4-1-4-1 Tactic with Akademisk Boldklub

[keysi]

Hi everyone, some of you may know my blog where I write about my FM16 save with Akademisk Boldklub and there articles about my save with Spartans FC during FM15.

During FM15 I played with 4-2-3-1 formation and I continued with it during first nine seasons with Danish club as well. But I made tactical changes during the 10th season and we now play with 4-1-4-1 formation with Attacking mentality and Structured shape.

Player roles:

• Full Back‘s with Attack Duty | Instructions – Close Down Less, Pass It Shorter, Cross From Byline, Sit Narrower, Run Wide With Ball, Cross More Often & Get Further Forward.
• CB’s with Cover Duty | Instructions – Pass It Shorter, Shoot Less Often, Dribble Less, Fewer Risky Passes.
• Deep Lying Playmaker with Defend Duty | Instructions – Tackle Harder, More Direct Passes, Close Down Much Less, Shoot Less Often, Hold Position.
• Wide Playmaker’s with Attacking Duty | Instructions – Get Further Forward, More Direct Passes, Close Down Much More, Roar From Position, Dribble More, Cut Inside With Ball, Shoot Less Often, Cross Less Often.
• Box To Box Midfielder with Support Duty | Instructions – Shoot Less Often, Close Down More, Tackle Harder, More Direct Passes, Roar From Position.
• Roaming Playmaker with Support Duty | Instructions – More Direct Passes, Close Down Much More, Dribble More, Roar From Position.
• False Nine with Support Duty | Instructions – Roar From Position, Pass It Shorter, Close Down Much More, Dribble More, More Risky Passes, Move Into Channels.

Team Instructions:

More Direct Passing, Exploit The Left & Right Flank, Play Narrower, Higher Tempo, Close Down Much More, Dribble Less.

Thanks to a Deep Lying Playmaker position in DM we have a good cover when both central midfielders are trying to get ball.

With Close Down Much More instruction there were many moments when opponent’s players were desperate to not loose ball. Thanks to 3 players in central midfield and wide playmakers we are able to make very intesive pressing and take ball. We don’t want to have a high possession percentage but after this formation change we have very often the better numbers at the end of the match.

I really like the Fullback’s role with attacking mentality because they are able to make many assists. Lars Sorrensen had 9 assists in 14 matches.

This is how our formation looks when the opponent’s goalkeeper has a goal kick…

…and this is an attacking movement. Central players plays in the middle, Eremenko (Roaming Playmaker) to Kristensen (Box-to-Box Midfielder) and Jenssen (Wide Playmaker) cuts inside while our Fullback move forward…

…Fullback collects the ball and make cross to the penalty area where are a minimum of three players. In this movement it was not a goal but it was a good attack in case of style of play we want.

| [video=youtube;rpMmcNXwDEk]

The whole article about it is at my blog -> HERE

You can find this tactic at Steam Workshop

[Mr U Rosler]

4141 is great set up this year.

Been using a similar system non-league in England, an easy promotion from Conference South in first season.

Defensively very solid, surprisingly high scoring as well.

I think the key to this is the PI's you give the Wide Midfielders, they have to be narrow enough in attack to be a direct goalscoring threat, essentially setting them up as deeper version of the Inside Forwards, 'cut inside' is a must, i also use 'sit narrow'. They were my highest scorers with 20+ goals each.

I use some different roles and a TI's but the 4141 is great foundation for tactic

[sandrosan235]

I agree with Mr. Rosler ... the 4.1.4.1 is the best setup at any level to start building a team

[shaunwwfc]

This looks really good. I will give this a go for sure once I get home.

[niklas1907]

Hey Keys.

Først og fremmest fed takik

Jeg er i gang med et save med Dortmund, hvor jeg overvejer at rykke den DLP op på den offensivemidt. Tror du det ville kunne fungere, eller vil det ødelægge taktikken for meget?

[niklas1907]

Hey Keys.

First of all awesome tactic

I am currently going on with a save with Dortmund, and i am considering moving the DLP to the OMC spot. Do you think it will work or will it ruin the tactic?

[keysi]

niklas1907: You want to have him in AMC position? If yes I would play him as a Attacking Playmaker but in this case I would change one of central midfielders from Roaming Playmaker to Central Midfielder with Defend Duty...

[Wijnand fens]

What about training and MP?

Any OI?

Give it a try with a lower league club from Austria

[keysi]

There are no opposition instructions. Training is focused on Match Tactics and players have their own PPM...

[dakin117]

7 games into the championship with Villa, 1 win, 3 draws, 3 defeats. Long preseason with this tactic and it's familiar, just doesn't seem to be working for me. Predicted to finish 3rd and I'm in 21st. Never look like scoring with Jordan Ayew or Gestede

[gotlandskommun]

can u pls upload some playerfilters to use for this tactic pls ?

[noikeee]

Hello, I've been trying to use this with some mixed results so far, however I've just noticed the tactic you uploaded to Steam is slightly different to the screenshots, it's got lower tempo instead of higher tempo, and only exploit right flank, it's missing the left flank instruction.

