the SLC

again straight from kick off you can see here that we are moving more like a unit. the front 4 all seem to be level. only 8 seconds in but you can the amc and forward really attacking the space in front

in this clip how do i get my amc (mata) to attack that space ahead of him. i feel that he is dropping too deep and becoming ineffective? what role will keep him further up nearer the forward and preferably in that space in front instead of him holding hands with the other two. i had changed the passing to that of direct however i was seeing it move forward a bit too quick and finding my options near the penalty area a bit restrictive so i have changed to normal to see if i can combat this mata is the one higher up than the other two but still fairly close to one another (near pogba)

v fulham. straight from kick off, tierney receives the ball on the left wing but he is alot higher than the others and got there quite quicky. i doubt if the others will catch up although mt forward has an inch on his marker and my right winger has plenty of space. as i thought he was way too advanced for anything to come of it. he took a few more paces then took a wild shot at goal. was a top effort for it to be on target from that distance though

a little change and game stopped as we attack down the right. my winger is injured so playing lingard(not suited to the role but will do for now) as you can see he is driving forward with my two dms pushing up to offer support with also martial and rashford attacking the penalty area. rashford is in acres of space whilst martial is a little surrounded but this is what i want isnt it? his movement has made space for rashford to attack? its up to lingard now!! he did indeed whip a ball across the box for the on rushing rashford who unfortunately fired it straight at the keeper. good move with a quick transistion

cheers i shall look in to it a bit more. appreciate the advice. its certainly a hard game to master. if i have a creative mid ie the regis or an rpm should i be looking at a defensive minded option to partner along side him? also if i have an amc just behind the striker can i sacrifice a runner from deep. ive noticed that it can get a bit crowded in and around the penalty area. which makes sense if i have a dlf an if an amc and a runner from deep.

this is what i want!!! more of this. a great assist by pogba

this is what i like!! pogba just received the ball and passes over the top for lukaku

look at my defensive positioning surely that doesnt make for good viewing? mula has the ball.

clearly i have no idea how to play this game. i want to threaten from all angles. i have an inside forward and a winger. a dlp who can pick out the all important through ball or ball over the top. a forward who can drop deep to allow room for inside forward but can also be a threat themselves. and team instructions that i thought were correct

youre right. what annoyed me was all the options the bwm had but passed back to the cd who passed to the other cd about 20 times pointlessly, between themselves. then standing still and allowing aguero the ball. this is where i really lack. i can (hopefully) see the issues but i dont really know how to correct them. i dont know enough about the roles, tactics or football in general. i did alter the if to a winger as it was too narrow but thats the only issue all ive really been able to spot

well he did neither of those things and regardless of all the options he had he decided he would charge forward and have a shot at goal instead

i have made some changes as i thought that the play was too narrow and it was getting congested. so i changed the rw to that of winger to hopefully put pressure on the opposing left back and of course offer some variety. in this clip we have just retrieved the ball from a corner they had. the DLF (lukaku) came deep possibly too deep? but you can see the majority of players surge forward. passing options all over the pitch. im hoping he feeds the ball down the right side. maybe a cheeky dink over the top for my left sided inside forward to chase (11)

im two games and its driving me mad. i cant figure it out at all. doesnt help that i hate the 4231 anyway. just being overpowered all over the pitch.

in this screen the BWM is on the ball. you can see the right wing back has made a forward run unnoticed which is good also the space my left back has is impressive albeit not as advanced. martial the advanced forward is being tightly marked so is unlikely to receive a pass whereas the DLP and LW are available for a simple pass. i like the fact that the forward has such an attacking intent but is possibly to advanced but he does have a bit of space a bit deeper so i could try to occupy that space. omg having watched it unfold. the bwm passed it back to the defenders who then continued a game of pinball between themselves then allowed aguero just tackle them and score

so this is the revised version. having looked a the formation itself and going back to what herne hinted at i can imagine that the 4231 is a naturally attacking formation due to the position of the players. with 4 players banked high up the field. with only 2 mids centrally i can imagine that could be where possession could be lost and where we could possibly be out numbered. with this in mind i have gone for more defensive minded roles with 1 with some creativity and the other with the aim to win the ball back. with the threat that im 100% certain to face i have also opted to have more conservative wing backs. unsure on the front 4 but will have to see what happens