Conor O'Hare

We had throw caution to the wind to try and keep the pressure on Liverpool and beat Arsenal 2-0 at Emirates with an 87th and 90th Minute brace from Greenwood.....Over to Liverpool which and they do this. We now have it all to do on the final day of the season. We have to beat Wolves at Old Trafford by 3 goals to secure the title as that 7-0 win takes away our GD advantage, and we hope that Liverpool get beat by Sheffield United - Jesse Lingard is playing his trade at the Blades these days 0 Can he help Utd secure the title

What a run in my third season is shaping up to be - City at one point had a 12 point lead over Liverpool and we were then a further 5 behind Liverpool. City crumbled and eventually Liverpool went a few points clear of them - before Liverpool then lost against Tottenham to throw the title up in the air - We frustratingly just drew our last game against Newcastle which would have left us needing just a Liverpool slip up, but judging by the way the two above us are playing. They may drop more points in these next 3 games. The real highlight is the fact that City are managed by Bielsa who has constantly been an absolute arse to me - Dating back to calling for me to be sacked back when he managed Newcastle (after I thumped his team)....I could just hear the Streford end singing "Marcelos cracking up" as we play football the Busby way!

So third season in (just past March) and my team is playing the way I want them to play - I'm just short of a league title challenge but with one new arrival this summer, I think we can take the next step. The fact that liverpool seem like they'll be a dominant force in this game for some time, it's made me think of the rivalry between us and also the personal challenge that SAF had to try and reign them in....So I'm about to challenge myself to a SAF style Challenge. These are the challenges I have to achieve to mirror SAF's Man Utd Career: Win the FA Cup within 4 seasons – ACHIEVED SEASON 1 Win the Premier League within 7 seasons Win a Premier League/FA Cup double within 8 season Win Three Premier League/FA Cup Doubles within 13 seasons Win the Premier League/FA Cup/Champions League Treble within 13 seasons Win 13 Premier League titles Win 5 FA Cup (5) (1) Win 4 League Cups (4) Win 10 Community Shield (10) Win 2 UEFA Champions League (2) Win 1 UEFA Europa League – ACHIEVED SEASON 1 Win 1 UEFA Super Cup (1) – ACHIEVED SEASON 2 FIFA Club World Cup (1) (OPTIONAL CHALLENGES) Ensure a HGN (Club) Player is part of the Man Utd Squad for every game Ensure a Man Utd HGN Player wins Ballon D’or within 22 Years Ensure United Surpass Liverpool in every trophy (EXCL Europa League)…AKA Knock them of their perch Attempt to Win More Trophies Than SAF – 37 Trophies Ensure the Club goes no more than 1 season without lifting some silverware (EXCL Community Shield) Ensure the club goes no more than 4 Seasons without winning the Premier League after winning the first title. ACHIEVE ALL THIS IN 26 YEARS ---------------------- This is my most ambitious attempt at a challenge in FM as longest I've ever went in a save was 15 years so near 30 years will be fairly challenging!!! The Ballon D'or will be a huge challenge as in all my years of playing FM20 I think Ronaldo was the only player I've ever actually managed who went onto win that award. I've used Europa League to replace the Cup Winners Cup that United won but obviously doesn't exist anymore. But also I'm looking to really surpass Liverpool's roll of honours - 3 seasons in this is how the competitions looks between us. Trophy Man Utd** Liverpool** Premier League 20 20 FA Cup 13 7 League Cup 7 8 UEFA Champions League 3 6 UEFA Europa League 2 3 UEFA Super Cup 2 4 FIFA Club World Cup 1 1 Charity Shield 17 18 TOTAL 65 67

In my third season I'm about to start using Garner more, I've never toyed around much with Regista's so might give him a whirl around with that role. My MDF is quite filled in my third season so game time will be hard to get but I'm definitely going to rotate a lot more this year. I'll usualy play with either a 3 in MDF unless I'm using a back 3 but for the MDF spots I have the following: Matic, Fernandes, Pogba, McTominay, Grealish, Tonali Garner, Bellingham - However Matic is unlikely to be here next season and Fernandes is trying to push for a move to PSG - If he makes it more difficult I'll ship him out as well there's plenty of other great young MDF in this game I'd enjoy working with. Grealish and Bellingham will also give cover out wide.

Interested in seeinf your Ole Ball tactic - Seems very simple - Is there any PIs in place? Wondering who your MDF is, Pogba I would imagine is the volante - Possibly Fred as the Regista?

