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Hey guys, I have been playing FM for years and really dig into the tactical side of this game. Tactics have a lot of new features this year but I still find something is confusing through years: The formation. Take the two most widely used formation as examples: 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1. We all know 4-3-3 in real life is interpreting as 4-1-4-1 in game. It is fine because if we look into the component of 4-3-3 in real-life. We would see 4 defenders, 1*no.6, 2*no.8, and three attackers, which are translated well into the formation in-game. But if we look into the 4-2-3-1 formation in-game, we would see 2*no.8 and 1*No.10 in the formation, which completely makes no sense if you know how 4-2-3-1 work in real-life. It should be 2*no.6 in 4-2-3-1, and one of them operate like a mixture between no.6 and no.8. In older versions of the game, we could see SI designed almost all managers who used 4-2-3-1 in real life would use 4-2-3-1 DM Wide in game, which I would say is a pretty correct interpret ation. However, in recent versions, they just set up AI manager using 4-2-3-1 with two center midfielders, and it makes this formation totally being interpreted wrong. You might say it is not a big deal but think about its domino effect. For example, if a player is Natural in no.8 position, AI manager would use it as a double-pivot in a 4-2-3-1 Wide. Just think about some players like Dele Ali, Gotze being used as double-pivot, which would cause a total mess. That's why I think a lot of formation should be redesigned to reflect the real-life tactics and the role distribution as well. Maybe we could introduce some real-life football terms like No.6, No.8, No.10, those terms are used by real-life managers in practice. Want to know what do you guys think of this?

Help required please. 6 mins into a match playing as Middlesbrough, my formation was changed from 4-2-4 to 3-1-4-2 with players being played out of position and player roles totally changed. This has happened quite a lot and is having a negative effect on results! Also noticed players being substituted. On one occasion, Grant Leadbitter was brought on as a sub (on 20 mins!) and then subbed again 40 mins later. He wasn't happy! The team instructions have also changed on occasions from say "positive" to "Attacking". I thought it might be to do with match plans, so I deleted them all, but it's still happening. Any ideas please? :-/

How is this realistic? What is the best way to actually try and score? 7 draws and 7 0-0’s doesn’t seem right...

Alright lads I need some help here, I've done some testing with this tactic and it's one i've used for many years on fm since 14 I think and it's always worked at united and my random team saves. For some reason it doesn't work out well for this fm and i've asked around and nothing really changes. Maybe its the formation mixed with ME but im starting to lose touch with it. For what I want it's to not dominate possession but to have a fair amount usually trying to have more than opposition hence the "positive" and play quick and wide. However, I've found it hard to contain possession and make chances count playing wide. I've tried playing narrow and it never works out with this team. I tend to use a deep-lying to dictate and control games and keep it moving. I've seen many people trying to use control and having lower tempo, now if you ask me controlling the game can consist of both quick and slow tempo, one person springs to mind is LVG and that never worked out. However, people trying to recreate pep's is always "slightly lower tempo" which i don't get at all because he makes them play quick. Does tempo even have the same effect anymore?? (17 way was asier to understand- fluid- control/attack). First of all Defence wise I usually use attack duties cause they add a lot more crosses from play but a low percentage comes off however very useful most times. For what I want should be using wing back support as the mid section and defence cover when needed but found out it rarely helps with like a max of 6 crosses a game. DM usually use deep-lying but im wondering would or should I change it to defensive mid to offer a more defensive cover than deep lying does? CM'S i have issues with, realistically i'd like B2B with a playmaker but most games it doesn't work out as the B2B effects the playmaker role or vice versa in terms of attacking and defending. I've been told that the Carrilero is similar but more defensive but realistic terms is more of a shuttler and act like wide playmakers in terms of attack and provide width so it'll be useless in this case. I think a ball winner would be useful but not really used that role before in a 3 man mid, but in a 2 man mid it'd work quite well. Would a deep lying playmaker do for support because I want the player to do their defensive role as a primary use but their 2nd instinct to support attacks which is why B2B sounds more useful. Wide players- Inside forwards have always been ishy to me in terms of using support or attack more so in 19 than in 17 (my last fm game), from my view i tend to think support is someone like sanchez, silva, bernardo silva etc. that can dribble towards the middle, create and attack from deep so run at the defence, quick one-two's rather than someone like rashford who always tries to get beyond the defensive line and less link up play (my view on attack) is that right in terms of attack and support or have I dwelled too much onto its meaning too much? Strikers I've always used complete forward support, always been a guy with a rounded attacker who can do it all: pass, link, shoot, hold up, move etc. I know strikers have had issues in 19 but I still think roles differ slightly apart from f9. With rashford being a adv forward, does that necessarily mean they try to beat the defensive line and get behind? i've never really understood the adv forward role much so i think its similar to a poacher which I think is wildly wrong. Any help would be appreciated thanks .

