BRUM vs spurs

----------------------------------------Lunin--------------------------------
Mukiele------------Skriniar---------------Maguire------------Chilwell
-------------------------Valverde----------Kondogbia-----------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zaha------------------------------------------------------------------------Keita
-----------------------------------Philipp----------------------------------------
-----------------------------------Benzema------------------------------------------

Subs - Lafont, Fabian Ruiz, Cristante, Pellegrini, Lookman, Gnabry, Promes

CAPTAIN - SKRINIAR
CK'S - ZAHA
FK'S - ZAHA
PENALTIES - BENZEMA

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

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

Defence Mids
Kondogbia + Valverde
Kondogbia will be the anchor in the middle. Stay back in front of the defence and protect the defence with your life. If the oppo play an AM then stick close to him and mark him if possible. When our fullbacks are attacking then your main priority will be to cover for them. When in possession pass the ball out to the wings or play a through ball from deep to our wingers.
Valverde will look to sit deep and be the gap between the defence and the midfield and play as the deep lying playmaker. When he has the ball I want him to pass the ball forward and try and play through balls for our wingers to run onto. I want the team to use him as an outlet to get play started or when the oppo is pressing us I want him to use his expert ball control to keep hold of possession of the ball. When not in possession of the ball I want him to sit alongside Kondogbia in the middle and protect the defence.

Wingers
Zaha + Keita
These 2 will be the focal point of my attack. They are 2 young and hungry players and I want to give them the freedom to express themselves in attack. Keita will be looking to cut in from the right and Zaha will look to get to the byline to whip in crosses for the striker. I want you both to try and beat the oppo fullbacks with your pace and dribbling ability but don't try too hard as if you see them doubling up on you you can either pass back or into the centre of the pitch to one of our CM's. I want you both to be aware of our fullbacks and play pass and move 1 2's with them to try and penetrate the oppo back line. Mukiele and Chilwell are no slouches attacking wise so use them! To Keita if you can cut in onto your stronger foot, don't be afraid to shoot from range as you have the ability to score from long range. If there is no space to do so then take the ball to the byline and whip in crosses for Benz to get his head on. When we are defending corners I want both of them to stay near the halfway line so we can hit the oppo on the counter attack.

Attack Mid
Maximilian Philipp
Philipp will be playing just behind Benzema and will look to help him out in attack. Be ready for passes into your feet and shoot if you see an opportunity. Mix up your attacking runs to throw off the oppo DM. I want him to dribble with the ball and play 1 2's with the rest of the team. Shoot if you see an opening.

Striker
Karim 'the dream' Benzema
Benz will look to use his strength to get the better of the oppo defence. Be vary of crosses into the box as you are decent in the air, and if you are through on goal, use your expert finishing to score. Time your runs off the shoulders of the oppo CB's and hold the ball up for Zaha/Keita to make infield runs ahead of you.

Subs if LOSING BY 65MINS
Put on Gnabry for Kondogbia, Lookman for Keita and Cristante for Valverde to bring some more pace on. Play a high line and try and get a goal. Change formation to 41212.

--------------------------------Lunin--------------------------------
Mukiele-------------Skriniar-----------Maguire------------Chilwell
-------------------------------------Cristante------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zaha-----------------------------------------------------------------Lookman
--------------------------------------Philipp------------------------------------
---------------------Benzema--------------Gnabry--------------------------


Subs if WINNING BY 80MINS
Take off Philipp and put on Ruiz in CM and move Kondogbia to CB. Play defensive with everyone in our own half defending for their lives, waiting to hit the oppo on the counter attack. Gnabry on for Keita and Promes for Benz.

------------------------------------Lunin--------------------------------
Mukiele------Skriniar----Maguire----Kondogbia-----Chilwell
-----------------------Valverde------------Ruiz----------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------Zaha-----------------------------------------------Gnabry---------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------Promes----------------------------------------


Subs if DRAWING BY 65MINS
Lookman on for Keita
Ruiz on for Valverde
Gnabry on for Benzema
Fresh legs to bring on.

Barcelona:

Neto
Roberto T.Silva Pique Alba
Wass Parejo Isco
Bale Messi Pedro

Juventus:
Handanovic
De Sciglo Albiol Benatia Dalbert
Allan De Rossi Fernandes
Cuadrado Dzeko Perrotti

PSG:

Lopes
Meunier Glik Kimpembe Bernat
Wanyama Ndombele
Lo Celso
Depay
Bacca Falcao

Bayern:
Farhmann
Kimmich Vogt Naldo Alaba
Kroos Xhaka
Pulisic Muller Arnautovic
Uth

Europa League

Group A
Liverpool 3 - 1 Lazio
Dybala(Sancho, 3), Sancho(Silva, 29), Guedes,(McKennie, 82)
Calhanoglu(FK,71)
MOTM - Sancho

Wolves 1 - 1 Arsenal
Immobile(Perisic, 48)
Cavani(Goretzka, 51)
MOTM - Fernandinho

Group B
Spurs 1 - 1 Birmingham
Sturridge(Moura, 40)
Zaha, (Phillip, 34)
MOTM - Zaha

Leverkuesen 3 - 1 Villareal
Volland(Havertz, 6) Sabitzer(Havertz, 24), Shaqiri(Insua, 52)
L.Muriel(Cazorla, 38)
MOTM - Havertz

Comment deleted by Article Creator

Juventus 2 -1 Barcelona
Dzekox2(Perrotti, 17)(Pen, 74)
Messi(Pedro, 29)
MOTM - Dzeko

Portsmouth 0 - 2 Leicester
Costa(Coutinho, 4), Coutinho, 47)
MOTM - Coutihno

Newcastle 1-0 PSG
Mane (James)
MOTM: Ndombele

Bayern 1 - 2 Chelsea
Pulisic (Muller); Aouar (Pogba), Lewa (Mbappe)
Motm : Lewa

NEWCASTLE 4-3-3

___________Alisson
Azpi____Alder___Godin___Robbo
__________Jorginho
________Koke___Silva
Salah______Suarez________Mane

SUBS: Reus, Radja, Lukaku, Milner, N’Zonzi, James, Bobby

Captain: Diego Godin
Penalties: Luis Suarez
Corners: David Silva
Freekicks: Luis Suarez
Crossing Freekick: David Silva

The formation deployed today is so that we gain as much control as possible higher up he pitch. We expect to have more of the ball so patience is key. We also expect the four behind the striker to drift around a bit, getting into positions where their natural play can cause damage. The striker up front presses when we don’t have the ball and the entire team will support him cut passing lanes to help win the ball higher up. The quality of our players will allow us to break through the oppositions press. When we have the ball we will want to attract the press and use the spaces that they open up to attack.

