HULL CITY v Newcastle United

---------------------Horn
Weiser---Pavard-----Baumgartl-----Max
-----------Ascacíbar-----Tousart
Lopes--------------Fekir------------Forsberg
----------------------Milik

Subs: Pollersbeck, Uduokhai, Augustinsson, Dahoud, Ziyech, Brandt, Selke


Our defensive unit consists of Benjamin Pavard and Timo Baumgartl paired up at centre-back, Mitchell Weiser at right-back and Philipp Max at left-back, with Santiago Ascacíbar and Lucas Tousart as our midfield ‘double pivot’ screening them.

This ‘double pivot’ is the key to our team and in Ascacíbar and Tousart we have a perfect pairing to initiate attacks by distributing the ball in an intelligent fashion, to be key players in circulation and to prevent dangerous opposition attacks, being disciplined in positioning and limiting space in between the lines.

The strength of our double pivot is that Tousart can press the ball without leaving lots of space, as Ascacíbar can maintain a good position to react if the initial press is bypassed. Our double pivot will offer huge defensive stability and will ensure that a structured shape is maintained.

Having two defensive midfielders centrally prevents others being dragged out of position to press.

Helping the defenders maintain solid positioning is a key part of Tousart’s role, he will press almost anywhere in his own half to allow defenders to stay in the defensive line.

With Tousart running his socks off for the team, our high tempo will dictated by his partner in holding midfield, Santiago Ascacíbar.

A holding midfielder through and through, Ascacíbar is not just your “win the ball and pass it on to the closest player” – there is a real creative mind in his locker, but it’s his ability to be the shield of the back four and then be creative once he gets the ball that makes Ascacíbar such a talent.

The attacking unit consists of Rony Lopes, Nabil Fekir and Emil Forsberg as our band of three attacking midfielders with Arkadiusz Milik as our lone central striker.

Our 4-2-3-1 is set up to have that wonderful ‘springy' quality - it absorbs pressure without breaking and then snaps back with surprising force.

In defence our 4-2-3-1 covers space very effectively, with the band of three attacking midfielders and centre forward able to press the opposition high up the pitch while the two defensive midfielders ensure that there is no space left in front of the defence. Then the back four can either play a high line, compressing the space even further, or drop deeper as preferred.

Once we have won the ball back, often by Ascacíbar or Tousart, then our 4-2-3-1 can spring into attack.

Weiser and Max can surge up the wings in the knowledge that Ascacíbar and Tousart can drop into the space left behind if needed. As they come up the wings, both Rony Lopes and Emil Forsberg, who are fast speed merchants, excellent in tight spaces and fantastic dribblers will cut inside or make runs into the box. Nabil Fekir our attacking central midfielder’s low centre of gravity will enable him to navigate away from defenders at a frighteningly quick pace. Fekir is blessed with an instant first touch and can dribble with the ball at such a close proximity to his feet that it makes him almost impossible to tackle this creative passer who will look to play Lopes, Forsberg and Milik in via fast passing combinations.

Milik is predominantly an old-style centre forward, however he does possess the technical qualities and versatility to shine in this game. He’ll be physically imposing and not only will he be a threat in the air, but he can also score via great volleys. We’ll look towards his wonderful finishing and passing ability and he’ll also display good positioning and teamwork, and won’t be afraid to help his team defend.

Subs on 75 mins
Dahoud on for Tousart and Brandt on for Forsberg

Leicester City v WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS

Injuries: Sanches, Boga

-------------------- K Navas
------- Savic - Mascherano - Koscielny
Juanfran - Jorginho - Gundogan - Hector
---------- Willian ---------- Eriksen
----------------- Aubameyang

Subs: Rulli, Mustafi, Trippier, Drinkwater, F Anderson, Sigurdsson, Immobile

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

A tough but winnable game today against Leicester, hopefully our back three will keep their attack at bay while causing problems of our own to their defence.

We are playing a 3-4-2-1 today, Keylor Navas in goal, Savic, Mascherano and Koscielny in the back three, Juanfran and Hector as wingbacks, Jorginho and Gundogan anchoring the midfield, with Christian Eriksen and Willian in attacking midfield roles off of Aubameyang upfront.

This game is about controlling the tempo and giving us the best chance of getting the win today. Leicester are strong and our best hope is to be strong, disciplined and keep our concentration levels at maximum.

Navas - Distribute from the back to the fullbacks/CM's, stay in communication with your defence throughout, be wary of long range efforts and ensure you stay big for any one on ones. On occasion go long for Aubameyang.

Savic/Mascherano/Koscielny - Savic and Koscielny to mark their strikers, force them high up the pitch thus limiting their impact close to goal, and Mascherano to be the spare man, be first to the second ball and their AM making runs from midfield. When in possession bring the ball out of defence and use the midfielders ahead of you to help us play out from the back. Two of you go forward for setpieces.

Juanfran/Hector - Both of you to force the Leicester wingers out wide, do not allow them to come inside as this will cause more problems for our midfield. They will want to cut inside so force them outside and block their crosses at source. They will try to create problems infield so its vital you only show them down the wing. If they play a diamond with no wingers you will need to form a narrow back five with the CB's and leave no spaces in behind. When we have possession, push forward and support Eriksen and Willian as they will try to run inside the fullback and you will provide the overlap to either create space or supply crosses into the area for Aubameyang and link with Jorginho/Gundogan. You will need to track back very quickly to ensure we don't get caught on the break.

Jorginho/Gundogan - Gundogan playing the box to box role, assist Jorginho in dealing with the Leicester attack when we don't have the ball, if they play an AM Jorginho stay on him, but don't follow if he drifts wide. Be first to any loose balls, in possession Jorginho to look for the attackers and pass rather than bring the ball out, Gundogan to burst forward to join the front three on occasion and bring the ball to create space for others.

Eriksen/Willian - Playing at AM, both with the trickery to beat the Leicester fullback and get crosses in, you will also have our fullback overlapping giving you the chance to cut inside and get shots in. Look to supply Aubameyang with chances and also provide yourself with chances. Link up with Jorginho/Gundogan, and capitalise on the space Aubameyang's presence will create for you.

Aubameyang - you will be expected to occupy the Leicester centrebacks, hold up possession and look to turn the defender and shoot. Be strong in the air and look for your teammates trying to pick you out from deep. Shoot on sight. Stay on the last defender's shoulder for any passes in behind. Look to interchange with Eriksen and Willian on occasion. Try and link with those two to create opportunities.

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

Subs 70 mins;
If winning: Willian off, Drinkwater on. 5-3-1-1, wingbacks to fullback, Drinkwater in midfield alongside Gundogan and Jorginho, Eriksen behind Aubameyang.

If drawing: Willian off, Immobile on. Change to 3-4-1-2, Eriksen behind Aubameyang and Immobile, push for the winner.

If losing: Mascherano, Koscielny and Jorginho off, F Anderson, Sigurdsson and Immobile on. 3-1-4-2, Juanfran - Savic - Hector, Gundogan the playmaker, F Anderson - Sigurdsson - Eriksen - Willian behind Aubameyang and Immobile upfront. Push for goals.

Portsmouth v BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION

Injuries: Odegaard, Cech, Glik, Payet

----------------- Trapp
Zabaleta - Matip - Evans - Bernat
--------- Dembele - Carvalho
- Callejon - Pastore - Yarmolenko
--------------- Benzema

Subs: Gunn, Holding, Blind, Krychowiak, Mkhitaryan, Walcott, Falcao

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

A very tough game today, but we can get at this Portsmouth side, I feel we can target them down the middle and create chances for Benzema to finish.

Playing a 4-2-3-1 today, Trapp in goal, Zabaleta, Matip, Evans and Bernat across the back, Dembele and Carvalho anchoring the midfield, Callejon and Yarmolenko either side of Pastore, with Benzema upfront.

This game is about controlling the tempo and giving us the best chance of getting the win today. Portsmouth have some world class players in their side although we have some class players of our own to hurt them and cause them real problems. Our front three with assistance from the fullbacks should create plenty of chances, and in midfield we have a trio who can dictate the game in Dembele, Carvalho and Pastore, we control the possession and the flow of the game. Callejon at RW and Yarmolenko at LW both able to use their creativity and get at the Portsmouth defence with Zabaleta and Bernat overlapping. Benzema upfront to give us a physical presence and somebody who is able to hold up possession as well as create chances for himself and his teammates.

Trapp - Distribute from the back to the fullbacks/CM's, stay in communication with your defence throughout, be wary of long range efforts and ensure you stay big for any one on ones. On occasion go long for Benzema.

Matip/Evans - Matip to mark their striker, force him high up the pitch thus limiting his impact close to goal, and Evans to be the spare man, be first to the second ball and their second striker/AM making runs from midfield. If they play two strikers pick up a man each and leave Carvalho to deal with the AM. When in possession bring the ball out of defence and use the midfielders ahead of you to help us play out from the back. Both of you go forward for setpieces.

Zabaleta/Bernat - Both of you to force the Portsmouth wingers out wide, do not allow them to come inside as this will cause more problems for our midfield. They will want to cut inside so force them outside and block their crosses at source. They will try to create problems infield so its vital you only show them down the wing. If they play a diamond with no wingers you will need to form a narrow back four with the CB's and leave no spaces in behind. When we have possession, push forward and support Callejon/Yarmolenko as they will try to run inside the fullback and you will provide the overlap to either create space or supply crosses into the area for Benzema and link with Dembele/Carvalho/Pastore. You will need to track back very quickly to ensure we don't get caught on the break.

Dembele/Carvalho - Dembele playing the box to box role, assist Carvalho dealing with the Portsmouth attack when we don't have the ball, if they play an AM Carvalho stay on him, but don't follow if he drifts wide. Be first to any loose balls, in possession Carvalho to look for the attackers and pass rather than bring the ball out, Dembele to burst forward to join the front four on occasion and bring the ball to create space for others.

Pastore - Play between the lines of defence and midfield, look to create chances for Callejon/Yarmolenko/Benzema who will be in space, be the creative influence we need you to be. Without possession, harass their deep playmaker if they have one, if not drop back with Dembele and Carvalho to form a midfield five with Callejon and Yarmolenko.

Callejon/Yarmolenko - Both playing out wide and both have the creativity and trickery to beat the Portsmouth fullbacks and get crosses in, but both of you will also have our fullback overlapping giving you the chance to cut inside and get shots in. Look to supply Benzema with chances and also provide yourselves with chances. Link up with Dembele/Carvalho/Pastore, and capitalise on the space Benzema's presence will create for you. Without the ball I expect you two to track back and assist your fullback, form a midfield five with Dembele/Carvalho/Pastore.

Benzema - you will be expected to occupy the Portsmouth centrebacks, hold up possession and look to turn the defender and shoot. Be strong in the air and look for your teammates trying to pick you out from deep. Shoot on sight. Stay on the last defender's shoulder for any passes in behind. Look to interchange with Callejon/Yarmolenko on occasion.

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

Subs 70 mins:
If winning: Pastore off, Krychowiak on. Switch to a flat 4-5-1 with Krychowiak alongside Dembele/Carvalho in midfield. Callejon to RM and Yarmolenko to LM, look to absorb pressure and hold out for the win.

If losing: Carvalho and Bernat off, Mkhitaryan and Falcao on. Change to a 3-1-4-2, back three of Zabaleta - Matip - Evans, Dembele the playmaker, Callejon - Mkhitaryan - Pastore - Yarmolenko behind a front two of Benzema and Falcao. Push for goals.

BIRMINGHAM vs spurs

-------------------------------------Batalla--------------------------------
Aurier------------Gomez---------------Bailly-------------Alonso
------------------------Winks--------------Matic-----------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inaki-----------------------------------------------------------------Perisic
---------------------------------------Alli-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------Vardy------------------------------------------

Subs - TFM, Allan, Brozovic, Lingard, Arnautovic, Gnabry, Gomez

CAPTAIN - MATIC
CK'S - PERISIC
FK'S - PERISIC
PENALTIES - PERISIC

Going with the tried and tested 4231 this week. Solid in defence while also lethal in attack.

I want us to play high up and to not give the Spurs attackers any room to breath. When we have the ball I want the team to play pass and move football. Don't stay static, try and get in behind the oppo defence as there is a lot of pace in our attacking players. When we don't have the ball I want the team to defend from the front line and pressure the oppo and try and win possession back. Do this in fits and bursts as it is a tiring tactic.

Defence
Batalla a quality young keeper. Don't take risks. Punch the ball away if the shot is too powerful. Command your area. The defence is well balanced. Gomez and Bailly bring a whole lot of pace to the defence. They are probably 2 of the quickest CB's around and will be able to handle any pacy players coming at them. Stay vocal with each other and cover for each other if oppo gets past one of you. Full backs will start of with a conservative mind set and not attack too much but as the game goes on I want them to make overlapping runs and get some crosses in to the box. Matic and Winks will be covering for them when they go attacking.

