Everything TOTAL Football (From Cruyff's 343 to Guardiola's Overloads) - UPDATED Feb 28, 2023

[Vico Vito Pep]

1 hour ago, yonko said:

Ok I'm interested to know more details and reasons why. What was the overall setup? Is the emulated Gaperini tactic a possession tactic? I haven't followed any threads about his tactical style so I'm not familiar.  

I only used this tactic twice....have to train one of my DMs or use Ginter for example as the Libero. Similar idea to what @crusadertsar did in his 3-4-3 TF tactic with his Libero. Like I said I'm not one to ever use Hold Shape...though you can see in this 3-4-1-2 where it's necessary esp if playing in Italy or say in Germany if you would like to that 3412/3421 Nagelsmann did at Hoffenheim.  Maybe for a Mentality standpoint, I'd favor Attacking since it's supposed to emulate Gasperini's Atalanta...or just ramp up the tempo.

TM (Duvan role) & Treq (Ilicic role)  stay wider. TM allowed to roam.  The AP role is Papu playing as the #10.  2 BBMs. WBs on Attack. If I committed to make this work, prob make one of the CM a DLP...

Edited July 26, 2020 by Vico Vito Pep

[EnigMattic1]

@crusadertsar, I'm sure it was one of your threads where you went into detail about the dna aspect of Total Football, but I can't locate it now to check the for the answer, so I will ask here.

When you decide on attributes such as 'teamwork, work rate and flair', did you relax your minimum stats when looking at your keeper? 

[yonko]

21 hours ago, Vico Vito Pep said:

I only used this tactic twice....have to train one of my DMs or use Ginter for example as the Libero. Similar idea to what @crusadertsar did in his 3-4-3 TF tactic with his Libero. Like I said I'm not one to ever use Hold Shape...though you can see in this 3-4-1-2 where it's necessary esp if playing in Italy or say in Germany if you would like to that 3412/3421 Nagelsmann did at Hoffenheim.  Maybe for a Mentality standpoint, I'd favor Attacking since it's supposed to emulate Gasperini's Atalanta...or just ramp up the tempo.

TM (Duvan role) & Treq (Ilicic role)  stay wider. TM allowed to roam.  The AP role is Papu playing as the #10.  2 BBMs. WBs on Attack. If I committed to make this work, prob make one of the CM a DLP...

I have no experience with this formation so I can't comment then on the effects of Hold Shape. And I don't think a Gasperini replication requires such instruction as I'm not sure it's a possession tactic per se. 

[crusadertsar]

2 hours ago, EnigMattic1 said:

@crusadertsar, I'm sure it was one of your threads where you went into detail about the dna aspect of Total Football, but I can't locate it now to check the for the answer, so I will ask here.

When you decide on attributes such as 'teamwork, work rate and flair', did you relax your minimum stats when looking at your keeper? 

My perfect Keeper is unquestionably a Sweeper Keeper. So basically one who is more comfortable playing outside of the penalty area than in it. So basically all the highlighted attributes for that role. But also with additional focus on kicking, passing and decision making as well as jumping reach.  The usual Total Football attributes are not as important. My current top keeper, Geronimo Rulli, has Flair of 1. 

Edited July 27, 2020 by crusadertsar

[Vico Vito Pep]

5 hours ago, yonko said:

I have no experience with this formation so I can't comment then on the effects of Hold Shape. And I don't think a Gasperini replication requires such instruction as I'm not sure it's a possession tactic per se. 

Not really a possession tactic yet Atalanta were top 5 Possession team in Serie A the past 3 seasons...I had a better effort emulating their tactic in FM17 & 18. FWIW..

[skyline72]

1 hour ago, Vico Vito Pep said:

Not really a possession tactic yet Atalanta were top 5 Possession team in Serie A the past 3 seasons...I had a better effort emulating their tactic in FM17 & 18. FWIW..

Sorry @crusadertsar, out of topic. 

 

@Vico Vito Pep, wouldnt a CF(s) better suit the Zapata role? Im trying to emulate Gasperini tactic right now as well. 

Im using 2 DW(s) instead of WB, feel that DW press more than WB. 

[Vico Vito Pep]

2 hours ago, skyline72 said:

@Vico Vito Pep, wouldnt a CF(s) better suit the Zapata role? Im trying to emulate Gasperini tactic right now as well. 

Im using 2 DW(s) instead of WB, feel that DW press more than WB. 

Really quick:

CF/s might be the ticket with Duvan or even DLF/s bc of how often he roams to the flanks & is connected to both Gosens or one of Gomez & a Freuler/Pasalic in their diamond rotational overloads

Robin Gosens has been compared to Marcos Alonso circa 2016/17 so DW can be a good shout. 

For Hans Hateboer: I've used  a CWB/s similar to an old Chelsea Conte tactic @Rashidi used to emulate Moses that winning season & it worked really well with Andrea Conti in FM17. Though I think WB/s would be better

Attached my old FM17 tactical screenshot for kicks....kinda want to something like that or Conte's Chelsea again for FM20...

[denen123]

I find that using DW(s) works well as well as a WB. It requires as little as 4-5 key attributes( i think) & you don't even need some to operate at max (I've used Mbappe in this role, & he scored as well as assited 20+). The kick back is that it is essentially a "ball winning role", so getting carded, especially giving that very few players can pull off the role (bar, total fullbacks i.e Tierny, Gaya, Grimaldo & Alex Sandro).

Another thing to bear is that the Libero, on support, behaves a lot like a "BPD-co". Difference is the amount of creativity & occasion burst upfront(brings ball out of defense). I find that using a more static role (CM-de) helps offer him protection. I used a BWM-su, initially, too(DeMMe of RBL). Offensively, we were amazing, but when teams counter, phewww. 

The advanced playmaker in narrow formations also works, but there's a tendency to meet regular "blocks" in 2 DM's. I tilt him to the L or R and offer him the "run wide with ball option". He operates as a pseudo-winger when faced with tougher middle situations.

it's an overall interesting tactic, the 3412.

[yonko]

18 hours ago, Vico Vito Pep said:

Not really a possession tactic yet Atalanta were top 5 Possession team in Serie A the past 3 seasons...I had a better effort emulating their tactic in FM17 & 18. FWIW..

I'm constantly looking to make subtle tweaks to my tactic like removing Hold Shape, but I generally stick to 4141 DM Wide formation (as FM calls it - 433 DM Wide to me) and occasionally experiment with 4231 Wide formation. Also, sometimes I move the FBs to WB strata  when facing defensive shapes or just use the 4231 variation. 

