Problems with a simple system

[bosque]

Hello guys, I have a little problem with my save in Leverkusen. I was using a tactic that it finished strong last season and It gave me hope for the next one but by the World Cup break we are struggling a lot. And the board is not happy with our results giving me a C- score.

Tactic:

The biggest problem is in the scoring department, the majority of the goals come from set pieces, and both my strikers scored only 6 goals combined with 3 goals - 3.30 xG each.

We have problems defending too. I feel it's very easy for the opposition to create goals and they come in all forms and shapes. Based on the analysis, we concede a lot of goals from through balls and it's strange because I use a DM and a standard defensive line, and my centre-backs aren't bad.

The idea of my tactic is very simple. A mid-to-high block that tries to keep the ball but is not possession oriented. I try to attack the box with the IF and surging runs from the CMa. The DLF should be a presence in the box and link-up play and IW is very good at dribbling, finishing, and creating so I expect him to unlock teams with flair.

I can see these attacking ideas during games. But not much. We are shaky. I wonder if you could point me to some things to fix or if I am doing something very wrong. Thanks!

I can share more information If you feel you need to know something more for help!

Edited July 26, 2022 by bosque

[CARRERA]

So lets have a look at the provided data

I think your defence is working perfectly fine

• less xG and actual goals against you than the average Bundesliga team
• low foul ratio
• your team plays out form the back, low amount of clearances
• good tackling / interception stats (the low amout of attempted tacklings is characteristic for dominant teams)

However, as you mentioned already anyway, there are some problems with your attacking play

• low amount of xG and Goals especially as being the dominant team as we already figured out
• low quality chances if you have a look at shots per game compared with your xG stats
• what your team is dooing well however, are crosses at it seems

So what happens with your attack? Could you give some further information on whats actually happening? Are your strikers ending up isolated without many passing options and have to shoot from anywhere or does your attack gets too flat with many players creating a line against the others team defensive line without being able to play through? How is the opposition behaving defensively? Do they defend aggressively, trying to challange your team or they vautiously protect the space in front of their goal?

[bosque]

hace 7 minutos, CARRERA dijo:

So what happens with your attack? Could you give some further information on whats actually happening? Are your strikers ending up isolated without many passing options and have to shoot from anywhere or does your attack gets too flat with many players creating a line against the others team defensive line without being able to play through? How is the opposition behaving defensively? Do they defend aggressively, trying to challange your team or they vautiously protect the space in front of their goal?

Thanks for answering. I think that happens a lot. Is like we need a lot of work to create chances.

And opposition defends different against us, sometimes the press high, sometimes they give us space and sometimes they use a middle block. I can't find a pattern.

Another thing I remember is my players often receive with their backs to the goal and the play advances rather slowly. Like we have to work too much for progression.

And I find that sometimes, especially when we are playing out from the back, the attack lacks depth. Maybe because of the DLF. But when I give him a more spearhead role he ends up being isolated.

[CARRERA]

3 hours ago, bosque said:

Another thing I remember is my players often receive with their backs to the goal and the play advances rather slowly. Like we have to work too much for progression.

That’s a typical characteristic of a heavy emphasis on possession and ball reternation.

In any case it requires movement to support the attack, runs from different angles, tempo, width and passing options to break down a defensive block. 

Before we get back to your tactic and check if everything is set up correctly, I will tell you something more about passing, passing options and a players demand to receive the ball. This is important to understand, as it helps you to understand why your attack may break down in the final third. 

The most desirable pass or run for every player, no matter of the teams playstyle, is vertical or diagonal because it’s the only and most dangerous way to progress the ball and score a goal. However, on the downside this is not always possible and may be at the risk of loosing possession. 

So it Is important to have several vertical or diagonal passing options, to remain unpredictable for the opposition. If there is no clear passing option available the player has to make a decision. Whether to recycle possession and play the ball backwards/sideways or to force the issue and take high risks in passing the ball to a better (distance to the goal) positioned player. 

That’s where Passing Directness in FM kicks in. A pass is not only about the range, but also about the direction. It may be hard to understand in the first place, but the slider does not indicate short vs long, it indicates short (restricted in range, but not in direction) vs direct (restricted in direction, but not in range).

With that said, shorter passing will offer more safe passing options as it’s not restricted in direction and players are willing to play backwards or sideways to keep the ball if there is no clear vertical or diagonal option available, as they are restricted in range.

