FM17 - The community formation experiment

[the_gaffa]

Sign me up please! I gave this a go in FM 2016 and it probably ended up being one of my most enjoyable saves.

[Ciderarmy]

Hi Jambo 98 I would like to join if there's any formations left thanks

[lmaoAbu]

Formation plz?

[DeekyABC]

I'll be updating my tactic's development on my blog as well on this site if anyone is curious. Here's the first update.

Looking at 3-1-4-2 DM, there's two major weakness of the formation.

• No wing backs (I would normally never use MR/L's with a back 3.
• No number 10 to support the strikers. All support is going to have to come from deeper.

However, the positives of the formation:

• 2 strikers and plenty of men deep provides good opportunities for counters
• Having 3 back at all times means I can be quite aggressive with my role choice in central midfield.

This is what I've gone for so far, with a counter mentality and a flexible team shape. The central midfield area is basically one big tribute to the Pirlo/Vidal/Marchisio midfield Juve had several years ago. I've only had work ball into box and play out of defence selected so far, but after the first friendly with Nice I've added higher defensive line because I felt the gap between midfield and attack was too big, and I wanted to shuffle the whole team up. For that reason I'm also debating increasing the shape to fluid. I want the low risk, safe passing you get with counter, but I don't want to invite other teams onto us. It led to a 1-0 win and 63% of the ball. It should have been more as well. I also need to add prevent short GK distribution, which I've forgotten for some reason.

I can already tell I'm going to love Sensi at Regista, and the defensive trio of Acerbi - Antei - Letschert looked solid enough. I'm debating making a signing to upgrade depth at CM, and I have a feeling I might need a right midfielder. Defrel got injured within about 15 minutes, so I'm going to be left with Iemello and Matri for a few weeks. Hurry up Berardi.

[Jambo98]

@sue_donym - 3412 

 

@blue heron - 4311 DM Narrow

 @lmaoAbu -5221 DM

 

@scorpionis1 - 5212 WB 

[Jambo98]

@the_gaffa   - 5221 WB 

@Ciderarmy - 4231 DM Wide

[blue heron]

@blue heron - 4311 DM Narrow

 

A very narrow formation. That's going to be a challenge for me. 

[Ciderarmy]

4-2-3-1 fm wide very happy 😀

[AndySummers]

4 hours ago, Jambo98 said:

I am leaving standard mentality, as i nearly always do as a starting point on my tactics. Team shape here is interesting. I am a great believer in Very Fluid in terms of my overall approach to the game, and i am going with it here to try and encourage a little more freedom and more movement between the lines, in terms of fullbacks and the AMCs both being dual pupose. One thing that does strike me though, is that this formation may not be well suited to the vertical compactness which comes with Very Fluid - something for me to watch out for. 

The formation is somewhat suited to a high press, with such numbers in advanced spaces. The worry of course is that they are all narrow - who will press the fullbacks? I will try and use OI to mange that at first. To support my high press, i have gone with Push Higher Up, Close Down More and Prevent Short GK Distribution. I have also added Exploit the middle - it remains to be seen if this is overkill, since we will naturally do that with the volume of bodies, but i want to try and make sure we focus on the area we are strongest. As my roles and duties will show, i am not, for the moment, expecting flying wingbacks in my setup. 

You've come to similar conclusions as myself Jambo, considering we have - broadly - similar formations and challenges.

I was looking at two distinct ways to play the 4312 narrow. The formation lends itself to a high press, but the wide areas look an easy out. Or I could use the dense middle area of the field and look to sit back, soak up pressure and break rapidly on the counter. The big issue here is the dreaded 'two on one' in wide areas. If there are two things I hate in a formation:

• Two strikers and no width.
• A shortage wide.

And I have them both here. A high press suits my usual methodology, but there is a distinct danger that the two forwards end up sitting on opposing defenders, both playing with back to goal and unable to generate movement. That said, in a formation that can only offer natural width from very deep, a high press also forces the two fullbacks higher up the pitch earlier, enabling width and throwing in an overload in the centre. Conversely, I could set up the forwards (or, at least, a forward) to move into channels and free up central space for an onrushing attacking midfielder, but somehow I've never managed to get this working as I envisage.

