Bournemouth (4-3-3) Week 12 away to Southampton
Captain: Botman
Vice-Captain: Simón
------------------Simón
Khellven--Ibañez--Botman----Piton
------Assunção----Guimarães
---------------Gonçalves
Antony---------------------------Veron
-----------------Núñez
SUBS: Ivan, Kaique, Araújo, Henrique, Azate, Talles, Evanilson
SUMMARY: This week we go with a 4-3-3 set up although we will be a tad more conservative and operate with one holding/defensive midfielder (Assunção) who will be complimented with an energetic box to box midfielder (Guimarães). In front of them Gonçalves will operate as the link between midfield and attack. This I feel will give us a better balanced midfield and while being absolutely defensively sound with 2 ‘sitting’ Guimarães will also be allowed the freedom (when the time arises) to link with Gonçalves and attack. I think this set-up lets us link up quickly with our attack while at the same time that little bit of extra cautiousness means it will be easy for us to close the door in midfield with all 3 players as comfortable sitting and breaking up attacks if necessary.
We want to play a nice tidy and crisp passing game. Our aim is to move the ball forward as quickly and as effectively as possible. When we have the ball we will use it wisely and when we don’t have the ball then we will press our opponents all over the park with high urgency to win it back. We want to keep the ball on the deck and attack as a team and equally as important defend as a team. This team is bursting with pace. We will utilise that to our advantage and make the pitch wide and use our flying wingers to cause all sorts of mayhem. It will also be a tool that we use to hit opponents on the counter where we know we can out pace any team.
Goalkeeper: Simón is a big mobile keeper and very athletic. 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: We will operate with one holding/defensive midfielder (Assunção). He will be the midfield general. A physical pacey midfielder he will be there to boss this area for us. Breaking up play and filling in as an extra defender if one of our back 4 has ventured forward. He will be there to protect the defence and do a lot of the unseen dirty work in the centre of the park. He is essential to our game plan and while sitting deep will still offer a lot with his great passing ability. He also has a thunderbolt right foot. He will be complimented with a deep sitting box to box midfielder (Guimarães). He has a more conservative role this week and while being a little more constrained than normal he will still have the opportunity to bomb forward when the time is right. They will both have to put a defensive shift in and both are very strong in the tackle. We will look at their enthusiasm and relentless pressing of the opposition as a way to hopefully get a bit of a grip on the midfield and at the very least not make it plain sailing for the opposition. In front of them Gonçalves will operate as the link between midfield and attack.
Wingers/Centre Forward: When in possession both Antony and Veron 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 Gonçalves, Guimarães and Núñez in to play. They can vary their attacks as they see fit. Both players can play all across the middle so don’t be surprised to see them swapping wings. At times Guimarães may sit a bit deeper allowing Gonçalves 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.
Núñez starts as the CF. He won’t be short of support or ammunition with the attacking talent behind him. Great playing off the shoulder of the last man he is deadly in and around the box. A bag of energy and very strong we will also look for him to hold up and bring others in to play if it doesn’t seem to be on for him. We will look to get bodies in the box when attacking so he should always have an outlet. He is also great in the air and will provide an option from set pieces. When the shot is on he will take it but we also want to put himself about in the box and think that his lightning pace will be a real handful for defences. He will also be alert to any scraps in and around the goal. He has the ability to produce something sublime and create a chance out of nothing.
Free Kicks/Corners: Gonçalves, Veron or Antony with Ibañez, Botman, Assunção and Núñez to offer an aerial threat. Gonçalves and Veron (with his thunderbolt left foot) may try their luck with several free kicks from distance.
Substitutions: (75 mins) If winning (and comfortable) then 3 like for like subs – Araújo for Ibañez, Henrique for Assunção and Evanilson for Núñez.
If losing (70 mins) then switch to a 4-1-3-2 and replace Guimarães with Evanilson and Antony with Talles. Fresh legs and 2 attackers that carry a goal threat about them. We will look to their pace and freshness to offer us something different.
------------Assunção
Talles---Gonçalves---Veron
--------Evanilson -----Núñez
Leeds vs PORTSMOUTH (3-2-3-2)
……………………………Ederson……………………..
………….Bonucci……..Maguire……..Alderweiereld
………………….Barella……………..Kessie………………
Podence………………….Dybala…………………Insigne
……………………..Jiminez………….Ronaldo…………………….
Subs: Maximiano, Hysaj, Aarons, Verratti, Jorginho, Lozano, Abraham
First league game in charge after a good run in the cup, tough place to go is eland road, not cus the teams great, it’s just grim and northern 😊 I toyed with the concept of a traditional formation but home advantage slots in Lubo’s favour forced me into going all in for the win slots.
Side is packed with experienced heads, who’ll go about their business today and get the win we need to start to climb up the table. No fancy passing triangles or slow transitional play today from us, we want fast paced direct football. The front five press hard and force the turn over balls, we’re set-up perfectly for the over-loads, and this tactic will hurt Leeds.
The defence
A solid but slow unit, but that’s ok we hold a deep-line, we don’t need to be pushing high up the pitch compressing the space, this system isn’t about that, we actually want the pitch stretched out, let Leeds come onto us, because when we do it get, we hit the direct passes to our front five, who have more space to operate in. Leeds will have possession out wide but that’s ok, they can’t hurt us there, but any crosses into our box will be bread and butter, Leo and Toby A, will shuffle wide to deal with the wingers, BUT no further than the edge of our box. They won’t get stranded out-wide. We control our own box, any slide balls through Ederson is rapid off the line so he makes the call to deal with it. Maguire has his critics at united but it’s the system that is the issue. My system is perfect for him, he has the size, he has the strength and hes good enough on the ball to be the central CB, he’s tasked with marking the central striker (if theres only 1) or what’s perceived as the “big man” if Leeds play 2 up top. In possession we play the percentages, there’s 5 runners to aim at, I don’t mind risky forward passes, but passing across our box is a cardinal sin.
The Pivot
The biggest gripe generally with 3 at the back is managers still playing holding midfielders, which makes sides slow and painful to watch, we’re not doing that, we’re going with 2 box to box midfielders, Barella is wonderful talent, with an eye for a pass and chips in with the odd goal, Kessie is the destroyer, with these two up and down, plus our front 5 pressing we should be able to create enough ball turnover to really give us an edge in this game. When we have it they carry the ball forwards drawing men to them, before offloading and then continuing the run for the return ball (whether it comes doesn’t matter it’s about over loads) defensively they hunt the ball, harry the man in possession and don’t let leeds settle into a rhythm.
The Trident
Pure pace and trickery out-wide, don’t be fooled by world footballs shortest wing pairing, those low centre of gravity players are harder to whack than you think, they’ll get the ball down and drive forwards, both men draw opponents towards them, but there’s only so much doubling-up you can do, especially when marking 5 attackers. They both like to cut-inside but today we’re asking them to try and stay wider and put balls into the box for the front two. With Dybala the classic #10 on the edge of the box, the drag back is always an option too, because they stay wider Leeds full backs have to stay out there meaning more space for the 2 strikers. Dybala is the archetypal #10 he’ll drop deep to collect the ball and spread it wide or of course slip it through for Ronaldo and Raul to get onto, after that he’ll be on the edge of the D, waiting for a knock back or a loose ball. Defensively our wingers will drop back to approx 30 yards from our own goal-line, effectively where you would line you’re wing-backs up, not great defensively but they’re quick and put a foot in. Dybala will drop to the centre circle.
Raul and Ronaldo
Perfect combo uptop for us at the spearhead of this team, capable of scoring all manner of goals, and in big games, most teams will double up on Ronaldo but as we’re going with 5, it’s impossible for leeds to cover us regardless of Lubo’s formation. Raul will be tasked with being a target-man, bringing the ball down and laying it off for either Ronaldo or his teammates, Ronaldo is playing as a 9.5 I guess – he’s not just a pure poacher but he’s not a SS either so he’s the freedom to roam and do his thing across the pitch. Defensively we lead from the front with these 2 pressing the centre halves or holding midfielder when they have the ball, and our trident then pressing the next bank of leeds players,
Subs 65 mins – losing
Lozano > Podence
Tammy > Raul
Verratti > Barella
All like for like, just fresh legs and energy
If drawing at 65 mins – leave it to play out
Winning at 65 mins
Hysaj > Podence
Aarons > Jiminez
Jorginho > Kessie
We switch to a conventional 3-5-2 and see the game out
……………………………Ederson……………………..
………….Bonucci……..Maguire……..Alderweiereld
Aarons……...Barella……………..Jorginho…………Hysaj
……………………………..Insigne…………………
…………………….Dybala………….Ronaldo…………………….
SHEFFIELD UNITED v Wolves
--------------------Dubravka
Lamptey, Stones, T. Silva, Grimaldo
--------------Ampadu, Höjbjerg
------Bale, James, Saint-Maximin
----------------------Suárez
Subs: Kelleher, Williams, Zouma, Gallagher, Brooks, Lainez, Mertens
Captain: Thiago Silva
Free Kicks: Bale/James
Penalties: Suárez (Mertens)
Our defensive unit consists of John Stones and Thiago Silva paired up at centre-back, Tariq Lamptey at right-back and Álex Grimaldo at left-back, with Ethan Ampadu and Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg as our midfield ‘double pivot’ screening them.
This ‘double pivot’ is the key to our team and in Ampadu and Höjbjerg 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 Höjbjerg can press the ball without leaving lots of space, as Ampadu 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 Höjbjerg's role, he will press almost anywhere in his own half to allow defenders to stay in the defensive line.
With Höjbjerg running his socks off for the team, our high tempo will be dictated by his partner in holding midfield, Ethan Ampadu.
Ampadu 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 Ampadu such a talent.
The attacking unit consists of Gareth Bale, James Rodríguez and Allan Saint-Maximin as our band of three attacking midfielders with Luis Suárez 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 Ampadu or Höjbjerg, then our 4-2-3-1 can spring into attack.
Lamptey and Grimaldo can surge up the wings in the knowledge that Ampadu and Höjbjerg can drop into the space left behind if needed. As they come up the wings, both Gareth Bale and Allan Saint-Maximin, who are excellent in tight spaces and fantastic dribblers will cut inside or make runs into the box.
James Rodríguez, our attacking central midfielder’s low centre of gravity will enable him to navigate away from defenders. James is blessed with an instant first touch and can dribble with the ball at such a close proximity to his feet that it makes him almost impossible to tackle this creative passer with his quick flicks and one-touch passing, will combine exceptionally well with Bale, Saint-Maximin & Suárez to create openings and goal scoring opportunities for each other.
Upfront, Suárez will be utilised to “bind” our oppositions defenders in place by occupying them with his positioning, to the point of blocking their defenders in order to create space for Bale, James & Saint-Maximin to exploit between the lines as this trio look to profit from Suárez’s off-the-ball actions.
Suárez will act as a focal point around which our team will build our attacks, using his strength to hold off their defenders. Suárez is proven adept at one-touch passing and quick flicks in combination play and of course Suárez’s stock in trade when the occasion calls for it – intelligent dummies to fool their defenders.
All 4 of our most advanced players are equally gifted in terms of assisting and scoring goals, and as thus we will not be purely reliant on Suárez on this front, although I expect of course for him to find the back of the net on a number of occasions.
Subs on 75 mins
Brooks on for James and Mertens on for Suárez
Double substitution - Lots of energy in the last 15 minutes to look to unlock the opposition’s defence for a late goal regardless of the score line
-------------------------- Oblak --------------------------
W-Bissaka ---- S.deVrij ---- van Dijk ---- Jordi Alba
------------------------ Locatelli -------------------------
--------------- Bentancur --- F. de Jong ---------------
--- Mbappe --------------------------------- Neymar ---
------------------------- Haaland -------------------------
Remiro, Kamara, Chilwell, Havertz, Ferran, Greenwood, Calvert-Lewin
Our game is based solely on possession football, especially the midfield where we want to dominate the opposition, 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, the back 4 must stay solid with Locatelli ahead of them just in front harassing the man with the ball before they get to our back 4 and our midfield will be in and around the half way line, Haaland slightly higher up, this will congest the midfield and allow us to dictate play, defend from the front, 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.
van Dijk picks up the CF he wont let much passed him, de Vrij spare picks up the AM if he gets away from our midfield, both powerful boys so keep the forward(s) away from the danger area, get onto them quickly, take the ball away from them and play it out of defence, look to get it out wide quickly, 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, both must attack high balls to get the ball away from the opposition big men. Fullbacks keep the wingers quiet, stop their attacks. 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!!, they drive down the line in support of the wingers drive on the outside making an extra man or to allow he wingers to sit beside the sriker. If either get caught up field I want Bentancur OR de Jong to drift on their side only, to the side (depending on which FB is attacking) and this allows the fullbacks to make their way to midfield to cover. CBs to go up for corners, with the fullbacks and Locatelli sitting back.
We have a powerful midfield trio that has the lot. Locatelli is our deepest midfielder sitting just in front of the CB's, he will shadow there AM and not allow him to control the game, they have undoubted quality in there midfield and I want him to be quick and aggressive to the challenge, this is why he is in as we can allow them to dictate play, having a player like Locatelli allows more time for Bentancur and de Jong he 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, he will drop in between the two CBS to pick up the ball and start from the back, 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 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 will help stop the run of play quicker to make our defenders jobs a lot easier, protect our defence as best as possible, in possession get it to the front 3/4 but also look for fullbacks and Bentancur 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. Bentnacur is essential to our style of play, he is the link between defence and attack, as we break quickly he will look to set up our front three and push on, look to receive a pass and drive on. He will drop back at times to pick it up and will look to his dribbling capabilities to get him around players, and into the danger area to unleash a powerful drive. When in possession always head up looking for the movement of our front three to play them in, he will follow his pass and make up the numbers up front.After the pass he can make up the extra man further forward as de Jong/Locatelli stay and cover. All of our midfield three must press the opposition and get to grips with this game very early on. When defending this is a tight 3 man midfield.
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 our defenders are superb long ball passers, go through the cms or out to one of our attacking fullbacks, however, the movement up front between Neymar and Mbappe will cause them problems drifting in an out, getting in behind their fullbacks, thus allowing Bentancur to pick his moment to move into space either as a 10. Quick passing in triangles that will get us in and beyond their defenders and eventually to Haaland who can beat any defender with power/pace and the other wingers 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 Bentancur and Haaland so they can spring them and have a shoot or sight mentality at times, , we must always make sure Haaland is well supported, especially wingers and Bentancur who at times will be right on his shoulder or alongside as he is allowed freedom of the park when we attack, 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 he is a very tireless worker, who also helps defend from the from by harassing there back line/DM.
Captain - van Dijk
Penalties - Haaland
Free Kicks - de Jong from deep, Neymar for goal
Corners - Wingers
Subs -
Losing -
65 Mins - Greenwood for Bentancur, we go 4-4-2 with Mason up top, Chilwell for Alba, will drive down the left and get some quality crosses in
Winning -
75 Mins - Kamara for Bentancur, he sits in to stop any fresh legs coming through
83 Mins - Greenwood for Haaland, run everything down
Drawing -
65 Mins - Kamara for Locatelli
75 Mins - Greenwood for Haaland
fresh legs
------------------------- De Gea ---------------------------
Pavard ------- Skriniar ------- P.Torres ------- Sandro
----------------- Merino -------- McGinn -----------------
H.Ziyech ---------------------------------------- Grealish
------------------ A.Silva ------ Werner ------------------
Navas, Gosens, Soucek, Maddison, Hudson-Odoi, Martial, Pjanic
We go 4-4-2, with fast forwards to get in behind the terribly slow defence of Arsenal, using plenty of pace in our front 4 and Sandro to get at them
The back four and De Gea must have constant communication, they play attacking football so we must pick up a man and stick with him, Torres will man mark the CB, big and powerful keep him away from danger and his job is done, nip at him and really annoy him until he becomes frustrated and p'd off to the stage where he starts to make simple mistakes. Skriniar stays spare, watches for any other player coming through that the midfield cant pick up. Fullbacks have a tough job, but both up to the challenge. keep the wingers to the outside away from danger and stop early crosses coming in, simples!
Attack wise, Pavard will stay back allowing Sandro to drive on, this will push at least one of their wingers back creating less danger for us at the back. I want Sandro to drive passed Grealish, quick one two which will get us in behind the defense, high crosses wont do it for us however so look to drill the ball into the box to the feet of the forwards, or as they will be buzzing about use the wingers once more to play them in, high balls only of use at corners when the CBs are up.Pavard attacks sporadically and does exactly the same, however, I want to use Sandro more often then not.
Always stay as close to a flat line as possibly when defending to make it harder for them coming thorugh when they attack
Merino and McGinn are our insurance in front of the defence, Merino the DM will hit them hard when they are in possession as will McGinn, be quick onto them, I mean very quick before they pass the ball to others, pick up the loose ball and get it away to the forwards, do not dither on it, stay tight again in a flat 4 with the two wingers when defending.
Grealish and Ziyech I want as inverted wingers today, when defending that is, really make the midfield as compact as possible, make the spaces tight and this will stop them playing any sort of football which will force them to quick, and at times misplaced passes to us, therefore we can start attacks quickly. Drive down the wings, and this time push wide, as this will push there CBs wide and leave gaps for our front two to expose, when we have the ball, I want quick, explosive football from the front four, they wont handle it, Grealish especially is hot right now and will continue his form hopefully, draws a lot of fouls so look to really drive at them and force the fall, he very clever. Sandro on the left allows him to push in so they have 3 /4 very quick players to deal with and as soon as an opening is there, they go for goal.
Andre Silva and Werner up top, alwayson the move, they will both be playing as 9's and 10's today, when they have the ball get back, create a 6 man midfield to stop them controlling possession, stick the boot in, get the ball back and boom, we are away on the attack, exciting, explosive players, and with Grealish and Ziyech either side, Their defence will be breathing out their arses by half time!
Can both move left and right and a bit deeper so will be impossible for any Arsenal defender to pick them up, and if they try they will leave huge holes for us to take advantage of, we will expose them hugely
So, quick, free flowing football, no high balls unless the two Cbs are up ie for corners, lead the a merry dance at the back, they are expecting the usal 433 from us today so we want to catch them and force them onto the back foot from the very first whistle
Captain - Skriniar
Penalties - Werner
Free Kicks - Grealish
Corners - Wingers
Losing -
65 Mins - Pavard to RCB, Gosens for Sandro, we go 3412, Ziyech and Gosens wide, Grealish look to make it happen at No.10
75 Mins - Martial for Werner
Winning -
75 Mins - Pjanic for Silva 451
83 Mins - Martial or Werner
Drawing -
70 Mins - CHO for Ziyech, Martial for Werner
Playing Sheff Utd not Arsenal
Possession 4-3-3
We go to Spurs and play a 4-3-3 to dominate possession, best form of defence is them not having the ball. Possession always starts at the back and so we go with possibly the two best ball playing cbs out and with great pace to allow us to play the high line needed to play real possession football. As you’d expect with a possession gameplan we will be patient in the first two thirds of the park, this means we will move the ball quickly and at pace but will not force the play, let them chase us tiring them physically and mentally. Fernandes is the exception as we give him freedom to play more direct balls from deeper areas.
In the final third we give all players freedom to use their quality to create and produce magic to open up the opposition.
Up top we go with a front 3 full of pace, the wingers stay high and wide in possession, stretching Spurs defence and setting the side up perfectly for the possession play. In front of the defence Rodri and Thiago are the perfect two for the possession, play with Fernandes playing an Iniesta role as attacking Cm with freedom to drift. Everyone in their best position, in a formation and system that suits everyone playing their natural game.
Both cbs are strong defensively, with great physicality. Rodri in front offering a strong dm presence. The rest of the midfield and attackers are tasked with pressing the ball, Thiago is excellent at intercepting the play, while Fernandes brings energy and intensity. The front three also hard working and will press in high areas and win the ball back quickly.
The central trio have the quality to dominate possession with the cbs behind them. We have a front three full of pace, looking to stretch the opposition and create space for our midfielders to exploit.
In defence Rodri drops behind the other two cms who press the play as the trio narrow, similarly in attack Rodri stays deepest but the trio do not play so narrow. We have a defence full of pace and great energy in front so play a reasonably high line, helping us press Spurs in high areas, and aiding distribution out from the back line.
