4-2-3-1 - Conceding too many, scoring too few

I'm playing as Münster in the Bundesliga. The media prediction is that we finish 14th. The board expects a mid table finish. It's currently the start of the 2019/2020 season.

Problems:

There are 9 games played and we're 18th with 3 points (3 draws). We conceded 15 goals against us and scored only 6 goals. Our pass completion is abysmal most of the time and the ratings my Fullbacks are even worse. We're not really creating many chances and aren't clinical at all. Long story short: It's not working out on either end of the pitch. I don't really know if it's the quality of my players or my tactical failure, but the results are devastating.

First off all I want a really solid defense as I think that's the foundation for every team that isn't a top team. I want to play fast counter attacking football that makes use of every bit of space given to us. To achieve that I set up my team like this:

Would it be better to drop the 2 CM to DM? Is there anything else that contradicts each other or how I want to play football?

Here is my player material for further investigation:

Goalkeeper

Central Defender

Left Defender

Right Defender

Central Midfield

Attacking Midfield

Striker

Other Striker

If you need more information please let my know. Any help would really be appreciated.

I want to play fast counter attacking football that makes use of every bit of space given to us. To achieve that I set up my team like this

And yet you've not set up to do this at all so I'm really confused. You've gone attacking and even with the shouts you've used it will still be far too high and aggressive to counter attacking often. You'd have been better off using a much lower mentality structure if you really do want to play and use quick counter attacks.

You might be worth posting more info about the actual issues you face too and include a few examples/scenarios. What types of goals do you concede, how often, which players and areas of the pitch do they seem to be coming from and so on. Then someone can give you some real answers

And yet you've not set up to do this at all so I'm really confused. You've gone attacking and even with the shouts you've used it will still be far too high and aggressive to counter attacking often. You'd have been better off using a much lower mentality structure if you really do want to play and use quick counter attacks.

It was my understanding that you can pull off counter attacking football with an Attacking mentality and a deep defensive line? "It aims to exploit space in the final third by employing a fast tempo and direct, attacking passing ..." High tempo and exploitation of space in the final third sounds pretty much like the style I want to play. I also read somewhere that the Counter mentality reduces the tempo which would slow down my game.

Would you go for Balanced or Counter mentality instead?

It was my understanding that you can pull off counter attacking football with an Attacking mentality and a deep defensive line? "It aims to exploit space in the final third by employing a fast tempo and direct, attacking passing ..." High tempo and exploitation of space in the final third sounds pretty much like the style I want to play. I also read somewhere that the Counter mentality reduces the tempo which would slow down my game.

Would you go for Balanced or Counter mentality instead?

But you are already high up the pitch as far as possible with an attacking mentality, even by adding drop deeper it'll still be very high and not enough to have any kind of benefit for a consistent counter attacking tactic. To play counter attacking you need to be quite deep and not pushed so far up the pitch, this means that when you break you actually have some kind of space to break into and space to use for counters. If you're too aggressive with attacking then all you do is pin the opposition back and they won't venture forward much to allow you to counter them. For it to work you actually need them to attack you.

Higher tempo also doesn't mean counter attacks or more chance of it happening, it actually means more rushed play regardless of how good it actually is or become. When a counter attacking opportunity arises in FM the players involved all get max tempo anyway for the duration of the move, so don't worry about how they play before. Concentrate on creating a system that actually allows you to play like you want. Balanced/Counter would be better than attacking/control yes for counter attacking based tactics.

But you are already high up the pitch as far as possible with an attacking mentality, even by adding drop deeper it'll still be very high and not enough to have any kind of benefit for a consistent counter attacking tactic. To play counter attacking you need to be quite deep and not pushed so far up the pitch, this means that when you break you actually have some kind of space to break into and space to use for counters. If you're too aggressive with attacking then all you do is pin the opposition back and they won't venture forward much to allow you to counter them. For it to work you actually need them to attack you.

Higher tempo also doesn't mean counter attacks or more chance of it happening, it actually means more rushed play regardless of how good it actually is or become. When a counter attacking opportunity arises in FM the players involved all get max tempo anyway for the duration of the move, so don't worry about how they play before. Concentrate on creating a system that actually allows you to play like you want. Balanced/Counter would be better than attacking/control yes for counter attacking based tactics.