Full backs will get forward when the opportunity arises. Our full backs are good at feeding our forward line with their ability on the ball and we aim to utilize that with their ability to get up the pitch and tactical arareness. We also need our full backs to widen the pitch for us. Our centre halves are good on the ball, and a long punt every now and then to utilize our pace out wide is encouraged. Our right back will also tuck in to help solidify the team.

The regista will drop in to form a back three so that the centre backs can split wide to push the full backs general position higher up in line with the midfielders (and wide forwards engage their back line along with the striker). In doing so we create a four man midfield to overpower their midfield. This will allow our midfield to be flexible, if one of their midfielders steps forward, one of ours will move into the space they vacated. The regista will be the link between our defence and midfield and because of the way he plays, he will draw the opponents forward towards him to attack the ball, pulling their team’s lines apart. This will create more spaces between the lines for our midfield and forward lines to move into. The right centre mid will be the more defensive one in his box to box role, closing down space and cutting passing lanes with his incredible interception ability. Playing alongside the regista will give him less areas of the pitch to cover, and shorter distance needed to win the ball back to start the next attack. Both centre mids will float between the lines during the attacking phase just behind our forwards.

By having our wide forwards up front when we have the ball it will effectively create space out wide. We would expect our full backs to sometimes go infield to collect the ball from the keeper, while one of the midfielders goes wide so when he receives the ball he will have time to look up and pick passes as the opposition midfield will be reluctant to press which will leave a man free in midfield. This can be done by a midfielder too, dropping deep to create a free man in the first line with time on the ball, ping it straight to the striker who can lay it off to the other onrushing midfielder.

If short passing options aren’t available the passing range and accuracy of our keeper will safely transfer the ball forwards via our full backs, wherever they are on the pitch. The keeper can also dink the ball into space for the striker or wide forward to control taking out 6 or 7 opposition players in the process.

The striker’s main role will be to create space for the wide forwards. He will drop deep into a ten to drag defenders out and create space for our wide forwards to run into. This will tie into our quick short passing which is aimed at dragging their players out of position and create space between their lines. Our team will always recycle the ball back to the regista to keep possession and to keep the ball moving.

When we don’t have the ball we will expect our four behind the striker to drop into a 4-5-1 in support of our regista and right centre mid. We will also create triangles to trap the opposition players that have the ball, cutting the passing lanes and others putting pressure on players that might receive the ball. We stop the oppositions rhythm and force them into mistakes with our pressure. To stop their counter attacks after we lose the ball, three players will swarm the ball carrier before he can get his head up to play. If they beat the immediate press when the team’s main goal is to push their play wide where they can do the least damage. Our midfielders are an integral part to our play, when we win the ball back we will create space and time for them with our team shape. There will be times when we are under the cosh and will have the option of deploying a bowl shaped 5 at the back, with the right centre mid dropping in to make closing down the opponents very effective.

Subs

70 mins: Radja comes on for Silva, our legs will start to tire, so will theirs, Radja will add box to box ability and energy late in the game.

75 mins: Bobby comes on for Suarez, a different style of forward play for the opposition to think about.

If winning 80 mins: N’Zonzi comes on for Jorginho to close out the game. He is capable in deep midfield alongside Koke in a 4-2-3-1.

If losing/drawing 80 mins: Lukaku comes on for Jorginho and play 2 up front

Villareal v Tottenham Hotspur

------------------------ Courtois --------------------------
S.Aurier ------ Boateng ---- Hummels -- T.Hernandez
----------------- Verratti ---- Eriksen ------------------
L.Bailey ----------- Luis Alberto ----------- A.Martial
--------------------- Timo Werner ----------------------

Subs:
McCarthy, Alonso, Bailly, Dier, Moura, Asensio, Sturridge

Captain: Hummels
Free Kicks: Eriksen
Penalties: Aguero
Corners: Alberto

Moving the ball at speed will be the focus of our play as we go with an attacking 4-2-3-1 formation today as we aim for 3 points. Our three AM’s in support of Werner will be key components of this style as we feel we pose threats from all angles with plenty of goals in our lineup. Verratti and Eriksen offer great quality on the ball from a slightly deeper position as they both possess a fantastic range of passing, able to break the lines and play that killer pass in to our attacking quartet. We will look to dictate the play and frustrate the opposition when in possession, continually moving them around, making them chase the ball by switching flanks. In doing so we will not only be wearing them down but also continually pulling them out of shape, breaking down their defensive structure as we look to make numerous openings as we go for goals in today’s match up.

Whilst the opposition have some dangerous players we will look to significantly limit their impact by retaining possession, we will force them to track back or risk leaving their defence exposed when we push forward in numbers. We aim to make things uncomfortable for them and we feel that limiting their ability to have the ball in attacking areas will severely limit any threat posed. When they are in possession our wingers drop in as we play a compact 4-5-1 formation. The aim of the game will be to break at speed with our wide players offering an immediate outlet when we win back possession. Turning defence into attack in the blink of an eye.

We aim to play on the front foot, hit them early to take the lead and then exploit the space in behind as they push forward for an equaliser. We start fast, high intensity and pressing from the front, putting them under immediate pressure we can force mistakes early on.

Defence:

We go with a strong defensive unit at the back, packed with experience and quality we look to nullify the threat posed by the oppositions attack. We have two strong and aerially imposing CB’s to deal with the threat posed by their forwards. We will look to be dominant at the back as we aim to take the sting out of the opposition early on and play on the front foot. Martial and Bailey will both drift infield taking the opposition FB’s which will create space for FB’s to exploit, they will at all times be looking for the runs of Werner whose movement and finishing is deadly. However only one will push forward at a time to ensure we keep a balanced defence and have plenty of cover to snuff out any opposition counter attack. Keep the wingers down the line and do not let them come infield.

