-------------------------Casillas----------------------------------
Arbeloa---------Puyol-----------------Pique-------------Vert
-----------------Hernanes--------------Cambiasso-----------------
Valencia----------------------Ozil--------------------------Di Maria
--------------------------Suarez----------------------------------

Subs: De Gea, Smalling, Richards, Cleverley, Nani, Balotelli, Welbeck

Substitutions:
1. After 60 minutes bring on Cleverley for Hernanes, fresher and more penetrating as the match gets more stretched.
2. After 70 minutes bring on Balotelli for Suarez, fresher movement
3. If drawing/losing after 75 minutes bring on Welbeck for Ozil, 4-4-2

Puyol will stick tight to the main Liverpool forward and will not allow him to drop into space, and not let him build up steam by sticking tight and making it very difficult for the Liverpool striker to get into his rythem. He will also be looking to win any high balls and use his experience and reading of the game to keep him as quiet as possible. Pique will keep a more general watch and cover anything that gets past Puyol, he will mark any secondary threat, he should look to read the game help Puyol whenever the Liverpool striker starts running in space and use his own pace to cut him off or any asistance is needed. Wings are very important for us today and where we can get the advantage, Arbeloa and Vertonghen will be looking to push the Liverpool wide players up the pitch with them and into uncomfortable positions as they have license to fully support the wingers when we are in possession, getting the Liverpool wide players to track back we can pin Liverpool deep in their own half and leave their front players very isolated. When Liverpool have spells of possession they will need to sit until possession has been regained.

Cambiasso will stay back and man mark the furthest forward Liverpool midfielder, watching his runs and cutting supply to the forward players and shooting, and break up play to start us on a move. When they recieve the ball he will get into his face, not letting him settle on the ball and solely looking to win the ball and set the simple pass to the closest player within reason. Hernanes will start deep but will look to connect in a box to box type role and support Cambiasso when Liverpool are on the ball and will make sure that any secondery midfield threat is closed down as we look to win all the balls in the middle. When in possession he will look to start building moves and spray passes to our wingers as much as possible and through balls to the strikers to mix up, when we are in an attacking position he will make late runs to the edge box to add a option or shoot, ultimately looking to be the player to join defence and attack.

Ozil will have a free license to roam and fully support Suarez up front and getting involved in the play when required, and when in possession either slotting through balls or having a shot. We are going to get the ball out wide as possible and Valencia and Di Maria have full license to run at their fullbacks at all times using their pace and trickery to fluster the Liverpool fullbacks and get them on the back foot, Valencia will looking to constantly attack down on the right and get constant quality delivery into the box, looking to get involved in the game as much as possible supporting Suarez. Di Maria's role will very much the same, being direct and running at defenders and getting excellent delivery into the box, using his pace and crossing ability. Suarez has a critical role to play, with the wide players running at the full backs and moving one of the central defenders to cover the fullback is when Suarez will be looking to use his razor sharp movement to gain that crucial second, neither centre back is comfortable with sharp movement and as delivery comes in he will need to get break at just the right moment to get on the end of the delivery. Always be on the last shoulder of the defender and never give them a free moment.

If we can use our quality out wide from the wingers and fullbacks to unsettle Liverpool wide players, get their players from the middle to cover and create space in their position, and then use the likes of Suarez and Ozil razor movement to get on the end of the resulting chances then we can make it a very difficult afternoon for them.

Corners: Di Maria
Freekicks: Suarez
Penalties: Suarez

CHELSEA U-21s

------------------Trapp------------------
O.Aina--Musachio--Dragovic--Conteh
------------Romeu----Lanzini-----------
Weimann----El Shaawary----Ocampos
------------------Rhodes-----------------

Beeney, Christensen, Loftus-Cheek, Mkhitaryan, Neilton, Fede Vico, Rebic

Strong back 4 led by Dragovic..he always sits spare and lets the others mark, he is always watchful tho and will be ready to tuck in and support his fellow defenders if they lose their man, Musacchio marks the CF, dont allow him any space and onto him quickly, out muscle him and dont give him the time of day, both attack high balls and clear the danger.
Aina and Conteh two young lads coming through the ranks, want to show they are good enough for Chelsea, mark the wingers into oblivion, keep them to the outside and keep there crosses to a minimum, stand tall and force them wide. Attack one at a time and support the wingers by going on the outside, looking for the ball to played down the line to get a cross in.
Kevin Trapp good solid keeper, comes for high balls, punches clear what he cant catch, will close down forwards quickly and look to reduce their shooting angles.

Romeu is the DM, he keeps there AM quiet, always 100% focussed on has his eye on him all the time, look to intercept the play when he has it and even if he doesnt have the ball be wary of his movement so he can be there whjen the ball comes forward, nothing much more than that apart from nice simple balls to those around him when he has it.
Lanzini plays a bit deeper today as I need someone to dictate the play from midfield, his passing and vision are superb and will look to spread it about to set us going, vary the passes long and short, one twos and always follows his pass and makes himself available. Will help Romeu defensively by sitting alongside him and help to break up play.
The attacking midfiled trio atre very exciting, quick and skillful and will really have a go at the defence, drive at them and move around, switching El Shaawary out to the wings allowing Ocampos or Weimann to cut in to cause confusion in there back line, use Lanzini to pass and drive on to get it back when the defence is there to be beaten. Wingers will look to the fullbacks for support and when they drive passed either play them in or cut inside with the ball as thwere will be more room. Get back and defend when there fullbacks and DM come forward and stop them in there tracks.

Rhodes up top, a natural goal scorer and will get into dangerous positions to get in on goal, there is no doubt he will get loads of chances so he must take them, close to the first team so if he starts banging them in for the reserves then he has a chance like every other player in the squad. always on his toes looking for spaces to move into to be played in, if he cant go look to those around him to try and set them up for a chance. Always on the last man ready to pounce.

Captain:- Dragovic
Penalties:- Rhodes
Free Kicks:- Lanzini
Corners:- Wingers

Subs:-
Half-Time:- Mkhitaryan > El Shaawary
60 Mins - Neilton > Weimann
70 Mins - Ante Rebic > Rhodes

CHELSEA v villa - FA Cup

---------------------Neuer--------------------
Lahm-----Kompany-----Subotic-----Baines
-------------Khedira-----A.Vidal-------------
--Aguero---------Fabregas--------Neymar--
--------------------Negredo-------------------

Baumann, Chedjou, Bender, Kroos, Sturridge, Benteke, Nagatomo

Another game v Villa, was a tough game last week which we won 3-2 and we expect nothing less this week, play our usual free flowing football and up to the front 4 who will really have a go at them, quick passing, to break their defense. No messing about when defending as they could hurt us. So when in doubt kick it out!

Neuer is a top and confident keeper will dominate the area and come out for all high balls clearing what he cant punch. Look to close down strikers by quickly coming off his line to shut down there shooting angles.

A back four with Lahm and Baines coming in at fullback, both solid players who defend their lines very well, keep the wingers quiet, keep them to the outside and away from our danger area. Attack when you can one at a time, support yhe wingers by going on the outside and look for a pass so you can get beyond the fullback and cross in, Or if in possession look to pick out Aguero and Neymar and ping the ball down the line for them to latch onto.
First and foremost, Kompany has the responsibility to mark striker into anonymity. This he does exceptionally well, using foresight that borders on the prophetic to intercept. He rarely has to make a rash tackle, so watch the lads movwement and be ready to move in. When the ball comes towards a striker and Kompany is in the area to defend, Subotic moves into position to back up his teammate and fill in any gap that is left. If an opposing attacker makes a run in the centre, reacting to a ball played towards the striker Kompany is covering, Subotic shifts to defend against a potential pass.
If the striker gets away from Kompany it's the responsibility of Subotic to shift and defend directly. Both comfortable with ball at feet so move the ball out when in no danger, otherwise clear it with no messing about.

Khedira will keep it simple in his defensive role. He watches the AM of Villa, watch his movement and be there quick to stop him setting up attacks, break the play up between him and the CF etc to nulify there attacking threat. Always on his toes as there AM has a bit of class about him so we cant afford to let him dictate play. Vidal comes back in alongside, he will look to stamp his authority on this game early, Has great vision so will want to get his passing range in early to set the likes of Fabregas, Aguero and neymar and Negredo up for many chances, he will always follow his pass and make himself available for a return ball. Can shoot from range so have a go. When they have sit alongside Khedira and help him break up their attacks.His work rate is fantastic and always in the faces of the opposition.
Fabregas is in the free role, his attacking prowess is fantastic, will make late runs into the box and has tremendous vision. His inventiveness with his little flicks & dribbling skills are super too, but the best part is he knows where the net is. So will look to support Aguero as much as possible, Also use Aguero and Neymar for one twos to break the line of defence. drop back and help defend v the DM if he breaks forward.
Aguero is on the right, will look to drive at the fb, causing him all sorts of problems, cut in off his right and shoot with his left, or lay off to Cesc/Negredo for him to dart into the box for the return. Otherwise look to take on the fullback get to the bye line and cross in for Negredo in the box. Neymar will use his pace to get him passed his marker, knock it forward and use the forward momentum to get by the player and cross in, will do this all day long so Negredo will thrive of this. At times neymar and Aguero will be supported by our fullbacks so use them, either play it wide for them o r allow them to take the markers away to free up space to drive into. I want all 3 attacking mids to track back and stopp the Villa fullbacks and DMS getting forward and becoming a nuisance.

Negredo is a top striker, scores many goals from differwent angles and with either foot and is strong in the air, will thrive on the service from those behind so he will be looking to make an immediate impact at Chelsea. Aguero, Negrdeo and neymar are a fearsome trio up dront full of goals so they must capitialise on any mistake by Villa. Always on his toes and on the last line of defence and ready to go for goal. If he cant then look to lay off/knock down for the support coming in from behind. He is strong so can hold of defenders and make his way into the danger area. Leap early for crosses coming in to beat the defender in the air.

Captain:- Kompany
Penalties:- Aguero
Free Kicks:- Fabregas
Corners:- Wingers

Subs:-

Losing:-
65 Mins:- Sturridge > Negredo - Sturridge go RW and Aguero up top
70 Mins:- Benteke > Fabregas - Benteke up top, Aguero just on his shoulder
80 Mins:- Chedjou > Lahm

Neuer
Chedjou-Kompany-Subotic
Sturridge-Khedira-Vidal-L.Baines
Aguero-Benteke-Neymar

3-4-3 - have to go for it but when they attack Neymar and Aguero drop back a bit and Baines back to LB

Winning:-
70 Mins:- Benteke > Negredo
80 Mins:- Bender > Fabregas, switch with Vidal, Vidal dropping back when they attack
85 Mins:- Nagatomo > Neymar - LM and more defensive on the left

Drawing:-
70 Mins:- Kroos > Cesc straight swap fresh legs
75 Mins:- Benteke > Negredo
80 Mins:- Sturridge > Aguero

Reds:-
Neuer - Baumann > Negredo - 4-2-3
FB - Nagatomo > Negredo 4-2-3
CB - Chedjou > 4-2-3
CM - Cesc drops back (If strugglng with Villas mid bring on Bender > Cesc)
WG - Sturridge > Negredo - he goes wide

GK
RB-CB-CB-LB
DM-CM
RW-No.9-LW

HULL CITY v man utd FA Cup

--------------------Patricio----------------------
Debuchy----Rami(c)----Benatia----Bocchetti
-------------------Fernando---------------------
---------C.Marchisio----Fernandinho----------
Hulk da Souza----------------Xherdan Shaqiri
-------------------Huntelaar---------------------

Ahamada, Ekotto, Sokratis, Strootman, Maher, Dempsey, Cisse

A massive cup game, and one we look to win, a strong side out against an equally strong Utd but hopefully with home advantage we can see this tie through

In goal is the highly rated Patricio, a great shot stopper, quick off his line and very vocal which helps the back 4. Instills confidence in the defnce with some great desicion making and will come out for high balls and punch what he cant clear. Close down the strikers early and reduce their shooting angles.

A good solid back 4 with Rami leading the team out, he sits spare whilst the other 3 mark. He sits just off of Benatia and will be ever watchful of those coming through and those who get passed his partner. There to clear up and help out his fellow defenders when and if needed. Benatia man marks the striker, cant give him any room so watch him like a hawk even when we are attacking. Always ready to track his runs and close him down early. both attack high balls and clear any danger.
Debuchy and Bocchetti at FB Debuchy is more attack minded so get up and support the winger, go to there outside and look for them to pass down the line for them to drive passed the fullbacks and cross in, if Hulk dont pass keep the runs going to take the fullbacks away freeing up more room for our wingers to exploit.
Bocchetti doesnt attack so much and this is why he is in for Ekotto, I want him to nulify the threat of Reus, dont allow him as much room as Ekotto would give him, stay tall against him and told allow him the room to weave in and out. Defend the lines and keep the danger to a minimum, close them down, force them wide and keep on your feet!

Fernando Reges wants to stamp his authority in this game, show em whos the boss..Really dominate the AM and stop him dictating play, his job is as simple as that, close him down early and force him back the way, once the ball is won, simple passes to those around him. Doesnt venture too far forward.
Marchisio and Fernandinho in front of him will really pressurize them, drive forward with the ball looking to pass out wide and get into the box or force it forward and follow the ball in to support Huntelaar, always looking to make quick desicive passes, breaking lines of defence with inch perfect balls, both will defend the lines as well by going either side of fernando when defending and harray and harrass the man utd midfield, stop them playing and this will allow US to control the game..These three have to dominate the centre of the park, do this and we will have a great chance of victory this weekend.

