[How do I get the build my team around the regista?]

On ‎24‎/‎08‎/‎2017 at 00:10, Vali184 said:

This is the tactic that I have in mind. Like your advice, I chose to instruct the back 4 and CM(d) to play short passes. The triangle in the midfield is instructed to close down more and the regista and cm(d) to mark tighter. Of course, the regista is instructed to play more direct, risky passes. Now to the inside forwards... I instructed them to close down much more, and get further forward and roam from position when we have possession so they'll get away from the herd and find space so maybe the dlp will find them with a long range pass. Maybe I'll even instruct them to stay wider. As a lone striker I chose a Complete Forward(S) as I don't know yet what role might work better so the CF does it all.

All in all, we want to retain the possession and dribble less so we will keep possession in the midfield, work ball into box so we won't waste many shots and I guess this instruction will keep recycling possession through my deeper players, and pass into space when the time is right. We will also mark tighter in order to regain possession fast.  

 This is my thinking behind this tactic. I have only 5 matches to play this season, including a FA Cup Final against Liverpool, but I'll test the tactic in the next preseason. I'll post here updates. 

Here you can see the starting 11 that I have in mind, maybe there'll be slight changes to it. Now bare in mind I am nowhere close to a world class squad, but I'm trying to improve in the long term. The media predicted that I'll finish 20th this season and I'm sitting in the 9th place with 52 points and 4 matches to go, 6 points behind Chelsea who's on the 6th place. My objective is to finish in the top half and I intend to do so.

 

More updates will follow.

Won't the retain possession & work ball into box TI's conflict with your principle of the regista attempting more direct & risky passes?

[How do I get the build my team around the regista?]

On ‎08‎/‎08‎/‎2017 at 09:41, westy8chimp said:

Interesting - been talking about a new tactic with @jc577 exploiting direct vertical football.

I've recommended a Regista in his particular setup to act as a quarterback. It can be achieved, in my opinion.

• We'll be starting off with a highly structured approach
• Double pivot infront of a back 4, one of which a simple DM or Anchor the other a Regista.
• Slightly deeper line
• Higher tempo
• Back 4 and DM set to shorter, less risky passing.
• Regista set to more direct, riskier passing.
• A BBM infront, with 3 strikers (DLF and 2 Shadow Strikers) trying to encourage forward runs and reasonable space ahead of the Regista.
• Probably starting with a Standard mentality

The aim using the structured approach is to have a deep defence focussing their passing to the Regista. There will then be plenty of space ahead of him, with runners to pick out with his direct risky passing.

If we used a DLP, RPM or AP higher up the pitch I think it would be easier for the AI to set a marker on them. Regista ought to have time and space to pick out the pass.

Not sure when JC will start using the tactic but no doubt he will be happy to share if it works or not, or the tweaks needed.

It's not intended to be a possession based style at all ... it's supposed to be direct incisive football.

 

Really interested in this idea. In FM16 I tried & failed to implement a defensively solid, deep sitting tactic that aggressively got the ball from the playmaker to 2 quick players in the AM strata & a DLF/TM with a runner coming from the midfield. I initially went for a DLP & then later an RPM, we had the odd good result that gave me some hope but achieved no consistency & ultimately struggled.

I had a slightly different set up in mind but with similar principles, I'll try & get something created over the weekend. Would love to know how you get on.

 

[Playing Style, Structure & a modern 4-1-4-1 (Very Fluid)]

An update after my slight tweak a week or so ago. Made two expensive acquisitions in the summer, a new centre back who better suited playing a high line & a playmaking central midfielder also capable of playing a CM(A) role. It all went rather well!

Won the league without losing a game, So that troublesome away record was obviously much improved:

And we won the champions league too:

 

 

 

[Playing Style, Structure & a modern 4-1-4-1 (Very Fluid)]

So i had a base 4-1-4-1 setting up like with a roaming playmaker in the DM strata against a 4-4-2 which is what I encountered most often

I also use this against a 4-3-3 & against a 4-2-3-1 I line the playmaker up out wide.

When at Ajax I had used 3-5-1-1 (I started off on 3-4-3 diamond thread), reasonably successfully against 4-4-2 but I was struggling to implement this at Chelsea. The end results were great at home & pretty poor away as you can see from our record

 

So having had a rethink I have made some small adjustments & changed to this away from home for the new season, early days but won 3 drawn 1 so far including a 6-1 thrashing of Man City (who had won all 3) at home. In that match I started with the RPM in the DM strata took an early 2-0 lead before changing to the DLP variation after they pulled it back to 2-1

[Playing Style, Structure & a modern 4-1-4-1 (Very Fluid)]

On ‎09‎/‎12‎/‎2016 at 16:45, Ö-zil to the Arsenal! said:

Difficult to say based on this information but my first question would be what made you remove the holding midfielder? As I mention in the opening post, I always play with a holding midfielder ahead of the back-four.

