3-4-3: Total Possession

[Adonalsium]

This system is not an overpowered or unrealistic one, but rather one which I've crafted over a few seasons to play with possession and solidity in a philosophy of Total Football. It nevertheless gained me back-to-back promotions from the 3. Liga into the Bundesliga, where currently I am somehow at 2nd place thanks to some horrible seasons for other clubs despite my squad being mid-table at best. First, let me give you some ideas of how this system plays. The tactic itself is below. As you can see, Balanced Mentality and a Mid-Block doesn't seem too radical, right? Well, it achieves a roughly 60% possession rate for me in my games as well as 90% pass completion. Dominating possession and suffocating opponents is one of the main draws of this formation. Be careful of when playing teams that are much better than you, as well: it is very possible that trying to play Total Football against top sides when you are not a top side yourself will earn you a 4-0 drubbing. But that is a part of the game really.

Spoiler

If you want to control the game more, you can tick "Slow Pace Down" and "Hold Shape" in transition. That might help. Also, if you feel that the opponent is not pressing you much and three center-backs is not required to progress the ball, you can sub a center-back out (leave two BPDs with "Stay Wider" instructions) and sub in a more attacking-minded player. I often sub in an Attacking Midfielder, and it is even possible against teams that sit back a great deal to move your CM (su) up into Attacking Midfield if you are chasing a goal. This is quite risky though, and you should monitor what happens in-game. There are a lot of tweaks you can make to this tactic. Though I would not recommend "Work Ball into Box" unless you feel it is necessary because somehow the Match Engine tends to interpret this into conceding more counter-attacks. An important tweak could also be the lower the tempo if you feel that the team is not keeping possession enough! And one last important note. If you are being pressed high and relentlessly, you can try playing with a higher tempo and possibly tweaking some forward roles to be slightly more aggressive to exploit the disorganization left behind by their press.

Below is a pass map of a recent game, it is very typical for the tactic. 

Spoiler

Below I have some goals from a recent game for you, quite typical for this tactic. This one is a long possession sequence where a ball is sent down the channel for our IW (Su), won back again by the WCB (Su) after it was cleared, and finally worked into the box relentlessly for the False Nine to score.

Spoiler

A fluid give-and-go between the False Nine and the left WCB turning into a goal:

Spoiler

As with any total football system, you want to recruit players for this system who are good at everything as well as hard workers. And since this is a Possession system, you will want to especially prioritize possession attributes such as Technique, Passing, Vision, Off the Ball, Anticipation, Decisions, Composure and Teamwork. 

Of course, Football Manager's match engine is not perfect and you cannot replicate very complicated tactics such as Total Football in its confines. But this is a very fluid system which produces eyecatching football. Results are best when you manage games yourself in the match engine instead of using Instant Result, but in good form you can trust Instant Result to give good results too. 

I will talk a little bit about the individual player roles, instructions and expectations now.

I will separate the roles in this system into central roles and wide roles. They have no individual instructions unless stated. As such:

Central roles: Ball-Playing Defender (co), Segundo Volante (su), Central Midfielder (su), False nine (su)

BPD (Co): The ball-playing defender is the deepest ball-recycler of this system and should have excellent ball-playing skills for a center-back. Also in this system they tend to have the highest interception numbers, so this position should probably go to your best defender. Put the player you can always rely on in this position.

SV (Su): The slightly more defensive player in the double pivot. If you have to choose, put the player with the better defensive skills in this role. They should still be good passers of the ball, and as a double pivot player, they have "Take Fewer Risks" as their individual instruction. Dictates Possession is also useful here.

CM (Su): The slightly more advanced of the double pivot, this player is usually at the heart of possession in your game. Put your most ball-secure midfielder here. They also have "Take Fewer Risks" as their individual instruction, but don't be afraid to put a player with traits like Tries Killer Balls here. Dictates Possession is of course a very good trait here as well. You want players in the middle of the park who can control games for you. It is very important to build a good relationship between your double pivot players.