Especially with the attacking three of Hulk, Shaqiri and Huntelaar, Hulk is a powerful runner who will really go at the fb, whereas Shaqiri is skillfull and quick and will dance his way round his marker, either way they play get into dangerous areas and fire in tcross after cross for KJH to pounce on, with marchisio and Fernandinho in the middle use them to play quick passes and one twos to drive into space for them to pass back and in on goal. track the fullbacks when they come forward and stop them becoming a threat.

KJH is the ideal striker for one up top, great in the air, can hold it up if needed and a great eye for goal, plenty support so always looking to go for goal, will get loads of chances so he must get himself into space for the players round him to play him in. Look to rise early for the crosses coming in to beat the CB. If its near impossible to go for goal try and lay it off or knock it down for oncomers.

Captain:- Rami
Penalties:- Huntelaar
Free kicks:- Fernandinho
Corners:- Wingers (Rami up)

Subs:-
Losing:-
65 Mins - Strootman > Fernando Reges - A bit more drive and push than Fernando in a mid 3
70 Mins - Dempsey > Shaqiri - fresh legs and a huge goal threat
80 Mins:- Cisse > Fernandinho - 4-4-2

Winning:-
70 Mins - Strootman > Fernandinho - fresh legs, maybe v a fresh CM for Man U
80 Mins:- Ekotto > Shaqiri - LM - help defend that side
85 Mins - Cisse > Huntelaar - fresh legs to run about ad waste time near end

Drawing:-
65 Mins - Dempsey > Shaqiri
75 Mins - Maher > Fernandinho
85 Mins - Ciss > Huntelaar

Reds
Patricio - Ahamada > Fernando
DF - Ekotto/Sokratis > Fernando depending who it is
WG - Dempsey > Fernando (if Hulk, Shaq goes RW)
CF - Hulk > CF, Marchisio RM

Following the win against Hull a few weeks ago we commented only 2 players would get close to our first team, we’ve now signed one of those. This rugby town’s football team still have a good side though and have improved in defence and dm recently thanks to some dodgy dealings and so we will have to be wary.

The FA Cup is unpredictable and 100mph, for this reason we’ve got Pirlo on the bench in order to fill the midfield with strength, energy and drive. Back to a back 4 following the 4 goals conceded last week, but today we have a solid side and a team full of goalscorers.

Hull have the potential to be a European challenger next season under Punt, but right now they are a side we should beat. And in a competition we actually have a chance of winning as opposed to the league we have to go all out for this win. Never mind the fact Fan is in charge and we love to see him moan.

------------- Buffon
Rafael – Albiol - Pepe – Filipe
-------- Sandro – Gerrard
Hamsik ----- Reus ---- Lavezzi
-------------- Tevez

Subs. Cesar, Abate, Lucas, Pirlo, Young, Ox, Eto’o

Balanced 4-2-3-1. Rigid in defence. Fluid in attack. Plenty of width. Direct and fast flowing football. Very hard pressing when the opposition have possession in our own half.

This is a huge away game for us, very important. I have an oven with a 'stop time' button. It's probably meant to be 'stop timer' but I don't touch it, just in case. This game is so important I will press this button if need be and put everything in place for us to win.

Defence:
One full back bombs forward at a time. The other is reserved but in a position ready to join the attack. Rafael will be the more attacking of the two. Albiol looks to read the play, Pepe to challenge and has the pace to get back and help Albiol/fullbacks. Buffon bossing the defence from the back.

When the opposition are attacking we want two lines of four. 4-4-1-1 when defending. Hamsik/Reus/Lavezzi take turns of being the one behind Tevez. This one will follow the play from left to right.

Sandro has a purely defensive role in midfield, disciplined in his role he will not join the attack apart from set pieces and when space opens up for an opportunity to run 10 yards and shoot from distance. He will sit in front of the defence. Not allowing any space between our midfield and defence. Bullying the Hull midfielders, intercepting their play and winning the ball back. Playing it simple in possession.

Our attacking players have high energy levels and work rates. We want to defend from the front where possible. Playing in a solid fashion where everyone knows they need to be allows us to play a high pressure game, pressing as far up the pitch as possible. But crucially players must stay in their positions and work as a unit in pressing.

We will play a reasonably high line. They don’t have great pace up top. Whereas in Pepe, Rafael and Filipe we have 3 players who are as quick as anything. With Buffon behind to control the defence and keep them right positionally.

Attack.
Rafael will be the full back we want bombing forward more often than Filipe. This will allow Hamsik to drift in from the right. Creating space for Rafael to exploit, pulling players out of position and overloading the middle where the Hull defence wont know what to do.

On the left we want Lavezzi to play very wide in the first two thirds. Stretch the play and coming from a position where he can really get in behind the opposition back line. In the final third he has freedom to drift in if he wants and really support Tevez.

In the centre Steven Gerrard will be the heartbeat of our side when moving out from defence. In the opposition half Marco Reus takes runs the show. We want Gerrard to really link defence and attack. He has the composure to keep our play ticking over and keep things moving but he also has the ability and freedom to play long raking balls, diagonals and through balls. Our attacking trio players are intelligent to find space and full of pace to exploit the opposition, Gerrard/Pirlo are the perfect players to play behind them. Today Gerrard gets the nod as he will be more up to what is likely to be a physically demanding match.

Reus in the middle in order to get the best out of him. We want him involved in our play as much as possible. Simply play his natural game.

Tevez up top is also going to simply play his natural game. He will be a real handful as he likes to get involved, making him almost a false 9 at times. While he also has the drive and intelligence to make runs in behind. Has the perfect trio behind him to link up with.

Set pieces. Get Sandro and Pepe up there causing bother with plenty of players in our side who will be quick to react. Gerrard get the deliveries from deep. Tevez shooting around the box.

Captain: Stevie Gee

On the bench we have real quality, and everything you could want to change the game be it go defensive(aye right), inject pace, bring on a goalscoer or creativity.

Subs.
If losing after 65 mins bring on Pirlo for Sandro. Playing as dm, he will allow us to control the tempo of the game. Offers someone who will read the play rather than strength.
If losing after 75 mins bring on Eto’o for Hamsik. Playing right forward. Gung ho!
If losing after 80 mins bring on A.Young for Lavezzi. Injection of pace and fresh legs. Try something different.

If drawing after 70 mins bring on Eto’o for Hamsik. Reus goes right, two up top.
If drawing after 75 mins bring on Young for Lavezzi. Injection of pace and more effective from a deeper left position.
If drawing after 80 mins bring on Ox for Sandro. Bring energy, pace and attacking quality as the game opens up. Ox and Gerrard midfield two, old school, one defends the other attacks.

If winning after 70 mins bring on Young for Lavezzi. Like for like change, keep things fresh.
If winning after 75 mins bring on Pirlo for Hamsik. Reus plays right. Pirlo cm. Gerrard more attacking.
If winning after 80 mins bring on Eto’o for Tevez. Give us an out ball over the top and down the channels, gives us real pace up top.

Comment deleted by Site Moderator

-------------------------Cech
Johnson---De Vrij-----Agger-----Schmelz
-------------------------Inler
-------------Schweiny------Modric
Robben------------------------------------Ribery
---------------------Auby
Subs
Begovic, Clichy, Juanfran, Payet, Dembele, Barry, Gomez

Tactics
An attack-minded 4-3-3 formation with emphasis on keeping possession and playing with width to stretch the opposition.

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.

Full Backs
When going forward, the wingers will be playing a mostly wide game so should look to play behind the wingers, giving them an option to play it safely back if there is no forward option, and they should also look to provide width if the wingers cut inside. When defending, they should look to just track the wingers and aim to keep them on their wrong foot and block any crosses.

Centre Backs
Agger will compete with the striker for the aerial balls played up to him, and De Vrij will look to collect the 2nd ball, when the ball is on the floor, De Vrij will be the guy to venture forward to meet with the striker, and Agger will make sure he is making a covering run if De Vrij is beaten. When on the ball, if the opposition are giving them space to come out with the ball, then they should look to take it forward, if not, just look to play it simple to a man in space and retain possession.

Defensive Midfielder
Inler will look to just sit in front of the back 4, staying deep when the full backs go forward to keep defensive numbers up in case of a counter. When attacking, he will look to take the ball of the centre backs and play it forward to the CM's or out wide to one of the Full Backs.

Centre Mids
Both are comfortable on the ball, and both have engines to last the full 90 with a high energy game, when they are on the ball both midfielders are suited to looking for a pass, but can take the ball forward if the space is there, if either man is running with the ball, they are comfortable with shooting from outside the box, so should look to test the keeper quite often. When defending, they will look to use their workrate to press the opposition midfielders when they are on the ball.

Wingers
They should look to stay as wide as possible when they receive the ball to try and stretch the defensive line and create space for midfield runners and/or Gomez. When on the ball, both wingers have the ability to stay wide and put a cross in, or cut inside to try and make space for a shot, so should look to pick out which is the best option at the time, if they do cut inside, the full backs should have moved forward to occupy the touchline and provide an out ball if there is no other option. If they have taken the opposition full back out of the game, they shouldnt be afraid to go into the box, as defenders will be extra cautious to not give away a penalty, and this provides the option of just drilling a cross to Gomez or a simple drag back to an onrushing CM. When the opposite winger has the ball, the winger without the ball should look to find space between the CB and full back to add an extra body for any crosses or capitalise on any defensive errors.

Striker
When defending, he should look to buzz around the back 4 and DMs when they have the ball, working with the wingers to press from the front and try to force some errors, when attacking, he should look to hang onto the the shoulder of the last defender, looking to break any offside traps and get into 1 on 1's with the keeper, when setting up counter attacks, he should be drifting over to the left slightly.


Set Pieces
Corners - Robben and Ribery take inswinging corners, the 2 CB's go into the box, the FB's and Inler stay back to prevent counters, the CB's, and Auby attack the ball, the CM's and the non taking winger take positions just outside the box to pick up any weak defensive headers or knockdowns.

Free Kicks - For direct FK's Modric and Ribery will shoot depending on which foot it favours. For Indirect FKs, follow the same directives for Corners

Penalties - Robben is the designated taker.

Subs

If Winning
68 mins - Juanfran for Robben - Fresh legs and extra defensive workrate.

76 mins - Barry and Dembele for Modric and Robben - The wingers tuck back, but with the knowledge to get out quickly for the front 3 to try and counter if the opposition over-commit for a route back into the game. Barry slots in alongside Inler.

If Losing

71 mins - Dembele for Inler - extra attacking impetus in the midfield

77 Mins - Gomez and Payet for Robben and Modric - We go to 4-2-4, with the wingers bombarding crosses in to the 2 big men with the other winger adding the third option.

Portsmouth vs Birmingham


--------------------------Zieler--------
---Carvajal---Bonucci--Nastasic---Criscito
----------Javi Martinez---David Luiz--
Mario Gotze---------------------------Draxler
----------Lewandowski---Lukaku

Subs: Koval, Danilo, Luke Shaw, Nemanja Matic, Papadopoulos, Rode, Icardi

Game Plan: We will look to attack our opponents using a slick, pass and move game. We believe we have the abilities in defence to pass the ball out and start counter attacks, as Nastasic is dynamic and will carry the ball forward, and alongisde him, Bonucci is an excellent passer of the ball, and mustn't be afraid of stepping into midfield at times to use his fantastic ball playing skills. Our two CB's must look to play the ball out if defence, as they both suit each other very well. Daniel Carvajal and Criscito can also pick out a pass down the wings, and they should look to make supporting runs on the outside of our wingers. In midfield, Javi Martinez will defend our backline, and he is one of those DM's that will never give up, and always hassle and harry the opposition. He is also a very good passer, and he will look to spread play out to the wings, and break up play, before keeping the ball alongside David Luiz. Luiz is best known for his brilliant tackling and passing skills, great physical presence, and fantastic drive, so he will play in the DM role-to guard the backling alongside Martinez against Birmingham's solid midfield 3-, before turning into a kind of B2B when needed. We wont be playing an AM, but Lukaku will be playing CF and will be in support of Robert Lewandowski at all times. He will look to pick the ball up from midfield, and direct those power shots into the corners. He will also look to use his good passing to find ways to release Gotze and Julian Draxler. Gotze's job will be to run at Schemzler, take him on, and whip in low balls for Lewandowski and Lukaku, who are both guaranteed to finish them off. His pace is his best asset, and is clearly faser than Schmelzer so will look to take bim on and beat him evry time he ges the ball. Schmelzer is very attacking and guilty of leaving behind many gaps, so Gotze will have lots of space available to him. Julian Draxler will be on the other end, and use his dazzling dribbling ability, and superb acceleration to turn away from fullbacks, and clip in high balls for Lewandowski and Lukaku to throw themself at. Lewandowski will be the one who will finish off every move, and he is top scorer in the Bundesliga for a reason.His fantastic positioning and his marauding runs in the box will confuse opposition, and Lewandowski will then attempt to finish off every ball which comes into the box. Lewandowski will be winning everything in the air, and finishing with an aplomb. He his two-footed, and is a wonderful finisher, so will look to attack every ball, and link up well with Gotze and Draxler. Alongside him, Lukaku is the one to drop into midfield and harry Inler, putting pressure on him. He has immense strength (99 Strength on FIFA when In form FFS!) and is very fast, so wuill trouble the defence all day. Both CBs come up for corners to put pressure on their CBs

Target areas:-

RB: we will look to take advantage of Birmingham's Johnson, who is a good RB, and whilst his defensive side has improved a lot-and I am against the topic that he can't defend-he is an attacking RB, and tends to leave back gaps at times when he goes forward. Draxler works this out brilliantly, and will flourish in the freedom. It w ill be a real dream chance for Draxler to shine, with him looking to bathe in the space given to him, he will cause problems down the left, which shows we will have the advantage down both flanks

DM: Although Inler is still decent, he is much more of a Box to box for Napoli than a DM so we will look to over power him and make sure Gotze and Draxler drift in to give him problems, whilst Lukaku will drop back to over power Inler. This is where the game will be won

RCB:De Vrij is a decent young CB, but his proneness to make a mistake could be crucial, with our forwards pressurising him on the ball and we will look to Lukaku and Lewandowski to target and cripple him everytime they come close. On top of this, Agger has been very poor from set pieces this season for Liverpool, so when it comes to corners, we will look to target him specifically and make runs in behind him, whilst the 2 big men from the back will come forward ready to get their heads on anything

RW: Robben is extremely inconsistent, but on his day is a wonder, however, we have seen that whenever he tries to come inside, he nearly always tries to go for ambitious shots, so we will specify Criscito to mark him down the wings and prevent any crosses, but when he comes inside, Ctriscitomust keep his ground, not allowing Robben to pass him.