I remembered where I got the Counter Attacking with Attacking mentality from. It's actually from Clear Cut Chance.

"In Football Manager there is a 'counter' tactical option, but I actually think this is the least effective way to set up a counter attacking tactic. A good strong counter requires fast movement of the ball from front to back, the 'counter' strategy sets the tempo quite low which isn't really what is required. The Attacking strategy on the other hand keeps the tempo quite high which is more akin to what is needed, the attacking duty does tweak closing down and forward runs but I have manually lowered closing down across all the back 6 so that they keep their shape and draw the opponent onto them." - Jimbob

That's the part I remembered from the article. Am I just understanding one of you wrong or is the strategy mentioned here completely different from what I want to achieve and I'm just too blind to see it?

Tweaking

I tried to tweak my whole tactic a little bit and actually got my first good result against Stuttgart. I have to say it was really lucky and down to some amazing goalkeeping by Martínez.

As you can see, I was outplayed in every single aspect and got lucky with 1 successful counter attack and a rewarded penalty. Stats that are pretty shocking to me are the 67% pass completion and the 51% headers won. I really noticed that we lost almost every high ball that came from our keeper or from Stuttgart's keeper. Another thing I noticed is that my Full Backs often receive the ball from my Keeper just to hoof it down the field or try to switch the flank only the pass right into the feet of the opposition. I tried to counter that with instructions to play fewer risky passes and to pass shorter. I don't really know if it's a problem of my Full Backs or if there's not enough movement to pick out a simple pass.

I remembered where I got the Counter Attacking with Attacking mentality from. It's actually from Clear Cut Chance.

"In Football Manager there is a 'counter' tactical option, but I actually think this is the least effective way to set up a counter attacking tactic. A good strong counter requires fast movement of the ball from front to back, the 'counter' strategy sets the tempo quite low which isn't really what is required. The Attacking strategy on the other hand keeps the tempo quite high which is more akin to what is needed, the attacking duty does tweak closing down and forward runs but I have manually lowered closing down across all the back 6 so that they keep their shape and draw the opponent onto them." - Jimbob

That's one person's interpretation of what Counter Attacking is. It's right for him, but not for me.

Counter Attacking in the FM sense needs you to be deep (to create space behind the AI) and low tempo until the counter is triggered (to lure the AI forward to leave that space behind).

A modification of Attacking Mentality cannot replicate those two basic prerequisites effectively.

I remembered where I got the Counter Attacking with Attacking mentality from. It's actually from Clear Cut Chance.

"In Football Manager there is a 'counter' tactical option, but I actually think this is the least effective way to set up a counter attacking tactic. A good strong counter requires fast movement of the ball from front to back, the 'counter' strategy sets the tempo quite low which isn't really what is required. The Attacking strategy on the other hand keeps the tempo quite high which is more akin to what is needed, the attacking duty does tweak closing down and forward runs but I have manually lowered closing down across all the back 6 so that they keep their shape and draw the opponent onto them." - Jimbob

That's the part I remembered from the article. Am I just understanding one of you wrong or is the strategy mentioned here completely different from what I want to achieve and I'm just too blind to see it?

That was written for FM13 when there used to be a counter attacking option to tick as well as a counter attacking strategy. Isolated from the article that quote is misleading though but in the context of what he was creating in-conjunction with the settings/roles/duties used then it does make sense. This is the part I think your system lacks. As a stand alone comment though I don't think its correct not in the slightest.

Another thing I noticed is that my Full Backs often receive the ball from my Keeper just to hoof it down the field or try to switch the flank only the pass right into the feet of the opposition.

But you've instructed them to play faster tempo/more direct passing and they don't really have any realistic passing options in from of them, so there isn't much else they can do. So when they get the ball you've told them to play at a fast pace which they are doing but don't actually have anyone linking the play between them, so they are just rushing in their decision making and panicking. So for me this is a by product of poor settings for the shape you use.

