Dream League Tactics Page

comment by Fan Gillhaus 0069 (U3339)
posted 6 days, 17 hours ago
---------------Patricio----------------
Lichts--Mangala--Ogbonna--Felipe
----------Bender---Khedira----------
Sanchez--------Ozil---------Thorgan
--------------A.Negredo--------------

Digne, Xavi, Volland, Jackson, Benteke

Patricio a good shot stopper, quick off his line to shut down the opposition and reduce there shooting angles, release early if pushing the game.

two powerful Cbs who will be difficult to pass, Mangala picks up the cb as Ogbonna settles in beside him as the spare man. Mangala always watches the CFs movement and is ready to be on him quickly to stop any danger from him. Ogbonna will take a step back and be ready to help out his fellow defenders if needed. Licht and Felipe are flying fullbacks, but i do stress one attacks at a time, get up and support the winger as best he can, dash down the outside to recieve the ball or even just to take the fullback away. Defend the lines keep wingers away from danger and to the outside.

Khedira is my DM, nothing fancy just simply force there AM out of the game, intercept his movement, look to hound him out the game, mark no one else concentrate on him and stop him dictating play, simple passes to those around when ball is won.

Ozil and Bender will run the game, Ozil the playmaker who will pick his pass easily whereas Bender is thepowerful runner who supports both defence and attack. when defending both will sit either side of Ozil to stop them coming through, but in attack Bender will push on to support Negredo whilst Ozil just picks and chooses who he passes to, has the intelligence to look for the perfect pass and set players free on goal, Vidal will bomb up and look to make late runs in on goal as Ozil looks for his runs.
Wingers take there men on, skillfulll, quick and can score from distance, always moving and looking for Ozil/Bender as the four really look to get at them today. Quick one twos to get beyond players, cut inside and go for goal.. Want them to press them when they have it and make them make mistakes and make loose passes,. get back and stop fullbacks coming forward.

Negredo, full of goals and will run the line well, always on the last man will have plenty of support so upto him to make runs and find space that opthers will find him in to go for goal, good with both feet and in the air. If he cant go for goal look to tee up Sanchez or Thorgan etc as they run iin to support. Great eye for goal and makes intelligent runs in behind.

Captain:- Khedira
Pens - Negredo
Free Kicks - Ozil
Corners - Wingers

Subs
losing or drawing
70 Mins - Volland and Benteke for Thorgan and Negredo
80 Mins - Jackson for Ozil 4-4-2

winning
70 Mins - Xavi > Ozil sit deeper and control the game
80 Mins - Digbe and Benteke for Thorgan and Negredo
----------------------------------------------------------------------

My phone is an erse

Comment Deleted by Site Moderator

--------------------------Hugo Lloris
Lahm-----Sergio Ramos------Dante-----Ginter
--------------Sven Bender --------Wilshere
Thomas Muller------Samir Nasri---------Draxler
------------------------------Rossi

Subs: Berardi, Jese, Papadopoulos, Mkhitaryan, El Shaarawy


Formation: 4-2-3-1 (Changing into a 4-3-3
Freekicks: Nasri
Penalties: Rossi
Corners: Nasri (Ramoscomes up)
Captain: Lahm