Freekicks - Gotze
Penalties - Lewandowski
Corners - Gotze
Captain - Bonucci

Defence: We will start off in a 4-4-2 formation, relying on Carvajal and Criscito to do what they do best, and really attack the flanks, with Gotze and Draxler playing as wingers, instructed to drift inside, allowing space for the FB's. Carvajal especially, must look to get those fantastic crosses into the penalty are, where Lewandowski can launch himself at the ball, or where Lukaku will be lurking. On the other side, Criscito is defensive-minded, but is a terrific dribbler, so he must look to take on his man, and venture into the Brimingham half as much as possible, and look to play short 1-2's with the likes of Luiz and Martinez. Both of these Fullbacks must come back at all times, to prevent Brum from hurting us on the counter. Alongside them, Nastasic and Bonucci are a strong a pairing as any. They are a real force to be reckoned with, and not only is Nastasic one of the fastest CBs around, he is extremely good in the air, and 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. Bonucci on the other hand, will tackle the tall men, or those good in the air, as Bonucci 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. Bonucci is also 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. It’s a very powerful and pacy defence and all four players are very, very talented with the ball at their feet and remained composed and know exactly what to do when in possession. When we are under little pressure, Bonucci will step up into a Sweeper role, where he can utilise his excellent passing skills, linking up well with Martinez in midfield. Bonucci and Nasatsic will not be beaten by crosses, high or low, as Nastasic attacks the first ball, and failing that, Bonucci will clean up. We will be playing a moderate line where Birmingham will struggle to break down, as it limits their pacy wingers (Robben and Ribery) to run in behind the defence. Javi Martinez will be expected to drop back a notch, ala De Rossi, when they attack, where he can keep his eyes on Payer and Modric and will act as a sweeper, with Criscito and Carvajal pushing up further:

---------Bonucci----Nastasic
-Carvajal----Martinez---Criscito

Moving on from defence, we will be playing a lovely mix of midfielders in our central 3. On his return Javi Martinez will be the most defensive of the lot, pulling all the strings from defensive midfield. His excellent vision, and eye of the needle passes will help unlock Birmighams defence, as we look to play in Gotze and Draxler, whilst Gotze and Draxler must drop back to receive short passes, before passing it on again. As he is a natural DM, Javi Martinez 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 clip those 40 yard passes over the top for Lewandowski, who is an expert in controlling, and holding the ball. Alongside him is our box-to-box midfield enforcer David Luizi, who will start deep to contain Birmingham's strong midfield, but later go on to turn box to box when on attack. However, Luiz must never neglect defensive duties, and his immense power and presence must combine with his pressing ability to always win the ball back when we lose it. Luiz 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 Gotze and Draxler with sly passes and through balls, to try and find a way in behind Brums defence. Ahead of him, Lukaku will be playing CF, but must also help out defensively dropping back into midfield when we are under pressure, we must revert to a 4-2-3-1


-----------Luiz--Martinez
Gotze-------Lukaku-----Draxler


As this will bring more stability to the midfield, and can contain Brums attacks down the centre of the pitch. However, Lukaku' role is crucial to our team. He is the one that brings all the power to the table and with superb passing skills and quick thinking ability, his main aim will be to slip in one of our wingers once he drops into midfield. If there comes a time when the ball breaks to him, he must use his surprisingly quick feet to slip away from defenders and find space, and he must not forget that he will almost always have support in Lewandowski. All midfielders should be able to cover our Fullback's runs, so if Crisicoto is caught out, we must rely on Luiz to move into his position, and cover for him, and same with Marty on the other side. This will ensure that we will always have our full backs cover

Up ahead, Gotze and Draxler start as wingers, with strict instructions to revert to a 4-2-4 when we need more bodies attacking centrally. In this formation change, we will be relying more on Carvajal and Crisicito to stay back at all times, as with Gotze and Draxler playing forward roles, we don't want lack width at all:

NUMBER 1:


---------Martinez---Luiz
-----------------------------------
Gotze-Lukaku-Lewandowski-Draxler

This will be when we are on the attack. As soon as they have the ball, Lukaku automatically drops back, whilst Draxler and Gotze bomb back down the flanks as quick as they can into a 4-4-1-1:


NUMBER 2:

Gotze-Martinez--Luiz-Draxler
----------------Lukaku
-----------Lewandowski----------

This is very solid defensively, and our formation change will be very quick and smooth.



NUMBER 1 makes us more threatening in the central areas, to tear apart the CB's. It will also conjure up more space for the two DM to thrive on where they can find their man with ease, where they have more time to spot runs and passes, with Bonucci looking to cover them if they run out of position. However, if we get caught out NUMBER 2 will be implemented, where we efficiently swich formations to narrow down the midfield very very quickly, and isolate Aubameyang.

Down the right, Gotze 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 Portsmouth shirt. His brilliant versatility means we cover almost every position in the left-central area of the pitch, as Gotze likes to come inside where he can rape Inler, but doesn’t mind going by the touchline and drifting inside like most inside forwards. He must also look to get some brilliant crosses onto the heads of Lewandowski/Lukaku, or the feet of Drax, but also should look to set up Luiz, 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 Birmingham. 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 Lukakui will see the 2 combining well, as Draxler is fantastic at finding his man, whilst Lukaku'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 Gotze, when it comes to formation, as soon as we change to a 4-2-4 or a 4-4-1-1, he and Gotze must turn central, in the roles of an wide forward, drifting in only when they have a goalscoring opportunity. Likewise, when we implement a 4-4-1-1, they will both automatically hug the touchline deep inside the Birmingham half, just ahead of the FB, to shut out Ribery and Robben.

NOTE: Draxler and Gotze will start off as wingers, but as soon as we do a formation switch, they will act as almost wingbacks in the 4-4-1-1, or RWF/LWF in the 4-2-4, before reverting as we do

Up front, Lukaku is the dream striker to play alongside in a 4-4-2 as not only does he drop back, but he attacks every ball in the box and is great at holding it up. He will threaten every aerial ball that is played to him, and his power will be used to hammer De Vrij and Agger. Next to him, Lewandowski is a great finisher, and must use his his head to flick on any balls to the wingers, and must link up with Lukaku to score precious goals. Our 2 forwards must look to combine at every opportunity. Lewandowski must also look to to finish off every chance that falls his way, and he is brilliant in the air, so must outmuscle the defenders, when it comes to taking crosses of Carvajal and Gotze/Draxler. He will rely on his quick thinking, positioning, Technical ability and Finishing Prowess and look to crumble the Birmingham defence, with his brilliant knack of finding the back of the net

Summary

We will concentrate on doing what we do best and playing to our strengths – keeping hold of the ball and working it simply around the park. Nothing flash or risky – just possession football. Patience could be the key and if we keep it tight we have the personnel to get us a goal. We also pose a very dangerous threat on the counter. We have pace to move the ball forward very quickly and enough pace to regain our shape if the opposition turn it around and try and counter us. In defence Luiz will sit deeper at DM, with Javi Martinez dropping back into the sweeper role, and will be expected to be his energetic self and press the opposition midfield/forwards and knock them out of their rhythm. Our wingers and full backs will sit a bit deeper to stay alert and ready to use their speed at any chance of a counter, although our two FB will be stepping up a notch to allow Martinez to develop into his more defensive self. With the ability of our team to change formation depending on the circumstances we have enough in midfield and out wide to starve them from the ball and with this will open up acres of space and with neat simple passing and bags of pace, this will be a very productive area for us. We will be looking to get bodies in the box. With fast and fluid attacking play Lewabdowski and Lukaku will always have support in this area and our wide men will always have a target to get the ball in to. With the trickery of Gotze, Carvajal and Draxler then the opposition can always expect the unexpected.

Subs:

If winning on 60: Matic > Lukaku, we go 5-4-1, with Luiz dropping into CB, and Matic taking up his place at DM. 3 CB's and 2 DM, try getting past that

---------Martinez----Matic
---Gotze--------------------Draxler
-----------Lewandowski

Very defensive midfield to halt Birmignahm, with Shaw and Carvajal providing great width when we need it. Really nulify Birmingham. Front 3 providing excellent options, the type of formation Lewandowski, Gotze and Draxler will thrive off

Whatever score on 60: Shaw > Criscito, if winning he goes LB in formation above as a direct replacement, if losing/drawing, he offers much more attacking wise than Criscito

If drawing/losing on 60: Danilo > Carvajal, offers brilliant attacking style from RB

If drawing/losing on 75: Icardi > Draxler: Three up front, offers great danger up there

--------------------Patricio----------------------
Debuchy----Rami(c)----Benatia----Bocchetti
---------------------Carrick---------------------
---------C.Marchisio----Fernandinho----------
Hulk da Souza----------------Xherdan Shaqiri
---------------------Kiessling---------------------

Ahamada, Sokratis, Strootman, Maher, Dempsey, Fernando, Destro


In goal is the highly rated Patricio, a great shot stopper, quick off his line and very vocal which helps the back 4. Instills confidence in the defnce with some great desicion making and will come out for high balls and punch what he cant clear. Close down the strikers early and reduce their shooting angles.

A good solid back 4 with Rami leading the team out, he sits spare whilst the other 3 mark. He sits just off of Benatia and will be ever watchful of those coming through and those who get passed his partner. There to clear up and help out his fellow defenders when and if needed. Benatia man marks the striker, cant give him any room so watch him like a hawk even when we are attacking. Always ready to track his runs and close him down early. both attack high balls and clear any danger.
Debuchy and Bocchetti at FB Debuchy is more attack minded so get up and support the winger, go to there outside and look for them to pass down the line for them to drive passed the fullbacks and cross in, if Hulk dont pass keep the runs going to take the fullbacks away freeing up more room for our wingers to exploit.
Bocchetti doesnt attack so much and this is why he is in for Ekotto, I want him to nulify the threat of Reus, dont allow him as much room as Ekotto would give him, stay tall against him and told allow him the room to weave in and out. Defend the lines and keep the danger to a minimum, close them down, force them wide and keep on your feet!

Carrick wants to stamp his authority in this game, show em whos the boss..Really dominate the AM and stop him dictating play, his job is as simple as that, close him down early and force him back the way, once the ball is won, simple passes to those around him. His vision is sublime and passing range fantastic so can set things rolling from deep. Doesnt venture too far forward.
Marchisio and Fernandinho in front of him will really pressurize them, drive forward with the ball looking to pass out wide and get into the box or force it forward and follow the ball in to support Kiessling, always looking to make quick desicive passes, breaking lines of defence with inch perfect balls, both will defend the lines as well by going either side of Carrick when defending and harray and harrass the man utd midfield, stop them playing and this will allow US to control the game..These three have to dominate the centre of the park, do this and we will have a great chance of victory this weekend.

Especially with the attacking three of Hulk, Shaqiri and Kiessling, Hulk is a powerful runner who will really go at the fb, whereas Shaqiri is skillfull and quick and will dance his way round his marker, either way they play get into dangerous areas and fire in tcross after cross for Kiessling to pounce on, with marchisio and Fernandinho in the middle use them to play quick passes and one twos to drive into space for them to pass back and in on goal. track the fullbacks when they come forward and stop them becoming a threat.

Kiessling makes his return to Hull City and is the ideal striker for one up top, great in the air, can hold it up if needed and a great eye for goal, plenty support so always looking to go for goal, will get loads of chances so he must get himself into space for the players round him to play him in. Look to rise early for the crosses coming in to beat the CB. If its near impossible to go for goal try and lay it off or knock it down for oncomers.

