The Deep Lying Play Maker, A Guide On Getting The Best Out Of Him.

[R0ca]

The Deep Lying Playmaker.

The DLP is a position which isn’t too dissimilar to the Trequartista, as crazy as that sounds. Why you ask? The reasons are twofold.

In order to get the best out of either position you need to “do” two things:-

1:- Create a pocket of space for your genius’ to play in.

2:- Give your genius plenty of passing options.

Sorry for the waxing lyrical but I use the word “genius” because if you want this guy to be the heartbeat of your side he’ll need to be. This guy will have to make decisions and fast but the more space and time you can give him the more effective he will be. Much like the Trequartista this the Regista is going to play between the lines looking for pockets of space in front of your defence and in front of the opponent’s midfield.

Creation of Space

Space as we all know is an important factor of forming a potent attacking platform and here’s how I go about creating it...

The first thing for me is look at the opposition their system is vital to the makeup of how I create space.

If I’m facing a 4-4-2 in which the wingers are tucking in a creating a box like system this is going to obviously make the centre of the pitch a congested area. To counter this I will have my full backs making runs from deep and often to try and coax the opposition’s wingers out of Position and back out wide. This will in turn create more space infield for my 2 attacking CM’s to roam inside pushing the opposition’s central midfielders back. Then I’ll drop my Defensive line back a touch to create a horizontal line of space for my DLP to operate in. The attacking shape would then look somewhat like this:-

There’s no doubt the shape is very attacking. The reason for that is my circumstance I can afford to employ such an attacking shape because the majority of teams I face are negative in mentality despite formation. If the situation was different I’d still use the same principles but with a different shape.

Passing Options.

Without good passing options your DLP with just squander possession and play aimless balls to no one. Your challenge as a manager employing a DLP is to give him options to allow him to control the game.

As you can see in the Above Image my DLP Mikheev (24) has no shortage of Options, this is the exact scenario which makes him such a potent threat. Not only does he have the ball at his feet he also has time on the ball to evaluate which is the best option and to execute it with precision.

Mikheev’s decision has been made, He’s seen Idahor (8) Pull in from the left flank and make a penetrating run inside the fullback (4) and into the space behind the centre half (26) Mikheev took a touch to control the ball and then came their after came the definition of the “killer ball” a pass weighted perfectly into the path of Idahor (8). Now this was facilitated in part by the run of Sus (39) He’s moving into the space which Idahor is moving out of leaving the fullback (4) with a decision to make, He can either rely on his wide Midfielder (32) to track Sus (39) and follow Idahor’s run. Or he can hold position and hope his centre back (26) can pick up Idahor’s (8) run. Sadly for Coventry it’s too late, the pass is too good and Coventry’s defence can’t reposition in time to cover the threat.

The Man In Question.

Vitaliy Mikheev is a player, who in my view is suited to this role in my team well for a few reasons. He’s a player who can not only see a pass he has the ability to execute it as well. As you can see his rating for both passing and technique is seventeen as well as a first touch of 18. These technical abilities allow him to play football knowing he’s got skill to make the hard passes and to work the ball out of tight situations with a first touch which any Trequartista would be happy with. All of that coupled with his fine creative side not only can he see every option on the pitch he’s calm enough to read the play and make the correct decision the majority of the time. The bonus actually lays within his physicals though, as I mentioned prior to my first Image the system I play creates a massive horizontal line which he has to cover when play breaks down one glance at his physicals show he’s more than up to the task.

I’ve written this thread not to boast, but to hopefully demonstrate how a position on the field can be used to great effect and some of my methodology in doing so. I Hope this helps fellow FM players utilise this position as effectively as what I did in this particular game.

I’d also like to thank Sfraser because it was his posts which opened my eyes to actually thinking of FM from a football perspective and not a “Game” perspective.

May he rest in peace.

[chaddy101]

Interesting stuff, thanks

[R0ca]

Interesting stuff, thanks

Your more than welcome. If you require any further information, Screenshots, PKM's etc just gimme a shout.

It's good to give something back to a community I've got so much out of

[chaddy101]

Your more than welcome. If you require any further information, Screenshots, PKM's etc just gimme a shout.

It's good to give something back to a community I've got so much out of

I'm having a period of frustration with my tactics lately, I'm looking to gain some more insight into different systems and this one interests me.

Only trouble is I don't think I currently have a decent DLP but it's something to explore nevertheless.

Would be interested to hear any other ideas you have on creating space & possesion as it's an area I always seem to seek perfection with.

[R0ca]

As I said in my OP, it very much depends on your system and your opponents. I would certainly say my theories will work well when your the favorites.

I use the Tactics creator so i have the use of shouts which i use depending on how the game is going and of course who i'm playing. Just using shouts and without tweaking my system it alters the areas of space on the pitch.

If I'm playing against a team with say a AMC and 2 CM's I'll look at playing swapping one of my centre backs to ball playing. I'm not averse to playing a long racking pass into the channel for my poacher to chase.

