Robson 07

For those still reading up on defensive lines, this is an excellent new article from Sky Sports. Check it out. High Defensive Line

If your team is carrying out an AI counterattack your team are temporarily playing on Overload mentality.

Disagree a bit here. If you are a strong team, yes, a primary tactic should work most of the time. But as you're seeing already not all the time. In your other tactical slots you should have a tactic that is creative and specific to beating stubborn defensive teams. You should also have a tactic that is more measured for playing tough away games, in the latter stages of the Champions League for example. Tinkering or fiddling about with the roles is only part of the process. The tactic in the opening post doesn't really create or use space and its not the formation either. If you

Are all your posts here now @_Ben_ and not FM Now?

Come on @_Ben_ dude let's see some more magic

All your front four are moving due North (making central runs). Mix up their roles and duties. Try and have mixed movement. You could try a more static role on the 2nd striker like an Enganche just as an example. Try and have one player create a space (by vacating it) so that another can move into it. You also might have a wide player on a support duty perhaps so he starts from deeper - and isn't always bombing forward the moment you win possession - and this might begin to allow more overlaps. And so on..

Your formation is "trapping" teams in the white rectangles. Look at how out numbered you might me in that area. Teams can't break out the rectangle but they can keep possession in it. You could try and get your midfielders in the rectangle by using roles like ball winning mids or having an AM. I doubt Mezzalas and Playmakers in a defensive sense are going to cut it. @herne79 can speak for himself but I think this is what he is trying to tell you.

Put these two things together - like it. Formation is creating a trap in wrong area of the pitch. That's good analysis right there.

Exactly. I think you'll find that you've just confirmed what I said.

They crowed each other out, don't you see that? When your team transition to attack they'll all be occupying the same sort of area.

Which square or squares do you envisage they'll end up in?

At one time there was an instruction you could choose for frequency of players making forward runs, it was rarely - sometimes - often. When the game gave players duties that option was taken away but you could liken it to - rarely (defend roles), sometimes (support roles) and often (attack duty roles). Hope that helps. Also a player's position, relative to his actual position e.g. a number 9, is influenced by his individual mentality. Thus a very attacking poacher really is going to play high up the pitch and constantly on the last defender's shoulder or even offside. Whereas a more

I'm so far behind in the tactics thread I'm quoting up posts that are 3 months old. This was part of an interesting exchange. Curious that you didn't go the other way for FM19 or 20 e.g. Cautious Mentality Support roles giving a Fluid shape Maybe say "Be more Expressive" To this day that isn't too far away from how WWFan went about Pep's teams, albeit Barcelona, years ago.

Good post and I found you interpretation of mentality interesting. It might give people some ideas.

To the opening post. Defend mentality isn't a switch you just flick, and voila clean sheets. Duties and the individual mentalities they give you in conjunction with the team's mentality is what's key.