EDITS:
11 Dec 2013: Made a few changes and am having better results. Check it out!
My favorite formation is the 4-1-2-3 with three strikers. It worked very well in FM 2012/13 and I've been trying to create an effective tactic using that formation in FM 2014. Here's what I've come up with. It's not finished yet, so I'd love any feedback!
How I Like to Play:
- Defensively sound, high pressure, win the ball back quickly
- Pin opposition back and keep the ball, but don't possess just for the sake of it
- Transition quickly from defense to attack
- Create plenty of chances
The Formation and Team Instructions:
View attachment 445823
It started as your basic 4-1-2-3 with three strikers, which allows me to be defensively sound yet maintain a significant threat going forward. I changed it slightly by moving the left striker into a wide position, which permits a couple of things: I can take advantage of the abundance of attacking midfield talent currently in the game, and it adds some creativity to my attacking lineup. Team Instructions are intended to do a couple of things:
Defending: I want to be defensively sound, apply pressure and win the ball back quickly.
- Hassle Opponents
- Push Higher Up
Attacking: I want to transition quickly from defense to attack and create chances at the other end, but not be wasteful with my possession.
- Pass Into Space
- Play Out Of Defense
- Higher Tempo
- Run At Defense
- Drill Crosses
- Be More Expressive
- More Direct Passing
Mentality: Attacking / Fluidity: Fluid - I thought about making a Counter tactic, as that's what I'm trying to emulate with the quick transition from defense to attack, but I did not like conceding possession to the opponent and things bogged down against lower opposition that were themselves sitting back to defend. The Attacking mentality works well because while the strikers, midfielders, and wingbacks get forward quickly to attack and support, we still maintain our defensive integrity and rarely get caught out on the counter ourselves.
Player Roles and Instructions:
GK - GK/D: Take quick throws
D (L) - WB/S: Shoot less often, Stay wider, Run wide with ball, Get further forward, Cross more often, Close down more
D (CL) - LD/D
D (CR) - CD/D
D (R) - WB/S: Shoot less often, Stay wider, Run wide with ball, Get further forward, Cross more often, Close down more
DM - A/D: More direct passes, Close down more, Mark tighter
M (CL) - BBM/S: Dribble less, Close down more, More direct passes, More risky passes, Roam from position
M (CR) - CM/Auto: Dribble less, Close down more, More direct passes, More risky passes, Roam from position
ST (AML) - AP/A: More direct passes, Sit narrower, Roam from position, Shoot more often
ST (C) - P/A: Pass it shorter, Hold position, Move into channels, Mark tighter
ST (CR) - DLF/S: More direct passes, Mark tighter, Move into channels, Roam from position
A couple of explanations about these roles and instructions:
Wingbacks - The wingbacks are critical to this tactic. They are set to be a real attacking threat and to whip cross after cross into the box for the three attackers. They provide width, allow the ball to be switched quickly, and are almost always found in space.
Central Defenders - Simple job, defend and pass the ball quickly to the midfielders or into the feet of a forward.
Defensive Midfielder - The DM is an anchorman to give defensive stability when the wingbacks bomb forward, and also to break up attacks and recycle possession quickly. He is set to play direct passes to get the ball into an attacking position quickly.
Center Midfielders - The role of these can change a bit, depending on who I play, but primarily they defend strongly and play the ball into the strikers' feet, and then while in possession keep the ball moving to the wingbacks. I have them set as BBM and CM, roles that defend strongly and then can pick a pass going forward but who don?t slow down the transition from defense to attack by needlessly holding onto the ball.
Attacking Midfielder - The shift from DLF/A to a wide AP/A has been a good one. I set the AML to man-mark the opponent?s right fullback, which means when we win the ball he's usually dropped deep defensively and serves as a quick outlet. He provides loads of assists when he gets in the attacking third and picks a pass or cross for his strike partners.
Strikers - The central striker is set to Poacher and often gets on the end of long passes from midfield or the wingbacks' crosses. Otherwise the passes get played into the Deep Lying Forward's feet, who turns and attacks the defense. I have tried changing the DLF/S to a F9/S, but I lose the defensive ability which is very important. The DLF/S is set to man-mark the left fullback, so when we defend, the DLF drops deep and applies pressure, helping to win the ball back quickly.
Results So Far:
First Season (playing as original 4-1-2-3 striker formation):
I am playing as Manchester United, so obviously a quality team. I sold some players (Anderson, Cleverley, Valencia) and purchased Pogba and Schneiderlin, who are both very effective in the middle of the field. They are well-rounded defensively and Pogba's got a brilliant shot from range. We finished the first season as Premier League champions and got a bit lucky in the Champions League with an easy draw and then winning against Barcelona in the final when Messi and Neymar didn't play (injured) and Pique got sent off for a professional foul when we got in behind them. Possession teams (4-2-3-1) are a real ******* against this tactic, usually because of their attacking fullbacks who have all kinds of space to roam when their wingers are pinning back my fullbacks.
