FM17 Help me make Conte's Chelsea 3-4-3

[poma]

The use of CD/S, CD/C and the Anchor Man with a CWB on attack is suicide defensively. You are wide open at the back for teams to exploit.

I've put Cahill on CD/D and Azpi on BPD/S and haven't conceded a single goal since then.

Hazard and Pedro as IF's instead of AP's.

Edited December 25, 2016 by poma

[JulianBarth]

25 minutes ago, poma said:

The use of CD/S, CD/C and the Anchor Man with a CWB on attack is suicide defensively. You are wide open at the back for teams to exploit.

I've put Cahill on CD/D and Azpi on BPD/S and haven't conceded a single goal since then.

Hazard and Pedro as IF's instead of AP's.

I second that. Rashidi's tactics leave me super vulnerable at the back. I have no idea how that might even work.

[Rashidi]

Are you using it with Chelsea? And I did say there are 3 options on my blog with the flat one being the most defensive and the one with HB/A being the most accurate in replicating Azpilicuetas movement.

Even on my videos I say that flank will be open to attack. Emulation people not super tactic.

 

[poma]

18 hours ago, Rashidi said:

Are you using it with Chelsea? And I did say there are 3 options on my blog with the flat one being the most defensive and the one with HB/A being the most accurate in replicating Azpilicuetas movement.

Eve on my videos I say that flank will be open to attack.

 

Chelsea yes. For me the CD/D, BPD/C, CD/S seems to be right. Luiz should be the sweeping playmaker of the back three. Cahill nothing fancy, Azpi stepping up just as it says. Also tight marking for Cahill and Azpi. Luiz should be free and just spray passes all over the pitch.

Btw, here is an alternative that works like a treat!

Edited December 26, 2016 by poma

[Ö-zil to the Arsenal!]

Interesting article popped up yesterday on Spielaverung which may be useful for this thread - http://spielverlagerung.com/2016/12/25/antonio-contes-3-4-3/.

[Lobaeux4]

One thing you guys are missing is, Rashidi's tactic is meant to emulate Chelsea, not be the perfect FM tactic.   I used it on my "Antonio Conte's Chelsea" save and it looks like I'm watching Chelsea on tv.   The movement of Azpi, Alonso and Hazard look about perfect.  

 

I have adjust the tactic as well, to suit my playing style and get better use of some other squad players who are whining for playing time, but Rashidi's tactic looks spot on to emulating what I see when I watch Chelsea. 

[LPQR]

On 12/26/2016 at 12:32, Ö-zil to the Arsenal! said:

Interesting article popped up yesterday on Spielaverung which may be useful for this thread - http://spielverlagerung.com/2016/12/25/antonio-contes-3-4-3/.

seconded, great piece!

also, the whole 3-4-3 label is based on what you see in the attacking phase. Defensively, the team will employ a 5-4-1 formation, as shown in the above link. Technically speaking Conte didn't make much of a change from his preferred 3-5-2/5-3-2 system. It's a slightly asymmetric adaption of it if you want. Bophonet illustrates beautifully how a 3-5-2 can become a 3-4-3 here- https://fmbophonet.wordpress.com/2016/12/02/3-5-2-antonio-conte/

and that the 3-4-3 label is just a label

[Sean1967]

Heres what I went with using the players I have avaliable.

[Vico Vito Pep]

14 hours ago, LPQR said:

seconded, great piece!

also, the whole 3-4-3 label is based on what you see in the attacking phase. Defensively, the team will employ a 5-4-1 formation, as shown in the above link. Technically speaking Conte didn't make much of a change from his preferred 3-5-2/5-3-2 system. It's a slightly asymmetric adaption of it if you want. Bophonet illustrates beautifully how a 3-5-2 can become a 3-4-3 here- https://fmbophonet.wordpress.com/2016/12/02/3-5-2-antonio-conte/

and that the 3-4-3 label is just a label

@Bophonet_it training regimen is pretty detailed. Have to try it sometime. 

 

[Bophonet_it]

As soon as I posted my new TACTICAL, 3-4-2-1 Sampaoli..

Try it !!!

https://fmbophonet.wordpress.com/2017/01/09/tattiche-fm17-3-4-2-1-jorge-sampaoli/

[MrMourinho]

I have been reading this thread since the beginning. It have given me lots of nice ideas for my Chelsea team. I am a lifelong Chelsea supporter from Sweden and I have seen every game so far on TV. Often when I have played as Chelsea, I have used a 4-3-3 formation, but ever since Conte showed us his preferred 3-4-2-1 in offense, I have been intrigued to test it myself. In the end I came up with my own view of how to set up my Chelsea team after having watched all games. I started a new save with the only addition of Jairo Riedewald from Ajax in the left centerback slot. 

I was totally blown away after watching our season opener against Liverpool at Anfield. We beat them 5-1 after completely dominate them from the first minute. I was mightily impressed of the score but also with our dominating performance away from home. I used the same formation during the whole season, only changing mentality from control to standard sometimes. Also, changing tempo, width and creative freedom when I needed to unlock defensive sides. The season was a great success in the end, especially since this was my first experience using a back three and trying to replicate Chelsea's style of play. When the season ended we had won 27 games, drawn 10 and lost only once, and that loss came to Man Utd six games from the end. We won the league nine points ahead of Man U. 