This was my opening gambit:

It looks 'odd' for a 4312, but I wanted to really go full-force on the wingbacks, almost back to the heyday of Capello's Roma and the Candela-Cafu tandem. Get them up into dangerous areas at every opportunity. Having both wider central midfielders on a defensive setting keeps a robust baseline to the tactic, ensure we can pick up runners more easily, and also allows an easier shift to cover the aggressive wingbacks. The most central midfielder then acts as a playmaking 'pivot' to feed in the wingbacks, operating in the space behind an aggressive attacking midfielder (I considered a shadow striker here). I then considered having both strikers dropping-off, almost creating a 2-1-2-1, but felt this might just lack movement and instead went with a favourite target man system to try and generate some additional penetration.

It is always hard to judge early games, with form and fitness an issue, but the system didn't play well. Albeit I had, at that stage, left all mentality and duties untouched, to get a feel for the formation first and foremost.

I then built the below, as my second shape. This much more fits how I like to set up, with a dedicated playmaker. Here I'm using two to generate some lateral movement on the ball and to provide a more seamless link to the slightly toned-down wingbacks, who were isolated in the first shape. I would expect the roles to alter, perhaps one AM(s) switching to DLP(s) or the CWB toned back to a WB(a). I'm also using a CF(s) here to try and stretch an opposing backline.

I'll add a third shape as pre-season progresses. One thing I've noted in the opening pre-season games is that there is usually a clusterfudge of players in the packed midfield. Too much fluidity ensuring players drift into each other's spaces with regularity. The third shape will be exploring a more structured system, keeping the gapping and instead using the overall instruction and mentality to break down lines.

In terms of the squad, I've promoted both Adjapong and Pierini to take a look at them. No transfers on the horizon, but having only played within the South American market to-date, the familiar faces in Argentina could be the ones I look towards. A cheap Sebastien Driussi is tempting, particularly if he starts with the 'cuts inside from wings' PPM that he's got in my Argentinos file.

[james95]

I'd like to try this too.

[Jambo98]

@james95 -  5131 DM WB

[paulskln]

Is it too late to sign up please

[DrPoods]

Is it still possible to join this experiment?

As a follow up, as I am planning on getting FM17 soon (if possible), can I start on FM16 and then switch over? I'm keen on getting some ideas together fast and it would serve as kind of like a placeholder if I can have a go in FM16 for now. 😀

[scorpionis1]

The 5-2-1-2 WB is pretty interesting as there are a few ways of implementing it. You could have relatively conservative wingbacks with a deeper AM which would allow you to play essentially a standard 3-5-2, soaking up pressure with the back 5 and then countering through the centre of the pitch due to your dense options. On the other hand, you can have more offensive wingbacks more Victor Moses than Marcus Alonso if compared to Conte's 3-4-2-1 at Chelsea. This combined with a more offensive AM and a striker, such as a DLF, which drops deeper creates something similar to a 3-4-2-1 or 3-4-3, which favours a more fluid, possession orientated game. I'll be focusing on the latter as that's how I've generally set-up my teams in Football Manager.

This is how I've set up my team in terms of roles. It's pretty standard stuff for the most part. A flat back three, two attacking wingbacks, a very generic midfield duo of a creator (Sensi as a DLP-S or an RPM-S depending on the quality of opposition) and a destroyer (Duncans as a CM-D). The front three is pretty standard, with the exclusion of the Shadow Striker role filled by Ricci and hopefully a player like Luan if I can afford him. The AF in the form of Matri is the main spearhead of the attack with the SS and DLF sitting off him creating a 3-4-2-1 of sorts in attack. 