Take your left side for example, the WB is support and the IF is attacking so realistically he isn't going to be a passing option. Now if we look centrally you don't have anyone there for him to pass too as the DMC you use is an anchorman so again isn't a realistic passing option for start attacks. The right side is more balanced though as the winger is on a support duty and the full back attacking. The regista is also a good outlet. However I'd switch the sides of the Regista and the Anchor. The reasons for this is you are too attacking currently down the right due to the fullback and regista so it makes more sense to have the more defensive minded midfielder placed where the most attacking fullback is to deal with any threats easier. This will also go some way to bridging the gap between the IF and WB on the left side as the regista can play the middle man.

You are also quite rigid without any real playmaking roles that can be the creative drive the team needs. You might be more wiser experimenting with something other than very rigid/rigid as you don't really have enough creativity in the side imo for this shape. Don't get me wrong I like the shape it just doesn't make much sense playing rigid with the roles/duties you have selected. For me I'd drop the shouts be more disciplined, higher tempo, direct passing and see how you fair for 5 or 6 games. As those shouts you don't really need and you should see things improve. You should be better for natural counter attacks then too.

The match stats you posted I'd advise you to watch the full match back and see exactly why they had so many shots against you so you can understand the shape you use and what went wrong. Use the analysis tab and see where your players are positioned during attacking and see how they got through time after time and try and fix that because I've used morealess the same shape and settings with the changes I mentioned above and we are a lot more solid and my team is still weak compared to the rest of the league. So you might want to check out why this was such a bad game for you.

I think you should drop "Play Out of Defence." That directly contradicts the entire premise of what you're aiming to achieve (namely, fast transitions out of the back). It'll instruct everyone below the midfield line to play very short, simple passes, and that's also likely one of the main reasons your fullbacks are getting isolated.

Stepping away from the whole question of what counterattacking is, I think you should consider whether your players actually have the attributes necessary to pull off the tactic in the OP. The basic premise of Attacking is that you're trying to prompt quick turnovers and force defensive errors with quick, complex movement inside the opposition half. Even if you tell the team to drop much deeper, you're still left with a medium block, so when you win the ball, you're still likely going to have your players running at an intact defensive line that hasn't fully transitioned to the attacking phase. This can work, but it requires both attackers with the ability to rapidly unsettle an intact defence and defenders with the ability to deal with all the counterattacking opportunities this approach will give the opposition.

Control is the highest mentality you can have to get something like a counterattacking style in the sense of allowing the opposition to transition into their own attack and aiming to exploit the gaps that the attacking transition naturally creates, but even then, you need to consider whether you have players who can actually make use of fast transitions when there isn't actually a lot of space to attack. World class attackers can do that since they have the pure physical and technical ability to take on multiple defenders on their own, but a lower ability side is more likely to see itself losing the ball in midfield and put under a lot of defensive pressure as a result. Off the top of my head, I can't think of a whole lot of teams that play that way in top divisions in the modern era. Arguably, Liverpool when they had Sturridge and Suarez who could collectively cause problems for any team in the league, but then, everyone saw the toll that approach took on their defence. Stylistically, it's an anomaly and one that takes advantage of very unusual circumstances.

I'd also say that, despite the problem with your tactic, you've done an excellent job of outlining it, identifying what you want and clearly explaining the reasoning connecting the two... and that's incredibly helpful for those of us try to provide feedback and help clear up any misconceptions.

That's one person's interpretation of what Counter Attacking is. It's right for him, but not for me.

Counter Attacking in the FM sense needs you to be deep (to create space behind the AI) and low tempo until the counter is triggered (to lure the AI forward to leave that space behind).

A modification of Attacking Mentality cannot replicate those two basic prerequisites effectively.

That was written for FM13 when there used to be a counter attacking option to tick as well as a counter attacking strategy. Isolated from the article that quote is misleading though but in the context of what he was creating in-conjunction with the settings/roles/duties used then it does make sense. This is the part I think your system lacks. As a stand alone comment though I don't think its correct not in the slightest.

Ok that clears up a lot of things, thanks.

But you've instructed them to play faster tempo/more direct passing and they don't really have any realistic passing options in from of them, so there isn't much else they can do. So when they get the ball you've told them to play at a fast pace which they are doing but don't actually have anyone linking the play between them, so they are just rushing in their decision making and panicking. So for me this is a by product of poor settings for the shape you use.

