Strategy & Tactical Handbook by Loversleaper

[Loversleaper]

If you go with the Defensive strategy away from home against the really strong teams, I suggest you remove the Play Out of Defence team instruction. Maybe you can add back in there later on but I think for real Relegation Battlers maybe it could prove to be too dangerous a setting to have. 

[loisvale]

Been using this strategy ladder for years. Playing Leeds in season 2 in premiership. A real slog for the first time in a long while. Away from home in particular is tricky against better teams. Defensive invites so much pressure! Sitting in 10th with 24 points after 18 matches. I did get off to a good start. The tactician manager is definitely the most challenging one. Will keep battling away and keep improving the side. Want to stay here and get back the glory days!

[jdubsnz]

1 hour ago, Loversleaper said:

If you go with the Defensive strategy away from home against the really strong teams, I suggest you remove the Play Out of Defence team instruction. Maybe you can add back in there later on but I think for real Relegation Battlers maybe it could prove to be too dangerous a setting to have. 

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssss!

 

[Loversleaper]

2 hours ago, loisvale said:

Been using this strategy ladder for years. Playing Leeds in season 2 in premiership. A real slog for the first time in a long while. Away from home in particular is tricky against better teams. Defensive invites so much pressure! Sitting in 10th with 24 points after 18 matches. I did get off to a good start. The tactician manager is definitely the most challenging one. Will keep battling away and keep improving the side. Want to stay here and get back the glory days!

 

 

 

 

Personally this is how I would set-up with Leeds in the first season when looking at the players available. The squad lacks a decent Left Back (back up) and investing centrally is essential. In the long run there would be a need to replace Bamford with something stronger because Bamford as a CF might be tough at times looking at his attributes.

 

 

Edited April 9, 2022 by Loversleaper

[loisvale]

Interesting. Had moved from the 433  to the 4231 and the more direct instructions. Set up very similar but also have counter press on   In the balanced strategy. Have bought Miranda to solve the left back issue at start of the season and Bardhi for Am role. Looking for a good CF but they are tricky to find. 
 

thanks and will persevere. 

[seb1083]

Just dropping by to say thank you for this inspirationnal thread.  I've been using your strategies (with a 442) in my youth academy challenge in Belgium.  First season we're predicted to finish 14th (out of 16), and we don't have enough players to fill out the match sheet, but I should qualify for the promotion playoffs.  Goals are hard to come by, but the defense is great.

 

[Mr_Demus]

I have used the set from the download thread to see how they play out. Most of it I can get to work, but my PF S is performing terribly. He is almost invisible and doesn't score nor assist. You mention risky passes. Is that a PPM, because I can't give him the PI.

 

I usually use a W att/IF att (sometimes IW att) with the PF S. What other striker roles could work? I am not in a league where players are able to play CF S

[Loversleaper]

@Mr_Demus

 

Check your Player Statistics for some of those matches where your striker is underperforming. It could be something like he is losing a lot of his headers which might mean you could use the Low Crosses team instruction to help him out a little. 
 

Fine (discipline) poor performances could also get him back on track. In the 4-1-4-1 formation the PF should generally do well, so usually there will be a reason for poor performances. Finding out why should give an idea what can be done about it. In the 4-3-3 formation I used the PF in the Wimbledon because I didn’t really have any alternative options and it went okay. But having a player that can thread passes through (risky passes) really adds something to the attacking phases.

 

The striker passes through the opposition defensive line to one of the wingers who runs down the flank. The striker then moves into the box and can maybe finish off the attack. Deep Lying Forwards and the False9 could be good options. In the more attacking strategies I found that throwing on a tall Target Man could change games. 
 

 

Edited April 10, 2022 by Loversleaper

[Loversleaper]

18 hours ago, jdubsnz said:

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssss!

 

Looks like your players are playing better but it could take a good 10-15 games before they start being comfortable with the tactics. 

[jdubsnz]

5 minutes ago, Loversleaper said:

Looks like your players are playing better but it could take a good 10-15 games before they start being comfortable with the tactics. 

we followed that up with an abysmal 2-0 loss to Wolves. Problem with playing defensive is we offer so little!  Often get to half time with no shots taken.  Quick question - I have the January transfer window coming up and if I can bring in some genuine quality (already have Frank Kessie coming) does that mean I could shift up the ladder to Tactician?

[Loversleaper]

@jdubsnz
 

With the players you have then maybe you could try Cautious away against teams where you are slight underdog to win the match. Defensive strategy is good against an Attacking strategy opponent that are huge favorites to win against your team. Defensive strategy never really produces good match stats, but does grind in results sometimes. It hard to get results in the described match scenario. Did you use inverted wingers in the defensive strategy?

[jdubsnz]

47 minutes ago, Loversleaper said:

@jdubsnz
 

With the players you have then maybe you could try Cautious away against teams where you are slight underdog to win the match. Defensive strategy is good against an Attacking strategy opponent that are huge favorites to win against your team. Defensive strategy never really produces good match stats, but does grind in results sometimes. It hard to get results in the described match scenario. Did you use inverted wingers in the defensive strategy?

