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

[Rodpaco]

22 hours ago, Kevinmatt said:

My issue is i'm not creating many chances or scoring goals ive attached a sceenshot 

 

For what it's worth, I'd put Rashford on IF attack and Asensio on IW support. They fit each role perfectly.  Asensio is more of a playmaker type, while Rashford is faster and probably has better off the ball movement so he's better at running behind the defence. Even better if he has Beat Offside Trap PPM but I'm not sure.

Of course I'd also switch the full backs' roles (attack duty on the right, support duty on the left) to keep it consistent.

[Kevinmatt]

37 minutes ago, Rodpaco said:

For what it's worth, I'd put Rashford on IF attack and Asensio on IW support. They fit each role perfectly.  Asensio is more of a playmaker type, while Rashford is faster and probably has better off the ball movement so he's better at running behind the defence. Even better if he has Beat Offside Trap PPM but I'm not sure.

Of course I'd also switch the full backs' roles (attack duty on the right, support duty on the left) to keep it consistent.

Yes in the article i downloaded the tactic and Roles are swapped already so rashford is IF Atack and Sancho/Asensio on IW support.

 

Signed a backup have attached a screenshot to see if he will do;

 

Also does Positive work aswel as balanced? Worth a try and see woud it.

 

[Chapman7]

On 11/04/2022 at 23:13, crusadertsar said:

Most tactics in this game are highly dependent on the players you have. Get some awesome players that fit the tactical style to a "t" and you are halfway there. And by "awesome" I don't mean the best players in the world. Just the ones with suitable attributes. The players I get most excited about in FM22 are usually the ones that cost me around 10 million. Or even ones I get on loan. No need to Real Madrid or Bayern-like superteam here.

 

How do you find these players at a low fees? Scout certain regions or countries with certain minimum mental attributes & potential or just manually use player search? 
 

is there certain attributes you’d say you look for for each position or is it a general one for all positions 

 

[Garrlor]

19 hours ago, Kevinmatt said:

Yes in the article i downloaded the tactic and Roles are swapped already so rashford is IF Atack and Sancho/Asensio on IW support.

 

Signed a backup have attached a screenshot to see if he will do;

 

Also does Positive work aswel as balanced? Worth a try and see woud it.

 

So if you break it down - OTB 16, ANT 13, DEC 13. I would guess that he will likely make runs though not always at the right time or to the right place. But his highish Teamwork and WR would see him try them even if they dont come off. He isnt slow, he is balanced and agile and can finish with decent Composure, Technique and Finishing. Icing on the cake is gets into the area, cuts inside from the left and Plays one Twos. Pair him with a midfielder or striker with the one twos trait and you will probably see some nice moves into the box.

In a higher mentality I would probably play him as an IF(Su) to keep some defensive shape as he will still get into the box a lot.

[crusadertsar]

On 13/04/2022 at 13:21, Chapman7 said:

How do you find these players at a low fees? Scout certain regions or countries with certain minimum mental attributes & potential or just manually use player search? 
 

is there certain attributes you’d say you look for for each position or is it a general one for all positions 

 

I basically manually search for players. And then narrow in on the ones i find more interesting, aka with the sets of attributes required for the role I'm looking for. So for my wide attacker, I absolutely need someone with great Off the Ball and Finishing. Then Composure, Anticipation, Decisions, and Acceleration need to be more than average but not exceptional. And he can dribble then that's always a bonus but not a requirement.

Edited April 16, 2022 by crusadertsar

[kalongtongan]

32 minutes ago, crusadertsar said:

I absolutely need someone with great Off the Ball and Finishing. Then Composure, Anticipation, Decisions, and Acceleration need to be more than average if not exceptional. And he can dribble then that's always a bonus but not a requirement.

good reference for my player search criteria, thanks. an average of 12-13 on the attributes above is it enough?

Edited April 16, 2022 by kalongtongan

[Skywalk3r83]

My Ajax save is bugging for me, no real Dutch squad etcetera and couldn’t get de name fix working so I started a new save last night and I’m going to use this 433😄👌🏻  Let’s see if Haller can be useful as a CF. 

Edited April 18, 2022 by Skywalk3r83

[crusadertsar]

One Bulgarian in Spain: Building a Total Football Dream Team 

Another story in my long-running Total Football Journeyman series. FM games change but Total Football is always there. In FM20 it was Roma then in FM21 it was Real Sociedada. Now it is time for Villareal to have its own Total Football Dream Team. If you wish to read the story in its original formatting then you can check it out in the following link: https://dictatethegame.com/total-football-journeyman-story-of-one-bulgarian-in-spain/

Almost 30 years to this day, on May 20, 1992, Johan Cruyff's Barcelona Dream Team won its first Champions League title (European Cup at the time). In 1990s they went on to win 4 consecutive LaLiga titles, an achievement that previously only belonged to Real Madrid. The Dream Team was one of the best collections of footballers to ever wear Barcelona's kit. And every single one of these players was handpicked by Cruyff based on their ability to play by his rules. The rules of Total Football.

Johan Cruyff's Dream Team

To mould Barcelona into a Total Football super-club, Cruyff needed to assemble a very special team. A team consisting almost entirely of "Total Footballers". This monumental recruitment lasted about 3 years from 1988 to 1991, when the fruits of Cruyff's labour started to bear.

At Barça, he brought in players such as Pep Guardiola, Jose Mari Bakero, Ronald Koeman, Michael Laudrup, Romario, Gheorghe Hagi and Hristo Stoichkov. Some of them were already superstars in their own countries before joining Cruyff's Dream Team. So getting them all to play together was a truly special, and at times challenging, project. But what they all had in common was that they were all "Total Footballers". By definition veru well-rounded players who excelled in playing in both attack and defence. Only extremely determined, hard-working players with teamwork-first mentality could adapt to Cruyff's grueling football philosophy. He needed players that could work collectively as a unit and cover every single foot of the pitch. In such an exceptional group, Hristo Stoichov stands out even more. A crowing jewel in Cruyff's masterpiece. At the time of his arrival at Barca, he was heralded by supporters as an almost messianic figure.

With the Total Football's God Cruyff at the helm, the youthful and resurgent Barcelona was primed to break Real Madrid's stranglehold over La Liga. Prior to his move to Barcelona, young Stoichkov already made a name for himself as the best Bulgarian footballer of his time and the best forward in Europe. He was rewarded for his goals-scoring ability with a European Golden Shoe in 1990. That same year, Cruyff became obsessed with bringing the hotshot Bulgarian to Barcelona for the 1990-1991 season. And like in all of his endeavors, nothing could stand in the way of Mr. Total Football.

In Spain, Stoichkov quickly showcased his full potential, playing an important role in the 1992 European Cup title win. In only his sophomore season with the team. Under Cruyff's tutelage, Stoichkov quickly developed into one of the most prolific forwards in the world. But aside from all the trophies and awards won by Stoichkov, his biggest accomplishment is that he developed into a Total Footballer par excellence.

The Birth of A Total Footballer

At the time when Cruyff was trying to mould Barca into the world's first Total Football super-club, his Bulgarian wonderkid had all the required attributes for the Dutchman's favoured style. Stoichkov was an incredibly versatile player. A complete package. A powerful and physically strong athlete who was most famous for his physicality and explosive pace, acceleration and dribbling at speed. He also possessed an incredible drive to succeed. A "driven" player in every sense of that word. It earned him his nicknames "El Pisolero" (Gunsligner) and "Камата" (Dagger in his native Bulgarian). But also led him into trouble. At times Stoichkov's explosively aggressive temper got the best of him.

Nevertheless, Stoichkov's exceptional dedication to the game and determined drive was exactly what Cruyff was looking for. These qualities helped Stoichkov in becoming a unique sought-after player and one of the most lethal and versatile forwards. But he started his footballing education as a defensive fullback on the left wing. Playing as a fullback allowed him to perfect not only his crossing ability but also his work-rate linked with more defensive responsibilities. Later playing at Barca, allowed him to hone his more creative side as a supporting forward.

Playing alongside the pure goal-scorer Romario, revealed that Stoichkov could also be a very creative and technically gifted player. He often played through the middle in the creative attacking midfielder role. Or as a secondary striker capable of providing key assists for his teammates. This led the Bulgarian to forming a lethal partnership with Romario.

