Cup away vs Forres

-------------------------------Storari--------------------------------

Lirola----------Lindelof----------Chiellini(c)-----------Guerreiro

---------------------Kimmich----------Saul----------------------

Emre Mor--------------------Coric-----------------------Pjaca

-------------------------------Dybala----------------------------------

subs: Nik Maksimovic, Draxler, Lemina, Passlack, Renato Sanches, Aduriz, Andre Silva

Out of possession game plan: We're setting up in a 4-2-3-1 shape in this match, we will look to press high up the pitch from the front and very centrally, we know of Forres attacking threat so we need to negate that by keeping them away from the box, we've added the experience and leadership of Giorgio Chiellini who returns from injury this week who will help organise and guide our young players through the game, a real leader. Coric will join Dybala in the first line to pressurise the Forres defenders while Pjaca and Emre move narrower to cut off the supply to midfield, this will only open up passing avenues for the opposition out wide, when the ball goes wide, it is the job of Raphael and Lirola to push quickly onto the fullback(whichever flank the ball is distributed to), forcing them either backwards,to launch the ball long or to hurry them into a mistake, the advantage of this is that should a mistake happen we have plenty of numbers forward to punish mistakes.

---------------------Lindelof-----------Chiellini-------------------

-------------------Kimmich

Lirola---------------------------Saul-------------------Raphael
------------------Emre-------------------Pjaca--------------
(opp FB)---------(opp MF)----------------(opp MF)---------(opp FB)

---------------Dybala-------------------Coric-------------------
--------------(oppCB)--------------------(oppCB)---------------


In possession game plan: we are a side full of energy and pace, and will be looking to fully utilise this in our attacking game. In Kimmich, Saul and Ante Coric we have great central presence to move the ball in the opposition half. As the deepest of the midfield three, Kimmich has the most responsibility in moving the ball from the deep phases of build up, Saul next to him is very adept at carrying the ball and his passing both long and short is superb, Coric, Emre and Pjaca both possess pace, trickery and the ability to score and provide goals, they will look to get on the ball as much as possible and interchange as all are equally comfortable across the attacking line. Dybala makes his return to the XI this week, and we all know how good he is, his movement, intelligence and shooting ability will be very much on show today, can go in behind or come short and try and create, a real all round fantastic forward who will create havoc for defences.

subs: Lemina for Saul on 80 minutes, fresh legs, Kimmich sits and plays as the distributor, will look to spread the ball wide quickly to Pjaca and Emre

if losing after 65 minutes: switch Aduriz for Coric, Aduriz to move up front alongside Dybala who will use his pace and movement to get in behind and stretch the defence of Forres creating more space and pushing them back while Aduriz plays as more of a target man.

if winning after 85 minutes, Passlack comes on for Pjaca, switch to 4-5-1, Kimmich to hold in front of the defence, using his strength and power to marshall the Forres attack while still retaining the ability to distribute and begin counter attacks, Passlack to play as a defensive right midfielder in front of Lirola while Emre Mor switches sides and plays a more disciplined role on the left

Wellington Phoenix tactics – Week two in the cup, away to Pumas!

-----------------Howard-------------------
Jung-----Bailly----Wimmer--Grimaldo
------------------X.Alonso----------------
D.Costa-----Fernandinho----Iwobi
--------------Fekir---Milik---------------

Subs: Martinez, Arbeloa, Lascalles, Coquelin, Elneny, Deulofeu, Rashford

Captain – X.Alonso
Vice – Howard
Corners – Costa
FKs from deep – X.Alonso
FKs at goal - Costa
Pens - Milik

We're playing well and started off well in the cup, so we're sticking with what got us to this point, despite the toughness of the task at hand. Away to the Champions is a pretty brutal draw, but we believe we can match anyone on our day and all the pressure will be on the champions - we can go out and play with freedom, intensity and express ourselves all over the pitch. As usual we're playing an attacking 4-1-3-2 system, built with the goal of winning the ball back early and high up the pitch, where we can do damage to the opposition. Essentially we will be looking to win the ball back high up the pitch and from there we have great ball playing defenders and the maestro Alonso, picking out passes. The plan is that playing outside of the conventional formation with give us the upper hand due to the shock factor and the extra player will mean that the opposition defence will always be occupied. While they'll probably have contingencies in place, hopefully by flooding the box with fluid attackers we can have their defenders falling each other and giving this side the big defeat they've been due all season. Obviously our midfield two will be put under more strain, but Alonso is such an intelligent reader of the game who has never relied on pace or an all action style and Fernandinho is just an animal who is in great shape and great form, who can cover a lot of ground, support the defenders and the attacks and has enough ability to move the ball on to the better players.

Our defence will play high, we realise this is a risk against a team with as young, skillful & powerful as Pumas, but our defence is as fast and powerful as anyones and will be playing on the front foot. Although we will have to be more wary of midfield runners with this formation, I would bet that we will still have a free man along the back line, which really means our players can attack the ball with confidence, keeping Pumas in their own box. As always, although we are playing a high line and pushing to keep the play in the opposition half, we will not play an offside trap unless it’s clear – this means the defenders can read the game and drop off half a yard in anticipation of a ball coming over the top to give them the edge on the striker. This, matched with their sheer pace, should be enough to mean that it will take something very special for Pumas to get in behind us and even when they do, they have a strike force with no end product so they will have to create a lot to really punish us!

IN SUMMARY – we’re looking to press Pumas into either playing themselves into trouble and making mistakes at the back or resorting to clearing the ball, which our defence can deal with comfortably given their attributes and recycle position back to Alonso, to get us started again.

Howard – he will play as you want a keeper to play – alert all game and full of confidence. He’ll command his box and inspire confidence throughout the rest of the team – especially with a young defence ahead of him. Otherwise, usual stuff (off his line quickly when needed, big at one on ones, great shot stopper and collect crosses).

Grimaldo & Jung – both players with incredible engines, pace to burn and ability on the ball. It’s important to keep them grounded and remind them they’re defenders first – but these qualities listed above will make them very hard to beat in any 1v1 situation. Given our formation, they won’t really be getting forward too often, but they will have their chances. Mainly we want them getting the right side of their attacker and making us hard to beat, but when we’re with the ball I do want them to be hugging the opposite touchline, not too far up the pitch, just to give an option to switch the play and keep our width if the wide forward drifts inside to join the play. I don’t want them making overlapping runs all the time when the play is on their side though, just stretching the play with the switch option.

Wimmer & Bailly – Bailly to attack the ball more, while Wimmer drops off a little and covers the rest of the defence if they get beaten. Wimmer to also try and spot trouble early and cut it out accordingly, if this means dropping off and getting caught one on one, he will stand tall and shimmy the man – making himself hard to beat and allowing the rest of the very pacey defence to get back behind him quickly and giving the forward player a lot of work to do. Usual thing really, but with more licence to attack the ball and they’ll probably be on the ball a bit more than usual, starting things up – so enjoy it and show what you can do!

X.Alonso – Playing a similar role to how he has operated at Bayern in the last year or so. He has a very talented, energetic side around him and he’s the cool head in the middle to bring it all together and make them tick. He’ll be protecting the defence as ever, with his reading of the game and picking up the ball from the defence and spraying passes around. This should be a fun challenge for him, something slightly different which I believe he will relish. The movement in front of him will make this aspect of his game relatively easy given his ability to pick a pass, but more importantly a lot of fun for him! Defensively he may get caught 2v1 now and again but he has the intelligence to know when to foul, when to hold people up and allow Fernandinho to get back and when to call a defender out to help him.

Fernandinho – A big coup for us - he's essentially a luxury version of Diame, on steriods. And we'd been doing well with Diame! He has bags of energy, good passing, good shot, good decision making. These attributes make this man the perfect box to box player for our formation today. He will play slightly ahead of Alonso, his main role will be to put the Pumas DM under too much pressure to settle on the ball and play them out of trouble. He should thrive on getting on the ball in dangerous areas, rather than a more reserved role, with a lot of movement and pace around him causing problems for the opposition, giving him a little more space than usual as well. Defensively, I just want him to be very aware of the counter attack and when Alonso is being doubled up on bust a gut to get back and help him. But when we are pressing the opposition in a normal situation he will be up high on the DM.

Iwobi & Costa – hungry, direct, pacey and unpredictable, which will make them a constant pain for Pumas. Iwobi gets the nod over Deulofeu for two reasons - 1. I believe his form in real life is a big factor with him really showing what he's capable of. 2. We may not have as much control of this game as usual, away against the champions so I think Iwobi's game suits this game more - he is a cool head who won't be rushed into mistakes and plays with his head up. He has the intelligence to pick up positions in dangerous places and adapt to the team around him, which will make him a nightmare to play against. Finally he has shown he can do it in big games too! Costa's role is more simple, but equally important for the balance of the team and because he is outrageously good at it. I want him always looking to get forward, beat a man, taking the quickest route into the box, whether that be a direct run in or down the line and whip a ball in. I want them always wanting the ball too, always moving off the ball. Off the ball it’s simple, just drop in and get goalside of your FB as soon as you can. Not so much defensive responsibility today with our FBs playing as defenders, not wing backs, so they will look to get at the full backs in 1v1 battles, keep them pinned back and just try to beat them and get the ball in the box. If the opposition FBs do try and push on, let them – we will try and stop the attack very quickly and aggressively at the back and then when we get the ball back, the wingers will have space and we will outnumber the defence 4 to 3.

Costa is my star man, he's changed the feel of the club and the momentum - he'll be eager to show what an impact he can have by leading us to cup glory.

Milik – natural game for him today – playing as a proper CF, keeping the CBs occupied all game, challenging for anything in the air, holding up the play and bringing others into the game and generally springing to life when the ball is anywhere near the box. Was a close pick between him and Rashford, but he seems to have forged a good bond with Fekir and his scoring record in the league was outrageous.

Fekir – luxury role today as wherever he goes he will be a nuisance. He can play exactly as he likes, roaming around and playing off Milik. This means when he plays as a CF their defence will be stretched and tested, when he drops off the DM will be too occupied with Fernandinho to deal with him and he will be able to run at the defence. For him it’s all about getting on the ball in the spaces he finds, wherever they may be and just enjoying himself and really giving Pumas a torrid time.

Subs:

If losing/drawing at 65 mins - Coquelin, Deulofeu & Rashford on for Alonso, Iwobi & Milik.

Same formation, with fresh legs.

If winning - Coquelin, Deulofeu & Rashford on for Fekir, Iwobi & Milik. Move to 4-3-3

----------Coq-----Alonso---------
-------------Fernandinho------------
Costa------Rashford----Deulofeu

Take a little sting out of the game with more men in the middle and more control of the game, we can move the ball around a little more to tire Pumas out and run them down, rather than constantly going at them. That said we will still have a really pacey, direct front three so we can choose to mix it up and try and pick them off a little more meticulously (as opposed to our relentless style early on) as we tire them out.