Defence Mids
Matic + Winks
Matic will be the anchor in the middle. Stay back in front of the defence and protect the defence with your life. If the oppo play an AM then stick close to him and mark him if possible. When our fullbacks are attacking then your main priority will be to cover for them. When in possession pass the ball out to the wings or play a through ball from deep to our strikers. Winks will play more as a b2b. He will be making run's forward and help our attackers with quick passes and penetrating runs from deep.

Wingers
Inaki + Perisic
Inaki and Perisic are two quick wingers but with a sense of physicality to them. They are tall and have to ability to use their strength to shrug off oppo defenders. Inaki will look to play on the outside and get to the byline and whip in some crosses. Perisic likewise although he is one of the most ambidextrous footed players in the world and is comfortable on using both his feet, so I want him to mix things up and cut in from time to time and make space for a shot. I want you both to help track back and help the full backs when they are in our half of the pitch.

Attack Mid
Dele Alli
Dele will look to have a free role in midfield. I want him to make different types of runs from midfield so it is harder for the oppo to mark you. Make diagonal runs and drift into the wings etc. You will be the link between the midfield and the attack. Play quick passes and play 1 2's to find space and create a chance to shoot.

Striker
Vardy
Vardy will look to use his pace and play off the oppo defenders shoulders and try and outpace them. Be vary of through balls from your teammates and if you are through on goal, use your expert finishing to score. When we don't have possession of the ball I want you to drop deep and wait around the half way line for an opportunity to hit the oppo on the counter attack.

Subs if LOSING BY 65MINS
Put on Gomez for Matic. Also Allan for Winks and Moura for Inaki to bring some more pace on. Play a high line and try and get a goal. Change formation to 41212.

-------------------------------------Batalla--------------------------------
Aurier-------------Gomez---------------Bailly-------------Alonso
--------------------------------------Allan-------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Moura-----------------------------------------------------------------Perisic
-----------------------------------------Alli-------------------------------------------
-----------------------------Vardy----------Gomez------------------------------


Subs if WINNING BY 80MINS
Take off Alli and put on Allan in CM and play defensive with everyone in our own half defending for their lives, waiting to hit the oppo on the counter attack. Lingard on for Perisic and Moura for Inaki to bring some much needed freshness in midfield.

-------------------------------------Batalla--------------------------------
Aurier------------Gomez---------------Bailly-------------Alonso
---------------------------Matic-----------Winks-----------------------------
--------------------------------------Allan--------------------------------------------
Moura--------------------------------------------------------------Lingard
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------Vardy----------------------------------------


Subs if DRAWING BY 65MINS
Gomez on for Vardy
Lingard on for Alli
Allan on for Winks
Fresh legs to bring on.

Attacking 3-5-2

At home against Wolves we go for the win with an almost full strength side. We bring back Azpi, Ramos, Kante, Koke and Asesnio who were rested in midweek to give the side freshness throughout and importantly in midfield.

Against a side who like to pack the midfield we have shuffled the pack slightly, simply moving Marcelo into a more advanced position and Azpi inside, as we look to get Marcelo and Asensio attacking down the wings. It also gives Hazard more freedom up top, to link with midfield and get in behind.

We feel this move to make us more attacking gives us the pace up top in the right area to cause the Wolves cbs problems, gives us numbers in midfield and gives us two players who can focus on attacking down the wings and stretching the play for us. If Wolves do push up we have pace in a front two to get in behind.

The midfield should never be flat. Create as many lines as possible to increase the options we have in possession, and to create gaps in the opposition. We go with two attacking wide players, stretching the game for us and creating space for our cms to control the game. While also offering options in attack and giving more freedom to the wingers.


At the other end we go with a high line, we want to attack, take the game to Wolves and get our players in positions they can do the damage. We let the ball do the work, tiring Wolves with our possession play. Protecting against a counter, Kante will be patrolling in front of the defence and Azpi looking to sweep up any bother behind defence. Neuer is then the final sweeper keeper, playing out from the back.

We will also try the odd long ball, either direct to Ronaldo or over the top for the pace of our forwards to run on to.

We defend in a rigid defensive unit high up the pitch behind the ball, the two closest players pressing the ball, the others getting back and pressing the space so that they have no options to break.


------------------- Neuer --------------------
---- Azpilicueta – Ramos – Otamendi -----
-------------------- Kante ---------------------
Asensio ---- Koke ----- Rafinha --- Marcelo
---------------------------------------------------
-------------- Ronaldo – Hazard ---------

Subs. Schmeichel, Odriozola, Can, Ander, Vitolo Richarlison, Costa

Defending high up the pitch

We look to control the opposition by pressing the space high up the pitch with a narrow rigid defensive unit. Simply having our attacking players in the right defensive positions in front of our strong to defence to make us difficult to break down.

When we lose the ball the closest player presses the ball, the second closest presses the obvious passing channel. As they’re doing this everyone else bar Ronaldo gets behind the ball into position. Stop them breaking.

Force them in to positions where they have to take risks, and then try and win the ball back.

As the Wolves advance into higher areas of the park and into our half, our shape will resemble a 4-5-1, narrowing to the side of play. Marcelo dropping to fb. Hazard drops onto their dm.

In this tight rigid formation, ensuring there are no gaps in the formation. Kante will be key, reading the play in between the defence and midfield, reading any dangers to get across.

Narrowing the play to the side the Wolves are attacking, pushing them backwards and wide away from danger. When they switch play, we switch over.

Attack

Centre backs play out, they have the option to go long or have Kante, Rafinha and Koke offering options. Get the ball to our attacking midfield trio.

The attacking trio in front will always be looking for space in between their midfield and attack. Asensio and Marcelo will always be making themselves available advanced down the wings.

We want quick one twos in the opposition half. Rafinha, Koke, Marcelo, Asensio and the front two will always be looking for the killer ball. If it is not on, we are happy to keep possession, attacking down the wings.

Ronaldo has freedom to play his natural game and get the goals.

If winning after 70 mins bring on Can for Rafinha and Odriozola for Asensio. Fresh power and strength to keep us on top of the midfield. Pure pace on the right wing, and a strong defensive cover.
If winning after 80 mins bring on Richarlison for Ronaldo. More pure pace.

If drawing after 60 mins bring on Vitolo for Rafinha. Asensio to cm. A natural hard working right winger. Get balls into the box.
If drawing after 68 mins bring on Costa and Can for Koke and Asensio. Costa playing up top with Ronaldo. Hazard in a free role behind the two. 3-4-1-2.

If losing after 58 mins bring on Costa and Can for Rafinha and Koke. 3-4-1-2. Hazard in behind Costa and Ronaldo.
If losing after 68 mins bring on Richarlison for Marcelo.

-------------------------- Ederson
------- Alderwer'd ----- Javi.M ----- Varane
Zappacosta ---- Khedira ----- A.Vidal ------ Ghoulam
------------------------- David Silva
-------------- Lewandowski --- Timo Werner

Subs: Meret, Tah, Mendy, Partey, O.Dembele, A.Sanchez, Mertens

Effectively a 3-5-2 today, aiming to dominate possession and pressing high up the pitch not allowing Brighton any time to breathe when on the ball.

Using out two forwards as outlets to trigger the press, our wg-backs push on with Silva and Vidal buzzing about using their high energy styles, Khedira sits deep throughout allowing the others to play with freedom.

When we're in possession, pass & move and quick link up play. going up gears when in their half, switching the play on a regular basis, creating space for our players in mf & attacking zones and making Brighton chase the ball to create holes in their backline.

Mix it up at times, long balls from the back looking to pressuire their CB's with our forwards, Lewandowski and Werner working off each other as one looks to hold up the play with the other looking to play off the shoulder and get in behind, D.Silva in a free role. Keep their defence guessing and in 2 minds.

Defensively, if they bypass the initial press we sit deeper and press the space. Silva moves into midfied forming a block of 5 with our front 2 man-marking their pivot/s ensuring they can't go back.

3-4-1-2 - Possession based:
It starts from the back. Ederson is very able with his hands and feet and should look to find our players in space.

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

Alderweireld & Varane should shift slightly wider when on the offense allowing our wing-backs to push up in a bank of 4 in mf.

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

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

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

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

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

Two quick & powerful WG-backs in Zappacosta and Ghoulam, need to hug the touchline and provide the width allowing us to stretch the opposition. Always on the move so we can get them in behind and use them as outlets going forward when picking a pass.

Very possession orientated, comfortable playing quick 1-2's and accelerating into space, overlapping often and getting early deliveries into the box for our striker/s to attack.

When Brighton are in possession we will initially look to press from front as a side and then drop off deeper with men behind the ball if they bypass with a strong block of 5 in midfield.

Don’t allow them to play out from the back and hurry their passes. Our attackers form a duo looking to cut avenues into midfield as one goes to press the ball, force them into tight spots with their backs to goal towards the touchline, our WG-backs on their fullbacks and midfield higher up, man-marking.

The reason we want to press higher is to exert pressure on a struggling side, allow no easy possession and tire them throughout, working tirelessly to chase the ball whilst we dictate the tempo of the game.

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

Essentially a 3-5-2, 5 in mf working to minimise the space in midfield zones and preventing them from finding their attackers. Our wing-backs then drop off to mark the oppositions wingers and help our CB's to prevent any space being left in behind.

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

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

If we manage to win the ball we must immediately look to counter and hit the opposition hard. Zappa & Ghoulam can come up to support the play and provide the width. The front 3 & Vidal burst forward.

Subs:
IF WINNING: 60th minute – (3-5-2)
- Partey > Vidal
- O.Dembele > D.Silva
- Mertens > Lewandowski (74th minute)
Compact 3-4-3, Partey fresh legs in mf, O.Dembele replaces Silva and looks to get in behind with his pace and movement. Mertens replaces Lewa.

IF DRAW: 70th minute – (3-4-3 - wide)
- O.Dembele > Werner
- A.Sanchez > D.Silva
- Partey > Khedira (75th min)
A.Sanchez and O.Dembele on looking to stretch the tiring opposition and working opportunities, Partey use his energy in mf.

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

C - Lewandowski
FK's - D.Silva / shoot - Lewandowski
Corners - D.Silva
Pens – Lewandowski

——————————Pope
———Lindelof———Vallejo——Umtiti
Conti————Fabinho——Milinkovic-Savic———Gaya
————Dybala————————Lemar
——————————Morata

Subs: Svilar, Zagadou, Torreira, Zielinski, Sabitzer, Philipp, Mariano

Captain: Fabinho
Free Kicks: Paulo Dybala(left/centre)/Fabinho(right)
Corners: Fabinho
Penalties: Fabinho

We will look to defend in a very compact manner, concentrating on making them come central where we keep things congested. We use the energy of our front three to do this. Whenever Villa have the ball with their wide CBs I want Morata pressing him, using his cover shadow to block the ball back to the middle CB, and ball side SS dropping to cover the passing lane to the WB, with the opposite SS coming across to block the ball into midfield, creating a triangle to pressure the wide CB into hurrying their passes. From here the forwards must drop back and look to put pressure on the Villa CMs from behind, whilst our two CMs can work to put pressure on from the front, Fabinho and Savic with bags of energy and strength to be constantly in their face. Like this we should create a 4 v 3 in the central midfield ground and equally stop Villa using their CBs further forward as our forwards work to close of passing lanes with their pressuring runs.

This will then allow the rest of the team to function zonally and put pressure on anyone that carries the ball in their zones. Fabinho as the spare man focuses on any Villa forward dropping between the lines to link play, or any CM stepping forward to provide overloads in the final third, focus on stopping them having any space in front of our back line. The back 5 zonal press also, which will allow us to control the width of the pitch, any quick switches of play are negated with a 5 man backline as our WBs are able to cut them out. If a player enters one of the defenders zones they look to go out to them and put them under pressure whilst the rest of the defence drop back so that players can’t run in behind us, force Villa back into the midfield area with this press before dropping back into the 5 and allowing the next defender/our midfielders to go and win the ball. We have a difficult task defending this Villa team but by remaining compact we can limit the space to use their pace, and most importantly we must stand up the them, never dive in. In particular this is important for the WBs, they must stand up to the opposition WBs and slow them down, allowing or SS to come across and double up to help stop the WB combining with their teammates. Umtiti and Lindelof will be particularly key today, they will man mark the CFs whilst Vallejo acts as the sweeper to cover the lines.

