Fox-7-

Remarkable write up, lots of valuable information here, even for experienced players! For example, in many years of playing FM, I have never thought of looking at the opposing manager's profile to obtain useful information...even though I love doing micromanagement in my saves for some time now, there is always a further aspect that has never been considered thanks to which I can go even deeper

There are the three Pogbas, but I'm not sure they would get along in the same team

With two players in the CM strata and a pivot I'd eliminate the Counter TI, as It invites your BBM and MEZ to be even more aggressive in the counterattack together with the WBs and the forwards, leaving only the DLP and the three CBs to defend (and the WCBs will already be wider and higher on the pitch by default when you lose the ball). For the possession phase there seems to me to be a non-optimal distribution of roles, for example PF and MEZ will compete for the same channel, and IMO WCBs are better suited for possession-oriented styles that looks to create overloads in a prolonged possession phase, that seems not to be yuor purpose. CWBs also Is a very demanding role, I don't know if Mario Rui has the skills to do the job properly in this role (I'm basing this on how I see him IRL in Serie A, I'm not aware of his skills on FM). I would try this (from right to left): SKd CBd CBco CBd WBs DLPd/s WBa MEZa CMs F9s PF/AFa in this way you would have three players on attack in three different channels and at three different depths, with the added support of the WBs on the right wing, with the three CBs and DLP+CMs (with PI hold position) acting as the first defensive screen

Omg, this is a true hidden gem! Thanks mate

I'm not the perfect person to answer your question, as I've never tried a Poacher in my FM experience. I assume he needs behind him someone that does the job out of possession for him and feeds him with assists, so I guess I'd try with a P and an AMs behind him. But I don't know if a P is suitable for a non-aggressive mid/low block with standard pressing defensive approach, the risk is either to play with 10 men out of possession and not to be able to take advantage of his best skills due to the amount of pitch you have to cover to build an attack

L(D) maybe could be too demanding if he has low WR...seems to be a perfect candidate for a CB-st spot

This setup is more possession-oriented than suitable for getting the best out of a TF intended as the classic big human tower However, in order to make the IFa and CMa runs more effective you could use a TF on support duty (even better with the PPM "Plays with his back on goal") which can keep the opposing CBs busy and take them out of position and free up space behind of them. In this setup you'll need a TF with good technical skills, for example someone like Giroud

Wunderbar, I wasn't aware of this topic (*Ah, I see you're a man of culture as well meme*). Juventus fans here, Furia Ceca is one of my all-time favorite players, and I was totally in love with Rosicky's poetry in movement, but my footballing soul as a fighting full-back when I played made me admire Grygera an Ujfalusi's solidity and discipline and and the perfect physical-athletic combination of the Koller-Baros couple, the Human lighthouse and the Czech Maradona (Baros' equalizer against Netherlands with the chested ball by Koller was orgasmic to my eyes) I can't see the tactic screen, maybe it's too old and won't load it in my browser. I was thinking of something like this, haven't tested It yet, I don't know how close I came to your idea: GK FBs NCBd CBd WBa DMd (offset to the left) Ws RPMs (in the CMR slot) IWa TMs AFa Not sure about Nedved's role, he was basically a wide-inverted-box to box midfielder on attack duty with all the possibile PIs Balanced mentality, TIs as simple as possible: Slightly more direct passes, counter, press more often, mid block with higher DL

Given that the position of the players in the tactics screen is the one in the out of possession phase, you need to start from the last picture. I think it's difficult to replicate in ME, the only solution I can think of is this: #1 GK/SK #32 CWBa #2 WCBd #16 CBd #4 CBd #12 FBs (or WBs if no IF ahead of him) #10 DMs (or CMs) #7 DMs (or CMs) #9 AMs #45 IFs (or AMa if in the AMCL slot) #28 AFa #10 and #7 with hold position PI, as in every picture they are in the same place with all the remaining teammates moving around. They can be played in other holding roles as A or DLP but not knowing the player skills I gave them the simpliest role

If you want your LB to take the Place of #10 and #10 move in the AMC slot maybe you could try with an asymmetric disposition IFB CB CB IWBs DMd CMs CMa W W AF This should give your IWBs in the left more room to move into. Don't told your CM to move into channels so he stays central

