[Mr Hough 10.3 Tactics]

I am looking forward to the winger tactic by Mr Hough.

yes, a lot of us are.. hahhaa

[Mr Hough 10.3 Tactics]

Thats the thing with the fullbacks i'm trying to keep the back 6 in formation and not attack at all but they just go forward even though there on very defensive mentality.

have u tried putting them on low creativity as well? i am currently playing with my own asymetrical 4-2-3-1 tactic, with fullbacks on def duty but with mixed RFD. they dont get cut out by counter attacks. perhaps take a look at the default settings from the TC. or is it ur overall Strategy play could be too offensive?

[Mr Hough 10.3 Tactics]

formation still uses 2 strikers, I have mostly been using andy johnson up front, Gonna sign a few strikers in January maybe some better fullbacks too.

Thats the trouble position fullbacks getting cought out by the running coming behind him.

off the top of my head:

1) with wingers playing wide, and with 2 strikers in the box, do the fullbacks still need to be high up the pitch? if its 1 striker then i suppose the wingers have to cut in, then fullbacks provide width

2) the dual DMCs are they meant to join the attack as well? or to sit back and form a defensive box, ala Brazilian box defence?

[Mr Hough 10.3 Tactics]

Mr Hough: Very nice results, and great to see Zamora doing so well

edwinteo: I'd presume it's Andy Johnson? But I'm not sure if he's injured at the start of the game or not.

ah, i see.... i was kinda crossing my fingers that it has developed to become a 4-2-3-1 style of tactic. i'm biased of course, cos i'm playing a Weder Bremen save (pre Ozil leaving for Real)

[Mr Hough 10.3 Tactics]

Whose Zamora's partner upfront? or is he supported by 3 attacking mids behind him? 1 guess playing with wingers and the defence has to give. U cant score buckets without taking certain risks when attacking. Its a fine line.... so i say lets go with what we have for now

[Mr Hough 10.3 Tactics]

I'm really surprised at the Squad Depth of At Madrid, There have really good young players

yes, thats true... some amazing regens 'sprouted' out of their youth system when i was playing my last save.

how's it going with ur winger tactic?

[Mr Hough 10.3 Tactics]

I'm testing the winger tactic with Athletico Madrid and the tactic is a million times better than the one i released in almost every way.

I'm top after 15 games won 12 lost 3 but i haven't lost for ages i have scored the most in the league and conceded the 2nd least goals, Aguero is scoring for Fun 29 goals in 28 games

I have to go to work now but i'll either put screens up when i come in or tomorrow after more games.

At Madrid is 1 of my fav. teams to play FM with. i've been using them along with Everton since FM 04. i get lots of joy bringing At Madrid to the top and ousting the Huge clubs like Barca and Real.

i hope ur enjoying this challenge in ur save with the Winger Tactic. Simao and Reyes must be tearing defences apart. Forlan is eternal, still scoring screamers way into his 30s. I had a lot of success using Adriano partnering Forlan, with Aguero playing from midfield too.

As for Everton, i love being the best team in Liverpool and England. I like the whole WP issues in England, so u really have to use club youth rather than scout Brazil for regens.

my Fm09 save, i built my team around youngsters James Vaugh, Jack Rodwell and Jose Baxter. Signed talented youngsters from the Championship, like Joe Mattock too.

[Mr Hough 10.3 Tactics]

so looking forward to the screens and the eventual release of this tactic

[Mr Hough 10.3 Tactics]

Just finished Season 1 with Werder Bremen, ended up winning the Treble, League, Europa Cup and German Cup.

i;ve been using the Mr Hough and Woody version, with the Def Line pulled back to mid way because i have huge German DCs (haha typical rite)

1 thing to share is that i started this save to try to modify Mr Hough's tactic to include wingers (Ozil and Marin).

But i could never get them to play well outwide. Surprise surprise, i reverted to the 4-1-2-3 narrow tactic and placed wingers on the Left and Right striker slots with Swap positions and WOW!

the tactic is setup so that the strikers get into good positions, played through on goal, so with decent finishing and composure, goals are guranteed.