When we win the ball we must be quick to counter and in particular quick to use the SS’s to find the gaps in the Villa defensive line. In possession we want the wide CBs to stretch out towards the touchline, all the CBs are very comfortable on the ball and will use it quickly to get us forward. Them stretching out will allow our WBs to play higher up and start forcing the opposition WBs/FBs back. By occupying their wide defenders it means we create more space for Dybala and Lemar to get into. At times we want to overload the ball side using these two, so that if Villa press 3 v 3 from the front we can drop Fabinho back into the defence to overload the press, with Dybala dropping back into the midfield line to draw out their DM and leave Lemar in the ball side half space. Get the ball to Lemar from here and we can get him turning and attacking the oppositions back line, particularly with our WBs keeping the wide defenders pegged back it means that a CB is going to have to step out and open a gap in the defence that Morata can take advantage of, or runs from Conti/Gaya. At other times we will look for one SS to come towards play and the other to move to the free side, look to move the ball diagonally, continuously switching from side to side to keep Villa changing direction and stop them picking up our players.

WBs will be important, particularly Conti. We’ve gone for two attack minded options today to take advantage of defensive weaknesses out wide, we want them running at the opposition FBs and getting balls into the box, looking for Morata at every available opportunity, and we also want to make use of Conti as a target man, using long diagonal balls from Umtiti to send us forward and get Dybala running off him, as well as getting him in the box for crosses. Milinkovic-Savic will be a driving force from midfield, if they press high he will be essential for breaking the press with his powerful running, looking to support the SS’s. Dybala and Lemar must be finding the gaps between the lines, be that from dropping deeper or running behind and getting between FB and CB. Both have great technique between the lines and will be able to use quick link up play, particularly with Morata dropping in to facilitate quick inter play. Morata can will also be looking to go the other way when Dybala and Lemar drop to receive the ball, help us to drag the defence in two directions and break the lines, looking to peel off the shoulder of the CBs for crosses and balls into the channel. Fabinho and Milinkovic-Savic’s job in possession is to keep things ticking, look for the earliest opportunity to get the ball into the feet of the forwards and if the ball isn’t on move the ball out to the WBs. Fabinho will be more involved in build up and more disciplined, allowing Milinkovic-Savic more freedom as our box to box.

Subs:

If winning: Torreira for Lemar 70’, 3-5-2. Zagadou and Sabitzer for Gaya and Dybala 80’, 5-3-1-1.

If Drawing: Mariano and Philipp for Morata and Lemar 70’, Mariano with more power and Philipp who loves o drift behind defenders. Zielinski for Milinkovic-Savic 80’, fresh legs.

If Losing: Sabitzer for Lindelof 60’, 4-2-3-1. Mariano and Philipp for Morata and Lemar 75’.

If Red:

Pope > Morata off, Svilar on, 3-4-1-1
CB > Zagadou for Morata
Conti > Torreira for Morata and Fabinho to RWB
Gaya > Zagadou for Morata
CM > Torreira for Morata
Dybala/Lemar/Morata > 3-4-1-1

—————————Rico
Laimer——Zouma--—Diop——Jorge
-----------------------Diawara
—————Fornals————Lo Celso
Gelson—————Lukaku—————B.Keita

Subs: Dragowski, Gagnon, Bernardo, Soler, Oyarzabal, Bertrand Traore, Schick

Captain: Issa Diop
Corners: Carlos Soler
Free Kicks: David Neres
Penalties: Balde Keita

Patient, frustrate them and wait for the chance to attack in behind. We expect them to want to play out from the back, we will allow their CBs possession of the ball and instead focus on defending their attackers. Our aim is to force them wider as this is where they will be least dangerous. Defend in a 4-4-2, Lukaku and B.Keita as the first line of defence today will take up dealing with the DM, circle around him so that he cannot be effective in build up. That allows us to then get 8 players, two narrow banks of 4 to cover the rest of the space, making the centre of the field massively congested. Force them to try and build up wide and then shuffle across to use our same structure but in the wide areas, using the touchline as an extra weapon to press them.

Our midfield four will create a narrow zonal line, Gelson and Lo Celso occupying half spaces and Diawara and Fornals the central lanes. The back four will also be narrow and compact to the the midfield line to keep everything very tight. Each player then will have their zone, when the ball enters this zone, particularly the midfield line, they will press the ball carrier whilst the other 3 drops behind the ball so we can put pressure on but not lose ur shape, when one midfielder steps out to press the ball side CF will come to press from behind. The combination of 3 compact lines and zonal pressure should force the opposition to use the FBs more often, once this happens we can go 2 v 2 with wide man and FB, wide man pressing and FB behind to back him up. Keita will drop back in and create a staggered diamond with the remaining 3 midfielders, Keita at the tip moving towards ball side and Diawara at the base, not allowing gaps between the lines. Far side CM will step up to block any switches of play and the ball side CM will step across to block the route central. Any pass into this diamond and it narrows very quickly, all four players working hard to shut the ball carried and his passing lanes down. Keep the opposition down the flank, if it goes forward, wide man and FB press harder, if it goes backwards, wide man and Balde Keita press harder, working 2 vs 1. Back four should remain in their line at all times, when the ball side FB has to step out, the rest shuffle across. In Diop and Zouma we have the power and pace to deal with any type of CF.

Going forward we have a great amount of pace and we should be looking to target the opposition down the sides of their defence. Our two wingers love to burst forward and when we win the ball wide the first thing that needs to happen is that we take advantage of the space out wide, for example on the left, if Jorge wins it, Lo Celso/Balde Keita must make a run for him, if Lo Celso/Keita wins it, Jorge must overlap into the space behind. Lo Celso and Fornals will support offensive transitions from midfield, both have a lot of quality on the ball and the direct running to carry us forward and break through a midfield press, one looks to get close to Lukaku and the other stays a little deeper as a link man. Lukaku will be looking to pull on to the side of the CBs, he loves to get wide of them and drag them out of the centre to isolate them, and this is the run we want him to keep making. When we win it centrally then the first look must be for runners into wide areas. If its the wide men/FBs bringing it forward then we want a CM coming to support play and Lukaku running behind, sometimes swapping roles. Second option if we can’t attack the wide spaces is to use the CMs' dribbling through the middle, they have the beating of the opposition CMs for pace and skill and if he can take them out of the game it will force the CBs and FBs to leave their position and leave space for blind side runs for supporting players. Third option is longer balls into Lukaku, one touch lay offs to supporting players to burst beyond him, or lay offs into wider areas. He can also look to position himself for diagonal switches of play, attacking the free side of the pitch. Diawara works as a three with the CBs flanking him to keep things ticking over in the middle, switching between 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3, 4-4-2 and 3-4-3 in attack, using a flexible shape designed to overload the areas we are working in.

Subs:

If Winning: Gagnon for Lo Celso 70’, 5-4-1, control the length of the pitch with a back 5 and keep the middle compact. Bernardo for Lo Celso 75’, Laimer into midfield, we can even use a diamond midfield at times to close down space. Soler for Fornals 80’.

If Drawing: Oyarzabal for Lo Celse, 4-4-2 70’, more speed, look to get in behind and down the sides. Bertrand Traore for B.Keita, Schick for Gelson 75’

If Losing: Change to a 3-4-3 with Laimer CB, Gelson RWB, Jorge LWB. Oyarzabal for Lo Celso 65’.Schick for Balde Keita 75’. B.Traore for Jorge 80'

week 20

--------------------- Pickford ----------------------
Danilo ---- Kompany ---- Manolas ---- Wendell
----------- Goretzka ------- Llorente -------------
Malcom ------------ J.Mata -------------- Douglas
---------------------- Belotti ------------------------

Leno, Veltman, Sessegnon, Pellegrini, Barkley, Aspas, Mandzukic


In goal Pickford, a super confident keeper, excellent shot stopper, who will close down strikers and reduce there shooting angels, look to spread the play from the back and release our wide men early. Many attacks will start from the goalkeeper.

Danilo and Wendell have freedom to attack, but only one at a time, one always staying back so we will have a back 3, they will bomb down the line supporting the wingers, which will allow the winger to cut inside and support Belotti. They look to play one twos with the attacking midfield 3 which will get him beyond there fullback and whip in dangerous crosses. Both tough defenders and intelligent so know when to tackle and when just to try and shimmy out wide. When defending and on the cautious side and remain vigilant at all times in the line of four, keep it tight.. Manolas the more mobile and quicker CB will mark the CF, use his strength and speed to keep the CF away from the danger area. Kompany alongside is the spare defender and helps out where needed, both strong defenders, dominate in the air and good on the ball, so when in possession they can carry the ball out from defence and look to send our forwards away. Stay tight as a four and let nothing through. Manolas and Kompany up for corners, fullbacks and Marcos Llorente stay back. When we are in possession the ball will come from the back, so these guys must look for movement ahead of them so they can pick there pass, both Manolas and Kompany are comfortable with ball at feet and will take the ball out of defence to allow them to come on to us before he passes, this will create space as hew will force them to break away from the players they are marking..

Marcos Llorente's primary role is to win possession and then start an attacking phase. Within this he needs to cover spaces in between the midfield and defence where the opposition’s number 10 will likely to be operating whilst also being aware when the full-backs had pushed forward.Take care of of the No 10/SS is also a main focus, stick to him like glue and stop him becoming a threat, Goretzka is our box-to-box midfielder and has responsibility throughout the pitch. He is expected to score goals and create chances for team mates, whilst also helping in the defensive third. One requirement of this role are high fitness levels due to the amount of running they are expected to do. The box-to-box midfielder is more likely to be found on the side of the pitch where the full-back that is less efficient in the attacking third plays to provide balance on both flanks. Mata's main responsibility is to create chances for the three attackers in front of him. He will often find himself the furthest forward of the three midfielders and sometimes even in the number 10 role if the correct situation arises. The main requirement of Mata is creativity; he needs to be able to play a pass that penetrates the opposition’s defense or dictates the direction of the attack These three should work well together and between them have everything a midfield needs.

Costa and Malcom are going to cause problems out wide, with the support they will have, they will look to push the fullbacks back and get into the danger area. both sides will definitely pose a threat with quick one twos, using Goretzka and Mata to play around them with the ball going in triangles quickly until the break is on. If fulbacks drives passed wingers they can cut inside looking to make a nuisance of himself centrally. they will use his tricks and flicks and pace to get them where they wants to be, again using Mata to get into danger areas. Both wingers have a fantastic forward to aim for in Belotti so if they get to the bye line then get the crosses in for him to attack.Belotti will get plenty chances, however he must put away there side who will be solid at the back, however I want to target the slower of the two/three with the aid of the midfield and the wingers. Get into positions that he can go for goal or at very least drag players away for other players to drive into the space. Again, target the slower of the cbs, split them apart to create space, we are quick, so our forwards must hit them with pace to drag them all over the place. He can score from various angles/ranges with hopefully a few crosses coming in he can get up and above defenders for. Can hold it up keeping defenders away with his upper body strength and look for runners, in particular the wingers and Mata will be making his runs also so be watchful of them just to lay it off to the side if he cant go for goal himself. But especially look for Costa, Mata and Malcom as they time their runs perfectly so a little touch back to him allows him to go for goal.

Captain - Kompany
Pens - Belotti/Aspas
Free Kicks - Mata
Corners - Wingers

Subs
Losing -
70 Mins - Aspas and Mandzukic for Mata and Belotti go 442, Aspas doing the running, with Mandzukic the central striker
80 Mins - Barkley for Wendell 3412

Winning -
70 Mins - Pellegrini for Mata and into a 3 man midfield to shore it up
80 Mins - Sessegnon for Douglas support the defence down the left
85 Mins - Veltman for Malcom go to RCB wiith Pellegrini going to RM 541

Drawing
70 Mins - Barkley for Mata, Aspas for Belotti, fresh legs up front
80 Mins - Mandzukic for Costa

Red Card - Go 441
Pickford - Leno on for Mata
Danilo - Veltman for Mata
Wendell - Veltman for Mata and switch with Danilo
CB - Veltman for Mata
CM - Pellegrini for Mata
Malcom - Mata to RM then Aspas for Mata 10 mins later if sub not made
Douglas - Mandzukic for Mata got to LW
Belotti - Aspas for Mata

------------------------ De Gea -------------------------
Carvajal ----- Bonucci ----- Laporte ----- A.Sandro
---------- Rabiot ---- Busquets ---- Pogba -----------
Mbappe ------------- S.Aguero -------------- Neymar

Butland, Sanchez, Paredes, Bailey, Draxler, Poulsen, Jesus

We want to play high tempo football with plenty of possession, no point in long balls with the lack of height up front so lets start from the back and play through them, quick one touch, triangles to get beyond the lines of defence

In goal DDG a fantastic shot stopper and a keeper that instills confidence in the back four, shouting instructions to his defenders. Out very quickly to shut down strikers and close there shooting angles down. Punches clear what he cant catch from high balls and likes to release early to set up quick counters.

