Mordax87's 4-1-2-2-1 - definitive. Let's entertain. Pace, passing. My best tactic! (14.3.1)

Hello guys,

Let's start with some screenshots. I couldn't be happier with this tactic. It has absolutely huge potential and it's a joy to watch it in action. I've won 100 of my last 112 matches. Only lost four.

Match footage - remember to choose 1080p in quality settings (unfortunately it cuts off like half of the clip when uploading, so a lot of the build up is gone. But shows some at least.. I can upload more.):

Download link:

http://www.mediafire.com/download/43c2t1c58h6d1u0/Mordax87's_4-1-2-2-1_-_Definitive.tac

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Original post:

Football Manager 2014... You were one tough nut to crack! Like some/many of you I've had trouble finding a tactic that worked great for me in this years game. Until now.

Before i made my version 4-1-2-2-1 I had tried pretty much anything, a flat 4-5-1 being the formation I had the most success with. However, it was defensive minded and my Nottingham Forest team was not playing as I wanted. In Football Manager 2013 I had great sucess with a 4-2-3-1 (no wingers - three AMC's) that outplayed any opposition. Trying that in 2014 was no success at all though. The AMC's were - no matter the role I gave them, not acting like in 2013. I also tried the much used 4-1-2-2-1 and 4-2-3-1 with wingers, but it was not working great for me, same with various other tactics.

In the beginning of my 5'th season with Nottingham Forest I started experimenting further, and I finally found a tactic that worked amazing for me. I went from mid table to first place and won the Premier League, Europa League and F.A. Cup titles. And it pretty much came out of nothing and with a squad of mostly 18-20 year olds (Pretty awesome ones though). Fast-paced passing game with the full backs joining the attack and a lot of off the ball runs around the box.

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Here's my tactic that made everything awesome.

This is how it looks:

To sum up: When not in possession I have a lot of players defending and pressing the opponent making it hard for them to create chances and score. When I get possession my team rushes forward with the front three and the two wing backs being the main threats. The two CMs are more stationary creating the needed balance and contributing in both defence and attack.

My defensive midfielder has the halfback-role, which is absolutely awesome. When attacking my wing backs go forward while he slips back between the central defenders supporting them in defence and playing simple passes. This works very, very well and the halfback role is essential for this tactic imo.

The players and positions:

The defense:

These are the dudes who keep the opponent from scoring and sometimes push forward to create width in an otherwise narrow formation.

Goalkeeper

- Pretty standard. His only personal instruction is "Distribute to defenders" to keep possession.

The two CWBs on either side

- The offensive minded back joins the attack on every occasion. They're very important for this otherwise narrow formation. His personal instructions are "Cross from deep" to avoid him having a too long run back and "Cross more often" because of the amount of people in the box and a high crossing stat. These are playing fantastic for me with ratings at 7.70+.

The two CB/LCBs

- This could be whatever suits your player best. His job is to simply... defend. The only personal instruction is "Mark tightly"

The midfield:

These are the dudes who supports both defense and attack.

Halfback

- Now this one is interesting and vital for this formation. Because of the very offensive minded CWBs there's a need for more defensive cover whenever the team attacks. Added to that he also - of course - contributes as almost a fifth defender when the team defends. The halfback is amazing for this formation, because he acts as a third defender as the two CWBs move forward. As the description says he's kind of an aggressive sweeper. This role has been working exceptionally well for me in this formation. Personal instruction: Pass it shorter.

CM(D)

One of the two central midfielders to create balance in the formation. Primarily focuses on defending.

CM(S)

The other of the two central midfielders to create balance. This one is a bit more focused on supporting the attack than his CM buddy. I used to have Ball Winning and Box to Box on these positions, but they were moving around a bit too much. This works better for me.

The offensive midfield/attack

These are the dudes that scores your goals and create chaos.

AP(A)

- The teams main creative force. Acts as a playmaker and makes runs into the box. There's potentially a ton of goals and assists here. Personal instruction: "Roam from position" - to create his own space and make the formation more fluid.

