Joey's Incessant Obsession with the 442

[Rashidi]

Long term follower’s of my Twitch challenge are undoubtedly familiar with my alter ego “Joey”. He does strange things and occasionally attempts risky strategies. Recently he’s been obsessed with the 3-2 and 3-1 buildups and his focus was on using the 442 to achieve this.

The 442 is a versatile formation, its defensive coverage is perhaps the best in the game as it provides 2 banks of 4 which can make space between the lines a premium. He has used the system both with Gloucester City and with Bayer Leverkusen.

The goal with the 442 is to build up as either a 3-1 or a 3-2 with the option of using the central midfielders as either free 8s or to use one in a more attacking role and another in a more defensive role.  The versatility of the system allows me to change the two central roles in the system and adapt against opposition sides.

The 3-1 shape in buildup is achieved using a Libero flanked by two Inverted fullbacks. When the libero transitions into midfield the two central midfielders will pivot based on their roles and duties. 

Its also possible to achieve a more stable 3-2 buildup with different roles in midfield. Sometimes I use a DLP(D) with a CM(A). This gives us a 3-2 build up with the Libero forming a partnership with the DLP(D).  

Other roles and duties remain unchanged with this 442. The goal is to provide a stable defensive backline which can protect the flanks. I then use different combinations in midfield against different types of opposition.

For example:

Against a 433DM system, their extra man usually creates issues for us in the transition as it can overpower our 2 man midfield if its set up in an attacking/defend configuration. In this case I typically have a BWM(S) and a DLP(S). This combination can win the ball higher up the pitch and can be a problem for any two central midfielders in a 433DM set up.

Against a 4231, I like to use an AP(A) and a CM(D) with the Libero behind, This creates a step ladder of sorts and allows us to pass our way through a midfield that has 2 central midfielders.

Against a team that is using Inverted wingbacks and 2 central midfielders I treat that like a 433 and use a BWM(S) to apply central pressure.

Each time I play against the opposition I am thinking about how I can disrupt their ability to build out play in the middle.

PREVENTING BUILD OUT FROM THE BACK

A big part of my FM24 strategy is actually stifling the opposition from building out from the back.  And this is why I like the 442. It can apply pressure down the flanks and with its two strikers in can be a problem for a lot of defensive sides. To make it more challenging I set up:

- Prevent short goal keeper distribution
- Tight mark, trigger press and tackle hard any DM in single pivot system such as the 433DM, trigger press central defenders and hard tackle central midfielders.
- Tight mark the lowest positioned DM in a dual DM system such as the 4231DM and trigger press both central defenders. If there is a ball playing defender there, I tight mark him too. 

Whenever I tight mark ball playing defenders and tackle them hard, the objective is to make sure one of our strikers is close to that opposition player. How well these opposition instructions work depend on the height of your defensive line and the attributes of your players. This is why I prefer aggression and concentration in my strikers. On average I get at least 1 interception from my strikers every 90 mins.

TRANSITIONS

This is a typical build out pattern in our team, the defenders have just played the ball to the central midfielder this is where I expect my IFBs to take their position. We are still early in the midfield phase and I can see my players trying to consolidate possession.

In the next image we are transitioning into attack. I expect to see my IFBs protecting the flank. My AP(A) Reyes is driving towards the box with the ball, the Libero is pushing into midfield

This is a central attacking pattern I expect to see where the AP(A) lays the ball out towards the ML who comes in to score.


DEFENDING AGAINST LONG BALL
I tend to play on high defensive lines and like to use OIs to pressure defenses, this sometimes forces them to clear the ball. Since we are using a back 4 its almost always positioned well.

Here the ball is cleared out from the back, we intercept that and then quickly transition into a 
3-1. The player who receives the pass is actually the winger on support on the left flank who comes inside for the ball.


 

When playing this kind of a system, I demand high work rate and stamina from my players. The ones who get tired the fastest are the two wingers.

When I am using DLP(S) and an AP(A) in central midfield, I can sometimes get this step ladder buildup pattern. We get a 3-1 in defence, and the ball can transition through the middle or down the flanks. Note the passing options inside if the DLP can come inside for the pass.  Here if the ball is played to the libero, his driving through the middle will free up the DLP who is currently marked. Naturally the BPD in the middle decides to go wide.


In this case his movement to the left is definitely a good choice. When playing systems like this you need to have defenders who are not only comfortable on the ball but strong in the air.

Focus play is being used in this system to encourage the central midfielders to move to the side of the focus when the ball is played there. Here the DLP(S) moves to the right to support play as the ball moves down the right flank.

 

I am also using the overlap instruction to encourage the two Inverted fullbacks to position themselves higher so they are in better spots to support the area of focus. This allows us to recycle the ball back to defence if the pass is too difficult.

LIBERO/DLP(S)

The libero and the DLP are probably the safer options for most people when using the system as it allows us to create solid attacking patterns and still have two players positioned higher enough to win the 2nd ball. Basically the players are in solid positions in case we do lose the ball in attack.

