[FM15 Version 15.3.2] 4-3-3 Formation - A Controlled Flexible Approach

[Navarone]

My WB's really love this tactic! My two left WB's are both playing for England's senior team. My best right WB is playing for Wales and my second choice, Micah Richards, is close to a call-up for England. They are very often MOM and on the team of the month sheet. Their ratings are usually always between 8 and 9. Loads of big clubs are after them. Ipswich is my team and the year is 2018.

I could also mention that Will Hughes is getting better and better. Now a England regular age 23. Scoring some cracking goals and also do assist quite often. A perfect AP for my Ipswich team. I do that clubs like Man.City, Chelsea, Liverpool og Man.Utd will try to buy him in the near future. He wont go cheap! £30 mill or more or forget it!

[Navarone]

Wow! Impressive work! Very nice results!!

[Navarone]

I have just startet to use this tactic for my Leicester team in 2027. Just met Arsenal away. What a game!

http://bildr.no/view/OXlKaU1Q

We had 42 shots away to Arsenal!! I just accepted the Leicester-job. Leicester is close to the relegation zone. Arsenal are on 4th. We lost but I will buy some new defenders in january. The future looks bright for Leicester.

[OlukitzFudgey]

Some people say that you should let players age 14-17 concentrate on getting their ppm's and others that you should concentrate on increasing their strenght, pace and so on at that age. What is your point on that?

There are different ways to train youth players and everyone has their own preferences.

In my opinion the most important factor in regards to youth development should be to concentrate on increasing the technical and physical attributes of youth players. The player preferred moves can be taught by getting senior players to tutor the youth players. That’s the way I prefer to train my young prospects.

However, if inside forwards, for example have NOT learnt cuts inside and get into opposition area PPM through tutoring, I would manually assign such youngsters to learn beneficial PPM.

[Navarone]

The tactic still works very fine but I would love to see even more goals and now and then we don't seem to score no matter what. I lost 1-0 away to West Ham the other day. We had 40 shots. They had 4. My staff is great. I have good attacking coaches. I guess this is a common problem with FM. The opposition teams are more efficient than yours. I use shouts every 15 minutes during the matches. If a goal behind after 75 mins I sometimes change to overload.

[OlukitzFudgey]

The tactic still works very fine but I would love to see even more goals and now and then we don't seem to score no matter what. I lost 1-0 away to West Ham the other day. We had 40 shots. They had 4. My staff is great. I have good attacking coaches. I guess this is a common problem with FM. The opposition teams are more efficient than yours. I use shouts every 15 minutes during the matches. If a goal behind after 75 mins I sometimes change to overload.

40 shots indicates that your team is clearly creating chances. They just have a problem converting the chances created (Mentals). If your team is participating in Europe I would suggest you to sign Lorenzo Cristig from Inter Milan and play him as the central midfield (D). Try and get him on loan if you can’t buy him. If I was struggling to score goals, I normally sacrifice my advanced forward and replace him with a defensive midfielder. So the position behind the central midfielder but in front of the central defenders. There is a very good reason why I do this, but in a nutshell. The false nine are given more space and your midfielders are able to control the game much more. Watch the game in 2D and you will see what I mean. It’s not a defensive change. Trust me.

I would never change mentality to overload.

[Navarone]

I changed just a couple of things and Ipswich went crazy! All of our three strikers are F9. At home we have "Control" as usual. Away "Standard". The results have been fantastic! Especially in Europe. 5-1 and 5-1 home to Hoffenheim and Luzern. 7-1 away to Hoffenheim in the Europa League. In the PL we normally score three goals or more. We had to show some real character away to QPR. We were 3-0 up. They came back to 3-3 but of course we scored the winning goal just before the end. Normally our games are finished at 3-0 up.

When I changed to 3xF9 I also decided to let my coach with the best tactical knowledge to do the OI. That might have something to do with the scoring rate going up.

I already have Cristig on my shortlist. A very nice player. Might be a target next season or maybe in january 2019.