When Hold Shape is removed, I notice my FBs/WBs get forward more quickly into advanced positions. So far I haven't noticed any effects on lower possession numbers though. Actually in my 4231 tactic I often see 65-70% possession achieved. 

[skyline72]

16 hours ago, Vico Vito Pep said:

Really quick:

CF/s might be the ticket with Duvan or even DLF/s bc of how often he roams to the flanks & is connected to both Gosens or one of Gomez & a Freuler/Pasalic in their diamond rotational overloads

Robin Gosens has been compared to Marcos Alonso circa 2016/17 so DW can be a good shout. 

For Hans Hateboer: I've used  a CWB/s similar to an old Chelsea Conte tactic @Rashidi used to emulate Moses that winning season & it worked really well with Andrea Conti in FM17. Though I think WB/s would be better

Attached my old FM17 tactical screenshot for kicks....kinda want to something like that or Conte's Chelsea again for FM20...

Im more or less settled with CF/s on Zapata and Trequartista on Illicic.

Couldnt get the Gomez role right though. 

[Vico Vito Pep]

On 28/07/2020 at 15:32, skyline72 said:

Im more or less settled with CF/s on Zapata and Trequartista on Illicic.

Couldnt get the Gomez role right though. 

Papu's role now in 3-4-1-2 is  AP/s bc he often drops deep from his advanced position to areas btwn midfield & defense

[skyline72]

5 hours ago, Vico Vito Pep said:

Papu's role now in 3-4-1-2 is  AP/s bc he often drops deep from his advanced position to areas btwn midfield & defense

I set him to AM(s) with lots of PIs, he does drop deep to receive the ball though.

Im not sure if setting it to AP(s) will affect the flow as I will have 2 ball magnets in AP(s) and Trequartista up top. 

[andre62]

@crusadertsar hey great work with Articles do you have another tactic to share ??

 

GREAT WORK !!! THANKS

[Wesley6]

First of all, have to say @crusadertsar - what a thread! Clearly so much effort has gone into it and it is incredibly interesting and well put together so thanks! And thank you to all who have contributed, not often you sit down and just read through a 15 page thread in one go! 

I have been trying to implement an overload system with Arsenal similar to those discussed in the earlier part of the thread but I don't seem to be creating the overloads that other people have reported with their tactics so looking for some help. My tactic is below:

 

This is the theory behind the tactic so it would be great if anyone could point out any glaring errors/obvious things to change! With this particular tactic the aim is to overload on the right flank to free up Aubamayang on the left. To this end we have the IF(A) aggressively pushing forward, the M(S) drifting wide to the right, the IWB(S) pushing forward into that area also and the F9(S) moving into channels. The BPD(D) on the right should also help focus play on this side. The DLP(D) acts as the pivot and can switch the play, Xhaka has switch the ball to opposite flank PPM which should help. On the left the CM(A) should get forward and distract the remaining defenders allowing the IF(S) to take advantage of the space. The WB(S) also helps in a distracting role or can be played in on the overlap. 

Team Instructions: I chose positive as I felt it was the best balance of risk and reward, particularly with the fullbacks getting forward at the right moments. Shorter passing, play out of defence and lower tempo are all attempts at keeping possession and drawing the defence out of position. Passing into space to exploit the new found space on the left, wider play just to stretch the opposition even more and focus down the right is fairly obvious. 

In transition, all I have chosen is counter. The idea is to catch the opposition defence out when we win the ball and I wanted to keep things fairly simple outside that. I don't want to close down too much as I want the structure of the team to remain fairly standard so we are in position to exploit the spaces. In defence I just lowered the line of engagement, again to create more space in the attacking third. 

Player Instructions: super simple - the players on the right (F9, IF, M, IWB) have close down more to add a bit of pressure on the opposition while those on the left (IF, CM, WB) have close down less to make sure they are in position to spring the trap.

I feel in theory this all makes sense but it just doesn't seem to translate into the ME. The opposition just completely ignore my overload, don't commit any extra numbers and the players they have on their left just deal with it. Although we have scored goals, the vast majority are from set plays or long shots from my central midfielders and while winning games is all well and good I want to play in a particular way and score goals in style. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

 

[crusadertsar]

Wow I am glad that you enjoyed the thread so much. It's really gotten long over the years. Here you answered your own question.

2 hours ago, Wesley6 said:

 

I feel in theory this all makes sense but it just doesn't seem to translate into the ME. The opposition just completely ignore my overload, don't commit any extra numbers and the players they have on their left just deal with it. Although we have scored goals, the vast majority are from set plays or long shots from my central midfielders and while winning games is all well and good I want to play in a particular way and score goals in style. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

 

Overloads used to work much better but overtime after a few patches they became nearly impossible to achieve with any degree of consistency. And the opposition instruction gymnastics involved make it into an exercise in frustration. Also let me guess, you are probably facing a lot of very defensive sides who are just happy to stay back and it's very difficult to make them come out to react to your overload.

In theory I know how overloads should work. But there's a major difference in how the game engine works. I have been trying to find a consistent solution to this but it is just not fun any more. Like @Ö-zil to the Arsenal! I have since moved to FM18 and I am act seeing some nice overloads there.

Edited September 8, 2020 by crusadertsar

[Wesley6]

6 minutes ago, crusadertsar said:

Wow I am glad that you enjoyed the thread so much. It's really gotten long over the years. Here you answered your own question.

Overloads used to work much better but overtime after a few patches they became nearly impossible to achieve with any degree of consistency. And the opposition instruction gymnastics involved make it into an exercise in frustration. Also let me guess, you are probably facing a lot of very defensive sides who are just happy to stay back and it's very difficult to make then come out to react to your overload.

In theory I know how overloads should work. But there's a major difference in how the game engine works. I have been trying to find a consistent solution to this but it is just not fun any more. Like @Ö-zil to the Arsenal! I have since moved to FM18 and I am act seeing some nice overloads there.

Thanks for your reply. Hmm well it seems like I am barking up the wrong tree then really, I shall have to reconsider my approach. Yes, I have come up against many defensive sides, the worst being a narrow 3421 formation with 3 centre backs, defensive wingbacks and two CMDs. As you say they don't react to the overload and my players on the overload side seem to just run into a cul-de-sac. 

A pity this doesn't seem to be a fruitful tactic anymore, having not played an FM between 14 and 20 it seems like I missed out on what seems like the peak years of 17/18! 

[crusadertsar]

But don't get me wrong. It's not the fault of the current match engine. It's great at what it does. If anything the game has gotten very good at stopping the human player from exercising their game plan. Maybe overly too good. The challenge is really great now if you are into that kind of thing. And you won't win very beautifully. But isn't that modern football, narrow wins and lots of set pieces?

