The Barcelona Style: My Interpretation

[Luizinho]

Luzinho, how did it go? Curious to know

Well I went back to my original save for a bit; unfortunately I had one of my 'I can't stand this game' moments.

I find the ME in combination with the new Tactics system really frustrating. It's like I've selected the TI 'Play Terribly'!

I'll probably come back around later this week however. So as soon as use it I'll post some feedback. :thup

[Egeland]

Started a save with Barcelona to check it out. Obviously a very good team, but still you gotta use it properly. Only bought Shaqiri as I wanted a right-footed AMR.

League:

Should be noted that the losses were completely unlucky, same goes for the draws. 5-1 over Real Madrid in goal difference in our matches.

Player statistics:

Works like a charm but not sure if it woud be as effective with worse teams, even though that is quite logical.

[Kelvinu]

you can play on contain and still win everything with barca. trophies are nothing, match stats are important

imo its impossible to reach the 80% possession in a game with a 4-3-3, even with contain, very low tempo, retain, CF 0 with the current tactic engine. in the prev version you could do the micro-management that tiki-taka has. if u play balanced, with roam and counter, the team won't be compact, and you`ll see some weird direct passes to trigger the 'counter' mentality. with fluid mentalities, you keep the ball, but suddently someone has to try a strange through pass and you lose possession out of nothing.

anyway, after some hours spent with the tactic menu, i find that 'control' is the most compact, with no depth, but with the big down : the mentality is too high. also, imo Fluid suits best, because the players roam to the ball-guy to create the triangles/rhombs.

imo, the barca tactic should contain : control strategy with the more a more defensive mentality and fluid philosophy with 'press more', along with be more disciplined. that way, players will not rush forward because of the low mentality, and will stick to the game plan, passing eachother until the net.

what nobody said, i found that players have no more the tiki-taka essential ppm ( 'play short simple passes'; see xavi, iniesta ), because SI adapted them to a 'tata philosophy'

[Egeland]

you can play on contain and still win everything with barca. trophies are nothing, match stats are important

imo its impossible to reach the 80% possession in a game with a 4-3-3, even with contain, very low tempo, retain, CF 0 with the current tactic engine. in the prev version you could do the micro-management that tiki-taka has. if u play balanced, with roam and counter, the team won't be compact, and you`ll see some weird direct passes to trigger the 'counter' mentality. with fluid mentalities, you keep the ball, but suddently someone has to try a strange through pass and you lose possession out of nothing.

anyway, after some hours spent with the tactic menu, i find that 'control' is the most compact, with no depth, but with the big down : the mentality is too high. also, imo Fluid suits best, because the players roam to the ball-guy to create the triangles/rhombs.

imo, the barca tactic should contain : control strategy with the more a more defensive mentality and fluid philosophy with 'press more', along with be more disciplined. that way, players will not rush forward because of the low mentality, and will stick to the game plan, passing eachother until the net.

what nobody said, i found that players have no more the tiki-taka essential ppm ( 'play short simple passes'; see xavi, iniesta ), because SI adapted them to a 'tata philosophy'

I was usually up 60-65 % ball possession each match, in some periods of the match 70-75 but yeah very hard to reach 80, dunno if its possible.

I find your thoughts interesting, have you tried them out ingame or is it just theoretical?

[thizaum]

Hello everybody,

I've read the first post and decided to give it a try for 2 matches with my Valencia squad.

I think I have all the players needed for this and the formation probably puts my best 11 on the field.

I've tried 4-3-3 before, but was never able to get it to work like my regular 4-2-3-1s.

I went with exactly what the OP suggested, but in FM14.

The team played very well in the 2 matches. They won as expected, but I realised some things:

- lots and lots of shots on goal, but way too many off the target. Even with wbib.

- the striker (treq) didn't get too many chances and had a rather low rating. Not terrible, but I think he needs to improve.

- lots of fouls, but the same can't be said about cards, which is fine by me.

- 50-60% possession. Expected more.

- very high passing rate.

- very safe defensively. Didn't concede and restricted the opposition to a few attempts.

I'm thinking about:

- changing the DM to HB. My player in this position can do that, but he's also very creative.

- changing both CBs to defend. It does not make sense to play offside line with stopper/cover, especially if you have a HB.

