Europa League

=============Mandanda===========
===Adriano===Gallas====Sakho==Baines==
===========A.Diarra===Sahin========
===VDV=========Lavezzi=====Cavani====
==============Hernandez=========
Subs:
Mignolet
Revilerre
Savic
Mvilla - 75 - A.Diarra - Taking over Diarras job of man marking Yaya
Tiote
Affelay
Carroll - Extra Time - Any one who is tired/under performing
Team Talk:
Today may seem like it is going to be about revenge. But its not, this is about us winning a major trophey. We win this today, we can then be classed as one of the big teams. You perform today and get the result no one is expecting in winning this match, we will scare a lot of teams. Our aim this season is to get in to the top 7 and win the Europa League. I definitely believe with the squad we have that is capable. I believe in you guys, the fans believe in you guys, the only other thing needed, is for YOU to believe in yourselves. You believe in yourself and put 110% from start to finish, I want care at all, whether we come off losing 3-0 or winning the game 3-0. The main thing I want from you guys today, is to put your heart into the game! Now everyone put your hands in. On 3. 1, 2, 3, COME ON LIVERPOOL!!! Go on lads, put your heart into it!!

Tactics:
Mandanda needs to be solid today. RVP and Falcao are very good with both feet and there head so he much watch out for him all the time. Every cross, Mandanda must be aware a shot may be coming in off RVP or Falcao. Mandanda will try and come out for most crosses though. He will be confident coming out and not afraid. He will look to close down the angles from one-on-ones all the time. Mandanda needs to talk to his defence a lot aswell, telling them when and where they need to be. To mark players and to notify them on any forward runs any secret players are making as Mandanda is the only player that can see the whole pitch. Adriano is going to try and stay back as much as possible today. He has a tough task on him today marking Young. He will need to jockey him and always watch the ball. He must not be fooled by Young's stepovers and skills. He will also watch out for him cutting inside. This is a big game for the lad but I am confident he can pull off the goods. When on the ball, he will look to just play the ball down the line for VDV or inside to A.Diarra or Sahin. Adriano must tackle hard but fair on Young, making sure he wins the ball at every attempt. If Young gets to the box, Adriano will not challenge him at all just try and put him off, preventing Birmingham getting a penalty. Gallas and Sakho need to work together today. Gallas will go for the big balls, whilst Sakho will drop and sweep. They both must tackle strongly and put their life on the line in trying to stop shots coming in. We will try and restrict Birmingham to long shots all day by closing them down all the time. We will make sure that we are not caught out by doing this by not jumping into challenges and not being part of the play. We must make sure we win all aerial balls at the back and will play a deep back line. This is to ensure that any of their front men get in behind our defence and have a simple one-on-one. Whenever on the ball, both CBs will either smash it downfield or out of play or calmly play the ball to a full back or DM. We will not put ourselves in danger by playing stupid balls. Baines also has a hard job today in marking . Nasri is able to cut inside and well as go outside so we have worked on training all week in practicing cutting inside or outside on Nasri to make sure he is ready for today. He will tackle strong but fair and will always watch the ball to make sure he isn’t skilled. Baines will not dive into tackles and will instead jockey Nasri. He will stay back sometimes to ensure that we are not hit on the counter attack. However he will go forward on occasions and over lap Cavani. Baines must also make sure he is not done for pace, so he needs to stay goal side by a few yards to make sure this doesn’t happen. Sahin and Diarra will also look to work together today. They've done a brilliant job all season and to put the iceing on the cake they need to do it today.. Diarra will try and man-mark Yaya Toure, trying to totally take him out of the game, this will of course be hard so Sahin may have to help him out at times. Sahin will mainly look to break up play and try and read the game, looking where and when a player will pass the ball so he can intercept it. Both will tackle strongly but fairly again. Diarra will try and hit Yaya Toure especially hard to make him slightly scared of Diarra early on. He must make sure it is a challenge he can get the ball off though. When on the ball, they will look to play balls out wide or in the channels for Hernandez. They both will try and stay back as much as possible and also watch out for Yaya or Wilshere pushing up trying to get in on the attack. Sahin will be allowed to push up a lot, helping attacks but will also get back and help the defence too. He will need to work hard today as he could be up and down, up and down, up and down all day long. When on the ball he will look to play it high down the wings to Cavani or in to the channels for Hernandez. Sahin needs to be strong in challenges and make sure he always wins the ball. He will close Wilshere down all the time, putting them under pressure and not giving them time to play the pass they would like. VDV needs to have the game of his life today. VDV has been in fine form all season, one of the best goal scoring and creative midfielders out there. VDV will not try anything too hard just hit the ball forward and run but however if Hernandez is making a run he will play it.When crossing he will look for Hernandez and will play mixed balls as Hernandez is gifted with his feet as his with his heading. VDV will try different things other than just running outside Abidal. He will look to cut inside sometimes and possibly shoot or slide Hernandez through on goal. Lavezzi also needs a big game today.. He is very good with both feet so will look to cut inside and shoot or slide Hernandez in on goal or cut outside and cross in for the above. VDV will sometimes drift infield bringing Abidal with him when Adriano decides to come up.This then gives Adriano the time and space to get a good cross in for Hernandez. Hernandez will need to be moving all the time, trying to confuse his defenders. Hernandez is also quicker than Carvahlo meaning that he should get to the ball first from any through balls and be one-on-one with the keeper. Hernandez must make sure he scores every chance possible as we may not get too many. He will look to keep all of his headers down and away from Hernandez and nod them down to Lavezzi from any long balls up field. Whenever he sees a chance with the ball at his feet, he will not be afraid to give it a go. Cavani will look to use his pace, strength and aerial ability today. When VDV puts in crosses he will look to make late un marked runs at the back post. He will look to use his strength bringing the ball together, brushing off any players near him. Cavani will also know Baines will be down the left flank going in to the space left behind him.