On the other hand more direct passes offer more passing options, as it’s not restricted in range and players are willing to take more risks to progress the ball as they are instructed to focus on playing the ball forward.

So as we cleared that up, it’s important to understand the demand of players for a pass.

A player that’s instructed to play short demands available passing options around him. The distance between the players has an important role when evaluating the passing options. That’s also why players are moving towards the ball or play with the back to the goal to be available for a short pass.

A player that’s instructed to play more direct needs players to run into available space to play these dangerous vertical or diagonal balls. He generally has more passing options available, as he is relatively free in terms of range. But remember the focus primarily is on the direction, not on the range. So if you manage to have a compact attacking shape, your team will looking for a short but direct passing game instead of recycling possession.

One last thing on the passing topic. It’s not black or white, not short or direct. There is very much grey in between and you need to find right directness setting for your team. 
 

Lets get back to your tactic: 

A Positive Mentality allows your Team to move up the pitch and support the attack. Check.

You got runs from different angles (CM, right IF, both Fullbacks on the flanks and your Striker). Check. 

The tempo naturally is slightly higher on a positive mentality but due to shorter passing it got lowered a little bit. You may want to increase the tempo by one notch.

Eventhough your left Fullback is instructed to move further forward, he will (at least to my experience) not provide enough width to stretch the play. Either use a Winger or switch the Fullback role to Wingback or Complete Wingback (maybe even with an attack duty to create even more runs from deeper Positions). If you go for the WB/CWB Option you may need to make some adjustments to your midfielders to remain defensively solid. 

The 4-1-2-3 Formation is well staggered  and your striker is dropping deep to link up with the midfield. That offers close passing options vertically. Horizontally however, your players are naturally stretched wide by the positive mentality. You may want to narrow that down a bit to have more options accessible for short passes, no matter of your teams passing directness. You could further remove shorter passing (Standard passing directness on a positive mentality still tends to be slightly shorter) to increase the number of available options or if players are averse of making runs to receive a vertical or diagonal pass.

So after the basics are set up, you could further increase the pressure, if you desperately need a goal, by encouraging your players to Run at Defence and beat the opposition on a dribbling or sending more players forward by assigning more attack duties or switching the formation into a 4-2-3-1 or 4-2-4

Edited July 27, 2022 by CARRERA

[bosque]

hace 26 minutos, CARRERA dijo:

That’s a typical characteristic of a heavy emphasis on possession and ball reternation.

In any case it requires movement to support the attack, runs from different angles, tempo, width and passing options to break down a defensive block. 

Before we get back to your tactic and check if everything is set up correctly, I will tell you something more about passing, passing options and a players demand to receive the ball. This is important to understand, as it helps you to understand why your attack may break down in the final third. 

The most desirable pass or run for every player, no matter of the teams playstyle, is vertical or diagonal because it’s the only and most dangerous way to progress the ball and score a goal. However, on the downside this is not always possible and may be at the risk of loosing possession. 

So it Is important to have several vertical or diagonal passing options, to remain unpredictable for the opposition. If there is no clear passing option available the player has to make a decision. Whether to recycle possession and play the ball back or to force the issue and take high risks in passing the ball to a better (distance to the goal) positioned player. 

That’s where Passing Directness in FM kicks in. A pass is not only about the range, but also about the direction. It may be hard to understand in the first place, but the slider does not indicate short vs long, it indicates short (restricted in range, but not in direction) vs direct (restricted in direction, but not in range).

With that said, shorter passing will offer more safe passing options as it’s not restricted in direction and players are willing to play backwards or sideways to keep the ball if there is no clear vertical or diagonal option available, as they are restricted in range.

On the other hand more direct passes offer more passing options, as it’s not restricted in range and players are willing to take more risks to progress the ball as they are instructed to focus on playing the ball forward.

So as we cleared that up, it’s important to understand the demand of players for a pass.

A player that’s instructed to play short demands available passing options around him. The distance between the players has an important role when evaluating the passing options. That’s also why players are moving towards the ball or play with the back to the goal to be available for a pass.

A player that’s instructed to play more direct needs players to run into available space to play that dangerous vertical or diagonal ball. As he is relatively free in terms of range that could be a Striker or wide player as well as a FB or wide player on the Wings. But remember the focus primarily is on the direction, not on the range. So if you manage a compact attacking shape, your team will looking for a short but direct passing game instead of recycling possession.

One last thing on the passing topic. It’s not black or white, not short or direct. There is very much grey in between and you need to find right directness setting for your team. 
 