Both my LB's were playing for England. Matthew Clarke and Tyrone Mings. Mings had only played in friendlies and just decided to play for Barbados instead. A big loss for England.

Ps! Can you tell me how to put pictures in here? Links works fine but I have problems regarding pictures.

[OlukitzFudgey]

I changed just a couple of things and Ipswich went crazy! All of our three strikers are F9. At home we have "Control" as usual. Away "Standard". The results have been fantastic! Especially in Europe. 5-1 and 5-1 home to Hoffenheim and Luzern. 7-1 away to Hoffenheim in the Europa League. In the PL we normally score three goals or more. We had to show some real character away to QPR. We were 3-0 up. They came back to 3-3 but of course we scored the winning goal just before the end. Normally our games are finished at 3-0 up.

When I changed to 3xF9 I also decided to let my coach with the best tactical knowledge to do the OI. That might have something to do with the scoring rate going up.

I already have Cristig on my shortlist. A very nice player. Might be a target next season or maybe in january 2019.

Both my LB's were playing for England. Matthew Clarke and Tyrone Mings. Mings had only played in friendlies and just decided to play for Barbados instead. A big loss for England.

Ps! Can you tell me how to put pictures in here? Links works fine but I have problems regarding pictures.

Use the following line of code to insert pictures.

Or simply choose the “insert image” selection instead of “insert link”.

[Navarone]

A fantastic season for Leicester! Champions 2027/28!! I took over in december 2027. Leicester were on 16th. The rest of the season was a fairytale! Great tactic!!

http://bildr.no/view/VHdEWkpn

http://bildr.no/view/Z1JOVjFV

[Carles Alena]

Thank you for mentioning the Specialists rule. It proved to be an interesting read.

Whats the specialist rule in quote.I know a team can sufficiently adhere to tactics employed without messing things up with only one role being extravagant so to speak.Is that it?

[OlukitzFudgey]

Whats the specialist rule in quote.I know a team can sufficiently adhere to tactics employed without messing things up with only one role being extravagant so to speak.Is that it?

Read the following thread:

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/368940-How-to-Play-FM14-A-Twelve-Step-Guide

The information presented would give you a far better understanding and I suppose users could use that as a base to construct their own tactics and develop their own philosophies/styles.

Although, I disagree with the number of specialists roles that could/should be utilized because everyone would have their own interpretations based on their own individual experiences.

[OlukitzFudgey]

A fantastic season for Leicester! Champions 2027/28!! I took over in december 2027. Leicester were on 16th. The rest of the season was a fairytale! Great tactic!!

http://bildr.no/view/VHdEWkpn

http://bildr.no/view/Z1JOVjFV

Great results Navarone.

[Navarone]

I also use this tactic in another save where Ipswich is my team. We are top of the PL with 10 games left. We won the League Cup. We are in the quarterfinals of the EL and still in the FA cup. A fantastic season! 2018/19. This tactics works great both home and away. Great offensive football and also great in defence.

[Navarone]

40 shots indicates that your team is clearly creating chances. They just have a problem converting the chances created (Mentals). If your team is participating in Europe I would suggest you to sign Lorenzo Cristig from Inter Milan and play him as the central midfield (D). Try and get him on loan if you can’t buy him. If I was struggling to score goals, I normally sacrifice my advanced forward and replace him with a defensive midfielder. So the position behind the central midfielder but in front of the central defenders. There is a very good reason why I do this, but in a nutshell. The false nine are given more space and your midfielders are able to control the game much more. Watch the game in 2D and you will see what I mean. It’s not a defensive change. Trust me.

I would never change mentality to overload.

Any other players that you recommend for the central midfield(D) position? Cristig just signed for a russian club. I had no money left and have to wait until the summer with all transfers. Would a player like Alexandre Song of West Ham be a player for this position? Seems to be good in tackling, passing and so on. 31 years old on my save. Can get him cheap.

