Jack Harper Omission From Scotland Squad

Following Jack Harper’s recent omission from the Scotland under-19 squad,I have decided to write an article on choosing size over skill,or vice versa,in the Scottish game.Recently,Scottish football has looked to be on the on up,they have beaten teams such as Poland and Croatia since Gordon Strachan’s appointment.However,the most positive thing about the resurgence has been Scotland’s mentality,thinking back to the horrendous night of that 4-6-0 formation against Czech Republic is enough to haunt any Scotland fans dreams.Craig Levein had brought an almost poisonous,defensive approach to the national team’s footballing style but Strachan has totally changed that mentality,showing no more respect than needed to nations we would have feared a few years back.

Ricky Sbragia’s decision to drop Jack Harper from the squad caused a real stir amongst Scotland fans.A huge 89% of Scotland fans said it is the stupidest decision ever made by a Scotland coach.Sbragia described Harper as a ‘luxury player’ and wanted to be for a taller squad,with more physicality and ‘runners’.In my opinion,this is an absolutely crazy decision and statement from Sbragia and this highlights all that used to be wrong with the Scottish game.Sbragia also stated that Harper needed to work harder to be part of the squad.Scotland is a country that isn’t exactly blessed with world class players,if Harper is developed well and chooses the correct path,he could become a world class player.

Harper also has the option to play for Spain,which is extremely worrying for Scotland fans.If anyone is wondering how on earth he’d be good enough for Spain if he can’t get in the Scotland squad,consider this;just hours after hearing of Harper’s omission,Spanish national coaches were on the phone to Harper,enquiry about his availability.

CONCLUSION:

In my opinion,size doesn’t matter in football,or for that matter,almost any sport.If every club and country took the same approach as Sbragia then imagine what football would be like?Geniuses well under 6ft tall such as Lionel Messi and Marco Verratti’s would have been released from their clubs at young ages and certainly wouldn’t be anywhere near their national teams.Sbragia also mentioned that he ‘hasn’t seen enough of Harper to judge him’,this is part of his job?!This means Sbragia isn’t fulfilling the responsibilities and tasks that come the job and in most jobs that is a sackable offence.  

FM15-Tactics(3232)

In this article I will hopefully explain to you how my 3-2-3-2 tactic works and why I use it.This tactic is brilliant for creating overloads areas in different areas on the pitch.When attacking,our main scope of attack is the wide areas,due to our free roaming players,we often drift wide to create overloads.In games where opposition pose a considerable threat,I sometimes start the game with a ‘Control’ mentality and change the tempo to ‘Lower’ rather than ‘Higher’ and ‘Retain Possession ‘ rather than ‘More Direct Passing’ but in the second half I change to my usual direct style.Usually in a style that is so attacking and direct,teams can struggle to keep possession but due to the high amount of central overloads we create,we have high possession rates,usually over 65%. 

 
POSITIONING

   
  
The libero role moves freely into midfield roles when in possession,this can mean at times we have five players in midfield,helping us keep possession well and dominate the centre of the pitch,which is in my opinion the most important area on the pitch,when defending he will sit deeper than the defensive line,covering the other two CB’s.The two centre-backs rarely,if ever,have to press due to both the deep midfielders having a ‘Defend’ duty.The centre-backs don’t have to cover and defend the flanks either as the wide midfielders cover a lot of ground,defending as well as attacking.

The ball winning midfielder can be used in two different ways.If used a ‘Defend’ duty,he will be the deepest midfielder,protecting the back four and only venturing from his position to press the ball.In a ‘Support’ duty,he will play up alongside the central midfielder.The deep-lying playmaker is arguably the teams most important player,when the team is attacking in waves the deep-lying playmaker will sit back and restart attacks.He is also the key player for starting attacks,playing direct passes out wide to the wide midfielders.The central midfielder,who has the ‘Automatic’ duty can play in many different ways.He can make late runs into the box or he can play as a third deep midfielder.The wide midfielders are dry industrious players.They must fulfil defensive duties as well as playing in advanced areas when attacking,these players are required to have good stamina.I like using these players on the same side as their strongest foot but when playing in a ‘Control’ mentality I use the players on their opposite foot to come narrow and dominate the centre of the pitch.
The shadow striker has almost an important role in the team.He is the one who can create overloads in almost every area of the pitch.He has the freedom to drift wide or drop back into midfield.The shadow striker can often swap positions throughout the game with the complete forward.The complete forward must be a very mobile player with decent physical attributes.He and the shadow striker both must drop to get on the ball when circulating.

