----------------------- Oblak ----------------------
Doherty ----- Stones ----- Varane ----- Sandro
---------------------- Fabinho ---------------------
---------------- Pjanic ----- Pogba ---------------
Mbappe ---------------------------------- Neymar
------------------- Lewandowski ------------------

Meret, de Jong, Tonali, Kluivert, Gnabry, Piatek, Rodrigo

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, Fabinho, Pjanic 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, Mbappe 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.

Stones 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. the two always make themselves available to the wingers. If either get caught up field I want Fabinho to drift to the side and this allows the fullbacks to make their way to midfield to cover. Stones and Varane to go up for corners, with the fullbacks and Fabinho sitting back.

In the centre of the pitch are Fabinho, Pjanic and Pogba. Fabinho 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. Fabinho 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 he is always looking for the ball to start again if need be, 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 Fabinho 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 Fabinho/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 Mbappe and Neymar will cause them problems drifting in an out, 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 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 who will sit on the last foot so he can spring them, 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 by dropping slightly back to get numbers for the attack. We are lightening quick up front so when we hit the their defence they will struggle to cope especially as the game comes to the last 10/15ins as defenders tire with the movement and the pace we do it at

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


Subs
Losing -
65 Mins - Fabinho drop into CB, Sandro and Doherty push up and Mbappe up top and Neymar in a free role 3412
75 Mins - Piatek for Lewandowski, Kluivert for Sandro
80 Mins - Gnabry for Doherty a very attack minded 3412

Winning -
70 Mins - de Jong for Pogba, sit in and dictate play
80 Mins - Piatek for Lewandowski fresh legs to close it down

Drawing -
70 Mins - Piatek for Lewandowski, straight swap
80 Mins - Kluivert for Pogba, he goes to LW and Neymar into a free role behind Piatek

----------------------- Courtois -----------------------
Cancelo ---- Boateng ----- Lenglet -- Hernandez
---------- Fernandinho ---- Verratti ----------------
M.Asensio --------- C.Eriksen ----------- A.Martial
--------------------- Kun Aguero ---------------------

Subs:
Hart, Vrsaljko, Alonso, Bailly, Partey, Under, Werner

Captain: Fernandinho
Free Kicks: Eriksen
Penalties: Aguero
Corners: Eriksen

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 Aguero will be key components of this style as we feel we pose threats from all angles with plenty of goals in our lineup. Fernandinho and Verratti 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. Our fullbacks have license to push forward when in possession, however one at a time. They will look to be more conservative as usual as with a solid defensive unit. We look to draw the opposition onto us, with their attack minded wingers and fullbacks we feel we can exploit the space they leave behind and hit them with devastating effect on the counter with the pace and directness of Martial and Asensio.

If the opposition play one up top then Boateng will mark, strong and aggressive we feel he has all the tools to deal with any opponent. Lenglet 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:

Fernandinho will control the midfield and offer additional protection through the middle, sitting alongside Verratti he 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 not only offer protection but 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. Eriksen 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 Aguero, Martial and Asensio 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 an Eriksen thunderbolt from distance is always on the cards 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. Asensio 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 Aguero 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 Aguero in the middle. Both wingers have fantastic work rate and will be a constant outlet as they make runs in behind when our playmakers are in possession. We play three up front when on the attack and really look to test the opposition defence with a goal threat from every angle. Aguero 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 look to lay down a marker.

Subs;

If winning:
60 mins: Eriksen off, Partey on.
75 mins: Martial off, Bailly on. 5-4-1 shut up shop time as we tighten up with a solid defensive unit as we see the game out and take the 3 points.

If drawing:
60 mins: Fernandinho off, Under on. Eriksen slots into CM alongside Verratti with Under, Asensio and Martial forming a midfield AM trio behind Aguero.
75 mins: Asensio off, Werner on. We move to 4-2-2-2 with a front two of Aguero and Werner as we go for a winner.

If losing:
55 mins: Verratti off, Under on.
65 mins: Hernandez off, Werner on. We revert to 3-4-3 with Aguero, Werner and Martial up top as we go for goals, goals, goals.

Red card scenario:

In all scenario’s we revert to a 4-4-1 formation. Verratti will be replaced with one of the below whilst Eriksen (or his replacement) drops into a midfield two. Little change from a tactical perspective as we form a tight unit and pick off the opposition on the break as they commit men forward.

------------------------ T.Courtois ------------------------
Cancelo ----- J.Boateng ----- Lenglet --- Hernandez
M.Asensio - Fernandinho ---- C.Eriksen --- A.Martial
------------------------ Kun Aguero -----------------------

GK – Hart
RB - Vrslajko
LB - Alonso
CB – Bailly
CM – Partey
WG – Under
ST – Werner

BRUM vs ArseAnal

---------------------------------Lafont--------------------------------
Pereira-----------Skriniar----------Maguire---------------Chilwell
-----------------------------------Ndidi--------------------------------------
---------------------Paredes--------------Kessie---------------------
Neres----------------------------------------------------------------Anderson
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------Higuain------------------------------------------

Subs - Lunin, Balerdi, Kondogbia, Keita, Valverde, Adama, Batshuayi

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

I want us to start the game with a high tempo, close the oppo down and win the ball back quickly. Play quick passes forward and try and get an early goal. I want Neres and Anderson to use their pace on the wings to create chances for the rest of the team. 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.

Defence
Lafont is a quality young keeper. Don't take risks. Punch the ball away if the shot is too powerful. Command your area. The defence is well balanced. 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. Ndidi and Paredes will be covering for them when they go attacking.

Defence Mid
Ndidi
Ndidi 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.

Centre Mids
Kessie + Paredes
Kessie will play more as a b2b mid but will be able to help both in attack and defence as he has a lot of stamina. He will be making run's forward and helping our attackers with quick passes and penetrating runs from deep. Paredes will be playing as the deep lying playmaker and to be the link between the defence and the attack. I want Paredes to be on the lookout of the runs of our 2 wingers and to play lofted through balls to them when they are are trying to beat the offside trap. When not in possession of the ball Paredes will look to close down the oppo AM and win the ball off him.

Wingers
Neres + Anderson
These 2 will be the focal point of my attack. Anderson will be looking to cut in from the right and Neres likewise onto his left. 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. Pereira 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.

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 Anderson/Neres to make infield runs ahead of you.

Subs if LOSING BY 65MINS
Put on Batshuayi for Ndidi, Adama for Neres and Keita for Kessie to bring some more pace on. Play a high line and try and get a goal. Change formation to 41212.

--------------------------------Lafont--------------------------------
Pereira--------Skriniar-------------Maguire------------Chilwell
--------------------------------Paredes ------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adama---------------------------------------------------------------Anderson
-----------------------------------Keita ------------------------------------
---------------------Batshuayi--------Higuain--------------------------


Subs if WINNING BY 80MINS
Take off Kessie and put on Kondogbia in CM and 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 Batshuayi for Higuain.

----------------------------------Lafont--------------------------------
Pereira----------Skriniar-----------Maguire----------Chilwell
---------------Paredes-------Ndidi--------Kondogbia------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------Adama-------------------------------------------------Anderson
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------Batshuayi----------------------------------------


Subs if DRAWING BY 65MINS
Adama on for Neres
Valverde on for Paredes
Batshuayi on for Higuain
Fresh legs to bring on.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

———————Ter Stegen
Castro——Rudiger——Sule——Gaya
—————Torreira——Milinkovic
B.Silva—————Dybala————Sancho
————————Kane

Pope, Odriozola, Upamecano, Tielemans, Keita, Lozano, Brandt

Captain: Marc Andre Ter Stegen
Free Kicks: Paulo Dybala / Lucas Torreira
Corners: Lucas Torreira
Penalties: Harry Kane

We want to drop players deeper in build up, and start with slower ball circulation to draw their forward and midfield lines forward, so that we can later exploit the space in behind. We move the ball out to the FB on the touchline, creating back 3 on ball side and using Torreira to help circulate. Milinkovic will position himself slightly higher than Torreira and Dybala will drop alongside Milinkovc. Ball side winger stays high and pins his FB so he can’t join the press. As soon as they are drawn in we circulate the ball back through the defence (keeper if needed) and look to either use the far side CB to carry the ball forward if the Bournemouth winger hasn’t tucked in, or move the ball into the far side FB by the touchline if the winger has tucked in. This Fb can carry the ball forward but from here also has easy access to play the ball into midfield behind the press, or find his winger in a 1 v 1 with the FB.

Once we progress the ball we look to quickly exploit the space between the opponents defence and midfield, ether side of the DM or out wide, adapting our shape in game to go and attack where the space opens up. In Torreira we have a player who will sit and control the tempo of our game, always available for a pass and to recycle possession, particularly as a second passer in short passing combinations, his composure on the ball, as well as the CBs, allows us to go back to them and keep possession, and allow their team mates ahead to change their movements and run into space, with all 3 of them capable of playing laser passes between opponent lines. Milinkovic has a box to box role, and his higher positioning in comparison to Torreira allows us to create triangles in the midfield, the staggering of the 3 central players positions means we have the option to use quick diagonal passing, which draws more opponents towards the pass and opens up new spaces behind. Milinkovic will look to move the ball quickly, as well as being well positioned to quickly press whenever we lose it.

