Projected line up for Karny9:

................................... .....Given......................... .....................

...........................Nelsen.. ..............Carragher............ .................
......Kromkamp..................... .............................R.Carl os..............
................................... ...Hamann.......................... ...................
..........Beckham.................. ............................Guti... ..................
..................................S chweinsteiger...................... .................
........................Pauleta.... ................Ibrahimovic........ ................

Or this alternative:

................................... ..Given............................ ............

................Javi Venta........Carragher......Nelsen. .................
................................... ............R.Carlos............... ...........
.......................Hamann...... ................................... ..........
.................Schweinsteiger.... .............Guti.................. ......
.................Pauleta........... .....................Cisse......... ........
.................................Ib rahimovic.......................... ........

These are formations he used in the group stage so these are the ones we will use to base
our tactics on.

Karny9 has a solid squad with some really high quality players as evidenced by
the way he was able to qualify from the group stage. However this team does have some
glaring weaknesses. The strike force is just not there at all, Cisse can blow hot or cold and
you never know when he is going to be on form enough to score a hat trick or simply be a
ghost on the pitch. As Serie A followers we are well aware of Zlatan’s inability to put the
ball into the net when it counts. This guy has had so many one on ones and manages to
miss 97% of them. His strength comes from his ability to bring the ball down but he is
often too arrogant to make the right pass or when he does he is not in the right position
for the return ball. Pauleta has had a below par season with PSG, and despite ending up
with 21 goals his goals have mostly come against weaker opposition and is hard pressed
to find goals against more solid defenders like those at Lyon.

The defense has a colossus in Carragher but him aside it is actually quite weak. Roberto
Carlos is not the player he once used to be and with no other alternative at the LB
position this is an area we would look to exploit. The same can be said for Kromkamp
although his days with AZ were marked with some success in the Uefa Cup he was
unable to crack the Villareal squad and ended up with Liverpool where he has only made
17 appearances with most of them coming as a substitute. He is a mediocre RB at best
and with his tendency to get forward and inability to get back in time to help out on the
counter attack will be something we will look to utilize. The central duo is error prone
with Carragher having to cover up the mistakes of his partner we see this as an advantage
for our strikers. Nelsen and Venta are average defenders with a skill set that we see as
somewhat of a mismatch with Carragher. He is a solid man marker but can struggle with
aerial balls and like most CBs can be forced into an error when the ball is run at the
defense from a withdrawn position.

The midfield is Karny9’s greatest asset and this is an area we will look to neutralize as
best we can. In Beckham we can expect excellent FKs and crosses for Pauleta.
Schweinsteiger IMO is one of the most complete German footballers today and is a real
threat going forward but is prone to giving up the odd foul and can be a little
temperamental when given extra special attention from the opposition. He also likes to
drift out to the wings to put in crosses, something we will look to take care but at the
same time take advantage of by making use of the holes he leaves behind. Guti’s
performances this season for RM have been abysmal and it is no wonder they are looking
to get rid of him. He can be a good player on his day but with the right tactics any threat
he poses can be averted. Hamman is a solid DM and a player we were looked into
picking up. His work ethic is top rate but he no longer has the legs to compete for 90
minutes of back and forth soccer. We will look to make sure that he has more than he can
handle with Di Michele keeping him busy with runs off the ball and generally making
him work all the more harder at keeping the speedy Italian quiet that he is not of much
help to the rest of the team.

For this match up we have selected this line up:

................................... .....Toldo......................... .....................

...........................Burdisso.. ..............Cannavaro............ .................
......Oddo..................... .................................................Evra..............
..................................Maresca.........................Lanzaat..................
................Fiore...................................................................Jorgensen................
....................................Di Michele....................................................................
.............................................................Klose....................................................

This dynamic 4-2-3-1 can collapse to a 4-5-1 when defending but also exploding in full
force on the counter attack to a 4-3-3. Our defensive tactics will comprise of isolating the
strikers by keeping the ball in the midfield. With 5 players in the middle of the park we
do not see this as an issue but it is obviously easier said than done. Specifically Lanzaat
and Maresca will be playing just ahead of the defense in a double CM role that will
ensure tons of cover for central attack but also an extra man to help out should the play
begin to develop on either wing. Evra though known mostly for his attacking flair is still
a solid defender and will have to use all his speed and intelligence to ensure than Becks is
not given the chance to whip in a cross. Should things get to be too much for him Lanzaat
will cycle out to cover any potentially open player that will receive a cut back from the
England international. Denny will also have to make sure that Kromkamp is not given the
chance to make and overlapping run to get either a shot from outside the box or a cross
from the top of the area. The same can be said for the opposite wing however in this case
Fiore will be slightly more withdrawn to prevent Carlos from taking one of his trademark
blasts with Maresca covering Schweinsteiger in the middle and Oddo keeping tabs on
Guti and any diagonal runs he might make. We do not expect Di Michele to be much
more than an outlet pass after the move has broken down when we are not in possession
of the ball but he will also make sure to hurry Hamman off the ball should it be played to
him.

