Southampton

Goalkeepers:
GK - Asmir Begovic (HG)
GK - David Ospina
GK - Pedrag Rajkovic (U21)

Defenders:
RB - Lukasz Piszczek
RB - Bacary Sagna
RB - Kieran Trippier (HG)
CB - Gabriel Paulista
CB - Phil Jones (HG)
CB - Eliaquim Mangala
CB - Angelo Ogbonna
CB - James Tomkins (HG)
LB - Ben Chilwell (HG)
LB - Daley Blind

Midfielders:
CM - Asier Illarramendi
CM - Jorginho
CM - Ander Iturraspe
CM - Fernando Reges
CM - James McCarthy (HG)
AM - Nabil Fekir
AM - Alex Teixeira
AM - Fabian Delph (HG)
WG - Jesus Navas
WG - Xherdan Shaqiri
WG - Ezequiel Lavezzi
WG - Yannick Bolasie (HG)
WG - Victor Moses (HG)
WG - Son Heung-min

Strikers:
ST - Jackson Martinez
ST - Wilfried Bony
ST - Alvaro Negredo
ST - Callum Wilson (HG)

Budget - 13.5M


--------------------- Ederson
Juanfran ---- Varane -- Javi.M ----- Ghoulam
-------------------- A.Rabiot
--------- De Bruyne ------- Vidal
O.Dembele ------ D.Mertens ------- A.Sanchez

Subs: Meret, Laporte, Mendy, Fernandinho, Eriksen, Perisic, Werner

In good form, playing a Stoke side who are really struggling this season and sit bottom. Look to get at their inexperience, quick on our toes and forcing mistakes

A slight change in formation, 4-3-3. Go in with the extra midfielder and look to play with plenty of width, making the pitch bigger and creating holes in their backline.

Mertens in for the injured Lewa, in good form this season and the attacking trio should link well today, plenty of pace and goals in them and should give that inexperienced Stoke defence a right grilling.

Plenty of options on and off the ball for the man in possession, quick movement and 1-2's. Look to beat the press and get in behind on a constant basis.

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

The CB duo are excellent on the ball, very good passing success rates and should look to move the ball into mf quickly. At times collecting short from Ederson and getting their heads up, looking for movement from the attackers and attempting diagonal or long balls into feet, using Mertens/Sanchez/Dembele as target men to bypass their mf.

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

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

De Bruyne will look to play inbetween the lines, roaming in the oppositions half and and looking to act as the link between midfield and attack. Pick up pockets of space and use his awareness to dictate the play, never afraid to play a key pass in behind to unlock their defence.

Defensively will look to work in a 3, looking to work in tandem with Rabiot and Vidal to close down quickly and cutting out passing lanes. At times sitting deeper and dictating the tempo allowing Vidal to make his trademark burst forwards to mix it up.

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

Ousmane and Sanchez need to get involved as much as possible looking to influence the game, both two footed & excellent dribblers that more often than not will beat their man, need to get their heads down and accelerate with pace, linking with our fullbacks as they hug the touchline and open up the space ahead.

Always on the move and being unpredictable, never stay idle and easy to mark. Making off the ball runs and taking defenders with you, keeping them in two minds whether to stay or go.

When in possession, our fullbacks take it in turns to burst forward. One sits slightly back allowing the other to roam forward looking to provide the width, allowing the wingers space to drive into or an option on the outside.

Mertens has a big role today, very prolific and great killer instinct but one of those strikers that influences the play even without the ball at his feet. He should look to come deep often and link with others, hold up play and take the CB with you, opening up the game and space for our wingers and KDB to run into beyond.

When Stoke are in possession we will initially look to press from front with our attacking trio and then drop off deeper with men behind the ball if they bypass with a strong block of 3 in midfield.

Don’t allow them to play out from the back and hurry their passes. Our attackers form a trio looking to cut avenues into midfield as one goes to press the ball, force them into tight spots with their backs to goal towards the touchline.

The reason we want our attackers to press is to force Stoke to play long and concede possession, we feel they lack any sort of aerial presence in the side so are less likely to win contested duels.

If they advance we then form a rigid structure looking to press the space and dropping off with men behind the ball, only allowing them to play where we want them too, stifle the midfield with our 3 and stop them from picking their passes into an attacker, Vidal man-man their AM, looking to harass him and using his physical prowess to really put him off his game, Rabiot and De Bruyne cutting off passing lanes either side.

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

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

If we manage to win the ball we must immediately look to counter and hit the opposition hard. FB’s can come up to support the play and provide the width. The front 4 burst forward, Vidal and Rabiot holding.

Subs:
IF WINNING: 70th minute – (4-3-3)
- Fernandinho > Rabiot
- Perisic > A.Sanchez
- Werner > Mertens (80th minute)
Compact 4-3-3, Fernandinho sits and holds, Perisic look to work with his FB down the flanks. Werner, fresh pace

IF DRAW: 70th minute – (4-2-2-2 - wide)
- Werner > KDB
- Perisic > A.Sanchez
- Eriksen > Vidal (80th minute)
Werner partners Mertens in attack and we go more direct, two out and out wingers looking to get service into the box.