Lets get back to your tactic: 

A Positive Mentality allows your Team to move up the pitch and support the attack. Check.

You got runs from different angles (CM, right IF, both Fullbacks on the flanks and your Striker). Check. 

The tempo naturally is slightly higher on a positive mentality but due to shorter passing it got lowered a little bit. You may want to increase the tempo by one notch.

Eventhough your left Fullback is instructed to move further forward, he will (at least to my experience) not provide enough width to stretch the play. Either use a Winger or switch the Fullback role to Wingback or Complete Wingback (maybe even with an attack duty to create even more runs from deeper Positions). If you go for the WB/CWB Option you may need to make some adjustments to your midfielders to remain defensively solid. 

The 4-1-2-3 Formation is well staggered  and your striker is dropping deep to link up with the midfield. That offers close passing options vertically. Horizontally however, your players are naturally stretched wide by the positive mentality. You may want to narrow that down a bit to have more options accessible for short passes, no matter of your teams passing directness. You could further remove shorter passing to increase the number of available options or if players are averse of making runs to receive a vertical or diagonal pass.

So after the basics are set up, you could further increase the pressure, if you desperately need a goal, by encouraging your players to Run at Defence and beat the opposition on a dribbling or sending more players forward by assigning more attack duties or switching the formation into a 4-2-3-1 or 4-2-4

Well, this is an actual masterpiece. I will re-read this tomorrow and make some notes in order to incorporate it into my mind and then into my game. Thanks a lot for the explanation is simple and in-depth at the same time 🙏

[Atarin]

My first observation is that there isn't a whole lot of creativity in that midfield three. I don't know what their attributes are but one is being told to get up the pitch ahead of the transition (CM-A), one is being told to work his socks off up and down the pitch (BBM) and one is being told to focus on positional cover (DM-D). Its pretty effective as a defensive unit and might even work in keeping the ball but there's no one really getting on the ball and linking things together. There's no one taking responsibility for switching play or finding a quick dangerous pass before the opposition are set. The focus is on solidity and possession, not chance creation or penetration.

[bosque]

I only played one game but after a few changes suggested by @Atarin and @CARRERA we played very good against Ajax. I think we created 4 or 5 one on ones and the attack was more fluid. I will keep playing and see what happens in the next games but I feel there is progress.

Regarding team instructions, I dropped shorter passing because I wanted a bit more of progression with passing, and added fairly narrow to help players on the ball with more passing options.

I asked the AML to stay wider to offer width and take more risks because he is very creative. And I saw very interesting movement from him.

I also asked my BBM to be an RPM. He is creative and I think having one central player and one flank player with risky passing can help to unlock defences. But my RPM wasn't too involved during the game. I will see what happens during the next games.

[singhakshit02]

On 27/07/2022 at 06:08, CARRERA said:

That’s a typical characteristic of a heavy emphasis on possession and ball reternation.

In any case it requires movement to support the attack, runs from different angles, tempo, width and passing options to break down a defensive block. 

Before we get back to your tactic and check if everything is set up correctly, I will tell you something more about passing, passing options and a players demand to receive the ball. This is important to understand, as it helps you to understand why your attack may break down in the final third. 

The most desirable pass or run for every player, no matter of the teams playstyle, is vertical or diagonal because it’s the only and most dangerous way to progress the ball and score a goal. However, on the downside this is not always possible and may be at the risk of loosing possession. 

So it Is important to have several vertical or diagonal passing options, to remain unpredictable for the opposition. If there is no clear passing option available the player has to make a decision. Whether to recycle possession and play the ball backwards/sideways or to force the issue and take high risks in passing the ball to a better (distance to the goal) positioned player. 

That’s where Passing Directness in FM kicks in. A pass is not only about the range, but also about the direction. It may be hard to understand in the first place, but the slider does not indicate short vs long, it indicates short (restricted in range, but not in direction) vs direct (restricted in direction, but not in range).

With that said, shorter passing will offer more safe passing options as it’s not restricted in direction and players are willing to play backwards or sideways to keep the ball if there is no clear vertical or diagonal option available, as they are restricted in range.

On the other hand more direct passes offer more passing options, as it’s not restricted in range and players are willing to take more risks to progress the ball as they are instructed to focus on playing the ball forward.

So as we cleared that up, it’s important to understand the demand of players for a pass.

A player that’s instructed to play short demands available passing options around him. The distance between the players has an important role when evaluating the passing options. That’s also why players are moving towards the ball or play with the back to the goal to be available for a short pass.

