Defending like Chelsea

How do I defend like Chelsea did against Barcelona did yesterday?

I tried containing on my game when I was 1-0 up but it didn't get them to play like that.

Chelsea played with a line of 5 playing on the 6 yard box and a line of 4 on the edge of area, and they just stopped everything coming through.

When they won the ball, they smashed it up the field giving the ball back but holding their shape, they would only send one player up at a time I.E. Drogba or Torres, and only really moving into their half if there is a clear chance.

I couldn't manage this shape. I Tried Contain, Drop deeper, Get ball forward, Stand-off. But they just looked muddled the defined lines were not there.

So to the original question how do I make them play like that. It looked so solid for Chelsea, stopped a team like Barca even looking like scoring from 50 minutes onwards.

AFAIK you cannot do it, there is no way of getting your attacking players to track as far back as they do irl.

You would never be able to get your ST to sit in the LB position like Drogba did for so much of the game yesterday but still be able to break forward & attack when the chance is there.

Stick a striker at Left Back - job done.

You'll have to get your captain sent off for kicking his opponent in the back for no reason first

You can't do it, Chelsea A.I. cheated yesterday!

Away game, 1 man down, penalty missed, 2 goals on 3 Shots on goal, 18% possession I'm telling you the A.I. cheated...

or maybe it's Barca's tactics :O

BTW I really don't think it can be done in the game. the formation you can do 5-3-1 playing contain, use a roaming striker so he'll help out on D, put everyone on easy tackle so there's less chance for penalty, but in the end the biggest factor is that it's home game. 45 minutes of defensive play, no matter how many players you put behind the ball, against a superior team's home game, you WILL concede

Hmm, it was basically a 9-0-0 very rigid zonal defence sitting deep. Dunno how you'd replicate it but I'd love to see someone have a crack at it

chelsea?

i did try this though, not sure whether its close to chelsea lol

Would be nearly impossible to replicate almost, as the match engine is not that clever unfortunately. To be fair, it's such a unique thing to ask to do though, so it's not really expected. Players don't take occasions into account too, so for example, Drogba doing all that defensive work yesterday, he wouldn't do that in any other game really you wouldn't imagine apart from a CL semi against the world's best, not to mention you would need a player with 20 work rate and 20 teamwork to even try and pull it off!

Just one of those things with the match engine, it's like asking your team on FM to play like Barca do now IRL, virtually impossible. Eventually it will be done I believe by adding more options into training and how you want players to pass the ball etc.

stick 5 in defense, 4 in defensive midfield and 1 up front. Thats all chelsea did. (minus a player)

actually they played a 6 men backline with 3 DMCs in front in the end. That not possible in FM unless you use a sweeper

Anyway, I don't believe that approach would prove to be successful for the majority of times, so don't complain if that doesn't win you too many matches in FM.

Sticking a striker at left-back would never work because the game sees what you have done as an error of judgement and punishes you by way of you conceding - most likely more than once! - but certainly losing the game.

It doesn't take into consideration the fact that actually, Drogba is an alright left-back... (better than Torres anyway!)

Random fact - Kyle Walker was a centre-forward until he was 17 years old and the then Sheff Utd manager stuck him at right-back in training. He did a decent job and is now at a top 6 Premiership club picking up a PFA Young player of the Year award for his role as riight-back!

chelsea?

i did try this though, not sure whether its close to chelsea lol

what skin is that mate?

I'm fairly sure it could be done. Individual instructions and man-marking is the way to go. I would start with a 4-1-4-1 or 4-5-1 and then go from there. Also have time wasting etc on. You don't have to put a striker on left back but you can for example make his mentality very defensive and instruct him to man mark their right midfielder or right back (at least that's what I did to get my CM to mark their MR/L). Clear to flanks, counterattacking and play narrow are also useful.

You probably can do it but why would you want to? It's a very boring, pessimistic way of playing. Yes, IRL, they won by doing this but a club like Chelsea should not be demeaning itself in this way, very sad to see them being outplayed over 180 mins and celebrating surviving the onslaught.

Sticking a striker at left-back would never work because the game sees what you have done as an error of judgement and punishes you by way of you conceding - most likely more than once! - but certainly losing the game.

It doesn't take into consideration the fact that actually' date=' [b']Drogba is an alright left-back...[/b] (better than Torres anyway!)

Random fact - Kyle Walker was a centre-forward until he was 17 years old and the then Sheff Utd manager stuck him at right-back in training. He did a decent job and is now at a top 6 Premiership club picking up a PFA Young player of the Year award for his role as riight-back!

Apart from conceding the penalty...

Apart from conceding the penalty...

Dive - but yeah rash challenge none-the-less. A strikers challenge, granted.

Random fact - Kyle Walker was a centre-forward until he was 17 years old and the then Sheff Utd manager stuck him at right-back in training. He did a decent job and is now at a top 6 Premiership club picking up a PFA Young player of the Year award for his role as riight-back!

I've known Kyle since he was 10 and that is only part true. He was never a natural forward he just enjoyed to play there when messing around etc.

I've known Kyle since he was 10 and that is only part true. He was never a natural forward he just enjoyed to play there when messing around etc.

His words from the PFA award ceremony. But fair enough