............................. Jaaskelainan.........................
Zabaleta....Hummels........Koscielny....Schenikov
Krasic.............Barry...........Modric......Vucinic
......................LLorente....Di Natale

SUBS: Harper, Kolo Toure, Phil Jones, Wijnaldum, Gilardino, Misimovic, Palacios

INDIVIDUAL DUTIES:
Jussi must command his area. Come for crosses when he is 100% sure he can get them. He will mostly role the ball out instead of kicking it long. When he does kick it long he will aim for Llorente. Gordon must be at his best and aim for a clean sheet, we really need to win today.

Zabaleta & Schenikov must not give the Vilarencia wingers any time on the ball. When you are face to face, show them on their weaker foot, when tackling go in hard but not aggressive, make them scared and ultimately do not allow them in the game.
Man marking system: Zabaleta – LW & Schenikov - RW

Hummels & Koscielny, A good mix of power, pace, aerial ability and composure on the ball, allows us to be commanding at the back and limit the amount of opportunities for Vilarencia. Hummels will man mark the front man (MAIN STRIKER), be physical, close him out, stay tight and do not let him turn, make him scared. Koscielny will man mark the other front man if Vilarencia play two up top and do the same what I have just instructed Hummels to do. Both will not go past the half way line, but will go up for set-pieces.

Barry, will be the holding midfielder. He has to hold the midfield and really let the wingers push on. When the full backs, Centre-backs are exposed he has the duty to help them along with Jones, basically he has to be everywhere defensively. He has to start attacks and break attacks. Modric is his partner and will be our creative midfielder.

I want Vucinic and Krasic to push high up the field as much as possible, to the point where they are risking offside. Sooner or later, gaps will come in that position and we will have something to capitalise. I want them to put the opposition full backs under pressure. They will play in an ultra attacking role. They must and I say they must cross the ball in for the frontmen and others to attack. They may also go for long range shots as both are good at them. This will also make the opposition full backs not attack making our job in defence easier. Hulk will also provide a goal threat.

Llorente & Di natale will play in an ‘advanced forward’ role. By this it means they will make dangerous runs in behind, and hold the ball up as well as various other things. They must be patient and wait for chances and when they do come they must finish them. A lot of movement is required from them also; keep the opposition defenders on their toes!

Comment Deleted by Site Moderator

BIRMINGHAM CITY v MUFC

Line-up:

---------------Cech----------------
--Lahm--Hummels--Boateng--Schmelzer--
----------Martinez---Modric----------
----Reus--------Götze-------Mata----
-------------Van Persie--------------

Subs: Weidenfeller, Walker, Shawcross, Wilshere, Estrada, Higuain, Callejon

Team talk: Here you are, a semi-final in Europe. We are at home this leg and I'd love to see us get a couple of goals but the main thing is not to concede that away goal. Keep things tight at the back but go in search of goals.