Burdisso will be marking up Pauleta on aerial balls and Zlatan when the ball is played
along the ground. Nicolas will generally be the donkey work defender with Canna man
marking the other striker in the attack. Should Karny play a 4-3-3 Oddo will have to
remain tight as crosses are not really a specialty of Guti’s and preventing Cisse from
getting an easy run into the box would be most important. Furthermore with Zlatan on the
pitch the defense will ensure that they are in constant communication and make sure to
catch him offside as much as possible. It still amazes me sometimes how much this guy is
caught offside and we will have to make the most of this weakness in his game.

With so much midfield pressure should the plan be to begin to use long balls to the
strikers then Maresca and Lanzaat will be the players given the responsibility of cutting
these balls out. However Cannavaro is also very good at these situations and with his
excellent read of the game he can cut these chances out himself with his strong well times
jumps or he can ask Burdisso to step up and take care of the danger with him covering the
other striker in the event of a headed pass.

Now for the attack as I said before the name of the game will be the counter attacking
football and with much of our player committed to defending Fiore and Jorgensen will be
asked to play withdrawn position than normal wide men so as to act not only as an extra
filter for attacks but also as outlet passes for defenders. These two should see much of the
ball in attacking situations especially in the build up as they will occupy the spaces left
behind by advanced runs from Carlos and Kromkamp. Di Michele will look to keep
Hamman in front of him that way he can see where he is during these attacks. Running at
Didi at angles is the best way to get past him as well as playing quick give and go balls
with Maresca/Lanzaat.

There will be several options on these attacks. From the outlet pass Fiore/ Jorgensen can
sprint into a crossing position for Klose to finish at the near post or the other winger to
latch onto at the far post. Another option is from the outlet pass to go to Di Michele who
will look to built the attack by running at the defenders/Hamman and putting in through
passes for Klose to run onto. He can also distribute the ball off to the wings where either
a cross will be put in or he can ask for a return pass for a shot from the top of the box.
Both Fiore and Jorgensen are top notch outside shooters and one would expect them to
blast a few balls at the net if given the chance. Also should Di Michele get into trouble
one of Maresca or Lanzaat will push out of their deep lying positions to help him by
offering the extra option. This will allow the Italian to get into a place for a return pass or
run onto a through ball. Also either of those two can distribute the ball to wings, more
importantly they can loft the ball over Hamman for a waiting Klose to chest down for an
onrushing Di Michele to take into the box for a shot.

With Klose as the lone striker he will have to do a lot of running and finding space,
something he is used to at Bremen. He knows how to find these spaces but it would not
be uncommon for him to drift out to the wing while one of Fiore/ Jorgensen charges into
the box to finish a chance. He will have to make sure to try and force a mistake out of
Venta/ Nelsen (whoever is chosen to play).

Another important point to the attacking play will be the positioning of Lanzaat/Maresca,
one of these two will punch out of the midfield as they are both good attackers and can
push up to help keep the ball in the opposing half through well timed passes and just
overall solid distribution. When in attack the priority will be to retain possession should
the build up fail, the ball will be cycled back out to the midfield or even passed back to
the defense to open up space and then build the play from scratch.

Overall the team will attempt to remain in possession for as long as possible by keeping a
tight semi high backline as well as distribution of the ball all over the park to get as many
chances as possible. When we are not in possession of the ball the team will focus on
putting pressure on the attackers by covering the passing lanes as well as engaging in
tactical fouls around the center circle only when the team is caught up the field.

In the event that we need to close out the game Di Michele can be replaced by Aimar for
more stability in the midfield. Should we be in need of a goal near then end of the game
or in extra time we can call on the services of Tavano by taking off Jorgensen and if this
fails to pay dividends Mutu can replace Fiore. In this case we would play a 4-3-3 with Di
Michele being replaced by Aimar to make up the 3 men in the midfield. Other options
include replacing Fiore with Zaccardo so as to give more crosses without giving up to
much in defense.

Our shooters for any eventual shoot out would be:

Klose, Fiore, Jorgensen, Maresca, Di Michele/Aimar.