Looking for advice on my current under performing tactic

[Clifton14]

Hello Friends and fellow Football Managers.  I am finding success with my current tactics somewhat challenging. Overall we're not performing massively below bar, with a media prediction of 12th  my team currently occupies 15th place in the EFL Championship. However. I am finding it hard to maintain any form of consistency and after 6 games without a win I am up for the sack in 5 games time if I don't collect 6 points!!! So. The challenge is on to stabilize. So I am looking for way to improve this tactic and to also see where I am going wrong. So any help would be brilliant. 

 

I found the pairs and combinations, the Art of series very useless in planning my tactics also; 

 

The Formation 

I decided to switch my formation 7 EFL games into the season, as I  came to my senses and stopped being stubborn and trying to play my style (tiki-taka)  as my team simply doesn't posses the required skill to pull it off. Lots of possession and long shot issue (due to lack of support and better options) So I switched to a 4-2-3-1 wide with an AF leading the line. a Winger on the left, with a AM just behind the AF and an IF on the right hand side, with a support duty playing ahead of a maundering wingback with an attack duty.  On the left side behind my Winger (also with an attack duty) my full back is on a support duty. I choose these roles for my dual wide men as I wanted to have a variety of ways of penetrating the opposition so that my attacks wouldn't become one dimension and stale.  My two central players in midfield are a CM (D) and a DLP (S) so my defense would have protection. Lastly my two centre backs are simply on a defend duty. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Team & Player instructions

 

Here are my team instructions.  I was wondering what people's opinion are  on changing my Instructions for the final third, as the early, whipped crosses possibly suite a more counter attacking style? than a standard or attacking mentality as most away teams will probably sit deeper if they'e coming to my ground, unless they are the better side?  Same as clear ball to flanks. Would that be more counter productive in an attacking or standard mentality side?

 

My Player instructions are. Left Winger is to, get further forward, run wide with ball, dribble more. The IF is to center the ball and that is all the player instructions I have made. 

 

Results

Here are my results. The redline is where I changed my formation to my current one in use now. 

 

 

Comparison  & Depth

 

 

OI Instructions 

 

With my OI instructions, I will mark & close down slow strikers and show them onto their weaker foot. I will close down both wingers and fullbacks and tackle both hard and again show them onto their weak foot. AMS & APs will be closed down, but will not be marked as usually there will be a space in-between the central two in midfield and the the defense. Central AI midfielders will be closed down depending on their passing, scoring, creativity and long shot attributes. 

 

 

Away Formation & Instructions 

 

The OI here is the same as the home tactic. The Player instructions are as follows, WMs get forward more, dribbles more and the BBM roams more. 

 

 

 

 

 

[jeid2000]

I know that you've said that it's not working, but you've not explained why it's not working or what exactly is going wrong. What are you seeing in games that you think isn't good? What's working well? Give us some idea of that and people here should be able to help.

Your role/duty distribution seems fine. Perhaps just looking at the instructions, you've maybe over complicated it a bit, but you've not really mentioned a style that you want to play, so it's hard to advise what would be best for you.

[Rags89]

Try using more support duties, I'd particularly recommend dropping the cam to support and perhaps the forward to complete forward support, at the moment your cam probably isn't getting on the ball in deep enough areas to have an impact and your forward is struggling to get involved in build up play, leaving wingers isolated. It's much harder to score from crosses when the centre backs have not been dragged out of position and your forwards movement/build up play from team as a whole my be struggling to do that.                                                  I'm also not keen on your oi for wingers, with forwards you explain your logic and suggest you tailor the oi based on attributes, try doing this for players all over the pitch. One change I'd make is not to automatically go hard on wingers, particularly if they are quick and possess good dribbling, go easy and jockey instead, perhaps show them outside if the opposition forward is a midget. 

[Clifton14]

26 minutes ago, jeid2000 said:

I know that you've said that it's not working, but you've not explained why it's not working or what exactly is going wrong. What are you seeing in games that you think isn't good? What's working well? Give us some idea of that and people here should be able to help.

Your role/duty distribution seems fine. Perhaps just looking at the instructions, you've maybe over complicated it a bit, but you've not really mentioned a style that you want to play, so it's hard to advise what would be best for you.