The Fbs are crucial, they allow for overloads to open up the opposition. At times we want them overlapping, particularly Castro, as this allows Dybala and Silva to overload the right half space and leave the FB with a decision to make, stay wide, opening up space for Silva and Dybala to exploit between FB and CB, or tuck in and leave an easy pass on for Castro who can whip in crosses. When receiving the ball deeper I want both FBs to make diagonal runs into the half spaces, with our wingers pinning back their FBs this forces the opposition midfield to react. The diagonal runs draws more players in and opens up more passing lanes, either back wide to the winger for a 1 v 1 battle, or into Dybala, who can escape his markers.

The front 4 look to attack the opposition at pace. With the front three maintaining a high position and pinning the opposition defensive line back, Dybala should make full use of his 10 role to exploit the space between the lines. If we can create a 1 v 1 battle with the DM, we feel Dybala can take the upper hand and create chances. He will be constantly on the move, often drifting wide where he can create triangles with FB and winger to open up the flanks, dropping deeper to receive the ball either side of the DM and behind the CMs, and making runs off of Kane to get behind the opposition. Sancho will look to hold width at all times, a key aim is to get the ball to the wingers in quick transitions from build up, and we believe Sancho with his dribbling can win his 1 v 1 battle and get crosses into the strikers. He’s also great at slowing the game down, drawing the opposition defence across and then beating 2-3 men, with Dybala, Milinkovic and Kane to attack the box this will be hard to defend. Silva has a license to come into the half space more often. Kane’s role is to be on the move around the penalty box, getting into scoring positions.

Off the ball we press firstly in a 4-4-2, Dybala joining Kane in looking to force the CBs wide on the ball, Sancho will push high onto his FB with Silva dropped off and tucked in more, as we look to force their build up out to the RB. Once the ball goes wide we swing our defensive pendulum, Sancho dropping back, Silva stepping up, Dybala drops back into midfield for a 4-1-4-1 shape, with Milinkovic able to go and help Sancho box the FB in. If they move the ball to the other side the pendulum swings, right sided players dropping and left sided players stepping up. We fall into a mid block, not looking to press the man but instead pressing passing lanes, so that the opposition have no where to go. Dybala and Milinkovic are staggered, the ball side player slightly higher, with Torreira behind the two of them, the staggering in midfield makes it harder for Bournemouth’s AM’s to find space between midfield and defence. Our FBs stay compact to the CBs so the half spaces can be closed off. When the ball is wide the back 4 shuffles across on the same pendulum as the midfield. We wait for a mistake, or a pass towards the touchline, and then we can be more aggressive.

Subs:

If Winning: Lozano for Sancho 70’. Brandt for Dybala 80'.

If Drawing: Lozano and Brandt for Silva and Sancho 75’, fresh legs out wide. Keita for Milinkovic 80’ for added drive.

If Losing: Odriozola for Castro 60’, more offensive minded FB that can help us create serious overloads out wide. Lozano for Milinkovic 70’, Silva will play through the middle in a 4-1-4-1. Brandt for Sancho 75’.

-------------------Buffon
Clyne----Sokratis----Verthongen----Luis
------------------Brozovic
------------Rabiot-------Kovacic
Sterling----------------------------------Son
-------------------Lacazette
Subs
Uzoho, Inigo, Bertrand, Fred, Henderson, Gameiro, Inaki

Buffon is a commanding presence at the back, when he calls for a ball, the defence know he will take control, they have complete confidence in each other and stops those little split second doubts which could lead to a chance.

Verthongen is the defensive leader and will be the one to set the defensive line on the pitch, both centre backs will stay back with either one of the full backs or the DM always prepared to make it a back 3 when we lose possession to stop counters, When dealing with the opposition, we will avoid slide tackles unless necessary instead looking to just guide players off the ball. When on the ball, if the opposition are giving them space to come out, they should take it forward, if not, keep it simple with the occasional long ball thrown in to keep the opposition from setting up against one style.



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

 Their objective when attacking will be to keep making runs past the winger on the inside and outside, giving the opposition full back that split second of indecision on who to go with. They will only occasionally put floated crosses in, preferring to either play shorter passes to the wingers or players who have come out from the middle of the pitch to keep possession and let the pressure build up.

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


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



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



Set Pieces


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





Free Kicks - Brozovic takes Direct FK's


Penalties - Lacazette is the designated taker.

Subs



If Winning


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




82 + 86 Mins - Fred for Rabiot and Bertrand for Luis - Actively time waste and really frustrate the opposition.



If Drawing
70 Mins - Henderson for Brozovic - add a bit more urgency into attacks, show the opposition we are going for the win.

If Losing



67 Mins - Gameiro, Inaki and Inigo for Brozovic, Luis and Clyne - switch to a 3-5-2 with emphasis on the wings backs acting as wingers and just pile forward in numbers.

NEWCASTLE 4-3-3

___________Alisson
Azpi____Alder___Godin___Robbo
__________Witsel
________Kante___Silva
Salah______Suarez________Reus

SUBS: Lato, Lindelof, Milner, Radja, Diego Costa, Mane, Bobby

Captain: Marco Reus
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: Milner comes on for Witsel to close out the game. He is capable in deep midfield alongside Kante in a 4-2-3-1.

If losing/drawing 80 mins: Diego Costa comes on for Kante and play 2 up front.

Chelsea v WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS

Injuries: Mina, Vitolo, Sturaro, Tah

-------------- Arrizabalaga
Hakimi - Barzagli - Marquinhos - Wendell
----- Rakitic - Khedira - Gundogan
----- Di Maria - Immobile - Perisic

Subs: Leno, Benkovic, Maffeo, Diawara, Hamsik, Ozil, Vardy

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

A tough but winnable game today against Chelsea, 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, Barzagli and Marquinhos at centreback, Hakimi and Wendell at fullback, Rakitic, Khedira and Gundogan 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. Chelsea 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.

Barzagli/Marquinhos - Marquinhos mark their striker, force them high up the pitch thus limiting his impact close to goal, and Barzagli 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.

Hakimi/Wendell - Both of you to force the Chelsea wingers out wide, do not allow them to come inside as this will cause more problems for our midfield. They will want to cut inside so force them outside and block their crosses at source. They will try to create problems infield so its vital you only show them down the wing. If they play a diamond with no wingers you will need to form a narrow back 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 Gundogan. You will need to track back very quickly to ensure we don't get caught on the break.

Khedira - 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 Gundogan alongside you if you're closed down.

Rakitic/Gundogan - Two box to box midfielders today, one either side of Khedira at DM. Both of you are required to get back and assist Khedira 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 Chelsea fullback and get crosses in, you will also have our fullback overlapping giving you the chance to cut inside and get shots in. Look to supply Immobile with chances and also provide yourself with chances. Link up with Rakitic and Gundogan, and capitalise on the space Immobile's presence will create for you.

Immobile - you will be expected to occupy the Chelsea centrebacks, hold up possession and look to turn the defender and shoot. Be strong in the air and look for your teammates trying to pick you out from deep. Shoot on sight. Stay on the last defender's shoulder for any passes in behind. Look to interchange with 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, Diawara, Ozil and Vardy on. Change to 4-2-2-1-1, Diawara an extra DM alongside Khedira, Rakitic and Gundogan ahead of them, with Ozil in the AM role providing support to Vardy upfront.

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

If losing: Marquinhos, Khedira and Gundogan off, Ozil, Hamsik and Vardy on. 3-1-4-2, Hakimi - Barzagli - Wendell at the back, Rakitic the playmaker from deep, Di Maria - Hamsik - Ozil - Perisic behind Immobile and Vardy upfront. Push for goals.

comment by Fan Gillhaus 1903 (U3339)
posted 1 week, 5 days ago

Cup v Liverpool
----------------------- Meret ----------------------
E.Hysaj ----- Rugani ----- Varane ----- Sandro
---------------------- Fabinho ---------------------
--------------- Pjanic ------ Pogba ---------------
Thorgan --------------------------------- Neymar
---------------------- Mbappe ---------------------

Oblak, de Jong, Aouar, Maddison, Kluivert, Rodrigo, 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, Fabinho, Pjanic 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, Mbappe 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.

Varane picks up the CF, Rugani 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. the two always make themselves available to the wingers. If either get caught up field I want Fabinho to drift to the side and this allows the fullbacks to make their way to midfield to cover I want both Rugani and Varane to go up for corners, with the fullbacks and Fabinho sitting back.

