Cloud9

DM's and AM's are midfielders. It's certainly in vogue along with the 4-3-3 in modern football. Most of the up and coming managers, and teams looking to build a tactical identity, are trying to play progressive football and that's reflected in the formations. It's also a formation with a lot of tactical flexibility (see David Moyes getting the axe for his conservative 4-2-3-1 compared to a ball playing Tottenham, Brighton or Bournemouth variation). Advantages to running the double pivot include : Cover for positive wingbacks. Increased ability to play out from the back via the double pivot. Splitting the burden of a capable holding 6 onto two players instead (see Chelsea). You see many of the top teams playing with a 4-3-3 these days, but again the weight for the solo 6 is really demanding. Most of those teams feature their 6 as the squads star player (Bruno Guimaraes at Newcastle, Rodri at Man City, Declan Rice at Arsenal). A 4-2-3-1 is a great way to look to play progressively without this all powerful 6 at your disposal.

Roles + attributes will do the trick

The game is not playing against you. There is no anti player bias in FM games. I would suggest your geriatric back 4 is not too difficult to counter attack against and get in behind of (counter attack styles will frequently be "outperformed" in XG and win the game based on their style). Those deficiencies are covered for in a back 3 (back 5) and less exposed on a midblock. The 4-3-3 you'e setup has very little in terms of players providing natural width too, which will contribute to that "miss every chance we have" feeling. You are one of the biggest sides in Italy and most sides will shut up shop against you. If they do so, it's on you to break them down or you will have a lot of rushed shots like you're experiencing. If the 3-5-2 formation is working well for you, I wouldn't fix what isn't broken in January. Clubs tend to have more cash to spend in the summer (buying players in January is equally difficult) and you will need time to blood in your new system and style of play. Personally I would look to make tactical/personnel changes to progress your functional 3-5-2 and take it to the next level. BBM+MEZ(s) might be a more dynamic (and creative combo) for your two 8's. Whenever I play a 3 at the back system like this I want the two outside defenders to be able to progress the ball forward through dribbling or passing (BPD + Dribble more is great combo for this). You could look to find a top tier DM to play as a regista as he's well protected in your current system and offers a progressive passing range from deep. Adding pace to your backline will be key as well. Wingbacks tend to be what makes or breaks a 3 at the back system (esp. if you're running double CWB) so bringing in athletic + technical players in those areas would be a must. Only big issue w/the current system is that Vlahovic is a fairly poor DLF(s). He can offer strong hold up play but lacks a technical passing range. He's a great solo striker in a system that plays higher up the pitch so you might look to morph to a 3-4-2-1 where you could both control the game and play to your key strikers strengths.

I agree! I think FM has a hard time reflecting aging players ability to perform such roles despite their diminishing physicals. I've been enjoying watching Madrid from a tactical perspective the past few years, one of the few high quality teams in Europe to play comfortably out of possession. A lot of the traditionally resolute sides like Atletico are still trying to figure out how to transition from their previous styles.

I don't think this is accurate. You could say its a 4-4-2 diamond w/Bellingham (which certainly it was at the start of the season), but recently it's looked like more of a 4-3-3 again to me (which Madrid deployed in 52 of their 58 games the season before) with Jude as a F9 type role. Tchouameni has always been the solo 6 holding pivot in either formation. Rodrygo's touch map vs Man City is that of a wide player, not a central striker in a pairing I think. RPM will be difficult for Kroos to pull off with his lack of mobility in game. They've reduce him to 10 Stamina 12 Natural fitness at this point on top of 10 acceleration/pace. I usually look for a defensive MEZ type of profile on a RPM (mobile, can run with the ball + strong mentals to roam), but that's just me

I always watch the first 15 minutes on full. After that I switch to comprehensive if it's not a big match, but will go back to full if the match requires it. I speed thing ups + go w/shorter highlight modes if the match is wrapped up.

Madrid play a 4-3-3 W/Tchouameni as the 6 so definitely not a regista (only available in the DM strata). Kroos is probably best fit as a CM(s) on the left sided 8 in the setup w/tinkered PIs. DLP(s) could also work, as he recycles possession a lot, but comes w/hold position which isn't great in a 4-3-3. Ultimately a player like Kroos's importance is difficult to replicate in the ME. These are players who control the match and are always available to receive the ball under pressure.

I never change the mentality since it will impact everything in the tactic.

I've been going with an almost completely blank slate in terms of TIs (even in my counter attack setups) and just focusing on roles + micromanaging the PIs instead to get the desired effects on the pitch. Will then use TI combos / role changes in matches themselves to change things up when the original plan isn't working.

It will depend on your tactic, but Off the Ball is the big attribute I look for on a primary goalscorer. Sounds like you're looking for a pressing spearheading forward, so a PF(a) should do the trick.

