodri side of Goretzka. Mane looks to exploit the space out wide wherever there is space and Dybala splits the space between their cbs.
When we win the ball we attack at pace. Use the wing backs bombing forward linking with the wide forwards to create.
——————————— Alisson ———————————
————————————————————————————
————— Godfrey — Laporte — Alaba ——————
————————————————————————————
Carvajal —— Goretzka —— Rodri —— Sterling
—————————— B.Fernandes ————————————
————————————————————————————
———————— P.Dybala —— S.Mane ———————
Subs. Henderson, J.Gaya, Mount, Thiago, Ziyech, Jesus, Osimhen
Defence
When we lose the ball high up the park we always look to win it back straight away, don’t give Bournemouth a chance to counter. The closest 2/3 players press. Allowing others to get back into position behind the ball. Henderson also guards against hopeful long balls over the top looking to be on edge of his box when we are in possession in opposition half.
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.
When the opposition 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 set out above. Our defence have fantastic pace up against their forwards, bide their time, not diving in.
Attack
We counter quickly when we win the ball aiming our attacks down the wings. If the counter is not on we look to get the wing backs and wide forwards doubling up on their fbs.
The back 3 are all comfortable on the ball and look to play out, helping us move the ball quickly having a strong base.
Subs.
If winning after 70 mins bring on Gaya for Sterling. Fresh legs, pace and shore up defence.
If winning after 75 mins bring on Mount for Fernandes.
If winning after 80 mins bring on Jesus for Dybala
If drawing after 70 mins bring on Mount for Rodri.
If drawing after 75 mins bring on Ziyech for Carvajal.
If drawing after 77 mins bring on Thiago for Fernandes. More control and creativity from deep to make more space for all attacking players on.
If losing after 60 mins bring on Ziyech for Carvajal.
If losing after 65 mins bring on Mount for Goretzka. More attacking.
If losing after 80 mins bring on Osimhen for Fernandes. Dybala deeper, gives a big man in the box.
posted on 28/3/21
Newcastle 4-3-3 / 2-3-5
____________Mendy
Trent___Stones___Virgil__Shaw
____________Fabinho
_________Kroos__Modric
Coman_______Olmo_______Oyar
Subs: Begovic, Llorente, Barella, Christensen, Eriksen, Lemar, Morey
Today I’d like to take complete control of midfield, holding possession and stretch their back line while outnumbering every area of the middle third and final third of the pitch. Our full backs will play as inverted fullbacks assuming the role as box to box and pivoting midfielders, thereby pushing our midfielders further forwards creating a 5 man attack.
______________Mendy
________Stones_____Virgil_______
______Trent___Fabinho__Shaw
Coman_____Kroos___Modric_____Oyar
_______________Olmo______________
By doing so I will always have an extra man in midfield, including wide passing options, creating overloads. It will also help us stretch the field wider as I would expect opposition players to drift in-field to try and mitigate the presence of the extra bodies in midfield leaving wide areas for our wide players to exploit. As such the wide players will be given instruction so hug the touchline when waiting to receive the ball, then they can cut in and play their natural game but providing pass options initially is a must.
I fully expect us to create difficulty for the opposition in assessing exactly how and where to cover space and how to effectively pressure the ball. Create pass options to drag players out of position when they struggle to cope with the extra man in midfield exploiting gaps between the lines.
Our attacks will be taking a very vertical approach which allows the attacking midfielders to receive the ball in space allowing us to hurt them. Our version of a vertical approach is passing the ball up and down the field, with players inviting pressure as they receive and release the ball thereby creating a gap for another player to move into to receive a recycled pass. Eventually a path to goal will appear and it’ll be up to the players to exploit that playing their natural games. The whole point of this system is about opening greater space in between the lines for the attacking midfielders to receive. The attacking midfielders will also be expected to break the lines and make runs beyond the striker to find space higher up the pitch creating goal-scoring opportunities. The fullbacks therefore have many options to pass to, the 9, the 10s, and out wide depending on the natural movements of the players.
Defensive stability is very important to the way we want to play. One of the rules ultimately in football is you cannot score if you don’t have the ball, so we aim to keep the ball as much as possible with the ongoing ball recycling process of trying to drag players out of position finding space to exploit. When the opposition do gain possession they immediately face a block of five in the middle and our third of the pitch, quickly changing back to a standard 4-5-1 in two flat lines (plus the striker up top). Doing so will allow us to effectively defend our wide areas stopping any crosses coming in while congesting the middle enough for minimal gaps to appear between the lines. We press less to minimise the risk of gaps appearing but instead rely on cutting passing lanes and options. Once possession is regained, we immediately progress up the pitch and revert back to 2-3-5. The central defensive triangle of both CBs and the DM are good in the air capable of winning plenty of duels in the air as well as on the ground, in addition of course to their exceptional passing ability. It is important to have players that occupy those three positions that have on-the-ball intelligence, astute awareness of how to cover space in transition, and an aerial presence.
Subs.
65 mins - Barella on Modric off. Fresh legs.
70 mins losing/drawing - Eriksen on Kroos off. Better finisher in the box from midfield.
75 mins losing/drawing - Lemar on Oyar off. Better penetration down the left and will play inside left more.
75 mins winning - Llorente on Kroos off. Fresh legs while not losing creative quality.
Red card
In all cases go 4-4-1 and take off Modric and replace with
Cbs - Christensen
Full backs - morey
Midfield - llorente if Fabinho sent off
Forwards - lemar
posted on 29/3/21
SOTON VS Arsenal
------------------------------------Kalajdzic-----------------------
---------Upamecano--------Demiral--------Badiashile-------------
-----------------------------Ndidi---------Valverde---------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bailey---------------------------Odegaard----------------------------Pulisic
--------------------------Jovic-----------------Rashford-------------------------
Subs - Dest, Ait-Nouri, Ndombele, Tchouameni, Wirtz, Richarlison, Kean
CAPTAIN - RASHFORD
CK'S - ØDEGAARD
FK'S - ØDEGAARD
PENALTIES - RASHFORD
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. When we have the ball I want the team to play pass and move football. Don't stay static, try and get in behind the oppo defence as there is a lot of pace in our attacking players. As the game goes on, when we don't have the ball I want the team to defend from the front line and pressure the oppo and try and win possession back. Do this in fits and bursts as it is a tiring tactic.