Bonucci and Laporte at CB, Laporte picks up th CF, Bonucci sits spare, keep the forward(s) away from the danger area, by getting onto them quickly and be strong, take the ball away from them and play it away, look to move it simply to Busquets or our fullbacks as we look to start our attacks from deep. Both are perfect for this, as they both have a good passing range. Sandro and Carvajal at fullback, we must keep the wingers quiet, stop them and we stop a lot of there attacks. They will look to keep them away from shooting areas and stop them becoming dangerous in any position by standing tall against them and keeping them on there 'bad' foot. A lot of focus today is getting the ball wide, so both can attack, hence the three in midfield, they drive down the line in support of the wingers, Sandro gets outside Neymar to allow him to cut inside whereas Carvajal will support Mbappe by either pushing out wide or going inside to allow the winger to drive passed his man, but the two always make themselves available to the wingers.

Our midfield 3 are essential to our style of play, Busquets central sits a little deeper as he looks to pick up the ball from CBs or GK, a quick turn and head up he will look to get us moving with a ball either out wide to Sandro/Carvajal or a little further up to the wingers, if he is getting hounded down then he is physical enough to brush these players off him, having Rabiot and Pogba alongside allows him the time as they shield him, they don't allow anyone to get on top of Busquets which gives him that extra second to get the ball moving. We can move very quickly from defence to attack, so if they are up field and lose it then we can counter very quickly,
like said Rabiot and Pogba are vital in both defensive and attacking mode, they with Busquets shield our back 4 but when we are in control they will push just up ahead of Busquets to support the attack, they will at times receive the ball from the fullbacks so a quick pass back or ahead to the wingers, playing the ball in triangles to get round the opposition quickly will get them away from their fullbacks/midfielders. I want them to be a dominating midfield 3 in both defence and attack and work as a unit. Pogba will be the one furthest up field to support Aguero , looking to get him in on goal or indeed have a go himself,

In Mbappe and Neymar we will look to push them back up the pitch by pressing them, as everyone keeps reminding me these two aren't the best tacklers or at tracking back all I want them to do is get into the face of the fullbacks, stop them breaking up the pitch and getting up to support their own forwards. When attacking they will have the support from Carvajal/Sandro as we look to have a real go down the flanks, Mbappe is more of a 'winger' than Neymar so he will drive down the line with pace, beating his man along the way, can use Tolisso and Carvajal as the three look to eventually get the ball into Aguero or Neymar driving in from the left. Neymar himself does all the fancy stuff, but it does tend to come off, so we allow him to be free today, with Sandro in support and Pogba there making himself available like the right our left will be very dangerous

We want a high tempo game from our midfield 5 if you want to call it that, passing and moving, getting it out wide to where we see our strengths, push them back wards even when they have the ball, they may well have possession but if its in there own half they wont cause us many problems.

Aguero will get plenty chances, he must put away there side who will be solid at the back, Get into positions that he can go for goal or at very least drag players away for other players to drive into the space. Target the slower of the cbs, split them apart to create space, we are quick, so our forwards must hit them with pace to drag them all over the place. He can score from various angles/ranges Can hold it up and look for runners, in particular Mbappe and Neymar & Pogba, who will be making his runs also so be watchful of him just to lay it off to the side. But especially look for Neymar as he times his runs perfectly so a little touch back to him allows him to go for goal.If he cant go for goal he will look to bring others into the game with short passes or lay offs.

Captain - Bonucci
Penalties - Neymar
Free Kicks - Neymar
Corners - Wingers

Subs:
Winning -
70 Mins - Paredes for Pogba, he sits in as we close down there midfield if they bring on fresh legs, he helps defensively
80 Mins - Bailey for Mbappe, Poulsen for Aguero, Bailey will run with the ball and close things down, Poulsen can bully defenders and hold the ball up and close to him, still good for goals if needed

Losing -
70 Mins - Jesus for Pogba go 442
75 Mins - Bailey for Mbappe adds an injection of pace down the right
80 Mins - Draxler for Sandro, he goes to LM, Bailey RM and Neymar goes up top 343

Drawing -
70 Mins - Bailey for Mbappe, Jesus for Aguero lots of pace v tiring defenders
80 Mins - Poulsen for Pogba he goes right up top and Jesus just off him

4-2-3-Costa

A balanced formation with a Costa on top to upset their young cbs and make space for the supporting cast, Ronaldo and Hazard.

A strong defensive midfield pairing that will be key to this formation, and Thiago in front who is excellent defensively as well. Importantly, these 3 cms give freedom to our attacking players.

Hazard on the rw, but really he's in a free role, he can play central in attack, or even on the left, let him do what he wants to find the space and be at his best. We put Ronaldo in the LW position, but we know he'll drift to play off and ahead of Costa, people sometimes forget that he has is a fantastic footballer with great touch, link up play and crossing because of the goals.

We want him playing off Costa, getting involved in the link up play. Costa up top looking to bully the cbs and create space for the attacking trio behind. Hazard helping more with the creating.

Against this Liverpool side we want our full backs to attack, offering width. Hazard and Ronaldo have complete freedom to drift central to find space, and we know they will. Get in positions they can hurt Liverpool. With the full backs attacking, we want them to stretch the opposition, create space for Thiago and the front trio in central areas. Costa also looking to battle with the cbs, and drag them around, Ronaldo and Hazard will always be looking to support and get ahead of him where they can. No need to over complicate it, its only football.

Kante will always be very defensive minded, Can too will be defensive minded but in a slightly more advanced position than Kante, ready to win the ball back and stop any counters. The defence are happy to play a high line, with two strong defensive midfielders in front they have a barrier to stop a quick counter and pace to get back if not.

If Liverpool are very defensive minded then we push Can forward and get him more attacking. We want to take the game to Liverpool, outscore them. Their young heads are more likely to go down, use our experience to stay on top of the game.

Liverpool are strong centrally and have good height in midfield so the cbs, Can, Ronaldo and Costa ensure we have enough in the central areas here. When we lose the ball, we look to get men behind the ball and narrow to the side of play.

------------------- Neuer
Odriozola - Ramos - Otamendi - Marcelo
--------------- Kante --- E.Can
-- Hazard ------- Thiago.A ----- Ronaldo --
------------------- D.Costa

Subs. Schmeichel, Valencia, Ndidi, Koke, Rafinha, Asensio, Guedes


We look to mix it up. We can use the power of Costa, the pace of Hazard, the inteligence of Ronaldo, creativity of Thiago and pace and trickery of the full backs. We let our attackers play to their strengths and how they like to play without putting them in a box.

Defensive

We look to control the opposition by pressing the space with a narrow rigid defensive unit. Simply getting everyone bar Costa behind the ball. When we lose the ball the closest player presses the ball, the second closest presses the obvious passing channel. Just get players in a formation they can't play through, force them to take risks.

As Liverpool advance into higher areas of the park and into our half, our shape will resemble a 4-5-1, narrowing to the side of play. The dm on the side of play helping the fb. Or if central Kante the deepest, Can and Thiago pressing the ball and obvious central pass, Kante splitting the space in between covering.

tThe wingers drop deeper, important for our shape and making it difficult for Liverpool to play through, but we;re aware players can't be everywhere and do everything, they're attackers and why we go with two dms and Thiago narrowing to the side of play. The purpose of this cover to get the best out of attackers. Defenders defending, attackers attacking.

In this tight rigid formation, ensuring there are no gaps in the formation. Kante will be key, reading the play in between the defence and midfield, directing the two cms ahead of him (Can and Thiago) reading any dangers to get across.

Narrowing the play to the side Liverpool are attacking, pushing them backwards and wide away from danger. When they switch play, we switch over.

Attack.

Centre backs play out, they have the option to go long or have Kante, Can or Thiago offering options. Get the ball to Thiago, spreading it wide to the fbs, and look for Hazard Ronaldo in between the lines.

The attacking trio in front will always be looking for space in between their midfield and attack. The fbs as well will always be making themselves available.

We want quick one twos in the opposition half. The fbs, and attackers will always be looking for the killer ball. If it is not on, we are happy to keep possession, attacking down the wings and get crosses in from the fbs.

Ronaldo, Hazard and Costa have freedom to play his natural game and get the goals. Get crosses in for Ronaldo and Costa.

Subs.

If winning after 66 mins bring on Asensio for Costa. Asensio left, Hazard, right, Ronaldo to up front. Fresh pace in midfield.
If winning after 73 mins bring on Koke for Thiago. Fresh energy in an important position.
If winning after 80 mins bring on Valencia for Odriozola. Fresh pace.

If drawing after 70 mins bring on Asensio and Koke for Costa and Can. Move Ronaldo up top. Give us more control of the midfield and creativity as we look to put the pressure the closing stages and push for a winner.
If drawing after 75 mins bring on Guedes for Thiago. Hazard central am. Asensio right, Guedes left. Attacking 4-2-3-1. Koke cm.

If losing after 58 mins bring on Asensio and Koke for Can and Thiago. 4-2-2-2. Hazard left, Asensio right. Ronaldo and Costa up top.
If losing after 75 mins bring on Guedes for Costa. Fresh pace.

Brighton v Tottenham Hotspur

------------------- Ter Stegan ---------------------
Bellerin --- Boateng ---- Chiellini -- Gueirrero
-------------- A.Vidal ---- Fabregas -------------
A.Martial --------- B.Silva -------------- L.Sane
-------------------- M.Icardi ----------------------

Subs:
Forster, D.Alves, van Dijk, Wilshere, Lookman, Dembele, Batshuayi

Team Tactics:

We go 4-2-3-1 today as we look to take the game to our opponents, pressing them high up the pitch, forcing turnovers in dangerous areas as we put their players under pressure when in possession and hit them with our array of attacking threats.

When in possession we look to play quick passes, our transition from defence to attack will be swift as we get the ball to our danger men as quickly as possible. Martial and Sane have license to get forward alongside Icardi at every opportunity with B.Silva in hole and Vidal alongside Fabregas forming a double pivot in midfield. Boateng and Chiellini form a solid defensive pairing in front of the in-form Ter Stegan whilst the pacy Bellerin and Gueirrero have license to push forward when in possession.

When the opposition are in possession – we drop into a 4-5-1 formation, the wingers drop into midfield with Bernardo slotting into central midfield three making it increasingly difficult for the opposition to play through us. We sit deep and do not allow any space in behind, drawing the opposition onto us which will create plenty of space which we will look to exploit with a swift counter attack at breakneck speed.


Individual responsibilities:

Goalkeeper – Ter Stegan – Fantastic shot stopping keeper who’s distribution will be an added weapon to our arsenal. He will dominate the box, come for the ball and be commanding on set pieces. We look to start attacks from the back, distributing to our CB’s or if the opposition press we take advantage of this by spraying the ball out wide, immediately bypassing the press and putting us on the front foot.

Centre Backs – Boateng and Chiellini pair up as we look to shut out the opposition. An extremely experienced pairing who are both superb in the air and comfortable with the ball at their feet. If the opposition play a lone striker Chiellini will mark, staying tight at all times and a great reader of the game, we play on the front foot with Chiellini cutting out any balls into feet of the forward whilst Boateng covers any balls in behind using his pace to great effect. With the ball at feet they will either look for the advancing fullbacks or supplying the creative midfield trio to dictate the play.

Fullbacks – Bellerin and Gueirrero both offer superb pace, able to stay with the runs of the opposition wingers and also a threat when going forward. They will look to make attacking runs, overlapping the wingers as we look to make the pitch as wide as possible. We feel we can get at our opponents out wide and the two fullbacks will combine with our wingers as we look to overwhelm the opposition out wide. When making forwards runs only one will go at a time, the other sitting back in defence to ensure that we always have enough cover to break down a counter attack.

Central Midfield – Vidal and Fabregas will form a double pivot in midfield. They are both superb technicians as we look to open up the opposition. With Silva slightly ahead of them in the AM role these three will be key in retaining possession and creating chances for our forwards. Quick slick passing will move their counterparts out of position, we will make them continually chase the ball and all three have the ability to open them up should the opposition choose to sit deep. Vidal will look to break up the oppositions attack, a tireless working and great physical presence alongside Cesc who will look to carve open the opposition. Sat slightly deeper he will be afforded more space and have a greater spectrum of vision to spot the runs of the four attacking players ahead of him. B.Silva will be slightly more advanced, sitting in the hole behind the strikers and dropping in to pockets of space making him difficult to pick up, he also has license to drift out wide and interchange with the wingers as we look to attack the opposition from all angles.

Forwards – We play an attacking quartet as we go for goals, the pace, power and movement offered by these four will cause the opposition problems. Icardi will attack the box looking to get on the end of crosses and put away any chances that fall his way. In Martial and Sane we have two electric wingers, both with superb dribbling ability and an eye for goal they will get forward and form a front three alongside Icardi when in possession. They have license to switch flanks throughout making themselves difficult to be picked up, driving to byline and whipping in crosses whilst equally adept and coming inside and firing in shots when switching up to inverted wingers. They will make runs in behind the defence and with the ammunition being supplied by Silva, Fabregas and Vidal we will be aiming for goals. Icardi plays through the middle, a deadly finisher who will attack the box at all times. We expect the runs made by Martial and Sane will open up space for him on the ball and we expect him to take any chances that fall his ways as he looks to continue his rich vein of form.

