Motherlover's Catch-22

[Motherlover]

catch-22

n

1. a situation in which a person is frustrated by a paradoxical rule or set of circumstances that preclude any attempt to escape from them.

2. a situation in which any move that a person can make will lead to trouble.

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Catch-22 looks to exploit basic the relationship between two basic decisions in defending, Staying and Going. If a defender decides to Stay with his man, he is punished. If he decides to leave his man and Go to the ball-carrier, he is punished. If his non-defensive teammates try to Go help out with defending, they are punished. If his non-defensive teammates Stay high up the pitch, the team is punished.

A lot of care, attention, theorizing and game-experience went into crafting this tactic, and as always with my tactics it was watching real-life football that informed how I went about implementing my ideas. Knowledge of FM played a part only so far as ensuring the tactic's performance is as faithful as possible to how it would be ideally executed on the pitch.

Download the Catch-22 tactic. To install, put it in My Documents/Sports Interactive/Football Manager 2013/Tactics. Any filters you download, put them in My Documents/Sports Interactive/Football Manager 2013/Filters.

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The Roles

This part of the guide is designed to help you a) pick the right player on matchday for this tactic and b) buy the right kind of player for this formation.

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The Striker in Catch-22

The Striker stays high up the pitch, looking to play off the shoulder of the last defender and break the offside trap. He presses the defenders for the ball when not in possession. When on the ball he makes straight for goal, looking to score, or elsewise release a teammate in a better position. His presence either keeps the Centrebacks occupied, and thus vulnerable to runs from the duo of Attacking Midfielders, or provides the main goal threat should they choose to ignore him.

Crucial Attributes

Off the Ball, Work Rate, Agility

Valuable Attributes

Dribbling, Finishing, First Touch, Passing, Aggression, Anticipation, Composure, Acceleration, Strength

Desirable Attributes

Heading, Tackling, Technique, Bravery, Creativity, Decisions, Determination, Balance, Jumping, Stamina

Ideal Players: Wayne Rooney, Edison Cavani, Mario Mandzukic

Download Striker filter.

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Wide Forwards in Catch-22

A Wide Forward stays high up the pitch, hugging the touchline and pressing opposition defenders for the ball. When on the ball himself, he looks to get beyond the oppositon fulback and head towards goal, either to shoot or to pass to a teammate in space. His presence either pins the opposition winger and fullback deep inside their own half, or punishes them for not doing so on the counterattack.

Crucial Attributes

Dribbling, Work Rate, Acceleration, Agility, Pace

Valuable Attributes

Crossing, Finishing, First Touch, Aggression, Composure, Off the Ball

Desirable Attributes

Passing, Tackling, Technique, Anticipation, Bravery, Creativity, Decisions, Determination, Teamwork, Balance, Jumping, Stamina, Strength

Ideal Players: Thomas Muller, Hulk, Luis Suarez

Download Wide Forwards filter.

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Attacking Midfielders in Catch-22

Attacking Midfielders provide a mixture of a creative and an attacking threat. When on the ball their central position gives them up to four passing options when moving forward, giving them lots of oppertunities for intricate combination play. But their primary purpose is to overload defenses already fully-occupied with the trio of Striker and two Wide Forwards. When not in possession they provide the first line of defence, shifting back into central midfield in order to harry the opposition's creative players.

Crucial Attributes

Decisions

Valuable Attributes

Dribbling, Finishing, First Touch, Passing, Anticipation, Composure, Creativity, Off the Ball, Teamwork, Agility, Pace, Stamina

Desirable Attributes

Heading, Long Shots, Marking, Tackling, Technique, Aggression, Bravery, Determination, Positioning, Acceleration, Balance, Jumping, Strength

Ideal Players: Yaya Toure, Marek Hamsik, Fredy Guarin

Download Attacking Midfielders filter.

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Wingbacks & (deep-lying) Playmakers in Catch-22

A Wingback or Playmaker doesn't get forward with the rest of the team, but remains in space in deep midfield. When the oppositon is on the ball they track the runners from midfield. If the opposition players press them, they either move the ball on, or send a ball into the vacated space. If the opposition stand off, they hog the ball, daring the opposition to come and close them down.

