Post your lineups and tactics here. The polls for the first round of fixtures will open tomorrow, please try and get your tactics in before then. From there on, after the poll has been open for 48 hours the result will be tallied up and next round will begin.
Winner of this group will face the runner up of Group A in the quarter finals and vice versa!
With my team being very versatile, I can have multiple combinations of lineups to fit different scenarios. If I wanted two strikers up top, I could put in Tevez and move Bale down the pitch. If I wanted a more defensive lineup, I could switch Ben Arfa or Alli out for Diarra or Guadardo. Dier could also be used as a CB in a 5 CB formation if I really wanted too. I could also go with a 433 and have Bale, PEA, and Ben Arfa up top.
I can also play many styles. Possesion, counter attacking, defensive, and etc.
On offense, Bale and Aubameyang can provide goals and assists while also being dynamic athletes that can take advantage of a slow midfield or backline.
In the midfield, Alli and Iniesta can play the link between the defense and offense with their all around skillsets and also contribute the odd goal. Ben Arfa, a revelation this season will be used to add flair and goals and assists from the CAM spot. Dier is a tank and will help shield the backline.
On defense, the fullbacks are both solid defensively and can contribute offensively. Miranda and Alderweireld and both top CB's in their leagues, with Alderweireld being arguably the best CB in the PL. Lloris is also a top 5 keeper in the world, single handedly keeping Spurs in many games the past 3 seasons.
Subs: Tevez is Tevez. Can play anywhere up top and provide goals and assists. He is an easy pick in the first 3 rounds if he is still at Juve. Diarra is coming off a great season and can be used late in games to finish them off. Guardado is very versatile and can also be used to help finish games off, but he is more of a like for like replacement as someone to link the defense to the offense. Arnautovic, even though he is at Stoke, had a great year and has been a consistent player for a long time. He can be used to the cover the wings and add a goal if needed.
Overall, my team is very talented but also very versatile so I could easily adapt to any situation whether its matching up to my opponent or in game adjustments.
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For Matty matchup:
Spoiler:
Matty has a very solid and balanced team. I would probably match him with the 4231 lineup posted above. The most glaring weakness I see are his center backs and I think Aubameyang, Bale and co can exploit them, especially with their pace. His fullbacks can help cover, but his DM's are the most defensive pairing either. I think this is the difference in this matchup. Overall, we are both balanced and solid sides but I think my overall team is slightly better and the weakness of the centerback pairing is too hard to ignore.
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For Ted Lasso matchup:
Spoiler:
Changed tactics due large shift in Ted Lasso's tactics from the previous matchup,
For this matchup, I will keep the 4231 lineup that can move to a pseudo 433, with Bale, Auba, and Ben Arfa up top, if I need added width, which I will consider the main emphasis of my attack.
I will stand by the thought that Ted's original lineup lacked width, but he has corrected that with the 3-5-2. Both Candreva and Willian have great workrates so it doesn't really matter who plays as the RM. Definitely has a nice side, but guys like Oscar, Darmian and Gomes aren't coming off of great years and Willian didn't really do much of anything in the 2nd half of the year. Darmian, was dreadful when he came in for 30 minutes and heavily contributed to the 3 quick goals given up against Spurs toward the end of the season. (Darmian and Gomes aren't playing now)
With the new lineup, I think Bale really can control his side of the pitch. Blind doesn't have the size or athleticism to stick with Bale leaving Sandro and/or Busquets to cover, which would free up the marking for the rest of the attackers. This is a good game to potentially utilize Tevez later in the match as well by moving Auba to RW and Bale to LW to really attack the the defensive trio. My team has a lot of goals in them so I plan to play more of an attacking style. If Ted's team goes possession mode, I may try a counter attacking style to fully embrace the athleticism my team has. I definitely don't plan to park the bus though.
Once again, I see lack of goals being an issue as besides Messi and Cavani, I'm not sure where the goals will come from, whereas my side has 4 players in the main XI with 10+ goals. I believe if our defense can contain Messi (easier said than done and this isn't an International Final ), then I don't think Ted's team will have enough goals to win. I can use the lack of width to my advantage and play different attacking styles in order to score and my defense is solid enough to control the rest of the side.