Goalkeeper: The main thing is to instruct your defence. Organise them to your liking at set pieces and keep them in check. Look to get the ball away quickly so we can counter. And save everything.

Defence: CBs I'm wanting you to mark zonally. When their strikers come near you, stick to them but if they move away don't be drawn into going after them. FBs, look to attack when possible but be more defensive minded than normal here please. Only 1 of you go forward at a time and rarely go beyond the half way line.

Midfielders: DM's, looking for you to protect the back 4 and take care of any AM threat. Modric, you are our playmaker so ping the ball everywhere and look to be the focal point of our team. Mario, I want to see you getting forward in support of RVP. Wingers, protect the FBs if needs be but look to get forward and attack their defence.

RVP: Main man, you know what to do. Irritate the opposition defenders, get into the box and score. Hold the ball up for Mario or have a shot yourself, I don't mind. If someone is in a better position, pass. Don't be greedy.

Subbies:

If winning on 65 minutes, RVP off and Higuain on, Modric off and Wilshere on. Like-for-like swaps.

If drawing after 65 minutes, Mata off and Callejon on. Reus go to LW, Callejon to RW. Also, Martinez off and Wilshere on.

If losing after 70 minutes, Gotze off and Higuain on, Mata off and Callejon on. Play 4-4-2 with Reus on LM, Callejon to RM, Higuain and RVP up front.

Olympique PSM v Portsmouth:

---------------------Ter Stegen----------------------
--Danilo-----Howedes------Papadopoulos----Ben Davies
--------Javi Martinez----------Paul Pogba--------------
-Neal Maupay------Mario Gotze------Leandro Paredes
--------------------Mirko Vucinic---------------------


Subs: Halilovic, Benjamn Mendy, Goretzka, Holzhauser, Henderson, Baptistao, Suso

W will look to attack this weak French team, playing a very strong defence in the hope of stopping Zlatan Ibrahimovic, with Kryiakos Papadopoulos winning everything in the air for us, and Howedes offering us that assurance at the back, as he is a rock. Ben Davies will look to attack down the left, as he has been brilliant this season for Swansea, and be his assured self, defending against Lacazzete, whose best asset is his pace, despite Ben Davies having the pace to match him all the way. Davies is a brilliant passer of the ball, and will look to stroke the ball around, and link up well with our midfield, whilst offering us a Left sided option when Paredes cuts inside. Davies will look to get brilliant crosses onto the heads of the strikers, or aim for the speedy Vucinic, or the finishing master, in Neal Maupay, who will also drift in. Danilo, on the other side, will have to remain solid defensively up against Jordan Ayew, and once again, he is very quick, and must always close down Ayew, giving him limited options. His crosses are a thing of beauty too, so he must fill the void left by Maupay when he drifts, and send in dangerous low balls into the striker, or cut it back for Gotze to work something magical. Javi Martinez wont have many easier days than this, and will be breaking down play, and disposing the ball brilliantly, as we have all seen him do loads of times in RL. He will chase down the opposition AM, which is likely to be Kabore/Cheyrou, and he will tackle them hard, making sure there no gaps open up. His passing is brilliant as well, so will look to pick out the wings, and also must spot runs made by our two Full Backs. Paul Pogba, alongside him, must be a real presence, and once he collects the ball, he must drive forward and either shoot, or use his vision, to unlock the defence. Pogba is a brilliant passer as well, and must link up well with Marti and Gotze, with the trio really linking up well. Gotze must support Gotze, who in turn must offer Vucinic support. Gotze will be the player that creates everything, and must play neat, crisp passes out to the wings, and run up to aid Vucinic when we attack. On the wings, Maupay will play RW, however, he must always drift inside, causing problems for Maxwell, and giving the athletic Danilo a chance to rampage down the right. He will go up and form a three-pronged attack with Vucinic and Paredes, and when we attack, we will almost change to an attacking 4-3-3, before falling back to the 4-2-3-1. Maupay is a brilliant finisher, and at 16 Years of age, he has been terrorizing defences in France, and he has the chance to do the same, this time with better players around him. On the other side, Leandro Paredes is your typical South American forward, although used to playing in the middle, he will look to cut in on his stronger right, and use his accurate reading of the game to clip balls into the head of Vucinic, or look to rape Fanni on the left () with his brilliant dribbling and pace. Up top, Mirko Vucinic will be up against Diawara and Kone, who are both crap, and must look to find gaps, which will exploited by himself and Gotze, and look to finish off every move, using his brilliant position, and movement