This is my set up based on some of the games, especially those games where they used Pedro almost as a midfielder beside Kanté in defence. This was also during the first season, 16/17. I don't claim to be an FM tactic wizard. Sure, I have played this game for 15-20 years and watched a lot of Chelsea games, but I felt I had to share this since this was a major surprise for me. The tactic was very solid defensively and we dominated almost every game, even tough away games against the big sides. We conceded only 25 goals which was impressive and we scored 75 goals which is decent. I thought it reflected Conte's defensive nous very well :)...

 

 

Feel free to comment!

Eric, Sweden

Edited January 10, 2017 by MrMourinho

[Pretended]

I am an avid follower of Conte cult. I always liked 3 defender formations with wing backs.

So I have been trying Rashidi's and Contexx's tactics for a few days with Fenerbahce who already have a capable all-round squad to apply this. I always went on holiday until the end of the season in all cases.

As Rashidi mentioned, it's an emulation, not a super tactic and cost me my job every time.

Contexx's tactic had far better success, yet the biggest achievement once coming 2nd only in the league. I tried all 4 possible combinations of Standard - Control and Structured - Fluid, all lost it at some point.

For a last take I went with MrMourinho's contribution right above and the team managed to qualify from group phases of Europa League to be knocked out by Inter who took the revenge of 2-0 loss at my home turf by destroying us 4-0 at Giuseppe Meazza. But with only this tactic, the team was crowned the champions of Turkish Super League.

The team is the least conceding of the league with highest pass completion ratio also being the clean sheet masters of the competition.

So, this tactic works with a team who are considered among the favorites of a league without any transfers in its first season.

Now onto trying it with a mid-table contender and relegation candidates.

Thanks for all enlightening posts here guys.

Edit: Sacked from Vitesse (predicted to be 5th in Eredivisie). ):

Edit 2: Woo, finished 6th with West Ham (prediction 9th). Two players made it into the team of the year with Simone Zaza claiming the second place of top goalscorers.

Conclusion: The tactic needs quality players to work ?

Edit 3: Finished 3rd with Vitesse with the tactic set to Standard & Fluid. Least conceding team of the year. Trying Control & Structured next.

Edited January 11, 2017 by Pretended

[poma]

On 11/4/2016 at 13:49, JNOUnited said:

Yeah, I've done it with Ozil's 3-4-3 formation making players like Martial act that way, so reckon it should be possible.

Where's Ozils's 3-4-3 tactic?

[Vico Vito Pep]

On 1/10/2017 at 12:15, MrMourinho said:

I have been reading this thread since the beginning. It have given me lots of nice ideas for my Chelsea team. I am a lifelong Chelsea supporter from Sweden and I have seen every game so far on TV. Often when I have played as Chelsea, I have used a 4-3-3 formation, but ever since Conte showed us his preferred 3-4-2-1 in offense, I have been intrigued to test it myself. In the end I came up with my own view of how to set up my Chelsea team after having watched all games. I started a new save with the only addition of Jairo Riedewald from Ajax in the left centerback slot. 

I was totally blown away after watching our season opener against Liverpool at Anfield. We beat them 5-1 after completely dominate them from the first minute. I was mightily impressed of the score but also with our dominating performance away from home. I used the same formation during the whole season, only changing mentality from control to standard sometimes. Also, changing tempo, width and creative freedom when I needed to unlock defensive sides. The season was a great success in the end, especially since this was my first experience using a back three and trying to replicate Chelsea's style of play. When the season ended we had won 27 games, drawn 10 and lost only once, and that loss came to Man Utd six games from the end. We won the league nine points ahead of Man U. 

This is my set up based on some of the games, especially those games where they used Pedro almost as a midfielder beside Kanté in defence. This was also during the first season, 16/17. I don't claim to be an FM tactic wizard. Sure, I have played this game for 15-20 years and watched a lot of Chelsea games, but I felt I had to share this since this was a major surprise for me. The tactic was very solid defensively and we dominated almost every game, even tough away games against the big sides. We conceded only 25 goals which was impressive and we scored 75 goals which is decent. I thought it reflected Conte's defensive nous very well :)...

 

 

Feel free to comment!

Eric, Sweden

@MrMourinho Can you show you're average positions with and without the ball.  I'm curious how Pedro's position esp when Chelsea is defending.  Also how is Kante's action in CM(D) role?  Because he seems to be best at a BBM? Cheers.

[MrMourinho]

2 hours ago, Vico Vito Pep said:

@MrMourinho Can you show you're average positions with and without the ball.  I'm curious how Pedro's position esp when Chelsea is defending.  Also how is Kante's action in CM(D) role?  Because he seems to be best at a BBM? Cheers.

Pedro's position without the ball looks good. He falls back and defends level with Matic. When we have possession I would like him to advance further. However, he contributes his fair share of goals and assists and I'm pleased with him in that regards. I agree that Kanté's workrate is very good and maybe he should get another role to venture forward more and in that way use his strengths more. I have to choose between Matic and Kanté in the more defensive role and I like Kanté's positioning more and he also is a lot quicker than Matic to sweep up balls and stop an counter attack. 