Edited September 8, 2020 by crusadertsar

[sejo]

Il 28/7/2020 in 13:56 , denen123 ha scritto:

I find that using DW(s) works well as well as a WB. It requires as little as 4-5 key attributes( i think) & you don't even need some to operate at max (I've used Mbappe in this role, & he scored as well as assited 20+). The kick back is that it is essentially a "ball winning role", so getting carded, especially giving that very few players can pull off the role (bar, total fullbacks i.e Tierny, Gaya, Grimaldo & Alex Sandro).

Another thing to bear is that the Libero, on support, behaves a lot like a "BPD-co". Difference is the amount of creativity & occasion burst upfront(brings ball out of defense). I find that using a more static role (CM-de) helps offer him protection. I used a BWM-su, initially, too(DeMMe of RBL). Offensively, we were amazing, but when teams counter, phewww. 

The advanced playmaker in narrow formations also works, but there's a tendency to meet regular "blocks" in 2 DM's. I tilt him to the L or R and offer him the "run wide with ball option". He operates as a pseudo-winger when faced with tougher middle situations.

I've setup this shape:

                TM(s) Tq

                         AP(s)

DW (s) CM(d) CM(s)

                                      WB(a)

     CD(d) Libero(s) CD(d)

SK(s)

 

As you notice, the AP is on the right slot. What I'm not sure of is the midfield shape: the CM on defensive duty should be on the left or right slot? Any suggestion?

Thanks!

[skyline72]

4 hours ago, crusadertsar said:

But don't get me wrong. It's not the fault of the current match engine. It's great at what it does. If anything the game has gotten very good at stopping the human player from exercising their game plan. Maybe overly too good. The challenge is really great now if you are into that kind of thing. And you won't win very beautifully. But isn't that modern football, narrow wins and lots of set pieces?

Its just that we got little margin or error. A bit a bit thread got closed or whatever. 

[denen123]

6 hours ago, sejo said:

I've setup this shape:

                TM(s) Tq

                         AP(s)

DW (s) CM(d) CM(s)

                                      WB(a)

     CD(d) Libero(s) CD(d)

SK(s)

 

As you notice, the AP is on the right slot. What I'm not sure of is the midfield shape: the CM on defensive duty should be on the left or right slot? Any suggestion?

Thanks!

1. I did not include that this tactic was extremely successful for me in FM19(so it was much more an FM19 designed tactic). Particularly, because the CB's split very wide during transitions. I've not seen the same split, at least, not to that extent in FM20.

2. If you need successful shape variants of it that works well with the present ME, check out bustthenet "implications of ME" videos.

3. I like your shape because you're willing to take risks, so:

Keep the TI's simple.

You can switch CM(s) & CM(d).

CD's as  BPD with dribble more & shorter passing PI's(CD's are way too static & that "pass with themselves" ish is an issue).

 

Lastly, tweak. Tweak. & tweak till you have enough balance of roles instructions. It feels more like your own tactic, that way.

 

[sejo]

12 ore fa, denen123 ha scritto:

CD's as  BPD with dribble more & shorter passing PI's(CD's are way too static & that "pass with themselves" ish is an issue).

Would you suggest also "stay wider"? And what about PI for the 2 CM?

Thank you mate!

[denen123]

19 minutes ago, sejo said:

Would you suggest also "stay wider"? And what about PI for the 2 CM?

Thank you mate!

The two CM's? Nothing. 

Stay wider?  Try it and see. 

[crusadertsar]

Working on the FM21 Update to my Overloads tactic to release on Monday 

Really loving the new and improved Focus Play team instruction. I feel like the ME got much improved to accommodate more the sort of plays we were trying to create in FM20 with so much difficulty. Makes me very happy. So I am looking forward to sharing my experiments with you guys again in the coming weeks.

Anyone else has given Guardiola-style Possession tactics a try in FM21? 

Edited November 28, 2020 by crusadertsar

[04texag]

25 minutes ago, crusadertsar said:

Guardiola-style Possession tactics a try in FM21

My whole thread is pretty much dedicated to similar approaches, as I work to figure out good representations of positional play, especially now that Pep has Juanma Lillo and more of a 4231 shape.

[crusadertsar]

7 minutes ago, 04texag said:

My whole thread is pretty much dedicated to similar approaches, as I work to figure out good representations of positional play, especially now that Pep has Juanma Lillo and more of a 4231 shape.

Yeah I saw mate! You are doing great work there. I'm excited to see what you come up with. Incidentally, I switched to 4-2-3-1 for FM21 Overloads too. Unlike your project, I am not really going for a pure Pep recreation per se. Just took some inspiration from him as always. And find that 4-2-3-1 now works really well for Total Football-style tactics. 

[04texag]

26 minutes ago, crusadertsar said:

Yeah I saw mate! You are doing great work there. I'm excited to see what you come up with. Incidentally, I switched to 4-2-3-1 for FM21 Overloads too. Unlike your project, I am not really going for a pure Pep recreation per se. Just took some inspiration from him as always. And find that 4-2-3-1 now works really well for Total Football-style tactics. 

Thanks! I intend soon to do some work on a 433, as this has always been my go to. Last year's FM was so stale for possession tactics that I got turned off of the game for a few months before going back for a final pre fm21 save. I'll likely do a lower league save with a simple 433 that develops as the team gets promoted. 

[crusadertsar]

15 minutes ago, 04texag said:

Thanks! I intend soon to do some work on a 433, as this has always been my go to. Last year's FM was so stale for possession tactics that I got turned off of the game for a few months before going back for a final pre fm21 save. I'll likely do a lower league save with a simple 433 that develops as the team gets promoted. 

Awesome! 4-3-3 will always be my fave formation so looking forward to that. Hopefully it will be something I would be able to use in my Notts County save 

[Fantasista10]

2 hours ago, 04texag said:

Thanks! I intend soon to do some work on a 433, as this has always been my go to. Last year's FM was so stale for possession tactics that I got turned off of the game for a few months before going back for a final pre fm21 save. I'll likely do a lower league save with a simple 433 that develops as the team gets promoted. 

 

2 hours ago, crusadertsar said:

Awesome! 4-3-3 will always be my fave formation so looking forward to that. Hopefully it will be something I would be able to use in my Notts County save 

This is exactly what I have going on at the moment. I’m currently attempting a total (football) rebuild of Palermo, implementing a Guardiola inspired 4-3-3 which will hopefully become more fluid and free-scoring as we move up the leagues. 
 

