Gian Piero Gasperini at Atalanta Case Study

[SixPointer]

5 hours ago, Fantasista10 said:

I really enjoyed this thread previously, and would love to know if anyone is having a crack at a Gasperini inspired tactic for FM22. 
 

With the new Wide Centreback role I think we can finally create those wide overloads/rotations that are so key to his system. 
 

I’m doing lots of tinkering at the moment but taking great inspiration from your good work here @SixPointer

Thanks my man! The new WCB roles are the final piece in the Atalanta puzzle it’s the one thing that I could never get due to the limitations. 
 

advancing wide CBS and rotations within the half spaces. These are both now very achievable. I haven’t played much of the beta but what I have I’ve seen enough to be sure this would work.

personally I probably won’t cover Atalanta again even with the upgrades but hopefully people can draw on stuff from the post albeit from a older version off the game most things still stand. Although I would be wary about pressing very hard all the time as the pressing has been re worked since 

[Fantasista10]

8 minutes ago, SixPointer said:

Thanks my man! The new WCB roles are the final piece in the Atalanta puzzle it’s the one thing that I could never get due to the limitations. 
 

advancing wide CBS and rotations within the half spaces. These are both now very achievable. I haven’t played much of the beta but what I have I’ve seen enough to be sure this would work.

personally I probably won’t cover Atalanta again even with the upgrades but hopefully people can draw on stuff from the post albeit from a older version off the game most things still stand. Although I would be wary about pressing very hard all the time as the pressing has been re worked since 

It is looking quite promising but I am reserving some judgement until the full release but so far it’s produced some exciting football! Just a matter of tinkering with the roles of the front 3 (specifically the Gomez role) to get the desired movements. 
 

And you’re right about pressing - it isn’t viable to press so high and intensely for the whole game.
 

I’d be happy to share the tactic and some results once I’ve done some more testing if anyone is interested. 

[SixPointer]

1 hour ago, Fantasista10 said:

It is looking quite promising but I am reserving some judgement until the full release but so far it’s produced some exciting football! Just a matter of tinkering with the roles of the front 3 (specifically the Gomez role) to get the desired movements. 
 

And you’re right about pressing - it isn’t viable to press so high and intensely for the whole game.
 

I’d be happy to share the tactic and some results once I’ve done some more testing if anyone is interested. 

I’m sure people will definitely be interested in it. GPG system is one that’s often asked about 

[wayno88]

On 24/02/2021 at 18:02, SixPointer said:

Question?

This year I have been using the system below so far. Not a true Atalanta replication but I used some elements off there play.

I plan to do a small write up on the success of the system, what weapons its has along with some in depth set plays. Also its weakness and of course why and how I built it. 

BUT!

With the winter update out, it wont be long until I embark on a new save. Which will spark a possible replication. My question or rather my request is for some good suggestions.

Ive thought about Julian Nagelsmann and that's where I am at right now. I like his flexibility and philosophy, plus he is probably one of the most exciting managers in the world.

But id like to hear what other people think. Happy to do a historic team/manager or someone right now. I would like it to be something quite unique or something that hasn't been done often. Such as Pep there is no point in that as there is many out there. More likely better than mine.

Thanks in advance 

I loved reading through this. i am still on fm21 and was wondering if you used any pi's for this set up which is slightly different to the fm20 version?

[SixPointer]

3 hours ago, wayno88 said:

I loved reading through this. i am still on fm21 and was wondering if you used any pi's for this set up which is slightly different to the fm20 version?

Both the outside side CBS stay wider RPM more direct passing. I done a full write up on the system I’ll find the link for you. 

[SixPointer]

3 minutes ago, SixPointer said:

3 hours ago, wayno88 said:

I loved reading through this. i am still on fm21 and was wondering if you used any pi's for this set up which is slightly different to the fm20 version?

[wayno88]

2 hours ago, SixPointer said:

oh perfect, thanks!

[SixPointer]

33 minutes ago, wayno88 said:

oh perfect, thanks!

No worries 

[Fantasista10]

On 01/11/2021 at 21:00, Fantasista10 said:

It is looking quite promising but I am reserving some judgement until the full release but so far it’s produced some exciting football! Just a matter of tinkering with the roles of the front 3 (specifically the Gomez role) to get the desired movements. 
 

And you’re right about pressing - it isn’t viable to press so high and intensely for the whole game.
 

I’d be happy to share the tactic and some results once I’ve done some more testing if anyone is interested. 

So, I know I said previously I'm waiting until the full release and to test it further blah blah blah... 

But I think I've created something that is already worth sharing. This probably isn't the finished article and I would expect to make some tweaks when the full game is released and hopefully some ME bugs/issues are resolved, however this is the closest I have come to a Gasperini recreation that has produced some great football and results.

Here's the main tactic currently:

There are some quite obvious similarities between this and the OP's recreation, mostly because a lot of @SixPointer's great work still applies in FM22. However, I'll try and break down some key aspects and what I think are non-negotiable for this style in the current ME.

Mentality - Attacking

First up, and probably the most important thing, is selecting the Attacking mentality. For years, I've almost exclusively created tactics on Positive mentality as for me it perfectly balances risk and reward when creating possession orientated systems. However, Gasperini's side don't keep possession for possessions sake. As with most Total Football sides - and in my opinion GpG's style of play is greatly influenced by that school of football - we need intent with our possession, and not countless sideways passing. I won't ramble too much about Gasperini and his philosophy as I think the OP did a great job in analysing this for us. 

As others have previously mentioned, increasing out team mentality also has the knock on effect of increasing individual mentalities. I think @crusadertsar mentioned this recently in his brilliant Total Football thread - about the need to have your back 3 (or defenders in general) on a higher mentality to aid playing out from the back and not hoofing the ball upfield constantly. Therefore, Attacking is the best fit as it means our two WCBs are on a Positive mentality and the BPD is on Balanced (I did experiment with a Libero but more on that later). 

Team Instructions

I usually have a set template for Total Football inspired tactics, but this has required some tweaking to get the desired movements - particularly those wide diamonds and overloads used so frequently by Gasperini and Atalanta. The most important here is the use of Focus Play Down Left & Right. This means we are looking to encourage our players to use those wider areas, whether it be moving wide/into half spaces to create overloads, or focussing our passes into those areas. As a result of this, I felt no need to use Play Wider as a team instruction as we were already using those areas enough, and increasing width meant we exclusively attacked down the flanks and pretty much ignored the middle and we became much more threatening with width left on default. 

You can see this in action in the below image. The ball is with our RWB (Lazaro) and he has the RCB and DLF in close support, with the CAR and AP also on moving over towards that side. Meanwhile, we maintain our width on the left flank - an important part of Gasperini's game, so we can take advantage of a possible switch in play. There's also a sort of diamond/rhombus shape on that left side with the LCB, LWB, LCM and Poacher. 

I think Slightly Shorter Passing and Play Out of Defence are quite self explanatory and don't require much detail as this is key to Atalanta's build up and philosophy as previously covered by the OP. I did however add Work Ball Into Box as this reduced the amount of crosses and long shots, and has actually led to some great intricate play in and around the box, akin to some of Atalanta's goals in real life! 