So, I just finished my second season which was a seriously difficult grind, really struggled with consistency and our record in big games and a cup run which was the saving grace in Season 1 desserted us....Although despite inconsistency we somehow managed to finish second in the league - This however paints a more positive outlook on the season than we deserve as we managed to pick up form towards the end of the season when those teams around us fell apart (City & Arsenal). Interestingly City are now managed by Marco Biesla who replaced Allegri before Xmas who was only in post 5 months and City were just outside the top 4....Very agressive approach from City Hierarchy. Season began with a 3-0 hammering from Liverpool in the Community Shield which was a tighter affair than the scoreline reflects and a lot of my first team were making their first pre season appearance so we struggled with fitness....and a 10 minute collapse in the 70th minute seen Liverpool score twice and the game got away from us. We did managed pick up the Super Cup against Juventus with a penalty shoot out were we came from 2-1 down to tie the game 3-3 and took it on Penalties - Not knowing when we were beat was a serious feature of this season which continues to make me believe that we are on the right path with this team. We went out to Chelsea in the Quarter Finals of the Carabao cup which meant that by Xmas we had failed to beat any of our Top 4 rivals in 6 attempts. Europe was a disaster we never got going and finished bottom with just one win in a group consisting of Roma, Porto and RB Lepizig - The one win we did managed seen us score an 83rd minute equaliser and then a 90th minute winner against Roma - Which meant finishing 3rd was at least in our own hands and a draw against Porto would see us salvage something and allow us a chance to defend our Europa League trophy = We ended up collapsing and going down 3-1 after conceeding 2 late goals. You would think this was the biggest dissapointment we could muster but we then went and got knocked out by Brentford in the FA Cup, 1-0. And whilst we were 3rd in the league at this point, I knew we didn't have the consistency to stage a title run.....Although we did go onto finish 2nd but 11 points off Liverpool. I do think I've got some better ideas on tactics (thanks to some threads in the T&T forum) so I'm optimistic with one or two signings we can really compete next year - I've identified I didn't rotate my squad enough mainly due to not trusting the options we had. So this summer the plan is to buy squad players and we already have last summers agreed arrival of Jude Bellingham to arrive and my DoF agreed a fee for Ben Godfrey to arrive who will be my 3rd choice CB. I have plans for a young wide player to give cover for Rashford/Sancho/Greenwood and finally a tall hard working striker - Someone to hold the ball up really graft for the team. I have two options for this but can't decide who.....I had enjoyed having Ighalo on this role but he unfortunately wouldn't lower his wage demands and I wasn't a big enough fan to give 300k....So he left us in January with 18 goals in 50 games which isn't record breaking tally but a great total for someone who came into a team that wasn't designed for him to score in - His goals he got where down to his own workrate and determination and most of them were pricless goals....He put some great performances for us that I was truly gutted to see him leave Anyway here is who I'm looking at for my new striker (Martial managed to score 29 goals this season so whoever comes in will be my second choice. vs Osimhen is absolutely the better player and that's why I'm tempted to not go for him - He's going to cost a bomb and deserves more than being my second choice striker. I also feel Isak has the potential for me to mould him into the type of player I want....I need to make a decision on this - Another player I'm looking at is this guy but he's 3rd choice at best (and if I was to sign him it would be just to get the marketing bonus for him!!!).- I sorta think he's too similar to what we have in pace and off the ball but that agression and workrate is very high and I know he'd work hard for the team which is what I want, just lacking the heigh of an out and out target man.- I also managed him before and he was solid back up scoring some big goals so if prices go too far for my first two he may well come back in!

So, I took the advice and played a few games with no TIs and just put players into roles (although using CM(a), CM(S) and CM(D) and used the mentality be our changing factor and we've had great results - Stole a 1-0 win against City in a game where we played mainly on defensive although I swiped to attacking at various points (mainly when City were beginning to camp and overload us) and during these games I made changes to my player roles from changing role completely to changing just mentality....I then done the same against Fulham and we won the game 2-1 coming behind from 1-0 at half time...I changed mentality to play the first 20 minutes of the second half on very attacking. Then I went to Arsenal and I played a very defensive 3 at the back system and I used PIs to try and set up a split block with my forward/defenders standing off but my 4 in mdf to do the pressing. We created 4 CCC in this game and only conceded from a set piece but still managed to get a draw, and as I say we were the much better team. Interestingly - although it feels like for the first time, the changes I'm making are actually affecting how we play and because my set up is so simple - just making a slight change like adjusting a role is turning games around for us - I don't feel like I'm in control, feel like tactical fraud as I'm letting my players own skills decide how/if we win - but I suppose that's the best skill a manager can bring - allowing his team to just simply play football....I do worry about the upcoming Liverpool game I have in my save as I don't believe my letting the players to go out and do their own thing will work against such superior opposition but I also don't believe I have the tactical prowress to stop them if I try to construct a system. I feel like I'm learning however and it's enjoyable (whilst it lasts)

I kinda wished I had have asked these questions earlier as with 4 games to go, my team sits 4 points outside the top 4 and our next game is against Liverpool - I'll reflect on what you have said here and begin to construct something - I do want to play a solid at the back system with quick/swfit attacking movements when the time is right. I appreciate the insight and help!