Subs:

60mins:

Suso > Paredes, Gotze goes left, Suso RM
Halilovic > Maupay, Halilovic fits in at AM

75mins: Henderson > Pogba, straight swap, more defensive, but offers brilliant pressing options which threatens the defence and midfield, putting pressure on Gonalons

Mandanda
Juanfran Mbiwa Benatia Cissokho
Gargano Asamoah
Isla Pastore Gaitan
Llorente

Subs – Mignolet, Sakho, Lomabaerts, Shaqiri, Doumbia, Lukaku, Mavuba

Game Plan – For todays game i would like us to keep the ball on the ground playing short passes among each other. This will help us keep possession and control the game. They are a strong team so if we for one second give them the opportunity to keep the ball for long lengths they will punish us. I would like our attacks to intersect among each other by every so often changing positions in order to open up space in their defence. I would like most the midfield and the full backs to roam around the pitch.

Positional Tactics:

Mandanda should keep in his goal controlling his defenders to keep to their positions. He must use his strength to beat everyone to the ball. Communicate constantly with the defence to prevent confusion and mistakes.

Juanfran should play as a wing back. This means when we have the ball he should play as a supporting role to our wingers and midfielders. He must go up to add to the pressure against the their defence. He should stay out wide to create a crossing option and he will try and drill the ball into the centre. I want him to bring the other defenders towards him in order to open up space for Isla to take advantage of. While defending Juanfran should try and push the player back. This means it gives our players the chance to get into their positions and also limiting any attacking options for them. If he can’t do that he should push him out wide to a position where he has to kick the ball off. This is because running into the box would be dangerous for us to handle so this will be prevented. Cissokho should act as a full back and not go up as much as Juanfran will. This is because we want to create some stability at the back. They will be dangerous on the counter so if we look to keep some players back we can prevent goals from occurring. However I would like him to go up every now and then if my attackers do need the help. He should also look to keep the attackers back or push them out wide. When we have a free kick or corner our full backs should stay back in case of a counter attack.

Mbiwa should use his height and strength to keep the striker(s) out of the game. I want him to keep with that attacker at all times not allowing him to break up space. If he tries to move mbiwa away and allow space to occur then he should temporarily leave him and try and trap him offside. Because Juanfran will be attacking he should act as help temporarily to prevent players cutting into the box. He should try and header every ball out of the box or kick it away. When he does kick it away he should kick it towards the wings so that we can create a counter attack. He should stay back when we’re attacking unless we have a corner or free kick. Benatia should use his experience and strength to keep potential runners into the box out. We do not want any space opened up. He should look to keep command of the defensive line making sure it’s not too high but not too deep. For Mbiwa I would like him to be up in the opposition’s box for corners and free kicks. Benatia should stay just outside the box before the free kick/corner is taken and then run in round the back when it is.

Gargano will act as a wall in front of the defence. He should look to disrupt their attacking play and be in the oppositions face, and watch the advances of their playmaker who will break from midfield and make runs into the box. Gargano has the power to cope with the strength of their playmaker and also the pace to follow the runs made by him. He will break late and Gargano should watch the runs into the box and look to cope with the balls put into the box which are heading for this player. He should not break forward but hold his position and not get caught up field. I want him to control the style of the game we play. While acting as cover for our defence he should also separate the midfield from the defence by keeping hold of the ball and form attacks.

Asamoah will be our box-box midfielder. This means he will be linking our defence with our attack. He should take hold of the ball and then make runs forward and then supplying it to any of the front 4 ahead. When we’re attacking I want him to move up and stay in space. This will mean he will be an option for the others to pass to. He should also look to open up space for the other attacking players. When off the ball he should be a ball winning player by standing in front of their players and also covering up any spaces.