 

"That season [1993-1994] Romario and Stoichkov were a force of nature, blowing everyone and everything to bits."

- Football writer Sid Lowe on Romario-Stoichkov striker partnership at Barcelona

 

Stoichkov did not become Barca's model Total Footballer until 1993/94 season when Romario, Cruyff's Dream striker, arrived from PSV Eindhoven.

Romario de Souza Faria of PSV outplays goalkeeper Silviu Lung and one super-tired defender of Steaua Bucharest.

Romario and Stoichkov quickly developed chemistry when played together. Due to Romario's pure instincts as a central goal-scorer Stoichkov had to move to the flank. This however allowed Stoichkov to further improve as a footballer. This time honing his skills in a wide attacking creator role. So after years playing as a fullback, winger and striker he now completed his skillset by becoming one of Barca's best supporting wingers. As a wide creative attacker in Cruyff's 3-4-3 Diamond, the Bulgarian thrived. He was granted tactical freedom to terrorize from deep with endless pinpoint passes towards the Brazilian. Their interplay was instrumental in securing Barcelona's 4th consecutive La Liga title.

In the game, it's hard to find a player like Stoichkov or a role that would suit such a player. At Villareal (in 2023/24 season), the one player who could potentially grow into Stoichkov-style attacking/creative force is Yeremy Pino. In many ways, the young Spaniard is developing into a similarly well-rounded attacker like the Bulgarian was.

He definitely possess Hristo's exceptional dribbling, pace and creative capability. If not exactly the same level of goal-scoring prowess. But there is potential for him to become more clinical in front of the goal. Just need to improve finishing and ability to exploit space (off the ball).

Like finding the right player, choosing the suitable role for your wide Total Footballer is not easy. There is no role in the game that does everything you'll want this player to do. Sometimes, you must create a hybrid role by fiddling with a generic role within the game. Preferably a role that does not have many hardcoded individual instructions.

Such as an Inverted Winger. It is actually a perfect starting platform for creating a wide Total Footballer role. For this reason it is one of my favourite roles in the game. Because it's so flexible in its individual instructions, you can really modify it into a role that you need.

It's a wide attacker role, but does not cross more or dribble to the byline like a winger would. While it tends to cut inside, it can also be instructed to stay wider. And you can further reduce the inside forward-like behavior if you play a same foot as the wing player here. Nor is it a ball magnet like your typical wide playmaker. So even though you can give it playmaking tasks, it can still act as your attacking runner/space exploiter. My dream is to find a player that combines playmaking and attacking the space in a similar manner to Stoichkov. Or to those born after 1990, Thomas Müller.

Thomas Müller = Mr. Versatility. A much more technical and tactically intelligent player than then your typical goal-scoring forward. His greater technical skill, vision and creativity makes him more elusive and harder to mark. Thus an ideal player to make the best of any chances created by his #9 striker partner. Thomas Muller. Someone who is almost like a poacher in his single-minded drive to find pockets of space to exploit. But at the same time is very hard-working. Work ethic coupled with great vision and football IQ can help player craft chances for himself or others when none exist. Your perfect attacking player.

So to summarize, my ideal "Stoichkov" role has two responsibilities:

1st Responsibility: Chance creation.

2nd Responsibility: Finishing chances created by the #9 Striker. Scoring goals through hard work and smart manipulation of space.

Key Attributes: Off The Ball, Decisions, Anticipation, Finishing, Composure, Vision, Acceleration, Pace, Teamwork, Passing and Workrate.

Defensive Positioning: Starts positioned between midfield and attack. In a deeper position to better assess the situation in front of him and to pick up any back-passes, headers from the central striker. This is the reason why I chose Support duty for my modified Inverted Winger role. In my tactic there is virtually no difference between Support and Attack duty IWs. They both have the same mentality and can be given the same individual instructions. But most importantly, the Support duty Inverted Winger will start in a deep position than his Attack duty counterpart.

Stoichkov The Manager - Following In The Footsteps of Cruyff

Unlike his one-time mentor and manager, Johan Cruyff, Stoichkov didn't start off his own managerial career with the same rate of success. He bounced around a variety of managing jobs ranging from Bulgarian National Team, South African Premier League and back to Bulgaria's giant CSKA Sofia. At one point Stoichkov even had a short disappointing stint back in Spain. This time around as a manager of Celta de Vigo. That job only lasted for a few months as he was sacked following the team's slump in the league.

Yet, in life there is always room for second chances. And all the best stories involve grabbing victory from the very brink of defeat.

The success story of Hristo Stoichkov is an example of how one should never give up on a dream. It is a story on an individual with an extraordinary drive to succeed in all aspects of football. That is because Stoichkov as a footballer who already tasted international glory during his playing career would not be fully satisfied until he succeed as a manager too. Very much like his teacher, Johan Cruyff. Despite many setbacks, Hristo Stoichkov would never give up on his dream of managing. For a good reason.

Like many stories in Football Manager, sometimes it takes many failed starts with different clubs before you can finally settle upon a successful formula. The key is never to give up.

Building a Total Football Super-Team

In Stoichkov's case, finally at Villareal he was able to find a club that matched his level of ambition. But it has not been easy. Almost three full seasons later and Villareal is still looking for its first La Liga title. It has been challenging with the likes of world-class Real Madrid, Barcelona and even bitter local rival Valencia getting in the way of league glory. Although at least with Spanish Cup, Stoichkov's Villareal had far more success. With the Bulgarian at the helm, they managed to win two Copa Del Rey trophies in two consecutive years. And have advanced to the yet another final in 2024. This historic game (and potentially 3rd cup title for Villareal) will be played on April 20 against Real Madrid. Yet domestic cup victories are mere consolation prizes for any manager with his sights set on the league title and Champions League trophies.

So without any La Liga or Champions League titles to show for his success, why have Hristo Stoichkov and his Villareal garnered so much media attention? For once there his ability to keep the club at the top of a very competitive league. In the last two seasons, they managed to finish 3rd and 2nd. While in 2024, their title hopes are not finished.

On a larger scale, what makes Stoichkov's handling of Villareal stand out is his commitment to getting the best out of his current players and developing youth. He is not one to spend big on the transfer market. It is because he understands that buying trophies is never a viable option for a club without the financial power of Real Madrid or Barcelona. Stoikhov has taken the other path to glory. That is by nourishing homegrown talent and giving opportunities to youngsters that other clubs would not play because they need to give more game time to their own expensively-bought stars.

The example of Yeremy Pino you already saw. But there are also other homegrown stars that were able to reach their full potential under Stoikhov's leadership. Players such as Manu Morlanes.

 

This Total Footballer's value has more than tripled in the last 2 years. Deservedly he and Juan Foyth have formed a solid-as-rock 1st choice pairing in Villareal's midfield. The Argentinian is a perfect example of the kind of versatility that Stoichkov looks for in his players. Foyth is a dynamo capable in both attack and defence and able to play everywhere from midfield to left flank.

Finally, giving second chances to castoffs from other clubs has become a running theme at Stoichkov's Villareal. Players like Joao Resende who stagnated in their home club's B team or on loan in less prestigious leagues, have flourished after only a short time at Villareal. Resende's 16 goals in 30 games is only one sign of how well the 21 y.o has integrated into Villareal's 1st team squad.

Cristobal Regal is another such example of targeted player recruitment. After graduating from Real Hispalis' renown academy in 2022 he was not getting game time at high enough level to match his skills. And a very impressive skillset it is! Great jumping reach and strength coupled with exceptional flair, first touch and technique. All combined in one hard-working package. This rare combination in one so young is exactly what attracted Villareal scouts. But in the end it was Stoichkov's insistence that convinced Villareal directors to take a chance of a Spanish wonderkid. Now he is tied down for a long-term 2 year loan with an optional $17 million fee at the end. Seeing how Regal has developed since joining the club, the fee will be more than worth it.

These youngsters' fast development is partly due to the high level of training facilities and coaching that Hristo insisted upon. You cannot create a Total Footballer factory without investing in the major facilities and personnel.