Take your left side for example, the WB is support and the IF is attacking so realistically he isn't going to be a passing option. Now if we look centrally you don't have anyone there for him to pass too as the DMC you use is an anchorman so again isn't a realistic passing option for start attacks. The right side is more balanced though as the winger is on a support duty and the full back attacking. The regista is also a good outlet. However I'd switch the sides of the Regista and the Anchor. The reasons for this is you are too attacking currently down the right due to the fullback and regista so it makes more sense to have the more defensive minded midfielder placed where the most attacking fullback is to deal with any threats easier. This will also go some way to bridging the gap between the IF and WB on the left side as the regista can play the middle man.

You are also quite rigid without any real playmaking roles that can be the creative drive the team needs. You might be more wiser experimenting with something other than very rigid/rigid as you don't really have enough creativity in the side imo for this shape. Don't get me wrong I like the shape it just doesn't make much sense playing rigid with the roles/duties you have selected. For me I'd drop the shouts be more disciplined, higher tempo, direct passing and see how you fair for 5 or 6 games. As those shouts you don't really need and you should see things improve. You should be better for natural counter attacks then too.

I've tinkered a bit more with what you and the others said and the result is this:

The following matches ended like this:

I've managed to win against Hertha and St. Pauli and got a draw off Wolfburg. I probably shouldn't have lost to Nürnberg and Mainz though. All in all it's kind of an improvement.

I think you should drop "Play Out of Defence." That directly contradicts the entire premise of what you're aiming to achieve (namely, fast transitions out of the back). It'll instruct everyone below the midfield line to play very short, simple passes, and that's also likely one of the main reasons your fullbacks are getting isolated.

I did that and an improvement was noticeable. (Screenshot above)

Stepping away from the whole question of what counterattacking is, I think you should consider whether your players actually have the attributes necessary to pull off the tactic in the OP. The basic premise of Attacking is that you're trying to prompt quick turnovers and force defensive errors with quick, complex movement inside the opposition half. Even if you tell the team to drop much deeper, you're still left with a medium block, so when you win the ball, you're still likely going to have your players running at an intact defensive line that hasn't fully transitioned to the attacking phase. This can work, but it requires both attackers with the ability to rapidly unsettle an intact defence and defenders with the ability to deal with all the counterattacking opportunities this approach will give the opposition.

Control is the highest mentality you can have to get something like a counterattacking style in the sense of allowing the opposition to transition into their own attack and aiming to exploit the gaps that the attacking transition naturally creates, but even then, you need to consider whether you have players who can actually make use of fast transitions when there isn't actually a lot of space to attack. World class attackers can do that since they have the pure physical and technical ability to take on multiple defenders on their own, but a lower ability side is more likely to see itself losing the ball in midfield and put under a lot of defensive pressure as a result. Off the top of my head, I can't think of a whole lot of teams that play that way in top divisions in the modern era. Arguably, Liverpool when they had Sturridge and Suarez who could collectively cause problems for any team in the league, but then, everyone saw the toll that approach took on their defence. Stylistically, it's an anomaly and one that takes advantage of very unusual circumstances.

So you would advise against a Counter strategy? The whole idea behind it kinda came naturally because I figured that I wouldn't have another in the league if I didn't play defensive football. I didn't really build my team around the counter attacking concept but tried to bring in good footballers. Now that you've got me thinking I'm not even sure if counter attacking is the best way to go about things. On the other hand I feel like I will get obliterated by teams like Bayern, Dortmund or Schalke if I try to play possession based football and beat them at their game since the quality of my team is no where near the top.

Do you have a personal opinion on the matter considering my player material posted above?

I'd also say that, despite the problem with your tactic, you've done an excellent job of outlining it, identifying what you want and clearly explaining the reasoning connecting the two... and that's incredibly helpful for those of us try to provide feedback and help clear up any misconceptions.

Thanks. I wanted to provide as much info as possible because I know that it's a complex problem. I really appreciate you guys taking the time to make certain aspects clear to me.

Much Deeper Line will + Direct Passing + Higher tempo + No Hassle will not work as you will invite much pressure (Giving much space and not having possesion)

Try Deeper Line + Shorter Passing + Higher Tempo + Retain Possesion + Hassle + Get Stuck in.