Subs 65 mins;

If winning: Fabregas and Silva off, Van Dijk and Wilshere on. We go 5-4-1 with VVD slotting in alongside Boateng and Chiellini as we play a solid back 5 forming a brick wall in front of our goal. Wilshere comes in for Fabregas in CM to offer more defensive cover whilst the wingers drop back forming a 4 man midfield with Icardi the lone man up top. We make ourselves compact and difficult to play through as we see the game out.

If drawing: Silva and Bellerin off, Batshuayi and D.Alves on. We go 4-2-2-2 with Batshuayi alongside Icardi up front, Martial and Sane as AM’s and D.Alves coming on to offer an increased attacking threat from fullback. We will have increased options and plenty of runners in attack as we look to pin the opposition back and carve out a winner.

If losing: Silva and Chiellini off, Batshuayi and Lookman on. We go all guns blazing with Batshuayi going up top alongside Icardi, Martial and Sane. Lookman comes on for Chiellini as we sacrifice a CB for an extra attacker as we look to turn the game around and go for goals.

---------------------Horn
Weiser---Pavard-----Uduokhai-----Max
-----------Ascacíbar-----Tousart
Lopes--------------Fekir------------Forsberg
----------------------Milik

Subs: Hennessey, Klostermann, Kempf, Frenkie de Jong, Dahoud, Zinchenko, Ziyech


Our defensive unit consists of Benjamin Pavard and Ohis Felix Uduokhai paired up at centre-back, Mitchell Weiser at right-back and Philipp Max at left-back, with Santiago Ascacíbar and Lucas Tousart as our midfield ‘double pivot’ screening them.

This ‘double pivot’ is the key to our team and in Ascacíbar and Tousart we have a perfect pairing to initiate attacks by distributing the ball in an intelligent fashion, to be key players in circulation and to prevent dangerous opposition attacks, being disciplined in positioning and limiting space in between the lines.

The strength of our double pivot is that Tousart can press the ball without leaving lots of space, as Ascacíbar can maintain a good position to react if the initial press is bypassed. Our double pivot will offer huge defensive stability and will ensure that a structured shape is maintained.

Having two defensive midfielders centrally prevents others being dragged out of position to press.

Helping the defenders maintain solid positioning is a key part of Tousart’s role, he will press almost anywhere in his own half to allow defenders to stay in the defensive line.

With Tousart running his socks off for the team, our high tempo will dictated by his partner in holding midfield, Santiago Ascacíbar.

A holding midfielder through and through, Ascacíbar is not just your “win the ball and pass it on to the closest player” – there is a real creative mind in his locker, but it’s his ability to be the shield of the back four and then be creative once he gets the ball that makes Ascacíbar such a talent.

The attacking unit consists of Rony Lopes, Nabil Fekir and Emil Forsberg as our band of three attacking midfielders with Arkadiusz Milik as our lone central striker.

Our 4-2-3-1 is set up to have that wonderful ‘springy' quality - it absorbs pressure without breaking and then snaps back with surprising force.

In defence our 4-2-3-1 covers space very effectively, with the band of three attacking midfielders and centre forward able to press the opposition high up the pitch while the two defensive midfielders ensure that there is no space left in front of the defence. Then the back four can either play a high line, compressing the space even further, or drop deeper as preferred.

Once we have won the ball back, often by Ascacíbar or Tousart, then our 4-2-3-1 can spring into attack.

Weiser and Max can surge up the wings in the knowledge that Ascacíbar and Tousart can drop into the space left behind if needed. As they come up the wings, both Rony Lopes and Emil Forsberg, who are fast speed merchants, excellent in tight spaces and fantastic dribblers will cut inside or make runs into the box. Nabil Fekir our attacking central midfielder’s low centre of gravity will enable him to navigate away from defenders at a frighteningly quick pace. Fekir is blessed with an instant first touch and can dribble with the ball at such a close proximity to his feet that it makes him almost impossible to tackle this creative passer who will look to play Lopes, Forsberg and Milik in via fast passing combinations.

Milik is predominantly an old-style centre forward, however he does possess the technical qualities and versatility to shine in this game. He’ll be physically imposing and not only will he be a threat in the air, but he can also score via great volleys. We’ll look towards his wonderful finishing and passing ability and he’ll also display good positioning and teamwork, and won’t be afraid to help his team defend.

Subs on 75 mins
Dahoud on for Tousart and de Jong on for Ascacíbar

---------------------Buffon
Sidibe---Sokratis---Vertonghen---Kurzawa
-------------------Wanyama
---------Vecino-----------Parejo
Sterling-----------------------------Son
------------------Lacazette
Subs
Heaton, |nigo, Bertrand, Bender, Gray, Thauvin, Sanabria


Buffon is a commanding presence at the back, when he calls for a ball, the defence know he will take control of the situation, he and the defence have complete confidence in each other and stops those little split second doubts which could lead to a chance being conceded When he has the ball he will look to offload quickly in the direction of the front 3 to get those quick counters started.


Verthongen is the defensive leader and will be the one to set the defensive line on the pitch, both centre backs will stay back with either one of the full backs or the DM always prepared to make it a back 3 when we lose possession to stop counter attacks, Both CB"s will communicate with each other so they are clear in where the attacking threats are. When dealing with the opposition, we will avoid sliding tackles unless necessary instead looking to use our experience to just guide players off the ball. When on the ball, if the opposition are giving them space to come out with the ball, then they should take it forward, if not, keep it simple and play it to a man in space with the occasional long ball to the front 3 thrown in to keep the opposition from setting up against one style of play.




For the full backs today the objective is to sit back and tuck in slightly when defending, looking to stop balls being played between them and the centre backs, with the secondary advantage of discouraging the wide men from cutting inside, forcing them to cross, which gives us a better chance of getting the ball back quickly and launching an attack of our own.

 Their objective when attacking will be to keep making runs past the winger on both the inside and outside, giving the opposition full back that split second of indecision on who they go with. They will only occasionally put floated crosses in, preferring to either play shorter passes to the wingers or players who have come out from the middle of the pitch to keep possession and let the pressure build up in the final third, or run to the byline and put in fast and low crosses relying on both the faster reactions and control of our attackers and the pressure of the situation on their centre backs to hastily clear the ball without being in full control of the situation.


The focus of the midfield 3 will be to use their high energy, all action styles to get themselves around the middle of the pitch, working in collaboration with the front 3 to control the midfield battle whilst still having the attacking nous to create chances for us. When we are in the attacking third, they will always be looking to make themselves available for a pass to keep recycling the ball, keeping the pressure up with us looking to use the movement of the other CM's and the front 3 to drag the opposition defensive players that little bit more which could be the difference in getting a player behind them. They also all have an eye for a pass so will look to take advantage of the front 3 all flitting around and play them in with through balls and quick one touch play. We will also occasionally take the occasional long shot, with the aim being to make sure defenders aren't content to sit back and forcing them to make a decision. When defending, they are looking to press the middle third of the pitch, pressing the opposition CMs/Wingers in conjunction with other players as they are on the ball to rush their decisions and win the ball back.


Both wingers today will be looking will be to drift around when deeper players are in possession, looking to combine with the other attacking players to get little areas of space before using their pace and trickery respectively to drift between the CB and FB and get in behind them. When they are on the ball the emphasis will be more on cutting inside with the occasional long shot to test the keeper, and only occasionally putting in crosses, getting involved in a fast intricate style of passing with the centre mids and Lacazette, looking to create the passing triangles which will just take players out of the game. They should also look to run at players as they will be cautious not to give away a set piece due to the ability of our set piece takers. When the opposite winger has the ball, the one without the ball should look to find space between the CB and FB to add an extra body in the box. When defending, they should be stopping the passing lines to the full backs primarily, then focus on ensuring our full backs dont get outnumbered.



When Lacazette is attacking, he will look to constantly drift around the defenders looking to get himself a bit of space enough for him to get the ball and pass it along to another attacker or face up the defenders and take them on. When running onto a ball, He will also be looking to use his reactions to get ahead of the defender and then use his strength to cut in front of the defender, causing them to either stop their forward momentum completely, or make the foul.
When defending, he will be working with the wingers to cut off the passing lines for their CB's, forcing them or the keeper to launch it long, then using his tireless energy reserves to work back and press their centre mids.



Set Pieces


Corners - Parejo takes the corners, most of the time looking to have the ball at an attackable height around 8-10 yards out between the posts, the FB's stay back to prevent counters, the CB's and Lacazette work in a group to make little blocks and cross-runs to lose a marker so 1 or 2 can get a run at the ball, Son and Sterling flit around away from the main attacking group looking to pounce on mistimed touches and flicks around the area. Vecino looks to limit the opposition keeper from moving too far off his line, looking to take a defender with him to create less space for the keeper and one less man in the main action area. Wanyama takes a position just outside the box to pick up weak clearances and go for the odd thundercunt, as well as occasionally providing the short option to try and draw 2 defenders out of the box.





Free Kicks - Parejo takes Direct FK's



For Indirect FK's, same instructions as Corners





Penalties - Lacazette is the designated taker.

Subs



If Winning


70 mins - Cuadrado for Son - The wingers tuck back, but look to get out quickly and counter if the opposition over-commit for a route back into the game.




82 + 86 Mins - Bender for Parejo and Thauvin for Sterling - Actively time waste and really frustrate the opposition.



If Drawing
70 Mins - Bender for Wanyama - Add a bit more urgency into attacks, show the opposition we are going for the win.

If Losing



67 Mins - Thauvin and Sanabria for Wanyama and Sidibe - switch to a 3-5-2 (Son ST, Sterling CAM,Thauvin RWB) with emphasis on the wings backs acting as wingers and just pile forward in numbers.

BIRMINGHAM vs everton

-------------------------------------Lafont--------------------------------
Aurier------------Howedes---------------Ake-------------Alonso
------------------------Matuidi--------------Matic-----------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lucas-------------------------------------------------------------Arnautovic
---------------------------------------Alli-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------Vardy------------------------------------------

Subs - Caricol, Allan, Winks, Lingard, Mahrez, Gnabry, Gomez

CAPTAIN - MATIC
CK'S - MAHREZ
FK'S - MAHREZ
PENALTIES - VARDY

Going with the tried and tested 4231 this week. Solid in defence while also lethal in attack.

I want us to hold a deep defensive line to start of with so the oppo dont get an early goal. Keep things simple in the beginning and only pressure the oppo when they get in our half. When we have the ball I want the team to play pass and move football. Don't stay static, try and get in behind the oppo defence as there is a lot of pace in our attacking players. As the game goes on, when we don't have the ball I want the team to defend from the front line and pressure the oppo and try and win possession back. Do this in fits and bursts as it is a tiring tactic.

Defence
Lafont is a quality young keeper. Don't take risks. Punch the ball away if the shot is too powerful. Command your area. The defence is well balanced. Howedes and Ake bring a whole lot of experience and pace to the defence. Howedes will use his experience to marshal the defence and and Ake will look to use his pace to close the oppo strikers down. Stay vocal with each other and cover for each other if oppo gets past one of you. Full backs will start of with a conservative mind set and not attack too much but as the game goes on I want them to make overlapping runs and get some crosses in to the box. Matic and Matuidi will be covering for them when they go attacking.

Defence Mids
Matic + Matuidi
Matic will be the anchor in the middle. Stay back in front of the defence and protect the defence with your life. If the oppo play an AM then stick close to him and mark him if possible. When our fullbacks are attacking then your main priority will be to cover for them. When in possession pass the ball out to the wings or play a through ball from deep to our strikers. Matuidi will play more as a b2b mid but will be able to help both in attack and defence as he has a lot of stsmina. He will be making run's forward and helping our attackers with quick passes and penetrating runs from deep.

Wingers
Mahrez + Arnautovic
Moura and Arnautovic are two quick wingers but with a sense of physicality to them. Moura is very fast so I want him to take on the oppo left back and to make runs in behind him. Arnautovic is a tall lad and has the ability to use his strength to shrug off oppo defenders. Moura will look to play on the outside and get to the byline and whip in some crosses. Arnautovic likewise although I want him to drift in more and play like an infield striker. I want you both to help track back and help the full backs when they are in our half of the pitch.

Attack Mid
Dele Alli
Dele will look to have a free role in midfield. I want him to make different types of runs from midfield so it is harder for the oppo to mark you. Make diagonal runs and drift into the wings etc. You will be the link between the midfield and the attack. Play quick passes and play 1 2's to find space and create a chance to shoot.

Striker
Vardy
Vardy will look to use his pace and play off the oppo defenders shoulders and try and outpace them. Be vary of through balls from your teammates and if you are through on goal, use your expert finishing to score. When we don't have possession of the ball I want you to drop deep and wait around the half way line for an opportunity to hit the oppo on the counter attack.

