My Spurs IRL tactic

[cgonzalez]

Like many I have been trying to replicate the tactics used by spurs themselves in real life, to accomodate van der Vaart in an advanced midfield position where he scores goals, creates chances and generally is in the action all the time. I have been using this tactic for 1 season, however had to re-install the game and then started again but it is working just as well on the new save and have qualified from the group stages of the Champions League from the toughest group which included AC Milan, Valencia and FC Twente. Also had good league results against Man Utd (0-0), Man City (3-0) and very narrowly lost to Chelsea (2-1) so it is pretty realistic IMO.

The tactic I am using is a 4-4-1-1 and can be downloaded here: http://www.filefront.com/17479026/Awesome!!!

The problem I kept encountering was getting the best from both Modric, and van der Vaart so found a way to make them both heavily involved. Selecting van der Vaart as an Advanced Playmaker (attacking) and having Modric selected as a playmaker on the Team tactics selection meant both would be involved equally.

You can use any of the strikers at Spurs they will all do a good job however I found that Defoe works best with VDV rather than Crouch (as is IRL although untested with defoe).

Bale playing as a left winger is working to good effect, he is also running down that touchline like he does in real life, and setting up quite a few chances too and Lennon has excelled in this tactic and is possibly the most creative player behind VDV and Modric, and has popped up with quite a few good goals too!

You have to rotate a few key players to stop them getting burnt out, I'm replacing Bale with Kranjcar, Modric with Jenas and Lennon with Bentley and alternating between Huddlestone and Palacios in the other midfield role, up front the preferred main men are Defoe and Pavlyuchenko.

Positions:

Goalkeeper : Normal (defend) goalkeeper with quick throws.

Right/Left full backs: Both offering support with mixed passing styles and running from deep with tight man marking selected.

Centre backs: Both are set to Limited defender (defensive) and a normal mentality.

Right/Left wingers: Both roles set as Winger (attack) with an attacking mentality, rare long shots and rarely crossing the ball (strangely they still do) and sometimes offering a through ball option. They are also both given quite a lot of creative freedom.

Right central midfield: Role is a Ball winning midfielder (defend) with a normal mentality and hardly any creative freedom, he is also only instructed to provide short passes and to close down anywhere on the pitch. He is told to tackle hard and never to run from deep, or to run with the ball, or to provide through balls. Man marking is also selected.

Left central midfield: Role is a Deep Laying Playmaker (support) with normal mentality, slight creative freedom and closing down only in his own half. Normal tackling and never to run from deep. Everything else is normal apart from to often try through balls.

Attacking midfielder: Role is an Advanced Playmaker (attack) with an attacking mentality, almost full creative freedom with mixed passing closing down throughout the whole pitch and to sometimes run with the ball but rarely try long shots. Man marking and tight marking are also selected.

Forward: Role is a target (support) with an attacking mentality, normal creative freedom and mixed passing. Sometimes to run from deep but rarely run with the ball, and rarely try long shots and crosses.

Here is the team formation and Team Instructions: (I apologise that it came out small for some reason)

And one of how VDV is playing, as you can see its not just goals he is scoring: (13 goals in 18 appearances with 7 assists and 5 MOM awards)

I hope no one minds me posting up the tactic as I was struggling to make this work and get the team to play like they are now in real life, but think this works quite well... Let me know what you guys think

[mojojojo101]

I tried something similair to this with a 4-2-3-1 instead of the 4-4-1-1 but whatever i tried i couldn't get VdV to play high enough up the pitch. IRL when he plays with Crouch he is very near to Crouch with an average position similair to a second striker.

[cgonzalez]

I'm now at the end of December, sitting 4th in the league and van der Vaart is the premier league 3rd top scorer with 13 goals although technically, he is actually the top scorer in the Premiership with 20 goals in total.

Also in the Semi Final of the League cup after beating a very weak Man Utd team away 6-1 (I did field full strength though) and now only have West Ham to beat to get to the final... simples!

