Post by Kieran on Nov 5, 2013 10:46:56 GMT
Hello, welcome to the 2008-2013 World Football Draft Game. Basically, 8 players have spent the last couple weeks picking players to make a team (you can see how they did it in this thread pldraftgame.freeforums.net/thread/45/2008-world-football-draft-round ). and they are now ready to go head-to-head against each other to win your vote - which do you think is the better team? The voter has both the squad-sheet and the bios/tactics to consider!
The key rule for this edition of the game is that players are to be judged on the basis of their performances for club and country between 2008 and 2013, - so what they did outside of these years, is not directly relevant here.
Additionally, voters are requested to please justify the votes you cast: an explanation of why you voted for the team you did would be much appreciated and would add to the game as a whole. If you vote but don't justify your selection, then that vote may be discarded when totting up the final results. Please vote and adhere to the rules on each match thread.
Good luck to Lewis and Mac
Lewinick - Formation/bio/tactics
Bios
Tactics
Attacking
Not a great deal has changed between the attacking philosophy here and that used in earlier rounds. Obviously the key new ingredient is replacing Hazard with oft voted the World's 3rd best attacking player Andres Iniesta. Iniesta adds a complete new dimension to the side. He's a much more subtle player than Hazard, and is likely to cause Mac a variety of different problems than Hazard would have. He'll be expected to pop in midfield at times, probing from deeper, but the majority of the time he'll be stationed on the left side, cutting in and attacking Ramos and Lahm with those silky skills and incisive passing of his. There's an obvious link up with Busquets there, and Busquets will frequently look to Iniesta as his out ball, with Coentrao overlapping down the left to cause Lahm a headache or two.
For my money we have 3 of the best attacking full backs in world football in this tie. Unfortunately for me I only have one of them! Not that Coentrao is any slouch. Alves will again be a crucial part of my attacking lineup, stretching the play on the right and looking inside for the movement of Suarez and Van Persie as well as the on rushing Schweinsteiger. Marcelo is a phenomenal athlete but has at times been known to be caught a little short defensively, and Dani Alves will aim to capitalise on this if and when Marcelo is out of position.
Whilst Schweinsteiger will largely have defensive and play building responsibilities in this side, the lack of a natural number 10 in Mac's side should afford Schweinsteiger the luxury of bombing forward and making late runs into the penalty area where Coentrao, Iniesta & Alves will be able to pick him out.
Defending
The defensive play will largely look after themselves with Busquets and Schweinsteiger stationed in front of Terry and Ferdinand and Iniesta dropping into midfield if and when necessary. The diagram above shows how I expect Mac to attack. The lack of a natural number 10 should play into my hands, with SB & BS athletic enough to combat the constant running of Toure, whilst Xavi will find little room for manoeuvre in that midfield.
I'd imagine Mac will aim to focus on his left wing where he has Marcelo and Ribery ready to reek havoc. Obviously Alves is a naturally attacking full back and may at times be caught short here, however one of the deeper lying midfielders will be available to cover, and Ferdinand is more than able to come across with Busquets dropping in, again the lack of an obvious goal threat from Mac's midfield 3 potentially plays into my hands here.
I suspect Mac will utilise Silva cutting in from the right side, and aiming to link up with Aguero. I think Iniesta has a role to play here, chasing back and helping out Coentrao, something I don't expect Suarez to do so frequently on the right. Again I have the two midfield 'beasts' to give Silva a hard time if and when needed.
Scroobiusmac - Formation/bio/tactics
Bios
Thibaut Courtois
At the tender age of 21 Courtois already has 65 cleansheets in 3 seasons. After being named Genk’s player of the season and winning the Belgian league aged just 18 Courtois was snapped up by Chelsea and subsequently farmed out to Atletico Madrid. He has been quite a revelation combining excellent shot-stopping with an excellent penalty box presence. He has Europa League and Copa del Rey victories to his name - he has only ever lost one cup tie.
