[4-1-4-1 Tactical help]

I'm definitely late, but I'm currently playing FM 20 touch and wanted to build my own tactic but need help with the player roles and some other tactical aspects . 

The starting formation is the simple 4-1-4-1 or a 4-3-3 with a DM, which transforms into a 2-3-4-1 in attack.

Right now I'm satisfied with my two Centre back roles which are both on CD (D), just two plain simple roles.

Right Flank:

On the right side of the field there is a Full Back (A) who pushes high up when in possession to act as a winger with added instructions of "stay wider" and "run wide with the ball". This right back position can also be switched to a WB (A) on preferences but all in all I feel like they both do almost the same job. 

As the Fullback pushes up he leaves space behind him for the opposition to exploit, as a result I placed a CM (D) with an added instruction of "stay wider" to protect the space which naturally positions him in the right half/wide space area. Finally as the Fullback pushes up the field and the CM covers him, the Inside Forward (S) cuts infield sitting just outside the box and the striker while creating a triangle between him the Fullback and the CM. I opted out from using an inverted winger (S) as I felt that he was too slow to cut inside and didn't make the movement I wanted to create passing triangles with the team. From the gameplay I felt that this was by far my most consistent side in terms of what I wanted to achieve from the tactic.

Left Flank: 

Ohhh and this is where it all goes downhill. On this side I wanted to create a partner ship between the Inverted wingback (S) and the Winger (S) plus the left sided midfielder. Essentially the movement I wanted to create was as the team pushes up field the Left back position in which I have an Inverted wingback (S) occupies the same space as the CM (D) on the right side meaning that he would be in the left half/wide space area this would prompt the left sided midfielder to push up and occupy the same positioning as the Inside Forward (S but on the left, leaving the Winger (S) to be the lone provider of width as the Full Back (A) on the right side. Also, the Winger (S) has an added instruction of "hold position". 

DM & Striker:

In the DM slot I was torn between a DLP (S) and a Regista (S). I figured since I already had a CM (D) and an Inverted wingback (S) providing the coverage for the players providing the width the player in the DM role had more freedom to roam around and be more of a creative player, in my mind he was the  Papu Gomez of the team who was able to shift up and down and flank to flank but in the DM slot. Which one would you suggest to employ?

The striker for me had to be just a pure goal scorer, of course he had to do enough pressing when we lost the ball and could participate in the build up play but that definitely wasn't his main goal as there were others on the team tasked with progressing the ball and creative chances. I felt that the AF (A) fit the description as he would try to make runs in behind for the left midfielder, the inside forward and the dm to find him. The AF would also move into channels creating overloads on the given flank, and finally he would also be doing enough pressing as I didn't want my forward line to be beat through the middle because the striker isn't pressing the centre backs.

The problem: 

The problem that I found was the fact that the Inverted wingback (S) and the left sided midfielder be it a B2B "get further forward" or a CM (S) with added instructions of "roam from position" and "get further forward" the two players would essentially occupy the same space with either the Inverted wingback pushing up too high or the B2B/CM(S) staying too deep. I also felt that the Winger (S) who had an added instruction of "hold position" was pushing up too high and constantly making runs into the box forcing the left side to collapse and narrow in which would then clutter all of the three left sided roles into the same space. 

Team instructions: 

Finally the instructions. I set up the team:

In possession:

Positive mentality, fairly wide, play out of defence, short passing and higher tempo.

In transition:

Counter & Counter, with short kick distribution

Defence:

Higher & Higher line of engagement and more urgent pressing.

Conclusion:

Thanks for taking the time to read my article and any suggestions that you might have will definitely be appreciated! I also attached an image on how I envision the team to look when in possession.

[RB Salzburg - training help]

Hi, I'm currently playing as Rb Salzburg and use a positive 4-2-2-2 DM formation with a pretty high intensity (75% of the bar is red). I also control individual training and have everyone on half intensity and my assistant coach controls main training. However, I still have 15 players at risk, and fitness levels are low with most of my players only reaching 90% of full fitness for each game. If you have any recommendations or suggestions on how I can fix this problem would be appreciated. Thanks !