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For Calamity matchup:
I will probably utilize the 41212 to help flood his midfield. Overall, his team is very good, but also very offensive with old man Jermain Jones being his only true DM of sorts. His top 3 do have great work rates but Vardy isn't a great winger as we saw at the Euros. (Not taking the Euros into account, but just stating that he is being played in an unfamiliar position). Also, its a bit hard to trust the backline against my attackers. I don't think the City pair is that great and his fullbacks won't contribute much offensively, even though they will help his defense.
I think my team has the advantage since they can flood his midfield and really attack what I think is a lackluster defense. He does have a great attack though, so I would hope to score first and see the game out with Diarra or Guardado and go into a more possession/defensive style.
Ted Lasso wrote:Just to be clear, we should each submit a specific line-up & formation for every match, correct?
I asked Baphomet a similar question earlier and he said that you can do it however you like. Whether that's doing one big post or three different posts for each match, it's all up to you.
Ted Lasso wrote:Just to be clear, we should each submit a specific line-up & formation for every match, correct?
It's probably for the best to do it that way, yeah. But I won't feel too aggrieved if somebody fails to post match-specific tactics before a round of fixtures starts, as long as we have at least one tactic for reference. It worked out okay last year as a mismash.
I made a batch post of all my main tactics in the group thread I'm involved in. And before each round and after looking at other players' tactics, I'll choose one of my own to use for that match. It's more a show of how diverse and flexible I think my team is, a bit of convincing. But not everybody has to do it that way, if they're comfortable with a default formation then that's fine too.
Baphomet wrote: It's probably for the best to do it that way, yeah. But I won't feel too aggrieved if somebody fails to post match-specific tactics before a round of fixtures starts, as long as we have at least one tactic for reference. It worked out okay last year as a mismash.
I made a batch post of all my main tactics in the group thread I'm involved in. And before each round and after looking at other players' tactics, I'll choose one of my own to use for that match. It's more a show of how diverse and flexible I think my team is, a bit of convincing. But not everybody has to do it that way, if they're comfortable with a default formation then that's fine too.
Understood. In that case Sleepy PT will be doing 1 big post for the first round and then 2 more posts with which formations we will use against those match ups in the following two rounds. Thanks for clarifying.
I figured everyone can do one summary and then we can boil down to individual matchups, b/c I dont know any other rosters to give a specific formation for the game.
Combining the core elements of the best offensive and defensive teams in Europe, and adding key pieces to it (Bellarabi, Sanches) to complement this 4-5-1 formation. This will be the starting lineup I use vs Bucknation. My Lewi-Muller combo is by far the most deadliest duo up front (74 goals) in this group stage and arguably the whole tournament, and I have play-making wingers on each flank to make their job easier breaking down the defence by exposing Bucknation's slow back 4 line. There will be lots of Counter-attacking with Sanches, Coman and the 2 up front while Bellarabi will provide the creativity to attack the middle when the pace is slow.
The Gabi-Sanches CM duo compliment each other very well and the 2 should make Iniesta and Co. lives a living hell trying to get the through balls in to Auba and Bale. If they do channel them in I have Atletico's elite defensive wing backs, Javi Martinez, and specifically Kimmich whose been able to shut down Auba not once, but twice this season:
My team can easily go from defensive pests to a counter-attacking nightmare in a split-second. This dynamic ability will be very tough on Tottenham players and an ageing Iniesta.
- The shape is a cross between the basic formation (4-3-3) and the players' average positions. - Cavani will be cutting inside (diagonally into the area, not horizontally like a David Silva) off the ball at all times and be a striker. He is not required to track back to the left side after loss of possession. Depending on Cavani's positioning, Andre Gomes can drift left defensively and form a 4-4-1-1. He was picked with that in mind as he is uniquely adept at playing the role of a CM/LM. - Messi and Cavani can be either part of the 1-1 up top. Calamity doesn't have a deep midfielder that requires on the ball pressure so Cavani would remain high up in this instance and Messi would block obvious passing lanes into central midfield. - Willian will not drift inside or switch flanks. - Oscar is where he ought to be in reality. He will flourish as a player if he is ever moved to central midfield. - Alex Sandro will play higher up than Darmian and overlap into the space Cavani leaves behind offensively. The right flank is my defensive balance provider.
I suppose that's plenty of detail. Happy to answer any questions that may come up.
This formation, mirrored that of the Italian 4-1-3-3 inverted, highlights and frees open the open play for the high skilled offensive players.