False Nine (Su): This is a role that has some key requirements, but how the False Nine plays will change greatly depending on the type of player you place there. You can easily play an Advanced Playmaker here, for example. But for this style of football the key attribute groups you want to prioritize are Mobility, Movement and Passing. Finishing and/or heading is a good bonus and if you have a player with all of these attributes then they will be a star. Dribbling, of course, is important here. You want a player here who is not easily muscled off the ball, as well, so that he can play possession passes backwards without losing it easily.

Wide roles: Wide Center-Backs (su), Wing-Backs (at), Inside Forward (Su), Inverted Winger (su)

Wide Center-Backs (su): These players, first and foremost, need the three Ps: Pace, Power, Passing. They can easily become deep playmakers, in possession they tend to sit at the bottom of a diamond out wide. They are important roles: you don't want someone prone to making mistakes out here. I would even prioritize recovery pace and good defensive skills out here over incredible on-the-ball skills. The match engine isn't very kind to possession tactics and as such you will need these attributes.

Wing-Backs (at): These players offer width to your tactic. As such they absolutely need to be your paciest and hardest working players. Good Stamina, Acceleration, Work Rate and Pace are necessary. They don't necessarily need stellar passing, crossing or dribbling to be effective in my experience. Even Bundesliga 2 standard players can work well in the Bundesliga in this role if they have good physical attributes. The wing-backs in this system also tend to give many assists. Both Wing-Backs have the "Stay Narrower" individual instruction as well as "Cross Aim Centre" to encourage them to play cut-backs more. The idea behind this is to interchange with the inverted winger and inside forward, who cut inside with the ball from out wide, whereas the wing-backs will then run outside from a narrower position. It also helps you in possession.

Inside Forward (su): As one of your three forwards, he needs to have good movement and finishing. If you study the typical pass map, you see he is also at the tip of the wide diamond just like the Inverted Winger on the opposite flank: good pace to run in behind is very useful. Physicality is quite important overall for your forward line so that they do not get muscled off the ball. I would not necessarily try a physically weak player here unless they are outstanding in other areas of the game and able to keep the ball with their skillset. Often this player does not move around as much as the Inverted Winger, but rather makes more runs in behind towards the goal. Often his assists are cutbacks. "Stay Wider" is the individual instruction here.

Inverted Winger (su): This is the role where you want to put your best dribbler and ball handler in. I love this role because often at least once a game you will see the Inverted Winger cut inside from the flank and sometimes even dribble all the way to the other side of the pitch! This kind of unpredictable and fluid movement is key to this system and is the reason why it is often able to perform so well. This role has "Stay Wider" ticked on as well. The idea is, as I said before, for them to cut inside with the ball from wide areas to make room for the narrower Wing-Backs to run into. 

In summary, this tactic is my vision of a Total Football system interpreted into FM23. The Balanced Mentality is in my view a very important part of the philosophy. It gives you the greatest room to tweak individual PIs as well as mould each player's mentality on the pitch to your liking. As a final touch, here are some Player Traits which work well in this system and you should consider: Plays One-Twos, Tries Killer Balls, Dictates Tempo (midfielders), Switches Ball to Wide Areas (Wing-Backs or even Wide-Center Backs), Runs Through Middle (False Nine, Inverted Winger). 

I hope you all enjoy this tactic and my explanation of it! The download is below. The tactic also includes Set Pieces, which you can of course change if you like, but as default they are set to Short Corners, Short Throw-Ins and Short Free Kicks where possible. Please note this was not crafted as an overpowered tactic and you will need to pay close attention to player relationships, squad dynamics and club atmosphere. As in every tactic maximizing these will bring you the most success. In the spirit of Total Football, crafting a young team and then letting them grow together as a team is how I prefer to do it! Be careful of squad turnover! 

3-3-1-2-1 Total Possession.fmf

Edited May 25, 2023 by Adonalsium

[timcliffsmith]

Gonna give this a go. I've been playing a 343 and it's been going well but fallen apart a bit after 4-5 seasons. I like the look of this and the big emphasis on support is interesting. Quick question, have you tried the same basic shape and formation and instructions but with slightly different positions? For example, an AM instead of an IW, or a DLF instead of an F9?