Game Plan: Starting off with defence, Dante will be the one to pass out of defence, and go for the blocks and tackles, whilst Ramos will be the one to actually carry the ball out. He has been blessed with a great right foot, and decent pace for a CB, so when he steps forward, we will instruct Bender to step back and let Ramos almost slot into midfield before coming back again. Bender returns in DM and must stay solid throughout. His best attributes are his vision, and he's great at breaking up play, so will never get bullied off the ball, always get in feont of the AM, and be our ball winner in midfield. Alongside him, Wilshere will be box to box, driving from deep, and Nasri will be our midfield maestro, offering magic in the #10 role. Muller will offer plenty of energy helping us cope with The LW, and we target the LB. He's a rather attacking LB, whilst we have all seen what Muller can do when he he has the space. Rossi vis up front and his finishing has massively improved, so will look to get the ball in the back of the net as soon as he gets the ball in a goalscoring position. We will start off in a 4-2-3-1 formation, relying on Lahm and Ginter to do what they do best, and really attack the flanks-that is when they're not defending, with Muller and Draxler playing out wide in the wing roles, drifting inside, allowing space for the FB's to attack- Lahm especially, must look to get those fantastic crosses into the penalty are, where Rossi can launch himself at the ball, or where Draxler will be lurking. On the other side, Ginter is very fast, and is a terrific dribbler, so he must look to take on his man, and venture into the Oppo half as much as possible, and look to play short 1-2's with the likes of Wilshere and Nasri . Both of these Fullbacks must come back at all times, to prevent Opponents pacy side from hurting us on the counter. Alongside them, Dante and Ramos are a comeplete a pairing as any. They are a real force to be reckoned with, both being extremely good in the air, and a Dante a brilliant leader at the back, and he must position himself well at every set piece, marking the attacker that likes to make difficult runs to the back post. Ramos will tackle the tall men, or those good in the air, as He leave's no victims in that territory. He must also use his long legs as an asset to take the ball away from the toes of attackers, but must stay clean. Both of our CB's are strictly told to keep their hands out of their way, and to control their tackles, and not go lunging in on forwards giving away cheap freekicks. Ramos is a great passer of the ball, so must not be afraid to step into midfield, and caress the ball all he likes, as long as risky passes/back passes are prevented. Neither of our defenders must be afraid to clear the ball long when in danger, but generally, we will look to pass the ball out of defence.

Moving on from defence, we will be playing a lovely mix of midfielders in our central 3. v will be the dictator/box to box, pulling all the strings from central midfield. His excellent vision, and eye of the needle passes will help unlock opponents defence, as we look to play in Muller and Draxler , whilst Muller and Draxler must drop back to receive short passes, before passing it on again. Bender will be our DM, and he is excellent at breaking play down and passing out of danger, so he must do this against their AM but must be wary of stepping forward without protection, as we can get out done on the counter, but he will be looking to always get the ball rolling, and sometimes tap his way around their Midfield. Marty is an expert in controlling, and holding the ball, and Alongside him is one of the best CM's in the game

If we are lacking creativity in AM, Wilshere must step up further, where he and Nasri can cause real problems, but must not neglect defensive duties, and his immense determination and vision must combine with his pressing ability to always win the ball back when we lose it. Wilshere offers great drive from midfield, and his powerful shots are an added bonus to us. His passing is always accurate, and he must look to supply Muller and vwith sly passes and through balls, to try and find a way in behind opponents defence. Ahead of him, Nasri will be playing AM, where he is a magician. Nasri role is crucial to our team. He is the one that brings all the flair to the table and with superb passing skills and quick thinking ability, his main aim will be to slip in one of our forwards. If there comes a time when the ball breaks to him, he must use his silky feet to slip away from defenders and find space, and he must not forget that he will almost always have support in Wilshere . All midfielders should be able to cover our Fullback's runs, so if Ginter is caught out, we must rely on Wilshere to move into his position, and cover for him, and same with Bender on the other side. This will ensure that we will always have our full backs cover


Up ahead, Muller and Draxler start out wide in the 4-2-3-1, with strict instructions to revert to a 4-3-3 when we need to attack centrally:


--Wilshere --------Bender
----------------Nasri
-Muller --------------------Draxler