Crucial Attributes

Passing, Creativity, Decisions

Valuable Attributes

Dribbling, First Touch, Technique, Anticipation, Positioning

Desirable Attributes

Crossing, Marking, Tackling, Bravery, Composure, Concentration, Off the Ball, Teamwork, Work Rate, Agility, Balance, Jumping, Pace, Stamina, Strength

Ideal Players: Andrea Pirlo, Xabi Alonso, Alex Witsel, Marcelo, Philip Lahm

Download Deep-Lying Playmakers filter.

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Ball-Playing Defenders in Catch-22

Ball-Playing Defenders are the last-line of defence, tracking runners deep into the area and only intervening if strictly neccessary. When their team is on the ball they are given the freedom to move up with the ball at their feet, though they are encouraged to leave playmaking duties to their more capable teammates shortly ahead of them.

Crucial Attributes

Anticipation, Positioning, Jumping, Pace

Valuable Attributes

First Touch, Tackling, Bravery, Concentration, Decisions, Determination, Agility, Strength

Desirable Attributes

Dribbling, Heading, Marking, Passing, Technique, Aggression, Composure, Teamwork, Work Rate, Acceleration, Balance, Stamina

Ideal Players: Gerard Pique, Vincent Kompany, Mats Hummels

Download Ball-Playing Defenders filter.

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The Sweeper Keeper in Catch-22

Because of the team's high-line and sparsity of pure defenders, in critical situations the Sweeper Keeper is encouraged to come quickly of his line and deal decisively with the threat. In possession of the ball the Sweeper Keeper is generally encouraged to slow down play and help his team build attacks from the back, laying the ball off to a nearby defender. However should a suitable opportunity arise he is permitted to hit the ball high up the field in order to start an attack.

Crucial Attributes

One-on-Ones, Reflexes, Rushing Out, Anticipation, Acceleration, Agility

Valuable Attributes

Command of Area, Communication, Handling, Bravery, Composure, Positioning, Pace

Desireable Attributes

Ariel Ability, First Touch, Kicking, Throwing, Aggression, Determination, Decisions, Balance, Strength

Ideal Players: Hugo Lloris, Igor Akinfeev, Bernd Leno

Download Sweeper Keeper filter.

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The Theory

This section spells out how the formation should work in the majority of given situations that will arise. It is not neccessary to read it, and it may be a bit dry. I wrote it as part of the process of teasing out how the tactic should operate in any given basic situation.

This tactic is based upon a very simple, yet fundamental concept in football: Going vs. Staying.

Going requires and refers to different reactions in different situations, the only commonality between them being that it requires a player to move from his assigned place in his team's formation. In simplistic terms, Going means the following in the three major types of situations a footballer will find himself in:

Going...

... when you are in possession of the ball. e.g. Advancing out of position, up the pitch, with the ball at your feet in order to find new passing or goalscoring opportunities.

...when your teammates are in possession of the ball. e.g. Advancing out of position, into space, in order to receive the ball.

...when the opposition is in possession of the ball. e.g. Moving out of position, in order to close down an opposition player who is on the ball; or whom is likely to receive the ball.

Like Going, Staying requires and refers to different reactions in different situations, the only commonality between them being that it requires a player to remain faithful to their position within a team's formation. Staying can similarly be applied to the three basic footballing situations:

Staying:

... when you are in possession of the ball. e.g. Looking to play a pass or shot from your current position.

...when your teammates are in possession of the ball. e.g. Keeping shape when teammates are moving forward.

...when the opposition is in possession of the ball. e.g. Letting the opposition player advance towards you rather than breaking ranks.

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For the purposes of this tactic, it should be made explicit that Staying is generally more powerful than Going. This may be counter-intuitive, especially when reading this tactic's interpretation of the three basic footballing situations. Going looks far sexier and seems to offer more varied options for success. Staying seems over-cautious and dull. But Going's dynamism is precisely it's weakness. In a very basic sense, doing things in motion, at speed is more difficult than doing things at a slow pace or a standing start. Our bodies are very specifically evolved to move over vast distances at a slow walking. Moving at speed is something that we generally only do for the purposes of survival or leisure. Compared to most animals we are very poor at this. As a general rule we aren't required to do other things when we are moving at high motion except in sports.

