............................ Team Chester ................................................................... Team MJJ ............................
Team Chester
Tactical remarks:
The most obvious difference from my set-up in the quarter final is that Haynes finds himself on the bench for this one. Why, ye ask? Well, mainly because I feel that too much of his game overlaps with that of Blanchflower. The latter will operate in a central midfield/playmaker role here – and it doesn't really make sense to field both a deep AND a No 10 style playmaker.
At the back my central trio remains unchanged, though their roles are slightly different: Woodburn and Wright are still stoppers (mainly) and Franklin is still a libero of sorts, but with two sidebacks in the form of Rice and Byrne, we can no longer call that defence an Italian job. It's still a fluent defensive set-up, though: When Franklin operates at his highest, one can, if one so wishes, regard him as a DM almost, with a more or less straight bank of four behind him.
My opponent will attack down the wings here to a greater extent than they have done in previous games, having acquired Matthews now. I feel reasonably well protected against that. If we regard this in the somewhat unnatural “battle” mode, I have Byrne/Woodburn on Matthews' side and Rice/Wright on Giggs'. This should be enough to keep those excellent wingers in check to the extent that they won't run amok. I also have Franklin to rely on in his free defensive role, plus the considerable defensive support of Duncan Edwards in particular, but also Blanchflower (who is anything but a passenger in a defensive sense).
If we enter “battle mode” again, then, I have seven players who are either brilliant, good or decent defenders against my opponent's four main attackers: I stress that this is an unnatural way to look at a football match, but it gives you an idea of where my boys stand in terms of general defensive capability. I can contain my opponent's wide players well enough – and I have (without dragging my midfielders into this) three central defenders to deal with two central attackers, neither of whom are pure strikers.
My opponent will attack down the wings here to a greater extent than they have done in previous games, having acquired Matthews now. I feel reasonably well protected against that. If we regard this in the somewhat unnatural “battle” mode, I have Byrne/Woodburn on Matthews' side and Rice/Wright on Giggs'. This should be enough to keep those excellent wingers in check to the extent that they won't run amok. I also have Franklin to rely on in his free defensive role, plus the considerable defensive support of Duncan Edwards in particular, but also Blanchflower (who is anything but a passenger in a defensive sense).
If we enter “battle mode” again, then, I have seven players who are either brilliant, good or decent defenders against my opponent's four main attackers: I stress that this is an unnatural way to look at a football match, but it gives you an idea of where my boys stand in terms of general defensive capability. I can contain my opponent's wide players well enough – and I have (without dragging my midfielders into this) three central defenders to deal with two central attackers, neither of whom are pure strikers.
As has been the case in every match so far, I will rely more than anything on the versatility of the players I field. Duncan Edwards will play the box-to-box role more unshackled here than was the case in the last match, where he was specifically tasked with tracking his present teammate (the spoils of war, eh?), Jinky Johnstone, one of the most skillful players to ever play for a British side, widely recognized as the best Celtic player ever, which should ring a bell for those who have followed this draft. This is significant: Duncan will still work his arse off, doing a shift defensively, but he is now freer to venture forward, combine with Barnes on the left and provide an added distraction for my opponent's defenders to worry about. Rice and Byrne will push up when this is opportune and seek to combine with their wingers, giving me an extra dimension to the wide threat which I have largely lacked thus far.
The basic roles of the three designated/pure attackers remain as before: Dean will seek to move into dangerous positions either to finish directly (with his head from a cross, or with his feet) or to bring Barnes or Johnstone (or Edwards) into play with a simple pass. He will also seek to drag his marker wide, giving either Barnes or Johnstone the chance to cut inside (I have stated in each write-up thus far that Dean, the legendary finisher, is very much capable of doing just that – he isn't simply a box player and a poacher, contrary to what many might think).
Last but not least: Blanchflower. He will be the main director, the one mainly responsible for feeding the wingers balls to work with – and for that matter Dean, more centrally and directly, when this is the better alternative. His passing range, precision and game-reading ability make him a natural orchestrator – slap his dynamic overall game on top of that and I think (of course, what else could I think?) you have an ideal CM combo (an engine room with both range and first rate creativity) in Edwards and Danny B.
The basic roles of the three designated/pure attackers remain as before: Dean will seek to move into dangerous positions either to finish directly (with his head from a cross, or with his feet) or to bring Barnes or Johnstone (or Edwards) into play with a simple pass. He will also seek to drag his marker wide, giving either Barnes or Johnstone the chance to cut inside (I have stated in each write-up thus far that Dean, the legendary finisher, is very much capable of doing just that – he isn't simply a box player and a poacher, contrary to what many might think).
Last but not least: Blanchflower. He will be the main director, the one mainly responsible for feeding the wingers balls to work with – and for that matter Dean, more centrally and directly, when this is the better alternative. His passing range, precision and game-reading ability make him a natural orchestrator – slap his dynamic overall game on top of that and I think (of course, what else could I think?) you have an ideal CM combo (an engine room with both range and first rate creativity) in Edwards and Danny B.
Key: Again, I would say, versatility. I have players who fit the bill – but who are capable of doing more than one thing at a time. Simple as that, really.
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that's the lamest reason yet.