In Transition, Roll it Out and Distribute to Centre Backs again aid our build up play - nothing fancy here, but essential in maintaining possession and creating numerical superiority in the first phase in conjunction with our In Possession instructions. Like a GpG side without the ball, we also instruct the team to Counter Press, with the aim of winning the ball back instantly. 

Lastly, Out of Possession, we perhaps surprisingly, look to Force Opposition Outside as opposed to leaving this on default or Inside. This is a bit of a personal preference, as I like to keep my team as compact as possible and make us difficult to play through. It can be a bit risky in this shape as we have Wingbacks pretty much on their own out wide, and only two CMs, but the AP tracks back and helps form a 3 man midfield. We essentially defend in a compact 5-3-2 shape, quite like Atalanta do. As always the key to any GpG recreation though is the use of Tighter Marking and More Urgent pressing - a must have for this style. 

Player Roles & Instructions

The goalkeeper being set to SK(S) is pretty standard stuff, nothing too risky nor too passive. 

Now the Back Three is where it gets funky - and a massive thanks to SI for the introduction to overlapping Centre Backs! We can now easily recreate those patterns of play which Atalanta use so often. For me, there is no need to use the Attack duty on these guys, just leaving them on Support means they get forward plenty enough and actually get the odd goal and assist! Using Focus Play as well as this role, means we often overwhelm the opposition in wide areas with as many as four or five players drifting across to support play out wide. 

For the middle centre back, I started out using a Libero on Support, but did not really notice any benefit in possession and for some reason (not sure if it is a bug) he would always have the lowest rating in the entire team, even when completing loads of passes and looking good in other stats. Since changing to a BPD, ratings improved slightly but this is still an issue which makes me think there is a bug? Either way, the BPD still brings the ball out from the back with the Dribble More instruction and the Stopper duty has actually improved us defensively - which wasn't really a massive issue to begin with. 

The next part is probably make or break to the whole system - the Wingbacks. Because they are the only wide role in the team, they need to be able to provide width, be an outball, have the ability to beat their man in 1v1 situations and have excellent stamina and work rates to go up and down for 90 minutes. For Atalanta, the wingbacks usually stay high and wide - therefore an Attack duty seems best for me. I don't like using Overlap/Underlap TI's, I prefer to keep it minimal and get those movements through roles and instructions. At the moment, these guys are vanilla. I was using Stay Wide but their ratings suffered. Since removing it they are both contributing with plenty goals and assists! 

As I said above, there are quite a few similarities between this and the OP's tactic. For example, the roles for the double pivot - Mezzala and Carrilero - are still the most accurate roles for this system as they are hard coded to stay wider and help create overloads. The only instruction they have is to Shoot Less to reduce the number of long shots and encourage some more interplay. You don't see De Roon or Freuler scoring many worldies either so I prefer to keep it simple here. 

The same can be said for the strikers. It's difficult to shoehorn Josip Ilicic into one role, he's a cross between an Inside Forward/DLF/False Nine/Treq. Basically he can do it all, and he spends a lot of time in the right half space. I've found a DLF(A) with instructions to Roam and Stay Wider helps replicate some of his movement, and Rafa at Benfica has been brilliant in this role.  As for the Zapata role, this is really dependent on the player you have. I see him as either a Target Man or Complete Forward, but I sold my only real Target Man in Seferovic, and the CF role hasn't really worked as well as a Poacher! The key instruction here though is to Roam and Stay Wider, to help him drift out wide and create overloads as well as attacking those channels between FB and CB. 

We can see below, the positioning of the DLF (R. Pinho), as he's staying slightly wider and again forming a sort of diamond with the RCB, RWB and RCM. What's also interesting is the diamond in the centre that's being formed by the LCB, LCM, AP and Poacher. Grimaldo our LWB is the free man on the side, keeping the width and in acres of space to put in a dangerous cross or through ball. 

Last but not least, the Papu Gomez role. Sadly Papu had a falling out with Gasperini and is no longer at the club, but Atalanta haven't really suffered too much since losing their star player. The role has been filled by numerous players however, most notably Ruslan Malinovskyi or Matteo Pessina. Neither have set the world alight, but still play a crucial role in the system - linking the midfield to the attack, roaming out wide to create overloads and dropping deep to instigate attacks. For me, the Advanced Playmaker role has worked really well so far and is scoring plenty. This is still a role that could change however, and I have experimented with a Treq and an AM, so this is my no means set in stone. Wonderkind Thiago Almada, despite not being a nailed on starter, has done well in this role though: 

Now it's all well and good creating something that looks like an Atalanta tactic (you probably could create a truer replication), but for me it's pointless if it doesn't also perform well. That's the tough part, trying to find the balance between a winning tactic whilst staying true to Gasperini's principles. In terms of results though, there can be no complaints. Here are some of our recent results when using this latest version: 

The eagle eyed amongst you may have spotted a few shock results here, such as a 4-1 win at the Nou Camp which was more a lesson in counter attacking at pace and precision if anything else. But the result I want to focus on is the 6-0 hammering of arch rivals FC Porto who were until then, running away with the league. 

You can see by these stats, just how much of a one sided contest it was. We were playing well before this game but this still came as a shock to me. Porto's 4-4-2 was no match for us. We dominated them and creating overloads everywhere. It felt like we had an extra player on the field! We ended the first half 5-0 up, with Porto not even registering an attempt on goal by that point.

This is by no means a plug and play tactic as I've only tested with Benfica, and as I said, some people may be able to get an even closer replication. 

I also have a 2nd tactic which has not been tested as much, and I actually switch to it late in a game when I want more of a solid shape. It's essentially a 3-4-3/3-4-2-1 which is also inspired by Gasperini, as its one of the two shapes he predominantly uses. The formation is a little more solid defensively as it morphs into a 5-4-1 when out of possession. 

I hope this was helpful for those interested in the highly rated Gian Piero Gasperini and his entertaining Atalanta side! 

And thanks again to @SixPointer for your detailed write up in the past as it's made it so much easier for me, and I imagine others too, to try and replicate Gasperini's system  

[jdubsnz]

On 05/11/2021 at 14:47, Fantasista10 said:

So, I know I said previously I'm waiting until the full release and to test it further blah blah blah... 

But I think I've created something that is already worth sharing. This probably isn't the finished article and I would expect to make some tweaks when the full game is released and hopefully some ME bugs/issues are resolved, however this is the closest I have come to a Gasperini recreation that has produced some great football and results.

Here's the main tactic currently:

There are some quite obvious similarities between this and the OP's recreation, mostly because a lot of @SixPointer's great work still applies in FM22. However, I'll try and break down some key aspects and what I think are non-negotiable for this style in the current ME.

Mentality - Attacking

First up, and probably the most important thing, is selecting the Attacking mentality. For years, I've almost exclusively created tactics on Positive mentality as for me it perfectly balances risk and reward when creating possession orientated systems. However, Gasperini's side don't keep possession for possessions sake. As with most Total Football sides - and in my opinion GpG's style of play is greatly influenced by that school of football - we need intent with our possession, and not countless sideways passing. I won't ramble too much about Gasperini and his philosophy as I think the OP did a great job in analysing this for us. 

As others have previously mentioned, increasing out team mentality also has the knock on effect of increasing individual mentalities. I think @crusadertsar mentioned this recently in his brilliant Total Football thread - about the need to have your back 3 (or defenders in general) on a higher mentality to aid playing out from the back and not hoofing the ball upfield constantly. Therefore, Attacking is the best fit as it means our two WCBs are on a Positive mentality and the BPD is on Balanced (I did experiment with a Libero but more on that later). 