I’ve read that the games descriptions of mentality and team shape are poorly written. For example that Counter is actually a better mentality for control than control. Is there a thread on here that translates things from the tactical screen, and offers shared observations about instructions, individual instructions, roles etc? I’m quite hungry to expand my playing styles in different careers, as well as learn how to make tactical changes based on the ME and not using real life logic and staring at misunderstood instruction definitions. Also ive seen people make comments such as “the recommended attributes for a position are guidelines only, if you employ a trequarista with strength, stamina and pace you have a completely different animal” Id love to find a thread dedicated to translating and brainstorming player roles also, as I feel there is more to the game than the misleading face value in game descriptions. I have favourite player roles but would like to understand them all.

Pls help me with some advices. Thank in advanced

I am missing an ordinary button... Sometimes it's to much micro for an unimportant CL Game, Euro League, league Game... to sort out the players for a Formation who didn't play a lot till to this point. I would like to have a button like rotation (or advanced instructions for the AM) where i could automatically pick the player's that diud not played a lot this season. Please think about it, it's not that hard to put this button inside but would help a lot.

I've started with a 3-5-1-1 in the beta with United. Its going OK so far. :-)

Do you have a favourite formation you mostly use? Or does it change depending on game/team/players etc?

Hi there, As a long time player of Football Manager - this will be my first time in actually posting content within the community. Today, I will be sharing my formation and tactic set-up. You can always adapt it to your team however, there are some basic instructions needed to the set-up to actually do what it is meant to do. The idea of the set-up? It is a striker-less formation based on exploring space in behind opponents with great form of movement of players off-the-ball in the final third of an attack. This means having width and players with good decisions on the ball and off-the-ball. Thus players will require good attributes for off-the-ball, decisions, at-least some flair and vision. Passing is added bonus however, players have to have good pace and acceleration with some agility to get away from opponents. The idea was developed after watching this video: How does it work? I'd like to think my management style is more of micro-managing (more of a Johan Cruyff or a Pep than say an Ancelotti). I like to have my players do specific jobs on the pitch - I do not care if they are the have the most flair in the world. This means the team plays as a team and not as individuals. And this system works more like that - players will play as a structure team with less creative freedom but with the possibility to roam from their positions at all times which is key to unlocking defences in the final third. Also, the team will always press high-up the pitch and close down at all times. This means a team with high work rate and discipline - I AM NOT REFERRING TO GEN-GEN PRESSING WHERE PLAYERS RUN LIKE HEADLESS CHICKENS - BUT RATHER AS A COMPRESSED UNIT LIKE A SACCHI STYLE PRESS. No tight marking - but closing down. Also, the midfield creates diamonds and triangles all the time so the team has a lot of support component in it for recycling possession easily and transitioning. Components of the set-up? Formation >> all formations are good and bad - but I believe the 4-3-3 (or some form of it) is the most flexible form of formation aside from the 3-4-3 of course. I have no idea how to make a 3-4-3 work (I have tried it, it does not suit my style of play at all). As I mentioned this is a striker-less formation with a caveat - one discovery of mine was that I have a playmaker within the system that draws people towards himself and then releases players beyond the opponents defensive line for others to explore. Shape >> well, it will be structured or flexible. Never fluid. I HAVE FLUID SYSTEMS. Mentality >> Control or Flexible Players are all strata >> the positioning of the players will always be in such a way players are available at all strata aside from the sticking position. You will see. Defensive >> I always think of how to defend first - this does not mean sitting-off but HOW TO GET THE BALL BACK AS QUICK AS POSSIBLE. Think Barcelona of 2011. Team Instructions >> Must haves: Close down much more, prevent short GK distribution, roam from positions, play out of defence. Maybe or maybe not: shorter passing, get stuck in, much higher defensive line, work ball into box (if you have very very good players with high attributes for decision making). Player Instructions >> GK - Sweeper keeper >> distribute to center backs Central Defenders >> none Wing Backs >> one on automatic (with dribble less and cross from byline) and one on attack (no instructions). Defensive Midfielder >> on defend or support but no instructions Central midfields >> one on automatic (with shoot less and more risky passes) and the other on attack with (move into channels and more risky passes). Inside forwards >> both to stay wide Attacking Midfielder >> on Advanced playmaker on attack. No instructions but you can include hold ball up if you want. There you go - please try out the tactic and let me know your feedback. You can also download the tactics here. ENJOY!!! Johan Set-up_7136991D-9DAB-40B4-9FD8-D3C75061778A.fmf

