Lets Discuss Sweepers

When creating a tactic you need to have an idea of how you want it to play and have an idea of the kind of football you want to see. Without knowing this you’ll feel a bit lost and struggle to have success. Everyone needs a starting point of some kind whether its an idea, tactical philosophy or a style of play. Having this thought out will make it possible to build around this and give you a starting point. This thread will hopefully show you how I create a tactic and give a few of you a couple of ideas along the way, especially if you feel a bit lost for direction and not quite sure where to start.

While I am copying Bayerns style of play to some degree I have to adapt it to suit the players at my disposal. I actually don’t have the right type of players to play this way but that’s a good thing for this thread as it will mean there are more discussion points and it should be a lot harder for me to get right. Over time as the squad gets stronger and I bring the right sort of players in that fit this system then the more like Bayern it should become. But this will take time and not something you can do off the bat and copy instantly unless you are lucky enough to have a squad with the players already in it.

Some of you might think that Sheffield United have a very good squad and they do to some extent but they don’t have the attributes to play the Bayern way. My side lacks composure, technique, decisions and creativity all of which are very important. Not only that but my midfield is lacking numbers and while I have a bit of money to spend I can’t attract the right kind of player that I need. None the less this should be fun to try and make work

I like to attempt to replicate real life tactics but putting my own spin on them. This past few weeks I’ve been reading about Bayern and the system they’ve been using and it intrigued me a lot. Especially as people claim this is the next tactical revolution and the next logical step for tactics. So with this in mind I started to read about about how they played to get some ideas for how I would set up. For this I used such sites as;

http://spielverlagerung.de/2013/11/23/borussia-dortmund-bayern-munchen-03/

http://www.bavarianfootballworks.com/2013/7/17/4530782/bayern-munich-pep-guardiola-4-1-4-1-tactics-flexibility-schweinsteiger-kroos-alcantara-martinez

http://www.chroniquestactiques.fr/bayern-munich-pep-guardiola-tactical-analysis-telekom-cup-8116/

http://www.squawka.com/news/2013/10/21/talking-tactics-how-pep-guardiola-utilised-the-double-no-10-role-against-mainz/2013102128050

http://bundesligafanatic.com/tactical-analysis-bayerns-4-1-4-1-in-german-super-cup/

This was more than enough to start me off with what I was trying to create and how to go about achieving it.

Once you have some kind of inspirations its all about setting this up in Football Manager. So what I do is create some kind of base tactic for how I try to translate the information I found in the articles above into the game. I call it a base because things never work exactly how you think and you have to make changes during games or to your initial setup should you find something isn’t working.

Firstly the shape. I went for a bog standard 4-1-4-1 because I feel this is more versatile than a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3. I can make the 4-1-4-1 turn into those formations quite easily while in the game with the use of roles/duties. So for me this is the shape I choose.

That’s the shape I’ve gone for.

Once the shape is sorted we have to add the roles/duties and settings we think the team use. So I need to identify what I learnt from the links above.

• The striker closes down the opposition’s back line constant
  
• The wingers judging by heat maps I’ve seen start from further down the pitch but are at times the furthest players forward.
  
• The MC’s are versatile and are something that change depending on the personnel available.
  
• One of the MC’s likes to drop back into the DC positions at times to act as the third centre back when defending. Yet when attacking like to push up into midfield while still being the deepest midfielder.
  

These are the main points so to put this into FM terms I am thinking along the lines of;

• 1. The striker is better suited to being a defensive forward. Some could argue they are a false 9 or even a deep lying forward. However due to the nature they press the defence then a defensive forward is more logical.
  
• The wingers or inside forwards depending on you label them will be wide midfielders for me. The reason for this is they both defend and help out defensively and having them in the AMR/AML position won’t allow this. But I can influence their play from the wide midfield positions by the use of individual instructions. Maybe use the cuts inside ones and possibly the gets further forward ones.
  
• This is the hardest part and the one I am undecided on. So I think I might set this up just like real life and change it depending on who I use or the team I play against.
  
• I honestly think the half back is suited for this position because it does exactly that, deep when defending and pushes higher up when attacking.
  

So with these points the shape and settings currently look like this;

I’ve instructed the keeper to distribute the ball to the DMC so we can play out from the back. I also gave both wide midfielders the cuts inside instructions. This is all I’ve done for the individual instructions for now as it will be something I’ll observe and decide on more once the season actually starts and I can see how it all works overall as a unit.

I learnt that Bayern like to keep width throughout the game. I also learnt that they like to hassle opponents, play with a high line, play short passing and use a high tempo game. So these are the settings I have chosen to start with;

I also decided that I would use an attacking strategy and play very rigid. The reason for playing very rigid is simple - I need certain players do act in a very specific way so by going rigid this allows those players in those roles to really shine and be the focal points of the side. I’ve not gone for retain possession as I believe I can do this naturally due to the roles/duties we have. Plus I’d rather we focused on good dangerous possession rather than keeping the ball and not doing anything with it.

