jc577

Hi all, I was going to start a thread to discuss my tactic, but seeing as its a 4231 I thought it made sense to talk about it in here. So for my last save on FM, I decided to start up with Norwich and roughly try and play their exciting attacking football we've seen from them IRL. Here is the tactic: We're not doing too badly in the league all things considered, sitting in 14th currently which I think is respectable, but there is scope for improvement (as always). Going forward we've been decent: 6th in the league for goals scored, 3rd for chances created, 7th for SoT % and 2nd for average possession. We do seem a little reliant on balls from the Treq to the Poacher, but I can't complain. However, defensively we are poor. Currently sitting in 19th for goals conceded, and 3rd for yellow cards, which tells me that we're being stretched and having to make fouls. To me the tactic seems balanced, the press isn't overly aggressive nor is the defensive line, but yet we still concede lots of goals. Is there anything i'm missing that can be improved upon? Perhaps my players just aren't good enough to play this formation? Thanks!

Your selection of roles and duties look okay to me, but they’re at odds with the TIs you’ve selected as others have mentioned. I think you need to decide what style of play you want, as it seems you’re caught in two minds. Out of possession: Way, way too extreme! You’re pinning opponents back so much that there’s little space for your front 4 who are very advanced. To me, the success of your tactic relies on getting the ball to the W-A quickly so he can cross for the Poacher, but with the extreme press this is unlikely to happen. In possession: The use of ‘play out of defence’ and ‘shorter passing’ will slow your transitions down, allowing the opponent to get set and limit space for your front four. Solutions: If you want a more possession-based style of play, i’d change some of the roles and duties to encourage more combinations and patience. If you prefer direct style, i’d: Change your line of engagement to standard, change d-line to standard (or higher), remove ‘Play out of defence’, remove counter press etc.

Please do!

It kind of does limit through balls though. It literally tells players to work the ball into the box, passing it around until the chance for a through ball/pass opens up.

Perhaps a front three combination of IF-S, DLF-A/PF-A, and T-A could work well. I saw Neymar as more of a creator than a goal scorer, and Suarez was definitely the spearhead in attack. Having the IF-S on the left would allow Alba to bomb on like he did IRL too.

Work ball into box, whilst it does reduce long shots, isn’t solely concerned with doing so. It’s about patience; making the extra pass instead of trying a cross, through ball or indeed a shot. Conversely, counter-attacking tactics are anything but patient, whilst possession systems are all about it. That’s why (I believe) it is more suited to possession systems than counter ones, but that isn’t to say it can’t work. If we relate this to the OP’s tactic, he’s using the counter mentality which sets defenders to (more) direct passing, and forwards to short(er) passing, couple this with WBIB and you will get fairly passive play in the final third.

It is a bit contradictory though, as you’re telling your players to get the ball forward quickly, but then wait for support (and for the defence to get back) before attempting to create a chance. WBIB is an instruction i’d use for a possession tactic used on a higher mentality to induce some more patience, but for a counter attacking tactic I don’t think it’s that suitable.

Planning any more updates on this mate? Great read

But we must remember that formations in FM represent your defensive shape, so whilst Atleti’s Attacking shape resembles that of a narrow 433, their formation (in FM) should be a 442, as that’s how they defend. You can easily get a 442 to transition to this narrow 433 in attack with the right roles and duties.

Personally I think this thread demonstrates 1. A balanced and intelligent selection of roles and duties, which enabled the team to function greater than the sum of its parts and 2. Accounting for player attributes when thinking of what role to pick for a player. @Rashidi has always said, attributes are king in this game, and this is a perfect example of it. A great balancing act. On the other hand, I’m not quite sure how much light it sheds on the effectiveness of team shouts, but it’s definitely something to think about. I am sure that goals were scored when they wouldn’t have been had the team not been ‘shouted at’, as sometimes all that is needed is a good kick up the a**. Interesting thread Herne

I think he meant centre-forward, so DLF in this case, not complete forward

Great thread as always Westy. I think the most interesting aspect is keeping playing style the same... I think most people when trying to adapt to the opposition mainly alter their style, to either take advantage of space in behind or limit their own, but this is a very different way and I’m liking it

Yeah that’s exactly what was happening, it wasn’t uncommon for the ball-near CM to go off pressing and expose his partner 2v1 in the centre. I’ve asked my CM’s to close down less and the WBs to close down more... it’s not perfect but it’s definitely made a difference. The WBs aren’t idle anymore, much more proactive in winning the ball back and certainly more switched on the back post crosses. Obviously this instruction can be dangerous against quick forwards, but this is where having quick + smart CDs helps.

Perhaps, tbh i'm not great assessing what my players can/can't do and then translating that to a style of play. That's usually why I pick a team that suits the style I want to play. These were taken before I made any changes. I've taken on board what you've said and things are looking better, but i'm not counting my chickens just yet. I'll continue to update

I honestly have no clue... but seems overly defensive don’t you think? And then only leaves one CM to defend the centre.