State-of-the-art facilities are nothing without skilled personnel to run them. And Stoichkov, who honed his own skills at Barcelona's world-class training grounds, knows this better than ever. While at Barca he had the best coaches to help him develop into the top-class class. Having a large coaching team sometimes can be even more important having a world-class squad. Football stars age and retire after a few years but coaches and trainers can work for decades helping to develop class after class of fresh recruits. Best teams in the world stay at the top not because of how much proven talent they buy but because of how much they invest in future talent.

The final piece in the puzzle that is Hristo Stoichkov's unlikely success at Villareal lies in the Bulgarian manager's staunch commitment towards developing the future of the club - its youth. Despite giving chances to young players from other clubs, Stoichkov definitely did not neglect Villareal's own academy graduates. Although he decided to give his own unique twist on the youth intakes at the club.

As an immigrant who left his native country behind in search of fortune in Europe, Stoichkov has not forgotten his Balkan roots. Hailing from the picturesque city of Plovdiv in Bulgaria, Stoichkov helped to put Bulgaria on the footballing map of Europe in the early 1990s. Alongside other talented countrymen like Yordan Lechkov and Krasimir Balakov, Stoichkov spearheaded the real "golden generation" of Bulgarian National Team. This era culminated at 1994 World Cup where Bulgaria reached the semi-final. Ultimately they lost against Italy but the 4th place finish still remains Bulgaria's best international performance.

Team photo of Bulgaria 1994 World Cup Squad, from right: National coach Dimitar Penev, Emil Kostadinov, Zlatko Yankov, Goalkeeper Borislav Mikhailov, Yordan Letchkov, Trifon Ivanov, Nasko Sirakov, front Ilyan Kiryakov, Tsanko Tsvetanov, Hristo Stoichkov, Petar Houbchev, Krasimir Balakov.

At the conclusion of the tournament, Hristo Stoichkov was awarded the Golden Boot which he shared with Russian Oleg Salenko as the top two scorers in the tournament. Stoichkov and Krasimir Balakov was named in the 1994 World Cup Dream Team. Then in December of 1994, Stoichkov was awarded the FIFA Ballon D'Or trophy for his skills and leadership. He became the first Bulgarian and third Barcelona player to win this trophy. Undeniably, Stoichkov's international success fuelled the dreams of the generation of Bulgarian footballers born after.

The Architect of Bulgaria's Next Golden Generation

Shortly after taking over manager duties at Estadio de la Ceramica, Stoichkov decided to create an important long-term link between the Spanish club and his native country. A link that is already starting to bear considerable fruits.

The Balkans and Bulgaria are an important football region that produces a lot of raw talent. But unfortunately countries like Bulgaria still do not possess adequate facilities to help their young footballers reach their full potential. Even the top flight clubs like CSKA Sofia cannot match the quality of infrastructure that Barcelona's La Masia has. So if one could bring these youngsters to state-of-the-art training facilities then it would theoretically be a match made in heaven? That is what Stoichkov betting on in his long-term Bulgarian investment. A low-cost investment which Villareal's directors are hoping will pay back tenfold in the future.

And honestly, the valuable fruits of this Spanish-Bulgarian link-up are already starting to grow. A few of the Bulgarian-born youths that entered the last two academy intakes will pursue their football education in Spain. Hopefully, the access to the top-of-the-line facilities and world-class coaches will help them in reaching their full potential.

Players such as 17 y.o Deyan Markov. A product of CSKA 1948 Sofia academy who decided to continue his education in Spain. He did not stay with Villareal's under-19 squad for how long however. After only a few months in Spain, he has developed to the point that he already earned himself a spot in Villareal's B Team in the 3rd tier of Spanish football pyramid. A truly exciting prospect who is not far from the First Team level.

Another Bulgarian prospect who is not far from the First Team level is Tsvetomir Krumov. He is only 16 years old but is already touted as a generational talent in defensive midfield. Perhaps Villareal's very own Sergio Busquets in the making.

And then finally, Hristo Stoichkov's son Ivan has joined the academy last year. To his father's great satisfaction, he followed in his footballing step. Although not as a forward but as a goal-keeper. And he is developing into a pretty decent one so far.

Well, if you read this far...Then here is a little bonus for you. Just wanted to let you know that Hristo Stoichkov and everyone at Villareal has a good reason to celebrate tonight!

 

[skyline72]

Fantastic update as always!

[Tibalg]

Is is Hristo’s son already 😁? 
 

And it seems you changed your previous 4-3-3 setup to go back to your « favorite » 3-4-3 Total Footballer one 😎

[crusadertsar]

22 hours ago, Tibalg said:

Is is Hristo’s son already 😁? 
 

And it seems you changed your previous 4-3-3 setup to go back to your « favorite » 3-4-3 Total Footballer one 😎

Good observations  

Definitely Hristo's son. At least my virtual Stoichkov and not the real one of course. Born in Plovdiv too. Although not sure why he has Cameroonian 2nd nationality. Maybe got that through his mother? 

[oskumustatuli]

1 hour ago, crusadertsar said:

Good observations  

Definitely Hristo's son. At least my virtual Stoichkov and not the real one of course. Born in Plovdiv too. Although not sure why he has Cameroonian 2nd nationality. Maybe got that through his mother? 

But whats going on with the brother called René Henriksen? Scandinavian souveniers?

[crusadertsar]

3 hours ago, oskumustatuli said:

But whats going on with the brother called René Henriksen? Scandinavian souveniers?

 OMG didn't even see that one before! Will now have to look him up to see if he is any good. I guess Hristo got kids everywhere. Or at least his virtual game version. 

[JoOSTAR]

@crusadertsar Is it possible for you to share your savegame with us?

I would love to explore your savegame to see your tactics, history, setup, actually everything 

[crusadertsar]

4 minutes ago, JoOSTAR said:

@crusadertsar Is it possible for you to share your savegame with us?

I would love to explore your savegame to see your tactics, history, setup, actually everything 

Sure I will upload it and post it here shortly if people are interested.

[crusadertsar]

@JoOSTAR Here is the download link for the save game as requested: https://ufile.io/e1oopyhm

Enjoy 

[specialrequest]

been trying to recreate cruyff’s 3-diamond-3 formation in fm for a number of years now. consider myself a football nerd and have read about his ajax & barcelona teams for hours on end. i created a save with barcelona early in fm22 with the cruyff formation but got bored of it. currently i am ajax manager in 2022/23 season with a 4-3-3 formation that in attack becomes a 3-diamond-3, similar to 10/11 barcelona and pep’s current man city side. i think i am going to do another season with this tactic as i don’t have the defenders to make it work atm, but i’ve never got the cruyff diamond to work fully in fm and it’s something that’s bugged me for ages. if you need help building this tactic i can help as i’ve tested it extensively in fm this year.

[specialrequest]

Just now, specialrequest said:

been trying to recreate cruyff’s 3-diamond-3 formation in fm for a number of years now. consider myself a football nerd and have read about his ajax & barcelona teams for hours on end. i created a save with barcelona early in fm22 with the cruyff formation but got bored of it. currently i am ajax manager in 2022/23 season with a 4-3-3 formation that in attack becomes a 3-diamond-3, similar to 10/11 barcelona and pep’s current man city side. i think i am going to do another season with this tactic as i don’t have the defenders to make it work atm, but i’ve never got the cruyff diamond to work fully in fm and it’s something that’s bugged me for ages. if you need help building this tactic i can help as i’ve tested it extensively in fm this year.

if you wondering how i’ve created a 433 which becomes a 3diamond3 in attack it’s through having a FB on defend and an IWB on attack, then a mezzala on attack and a CM on attack as this position takes up very central positions in the match engine. 

[-Jef-]

One of the actions from last game with my newest attempt at Pep City type of ball. Also first game with this tactic. DLF has roam more, WM on both sides have stay wider. That's all PI

 

 

 

[specialrequest]

has anyone actually done a couple seasons in this years fm with a 3 diamond 3 formation with wingers not wide mids? 