Currently the player I'm using here has 16 matches, 20 assists and 10 goals.

SS

- In many ways a striker, but also an assist-maker and big part of the build up play. Has "Roam from position" and "More risky passes" to create those golden opportunities for all the players joining the attack.

My player on the position currently have 15 matches, 15 goals and 6 assists.

The striker - any role, Complete Forward works very well though

- The teams main goalscorer. The goals often comes from the two AMCs as well, though. Has "Move into channels" to easier find space for himself. The role depends on who you have here. I've tried out F9 (worked pretty well) AF (worked pretty well) and Complete Forward (worked very well). But try out different roles that fits your striker. Scores on both a lot of headers from the many crosses from wing backs and also scores a lot of goals from the chances created by short passing around the box.

My player on this position currently has 17 matches, 17 goals, 11 assists.

There's a lot of movement going on in this tactic. The CWBs joins the attack and are able to both cross and score. The halfback pulls back and helps the defenders. The two CMs supports the attack and annoys the opponents when defending and the three front men create chaos with a lot of runs and fast passes.

Results:

Last one and a half season I've played 93 matches and only lost four. I generally score 3-4 goals a match.

I've won the league the last three seasons, Champions League three times last four years, The FA Cup three times, Capital One Cup last four years.

My players are playing extremely well:

All in all: I'm very happy with this tactic and I hope you'll be as well. It has such potential. Be patient with it, tweak it to fit your players if needed and you'll see amazing results.

Download: http://www.mediafire.com/download/43c2t1c58h6d1u0/Mordax87's_4-1-2-2-1_-_Definitive.tac

Any questions? Want to see my players in the positions? Want to know more? Ask away.

Thanks. Love this game.

User feedback from older post:

jens_dewit

"Tried this on the Vita with Salt Lake in the third season, and so far it's absolutely stunning.

Only 4 games in, but it feels like the best tactic I've tried from here.

Good job!"

Gonzorelli

"This tactic is really working well for me. So far this season in the league we have played 24, won 19, drew 4 and lost only 1 which was away at Dortmund when I had a few players missing.

In the CL we won our group with 5 wins and 1 draw. Also still in the German cup, at the Quarter final stage now.

Only thing I can say against it is my striker doesn't score a load but then no tactic has done this for me on FM14

Good Work Mordax"

thehill6

"Excellent tactic, good work.

Just won the championship with Sheffield Wednesday, thanks!"

Jrgallo

"Mordax - Not sure why this thread isn't more popular, because this tactic has been extraordinary for me. In my 20 game sample with Real Madrid (FM Classic) I am 17-2-1. I have scored 66 and conceded 10 over that time. Really excellent going forward and stable at the back. And most importantly for me, the tactic is very consistent over time. Well done!"

Well done mate, What's training settings?

Well done mate, What's training settings?

Training: I've chosen "balanced" since my players are developing in all areas at a steady pace with this setting. Even though my main focus is on attack that wouldn't work as well without the proper balance in attributes.

Every single one of my players have a personal training schedule as well. They train the role they most often play in and the role that suits them best. Halfback trains halfback, CM(S) and CM(D) trains central midfielder etc.

Match preparation is set to 20% during the season - higher during off season and when learning new tactics.

Adjust match preparation to your needs. My team was conceding most of the goals from set pieces, so I set it to "defending set pieces" which improved the situation. I've also had it on "attacking movement" and "def positioning". It really depends on where your team is struggling.

Other info:

I'm using the "control" setting which works very well for me. I'm creating a lot of chances while being a bit more careful at the back than when using "attacking". I do sometimes switch to "attacking" when facing very weak opponents or when going behind. Before my players developed to be this good I sometimes used "counter" when facing tough opponents and sometimes playing away from home. You can experiment with this, depends on the quality of your team.

Training: I've chosen "balanced" since my players are developing in all areas at a steady pace with this setting. Even though my main focus is on attack that wouldn't work as well without the proper balance in attributes.