And that’s it, its really that simple......

Well actually it isn’t because we don’t know if the ideas or logic behind what I’m trying to create even works. The next part of this thread should explain more about getting it to work in games.

It’s important that for the first game I try and leave stuff untouched the best I can so I can get a real feel of how stuff is working and what’s going on. I’ll still make the odd changes in game if I feel I’m losing the game. But for most parts I like to let the game play out without changes if possible so I can view it back after. Watching a game after its happened is easier than watching one that’s in play because sometimes you view it differently because the result doesn’t matter as the game is over.

The opening game of the season I managed to win 3-0 which isn’t bad and most people might be happy with that. I’m not though because I don’t yet know why it was won, it could have been down to opposition errors, a bit of luck on my part. I like to understand why I win/lose/draw games because then you fully understand the ins and outs about the system you use. It’s the manner in which my side play which I am most concerned about throughout my managerial careers on FM. I can accept defeats if I know its not down to me neglecting the visual side of the game.

These stats give a very quick and brief overview as to what happened in the game but without knowing the individual stats of the players then these match stats can be very misleading.

The first thing I want to focus on though is not the stats this can come later. What I’ll do first is watch the first 5 minutes of the game in real time so I can see the positions of my players in both defensive and attacking phases of play.

This screenshot is straight from the kick off and tells me a lot already. On the left side it shows that the wide midfielder is looking to get forward and taking up a good position. The striker is dropping deep to find space and considering Notts County are playing a 4-4-2 this is ideal because he’ll be unmarked. On the right side though the wide midfielder is deep and the right back is very close to him. he could be going past him looking for the overlap though so this is something I need to keep an eye out for during the game to make sure its not an issue. Both the central midfielders are unmarked which is good and should allow them to find space and pick passes out. The half back has dropped into the back line to make it a flat 3 which is good due to how wide I seem to be playing. The space between both centre backs would be too big otherwise.

So already 10 seconds into the match it has given me a lot to look at and consider while watching the game.

My first real attack caused the opposition quite a few issues and showed my side to make good movement and utilise the width of the pitch. You can view the clip here;

In that move you can see my half back, advanced playmaker, deep lying playmaker, striker and left winger all combining and showing some encouraging signs. Especially the amount of space the central midfielders seem to have. They tend to be unmarked when watching this back which should allow them to dictate the game more.

So the above clip highlights the advantage of playing wide and using the space well but this can also be a downside when hit with a quick counter attack when you lose possession or a simple long back which is quickly taken. The next screenshot will highlight the issue I’m talking about.

The defenders are naturally pushed wider do the role of the half back so this means if he doesn’t drop back far enough then the gap between both centre backs is a MAJOR issue and cause for concern. As you’ll see in the screenshot if Campbell-Ryce wins the header he has a few options which can se seen with the blue dotted lines. Each one of these options could cause potential issues should I not win the header. Luckily I did win the header and the right sided central defender actually dropped back and picked up the wandering striker.

There are a few points that I need to make you aware of at this stage. Remember my team instructions of pushing the defensive line even higher? Well the above screenshot highlights this too and shows just how risky it can be and how easy it is to exploit it if one of your players misses the header, tackle, challenge or just under performs on the day. It comes down to reward versus risk so you need to fully understand the implications of using risky team instructions and the issues you can be faced with.

Next up I can see the effects of having a wide midfielder on a support duty and with the cuts inside instruction. He receives the ball then moves central while the advanced playmaker pushed forward. This is exactly the reason I wanted the widemielder to cut inside for, allowing him to link up with the advanced playmaker.

This does mean that if the right sided wingback doesn’t push on then I lack width. This isn’t an issue here because he’s covering the oppositions left wide player. But later in the game or in tough games were sided are hard to break down then the lack of width might be a real issue because I’ll have no-one stretching the opposition. For this move though its okay because the advanced playmaker can feed a simple ball between the two centre backs and my striker is through on goal. My deep lying playmaker is also pushing up to support.

You’ll often see me mentioning in various threads that your tactic needs to have good movement between the lines and if you use a lone striker then he needs support from the midfield. I think the above shows this well and you can see the striker, deep lying playmaker and advanced playmaker have all made runs and are now in space when the move continues. The striker created his space by dropping deep, the advanced playmaker creates his space by pushing up and the deep lying playmaker has gone around his marker. Murphy who is my striker gets the ball from Baxter when its played into the path he’s running in and the keeper does a good save.

The next screenshot is me just randomly pausing the game to see how I line up in defensive situation;

http://img201.imageshack.us/img201/5825/ixm6.png

The defender at the top of the screen looks like he’s actually lost the opposition's players which is a worry. I’ve not watched the whole clip yet but this is what I’ll be looking out for during this move. The rest of the players positions seem good enough and there is no real threat it seems. I’m covering space well. The only real option the opposition have is to play the ball forward so their striker can run onto it.

http://img43.imageshack.us/img43/6823/9k0p.png

The move actually comes to nothing and my players are actually running back to provide cover. The opposition doesn’t really have any options but to shoot or look to pass it backwards. I’m confident my side can deal with any kind of cross because the opposition doesn’t have anyone to really aim for.