I'm just using the tactic set you put up on the download section. doesn't have inverted wingers?

 

 

Edited April 10, 2022 by jdubsnz

[Loversleaper]

@jdubsnz

 

I tend to use IW in the 4-1-4-1/4-3-3 formations. In the first page of the thread I gave a few details on which combinations I use. 
 

In the download versions I keep the tactics more in a default layout and you can switch to roles that suit your team better because most teams are not always alike.

 

You can of course buy certain players which open new aspects to your tactics. I highly recommend using IW in this tactic set. It’s just up to you if you want to keep it like it is in the download version, or switch one of the wingers to an IW … or even both. 

[Loversleaper]

I've uploaded the Mourinho type 4-2-3-1 / 4-4-1-1 tactic set to the Download Section of this thread. I have a description of how to use them and screenshots of the tactics on page 1 of this thread. Remember you can use Different Roles (the AI Mourinho always uses 2 IW sides if possible). I kept it to one side in the download version but always try to play to your teams strengths is my best advice. 

[Loversleaper]

I was thinking of a good 4-4-2 as @coach vahid had requested earlier on in the thread. In England, the 4-4-2 used to be a fast paced Kick n' Rush style of football, but I remember Sir Alex Ferguson kind of changed that but still kept the basics of the tactical set-up. Instead he went a little more fast paced short passing so I am attempting to make something like this work. His goalkeeper choice was always something world-class but he stuck with a normal Goalkeeper instead of a Sweeper Keeper. Up front I think the Yorke/Cole strike partnership could be translated to the Deep Lying Forward / Advanced Forward ... Yorke being the DLF(Su) and Cole being the AF(At). Other combinations I am thinking is Rooney Pressing Forward (Su) and Tevez Trequartista (At) or Cantona Complete Forward (Su) and Cole Poacher (At). Usually SirAlex used a Deep Lying Playmaker (De) like Carrick and a Box to Box player like Scholes. As an Alternative instead of the Box to Box you can use a Ball Winning Midfielder (Su) like Roy Keane but I like the Box to Box in the 4-4-2 somehow as it adds something to the attacking movement. The BWM can be used in tricky matches or to tighten the strategy up a little. Also SirAlex tried to always get at least one total world-class Ball Playing Defender. SirAlex used Ronaldo on the Left Wing so you can put in an Inverted Winger but he also liked width so usually on the right he would most likely have the traditional winger to swing in some crosses. I tried with 2 IWs because with the team I am using as sometimes I didn't have alternatives - and it went fine as well, just different type of game.

 

So below I will show some ideas and maybe could upload them sometime later on. The High Tempo is used to disrupt the opponent and try to take them by surprise and as I remembered it he also allowed some creative freedom - so make sure you have a good team if you want to play this way. You can always change the settings to better suit your team if you feel your team struggles with them. Also you can change passing to Direct and focus the game down he flanks, I've dabbled in all of these scenarios so as long as you make good strategy choices for the match then you should do better than worse...

 

 

Edited April 16, 2022 by Loversleaper

[Loversleaper]

 

 

 

 

[Loversleaper]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 11, 2022 by Loversleaper

[Loversleaper]

 

 

[FJW]

How would you go about a narrow 4-4-2/diamond?

[Loversleaper]

1 hour ago, FJW said:

How would you go about a narrow 4-4-2/diamond?

I usually do a 4-1-3-2 and a 4-3-1-2 set at one point. I'll put in a diamond one too. But here is a good chance to use some of those Water Carrier, Mez and Roaming Playmaker roles for sure. 

[Loversleaper]

I have just uploaded the SirAlex and Conte sets in the download section for anyone that wants to try them out. Take a look at the screenshots and the loose explanations of them in this thread if you want to find out more about them and maybe how to use or tweak them.

[loisvale]

Great to see all the sets. Thank you. Am using Jose M ones as I do like 4411 and 4231. However am finding the sets for cautious down are too passive and the pressure even from other tactician managers is too much. Have created an away tactic which is similar to the 4411 cautious tactic but made AM an attacking duty and lower line of engagement, standard defensive line but on a positive mentality. Is much less passive and soaks up but punches hard.  I can’t sit there and just let them come on to me wave after wave!

seems to work pretty well. 

[Loversleaper]

@loisvale

 

Defensive strategy is basically only for those situations where you have a really poor team compared to your opponent and you are away from home. Your team is expected to be under immense pressure the whole match and your primary goal for the match is to try to stop your opponent as much as possible. If your team is good enough to actually give the opponent a good game (you have talented players) then I would use Cautious because you have more attacking options in the strategy - much more so than the Defensive Strategy.

 

Very Defensive is only for the last ten minutes where your whole focus is to hang onto a result.