Every single one of my players have a personal training schedule as well. They train the role they most often play in and the role that suits them best. Halfback trains halfback, CM(S) and CM(D) trains central midfielder etc.

Match preparation is set to 20% during the season - higher during off season and when learning new tactics.

Adjust match preparation to your needs. My team was conceding most of the goals from set pieces, so I set it to "defending set pieces" which improved the situation. I've also had it on "attacking movement" and "def positioning". It really depends on where your team is struggling.

Other info:

I'm using the "control" setting which works very well for me. I'm creating a lot of chances while being a bit more careful at the back than when using "attacking". I do sometimes switch to "attacking" when facing very weak opponents or when going behind. Before my players developed to be this good I sometimes used "counter" when facing tough opponents and sometimes playing away from home. You can experiment with this, depends on the quality of your team.

Thanks

Just the usual questions

Pitch size ?

Opposition Instructions ?

Just the usual questions

Pitch size ?

Opposition Instructions ?

Pitch size is 105 - 68.

My assistant takes care of opposition instructions. I sometimes adjust if something obvious is missing, like closing down a good crosser etc.

Wow! What a tactic. I've taken Stockport to the premier league and after a bouncing between that and the championship over a 5 season period I finally stayed up. 5 years in a row is been a constant relegation battle. I was 18 th struggling plugged your tactic in and beat Chelsea away first game! Anyway a run (including cups)of 17 wins 5 draws and 5 defeats saw me finish 11 th and reach the fa cup semi final.

I'm keen to see what can happen next season especially after selling a 21 year old Centre half for 40 million pounds and strengthening really well.

Great effort

Wow! What a tactic. I've taken Stockport to the premier league and after a bouncing between that and the championship over a 5 season period I finally stayed up. 5 years in a row is been a constant relegation battle. I was 18 th struggling plugged your tactic in and beat Chelsea away first game! Anyway a run (including cups)of 17 wins 5 draws and 5 defeats saw me finish 11 th and reach the fa cup semi final.

I'm keen to see what can happen next season especially after selling a 21 year old Centre half for 40 million pounds and strengthening really well.

Great effort

Thank you! Great to hear it's working for you as well Hope you'll sign some good players.

Thank you! Great to hear it's working for you as well Hope you'll sign some good players.

I've got a much improved squad and I'm 8th in the table after 16 games. 16 points ahead of the drop zone so not even close to danger. I'm wanting to qualify for Europe but that may take another season unless I can pinch a cup win somewhere along the way.

very good start with olympique lyonnais with 0 € transferts

ligue 1 6w 0d 0L

champions ligue 4w 1d 0L with 4 matchs barages

Olympique Lyonnais_ Calendrier Prog..png

1.99 MB

You wouldn't believe it!!! It's my fault, I know, but each year just before the seasons end I have been in the EPL, I have been in the red and the board have put X amount of millions in to throw me in to the black - the year I finish 6th (thanks master tactician!!) they don't and I am docked 5 points for the start of the next season and despite qualifying for the Europa League, I am kicked out and banned for a season!!!

I have purchased some good youngsters with "world class" potential and they are looking mean in pre season, and I am attempting to sell off some older, high earners to try and get the books balanced in order to avoid the same fate this time around. I am hoping for Champions League qualification as I took 4 points off Man U, 2 off Man City, 3 off Arsenal and Stoke - who are owned by serious money bags owners in my save - having never got more than a couple fo points off them collectively in the EPL before.

I'm very happy to hear it's going well for all of you.

@madhatter75 - I hope you'll sort out the money problems. Your success on the pitch should turn the balance positive, hopefully! Well done on signing the promising youngsters and getting rid of the older, higher earners. That's gonna get you far in a few years.

My own update: I just won the "sextuple" (wtf?) this season. Won everything except the FA Cup where I lost on penalties in the final after a 29 vs 3 shots match. Meh.. Hehe. Crushed Bayern Munich 5-0 in the Champions League final. 26 vs 2 shots. Going well. My best players are around 25 now, so should be peaking soon. That should be interesting :>

Thx Mordax87. It's a great tactic.