In the centre of the pitch are Fabinho, Pjanic and Pogba. Fabinho 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. Fabinho 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 he is always looking for the ball to start again if need be, 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 Fabinho 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 Fabinho/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 Thorgan and Neymar will cause them problems drifting in an out, 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 Thorgan/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 Mbappe who has the pace 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 Mbappe who will sit on the last foot so he can spring them, 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 by dropping slightly back to get numbers for the attack. We are lightening quick up front so when we hit the Liverpool defence they will struggle to cope especially as the game comes to the last 10/15ins as defenders tire with the movement and the pace we do it at

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

Subs -
Losing -
70 Mins - Piatek for Pogba, he goes up top to add some muscle, a poacher who will get on the end of everything (442)
80 Mins - Kluivert for Sandro, Hysaj to RCB, Kluivert to LW and Neymar into a free role to set things up for the front two and himself 3412

Winning -
70 Mins - de Jong for Pogba, more disciplined in CM will shore things up and will look to play keep ball near the end
75 Mins - Rodrigo for Thorgan - straight swap, fresh legs to get back whilst still a threat going forward
85 Mins - Aouar for Neymar, again help defensively as they attack

Drawing -
70 Mins - Piatek for Pogba, Kluivert for Thorgan, we go 4231

Mbappe - Neymar - Kluivert
------------ Piatek ------------

to freshen things up and go for a winner

80 Mins -
----------------------------------------------------------------------
**80 Mins - was de Jong for Pjanic, fresh legs and look to open up the Liverpool defence

comment by LSTD - She’s a Kepa (U2708)
posted 1 week, 1 day ago

Cup v Chelsea
—————————————Ter Stegen
Odriozola————Sule—————————Upamceano—————Gaya
———————Torreira———Rodri———Keita
—————————————B.Silva
——————Dybala————————————Kane

Subs: Pope, Diallo, Loftus-Cheek, Tielemans, Guedes, Sancho, Lozano

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


When Chelsea press higher we will keep our FBs deeper in build up so we have an overload on both their attack and midfield, allowing for easier progression. Fbs are only slightly ahead of the CBs and tucked in to draw Chelsea narrow, leaving access to the wings open to our CMs. Rodri drops towards build up to draw Chelsea’s midfield forward, opening space between the lines that our CMs and Bernardo can exploit. CFs between CB and FB to keep the entire Chelsea back 4 pinned, if a FB leaves his position to go and press a CM drifting wide, it creates a 1 v 1 battle for our CF, if their CM steps out, it opens space for Silva or Dybala to drop into. If their press loses shape, Gaya will push forward (3-diamond-3 build up), playing higher up and offering an easy diagonal outball that can draw FB and CM out to press, opening gaps between defenders and in midfield.

The main aim is to use diagonal passes out to our wide CMs, eliminating both vertical and horizontal lines of the opponents defensive shape, with the Cbs and Rodri all capable of picking these passes quickly. We can follow that up with a second diagonal ball, sometimes back to Rodri to push Chelsea’s midfield out again and open up more space behind, from there Rodri can find our attackers, or the CM can go directly into the forwards should the space be there.

In creating chances we will use lots of sharp short passing combinations, taking advantage of the triangles and diamonds that naturally form within our shape. By moving the ball quickly and constantly changing the direction of play through our close connections we create mental overloads which draw opponents towards the movement of the ball, rather than our movement off the ball, helping us to unmark ourselves. With our midfield overload in place already, this gives us a great opportunity to get players into open space higher up the pitch.

Our CMs movement in particular is key, they can look to get behind the Chelsea CMs to receive passes in the half spaces, or drift wide where they can have 1 v 1 battles in positions they are comfortable playing in, but the opponent is not, this should be a prominent move for Keita in particular, taking advantage of his direct running. It also creates space for Silva and Dybala to overload the DM. Both CMs will look to make third man runs from deep to support the forwards, again both quicker than their markers which means they should lose them easily with off the ball runs, but also excellent dribblers that allow them to win battles with the ball.

Silva will occupy their DM as well as move across to overload the half spaces with the CMs and create quick short passing combinations, using his his vision and passing to pick out the right runners. The strikers should also be constantly on the move, working in tandem, with Kane making runs in behind to draw the defence deeper and open up a gap between midfield and defence, and Dybala exploiting this gap with his quick link up play and direct attacking style. Equally, we know that Chelsea will commit their FBs to the attack today and we look to take advantage of this by positioning both strikers slightly wider than usual, in order to create a big gap between the CBs and isolate them in 1 v 1 battles as we feel the dribbling capabilities of our CFs can cause them huge problems, particularly with Silva and Keita coming from deep to supplement these attacks.

The FBs push forward as the ball progresses, coming from deeper they are harder to defend as they will have momentum running on to passes and Chelsea’s FBs don’t exactly chase back. They can put in high crosses for the strikers to attack, or cut backs for midfielder runners to attack at pace. They also help to stretch the game if Chelsea defend narrow, particularly with quick diagonal switches of play, knowing that even when they push forward, we have 3 CMs who can remain deeper and give us balance.

We know Chelsea build from the GK and we will look to control this today, with an in your face pressing performance. Our CFs start the press between FB and CB, stopping the ball going to the FBs in build up, Silva blocking the ball to the DM and Keita and Torreira in the half spaces so they can cover multiple passing lanes. We have two traps to set, one forces the opposition CM to spread out to find more space, detaching him from the rest of the opposition midfield and leaving him vulnerable to being pressed by Silva, Rodri, and the ball side CM and FB, leaving him no escape route by the touchline. The second trap sees Silva step up on to a CB and allow the ball carrying CB to move forward and find the DM. In this scenario Rodri steps forward alongside the CMs so that he can quickly press the DM when the ball is played towards him, with Silva from behind and both CMs quickly closing passing lanes to the CMs, look to force him into a mistake and take advantage of the CBs being in different lines too, with a quick pass into the space for the runs of the strikers. We use our diamond shape to aid these pressing traps with the natural overload we have on them.

Our CMs in the half spaces means they have great access to defend the flanks if Chelsea do get the ball wide and both have great energy to do this. Our formation also means we can quickly drop into a flat 4-4-1-1, Keita and Silva flanking Torreira and Rodri, with Dybala dropping deeper to cover the DM. Our Fbs not being needed in the press means they are in a strong position to defend the flanks and cut out Chelsea’s biggest strength, with the midfield’s support.

Subs:

If Winning: Loftus-Cheek for Keita 70’. Guedes for Dybala 80’.

If Drawing: Guedes for Keita 70’, Silva will drop deeper to dictate attacks, Dybala into the 10 role, Guedes can play alongside Kane, but this allows us to easily switch to a 4-2-3-1 in attack when needed. Loftus-Cheek for Silva 80’, we’ll take a draw away from home! Diallo for Dybala 85’, 5-3-2.

If Losing: Lozano for Keita 60’, 4-2-3-1, two wingers to allow us to start stretching the game a bit more, give their FBs more defending to do. Sancho for Silva 70’, whoever’s at LB won’t enjoy the next 20 minutes. Loftus-Cheek for Torreira 80’, more of a driving force in midfield to push the team up the field.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Bournemouth Tactics: Week 16
Captain: Musso
Vice Captain: Zubeldia

Team:
--------------------Musso
Emerson--Andersen—Dias--Saracchi
------------------Zubeldia
------------Bentancur---Otávio
Pussetto----------------------------Everton
-------------------Gómez

SUBS: Unsain, Bustos, Militão, Maycon, Vargas, Zaracho, Fernández

We want to play a neat crisp passing game at high tempo using our obvious pace to punish the opponent. Our formation will be a 4-3-3 that will allow our full backs to join in the attack when necessary and also offer us the flexibility to fall back into a more standard 4-4-2 when under pressure. We need to boss the midfield from the start and control the game with our own tempo. When in possession use the ball well and try and bring our wide men in to play. When chasing the ball press the opponent with urgency and all over the park. Don’t take too many risks and hold onto the ball. With our creativity and pace we will be able to open teams up. Wait for the chances to arise and take them when they come.

Goalkeeper: Musso 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: Zubeldia 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 Otávio will play just in front of Zubeldia. 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. Otávio 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 Pussetto and Everton 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 Otávio, Bentancur and Gómez 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 Otávio 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.

Gómez starts as the CF. He won’t be short of support or ammunition with the attacking talent behind him. Great big old fashioned centre forward. We will look for him to hold up and bring others in to play if it doesn’t seem to be on for him. An eye for a pass and not afraid to have a go from distance. 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 power 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: Otávio, Everton or Pussetto with Andersen, Dias, Zubeldia and Gómez to offer an aerial threat. Otávio and Everton (with his thunderbolt left foot) may try their luck with several free kicks from distance.
Penalties: Gómez

Substitutions: (if winning on 80 minutes) Militão for Dias, Fernández for Gómez and Maycon for Bentancur, 3 like for like substitutions.

If losing (on 80 minutes) Vargas for Bentancur and Fernández for Pussetto. Shift to a 4-1-3-2 attack. Fernández and Vargas offering fresh legs, pace and a bit of the unknown in attack.

------------Zubeldia
Vargas---Otávio----Everton
-----Gómez---Fernández

Tactics for Cup Tie v Liverpool

------------------------ Oblak -------------------------
E.Hysaj ------ Stones ------ Varane ------ Sandro
-------------- Fabinho ------- H.Aouar --------------
Mbappe -------------- Pogba -------------- Neymar
------------------------ Piatek ------------------------

Meret, Romagnoli, Tousart, de Jong, Rodrigo, Thorgan, Gnabry

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, Fabinho, Aouar 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, Piatek slightly higher up, this will congest the midfield and allow Aouar 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.