- changing the treq to F9, maybe CFs or DLFs. He has high teamwork and passing attributes, but so far this is not working as it should. But then again, he's not Messi.

Thoughts?

[Egeland]

- lots and lots of shots on goal, but way too many off the target. Even with wbib.

- the striker (treq) didn't get too many chances and had a rather low rating. Not terrible, but I think he needs to improve.

- lots of fouls, but the same can't be said about cards, which is fine by me.

- 50-60% possession. Expected more.

- very high passing rate.

- very safe defensively. Didn't concede and restricted the opposition to a few attempts.

Agree a lot, that is what annoyed me the most myself using that tactic. Curious to find out what might solve those problems

[Lord Rowell]

Hello everybody,

I've read the first post and decided to give it a try for 2 matches with my Valencia squad.

I think I have all the players needed for this and the formation probably puts my best 11 on the field.

I've tried 4-3-3 before, but was never able to get it to work like my regular 4-2-3-1s.

I went with exactly what the OP suggested, but in FM14.

The team played very well in the 2 matches. They won as expected, but I realised some things:

- lots and lots of shots on goal, but way too many off the target. Even with wbib.

- the striker (treq) didn't get too many chances and had a rather low rating. Not terrible, but I think he needs to improve.

- lots of fouls, but the same can't be said about cards, which is fine by me.

- 50-60% possession. Expected more.

- very high passing rate.

- very safe defensively. Didn't concede and restricted the opposition to a few attempts.

I'm thinking about:

- changing the DM to HB. My player in this position can do that, but he's also very creative.

- changing both CBs to defend. It does not make sense to play offside line with stopper/cover, especially if you have a HB.

- changing the treq to F9, maybe CFs or DLFs. He has high teamwork and passing attributes, but so far this is not working as it should. But then again, he's not Messi.

Thoughts?

The first post is likely very out of date now (this is an old thread) ...

EDIT: The OP dates back to 2011

...and FM14 has evolved to incorporate both of the roles of HB (Busquets) and F9 (possibly Messi) that you refer to. Hence, if you're trying to emulate the Guardiola Barca style, then yes I would suggest you use these roles.

[Luizinho]

Started a save with Barcelona to check it out. Obviously a very good team, but still you gotta use it properly. Only bought Shaqiri as I wanted a right-footed AMR.

League:

Should be noted that the losses were completely unlucky, same goes for the draws. 5-1 over Real Madrid in goal difference in our matches.

Player statistics:

Works like a charm but not sure if it woud be as effective with worse teams, even though that is quite logical.

Was this using the system I put up?

[wwfan]

The first post is likely very out of date now (this is an old thread) ...

EDIT: The OP dates back to 2011

...and FM14 has evolved to incorporate both of the roles of HB (Busquets) and F9 (possibly Messi) that you refer to. Hence, if you're trying to emulate the Guardiola Barca style, then yes I would suggest you use these roles.

It's the thread that never dies!

I'd agree that you could use the FM14 roles as suggested. The remainder of the OP is still very relevant.

[Egeland]

Was this using the system I put up?

Nope, it was a 41221

CWB(a) - CB(d) - CB (d) (also played some matches with a BPD) - CWB(A)

HB

DLP(s) - APM(a)

IF (a) -- IF(as)

Treq(a)

Shouts were work ball into box, short passing, retain possession, hassle opponents, play out of defence, dont remember everything now

[thizaum]

Answering to Egeland and Rowell, I knew the OP was old.

About the striker, 1st I tried the F9. But you have to have a very specific player for that, and I just knew it woudn't work. What really worked, better than the Treq, was the DLF-s. But again, that works for my players. Basically you need a role that allows him to drop very deep, near the CMs and in line with the IFs. Also, he needs to look to pass, instead of attacking-only. So, the DLF-s works well here.

About the HB, it was a deal breaker for me. I realised that you need the DM to stay near the CMs too, but the HB would drop way to deep. So I kept the DM-d.

Finally, I realised that the weak spot of this formation is the defensive flanks. When you play against a good team, ready to play through the flanks, they hit you very easily. To counter that, all I did was switching the WB-a to FB-a. The team looses a bit of offensive power, but becomes much more secure.

I tend to play like that against better teams or when trying to play it safe.