---------------------------Hassen
Sidibé-------Gomez---------------N'Koulou--------Duarte
-----------------Kessié------------Höjbjerg
Ojo-----------------------Ziyech-----------------------Woodburn
----------------------------Ünal

Subs: Diop; Traore; Oyarzabal; Ejaria; Sinkgraven

Captain: Hassen
Crossing free-kicks: Ünal/Kovalenko
Shooting free-kicks: Ünal/Kovalenko
Penalties: Kessié
Corners: Kovalenko

The gameplan is to defend with a mid to low block, using intense pressing and then to hit the opposition on the break with the pace & dribbling ability of our forwards and quick passing of the team. Namely Ojo, Ünal & Woodburn. By drawing the opposition onto us, we want to create a space behind their defence for us to run into.

Defence: Defend just outside the box and do not allow penetration beyond that. Track runners and put in all types of tackles and clearences. Try not to get caught out of position. Fullbacks to come close to the centre backs and defend the goal, forcing the opposition out wide where the play will be restricted and more difficult for them to create chances.

Double pivot to sit in front of the defence and assist with pressing in midfield ensuring not much gets passed and through to the defence. Höjbjerg will use his outstanding passing range to move the ball forward as quickly as possible and into space for our forwards to run into. Allow the opposition to build to an extent where they're on top of us and then win the ball back and break at lightening speed. Kessié will be the main defensive enegiser bunny running around putting tackles everywhere. Ziyech will be the free roaming attacking midfield using his movement to create space and passing & creativity to create chances in the final third. He will be disciplined off the ball to help keep the team compact and defend in front of the deep midfield 2.

Ojo & Woodburn to cut inside from the wide positions and run straight at the centre of the defence. This will open space on the outside for the fullbacks to overlap and stretch the opposition's defence and create space in the centre for our wide forwards. When defending they should drop back and help their respective fullbacks creating a 4411 formation as we look to keep it tight.

Strikers: Ünal is a complete forward in the making. Freedom to roam all over the attacking and find space as he sees fit. Making runs beyond or on the side of the defence. Equally adept at playing in others as well creating chances for himself or getting on the end of team moves. He will be handful for almost any defence.

Subs:
60min - Sinkgraven for Höjbjerg
75min - Traore for Unal
80min - Oyarzabal for Ojo

Blyth

……………………………Buffon………………..
……………Barzagli…Silva…Rugani……….
Yedlin………..De Rossi…Motta……..De Sciglio
…………………………….Insigne………………………
…………………..Zlatan……………Munir……………….

Subs: Cragno, Hause, Iorfa, Cataldi, Mauri, Sadiq, Enzo

Well after a feckin disgraceful season the boys owe it to themselves and mainly to me to go out and perform well in the cup.

This is gonna be fast paced wide play I know our midfield is a little pedestrian with De Rossi and Motta but they’re in the team to hold the centre, they don’t need “legs” for that – can’t put a price on experience.

Our Back 3 are all comfortable on the ball and very good no nonsense defenders – will take a high line today as we look to bombard our opponents with raking diagonal balls to really stretch their defence. In possession they’ll spread wide making it a wide back 3 as we look to maintain an easy out ball.

Yedlin and De Sciglio have great engines on them and they will be expected to cover the ground and really give us some attacking width, both men are quick so getting back in time will be no bother.

De Rossi and Motta will screen the defence as we look to get a good grip of the midfield area, defensively as our Wing-backs recover, Motta will hold the DM position whilst De Rossi will slot in at CB covering either our LCB or RCB as they shuffle wide.

Insigne – the #10 given free licence to roam about, a fantastic lil player with very quick feet will link the midfield and attack – everything good about our play goes through him.

Zlatan & Munir – traditional big man/little man partnership here Zlatan will be my big powerhouse striker and will draw men to him, Munir will play off the shoulder using his pace and acceleration to time his runs to perfection.

Subs:
60 mins
Cataldi > Motta
Mauri > De Rossi

----------------- Aréola ------------------
Fabinho - Zouma - Varane - L.Digne
------------ Rabiot - Kante -------------
Berardi ------ T.Lemar ------ Martial
---------------- Balotelli ----------------

Lafont, Mensah, Holding, Neves, S.Mina, Mbappe, Gabriel

In goal Areola 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.

Zouma in beside Varane, on this occassion Varane will man mark the CF. Varane is quick and skillfull for a CB, with great marking abilities, powerfully built so marking the CF should be no trouble as he has to man up to him, will keep him away from goal and be on to him quickly as he comes forward so he can intercept any though he has of going for goal. When in possession he will carry the ball out and start attacks from the back. Zouma alongside is fantastic in the air, so will mark any other big players that come into our danger area, strong in the air and strong in the tackle and make sure he is strong enough to get the ball away from danger. Both go up for corners and are a huge threat.

Fabinho and Digne at fullback, we must keep the wingers quiet, stop them and we stop a lot of there attacks. Fabinho and Digne are perfect for this . They will look to keep them away from shooting areas where is dangerous in any position. This is a vital clash in this game. They will be up against quality wingers so look to force him away from goal and backwards, Digne with his attacking prowess, will push his back, Fabinho sits back and tucks in to become a 3 at the back a bit and allows Digne to attack but his marking abilities are sound, both have good positional sense and very quick, do not make rash desicions and will stay on their feet. Both FBs can attack. One goes the other stays (Digne more often then Fabinho) as they look to make an extra man down the flank for our wingers to cut inside or play neat one twos to free the wingers up.

Kante to stop the AM getting the ball from midfield to the striker, he must be right on top of him looking to close him down at the quickest opportunity, let him dictate play and there striker will get plenty chances, we must not let this happen. So quick and into him, fairly and stop this! Kante himself will look to dictate from deep as he picks up from the defence and looks to drive us forward with precision passing. Rabiot v the second most advanced midfielder much the same, but obvs when we have the ball he is allowed to move forward and push him back, Rabiot should have a bit of time to look around him for the pass, Use his upper body strength to get him away from the player. Pass and move always look for the return pass. When they have then close down the CM, he will look to ping the ball about so get to him before that opportunity arises. We have put Lemar in a No.10 role or just slightly withdrawn No.10 against there DM he must be strong, Lemar is an all round fantastic midfielder,, however he will look to take the DM on one v one drag him about open up spaces for others to drive into, with the ball at feet look to play quick one twos with those around him so he makes the runs into the box looking for that return ball that will get him in on goal. If the ball is played to him with his back to goal hold it up, draw the foul from the DM, if it doesnt come then look to lay it off, look to play the slide pass into Balotelli. All three are good all round midfielders, But Kante i want to sit in the hole with the two either side when defending.

Berardi and Martial are known for their creativity, speed, and technical ability and are fearless, explosive attacking midfielders who can change the game with a turn of pace or a dribble. Both technically excellent in limited areas, fast explosive acceleration during the first ten yards. Which more often than not takes them passed defenders and allows them to get into dangerous areas. Always play with there heads up looking for the runs of others to get the ball into there feet. When they have the ball look to stick close to fullbacks and stop them coming forward. Always be looking for Lemar inside as the three make an awesome trio attack wise in behind Balotelli and a scary proposition for there back line.

Balotelli will get plenty chances, he must put away there side who will be solid at the back, however I want to target the slower of the two. 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. Balotelli is good in the air and two good feet, can score from various angles/ranges..All of our front four/five will be a threat today we must go for it and keep pace with the league leaders. Can hold it up and look for runners, in particular Berardi and Martial running into support. Lemar will be making his runs also so be watchful of him just to lay it off to the side

Captain - Varane
Penalties - Balotelli
Free kicks - Lemar
Corners - Wingers

Losing -
70 Mins - Gabriel for Lemar, Martial up top in a 442 Gabriel RW
80 Mins - S.Mina for Balotelli, he goes RW and Beardi up top

Winning -
70 Mins - Neves for Lemar sit in a 3 man mid
80 Mins - Gabriel for Balotelli run at everything forcing them back

Drawing -
70 Mins - Gabriel for Balotelli, Mbappe for Lemar

Berardi - Gabriel - Mbappe
----------- Martial ------------

change it round a little and freshen it up

Cambuur Tactics: Cup Week 3

Captain : Ascacíbar
Vice Captain : Sánchez

Team:

----------------------Ederson
Hildeberto---Sánchez---Montes--Riveros
--------------------Ascacíbar
-----------Bentancur---Paredes
Martins-------------------------------Lincoln
---------------------Calero

SUBS: Batalla, Zeca, Salcedo, Walace, Arrascaeta, Correa, Zaldívar

Goalkeeper: Ederson is a big mobile keeper and very agile. A great shot stopper, he will communicate with the back 4 and be commanding with the high ball. He will not take any risks. He is a great distributor with both hand and foot and we will look to this as a way to launch quick attacks.

Defence: Our 2 full backs are there firstly to defend and make sure they stay on the right side of their opponents whether they be out wide or cutting inside. When we are on the attack they will be allowed to use their power and pace to provide the overlap on the flanks. They both have the power and the lungs to work the touchline for 90 minutes. They will make the pitch wide and always offer themselves as an option in attack. Our 2 centre halves are big 6 feet plus ball playing defenders. Both good in the air and equally as good with the ball at their feet. They will be asked to do the simple things well. Be aggressive but controlled in the tackle and never lose your man when defending dead ball situations. They will be able to bring the ball out of defence but if in doubt take absolutely no chances and clear it. Both big men will be a real aerial threat at set pieces.

Midfield: Ascacíbar will be the midfield general. A physical pacey midfielder he will be there to boss this area for us. Breaking up play and filling in as an extra defender if one of our back 4 has ventured forward. He will be there to protect the defence and do a lot of the unseen dirty work in the centre of the park. He is essential to our game plan and while sitting deep will still offer a lot with his great passing ability. He also has a thunderbolt right foot. Bentancur and Paredes will play just in front of Ascacíbar. Bentancur will be a more box to box type. He will be involved all over and will offer as much in defence as in attack. Paredes will be the midfield magician. Clever, elusive and tricky we will look to him for creating the midfield openings with his eye for a pass. We will look at their enthusiasm and relentless pressing of the opposition as a way to hopefully get a bit of a grip on the midfield and at the very least not make it plain sailing for the opposition.