Team Instructions

I usually have a set template for Total Football inspired tactics, but this has required some tweaking to get the desired movements - particularly those wide diamonds and overloads used so frequently by Gasperini and Atalanta. The most important here is the use of Focus Play Down Left & Right. This means we are looking to encourage our players to use those wider areas, whether it be moving wide/into half spaces to create overloads, or focussing our passes into those areas. As a result of this, I felt no need to use Play Wider as a team instruction as we were already using those areas enough, and increasing width meant we exclusively attacked down the flanks and pretty much ignored the middle and we became much more threatening with width left on default. 

You can see this in action in the below image. The ball is with our RWB (Lazaro) and he has the RCB and DLF in close support, with the CAR and AP also on moving over towards that side. Meanwhile, we maintain our width on the left flank - an important part of Gasperini's game, so we can take advantage of a possible switch in play. There's also a sort of diamond/rhombus shape on that left side with the LCB, LWB, LCM and Poacher. 

I think Slightly Shorter Passing and Play Out of Defence are quite self explanatory and don't require much detail as this is key to Atalanta's build up and philosophy as previously covered by the OP. I did however add Work Ball Into Box as this reduced the amount of crosses and long shots, and has actually led to some great intricate play in and around the box, akin to some of Atalanta's goals in real life! 

In Transition, Roll it Out and Distribute to Centre Backs again aid our build up play - nothing fancy here, but essential in maintaining possession and creating numerical superiority in the first phase in conjunction with our In Possession instructions. Like a GpG side without the ball, we also instruct the team to Counter Press, with the aim of winning the ball back instantly. 

Lastly, Out of Possession, we perhaps surprisingly, look to Force Opposition Outside as opposed to leaving this on default or Inside. This is a bit of a personal preference, as I like to keep my team as compact as possible and make us difficult to play through. It can be a bit risky in this shape as we have Wingbacks pretty much on their own out wide, and only two CMs, but the AP tracks back and helps form a 3 man midfield. We essentially defend in a compact 5-3-2 shape, quite like Atalanta do. As always the key to any GpG recreation though is the use of Tighter Marking and More Urgent pressing - a must have for this style. 

Player Roles & Instructions

The goalkeeper being set to SK(S) is pretty standard stuff, nothing too risky nor too passive. 

Now the Back Three is where it gets funky - and a massive thanks to SI for the introduction to overlapping Centre Backs! We can now easily recreate those patterns of play which Atalanta use so often. For me, there is no need to use the Attack duty on these guys, just leaving them on Support means they get forward plenty enough and actually get the odd goal and assist! Using Focus Play as well as this role, means we often overwhelm the opposition in wide areas with as many as four or five players drifting across to support play out wide. 

For the middle centre back, I started out using a Libero on Support, but did not really notice any benefit in possession and for some reason (not sure if it is a bug) he would always have the lowest rating in the entire team, even when completing loads of passes and looking good in other stats. Since changing to a BPD, ratings improved slightly but this is still an issue which makes me think there is a bug? Either way, the BPD still brings the ball out from the back with the Dribble More instruction and the Stopper duty has actually improved us defensively - which wasn't really a massive issue to begin with. 

The next part is probably make or break to the whole system - the Wingbacks. Because they are the only wide role in the team, they need to be able to provide width, be an outball, have the ability to beat their man in 1v1 situations and have excellent stamina and work rates to go up and down for 90 minutes. For Atalanta, the wingbacks usually stay high and wide - therefore an Attack duty seems best for me. I don't like using Overlap/Underlap TI's, I prefer to keep it minimal and get those movements through roles and instructions. At the moment, these guys are vanilla. I was using Stay Wide but their ratings suffered. Since removing it they are both contributing with plenty goals and assists! 

As I said above, there are quite a few similarities between this and the OP's tactic. For example, the roles for the double pivot - Mezzala and Carrilero - are still the most accurate roles for this system as they are hard coded to stay wider and help create overloads. The only instruction they have is to Shoot Less to reduce the number of long shots and encourage some more interplay. You don't see De Roon or Freuler scoring many worldies either so I prefer to keep it simple here. 

The same can be said for the strikers. It's difficult to shoehorn Josip Ilicic into one role, he's a cross between an Inside Forward/DLF/False Nine/Treq. Basically he can do it all, and he spends a lot of time in the right half space. I've found a DLF(A) with instructions to Roam and Stay Wider helps replicate some of his movement, and Rafa at Benfica has been brilliant in this role.  As for the Zapata role, this is really dependent on the player you have. I see him as either a Target Man or Complete Forward, but I sold my only real Target Man in Seferovic, and the CF role hasn't really worked as well as a Poacher! The key instruction here though is to Roam and Stay Wider, to help him drift out wide and create overloads as well as attacking those channels between FB and CB. 

We can see below, the positioning of the DLF (R. Pinho), as he's staying slightly wider and again forming a sort of diamond with the RCB, RWB and RCM. What's also interesting is the diamond in the centre that's being formed by the LCB, LCM, AP and Poacher. Grimaldo our LWB is the free man on the side, keeping the width and in acres of space to put in a dangerous cross or through ball. 

Last but not least, the Papu Gomez role. Sadly Papu had a falling out with Gasperini and is no longer at the club, but Atalanta haven't really suffered too much since losing their star player. The role has been filled by numerous players however, most notably Ruslan Malinovskyi or Matteo Pessina. Neither have set the world alight, but still play a crucial role in the system - linking the midfield to the attack, roaming out wide to create overloads and dropping deep to instigate attacks. For me, the Advanced Playmaker role has worked really well so far and is scoring plenty. This is still a role that could change however, and I have experimented with a Treq and an AM, so this is my no means set in stone. Wonderkind Thiago Almada, despite not being a nailed on starter, has done well in this role though: 

Now it's all well and good creating something that looks like an Atalanta tactic (you probably could create a truer replication), but for me it's pointless if it doesn't also perform well. That's the tough part, trying to find the balance between a winning tactic whilst staying true to Gasperini's principles. In terms of results though, there can be no complaints. Here are some of our recent results when using this latest version: 

The eagle eyed amongst you may have spotted a few shock results here, such as a 4-1 win at the Nou Camp which was more a lesson in counter attacking at pace and precision if anything else. But the result I want to focus on is the 6-0 hammering of arch rivals FC Porto who were until then, running away with the league. 

You can see by these stats, just how much of a one sided contest it was. We were playing well before this game but this still came as a shock to me. Porto's 4-4-2 was no match for us. We dominated them and creating overloads everywhere. It felt like we had an extra player on the field! We ended the first half 5-0 up, with Porto not even registering an attempt on goal by that point.

This is by no means a plug and play tactic as I've only tested with Benfica, and as I said, some people may be able to get an even closer replication. 

I also have a 2nd tactic which has not been tested as much, and I actually switch to it late in a game when I want more of a solid shape. It's essentially a 3-4-3/3-4-2-1 which is also inspired by Gasperini, as its one of the two shapes he predominantly uses. The formation is a little more solid defensively as it morphs into a 5-4-1 when out of possession. 

