Your managerial style

I've just finished reading through the tactical theorems again for the third time. I still learn something new even as an vastly experienced player of Football Manager reading through them and it's a shame it's been stopped and not rewritten for FM 11.

It got me thinking about how I set up my teams. Everyone is slightly different and we all will differ to some extent.

I tend to play without wingers, always have done. In fact, give me a team like Real Madrid where wingers are key then I wouldn't quite know what to do (though I'm sure the quality of Ronaldo and Di Maria would override that). For me, controlling the midfield is the key to any game, home or away. I'm not necessarily a possession mad manager though I do average around 60-65% in most games and when things are going really well I can push the low 70's.

As you can see from my formation; I am very defensively minded.

I play by the philosophy 'Clean sheet > Scoring a game'.

For a few years in to the game, I can rely heavily on the clinical Milito to take every chance he takes. However because of his age, a young striker becomes a very high priority. With the composure and finishing of Milito, he leaves some big boots to fill and doesn't stick around for long to see them filled because he retires after three seasons, four if still a regular player.

My favourite team on Football Manager 2011 has been Inter, without a doubt. I've managed successful careers with Wolfsburg, Ajax and a very enjoyable save in which I challenged Barcelona for Catalan supremacy with Espanyol.

I love 4-3-3 with three central strikers, I guess I am the opposite of you I would rather win 5-4 than 1-0. Recently I have been trying to be more solid defensively but I find it too be boring to watch at times plus Titus Bramble is in my starting back four so clean sheets do not happen that often.

@stem lfc you say you set up defensively minded, but how do you set your philisophy and tactics. For me I have played with a diamond about once but I always like to play with wingers because without it seems no form of fluidity.

i usually play a 4231 formation looking to play out wide with short quick passing.

Use the same old 4-4-2 that I've always used, with one MC barrowing to DM on defense (classic tactics.) Keep my backs on defense (outside backs "sometimes" make forward runs) and look to pass instead of cross. Both forwards are expected to run with the ball instead of shooting from long range. Slightly up-tempo pace (first "quick" notch) with easy tackling (lowest cards all 6 years.)

Stats so far (Toronto FC of MLS):

442 games played

315 won

82 drawn

45 lost

1045 goals scored

357 goals allowed

I change depending on who I'm managing, the league I'm in and the players I have. Man Utd for example I play 442 with the wingers playing a key role in getting balls into my forwards. My Bradford save right now is playing 4411 with my AMC at the heart of my attacks due to him being my best player.

I like to play to my different teams strengths as well, but when I can I like to play a 4-5-1 formation with a short passing game to control the midfield, with very direct wingers to exploit the space on the flanks, cutting inside and attacking the oppositions defence very quickly.

I play counter attacking football with fast players usually a 4-5-1 or a 4-2-3-1.

I always try to play with a 4231 wherever possible, with one of the wide players a winger, and one an Inside Forward to hopefully add extra numbers up front. On occasion I will go with a 424, but even if things go well it just feels too 'light' in the centre of midfield.

Depending on the players I will try and either play through the AMC with them dictating the play between the wide men, or use a more direct, counter-attacking style using quick balls over the top to the wingers.

I just can't get my head around formations with no wide players; it just seems wrong to me!

with a top team i play with attacking full backs and strong centerbacks and an anchor man and then just try and overload when possible and counter at every opportunity

otherwise quite counter(y) with trying to have a physical team

I too have been using 4-1-2-1-2 a lot because of the fluidity and possession passing the formation easily affords. It has served my Sampdoria side well over the past few years. But unlike your roles, I take a pretty offensive approach. I don't typically check my possession stats, but they probably hover around the 60% mark.

I have found recently, though, that my tactics aren't cutting it in the latter stages of the Champions League. During my current summer transfer window, I've been working to bolster my wide players so I can switch to a 4-5-1 when need be.

I also like to think that I am to Brazil as Barca is to Spain in real life: at the end of last season, I had Brazil's two starting forwards, their starting DM, starting CB and LB, and sub CB...

I like playing lone striker formations, 4231,4411, or 433 have been my favorites formations on FM11 so far though i played a 442 diamond for a while.

My teams are normally focused counter attacking football while being solid at the back, i like to normally have a midfield trio with a defensive midfielder, a deep lying playmaker (that needs to be competent defending as well) and then a more attacking flamboyant midfielder that will pull out those moments of magic to win games.