Wingers/Centre Forward: When in possession both Martins and Lincoln will be expected to go for the direct approach and use their power and speed to take on the opposition defence and beat them and bring Paredes, Bentancur and Calero in to play. They can vary their attacks by going wide or cutting inside as they see fit. Both players can play all across the middle so don’t be surprised to see them swapping wings. At times Bentancur may sit a bit deeper allowing Paredes to slot in between both wingers, just behind the CF. As well as an attacking force both wingers will also have to put a defensive shift when called upon and act as back up for their respective full backs.

Calero starts as the CF. He won’t be short of support or ammunition with the attacking talent behind him. Great playing off the shoulder of the last man he is deadly in and around the box. A bag of energy and very strong we will also look for him to hold up and bring others in to play if it doesn’t seem to be on for him. We will look to get bodies in the box when attacking so he should always have an outlet. He is also great in the air and will provide an option from set pieces. When the shot is on he will take it but we also want to put himself about in the box and think that his lightning pace will be a real handful for defences. He will also be alert to any scraps in and around the goal. He has the ability to produce something sublime and create a chance out of nothing.

Free Kicks/Corners: Paredes, Lincoln or Martins with Sánchez, Montes, Ascacíbar and Calero to offer an aerial threat. Paredes and Lincoln (with his thunderbolt left foot) may try their luck with several free kicks from distance.

Substitutions: (if winning) Arrascaeta for Martins, Zaldívar for Calero and Walace for Bentancur, 3 like for like substitutions.


(if losing on 70 minutes) Zaldívar for Bentancur, Arrascaeta for Martins. Shift to a 4-1-3-2 attack. Zaldívar
and Arrascaeta offering fresh legs, pace and a bit of the unknown in attack.

--------------------------Ascacíbar
Arrascaeta---------- Paredes--------------Lincoln
-----------------Calero --------Zaldívar

Steklenberg-------------------

Bellerin------Gabriel-----Terry------Targett

-------------------Wanyama-----De Jong---------

Welbeck------------------Gueye-----------Bolasie

------------------------------Torres---------------------

Subs: Mannone, Vermalen, Stermann, Essein, Oregaard, Morrison, Cole

Tactics:
As we're not looking to win this cup we'll just look to make it hard to beat. With Wanyama an de Jong protecting the back four throughout the game. The three behind Torres have pace to help turn defence into attack having shots on goal if Torres isn't free. We expect our opponents to have more of the ball, but when we have it i hope we make good use of it by moving the ball from defence to attack quickly. We understand that we might get a good beating but we hope to stick as a unit defensively by staying tight at the back.

Morrison on for Torres, welbeck goes up top.
Essein on for de Jong both on 70 mins

Captain: Terry
Pens: Torres welbeck
Corners/freekicks: Bolasie

Captain: Max Meyer
Penalties: Meyer
Free Kicks: Brandt (and then Geis when he comes on in the 2nd half)

--------------------------Horn
Weiser-------Tah------------Süle-------Henrichs
----------------Weigl----------Dahoud
-----Pulisic-----------Meyer--------------Brandt
-----------------------Werner

Subs: Karius, Klostermann, Stark, Geis, Goretzka, Schöpf, Pohjanpalo


Our defensive unit consists of Jonathan Tah and Niklas Süle paired up at centre-back, Mitchell Weiser at right-back and Benjamin Henrichs at left-back, with Julian Weigl and Mahmoud Dahoud as our midfield ‘double pivot’ screening them.

This ‘double pivot’ is the key to our team and in Weigl and Dahoud 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 Dahoud can press the ball without leaving lots of space, as Weigl 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 Dahoud’s role, he will press almost anywhere in his own half to allow defenders to stay in the defensive line.

With Dahoud running his socks off for the team, our high tempo will dictated by his partner in holding midfield, Julian Weigl.

A holding midfielder through and through, Weigl 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 Weigl such a talent.

The attacking unit consists of Christian Pulisic, Max Meyer and Julian Brandt as our band of three attacking midfielders with Timo Werner 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 Weigl or Dahoud, then our 4-2-3-1 can spring into attack.

Weiser and Henrichs can surge up the wings in the knowledge that Weigl and Dahoud can drop into the space left behind if needed. As they come up the wings, both Christian Pulisic and Julian Brandt who are fast two-footed speed merchants, excellent in tight spaces and fantastic dribblers will cut inside or make runs into the box. Max Meyer our attacking central midfielder’s diminutive physique and low centre of gravity will enable him to navigate away from defenders at a frighteningly quick pace. Meyer 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 Pulisic, Brandt or Werner in via fast passing combinations.

Very much like his comrades (Pulisic, Brandt & Meyer), Timo Werner is blessed with incredible pace on and off the ball, and quick dribbling to get past defenders, and a real killer instinct in front of the goal. Werner will also be a good team player with the vision to set up his teammates.

Sub: 75 Mins: Geis on for Weigl, Schöpf on for Pulisic and Goretzka on for Dahoud

Geis is a deadball specialist and do watch out for his pin-point accuracy.

Blyth

……………………………Buffon………………..
……………Barzagli…Silva…Rugani……….
Yedlin………..De Rossi…Motta……..De Sciglio
…………………………….Insigne………………………
…………………..Zlatan……………Munir……………….

Subs: Cragno, Hause, Iorfa, Cataldi, Mauri, Sadiq, Enzo

Well after a feckin disgraceful season the boys owe it to themselves and mainly to me to go out and perform well in the cup.

This is gonna be fast paced wide play I know our midfield is a little pedestrian with De Rossi and Motta but they’re in the team to hold the centre, they don’t need “legs” for that – can’t put a price on experience.

Our Back 3 are all comfortable on the ball and very good no nonsense defenders – will take a high line today as we look to bombard our opponents with raking diagonal balls to really stretch their defence. In possession they’ll spread wide making it a wide back 3 as we look to maintain an easy out ball.

Yedlin and De Sciglio have great engines on them and they will be expected to cover the ground and really give us some attacking width, both men are quick so getting back in time will be no bother.

De Rossi and Motta will screen the defence as we look to get a good grip of the midfield area, defensively as our Wing-backs recover, Motta will hold the DM position whilst De Rossi will slot in at CB covering either our LCB or RCB as they shuffle wide.

Insigne – the #10 given free licence to roam about, a fantastic lil player with very quick feet will link the midfield and attack – everything good about our play goes through him.

Zlatan & Munir – traditional big man/little man partnership here Zlatan will be my big powerhouse striker and will draw men to him, Munir will play off the shoulder using his pace and acceleration to time his runs to perfection.

Subs:
60 mins
Cataldi > Motta
Mauri > De Rossi

-----------------C.Gordon------------------
Semedo--van Dijk--Jagielka--Denayer
-----------Diawara---Dembele-----------
Robben----------Boufal----------Lingard
-----------------Lacazette-----------------

Ward, Tierney, Samper, Roberts, Burke, M.Dembele, Nunez

We have Craig Gordon in goal who is a big target to aim for, he oozes confidence and this will run through out the team. Will dominate his box and look to start quick counter attacks from the back.

Jagielka will mark the striker, and van Dijk will be the ball player who will take it out of defence. Both comfortable on the ball and strong in the tackle. They will remain tight when we are under attack! The fullbacks can attack if they see fit, Semedo is especially good and supporting the winger so he will be up and down the pitch, Denayer will attack sporadically. When they do attack, get beyond the wingers and scream for the ball even if it is just a decoy for the wingers. Defend as a four, stay in a line and stay strong.

Diawarais our defensive midfielder a big game for the youngster but has been proven on the big stage and Dembele and Boufal are our playmakers and attacking midfielders, Dembele is the playmaker a good combination with the other two and once Diawara has the ball won, a little pass sideways/forwards to either of the two and we are away very quickly on the attack, Dembele who will look to pass it forward to the attacking players, both can tackle so dont let their midfield near our defence! Boufal is the one likes to support the striker so he will be making the late runs into the danger area. He has skills to take him passed players and his passing i svery good as he will look to get Lacazette into a shooting opportunity. Will link well with Robben and Lingard.

Robben and Lingard are very quick and can score spectacular goals, so we have given them freedom to attack the fullbacks, Robben tends to cut inside whereas Lingard will go to the outside and cross in, Robben can score from distance with accuracy so on they go.

We defend as a team, it isnt all about attack, so again a strong 4 in a line when we defend, two banks of 4/5 are always difficult to penetrate.

Lacazette is quick and good eye for goal, will look to link up quickly with Boufal as he comes forward with Dembele as they will be a big threat today hopefully. All about movement as they look to put away the chances to win this game. Always stays on the last man moving across the line.

Captain Virgil van Dijk
Penalties Lacazette
Free Kicks Robben
Corners The wingers will take

Substitutes

If we are losing Young Dembele will come on for Boufal and go 442 on 65 minutes and Roberts for Lingard on 75 minutes, Tierney for Denayer on 80

If we are winning Samper on for Boufal and sit in on 70 minutes, Tierney for Lingard on 80 to hold on

Drawing then Young Dembele for Boufal and Roberts for Lingard on 70
----------------------------------------------------------------------

——————Donarrumma
-----Gimenez—Christensen—L.Hernandez
Vrsaljko———Blin——Tielemans-------Shaw
————Williams—————Correa
————————T.Abraham

Subs: Kepa, Mammana, Kranevitter, Zivkovic, Aleña, O.Dembele, Augustin

Captain: Youri Tielemans
Free Kicks: Youri Tielemans
Corners: Youri Tielemans
Penalties: Youri Tielemans

Tricky away game, confidence is really high though a win here will put us in a great position to qualify for the knockouts. WE have to play with the same intensity especially in the forward positions so Williams and Correa come in.

We look to be solid first and foremost using our 3-4-3 formation to defend in phases, with the initial phase using the 3 forwards and the WBs to press as soon as Tatung get on the ball, Williams and Correa narrowing along with the WBs pushing up and forcing the opposition wingers infield to find space, Tammy looking to rush the CMs getting in their face and making them move the ball faster than they want, making sure that the middle of the pitch is crowded out and the only viable option is to use their FBs as an outball or risk losing the ball to our greater numbers in central areas. Once we’ve rushed Wellington into wide areas they’ll find the route to goal blocked by a 3-2-5 press down the flanks, WBs and wide forwards doubling up against their counterparts and looking to win the battles from there, with Tammy as the out ball and the opposite wide forward and our CMs narrowing to the play to block Tatungs route in field, the three CBs coming across, again allowing us to keep a compact defensive press, they give us that extra protection if Tatung work the ball out. Focusing on keeping Tatung limited to attacks in the wide areas should make them easier to defend against as the space is tighter and our extra energy in central areas should mean we can control that area if they ever try getting infield. Eventually Tatung are going to give us a sniff to win the ball back, either a loose pass, or a ball to a man thats crowded out, we must win the battle every time they give us the chance to do so, its key to us catching them out today, we have to be in their faces from the off and ready to win all the battles. If we have to revert to a 5-4-1 because they are putting on a lot of pressure we are capable of dropping deeper and withstanding an onslaught, looking to use Tammy and Williams pace to still pose a threat.