I want Isla to use his skill to keep the ball and then try and make runs into the box. This will cause the defender to follow him and opening up space for the full back to run into. He must use his pace to outrun the full back but also his quality control of the ball to dribble round him. He will use the full back when the space has opened up. He should work with Juanfran to create space in the opposition’s box. Use Juanfran out wide to bring their full back to him so Isla can run into the box with less challenge. If that doesn’t work then he should bring the full back to him and then use Juanfran. When we’re off the ball I want him to make runs back to help protect the defence by helping Juanfran cover their full back. They should both pressurise him to make a mistake or remove the ball from that area. Isla should also be cautious of the other midfielders. When defending a corner he should stay just outside the box so that he can start a counter attack when or if we win the ball back. I would like Gaitan to do the same as Isla in this case.

Pastore should use his pace and strength to make runs into the box and opening up space for Llorente. It should do the same for the wingers as well. He will look to supply the ball to the wingers as well. He must make runs all around the front of the defence going right, left and centre. This will create himself as an added option for his wingers and also open up space for the other central players to run into. This will also cause his defensive midfielder to move out of position and allow our wingers to use that space by running into the centre or the other 2 central midfielders to run into.

I would like Pastore, Isla and Gaitan to intersect and change positions every now and then to cause their defenders to move out of position and open up space. This will also force them to constantly adapt to changing their defensive style.

Llorente must use his pace and skill to open up spaces for the wingers and central players to run into. He should make runs to the wing forcing the centre backs out wide. Therefore players like Asamoah, Cabella and the wingers can cut into the centre and take chances by themselves. He should look to overpower their defenders with his pace and strength and height. He should constantly look to move into space to create himself as an option for the defence. He should also try and assist others in attacks. When we’re defending he should mark the player at the edge of the box. When we win the ball back he can run up to keep himself an option on the counter.

Subs

If losing

Shaqiri for Isla - 70
Lukaku for Llorente – 75

If winning

Mavuba for Pastore – 80

If drawing

Same as losing

Captain: Mandanda
Vice Captain: Gargano
Penalties: Llorente
Free Kicks: Llorente
Corners:Isla

Olympique PSM v Portsmouth:

---------------------Ter Stegen----------------------
--Danilo-----Howedes------Papadopoulos----Ogbonna
--------Javi Martinez----------Paul Pogba--------------
-Koke---------------Mario Gotze------Lazar Markovic
--------------------Romelu Lukaku---------------------


Subs: Maupay, Paredes, Vucinic, Holzhauser, Henderson, Baptistao, Suso

W will look to attack this weak team, playing a very strong defence in the hope of stopping their strikers, with Kryiakos Papadopoulos winning everything in the air for us, and Howedes offering us that assurance at the back, as he is a rock. Anfelo Ogbonna will look to attack down the left, as he has been brilliant this season for Turin, and be his assured self, defending against their RB, whose best asset is his pace, despite Ogbonna having the pace to match him all the way. Angelo is a brilliant passer of the ball, and will look to stroke the ball around, and link up well with our midfield, whilst offering us a Left sided option when Markovic cuts inside. Ogonna will look to get brilliant crosses onto the heads of the strikers, or aim for the speedy Markovic, or the finishing master, in Lukaku, who will also drift in. Danilo, on the other side, will have to remain solid defensively up against their LW, and once again, he is very quick, and must always close down the LW, giving him limited options. His crosses are a thing of beauty too, so he must fill the void left by Koke when he drifts, and send in dangerous low balls into the striker, or cut it back for Gotze to work something magical. Javi Martinez wont have many easier days than this, and will be breaking down play, and disposing the ball brilliantly, as we have all seen him do loads of times in RL. He will chase down the opposition AM, and he will tackle them hard, making sure there no gaps open up. His passing is brilliant as well, so will look to pick out the wings, and also must spot runs made by our two Full Backs. Paul Pogba, alongside him, must be a real presence, and once he collects the ball, he must drive forward and either shoot, or use his vision, to unlock the defence. Pogba is a brilliant passer as well, and must link up well with Marti and Gotze, with the trio really linking up well. Gotze must support Lukaku, who in turn must offer Markovic and Koke support. Gotze will be the player that creates everything, and must play neat, crisp passes out to the wings, and run up to aid Lulaku when we attack. On the wings, Koke will play RW, however, he must always drift inside, causing problems for Maxwell, and giving the athletic Danilo a chance to rampage down the right. He will go up and form a three-pronged attack with Lukaku and Markovic, and when we attack, we will almost change to an attacking 4-3-3, before falling back to the 4-2-3-1. Markovic is a brilliant finisher, and at 18 Years of age, he has been terrorizing defences in Serbia, and he has the chance to do the same, this time with better players around him. On the other side, Koke is your typical Spanish forward, although used to playing in the middle, he will look to cut in on his stronger right, and use his accurate reading of the game to clip balls into the head of Lukaku, or look to rape their LB with his brilliant dribbling and pace. Up top, Lukaku will be up against theuir CBs, who are both crap, and must look to find gaps, which will exploited by himself and Gotze, and look to finish off every move, using his brilliant position, and movement