Depending on your squad, a 3-man defence can be very effective against a 4-4-2 and gives you an additional man to use elsewhere.

I still have a player in the DM strata but with RPM role as I thought he would have a bit of freedom between the lines. As I said this seems to work well at home but not away so I've tweaked it to change the role to a DLP(D) & both fullbacks on support duty, with one of the CM's now on a (D) duty. I'll try & post some screenshots later & hopefully that will make it clearer.

[Playing Style, Structure & a modern 4-1-4-1 (Very Fluid)]

18 hours ago, masteR said:

You have no defensive roles outside of your centre backs, it's no surprise you struggle defending away from home imo

In hindsight what worked well at Ajax doesn't really apply to Chelsea as Ajax are so much better than anyone else in Eredivise that you probably get away with more

 

53 minutes ago, themadsheep2001 said:

Drop the D-Line and use a DM role that protects the pocket.

Wouldn't dropping negate the high press tactic? Or if I drop it to slightly higher from higher will that still provide an effective press? Also concerned that if I use a DM instead of a DLP then I have no playmaking influence in the side unless I make one of the CM's a DLP(D) & have a DM also, but again it might have a negative effect on the high press? Something to experiment with though, thanks

[Playing Style, Structure & a modern 4-1-4-1 (Very Fluid)]

Having spent most of my day at work thinking about this I'm thinking of adapting the tactic for away matches by using these changes:

DM - change from RPM to DLP (D) - should add more defensive solidity whist still providing a playmaking option. Defend duty could be too conservative so need to watch this.

DR - change from attack duty to support- again should add more defensive solidity might need to modify the MR from WM to W also but this is personnel dependent

MC - change from support duty to defend whilst leaving the other MC with attack duty. This change should provide a double pivot with the DM whilst still enabling the other CM to get forward

 

[Playing Style, Structure & a modern 4-1-4-1 (Very Fluid)]

Also a big thanks to @Ö-zil to the Arsenal! for this thread. I'm still playing FM16 in a long term save & I started implementing this tactic at Ajax (happened to be managing there when I found this thread). I had been playing a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-2-3-1 DM & whilst dominating the Eredivise I was struggling in Europe & wanted to change things, it wasn't too hard with my current squad to implement this. After 1 season using this tactic & finishing 3rd again in my CL group (drew both Juve & Dortmund) the bright lights of Chelsea came calling & with the massive transfer budget on offer I made the move.

I came up against a lot more 442 than I anticipated (was expecting loads of 4231) & at home this was no issue, finishing the season with a home record of P19 W15 D2 L2, away from home however was a completely different story. Can't remember the exact record now but it involves losing 11 games! The end result was a just squeaked 4th. I'd be fairly confident that almost all those losses came against a 442, even playing some poor teams struggling against the bottom of the division.

Sorry I'm at work so can't post screens but typically against 442 I would line up like this

GK - SK(A) roll ball out to CB's

DR - FB (A)

DC - CD(D)

DC - CD(D)

DL - FB(S)

DM - RPM(S)

MR -WM(A)

MC- CM(A) - more risky passes, move into channels

MC- CM(S) - less risky passes, hold position

ML- W(A)

CF - CF(s)

TI's - play out of defence, high line, close down much more, prevent short GK distribution, tighter marking

Mentality standard, very fluid shape.

As I said this is working great when we play at home & nowhere near as well away. Is it just too aggressive away? I have been on the wrong end of a few thrashings at Liverpool & both the Manchester clubs, but more typically I lose 2-1 or 1-0 in games that statistically appear quite even or sometimes when we appear to have the better of it but don't take our chances & they will.  A lot of goals conceded are from a ball over the top into the channels which a striker either runs onto himself & scores or holds it up & cuts back or crosses to a supporting runner who scores. I don't have the best group of CB's but they typically aren't slow, so I'm not sure it's the high line that is the issue though.

Should have seen it coming from day 1 of the season, as the defeat at Leicester stands out. A 2-0 defeat where they managed 3 shots & 2 on target to our 20-something shots.

I am tempted to come up with a counter attacking variant to use in away games that would be deeper & less aggressive but that feels like it could be too much, is there a more subtle tweak that I'm missing?