[crusadertsar]

Benefit of Targetman in Total Football - Or my Simple Tips to Breaking Down a Parked Bus In FM22

There are two things in Football Manager that can pose a challenge to even the most seasoned FM players. They are 1) setting up a low block tactic that's actually successful, and 2) breaking an opponent's low block, aka "parked bus". Realistically, these two tactical concepts are also not easy to execute in real life. Very few teams can actually pull off a good parked bus against superior opposition. Facing a parked bus is similarly dreaded by real-life managers. Experience has showed that even the most technical attacking team can grind to a halt against a well-executed parked bus. Some managers, like Jose Mourinho, have even made their whole career of perfecting the art of low block football. Pragmatic Football if you're Mourinho fan. Consequently, this article aims to examine the theory behind setting up a low block in order to understand how to break down such ultra-defensive system.

The key to breaking down "Parked Bus" low block is in creating space. And this can in turn be achieved through using width and creativity. A number of formations, such as a 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3, are good options for bus breaking tactics. But in the end, it is not so much the formation but the roles and the movement of the players that makes the biggest impact. In both above-mentioned formations you have creative attacking midfielders attacking through the middle of the field. In 4-2-3-1 you could have up to three attacking midfielders overloading the centre of the pitch. While in 4-3-3, two inside forwards cut inside into the central space. And both formations employ wingbacks to bomb forward and provide width. But irrespective of the formation, what really matters is how you employ your creative players to create width against a low block.

Parked Bus - What is it?

But first a quick look at what defines a "parked bus". The oldest trick in the tactics book is that in order to defeat them you need to know them. How does one "park the bus" exactly?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LF-K-ta9PI

As we already established, a parked bus tactical system is foremost a low block system. That is, it's a defensive tactic where players defend very deep in their own half. At the same time, they restrict space for their opponents to exploit. Unlike the much more proactive, high-pressing defending of Geggenpress, there isn't much movement from a team playing a low block. It's a very static form of defence. Not that this makes it an inferior tactic. To the contrary, low block can be an effective strategy. It's good at what it aims at. And that is obstructing opposition offence by overloading the key central areas, getting the ball back and counter-attacking quickly when it's safe to do so. Managers using low block tactics don't care about maintaining possession or pressing high up the field. They just don't want to concede any goals, even if that means not scoring any.

What all parked buses have in common is the propensity for two banks of four. Therefore, the 4-4-2 and 4-1-4-1 are the most common formation for such a defensive approach. These two formations allow a good base for defensive stability. Another advantage is that they allow 1-2 players further up the field to take advantage of any counter-attack opportunities. Both formations are much more conservative on the wings when compared with 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3. In 4-4-2 and 4-1-4-1 you use wide midfielders rather than speedy wingers. This is done in order to maintain more compact, defensively-responsible midfield rather than stretch the opposition defence on the flanks.

Crashing The Bus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-yqkJjglLM

Having understood what a parked bus is, the next natural step is to look at how to break the bus down. Crash that bus, if you can! As I mentioned before, there are two tactical tools that any manager can use in order to score against even the most stalwart of low blocks. Creative technical players and width.

As you can see in the image above, a red team plays with a low-block 4-4-2 (or 4-4-1-1) and stays quite narrow. They are very good at populating the middle of the pitch and the half-space. These are the two areas where most possession-focused teams will want to play through. By blocking this space, a low-block team is denying most scoring opportunities for their opponents. But as is also apparent in the image, by overloading the middle, the defending team leaves the wings largely undefended. This invites the attacking team to concentrate their attacks there, especially in the form of crosses. And this is where the wingbacks play an essential role.

Your wingbacks need to excel at leading your attack on the flanks. That entails making well-timed crosses or sometimes short layoff passes to the on-rushing midfielders. And always making marauding dribbles to keep opposition wide players occupied. When the wingbacks get forward, the opposition wide midfielders and fullbacks will be drawn wide, stretching the defensive line and making the team less compact in the middle. Thus neutralizing the main strength of a low-block.

In turn this opens up more room in the half-spaces for your wide forwards/attacking midfielders to cut into. It's important to have pacey dribblers in these positions as they will be better at getting behind opposition defenders. Both 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 present strong tactical options here. The two formations rely on wingbacks providing width while the pacey inside forwards attack centrally. It is a neat parry and riposte move that is aimed at exposing the low block's main weakness (flanks). And at the same time neutralize its strength (central compactness). The wingbacks attract the opponent's wide players to the flanks and create a lot of space centrally. Instead of facing two red team players in the half-spaces there is now only one. As a result, the blue team’s attacking midfielders can cut inside into the half-spaces and have a much better chance of getting a clear-cut chance on goal.

And just like that the parked bus's two banks of four advantage is neutralized. The defending team's two centrebacks and two midfielders, that remain central, are now facing four attackers. Equal footing, or so it seems at first. And this brings us to the second important element in breaking down parked buses: creativity. Especially creativity in your attacking midfielders and inside forwards. Naturally, any team can benefit from having unpredictable flashy players capable of breaking down defences with a dribble or a pin-point pass to the striker.

Creativity - Low Block's Kryptonite

When setting up my tactic, I usually designate one of my wide attackers as the side's creative pivot. An unofficial playmaker if you will. I do not want him to act as a ball-magnet, and hence the Inverted Winger role is perfect. I prefer to use such a player on the wing as opposed to the more traditional central playmaker position because it makes it harder for the opposition to mark him out. And if you have a very mobile player, it can help in creating more space by confusing the opponents. Especially when he cuts inside from the wing and plays like a more traditional attacking midfielder.

Part of the puzzle is in finding the right player to put into the role of your creative catalyst. Oftentimes you'll need a truly exceptional footballer to boost the creativity for your whole formation. But if 2 or 3 of your attacking players (inside forwards and more offensive midfielders) possess the required technical and mental (especially flair) abilities then you are in business! For instance lets break down my current attacking quartet at Villareal.

The Left Central Midfield (Morlanes) and Right Attacking Midfield (Resende) positions are where I play my most creative attackers. In these roles, firstly I look for players with excellent Off-the-ball, Dribbling and mobility (Pace and/or Acceleration). This is because I want them to attack space and provide goal threat before opposition can react to their movement. Or via intelligent late runs in the case of my less speedy LCM. For this reason, his Off-the-ball and Longshots are especially important.

And this is my first choice for Left Inside Forward - Joao Resende, young Portuguese sensation.

Since joining Villarreal, the graduate of Benfica famed academy turned into one of the most clinical wide attackers in La Liga. Last season alone (his first with Villarreal) he scored 25 goals! In the current season (2024/25) he is on pace to exceed this with 18 goals in 18 appearances so far. Some FM players have been complaining of the difficulty of getting their Inside Forwards to perform (and especially post good ratings). I have not seen this at all with my IFs. If anything they are usually the players that outperform on my teams in FM22, regularly posting 7+ ratings. There is nothing wrong with wide attackers in FM22 (nor FM21 for that matter). The trick is getting the right player (with ideal key attributes) for the role. And playing him in formation build around getting the best out of his skillset.

The most important attributes for my CML, AML and AMR players are still mental ones since they contribute the most to their creativity. Aside from the obvious technicals such as Passing and Technique. For example even though Cristobal Regal might not be the most technical player, he more than makes up for this via his exceptional mental attributes. Especially in one so young.

A rather exceptional player with a unique attribute set. Also, a good candidate for that rare Wide Targetman role. It's one of the reasons I love it when game's generated players started taking over a few years into a save. When scouting through the real-life players at the start of your campaign, it's impossible to find a forward with that unique combination of jumping reach, technique and flair. His greatest strengths is definitely his elite Flair. Basically, the creativity rating of a player. The player's propensity to do something unpredictable to throw the opponent off of their game plan. An agile attacking player with top flair (18+) essentially becomes unmarkable.

Flair is an interesting attribute as it's essentially a measure of player's unpredictability. The higher it is, the more flashy moves the player can inject into his plays. High Flair players will keep the opposition defenders guessing and constantly on their toes. As an example, think on what players like Neymar or Eden Hazard bring to their respective teams.

Cruyff's Diamond and Jose Mari Bakero

One such "Flair" player at Cruyff's Barcelona was Jose Bakero. In fact, he played a key role in making up Dream Team's famously effective Diamond Midfield. A lot of Barcelona's creativity stemmed from the four players at the heart of Johan Cruyff's 3-4-3.