Also, I dropped the "be more expressive" TI.

But, all around, this has been the best my team has played. I'm really enjoying my formation as it is.

[Uncle_Sam]

I thought I would throw my version into the discussion. First of all, I prefer the "Very Fluid" style, always have since about 06 when they made the old "Rule of Two" setup less effective. I also recently read a quote from Pep about his side plays a socialistic brand of football because "every player does everything". I also am not crazy about play being forced to one or two players, ala Playmakers. So my style doesn't use any specialized roles (unless you consider the Complete Wingback a specialized role, in that case I use two). So here goes:

Formations: I mostly use the 4-3-3 (4-1-2-2-1) or the 4-1-4-1

-Mentality: Counter (Will sometimes drop to Defensive if the opponent attacks me, or Control if the opponent is a minnow who is obviously sitting back)

-Fluidity: Very Fluid

-Team Instructions

Retain Possession

Shorter Passing

Play Out of Defense

Much Higher Defensive Line

Roam From Positions

Hassle Opponents

Stay on Feet

Use Tighter Marking

-Player Instructions (Role/Duty)

GK (SK/S): Distribute to Defenders

DR/L (CWB/A): Shoot Less Often, Pass it Shorter, Stay Wider

DC (DC/D): Pass it Shorter

DM (DM/D): Shoot Less Often, Pass it Shorter

MCL (CM/S): Dribble Less, Pass it Shorter, Hold Position

MCR (CM/A): Dribble Less, Pass it Shorter

AMR/L (IF/A): Sit Narrower, Dribble Less, Pass it Shorter, Shoot Less Often

ST (DLF/S): NONE

In the 4-1-4-1 everything is the same, except the MR/L have the Get Further Forward instruction added.

This has been mostly successful for me. I usually end each match with around 60% possession.

[martywigham]

I've noticed that since the latest patch, a few of the PPMs have changed for some of the original Barca players. For example, Xavi and Iniesta no longer have 'Plays short, simple passes' and they have been replaced with 'Plays one-twos' (Xavi) and 'Likes to switch ball to other flank' (Iniesta). Also, Pique no longer likes to 'Play longer passes'.

Has anyone noticed if this is having an effect on how they are playing? I'm too far into the game to see, but I have my players learning PPMs to mirror the way the Barca players for each role so would be interested to know if I need to make some changes.

[fernandovalente]

I would like some additional explanation regarding the Balanced fluidity. I've read another (excellent) thread explaining mentalities and fluidity in which it was explained the responsabilities packages or boxes. So, if balanced equals 3 boxes of responsabilities (defend, transition, attack, or something like this) I didn't see Pep's Barca players defendind like this, it was more like all defend... although not all attacked.

[afailed10]

You can achieve pressing with hassle opponents or manual closing downs by PI\roles imo.

[fernandovalente]

It's not just about pressing, it's about the behaviour of the team more as a unit or more focused in different duties.

[fernandovalente]

tested very fluid + counter + roam + overlap and i have to say that's the most closest combination possible to the pep's barca i ve seen! SK distribuiting safetely, DLP coming deep to recover the ball from the defenders, wb's maintaining possession, IF's keeping possession, F9 coming deep to maintain possession like Lionel.

and the possession would be 65% to a minimum. i think it can be further enhanced, if anyone have the time to test it, please do it, i test it by myself when i`m on free time, but i can t test all the possibilities

Any news about test ? :-)

[Kelvinu]

I would like some additional explanation regarding the Balanced fluidity. I've read another (excellent) thread explaining mentalities and fluidity in which it was explained the responsabilities packages or boxes. So, if balanced equals 3 boxes of responsabilities (defend, transition, attack, or something like this) I didn't see Pep's Barca players defendind like this, it was more like all defend... although not all attacked.

this could be solved with 'be more disciplined' , am i right?

i dont have any time to test it, neither any determination. any bad result in the first 20 mins of a game would make me alt f4

[fernandovalente]

more disciplined tells players to observe more their roles and duties, so if you set a player to an attack duty it's more likely he will to stick to it.

[Mercurio.3]

more disciplined tells players to observe more their roles and duties, so if you set a player to an attack duty it's more likely he will to stick to it.

More disciplined only affects to creative freedom.

[isignedupfornorealreason]

Does this still work in 14?