 

ADAPTING TO DIFFERENT FORMATIONS
Currently this is probably one of my stronger formations for FM24, but to use it well, one needs to be able to adapt against different setups.  There will be matches where you want a solid 3-2 like this, and there could be games where you will opt to go for a AP(A)with a BWM(S). And yet others where you may want something as conservative as a BBM/CM(D) combination.

You can also get more options with different kinds of wingers. Playing wingers opposite the flank of their favoured foot can give you patterns of play where the wingers cut inside with the ball, drawing players to them and then creating space on opposite flanks. The list of permutations is endless, making this perhaps one of the more interesting approaches to positional play on FM24.

[olegmelnikov]

Great post - the only thing I can say

[mikcheck]

@Rashidi would you still apply  the  BWM role to a player with not so good tackling? Or would you change it to a simple CM(D) instead?

[Mutumba]

Great write up and nice to get a bit of depth on the forgotten 442. 

 

I assume there are no PIs? 

Could you give a brief summary of what type of players are needed for the different positions?

What do you do against back 3s? 352 and so on

 

 

Edited December 15, 2023 by Mutumba

[Rashidi]

15 hours ago, mikcheck said:

@Rashidi would you still apply  the  BWM role to a player with not so good tackling? Or would you change it to a simple CM(D) instead?

I change roles based on what I want that position to do, I would not change a BWM(S) to a CM(D) because I want the BWM to be pressing higher up the pitch. a CM(D) holds his position. If I wanted someone to hold their position and play deeper I might consider a CM(D). In either case if I want someone to do that kind of a job ie, win the ball, he would have the necessary attributes for the job. If I don't have two central midfielders who can win the ball and be great at linking up play, I wouldnt be using a 442.

15 hours ago, Mutumba said:

Great write up and nice to get a bit of depth on the forgotten 442. 

 

I assume there are no PIs? 

Could you give a brief summary of what type of players are needed for the different positions?

What do you do against back 3s? 352 and so on

 

 

There are some PI's my usual ones higher up the pitch, which are mark tight and tackle hard. Apart from that I don't use any other PIs. If a player sometimes takes too many shots instead of pass them or is bad at dribbling I will use a PI to influence that behaviour. So any PI changes apart from those on the strikers are specific to the type of player playing in the role.
 

Generally:
IFBs - need height and jumping reach, anticipation, concentration, pace, acceleration, first touch, passing, agility and balance.
BPD - Jumping reach, anticipation, heading, passing, decisions, positioning, concentration, acceleration
W - work rate, stamina, aggression, passing, crossing, decisions, balance, acceleration

CMs - aggression, stamina, work rate, decisions, positioning, off the ball (for those expected to play Attack duty) anticipation, concentration, vision, (for those expected to attack/create), tackling, bravery

Strikers- Strength, Jumping reach, off the ball, acceleration, finishing, composure, off the ball, anticipation, first touch

Against a 352, I would play a staggered setup, one attack duty and one defend duty in midfield.

Basically whenever I am playing against a back 3 I try to achieve this set up, so that I have two options, I can either go down the flanks or through the middle. If you look at the oppositions positioning in defence, they have 3  defenders, we have two attackers and someone positioned in front of them. Either way I can rip the central three apart, by drawing them out.

This is the principle reason why my IFBs have the overlap, that positions them higher up the pitch allowing me more flexibility in attack, these kind of attacks are not guaranteed successes, and I am always assessing my squad every season using my Dr Jit tool,assessing how my team does compared to other teams in the same league, to see whether I need to strengthen certain areas.

[Rashidi]

To be fair my game has evolved with this edition, the reasoning is simple. A formation can morph in a lot of ways. Take a 433DM for example.

If you play with a WB pair and a AP/Mez/DM its got space on the flanks and some in the middle, the AP and Mez and potentially end up supporting the flanks, if I see an IWB/WB in the backline its a congested midfield, then I look in midfield and try and understand how those roles will move. I do like this engine more than previous engines because its great for players who want to adapt on the fly. Naturally you can power through with "better than average" players with fantastic physicals, but wheres the challenge in out bruting a system when you can do it with a bit of panache?

[dannyfc]

@Rashidi I notice you opt for Work Into the Box in most of your tactics, any particular reason why? 

Id be interested to know how it influences player behaviour differently from tempo and passing settings. Thanks

[Hoofenballen]

47 minutes ago, dannyfc said:

@Rashidi I notice you opt for Work Into the Box in most of your tactics, any particular reason why? 

Id be interested to know how it influences player behaviour differently from tempo and passing settings. Thanks

Just from my perspective i like work ball in box but not for the reasons you may think.

For me, i think its a great way to attack and press as a unit. I find working the ball into the box is great for transitional situations where its wasier to retrieve the ball back

[Mutumba]

How important is the Attacking mentality to the overall tactic? Do you often switch to balanced or positive, or does it disrupt it too much?