IF LOSING: 75th minute – (4-4-2 - direct)
- Werner > Rabiot
- Fernandinho > Vidal
- Mendy > Ghoulam
4-4-2, direct. long balls into the box and constantly looking for the two strikers.
Flood forward and look for an equalizer/winner.

C - Vidal
FK's - De Bruyne/ shoot - Mertens
Corners - De Bruyne
Pens - A.Sanchez

----------------------- Ederson
Zappa ----- Alderw'ed --- Javi.M ----- Ghoulam
--------------- A.Vidal ----- Fernandinho
----- De Bruyne ---------------------- A.Sanchez
---------- Lewandowski ---- Werner

Subs: Bellerin, Tah, Mendy, Partey, Eriksen, O.Dembele, Mertens


----------------------- Ederson
Zappa ----- Alderw'ed --- Javi.M ------ Ghoulam
--------------- A.Vidal ----- Fernandinho
----- De Bruyne ----------------------- A.Sanchez
--------- Timo Werner ---- Lewandowski

Subs: Bellerin, Tah, Mendy, Partey, Eriksen, O.Dembele, Mertens

Slight change of formation this week as we go in with the 4-2-2-2, an inform Werner comes into the side as we look to get to tasks with this fairly inexperieced Liverpool defence missing two key cb's

Aim is to press high up with our forwards and allow the opposition little time on the ball, getting in their faces and working as a unit to prevent any sort of fluid build up. If they go long we have two combative midfielders ready and waiting to put themselves about and initiate phase 2.

Phase 2 involves dropping off deeper with men behind the ball, Werner often plays in a front 2 so has a tendency to pull out wide and work for the team. This allows De Bruyne to move centrally and support our midfield duo as we move to a more compact and rigid 4-3-3, allowing us to press the space & conserve energy.

Attacking wise we have plenty of options, possession orientated but not afraid to go long and use our outlets to bypass their midfield if need be. Timo playing off the shoulder looking to beat the offside trap with Lewa as the target man, linking play, spreading the ball to the flanks and making a dart for the box.

Zappa sit deeper at RB allowing Ghoulam to bomb on and support Sanchez, De Bruyne having a free role when we are on the ball looking to influence the game.

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

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

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

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

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

Sanchez needs to get involved as much as possible looking to influence the game, two footed & an excellent dribbler that more often than not will beat his man, needs to get his head down and accelerate with pace, linking with our fullback (Ghoulam) as he hugs the touchline and open up the space ahead.

De Bruyne will look to play inbetween the lines, roaming in the oppositions half and and looking to act as the link between midfield and attack. Picking up pockets of space and use his awareness to dictate the play, never afraid to play a key pass in behind to unlock their defence.

Both always on the move and being unpredictable, never stay idle and easy to mark. Making off the ball runs and taking defenders with you, keeping them in two minds whether to stay or go.

When in possession, our fullbacks take it in turns to burst forward. One sits slightly back allowing the other to roam forward looking to provide the width, allowing the wingers space to drive into or an option on the outside.

Lewa has a big role today, very prolific and great killer instinct but one of those strikers that influences the play even without the ball at his feet. He should look to come deep often and link with others, hold up play and take the CB with you, opening up the game and space for our wingers and KDB/Werner to run into beyond.

When Liverpool are in possession we will initially look to press from front with our attacking quartet and then drop off deeper with men behind the ball if they bypass with a strong block in midfield.

Don’t allow them to play out from the back and hurry their passes. Our attackers work as a unit looking to cut avenues into midfield as one goes to press the ball, force them into tight spots with their backs to goal towards the touchline.

The reason we want our attackers to press is to force Liverpool to play long and concede possession, we feel they lack any sort of aerial presence in the side so are less likely to win contested duels.

If they advance we then form a rigid structure looking to press the space and dropping off with men behind the ball, only allowing them to play where we want them too, stifle the midfield with our 3 and stop them from picking their passes into an attacker, Vidal man-man their AM, looking to harass him and using his physical prowess to really put him off his game, Fernandinho and De Bruyne cutting off passing lanes either side.

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

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

If we manage to win the ball we must immediately look to counter and hit the opposition hard. FB’s can come up to support the play and provide the width. The front 4 burst forward, Vidal and Fernandinho holding.

Subs:
IF WINNING: 65th minute – (4-2-3-1)
- O.Dembele > Werner
- Partey > Vidal
Compact 4-2-3-1, Dembele on the right looking to use his pace to get us forward, De Bruyne moves to AM. Partey replaces Vidals energy and workrate.

IF DRAW: 70th minute – (3-4-3 - wide)
- O.Dembele > Werner
- Tah > Vidal
- Eriksen > De Bruyne (80th minute)
3-4-3, wide. Looking to stretch the play and create holes in their tiring defence, Zappa and Ghoulam move to WG-back, Dembele and Sanchez wingers.

IF LOSING: 75th minute – (4-4-2 - direct)
- O.Dembele > Vidal
- Mertens > Werner
- Partey > Fernandinho
4-4-2, direct. long balls into the box and constantly looking for the two strikers.
Flood forward and look for an equalizer/winner.

C - Lewandowski
FK's - De Bruyne
Corners - De Bruyne/Sanchez
Pens - Lewandowski