Here is the average positions. The first picture is without the ball and the second with the ball. 

[MrMourinho]

On 2017-01-11 at 02:31, Pretended said:

I am an avid follower of Conte cult. I always liked 3 defender formations with wing backs.

So I have been trying Rashidi's and Contexx's tactics for a few days with Fenerbahce who already have a capable all-round squad to apply this. I always went on holiday until the end of the season in all cases.

As Rashidi mentioned, it's an emulation, not a super tactic and cost me my job every time.

Contexx's tactic had far better success, yet the biggest achievement once coming 2nd only in the league. I tried all 4 possible combinations of Standard - Control and Structured - Fluid, all lost it at some point.

For a last take I went with MrMourinho's contribution right above and the team managed to qualify from group phases of Europa League to be knocked out by Inter who took the revenge of 2-0 loss at my home turf by destroying us 4-0 at Giuseppe Meazza. But with only this tactic, the team was crowned the champions of Turkish Super League.

The team is the least conceding of the league with highest pass completion ratio also being the clean sheet masters of the competition.

So, this tactic works with a team who are considered among the favorites of a league without any transfers in its first season.

Now onto trying it with a mid-table contender and relegation candidates.

Thanks for all enlightening posts here guys.

Edit: Sacked from Vitesse (predicted to be 5th in Eredivisie). ):

Edit 2: Woo, finished 6th with West Ham (prediction 9th). Two players made it into the team of the year with Simone Zaza claiming the second place of top goalscorers.

Conclusion: The tactic needs quality players to work ?

Edit 3: Finished 3rd with Vitesse with the tactic set to Standard & Fluid. Least conceding team of the year. Trying Control & Structured next.

It might be that the tactic works best with better players. I haven't tried it with another team. 

I forgot to mention that I always use the following instructions:

I want my players to make sure that if a wide player is about to cross, then I want them to put him under pressure and show him to the opposite foot (exceptions occur sometimes depending on the opposition players preferred foot). 

I also make sure that my three central defenders always tight mark the oppositions strikers.

I also have a few PI instructions, but they aren't that many.

[Vico Vito Pep]

3 hours ago, MrMourinho said:

Pedro's position without the ball looks good. He falls back and defends level with Matic. When we have possession I would like him to advance further. However, he contributes his fair share of goals and assists and I'm pleased with him in that regards. I agree that Kanté's workrate is very good and maybe he should get another role to venture forward more and in that way use his strengths more. I have to choose between Matic and Kanté in the more defensive role and I like Kanté's positioning more and he also is a lot quicker than Matic to sweep up balls and stop an counter attack. 

Here is the average positions. The first picture is without the ball and the second with the ball. 

I like the positioning on defense:  You can see that 5-4-1 form setup. Only thing in the build-up play, you don't see the movement of Azpi but thats the trade off in this tactic.  Nothing wrong with that.

[Pretended]

23 hours ago, MrMourinho said:

It might be that the tactic works best with better players. I haven't tried it with another team. 

I forgot to mention that I always use the following instructions:

I want my players to make sure that if a wide player is about to cross, then I want them to put him under pressure and show him to the opposite foot (exceptions occur sometimes depending on the opposition players preferred foot). 

I also make sure that my three central defenders always tight mark the oppositions strikers.

I also have a few PI instructions, but they aren't that many.

With my another Vitesse attempt with the tactic set to Standard & Flexible, the team managed to finish at 2nd place only 1 point behind the leaders. That's far beyond the team can achieve without any squad improvements in their first season.

I'll give the same tactic updated with OI's like you mentioned above to see if it results in diminishing of draws.

Thanks for the tactic. It simply works.

Edit: With the best resulting tactic (Standard & Flexible) combined with the OI's you said you use, the team didn't manage as much wins as it did without them - finished 3rd, draws doubled. I guess those OI's made the productive wingers to act more defensively, hence making less assists.

Edited January 13, 2017 by Pretended

[Cap'nRad]

Unfortunately Conte's 3-4-3 is one of the formations I think is impossible to emulate in fm17, because of the wide midfielder/ winger defensive positioning issue. Chelsea defend in a 5-4-1 with the IF's hazard & pedro/ willian coming narrow to help out the 2 CM's, but in fm17 they stay wider in defense by default, and thus the midfield is constantly comically overrun. 

However, I have been using this formation to great success in fm 15:

SK(D)

BPD(ST) --- BPD (D) --- BPD(ST)

CWB(A)------DLP(S)-------BWM(S)--------CWB(A)

IF(S)------CF(S)--------IF(S)

Standard, fluid formation.

Team instructions: roam from positions, push higher up, work ball into box, prevent short gk distribution.

Player instructions: 

SK(D): more risky passes, distribute to centerbacks.

BPD(ST): Close down much more, dribble more

BPD(D): Mark tighter, dribble more. (Your fastest cb should be played here)

CWB(A): Close down more, tackle harder, more risky passes

DLP(S): None

BWM(S): hold position, more risky passes

IF(s): Close down more, sit narrower, roam from position

CF(s): Close down more, run wide with ball.