This will make us more threatening in the central areas, and give’s us a central threat, if we need it. It will also conjure up more space for Nasri to thrive off, where he has time to spot runs and passes, but the role of our FB will become more important, as they will need to run into all the space left when Muller and vdrift inside. However, if we need to attack opponents out wide, our 2 wide men must look to go back outside with Nasri going up a notch, allowing our two wingers to confuse opposition defenders and create up a great understanding with the midfielders. Muller has brilliant dribbling skills, and very quick feet, and he must look to turn away from oppressors when he has the chance, before using his brilliant vision to find a Dagenham shirt. His brilliant versatility means we cover almost every position in the right side of the pitch, as Muller likes to come inside, but doesn’t mind going by the touchline and crossing inside on his favourite right foot. He must look to get some brilliant crosses onto the heads of Rossi , or the feet of Draxler , but also should look to set up Nasri /Wilshere , who will no doubt be lurking just outside the box, for a volley or long shot. On the other side, Draxler is a brilliant finisher, and he loves to take on his man, whilst he’s always reliable when it comes to making runs off the last man. His rapid pace must see him chase the ball every time it breaks loose, whilst his lethal runs will always be a danger to the opposition. He is also a genius at winning penalties, and must look to trick his way into the box using a wide range of skills to frighten the defence. His brilliant link up play with Rossi will see the 2 combining well, as Draxler is fantastic at finding his man, whilst Rossi 's passing is extremely good for a striker. If any chance falls to Draxler , he must take it, as his finishing is a brilliant asset, and he must always be a mirror to Muller , when it comes to formation, as soon as we revert to a 4-3-3, he and Muller must come inside, with our two FB bombing up. Likewise, when we change back to a 4-2-3-1, our wingers will both automatically hug the touchline, cutting in only when they have support.

Up front, Rossi must also look to to finish off every chance that falls his way, and he is rather decent in the air, so must outmuscle/deceive the defenders, when it comes to taking crosses of Lahm and Muller . He will rely on his good Pace, positioning, Technical ability, sublime dribbling skills and Finishing Prowess and look to crumble the Opponents defence, with his brilliant knack of finding the back of the net

Subs:


If losing/drawing 60mins: El Shaarawy> Muller, 4-4-2, with Nasri going to the right

If Losing/Drawing 75: Mkhitaryan> Draxler , bigger goal scoring threat 4-3-3
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Starting XI – 4-2-3-1

-----------------Butland-------------------
Corchia----Lovren--Kompany--Baines
----------Busquets---Ramsey--------
Rodriguez-------Fabregas-------Deulofeu
-----------------Rooney-------------------

Subs: Martinez, Jenkinson, Flamini, Mane, Jovetic

C: Kompany – a hugely important player. He links our team together and can make us an incredibly solid team as well as having vast experience so gets the nod as captain today.

VC: Rooney – Big player for us today and knows what being a captain is all about.

Corners and FKs (L): Rooney – such a danger from set pieces that it’s a no brainer.
Corners and FKs (R): Baines - same as above!

Today injuries and suspensions have hits us hard, coupled with our lack in form we have nothing to lose today so are just going to go for it with an exciting attractive brand of football. A few squad players have a chance to come in and show what they can do and I want them to relax and enjoy themselves. Our gameplan is to control the game with an attacking line up full of outstanding players. Our brilliant midfield will try not to allow Fishguard to get their dangerous players on the ball and still maintaining the ability to counter. With this system when we win the ball we have a good set up for a counter attack, Fabregas, Deulofeu and Rodriguez have pace on the counter, Rooney will be able to play his natural game which he flourishes playing and Fabregas is a great player to be picking the passes to start the move off - probably the best in the world. Furthermore, we can stretch the defence with Delofeu, Fabregas, Rooney and Rodriguez and possibly out number them with a late run from Ramsey. I believe the quality of these players should be able to get plenty of goals this way. We must also be prepared for for a physical battle today, as they have plenty of energy and some big players. We should be able to match them as long as we are ready for it.

But land – Today he’ll be playing his normal game, commanding his defence and area, being strong coming for crosses, staying alert all game and making himself big in the goal – especially for one on ones.

Defence – Today well balanaced CB pairing, with lots of pace and power between them which will be vital to match Fishguard up front and Lovren who can read the game very well. Lovren is possibly the PLs best CB this season and will have a huge difference on our defence, organising them and the DMs in front of him and making sure we stay a solid, cohesive unit defensively. Kompany is a great defender too, with incredible pace and power which could be vital to wiping out any counter attacks as they happen as no-one should be able to get the better of him, and if we do the other will have read the situation enough to cover and both are such athletes they can recover on the off chance they do get beaten.

Both fullbacks are full of potential, they have the ability that just needs to be honed, but they’re physically brilliant. Strong, fast and capable of getting up and down all day, this will be vital to us getting people forward and out numbering the opposition when we attack, whilst being able to track back quick enough to stop us from being hit on the counter.