[Adonalsium]

Yes! I have been doing a lot of tweaking with this tactic because this tactic really needs tweaking. I have lost hard with this tactic and also won very satisfying games. The final form of this system, when you are the top team, is to completely kill games in your favour, allow as little counterplay as possible and control games through possession of the ball. If you are being pressed hard, you can try to change your false nine to a more direct attacking role. By default the system covers every attacking zone in possession but is the weakest through the middle, so you can also try to add more midfield roles and trust the wing-backs to cover the flanks on their own. It is more important honestly, for the short-term at least, that the players understand their roles so tweaking individual roles to suit the player without compromising the overall structure is also something you can do.

Something I've noticed in FM23 match engine compared to previous match engines though, has been that there is a lot more variance in form. Previous editions, I've not had as much trouble with seemingly random patches of bad form. This tactic really thrives when the players are all playing well, gelling together and don't need to be clobbered over the head with match instructions to do the things that make sense. 

Edited May 29, 2023 by Adonalsium

[timcliffsmith]

Thanks. I'll give it a go for a while and report back to you.

[Adonalsium]

I'm definitely interested in seeing how it'll work out for you. I have recently myself (due to personnel changes) switched the roles a bit too: I've found that a DM (Su) with hold position ticked on works really well at the Segundo Volante position, too. The role that you want to give the player there can give different things to the tactic depending on who you put there (like every position). I've even tried to make elite wingers work at wing-back positions but no luck with that so far. I would still only play natural wing-backs there. It's a limitation of the match engine - the wing-backs don't quite play the way they do in real tactics nowadays.

Edited May 29, 2023 by Adonalsium

[timcliffsmith]

Hi, thought I'd keep you up to date. I started using your tactic as posted and it was working, but sometimes it felt a bit passive, so I combined yours with my previous tactic. I have to say that your tactic was doing okay, but because I had developed my previous one, I didn't want to abandon it completely. In my original tactic, the front three were all on attacking, and the back three were all on defend, as was the def mid. What I did was keep my team and individual instructions but switch to the duties like in yours. And well, it's going great!

Here is my hybrid tactic.

 

As you can see, I have many more team instructions. And all the players are told to tackle harder (except the centre backs). The wingbacks sit narrower and run wider. The wingers sit narrower. Everybody takes fewer shots except for the front three. 

The other aspect of the way I play the game is that I like to play players in their best positions, so that is why Elber is an FB not a wingback, as he has 3.5* like that rather than 3*. This approach still adheres to the same basic philosophy. As you can see, I'm also playing Jones as a DLF because he is half a star better than as an F9, and so on. I do have a guy who can play as a RWB CWB, and he slots in no problem. So, I like the flexibility within a basic system. I have also played three in midfield and two up top, but overall I prefer this system.

Here are the results.

 

I started using your tactic and then my hybrid from the Wolves game. Look at the defence! Tremendous. This is how I like the game, not with crazy numbers of goals. Please bear in mind that I finished second in the laegue last season, so I already had a good team, but adding in your duties has definitely improved the defence and the control of my team during the game. Really like the feel of it. So, thanks very much!

 

352TimKnapAdonComposite23.fmf

Edited May 31, 2023 by timcliffsmith

[Adonalsium]

Yes, that's exactly how the system should be used! I like these tweaks. I have also made some slight tweaks to the system, though not many. Because I've recently acquired a player who can become a superstar at the striker position, I've been playing more of an out and out forward there (Advanced / Pressing Forward) when that player is on the pitch. It's in keeping with Total Football principles: if you have a world-class player, let them do their thing. Something I find that is important and has an effect is also setting up the correct pressing triggers and opposition instructions. This system is great when you manage to limit your opponent to the sides of the pitch. To that effect I'm showing all sided players to the foot on their side of the pitch and telling all of my players save the center-backs to mark tighter. The front three and CM also tackle harder. 

Something I've long wanted to make work in this system has actually been a libero. I want them to push up just slightly and sit in front of the two WCBs (on defend duties), and below the DM and the CM. I'm going to be experimenting with that. Here's some results from recent games:

That 5-0 game, we didn't allow a single shot on target from Frankfurt. It was total domination.

Edited June 1, 2023 by Adonalsium

[timcliffsmith]

One of my greatest enjoyments is strangling the opposition. So happy when we keep their XG down to less than 0.2! I'll keep you updated, but just wanted to say thanks for the input.