The first goal I scored came from a corner and ended up being an own goal. However this is the second goal I scored;

The third goal I scored came from a goalkeeping error. So while I won the game 3-0 onegoal was an error and one was an own goal. So in this sense the 3-0 win seem flattering.

From watching the rest of the match it seems like it all played out like the examples above and I was never really troubled throughout the game. I had a sense from watching things what was wrong and possible stuff to look out for. So I’ll list them below;

Defenders too wide at times when the half back is caught in two minds or was caught out of position.

I might be pushing up too high at times but it wasn’t an issue in this game. However against a quickly team or a side who counterattack this might a risk.

The width on the left is fine because the wide midfielder on that side pushes a lot higher up than the one on the right side. But against more narrow teams or teams who park the bus I’ll need him to be more adventurous or I’ll have no width down the right.

Those are the only real issues I had from watching the game and I was pleased with how things seemed to work together. You also have to remember these issues might not occur against other formations and might be specific to playing against a 4-4-2. This is one of the reasons I always use a base tactic and work from that and any changes I make are due to what is happening in a game. You are being naive if you think your formation works the same against every single opposition. I believe this to be one of the reasons we see people post along the lines of ‘I won 3-0 to Man Utd away but lost 2-1 at home to Coventry’. It’s because people don’t really understand that each team will play different even if the shape is the same and if you don’t make minor changes you can be punished heavily.

I guess that’s it for this game though and I've learnt and analysed everything I can. WRONG......

These add a different dimension to the player and depending on what PPM's he has will instruct him to do certain traits like dictate tempo, curl ball, shoots with power and so on. So when creating a tactic and choosing a role for a player you really should take these into consideration because they may affect how he plays the role you've give him. For example – you wouldn't want an anchor man with the PPM gets forward when possible, as his job is to stay deep and protect the back four. Having that kind of PPM for that kind of role can stop him doing it effectively and efficiently and could make him get caught out of position. So you need to be aware of the PPM's a player has before deciding what you want him to do in the system you are creating.

There is a total of 44 PPM's that are available by either tutoring or learning a player the move. Of these 44 different kinds of PPM's 7 of them are available by tutoring only. On FM13 there was only 43 PPM's the new one for FM14 is attempts to develop weaker foot.

The full list of PPM's can be seen in the screenshots below. I used the player search screen as it was easier to show you them all without missing any out.

Below are a list of PPM's that can only be obtained via tutoring;

• Curls ball
  
• Stays back at all times
  
• Dwells on ball
  
• Tries to play way out of trouble
  
• Gets into oppositions area
  
• Arrives late in oppositions area
  
• Argues with officials
  

If you'd like your players to learn any of those then you'll have to find a player with them already in the game and try and buy the player. Then you can try and get it transferred to one of your players by having him tutor someone. These will always be in the game but they'll be hard to find like they are currently. So if you want to use these then you really need to find someone with them early on and try and get them transffered to one of your players.

If you choose to get rid of the coach then it'll cost you quite a few thousand ££££ plus add in the fact you'll likely have to pay compensation for the staff you bring in to replace them. But if you do decide to keep them then player development could be affected due to the poor attributes majority of the coaches have. The flip side of that though is the coach could be good in a few seasons time so it's really a tough call.

The backroom staff can play a very important role in what types of players come into the club, namely newgens. So I try and build a backroom team that consists of the same type of coaches, assistant and head of youth. By that I mean in terms of personality, so I like them all to have high determination, level of discipline and motivation.

Let's take a look at the staff;

The Assistant

As you can see he is rather poor so I'll be looking to change him when I can because he is quite shocking.

Head of Youth Development

He's not a bad Head of Youth Development but I doubt I'll us him long term and will look at brining someone in with better attributes for the second season if I can afford it.

Coaches

Keeper Coach

Under 20's Manager

Under 20's Assistant

Under 20's Fitness Coaches

Under 20's Goalkeeping Coach

Now I'll admit that some of the staff are not ideal but this is something I will address over the first couple of seasons while I search for the type of staff that I would like to bring in. The reasons I can't do it sooner than I'd like is lack of funding and the wages I can offer. The board won't allow me any more wages or funds to sign the backroom staff that I'd like but it's not massive deal and something I will work on.

Corporate Attribute

Basic 1-2

Fairly Basic 3-5

Adequate 6-9

Average 10-12

Good 13-15

Top 16-20

Training Attribute

Basic 1-2

Fairly Basic 3-5

Adequate 6-9

Average 10-12

Good 13-15

Top 16-20

Youth Attribute

Minimal 1-2

Basic 3-5

Adequate 6-9

Average 10-13

Good 14-16

Excellent 17-18

State of Art 19-20

Junior Co. Attribute

Minimal 1-2

Basic 3-5

Adequate 6-9

Average 10-13

Good 14-16

Excellent 17-19

Exceptional 20

Youth Rec. Attribute

Limited 1-2

Basic 3-5

Fairly Basic 6-8

Average 9-11

Above Av. 13-14

Established 15-16

Well Estab. 17-18

Extensive ​19-20

Youth recruitment rating is not only tied to finances, but it is also dependent on club location and nationality as these will affect the recruitment possibilities in the nearby regions. Having all the money in the world will not suddenly make the local talent pool amazing or even much better than it has been previously, but having more money and better facilities means you can make the most out of the talent that you can recruit to your youth system.