[CaptainYid]

as a yid... im all over this! ill give it a go and get back to ya!

[cgonzalez]

Just an update, with regards to van der Vaart it is now 23 goals in 30 games (11 premiership goals from 23 premiership games) , with 16 assists and two hat tricks in the Premier League. Also 2nd in the Premier league with 26 games gone won: 16 Drawn: 6 Lost: 4 Goals for: 48 Goals against: 17 Goal difference: +31 Points: 54.

[chevelle2146]

I'll give this a try with Newcastle. I'm desperate for a tactic that works at least halfway decent.

[cgonzalez]

For anyone using it, can you let me know how you guys get on with it please

Im currently 1st in the Premiership now with Spurs, and through to the Semi-Final of the Champions League having won the League Cup (went out of FA Cup in the first game against Colchester!!!).

[Gianni1974]

thanks

I'll give it a go with my Tottenham save, being an FC Inter supporter, I'm curious to see VdV - Crouch - Bale like in real life

[CaptainYid]

thanks

I'll give it a go with my Tottenham save, being an FC Inter supporter, I'm curious to see VdV - Crouch - Bale like in real life

after they tore you boys to bits?

this tactic is brilliant! won all my pre-season games, beat man united at the lane opening game of the season 2-0

[cgonzalez]

Glad your liking the tactic I've just finished my first season with NO transfers bought, and no one sold so its just the same Spurs squad used...

Won the League Cup, finished 2nd (6 points behind Man Utd) and beat Real Madrid in the Champions League Final on penalties after they missed 2 and sub keeper Cudicini saved what proved to be their final penalty after Modric scored our 3rd.

So very happy with the tactic, and of course the first season behind me. For the next season I'm just replacing a few players I don't want, Woodgate managed to play a few games before getting injured again so his contract isn't being renewed and I was offered Ryan Shawcross from Stoke for £5m so agreed a deal there too as I feel that as good as Gallas was he won't last more than another season especially if I want to push on and progress. King cannot play every game, much like real life his fitness drops quite quickly so 1 in 2 or 1 in 3 games is about his limit although he did score the equalizer in normal time vs Real Madrid in the ECL final to make it 1-1 and take it to extra time.

[CaptainYid]

lets just hope spurs themselves can get to the champions league final irl

ive had to start my game again because i just downloaded the update, again i havnt bought anyone major, only some youth. and dodo as a backup for ekotto as id much rather bale be in the wings. and im getting very similar results.

dont suppose you could recommend a training schedule? as alot of the players are moaning about the standard one.

[Gianni1974]

after they tore you boys to bits?

:D

they really deserved the victory...'tore to bits' well said

[Asim]

a shame about todays result though...kind of highlights our physical weakness in the team which is important for winning battles against the lower sides in the league.

iv been using the tactic and its pretty good, although the only gripe i have about it is i tend to find the defensive line pushed up way too high leaving too much space in behind.

i beat arsenal 4=2 in my 1st game, but vdv isnt doing so well for me. i havent changed anything???

[cgonzalez]

I've just been using the standard training schedule... not had any complaints from my players but if you get any just reduce the amount of training down a bit.

I also found that van der Vaart once he reached his 11 premiership goals bonus, he seemed to loose a bit of form and struggled towards the end of the season to score although he did still get a couple but needed to have a chat with him and show him who's boss lol.

Asim - Give VDV time to adjust, it took him 3 or 4 games to really get firing, also have him taking corners, free kicks and pentalty's and get him involved with any attacking chance.

[CaptainYid]

asim - it does. but then alot of the players didnt look like they cared!

gonzalez - tactics working a treat mate. getting wins everywhere

[KevMS84]

Just wondering if anybody else has noticed this or if it's just me, but Wilson Palacios (or the MCR in general) seems to pop up and score a number of goals.