-----------------------Timo Horn----------------------
--Danilo-----Howedes------Karim Rekik----Luke Shaw
------------Fernandinho--------Jaou Moutinho--------------
-Jordan Ibe------------Mario Gotze------Julian Draxler
---------------------------Mauro Icardi---------------------


Subs: Maupay, Baptistao, Mattheus, Berardi, Rode, Bigrimana, Jese

W will look to attack this weak team, playing a very strong defence in the hope of stopping their strikers, with Rekik winning everything in the air for us, and Howedes offering us that assurance at the back, as he is a rock. Luke Shaw will look to attack down the left, as he has been brilliant this season for Southampton, and be his assured self, defending against Maicon, whose best asset is his pace, despite Luke Shaw having the pace to match him all the way. Shaw is a brilliant passer of the ball, and will look to stroke the ball around, and link up well with our midfield, whilst offering us a Left sided option when Draxler comes inside. Luke Shaw will look to get brilliant crosses onto the heads of the strikers, or aim for the speedy Draxler, or the finishing master, in Mauro Icardi, who will stick up top. Danilo, on the other side, will have to remain solid defensively up against Muniain, and once again, he is very quick, and must always close down the LW, giving him limited options. Danilo's crosses are a thing of beauty too, so he must fill the void left by Jordan Ibe when he drifts, and send in dangerous low balls into the striker, or cut it back for Gotze to work something magical. Fernandinho wont have many easier days than this, and will be breaking down play, and disposing the ball brilliantly, as we have all seen him do loads of times in RL. He will chase down De Marcos, and he will tackle them hard, making sure there no gaps open up. His passing is brilliant as well, so will look to pick out the wings, and also must spot runs made by our two Full Backs. Jaou Moutinho, alongside him, must be a real presence, and once he collects the ball, he must drive forward and either shoot, or use his vision, to unlock the defence. Moutinho is a brilliant passer as well, and must link up well with Fernandinho and Gotze, with the trio really linking up well. Gotze must support Icardi, who in turn needs support from Ibe and Draxler. Gotze will be the player that creates everything, and must play neat, crisp passes out to the wings, and run up to aid Icardi when we attack. On the wings, Jordan Ibe will play RW, however, he must always drift inside, causing problems for Aurtenetxe, and giving the athletic Danilo a chance to rampage down the right. He will go up and form a three-pronged attack with Icardi and Draxler, and when we attack, we will almost change to an attacking 4-3-3, before falling back to the 4-2-3-1. Icardi is a brilliant finisher, and at 20 Years of age, he has been terrorizing defences in Italy, and he has the chance to do the same, this time with better players around him. On the other side, Ibe is your typical English forward, who offers extreme pace, and a real drive forward, with a potential of bettering Sterling, he will look to come in on his stronger right, and use his accurate reading of the game to clip balls into the head of Icardi, or look to rape their LB with his brilliant dribbling and pace. Up top, Mauro Icardi will be up against San Jose and Fazio, who are both crap, and must look to find gaps, which will exploited by himself and Gotze, and look to finish off every move, using his brilliant position, and movement

Subs:

60mins: Jese > Draxler
65mins: Domenico Berardi > Ibe
80mins: Baptistao > Icardi

Portsmouth vs Athletico:

-----------------------Robert Zieler
------Papadopoulos-----Ginter------Nastasic
---Danilo------------Marco Verratti--------Criscito
--------Nemanja Matic----------Henderson
----------------------Felipe Anderson
-------------------------Mauro Icardi

Subs: Halilovic, Jordan Ibe, Bigirimana, Suso, Sebastian Rode, Neal Maupay, Berardi