Look at it this way (an extreme example I know), if you took the richest team in the world with the best facilities and coaching staff and placed the team into Greenland, would you expect them to churn out golden generations of newgens all the time ?

The quote above is from Riz who is responsible for the training side of the game in Football Manager.

The next quote from The Hand Of God explains how all these options work and how the effect the type of regens you get and create.

Youth Recruitment = Increases likelihood of recruiting high PA youth and increasing how far your youth recruitment network will reach (low recruitment means you will probably only get local players who aren't recruited by bigger clubs, high recruitment means you will get top talent from all over the world). Youth recruitment, however, is also affected by your club's reputation.

Youth Facilities = The quality of the training facilities used by the players currently in your youth team. Good youth facilities will help your youth players improve more.

Junior Coaching = The quality of the coaching of the lower levels of your youth system. Basically, this represents coaching of youth players before they're generated as 14/15 year-olds. In terms of game mechanics, high junior coaching will increase the average ability of your youth players when they're first generated.

So in short it's;

Recruitment = Regen PA

Junior Coaching = Regen CA

Youth Facilities = Rate of youth player CA improvement

In this part I'll touch upon General and Match training because they cause a bit of confusion at times.

The General training focuses you can train are:

• Balanced
  
• Fitness
  
• Tactics
  
• Ball Control
  
• Defending
  
• Attacking
  
• Team Cohesion
  

All of the above focus on sets of attributes so lets break them down and take a look;

• Fitness : Acceleration, Agility,Balance, Jumping, Natural Fitness, Pace, Stamina, Strength, Workrate
  
• Tactics: Anticipation, Composure, Concentration, Decisions, Teamwork
  
• Ball Control: Dribbling, First Touch, Heading, Technique, Flair
  
• Defending: Marking, Tackling, Positioning
  
• Attacking: Crossing, Finishing, Long Shots, Passing, Creativity, Off the ball
  

So if you choose a focus this means the emphasis on the attributes listed above will be much greater than normal. You'll notice I left off balanced from the list, the reason for this is because it's like a default setting and make sure all attributes have the same focus on all attributes with no preference. The general training module is great if you want all players to train a specific way for something you are creating and take a more generic approach.

Scheduling

On this part of the bar you can select to allow players to have a rest before/after a game. The bar also moves and the furthest left you go the more time is spent on match training. The further right you go the less time is spent on match training. There is 5 different settings in total and each move either increases or decreses by 10%. So if you had the bar to the far left it would be 50% meaning training between General and Match is split evenly. All the way to the right would mean 100% General training with no match training.

Match training

• Tactics Only
  
• Teamwork
  
• Defensive Positioning
  
• Attacking Movement
  
• Defending Set Pieces
  
• Attacking Set Pieces
  

These give you a slight boost for the next game. So for example if you are having issues with conceding goals from set pieces then you might want to work on this for the next game if you think the opposition pose a real threat from them. Or if you wanted to work on tactic familiarity then you'd choose 'tactics' as the focus.

This is the part of training that I enjoy the most and always spent the most time setting up. You have the choice to either focus on an individual role or an individual attribute. The role choice all depends on the positions the player can play in. For individual attributes though you can train;

• Corners
  
• Crossing
  
• Dribbling
  
• Finishing
  
• First Touch
  
• Free Kicks
  
• Heading
  
• Long Shots
  
• Long Throws
  
• Marking
  
• Passing
  
• Penalties
  
• Tackling
  
• Technique
  
• Composure
  
• Off the Ball
  
• Positioning
  
• Agility
  
• Balance
  
• Jumping
  
• Quickness
  
• Stamina
  
• Strength
  

Some of these might be unavailable for some people because they are dependent on your training facilities. So better the facilities the more of the above options you should have to choose from.

You can train a Focus, Position and Preferred Move if you wish to, but they will eat into each other's time, rather than into general training. Individual training does NOT come out of general training - it is added together to create an overall workload

Pre-season is one of the most important times at the club because if you get this right you can start the season in the right frame of mind and hit the ground running. The majority of my success on FM is down to how I approach pre-season as I believe I set up the best I possibly can for me and my club and the style I play. So why is it important? Well let me show you how I approach it and then you can see why

I break preseason down to;

The above is what I class as really important and are all the things that will make the biggest difference over the season especially at the beginning.