Captain:- Rami
Penalties:- Kiessling
Free kicks:- Fernandinho
Corners:- Wingers (Rami up)

Subs:-

Losing/drawing -
70 Mins:- Strootman > Fernandinho
75 Mins:- Maher > Carrick more attack minded sit in ront of the other two
80 Mins:- Destro > Shaqiri

Reds always 4-4-1 and withdraw Fernandinho

---------------------Neuer--------------------
Lahm-----Kompany-----Subotic-----Baines
-------------Khedira-----T.Kroos-------------
--James----------Fabregas--------Neymar--
---------------------Aguero--------------------

Baumann, Chedjou, Bender, Weimann, Sturridge, Negredo, Nagatomo

Neuer is a top and confident keeper will dominate the area and come out for all high balls clearing what he cant punch. Look to close down strikers by quickly coming off his line to shut down there shooting angles.

A back four with Lahm and Baines coming in at fullback, both solid players who defend their lines very well, keep the wingers quiet, keep them to the outside and away from our danger area. Attack when you can one at a time, support yhe wingers by going on the outside and look for a pass so you can get beyond the fullback and cross in, Or if in possession look to pick out James and Neymar and ping the ball down the line for them to latch onto.
First and foremost, Kompany has the responsibility to mark striker into anonymity. This he does exceptionally well, using foresight that borders on the prophetic to intercept. He rarely has to make a rash tackle, so watch the lads movwement and be ready to move in. When the ball comes towards a striker and Kompany is in the area to defend, Subotic moves into position to back up his teammate and fill in any gap that is left. If an opposing attacker makes a run in the centre, reacting to a ball played towards the striker Kompany is covering, Subotic shifts to defend against a potential pass.
If the striker gets away from Kompany it's the responsibility of Subotic to shift and defend directly. Both comfortable with ball at feet so move the ball out when in no danger, otherwise clear it with no messing about.

Khedira will keep it simple in his defensive role. He watches the AM of Villa, watch his movement and be there quick to stop him setting up attacks, break the play up between him and the CF etc to nulify there attacking threat. Always on his toes as there AM has a bit of class about him so we cant afford to let him dictate play. Kroos comes back in alongside, he will look to stamp his authority on this game early, Has great vision so will want to get his passing range in early to set the likes of Fabregas, Aguero and neymar and James up for many chances, he will always follow his pass and make himself available for a return ball. Can shoot from range so have a go. When they have sit alongside Khedira and help him break up their attacks.His work rate is fantastic and always in the faces of the opposition.
Fabregas is in the free role, his attacking prowess is fantastic, will make late runs into the box and has tremendous vision. His inventiveness with his little flicks & dribbling skills are super too, but the best part is he knows where the net is. So will look to support Aguero as much as possible, Also use James and Neymar for one twos to break the line of defence. drop back and help defend v the DM if he breaks forward.
James is on the right, will look to drive at the fb, causing him all sorts of problems, cut in off his right and shoot with his left, or lay off to Cesc/Aguero for him to dart into the box for the return. Otherwise look to take on the fullback get to the bye line and cross in for Aguero in the box. Neymar will use his pace to get him passed his marker, knock it forward and use the forward momentum to get by the player and cross in, will do this all day long so Aguero will thrive of this. At times neymar and James will be supported by our fullbacks so use them, either play it wide for them o r allow them to take the markers away to free up space to drive into. I want all 3 attacking mids to track back and stopp the Liverpool fullbacks and DMS getting forward and becoming a nuisance.

Aguero is a top striker, scores many goals from differwent angles and with either foot and is strong in the air, will thrive on the service from those behind so he will be looking to make a goalscoring return up front. Neymar Aguero and James are a fearsome trio up dront full of goals so they must capitialise on any mistake by Liverpool. Always on his toes and on the last line of defence and ready to go for goal. If he cant then look to lay off/knock down for the support coming in from behind. He is strong so can hold of defenders and make his way into the danger area. Leap early for crosses coming in to beat the defender in the air.

Captain:- Kompany
Penalties:- Aguero
Free Kicks:- Fabregas
Corners:- Wingers

Subs:-

Losing/drawing:-
70 Mins:- Negredo > Kroos - Cesc to CM, Aguero just behind Negredo
75 Mins:- Sturridge > James
80 Mins:- Chedjou > Lahm (only if losing)
Neuer
Chedjou-Kompany-Subotic
Sturridge-Khedira-Fabregas-Baines
Aguero-Negredo-Neymar

80 Mins:- Weimann > Aguero - Weimann right Sturridge pace behind Negredo(if drawing)

Winning

70 Mins:- Bender > Kroos
80 Mins:- Nagatomo > Neymar
88 Mins:- Negredo > Aguero

reds - 4-4-1 Kroos comes off

Sunderland

--------------------Marchetti--------------------

Uchida---Amorebietta---Victor Ruiz---Ekotto

-----------Capoue----Melo-----Veratti----------

----J.Lens----------L.Remy------------Ayew----

Smithies, Savic, Defour, Ananidze, Ilicic, Costa, Ibarbo

not much chance to go over the squad so a bit of an attacking look, we want to go for teams and try and hit them quickly on the counter

A good back 4 with fullbacks who like to attack so one at a time and fly down the line to support the wingers and get crosses in, defend solidly and dont allow them any room to get into the box. Two strong defenders, Amorebietta man marks and keeps the CF away from goal and Ruiz is the one to sit spare and watch anything coming round, so he takes a step and is very mindful of things happening around him.

Melo watches the AM and sits tight on him while Verratti and capoue are like flies round sh7t on the other two not allowing them the time of day to get moving and attacking. Alll three must stay tight as a unit and press them into making mistakes. When we win the ball verratti moves forward to support the stikers and always makeing himself avail;able for the ball.

The front 3 are always on the move, start out the way I have set them out but they can all switch and become a nuisance to there defence, quick and skillfull and all can score,always get up and into there faces, if the ball is out wide then the other two get into the box and make sure they at least challenge the defenders, pass and move, bop and weave, bump and grind whatever they need to do they will do, take defenders away, make room for others..go for it...

Captain:- Amorebietta
Penalties:- Remy
Corners_ Wingers
Freekicks - Verratti

Subs

Losing/drawing

Ananidze on for Ayew on 65
Ilicic for Melo and push forward on 75
Ibarbo for Remy on 80


Winning:-
Costa and Illicic for Lens and Ayew on 75 and sit back a bit further
Defour for Verratti on 80

Comment deleted by Site Moderator

-----------------------Begovic
Juanfran---Garay-------Agger-----Clichy
-------------------------Inler
-------------Schweiny------Modric
Robben------------------------------------Ribery
----------------------Gomez
Subs
Blind, De Vrij, Johnson, Payet, Dembele, Barry, Auby

Tactics
An attack-minded 4-3-3 formation with emphasis on keeping possession and playing with width to stretch the opposition.

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.

Full Backs
When going forward, the wingers will be looking to cut inside fairly regularly, so the full backs should look to hug the touchlines to keep the defence stretched and provide the out ball. When defending, they should look to just track the wingers and aim to keep them on their wrong foot and block any crosses.

Centre Backs
Garay will compete with the striker for the aerial balls played up to him, with Agger looking to snaffle the resulting knockdown, when the ball is on the floor, Agger will be the defender who looks to stand up the striker looking to keep tight to him and stifling his space to get the ball out of his feet, and Garay will be making a covering run if Agger is beaten. When on the ball, if the opposition are giving them space to come out with the ball, then they should look to take it forward, if not, keep it simple and play it to a man in space and retain possession.

Defensive Midfielder
Inler will look to just sit in front of the back 4, staying deep when the full backs go forward to keep defensive numbers up in case of a counter attack, when numbers are healthy at the back, he should be looking to hover close to the opposition am/playmaker, making sure there isnt an easy ball for him to pick up. When attacking, he will look to take the ball off the centre backs and most of the time play it simply to one of the other midfielders, if the opposition start to play higher up the field and keep close tabs on our midfielders, he should look to play a lofted ball to Gomez to exploit the area between defence and midfield.

Centre Mids
Both are comfortable on the ball, and have the awareness to create themselves little pockets of space so they free to get the ball and keep the game ticking over, if they are getting closely marked, they should look to play slightly deeper to create more space for themselves, and if the ankle biters follow them, that will create a gap between the defence and midfield for the front 3 to exploit. When defending, Schweiny has the energy to play a pressing game in conjunction with the wingers to put pressure on the opposition, whilst Modders will hang back slightly, almost playing alongside Inler focusing on trying to intercept the ball rather than banging into players.

Wingers
They should look to stay as wide as possible when they receive the ball to try and stretch the defensive line. When they are on the ball, both wingers have the ability to stay wide and put a cross in, or cut inside to try and make space for a shot, so should look to pick out which is the best option at the time, if they do cut inside, the full backs should have moved forward to occupy the touchline and provide the wide option. If they have taken the opposition full back out of the game, they shouldnt be afraid to go into the box, as defenders will be extra cautious to not give away a penalty, and this provides the option of just drilling a cross to Gomez or a simple drag back to an onrushing CM. When the opposite winger has the ball, the winger without the ball should look to find space between the CB and full back to add an extra body for any crosses or capitalise on any defensive errors.
Occasionally, the 2 wingers will swap wings, where the emphasis will be more on crosses for 5-10 minute periods a few times during the match.

Striker
Striker
When defending, he should look to hover around the area of the opposition DM, trying to prevent the easy out of a pass back to him. When attacking, he shouldn't look to get too involved in build up play, just acting as a target man to give the back 5 the option of playing a lofted ball to him and hold the ball up for the wingers or CMs to get into the attacking area, when he has passed the ball, he should just look to get alongside the aerially weaker CB and be ready for crosses and look to feed on any panicky defensive blocks or weak goalkeeper parries and play the reak poachers role.

Set Pieces
Corners - Robben and Ribery take inswinging corners, the 2 CB's go into the box, the FB's and Inler stay back to prevent counters, the CB's and Gomez attack the ball, Modders looks to annoy the opposition keeper looking to limit his ability to move off the goalline. Schweiny and the non taking winger take positions just outside the box to pick up any weak defensive headers or knockdowns.

Free Kicks - For direct FK's Modric and Ribery will shoot depending on which foot it favours. For Indirect FKs, follow the same directives for Corners

Penalties - Robben is the designated taker.

Subs

If Winning
68 mins - Payet for Robben - Fresh legs and extra defensive workrate.

76 mins - Dembele and Johnson for Modric and Juanfran - The wingers tuck back, but with the knowledge to get out quickly for the front 3 to try and counter if the opposition over-commit for a route back into the game. Dembele slots in alongside Inler and all 3 Centre Mids play a high energy pressing game.

If Losing

71 mins - Dembele for Inler - extra attacking impetus in the midfield

77 Mins - Auby and Payet for Robben and Modric - We go to 4-2-4, with the wingers bombarding crosses in to the 2 big men with the other winger adding the third option.

---------- Buffon
Abate – Albiol – Skrtel – Filipe
-------- Sandro – Banega
Hamsik ----- Reus ---- Lavezzi
-------------- Tevez

Subs. Cesar, Rafael, Gerrard, Lucas, Pirlo, Young, Eto’o

Attacking 4-2-3-1. Rigid in defence. Fluid in attack. Plenty of width. Direct and fast flowing football. Very hard pressing when the opposition have possession in our own half.

We want to get goals goals goals against a QPR in disarray.

Defence:
One full back bombs forward at a time. The other is reserved but in a position ready to join the attack. Abate will be the more attacking of the two. Albiol looks to read the play, Skrtel to challenge and has the pace to get back and help Albiol/fullbacks. Buffon bossing the defence from the back.

When the opposition are attacking we want two lines of four. 4-4-1-1 when defending. Hamsik/Reus/Lavezzi take turns of being the one behind Tevez. This one will follow the play from left to right.

Sandro has a purely defensive role in midfield, disciplined in his role he will not join the attack apart from set pieces and when space opens up for an opportunity to run 10 yards and shoot from distance. He will sit in front of the defence. Not allowing any space between our midfield and defence. Bullying their midfielders, intercepting their play and winning the ball back. Playing it simple in possession.

Our attacking players have high energy levels and work rates. We want to defend from the front where possible. Playing in a solid fashion where everyone knows they need to be allows us to play a high pressure game, pressing as far up the pitch as possible. But crucially players must stay in their positions and work as a unit in pressing.

We will play a reasonably high line. We’re comfortable we’ll control the game this way and have the quality at the back to deal with QPR. With Buffon behind to control the defence and keep them right positionally.

Attack.
Abate will be the full back we want bombing forward more often than Filipe. This will allow Hamsik to drift in from the right. Creating space for Abate to exploit, pulling players out of position and overloading the middle where their defence wont know what to do.

On the left we want Lavezzi to play very wide in the first two thirds. Stretch the play and coming from a position where he can really get in behind the opposition back line. In the final third he has freedom to drift in if he wants and really support Tevez.
In the centre Banega will be the heartbeat of our side when moving out from defence. In the opposition half Marco Reus takes runs the show. We want Banega to really link defence and attack. He has the composure to keep our play ticking over and keep things moving but he also has the ability and freedom to play long raking balls, diagonals and through balls.

Our attacking trio players are intelligent to find space and full of pace to exploit the opposition, Banega gets his chance in the Pirlo role today.

Reus in the middle in order to get the best out of him. We want him involved in our play as much as possible. Simply play his natural game.
Tevez up top is also going to simply play his natural game. He will be a real handful as he likes to get involved, making him almost a false 9 at times. While he also has the drive and intelligence to make runs in behind. Has the perfect trio behind him to link up with.

