Why does...

...this tactic work?

It's been tried with both small teams, big teams, mid table teams...It's achieved stuff like 2nd place with West Ham, first season. With big clubs, it just storms the league.

The obvious problem of the tactic is that F9 has little initial support since all players are extremely cautious so he shoots a lot, but overall it's not a long term problem.

If you take a relegation team, this tactic easily takes you into top half. When facing other small teams, you completely crush them. When facing a much stronger team, you shut up shop so effectively and are constant danger on the counter.

The only ways the tactic concedes are set pieces, defender errors and moments of sheer brilliance of opposition attacking players. At the same time, there are plenty of opportunities to score.

I'm asking all this because the tactic defies a lot of recommendations and almost half rules that's been bandied about. I've never seen anyone use Contain consistently, and even if things such Defensive were used, a lot more attack duties were needed.

By all means, this tactic shouldn't work, but it does and I don't really understand why on a theoretical level. :confused:

Why shouldn't it work? The F9 while he is a link player is also a goalscorer. You're sample size is also really small even though you've tried it with several clubs. One season isn't enough to test if it's good or not really. In the big club saves you'll have good players so they can also make up for a poor designed tactic to some extent. With a lesser club you'll be able to exploit the space they leave when attacking you quite fine with that set up yet try it second season and things will be more difficult.

Your players are not extremely cautious either so not sure what gave you that idea? Unless you think support duties make you more cautious which is really doesn't. The F9 has plenty of support, he has wingers who are likely to pass him the ball early and he gets fed the ball constant from the AP. You have movement it's all just a little deeper and because the F9 also drops deep then it isn't always a bad thing because it brings him inline with the others more often.

Your tactic works when the F9 scores, you can see this much in your screenshot when looking at the stats. If he doesn't score you don't win as goals are none existent from other players. Any tactic that has a regular scorer will always work to some extent because it produces goals but you'll be a bit inconsistent at times when that supply is shut off.

The tactic doesn't even go against most thing mentioned on here. In fact the set up you use is extremely good for a system that drops deep, you don't need attacking duties. If it used a more attacking mentality then it might be more of an issue but for teams who are counter, defensive or contain then the set up above is quite good. Attacking tactics require movement being made and players creating space. The more defensive minded tactics require players running from deep and using space, hence why it works.

I also don't believe the only way you conced a goal is set pieces, errors or brilliance. Not a chance with that central midfield due you have. I'd like to see the saved game of this and I'm 10000000% sure that midfield causes you all kinds of issues.

Thanks for the in-depth reply, Cleon.

I never imagined such a system could work. So far it's been working for 3 seasons in one save and 2 seasons in the other (West Ham finishing 4th, but only 2 points off the top.).

Thanks for the in-depth reply, Cleon.

I never imagined such a system could work. So far it's been working for 3 seasons in one save and 2 seasons in the other (West Ham finishing 4th, but only 2 points off the top.).

The rules are different if you use a defensive system compared to an attacking one. I say rules but what I mean is how you use space, so at first glance it can seem disjointed due to not may attacking roles etc but it's really not