Edited June 1, 2023 by timcliffsmith

[Adonalsium]

As a slight update, this system is even stronger when you can find a central defender (for the Ball-Playing Defender on Cover duty role) who has good ball carrying and ball playing abilities apart from just being an alright defender. That player will carry the ball forward consistently into the space that is often vacant in front of the defence and really set the tempo of the game. I'd really recommend someone here who has both Dictates Tempo and Brings Ball Out of Defence. You will love the movements here. 

[shaunwwfc]

@Adonalsium

I think what you have managed to put together here, is pretty bloody special. 

I am a Wolves fan (shock..) and a huge fan of Nuno and what he managed to put together as manager of Wolves. His 3-4-3 system was a dream. What I just saw from the system is the closest I have got to it in FM - and I have been trying for around 5 years!!

Currently managing Wolves, no win in 6, playing West Ham away who were in 8th position, I plugged this tactic in - look at this below

0.00xg at home. That is something I dont believe I have ever saw from a tactic before in FM. That is really something impressive.

I have a few questions;

- The 4 at the back variant? Could you please upload this? Using the principles you have I would absolutely love to see this because I have so many midfielders to try to keep happy!

- Can you switch roles around a little? I was thinking of merely (due to personnel) making the left sided forward an IW and the right sides forward an IF, would this have a detrimental effect in anyway do you believe

- If chasing a goal, what do you tend to do? 

- Again, using these principles, is there any other shapes you have created or could? Perhaps a 3-5-2 ? Or as mentioned above, the 4 at the back variant? I think it would be great to keep opponents guessing, particularly with this ME.

I know it is only one game - but I am really intrigued by this system and bloody impressed!

Great work!

 

Edited June 5, 2023 by shaunwwfc

[Adonalsium]

I'm glad to see it worked out in that one game. I will say that this system does not always work. I have had absolutely torrid games with this system where my players get pressed up high (I've come to especially dread a certain type of 4-2-3-1) and concede a lot of chances. I've not yet been able to entirely work out how to balance this, but the solution may be to try to add more midfielders. What I love about this system is that it can be very flexible, and doesn't just have one path to victory. I've had many games where I won through possession and many, like the one you posted, where we don't necessarily have all of the ball but are the only team to make anything of it. I am currently actually trying to work out one 4-at-the-back version of this system, as well as a two-striker one, so stay tuned for that one, if that interests you. A full "playbook" of tactics is really what I am trying to ultimately achieve for this system, but I encourage everyone to do it for themselves too.

As for what else you asked, yes, you can switch the roles as long as you keep the overall balance of the side. Keep the same ratio of support and attacking roles, or don't stray more than one or two away from the balance. 

[Adonalsium]

An update...

A 4 at the back system was asked for, and I'm delivering! Sort of. An experimental system. 

May I present to you:

Spoiler

Let me explain the structure of this tactic and the ideas behind it.

Many years ago, around the time of FM16 to FM18 when three strikers up front and strikerless tactics were unstoppable, I was in love with the game of Football Manager. Around then I ran into a strange new tactic on Guido's FM blog which he had built around the concept of a Complete Wing-Back on Attack being isolated on one flank with the method of piling ball-hog roles onto the opposite flank. I took some inspiration from that, but I kind of ran the opposite way with it, if that makes sense.

First of all, as you can see, this is a very ambitious and attacking tactic. The reason I'm daring to go with a Complete Wing-Back on Attack - a total liability in defense - is because of the Balanced mentality. And I will freely admit that the mentality is not enough to cover for the weaknesses in this tactic! But that isn't the point.

The point of this tactic is to create overloads and isolate players on the opposite flank. Because of the Advanced Playmaker on Support on the right flank, and the Central Midfielder, AND the CWB - both runners off the ball for the AP - a lot of the play in this tactic is going to feature those combinations on the right. But that is going to leave space on the opposite flank. Often this means that your left-sided box-to-box midfielder is free, let alone the wing-back. It's important that you have players in these positions who can finish some chances. I've scored a few goals simply from the CWB pinging the ball all the way over to the wing-back on the other side, who dribbles to the edge of the box or into the box and shoots and scores.