Haha, I'm gonna make it on a whim, I just watched Revisit La Liga and it kinda made me want to try something different. (Sue me! )

[fernandovalente]

More disciplined only affects to creative freedom.

Yes, and by affecting CF the players are limited / stick more to their roles and duties: less freedom of choise, more sticking to instructions.

[fernandovalente]

Does this still work in 14?

Haha, I'm gonna make it on a whim, I just watched Revisit La Liga and it kinda made me want to try something different. (Sue me! )

Yes, it does. I've never tried it before fm14 but it does work. In terms of defending it's a lot better, but I can't get the possession % near the Barca levels, although I'm managing FC Porto.

This is my set up: Counter / Very Fluid

TI: Retain Possession, Shorter Passing, Work Ball into Box, Play out of Defence, Look for Overlaps, Play Narrower, Much Higher Defense Line, Roam from Positions, Hassle Opponents, Stay on Feet, Use Tighter marking, Use Offside Trap, Higher Tempo.

I don't use the Be More Expressive / Be More Disciplined TI because the very fluid style already sets a high CF. As for the Higher Tempo it's a way for balancing the lower tempo that is automaticaly set from the lower mentality.

As for the tactic:

Sweeper GK (s)

BPD (st) - shorter passing, fewer risky passes, mark tighter

CD (d) - shorter passing, mark tighter

Right WB (a) - dribble less, shorter passing, stay wider, close down more, mark tighter

DLP (d) - position 6: shorter passing, fewer risky passes, close down less, mark tighter

Left WB (s) - shorter passing, fewer risky passes, stay wider, close down more, mark tighter

DLP (s) - shorter passing, close down more, mark tighter

AP (a) - dribble less, shorter passing, close down more, mark tighter

right IF (s) - shoot less, stay wider, roam from position, mark tighter

left IF (a) - shoot less, stay wider, roam from position, mark tighter

False 9 - shoot less, run wide with ball, roam from position, mark tighter

Since I'm a big fan of ppm's, I have set all players to:

- plays short simple passes;

- marks opponent tightly;

- does not dive into tackles;

The 3 playmakers dictates tempo, comes deep to get the ball and my AP gets forward whenever possible, move into channels and tries killer balls often. The IF's cuts inside, moves into channels, comes deep to get the ball, gets forward whenever possible, tries one-twos. The False 9 has all these except the Cut Inside ppm, but he Runs with Ball through the Centre.

If possible, I would like some feedback from you guys. Thanks.

P.S. (Invencible through out a full season and a half, won cup, supercup and lost the CL final to Arsenal)

[fernandovalente]

Anyone ? Cleon ? RTHerringbone ? Hand of the God ?

[aderow]

Have you given it a try without the higher tempo shout? Most people I see trying to play possession game want a slower tempo because a higher tempo would increase the likelihood of giving away the ball. Especially how short a passing game you're attempting to use.

[fernandovalente]

Have you given it a try without the higher tempo shout? Most people I see trying to play possession game want a slower tempo because a higher tempo would increase the likelihood of giving away the ball. Especially how short a passing game you're attempting to use.

My thought about that issue was to balanced the lower tempo automatically set by the lower mentality and since this one also means lower risk, the idea is to intensify the ball circulation with a higher pace without increasing the mentality.

[ianscousemac]

Did some experimenting with the in game editor and here is my take on Peps favoured way of plain in FM 14. Using the editor on staff attributes Attacking is set to 10 which equals balanced. Try changing it up and down and it moves through Very Cautious to Cautious, Balanced, Adventurous and attacking.

His preferred formation is 4-1-4-1, Defensive line is set to 1 being the highest so Much Higher defensive line. Directness is set to 1 so Retain possession shorter passing TI. Flexibility set to 18 so Very fluid. Closing down 20 so hassle opponents TI. Tempo 15 so Higher tempo TI. Width 12 so standard width no TI used. Flamboyancy 10 so no TI used for Be more expressive or more disciplined.

So I would say Pep Uses a

Balanced 4-1-4-1, Very Fluid, Ti's used Hassle opponents, Much higher def line, Retain possession, Shorter passing, Higher tempo.

Thoughts on my views please?