Marquinhos the man marker as he is the stronger physically and can dominate in the air next to Alaba who is free to use his reading of the game and pace to sweep up. In midfield, the trio narrow in front with the cm opposite play dropping behind, allowing the other two to press with cover. Closing down the space, narrowing to the side of play. Win the ball back from Spurs quickly before they can get anywhere.
Quick passing and moving to find space in between the opposition lines. Using the pace of our wide forwards and fbs (one bombs forward at a time) to create space as we push forward.
We have a cm duo who can both drop deep to offer an option and collect the ball from defence. Likewise a fluid front three, who can switch positions or drop deep to collect the ball from midfield. This fluidity will help the players to get away from their markers, catch the opposition out and create space.
As we move forward we get quick one twos in the opposition half. With this fluid front three, Thiago supports creating and linking the play, Fernandes gets in and around the box looking for the final ball or shooting.
Positional structure, in addition to our technical players will be key to our quick passing possession gameplan going forward. Our approach in build up is to play a flexible asymmetric shape, giving bodies on different lines to increase the options we have in possession, and to create gaps in the opposition, and space for our players.
————————————— Allison ———————————
Carvajal — Marquinhos —— Alaba — T.Hernandez
—————————————- Rodri ————————————
———————— Thiago.A —— B.Fernandes —————
—————————————————————————————
Sterling ——————— L.Martinez ————— S.Mane
Subs. Schmeichel, Laporte, Neves, Mount, Felix, Mahrez, Jesus
Defending high
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 gets into a narrow rigid formation behind the ball in position to press high up the park. Stop them breaking and press them high up the park.
In a narrow, rigid formation, we will look to press the space, not allowing them options. Keep them from advancing to positions where they can’t hurt us, by trying to win the ball back very quickly. Then break quickly in these high positions when we do win the ball.
As Spurs advance into higher areas of the park and into our half, our shape will resemble a 4-1-3-2. Winger on the side of play drops deep and Rodri drops behind the other two cms pressing the space behind the two cms pressing the ball, sweeping up danger behind them and in front of the defence.
Lautaro and the remaining wide forward in the space in between the opposition defence and midfield, and either side of their dm. This will make it difficult for their to dm to circulate possession back to their defence.
The wide man on the side of play that drops and the two cms (Thiago and Fernandes) are the trio pressing the ball, and look to force Spurs backwards. With the two forwards left forward this is where we look to press the opposition into mistakes and win the ball in high areas. With pace to join the attack quickly and overload Spurs.
When Spurs get past the initial press higher up the park, we drop deeper into a narrower tighter formation narrowing to the side of play, ensuring there are no gaps in the formation. Our fb’s have fantastic pace up against their wide forwards, bide their time, not diving in.
Subs.
If winning after 70 mins bring on Jesus for Lautaro. More pace up top.
If winning after 75 mins bring on Mount for Fernandes. Strong defensively and hard working, fresh energy in Cm.
If winning after 75 mins bring on Laporte for Theo. Laporte to lb, as opposition likely push forward gives us a stronger aerial presence to defend high balls. We don’t change cb partnership as that always spells trouble.
If drawing after 70 mins bring on Jesus for Sterling. More direct and goal scorer.
If drawing after 75 mins bring on Felix for Lautaro. False 9.
If drawing after 80 mins bring on Mount for Rodri. Thiago plays dm. More energy in Cm and more attacking.
If losing after 65 mins bring on Mount for Rodri. Thiago to dm. High energy in Cm.
If losing after 70 mins bring on Mahrez for Sterling. More trickery to get us back in it.
If losing after 80 mins bring on Felix for Theo. Gung ho.
Newcastle 4-3-2-1 Christmas
——————— Stegen
Trent — Fabinho — Hummels — Robbo
—— Goretzka — Kroos — Verratti
———— Salah — Modric
——————— Vardy
Subs. Oyarzabal, Ings, Hendo, Jota, Llorente, David Silva, Alberto
Captain: Kroos
Set pieces: Kroos
Penalty: Salah
Today we line up with a set up that allows central combination play. A regista, flanked by two combative all-action midfielders with two creative souls ahead of them. This way we maintain balance but get the best quality out of Kroos, Salah and Modric.
Defensively
The obvious defensive advantage our set-up is that it’s very strong centrally with three central midfielders in front of the defence as well as two centrally positioned attacking midfielders in front of the other three. It automatically forces opponents wide and they will struggle to build any kind of possession play centrally. Therefore, the defending team can force their opponents to play in the spaces least desirable – the wing spaces. We have energetic full-backs who like to quickly sprint out to press and slow down opponents and that they’ll be covered by the ball-near central midfielder. If the full-back can’t press in the wide area, the ball-near central midfielder as well as the ball-near attacking midfielder have access to provide pressure on the ball-carrier.
If we are forced deeper, the two attacking midfielders can quickly slot in with the central midfielders, most often in a wide role, to create a midfield five and thus a 4-5-1 when defending deeper.
Upon loss of possession, we are also perfectly set up against teams who like to counter-press given the close proximity between the players in the attacking structure. Especially if the ball is lost in central areas, we would have at least five players who should be close enough to press intensively or at least delay any forward pass from the opponent’s ball-carrier.
Attacking
Going forward, we will position five players in central areas where we will create a numerical advantage against the opponent. Given the three central midfielders and the two attacking midfielders, the opponent would have to focus on denying space for the two attacking midfielders but that would in turn leave the central midfielders with too much time. If they go to press the central midfielders it will be easy to set the attacking midfielders up in threatening positions between the lines of the opposition. The central positioning of the midfielders and attackers will also lead to teams becoming very narrow to negate the central threat. This will then open up huge spaces down either wing for attacking full-backs to exploit, especially with the passing range of the regista.
Overload the opposition centrally to force them inside and then go and exploit the free wide spaces. Given the full-backs arrive from deeper positions they will be harder to defend as they will be running into space rather than standing in space.
The close proximity between the players will also means it’s easier to change positions which will allow fluid movement between the players both in midfield and in attack. The striker can drop deep only for a midfielder or attacking midfielder to attack the space just vacated behind the striker for example. If both full-backs bomb on the formation will no longer be exactly 4-3-2-1 but rather 2-3-4-1 at that particular moment but the team still plays out of the 4-3-2-1 formation. If the full-backs stand in high wide spaces they will be easier to defend, so the key will be to develop patterns of rotations centrally to unleash full-backs who can come with speed and attack the opponent.
There will be moments during the game where the opponent will go up a gear or two, when that happens the midfielders are not to venture too far ahead of the ball while we focus on the ball-near full-back to join the attack while the ball-far full-back stays in defence with his centre-backs. When the ball is then worked over the two full-backs switch responsibilities.
Subs.
65 mins - Alberto for Modric. Tired legs but play the same role.
75 mins - Llorente for Kroos. Tired legs, verratti slots into regista and llorente goes to where verratti was.
70 mins drawing/losing - Jota for Goretzka. Becomes 4-3-1-2 with Alberto dropping into the midfield 3
80 mins winning - Bastoni for Salah. Shore up the defensive side and go 3-5-1-1, manage the game to its end.
Stegen
Fabinho Hummels Bastoni
Trent Llorente Verratti Goretzka Robbo
Alberto
Vardy
Scratch that verratti isn’t available sorry fan
Newcastle 4-3-2-1 Christmas
——————— Stegen
Trent — Fabinho — Hummels — Robbo
—— Hendo — Kroos — Goretzka
———— Salah — Modric
——————— Vardy
Subs. Oyarzabal, Ings, Curtis, Jota, Llorente, David Silva, Alberto
Captain: Hendo
Set pieces: Kroos
Penalty: Salah
Today we line up with a set up that allows central combination play. A regista, flanked by two combative all-action midfielders with two creative souls ahead of them. This way we maintain balance but get the best quality out of Kroos, Salah and Modric.
Defensively
The obvious defensive advantage our set-up is that it’s very strong centrally with three central midfielders in front of the defence as well as two centrally positioned attacking midfielders in front of the other three. It automatically forces opponents wide and they will struggle to build any kind of possession play centrally. Therefore, the defending team can force their opponents to play in the spaces least desirable – the wing spaces. We have energetic full-backs who like to quickly sprint out to press and slow down opponents and that they’ll be covered by the ball-near central midfielder. If the full-back can’t press in the wide area, the ball-near central midfielder as well as the ball-near attacking midfielder have access to provide pressure on the ball-carrier.
If we are forced deeper, the two attacking midfielders can quickly slot in with the central midfielders, most often in a wide role, to create a midfield five and thus a 4-5-1 when defending deeper.
Upon loss of possession, we are also perfectly set up against teams who like to counter-press given the close proximity between the players in the attacking structure. Especially if the ball is lost in central areas, we would have at least five players who should be close enough to press intensively or at least delay any forward pass from the opponent’s ball-carrier.
Attacking
Going forward, we will position five players in central areas where we will create a numerical advantage against the opponent. Given the three central midfielders and the two attacking midfielders, the opponent would have to focus on denying space for the two attacking midfielders but that would in turn leave the central midfielders with too much time. If they go to press the central midfielders it will be easy to set the attacking midfielders up in threatening positions between the lines of the opposition. The central positioning of the midfielders and attackers will also lead to teams becoming very narrow to negate the central threat. This will then open up huge spaces down either wing for attacking full-backs to exploit, especially with the passing range of the regista.
Overload the opposition centrally to force them inside and then go and exploit the free wide spaces. Given the full-backs arrive from deeper positions they will be harder to defend as they will be running into space rather than standing in space.
The close proximity between the players will also means it’s easier to change positions which will allow fluid movement between the players both in midfield and in attack. The striker can drop deep only for a midfielder or attacking midfielder to attack the space just vacated behind the striker for example. If both full-backs bomb on the formation will no longer be exactly 4-3-2-1 but rather 2-3-4-1 at that particular moment but the team still plays out of the 4-3-2-1 formation. If the full-backs stand in high wide spaces they will be easier to defend, so the key will be to develop patterns of rotations centrally to unleash full-backs who can come with speed and attack the opponent.
There will be moments during the game where the opponent will go up a gear or two, when that happens the midfielders are not to venture too far ahead of the ball while we focus on the ball-near full-back to join the attack while the ball-far full-back stays in defence with his centre-backs. When the ball is then worked over the two full-backs switch responsibilities.
Subs.
65 mins - Alberto for Modric. Tired legs but play the same role.
75 mins - Llorente for Kroos. Tired legs, Hendo slots into regista and llorente goes to where Hendo was.
70 mins drawing/losing - Jota for Goretzka. Becomes 4-3-1-2 with Alberto dropping into the midfield 3
80 mins winning - Bastoni for Salah. Shore up the defensive side and go 3-5-1-1, manage the game to its end.
Stegen
Fabinho Hummels Bastoni
Trent Llorente Hendo Goretzka Robbo
Alberto
Vardy
SOTON VS Bournemouth
-------------------------------------Onana-----------------------
Dest--------Upamecano-------------Dias----------Ait-Nouri
------------------------------------Ndidi---------------------------
-----------------------Valverde--------Odegaard------------------------
Adama---------------------------------------------------------Pulisic
-----------------------------------Rashford-------------------------------
Subs - Ramsdale, Fofana, Camavinga, Reinier, Bailey, Richarlison, Isak
CAPTAIN - UPAMECANO
CK'S - ØDEGAARD
FK'S - ØDEGAARD
PENALTIES - RASHFORD
I want us to hold a deep defensive line to start of with so the oppo don't get an early goal. Keep things simple in the beginning and only pressure the oppo when they get in our half. When we have the ball I want the team to play pass and move football. Don't stay static, try and get in behind the oppo defence as there is a lot of pace in our attacking players. As the game goes on, when we don't have the ball I want the team to defend from the front line and pressure the oppo and try and win possession back. Do this in fits and bursts as it is a tiring tactic.
Defence
GK to be confident in box. Don't take risks. Punch the ball away if the shot is too powerful. Command your area. The defence is well balanced. Upamecano and Dias bring a lot of strength and pace to the defence. Dias will marshal the defence and Upamecano 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 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 to the CM's. Also be on the lookout for the runs of Pulisic/Adama and thread dangerous through balls to them.
Centre Mids
Valverde + Ødegaard
Valverde will be playing as a b2b CM today. He will pick the ball up from deep and use his technique and vision to find the runs of our attacking players and thread deadly passes to them. Play quick passes forward and use your agility to outmanoeuvre the oppo players. Play 1 2 quick passes with your teammates and make penetrating runs from deep. When not in possession of the ball I want him to drop deep in central midfield and try and intercept any passes the oppo will make. Shoot if you have a chance to.
Ødegaard will have a similar role to Valverde except he will be given more attacking freedom. I want him to always make runs forward and when the oppo DM has the ball I want him to put pressure on him and close him down so he makes a mistake and we potentially create a goal scoring opportunity. Use your nimbleness and pace to get away from players marking you in the middle and if you find some space shoot. If you see Ndidi and Valverde struggling in the middle being overwhelmed by the oppo then I want you to focus on helping them more defensively in the centre of midfield.
Wingers
Adama + Pulisic
These 2 will be the focal point of my attack. I want to give them the freedom to express themselves in attack. Pulisic will be looking to cut in from the left and Adama will be looking to get to the byline and to whip some balls in to the area. 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. Dest and Ait-Nouri are no slouches attacking wise so use them! Pulisic will be allowed cut in onto your stronger foot, don't be afraid to shoot from range as you have the ability to score from long range. If there is no space to do so then take the ball to the byline and whip in crosses for Isak to get his head on. Help our FB's in defensive duties if the oppo winger is trying to take them on. Track back and double up on him or mark the run of the opposition FB if they try to make an overlapping run. 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. If we get to the byline with either of the wingers I want them to either whip in a low ball across the face of the net for Isak to poke home or pull the ball back to just outside the box for Valverde/Ødegaard to get a shot in.
Striker
Marcus Rashford MBE
Rashford is a striker that has the deadly combination of pace and finishing. He will look to use his pace 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 use your pace to get away from them. Play quick pass and move combinations with your teammates to fund spaces in the oppo defence.
Subs if LOSING BY 65MINS
Put on Richarlison for Ødegaard and Isak for Pulisic to bring some more attacking impetus on. Play a high line and try and get a goal. Change formation to 41212 and play the below formation. Bring on Reinier for Valverde at AM aswell to add some Brazilian flair. Play a high line and put a lot of pressure on the oppo to win the ball back.
--------------------------------------Onana--------------------------------
Dest-------Upamecano-------------Dias---------Ait Nouri
---------------------------------------Ndidi---------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adama--------------------------------------------------------Richarlison
----------------------------------------Reinier-------------------------------
------------------------Rashford---------------Isak-------------------
Subs if WINNING BY 80MINS
Take off Ødegaard and put on Fofana in CB. Play defensive with everyone in our own half defending for their lives, waiting to hit the oppo on the counter attack. Camavinga on for Pulisic to add more energy in the centre of midfield. Adama will move into strike and to use his terrifying pace on the counter.
-------------------------------------Onana--------------------------------
Dest-----Upamecano------Dias------Fofana--------Nouri
--------------------------Ndidi----------Camavinga-----------------------
----------------------------------Valverde-----------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------Adama----------------Rashford--------------------
Subs if DRAWING BY 65MINS
Richarlison on for Pulisic
Reinier on for Ødegaard
Bailey on for Adama
Fresh legs to bring on.
------------------- Courtois -------------------
Cancelo --- De Ligt --- Ramos --- Reguilon
----------- Casemiro --- De Bruyne ---------
J.Sancho ------- E.Hazard ---------- L.Sane
----------------- A.Griezmann ----------------
Subs:
Mendy, Ake, Aouar, Eriksen, Asensio, Belotti, Morata
Captain: Ramos
Free Kicks: De Bruyne
Penalties: De Bruyne
Corners: Sancho/Hazard
Tactics:
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 to for the win.
De Bruyne will be the man to run the show, operating slightly deeper he will be free from the shackles of their DM giving him the freedom to run the game. Further forward Hazard will be flanked by Sancho and Sane and will sit just in behind Griezmann, offering a perfect blend of pace, trickery and unpredictability that will cause plenty of problems for their defence. We feel that this front four combined with KDB pushing forward from deep will cause problems galore as we have a multitude of attacking threats in our lineup. We will look to dictate the play and take the game to the opposition.
When they’re in possession we sit deep in a tight 4-5-1 formation, our DM marshalling the middle of the park, breaking down the opposition and setting up us on the counter. By taking away the space in behind we feel that we are taking away a large part of their gameplan as we force them to try and play through a brick wall in front of them. As they push men forward feel that we then have the perfect players to hit them at pace on the counter.
Defence:
We go with a strong defensive unit at the back, packed with pace and quality as we look to nullify the threat posed by the oppositions attack. If the opposition play one up top then Ramos will mark. Strong, aggressive and a great reader of the game we feel he has all the tools to deal with any opponent. De Ligt will act as cover, sweeping up and offering cover in behind to eliminate any balls over the top. The Dutchman sweeping up from the back and immediately looking to get us on the counter with his fantastic vision and passing.
Our fullbacks will stick tight to the wide men, safe in the knowledge that they have supporting cover in behind with De Ligt also drifting across to offer additional support. When in possession both Cancelo and Reguilon have license to push forward with both having great quality in the final third. We look to draw the opposition onto us by sitting deep when they are in possession, limiting the space in behind and drawing them further up the field creating space for us to hit them on the counter.
Midfield:
Casemiro will be our holding player in the middle. An all action player we rely on his fantastic tenacity and high level work rate to break up the opposition play, winning back possession and setting us up on the counter as we look to get the ball into our creative players as quickly as possible. He’ll pick up their most advanced AM and cut out their supply line. He’s also a fantastic passer which will be key in winning the midfield battle and ball retention.
De Bruyne slots alongside him giving us a world class CM duo as we look to take hold of the game. Starting in a slightly deeper role he has freedom to roam and pull the opposition apart. A player with superb vision he will look to get on the ball as much as possible, dropping deep and looking to release Hazard centrally or Sancho and Sane on the flanks as we play at pace. He has license to push forward alongside when we’re in possession, causing them a defensive nightmare as we have a threat from every angle. With a fantastic strike from range we also encourage him to go for goal with a potential thunderbolt on the cards at any moment.
Forwards:
In attack we go with four heavy hitters as we aim or goals. Hazard plays centrally, looking to drift between the lines making himself extremely difficult to be picked up and causing a mismatch in this area of the field. We look to get him on the ball and go at the opposition, a player with fantastic link up play and an for goal he also has license to push up top alongside Griezmann as we go for goals.
Sane and Sancho offer quality from the flanks. Both will be direct, going at the opposition with speed. In one on one situations they can be deadly and with the opposition likely to be concerned with KDB and Hazard there is every chance these two can find space to expose on the flanks. With a powerhouse frontline we go for goals, both wingers will look to cause problems, cutting inside and going direct for goal one moment and driving down the line, bamboozling the opposition before whipping the ball into the box the next.
Griezmann plays through the middle and will have a talented supply line around him. The brief is simple, get into the box and put the ball in the back of the net. With the number of quality attackers we have around him Griezmann could well find himself in one on one match ups in which he thrives. Play on the shoulder of the last man and as always be on your toes in the box, ready to pounce and finish anything that comes your way.
If winning:
80 mins: Hazard & Sane off, Asensio & Ake on. Shut up shop time as we move to 5-4-1 to see out the win. We play compact giving them no space whilst Sancho and the fresh legs of Asensio give us the pace to pick them off on the counter as they commit men forward.
If drawing/losing:
75 mins: Reguilon & Sane off, Aouar & Belotti on. We pile on the pressure as we switch to a back three. Aouar’s introduction free’s up KDB to push forward with Sancho & Hazard on the flanks and the poacher Belotti joining Griezmann up top. Goals.