The pressing line is nearly suicidal, as you can also see. Do NOT use this against better sides than you unless you really want to roll the dice. On the other hand... if you do face a better side with this, you could try lowering the defensive line to Standard (or even Lower) and toning down the high press to a mid-block, and also lowering the aggressiveness of the press. The positioning of the Advanced Playmaker so high up the pitch alongside the Inside Forward, Deep-Lying Forward to hold up the ball and the Central Midfielder to bomb forward on the counter, this tactic sets you up well for a counter-attack.

Keeping in mind the little anecdote above, you can also try switching the left-sided full-back to a wing-back position as a CWB(At) and switching the right-sided wing-back to a full-back slot as a Full Back or Wing Back on Support. Maybe then the left-sided Inside Forward can become an attacking midfielder or another striker, pushing inwards so to speak, to help create space and isolate the CWB on the left flank.

I'll provide one example goal below.

Spoiler

 

This is not nearly as well-refined as the 3ATB system, and I'd expect a wild variance of results with this - but I think it's fun, and more importantly, the same player roles and focuses on attributes remain for this system as they do for the 3-4-3. Download below, if you want:

Total Possession - 4ATB.fmf

Edited August 14, 2023 by Adonalsium

[Rob 396]

Dunno if anyone cares or not lol, but I changed this into the below formation - working well - nothing changed apart from positioning and roles (I had a 3-4-3 before, of my own making, and didn't want to have to start introducing wingers etc. so ...)

 

with this as my 'away' formation

 

(the loss was in Europe away to Napoli, which I can forgive with a 3rd season Rosenborg side) - you can kind of see where the tactical familiarity kicked in, around the time of the loss

 

 

Edited December 19, 2023 by Rob 396

[Lennnn]

On 19/12/2023 at 18:44, Rob 396 said:

Dunno if anyone cares or not lol, but I changed this into the below formation - working well - nothing changed apart from positioning and roles (I had a 3-4-3 before, of my own making, and didn't want to have to start introducing wingers etc. so ...)

 

with this as my 'away' formation

 

(the loss was in Europe away to Napoli, which I can forgive with a 3rd season Rosenborg side) - you can kind of see where the tactical familiarity kicked in, around the time of the loss

 

 

Good to see the results. Do you use any OIs or change your mentality?

[Adonalsium]

Great results there. I like the passing maps - players all over the pitch, looks like everyone is getting involved. The wide positions in FM23 always felt difficult for me, but in FM24 at least I think a Wingback on Support would actually work better than a Wide Midfielder on Support - weirdly despite being a more defensive position it behaves better in an attacking setup than a wide midfielder or a defensive winger.

Edited January 5 by Adonalsium

[Bahnzo]

This is nice, because I've been trying to integrate the 343 into my Dresden team. I started playing a 433, but so many German teams use the 343 to good effect it got me interested into trying my own. I have two versions, one with wide attackers, and one with two strikers and an AF-ish role (which seems to be the more popular one when I look at other's tactics). 

Like you, I've had some amazing games where my team just plays amazing total football, pinging passes all around and playing their way into the box. And then some games where they fall apart and seem like they can't string 2 passes together. This almost always happens when the AI either presses me hard, or close marks all my players.

 

Here's my "wide" tactic. It does ok, but I still need to figure it out. My W on the right is a star player who is super quick and agile and dribbles and crosses well. He's gotta be out wide, so I struggle with the right WB sometimes. I have the W on cut inside, but they sometimes get in each other's way. The IF is also a star who is young and starting to finish more. He also cut's inside and does a good job of causing havoc. The CWB, however, is also someone who cuts inside (see his strong foot) and also can tear apart the defense, so I have the IF on Stay Wide to try to give him space, but again it sometimes conflicts and causes a mess. I hope since this is a new tactic on a new season, they will "play into it" over time. 

Spoiler

 

This my narrow 343. It's doing much better, but my star W is left out. I can sometimes use him as the AF since he's so fast, but it's not ideal. It's much more offensive with the two midfielders instead of one being a DM, but the BWM helps with that. I'm having much more success with this one, but losing my star W makes it hard to use. I guess if it continues to do well, I'll just have to sell the W and move on. 

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