To be frank the creation of the system i currently employ came out of moving away from building possession based tactics. I found that i was limiting my players so much just to massage a stupid % which isn't relevant to anything.

If you don't have a player suitable for DLP have a closer look at your squad. I say this because in my current save i have about half a dozen players who could play this position well. I find a lot of regens have high ratings for certain attributes just as Mikheev does. Don't be afraid to retrain a player. I'm retraining a player currently to play the DLP role but have a bit more defensive bite about him.

**Edit**

If your looking for more of a macro look at my system have a look at http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/269759-Meet-MY-System

It gives more of a overview of the entire system, Once the season ends i'm considering updating that thread with a lot more detail. No promises on that though.

[chaddy101]

As I said in my OP, it very much depends on your system and your opponents. I would certainly say my theories will work well when your the favorites.

I use the Tactics creator so i have the use of shouts which i use depending on how the game is going and of course who i'm playing. Just using shouts and without tweaking my system it alters the areas of space on the pitch.

If I'm playing against a team with say a AMC and 2 CM's I'll look at playing swapping one of my centre backs to ball playing. I'm not averse to playing a long racking pass into the channel for my poacher to chase.

To be frank the creation of the system i currently employ came out of moving away from building possession based tactics. I found that i was limiting my players so much just to massage a stupid % which isn't relevant to anything.

If you don't have a player suitable for DLP have a closer look at your squad. I say this because in my current save i have about half a dozen players who could play this position well. I find a lot of regens have high ratings for certain attributes just as Mikheev does. Don't be afraid to retrain a player. I'm retraining a player currently to play the DLP role but have a bit more defensive bite about him.

**Edit**

If your looking for more of a macro look at my system have a look at http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/269759-Meet-MY-System

It gives more of a overview of the entire system, Once the season ends i'm considering updating that thread with a lot more detail. No promises on that though.

That thread also looks very interesting and I'll look at it in more detail when I have the time. I think my main gripe is finding a tactic that looks and works exactly how I want. Although I've created a few very effective tactics in the past, I've stuggled to ever create the fluid system I crave. I guess that's why we play for all the hours we do!

Perhaps in the future we can discuss some of our ideas. I think it can open your eyes to certain things which you might not have previously considered.

[R0ca]

That thread also looks very interesting and I'll look at it in more detail when I have the time. I think my main gripe is finding a tactic that looks and works exactly how I want. Although I've created a few very effective tactics in the past, I've stuggled to ever create the fluid system I crave. I guess that's why we play for all the hours we do!

Perhaps in the future we can discuss some of our ideas. I think it can open your eyes to certain things which you might not have previously considered.

Indeed it is the reason we play. I think with the system I've created i have achieved my personal goal. My eyes are wide open I haven't gone into the intricacies on my system as of yet that would take more patience than i have.

Feel free to post up any views you have i'd be more than happy to hear them.

[furiousuk]

I haven't used a DLP as the main fulcrum of my team before (mainly because I don't have such a player!) but I'm always interested to read well written threads on how people go about creating space and I've always found your threads well thought-out and useful.

Coventry have set both their strikers high up the pitch at that peril!! Not the greatest tactical decision given the skills your DM has!

Do you make any mentality 'tweaks' to get some separation between MC's and DMC's or just allow the natural extra man in midfield to overload that area?

Dropping the DC's deep is a really clever idea to make that area of the pitch larger and it's an idea that a lot of people forget. Pushing up higher to strangle teams is all well and good but if you have a player who has the vision to play in space then it makes no sense to deliberately restrict his ability.

Do you make a lot of manual tweaks or use what the TC and shouts offer to you? I'm also interested in your views on passing length, I've always set my up using the TC so I can change the passing using shouts and strategy changes but have often found the passing setup fairly generic, i.e. I could see scenarios where significantly lengthening the passing options of a certain player above the passing length of others would be beneficial.

[R0ca]

I actually didn't do that goal i demonstrated justice. The Move actually started from my keeper and 7 passes later got to the feet of the DLP. It's actually one of the best team goals I've scored on FM too bad i lost my mojo and patience whilst writing the OP!

In fact throughout the above move, Coventry's number 11 is actually closer to Mikheev apart from at the crucial moment of when mikheev got the ball.

@ Furious

Mentality Tweaks occur quite a few times during the game based on the usual criteria, Opponents reputation, formation, how aggressive their playing etc. One of my most used shouts is "Drop deeper" i use this to artificially create a gap in between my DLP and my CB's. with forward runs set to "Sometimes" this pushes my opponents central midfield towards their own goal creating this vacuum of space for my DLP to play in. Of course at times he gets picked up by a support striker but his off the ball is quite high which usually leads to him finding space. Can you picture most forwards playing a tactical game and just man marking my DLP? Of course not most just don't have the discipline to do so. But for me the absolute key to creating that space is the play of my fullbacks. As i said earlier the role they have in forcing my opponents wide players back and keeping them wide can't be underestimated. If you look at Screens in my OP you will notice how the Coventry's wingers are stuck in 2 Minds, they are trying to drift inside to make a more compact shape which is without doubt a good thing to do when up against it. But in doing so they would leave acres upon acres for my fullbacks to attack, this leaves them in a total conundrum and as you can see they are doing neither. Now picture this... My fullbacks are in line with my CB's this would allow Coventry's Wide midfielders to tuck in as there's no threat coming to attack the space in behind them.

