Inter Milan - Building A Team Around Fighting Spirit and Brute Force

[Sophos]

This thread is inspired by @Zemahh's thread about defensive football, and @Djuicer's thread about possession football - two threads that similarly explore how to build your team and tactics around a defined identity, but do so with two vastly different tactics. I wanted to give something similar a go, and build a team around an identity you don't see too often in Football Manager: direct football, physical dominance, and fighting spirit. There'll be no tiki-taka here, I'm afraid.

For this experiment, I chose Inter Milan, whose squad looked almost ideal for the experiment. At the back, Skriniar and Godin both exemplify the mental and physical excellence that I'm looking for, while Bastoni is an exciting prospect to shape into a dominant defender; while up front, Martinez and Lukaku are the perfect strike partnership for what I'm trying to do. 

I've built my squad primarily around eight key attributes - five mental, three physical - that I've plugged into a custom squad view. 

Mentally, I demand that my players be brave, aggressive, determined, team players, and hard workers. This ensures that they carry out my instructions as a unit, and that they throw themselves into physical duels with their opponents. And they tend to win those duels, because I expect my players to be strong, aerially dominant, and to have good balance - ensuring that they can outmuscle their opponents on the ground and in the air. 

As you can see, my starting XI - with only two new signings in there, Ajer and Tagliafico - have very high rankings in these attributes. Mentally, even the weakest player, Lukaku, averages a 14.2, and doesn't have any rankings below 10. Physically, too, the team maintains a very high level - the three centre-backs and defensive midfielder all have 15+ jumping reach and 14+ strength. 

I wanted to instil this philosophy throughout the club, not just the playing staff, so I brought in some coaches with strong rankings for Determination, Level of Discipline, and Motivating: John Heitinga (18/14/15), Miguel D'Agostino (16/15/16), Dirk Kuyt (18/14/15), Claudomir Rates (15/16/16), and Toni Jimenez (17/13/15) all came in. Joao Tralho (14/14/15) came in to manage the U20s, and I let Cristian Chivu (12/17/12) stay in charge of the U18s.

As for me?

20s in Determination, Level of Discipline, and Motivating. Also not the Tactical Style - Route One.

Then I set up my tactic:

The team is essentially split into three units.

At the back, we have solidity with three centre-backs, and a DLP (D) sitting just in front of them; this provides a strong base from which to build, allowing the players ahead of them to play more aggressive roles. In the middle, we have four players who will all get forward to support the attack - this is something of a risk, but with the four defensive players behind, it doesn't leave us vulnerable. The wingbacks are key here, providing us with width and supplying crosses into the middle. Up front, we have two strikers - a big target man to occupy defenders and provide an option for a direct pass, and an advanced forward to pick up the knock-downs or run in behind. I sometimes play a PF (A) or PF (S) next to the target man instead, but generally it's the AF (A).

Next, I set up our team instructions, with some experimentation.

My 'In Possession' instructions are fairly simple. I originally had 'More Direct Passing' and 'Higher Tempo' selected, but I found that I don't really need them - with my midfield players getting forward, a target man to aim for, and a 'Positive' mentality, we end up playing direct football anyway, even without those instructions selected. 'In Transition,' I tell my keeper to distribute to my centre-backs because he's not that good at kicking it down the field, whereas my centre-backs are capable of hitting long passes with accuracy and pace. 'Out of Possession,' I demand a lot from my team - telling them to harry the opposition relentlessly, to get into their faces, and to maintain a high line while doing so. 

It's early days, but I'm very encouraged by what I've seen so far.

After eight games - including Napoli, Lazio, Ajax, and Liverpool - we've scored sixteen goals, and conceded only four. And we've done it playing a very direct style of football. We're 20th in Serie A for passes completed, and 15th for completion ratio; but we lead the league in crosses completed (101) and cross completion (37%). We've also made the most of our set pieces, leading the league with five goals from set pieces already - probably because of our aerial dominance, leading the league for headers won (210) and fifth for headers won ratio (63%). 