I hope this was helpful for those interested in the highly rated Gian Piero Gasperini and his entertaining Atalanta side! 

And thanks again to @SixPointer for your detailed write up in the past as it's made it so much easier for me, and I imagine others too, to try and replicate Gasperini's system  

I'm intrigued by this.  Currently doing reasonably well with Arsenal (3rd in the league in March of first season) with a 4-2-3-1 but we have the players for this and I feel like we need a second tactic to use, and really wanted a 3 at the back system. Are there any PIs? Also, the RMD - I've got Saka to play wide right, and not sure if he is an RMD. Could this work with an IW or IF?

Edited November 6, 2021 by jdubsnz

[Fantasista10]

6 hours ago, jdubsnz said:

I'm intrigued by this.  Currently doing reasonably well with Arsenal (3rd in the league in March of first season) with a 4-2-3-1 but we have the players for this and I feel like we need a second tactic to use, and really wanted a 3 at the back system. Are there any PIs? Also, the RMD - I've got Saka to play wide right, and not sure if he is an RMD. Could this work with an IW or IF?

As an Arsenal fan myself I think you’re right, this definitely could work. Under Arteta we essentially morph into a 3-2-5 shape in possession so I think the profile of player works for this too. 
 

In terms of PI’s, I’ve listed pretty much all of them above for the 3-4-1-2 formation.
 

For the 3-4-3, the PI’s are the same but the the right and left winger have Sit Narrower either hard coded or added. The striker Roams from Position - the other roles are the same.
 

With the RMD, I honestly haven’t tested much. But I previously used an IF(A) or Treq, both with Sit Narrower instructions to play more in those half spaces. I would try Saka as an IW maybe, and use Auba as the IF(A) on the left. 

Edited November 6, 2021 by Fantasista10

[jdubsnz]

10 hours ago, Fantasista10 said:

As an Arsenal fan myself I think you’re right, this definitely could work. Under Arteta we essentially morph into a 3-2-5 shape in possession so I think the profile of player works for this too. 
 

In terms of PI’s, I’ve listed pretty much all of them above for the 3-4-1-2 formation.
 

For the 3-4-3, the PI’s are the same but the the right and left winger have Sit Narrower either hard coded or added. The striker Roams from Position - the other roles are the same.
 

With the RMD, I honestly haven’t tested much. But I previously used an IF(A) or Treq, both with Sit Narrower instructions to play more in those half spaces. I would try Saka as an IW maybe, and use Auba as the IF(A) on the left. 

that makes sense, apologies, was being a muppet - had missed the 3-4-1-2 and was looking at the image of the 3-4-3! Might move Saka into the Mez role perhaps.  Quick question - do you have both strikers on stay wide and roam?

[jdubsnz]

1 hour ago, jdubsnz said:

that makes sense, apologies, was being a muppet - had missed the 3-4-1-2 and was looking at the image of the 3-4-3! Might move Saka into the Mez role perhaps.  Quick question - do you have both strikers on stay wide and roam?

First game with this and it was a lot of fun - well done. Might play around with the poacher role as Auba wasn't doing much. FYI bought Cavani in Jan as Saka wanted me to strengthen up front as a condition of signing a new contract and he has been banging them in for fun

[Fantasista10]

1 hour ago, jdubsnz said:

that makes sense, apologies, was being a muppet - had missed the 3-4-1-2 and was looking at the image of the 3-4-3! Might move Saka into the Mez role perhaps.  Quick question - do you have both strikers on stay wide and roam?

No worries! And yes, both strikers set to stay wide and roam - otherwise they don’t run into the channels enough or help create those wide overloads. 

[Fantasista10]

2 minutes ago, jdubsnz said:

First game with this and it was a lot of fun - well done. Might play around with the poacher role as Auba wasn't doing much. FYI bought Cavani in Jan as Saka wanted me to strengthen up front as a condition of signing a new contract and he has been banging them in for fun

Wow that’s a really convincing result! I’m glad to see that it works well for you as I haven’t tested with other teams. 
 

The Poacher role is pretty much what it says on the tin I guess. You won’t see them involved too often, but he’s usually the guy on the end of crosses/through balls. Another role could definitely work in the system if you also instruct them to stay wide and roam. 
 

Also, his rating looked bad in that game, but Saka would make a deadly wing back in this system! 

[Sophos]

On 05/11/2021 at 14:47, Fantasista10 said:

So, I know I said previously I'm waiting until the full release and to test it further blah blah blah... 

But I think I've created something that is already worth sharing. This probably isn't the finished article and I would expect to make some tweaks when the full game is released and hopefully some ME bugs/issues are resolved, however this is the closest I have come to a Gasperini recreation that has produced some great football and results.

Here's the main tactic currently:

There are some quite obvious similarities between this and the OP's recreation, mostly because a lot of @SixPointer's great work still applies in FM22. However, I'll try and break down some key aspects and what I think are non-negotiable for this style in the current ME.

Mentality - Attacking

First up, and probably the most important thing, is selecting the Attacking mentality. For years, I've almost exclusively created tactics on Positive mentality as for me it perfectly balances risk and reward when creating possession orientated systems. However, Gasperini's side don't keep possession for possessions sake. As with most Total Football sides - and in my opinion GpG's style of play is greatly influenced by that school of football - we need intent with our possession, and not countless sideways passing. I won't ramble too much about Gasperini and his philosophy as I think the OP did a great job in analysing this for us. 

As others have previously mentioned, increasing out team mentality also has the knock on effect of increasing individual mentalities. I think @crusadertsar mentioned this recently in his brilliant Total Football thread - about the need to have your back 3 (or defenders in general) on a higher mentality to aid playing out from the back and not hoofing the ball upfield constantly. Therefore, Attacking is the best fit as it means our two WCBs are on a Positive mentality and the BPD is on Balanced (I did experiment with a Libero but more on that later). 

Team Instructions

I usually have a set template for Total Football inspired tactics, but this has required some tweaking to get the desired movements - particularly those wide diamonds and overloads used so frequently by Gasperini and Atalanta. The most important here is the use of Focus Play Down Left & Right. This means we are looking to encourage our players to use those wider areas, whether it be moving wide/into half spaces to create overloads, or focussing our passes into those areas. As a result of this, I felt no need to use Play Wider as a team instruction as we were already using those areas enough, and increasing width meant we exclusively attacked down the flanks and pretty much ignored the middle and we became much more threatening with width left on default. 

You can see this in action in the below image. The ball is with our RWB (Lazaro) and he has the RCB and DLF in close support, with the CAR and AP also on moving over towards that side. Meanwhile, we maintain our width on the left flank - an important part of Gasperini's game, so we can take advantage of a possible switch in play. There's also a sort of diamond/rhombus shape on that left side with the LCB, LWB, LCM and Poacher. 

I think Slightly Shorter Passing and Play Out of Defence are quite self explanatory and don't require much detail as this is key to Atalanta's build up and philosophy as previously covered by the OP. I did however add Work Ball Into Box as this reduced the amount of crosses and long shots, and has actually led to some great intricate play in and around the box, akin to some of Atalanta's goals in real life! 

In Transition, Roll it Out and Distribute to Centre Backs again aid our build up play - nothing fancy here, but essential in maintaining possession and creating numerical superiority in the first phase in conjunction with our In Possession instructions. Like a GpG side without the ball, we also instruct the team to Counter Press, with the aim of winning the ball back instantly. 