If the opposition play one up top then Hummels will mark, strong and aggressive we feel he has all the tools to deal with any opponent. Boateng will sweep up and cover in behind, a fantastic reader at the back he will also be the one to bring the ball out from defence. Nothing fancy just look to get the ball into the feet of our CM’s or the runs of our wide men who will look to do all the damage.

Midfield:

Eriksen will look to dominate the midfield, a fantastic player who alongside Verratti will be key to our style of play with their quick passing. Keep the ball moving, continually recycling possession and making the opposition chase shadows. Don’t force the issue as we aim to run them down, tired legs leads to tired minds and we feel that this will lead to plenty of openings as we continually move them out of shape. Forming a double pivot in front of our defence they will form the first line of our attack. Look for the early runs of the wide players as they possess electric pace and will be looking to get in behind the oppositions defence at all times. Luis Alberto plays ahead of them in the AM role, a gifted technician in his own right he will be looking to craft opportunities all afternoon. With the runs of Bailey, Martial and Werner to pick out we feel that he will thrive. An assist master we also encourage him to go for goal should the opportunity arise, we anticipate the opposition sitting deep and Alberto carries an addition goal threat when given space.

Forwards:

Frightening pace, electrifying dribbling and deadly finishing, we feel our front three have it all. Our wide players will look to take the opposition on at will. Bailey and Martial both have license to cut in from the flanks and go for goal, we encourage them to utilise their terrific pace and go at the opposition. Draw in the oppositions CB’s which in turn creates space for Werner to be slipped in and finish. Both will look to make jinking runs into the box where they can draw a foul or drive to the byline and whip the ball into Werner in the middle. Both wingers have fantastic workrate and will be a constant outlet as they make runs in behind when our playmakers are in possession. Werner plays through the middle, a player with fantastic movement and real predator. Immediately look to get into the box when we’re on the attack as we go for goals.

Subs;

If winning:
60 mins: Luis Alberto off, Dier on.
75 mins: Martial off, Bailly on. We tighten up with a strong defensive unit as we see the game out with a solid back 5 and defensive midfield cover.

If drawing:
60 mins: Luis Alberto off, Asensio on. Asensio comes in at AM forming an attacking midfield trio with Bailey and Martial all in support of Werner.
75 mins: Bailey off, Lucas Moura on. We switch to two up top in a 4-2-2-2 formation. Moura and Asensio on the flanks with a lightening front two of Martial and Werner as we go for the winner.

If losing:
55 mins: Luis Alberto off, Asensio on.
65 mins: Aurier off, Sturridge on. We revert to 3-4-3 with Sturridge, Werner and Martial up top as we go for goals, goals, goals.

----------------------- Oblak -------------------------
Fabinho ----- Stones ----- Varane ----- Henrichs
--------------------- F.de Jong ----------------------
------------- M.Pjanic ----- Zielinski ---------------
Mbappe ------------------------------------ Neymar
------------------- Lewandowski --------------------

Meret, Tousart, Aouar, Pogba, Rodrigo, Gnabry, Barrow

Possession football, quick on the break and really pressurise the opposition with an in your face performance from the front, we want to hit them quickly so we need to press them quickly to get the ball, when we defend, we don't sit too deep with Pjanic, Frenkie and Zielinskijust in front harassing the man with the ball before they get to our back 4 and the front 3 in and around the half way line, Lewandowski slightly higher up, this will congest the midfield and allow Pjanic and Zielinski to dictate play, stop them coming forward from the back, however, if they do push forward onto us and we get the ball they will be on the back foot and will really struggle with our front 3/4 with Fullbacks who are always ready to pounce and hit them with pace.

Varane picks up the CF, Stones spare picks up the AM if he gets away from our midfield, keep the forward(s) away from the danger area, get onto them quickly and be strong, take the ball away from them and play it out of defence, look to get it out wide quickly when we have possession, Both are comfortable on the ball so can bring it out when in no danger and look for the pass longer to the forwards to hit them with pace, fullbacks must keep the wingers quiet, stop them and we stop a lot of there attacks They will look to keep them away from shooting areas and stop them becoming dangerous in any position by standing tall against them and keeping them on there 'bad' foot. When they attack, only one at a time as to not let ourselves be exposed, they drive down the line in support of the wingers, Fabinho and Henrichs get outside Mbappe and Neymar to allow them to cut inside. the two always make themselves available to the wingers. I want both Varane and Stones to go up for corners, with the fullbacks and Frenkie sitting back.

In the centre of the pitch are Pjanic, Frenkie and Zielinski. Frenkie our deepest player sitting just in front of the CB's he will shadow there AM and not allow him to control the game, Pjanic and Zielinski must be disciplined and lend a hand to stop them coming through. Frenkie must be aware of all that is around him, be in the right place at the right time and look to cover for defensive players moving forward, he has to impose himself early on the AM to make him wary of holding onto the ball too long, once on the ball look around, head up and pick the pass that will get us moving forward quickly always making himself for a return ball from a deeper angle as he he spreads it from side to side then eventually forward, can be out to the fullbacks or indeed a longer ball to the front three to take the opposition out of it as they are still high up the pitch. Pjanic slightly higher up the pitch, he will stop the run of play quicker to make our defenders jobs a lot easier, make our midfield very difficult to pass through, protect our defence and Frenkie as best as possible and again in possession get it to the front 3 but also look for fullbacks and Zielinski as they move into space, keep it simple, he has a very good range of pass. Either pass and move(triangles) into space or look for a piercing through ball to our front three to drive onto.Can move forward to assist and look for balls coming out so he can either, shoot or whip straight back in. Zielinski is essential to our style of play, he is the link(alongside Pjanic) between defence and attack, as we break quickly he will look to set up our front three and at times be in a 10 role and look for the Pjanic pass. he will follow his pass and make up the numbers up front. When he doesn't drop deep i.e when the defenders go long, he will look to form a front four as they move around and look to tear the defence apart. All of our midfield three must press the opposition and get to grips with this game very early on.