It's a simple matter of co-ordination. Doing keepy ups while standing still is relatively easy. Doing keepy-ups while running is much more difficult because it requires you to adapt a very different set of motions to the same task. These tasks only become more difficult when someone who is Going is faced with someone who is Staying, someone whose focus is defensive and reactive, whose sole purpose is to either lower the quality or prevent entirely the completion of a player's actions, whether it be a pass or a shot at goal. I would argue that in most situations, at most points of a match, most players will Stay rather than go. Rightly so.

If an opposition player is advancing on goal, most defenders will Stay. This forces the Going player to either continue moving into them (which risks being intercepted) abdicate responsibility by passing to someone else (which wastes time) or take a shot that has a low percentile chance of scoring. By contrast if the defending player decides to Go and intercept the passing player the Going player can pass around them into the gap they've left or seek to move past them, using the advantage of having opposite momentums against the defender. Either option provides a much higher percentile chance of scoring. In return the defender gets only a small chance of turning over the ball.

Most defences these days have partnerships of between two Central Defenders, a Central Defender and a Fullback or a Fullback and Winger in order to combine and maximise the advantages of both Staying and Going. A four-four two is effective precisely because of these partnerships. One defender Goes and the other Stays. The Going defender tries to win the ball back, the Staying defender hangs back in order to cut out any attempt to pass or move around the Going player. This is effective because there are almost always more defending players than attacking players. Thus because Staying is more powerful than Going it generally requires a significant individual mistake or lapse by one or more defenders in order for a defending team to concede a goalscoring opportunity. What this tactic seeks to do is turn advantage into disadvantage by ensuring the following three things:

1) That there are almost always more attacking players than defending players, thus reducing the number of individual mistakes needed for a goalscoring opportunity to occur.

2) By coaxing and luring opposition players out of 'Staying' and into 'Going'.

3) By ensuring that Staying is no longer a 'safe' default response.

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The following details the way in which a defensive team might attempt to counter or react to Catch-22, and hopefully details why each reaction puts them in a bind. Red denotes the team using Catch-22. Blue denotes the team defending against it.

Down the Flanks

DEFENDING

> If the Fullback Goes to intercept the Wide Forward, he runs the risk of being bypassed or letting the Striker run in behind him.

> If the Fullback Stays marking the Wide Forward, he cannot provide wholly effective cover for the nearby Centreback should the Striker or an Attacking Midfielder make runs.

> If the Winger Goes to press Wide Forward, they will be further back and thus less available should a counter-attack occur. Additionally, the opposition Wingback will be left in space, free to manipulate the ball.

> If the Winger Stays high up the pitch they will remain a viable counter-attacking threat and will also limit the effectiveness of the Wingback. However they will leave their Fullback vulnerable to combination play from the opposition attackers.

ATTACKING

> If the Fullback Goes forward they leave their team vulnerable to counter attacks down the flanks, where the Wide Forward will be waiting. This might additionally force one of the Centrebacks to cover for them, making it easier for the Striker or one of the Attacking Midfielders to find run into space to shoot.

> If the Fullback Stays where they are, they cannot double up on the opposition Wingback, making it much harder to force errors from the opposition.

In the Centre

DEFENDING

> If one Centreback Stays and covers the Striker while the other Goes to intercept him, they may deal effectively with the Striker, but will remain vulnerable to the runs and interplay of the two Attacking Midfielders.

> If both Centrebacks Stay, then unless they are receiving support from a Midfielder they are likely to be outnumbered by the Striker and Attacking Midfielders and thus vulnerable to interplay - especially as the Fullbacks (should) be preoccupied with the Wide Forwards.

> If the Centrebacks are receiving support from their Midfielders they may be able to effectively Stay and cover the triple threat of the Striker and two Attacking Midfielders, but that will open up space in the middle of the park for the Wingbacks and Playmakers to operate in.