Lovren will organise the defence between them and will also communicate with Busquets and Fabregas in the MF.

DMs – Today we’re playing with one out and out defensive midfielder and a deep lying midfielder who are both capable of dictating the pace of a game, this is important to keep us in control of the game at all times and give us good balance for our attacking fullbacks. Ramsey will be the ‘runner’ in the midfield – pressing the opposition quickly and unsettling them on the ball and snuffing out counter attacks, apart from when Busquets drops into the defence, in which case he’ll take up the ‘anchorman’ role. Busquets will play the more traditional DM role as the main ‘anchorman’, but on occasions he will drop into the defence to cover the FBs. He will have license to control the game a little more with his sharp one touch passing as well as being able to sweep across the back four breaking up opposition attacks. When Busquets drops into the back 4 Ramsey will drop alongside Ramsey and offer him support in protecting the defence. The two DMs should keep us incredibly hard to beat whilst offering us a brilliant platform from which to attack on. The two played together as part of a brilliant midfield when we were at our best so I'm excited to see them dictating a game together again.

AMs – Today we will line up with Fabregas through the middle, however this means nothing as he will be switching with the two out wide, interchanging wings and swapping between cutting in onto their stronger foot and passing opponents down the line, although this is not set in stone – we want to be playing fluid, flowing football where it’s hard for the opposition to know who to be picking up. It'll be incredibly hard to stop because we have so many talented players coming from all over the pitch. The other two will be working off him, finding gaps, creating space and dragging players around. All three are very dangerous because they can’t be pigeon-holed, they can all change an attack with a bit of skill, a pass to unlock a defence or an outstanding effort from distance which means the opposition will be wary of them. This split second of hesitation from the opposition is where they can pounce and make spectacular things happen. We have played with 3 players who are more direct, which gives us perfect options on the counter and also great movement for the CMs to look for, as well as balls coming into the box. All 3 are capable of controlling the game, but on the counter we have pace with Rodrguez, Fabregas, Deulofeu and Rooney and an outstanding ability for a pass with Ramsey.

I also want them looking for the other players around them, if we need to start again Ramsey and Busquets are very comfortable on the ball and going home to them could draw opposition players out to play around and find some space. Rooney up front also has all round good link up play and will be looking for quick give and goes around the area to give him half a yard on the defence to get the chances he’ll take so clinically. As well as this, the full backs will be rampaging down the wings whenever they can, this will both give them an option, but it will also give the opposition defenders more to think about and will stretch them, leaving the 3 AMs a little more space to work in.

Rooney - Big chance for Rooney to take his place back today. he's shown in glimpses recentely what he can do but hasn't had a proper chance because of fitness, until now. On his day he is unplayable and I really think he could be the difference between the sides today, which is why I have full confidence in him. He will always be looking for the ball, dropping deep if needs be and letting the midfielders get in behind him. He’ll be playing his typical game, full on running, getting on the ball at all times and getting into the box at the right time to use his brilliant finishing. I want him all along the back line, dropping in to link up with the 3 behind him and drag CBs out , running the channels where he is so powerful, getting on the last man’s shoulder when we want them to drop deeper to create space in the MF and mostly importantly always be alert when the ball is near the box, because he’s a threat in the air as well. Essentially I want his movement to confuse the opposition defence and pull them around allowing the 3 AMs to drift in, but when the FBs have the ball and are looking to hit crosses in, I want him attacking the box as he’s decent in the air.

Sub's (if losing or drawing)

65 mins - Jenkins on for Corchia, fresh legs. Deulofeu for Mane, offers a more direct and pacey threat. Jovetic for Rooney, his movement will be tough for a tired defence to deal with.

If winning

65 mins - Flamini for Ramsey to offer more legs and protection against a side who will move the ball well. 