Stones 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. the two always make themselves available to the wingers. If either get caught up field I want Fabinho to drift to the side and this allows the fullbacks to make their way to midfield to cover I want both Stones and Varane to go up for corners, with the fullbacks and Fabinho sitting back.

In the centre of the pitch are Fabinho, Aouar and Pogba. Fabinho our deepest player sitting just in front of the CB's he will shadow there AM and not allow him to control the game, Aouar and Pogba must be disciplined and lend a hand to stop them coming through. Fabinho 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 he is always looking for the ball to start again if need be, 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. Aouar 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 Fabinho 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 Aouar) between defence and attack, I want him higher up the pitch today so as we break quickly he will look to set up our front three and at times be in an advanced No.10 role and look for the Fabinho/Aouar 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 Mbappe and Neymar will cause them problems drifting in an out, 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 Piatek who has the pace and ability to beat any defender and the other winger (Neymar or Mbappe) 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 Piatek who will sit on the last foot so he can spring them and have a shoot or sight mentality, 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 by dropping slightly back to get numbers for the attack. We are lightening quick up front so when we hit the Liverpool defence they will struggle to cope especially as the game comes to the last 10/15ins as defenders tire with the movement and the pace we do it at

Captain - Varane
Pens - Neymar
Corners - Wingers
Free Kicks - Neymnr

Subs:-
Losing
70 Mins - Thorgan for Aouar he goes to RW and mbappe up front in a 4-4-2 as we go a bit more direct to our front four
80 Mins - de Jong and Gnabry for Hysaj and Sandro
Fabinho - Stones - Varane
Thorgan de Jong Pogba Gnabry
Mbappe Piatek Neymar
push for an equaliser

if the equaliser does come then Gnabry will have to go into left back and Neymar back to LW and Mbappe into a free role in a 4231 formation, Fabinho RB

Winning -
70 Mins - de Jong for Aouar, fresh legs and defensively sound, doesn't have to push on unless they equalise, play easy passes
80 Mins - Thorgan for Piatek, he goes RW and Mbappe up top to run things down

Drawing -
70 Mins - Thorgan for Piatek, Mbappe up front for pace and Thorgan to RW
80 Mins - de Jong for Aouar, fresh legs look to open things up for Mbappe

If it goes to pens

Neymar
Mbappe
de Jong
Piatek
Pogba
Thorgan
Fabinho
Varane
Stones

———————Ter Stegen
Castro——Rudiger——Christensen——Gaya
—————————Rodri
—————B.Silva—————Milinkovic
Dybala——————Kane————————Lozano

Pope, Odriozola, Upamecano, Loftus-Cheek, Keita, Guedes, Brandt

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

The aim of our build up play will be to get the ball into the free CB, as well as drawing Chelsea’s midfield forward. Position our midfield deeper, with Rodri just ahead of the CBs, CMs dropping towards play, CBs stretched out and FBs slightly higher in line with Rodri, creating a diamond in both half spaces through which we can escape pressure, before switching to the CB on the free side (can use Ter Stegen when needed). CB can carry the ball forward and plays a ball into the CM on his side to provoke one of the Chelsea CMs into stepping up, the CM can play it immediately back back to the CB, Rodri or the FB, who will then play it vertically into the inverted winger/Kane who drop behind the pushed up CM. Equally, if the CB brings it forward and the opposition don’t break their structure, he can play a long ball out to the opposite flank to stretch the game.

When establishing possession we use short passing combinations, minimal spacing between players, staggered between the lines. Allows for quick movement of the ball, shifting constantly to different lines, drawing more of a reaction from the opposition and sucking them in towards the ball to open up space elsewhere, which we can quickly switch into. The constant movement of the ball, and constant movement of our players, changing runs and swapping positions, creates a mental overload on the opponent, with some players chasing to follow the ball, and others the man, allowing us to break their defensive structure and unmark ourselves higher up the field. The opponent then has to react to the hole that they leave, and this sucks defenders out of the last line of defence, allowing us to play in their blindsides.

Rodri and the CBs are the second pass facilitators of this style, with a better view of the pitch ahead of them, and more space to work in they have the best access to passing lanes, and can make the best choice of where to build attacks. When these guys get the ball with space, the players ahead of them must make runs, particularly using a CM, or a winger to make a run in behind their defence for a quick lofted pass.

B.Silva is the main creator in the side today, roaming the midfield to link play, and find space in the half space / between the lines, drifting wide to overload their FBs, as well as combining closely with Dybala. Milinkovic will have a box to box role, his energy will be key when recovering possession, but he links play well too, and his direct runs and aerial presence in the box can be a huge threat.

Our wingers look to create positional superiority alongside our CMs and Kane. Lozano can stretch the game and pin the FB back, to open up more 1 v 1 battles for our CMs and himself. He also looks to make runs in behind as with his pace the Chelsea defence have to drop and become detached from midfield, or risk being beaten in a foot race. Dybala is given a free role when we attack, we want him picking up pockets of space close to Silva, Milinkovic and Kane in order to overload the opposition, particularly space between the defence and midfield as Silva and Milinkovic already occupy the opposition DMs. When he gets the ball he moves it quickly and when he’s passed it on, he makes his own run towards goal.

Kane is the focal point in attack, at times switching roles with Lozano and Dybala to allow them to run in behind as he drops deeper to draw the CBs with him and other times looking to be the main man in the box. Chelsea’s CBs are quick on the ground so the chemistry that Dybala and Kane are building will be key, one going one way and the other making the opposite run to force split second decisions that gain us the crucial half a yard. Whilst their CBs are good on the ground, we feel Kane has the advantage aerially so crosses will be key.

Off the ball we use a 4-5-1 shape. We will look to high press, with three key triggers. Firstly a ball played between CBs. Kane will look to pressure the ball carrying CB, closing vertical passing lanes. When one CB passes to the other CB, our ball side CM will step up and press in the same manner as Kane, creating a 4-4-2. Wingers stay tucked into the half spaces to make vertical passes difficult, Rodri always slightly deeper than the other CM to create a strong core. This should force them to the corners, which is our next pressing trigger. When this happens, the winger steps out to press the FB, with CF and CM in the first line of defence also pushing out to the wing, looking to pen the FB in, with our FB pushing higher up to condense space and cut passing lanes to the winger (far side winger, Rodri and the other CM create a strong midfield 3).

The final trigger is pressing from Goalkicks. Our front three will come narrow, covering the width of the box, wingers pressing the Cbs if they try to play out, CMs can go out to the FBs when needed, whilst Kane covers passing lanes to the DM. Force them to go long from GKs.

The back line adjusts their position based on the position of the ball and team mates, so when Chelsea have the ball with their defence and we are high pressing, the back 4 will be pushed up right behind the midfield line, keeping minimal space between the lines, shutting down passing lanes in the middle to force the opponents wide or long. Our 3 lines move up and down in unison, so when Chelsea have periods of established possession in our half, our 4-5-1 shape falls right back together to keep us compact, using the same pressing triggers as we would higher up.


Subs:

If Winning: Brandt for Dybala 70’. Keita for Lozano 75’, B.Silva goes wide and Keita adds extra legs in midfield.

If Drawing: Guedes for Lozano 70’, fresh legs, similar type of player to keep the pattern the same. Brandt for Silva 75’, Dybala goes to AM in a 4-2-3-1 and late on we look to pin the FBs back to weaken Chelsea’s attack and get more balls into the box. Odriozola for Castro 80’.

If Losing: Guedes for Milinkovic 65’, Dybala comes central in a 4-1-4-1 as we look to add pressure on their back line. Brandt and Upamecano for Castro and Gaya 75’, 3-1-4-2, get Dybala up alongside Kane for the rest of the game.

If Pens:
1. Harry Kane
2. Paulo Dybala
3. Bernardo Silva
4. Rodri
5. Sergeij Milinkovic-Savic
6. Julian Brandt
7. Gonzalo Guedes
8. Hirving Lozano
9. Jose Gaya
10. Jonny Castro
11. Alvaro Odriozola
12. Andreas Christensen

BRUM vs Leicester

-----------------------------------Lafont--------------------------------
---------------Skriniar---------Diop----------Kehrer-----------
Pereira----------Doucoure--------Paredes------------Telles
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------Zaha----------------------------------
-----------------------Higuain-------------Sarr--------------------------

Subs - Lunin, Dalot, Cristante, Felipe Anderson, Valverde, Adama, Benzema

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

Going for a different formation this match against a Leicester side missing their main man Ronaldo. They are still dangerous but the strategy will be to focus on keeping a strong defensive shape and to play the ball long to Higuain and Sarr so they can combine and create some chances.