Defence
I know Kalajdzic isn't a GK but he's 6 foot 7 inches tall. He has to be able to save some shots right? RIGHT????GK to be confident in box. Don't take risks. Punch the ball away if the shot is too powerful. Command your area. The back 3 is well balanced and full of pace and power. Badiashile and Upamecano will be playing as the outside CB's and will look to close down the oppo wingers. Demiral in the middle will marshall the defence and look to snuff out any attacks from the oppo striker/s. All 3 of these CB's are very good at playing from the back and I want them to use that ability if they have some space to dribble into from defence.
Defence Mids
Ndidi + Valverde
These 2 will be the main defensive force to cover our defence. When the oppo LW is attacking down the wings I want Ndidi to close him down and put a tackle in or stop him getting to the byline. Likewise with Valverde who will be tasked with the same job against the oppo RW. This will allow our front five to focus solely on attacking with no defensive restrictions put on them. If either Ndidi or Valverde are helping out on the wings I want the other DM to stay in the middle of the pitch and close down the oppo AM if they play one. When in possession pass the ball out to the wings or to Ødegaard who will drop deep from time to time. Valverde will be allowed to stretch his legs and run with the ball from deep if there is space to do so in the centre of the pitch. But he must not forget his main job which is to protect the defence.
Wingers
Bailey + Pulisic
These 2 will be the focal point of my attack. I want to give them the freedom to express themselves in attack so they do not have to track back and help out in defence. Pulisic will be looking to cut in from the left and Bailey likewise who will cut in from the right. I want you both to try and beat the oppo fullbacks with your pace and dribbling ability but don't try too hard as if you see them doubling up on you you can either pass back into the centre of the pitch to one of our DM's or play quick one two's with Ødegaard. The main role of the wingers will be to get some crosses, low balls into the box as we are playing 2 strikers in strike and it will be harder for the oppo defence to defend than the typical one striker they normally come up against. When we are defending corners I want both of them to stay near the halfway line so we can hit the oppo on the counter attack. .
Attack Mid
Martin Ødegaard
The Big Ø will be the playmaker and chance creator for our attackers. His technical ability on the ball is world class and he is the type of player that can run all match without getting tired. Off the ball I want him to press the oppo midfielders. When we have possession of the ball try and find space in the attacking third of the pitch for you to receive the ball and use your playmaking ability to create chances for the team. Look out for runs from our wingers and strikers and thread some pinpoint passes to them.
Strikers
Marcus Rashford MBE + Jovic
Rashford is a striker that has the deadly combination of pace and finishing. He will look to use his pace to get the better of the oppo defence. Be vary of crosses into the box and try and get in front of your marker. Time your runs off the shoulders of the oppo CB's and use your pace to get away from them. Play quick pass and move combinations with your teammates to find spaces in the oppo defence.
Jovic will use his physical ability and hold up play to bring others in to the game. He's a proper two footed striker equally as strong on his right as he is on his left so I don't want him to hesitate to shoot when he has an opportunity to shoot.
Subs if LOSING BY 65MINS
Put on Wirtz for Valverde and Richarlison for Pulisic to bring some more attacking impetus on. Play a high line and put a lot of pressure on the oppo to win the ball back.
---------------------------------------Kalajdzic-----------------------
-----------Upamecano---------Demiral--------Badiashile----------
----------------------------------------Ndidi--------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bailey----------Odegaard------------Wirtz----------------Richarlison
-------------------------Jovic------------Rashford-------------------------
Subs if WINNING BY 60MINS
Take off Ødegaard and put on Tchouameni in DM. Play defensive with everyone in our own half defending for their lives, waiting to hit the oppo on the counter attack. . Take the wingers off and put on Dest and Ait Nouri as wingbacks who'll offer a lot more defensive stability.
---------------------------------------Kalajdzic-----------------------
----------Upamecano--------Demiral--------Badiashile--------
------------------------------Tchou--------Ndidi------------------------------
Dest------------------------------Valverde-------------------------Ait-Nouri
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------Jovic--------------Rashford----------------------
Subs if DRAWING BY 65MINS
Richarlison on for Pulisic
Kean on for Jovic
Ndombele on for Valverde
Fresh legs to bring on.
posted on 29/3/21
Bournemouth vs WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS
A nice to trip to the south coast, always nice to go and see Elsie’s Samba beats. Fans of Wolverhampton Wanderers, will be wondering where all the feckin players have gone and how much they wasted getting their hero’s names on their shirts.
A very different feel to this wolves side from the one that drew away at man city. Elsie has a fantastic bunch of players, very underrated and we can’t take this trip to the side rooted at the bottom for granted.
We know LC likes to play a 4-3-3 so we’ve adopted a 4-2-3-1 we can go man for man today and gauge just how good our youngsters are in comparison.
………………………………………Bayindir…………………………..
J.Justin………………Tapsoba…………Konate……………B.Williams
…………………………….Rice……………Tonali…………………………….
Eze………………………………Brahim………………………..Kluivert
……………………………………Vlahovic……………………………….
Subs: Bishop (GK), Kumbulla, R.Williams, T.Davies, Aouchiche, Petter-Hauge, Boadu
Bayindir comes in between sticks, standing at an impressive 1.98m or more or less 6ft5 we expect him to cut an imposing figure, any aerial balls with 12 yards of goal we expect him to come out and deal with, catch rather than punch. With ball to feet, no nonsense just get your foot through it.
Hamez Justin has had a fantastic season at Leicester cut cruelly short by injury, but his class is there for all to see, we want him flying up the wings, getting the over-laps and putting balls into the box, defensively stay on your feet and jockey your man down the line, He kept pace with Adama so no need to risk anything he has the pace to rely on. Just about 6ft tall so any balls being switched over to his flank aerially he should be a contender for winning it.
Williams on the left flank isn’t as good going forwards but he still has great ability, will look to get up and support Kluivert, defensively the same approach as Justin, show the line and force and the cross, rather than getting turned inside out.
Tapsoba and Konate both standing at 6ft3 are well accomplished at the rough and tumble so any physicality that B’mouth bring we can handle. Both are relatively over the ground so we go with a zonal marking approach today, get in on B’mouth’s first touches and hit them hard, get the ball and recycle it quickly, turn them round and make them chase back towards their own goal.
Eze comes in on the right wing, he’s looked good for Palace with his fast direct running and likes to hit them from distance, he likes to drift centrally and with JJ running the line and taking a man away with him, this creates that space that Eze needs, he has great technique requiring very little backlift so if he gets half a yard he has the freedom to unleash a shot.
Kluivert on the other flank, is quick and direct, another that likes to cut inside and with Williams running the line, he has that space to work in, but rather than pot-shots from distance we want him laying off to Diaz and then running into the box to support the big-man.