Our wingers are extremely quick, when we don't have the ball they drop back a bit to make up the numbers as they attack, push into the faces of the opposition to force them into mistakes and hopefully in the end they lose the ball, when they do lose the ball we charge at them and we do it quickly, either a long ball over defenders, go through the cms or out to one of our attacking fullbacks.however, the movement up front between Neymar and Mbappe will cause them problems as they switch around at times, will see us make their defenders move out of position to follow their player, thus allowing Zielinski to pick his moment to move into space either as a 10 or out wide. If he does push wide this will allow Mbappe/Neymar to go in central as we will have an attacking fullback up and supporting. Quick passing in triangles that will get us in and beyond their defenders and eventually to Lewandowski who has the power and ability to beat any defender and the other winger who will look to get into space to get a shot off, if there defence is on top then we can always go direct at times and fire early crosses especially from deep from the fullbacks into Lewandowski right on top of the goalkeeper to put a lot of pressure on him, we must always make sure he is well supported, if he cant get the shot away he will be looking to bring others into the game.

Captain - Varane
Pens - Neymar
Corners - Pjanic
Free Kicks - Pjanic

Subs -
Losing -
65 Mins - Pogba for Zielinski fresh legs
75 Mins - Rodrigo and Gnabry for Henrichs and Fabinho

Oblak
Stones - Varane - de Jong
Rodrigo - Pjanic - Pogba - Gnabry
Mbappe - Lewandowski - Neymar

Winning -
75 Mins - Tousart for Zielinski helps out more defensively
85 Mins - Rodrigo for Lewandowski, go to the Right and Mbappe up top with pace

Drawing -
70 Mins - Pogba for Zielinski
80 Mins - Rodrigo for Lewandowski, Mbappe up top, Rodrigo to RW

BRUM vs Leverkusen

----------------------------------------Lunin--------------------------------
Mukiele------------Skriniar---------------Maguire------------Chilwell
-------------------------Valverde----------Kondogbia-----------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zaha------------------------------------------------------------------Lookman
--------------------------------------Philipp----------------------------------------
-------------------------------------Batshuayi-------------------------------------

Subs - Lafont, Ruben Dias, Fabian Ruiz, Cristante, Pellegrini, Adama, Dembele

CAPTAIN - SKRINIAR
CK'S - ZAHA
FK'S - ZAHA
PENALTIES - ZAHA

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

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

Defence Mids
Kondogbia + Valverde
Kondogbia will be the anchor in the middle. Stay back in front of the defence and protect the defence with your life. If the oppo play an AM then stick close to him and mark him if possible. When our fullbacks are attacking then your main priority will be to cover for them. When in possession pass the ball out to the wings or play a through ball from deep to our wingers.
Valverde will look to sit deep and be the gap between the defence and the midfield and play as the deep lying playmaker. When he has the ball I want him to pass the ball forward and try and play through balls for our wingers to run onto. I want the team to use him as an outlet to get play started or when the oppo is pressing us I want him to use his expert ball control to keep hold of possession of the ball. When not in possession of the ball I want him to sit alongside Kondogbia in the middle and protect the defence.

Wingers
Zaha + Lookman
These 2 will be the focal point of my attack. They are 2 young and hungry players and I want to give them the freedom to express themselves in attack. Lookman will be looking to cut in from the right and Zaha will look to get to the byline to whip in crosses for the striker. I want you both to try and beat the oppo fullbacks with your pace and dribbling ability but don't try too hard as if you see them doubling up on you you can either pass back or into the centre of the pitch to one of our CM's. I want you both to be aware of our fullbacks and play pass and move 1 2's with them to try and penetrate the oppo back line. Mukiele and Chilwell are no slouches attacking wise so use them! To Lookman if you can cut in onto your stronger foot, don't be afraid to shoot from range as you have the ability to score from long range. If there is no space to do so then take the ball to the byline and whip in crosses for Bats to get his head on. When we are defending corners I want both of them to stay near the halfway line so we can hit the oppo on the counter attack.

Attack Mid
Maximilian Philipp
Philipp will be playing just behind Batshuayi and will look to help him out in attack. Be ready for passes into your feet and shoot if you see an opportunity. Mix up your attacking runs to throw off the oppo DM. I want him to dribble with the ball and play 1 2's with the rest of the team. Shoot if you see an opening.

Striker
Michy 'Batman' Batshuayi
Bats will look to use his strength to get the better of the oppo defence. Be vary of crosses into the box as you are decent in the air, and if you are through on goal, use your expert finishing to score. Time your runs off the shoulders of the oppo CB's and hold the ball up for Zaha/Lookman to make infield runs ahead of you.

Subs if LOSING BY 65MINS
Put on Dembele for Kondogbia, Adama for Zaha and Cristante for Valverde to bring some more pace on. Play a high line and try and get a goal. Change formation to 41212.

--------------------------------------Lunin--------------------------------
Mukiele-------------Skriniar-----------Maguire------------Chilwell
-------------------------------------Cristante------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adama--------------------------------------------------------------Lookman
--------------------------------------Philipp------------------------------------
---------------------Batshuayi--------------Dembele-------------------------


Subs if WINNING BY 80MINS
Take off Philipp and put on Ruiz in CM and move Kondogbia to CB. Play defensive with everyone in our own half defending for their lives, waiting to hit the oppo on the counter attack. Adama on for Lookman and Dembele for Bats.

------------------------------------Lunin--------------------------------
Mukiele------Skriniar----Maguire----Kondogbia-----Chilwell
-----------------------Valverde------------Ruiz----------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------Zaha---------------------------------------------Adama---------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------Dembele---------------------------------------

Subs if DRAWING BY 65MINS
Adama on for Lookman
Ruiz on for Valverde
Dembele on for Batshuayi
Fresh legs to bring on.