Phillip Lahm
Combines pace and stamina to match any winger with superb technical ability. Lahm finished second for assists in Bundesliga behind Ribery in 12/13. A major factor in both Bayern’s superb defensive record and ability to change tempo from possession based football to swift and decisive counter-attacks. Named in the team of the tournament for Euro 2008 and 2012 and the World Cup.
Sergio Ramos
Like Lahm, Ramos was named in the team of the tournament at both Euros and the World Cup. Two appearances in the UEFA team of the season, three in FIFA’s. 111 caps for the greatest international side of all time and the youngest player ever to reach 100 caps. A huge part of Spain’s World Cup and Euro triumphs where they conceded only 3 goals in 13 game. Present for all of Spain’s astonishing run of conceding zero goals in all knock-out matches despite facing Paraguay, Germany twice, Holland, Russia, Italy twice, France and Portugal.
Javier Mascherano
Mascherano is extremely disciplined has superb positioning and excellent tackling. Converted to a centre-back for Barcelona where he has played in both two and three man defences alongside Puyol. He played a large role in Liverpool’s 2nd place finish in 2009/10 before joining Barcelona and helping them win two La Liga titles and a Champions League. He has been a regular for Argentina and captain since 2010 and has an Olympic Gold Medal from 2008 to his name.
Carles Puyol
A true central defensive leader for the most successful club and international teams throughout this period. A blend of aggression and aerial domination combined with the technical ability you expect from a product of La Masia. Team of the tournament for both World Cup and European Cups he featured at.
Marcelo
Everything you could ask for in a modern full-back. Marcelo possesses tenacity, pace, stamina and really impressive dribbling. He also possesses a mean cross and bullet shot contributing 22 goals and 30 assists for club and country over this period. In 09/10 he was second only to Messi for assists in La Liga. He was also a key figure in Real Madrid’s record breaking 11/12 season earning plaudits from Paolo Maldini and Roberto Carlos. Named in UEFA and FIFA’s team of the season in 2011 and 2012 respectively.
Yaya Toure
Alongside Guardiola and Messi, Toure helped kick-start the era of Barcelona dominance by providing the defensive foil that allowed Xavi and Iniesta the freedom to express themselves. After Toure was snapped up by Manchester City he became a force to be reckoned with. Able to boss midfields, break up opposing attacks, drive forward a City counter or pick out a pass. A Champions League and 3 league titles to his name over this period, Toure was also named African Footballer of the Year in 2011 and 2012.
Xavi
96 assists and 54 goals for club and country. 4 La Ligas, 2 Champions Leagues, 2 European Championships, 1 World Cup. FIFA and UEFA team of the year every single season. The most successful Spanish player of all time. Finished behind only the ineligible Messi and Ronaldo for Ballon D’or/FIFA World Player of the year in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Xavi combines the supreme ability in controlling tempo, close control, threading a pass and finding space to operate within.
David Silva
74 assists for club and country within this period. Possessed with superb close control, brilliant vision, Deep Blue-esque decision making and artistry to the weighting of his passes. Utilised as both a creative attacking midfielder and an interior winger Silva has been incredibly influential in City’s style of play. Since debuting in the Premier League Silva has created 249 chances from open play, 72 more than any other player. He has the patience and timing to pick passes through teams who have parked the bus whilst also having the quickness of mind to split teams open on the counter. Used on the right-wing Silva started all 6 games of Spain’s Euro 2012 campaign, scoring 2 goals and creating 3 others and was named in the team of the tournament.
Sergio Aguero
Consistent 1 in 2 goal scoring record for both club and country over this period of 139 goals in 279 games. Aguero is a marvellous mixture of penalty box predator and awareness in dropping between the lines. After helping Atletico Madrid to the Euoropa League in 09/10 Aguero went on to score 27 goals in 10/11 before joining Manchester City. His performances led City to their first Premier League title with Aguero scoring one of the most iconic goals in Premier League history.