[fernandovalente]

Did some experimenting with the in game editor and here is my take on Peps favoured way of plain in FM 14. Using the editor on staff attributes Attacking is set to 10 which equals balanced. Try changing it up and down and it moves through Very Cautious to Cautious, Balanced, Adventurous and attacking.

His preferred formation is 4-1-4-1, Defensive line is set to 1 being the highest so Much Higher defensive line. Directness is set to 1 so Retain possession shorter passing TI. Flexibility set to 18 so Very fluid. Closing down 20 so hassle opponents TI. Tempo 15 so Higher tempo TI. Width 12 so standard width no TI used. Flamboyancy 10 so no TI used for Be more expressive or more disciplined.

So I would say Pep Uses a

Balanced 4-1-4-1, Very Fluid, Ti's used Hassle opponents, Much higher def line, Retain possession, Shorter passing, Higher tempo.

Thoughts on my views please?

If you take note that tiki-taka wasn't neither offensive or defensive (according to the official definition) then Balanced is accurate. The 4141 was used by Pep with Bayern during a few matches, but there was too much .

[aderow]

My thought about that issue was to balanced the lower tempo automatically set by the lower mentality and since this one also means lower risk, the idea is to intensify the ball circulation with a higher pace without increasing the mentality.

Well since you said you've not been achieving the high levels of possession you wanted to, maybe you should give it a try.

The other thing I want to say is it might be your players. They might not be able to pull of some of the instructions you give them.

[fernandovalente]

Well since you said you've not been achieving the high levels of possession you wanted to, maybe you should give it a try.

The other thing I want to say is it might be your players. They might not be able to pull of some of the instructions you give them.

You mean weak players ???

[yonko]

Did some experimenting with the in game editor and here is my take on Peps favoured way of plain in FM 14. Using the editor on staff attributes Attacking is set to 10 which equals balanced. Try changing it up and down and it moves through Very Cautious to Cautious, Balanced, Adventurous and attacking.

His preferred formation is 4-1-4-1, Defensive line is set to 1 being the highest so Much Higher defensive line. Directness is set to 1 so Retain possession shorter passing TI. Flexibility set to 18 so Very fluid. Closing down 20 so hassle opponents TI. Tempo 15 so Higher tempo TI. Width 12 so standard width no TI used. Flamboyancy 10 so no TI used for Be more expressive or more disciplined.

So I would say Pep Uses a

Balanced 4-1-4-1, Very Fluid, Ti's used Hassle opponents, Much higher def line, Retain possession, Shorter passing, Higher tempo.

Thoughts on my views please?

Isn't Flamboyancy = Fluidity? Flexibility is how often a manager is willing to use alternative formations from his preferred ones.

[ianscousemac]

Isn't Flamboyancy = Fluidity? Flexibility is how often a manager is willing to use alternative formations from his preferred ones.

Not sure yonko. Will be interesting to see what wwfan or Cleon says. I thought flexibility and flamboyancy is the amount of creative freedom given. Thats all guess work though.

[aderow]

You mean weak players ???

I don't your squad so I wasn't trying to put them down. But you need particular kinds of players in order to accomplish what you are trying to. They need to all be technically gifted and good decision makers. Otherwise they'll give the ball away. They need to all hard working high work rate players. Other wise they won't close down as often or as effectively as you want them to. They need to be high stamina players otherwise they'll tire themselves out way too quickly.

What Barcelona did in their prime was really because the stars aligned for them. It's not really something that can be done unless you really have the perfect set of players.

[fernandovalente]

I don't your squad so I wasn't trying to put them down. But you need particular kinds of players in order to accomplish what you are trying to. They need to all be technically gifted and good decision makers. Otherwise they'll give the ball away. They need to all hard working high work rate players. Other wise they won't close down as often or as effectively as you want them to. They need to be high stamina players otherwise they'll tire themselves out way too quickly.

What Barcelona did in their prime was really because the stars aligned for them. It's not really something that can be done unless you really have the perfect set of players.

I understood you weren't putting them down It's FCPorto with the current squad and in the context of the portuguese league, so the players are gifted and my option is also to sign players with good mental attributes. So whatever needs to be improved it's not about the players, but it can be very well the manager

[fernandovalente]

Isn't Flamboyancy = Fluidity? Flexibility is how often a manager is willing to use alternative formations from his preferred ones.