I have a question. Do you always leave OI to your assistant or take advice from your other coaches too? In my opinion the person who gives advice is important. If you only use your assistant, could you kindly tell me what are the pressing style, mentality and marking style of your assistant ?

Thx Mordax87. It's a great tactic.

I have a question. Do you always leave OI to your assistant or take advice from your other coaches too? In my opinion the person who gives advice is important. If you only use your assistant, could you kindly tell me what are the pressing style, mentality and marking style of your assistant ?

Thanks! I always leave it to my assistant, yeah.

This is him:

Thanks! I always leave it to my assistant, yeah.

This is him:

Thanks a lot again I observed that our assistant and coaches give different advices affected by their tactical attributes. Because of this, I wanted to learn who your assistant is. Borrell is a suitable person for your great tactic.

This formation seems very promising. I will try a new save with it.

Hi! What kind of attributes would you say is most important for the shadow striker? does he need to be quick?

Hi! What kind of attributes would you say is most important for the shadow striker? does he need to be quick?

Hello!

Here are my three Shadow Strikers. They're a good indicator. He doesn't NEED to be quick, but it's a bonus of course.

Important stats are:

1. Finishing. (Of course.)

2. Off the ball. (Gets more chances and finds space.)

3. Passing (Lots of combination play in my formation. Can make a lot of assists with decent passing.)

4. Technique, First Touch

5. Composure

And well, pretty much the highlighted stats for the role.

Anyway, here are my players.

Hello!

Here are my three Shadow Strikers. They're a good indicator. He doesn't NEED to be quick, but it's a bonus of course.

Important stats are:

1. Finishing. (Of course.)

2. Off the ball. (Gets more chances and finds space.)

3. Passing (Lots of combination play in my formation. Can make a lot of assists with decent passing.)

4. Technique, First Touch

5. Composure

And well, pretty much the highlighted stats for the role.

Anyway, here are my players.

Ok Thanx!

One more question about your training! Match preperation at 20%, main focus on balanced, and intensity level?

I'm very happy to hear it's going well for all of you.

@madhatter75 - I hope you'll sort out the money problems. Your success on the pitch should turn the balance positive, hopefully! Well done on signing the promising youngsters and getting rid of the older, higher earners. That's gonna get you far in a few years.

My own update: I just won the "sextuple" (wtf?) this season. Won everything except the FA Cup where I lost on penalties in the final after a 29 vs 3 shots match. Meh.. Hehe. Crushed Bayern Munich 5-0 in the Champions League final. 26 vs 2 shots. Going well. My best players are around 25 now, so should be peaking soon. That should be interesting :>

So the next season it took me in to the January transfer to sort my financial issues but I sold many of my star players and brought in younger recruits with potential. i managed to finish 6th and that despite a 5 point deduction to start the season!! I am really pleased although I have a wafer thin squad and not much to play with and bring in new recruits in the summer.

Anyway I achieved my goal and now it is on to the next one inorder to get in the Champions League. Some more wheeling and dealing needed first though!!

the tactic doesn't work. 3 games, 3 loss, my team is so confused, the 2 amc are doing such a trubble in the game with the dmc, so i can't do anything with my striker. I went back to 4-1-2-2-1 with wingers, and the team was scoring again and the defence looked normal and not confused. Sorry, I think the tactis is working by some users, but my team don't like it

cheers

You're the first to report trouble, but that's too bad of course. 3 matches isn't a lot to test it with, though, especially if they aren't familiar with the tactic. And I'm not sure what you mean by confused. Glad you're back to a tactic that's working well for you though!

I just went on a sixty games unbeaten streak, so all is well here. Flowing football and tons of goals with very few conceded.

the tactic doesn't work. 3 games, 3 loss, my team is so confused, the 2 amc are doing such a trubble in the game with the dmc, so i can't do anything with my striker. I went back to 4-1-2-2-1 with wingers, and the team was scoring again and the defence looked normal and not confused. Sorry, I think the tactis is working by some users, but my team don't like it

cheers

You must be doing something badly wrong ensar13 because this tactic has practically broken patch 14.3.1

I've just signed up to say WELL DONE to the Mordax87, I have started 3 new games just to test this tactic and it is absolutely brutal.