Even with wingers on the striker slots, we were still effective. with swapping positions, u could end up with players on their strong flank (ie. left foot on left ST slot) or on Cut in flank (ie. left foot on right ST slot). on Strong flank, winger instinct is to drift wide, taking defenders with them and freeing space for STs and CMs. On Cut in flank, become like Inside forward, start wider, cut in, dribble and strike.

another thing to share, is that goals come from everywhere. My top scorer was Pizarro playing ST centre role with 25 goals in all competitions. that figure is inflated because he takes all my penalties also. Goals from open field about 18. All kinds of goals, turn and 30 yard screamers, Headed goals from crosses (no joke), poacher efforts running through on goal (his pace is 10). His backup was Almeldia wtih 14 goals. but the breakthrough is the 3rd place ST, Sandro Wagner (who?) 22 yrs old, Target Man like stats but finished season with 10 goals. Wagner played mostly in early cup games or in Euro qualifying mostly as Sub. but i was forced to rotate him with Pizarro towards the last part of the season when Almeldia was out for 5 wks. And boy did he deliver! he scored 4 goals (3 Headed goals and 1 Poacher effort) in final 5 games of the season, including laying off 2 goals in the German cup final win over Bayern Munich (his passing is 8). The scorer of his 2 assists was Ozil playing on the Left ST. Ozil has incredible mental stats, and excellent dribbling, first touch but poor finishing. So what happens is this. Both goals were the same. Wagner dropped deep with back to goal. Held up ball, Ozil made a run behind defence, Wagner played a hopeful pass into space, Ozil run through and finish. Watching the replay, the pass was actually not accurate, meaning it wasnt in Ozil's path but just passed behind the defence. The magic is that this 3 ST tactic overloads the defence and any pass behind with a player onside, should lead to a CCC.

All my wingers i used in the striker roles scored at least 5-8 goals a season. I rotate 6 players here, so that is a good result.

CMs also scored around 3-5 goals each, i rotate 7 players here.

Mr Hough, i'm looking forward to trying out ur Winger Tactic, so i can play more like Werder Bremen in real life. Allthough they did sell Ozil! hahahahha

I wont be starting a save with Real MAdrid though, no challenge to me. hahaa

[Mr Hough 10.3 Tactics]

thx for the effort. hope it pays off. i've tried too unsuccessfully to bring Wingers into tactics. I have restricted myself to just 1 inside forward, with the other winger playing wide.

my problem is the defence. i can score 2 or 3 goals per game, but then also let in as many.

[Mr Hough 10.3 Tactics]

I have to play formations that are used by the AI, makes the game more realistic I would use your 4-1-2-1-2, but I like to use Wingers

hi Corkey, i have actually faced the 4-2-2-2 formation Mr Hough was talking about.

my previous save using At Madrid, i faced that formation whenever i played Real Madrid.

they normally lined up:

GK Casillas

DL Marcelo

DR Ramos

DC Pepe

DC Albiol

DMC Alonso

DMC Diarra

AML Kaka

AMR Ronaldo

ST Benzema

ST Higuain

Marcelo and Ramos would bomb forward to overlap Kaka and Ronaldo who performed as Inside Forwards cutting in to fill the vacant AMC space. Benzema and Higuain would move into the channels or drop deep.

I am playing with Werder Bremen now, just started this new save in Season 1. I personally would like to play 4-2-3-1 with Ozil at AMC to spread play around.

Currently, i have adapted the Mr Hough & JP Woody version into a kinda Brazil 4-2-3-1. My squad is limited because i dont have fast strikers and only have 2 Target Man types, Pizarro and Almeida.

How i adapted the original 4-1-2-3 tactic was to maintain the defence and midfield, ie. 4-1-2 but to move the left and right strikers.

i pulled the left striker deeper to the AMC slot and the right striker deeper and wider to the AMR slot.

I left the AMC settings untouched, because the Centre striker is set to drop deep anyway, the AMC has higher mentality settings and would surge into the box into the space vacated.

the AMR settings, remained unchanged, except i put mentality to MAX and Wide play changed to Cut Inside.

I have been using Mr Hough and JP Woody tactics for 5 seasons previously with At Madrid, my observations why it dominates opponents is the 3 strikers occupying the usual opp. back four.

with 3 strikers, the opp. fullbacks cannot advance, in fear of leaving their DCs outnumbered. Once the Centre striker makes runs into the channels or drops deep to get on the ball, he usually drags away 1 DC. We all know what happens next, 1-2 quick passes to a side striker clean through on goal against the remaining 1 DC.