Guess so, in that case and considering what ianscousemac wrote it should be Balanced, Standard...:confused: maybe those Pep's attributes are not so accurate.

[ianscousemac]

Guess so, in that case and considering what ianscousemac wrote it should be Balanced, Standard...:confused: maybe those Pep's attributes are not so accurate.

Maybe that is correct then. I see Wenger has 19 for flamboyancy and 9 for flexibility so that put him has Very Fluid? This is all guess work

[fernandovalente]

Do you guys feel on sharing an assessment of my tactic ? Always looking for improvements and new ideas are always welcomed

[isignedupfornorealreason]

Do you guys feel on sharing an assessment of my tactic ? Always looking for improvements and new ideas are always welcomed

Eh I tried the set up but I never got near the ball to be honest. 48-55% possession and it wasn't really as amazing as people made it sound.

*To clarify, that is the original set up not yours.

I dunno, I guess it's not my sort of tactic after all. haha.

[fernandovalente]

Eh I tried the set up but I never got near the ball to be honest. 48-55% possession and it wasn't really as amazing as people made it sound.

*To clarify, that is the original set up not yours.

I dunno, I guess it's not my sort of tactic after all. haha.

It has some importance what kind of team you were managing and also to have your players with the ppm trained

[jean.lamy84]

Just wanted to thanks all of you people that share your stuff and ideas regarding tiki taka adaptation in football manager.

I've so many questions but I only ask some:

- I see many people uses "Short passing" TI and PI. But as I understand PI and TI, it seems redundant for me. Is that right?

- Does anyone achieve the goal of having around and more than 70% possession and many passes for the midfielders? I think these stats reflects one of the important part in tiki taka. But I wonder if it is possible in FM2014. I only achieve 60-65% on some matches (sometimes 70% in first half, but loosing a bit until end of match). Xavi, Busquet, Iniesta rarely reaches 100 passes and never 150 or more.

- What do you think of "Normal" mentality. I've read Control, Counter,... but never Normal. Why?

[Kelvinu]

Just wanted to thanks all of you people that share your stuff and ideas regarding tiki taka adaptation in football manager.

I've so many questions but I only ask some:

- I see many people uses "Short passing" TI and PI. But as I understand PI and TI, it seems redundant for me. Is that right?

- Does anyone achieve the goal of having around and more than 70% possession and many passes for the midfielders? I think these stats reflects one of the important part in tiki taka. But I wonder if it is possible in FM2014. I only achieve 60-65% on some matches (sometimes 70% in first half, but loosing a bit until end of match). Xavi, Busquet, Iniesta rarely reaches 100 passes and never 150 or more.

- What do you think of "Normal" mentality. I've read Control, Counter,... but never Normal. Why?

i've searched over forums and forums, TI's and PI's, lots of matches, tests, when the truth was under under my nose. i shared in this thread many possibilities, some bad advices. this helped me a lot understanding the ME and TC. what posted wwfan in this thread is the absolute priceless, a way of understanding that a possession tactic can be created under any circumstances, not just Control, as i thought. if u r new to the ME and watch '10-11 barca u would say 'hmm yes, Control + Vfluid, for sure!'. well, its not that simple, not everyone in that squad had the same CF, not everyone could shine at any point. every player had his role, u wouldnt see puyol shooting from distance or building the play like u would see in VFluid philosophy, but xavi, iniesta or messi. A philosophy that would respect roles, but also numerical superiority in the attack ( Width ) - see Alves & Alba rushing on the wings ), is Balanced.

Also, Control its way too straightforward. Pep's barca would not wait for a hole in the opposition on every attack, but passing deep, passing until finding a hole somewhere, triggering the counter along quick tempo - thats Counter mentality(+/- mh tempo)

Also, the best combination in replicating Lionel's movement is as F9 in Balanced + Counter, coming very, very deep to maintain possession, like he does nowadays, but also Ibra and others do.

So, my final setup would be wwfan's interpretation + much higher tempo + messi as f9 + busq as hb. i believe that this setup is closest to the ' '10-11 tiki-taka', but you wont get the stats of '10-11 pep's barca.

what made me think that this setup get closest to pep's barca is the much higher tempo TI. this improved the tactic greatly, achieving way more possession than with much lower tempo TI. just add 'MH tempo' to the wwfan interpretation + fm14 roles and you`ll find it very close to pep's barca, even without same possession stats.