Defence
Lafont is a quality young keeper. Don't take risks. Punch the ball away if the shot is too powerful. Command your area. The defence is well balanced. Playing 3atb with Skriniar, Diop and Kehrer bringing a nice mixture of experience and pace to the defence. Diop will focus on marking the Leicester striker and using his aerial ability and strenght to win the duels against him. Skriniar will work together with Pereira to double up against the Leicester LW and Kehrer will do the same on the opposite wing by helping Telles against the oppo RW vocal. Wing 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. Doucoure and Paredes will be covering for them when they go attacking.

Defence Mids
Doucoure + Paredes
Doucoure 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.
Paredes will be playing as the deep lying playmaker and to be the link between the defence and the attack. I want Paredes to be on the lookout of the runs of our 2 strikers and to play lofted through balls to them when they are are trying to beat the offside trap. When not in possession of the ball Paredes will look to close down the oppo AM and win the ball off him.

Attack Mid
Zaha
Zaha will be playing just behind Higuain and Sarr 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.

Strikers
Gonzalo Higuain + Ismaila Sarr
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 Zaha/Sarr to make runs ahead of you.
Ismaila Sarr will look to use his pace to make runs off of the shoulders of the oppo CB's. I want him to be on the lookout for lofted through balls from deep and to try and beat the offside trap to get clear when on goal.

Subs if LOSING BY 65MINS
Put on Benzema for Sarr, Anderson for Telles and Adama for Pereira to bring some more pace on. Play a high line and try and get a goal.

----------------------------------Lafont--------------------------------
---------------Skriniar---------Diop----------Kehrer-----------
Adama------------Doucoure--------Paredes------------Anderson
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------Zaha----------------------------------
-----------------------Higuain-------------Benzema--------------------------


Subs if WINNING BY 80MINS
Take off Sarr and put on Valverde in CM and play defensive with everyone in our own half defending for their lives, waiting to hit the oppo on the counter attack. Benzema on for Higuain as well.

----------------------------------Lafont--------------------------------
---------------Skriniar---------Diop----------Kehrer-----------
Pereira---Doucoure----Valverde------Paredes-----Telles
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------Zaha----------------------------------
-----------------------------------Benzema---------------------------------------


Subs if DRAWING BY 65MINS
Cristante on for Zaha
Valverde on for Paredes
Benzema on for Higuain
Fresh legs to bring on.

High tempo attacking 4-3-3

We look to play our usual attacking game and take the game to Brum, controlling possession and the tempo of the game. Control possession and find space in between the opposition lines. Get Modric on the ball and looking to play killer balls to open up the opposition using the pace of our attacking players.

Tolisso and Richarlison come in for Thiago and Ronaldo, less quality but more athleticism and high energy work rate on and off the ball. Use their high tempo play to create space for the likes of Hazard and Modric in midfield. Hazard has more freedom and looks to find space wherever he can in the final third.

Key to our attack is quick passing play, not looking to force the play but moving the ball quickly. Pass and move. Tire the opposition out physically and mentally with our possession and high tempo play. Predominantly short passing on the deck, but varying our play when a counter is on.

As you'd expect, possession starts at the back, Ramos the man marker next to Laporte who is free. In midfield, Casemiro reading the play looking to win the ball back as the dm alwatys staying back and offering cover, Modric and Tolisso will offer inteligence defensively, with the pressing of Tolissoin high areas also improtant.

Get Modric on the ball and get pushing up the pitch, let him pick the passes. But we also have great pace, so mix it up going through or over the top to expose the space behind them. Quick one twos between the two and the attacking trio and Mendy and Carvajal always looking to provide an option.

The defence will be patient on the ball, will be hugely important in keeping possession and pushing us up the pitch. Playing a reasonably high line, with good pace at the back and energy in front. As soon as we get the ball to our midfield, we look to move the ball quickly, quick passing and moving.

In attack we play with width to stretch the game and open up Brum. Get the fbs attacking. One bombing forward the other fb remains a little more reserved offering option to go back and switch play.

Hazard has a free role in attack, with Mendy offering width on the left. On the right, Sane stays wide stretching the game looking to take on their lb.


------------------- Neuer
Carvajal- S.Ramos - Laporte - B.Mendy
---------------- Casemiro
----------- Modric ---- Tolisso
L.Sane ----------------------------- Hazard
----------------- Richarlison

Subs. Schmeichel, J.Gomez, Ascaibar, Ceballos, A.Correa, Coutinho, Belotti

Defending in numbers

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

In a narrow, rigid formation, we will look to press the space, not allowing them options. Draw them in to positions where they can’t hurt us, and then try and win the ball back. Then get forward quickly.

As Brum advance into higher areas of the park and into our half, our shape will resemble a 4-1-4-1. Our wingers will track any forward runs made by their fbs, and Casemiro presses the space in front of our cbs, sweeping up danger in front of the defence, the cms pressing their midfield.

In this tight formation narrowing to the side of play, ensuring there are no gaps in the formation. Casemiro will be key, reading the play in between the defence and midfield, getting across to cut out any danger. Tolisso picks up the most advanced cm. The winger opposite play comes inside and sits on their deepest cm while Modric presses the space next to and in front of Casemiro. Our fb’s have fantastic pace up against their wide forwards, bide their time, not diving in.

Attack.

Get the ball out wide, Modric dictating the play. The trio's movement will be key in opening up the opposition defence.

The cm trio seeking to collect the ball from the defence, and seeking to start our attacks from the back. Spreading play, and setting the tempo of the game. We look to find space between their defence and midfield, committing defenders from there and playing killer balls.

We want quick one twos in the opposition half. Modric, Tolisso and the wingers will always be looking for the killer ball. If it is not on, we are happy to keep the ball moving and keep possession.

Subs.
If winning after 70 mins bring on Ceballos for Modric fresh legs and stronger defensively.
If winning after 75 mins bring on Ascaibar for Tolisso. Fresh legs in midfield.
If winning after 80 mins bring on Correa for Richarlison. Fresh legs and high tempo.

If drawing after 70 mins bring on Coutinho for Modric. Super sub. 4-2-3-1. Hazard behind Ronaldo, Sane and Correa wide. Higher tempo.
If drawing after 75 mins bring on Ceballos for Tolisso. More creativity.
If drawing after 80 mins bring on Correa for Sane. Super sub.

If losing after 60 mins bring on Gomez and Correa for Mendy and Carvajal. 3-6-1. Sane left, Correa right, Hazard just off Ronaldo in a free role.
If losing after 75 mins bring on Coutinho for Modric.

Comment deleted by Article Creator

---------------------- Cillessen -----------------------
Mukiele ------ Akanji ------ Elvedi ------ Henrichs
L.Moura ----- N'Zonzi ----- Matuidi ----- R.Fraser
----------------------- N.Fekir ------------------------
----------------------- Alcacer ------------------------

Audero, Zagadou, T.Adams, Sissoko, Mata, Almiron, Mandzukic

Control possession high up the field, pass and move into positions that can hurt them, when we defend we do so as a team with two banks of four and Fekir on the DM, Alcacer harassing the backline and really pressurise them into quick , misplaced passes for us to pick up, in their face performance, especially N'Zonzi, Matuidi and Fekir as we try to nullify their midfield and stop them creating chances for the forwards.

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

N'Zonzi's primary role is to win possession and then start an attacking phase. Within this he needs to cover spaces in between the midfield and defence where the opposition’s number 10 will likely to be operating whilst also being aware when the full-backs had pushed forward.Take care of of the No 10/SS is also a main focus, stick to him like glue and stop him becoming a threat, very good in the air so can attack long/high balls before they get to our defenders. Once he is in possession of the ball nice simple balls to those around him.

Matuidi is our box-to-box midfielder and has responsibility throughout the pitch. He is expected to score goals and create chances for team mates, whilst also helping in the defensive third. One requirement of this role are high fitness levels due to the amount of running they are expected to do. The box-to-box midfielder is more likely to be found on the side of the pitch where the full-back that is less efficient in the attacking third plays to provide balance on both flanks. Fekir's main responsibility is to both create chances for the three attackers in front of him and indeed score the goals himself. He will often find himself the furthest forward of the three midfielders and sometimes even in the number 9 role if the correct situation arises. The main requirement of Fekir is creativity; he needs to be able to play a pass that penetrates the opposition’s defense or dictates the direction of the attack These three should work well together and between them have everything a midfield needs.

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

We must defend as a team tho, from the front, so wingers track back and cover the fullbacks, even just to stop them supporting the wingers, we must drive into them and pressurize them into mistakes

Captain - Matuidi
Pens - Fekir
FK's - Fekir
Corners - Wingers

Subs:-

Losing -
70 Mins - Change of style, Zagadou on for Henrichs and Mandzukic on for Mukiele, Zagadou to LCB and Mandzukic up top, 3412 quick and direct to the forwards and high ball can be used now we have Mandzukic on the pitch who will look to knock in on/down for supporting players
80 Mins - Almiron for Fraser, fresh legs on the left to push against a tiring RB and look to whip quality crosses in

Winning -
75 Mins - T.Adams for Alcacer, Fekir goes to a No.9 role and Adams to the right of N'Zonzi to shore up the midfield, 451
82 Mins - Mandzukic for Fekir, more powerful and will look to hold it up
87 Mins - Almiron for Fraser

Drawing -
70 Mins - Mata for Alcacer, Fekir goes up top and Mata into No.10 same formation, Mata look to open them up
75 Mins - Almiron for Fraser, fresh legs
82 Mins - Mandzukic for Fekir, a new target to aim for

------------------------ Oblak ------------------------
E.Hysaj ------ Stones ------ Varane ------ Sandro
--------------- Fabinho ----- de Jong ---------------
Mbappe -------------- Pogba -------------- Neymar
------------------------ Piatek ------------------------

Meret, Aouar, Tousart, Maddison, Thorgan, Gnabry, Abraham

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, Fabinho, de Jong 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, Piatek slightly higher up, this will congest the midfield and allow de Jong 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.

