The Blades Revolution - Wilder's 3-5-2 recreation

[Cleon]

20 minutes ago, mikcheck said:

Thanks for the content you post here @Cleon. Even though I still play FM21, I always learn something and it's a time well spent reading it.

Thanks, it means a lot

[Raymond85]

Il 16/3/2023 in 10:34 , Cleon ha scritto:

 

The Regista is a brilliant role in Football Manager but I think a lot of people have the wrong idea about what the role is and what it does. So in this article, we will explore all the things it is and isn’t. We’ll also look at the other defensive midfield playmaking roles and discuss how they all differ from each other.

The Differences

The three different playmaking roles we can have from the defensive midfield position are;

• Deep-Lying Playmaker
• Regista
• Roaming Playmaker

While these roles might seem similar, the main difference between the three of them is how they use the ball. While both Regista and Deep-lying Playmakers are creative midfielders who operate from deeper positions on the field, they tend to use the ball differently based on their specific roles and responsibilities:

Regista:

• A Regista is primarily focused on creating goal-scoring opportunities and dictating the tempo of the game. They use their exceptional vision and passing range to unlock defences with incisive, penetrating passes that can change the course of the match.
• Regista often attempts riskier and more ambitious passes, as their primary objective is to create chances and break down the opposition's defensive shape.
• In possession, they tend to roam more freely to find pockets of space and receive the ball, allowing them to exploit gaps in the opposition's midfield and defence.

Deep-lying Playmaker:

• Deep-lying Playmakers, while also creative and responsible for dictating the tempo, focus more on maintaining possession and recycling the ball. They use their passing ability to control the game, connecting the defence to the attack, and ensuring a smooth transition between the two.
• They are more likely to play shorter, safer passes to maintain possession and build up play gradually. While they can also deliver long-range passes and create scoring chances, their approach is generally more measured and less focused on taking risks.
• Deep-lying Playmakers tend to be more disciplined in their positioning, staying deeper and closer to the defensive line to provide an outlet for their teammates and contribute defensively when required.

Roaming Playmaker:

• A Roaming Playmaker is a versatile and dynamic midfielder who moves around the pitch to influence the game in various areas. Their primary objective is to contribute to the team's offensive play by getting involved in build-up play, creating chances, and even scoring goals.
• They have the freedom to roam laterally and vertically across the field, making them difficult for opponents to mark and track. This constant movement allows them to exploit gaps in the opposition's midfield and defence, as well as link up with teammates in different areas of the pitch.
• They also like to bring the ball forward with their dribbling ability. Something the other two roles don’t really do.
• Roaming Playmakers are usually more involved in the physical aspect of the game, pressing opponents and engaging in duels to win back possession. Their energy and work rate is key to their success in this role.

The main difference in how regista and deep-lying playmakers use the ball lies in their approach to possession and risk-taking. Regista's focus is more on creating chances with ambitious passing. While deep-lying playmakers prioritise maintaining possession and providing a link between defence and attack. The roaming playmaker utilises his dribbling more by default and likes to drive forward with the ball at his feet.

You can customise the roles further with personalised instructions but the above are the basics of each of the roles. Hopefully, that gives you enough information to see how they differ and use the ball differently.

The Regista - The Setup

We know I already use a regista in a 3-5-2 formation. If you haven’t read the other two chapters of this series yet, you can here;

[embed]https://www.viewfromthetouchline.com/2023/03/13/the-blades-revolution[/embed]

 

[embed]https://www.viewfromthetouchline.com/2023/03/22/wide-centre-backs-overlaps-underlaps-and-more[/embed]

In this setup, they are responsible for distributing the ball with accuracy and vision. Often with long-range passes, to initiate attacking moves from deep. The regista also acts as a link between the defence and attack, providing defensive cover when necessary but also pushing forward to support attacks. When he pushes forward, he doesn’t push as far as you think though.

The regista's style of play emphasises technical ability, vision, and decision-making. They must be comfortable on the ball, able to read the game, and possess excellent passing skills. Additionally, they should be tactically aware, able to make quick decisions and have good communication skills to direct their teammates.

One of the reasons this is important for us is because the regista progress the ball up the pitch by using their vision, passing range, and technical ability. They typically receive the ball from the defence, either through a short pass or a clearance. Then assess the situation on the field before deciding on the best option to move the ball forward.

