Different Types of 442

[Cleon]

Picking a formation in Football Manager can be a daunting task at times, do you go with the unknown and try a 343 and be a bit adventurous or do you stick to the good old 442. The reason why so many people use 442 is because its familiar and always a safe bet for any side to use, its also very flexible and allows you to change into other systems during a match if you need to shake things up a bit. Another reason why the 442 is so popular is because of the balance between defending and scoring, you can create a very solid 442 that is tight at the back but lethal when going forward. A lot of other formations like a 424 or 433 all have quite a few weaknesses against certain formations were as the 442 can be used against almost every formation there is.

There are a few types of 442;

Standard 442, Diamond, Diamond Wide, Defensive Midfielder, Attacking Midfielder, Sweeper/Stopper

These are the basic 442's that you are likely to encounter.

Standard 442

This is the more neutral focused 442 that concentrates on the defending and attacking ability of you're team, this is a very good starting point for any side to see what you're team is capable of. This type of formation should produce a fair amount of goals as well as keeping it very tight at the back if set up correctly. The wingers in this formation are vital for providing crosses into the box for your strikers. A lot of people also like to play one attacking midfielder and one defensive midfielder to make it a lot more balanced.

Diamond

The 442 diamond normally consists of a flat back four, two central midfielder, a defensive midfielder, an attacking midfielder and 2 strikers. This set-up is very dependant on your fullbacks as they will be responsible for getting forward at every opportunity available because you have no wingers. So at times if the fullbacks are struggling to get forward you might find your strikers could get isolated for periods in the game. The wings can be a problem area at times, especially if you're playing against two very good wingers as they will have lots of space and time on the ball. If you do use this formation ensure that your fullbacks are good going forward but extremely good at defending duties too.

Diamond Wide

Unlike the diamond one above this set-up does have wingers and is a good system to use if you want to use overlapping fullbacks (these are explained further down). The vital part of this formation is the attacking midfielder’s position and the defensive midfielders too. The attacking midfielder will have both attacking and defensive duties; if he does not track players back when your side is not in possession of the ball then you will have a huge gap in middle of the park. This can cause big problems as your defensive midfielder will then move forward to try and win the ball and if he doesn't win it your defence will have all sorts of problems to deal with.

Defensive Midfielder

One of the more popular 442 systems to use is one that implements a defensive midfielder. This offers extra cover in front of the back four and when used right you should find the opposition’s chances are rather limited. This is an extremely useful set-up if you need to keep clean sheets and dominate the game in the midfield areas. The defensive midfielder’s job is to break up play and distribute the ball up field as quick as possible or hold onto the ball and wait until a clear cut pass arises, however holding onto the ball for too long can cause problems especially if he loses possession from dwelling on the ball.

Attacking Midfielder

Another popular choice on the Football Manager series is the use of an attacking midfielder. A lot of people use this system and play through the attacking midfielder letting him get forward and create chances. A free role can work well in this position for the correct player as it allows him the licence to roam and wander looking for the ball. However if you play through the attacking midfielder the opposition might soon see this and make it incredibly difficult for you to get the ball to him. If you realise this is happening then change your passing style to down the wings and utilise the wingers.

Sweeper/Stopper

A sweeper or stopper can be used in any formation or system but is mainly used for a back three rather than a back four and is mainly used in real life by the Italians. For this type of system to work you need the sweeper to be very good for the level that he is currently playing at. If he is not then it simply will not work how it should and be more of weakness that a strength.

I've not gone into too much detail about what each system does as I just want to cover the basics in this thread, but further down the line, we will take a more in-depth view of all the formations and really analyze them, but first let’s cover the bread and butter stuff. The stuff that I am about to write is just a starting point for people who want to create tactics but have little knowledge, I'm not saying these instructions are spot on because they might be for someone else but not you. But this is a good reference for a starting point for each position.

Defence

There are also four main ways to play your fullbacks as well, you can have over lapping fullbacks who are very offensive minded and provide a very attacking option to the team. But the draw back of playing with over lapping fullbacks is your wingers will have a lot of defensive duties to do in a game and you might find you get exposed a few times down the wings when your fullback is out of position. Another way in the flat back formation is to make them mark the opponent's forwards or wingers. These players have to be dependable and willing to give up any kind of offensive play as they will be very defensive minded so don't expect them to contribute on attacks. A third way to get them to work would be to have them work with the wingers (not over lapping though) and get forward to get crosses into the box at every chance possible for your strikers. The fourth way is more of a mixture between attacking and defending, the settings of this specific way really depends on how neutral you want to be, a good idea would to be leave a lot of things normal as that is neutral.

Over Lapping fullbacks:

rossing, dribbling, teamwork, stamina, passing, off the ball and fitness. I found that fullbacks with these stats do well indeed. Also look out for the descriptions, I like to use explosive or attacking fullbacks as they are better suited to the job

Defensive fullbacks:

Work rate, stamina, teamwork, decisions, positioning and acceleration, determination, strength and tackling

Attacking fullbacks:

Work rate, stamina, teamwork, decisions, positioning and acceleration, determination, strength, crossing and dribbling.

The Sweeper and Stopper systems are very similar and positional look the exact same, but it's what they do that makes them different. You have the sweeper set to where he'll push up and mop up any balls that the defenders in front of him cannot deal with and does what the name "sweeper" suggest and sweeps up any trouble your front defenders might make. Were as the stopper system uses man marking to either mark a striker or a central midfielder of the opposing team. Plus he is expected to play quick and early balls to your midfield to start early counter attacks.