Comment deleted by Site Moderator
--------------------Neuer
Castagne---Akanji---Herandez---Telles
--------------------Partey
Chiesa-------SMS------Foden---Depay
---------------------Kane
Pope
Simakan
Mukiele
Phillips
Brozovic
Ocampos
Malen
A long-awaited return to the action for the boys, and a pretty strong starting line-up selected, in my view. We have opted to continue with our 4-1-4-1 formation, using classic roles assigned to each position on the pitch. Nothing too different today. What we require is high intensity of press across the pitch, quick movement when on the ball, whilst also showing patience to build from deep and draw them out if needed, and plenty of pace to hit them on the attack. We have the tools to play a largely possession game, and dictate the play on our terms, but also to hit them effectively on the counter should they committ men into the attacking areas of the pitch. We are not afraid to implement either system, and will gladly change between the two depending on the gameplan adopted by Portsmouth.
Defensively, we have opted for two attacking full-backs, who both like to get forward and supplement the attack, Castagne with bursting runs into the box, and Telles with his pinpoint crossing delivery. These will both be utilised on the attack, and provide different forms of options for the opposition to deal with. What this means is that Partey will need to adopt his defensive role of shielding the two CBs well. When on the attack, he will almost drop in and opt as a third body in that defence, almost making a back three, until our FBs get back to support, when he will then push forward into a more conventional midfield role. I think the centrebacks that we have picked are both mobile presences, and, between them and Partey, should be capable of dealing with the troublesome mobility that the likes of Ronaldo and Insigne may bring to the Portsmouth attack. We also have SMS operating as a number 8 box-to-box player, supplementing us in key defensive areas, meaning we should be avoiding getting flooded in these positions. Chiesa and Depay will also be allowed to drop back and engage in defensive duties, depending on what state our defense is in. High work rate across the team is important to the system.
When moving the ball forward, we have plenty of willing runners to drive into space, namely Telles, Castagne and SMS, but also both our wide players. We want to try and flood these attacking areas as quickly as possible, players always on the move to provide options, and looking for the space to run at and target, especially in wider areas. Telles’ delivery will be an important asset today, with kane looking to be the target in the penalty area. Kane himself also has the license to drop off and turn provider, looking for the darting runs in behind, namely from Depay and Chiesa. I think we have an attack with plenty of outlets to hurt the opposition, and this variety makes it easier for us to break down the opposition, and pose them questions that they have no answer to. The midfield battle may also be key for us today. In Partey, SMS, and Foden I think we have an assortment of players with enough technical ability for us to boss possession, and enough drive to do all the hard work required to control this area. If we succeed in that then our possession game will work, if we look like losing it then we should resort to our fluid counter attacking system to hit them with speed on the break.
When the ball is lost in advanced areas, it is important for us to engage our high press. This will namely involve Kane targetting the opposition central defence, with Chiesa and Depay attacking their respective wide areas, however, I will allow for these players to support kane in the centre, if Portsmouth set up in a way that means Kane is badly outnumbered (ie, a set up with three at the back and advanced wing backs). Foden should sit on their deep lying playmaker, engaging his press when the ball enters the middle third, in an attempt to keep this player with his face to goal, and push the ball back to the defensive players. All this should buy time for our defensive shape to be recovered, or have us regain possession, in which case we begin our attacking phase again.
Defensive play on the ball is likely to differ based on whatever system we are employing at that time. If we are looking to hit counter attacks, then the movement will need to be quick, whilst if possession is the game then I have no objection to the three central defensive players (Akanji, herandez and Neuer) holding possession, with Castagne and Telles pushing forward alongside Partey, as we wait for the outball to be provided. The movement of Partey and SMS will be key here, as they alternate between dropping off and pushing up, pulling their midfield all over the place, and creating more space for us to move the ball into this area. When the ball gets into midfield we then need to look at quick transitions whatever the game system is, with Foden, SMS, and Partey playing two touch football, and our wide players each providing a different option for the out ball. I want to see Chiesa and Depay tucked inside slightly, allowing for the overlap from their FB, and, operating as inside forwards, allowing them to target these key wide areas and get in behind effectively. We think that doubling up in wide areas will create chances against Portsmouth.
Subs
If winning
Mukiele on for Castagne 70 mins
Fresh legs, and a more reserved option at RB. Less bombing runs forward.
Phillips on for Partey 75 mins
Ocampos on for Chiesa 78 mins
Both fresh legs in key positions.
If losing/drawing
Malen on for Chiesa 70
Foden LW. Depay RW. Malen operating as second striker.
Ocampos on for SMS 74
Ocampos----Foden---Depay
-----------Kane------Malen
Balanced 4-3-3
We look to attack down the wings attacking with pace, using the pace of our fbs and wingers to create space for the Cm trio in the middle to pull the strings.
The opposition have real quality in midfield, and so we look to hit them with pace. Putting them under pressure in uncomfortable positions, rush them and force them to go long where we will dominate in air. In midfield Tielemans is the dm allowing Ndombele and Pogba to attack. This duo coupled with the pace of our front trio will be key.
When we defend in a narrow 4141 formation, in a tight unit with not much space between the lines. Two players pressing the ball, Tielemans defends zonally behind, and the other closest midfielder in the four blocking the passing lane forward. Force them back. We press in this unit as soon. As the opposition enter our half, let them have the ball in their own half.
With team defending in a narrow unit the wide midfielder comes in narrow helping to pick up any spare midfielders who find space or get behind the midfield press.
As a team we look to push the opposition out wide where they will be limited to crosses and we will have a better chance of clearing our lines.
Lukaku up top plays his natural game, he’s best running in behind the opposition or at them. We look to play with great width stretch the game and the opposition looking to create space for him in the middle. He’s not a target man, but he’s great in the air in the box. One fb bombs forward at a time, we look to get the Cm on each side out combining with the attacking fb and winger playing one twos and producing the magic to create for Lukaku.
———————————— Lloris
Tomiyasu — Koulibaly — Lenglet — L.Digne
——————— Tielemans — Ndombele
———————————— Pogba
Dembele ————————————— Son Heung-M
———————————— Lukaku
Subs. Gulacsi, Rabiot, Isco, Nkunku, Carrasco, M.Kean, Benzema
Defence
We press as soon as they enter our half and seek to contain the opposition in their own half. Defending our half.
When this press fails and the opposition push forward we retreat as a unit in the 4141 formation continuing to press in the same formation with two players pressing the ball. When the opposition beat the initial press and get into the final third, we continue to retreat as a unit getting numbers back and the defensive line finally drops to a deep line. We then allow them to retain possession in areas they can’t hurt us, waiting for the chance to press again and push them back. If they seek to recycle the ball and go back to defence we push out as a unit quickly. Two experienced cbs are key for this ensuring we keep a strong line.
The back 4 defend narrow on the side the opposition are attacking. Remove any space for their wide forwards to operate in. The wide midfielders get back, either helping the defending fb or going inside to the Cm allowing cm to press the play, leaving Tielemans in a central position to sweep in front of the defence.
If they seek to go back and switch the play we move over as a unit, seek to press them before they can switch up the park.
Koulibaly the defensive leader at the back, he is the man marker with Lenglet inteligence and both have pace to cover. The full backs always seek to push their attackers out wide.
Subs.
If winning or drawing after 70 mins bring on Nkunku for Dembele fresh pace and class out wide
If winning or drawing after 75 mins bring on Rabiot for Ndombele.more defensive and fresh pace and power.
If winning after 78 mins bring on Benzema for Lukaku.
If drawing after 80 mins bring on Benzema for Tielemans. 442. Go for win.
If losing after 68 mins bring on Benzema for Ndombele. 4-2-2-2.
If losing after 75 mins bring on Rabiot for Digne. 3-5-2. Tomiyasu rcb.
If losing after 80 mins bring on Isco for Tielemans. Rabiot dm, Pogba Cm, Isco AM.
If losing after 80 mins bring on Isco for Dembele. Pure creativity to complement all the pace on park.
Bournemouth Tactics: League round 13 (Home to Sheff Utd)
Captain: Ibañez
Vice Captain: Assunção
Team:
------------------Simón
Khellven--Ibañez—Araújo---- Piton
---------------Assunção
-----Guimarães---Gonçalves
Veron----------------------------Antony
-----------------Núñez
SUBS: Ivan, Kaique, Fuchs, Henrique, Azate, Talles, Evanilson
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: Simón is a big mobile keeper and very athletic. 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: Assunção 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. Guimarães and Gonçalves will play just in front of Assunção. Guimarães will be a more box to box type. He will be involved all over and will offer as much in defence as in attack. Gonçalves 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 Veron and Antony 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 Gonçalves, Guimarães and Núñez 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 Guimarães may sit a bit deeper allowing Gonçalves 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.
Núñez 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: Gonçalves, Antony or Veron with Ibañez, Araújo, Assunção and Núñez to offer an aerial threat. Gonçalves and Antony (with his thunderbolt left foot) may try their luck with several free kicks from distance.
Penalties: Núñez
Substitutions: (if winning on 80 minutes) Fuchs for Araújo, Evanilson for Núñez and Henrique for Guimarães, 3 like for like substitutions.
If losing (on 80 minutes) Talles for Guimarães and Evanilson for Veron. Shift to a 4-1-3-2 attack. Evanilson and Talles offering fresh legs, pace and a bit of the unknown in attack.
--------------Assunção
Talles-----Gonçalves----Antony
---------Núñez---Evanilson
------------------------- De Gea ------------------------
------- B.Pavard ----- Skriniar ---- P.Torres --------
Danilo ----- W-Prowse ----- Bennacer ----- Gosens
------------------------ Grealish ------------------------
---------------- A.Silva -------- Werner ---------------
Bursik, , Romero, Merino, Ziyech, Maddison, Martial, Coman
When we don't have the ball, we will press high up the pitch, conceding very little space, Grealish will look to steal the ball within the attacking third and hopefully, quickly get it to those ahead of him. We do not give them any time on the ball and our front 2 prevent their defence hanging on to it too long or trying to play form the back as we pressurise them all the time.
If they do get to our half then we have a strong back 3 and double pivot ahead to prevent play through the middle, meaning they will need to push wide, whichever side they attack from tho I want Grealish and one of Silva/Werner to push to that side again to close them down and support the wingbacks, lots of pace in the front three to get at players.
When we have the ball it starts from the back moving the ball around between defence and centre midfield until the moment arrives when a pass can be made through to the front line, , there is no rush, if they come pressing we simply move it to the wide areas for them to bomb down the line and look to either cut it back or get a pass into the front three.
De Gea is our sweeper keeper, I want him involved with the defence playing out, if he has the ball I want him to find players especially the wingbacks when we are ready to attack
Pavard & Torres, Cover the wingbacks and take the ball out of defence, use there positional sense well as they may be out paced., must do this with confidence, if they lose the ball then all numbers back to cover, if they are being pressurised then a simple pass even back to the keeper and start again, stay wide (depending on what side) to cover wingbacks if they are forward.
Skriniar - He will press the opposition striker, when we lose the ball he needs to be on top of the CF very quickly, he must intercept everything, but he has the experience to do this, don't take any risks as the CF will also be on him so move it quickly when he gets it.
Danilo and Gosens, must work very hard, they have great work rate but this must done for the whole game, get down the line, get the crosses in, two great forwards to aim for, don't worry so much about whats behind you as their is plenty cover, I don't mean forget your defence duties, just play with a bit of freedom, crosses, one-twos, cut backs and all with pace to hurt them.
Although Bennacer's primary role in front of the defence 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 the No 10/SS is also a main focus, he isn't an out an out DM but he has a lot of grit and determination to his game so 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.
Ward-Prowse 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 and he does a lot. 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, he also has a mean shot from distance and isn't afraid to have a pop.
Grealish is in a free role I want him to dictate proceedings in the final third, either playing the through ball to the front two or use the wingers, pass in between the lines and give them something to run onto as the drive passed the defender, making late runs into the box and look for any loose ball to have a pop at goal, he, Silva & Werner aregreat finishers so look to make late runs into the area and latching onto crosses from wide areas, defending wise, I want him to harass who ever has the ball in that area, get it and move it forward as quickly as possible, also can draw players into him, rtherefore winning a lot of free kicks
Werner I want to be making all the runs behind the defence, drift wide and pull defenders away, quick and skillfull, look to move out to create an outlet for the wingbacks to use or indeed link with Grealish to get Silva away on goal, he and Werner both fantastic in the air, so while they aim for Werner, Silva will be making the late runs into the danger area and with a head start look to get up early and attack the crosses coming in.
Silva, must be able to hold up play for others to support, also run the channels, will sit on the last foot so he can spring them and have a shoot or sight mentality, can move central, 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 he is a very tireless worker, who also helps defend from the from by harassing there back line/DM.
Captain Skriniar
Pens - Werner
Free Kicks - Ward-Prowse/Grealish
Corners - Grealish
Losing -
65 Mins - Ziyech for Danilo, Coman for Gosens, we go 3412 attacking
75 Mins - Martial for Silva
Winning -
75 Mins - Merino for Silva, he goes in between defence and midfield to see it out
83 mins - Martial foe Werner
Drawing -
70 Mins - Ziyech for Danilo. a bit more attacking down the right, Martial lfor Silva
Red Card
De Gea - Bursik for Silva
Gosens - Danilo to LB, Pavard to RB, Merino for Silva 4311
Danilo - Pavard to RB, Merino for Silva 44311
CB - Merino for Silva and into midfield
CM - Pjanic fo Silva
Grealish - Maddison for Silva
CF - Nothing
Bournemouth v SHEFFIELD UNITED
--------------------Dubravka
Vrsaljko, Stones, T. Silva, Grimaldo
-------------Ampadu, Höjbjerg
-----Bale, James, Saint-Maximin
----------------------Suárez
Subs: Zouma, Ascacíbar, Gallagher, Brooks, Lainez, Verschaeren, Mertens
Captain: Thiago Silva
Free Kicks: Bale/James
Penalties: Suárez (Mertens)
Our defensive unit consists of John Stones and Thiago Silva paired up at centre-back, Sime Vrsaljko at right-back and Álex Grimaldo at left-back, with Ethan Ampadu and Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg as our midfield ‘double pivot’ screening them.
This ‘double pivot’ is the key to our team and in Ampadu and Höjbjerg 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 Höjbjerg can press the ball without leaving lots of space, as Ampadu 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 Höjbjerg's role, he will press almost anywhere in his own half to allow defenders to stay in the defensive line.
With Höjbjerg running his socks off for the team, our high tempo will be dictated by his partner in holding midfield, Ethan Ampadu.
Ampadu 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 Ampadu such a talent.
The attacking unit consists of Gareth Bale, James Rodríguez and Allan Saint-Maximin as our band of three attacking midfielders with Luis Suárez 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 Ampadu or Höjbjerg, then our 4-2-3-1 can spring into attack.
Vrsaljko and Grimaldo can surge up the wings in the knowledge that Ampadu and Höjbjerg can drop into the space left behind if needed. As they come up the wings, both Gareth Bale and Allan Saint-Maximin, who are excellent in tight spaces and fantastic dribblers will cut inside or make runs into the box.
James Rodríguez, our attacking central midfielder’s low centre of gravity will enable him to navigate away from defenders. James is blessed with an instant first touch and can dribble with the ball at such a close proximity to his feet that it makes him almost impossible to tackle this creative passer with his quick flicks and one-touch passing, will combine exceptionally well with Bale, Saint-Maximin & Suárez to create openings and goal scoring opportunities for each other.
Upfront, Suárez will be utilised to “bind” our oppositions defenders in place by occupying them with his positioning, to the point of blocking their defenders in order to create space for Bale, James & Saint-Maximin to exploit between the lines as this trio look to profit from Suárez’s off-the-ball actions.
Suárez will act as a focal point around which our team will build our attacks, using his strength to hold off their defenders. Suárez is proven adept at one-touch passing and quick flicks in combination play and of course Suárez’s stock in trade when the occasion calls for it – intelligent dummies to fool their defenders.
All 4 of our most advanced players are equally gifted in terms of assisting and scoring goals, and as thus we will not be purely reliant on Suárez on this front, although I expect of course for him to find the back of the net on a number of occasions.
Subs on 75 mins
Brooks on for James and Mertens on for Suárez
Double substitution - Lots of energy in the last 15 minutes to look to unlock the opposition’s defence for a late goal regardless of the score line
-------------------------- Oblak --------------------------
W-Bissaka ---- S.deVrij ---- van Dijk ---- Jordi Alba
--------------- F.de Jong ---- Locatelli -----------------
Mbappe --------------- Musiala ---------------- Neymar
------------------------- Haaland -------------------------
Meslier, Kamara, Chilwell, Zaniolo, Ferran, Greenwood, Calvert-Lewin
Going back to having a number ten, hopefully this brings more goals with someone closer to Haaland in the attacking third. Our game is still based solely on possession football, playing from the back and quick on the break and really pressurise the opposition with an in your face performance from the front we do not allow them to play from the back as our front three play quite a high line, we want to hit them quickly so we need to press them quickly to get the ball, when we defend, the back 4 must stay solid with Locatelli and de Jong ahead of them just in front harassing the man with the ball before they get to our back 4 and our midfield will be in and around the half way line, Haaland slightly higher up always on top of the CBs stopping them passing between each other, this will congest the midfield and allow us to dictate play, defend from the front, 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.
van Dijk picks up the CF not much gets passed him, de Vrij 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, take the ball away from them and play it out of defence, look to get it out wide quickly, They know each other well so they will form a partnership very quickly! 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, both must attack high balls to get the ball away from the opposition big men. Fullbacks keep the wingers quiet, stop their attacks 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, they drive down the line in support of the wingers drive on the outside making an extra man. If either get caught up field I want Locatelli OR de Jong to drift to the side and this allows the fullbacks to make their way to midfield to cover. Musiala also covers by dropping back to fill in the midfield, van Dijk and de Vrij to go up for corners, with the fullbacks and Locatelli sitting back.
Locatelli is our deepest midfielder sitting just in front of the CB's he will shadow there AM and not allow him to control the game, 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 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 will help stop the run of play quicker to make our defenders jobs a lot easier, protect our defence as best as possible, in possession get it to the front 3/4 but also look for fullbacks and Musiala 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. Musiala is essential to our style of play, maybe a gamble starting him, but he is the link between defence and attack, 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 de Jong/Locatelli/CB pass. He will drop back at times to pick it up and will look to his dribbling capabilities to get him around players, and into the danger area to unleash a powerful drive, sometimes taking a foul as he is a tricky player to mark. When in possession always head up looking for the movement of our front three to play them in, he will follow his pass and make up the numbers up front.After the pass he can push wide or central to make that extra man 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 and create space for the front 3. 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 our defenders are superb long ball passers, 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 Musiala 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 Haaland who can beat any defender with power and pace and the other wingers 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 Haaland who will sit on the last foot so he can spring them and have a shoot or sight mentality, can move central, we must always make sure he is well supported, especially Musiala who at times will be right on his shoulder or alongside, 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 he is a very tireless worker, who also helps defend from the from by harassing there back line/DM.
Captain - van Dijk
Penalties - Neymar
Free Kicks - Neymar
Corners - Wingers
Losing
60 Mins - Ferran for Musiala, Ferran to RW, Mbappe to LW, Neymar up top with Haaland to really put the pressure on, Chilwell for Alba same time, fresh legs and good to whip in some crosses for the front two
Winning -
75 Mins - Kamara for Musiala, he goes in between defence and midfield and becomes our DM, allowing Locatelli a bit more freedom
83 Mins - Ferran for Haaland, he goes RW, Mbappe LW, Neymar up top
Drawing -
70 Mins - Ferran for Musiala, RW, Mbappe to LW, Neymar to No.10/SS/CF basically a free role, Chilwell for Alba
Balanced 4-3-3
We look to attack down the wings attacking with pace, using the pace of our fbs and wingers to create space for the Cm trio in the middle to pull the strings.
The opposition have real quality in midfield, and so we look to hit them with pace. Putting them under pressure in uncomfortable positions, rush them and force them to go long where we will dominate in air. In midfield Tielemans is the dm allowing Ndombele and Pogba to attack. This duo coupled with the pace of our front trio will be key.
When we defend in a narrow 4141 formation, in a tight unit with not much space between the lines. Two players pressing the ball, Tielemans defends zonally behind, and the other closest midfielder in the four blocking the passing lane forward. Force them back. We press in this unit as soon. As the opposition enter our half, let them have the ball in their own half.
With team defending in a narrow unit the wide midfielder comes in narrow helping to pick up any spare midfielders who find space or get behind the midfield press.