Jovetic for Deulofeu - fresh legs to hold the ball up well and always offer us an out ball to keep playing and dictating the game rather than just defending the lead.

comment by Pride of the North (U6803)
posted 4 days, 22 hours ago
Starting Line Up:


------------------------Areola------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------
-----------Garay------Rakitsky------Umtiti-------------
-----------------------------------------------------------
Lucas M-----------------------------------------Schurrle
--------------------------Pirlo----------------------------
---------Schwein-----------------------Paulinho----------
-----------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------Kagawa--------------------
---------------------Van Persie--------------------------


Subs: Taider, Rosicky, Herrmann, Dzagoev, Higuain

Captain: Pirlo
Vice Captain: Garay

Penalties: Pirlo
Freekicks: Pirlo


Injuries and suspensions have forced our hands this week (thank you again LC for your continued hard work in the crockery department) though miraculously Garay has returned from the cyber abyss, the cybyss if you will.

We are approaching this game very differently in terms of shape and system. We'll be operating with a solid trio at the back, with Pirlo orchestrating the play in the middle. Plenty of pace out wide and lots of energy in and around the middle. Creativity further up the park with and deadly finisher to cap things off.

Pirlo will take corners and free kicks with the centre backs going up, Paulinho and Lucas Moura sitting deep and Schweinstieger outside the box to protect against counter attacks. We'll be put the ball into the box so our players can attack it in the air around the edge of the 6 yard box. Schurrle will stand between their keeper and our attacking players to give us the advantage.

In possession our game plan will be to move the ball about through Pirlo, he'll have plenty of energy either side of him and options out wide and in front. We'll look to play quick one/two touch passes once Pirlo has picked out the way through.
When out of possession, our CM's and winger/wing backs will work together to close the opposition down.


Areola take his place in goal. he's a young, confident keeper who's kept numerous clean sheets already. He'll look to play the ball out through the centre backs rather than kicking it long. He'll look to claim the ball on his 6 yard box but let our defenders win the aerial duels around it.

Garay, Rakitsky and Umtiti will operate as the back 3, in the trio we have a combination of experience, pace and power. Aerial balls into the box should be no problem for them to deal with and they will also be an asset in attacking set pieces.

Pirlo, well what can you say, he's the man. He'll be key in making us tick. He'll be looking to take the ball from the back line and thread passes through to the attacking players. His role is predominantly the play maker (quarter back) and he will operate deeper than our other midfielders in attacks. He knows when to slow things down and when to increase the tempo.

Lucas Moura and Andre Schurrle will be key in wide areas, in the pair we have plenty of pace and stamina to get up and down the pitch. They will be key in help close down the opposition or 'herd' them towards our central midfielders to break down attacks, whilst also being able to get forward and push our opponents back into their own half. Both players are capable of getting in behind our opponents and will look to do so whenever our opponents step up and we counter attack them.

Paulinho and Schweinstieger will provide the energy and drive in the middle, operating as box to box midfielders and supporting both defensively and attackingly. They will work with the wide men to break down our opponents attacks, closing them down in pairs and not giving them time to settle.

Kagawa returns in the number 10 role, his movement and one/two touch passing will be key in opening pockets of space for players to move into. I like to call him the link man and he'll always be looking for ball and will feed off the players around him.

Van Persie is the man up top, we all know the ability he posses and we want to get the best of out him. We'll look to feed the ball into his feet or for him the control on his chest. He'll be the furthest man forward, but in the nature of our attacks he'll always have support from the midfield and in wide areas.

If winning after 70 minutes:

Herrmann in for Lucas Moura

With 10 minutes to go:

Dzagoev in for Kagawa


If losing/drawing after 75 minutes:

Higuain in for Kagawa
Herrmann in for Lucas Moura

With 5 minutes to go:

Rosicky in for Paulinho
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Belated Week 23 tactics for Leeds as per Parks request

..............................Cech.................................
Johnson........Cahill.....Jagielka.............Gibbs
..........................Mascherano.....................
.......................Lucas.......Poli....................
.............................Muniain..................
.......................Dzeko......Balotelli........

subs: Buffon, Miranda,Jesus,Jorginho,Michu,Ox,Jay-Rod

Well after Brian McDermott got sacked via Skype and being advised he'd be better off as an Heston Blumenthal impersonator. I got the call to take over Leeds and restore some pride, which is difficult because I hate Leeds but they pay well (sometimes)