With the fullbacks pinned back, the opp. has no flank attack and with our 3 midfielders playing central and narrow, we usually win the battle. Our 4 man defence remains relatively static, cos the fullbacks are not required to join in the attack which provides a very stable base.

So after rambling, my adaptation is:

GK

DR

DL

DC

DC

DMC

MC

Mc

AMC(left)

AMR

ST

How it plays. ST drops deep to show creating space for AMC(left) to enter the box. AMR cuts in (use a stronger left foot player) and moves into box between DC and DR. same thing, quick passes and AMs are through on goal. If ur inside forward has strong right foot, just alternate. AML and AMC(right)

what i love is that the 2 MCs are attacking and arrive late in the box to further overload the opp. penalty area.

try it out, before Mr Hough releases his 4-2-2-2

[Mr Hough 10.3 Tactics]

Is their a 4-5-1 version?????

Yah, i second this.

I've stopped my At Madrid save, cos i was practically winning everything and dominating all opponents. Even my 2nd team have grown and developed.

I watched Germany play in the world cup and started a new save using Werder Bremen and their young attacking mid stars Mezut Ozil and Marko Marin to build a new team around.

Struggling to get a 4-2-3-1 (or 4-5-1) tactic to work, ala Team Germany at the World cup

Mr Hough, have u tried developing a 4-2-3-1 tactic?

i tried pulling the left and right strikers to the wide attacking mid positions and advancing 1 of the attacking central midfielders, but the tactic just didnt like the same

any advise?

[Mr Hough 10.3 Tactics]

about the filters, i had a quick look at them to begin with. but later on, i began to analysis the opposition tactics and players and then make my selection.

Xavi and Iniesta are top top players but they could prove to be rendered ineffective if they dont suit the opposition players and tactics their facing.

A good example is how Barcelona struggled and effentually lost to Inter Milan in last season's champions league, by insisting in using their regular midfield and regular tactic.

Inter changed things up and then won.

Hi, saab693, u might want to take a look at my previous posts #3779 and #3781 for how i select which midfielders for this great tactic.

[Mr Hough 10.3 Tactics]

Facing non-work horse, non-tenacious midfields but creative and attacking

Eg. Arsenal - Fabregas & Denilson

I often play Arsenal and their young gunners in the Champions League, usually in the knockout stages. They play an attacking 4-4-2 with plenty of flair and movement. To maximise their attacking potentcy, they usually play without a midfield enforcer, prefering to use a deep-lying playmaker (Denilson) together with an Attacking midfielder (Fabregas).

To further assist in the link up play, they use a Ball-playing defender (Vermaelen) and a deep lying forward (Bendnter) to play between the stratas.

To combat this team and tactic, let me focus on the defensive aspect and considerations i take first.

1) their 2 MCs are very creative, good off the ball and get into the box to score (Fabregas especially) But they are not physical and not ball winners.

I look to turn their attacking focus into their weakness by selecting 2 midfield enforcers to kick lumps into them and bully them into submission. 1st choice for this task are K Asamoah and Ignacio Camacho. Both these players are pit bulls in the tackle and are the new-age Gatuso type players, able to deliver crunching tackles and man-mark opposition players out of the game. What these players lack aerially, they more than make up in speed, position sense and stamina and work rate.

Up against Fabregas and Denilson and against Arsenal, i wont be facing long punt balls but rather short one touch passing. Tenancious man-marking is the way to combat this rather than intelligient Zonal defence. U need punishers!

2) Ball playing defender (Vermaelen)

Being pit bulls, K Asmamoah and Camacho will also be able to close down the Ball Playing Defender should he attempt to bring the ball out of defence. Put under quick pressure, should he attempt to punt the ball down field, my DMC will be there to intercept. If he tries to dribble past, he is in danger of being tackled. Should he attempt a cheeky short pass to the midfielders, he will have to avoid the interception of the other MC lying in wait.

I love the Attacking mentality for the MCs because they get into the box and stay higher up the pitch after loosing possession. Any defender foolish enough to carry the ball, will be in tackling range.. hahha

3) Deep lying forward (Bendtner)

This guy is technically skilled and very good in the air. If i used either of my natural DMCs, K Asamoah or Camacho against him at DMC, i would be slaughtered! Bendtner is deceptively quick on his feet and being 1.90m tall with long strides, he would leave my DMC for dead with a quick turn.