Going forward we want to be really positive today, controlling the game through Blin and Tielemans who will be looking to boss the midfield battle, sitting in the middle and providing the first line of cover if Tatung try to break, with Blin in there for his ability to get across to wide areas quickly, allowing him to cover the WBs and Tielemans there to be the orchestrator. With these two in the midfield positions being disciplined it allows the 5 ahead to have more freedom in attack, they have to move, no standing still we want them all finding spaces. In particular Williams and Correa have crucial roles in making sure things don't get overcrowded, they will look to drift all over the attacking third to create chances, looking to get the ball into the WBs and Tammy but also make runs wider and look to drag the DMs out of their comfort zones, Williams and Correa 2 v 2 against the opposition DMs isn’t a fair fight and will leave Tatung vulnerable, from there they can then release the WBs into dangerous positions, either in behind the defence or ior right out to the touchline so they drag Tatung wide and create space in the middle. Correa in particular looks to do this job as he's very skilled in wide areas, whilst Williams looks to use his pace and trickery to attack the heart of the defence, either directly running at them or looking to make runs behind their back line. The WBs push really high up and really stretch out the opposition, both Shaw and Vrsaljko excellent in one v ones and making runs to the byeline, both able to get crosses in or play quick passes back infield for the three forwards. Abraham then looks to get round the sides of the two CBs knowing he has the pace to beat them to any ball through and the instincts in the box to connect with the crosses, he's also adept at dropping deeper and looking to find the runs of Williams and Correa or to get the ball wide to the WBs. The further forward we get the tighter it can become and at this stage we will release Tielemans to push a little higher up where he can get closer to goal and unleash his powerful shots or play he cute balls through for the strikers. All the while if we lose the ball in the final third we have to become compact quickly, crowd Tatung out and win it back in a matter of seconds.

Subs:

If Winning: Kranevitter for Tielemans 65’, extra protection for the forwards. Aleña for Correa 70’, debut for the academy boy, excellent in possession, very creative. Augustin for Abraham 75’.

If Drawing: O.Dembele for L.Hernandez 70’, 4-2-3-1 with Williams LW, look to double up down the flanks where we can really hurt them. Zivkovic and Augustin for Correa and Abraham 75’.

If Losing: Dembele for L.Hernandez 65’, 4-4-2, Williams upfront. Augustin for Abraham 70’. Aleña for Blin 80’, new creative player in midfield.

---------------------------Hassen
Sidibé-------Gomez---------------N'Koulou--------Duarte
-----------------Kessié------------Höjbjerg
Ojo-----------------------Ziyech-----------------------Woodburn
----------------------------Ünal

Subs: Diop; Traore; Oyarzabal; Ejaria; Sinkgraven

Captain: Hassen
Crossing free-kicks: Ünal/Kovalenko
Shooting free-kicks: Ünal/Kovalenko
Penalties: Kessié
Corners: Kovalenko

The gameplan is to defend with a mid to low block, using intense pressing and then to hit the opposition on the break with the pace & dribbling ability of our forwards and quick passing of the team. Namely Ojo, Ünal & Woodburn. By drawing the opposition onto us, we want to create a space behind their defence for us to run into.

Defence: Defend just outside the box and do not allow penetration beyond that. Track runners and put in all types of tackles and clearences. Try not to get caught out of position. Fullbacks to come close to the centre backs and defend the goal, forcing the opposition out wide where the play will be restricted and more difficult for them to create chances.

Double pivot to sit in front of the defence and assist with pressing in midfield ensuring not much gets passed and through to the defence. Höjbjerg will use his outstanding passing range to move the ball forward as quickly as possible and into space for our forwards to run into. Allow the opposition to build to an extent where they're on top of us and then win the ball back and break at lightening speed. Kessié will be the main defensive enegiser bunny running around putting tackles everywhere. Ziyech will be the free roaming attacking midfield using his movement to create space and passing & creativity to create chances in the final third. He will be disciplined off the ball to help keep the team compact and defend in front of the deep midfield 2.

Ojo & Woodburn to cut inside from the wide positions and run straight at the centre of the defence. This will open space on the outside for the fullbacks to overlap and stretch the opposition's defence and create space in the centre for our wide forwards. When defending they should drop back and help their respective fullbacks creating a 4411 formation as we look to keep it tight.

Strikers: Ünal is a complete forward in the making. Freedom to roam all over the attacking and find space as he sees fit. Making runs beyond or on the side of the defence. Equally adept at playing in others as well creating chances for himself or getting on the end of team moves. He will be handful for almost any defence.

Subs:
60min - Sinkgraven for Höjbjerg
75min - Traore for Unal
80min - Oyarzabal for Ojo

----------------- Aréola ------------------
Fabinho - Zouma - Varane - L.Digne
------------ Rabiot - Kante -------------
Berardi ------ T.Lemar ------ Martial
---------------- Balotelli ----------------

Lafont, Holding, Neves, Locatelli, Mbappe, Gabriel, A.Rossi

In goal Areola 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.

Zouma in beside Varane, on this occassion Varane will man mark the CF. Varane is quick and skillfull for a CB, with great marking abilities, powerfully built so marking the CF should be no trouble as he has to man up to him, will keep him away from goal and be on to him quickly as he comes forward so he can intercept any though he has of going for goal. When in possession he will carry the ball out and start attacks from the back. Zouma alongside is fantastic in the air, so will mark any other big players that come into our danger area, strong in the air and strong in the tackle and make sure he is strong enough to get the ball away from danger. Both go up for corners and are a huge threat.

Fabinho and Digne at fullback, we must keep the wingers quiet, stop them and we stop a lot of there attacks. Fabinho and Digne are perfect for this . They will look to keep them away from shooting areas where is dangerous in any position. This is a vital clash in this game. They will be up against quality wingers so look to force him away from goal and backwards, Digne with his attacking prowess, will push his back, Fabinho sits back and tucks in to become a 3 at the back a bit and allows Digne to attack but his marking abilities are sound, both have good positional sense and very quick, do not make rash desicions and will stay on their feet. Both FBs can attack. One goes the other stays (Digne more often then Fabinho) as they look to make an extra man down the flank for our wingers to cut inside or play neat one twos to free the wingers up.

Kante to stop the AM getting the ball from midfield to the striker, he must be right on top of him looking to close him down at the quickest opportunity, let him dictate play and there striker will get plenty chances, we must not let this happen. So quick and into him, fairly and stop this! Kante himself will look to dictate from deep as he picks up from the defence and looks to drive us forward with precision passing. Rabiot v the second most advanced midfielder much the same, but obvs when we have the ball he is allowed to move forward and push him back, Rabiot should have a bit of time to look around him for the pass, Use his upper body strength to get him away from the player. Pass and move always look for the return pass. When they have then close down the CM, he will look to ping the ball about so get to him before that opportunity arises. We have put Lemar in a No.10 role or just slightly withdrawn No.10 against there DM he must be strong, Lemar is an all round fantastic midfielder,, however he will look to take the DM on one v one drag him about open up spaces for others to drive into, with the ball at feet look to play quick one twos with those around him so he makes the runs into the box looking for that return ball that will get him in on goal. If the ball is played to him with his back to goal hold it up, draw the foul from the DM, if it doesnt come then look to lay it off, look to play the slide pass into Balotelli. All three are good all round midfielders, But Kante i want to sit in the hole with the two either side when defending.

Berardi and Martial are known for their creativity, speed, and technical ability and are fearless, explosive attacking midfielders who can change the game with a turn of pace or a dribble. Both technically excellent in limited areas, fast explosive acceleration during the first ten yards. Which more often than not takes them passed defenders and allows them to get into dangerous areas. Always play with there heads up looking for the runs of others to get the ball into there feet. When they have the ball look to stick close to fullbacks and stop them coming forward. Always be looking for Lemar inside as the three make an awesome trio attack wise in behind Balotelli and a scary proposition for there back line.

Balotelli will get plenty chances, he must put away there side who will be solid at the back, however I want to target the slower of the two. 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. Balotelli is good in the air and two good feet, can score from various angles/ranges..All of our front four/five will be a threat today we must go for it and keep pace with the league leaders. Can hold it up and look for runners, in particular Berardi and Martial running into support. Lemar will be making his runs also so be watchful of him just to lay it off to the side

Captain - Varane
Penalties - Balotelli
Free kicks - Lemar
Corners - Wingers

Losing -
70 Mins - Gabriel > Lemar he goes LW and Martial up top with Balotelli
80 Mins - Alessandro Rossi for Balotelli, youngster on form, give him a run and Holding for Digne 3 at the back Fabinho to RM and Berardi up front 343

Winning -
70 Mins - Mbappe for Balotelli, stick Martial up top and Mbappe at LW, Locatelli for Lemar, he sits deeper in a 3 man CM

Drawing -
70 Mins - Locatelli for Rabiot, Gabriel for Balotelli (Martial up top, Gabriel LW)
80 Mins - A.Rossi for Lemar, sit just off Martial

SC Cambuur Tactics: Cup Week 4

Captain: Ederson
Vice Captain: Dória

---------------------Ederson
Hildeberto---Lemos---Dória---Geferson
-----------------Danilo---Paredes
-------------------Arrascaeta
Martins------------------------------Malcom
---------------------Zaldivar

SUBS: Batalla, Montes, Walace, Almirón, Moreno, Schiappacasse, Calero


SUMMARY: This week we go with a 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 set up and operate with one holding/defensive midfielder (Danilo) who will be complimented with a deep sitting box to box midfielder (Paredes). In front of them Arrascaeta will operate as the link between midfield and attack. This I feel will give us a better balanced midfield and while being absolutely defensively sound with 2 ‘sitting’, Paredes will also be allowed the freedom (when the time arises) to link with Arrascaeta and attack. I think this set-up lets us link up quickly with our attack while at the same time that little bit of extra cautiousness (slipping back to a 4-5-1) means it will be easy for us to close the door in midfield with all 3 players as comfortable sitting and breaking up attacks if necessary.
We will focus on our own gameplan and perfecting that. We want to play a nice tidy and crisp passing game. Our aim is to move the ball forward as quickly, efficiently and as effectively as possible. We want to continue where we left off last season and search for that perfect balance between defence and attack. Use our pace and power and build our attacks up from the back. If there is nothing on, then we will be patient and ball retention is important. When we have the ball we will use it wisely and when we don’t have the ball then we will press our opponents all over the park with high urgency to win it back. We want to keep the ball on the deck and attack as a team and equally as important defend as a team. This team is bursting with pace. We will utilise that to our advantage and make the pitch wide and use our flying wingers to cause all sorts of mayhem. It will also be a tool that we use to hit opponents on the counter where we know we can out pace any team. Ideally we want to play attractive free flowing football. Sometimes that’s not possible so getting the opponent on the counter and doing a ‘smash and grab’ job today would suit us fine.