Franck Ribery
One of brightest of the many stars of Bayern’s last 3 seasons. In 12/13 he was pivotal in Bayern’s brilliant counter-attacking against Barcelona, and in the league provided 10 goals and 14 assists in just 24 starts. In total he has 79 goals and 83 assists for club and country in this period. Considering he has struggled with injury to an extent for a couple of these years these are phenomenal numbers. Tricks galore, a superb cross and excellent through balls Ribery is able to create numerous opportunities for his team-mates whilst his role as an inverted winger sees him able to cut onto his fearsome right foot.
Tactics
Balls out time. I originally wrote this out as the standard 4-3-3 type formation but the more I thought about what I wanted each player to do on and off the ball and how I wished to counter LN’s strengths switching to 3-4-3 made the most sense. Barcelona switched to 3-4-3 on multiple occasions as a response to teams who are narrow and/or play with two strikers. I believe that whilst LN will ostensibly set Suarez up on the right hand side Suarez’s tendency to drift/carry the ball into positions that strikers occupy will actually leave him with both RVP and Suarez up front.
Additionally, whilst a core featuring RVP, Sneijder, Suarez, Iniesta, Schweinsteiger, Busquets is absolutely formidable it also lacking width and much pace. The best way to counter this is to both press incessantly to regain possession and also to crowd the central area with 3 central defenders, a defensive Toure and then the wing-backs dropping back able to prevent Suarez and Iniesta drifting into wide areas when LN has possession.
At the same time the formation will allow me to use Marcelo and Lahm’s excellent attacking ability and stamina to provide width and stretch LN’s back 4. Key to this is the ability of both Marcelo and Lahm to dribble, play passes inside or the more direct crossing route. In Lahm’s case when attacking he will find himself largely in isolation against Coentrao forcing the Portuguese back and giving him less chance of providing Iniesta with an option on the overlap. On the other side Ribery and Marcelo will work in tandem against Alves tracking his runs and preventing him from offering width they will also aim to exploit space that Alves will leave behind him at times.
This also brings Silva’s creativity drifting inside as well as offering that further link-man between Xavi and Aguero. Aguero will again aim to probe between the lines and beyond Terry and Ferdinand. Players will aim to deliver the ball to Aguero’s feet where he is able to his strength to hold up the ball or turn Terry and Ferdinand with his exceptional acceleration. Xavi and Silva will also be looking for Aguero making runs behind defenders where his impressive finishing will be showcased.
Yaya Toure will be expected to play a more disciplined role that he played a Barcelona when they won their first CL of this period offering a platform for Xavi and Silva to play off of. He will offer a physical presence in the middle looking to break up attacks. He will also be a key distributor of the ball able to the play it long and short. Xavi will do what he does best- finding space picking out superb passes.
Defensively, as well as congesting the central area when LN is in possession, the aim will be that by playing 3 at the back against what will end up being a two striker system will give me a spare man at the back. This will leave to more able to cope with the movement of LN’s attacking players preventing runs beyond my defenders and enabling me to intercept through balls, win aerial battles and provide timely tackles.
Good luck Lewinick
The key rule for this edition of the game is that players are to be judged on the basis of their performances for club and country between 2008 and 2013, - so what they did outside of these years, is not directly relevant here.
Additionally, voters are requested to please justify the votes you cast: an explanation of why you voted for the team you did would be much appreciated and would add to the game as a whole. If you vote but don't justify your selection, then that vote may be discarded when totting up the final results. Please vote and adhere to the rules on each match thread.
Good luck to Lewis and Mac
Lewinick - Formation/bio/tactics
Bios
Hugo Lloris - A brilliant goalkeeper, not as outstanding as others in this draft but certainly one who can be counted upon. Excellent with the ball at his feet, as well as sweeping up
in behind defenders when needed. Notable individual honours include France GKOTY 2009, 2010 & 2012.