As I mentioned earlier, the wing-backs are key. My preferred starters, Tagliafico (signed from Ajax) and Barella (a converted central-midfielder) lead the team for chances created per 90 (0.62 and 0.74), dribbles per game (4.21 and 4.09), and tackles per game (5.15 and 5.02). They're also both goal threats, arriving late onto each other's crosses. Martinez and Lukaku tend to draw in opposition defenders, letting the wing-backs arrive unmarked. 

The strikers haven't been banging them in so far, with only 5 between them, but the chances are coming so I'm not too worried there. 

Hopefully we can keep this up for the whole season and beyond.

EDIT

Here's an example of how 'Distribute to Centre-Backs' works with a direct attacking style, from our 2-1 win against Liverpool.

Handanovic (1) plays it short to Skriniar (37), with Liverpool's front three pressing high. Skriniar passes to Godin (2), who passes to Ajer (14), getting us beyond the first line of the Liverpool press. Note the positioning of our wing-backs at this stage, pushing up high and wide, in position for a ball out wide. Ajer plays it first time to Vecino (8).

Now we go direct, Vecino switching the play to D'Ambrosio (33), who's in a lot of space. Meanwhile, our strike pairing occupy both centre-backs and the right-back, Asamoah (18) unmarked on the far side as we go forward.

D'Ambrosio surges past Robertson, while Poulsen (17) plays a key role off-the-ball - by positioning himself between Van Dijk (4) and Alexander-Arnold (66), he forces both to stay central, allowing Asamoah to receive a cross unmarked at the far post, and smash it into the back of the net. 

 

 

Edited May 26, 2020 by Sophos

[Rasnaldo]

Interesting thread. I am trying to build a team based on the same ethics aswell. I am playing with Piacenza in Serie B so it's a bit lower level. 

I was wondering why you choose balance as one of the core attributes? I have not focused at this particularily much for my team.

[Sophos]

9 minutes ago, Rasnaldo said:

Interesting thread. I am trying to build a team based on the same ethics aswell. I am playing with Piacenza in Serie B so it's a bit lower level. 

I was wondering why you choose balance as one of the core attributes? I have not focused at this particularily much for my team.

Balance is just a really important attribute in any physical challenge. Whether it's on the ground or in the air, challenging for the ball or holding off a defender, it helps your player stay on his feet rather than being bundled over. And seeing as my team is built around encouraging lots of physical challenges, I want to make sure my players have the balance to stay on their feet through them.

[Zemahh]

I see Get Stuck In, I follow. 

[Miraculix]

Good read. I like the concept of building a squad around eight superhero attributes.

[Amazingortega]

40 minutes ago, Zemahh said:

I see Get Stuck In, I follow. 

😂😂😂

[HanziZoloman]

Nice read!

how about training, schedules and individual?

Edited May 26, 2020 by HanziZoloman

[FlairRA]

Great stuff, that defensive record is solid and will only get better with time.

I was wondering if you've noticed a weakness to far post crosses by any chance? The 4 goals you've conceded all came from sides with quality wingers, and I notice that when I play against 3 ATB formations my wide forwards can have great success crossing to each other, as defenders can sometimes fail to defend the space at the far post, while the wingbacks aren't in the right position defensively. 

[Sophos]

54 minutes ago, FlairRA said:

Great stuff, that defensive record is solid and will only get better with time.

I was wondering if you've noticed a weakness to far post crosses by any chance? The 4 goals you've conceded all came from sides with quality wingers, and I notice that when I play against 3 ATB formations my wide forwards can have great success crossing to each other, as defenders can sometimes fail to defend the space at the far post, while the wingbacks aren't in the right position defensively. 

Of those four goals conceded, three were from set pieces, and the other - Napoli's second goal - was a cross to the far post.  I've been playing since, and conceded four more - two set pieces, one cross into the middle that Werner go onto, and one where Zapata pulled away from my DCL and scored from a tight angle.