A player that’s instructed to play more direct needs players to run into available space to play these dangerous vertical or diagonal balls. He generally has more passing options available, as he is relatively free in terms of range. But remember the focus primarily is on the direction, not on the range. So if you manage to have a compact attacking shape, your team will looking for a short but direct passing game instead of recycling possession.

One last thing on the passing topic. It’s not black or white, not short or direct. There is very much grey in between and you need to find right directness setting for your team. 
 

Lets get back to your tactic: 

A Positive Mentality allows your Team to move up the pitch and support the attack. Check.

You got runs from different angles (CM, right IF, both Fullbacks on the flanks and your Striker). Check. 

The tempo naturally is slightly higher on a positive mentality but due to shorter passing it got lowered a little bit. You may want to increase the tempo by one notch.

Eventhough your left Fullback is instructed to move further forward, he will (at least to my experience) not provide enough width to stretch the play. Either use a Winger or switch the Fullback role to Wingback or Complete Wingback (maybe even with an attack duty to create even more runs from deeper Positions). If you go for the WB/CWB Option you may need to make some adjustments to your midfielders to remain defensively solid. 

The 4-1-2-3 Formation is well staggered  and your striker is dropping deep to link up with the midfield. That offers close passing options vertically. Horizontally however, your players are naturally stretched wide by the positive mentality. You may want to narrow that down a bit to have more options accessible for short passes, no matter of your teams passing directness. You could further remove shorter passing (Standard passing directness on a positive mentality still tends to be slightly shorter) to increase the number of available options or if players are averse of making runs to receive a vertical or diagonal pass.

So after the basics are set up, you could further increase the pressure, if you desperately need a goal, by encouraging your players to Run at Defence and beat the opposition on a dribbling or sending more players forward by assigning more attack duties or switching the formation into a 4-2-3-1 or 4-2-4

This is literally the best nugget of information I have ever seen, and not ONE PERSON has described passing quite like this. Just want one clarity. Shorter passing directness means players may play a forward OR a backward pass, BUT to someone close to them, and more direct passing means the player can play to either someone who is close to him or far, BUT will prioritize a forward pass.  Have I understood that correctly? If yes, then is tempo actually what they say? The amount of time a player takes to make a decision? Because I've heard from Zealand and from Rashidi too that tempo also means how intensely your team looks to bring the ball FORWARD. It's  really so confusing. What would more direct passing with a lower tempo do on a balanced mentality? 

[CARRERA]

30 minutes ago, singhakshit02 said:

This is literally the best nugget of information I have ever seen, and not ONE PERSON has described passing quite like this.

Thanks mate 

30 minutes ago, singhakshit02 said:

Shorter passing directness means players may play a forward OR a backward pass, BUT to someone close to them

Yes, they will always look for a safe (the goal is to keep the ball) pass forward to a nearby person. If noone is available, they will recycle possession by playing backwards or sideways

30 minutes ago, singhakshit02 said:

and more direct passing means the player can play to either someone who is close to him or far, BUT will prioritize a forward pass.

Yes, thats correct. There is no rule to play a long ball. Which doesnt make sense anyway, because if you are in the final third, there are no far passing options to boot the ball to

30 minutes ago, singhakshit02 said:

The amount of time a player takes to make a decision?

Yes. Z and Rashidi are not wrong on this. They just explain what faster decisions lead to. As you remember, the goal of a player is always to progress the ball if possible. By making faster decisions, the oppositions defence has harder times to set up and therefore its easier for your team to progress the ball - if they make the right decision and have the technical skills :-). Its more intense, because faster progression needs players to move more quickly and be available for a pass.

30 minutes ago, singhakshit02 said:

What would more direct passing with a lower tempo do on a balanced mentality?

I don't think its particular effective. Your goal of playing direct is to progress the ball quickly and use every bit of space thats offered by the oppositions defence and a lower tempo is completely against it. You also have to understand, that a direct pass is more easily to defend against if there is time to prepare for it. A vertical pass is one of the most used pressing triggers in football, so you need to be quick by passing on the ball.

However, you may try it out and make your own observations. 

Edited July 28, 2022 by CARRERA

[bosque]

hace 44 minutos, singhakshit02 dijo:

What would more direct passing with a lower tempo do on a balanced mentality? 

I know the question wasn't directed to me but Rashidi said a few times that lower tempo + direct passing + wider width can help to unlock a low block because It will increase switchs of play to one flank to the other making the opposition defence to move more.