[OlukitzFudgey]

Any other players that you recommend for the central midfield(D) position? Cristig just signed for a russian club. I had no money left and have to wait until the summer with all transfers. Would a player like Alexandre Song of West Ham be a player for this position? Seems to be good in tackling, passing and so on. 31 years old on my save. Can get him cheap.

I would suggest the following players for the central midfield (D) position. However, most of them are equally capable of playing one of the playmaker roles as well.

Gaston Gil Romero, Lorenzo Cristeg, Lucas Romero, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Cristoph Kramer, Kevin Strootman, Niklas Stark, Javi Martinez, Lars Bender, Sven Bender, Morgan Schneiderlin, Michael Carrick (He is class till he retires), De Rossi (Although, I doubt he would leave Roma for cheap), Ruben Neves, Abdou Aziz Thiam, Marcos Llorente, Daley Blind.

The list above should give you something to think about. I really cannot think of anyone else.

I would strongly recommend signing young players with potential because their development would increase significantly due to the exposure of first team games. I will provide screenshots of some players that I think are capable of playing the central midfielder (D) position and perhaps you could use the examples to your own benefit in your saved games.

[Navarone]

Great stuff, m8!! Many of the players you mentioned are already on my shortlist. Kristoffer Ajer is doing an ok job as CM(D) but I will look for a more experienced CM. I will also look for players with potential for sure. Thanx!

I have tried many tactics before. They have all worked great for a season and then maybe not that good the next. Especially away. Your tactic seems to be the tactic for years to come. Great! I play online with a friend. He "hates" me because of your tactic. My team is unbeatable.

[OlukitzFudgey]

Great stuff, m8!! Many of the players you mentioned are already on my shortlist. Kristoffer Ajer is doing an ok job as CM(D) but I will look for a more experienced CM. I will also look for players with potential for sure. Thanx!

I have tried many tactics before. They have all worked great for a season and then maybe not that good the next. Especially away. Your tactic seems to be the tactic for years to come. Great! I play online with a friend. He "hates" me because of your tactic. My team is unbeatable.

That’s brilliant.

Our understanding of experienced players does not translate well within football manager, and that’s a pity. I still do tend to sign older players in the beginning of my saves but once I am three seasons in the game, I prefer developing the younger players. The AI does not provide much of a challenge and I am pretty much forced into trying to make the game easier for the AI by developing the younger players. Having said that, I wish we could develop the younger players and be sufficiently challenged by retaining the experienced/older players. A complete squad management experience would be amazing.

That does not mean the game isn’t fun to play. Just that the AI needs to be more challenging by making smarter decisions in squad building. Also, manager movements are very disappointing. It makes the game very easy.

Thank you very much for your positive feedback. I am happy to hear that your friend hates you. I’m just joking. LOL.

[Navarone]

Gaston Gil Romero will come to Ipswich in the summer 2019. A very nice player. World class but not very expensive. He will be my first choice CM(D).

[OlukitzFudgey]

Gaston Gil Romero will come to Ipswich in the summer 2019. A very nice player. World class but not very expensive. He will be my first choice CM(D).

Gaston Gil Romero is an absolute legend in my save. He would definitely be perfect for the central midfielder (D) role. If it wasn’t for the abundance of talent in my team, he would be a definite first team starter. Alas, I use him as a rotational player. He still gets around 30 games a season though. I tend to prefer Lucas Romero over him.

[Navarone]

Gil Romero was out injured for a month or so. The team wasn't the same. Will Hughes was also out. My two best midfielders. I really need to buy a couple of midfielders that are world class like these two.

I do train my players heavy on different attributes. My coach's are top class. When do you normally see improvement? I have trained a couple of players in quickness for many weeks now but their pace is still the same. Any advice? The players are from 17-24 years old.

[OlukitzFudgey]

Gil Romero was out injured for a month or so. The team wasn't the same. Will Hughes was also out. My two best midfielders. I really need to buy a couple of midfielders that are world class like these two.