 

This setup plays exactly like conte's 3-4-3 but you have to remember that just like conte, you need to be flexible with TI's and PI's. For instance, if the 2 Cm's are getting isolated in attack, change CF to DLF, DLP to AP, and change one IF to attack, and the corresponding Wingback to support. Or drop the d-line if trying to counter/ playing a stronger opponent. Or change certain roles. ie. bwm to bbm, IF(s) to IF(a), etc to exploit space on the pitch. In short, remember that this is a very flexible formation. It can counter or control space very well, but PI's and TI's must be adjusted accordingly within each match. Also remember that it doesn't work control the midfield effectively on fm17, and I doubt any formation with wide attackers & wingbacks will.

Edited January 14, 2017 by Cap'nRad

[Pretended]

It's definite: OI's undermine team's ability to convert losses into wins.

Instead of "going on holiday" now, I am restarting a fresh season with Mr Mourinho's tactic on STandard & Flexible settings without any OI's.

[ajsr1982]

I tried to do something based on this, and went for the following:

 

GK/D

CD/D    BPD/C    CD/D

CWB/S     DLP/S     DM/S    WB/A

 

W/S                                        IF/A

DF/S

 

Standard / Flexible, no TIs. Keeper instructed to distribute to CBs.

Early days, but first impressions are that it works a charm.

[fmFutbolManager]

On 12/01/2017 at 19:48, Vico Vito Pep said:

@MrMourinho Can you show you're average positions with and without the ball.  I'm curious how Pedro's position esp when Chelsea is defending.  Also how is Kante's action in CM(D) role?  Because he seems to be best at a BBM? Cheers.

I've been playing Kante as a BWMs with the 'get further forward' instruction. He has been excellent for me in this role. 

[Pretended]

http://tr.beinsports.com/haber/iste-chelseanin-sirri-cozuldu

Found this Turkish-dubbed English vid on newly-Turkish beIN Sports website. Thoughts ?

[Vico Vito Pep]

On 12/23/2016 at 07:45, ChelseaJr said:

 

@Pretended This was in an earlier post in the thread.  In english

[Pretended]

Oh, sorry.

[kpsia518]

35 minutes ago, Vico Vito Pep said:

@Pretended This was in an earlier post in the thread.  In english

 

[Vico Vito Pep]

Interesting take on Conte's tactic:  3-4-3 Attack Mentality. Flexible Shape: http://www.squawka.com/news/how-to-replicate-antonio-contes-3-4-3-system-at-chelsea-on-football-manager-2017/881463

[wereldbol]

i've now not lost since august with liverpool after turning my tactic into a machine that holds the middle somewhere between deadly efficiency and an absolute borefest. probably edging slightly towards the latter. i always have less shots on goal but seem to win by 2 or 3 goals and concede very, very little goals. we soak up pressure, allow loads of long shots and then hit teams on the break with an incredibly slow and ponderous counter attack. it's fun. 

counter/fluid
slightly higher line
close down more
prevent short distribution
play out of defence
shorter passing
be more disciplined
whipped crosses
retain possession
dribble less
pass into space

these last two shouts have made all the difference and have turned the tactic into a machine. dribble less was more out of frustration that countinho kept getting caught in possession in good positions high up the pitch. and pass into space was an attempt to create something after the seventh scoreless draw. but both of them combined have seen us play the ball around a lot better and slip in the left wing back or central forward more often with a cute little ball. the left triangle of wb-ap-cf is something the ai simply cannot cope with. also, the right ap(a) drifts inside to the left to create another passing option there. 

standard conte 343:
 

Code:

           cf(s)
ap(s)                  ap(a)
        cm(d) bbm(s)
wb(a)                  wb(s)
     cd(d) cd(c) cd(d)
           gk(d)

[Lordluap]

2 hours ago, wereldbol said:

i've now not lost since august with liverpool after turning my tactic into a machine that holds the middle somewhere between deadly efficiency and an absolute borefest. probably edging slightly towards the latter. i always have less shots on goal but seem to win by 2 or 3 goals and concede very, very little goals. we soak up pressure, allow loads of long shots and then hit teams on the break with an incredibly slow and ponderous counter attack. it's fun. 

counter/fluid
slightly higher line
close down more
prevent short distribution
play out of defence
shorter passing
be more disciplined
whipped crosses
retain possession
dribble less
pass into space

these last two shouts have made all the difference and have turned the tactic into a machine. dribble less was more out of frustration that countinho kept getting caught in possession in good positions high up the pitch. and pass into space was an attempt to create something after the seventh scoreless draw. but both of them combined have seen us play the ball around a lot better and slip in the left wing back or central forward more often with a cute little ball. the left triangle of wb-ap-cf is something the ai simply cannot cope with. also, the right ap(a) drifts inside to the left to create another passing option there. 

standard conte 343:
 

Code:

           cf(s)
ap(s)                  ap(a)
        cm(d) bbm(s)
wb(a)                  wb(s)
     cd(d) cd(c) cd(d)
           gk(d)

Do you have any real penetration?  any runners beyond the CF or AP's?  Looks Solid for sure but I dont see where a spark would come from?  Plus Retain Possession AND Counter?