Shrewsbury have a fantastic team and Ludy's a great manager but any side that plays their home games at The Gáy Meadow can't possibly live our manly yorkshire-ness

Fast paced counter-attacking football today looking to the draw the shrews onto us and hitting them on the break, they have a fantastic front 5 but we feel we can get at their centre-mids and run at their superb but slow centre backs

Cech - Big strong and dominant. organises his defence well, will look to be off his line early today to counter the physical presence of Ibra. will look for quick balls out over top as a platform for attacks

Johnson/Gibbs - Tough game for them against 2 world class wingers, both will be more refrained than usual and only push on when safe to do so. Will be expected to provide our width when we have the ball and whip crosses in for Dzeko and Balo to attack

Cahill/Jags - likely to be this years world cup winning centre-back partnership. Both are decent on the ball and strong in the tackle, Jags will man mark Ibra attempting to get stuck in before the Swede can bring the ball under control, Cahill will be the spare man tidying up any loose balls and linking with the midfield

Masch - Will play as the anchor man looking to close down Mata when the little Spaniard receives the ball putting him under pressure straight away, when we have the ball he'll sit providing cover for Johnson and Gibbs to push on.

Lucas/Poli - Lucas will add more bite to our midfield, snapping into tackles and helping us defend higher up the pitch, Poli has a fantastic range of passing and will look to keep the ball moving forwards, isn't afraid to get stuck in either.

Muniain - Playing more centrally today as the traditional number 10, constantly moving looking for space and pulling their midfielders out of position, has a great touch and plenty of little skills to create opportunities for the front two.

Balo/Dzeko - Both are big strong players with enough pace to trouble most sides. Dzeko will be the target man holding the ball up or flicking it on for Balo to latch onto. both men are encouraged to have a go from distance. With Johnson and Gibbs putting balls in there should be ample chances for Dzeko to show how good he is in the air with Balo waiting for any rebounds

Subs:

winning or drawing 75 mins

Jorginho > Poli - the young Brasilian is a more dynamic player great late runs into the box and has goals in him. Will give our midfield fresh impetus

Michu > Muniain - different player entirely big strong and a good goal scorer, makes us go more direct but Michu is more than just a target man can play a bit too

Losing 75 mins

Ox > Poli - go 4-2-4 with Masch and Lucas sitting in the midfield breaking up play. Ox RW and Muniain LW. more direct and certainly gung ho. but what do we have to lose

.............................Cech........................
Johnson......Cahill......Jagielka..........Gibbs
....................Masch........Lucas....................
Ox.......................................................Muniain
.....................Balo..............Dzeko.................

Blackpool Tactics:

win the toss > switch ends, make our opponents waste energy walking whilst 11 golf buggies transport our players to the other side of the pitch.

win the ball back with a well timed tackle from their centre

pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, shoot, save, corner, cross, head, save, shoot, save, corner, short pass, pass, pass, shoot, SCORE!

rinse and repeat

should be no confusion this week

SHREWSBURY TOWN

4-2-3-1

______________________Neuer______________________
Juanfran________Barzagli______Chiellini_______Marcelo
_______________De Rossi______Marchisio_____________
Robben________________Mata_________________Ribery
____________________Ibrahimovic___________________
SUBS: Matic, Boateng, Cazorla, Mata, Mandzukic

Captain: Ibrahimovic
Right free-kicks: Robben
Left free-kicks: Ibrahimovic
Penalties: Ibrahimovic
Right corners: Ribery
Left corners: Ribery


General:
GEGENPRESSING is a highly-organised approach to regaining possession and minimising space for the opposition used by Dortmund, and now used by me. My opponents are rapidly closed down by well-rehearsed, co-ordinated pressing movements, often by two or more players, allied with intelligent positioning to restrict space for opposition to pass and move into. The best moment to win the ball is immediately after after my team just lost it. Once we have regained possession, the transition from defence to attack will be explosive. Not fussed about possession, aim is to move the ball around efficiently and with purpose, with many forward passes and none of Spain’s useless sideway passes. Play on the counter if dominated, but move the ball around when they sit back. Passing will be quick and intelligent, players moving into space and plenty of interchange between the three attacking midfielders. Team will look at the striker as the focal point with the attacking midfielders running off and beyond him, linking up efficiently. When defending Mata and Ribery will drop back to help, Robben stays up as the out ball and Ibrahimovic prepared for anything lumped up to him. Team must attempt to block shots at all times. Deep defensive line.