Morale

Having players with high morale is always a bonus and its a really good idea to get it as high as possible straight away. To achieve this as soon as possible what I do is make sure any friendlies I play are against extremely weaker opposition. The reasons behind this is I want the team to score a lot of goals. I don’t see the point in playing hard friendlies and risking affecting a players morale. So setting up the correct friendlies is vital for me to allow me to build on morale. the more goals you score in pre-season the better imo.

Fitness

Every player at the club must be match fit before the season starts. If not then you’ll find they tire more quickly and increase the risk of picking up injuries or little niggles from games. I can do without this so I ensure everyone is fit all the time. By getting everyone match fit it means you can throw them into the first team should you suffer injuries/suspensions early on in the season and don’t have to worry that they aren’t fit. It also becomes easier to maintain throughout the season

Tactic Familiarity

Probably the most important thing to concentrate on for me. The sooner everything is fluid the better because it means your tactic will play better and the players are used to every aspect of it. You can get tactic familiarity fluid before the start of the first game of the season if you play properly. It takes around 12 friendlies to do this and while this might seem like an excessive amount of games to play, it isn’t really. Remember that I am picking very weak opponents to play so this means it doesn’t matter if I have to play my youths or not. No matter what side I put out I should win. I tie this in with getting everyone at the club match fit. So I tend to play a game every 3 days to get both fitness and tactic familiarity up.

I’ve seen people post saying they set general training focus to tactics to get familiarity levels up however that doesn’t actually work despite the misleading name. What you have to do is set the match training focus to tactics. This is what gets tactic familiarity up.

If you are one of the lucky clubs who gets to go to training camps then while these are on you gain tactic familiairty/fitness a lot quicker.

To build tactics familiarity the best you can you need to ensure you have;

• Set up around 12 friendlies.
  
• Do not allow rest before or after a game.
  
• Make sure you have someone taking control of the 'tactics' catergory in training.
  
• Signing new players will reduce tactic familiarity, so the more signings you make the longer time you need to become fluid in all areas.
  
• You must set the scheduling bar in the training section all the way to the left so its set on 50%. The end of the bar is 50% and not the middle like some assume.
  
• When you've set up the friendlies check on the training calendar to make sure you have a training day before each game. If not cancel the game because its pointless.
  

If all this criteria is met and you've done it correctly then you should have almost full tactical familiarity. In the first season though it can be hard to achieve in some leagues due to the dates of when the game starts. It's much easier to achieve from the 2nd season onward.

Team Cohesion

If I’ve promoted players from my youth/reserves team into the first team or bought any new players then I focus on this heavily as the general focus once my players are fit. It helps them settle into the team quickly and get an understanding. This is vital because it helps with language barriers if you have foreign players who might not understand the language of the country you play in and his team mates.

Friendlies

I like to set up very easy friendlies against very weak sides. This means my team should win them easily and winning builds morale, so if I can beat a non league or amateur side 10-0 then this is what I'll do. I want to ease the players into the new season while building confidence. I don't see the point of playing against sides who I might lose against and lose morale, so rather I'd focus on building this up during preseason.

Some people put a lot of thought and effort into picking tutors for their players and like to choose similar personality types. For me this isn't the case and seems to go against what I am wanting to create. So I will try and tutor people even if they have a total mismatch of personalities, after all for me this is what tutoring is all about. I don't expect to always be successful in this approach but the benefits from when it is successful should out gain the times it fails. At least in theory anyway and is something I will try and keep track of.

People always ask a few common questions so I'll try and answer them now;

Q - How long do I have to wait to be able to tutor again with the same tutor? A - It is 1 month and should be fixed in a patch. If this still isn't working for you even after the next update then please report it in the bugs forum.

Q - What are the requirements for a player to be able to tutor? A - The tutor must have a better squad status than the person being tutored. He also needs to be of a higher rep. They need to both have a similar position in common. You can't tutor and learn a PPM at the same time.

Q - The person I want to tutor has lower determination but a better personality type than the person being tutored, will the lose of determination hard him development? A - No. Determination isn't linked to player development that is Ambition and Professionalism. All that matters is the player has a better personality type. You can check out what personality types are positive/negative further up the thread.

Q - What's the difference between the 2 tutoring options? A - The top option allows possible transfer of PPM's and personality. The bottom option is just the personality part of tutoring without the risk of the player picking up a PPM.

-----------------------

I don't have many people who can tutor currently due to me having a quite young squad. I do have a few though so I'll post them all below.

This is the first of my talented youths who is 'Fairly Determined'. I decided to pair him up with Walter Montillo who is a Model Professional.

I'm also hoping some of these PPM's get transferred.

This is the 2nd player;

He has the balanced personality type which I really dislike because they have no real identity. So I paired him with Arouca who is spirited;

Again I'm hoping some of the PPM's get transferred too.

This is all I have for tutoring at the minute but I do hope to bring some others into the club very soon to tutor some of the youths I have.

This is the shape I'll be using;

Once the season starts I'll be expanding on why I choose this and how I've decided what roles to use.

