TEAM ENIGMA_87
Tactics – Direct, Attacking
Formation – 442, easily merging into 4-3-3
Defensive Line - Balanced
Marking – Zonal
Defence:
Fairly bog standard setup of defensive line. Stam comes to the fore as one of the greatest ever PL defenders. Next to him is Desailly who on his own is also one of the greatest CB's in the pool(and all time) playing alongside the new addition Andrew Robertson who established himself as one of the greatest LB in the PL era. Petrescu is in more attacking role, able to roam on the right flank and make it his own. In front of him Beckham provides balance as he's able to tuck in and further strengthen the core of our midfield that protects the back four.
Midfield:
Son plays out wide as a left winger/left wide forward role where he can cut in and score, whilst also stretch the opposition defensive line on counter and use his pace to punish the opposition and catch them on the back foot. The cream of the crop is Roy Keane next to Vieira forming the best CM duo in the PL era. A midfield base of two midfield generals who I think compliment each other very well, with one of them - Keane more defensive minded but also able to stuck in and sweep in behind when we are off the ball and Vieira, who with his long strides can surge forward when on the ball and add to the attacking threats in front of him. Beckham is in his zone bringing his phenomenal passing ability and also balance to the midfield being able to add numbers in the middle but also stretch the opposition defence and double on the flank alongside Petrescu.
Attack:
A new and big addition to the team is Kun Aguero. Unarguably the one of the top 3 strikers in PL era, alongside Henry and Shearer, he slots perfectly alongside Bergkamp, who can supply him with passes and use his movement to unlock the opposition defence. Kun is a complete and versatile forward who not only is an upgrade to Wright, but also compliments Bergkamp very well. His finishing is one of the best in the game and his movement allows Bergkamp, Son to get into favorable positions and also attack the box, whilst his technique and one touch play allows him to be very involved in the game and participate in the build up.
Aguero Profile:
Over almost a decade in England, Sergio Agüero established himself as one of the greatest centre-forwards of the Premier League era, surpassing Thierry Henry as the highest-scoring foreign player in the division’s history despite persistent injury problems. Over a period of unrivalled spending at Manchester City and under three different managers, Agüero was also an irreplaceable member of the most successful English team in that time, winning a vast number of trophies and awards, both in a team and on an individual level. His retirement while at Barcelona, in December 2021 at the age of 33, unquestionably followed the end of an era. Agüero, David Silva, Vincent Kompany and Yaya Touré were those most responsible for delivering so much success, and by the start of 2020/21 only Agüero remained.
“He’s a guy in the box with a sense of goal,” Pep Guardiola, once so influential at Barça, said of the Argentinian. “He can score from everywhere, in all the positions. He’s an incredible striker, incredible. That he has more goals than a legend like Thierry Henry is an incredible achievement.”
Tactical analysis
Agüero was one of the world’s best strikers largely because he got into a position to score so frequently – be that through clever off-the-ball movement or working a shooting opportunity of his own. The timing of his runs and subtle movements to lose a marker and reach the end of a ball into the penalty area were some of his greatest strengths.
An attacker who looked to get in behind opposing defences, Agüero tended to make his runs on the blindside of a central defender to give him the best chance of getting in on goal, and if that defender turned to see his run, it would mean they had taken their attention off the ball, also giving him an advantage. Though he was also comfortable withdrawing towards play, Agüero’s instinct was to be more penetrative with his movement; he also adjusted his game to better suit Guardiola’s style of play after the Spaniard’s arrival at City.
The calibre of pass that came his way at City certainly contributed to the success he had, and he built a hugely effective understanding with their playmakers, particularly Kevin De Bruyne. After taking a central position, usually between the opposing centre-backs, Agüero increased his speed as soon as he saw his teammate glance up to look his way (below) and made his move into space in the hope of providing a bigger target for the player delivering the ball.
The majority of his shots and goals came off a single touch, an ability that made him even more dangerous in the area because he didn’t need time to set himself before taking a shot. However, when he had the time and space he was capable of taking an additional touch, readjusting, and getting his shot off quickly if the attempted assist was not as accurate as he had hoped or towards the wrong foot. He required such little backlift to generate power in his shots that he didn’t need long to take a touch and shoot.
The combination of his movement and positioning complemented his finishing ability. He was relatively strong in the air and could finish with both feet and with power and accuracy, and consistently caught opponents off-guard before ruthlessly punishing them.
His skill set was also far from limited to his finishing – he arguably did not get enough credit for his contribution to build-up play. He improved significantly at dropping into deeper positions to draw an opposing centre-back out of position and link play. He rarely caught the eye because he didn’t have the vision or passing ability to play killer passes like a centre-forward such as Harry Kane, but he played an important role in disrupting the opposition’s defensive line through his movement and a simple passing game that meant he usually retained possession – something that was key for Guardiola.
Role at Manchester City
It spoke volumes about Agüero’s importance to City that he remained their first-choice centre-forward throughout his time in Manchester and, perhaps most significantly, for the duration of his and Guardiola’s time at the club. Speculation as to whether Agüero was the type of forward Guardiola favoured when he took over in 2016 persisted – some questioned if Agüero was comfortable enough coming to get the ball in deep positions and if he could adapt to the demands and intensity of Guardiola’s coaching and playing style.
Those doubts proved unfounded. Agüero not only kept his place in their team but was City’s top goalscorer every season between his arrival in 2011 and 2019. He was beaten to that title by Raheem Sterling in 2019/20, when injury meant he started only 18 Premier League games. It was also in that season, with Agüero absent for significant periods, when City were beaten to the title by Liverpool by the significant margin of 18 points.