Second Season (playing with AML):
Because of that, I've made the changes indicated above. The AML and DLF man-marking the opposing fullbacks now help defend, and my roaming BBM/CM also slide out wide to pressure the fullbacks. I brought in Isco for ?40 million (ouch). He's worth it, though, as he's only 22 years old and he is tailor-made for that Advanced Playmaker position. He has 1 goal and 1 assist in 2 games so far. I made a couple of changes to the team shouts, instructing them to be more expressive and to be more direct in their passing. I also instructed the two central midfielders to take more risks with their passes, looking to spring my attackers more regularly.
Examples:
Here's a recent game against Tottenham, who plays that dreaded 4-2-3-1 formation. As you can see, we held our own in possession and each of our three goals was a clinic in winning the ball with pressure, then scoring within 2-3 passes. They hit the woodwork once, the second time was by my own player "defending" a corner. It was a much better performance, statistically, than I had with the previous tactic against a 4-2-3-1 formation last season.
View attachment 445826View attachment 445825View attachment 445824
You can see the goals (sort of, the quality isn't very good) here:
[video=youtube;QWxfx9xRQeo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWxfx9xRQeo&feature=youtu.be[/video]
Here's another game against Chelsea. We edged possession, which we don't normally do against Chelsea, but one thing to note about this tactic is how many corners you win due to the attacking threat of your wingbacks. If you have a corner routine or a couple of dominant headers of the ball, you can get quite a few goals from those set pieces.
View attachment 445791
We'll see how those changes work. I'll keep you posted! I'd love any feedback, particularly any insight on creating more CCCs.
TACTIC: Blitzkrieg 4-1-2-3 mod
View attachment 445821
14 Dec 2013: Started a new season as Crystal Palace (projected to finish 20th), good first result!
New season as Crystal Palace, first game was against Liverpool. Final result Crystal Palace 2-1 Liverpool. 'Pool's Enriquez was sent off on the hour and we scored our second against 10 men, but it's the first goal that exemplified this tactic perfectly. As you can see below, Balanta (only signing I made, spent my whole transfer budget on him but Palace needed upgrades at central defense) wins the ball from Coutinho, then finds the Advanced Playmaker (Chamakh), who lays it off to a Central Midfielder (Guedioura), who finds splits the defense to find the onrushing Jerome, who finishes clinically. Jerome scores 3 passes after winning the ball in our own penalty area!
[video=youtube;bOHESnanvNk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOHESnanvNk[/video]
View attachment 444605
11 Dec 2013: Made a few changes and am having better results. Check it out!
My favorite formation is the 4-1-2-3 with three strikers. It worked very well in FM 2012/13 and I've been trying to create an effective tactic using that formation in FM 2014. Here's what I've come up with. It's not finished yet, so I'd love any feedback!
How I Like to Play:
- Defensively sound, high pressure, win the ball back quickly
- Pin opposition back and keep the ball, but don't possess just for the sake of it
- Transition quickly from defense to attack
- Create plenty of chances
The Formation and Team Instructions:
View attachment 445823
It started as your basic 4-1-2-3 with three strikers, which allows me to be defensively sound yet maintain a significant threat going forward. I changed it slightly by moving the left striker into a wide position, which permits a couple of things: I can take advantage of the abundance of attacking midfield talent currently in the game, and it adds some creativity to my attacking lineup. Team Instructions are intended to do a couple of things:
Defending: I want to be defensively sound, apply pressure and win the ball back quickly.
- Hassle Opponents
- Push Higher Up
Attacking: I want to transition quickly from defense to attack and create chances at the other end, but not be wasteful with my possession.
- Pass Into Space
- Play Out Of Defense
- Higher Tempo
- Run At Defense
- Drill Crosses
- Be More Expressive
- More Direct Passing
Mentality: Attacking / Fluidity: Fluid - I thought about making a Counter tactic, as that's what I'm trying to emulate with the quick transition from defense to attack, but I did not like conceding possession to the opponent and things bogged down against lower opposition that were themselves sitting back to defend. The Attacking mentality works well because while the strikers, midfielders, and wingbacks get forward quickly to attack and support, we still maintain our defensive integrity and rarely get caught out on the counter ourselves.
Player Roles and Instructions:
GK - GK/D: Take quick throws
D (L) - WB/S: Shoot less often, Stay wider, Run wide with ball, Get further forward, Cross more often, Close down more
D (CL) - LD/D
D (CR) - CD/D
D (R) - WB/S: Shoot less often, Stay wider, Run wide with ball, Get further forward, Cross more often, Close down more
DM - A/D: More direct passes, Close down more, Mark tighter
M (CL) - BBM/S: Dribble less, Close down more, More direct passes, More risky passes, Roam from position
M (CR) - CM/Auto: Dribble less, Close down more, More direct passes, More risky passes, Roam from position
ST (AML) - AP/A: More direct passes, Sit narrower, Roam from position, Shoot more often
ST (C) - P/A: Pass it shorter, Hold position, Move into channels, Mark tighter
ST (CR) - DLF/S: More direct passes, Mark tighter, Move into channels, Roam from position
A couple of explanations about these roles and instructions:
Wingbacks - The wingbacks are critical to this tactic. They are set to be a real attacking threat and to whip cross after cross into the box for the three attackers. They provide width, allow the ball to be switched quickly, and are almost always found in space.