As a team we look to push the opposition out wide where they will be limited to crosses and we will have a better chance of clearing our lines.
Lukaku up top plays his natural game, he’s best running in behind the opposition or at them. We look to play with great width stretch the game and the opposition looking to create space for him in the middle. He’s not a target man, but he’s great in the air in the box. One fb bombs forward at a time, we look to get the Cm on each side out combining with the attacking fb and winger playing one twos and producing the magic to create for Lukaku.
———————————— Lloris
Meunier —— Koulibaly — Lenglet — L.Digne
——————— Tielemans — Ndombele
———————————— Pogba
Dembele ————————————— Son Heung-M
———————————— Lukaku
Subs. Gulacsi, Rabiot, Isco, Nkunku, Carrasco, M.Kean, Benzema
Defence
We press as soon as they enter our half and seek to contain the opposition in their own half. Defending our half.
When this press fails and the opposition push forward we retreat as a unit in the 4141 formation continuing to press in the same formation with two players pressing the ball. When the opposition beat the initial press and get into the final third, we continue to retreat as a unit getting numbers back and the defensive line finally drops to a deep line. We then allow them to retain possession in areas they can’t hurt us, waiting for the chance to press again and push them back. If they seek to recycle the ball and go back to defence we push out as a unit quickly. Two experienced cbs are key for this ensuring we keep a strong line.
The back 4 defend narrow on the side the opposition are attacking. Remove any space for their wide forwards to operate in. The wide midfielders get back, either helping the defending fb or going inside to the Cm allowing cm to press the play, leaving Tielemans in a central position to sweep in front of the defence.
If they seek to go back and switch the play we move over as a unit, seek to press them before they can switch up the park.
Koulibaly the defensive leader at the back, he is the man marker with Lenglet inteligence and both have pace to cover. The full backs always seek to push their attackers out wide.
Subs.
If winning or drawing after 70 mins bring on Nkunku for Dembele fresh pace and class out wide
If winning or drawing after 75 mins bring on Rabiot for Ndombele more defensive and fresh pace and power.
If winning after 78 mins bring on Benzema for Lukaku.
If drawing after 80 mins bring on Benzema for Tielemans. 442. Go for win.
If losing after 68 mins bring on Benzema for Ndombele. 4-2-2-2.
If losing after 75 mins bring on Rabiot for Digne. 3-5-2. Tomiyasu rcb.
If losing after 80 mins bring on Isco for Tielemans. Rabiot dm, Pogba Cm, Isco AM.
Newcastle 4-3-2-1 Christmas
——————— Stegen
Trent — Fabinho — Hummels — Robbo
—— Hendo — Kroos — Verratti
———— Llorente — Alberto
——————— Vardy
Subs. Bastoni, Ings, Curtis, Jota, Kulu, David Silva, Olmo
Captain: Hendo
Set pieces: Kroos
Penalty: Vardy
Today we line up with a set up that allows central combination play. A regista, flanked by two combative all-action midfielders with two creative souls ahead of them. This way we maintain balance but get the best quality out of Kroos, Salah and Modric.
Defensively
The obvious defensive advantage our set-up is that it’s very strong centrally with three central midfielders in front of the defence as well as two centrally positioned attacking midfielders in front of the other three. It automatically forces opponents wide and they will struggle to build any kind of possession play centrally. Therefore, the defending team can force their opponents to play in the spaces least desirable – the wing spaces. We have energetic full-backs who like to quickly sprint out to press and slow down opponents and that they’ll be covered by the ball-near central midfielder. If the full-back can’t press in the wide area, the ball-near central midfielder as well as the ball-near attacking midfielder have access to provide pressure on the ball-carrier.
If we are forced deeper, the two attacking midfielders can quickly slot in with the central midfielders, most often in a wide role, to create a midfield five and thus a 4-5-1 when defending deeper.
Upon loss of possession, we are also perfectly set up against teams who like to counter-press given the close proximity between the players in the attacking structure. Especially if the ball is lost in central areas, we would have at least five players who should be close enough to press intensively or at least delay any forward pass from the opponent’s ball-carrier.
Attacking
Going forward, we will position five players in central areas where we will create a numerical advantage against the opponent. Given the three central midfielders and the two attacking midfielders, the opponent would have to focus on denying space for the two attacking midfielders but that would in turn leave the central midfielders with too much time. If they go to press the central midfielders it will be easy to set the attacking midfielders up in threatening positions between the lines of the opposition. The central positioning of the midfielders and attackers will also lead to teams becoming very narrow to negate the central threat. This will then open up huge spaces down either wing for attacking full-backs to exploit, especially with the passing range of the regista.
Overload the opposition centrally to force them inside and then go and exploit the free wide spaces. Given the full-backs arrive from deeper positions they will be harder to defend as they will be running into space rather than standing in space.
The close proximity between the players will also means it’s easier to change positions which will allow fluid movement between the players both in midfield and in attack. The striker can drop deep only for a midfielder or attacking midfielder to attack the space just vacated behind the striker for example. If both full-backs bomb on the formation will no longer be exactly 4-3-2-1 but rather 2-3-4-1 at that particular moment but the team still plays out of the 4-3-2-1 formation. If the full-backs stand in high wide spaces they will be easier to defend, so the key will be to develop patterns of rotations centrally to unleash full-backs who can come with speed and attack the opponent.
There will be moments during the game where the opponent will go up a gear or two, when that happens the midfielders are not to venture too far ahead of the ball while we focus on the ball-near full-back to join the attack while the ball-far full-back stays in defence with his centre-backs. When the ball is then worked over the two full-backs switch responsibilities.
Subs.
65 mins - Olmo for Alberto. Tired legs but play the same role.
75 mins - Curtis for Kroos. Tired legs, Hendo slots into regista and Curtis goes to where Hendo was.
70 mins drawing/losing - Jota for Verratti. Becomes 4-3-1-2 with Llorente dropping into the midfield 3
80 mins winning - Bastoni for Llorente. Shore up the defensive side and go 3-5-1-1, manage the game to its end.
Stegen
Fabinho Hummels Bastoni
Trent Curtis Hendo Verratti Robbo
Olmo
Vardy
Attacking 4-3-3
At home we play an attacking 4-3-3 to dominate possession, best form of defence is them not having the ball. Possession always starts at the back and so we go with possibly the two best ball playing cbs out and with great pace to allow us to play the high line needed to play real possession football. As you’d expect with a possession gameplan we will be patient in the first two thirds of the park, this means we will move the ball quickly and at pace but will not force the play, let them chase us tiring them physically and mentally. Fernandes is the exception as we give him freedom to play more direct balls from deeper areas.
In the final third we give all players freedom to use their quality to create and produce magic to open up the opposition.
Up top we go with a front 3 full of pace, the wingers stay high and wide in possession, stretching Arsenal defence and setting the side up perfectly for the possession play. In front of the defence Rodri and Mount are the perfect two for the possession, play with Fernandes playing an Iniesta role as attacking Cm with freedom to drift. Everyone in their best position, in a formation and system that suits everyone playing their natural game.
Both cbs are strong defensively, with great physicality. Rodri in front offering a strong dm presence. The rest of the midfield and attackers are tasked with pressing the ball, Mount and Fernandes bring energy and intensity. The front three also hard working and will press in high areas and win the ball back quickly.
The central trio have the quality to dominate possession with the cbs behind them. We have a front three full of pace, looking to stretch the opposition and create space for our midfielders to exploit.
In defence Rodri drops behind the other two cms who press the play as the trio narrow, similarly in attack Rodri stays deepest but the trio do not play so narrow. We have a defence full of pace and great energy in front so play a reasonably high line, helping us press Arsenal in high areas, and aiding distribution out from the back line.
Marquinhos the man marker as he is the stronger physically and can dominate in the air next to Alaba who is free to use his reading of the game and pace to sweep up. In midfield, the trio narrow in front with the cm opposite play dropping behind, allowing the other two to press with cover. Closing down the space, narrowing to the side of play. Win the ball back from Spurs quickly before they can get anywhere.
Quick passing and moving to find space in between the opposition lines. Using the pace of our wide forwards and fbs (one bombs forward at a time) to create space as we push forward.
We have a cm duo who can both drop deep to offer an option and collect the ball from defence. Likewise a fluid front three, who can switch positions or drop deep to collect the ball from midfield. This fluidity will help the players to get away from their markers, catch the opposition out and create space.
As we move forward we get quick one twos in the opposition half. With this fluid front three, Mount supports creating and linking the play, Fernandes gets in and around the box looking for the final ball or shooting.
Positional structure, in addition to our technical players will be key to our quick passing possession gameplan going forward. Our approach in build up is to play a flexible asymmetric shape, giving bodies on different lines to increase the options we have in possession, and to create gaps in the opposition, and space for our players.
————————————— Allison ———————————
Carvajal — Marquinhos —— Alaba — T.Hernandez
—————————————- Rodri ————————————
————————- M.Mount —— B.Fernandes —————
—————————————————————————————
Zaha ————————- L.Martinez ————— Sterling
Subs. Henderson, Laporte, Neves, Arthur, Felix, Mahrez, Jesus
Defending high
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 gets into a narrow rigid formation behind the ball in position to press high up the park. Stop them breaking and press them high up the park.
In a narrow, rigid formation, we will look to press the space, not allowing them options. Keep them from advancing to positions where they can’t hurt us, by trying to win the ball back very quickly. Then break quickly in these high positions when we do win the ball.
As Arsenal advance into higher areas of the park and into our half, our shape will resemble a 4-1-3-2. Winger on the side of play drops deep and Rodri drops behind the other two cms pressing the space behind the two cms pressing the ball, sweeping up danger behind them and in front of the defence.
Lautaro and the remaining wide forward in the space in between the opposition defence and midfield, and either side of their dm. This will make it difficult for their to dm to circulate possession back to their defence.
The wide man on the side of play that drops and the two cms (Mount and Fernandes) are the trio pressing the ball, and look to force Arsenal backwards. With the two forwards left forward this is where we look to press the opposition into mistakes and win the ball in high areas. With pace to join the attack quickly and overload Arsenal.
When Arsenal get past the initial press higher up the park, we drop deeper into a narrower tighter formation narrowing to the side of play, ensuring there are no gaps in the formation. Our fb’s have fantastic pace up against their wide forwards, bide their time, not diving in.
Subs.
If winning after 70 mins bring on Jesus for Lautaro. More pace up top.
If winning after 75 mins bring on Neves for Mount. Strong defensively and hard working, fresh energy in Cm.
If winning after 75 mins bring on Mahrez for Zaha.
If drawing after 70 mins bring on Jesus for Zaha. More direct and goal scorer.
If drawing after 75 mins bring on Felix for Mount. False 9.
If drawing after 80 mins bring on Neves for Rodri. More energy in Cm and more attacking.
If losing after 65 mins bring on Neves for Rodri.
If losing after 70 mins bring on Felix got Zaha. Fresh trickery to get us back in it.
If losing after 80 mins bring on Jesus for Theo. 3-5-2.
Wolves vs POMPEY (3-2-4-1)
……………………….Ederson…………….
……….Walker..Alderweireld..Romagnoli….
…………………Jorginho….Kessie…………….
Podence……………………………………………Lozano
…………………Dybala………….Aguero………………………
…………………………..Ronaldo………………………….
Subs: Maximiano, Maguire, Hysaj, Ali, Zielinksi, Abraham, Jiminez
Slight change up for the trip to the pride of the midlands, No Idea how fan will play after last weeks old school 4-4-2 but we’ll make him worry about us, not the other way round.
We’re coming into this game looking to get the ball and play it, keep hold of the ball and dictate the tempo of this game, Wolves have some decent players and in Grealish they certainly have a talent but we have a lot of match-winners of our own and this formation lets us get as many in the side as possible, without leaving us too open at the other end.
Kyle walker is a surprise entry in the back three but he has played there domestically and internationally and what he brings is genuine pace to our back line, because of him being a full-back really he’s comfortable shifting out-wide to deal with the left winger, jockey him don’t dive in, there aren’t many that can beat him in a sprint. Toby A man marks the central striker, stay tight don’t let him turn, if he gets away just nibble at him and slow him down, Romagnoli has played left back, so like Walker will be comfortable doing the shuffle. In possession the ball goes forward, doesn’t have to be far, but on it goes, no feckin about going square.
Kessie and Jorginho add the velvet glove to the iron fist, Jorgy is the pace setter, great engine on him and a fantastic range of passing, he’ll be the playmaker but he’s more than a sit and pass player, he’ll cover every blade of grass – defensively he’ll sit on their AM if they play one – if they don’t then it’s zonal. Kessie is the enforcer, strong as an ox and can win a midfield battle singlehandedly, he goes box to box as well today, we’re taking the game to wolves and our midfield needs to impose itself on the game. Ahead of them we have a fantastic front five so the easy pass should always be on.
Fan has made much of my defence being slow but lets face it, we’ve all seen milk turn quicker than his defence, with this in mind we go with blistering pace in the wings, Podence and Lozano are rapid and they’ll stay as wide as they can, defend on the half-way line to close the gaps, but be on their toes ready to go forward when we have the ball, they both go, we want the overloads and this opens the long diagonals for us to get down the flanks and turn the sluggish Wolves defence.
The front-three are an arrowhead, we want to test the wolves defence’s decision making, the Cm’s cant pick up Aguero and Dybala because our 2 CM’s are playing B2B, but if the CB’s step forward it leaves them 1on1 against Ronaldo.
Dybala is the #10 he’s one of the best in the business in this role, can link the play brilliantly, amazing first touch and a genuine threat hitting them from distance. He’ll drop off a bit deeper trying to make himself a bit of space to work his magic in and trying to take away a defender.
Aguero is a SS not an AM or 10 – his goalscoring touch is still as strong as ever but I want him in the old school “little man” role will drop a pace or two as the ball comes into Ronaldo and will then offer himself up as the lay off, or make the run into the box from deep, either to receive the ball or take another defender away.
As Aguero makes his run and Dibbles drops a yard, Podence and Lozano angle their runs to come inside inbetween full-back and centre back thus screening Wolves defence.
It’s then on Ronaldo who’s playing “the big man” role to either lay it off to effectively 4 other strikers or have a go himself.
When our wingers are playing on the fly and running the line the default setting is Ronaldo to run at the penalty spot, we want him bang central. Aguero and Dybala run the diagonal so Dybala is on the right hand side he goes to the left post and Aguero goes from the left side to the right hand post that cross over serves no real purpose other than to cause more confusion within the wolves defence, do they go man to man or stay zonal, their clumsy ass defenders are bound to sluggishly leave a foot In so if you feel the contact go down and win the pen – I don’t usually condone this but they have Grealish so it balances out (unlike him)
RED CARD
The formation will stay as close to this as possible, so Aguero is the man that makes way unless its one of the front-three
Winger – no sub, Dybala covers the flank and Aguero goes AM
CM – Zielinski > Aguero
CB – Maguire > Aguero
GK – Maximiano > Aguero
Other subs at 65 mins for fresh legs
Zielinski > Jorginho
Hysaj > Alderweireld (he goes LCB and Roma CB)
Comment deleted by Site Moderator
-------------------- Mendy --------------------
Cancelo --- De Ligt --- N.Ake --- Reguilon
----------- Casemiro --- De Bruyne ---------
J.Sancho ------- E.Hazard ------ M.Asensio
----------------- A.Griezmann ---------------
Subs:
Sanchez, E.Garcia, F.Mendy, Aouar, Eriksen, Belotti, Morata
Captain: De Bruyne
Free Kicks: De Bruyne
Penalties: De Bruyne
Corners: Sancho/Hazard
Tactics:
Great result last time out and with confidence high we go with more of the same against a strong City side. We largely keep the same winning formula with only a couple of tweaks, Ake coming in to add more pace to our defence whilst Asensio gives us a nice Spanish link down the left.
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 to for the win.
We look to move the ball at speed with De Bruyne again the man to run the show from his slightly deeper position, free from the shackles of their DM giving him the freedom to run the game. Further forward Hazard will be flanked by Sancho and Asensio and will sit just in behind Griezmann, offering a perfect blend of pace, trickery and unpredictability that will cause plenty of problems for their defence. We feel that this front four combined with KDB pushing forward from deep will cause problems galore as we have a multitude of attacking threats in our lineup. We will look to dictate the play and take the game to the opposition.
When they’re in possession we sit deep in a tight 4-5-1 formation, our DM marshalling the middle of the park, breaking down the opposition and setting up us on the counter. By taking away the space in behind we feel that we are taking away a large part of their gameplan as we force them to try and play through a brick wall in front of them.
Defence:
After facing up against two of the quickest wingers in the business last week our full backs our fully prepared for this weeks task. Again likely to be up against pace, Cancelo and Reguilon are a pair of Iberian greyhounds who can run all day and both have had their Weetabix ahead of today's match up.
Unless Rof springs a surprise we're likely to face the beast that is Lukaku up top, a player used to ragdolling his opposition we match power with power and stick De Ligt aka the son of Thor on him. If they opt to play the in-form Kean alongside then Ake will pick him up, otherwise he will act as cover in behind with the pace to cover any balls over the top.
We look to draw the opposition onto us by sitting deep when they are in possession, limiting the space in behind and drawing them further up the field creating space for us to hit them on the counter.
Midfield:
Casemiro will be our holding player in the middle. An all action player we rely on his fantastic tenacity and high level work rate to break up the opposition play, winning back possession and setting us up on the counter as we look to get the ball into our creative players as quickly as possible. His job today will be to sit on toes of the CF and cut out the supply line between their midfield and attack. Stopping the balls into feet of their CF will be key to limiting their attack and Casemiro is one of the best readers of the game. He’s also a fantastic passer which will be key in winning the midfield battle and ball retention.
De Bruyne slots alongside him giving us a world class CM duo as we look to take hold of the game. Starting in a slightly deeper role he has freedom to roam and pull the opposition apart. A player with superb vision he will look to get on the ball as much as possible, dropping deep and looking to release Hazard centrally or Sancho and Asensio on the flanks as we play at pace. He has license to push forward alongside when we’re in possession, causing them a defensive nightmare as we have a threat from every angle. With a fantastic strike from range we also encourage him to go for goal with a potential thunderbolt on the cards at any moment.
Forwards:
In attack we go with four heavy hitters as we aim or goals. Hazard plays centrally, looking to drift between the lines in the #10 role making himself extremely difficult to be picked up and causing a mismatch in this area of the field. We look to get him on the ball and go at the opposition, a player with fantastic link up play and an for goal he also has license to push up top alongside Griezmann as we go for goals.
Sancho and Asensio offer quality from the flanks. Both will be direct, going at the opposition with speed. In one on one situations they can be deadly and with the opposition likely to be concerned with KDB and Hazard there is every chance these two can find space to expose on the flanks. With a powerhouse frontline we go for goals, both wingers will look to cause problems, cutting inside and going direct for goal one moment and driving down the line, bamboozling the opposition before whipping the ball into the box the next.
Griezmann plays through the middle and will have a talented supply line around him. The brief is simple, get into the box and put the ball in the back of the net. With the number of quality attackers we have around him Griezmann could well find himself in one on one match ups in which he thrives. He has license to drop deep pulling their CB's with him and creating space for our wingers to attack in behind. As always he'll be on his toes ready to pounce on anything that chances that fall his way with the Frenchman one of the best finishers in the business.
If winning:
80 mins: Hazard & Reguilon off, E.Garcia & Mendy on. Shut up shop time as we bring on an extra CB and move to 5-4-1 to see out the win. We play compact giving them no space whilst Ferland Mendy adds fresh legs at FB to keep their wingers at bay.
If drawing/losing:
75 mins: Ake & Asensio off, Aouar & Belotti on. We pile on the pressure as we switch to a back three. Aouar’s introduction free’s up KDB to push forward with Sancho & Hazard on the flanks and the poacher Belotti joining Griezmann up top. Goals.