Double checking his personality (+media handling) can be a strong indicator of a players ability to develop, particularly via mental attributes in his mid 20's. If he's a good personality and hasn't come along for you I'd analyze how you managed his playing time 18-21 at the team. Ideally you want them playing first team football (not u21's) once they hit 18. I tend to keep players around the squad who need improvements in personality via mentoring and general squad personality instead of loaning them out. Adding "match load, injury risk, fatigue" to your selection view can help you see if you're overplaying a player, which will severely hamper their development.

If you're trying to play on a lower tempo successfully, you can always leave the slider in the middle! I've enjoyed that balanced approach where you can step things up a bit when it suits you.

All good points Only thing I'd add is that the DLP is still primarily a recycler of the possession, even on support duty. I think the defend duty comes w/out the take more risk tag, but personally I quite prefer the support duty version in most situations.

The positional play changes mean you can play a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 and have the players rotate forward in possession into a similar shape you have now. Take a read through here: Still looks like a tactic very influenced by Plug and Play ideals. Based on what you're saying you're looking for I'd try using IWB's on support roles in a 4-2-3-1 with a SV(s) in the middle of the park. That will give you a very progressive, possession oriented approach (similar to how Tottenham set up IRL). Other things to consider: If you want to maximize possession consider a Forward who doesn't run the channels like a PF(a). Whenever he makes such a run and is pick out the ball will turn over. A Poacher will chill in the box and let you move the opposition around while you find your moment. The other option would be to play with a Facilitating 9 Pass into Space TI doubles down on these turnovers. Stopper/Cover or double defend duty BPD will leave you high and dry (and conceding) less often. Traditional wingers on attack role can also be counterproductive to possession (although nice here for the width they give). Drop them to support roles and tinker with the PIs on them instead.

If you want to run a double IWB I'd consider using a 4-2-3-1 so you're less exposed on turnovers. IWB(S) + IWB(A) is going to ship a lot of goals in a 4-3-3.

I'd make three role changes: IF(a) -> IF(s). BWM(D) -> BWM(s). FB(a) -> FB(s)

I was playing around with a DLF(a) or CF(s) on a midblock for a more realistic IRL representation of a modern 9 in a 4-3-3. Difficult to get the same threat from wide players running in behind as your typical spearheading forward...but doable in a more patient style. Ended up playing w/out "counter" or "pass into space"and giving the individual players more aggressive Tis and Traits instead. I usually wait to go to a 4-3-3 until I have a competent 9 (complete physical profile, consistent). Otherwise I tend to stick to a striker pairing. On a higher lines system you have a lot of freedom to play around with different profiles/roles for one that suits your system best. F9 or Poacher are two I would consider (the former to draw defenders out of position for other players and the latter to double down on not being involved to serve solely as a finisher).

I think your tactic would benefit from looking at how to transition the ball forward. In a 4-2-3-1 it helps to have progressive wingbacks to do this or a role like a SV in the pivot who can carry the ball forward. Mixing up the frontline could help as well, even if it's just dropping the IF to a support role. Your striker (AF) is also quite slow, which is an issue for a spearheading forward on a midblock. Figuring out how you will score goals is another important step in setting up a successful tactic.

I just go through the starting 11/subs before every match and chat with them on each available interaction that's possible, praising and criticizing (or both) as appropriate. If you do this consistently and utilize team meetings you can keep morale high throughout the season. You can praise and criticize the same area of the game if you're systematic in the approach with the players. IE. If you praise conduct on a player and then select criticize conduct right after you'll be able to do both. Sometimes the interaction will not be available on different orders of interactions. If you get a negative response you can click out of the interaction of the player before doubling down with further comments. The morale will still be reduced but you won't cause a personal issue with the player. This is a bit of a grind unfortunately but this year it's also the way to unlock setting goals with the players which makes keeping the morale at perfect really easy. If you're in a relegation fight (and not winning a lot) the grind will be especially demanding so just take it slow. FM snowballs positively or negatively and the more you win the less man management you end up having to do. The worse personalities you have the more difficult man management is. Players who are tricky to manage you should mark out early and give special attention to. This will also be dependent on if you start with coaching badges or not (which impact your attributes), however your own discipline attribute is pretty easy to improve just by chatting with the players. Conduct is a safe options for any personality and praising especially, use liberally. Criticize conduct on anyone on a card, good personalities you can criticize with no cards on their record. Do both when possible here. Training: Over under 7. This is dependent on their personality but fairly safe. Difficult personalities require attention here. Last match: Over under 7. Another fairly safe option even for poor personality players but be careful, difficult players you'll want a clear performance from first. Put a note on anyone too difficult to remember how to manage them. Recent Form: High 7, Low 6. Danger! Good personalities you can praise and criticize but really this is where things go wrong on a bad personality player. I use the first 3 frequently and this one only when I can. On non regen players: be wary of someone with a Volatile Media Handling, take into account a Balanced personality before chatting to them (can be fine and can be a disaster), and Perfectionists can be a little annoying too. Other personalities like Determined, Fairly Determined, Fairly Ambitious can be hiding traits that make players difficult to man manage. Check out your Dynamics Tab while you're at it, talking to to the players in 1v1s will give you Managerial Support (which is important) and you'll want to make sure the Team Cohesion is progressing well. If you see all three bars in the Dynamics Tab topped up, you've got a team ready to execute your tactic and over perform for you. Mostly it's just about consistency and chatting to the players on a weekly basis.