Goalkeeper: Ederson is a big mobile keeper and very agile. A great shot stopper, he will communicate with the back 4 and be commanding with the high ball. He will not take any risks. He is a great distributor with both hand and foot and we will look to this as a way to launch quick attacks.

Defence: Our 2 full backs are there firstly to defend and make sure they stay on the right side of their opponents whether they be out wide or cutting inside. When we are on the attack they will be allowed to use their power and pace to provide the overlap on the flanks. They both have the power and the lungs to work the touchline for 90 minutes. They will make the pitch wide and always offer themselves as an option in attack. One goes forward and one stays back. Our 2 centre halves are big 6 feet plus ball playing defenders. Both good in the air and equally as good with the ball at their feet. They will be asked to do the simple things well. Be aggressive but controlled in the tackle and never lose your man when defending dead ball situations. They will be able to bring the ball out of defence but if in doubt take absolutely no chances and clear it into the stands. Both big men will be a real aerial threat at set pieces.

Midfield: We will operate with one holding/defensive midfielder (Danilo). He will be the midfield general. A physical pacey midfielder he will be there to boss this area for us. Breaking up play and filling in as an extra defender if one of our back 4 has ventured forward. He will be there to protect the defence and do a lot of the unseen dirty work in the centre of the park. He is essential to our gameplan and while sitting deep will still offer a lot with his great passing ability. He also has a thunderbolt right foot. He will be complimented with a deep sitting box to box midfielder (Paredes). He has a more conservative role this week and while being a little more constrained than normal he will still have the opportunity to bomb forward when the time is right. They will both have to put a defensive shift in and both are very strong in the tackle. We will look at their enthusiasm and relentless pressing of the opposition as a way to hopefully get a bit of a grip on the midfield and at the very least not make it plain sailing for the opposition. In front of them Arrascaeta will operate as the link between midfield and attack. This I feel will give us a better balanced midfield and while being absolutely defensively sound with 2 ‘sitting’, Paredes will also be allowed the freedom (when the time arises) to link with Arrascaeta and attack. I think this set-up lets us link up quickly with our attack while at the same time that little bit of extra cautiousness means it will be easy for us to close the door in midfield with all 3 players as comfortable sitting and breaking up attacks if necessary.

Wingers/Centre Forward: When in possession both Martins and Malcom will be expected to go for the direct approach and use their power and speed to take on the opposition defence and beat them and bring Arrascaeta, Paredes and Zaldivar in to play. They can vary their attacks as they see fit. Both players can play all across the middle so don’t be surprised to see them swapping wings. At times Paredes may sit a bit deeper allowing Arrascaeta to slot in between both wingers, just behind the CF.
As well as an attacking force both wingers will also have to put a defensive shift when called upon and act as back up for their respective full backs.
Zaldivar starts as the CF. He won’t be short of support or ammunition with the attacking talent behind him. Great playing off the shoulder of the last man he is deadly in and around the box. A bag of energy and very strong we will also look for him to hold up and bring others in to play if it doesn’t seem to be on for him. We will look to get bodies in the box when attacking so he should always have an outlet. He is also great in the air and will provide an option from set pieces. When the shot is on he will take it but we also want to put himself about in the box and think that his size and strength will be a real handful for defences. He will also be alert to any scraps in and around the goal. He has the ability to produce something sublime and create a chance out of nothing.

Free Kicks/Corners: Arrascaeta, Malcom or Martins with Lemos, Dória, Danilo, and Zaldivar to offer an aerial threat. Arrascaeta and Malcom (with his thunderbolt left foot) may try their luck with several free kicks from distance.

Substitutions: (80 mins) If winning (and comfortable) then 3 like for like subs – Montes for Lemos, Morero for Martins and Calero for Zaldivar.

If losing (70 mins) then switch to a 4-1-3-2 and replace Paredes with Calero and Martins with Schiappacasse. Fresh legs and 2 dangerous attackers that carry a goal threat about them. We will look to their pace and freshness to offer us something different.

------------------------------Danilo
Schiappacasse ------- Arrascaeta----- Malcom
---------------------Calero ---------Zaldivar

——————Donarrumma
-----Gimenez—Christensen—L.Hernandez
Vrsaljko—Kranevitter——Tielemans-------Shaw
————O.Dembele————Asensio
—————————Williams

Subs: Kepa, Mammana, Blin, Merino, Lozano, A.Correa, T.Abraham

Captain: Youri Tielemans
Free Kicks: Youri Tielemans
Corners: Youri Tielemans
Penalties: Youri Tielemans

Key game in the group stage a win here would all but see us qualified so we need to be on top form. Up against a 4-4-2 we will have the numerical advantage in the centre of the field which is going to be key today, if we can suffocate them we can control the possession and look to get on the front foot.

Defend from the front, right from the off and as soon as Fishguard gain possession, using the 3 forwards and the WBs as the high block of 5 to press Fishguard, Williams into the face of the DMs/CBs with Dembele and Asensio closing in on the area of play and looking to block the route out wide, with Vrsaljko and Shaw pushed right up onto the Fishguard wide men, tight to them and making sure they can’t be used as Fishguard’s out ball, force them to go into the middle and as soon as they make that forward pass everyone closes in on the man on the ball and cut off the support from his team mates, Kranevitter and Tielemans pushed right onto the Fishguard attacking midfielders and Dembele and Asensio hounding the man on the ball, Vrsaljko and Shaw tucked further infield to add to the pressure, all the while blocking the wide route, with the 3 CBs pushed up and surrounding the CFs so they can’t find an inch of space. Suffocating our opponents in such a manner will allow us to win possession quickly when its been lost and stay on the front foot throughout, always using the two closest men to the ball to press the ball with their team mates focused on squeezing the space and closing the passing routes.

If Fishguard get into wide areas they’ll find the route to goal blocked by a 3-2-5 press down the flanks, WBs and AMs doubling up against their wide players and looking to win the battles from there, with Williams as the out ball and the opposite AM and our CMs narrowing to the play to block Fishguard’s route in field, the three CBs coming across, again allowing us to keep a compact defensive press, they give us that extra protection if Fishguard work the ball out. In the high press we will use Christensen as a forward thinking aggressive defender, always looking to get to the ball in front of the attackers, with Gimenez and Hernandez as the cover. Players become more disciplined when we have to defend deeper, keep in a bank of 5 and one of 4 making sure that we squeeze space and don’t get caught out aggressively pressing players.

Attack starts right from the keeper with he and ‘defensive’ block of 5 looking to feed the high block of 5 into space. When we get the ball Gimenez and Hernandez pull wide and Vrsaljko and Shaw push right up into the attacking 5, looking to force the wingers to follow them back, allowing the spread out CBs to drag Fishguards attempted press away from the middle to create gaps in the midfield third, Gimenez and Hernandez wide stretching them out and Christensen as the initial playmaker with his pressing range. When we draw Fishguard’s forwards out to press it should free Kranevitter and Tielemans into space, Kranevitter will be restricted in his play, just looking to move it quickly but his discipline as well as 3 CBs to cover should allow a more free role for Tielemans who will look to find the central gaps, get on the ball and connect defence to attack, being the deep lying playmaker with his energy to cover large spaces at pace and taking advantage of any space he can find. This then leaves the high 5, WBs pushing right up the field looking to be the players who make the field really wide, keep Fishguard’s wide players focused on defending the flanks so that Tielemans and the 3 central forward players can out number Fishguard in the midfield and really hurt their defence. When we attack through the middle we will have Asensio in a free role where he’s at his best, able to drop deeper to launch attacks and able to run at defenders and DMs and put them on the back foot. Dembele and Williams then look to occupy the defenders by moving off each other, so that when one drops into the open midfield spaces the other looks to spin in behind with their pace. In central attacks we can also use direct balls from Christensen to Williams to get him in behind straight away. When we need to stretch things more we look to attack wide areas, getting the ball out to the WB and then having the AM on the side go out and double up with him, with both WBs excellent at playing quick one touch football to get into the box or to the byeline to cross, we can open them up down the flank and then use the two other attackers again to our advantage, one coming towards the front post to drag a CB with him leaving more space for the other to attack in the middle of the box. Both Vrsaljko and Shaw are excellent infield which allows them to make inside runs when Dembele and Asensio run wide, another option to really drag Fishguard about. We want to really use the flair we have today, Asensio and Dembele in particularly are unstoppable when they get running at defenders.

Subs:

If Winning: Correa for Dembele 70’, fresh legs in an important part of the pitch, he plays left, Asensio right AM. Abraham and Blin for Tielemans and Williams 80’, Blin more disciplined gives us 5 players to defend at all times. Abraham gives us a target man if we need to relieve any pressure.

If Drawing: Abraham and Correa for Williams and Asensio 70’, change in attack to freshen things up. Merino for Tielemans 80’, like for like.

If Losing: Abraham for Hernandez 65’, 4-2-3-1 with Asensio in behind Abraham and Dembele and Williams on the wings. Correa for Williams 75’, great impact sub running at tired defenders. Lozano for Dembele 80’ like for like looks to hurt tiring players.

Captain: Max Meyer
Penalties: Dolberg
Free Kicks: Geis (Then Brandt when Weigl comes on for Geis)

--------------------------Horn
Weiser-------Tah------------Süle-------Henrichs
----------------Geis----------Dahoud
-----Pulisic-----------Meyer--------------Brandt
-----------------------Dolberg

Subs: Wellenreuther, Klostermann, Stark, Weigl, Goretzka, Sané, Gnabry


Our defensive unit consists of Jonathan Tah and Niklas Süle paired up at centre-back, Mitchell Weiser at right-back and Benjamin Henrichs at left-back, with Johannes Geis and Mahmoud Dahoud as our midfield ‘double pivot’ screening them.

This ‘double pivot’ is the key to our team and in Geis and Dahoud 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 Dahoud can press the ball without leaving lots of space, as Geis 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 Dahoud’s role, he will press almost anywhere in his own half to allow defenders to stay in the defensive line.

With Dahoud running his socks off for the team, our high tempo will dictated by his partner in holding midfield, Johannes Geis

A holding midfielder through and through, Geis 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 Geis such a talent.