Subs if LOSING BY 65MINS
Put on Gomez for Matic and Mahrez for Alli. Also Inaki for Arnautovici to bring some more pace on. Play a high line and try and get a goal. Change formation to 41212.

-------------------------------------Lafont--------------------------------
Aurier-------------Howedes---------------Ake-------------Alonso
----------------------------------------Allan-------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Moura-------------------------------------------------------------------Inaki
-----------------------------------------Mahrez------------------------------------
-----------------------------Vardy---------------Gomez--------------------------


Subs if WINNING BY 80MINS
Take off Alli and put on Allan in CM and play defensive with everyone in our own half defending for their lives, waiting to hit the oppo on the counter attack. Mahrez on for Moura and Lingard for Arnautovic to bring some much needed freshness in midfield.

-------------------------------------Lafont--------------------------------
Aurier------------Howedes---------------Ake-------------Alonso
---------------------------Matic-----------Matuidi -----------------------------
--------------------------------------Allan--------------------------------------------
Mahrez--------------------------------------------------------------Lingard
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------Vardy----------------------------------------


Subs if DRAWING BY 65MINS
Gomez on for Vardy
Mahrez on for Alli
Allan on for Matuidi
Fresh legs to bring on.

NEWCASTLE 4-3-3

Captain: Luis Suarez
Penalties: Luis Suarez
Corners: Miralem Pjanic
Freekicks: Miralem Pjanic
Crossing Freekick: Miralem Pjanic

—————————— Lloris
Florenzi — Marquinhos — Sule — Robertson
————————— Pjanic
—————— Nainggolan — Coutinho
Salah ————————————————— Mane
——————————— Suarez

SUBS: Koulibaly, Tierney, N’Zonzi, Casemiro, Ozil, Suso, Firmino


We’ll press the opposition like Liverpool and win the ball as close to their goal as possible or move the ball up the pitch towards the opposition’s goal quickly. My 4-3-3 will overload his midfield and pin back his wing backs. We’ll use the quickness of our one touch, short passing game and using the pace & dribbling ability of the attacking players. However when the opposition get close to our box, we will revert to a defensive block to limit their chances. We defend and attack as a collective unit, limiting the space between the lines in which the opposition plays in.

We will start Pjanic in deep midfield to keep the ball rolling and take advantage of his penetrative passes.

When in attack we will get forward in numbers, using the footballing intelligence & movement of our attacking midfielders & striker to create passing angles and overloads in the opposition’s area of the pitch both out wide and in central zones, looking to drag the opposition’s players out of position and exploiting the space they leave open. When the opposition is using a deep defensive block to shut out our team we will use our fullbacks to create numbers out wide to stretch the opposition (this will be assisted by our CDM splitting the CBs wider allowing the FBs to move up the pitch) simultaneously using our wide-forward to cut inside to create overloads in the central areas giving us a number advantage. When creating chances from the wide areas with the FBs or WFs, we will send crosses in to feed the other forwards. Making runs behind the defence and beyond the striker is not prohibited by our attacking and central midfielders (minus CDM). There is a lot freedom in the movement of our attacking players. No player is restricted to a specific zone on the field or specific task. All four attackers (Coutinho, Salah, Mane, Suarez) will either be provider or finisher with Nainggolan supporting and Pjanic sitting deep in midfield. Shooting from outside the box is encouraged. Our players will also press constantly from the front when we lose possession of the ball.

Offensive & Defensive Transitions:

This is the player's movements & reactions when moving between defence and attack, importantly the movement of the ball as this is arguably the most important aspect of our game. Winning the ball back when your opposition is disorganized is the perfect moment. We will aim for rapid movement up the pitch, with progressive passing to exploit the space left by the opposition. Whether it is from our defensive third of the pitch or whether we have won the ball back in our attacking third of the pitch we will exploit the disorganization of the opposition. We expect most of our attacking play will be as a result of our aggressive high press so we will use the following triggers for pressing the opponent:

1. The ball is played to a player facing his own goal

2. The ball is played to a player against the sidelines (using the sideline as an extra man in our favour)

3. A difficult bouncing ball is played to a player facing his own goal.

When any of these triggers happen, the players closest to the ball will press quickly and another 2 or 3 players will hold off slightly adding depth to the press and closing down their easy option pass. Once we win possession of the ball, we break in numbers again exploiting the opposition with either the pace of our attack. We also understand that we won't always get it right when pressing the opposition so we will employ a 10-second rule on pressing from the front after which, if we did not win back possession, we will revert to our defensive block. If we don’t win the ball after our initial phase of pressing it's imperative that the players work their way back into our defensive zone of the pitch and close the space that the opposition will look to play in. Close the space quickly and look to frustrate the opposition with intelligent positioning and hard tackling before winning the ball back and breaking forward at rapid speed. We will compact the central zones and force the opposition wide which limits the chances of breaking through our midfield. Long diagonal balls and quick releases from deep are encouraged when the opportunity arises. Our forwards have the pace to run onto through-balls.

We go into our defensive block if we cannot win the ball through our pressing. As a team we will defend deep in our half and close the space in the middle of the pitch. When forcing the opposition closer to the touchlines, we will use the touch line as an extra-man and press them so that we can win possession and result in us outnumbering them. If the play is on the left of the field the team will move towards the left and squeeze the space and vice versa on the right. We will try to force our opponents to play hopeful crosses into our box. If a cross is coming from their right our LB will also move into the box to help deal with crosses and vice versa if the cross is coming from the left. The midfielders will be around the box pressing the opponent should they try to play it central. Our wide forwards will help the midfield in closing the space in the centre and then proceed to help the fullback after we have moved the opponent towards the touchline. The wide-forwards are the real work horses in the team and I have 2 very good, hard-working wide-forwards. Our striker will also drop into our half to help the midfield press the opposition’s defence. Also the reasoning behind dropping the striker deep is to draw the opponent’s defence away from their goal creating ample space for us to counter attack.

Substitutions:

If winning after 80 mins bring on Casemiro for Pjanic. More physical presence in midfield, and gives greater defensive cover.

If drawing or losing after 65 mins bring on Ozil for Coutinho. Fresh creativity and legs.

If drawing or losing after 75 mins bring on Firmino for Nainggolan. Casemiro will press higher to win the ball back quickly. Firmino with more goal threat, plays up front with Suarez, in a 4-4-2.

Vs Leicester

—————————Courtois
R.Pereira-----Skriniar——Umtiti——Gaya
——————Fabinho——Torreira
Bernardeschi———Dybala————Savic
———————————Morata

Subs: Pope, Christensen, Zagadou, Zinchenko, Lemar, Brandt, Mariano

Captain: Fabinho
Free Kicks: Fabinho/Paulo Dybala
Penalties: Fabinho
Corners: Federico Bernardeschi

Tough game but with the right work rate there’s definitely something for us here. Off the ball we look to take a more passive approach to defending, in order to maintain a compact set up. Our front 4 will be charged with counter pressing and slowing opposition attacks down after turnovers. We want the three ball side forwards to lead the counter press, putting pressure on the deepest Leicester midfielder’s, Dybala and Morata in particular making sure that they are forced to pass sideways, whilst the ball side winger will look to close of diagonal forward passing lanes towards the opposition winger. This is designed to allow our CMs to recover their position in front of our defence, and allow the opposite side players to also fall into their defensive positions, whilst slowing the attack down and forcing it wider gives the opponents less room to manoeuvre into.

Once we have moved them wide we drop in to a 4-4-2, with the two wingers dropped back alongside the CMs providing their FBs with protection and Dybala + Morata forming a block around the deepest midfielder, essentially creating a 4 vs 3 in the midfield in our favour. We focus on defending our own half zonally, giving their midfield no room to play in, Fabinho and Torreira using their defensive nouse to snuff out any attacks that begin to threaten our back 4.

The wingers will be key, they focus on defending the half spaces, both very hard working and defensively strong players, make sure they CMs can’t pull wider and stretch us, allow our CMs to stay in position by protecting these zones, and when the opposition bring their FBs forward, shuffle across to go man for man with these two, being physical with them. When the opposition do have the ball by the touchline we shuffle across as a whole team to defend the flank, not allowing easy switches of play by maintaining our two man block around their deepest midfielder.

Dybala/Morata are key defensively, Kante is a definite weakness on the ball and they must insure that they don’t ever give him time or space, when the ball moves towards him be quick in to him, test his touch, if we can rob him Leicester are going to be vulnerable. This two man block should force them to commit their CBs to the attack and we should start to see gaps between them which the movement of Morata and Dybala and pace of Bernardeschi can exploit in transition periods.

The back four remains narrow to each other, no gaps between FBs and CBs, we know that their wingers are tricky and want to exploit these positions, keep tight to them, make sure we are always close so if we are beaten we can be backed up immediately. Stand up strong to them and look to get a toe in, force the ball back towards midfield. Skriniar comes in for his physicality, we want to give their CFs a battle today, they are either small and weak or easily wound up, play on both weaknesses.

Going forward we look to create overloads in the opposition’s formation. The Cbs will support this style, with Umtiti able to bring the ball out of defence and draw opposition CMs on to him to help one of our midfielders find space, whilst Skriniar is able to use his laser passing from deep to find the gaps between the opposition lines.

Today’s double pivot will be disciplined, we don’t want them getting caught out of position, so there job is to find space deeper to aid the build up, take advantage of the CBs abilities on the ball to get pockets of space, particularly in the half spaces, as from there both have great delivery into the box, look for Morata early if the chance arises.

When we get into the final third overloads out wide will become pivotal. Dybala will look to drift out towards the wing in order to create triangles out wide. With their wingers not known for their tracking back, we can really hurt Leicester’s FBs today. When Dybala drifts wide, the opposite winger tucks in and takes up the 10 space to maintain our central presence, and to stop their DMs being quick to leave the middle ground open, this will either create space for Dybala or the inverted winger. Focus on attacking down the right, getting Pereira, Bernardeschi and Dybala working together to overload the flank, but always maintain structure so if Pereira overlaps, Bernadeschi drops deeper to avoid being countered, if Dybala runs towards the touchline, Bernardeschi inverts. On the opposite side the Gaya will push right up, stop their opposite side FB following Milinkovic-Savic, gives us the option of crosses from the right, switches to the left, and overloads infield.

Milinkovic-Savic will be key today as the inverted winger, his off the ball movement will be key, if space opens up in the middle, then he can drive into it, he can occupy the DM which his strength and also make runs into the box to pull CBs away from Morata, or risk leaving another big target to aim for. He also has the physical beating of Odriozola so will be an out ball to start counters.

Morata looks to use his movement to get behind the defence and also to position himself for crosses. When we are building centrally he can drop deep to provide another body to overload their midfield, his link up play with Dybala is top drawer and it will serve to pull defenders towards the midfield, particularly when Dybala, Savic, Morata are all linking centrally, allowing Bernanrdeschi to use his pace to make runs in behind. Use this to attack any space that appears, as well as creating space by having the back four dragged backwards and forwards at the same time, give the opposition midfield way more ground to cover.



Subs:

If Winning: Zagadou for Gaya 70’, stronger defensive player down the left. Christensen and Zinchenko for Dybala and Bernardeschi 75’, 5-4-1 with Skriniar and Umtiti picking up the CFs whilst Christensen screens.

If Drawing: Mariano for Morata 70’, more powerful CF. Brandt and Lemar for Bernardeschi and Savic 75’, gives us three very intricate players in behind the striker, we want to overload the spaces between the DMs.

If Losing: Christensen for R.Pereira 60’, 3-4-3 with Bernardeschi and Gaya as WBs. Lemar for Torreira 65’, Savic in to CM. Mariano for Gaya 80’, Lemar out wide, Mariano in the box.

—————————Rico
Toure———Zouma--—Diop——Jorge
------------------Diawara
—————Fornals————Lo Celso
Gelson—————Lukaku—————B.Keita

Subs: Dragowski, Gagnon, Bernardo, Soler, Oyarzabal, Bertrand Traore, Schick

Captain: Issa Diop
Corners: Carlos Soler
Free Kicks: David Neres
Penalties: Balde Keita

Patient, frustrate them and wait for the chance to attack in behind. We expect them to want to play out from the back, we will allow their CBs possession of the ball and instead focus on defending their attackers. Our aim is to force them wider as this is where they will be least dangerous. Defend in a 4-4-2, Lukaku and B.Keita as the first line of defence today will take up dealing with the DM, circle around him so that he cannot be effective in build up. That allows us to then get 8 players, two narrow banks of 4 to cover the rest of the space, making the centre of the field massively congested. Force them to try and build up wide and then shuffle across to use our same structure but in the wide areas, using the touchline as an extra weapon to press them.