Stones 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. the two always make themselves available to the wingers. If either get caught up field I want Fabinho to drift to the side and this allows the fullbacks to make their way to midfield to cover I want both Stones and Varane to go up for corners, with the fullbacks and Fabinho sitting back.

In the centre of the pitch are Fabinho, de Jong and Pogba. Fabinho our deepest player sitting just in front of the CB's he will shadow there AM and not allow him to control the game, de Jong and Pogba must be disciplined and lend a hand to stop them coming through. Fabinho 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 he is always looking for the ball to start again if need be, 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. de Jong 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 Fabinho 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 de Jong) between defence and attack, I want him higher up the pitch today so as we break quickly he will look to set up our front three and at times be in an advanced No.10 role and look for the Fabinho/de Jong 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 Mbappe and Neymar will cause them problems drifting in an out, 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 Piatek who has the pace and ability to beat any defender and the other winger (Neymar or Mbappe) 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 Piatek who will sit on the last foot so he can spring them and have a shoot or sight mentality, 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 by dropping slightly back to get numbers for the attack. We are lightening quick up front so when we hit the Hull defence they will struggle to cope especially as the game comes to the last 10/15ins as defenders tire with the movement and the pace we do it at

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

Subs:-
Losing -
70 Mins Thorgan and Aouar for Hysaj and Sandro, Fabinhoo drop to a 3rd CB, Aouar alongside de Jong, Thorgan to RW and Mbappe up top with Piatek, hit them with a lot of pace and power

Fabinho Stones Varane
Thorgan H.Aouar de Jong Neymar
Pogba
Mbappe Piatek

80 Mins - Gnabry for Pogba, Neymar goes to LCF and Gnabry to LW 343

Winning -
80 Mins - Tousart for Pogba he goes central DM with Fabinho and de Jong either side
85 Mins - Thorgan for Piatek, RW and Mbappe up top

Drawing -
70 Mins - Fresh legs, Maddison for Pogba, Thorgan for Piatek with Mbappe up top and Thorgan to the right

Red Card -
Oblak - Meret for Pogba 441
Defender - Fabinho slots in and Pogba drops back, if winning at the time Tousart on for Pogba 441
Central midfielder - nothing unless Fabinho, then Tousart on for Pogba 441
Winger - other plays a free role, playing side to side 4311
Piatek - Mbappe up top Neymar to free role 4311

Potentially selling Torres so have simply changed the bench - Wober for Torres (but neither would have played anyhow)

----------------------Pavlenka
Lazaro---Milenkovic----Foyth---Tagliafico
---------------Lobotka---Kampl
-González---------Neuhaus--------Forsberg
-----------------------Jovic

Subs: Müller, Wober, Augustinsson, Grillitsch, Nández, Brekalo, Mitrovic

Our defensive unit consists of Nikola Milenkovic and Juan Foyth paired up at centre-back, Valentino Lazaro at right-back and Nicolás Tagliafico at left-back, with Stanislav Lobotka and Kevin Kampl as our midfield ‘double pivot’ screening them.

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

With Kampl running his socks off for the team, our high tempo will dictated by his partner in holding midfield, Stanislav Lobotka.

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

The attacking unit consists of Nicólas González, Florian Neuhaus and Emil Forsberg as our band of three attacking midfielders with Luka Jovic 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 Lobotka or Kampl, then our 4-2-3-1 can spring into attack.

Lazaro and Tagliafico can surge up the wings in the knowledge that Lobotka and Kampl can drop into the space left behind if needed. As they come up the wings, both Nicólas González and Emil Forsberg, who are fast speed merchants, excellent in tight spaces and fantastic dribblers will cut inside or make runs into the box.

Neuhaus lines up as our “Raumdeuter” (space-interpreter), who will use his distinct and unorthodox technique to find spaces between the lines. Neuhaus is an intuitive and instinctive player who will nearly always play a perfect pass and make a perfect run.

His space-interpreting ability will be reflected in the spaces he picks up his assists from, often behind our opposition’s midfield and ahead of their defence, able to play a perfect pass forward and pick the right spot in the blink of an eye.

We’ve tweaked our philosophy to involve Neuhaus so as to have as little as possible to do in terms of build-up of play and do what he is best at: find space, interpret play and be two steps ahead of our opposition by using his finest tool, anticipation.

Perhaps the deadliest asset Neuhaus possesses is his work without the ball, to get into good scoring positions or to put his teammates in good scoring positions.

Neuhaus’s movement is different from all others. He’ll interpret space and form cohesion with his intelligent running and inhuman anticipatory skills and as a result, Jovic, González and Forsberg will benefit. Neuhaus isn’t our flashiest player or doesn’t seem the most dangerous but once a keen eye is kept on him, his true expertise will be known.

Another highly noticeable attribute of a Neuhaus’s game is his link-up play. Neuhaus will make runs and movement to support González, Forsberg and Jovic with ease, mostly with one or two touch football and that will adequately support his teammates and vice versa.

Neuhaus is aware with his running and of the surroundings near him that will help attacking moves. With our full-backs, this sort of movement will influence their own overlapping runs, and as with our forwards, they can get into good goal scoring positions. Neuhaus will make himself readily available to teammates and without the intention, provide much more help in the build-up of attacking play than they notice.

Jovic will hold up play as an outlet to play others in and provide layoffs in the final third, but he will also make well-timed runs in behind against high defensive lines. He will be especially gifted at receiving the ball in this match, and Jovic will often manipulate his body position to create an opportune angle even if he has his back turned to goal.

Jovic’s innovation in front of goal will also be a useful trait because he will manage to adjust his body to make best use of the crosses from free kicks and corners even if they come in slightly behind him. The power and precision of his shots will make him a deadly finisher in and around the box. He will also link up well González, Neuhaus and Forsberg through his quick footwork.

Subs on 75 mins
Mitrovic on for Jovic and Brekalo on for Forsberg

Like for like changes; Mitrovic and Brekalo should trouble any tiresome legs in the oppositions defence as we push for a late goal regardless of the result.

In the case of a I am literally going to wing it!!!

Potentially selling Torres so have simply changed the bench - Wober for Torres (but neither would have played anyhow)

High tempo attacking 4-3-3

We look to play our usual attacking game and take the game to Wolves, quick flowing attacking moves playing with pace on the wings to stretch the opposition. Build possession from the back, aiming our attacks down the wings, stretching the game and creating space for our attacking players. Get Coutinho in between the lines linking up with the front trio and the fbs and Tollisso breaking forward.

Belotti comes in up top, Tolisso next to Casemiro gives us a stronger defensive platform to build on, giving Coutinho more freedom. We also go with Belotti up top to give the attacking trio behind someone to play off. Allowing

Key to our attack is quick passing play, not looking to force the play but moving the ball quickly. Pass and move. Tire the opposition out physically and mentally with our quick passing and movement. Predominantly short passing on the deck, but varying our play when a counter is on, and plenty crosses in to Belotti.

As you'd expect, possession starts at the back, Ramos the man marker next to Laporte who is free. In midfield, Casemiro reading the play looking to win the ball back as the dm alwatys staying back and offering cover, Tolisso will offer a second strong defensive midfielder in the box to box role.

We have great pace, so mix it up going through or over the top to expose the space behind them. Quick one twos between the attacking trio and Mendy and Carvajal always looking to provide an option. Tolisso will also be looking to add a late option getting forward.

The defence will be patient on the ball, will be hugely important in keeping possession and pushing us up the pitch. Playing a reasonably high line, with good pace at the back and energy in front. As soon as we get the ball to our midfield, we look to move the ball quickly, quick passing and moving.

In attack we play with width to stretch the game and open up Wolves. Get the fbs attacking. One bombing forward the other fb remains a little more reserved offering option to go back and switch play.

Hazard has a free role in attack, with Mendy offering width on the left. On the right, Sane stays wide stretching the game looking to take on their lb.


------------------- Neuer
Carvajal- S.Ramos - Laporte - B.Mendy
---------- Casemiro -- Tolisso
---------------- Coutinho
L.Sane ----------------------------- Hazard
------------------ Belotti

Subs. Schmeichel, J.Gomez, Ascaibar, Modric, Ceballos, A.Correa, Richarlison

Defending in numbers

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

In a narrow, rigid formation, we will look to press the space, not allowing them options. Draw them in to positions where they can’t hurt us, and then try and win the ball back. Then get forward quickly.