Captain: Gigi
On the bench we have real quality, and everything you could want to change the game be it go defensive(aye right), inject pace, bring on a goalscorer or creativity.
If losing bring on Pirlo for Banega at 50 mins.
If losing bring on Eto’o for Hamsik after 70 mins. Play right forward.
Otherwise: After 65 mins bring on Gerrard for Banega – Bring on quality.
After 75 mins bring on Young for Lavezzi.
After 80 mins bring on Eto’o for Tevez. Exploit space in behind.

Newcastle vs. EVERTON

------------------Lindegaard-------------------
Srna---Ferdinand---Shawcros--Schmelzer
-----------------Giggs---Paulinho--------------
-------Mirallas-------KPB--------Sinclair------
--------------------De Natale--------------------

Subs: Benaglio, Tremoulinas, Miranda, Gibson, Lampard, Ramirez, De Jong

Tactics:

General - We have nothing much to play for, so we're going to go out and really give it to Newcastle. We're going to set up to counter attack all day, soak up pressure before getting the ball up to the stupidly fast AMs and our FBs who will maraud forward at all opportunities.

GK - Lindegaard will need to listen out for shouts from Ferdinand and Shawcross who are both massively experienced, Lindegaard has to respect that in this team there is a different defensive leader. Being big and strong in his saves and collects, he then needs to whip the ball out early to Ferdinand/Giggs/or the FBs who will be the starting point of our attacks.

CB - Ferdinand and Shawcross, in essence they'll mirror the Ferdinand-Vidic partnership at United with Shawcross acting like a Vidic-lite. He'll slam into tackles (Fairly!) act like an aerially wall against any high balls with his strength and power, whilst Ferdinand will be the more elegant of the two, gliding into tackles and interceptions with the defensive awareness he's renowned for. Personally I see this duo as being a fairly effective and complementary pairing, but only time will tell if the others see it this way.

FB - Srna and Schmelzer, both top FB's, and importantly both love to bomb forward. There's no holding back in this game, it's almost an experiment of sorts. When we win the ball, these two need to get forward and provide the width that we lack with our AMs, once forward they'll hug the byline, forcing Newcastle's defence to stretch wide open. When they get the ball, they should attempt to whip in crosses (Srna in particular is a deadly crosses) to Di Natale's feet, who will use his sheer ability to finish them off.

CM - Giggs and Paulinho are probably the weak link in my team, Paulinho offers a good, but perhaps inexperienced, box to box type role, but Giggs really can't do the defensive side. So, to counter this Paulinho is shackled back, no getting forward for him today. Giggs will play further forward, and look to pick up the ball and act as a deep lying playmaker, which is one of the roles he is very good at in CM. He'll use his flicks and experience to play the AM's into space.

AM - Very narrow today, the FB's will provide width, and hopefully these three, alongside Di Natale will only have to contend with two CBs between them! With the defence stretched, there will be gaps to exploit and, using their pace and acceleration they should look to burst through these gaps, either trick a defender into fouling them winning us penalties, or pulling it back for Di Natale to finish.

ST - Di Natale isn't the quickest at his age, so he'll have to rely on his experience today. When he sees the AM get through the CB line, he'll drop off his marker into space around the penalty spot to allow himself time to take a touch before slotting the ball home. When he looks to get onto the crosses of the FBs he'll always keep moving to worry the CBs into a mistake.

Subs -

70 - Bring on Luuk De Jong for Di Natale/Gibson on for Giggs - Fresh legs for the age old stalwarts. Play the same system.

75 - Ramirez on for Sinclair - Same set up but a new threat to add in and catch the Newcastle CBs off guard.

FK - Srna - Stuperb FK taker. He will score
PN - Di Natale
RC - KPB
LC - KPB

---------------Courtois
Piszczek--Cahill--Marrone--Dante
----------Matuidi---Ramires
Villa-------------Mata---------Asamoah
----------------Martinez

Subs: Alves, Kalas, Van Aanholt, Beñat, De Bruyne, Lamela, Hernandez

Captain: Dante
Free Kicks: Mata
Corners: Mata
Penalties: Martinez

Game Plan:
This is a huge game for us at home and were looking to get all three points. We want to play a game full of energy and at a high tempo in the final third to really take the game to Chelsea and put lots of pressure on their back 4, test them out as much as possible. We've gone for a flexible formation with the ability to move between a 4-2-3-1 and a 3-5-2 depending on the situation we find ourselves in and where we are on the pitch.

Game Plan and player roles in the 4-2-3-1(as above):

This will be used mainly as we defend, looking to make sure we have both of the opposition wingers tightly marked and pushed right out of the game, stopping them cutting in onto their stronger side which is what both Chelsea wingers will prefer to do, keep them by the byline on the peripherals of the game so they can't cause us trouble. In the middle we have Matuidi and Ramires as the platform for our side, or the engine room of the team. These two must press press press and don't give Chelsea anytime to get a rhythm. The 3 behind the striker follow the same role but doing so from the front, making it very difficult for Chelsea to build from the back, looking to force errors or make them go long towards Aguero, who has no chance physically up against Cahill with long balls. The wingers are also able to drop back if the opposition FBs are getting forward, covering their forward runs as much as possible. Most importantly is that we defend as a unit, full of energy and helping each other out as a team, getting men behind the ball and putting the pressure on. This set up will also be used as the counter attacking line up, we want the midfield 5 to be putting the pressure on and looking to win the ball back - upon doing so countering at high speed, using Mata as the orchestrator with Villa and Asamoah stretching the game from the wings and looking to use space outwide whilst one of the CMs, usually Ramires, will use their burst from deep to join the attack and Martinez looks to use his movement to find space to et in on goal. Counter with fluidity and take advantage of any spaces Chelsea leave.

Courtois when in this formation must look to command his area and come out to collect crosses and relieve the pressure on our defence. Distribution wise if there's a chance of a counter he throws it out quickly or kicks it long into the player in space. If not he goes long if we're tightly pressed but whenever there's an opportunity he plays it into the CBs and allows us to get into our 3-5-2.

The FBs must get tight to their wingers in this set up, pushing them right out and staying with them, not allowing them to cut inside where they prefer to be, instead forcing them down the line and making it difficult to get a cross in. Dante is positionally excellent which will work to our advantage in this game, he knows where the wingers wants to go and he'll stop that space becoming available to him, using his body well and keeping the winger out of the game, he won't venture forward. On the other side Piszczek will be very physical against what we expect to be Neymar. He isn't the strongest and often drifts out of games when he's tightly marked, hence Piszczek will do that. Attack wise he looks to get beyond the winger and make runs in behind, testing the LB and putting double the attacking pressure on him, looking to find spaces and get crosses in.

Cahill will man mark the Cf, using his physical presence and good reading of the game to get on top of him. Get tight when the striker is in the final third and make sure to keep goal side, using his body to stop the striker spinning away to face goal. He will also clear any crosses and stay with the striker all the way, his last ditch tackling is almost perfect so there's little reason to panic in this regard. Marrone is in position to read the play earlier, looking to step out of the defence and deal with the danger quickly, getting into the face of the player causing the problem and winning the ball back for us. He is disciplined though, he'll only do this when possible, the rest of the time he is alongside Cahill, dealing with any second ball if needed, and watching for the midfield runners, getting tight to them and not giving them space or letting them get goal side. Both are good on the ball, from this formation we look to use diagonal balls into the channels or out to the wings to get us forward and stretch the opposition back line.

3-5-2 when in possession and putting the pressure on:

---------------Courtois
------Cahill---------------Dante
---------------Marrone
------Matuidi----------Ramires
Piszczek------------------------Asamoah
----------------Mata
----------Villa---------Martinez

We only move into this formation when attacking as it suits our players well and gives us the option to put extra pressure on the back 4. When in this formation we will be looking to dominate the game, using our energy to stay on top and play in the opposition half at a high tempo moving the ball quickly with neat one touch passing and movement.

Courtois in this formation has to play as a sweeper keeper. He's extremely quick which makes him suited to the role, he can get off his line quickly and clear any danger. He's comfortable on the ball too, he will be there for the CBs when they're under pressure and look to keep the ball moving between them, only going longer if under intense pressure.

The three CBs, with Dante pushing back infield, will make sure any Chelsea attempt to break out that beats our high pressing midfield is thwarted quickly. All 3 read the game very well which is key to stopping counters. Marrone will be the first line of the back 3, he looks to stay with the CF and as soon as a ball is played out on the counter in towards the striker he's there getting infront of him and getting the ball first then using his strong distribution to move us back onto the front foot. Dante and Cahill are the next line of defence, they also read things excellently and have good pace. When the Chelsea forwards counter one CB from the two goes out to meet the man on the ball/watching for a runner beyond him, depending on what side the attack is. They should get out and force the attack further wide, not letting them use any space through the middle which will slow them down and give us time to get everyone else back behind the ball. The 3rd CB is there if anything goes wrong, coming across as the last resort to make a tackle and conceded the throw or the corner, more than anything making sure the attackers can't get a clean shot away. On the ball all 3 are very good, keep the ball moving forward.

Matuidi and Ramires have the same job in both formations, they have a key role as the midfield battle is where we have to win to have any hope. They are the base of our midfield and provide us with the platform to get on top of the game and attack the opposition. They have to press the opposition in the middle of the park all game long, don't give them a second to slow things down and start a proper attack, be the first to every lose ball and don't let the opposition get a hold of the midfield battle. They should be looking to get the ball and feed it to our attacking players, outwide or through the middle, making sure they're distribution is quick and accurate to take advantage of any spaces. When deeper they use the ball to slow the tempo down just making sure we can get into rhythm and move the ball around. They should press higher up the field when were in our attacking formation, Ramires higher than Matuidi so to provide two lines of defence against a counter, Matuidi there just to stop any break out before it really begins. He's also the better tempo setter, he should use the ball from his deep position to keep things moving around. He man marks the AM when under high pressure, not letting him get into space between the lines where he can hurt us, being strong in the tackle and disrupting his game. Ramires will provide the greater drive, he looks to use his quick bursts forward to push us high up the pitch, running at the opposition back line and forcing them to step out, this will leave gaps for himself or a forward runner to exploit.

Mata will be the hub of the team. He gets on the ball and looks for the spaces to make things happen. He is able to drop deeper to stop the opposition picking him up, from here he can still cause real trouble with his excellent passing through the defence or over the top for the runs of the attackers. Move around the pitch making sure to link the play and always be looking for ways to move us forward. He can move out wide to link up with our wide men and get crosses in, or get them in behind the defence, and he can play around the strikers, using the space they leave to run into and attack cut backs and crosses or make runs in behind. Again he presses from the front like all the rest, not letting them break forward.

The two wide men look to stick to the wings and provide some real width to stretch the game. Asamoah is excellent at finding space on the left and will use his endless running to look to stretch the game and get crosses in for the strikers. Look to link up with anyone who moves out and get in behind the FB. Piszczek will use his driving pace to run at the LB, we feel we can get plenty of joy here, taking the FB on constantly and putting lots of crosses in. His movement is excellent also, he can use the support he gets from Mata/Villa and move infield to make runs into the channel. These two are key, we keep them wide and Chelsea can never defend narrowly without being opened up on the wings, a wide open game means more spaces and with our excellent movement that means chances.

We will attack in this formation to gain the benefits of a front two. This will add extra pressure on the CBs and means that both will have to mark someone, this will give Mata that extra freedom. Martinez will be the main Cf, his job is to occupy his CB with his strength, holding the ball up and bringing others into play around him, then using his excellent turn of pace to make runs away from the defence and in on goal. He attacks everything in the air too. Always be on the move to get involved and find space. Villa will have slightly more freedom to drift wide and drop off, this way keeping his marker guessing and confused as to where to defend. We want him getting close to Martinez so they can link up with some clever flicks and tricks, opening up spaces and combining with Mata. Whilst he can also move wide and link with either wide man to open up the chance for a cross or to get in behind. He will make runs between defenders to get in on goal and always be ready to take the defenders on and go for goal.

Note: That we defend high up the pitch in this formation trying to stop Chelsea breaking out, if they're putting us under pressure were back into the more rigid set up.

Subs:

If Winning: De Bruyne for Mata 75', fresh legs in midfield, he presses hard we don't let them into the game. From no one we stick to 4-2-3-1. Kalas for Villa 80' he goes RB with Piszczek RM and dealing with the LB don't let the FBs cause us trouble. Van Aanholt for Marrone 85', goes LB with Dante CB, shut up shop, PVA has bags of pace to deal with any fresh wingers.

If Drawing: Lamela for Villa 70', fresh legs and a more direct runner to attack the FBs, also very effective playing off the striker. Hernandez for Martinez 75', fresh pace and movement to the attack, he always scores v Chelsea. Van Aanholt for Asamoah 80', this will come as a shock to Chelsea, but it stops us disrupting our play down the middle and provides us with someone who loves to run at the opposition FB, his link up play is excellent and his direct runs into the box at pace will cause trouble.

If Losing: Will stay in the 3-5-2 as we look to get back into the game. Hernandez for Villa 65', fresh legs to attack the defence and find space. Lamela for Piszczek 70' he attacks the FB and links up with Mata and the strikers. De Bruyne for Matuidi 75', pushes closer to Mata, he makes things happen with his movement all around the field linking up with wide players and centre forwards.