Dani Alves - In my humble opinion, the best full back of his generation, certainly the most successful. The complete modern full back, as good offensively as he is
defensively. Has played a crucial role in much of Barcelona's ludicrous success, particularly offering an alternative option for the deeper players to hit.
Rio Ferdinand - Doesn't really need me to big him up, we all know just how good he is/has been during this time period. Possibly the best defender in Europe in 2008,
winning the PL & CL, as well as being in the PL & World XIs.
John Terry - Captain Leader Legend etc. Unfashionable because he's a berk. Doesn't hide the fact that he's one of the standout defenders of the 00's. Uefa TOTY 2008, 2009. Uefa Best defender 2008, 2009. Should compliment Rio very well, even if they'd like to poke each others eyes out.
Fabio Coentrao - Like Dani Alves, another brilliant modern full back. Offers a huge amount going forward, as well as being a very good defender. Was named in the Euro 2012 TOTT for his exceptional performances for Portugal.
Sergio Busquets - Don't think it's unreasonable or hyperbolic to say he's the best defensive midfielder of his generation. The complete footballer, few read the game better, pass better, tackle better,make more interceptions. Could yada on for 2000 words about him and his honours since 2008, don't think I need to.
Bastian Schweinsteiger - A manager's dream, complete midfielder who's able to play a variety of roles in the midfield to a very high level. Consistently excellent across the whole period, he is the engine room of both Bayern and Germany.
Wesley Sneijder - Between 2008-2010, not many would argue that Sneijder was one of (if not the) best attacking midfielders in world football. Named in the TOTT at Euro 2008 and World Cup 2010, he was also MoM in the 2010 UCL final, a vital part of Inter's glittering season. A brilliant reader of the game, he's known for his passing and long range shooting, as well as capability to split even the best defences.
Andres Iniesta - Provides a completely new dimension to the side, will offer a subtlety and finesse that was perhaps lacking before. Should link up very well with Sneijder and Van Persie, who're on a similar level technique-wise (claim). Won everything, did it again. Some might say the most clutch player of all time, if it's 1-1 with 2 minutes to play I'd take him over anyone.
Luis Suarez - Suarez will play as a wing forward, something he's been accustomed to at Liverpool and Uruguay. Scored 77 goals in his final 2 seasons at Ajax, and has carried on that form at Liverpool, albeit with fewer goals, but in a more difficult league. Named in the PL TOTS in 2013 as well as winning POTT at the Copa America 2011, which Uruguay won.
Robin Van Persie - Arguably the best out and out striker in World football over the past 3 years. Don't think I need to write much here, we all know what he's known for and how he operates. Just as capable of scoring from 30 yards he is from 3, in his full season so far at Man Utd he won the golden boot, the PL and provided a series of match winning performances. Match winner.
in behind defenders when needed. Notable individual honours include France GKOTY 2009, 2010 & 2012.
Dani Alves - In my humble opinion, the best full back of his generation, certainly the most successful. The complete modern full back, as good offensively as he is
defensively. Has played a crucial role in much of Barcelona's ludicrous success, particularly offering an alternative option for the deeper players to hit.
Rio Ferdinand - Doesn't really need me to big him up, we all know just how good he is/has been during this time period. Possibly the best defender in Europe in 2008,
winning the PL & CL, as well as being in the PL & World XIs.
John Terry - Captain Leader Legend etc. Unfashionable because he's a berk. Doesn't hide the fact that he's one of the standout defenders of the 00's. Uefa TOTY 2008, 2009. Uefa Best defender 2008, 2009. Should compliment Rio very well, even if they'd like to poke each others eyes out.
Fabio Coentrao - Like Dani Alves, another brilliant modern full back. Offers a huge amount going forward, as well as being a very good defender. Was named in the Euro 2012 TOTT for his exceptional performances for Portugal.