Lastly, Out of Possession, we perhaps surprisingly, look to Force Opposition Outside as opposed to leaving this on default or Inside. This is a bit of a personal preference, as I like to keep my team as compact as possible and make us difficult to play through. It can be a bit risky in this shape as we have Wingbacks pretty much on their own out wide, and only two CMs, but the AP tracks back and helps form a 3 man midfield. We essentially defend in a compact 5-3-2 shape, quite like Atalanta do. As always the key to any GpG recreation though is the use of Tighter Marking and More Urgent pressing - a must have for this style. 

Player Roles & Instructions

The goalkeeper being set to SK(S) is pretty standard stuff, nothing too risky nor too passive. 

Now the Back Three is where it gets funky - and a massive thanks to SI for the introduction to overlapping Centre Backs! We can now easily recreate those patterns of play which Atalanta use so often. For me, there is no need to use the Attack duty on these guys, just leaving them on Support means they get forward plenty enough and actually get the odd goal and assist! Using Focus Play as well as this role, means we often overwhelm the opposition in wide areas with as many as four or five players drifting across to support play out wide. 

For the middle centre back, I started out using a Libero on Support, but did not really notice any benefit in possession and for some reason (not sure if it is a bug) he would always have the lowest rating in the entire team, even when completing loads of passes and looking good in other stats. Since changing to a BPD, ratings improved slightly but this is still an issue which makes me think there is a bug? Either way, the BPD still brings the ball out from the back with the Dribble More instruction and the Stopper duty has actually improved us defensively - which wasn't really a massive issue to begin with. 

The next part is probably make or break to the whole system - the Wingbacks. Because they are the only wide role in the team, they need to be able to provide width, be an outball, have the ability to beat their man in 1v1 situations and have excellent stamina and work rates to go up and down for 90 minutes. For Atalanta, the wingbacks usually stay high and wide - therefore an Attack duty seems best for me. I don't like using Overlap/Underlap TI's, I prefer to keep it minimal and get those movements through roles and instructions. At the moment, these guys are vanilla. I was using Stay Wide but their ratings suffered. Since removing it they are both contributing with plenty goals and assists! 

As I said above, there are quite a few similarities between this and the OP's tactic. For example, the roles for the double pivot - Mezzala and Carrilero - are still the most accurate roles for this system as they are hard coded to stay wider and help create overloads. The only instruction they have is to Shoot Less to reduce the number of long shots and encourage some more interplay. You don't see De Roon or Freuler scoring many worldies either so I prefer to keep it simple here. 

The same can be said for the strikers. It's difficult to shoehorn Josip Ilicic into one role, he's a cross between an Inside Forward/DLF/False Nine/Treq. Basically he can do it all, and he spends a lot of time in the right half space. I've found a DLF(A) with instructions to Roam and Stay Wider helps replicate some of his movement, and Rafa at Benfica has been brilliant in this role.  As for the Zapata role, this is really dependent on the player you have. I see him as either a Target Man or Complete Forward, but I sold my only real Target Man in Seferovic, and the CF role hasn't really worked as well as a Poacher! The key instruction here though is to Roam and Stay Wider, to help him drift out wide and create overloads as well as attacking those channels between FB and CB. 

We can see below, the positioning of the DLF (R. Pinho), as he's staying slightly wider and again forming a sort of diamond with the RCB, RWB and RCM. What's also interesting is the diamond in the centre that's being formed by the LCB, LCM, AP and Poacher. Grimaldo our LWB is the free man on the side, keeping the width and in acres of space to put in a dangerous cross or through ball. 

Last but not least, the Papu Gomez role. Sadly Papu had a falling out with Gasperini and is no longer at the club, but Atalanta haven't really suffered too much since losing their star player. The role has been filled by numerous players however, most notably Ruslan Malinovskyi or Matteo Pessina. Neither have set the world alight, but still play a crucial role in the system - linking the midfield to the attack, roaming out wide to create overloads and dropping deep to instigate attacks. For me, the Advanced Playmaker role has worked really well so far and is scoring plenty. This is still a role that could change however, and I have experimented with a Treq and an AM, so this is my no means set in stone. Wonderkind Thiago Almada, despite not being a nailed on starter, has done well in this role though: 

Now it's all well and good creating something that looks like an Atalanta tactic (you probably could create a truer replication), but for me it's pointless if it doesn't also perform well. That's the tough part, trying to find the balance between a winning tactic whilst staying true to Gasperini's principles. In terms of results though, there can be no complaints. Here are some of our recent results when using this latest version: 

The eagle eyed amongst you may have spotted a few shock results here, such as a 4-1 win at the Nou Camp which was more a lesson in counter attacking at pace and precision if anything else. But the result I want to focus on is the 6-0 hammering of arch rivals FC Porto who were until then, running away with the league. 

You can see by these stats, just how much of a one sided contest it was. We were playing well before this game but this still came as a shock to me. Porto's 4-4-2 was no match for us. We dominated them and creating overloads everywhere. It felt like we had an extra player on the field! We ended the first half 5-0 up, with Porto not even registering an attempt on goal by that point.

This is by no means a plug and play tactic as I've only tested with Benfica, and as I said, some people may be able to get an even closer replication. 

I also have a 2nd tactic which has not been tested as much, and I actually switch to it late in a game when I want more of a solid shape. It's essentially a 3-4-3/3-4-2-1 which is also inspired by Gasperini, as its one of the two shapes he predominantly uses. The formation is a little more solid defensively as it morphs into a 5-4-1 when out of possession. 

I hope this was helpful for those interested in the highly rated Gian Piero Gasperini and his entertaining Atalanta side! 

And thanks again to @SixPointer for your detailed write up in the past as it's made it so much easier for me, and I imagine others too, to try and replicate Gasperini's system  

Trying this as Spurs and just getting absolutely shredded in every single game. Can't defend at all.

[Fantasista10]

10 hours ago, Sophos said:

Trying this as Spurs and just getting absolutely shredded in every single game. Can't defend at all.

That’ll be because it’s Spurs 😉 

Joking aside - I did say I didn’t think this would be plug and play. You probably want to make sure you have the right profile of players, with the midfield being key as you really only have the double pivot and the AM dropping in. 
 

Assume you also haven’t got tactical familiarity high enough as well? These things all matter. 
 

If you’re able to score and create chances, maybe lower the mentality to Positive to try and add a bit more stability and less general risk taking. 
 

Hope that helps. 

[w_x]

Using this with Inter and I'm crushing the league. I've tweaked the duties to make the tactic "very fluid", though. Dzeko as the DLF is astonishingly good, 13 goals in 9 Serie A games, and Lautaro Martinez with 8 in 8 Serie A games.

[Fantasista10]

1 hour ago, w_x said:

Using this with Inter and I'm crushing the league. I've tweaked the duties to make the tactic "very fluid", though. Dzeko as the DLF is astonishingly good, 13 goals in 9 Serie A games, and Lautaro Martinez with 8 in 8 Serie A games.

Nice! 
 

It’s great that you can tweak some duties, maybe even some roles and the system can still work and produce results. 
 

I suspect when the full game is released there will be plenty more tweaking 👍🏼

[SixPointer]

On 05/11/2021 at 14:47, Fantasista10 said:

So, I know I said previously I'm waiting until the full release and to test it further blah blah blah... 

