Tactics Page

SUNDERLAND Vs. Swansea

------------------Begovic-----------------
Walker---Smalling---Subotic---Cole-
------------Martinez---Wilshere--------
-----Reus---------Kroos------Gotze---
----------------------Villa------------------

Subs - Tremmel, Vermijl, M.Keane, Van Ginkel, Jese, McManaman, Sandro Ramirez

Tactics -

General - At home today in a title deciding clash, we go in having a run of 5-6 wins so we're more than confident we can see out this battle in front of a crowd that will be doing their best to cripple Swansea. Importantly, all of our first team was rested last week, so will be absolutely fresh for today, no tired legs, nothing, whereas Swansea were forced to field their first team last game, so could be fatigued. We're going to play into this, keep passing the ball, forcing Swansea to chase, when they have the ball we press, don't let them rest on it at all. Keep the ball and them moving, to allow us to stay energetic throughout. After about 60 minutes we'll really up the tempo against a Swansea side that will be absolutely shattered, too tired to prevent us ripping them apart.

GK - Begovic is one of the best organizers, as demonstrated from his great performances at Stoke. He'll be marshalling the young CBs, ensuring they are always well placed, and their youth cannot be exploited. When releasing the ball he needs to play it short, rather than hoofing it long, all the back four are good on the ball, so any one of them is an option, or go slightly further to find the two CMs.

CB - Smalling and Subotic work very well together, as demonstrated by the amount of clean sheets we've held on to. They're up against Suarez most likely. He likes to drop deep and get involved in play, they musn't get dragged in to this, our CMs are more than capable of keeping a hold of him. When he gets close, no diving in, stay upright, Suarez isn't the fastest, so he won't beat us with pace but with trickery, so staying on our feet is imperative.

FB - Cole, is to show his winger down the line, Bale and Rodriguez are both lefties who don't like to use their right, so forcing them down the line will nullify a significant threat. Walker to do the same but allow them to get in a weak cross, one where they can't see where they're playing it to, because with Suarez in the middle they lack an aerial threat. CMs will be integral in helping force the wingers away from the box. When attacking, they will only go one at a time, and overlap their AM cohort, forcing Swansea's wingers to chase back (tiring them out further) or allow our FBs to pull Swansea's defenders out of the way of our AMs, who can then run through gaps in the Swansea opposition.

CM - Martinez will play on the side that Bale is on, using his power and defensive awareness to force Bale down the line. Wilshere to do the same to Rodriguez, who is a lesser threat. When on the ball, keep it moving, bring in Kroos, Gotze, Reus and Villa to outnumber Swansea's midfield, meaning we rarely lose possession. keep Swansea chasing it and tire them out. Press Swansea when we have the ball, especially De Jong and Khedira, who are the weak links when in possession.

AM - Fairly narrow to when we're on the ball, allowing us to flood the midfield and dominate play, Swansea's FBs will be forced to choose to either come out of position and help out, or allow us to really take control of the game. When defending, Reus and Gotze will track back, both are young and fresh, so won't be too tired to perform this role Kroos should look to press the CMs, meaning they can't get on the ball and charge forward. When attacking, look to get in behind any FBs bombing forward, and play sharp one twos with Villa before running on to the follow up pass behind the defence.

Villa - Will look to drop deep early on, giving us another extra man in midfield to help us play the ball around and tire out the middle of Swansea's team. Look to link up with Reus, Kroos and Gotze who will play one twos with him to get behind the defence, before he follows their run. Alternatively, he will occasionally mix it up, playing off the shoulder of the CBs, pulling them further away from their midfield partners allowing us to isolate sections of the Swansea team and dominate them much more easily.

Subs -

60 - We'll still be full of running, whereas Swansea will be dead on their feet, Wilshere is to push slightly forward, giving us more penetration, and hopefully even greater control of the game.

70 - Jese on for Kroos, Gotze to the centre, Jese out wide. Jese to spread Swansea's defence by offering greater width, using his pace and power to bully his way through before picking out a team mate in the box. Gotze offers a bit more vision and skill in the No.10 role, so through balls and such should be used to find Reus, Villa and Jese's runs behind the defence.