Sergio Busquets - Don't think it's unreasonable or hyperbolic to say he's the best defensive midfielder of his generation. The complete footballer, few read the game better, pass better, tackle better,make more interceptions. Could yada on for 2000 words about him and his honours since 2008, don't think I need to.
Bastian Schweinsteiger - A manager's dream, complete midfielder who's able to play a variety of roles in the midfield to a very high level. Consistently excellent across the whole period, he is the engine room of both Bayern and Germany.
Wesley Sneijder - Between 2008-2010, not many would argue that Sneijder was one of (if not the) best attacking midfielders in world football. Named in the TOTT at Euro 2008 and World Cup 2010, he was also MoM in the 2010 UCL final, a vital part of Inter's glittering season. A brilliant reader of the game, he's known for his passing and long range shooting, as well as capability to split even the best defences.
Andres Iniesta - Provides a completely new dimension to the side, will offer a subtlety and finesse that was perhaps lacking before. Should link up very well with Sneijder and Van Persie, who're on a similar level technique-wise (claim). Won everything, did it again. Some might say the most clutch player of all time, if it's 1-1 with 2 minutes to play I'd take him over anyone.
Luis Suarez - Suarez will play as a wing forward, something he's been accustomed to at Liverpool and Uruguay. Scored 77 goals in his final 2 seasons at Ajax, and has carried on that form at Liverpool, albeit with fewer goals, but in a more difficult league. Named in the PL TOTS in 2013 as well as winning POTT at the Copa America 2011, which Uruguay won.
Robin Van Persie - Arguably the best out and out striker in World football over the past 3 years. Don't think I need to write much here, we all know what he's known for and how he operates. Just as capable of scoring from 30 yards he is from 3, in his full season so far at Man Utd he won the golden boot, the PL and provided a series of match winning performances. Match winner.
Tactics
Attacking
Not a great deal has changed between the attacking philosophy here and that used in earlier rounds. Obviously the key new ingredient is replacing Hazard with oft voted the World's 3rd best attacking player Andres Iniesta. Iniesta adds a complete new dimension to the side. He's a much more subtle player than Hazard, and is likely to cause Mac a variety of different problems than Hazard would have. He'll be expected to pop in midfield at times, probing from deeper, but the majority of the time he'll be stationed on the left side, cutting in and attacking Ramos and Lahm with those silky skills and incisive passing of his. There's an obvious link up with Busquets there, and Busquets will frequently look to Iniesta as his out ball, with Coentrao overlapping down the left to cause Lahm a headache or two.
For my money we have 3 of the best attacking full backs in world football in this tie. Unfortunately for me I only have one of them! Not that Coentrao is any slouch. Alves will again be a crucial part of my attacking lineup, stretching the play on the right and looking inside for the movement of Suarez and Van Persie as well as the on rushing Schweinsteiger. Marcelo is a phenomenal athlete but has at times been known to be caught a little short defensively, and Dani Alves will aim to capitalise on this if and when Marcelo is out of position.
Whilst Schweinsteiger will largely have defensive and play building responsibilities in this side, the lack of a natural number 10 in Mac's side should afford Schweinsteiger the luxury of bombing forward and making late runs into the penalty area where Coentrao, Iniesta & Alves will be able to pick him out.
Defending
The defensive play will largely look after themselves with Busquets and Schweinsteiger stationed in front of Terry and Ferdinand and Iniesta dropping into midfield if and when necessary. The diagram above shows how I expect Mac to attack. The lack of a natural number 10 should play into my hands, with SB & BS athletic enough to combat the constant running of Toure, whilst Xavi will find little room for manoeuvre in that midfield.
I'd imagine Mac will aim to focus on his left wing where he has Marcelo and Ribery ready to reek havoc. Obviously Alves is a naturally attacking full back and may at times be caught short here, however one of the deeper lying midfielders will be available to cover, and Ferdinand is more than able to come across with Busquets dropping in, again the lack of an obvious goal threat from Mac's midfield 3 potentially plays into my hands here.
