Why is my counter tactic no longer working with Norwich?

So I have a save with Norwich and in my first season I finished 16th. It wasn't great but I managed to stay up, with Mbokani netting 16 goals. I am in October though in my 2nd season and am 19th in the league and haven't even won a league game yet.

I am playing counter, flexible, with the following instructions:

- Slightly deeper

- More direct passing

- Higer tempo

- Play wider

And this is the team I have:

GK: Vorm

RB: Trippier (full back, automatic)

CB: Klose (full back, automatic)

CB: Vlaar (full back, automatic)

LB: Olsson (full back, automatic)

CM: Mulumbu (ball winning midfielder, defend)

CM: Howson (deep lying playmaker, support)

RAM: Matt Phillips (winger, support)

CAM: Naismith (advanced playmaker, attack)

LAM: Brady (winger, support)

ST: Babacar (complete forward, attack)

One of my biggest problems is that Babacar often seems isolated up front, and either ends up running in to their defence, or taking poor long shots. Looking at that team, how would you change it? Would you continue using counter.

And before somebody recommends me ready the stickys at the top of the forum, I have read them already and still don't really know what to do. Thanks.

Yeah so after losing at home to Brighton and dropping to 20th, with no win in 11 games, I quit the save. Absolute rubbish.

I am getting sick beyond belief of this game. I have put tens of hours in to it and every save has ended either with me getting sacked, or quitting because I am doing so bad. In fact only one of my save even made it to a 3rd season.

-Man Utd save. Quit because I was 14th in league in November and bottom of CL group

-Chelsea save. Quit because I was like 10th in league in December and knocked out of CL

-Liverpool save. Got to 3rd season but was then sacked because I was in bottom half of table

-Tottenham save. Finished 7th. Sacked.

-Norwich save. 16th in first season. Bottom of table with no win in 11 games in second. Quit save.

-QPR save. Won Championship first season, relegeted next season, so quit save.

-Portsmouth save. Won League Two first season. File got corrupted so I couldn't go on any longer.

So in ALL of them saves, what do I have to show for them? A measly Championship title and League Two title. Absolute job. The tactics I am using and the teams I am picking aren't even that bad. Just because I'm not spending 30 minutes on each player watching all his highlights just to make small tweaks doesn't mean I should be doing this bad. Joke.

And yes, before anybody says it yet again, I have read all the stickys. I have watched video after video about tactics etc. And still getting nowhere.

I am not surprised that was a bad tactic too, so the results you generated were totally expected.

Ok, please tell me what you would do differently. Just so I can see what thoughts other people get just by looking at the team.

I read that counter is a good tactic for 'lesser' teams in the league. I also read that if you play counter, instructions such as 'slightly deeper' and 'higher tempo' work well.

So I was using a tactic that I've read worked with lower teams like Norwich. And instructions that I've read go well with it. So why no rewards. Also remember that it worked in my first season to successfully keep them up.

I also changed my tactics around for the last few games, removing counter, and still lost.

I read that counter is a good tactic for 'lesser' teams in the league. I also read that if you play counter, instructions such as 'slightly deeper' and 'higher tempo' work well.

Nope, just because you are a 'lesser' team doesn't mean you have to play with a defensive type tactic. I'm currently playing as Newcastle, who aren't the greatest, using a nice control based tactic and we are performing quite well.

Ok, so you are using a 4-2-3-1 counter tactic, which invites teams to attack to allow you them to hit on the break, counter already sit quite deep, so you then selected 'Slightly Deeper', why? you now have you defensive line sitting very very deep, close to your own penalty area.

Best thing to do would be start a fresh and decided how you actually want your team to play. And then we can go from there.

4231 is a very bad formation if you are trying to play a counter attacking system.

Why? Because you need to sit deep to invite the opposition forward, but if you have 4 of your team positioned high up the pitch the opposition won't commit men forward.

That's covered in the counter attacking sticky, is that one you didn't read?

Yeah 4-2-3-1 and counter attacking do not work at all. I have a good counter attacking tactic based on 4-1-4-1, works a treat as I get men behind the ball, and counter when the opposition over commit.

I'd prolly drop the wingers back and remove slightly deeper TI, OP. 4231 is a bad shape to play counter attacking soccer...

Sorry guys I've made a mistake in my original post. I was playing 4-4-1-1 with Phillips and Brady in RM and LM, nor RAM and LAM. Not sure why I put 4-2-3-1. So to you guys saying that 4-2-3-1 is a bad tactic for counter, why did my 4-4-1-1 not work?

So to you guys saying that 4-2-3-1 is a bad tactic for counter, why did my 4-4-1-1 not work?

That's covered in the counter attacking sticky, is that one you didn't read?

Also, you have a poor defensive shield; you are telling your players to play fairly direct, high paced football when you are not counter attacking with very little support for your two front players; and opening space up all over the pitch that opponents will be using to their advantage.

Also, you gotta take a look at your CMs. A BWM will close down like a mad men. Prolly a bad role to use for a counterattacking tactic. Also, an AP (a) is another bad role to use for a counterattacking tactic. He's an attacking playmaker and will attract the ball high up the field and that could well slow counterattack down...

You identified an issue, the ST is isolated so start there. Your asking your team to play higher tempo + more direct on Counter mentality which instructs defenders to play more direct anyway. This means your creating a very back to front passing style that will potentially miss your midfield entirely. Do you actually want this? Are you trying to force "counter attacks" when they aren't on? We've just identified a possible reason for the forward receiving the ball quickly, now what is he going to do and who is there to support him if he successfully gets the ball? There's a AP-A who typically drops deep to collect the ball to feet, a DLP-S who does the same, a BWM-D who will stay deep, leaving two W-S who will be staying wide + team instructed to stay wider... no one is really setup to offer close support. Then looking at his role he is encouraged to play more on the shoulder of the defence and dribble (away from his team), even if he holds up the ball he would need to wait an age for support to arrive so probably just takes a pot shot before the 1v3+ tackle him.

You have two solid lines of 4 but the BWM will look to step up and engage, leaving space to play between your defence and midfield. You've then told your defensive line to drop deeper, making that space even bigger. Can you afford to defend deep with just two lines of four? Are your defenders + midfielders good enough to do that? Or do you need another player to protect the defence in a 4141 type formation?