Week 8 Tactics

-------------------------------------------------Phillips-------------------------------
De Marcos-------------------Tah----------------------Sule--------------------Dawson
----------------------------------Yacob------------------Evans-------------------------
Vazquez---------------------------------Weigl------------------------------------Passlack
----------------------------------------------Diaz----------------------------------

Injuries: Sebastian Prodl, Thiago Motta, Ciro Immobile, Younes Kaboul

-------------Pantilimon-------------
-----Rudiger--Silva--Cathcart------
Moses---Behrami--Capoue----Kolasinac
---Robben----------------Pereyra---
----------------Ighalo-----------------

Subs:Gomes, Britos, Watson, Mariappa, Amrabat, Success, Sinclair.

General game plan today is to control the midfield area
Robben and Moses are to push on out wide to pressure Dawson
Silva to watch the striker and adjust to whatever style he plays
Pereyra to push in field and look to slip Ighalo in behind Tah and Sule
Pereyra to roam in and around the number 10 area to unlock the defensive door
Defensively, Moses and Kolasinac need to put in shifts on the flanks, getting up and down in the wing back positions
Capoue and Behrami to drop off when WBA have possession to protect the back 3
I want us to dominate this game, possess the ball with confidence and make our chances count.

85th - Watson on for Behrami
90th - Amrabat on for Pereyra

----------------------Pickford----------------------
---Meunier-------Kone---------Bartra-------Alonso---
------------Arter------Gueye-------Cyprien----------
--Redmond--------------Dzeko----Wilson--------------


BENCH
Mannone
Doria
van Aanholt
Khazri
Januzaj
Defoe
Abraham


TACTICS (150 words)
We have been struggling all season but this is the week where hopefully it changes. I want us to play quickly, with a mixture of counter attacking and long balls upfield to our forwards to play directly. Sit deep to counter their fast attackers, not allowing them any space in behind.

Redmond in particular I want to have a go at their left back, whereas Callum Wilson on the other flank is nominally a winger but will be anything but. I want him drifting in and looking for space. Valencia is good at defending one on ones but can be caught out of position. Dzeko to hold up the ball to get others into play, with Arter and Cyprien both in box to box roles, show a good range of passing.

Substitutions
If winning – Khazri and Defoe for Redmond and Dzeko,
If losing – Defoe and Januzaj for Cyprien and Arter.

----------------------Valdes

Valencia----Van Dijk------Linedelof------Rose

--------Locatelli-----Rabiot----Bentaleb

Dembele-----------------------------------Rashford

-----------------------Plea


Subs - Konstantopolous, Barragan, Gibson, Clayton, Forshaw, Sims

Midfield to stay compact and press as a unit to cut off their passing options. We're not so concerned about their attacking mids/wingers and confident our defence can handle them.

We want to win the ball high up the field and get the front 3 going forward asap.

Bentaleb to be the most attacking of our midfielders, but Rabiot also free to support the attack

Rashford/Dembele run off Plea, swap around positions to give the defenders more problems

Van Dijk to man mark the main striker and marshall our defence, Lindelof cover

Full backs free to go forward and provide width

Subs
Winning at 70 - Gibson for Bentaleb - go to 5 at the back and play on the counter
Losing at 70 - Sims for Locatelli - 2 up top with Rashford/Plea and get crosses in

West Brom vs Watford - Watford win - Nadz did nothing so that's easy

Whilst I do not think the Watford team has the right type of players to play a possession game, the complete lack of instructions for West Brom makes this an easy choice. It's taking the under 150 words rule to the extreme!

Hard to give anything but a Watford win here which is a real shame as Nadz is beginning to put together one of the best teams I've seen him do in recent leagues. Watford are for me now playing a better formation, one that certainly suits Moses and the acquisition of Silva makes it a stronger looking defence although I don't think he's as good a CB as in previous years. Watford ease to victory.

Sunderland vs Boro - middlesbrough win - They hold the midfield and take apart Sunderland with width - Need a better forward though, Sunderland need better wingers and a CM imo and then they should be better off against some of the weaker side in the league.

I think Trebs is now starting to show some improvements but he is making up lost ground and it shows. The Boro tactics were good and whilst I think Trebs were better, the quality in Bams more than made up for that. I love the midfield three!
Boro win

Tactically I think Trebs has got it spot on but team wise Bam edges it so a close one to call. Trebs still needs work to do on his team over the coming weeks but the green shoots of recovery are there. Bam is going FIFA pace abuse with his team but I could see them getting a kicking one week. Giving the edge just to Trebs for his tactics but this would have been a draw for me.