My current save is with Southampton and after 10 games i'm in 2nd place and without some rotten luck I could have been well clear already at the top.

Best tactic by a mile on this final patch, my own tactic is a close 2nd though

I am about to start my third season in the Premier League with Nottingham Forest. I have been using Steaton´s tactic with great sucess the first season, but last season was not good. I conceded way to many goal as the opposition sliced through my defence with ease.

So now i will try out this tactic to make the defence a bit more solid. And after playing 4 pre-season matches i can see a big difference with the def midfielder acting as a shield for the back 4. The tactic reminds me a lot of Liverpool in real life with Gerrard dropping deep between the two centrebacks and starting the play with the fullbacks pushed up high. I will now use pre-season to get the players used to this tactic and then the real test begins with a home game against Man U....

And the players i have are not of the same calibre as yours, Mordax. But i hope this tactic can help me fight for european qualification this season. Will post updates!

You must be doing something badly wrong ensar13 because this tactic has practically broken patch 14.3.1

I've just signed up to say WELL DONE to the Mordax87, I have started 3 new games just to test this tactic and it is absolutely brutal.

My current save is with Southampton and after 10 games i'm in 2nd place and without some rotten luck I could have been well clear already at the top.

Best tactic by a mile on this final patch, my own tactic is a close 2nd though

Aww that makes me happy

I'm having a wonderful start to the new season. 28-0 shot stats vs Barcelona in the European Super Cup. Haha. 5 matches, 5 wins, 19-1 in goals. My players are 22-27 now, so pretty much peaking. Looking good.

I especially like this talent of mine, he's crazy:

http://i.imgur.com/ifsLL2c.png

Not much more to say really

hi,

i played against a 3-5-2 and a 4-1-2-2(wingers)-1 tactic, and all of them are using my fullbacks. because my fullbacks are not so good in attack, but really good in defence. So this tactic is exsposing my defence while my fullbacks go up, of course they sometimes lose the ball, but when they do that, i am having a lot of trouble in defence.

I wrote it wrong, my CM and AMC are not working together, as they should. They are making so much trouble to each other, and of course the striker is standing allone.

I don't know, I will see to use the tactic as a backup, until is good trained, and then try it again. Because, you all are saying it is a good tactic, so i am doing something wrong. i will look to fix it

cheers

I have a tip for anyone who is struggling when using this tactic.

I started my 2nd season in charge of Southampton and noticed a distinct lack of goals compared to our previous season(84 in total). I'd only brought in 4 players in the summer transfer market and as usual with plenty of friendlies pre season I had the tactic complete familiar by the start of the season.

I got to the end of December and saved the game, we were actually in 8th place but amazingly only 4 points behind the leaders(only 6 points separated 1st from 13th??????????).

Anyway, as I went to bed last night I had an epiphany, I still had last seasons training set, which because of our expected finish of 9th place was on "Defensive Positioning", but we won the league 1st season and as such I thought that now being one of the favourites for the league I should have changed it to "Attacking" instead.

I put it to the test when I loaded the game this morning and since the change we have won 10 and drew 2 of our last 12 games and have started banging the goals in again and still conceding at the same rate.

So basically what i'm saying(and most probably don't need telling) is that if you are a "Big Club" train as such, if you are a smaller club do the same. Simple really, but it might help one or two of you out that like me have seen some very frustrating results.

I'm happy to say, we are now in a position again to challenge for the title and as long as we don't concede too many "Freak" or "Fluke" goals in our last 12 games, we may well win the title again.

I have a tip for anyone who is struggling when using this tactic.

I started my 2nd season in charge of Southampton and noticed a distinct lack of goals compared to our previous season(84 in total). I'd only brought in 4 players in the summer transfer market and as usual with plenty of friendlies pre season I had the tactic complete familiar by the start of the season.