Brahim plays as our #10, classy little player, we want him operating 30 yards out, advancing to the edge of the D as the attacks progess, don’t go too deep as he’ll have 3 men ahead of him – potentially 5 with our FB’s. he’ll be that bit behind for any clearances. Genuinely both footed so can spread the play and link all our men in swift movements.
Rice and Tonali are a midfield duo to be genuinely excited about, Rice statistically is one of if not the best DM in the premier league and has the stats to back this up, Sandro-T is a blend of Pirlo and Gattuso….this solid foundation allows one to go and one to sit, they alternate their runs. Both have great passing ranges and as above both put their foot in. we expect them to win the midfield battle and allow our front four to really impose themselves on the game.
Vlahovic is our #9 today, 6ft2 will be our proper targetman giving our wideman and #10 to play off, good feet for a big man and 12 goals in 27 games for a struggling Fiorentina show he has the capabilities to be a great asset. Play with his back to goal bring the ball down, lay it off and spin the defence to get on the end of the return ball.
Set-pieces – Tonali is on them, none of this short corner routine that I find annoying and wasteful, just put the ball up into the mixer and be done with. Tapsoba/Konate/Justin/Rice/Vlahovic – the 5 of them are 6ft+ so they pack the box, one front stick, one back, one on the pen spot and the other 2 taking markers with them.
Subs 65 mins – fresh legs
Boadu > Vlahovic
T.Davies > Tonali
posted on 29/3/21
----------------- Ter Stegen ----------------
Cancelo -- De Ligt --- Ramos -- Reguilon
--------------- N’Golo Kante --------------
J.Sancho ------ De Bruyne ------- L.Sane
---------- T.Werner --- Griezmann -------
Subs:
Sanchez, Pavard, P.Torres, Casemiro, B.Silva, Asensio, Morata
Tactics:
We look to continue our fine form as we continue our free flowing attacking football in today’s 4-1-3-2. With home advantage we look to go on the offensive as we go for goals.
As always tactical flexibility is our greatest weapon which means that whilst we’re 4-1-3-2 in possession, when the opposition are in possession we will drop back into a 4-2-3-1.
When we lose the ball De Bruyne will drop in alongside Kante in a DM/CM double pivot with Griezmann dropping into the #10 role. Giving us a stronger defensive platform and ensuring we limit the space for them to operate. Likely to be up against a three man midfield this means that
------- Kante - De Bruyne
Sancho - Griezmann - Sane
------------ Werner
As soon as we win back possession we spring onto the offensive with KDB pushing forward and Griezmann up top alongside Werner.
Defence:
We go with a strong defensive unit at the back, packed with pace and quality as we look to nullify the threat posed by the oppositions attack. If the opposition play one up top then Ramos will mark. Strong, aggressive and a great reader of the game we feel he has all the tools to deal with any opponent. De Ligt will act as cover, sweeping up and offering cover in behind to eliminate any balls over the top. The Dutchman sweeping up from the back and immediately looking to get us on the counter with his fantastic vision and passing.
Our fullbacks will stick tight to the wide men, safe in the knowledge that they have supporting cover in behind with De Ligt also drifting across to offer additional support. When in possession both Cancelo and Reguilon have license to push forward with both having great quality in the final third.
Midfield:
Kante will be our holding player in the middle. An all action player we rely on his fantastic tenacity and high level work rate 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 act as the shield in front of our defence and pick up their most advanced AM, cutting out their supply line in the process. He’ll stay back at all times and anchor the midfield.
De Bruyne will be instrumental as plays his strongest position in the AM role. A player with superb vision he will look to get on the ball as much as possible, running at the opposition drawing them in and committing a defender before playing that decisive pass. He’s also a great goal scorer perfectly capable of striking a thunderbolt from distance at any moment, if the opposition drop off he has license to go for goal at any moment.
Forwards:
In this set up our attack is where the fun really begins. With a back four and strong DM anchor this allows us to essentially play with a front five when in possession and enables us to really cause some damage.
De Bruyne will act as the playmaker whilst out wide we look to hit them with the pace and skill of Sancho and Sane. We want them to hug the touch line, make the pitch as wide as possible and exploit any space on offer. We want them to be direct, get on the ball and go straight at the opposition, looking to either supply one of our front two, cut the ball back to KDB or go direct for goal themselves.
Up top we go with a dynamic duo partnership of Werner & Griezmann.
Werner will look to stretch the defence, playing on the shoulder of their last man he will look to use his pace to get in behind and can be deadly in one on one situations. Griezmann will be the link up man, drifting between the lines making him incredibly difficult to pick up and causing havoc when Werners run in behind free him up to work his magic. The Frenchman possessing a wand of a left foot and capable of bending one in the top bin at any moment.
With a trio of Sancho, De Bruyne and Sane supporting our front two they will have a dream supply line as we go for goals in today’s match up.
Subs:
If winning:
75 mins: Werner off, Casemiro on. Tighten up defensively as we bring an extra DM alongside Kante.
85 mins: Griezmann off. Morata on. Fresh legs up top as we look to pick them off on the break.
If drawing/losing:
75 mins: Reguilon & Sane off, B.Silva & Asensio on. Extra attacking impetuous with B.Silva slotting in alongside KDB. Asensio also offers fresh legs as we go for the winner.
posted on 29/3/21
----------------------Neuer
Walker---Soyuncu----Hermoso---Hernandez
----------------------Brozovic
----------------SMS-----------Foden
Chiesa-----------------------------------Depay
----------------------Kane
Pope
Simakan
Guerreiro
Jorginho
Alberto
Ocampos
Isak
Opted again for the 4-3-3, hoping to build some momentum from last time, and naming pretty close to our strongest eleven, I think. High intensity is definitely required in both the possession and the press. I want to see quick movement of the ball, with 1-3 touch stuff, never dallying in possession, and constant movement when not directly on the ball, so as to always provide options, and keep the opponent guessing as to where its going to end up. Off the ball, we will be pressing high, and flooding central areas, making it difficult to play through the middle, and look to transition from defense to attack as quickly as we can.
The defensive setup today is almost that of a flat back four. Almost. Walker will be given some license to use his pace and push on, but when he does I want to see Hernandez tuck inside, with Soyuncu covering that wide right space, to operate as an unconventional back three. You know the drill by now, Tino. Hernandez will attack less, instead sitting deeper and covering the space, to prevent us from being hit too easily on the attack. In all four of these players, as well as Neuer behind them, I think we have players comfortable on the ball, so moving it around and playing out from the back should be no issue. In Brozovic, we have a player of shuttling across the pitch, moving the ball quickly from one side to the other, and always providing a short, forward option to the defender on the ball. If he is struggling due to being marked, then SMS can drop slightly deeper to provide another option, as well. We will be mainly looking to build attacks this way, along with the occassional driving run from Walker.
