Results - Week 5

Injuries
Dimitri Foulquier
Manuel Iturra
Alberto Gilardino

Starting XI

Abbiati
Nyom---Veltman---Vlaar----Kurzawa
Ledesma----Recio
Brahimi------Klaassen------Januzaj
Zivkovic

Subs: Fernandez, Angulo, Murillo, Mainz, Rico, Piti, Benitez, Olic

General: Direct attacking football, with plenty of movement and quick passing.

Attacking Tactics:
Quick, pacey pass and move, not giving opposition time to settle. Zivkovic to start up top, but look to work channels. Klaassen look to get  beyond Zivkovic into the space he leaves. Ledesma as playmaker, dictating our play, Recio playing box to box joining attack when we go forward. Full backs getting forward and overlapping the widemen.

Defensive Tactics:
Back four to stay back. Ledesma and Recio to sit in front and protect, Brahimi and Januzaj to support FBs when we are defending. Pressing from the front to ease work load on midfield and defence.

Subs:
Losing on 70 minutes, Recio off, Riki on, go 4-4-2

Navas

Cassani-Distin-Lucarelli-Flanagan

Livermore-Donati-Donadel

Jese

Toni-Origi

Tactics:

Injuries have forced a reshuffle this week. 3 man midfield sits deeper and FBs push forward to provide width to our attacks. Soak up pressure and look to counter. Let them pass it around their half and the halfway line if they wish.

Attacking:

FBs provide width to our attacks, looking to push up as much as possible. Jese has a free role behind the strikers and between the midfield. Expect him to buzz around all over the field, keeping mobile, preventing being picked up. When we get it back, the midfield should look to find him quickly before they settle. If their backline sits deeper look to get it into Toni who acts as a targetman, if they push up, find Origi running in behind.

Defending:

Older CB partnership so we sit deeper to prevent them being exploited by pace in behind. 3 man midfield will sit deeper to protect both the FBs pushing up and to occupy the space in front as the CBs sit deeper. Don't look to engage their attackers until they come into our third of the pitch.

Granada 2-1 Verona
Verona are forced to play narrow and as such it plays into Granada’s hands because they’re strongest on the wings and built to attack there quickly. With the Verona full backs pushing up in leaves too much space for the Granada game plan and it’s tough to see them holding out all match. I can see a counter attack working in the end for Verona to get a goal.

--------------Carrasso
Arias -Laporte -Planus-Henrique -- Maxwell
-----------Jojic -----Cheyrou
Mariano----------------------Marin
---------------Drogba

Sub: Olimpa,Mariano,Orban,Sertic,Belay,Jussie,Bellion

Defensive Tactics
- Genk are mainly pace down the wings so we're playing 5 across the back to minimalize the chances that they can create for Klose.
- Mariano to track Shaw back and stop him getting a cross in.
- Planus to stick tight to Klose,Laporte clear up behind him, Henrique to look for AM's running in behind.
- Look to stop crosses into the box

Attacking Tactics
- Mariano & Marin to take on the full backs and whip balls into the box, Cheyrou to dictate the pace from deep and track the AM
- Jojic to get forward and link with Drogba and get beyond him
- Drogba to use strength to back into Spahic & Van Buyten and look to roll them

Sub: Rosicky,Belay for Planus,Mariano if losing after 60 mins,

--------------------Koteles--------------------
----Aurier-----Spahic----van Buyten----Shaw----
----Maggio------Diaz------Aranguiz----Depay----
---------------Klose-------Kane----------------

BENCH
van Hout
Durm
Kara
Gerkens
Kumordzi
Cisse
Mboyo


TACTICS
We need to dominate the middle of the park as we feel we have the advantage in players there. Our Chilean pairing in midfield need to look to quickly close down, full of energy. Maggio and Depay need to run at their weak full backs and look to outsprint them, the full backs also have license to get forward to double up. Klose and Kane should look to feed off each other, both have good movement in the box and should both look to get on the end of anything. They are missing their best centre back and won't like being up against two strikers.

Defensively, Van Buyten is the leader at the back and has the main job of keeping Drogba quiet, match him in the air and quickly close him down. The central midfield pairing should sit in front of the back four when out of possession to prevent them getting anything through, with Diaz always staying back (covers full backs) and Aranguiz box to box.

Genk 3-1 Bordeaux
Genk have a very attacking outlook and allied to Nando’s defensive formation it feels like a game that will pit attack vs defence. I feel like Trebs going with a duo up top is a good move (although they aren’t the most natural pairing I’ve seen) and with the midfield being an even game numbers-wise I think Genk have the ability to crack Bordeaux, especially with the quality they have out wide. Drogba is a physical problem but I can’t see him being involved in the match very much.

Buffon
Valera Naldo Lopez Lago
Thiago Mosquera
Leon Totti Fischer
Di Natale

Injuries
John Terry
Alvaro Arroyo
Miguel Moya

DEFENSIVE TACTICS
Fullback to keep wingers on the outside, Naldo pick up main striker Lopez spare man. Mosquera & Thiago close down quick and follow opposition midfield. Both my wingers to track back, Totti to sit on opposite DM and Di Natale on their CB.

ATTACKING TACTICS
Fullbacks to push up one at a time giving width and balls into box, Thiago our playmaker keep ball moving, Mosquera keep it simple. Leon & Fischer mix it up give width and also cut in. Totti make killer pass and get forward in scoring positions, Di Natale always on move look for space and finish your chances.