I do train my players heavy on different attributes. My coach's are top class. When do you normally see improvement? I have trained a couple of players in quickness for many weeks now but their pace is still the same. Any advice? The players are from 17-24 years old.

It is better to train young players in the position that you have visualized them being perfect for. This training method would target a number of different attributes which would help them become better footballers in the game.

Training individual attributes is pointless in my opinion if you don’t see your desired results within a three month period. Yes. Sometimes, I would train certain players to become better in a specific attribute but that is normally when the assistant manager/coach recommends it. Having said that, after a while I would change his individual training back to the position he would be playing especially if you don’t get the desired outcome.

A very good way to increase physical attributes is to play the players in the position that requires the player to utilize his pace.

I find that giving the player competitive matches normally benefits their development. So, I normally always promote my potential wonderkids, regardless of age, to the under 21 team and make him available for the under 18 team. I would then sell or loan other players to ensure that the assistant manager has to pick the player to play in the matches. Once they reach the age of 17 I would begin to introduce him to the first team squad. By the time they are 18 or 19 they should have impressed you. By the time they are 20, they have to be playing in the first team squad for your team or on loan to another team. Perhaps you would find that you are having difficulty in including them in your first team squad because of the amount of players you have that you just don’t want to sell.

[CybrSlydr]

Apologies as I've not read the whole thread, but have you tried a version of this with 1DM and 2CM? I have a really great DM that I'm trying to work into formations like this.

EDIT: I've given him the BWM (D) role/duty as BWM is his best role. I also like that he'll close down and win possession while laying off to more creative players like the AP (S).

[OlukitzFudgey]

Apologies as I've not read the whole thread, but have you tried a version of this with 1DM and 2CM? I have a really great DM that I'm trying to work into formations like this.

EDIT: I've given him the BWM (D) role/duty as BWM is his best role. I also like that he'll close down and win possession while laying off to more creative players like the AP (S).

In my own opinion a DM would be perfect for the central midfield (D) role. They both have many similar characteristics and traits. Having said that, there are differences between the two roles. I think it depends on the tactical setup that a manager employs within games. A DM would normally hold his position between the midfield and defence whereas a central midfield (D) would attempt to control the tempo of the game as well as preventing counter attacks. Both of the roles requires the player to sit deep. I think the central midfielder on (D) duty provides support to both defensive and attacking play. This is the number one reason why I absolutely love the central midfield (D) role. I always utilize the role in every formation that I construct. It’s the perfect strategic position to construct a number of different tactics.

Having said that, I have indeed utilized the specific DM position, and although it does work, it is not as effective as the central midfielder (D) position. Furthermore, I have flirted with the possibility of utilizing the regista position due to the similarities between the two positions. It’s not the same. Especially, considering the playstyle.

The mentality of the team is to control the game by being patient and passing the ball around the opponents half of the pitch. The patient playstyle requires the tempo to be lower to ensure possession as well fitness. Also, a control mentality would ensure that your team are prepared for any possible counter attacks. A central midfielder (D) would control the tempo of the game whilst preventing counter attacks. I cannot imagine a more perfect position or role then a central midfielder (D).

I would not use a central midfielder (D) and a defensive midfielder at the same time unless your team is down to 10 men. Whenever my team is down to ten men, I would sacrifice my advanced forward and bring on a player to play the defensive midfielder position. In the game, the team is able to maintain control of the game and to be honest, in real life, many tacticians would do the same.

LOL. The ball winning midfielder runs around like a headless chicken though. No.

[CybrSlydr]

I just played this formation for the first time at home vs Malaga as Celta. (the 2CM 1DM version)

We had 68% possession and won 2-0. Malaga had 2 shots, one on target.

And we're only "Accomplished" - about 75% trained on it.