Dropping the defensive line is something which i developed not through my own tactical nous, but by reading other people's views and trying to adapt them in a way which suited my style of play. I think such a tactical point is a testament to this forum and the sheer amount of knowledge held within the people who contribute to it.

In terms of my own system the only manual tweaks I've made are too the goal keeper settings which I'm thrilled about because with 2/3 of the season gone his pass completion is at 90% which is by far the highest I've ever achieved, And to give both My box-box Midfielder and My advanced play maker roaming. Other than that everything is stock T/C! Which once again i find remarkable and i really do believe the TC has made the game more fluid and is a testament to SI.

Shouts used to achieve desired affect are multiple and depends on game situation. the most common being, Get the ball forward, Pass Into Space, Work ball into box & Look for overlap. Other's are used but only in certain match circumstance.

Passing is exactly as you've said for the exact reason you've posted. If my team are wasting possession too early and not utilizing the extra midfielder I'll go for pass to feet to try and get myself some control over the game. If the opposite happens and i can see a team pushing up a lot whilst packing out the central midfield I'll look to get the ball up to my Trequartista as earlier as possible to use the space he'll surely have. It's all a matter of observing whats in front of you and make decisions based on that. After reading your posts i know it's something you certainly do have a keen eye for.

[furiousuk]

After reading your posts i know it's something you certainly do have a keen eye for. .

Ha, thanks, I'm a rugby guy really and with more guys on the pitch and limited forward movement of the ball space is at a premium but it's the same for other team sports such as football, netball or hockey where the ball movement is less restricted. Space is absolutely critical at all levels in team sports and it's something that I know top teams in football and rugby are concerned with - apart from technical training, most team training sessions will involve creating and using space and almost every move in football is designed to create and use space but it's something that's hardly ever mentioned as it is such a basic requirement. A lot of people get confused in the intricacies of what each slider or role or instruction does but, primarily, all they are designed to do is to create and deny space and then to match the usage of that space to the personnel involved.

One of my most used shouts is "Drop deeper" i use this to artificially create a gap in between my DLP and my CB's

I couldn't agree with this more and I had a good discussion with a few others about this a while ago. The lay view is that dominant teams push very high up the pitch but I've found, as have you, that this simply isn't true all of the time and that the simplest way to create space is to make the pitch bigger by moving wider AND deeper. I use it to create space for my front 3 (I use AMR/AML instead of FR/FL but from your match screenshots I think they fulfil a very similar role) but I can see how it is actually more beneficial for creating space for your DM.

But for me the absolute key to creating that space is the play of my fullbacks

This was something I noticed in your system thread - the FB's and DM all get a huge amount of the ball. Decent FB's are one of the first requirements of my transfer policy and it's a permanent frustration that I haven't got truly top class FB's on my current save. They need to be able to attack and defend and to also be able to get into positions where they can use and keep the ball as well as being physically quick enough and fit enough to keep running all day - its a punishing set of skills that they require.

Which once again i find remarkable and i really do believe the TC has made the game more fluid and is a testament to SI.

Couldn't agree more. I used to love playing with the sliders on FM09 but the TC has been fantastic. I think another of SFraser's ideas was to have an option to save a particular set of instructions for a role if you wanted and I'd like to see that available. So that, rather than the 2 or 3 roles each position has (although this is 6 or 9 with duties) you could have as many as you need. It would also encourage the community to share their idea of the ideal slider positions for each role - similar to the thread that WWFan has started on the poacher role.

I've only had to tweak with the mechanics under the hood of the TC when I've wanted to elicit a specific behaviour from a tactical setup. My most recent has been to create a tactic that overloads the opposing DCr and that has required some tweaks but generally, I'm the same as you in that I prefer to make my tweaks via the TC and shouts.

Great thread though, plenty to contemplate.

[phnompenhandy]

If the DLP needs to be a "genius", is that to say that it wouldn't work in the lower leagues?

[Karnage94]

If the DLP needs to be a "genius", is that to say that it wouldn't work in the lower leagues?

It's a bit of a specialised role but if you find somebody with above average attributes in the key areas then by all means give it a try

[R0ca]

If the DLP needs to be a "genius", is that to say that it wouldn't work in the lower leagues?

I meant to get the best out of him he'll need to be a genius. It's all somewhat relative anyways. Having a player with passing 10 in say conference north may well be considered genius for that level.

[lam]

May he rest in peace.

Huh?

Good thread btw!

[oneskyride]

Huh?

Good thread btw!

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/271385-ANNOUNCEMENT-Steven-Fraser-(SFraser)-Has-sadly-died.

[lam]

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/271385-ANNOUNCEMENT-Steven-Fraser-(SFraser)-Has-sadly-died.

Shocking news. So incredibly sad...........