I wouldn't say crosses to the far post have been a major vulnerability so far. The one weakness I've noticed is pacy forwards, who can get away from my centre-backs and score without having to win physical challenges. The only players to score against me from open play have been Douglas Costa, Timo Werner, and Duvan Zapata - who have 16, 17, and 16 pace, respectively. I did expect to be vulnerable to Liverpool, with their three forwards against my three centre-backs, but we actually kept them fairly quiet. Their goal came from a free kick, and their only other major chance was also from a free kick.

I do have a very good goalkeeper, however. Handanovic has 20 reflexes and 18 positioning, so he's been making plenty of good saves.

[Sophos]

1 hour ago, HanziZoloman said:

Nice read!

how about training, schedules and individual?

I've mostly been leaving training schedules to my assistant. For individual training, I've trained players in specific roles to counter their weaknesses - small strikers training as target men, etc. - and 'complete' players, I've been focusing on well-rounded training roles (BPD, CWB, RPM, CF) and player traits to keep them improving and give them useful traits. lta little early to see results, but I've been encouraged by the progress my younger players have made.

Edited May 26, 2020 by Sophos

[HanziZoloman]

Nice1 thx!

[Djuicer]

12 hours ago, Zemahh said:

I see Get Stuck In, I follow. 

And if you are a ref. Well does he actually hit? yellow seems fair.

[HanziZoloman]

13 hours ago, Djuicer said:

And if you are a ref. Well does he actually hit? yellow seems fair.

Let’s check it with VAR

[Sophos]

Just finished the first season, it went really well. I’ll be doing a full write up tomorrow, but here’s a teaser:

We conceded only twelve goals in the league all season, matching the Serie A record - but the record was set in a thirty game season. We’d only conceded nine goals after thirty games played.

[Sophos]

Update - End of 2019/20

The 2019/20 season has come to an end, and Inter Milan are back on top of Italian football.

An impregnable defence - conceding only 12 goals, and keeping 29 clean sheets  - has helped us to break Juventus' dominance of the league, beating them for goal difference despite scoring 15 less goals. Our points total of 103 is a new league record, beating the old record by a single point. 

We did this without compromising in our style. We completed the least passes (10819) of any team in the league, and had the 14th highest pass completion ratio (82%). When we did have possession, we got it forward quickly and launched in accurate crosses - leading the league for crosses completed (560 - Juve in 2nd had 469) and cross completion ratio (32% - Atalanta in 2nd had 25%). We also made the most of set pieces, leading the league for goals from corners (12) and second for goals from indirect free kicks (11 - Roma in 1st had 12). 

And we won European glory! Our path to the final wasn't an easy one, but we battled our way past Atletico Madrid (4-0), Barcelona (4-0), and Spurs (7-3). The 2-0 home win against Barcelona was my proudest moment of the save so far.

As you can see, their attackers received only two passes in the box throughout the whole game. I haven't included crosses, but they didn't create much that way either - Suarez received three, but all of them were in fairly wide positions where he couldn't threaten Handanovic in the goal.

Whereas we absolutely bombarded Barcelona's box with accurate crosses, from open play, from free kicks, and from long throw-ins - I don't have a Delap, but I'll always back my team of giants to win long floated throws over most defenders. 

My personal player of the season was Nicolas Tagliafico, the left wing-back I signed from Ajax for £30m. He played 42 games, and his per 90 stats are fantastic - 6.61 tackles won (rising to 8.69 in Europe), 4.16 dribbles per game, and 4.66 headers won per game. He was also in prolific goalscoring form - scoring 13 and assisting 12 over the course of the season.

This goal is an example of the typical Tagliafico goal. We have the ball on the right, with Brozovic (77) and Barella (23) linking up to set up the cross. In the middle, Lukaku (9) has drawn in three defenders, leaving us with plenty of space to attack down the left flank - Tagliafico (16) charges into that space, Barella picks him out with a cross, and we score.  

Let's look at another goal, this one from the 'title decider' against Juve - though we didn't technically lift the trophy for a couple of games after.

Here, we're on the counter-attack. Barella has made a run inside, bringing Juve's left-back Alex Sandro (17) with him. He's tackled, but we get the ball to Gagliardini (5). Over on the far side, Tagliafico is making a forward run. 