Central Defenders - Simple job, defend and pass the ball quickly to the midfielders or into the feet of a forward.
Defensive Midfielder - The DM is an anchorman to give defensive stability when the wingbacks bomb forward, and also to break up attacks and recycle possession quickly. He is set to play direct passes to get the ball into an attacking position quickly.
Center Midfielders - The role of these can change a bit, depending on who I play, but primarily they defend strongly and play the ball into the strikers' feet, and then while in possession keep the ball moving to the wingbacks. I have them set as BBM and CM, roles that defend strongly and then can pick a pass going forward but who don?t slow down the transition from defense to attack by needlessly holding onto the ball.
Attacking Midfielder - The shift from DLF/A to a wide AP/A has been a good one. I set the AML to man-mark the opponent?s right fullback, which means when we win the ball he's usually dropped deep defensively and serves as a quick outlet. He provides loads of assists when he gets in the attacking third and picks a pass or cross for his strike partners.
Strikers - The central striker is set to Poacher and often gets on the end of long passes from midfield or the wingbacks' crosses. Otherwise the passes get played into the Deep Lying Forward's feet, who turns and attacks the defense. I have tried changing the DLF/S to a F9/S, but I lose the defensive ability which is very important. The DLF/S is set to man-mark the left fullback, so when we defend, the DLF drops deep and applies pressure, helping to win the ball back quickly.
Results So Far:
First Season (playing as original 4-1-2-3 striker formation):
I am playing as Manchester United, so obviously a quality team. I sold some players (Anderson, Cleverley, Valencia) and purchased Pogba and Schneiderlin, who are both very effective in the middle of the field. They are well-rounded defensively and Pogba's got a brilliant shot from range. We finished the first season as Premier League champions and got a bit lucky in the Champions League with an easy draw and then winning against Barcelona in the final when Messi and Neymar didn't play (injured) and Pique got sent off for a professional foul when we got in behind them. Possession teams (4-2-3-1) are a real ******* against this tactic, usually because of their attacking fullbacks who have all kinds of space to roam when their wingers are pinning back my fullbacks.
Second Season (playing with AML):
Because of that, I've made the changes indicated above. The AML and DLF man-marking the opposing fullbacks now help defend, and my roaming BBM/CM also slide out wide to pressure the fullbacks. I brought in Isco for ?40 million (ouch). He's worth it, though, as he's only 22 years old and he is tailor-made for that Advanced Playmaker position. He has 1 goal and 1 assist in 2 games so far. I made a couple of changes to the team shouts, instructing them to be more expressive and to be more direct in their passing. I also instructed the two central midfielders to take more risks with their passes, looking to spring my attackers more regularly.
Examples:
Here's a recent game against Tottenham, who plays that dreaded 4-2-3-1 formation. As you can see, we held our own in possession and each of our three goals was a clinic in winning the ball with pressure, then scoring within 2-3 passes. They hit the woodwork once, the second time was by my own player "defending" a corner. It was a much better performance, statistically, than I had with the previous tactic against a 4-2-3-1 formation last season.
View attachment 445826View attachment 445825View attachment 445824
You can see the goals (sort of, the quality isn't very good) here:
[video=youtube;QWxfx9xRQeo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWxfx9xRQeo&feature=youtu.be[/video]
Here's another game against Chelsea. We edged possession, which we don't normally do against Chelsea, but one thing to note about this tactic is how many corners you win due to the attacking threat of your wingbacks. If you have a corner routine or a couple of dominant headers of the ball, you can get quite a few goals from those set pieces.
View attachment 445791
We'll see how those changes work. I'll keep you posted! I'd love any feedback, particularly any insight on creating more CCCs.
TACTIC: Blitzkrieg 4-1-2-3 mod
View attachment 445821
14 Dec 2013: Started a new season as Crystal Palace (projected to finish 20th), good first result!
New season as Crystal Palace, first game was against Liverpool. Final result Crystal Palace 2-1 Liverpool. 'Pool's Enriquez was sent off on the hour and we scored our second against 10 men, but it's the first goal that exemplified this tactic perfectly. As you can see below, Balanta (only signing I made, spent my whole transfer budget on him but Palace needed upgrades at central defense) wins the ball from Coutinho, then finds the Advanced Playmaker (Chamakh), who lays it off to a Central Midfielder (Guedioura), who finds splits the defense to find the onrushing Jerome, who finishes clinically. Jerome scores 3 passes after winning the ball in our own penalty area!
[video=youtube;bOHESnanvNk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOHESnanvNk[/video]
View attachment 444605
Last edited:
