Freely Scoring 4-2-1-3

After re-reading Mantralux's 4-2-3-1, I was inspired to create my own tactics with my beloved Arsenal.

Philosophy

Before creating my tactics, I immediately thought what do I want to do with them. Do I want to create a solid tactic, do I want a freely scoring tactic? Do i want direct quick passing moves to slice through the defence quickly or do i want a slower build up and unhinge the defence?

Well, I firstly looked at my Arsenal squad and immediately saw a lack of defensively capable midfielders so a rigid, defensive based tactic was unsuitable. It is obvious that they have an abundance of flairy creative players and thus beautiful fluid, fluent football would be achievable.

With this in mind, I knew decided on my style of football. Quick and direct, slow and short? Well since it isn't really that simple but more of a spectrum, I decided to go more towards the quicker, directer route but not so direct that they play several balls over the top since I have a small squad. In percentage terms about 65-70% tempo of play and 60% directness.

I felt this would enable my team to slice open a defence quickly when the opportunity is available, but if not play keep ball and pass the ball around efficiently with enough tempo that other opportunities may arise.

Formation

After settling on my style of football I needed a formation. I felt that I should look at my team's strengths and play towards them and steer clear of our weaknesses. I saw that the stand out players were Fabregas and Arshavin. I immediately thought of a 4-3-3/4-5-1 (you know the one) but disregarded it since Arsenal only have one holding midfielder and a lack of a quality right winger to make it effective. I then considered a 4-2-3-1, but felt that our team doesn't have a quality right winger and wanted to use a 2 striker formation with lots of fluidity so they come deep and players come in from behind etc..

I settled on a similar shape a 4-2-1-3

-------ST-----ST

AML

-----------AMC

-------MC------MC

DL--DC-------DC----DR

I call it a 4-2-1-3 because the 2 strikers and the AML are the main scorers and are highly fluid in attack. The STl and AML often change positions, whilst the STr acts like a poacher spearheading the attack, whilst sometimes drifting out to the right wing. The AMC is definitely on a separate strata from the MCs which hold a deep position whilst the AMC attempts to get inbetween the lines.

The reasoning here is that the midfielders can be drawn away from the AMC, so he can be passed the ball. At this point, he has 2/3 options ahead of him to pass to whilst dribbling towards goal.

GK-This needs to be your average keeper. He should be confident at dealing with crosses and one on ones. Try to get someone who has high reflexes and one on ones. I use Akinfeev here.

DR-He is the right back and right midfielder. He needs to have good physical attributes (speed, stamina) to be able to cover the ground. The RB also needs to have good defensive ability since he can be exposed slightly at times. I would say look for someone with good physical attributes, a high workrate and good anticipation. Sagna and Eboue perform well here. If your DR is getting exposed, reduce his forward runs to rarely, and if you want him to be more attacking put his forward runs and run with ball to often.

DCr This man is your covering defender. He covers for your other CB and attacking right back. He needs to be decent in the air so about 13 jumping and reasonably quick with good anticipation and tackling attributes. Look at Vermaelen or Squillaci for inspiration.

DCl This is your big lumbering CB. I used Fazio last season and he performed admirably. He is your stopper CB so has to be good in the air since corners will be directed towards him at the far post. He should be very good in the air so a jumping attribute of atleast 16 is necessary, but otherwise he look for marking, tackling and positioning.

DL A much less physically demanding role than the RB. He keeps a deeper position and gives a wide passing so we can retain possession more easily and not as liable to the counter attack. Defensive attributes are more important than defending ones I feel here, although good crossing and passing is a bonus. I use Clichy, but someone like Criscito would really excel here I feel.

MCr He is your aggressive ball winner. I signed in Felipe Melo to give Song some competition and it really helps to have an aggressive person to win the ball back or foul to stop a counter attack down the exposed right flank. He needs to be defensive minded, so tackling, anticipation, work rate, acceleration and positioning are all important. I would suggest finding someone who is also slightly creative, so he can pick a pass from deep and act as a deep lying playmaker at times. Felipe Melo and Song are good here. Mikel would be fantastic too. The MC should be good in the air too to balance the playmaker's probable lack of jumping ability

MCl This guy is not the primary playmaker but important none the less. He looks for passes forward and helps start counter attacks. He plays balls through to the front three and feeds the ball to the AMC. He must be able to play some killer balls or you will struggle against teams that play a defensive 4-5-1. I use Fabregas here. Don't bring in someone like Pjanic for this role though. He must be able to defend as well since he plays a holding role as well.

AMC This guy is the life and soul of your team.He is the trequartista, the playmaker. He will be here there and everywhere: coming deep, getting inbetween the lines, running at the defence, behind the back four. Almost every attack will come through him. You need someone like Arshavin. This is the position to spend the money on because he can win you games single handedly. You need someone with good acceleration, agility, creativity, flair, passing, anticipation, finishing and composure.