Offensively - - Kane, Vardy and Sanchez is an excellent trio of high pressure, speed oriented attack. Sancez, able to play behind the line with his best offers creativity, ball possession and passing to both Kane and Vardy. - Kane led the EPL in goals and Vardy came in 3rd(one goal short from 1st) - Shooting is a go. Top 3 forwards are top 10 in shots taken. - de Bruyne came in 8th in assists and offers a high power shot from distance. He can also outrun his mark for runs in attacks. - Bonaventura provides the link from attacking to defensive midfield. Bonaventura was 8th in assists(4 short of first) with his club last year. - Subs offer similar speed and aggressive play.
Defensively - - Led by Kompany, brings experience and size with high marking IQ. - Building off a strong Copa America Campaign, Jones provides the ideal DM role in this lineup as well as offering ability to attack as much as coming back to defend. - Veterans around back 4 increases accountability and communication for each other. - Drinkwater coming off a strong season with Leichester City, ca come off the bench or start in that defensive unit.
The ModFather
My sports teams are currently experiencing suckiness. Please pardon the mess.
Ted vs. Calamity Only thing that bugs me about Teds team is that Cavani will stand in the way of Messi. Cavani sure is capable playing on the wing but it's not his best position.
Calamity meanwhile...I don't like Jermaine Jones in there. Even in his supposed prime he was nothing more than your average defensive midfielder. Now he is 34 and playing on MLS level. Drinkwater would be a better option IMO. I also don't like Vardy on the right wing. He's a CF. Kane & Vardy together hasn't worked out for England, don't think it would do here either. It's seems also a bit questionable whether that defense could keep Messi in check.
So my vote goes to Ted.
Matty vs. BUCK
Seems a rather even matchup. A lot of firepower up top with Lewandowski/Müller vs. Bale/Auba.
Matty has some quick wingers in Bellarabi/Coman who will deliver balls to the duo. FB's are also strong. CBs seem a bit of a concern, though, since Javi Martinez hasn't played a lot of games and Kimmich isn't build to be a CB. Maybe get Marquinhos in there instead of Kimmich for a bit more size.
BUCK's duo is obviously just as deadly as well. Also Ben Arfa has developed into quite a solid player, too. Concern is maybe that Alli isn't a real left winger and that Dier is no Busquets...so Iniesta probably would have to do more defensive work...which would most likely impact his creativity on offense as well.
Can't really decide on which team would be better so I'll go with a draw.
I see that Bucknation changed his original formation so I will address that and make one last pitch:
His new 4231 formation is even better for me to tackle with. I can have Kimmich mark Auba all game long and for the German/Bundesliga fans in this board, I'm sure you watched how successful Kimmich was in his 2 match-ups this season against the BvB forward, including the German cup final where Pep had Benatia available but decided to go with the youngster and they won the trophy in penalties. Buck has yet to explain how Auba will attack my CB duo when all he's shown is that he chokes in the big games when it matters. Yet I have video proof to show how Auba struggled against what should have been an easy task against the 21 years old German. It's not like he wasn't getting strong support from the middle for Borussia. He had his chances vs Bayern and he failed to deliver because of the kid who will probably be a German legend when it's all said and done.
Now Bale was a question mark as a CF in that original formation but now that he's thrown back to the wing, this makes Gabi and Filipe Luis' job very easy to trap him on the right flank every time. Bale has scored zero goals this season against Atletico and that is in large part to the 2 players I mentioned. He also has zero goals in the champions league, in case you guys were wondering.
I don't have defenders who will wow anyone, but I specifically left out 3 CBs on my bench because of the obvious match-ups that should favour my back four line against Auba/Bale.
With Allie, Ben Arfa, and Dier, you have players who played well in the PL but are largely unknown outside of England. With no CL experience with the Spurs duo and Arfa having last played in the tournament in 2007, we're left to gauge their abilities in comparisons to the rest of Europe with their national team performances and quite frankly none of them are regulars or players that their nations rely on. Iniesta can't do all the work on his own.
Renato Sanches has almost as much if not more CL games as a starter than all of them combined, and he hasn't even turned 19 yet. I also don't need to give any extensive history of Gabi and Muller when it comes to the biggest games in Europe, it's pretty well documented.