Try it with Standard, Counter (take out Retain Possesion and higher tempo) and Defensive Mentality.

And either take back as MRLs your two wide attackers as WMs and keep Rigid or leave it as it is and try Fluid.

If you stay Rigid take out Be More Disciplined too.

Choose your attacking WB to be in the same side as your Anchor.

I use something like this and its working great.

PS. Please sent me pm where did you find this facepack.

So you would advise against a Counter strategy? The whole idea behind it kinda came naturally because I figured that I wouldn't have another in the league if I didn't play defensive football. I didn't really build my team around the counter attacking concept but tried to bring in good footballers. Now that you've got me thinking I'm not even sure if counter attacking is the best way to go about things. On the other hand I feel like I will get obliterated by teams like Bayern, Dortmund or Schalke if I try to play possession based football and beat them at their game since the quality of my team is no where near the top.

No, not at all. I was advising against setting up a counterattacking system with a more aggressive mentality baseline (like Control) because instructing your players to drop deep and then break forward at a high tempo whenever possession turns over can leave you badly exposed with your attackers running into a wall of defenders that they simply don't have the skill to handle.

The way the Counter mentality works is that players will only break at a high tempo when the opposition is clearly exposed at the back. Otherwise, they'll default to a more cautious, probing style to ensure you don't just throw away possession needlessly. It's a more balanced approach and it's probably the right option for what you're looking to do. If you're playing a lower reputation side, it'll result in plenty of counterattacking opportunities, but a lot of people get confused by it when they try to play Counter with some top European side and end up playing possession ball against teams that simply refuse to come out of their shell.

I won my last game against Frankfurt pretty lucky with 1:0 after a good corner. I'm nearing the winter transfer period and I'm wondering about some player and their roles. Specifically I'm talking about the Regista + Anchorman combo in my defensive midfield and my Advanced Forward up front.

Theoretically my midfield trio of Regista (S) + Anchorman (D) + Advanced Playmaker (A) should work out right? That would be with the Anchorman shielding my defense more stationary while the Regista is the mobile part of the two that drives the game forward and pulls the strings in front of my back four. I'm generally not too sure about Regista vs. Deep Lying Playmaker. I suppose the Anchorman is a given because that's one of the few defensive midfield roles that focuses on shape and positioning rather than closing down. By the way, I instructed both of my defensive midfielders and my two Full Backs to close down less in order to keep shape during the defensive phase. Is that an idea that actually works theoretically or would you advise against it?

Now to my lone striker. I'm kind of at a loss at what to do with him and the role in general. Frasheri is really wasteful despite 14 Composure and 17 Finishing with just 2 goals and 3 assists out of 11 starts. I suppose his best role would be Deep Lying Forward or Trequartista but I really don't see these working with my formation and the roles of the three players behind him. Oliveira on the other hand is a transfer flop of mine. I brought him in because I wanted a big and strong alternative up front but he just managed to get 3 assists in 5 starts and 7 subs. I'm not sure how to proceed here. Do I let them play with the role that they're probably best in but that might not work too well with the rest of my attack or do I set a good role for a lone striker (probably Complete Forward or Advanced Forward?) and search for the player to fit that role?

The tactic I'm currently tinkering with would be this:

Do you notice any other room for tactical improvement? Now would be the perfect time to train it and get my players comfortable with it.

Update time!

Highlighted is the first official match of the second half series.

Everything's working better than expected. I managed to get draws off Leverkusen, Bayern and Dortmund while winning comfortably against HSV and Gladbach. Our win against Bremen was a bit lucky and the loss against Braunschweig came through a penalty in the last minutes. I'm actually starting to see perfectly executed counter attacks and even my striker who didn't score at all managed to score 6 goals in these 8 matches. Maybe it helped that I finally allowed him to play as the Target Man he really is than forcing him into the Advanced Forward role. Another reason could also be that my team is just playing better and now that he has finally found his confidence things just work out.

The result is that we're slowly but steadily climbing up the league table. With our current form a mid table finish should be absolutely possible, especially since we already played most of the big clubs.

Burning Questions I Couldn't Find An Answer To

• How do PPMs and role instructions work together? Example: Does it make sense to teach an Advanced Playmaker to Try Killer Balls often? It seems redundant since his role instructions already tell him to do that? On the other hand everybody talks about how that is THE PPM for a playmaker.
  