Yeah, my positive was a false dawn. I can't win against defensive teams and I can't win against the teams that do attack me- My only wins come from either a set peice goal or a mistake. Every time my players get in behind, they either pass it back (despite being some in front of them in space) or else they hit a cross right at the full back or else they hold onto the ball just in time for the opposition to tackle - I guess Im not cut out for this game.

What a horrible second season - End of March and Rashford/Greenwood only have 9 and 7 goals. Martial has banged them in with 22 in all competitions. All competitions being tongue in cheek - Dumped out of Europe in Group Stage, didn't even make Europa League and knocked out of FA Cup by Brentford in third round. I'm also going to have to fight hard for top 4 - My Utd challenge is going to be a mess as loss of revenus is going to be disastrous. Grealish and Sancho have been terrible signins although Sancho has been brilliant in my last few games even though we got beat by City and Arsenal. If I don't get top 4 this summer, I'm going to have an impossible job on my hand

Well I played with my first game with the amendments in the second tacic I posted and I was quite pleased with what I saw. The midfield finally clicked for me - Although we were up against Leicester who are 17th and just hired Patrick Viera as their manager so not reading too much into this as anybody may have battered them - but for me, we wouldn't have battered them before, my big issue with the run of league games that has made us sit third in the league is that we usually won a game due to a moment of brilliance - This was a well worked team performance. We also didn't just play comstant long balls, but we did play direct - rarely did I see a pass going backwards and we were quite ruthless with how we played - I wonder how it'll work if we face a team who sits back though, I imagine I might have to play a bit shorter in that occassion. Also the amount of attacking chances we went onto create thanks to our long kicks from the keeper justifies my thinking in having it, none of them led directly to a goal today but we kept Leicester on the back foot and even when they did win them, they played in a manner which meant their players rushed to attack us and that played brilliantly into our hands. As for countering, we countered beautifully in this game - Much more considered than just trying to counter every time we won the ball which is what happens when counter is ticked - To score 4 goals and have only 34% of possession shows that we very much played on the counter but none of my defenders/GK got above a 7 in rating so it was a quiet day in the office for them - My MDF won us this game.

I had forgotten I had the prevent short GK activated activated - Oops Your comment about let them happen naturally - Wouldyou suggest making passing standard and letting the players do their own thing - The take long kicks is sometimes it just takes a missed header or wayward pass to open up a chance - No matter what style I play with I always want my keeper kicking over the defense from GKs to try and force those errors.

I've since changed my system to this. I've removed Pogba as DLP and made him a B2B and made Bruno my APa - I could have made a case for Fernandes being the APA but I think Pogba is the more complete MDF so would like him to do the b2b role. I've also made Martial my F9 and changed my wide players to attack. I have had some success with Martial as a f9 in previous games usually with in game tactical changes

I've struggled with tactics this year - Much more than on any other game, but I had been doing decent but now I'm facing the AI going defensive against me and I can't get a break - Doesn't help that my players can go relentless one game and then shoot everything straight at the keeper or miles over the bar next, even when they do beat the keeper, a lot of times, they'll hit woodwork. Here's my tactics and isn't my strongest 11 - I usually have Rashford on the IF L and Martial up front, POgba is usally the DLP and Fernandes is B2B. My plan is for WB on S to stretch the opposition and free up space for my IF on the left and the Winger on right supported by a FB to provide a second dimenion to my attacis and the advanced forward to try and push the defence back by either running at the defence with ball or making runs off the ball. My plans is for the b2b making a contribution back in defence, or in carrying ball up field or in arriving late in the opposition area. I use standard defensive line and lower line of engagement as I want my team to use their pace or quicker tempo and direct passing to hit the opposition on counters. I have opted against counter pressing as I want my team to maintain shape and let the opposition get the ball up front before we hit them. Likewise, counters, I want my team to use their intelligence and reading of the game to decide when to counter (that's why both possession instructions are left unticked). But I'm playing some dour football tbh - I've already finished bottom of my european group with 1 win out of 6, and just got kncoked out by Brentford in FA Cup with this being how we performed:

I had success with him before like that, this time not so much - I know I'm now facing the dreaded 2nd season bus! As allteams are going defesnvie against me and I can never seem to break them down. Fernandes however has been exceptionally poor evem his set pieces have drifted away