[wereldbol]

i have no problem with penetration. the slowness with which i build my counter attack means everyone has plenty of time to get forward and turn into the ball. this is, for example, henderson playing as the cm(d) and looking to build forward. 

as you can see he has plenty of options. the real problem and the real worry for the ai is the left wing back. the ap(s) and the cf(s) give the opposition right back and the opposition right central defender something to defend. now they have chosen to keep my left wing back unmarked. henderson picks out coentrao and two seconds later iheanacho, my cf(s), has put a good, whipped cross into the back of the net. the player keeping their left central defender occupied is my bbm(s) who has made an intelligent forward run. 

in the screengrab above origi, the ap(a) playing from the right wing, has come inside and is almost playing on the left side of the pitch. this is very dangerous and very difficult for the opposition to handle. they not only have the left ap, the left wing back, the cf(s) and the bbm to worry about, they now also have origi coming inside and offering a completely extra passing option on his opposite side of the pitch. he keeps things simple and plays in sturridge who scores a one on one after beating the central defender with a good run. this shows me what i want to know: the complete forward on support will make intelligent runs if you play an intelligent player there. note that origi has the option to turn back into the bbm(s) and we could have rebuilt play from there as well with the right wing back offering something in behind, the left wing back offering a good run forward and coutinho racing forward as well. 

these are just two examples from my most recent game which i won 3-2 away to arsenal. who hadn't conceded more than one goal in a game before hosting us. so i would say i have plenty of penetration but i do not dominate games. i have to emphasise this: i like playing controlled, cautious football with my teams. rather keeping the zero and looking to score a goal on the break than dominate teams in their own half. 

and to answer your other questions: i only really need one initial runner beyond the ap(s), the ap(a) and the cf(s) to open the whole defence up: the left wing back absolutely seems to destroy any defensive organisation the opposition has against my counter attack. from there on in, from the moment the left wing back has the ball and runs into a yard of space, i can see the other players taking up positions in good spaces. so yes, i have one initial runner behind them and it is more often than not enough to break down stubborn defences. if i feel that i have too little penetration, which i rarely do, i turn the ap(a) into an if(a) or even a raumdeuter (depending on personel: lallana is a raumdeuter, origi an inside forward for instance). 

it sounds silly but the spark comes from the single instruction i have added: play ball into space. it is enough to score two or three goals every game in this system. i play very structured although i am playing fluid. disciplined, dribble less, retain possession. everything is in place to play controlled, calculated, boring football. but then the small spark i need is often given by the flair and creativity of players like coutinho who are helped by the instruction to play into space. 

i am not sure what is wrong with playing both retain possession and counter? i did not tick retain possession in the beginning of the season but ever since i have i could see how my long shots have been drastically reduced and how just general play has been much, much better. the ball is moved around well, no hasty decisions, everyone plays for the team and are always looking for the next passing option. i really like this setup. 

Edited January 20, 2017 by wereldbol

[BanOly]

Thrust the Chelsea 3-4-3 onto my Bayer Leverkusen side with no warning or prior tactical training, ahead of my home draw against Borussia Dortmund. I set up the tactic myself based on my knowledge of how Chelsea play, and used players that best suited its high demands.

There were positives and negatives, but we won the game 4-1 and even Karim Bellarabi (who was being played in Victor Moses' position) stepped up to the plate and put in a good performance. Çalhanoglu was my best player, playing in Eden Hazard's position. How about that...?

I started the game with Wendell and Bellarabi in wide midfield positions, but it was clear soon after that they needed to be reined in. Volland was my space investigator due to it being his natural role, but when I brought on Da Costa, I moved Bellarabi up into that position and made it another Inside Forward.

Volland didn't do well, and Tah's mistake led to the only concession. I don't consider this a tactical fault, as he's similar to John Stones in that I'm trying to develop him as a Ball-Playing Defender.

[MrMourinho]

I had to start a new save to see if I could replicate the fantastic first season I had with Chelsea when I lost only one league game against Man U away. Was the whole season just a fluke, a one season wonder, or would I be able to do it again. I have started a new save and I'm into the first season and my second friendly. We're on a tour in Singapore where we play Arsenal on a neutral ground. Arsenal play most of their big guns. Özil, Sanchez, Walcott, Coquelin among others. The first signs are very good that I would be able to replicate the great season I posted in this thread before. If I get going I might try to make this a long save. Anyway, I just had to give you an insight of how the game is after the first 45 min. I get very excited that we play this good and totally dominate Arsenal. The last 5 min we conceded two long balls over the top. I play Terry in the cover role in the middle, but he is too slow and I am going to play Luiz there and try to buy me another DC. Here are the stats after the first 45 min...

I have made a couple of changes to my tactic since I posted in this thread. 

1. I have made the central midfielder a BWS (s) instead of a CM (d). I want a more aggressive role to try and win more second balls and also participate more in the attack sometimes. So far the signs are very promising...

2. I have changed the left CM (s) PI. He has now close down more and tackle harder to try to get this role also more aggressive. 

3. I have changed the CWB (a) to a WB (a). This because when I viewed the map when we're in possession he had a position that was not high enough. Now it's better. Somehow I thought it was going to be the other way round. 