As Wolves advance into higher areas of the park and into our half, our shape will resemble a 4-1-4-1. Our wingers will track any forward runs made by their fbs, and Casemiro presses the space in front of our cbs, sweeping up danger in front of the defence, the cms pressing their midfield.

In this tight formation narrowing to the side of play, ensuring there are no gaps in the formation. Casemiro will be key, reading the play in between the defence and midfield, getting across to cut out any danger. Tolisso picks up the most advanced cm. The winger opposite play comes inside and sits on their deepest cm while Coutinho simply presses the space in front of Casemiro and Tolisso. Our fb’s have fantastic pace up against their wide forwards, bide their time, not diving in.

Attack.

Get the ball out wide, Casemiro and Tolisso looking to collect the ball from defence and spread the play wide. Keeping it simple in our own thrid. As we move forward Coutinho and the attacking trio's movement will be key in opening up the opposition defence. We look to find space between their defence and midfield, committing defenders from there and playing killer balls.

We want quick one twos in the opposition halfTolisso, Coutinho and the wingers will always be looking for the killer ball. If it is not on, we are happy to keep the ball moving and keep possession.

Subs.
If winning after 70 mins bring on Modric for Coutinho, fresh legs and brings composure.
If winning after 75 mins bring on Ascaibar for Tolisso. Fresh legs in midfield.
If winning after 80 mins bring on Correa for Belotti. Fresh legs and high tempo.

If drawing after 70 mins bring on Modric and Ceballos for Coutinho and Tolisso. More creativity.
If drawing after 80 mins bring on Correa for Belotti. Super sub and a different option up top.

If losing after 60 mins bring on Gomez and Correa for Mendy and Carvajal. 3-6-1. Sane left, Correa right, Hazard just off Belotti in a free role.
If losing after 75 mins bring on Modric for Tolisso. More creativity.

---------------------------- Hart ------------------------
----- Marquinhos ----- Boateng ----- Hummels ----
Cancelo -- Fernandinho ---- C.Eriksen --- M.Alonso
----------------------- O.Dembele --------------------
------------- Aubameyang --- Timo Werner ---------

Subs:
Mckenzie-Lyle, Hernandez, Bailly, Partey, Verratti, Bailey, Martial

Away to strong opposition we set up in a counter attacking 3-4-1-2 formation, enabling us to deploy a strong defensive back 5 when the opposition are in possession and hitting them at speed on the counter attack. Our front three offer pure pace and will be instrumental in carving them open on the break.

We expect our opposition to line up with a front three, most likely in a 4-3-3 formation. To counter this we play with 3 CB’s with our FB’s dropping in to create a tight back 5 when they are in possession. This numerical advantage will help us nullify the quality that they possess and will ultimately frustrate their attempts to break us down. We expect Pompy to play with inverted wingers and therefore our FB’s will drop in and play narrow. Let them have it out wide and force them down the line, if they try to come inside they will be doubled up on by the FB and left or right CB meaning they head stray into traffic and will be dispossessed. Similarly we are acutely aware of the danger posed by Aguero and therefore will look to double up on him, should he beat his marker he will immediately be met by the covering CB giving him no room to manoeuvre. We sit deep and offer no space in behind for the likes of Bale to attack. We feel our numerical 5 v 3 advantage at the back will stifle and ultimately frustrate the opposition, causing them to throw more men forward and leave themselves open to the counter.

At the other end of the pitch we have three of the quickest players in football. As we sit deep we naturally expect the opposition to push forward, this will however leave them in great danger with the vast space left behind their CB’s for our forwards to exploit. As soon as we win back possession we hit them at speed, get the back out wide to our WB’s or the feet of Eriksen who can pick the defence apart.

We feel Dembele presents a real mismatch in the AM role. Whilst the opposition have great quality in central midfield they have no real speed which will cause them real problems. Get the ball into Dembele to break at speed and they won’t be able to live with him. We expect them to push their FB’s on in attack which will ultimately leave them exposed. When Dembele breaks from central midfield one of their CB’s will be forced to engage, with their FB’s pushes up the field this will leave us with three forwards against their two CB’s. if their CB looks to engage with Dembele they will be leaving one of forwards wide open to be played in and finish. If they back off then our strikers will split wide, pulling the CB’s with them and leaving Dembele with a free run at goal. We strongly feel the personnel in our set up causes a number of mismatch’s all over the park which we intend to exploit.

Another string to our bow will be our FB’s who will operate as WB’s when we are on the break. We don’t expect the opposition wingers to track back and if as expected they play a midfield 3 then we will look to overload them. Both Cancelo and Alonso will stay wide and push up giving us a midfield 4 against their 3. We will hit them down the flanks with the quality we possess from our FB’s. Whip the ball in early from out wide with Aubameyang and Werner looking to get in behind at any opportunity.

In central midfield Fernandinho will be the destructive force. Focusing particularly on their main man De Bruyne we will look to stifle the Belgium. We deploy a deep defensive set up when they are in possession we feel they will struggle to break us down. Fernandinho is the master in breaking down attacks and winning back possession and will be key in setting us up on the counter. Eriksen possesses an outstanding array of passing and with the three pacy forwards of Aubameyang, Werner and Dembele we will look to him to pick their back line apart.

Both Aubameyang and Werner will be looking to stretch the opposition and get in behind. Playing a high line against our forwards would be suicidle so we expect them to sit deep. However in doing so they will be creating ample room for Dembele to exploit in the hole. Should they push up then our forwards will have the beating of them when we slip them in behind.

We feel that’s today’s set up is perfect away from home against a team that will look to dominate possession. We are ultimately forcing them to pick their poison. Sitting deep will mean that they are unable to commit as many men forward and will ultimately see them struggle to break down our back 5. Play their usual game of a front three and attacking FB’s will leave them exposed as we have the pace on the break to punish them with the quality we possess in attack.

Subs;

If winning:
60 mins: Eriksen off, Partey on.
75 mins: Werner and Alonso off, Bailly and Hernández on. Shut up shop time as we revert to 6 at the back with two DMs. We form an impenetrable defensive unit as we see the game out and take the 3 points.

If drawing:
60 mins: Fernandinho off, Verratti on.
75 mins: Marquinhos off, Martial on. We move to 4-4-2 with Verratti and Eriksen at CM, O.Dembele and Martial on the flanks with Aubameyang and Werner up
Top as we go for a winner.

If losing:
55 mins: Marquinhos off, Verratti on.
65 mins: Fernandinho and Alonso off, Martial and Bailey on. We revert to an attacking 3-4-3 with Aguero, Werner and Martial up top as we go for goals, goals, goals.

BRUM vs everton

---------------------------------Lafont--------------------------------
Pereira-----------Skriniar----------Kehrer---------------Chilwell
-------------------------------------Rice--------------------------------------
---------------------Paredes--------------Cristante---------------------
Sarr----------------------------------------------------------------Anderson
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------Higuain------------------------------------------

Subs - Lunin, Diop, Zakaria, Valverde, Adama, Keita, Zaha

CAPTAIN - SKRINIAR
CK'S - PAREDES
FK'S - PAREDES
PENALTIES - HIGUAIN

I want us to start the game with a high tempo, close the oppo down and win the ball back quickly. Play quick passes forward and try and get an early goal. I want Sarr and Anderson to use their pace on the wings to create chances for the rest of the team. 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.

Defence
Lafont is a quality young keeper. Don't take risks. Punch the ball away if the shot is too powerful. Command your area. The defence is well balanced. Skriniar and Kehrer bring a whole lot of experience and pace to the defence. Skriniar will use his experience to marshal the defence and Kehrer 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. Rice and Paredes will be covering for them when they go attacking.

Defence Mid
Rice
Rice 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.

Centre Mids
Cristante + Paredes
Cristante will be playing CM on paper but his main role will be to help in attack. When not in possession of the ball Cristante will look to close down the oppo DM's and win the ball off them. No need to stay too deep as Rice and Paredes are adequate cover in the middle. When attacking I want Cristante to make runs into the oppo box and bring others into the game. Play 1 2's with the wingers and create space for yourself and your teammates. Shoot if you see an opening at goal.. Paredes will be playing as the deep lying playmaker and to be the link between the defence and the attack. I want Paredes to be on the lookout of the runs of our 2 wingers and to play lofted through balls to them when they are are trying to beat the offside trap. When not in possession of the ball Paredes will look to close down the oppo AM and win the ball off him.

Wingers
Sarr + Anderson
These 2 will be the focal point of my attack. Anderson will be looking to cut in from the right and Sarr will be tasked with getting to the byline and to whip some crosses into the box. 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. Pereira 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.

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 Sarr/Anderson to make infield runs ahead of you.