I suspect Mac will utilise Silva cutting in from the right side, and aiming to link up with Aguero. I think Iniesta has a role to play here, chasing back and helping out Coentrao, something I don't expect Suarez to do so frequently on the right. Again I have the two midfield 'beasts' to give Silva a hard time if and when needed.
Scroobiusmac - Formation/bio/tactics
Bios
Thibaut Courtois
At the tender age of 21 Courtois already has 65 cleansheets in 3 seasons. After being named Genk’s player of the season and winning the Belgian league aged just 18 Courtois was snapped up by Chelsea and subsequently farmed out to Atletico Madrid. He has been quite a revelation combining excellent shot-stopping with an excellent penalty box presence. He has Europa League and Copa del Rey victories to his name - he has only ever lost one cup tie.
Phillip Lahm
Combines pace and stamina to match any winger with superb technical ability. Lahm finished second for assists in Bundesliga behind Ribery in 12/13. A major factor in both Bayern’s superb defensive record and ability to change tempo from possession based football to swift and decisive counter-attacks. Named in the team of the tournament for Euro 2008 and 2012 and the World Cup.
Sergio Ramos
Like Lahm, Ramos was named in the team of the tournament at both Euros and the World Cup. Two appearances in the UEFA team of the season, three in FIFA’s. 111 caps for the greatest international side of all time and the youngest player ever to reach 100 caps. A huge part of Spain’s World Cup and Euro triumphs where they conceded only 3 goals in 13 game. Present for all of Spain’s astonishing run of conceding zero goals in all knock-out matches despite facing Paraguay, Germany twice, Holland, Russia, Italy twice, France and Portugal.
Javier Mascherano
Mascherano is extremely disciplined has superb positioning and excellent tackling. Converted to a centre-back for Barcelona where he has played in both two and three man defences alongside Puyol. He played a large role in Liverpool’s 2nd place finish in 2009/10 before joining Barcelona and helping them win two La Liga titles and a Champions League. He has been a regular for Argentina and captain since 2010 and has an Olympic Gold Medal from 2008 to his name.
Carles Puyol
A true central defensive leader for the most successful club and international teams throughout this period. A blend of aggression and aerial domination combined with the technical ability you expect from a product of La Masia. Team of the tournament for both World Cup and European Cups he featured at.
Marcelo
Everything you could ask for in a modern full-back. Marcelo possesses tenacity, pace, stamina and really impressive dribbling. He also possesses a mean cross and bullet shot contributing 22 goals and 30 assists for club and country over this period. In 09/10 he was second only to Messi for assists in La Liga. He was also a key figure in Real Madrid’s record breaking 11/12 season earning plaudits from Paolo Maldini and Roberto Carlos. Named in UEFA and FIFA’s team of the season in 2011 and 2012 respectively.
Yaya Toure
Alongside Guardiola and Messi, Toure helped kick-start the era of Barcelona dominance by providing the defensive foil that allowed Xavi and Iniesta the freedom to express themselves. After Toure was snapped up by Manchester City he became a force to be reckoned with. Able to boss midfields, break up opposing attacks, drive forward a City counter or pick out a pass. A Champions League and 3 league titles to his name over this period, Toure was also named African Footballer of the Year in 2011 and 2012.
Xavi
96 assists and 54 goals for club and country. 4 La Ligas, 2 Champions Leagues, 2 European Championships, 1 World Cup. FIFA and UEFA team of the year every single season. The most successful Spanish player of all time. Finished behind only the ineligible Messi and Ronaldo for Ballon D’or/FIFA World Player of the year in 2009, 2010 and 2011. Xavi combines the supreme ability in controlling tempo, close control, threading a pass and finding space to operate within.