But I think I've created something that is already worth sharing. This probably isn't the finished article and I would expect to make some tweaks when the full game is released and hopefully some ME bugs/issues are resolved, however this is the closest I have come to a Gasperini recreation that has produced some great football and results.

Here's the main tactic currently:

There are some quite obvious similarities between this and the OP's recreation, mostly because a lot of @SixPointer's great work still applies in FM22. However, I'll try and break down some key aspects and what I think are non-negotiable for this style in the current ME.

Mentality - Attacking

First up, and probably the most important thing, is selecting the Attacking mentality. For years, I've almost exclusively created tactics on Positive mentality as for me it perfectly balances risk and reward when creating possession orientated systems. However, Gasperini's side don't keep possession for possessions sake. As with most Total Football sides - and in my opinion GpG's style of play is greatly influenced by that school of football - we need intent with our possession, and not countless sideways passing. I won't ramble too much about Gasperini and his philosophy as I think the OP did a great job in analysing this for us. 

As others have previously mentioned, increasing out team mentality also has the knock on effect of increasing individual mentalities. I think @crusadertsar mentioned this recently in his brilliant Total Football thread - about the need to have your back 3 (or defenders in general) on a higher mentality to aid playing out from the back and not hoofing the ball upfield constantly. Therefore, Attacking is the best fit as it means our two WCBs are on a Positive mentality and the BPD is on Balanced (I did experiment with a Libero but more on that later). 

Team Instructions

I usually have a set template for Total Football inspired tactics, but this has required some tweaking to get the desired movements - particularly those wide diamonds and overloads used so frequently by Gasperini and Atalanta. The most important here is the use of Focus Play Down Left & Right. This means we are looking to encourage our players to use those wider areas, whether it be moving wide/into half spaces to create overloads, or focussing our passes into those areas. As a result of this, I felt no need to use Play Wider as a team instruction as we were already using those areas enough, and increasing width meant we exclusively attacked down the flanks and pretty much ignored the middle and we became much more threatening with width left on default. 

You can see this in action in the below image. The ball is with our RWB (Lazaro) and he has the RCB and DLF in close support, with the CAR and AP also on moving over towards that side. Meanwhile, we maintain our width on the left flank - an important part of Gasperini's game, so we can take advantage of a possible switch in play. There's also a sort of diamond/rhombus shape on that left side with the LCB, LWB, LCM and Poacher. 

I think Slightly Shorter Passing and Play Out of Defence are quite self explanatory and don't require much detail as this is key to Atalanta's build up and philosophy as previously covered by the OP. I did however add Work Ball Into Box as this reduced the amount of crosses and long shots, and has actually led to some great intricate play in and around the box, akin to some of Atalanta's goals in real life! 

In Transition, Roll it Out and Distribute to Centre Backs again aid our build up play - nothing fancy here, but essential in maintaining possession and creating numerical superiority in the first phase in conjunction with our In Possession instructions. Like a GpG side without the ball, we also instruct the team to Counter Press, with the aim of winning the ball back instantly. 

Lastly, Out of Possession, we perhaps surprisingly, look to Force Opposition Outside as opposed to leaving this on default or Inside. This is a bit of a personal preference, as I like to keep my team as compact as possible and make us difficult to play through. It can be a bit risky in this shape as we have Wingbacks pretty much on their own out wide, and only two CMs, but the AP tracks back and helps form a 3 man midfield. We essentially defend in a compact 5-3-2 shape, quite like Atalanta do. As always the key to any GpG recreation though is the use of Tighter Marking and More Urgent pressing - a must have for this style. 

Player Roles & Instructions

The goalkeeper being set to SK(S) is pretty standard stuff, nothing too risky nor too passive. 

Now the Back Three is where it gets funky - and a massive thanks to SI for the introduction to overlapping Centre Backs! We can now easily recreate those patterns of play which Atalanta use so often. For me, there is no need to use the Attack duty on these guys, just leaving them on Support means they get forward plenty enough and actually get the odd goal and assist! Using Focus Play as well as this role, means we often overwhelm the opposition in wide areas with as many as four or five players drifting across to support play out wide. 

For the middle centre back, I started out using a Libero on Support, but did not really notice any benefit in possession and for some reason (not sure if it is a bug) he would always have the lowest rating in the entire team, even when completing loads of passes and looking good in other stats. Since changing to a BPD, ratings improved slightly but this is still an issue which makes me think there is a bug? Either way, the BPD still brings the ball out from the back with the Dribble More instruction and the Stopper duty has actually improved us defensively - which wasn't really a massive issue to begin with. 

The next part is probably make or break to the whole system - the Wingbacks. Because they are the only wide role in the team, they need to be able to provide width, be an outball, have the ability to beat their man in 1v1 situations and have excellent stamina and work rates to go up and down for 90 minutes. For Atalanta, the wingbacks usually stay high and wide - therefore an Attack duty seems best for me. I don't like using Overlap/Underlap TI's, I prefer to keep it minimal and get those movements through roles and instructions. At the moment, these guys are vanilla. I was using Stay Wide but their ratings suffered. Since removing it they are both contributing with plenty goals and assists! 

As I said above, there are quite a few similarities between this and the OP's tactic. For example, the roles for the double pivot - Mezzala and Carrilero - are still the most accurate roles for this system as they are hard coded to stay wider and help create overloads. The only instruction they have is to Shoot Less to reduce the number of long shots and encourage some more interplay. You don't see De Roon or Freuler scoring many worldies either so I prefer to keep it simple here. 

The same can be said for the strikers. It's difficult to shoehorn Josip Ilicic into one role, he's a cross between an Inside Forward/DLF/False Nine/Treq. Basically he can do it all, and he spends a lot of time in the right half space. I've found a DLF(A) with instructions to Roam and Stay Wider helps replicate some of his movement, and Rafa at Benfica has been brilliant in this role.  As for the Zapata role, this is really dependent on the player you have. I see him as either a Target Man or Complete Forward, but I sold my only real Target Man in Seferovic, and the CF role hasn't really worked as well as a Poacher! The key instruction here though is to Roam and Stay Wider, to help him drift out wide and create overloads as well as attacking those channels between FB and CB. 

We can see below, the positioning of the DLF (R. Pinho), as he's staying slightly wider and again forming a sort of diamond with the RCB, RWB and RCM. What's also interesting is the diamond in the centre that's being formed by the LCB, LCM, AP and Poacher. Grimaldo our LWB is the free man on the side, keeping the width and in acres of space to put in a dangerous cross or through ball. 

Last but not least, the Papu Gomez role. Sadly Papu had a falling out with Gasperini and is no longer at the club, but Atalanta haven't really suffered too much since losing their star player. The role has been filled by numerous players however, most notably Ruslan Malinovskyi or Matteo Pessina. Neither have set the world alight, but still play a crucial role in the system - linking the midfield to the attack, roaming out wide to create overloads and dropping deep to instigate attacks. For me, the Advanced Playmaker role has worked really well so far and is scoring plenty. This is still a role that could change however, and I have experimented with a Treq and an AM, so this is my no means set in stone. Wonderkind Thiago Almada, despite not being a nailed on starter, has done well in this role though: 

Now it's all well and good creating something that looks like an Atalanta tactic (you probably could create a truer replication), but for me it's pointless if it doesn't also perform well. That's the tough part, trying to find the balance between a winning tactic whilst staying true to Gasperini's principles. In terms of results though, there can be no complaints. Here are some of our recent results when using this latest version: 

The eagle eyed amongst you may have spotted a few shock results here, such as a 4-1 win at the Nou Camp which was more a lesson in counter attacking at pace and precision if anything else. But the result I want to focus on is the 6-0 hammering of arch rivals FC Porto who were until then, running away with the league. 