The midfield three are all adept technical players, and building attacks from these areas mean they need dynamic movement in front of them. I want to see this come from Depay and Chiesa. With Foden operating almost as an AM, there will be less space inside, so I would like for them to sit slightly wide to start, coming inside to look for space, but either way stretching the opposition defence. Both players will like to target the penalty area, but approaches to this should be suitably varied. Depay can operate slightly more centrally, whilst Chiesa sticks slightly wider. This means we should always have those wider options to spread the play, and then contract it again with our quick movement. When Depay does come inside, it will create space for Foden to target, ghosting into the LW areas to exploit the vacancy of defender. Kane will sit in the middle, between the goalposts, capable to drop off and allow Depay or Foden to push beyond him, but mainly staying as the main goal threat. I want to see balls through to him, for him to latch onto and fashion goalscoring chances. Equally, Kane is a danger from crosses, so this is a reasonable approach too. This will be more the way when Walker attacks. I want to see him push past Chiesa, get to the by-line, and whip balls in for Kane to attack, or pull them back for Foden on the edge of the area, in the pocket of space that he wants to operate in.
When we lose possession, the high press must be engaged. Kane will target the right side of their defence, and also cover the goalkeeper, whilst Chiesa will push up and target their left. Depay will drop back, and help to flood the middle third, whilst we buy time for others to get into position. The team shape should be something like
-----------Brozovic
Foden------SMS----Depay
--------Chiesa---Kane
Adopting this shape means that, should we win the ball back, we have Chiesa in an advanced enough position to exploit his speed and direct running, by quickly moving the ball into the attacking two. It also means that we have three bodies pressing the high midfield, making it harder to play through, whilst brozovic sits deeper, patrolling the deeper portion of the middle third, shielding the defence. Foden and Depay will also push slightly wider, should it look like that is their preferred route to goal.
Substitutions (Red Card)
Assume that for most it is Chiesa making way, unless otherwise specified, with SMS and Brozovic in the double pivot, and Foden operating at RW. In this role, Depay will be part of the two man press instead.
Neuer – Nick Pope on
Walker – Simakan on (less adventurous)
Soyuncu or Hermoso – Simakan on
Hernandez – Guerreiro on
Brozovic – No subs, SMS drops deeper
SMS – No subs. Brozovic covers the role.
Foden – No subs.
Chiesa – Foden moves to RW
Depay – Foden moves to LW
Kane – Isak on.
Substitutions (Normal)
If winning
Jorginho on for Chiesa 75 mins
Foden moves to RW, with Jorginho sitting alongside Brozovic, and SMS operating in front of them.
Simakan on for Foden 85 mins
Go to a back three to see out the game. Depay goes to operate alongside Kane, in a 3-4-1-2
If losing/drawing
Isak on for Walker 70 mins
Switch to a set back three, with Isak moving alongside Harry Kane. Rely on Brozo to cover RWB, and SMS to cover LWB areas.
Ocampos on for Chiesa 76 mins
Freshen up attack.
posted on 1/4/21
Newcastle 4-3-3 / 2-3-5
____________Mendy
Trent____Dias_____Virgil____Shaw
_____________Koke
_______Barella____Modric
Salah_______ASilva_______Coman
Subs: Angelino, Llorente, Olmo, Koulibaly, Silas, Lemar, Oyar
Today I’d like to take complete control of midfield, holding possession and stretch their back line while outnumbering every area of the middle third and final third of the pitch. Our full backs will play as inverted fullbacks assuming the role as box to box and pivoting midfielders, thereby pushing our midfielders further forwards creating a 5 man attack.
______________Mendy
_________Dias_______Virgil_______
______Trent____Koke___Shaw
Salah____Barella___Modric____Coman
______________ASilva______________
By doing so I will always have an extra man in midfield, including wide passing options, creating overloads. It will also help us stretch the field wider as I would expect opposition players to drift in-field to try and mitigate the presence of the extra bodies in midfield leaving wide areas for our wide players to exploit. As such the wide players will be given instruction so hug the touchline when waiting to receive the ball, then they can cut in and play their natural game but providing pass options initially is a must.
I fully expect us to create difficulty for the opposition in assessing exactly how and where to cover space and how to effectively pressure the ball. Create pass options to drag players out of position when they struggle to cope with the extra man in midfield exploiting gaps between the lines.
Our attacks will be taking a very vertical approach which allows the attacking midfielders to receive the ball in space allowing us to hurt them. Our version of a vertical approach is passing the ball up and down the field, with players inviting pressure as they receive and release the ball thereby creating a gap for another player to move into to receive a recycled pass. Eventually a path to goal will appear and it’ll be up to the players to exploit that playing their natural games. The whole point of this system is about opening greater space in between the lines for the attacking midfielders to receive. The attacking midfielders will also be expected to break the lines and make runs beyond the striker to find space higher up the pitch creating goal-scoring opportunities. The fullbacks therefore have many options to pass to, the 9, the 10s, and out wide depending on the natural movements of the players.
Defensive stability is very important to the way we want to play. One of the rules ultimately in football is you cannot score if you don’t have the ball, so we aim to keep the ball as much as possible with the ongoing ball recycling process of trying to drag players out of position finding space to exploit. When the opposition do gain possession they immediately face a block of five in the middle and our third of the pitch, quickly changing back to a standard 4-5-1 in two flat lines (plus the striker up top). Doing so will allow us to effectively defend our wide areas stopping any crosses coming in while congesting the middle enough for minimal gaps to appear between the lines. We press less to minimise the risk of gaps appearing but instead rely on cutting passing lanes and options. Once possession is regained, we immediately progress up the pitch and revert back to 2-3-5. The central defensive triangle of both CBs and the DM are good in the air capable of winning plenty of duels in the air as well as on the ground, in addition of course to their exceptional passing ability. It is important to have players that occupy those three positions that have on-the-ball intelligence, astute awareness of how to cover space in transition, and an aerial presence.
Subs.
65 mins - Llorente on Modric off. Fresh legs.
70 mins losing/drawing - Olmo on Barella off. Better finisher in the box from midfield.
75 mins losing/drawing - Oyar on Coman off. Better penetration down the left and will play inside left more.