Hello! I'll try to make this as quick as possible to stop anyone from getting bored. I've recently started a save on FM17 with Burton Albion in the English Championship. Now, to be honest, I haven't had much success this year on FM (sacked by Man City thanks to being 13th in the table in February) so I'm not the greatest of players. One thing I'm really bad for is changing my tactic as soon as it loses a game or two but this time has been different. Let me show you my setup... I know there have a lot of topics on 4-4-2 in the forum recently (and for years) which I have read so apologies for the same formation but I thought I would benefit more from some personal advice. Couple of player instructions: FBs - run wide with ball Left WM - dribble more, cut inside with ball Right WM - stay wider So here's what I'm trying to do. Since I'm Burton I don't have the strongest of squads for the Championship and I certainly do not have the budget other teams do. Because of this I'm looking for a quick, direct, counter attacking tactic. Again, I know so many people have asked for help with this recently but I would really like some help specific to my tactic. My thinking is this: Attacking - quick transitions and quick attacks as far as I'm aware, will probably switch between this and control Flexible - did think about choosing fluid instead and I don't really have a reason not to but I'm not exactly sure what shape to go for Deeper D Line - looking to draw teams forward and, hopefully, leave space in behind for us to exploit Exploit Both Flanks - since I'm using 4-4-2 there's obviously a lack of players in the middle so I thought it would make more sense to use the wings as a means of attacking. Would it be better to take these off and allow the team to attack as they wish? Pass Into Space - well I've dropped the d line to create space so it would make sense to pass it into that space, right? Hit Early Crosses - links in with exploiting the flanks, since we're going to be using the wings I thought it would be smart to hit some crosses when the opportunities there! I've messed about with More Direct Passing but to be honest I don't see a huge difference other than we lump it towards the Target Man more. At the moment I'm rock bottom of the league after 10 games so things are not going too well. In my next post I'll upload screenshots of how it plays and what happens during a match. If you have any initial concerns about the setup then please, please let me know. Also if there's anything else you would like to see just let me know and I can upload screenshots. Thanks in advanced!

someone help,, My 442 formation at Forest green just doesnt seem to be working? can anyone help? i try to play very defensivley with 4 narrow defenders, and my two wingers coming back to defend, i want to quickly lodge counter attacks with quick pasey players and i want my team to sort of play a diamond in attack, the idea is to mot conceide goals so that i can accomplish back-to-back promotions by fustrationg opposition? anybody got any advice or have played with similair ideology

Hi! Summary: Play a different formation when attacking than when defending. Say you manage a team and you fancy a 5-3-2. For the sake of this example you implemented this 5-3-2 with two wing backs who want to go forward. The problem with this, in my opinion, is that I do no want both wing backs to go forward at the same time. In order to create a dynamic play style I want to see one of the wing backs go forward and the other one to sit, depending on on which side the ball is or in the case of a counter attack which wing back will most likely be involved. The players are now lined up as a 4-4-2, but the entire formation is out of shape. I want the midfield to properly line up as a 4 men midfield, so the rcm goes more wide. I want the defense to properly line up as a 4 men defense, so all go a bit to the left. When the opposition has the ball again, the players line up as a 5-3-2. What do you folks think?