Sweeper System:

The sweeper should have a good understanding of the game and be a leader on the field. He controls the defence, always staying behind the fullbacks. For this to work you need a sweeper who as high concentration, decisions, influence, positioning, team work, tackling and a little bit of pace wouldn't go a miss too. If you can't find a player with the right stats then I suggest you don't play the sweeper system as put the wrong player as the sweeper and you may get crucified, but get the right player here and you can have a very solid back 4.

Stopper System: The stopper is responsible for marking the centre forward or centre midfielder of the other team. He also has an important offensive part of distributing the ball to the midfielders so you need a player who is good at passing, decisions, anticipation, decisions, tackling, concentration, work rate, positioning and a good first touch can help too.

Midfield

The midfield of a 442 formation can be very variable indeed; you can play a flat four midfielders which is very stable and safe. You can use two wingers, one attacking midfielder and one defensive midfielder which are a common thing on Football Manager to do. Or instead of using two wingers you can bring them in to the middle of the pitch so you have two central midfielders. This way makes you a lot narrower but is good if you have very attacking fullbacks who like to venture forward. You can also use two wingers and two defensive midfielders if you wanted to as well. There are also lots of other ways like using a flat three midfielders with one defensive midfielder behind them but if I try to describe every variation I would be here all day.

Left/Right wingers:They are in charge for the crosses in the offence, and they usually carry the ball up the field, since they have more room than the centre midfielders. For wingers you need players with some of these stats crossing, creativity, dribbling, pace, acceleration, tackling, balance, technique, passing, finishing, long shots, teamwork, work rate and off ball. Not all of these are vital but some are. I have already explained in another thread what the vital and not so vital stats are.

Left/Right Centre midfielders: Distribute the ball the best they can to start quick attacks and try to stop or slow down opposing plays before they get to the defensive line. Good passing, decent tackling, work rate, team work, stamina, heading can be quite good and decent concentration are all important if you want them to be alert for 90 minutes.

Attacking Midfielders: These guys are the links between midfield and strikers and play in a very important position of the pitch. The ball is often there to be won in the last third of the pitch, so ideally you want an all round player a bit like a DMC. Some of the stats he needs are creativity, passing, off ball, technique, finishing, work rate, stamina, teamwork, flair, long shots, pace, acceleration.

Defensive Midfielders: The defensive midfields are key players for breaking up play and beginning attacks. Some of the stats needed are tackling, strength, aggression, marking, stamina, work rate, teamwork, pace, passing, acceleration, determination, concentration and creativity.

Strikers

As for the strikers in a 442 formation you can't really do much with them as there are only two of them. So you can play two fast strikers, two big strong strikers or one of each. In these very basic formations, the forwards do no special work. Runs to the corners need to be only occasional, and dropping back to the midfield shouldn't be the primary way of getting the ball, this position is actually self explanatory.

Striker: They are here to score the majority of your goals, remember though, not both strikers will be prolific it usually tends to be just one out of the two who scores the most goals. A few stats to look for are pace, technique, acceleration, dribbling, long shots, finishing and off ball.

Target man:You will need this play to keep hold of the ball and bring others into play and feed balls through to the slower striker. A few of the stats needed for this player type are strength, jumping, balance, agility, aggression, heading, anticipation and bravery.

[ubos]

Good read. You covered everything probably.

[shoey lad]

well done mate, helped me out with some of the basic instructions neede for my tactic creations thank you.

[Cleon]

Originally posted by shoey lad:

well done mate, helped me out with some of the basic instructions neede for my tactic creations thank you.

Glad it helped you

[glenn28]

ty cleon this will help me set up my own tactics very intersting reading

[GingerFurball]

One striker you've missed out that I quite often like to use is the number 10 who tends to drop off the other - my number 9 is the penalty box finisher whereas my number 10 drops off a bit more and creates, while pitching in with his fair share of goals.

[_[I v a n]_`]

Over Lapping fullbacks:

rossing,

What's rossing?

[Guest]

Originally posted by __`:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Over Lapping fullbacks:

rossing,

What's rossing? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

rossing = Crossing

[Guest]

To cleon, i've tried everything to stop my mcd going forward but in a flat 442, such as CF and mentality lowered to defeensiv and little respectively.I think the only way for the mcd to sit in front of defence is to use a DMC, am i right? Or can it be done in a flat 442?

[patj54]

Have you set his forward runs to rarely and gave him an arrow going backwards?

For my defensive midfielder, Gilberto Silva, his mentality is normal, his creativity is a quarter along, he is set to make forwards runs rarely, and he has an arrow going back into the centre, between midfield and defense.

[Guest]

ok ill try that. What about the other Mca. do u make him run to AMC.I would like to make it so there are no gaps between the midfield, so the three mids become tight in centre.

[RealMeanDigsy]

Good work Cleon, how successful are you on the new patch?

[shoey lad]

Hi everyone, i am using a 442 formation with the wingers going forward to aml/amr, i have one tactic created for at home and another for away anyway at home i am struggling to create chances it is becoming very frustrating. I play attacking set at 5, creative freedom at 10, passing 10, tempo 14, width 18 i see these as the more important ones to focus on for creating chances. Any help would be grateful.

[Cleon]

I'll bump this, saves me re writing something simliar

[Cleon]

Need to up so it doesnt get deleted.