Good morning. I think the biggest issue I'm having is that once the players get in the final third we tend to struggle. For  example my midfielders will try and look for the pas but, will end up either being tackled or taking a long shot, which shouldn't happen because with the roles in the team there should be enough support options?  I find even though I have my Right wingback on attack duty I find that he won't get up and overlap so my midfield can have someone to provide a pass to. Also I find when we do have a CCC it either put straight at the GK or it comes off the post. So I believe the biggest issue is the need to score more goals.

 

As regards to my style. I tend to play with an attaching philosophy, depending on the strength of the opposition. Away, again depending on the opposition I'll go with 4-1-4-1 counter attaching.

[Clifton14]

53 minutes ago, Rags89 said:

Try using more support duties, I'd particularly recommend dropping the cam to support and perhaps the forward to complete forward support, at the moment your cam probably isn't getting on the ball in deep enough areas to have an impact and your forward is struggling to get involved in build up play, leaving wingers isolated. It's much harder to score from crosses when the centre backs have not been dragged out of position and your forwards movement/build up play from team as a whole my be struggling to do that.                                                  I'm also not keen on your oi for wingers, with forwards you explain your logic and suggest you tailor the oi based on attributes, try doing this for players all over the pitch. One change I'd make is not to automatically go hard on wingers, particularly if they are quick and possess good dribbling, go easy and jockey instead, perhaps show them outside if the opposition forward is a midget. 

Good morning. I will give that a try in my next match with regards to duties. As for OI with fast players I tend to have tackle easy and never close down or mark and just show onto weaker foot as the fast players would just annihilate my defenders. That could possibly be where I am going wrong defensively by standing off? 

[Rags89]

40 minutes ago, Clifton14 said:

Good morning. I will give that a try in my next match with regards to duties. As for OI with fast players I tend to have tackle easy and never close down or mark and just show onto weaker foot as the fast players would just annihilate my defenders. That could possibly be where I am going wrong defensively by standing off? 

Morning, perhaps, as I say just evaluate the OI on a game by game basis, there is probably little point tight marking a player with is likely to roam from the wing or is brilliant off the ball, equally if your full backs aren't great as marking. The thing is at championship level you don't want to give too much respect, sometimes I over think things vs weaker opposition and end up losing. Standing off will increase the crosses going into your box for sure so against 4-4-2 and taller forwards you will likely concede using this tactic but you have to weigh up the opportunity cost, and accept you may well concede one way or another, the question is are you likely to concede more goals standing off or closing down. When judging this the factors I include are: Relative speed of fullback/winger, dribbling/tackling, bravery, agility, flair of winger, off the ball/marking/positioning, preferred foot (if opposite to wing do not tight mark, perhaps use slightly narrow shape and consider a DMC). Put simply if your full back has the beating of  the winger you can go to town, otherwise you can only lessen the advantage of the opponent in wide areas, you cannot completely nullify with weaker players. Play the percentages and hope for the best!  

[Clifton14]

So an excellent performance away at 2nd place Newcastle resulting in a emphatic 4-2 victory. I made a few changes. I moved Lameh back over to the left (as I thought he was right footed) and moved my right full back into the wide midfield role  on the right, who then went on to provide two quality assists. Hoping this is the start of a fightback and not a false dawn.  Onto my next match at home so will use my 4-2-3-1 formation, but unfortunately I am losing Assombalonga to the ACON!!! very frustrating but 3 points of my 8 point target met so far. Fortunately I have some additions. (Karl Henry,Tomas Dubek) so that will strengthen my team.   

[Rags89]

Nice job man! Good to see NU had no CCC. I just won away at Old Trafford incidentally, you think I 'FMed' them  

[Clifton14]

Disappointing 0-0 v Barnsley who are 23rd in the league. The biggest issue for me which I've see a few times over the season is players getting through on goal and it being saved when they should have scored.  I am thinking about changing my right IF back into a winger position as it's just not creating anything and I don't have a left footed player to occupy the IF right position, my attack is blunt anyway even with the different routes to goal. 25% of shots on target isn't really good enough.  Any ideas how I can create more chances for my team?  Thanks.