Portsmouth vs Birmingham


--------------------------Zieler--------
-Carvajal-David Luiz--Nastasic--Luke Shaw
--------Javi Martinez----Jack Rodwell--
Mario Gotze------Draxler-----------El Sahaarawy
--------------------Lewandowski

Subs: Koval, Danilo, Fellaini, Nemanja Matic, Ginter, Moura, Aspas

Game Plan: We will look to attack our opponents using a slick, pass and move game. We believe we have the abilities in defence to pass the ball out and start counter attacks, as Nastasic is dynamic and will carry the ball forward, and alongisde him, Luiz is an excellent passer of the ball, and mustn't be afraid of stepping into midfield at times to use his fantastic ball playing skills. Our two CB's must look to play the ball out if defence, as they both suit each other very well. Daniel Carvajal and Shaw can also pick out a pass down the wings, and they should look to make supporting runs on the outside of our wingers. In midfield, Javi Martinez will defend our backline, and he is one of those DM's that will never give up, and always hassle and harry the opposition. He is also a very good passer, and he will look to spread play out to the wings, and break up play, before keeping the ball alongside Rodwell. Rodwell is best known for his brilliant tackling and passing skills, great physical presence, and fantastic drive, so he will play in the DM role-to guard the backling alongside Martinez against Birmingham's solid midfield 3-, before turning into a kind of B2B when needed. We wont be playing an AM, but Draxler will be playing CF and will be in support of Robert Lewandowski at all times. He will look to pick the ball up from midfield, and direct those power shots into the corners. He will also look to use his good passing to find ways to release Gotze and El Sahaarawy. Gotze's job will be to run at Schemzler, take him on, and whip in low balls for Lewandowski and Draxler, who are both guaranteed to finish them off. His pace is his best asset, and is clearly faser than Schmelzer so will look to take bim on and beat him evry time he ges the ball. Schmelzer is very attacking and guilty of leaving behind many gaps, so Gotze will have lots of space available to him. El Sahaarawy will be on the other end, and use his dazzling dribbling ability, and superb acceleration to turn away from fullbacks, and clip in high balls for Lewandowski and Draxler to throw themself at. Lewandowski will be the one who will finish off every move, and he is top scorer in the Bundesliga for a reason.His fantastic positioning and his marauding runs in the box will confuse opposition, and Lewandowski will then attempt to finish off every ball which comes into the box. Lewandowski will be winning everything in the air, and finishing with an aplomb. He his two-footed, and is a wonderful finisher, so will look to attack every ball, and link up well with Gotze and El Sahaarawy. Alongside him, Draxleris the one to drop into midfield and harry Inler, putting pressure on him. He has immense strength (99 Strength on FIFA when In form FFS!) and is very fast, so wuill trouble the defence all day. Both CBs come up for corners to put pressure on their CBs


Freekicks - Gotze
Penalties - Lewandowski
Corners - Gotze
Captain - Lewandowski

Defence: We will start off in a 4-4-2 formation, relying on Carvajal and Criscito to do what they do best, and really attack the flanks, with Gotze and El Sahaarawy playing as wingers, instructed to drift inside, allowing space for the FB's. Carvajal especially, must look to get those fantastic crosses into the penalty are, where Lewandowski can launch himself at the ball, or where Draxlerwill be lurking. On the other side, Criscito is defensive-minded, but is a terrific dribbler, so he must look to take on his man, and venture into the Brimingham half as much as possible, and look to play short 1-2's with the likes of Luiz and Martinez. Both of these Fullbacks must come back at all times, to prevent Brum from hurting us on the counter. Alongside them, Nastasic and Luiz are a strong a pairing as any. They are a real force to be reckoned with, and not only is Nastasic one of the fastest CBs around, he is extremely good in the air, and 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. Luiz on the other hand, will tackle the tall men, or those good in the air, as Luiz 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. Luiz is also 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. It’s a very powerful and pacy defence and all four players are very, very talented with the ball at their feet and remained composed and know exactly what to do when in possession. When we are under little pressure, Luiz will step up into a Sweeper role, where he can utilise his excellent passing skills, linking up well with Martinez in midfield. Luiz and Nasatsic will not be beaten by crosses, high or low, as Nastasic attacks the first ball, and failing that, Luiz will clean up. We will be playing a moderate line where Birmingham will struggle to break down, as it limits their pacy wingers (Robben and Ribery) to run in behind the defence. Javi Martinez will be expected to drop back a notch, ala De Rossi, when they attack, where he can keep his eyes on Payer and Modric and will act as a sweeper, with Criscito and Carvajal pushing up further:

------David Luiz----Nastasic
-Carvajal----Martinez---Criscito

Moving on from defence, we will be playing a lovely mix of midfielders in our central 3. On his return Javi Martinez will be the most defensive of the lot, pulling all the strings from defensive midfield. His excellent vision, and eye of the needle passes will help unlock Birmighams defence, as we look to play in Gotze and El Sahaarawy, whilst Gotze and El Sahaarawy must drop back to receive short passes, before passing it on again. As he is a natural DM, Javi Martinez 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 clip those 40 yard passes over the top for Lewandowski, who is an expert in controlling, and holding the ball. Alongside him is our box-to-box midfield enforcer Rodwell, who will start deep to contain Birmingham's strong midfield, but later go on to turn box to box when on attack. However, Rodwell must never neglect defensive duties, and his immense power and presence must combine with his pressing ability to always win the ball back when we lose it. Rodwell 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 Gotze and El Sahaarawy with sly passes and through balls, to try and find a way in behind Brums defence. Ahead of him, Draxlerwill be playing CF, but must also help out defensively dropping back into midfield when we are under pressure, we must revert to a 4-2-3-1


--------Rodwell--Martinez
Gotze-------Draxler-----El Shaarawy


As this will bring more stability to the midfield, and can contain Brums attacks down the centre of the pitch. However, Draxler' role is crucial to our team. He is the one that brings all the power to the table and with superb passing skills and quick thinking ability, his main aim will be to slip in one of our wingers once he drops into midfield. If there comes a time when the ball breaks to him, he must use his surprisingly quick feet to slip away from defenders and find space, and he must not forget that he will almost always have support in Lewandowski. All midfielders should be able to cover our Fullback's runs, so if Crisicoto is caught out, we must rely on Rodwell to move into his position, and cover for him, and same with Marty on the other side. This will ensure that we will always have our full backs cover

Up ahead, Gotze and El Sahaarawy start as wingers, with strict instructions to revert to a 4-2-4 when we need more bodies attacking centrally. In this formation change, we will be relying more on Carvajal and Crisicito to stay back at all times, as with Gotze and El Sahaarawy playing forward roles, we don't want lack width at all:


Down the right, Gotze 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 Portsmouth shirt. His brilliant versatility means we cover almost every position in the left-central area of the pitch, as Gotze likes to come inside where he can rape Inler, but doesn’t mind going by the touchline and drifting inside like most inside forwards. He must also look to get some brilliant crosses onto the heads of Lewandowski/Draxler, or the feet of Drax, but also should look to set up Rodwell, who will no doubt be lurking just outside the box, for a volley or long shot. On the other side, El Sahaarawy 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 Birmingham. 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 Draxler will see the 2 combining well, as El Sahaarawyis fantastic at finding his man, whilst Draxler passing is extremely good for a striker. If any chance falls to El Sahaarawy, he must take it, as his finishing is a brilliant asset, and he must always be a mirror to Gotze, when it comes to formation, as soon as we change to a 4-2-4 or a 4-4-1-1, he and Gotze must turn central, in the roles of an wide forward, drifting in only when they have a goalscoring opportunity. Likewise, when we implement a 4-4-1-1, they will both automatically hug the touchline deep inside the Birmingham half, just ahead of the FB, to shut out Ribery and Robben.

NOTE: El Sahaarawyand Gotze will start off as wingers, but as soon as we do a formation switch, they will act as almost wingbacks in the 4-4-1-1, or RWF/LWF in the 4-2-4, before reverting as we do

Up front, Draxleris the dream striker to play alongside in a 4-4-2 as not only does he drop back, but he attacks every ball in the box and is great at holding it up. He will threaten every aerial ball that is played to him, and his power will be used to hammer De Vrij and Agger. Next to him, Lewandowski is a great finisher, and must use his his head to flick on any balls to the wingers, and must link up with Draxlerto score precious goals. Our 2 forwards must look to combine at every opportunity. Lewandowski must also look to to finish off every chance that falls his way, and he is brilliant in the air, so must outmuscle the defenders, when it comes to taking crosses of Carvajal and Gotze/El Sahaarawy. He will rely on his quick thinking, positioning, Technical ability and Finishing Prowess and look to crumble the Birmingham defence, with his brilliant knack of finding the back of the net

Summary

We will concentrate on doing what we do best and playing to our strengths – keeping hold of the ball and working it simply around the park. Nothing flash or risky – just possession football. Patience could be the key and if we keep it tight we have the personnel to get us a goal. We also pose a very dangerous threat on the counter. We have pace to move the ball forward very quickly and enough pace to regain our shape if the opposition turn it around and try and counter us. In defence Rodwell will sit deeper at DM, with Javi Martinez dropping back into the sweeper role, and will be expected to be his energetic self and press the opposition midfield/forwards and knock them out of their rhythm. Our wingers and full backs will sit a bit deeper to stay alert and ready to use their speed at any chance of a counter, although our two FB will be stepping up a notch to allow Martinez to develop into his more defensive self. With the ability of our team to change formation depending on the circumstances we have enough in midfield and out wide to starve them from the ball and with this will open up acres of space and with neat simple passing and bags of pace, this will be a very productive area for us. We will be looking to get bodies in the box. With fast and fluid attacking play Lewabdowski and Draxler will always have support in this area and our wide men will always have a target to get the ball in to. With the trickery of Gotze, Carvajal and El Sahaarawy then the opposition can always expect the unexpected.

Subs:

On 60: Matic > Rodwell, straight swap

On 60: Aspas > Draxler and Lukaku > El Shaarawy, 4-3-3 with Aspas and Lukaku in the inside forward roles, Gotze moved back to AM

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Chelsea

---------------------Neuer---------------------
Lahm-----Kompany-----Chedjou-----Baines
-------------Khedira-----A.Vidal--------------
--Hulk------------Fabregas--------Neymar--
---------------------Aguero--------------------

Hart, Dragovic, Rhijn, Bender, Kroos, Mkhitaryan, B.Gomis, Weimann

Neuer is a top and confident keeper will dominate the area and come out for all high balls clearing what he cant punch. Look to close down strikers by quickly coming off his line to shut down there shooting angles.

A back four with Lahm and Baines coming in at fullback, both solid players who defend their lines very well, keep the wingers quiet, keep them to the outside and away from our danger area. Attack when you can one at a time, support yhe wingers by going on the outside and look for a pass so you can get beyond the fullback and cross in, Or if in possession look to pick out Hulk and Neymar and ping the ball down the line for them to latch onto.
First and foremost, Kompany has the responsibility to mark striker into anonymity. This he does exceptionally well, using foresight that borders on the prophetic to intercept. He rarely has to make a rash tackle, so watch the lads movwement and be ready to move in. When the ball comes towards a striker and Kompany is in the area to defend, Chedjou moves into position to back up his teammate and fill in any gap that is left. If an opposing attacker makes a run in the centre, reacting to a ball played towards the striker Kompany is covering, Chedjou shifts to defend against a potential pass.
If the striker gets away from Kompany it's the responsibility of Chedjou to shift and defend directly. Both comfortable with ball at feet so move the ball out when in no danger, otherwise clear it with no messing about.

Khedira will keep it simple in his defensive role. He watches the AM of M.City watch his movement and be there quick to stop him setting up attacks, break the play up between him and the CF etc to nulify there attacking threat. Always on his toes as there AM has a bit of class about him so we cant afford to let him dictate play. Vidal comes back in alongside, he will look to stamp his authority on this game early, Has great vision so will want to get his passing range in early to set the likes of Fabregas, Aguero and neymar and Hulk up for many chances, he will always follow his pass and make himself available for a return ball. Can shoot from range so have a go. When they have sit alongside Khedira and help him break up their attacks.His work rate is fantastic and always in the faces of the opposition.
Fabregas is in the free role, his attacking prowess is fantastic, will make late runs into the box and has tremendous vision. His inventiveness with his little flicks & dribbling skills are super too, but the best part is he knows where the net is. So will look to support Aguero as much as possible, Also use Hulk and Neymar for one twos to break the line of defence. drop back and help defend v the DM if he breaks forward.
Hulk is on the right, will look to drive at the fb, causing him all sorts of problems, cut in off his right and shoot with his left, or lay off to Cesc/Aguero for him to dart into the box for the return. Otherwise look to take on the fullback get to the bye line and cross in for Aguero in the box. Neymar will use his pace to get him passed his marker, knock it forward and use the forward momentum to get by the player and cross in, will do this all day long so Aguero will thrive of this. At times neymar and Hulk will be supported by our fullbacks so use them, either play it wide for them o r allow them to take the markers away to free up space to drive into. I want all 3 attacking mids to track back and stopp the City fullbacks and DMS getting forward and becoming a nuisance.