Yet Bakero was the key figure in Cruyff's "Third Man" concept in the midfield diamond. Basically, the strength of the midfield four-men diamond was having that extra midfielder (the 3rd man) to go up against two of opponent's midfielders. At the time most teams in Spain played with 4-4-2 with two-men midfields. While to counter this Johan Cruyff could at times field 4-5 players in his midfield (especially with the False 9 striker dropping deep). I can't stress enough how important it is to have one of your most creative players unmarked and able to craft out passes without too much opposition interference.

In my Villareal tactic (3-4-2-1 variation on 3-4-3) I have been trying to recreate the idea of a free Third Man. But I decided to do this through some creative positioning and player movement rather than recreating Cruyff's 3-4-3 diamond formation.

To stretch the opponent's defensive line was always part of Johan Cruyff’s Total Football battle plan. It's been proven to be one of the most effective ways to deal with a tightly-compressed defensive line of a typical Parked Bus. And let me tell you, Cruyff's Dream Team faced plenty of Parked Buses! So naturally Barca's formation was geared towards creating space for its players to get into. And against a compressed low-block the real emphasis should be on "creating" space. That is making space where none existed due to the nature of passive low-block defence clustering around their goal.

So while stretching the opposition wide and getting creative players to perform at their best (through a combination of attributes and roles) are certainly two piece of "breaking down opposition defence" puzzle. There is another less obvious but nevertheless equally important element in breaking down stubborn defences.

There was one major difference between Cruyff’s 3-4-3 Diamond and Rinus Michels’ original 4-3-3 Total Football formation. By playing only three defenders, Cruyff was able to add an additional midfielder at the top of the diamond. Located just behind the striker, the attacking midfielder, Jose Bakero, had a rather simple function. His role was not to hog the ball, dribble forward and take on players individually like a typical #10 playmaker. Instead, Cruyff wanted him to play short one-two passes with the two central midfielders as a way to open up opposition defences. One-Twos are especially useful when trying to progress the ball in situations where very little space is available.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBJCjlvqUog&t=44s

 

Short Pass Your Way to Victory in FM22

In FM22 “One-Twos” is a trait that increases the frequency of a player making a short pass to another teammate. And then immediately making himself available to receive the ball again, as he runs into a more advantageous position. 

For one-twos the key attributes are off-the-ball and teamwork as well as the obvious technicals (passing, first touch and vision).

 

Passing, Vision, First Touch, Off The Ball and obviously Teamwork are all essential attributes for one-twos. Your midfielders need to possess these attributes in order to achieve effective one-two passing patterns.

So firstly, both players involved in one-twos require excellent First Touch, Vision, Technique and Passing attributes in order to control the ball well and make a short pass quickly and accurately.

Then the player must have enough mobility (Acceleration and Agility) to move quickly into another position on the pitch to receive the pass from his partner. Then pass again if needed.

In order to receive the pass, spatial awareness and attacking movement play a great role. Thus both players involved in one-twos must have strong mental attributes. Particularly Decisions, Anticipation and Off The Ball to spot the pass and decide on the best time to run into it.

The player involved in one-twos would also benefit from a good Work Rate and Stamina to repeat this pattern of the pass and move throughout the game.

When performed correctly by skilled players, one-twos create a beautiful pass and move combinations. Nothing is more satisfying than seeing your players pass, move and then receive the ball again only to pass forward again. As an additional benefit, it makes it very hard for opposition defenders to deal with such a progressive movement. Even the tightest defences can be unlocked easily through a series of well-executed short passes. Short passing is a good way to create space where there is not much space, to begin with.

But one-twos are not easy to achieve, and you need very good, technical players with a very well-rounded skill set. Players like Villarreal's Manu Morlanes Aouar is one example. You can see his attributes in one of the screenshots I posted above.

The Targetman - The Tactical Battering Ram

But what about those times when short passing and technical creativity are just not enough? It's 70 minutes into the match and you still cannot score that all-important goal. The underdog side has locked its defence in front of its goal. Despite your best attempts, your players just cannot break into this space. At such times, and being the superior team it's bound to happen more often than not, you need to inject a bit of old-school football physicality into the mix. For this reason, I almost never play without a tall, strong Targetman-type player in my central striker slot. As soon as I find one for my team, and he becomes good for the role, I will designate him as my 1st choice striker. In FM22, and at Villarreal, my go-to choice is Fernando "Fer" Niño Rodríguez.

So far this season, he matched our left Inside Forward's production practically goal for goal. Except he did even better by scoring 18 in 15 games. That's not too shabby for a player who is essentially a tall, human battering ram with great finishing. Sometimes when all else fails you need a battering ram to break through a parked bus. The benefit of such a player is that they can go toe-to-toe against tall and strong opposition centrebacks. These centrebacks operate in a compressed space and can be hard to get by for smaller inside forwards. While a very strong Targeman striker can draw as many as two centrebacks just by his physical presence alone.

Players like Romelu Lukaku are goal-magnets. Due to his jumping ability and strength, Lukaku is seen by opposition as too much of a threat to leave unmarked near their goal. Especially with crosses coming in from the wingbacks. Playing a giant of a striker like Lukaku, or Joh Toshack if you are in the retro football hipster mood, can have huge benefits to your defence-breaking ability. Not only does a big Targetman free up space (just his physical presence) for your other more nimble and creative players but also can score a fair share of easy header goals from floated crosses.

Not to say that your battering ram of striker should be a one-trick pony only capable of scaring defenders and heading balls in. Far from it. As you can see from his attribute, my "Fer" Niño is a rather technical player with decent passing, above average first touch, technique, teamwork and vision. He might not be Villarreal's flashiest player but is nevertheless one who is more than capable of predicting the play, controlling a difficult ball and passing it short to a teammate. Even if Total Football epitomizes intricate passing patterns and slow build-up, it does not exclude having a Targetman striker. The important role that Sebastien Haller played at Erik ten Hag's Ajax is a great testament to this.

Total Football is not Tiki-Taka. It's not always exclusively limited to short passing, patient built-up football. Instead Total Football is an overarching tactical system that is completely focused on controlling the pitch. And what is not the best way to control opponent's half of the pitch if not through a Targetman. I don't think that the value of having a good Targetman can be underestimated. For any tactic that aims to progressively move the ball up the pitch and neutralize opposition defence. If anything by injecting a healthy dose of aggressive physicality, such a player will make your attacking transition harder to predict. And will make it less likely that your attack gets stifled by a Parked Bus.

Edited May 30, 2022 by crusadertsar

[Samuel77]

Thank you very much!
Very interesting as usual 

[bosque]

Excellent read!

Are you always using your ram striker as a TF or just when you are late in the game and you need to bully defenders?

[crusadertsar]

1 hour ago, bosque said:

Excellent read!

Are you always using your ram striker as a TF or just when you are late in the game and you need to bully defenders?

To be honest I started out using Fer as a sub like that when I was integrating him into my First team last season. And Gerard Moreno (who is much more of a Complete Forward) was red hot. But then Moreno got injured for 3-4 months at the beginning of this season and I had no choice but to play Fer all the time.

And it has been a real revelation! So I'm now using my Battering Ram as a TF all the time, against most opposition. He is a beast who rarely gets tired or injured. And Im sure glad I did this because it's mid March now and he scored something like 32 goals in 33 appearances. 

It's often that you see him score a brace or hat trick per game. I will need to do another update soon to show more detailed statistics and results. 

Edited May 31, 2022 by crusadertsar

[john1]

Fantastic depth of writing once again

[crusadertsar]

1 hour ago, john1 said:

Fantastic depth of writing once again

Thanks mate 

[ferrarinseb]

impressive Write up @crusadertsar

[khodder]

I've taken a liking to trying to get some of the lessor used roles, or role that people call hard to work and mashing them all into a single formation.

Currently I'm trying to make a 3-1-4-1-1 working in a formation that includes two defensive wingers, a libero, two wide centrebacks and a target forward. Things are looking promising.

That said - so much of the success is going to rely on the quality of the players you put into roles and how well they are suited to deliver the role you ask them to. Something I have noticed is a relatively common theme in this thread.

[BarstoolProphet]

7 hours ago, khodder said:

I've taken a liking to trying to get some of the lessor used roles, or role that people call hard to work and mashing them all into a single formation.