• Is it problematic when more than one player has the Dictates Tempo PPM?
  
• Are there roles that are generally more suited to a certain style of football? Example: Is a Regista a better option than a Deep Lying Playmaker in a counter attacking tactic? What about Enganche/Advanced Playmaker?
  
• I'm not sure when to train PPMs. I've got a few players who I would like to make my tutors because they've got fitting personalities but they're still young. Would you focus a attributes/roles right now, or go ahead and teach 19-22 year olds the PPMs I want for their roles?
  

Thanks for your help! You most certainly saved my job at Münster.

Is it problematic when more than one player has the Dictates Tempo PPM?

Are there roles that are generally more suited to a certain style of football? Example: Is a Regista a better option than a Deep Lying Playmaker in a counter attacking tactic? What about Enganche/Advanced Playmaker?

I play this formation. Standard and fluid. My two cm's are DLP (d) and cm (a). IF (s) Adv (a) IF (a).

I play with a low tempo, short passing, run at defence, higher line and play into space.

Dc's are on stopper and cover.

Burning Questions I Couldn't Find An Answer To

• How do PPMs and role instructions work together? Example: Does it make sense to teach an Advanced Playmaker to Try Killer Balls often? It seems redundant since his role instructions already tell him to do that? On the other hand everybody talks about how that is THE PPM for a playmaker.
  
• Is it problematic when more than one player has the Dictates Tempo PPM?
  
• Are there roles that are generally more suited to a certain style of football? Example: Is a Regista a better option than a Deep Lying Playmaker in a counter attacking tactic? What about Enganche/Advanced Playmaker?
  
• I'm not sure when to train PPMs. I've got a few players who I would like to make my tutors because they've got fitting personalities but they're still young. Would you focus a attributes/roles right now, or go ahead and teach 19-22 year olds the PPMs I want for their roles?
  

Thanks for your help! You most certainly saved my job at Münster.

You seem to have improved. I think you seem to have hit the nail on the head about your change of role up front. As it lets your IF(A) get involved in final third more, also your W(S) will play early crosses to your TM. I think if you want to change it at any point, then a DLF or CF can add a mixture of physicality, but mixed with technical ability.

As for your questions:

• They complement each other, but a player's decision making will come into it too. So a player won't play a through ball if he thinks it is pointless, even if his role and PPM encourage him too. Although a player with the PPM and instruction, may for example see a simple pass, or a through-ball and try the through-ball as it is a preference, do you get my meaning?
  
• Not at all. You have multiple playmakers, nothing wrong with both being involved.
  
• Yes, a TM suits more direct football, an AP suits possession/technical football. So yes certain types suit.
  
• Focus on the PPM's will allow them to tutor them on. You can't get players who are learning PPM's to tutor at the same time. Ultimately, if they are seriously deficient in attributes you need to decide if you want to focus more on the long term or short term, and focus more on attributes or PPMs.

Hope that all helps.

The seaon is over and I finished 14th which is ok considering how bad the first half of the season was. I'm continuing to experiment with my tactics. Right now I'm training a Counter/Fluid tactic and a Control/Fluid tactic without any further instructions. I just want to see how they play out in the games and make adjustments based on that. I do have some questions though:

• Have you considered a minimum height for Full Backs? I keep conceding goals because my 1,70m Full Backs lose headers.
  
• How do mistakes happen? As in the one's that get recorded in the stats. My two Full Backs made over 120 mistakes each, one of them made 4 that led to goals and one of my CBs made 5 that led to goals. How do I prevent those high numbers?
  

Why are they contesting the headers? Are your DC's out of position? Or are your opposing wide men simply dominating in the air? If the positioning of your defenders is correct, then yes the height may need improving, if the players are out of position, leaving your full back with work to do, then do you need to discipline the positioning of your centre backs more? Is your marking system helping or hindering? Zonal can see your defenders get doubled-up on, but Man can drag people out of position. Are your full backs competing for headers too high up the pitch?

Mistakes happen same as real life, tiredness, lack of concentration, composure, decision making, poor technique etc. Sounds like you have issues with your full backs for sure.