Edit: I think, but I can be wrong, lower tempo and direct passing can help if you have good defenders on the ball and the opposition is playing with a high press. Because the extra time your players take in lower tempo can help to draw opposition and then send a direct pass into space.

Edited July 28, 2022 by bosque

[singhakshit02]

30 minutes ago, bosque said:

Rashidi said a few times that lower tempo + direct passing + wider width can help to unlock a low block because It will increase switchs of play to one flank to the other making the opposition defence to move more

Yes that's what I heard too. So I used to think it means direct passing means longer passes and the lower tempo will make them take their time on the ball, but that will ALSO happen when the ball reaches the attacking player so what's the point because he's going to slow the game down anyway! I was so confused. 

 

[singhakshit02]

49 minutes ago, CARRERA said:

Yes, thats correct. There is no rule to play a long ball. Which doesnt make sense anyway, because if you are in the final third, there are no far passing options to boot the ball to

Haha that's so true. So does that mean standard passing is like a mixture of both? the player has both range AND directional flexibility to choose from?

[bosque]

hace 1 minuto, singhakshit02 dijo:

Yes that's what I heard too. So I used to think it means direct passing means longer passes and the lower tempo will make them take their time on the ball, but that will ALSO happen when the ball reaches the attacking player so what's the point because he's going to slow the game down anyway! I was so confused. 

 

Well, at that point I think the mental attributes of the players like decisions and teamwork kick in. If the player feels he has to be more reckless he will go for it. I read a few times that team instructions are a tendency and not a 'do or do not'.

[CARRERA]

1 minute ago, bosque said:

I read a few times that team instructions are a tendency and not a 'do or do not'.

Thats correct, its a fluid process. Its like do more or less of something compared to what you would have done anyways (depending on mentality, role and duty)

5 minutes ago, singhakshit02 said:

So does that mean standard passing is like a mixture of both? the player has both range AND directional flexibility to choose from?

Here again, you have to understand it as a fluid process of whatever your player is doing. Standard passing basicly means to find a blance between keeping the ball and progressing it. Of course, that will give your player some directional flexibility (compared to a more direct approach) as well as more range (compared to a short approach) to look for a passing option.

[singhakshit02]

Informational stuff tbh. And now it makes more sense too. In FM I always do well, win leagues and stuff with my barcelona side (I'm obsessed with barca) but winning the champions league even with the best team I've created has always been quite impossible for me because I lose to some mediocre team who has a middle press or a low block in the knockout stages lol. Then I always question myself if I've understood the game well or nah 

[bosque]

hace 37 minutos, singhakshit02 dijo:

Informational stuff tbh. And now it makes more sense too. In FM I always do well, win leagues and stuff with my barcelona side (I'm obsessed with barca) but winning the champions league even with the best team I've created has always been quite impossible for me because I lose to some mediocre team who has a middle press or a low block in the knockout stages lol. Then I always question myself if I've understood the game well or nah 

I'm always questioning it too  Sometimes I feel the tactical creator is a bit like an aircraft control panel. You touch one button and everything else is affected, and if you don't have a deep understanding of the tactical creator you end up missing a lot of stuff.

Is very good to have people like @CARRERA and the mods explain things in so simple terms.

Edited July 28, 2022 by bosque

[Feddo]

On 27/07/2022 at 02:38, CARRERA said:

That’s where Passing Directness in FM kicks in. A pass is not only about the range, but also about the direction. It may be hard to understand in the first place, but the slider does not indicate short vs long, it indicates short (restricted in range, but not in direction) vs direct (restricted in direction, but not in range).

With that said, shorter passing will offer more safe passing options as it’s not restricted in direction and players are willing to play backwards or sideways to keep the ball if there is no clear vertical or diagonal option available, as they are restricted in range.

On the other hand more direct passes offer more passing options, as it’s not restricted in range and players are willing to take more risks to progress the ball as they are instructed to focus on playing the ball forward.

So as we cleared that up, it’s important to understand the demand of players for a pass.

A player that’s instructed to play short demands available passing options around him. The distance between the players has an important role when evaluating the passing options. That’s also why players are moving towards the ball or play with the back to the goal to be available for a short pass.

A player that’s instructed to play more direct needs players to run into available space to play these dangerous vertical or diagonal balls. He generally has more passing options available, as he is relatively free in terms of range. But remember the focus primarily is on the direction, not on the range. So if you manage to have a compact attacking shape, your team will looking for a short but direct passing game instead of recycling possession.

