4-3-3 Narrow / Wide

[Sindre Alsos]

My goal is always to play with three strikers. However, it's difficult finding a good tactic which both is reliable in attack and defense.

Anyone who can help me, especially with what roles and duties that og well together in such a tactic?

I don't play with big teams, always mediocre teams in different Leagues and try to build them to be champions; most recently VPS in Finland.

[Experienced Defender]

3 hours ago, Sindre Alsos said:

My goal is always to play with three strikers. However, it's difficult finding a good tactic which both is reliable in attack and defense

Well, since the title of the thread says "433 narrow / wide", you need to decide which one you want to go with. Because these 2 systems are pretty dissimilar, even though the first half of their names is identical (433). The wide one employs a lone striker and 2 wide forwards in AM strata, whereas the narrow one has 3 central strikers. The former is - quite logically - easier to set up than the latter in the sense of creating a better balance between defending and attacking aspects of the game. 

 

3 hours ago, Sindre Alsos said:

I don't play with big teams, always mediocre teams in different Leagues and try to build them to be champions

In that case, the wide 433 sounds like the more logical option. Btw, when you say "433 wide", are you referring to the wide system with a flat midfield 3 or the one with a DM and 2 CMs?

[Sindre Alsos]

28 minutes ago, Experienced Defender said:

Well, since the title of the thread says "433 narrow / wide", you need to decide which one you want to go with. Because these 2 systems are pretty dissimilar, even though the first half of their names is identical (433). The wide one employs a lone striker and 2 wide forwards in AM strata, whereas the narrow one has 3 central strikers. The former is - quite logically - easier to set up than the latter in the sense of creating a better balance between defending and attacking aspects of the game. 

 

In that case, the wide 433 sounds like the more logical option. Btw, when you say "433 wide", are you referring to the wide system with a flat midfield 3 or the one with a DM and 2 CMs?

Thanks for answering. I use a flat midfield three in both options. My struggle is to find a good combination of roles in the midfield, and also when I use three strikers. I have in earlier editions of FM used a poacher, a false nine and an advanced forward up front, which has been great. In FM 20 however, this doesn't go well. In midfield I try to put in one on defend duty, one on support and one on attack, but it's difficult to find the right combo of roles. I am not a fan of letting my players play similar roles, the way I see a lot of tactics out there are using. In my opinion it's not realistic. I believe players in real life have different roles and duties within a team.

[Experienced Defender]

25 minutes ago, Sindre Alsos said:

I am not a fan of letting my players play similar roles, the way I see a lot of tactics out there are using. In my opinion it's not realistic. I believe players in real life have different roles and duties within a team

Absolutely! That's how I approach tactics, too  

 

26 minutes ago, Sindre Alsos said:

I use a flat midfield three in both options. My struggle is to find a good combination of roles in the midfield, and also when I use three strikers

Well, given that I don't know your team/players, nor have I tested a tactic with 3 outright central strikers in FM19/20 thus far, take my suggestion(s) with a pinch of salt. Anyway, here is one possible example of how a flat narrow 433 could be set up to offer a good balance in terms of roles and duties:

PFat    F9     PO

CAR   CMde   DLPsu

WBsu    CD    CD    CWBsu

GK/SK

Or maybe something a bit more adventurous and risky, like this:

AF     DLFsu    TQ

CAR   CMde   MEZsu

CWBsu   CD/BPD   CD   WBsu

GK/SK

If you want only 1 striker on attack duty, and the other 2 on support, then you might want to try this one:

F9    PO    CFsu

MEZat   DLPde    CAR

WBsu   CD/BPD   CD   CWBsu

GK/SK

Of course, a number of variations are possible for any of the above setups, so these were just a couple of ideas to give you some food for thought. And always take the mentality into account, because it plays a critical role in any tactical setup.

In terms of instructions, my advice is always - start with as few as possible (i.e. just those that basically define your preferred style of play). You can easily add a couple more TIs at any point if needed.

[Sindre Alsos]

Thanks a lot for taking time out to help me. I will try these out and see how it goes. I will let you know.