It’s working really well so far, happy to share some updates here if you guys are interested!
 

I’m quite new to the forum, or at least to being active, and I must say I’ve taken a lot of inspiration from the two of you and your Overloads/Juego De Posicion threads. It’s a style I’ve always tried to take inspiration from so I’m pleased this ME has made it easier to achieve. 

[04texag]

56 minutes ago, Fantasista10 said:

I’m quite new to the forum, or at least to being active, and I must say I’ve taken a lot of inspiration from the two of you and your Overloads/Juego De Posicion threads. It’s a style I’ve always tried to take inspiration from so I’m pleased this ME has made it easier to achieve.

glad you're finding good help here. @crusadertsaralways does good threads! I for one would love to see what you're doing so feel free to throw some updates in my thread even though it's 433.

[crusadertsar]

@Fantasista10 Glad that it inspires you mate. And feel free to post updates of your own attempt. Afterall this is meant to be a discussion thread of all things Total Football 

[Fantasista10]

13 hours ago, 04texag said:

glad you're finding good help here. @crusadertsaralways does good threads! I for one would love to see what you're doing so feel free to throw some updates in my thread even though it's 433.

 

13 hours ago, crusadertsar said:

@Fantasista10 Glad that it inspires you mate. And feel free to post updates of your own attempt. Afterall this is meant to be a discussion thread of all things Total Football 

Appreciate that guys, thanks! 

As I am sure you know, when taking over a lower league club there is a lot of 'set up' work to do before you get started. Such as bringing in good coaching staff, scouts and obviously evaluating whether or not you have the players to play a certain way - which a lot of the time you probably don't. Then there is the lack of resources! But all this is part of the fun of Lower League Management  

For starters, I had two formations in mind: a 4-3-3 (always my go to) and a 4-2-3-1 which I was keen to replicate after reading your thread @04texag. Despite the two (slightly) differing shapes, my aim was always to  maintain the same ‘identity’ and play style in both shapes. However, once I loaded up the game and took a look at the Palermo squad it was evident that a 4-2-3-1 was going to be difficult as the squad surprisingly did not have a single natural player in the AMC position. With funds limited, I did manage to bring in two players capable of playing there. However, with a pretty poor scouting team it was difficult to identify what roles they were best at before signing.

I often rotated between an Enganche and Trequartista (after reading @Rashidi's latest thread on a Bayern replication). Despite signing two players to play there, the 4-3-3 we were using in pre season actually gave me better results - including a draw against Serie B side Brescia and a narrow 1-0 defeat to Udinese.

From then on my mind was made up. I do want to go back and attempt a 4-2-3-1 in the future, perhaps when I have better suited players. There’s a certain romanticism about the No. 10 role in Italy, the Fantasista, (hence my name 😉) and with the sad passing of the legendary Diego Armando Maradona, I would love to get this role working in Italy. For now though, here is my 4-3-3:

The first thing you may notice is the use of a double Mezalla on Attack. This was not my original preference but I found when playing two IWB’s behind them, they need to be on Attack duties to create sufficient spacing between themselves. Subsequently, this means we have two direct runners within close proximity of the False 9.

It really is great to watch how the three ‘wide’ roles compliment each other. The IW’s typically hold the width but they will occasionally swap with either the IWB or MEZ on that side - especially if the IW cuts inside with the ball. This means we are always maintaining a passing triangle on the flanks and any of those players can take up the ‘Inside Low, Inside High and Inside Wide’ positions. I feel this shape really helps to create natural overloads - particularly out wide. I compliment this with Focus Play Through the Middle and the reason being is two fold:

• I want to get my best players on the ball more (my F9 and two MEZ) and in dangerous areas
• I don’t want us to focus all of our attacks out wide, especially as we already play wider

Here is a screenshot of the build up to one of my favourite goals so far in FM21. 

We have a throw in deep in the opposition half, the IWB (No.2) picks the ball up and begins to cut inside where he lays the ball off to the False 9 (Rojas) who is dropping deep and dragging defenders with him. Rojas then plays an intricate first time pass to my No. 6 (Luperini) who runs onto it and calmly slots it into the bottom right.

I would upload a video to show just how lovely this goal was but I haven't yet worked out how to do that on here. 

And this image shows our typical shape as we attack into the final third: 

Here we can see:

• A clear 2-3-5 shape in possession with the two IWB's tucking in and providing security for counter attacks and plenty passing options. 
• The width is provided by our two IW's on each flank - this is vital and I feel the 'Play Wider' instruction really helps to accentuate this. 
• The False 9 (Rojas) is willing and able to drop deep and pick up the ball, run at defenders and can pick out a pass to the flanks (which he does). Interestingly, Rojas is an AMC which I brought in on loan and have ended up training to play as an F9. This is a vital role as he helps provide a central presence whilst the Mezzala's operate slightly wider in the half spaces.

Overall I feel the structure of this system is vital to our current success. We don't have great players - four are rated as 'Decent Serie B players' with the rest of the squad operating at Serie C and D levels. Having said that, we are top of the league and unbeaten after 10 games, winning 9. Here are some fairly impressive stats thus far: 

We lead the league in almost every category except Goals, (although we are just two goals shy) Shots For, Tackles Won. I must also stress we did not start the season with this system - I began with a more typical 4-3-3 with CWB's and it was actually more stale in attack!

I do also have two other variations of the tactic however if anyone is interested. One is a 'Hybrid' of this shape and a more standard 4-3-3 with one side having a WB on Attack providing the width and an IF tucking in. The other system is a more conservative Balanced 2-3-5 shape in which I added Much Shorter Passing, Be More Disciplined and Hold Shape. 

Appreciate this was a fairly big update and I don't want to take over your excellent thread so I will stop here for now but feel free to ask any questions and provide any feedback  

Edited November 29, 2020 by Fantasista10
Typo

[04texag]

5 minutes ago, Fantasista10 said:

A clear 2-3-5 shape in possession

That two three five looks really good, very well balanced. I think you'll do well overall with that tactic, until you start winning a lot. You might struggle when teams start parking that bus against you without more varied approach and more attack angles. But you can use a variant of this setup for when that occurs and flip the switch to it. 

How are the league results so far?

[Fantasista10]

2 minutes ago, 04texag said:

That two three five looks really good, very well balanced. I think you'll do well overall with that tactic, until you start winning a lot. You might struggle when teams start parking that bus against you without more varied approach and more attack angles. But you can use a variant of this setup for when that occurs and flip the switch to it. 

How are the league results so far?