4. I have also changed to lower tempo to try to keep possession better. 

5. I play now with balanced width. Last time I used fairly narrow. With this change we use more the width of the pitch.

6. I have changed the fw role to a DLF (a) to experiment. Before a DF (s)

7. Also a AM (a) instead of a AP (a) to try to get more penetration. This will depend on the player who plays there.

What I also note is that "use offside trap" is very important, because with this TI I reduce the chances the opposition get with long balls over the top and one on one with my keeper. 

As you understand this could totally fall apart in the second half :). I just had to show you this sample because I got so excited that it works so well against top opposition.

Edited January 23, 2017 by MrMourinho

[MrMourinho]

It got even better in the second half.

 

We won the corner stat. 14-3.

Possession 57-43%

They had only one shot on target in 90 min.

Next game I will alson have Hazard and Courtois back from injury. Frightening!

I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship...again. 

Edited January 23, 2017 by MrMourinho

[MrMourinho]

One more thing I realised when I had this winning streak in my last save was how important it is to give good team talks and the press conferences are.  I actually had the stamina to do every team talk and press conference by my self. I just answered as realistic as possible. I think this helped me to keep my players focused and committed and avoided complacency.

[Vico Vito Pep]

Just sharing a quick passmap update on how @Rashidi Conte Tactic has evolved on my Gladbach save.  Only tweak I did was I made the AM(L) an IF-A instead of AF-A. Gladbach trounced Augsburg 5-0 to end our Bundesliga season

[Pretended]

1 hour ago, Vico Vito Pep said:

Just sharing a quick passmap update on how @Rashidi Conte Tactic has evolved on my Gladbach save.  Only tweak I did was I made the AM(L) an IF-A instead of AF-A. Gladbach trounced Augsburg 5-0 to end our Bundesliga season

Can you post your tactic screen SS and mention your PI's please ?

[Vico Vito Pep]

2 hours ago, Pretended said:

Can you post your tactic screen SS and mention your PI's please ?

Same tactic as @Rashidi Conte 3-4-3, but I just add to be More Expressive & Pass into Space (depending on Opposition.)  Every now and then I'll add Work Ball Into Box.

PI's for each position is the same too. I'll ask the Defensive Forward/Deep-Lying Forward to Move into Channels though. And the CM(S) i'll ask to Hold Position because Christoph Kramer has tendency to sneak into the box. I've fiddled with CM(Au) couple games, think it works with Kramer.

**Disclaimer** -- assuming you watched @Rashidi YouTube on Conte's Chelsea.

 

Edited January 27, 2017 by Vico Vito Pep

[Smx]

Hello. I'm from Russia. Sorry for my English. In my opinion, the first error, which allowed you to emulate the tactics Comte - education. The first page shows the general scheme of 3-4-3. But Conte uses a narrow block in the center of the field. Fabregas and Kant are dual core. However, Willian and Azar they form a box in the middle of the field. In defense, Fabregas is not close, it fills the space in front of the defense. Kant is a major player in the button. If the clock when the ball is on the left side of the field from Chelsea Kant comes energy. Fabregas below the diagonal. When the ball is in the right part of the field the situation is different. Kant and Fabregas played line. Fabregas rarely covers the maximum opposition. The box in the center of the field with Azar and Willian allows rich area to play ball in defense. Chelsea gets the advantage over the opposition, when the pressure. It is unlikely that my English is enough to make you get the idea)

Here, an image of what I say

 

This is a typical situation This is independent of the third field (defense, middle, offensive)

 

This is a key principle.

When Chelsea gets possession, Fabregas first through someone builds attack. He playmaker. His passages directed Hazard, Willian and Diego Costa. From them comes the main creativity in attack, supported by wingbacks. Cesc and Kant at the same time more often in the back (double axle). Kant but can be moved if necessary, while Cesc - mostly holding position and the team is built around it. Hazard and Willian not playmakers. They forward within the central zone. Costa Diego provides support for them. Costa Diego often omitted in the depth of field at the center.

Thus, the interpretation of the tactics of Conte I would start with the following roles and dutys

3 DC

WB S или А

DPL D

BWM D или S

AM S или A (SS? T?)

DLF S или A (F9? СF?)

 

 

 

 

Edited January 29, 2017 by Smx

[Pretended]

On 23.01.2017 at 17:12, MrMourinho said:

One more thing I realised when I had this winning streak in my last save was how important it is to give good team talks and the press conferences are.  I actually had the stamina to do every team talk and press conference by my self. I just answered as realistic as possible. I think this helped me to keep my players focused and committed and avoided complacency.

With your latest update, I've been tearing down the league and Europa League (in my team's standards) now.

Vitesse, top of Eredivisie with only 5 goals conceded after 13 games and 2nd after Lyon in Europa League where other contenders are Rubin Kazan and HSV. I smashed Rubin with a 5-1 win at home, pulled of another 3-0 away at HSV's turf but lost heavily at the hands of Lyon with a score of 3-0.

I'm now into the replays of Europa League matches where I carry on after sending Feyenoord home with a humiliating 5-0 win over them.

Team have gone nuts. Thank you.

[MrMourinho]

14 hours ago, Pretended said:

With your latest update, I've been tearing down the league and Europa League (in my team's standards) now.