David Silva
74 assists for club and country within this period. Possessed with superb close control, brilliant vision, Deep Blue-esque decision making and artistry to the weighting of his passes. Utilised as both a creative attacking midfielder and an interior winger Silva has been incredibly influential in City’s style of play. Since debuting in the Premier League Silva has created 249 chances from open play, 72 more than any other player. He has the patience and timing to pick passes through teams who have parked the bus whilst also having the quickness of mind to split teams open on the counter. Used on the right-wing Silva started all 6 games of Spain’s Euro 2012 campaign, scoring 2 goals and creating 3 others and was named in the team of the tournament.
Sergio Aguero
Consistent 1 in 2 goal scoring record for both club and country over this period of 139 goals in 279 games. Aguero is a marvellous mixture of penalty box predator and awareness in dropping between the lines. After helping Atletico Madrid to the Euoropa League in 09/10 Aguero went on to score 27 goals in 10/11 before joining Manchester City. His performances led City to their first Premier League title with Aguero scoring one of the most iconic goals in Premier League history.
Franck Ribery
One of brightest of the many stars of Bayern’s last 3 seasons. In 12/13 he was pivotal in Bayern’s brilliant counter-attacking against Barcelona, and in the league provided 10 goals and 14 assists in just 24 starts. In total he has 79 goals and 83 assists for club and country in this period. Considering he has struggled with injury to an extent for a couple of these years these are phenomenal numbers. Tricks galore, a superb cross and excellent through balls Ribery is able to create numerous opportunities for his team-mates whilst his role as an inverted winger sees him able to cut onto his fearsome right foot.
Tactics
Balls out time. I originally wrote this out as the standard 4-3-3 type formation but the more I thought about what I wanted each player to do on and off the ball and how I wished to counter LN’s strengths switching to 3-4-3 made the most sense. Barcelona switched to 3-4-3 on multiple occasions as a response to teams who are narrow and/or play with two strikers. I believe that whilst LN will ostensibly set Suarez up on the right hand side Suarez’s tendency to drift/carry the ball into positions that strikers occupy will actually leave him with both RVP and Suarez up front.
Additionally, whilst a core featuring RVP, Sneijder, Suarez, Iniesta, Schweinsteiger, Busquets is absolutely formidable it also lacking width and much pace. The best way to counter this is to both press incessantly to regain possession and also to crowd the central area with 3 central defenders, a defensive Toure and then the wing-backs dropping back able to prevent Suarez and Iniesta drifting into wide areas when LN has possession.
At the same time the formation will allow me to use Marcelo and Lahm’s excellent attacking ability and stamina to provide width and stretch LN’s back 4. Key to this is the ability of both Marcelo and Lahm to dribble, play passes inside or the more direct crossing route. In Lahm’s case when attacking he will find himself largely in isolation against Coentrao forcing the Portuguese back and giving him less chance of providing Iniesta with an option on the overlap. On the other side Ribery and Marcelo will work in tandem against Alves tracking his runs and preventing him from offering width they will also aim to exploit space that Alves will leave behind him at times.
This also brings Silva’s creativity drifting inside as well as offering that further link-man between Xavi and Aguero. Aguero will again aim to probe between the lines and beyond Terry and Ferdinand. Players will aim to deliver the ball to Aguero’s feet where he is able to his strength to hold up the ball or turn Terry and Ferdinand with his exceptional acceleration. Xavi and Silva will also be looking for Aguero making runs behind defenders where his impressive finishing will be showcased.
Yaya Toure will be expected to play a more disciplined role that he played a Barcelona when they won their first CL of this period offering a platform for Xavi and Silva to play off of. He will offer a physical presence in the middle looking to break up attacks. He will also be a key distributor of the ball able to the play it long and short. Xavi will do what he does best- finding space picking out superb passes.
Defensively, as well as congesting the central area when LN is in possession, the aim will be that by playing 3 at the back against what will end up being a two striker system will give me a spare man at the back. This will leave to more able to cope with the movement of LN’s attacking players preventing runs beyond my defenders and enabling me to intercept through balls, win aerial battles and provide timely tackles.
Good luck Lewinick