Speaking of Muller, him and Lewandowski were in the top 4 in Champions league scoring with 17 goals between them. Miranda and Alderwield shouldn't scream "wall" to anyone and the Bayern combo has faced tougher defences so 2-3 goals should be a simple task to accomplish, especially when they have a familiar winger in Coman and arguably the best winger in the Bundesliga, Bellarabi.
For those who voted for Bucknation, can you please explain to me how an Auba led attack with Ben Arfa, Allie and Bale on the flank is suppose to break down my solid defensive line which has actual proof of slowing down his main players this season? the excuses of injuries doesn't really fly since Martinez played 8 of the 12 Champions league game this season for Bayern, so he was relatively healthy for that tournament which would played a huge role in taking into account how we compare players from different country leagues.
As someone already mentioned, I see a lot of firepower in both teams. Definitely seems like this could be a very high scoring game, which is why this comes down to the question which defense has a better chance at stopping the opposing attack. And I'll have to go with Buck here. I just don't like Kimmich as a CB, Martinez is a huge question mark with his injuries: Auba and and Bale are just too good for these CBs IMO. With that being said, I'm not 100% sold on Buck's defense either, just in this case his offense wins this game for him.
Vote: Bucknation wins
Ted Lasso vs Calamity
This is pretty clear to me. Ted's team has a great defensive line, especially with Busquets playing in front of the back 4, I see alot of creativity in the midfield and Messi on top of all of that. Maybe missing a true winger, but that's a tough team to beat - and I don't see Calamity doing that. I'm not a fan of Jones at all and he's in an important role against this team, I'm not a fan of Komapny and Otamendi after the seasons they had and Vardy seems like a waste on the wing.
Brought in traditional CBs in Marquinhos and Sokratis, and added Kagawa to the lineup to play a more possession based game rather than completely depend on counter-attacking.
Andre Gomes would replace Cazorla on the hour-mark regardless of circumstance. I will post a tactical explanation and address a few of BUCK's points shortly.
BUCKnation wrote:For Ted Lasso matchup:
For this matchup, I will move to the 41212 lineup that can move to a pseudo 433, with Bale, Auba, and Ben Arfa up top, if I need added width, which I will consider the main emphasis of my attack. I'd say lack of width and big name players coming off of poor years is Ted's biggest weakness. Definitely has a nice side, but guys like Oscar, Darmian and Gomes aren't coming off of great years and Willian didn't really do much of anything in the 2nd half of the year. Darmian, was dreadful when he came in for 30 minutes and heavily contributed to the 3 quick goals given up against Spurs toward the end of the season.
The defense while solid, is prone to mistakes and besides Messi and Cavani, I'm not sure where the goals will come from, whereas my side has 4 players in the main XI with 10+ goals. I believe if our defense can contain Messi (easier said than done and this isn't an International Final ), then I don't think Ted's team will have enough goals to win. I can use the lack of width to my advantage and play different attacking styles in order to score and my defense is solid enough to control the rest of the side.
- The width argument is strange to me, but i'm not going to go into it in this match since it's rather moot with the 3-5-2 shape. - Also moot since they're not starting, but (1) Andre Gomes was just recently the subject of a bidding war between Real Madrid and Barcelona. (2) Willian was Chelsea's player of the year and had his best season to date for them. - BN is fielding Iniesta on the right of his midfield trio. Iniesta hasn't played a minute in that area in eight seasons. And much of his creativity depends on his manoeuvring and cutting to his strong foot in the left channel outside the area. I think that's worth keeping in mind. - I am not looking to play a brand of football which will produce many high scoring matches and will therefore require me to score many goals. - I went with the back three because i want to have a spare man against Bale and Auba at all times. Consciously or not, BN has a choice to make: He can do the same by putting Dier essentially on Messi and leave me with Busquets, Oscar, Cazorla v Ben Arfa, Alli, Iniesta in midfield or leave Cavani and Messi h2h with his two centre-backs. Messi will have his pick of overloading on Maxwell, overloading on the centre-backs, or becoming a fourth central player.
Whoa, if i'm interpreting this correctly, BUCK changed the shape of his team after kick-off. I mean, i know you can do that into a real match, but what are we supposed to do here, just keep making changes and writing back and forth while the voting is going on?
), then I don't think Ted's team will have enough goals to win. I can use the lack of width to my advantage and play different attacking styles in order to score and my defense is solid enough to control the rest of the side.