I got to the end of December and saved the game, we were actually in 8th place but amazingly only 4 points behind the leaders(only 6 points separated 1st from 13th??????????).

Anyway, as I went to bed last night I had an epiphany, I still had last seasons training set, which because of our expected finish of 9th place was on "Defensive Positioning", but we won the league 1st season and as such I thought that now being one of the favourites for the league I should have changed it to "Attacking" instead.

I put it to the test when I loaded the game this morning and since the change we have won 10 and drew 2 of our last 12 games and have started banging the goals in again and still conceding at the same rate.

So basically what i'm saying(and most probably don't need telling) is that if you are a "Big Club" train as such, if you are a smaller club do the same. Simple really, but it might help one or two of you out that like me have seen some very frustrating results.

I'm happy to say, we are now in a position again to challenge for the title and as long as we don't concede too many "Freak" or "Fluke" goals in our last 12 games, we may well win the title again.

I am doing well but was conceding too many so I decided to start the next season on counter instead of control - I am Stockport in the Premier League - and what a turnaround! I was conceding too many so when fully fluid I am on defending set pieces as I was conceding too many that way, but since going counter I am 17 games in, 2nd in the league and the only unbeaten side in the division!

I need to turn some draws to wins but have gone control when against weaker opposition home or away and stayed with counter against the bigger sides home or away and won 3 on the spin without conceding and scoring 11.

Happy days

I am doing well but was conceding too many so I decided to start the next season on counter instead of control - I am Stockport in the Premier League - and what a turnaround! I was conceding too many so when fully fluid I am on defending set pieces as I was conceding too many that way, but since going counter I am 17 games in, 2nd in the league and the only unbeaten side in the division!

I need to turn some draws to wins but have gone control when against weaker opposition home or away and stayed with counter against the bigger sides home or away and won 3 on the spin without conceding and scoring 11.

Happy days

Do you just change the mentality ? nothing else ?

Do you just change the mentality ? nothing else ?

Yes. I have defending set pieces in as soon as I am fully fluid with balanced average on the training.

As an update I am 2nd with 5 games left 3 points behind Man City. I was hoping to qualify for the Champions league and I really should do it. only 2 defeats all season and conceded 28 in 33 games.

So my first season using this tactic was a success. I finished as number 6 in the premier league with Nottingham Forest. 63-39 goal difference, 2 points of top four.

And the players i had at my disposal was not exactly world class so i think this was a good season.

Now in my second season with Forest using this tactic i am number 4 after 17 games. I have strengthened my squad considerably and my goal is a top four finish. The tactic still works great, only 4 defeats so far this season and good defensively. However.......a lot of games the opposition have as much or more possesion as me, and very often games go by without not much happening. The commentary says "A drab match so far" a lot of times after the first half. So i am not seeing so much of the free flowing attacking football, but all in all the tactic seems to be working

Shouldn´t have posted that. 3 defeats in the last 4 now....including 1-3 against Man U and 1-4 against Chelsea. I have tactical tips from my assistant on during the matches and every game he says that we are doing a poor job of retaining possession, could it be something that might make this tactic even better? Retain possession at all times?

3 defeats in a row now....2-0 defeat to lowly placed Burnley, the season is hitting the rocks

And now a 4-1 defeat at Reading....I am trying switching between control, attacking and counter, but to no effect. I have a very young team and i am having success in the euro league and the league cup, but i rotate the team so fatigue isn´t the problem. Not really sure if i should stick to this tactic or try something new...

50/50 tactic like any other, using team as chelsea in 20th or so season and claiming its the tactic that is superb should result in some sort of forum suspension.. really

This tactic does not get the praise it deserves! First season with Villa and with 12 games to go I am sitting top of the league (2 points ahead of Chelsea.) P26, W18, D5 L3 GD+18.

I do change the mentality depending on the odds for the game. I go counter if I the Opp are the favorites. Otherwise it's control. I do try and shut up shop with 10 minutes to go by choosing Defensive if i'm winning, or happy to hold out for a draw.