Appreciate that - I think you're right as it is very early on in the season so things can very easily become harder for us later on. Having said that, we do already tend to face parked busses with many teams playing defensive or cautious 5 defender systems. To combat this, I often mix it up with my 'Hybrid' tactic if I feel we are struggling to make in roads: 

This system gives us two attack duties on the left side which we usually take advantage of a switch in play after the natural overload occurs on the right hand side. Over time, I can see myself increasingly starting matches with this being my preferred tactic. 

League results are impressive so far:

I was using a slightly different variation with standard Wingbacks for the first 3-4 games but we struggled to create many clear cut chances. Since changing the shape and using a combination of the two tactics posted, we are causing lots of problems for opponents and scoring more goals.

Due to the lack of quality in the squad, I tend to tone it down a notch when we take an early lead and seek to tire out our opponents who end up chasing us over the pitch. I hope we can become a more swashbuckling side as we progress up the leagues. 

[04texag]

10 minutes ago, Fantasista10 said:

To combat this, I often mix it up with my 'Hybrid' tactic if I feel we are struggling to make in roads: 

That's exactly along the lines of what I had in my head. That looks like a great switch up of play from the base. I do like having base tactics, and then flipping switches to two variants as the game goes. I feel this usually works better than just willy nilly changing random things during a game because you don't like what you've seen. Another thing you could do is just slightly mix up the base tactic so that it's not completely mirrored on both flanks. Have one flank's mezzala on support and then that sides IW on A.

One last thing, the base tactic is all about diagonal runs, are you using the PI on the Mez for runs wide with the ball? 

[PequenoGenio]

Very identical to my tactic. My problem is with the striker.. Low ratings and Low goals scored. How about yours?

Could a CF or a DFL preform well?

[04texag]

6 minutes ago, PequenoGenio said:

Could a CF or a DFL preform well?

both a F9 and CF are advanced roles that you need a really good player for. If struggling, I would try the DLF, or a PF with roams more ticked. Both are simpler, easier to execute, but can offer similar build up play.

[PequenoGenio]

1 minuto atrás, 04texag disse:

both a F9 and CF are advanced roles that you need a really good player for. If struggling, I would try the DLF, or a PF with roams more ticked. Both are simpler, easier to execute, but can offer similar build up play.

All of them in (s)? The "Hold up the ball" PI that all of them have is a bad thing or good?

[04texag]

It just means they won't drop deep, then turn and dribble to attack the defense, which a f9 will do. They will drop deep, get the ball and look to pass to a runner around them. 

[Fantasista10]

1 hour ago, 04texag said:

One last thing, the base tactic is all about diagonal runs, are you using the PI on the Mez for runs wide with the ball? 

Interesting you should say that, I try to vary the PIs so that they both play slightly different. One is more of a creator, with More Direct Passing and Shoot Less Often (I feel like decision making isn’t great and I saw quite a few long shots at first). Whereas the other is my David Silva type who Runs Wide. 
 

But actually I don’t see a massive difference with or without the Runs Wide PI, as it seems to naturally occur. The ‘creator’ MEZ will still run wide on occasion and IW moves inside. If you have a player with good dribbling then I guess it makes sense to leave this on. 

[Fantasista10]

1 hour ago, PequenoGenio said:

Very identical to my tactic. My problem is with the striker.. Low ratings and Low goals scored. How about yours?

Could a CF or a DFL preform well?

I’m not absolutely sold on this. During the beta I was managing Benfica and I had excellent results using Goncalo Ramos as an F9. Don’t remember the exact numbers but he reached double figures for both goals and assists and wasn’t a starter until December. 
 

Obviously with Palermo I don’t have great players but so far I’m pleased with the movement - just doesn’t seem to be a goal threat. It’s early days so I’ll keep experimenting with the striker. One thing is for sure, he almost certainly needs to be on Support to help create central overloads and link up with the two MEZ. 

[crusadertsar]

So below is link to my original article. You could see it here if you prefer to see the pictures zoomed in, in their original formating.

Link: https://dictatethegame.com/the-beauty-of-focus-play-creating-overloads-in-fm21/

The following article is Part 1 in a multi-part series of guides on developing Possession-focused tactic in FM21. It is inspired by Pep Guardiola's style but is not meant to be an accurate recreation of Pep's tactics. Instead the tactic in this guide is largely inspired by Total Football and continues my quest to bring this style in all of its beauty to Football Manager games. Read on if you love Total Football and would love to see how it can be possible in the game. I believe that with the new improved Match Engine we are now closer to achieving something resembling Total Football. And it starts with creating overloads in FM21.

 

New FM = Better Overloads

So I have been trying to create overloads in Football Manager for at least the last two versions of the game. It is an obsession that started in FM19 and continued in FM20. Although to tell the truth, towards the end FM20 cycle, it began feeling like pushing a giant rock up a steep incline.

Not sure if it had to do with the clubs I chose to test my tactics or the opposition constantly packing the backline against us. But in the end I didn't have the easiest time last year. One thing I found out the hard way is that Portuguese League is not ideal for testing Guardiola-inspired tactics. Not much testing to be done when all but two teams park the bus against you and don't really respond to your overloads. You end up having a lot of possession but few goals to show for it. So this year with FM21 I decided to test my possession-focused system in probably the most competitive league in the world. One that has "Big Six" clubs to compete against. It is also the league where Pep has been doing his own testing of late.

Well, the game has been out for less than a week and I can attest the difference is quite dramatic. Whereas in FM20 I felt like angry Pep above, struggling against my stone, in FM21 the burden is suddenly lifted! What a relief it is watching my teams execute the build-up plan almost perfectly and spring the overload trap.

 

So I turn into the happy Pep in FM21! But what changed between the 2020 and 2021 versions of the game? The two words are: Focus Play.

Ready, Set... Focus!

The beauty of Focus Play (down specific flank or centre) instruction is in how it affects player behavior. Unlike similar instruction in FM20, it actually instructs the players to move into the focused side's half-space. So what this means in terms of the tactics, is that it is easier than ever to create overloads. And now this also translates into ability to create even more elaborate possession tactics.

With the improved Focus Play instruction, you do not need to rely on roles that are hardcoded to drift into the half-spaces, such as mezzala and carrilero, anymore. Now if you tell your team to focus play down the right, then your central midfielders will do exactly that, drift to the right side of the field and create an overload there. If you tell them to focus down the middle, they will concentrate their play and movement there, overloading the opponent there and giving more space to your wide players to exploit. This tendency can be even further amplified with Play Narrow instruction.

All in all, it's much easier to set up overloads and the players are more inclined to perform them. So if you are used to playing with Guardiola-style patient possession, then your teams are bound to play even better in this way.