75 mins winning - Lemar on Kroos off. Fresh legs while not losing creative quality.
posted on 2/4/21
Bournemouth (4-3-3) Round 21 (Away to Man City)
Captain: Pereira
Vice-Captain: Cleiton
-----------------Cleiton
Aarons--Pereira--Bremer---Lewis
-------Assunção--W-Prowse
----------------Pyerre
Veron----------------------González
--------------Evanilson
SUBS: Bursik, Azate, Paulo, Talles, Kaio (only 5 subs as I sold the rest of the squad
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 (Assunção) who will be complimented with an energetic box to box midfielder (Ward-Prowse). In front of them Pyerre 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’ Ward-Prowse will also be allowed the freedom (when the time arises) to link with Pyerre 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: Cleiton is a big mobile keeper and very athletic. 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 (Assunção). 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 (Ward-Prowse). 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 Pyerre will operate as the link between midfield and attack.
Wingers/Centre Forward: When in possession both Veron and González 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 Pyerre, Ward-Prowse and Evanilson 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 Ward-Prowse may sit a bit deeper allowing Pyerre 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.
Evanilson 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: Pyerre, González or Veron with Pereira, Bremer, Assunção and Evanilson to offer an aerial threat. Pyerre and González (with his thunderbolt left foot) may try their luck with several free kicks from distance.
Substitutions: (75 mins) If winning (and comfortable) then 2 like for like subs –Azate for Assunção and Kaio for Evanilson.
If losing (70 mins) then switch to a 4-1-3-2 and replace Ward-Prowse with Kaio and Veron with Talles. 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.
posted on 3/4/21
High tempo narrow 4-3-3
A top of the table clash we go with a balanced side, with a strong central midfield trio and hard working attackers making us a strong defensive outfit firstly. Narrow in defence making us hard to beat, narrow in attack as we look to target the Chelsea cbs and find space in between the defence and midfield.
We play a high tempo 4-3-3 in and out of possession. Mount comes in over Fernandes for his strong defensive play. Dybala in his favoured right hand side position behind the striker, Jesus offering more pace to stretch Chelsea in the inside forward role as he looks to get in close to Lautaro. Goretzka in to add more power to the midfield in defence and attack, as we go with a high tempo.
We will always look to have one wide forward coming inside and playing centrally with Lautaro as we look to target their cbs with this movement and pace. Narrow also defensively as we look to push Chelsea’s wide forwards out wide and away from goal, where it’s easier for us to defend.
Rodri and Goretzka are the two that look to drop deep and collect the ball from the defence, and spread the play. Rodri dictating the tempo of the game moving the ball quickly. The defence are all fantastic on the ball though, they look to move it quickly and with a narrow front 3 we also give them freedom to play long. Look to get the ball to the front 3 as quickly as possible, finding them in pockets of space. One of the fbs bombs forward at a time providing width.
Quick passing football in to feet in first two thirds, and in the final third we give all players creative freedom to use their quality to create and produce magic to open up the opposition.
Our all action front 3 stay high up the park when we’re in possession, Dybala though has freedom to find his favoured pockets of space in behind Lautaro and out on the right.
The central trio have the quality and strength to win the midfield battle, with the cbs behind them offering the perfect base to build and play quick flowing football out from the back.
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 as narrow.
Laporte the man marker as he is the stronger physically and can dominate in the air next to Marquinhos who is free to use his reading of the game and 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. Closing down the space, narrowing to the side of play. Win the ball back from them quickly before they can get anywhere. Defence plays relatively deep when the opposition get in our half, leaving little space for the pace of their attackers.
We have a cm duo who can both drop deep to offer an option and collect the ball from defence. 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. With this fluid front three, Goretzka supports creating and linking the play, Mount gets in and around the box looking for the final ball or shooting.
Positional structure, in addition to our technical players will be key to our quick passing gameplan going forward. Our approach in build up is to play a flexible asymmetric shape, giving bodies on different lines to increase the options we have in possession, and to create gaps in the opposition, and space for our players.
———————————— Schmeichel ———————————
Carvajal ——Marquinhos —— Laporte —— D.Alaba
—————————————- Rodri ————————————
———————— Goretzka —— M.Mount ———————
——— P.Dybala ————————————— G.Jesus ——
———————————— L.Martinez ——————————
Subs. Henderson, T.Hernandez, Thiago, B.Fernandes, Zaha, Neto, Osimhen
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 Chelsea advance into higher areas of the park and into our half, our shape will resemble a 4-3-2-1. Inside forward on the side of play drops deep and Rodri 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 man on the side of play that drops and the two cms (Goretzka and Mount) are the trio pressing the ball, and look to force Chelsea 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 their defence.
When Chelsea 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 Pedro Neto for Dybala. More pace and power up top to stretch tired legs.
If winning after 75 mins bring on Thiago for Mount. Strong defensively and hard working, fresh energy in Cm.
If winning after 80mins bring on Osimhen for Lautaro. Power and pace up top to bully tired cbs.
If drawing after 70 mins bring on Bruno Fernandes for Mount and Neto for Jesus. More creativity and pace as game opens up and legs tire.
If drawing after 80 mins bring on Osimhen for Dybala. Lautaro moves to Dybala position. More direct, power and pace.
If losing after 65 mins bring on Fernandes for Goretzka.
If losing after 70 mins bring on Neto for Dybala. More pace.
If losing after 82 mins bring on Osimhen for Mount. Lautaro moves to second striker role. Big man up top.
posted on 3/4/21
SHEFFIELD UNITED v Arsenal
-----------------------Lopes
Lamptey, Tomiyasu, T. Silva, Grimaldo
----------------Kovacic, Höjbjerg
----Mahrez-------James-----------Isco
----------------------Mertens
Subs: Kelleher, Guehi, Tagliafico, Ampadu, Gallagher, Brooks, Klimowicz
Captain: Thiago Silva (Höjbjerg if Silva is 🟥)
Free Kicks: Any of Mahrez, James, Isco, Mertens
Penalties: Mertens (or Mahrez if Mertens is 🟥)
Our defensive unit consists of Takehiro Tomiyasu and Thiago Silva paired up at centre-back, Tariq Lamptey at right-back and Álex Grimaldo at left-back, with Mateo Kovacic and Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg as our midfield ‘double pivot’ screening them.
This ‘double pivot’ is the key to our team and in Kovacic and Höjbjerg 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 Höjbjerg can press the ball without leaving lots of space, as Kovacic 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 Höjbjerg's role, he will press almost anywhere in his own half to allow defenders to stay in the defensive line.