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Tactics
Page 27 of 78
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posted on 6/1/21
Bournemouth (4-3-3) Week 12 away to Southampton
Captain: Botman
Vice-Captain: Simón
------------------Simón
Khellven--Ibañez--Botman----Piton
------Assunção----Guimarães
---------------Gonçalves
Antony---------------------------Veron
-----------------Núñez
SUBS: Ivan, Kaique, Araújo, Henrique, Azate, Talles, Evanilson
SUMMARY: This week we go with a 4-3-3 set up although we will be a tad more conservative and operate with one holding/defensive midfielder (Assunção) who will be complimented with an energetic box to box midfielder (Guimarães). In front of them Gonçalves will operate as the link between midfield and attack. This I feel will give us a better balanced midfield and while being absolutely defensively sound with 2 ‘sitting’ Guimarães will also be allowed the freedom (when the time arises) to link with Gonçalves and attack. I think this set-up lets us link up quickly with our attack while at the same time that little bit of extra cautiousness means it will be easy for us to close the door in midfield with all 3 players as comfortable sitting and breaking up attacks if necessary.
We want to play a nice tidy and crisp passing game. Our aim is to move the ball forward as quickly and as effectively as possible. When we have the ball we will use it wisely and when we don’t have the ball then we will press our opponents all over the park with high urgency to win it back. We want to keep the ball on the deck and attack as a team and equally as important defend as a team. This team is bursting with pace. We will utilise that to our advantage and make the pitch wide and use our flying wingers to cause all sorts of mayhem. It will also be a tool that we use to hit opponents on the counter where we know we can out pace any team.
Goalkeeper: Simón is a big mobile keeper and very athletic. 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: We will operate with one holding/defensive midfielder (Assunção). He will be the midfield general. A physical pacey midfielder he will be there to boss this area for us. Breaking up play and filling in as an extra defender if one of our back 4 has ventured forward. He will be there to protect the defence and do a lot of the unseen dirty work in the centre of the park. He is essential to our game plan and while sitting deep will still offer a lot with his great passing ability. He also has a thunderbolt right foot. He will be complimented with a deep sitting box to box midfielder (Guimarães). He has a more conservative role this week and while being a little more constrained than normal he will still have the opportunity to bomb forward when the time is right. They will both have to put a defensive shift in and both are very strong in the tackle. We will look at their enthusiasm and relentless pressing of the opposition as a way to hopefully get a bit of a grip on the midfield and at the very least not make it plain sailing for the opposition. In front of them Gonçalves will operate as the link between midfield and attack.
Wingers/Centre Forward: When in possession both Antony and Veron 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 Gonçalves, Guimarães and Núñez in to play. They can vary their attacks as they see fit. Both players can play all across the middle so don’t be surprised to see them swapping wings. At times Guimarães may sit a bit deeper allowing Gonçalves 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.
Núñez starts as the CF. He won’t be short of support or ammunition with the attacking talent behind him. Great playing off the shoulder of the last man he is deadly in and around the box. A bag of energy and very strong we will also look for him to hold up and bring others in to play if it doesn’t seem to be on for him. We will look to get bodies in the box when attacking so he should always have an outlet. He is also great in the air and will provide an option from set pieces. When the shot is on he will take it but we also want to put himself about in the box and think that his lightning pace will be a real handful for defences. He will also be alert to any scraps in and around the goal. He has the ability to produce something sublime and create a chance out of nothing.
Free Kicks/Corners: Gonçalves, Veron or Antony with Ibañez, Botman, Assunção and Núñez to offer an aerial threat. Gonçalves and Veron (with his thunderbolt left foot) may try their luck with several free kicks from distance.
Substitutions: (75 mins) If winning (and comfortable) then 3 like for like subs – Araújo for Ibañez, Henrique for Assunção and Evanilson for Núñez.
If losing (70 mins) then switch to a 4-1-3-2 and replace Guimarães with Evanilson and Antony with Talles. Fresh legs and 2 attackers that carry a goal threat about them. We will look to their pace and freshness to offer us something different.
------------Assunção
Talles---Gonçalves---Veron
--------Evanilson -----Núñez
posted on 7/1/21
Leeds vs PORTSMOUTH (3-2-3-2)
……………………………Ederson……………………..
………….Bonucci……..Maguire……..Alderweiereld
………………….Barella……………..Kessie………………
Podence………………….Dybala…………………Insigne
……………………..Jiminez………….Ronaldo…………………….
Subs: Maximiano, Hysaj, Aarons, Verratti, Jorginho, Lozano, Abraham
First league game in charge after a good run in the cup, tough place to go is eland road, not cus the teams great, it’s just grim and northern 😊 I toyed with the concept of a traditional formation but home advantage slots in Lubo’s favour forced me into going all in for the win slots.
Side is packed with experienced heads, who’ll go about their business today and get the win we need to start to climb up the table. No fancy passing triangles or slow transitional play today from us, we want fast paced direct football. The front five press hard and force the turn over balls, we’re set-up perfectly for the over-loads, and this tactic will hurt Leeds.
The defence
A solid but slow unit, but that’s ok we hold a deep-line, we don’t need to be pushing high up the pitch compressing the space, this system isn’t about that, we actually want the pitch stretched out, let Leeds come onto us, because when we do it get, we hit the direct passes to our front five, who have more space to operate in. Leeds will have possession out wide but that’s ok, they can’t hurt us there, but any crosses into our box will be bread and butter, Leo and Toby A, will shuffle wide to deal with the wingers, BUT no further than the edge of our box. They won’t get stranded out-wide. We control our own box, any slide balls through Ederson is rapid off the line so he makes the call to deal with it. Maguire has his critics at united but it’s the system that is the issue. My system is perfect for him, he has the size, he has the strength and hes good enough on the ball to be the central CB, he’s tasked with marking the central striker (if theres only 1) or what’s perceived as the “big man” if Leeds play 2 up top. In possession we play the percentages, there’s 5 runners to aim at, I don’t mind risky forward passes, but passing across our box is a cardinal sin.
The Pivot
The biggest gripe generally with 3 at the back is managers still playing holding midfielders, which makes sides slow and painful to watch, we’re not doing that, we’re going with 2 box to box midfielders, Barella is wonderful talent, with an eye for a pass and chips in with the odd goal, Kessie is the destroyer, with these two up and down, plus our front 5 pressing we should be able to create enough ball turnover to really give us an edge in this game. When we have it they carry the ball forwards drawing men to them, before offloading and then continuing the run for the return ball (whether it comes doesn’t matter it’s about over loads) defensively they hunt the ball, harry the man in possession and don’t let leeds settle into a rhythm.
The Trident
Pure pace and trickery out-wide, don’t be fooled by world footballs shortest wing pairing, those low centre of gravity players are harder to whack than you think, they’ll get the ball down and drive forwards, both men draw opponents towards them, but there’s only so much doubling-up you can do, especially when marking 5 attackers. They both like to cut-inside but today we’re asking them to try and stay wider and put balls into the box for the front two. With Dybala the classic #10 on the edge of the box, the drag back is always an option too, because they stay wider Leeds full backs have to stay out there meaning more space for the 2 strikers. Dybala is the archetypal #10 he’ll drop deep to collect the ball and spread it wide or of course slip it through for Ronaldo and Raul to get onto, after that he’ll be on the edge of the D, waiting for a knock back or a loose ball. Defensively our wingers will drop back to approx 30 yards from our own goal-line, effectively where you would line you’re wing-backs up, not great defensively but they’re quick and put a foot in. Dybala will drop to the centre circle.
Raul and Ronaldo
Perfect combo uptop for us at the spearhead of this team, capable of scoring all manner of goals, and in big games, most teams will double up on Ronaldo but as we’re going with 5, it’s impossible for leeds to cover us regardless of Lubo’s formation. Raul will be tasked with being a target-man, bringing the ball down and laying it off for either Ronaldo or his teammates, Ronaldo is playing as a 9.5 I guess – he’s not just a pure poacher but he’s not a SS either so he’s the freedom to roam and do his thing across the pitch. Defensively we lead from the front with these 2 pressing the centre halves or holding midfielder when they have the ball, and our trident then pressing the next bank of leeds players,
Subs 65 mins – losing
Lozano > Podence
Tammy > Raul
Verratti > Barella
All like for like, just fresh legs and energy
If drawing at 65 mins – leave it to play out
Winning at 65 mins
Hysaj > Podence
Aarons > Jiminez
Jorginho > Kessie
We switch to a conventional 3-5-2 and see the game out
……………………………Ederson……………………..
………….Bonucci……..Maguire……..Alderweiereld
Aarons……...Barella……………..Jorginho…………Hysaj
……………………………..Insigne…………………
…………………….Dybala………….Ronaldo…………………….
posted on 8/1/21
SHEFFIELD UNITED v Wolves
--------------------Dubravka
Lamptey, Stones, T. Silva, Grimaldo
--------------Ampadu, Höjbjerg
------Bale, James, Saint-Maximin
----------------------Suárez
Subs: Kelleher, Williams, Zouma, Gallagher, Brooks, Lainez, Mertens
Captain: Thiago Silva
Free Kicks: Bale/James
Penalties: Suárez (Mertens)
Our defensive unit consists of John Stones and Thiago Silva paired up at centre-back, Tariq Lamptey at right-back and Álex Grimaldo at left-back, with Ethan Ampadu and Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg as our midfield ‘double pivot’ screening them.
This ‘double pivot’ is the key to our team and in Ampadu and Höjbjerg 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 Höjbjerg can press the ball without leaving lots of space, as Ampadu 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 Höjbjerg's role, he will press almost anywhere in his own half to allow defenders to stay in the defensive line.
With Höjbjerg running his socks off for the team, our high tempo will be dictated by his partner in holding midfield, Ethan Ampadu.
Ampadu 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 Ampadu such a talent.
The attacking unit consists of Gareth Bale, James Rodríguez and Allan Saint-Maximin as our band of three attacking midfielders with Luis Suárez 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 Ampadu or Höjbjerg, then our 4-2-3-1 can spring into attack.
Lamptey and Grimaldo can surge up the wings in the knowledge that Ampadu and Höjbjerg can drop into the space left behind if needed. As they come up the wings, both Gareth Bale and Allan Saint-Maximin, who are excellent in tight spaces and fantastic dribblers will cut inside or make runs into the box.
James Rodríguez, our attacking central midfielder’s low centre of gravity will enable him to navigate away from defenders. James is blessed with an instant first touch and can dribble with the ball at such a close proximity to his feet that it makes him almost impossible to tackle this creative passer with his quick flicks and one-touch passing, will combine exceptionally well with Bale, Saint-Maximin & Suárez to create openings and goal scoring opportunities for each other.
Upfront, Suárez will be utilised to “bind” our oppositions defenders in place by occupying them with his positioning, to the point of blocking their defenders in order to create space for Bale, James & Saint-Maximin to exploit between the lines as this trio look to profit from Suárez’s off-the-ball actions.
Suárez will act as a focal point around which our team will build our attacks, using his strength to hold off their defenders. Suárez is proven adept at one-touch passing and quick flicks in combination play and of course Suárez’s stock in trade when the occasion calls for it – intelligent dummies to fool their defenders.
All 4 of our most advanced players are equally gifted in terms of assisting and scoring goals, and as thus we will not be purely reliant on Suárez on this front, although I expect of course for him to find the back of the net on a number of occasions.
Subs on 75 mins
Brooks on for James and Mertens on for Suárez
Double substitution - Lots of energy in the last 15 minutes to look to unlock the opposition’s defence for a late goal regardless of the score line
posted on 9/1/21
-------------------------- Oblak --------------------------
W-Bissaka ---- S.deVrij ---- van Dijk ---- Jordi Alba
------------------------ Locatelli -------------------------
--------------- Bentancur --- F. de Jong ---------------
--- Mbappe --------------------------------- Neymar ---
------------------------- Haaland -------------------------
Remiro, Kamara, Chilwell, Havertz, Ferran, Greenwood, Calvert-Lewin
Our game is based solely on possession football, especially the midfield where we want to dominate the opposition, 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, the back 4 must stay solid with Locatelli ahead of them just in front harassing the man with the ball before they get to our back 4 and our midfield will be in and around the half way line, Haaland slightly higher up, this will congest the midfield and allow us to dictate play, defend from the front, 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.
van Dijk picks up the CF he wont let much passed him, de Vrij spare picks up the AM if he gets away from our midfield, both powerful boys so keep the forward(s) away from the danger area, get onto them quickly, take the ball away from them and play it out of defence, look to get it out wide quickly, 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, both must attack high balls to get the ball away from the opposition big men. Fullbacks keep the wingers quiet, stop their attacks. 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!!, they drive down the line in support of the wingers drive on the outside making an extra man or to allow he wingers to sit beside the sriker. If either get caught up field I want Bentancur OR de Jong to drift on their side only, to the side (depending on which FB is attacking) and this allows the fullbacks to make their way to midfield to cover. CBs to go up for corners, with the fullbacks and Locatelli sitting back.
We have a powerful midfield trio that has the lot. Locatelli is our deepest midfielder sitting just in front of the CB's, he will shadow there AM and not allow him to control the game, they have undoubted quality in there midfield and I want him to be quick and aggressive to the challenge, this is why he is in as we can allow them to dictate play, having a player like Locatelli allows more time for Bentancur and de Jong he 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, he will drop in between the two CBS to pick up the ball and start from the back, 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 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 will help stop the run of play quicker to make our defenders jobs a lot easier, protect our defence as best as possible, in possession get it to the front 3/4 but also look for fullbacks and Bentancur 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. Bentnacur is essential to our style of play, he is the link between defence and attack, as we break quickly he will look to set up our front three and push on, look to receive a pass and drive on. He will drop back at times to pick it up and will look to his dribbling capabilities to get him around players, and into the danger area to unleash a powerful drive. When in possession always head up looking for the movement of our front three to play them in, he will follow his pass and make up the numbers up front.After the pass he can make up the extra man further forward as de Jong/Locatelli stay and cover. All of our midfield three must press the opposition and get to grips with this game very early on. When defending this is a tight 3 man midfield.
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 our defenders are superb long ball passers, go through the cms or out to one of our attacking fullbacks, however, the movement up front between Neymar and Mbappe will cause them problems drifting in an out, getting in behind their fullbacks, thus allowing Bentancur to pick his moment to move into space either as a 10. Quick passing in triangles that will get us in and beyond their defenders and eventually to Haaland who can beat any defender with power/pace and the other wingers 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 Bentancur and Haaland so they can spring them and have a shoot or sight mentality at times, , we must always make sure Haaland is well supported, especially wingers and Bentancur who at times will be right on his shoulder or alongside as he is allowed freedom of the park when we attack, 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 he is a very tireless worker, who also helps defend from the from by harassing there back line/DM.
Captain - van Dijk
Penalties - Haaland
Free Kicks - de Jong from deep, Neymar for goal
Corners - Wingers
Subs -
Losing -
65 Mins - Greenwood for Bentancur, we go 4-4-2 with Mason up top, Chilwell for Alba, will drive down the left and get some quality crosses in
Winning -
75 Mins - Kamara for Bentancur, he sits in to stop any fresh legs coming through
83 Mins - Greenwood for Haaland, run everything down
Drawing -
65 Mins - Kamara for Locatelli
75 Mins - Greenwood for Haaland
fresh legs
posted on 9/1/21
------------------------- De Gea ---------------------------
Pavard ------- Skriniar ------- P.Torres ------- Sandro
----------------- Merino -------- McGinn -----------------
H.Ziyech ---------------------------------------- Grealish
------------------ A.Silva ------ Werner ------------------
Navas, Gosens, Soucek, Maddison, Hudson-Odoi, Martial, Pjanic
We go 4-4-2, with fast forwards to get in behind the terribly slow defence of Arsenal, using plenty of pace in our front 4 and Sandro to get at them
The back four and De Gea must have constant communication, they play attacking football so we must pick up a man and stick with him, Torres will man mark the CB, big and powerful keep him away from danger and his job is done, nip at him and really annoy him until he becomes frustrated and p'd off to the stage where he starts to make simple mistakes. Skriniar stays spare, watches for any other player coming through that the midfield cant pick up. Fullbacks have a tough job, but both up to the challenge. keep the wingers to the outside away from danger and stop early crosses coming in, simples!
Attack wise, Pavard will stay back allowing Sandro to drive on, this will push at least one of their wingers back creating less danger for us at the back. I want Sandro to drive passed Grealish, quick one two which will get us in behind the defense, high crosses wont do it for us however so look to drill the ball into the box to the feet of the forwards, or as they will be buzzing about use the wingers once more to play them in, high balls only of use at corners when the CBs are up.Pavard attacks sporadically and does exactly the same, however, I want to use Sandro more often then not.
Always stay as close to a flat line as possibly when defending to make it harder for them coming thorugh when they attack
Merino and McGinn are our insurance in front of the defence, Merino the DM will hit them hard when they are in possession as will McGinn, be quick onto them, I mean very quick before they pass the ball to others, pick up the loose ball and get it away to the forwards, do not dither on it, stay tight again in a flat 4 with the two wingers when defending.
Grealish and Ziyech I want as inverted wingers today, when defending that is, really make the midfield as compact as possible, make the spaces tight and this will stop them playing any sort of football which will force them to quick, and at times misplaced passes to us, therefore we can start attacks quickly. Drive down the wings, and this time push wide, as this will push there CBs wide and leave gaps for our front two to expose, when we have the ball, I want quick, explosive football from the front four, they wont handle it, Grealish especially is hot right now and will continue his form hopefully, draws a lot of fouls so look to really drive at them and force the fall, he very clever. Sandro on the left allows him to push in so they have 3 /4 very quick players to deal with and as soon as an opening is there, they go for goal.
Andre Silva and Werner up top, alwayson the move, they will both be playing as 9's and 10's today, when they have the ball get back, create a 6 man midfield to stop them controlling possession, stick the boot in, get the ball back and boom, we are away on the attack, exciting, explosive players, and with Grealish and Ziyech either side, Their defence will be breathing out their arses by half time!
Can both move left and right and a bit deeper so will be impossible for any Arsenal defender to pick them up, and if they try they will leave huge holes for us to take advantage of, we will expose them hugely
So, quick, free flowing football, no high balls unless the two Cbs are up ie for corners, lead the a merry dance at the back, they are expecting the usal 433 from us today so we want to catch them and force them onto the back foot from the very first whistle
Captain - Skriniar
Penalties - Werner
Free Kicks - Grealish
Corners - Wingers
Losing -
65 Mins - Pavard to RCB, Gosens for Sandro, we go 3412, Ziyech and Gosens wide, Grealish look to make it happen at No.10
75 Mins - Martial for Werner
Winning -
75 Mins - Pjanic for Silva 451
83 Mins - Martial or Werner
Drawing -
70 Mins - CHO for Ziyech, Martial for Werner
posted on 9/1/21
Playing Sheff Utd not Arsenal
posted on 10/1/21
Possession 4-3-3
We go to Spurs and play a 4-3-3 to dominate possession, best form of defence is them not having the ball. Possession always starts at the back and so we go with possibly the two best ball playing cbs out and with great pace to allow us to play the high line needed to play real possession football. As you’d expect with a possession gameplan we will be patient in the first two thirds of the park, this means we will move the ball quickly and at pace but will not force the play, let them chase us tiring them physically and mentally. Fernandes is the exception as we give him freedom to play more direct balls from deeper areas.
In the final third we give all players freedom to use their quality to create and produce magic to open up the opposition.
Up top we go with a front 3 full of pace, the wingers stay high and wide in possession, stretching Spurs defence and setting the side up perfectly for the possession play. In front of the defence Rodri and Thiago are the perfect two for the possession, play with Fernandes playing an Iniesta role as attacking Cm with freedom to drift. Everyone in their best position, in a formation and system that suits everyone playing their natural game.
Both cbs are strong defensively, with great physicality. Rodri in front offering a strong dm presence. The rest of the midfield and attackers are tasked with pressing the ball, Thiago is excellent at intercepting the play, while Fernandes brings energy and intensity. The front three also hard working and will press in high areas and win the ball back quickly.
The central trio have the quality to dominate possession with the cbs behind them. We have a front three full of pace, looking to stretch the opposition and create space for our midfielders to exploit.
In defence Rodri drops behind the other two cms who press the play as the trio narrow, similarly in attack Rodri stays deepest but the trio do not play so narrow. We have a defence full of pace and great energy in front so play a reasonably high line, helping us press Spurs in high areas, and aiding distribution out from the back line.