I'll be updating every season with the players development progress to check how they are getting on in this thread. This will also include players I bring to the club or newgens I get through the academy. This is how I've set the training up for now with some of the players I have;

I've decided I'll go with an individual attribute focus for him and rotate the following attributes every 2 months;

• Marking
  
• Positioning
  
• Composure
  

For the way I want to play I need to be able to rely on my defenders to be able to mark and to be composed when on the ball if they get pressed heavily. I don't want them flapping so to begin with this is how he will be trained.

Next up is this lad;

I think again I'll take the individual attribute route here and focus on;

• Positioning
  
  
• Dribbling
  
  
• Quickness
  

His positioning is really poor and this could be an issue if it doesn't improve because while I need him to be attack minded I still need him to be able to be in good defensive positions and provide cover.

Next up;

Individual attribute focus is what he's getting too. I'll focus on;

• Crossing
  
• Finishing
  
• Composure
  

I want to use him as an inside forward so I need him to know where the back of the net is as well as him linking play up.

Next up;

I'm taking a different approach with Gabigol and will give him an individual role training because I think he is already really for his age. So I've gave him;

• Complete Forward
  

For his role training and will see how it goes for 3 month and then work on individual attributes if I feel he needs it.

Forget about that one, it only has 10 players

Originally posted by jorisvanhulst:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Arthur Li:

The main reason i don't use sweepers is because if i do, then i have to use no full backs or 1 striker (unless if i use 1 central defender). I don't like this so i don't play like that. Any solutions though?

Solution might be:

===FC==FC===

=====AM=====

ML========MR

=====DM=====

===CB==CB===

=====SW=====

=====GK=====

Will leave a lot of space on the flanks though, might work if you put your DC's on very high closing down.. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Only 10 players?

he could barrows the wingers btw to cover the flanks.

I tried the sweeper system in 1 game for my Derby but didn't really like what I saw. I am going to try a flat 4 defensive formation with 1 DC(Araujo) running down to SW role.. will report back.

Didn't like the DCs going to the full back positions cause I employ a DMC in the tactic. This makes a vertical line. The DMC, DC and SW. AI have been exploiting this by running through the gaps cause the defence doesnt cover every inch of the field.

Originally posted by Cleon:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Arthur Li:

The main reason i don't use sweepers is because if i do, then i have to use no full backs or 1 striker (unless if i use 1 central defender). I don't like this so i don't play like that. Any solutions though?

Using 1 central defender and a sweeper in a back 4 can work pretty decent.

If you don't use fullbacks thats means you can have more license in the tactci you are creating. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

What does it mean by have more lisence?

Originally posted by Cleon:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Arthur Li:

The main reason i don't use sweepers is because if i do, then i have to use no full backs or 1 striker (unless if i use 1 central defender). I don't like this so i don't play like that. Any solutions though?

Using 1 central defender and a sweeper in a back 4 can work pretty decent.

If you don't use fullbacks thats means you can have more license in the tactci you are creating. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

And you do not need to use a DM

I tried the sweeper system in 1 game for my Derby but didn't really like what I saw. I am going to try a flat 4 defensive formation with 1 DC(Araujo) running down to SW role.. will report back.

It takes time and persiverant to get it right. You can't expect to get the instructiosn right in the first game.

Didn't like the DCs going to the full back positions cause I employ a DMC in the tactic. This makes a vertical line

You shouldn't get any problems if you use a DMC playing like this. The DMC should be really effective and mop up most balls before they even get to the defence.

The DMC, DC and SW. AI have been exploiting this by running through the gaps cause the defence doesnt cover every inch of the field.

This shape should cover every inch of the field. If you had gaps it could be 2 things for me imo, either closing down or the mentality between the players.

Sort that out and you cover every inch of the pitch from a defensive point.

What does it mean by have more lisence?

Means you 1 extra player to use. If you use a back4 it limits you and the formations you can use. They all tend to look the same after a while. Where as using a back 3 gives you more players to use further up the pitch and allowing more options.

And you do not need to use a DM

Yeah, its something I do from time to time.

I've never fancied a sweeper. Relying on one guy at the back is not good in my view. I might as well play with 2 defensive midfielders with a centre back behind them.

Originally posted by Stephanie McMahon's Secret Lover:

I've never fancied a sweeper. Relying on one guy at the back is not good in my view. I might as well play with 2 defensive midfielders with a centre back behind them.

You don't rely on one man though

Playing 2 defensive mids doesn't give the same effect I feel, as they will be prone to balls played over the top, especially diagnol ones

Cleon, as soon as I have got my 4-3-3 to work, I'll try to implement a sweeper system in it. I think the wingbaks would get me some real good extra crosses in. Right now, I have a 'promising sweeper' in my u18 squad, I'm just not sure how good a promising player may become, I hope anyone knows more about this. I'm not waiting for a "160-200 PA" kind of answer, just "not really good" or "will probably make it" will do

Sorry for going a bit off-topic.

Gustavo Cabral is another one who becomes very good.