INSTRUCTIONS 

 

As usual,I have used player instructions rather than team instructions for pressing,this means our shape is exactly the way I want it in the transition.The ‘More Direct Passing’ instructions mostly resulted in direct passes out wide to the flanks due to the ‘Exploit the Flanks’ instruction.The ‘Work Ball into Box’ instruction is there to stop us forcing the ball into the box,this can often become a problem when using the ‘More Direct Passing’ instruction.Although we play a direct style,I use the ‘Play Out of Defence’ instruction,this is because if I do mr use this,the goalkeeper begins kicking from hands into the channels,giving away possession.The ‘Higher Tempo’ instructions increases the speed of attacking waves.Throughout games we can switch between a deeper line or a higher line according to our mentality.

For the individual pressing,these are the instructions:
Libero-Much Less

Centre-Backs-Less

Ball-Winning Midfielder-Much More

Deep-Lying Playmaker-More + Tight Marking

Centre-Midfielder-More + Tight Marking

Wide Midfielders-More + Tight Marking

Shadow Striker-Much More + Tight Marking

Complete Forward-Much More + Tight Marking
I hope you have enjoyed this article on my 3-2-3-2 formation,which is certainly an intersting tactic but in my case,one of the more effective tactics I have used in FM15.It certainly guarantees attacking football but it can also use a possession style of play if needed.If you need a hand crating the tactic or are making any slight changes to it then feel free to contact me through Twitter or a comment below.

France Future Centre-Back Options

After seeing @TheTacticsRoom’s piece on Jordan Amavi,this inspired me to look further into France’s superb upcoming young squad.With terrific youngsters such as Alexandre Lacazette and Paul Pogba becoming more regular fixtures in Didier Deschamps’ squads,France look equipped with the correct tools to become an international force to be reckoned with in the coming years.One of the strongest areas of France’s upcoming squad is the central defender role,I have looked into this position and picked out France’s five best upcoming options in the role.

RAPHAEL VARANE 

 

Information

Age:21

Height:6ft2

Weight:78kg

Club:Real Madrid

Raphael Varane is a central defender who plays his trade in Spain with Real Madrid.Varane started playing for his local football club AS Hellemmes at the age of 7, before joining professional club RC Lens two years later.Varane attended a football training centre nearby where he would train on weekdays and play with Lens at the weekend. He then returned full-time to Lens and it didn’t take him long to progress through the ranks; he became part of a youth set up which included Thorgan Hazard and Geoffrey Kondogbia.Varane broke into the Lens first team in the 2010-11 season,he went on to make 23 appearances that season.After an impressive season,it was rumoured Real Madrid were interested in acquiring his services.That summer,Real Madrid signed Varane for a fee rumoured to be around €10million,he signed a six-year deal.

Style of Play

Varane is physically superb,he is strong,quick and agile.He isn’t often outpaced or pushed off the ball by an attacker.When on the ball,Varane is extremely comfortable when on the ball,unlike many centre-halves,he can dribble well due to his good agility.One of Varane’s strongest attributes is his long passing,he often starts attacks from deep with his brilliant range of passing.Varane’s only real weakness is his concentration,he sometimes falls behind the defence when pushing up,although these short lapses of concentration can be expected of a young defender.

AYMERIC LAPORTE 

 

Information

Age:20

Height:6ft2

Weight:84kg

Club:Athletic Bilbao

Born on May 1994 in Agen, a city which is on the edge of the Pyrenees mountain range that separates France from Spain, Aymeric Laporte started his playing career with French amateur side SU Agen-Football at the age of six. After nine years with the club, he moved to Aviron Bayonnais where he spent another year before signing for Athletic Bilbao’s youth academy in 2010.After an injury curtailed his start with the club, he played for the reserves before moving to third division side CD Baskonia for the 2011/12. The 2012/13 season was him rise up to the first-team for whom he made his debut in a Europa League win over Hapoel in Cyprus. A month after his European debut, he made his first senior domestic appearance when he came on as a late substitute in a 1-0 victory over Celta Vigo in December 2012. Ever since then, Laporte’s career has seen a remarkable rise as he has established himself as a first-choice centre back. The central defender has also represented France in the Under-17 and Under-18 level before going onto captain the Under-19 in the 2012/13 season and has been a regular in the U-21 side since 2013.