 

If you are playing Positive Strategy away from home then and doing well then, for me, it looks like your team are in the Master-Class quality area. 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 21, 2022 by Loversleaper

[Loversleaper]

 

 

 

 

Edited April 21, 2022 by Loversleaper

[Loversleaper]

Going back to the Wimbledon save we can take a few examples when you can use the Defensive Strategy effectively ... in this save (you can download it in the Tactic Sharing section) I used the Defensive Strategy a total of 3 times if I remember correctly. In the game against Sunderland who were predicted 1st in the league, my Wimbledon side were predicted 17th - so, that's close to the relegation position. Sunderland also have a huge reputation and my scouts assumed they would Attack (Strategy) against me and were massive favourites to win the match. Away against Aston Villa and away to Ipswich were also basically identical match scenarios. In these three games I used the Defensive Strategy quite effectively because these three teams really went for it and I managed to keep the shorelines close. In the Sunderland match I held on til the 80th minute where I kept the score within range and then went Very Attacking (All Out Attack) and managed to grab that late goal. I tried to do the same away to Villa but even with a man down I couldn't do much and the Ipswich game I just held on with Defensive Strategy throughout the game and snatched the point. These three match scenarios are typical situations where I would suggest the Defensive Strategy as a good option if I want to try and grab a result or keep the scoreline tight so I can maybe make some change late on and try to get back in or go even more defensive to hold the result (every point counts).

 

After this point, with my result form in mind, opponents started to play more tactical as our team proved hard to beat so naturally I could venture higher up on the Strategy Ladder away from home. Even for Relegation battlers, if your result form is good, then most likely your opponents will not try to go into total attack mode so that's where it's a good idea to try and Counter Attack them. In the Wimbledon game I used all the strategies through the season to achieve the results in the save

 

 

Edited April 21, 2022 by Loversleaper

[loisvale]

Good advice as usual. Will try using cautious more. Finished 5th with Leeds last season using my own tactics will have a full season on the Jose M set and see if we can break in to the Champ league spots. Doesn’t feel quite at Master class yet. Will let you know. 

[ta11zx]

On 08/03/2022 at 13:05, Loversleaper said:

There are other ways to play the 4-4-2. I remember a while back I made my personal version of how I thought Atletico Madrid played in the initial period under Simeone. He used Koke as a wide midfielder but he was clearly a type of play maker because he really could run the show back then. Simeone has changed his tactics recently which I have mixed feelings about, but here is how I saw Atletico Madrid played back then :

 

 

 

I'm not sure which FM it was, but for sure it was a good 4-6 years ago, I did try a save where I played like this and it was quite effective and a lot of fun. It was just a little hard at times to maintain because with injuries, suspensions and adequate player material limited my team to always play like this so I had an alternative Simeone 4-4-1-1 that went along with it (I will post it just for fun). I tried it a little in this version and still its totally feasible. In the team instructions I used my 'loose rule book' from the thread because it's what I am familiar with, but having said that - I think you can easily adopt other ways to play. Like if you look at Simeone's profile it states that he likes to play a Fluid Counter Attack Style. He relies on Set Pieces, plays Standard (passing) and tends not to prevent crosses. I created, back in the day, lots of different managerial styles by studying the Managers a little and trying to adopt them into the tactics. You can still do that so here would be an example of (maybe) how Diego Simeone might set up his tactic :

 

 

 

If you see the pre-match reports on the opponent and how they use roles and strategies against you - then you quickly realise that even though they might "prefer" a certain Strategy, they won't necessarily play that strategy against you. They move up and down on the Strategy Ladder, but maybe they keep the team settings to some extent. The screenshot above is kind of a mixture of the settings in Fluid Counter Attack and Simeone's personal tendencies. How effective it will be eventually can be tested and tried - but alas, I only have 2 arms and a few hours a day so... But I can say that the few tests I did with my own team instruction preferences did do quite well and saw sequences of game play that I haven't seen before with other formations (it was with Inter and they have a strong team so I can't provide a deeper insight).  

 

 

 

 

Can you post the simione tactics with all the mentalities in the download section of tactics?

[ta11zx]

On 10/04/2022 at 01:38, seb1083 said:

Just dropping by to say thank you for this inspirationnal thread.  I've been using your strategies (with a 442) in my youth academy challenge in Belgium.  First season we're predicted to finish 14th (out of 16), and we don't have enough players to fill out the match sheet, but I should qualify for the promotion playoffs.  Goals are hard to come by, but the defense is great.

 

How do you know what mentalities to use?  for example if scouting says the opponent plays positive mentality - what mentality are you supposed to play to counter?  im confused about this

[baobenz]

I have a question is that I do not see you use any Atk duty for Lone Striker. Is it because of the tactic will not work well when using an Atk duty for lone striker or it is just your preference ?

[zemaniano85]

This is the best strategy I found fit for me!! I love to play in a more reactive way as this and I'm doing very well.