Oh, I've never interpreted your Defense-First approach as a set of Park the Bus tactics either, and in fact I admire how you manage to make even very different sets of tactics and instructions work within the same save with the same players. In fact, my first intervention in this thread was to say that I was following the thread because often, despite loving coaching underdog teams, my problem with the Defense-First approach was that of being too passive in the tactical setup, resulting in closer to a Park the Bus than anything else, and therefore I wanted to find new ideas to refine this tactical style. But yes, perhaps the very definition of Defense-First approach can be misleading if taken literally, because the feeling I had seeing the latest evolutions of the tactic is that defensive effectiveness is more a product of a well-balanced offensive setup (therefore a sort of Defence-Secondary achievement, if I can allow myself to give my interpretation) rather than being the core on which the work is based which then serves to bring home victories without going gung-ho with the Gegenpressing meta. I'm almost 35 years old, so I also grew up watching the football of those years at the turn of the millennium, which I personally consider to be of a higher level than today's football, especially regarding the quantity of great players. In fact, returning to the focus of the thread, now that I'm in the break between one season and another, I'm reading and watching some videos since I want to implement another variant of 442 as a 3rd tactical slot, inspired by that of the Czech Republic team during Euro 2004, to see if I manager to buy a couple of players needed to recreate it properly But now I'll stop being pedantic , I hope to read even more updates and interesting insights from you .

@crusadertsar I apologize in advance for the question, which may seem polemical given that the topic has already been raised a couple of times in previous updates but I think it was asked in the wrong way with accusatory tones, but instead it is a genuine request, given that I appreciate this thread a lot and I have followed it from the beginning in every update. Can the last two tactics be purely defined as Defense-First approach? At first glance (and my impression may obviously be totally wrong, given that I haven't tried the tactic while you know exactly how it works on the pitch) it may seem instead that the balance of the game plan is based more on rest defense in the opponent's half for long periods. stretches of time rather than on the rest attack when the opponent is in possession, practically defending more by managing the ball than producing an effort without it. Compared to the OP the intensity has gone up (not to the maximum obviously, I'm obviously not talking about a meta tactic) with the lines, the pressing and the mentality and the positioning of the players on the pitch has gone from a bottom heavy to a top heavy formazione. Aside from goals conceded, could I ask you how the other defensive indicators are?

There's no shame mate, in fact at the beginning of the learning curve it is an almost mandatory step to reduce the waste of time compared to the trial and error approach (and less frustrating). I myself did this in my first steps into the FM world. Even now I regularly check here and on the web if there are interesting topics regarding aspects that I have always paid little attention to or which I have never dealt with, and I often discover and learn new things that improve my gaming experience even after 15+ years of FM

Both of your IF got competitors for the sapces they'd like to exploit (CMa for IFs and AFa for IFa), and as said by @jeru everybody are more prone to look for opportunities for themselves rather than creating them for other teammates. Furthermore you're playing on the front foot with lines and OoP TIs and are asking your players to dribble more towards the opponent's defence, but at the same time you ask them to pass in spaces that most likely don't exist as you squeeze your opponent into their final third. It's a bit demanding if you're not an elite team I'd add some variety in roles, for example Ruggeri as WBa bombing forward and Ederson as CMs holding position, letting IFs to come inside with some room to play in, Baldanzi as Mez-a and Barbosa as IWa with stay wider PI overloading the right side and opening the channel, and Parisi (left footed) could be a perfect IWBs if played on the right flank

Maybe it depends on your tactic, do you have selected a specific cross type in TIs? Your TF is a lone striker or has a partner? Or on the far side there's and attacking player like IF/W/IW that look to make himself going into (better?) scoring positions than your TF? I play a 4-4-1-1 with a TFs as a lone striker in central position with only and AM behind him on Attack duty, ML/R are on support duty, mixed cross in TIs, "aim cross at him" in PIs for wide players. He is the main goal scorer by far (25+, no other teammates hits double digit, nor his backup), going for the header on the far post from both sides (and furthermore he even scores some goals anticipating opponents on a low cross on the near post) However PIs are only tendencies, maybe your TF is well controlled by the opponents and there's a free teammate on the far post, in the end players looks for what they think is the better option given their skills