Marquinhos the man marker as he is the stronger physically and can dominate in the air next to Alaba who is free to use his reading of the game and pace to sweep up. In midfield, the trio narrow in front with the cm opposite play dropping behind, allowing the other two to press with cover. Closing down the space, narrowing to the side of play. Win the ball back from Spurs quickly before they can get anywhere.
Quick passing and moving to find space in between the opposition lines. Using the pace of our wide forwards and fbs (one bombs forward at a time) to create space as we push forward.
We have a cm duo who can both drop deep to offer an option and collect the ball from defence. Likewise a fluid front three, who can switch positions or drop deep to collect the ball from midfield. This fluidity will help the players to get away from their markers, catch the opposition out and create space.
As we move forward we get quick one twos in the opposition half. With this fluid front three, Thiago supports creating and linking the play, Fernandes gets in and around the box looking for the final ball or shooting.
Positional structure, in addition to our technical players will be key to our quick passing possession gameplan going forward. Our approach in build up is to play a flexible asymmetric shape, giving bodies on different lines to increase the options we have in possession, and to create gaps in the opposition, and space for our players.
————————————— Allison ———————————
Carvajal — Marquinhos —— Alaba — T.Hernandez
—————————————- Rodri ————————————
———————— Thiago.A —— B.Fernandes —————
—————————————————————————————
Sterling ——————— L.Martinez ————— S.Mane
Subs. Schmeichel, Laporte, Neves, Mount, Felix, Mahrez, Jesus
Defending high
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 gets into a narrow rigid formation behind the ball in position to press high up the park. Stop them breaking and press them high up the park.
In a narrow, rigid formation, we will look to press the space, not allowing them options. Keep them from advancing to positions where they can’t hurt us, by trying to win the ball back very quickly. Then break quickly in these high positions when we do win the ball.
As Spurs advance into higher areas of the park and into our half, our shape will resemble a 4-1-3-2. Winger on the side of play drops deep and Rodri drops behind the other two cms pressing the space behind the two cms pressing the ball, sweeping up danger behind them and in front of the defence.
Lautaro and the remaining wide forward in the space in between the opposition defence and midfield, and either side of their dm. This will make it difficult for their to dm to circulate possession back to their defence.
The wide man on the side of play that drops and the two cms (Thiago and Fernandes) are the trio pressing the ball, and look to force Spurs backwards. With the two forwards left forward this is where we look to press the opposition into mistakes and win the ball in high areas. With pace to join the attack quickly and overload Spurs.
When Spurs get past the initial press higher up the park, we drop deeper into a narrower tighter formation narrowing to the side of play, ensuring there are no gaps in the formation. Our fb’s have fantastic pace up against their wide forwards, bide their time, not diving in.
Subs.
If winning after 70 mins bring on Jesus for Lautaro. More pace up top.
If winning after 75 mins bring on Mount for Fernandes. Strong defensively and hard working, fresh energy in Cm.
If winning after 75 mins bring on Laporte for Theo. Laporte to lb, as opposition likely push forward gives us a stronger aerial presence to defend high balls. We don’t change cb partnership as that always spells trouble.
If drawing after 70 mins bring on Jesus for Sterling. More direct and goal scorer.
If drawing after 75 mins bring on Felix for Lautaro. False 9.
If drawing after 80 mins bring on Mount for Rodri. Thiago plays dm. More energy in Cm and more attacking.
If losing after 65 mins bring on Mount for Rodri. Thiago to dm. High energy in Cm.
If losing after 70 mins bring on Mahrez for Sterling. More trickery to get us back in it.
If losing after 80 mins bring on Felix for Theo. Gung ho.
posted on 10/1/21
Newcastle 4-3-2-1 Christmas
——————— Stegen
Trent — Fabinho — Hummels — Robbo
—— Goretzka — Kroos — Verratti
———— Salah — Modric
——————— Vardy
Subs. Oyarzabal, Ings, Hendo, Jota, Llorente, David Silva, Alberto
Captain: Kroos
Set pieces: Kroos
Penalty: Salah
Today we line up with a set up that allows central combination play. A regista, flanked by two combative all-action midfielders with two creative souls ahead of them. This way we maintain balance but get the best quality out of Kroos, Salah and Modric.
Defensively
The obvious defensive advantage our set-up is that it’s very strong centrally with three central midfielders in front of the defence as well as two centrally positioned attacking midfielders in front of the other three. It automatically forces opponents wide and they will struggle to build any kind of possession play centrally. Therefore, the defending team can force their opponents to play in the spaces least desirable – the wing spaces. We have energetic full-backs who like to quickly sprint out to press and slow down opponents and that they’ll be covered by the ball-near central midfielder. If the full-back can’t press in the wide area, the ball-near central midfielder as well as the ball-near attacking midfielder have access to provide pressure on the ball-carrier.
If we are forced deeper, the two attacking midfielders can quickly slot in with the central midfielders, most often in a wide role, to create a midfield five and thus a 4-5-1 when defending deeper.
Upon loss of possession, we are also perfectly set up against teams who like to counter-press given the close proximity between the players in the attacking structure. Especially if the ball is lost in central areas, we would have at least five players who should be close enough to press intensively or at least delay any forward pass from the opponent’s ball-carrier.
Attacking
Going forward, we will position five players in central areas where we will create a numerical advantage against the opponent. Given the three central midfielders and the two attacking midfielders, the opponent would have to focus on denying space for the two attacking midfielders but that would in turn leave the central midfielders with too much time. If they go to press the central midfielders it will be easy to set the attacking midfielders up in threatening positions between the lines of the opposition. The central positioning of the midfielders and attackers will also lead to teams becoming very narrow to negate the central threat. This will then open up huge spaces down either wing for attacking full-backs to exploit, especially with the passing range of the regista.
Overload the opposition centrally to force them inside and then go and exploit the free wide spaces. Given the full-backs arrive from deeper positions they will be harder to defend as they will be running into space rather than standing in space.
The close proximity between the players will also means it’s easier to change positions which will allow fluid movement between the players both in midfield and in attack. The striker can drop deep only for a midfielder or attacking midfielder to attack the space just vacated behind the striker for example. If both full-backs bomb on the formation will no longer be exactly 4-3-2-1 but rather 2-3-4-1 at that particular moment but the team still plays out of the 4-3-2-1 formation. If the full-backs stand in high wide spaces they will be easier to defend, so the key will be to develop patterns of rotations centrally to unleash full-backs who can come with speed and attack the opponent.
There will be moments during the game where the opponent will go up a gear or two, when that happens the midfielders are not to venture too far ahead of the ball while we focus on the ball-near full-back to join the attack while the ball-far full-back stays in defence with his centre-backs. When the ball is then worked over the two full-backs switch responsibilities.
Subs.
65 mins - Alberto for Modric. Tired legs but play the same role.
75 mins - Llorente for Kroos. Tired legs, verratti slots into regista and llorente goes to where verratti was.
70 mins drawing/losing - Jota for Goretzka. Becomes 4-3-1-2 with Alberto dropping into the midfield 3
80 mins winning - Bastoni for Salah. Shore up the defensive side and go 3-5-1-1, manage the game to its end.
Stegen
Fabinho Hummels Bastoni
Trent Llorente Verratti Goretzka Robbo
Alberto
Vardy
posted on 10/1/21
Scratch that verratti isn’t available sorry fan
posted on 10/1/21
Newcastle 4-3-2-1 Christmas
——————— Stegen
Trent — Fabinho — Hummels — Robbo
—— Hendo — Kroos — Goretzka
———— Salah — Modric
——————— Vardy
Subs. Oyarzabal, Ings, Curtis, Jota, Llorente, David Silva, Alberto
Captain: Hendo
Set pieces: Kroos
Penalty: Salah
Today we line up with a set up that allows central combination play. A regista, flanked by two combative all-action midfielders with two creative souls ahead of them. This way we maintain balance but get the best quality out of Kroos, Salah and Modric.
Defensively
The obvious defensive advantage our set-up is that it’s very strong centrally with three central midfielders in front of the defence as well as two centrally positioned attacking midfielders in front of the other three. It automatically forces opponents wide and they will struggle to build any kind of possession play centrally. Therefore, the defending team can force their opponents to play in the spaces least desirable – the wing spaces. We have energetic full-backs who like to quickly sprint out to press and slow down opponents and that they’ll be covered by the ball-near central midfielder. If the full-back can’t press in the wide area, the ball-near central midfielder as well as the ball-near attacking midfielder have access to provide pressure on the ball-carrier.
If we are forced deeper, the two attacking midfielders can quickly slot in with the central midfielders, most often in a wide role, to create a midfield five and thus a 4-5-1 when defending deeper.
Upon loss of possession, we are also perfectly set up against teams who like to counter-press given the close proximity between the players in the attacking structure. Especially if the ball is lost in central areas, we would have at least five players who should be close enough to press intensively or at least delay any forward pass from the opponent’s ball-carrier.
Attacking
Going forward, we will position five players in central areas where we will create a numerical advantage against the opponent. Given the three central midfielders and the two attacking midfielders, the opponent would have to focus on denying space for the two attacking midfielders but that would in turn leave the central midfielders with too much time. If they go to press the central midfielders it will be easy to set the attacking midfielders up in threatening positions between the lines of the opposition. The central positioning of the midfielders and attackers will also lead to teams becoming very narrow to negate the central threat. This will then open up huge spaces down either wing for attacking full-backs to exploit, especially with the passing range of the regista.
Overload the opposition centrally to force them inside and then go and exploit the free wide spaces. Given the full-backs arrive from deeper positions they will be harder to defend as they will be running into space rather than standing in space.
The close proximity between the players will also means it’s easier to change positions which will allow fluid movement between the players both in midfield and in attack. The striker can drop deep only for a midfielder or attacking midfielder to attack the space just vacated behind the striker for example. If both full-backs bomb on the formation will no longer be exactly 4-3-2-1 but rather 2-3-4-1 at that particular moment but the team still plays out of the 4-3-2-1 formation. If the full-backs stand in high wide spaces they will be easier to defend, so the key will be to develop patterns of rotations centrally to unleash full-backs who can come with speed and attack the opponent.
There will be moments during the game where the opponent will go up a gear or two, when that happens the midfielders are not to venture too far ahead of the ball while we focus on the ball-near full-back to join the attack while the ball-far full-back stays in defence with his centre-backs. When the ball is then worked over the two full-backs switch responsibilities.
Subs.
65 mins - Alberto for Modric. Tired legs but play the same role.
75 mins - Llorente for Kroos. Tired legs, Hendo slots into regista and llorente goes to where Hendo was.
70 mins drawing/losing - Jota for Goretzka. Becomes 4-3-1-2 with Alberto dropping into the midfield 3
80 mins winning - Bastoni for Salah. Shore up the defensive side and go 3-5-1-1, manage the game to its end.
Stegen
Fabinho Hummels Bastoni
Trent Llorente Hendo Goretzka Robbo
Alberto
Vardy
posted on 11/1/21
SOTON VS Bournemouth
-------------------------------------Onana-----------------------
Dest--------Upamecano-------------Dias----------Ait-Nouri
------------------------------------Ndidi---------------------------
-----------------------Valverde--------Odegaard------------------------
Adama---------------------------------------------------------Pulisic
-----------------------------------Rashford-------------------------------
Subs - Ramsdale, Fofana, Camavinga, Reinier, Bailey, Richarlison, Isak
CAPTAIN - UPAMECANO
CK'S - ØDEGAARD
FK'S - ØDEGAARD
PENALTIES - RASHFORD
I want us to hold a deep defensive line to start of with so the oppo don't get an early goal. Keep things simple in the beginning and only pressure the oppo when they get in our half. When we have the ball I want the team to play pass and move football. Don't stay static, try and get in behind the oppo defence as there is a lot of pace in our attacking players. As the game goes on, when we don't have the ball I want the team to defend from the front line and pressure the oppo and try and win possession back. Do this in fits and bursts as it is a tiring tactic.
Defence
GK to be confident in box. Don't take risks. Punch the ball away if the shot is too powerful. Command your area. The defence is well balanced. Upamecano and Dias bring a lot of strength and pace to the defence. Dias will marshal the defence and Upamecano 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 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 to the CM's. Also be on the lookout for the runs of Pulisic/Adama and thread dangerous through balls to them.
Centre Mids
Valverde + Ødegaard
Valverde will be playing as a b2b CM today. He will pick the ball up from deep and use his technique and vision to find the runs of our attacking players and thread deadly passes to them. Play quick passes forward and use your agility to outmanoeuvre the oppo players. Play 1 2 quick passes with your teammates and make penetrating runs from deep. When not in possession of the ball I want him to drop deep in central midfield and try and intercept any passes the oppo will make. Shoot if you have a chance to.
Ødegaard will have a similar role to Valverde except he will be given more attacking freedom. I want him to always make runs forward and when the oppo DM has the ball I want him to put pressure on him and close him down so he makes a mistake and we potentially create a goal scoring opportunity. Use your nimbleness and pace to get away from players marking you in the middle and if you find some space shoot. If you see Ndidi and Valverde struggling in the middle being overwhelmed by the oppo then I want you to focus on helping them more defensively in the centre of midfield.
Wingers
Adama + Pulisic
These 2 will be the focal point of my attack. I want to give them the freedom to express themselves in attack. Pulisic will be looking to cut in from the left and Adama will be looking to get to the byline and to whip some balls in to the area. 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. Dest and Ait-Nouri are no slouches attacking wise so use them! Pulisic will be allowed cut in onto your stronger foot, don't be afraid to shoot from range as you have the ability to score from long range. If there is no space to do so then take the ball to the byline and whip in crosses for Isak to get his head on. Help our FB's in defensive duties if the oppo winger is trying to take them on. Track back and double up on him or mark the run of the opposition FB if they try to make an overlapping run. 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. If we get to the byline with either of the wingers I want them to either whip in a low ball across the face of the net for Isak to poke home or pull the ball back to just outside the box for Valverde/Ødegaard to get a shot in.
Striker
Marcus Rashford MBE
Rashford is a striker that has the deadly combination of pace and finishing. He will look to use his pace 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 use your pace to get away from them. Play quick pass and move combinations with your teammates to fund spaces in the oppo defence.
Subs if LOSING BY 65MINS
Put on Richarlison for Ødegaard and Isak for Pulisic to bring some more attacking impetus on. Play a high line and try and get a goal. Change formation to 41212 and play the below formation. Bring on Reinier for Valverde at AM aswell to add some Brazilian flair. Play a high line and put a lot of pressure on the oppo to win the ball back.
--------------------------------------Onana--------------------------------
Dest-------Upamecano-------------Dias---------Ait Nouri
---------------------------------------Ndidi---------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adama--------------------------------------------------------Richarlison
----------------------------------------Reinier-------------------------------
------------------------Rashford---------------Isak-------------------
Subs if WINNING BY 80MINS
Take off Ødegaard and put on Fofana in CB. Play defensive with everyone in our own half defending for their lives, waiting to hit the oppo on the counter attack. Camavinga on for Pulisic to add more energy in the centre of midfield. Adama will move into strike and to use his terrifying pace on the counter.
-------------------------------------Onana--------------------------------
Dest-----Upamecano------Dias------Fofana--------Nouri
--------------------------Ndidi----------Camavinga-----------------------
----------------------------------Valverde-----------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------Adama----------------Rashford--------------------
Subs if DRAWING BY 65MINS
Richarlison on for Pulisic
Reinier on for Ødegaard
Bailey on for Adama
Fresh legs to bring on.
posted on 11/1/21
------------------- Courtois -------------------
Cancelo --- De Ligt --- Ramos --- Reguilon
----------- Casemiro --- De Bruyne ---------
J.Sancho ------- E.Hazard ---------- L.Sane
----------------- A.Griezmann ----------------
Subs:
Mendy, Ake, Aouar, Eriksen, Asensio, Belotti, Morata
Captain: Ramos
Free Kicks: De Bruyne
Penalties: De Bruyne
Corners: Sancho/Hazard
Tactics:
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 to for the win.
De Bruyne will be the man to run the show, operating slightly deeper he will be free from the shackles of their DM giving him the freedom to run the game. Further forward Hazard will be flanked by Sancho and Sane and will sit just in behind Griezmann, offering a perfect blend of pace, trickery and unpredictability that will cause plenty of problems for their defence. We feel that this front four combined with KDB pushing forward from deep will cause problems galore as we have a multitude of attacking threats in our lineup. We will look to dictate the play and take the game to the opposition.
When they’re in possession we sit deep in a tight 4-5-1 formation, our DM marshalling the middle of the park, breaking down the opposition and setting up us on the counter. By taking away the space in behind we feel that we are taking away a large part of their gameplan as we force them to try and play through a brick wall in front of them. As they push men forward feel that we then have the perfect players to hit them at pace on the counter.
Defence:
We go with a strong defensive unit at the back, packed with pace and quality as we look to nullify the threat posed by the oppositions attack. If the opposition play one up top then Ramos will mark. Strong, aggressive and a great reader of the game we feel he has all the tools to deal with any opponent. De Ligt will act as cover, sweeping up and offering cover in behind to eliminate any balls over the top. The Dutchman sweeping up from the back and immediately looking to get us on the counter with his fantastic vision and passing.
Our fullbacks will stick tight to the wide men, safe in the knowledge that they have supporting cover in behind with De Ligt also drifting across to offer additional support. When in possession both Cancelo and Reguilon have license to push forward with both having great quality in the final third. We look to draw the opposition onto us by sitting deep when they are in possession, limiting the space in behind and drawing them further up the field creating space for us to hit them on the counter.
Midfield:
Casemiro will be our holding player in the middle. An all action player we rely on his fantastic tenacity and high level work rate to break up the opposition play, winning back possession and setting us up on the counter as we look to get the ball into our creative players as quickly as possible. He’ll pick up their most advanced AM and cut out their supply line. He’s also a fantastic passer which will be key in winning the midfield battle and ball retention.
De Bruyne slots alongside him giving us a world class CM duo as we look to take hold of the game. Starting in a slightly deeper role he has freedom to roam and pull the opposition apart. A player with superb vision he will look to get on the ball as much as possible, dropping deep and looking to release Hazard centrally or Sancho and Sane on the flanks as we play at pace. He has license to push forward alongside when we’re in possession, causing them a defensive nightmare as we have a threat from every angle. With a fantastic strike from range we also encourage him to go for goal with a potential thunderbolt on the cards at any moment.
Forwards:
In attack we go with four heavy hitters as we aim or goals. Hazard plays centrally, looking to drift between the lines making himself extremely difficult to be picked up and causing a mismatch in this area of the field. We look to get him on the ball and go at the opposition, a player with fantastic link up play and an for goal he also has license to push up top alongside Griezmann as we go for goals.
Sane and Sancho offer quality from the flanks. Both will be direct, going at the opposition with speed. In one on one situations they can be deadly and with the opposition likely to be concerned with KDB and Hazard there is every chance these two can find space to expose on the flanks. With a powerhouse frontline we go for goals, both wingers will look to cause problems, cutting inside and going direct for goal one moment and driving down the line, bamboozling the opposition before whipping the ball into the box the next.
Griezmann plays through the middle and will have a talented supply line around him. The brief is simple, get into the box and put the ball in the back of the net. With the number of quality attackers we have around him Griezmann could well find himself in one on one match ups in which he thrives. Play on the shoulder of the last man and as always be on your toes in the box, ready to pounce and finish anything that comes your way.
If winning:
80 mins: Hazard & Sane off, Asensio & Ake on. Shut up shop time as we move to 5-4-1 to see out the win. We play compact giving them no space whilst Sancho and the fresh legs of Asensio give us the pace to pick them off on the counter as they commit men forward.
If drawing/losing:
75 mins: Reguilon & Sane off, Aouar & Belotti on. We pile on the pressure as we switch to a back three. Aouar’s introduction free’s up KDB to push forward with Sancho & Hazard on the flanks and the poacher Belotti joining Griezmann up top. Goals.
posted on 11/1/21
Comment deleted by Site Moderator
posted on 11/1/21
--------------------Neuer
Castagne---Akanji---Herandez---Telles
--------------------Partey
Chiesa-------SMS------Foden---Depay
---------------------Kane
Pope
Simakan
Mukiele
Phillips
Brozovic
Ocampos
Malen
A long-awaited return to the action for the boys, and a pretty strong starting line-up selected, in my view. We have opted to continue with our 4-1-4-1 formation, using classic roles assigned to each position on the pitch. Nothing too different today. What we require is high intensity of press across the pitch, quick movement when on the ball, whilst also showing patience to build from deep and draw them out if needed, and plenty of pace to hit them on the attack. We have the tools to play a largely possession game, and dictate the play on our terms, but also to hit them effectively on the counter should they committ men into the attacking areas of the pitch. We are not afraid to implement either system, and will gladly change between the two depending on the gameplan adopted by Portsmouth.