Geis is also our deadball specialist and do watch out for his pin-point accuracy from free kicks

The attacking unit consists of Christian Pulisic, Max Meyer and Julian Brandt as our band of three attacking midfielders with Kasper Dolberg 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 Geis or Dahoud, then our 4-2-3-1 can spring into attack.

Weiser and Henrichs can surge up the wings in the knowledge that Geis and Dahoud can drop into the space left behind if needed. As they come up the wings, both Christian Pulisic and Julian Brandt who are fast two-footed speed merchants, excellent in tight spaces and fantastic dribblers will cut inside or make runs into the box. Max Meyer our attacking central midfielder’s diminutive physique and low centre of gravity will enable him to navigate away from defenders at a frighteningly quick pace. Meyer 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 Pulisic, Brandt or Dolberg in via fast passing combinations.

Very much like his comrades (Pulisic, Brandt & Meyer), Kasper Dolberg is blessed with incredible pace on and off the ball, and quick dribbling to get past defenders, and a real killer instinct for goal. Dolberg will also be a good team player with the vision to set up his teammates.

Sub: 75 Mins: Weigl on for Geis (Brandt takes over the dead-ball specialist position from Geis), Sané on for Pulisic and Goretzka on for Dahoud

-----------------C.Gordon------------------
Semedo--van Dijk--Jagielka--Denayer
-----------Diawara---Dembele-----------
Robben----------Boufal----------Lingard
-----------------Lacazette-----------------

Ward, Tierney, Samper, Roberts, Burke, M.Dembele, Nunez

We have Craig Gordon in goal who is a big target to aim for, he oozes confidence and this will run through out the team. Will dominate his box and look to start quick counter attacks from the back.

Jagielka will mark the striker, and van Dijk will be the ball player who will take it out of defence. Both comfortable on the ball and strong in the tackle. They will remain tight when we are under attack! The fullbacks can attack if they see fit, Semedo is especially good and supporting the winger so he will be up and down the pitch, Denayer will attack sporadically. When they do attack, get beyond the wingers and scream for the ball even if it is just a decoy for the wingers. Defend as a four, stay in a line and stay strong.

Diawarais our defensive midfielder a big game for the youngster but has been proven on the big stage and Dembele and Boufal are our playmakers and attacking midfielders, Dembele is the playmaker a good combination with the other two and once Diawara has the ball won, a little pass sideways/forwards to either of the two and we are away very quickly on the attack, Dembele who will look to pass it forward to the attacking players, both can tackle so dont let their midfield near our defence! Boufal is the one likes to support the striker so he will be making the late runs into the danger area. He has skills to take him passed players and his passing i svery good as he will look to get Lacazette into a shooting opportunity. Will link well with Robben and Lingard.

Robben and Lingard are very quick and can score spectacular goals, so we have given them freedom to attack the fullbacks, Robben tends to cut inside whereas Lingard will go to the outside and cross in, Robben can score from distance with accuracy so on they go.

We defend as a team, it isnt all about attack, so again a strong 4 in a line when we defend, two banks of 4/5 are always difficult to penetrate.

Lacazette is quick and good eye for goal, will look to link up quickly with Boufal as he comes forward with Dembele as they will be a big threat today hopefully. All about movement as they look to put away the chances to win this game. Always stays on the last man moving across the line.

Captain Virgil van Dijk
Penalties Lacazette
Free Kicks Robben
Corners The wingers will take

Substitutes

If we are losing Young Dembele will come on for Boufal and go 442 on 65 minutes and Roberts for Lingard on 75 minutes, Tierney for Denayer on 80

If we are winning Samper on for Boufal and sit in on 70 minutes, Tierney for Lingard on 80 to hold on

Drawing then Young Dembele for Boufal and Roberts for Lingard on 70

Cup home vs Cambuur

-----------------------------Storari---------------------------------

Lirola------Maksimovic---------Chiellini(c)----------DiMarco

Passlack-------Kimmich-------Renato-------------Guerreiro

------------------A.Silva--------Dybala

subs: Hysaj, Lindelof, Nagy, Maia, Pjaca, Coric, Kean


4-4-2

just go out and enjoy the game, play to our strengths, keep the ball moving and work hard off the ball.

subs 70 minutes: Moise Kean for Dybala, Thiago Maia for Renato Sanches and Pjaca for Guerreiro

Wellington Phoenix tactics – Week four in the cup - at home to Tatung

-----------------Butland-------------------
Jung-----Bailly----Wimmer--Grimaldo
------------------X.Alonso----------------
D.Costa-----Fernandinho----Iwobi
--------------Fekir---Milik---------------

Subs: Foderingham, Arbeloa, Lascalles, Coquelin, Elneny, Deulofeu, Rashford

Captain – X.Alonso
Vice – Fernandinho
Corners – Costa
FKs from deep – X.Alonso
FKs at goal - Costa
Pens - Milik

We're playing well and are in a good position in the cup, so we will stick to our guns and play our game. At home it is important to win to give ourselves a good chance of getting through and I believe we can beat anyone, especially at home. Tatung's circumstances will also play into our hands, instead of playing to stifle us they will need to play for the win to have any chance of progressing. This means we can go out and play with freedom, intensity and express ourselves all over the pitch, the pressure is on us, not them and as they attack they'll grow desperate and leave space for us. As usual we're playing an attacking 4-1-3-2 system, built with the goal of winning the ball back early and high up the pitch, where we can do damage to the opposition. Essentially we will be looking to win the ball back high up the pitch and from there we have great ball playing defenders and the maestro Alonso, picking out passes. The plan is that playing outside of the conventional formation with give us the upper hand due to the shock factor and the extra player will mean that the opposition defence will always be occupied. While they'll probably have contingencies in place, hopefully by flooding the box with fluid attackers we can have their defenders falling each other and giving this side the big defeat they've been due all season. Obviously our midfield two will be put under more strain, but Alonso is such an intelligent reader of the game who has never relied on pace or an all action style and Fernandinho is just an animal who is in great shape and great form, who can cover a lot of ground, support the defenders and the attacks and has enough ability to move the ball on to the better players.

Our defence will play high, we realise this is a risk against a team with as young, skillful & powerful as Tatung, but our defence is as fast and powerful as anyones and will be playing on the front foot. Although we will have to be more wary of midfield runners with this formation, I would bet that we will still have a free man along the back line, which really means our players can attack the ball with confidence, keeping Tatung in their own box. As always, although we are playing a high line and pushing to keep the play in the opposition half, we will not play an offside trap unless it’s clear – this means the defenders can read the game and drop off half a yard in anticipation of a ball coming over the top to give them the edge on the striker. This, matched with their sheer pace, should be enough to mean that it will take something very special for Tatung to get in behind us and even when they do, they have the formidable frame of Butland to get past!

IN SUMMARY – we’re looking to press Tatung into either playing themselves into trouble and making mistakes at the back or resorting to clearing the ball, which our defence can deal with comfortably given their attributes and recycle position back to Alonso, to get us started again.

Butland – New signing looking to impress and we all know what he's about as he's proven himself in the PL and more importantly the Dream League! He will play as you want a keeper to play – alert all game and full of confidence. He’ll command his box and inspire confidence throughout the rest of the team – especially with a young defence ahead of him. Otherwise, usual stuff (off his line quickly when needed, big at one on ones, great shot stopper and collect crosses).

Grimaldo & Jung – both players with incredible engines, pace to burn and ability on the ball. It’s important to keep them grounded and remind them they’re defenders first – but these qualities listed above will make them very hard to beat in any 1v1 situation. Given our formation, they won’t really be getting forward too often, but they will have their chances. Mainly we want them getting the right side of their attacker and making us hard to beat, but when we’re with the ball I do want them to be hugging the opposite touchline, not too far up the pitch, just to give an option to switch the play and keep our width if the wide forward drifts inside to join the play. I don’t want them making overlapping runs all the time when the play is on their side though, just stretching the play with the switch option.

Wimmer & Bailly – Bailly to attack the ball more, while Wimmer drops off a little and covers the rest of the defence if they get beaten. Wimmer to also try and spot trouble early and cut it out accordingly, if this means dropping off and getting caught one on one, he will stand tall and shimmy the man – making himself hard to beat and allowing the rest of the very pacey defence to get back behind him quickly and giving the forward player a lot of work to do. Usual thing really, but with more licence to attack the ball and they’ll probably be on the ball a bit more than usual, starting things up – so enjoy it and show what you can do!

X.Alonso – Playing a similar role to how he has operated at Bayern in the last year or so. He has a very talented, energetic side around him and he’s the cool head in the middle to bring it all together and make them tick. He’ll be protecting the defence as ever, with his reading of the game and picking up the ball from the defence and spraying passes around. This should be a fun challenge for him, something slightly different which I believe he will relish. The movement in front of him will make this aspect of his game relatively easy given his ability to pick a pass, but more importantly a lot of fun for him! Defensively he may get caught 2v1 now and again but he has the intelligence to know when to foul, when to hold people up and allow Fernandinho to get back and when to call a defender out to help him.

Fernandinho – A big coup for us - he's essentially a luxury version of Diame, on steriods. And we'd been doing well with Diame! He has bags of energy, good passing, good shot, good decision making. These attributes make this man the perfect box to box player for our formation today. He will play slightly ahead of Alonso, his main role will be to put the Tatung DM under too much pressure to settle on the ball and play them out of trouble. He should thrive on getting on the ball in dangerous areas, rather than a more reserved role, with a lot of movement and pace around him causing problems for the opposition, giving him a little more space than usual as well. Defensively, I just want him to be very aware of the counter attack and when Alonso is being doubled up on bust a gut to get back and help him. But when we are pressing the opposition in a normal situation he will be up high on the DM.

Iwobi & Costa – hungry, direct, pacey and unpredictable, which will make them a constant pain for Tatung. Iwobi gets the nod over Deulofeu due to his form in real lifewith him really showing what he's capable of. He is also a cool head who won't be rushed into mistakes and plays with his head up. He has the intelligence to pick up positions in dangerous places and adapt to the team around him, which will make him a nightmare to play against. Finally he has shown he can do it in big games too! Costa's role is more simple, but equally important for the balance of the team and because he is outrageously good at it. I want him always looking to get forward, beat a man, taking the quickest route into the box, whether that be a direct run in or down the line and whip a ball in. I want them always wanting the ball too, always moving off the ball. Off the ball it’s simple, just drop in and get goalside of your FB as soon as you can. Not so much defensive responsibility today with our FBs playing as defenders, not wing backs, so they will look to get at the full backs in 1v1 battles, keep them pinned back and just try to beat them and get the ball in the box. If the opposition FBs do try and push on, let them – we will try and stop the attack very quickly and aggressively at the back and then when we get the ball back, the wingers will have space and we will outnumber the defence 4 to 3.