Style of Play

Laporte is another of this generation of centre-backs that are blessed with pace.This allows Laporte to play in a high line defence with no issues.He can also fill in at left-back.Laporte’s clear biggest strength is his reading of the game,he can stop attacks with a simple interception or sharp tackle that no other player on the pitch would have seen.A slight weakness in his game would be his passing accuracy,he certainly has the vision to spot perfect passes but the execution isn’t always there.

KURT ZOUMA 

 

Information

Age:20

Height:6ft2

Weight:92kg

Club:Chelsea

Kurt Zouma is a towering 6ft3 centre-half who currently plays with Chelsea in the English Premier League.Zouma has incredibly been playing senior football for three years, despite still only being 19. The rock-solid defender started his career at Saint-Etienne and signed his first professional contract in April 2011, before swiftly making his debut later that month, in a 3-1 win over Bordeaux. Since that game he was a regular in the Ligue 1 side’s starting 11, only missing matches through injury or suspension.The 19-year old finally made his long-awaited move to the Premier League after being chased by a host of clubs by choosing to join Chelsea in January 2014. Yet, just hours after announcing that he had singed for around £12m, the Blues stated that the French starlet would remain at Saint-Etienne for the remainder of the season.

Style of Play

Zouma is not just one of France’s most powerful young players but in fact the world’s,Zouma will hold his own against virtually any striker in the way of strength.Zouma also has a fair amount of pace in his locker,meaning in terms of physicality he is fully developed.Unlike counterparts Varane and Laporte,Zouma is slightly awkward on the ball,he would be far better paired with a more ball-playing centre-back player as he struggles to make long passes or dribble the ball out of defence successfully.

SAMUEL UMTITI 

 

Information

Age:21

Height:5ft10

Weight:75kg

Club:Lyon

Cameroon born youngster Samuel Umtiti is a left-back converted to centre-back who is relishing in his new role.Umtiti joined the academy of Olympique Lyon aged 8 in 2001.After a decade in the Lyon youth ranks, he made his club debut in Coupe de France game against Lyon Duchère in January 2012. Six days later he would make his Ligue 1 bow, playing the full 90 minutes away to Montpellier.By the end of that debut season, he would make 12 league appearances. Last season, he truly established himself as a regular starter in the back four, alternating between centre-half and left-back.

Style of Play

Umtiti is simply put,a no-nonsense defender.He rarely looks to drive out defence or play counter-attacking long passes,however,he gets the job done,and done very well.Umtiti often refers to play deeper than his defensive partner,sweeping behind him,he rarely steps out of the defensive line to press the ball but when he does,he usually wins it.With a BMI of 22.5, at a height of 181 cm, Umtiti isn’t a giant, but he wont be dominated physically, because there is a certain ruggedness about him. He seems to relish the duels, and wins a lot of them, with 78% of his tackles being successful. Even in the air, his height does not impede him, as he is a very impressive header of the ball. He has won 76% of his headed duels.Umtiti’s concentration is a terrific attribute to have,especially for such a young player.The biggest weakness in Samuel Umtiti’s game is his ability on the ball.At 80%, Umtiti doesn’t boast of a great pass completion rate at all. In fact for someone who plays with so many options in front of him, this is poor.Apart from this, he seems a bit ponderous and slow on the ball.

KALIDOU KOULIBALY 

 

Information

Age:23

Height:6ft1

Weight:89kg

Club:Napoli

It didn’t take long for Sport Mediaset’s commentator Raffaele Auriemma to find a nickname for Napoli’s new signing Kalidou Koulibaly. Watching the centre-back play in Napoli’s 1-0 victory over Barcelona in Geneva, it suddenly came to him. Koulibaly has two Ks for initials and at  6’1” he is a man mountain. “K2…” Auriemma proclaimed.Koulibaly began his career playing for hometown club Saint-Die and spent two seasons playing for the club’s senior team in the Championnat de France amateur 2 before joining the academy of professional club Metz on 1 July 2009.On 29 June 2012, Koulibaly joined Belgian club Genk after agreeing to a four-year deal.After two successful seasons at Genk,on 19 May 2014 Koulibaly was sold to Napoli.

Style of Play

Koulibaly is another centre-back who plays like an old fashioned limited defender.He does his defensive duties well and is always brave at the centre of defence.He has a fair of pace in his locker and also possesses great strength.Koulibaly’s main weakness is his technique,he always looks awkward and his decision making is slow on the ball.He has a relatively low passing accuracy stat,similar to Umtiti’s.