Defensively, we have opted for two attacking full-backs, who both like to get forward and supplement the attack, Castagne with bursting runs into the box, and Telles with his pinpoint crossing delivery. These will both be utilised on the attack, and provide different forms of options for the opposition to deal with. What this means is that Partey will need to adopt his defensive role of shielding the two CBs well. When on the attack, he will almost drop in and opt as a third body in that defence, almost making a back three, until our FBs get back to support, when he will then push forward into a more conventional midfield role. I think the centrebacks that we have picked are both mobile presences, and, between them and Partey, should be capable of dealing with the troublesome mobility that the likes of Ronaldo and Insigne may bring to the Portsmouth attack. We also have SMS operating as a number 8 box-to-box player, supplementing us in key defensive areas, meaning we should be avoiding getting flooded in these positions. Chiesa and Depay will also be allowed to drop back and engage in defensive duties, depending on what state our defense is in. High work rate across the team is important to the system.
When moving the ball forward, we have plenty of willing runners to drive into space, namely Telles, Castagne and SMS, but also both our wide players. We want to try and flood these attacking areas as quickly as possible, players always on the move to provide options, and looking for the space to run at and target, especially in wider areas. Telles’ delivery will be an important asset today, with kane looking to be the target in the penalty area. Kane himself also has the license to drop off and turn provider, looking for the darting runs in behind, namely from Depay and Chiesa. I think we have an attack with plenty of outlets to hurt the opposition, and this variety makes it easier for us to break down the opposition, and pose them questions that they have no answer to. The midfield battle may also be key for us today. In Partey, SMS, and Foden I think we have an assortment of players with enough technical ability for us to boss possession, and enough drive to do all the hard work required to control this area. If we succeed in that then our possession game will work, if we look like losing it then we should resort to our fluid counter attacking system to hit them with speed on the break.
When the ball is lost in advanced areas, it is important for us to engage our high press. This will namely involve Kane targetting the opposition central defence, with Chiesa and Depay attacking their respective wide areas, however, I will allow for these players to support kane in the centre, if Portsmouth set up in a way that means Kane is badly outnumbered (ie, a set up with three at the back and advanced wing backs). Foden should sit on their deep lying playmaker, engaging his press when the ball enters the middle third, in an attempt to keep this player with his face to goal, and push the ball back to the defensive players. All this should buy time for our defensive shape to be recovered, or have us regain possession, in which case we begin our attacking phase again.
Defensive play on the ball is likely to differ based on whatever system we are employing at that time. If we are looking to hit counter attacks, then the movement will need to be quick, whilst if possession is the game then I have no objection to the three central defensive players (Akanji, herandez and Neuer) holding possession, with Castagne and Telles pushing forward alongside Partey, as we wait for the outball to be provided. The movement of Partey and SMS will be key here, as they alternate between dropping off and pushing up, pulling their midfield all over the place, and creating more space for us to move the ball into this area. When the ball gets into midfield we then need to look at quick transitions whatever the game system is, with Foden, SMS, and Partey playing two touch football, and our wide players each providing a different option for the out ball. I want to see Chiesa and Depay tucked inside slightly, allowing for the overlap from their FB, and, operating as inside forwards, allowing them to target these key wide areas and get in behind effectively. We think that doubling up in wide areas will create chances against Portsmouth.
Subs
If winning
Mukiele on for Castagne 70 mins
Fresh legs, and a more reserved option at RB. Less bombing runs forward.
Phillips on for Partey 75 mins
Ocampos on for Chiesa 78 mins
Both fresh legs in key positions.
If losing/drawing
Malen on for Chiesa 70
Foden LW. Depay RW. Malen operating as second striker.
Ocampos on for SMS 74
Ocampos----Foden---Depay
-----------Kane------Malen
posted on 13/1/21
Balanced 4-3-3
We look to attack down the wings attacking with pace, using the pace of our fbs and wingers to create space for the Cm trio in the middle to pull the strings.
The opposition have real quality in midfield, and so we look to hit them with pace. Putting them under pressure in uncomfortable positions, rush them and force them to go long where we will dominate in air. In midfield Tielemans is the dm allowing Ndombele and Pogba to attack. This duo coupled with the pace of our front trio will be key.
When we defend in a narrow 4141 formation, in a tight unit with not much space between the lines. Two players pressing the ball, Tielemans defends zonally behind, and the other closest midfielder in the four blocking the passing lane forward. Force them back. We press in this unit as soon. As the opposition enter our half, let them have the ball in their own half.
With team defending in a narrow unit the wide midfielder comes in narrow helping to pick up any spare midfielders who find space or get behind the midfield press.
As a team we look to push the opposition out wide where they will be limited to crosses and we will have a better chance of clearing our lines.
Lukaku up top plays his natural game, he’s best running in behind the opposition or at them. We look to play with great width stretch the game and the opposition looking to create space for him in the middle. He’s not a target man, but he’s great in the air in the box. One fb bombs forward at a time, we look to get the Cm on each side out combining with the attacking fb and winger playing one twos and producing the magic to create for Lukaku.
———————————— Lloris
Tomiyasu — Koulibaly — Lenglet — L.Digne
——————— Tielemans — Ndombele
———————————— Pogba
Dembele ————————————— Son Heung-M
———————————— Lukaku
Subs. Gulacsi, Rabiot, Isco, Nkunku, Carrasco, M.Kean, Benzema
Defence
We press as soon as they enter our half and seek to contain the opposition in their own half. Defending our half.
When this press fails and the opposition push forward we retreat as a unit in the 4141 formation continuing to press in the same formation with two players pressing the ball. When the opposition beat the initial press and get into the final third, we continue to retreat as a unit getting numbers back and the defensive line finally drops to a deep line. We then allow them to retain possession in areas they can’t hurt us, waiting for the chance to press again and push them back. If they seek to recycle the ball and go back to defence we push out as a unit quickly. Two experienced cbs are key for this ensuring we keep a strong line.
The back 4 defend narrow on the side the opposition are attacking. Remove any space for their wide forwards to operate in. The wide midfielders get back, either helping the defending fb or going inside to the Cm allowing cm to press the play, leaving Tielemans in a central position to sweep in front of the defence.
If they seek to go back and switch the play we move over as a unit, seek to press them before they can switch up the park.
Koulibaly the defensive leader at the back, he is the man marker with Lenglet inteligence and both have pace to cover. The full backs always seek to push their attackers out wide.
Subs.
If winning or drawing after 70 mins bring on Nkunku for Dembele fresh pace and class out wide
If winning or drawing after 75 mins bring on Rabiot for Ndombele.more defensive and fresh pace and power.
If winning after 78 mins bring on Benzema for Lukaku.
If drawing after 80 mins bring on Benzema for Tielemans. 442. Go for win.
If losing after 68 mins bring on Benzema for Ndombele. 4-2-2-2.
If losing after 75 mins bring on Rabiot for Digne. 3-5-2. Tomiyasu rcb.
If losing after 80 mins bring on Isco for Tielemans. Rabiot dm, Pogba Cm, Isco AM.
If losing after 80 mins bring on Isco for Dembele. Pure creativity to complement all the pace on park.
posted on 13/1/21
Bournemouth Tactics: League round 13 (Home to Sheff Utd)
Captain: Ibañez
Vice Captain: Assunção
Team:
------------------Simón
Khellven--Ibañez—Araújo---- Piton
---------------Assunção
-----Guimarães---Gonçalves
Veron----------------------------Antony
-----------------Núñez
SUBS: Ivan, Kaique, Fuchs, Henrique, Azate, Talles, Evanilson
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: Simón is a big mobile keeper and very athletic. 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: Assunção 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. Guimarães and Gonçalves will play just in front of Assunção. Guimarães will be a more box to box type. He will be involved all over and will offer as much in defence as in attack. Gonçalves 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 Veron and Antony 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 Gonçalves, Guimarães and Núñez 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 Guimarães may sit a bit deeper allowing Gonçalves 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.
Núñez 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: Gonçalves, Antony or Veron with Ibañez, Araújo, Assunção and Núñez to offer an aerial threat. Gonçalves and Antony (with his thunderbolt left foot) may try their luck with several free kicks from distance.
Penalties: Núñez
Substitutions: (if winning on 80 minutes) Fuchs for Araújo, Evanilson for Núñez and Henrique for Guimarães, 3 like for like substitutions.
If losing (on 80 minutes) Talles for Guimarães and Evanilson for Veron. Shift to a 4-1-3-2 attack. Evanilson and Talles offering fresh legs, pace and a bit of the unknown in attack.
--------------Assunção
Talles-----Gonçalves----Antony
---------Núñez---Evanilson
posted on 14/1/21
------------------------- De Gea ------------------------
------- B.Pavard ----- Skriniar ---- P.Torres --------
Danilo ----- W-Prowse ----- Bennacer ----- Gosens
------------------------ Grealish ------------------------
---------------- A.Silva -------- Werner ---------------
Bursik, , Romero, Merino, Ziyech, Maddison, Martial, Coman
When we don't have the ball, we will press high up the pitch, conceding very little space, Grealish will look to steal the ball within the attacking third and hopefully, quickly get it to those ahead of him. We do not give them any time on the ball and our front 2 prevent their defence hanging on to it too long or trying to play form the back as we pressurise them all the time.
If they do get to our half then we have a strong back 3 and double pivot ahead to prevent play through the middle, meaning they will need to push wide, whichever side they attack from tho I want Grealish and one of Silva/Werner to push to that side again to close them down and support the wingbacks, lots of pace in the front three to get at players.
When we have the ball it starts from the back moving the ball around between defence and centre midfield until the moment arrives when a pass can be made through to the front line, , there is no rush, if they come pressing we simply move it to the wide areas for them to bomb down the line and look to either cut it back or get a pass into the front three.
De Gea is our sweeper keeper, I want him involved with the defence playing out, if he has the ball I want him to find players especially the wingbacks when we are ready to attack
Pavard & Torres, Cover the wingbacks and take the ball out of defence, use there positional sense well as they may be out paced., must do this with confidence, if they lose the ball then all numbers back to cover, if they are being pressurised then a simple pass even back to the keeper and start again, stay wide (depending on what side) to cover wingbacks if they are forward.
Skriniar - He will press the opposition striker, when we lose the ball he needs to be on top of the CF very quickly, he must intercept everything, but he has the experience to do this, don't take any risks as the CF will also be on him so move it quickly when he gets it.
Danilo and Gosens, must work very hard, they have great work rate but this must done for the whole game, get down the line, get the crosses in, two great forwards to aim for, don't worry so much about whats behind you as their is plenty cover, I don't mean forget your defence duties, just play with a bit of freedom, crosses, one-twos, cut backs and all with pace to hurt them.
Although Bennacer's primary role in front of the defence 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 the No 10/SS is also a main focus, he isn't an out an out DM but he has a lot of grit and determination to his game so 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.
Ward-Prowse 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 and he does a lot. 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, he also has a mean shot from distance and isn't afraid to have a pop.
Grealish is in a free role I want him to dictate proceedings in the final third, either playing the through ball to the front two or use the wingers, pass in between the lines and give them something to run onto as the drive passed the defender, making late runs into the box and look for any loose ball to have a pop at goal, he, Silva & Werner aregreat finishers so look to make late runs into the area and latching onto crosses from wide areas, defending wise, I want him to harass who ever has the ball in that area, get it and move it forward as quickly as possible, also can draw players into him, rtherefore winning a lot of free kicks
Werner I want to be making all the runs behind the defence, drift wide and pull defenders away, quick and skillfull, look to move out to create an outlet for the wingbacks to use or indeed link with Grealish to get Silva away on goal, he and Werner both fantastic in the air, so while they aim for Werner, Silva will be making the late runs into the danger area and with a head start look to get up early and attack the crosses coming in.
Silva, must be able to hold up play for others to support, also run the channels, will sit on the last foot so he can spring them and have a shoot or sight mentality, can move central, 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 he is a very tireless worker, who also helps defend from the from by harassing there back line/DM.
Captain Skriniar
Pens - Werner
Free Kicks - Ward-Prowse/Grealish
Corners - Grealish
Losing -
65 Mins - Ziyech for Danilo, Coman for Gosens, we go 3412 attacking
75 Mins - Martial for Silva
Winning -
75 Mins - Merino for Silva, he goes in between defence and midfield to see it out
83 mins - Martial foe Werner
Drawing -
70 Mins - Ziyech for Danilo. a bit more attacking down the right, Martial lfor Silva
Red Card
De Gea - Bursik for Silva
Gosens - Danilo to LB, Pavard to RB, Merino for Silva 4311
Danilo - Pavard to RB, Merino for Silva 44311
CB - Merino for Silva and into midfield
CM - Pjanic fo Silva
Grealish - Maddison for Silva
CF - Nothing
posted on 16/1/21
Bournemouth v SHEFFIELD UNITED
--------------------Dubravka
Vrsaljko, Stones, T. Silva, Grimaldo
-------------Ampadu, Höjbjerg
-----Bale, James, Saint-Maximin
----------------------Suárez
Subs: Zouma, Ascacíbar, Gallagher, Brooks, Lainez, Verschaeren, Mertens
Captain: Thiago Silva
Free Kicks: Bale/James
Penalties: Suárez (Mertens)
Our defensive unit consists of John Stones and Thiago Silva paired up at centre-back, Sime Vrsaljko at right-back and Álex Grimaldo at left-back, with Ethan Ampadu and Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg as our midfield ‘double pivot’ screening them.
This ‘double pivot’ is the key to our team and in Ampadu and Höjbjerg 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 Höjbjerg can press the ball without leaving lots of space, as Ampadu 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 Höjbjerg's role, he will press almost anywhere in his own half to allow defenders to stay in the defensive line.
With Höjbjerg running his socks off for the team, our high tempo will be dictated by his partner in holding midfield, Ethan Ampadu.
Ampadu 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 Ampadu such a talent.
The attacking unit consists of Gareth Bale, James Rodríguez and Allan Saint-Maximin as our band of three attacking midfielders with Luis Suárez 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 Ampadu or Höjbjerg, then our 4-2-3-1 can spring into attack.
Vrsaljko and Grimaldo can surge up the wings in the knowledge that Ampadu and Höjbjerg can drop into the space left behind if needed. As they come up the wings, both Gareth Bale and Allan Saint-Maximin, who are excellent in tight spaces and fantastic dribblers will cut inside or make runs into the box.
James Rodríguez, our attacking central midfielder’s low centre of gravity will enable him to navigate away from defenders. James is blessed with an instant first touch and can dribble with the ball at such a close proximity to his feet that it makes him almost impossible to tackle this creative passer with his quick flicks and one-touch passing, will combine exceptionally well with Bale, Saint-Maximin & Suárez to create openings and goal scoring opportunities for each other.
Upfront, Suárez will be utilised to “bind” our oppositions defenders in place by occupying them with his positioning, to the point of blocking their defenders in order to create space for Bale, James & Saint-Maximin to exploit between the lines as this trio look to profit from Suárez’s off-the-ball actions.
Suárez will act as a focal point around which our team will build our attacks, using his strength to hold off their defenders. Suárez is proven adept at one-touch passing and quick flicks in combination play and of course Suárez’s stock in trade when the occasion calls for it – intelligent dummies to fool their defenders.
All 4 of our most advanced players are equally gifted in terms of assisting and scoring goals, and as thus we will not be purely reliant on Suárez on this front, although I expect of course for him to find the back of the net on a number of occasions.
Subs on 75 mins
Brooks on for James and Mertens on for Suárez
Double substitution - Lots of energy in the last 15 minutes to look to unlock the opposition’s defence for a late goal regardless of the score line
posted on 17/1/21
-------------------------- Oblak --------------------------
W-Bissaka ---- S.deVrij ---- van Dijk ---- Jordi Alba
--------------- F.de Jong ---- Locatelli -----------------
Mbappe --------------- Musiala ---------------- Neymar
------------------------- Haaland -------------------------
Meslier, Kamara, Chilwell, Zaniolo, Ferran, Greenwood, Calvert-Lewin
Going back to having a number ten, hopefully this brings more goals with someone closer to Haaland in the attacking third. Our game is still based solely on possession football, playing from the back and quick on the break and really pressurise the opposition with an in your face performance from the front we do not allow them to play from the back as our front three play quite a high line, we want to hit them quickly so we need to press them quickly to get the ball, when we defend, the back 4 must stay solid with Locatelli and de Jong ahead of them just in front harassing the man with the ball before they get to our back 4 and our midfield will be in and around the half way line, Haaland slightly higher up always on top of the CBs stopping them passing between each other, this will congest the midfield and allow us to dictate play, defend from the front, 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.
van Dijk picks up the CF not much gets passed him, de Vrij 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, take the ball away from them and play it out of defence, look to get it out wide quickly, They know each other well so they will form a partnership very quickly! 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, both must attack high balls to get the ball away from the opposition big men. Fullbacks keep the wingers quiet, stop their attacks 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, they drive down the line in support of the wingers drive on the outside making an extra man. If either get caught up field I want Locatelli OR de Jong to drift to the side and this allows the fullbacks to make their way to midfield to cover. Musiala also covers by dropping back to fill in the midfield, van Dijk and de Vrij to go up for corners, with the fullbacks and Locatelli sitting back.
Locatelli is our deepest midfielder sitting just in front of the CB's he will shadow there AM and not allow him to control the game, 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 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 will help stop the run of play quicker to make our defenders jobs a lot easier, protect our defence as best as possible, in possession get it to the front 3/4 but also look for fullbacks and Musiala 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. Musiala is essential to our style of play, maybe a gamble starting him, but he is the link between defence and attack, 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 de Jong/Locatelli/CB pass. He will drop back at times to pick it up and will look to his dribbling capabilities to get him around players, and into the danger area to unleash a powerful drive, sometimes taking a foul as he is a tricky player to mark. When in possession always head up looking for the movement of our front three to play them in, he will follow his pass and make up the numbers up front.After the pass he can push wide or central to make that extra man 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 and create space for the front 3. 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 our defenders are superb long ball passers, 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 Musiala 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 Haaland who can beat any defender with power and pace and the other wingers 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 Haaland who will sit on the last foot so he can spring them and have a shoot or sight mentality, can move central, we must always make sure he is well supported, especially Musiala who at times will be right on his shoulder or alongside, 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 he is a very tireless worker, who also helps defend from the from by harassing there back line/DM.
Captain - van Dijk
Penalties - Neymar
Free Kicks - Neymar
Corners - Wingers
Losing
60 Mins - Ferran for Musiala, Ferran to RW, Mbappe to LW, Neymar up top with Haaland to really put the pressure on, Chilwell for Alba same time, fresh legs and good to whip in some crosses for the front two
Winning -
75 Mins - Kamara for Musiala, he goes in between defence and midfield and becomes our DM, allowing Locatelli a bit more freedom
83 Mins - Ferran for Haaland, he goes RW, Mbappe LW, Neymar up top
Drawing -
70 Mins - Ferran for Musiala, RW, Mbappe to LW, Neymar to No.10/SS/CF basically a free role, Chilwell for Alba
posted on 17/1/21
Balanced 4-3-3
We look to attack down the wings attacking with pace, using the pace of our fbs and wingers to create space for the Cm trio in the middle to pull the strings.
The opposition have real quality in midfield, and so we look to hit them with pace. Putting them under pressure in uncomfortable positions, rush them and force them to go long where we will dominate in air. In midfield Tielemans is the dm allowing Ndombele and Pogba to attack. This duo coupled with the pace of our front trio will be key.
When we defend in a narrow 4141 formation, in a tight unit with not much space between the lines. Two players pressing the ball, Tielemans defends zonally behind, and the other closest midfielder in the four blocking the passing lane forward. Force them back. We press in this unit as soon. As the opposition enter our half, let them have the ball in their own half.