One of the primary ways regista progress the ball is through progressive passing, over long distances to find a teammate in a forward position. These passes can split the opposition's defence and create scoring opportunities.

Another method is through short, quick passes to move the ball up the pitch. Registas often drop deep to receive the ball from defenders, and then use their close control and passing skills to move the ball forward to more attacking players. They may also use one-touch passing to maintain possession and quickly move the ball up the pitch.

While less likely, the registas may also dribble the ball forward themselves, using their technical ability to beat opposition players and create space for their teammates. However, this is usually a secondary option, as the primary role of a regista is to distribute the ball and create attacking opportunities for their team.

The Regista - The Data

Let’s have a look at some of the data.

 

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As you can see, Tommy Doyle has had a really good season and is well above the league average for his position for all the important metrics.

 

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Here's why progressive passes are important for a regista:

1. Breaking opposition lines: Progressive passes help bypass the opposition's defensive lines, allowing the team to advance into more dangerous attacking positions. A regista with the ability to consistently execute accurate progressive passes can disrupt the opposition's defensive organisation and create space for teammates.
2. Dictating tempo: By completing progressive passes, a regista can control the pace of the game, allowing their team to dictate the tempo. This can help the team maintain possession, build momentum, and exploit weaknesses in the opposition's formation. 
3. Creativity and unpredictability: A regista who can consistently produce progressive passes is not only effective at maintaining possession but also adds an element of creativity to the team's play. This unpredictability can make it harder for the opposition to anticipate and defend against attacking moves. Allowing your team to gain positional advantages.
4. Linking defence and attack: Progressive passes from the regista help to connect the defence with the attack, ensuring a smooth transition from one phase of play to another. This can be especially important in countering high-pressing opposition teams.
5. Assists and goal-scoring opportunities: Accurate and well-timed progressive passes can lead directly to assists or goal-scoring opportunities, as they can put teammates in advantageous positions to take shots or create chances.

Progressive passes are essential for a regista as they contribute to breaking down the opposition's defence, controlling the tempo of the game, and creating goal-scoring opportunities for their team. A regista with a wide range of passing skills, including the ability to make accurate progressive passes, is highly valuable to their team's overall success.

 

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It's important to note that the chances created metrics for a regista will vary depending on their team's style of play, formation, and the specific role assigned to them by the manager. A regista's offensive contributions should be considered alongside their ability to control the game, maintain possession, and contribute defensively.

Chances created is a metric used to evaluate the offensive contributions of a player, including a regista. While the primary role of a regista is to dictate the tempo and control possession from a deep-lying position, they can still contribute to the team's attack by creating chances for their teammates.

Chances created metrics can be broken down into several key components:

1. Key Passes: A key pass is defined as the final pass or assist that leads to a shot or a goal-scoring opportunity for a teammate. A regista with a high number of key passes is effective at breaking down defences and creating opportunities for their teammates.
2. Expected Assists (xA): Expected assists is an advanced metric that quantifies the likelihood of a pass resulting in a goal, considering factors such as the location of the pass, the type of pass, and the position of the receiver. A higher xA indicates that a regista is providing high-quality chances for their teammates, even if they don't always lead to actual assists.
3. Through Balls: Through balls are passes that bypass multiple defenders and put a teammate in a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper or in a clear goal-scoring opportunity. A regista skilled at executing through balls can create dangerous situations for the opposition's defence.
4. Long Balls: Long balls are passes that travel a significant distance in the air, often bypassing multiple opposition players. A regista who can accurately play long balls can help switch the point of attack or exploit open space behind the opposing defence.
5. Crosses: While regista generally operate in central areas, they can occasionally deliver crosses from deep or wide positions, providing another means of creating chances for their teammates. Accurate crosses can lead to headed attempts or volleys, resulting in goal-scoring opportunities.
6. Set-Piece Delivery: Registas who are proficient at delivering set-pieces (corners, free-kicks, etc.) can create additional chances for their team. Accurate set-piece deliveries can lead to clear goal-scoring opportunities or force errors from the opposition's defence.