Aguero is a top striker, scores many goals from differwent angles and with either foot and is strong in the air, will thrive on the service from those behind so he will be looking to make a goalscoring return up front. Neymar Aguero and Hulk are a fearsome trio up dront full of goals so they must capitialise on any mistake by City. Always on his toes and on the last line of defence and ready to go for goal. If he cant then look to lay off/knock down for the support coming in from behind. He is strong so can hold of defenders and make his way into the danger area. Leap early for crosses coming in to beat the defender in the air.

Captain:- Kompany
Penalties:- Aguero
Free Kicks:- Fabregas
Corners:- Wingers

Subs:-

Losing/Drawing

70 Mins - B.Gomis > Cesc - Aguero goes into a SS role behind Gomis
75 Mins - Mkhitaryan > Hulk - Aguero goes right, Mkhit ghoes supporting Gomis
80 Mins: only if losing Dragovic for Lahm 3 at the back, Baines to LM, Neymar goes up top with Gomis in a 3-4-1-2
80 Mins: - If drawing Kroos on for Vidal

Winning:-
70 Mins:- Kroos for Cesc fresh legs to get up and down the pitch
80 Mins:- Rhijn > Hulk, play just in front of Lahm to stop any new threat down there left but still attak if needed
85 Mins:- Gomis for Aguero, hold it up near end and get himself about

Red
4-4-1 Hulk off and appropriate sub on Aguero to the right

----------------Marchetti---------------
Uchida----Amore----Sakho----Ekotto
------------------Canos-----------------
-----------Rakitic----Clemens---------
Narsingh-----------------------Affellay
----------------Huntelaar---------------

Schmeicel, Musacchio, Rode, Verratti, Ruben Garcia, Ibarbo, Konate

Solid defence led by Amorebietta, he sits spare as the other three mark the danger men, Sakho picks up the striker and watches his movement and tries to intercept the player or/and ball as they come forward, the fullbacks keep the wingers quiet and attacks to a minimum, attack and support the wingers when possible One at a time.

Canos patrols the area in front of them and aloows Rakitic and Clemens more freedom to attack, keep an eye on the movement of the AM and do not allow him to dictate lay - goes no further than half way, simple passes when ball is won.
Rakitic and Clemens will look to run the game attack and support KJH whilst also remembering to get back and help out in defence, pass and move into positions that could hurt Reading., ball out wide and runs into the box to hassle there defence

Affellay and Narsingh have freedonm to attack at will and just go for it today, nothing to play for so go out and show the care taker voss what they can do, take the defenders on and support KJH as much as possible, get back and defend when needed.

KJH is ideal up fron leads the line well and always looking to have a go at goal, good in the air and two good feet can score with the slightest of lifts and from the craziest of angles, a tyypical poacher

Captain - Amorebietta
Penalties KJH
FreeKicks - Rakitic
Corners - Wingers

Subs:-

65 Mins - Verratti > Clemens
70 Mins - Garcia > Affellay
80 Mins - Konate > KJH

------------------------------------Zieler--------
-Carvajal---------David Luiz-------Nastasic-----------Luke Shaw
------------------Javi Martinez-------Jack Rodwell
--------------------------------Marchisio
----------Mario Gotze----------------------El Shaarawy
------------------------------Lewandowski

Subs: Koval, Bonucci, Griezmann, Nemanja Matic, Ginter, Capoue, Lukaku

Game Plan: We will look to attack our opponents using a slick, pass and move game. We believe we have the abilities in defence to pass the ball out and start counter attacks, as Nastasic is dynamic and will carry the ball forward, and alongisde him, Luiz is an excellent passer of the ball, and mustn't be afraid of stepping into midfield at times to use his fantastic ball playing skills. Our two CB's must look to play the ball out if defence, as they both suit each other very well. Daniel Carvajal and Shaw can also pick out a pass down the wings, and they should look to make supporting runs on the outside of our wingers. In midfield, Javi Martinez will defend our backline, and he is one of those DM's that will never give up, and always hassle and harry the opposition. He is also a very good passer, and he will look to spread play out to the wings, and break up play, before keeping the ball alongside Rodwell. Rodwell is best known for his brilliant tackling and passing skills, great physical presence, and fantastic drive, so he will play in the DM role-to guard the backling alongside Martinez against Southampton's solid midfield 3-, before turning into a kind of B2B when needed. Slightly ahead of these two is Claudio Marchisio who will keep his eyes closely on Pogba, and I believe that Southampton come into today without any out and out DM, so Marchisio should have a lot of space against his Juventus collegue. Marchisio is a real flair player, who has excellent vision and passing skills, and also is one who can help form a deadly trio in behind the main striker. Marchisio will try to collect the ball from the CM's, before finding the space to navigate any runs made by our wingers, who will keep switching to confuse the opposition. He will also look to use his good passing to find ways to release Lewandowski, and when Lewandowski drops out of the box, Marchisio must bomb forward, taking on Pogba, and taking advantage at anytime that the Southamnpton midfielders decide to attack, nipping in behind the midfield trio waiting to collect the ball. Gotze's job will be to run at Schennikov, take him on, and whip in low balls for Lewandowski and SES, who are both guaranteed to finish them off. His pace is his best asset, and is clearly faser than Schennikov so will look to take him on and beat him evrey time he ges the ball. Schennikov is very attacking and guilty of leaving behind gaps, so Gotze will have lots of space available to him. Gotze's footwork is out of this world, and his movement is brilliant, so he must try and come up with cunning plans to avoid all Soton shirts. Several options for him are too drift inside where he and Marchisio will double up on Pogba, or to attack Schennikov with directness, usning his wonderful bag of tricks. If Schennikov every has support, we will call on Carvajal to run inside him, with Javi Martinez filling in at defence. This is because if ever there are two men stuck on Gotze, it gives us time to regroup quickly and attack straight away rather than try to win a throw in off the LB. El Sahaarawy will be on the other end, and use his dazzling dribbling ability, and superb acceleration to turn away from Clyne, and clip in high balls for Lewandowski and Gotze to throw themself at. One thing about Clyne is not only he is extremely error prone, he is behind in the defensive side of his game, and SES will bathe himself in the space available to him if he does get the ball. El Shaarawy must drift inside to allow Luke Shaw to bomb up down the left, making use of both of our full backs, and with El Shaarawy and Shaw doubling up on Clyne, the pressure will be too much for him. Off the ball, El Shaarawy must also step into LAM, where he can keep his eye on Joe Allen, attempting to win the ball off him, pressing him back to his own goal. The same must be done on the other side with Gotze on Dzagoev. Up top, Lewandowski will be the one who will finish off every move, and he is one of top scorer in the Bundesliga for a reason. His fantastic positioning and his marauding runs in the box will confuse opposition, and Lewandowski will then attempt to finish off every ball which comes into the box. Lewandowski will be winning everything in the air, and finishing with an aplomb. He his two-footed, and is a wonderful finisher, so will look to attack every ball, and link up well with Gotze and El Sahaarawy. Just behind him, Marchisio is the one to drop into midfield and harry Pogba, putting pressure on him. He has immense stamina and pressing rates, so will trouble the midfield all day. Both CBs come up for corners to put pressure on their CBs


Freekicks - Gotze
Penalties - Lewandowski
Corners - Gotze
Captain - Lewandowski

Defence: We will start off in a 4-1-2-3 formation, relying on Carvajal and Shaw to do what they do best, and really attack the flanks, with Gotze and El Sahaarawy playing as inside forwards, instructed to drift inside, allowing space for the FB's. Carvajal especially, must look to get those fantastic crosses into the penalty are, where Lewandowski can launch himself at the ball, or where El Shaarawy will be lurking. On the other side, Shaw is , but is a very good at defending and attacking, and is a terrific dribbler, so he must look to take on his man, and venture into the opposition half as much as possible, and look to play short 1-2's with the likes of Rodwell and Martinez. Both of these Fullbacks must come back at all times, to prevent the opposition from hurting us on the counter. Alongside them, Nastasic and Luiz are a strong a pairing as any. They are a real force to be reckoned with, and not only is Nastasic one of the fastest CBs around, he is extremely good in the air, and 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. Luiz on the other hand, will tackle the tall men, or those good in the air, as Luiz 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. Luiz is also 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. It’s a very powerful and pacy defence and all four players are very, very talented with the ball at their feet and remained composed and know exactly what to do when in possession. When we are under little pressure, Luiz will step up into a Sweeper role, where he can utilise his excellent passing skills, linking up well with Martinez in midfield. Luiz and Nasatsic will not be beaten by crosses, high or low, as Nastasic attacks the first ball, and failing that, Luiz will clean up. We will be playing a moderate line where the opposition will struggle to break down, as it limits their pacy wingers (Mertens and Zhirkov) to run in behind the defence. Javi Martinez will be expected to drop back a notch, ala De Rossi, when they attack, where he can keep his eyes on Dzagoev and Love when he drops back, and will act as a sweeper, with Shaw and Carvajal pushing up further:

------David Luiz----Nastasic
-Carvajal----Martinez------Shaw

Moving on from defence, we will be playing a lovely mix of midfielders in our central 3. On his return Javi Martinez will be the most defensive of the lot, pulling all the strings from defensive midfield. His excellent vision, and eye of the needle passes will help unlock oppositions defence, as we look to play in Gotze and El Sahaarawy, whilst Gotze and El Sahaarawy must drop back to receive short passes, before passing it on again. As he is a natural DM, Javi Martinez 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 clip those 40 yard passes over the top for Lewandowski, who is an expert in controlling, and holding the ball. Alongside him is our box-to-box midfield enforcer Rodwell, who will start deep to contain the oppositions 3-man midfield, but later go on to turn box to box when on attack. However, Rodwell must never neglect defensive duties, and his immense power and presence must combine with his pressing ability to always win the ball back when we lose it. Rodwell 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 Gotze and El Sahaarawy with sly passes and through balls, to try and find a way in behind the oppositions defence. Ahead of him, Marchisio will be playing AM, but must also help out defensively dropping back into midfield when we are under pressure, we must revert to a 4-2-3-1


--------Rodwell--Martinez
Gotze-------Marchisio-----El Shaarawy


As this will bring more stability to the midfield, and can contain the oppositions attacks down the centre of the pitch. However, Marchisio's role is crucial to our team. He is the one that brings all the pressing ability and falir to the table and with superb passing skills and quick thinking ability, his main aim will be to slip in one of our wingers once he drops deep. If there comes a time when the ball breaks to him, he must use his surprisingly quick feet to slip away from defenders and find space, and he must not forget that he will almost always have support ahead in Lewandowski. All midfielders should be able to cover our Fullback's runs, so if Shaw is caught out, we must rely on Rodwell to move into his position, and cover for him, and same with Marty on the other side. This will ensure that we will always have our full backs cover

Up ahead, Gotze and El Shaarawy start as inside forwards, with strict instructions to revert to a 4-2-3-1 when we need more bodies attacking further wide. In this formation change, we will be relying more on Carvajal and Shaw to stay back at all times, as with Gotze and El Sahaarawy playing wide roles, we don't want lack width at all:


Down the right, Gotze 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 Portsmouth shirt. His brilliant versatility means we cover almost every position in the left-central area of the pitch, as Gotze likes to come inside where he can hammer the CM/DM, but doesn’t mind going by the touchline and drifting inside like most inside forwards. He must also look to get some brilliant crosses onto the heads of Lewandowski/SES, or the feet of SES, but also should look to set up Marchisio, who will no doubt be lurking just outside the box, for a volley or long shot. On the other side, El Sahaarawy 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 Marchisio will see the 2 combining well, as El Sahaarawy is fantastic at finding his man, whilst Marchisio passing is extremely good. If any chance falls to El Sahaarawy, he must take it, as his finishing is a brilliant asset, and he must always be a mirror to Gotze, when it comes to formation, as soon as we change to a 4-2-1-3, he and Gotze must turn central, in the roles of an wide forward, drifting in only when they have a goalscoring opportunity. Likewise, when we implement a 4-2-31, they will both automatically hug the touchline deep inside the Sothalfon, just ahead of the FB, to shut out Mertens and Zhirkov.

NOTE: El Sahaarawy and Gotze will start off as inside forwards, but as soon as we do a formation switch, they will act as almost wingers in the 4-2--3-1, before reverting as we do

Up front, Lewandowski is the dream striker to play as a lone up front as not only does he drop back, but he attacks every ball in the box and is great at holding it up. He will threaten every aerial ball that is played to him, and his power will be used to hammer Alderweireld (Who he'll always give the slip) and Lombaerts. Lewandowski is a great finisher, and must use his his head to flick on any balls to the wingers, and must link up with the inside forwards to score precious goals. Our 3 forwards must look to combine at every opportunity. Lewandowski must also look to to finish off every chance that falls his way, and he is brilliant in the air, so must outmuscle the defenders, when it comes to taking crosses of Carvajal and Gotze/El Shaarawy. He will rely on his quick thinking, positioning, Technical ability and Finishing Prowess and look to crumble the opposition defence, with his brilliant knack of finding the back of the net

Summary

We will concentrate on doing what we do best and playing to our strengths – keeping hold of the ball and working it simply around the park. Nothing flash or risky – just possession football. Patience could be the key and if we keep it tight we have the personnel to get us a goal. We also pose a very dangerous threat on the counter. We have pace to move the ball forward very quickly and enough pace to regain our shape if the opposition turn it around and try and counter us. In defence Rodwell will sit deeper at DM, with Javi Martinez dropping back into the sweeper role, and will be expected to be his energetic self and press the opposition midfield/forwards and knock them out of their rhythm. Our wingers and full backs will sit a bit deeper to stay alert and ready to use their speed at any chance of a counter, although our two FB will be stepping up a notch to allow Martinez to develop into his more defensive self. With the ability of our team to change formation depending on the circumstances we have enough in midfield and out wide to starve them from the ball and with this will open up acres of space and with neat simple passing and bags of pace, this will be a very productive area for us. We will be looking to get bodies in the box. With fast and fluid attacking play Lewandowski and Marchisio will always have support in this area and our wide men will always have a target to get the ball in to. With the trickery of Gotze, Carvajal and El Sahaarawy then the opposition can always expect the unexpected.