Vitesse, top of Eredivisie with only 5 goals conceded after 13 games and 2nd after Lyon in Europa League where other contenders are Rubin Kazan and HSV. I smashed Rubin with a 5-1 win at home, pulled of another 3-0 away at HSV's turf but lost heavily at the hands of Lyon with a score of 3-0.

I'm now into the replays of Europa League matches where I carry on after sending Feyenoord home with a humiliating 5-0 win over them.

Team have gone nuts. Thank you.

Very pleasing to hear that you have been able to find success with your tactic. As I said earlier in this thread, this formation made me champions in the first season of the game. The most astonishing, for me, was that I only lost one game during the 16/17 season. It was the most solid tactic I had used so far during my years playing FM. I don't think you could expect to find this consistency if you played the same season over and over. It seemed that all pieces came together brilliantly. The most pleasing for me was that I actually think it replicates Chelsea's tactic really well. Especially those games IRL where Chelsea use Pedro or Willian as a central midfielder in the defensive phase. Often against the big sides they play like this. I am about to start a new long save with this tactic and approach. This time I will see if I can fine tune the tactic even more. 

Edited February 1, 2017 by MrMourinho

[Pretended]

Into the first knockout phase of EL now whereas I am 4 points in front of Ajax, leading Eredivisie.

I also unlocked the achievement of not conceding for 10 games in a row.

[MrMourinho]

3 hours ago, Pretended said:

Into the first knockout phase of EL now whereas I am 4 points in front of Ajax, leading Eredivisie.

I also unlocked the achievement of not conceding for 10 games in a row.

Wow! No goals conceded in 10 games. That's impressive! How many seasons into the save are you?

[Pretended]

That's my 2nd season with Vitesse.

 

My first eleven (for comparative purposes):

GK: Eloy Room

CB(st): Victor Ramos

CB(st): Nicolas Sanchez

CB(c): Guram Kashia

WBL(a): Charlie Taylor

WBR(a): Maikel Van der Werff

BWM(s): Sheran Yeini

CM(s): Marvelous Nakamba

CM(a): Navarone Foor

AM(a): Nathan

DLF(a): Walter Gonzalez

 

The guys in bold are original Vitesse players.

[MrMourinho]

1 hour ago, Pretended said:

That's my 2nd season with Vitesse.

 

My first eleven (for comparative purposes):

GK: Eloy Room

CB(st): Victor Ramos

CB(st): Nicolas Sanchez

CB(c): Guram Kashia

WBL(a): Charlie Taylor

WBR(a): Maikel Van der Werff

BWM(s): Sheran Yeini

CM(s): Marvelous Nakamba

CM(a): Navarone Foor

AM(a): Nathan

DLF(a): Walter Gonzalez

 

The guys in bold are original Vitesse players.

Nice work already in second season! Have you changed anything from the tactic? Do you use opposition instructions? Do you use control and fluid? I didn't concede many in my first season with Chelsea but I didn't manage 10 in a row without conceding. It's nice with with having such a solid outfit who is almost inpenetreable, don't you think? 😀. Almost like the real Chelsea during their best spell. 

[Pretended]

See SS for Tactic's general outline. It must be the same with your most updated one.

I don't use OI's. They undermine your tactical soundness, me thinks. 

I tried almost all tactics here on different Mentality and Team Shape settings and your previous one was the best among them. It was shaky a bit but ever since I upgraded this season to the updated one, it worked wonders.

 

Edit: I also use Defending/Attacking Corner set pieces from one of the guys here since they matter a lot - I don't remember who. It's slightly modified, that's all.

Edited February 1, 2017 by Pretended

[MrMourinho]

36 minutes ago, Pretended said:

See SS for Tactic's general outline. It must be the same with your most updated one.

I don't use OI's. They undermine your tactical soundness, me thinks. 

I tried almost all tactics here on different Mentality and Team Shape settings and your previous one was the best among them. It was shaky a bit but ever since I upgraded this season to the updated one, it worked wonders.

 

Edit: I also use Defending/Attacking Corner set pieces from one of the guys here since they matter a lot - I don't remember who. It's slightly modified, that's all.

I might be daft, but what do you mean by "see SS for Tactic general outline"? I'm from Sweden so maybe I'm not familiar with all expressions :). I understand now, I think. With SS you mean screen shot right?

What difference have you noticed when you play with standard, flexible compared to control fluid?

Edited February 1, 2017 by MrMourinho

[Pretended]

Yeah SS stands for screenshot. (:

I didn't play while experimenting. I just set the tactic and "went on holiday". So I don't really know what happened on the pitch, sorry.

 

[poma]

On 1/23/2017 at 14:45, MrMourinho said:

I had to start a new save to see if I could replicate the fantastic first season I had with Chelsea when I lost only one league game against Man U away. Was the whole season just a fluke, a one season wonder, or would I be able to do it again. I have started a new save and I'm into the first season and my second friendly. We're on a tour in Singapore where we play Arsenal on a neutral ground. Arsenal play most of their big guns. Özil, Sanchez, Walcott, Coquelin among others. The first signs are very good that I would be able to replicate the great season I posted in this thread before. If I get going I might try to make this a long save. Anyway, I just had to give you an insight of how the game is after the first 45 min. I get very excited that we play this good and totally dominate Arsenal. The last 5 min we conceded two long balls over the top. I play Terry in the cover role in the middle, but he is too slow and I am going to play Luiz there and try to buy me another DC. Here are the stats after the first 45 min...