The Regista - Match Analysis

People have the wrong idea about the regista and think he ventures forward most of the time. But that’s not true. If he takes set pieces or under certain circumstances, he might venture forward. Outside of that though his movement is more horizontal than vertical. Have a look at this;

 

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For the sake of this example, I was on attacking mentality, aggressive pressing and a high defensive line. As I wanted to illustrate just how deep the role actually plays.90% of the time, the regista operates in the yellow box. Moving side to side to offer a deep passing outlet. As mentioned above it's not normal behaviour for him to be more advanced than his.

If you play on a lesser mentality then the role will play slightly deeper than this yellow box. A lot of people seem to have this idea that he plays high up in the final third but he doesn’t. His positioning is very similar to how a deep-lying playmaker would position himself. This is why key passes and progressive passes are vital to his play.

By him staying deep in this yellow box he can recycle possession should we lose the ball high up the pitch and the ball is cleared by picking up the loose ball. He can then do many different types of passes to keep the move going again.

 

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In this example, Tommy Doyle stays deep and offers a passing outlet for the wide centreback. But the rest of the team has already made attacking runs forward. This means that when Tommy Doyle receives the ball he will have time and space on the ball and be able to pick out the pass. What the rest of the side does with their movement is vital to what the regista does next.

 

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Now when he receives the ball he has three passing options, all come with different degrees of difficulty attached to them.

1. This is the safe option as his marker is behind him, so he should be able to receive the ball at his feet without too much difficulty. This could see the ball played back to Tommy Doyle though as there are not many options for this player to progress the ball himself.
2. Could this one be the safer option? I’d certainly say it would be and would put us on the front foot. If the ball is played to this player then the whole pitch would open up too when the opposition tries and deal with the threat.
3. The most difficult and risky pass would be this option. There’s a player who could potentially cut out the ball or the high ball. But if he played the ball between numbers 2 and 3, then chances are one of them would be able to get onto the end of it.

 

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Tommy Doyle ended up choosing the second option, as McAtee dropped off the front creating space. Remember earlier in the series when I spoke about asking the wingback to sit narrower? Well, this also plays into that.

Once McAtee gets the ball he sees the wingback has continued his forward run. One simple pass to him and we are in on goal. It’s a really simple move. But it’s an important move because we see the stuff I’ve spoken about in the other articles in the series, all playing out and linking together.

 

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In this example, we have just won the ball back and the advanced forward is already making a run for it as he has faith in Tommy Doyle to find him. This is a really risky move but if it works it puts us on the front foot and with a possible 2v2 situation. If it doesn’t work then we give possession away. I enjoy these types of passes but perhaps not all the time, which he doesn’t do. But if you use a regista then you have to be prepared for these types of things as this is what makes him and the deep-lying playmaker differ. It becomes risk vs reward.

When evaluating the risk versus reward of a regista's risky passing, it's essential to consider both the potential benefits and drawbacks of such passes. Risky passes can be defined as those with a lower probability of reaching their intended target, such as long balls, through balls, or passes that attempt to split multiple defenders. These types of passes can significantly influence a team's offensive capabilities but also come with inherent risks.

The rewards of risky passing for a regista include breaking opposition lines, as risky passes can bypass multiple opposition players and disrupt their defensive organization, creating space and opportunities for the attacking players. Successfully executed risky passes can lead to clear goal-scoring opportunities, as they often put teammates in advantageous positions to take shots or make final passes. 

A regista who consistently attempts risky passes adds an element of unpredictability to their team's play, making it harder for the opposition to anticipate and defend against attacking moves. Furthermore, risky passes can exploit gaps or mismatches in the opposition's defence, capitalising on individual errors or moments of disorganisation.

However, there are risks associated with risky passing for a regista. These include the loss of possession, as risky passes have a higher likelihood of being intercepted or misdirected, leading to potential counter-attacks by the opposition. Failed risky passes can also disrupt the team's shape, leaving the team exposed defensively, as players may have moved out of position in anticipation of receiving the pass or supporting the attack. 

Unsuccessful risky passes can squander promising attacking situations, especially if safer and more effective passing options were available. Repeatedly attempting risky passes without success can negatively impact a regista's confidence and, in turn, affect the morale and cohesion of the team.

But if it’s more risk you want, I highly recommend the regista........

