Physiocrat
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Gio
Enigma_87
Gio Tactics
The opportunity here is to build a complementary team around Andres Iniesta and Virgil Van Dijk as my opening two picks.
PUT THE MIDFIELD ON THE FRONT FOOT WITH A HIGH LINE DEFENCE ALLOWING THEM TO OPERATE IN THE OPPOSITION HALF
Van Dijk, Boateng, Walker and Allison all won Champions Leagues playing dominant football enabled by a high defensive line. Given the pace in Henry in the opposition attack, it's valuable too that they are all exceptionally quick and expert at covering in behind, with Allison creating a pincer-movement from the other direction. Arguably those 4 are the clearest and most effective exponents of the high-line tactic in their respective positions over the last 30 years.
BUILD COMPLEMENTARY PIECES AROUND INIESTA
Firstly there is Marcos Senna who was such a commanding pivot for Spain at Euro 2008, renewing his partnership with Iniesta here. Secondly there is Marco Verratti, whose extreme press-resistance provides shades of Xavi and dovetails ideally with Iniesta. And thirdly, Neymar takes up his left-sided slot ahead of Iniesta, renewing their left-sided CL-winning tandem of 2014/15. Together there should be plenty of synergy, particularly with the proven Man City right-flank duo of Walker and Mahrez in place, while the high-octane Sorin and Senna were keystones of the great Villarreal side of the mid-2000s.
Therefore we should have a strong platform for Iniesta to shine in the opposition's half, with complementary, technical players to zip the ball around and feed it into dangerous areas. The 1v1 ability of Neymar and Mahrez will be dangerous in the attacking third. Centrally Shevchenko spearheads the attack through his all-round Ballon D'Or winning game. He can press from the front, link up with Neymar, Mahrez and Iniesta, and provide plenty of direct goal threat against Ayala and Campbell.
Enigma_87 Tactics
Formation: 4-1-3-2
Tactics: direct, lot of vertical movement. Thiago/Silva looking to dictate the tempo and use the pace of Foden, Henry and early Del Piero to slice through the opposition.
Defence:
Two balanced full backs in Lahm and Luis contributing in both phases. Sol Campbell and Ayala are playing as a CB combo. Both are excellent in the air but also fast on the deck and able to tackle the opposition forwards.
Midfield:
The heart of the team - Makelele is playing in his favorite holding role where he protects the back four and his nimbleness and ability to read the game would come in handy in disrupting the opposition midfield and time on the ball. Bernardo and Thiago are two excellent passers and ambidextrous midfielders who can contribute in both phases and also can slice the opposition lines with their accurate passing. Thiago will play mostly through the middle whilst Bernardo will look to open up the opposition flank and exploit Sorin on the right. Foden will play on the left where IMO he's at his absolute best and his versatility and movement would come handy in gluing midfield and attack.
Attack:
Henry and Del Piero are one great duo to finish off chances. Henry played with a 9.5 sorts of forward in Bergkamp and Del Piero (before the injury) will act as a versatile SS whilst Henry will be as a free role in the attacking partnership.
Foden focus:
Del Piero before the injury:
Nice little comp by @Šjor Bepo
The season before the injury Del Piero scored 21 goals in Serie A, his highest ever tally, assisting most of Pippo Inzaghi's 18 goals, creating the highest scoring Serie A partnership of all time. That season Alex also scored 10 goals in the Champions League, a record in its original format. The Juventus team that lost the Champions League final to Real Madrid that May was clearly missing their inspirational number 10, who missed most of the game through injury. That injury was to hamper his leadup to the World Cup, in which he performed fairly well, creating chances when he came on against Cameroon while setting up Vieri's goal against Austria. Just as he was finding his feet in the tournament, Italy lost to eventual winners France in a penalty shootout.
Enigma_87
Gio Tactics
The opportunity here is to build a complementary team around Andres Iniesta and Virgil Van Dijk as my opening two picks.
PUT THE MIDFIELD ON THE FRONT FOOT WITH A HIGH LINE DEFENCE ALLOWING THEM TO OPERATE IN THE OPPOSITION HALF
Van Dijk, Boateng, Walker and Allison all won Champions Leagues playing dominant football enabled by a high defensive line. Given the pace in Henry in the opposition attack, it's valuable too that they are all exceptionally quick and expert at covering in behind, with Allison creating a pincer-movement from the other direction. Arguably those 4 are the clearest and most effective exponents of the high-line tactic in their respective positions over the last 30 years.
BUILD COMPLEMENTARY PIECES AROUND INIESTA
Firstly there is Marcos Senna who was such a commanding pivot for Spain at Euro 2008, renewing his partnership with Iniesta here. Secondly there is Marco Verratti, whose extreme press-resistance provides shades of Xavi and dovetails ideally with Iniesta. And thirdly, Neymar takes up his left-sided slot ahead of Iniesta, renewing their left-sided CL-winning tandem of 2014/15. Together there should be plenty of synergy, particularly with the proven Man City right-flank duo of Walker and Mahrez in place, while the high-octane Sorin and Senna were keystones of the great Villarreal side of the mid-2000s.