One last thing on the passing topic. It’s not black or white, not short or direct. There is very much grey in between and you need to find right directness setting for your team. 

This is gold 👊🏻

I've read a lot about fm, a lot, but I've never understood passing completely. 

Edited July 29, 2022 by Feddo

[singhakshit02]

1 hour ago, Feddo said:

I've read a lot about fm, a lot, but I've never understood passing completely.

Same! XD

[singhakshit02]

9 hours ago, bosque said:

Is very good to have people like @CARRERA and the mods explain things in so simple terms.

So true man. I remember struggling in FM 19 when I just started playing, then finding Rashidi's channel and hearing him say if you commit your fullbacks high you risk going vulnerable defensively and saying to myself "who tf cares about defence" and then regretting it later XD

[Novem9]

В 27.07.2022 в 03:38, CARRERA сказал:

That’s a typical characteristic of a heavy emphasis on possession and ball reternation.

In any case it requires movement to support the attack, runs from different angles, tempo, width and passing options to break down a defensive block. 

Before we get back to your tactic and check if everything is set up correctly, I will tell you something more about passing, passing options and a players demand to receive the ball. This is important to understand, as it helps you to understand why your attack may break down in the final third. 

The most desirable pass or run for every player, no matter of the teams playstyle, is vertical or diagonal because it’s the only and most dangerous way to progress the ball and score a goal. However, on the downside this is not always possible and may be at the risk of loosing possession. 

So it Is important to have several vertical or diagonal passing options, to remain unpredictable for the opposition. If there is no clear passing option available the player has to make a decision. Whether to recycle possession and play the ball backwards/sideways or to force the issue and take high risks in passing the ball to a better (distance to the goal) positioned player. 

That’s where Passing Directness in FM kicks in. A pass is not only about the range, but also about the direction. It may be hard to understand in the first place, but the slider does not indicate short vs long, it indicates short (restricted in range, but not in direction) vs direct (restricted in direction, but not in range).

With that said, shorter passing will offer more safe passing options as it’s not restricted in direction and players are willing to play backwards or sideways to keep the ball if there is no clear vertical or diagonal option available, as they are restricted in range.

On the other hand more direct passes offer more passing options, as it’s not restricted in range and players are willing to take more risks to progress the ball as they are instructed to focus on playing the ball forward.

So as we cleared that up, it’s important to understand the demand of players for a pass.

A player that’s instructed to play short demands available passing options around him. The distance between the players has an important role when evaluating the passing options. That’s also why players are moving towards the ball or play with the back to the goal to be available for a short pass.

A player that’s instructed to play more direct needs players to run into available space to play these dangerous vertical or diagonal balls. He generally has more passing options available, as he is relatively free in terms of range. But remember the focus primarily is on the direction, not on the range. So if you manage to have a compact attacking shape, your team will looking for a short but direct passing game instead of recycling possession.

One last thing on the passing topic. It’s not black or white, not short or direct. There is very much grey in between and you need to find right directness setting for your team. 
 

Lets get back to your tactic: 

A Positive Mentality allows your Team to move up the pitch and support the attack. Check.

You got runs from different angles (CM, right IF, both Fullbacks on the flanks and your Striker). Check. 

The tempo naturally is slightly higher on a positive mentality but due to shorter passing it got lowered a little bit. You may want to increase the tempo by one notch.

Eventhough your left Fullback is instructed to move further forward, he will (at least to my experience) not provide enough width to stretch the play. Either use a Winger or switch the Fullback role to Wingback or Complete Wingback (maybe even with an attack duty to create even more runs from deeper Positions). If you go for the WB/CWB Option you may need to make some adjustments to your midfielders to remain defensively solid. 

The 4-1-2-3 Formation is well staggered  and your striker is dropping deep to link up with the midfield. That offers close passing options vertically. Horizontally however, your players are naturally stretched wide by the positive mentality. You may want to narrow that down a bit to have more options accessible for short passes, no matter of your teams passing directness. You could further remove shorter passing (Standard passing directness on a positive mentality still tends to be slightly shorter) to increase the number of available options or if players are averse of making runs to receive a vertical or diagonal pass.

So after the basics are set up, you could further increase the pressure, if you desperately need a goal, by encouraging your players to Run at Defence and beat the opposition on a dribbling or sending more players forward by assigning more attack duties or switching the formation into a 4-2-3-1 or 4-2-4

It's brilliant!