Fullbacks: alternating inverting and overlapping - is it doable in FM23?

[Wrap God]

Hello!

I've been observing an interesting behaviour of fullbacks in some real-life teams recently (it might not be new, but I've just noticed it). I was watching the last Man United games in the Premier League (let's put the quality of performance aside) this season and something about how Erik ten Hag sets up his fullbacks caught my eye.

[Sorry I don't have any visual examples]

• When in early build-up phase, with ball being in the possession of the GK or defenders, fullbacks tend to stay narrow, but not fully inverted into midfield
• When the ball progresses into the middle third of the pitch and further, one of the fullbacks inverts into the midfield, while the other one makes a forward run. Usually that run is overlapping in nature, as the winger comes narrow close to the penalty box. However, there have been some underlapping runs hapenning as well, with Antony staying wider and AWB making a run into the box.
• This happens alternatively. What I mean by that, is that when one full back goes forward, the other tucks in to the midfield to form a slightly tilted double pivot with Casemiro.

Putting the effectiveness of this behaviour aside, I really want to recreate this coordinated movement in FM23.

The question is: is it doable?

When using FB, even with the 'Stay narrow' PI they are not coming into midfield as I would want them to. The same goes for WB who are just more eager to dribble with the ball and their initial positioning is more advanced than that of a FB.

When using IWB (Su or De, didn't try At) on either side they tend to always stay narrow and tuck into the midfield next to the DM. They do sometimes, overlap if the team is instructed to do so, but most of the time in possession they both sit in midfield.

I know from watching some tactic experts like Bust the Net, that Complete Wingbacks will do both overlapping and underlapping runs, as they roam from position. However, this role has the 'Stay wider' instruction selected as default and they never come narrow into midfield.

 

So, is there a way to instruct my fullbacks to alternate in behaviour as I initially described?

I will try to capture some examples from FM23 later today.

Thank you in advance!

[Lasson]

I don't think it is possible to create that wide rotation that you are looking for.

I haven't tried using an IWB combined with the team instruction 'Overlap', so I don't know if that's the closets you can get. 

[Delial]

From my experience, CWB are basically wingers in the FB/WB stratas. I never saw a CWB underlap and overlap at the same ratio. They mostly overlap like classic WB but are mostly more attacking.

Anyway, I recently played a lot with FB(a) and, paired with a W(s/a) before him, you can catch some exquisite highlights where the winger stay really wide and the FB underlap in the half space. That's for the attacking part of the play. They don't invert during the build up phase. They will stay a bit narrower if you ask them to, but not like an IWB (who doesn't really work in FM23 compared to FM22).

[Lordluap]

Turn off Play Out of Defence as a starter maybe?  Does this make the players in the FB positions stay wider initially?  If so, un-select it.

Then perhaps have a play with the Overlap TI and Cut Inside PI - or vice-versa, Underlap TI and Run Wide PI...?  Probably on FB/Su ?

[soft tofu]

I believe that IWB moves depend on the winger. If the winger occupies the flank, then the IWB will sit narrow but if the winger cut inside and stays narrow, the IWB will go wide.

[w_x]

Set two tactics and switch during the game? Not ideal but it's a solution