City made the pitch as big as possible when they had the ball, and Agüero was key to that, stretching play by pushing high, often beyond the opposition’s defence, to try and force them back. When City were building out from the back, he stayed in an advanced position to create space for their midfielders to operate in (above).
He provided a focal point for their attack, but given they almost never played long balls he very rarely had to hold play up for a long time to wait for others to join him. He instead held his position and waited for play to reach him. He was regularly, by some distance, the City player to have the fewest touches in a game.
On the occasions he did drop into midfield, he did a good job of pulling a centre-back out of position, creating space for Sterling – who played on the left but spent a great deal of time on the last line of the opposition’s defence – to run into. When Sterling did so, another defender often went with him, leaving even more space for an advancing number eight or full-back to move into (above).
It was close to goal, however, that Agüero’s contribution to his team’s play was greatest. He is one of the Premier League’s all-time leading goalscorers more because of his movement and understanding with his teammates than particularly exceptional finishing. Under Guardiola he tended to score a similar number of goals to his expected goals total, whereas the likes of Kane, Mo Salah and Jamie Vardy often heavily outscored their xG tally, suggesting Agüero scored the good chances that came his way and took fewer of his half-chances than his rivals; he just got into good positions to score more often than anyone else in England.
Agüero was a truly great player whose longevity, despite injury problems and his share of doubters, was genuinely remarkable. For almost the entirety of his career he remained a crucial member of one of the biggest teams in Europe.
Key matchups:
- TAA is far from the best full backs in terms of defensive contribution and it's unlikely he will have the usual support that Hendo provides on the side. Son on the other hand has excellent record against City and has also scored in the 2 of the last 3 games against Pool lately. He has the ability to burn through the space and punish the opposition on a counter.
- Bergkamp vs Rodri. Rodri has proven to be a successful buy for City, but here hes up against the best #10 in the pool and someone who can waltz through pretty much any DM when on song. Most likely Rodri will be paired with AM's in front of him making his task really tough to contain one of the most creative hubs on the pitch.
Team style and tactics that are simple yet effective against a Pep inspired side:
- Our team boasts with the best midfield base in the draft, combining a midfield unit of dynamic players able to provide in both phases of the game. Becks, Vieira and Keane can disrupt the rhythm to any opposition midfield, and can switch play with ease. Key is Bergkamp and Becks passing game and Son/Aguero ability to run through channels and launch quick counter attacks. Becks/ Bergkamp can use Aguero / Son 's drive and pace and can find them either from deep or provide through balls that can slice open a more adventurous defensive unit that will operate in high line.
A fast and compact back line that can keep up with opposition pace and trickery and a fantastic finisher in Aguero who can score with little amount of touches and chances needed.
TEAM GIO
THE CITY BLUEPRINT - KLOPPIFIED
Every successful manager from the Premier League era has evolved and adapted winning teams to keep opponents guessing. The team now meshes the best of the modern Premier League game, borrowing from both Pep and Klopp, with shining lights of the 1990s and 2000s cherry-picked for their fit and quality. Central to the team getting here have been the following attributes:
- passing and ball retention - fundamental for any team wishing to dominate the ball
- technique - ability to handle pressure and take the ball in tight areas and progress forwards
- ability to play in a high line and high press - the pace and proactivity to defend high and dominate territory, with physical and energetic midfielders and attackers to win the ball back early.
- ability in transition - firstly a midfield that is solid off the ball, strengthened through the return of Modric and introduction of Gullit. Modric having excelled in a similar system in Madrid, Gullit reprising his dual sweeper/central midfield roles from his time at Chelsea, offering physicality and laser-guided long passing. And secondly players in Cristiano and Salah who can break quickly through pace in attack, released by the defence-splitting vision of Gullit, De Bruyne, Trent and Modric.
- Proactive high line, led by Ballon D'Or runner-up Van Dijk and last year's Player of the Year Dias
- All-round midfield with vision, energy and tactical intelligence
- High-powered attack that plunders goals from the wide forward areas.
Cantona can use his physical presence to hold up the ball, his exceptional technique to drop off the defence and into the hole, and then his vision and craft to thread in runners. With Ronaldo and Salah surging though, Cantona has outlets of the highest calibre. He will relish the quick transitions enabled by the early service of Gullit, Modric, KDB, Trent and Van Dijk.
GULLIT AS A 6
Gullit's uber-versatility offers flexibility but given he played at both sweeper and the spare man in central midfield for Chelsea, sweeping the midfield here feels like a natural reflection of his time there. Intriguingly it was in the mid-1990s with Sampdoria and Chelsea when he played his best football since the late 1980s - achieving his highest media ratings and finishing runner-up (to Cantona no less) as the FWA Footballer of the Year [Separate post to follow in the main thread].
RONALDO AS THE X FACTOR
Whilst both teams are packed with quality, I think we have a genuine X factor with Ronaldo in Ballon d’Or winning form. Rounding off the fluid front three, he is expected to strike up a natural partnership with Cantona, cutting inside to plunder goals in the same way as Salah will do on the right. As much as the opposition will criticise Trent, Petrescu was a full-back in the same mould with a greater emphasis on their attacking game. In the absence of a credible defensive counter, the threat of Ronaldo supplied by Cantona, De Bruyne and Modric looks like the cleanest route to a goal and the most likely differentiator between the two sides.
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