Baphomet wrote:Just fyi Ted, I would never complain about someone voting against me. Everyone's entitled to their opinion.
I lost to a team with Sterling in it last year. Sterling!
Hahah yeah, i am well aware of that.
And neither would i ideally, but Foye did mention in my group's thread that Cavani might get in Messi's way on my team. I actually picked Cavani specifically because he is one of 4-5 high level strikers who can offensively share space with and defensively enable Messi in my personal opinion. So at the moment i'm trying to decide whether a tantrum is necessary.
Well, the team with Sterling in it also had Messi. But that's just name recognition.
Ted Lasso wrote:kdawg32086 v sleepyPT: kdawg's shape can be made to work but not with these players. Not really much else to analyse. I don't like Griezmann out wide but this is still a win for sleepPT.
The reason we had Griezmann on the left and not Eriksen is because the latter is a better playmaker than the first and so he should be in a position were both forwards and striker can benefit from, the middle. However being Griezmann better in the centre of the field, we had him drift inside when attacking, as Alaba plays winger. That way we can use the most of all players abilities, imo.
Baphomet wrote:Just fyi Ted, I would never complain about someone voting against me. Everyone's entitled to their opinion.
I lost to a team with Sterling in it last year. Sterling!
Hahah yeah, i am well aware of that.
And neither would i ideally, but Foye did mention in my group's thread that Cavani might get in Messi's way on my team. I actually picked Cavani specifically because he is one of 4-5 high level strikers who can offensively share space with and defensively enable Messi in my personal opinion. So at the moment i'm trying to decide whether a tantrum is necessary.
Well, the team with Sterling in it also had Messi. But that's just name recognition.
Ted Lasso wrote:kdawg32086 v sleepyPT: kdawg's shape can be made to work but not with these players. Not really much else to analyse. I don't like Griezmann out wide but this is still a win for sleepPT.
The reason we had Griezmann on the left and not Eriksen is because the latter is a better playmaker than the first and so he should be in a position were both forwards and striker can benefit from, the middle. However being Griezmann better in the centre of the field, we had him drift inside when attacking, as Alaba plays winger. That way we can use the most of all players abilities, imo.
Is Griezmann cutting in on or off the ball?
Mostly on the ball. With it, his focus is to get inside and have a bigger stack of options instead of playing wide to the line and just cross it. Without it, he stays long enough until he can count on Alaba as an option moving forward behind him, othewise he'd either just make Alaba work twice as hard or we'd have no offense on the left side. His position there on the line-up is mainly to avoid happening exactly that, to not leave a spot open and stop any quick counter-attacks started by the defense, until Eriksen has time to shift to defensive winger on the left side.
I've made a couple of changes, most notably Luiz Gustavo is on for Matuidi, and Berardi is on for Carrasco. The reasoning for this is simple: Berardi provides more of an immediate goal threat from the right side, and on attack will cut in to play alongside and feed off of James and Suarez. I believe that James and Berardi can be positionally interchangable: James can drift out wide when Berardi is playing more centrally up top, and vice versa. James actually gets quite a lot of assists on the right wing for Real, often with delightfully weighted balls floated in with his left foot, directed towards a cutting Ronaldo, Benzema or Bale, so I like him on the wing too on the switch.
Suarez is basically a monster at unsettling defences. Because he requires both center backs' undivided attention, he can stretch and contort the back four with his cunning movement, which will inevitably open space up for Berardi, James and Costa. I've watched Virgil van Dijk play frequently, and while he is a very competent player, he is also a big risk with his sometimes reckless positional gambles. If he budges even an inch, Suarez will eat him alive (literally).
Chelsea fans will know that Azpilicueta became something of a master of the 'second assist' in their league winning campaign a couple of seasons ago, and he can support the attack on that right side if needed, but his role will still be mostly defensive on a flank that contains a fearsome duo of Alaba and Griezmann.
On the opposite wing, Douglas Costa and Digne are basically isolated against Aurier. I find this to be a fascinating duel and I believe Douglas is one of the few wingers who could genuinely give Aurier fits with his pace.
My main defensive tactic:
My main concerns defensively are Lamela, Griezmann and Eriksen, who can all competently occupy the space between my central midfield and defence. That's the rationale for bringing in a more pure anchor man DM like Luiz Gustavo, who alongside Xhaka can patrol, providing stern resistance and ball winning in the middle of the park. SleepyPT's main goal threat comes on that left flank where Alaba and Griezmann play, and on the defensive side of the ball, Xhaka and Umtiti will need to work closely with Azpilicueta in ensuring that space doesn't open up for them to run into, and to cut off service to Jonas or whomever they decide to play up front.
sleepyvato wrote:Here are Fury's formations and tactics.