Currently I'm trying to make a 3-1-4-1-1 working in a formation that includes two defensive wingers, a libero, two wide centrebacks and a target forward. Things are looking promising.

That said - so much of the success is going to rely on the quality of the players you put into roles and how well they are suited to deliver the role you ask them to. Something I have noticed is a relatively common theme in this thread.

@khodder I’d be interested to see your setup because I’ve been working on a similar formation but with a flat midfield 5, so 3-5-1-1 with similar roles to yours. A libero, two wide centrebacks, and two mezzalas. I’m undecided still on the wide roles though. 
 

My initial thought was two wide playmakers that tuck inside and then have the wide centrebacks overlapping, but I just haven’t seen that movement pattern happening enough to be entirely happy with it. How have the defensive wingers been working for you? 

[khodder]

On 10/06/2022 at 19:39, BarstoolProphet said:

@khodder I’d be interested to see your setup because I’ve been working on a similar formation but with a flat midfield 5, so 3-5-1-1 with similar roles to yours. A libero, two wide centrebacks, and two mezzalas. I’m undecided still on the wide roles though. 
 

My initial thought was two wide playmakers that tuck inside and then have the wide centrebacks overlapping, but I just haven’t seen that movement pattern happening enough to be entirely happy with it. How have the defensive wingers been working for you? 

They've been going pretty well. They still get forward, especially as they are given a fair few attacking instructions individually. They play differently depending on the players too. Some will look to hit the byline and others get into the area, so I've been able to customise a bit that way. Can drop some screenshots in here later.

Still finding that we get really caught out defensively down the wings. So have a couple of ideas to possibly try them with a defend duty and see how that plays out and also possibly funnelling the opposition central so they don't create as much space outside.

Haven't loaded up the save in a couple of days though so mostly just ideas there.

I'm working through these two formations at the moment trying to figure out which works best for what I want. Toying with the idea of a Box midfield too.

Edited June 15, 2022 by khodder

[CowShedBarmyArmy]

On 06/01/2022 at 19:02, Brian said:

Love the ''creating part''. 

When training for positions on FM for the right attributes, I only train my players in the following player roles:

• Sweeper Keeper
• Ball Playing Defender
• Complete Wingback
• Deep Lying Playmaker
• Roaming Playmaker
• Complete Forward

These roles cover most attributes in training that defines the total package for me, regarding to Total Football.  

P.S. I love you're giving Happel the recognition that he deserves. Even though Michels and Cruijff promoted Total Football more, it was Cruijffs vison as a player and coach that evolved total football far ahead of it's time. And it's the reason we can watch Pep working magic at Barca, Bayern and now City. 

I've done similar, I like keeping things flexible. What do you do for players in ML/R and AML/R? Do you train them in MC/AMC/CF positions?

[Mutumba]

On 15/06/2022 at 01:53, khodder said:

They've been going pretty well. They still get forward, especially as they are given a fair few attacking instructions individually. They play differently depending on the players too. Some will look to hit the byline and others get into the area, so I've been able to customise a bit that way. Can drop some screenshots in here later.

Still finding that we get really caught out defensively down the wings. So have a couple of ideas to possibly try them with a defend duty and see how that plays out and also possibly funnelling the opposition central so they don't create as much space outside.

Haven't loaded up the save in a couple of days though so mostly just ideas there.

I'm working through these two formations at the moment trying to figure out which works best for what I want. Toying with the idea of a Box midfield too.

How are these working out for you?

[awesomeveekthor]

On 28/04/2022 at 19:39, -Jef- said:

One of the actions from last game with my newest attempt at Pep City type of ball. Also first game with this tactic. DLF has roam more, WM on both sides have stay wider. That's all PI

 

 

 

If no one will credit you for ur style. I will. Your WM, what were the instructions?

i also suggest adding underlap instructions on both sides and increasing the mentality of the MEZ and DLF

Edited November 7, 2022 by awesomeveekthor

[djpdavey]

So what would you look at if you were struggling against a better or maybe the same level opponent? Let's say the overload is either losing the ball or the unlocked wing is not getting the chances it normally gets in your tactic. I know it's a broad question but it would be great to see some examples of when you need to make changes in game....

[-Jef-]

10 hours ago, awesomeveekthor said:

If no one will credit you for ur style. I will. Your WM, what were the instructions?

i also suggest adding underlap instructions on both sides and increasing the mentality of the MEZ and DLF

Just stay wider. I'm gonna try this in fm23 tho I don't have natural LM and RM

[awesomeveekthor]

1 hour ago, -Jef- said:

Just stay wider. I'm gonna try this in fm23 tho I don't have natural LM and RM

Interesting…seems to recreate Pep true style, 4-1-4-1 is the one for it

[-Jef-]

16 minutes ago, awesomeveekthor said:

Interesting…seems to recreate Pep true style, 4-1-4-1 is the one for it

it works well this year as well

 

my wingers are not dynamic enough so they were very tired.

 

I think defensively it needs to dial back unless you've got extremely physical side

[awesomeveekthor]

11 hours ago, -Jef- said:

it works well this year as well

 

my wingers are not dynamic enough so they were very tired.

 

I think defensively it needs to dial back unless you've got extremely physical side

Yeah true. Cause they have to get up the final third, press and if they fail, they have to go back to the ML strata and work together with the CMs and press to collect the ball. It really is a tasking tactic, but i still love it.

[-Jef-]

1 hour ago, awesomeveekthor said:

Yeah true. Cause they have to get up the final third, press and if they fail, they have to go back to the ML strata and work together with the CMs and press to collect the ball. It really is a tasking tactic, but i still love it.

I haven't fully tested it yet but mid block or even low block with higher defensive line could work to tighten the space that opponent will have. Funnel them inside and drop more could work to avoid those pesky over the top balls.

 

Also, DLF-s drops deeper than on last fm and if you can I'd use CF-S or F9.

 

Another thing with reworked inside winger/forward roles actually hugging the line is that they could be viable now as Pep style wingers with stay wider.

 

I need to workshop this a bit more

[awesomeveekthor]

1 hour ago, -Jef- said:

I haven't fully tested it yet but mid block or even low block with higher defensive line could work to tighten the space that opponent will have. Funnel them inside and drop more could work to avoid those pesky over the top balls.

 

Also, DLF-s drops deeper than on last fm and if you can I'd use CF-S or F9.

 

Another thing with reworked inside winger/forward roles actually hugging the line is that they could be viable now as Pep style wingers with stay wider.

 

I need to workshop this a bit more

Let me know what u observed after you lab this tactic man😌

[FeEmDeusEGol]

After many attempts still not managed to make a good Positional play tactic.

 

 

Any changes I should make?

[crusadertsar]

Mini-Update: 25 Pass Total Football Goal

The single best play I have seen in FM23 so far. It started with an interception of opposition goalkeeper's kick and ended with a total team effort of a goal. But it is the 50 something seconds in the middle that really makes this special. 25 passes that led up to this beautiful Total Football goal.  This also gives an answer to one question I had, can one achieve Total Football, Vertical Tiki-Taka style with a narrow formation? Apparently you can!

If people are interested I will reveal more details on the tactic that I am currently using, with Braga "Arsenalistas" in our 3rd season, to achieve this brand of Total Football.

And oh yes, we just totally destroyed Club Brugge in the Champions League.

Edited February 26, 2023 by crusadertsar

[bielsadidnothingwrong]

On 09/11/2022 at 00:25, FeEmDeusEGol said:

Any changes I should make?

How’s it play with two covering CBs? i’ve wanted to experiment with this myself. 

[Gobias Industries]

I would love to read more about your Braga team. Especially interested in narrow tactics right now so this would be helpful to me.

[Skywalk3r83]

Please share😄😄😄

[crusadertsar]

My Braga Experience Continued

 

As you can see in the tactic image below, in the Autumn of 2024, I have made quite a few changes to Portugal's Little Arsenal. Regrettably, we could not hold on to our three biggest stars, namely Ricardo Horta and Vitinha, both lost to Real Madrid (Vitinha has also gone to Marseille in real life). As well as our aging, star keeper Matheus whose release clause was triggered by Leeds this season. But to be honest, the departure of Vitinha was probably a good thing because it allowed Abel Ruiz to really shine as he emerged from under his striking partner's shadow and developed at an incredible pace. What a late bloomer! 

