Perfecting English Old Fashioned Wideplay

[ShaunWolf90]

I have longed to perfect this kind of football in FM so much to the point where it is actually effecting me really badly! Somebody PLEASE for my sanity help me on this. Its very bad that over the past 3 editions I have spent more time fiddling around with the TC, browsing forums trying to get this system working than playing the game. I honestly haven't played over 2 seasons worth because of this obsession - now is this really how SI wants me to play this game? I would really hope not.

I have been brought up on football that is played down the flanks, a solid team that soaks up pressure then hits the ball out wide and let's there wide players hug the touchline, beat his man, then stick over a lovely cross for its two CFs to pounce on. FM doesnt, for whatever reason, want me to play like this. The team that did it best most recently was Aston Villa under MoN, or during periods Stoke under Pulls.

So far I have

Rigid
Counter

More Direct
Zonal
Float Crosses
Stick to Position

Attack down both flanks
Counter ticked

I play with no playmaker or target man. I play a solid back 4 all of whom are on defend but get my full back to cross often from deep. I then play with another solid bank of 4 in midfield, however my 2 CMs are both on defend duty, one being a deep lying playmaker, another being central midfielder. The idea is that these two sit and protect when my widemen go off on one and spray passes out to the wingers. My Wingers are both exactly that on attack duty, with the TC they don't roam because I have found when they do they cut inside far too much and they literally hug the touchline, look to beat there man and whip crosses in. The aim is centre and I also have them crossing from 'mixed' reason being I want them to whip crosses in at every available opportunity. My two frontman are Target man attack and advanced forward. You may argue one of these should be on support but inevitably my play is going through the flanks and I want them in good positions when crosses come in.

So what do you reckon? Is my template wrong? Should I be a different philosophy altogether? Am I too defensive? Should my full backs be higher up the pitch? Please please please anything you can think of suggest.

 

[slundt]

With team are you Playing ?? Its look like a tackik for a surviving team or a Away-from-home kind af off thing.
I think you should put one one the CM´s to a more surporting duty, to help your forwards in the box. I will say a Box2box player would be a nice fit, alongside your DLP. ,- If he's any good your DLP you could make him your primary playmaker - To mix it up a litle -
Allso try to play more Offensive , if you have the squard to do so , and when you are a favorit , maybe try to play with more roaming .

Btw. I been having some luck make one of my CenterMidfielders - who comes into the box - to be the targetman