Do you have specific tactics that you prefer, or do you change based on your team?

[SamL94]

Basically what I'm trying to ask is, do have a specific tactic which you really like that you use on every save, or do you set up your tactics based on the team you are playing, and the players you have?

Also, if your answer is the 2nd option, what do you look for from the players you have? How do you know whether you would be better playing retaining football, or whether to pass into space instead? How do you know whether to control, or counter? How do you know whether to be flexible, or structured?

[Lambo95]

I usually look at my midfield to see if they've got any kind of creativity, and then consider the rest of the team. If my midfield is good on the ball I'll try and play a posession system to take advantage of that, or if I have lots of quick forwards/wingers, I'll try and counter quickly to exploit this.

[podunkboy]

I look at my squad during pre-season every year, find their best positions and roles, and build the tactic around the strengths. I set the tactic to standard/flexible and give them maybe 3-4 team instructions. I save that tactic, maybe tweak it a little (say from a 4-4-2 to a 4-4-1-1) and save that one. I play pre-season, monitor my assman's suggestions during matches (if he's any good). Once the regular season starts, I click the "staff tactics recommendations" in the set roster screen, and maybe go structured or direct, depending on the opposition, but I don't made wide-spread changes unless our form goes to crap. Mostly I depend on their positional ratings and try to maximize their production that way, within the boundaries of the tactic.

[WizbaII]

I tend to keep the formation and instead change the roles to suit the players. Or, instead of changing the formation, I would prefer to change the position of a few players so they are playing in an area of the pitch where their strengths are useful (or their weaknesses mitigated).

[qwerty22]

On fm 16 I just buy two great full backs, spam deep crosses to a player in the far post, score the same identical goal all season and win everything in sight.

[chestermike]

I'll keep 3 basic formations, but I will change ti and pi's for every new signing just about.

[forameuss]

I've found myself sticking to certain formations these days. It always used to be a 4-1-2-2-1 with wide wingers, and before that it was a very similar 4-1-1-2-2 (one central midfielder). These days though, it's almost always a variation on 4-4-2 to keep it simple. I do always have a soft spot for a wing-back based 3-5-2 though. Very rarely have the tools as I arrive at a club to implement though, so don't usually get around to it.

[oneronaldo]

Have pretty stuck to a 4-3-3/4-5-1 since FM10, variations only on whether I want my passing more "Guardiola" or more "Big Sam". Rarely deviated from it, apart from a short spell attempting to fit a 4-2-3-1 due to my curiosity on Shinji Kagawa's arrival to Manchester & FM14 where I found a 4-4-2/4-2-4 was waaaay too potent to be ignored.

[akungfuzonkey]

normally try stick to some variation of 4 2 3 1 squad depending on the squad depth if not use a good old 442

[isignedupfornorealreason]

I've varied it around... And that's probably why I struggled with tactics sometimes!

I went 4-2-4 in FM12, but had success with everything really, I could throw anything together and it would pretty much work.

Switched to 4-4-2 in FM13, didn't really enjoy the game at all though.

Switched to 3-5-2 and then 4-3-3 in FM14, did rather well with it, even ended up with the exact same 4-3-3 model that one of the top honchos on here ended up posting as a 'good base' 4-3-3. =p So I was on to something! XD The 3-5-2 I just copied off one of the bloggers, because it was about Van Gaal and I wanted to see how it worked and more importantly, so I could have a go with a different formation that kept two up top.

Switched to 4-5-1 in FM15, user Jambo is to blame for this one, I had been flip-flopping in 15 and never really got going until I saw his (I think) Liverpool topic about the 4-5-1 being a Swiss army knife. I basically took the principles and inverted them and came away with my own spin on it. Enjoyed that save file quite a bit. It solved my constant search for a working '4-2-3-1' in a way, so that itch was finally scratched and out of the way with.

FM16 - Nope, not made much progress on it at all. I got bored of the 4-5-1, though I did get it working in the end. I actually went something of a hybrid system - a 4-5-1 with the AML pushed up as an inside forward, and eventually one of the midfielders went up to the AMC slot as well. It looked weird, but it worked sometimes... I couldn't get it to be consistent though, one or two too many players too far forward maybe? >_>

[trajano080]

I do prefer 4-3-3 with possession football. When I play with a small team against a big one I will change my sistem if needed (usually to a 4-2-3-1 to play counter, with two DMs, a MR and a ML, and an AMC). When I don't have the players required to play possession attacking football I try to sign them asap, and get rid of the ones that don't suit my prefered style.

[hootieleece71]

I generally play with a 4-1-3-2 wide with wingers instead of wide midfielders. Recently I have been playing a 4-2-3-1 wide.

That being said the MC/AMC which is a Advanced Playmaker is the most important player in my system. If the team doesn't have one I find one quick.

The second most Important player is a DM Deeplying Playmaker and the same applies.

After that I look for speed, teamwork, and workrate with an attribute that is specific for position such as Finishing for Strikers, Crossing for Wingers and Fullbacks, Positioning and Anticipation for Centerbacks etc.

FM15 and 16 (especially 16) have been great for my style of play lots of crosses into the box and plenty of scoring chances.

[xambo]

I do change tactics depending at the payers I have but also have favourite tactics that I don't change from most of the times. For example I like the 4-2-3-1 and 4-4-2 and 4-3-3 but I would never at any circumstance play with 3-5-2 or 5-3-2 or 5-4-1. What I am pointing out is you should be flexible but play with something you like and believe in. Here is a video guide I like about playing wide and how to capitalize on crosses.

[WizbaII]

Funny xambo, I happen to be experimenting a lot with a 352 right now. If you make a mistake with that tactic you can be punished. But if you play it correctly, it is quite intimidating. In a few weeks, I will know if I am a fan of 3-man defenses or not. What I know (or as you would say, what I believe in) is that I really like zonal defending as opposing to man-marking a bunch of players, so 3 men at the back is great for that...so far. If the 352 experiment doesn't work out, then it'll probably be the good ol' 442 for me.

[Kenco]

I like to come up with a way of playing first, then force my team to fit into it. If I have players that don't fit the formation, the are re-trained or sold.

I will then buy players who fit this system.

Occasional tweaks are made, but it's never to accommodate players.

[Welshace]

Depends.

Sometimes I load up a save with the intention to try out a certain formation and tactic so stick with that and fit players into respective spots..

If i'm playing a general journeyman type save i'll always cater the tactics to the players I have until I can slowly change the makeup of the side into how I like to play.

[Warrenwwr]

i always favour use of the Sweeper/libero, partly bc i need to train a youngster specifically for the role. once he is established, the ai can't deal with him

[FrazT]

I have always favoured a formation with 2 up front, but in recent versions of the game, have struggled to make this work, so this time I am using 4-2-3-1. I usually try to impose my favourite tactic on a new team ( which is of course pretty daft ) and end up doing to logical thing and moulding the tactic to the available players.