Therefore we should have a strong platform for Iniesta to shine in the opposition's half, with complementary, technical players to zip the ball around and feed it into dangerous areas. The 1v1 ability of Neymar and Mahrez will be dangerous in the attacking third. Centrally Shevchenko spearheads the attack through his all-round Ballon D'Or winning game. He can press from the front, link up with Neymar, Mahrez and Iniesta, and provide plenty of direct goal threat against Ayala and Campbell.
Enigma_87 Tactics
Formation: 4-1-3-2
Tactics: direct, lot of vertical movement. Thiago/Silva looking to dictate the tempo and use the pace of Foden, Henry and early Del Piero to slice through the opposition.
Defence:
Two balanced full backs in Lahm and Luis contributing in both phases. Sol Campbell and Ayala are playing as a CB combo. Both are excellent in the air but also fast on the deck and able to tackle the opposition forwards.
Midfield:
The heart of the team - Makelele is playing in his favorite holding role where he protects the back four and his nimbleness and ability to read the game would come in handy in disrupting the opposition midfield and time on the ball. Bernardo and Thiago are two excellent passers and ambidextrous midfielders who can contribute in both phases and also can slice the opposition lines with their accurate passing. Thiago will play mostly through the middle whilst Bernardo will look to open up the opposition flank and exploit Sorin on the right. Foden will play on the left where IMO he's at his absolute best and his versatility and movement would come handy in gluing midfield and attack.
Attack:
Henry and Del Piero are one great duo to finish off chances. Henry played with a 9.5 sorts of forward in Bergkamp and Del Piero (before the injury) will act as a versatile SS whilst Henry will be as a free role in the attacking partnership.
Foden focus:
Phil Foden’s performances have blossomed ever since he broke into Manchester City’s first team four seasons ago. The academy graduate starred once again on Saturday, as City eased to victory in the derby against Manchester United in the Premier League. Foden proved to be a constant thorn in United’s defense, linking up with Joao Cancelo time and time again down the left-hand side as Aaron Wan-Bissaka wasn’t given a moment’s peace. The 21-year-old was unlucky not to get a goal of his own in the 2-0 win, having seen a shot hit the post during the second half, and he could have easily claimed an assist as City dominated from kick-off.
Guardiola has played Foden centrally, on the right and left wing, and in two midfield roles, and he has also starred for England in a more deep-lying role. The City boss says he has no idea whether Foden will ever settle into a regular role or spend his career switching from position to position. For now, Guardiola is not wasting any time worrying about where best to deploy him because Foden is putting up some impressive performances in whatever positions his manager asks him to play in. The most important part of Foden’s game is that he understands the game and also understands what is required of him against a specific team. The 21-year-old star was a creator by dropping deep in the false nine role in the match against Club Bruges, but he showed another side to his game to get the final touch to two goals in City’s win against Brighton.
the attacking and creativity stats for Phil Foden in the 2021-22 season indicate that Foden has been highly successful in the attacking actions that he has attempted, and almost all the metrics are much higher than the median league value. Foden has attempted an average of 2.239 shots per 90 minutes and lies in the 84th percentile for the same. The young midfielder has approximately five touches in the opposition’s penalty area per 90 minutes and is better than 97% of the players in the league. Foden has attempted 10 attacking actions per 90 minutes and has completed almost 50% of these attacking actions.
Foden has mostly featured on the left side in front three but has also been playing as a false nine in some of the games. Even if Foden starts the game on the left flank, the City front three keep shuffling their positions, making it tougher for the opposition’s defense against them. The City front three have had several permutations and combinations this season as Pep keeps switching his front three.
Foden has attempted more passes into the penalty area from the left flank, and these passes have had a higher xT than the passes played from the right flank. As Foden is a left-footed player, it is easier for him to dribble past players on the left flank and put in a cross with his preferred foot.
Foden can play as a striker, false nine, left-winger, as well as a right-winger, and has been highly effective in doing so. The versatility of Foden gives Pep Guardiola more depth to his squad as Foden can adjust to any position in the front line. In the game against Liverpool in October, Foden played as a left-winger as they had already analyzed that James Milner will be the weak link for the Liverpool team, and City were successful in doing so. There have been matches where Foden has featured in a false nine role for his team and has also succeeded in that role. Foden is a midfield player with a lot of sense of goal.
Del Piero before the injury:
Nice little comp by @Šjor Bepo
The season before the injury Del Piero scored 21 goals in Serie A, his highest ever tally, assisting most of Pippo Inzaghi's 18 goals, creating the highest scoring Serie A partnership of all time. That season Alex also scored 10 goals in the Champions League, a record in its original format. The Juventus team that lost the Champions League final to Real Madrid that May was clearly missing their inspirational number 10, who missed most of the game through injury. That injury was to hamper his leadup to the World Cup, in which he performed fairly well, creating chances when he came on against Cameroon while setting up Vieri's goal against Austria. Just as he was finding his feet in the tournament, Italy lost to eventual winners France in a penalty shootout.
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