Taken from FM Scout. Won the league with Everton in 1st season. 110 goals. This is crazy. 4-3-1-2 Gamebreaker - What to expect Fueled by pure hatred of the dominance 4-2-3-1 tactics, I decided to try and break them. Using a patient, narrow, short passing possession based style. I have received staggering results with this one and I will share them with you. This strategy marches down the centre of the pitch and a cold methodical way. Quick passes in a tight space with many options for the person in possession due to the amount of bodies in a small area. 90+ goals with West Ham after one season using this. Quite possibly a game breaker. This tactic meets the philosophies of Play attacking football AND play possession based football without the use of wingers. High Possession High Shot count Plenty of goals from set plays. Return of the Target Man in Football Manager. Consistently punch above your weight. Meets criteria for both Play Attacking Football and Play Possession football Club Philosophies 4-3-1-2 Gamebreaker - Team Makeup Positional sense is of the utmost importance. Solid, hardworking, committed physical players who will work as a team to win tackles and be able to pick the correct pass. Gamebreaker - Key Attributes and PPM's per position First line is PPM's and second line is key stats.GK: none -Arial Ability, Command of Area, Concentration.FB: none-Anticipation, Strength, Positioning, Teamwork, Work rate. BPD: Tries Long Range Passes-Composure, Passing, PositioningCD: Marks opponent tightly. -Strength, Aggression, Jumping Reach, Bravery, Tackling, PositioningBWM: Dictates Tempo, Stop Play. Dwells on Ball.-Strength, Positioning, Team Work, Work Rate, Aggression, DecisionsDLP: Comes Deep to get ball, Tries Long Range Passes, Tries Killer Balls Often-Composure, First Touch, Passing, Creativity, Anticipation, Positioning APA: Moves into Channels, Plays One-Twos, Runs with Ball Through Centre, Tries killer balls often. Set as primary set piece taker in the tactic be default.-Composure, First Touch, Passing, Creativity, Anticipation, Off the ball, Flair, VisionTM: Strength, Balance, Heading, Jumping Reach, Finishing, Teamwork.-Plays with back to goal Poacher: Likes to beat Offside trap.- Anticipation, Off The Ball, Finishing, Acceleration, Agility, Composure Gamebreaker 4-3-1-2 by The Reckonist.tac

This sort of idea has been used in previous games (in a very old Amiga game very successfully) and I think it gives the most control possible over tactics. The idea is to split the pitch into areas in the tactical screen, and be able to select the position of where you would like your players to be with or without the ball. Not just at set pieces, bit in open play. I understand that people say this type of tactical approach means the players disregard what the other team is doing, but that doesn't have to be the case. Extra instructions can still be used in conjunction with these positions such as man marking at all times, and the players with high intelligence may also be able to behave in a more flexible way. As well as positioning with or without the ball, further detail could be added by selecting positions depending on the game situation. I.e. you can set up further positions depending on whether you are winning or losing, by how much, and what time during the game the tactics should kick in, or they can be selected manually. There could be another set of positional tactics that could kick in depending on in game weather changes (which I would like to see) I am not someone who believes the tactics are too hard to use at all, to be honest I have found the last few years games a bit too easy and once you discover a certain tactic works, it pretty much works..... i don't care what you say, but 7 years in a row league winners with no tactical changes made. It has been suggested when similar ideas are mentioned, that we already have control over where the players are via the tactical setup, but I would like absolute control over the runs my players make all over the pitch and in different situations....the basic idea was implemented on 8 bit machines 20 odd years ago and could easily be done very nicely now. The same tactical system could still be available in game as it is, so that people who don't want this level of control can still set tactics in the same way.

Hi all, I'm trying to create a new tactic. So i'd like to know whether my formation is balanced. http://lineupbuilder.com/?sk=c3ty3 Formation: 4-4-2 Diamond Narrow WB Mentality: Counter Shape: Fluid Roles & Duties: GK - def WB - Auto CD - Def CD- Def WB - Auto BWM - Def BBM - Sup BBM - Sup AM - Att TM - Sup Poacher - Att