Costa is my star man, he's changed the feel of the club and the momentum - he'll be eager to show what an impact he can have by leading us to cup glory.

Milik – natural game for him today – playing as a proper CF, keeping the CBs occupied all game, challenging for anything in the air, holding up the play and bringing others into the game and generally springing to life when the ball is anywhere near the box. Was a close pick between him and Rashford, but he seems to have forged a good bond with Fekir and his scoring record in the league was outrageous.

Fekir – luxury role today as wherever he goes he will be a nuisance. He can play exactly as he likes, roaming around and playing off Milik. This means when he plays as a CF their defence will be stretched and tested, when he drops off the DM will be too occupied with Fernandinho to deal with him and he will be able to run at the defence. For him it’s all about getting on the ball in the spaces he finds, wherever they may be and just enjoying himself and really giving Tatung a torrid time.

Subs:

If losing/drawing at 65 mins - Coquelin, Deulofeu & Rashford on for Alonso, Iwobi & Milik.

Same formation, with fresh legs.

If winning - Coquelin, Deulofeu & Rashford on for Fekir, Iwobi & Milik. Move to 4-3-3

----------Coq-----Alonso---------
-------------Fernandinho------------
Costa------Rashford----Deulofeu

Take a little sting out of the game with more men in the middle and more control of the game, we can move the ball around a little more to tire Tatung out and run them down, rather than constantly going at them. That said we will still have a really pacey, direct front three so we can choose to mix it up and try and pick them off a little more meticulously (as opposed to our relentless style early on) as we tire them out.

5 minutes to spare!

Also could you please change Elneny on my bench to Galloway?

---------------------------Hassen
Sidibé-------Gomez---------------N'Koulou--------Duarte
-----------------Kessié------------Höjbjerg
Ojo-----------------------Ziyech-----------------------Woodburn
----------------------------Ünal

Subs: Diop; Traore; Oyarzabal; Ejaria; Sinkgraven

Captain: Hassen
Crossing free-kicks: Ünal/Kovalenko
Shooting free-kicks: Ünal/Kovalenko
Penalties: Kessié
Corners: Kovalenko

The gameplan is to defend with a mid to low block, using intense pressing and then to hit the opposition on the break with the pace & dribbling ability of our forwards and quick passing of the team. Namely Ojo, Ünal & Woodburn. By drawing the opposition onto us, we want to create a space behind their defence for us to run into.

Defence: Defend just outside the box and do not allow penetration beyond that. Track runners and put in all types of tackles and clearences. Try not to get caught out of position. Fullbacks to come close to the centre backs and defend the goal, forcing the opposition out wide where the play will be restricted and more difficult for them to create chances.

Double pivot to sit in front of the defence and assist with pressing in midfield ensuring not much gets passed and through to the defence. Höjbjerg will use his outstanding passing range to move the ball forward as quickly as possible and into space for our forwards to run into. Allow the opposition to build to an extent where they're on top of us and then win the ball back and break at lightening speed. Kessié will be the main defensive enegiser bunny running around putting tackles everywhere. Ziyech will be the free roaming attacking midfield using his movement to create space and passing & creativity to create chances in the final third. He will be disciplined off the ball to help keep the team compact and defend in front of the deep midfield 2.

Ojo & Woodburn to cut inside from the wide positions and run straight at the centre of the defence. This will open space on the outside for the fullbacks to overlap and stretch the opposition's defence and create space in the centre for our wide forwards. When defending they should drop back and help their respective fullbacks creating a 4411 formation as we look to keep it tight.

Strikers: Ünal is a complete forward in the making. Freedom to roam all over the attacking and find space as he sees fit. Making runs beyond or on the side of the defence. Equally adept at playing in others as well creating chances for himself or getting on the end of team moves. He will be handful for almost any defence.

Subs:
60min - Sinkgraven for Höjbjerg
75min - Traore for Unal
80min - Oyarzabal for Ojo

Blyth

……………………………Buffon………………..
……………Barzagli…Silva…Rugani……….
Yedlin………..De Rossi…Motta……..De Sciglio
…………………………….Insigne………………………
…………………..Zlatan……………Munir……………….

Subs: Cragno, Hause, Iorfa, Cataldi, Mauri, Sadiq, Enzo

Well after a feckin disgraceful season the boys owe it to themselves and mainly to me to go out and perform well in the cup.

This is gonna be fast paced wide play I know our midfield is a little pedestrian with De Rossi and Motta but they’re in the team to hold the centre, they don’t need “legs” for that – can’t put a price on experience.

Our Back 3 are all comfortable on the ball and very good no nonsense defenders – will take a high line today as we look to bombard our opponents with raking diagonal balls to really stretch their defence. In possession they’ll spread wide making it a wide back 3 as we look to maintain an easy out ball.

Yedlin and De Sciglio have great engines on them and they will be expected to cover the ground and really give us some attacking width, both men are quick so getting back in time will be no bother.

De Rossi and Motta will screen the defence as we look to get a good grip of the midfield area, defensively as our Wing-backs recover, Motta will hold the DM position whilst De Rossi will slot in at CB covering either our LCB or RCB as they shuffle wide.

Insigne – the #10 given free licence to roam about, a fantastic lil player with very quick feet will link the midfield and attack – everything good about our play goes through him.

Zlatan & Munir – traditional big man/little man partnership here Zlatan will be my big powerhouse striker and will draw men to him, Munir will play off the shoulder using his pace and acceleration to time his runs to perfection.

Subs:
60 mins
Cataldi > Motta
Mauri > De Rossi

--------------------- Areola ----------------------

Mensah ---- Holding ---- Varane ---- L.Digne

---------------------- Kante ----------------------

--------------- Pjanic ----- Neves ---------------

Berardi --------------------------------- Gabriel

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

Lafont, Chilwell, Holgate, Locatelli, Grujic, Mbappe, Defrel

In goal Areola 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.

Holding in beside Varane, on this occassion Varane will man mark the CF. Varane is quick and skillfull for a CB, with great marking abilities, powerfully built so marking the CF should be no trouble as he has to man up to him, will keep him away from goal and be on to him quickly as he comes forward so he can intercept any though he has of going for goal. When in possession he will carry the ball out and start attacks from the back. Holding alongside is fantastic in the air, so will mark any other big players that come into our danger area, strong in the air and strong in the tackle and make sure he is strong enough to get the ball away from danger. Both go up for corners and are a huge threat.

Mensah and Digne at fullback, we must keep the wingers quiet, stop them and we stop a lot of there attacks. Mensah and Digne are perfect for this . They will look to keep them away from shooting areas where is dangerous in any position. This is a vital clash in this game. They will be up against quality wingers so look to force him away from goal and backwards, Digne with his attacking prowess, will push his back, Mensah sits back and tucks in to become a 3 at the back a bit and allows Digne to attack but his marking abilities are sound, both have good positional sense and very quick, do not make rash desicions and will stay on their feet. Both FBs can attack. One goes the other stays (Digne more often then Mensah) as they look to make an extra man down the flank for our wingers to cut inside or play neat one twos to free the wingers up.

Kante to stop the AM getting the ball from midfield to the striker, he must be right on top of him looking to close him down at the quickest opportunity, let him dictate play and there striker will get plenty chances, we must not let this happen. So quick and into him, fairly and stop this! Kante himself will look to dictate from deep as he picks up from the defence and looks to drive us forward with precision passing. Neves v the second most advanced midfielder much the same, but obvs when we have the ball he is allowed to move forward and push him back, Neves should have a bit of time to look around him for the pass, Use his upper body strength to get him away from the player. Pass and move always look for the return pass. When they have then close down the CM, he will look to ping the ball about so get to him before that opportunity arises. When he passes he then moves forward to support the forward line. We have put Pjanic in a slightly withdrawn No.10 role against there DM he must be strong, Pjanic is an all round fantastic midfielder,, however he will look to take the DM on one v one drag him about open up spaces for others to drive into, with the ball at feet look to play quick one twos with those around him so he makes the runs into the box looking for that return ball that will get him in on goal. If the ball is played to him with his back to goal hold it up, draw the foul from the DM, if it doesnt come then look to lay it off, look to play the slide pass into Aguero. All three are good all round midfielders, But Kante i want to sit in the hole with the two either side when defending.

Berardi and Gabriel are known for their creativity, speed, and technical ability and are fearless, explosive attacking midfielders who can change the game with a turn of pace or a dribble. Both technically excellent in limited areas, fast explosive acceleration during the first ten yards. Which more often than not takes them passed defenders and allows them to get into dangerous areas. Always play with there heads up looking for the runs of others to get the ball into there feet. When they have the ball look to stick close to fullbacks and stop them coming forward. Always be looking for Pjanic and Neves inside as the four make an awesome attack wise in behind Aguero and a scary proposition for there back line.

Aguero will get plenty chances, he must put away there side who will be solid at the back, however I want to target the slower of the two. 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. Aguero is good in the air for a wee fella and two good feet, can score from various angles/ranges..All of our front four/five will be a threat today we must go for it and keep pace with the league leaders. Can hold it up and look for runners, in particular Berardi, Pjanic and Gabriel running into support. Pjanic will be making his runs also so be watchful of him just to lay it off to the side

Captain - Varane
Penalties - Aguero
Free kicks - Pjanic
Corners - Wingers

Losing -
65 Mins - Then we have to go attacking so 442 with Neves coming off for Defrel, he goes up top with Aguero to add some muscle, Kante and Pjanic in CM
75 Mins - Mbappe for Gabriel for some speed and freshness
80 Mins - Digne to LM, Mbappe to RM and Berardi up front 3-4-3

Winning
75 Mins - Locatelli for Neves and he drops back in beside Kante
80 Mins - Chilwell for Gabriel to shut down the opposition Right side
85 Mins - Holgate for Berardi, he goes to RB and Mensah to RM

Drawing -
75 Mins - Mbappe for Gabriel, Grujic for Neves straight swaps trying to freshen it up without disrupting things

Captain: Max Meyer
Penalties: Aubameyang
Free Kicks: Brandt (Geis)

------------------------Karius
Weiser-------Tah------------Süle-------Henrichs
---------------Weigl----------Dahoud
-----Pulisic-----------Meyer--------------Brandt
--------------------Aubameyang

Subs: Wellenreuther, Klostermann, Stark, Geis, Goretzka, Schöpf, Dolberg


Our defensive unit consists of Jonathan Tah and Niklas Süle paired up at centre-back, Mitchell Weiser at right-back and Benjamin Henrichs at left-back, with Julian Weigl and Mahmoud Dahoud as our midfield ‘double pivot’ screening them.