Of course, your players will need to have good tactical familiarity with such tactics before being able to pull off these complex maneuvers on regular basis. And not to mention you will need players with suitable attributes. But more on this later.

Overload and Isolate

If you are wondering what overloads are, then you should check out some of my previous articles. While the game changed, the theoretical concepts behind what I'm trying to do haven't. Here you can find the FM19 and FM20 version links. I strongly recommend you check these articles to see the evolution of my Overload systems to where they are today.

The 4-2-3-1 (or 4-4-1-1 in defensive positioning) is an ideal formation to encourage overloading. The number one reason for this is simple. The formation has a Number 10 AMC position. Given the right role and attributes, this player is free to roam around and be creative. He can at any time shift to either side of the field to help maintain possession and aid in the overload. In Italian football it's often been the privileged role of the Fantasista. It's a somewhat mythical role that's nevertheless accurately mirrored by the Trequartista role in the game. Essentially representing players like Maradona or Messi, who are the creative heart of the team. For most effective overloads, you will need such a creative player in the AMC position. Although he doesn't necessarily need to be someone of Messi's caliber. After all there is only one Leo. But someone like Kai Havertz would suffice.

Another reason why 4-2-3-1 is ideal for creating overloads is the ease with which you can isolate one of your fast wide players. When the opposition is drawn to the side of the overload, it invariably leaves either your wingback or winger alone unmarked and ready to exploit space on the opposite flank. In this way, Overload and isolate, is the one-two punch concept used by Guardiola. Because there is no point in creating overloads, if you cannot take advantage of them. In 4-2-3-1 formation it's possible to fully engage the opponent's midfield and defence while still leaving one of your fullbacks as a sort of "deep shadow striker" with loads of space to attack. You can see an example of this in tactical image below. There the blue #3 left fullback is your deep shadow striker. But more on this later. First lets take a look at #10 player.

Free Number Ten

One of the key components in my 4-2-3-1 tactic. The three key aspects of my ideal Number 10 is that he needs to be extremely intelligent (mentality), agile/mobile (physique) and creative (technique). Basically he needs all these qualities to take advantage of the space that opens up because of an overload. Firstly, his intelligence should aid him in realizing what to do when an overload happens. Then he needs to be fast and agile enough to get into the right position. And finally his technical skills and creativity should help him pass the ball to where it can do most damage. Someone like Havertz already has strength in these three areas, with potential to grow even better.

Again going back to the tactical map above, lets assume you are playing as the blue team. Your right-side wide players and central midfielders have managed to attract the opponent to the right side of the pitch. Then your Number 10 comes to their support. He needs to receive the ball and then do a quick tempo change to launch a long pass to your right-flank attackers. For this reason, having Dictate Tempo trait is ideal for this player. Also it is better not to specify the length of passing in your team instructions. For best overloads I prefer to leave the passing on default. Thus I let my playmakers decide (based on their mental attributes) or instruct the players individually.

The choice of individual traits is only one of the factors that make up a perfect Number 10 in an Overload Tactic. The attributes needed for this demanding role all fall within the technique, mentally and physique triumvirate. You will need the right combo of these to make a good creative lynchpin. For technical attributes, he will need Dribbling, First Touch, Passing, and Technique. In terms of mentality, the usual suspects are Anticipation, Composure, Decisions, Off The Ball, Teamwork, and Vision. Additionally, he'll need physical attributes with focus on Acceleration, Agility and Balance. Good Balance is important because it will make it more difficult for opponent to wrest the ball away from your player.

Striker - Workhorse of the Formation

Continuing with the Blue and Red team example. As you can see our Blue Number 10 has just shifted across to the right. Given his creative freedom, he naturally gravitates to the side with the ball, to make himself available for a pass. This also helped create a five-person overload on that side of the pitch.

The Red opponent's reaction would be to shift over to cover this concentration of Blue players. Yet while their defensive block has shifted, there isn’t enough open space on the left flank for us to exploit. This is where the striker role in the formation comes in. The striker (Number 9 in image) will help us create more space on the left flank. He will do this by drifting to the side of the pitch that we are overloading. And this will force the Red Team's defensive line to shift there to deal with the new striker threat. With striker movement being the final puzzle piece, there is now better chance for 2v1 overload on the left side. Our blue Number 3 wingback finds himself in prime position to take advantage of the space that suddenly opens up.

It goes without saying that you will need a specific sort of striker to help with this complex maneuver. He must be a player that will constantly put pressure on the opposition when they have the ball. As well as one who will close them down relentlessly and chase any loose balls. All in order to prevent the opposing players from having too much time on the ball. Essentially, your striker must be the total opposite of a poacher, hanging around waiting for the ball to find him. Can you guess what role I'll use?

I admit I gave it away by paraphrasing the game's definition of the Pressing Forward role. But that's the thing, it is the perfect role for an overload system. Since the Pressing Forward will always seek out the side with the ball, he'll further help shift the opposition defence towards that side. I don't have much else to say about this role, except that it's probably my favourite role in the game. A role that I already wrote about quite extensively in my Dynamo Project. There I also expanded on the attributes that you will need for a player to fill the role. But here is a good example of one.

Timo Werner is easily one of the best young Pressing Forwards in the game. I expect his role to be essential in my Chelsea Overload experiment.

Deep Shadow Striker

 Pulisic is my ideal attacking wingback in Deep Shadow Striker Role

While the Trequartista/Fantasista acts as the creative catalyst, helping to create the overload, the Deep Shadow Striker Wingback will be your player that takes advantage of the space liberated. To achieve effective overloads you will need both of these roles to be the core of your tactic. And naturally they will probably be among your best players, ones to build the rest of the formation around. This is simply due to the attributes needed for their roles. The Deep Shadow Striker role incidentally requires some of the similar attributes needed for the Trequartista. Except perhaps the passing skill and range. Just like the Trequartista he will need to be exceptionally intelligent in order to know how best to exploit any space that opens up. Also he will need good physicals and technicals (finishing and dribbling) to give him the offensive edge.

Not surprisingly you will need to start with a pretty strong team if you want to test this tactic effectively. Relative to your league of course. I chose the current Chelsea squad for my own test. My choice was governed by the fact that Werner, Havertz and Pulisic are on the roster from the start.

 The Bundesliga Trio - Chelsea's bright future

The average age of this former Bundesliga Stars Trio is 22 y.o. So it gives them much potential to improve and really grow into their essential roles in the tactic. They can easily become my best players to build the rest of the formation around.