You'll be able to get them up to around Superb/Perfect but how you manage the morale will be individualized to the player based on their personality. Calling a team meeting is a good way to kick start the morale. In general you can praise the conduct of everyone, criticize the conduct of anyone who's gotten a card on their record, praise over 7.0 ratings and criticize under 7.0. Commenting on recent form is the one where it has the potential to go wrong frequently. You can put notes on individual players as you interact with them for what they'll need going forward.

Ignore the tactics for a little and just focus on managing the teams morale between matches. That will save your job quicker than worrying about which role goes where

This is a game breaking issue for me at the moment and makes it difficult to enjoy a long term challenge. I'm just running short tactically focused saves for myself this year instead. The AI is completely incapable of squad building and developing young talent as it stands. That's especially disappointing this year as AI w/enhanced squad building was a promised feature on this FM from SI. This is SI's quote on how youth development would be handled differently this year: "Previously, AI teams were less likely to pick youth prospects in the first team because they had low Current Ability scores. Now, those talents have a higher probability of being on the bench and will see more playing time when teams are ahead or controlling games in the latter stages. We have also worked on how the AI prioritise matches throughout the season, which should see improved rotation to help aid player development." A prime example of these changes being largely ineffectual is how poor Brighton perform in FM terms. In my save they chose to start Steele every week and use Verbruggen as a bench warming backup. After a few seasons he was transfer listed despite having the potential to be one of the best goalkeepers available in world football. Even though Verbruggen's starting CA is a bit lower he has important attributes on a goalkeeper that make him better than Steele from the get go (including a Perfectionist personality and a significantly higher Aerial Reach). I mention personality as it can be difficult to develop a player without the holy trinity of Professionalism, Determination, Ambition; and Perfectionist comes with a healthy dose of all three. You don't even need to be good at developing players to get a Perfectionist to his potential (especially with this year's advanced growth curve). I'm a big fan of the ME engine changes this year but the game feels like it's in a very poor state at the moment for experienced players. The addition of the Saudi transfers, while realistic, is not a good addition in gameplay itself. It makes generating funds laughably easy. It's also difficult to "opt out of" in your own save as the high wage offer unsettles the players. I detailed some of my issues with the AI transfers/squad building over here. I ended up abandoning the save after we did a FA Cup & Europa league double in the 4th season, it felt like the AI was completely incapable of keeping up even by that point and that despite myself playing with fairly severe self imposed restrictions.

I'd build around my best players at the international level and England have some great players to pick from. Personally I'd go for a Pep style approach (at least that's what I think England should try to do for the Euros). England have John Stones to play his unique Libero role and the pace of Walker to cover for him. A good 6 is hard to find and Rice has the mentals and height to be a Rodri like DM(s). That gives the license to the two 8's to go forward, like you see with City, and the very talented frontline the freedom to attack. On goalkeeper go for whoever can stop penalties: Anticipation, Concentration, Reflexes. I'd ignore what the game says the players are best at for the most part. For example: Bellingham's profile is not really the of an AP. With a complete player like this I'd just stick him as a BBM and let him do his thing. Really though you could do whatever with England in game. IRL playing without fullbacks makes sense because Trent is defensively an issue and Reece James/Chillwell unfortunately can't stay fit. Those factors seem to be lessened within FM to some degree so you have more tactical ability to pick and choose how you'd like to approach things.

I'd try running a SV(s) + DM(s) and mix up the front three a little, a support duty on one of those would be nice. Trying to bridge the gaps between the defensive/offensive unit would be a good starting point. I think the PF as a PF(s) could be nice, he'll give you a long ball option from the wingbacks when it's available through his ability to hold up the ball. Step up more on a highline can work well, but its higher risk/reward. Pace on the wingbacks/holding centerbacks will make you a lot more resolute. Aside from that I'd trim the Tis down a bit. Things like "counter" and "pass into space" can lead to rushed possession phases which will see more turnovers.