With Höjbjerg running his socks off for the team, our high tempo will be dictated by his partner in holding midfield, Mateo Kovacic.
Kovacic 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 Kovacic such a talent.
The attacking unit consists of Riyad Mahrez, James Rodríguez and Isco as our band of three attacking midfielders with Dries Mertens 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 Kovacic or Höjbjerg, then our 4-2-3-1 can spring into attack.
Lamptey and Grimaldo can surge up the wings in the knowledge that Kovacic and Höjbjerg can drop into the space left behind if needed. As they come up the wings, both Riyad Mahrez and Isco, who are excellent in tight spaces and fantastic dribblers will cut inside or make runs into the box.
James Rodríguez, our attacking central midfielder’s low centre of gravity will enable him to navigate away from defenders. James 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 with his quick flicks and one-touch passing, will combine exceptionally well with Mahrez, Isco & Mertens to create openings and goal scoring opportunities for each other.
Upfront, Mertens clinical finishing means that he is always a danger in the opponent's box. He has the ability to find space for himself or his teammates even when he is tightly marked by defenders. He'll drop deep at times, but will also spend much of his time playing on the shoulder of the opponents’ deepest defender, stretching play and threatening to break in behind with his electric pace.
Subs on 75 mins
Brooks on for James
Fresh energy, trickery and pace in the last 15 minutes to look to unlock the opposition’s defence for a late goal regardless of the score line.
In the case of a 🟥 we move to a 441 formation
If Lopes sent off then Kelleher on for James (Brooks)
If Lamptey sent off then Tomiyasu moves to RB and Ampadu comes on for James (Brooks) and will play at CB
If CB or Kovacic sent off then Ampadu comes on for James (Brooks) to play these positions
If Grimaldo sent off then Tagliafico comes on for James (Brooks) and plays at LB
If Höjbjerg is sent off then it's Gallagher on for James (Brooks)
If Mahrez sent off no sub as James (Brooks) moves to RW
If Isco sent off then Tagliafico on for James. Grimaldo moves to LW with Tagliafico at LB
If Mertens is sent off Isco moves upfront and as above Tagliafico comes on for James (Brooks) and plays at LB with Grimaldo moving into LW position
posted on 3/4/21
--------------------------- Oblak ---------------------------
W-Bissaka ----- Romero ----- Bastoni ----- Robertson
-------- F. de Jong --- Locatelli --- Camavinga -------
-- Mbappe ------------- Håland ------------- Neymar --
Meslier, Konsa, G.Rodriguez, N.Mendes, Ferran, Grealish, Malen
Obvs a tough game, however a win is all we care about, they have undoubted quality so we take the game to them..
Our game is based solely on possession football, especially the midfield where we want to dominate, quick on the break and really pressurise the opposition with an in your face performance from the front, up against it but our trio has everything we need to stop them controlling the game, 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 the midfield ahead of them 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, Haaland slightly higher up, this will congest the midfield and allow us to dictate play, defend from the front, 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.
Romero picks up the CF he wont let much passed him, Bastoni spare picks up the AM if he gets away from our midfield, both powerful boys so keep the forward(s) away from the danger area, get onto them quickly, take the ball away from them and play it out of defence, look to get to our midfield quickly, Both are comfortable on the ball so can bring it out when in no danger and look for the pass to those in front to hit them with pace, both must attack high balls to get the ball away from the opposition big men. Fullbacks keep the wingers quiet, stop their attacks. 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!!, Robertson is a dangerous weapon to have and he will do more attacking than Boissaka as he supports Neymar down the left, often driving passed him to whip in dangerous balls, Bissaka the same but not as often as he makes up the back 3. If either get caught up field I want the midfielders to help them out by filling the gaps so we don't get exposed, this allows the fullbacks to make their way to midfield to cover. CBs to go up for corners, with the fullbacks and Locatelli sitting back.
We have a powerful midfield trio that has the lot. Locatelli is our deepest midfielder sitting just in front of the CB's, he will shadow there AM and not allow him to control the game, they have undoubted quality in there midfield and I want him to be quick and aggressive to the challenge, this is why he is in as we can allow them to dictate play, having a player like Locatelli allows more time for Camavinga and de Jong, he 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, he will drop in between the two CBS to pick up the ball and start from the back, 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 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 & Camavinga will help stop the run of play quicker to make our defenders jobs a lot easier, protect our defence as best as possible, in possession get it to the front 3/4 but also look for fullbacks 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. de Jong and Camavinga move forward to assist and look for balls coming out so he can either, shoot or whip straight back in. Both are essential to our style of play, they are the link between defence and attack, as we break quickly they will look to set up our front three and push on, look to receive a pass and drive on. They will drop back at times to pick it up and will look to their dribbling capabilities to get them around players, and into the danger area to unleash a powerful drive. When in possession always head up looking for the movement of our front three to play them in, he will follow his pass and make up the numbers up front.After the pass they can make up the extra man further forward as Locatelli stays and covers. All of our midfield three must press the opposition and get to grips with this game very early on. When defending this is a tight 3 man midfield.
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 our defenders are superb long ball passers, go through the cms or out to one of our attacking fullbacks, however, the movement up front between Neymar and Mbappe will cause them problems drifting in an out, thus allowing de Jong and Camavinga to pick their moments to move into space. Quick passing in triangles that will get us in and beyond their defenders and eventually to Haaland who can beat any defender with power/pace and the other wingers 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 Haaland and the rest that have made their way into the danger area so they can spring them and have a shoot or sight mentality at times, , we must always make sure Haaland is well supported, especially wingers one of whom at times will be right on his shoulder or alongside depending which side we are attacking from, 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.
Captain - Oblak
Penalties - Haaland
Free Kicks - de Jong
Corners - Wingers
Subs
Losing/drawing
Nothing to lose but everything to gain
Konsa for Bissaka, Ferran for Robertson, Grealish for Camavinga
Oblak
E.Konsa - Romero - Bastoni
F.Torres - F.de Jong - Locatelli - Grealish
Mbappe - Haaland - Neymar
all out go for it
Winning -
75 Mins - Guido Rodriguez fo Camavinga, he goes in between def/mid as our enforcer, nails everything that goes near him
79 Mins - N.Mendes for Neymar helps down the left defensively as we look to close it out, Robertson not so attacking either, however if we concede they can push forward
86 Mins - Konsa for Mbappe, he goes RB, Bissaka just ahead 4-1-4-1 really close it out hopefully
posted on 3/4/21
------------------------- Martinez -------------------------
P.Kalulu ------ S.deVrij ------ Skriniar ------ Chilwell
-------------------------- Kamara -------------------------
----------------- T.Kroos ------- P.Pogba ----------------
Dembele --------------------------------------- S.Gnabry
------------------------- R.Lukaku -------------------------
Maignan, Koopmeiners, Bentancur, Nkunku, Gouiri, Benzema, J.Alvarez
Again, 343, 541, 433, all depends how the passage of play is going, we can transition into any of the above formations, we have two powerful CBs you defend the lines with everything they have, their job is to stop the striker getting any chances or at least any easy chances, they stay as a pair, they stay solid, they let nothing passed, Skriniar man marks the striker, de Vrij supports him, clear everything, both clear first ask questions later, when in possession they can pass it out wide to fullbacks or to the midfielders ahead of them.