This ‘double pivot’ is the key to our team and in Weigl and Dahoud 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 Dahoud can press the ball without leaving lots of space, as Weigl 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 Dahoud’s role, he will press almost anywhere in his own half to allow defenders to stay in the defensive line.

With Dahoud running his socks off for the team, our high tempo will dictated by his partner in holding midfield, Julian Weigl

A holding midfielder through and through, Weigl 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 Weigl such a talent.

The attacking unit consists of Christian Pulisic, Max Meyer and Julian Brandt as our band of three attacking midfielders with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 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 Weigl or Dahoud, then our 4-2-3-1 can spring into attack.

Weiser and Henrichs can surge up the wings in the knowledge that Weigl and Dahoud can drop into the space left behind if needed. As they come up the wings, both Christian Pulisic and Julian Brandt who are fast two-footed speed merchants, excellent in tight spaces and fantastic dribblers will cut inside or make runs into the box. Max Meyer our attacking central midfielder’s diminutive physique and low centre of gravity will enable him to navigate away from defenders at a frighteningly quick pace. Meyer 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 Pulisic, Brandt or Aubameyang in via fast passing combinations.

Upfront, Aubameyang isn’t just quick, he’s blisteringly quick. Not only does he have a calm head when chances come his way, he scores all different types of goals and is brutishly strong on the ball. While mastery of the ball in terms of technical flair and intricate dribbling are aesthetic treats, there will be few sights more eye-catching in this match than our dynamic forward tearing past toiling defenders.


Sub: 60 Mins: Geis on for Weigl

At this stage of the game I’ll be looking to bring in the dead-ball specialist of our team (not that Brandt isn’t an excellent dead-ball player).

Geis is as gifted as defensive midfielder as Weigl but if as expected the game is close, then set-play opportunities as the game enters its final phase could be crucial.

Sub 70 Mins: Goretzka on for Dahoud

Goretzka has a massive engine on him and will bring a fresh intensity in terms of his pressing game. The midfield is where this game may be won or lost, and we do not intend on losing this battle.

Sub 80 Mins: Schöpf on for Meyer

The talented Schöpf has an eye for goals late in games. With 10 minutes left this master of the dribble and contributor of valuable goals from midfield will be eager to leave a lasting impression.

Meyer gives the captain’s armband to Süle before leaving the pitch

Wellington Phoenix tactics – Week five in the cup - away to Fishguard

-----------------Butland-------------------
Jung-----Bailly----Wimmer--Grimaldo
------------------X.Alonso----------------
D.Costa-----Fernandinho----Deulofeu
--------------Fekir---Milik---------------

Subs: Foderingham, Arbeloa, Lascalles, Coquelin, Gnabry, Iwobi, Rashford

Captain – X.Alonso
Vice – Fernandinho
Corners – Costa
FKs from deep – X.Alonso
FKs at goal - Costa
Pens - Milik

Today we need to win, which suits our current style. We're a little unlikely of late but I fully believe you make your own luck, if we keep playing well, getting into good positions then we will get our luck. Fishguard could easily play for a point, but I don't think that's their style and that could suit us as they'll still leave gaps for us. If they do try to stifle us or even just naturally fall back without it being a conscience decision I believe we have the nous to pull a young defence apart under sustained pressure. As usual we're playing an attacking 4-1-3-2 system, built with the goal of winning the ball back early and high up the pitch, where we can do damage to the opposition. Essentially we will be looking to win the ball back high up the pitch and from there we have great ball playing defenders and the maestro Alonso, picking out passes. The plan is that playing outside of the conventional formation with give us the upper hand due to the shock factor and the extra player will mean that the opposition defence will always be occupied. While they'll probably have contingencies in place, hopefully by flooding the box with fluid attackers we can have their defenders falling each other and giving this side the big defeat they've been due all season. Obviously our midfield two will be put under more strain, but Alonso is such an intelligent reader of the game who has never relied on pace or an all action style and Fernandinho is just an animal who is in great shape and great form, who can cover a lot of ground, support the defenders and the attacks and has enough ability to move the ball on to the better players.

Our defence will play high, we realise this is a risk against a team with as young, skillful & powerful as Fishguard, but our defence is as fast and powerful as anyones and will be playing on the front foot. Although we will have to be more wary of midfield runners with this formation, I would bet that we will still have a free man along the back line, which really means our players can attack the ball with confidence, keeping Fishguard in their own box. As always, although we are playing a high line and pushing to keep the play in the opposition half, we will not play an offside trap unless it’s clear – this means the defenders can read the game and drop off half a yard in anticipation of a ball coming over the top to give them the edge on the striker. This, matched with their sheer pace, should be enough to mean that it will take something very special for Fishguard to get in behind us and even when they do, they have the formidable frame of Butland to get past!

IN SUMMARY – we’re looking to press Fishguard into either playing themselves into trouble and making mistakes at the back or resorting to clearing the ball, which our defence can deal with comfortably given their attributes and recycle position back to Alonso, to get us started again.

Butland – New signing looking to impress and we all know what he's about as he's proven himself in the PL and more importantly the Dream League! He will play as you want a keeper to play – alert all game and full of confidence. He’ll command his box and inspire confidence throughout the rest of the team – especially with a young defence ahead of him. Otherwise, usual stuff (off his line quickly when needed, big at one on ones, great shot stopper and collect crosses).

Grimaldo & Jung – both players with incredible engines, pace to burn and ability on the ball. It’s important to keep them grounded and remind them they’re defenders first – but these qualities listed above will make them very hard to beat in any 1v1 situation. Given our formation, they won’t really be getting forward too often, but they will have their chances. Mainly we want them getting the right side of their attacker and making us hard to beat, but when we’re with the ball I do want them to be hugging the opposite touchline, not too far up the pitch, just to give an option to switch the play and keep our width if the wide forward drifts inside to join the play. I don’t want them making overlapping runs all the time when the play is on their side though, just stretching the play with the switch option.

Wimmer & Bailly – Bailly to attack the ball more, while Wimmer drops off a little and covers the rest of the defence if they get beaten. Wimmer to also try and spot trouble early and cut it out accordingly, if this means dropping off and getting caught one on one, he will stand tall and shimmy the man – making himself hard to beat and allowing the rest of the very pacey defence to get back behind him quickly and giving the forward player a lot of work to do. Usual thing really, but with more licence to attack the ball and they’ll probably be on the ball a bit more than usual, starting things up – so enjoy it and show what you can do!

X.Alonso – Playing a similar role to how he has operated at Bayern in the last year or so. He has a very talented, energetic side around him and he’s the cool head in the middle to bring it all together and make them tick. He’ll be protecting the defence as ever, with his reading of the game and picking up the ball from the defence and spraying passes around. This should be a fun challenge for him, something slightly different which I believe he will relish. The movement in front of him will make this aspect of his game relatively easy given his ability to pick a pass, but more importantly a lot of fun for him! Defensively he may get caught 2v1 now and again but he has the intelligence to know when to foul, when to hold people up and allow Fernandinho to get back and when to call a defender out to help him.

Fernandinho – A big coup for us - he's essentially a luxury version of Diame, on steriods. And we'd been doing well with Diame! He has bags of energy, good passing, good shot, good decision making. These attributes make this man the perfect box to box player for our formation today. He will play slightly ahead of Alonso, his main role will be to put the Fishguard DM under too much pressure to settle on the ball and play them out of trouble. He should thrive on getting on the ball in dangerous areas, rather than a more reserved role, with a lot of movement and pace around him causing problems for the opposition, giving him a little more space than usual as well. Defensively, I just want him to be very aware of the counter attack and when Alonso is being doubled up on bust a gut to get back and help him. But when we are pressing the opposition in a normal situation he will be up high on the DM.

Deulofeu & Costa – hungry, direct, pacey and unpredictable, which will make them a constant pain for Fishguard. Deulofeu gets the nod over Iwobi today because of his more direct style, Welshy's defence will likely leave gaps coming forward and Deulofeu will look to get at them as quickly as possible and this will make him a huge asset to us. Costa's role is more or less the same, but equally important for the balance of the team and because he is outrageously good at it. I want him always looking to get forward, beat a man, taking the quickest route into the box, whether that be a direct run in or down the line and whip a ball in. I want them always wanting the ball too, always moving off the ball. Off the ball it’s simple, just drop in and get goalside of your FB as soon as you can. Not so much defensive responsibility today with our FBs playing as defenders, not wing backs, so they will look to get at the full backs in 1v1 battles, keep them pinned back and just try to beat them and get the ball in the box. If the opposition FBs do try and push on, let them – we will try and stop the attack very quickly and aggressively at the back and then when we get the ball back, the wingers will have space and we will outnumber the defence 4 to 3.

Costa is my star man, he's changed the feel of the club and the momentum - he'll be eager to show what an impact he can have by leading us to cup glory.

Milik – natural game for him today – playing as a proper CF, keeping the CBs occupied all game, challenging for anything in the air, holding up the play and bringing others into the game and generally springing to life when the ball is anywhere near the box. Was a close pick between him and Rashford, but he seems to have forged a good bond with Fekir and his scoring record in the league was outrageous.

Fekir – luxury role today as wherever he goes he will be a nuisance. He can play exactly as he likes, roaming around and playing off Milik. This means when he plays as a CF their defence will be stretched and tested, when he drops off the DM will be too occupied with Fernandinho to deal with him and he will be able to run at the defence. For him it’s all about getting on the ball in the spaces he finds, wherever they may be and just enjoying himself and really giving Fishguard a torrid time.

Subs:

If losing/drawing at 65 mins - Coquelin, Iwobi & Rashford on for Alonso, Iwobi & Milik.

As I feel Coquelin could cover the ground defensively better than Alonso, the FBs will push on and overlap a bit more as we go in search of an equiliser. A risk to leave more gaps, but I feel we are in as good a position as anyone to take that risk with our defensive players as anyone is and it is a risk we have to take to get through the group.

I feel like Rashford and Iwobi would link up very well as their natural games compliment each other IMO, Rashford drifting out wide and playing on the last man, Iwobi drifting inside and picking up good positions between the lines, I feel they would really link up well and their movement, pace and understanding would cause problems for any tiring defence.


If winning - Coquelin, Iwobi & Rashford on for Fekir, Iwobi & Milik. Move to 4-3-3

----------Coq-----Alonso---------
-------------Fernandinho------------
Costa------Rashford----Iwobi

Take a little sting out of the game with more men in the middle and more control of the game, we can move the ball around a little more to tire Fishguard out and run them down, rather than constantly going at them. That said we will still have a really pacey, direct front three so we can choose to mix it up and try and pick them off a little more meticulously (as opposed to our relentless style early on) as we tire them out.