—————————————Ter Stegn
Weiser——————Upamecano———Diallo—————Castro
———————————————Rodri
————————B.Silva—————————Milinkovic
——Dybala—————————Kane——————————Sancho

Subs: Pope, Christensen, Keita, McKennie, Harit, Lozano, Fiete-Arp

Captain: Marc Andre Ter Stegen
Free Kicks: Paulo Dybala
Corners: Bernardo Silva
Penalties: Harry Kane


In build up we look to beat the press through clever movement. Arsenal’s striker tends to press passing lanes to the DM, so we want Rodri to use his movement behind him to manipulate the strikers position and create space for others to drop into and receive the ball. We overload the striker with the ball side FB tucking into the half space as an extra option for circulation, with he far side FB stretched out. The tucked in FB will draw forward both winger and CM when he receives the ball, which allows our CM to stretch out into some open space higher up, with the ball far CM dropping deeper to aid circulation. Provoke the press by using the CBs to give the ball to one FB, and then the FB to return the ball to the CB, moving their press towards one half space or one flank, and opening up space elsewhere.

In the early stages we use this to encourage Arsenal forward and then we can use the CBs/GK to pick out Milinkovic with longer balls to bypass the lines of press and set up position behind or down the side of their midfield, his hold up play allows us to exploit these gaps, and will disrupt their pressing style, force them to sit deeper, giving us more time on the ball to build and them less of a threat going forward.

We know Arsenal will play compactly, so we have to work our way through and round their midfield to create chances. As we advance we want Castro to stay tucked in, his ability to play on either foot and to play centrally gives us great flexibility. He will form a midfield 3 alongside Rodri and Silva that allows us to provoke their CMs into moving out of their position. Weiser will look to push higher up on the right and stretch the game, with Sancho doing the same on the left, two players who can beat their men and get balls in, but also make excellent out to in and underlapping runs when a team mate moves wide to open up the space. They keep the Arsenal Fbs pegged back, putting more onus on the CMs and wingers to defend the likes of Silva, Dybala and Milinkovic, which isn’t their natural game.

This will free up Milinkovic, SIlva and Dybala to play in the half spaces, and closer to Kane. Their ability in the half space to receive a pass and draw players towards them before successfully beating the challenge, or picking out a teammate will be crucial. They can combine with their ball side players in triangles to overload the opposition in the half space before moving the ball wide for a cross, or across to the opposite side of the field, using aggressive ball side overloads to free up these areas, leaving one of Dybala/Milinkovic free in space. Both are also excellent at making runs into the box and scoring goals.

The versatility of the players we have means we expect overlapping, underlapping and diagonal movement from their base positions, staying connected through a series of triangles, so we can use diagonal passing between their lines, meaning that when our players receive a pass, more than one opposition player will be attracted to the ball, opening space for others to move into. Bernardo can be particularly key to this tactic, with his ability to orchestrate from deep, as well as drifting wide and higher up towards goal; at times Weiser tucks in to the midfield, giving Silva and Dybala free reign to combine down the right. Likewise down the left, at times Milinkovic can drop back and allow Castro to overlap and Sancho to come inside, where his pace between FB and CB cause real issues.

Kane pins the CBs.

Layered high press, using the curved runs of the wingers towards the opposition CBs to squeeze them towards the middle, Kane drops deeper to cover the space between the CBs and CMs, with our CMs pushed up on to their CMs, making a 2-1-2 press that outnumbers them centrally and makes it easier to win the ball back, blocking all vertical passing lanes and suffocating the ball carrier. Behind this the FBs in the half spaces in line with Rodri to provide an extra layer of protection centrally, leaving no space between main press and the block behind, but also keeping their higher position so they can get out to the wingers quickly with support from the ball side CM if Arsenal try and squeeze a ball through to them. Rodri just ahead of the CBs, the three creating a block around the CF to keep him isolated, but also able to step forward into midfield and mop up, or drop into CB if one of the CBs has to go and defend wide areas against longer balls.

Next phase of press is a 4-1-5, with Fbs dropping slightly if Arsenal beat the high press, wingers dropping wide to cover balls back to the FBs. If they continue to advance we drop to a 4-5-1, closing the middle ground off, with the FBs back in their natural positions.

FBs are key to this press, by having them tucked in higher up the pitch it forces opponents to have to go around us, rather than through the middle, which takes them longer and allows our team more time to get back into defensive positions. To aid this the Fbs are quick to press if the opposition winger or FB receives a pass, using their positioning in the half spaces to put immediate pressure on, either getting tight to the winger to slow him down, or using his cover shadow to block to pass to the winger if the FB is on the ball. We Arsenal’s Lazio’s wingers to be pegged back by our FBs attacking movements.

Subs:

If Winning: McKennie for Milinkovic 70’. Keita for Dybala with Bernardo to RM 75’ Christensen for Weiser 80’

If Drawing: Harit and Lozano for Milinkovic and Sancho 70’, big attacking threat down the left. Keita for Berardo 75’.

If Losing: Arp and Lozano for Sancho and Weiser 65’, 3-4-1-2, Lozano and Silva will move out wide, with Dybala in behind the strikers. Keita for Rodri 75’, more drive in the middle.

High tempo 4-4-2

At home we go with a young and energetic side full of pace to take the game to Juve with and without the ball. For the first time this season we’ve rotated looking to give a chance to the backup players in the squad.

We’ve setup in what is a fluid formation offensively, both forwards offer great work rate getting back to defend while in attack they also both like to drop deep and link the play. This coupled with two cms that are strong defensively gives great freedom to the wide players in attack.

We want the two wide men linking with the forwards, attacking at pace. We look to play quite direct when attacking, moving the ball forward quickly so that we can use the pace of our attack to hurt Juve.

Defensively we get numbers behind the ball, getting the midfield and front two to press with a high tempo.

--————------ Schmeichel
Carvajal - Sanchez - Kehrer - Wendell
L.Sane - Doucoure - Partey - Coutinho
-———-— A.Correa - Lautaro.M

Subs. Pereira, J.Gomez, Ascaibar, Gundogan, Lopes, Alena

Defence

As soon as we lose the ball, two closest players look to press high quickly, look to win the ball back in the first 10 seconds.

When the opposition progress forward, we get 11 men in our own half, one forward sits in between their cb, the other picks up their deepest cm.

The two lines of four behind then narrow to the side of play, Partey sits deeper than the other 3, zonally in front of the defence. Doucoure and the wide man on the side of play then press the ball.