When we attack, Kamara is a very important part of this formation, he sits in front of the two CBs, sometimes right in between them forming a 3 man back line, this allows Kalulu and Chiwell to attack, they can both go at the same time, we want to really have a go and if this means 7 going forward then so be it, we want to hit them with numbers and plenty of pace, The fullbacks drive down the line, which ever side it is use Kroos/Pogba to get round defenders, quick one/twos, play the triangles to get up and beyond them, then they have Dembele and Gnabry as well the further afield they get, this is quick football, no messing today, once they are in space look to play it into Dembele or Gnabry or fire in a cross which will see plenty of numbers in the danger area to aim for as Kroos/Pogba, opposite winger and Fullabck will be their waiting and obvs the main man Lukaku will be there to do what he does best, Kroos and Pogba are the heart beat of the team, most will go through them, fullbacks will use them to go round players as will wingers, there job is to make sure the run these players make isn't gone to waste as they play the ball into space for them to drive into, always available for the pass and will make the dangerous runs into the box to get on the end of the cross coming in.They both have great shots from distance as wlell so don't be afraid to have a pop at goal. Lukaku always stays as No.9, he is a beast in the nicest of ways, he can be played in, he will shrug defenders off, can take them on, also, as crosses come in a very good chance he will win the header. If he cannot go for goal, hold it up, there will be players driving in from all angles, he just has to pick the right one out. For corners and set pieces lets pile pressure on them, we have plenty of power and heght with the CBs, Kroos and Pogba in the danger area.
When defending Kamara's primary role in front of the defence or in the heart of it, he is the 'free' CB/DM, 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, he has a lot of grit and determination to his game so 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. We do go 4141 or 541 when defending our attacking fullbacks become proper fullbacks as they flit back into defence, again plenty numbers and easy transition from our attacking formation, the four more attacking midfielders make a bank of 4, they make this line and keep focussed on the job ahead then it should be fine, harass them when they have the ball, look to make them play stupid misplaced passes so we can gather the ball and break with pace.
We must defend as a team tho, from the front, everyone hot on the tails of the opposition, we cant give away cheap goals,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 - Skriniar
Free Kicks - Kroos
Pens - Lukaku
Corners - Wingers
Losing -
65 mins - Kamara drop to LCB with fullbacks pushing on, Gnabry to RW and Gouiri come on for Dembele and go left
75 Mins - Kalulu and Chilwell off, Gnabry and Gouiri drop back a bit wit Julian Alvarez going in at No.10 and Benzema on 3412
Drawing -
70 Mins - Benzema for Lukaku, Gouiri for Dembele(switch with Gnabry)
75 Mins - Koopmeiners for Kamara, look to create from deep
posted on 3/4/21
Losing/drawing
Nothing to lose but everything to gain
Konsa for Bissaka, Ferran for Robertson, Grealish for Camavinga
This sub on 65mins
posted on 3/4/21
Man City Sub
Winning
75 Mins - Koopmeiners for Pogba, Benzema for Lukaku
posted on 4/4/21
Comment deleted by Site Moderator
posted on 5/4/21
SOTON VS Leeds
----------------------------------Ramsdale-----------------------
---------Upamecano--------Stones--------Badiashile-------------
-----------------------------Ndidi---------Valverde---------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bailey---------------------------Odegaard----------------------------Pulisic
--------------------------Jovic-----------------Rashford------------------------
Subs - Ait-Nouri, Adama, Ndombele, Tchouameni, Kulusevski, Szoboszlai, Kean
CAPTAIN - RASHFORD
CK'S - ØDEGAARD
FK'S - ØDEGAARD
PENALTIES - RASHFORD
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. When we have the ball I want the team to play pass and move football. Don't stay static, try and get in behind the oppo defence as there is a lot of pace in our attacking players. As the game goes on, when we don't have the ball I want the team to defend from the front line and pressure the oppo and try and win possession back. Do this in fits and bursts as it is a tiring tactic.
Defence
GK to be confident in box. Don't take risks. Punch the ball away if the shot is too powerful. Command your area. The back 3 is well balanced and full of pace and power. Badiashile and Upamecano will be playing as the outside CB's and will look to close down the oppo wingers. Stones in the middle will marshall the defence and look to snuff out any attacks from the oppo striker/s. All 3 of these CB's are very good at playing from the back and I want them to use that ability if they have some space to dribble into from defence.
Defence Mids
Ndidi + Valverde
These 2 will be the main defensive force to cover our defence. When the oppo LW is attacking down the wings I want Ndidi to close him down and put a tackle in or stop him getting to the byline. Likewise with Valverde who will be tasked with the same job against the oppo RW. This will allow our front five to focus solely on attacking with no defensive restrictions put on them. If either Ndidi or Valverde are helping out on the wings I want the other DM to stay in the middle of the pitch and close down the oppo AM if they play one. When in possession pass the ball out to the wings or to Ødegaard who will drop deep from time to time. Valverde will be allowed to stretch his legs and run with the ball from deep if there is space to do so in the centre of the pitch. But he must not forget his main job which is to protect the defence.
Wingers
Bailey + Pulisic
These 2 will be the focal point of my attack. I want to give them the freedom to express themselves in attack so they do not have to track back and help out in defence. Pulisic will be looking to cut in from the left and Bailey likewise who will cut in from the right. I want you both to try and beat the oppo fullbacks with your pace and dribbling ability but don't try too hard as if you see them doubling up on you you can either pass back into the centre of the pitch to one of our DM's or play quick one two's with Ødegaard. The main role of the wingers will be to get some crosses, low balls into the box as we are playing 2 strikers in strike and it will be harder for the oppo defence to defend than the typical one striker they normally come up against. When we are defending corners I want both of them to stay near the halfway line so we can hit the oppo on the counter attack. .
