[4-2-3-1 Help - Labouring to the win]

I guess the way the tactic works is that you have the IWS cutting inside, creating an overload with the supporting mezzala, with the CWBA exploiting the space left behind, and with overlap left you've got the rest of the team focussing on finding him. 

This means your primary creative outlets are a wingback, who's primary job will be hitting the byline and crossing, and Rashford, who if I remember correctly isn't the most creative player. What's the thinking behind the Mezzala, just out of interest? He's going to hover in a similar position to Rashford, which is a good combination but maybe not the best use of Pogba.

Now most teams are going to play pretty defensively against you, which means they'll be sitting as deep and as narrow as possible, so your two strikers will be getting mixed up in that, and your raudemeter will be hovering outside it, waiting for space to appear in the box, which won't happen very often. And the way you'll be feeding them is a not very creative inverted winger and a fullback hitting crosses. The former doesn't have the creativity to unlock narrow defences while the latter works but is quite one dimensional and easy to defend against.  

You've then got two forward players doing very similar things, which is get forward fast as possible. Both the SS and the advanced forward in your tactic are going to be most effective on the break, when you've just won the ball back and start streaming forward, but you've also telling the team to primarily search out that attacking wingback in this situation due to the look for overlap instruction. 

You've got a high tempo, positive mentality and short passing, which I'm going to assume is because you want to break quickly but want to stop your team being too direct (which combines with the goalie's instructions) which is the right idea because the best way to play against defensive teams is to hit them before they have the chance to sit back and organise.

Overall I think that it's partly that the tactic is not the best fit for the situation you find yourself in, and partly that some player's roles aren't the best fit for either themselves or the situation you're in against defensive teams. It's a bit counterintuitive but in this situation you probably want to keep things a bit more simple, and rely on your player's ability to make the difference. But the main point is that it clearly works, you're still winning and the way you've set it up makes sense.

Firstly, if you're going to play the inverted winger role, don't play Rashford there. Or if you're going to play Rashford there, play him as an Inside forward on attack, as this role is better suited to players that aren't as creative but good at running at defence and shooting at them. 

This means your WB shouldn't be on attack, but honestly I don't think I'd notice much difference. I think you've got him on attack and overlap left selected to try and create overlaps, but they'll be happening naturally with a wingback/inside forward or inverted winger combo. What look for overlap does is tell your team to focus on reaching that player, a bit they do with a playmaker, so sometimes what you're trying to do is give your play an extra dimension but you end up making it more one dimensional.

The Raudemeter is fine but he's going to need the rest of the team to create the space for him, and the only people round him are either going to be bombing forward or holding their position, so either try something else or think about how the AMC/ST/MRC are going to create space (although even then he'll go missing a lot in my experience). If you want to play with the advanced forward and SS, maybe put a high creativity/flair/passing player as a playmaker (or even a CMS with take more risks and direct passing if you don't want a playmaker) a bit deeper to get the ball and use his creative skills to try and find them when you break, or alternatively have the striker as a pressing forward/deep lying forward to try and sit in front of the defence and drag them forward a bit. But if not, try and think about the best way to use Pogba, rather than the way to fit him into your tactic. Even something simple like having a CMD for McTominay and Pogba as a BWMS with take more risks and dribble more would work (as an aside, don't think of a ball winning midfielder as a holding player in the way you're trying to play, think of them as the guy that wins the ball back as quickly as possible and then launches the attack either by running at the defence or by passing.)

But these are minor tweaks, and I'd suggest that when it comes to three men defence, having a backup two striker formation will help unlock them, and generally having a plan B tactic that changes your formation that you switch to mid match can help when you're struggling to break down defensive teams. My go to is a 4-2-2-2 with an AMR/AML; it's not the best defensively but as a situational tactic it can work wonders against a team that's expecting you to play 4-2-3-1. 
 

[No tactic* and lots of experimental shouting]

I frequently use shouts, and one that seems to work well for me in my latest save is the 'show some passion' in the last 20 minutes of a match. It tends to be the shout that leads to the most positive feedback.

It seems counter intuitive, and the type of situation where 'concentrate' or 'demand more' might seem applicable. But by using 'show some passion' in the last twenty minutes, it can help stop your players from switching off or temporarily override players who have become complacent at a time in the match when conceding means there's not much time to get a goal back. 

Also, I find that 'concentrate' as a shout for your entire team at points where it would seem useful (you've gone two up and the've pulled one back, for instance) rarely has the desired effect, and usually ends up frustrating or overwhelming players who you're not aiming the shout at. I find it's better used on individual players in key positions  with negative body language.  

[No tactic* and lots of experimental shouting]

16 minutes ago, herne79 said:

Are you referring to the post directly above yours?  The opening post?  A different one?

If you're referring to the opening post, I'm trying to show there is another set of tools available to us which is often overlooked or dismissed which could help us achieve things.  If you're referring specifically to a lack of tactical instructions, have a read of @HUNT3R's excellent post on the previous page where he discusses starting with nothing and building from there .

I meant it in a humorous way, though looking back I realise that’s not immediately obvious. Sorry if it seemed a bit glib, it’s a good post and it’s given me some food for thought about how I use shouts.

[No tactic* and lots of experimental shouting]

This is one of the most demotivating posts I've ever seen on these boards.  

[Everything TOTAL Football (From Cruyff's 343 to Guardiola's Overloads) - UPDATED Feb 28, 2023]

I don't think I properly understood the concept of overloading until I read this. I've tried implementing a few of these player role suggestions into my gameplan and I've definitely noticed more space opening up on the opposite flank. Really good post, cheers!

[Clubs Producing Foreign Newgens]

FC Norjaellesland (Danish Superliga) - due to a partnership with a Ghanian academy, they can produce Ghanian regens. I got an absolute cracking Ghanian AMC who went straight into the first team on my save.

[Quickfire Questions and Answers Thread (Tactic and Training Questions Only)]

What does the 'mistakes' bit mean under the 'movement' section of the 'analysis' tab? Is it just general mistakes (Bad pass, poorly timed closing down, bad tackles, etc) or does it mean something more specific?