......................................Team Skizzo........................................................................................Team coolredwine.........................................
TEAM SKIZZO
Tactical Synopsis:
Having bolstered our team considerably in the reinforcement round, we again line up in a fluid 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 formation. David Silva, one of the most influential playmakers of the Premier League era, replaces Juninho in his favoured central attacking midfield role. Luis Suarez replaces Louis Saha. His 2012-2014 peak establishes him in the top tier of PL performers, with his 2013-14 season being amongst the most iconic of any player in PL history, with a stunning return of 31 goals and 21 assists in 33 games. His suitability as the central striker in a fluid 3 man attack is beyond dispute, and the interplay between Suarez, Kewell, Ronaldo and David Silva is going to be too hot for any defence to handle.
We believe that Coolredwine's rather slow defence is going to be forced to hold a deep defensive line. In recognition of this, we're willing to press our own defensive line forward a little, so it'll be moderate rather than deep as against Tuppet in our last match. This tactic, together with our belief that our midfield unit is better in possession than our opponents, leads us to assert that we'll have an edge both in possession and territorial advantage. Gilberto Silva will reprise his Arsenal Invincibles role in shielding our defence, whilst beside him Mikel Arteta will provide the silky distribution from deeper areas.
How The Game Will Be Won:
Pace:
Coolredwine has assembled a fine team with a particularly eye-catching forward pairing, but Kanchelskis and to a lesser extent a young Gary Speed aside, he lacks pace. Cantona and Shearer, for all their indubitable talents, aren’t going to unduly threaten our defence with blistering speed. Conversely, Coolredwine’s defence is individually outstanding but collectively slow, particularly the centre back pairing of Adams and Hyppia. Against a frontline of Kewell/Suarez/Ronaldo, this lack of speed will prove crucial, and has clear tactical implications.
Variety and Interchange In Attack:
Whilst Shearer is one of the best line leaders in the draft and Cantona was a master at dropping deep to find space, Coolredwine’s wingers are rather more orthodox. In contrast, our front four of Ronaldo, Kewell, Suarez and David Silva are as fluid and multi-faceted as it gets in the context of this draft. All four have played in multiple positions across the attack, and all four can interchange freely to drag Coolredwine’s slow defenders out of position and probe for weaknesses. There’s a clear edge here for us in terms of disrupting his defensive line, heightened by us possessing the outstanding player on the pitch in Ronaldo.
Defensive Lines and Midfield Dominance:
We reckon both teams’ defences would be more comfortable playing a deeper defensive line, but given the relative speed of our attackers and our defences, a deep line becomes a necessity for Coolredwine whilst we can afford to push ours slightly higher depending on the ebb and flow of the match. We see a relatively open midfield tussle, and in terms of penetrative passing, maintaining possession, and ability to find space between the lines, we feel our trio of Gilberto Silva, Mikel Arteta and David Silva has an edge over Coolredwine’s midfield. Ronaldo, Kewell and Suarez will likely see more of the ball and receive a better quality of passing than Cantona, Shearer and Kanchelskis, especially given that Gary Speed will surely find himself on the backfoot for much of the match trying to help Irwin contain Ronaldo.
If Coolredwine keeps his defence pegged back towards his penalty area, it will open up space between the lines for Silva to work his magic, and if he attempts to push his defensive line forward it’ll prove costly against our pacy attackers.