Attack Mid
Martin Ødegaard
The Big Ø will be the playmaker and chance creator for our attackers. His technical ability on the ball is world class and he is the type of player that can run all match without getting tired. Off the ball I want him to press the oppo midfielders. When we have possession of the ball try and find space in the attacking third of the pitch for you to receive the ball and use your playmaking ability to create chances for the team. Look out for runs from our wingers and strikers and thread some pinpoint passes to them.
Strikers
Marcus Rashford MBE + Jovic
Rashford is a striker that has the deadly combination of pace and finishing. He will look to use his pace to get the better of the oppo defence. Be vary of crosses into the box and try and get in front of your marker. Time your runs off the shoulders of the oppo CB's and use your pace to get away from them. Play quick pass and move combinations with your teammates to find spaces in the oppo defence.
Jovic will use his physical ability and hold up play to bring others in to the game. He's a proper two footed striker equally as strong on his right as he is on his left so I don't want him to hesitate to shoot when he has an opportunity to shoot.
Subs if LOSING BY 65MINS
Put on Kulusevski for Valverde and Diaby for Pulisic to bring some more attacking impetus on. Play a high line and put a lot of pressure on the oppo to win the ball back. Adama the speed demon on for Bailey aswell.
-------------------------------------Ramsdale-----------------------
-----------Upamecano---------Stones--------Badiashile----------
----------------------------------------Ndidi--------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adama--------------Odegaard---------Kulusevski--------------Diaby
-------------------------Jovic------------Rashford-------------------------
Subs if WINNING BY 60MINS
Take off Ødegaard and put on Tchouameni in DM. Play defensive with everyone in our own half defending for their lives, waiting to hit the oppo on the counter attack. . Take the wingers off and put on Adama and Ait Nouri as wingbacks who'll offer a lot more defensive stability.
-----------------------------------Ramsdale-----------------------
----------Upamecano--------Stones--------Badiashile--------
------------------------------Tchou--------Ndidi------------------------------
Adama-------------------------Valverde--------------------------Ait-Nouri
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------Jovic--------------Rashford----------------------
Subs if DRAWING BY 65MINS
Diaby on for Pulisic
Kean on for Jovic
Ndombele on for Valverde
Fresh legs to bring on.
posted on 5/4/21
----------------- Ter Stegen ----------------
Cancelo -- De Ligt --- Ramos -- Reguilon
------------------ Casemiro -----------------
--------- De Bruyne --- B.Silva ------------
J.Sancho ------- T.Werner -------- L.Sane
Subs:
Virginia, Pavard, P.Torres, Neuhaus, Antony, Hazard, Morata
Captain: Ramos
Free Kicks: De Bruyne
Penalties: De Bruyne
Corners: Wingers
We’re in fine form and with the wind in our sails we go in search of yet another 3 points. Today’s fixture is as tough as they come however we go with a side that oozes with class and is built to win.
We know that the opposition have been hit hard with midfield injuries and therefore we look to take the game to them in this area of the field. In a game such as this winning the midfield battle is key to success and we go with one of the strongest midfield trio’s in the league in today’s 4-3-3.
Our twin AM's of Kevin De Bruyne & Bernardo Silva, anchored with defensive rock that is Casemiro offer us the perfect blend in middle full of quality, exquisite passing, superb vision and equally just as important, high work rate. Our pressing ability means that they won’t get a minutes rest as we look to quickly recover possession and dominate from the off.
When they’re in possession we sit deep in a 4-5-1. We have the perfect players to open them up on the counter with a front three which is absolutely lightening. Giving us a real attacking threat both in and out of possession.
Defence:
We go with a strong defensive unit at the back, packed with pace and quality as we look to nullify the threat posed by the oppositions attack. If the opposition play one up top then Ramos will mark. Strong, aggressive and a great reader of the game we feel he has all the tools to deal with any opponent. De Ligt will act as cover, sweeping up and offering cover in behind to eliminate any balls over the top. The Dutchman sweeping up from the back and immediately looking to get us on the counter with his fantastic vision and passing.
Our fullbacks will stick tight to the wide men, safe in the knowledge that they have pace to keep up with any opponent. When in possession both Cancelo and Reguilon have license to push forward with both having great quality in the final third.
Midfield:
Casemiro will be our holding player in the middle. An all action player we rely on his fantastic tenacity and high level work rate 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 AM and cut out their supply line. He’s also a fantastic passer which will be key in winning the midfield battle and ball retention.
Further up the field is where things get really exciting as we go with twin AM's and creators in chief De Bruyne and B.Silva. We look to get them on the ball as much as possible. Both fantastic engines and their off the ball work will contribute to shutting down the opposition and winning back possession however it is in the final third we expect them to shine. Playing with twin AM’s we will create real problems to their DM.
It will be a case of pick your poison with both players offering fantastic vision and a killer through ball as we look for the fantastic movement of our front three who will be consistently be looking to get in behind.
Both KDB and Bernardo are also encouraged to go for goal direct. KDB in particular has a fantastic strike from distance whilst Bernardo is more than capable of dribbling past players and firing off a strike himself.
Forwards:
Speed, speed & more speed is the order of the day! In Werner, Sancho & Sane we have some of the quickest forwards in the game and we look to them to put the opposition to the sword today. When in possession we want our widemen to push forward alongside Werner forming a deadly front three.
KDB & B.Silva be our link up players, both looking for that quick ball in behind their defence. We look to play direct, plenty of balls in behind their defence, get them turning and allow our lightening forwards plenty of space to run into behind. Sancho and Sane offer goals and assists in abundance. Both wingers will look to be direct, cutting inside and going direct for goal one moment and driving down the line, dazzling the opposition before whipping the ball into the box the next.
Werner plays through the middle and will have a talented supply line around him. The brief is simple, get into the box and put the ball in the back of the net. We want him to sit on the shoulder of the last man, the German is absolutely lightening and has the ability to stretch the defence, getting on the end of the through balls from KDB, B.Silva, Sancho & Sane we expect the German to thrive.
If winning:
75 mins: Bernardo off, Pavard on. Tighten up defensively as we bring on an extra CB, moving to 5-4-1 to see out the win.
85 mins: Werner off, Morata on.
If drawing/losing:
75 mins: Sane off, Hazard on. Fresh legs and a player capable of a bit of magic.
80 mins: Bernardo off, Morata. Two up top with Morata alongside Werner and a creative trio of Sancho, KDB & Hazard behind. Goals.
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