Our midfield four will create a narrow zonal line, Gelson and Lo Celso occupying half spaces and Diawara and Fornals the central lanes. The back four will also be narrow and compact to the the midfield line to keep everything very tight. Each player then will have their zone, when the ball enters this zone, particularly the midfield line, they will press the ball carrier whilst the other 3 drops behind the ball so we can put pressure on but not lose ur shape, when one midfielder steps out to press the ball side CF will come to press from behind. The combination of 3 compact lines and zonal pressure should force the opposition to use the FBs more often, once this happens we can go 2 v 2 with wide man and FB, wide man pressing and FB behind to back him up. Keita will drop back in and create a staggered diamond with the remaining 3 midfielders, Keita at the tip moving towards ball side and Diawara at the base, not allowing gaps between the lines. Far side CM will step up to block any switches of play and the ball side CM will step across to block the route central. Any pass into this diamond and it narrows very quickly, all four players working hard to shut the ball carried and his passing lanes down. Keep the opposition down the flank, if it goes forward, wide man and FB press harder, if it goes backwards, wide man and Balde Keita press harder, working 2 vs 1. Back four should remain in their line at all times, when the ball side FB has to step out, the rest shuffle across. In Diop and Zouma we have the power and pace to deal with any type of CF.

Going forward we have a great amount of pace and we should be looking to target the opposition down the sides of their defence. Our two wingers love to burst forward and when we win the ball wide the first thing that needs to happen is that we take advantage of the space out wide, for example on the left, if Jorge wins it, Lo Celso/Balde Keita must make a run for him, if Lo Celso/Keita wins it, Jorge must overlap into the space behind. Lo Celso and Fornals will support offensive transitions from midfield, both have a lot of quality on the ball and the direct running to carry us forward and break through a midfield press, one looks to get close to Lukaku and the other stays a little deeper as a link man. Lukaku will be looking to pull on to the side of the CBs, he loves to get wide of them and drag them out of the centre to isolate them, and this is the run we want him to keep making. When we win it centrally then the first look must be for runners into wide areas. If its the wide men/FBs bringing it forward then we want a CM coming to support play and Lukaku running behind, sometimes swapping roles. Second option if we can’t attack the wide spaces is to use the CMs' dribbling through the middle, they have the beating of the opposition CMs for pace and skill and if he can take them out of the game it will force the CBs and FBs to leave their position and leave space for blind side runs for supporting players. Third option is longer balls into Lukaku, one touch lay offs to supporting players to burst beyond him, or lay offs into wider areas. He can also look to position himself for diagonal switches of play, attacking the free side of the pitch. Diawara works as a three with the CBs flanking him to keep things ticking over in the middle, switching between 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3, 4-4-2 and 3-4-3 in attack, using a flexible shape designed to overload the areas we are working in.

Subs:

If Winning: Gagnon for Lo Celso 70’, 5-4-1, control the length of the pitch with a back 5 and keep the middle compact. Bernardo for Lo Celso 75’. Soler for Fornals 80’.

If Drawing: Oyarzabal for Lo Celso, 4-4-2 70’, more speed, look to get in behind and down the sides. Bertrand Traore for B.Keita, Schick for Gelson 75’

If Losing: Change to a 3-4-3 with Toure CB, Gelson RWB, Jorge LWB. Oyarzabal for Lo Celso 65’.Schick for Balde Keita 75’. B.Traore for Jorge 80'

If red:

GK: Dragowski on for Gelson, 4-4-1
FB: Bernardo for Gelson
CB/DM: Gagnon for Gelson(Zouma DM if Diawara off)
CM: Soler for Gelson
Winger/striker = 4-4-1(Keita up front if Lukaku off)

-------------------------- A.Meret
--------- J.Tah ----- Alderweireld ----- Varane
K.Walker ------ Khedira ----- Verratti ---------- Mendy
------------- K.De Bruyne ---- Alexis Sanchez
----------------------- Lewandowski

Subs: Oxlade, Dier, Fernandinho, D.Silva, O.Dembele, Werner, Mertens

3-4-1-2, a balanced side today with the right measure of attacking and work rate capabilities. We want to play a possession based game but when defending, sit deeper and look to nip in and counter. Transitioning from defence to attack within seconds and hitting the opposition hard.

Gone in with a side full of players that will put a shift in down both ends of the pitch, from our attacking trio to our new signing Verratti, who will buzz about all game and make his presence felt with his superior passing and tackling ability.

We don't want to play in congested midfield areas throughout the game, so our quick wing-backs are essential. allow us to play with real width, creating space in the middle and gaps in the opposition defence.

De Bruyne and Sanchez will be given the flexibility to roam and influence the game as much as possible, we don't want to tie them down to any one position, pass and move, play off Lewandowski and put real pressure on that Newcastle defence, not a moments rest

In terms of defensively, as mentioned we sit slightly deeper to neautralise the pace of their forwards, De Bruyne comes deeper to form a midfield trio and press intensively in central areas, A.Sanchez joing Lewa in attack to press from the front.

3-4-2-1 - Possession based:
It starts from the back. Meret is very able with his hands and feet and should look to find our players in space.

The CB trio are excellent on the ball, very good passing success rates and should look to move the ball into mf quickly. At times collecting short from Meret and getting their heads up, looking for movement from the attackers and attempting diagonal or long balls into feet, using Lewandowski as a target man to bypass their mf.

Tah & Varane should shift slightly wider when on the offense allowing our wing-backs to push up in a bank of 4 in mf.

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

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

De Bruyne and Alexis have free roles in attack, at times going wider to support the WG-backs. Sanchez partnering Lewa up top with De Bruyne in behind, or them sitting and dictating/driving from deep to open up the game ahead.

Generally they will look to play inbetween the lines, roaming in the oppositions half and and looking to act as the link between midfield and attack. Picking up pockets of space and using their awareness to dictate the play, never afraid to play a key pass in behind to unlock their defence or drive from deep.

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

Two quick & powerful WG-backs in Walker and Mendy, need to hug the touchline and provide the width allowing us to stretch the opposition. Always on the move so we can get them in behind and use them as outlets going forward when picking a pass.

Very possession orientated, comfortable playing quick 1-2's and accelerating into space, overlapping often and getting early deliveries into the box for our striker/s to attack.

When Newcastle are in possession we will initially look to press from front with our two strikers and then drop off deeper with men behind the ball if they bypass with a strong block of 5 in midfield.

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

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

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

Essentially a 3-5-2, 5 in mf working to minimise the space in midfield zones and preventing them from finding their attackers. Our wing-backs then drop off to mark the oppositions wingers and help our CB's to prevent any space being left in behind.

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

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

If we manage to win the ball we must immediately look to counter and hit the opposition hard. Walker & Mendy can come up to support the play and provide the width. The front 3 burst forward.

Subs:
IF WINNING: 66th minute – (3-5-2)
- Fernandinho > Khedira
- Werner > A.Sanchez
- D.Silva > De Bruyne (75th minute)
Compact 3-4-3, Fernandinho fresh legs in mf, Werner replaces Sanchez and looks to get in behind with his pace and movement. D.Silva plays a similar role to KDB.

IF DRAW: 70th minute – (3-4-3 - wide)
- O.Dembele > Verratti
- D.Silva > De Bruyne
- Werner > Lewa (75th min)
O.Dembele and A.Sanchez look to play as natural wingers in a 3-4-3. D.Silva in a deeper role looking to dictate the tempo and work opportunities, Werner, fresh pace late on.

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

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

WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS v Chelsea

Injuries: Kenedy, Stephens, Eriksen, Sigurdsson

-------------------- K Navas
------- Savic - Mascherano - Koscielny
Juanfran - Jorginho - Gundogan - Hector
-------- F Anderson ---------- Willian
----------------- Aubameyang

Subs: Rulli, Monreal, Milner, Drinkwater, R Sanches, Musonda, Immobile

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

A tough but winnable game today against Chelsea, hopefully our back three will keep their attack at bay while causing problems of our own to their defence.

We are playing a 3-4-2-1 today, Keylor Navas in goal, Savic, Mascherano and Koscielny in the back three, Juanfran and Hector as wingbacks, Jorginho and Gundogan anchoring the midfield, with Felipe Anderson and Willian in attacking midfield roles off of Aubameyang upfront.

This game is about controlling the tempo and giving us the best chance of getting the win today. Chelsea are strong and our best hope is to be strong, disciplined and keep our concentration levels at maximum.

Navas - Distribute from the back to the fullbacks/CM's, stay in communication with your defence throughout, be wary of long range efforts and ensure you stay big for any one on ones. On occasion go long for Aubameyang.

Savic/Mascherano/Koscielny - Savic and Koscielny to mark their strikers, force them high up the pitch thus limiting their impact close to goal, and Mascherano to be the spare man, be first to the second ball and their AM making runs from midfield. When in possession bring the ball out of defence and use the midfielders ahead of you to help us play out from the back. Two of you go forward for setpieces.

Juanfran/Hector - Both of you to force the Chelsea wingers out wide, do not allow them to come inside as this will cause more problems for our midfield. They will want to cut inside so force them outside and block their crosses at source. They will try to create problems infield so its vital you only show them down the wing. If they play a diamond with no wingers you will need to form a narrow back five with the CB's and leave no spaces in behind. When we have possession, push forward and support F Anderson and Willian as they will try to run inside the fullback and you will provide the overlap to either create space or supply crosses into the area for Aubameyang and link with Jorginho/Gundogan. You will need to track back very quickly to ensure we don't get caught on the break.

Jorginho/Gundogan - Gundogan playing the box to box role, assist Jorginho in dealing with the Chelsea attack when we don't have the ball, if they play an AM Jorginho stay on him, but don't follow if he drifts wide. Be first to any loose balls, in possession Jorginho to look for the attackers and pass rather than bring the ball out, Gundogan to burst forward to join the front three on occasion and bring the ball to create space for others.

F Anderson/Willian - Playing at AM, both with the trickery to beat the Chelsea fullback and get crosses in, you will also have our fullback overlapping giving you the chance to cut inside and get shots in. Look to supply Aubameyang with chances and also provide yourself with chances. Link up with Jorginho/Gundogan, and capitalise on the space Aubameyang's presence will create for you.

Aubameyang - you will be expected to occupy the Chelsea centrebacks, hold up possession and look to turn the defender and shoot. Be strong in the air and look for your teammates trying to pick you out from deep. Shoot on sight. Stay on the last defender's shoulder for any passes in behind. Look to interchange with F Anderson and Willian on occasion. Try and link with those two to create opportunities.

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

Subs 70 mins;
If winning: F Anderson off, Drinkwater on. 5-3-1-1, wingbacks to fullback, Drinkwater in midfield alongside Gundogan and Jorginho, Willian behind Aubameyang.

If drawing: F Anderson off, Immobile on. Change to 3-4-1-2, Willian behind Aubameyang and Immobile, push for the winner.

If losing: Mascherano, Koscielny and Jorginho off, R Sanches, Musonda and Immobile on. 3-1-4-2, Juanfran - Savic - Hector, Gundogan the playmaker, Musonda - F Anderson - R Sanches - Willian behind Aubameyang and Immobile upfront. Push for goals.

BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION v Tottenham

Injuries: Carvalho, Ward-Prowse, Benzema, Welbeck

-------------------- Cech
Zabaleta - Matip - Evans - Bernat
-------- Dembele - Krychowiak
Callejon - Mkhitaryan - Yarmolenko
------------------- Falcao

Subs: Trapp, Holding, Blind, Schneiderlin, Pastore, Payet, Walcott

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

A very tough game today, but we can get at this Tottenham side, I feel we can target them down the middle and create chances for Falcao to finish.

Playing a 4-2-3-1 today, Cech in goal, Zabaleta, Matip, Evans and Bernat across the back, Dembele and Krychowiak anchoring the midfield, Callejon and Yarmolenko either side of Mkhitaryan, with Falcao upfront.

This game is about controlling the tempo and giving us the best chance of getting the win today. Tottenham have some world class players in their side although we have some class players of our own to hurt them and cause them real problems. Our front three with assistance from the fullbacks should create plenty of chances, and in midfield we have a trio who can dictate the game in Dembele, Krychowiak and Mkhitaryan, we control the possession and the flow of the game. Callejon at RW and Yarmolenko at LW both able to use their creativity and get at the Tottenham defence with Zabaleta and Bernat overlapping. Falcao upfront to give us a physical presence and somebody who is able to hold up possession as well as create chances for himself and his teammates.

Cech - Distribute from the back to the fullbacks/CM's, stay in communication with your defence throughout, be wary of long range efforts and ensure you stay big for any one on ones. On occasion go long for Falcao.

Matip/Evans - Matip to mark their striker, force him high up the pitch thus limiting his impact close to goal, and Evans to be the spare man, be first to the second ball and their second striker/AM making runs from midfield. If they play two strikers pick up a man each and leave Krychowiak to deal with the AM. When in possession bring the ball out of defence and use the midfielders ahead of you to help us play out from the back. Both of you go forward for setpieces.