Subs:

On 60mins: Matic > Rodwell, straight swap

On 60: Lukaku > El Shaarawy, 4-1-2-1-2, with Gotze in behind the two strikers

Pablo Zabaleta - 2 weeks
Wojciech Szczęsny - 1 weeks
Andre Gignac - 1 weeks
Serge Aurier - 3 weeks

--------------------Al Habsi-------------------
---Ivanovic----Boateng----Godin----Kolarov
----------------Mikel-----Moutinho------------
Walcott------------Oscar--------Hazard-
---------------------Higuain--------------------

Subs: Strebinger, Marquinhos, Valbuena, Milner, Callejon, Llorente, Gignac

Captain: Branislav Ivanovic
Free Kicks: Alexander Kolarov
Penalties: Eden Hazard
Corners: Hazard (from left, inswing) Kolarov (From right, outswing)

Al habsi will use his height to collect crosses, allowing our defence to keep in shape, if we have a chance to counter from there Al habsi uses his quick distribution to the wingers. He must command his area. Come for crosses when he is at least 80% sure he can get them. He will pass the ball out unless he is 80% sure we will not lose the ball when kicking it long as we want to keep possession as much as possible in this game.

Ivanovic & Kolarov must not give the Opposition wingers any time on the ball. They will allow the opposition wingers inside them as this will take them into traffic. We are vulnerable on the wings as Walcott and Hazard don’t really like tracking back so if we force the opposition wingers inside this will be better for us. If the opportunity presents then they should attack. If one of the full back attacks then the other one MUST stay back so we have 3 defenders back at all times along with Mikel.

Godin and Boateng, 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 the opposition. Godin will control the back four and make sure everybody is doing their job correctly by using his excellent leadership skills. Godin and Boateng will stay close to each other not allowing the opposition to open up space. Boateng looks to defend the first ball coming towards our defence, using his reading of the game to get there before the striker and clear, he'll use his great tackling to shut him down around the area and then look to get the ball back. Godin stays in position when Boateng does this covering the remaining space, he will be able to clear the second ball if it gets beyond Boateng.

Mikel sits in front of the defence and try and break down attacks and start new ones for us. He will be strong in their tackles and always play it simple when on the ball. Moutinho will be his partner who will play close to him when defending. He has the responsibility in helping out the full backs also. Defensively be solid, Mikel and Moutinho will sit deep and defend our back four. When the attack is on their side, they will drift over and team up with our full back, close them down and win the ball back. Moutinho will look to protect the LB and Mikel the RB. However ultimately, they must stay tight in the middle and look to give no space to the opposition etc. When one of them covers a full back then Oscar drops in to still make it two in the middle:
-------------------------------Kolarov
---------Mikel----Oscar-----Moutinho
Walcott

This leaves Walcott and Hazard free which is where our main threat is and where we are dangerous.

Oscar will be our advanced playmaker. He has the ability to pick out the cutest of passes, which is just what we need with players like Higuain, Hazard, Walcott in the team. He has to manipulate the play and find these players in free space. Oscar is also there to support Higuain. When needed he will drop into midfield and make it tight.

Walcott and Hazard will be the wingers, and both should provide us natural width I want them to put the opposition full backs under pressure. They will play in an attacking role. They must keep the ball if there is no support and wait for players to arrive. 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. Furthermore they both have the ability to do that and are very good at it. Hazard is instructed to come on his right foot sometimes and take a ‘shock’ shot, catching the keeper out. Look for Higuain’s runs also.

Higuain 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! He will attack the channels also and use his excellent crossing ability, especially the drilled cross.

If losing at 75mins –
Mikel off Milner on
Moutinho off Callejon on – Hazard AM

80mins:
Boateng off Llorente on
3-5-2

If Drawing 75mins:
Moutinho off for Callejon – Oscar deeper, Hazard AM

If winning 75mins:
Walcott off for Milner, Oscar RW
Higuain off for Gignac,

If Keeper gets sent off then AM comes off for keeper on bench
In this case: Moutinho > Al Habsi 4-2-2-2
If Defender gets sent off then AM comes off for Defender on bench
In this case: Moutinho > Marquinhos – Boateng RB/Lb if needed. If DM gets sent off (Mikel/Moutinho) then AM for DM on bench
If st gets sent off, the AM for St on bench
In this case: Oscar > Llorente

Comment deleted by Site Moderator

take Weiman off Chelsea bench, not allowed 8 subs

--------------Courtois
Piszczek--Marrone--Dante--Van Aanholt
----------Matuidi--Beñat
Lamela------De Bruyne------Mata
----------------Cavani

Subs: Alves, Cahill, Ake, Ramires, Asamoah, Baptistao, Martinez

Captain: Dante
Free Kicks: Mata/De Bruyne
Penalties: Cavani
Corners: Mata/De Bruyne

Game Plan:
Another must win game for us today and we need to play at our highest level. We'll approach the game with an offensive mindset, looking to play at a high tempo both with our pressing game and our passing and movement. We always play with a lot of energy and that's exactly what we'll be doing again, pressing as a team right from the front, getting in the faces of the opposition at speed and stopping them attacking, keeping us on the front foot and attacking with fluidity and speed of movement, moving the ball quickly and dragging players out of position using our clever movement to find spaces. Don't let up in the tempo of our game, make the opposition have to work incredibly hard to both attack and defend and wear them down with quick football, no slow passing around the back letting the opposition regroup and get behind the ball. On a side not we will look to pass out from the back to get into our rhythm quickly, FBs pushing up to force West Broms wingers back, with CBs spreading to the edges of the area and a CM coming short to give 3 options to receive the ball and work it forward.

Tactics:

Courtois will command his area, coming out to deal with crosses when he can and relieve pressure on the defence, whilst he's quick off his line to close the angle for strikers and always alert with his sharp reflexes. When he gets the ball if there's a chance to launch a quick attack he'll throw it out to the player in space to counter, if not we work it out from the back.

FBs will look to push on for us today and provide us with plenty of width, with one going on when the attack is down his side and the other remaining closer to being in line with the CBs, waiting till the attack switches across to his side to make his run forward. Piszczek is to use his excellent pace and movement around his winger to support the attacks and drag players out of position, either making an inside run to go into the channels and look to either take the FB with him or find space for a ball back across the box, or he can make an outside run looking to get to the byline and put a cross into the box. Van Aanholt on the other side is very direct with his attacks, rather like the man he replaces in the side(Marcelo), he loves to link up with his team mates and use his pace and dribbling to take on opponents and make his way into the area for a cut back or to go for goal himself, whilst he can also make runs to the byline and deliver crosses. Defensively they both have to get tight to the wingers quickly and get a tackle in, at the very least stopping them from cutting in and forcing them backwards, never giving them the chance to get a run at our defence.

Dante and Marrone start again at CB, looking to provide us with the solid base in defence as well as the ability to start attacks quickly from the back. Dante will man mark the main CF, getting tight to him and stopping him from getting into the game, not allowing him to turn and face goal or have a direct run at our back line. It's likely to be a strong physical battle so we will look to keep him as far away from our goal as possible, forcing him to pass back into midfield and not really get hold of the ball for long enough to hurt is. Dante reads the game very well too and will be alert to the strikers movement, sticking to him and getting to crosses and passes into him first. Marrone is able to step out of the defence as he reads the play and get to the ball before the opponent or shut them down quickly and win the ball back, getting in the faces of anyone who tries to find space between the lines. When he doesn't have that option he stays in position and looks to cover Dante if he's beaten or deal with any flicks on from the striker and stop midfield runners getting into the box or finding any space to go for goal. Both have excellent passing ability, Dante will be able to use his long diagonal balls out of defence, towards the striker or out to the wings to put us on the front foot, whilst Marrone looks to always feed the ball into midfield and work with the CMs to start our attacks from the back.

Matudi and Beñat start in the midfield pivot roles. They provide the base for our game plan today, looking to keep the ball moving and supply the ball to our attacking players further forward, keeping us in possession by offering an option deeper and always showing high energy levels off the ball to stop West Brom being able to spring forward and attack, being first to every loose ball and getting in their faces whenever they have possession, looking to win it back and move us back on the front foot. When one goes forward, the other stays deeper in position to stop any counters, however neither will be running forward whenever they like, they'll be clever and only attack when we need it. Matuidi is the more powerful of the two whilst also providing us with a natural DM if we need one to deal with the AM, if that player starts to get space between the midfield and defence to open things up, however we focus more on the pressing game rather than man marking, making Matuidi's energy levels essential to us as he will never give the West Brom defence and inch. He is also a good intelligent passer, when he wins the ball back he looks to get it into the attacking players or wide for the FBs to push forward, he never holds on to the ball for a long time he moves it forward quickly and keeps our tempo high. At times he can drive forward, especially if we're struggling to break West Brom down it will give us the option to really push them back with Matuidi driving at them, players make runs of his burst of energy and this gives us options to cut them open, or Matuidi goes for goal. Beñat alongside him follows the same pressing game, looking to press the midfield, particularly the deeper ones to stop them being able to dictate the tempo. He should be the one dictating the pace of this game from his CM role, he keeps the ball moving around the pitch quickly with his fantastic passing range, able to keep it short and simple into the attacking midfielders or be more adventurous and play a defence splitting pass for the wide men or over the top for the run of Cavani or the attacking runners. Always provide an option to give the ball back to and always look to pass it forward. He's able to move forward with the play to provide that extra man in attack with his passing, and getting closer to the back 4 where he can really open them up.

The AM trio are very versatile and will look to always be on the move across the field and getting forward, playing around the Cf and using him to link up and get in on goal, creating chances for themselves and team mates. We want lots of quick passing between them, working hard to open up the opposition. De Bruyne will be starting central, his passing range is brilliant and he can move around the pitch linking the play, either dropping deeper to move us forward at a higher tempo, drifting wide to link up with the FBs and use his fantastic crossing, or play off Cavani where he can link up, get him in on goal and use his own movement, making runs between defenders to get on goal himself. Always be looking for the ball trying to make things happen. Mata is similar to De Bruyne in that he'll always be looking to get on the ball. Although he starts on the left he will have freedom to go where he likes and link the attacks. He will be particularly looking to find space between the lines, he only needs the tiniest bit of space and a moment on the ball he can pick the defence splitting pass for a team mate. He should also use his movement to get chances for himself, coming in off the flank and making runs into the box for a ball through, or lurking on the edge of the area to attack any loose ball. Lamela adds some pace and direct running to the three, starting right and holding width when he can to stretch the game out for us, always looking to take on the LB and beat him, getting into space for a cross, whilst he can also use the FBs overlap to double up and get the ball in. He is able to move infield and use his dribbling to run at the opposition defence through the middle, linking with his team mates to get them in on goal or make his runs behind the defence. He should also look to arrive late at the back post for crosses, he's very strong in the air and can take his chances. The three will always look to switch their play up, playing with plenty of pace and flair and making it impossible to defend against. Off the ball they must press at a high tempo, closing the opposition down high up the pitch to stop them getting out of their own half and creating the chance to put us back on top.

Cavani will look to occupy the CBs, using his physical ability to hold them off whilst he links the play, with quick one touch passing into his team mates before he makes his run off the defenders. He can hold the ball up and wait for support or use his strength and pace to turn the defenders and run at goal himself. Always get in the box for crosses and be clinical. Like the rest of the team he presses when were not in possession.

Subs:

If Winning: Ramires for Beñat 70', adds more energy to our high tempo pressing game. Asamoah for Mata, Ake for Lamela 80', Asamoah LM provides more defence cover. Ake into CM alongside Matuidi and Ramires, keeps possession well and very dangerous when breaking out from his defensive position. De Bruyne goes right.

If Drawing: Ramires for Matuidi 70', provides extra attacking drive to push us forward and take advantage of a tiring opposition midfield. Baptistao for De Bruyne 75', Mata can move into a more central position with Baptistao adding more flair to the team. Martinez for Beñat 80', 4-4-2 look to go alongside Cavani and work together to get us a goal.

If Losing: Ramires for Matuidi, Martinez for Beñat 65', 4-4-2 with Ramires and De Bruyne as CMs and Mata and Lamela playing around the two CFs. Baptistao for Piszczek 75', comes on and provides more flair, playing up alongside Lamela and Mata, with us going to a back 3.

If Reds:

GK: Alves on for Beñat and we play 4-4-1
RB: Ramires for Beñat 4-4-1 with Ramires filling in at RB, drawing on his nou camp performance for inspiration
CB: Cahill for Beñat 4-4-1
LB: Ake for Beñat 4-4-1
Matuidi: Ramires for Beñat 4-4-1
Beñat: KDB drops deeper
Lamela/KDB/Mata: move into a 4-4-1
Cavani: Martinez for Beñat 4-4-1