The back line keep a relatively high line at this point, ensuring there is no space in between the lines. We also have great height and pace to deal with any long balls played.

As the opposition advance further forward the two lines of four and Correa drop deeper. In a deep narrow 4-4-1-1 formation, we have Correa and one of or the wide men pressing the ball, depending who is closest.

When we win the ball we look to attack and break quickly.

Attack

The two wide men look to stay wide in the middle third of the park, but in the final third they have freedom to come inside. We look to always have one fb overlapping.

One fb stays back, keeping 3 defenders for defensive cover. In front, one of Doucoure or Partey stays in the dm role. Old fashioned one stays one goes, both have fantastic shooting boots so offer a great option arriving at the edge of the box.

Up top both forwards like to and have freedom to get involved in build up, Lautaro is the more natural striker though so we look to get him in the box as much as possible.

Subs.

After 70 mins bring on J.Gomez for Carvajal.
After 75 mins bring on Alena and Lopes for Sane and Coutinho

--------------------Pickford
Danilo----Manolas----Kompany---Rodriguez
------Goretzka---Herrera----Ramsey
Malcom-----------Wood-------------Costa
Lloris, Maitland-Niles, Sane, Fabregas, Sessegnon, Aspas, Cook
A change in formation again for today, seen as we are coming up against a strong Liverpool outfit. I expect Liverpool to try and attack us, so I have picked a side that I think can play an effective counter attacking game, hitting the opposition on the break with pace out wide and a conventional target man with a physical presence up front for those players to play off. I have also opted for a midfield trio today, who I hope can stamp their authority on the game.
I have decided to keep Pickford playing in goal for today. His role will largely be one of distributing the ball. Similar to the ball that was so effective against Spain for England, I anticipate Pickford to cut out the opposition midfield, by pinging direct balls forward to Wood, who will look to bring others into the game. This allows us to turn defense into attack very quickly. I also insist that he get rid of the ball quickly, with no unnecessary dallying.
The full backs that I have selected today are both attacking options who like to bomb forward. Due to the three midfielders I will allow them to push forward and contribute to our offensive play when we have the ball going forward. Should they pick the ball up in the defensive third they will look to carry the ball down the line, overlapping our wide options. The spaces in behind them will be covered by our midfield. Both players will look to get back quickly, however, to contribute defensively and keep opposition wide men stuck out wide. They will be, however, players primarily focused on supporting the attack, as I believe that plays to their strengths.
Manolas and Kompany form my first team defence, and will work as a standard two today, with Kompany sticking tight to the opposition striker, whilst Manolas covers the space in behind, not allowing them to turn Vincent, without being pounced upon by our Greek semi-sweeper. When they get the ball in possession, they will look to quickly distribute it directly to Wood, who will take these balls in the same way as if they were coming from Pickford. Likewise, I don’t want either player holding the ball too long, and if a short option is needed then they should be spoiled for choice with options in midfield and the full backs.
Herrera is my midfield choice for sitting in front of the centre backs today. He will marshall the area in between the midfield and defence, not allowing any Liverpool players to find holes in our team. He will use his sheer energy to harass and hastle the opposition into losing possession. He is the screen for the defence. When he gets the ball he will look short to his fellow central midfielders, and will similarly provide options when it is them that picks up the ball.
Ramsey and Goretzka sit slightly further forward than Herrera, but not substantially. Their game is to play a similar one to Herrera as well, but occupying a different space. They will work as a unit to win the ball back before it gets into any dangerous positions in and around the edge of our penalty area. Part of this role means that they will look to control the wide spaces that might be vacated by our full backs pushing forward. Both these players also have a bit more of a license to get forward, looking to get in and around the edge of their penalty area, to pick up any loose scraps that might fall their way. When they pick up the ball they can either perform quick interchanges in the middle, or look forward for a direct ball to Wood.
Chris Wood plays a pivotal role in this system, and is given a chance to prove any doubters wrong. He will play primarily with his back to goal outside the penalty area, looking to win balls and bring other players into the play, specifically the two wide men playing alongside him. He is a physical enough presence to successfully play this role. I also expect him to get into the box when we have the ball out wide. Crosses will be aimed low and to his feet, as that better suits the other attackers, and Wood is an effective reaction finisher with his feet. We will play to his strengths and not look to release him over the top.
Costa and Malcom are direct wingers who are playing in the same line as Wood today. Their roles will see them make a nuisance of themselves, using their pace and movement to draw the opposition defence around and out of position, before then using their blistering pace to make the runs that Wood can lay them off for. These runs will see them get in behind the opposition defence, and get into one on ones with the opposition keeper. Both players must be defensively disciplined as well, however, dropping back to support their full backs, before surging forward with the ball when we win it back.
Substitutions
If drawing/losing
Aaron Ramsey off for Iago Aspas 70 mins
A change of formation on the cards, with Aspas slotting in as a second striker in behind Wood. He will largely do the same role as Malcom and Costa, but fresh legs and an extra man should cause some problems for the opposition. Goretzka will slot in alongside Herrera.
Leon Goretzka off for Cesc Fabregas 77 mins
A bit more of an attack minded player coming on in midfield, who will look to play positive balls forward at any opportunity, dictating the play and especially looking for those dangerous over the top balls.
Riccardo Rodriguez off for Ryan Sessegnon
A switch to wing backs as we go for another goal at least. Sessegnon and Danilo will push forward, and contribute even more to the attacking third.
If winning
Malcom and Douglas Costa off for Lewis Cook and Iago Aspas 75 mins
Change to a 4-1-3-2 formation, with Cook sitting in behind the three starting midfielders. Aspas goes up front to join Wood.
Aaron Ramsey off for Salif Sane 80 mins
Switch to a 5-3-2 formation, with the extra defender allowing a bit more physical presence, and more men to defend our goal.

WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS v Lazio

Injuries: Mina, Hakimi, Januzaj, Benkovic

------------- Arrizabalaga
Maffeo - Marquinhos - Tah - Shaw
-- Rakitic - Fernandinho - Meyer
--- Di Maria - Immobile - Perisic

Subs: Leno, Strinic, Vida, Diawara, Ozil, Vitolo, Alcacer

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

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

We are playing a 4-3-3 today, Arrizabalaga in goal, Marquinhos and Tah at centreback, Maffeo and Shaw at fullback, Rakitic, Fernandinho and Sturaro in midfield, Di Maria and Perisic either side of Immobile upfront.