Very informative and a thorough insight into some differences i wasn’t very sure before this. Are there some player traits you think would be good or that could harm a regista specificly, other than the usual ones for a playmaking role?

can’t wait to read the rest of the series too, there are not many articles that dive deep into 3 at the back systems, especially as peculiar as this one

[Cleon]

59 minutes ago, Raymond85 said:

Very informative and a thorough insight into some differences i wasn’t very sure before this. Are there some player traits you think would be good or that could harm a regista specificly, other than the usual ones for a playmaking role?

can’t wait to read the rest of the series too, there are not many articles that dive deep into 3 at the back systems, especially as peculiar as this one

Thank you

As for the traits, I guess it depends on if you want to try and force something more often than usual. For the role in this setup I don't really have any I prefer. 

I've done a 3 at the back series earlier in the year, not sure if you've seen it or not?

 

 

[Raymond85]

Il 23/4/2023 in 17:44 , Cleon ha scritto:

Thank you

As for the traits, I guess it depends on if you want to try and force something more often than usual. For the role in this setup I don't really have any I prefer. 

I've done a 3 at the back series earlier in the year, not sure if you've seen it or not?

 

 

I’m sure i read it when it came out, but i have a flight on thursday and i’ll make sure to give it another read to refresh memory. Thanks for your answer

[herne79]

3 at the back systems are kind of my Achilles heel, so lots to ponder on here.  Apart from the demo I skipped FM22 so the wide centre back is something new for me to get my teeth into.

Nice write up showing the differences between Regista, DLP and RPM too.  The Regista is often overlooked or misunderstood and I especially like the use of it in this system.  I could see an RPM being useful here as well (although not faithful to the recreation I know) - runners ahead of and beside him as he drives forward.

Thought provoking as ever mate 👍.

[Cleon]

3 minutes ago, herne79 said:

3 at the back systems are kind of my Achilles heel, so lots to ponder on here.  Apart from the demo I skipped FM22 so the wide centre back is something new for me to get my teeth into.

Nice write up showing the differences between Regista, DLP and RPM too.  The Regista is often overlooked or misunderstood and I especially like the use of it in this system.  I could see an RPM being useful here as well (although not faithful to the recreation I know) - runners ahead of and beside him as he drives forward.

Thought provoking as ever mate 👍.

Thanks mate

I actually did start with a RPM initially but felt he didn't do the defensive side of Ollie Norwood. So I switched it around to get better tackling stats, interceptions etc like he does in real life. You could make an argument for this exact system working better with the RPM though. In the sense that all three midfielders move forward together but at different stages. Makes it almost impossible for the opposition to pick up all 3 runners, especially with the WB's and WCB's moving forward too. You have constant over/underlaps all the time coupled with movement and decoys.

[herne79]

15 minutes ago, Cleon said:

You could make an argument for this exact system working better with the RPM though. In the sense that all three midfielders move forward together but at different stages. Makes it almost impossible for the opposition to pick up all 3 runners, especially with the WB's and WCB's moving forward too. You have constant over/underlaps all the time coupled with movement and decoys.

Yeh exactly my line of thought.  As said, I'm just starting to really get my teeth into the WCB role so I can defo see how using them as additional runners around an RPM could work (as well as the Regista of course).

[Cleon]

16 minutes ago, herne79 said:

Yeh exactly my line of thought.  As said, I'm just starting to really get my teeth into the WCB role so I can defo see how using them as additional runners around an RPM could work (as well as the Regista of course).

I didn't really talk about it in the article and perhaps I should have but the role can be great for defensive situations too when you use them on support. They can cut out a lot of issues you have in the half spaces by cutting off passing lanes after you turn the ball over. They position great for dealing with the initial threat of IF/IW's and reduce the risk of the ball being played to them early. Or that creative AM who likes to drift side to side. 

Edited April 26, 2023 by Cleon

[Joey Numbaz]

I'm in FM22 still beginning of the 2026-27 season. I always like new things tactically so this season I am trying a variation of this that pushes the wingbacks up to wide midfielders, but with all of the wing back instructions (except for get further forward on the left wingback since he's already further forward some by being a WM instead of a WB  So its a 3142

I also set the in possession instruction to very narrow (since there are plenty of attackers out wide anyway). I assume mid block = standard line of engagement.