> If the Forwards and/or Midfielders help out with pressing then that may help reduce the amount of space the Wingbacks and Playmakers have to operate in. However there are three of them and only likely to be a maximum of four Forwards/Midfielders to press with. Therefore bypassing them should be easy enough. Additionally because the Wingbacks and Playmakers remain deep any attempt to press them may create space in the centre of the park that can be exploited by the Attacking Midfielders, or indeed allow a situation in which there are five attackers versus between four (in a rigid 4-4-2) and six (in a counter-attacking 4-2-3-1) defenders. Thus only a small proportion of defenders are required to make mistakes for a goalscoring opportunity to arise.

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NOTE ON THE PURPOSE OF THIS TACTIC

I'm not trying to create a world-beating FM tactic so much as apply my tactical learnings from real life into FM.

This tactic has proved effective in-game, even with very poor teams. But if you're simply looking for the best tactic in this forum, stop now, this isn't it.

I'm more concerned with getting inspiration from real life and seeing how it works in-game then I am at winning everything in sight. Most of those other tactics aren't based on real life, but on manipulating sliders for the maximum effect. There is nothing wrong with that per se, but it's simply not what I'm trying to do I'd much prefer people read my post (inspired by real football) and went on to build a side in this mould because they felt moved to, rather than because they want to win 10-0.

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Q&A

1. Pitch Size?

The maximum size available. The more space for players to operate in, the better.

2. Opposition Instructions?

I personally like to set my players to always close down the slowest and/or least skilled among the opposition centebacks, fullbacks and goalkeeper, as they aren't prone to doing so otherwise.

3. Shouts?

As far as I know, Shouts only alter the sliders, which are meant to be ready to go as is... so no, I wouldn't recommend using any from the off.

However on occasion 'Run at Defence' has proved useful in encouraging the Attacking Midfielders to run into crowded areas.

Meanwhile increasing the team's passing to 'Direct' and/or using the Shouts 'Pump Ball into Box' and 'Pass into Space' are useful if you are dominating possesion but struggling to create clear chances.

4. Match and General Training?

I leave most of the training to my assistant as I don't like the new system.

However I have the Strikers and Wide Forwards on 'Defensive Forward' training role, my Attacking Midfielders midfielders on 'Advanced Playmaker', my Wingbacks on... 'Wingback', my defensive midfielders on 'Deep-Lying Playmaker' OR 'Advanced Playmaker' (preferable if available), my Centrebacks on 'Ball-Playing Defender' and my Goalkeepers on 'Sweeper Keeper'.

[Jose Neto]

Nice OP mate! Really nice read. Will try it for sure... hope it works as modern warfare is trashing all the tactics on here, but with such a nice explanation of the tactic it deserves, at least, a try.

I'll try it out and leave a comment here on how it went.

[Jose Neto]

double post, sorry.

[Jose Neto]

As you will get this questions from others for sure, i will lay them to you right now, and that way they will be near your OP or you can edit it and incorporate them...

1. Pitch Size?

2. Opposition Instructions?

3. Shouts?

4. Match and General Training?

Greetings

[Motherlover]

Neto: Thanks for the response! I posted an updated version of the tactic, so if you're going to use it you might want to try that.

I just wanted to say to anyone reading this thread that I'm not trying to create a world-beating FM tactic so much as apply my tactical learnings from real life into FM.

This tactic has proved effective in-game, even with very poor teams. But if you're simply looking for the best tactic in this forum, stop now, this isn't it.

I'm more concerned with getting inspiration from real life and seeing how it works in-game then I am at winning everything in sight. Most of those other tactics aren't based on real life, but on manipulating sliders for the maximum effect. There is nothing wrong with that per se, but it's simply not what I'm trying to do I'd much rather people read my post (inspired by real football) and went on to build a side in this mould because they felt moved to. Rather than because they want to win 10-0.

[wanderer89]

Quite possibly one of the best opening posts on a tactic I've ever read, the detail you've put in to writing it, it's awesome, really well done.

As for the tactic, it does look quite interesting, especially with the wingers being so high up the pitch, will give it a go with my Wolves side.

EDIT: One of your filters is messed up, just went to download the Ball Playing Defenders one and it's coming up as the Sweeper Keeper filter, just thought I'd let you know.