Olympique Lyonnaise Remain Top After Surviving Tactical Minefield.

MARSEILLE 0-0 LYON

Ligue 1’s headline fixture of this weekend was between third place Marseille and league leaders Lyon.Marcelo Bielsa’s men have punched above their weight this season,mounting a serious title challenge.More recently Bielsa’s men,have hit a shaky run of form,going four games without a win,including an extremely disappointing home loss to Caen,although last week this run was halted by a terrific 6-1 win over Toulouse.Meanwhile,another side punching well above their weight is Olympique Lyonnais,Hubert Fournier’s side have maintained their position at the top of the table,unexpectedly pushing PSG down into second.Fournier’s side has revolved around academy graduates and his philosophy is becoming clearer as the weeks roll on.A win for Marseille would put them into second place,just a point behind Lyon.However,as long as Lyon take a point from the game,they remain top of the table by two points.

MARSEILLE

Marseille basic shape and line-up

Bielsa’s Marseille lined-up in a 3-3-3-1 formation.



In front of ‘keeper Steve Mandanda a back three of Morel,Romao and Rod Fanni was protected by Gianelli Imbula and wing-backs Dja Djedje and Mendy.Slightly ahead of them through the middle was Andre Ayew who was given almost a free role,Ayew was flanked by two Frenchman,Dimitri Payet and Florian Thauvin who both often drifted wide.The attack was spearheaded by 6ft 1 Andre Pierre Gignac,Bielsa made a controversial decision dropping Batshuayi,considering his brilliant performance in last week’s thumping of Toulouse.

Wing-back purposely isolated to help escape press

Marseille attacked in large numbers,often leaving just two defenders back.In phase one,Marseille played short passes,deep in their own half until an opportunity to switch the play occurred,both wing-backs Dja Djede and Mendy stayed extremely wide,preparing for the switch of play.If the switch of play didn’t become available,Marseille would looked to hit a long and high pass to Gignac.

Defensive shape

Below is an image of Marseille’s defensive structure during Lyon’s phase two of possession.



When defending,two of Marseille’s defenders acted a stoppers,they attacked the high balls and marked Lyon’s strikers,while the spare man,sweeped behind them picking up loose balls and covering.

LYON

Lyon basic shape and line-up

Lyon lined-up in their usual 4-4-2 midfield diamond.

Anthony Lopes started in goal for Lyon hoping to keep up his terrific run of form.A back four from right to left was Jallet,Rose,Umtiti and Bedimo.In front of them was Maxime Gonalons,he operated in deep-lying playmaker role,beginning attacks from deep inside Lyon’s own half,often dropping in between the centre-backs to get on the ball.Academy graduated Jordan Ferri and Corentin Tolisso played in supportive central midfield roles,often as box-to-box players.In the ’10’ role for Lyon was Rachid Ghezzal,who often drove into the ‘9’ position.The two strikers were Nabil Fekir and the inform Alexandre Lacazette.

Rigid structure and strong centrally

Lyon’s full-backs,Jallet and Bedimo defend narrowly.They forced Marseille wide,an area they aren’t as strong in,and pressed from there.If the ball reached an advanced area on Lyon’s flanks,Jallet or Bedimo would press while Gonalons and either Tolisso or Ferri would cover the halfspace,incase Jallet was beaten or Marseille attempted a cutback.In Lyon’s inital press,they were passive.They would allow Marseille’s centre-backs and deepest midfielder time on the ball when central,however,if Marseille played a vertical pass into the second or last third,at least two Lyon players would hunt the ball down instantly and allow Marseille no time.

When Marseille got past Lyon’s initial press with the ball rather than a pass,Tolisso and Ferri would both press the ball while Gonalons would provide cover behind them.

4-3-3 evident in attack

Lyon’s basic shape was a 4-4-2 diamond formation but in attack,it was effectively a 4-3-3.Ghezzal’s movement was focused through the middle,this meaning Lacazette and Fekir looked to make movements in the halfspaces and flanks.



MATCH STATS

POSSESSION:55%-45%

SHOTS(on target):17(6)-11(5)

CLEAR CUT CHANCES:0-2

CONCLUSION:

The 0-0 draw surrounded by controversy,over Javi Morel’s red card and Lucas Ocampos’ shot that no one was sure whether crossed the line or not,was a terrific game tactically.A point was certainly a better result for Lyon who remain top by two points,Marseille falling behind  them by four points.Both coaches set their teams up in a balanced way,neither could afford to lose the match so contained each other until the last half hour.Both teams really went for it but neither found a real breakthrough.