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------------------------Bernd Leno-------------
----Lahm--------Dante------Hummels-----Schmelzer
---------Ilkay Gundogan-------Lars Bender-----
Lamela-------------------Isco-------------J.Draxler
---------------------Jackson Martinez--------

Subs: Muriel, Inigo Martinez, De Sciglio, Marquinhos, Verratti


Philipp Lahm -Rampage down the right with his brilliant attacking quality, but track back to prevent runs. Must whip crosses in to the feet of attackers. Must really look to drift inside and try to link up with the RW, to get around the defence.

Dante and Hummels-Must stay strong, win everything in the air, put body on the line, and be a rock in defence. Hummels comes up for corners. Dante goes for shots and quicker players, and is a great passer, so must look to block every shot and pass the ball brilliantly out of defence. Hummels is great in the air so must win every header, and be strong in the tackle. We must make sure we don't give away any fouls in and around the box, keep our hands away from the ball, and not lunge in to tackles

Shmelzer-Do what hes done at Dortmund, defend brilliantly, whilst also coming inside to join up with attack. Look to send in whipping balls into Mandzukic. When space opens up in front of him when Draxler comes inside, Schmelzer must eat up ground as he rushes in to fill the void left over, and temporarily act as a LM, before running back to safety

Lars Bedner and Gundogan- Bender more defensive, make himself a strong and physical presence, keeping the ball rolling and shooting from long range. Gundogan must link up the midfield to attack, and gives us that flair which can control a game. Lars is a decent passer of the ball, so must look to play in our forwards, but his role as a DM is to prevent attacks, so will be a guard to the back four and control the game from deep midfield. Gundogan will be playing box top box, and his great shooting ability along with his newly found drive from midfield will see him make powerful runs at the defence. However, he must not neglect defensive duties, and slip into a dictator role when we need more control in midfield. Gundogan must drive the team from deep, and press the opposition up the park

Erik Lamela-The young star should look to break into the opposition box using a wide range of skills, and use his brilliant feet to jiggle away from tackles. Must link up well with Isco to cause a devastating partnership. He thrives off runs past the opposition, and his finishing is top notch, so when he gets the ball in a dangerous are, he must look up and and float one in for Martinez, or skin his man and look to get shots away. Lamela has the pace to cause the opposition problems, and he must cut in on his favourite left foot, or play in crosses to Martinez

Isco-The main player. He will be much better in the centre, and must look to get brilliant sly passes into the feet of Martinez. He will look to run up and support Martinez, but also use his fantastic vision to send in through Balls out wide. He has brilliant dribbling skills so will always escape attention of his man and when under pressure can find his way out. His passing is quality, so must spread the play out wide to free space, and play in our forwards, keeping our team ticking in AM. Our wingers will be making runs, and Isco will have the vision to play them in down the flanks. Isco must often join the 2 strikers in or around the box, trying to cause problems.

Draxler-Must drift in at all times and use his frightening pace and power to cause the RB problems. Must come in to support Martinez, and get his brilliant shots on target. He has been crucial for Schalke, and must reproduce the form for us here in this game. His dribbling skills are up there with the best, so must use a wide array of skills to escape his man and look to be dangerous at all times. Draxler's best asset is when he drifts in from the left, onto his right foot before either going for a curler, or taking on his man before twisting and turning his way into the box. When he sees Schmelzer bomb past him, he must start to come inside, as he knows he has a player outside him

Jackson Martinez-The man who has been doing brilliant this season, will play in the ST role. He will look to latch onto any ball, and use his magic to work the ball into an area where it will be the most dangerous. His brilliant runs will tire the opposition, and his finishing can be top class when given the opportunity. Fantastic in the air so will attack all balls in the box, and unleash deadly shots on targets. He has extreme physicality which will help him deal with the defenders, and must look to aim every header into the net. When he is outside the box, any long balls that fall onto his head must see him flicking it back out to the wingers to run onto.

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

Corners-Isco
Freekicks-Draxler
Penalties-Isco
Captain-Dante

Subs:

On 60: Muriel > Draxer at 60, Isco goes left and we play 4-2-2-2

On 60 If Losing: Verratti > Lars Bender, offers defensive protection, but is more of a threat from deep

If winning on 65: Verratti > Gundogan, more defensive options to keep the midfield ticking

--------------------Neuer
Zabby-----Barzagli-----Miranda-----Filipe
----------Khedira----Schweiny
James-----------De Jong--------------Bale
--------------------Suarez

Subs; McCarthy, Corchia, Alderweireld, Blind, Wanyama, Totti, Benteke

Overview
An attacking 4-2-3-1 formation based on retaining possession and using pace, power and trickery to pressurise the defence.