It seems to be working pretty amazingly in a small sample. Granted I have an all-star team practically. The WB/WM are Alphonso Davies and Reece James. The back 3 are De Ligt, Cuenca, and Ahmedhodžić. The regista is Tonali, b2b is Declan Rice, with Tchouameni as the Mezzala. Calvert-Lewin and Kane up front. Sometimes for more attacking punch I'll play van de Beek as the Mezzala, sit Cuenca, make Ahmedhodžić the CD-C and put Tchouameni in as the WCB.

De Ligt is a superstar, but he also has stays back at all times. It hasn't been a deal breaker, but he doesn't get forward nearly as often as Ahmedhodžić and Tchouameni do. Instead De Ligt will occasionally bomb a long cross field pass to James from over the center line when De Ligt pushes forward. Which is a lot of fun.

The pendulum attacks are just awesome to watch. It feels like I'm playing a 2-1-7 in attack! And a 6-2-2 when defending. It's like I have 13 players out there when it's clicking.

After burying Valencia 4-0 (5-0 if Kane hadn't missed a penalty) including a hat trick from Rice as the B2B in our last friendly (the first time I went with the wide midfielders), we obliterated a Manchester United team that has Kylian Mbappé amongst others in the Community Shield, up 3-0 20 minutes in with a brace from Davies and another goal from James. We gave up a goal near the end of the first half, so I called off the dogs and dropped them back to WB for most of the second half.

Same thing away to Burnley on opening day. Up 3-0 15 minutes into the game. Another late first half goal allowed. Moved them back to WB in the second half and won 4-1, with Calvert-Lewin scoring a perfect hat trick.

I also added a variant that regroups instead of counter presses and drops the line back to standard for closing things out and that seems to be pretty tough to score on, though there isn't nearly as much attacking punch there. It's a fun set up, especially with great players. We'll see how it plays out in some more games. We beat Barcelona 3-0 in a friendly with that one, but only had 1.04 xG.

Any thoughts on whether any of these tweaks can work long term or if I'm just having some beginner's luck but missing some gaping hole that will bite me?

Edited May 3, 2023 by Joey Numbaz

[Cleon]

7 minutes ago, Joey Numbaz said:

I'm in FM22 still beginning of the 2026-27 season. I always like new things tactically so this season I am trying a variation of this that pushes the wingbacks up to wide midfielders, but with all of the wing back instructions (except for get further forward on the left wingback since he's already further forward some by being a WM instead of a WB  So its a 3142

I also set the in possession instruction to very narrow (since there are plenty of attackers out wide anyway). I assume mid block = standard line of engagement.

It seems to be working pretty amazingly in a small sample. Granted I have an all-star team practically. The WB/WM are Alphonso Davies and Reece James. The back 3 are De Ligt, Cuenca, and Ahmedhodžić. The regista is Tonali, b2b is Declan Rice, with Tchouameni as the Mezzala. Calvert-Lewin and Kane up front. Sometimes for more attacking punch I'll play van de Beek as the Mezzala, sit Cuenca, make Ahmedhodžić the CD-C and put Tchouameni in as the WCB.

De Ligt is a superstar, but he also has stays back at all times. It hasn't been a deal breaker, but he doesn't get forward nearly as often as Ahmedhodžić and Tchouameni do. Instead De Ligt will occasionally bomb a long cross field pass to James from over the center line when De Ligt pushes forward. Which is a lot of fun.

The pendulum attacks are just awesome to watch. It feels like I'm playing a 2-1-7 in attack! And a 6-2-2 when defending. It's like I have 13 players out there when it's clicking.

After burying Valencia 4-0 (5-0 if Kane hadn't missed a penalty) including a hat trick from Rice as the B2B in our last friendly (the first time I went with the wide midfielders), we obliterated a Manchester United team that has Kylian Mbappé amongst others in the Community Shield, up 3-0 20 minutes in with a brace from Davies and another goal from James. We gave up a goal near the end of the first half, so I called off the dogs and dropped them back to WB for most of the second half.

Same thing away to Burnley on opening day. Up 3-0 15 minutes into the game. Another late first half goal allowed. Moved them back to WB in the second half and won 4-1, with Calvert-Lewin scoring a perfect hat trick.

I also added a variant that regroups instead of counter presses and drops the line back to standard for closing things out and that seems to be pretty tough to score on, though there isn't nearly as much attacking punch there. It's a fun set up, especially with great players. We'll see how it plays out in some more games. We beat Barcelona 3-0 in a friendly with that one, but only had 1.04 xG.