Madrid ride their luck in seven-goal thriller.

REAL MADRID 3-4 SCHALKE(5-4)

Fuchs 20

Ronaldo 25

Huntelaar 40,84

Benzema 52

Sane 57

REAL MADRID KEY PLAYER(S):

Cristiano Ronaldo

SCHALKE KEY PLAYER(S):

Leroy Sane

Maximilian Meyer

Klass Jan-Huntelaar

POSSESSION:49%-51%

SHOTS(on target):14(9)-20(10)

CLEAR CUT CHANCES:1-2

REAL MADRID

•Real Madrid shifted between a 4-3-3 and a 4-2-3-1 formation.Kroos could drop alongside Khedira to form a double pivot or move forward beside Isco.

•Khedira was initially Madrid’s main pivot but him and Kroos constantly switched to give the other a breather after intense pressing.

•Benzema played in a more supportive role tonight,although more-so on the right flank.Due to Arbeloa preferring to play as a limited full-back rather than supporting Bale,Benzema came wide to create wing combinations with Bale.

•When pressing,Madrid used a 4-3-3,they alternated between the front three being wider or narrower.Bale and Ronaldo sometimes pressed the wide centre-backs although if they weren’t in an advanced position,they would just mark the wing-backs.

SCHALKE

•Schalke used a 3-5-2 come 5-3-2 formation.

•Wing-backs Fuchs and Barnetta slotted in and out of defence to prevent Madrid’s and support their own attacks.

•Due to Madrid’s poor protection of the back four,Schalke and Max Meyer in particular looked to exploit the space in between Madrid’s lines.

•In the transition,Maximillian Meyer was clearly Schalke’s main player in transition.Due to Madrid leaving space between their lines,Meyer took up advanced positions,Schalke often passed vertically through Madrid’s midfield to Meyer.

CONCLUSION:Tactically,di Matteo won.His Schalke side had a real go and came extremely close to qualifying for the Champions League quarter-finals.At times,they left themselves exposed defensively due to prioritising attacking situations but this had to be done if they stood any chance.Ancelloti and Madrid weren’t good enough,they certainly didn’t deserve to qualify after an extremely poor defensive performance and the only player who deserved any real credit would be Cristiano Ronaldo,purely for his excellent workrate. 

Inter salvage a point against ten-man Napoli.

NAPOLI 2-2 INTER

Hamsik 51

Higuain 63

Palacio 71

Icardi 86(pen)

NAPOLI KEY PLAYER(S):

Marek Hamsik

Gokhan Inler
INTER KEY PLAYER(S):

Gary Medel

POSSESSION:37%-63%

SHOTS(on target):17(7)-13(5)

CLEAR CUT CHANCES:2-2
NAPOLI
•Napoli lined-up in their usual 4-2-3-1 formation.
•Napoli varied from a 4-5-1 and 4-4-2 when defending,if Inter were playing centrally(often due to the diamond)Hamsik would drop into alongside Inler and Lopez to form a 4-5-1,this helped prevent Inter gain midfield dominance,however,if Inter played wide,Hamsik would support Higuain in pressing.
•Napoli played in a medium block,not wanting to commit to pressing nor allowing Inter to keep possession due to the constant chane of shape according to Inter’s play.
•The main area Napoli used as scope of attack was on the an area between the halfspace and the wing.This gave the player on the ball the option to cut the ball back to a midfield runner,commonly Hamsik.

•Napoli played a lot of high,long passes over the Inter defence,Callejon and Mertens often moved infield as the long pass came over the top.

INTER
•Inter Milan played in a 4-3-1-2 diamond formation.

•Inter played in a very high defensive block which caused them some problems.Higuain constantly looked to exploit the large space in behind the Inter defence and with success a few times.
•The reason for Inter’s high block was due to their instense pressing high up the pitch.Inter’s use of layered pressing was very effective,the closest man would obviously press the ball,the second pressure layer was tight marking,if the main presser was beaten then one of the two would move into the main pressing role,the third and last layer was a lot looser,these players would attempt to prevent two players getting or the ball or having time if they received it.