----------------Stevens-----------------
-Rosales--Bengtsson-Gonzalez--Martins Indi
-------Gutierrez---Clasie---Rabiot--------------
Promes-----------Castaignos---------Tadic


Teamtalk:
Fantastic win under the belt last week but this week up against a veteran in Viva but I think he's there for the taking with recent half effort tactics. Expecting a 4-2-3-1 from him so gone with a 4-3-3 with 3 battling midfielders designed to pressure their holding midfielders as well as stopping them exploiting the hole, and with Tadic and Promes two inside wingers who'll assist Castaignos in exploiting the gap left by Terry missing this week.

Defence
BBC centreback of the WC Gonzalez comes in to add an increased physical presence to the back line as Indi goes out to the wing with the pairing of Gutierrez and Rabiot sitting in front and cutting off supply. FBs to harass their wingers down the outside not letting them turn you and block crosses. When our team loses possession high up field use intelligent fouling to ensure counter attacks are nullified before they can break.

Attack
Clasie knows their team well and is given the most freedom from the midfield trio to come forward, Promes and Tadic encouraged to come inside and target their weakened centreback pairing with Castaignos looking to exploit miscommunication between their defence with timed runs past their back line onto through balls.

Subs: 70m McCormack for Gutierrez , go 4-4-2 with wingers taking a more traditional flank role

Getafe 0-1 Twente
Tough call this one and nearly a draw but I go with Twente to sneak it with a talented 3 in the middle and the ability to hurt a weakened defence. I don’t much like the use of Indi as a leftback and I should imagine he’ll be targeted if he stays there. Totti is still a wily old soul but will he stick to his DM in defence? Not for me. Could do with a bit of strengthening in the midfield I feel.

––––––––––––––––––– Jourdren –––––––––––––––––
–––––– Demichelis ––– de Vrij ––– Romagnoli ––––––
Chambers ––––––––––– Kehl ––––––––––––––– Tiene
–––––– Bakkali –––––– Cabella –––– Bentaleb
––––––––––––––––––– Niang

Subs: Ligali, Congre, Bocaly, Stambouli, Green, Mounier, Montano
Injuries: Andrea Pirlo + Karim Ait-Fana + Laurent Pionnier

Attacking instructions:
- Niang to run across the line, make darting runs between CBs and make the CBs uncertain as to your movement. Bakkali, Cabella and Bentaleb are to play short, sharp passes, keep a quick pace to the game and make runs for through balls.
- Kehl to sit deep, start the counter quickly by seeking out Bakkali, Cabella and Bentaleb’s runs ahead and those of Chambers and Tiene out wide.
- FBs to join attacks sensibly, provide an overlap and get crosses into the box. When FBs attack, Kehl will cover for them, allowing the FBs to join the attack and beat the opposition FBs to get crosses in to the box.

Defending instructions:
- Soak up the pressure, then hit Bremen on the counter. The young legs and pace of Bakkali, Niang, Cabella and Bentaleb will be far too much for them to handle – keep the game tight, win the ball and spring the counter quickly.
- CBs to keep a good shape, keep a good line and ensure communication is clear at all times. De Vrij to be the man-marker of the main striker – keep tight on him. FBs to keep wingers out wide, and don’t let them cross at any time. Force them inside if you have to so that Kehl can deal with them.
- Bakkali, Cabella and Bentaleb to chase and harry the opposition with their youth to allow Kehl space to launch the counter attack when we win the ball back.

Sub on 70mins:
Green for Romagnoli. Switch to a 4-4-2, focus on crossing into the box and on shooting anywhere inside 25 yards. Cabella has a free role to torment the defence:

–––––––––––––––––– Jourdren ––––––––––––
Chambers – Demichelis ––– de Vrij –––– Tiene
Bakkali –––– Kehl ––––– Bentaleb –––– Green
–––––––––– Cabella –––––––––––––––––––––
––––––––––––––––––– Niang –––––––––––––

Last 10 minutes instructions:
- If winning, keep closing down the ball and keep the opposition away from goal.
- If drawing, keep the game tight but look to spring Niang, Cabella, Green and Bakkali with their pace.
- If losing, push Bakkali up front and give the FBs more freedom to attack so that Kehl, Demichelis and de Vrij can marshal the back line and get the ball forward to get the goal we need.

Injuries: Aleksandar Ignjovski, Raphael Wolf, Cimo Röcker

------------Mielitz-----------
Selassie-Prodl-Lukimya-Garcia
------------Kroos-------------
Elia-Obraniak---Junuzovic-Bartels
----------Petersen----------

Defensive Tactics: Today is no different defensively to usual. I want us to be patient when defending and always look to break out as fast as possible and hit them on the counter. Work the ball out from the defensive areas and look to put the ball into Kroos to work the ball out wide or through the central areas. Our setup is a 4-5-1 today with Kroos as the player in between the midfield and defence always looking to recover the ball as soon as possible.

Attacking Tactics: I want you to be quick onto the counter attack whenever we come under pressure, always look to break out and run at the opposition to put them on the back foot. Use the pace that we have combined with the 2 sets of 5 that we have for a more balanced system, take your time on the ball when building from defence and work it into important areas. Petersen - look to get on the end of everything.

70th minute: Beister to come on for Petersen.
75th minute: Ekici to come on for Obraniak
80th minute: Makiadi to come on for Junuzovic.

Montpellier 2-1 Bremen
I so wanted to give Miky a result because he deserves it tactically. I think the side is a bit short on quality in the key spots though and a few additions out wide and in the middle would help you. Azzy has a strong side, and it’s well set up – except I’d put Demechelis in the middle of any three because his lack of pace can be exposed is he’s on the edges. The midfield I like a lot, but I’d say Niang can be improved upon with a proven goalscorer. Funny game to watch probably because both teams are patient, waiting for the other to lose the ball and then quick out of the traps to counter. Azzy wins based on having the superior quality where it matters.