You can see by these stats, just how much of a one sided contest it was. We were playing well before this game but this still came as a shock to me. Porto's 4-4-2 was no match for us. We dominated them and creating overloads everywhere. It felt like we had an extra player on the field! We ended the first half 5-0 up, with Porto not even registering an attempt on goal by that point.

This is by no means a plug and play tactic as I've only tested with Benfica, and as I said, some people may be able to get an even closer replication. 

I also have a 2nd tactic which has not been tested as much, and I actually switch to it late in a game when I want more of a solid shape. It's essentially a 3-4-3/3-4-2-1 which is also inspired by Gasperini, as its one of the two shapes he predominantly uses. The formation is a little more solid defensively as it morphs into a 5-4-1 when out of possession. 

I hope this was helpful for those interested in the highly rated Gian Piero Gasperini and his entertaining Atalanta side! 

And thanks again to @SixPointer for your detailed write up in the past as it's made it so much easier for me, and I imagine others too, to try and replicate Gasperini's system  

Really like what you’ve done here. It’s not a system a plan to do this year. Even with the fantastic new WCB role. Love how the wide diamonds formed in your shape. My only question would be did you get any rotations in those areas. The centre back overlap wing back etc. It’s the one area I could never create. 

[Fantasista10]

28 minutes ago, SixPointer said:

Really like what you’ve done here. It’s not a system a plan to do this year. Even with the fantastic new WCB role. Love how the wide diamonds formed in your shape. My only question would be did you get any rotations in those areas. The centre back overlap wing back etc. It’s the one area I could never create. 

Thanks, really appreciate the kinds words. 
 

It’s a shame you don’t plan on replicating it this year but I understand because you’ve cracked it before! 
 

As for the rotations, yes, I feel that there’s quite a few times the wide centre back overlaps the wingback, and you’ll see one of the pivots, usually the CAR, cover that area nicely! 
 

I had Vertonghen get 2 assists in a game recently by doing just that. As always, I’d love to see this happen more often but this is a simulation of football after all. Still, a great addition to the game! 

[BadAss88]

I'm planning on using this system as well in FM22! Lots of inspiration here!

[jdubsnz]

On 08/11/2021 at 12:47, w_x said:

Using this with Inter and I'm crushing the league. I've tweaked the duties to make the tactic "very fluid", though. Dzeko as the DLF is astonishingly good, 13 goals in 9 Serie A games, and Lautaro Martinez with 8 in 8 Serie A games.

interesting - what tweaks have you made to do this?

[Mik_Fe]

is there some tips for fm 23?

anyone can make this tactic in FM23 after winter patch?

[SixPointer]

On 07/03/2023 at 11:50, Mik_Fe said:

is there some tips for fm 23?

anyone can make this tactic in FM23 after winter patch?

I’ve not tried to play like GPG for some time now. The introduction of the WCB roles since I wrote the OP will certainly help get the CB movement 

[Mik_Fe]

I think is pretty if we talk about it on FM23, considering the change about tactical system of Gasperini..

 

[SixPointer]

5 hours ago, Mik_Fe said:

I think is pretty if we talk about it on FM23, considering the change about tactical system of Gasperini..

 

Right now am playing a more direct style but  using a back three. I unfortunately have no time on my hands to do another detailed case study!

[Mik_Fe]

Thanks @SixPointer!

I've try to replicate Gasperini and Atalanta tactic in FM23, now i test my creation with new patch, but i think that works good.. The big difference is to move the two midfielder central to defensive midfielder, one DLP-S and one DM-S.. try to replicate both WCB, in my tactic are in Defense, but i think that in Support on the Right are be better.

So, i continue to see what the tactic do and tell you something

[SixPointer]

9 minutes ago, Mik_Fe said:

Thanks @SixPointer!

I've try to replicate Gasperini and Atalanta tactic in FM23, now i test my creation with new patch, but i think that works good.. The big difference is to move the two midfielder central to defensive midfielder, one DLP-S and one DM-S.. try to replicate both WCB, in my tactic are in Defense, but i think that in Support on the Right are be better.

So, i continue to see what the tactic do and tell you something

I look forward to it!

[Mik_Fe]

This is what i mean when i say "Play with decision"

[SixPointer]

10 hours ago, Mik_Fe said:

This is what i mean when i say "Play with decision"

That’s a lovely pattern of play!!

[Mik_Fe]

13 ore fa, SixPointer ha scritto:

That’s a lovely pattern of play!!

Yes, but my forward isn't good enough 

I continue to try this football and make a lot of detail, in particular in the defensive phase.

[SixPointer]

1 minute ago, Mik_Fe said:

Yes, but my forward isn't good enough 

I continue to try this football and make a lot of detail, in particular in the defensive phase.

It takes time to build the system. When I done it I wish I done it with the Atalanta team it would have been easier for replication 

[Mik_Fe]

4 ore fa, SixPointer ha scritto:

Ci vuole tempo per costruire il sistema. Quando l'ho fatto vorrei averlo fatto con la squadra dell'Atalanta sarebbe stato più facile la replica 

Yes, it's true.. i've a question, i take a look at DNA System, in particoular:

- First Touch

-Passing

-Decision

-Determination

-Teamwork

-Fitness

-Resistence

 

I think this is the DNA of this football.

[SixPointer]

33 minutes ago, Mik_Fe said:

Yes, it's true.. i've a question, i take a look at DNA System, in particoular:

- First Touch

-Passing

-Decision

-Determination

-Teamwork

-Fitness

-Resistence

 

I think this is the DNA of this football.

I would say stamina is crucial as is work rate for there intensive pressing 

[Valtte]

I have played my Gasperini replika now about 3 or 4 years. My basic setup has been basically same all these years. It's easily my favorite FM tactic nowadays and almost every save i try first something new and then i change to this. I usually make a little tweaks here and there, depending on what kind of players I have. Special thing in my replica are the roles that have wider player instruction, which improves those wide overloads, just like Gasperini has IRL. I try to find taller strikers, like Zapata who can score from crosses.

My setup: 3-4-1-2

SK-S

WCB-D (locked wider)

CD-C / LIB-S / BPD-C (depends on what kind of defenders i have)

WCB-D (locked wider)

WB-A (cross more, close down more)

CAR-S (locked wider)

CAR-S (locked wider)

WB-A (cross more, close down more)

EG-S (also could be AM-S with roaming)

DLF-A (wider)

DLF-A (wider)

also every player except GK and SCs have "mark tighter".

Positive

Play out of defence

Fairly Wide

Focus left/right

Work ball into box (could be also off)

passing&tempo: Shorter/slighty slower or Slightly shorter/slightly higher

Underlap left/right: sometimes off, sometimes on. I can't decide which works better.