Helenius and Gabby have been superb behind Benteke. I had to change Benteke to an AF as the goals really dried up for him as a CF. But since the switch its scored in his last 5 games. Lowton has been immense as RB, and as for Sylla! Well normally he doesn't get a look in when i'm managing Villa. But as the HB he protects the back 4 amazingly! He has been the unsung hero of the season to date.

Huge thanks for sharing the tactic, and fingers crossed I report back with a PL trophy in the cabinet after the 1st season with Villa! Unheard of?!?!?!

Finished the season 2nd, and took Chelsea to the wire (well almost, 2 games to go.) Won 23, Drew 10, Lost 5 GD +32. Really really pleased with the season. Benteke frustrated the hell out of me though! He scored about a goal every other game which was Ok(ish). But he was offisde a total of 142 times throughout the season! That's nearly double the next guy! Crazy stat if you ask me. He could have added another 10 goals to his tally and turned 3-4 draws into wins! Still, I cant complain with 2nd with a very average Villa side.

Can't wait to improve the team and make a challenge for the title in the 2nd season.

This tactic does not get the praise it deserves! First season with Villa and with 12 games to go I am sitting top of the league (2 points ahead of Chelsea.) P26, W18, D5 L3 GD+18.

I do change the mentality depending on the odds for the game. I go counter if I the Opp are the favorites. Otherwise it's control. I do try and shut up shop with 10 minutes to go by choosing Defensive if i'm winning, or happy to hold out for a draw.

Helenius and Gabby have been superb behind Benteke. I had to change Benteke to an AF as the goals really dried up for him as a CF. But since the switch its scored in his last 5 games. Lowton has been immense as RB, and as for Sylla! Well normally he doesn't get a look in when i'm managing Villa. But as the HB he protects the back 4 amazingly! He has been the unsung hero of the season to date.

Huge thanks for sharing the tactic, and fingers crossed I report back with a PL trophy in the cabinet after the 1st season with Villa! Unheard of?!?!?!

Really good to hear! And excellent job switching the roles to adapt them to your players! Glad you like the HB role as well.

I've been away on holiday, but now it's time to continue after last years "sextuple"

50/50 tactic like any other, using team as chelsea in 20th or so season and claiming its the tactic that is superb should result in some sort of forum suspension.. really

I'm not claiming it's the best tactic in the world for everyone, I'm just saying that it is for me at the moment, since I've only lost 6 of my last 146 matches and my team plays effecient and entertaining. Some people are having luck with this tactic, others with different tactics. It's all good and well as long a people are happy playing the game.

And your "50/50 tactic" statement seem more random than you apparently think the tactic is. And I'm not sure why you mention Chelsea. If you mean that having good players nets you better results, well then of course? But the tactic still plays a major role - both in FM and real life. Otherwise why are we all discussing and posting all these threads and opinions on tactics? If you haven't tried the tactic you should be the one getting a "sort of forum suspension" for your unconstructive post. I fully respect a post where someone says it's not working for them if they've given it a try, but your post doesn't really contribute much in any way.

Anyway, I hope you're having fun with the game using a tactic that's working well for you. Even if you think tactics are worthless with good enough players

Hey Mordax

I am just wondering of you have tried this tactic or any other with "Retain Possesion"?

Using your tactic with advice from my assistant manager always leads to his advice that we are losing possesion to easily, and that we should retain possesion. It seems pretty logical to me using this tactic to control games, why wouldn´t the retain possesion option be used?

Is this anything that you have tried and tested?

Hey Mordax

I am just wondering of you have tried this tactic or any other with "Retain Possesion"?

Using your tactic with advice from my assistant manager always leads to his advice that we are losing possesion to easily, and that we should retain possesion. It seems pretty logical to me using this tactic to control games, why wouldn´t the retain possesion option be used?

Is this anything that you have tried and tested?