Any thoughts on whether any of these tweaks can work long term or if I'm just having some beginner's luck but missing some gaping hole that will bite me?

If they're working now there's no reason they won't work long-term. It's like everything else though, you need to pay attention to those you are playing. If teams start playing differently against you then the areas you are having success in now might not exist then. Also squad rotation, if your players start getting tired half way through the season, then again it might not play as well as it is now.

[Joey Numbaz]

1 minute ago, Cleon said:

Also squad rotation, if your players start getting tired half way through the season, then again it might not play as well as it is now.

Excellent point. I don't think I'd keep the WB -> WM if Davies and/or James aren't playing. I need all-world players in those spots for it to work I think.

Thanks for sharing this one. It's fun to play around with, and I can't wait for the upcoming articles.

[Black Africa]

Only discover this thread yesterday(after making so many attempts on WCB myself) i love every bit of reading it. I will try to recreate your tactic with mixing some of my ideas as i love good 3 at back.

[Black Africa]

this is what i ended up using Your ideas with Forest👍

 

[Warszawa]

any update on this? how was your season in PL?

[Cleon]

9 hours ago, Warszawa said:

any update on this? how was your season in PL?

It was good. I’ve played 7 Premier League seasons so far.
 

 I’ve not had the time to write an update yet as I’m getting ready to raise money for charity by walking 1.7 million steps over 92 days.

Plus I’ve been studying for some rugby coaching badges, so these have taken up all the spare time I’ve had.

I'm hopeful I’ll have something soon though. 

Edited May 24, 2023 by Cleon

[Joey Numbaz]

Just finished my 2026-27 season, I play pretty slow. I pushed the WBL/WBR to WML/WMR, but with the same instructions a wingback-support or attack would have, including Cleon's sit narrower addition. At times I would drop them back to wing backs. To protect a lead, or when developing players so they would get experience in both positions. Note that in converting this for FM22, I went with:

Very Narrow
Standard Tempo
Standard Line of Engagement

It would say it was a resounding success! We dominated the toughest league in the world, clinching the title with 4 matches to go.

We nearly completed the treble. We were a 2-1 loss away to Newcastle and a 4-3 loss away to Arsenal (in a game where Onana was at the African Cup of Nations and Pickford gave up an own goal) from an invincible season. We scored the most goals in the league (104) and allowed the fewest (27). In 2025-26 I scored 80 and allowed 20. I did add Alphonso Davies over the summer and Jude Bellingham in early January, so we were a little better talent wise too.

Here's the full schedule:

3 key players were out for the Champions League Final against Manchester United. The Regista Sandro Tonali, WBR/WMR Reece James, and CB Anel Ahmedhodžić. That being said, we were up 2-0 in the second half before giving up 2 late goals, the second of which came on an own goal off of a corner kick. We lost 3-2 on another corner in extra time. Which is really ironic because we did not give up a goal on a corner kick all season, while scoring 12. No trick plays or cheats, my players are just good and mostly very tall.

We had beat ManU 2-1, two and a half weeks earlier, in a game where the xG was 2.45-0.82 in our favor. In the Champions League Final we out xG'd them 2.28-0.97. Sometimes you just get unlucky.

But there's more! Our youth teams which are considered "average squads" also had amazing seasons, playing the 3-1-4-2 almost exclusively. This despite not being very deep at all, and sometimes not even having enough players during international weeks. I play all available leagues and every game at every level on full detail for all league. I think that means the youth games around the world also use the real engine and not the fast engine.

The U23s also won the Premier League Cup.

The U18s were even better, winning the the North and the final game over Aston Villa U18s.

They also won the UEFA Youth League, taking out Inter, Dortmund, Barcelona, and Feyenoord.

So this tactic really can work, even without perfect players everywhere.

*******

Some things I noticed that are probably needed to make the WM version of the tactic work.

Depth on the wings. These guys work their arses off, James especially (the attacking WMR/WBR) was typically the tiredest player on the team, and he's got great stamina/natural fitness. I play with attributes slightly masked, but his are 15-16 there. Goes without saying but you need to make WB your WM, they need pace, acceleration, work rate, stamina, etc. Just because you are pushing them up doesn't mean you can play a no defense winger or wide forward there.