Keeper
When distributing the ball, he should look to keep it simple and play the percentage pass. At crosses and set pieces, should look to punch rather than attempt any catches with an element of risk.

FBs
Both FB's will be acting as the wide players when going forward to stretch the play as our wingers will be predominantly cutting inside. When defending, they should look to just track the wingers and aim to show them onto their weaker foot and outmuscle the wingers.

Centre Backs
Miranda will compete for the aerial balls, with Barzagli looking to collect the 2nd ball, when the ball is on the floor, when the ball is on the floor, Miranda will be the guy to meet with the striker, and Barzagli will be making a covering run. When on the ball, if the opposition are letting them have time on the ball, they can venture forward a little to give our midfield a chance to get into space, otherwise they should look to play it simple to a man in space to retain posession.

DMs
When the opposition have the ball, both our CM's will look to play a pressing game on the opponents CMs, not giving them time on the ball and harassing them into errors. When on the ball Schweiny will keep the side ticking over, looking to recieve the ball in space. and find one of the front 4 who are all looking to get into space. Khedira will just look to cover the back 4 should Schweiny or one of the front 4 lose possession.

AM
De Jong will be playing just off the striker, looking to be the link between the midfield and attack. When our wingers cut inside, he should look to slightly drift into the free space left by the winger to give them a bit more space in the middle of the park. When defending, he should keep tabs on the DMs, not letting a simple ball be played to them.

Wingers
Both wingers will initially start out wide looking to stretch the play, but predominantly cutting inside to try and make space for a shot, so should look to pick out which is the best option at the time. when they cut inside, both full backs will be getting forward to keep stretching the width of the defensive line and providing the wide option. The wingers will occasionally swap wings to keep an air of unpredictability to our attacking direction.

Striker
He will look to peel off the CBs and look to get into space between the lines of the defence and DMs to pick up the ball and then look to use his close control and trickery to take defenders out of the game. When he comes deeper to pick the ball up off Schweiny, the other 3 attackers will be running ahead of him to give him options to pass. When defending, he should look to harass the opposition CBs to try and pressure them into making a mistake.

Set Pieces

Corners
Bale and Schweiny take inswinging corners. the 2 CB's go into the box, the FB's and Khedira stay back to prevent counters, the CB's, De Jong and Suarez attack the ball, the non-taker and James take positions just outside the box to pick up any weak defensive headers or knockdowns.

Free Kicks - For direct FK's Bale will shoot. For Indirect FKs, follow the same directives for Corners

Penalties - Schweiny is the designated taker.

Subs
76 mins

If Winning - Wanyama for De Jong - sits behind Khedira and Schweiny.

Drawing/Losing - Totti for De Jong - Totti LW, James RW, Bale AM.

82
If Winning - Alderweireld and Benteke for Filipe and James - Zabby goes to LB, Alder to RB. Suarez RW An element of timewasting, but also adds extra height at the back to deal with the desperate lumps forward. With Benteke providing the outball to relieve pressure.

If Drawing/Losing

Benteke for James - go to 4-4-2, Benteke goes upfront the other 3 attackers look to feed off Bentekes knockdowns and we keep them close to him with the full backs putting the crosses in.

Aston Villa team and tactics:

---------------------------Buffon-----------------------

Montoya-------Nastasic-------Vertonghen----Kolarov

----------------------------Iturraspe-------------------------

Costa--------------Xavi-------------Thiago-----------Tello

------------------------------Aguero------------------------------

Subs:
Schwarzer, Godin, Taylor, Wallace, de Marcos, Maher, Morata

Game plan:
Tippy tappy football, tiring the opposition out by keeping possession for long periods of time and hitting them when their tired. Making sure to keep it tight at the back to avoid goals going into the net from the opposition.