Here you can see how I set-up the rest of the team around the core of Havertz, Werner and Pulisic. The three key roles are set, while the others might still change as the tactic evolves. To me the individual mentalities of the players are far more important. These individual mentalities will drive the slow build-up and progressive possession that I am looking to recreate. But they also are not final as much testing still remains.

In my opinion, most good football tactics are build around the team's best players. You want to get the most out of your stars to succeed in the game. And I believe that Chelsea can be an absolute powerhouse, even from the start. One just needs to find a way to activate their young stars. This experiment will partly be about that, developing possession tactics that let your stars shine. Regardless of club. But it will also be about finding the right Team Mentality to achieve Total Football style in FM21. But more on that in Part 2 coming soon.

Little Side Note

Finally, a little a note regarding my choice of club for this test. At first glance the tactics seems to be too dependent on unique selection of players that only Chelsea has. But in truth I was torn between several top half clubs before settling on the Blues. Just to give two examples, Lazio in Italy and Spain's Atletico Madrid also have the right set-up for this tactic. They might even do better as both possess more technical players overall. Lazio has Immobile and Caicedo to fill the Pressing Forward Role, Luis Alberto as Trequartista and Lazzari in CBW role.

Although Lazzari might not be the best due to his low finishing and being exclusively right footed. Ideally, you really want someone to cut inside in the final third. Yet playing him might give a new dimension to the tactic. More along the lines of having an unmarked player to deliver quick crosses to your striker to latch unto.

In Atletico's case, you also have a squad with ideal candidates for the three core roles. The Deep Shadow Striker role alone could be filled by no less than three. That is Lodi, Carrasco and Lemar. Then you have both Diego Costa and Suarez competing for the Pressing Forward role. And of course your Trequartista would be none other than Joao Felix. He was born for that role.

So there you have it. In the end I chose Chelsea because I prefered the challenge in Premier League and the satisfaction of developing its young attacking core. But your choices are probably many. And I would love to hear about what other clubs and players you think would fit my criteria.

Tactical Addendum

This wouldn't be an article on FM tactics without at least a little demonstration of overloads in action. I apologize in advance that there is no video. I still haven't found a way to upload a game highlight to YouTube. And I am not technological enough to use external video capture techniques. But I hope that the following two images can convey to you what I talked about.

The above shows the player positioning at the start of Chelsea (blue) move that eventually ended with a Pulisic goal. You can clearly see the 6 player overload that drew at least 7 of the opposition players on the left. The Winger (Hudons-Odoi) and DLP(Kovavic) are controlling the ball by passing it between eachother and the Inverted Wingback Alonso. In the meantime the CWB Pulisic, our Deep Shadow Striker, together with his Inside Forward partner has managed to isolate the lone opposition fullback in 2v1 on the right flank.

A quick pass from our IWB and Pulisic finds himself with the ball and in prime position for a run towards goal. Like a hot knife through butter he cuts through the defence. The opposition is scrambling back into position to block his entry but its already too late. They are no match to his acceleration and ability off the ball

Its a neat little move that took about 10 seconds in total. And its something that I'm starting to see more of as the season proper is starting. Of course as our opposition improves there will be need for adjustments. But overall the foundation is set for the tactic. So in the next update I will discuss how our chosen Team Mentality is effecting the strategy and the contributions of instructions, roles and individual mentalities. At that point the tactic would be ready for you test yourself. For now, thanks for reading!

 

 

Edited November 30, 2020 by crusadertsar

[04texag]

Love this update! I see a lot of similarities between what we are both doing, in slightly different takes on total football. I agree with you on several fronts, first, in feeling like Sisyphus last year, in loving the new overloads, and in loving the ability to play with a successful number 10. It's funny, I'm using Lazio, and have commented that I would love to use my tactic with Chelsea, and yet you're doing the exact opposite.

 

[crusadertsar]

1 hour ago, 04texag said:

Love this update! I see a lot of similarities between what we are both doing, in slightly different takes on total football. I agree with you on several fronts, first, in feeling like Sisyphus last year, in loving the new overloads, and in loving the ability to play with a successful number 10. It's funny, I'm using Lazio, and have commented that I would love to use my tactic with Chelsea, and yet you're doing the exact opposite.

 

Haha world works in mysterious ways. Lazio is a great choice. I was also tempted to try this with Atletico. That's the problem, now I look at clubs and see deep shadow striker candidates everywhere lol. But i dont think it's ever a good idea for me to run more than two saves. Too many save ideas not enough time 

[04texag]

2 minutes ago, crusadertsar said:

But i dont think it's ever a good idea for me to run more than two saves. Too many save ideas not enough time

I understand that completely. My issue is too many ideas and I try them all in one save! Well, that used to be my problem, but I've gotten better about sticking to a long term plan.

I'm very intrigued by this deep shadow striker. I mean, Pulisic in a wingback slot?! Lazzari is great for me as a CWB, but like you mentioned, not the best goal scorer. I did just pick up Wijndal on a transfer and think he could do it well, he's got better finishing and plays on the left. Plus he's dutch, so a win from a TF heritage standpoint.

[Kharza_FM]

16 minutes ago, 04texag said:

I mean, Pulisic in a wingback slot?!

Try him as a Mezzala like role.. Ozil inspired me to go back to FM 18 (good lord that match engine is so much better than FM 20..) and start my own Total Football youth project with BvB.  3 goals 8 assists in 12 games so far.

 

Edited November 30, 2020 by Kharza_FM

[yonko]

@Kharza_FM

FM21 Match Engine is the best one we have had for a long time. It's much better than FM17 or FM18. 

[crusadertsar]

5 hours ago, 04texag said:

I understand that completely. My issue is too many ideas and I try them all in one save! Well, that used to be my problem, but I've gotten better about sticking to a long term plan.

I'm very intrigued by this deep shadow striker. I mean, Pulisic in a wingback slot?! Lazzari is great for me as a CWB, but like you mentioned, not the best goal scorer. I did just pick up Wijndal on a transfer and think he could do it well, he's got better finishing and plays on the left. Plus he's dutch, so a win from a TF heritage standpoint.

Hell of a player that Dutch kid! He will do great.

And I know Pulisic as Wingback right!? Crazy! But it actually works. As long as I keep the other flank's inverted wingback more conservative. And I actually remember the press discussing how Bosz used Pulisic as a sort of pseudo-fullback when at Dortmund (and he would probably make an amazing mezzala as @Kharza_FM shows and Bosz also played him as a central midfielder incidentally). What an amazing versatile player! Chelsea are so lucky to have him. So got me thinking what a great wingback he would be given his attributes. You know going back to that original Brazilian model of wingbacks. Back then in Brazilian Jogo Bonito style wingbacks were essentially withdrawn wingers/wide attackers (hense the name as opposed to defensive fullbacks). Like the legend himself Carlos Alberto 

In FM20 I dreamed of recreating his role. Even wrote about it. I guess its bit of an obsession of mine 

 

[crusadertsar]

And Carlos Alberto's goal ... always going to be my greatest goal ever. Can you believe that he is playing as a wingback here?! Hopefully Pulisic can recreate some of that magic. 