With Fabregas looking to run beyond the forwards, another threat could be Bendtner holding up the ball, and playing a late arriving Fabregas through on goal. I cannot allow thaT!

To combat this, i use Jack Rodwell. Being 1.88m tall he is a big strong lad, who wont lose a battle in the air easily. Physically he is quick strong and agile, a real physical specimen who will be able to match Bendtner in the air on on the ground.

But Rodwell is not a lumbering lump of muscle. He also has a good head on his shoulders. MC like mental stats and technical stats make him a rather complete DMC player. Should he disposses Bendtner, he is able to control the ball effectively and make the right defensive/offensive decision. He is not prone to the 'thumb' it up syndrome or try to dribble the ball with Bendtner close to him, or attempt a dangerous back pass with Fabregas or Van Persie lurking.

I wont use Sergiy Krystov here, cos he has absolutely no ball skills. He would be played like a fool by Arsenal. I would rather play Pique at DMC, even if he is out of position. Krystov is useful playing against Kevin Davies (Bolton) type players and teams.

Next up the Offensive considerations, this selection has

[Mr Hough 10.3 Tactics]

Great to hear your thoughts on the working of the tactics. You have definately offered some insights hat are very interesting to me.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the situational decisions of what type of midfielders to play and when

for the midfielders, MC and DMC i think its really what quality u can afford.

what i mean is this, the best case scenarios are if u can get Steven Gerrald types for both MC slots and Essien types at DMC slot. But we all know that even with if u play with Man City, thats going to be tough. Not to mention i started with Atletico Madrid.

The players i have brought in and/or retained at the club are very varied. I use different combinations to match different oppositions. Let me first explain by breaking down my midfield players:

1) Joao Moutinho (Club captain)

Mental beast, fantastic physical stats and good technical stats.

1.74m tall, no good in the air. Decent in the tackle, better offensively but not a consistent scorer, although will score when given a CCC.

significant PPMs "Looks to pass rather than score"

2) Miguel Veloso

Fantastic technical stats, creative and decision making stats excellent. Decent physically.

1.80m tall, decent in the air. Decent in the tackle, better offensively as a deep lying play maker. Good free kick, penalty taking and long shot stats, including good composure

3) Felipe Melo

Good technical, mental and physical stats, especially first touch and composure.

1.84m tall, good in the air, good in the tackle. All round player, capable of attack and defend, though slightly skewed towards defence cos not a dribbler.

4) Ignacio Camacho

Good techical, mental and physical stats. Best defensive mental and technical midfielder i have.

1.78m tall, decent in the air though no height. Very good in the tackle. Better used in defence but can pass and control the ball effectively.

5) K Asamoah

Excellent Physical stats, real work horse player. Good techinical and mental creativity. Poor finishing though.

1.78m tall, poor in the air but good in the tackle. Passing is good, control is good, stamina, speed, strength, work rate, team work are strongest points

6) Raul Garcia

Good all round stats. Best dribbler and goal scoring stats.

1.85m tall, good in air, although not the best defensively.

Significant PPMs "Shoot with power" "Arrives late in Box"

7) Jack Rodwell

able to play central defence as well but with good technical stats, like passing, first touch.

Mental stats developing.

1.88m tall, very good in air. Able to pass as well

8) Sergiy Krystov

Central defender able to play in midfield. Limited techincal and creative skills. Very physical player.

1.86m tall, BEast in the air. Cannot find a pass or control the ball.

So above are the 8 players i used on rotation basis in central midfield, 2 MCs and 1 DMC.

all very different, all offering different options on how i want to dominate and control the midfield.

Next post will be what selections i make against what kinda oppositions.

Facing non-work horse, non-tenacious midfields but creative and attacking

Eg. Arsenal - Fabregas & Denilson

[Mr Hough 10.3 Tactics]

Not sure if you still have money but you should try Luis Suarez for the center striker position. He doesn't have the aerial power of Adriano or Dzeko or Cavani, but he has enough of it, plus he's quite a solid all around player in general. He is doing the business for my Cordoba team from that position.

i actually just sold off Adriano and Dzeko.

i brought in Jozy Altidore as central striker for 10mil

He scored 3 goals in a 5-0 aggregate victory over Barcelona in the spanish super cup.