Attacking:
Buffon will play the ball out from the back to Nastasic or Vertonghen and both will pass the ball to either our full backs or DM and play neat triangles. However, the full backs will break down the pitch and play 1-2’s with our wingers who will cut inside and allow our full backs to cross the ball into the box for our striker. Whilst our wingers cut in they can either slip the ball through to our striker or pass the ball out wide for the full backs to whip crosses into the box. Thiago and Xavi will get the ball off our DM and break down field with pace and slip balls through for our striker to get on the end of. Our Striker is to keep himself on side and run on to any ball that comes his way and round the keeper and place the ball into the back of the net. Should the ball be out wide he needs to get on the end of every cross or slip ball that comes into the box.

Defending:
Whilst not having the ball all players must protect the box and make it hard for the opposition to get balls into it.

At set pieces:
Nastasic and Vertonghen head up field and join Aguero in the box, with Tello and Costa staying outside the box and whipping crosses back into the box should the ball come out towards them. With Thiago standing on the edge of the box in the centre to fire shots at the goal, Xavi will take all corners/pens/freekicks. Iturraspe, Montoya and Kolarov stay in our half to avoid been done on the counter.



Subs:
if losing/drawing:
Maher on for Thiago - 70 mins
Morata on for Tello - 70 mins

if winning:
no changes

Comment Deleted by Site Moderator

--------------------Neuer
Zabby-----Barzy-----Miranda-----Davies
----------Wanyama----Illarry
Navas------------Iniesta-----------Totti
------------------Zlatan

Subs; McCarthy, Filipe, Khedira, Schweiny, Vydra, Bale, Altidore

Overview
An attacking 4-2-3-1 formation based on retaining possession and using pace, power and trickery to pressurise the defence.

Keeper
When distributing the ball, he should look to keep it simple and play the percentage pass. At crosses and set pieces, should look to punch rather than attempt any catches with an element of risk.

FBs
Both FB's will be acting as the wide players when going forward to stretch the play as our wingers will be predominantly cutting inside. When defending, they should look to just track the wingers and aim to show them onto their weaker foot and outmuscle the wingers.

Centre Backs
Miranda will compete for the aerial balls, with Barzagli looking to collect the 2nd ball, when the ball is on the floor, when the ball is on the floor, Miranda will be the guy to meet with the striker, and Barzagli will be making a covering run. When on the ball, if the opposition are letting them have time on the ball, they can venture forward a little to give our midfield a chance to get into space, otherwise they should look to play it simple to a man in space to retain posession.

DMs
When the opposition have the ball, both our CM's will look to play a pressing game on the opponents CMs, not giving them time on the ball and harassing them into errors. When on the ball Illarry will keep the side ticking over, looking to recieve the ball in space. and find one of the front 4 who are all looking to get into space. Wanyama will just look to cover the back 4 should Illarry or one of the front 4 lose possession.

AM
Iniesta will be looking to be the link between the midfield and attack. When our wingers cut inside, he should look to slightly drift into the free space left by the winger to give them a bit more space in the middle of the park. When defending, he should keep tabs on the DMs, not letting a simple ball be played to them.

Wingers
Both wingers will initially start out wide looking to stretch the play, with Totti predominantly cutting inside to try and make space for a shot, Navas should stick out wide more, looking to use his pace and get crosses in.when they cut inside, both full backs will be getting forward to keep stretching the width of the defensive line and providing the wide option.

Striker
He will look to peel off the CBs and look to get into space between the lines of the defence and DMs to pick up the ball and then look to use his close control and trickery to take defenders out of the game. When he comes deeper to pick the ball up off Schweiny, the other 3 attackers will be running ahead of him to give him options to pass. When defending, he should look to harass the opposition CBs to try and pressure them into making a mistake.

Set Pieces

Corners
Navas and Filipe take inswinging corners. the 2 CB's go into the box, the FB's and Wanyama stay back to prevent counters, the CB's, Totti and Zlatan attack the ball, Iniesta and Illarry take positions just outside the box to pick up any weak defensive headers or knockdowns.

Free Kicks - For direct FK's Zlatan will shoot. For Indirect FKs, follow the same directives for Corners

Penalties - Totti is the designated taker.