With team defending in a narrow unit the wide midfielder comes in narrow helping to pick up any spare midfielders who find space or get behind the midfield press.
As a team we look to push the opposition out wide where they will be limited to crosses and we will have a better chance of clearing our lines.
Lukaku up top plays his natural game, he’s best running in behind the opposition or at them. We look to play with great width stretch the game and the opposition looking to create space for him in the middle. He’s not a target man, but he’s great in the air in the box. One fb bombs forward at a time, we look to get the Cm on each side out combining with the attacking fb and winger playing one twos and producing the magic to create for Lukaku.
———————————— Lloris
Meunier —— Koulibaly — Lenglet — L.Digne
——————— Tielemans — Ndombele
———————————— Pogba
Dembele ————————————— Son Heung-M
———————————— Lukaku
Subs. Gulacsi, Rabiot, Isco, Nkunku, Carrasco, M.Kean, Benzema
Defence
We press as soon as they enter our half and seek to contain the opposition in their own half. Defending our half.
When this press fails and the opposition push forward we retreat as a unit in the 4141 formation continuing to press in the same formation with two players pressing the ball. When the opposition beat the initial press and get into the final third, we continue to retreat as a unit getting numbers back and the defensive line finally drops to a deep line. We then allow them to retain possession in areas they can’t hurt us, waiting for the chance to press again and push them back. If they seek to recycle the ball and go back to defence we push out as a unit quickly. Two experienced cbs are key for this ensuring we keep a strong line.
The back 4 defend narrow on the side the opposition are attacking. Remove any space for their wide forwards to operate in. The wide midfielders get back, either helping the defending fb or going inside to the Cm allowing cm to press the play, leaving Tielemans in a central position to sweep in front of the defence.
If they seek to go back and switch the play we move over as a unit, seek to press them before they can switch up the park.
Koulibaly the defensive leader at the back, he is the man marker with Lenglet inteligence and both have pace to cover. The full backs always seek to push their attackers out wide.
Subs.
If winning or drawing after 70 mins bring on Nkunku for Dembele fresh pace and class out wide
If winning or drawing after 75 mins bring on Rabiot for Ndombele more defensive and fresh pace and power.
If winning after 78 mins bring on Benzema for Lukaku.
If drawing after 80 mins bring on Benzema for Tielemans. 442. Go for win.
If losing after 68 mins bring on Benzema for Ndombele. 4-2-2-2.
If losing after 75 mins bring on Rabiot for Digne. 3-5-2. Tomiyasu rcb.
If losing after 80 mins bring on Isco for Tielemans. Rabiot dm, Pogba Cm, Isco AM.
posted on 18/1/21
Newcastle 4-3-2-1 Christmas
——————— Stegen
Trent — Fabinho — Hummels — Robbo
—— Hendo — Kroos — Verratti
———— Llorente — Alberto
——————— Vardy
Subs. Bastoni, Ings, Curtis, Jota, Kulu, David Silva, Olmo
Captain: Hendo
Set pieces: Kroos
Penalty: Vardy
Today we line up with a set up that allows central combination play. A regista, flanked by two combative all-action midfielders with two creative souls ahead of them. This way we maintain balance but get the best quality out of Kroos, Salah and Modric.
Defensively
The obvious defensive advantage our set-up is that it’s very strong centrally with three central midfielders in front of the defence as well as two centrally positioned attacking midfielders in front of the other three. It automatically forces opponents wide and they will struggle to build any kind of possession play centrally. Therefore, the defending team can force their opponents to play in the spaces least desirable – the wing spaces. We have energetic full-backs who like to quickly sprint out to press and slow down opponents and that they’ll be covered by the ball-near central midfielder. If the full-back can’t press in the wide area, the ball-near central midfielder as well as the ball-near attacking midfielder have access to provide pressure on the ball-carrier.
If we are forced deeper, the two attacking midfielders can quickly slot in with the central midfielders, most often in a wide role, to create a midfield five and thus a 4-5-1 when defending deeper.
Upon loss of possession, we are also perfectly set up against teams who like to counter-press given the close proximity between the players in the attacking structure. Especially if the ball is lost in central areas, we would have at least five players who should be close enough to press intensively or at least delay any forward pass from the opponent’s ball-carrier.
Attacking
Going forward, we will position five players in central areas where we will create a numerical advantage against the opponent. Given the three central midfielders and the two attacking midfielders, the opponent would have to focus on denying space for the two attacking midfielders but that would in turn leave the central midfielders with too much time. If they go to press the central midfielders it will be easy to set the attacking midfielders up in threatening positions between the lines of the opposition. The central positioning of the midfielders and attackers will also lead to teams becoming very narrow to negate the central threat. This will then open up huge spaces down either wing for attacking full-backs to exploit, especially with the passing range of the regista.
Overload the opposition centrally to force them inside and then go and exploit the free wide spaces. Given the full-backs arrive from deeper positions they will be harder to defend as they will be running into space rather than standing in space.
The close proximity between the players will also means it’s easier to change positions which will allow fluid movement between the players both in midfield and in attack. The striker can drop deep only for a midfielder or attacking midfielder to attack the space just vacated behind the striker for example. If both full-backs bomb on the formation will no longer be exactly 4-3-2-1 but rather 2-3-4-1 at that particular moment but the team still plays out of the 4-3-2-1 formation. If the full-backs stand in high wide spaces they will be easier to defend, so the key will be to develop patterns of rotations centrally to unleash full-backs who can come with speed and attack the opponent.
There will be moments during the game where the opponent will go up a gear or two, when that happens the midfielders are not to venture too far ahead of the ball while we focus on the ball-near full-back to join the attack while the ball-far full-back stays in defence with his centre-backs. When the ball is then worked over the two full-backs switch responsibilities.
Subs.
65 mins - Olmo for Alberto. Tired legs but play the same role.
75 mins - Curtis for Kroos. Tired legs, Hendo slots into regista and Curtis goes to where Hendo was.
70 mins drawing/losing - Jota for Verratti. Becomes 4-3-1-2 with Llorente dropping into the midfield 3
80 mins winning - Bastoni for Llorente. Shore up the defensive side and go 3-5-1-1, manage the game to its end.
Stegen
Fabinho Hummels Bastoni
Trent Curtis Hendo Verratti Robbo
Olmo
Vardy
posted on 18/1/21
Attacking 4-3-3
At home we play an attacking 4-3-3 to dominate possession, best form of defence is them not having the ball. Possession always starts at the back and so we go with possibly the two best ball playing cbs out and with great pace to allow us to play the high line needed to play real possession football. As you’d expect with a possession gameplan we will be patient in the first two thirds of the park, this means we will move the ball quickly and at pace but will not force the play, let them chase us tiring them physically and mentally. Fernandes is the exception as we give him freedom to play more direct balls from deeper areas.
In the final third we give all players freedom to use their quality to create and produce magic to open up the opposition.
Up top we go with a front 3 full of pace, the wingers stay high and wide in possession, stretching Arsenal defence and setting the side up perfectly for the possession play. In front of the defence Rodri and Mount are the perfect two for the possession, play with Fernandes playing an Iniesta role as attacking Cm with freedom to drift. Everyone in their best position, in a formation and system that suits everyone playing their natural game.
Both cbs are strong defensively, with great physicality. Rodri in front offering a strong dm presence. The rest of the midfield and attackers are tasked with pressing the ball, Mount and Fernandes bring energy and intensity. The front three also hard working and will press in high areas and win the ball back quickly.
The central trio have the quality to dominate possession with the cbs behind them. We have a front three full of pace, looking to stretch the opposition and create space for our midfielders to exploit.
In defence Rodri drops behind the other two cms who press the play as the trio narrow, similarly in attack Rodri stays deepest but the trio do not play so narrow. We have a defence full of pace and great energy in front so play a reasonably high line, helping us press Arsenal in high areas, and aiding distribution out from the back line.
Marquinhos the man marker as he is the stronger physically and can dominate in the air next to Alaba who is free to use his reading of the game and pace to sweep up. In midfield, the trio narrow in front with the cm opposite play dropping behind, allowing the other two to press with cover. Closing down the space, narrowing to the side of play. Win the ball back from Spurs quickly before they can get anywhere.
Quick passing and moving to find space in between the opposition lines. Using the pace of our wide forwards and fbs (one bombs forward at a time) to create space as we push forward.
We have a cm duo who can both drop deep to offer an option and collect the ball from defence. Likewise a fluid front three, who can switch positions or drop deep to collect the ball from midfield. This fluidity will help the players to get away from their markers, catch the opposition out and create space.
As we move forward we get quick one twos in the opposition half. With this fluid front three, Mount supports creating and linking the play, Fernandes gets in and around the box looking for the final ball or shooting.
Positional structure, in addition to our technical players will be key to our quick passing possession gameplan going forward. Our approach in build up is to play a flexible asymmetric shape, giving bodies on different lines to increase the options we have in possession, and to create gaps in the opposition, and space for our players.
————————————— Allison ———————————
Carvajal — Marquinhos —— Alaba — T.Hernandez
—————————————- Rodri ————————————
————————- M.Mount —— B.Fernandes —————
—————————————————————————————
Zaha ————————- L.Martinez ————— Sterling
Subs. Henderson, Laporte, Neves, Arthur, Felix, Mahrez, Jesus
Defending high
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 gets into a narrow rigid formation behind the ball in position to press high up the park. Stop them breaking and press them high up the park.
In a narrow, rigid formation, we will look to press the space, not allowing them options. Keep them from advancing to positions where they can’t hurt us, by trying to win the ball back very quickly. Then break quickly in these high positions when we do win the ball.
As Arsenal advance into higher areas of the park and into our half, our shape will resemble a 4-1-3-2. Winger on the side of play drops deep and Rodri drops behind the other two cms pressing the space behind the two cms pressing the ball, sweeping up danger behind them and in front of the defence.
Lautaro and the remaining wide forward in the space in between the opposition defence and midfield, and either side of their dm. This will make it difficult for their to dm to circulate possession back to their defence.
The wide man on the side of play that drops and the two cms (Mount and Fernandes) are the trio pressing the ball, and look to force Arsenal backwards. With the two forwards left forward this is where we look to press the opposition into mistakes and win the ball in high areas. With pace to join the attack quickly and overload Arsenal.
When Arsenal get past the initial press higher up the park, we drop deeper into a narrower tighter formation narrowing to the side of play, ensuring there are no gaps in the formation. Our fb’s have fantastic pace up against their wide forwards, bide their time, not diving in.
Subs.
If winning after 70 mins bring on Jesus for Lautaro. More pace up top.
If winning after 75 mins bring on Neves for Mount. Strong defensively and hard working, fresh energy in Cm.
If winning after 75 mins bring on Mahrez for Zaha.
If drawing after 70 mins bring on Jesus for Zaha. More direct and goal scorer.
If drawing after 75 mins bring on Felix for Mount. False 9.
If drawing after 80 mins bring on Neves for Rodri. More energy in Cm and more attacking.
If losing after 65 mins bring on Neves for Rodri.
If losing after 70 mins bring on Felix got Zaha. Fresh trickery to get us back in it.
If losing after 80 mins bring on Jesus for Theo. 3-5-2.
posted on 18/1/21
Wolves vs POMPEY (3-2-4-1)
……………………….Ederson…………….
……….Walker..Alderweireld..Romagnoli….
…………………Jorginho….Kessie…………….
Podence……………………………………………Lozano
…………………Dybala………….Aguero………………………
…………………………..Ronaldo………………………….
Subs: Maximiano, Maguire, Hysaj, Ali, Zielinksi, Abraham, Jiminez
Slight change up for the trip to the pride of the midlands, No Idea how fan will play after last weeks old school 4-4-2 but we’ll make him worry about us, not the other way round.
We’re coming into this game looking to get the ball and play it, keep hold of the ball and dictate the tempo of this game, Wolves have some decent players and in Grealish they certainly have a talent but we have a lot of match-winners of our own and this formation lets us get as many in the side as possible, without leaving us too open at the other end.
Kyle walker is a surprise entry in the back three but he has played there domestically and internationally and what he brings is genuine pace to our back line, because of him being a full-back really he’s comfortable shifting out-wide to deal with the left winger, jockey him don’t dive in, there aren’t many that can beat him in a sprint. Toby A man marks the central striker, stay tight don’t let him turn, if he gets away just nibble at him and slow him down, Romagnoli has played left back, so like Walker will be comfortable doing the shuffle. In possession the ball goes forward, doesn’t have to be far, but on it goes, no feckin about going square.
Kessie and Jorginho add the velvet glove to the iron fist, Jorgy is the pace setter, great engine on him and a fantastic range of passing, he’ll be the playmaker but he’s more than a sit and pass player, he’ll cover every blade of grass – defensively he’ll sit on their AM if they play one – if they don’t then it’s zonal. Kessie is the enforcer, strong as an ox and can win a midfield battle singlehandedly, he goes box to box as well today, we’re taking the game to wolves and our midfield needs to impose itself on the game. Ahead of them we have a fantastic front five so the easy pass should always be on.
Fan has made much of my defence being slow but lets face it, we’ve all seen milk turn quicker than his defence, with this in mind we go with blistering pace in the wings, Podence and Lozano are rapid and they’ll stay as wide as they can, defend on the half-way line to close the gaps, but be on their toes ready to go forward when we have the ball, they both go, we want the overloads and this opens the long diagonals for us to get down the flanks and turn the sluggish Wolves defence.
The front-three are an arrowhead, we want to test the wolves defence’s decision making, the Cm’s cant pick up Aguero and Dybala because our 2 CM’s are playing B2B, but if the CB’s step forward it leaves them 1on1 against Ronaldo.
Dybala is the #10 he’s one of the best in the business in this role, can link the play brilliantly, amazing first touch and a genuine threat hitting them from distance. He’ll drop off a bit deeper trying to make himself a bit of space to work his magic in and trying to take away a defender.
Aguero is a SS not an AM or 10 – his goalscoring touch is still as strong as ever but I want him in the old school “little man” role will drop a pace or two as the ball comes into Ronaldo and will then offer himself up as the lay off, or make the run into the box from deep, either to receive the ball or take another defender away.
As Aguero makes his run and Dibbles drops a yard, Podence and Lozano angle their runs to come inside inbetween full-back and centre back thus screening Wolves defence.
It’s then on Ronaldo who’s playing “the big man” role to either lay it off to effectively 4 other strikers or have a go himself.
When our wingers are playing on the fly and running the line the default setting is Ronaldo to run at the penalty spot, we want him bang central. Aguero and Dybala run the diagonal so Dybala is on the right hand side he goes to the left post and Aguero goes from the left side to the right hand post that cross over serves no real purpose other than to cause more confusion within the wolves defence, do they go man to man or stay zonal, their clumsy ass defenders are bound to sluggishly leave a foot In so if you feel the contact go down and win the pen – I don’t usually condone this but they have Grealish so it balances out (unlike him)
RED CARD
The formation will stay as close to this as possible, so Aguero is the man that makes way unless its one of the front-three
Winger – no sub, Dybala covers the flank and Aguero goes AM
CM – Zielinski > Aguero
CB – Maguire > Aguero
GK – Maximiano > Aguero
Other subs at 65 mins for fresh legs
Zielinski > Jorginho
Hysaj > Alderweireld (he goes LCB and Roma CB)
posted on 18/1/21
Comment deleted by Site Moderator
posted on 18/1/21
-------------------- Mendy --------------------
Cancelo --- De Ligt --- N.Ake --- Reguilon
----------- Casemiro --- De Bruyne ---------
J.Sancho ------- E.Hazard ------ M.Asensio
----------------- A.Griezmann ---------------
Subs:
Sanchez, E.Garcia, F.Mendy, Aouar, Eriksen, Belotti, Morata
Captain: De Bruyne
Free Kicks: De Bruyne
Penalties: De Bruyne
Corners: Sancho/Hazard
Tactics:
Great result last time out and with confidence high we go with more of the same against a strong City side. We largely keep the same winning formula with only a couple of tweaks, Ake coming in to add more pace to our defence whilst Asensio gives us a nice Spanish link down the left.
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 to for the win.
We look to move the ball at speed with De Bruyne again the man to run the show from his slightly deeper position, free from the shackles of their DM giving him the freedom to run the game. Further forward Hazard will be flanked by Sancho and Asensio and will sit just in behind Griezmann, offering a perfect blend of pace, trickery and unpredictability that will cause plenty of problems for their defence. We feel that this front four combined with KDB pushing forward from deep will cause problems galore as we have a multitude of attacking threats in our lineup. We will look to dictate the play and take the game to the opposition.
When they’re in possession we sit deep in a tight 4-5-1 formation, our DM marshalling the middle of the park, breaking down the opposition and setting up us on the counter. By taking away the space in behind we feel that we are taking away a large part of their gameplan as we force them to try and play through a brick wall in front of them.
Defence:
After facing up against two of the quickest wingers in the business last week our full backs our fully prepared for this weeks task. Again likely to be up against pace, Cancelo and Reguilon are a pair of Iberian greyhounds who can run all day and both have had their Weetabix ahead of today's match up.
Unless Rof springs a surprise we're likely to face the beast that is Lukaku up top, a player used to ragdolling his opposition we match power with power and stick De Ligt aka the son of Thor on him. If they opt to play the in-form Kean alongside then Ake will pick him up, otherwise he will act as cover in behind with the pace to cover any balls over the top.
We look to draw the opposition onto us by sitting deep when they are in possession, limiting the space in behind and drawing them further up the field creating space for us to hit them on the counter.
Midfield:
Casemiro will be our holding player in the middle. An all action player we rely on his fantastic tenacity and high level work rate to break up the opposition play, winning back possession and setting us up on the counter as we look to get the ball into our creative players as quickly as possible. His job today will be to sit on toes of the CF and cut out the supply line between their midfield and attack. Stopping the balls into feet of their CF will be key to limiting their attack and Casemiro is one of the best readers of the game. He’s also a fantastic passer which will be key in winning the midfield battle and ball retention.
De Bruyne slots alongside him giving us a world class CM duo as we look to take hold of the game. Starting in a slightly deeper role he has freedom to roam and pull the opposition apart. A player with superb vision he will look to get on the ball as much as possible, dropping deep and looking to release Hazard centrally or Sancho and Asensio on the flanks as we play at pace. He has license to push forward alongside when we’re in possession, causing them a defensive nightmare as we have a threat from every angle. With a fantastic strike from range we also encourage him to go for goal with a potential thunderbolt on the cards at any moment.
Forwards:
In attack we go with four heavy hitters as we aim or goals. Hazard plays centrally, looking to drift between the lines in the #10 role making himself extremely difficult to be picked up and causing a mismatch in this area of the field. We look to get him on the ball and go at the opposition, a player with fantastic link up play and an for goal he also has license to push up top alongside Griezmann as we go for goals.
Sancho and Asensio offer quality from the flanks. Both will be direct, going at the opposition with speed. In one on one situations they can be deadly and with the opposition likely to be concerned with KDB and Hazard there is every chance these two can find space to expose on the flanks. With a powerhouse frontline we go for goals, both wingers will look to cause problems, cutting inside and going direct for goal one moment and driving down the line, bamboozling the opposition before whipping the ball into the box the next.
Griezmann plays through the middle and will have a talented supply line around him. The brief is simple, get into the box and put the ball in the back of the net. With the number of quality attackers we have around him Griezmann could well find himself in one on one match ups in which he thrives. He has license to drop deep pulling their CB's with him and creating space for our wingers to attack in behind. As always he'll be on his toes ready to pounce on anything that chances that fall his way with the Frenchman one of the best finishers in the business.
If winning:
80 mins: Hazard & Reguilon off, E.Garcia & Mendy on. Shut up shop time as we bring on an extra CB and move to 5-4-1 to see out the win. We play compact giving them no space whilst Ferland Mendy adds fresh legs at FB to keep their wingers at bay.
If drawing/losing:
75 mins: Ake & Asensio off, Aouar & Belotti on. We pile on the pressure as we switch to a back three. Aouar’s introduction free’s up KDB to push forward with Sancho & Hazard on the flanks and the poacher Belotti joining Griezmann up top. Goals.
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