Looking fab.

at only 22, and at least 15 for all the correct stats, he should be given a serious look at.

And he is 1.86m tall. Scored 2 goals in 3 from headers.

[Mr Hough 10.3 Tactics]

This is for the Mr. Hough & JP Woody version I take it? Though I imagine it would probably be a good tip for all versions.

Btw, have you tried Lukaku in that position?

yes, i play the Mr Hough & JP Woody version only.

i have a bus load of strikers but only 2 AMCs, so i cant experiment with the latest 4-1-2-1-2 version.

I've not tried Lukaku in the central position.

I'm going to experiment Edinson Cavani in that position next season, cos Adriano's stats are declining rapidly (i think its because of his poor work rate)

I rotated Cavani in the central striker role and he blew hot and cold. Scored hat trick in 1 game but then got below 6.0 ratings in 2 other games after.

i'm training him to 'Shoot with Power' and i'm getting Dzeko to tutor him now.

Fingers crossed.

I have Borja Baston lined up to lead the line for the future. He's got the height and technique for the role. Now's his mental and physical skills have to catch up. He's 19 this season so i dont need to register him.

Transfer in i did was Neymar from Santos (12 mil), Fabio and Rafael from Man U (combined 25 mil, 10 for Fabio, 15 for Rafael), loads of talented youngsters.

Let go of Rafinha and Forlan for good money.

[Mr Hough 10.3 Tactics]

thats what i would like to share about the strikers. hope ppl find it useful.

another tip is to create counter attacking situations from set pieces.

what i mean is when defending set pieces, there is a good chance to create counter attcking scoring opportunities.

when defending corner, leave at least 2 players forward. i normally leave left and right strikers forward, with central striker back to defend. also, place ur best creative player at close down corner.

what this does, is to allow for ur best creative player to be left in space after the clearance. ball passed to him, the 2 fwrd players begin their run and he is ur best bet to pick them out.

Anybody watched the Germany vs England match, would know the devasting potential of these counter attacks from set plays.

[Mr Hough 10.3 Tactics]

Centre Strikers

this is ur top goal getter guys. if u have a guy with the following attributes ur team will transform into a world better. Bold words i know, but considering my top scorer is an ageing Adriano who just cannot stop scoring against any form of opposition. Be it Real Madrid, Barcelona, Man U, Chelsea anyone. Adriano finished the season with 35 goals including 5 hat tricks. 2 of those hat trick performances came against Barcelona at home and Chelsea away.

for the central striker, my feel on getting the best performance is this:

1) Good to be a tall, strong player who is decent in the air. Just to give the opposition another threat to think about, also because he comes deep to pick up the ball.

2) Pace and acceleration decent is sufficient. Too fast is in fact a negative. Will explain in detail later.

3) Finishing, composure, Off the ball is a Must! As high as possible. Adriano is lethal in this.

4) PPMs shoot with power is very useful. Will explain more later

Ok, how these attributes plus the tactical settings work in tandem to create a devastating player. With lower mentality settings, central striker plays withdrawn. Left and right strikers are advanced and wider, which can act as decoys and to create space for the central striker to work.

Scoring scenario 1

balls comes to central striker in the box, with defenders drawn away to the flanks by the left and right strikers. Having strength and finishing, either turn to face marker, take him on and finish with amob, or simply turn and blast the ball hard into the net. Adriano has made a career of this!

Scoring scenario 2

Dont be fooled by Adriano. 1.92m tall, 98kg (heaviest player in La Liga), pace 13, acceleration 15, work rate and team work both poor. but Adriano scores most of his goals by running onto through balls or crosses driven into the box!!!!! Yes, man-mountain Adriano sprinting onto the ball and finishing with a neat finish into the corner of the goal.

Let me explain how he can do this so often and against any manner of markers.

With Off the ball, anticipation and technique being super high, 18-19 i think, Adriano usually can easily escape his marker by reacting faster or anticipating a pass from his team mates. This quicker reaction coupled with decent pace and acceleration enable him to get ball side of his marker. High finishing, composure and Shoot with Power PPM will enable him to score against the on-rushing GK. Its not as effective with a striker who has Place shoot PPM because the keeper best chance is to dive low.