The aim of the game is to contain Athletico, using two very attacking Wide Full backs, who will be playing almost RM and LM. We will be playing a 3-5-1-1 formation, influenced and mastered by Juventus. Papadopoulos and Nastasic will be playing the Barzagli and Chiellini role, and they must win everything in the air, and press forwards at every ball. Ginter on the other hand, will be our Bonucci, capable of stepping into midfield when needed, with excellent passing abilities to match. Ginter must stay central, and he must command the defence, and be a real leader, coming in with clean tackles and bringing the ball out of defence. Marco Veratti is a DM, but he is also very capable of playing CM, the heir to Pirlo. He brings forward brilliant vision, and superb long range passing, and must aim to release the likes of Icardi, and connect well with Henderson and Matic. His defensive abilities will help him in his quest to prevent the opposition AM from causing problems in the centre of the pitch. Ahead of him, Henderson will be our 'Vidal', offering great drive from midfield, and really press the opposition midfielders. His energy will be an added bonus, and he must also look to come forward with the ball, and try and slip in one of Anderson or Icadri, whilst also being capable of finishing chances falling to him, as he has shown IRL this season. Alongside him, Nemanja Matic will be starting deep, but like Marchisio, will become more attack minded as the game goes on, linking up with Anderson to cause problems for the defence. His silky skills, and brilliant tippy tappy passes will really fit into our system, and he is capable of some real belters, so must look to get those shots raining in on the keepers goal. Our two wide players, who will be on an almost level playing field as Matic and Hendo, are both very attacking Full Backs, capable of playing these roles. Danilo will be our Litch, with extreme pace, and very quick feet, made for dribbling. His crosses can be a real weapon too, and with no other wide player ahead, this is his chance to really own the entire flank. His crosses will be aimed for the feet of Icardi and/or Anderson, as neither are the tallest players, unlike the opponents CB's, so high crosses will be pointless. Instead, they must look to play them along the ground,, into the nippy strikers, and look to cause commotion inside the box. On the other side, Crsicito will be a mirror to Danilo, going forward dangerously, but instead of using crosses as a way of getting into the box, Criscito will use his own two feet, to dance his way through the defence, and try and set up a colleague luring on the edge of the box. Like Danilo, Criscito's dribbling is second to none, and he must use this asset to get round oppressors and to get in behind the defence where he has shown he can cause problems. Neither of these two wide players can neglect defensive duties however, and as they are both fast, tracking back is a real necessity when needed, especially on the Counter. They must not look to lunge into tackles and give away cheap freekicks, but instead, deploy clever tactics to gang up on the opposition, and cleanly take the ball away, where they can then distribute to midfield. Anderson's role in this side is vital. He is not exactly a SS, but his amazing passing and maturity which reminds so much of Hernanes, it has convinced Lazio to sign him in the summer, and convinced me that he should start in this role. He's another brilliant dribbler, likened to Hernanes and kaka, which indicates his passing skills and dribbling skills are top notch. He must look to collect the ball, and either play in Icardi, or to try and pull away from the defender, and give it to the wide men. His silky skills must see him slip away from opponents, and with Hendo coming forward to support him, he must make use of this, and we rely on these two to strike up such a partnership that Atleti's defence crumble every time we step forward. Up front, Mauro Icardi will play the CF role. Excellent finishing ability, with raw pace on top, he must attack the ball at every opportunity, and must drop deep on Anderson's level, before the 3 regroup and come forward together. His excellent awareness will see him take up the right positions to convert Danilo's low balls, whilst he must look to be a shoulder for Criscito to rely on, if any 1-2's are needed to unlock the defence. His brilliant off the shoulder runs will see him collect those through balls played in by Verratti, whilst his pace would help him beat defenders to the ball.


Subs:

If winning at 60mins: Bigirmana > Henderson, defensive change, with Bigi going DM and Veratti replacing Hendo.

If winning at 75mins: Halilovic > Anderson, like for like, give the young gem some time to cause real problems with his pace

If Drawing at 60mins: Suso > Matic, instead of offering drive and power, Suso offers flair and excellent vision.

If losing at 60mins: We ditch the Juve formation, bringing on Ibe > Ginter and playing 4-2-3-1 with Ibe/Henderson/Anderson in behind Icardi

FINAL

BIRMINGHAM 1 - 2 MAN UTD

ROBBEN(modric)

DZEKO(pirlo)
PIRLO