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

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

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

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

Fernandinho - Our DM today, sit in front of the back four, break up play, watch out for runs from deep from the opposition, when in possession use your range of passing to look for teammates in advanced positions, use Rakitic and Sturaro alongside you if you're closed down.

Rakitic/Sturaro - Two box to box midfielders today, one either side of Fernandinho at DM. Both of you are required to get back and assist Fernandinho in front of the back four when we don't have the ball, but both with the ability and the freedom to push forward and join the front three, while always leaving at least one of you behind the ball. Look to link with Di Maria, Perisic or Immobile.

Di Maria/Perisic - Both with the trickery to beat the Lazio fullback and get crosses in, you will also have our fullback overlapping giving you the chance to cut inside and get shots in. Look to supply Immobile with chances and also provide yourself with chances. Link up with Rakitic and Sturaro, and capitalise on the space Immobile's presence will create for you.

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

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

Subs 70 mins;
If winning: Di Maria, Immobile and Perisic off, Vida, Alcacer and Diawara on. Change to 5-3-1-1, Vida an extra CB, midfield trio of Sturaro, Fernandinho and Diawara, with Rakitic in the AM role providing support to Alcacer upfront.

If drawing: Sturaro and Immobile off, Ozil and Alcacer on. Switch to a 4-2-3-1, Rakitic and Fernandinho in midfield, Ozil to AM behind Alcacer. Try and find a winner.

If losing: Tah, Fernandinho and Sturaro off, Ozil, Vitolo and Alcacer on. 3-1-4-2, Maffeo - Marquinhos - Shaw at the back, Rakitic the playmaker from deep, Vitolo - Di Maria - Ozil - Perisic behind Immobile and Alcacer upfront. Push for goals.

James in for koke

Europa League

Group A
Arsenal 0 - 1 Liverpool
Kane(B.Silva, 58)
MOTM - Manolas

Wolves 3 - 2 Lazio
Di Maria x 2 (Rakitc, 4, Maffeo, 39), Perisic(Shaw, 54)
Bakambu, Bonaventura

Group B
Birmingham 2 - 1 Leverkuesen
Batshuayi x 2 (Zaha, 14, Philipp, 51)
Shaqiri)Poulsen, 70)
MOTM - Batshuayi

Villareal 0 - 1 Spurs
Werner(Bailey, 33)
MOTM - Verratti

Bit late now (and a bit irrelevant) but teamsheet was meant to say Sturaro instead of Meyer

bit late so his late appearance doesn't count sorry

Not about not counting, he was in all the tactics

Champions League

Group A

Leicester 1-1 Juventus
Coutinho 76 (Correa); Dzeko (Cuadrado) 87
MOTM: Partey

Portsmouth 0-2 Barcelona
Messi (Bale) 12, Bale (Messi) 27
MOTM: Messi

----------

Group B

Chelsea 2-2 Newcastle
Mbappe (Neymar) 22, Lewandowski (pen) 84; Salah (Silva) 37, Suarez (Silva) 61
MOTM: Silva

Bayern 0-0 PSG
MOTM: Kimpembe

Comment deleted by Site Moderator

----------------------- Oblak ----------------------
Fabinho ----- Akanji ----- Varane ----- Sandro
---------------------- Tousart ---------------------
---------------- Pjanic ----- Pogba ---------------
Mbappe ---------------------------------- Neymar
------------------- Lewandowski -----------------

Meret, Mensah, H.Aouar, Bernardeschi, Gnabry, Maddison, Piatek

Possession football, quick on the break and really pressurise the opposition with an in your face performance from the front, we want to hit them quickly so we need to press them quickly to get the ball, when we defend, we don't sit too deep with Pjanic, Tousart and Pogba just in front harassing the man with the ball before they get to our back 4 and the front 3 in and around the half way line, Lewandowski slightly higher up, this will congest the midfield and allow Pjanic and Pogba to dictate play, stop them coming forward from the back, however, if they do push forward onto us and we get the ball they will be on the back foot and will really struggle with our front 3/4 with Fullbacks who are always ready to pounce and hit them with pace.

Akanji picks up the CF, Varane spare picks up the AM if he gets away from our midfield, keep the forward(s) away from the danger area, get onto them quickly and be strong, take the ball away from them and play it out of defence, look to get it out wide quickly when we have possession, Both are comfortable on the ball so can bring it out when in no danger and look for the pass longer to the forwards to hit them with pace, fullbacks must keep the wingers quiet, stop them and we stop a lot of there attacks They will look to keep them away from shooting areas and stop them becoming dangerous in any position by standing tall against them and keeping them on there 'bad' foot. When they attack, only one at a time as to not let ourselves be exposed, they drive down the line in support of the wingers, Fabinho and Sandro get outside Mbappe and Neymar to allow them to cut inside. the two always make themselves available to the wingers. I want both Varane and Akanji to go up for corners, with the fullbacks and Tousart sitting back.

In the centre of the pitch are Pjanic, Tousart and Pogba. Tousart our deepest player sitting just in front of the CB's he will shadow there AM and not allow him to control the game, Pjanic and Pogba must be disciplined and lend a hand to stop them coming through. Tousart must be aware of all that is around him, be in the right place at the right time and look to cover for defensive players moving forward, he has to impose himself early on the AM to make him wary of holding onto the ball too long, once on the ball look around, head up and pick the pass that will get us moving forward quickly always making himself for a return ball from a deeper angle as he he spreads it from side to side then eventually forward, can be out to the fullbacks or indeed a longer ball to the front three to take the opposition out of it as they are still high up the pitch. Pjanic slightly higher up the pitch, he will stop the run of play quicker to make our defenders jobs a lot easier, make our midfield very difficult to pass through, protect our defence and Tousart as best as possible and again in possession get it to the front 3 but also look for fullbacks and Pogba as they move into space, keep it simple, he has a very good range of pass. Either pass and move(triangles) into space or look for a piercing through ball to our front three to drive onto.Can move forward to assist and look for balls coming out so he can either, shoot or whip straight back in. Pogba is essential to our style of play, he is the link(alongside Pjanic) between defence and attack, as we break quickly he will look to set up our front three and at times be in a 10 role and look for the Pjanic pass. he will follow his pass and make up the numbers up front. When he doesn't drop deep i.e when the defenders go long, he will look to form a front four as they move around and look to tear the defence apart. All of our midfield three must press the opposition and get to grips with this game very early on.