My scouts at Milan say that he is a definite purchase (Too bad we can only sign 1 non-EU player each season )

Let's get back on topic, this is not the good player forum

I've been playing some matches with the sweeper. One of the things I noticed is that the sweeper doesn't really seem to behind my DC's, he's standing between theam really. I just put my DC's on tight marking and high closing down. My sweeper is on really low mentality, low closing down and no tight markin.

It's really a shame that the man marking thing hasn't been resolved. Would be great to have your DC's man mark and your sweeper mark zonal..

do a good job imo, otherwise we would have dirty streets

Real bad joke..

Anyway: did any notice how you can have your sweeper have a barrow? I'm going to try this, because I don't like how my sweeper is right between my defenders, instead of behind them.

Let's hope he's not going to handle the ball every single time, 'cause the arrows aiming at my GK

Originally posted by jorisvanhulst:

Real bad joke..

Anyway: did any notice how you can have your sweeper have a barrow? I'm going to try this, because I don't like how my sweeper is right between my defenders, instead of behind them.

Let's hope he's not going to handle the ball every single time, 'cause the arrows aiming at my GK

if you do that i think maybe you will have to barrow your cbs as otherwise there may be a gap in the box for the opposition to exploit. they will never be offside?

Yeah they sometimes try to pass trough balls, but that's where my sweeper comes in and.. sweeps. He's really fast, 18 pace/acceleration, so those long balls aren't really effective.

Just noticed a funny bug: when you put a barrow on any of your players towards the GK position and you ask your assistant to pick the selection, he will put a goalkeeper in the sweeper position

I'll post this in the bug forum.

I would love to be able to play a sweeper system. The only difficulty that I find is to find at least two bonafide sweepers within the game. It is hard enough when managing Hull City to get any and damn near impossible when I manage either Chester City or Southport.

For what it is worth, here is my sweeper system.

=== ST== ST ===

== LCM=CM=RCM ==

LWB ======== RWB

=== CD == CD ===

====== SW ======

====== GK =======

The sweeper has a first stage farrow. As do the two wing backs and the CM. My team instructions would be of a fairly defensive nature with counter attacking. As you well know sorting out the indivudual player instructions depend 100% upon their abilities. I hope that this is of some little interest to some of you managers out there. Kind regards.

If you're having problems with your sweeper getting between your centre-backs, try setting your sweeper's closing down HIGHER than your centre-backs - if all three are on zonal marking, this should have your centre-backs pushing slightly ahead of the sweeper in an effort to pick up interceptions. Having a more defensive mentality on your sweeper, compared to your centre-backs, will help, too.

For signings to consider, check out Aaron Galindo, a Mexican SW/DC who starts out as solid and ends up spectacular. Of course, there is always AVB who makes a perfect sweeper

The main problem that I always have is covering the full distance of the pitch using only four at the back. Using two center backs and a defensive midfielder gets you destroyed down the flanks, even with wingbacks or middies tracking back, and using two full backs and a center back leaves gargantuan channels for the strikers.

My other issues include finding a sweeper with good enough stats. I typically think a sweeper should be able to do a bit of everything, passing, tackling, positioning, anticipation, basically everything a center back should have plus defensive playmaker skills. I also try to get decent enough physical stats, and all these expectations combined make it difficult to find the right player.

Also, getting newgens that can play sweeper is rare, especially with the high expectations I have.

And finally, the player setting are also troublesome. The sweeper is usually a crucial attacking player. But if his mentality is relatively high he practically piggy-backs the center backs. I also struggle with creative freedom because I don't want to give him too much, yet he needs enough to function at 100%. This is also applicable with his passing.

Try side arrows on your centre-backs, it really does make a difference. If you're still having problems with exposed flanks, play your DMC as a centre-back with a forward arrow - the flat back 3 will take shape on opposition attacking moves. This is what I was talking about in my first post on the subject of a sweeper based defense - CAN be exposed by a quick opposition attack. If this is happening, you might also want to consider setting your centre-backs to man-mark your opponent's dangerman - your DMC and sweeper should provide sufficient cover through the centre of the park to make this work.

I usually don't have problems with easily exploitable channels, although against decent teams my sweepers invariably have the highest tackle count and tend to leave most of the attacking play to the DMC.

Ok,My first reason on i dunwanna use Sweeper is i dun like 2 striker,and 3 defender,

coz i like Man Mark,u got enough DM,ur defender are man mark,u wont lost goal actually,unless mistake comes out,then..thank god..

Second,not many Sweeper in the game,and i dunno wat the stat requirement for them..hehe

Who's the best sweeper in the game?

Originally posted by Sweet-Zombie-Jesus:

Who's the best sweeper in the game?

Jaap Stam or Roberto Ayala..maybe Vidic.

i love jaap : )

i try to implement the sweeper system in my 343 like this

2 dc with sarrows, sweeper behind and a dmc infront with a barrow.

ussualy let my dmc man mark someone out of the game and the sweeper gets a free role to join in on the attack.

the 2 dc's get manmarking when the opposition plays with 2 top strikers.