A one-time Barcelona reject, has become a vice-captain and one of the most complete forwards for Arsenalista. And he even has some pretty incredible intangible hidden traits like loving Big matches and high consistency rating. It allowed him to surpass Vitinha's previous record by scoring 34 goals for us last season. 

Yet all these unwanted transfers gave us a sizeable transfer kitty that allowed me to really craft a team that I want that is capable of playing the kinds of tactics that I want. Outside of Abel Ruiz and Andre Horta (turned out to be more loyal than his younger brother Ricardo) and the defensive core of Tormena and Niakate, not a much of original Summer 2022 1st Team remains. And yet it's a much improved team. After two cup wins in the 2nd season, the club value has more than doubled to 150 million. 

But anyway I digress. This is my Narrow Diamond tactic since a couple of months. It was an interesting tactical evolution that went from 4-2-3-1 to 4-2-2-2 Magic Box and now to this latest tactic. I find this is the one that gives us the most balance, in attack and defence. To be honest, I was more than a little influenced by Mourinho's legendary Porto team. But that is to be expected. Especially if you already read my Defence-First Football thread and know of my long-standing Special One obsession. 

This current 4-4-2 diamond is somewhat similar to the one I discuss on the second page of that older thread. And some of the rationale I use there could also apply here. Things like tactical variety and importance of building a tactic up from defence first. But at the same time I took some liberties with the roles and modeled the tactic more into a Vertical Tiki-Taka systme. Nevertheless, I still prefer to have one more attacking and one more defensive fullback. 

Speaking of fullbacks, you might wonder why I use an Inverted Fullback and on defend duty too?! And in a narrow tactic to boot! Blasphemy!!

Well there is a very good reason for that. I really needed a defensively-solid wide player, who will mostly stay in our own half and ping passes to his more advanced teammates while occasionally moving forward to join attacks when safe to do so, such as during counters. I also needed a player that is more dynamic and progressive in his passing, hence I needed him to operate with a higher individual mentality. Such as the balanced individual mentality that is created by the combination of defend duty and "underlap right" instruction. The kind of movement that you see created in the clip I posted earlier, simply cannot be possible with players playing on cautious or defensive individual mentality (outside of the centrebacks of course). 

But coming back to the inverted wingback. A few other behaviors I need from my IWB is holding position, crossing less often, dribbling less and sitting more narrow. All hard-coded to the role already. Closing down more and marking tighter I added myself.

While the player is on defend duty, he is not really a defensive role. But more of a conservative wide covering/support role, similar to our carrilero in the midfield. For that reason, the best players to slot into a IWB are retrained midfielders. Players like Albert Sambi Lakonga. Another big club reject who found a new home and flourished at Braga.

Albert playing as the right-wing Inverted Wingback really keeps our right flank solid, permitting the Mezzala on attack duty to really come into his own. While our left flank fullback is allowed more attacking freedom with his attack duty. Here I am retraining another winger (albeit one with relatively decent positioning and tackling, so a defensive winger really) into an attacking fullback.

But my 1st choice for the left fullback remains one and only Galarza, one of the surprising stars of my team.

Matias Galarza, an unknown (to me) Paraguyan midfielder whom I picked up for a pittance in my 1st season with Braga. And after undergoing a complete positional switch from midfielder to fullback, the fruits of his complete midfielder skill-set have really started to bear in his new flank position. His individual traits, especially my favourite "play one-twos", have helped in stamping the unique character on his play style. If you watch the video I posted above closely than you will see exactly how involved Galarza gets in our pass and move play that leads to the eventual goal. Galarza had at least 3 key passes (including the one right before the goal) in that 25 pass build-up play. Not bad for a fullback! On two occasions you can see him pass to a teammate and then run into space looking for a pass back. A classic one-two play. And when you have such behaviour not just from one player but from at least 7 players in your formation then ever-elusive Total Football becomes a very realistic possibility in the game.

It is rather remarkable how much of a difference a unique set of attributes and some traits can make on an overall tactic. And both of these things come into play in my tactic. Not only do I use midfielders in my fullback roles but also make sure that more than half of my formation's roles possess the "plays one-twos" trait. In fact, in that goal clip, everyone except for the two centrebacks and DM anchorman had that unique trait. 

Can you see the benefits of retraining players from their natural positions and roles yet?

Something that I find myself doing often in Football Manager is to use tactical positional retraining in order to use players outside of their natural position. I believe it's a great, and very undervalued, strategic option that can both be light on the budget and tactically advantageous. Especially for a club like Braga.

So why do I like to retrain my players? Especially when this tactical option comes with a some pretty significant disadvantages ranging from worsened player morale to lowered tactical performance (decision attribute is limited when playing out of position).

Well, there are also some clear advantages that come with positional retraining. Such as:

1) Facilitating the switch from one formation to another. Having players that can fill multiple and varied positions can aid in increasing your team's tactical flexibility and variability. Sometimes you might want to change your formation short-term, "on the fly" during a match, in order to counter strong opponent's tactic or to break down an especially stubborn defence. Other times you might see that midway through the season your tactic is not working and wish to switch things up by trying a different formation for a few matches. Having players on your team who can already fill the new roles and positions can greatly facilitate the process of moving to a new tactic. I will often start players on training for a position in preparation for such a "long-term" tactical switch.

2) This brings me to my next point. Once you made the switch to a new formation, you will need players to fill it. Retraining your current players will help you in filling tactical positions while operating on a tight budget. When given choice, I prefer to make the best of the players I already have without having to spend my modest transfer budget on new players. Or buy cheap players and retrain them into exotic roles that are otherwise hard to fill, such as Inverted Wingbacks and mezzalas.

For example, when I first switched to 4-2-3-1, my team lacked a quality left wingback. And when I scouted the transfer market for suitable targets, no-one suitable (whom I could also afford with Braga's modest budget) could be found. So then I resorted to buying a cheap young midfielder from Paraguay to fill the role. He already possessed some great technical and mental attributes that I was looking for in my ideal attacking fullback. And after 6 months of retraining he became comfortable in the role. After a full season with the club, he is natural in his position.

3) Creating "shadow roles" to "surprise" the AI or "break the lines" so to speak. This is one of my favourite reasons for retraining footballers. It involves taking a footballer with attributes that are very common in their natural position, and moving him to another position that has scarcity of options when it comes to available players. Or to a role where his particular set of attributes is rather rare. For example while choices of natural False 9 strikers might be scarce, there are plenty of AMC playmakers with decent finishing who can be restrained into a central striker role. Outside of the elite teams, there are not that many affordable options for creative, technical strikers. But a lower tier club could always retrain an advanced midfielder to play the False 9 role just as well. Similarly, very creative natural centrebacks that can fill the Ballplaying Defender or Libero roles can be hard to come by while strong tall midfielders with good passing and tackling are rather common. 

Sometimes a hardworking striker (really a pressing forward) can become a very good mezzala. So that even a mid-tier team, like Frankfurt, can operate with an exotic central winger role. 

Anyway, this is my favourite topic so I intend to cover more of it in the future, but hopefully you get the point for now.

Cheers! And happy managing 

[The3points]

Wow! What a genuinely creative tactical idea. I always though 4-4-2 diamonds were more for counter attacking or pressing teams but this has really changed my viewpoint. I was never one for retraining players, I always thought it would be long and strenous, and better off keeping them in their own position but it's very creative to have 2 fullbacks and each of them are midfields. And not only that, the left sided one plays like a "genuine" fullback!

[BennosGames0299]

On 28/02/2023 at 03:22, crusadertsar said:

My Braga Experience Continued

 

As you can see in the tactic image below, in the Autumn of 2024, I have made quite a few changes to Portugal's Little Arsenal. Regrettably, we could not hold on to our three biggest stars, namely Ricardo Horta and Vitinha, both lost to Real Madrid (Vitinha has also gone to Marseille in real life). As well as our aging, star keeper Matheus whose release clause was triggered by Leeds this season. But to be honest, the departure of Vitinha was probably a good thing because it allowed Abel Ruiz to really shine as he emerged from under his striking partner's shadow and developed at an incredible pace. What a late bloomer! 