Hey Robbie,

I used Retain Possession briefly in the beginning and again a few times at a later date. I found that my team creates fewer chances with this setting on and with my current players I don't have much trouble dominating the matches, so for me it's not the right choice. It could very well be that it works for you, though. Give it a go! You can always remove it again later.

Mordax - do you find your striker getting caught offside a ridiculous amount of times? Benteke got caught offside 142 times in the first season! Lukaku was 2nd with 77! Thats just crazy! I trained him to beat offside trap but it made no difference.

Mordax - do you find your striker getting caught offside a ridiculous amount of times? Benteke got caught offside 142 times in the first season! Lukaku was 2nd with 77! Thats just crazy! I trained him to beat offside trap but it made no difference.

As far as I know training "likes to beat the offside trap" is likely to cause more offsides, since the player will take even more chances at the defensive line - Filippo Inzaghi style?

My striker only has 19 offsides in 12 matches this season. The leading three have 30, 28 and 27. My striker is 12'th in offsides in the league, so not really having that issue.

As far as I know training "likes to beat the offside trap" is likely to cause more offsides, since the player will take even more chances at the defensive line - Filippo Inzaghi style?

My striker only has 19 offsides in 12 matches this season. The leading three have 30, 28 and 27. My striker is 12'th in offsides in the league, so not really having that issue.

I see your point. Maybe Benteke is just too damn lazy or stupid to realise he has strayed offside.

Well, I'm in dreamland with this tactic. Won the Capital One Cup, the following season the FA Cup, the following season the Premier League and now I have just won the Premier League and Champions League. Happy days

I've got to say after several miserable attempts at making my own tactics and downloading other created tactics this is the one that I've found works the best.

I would say the only flaw to this tactic is the amount of goals you concede from wingers getting past the wing backs and crossing it in for an unmarked striker. I've tried tweaking the player instructions a bit to prevent it but still the vast majority of goals that you concede are like this. I set my wing backs to man mark the wingers a few times which did actually improve it but they were less of a threat going forward.

Sill, the best tactic I have used on FM14. It has the right balance and you play some great football at times. I have won the FA Cup, Community Shield, Europa League x2, Super Cup and last season finished 2nd by 1 point to qualify for the Champions League with Derby (I'm sure Mordax won't be happy with that lol)

I’m just about to start my third season with Marseille and have been using this tactic from day one, all I can say is it is an absolute belter!

Season one and two I’ve been league champions, which is not to be sniffed at considering the money PSG and Monaco pump into their teams each year, whilst also picking up the League Cup and Champions Trophy. Two very close calls in Europe – knocked out at the Semi Final stage of the Europa League season one, going out to Levurkusen on away goals, and knocked out at the Semi Final stage of the Champions League season two, going out to FC Barcelona on away goals. Let’s hope it’s third time lucky this coming year.

The players who made it happen... of the ones already at Marseille Nkoulou (CD), Imbula (MCL) and Thauvin (SS) have been unbelievably good, whilst Umtiti (CD), Krychowiak (HB), Bernat (CWB) and Destro (CF) have been my best signings.

Aim for this season is to win a third consecutive league title, and finally make it to a European Final... will keep you posted.

Very good to hear you're having success! Due to summer and work I haven't been able to play for a while, but I think it's time to return now

I've got to say after several miserable attempts at making my own tactics and downloading other created tactics this is the one that I've found works the best.

I would say the only flaw to this tactic is the amount of goals you concede from wingers getting past the wing backs and crossing it in for an unmarked striker. I've tried tweaking the player instructions a bit to prevent it but still the vast majority of goals that you concede are like this. I set my wing backs to man mark the wingers a few times which did actually improve it but they were less of a threat going forward.

Sill, the best tactic I have used on FM14. It has the right balance and you play some great football at times. I have won the FA Cup, Community Shield, Europa League x2, Super Cup and last season finished 2nd by 1 point to qualify for the Champions League with Derby (I'm sure Mordax won't be happy with that lol)

I now set opposition instructions at close down both wingers and show the rm to the left side and lm onto the right side and defensively it is much better