Space is created for Adriano to run into by the left and right strikers, whose markers also play Adriano onside for any through passes from midfield.

[Mr Hough 10.3 Tactics]

© Facing opponents using short fullbacks

Fabio, Rafael, Evra from Man U

When faced against short fullbacks who are pretty useless in the air, i through in my physical beast, Edin Dzeko. Its time to bully and beat the life out of the fullback. Dzeko has play with back to goal in his PPMs and shoot with power too. its pretty straight forward. just but Dzeko into the left striker slot and watch him destroy his marker.

crosses to the far post from the right, best from deep Dzeko will eat up all game against his smaller opponent in the box. Anybody opp player trying to help out will leave a player unmarked and Dzeko having decent creative, passing stats normally can pick out, thats why he is the 2nd assist maker on the team.

Dzeko also creates goals for himself. backing the defender into the penalty area, receiving ball to feet, turns and shoots. Dzeko was my 2nd highest scorer after Adriano at 23 goals. I play with 8 strikers on rotation basis, so its pretty extraordinary.

I also use Edinson Cavani for the right side equvilanent although he has been less prolific, with only 15 goals.

Next up, Central strikers

[Mr Hough 10.3 Tactics]

Next

(B) Facing opponents with Defensive Fullbacks

Eg. Carragher with Liverpool

When faced with this kind of fullback who is like to stay back most of the time i unlease my 'speedy gonzales' type players on them. Which type depends on the fullbacks speed.

If i'm facing Carragher a DRC type player who has got steel post legs Aguero on the Left. Reason is this, if the opp. fullback stays back, my fullback will make a run down the flank and overlap the left striker.

Aguero being primarily right footed, should cut inside onto Carragher's weak foot. Aguero's speed, dribbling, creative, flair stats are way superior and should leave Carragher in his dust. I've given Aguero training for PPM's to include side step keeper and curl shots, which are deadly for cutting in from the left onto his stronger right foot.

If GK comes, one side dribble and then its a shot into an empty net or a centred ball past the covering DC to the central striker for a tap in. If GK stays to cover the near post, a curling shot to the far post is the other option.

(B2) Facing opponents with defensive fullbacks

Micah Richards with Man City

If i face an athletic defensive fullback with pace, i'll send on Diego Buottannate. I have retrained him to be accomplished at FC position over the duration of 1 full season. But even when i just began retraining him, he was at Awkward, he still performed very well because he had the perfect stats for it. Being primarily a speedy winger, he has blistering pace, balance, creativity, decisions, crossing, dribbling, passing, anticipation everything. what he lacked in finishing skill he more than made up with composure and off the ball ratings, which meant he was always in the right place at the right time and always did the best thing at the right time.

What i do to set him up is to lower his mentality rating by 2 notches and the fullback behind him also by 2 notches. what this does is that he will position himself lower down on the pitch, which has 2 benefits. it hopefully will draw the opp. rightback out of his def line and create more space behind to run into. The lower mentality on the leftback behind him should keep that player from bombing forward and overlapping. the leftback is to assume a supporting role and backpass option. basically back to front 1-2 pass to release Buottanote.

With Buottanote on the left striker slot, i'm looking for 2 things. i will usually play a big central striker and a clinical right striker. thats because the settings are meant for Buottanote to blow by Richards and send a cross in to the other 2 strikers, one of whom should be unmarked, or even a cutback to an advancing attacking MC. Buottanote set a new club record for me with 23 assists using this setting. my MCs have scored an average of 5-7 goals each with the DMCs scoring about 3 a piece. i play with an entire 2nd 11 plus 3 rotation players, this setup is deadly.

Buottanote also finished the season with 10 goals which could have been much higher if not for his 13 finishing rating. He gets into faboulus 2nd shot positions or give and go situations with the central strikers often 1 on 1 with the keeper. i did not train him to side step the keeper because there is usually very little pitch behind him.

[Mr Hough 10.3 Tactics]

I've been working on the 4-1-2-1-2 tactic as i won't completely happy with despite my massive success with everton and the unbeaten streak.