I have made a couple of changes to my tactic since I posted in this thread. 

1. I have made the central midfielder a BWS (s) instead of a CM (d). I want a more aggressive role to try and win more second balls and also participate more in the attack sometimes. So far the signs are very promising...

2. I have changed the left CM (s) PI. He has now close down more and tackle harder to try to get this role also more aggressive. 

3. I have changed the CWB (a) to a WB (a). This because when I viewed the map when we're in possession he had a position that was not high enough. Now it's better. Somehow I thought it was going to be the other way round. 

4. I have also changed to lower tempo to try to keep possession better. 

5. I play now with balanced width. Last time I used fairly narrow. With this change we use more the width of the pitch.

6. I have changed the fw role to a DLF (a) to experiment. Before a DF (s)

7. Also a AM (a) instead of a AP (a) to try to get more penetration. This will depend on the player who plays there.

What I also note is that "use offside trap" is very important, because with this TI I reduce the chances the opposition get with long balls over the top and one on one with my keeper. 

As you understand this could totally fall apart in the second half :). I just had to show you this sample because I got so excited that it works so well against top opposition.

Any other PI's?

[Antmanbrooks]

 

On 1/20/2017 at 09:31, wereldbol said:

i've now not lost since august with liverpool after turning my tactic into a machine that holds the middle somewhere between deadly efficiency and an absolute borefest. probably edging slightly towards the latter. i always have less shots on goal but seem to win by 2 or 3 goals and concede very, very little goals. we soak up pressure, allow loads of long shots and then hit teams on the break with an incredibly slow and ponderous counter attack. it's fun. 

counter/fluid
slightly higher line
close down more
prevent short distribution
play out of defence
shorter passing
be more disciplined
whipped crosses
retain possession
dribble less
pass into space

these last two shouts have made all the difference and have turned the tactic into a machine. dribble less was more out of frustration that countinho kept getting caught in possession in good positions high up the pitch. and pass into space was an attempt to create something after the seventh scoreless draw. but both of them combined have seen us play the ball around a lot better and slip in the left wing back or central forward more often with a cute little ball. the left triangle of wb-ap-cf is something the ai simply cannot cope with. also, the right ap(a) drifts inside to the left to create another passing option there. 

standard conte 343:
 

Code:

           cf(s)
ap(s)                  ap(a)
        cm(d) bbm(s)
wb(a)                  wb(s)
     cd(d) cd(c) cd(d)
           gk(d)

Do you have any PI or OI with this setup? If so, could you explain what instructions you use? I like the basis of this and I feel this most closely matches my interpretation of Conte's style and formation.

Another question I have to anyone out there is if I'm correctly interpreting the 'formation' on FM, that is the team's defensive shape right? well Chelsea seem to line up in a deep, 5-4-1 formation when defending, so is there a way to play this formation but make the wide midfielders act like deep lying center forwards? So I want my wide midfielders to push up, play narrow and directly run at the opposition defence like Hazard and Pedro do.

[fmFutbolManager]

This is a really interesting thread. Some great ideas in here. I've been thinking of trying something new for my Chelsea side as I'm bored with the typically 4-2-3-1 / 4-3-3 that I usually play.

I've been experimenting with a 3-4-3 in various guises, and at the moment I'm pretty much settled on this. My only issue seems to be creating clear cut chances. I know this isn't always an indicator of a good tactic, but I'm finding most of my goals are wonder strikes etc. Which is okay for now, but I know it cannot be sustained.

I play with three at the back, two stopper central defenders either side a covering central defender. I find this works best against most single striker formations. I play with a very deep defensive line so there's little chance this exposing my covering defender. Or at least I'm yet to experience that so I guess time will tell.

I use two complete wing backs on attack and support as @wereldbol does above, along with two advanced playmakers ahead of them in the AML/R positions. I'm finding the advanced playmakers drift infield a lot, bringing their opposite numbers with them, leaving my wing backs plenty of space to break through on goal for shooting or crossing across the face for simple tap ins. 

I'm a sucker for the ball winning midfielder role. I have two in central midfield. I cannot escape using them and with my high pressing tactic they're perfect for chasing down the opposition and winning the ball back before then creating chances and busting a nut to get into the box themselves (I instruct them to get further forward)

The trouble role I have is the loan striker. I currently use a complete forward on support, but I find his movement isn't great and he rarely seems to be involved. I might play a poacher as my wing backs are often firing crosses along the face of goal. Would this work? Any advice here would be appreciated.

The below is a set of images for our typical play. Griezmann and Pedro are my two attacking midfielders in the AML/R role. They're very central leaving the two further most players out wide my wing backs unmarked. You can see the defending player on the left coming in to close down Greizmann. This leaves a simple pass over and over again. The other two players close to Griezmann are my ball winning midfielders. They're always there offering a way back for the advanced playmakers if they need the support. You can see in this instance Baba shoots, but I want Boga running in on the back stick making himself available for a cross to tap in. How do I translate this in terms of roles and duties for my striker?