Standard Offensive Formation:
Our team is driven by our midfield and the fullbacks. Kroos is the facilitator/organizer, who is able to hold his own helping out on defense. He is our most important player because he connects both sides of the field. Vidal is the box to box midfielder, and will be allowed to beast and roam both sides of the field. He is savvy enough to go forward and still get back on defense. Krychowiak is the destroyer and the shield for the front four. He is also good enough to make passes out of that holding position.
I selected Alves and Guerreiro because they are capable bombing down the field and getting back (Alves moreso). Perisic will help out Guerreiro on the left side and Alves going forward will allow Salah to become somewhat of a second striker/wide inverted forward.
Chicharito is the man in the middle, getting those passes from everyone else in the midfield. Salah is explosive, technically solid and a strong finisher from the right side.
Bench Players: Aduriz, Glik, Boufal, Banega
Alternative Formation:
If we want to get more offensive, we stick Aduriz with Chicharito in there and add Banega to add more facilitation and connection with the guys behind them. Alves and Guerreiro provide the width and Vidal and Kroos are capable enough to help cover.
Just for reference, I'm just quoting Fury's tactics again for this page, since he removed his original post on page 1.
Players' Roles Note: The "thesis" was reposted here for convenience purposes, but only of the players whose roles haven't changed. Note: Red is for the offensive mindset, Green is for the defensive mindset, Blue is for both.
Spoiler:
Bravo (Goalkeeper) – With 16 clean sheets and 3.40 saves per goal, the GK champion of La Liga and Copa del Rey is a wall between the posts and our first line of defense. He's also our captain.
Hummels (Limited Defender) – His main job is to stop the opposing attacker (65% duels won per game), win the ball without giving away a free kick (0.6 fouls committed per game) and get it cleared safely up field in a no-nonsense manner. He’ll have a stopper duty, meaning that he’ll push ahead of the defensive line and close down players before they get to the area (83% successful take-ons per game). Plays on the left side providing backup to Alaba’s forward approach.
Dijk (Sweeper) – Drops behind the defensive line, aiming to sweep up through balls (7.79 clearances per game), pick up extra attackers (73% successful take-ons per game) and make goal saving tackles as well as blocks, covering for defensive errors and taking possession of loose balls from a deep position (2.82 interceptions per game). Plays on the right side since Aurier doesn’t venture much forward.
Lamela – Being technically proficient as well as quick, on offense (Winger) Lamela aims to beat his man on the outside, ready to surge into space. When going forward, he’ll try and run at the defense in the final third, causing panic and indecision prior to shooting (12 goals) or attempting to make a through ball/cross to a teammate (9 assists).
Subs: Ricardo Pereira – Our backup full back is able to play on both sides of the wing, focusing the most of his abilities on his defensive responsibilities (2.96 interceptions, 3.62 clearances and 3.12 tackles won, per game). Calhanoglu – One of the most versatile players out there, he’s able to operate in a variety of positions and interpret all kinds of roles, from midfielder to attacking midfielder as well as forward, making him our trump card of the bench. The change of pace he can bring into the game, and the ability to craft out goal scoring opportunities like no other, either from crosses, cuts inside or shots from distance, are an essential part of our game (2.42 key passes, 2.58 chances created, per game, and 12 goals, 6 assists). Giroud – Our second striker was chosen not only to differ from the previous one but to complement him as well. He has the strength, aggression, jumping reach and aerial presence (52% aerial duels won, per game, and 11 headed goals) that make him a great Target Man to play alongside Jonas. His finishing (54% shot accuracy, per game, and 31 goals) first touch, passing ability (8 assists) and defensive contribution that make him a great Advanced Forward when playing alone. Jonas - Our first striker pick has made a lot of success this past season putting up unbelievable numbers that got him a spot between the 5 top scorers of Europe. Playing as Poacher and using the best of his abilities, Jonas sits on the shoulder of the last defender looking to break the defensive line and run onto through balls, with the main focus of scoring goals and sniffing out opportunities in and around the box. It was with this approach that he successfully scored 37 goals while also assisting 20 times, being 3rd and tied with Ronaldo in the race for Europe’s Golden Shoe.