AML This player cuts across the opposition back four or runs to the byline to put a cross in. you need a player who can finish and dribble. Preferably someone with flair, creativity and pace. Look at Nasri, who has been a revelation,

STl This guy is a false nine. He can be very creative like Van Persie or hard working and strong like Chamakh. Both work well, but get someone who can finish atleast 50% of their chances or you will be frustrated with the number of times they can blaze the ball over the bar. This striker need to be strong enough to hold of defenders and have good off the ball to move into space deep. By moving deep the STl creates space for the AML, STr and AMC.

STr He is your poacher. The main goalscorer. It won't matter too much if he is selfish as long as he can finish. You will need someone quick and good at finishing and is composed. That's pretty much the bare minimum. If you want a little more, put through balls on often and you need someone more like Aguero who can pick passes and move out wide, and cut back inside; cross the ball etc...

This forms this kind of shape on the pitch:

Performances

I have had very good performances with the tactic. Last season I won all competitions entered.

The following screenshot shows how influential the AMC is in the team's performance.

And this screenshot shows how Sergio Aguero performed in at STr.

I generally find the tactic is very fluid and produces some nice football but can leak goals at times. This is not helped by having a fairly short team.

http://www.filefront.com/17632364/arsenal (Arsenal, Sep 2012).tac

http://rapidshare.com/files/436175155/arsenal__Arsenal__Sep_2012_.tac

The tactic must be used pre-season to get used to it or you will probably leak lots of goals from the right flank.

EDIT 2: This is the link for an inverted tactic. ie AMR instead of AML and so all the roles are the other way around.

http://www.filefront.com/17725034/freely scoring inverted (Arsenal, Oct 2013).tac

Good Luck. All feeback appreciated.

EDIT: For set pieces I obtained information and inspiration from this thread: Set Piece Discussion

Can you upload to mediafire? Filefront is not working..

yeah sure. i will do now.

just uploaded it. is it working?

Thanks..

The rapidshare link is working..

Tell me what you think of the tactic and who are you planning on playing it with?

Can you post a results ss?

Do you use OI?

I don't use any OI and yes I will post some results ss.

Here are some screenshots from this season. Only just started the season:

And here is a screenshot of my results from last season:

What team are you using? I think this tactic would suit one that is quite good so maybe ranging from Aston Villa/Tottenham to the big 4.

3 Games

2 Draw 1x1,0x0

1 Lose 6x0..(Tactic only for giant teams)

I'M GRÊMIO!!

Who are you playing with and can you give some more information. Like who you were playing against. Were you outplayed in all matches? Did you change to these tactics midseason and so the players arent gelled with the tactic.

H'mm well I don't know how good your players are in comparison to the rest of the teams. Do your players fit well with the tactic? Did you start using the tactic midseason and what is your team morale?

I'm Keep testing,10 games

4 wins,4 draws,2 loses..

I think as you're get's used to the tactic, you should play better as a result.

Do you have to set the AMC as the playmaker or does he naturally fullfill this role?

Since he is set as a Trequartista, the game automatically sets him as the default playmaker. So yes the AMC is the playmaker. I haven't tried it without him set as the playmaker but the AMC is the player in the most dangerous position so it is logical that he is the playmaker.

what role would you play ronaldo cristano

Hmmm... To be honest, Ronaldo could play any of the front three.

I think it depends if you want him to score loads stick him at STr. If you want him to score quite a lot and assist a fair few stick him at STl. If you want a fair few goals and assists stick him at AMl.

I'm guessing you are playing with Real Madrid. If so out of all the players their he would be the best by a mile at STl so you could play him there.

trying this tactic out so far so good

Thanks, I'm glad the tactic is working for you. Could you post any results after half a season or so of using it.

Is it just me or does it show 12 players on the pitch in the first screen shot of the opening post?

Is it just me or does it show 12 players on the pitch in the first screen shot of the opening post?

There has been one substitute

ah ok

101010

How has people found the tactic??

This is a fantastic tactic. I have played around with making the AML playmaker as opposed to the AMC, as well as focusing the passing down the left hand side of the pitch. I also thought that this may keep the ball away from the weaker right hand side. To be honest though it made the tactic a bit predictable and I think that it is better how it is. Definately invest in a quality AMC, a complete centre forward to play in the STR slot and a couple of physically strong, well rounded RBs. Am going to start a Tottenham save - retrain Bently and sell Lennon, hopefully Vagner Love for the STR - so will keep you up dated with anything I find

Well done on a really fun attacking tactic

Thank you. I had thought about having the play down the left wing but I felt that the opposition would be able to predict my attacks more easily although I would hopefully be able to overload them.

You are right and I cannot stress enough how important the AMC position is as he can win you games on his own. The team almost revolves around him in a sense. The STl is also rather important because he must be good physically to hold up the ball for teammates to create opportunities for the AML, AMC and STr. This is why I think Chamakh has performed better than Van Persie in this role. I think to help keep the ball away from the right hand side you could have your STr loosely mark the opposition LB so they pass it to him less. This will reduce the effectiveness of the counterattack but will help reduce the weaker right hand side.

I think the tactic would really suit Tottenham, but you may need to bring in an extra STr as a back up for Crouchy.