[Motherlover]

EDIT: One of your filters is messed up, just went to download the Ball Playing Defenders one and it's coming up as the Sweeper Keeper filter, just thought I'd let you know.

Noted, thanks!

I will also fix the Wide Forwards filter as I noticed that it is currently looking for players who can play in ST, rather than AML/AMR.

Give me five minutes.

[Motherlover]

Ok, fixed.

[wanderer89]

Noted, thanks!

I will also fix the Wide Forwards filter as I noticed that it is currently looking for players who can play in ST, rather than AML/AMR.

Give me five minutes.

Downloaded I had one game of my season left, Leicester away, plugged it in, won 2-0! Good start, and now have it to use in pre-season so it'll get a proper start, will let you know how I get on!

[Motherlover]

I'm glad. And do keep me posted! I make these things primarily for myself, but I figured it would be nice to share.

[strawby]

HI there beutifully written i will give this a try with my carlisle save im in my 4th season just promoted to the prem,will suit my team as i have a lot of wingbacks and wingers i will keep you updated

[mikoeltuno]

Sry....

is possible post results?

[Johnyfooty]

I will try this tactic on LLM in Sweden. I'll post results of how the tactic fares when being forced to use dirt as players.

[Motherlover]

Strawby: Thanks! I hope it works well for you. The tactic is designed for, and in my experience works best with, high class players, especially ones that are possess a mixture of graft and technical skill. If you're in the premier league you should do fine. It does also work at a lower level, though you are likely to concede a smattering of goals too.

mikeoltuno: I'm not keen on posting results. I find it a bit... reductive. However if other users wan't to post their results, good or bad, then I have no issue with that. If you want to know how this tactic plays I suggest you take it for a spin. I'm not trying to offer a service in winning FM. What I want to do is enthuse with and encourage fellow users to think about tactics and why they work... or don't.

From my personal experience playing with this formation with Real Madrid for 3 years I will say that I achieved two trebles and a quadruple. Playing with York City I'm fifteen points clear with half the season gone. But as always in FM (at least when playing with tactics that don't merely seek to exploit the match engine) an awful lot depends on how you motivate and rotate your players - and which players you have at the club.

To work most effectively this tactic requires a very particular and well-rounded type of player. It's more likely to be successful with AC Milan (of half a decade ago), FC Bayern or Man City than it is with Arsenal, PSG or Man Utd - simply because the former's the players are generally better rounded and balanced. While the latter's players are more differentiated and specialized in their respective roles.

Johnyfooty: Wonderful! I do love a good lower league romp with 'dirt' for footballers as you put it

[Motherlover]

UPDATE

1. Had a brainwave and reversed the high tempo (16) to a very slow tempo (4). This seems to have fixed the troubles this tactic was having away from home and in general improved its performance. With the previous high tempo defenders were too keen to rush forward out of position and the Wide Forwards/Attacking midfielders moved high too quickly, negating their effectiveness as ball-players.

This is entirely my fault. I simply failed to consider how tempo might affect the gameplay, and went with my hard-earned FM experience, which teaches me that high-tempo generally = better. BUT that was for tactics where players start from deep and move high, whereas in Catch-22 they generally start high and stays high.

2. Reduced the passing range of Wide Forwards and also encouraged them to Move Into Channels; as wierdly FM has a tendancy to treat the Forward L/R position as wholly like a winger and not like a striker at all - unless you carefully craft their instructions.

3. Removed the default target-man, as it seems to do more harm than good (and arguably having a singular point of attack is unfaithful to the tactic's intentions!).

4. Reduced the passing range of Wingbacks as -being situated on either flank- their passes have further to go and are thus less likely to succeed than the DLP, whose range of passing currently seems fine.

5. Stopped the Wingbacks and DLP from being encouraged to cross often. They were just a little too keen to do so.

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Previous version was securing very good (but not spectacular) results. Current version... I haven't not won with so far. As I'm writing this my team are thrasing a title contender 4-0 away from home at 60' minutes

Download link has been updated in the OP.