You seem to have improved. I think you seem to have hit the nail on the head about your change of role up front. As it lets your IF(A) get involved in final third more, also your W(S) will play early crosses to your TM. I think if you want to change it at any point, then a DLF or CF can add a mixture of physicality, but mixed with technical ability.

As for your questions:

• They complement each other, but a player's decision making will come into it too. So a player won't play a through ball if he thinks it is pointless, even if his role and PPM encourage him too. Although a player with the PPM and instruction, may for example see a simple pass, or a through-ball and try the through-ball as it is a preference, do you get my meaning?
  
• Not at all. You have multiple playmakers, nothing wrong with both being involved.
  
• Yes, a TM suits more direct football, an AP suits possession/technical football. So yes certain types suit.
  
• Focus on the PPM's will allow them to tutor them on. You can't get players who are learning PPM's to tutor at the same time. Ultimately, if they are seriously deficient in attributes you need to decide if you want to focus more on the long term or short term, and focus more on attributes or PPMs.

Hope that all helps.

Yeah that was my next step. Trying to teach my striker a more technical and creative game to try him as a CF. I'm not sure if I should go with Support or Attack though, considering the 3 players behind him (IF (A) - AP (A) - W (S))

• So both influence the players behaviour in a given situation. I get that. Would you teach an AP (A) the Tries Killer Balls Often PPM? Which things do I need to consider when I make that decision?
  
• Good to know, thanks.
  
• I'm mostly unsure about my Regista (S) and my AP (A) in my Counter and Control tactics.
  
• I guess I will go for the PPMs in that case. His stats are ok and would only need fine tuning and he's old enough to tutor next year.
  

Why are they contesting the headers? Are your DC's out of position? Or are your opposing wide men simply dominating in the air? If the positioning of your defenders is correct, then yes the height may need improving, if the players are out of position, leaving your full back with work to do, then do you need to discipline the positioning of your centre backs more? Is your marking system helping or hindering? Zonal can see your defenders get doubled-up on, but Man can drag people out of position. Are your full backs competing for headers too high up the pitch?

Mistakes happen same as real life, tiredness, lack of concentration, composure, decision making, poor technique etc. Sounds like you have issues with your full backs for sure.

My two Full Backs are in surprisingly many aerial duels inside of the box. That's probably a result of many teams playing 4-4-2 with the 2 strikers occupying my DC's.

They're both really talented but couldn't win a header to save their life. Astudillo's mistakes could be a result of his low composure but I just can't see a problem with Farias' stats for a FB (A). Both of their ratings are horrible and they're a defensive liability. I just can't figure out why exactly.

Farias is a complete and utter dwarf! That's why he can't win a header, although Astudillo looks like he should be able to look after himself. Are your DC's stopper-cover or defend-defend?

Yes I would probably teach the AP(A) the Killer Balls PPM. As long as his passing, creativity are decent I would look to.

Regista would suit either, but an AP(A) can struggle in a classic counter-style. However, a "counter" strategy is not as plastic as that. As long as the team as a whole works its fine.

Farias is a complete and utter dwarf! That's why he can't win a header, although Astudillo looks like he should be able to look after himself. Are your DC's stopper-cover or defend-defend?

Yes I would probably teach the AP(A) the Killer Balls PPM. As long as his passing, creativity are decent I would look to.

Regista would suit either, but an AP(A) can struggle in a classic counter-style. However, a "counter" strategy is not as plastic as that. As long as the team as a whole works its fine.

Yeah I know. Probably not that good of a signing. The only difference to Astudillo are 3cm and 6 jumping reach though. I'm not sure if I should sell both of them and just go with Full Backs who are at least 1,80m or something. My CDs are both on defend.

Astudillo looks competitive enough to battle. He has enough jumping, strength, positioning, aggression, bravery & determination to make life hard for someone in the air. Farias is the problem, not Astudillo.

However, you may want to look at how you avoid them being in this situation.

Should I keep this thread updated?

Yes certainly

Should I keep this thread updated?

Please do! Just read through it and an excellent read.

Tried something similar to your opening, and later, formation but just couldn't get the players to gel with it so gave up and reverted to my 5-3-2. Will try taking the advice offered to you here to develop it during my next pre-season.