Has anyone had a chance to use the tactic on the new patch? I haven't had a chance to play much due to a level work. I will hopefully get a chance to upload some screen shots on Tuesday since I'm in Leeds away from home atm. If anyone could post their results both positive and constructive criticism I would be very grateful. Thanks

Ok my tactic has been working well on 11.1 as can be seen by the following screens:

One game into 11.2 and the tactic looks good still.

This screenshot shows all my results on patch 11.2 using the tactic:

I'm starting a save with Arsenal and gonna give it a try with your tactic. You have some pretty good results with it. Let's hope I get some of those results too.

nice results lucatonix!!!can you upload your team screenshot?how do you use team talks?thank you

Good luck gustavo. It should work but don't expect arshavin to be as dominant on the new patch at amc since fabregas will be getting forward more and getting more assists.

As for team talks, I don't say anything for matches u expect to win. Against rivals i say for fans and against better teams I say wish luck. At half time, if winning comfortably i say nothing. If winning but close I say encourage. If drawing but playing well i say for fans. If losing or playing badly I say disappointing. At any time players with poor morale are told I have faith and nervous players no pressure.

At full time I say well done for good wins. Delighted for big wins. Nothing for poor or close wins against poor opposition. Disappointing for draws or losses when expected better. Sympathise when deserved better against tough teams. Any really good individual performances gets praised as well. If not sure ask assistant.

I will post a screenshot when I can.

Tell me how it goes. If you are having defensive trouble you could change mcl to deep lying playmaker support

Thank you lucatonix.very nice answer:)

Going to give this a go with Barcelona. Should work well with Messi, Ganso, Pastore, Iniesta and Jovetic available as well as Tevez, Villa and Bojan up front. Lost 3-2 at 19th placed Levante, although the ref was on their side - sent one of our players off, I slagged the ref in the post match press conference and the FA took no action, they also rescinded the ban. Azpilicueta was badly exposed at RB so going to leave this one til the pre season after the season is over.

The team does need time to gel to the tactic and the RB can be exposed. If this happens I tell my STr to mark their LB. You could also move the STr to AMR (inside forward attack) which I have done a couple of times to provide extra cover if they are consistently harassing your RB. I have found though on the new patch it isn't always too bad.

And the result of a strong team in depth, some good luck and the tactic being familiar for 3 seasons now:

oh my god,brilliant results.its best result what i see on fm 11.are you win some cups???i try it now for my chelsea save.i post some results later after some matches.corners are setup on mixed???in matches with west brom and nott. forest i have many chances but my players cant shoot goal.i say nothing on pre match teamtalk.its ok?isnt better i expect win?

ok,my first results looks superb:)i play with patch 11.2

MANU 1:2 CHELSEA

CHELSEA 5:1 PORTO

CHELSEA 6:1 WEST HAM(my right striker pato shoot 4 goals)

WEST BROM 0:2 CHELSEA

NOTT.FOREST 0:1 CHELSEA(i have 10 ccc)

CHELSEA 2:0 JUVENTUS

I'm not sure how to cure the problem about not converting chances. I find the right striker can run riot some games whereas the left striker scores more consistently. I havent tried expect win very often but i think it could help against weaker teams.

EDIT: faulty internet on phone causing double post

ok,this tactic is working very good.but i have first lose at home against everton 0:1.i have 3 ccc but terry scored own goal...tactic work but i say bad team talk,because my player were nervous.can you help me with this example?what are you say against this teams?EVERTON(h)

JUVENTUS(a)

BARCELONA(h)

LYON(a)

NEWCASTLE(a)

corners are default setup on mixed???thank you for answer

EDIT: Faulty internet on phone caused double post.

you write three same posts but i need answer on post number 41:)

ok,this tactic is working very good.but i have first lose at home against everton 0:1.i have 3 ccc but terry scored own goal...tactic work but i say bad team talk,because my player were nervous.can you help me with this example?what are you say against this teams?EVERTON(h)

JUVENTUS(a)

BARCELONA(h)

LYON(a)

NEWCASTLE(a)

corners are default setup on mixed???thank you for answer

Use this, it's still a brilliant guide; http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/183599-WoIfsong-s-Teamtalk-Guide-2010

you write three same posts but i need answer on post number 41:)

If it were me, either expect win or nothing against Everton.

Juventus: for fans

Barca: for fans or wish luck

Lyon: wish luck (so not repetition), perhaps expect win but you have faith for less professional, in your mind, or young players)

Newcastle: probably nothing but expect win if been playing complacently recently perhaps.

Would you say the tactic is performing better in the new patch? Your results are impressive and I'm going to give this a go!

I would say the defence is improved in the new patch. The AMC is getting less assists but the MCl is getting more. If you feel the middle is getting too crowded upfront, change the MCl to having rarely forward runs rather than mixed.

What pitch size do you recomend?

cheers

I use maximum pitch size although you could use standard if you want to reduce the risk of exploiting the RB

I go test this in Manchester United.

EDIT:

First game: United 2x1 Spurs (HOME)

Second game: United 5x3 Sunderland (HOME)