[CybrSlydr]

In my own opinion a DM would be perfect for the central midfield (D) role. They both have many similar characteristics and traits. Having said that, there are differences between the two roles. I think it depends on the tactical setup that a manager employs within games. A DM would normally hold his position between the midfield and defence whereas a central midfield (D) would attempt to control the tempo of the game as well as preventing counter attacks. Both of the roles requires the player to sit deep. I think the central midfielder on (D) duty provides support to both defensive and attacking play. This is the number one reason why I absolutely love the central midfield (D) role. I always utilize the role in every formation that I construct. It’s the perfect strategic position to construct a number of different tactics.

Having said that, I have indeed utilized the specific DM position, and although it does work, it is not as effective as the central midfielder (D) position. Furthermore, I have flirted with the possibility of utilizing the regista position due to the similarities between the two positions. It’s not the same. Especially, considering the playstyle.

The mentality of the team is to control the game by being patient and passing the ball around the opponents half of the pitch. The patient playstyle requires the tempo to be lower to ensure possession as well fitness. Also, a control mentality would ensure that your team are prepared for any possible counter attacks. A central midfielder (D) would control the tempo of the game whilst preventing counter attacks. I cannot imagine a more perfect position or role then a central midfielder (D).

I would not use a central midfielder (D) and a defensive midfielder at the same time unless your team is down to 10 men. Whenever my team is down to ten men, I would sacrifice my advanced forward and bring on a player to play the defensive midfielder position. In the game, the team is able to maintain control of the game and to be honest, in real life, many tacticians would do the same.

LOL. The ball winning midfielder runs around like a headless chicken though. No.

Excellent - thank you for this well thought-out post!

EDIT: One final question - any reason you choose the WB (A) instead of a CWB (A)?

[OlukitzFudgey]

Excellent - thank you for this well thought-out post!

EDIT: One final question - any reason you choose the WB (A) instead of a CWB (A)?

I constructed the tactic to ensure that the wingbacks are able to dominate the entire wing. They have been instructed to stay wider whereas the rest of the team are playing narrow. The complete wingback (A) might sometimes neglect his defensive duties whereas a wingback (A) tends to fulfil his defensive, midfield and attacking responsibilities. I have never lost any competition/cup whilst playing with the wingback (A), however, if I was struggling, I would perhaps change the wingback to complete wingback (A). Having said that, it would leave the team exposed. Actually, I don’t think I would be willing to change the wingback (A) to complete wingback (A) due to the fact that team would be left open in wider areas. The central midfielder (D) would have a harder job to control the game. I think. He might struggle to control the tempo of the game because he has to cover the complete wingback position all the time. I think, again.

In a nutshell, a complete wingback is over the top, always attacking mentality minded player whereas a wingback (A) is more stable.

[Hacki 101]

Thank for this, it has really worked well for my TNS side. My squad is at about a Conference level and we just outplayed Cardiff in the league (modded Wales database) but lost and destroyed Wrexham who have a better squad than us!

I have a few questions though: What would you recommend as the pitch size? I have a narrow width and standard length pitch for exploitation of long throws and its working out well, but it does get a bit crowded. And have you ever converted a winger into a full back for this tactic and did it work?

[OlukitzFudgey]

Thank for this, it has really worked well for my TNS side. My squad is at about a Conference level and we just outplayed Cardiff in the league (modded Wales database) but lost and destroyed Wrexham who have a better squad than us!

I have a few questions though: What would you recommend as the pitch size? I have a narrow width and standard length pitch for exploitation of long throws and its working out well, but it does get a bit crowded. And have you ever converted a winger into a full back for this tactic and did it work?

I am happy to hear it is working for you.

Personally, I utilize the maximum allowed pitch size. The reason being is that, in my vision, the wingbacks are able to exploit the wing effectively due to the pitch size being wider whereas your team are able to attack the space. The opponents have to work much harder and would get tired more quickly due to the playstyle. Their fitness would suffer as they would be running around like headless chickens. On the other hand the human team would be able to maintain fitness due to playing at a lower tempo. Obviously, this only exists in my imagination and perhaps the reality may be very different, but, as a strategist, I highly doubt that. So, I would recommend the maximum allowed pitch size. Having said that, everyone has their own experiences, so if you are finding success with your pitch size (exploitation of long throws) to be working for you then stick with it but if you want to experiment then try the maximum pitch size. Hopefully, the maximum pitch size is the same on everyone’s save, although, I would not be surprised if it wasn't.