Subs
76 mins

If Winning - Khedira for Illarry

Drawing/Losing - Bale for Totti

82 mins
If Winning - Filipe and Altidore for Zlatan and Davies

If Drawing/Losing - Filipe and Schweiny for Davies and Wanyama

------------------------Bernd Leno-------------
----Lahm--Inigo Martinez---Ginter----Schmelzer
---------Sergio Busquets----Marco Verratti-----
M'Baye Niang----Leon Goretzka--------J.Draxler
-----------------------Gonzalo Higuain--------

Subs: Isco, Hummels, Neymar, Gundogan, Bruma


Philipp Lahm -Rampage down the right with his brilliant attacking quality, but track back to prevent runs. Must whip crosses in to the feet of attackers. Must really look to drift inside and try to link up with the RW, to get around the defence.

Martinez & Ginter-Must stay strong, win everything in the air, put body on the line, and be a rock in defence. Martinez comes up for corners. Ginter goes for shots and quicker players, and is a great passer, so must look to block every shot and pass the ball brilliantly out of defence. Hummels is great in the air so must win every header, and be strong in the tackle. We must make sure we don't give away any fouls in and around the box, keep our hands away from the ball, and not lunge in to tackles

Shmelzer-Do what hes done at Dortmund, defend brilliantly, whilst also coming inside to join up with attack. Look to send in whipping balls into Mandzukic. When space opens up in front of him when Draxler comes inside, Schmelzer must eat up ground as he rushes in to fill the void left over, and temporarily act as a LM, before running back to safety

Busquetsb & Verratti- Busquetsmore defensive, make himself a strong and physical presence, keeping the ball rolling and shooting from long range. Veratti must link up the midfield to attack, and gives us that flair which can control a game. Busquets is a very good passer of the ball, so must look to play in our forwards, but his role as a DM is to prevent attacks, so will be a guard to the back four and control the game from deep midfield. Verratti will be playing box top box, and his great shooting ability along with his newly found drive from midfield will see him make powerful runs at the defence. However, he must not neglect defensive duties, and slip into a dictator role when we need more control in midfield. Verratti must drive the team from deep, and press the opposition up the park

M'Baye Niang-The young star should look to break into the opposition box using a wide range of skills, and use his brilliant feet to jiggle away from tackles. Must link up well with Goretzka to cause a devastating partnership. He thrives off runs past the opposition, and his finishing is top notch, so when he gets the ball in a dangerous are, he must look up and and float one in for Higuain, or skin his man and look to get shots away. Niang has the pace to cause the opposition problems, and he must cut in on his favourite left foot, or play in crosses to Higuain

Goretzka-The main player. He will be much better in the centre, and must look to get brilliant sly passes into the feet of Higuain. He will look to run up and support Higuain, but also use his fantastic vision to send in through Balls out wide. He has brilliant dribbling skills so will always escape attention of his man and when under pressure can find his way out. His passing is quality, so must spread the play out wide to free space, and play in our forwards, keeping our team ticking in AM. Our wingers will be making runs, and Goretzka will have the vision to play them in down the flanks. Goretzka must often join the 2 strikers in or around the box, trying to cause problems.

Draxler-Must drift in at all times and use his frightening pace and power to cause the RB problems. Must come in to support Higuain, and get his brilliant shots on target. He has been crucial for Schalke, and must reproduce the form for us here in this game. His dribbling skills are up there with the best, so must use a wide array of skills to escape his man and look to be dangerous at all times. Draxler's best asset is when he drifts in from the left, onto his right foot before either going for a curler, or taking on his man before twisting and turning his way into the box. When he sees Schmelzer bomb past him, he must start to come inside, as he knows he has a player outside him

Gonzalo Higuain-He will play in the CF role. He will look to latch onto any ball, and use his magic to work the ball into an area where it will be the most dangerous. His brilliant runs will tire the opposition, and his finishing can be top class when given the opportunity. Fantastic in the air so will attack all balls in the box, and unleash deadly shots on targets. He has extreme physicality which will help him deal with the defenders, and must look to aim every header into the net. When he is outside the box, any long balls that fall onto his head must see him flicking it back out to the wingers to run onto.

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

Corners-Goretzka
Freekicks-Draxler
Penalties-Higuain
Captain-Busquets

Subs:

On 60: Neymar > Draxer at 60, Isco > Goretzka, straight swaps

On 60 If Losing: Gundogan >, more of a threat from deep

If winning on 65: Hummels > Ginter