Wide Midfielders - who do you convert?

[CybrSlydr]

Very few natural WMs in FM.  So I've been thinking, who should you look to convert?  CMs who are B2B for their workrate or FB/WBs for their crossing/defense?

I'm leaning towards FBs as they already have a side preference vs having to develop one.

 

Thinking for a 442.  

[TheGreatest]

I mean of course you can go the Saul/Koke way or double stack Full Backs, but a more normal AML/AMR should be able to do good as well if they aren't extremely lazy.

[smeagoltonez]

46 minutes ago, CybrSlydr said:

Very few natural WMs in FM.  So I've been thinking, who should you look to convert?  CMs who are B2B for their workrate or FB/WBs for their crossing/defense?

I'm leaning towards FBs as they already have a side preference vs having to develop one.

 

Thinking for a 442.  

I suppose it’s probably a case-by-case situation depending on the players that you have (or can get) to covert. It also depends on how much crossing you want them to do & things like corners & long throws too. FB/WBs are likely to be better at these things but are usually hardworking with stamina too.

On the other hand, I often read that other FM players find that there’s a lack of quality wing-backs in the game so converting ones of those may not be the wisest of choices?

[Guest]

Anyone that has the attributes to play the role you want from that position.

For instance Ugarte and another CM are my two right fullbacks in my save now.

I don't want my fullback to be putting crosses in I want them to be as wide as possible to stretch the opposition but also to recycle the ball quickly to the cente or if they do get to the byline I want them to be pulling it back rather than across so Ugarte ticks all the boxes I need from my fullback.

Edited July 25, 2021 by Crazy_Ivan

[michaeldawson75]

Always found this a bit odd really, it's such a bog standard position that you would think there would be plenty of players for it. I understand there not being many raumdeuters, for example, but WM barely has any instructions beyond 'stand on the wing'.

Who plays WM in real life?

As a further aside, I've always wanted to make a solid 4141 with WMs with maybe a high mentality to get players forward (like Guardiola's Man City did in FM 16). Never managed it, always found there was no penetration and my striker was always isolated.

[irish kopite]

6 hours ago, michaeldawson75 said:

Always found this a bit odd really, it's such a bog standard position that you would think there would be plenty of players for it. I understand there not being many raumdeuters, for example, but WM barely has any instructions beyond 'stand on the wing'.

Who plays WM in real life?

As a further aside, I've always wanted to make a solid 4141 with WMs with maybe a high mentality to get players forward (like Guardiola's Man City did in FM 16). Never managed it, always found there was no penetration and my striker was always isolated.

WM is perhaps an outdated role due to the prevalence of 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 and inverted wingers.

They were very common in the lopsided 4-4-2/ 4-4-1-1s of British football from Englands World Cup win in 1966 up until the mid 00s. A winger on one side and a tucked in centre mid/ wide mid on the other, which gave the somewhat classic British 4-4-2 shape. Forest employed this shape to win back to back European Cups and this asymmetric shape became a staple of British football during the 80s. 

I've always used WMs in possession based 4-4-2s much like the classic Liverpool pass and move systems of the 1970s and 1980s. I think WMs are essential to possession centric 4 man midfields.

Football has moved on and FM reflects this. I generally find converting good all round CMs into WMs gives the most success. E.g. Wijnaldum and Keita from the FM21 Liverpool squad, who incidentally also happen to hold the classic LFC LM and RM numbers, 5 and 8 respectively.