Zabaleta/Bernat - Both of you to force the Tottenham wingers out wide, do not allow them to come inside as this will cause more problems for our midfield. They will want to cut inside so force them outside and block their crosses at source. They will try to create problems infield so its vital you only show them down the wing. If they play a diamond with no wingers you will need to form a narrow back four with the CB's and leave no spaces in behind. When we have possession, push forward and support Callejon/Yarmolenko as they will try to run inside the fullback and you will provide the overlap to either create space or supply crosses into the area for Falcao and link with Dembele/Krychowiak/Mkhitaryan. You will need to track back very quickly to ensure we don't get caught on the break.

Dembele/Krychowiak - Dembele playing the box to box role, assist Krychowiak dealing with the Tottenham attack when we don't have the ball, if they play an AM Krychowiak stay on him, but don't follow if he drifts wide. Be first to any loose balls, in possession Krychowiak to look for the attackers and pass rather than bring the ball out, Dembele to burst forward to join the front four on occasion and bring the ball to create space for others.

Mkhitaryan - Play between the lines of defence and midfield, look to create chances for Callejon/Yarmolenko/Falcao who will be in space, be the creative influence we need you to be. Without possession, harass their deep playmaker if they have one, if not drop back with Dembele and Krychowiak to form a midfield five with Callejon and Yarmolenko.

Callejon/Yarmolenko - Both playing out wide and both have the creativity and trickery to beat the Tottenham fullbacks and get crosses in, but both of you will also have our fullback overlapping giving you the chance to cut inside and get shots in. Look to supply Falcao with chances and also provide yourselves with chances. Link up with Dembele/Krychowiak/Mkhitaryan, and capitalise on the space Falcao's presence will create for you. Without the ball I expect you two to track back and assist your fullback, form a midfield five with Dembele/Krychowiak/Mkhitaryan.

Falcao - you will be expected to occupy the Tottenham centrebacks, hold up possession and look to turn the defender and shoot. Be strong in the air and look for your teammates trying to pick you out from deep. Shoot on sight. Stay on the last defender's shoulder for any passes in behind. Look to interchange with Callejon/Yarmolenko on occasion.

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

Subs 70 mins:
If winning: Mkhitaryan off, Schneiderlin on. Switch to a flat 4-5-1 with Schneiderlin alongside Dembele/Krychowiak in midfield. Callejon to RM and Yarmolenko to LM, look to absorb pressure and hold out for the win.

If losing: Krychowiak and Bernat off, Pastore and Walcott on. Change to a 3-1-4-2, back three of Zabaleta - Matip - Evans, Dembele the playmaker, Callejon - Mkhitaryan - Pastore - Yarmolenko behind a front two of Walcott and Falcao. Push for goals.

League Cup Tactics

Chelsea, Wolves, Liverpool, Newcastle Required

--------------------------- Muric -------------------------
Henrichs ----- M.Akanji ----- Lenglet ----- Emerson
----------- C.Tolisso --- Rabiot --- H.Aouar ----------
L.Bailey --------------- G.Jesus -------------- Mbappe

M.Bulka, Mukiele, Cuisance, Coman, Foden, Poulsen, Nmecha

We want to play high tempo football with plenty of possession, these guys train with our squad so know the drill, no point in long balls with the lack of height up front so lets start from the back and play through them, quick one touch, triangles to get beyond the lines of defence

Standing at 6’6, Arjanet Muric is an imposing figure between the sticks with excellent reflexes to make him a commanding shot-stopper and comfortable with the ball at his feet, out very quickly to shut down strikers and close there shooting angles down. Punches clear what he cant catch from high balls and likes to release early to set up quick counters.

Akanji and Lengletat CB, Akanji picks up the CF, Lenglet sits spare, keep the forward(s) away from the danger area, by getting onto them quickly and be strong, take the ball away from them and play it away out of defence, no need to panic, look to move it simply to Rabiot or our fullbacks as we look to start our attacks from deep.
Henrichs and Emerson at fullback, we must keep the wingers quiet, stop them and we stop a lot of there attacks. Both are perfect for this, They will look to keep them away from shooting areas and stop them becoming dangerous in any position by standing tall against them and keeping them on there 'bad' foot. A lot of focus today is getting the ball wide, so both can attack, hence the three in midfield, they drive down the line in support of the wingers, Emerson gets outside Mbappe to allow him to cut inside whereas Henrichs will support Bailey by either pushing out wide or going inside to allow the winger to drive passed his man, but the two always make themselves available to the wingers.

Our midfield 3 are essential to our style of play, Rabiot central sits a little deeper as he looks to pick up the ball from CBs or GK, a quick turn and head up he will look to get us moving with a ball either out wide to Henrichs/Emerson or a little further up to the wingers, if he is getting hounded down then he is physical enough to brush these players off him, having Tolisso and Aouar alongside allows him the time as they shield him, they don't allow anyone to get on top of Rabiot which gives him that extra second to get the ball moving. We can move very quickly from defence to attack, so if Liverpool are up field and loose it then we can counter very quickly,
like said Tolisso and Aouar are vital in both defensive and attacking mode, they with Rabiot shield our back 4 but when we are in control they will push just up ahead of Rabiot to support the attack, they will at times receive the ball from the fullbacks so a quick pass back or ahead to the wingers, playing the ball in triangles to get round the opposition quickly will get them away from the Liverpool fullbacks/midfielders. I want them to be a dominating midfield 3 in both defence and attack and work as a unit. Aouar will be the one furthest up field to support Jesus , looking to get him in on goal or indeed have a go himself,

In Mbappe and Bailey we will look to push them back up the pitch by pressing them,All Iwant them to do is get into the face of the fullbacks, stop them breaking up the pitch and getting up to support their own forwards. When attacking they will have the support from Henrichs and Emerson as we look to have a real go down the flanks, Bailey is more of a 'winger' than Mbappe so he will drive down the line with pace,( he is extremely quick) beating his man along the way, can use Tolisso and Henrichs as the three look to eventually get the ball into Jesus or Mbappe driving in from the left. Mbappe himself does all the fancy stuff, but it does tend to come off, so we allow him to be free today, with Emerson in support and Aouar there making himself available like the right our left will be very dangerous, we need to use our pace to our advantage get beyond the fullbacks and drive into support Jesus. Must help the defence tho by tracking the fullbacks or wingbacks

We want a high tempo game from our midfield 5 if you want to call it that, passing and moving, getting it out wide to where we see our strengths, push them back wards even when they have the ball, they may well have possession but if its in there own half they wont cause us many problems.

Jesus will get plenty chances, he must put away there side who will be solid at the back, Get into positions that he can go for goal or at very least drag players away for other players to drive into the space. Target the slower of the cbs, split them apart to create space, we are quick, so our forwards must hit them with pace to drag them all over the place. He can score from various angles/ranges Can hold it up and look for runners, in particular Mbappe, Bailey and Aouar, who will be making his runs also so be watchful of him just to lay it off to the side. But especially look for Mbappe as he times his runs perfectly so a little touch back to him allows him to go for goal.If he cant go for goal he will look to bring others into the game with short passes or lay offs.

Captain - Tolisso
Penalties - Mbappe
Free Kicks - Rabiot form deep, Mbappe for goal
Corners - Wingers

Subs
Winning -
70 Mins - Cuisacne for Aouar, brings some grit to the midfield with Liverpool pushing
80 Mins - Poulsen for Jesus, bully defenders, hold it up etc and Coman for Mbapp, hel;p track back as he and Bailey drop back into a flat five across midfield

Losing -
70 Mins - Poulsen for Aouar 442, a target to aim for as we go long at times
80 Mins - Coman for Bailey, Nmecha for Jesus - fresh legs

Drawing -
70 Mins - Poulsen for Jesus, Coman for Bailey
80 Mins - Cuisance for Aouar

NEWCASTLE 4-3-3

Captain: Harry Kane
Penalties: Mo Salah
Corners: Philippe Coutinho
Freekicks: Philippe Coutinho
Crossing Freekick: Philippe Coutinho

—————————— Lloris
Florenzi — Hummels — Koulibaly — Robertson
————————— Casemiro
—————— Nainggolan — Coutinho
Salah ————————————————— Mane
——————————— Kane

SUBS: Sule, Rose, Keita, N’Zonzi, Ozil, Suso, Firmino


We’ll press the opposition like Liverpool and win the ball as close to their goal as possible or move the ball up the pitch towards the opposition’s goal quickly. My 4-3-3 will overload his midfield and pin back his wing backs. We’ll use the quickness of our one touch, short passing game and using the pace & dribbling ability of the attacking players. However when the opposition get close to our box, we will revert to a defensive block to limit their chances. We defend and attack as a collective unit, limiting the space between the lines in which the opposition plays in.

When in attack we will get forward in numbers, using the footballing intelligence & movement of our attacking midfielders & striker to create passing angles and overloads in the opposition’s area of the pitch both out wide and in central zones, looking to drag the opposition’s players out of position and exploiting the space they leave open. When the opposition is using a deep defensive block to shut out our team we will use our fullbacks to create numbers out wide to stretch the opposition (this will be assisted by our CDM splitting the CBs wider allowing the FBs to move up the pitch) simultaneously using our wide-forward to cut inside to create overloads in the central areas giving us a number advantage. When creating chances from the wide areas with the FBs or WFs, we will send crosses in to feed the other forwards. Making runs behind the defence and beyond the striker is not prohibited by our attacking and central midfielders (minus CDM). There is a lot freedom in the movement of our attacking players. No player is restricted to a specific zone on the field or specific task. All four attackers (Coutinho, Salah, Mane, Kane) will either be provider or finisher with Nainggolan supporting and Casemiro sitting deep in midfield. Shooting from outside the box is encouraged. Our players will also press constantly from the front when we lose possession of the ball.

Offensive & Defensive Transitions:

This is the player's movements & reactions when moving between defence and attack, importantly the movement of the ball as this is arguably the most important aspect of our game. Winning the ball back when your opposition is disorganized is the perfect moment. We will aim for rapid movement up the pitch, with progressive passing to exploit the space left by the opposition. Whether it is from our defensive third of the pitch or whether we have won the ball back in our attacking third of the pitch we will exploit the disorganization of the opposition. We expect most of our attacking play will be as a result of our aggressive high press so we will use the following triggers for pressing the opponent:

1. The ball is played to a player facing his own goal

2. The ball is played to a player against the sidelines (using the sideline as an extra man in our favour)

3. A difficult bouncing ball is played to a player facing his own goal.

When any of these triggers happen, the players closest to the ball will press quickly and another 2 or 3 players will hold off slightly adding depth to the press and closing down their easy option pass. Once we win possession of the ball, we break in numbers again exploiting the opposition with either the pace of our attack. We also understand that we won't always get it right when pressing the opposition so we will employ a 10-second rule on pressing from the front after which, if we did not win back possession, we will revert to our defensive block. If we don’t win the ball after our initial phase of pressing it's imperative that the players work their way back into our defensive zone of the pitch and close the space that the opposition will look to play in. Close the space quickly and look to frustrate the opposition with intelligent positioning and hard tackling before winning the ball back and breaking forward at rapid speed. We will compact the central zones and force the opposition wide which limits the chances of breaking through our midfield. Long diagonal balls and quick releases from deep are encouraged when the opportunity arises. Our forwards have the pace to run onto through-balls.

We go into our defensive block if we cannot win the ball through our pressing. As a team we will defend deep in our half and close the space in the middle of the pitch. When forcing the opposition closer to the touchlines, we will use the touch line as an extra-man and press them so that we can win possession and result in us outnumbering them. If the play is on the left of the field the team will move towards the left and squeeze the space and vice versa on the right. We will try to force our opponents to play hopeful crosses into our box. If a cross is coming from their right our LB will also move into the box to help deal with crosses and vice versa if the cross is coming from the left. The midfielders will be around the box pressing the opponent should they try to play it central. Our wide forwards will help the midfield in closing the space in the centre and then proceed to help the fullback after we have moved the opponent towards the touchline. The wide-forwards are the real work horses in the team and I have 2 very good, hard-working wide-forwards. Our striker will also drop into our half to help the midfield press the opposition’s defence. Also the reasoning behind dropping the striker deep is to draw the opponent’s defence away from their goal creating ample space for us to counter attack.

Substitutions:

If winning after 80 mins bring on N’Zonzi for Coutinho. More physical presence in midfield, and gives greater defensive cover.

If drawing or losing after 65 mins bring on Ozil for Coutinho. Fresh creativity and legs.

If drawing or losing after 75 mins bring on Firmino for Nainggolan. Casemiro will press higher to win the ball back quickly. Firmino with more goal threat, plays up front with Kane, in a 4-4-2.