Skizzo -----------------------vs. ---------------------------Mjj
Vs.
Tactics Team Skizzo
Formation - Fluid 433
Starting in goal is one of the top keepers of his generation, and United's best player for consecutive seasons now, David de Gea. He's kept United in games they had no right in getting anything out of, and has played at a consistently high level for years now. In front of him is Toby Alderwireld and Kostas Manolas. Two center backs who are defenders first and foremost. Manolas often playing the covering role for his defensive partner, while Alderwireld being most of the playmaker from the back. David Alaba and Sergi Roberto flank them, and are important to how the team will play. Both of them are great full backs, but both are also comfortable playing in midfield and operating in different areas.
Sergio Busquets takes up his usual position in front of the back four, and while we don't have a Barcelona style tiki taka team around him, his defensive acumen will be appreciated, and he has ball players around him to recycle possession as needed.
Mario Gotze takes up one of the attacking central midfield roles, and will partner Oscar. Both players are defensively astute, Oscar playing a deeper midfield role at Chelsea on occasion, and Gotze being a part of Klopp's rock and roll Dortmund team. Both will look to press hard when losing the ball, and push up to support the attack when in possession.
Ivan Perisic and Jose Callejon will play as wingers, pushing up and primarily offering width, with license to come inside when the opportunity arises. Both will look to drop deeper and defend to stop the full backs bombing on against us. Sergio Aguero will play as our striker, looking to link up with the other forward players and put away any chances that come his way. With him at one end, and De Gea on the other, I'm comfortable having the best premier league player keeper and striker to tilt things our way.
How we'd try and look in possession
and without the ball, compact shape before initiating a press as they move into our half
Tactics Team MJJ
The inspiration behind this side is Pep's City of last season — mainly the proactive approach, directness and an unorthodox use of fullbacks. We thought that this concept will allow us to highlight some of the lesser-known players as well as using others in the unusual roles that we think they'll excel at.
Tactics.
The basic formation City employ does not provide anything spectacular. It is instead a rather customary shape which you can find across all professional leagues in Europe. The details, however, carry Guardiola’s thumbprint. The key battle would be in midfield, where we would have an advantage in numbers (thanks to false fullbacks), workrate and even head-to-head records
We'll expand on the tactics and personal roles in the write up and later in the thread, so here's a few basics
It is something that Pep experimented with at Bayern as well, but the use of false fullbacks at City was a little bit more nuanced. From the very beginning I wanted walker(with his experience as a RB/RWB/RM/CB — and that's not even counting the left wing) and Clichy for those roles.who is really the perfect man with his unique skillset (played all over the wing before settling as a left-sided fullback) and a Guardiola-esque view of football.
Like with Delph and Walker, Clichy and Walker won't be playing mirrored roles — and while both are well-capable of playing as false as well as traditional fullbacks, Clichy will more often join the midfield while Walker will mostly provide overlaps for the attacking runs of Benzema. Both of them possessed incredible intelligence and understanding of the game, which will help them decide on what to do at any given moment.
Key roles.
Tactics Team Skizzo
Formation - Fluid 433
Starting in goal is one of the top keepers of his generation, and United's best player for consecutive seasons now, David de Gea. He's kept United in games they had no right in getting anything out of, and has played at a consistently high level for years now. In front of him is Toby Alderwireld and Kostas Manolas. Two center backs who are defenders first and foremost. Manolas often playing the covering role for his defensive partner, while Alderwireld being most of the playmaker from the back. David Alaba and Sergi Roberto flank them, and are important to how the team will play. Both of them are great full backs, but both are also comfortable playing in midfield and operating in different areas.
Sergio Busquets takes up his usual position in front of the back four, and while we don't have a Barcelona style tiki taka team around him, his defensive acumen will be appreciated, and he has ball players around him to recycle possession as needed.
Mario Gotze takes up one of the attacking central midfield roles, and will partner Oscar. Both players are defensively astute, Oscar playing a deeper midfield role at Chelsea on occasion, and Gotze being a part of Klopp's rock and roll Dortmund team. Both will look to press hard when losing the ball, and push up to support the attack when in possession.
Ivan Perisic and Jose Callejon will play as wingers, pushing up and primarily offering width, with license to come inside when the opportunity arises. Both will look to drop deeper and defend to stop the full backs bombing on against us. Sergio Aguero will play as our striker, looking to link up with the other forward players and put away any chances that come his way. With him at one end, and De Gea on the other, I'm comfortable having the best premier league player keeper and striker to tilt things our way.
How we'd try and look in possession
and without the ball, compact shape before initiating a press as they move into our half
Tactics Team MJJ
The inspiration behind this side is Pep's City of last season — mainly the proactive approach, directness and an unorthodox use of fullbacks. We thought that this concept will allow us to highlight some of the lesser-known players as well as using others in the unusual roles that we think they'll excel at.
Tactics.
The basic formation City employ does not provide anything spectacular. It is instead a rather customary shape which you can find across all professional leagues in Europe. The details, however, carry Guardiola’s thumbprint. The key battle would be in midfield, where we would have an advantage in numbers (thanks to false fullbacks), workrate and even head-to-head records
We'll expand on the tactics and personal roles in the write up and later in the thread, so here's a few basics
- High defensive line — our defence is well-suited to it (especially Bonucci, who was the master of it)
- Guardiola has instilled into his players a playing style that values “possession with a meaning”, or how each pass has an underlying intention of opening up spaces or moving around opponents. This is not Tiki-Taka, or possession for the sake of having the ball, but rather moving the ball to move the opponent
- Intense pressing. This is potentially Skizzo's weakest point — monalos and his keeper are far from great on the ball, and our pressing will definitely cause some issues. It also gives us an advantage — both teams are built to take control of the game and I believe that ours is more likely to do so
- Our fullbacks are comfortable in a narrow defensive formation.
It is something that Pep experimented with at Bayern as well, but the use of false fullbacks at City was a little bit more nuanced. From the very beginning I wanted walker(with his experience as a RB/RWB/RM/CB — and that's not even counting the left wing) and Clichy for those roles.who is really the perfect man with his unique skillset (played all over the wing before settling as a left-sided fullback) and a Guardiola-esque view of football.
Like with Delph and Walker, Clichy and Walker won't be playing mirrored roles — and while both are well-capable of playing as false as well as traditional fullbacks, Clichy will more often join the midfield while Walker will mostly provide overlaps for the attacking runs of Benzema. Both of them possessed incredible intelligence and understanding of the game, which will help them decide on what to do at any given moment.
Key roles.
- Bonucci is the ultimate playmaking defender who excelled in high line and played with much needed directness (not that tiki-taka crap) — he was really a must for our team .
- Fabregas and Modric. They are the fulcrum of our team. Everything in Pep's system is set up to provide his 8's with the most freedom — it's not surprising that De Bruyne and Silva were the best players of that star-studded side. Fullbacks are joining the midfield to free them from defensive responsibility, as well as providing quality transition from the defense. The wingers and the center forward are stretching the pitch horizontally and vertically to create pockets of space for Fabregas and Modric
I chuckled when I saw his team since we seem to be taking a similar approach. I try to avoid naming specific set ups as it’s easy to be burned by then when you veer slightly (as I have before) but Pep was somewhat of a template.