•Shaqiri was Inter’s focal point in attack,he was given licence to roam and the attack almost revolved round his movement.If Shaqiri drifted wide,the strikers would remain central,trying to open up space for him.

FM15-Tactics(4231)

I apologise for the huge inconsistency in my FM posts but anyway,this will be my first post on FM tactics.It has took me quite a while to write this but here it is!

My main tactic is a 4-2-3-1 formation.I feel this give me a nice balance between defence and attack,while it offers extreme fluidity.Most managers who use a 4-2-3-1 play in a counter attacking style however I like to play in a possession style.Below is the roles I use.(I have used Bayern Munich as an example)(Note that this is not my preferred starting 11 and I have just selected players who I believe fit these roles the best)

SWEEPER KEEPER(Support)

For obvious reason I use a sweeper keeper,I play a high defensive line(as you will see in the next image) and the sweeper keeper will mop up any long balls behind the defence.

Favoured Attributes:Tall,aerial ability,communication,handling,first touch,positioning

RIGHT/LEFT WING-BACK(Attack)

Due to my love of inverted wingers,this means there could be no wide outlet due to the wingers coming inside.However,I use attacking wing-back,this means there is always a wide outlet,the wing-back.If you are struggling to attack in the game then you can switch to a ‘Complete Wing-Back’ or otherwise,if you are struggling defensively you could switch to ‘Full-Back’,my only main recommendation would be to keep the mentality at either ‘Support’ or ‘Attack’.

Favoured Attributes:Pace,dribbling,positioning,workrate

BALL PLAYING CENTRE-BACKS(Defend)

Most FM players like to play with one ball playing centre-back and another limited centre-back but due to my possession style of football I like both centre-backs to bring the ball out of defence.

Favoured Attributes:Passing,tackling,heading,composure

ANCHOR MAN(Defend)

The high-pressing style I use in FM can often lead to players being caught out of position.With an anchor man however,other players can afford to press high without worrying about leaving huge gaps centrally,this is because the anchor man will hold his position in front of the defence and cover for his more attacking midfielder companions.

Favoured Attributes:Tackling,passing,positioning,anticipation,strength

REGISTA(Support)

With my anchor man sitting deep protecting the defence,this leaves the other deeper midfielder free to roam.My regista is similar to a box-to-box midfielder but doesn’t need the same physical attributes,he can drop deep to get on the ball and dictate the play from there,much like Xabi Alonso or he can drive forward and play as another attacking midfielder.However,I don’t want to limit this player to a deep-lying playmaker or even a role that focuses more on physical attributes,in the regista role,this allows him to press high up the field and when attacking,play unpredictably due to his almost free role.

Favoured Attributes:Passing,aggression,workrate,stamina,decisions,dribbling

RIGHT INSIDE FORWARD(Attack)

The inside forward is a key player in my side.At times he plays as a second striker,cutting inside and getting shots away.However,a key part of his role is to come inside on his stronger foot,allowing the advancing wing-back to fill the space left out wide.

Favoured Attributes:Pace,long shots,finishing,dribbling,technique,flair,off the ball

ATTACKING MIDFIELDER(Support)

The attacking midfielder is the main link between midfield and attack,he must be good in the transition phase and willing to work hard off the ball in order to win it back,he may even have to go up and support the striker in pressing.He has to drop deep to get on the ball if all the options are marked.

Favoured Attributes:Passing,technique,off the ball,stamina,technique,creativity,decisions

LEFT ADVANCED PLAYMAKER(Support)

On one of the wings I play with an inside forward(previously mentioned),and on the other I play with a second playmaker,this player will come inside and act as another attacking midfielder,his starting position is out on the left but he will almost always come inside to help with midfield domination.

Favoured Attributes:Passing,technique,off the ball,stamina,technique,creativity,decisions

COMPLETE FORWARD(Support)

The complete forward is not the same as your usual striker,he will at times play on the last defender,stretching the defence,although he will also be asked to drop to deep at times and support the midfield.He is not as deep as a ‘False 9’ but will hopefully have similar attributes.

Favoured Attributes:Finishing,off the ball,creativity,dribbling,passing,pace

As I have already mentioned I use a keep-ball style of play,this is what almost all of my instructions relate to.’Look For Overlap’ is used a I use attacking wing-backs and inverted wingers and ‘Push Higher Up’ helps us play a high-line.For pressing,I prefer to use individual instructions as using team instructions for pressing can lead everyone pressing and loss of shape.