Neuer:
Claim crosses if possible. Always clear lines, and hoof up the pitch towards the strikers whenever possible. The ball must stay clear of the 18 yard box at all times. Communication is key with centre halves to avoid confusion when deciding who claims a loose ball / cross.

Barzagli and Chiellini:
Deals with opposition attackers. Barzagli keeps an eye on their attacking midfielder when he gets close to the 18 yard line. Chiellini will also mark their striker closely not allowing him space to turn. Barzagli or De Rossi will deal with knock-downs to their supporting player depending on who is closer. Chiellini will try and win headers when long balls are played towards the back line. Barzagli will be the centre half who steps up and clears up balls before it reaches their attackers, but must only go if he’s 100% sure he’ll get it. Chiellini will also clean up any balls / players who manage to get past Barzagli. Go up for corners.

Juanfran and Marcelo:
Will get forward in turns when we get possession, if they aren’t individually under too much pressure. Will sit back when without the ball, but bomb forward when the opportunity arises. Main aim is to provide width and provide extra bodies in midfield to link up play. They should thump in crosses to Ibrahimovic when it’s on. Shoot if there is a clear sight of goal. Stays back for corners. Must not commit to tackles otherwise wingers will skip past them, just stay close, limit their space and show them onto their weaker foot.

De Rossi and Marchisio:
Sits deep, breaks up play and snap at their heels. De Rossi is an engine that can cover a lot of ground when defending. De Rossi will hardly ever go past the half-way line. Marchisio will buzz around and dictates play, bursting forwards at times to provide an extra body in attack. Marchisio will be a bit ahead of De Rossi to be more involved in exchanging passes with full backs / Mata, even going level with Mata at times to use his incredible vision to find teammates. Kroos will be playing as a hybrid midfielder. De Rossi stays close to the centre halves. Both sprays balls wide to fullbacks when they get forward. Stays back for corners. Will not allow the opposition any time on the ball in front of centre halves. De Rossi sticks to position when fullbacks flys forwards, providing cover if needed. Marchisio drops deeper when this happens.

Robben, Mata and Ribery:
Will constantly swap positions with each other. Will look to thread through balls to Ibrahimovic and exchange passes with each other. Constantly drifting in and out of position, into space to make it difficult to mark. Will alternate between running down the wings to cross and cutting inside all the time, making the defenders confused. Mata should always track back to help the fullbacks and midfield when defending. Mata can burst past Ibrahimovic and shoot if needed. Goes to near post to anticipate crosses. Constantly runs at their defence. All will press the opposition when without the ball. Robben stands outside the box for corners

Ibrahimovic:
Holds up the ball, brings the three attacking midfielders into play. Play on the shoulder of the last man, always sets himself at the far post for crosses. Will keep the centre halves occupied.

SUBS:
Winning:
75 mins: Mata OFF Matic ON
Go 4-3-3 with Matic in CM to help hold possession and make midfield more solid as well as add fresh legs.

Losing:
80 mins: Mata OFF Mandzukic ON
80 mins: De Rossi OFF Cazorla ON
Go 4-2-4 with Ibrahimovic Mandzukic centre Robben right Ribery left. Cazorla supports, Marchisio holds and sprays passes from deep.

comment by Pride of the North (U6803)
posted 2 days, 3 hours ago
Blackpool Tactics:

win the toss > switch ends, make our opponents waste energy walking whilst 11 golf buggies transport our players to the other side of the pitch.

win the ball back with a well timed tackle from their centre

pass, pass, pass, pass, pass, shoot, save, corner, cross, head, save, shoot, save, corner, short pass, pass, pass, shoot, SCORE!

rinse and repeat

should be no confusion this week
----------------------------------------------------------------------