And of course for this to work, it's necessary to have some massive pace on the wings and up front.

A few things on the way I try and run my team

On the flanks, if I'm using a more attack minded formation(which is my tendency), I will make sure that on each side I've got one player who will get wide and cross in, while the other cuts in a bit and runs at people more centrally. At the moment, My LW is the crosser, while the LB makes runs inside him, while on the other side, the RW cuts inside like an inside forward, while the RB's job is simply to cross when he gets goes forward, which he does a lot.

With my CB's, I favour the Stopper Cover pairing, it seems to work well. Point blank refuse to have a CB who can't jump high though. They can have low heading ratings for a top CB(one of them has 13 in my world class pairing), but they've got to be otherwise physically imposing. Have to have high marking as I favour man marking

Always have one CM playing a more defensive minded role, though that said, in my current team he's as liable to get forward as the other CM, but he does get back and do his job defensively too. The other CM is the creator for the entire team, even if I have a world class, skilled team, I like to have a playmaker.

With wingers I tend to like, as said, one being a winger and one being an inside forward. On previous games I've had success with both being inside forwards though, when I have a lone stiker formation(not now though) I like them both to do it.

With strikers, when I play with two, as I am at the moment, I like to have one being the deeper creator/support, while the other is the out and out goalscorer. When the player permit, I'll have the setting to swap position checked, as if I can get them to alternate roles and mess up the oppositions marking, I'm going to do it.

I play a control setting, used to play attacking for the longest time before I realised it really didn't help me score anymore goals, but cost me a few more. Now we score bucketloads and concede very few. I like to keep hold of the football, pass my way into the net, unlike Arsenal I'm good at it.

------------GK-------------

-RB-------CB---CB------LB-

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

----------CM---CM--------

RW---------------------LW

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

Im forever a 442 man myself!!

Its just the formation I know! I occasionally play 5 across the midfield with and anchor man for tough game. I tend to be fairly negative, usually trying to nulify the oppositions strengths, than play to my own, although Im trying to balance that out a bit more on my current save.

4-4-2 forever!

Goalkeeper

Attributes in order of priority: Command of the area, positioning, decisions, aerial, one-on-one, reflex

Center-backs

Attributes in order of priority: Heading/jumping, marking/tackling, strength, positioning

Wing-backs

Attributes in order of priority: Speed/agility, stamina, tackling, dribbling, marking

Center-mids

Attributes in order of priority: Passing, creativity, first touch, speed/agility, stamina

Wingers:

Attributes in order of priority: Lots of speed and stamina, agility, dribbling, passing, creativity

Strikers:

Attributes in order of priority: Speed, finishing, first touch, positioning, dribbling

General attributes I look for in all players:

Technique, determination, composure, concentration, low aggression.

I set my full-backs to defend, wing backs to auto, one of the center-mids to defend other to attack, two wing backs to auto, one striker to support other to attack.

Striker with more composure, positioning and heading to target man.

One of the center mids to play-maker (best creativity, decisions, passing)

Other settings:

Fluid

Control

Goal kicks to nearest defender to increase possession.

Also in sideline tactics: Pass to feet, hassle opponents

Possesion based 4-4-2.

-------------------------------GK--------------------------------------

RB-------------------CB------------------CB-------------------------LB

---------------------CM------------------CM------------------------LM

RW---------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Winger hugs touchline, left midfielder cuts inside, keeps the ball. right CM just holds, is my main playmaker, recieves ball deep and gets game going. LCM likes to get forward, link with the strikers. Left striker drops deep to link play, right striker runs in behind, far more of a goalscorer.

both wing backs like to get backs.

Play with width, play quick tempo, high DL, short passing, pressing, simple but effective.

Simple but effective.

With the National team I use a 4-5-1 DM (as the game calls it) with medium to small teams I use a diamond 4-4-2 or a common one (depending the league and team). With mid to big teams, I tend to use AML and AMR (4-2-3-1 with 2 DMs)

I play 4-3-3 (AML, ST, AMR) and possession football. I love dominating games and passing the ball into the goal. Just takes a while to fine tune it to make sure you take most of your chances.