I noticed the ball winning mid (MCR) is on support but Modric is (MCL - Deeply Lying Playmaker) is on defend roles?

I'd really like to get Modric a little more involved in the attack. Right now, aside from the occasional long pass to an attacker he doesn't do much.

Also Bale has been somewhat dissapointing. He's scored around four goals (I'm towards the end of October) but all have been close range headers off a cross (oddly, all from the right back too). I'd like to see him actually take people on a little bit more.

[CaptainYid]

Just wondering if anybody else has noticed this or if it's just me, but Wilson Palacios (or the MCR in general) seems to pop up and score a number of goals.

I noticed the ball winning mid (MCR) is on support but Modric is (MCL - Deeply Lying Playmaker) is on defend roles?

I'd really like to get Modric a little more involved in the attack. Right now, aside from the occasional long pass to an attacker he doesn't do much.

Also Bale has been somewhat dissapointing. He's scored around four goals (I'm towards the end of October) but all have been close range headers off a cross (oddly, all from the right back too). I'd like to see him actually take people on a little bit more.

ive noticed it too. but i play modric on the MCR role, and huddlestone or sandro in the MCL role. but ocasionally play modric in the AMC. where he scores in both.

bale does take people on in my game, and has assisted a fair few goals too. but alot of my attack i find is a mix of both wingers lennon and bale getting crosses in.

[cgonzalez]

Bale was very effective in my game on the left wing, scored 8 goals and about 10 assists too... He is taking on defenders often too.

Modric despite being given defensive duties, he is also a playmaker and therefor will still create lots of chances and score as often as he does in real life too, remember I created the tactic to get the team playing as similar to real life as possible, and tbh Modric does not score that many goals considering his attacking image. Palacios does get a fair few goals in the RMC role, as will Huddlestone.

[Gianni1974]

[cgonzalez]

Now those are the results I like to see.... I take it that was using this tactic?

[Gianni1974]

Yes you are right. Very good thanks for sharing

[chevelle2146]

I've been doing better with this tactic, but that's not really saying much so far. I know my favorite team Newcastle isn't exactly the best in the world, but even with my best side I concede way too much. Tottenham equalized in the last second in one of the games... -_-

[Roman Chevalier]

Ok i played this tactic, it is decent and solid, however i played Modric as a box to box midfielder, as his stamina is so high, and huddlestone as the deep lying playmaker, and i dominated the game against wolfsburg, won 2-0, in a pre-season friendly. Crouch can't hit a barn door, so will probably use pavlyuchenko unless playing away to a tall, aggressive team. Defoe is injured till november(i used the editor for this, aswell as dawson). My only issue, not so much with the tactic but that modric or whoever will rarely play bale in down the left, he always has to knock the ball past defender.

How do i get them to play more 1-2-1's. I want more touch and go football.

[Asim]

have you tried setting passing focus to down both flanks? that might help as the playmaker is already set to whoever is in the middle (modric or vdv).

to get that touch and go type football, you would need to set the passing to short and tempo to quick.

currently the tempo is slow.

[Jackrosiemaisie]

Struggling to score with my strikers so I thought I'd try this tactic and let VDV do the scoring with Crouch or Pav doing the supporting. First game with this tactic (mid-Sept) away to Wolves and struggled (not surprisingly) but survived to draw 0-0. Second game at home to Man City and destroyed them 5-0 with two goals from VDV, plus contributions from Hudd, Pav and Gallas. Early signs are very promising.

Formation:

ST - Pav

AMC - VDV

ML - Kranjcar (Bale too tired)

MCL - Modric

MCR - Hudd

MR - Bentley (Lennon knackered)

DL - Bassong - achieved a rating of 8.3

DCL - King

DCR - Gallas

DR - Corluka

GK - Gomes

I'll let you know how it develops.

[J.T]

Could you upload it to another site? FileFront isn't working for me.

[J.T]

Never mind, I got it now