[OwlRaider]

Aren't 4 playmakers way too much? Especially when they're all in the midfield. Is there a particular reason for using all 4 as playmakers rather than for example wide midfielders on the flanks and halfback/anchorman in the defensive midfield? the roaming playmaker is the only 1 that makes sense to me in a 4-1-4-1 formation but maybe that's just me.

[Fer Fuchs Ake]

Very similar to what I've done at Swansea. The vast majority of my games last season were 4-2-3-1 but I've introduced a 4-1-4-1 on top of that this season and I'm getting some good results. The fans also “appreciate the attacking football being played by the team ” (even though the board want possession football).

[keysi]

On 26. 7. 2016 at 12:00, noikeee said:

Hello, I've been trying to use this with some mixed results so far, however I've just noticed the tactic you uploaded to Steam is slightly different to the screenshots, it's got lower tempo instead of higher tempo, and only exploit right flank, it's missing the left flank instruction.

I know I uploaded wrong file, the right one is in article at my blog - https://mrkeysirensie.wordpress.com/2016/05/03/fm16-the-academics-part-xvii-tactic-change/

 

On 14. 8. 2016 at 04:14, OwlRaider said:

Aren't 4 playmakers way too much? Especially when they're all in the midfield. Is there a particular reason for using all 4 as playmakers rather than for example wide midfielders on the flanks and halfback/anchorman in the defensive midfield? the roaming playmaker is the only 1 that makes sense to me in a 4-1-4-1 formation but maybe that's just me.

I always used CM in 4-4-2 formation with Defend Duty but it works very good with BBM in this shape. BBM scores many goals for me as he go forward when we make counter attack and he is able to score around penalty area. 

And if you look at my last post from my AB save you will see that it works with 4 playmakers  - https://mrkeysirensie.wordpress.com/2016/08/19/fm16-the-academics-part-xxxi-36-green-dots/

And there is a reason why I use Wide Playmakers - https://mrkeysirensie.wordpress.com/2016/08/22/fm16-in-love-with-wide-playmaker/

I only changed to Counter Mentality and High Structured Shape from the original post.

[noikeee]

8 minutes ago, keysi said:

I know I uploaded wrong file, the right one is in article at my blog - https://mrkeysirensie.wordpress.com/2016/05/03/fm16-the-academics-part-xvii-tactic-change/

 

I always used CM in 4-4-2 formation with Defend Duty but it works very good with BBM in this shape. BBM scores many goals for me as he go forward when we make counter attack and he is able to score around penalty area. 

And if you look at my last post from my AB save you will see that it works with 4 playmakers  - https://mrkeysirensie.wordpress.com/2016/08/19/fm16-the-academics-part-xxxi-36-green-dots/

And there is a reason why I use Wide Playmakers - https://mrkeysirensie.wordpress.com/2016/08/22/fm16-in-love-with-wide-playmaker/

I only changed to Counter Mentality and High Structured Shape from the original post.

To be honest it didn't really work with either my Sampdoria or Sevilla sides well into the future, I ended up getting fed up with FM16 and going back to FM15.

[keysi]

10 minutes ago, noikeee said:

To be honest it didn't really work with either my Sampdoria or Sevilla sides well into the future, I ended up getting fed up with FM16 and going back to FM15.

Yeah, it's possible that it didn't work...none tactic works with every teams and players etc. To be honest I will always rather create something not 100% perfect by myself then wait for work of someone other. 

If you enjoy FM15 more it's logical you play it rather then FM16, I know many people have it same...

[noikeee]

19 minutes ago, keysi said:

Yeah, it's possible that it didn't work...none tactic works with every teams and players etc. To be honest I will always rather create something not 100% perfect by myself then wait for work of someone other. 

If you enjoy FM15 more it's logical you play it rather then FM16, I know many people have it same...

Yeah I do the exact same, always try to build my tactics! Thing is I was some 17 seasons into the future and STILL hadn't figured out a tactic that worked for myself other than for some brief periods. I had a 4-3-3 that worked but depended on ridiculous attention to detail to adapt to every single match; then I made a 4-4-2 that worked for me at Dundee Utd but not anymore when I moved to Sampdoria. So I just gave up and tried yours.

The main problem I had (with both Sampdoria and then Sevilla with your setup) was a lack of penetration in the box. It was a very dull pass the ball around type of playing, which would be okay if it gave 1-0 wins, but in the few chances we had, the ball just wouldn't go in, no matter what. It's not just your setup, I had had very similar problems with my own tactics in past seasons with other teams. I reckon for whatever reason the finishing in one-on-ones in FM16 is just underpowered and this causes all sorts of unintended tactical ramifications. Finishing crossed balls on the other hand is much more accurate, but I struggled all career long with crossing accuracy, again no matter the tactics, I'd make like 60 crosses in a match and only 3 would reach my players. So frustrating all things summed.

Link to my FM16 career in more detail

FM15 is kind of a little too easy and there's too many goals which is unrealistic, but I just find it way more fun. 

[MichaelBrown]

I'm unsure why you think a tactic would 100% work in the Scottish League and then the Italian League, Italy is harder, it has better players, you're not necessarily one of the better teams in the league so teams will attack more. 

One of the best things about FM16, ignoring the horrific crossing bug, is that it's started to get rid of this idea that one formation can fit all when that isn't the case in real life.