Idealistically, I prefer the 4-2-3-1, but my greatest success in FM - at least for the past three versions - has come from playing the same narrow diamond as the OP, albeit a little more offensive in setup. The exact mix of player roles vary: my current setup has a stopper/cover DC partnership, fullbacks on WB/auto, a defensive DLP DM, both MCs on BWM/Support, an attacking adv. playmaker, and a DLF/Adv. Forward pairing up top.

With good center-halves to deal with those crosses that will inevitably come in due to your weakness down the flanks, you can rely on your total domination of the midfield and the three pronged attack of SC,AMC,SC to take apart any reasonable opposition. I tend to keep my philosophy to rigid and creative freedom low (with one or two players on high), though with a very good team I might move both up a level.

I like using a flat 4-4-2, staying back, tackling hard, and counter attacking.

Normally the 4-2-3-1 is my favourite. 2 DMCs, AMR/AML/AMC midfield. Two creative cut-inside wingers, a amc playmaker, and fullbacks that run forward. The 4 CBs/DMCs are for counter-defence.

But in FM i actually play mostly either in 4-5-1 (sometimes named 4-3-3, it's basically known as the barcelona-formation) or 4-4-2 (amr/aml and a dmcr+mcl). I like to play domination football with a lot of tricks and treats. I usually tick the 'pass in space' and 'work ball in box' to create even more tic-tac :-).

My wingers are usually the ronaldo/messi types, that cut inside a lot and create havok, while the fullbacks push up a bit, creating a 3 man defence with the DCs+DMC.

However I did create a save to play a 3-6-1 formation, just to be 'different'. It made me feel like a 'special one' myself because it was such an outspoken and unique formation. It was moderatly succesful. After 2 seasons the AI figured it out completely and i had to change.

In former FM versions i was usually a huge fan of the (milan mid 00s) 4-1-2-1 tactics. A solid back 5, with the rest full on the attack. A defensive playmaker, with two boxbox ahead of him and no wingers. Since fm10/11, wingers like Messi, Ronaldo and more made me change to the current favourite tactics.

I always work from a flat 4-4-2 base and then go on to customize every players personal roles and style of play to suit their individual strengths. I'm not too focused on playing pretty football, I just want my team to be as effective as possible. In my last game I chose rigid as the team philosophy as I was with Charlton in League 1 and just edited a few of the more creative, flair players to have more freedom with the ball and it seemed to work. Obviously, Charlton are a strong side in League 1 anyway but winning the league was still very pleasing.

The defence was fairly standard but in midfield I had a more defensive player with very little creative freedom alongside a more expressive, creative midfielder and the balance seemed to work well. I had two quick wingers who I encouraged to dribble with the ball and get crosses in from the byline to the target man. As for the two strikers, I played the big man, little man combination which seemed to be effective in the majority of my games. My next save is going to be in the Premier League as I have won League 1 and the Championship in previous games. I think my style of play will have to be adjusted to work in the top flight.

I use a simple 442 most of the time with the Wide midfielders being set to attacking one centre mid being set to automatic and one set to defend and both strikers set as poachers and all defeners defend simples

Having embarked on a journeyman save I've been often forced to compromise between idealism and reality...

More often than not 4-2-3-1 was still the best choice, with the 3 AMs being wingers, inside forwards or playmakers depending on the skills of the players in the squad.

I also had a successful stint with a good old plain 4-4-2 and a so-so flirt with all sorts of 4-3-3

Currently at Barça I changed my patented 4-2-3-1 Wingers into a 4-2-2-2 (AMR/AML) as I found myself with 3 world-class strikers (plus 3 stellar AMs) and I didn't really feel like benching two of them.

Next season it'll be 4-3-3, hoping I can manage to recreate a bit of Nils Arne Eggen's magic... if the ME allows me to

I play a diamond midfield. My holding midfielder has little to no attacking responsibilities, the left sided CM is neutral, box to box type, the right sided CM is an attacking type of midfielder, with then the attacking midfielder being a free role type of player, who usually will be my best player. I'm not sure if thats defensive or attacking but it finds the right balance.

For me every new game is a challenge (I hate long careers and 3,5 seasons is my personal best). Every team I choose to manage is first thoroughly examined and the than the tactics is being selected to suit the key players and the overall composition. Good managers utilize their players and don't force them to conform to his favourite style