I've been looking at the feedback from players and have took on board what has been said about the strikers, I have had a play around with the strikers aswell as some other positions and the way i have the strikers at the minute is, when they receive the ball they move towards the goal but more along the 18 yard box and then through pass to either the oncoming other striker the amc or if one of the midfielders is feeling adventures.

This is a working progress tactic and is no where near release.

actually, in terms of strikers performing if tried something and i've gotten interesting results. let me share explain more.

Left and Right Strikers:

Its true that they tend to drift wide sometimes. but because the passing is set to "Play through the middle", width is relatively narrow and u should have set ur home pitch to most narrow at the beginning of the season, the Left and Right strikers rarely end up hugging the touchline.

They normally end up on the outside shoulder of the fullbacks or in the space vacated by the fullbacks if they have bombed forward.

I shall use the Left striker position for an example. The right striker position i use the same strategy. Now, for my left striker, i use either Aguero, Dzeko, Forlan or Buottanonte. Each of these strikers performs very differently. I make my choice based on the opposition especially their formation, style of tactic and their right fullback. Let me explain further...

(A) Facing opponents with Attacking Fullbacks and either on par or better than u.

Example Real Madrid with Sergio Ramos

For this match, i would use Forlan as the Left Striker. The alternative is Aguero but i'll explain why he isnt my first choice for this scenario.

Ramos being tremendously attacking minded and based on Real Madrid's formation of 4-2-2-2 with Ronaldo and Kaka cutting in from the flanks supported by 2 DMCs, the width is provided by the Fullbacks. Ronaldo and Kaka never track back at all and mostly occupy AMC positions when in possession.

The leaves the flank portions in their penalty area vacant. What i expect to happen is that when i regain possession, the central striker with his lower mentality would be playing between the strata of the 2 opposition DCs and their DMCs. The AI would normally play Stopper/Cover and such the Cover DC would play my left and right strikers onside while the Stopper marks the central striker.

With Forlan at the Left Striker i have a deadly weapon. Let me explain. To me, Forlan is tailored made for the scenario and this tactic. His relevant stats, 19 Finishing, 20 Long Shots, 17 Technique, Composure, Off the ball, Determination, Strength, Pace, Acceleration all above 15. Plus his PPMs, Shoot with power, Try longrange shots, Tries first time shots. Relatively 2 footed.

With these attributes Forlan has scored against the big teams for me consistently since the beginning of my career game, until i just offloaded him at the age of 33. Even so, he still scored 14 goals being used on a rotational basis or as an impact sub.

How it unfolds.... With acres of space down the flanks vacated by the opp. fullback bombing up the field, Forlan is available usually unmarked. Any quality ball into space would release him. With Forlan being relatively 2 footed, being out wide (but not hugging the line) he can either break the def line and head towards the near post or stay wide and go to the byline. More often than not, Forlan heads to goal due to his PPMs. He is trigger happy!

I noticed by default, most AI teams play the left DC as covering. That means he is further back to Forlan coming down from the left, ie. has to cover more ground to get across! With the other DC occupied by the central striker now arriving late down the middle and the 2 DMCs marking the 2 attacking MCs advancing its effectively a 2 on 1 scenario. Left and Right Strikers breaking against the Covering DC!

Covering DC has to make a choice. close down Forlan on the left and leave right striker unmarked? or try to a miracle worker and mark the passing lane between the left and right striker? Here is why i prefer to use Forlan on the left rather than on the right. Forlan being relatively 2 footed, does not need to shift the ball to his right for a shot. But if he has the space and time, he can also do so and shoot across the keeper. whereas if i use Aguero he will not shoot with his left foot and by shifting the ball to his right and then cutting in a bit more, the angle would be narrowed and the Covering DC and GK can make a stop.

Plus with Forlan's PPMs to try first time shots and shoot with power and try longrange shots, plus his super finishing stats, if the keeper rushes out and Covering DC stays in the middle to mark the passing lanes, Forlan can unlease a thumper to beat the keeper at the near post. If the keeper stays on his line, Forlan can shoot across him to the far post.

Great to kill the game, especially if the opposition is pushing men forward desperately.

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I'll share strategies for the other 3 strikers later and then also about the central striker strategy.

[Mr Hough 10.3 Tactics]

Would you mind posting a pic of your squad after your latest season? I'm just curious to see the goal and assist spread amongst your players.