Our wingers are extremely quick, when we don't have the ball they drop back a bit to make up the numbers as they attack, push into the faces of the opposition to force them into mistakes and hopefully in the end they lose the ball, when they do lose the ball we charge at them and we do it quickly, either a long ball over defenders, go through the cms or out to one of our attacking fullbacks.however, the movement up front between Neymar and Mbappe will cause them problems as they switch around at times, will see us make their defenders move out of position to follow their player, thus allowing Pogba to pick his moment to move into space either as a 10 or out wide. If he does push wide this will allow Mbappe/Neymar to go in central as we will have an attacking fullback up and supporting. Quick passing in triangles that will get us in and beyond their defenders and eventually to Lewandowski who has the power and ability to beat any defender and the other winger who will look to get into space to get a shot off, if there defence is on top then we can always go direct at times and fire early crosses especially from deep from the fullbacks into Lewandowski right on top of the goalkeeper to put a lot of pressure on him, we must always make sure he is well supported, if he cant get the shot away he will be looking to bring others into the game.

Captain - Varane
Pens - Neymar
Corners - Pjanic
Free Kicks - Pjanic

Subs -
Losing -
65 Mins - Bernardeschi for Pogba, he goes to RW and Mbappe just off Lewandowski and use his pace, also looking for any loose ball on pass form Lewandowski
75 Mins - Rodrigo for Sandro, go 343 with Rodrigo going LW and Neymar LCF
83 Mins - Piatek for Lewandowski

Drawing -
70 Mins - Zielinski for Pogba straight swap fresh legs
75 Mins - Piatek for Lewandowski

Winning -
75 Mins - Zielinski for Pogba fresh legs in midfield
80 Mins - Bernardeschi for Lewandowski, he goes RW and Mbappe up top
85 Mins - Aouar for Neymar

BRUM vs Villareal

----------------------------------------Lunin--------------------------------
Henrichs-----------Diop---------------Maguire------------Chilwell
-------------------------Valverde----------Kondogbia-----------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Neres------------------------------------------------------------------Kluivert
--------------------------------------Philipp----------------------------------------
-------------------------------------Higuain-------------------------------------

Subs - Lafont, Ruben Dias, Kessie, Cristante, Anderson, Adama, Zaha

CAPTAIN - HIGUAIN
CK'S - NERES
FK'S - NERES
PENALTIES - HIGUAIN

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

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

Defence Mids
Kondogbia + Valverde
Kondogbia will be the anchor in the middle. Stay back in front of the defence and protect the defence with your life. If the oppo play an AM then stick close to him and mark him if possible. When our fullbacks are attacking then your main priority will be to cover for them. When in possession pass the ball out to the wings or play a through ball from deep to our wingers.
Valverde will look to sit deep and be the gap between the defence and the midfield and play as the deep lying playmaker. When he has the ball I want him to pass the ball forward and try and play through balls for our wingers to run onto. I want the team to use him as an outlet to get play started or when the oppo is pressing us I want him to use his expert ball control to keep hold of possession of the ball. When not in possession of the ball I want him to sit alongside Kondogbia in the middle and protect the defence.

Wingers
Neres + Kluivert
These 2 will be the focal point of my attack. They are 2 young and hungry players and I want to give them the freedom to express themselves in attack. Kluivert will be looking to cut in from the left and Neres likewise from the right. I want you both to try and beat the oppo fullbacks with your pace and dribbling ability but don't try too hard as if you see them doubling up on you you can either pass back or into the centre of the pitch to one of our CM's. I want you both to be aware of our fullbacks and play pass and move 1 2's with them to try and penetrate the oppo back line. Henrichs and Chilwell are no slouches attacking wise so use them! If you can cut in onto your stronger foot, don't be afraid to shoot from range as you both have the ability to score from long range. If there is no space to do so then take the ball to the byline and whip in crosses for Higuain to get his head on. When we are defending corners I want both of them to stay near the halfway line so we can hit the oppo on the counter attack.

Attack Mid
Maximilian Philipp
Philipp will be playing just behind Higuain and will look to help him out in attack. Be ready for passes into your feet and shoot if you see an opportunity. Mix up your attacking runs to throw off the oppo DM. I want him to dribble with the ball and play 1 2's with the rest of the team. Shoot if you see an opening.

Striker
Gonzalo Higuain
Higuain will look to use his strength to get the better of the oppo defence. Be vary of crosses into the box as you are decent in the air, and if you are through on goal, use your expert finishing to score. Time your runs off the shoulders of the oppo CB's and hold the ball up for Kluivert/Neres to make infield runs ahead of you.

Subs if LOSING BY 65MINS
Put on Zaha for Kondogbia, Adama for Neres and Cristante for Valverde to bring some more pace on. Play a high line and try and get a goal. Change formation to 41212.

------------------------------------Lunin--------------------------------
Henrichs----------Diop-----------Maguire------------Chilwell
---------------------------------Cristante------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adama--------------------------------------------------------------Kluivert
-----------------------------------Philipp------------------------------------
---------------------Higuain--------------Zaha-------------------------


Subs if WINNING BY 80MINS
Take off Philipp and put on Ruben Dias in CB. Play defensive with everyone in our own half defending for their lives, waiting to hit the oppo on the counter attack. Adama on for Neres and Zaha for Higuain.

------------------------------------Lunin--------------------------------
Henrichs------Diop----Maguire------Dias-------Chilwell
-----------------------Valverde--------Kondogbia----------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------Adama---------------------------------------------Kluivert---------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------Zaha---------------------------------------

Subs if DRAWING BY 65MINS
Adama on for Neres
Kessie on for Kondogbia
Zaha on for Higuain
Fresh legs to bring on.