Dont forget about the OI's and prematch, combine them to push enemy on the sideline where they can lose the ball more easily.

just my last 2 cents

[isignedupfornorealreason]

It has some importance what kind of team you were managing and also to have your players with the ppm trained

True that, but eh.

Have only just noticed, the set up is similar to the one I made for England Internationals (hah!)

WB/A's,

CD/D

DM/D

DLP/S

CM/A

IF/A

F9/S

Minor differences. Not set up for the possession game though.

[fernandovalente]

i've searched over forums and forums, TI's and PI's, lots of matches, tests, when the truth was under under my nose. i shared in this thread many possibilities, some bad advices. this helped me a lot understanding the ME and TC. what posted wwfan in this thread is the absolute priceless, a way of understanding that a possession tactic can be created under any circumstances, not just Control, as i thought. if u r new to the ME and watch '10-11 barca u would say 'hmm yes, Control + Vfluid, for sure!'. well, its not that simple, not everyone in that squad had the same CF, not everyone could shine at any point. every player had his role, u wouldnt see puyol shooting from distance or building the play like u would see in VFluid philosophy, but xavi, iniesta or messi. A philosophy that would respect roles, but also numerical superiority in the attack ( Width ) - see Alves & Alba rushing on the wings ), is Balanced.

Also, Control its way too straightforward. Pep's barca would not wait for a hole in the opposition on every attack, but passing deep, passing until finding a hole somewhere, triggering the counter along quick tempo - thats Counter mentality(+/- mh tempo)

Also, the best combination in replicating Lionel's movement is as F9 in Balanced + Counter, coming very, very deep to maintain possession, like he does nowadays, but also Ibra and others do.

So, my final setup would be wwfan's interpretation + much higher tempo + messi as f9 + busq as hb. i believe that this setup is closest to the ' '10-11 tiki-taka', but you wont get the stats of '10-11 pep's barca.

what made me think that this setup get closest to pep's barca is the much higher tempo TI. this improved the tactic greatly, achieving way more possession than with much lower tempo TI. just add 'MH tempo' to the wwfan interpretation + fm14 roles and you`ll find it very close to pep's barca, even without same possession stats.

Dont forget about the OI's and prematch, combine them to push enemy on the sideline where they can lose the ball more easily.

just my last 2 cents

Hpw do you combine OI and prematch to push the enemy on the sideline ???

[isignedupfornorealreason]

My last attempt with this on FM14 was more successful. I followed the OP a bit more. I found with Shorter passing removed, the team actually opened up for attacks more. They still retained possession, just made themselves a lot more eager to attack. Combined with Pass into space, it was ridiculous at getting a sneaky one over the top or between the lines.

[yaşar]

My last attempt with this on FM14 was more successful. I followed the OP a bit more. I found with Shorter passing removed, the team actually opened up for attacks more. They still retained possession, just made themselves a lot more eager to attack. Combined with Pass into space, it was ridiculous at getting a sneaky one over the top or between the lines.

could you share your tactic ? any screen shots ?

[isignedupfornorealreason]

It's exactly as WWFAN says in his original post, just without Shorter passing selected.

[fernandovalente]

It's exactly as WWFAN says in his original post, just without Shorter passing selected.

And how's possession ?

[Luizinho]

What role did Eto'o play when he was at Barcelona? As he lead the line more than Messi does from the NO.9 position.

[isignedupfornorealreason]

And how's possession ?

On 14? 60-65% against weaker teams at home, 55-45 away depending. It was getting more possession than when I added shorter passing, beats me as to why.

On 15? Not tested it enough yet, but early signs say when the team performs as expected; 50-60% and when the team decide to play crap (which, can be often enough) 35-40% possession - That's with the number 1 passing side in the league.

[fernandovalente]

On 14? 60-65% against weaker teams at home, 55-45 away depending. It was getting more possession than when I added shorter passing, beats me as to why.

On 15? Not tested it enough yet, but early signs say when the team performs as expected; 50-60% and when the team decide to play crap (which, can be often enough) 35-40% possession - That's with the number 1 passing side in the league.

That's not even near the levels we want and need