And you are using the Mr. Hough & JP Woody version, not the Mr. Hough 4-1-2-3 Unbeaten Final Version, right?

yup, i'm using the Mr Hough and JP Woody version.

i'll try to post my squad after the season.

another update, just played the Champions League Finals against liverpool.

Liverpool were 2-0 up in 13 mins. Long range bomb from Gerrad totally unstoppable. then next Simon Vucenic hit a curling freekick into the top corner, keeper had no chance.

but the morale and motivation was sky high for the my squad so we fought right back.

2 goals before half time tied the score. Pique pulled 1 back from a corner and then a counter attack lead by Aguero who squared for the on rushing Dzeko pulled us level from 2 behind.

2nd half, released my right back and central striker had very low ratings (5.8 and 5.7 respectively). gave them my best half time talk and hoped for them to improve. sadly about 58 mins played, still no improvement so i had to bring in 2 subs.

rotation leftback who has been trained and played at rightback came in (Dodo), then top scorer veteran Adriano came in. Adriano scored the go ahead within 10 mins of his entrance played through the middle and calmly slotting the ball under Reina.

Dzeko then scored the 4th after some nice link up play, again with Adriano.

Liverpool scored a late consolation to make it 4-3. but as always, i leave the tactic unchanged and retain the Champions League title 2 yrs in a row! Fantastic.

Next up is the Spanish Cup finals against Barcelona. Not quite interested in this trophy but will still put in my fittest team to give Barca a run for their money.

My next two targets for next season are replacements for both fullbacks. thinking of bringing in both Da Silva twins from Man U. both rafael and fabio are 21 yrs now have impressive stats. Rafael even set a new M.O.M record for Man U this season... impressive

[Mr Hough 10.3 Tactics]

Which MC spot are you playing Asamoah in?

i usually play him in the left MC slot. His ball skills and tremendous physical stats i find are perfect for the MC role. He usually finds himself in good positions overlapping the Strikers or arriving late for cut backs.

For the DMC position, i prefer to use good heading players but with decent passing skills. I use Rodwell and Ignachio. Although Ignachio is a little short and i sometimes use him at MC also.

For that game against Man City, i had put Veloso on the left MC and K Asmoah on the right MC slot. My usual right MCs were injured, Moutinho, Melo and Raul Garcia all out.

K Asmoah to me would be wasted at DMC, his first touch and creativity and mental stats are too good to just sit infront of the defence.

[Mr Hough 10.3 Tactics]

just another update. i;m in yr 2012 with At Madrid patch 10.3

i';ve been using the Mr Hough and J Woody final tactic and the team is on track for the treble.

i've successfully retained the La Liga title for 3 seasons on a row. this time, with 5 games left to play. A very successful season. I;m on 99 goals now, with 18 against. I should comfortably cross the 100 goals mark.. Adriano has been top scorer at the central striker role with 35 goals in all competitions. Second is Dzeko who rotates with Adriano with 23 goals. the left and right strikers have about 10-14 goals each. midfielders have around 5 goals each.

once i clinched the league title, i recalled all my youngsters back from loan and started them in league matches. not doing too badly. even my 18 yr GK Areola has been turning in good performances.

next up is the Champions League finals against Liverpool, which i have destroyed season after season. They insist of using the aging Gerrad and Carra. Dont know how they managed to make it to the finals. After that, its Barcelona in the Spanish cup finals.

1 thing to report back about the tactic.

I must say that this tactic is dangerous from many angles. Example, i was facing Man City in the Champions League Semi finals this season. Beat them 5-1 on aggregate.

But the interesting point is the tactics they employed and how this 4-1-2-3 tactic simply over powered them.

City being a super rich team had assembled a star squad. Faced with my3 strikers they decided to man-mark all 3 strikers. This tactic has a back-up plan for man-marking. the 2 attacking central midfield players advance and get beyond the roaming left and right strikers.

Miguel Veloso scored the opening goal in both legs played through by the left striker after a late run into the box. K Asmoah scored too played in by the central striker.

Right back Cesar Azipuelleta scored as well cutting in on the right and blasting the ball across the keeper. He has scored 5 times this season from the same position!

If the opposition does not man-mark the 3 strikers, then they will run riot. If they do, this tactic has so many other weapons to score and dominate.

Top top tactic this 1.