 

Edited December 1, 2020 by crusadertsar

[pedromanuelpinto]

On 29/11/2020 at 13:46, Fantasista10 said:

 

Appreciate that guys, thanks! 

As I am sure you know, when taking over a lower league club there is a lot of 'set up' work to do before you get started. Such as bringing in good coaching staff, scouts and obviously evaluating whether or not you have the players to play a certain way - which a lot of the time you probably don't. Then there is the lack of resources! But all this is part of the fun of Lower League Management  

For starters, I had two formations in mind: a 4-3-3 (always my go to) and a 4-2-3-1 which I was keen to replicate after reading your thread @04texag. Despite the two (slightly) differing shapes, my aim was always to  maintain the same ‘identity’ and play style in both shapes. However, once I loaded up the game and took a look at the Palermo squad it was evident that a 4-2-3-1 was going to be difficult as the squad surprisingly did not have a single natural player in the AMC position. With funds limited, I did manage to bring in two players capable of playing there. However, with a pretty poor scouting team it was difficult to identify what roles they were best at before signing.

I often rotated between an Enganche and Trequartista (after reading @Rashidi's latest thread on a Bayern replication). Despite signing two players to play there, the 4-3-3 we were using in pre season actually gave me better results - including a draw against Serie B side Brescia and a narrow 1-0 defeat to Udinese.

From then on my mind was made up. I do want to go back and attempt a 4-2-3-1 in the future, perhaps when I have better suited players. There’s a certain romanticism about the No. 10 role in Italy, the Fantasista, (hence my name 😉) and with the sad passing of the legendary Diego Armando Maradona, I would love to get this role working in Italy. For now though, here is my 4-3-3:

The first thing you may notice is the use of a double Mezalla on Attack. This was not my original preference but I found when playing two IWB’s behind them, they need to be on Attack duties to create sufficient spacing between themselves. Subsequently, this means we have two direct runners within close proximity of the False 9.

It really is great to watch how the three ‘wide’ roles compliment each other. The IW’s typically hold the width but they will occasionally swap with either the IWB or MEZ on that side - especially if the IW cuts inside with the ball. This means we are always maintaining a passing triangle on the flanks and any of those players can take up the ‘Inside Low, Inside High and Inside Wide’ positions. I feel this shape really helps to create natural overloads - particularly out wide. I compliment this with Focus Play Through the Middle and the reason being is two fold:

• I want to get my best players on the ball more (my F9 and two MEZ) and in dangerous areas
• I don’t want us to focus all of our attacks out wide, especially as we already play wider

Here is a screenshot of the build up to one of my favourite goals so far in FM21. 

We have a throw in deep in the opposition half, the IWB (No.2) picks the ball up and begins to cut inside where he lays the ball off to the False 9 (Rojas) who is dropping deep and dragging defenders with him. Rojas then plays an intricate first time pass to my No. 6 (Luperini) who runs onto it and calmly slots it into the bottom right.

I would upload a video to show just how lovely this goal was but I haven't yet worked out how to do that on here. 

And this image shows our typical shape as we attack into the final third: 

Here we can see:

• A clear 2-3-5 shape in possession with the two IWB's tucking in and providing security for counter attacks and plenty passing options. 
• The width is provided by our two IW's on each flank - this is vital and I feel the 'Play Wider' instruction really helps to accentuate this. 
• The False 9 (Rojas) is willing and able to drop deep and pick up the ball, run at defenders and can pick out a pass to the flanks (which he does). Interestingly, Rojas is an AMC which I brought in on loan and have ended up training to play as an F9. This is a vital role as he helps provide a central presence whilst the Mezzala's operate slightly wider in the half spaces.

Overall I feel the structure of this system is vital to our current success. We don't have great players - four are rated as 'Decent Serie B players' with the rest of the squad operating at Serie C and D levels. Having said that, we are top of the league and unbeaten after 10 games, winning 9. Here are some fairly impressive stats thus far: 

We lead the league in almost every category except Goals, (although we are just two goals shy) Shots For, Tackles Won. I must also stress we did not start the season with this system - I began with a more typical 4-3-3 with CWB's and it was actually more stale in attack!

I do also have two other variations of the tactic however if anyone is interested. One is a 'Hybrid' of this shape and a more standard 4-3-3 with one side having a WB on Attack providing the width and an IF tucking in. The other system is a more conservative Balanced 2-3-5 shape in which I added Much Shorter Passing, Be More Disciplined and Hold Shape. 

Appreciate this was a fairly big update and I don't want to take over your excellent thread so I will stop here for now but feel free to ask any questions and provide any feedback  

Hi,

i would like to have success with Palermo, can you share the transfer window?

 Any tips?

[Fantasista10]

2 hours ago, pedromanuelpinto said:

Hi,

i would like to have success with Palermo, can you share the transfer window?

 Any tips?

Sure. As you can imagine funds were pretty limited, although I did manage to secure one permanent signing: 

Fabio Castellano, a former Atalanta academy product. I was after a creative midfielder who could operate in the AMC position (although I quickly abandoned that idea and reverted to a 4-3-3). He has played superbly well, creating and scoring a few. He has great mental attributes for this level, especially for someone so young. My hope is he will continue to develop as we progress through the leagues. I like his personality and determination - this was a key part of the signing as most of the squad have a 'Balanced' personality, which is something I am keen to change. 

Here is his profile: 

So as you can see we haven't improved the squad that much and I am more or less working with what we have. Having said that, we are clearly punching above our weight in comparison to the rest of the league:

It gets worse when we drill down into the positions but I won't bore you with that detail. The point is, the Palermo squad needs improving, especially if we move up to Serie B this season (which is likely based on our start to the season). Interesting to see how the squad fares at a higher level and what kind of funds we receive from the board. 

So my tips would be to first understand what style you want to play, and then identify any transfer targets that can fit that style (whether that is a free transfer, loan signing or permanent transfer) because you don't have a lot of cash to throw around - make it count. On a side note, our finances are 'Okay' but the club has recently reduced the amount of transfer percentage allocated to my budget to 30% as they are 'concerned about the wage bill'... 

Good luck with your save! Would love to see what you can do with this Palermo side.