Dstr CBs & FBs

Counter-press

Higher dline

Mid block

Trigger press more often

Prevent gk dstr

Get Stuck in

Drop off more

Trap outside

Edited August 21, 2023 by Valtte

[SixPointer]

7 hours ago, Valtte said:

I have played my Gasperini replika now about 3 or 4 years. My basic setup has been basically same all these years. It's easily my favorite FM tactic nowadays and almost every save i try first something new and then i change to this. I usually make a little tweaks here and there, depending on what kind of players I have. Special thing in my replica are the roles that have wider player instruction, which improves those wide overloads, just like Gasperini has IRL. I try to find taller strikers, like Zapata who can score from crosses.

My setup: 3-4-1-2

SK-S

WCB-D (locked wider)

CD-C / LIB-S / BPD-C (depends on what kind of defenders i have)

WCB-D (locked wider)

WB-A (cross more, close down more)

CAR-S (locked wider)

CAR-S (locked wider)

WB-A (cross more, close down more)

EG-S (also could be AM-S with roaming)

DLF-A (wider)

DLF-A (wider)

also every player except GK and SCs have "mark tighter".

Positive

Play out of defence

Fairly Wide

Focus left/right

Work ball into box (could be also off)

passing&tempo: Shorter/slighty slower or Slightly shorter/slightly higher

Underlap left/right: sometimes off, sometimes on. I can't decide which works better.

Dstr CBs & FBs

Counter-press

Higher dline

Mid block

Trigger press more often

Prevent gk dstr

Get Stuck in

Drop off more

Trap outside

I Like it!! And do you see the correct patterns of play? Pressing and the wide diamond combinations? 
 

I haven’t tried to play like GPG since the addition of WCB’s. Think it could be really fun to have a go again. Right now am using a 343 but it’s more gegenpressing 

Edited August 22, 2023 by SixPointer

[Valtte]

42 minutes ago, SixPointer said:

I Like it!! And do you see the correct patterns of play? Pressing and the wide diamond combinations? 

I've played thousands of games with this tactic in these different FM versions, so i can probably say that i like how it works in current engine Wide overloads are definitely the thing with this tactic. Because i've played so many games, i no longer doubt whether the tactic will work, so i just focus on building the team and finding the right players. You need physical players that tight marking thing works. I also feel that this system is great for lower leagues because basically you need only one creative player. At the moment i'm playing Brazilian lower leagues with Santa Cruz.

[Valtte]

I could also add that you can do also it using 4-3-1-2. Not a Gasperini thing IRL but it's just a good thing to have if feel like you need to change. I usually use it when opp gets a red card or if opp plays with a lone striker and they play really defensively - some 5-4-1 catenaccio or something. 

Same team instructions as in my post above. 

SK-S

CD-D / BPD-D

CD-D / BPD-D

DR: WB-A (cross more, close down more)

DL: WB-A (cross more, close down more)

MC: CAR-S (locked wider)

MC: DLP-D, DLP-S or CM-D 

MC: CAR-S (locked wider)

EG-S (also could be AM-S with roaming)

DLF-A (wider)

DLF-A (wider)

every player except GK and SCs have "mark tighter".

Edited September 21, 2023 by Valtte

[SixPointer]

2 hours ago, Valtte said:

I've played thousands of games with this tactic in these different FM versions, so i can probably say that i like how it works in current engine Wide overloads are definitely the thing with this tactic. Because i've played so many games, i no longer doubt whether the tactic will work, so i just focus on building the team and finding the right players. You need physical players that tight marking thing works. I also feel that this system is great for lower leagues because basically you need only one creative player. At the moment i'm playing Brazilian lower leagues with Santa Cruz.

Nice a love your passion for the system. It may be something a re visit in fm24

[Mutumba]

What do you mean "locked wide". Just a player instruction "stay wider"?

[Valtte]

1 hour ago, Mutumba said:

What do you mean "locked wide". Just a player instruction "stay wider"?

Some roles have "stay wider" instruction and add stay wider to strikers (could also add to wingbacks). Basically the whole point about the tactic is focus left/right team instruction and how roles emphasize this, like example SCr, MCr, WCBr all have stay wider player instuctions and same with the left-sided roles.

[Valtte]

On 22/08/2023 at 11:07, Valtte said:

At the moment i'm playing Brazilian lower leagues with Santa Cruz.

First season in Serie B - media prediction 18th and second lowest budget.

Team xG: 1st
Team xGA: 5th

In the Brazilian Cup to the final, where Palmeiras was far too strong.

 

[SixPointer]

5 hours ago, Valtte said:

First season in Serie B - media prediction 18th and second lowest budget.

Team xG: 1st
Team xGA: 5th

In the Brazilian Cup to the final, where Palmeiras was far too strong.

 

Nice work. How do the pass maps look? Do you get the nice diamond shapes?

[Valtte]

2 hours ago, SixPointer said:

Nice work. How do the pass maps look? Do you get the nice diamond shapes?

In this FM version, Enganche does not participate as well in the game as in previous versions (when using this tactic, don't know overall). I can't really say what is the reason for that. This is perhaps the only so-called problem with tactic at the moment. It's not a big deal for me, just a little detail.

Edited August 26, 2023 by Valtte

[SixPointer]

36 minutes ago, Valtte said:

In this FM version, Enganche does not participate as well in the game as in previous versions (when using this tactic, don't know overall). I can't really say what is the reason for that. This is perhaps the only so-called problem with tactic at the moment. It's not a big deal for me, just a little detail.

Nice shape otherwise. Maybe play around with the role. Try F9 from the striker slot. Or TREQ, AP or even just standard AM. 

[KarıdeşenJack]

On 22.08.2023 at 02:33, Valtte said:

I have played my Gasperini replika now about 3 or 4 years. My basic setup has been basically same all these years. It's easily my favorite FM tactic nowadays and almost every save i try first something new and then i change to this. I usually make a little tweaks here and there, depending on what kind of players I have. Special thing in my replica are the roles that have wider player instruction, which improves those wide overloads, just like Gasperini has IRL. I try to find taller strikers, like Zapata who can score from crosses.

My setup: 3-4-1-2

SK-S

WCB-D (locked wider)

CD-C / LIB-S / BPD-C (depends on what kind of defenders i have)

WCB-D (locked wider)

WB-A (cross more, close down more)

CAR-S (locked wider)

CAR-S (locked wider)

WB-A (cross more, close down more)

EG-S (also could be AM-S with roaming)

DLF-A (wider)

DLF-A (wider)

also every player except GK and SCs have "mark tighter".

Positive

Play out of defence

Fairly Wide

Focus left/right

Work ball into box (could be also off)

passing&tempo: Shorter/slighty slower or Slightly shorter/slightly higher

Underlap left/right: sometimes off, sometimes on. I can't decide which works better.

Dstr CBs & FBs

Counter-press

Higher dline

Mid block

Trigger press more often

Prevent gk dstr

Get Stuck in

Drop off more

Trap outside

It's a very good defensive tactic. Except for the tackle and dribble statistics, the team is in the top 3 places. We struggled a little against strong opponents. But this is also a success  Thanks !

[Valtte]

On 27/08/2023 at 16:56, KarıdeşenJack said:

It's a very good defensive tactic. Except for the tackle and dribble statistics, the team is in the top 3 places. We struggled a little against strong opponents. But this is also a success  Thanks !

Very nice!