A one-time Barcelona reject, has become a vice-captain and one of the most complete forwards for Arsenalista. And he even has some pretty incredible intangible hidden traits like loving Big matches and high consistency rating. It allowed him to surpass Vitinha's previous record by scoring 34 goals for us last season. 

Yet all these unwanted transfers gave us a sizeable transfer kitty that allowed me to really craft a team that I want that is capable of playing the kinds of tactics that I want. Outside of Abel Ruiz and Andre Horta (turned out to be more loyal than his younger brother Ricardo) and the defensive core of Tormena and Niakate, not a much of original Summer 2022 1st Team remains. And yet it's a much improved team. After two cup wins in the 2nd season, the club value has more than doubled to 150 million. 

But anyway I digress. This is my Narrow Diamond tactic since a couple of months. It was an interesting tactical evolution that went from 4-2-3-1 to 4-2-2-2 Magic Box and now to this latest tactic. I find this is the one that gives us the most balance, in attack and defence. To be honest, I was more than a little influenced by Mourinho's legendary Porto team. But that is to be expected. Especially if you already read my Defence-First Football thread and know of my long-standing Special One obsession. 

This current 4-4-2 diamond is somewhat similar to the one I discuss on the second page of that older thread. And some of the rationale I use there could also apply here. Things like tactical variety and importance of building a tactic up from defence first. But at the same time I took some liberties with the roles and modeled the tactic more into a Vertical Tiki-Taka systme. Nevertheless, I still prefer to have one more attacking and one more defensive fullback. 

Speaking of fullbacks, you might wonder why I use an Inverted Fullback and on defend duty too?! And in a narrow tactic to boot! Blasphemy!!

Well there is a very good reason for that. I really needed a defensively-solid wide player, who will mostly stay in our own half and ping passes to his more advanced teammates while occasionally moving forward to join attacks when safe to do so, such as during counters. I also needed a player that is more dynamic and progressive in his passing, hence I needed him to operate with a higher individual mentality. Such as the balanced individual mentality that is created by the combination of defend duty and "underlap right" instruction. The kind of movement that you see created in the clip I posted earlier, simply cannot be possible with players playing on cautious or defensive individual mentality (outside of the centrebacks of course). 

But coming back to the inverted wingback. A few other behaviors I need from my IWB is holding position, crossing less often, dribbling less and sitting more narrow. All hard-coded to the role already. Closing down more and marking tighter I added myself.

While the player is on defend duty, he is not really a defensive role. But more of a conservative wide covering/support role, similar to our carrilero in the midfield. For that reason, the best players to slot into a IWB are retrained midfielders. Players like Albert Sambi Lakonga. Another big club reject who found a new home and flourished at Braga.

Albert playing as the right-wing Inverted Wingback really keeps our right flank solid, permitting the Mezzala on attack duty to really come into his own. While our left flank fullback is allowed more attacking freedom with his attack duty. Here I am retraining another winger (albeit one with relatively decent positioning and tackling, so a defensive winger really) into an attacking fullback.

But my 1st choice for the left fullback remains one and only Galarza, one of the surprising stars of my team.

Matias Galarza, an unknown (to me) Paraguyan midfielder whom I picked up for a pittance in my 1st season with Braga. And after undergoing a complete positional switch from midfielder to fullback, the fruits of his complete midfielder skill-set have really started to bear in his new flank position. His individual traits, especially my favourite "play one-twos", have helped in stamping the unique character on his play style. If you watch the video I posted above closely than you will see exactly how involved Galarza gets in our pass and move play that leads to the eventual goal. Galarza had at least 3 key passes (including the one right before the goal) in that 25 pass build-up play. Not bad for a fullback! On two occasions you can see him pass to a teammate and then run into space looking for a pass back. A classic one-two play. And when you have such behaviour not just from one player but from at least 7 players in your formation then ever-elusive Total Football becomes a very realistic possibility in the game.

It is rather remarkable how much of a difference a unique set of attributes and some traits can make on an overall tactic. And both of these things come into play in my tactic. Not only do I use midfielders in my fullback roles but also make sure that more than half of my formation's roles possess the "plays one-twos" trait. In fact, in that goal clip, everyone except for the two centrebacks and DM anchorman had that unique trait. 

Can you see the benefits of retraining players from their natural positions and roles yet?

Something that I find myself doing often in Football Manager is to use tactical positional retraining in order to use players outside of their natural position. I believe it's a great, and very undervalued, strategic option that can both be light on the budget and tactically advantageous. Especially for a club like Braga.

So why do I like to retrain my players? Especially when this tactical option comes with a some pretty significant disadvantages ranging from worsened player morale to lowered tactical performance (decision attribute is limited when playing out of position).

Well, there are also some clear advantages that come with positional retraining. Such as:

1) Facilitating the switch from one formation to another. Having players that can fill multiple and varied positions can aid in increasing your team's tactical flexibility and variability. Sometimes you might want to change your formation short-term, "on the fly" during a match, in order to counter strong opponent's tactic or to break down an especially stubborn defence. Other times you might see that midway through the season your tactic is not working and wish to switch things up by trying a different formation for a few matches. Having players on your team who can already fill the new roles and positions can greatly facilitate the process of moving to a new tactic. I will often start players on training for a position in preparation for such a "long-term" tactical switch.

2) This brings me to my next point. Once you made the switch to a new formation, you will need players to fill it. Retraining your current players will help you in filling tactical positions while operating on a tight budget. When given choice, I prefer to make the best of the players I already have without having to spend my modest transfer budget on new players. Or buy cheap players and retrain them into exotic roles that are otherwise hard to fill, such as Inverted Wingbacks and mezzalas.

For example, when I first switched to 4-2-3-1, my team lacked a quality left wingback. And when I scouted the transfer market for suitable targets, no-one suitable (whom I could also afford with Braga's modest budget) could be found. So then I resorted to buying a cheap young midfielder from Paraguay to fill the role. He already possessed some great technical and mental attributes that I was looking for in my ideal attacking fullback. And after 6 months of retraining he became comfortable in the role. After a full season with the club, he is natural in his position.

3) Creating "shadow roles" to "surprise" the AI or "break the lines" so to speak. This is one of my favourite reasons for retraining footballers. It involves taking a footballer with attributes that are very common in their natural position, and moving him to another position that has scarcity of options when it comes to available players. Or to a role where his particular set of attributes is rather rare. For example while choices of natural False 9 strikers might be scarce, there are plenty of AMC playmakers with decent finishing who can be restrained into a central striker role. Outside of the elite teams, there are not that many affordable options for creative, technical strikers. But a lower tier club could always retrain an advanced midfielder to play the False 9 role just as well. Similarly, very creative natural centrebacks that can fill the Ballplaying Defender or Libero roles can be hard to come by while strong tall midfielders with good passing and tackling are rather common. 

Sometimes a hardworking striker (really a pressing forward) can become a very good mezzala. So that even a mid-tier team, like Frankfurt, can operate with an exotic central winger role. 

Anyway, this is my favourite topic so I intend to cover more of it in the future, but hopefully you get the point for now.

Cheers! And happy managing 

Do you use any other player instructions or opposition instructions. I love this shape and the idea and I would like to build my current team around this tactical setup and idea.

[crusadertsar]

9 hours ago, BennosGames0299 said:

Do you use any other player instructions or opposition instructions. I love this shape and the idea and I would like to build my current team around this tactical setup and idea.

Nope. None that I remember 

[Kevinmatt]

On 26/02/2023 at 13:44, crusadertsar said:

Mini-Update: 25 Pass Total Football Goal

The single best play I have seen in FM23 so far. It started with an interception of opposition goalkeeper's kick and ended with a total team effort of a goal. But it is the 50 something seconds in the middle that really makes this special. 25 passes that led up to this beautiful Total Football goal.  This also gives an answer to one question I had, can one achieve Total Football, Vertical Tiki-Taka style with a narrow formation? Apparently you can!

If people are interested I will reveal more details on the tactic that I am currently using, with Braga "Arsenalistas" in our 3rd season, to achieve this brand of Total Football.

And oh yes, we just totally destroyed Club Brugge in the Champions League.

 

Could you attach the tactic to download to try this?