At first i regretted not having full backs that can join in on the attack but having 2 real wingers covers the flanks also the fullbacks would just limit there dribling space. When needed my 2 center midfielders or the amc comes to the side to provide a passing option.

i do have to say that a formation that uses real wingers or a long farrowed 442 gives me trouble on the flanks. Luckily i have jaap and vermaelen to take out any crosses that do come in

you do need top players for this to work though

How would you use a sweeper in a back four for 442 formation as i have two dellas and filipescu..

(disclasimer about spelling: im typin one handed cos my son is a sleep on the other)

ive just started with a sweeper system

2 CD and Sweeper pushed to DM workin well. he is captain sergey ignashevich. two WB pushed fwd. 2 CM one A< free role and 2 strikers. Will post later to see how it goes just hammered a club 9-0 with leicester

Originally posted by joelufc20:

How would you use a sweeper in a back four for 442 formation as i have two dellas and filipescu..

The same way they've set it up but because you have no fullbacks to carry the ball up you need to make sure that the midfielders do most of the crossing and creating of chances. Having 4 at the back playing in a sweeper styled back 4 is tougher to break down than a regular 4..i would think

Interesting thread. Im a big fan of the sweeper system, and have toiled through many an FM edition to incorporate this ploy in my strategy. Where i have found defensive solidarity, allbeit unintentionally, my deliberate attempts to resucitate the 'Libero' of old and have a sweeper rampaging from the back into the midfield have all been thwarted by an AI that seems impervious to such 'liberty'.

...I've tried all the necessaries, but to no avail. Anyone stumbled upon a solution?

I certainly haven't had my sweeper - or my DCs - doing any rampaging, but then I try to keep them back so my WBs can get right up the field (so good when one of them crosses to the far post and the other one puts it in!).

My sweeper system is pretty solid and I'm conceding about 0.5 goals a game. I'm using Inter because they have good sweepers and wingbacks, so it's not as much of an achievement, but I don't find it that easy to set up a good defence with any team tbh!

Anyway, I have a SW, DCs with sarrows and WBs with farrows at home, no arrows away.

At home the back three have mentality 7, with the sweeper having CD 3 and DCs 13. Away this is the same except that the DCs' closing down is reduced to 11. Creative freedom is 5 and the DCs tight mark.

I've actually found that if I have to play Materazzi, who's now 35 and has pace 8, acc 7, then he's better as the sweeper - which goes against the idea that the sweeper should be the pacy one. Ideally they'd all be pacy, of course, but I think setting someone slow to close down is a bad idea, while setting someone slow to sweep can work so long as they have good mental stats (incl. esp. positioning and anticipation).

Originally posted by mcf:

Giving your centre-backs side arrows and putting your sweeper's width on narrow will keep the back line shape from falling apart, and if possible, your sweeper will have high influence, workrate, teamwork, composure, decisions, and you can make him your captain - the role I have my sweepers playing makes them an ideal candidate to organise the defense.

Is this even possible? I know you can do it on team tactics, I didn't think it was possible for individual players.

no, it's not

can someone explain to me how to get my sweeper to move forward beyond the DC's once the ball has been recovered, and from there maybe go into Pirlo mode. increasing mentality to attacking doesn't seem to work.

Give him a forward arrow to where you want him to go. However he wont be as effective as Pirlo as Pirlos RL position will probably be too advance to recreate from a sweeper.

okay maybe he won't be as effective as pirlo in conducting the atttack, but what measures should be put in place to encourage the libero to maybe fill the holes while the team is attacking, ie, push even further forward while knowing that 2 DC's are behind him in position at all times. i'm thinking a free-role would be necessary, along with some level of creative freedom (suggestions?). perhaps ballack type ppms are required as well?

Just implemented my tactic with a sweeper creating this formation:

I gave the sweeper (Araujo, player with decent stats, and very good influence, and my only sweeper ) the folowing instr:

Curious what effect it will have, after I have never used a sweeper (always playing back 4, or 3 dc and 2 wb)

BTW, what does a Narrow mean? I know f, b and s-arrows

Hehe not sure you got that right

Narrow isnt a type of arrows. It is referring to the width off your play and is the opposite of playing wide.

Hope that helps.

Victor, it would be interesting to see how results pan out with that system. There seems to be alot of ground up for grabs in the centre of the park with that strategy, and it would be intriguing to know what you results have been like!

Giving your centre-backs side arrows and putting your sweeper's width on narrow will keep the back line

@ Caz:

quoted above:

Giving your centre-backs side arrows and putting your----> sweeper's width on narrow <------ will keep the back line

I now understand the sentence, but how do you put a single player on a narrow width ? It's a teamtactic ain't it?

@ CaptainC

I tweaked the individual settings a bit, but it's doing great! At the posted settings the DC and SW were to much in each others way. I put the sweeper on no-closing-down and very defensive settings (no running forward and such). If i play vs a team with a 3-4-3 system all backliners man mark a striker, leaving the sweeper for backup, and de DMC comes one line down was well. (worked very very well)