How can I improve on this tactic?

[trueblue9877]

[Justified]

Well it says you're first in the league so why fix which isn't broken?

At first glance though I'd say you're vulnerable down the left flank due to the forward movement of the WB and IF and the roaming of the BBM. I'd personally never play with two BPD's and even though I'm not familiar with Shrewsbury's squad, I'm pretty sure they don't have two  

[Experienced Defender]

1 hour ago, Justified said:

At first glance though I'd say you're vulnerable down the left flank due to the forward movement of the WB and IF and the roaming of the BBM

Yeah, potentially vulnerable on the left and lacking wide support on the right (due to having a conservative fullback role along with a holding CM role behind an inside-oriented wide fwd). 

Up front, the AP may struggle to exert influence due to reduced space caused by roles both behind him and on the flanks. 

Potential isolation of the AF is another thing to look for. 

Defensive TIs more aggressive than necessary, especially when coupled with lower-than-optimal compactness (especially for a system such as 4231).

[trueblue9877]

2 hours ago, Experienced Defender said:

Yeah, potentially vulnerable on the left and lacking wide support on the right (due to having a conservative fullback role along with a holding CM role behind an inside-oriented wide fwd). 

Up front, the AP may struggle to exert influence due to reduced space caused by roles both behind him and on the flanks. 

Potential isolation of the AF is another thing to look for. 

Defensive TIs more aggressive than necessary, especially when coupled with lower-than-optimal compactness (especially for a system such as 4231).

How would you try to make the left more stable  am thinking of using 4-1-4-1 

 

[Experienced Defender]

1 minute ago, trueblue9877 said:

How would you try to make the left more stable

Different options are possible (CM on defend or BWM on defend for example). But as I already said in my previous comment, the left side is not the only potentially weak point in your tactic. 

 

3 minutes ago, trueblue9877 said:

am thinking of using 4-1-4-1

Roles and duties need to be well-balanced in any setup. A mere change of formation will not automatically solve the problem(s). 

[Sarmatian]

I'm using a similar setup and having quite good results. I'd advise having one of the CMs on Defend duty.