Changes vs Baphomet:
Alaba (Full Back) - Should supplement his defensive responsibilities with providing extra width on the midfield and looking to cross or put in a through ball when the opportunity for each arises.
Aurier (Full Back) - Same role as Alaba's. Both won't venture much forward than the midfield. (2.95 tackles won, 3.43 interceptions and clearances, per game)
Tolisso - On offense, (Box-to-Box Midfielder - right side) he’ll push up to support the forwards, often surging late into the box to get on the end of crosses and pull backs as well as providing a threat from distance (1.15 chances created and 0.97 key passes, per game). On defense, (Ball-winning Midfielder - left side) his role shifts, with the main function of closing down the opposition and winning the ball (50% successful take-ons and 50% total duels, per game), while also helping keep possession and quickly lay it off to a more creative player (84% pass completion per game).
Parejo – On offense, (Attacking Midfielder - left side) his role is to fashion chances for himself (11 goals), craft out chances for his forwards (1.27 chances created and 1.12 key passes, per game), alongside being a presence in the box to supplement the attack. On defense, (Box-to-Box Midfielder - right side) he’ll help in the protection of the defensive line while harrying attacking midfielders (60% successful take-ons and 1 foul committed, per game).
Eriksen – On offense, (Wide Playmaker) he’ll act as the team’s primary source of creativity, drifting inside to find space from which to play the killer ball and creating chances (2.89 key passes, 3.26 chances created, per game, and 14 assists). On defense, (Defensive Winger) he has the same role as Lamela. (1.17 tackles won, 1 interception, 53% successful take-ons, per game).
Lamela - On offense, he'll be a Winger. On defense, (Defensive Winger) he aims to press the opposing full backs (1.94 fouls committed and 1.59 tackles won, per game), win the ball high up the pitch (57% successful take-ons per game) and either hold it up for the rest of the team, drive to the byline or get in a quick cross or put in a through ball.
Griezmann – He possesses all the technical attributes of a Deep-Lying Forward, the goal scoring ability of a Poacher and the strength and power of a Target Man. He’s equally adept at playing with others, fashioning chances for himself and getting on the end of team’s moves. We feel that such player should simply be allowed to do his own thing and for that reason, he’ll be our Complete Forward, offensively. On defense, he’ll shift to Advanced Forward as it brings more contribution from him defensively.
Explanation
As you can see we decided to up our game in the midfield providing it with more defensive security. Despite his well balanced abilities to help on both offense and defense, Tolisso should be more focused defensively on tightly marking James and not allowing him to create any offense. With James drifting to Berardi's side, we have Tolisso playing on the left (Baphomet's right) pressuring his best offensive weapon on that side. He'll have the help of Eriksen as defensive winger, and obviously Alaba.
Offensively, the introduction of Tolisso releases Parejo to a more offensive role as he could be the key to beat a team mostly prepared for our offensive wings. Yet our fire power through the sides shouldn't be taken lightly, since on the left, Alaba's offensive qualities, Parejo as an Attacking Midfielder and Eriksen's play making skills should present an interesting duel against Berardi, Xhaka and Azpilicueta. Although on the right side, we might have the upper hand as Costa isn't best known for his defensive contribution. Apart from Aurier's approach on offense, Lamela should also be able to give Digne a very tough time, making this a 2 vs 1 match up.
Finally our contender for 2016 Ballon d'Or plays now where he's best at, roaming free and doing his own thing up top.
Set Pieces and winning/losing situation
Spoiler:
Set piece taker: Eriksen. Then Lamela (except direct FK’s – Griezmann) Penalty kick taker: Griezmann. Then Jonas.
2nd Formation – If winning: Move Alaba to CB, sub on Ricardo for Parejo and play with a 5-man defense. 2nd formation – If losing: Change to 1st formation, subbing on a striker for Tolisso. Fresh legs.
I love that you guys include things like set piece taker and PK taker. Props for putting so much thought and effort into your strategies. I really enjoy reading them, even someone like me who doesn't dive into football strategy as deeply as I might like.
Baphomet wrote:I love that you guys include things like set piece taker and PK taker. Props for putting so much thought and effort into your strategies. I really enjoy reading them, even someone like me who doesn't dive into football strategy as deeply as I might like.
We deeply appreciate that. Considering how long it sometimes takes to prepare this, the fact that someone actually enjoys reading them makes it all worthwhile
... Ah crap. I must have missed that. I guess that explains the uneven votes. Are you sure that's the match you didn't vote on? I suppose that match is a draw, then. Let me update it.