You could convert a goalkeeper into a referee if you wanted if the game let you.

[interesti88]

Question...can you move the CM(D) to play DM instead? Would the formation still hold up?

I like this tactic, a slight variation to my 4-3-3 Attacking tactic, a bit more solid, but I don't like the way strikers exploit the space behind the WBs, the CBs aren't that fast to cover that space at times

[OlukitzFudgey]

Read post #104

In my own opinion a DM would be perfect for the central midfield (D) role. They both have many similar characteristics and traits. Having said that, there are differences between the two roles. I think it depends on the tactical setup that a manager employs within games. A DM would normally hold his position between the midfield and defence whereas a central midfield (D) would attempt to control the tempo of the game as well as preventing counter attacks. Both of the roles requires the player to sit deep. I think the central midfielder on (D) duty provides support to both defensive and attacking play. This is the number one reason why I absolutely love the central midfield (D) role. I always utilize the role in every formation that I construct. It’s the perfect strategic position to construct a number of different tactics.

Having said that, I have indeed utilized the specific DM position, and although it does work, it is not as effective as the central midfielder (D) position. Furthermore, I have flirted with the possibility of utilizing the regista position due to the similarities between the two positions. It’s not the same. Especially, considering the playstyle.

The mentality of the team is to control the game by being patient and passing the ball around the opponents half of the pitch. The patient playstyle requires the tempo to be lower to ensure possession as well fitness. Also, a control mentality would ensure that your team are prepared for any possible counter attacks. A central midfielder (D) would control the tempo of the game whilst preventing counter attacks. I cannot imagine a more perfect position or role then a central midfielder (D).

The style of football demands that the team plays a high defensive line which could result in space being available for the opposition to exploit. It is extremely important that your centre backs have pace and good heading attribute. This would limit the opposition from exploiting the space because the tactic encourages the team to use the offside trap. So, just in case the offside trap does not work, the centre backs should be able to deal with the opposition through utilizing pace when the ball is on the ground or through heading the ball away by utilizing their heading attribute.

The wingbacks are essential to this tactic as their role is to dominate the entire wing, therefore it is important that you have really good players playing this position.

Are you conceding goals due to the space being opened up?

You could try putting the wingback (A) on wingback (S) or (D) to see if that provides more stability for your tactical setup.

I did experiment with the DM on Football Manager 2015 and the tactic was still solid for me although I settled on the CM (D) as it was perfect for my tactical setup. (A patient controlled possession play which sought to exploit the space by removing the opposition players from their positions)

Other people have told me they have had success with playing a defensive midfielder instead of a central midfielder (D).

For Football Manager 2016 there is a slightly different approach one must take to achieve a similar style of play.

[interesti88]

Thanks for the response, I love the thoughts from everyone on this thread, truly immersive.

Okay so I've been using this tactic for 12 competitive matches with some inconsistencies, the team moves the ball around up front nicely but with some defensive mistakes causing us drop points.

[OlukitzFudgey]

Are you using the tactic on Football Manager 2015 or Football Manager 2016?

There is a different approach one must take to achieve some sort of defensive stability due to the differences between the two AI.

[interesti88]

I'm playing FM15

[OlukitzFudgey]

Please post pictures of your best midfielders and your best wingbacks. It would be difficult for me to make a judgement without knowing their qualities.

You could try utilizing a DM on (S) duty. This could prove to be ineffectual though considering possession may be brought into the human users half of the pitch.

It might just be that you need better players than the ones currently in your squad.

Are you getting a reasonable amount of shots on target?

[interesti88]

I'm posting using my smartphone at the moment, but what I did change was moving a midfielder a little deeper and changing his role to DLP the 2 Central mids are BWM(D) and AP(A) a bit more stable for me and not so many fast breaks for the opposition.