[strawby]

I was just about to say played 4 games so far lost all 4, but only by one goal, there were against better opposition and i did notice i wasnt creating very many chances, could be my squad is still getting used to the tactic though thanks for the update

[Motherlover]

I was just about to say played 4 games so far lost all 4, but only by one goal, there were against better opposition and i did notice i wasnt creating very many chances, could be my squad is still getting used to the tactic though thanks for the update

Not creating many chances isn't unusual for the tactic. In my experience the prior version of tactic created between 8-14 chances away and 10-18 chances at home. But the quality of the chances should be fairly high and you should be putting away 2-4 of them. My major concern with the prior version was that away from home there were far too many chances for the opposition, between 4-12 in my experience. They were usually low quality chances, but on a bad day that means 1 or 2 goals conceded.

It's still early days for the updated version but on my end the results are very promising. I hope they are for everyone else too.

[Anaconda Vice]

May give this a test with Juventus Motherlover. Will let you know if I Do.

[Antwerp]

I love you're mother.....

Having a great start with Millwall ! Seems to be a decent tac.

Greats from Belgium

[Motherlover]

I love you're mother.....

Having a great start with Millwall ! Seems to be a decent tac.

Greats from Belgium

Hi Antwerp!

Glad you're having a good time with it

May I ask which team in Belgium you support out of curiosity? I have some fondness for Belgium simply because Fellaini and Mirallas are dreamy

[Antwerp]

Hi Antwerp!

Glad you're having a good time with it

May I ask which team in Belgium you support out of curiosity? I have some fondness for Belgium simply because Fellaini and Mirallas are dreamy

Royal Antwerp FC (Second division)

[Motherlover]

Won my current season with 5 games to spare \o/

Stats for York City FC with Catch-22 (incl. Cup Matches):

W: 33 (69%) (For Avg: 2.88, Against Avg: 0.52)

D: 6 (12%) (For Avg: 0.67, Against Avg: 0.67)

L: 9 (19%) (For Avg: 0.22, Against Avg: 1.9)

Notes

All in all very promising. 2.88 is a very respectable goals average. However it should be noted that when this tactic fails, it fails hard. As you can see by the stats: in 9 matches lost my team managed a mere 0.22 goals, which equates to 2 goals in those 9 matches.

However a cavaet to this is that these games were lost due to motivational issues rather than tactical ones. I can remember off the top of my head my players being in the right position but capitulating easy battles. This might not be much of a problem at a higher level of football. Higher-level players tend to go hand in hand with better hidden mental stats. Additionally, having a higher base level of ability (especially physical capability) can mask a lack of effort at a higher level in a way that doesn't happen in the BSP. I'm not convinced that's how it actually works in real life -quite the opposite in fact- but that's the way it seems to work out in FM.

[Spector]

Do you always use control? It works better when i use standard :o

[Motherlover]

Do you always use control? It works better when i use standard :o

No need to be embarrased. What works, works

I always start with Control, but occasionally switch to Standard if my players are looking complacent or nervy in tricky ties away from home.

PS - Are you using the latest version?

[Spector]

Yeah think so. Just downloaded the tactic few hours ago.

[strawby]

Hi just a quick update going a bit better scince the update, but as you say when it goes wrong it goes wrong big style, i dont think i have the correct players for it to work looking at your filters, so i will have to re-build my squad its prettyy young but they have great potential, will keep going to see how it goes,

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[Motherlover]

Hi Strawby! Appreciate the update.

What sort of players do you have out of curiousity? Ideally you should have nippy, intelligent and hardworking players up front, skillful passers and finishers in the middle and quick, cultured players at the back.

In general, graft and the ability to pass (so determination, aggression, workrate & passing, decisions & creativity) are the first things to look for in any player.

I'm impressed that you've decided to stick with the tactic given your run of results. So kudos for that

If you have any hard-earned experience from tweaks etc, do feel free to share them.

[strawby]

here a couple of the players i have got

striker

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winger/forward

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midfield

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defender

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lacking a bit of creativity, but i will stick with it, the only tweak i have done so far is to start with standard at home an counter away i will see if that stops the goals against but my media pridiction is 18th so i have a battle on i am 14th at present, will keep you posted