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

--------------------------------Lafont--------------------------------
Pereira--------Skriniar-------------Kehrer ------------Chilwell
-----------------------------------Rice ------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adama---------------------------------------------------------------Anderson
-----------------------------------Keita ------------------------------------
--------------------------Zaha--------Higuain--------------------------


Subs if WINNING BY 80MINS
Take off Cristante and put on Zakaria in CM and play defensive with everyone in our own half defending for their lives, waiting to hit the oppo on the counter attack. Adama on for Sarr and Zaha for Higuain for more pace to hip the oppo on the counter.

----------------------------------Lafont--------------------------------
Pereira----------Skriniar-----------Kehrer ----------Chilwell
---------------Paredes-------Zakaria--------Rice------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------Adama-------------------------------------------------Anderson
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------Zaha----------------------------------------


Subs if DRAWING BY 65MINS
Adama on for Sarr
Valverde on for Paredes
Zaha on for Higuain
Fresh legs to bring on.

vs Newcastle

———————Ter Stegen
Castro——Rudiger——Christensen——Gaya
—————————Ndidi
—————B.Silva—————Milinkovic
Dybala——————Kane————————Lozano

Pope, Odriozola, Upamecano, Loftus-Cheek, Keita, Guedes, Brandt

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

The aim of our build up play will be to get the ball into the free CB, as well as drawing Newcastle's midfield forward. Position our midfield deeper, with Ndidi just ahead of the CBs, CMs dropping towards play, CBs stretched out and FBs slightly higher in line with Ndidi, creating a diamond in both half spaces through which we can escape pressure, before switching to the CB on the free side (can use Ter Stegen when needed). CB can carry the ball forward and plays a ball into the CM on his side to provoke one of the Newcastle CMs into stepping up, the CM can play it immediately back to the CB, Ndidi or the FB, who will then play it vertically into the inverted winger/Kane who drop behind the pushed up CM. Equally, if the CB brings it forward and the opposition don’t break their structure, he can play a long ball out to the opposite flank to stretch the game.

When establishing possession we use short passing combinations, minimal spacing between players, staggered between the lines. Allows for quick movement of the ball, shifting constantly to different lines, drawing more of a reaction from the opposition and sucking them in towards the ball to open up space elsewhere, which we can quickly switch into. The constant movement of the ball, and constant movement of our players, changing runs and swapping positions, creates a mental overload on the opponent, with some players chasing to follow the ball, and others the man, allowing us to break their defensive structure and unmark ourselves higher up the field. The opponent then has to react to the hole that they leave, and this sucks defenders out of the last line of defence, allowing us to play in their blindsides.

Ndidi and the CBs are the second pass facilitators of this style, with a better view of the pitch ahead of them, and more space to work in they have the best access to passing lanes, and can make the best choice of where to build attacks. When these guys get the ball with space, the players ahead of them must make runs, particularly using a CM, or a winger to make a run in behind their defence for a quick lofted pass.

B.Silva is the main creator in the side today, roaming the midfield to link play, and find space in the half space / between the lines, drifting wide to overload their FBs, as well as combining closely with Dybala. Milinkovic will have a box to box role, his energy will be key when recovering possession, but he links play well too, and his direct runs and aerial presence in the box can be a huge threat.

Our wingers look to create positional superiority alongside our CMs and Kane. Lozano can stretch the game and pin the FB back, to open up more 1 v 1 battles for our CMs and himself. He also looks to make runs in behind as with his pace the Newcastle defence have to drop and become detached from midfield, or risk being beaten in a foot race. Dybala is given a free role when we attack, we want him picking up pockets of space close to Silva, Milinkovic and Kane in order to overload the opposition, particularly space between the defence and midfield as Silva and Milinkovic already occupy the opposition DMs. When he gets the ball he moves it quickly and when he’s passed it on, he makes his own run towards goal.

Kane is the focal point in attack, at times switching roles with Lozano and Dybala to allow them to run in behind as he drops deeper to draw the CBs with him and other times looking to be the main man in the box. Newcastle's CBs are quick on the ground so the chemistry that Dybala and Kane are building will be key, one going one way and the other making the opposite run to force split second decisions that gain us the crucial half a yard. Whilst their CBs are good on the ground, we feel Kane has the advantage aerially so crosses will be key.

Off the ball we use a 4-5-1 shape. We will look to high press, with three key triggers. Firstly a ball played between CBs. Kane will look to pressure the ball carrying CB, closing vertical passing lanes. When one CB passes to the other CB, our ball side CM will step up and press in the same manner as Kane, creating a 4-4-2. Wingers stay tucked into the half spaces to make vertical passes difficult, Ndidi always slightly deeper than the other CM to create a strong core. This should force them to the corners, which is our next pressing trigger. When this happens, the winger steps out to press the FB, with CF and CM in the first line of defence also pushing out to the wing, looking to pen the FB in, with our FB pushing higher up to condense space and cut passing lanes to the winger (far side winger, Rodri and the other CM create a strong midfield 3).

The final trigger is pressing from Goalkicks. Our front three will come narrow, covering the width of the box, wingers pressing the Cbs if they try to play out, CMs can go out to the FBs when needed, whilst Kane covers passing lanes to the DM. Force them to go long from GKs.

The back line adjusts their position based on the position of the ball and team mates, so when Newcastle have the ball with their defence and we are high pressing, the back 4 will be pushed up right behind the midfield line, keeping minimal space between the lines, shutting down passing lanes in the middle to force the opponents wide or long. Our 3 lines move up and down in unison, so when Newcastle have periods of established possession in our half, our 4-5-1 shape falls right back together to keep us compact, using the same pressing triggers as we would higher up.


Subs:

If Winning: Brandt for Dybala 70’. Keita for Lozano 75’, B.Silva goes wide and Keita adds extra legs in midfield.

If Drawing: Guedes for Lozano 70’, fresh legs, similar type of player to keep the pattern the same. Brandt for Silva 75’, Dybala goes to AM in a 4-2-3-1 and late on we look to pin the FBs back to weaken Chelsea’s attack and get more balls into the box. Odriozola for Castro 80’.

If Losing: Guedes for Milinkovic 65’, Dybala comes central in a 4-1-4-1 as we look to add pressure on their back line. Brandt and Upamecano for Castro and Gaya 75’, 3-1-4-2, get Dybala up alongside Kane for the rest of the game.

WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS v Leicester City

Injuries: Wendell, Khedira, Leno, Boga

-------------- Arrizabalaga
Hakimi - Barzagli - D Luiz - Tierney
----- Rakitic - Diawara - Gundogan
----- Di Maria - Immobile - Perisic

Subs: Henderson, Tah, Maffeo, Sturaro, Hamsik, Ozil, Arnautovic

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

A tough but winnable game today against Leicester, 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, Barzagli and David Luiz at centreback, Hakimi and Tierney at fullback, Rakitic, Diawara and Gundogan 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. Leicester 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.

Barzagli/Luiz - Luiz mark their striker, force them high up the pitch thus limiting his impact close to goal, and Barzagli 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.

Hakimi/Tierney - Both of you to force the Leicester wingers out wide, do not allow them to come inside as this will cause more problems for our midfield. They will want to cut inside so force them outside and block their crosses at source. They will try to create problems infield so its vital you only show them down the wing. If they play a diamond with no wingers you will need to form a narrow back 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 Gundogan. You will need to track back very quickly to ensure we don't get caught on the break.

Diawara - 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 Gundogan alongside you if you're closed down.

Rakitic/Gundogan - Two box to box midfielders today, one either side of Diawara at DM. Both of you are required to get back and assist Diawara 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 Leicester fullback and get crosses in, you will also have our fullback overlapping giving you the chance to cut inside and get shots in. Look to supply Immobile with chances and also provide yourself with chances. Link up with Rakitic and Gundogan, and capitalise on the space Immobile's presence will create for you.

Immobile - you will be expected to occupy the Leicester centrebacks, hold up possession and look to turn the defender and shoot. Be strong in the air and look for your teammates trying to pick you out from deep. Shoot on sight. Stay on the last defender's shoulder for any passes in behind. Look to interchange with 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, Sturaro, Ozil and Arnautovic on. Change to 4-2-2-1-1, Sturaro an extra DM alongside Diawara, Rakitic and Gundogan ahead of them, with Ozil in the AM role providing support to Arnautovic upfront.

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

If losing: Luiz, Diawara and Gundogan off, Ozil, Hamsik and Arnautovic on. 3-1-4-2, Hakimi - Barzagli - Tierney at the back, Rakitic the playmaker from deep, Di Maria - Hamsik - Ozil - Perisic behind Immobile and Arnautovic upfront. Push for goals.

NEWCASTLE 4-3-3

___________Alisson
Azpi____Koulibaly___Godin___Robbo
__________Witsel
________Kante___Alli
Salah______Suarez________Reus

SUBS: Lato, James, Milner, Radja, Diego Costa, Mane, Bobby

Captain: Marco Reus
Penalties: Luis Suarez
Corners: Mo Salah
Freekicks: Luis Suarez
Crossing Freekick: Marco Reus

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 Alli, 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: Milner comes on for Witsel to close out the game. He is capable in deep midfield alongside Kante in a 4-2-3-1.

If losing/drawing 80 mins: Diego Costa comes on for Kante and play 2 up front.