Gagliardini carries the ball forward until Danilo (13) commits, stepping forward to challenge for the ball - at which point, he plays the ball ahead of Tagliafico, for him to run onto.

The finish needs to be seen in 3D, really - wow!

 

 

Edited May 28, 2020 by Sophos

[CaptCanuck]

Congratulations. Nice to see a preferred style married up to the results :-)
Two questions:

• The two matches against Juve?
• The two San Siro derbies?

[Sophos]

4 hours ago, CaptCanuck said:

Congratulations. Nice to see a preferred style married up to the results :-)
Two questions:

• The two matches against Juve?
• The two San Siro derbies?

Juventus we drew 0-0 at home and won 1-0 away. We got a little lucky away, Ronaldo missed a penalty in the last twenty minutes. 

AC Milan we beat 2-0 "away" and won 1-0 at home.

[Urbiscuit18]

Great post, how do you find it did against more defensive sides?

[Sophos]

1 hour ago, Urbiscuit18 said:

Great post, how do you find it did against more defensive sides?

Very consistent against defensive sides, we tend to score two or three against them, home and away. Defensive sides tend to pack the box with players, but we're okay with that because our side is full of big, aggressive players who do well competing for crosses. We do really well from set pieces too, which helps. 

[Urbiscuit18]

8 hours ago, Sophos said:

Very consistent against defensive sides, we tend to score two or three against them, home and away. Defensive sides tend to pack the box with players, but we're okay with that because our side is full of big, aggressive players who do well competing for crosses. We do really well from set pieces too, which helps. 

Interesting, sounds good!

[yann]

I have used your tactic, just swapping the defensive playmaker for a regista (except for though games like Juventus),and résults were greats with inter, won the league and the cup and failed in champions league final against chelsea after a red card. 

Sensi is a god as regista, the engine of the team.

 

Edited June 3, 2020 by yann

[Sophos]

4 hours ago, yann said:

I have used your tactic, just swapping the defensive playmaker for a regista (except for though games like Juventus),and résults were greats with inter, won the league and the cup and failed in champions league final against chelsea after a red card. 

Sensi is a god as regista, the engine of the team.

Sensi's only been a backup/rotation player for me, mostly because he's not great physically and doesn't have the levels of aggression, bravery, and work rate I like from my players. He's done well when he has played as a mezalla or right-back, to be fair - excellent set piece taker - so maybe I should give him more of a chance.

[yann]

When i play with a regista, i put the mezzala on support. Your tactic is great, great work, first time i enjoy a 532

Edited June 3, 2020 by yann

[Sophos]

15 hours ago, yann said:

When i play with a regista, i put the mezzala on support. Your tactic is great, great work, first time i enjoy a 532

Who else starts in your midfield, out of interest? Gagliardini and Brozovic? Or do you have Barella in there somewhere?

[yann]

I have sold venico and valero at the beginning of the season.

Sensi play regista, Barella Btb and Eriksen mezalla.  I use rotation system in the middle, i change atleast one player at each game, Brozovic enter the team often, he can play each position. Gagliardini can sub Btb position or in DM position if i play with a defensive playmaker.

Edited June 4, 2020 by yann

[Sophos]

9 hours ago, yann said:

I have sold venico and valero at the beginning of the season.

Sensi play regista, Barella Btb and Eriksen mezalla.  I use rotation system in the middle, i change atleast one player at each game, Brozovic enter the team often, he can play each position. Gagliardini can sub Btb position or in DM position if i play with a defensive playmaker.

In all honesty I completely forgot about Valero and Eriksen, I sold both for not fitting my key attributes.

I'm surprised Brozovic isn't in your first XI though - has he complained at all? 

[yann]

Brozovic was first choice as box to box, but got early season injury, and barella took the place by doing better. Same for eriksen.

[XuluBak]

On 26/05/2020 at 14:04, Zemahh said:

I see Get Stuck In, I follow. 

He almost won the ball.

[kazm]

On 27/05/2020 at 09:47, Djuicer said:

And if you are a ref. Well does he actually hit? yellow seems fair.

As a Dutch person: yeah for diving.