vs 
............................................. TEAM WILLHSE .................................................................................... TEAM MICHAELF ......................................
TEAM WILLHSE:
“Woah wtf Will has only got one central defender, wtf is going on?!?!”
“Will has lost his mind, this (insert bland 442/433/traditional 352 formation) team will beat this crazily attacking team easily”
That is where you’re wrong you see. I come before you today with a tactic never seen before (to my knowledge) on this draft forum. This will revolutionise draft for the foreseeable future. I present to you Chris Wilder’s 3-5-2 with overlapping centre-backs, yes you heard that correctly.
Video explaining the formation and tactics very well:
https://www.footballdna.co.uk/featu...pOjhzkO61QTxzpKS3tEBnuRpDmw0Z9QfEBVHS3l1lt6b4
“Essentially, we try to pen opposition teams in with controlled possession in their final third, at which point one of our wide centre-backs bombs on to create an overload. It sounds like it shouldn’t work, but it does – we’ve got a lot of goals from it as teams really struggle to adapt to the “organised chaos” that we try and create.” (Ben Meakin, BladesPod)
Defensively, When out of possession, the 3-5-2 can become a 5-3-2 or indeed a 5-4-1, with Rooney pulling wide.
An ode to Chris Wilder:
1) The most important thing about this formation is to have a mix of hard working players that are also good on the ball.
2) This formation relies heavily on crossing, so I have picked some of the best crossers that we have ever seen, including the best ever in Beckham, who suits this formation perfectly. Riva and Rooney were also incredible in the air, and finishing inside the box.
3) This tactic creates an overload that is not seen in conventional tactics. There are 7 players involved in the attacking phase. Usually only 6 are involved in conventional 433’s, meaning that teams are not used to defending against this many players.
4) The most important players in this system are: the two wide centrebacks, the two defensive midfielders, and the central defender.
5) Whilst Sheffield Utd had two centre-backs on the outside, I decided to take this a step forward and get two incredibly hard working fullbacks, that are very well rounded players and strong in the tackle, with incredible fitness levels. Carlos and Alberto will also be much better at getting the ball in the box than Basham and O’Donnell.
6) As Carlos and Alberto move forward to join the attack, Rijkaard and Voronin step back in to cover the vacated space. It is crucial that both defensive midfielders are good on the ball, whilst also being brilliant defensively, and there is no one better than Rijkaard for this role.
7) The wide midfielders in this system need to be comfortable working on the inside channels, and need to possess the ability to create chances from deep. They also need to be competent defensively, but don’t have the same defensive responsibilities as the defensive midfielders. These players are primarily to draw the fullbacks out of position to create space for Carlos and Alberto. If the fullbacks are drawn to Carlos and Alberto then it gives plenty of time for Beckham to whip in a cross, which we know he is absolutely lethal with.
8) The attacking midfielder has a free role, and is expected to be great on the ball, feeding the two strikers, whilst also being able to finish themselves. Socrates was a magician on the ball with incredible vision, and would be perfect in this role feeding Riva and Rooney.
9) This formation has one target man/pure finisher (Riva) partnered by a support striker that drops into midfield on occasion, whilst being clinical in the box (Rooney). Both of these strikers are fantastic in the air, and would thrive on floated crosses into the box. Will expand on Rooney more within the discussion but I believe he is criminally underrated in these drafts.
Some stats from Sheffield Utd’s 2018/19 season
Least goals conceded in the Championship, shows the formation isn’t vulnerable defensively.
78 goals scored in 46 games, 4th highest in the Championship.
No club registered as many shots (80) or goals (25) from within the six yard box.
TEAM MICHAELF
My team will play a 4-1-2-1-2 Midfield Diamond formation. In Goal we have 2002 World Cup Golden Ball winner Oliver Kahn. My two wingbacks Marcelo and Leandro will provide width. When the wingbacks are attacking, our defensive midfielder Marcel Desailly will move back into defense with the centreback on the side of the wingback that is attacking moving across to cover the flank. This means our backline will look as follows:
When neither Marcelo or Leandro are attacking:
Marcelo - Krol - Burgnich - Leandro
When Marcelo is attacking:
Krol - Desailly - Burgnich - Leandro
When Leandro is attacking:
Marcelo - Krol - Desailly - Burgnich
When both Marcelo and Leandro are attacking:
........Krol - Desailly - Burgnich........
This defensive setup is aided by the fact that both of my centrebacks are worldclass fullbacks on the side that they are expected to cover and that Desailly was world class at both centreback and defensive midfield. Furthermore, even when Desailly moves back into defense, Marco Tardelli and Lothar Matthaus are still a highly suitable midfield combination from a defensive perspective.
Offensively my team is built around getting the best out of Ricardo Bochini who was an expert at timing and weighting a pass so that the recipient was in an ideal position. In Argentina a precise pass which gives a forward a one-on-one opportunity against a goalkeeper is called a pase bochinesco (Bochiniesque pass). In order to take full advantage of Bochini's passing abilities both of my strikers (Eto'o and Bican) are quick and great finishers. Bican's time over 100m is 10.8 seconds. During his career Bican scored 805 goals in 530 official games including 534 goals in 274 games during an 11 year spell at Slavia Prague. Bican was top scorer in the Austrian league once and in the Czechoslovakia/Bohemia and Moravia league ten times including nine seasons in succession (during which he scored in league games (with the number of league games played by his club that season in brackets) were 22 (22), 29 (20), 50 (22), 38 (22), 45 (22), 39 (22), 57 (26), 31 (20) and 43 (26) goals respectively).
), I think Carlos fits my vision. I wanted my "overlapping centre-backs" to be a genuine threat, rather than a slow centreback plodding up and down the field. Carlos offers a balanced overall game, whilst giving strength and stamina to the team.