The entire back 5 really need to be stars. But when they are it is amazing to watch. I said this earlier, but it's like playing with 13 players out there.

Late in games I would switch counter-press to regroup. When my normal back 3 were tired, and I had to play Sebastián Coates, who is now 36 years old, with acceleration in the 6-8 range and pace in the 9-11 range, I would drop the line back from high standard. I would also do this late to protect a lead sometimes.

The Advanced Forward is going to be a star. Even my backup advanced forward, Luis Suárez (the Colombian one) scored 17 non-penalty league goals in 14 starts with 5 sub appearances. Granted he was typically playing against the lesser opponents, but that's a decent number over a full season let alone half of a season. Starter Domenic Calvert-Lewin (now 30 years old) scored 21, with 8 assists in 22 starts + 5 sub appearances.

Actually I can share all of the stats, maybe you'll find something interesting in there:

Obviously I have great players, which helps a lot. But at a minimum, I think you can push the wingbacks up with minimal risk if you are chasing a goal.

Here's some data hub stuff

The 3-1-4-2 created a chance every 37 minutes and allowed one every 227 minutes, over 2731 minutes in our last 50 matches.

The 5-3-2 created a chance every 53 minutes and allowed one every 213 minutes, over 1704 minutes in our last 50 matches. Many of those minutes were played while protecting a league late.

I occasionally used a 4-1-3-2 DM WB Asymetric M(L) and a 4-1-3-2 DM WB Asymetric M(R). That's a fancy way of saying sometimes I only pushed up one of the wingbacks. Mostly this was player dependent. One of them needed some experience there or was much better suited to a WB or WM position/role than the other. I probably could have done this more to counter specific opposition threats, but I was kind of winning a lot anyway :-)

Anyway with only the left back pushed up, we created 5 chances (one every 47 minutes) and allowed one over 239 minutes. With the only right back pushed up, we created 1 once in 206 minutes and didn't allow any. Combining them it was one chance created every 89 minutes and one allowed every 445 minutes. That's probably just small sample size noise, but maybe that was a little better defensively with less punch? Probably not.

Goals/Assists (Last 32 league games)

Goals/Assists Allowed (Last 32 league games)

Hah, I somehow missed that a keeper scored against us. I wonder if that's Pickford's own goal against Arsenal.

Also there does not appear to be any formation that was "Kryptonite" for us. We were positive chance wise against any formation that we played against for at least 90 minutes. In the 6 games against the 4-4-2 opponents had a chance every 99 minutes, but we had one every 37 minutes. Maybe there is something to that as those weren't great opponents or anything, Wolves (7th), Leeds (10th), Stoke (19th). We outscored them 18-6 in those games and went 5-0 with a draw. We also had a 1-1 draw against Fenerbahçe in the Champions League, they used a 4-4-2. We did beat them 4-0 at home. We didn't play our top lineup in those games either. I'll keep an eye on it though. Maybe keep the wide players as WB against the 4-4-2.

Against a 5-3-2 WB Wide we only had a chance every 58 minutes but we only allowed one every 291 minutes. Maybe I'll make the DLF a F9 against that one next season.

Anyway, this is an amazing tactic that's a lot of fun, and it's even more fun and crazy if you can push those wingbacks up higher!

Oh, next season, we are adding Erling Haaland from PSG, we closed that deal in early May. The goal is an invincible treble with him in the fold!

Edited June 4, 2023 by Joey Numbaz

[Craigus89]

This is a great read @Cleon thanks for the effort. 

I particularly like your tactical threads as you often use teams that are very average in terms of their ability which I think is incredibly important in order to actually showcase the tactic. I don't mean this to sound like I'm criticising others as it is great to see their success and that they are enjoying the game, but so often you see people posting about how a tactic is working well for them and attributing the success to the tactic, but they have a team of all-stars who would probably dominate with a tactic that is pretty terrible in terms of balance and coherence just because of the overwhelming talent the players have. The post above me for instance, Kane, Rice, Bellingham, James, Tonali, De Ligt. Of course you are doing well, the tactic probably has much less to do with it than the squad building. 

I feel there is a massive disconnect in the community generally between tactics and the players who are in the team, not enough discussion happens around this relationship but you cover this really well.