[FMHi 2012] Chelsea help!

I'm struggling with Chelsea right now as I can't seem to find a good formation to use. Any Chelsea managers out there who havr achieved success and would like to share their tactics please?

I've tried 4-1-2-1-2 which was the worst of all. Out of 6 matches i won 1, drew 1, lost 4.

Defensively Chelsea was okay, but despite having a large number of shots on target we just can't seem to score goals.

Then I tried 4-1-2-2-1 which was slightly better. We lost less and drew more, but still couldn't come up with enough wins and goals.

So i tried abandoning defence and going for an offensive 3-2-3-2 tactic. 2 fullbacks and 1 central defender, two midfielders, 2 wingers and 1 attacking midfielder, and 2 strikers. We scored more goals but conceded more also due to the lousier defending.

Currently I'm repeatedly running matches against Manchester United using 4-1-3-2 and 4-2-2-2. They are okay but i'm not sure how well they will work later on.

Could anyone offer any help please?

3-2-3-2 is very risky, and only recomened for lower league teams to be honest.

4-1-3-2 is a pretty solid formation. Also be aware that player generally take time to get used to a formation, tactical change, so dont expect results straight away

thebugel posted a topic here, this has been used by the majority of us year in year out, I have adapted it slight to having a TM and Poacher upfront instead of the standard CMF

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/290993-Solid-tactic-that-gets-results-(FMi-2012)

Hmm for all formations i press and play the offside trap for the first half, then counter attack without pressing and trapping for the next. I'll try and tweak my 4-1-3-2 then

Okay I've tried thebugel's 4-1-3-2 and it works very well. It isn't as overpowering as what other users seem to be experiencing, but I guess that's because I'm playing a Premier League team where opponents will play more defensively as Marc said, while other people mostly play the lower leagues. I've also modified the formation by bringing the defensive midfielder into attacking position to create a 4-3-1-2 formation, and it works almost as good as 4-1-3-2. But the question is, for both formations, what role should my midfielders play?

Currently on 4-1-3-2 all three mid are central mids, while in 4-3-1-2 the center mid is deep-lying, while the outer center mids are advanced playmakers, and so is the atttacking midfielder. Would central mids be better for 4-3-1-2? Would advance playmakers be better for 4-1-3-2?

For 4-3-1-2

i would certainly have the following

CM | DLM/BTB | CM

BTB / APM

Okay I've tried thebugel's 4-1-3-2 and it works very well. It isn't as overpowering as what other users seem to be experiencing, but I guess that's because I'm playing a Premier League team where opponents will play more defensively as Marc said, while other people mostly play the lower leagues. I've also modified the formation by bringing the defensive midfielder into attacking position to create a 4-3-1-2 formation, and it works almost as good as 4-1-3-2. But the question is, for both formations, what role should my midfielders play?

Currently on 4-1-3-2 all three mid are central mids, while in 4-3-1-2 the center mid is deep-lying, while the outer center mids are advanced playmakers, and so is the atttacking midfielder. Would central mids be better for 4-3-1-2? Would advance playmakers be better for 4-1-3-2?

Wow... You completely change thebugel's tactic, so you cannot compare your results with others... But answering your question, there are several combinations of roles that can work. In the case of your 4-3-1-2, I think that you have too many playmakers. I would change the outer midfielder roles to either CM or BBM. I personally would go for BBM, but its a more demanding role than CM.

Sunny has posted a brilliant 4-3-1-2 that has got him results. You can check it here.

For a 4-1-3-2, I like thebugel's because of its simplicity. Very basic roles, which suits most of smaller teams. It was with a similar thought that I've created one of my most successful tactics in 2011, a 3-4-3. Back to thebugel's, if you're trying to implement it at the highest level, you probably will have good results. However, you may be not using the player's full potential. For example, if you have a dynamic, complete central midfielder, why to limit him to operate as a CM if he can be a BBM?

My view on a 4-1-3-2 for a high standard team would be to have wing backs, as they would provide width. The DM should be a DLM, so he could start attacking moves with precise passes from deep. The three midfielders line should be either BBM-APM-BBM or APM-MC-APM. I would be slightly more biased towards the first one. And the attacking line should exploit the strengths of your forwards. Certain combinations always work, like AdF+DLF or Poa+TM.

Good luck with your exploits, and I hope I've helped

Ahh thanks a lot for your help I'll stick with 4-3-1-2 for now since i have more attacking midfielders available than defending ones. I'll try out your suggestion and sunny's version and see how it goes!