The Team Instructions I've used are again pretty generic for a fluid, attacking brand of football. The only really thing out of the ordinary is the 'Pass Into Space' instruction which I've added to exploit the fact that my wingbacks (and support strikers) should have miles of space to move into due to either the nature of the formation or the movement of my AF. I've pretty much ignored PIs as I believe that players should only be given a rough framework to work within while deciding the minutiae themselves. The only one I've added is 'Distribute to CBs' on my Goalkeeper so as to encourage building out from the back as all my CBs are decent on the ball.

Preseason has gone reasonably well so far. 3 wins and a draw away is totally acceptable, though the games against Admira were a bit tense for my liking. I'll probably post another update sometime in October or November about any transfers I make and league form. 

[the_gaffa]

Cheers for adding me Jambo.

5-2-2-1 WB will be a new one for me and after looking at the squad, I'll definitely be strengthening those wingback areas! Still... should be a good challenge.  

[kstoyle]

Hi Jambo98

Can you allocate me a formation please?

Not sure how often I will be able to update due to work, kids etc but I'd like to give this a go as the concept is interesting

Thanks

[Fosse]

I lost both legs of the 3rd Europa league qualifier to Admira Wacker Modling, it's safe to say I'm not a fan of the asymmetric 4123 DM asymmetric. I'm having a nightmare with screenshots at the moment but the base formation is a standard back four, a holding midfielder, CML, MR, AML, AMCR and STC, there's quite a big hole on the right side of midfield and there's bunching issues exacerbated by the wide midfielder defensive positioning. 

[Jambo98]

@paulskln - 4132 DM

 

@DrPoods - 4213 DM Wide

@kstoyle - 532 Sweeper WB

[Jambo98]

So only had time to play one game so far, let my ass man do the friendlies (i fully expect this first run through to be "throw away" and restart at least once!) Lost the first leg of the europa 1  v 0 away. We were long shot happy, to the extreme, and i am already worried that lack of width will kill me id i dont either go more attacking with WB or encourage the AMCs to run wider somehow. 

See how it goes in the second leg. Have added "work the ball into the box" which i seem to end up adding in nearly every tactic to avoid 100 long shots per game :/ 

[Bmwdestroyer]

Tactics

So the formation I have been given is the 4321 Narrow. I have never used this before in any Fm so should be a fun attempt. My first thought was to create an attacking high pressing tactic, the things I want this tactic to do are

• Provide some width so all the play is not straight through the middle and very predictable
• Have a goal scoring threat from the AMC position
• Have good linkup between the striker and the midfield
• Have Runners from CM providing support to the forwards
• Support the full backs in defence when the opposition has lots of width
• One of the CM's keeping back while attacking and providing some support for the more attacking players
• Split roles on fullbacks to provide problems to the opposition

So onto what I have done to achieve these aims:

 

• Provide some width so all the play is not straight through the middle and very predictable
• Have a goal scoring threat from the AMC position

For these two I chose one of my AMC's to be a Shadow Striker as the role has move into channels activated by default and will score goals aswell

 

• Have good linkup between the striker and the midfield

For this I chose the CF-S role as he will drop deeper which will help with linkup but also will get into the box to score

 

• Have Runners from CM providing support to the forwards

I chose my two outside CM's to be a BBM and CM-S as they are both mobile roles and will get forward. I may think about changing the CM-S to a CM-A if he sits back too much

 

• Support the full backs in defence when the opposition has lots of width

Will keep an eye on if this is happening alot. May man mark there fullbacks with my outside CM's or maybe even AMC's

 

• One of the CM's keeping back while attacking and providing some support for the more attacking players

I picked a DLP-D as it is the only role that allows you to change closing down to less whilst also providing a defensive mentality

 

• Split roles on fullbacks to provide problems to the opposition

I really need a new left back and the one I picked up was really attacking so that really made the choice for me

 

Overall this is what I came up for the formation and instructions

 

Transfers

As I have a formation with two AMC's and the team lacks people who can play there my first focus was this position. I want Berradi to play upfront so I need somebody that can play as a Shadow Striker. The man I picked for this role is Valentin Stocker, he has all the attributes I want in a SS apart from maybe a bit of strength. He got injured for 2 months a couple of days after I signed him 

The next position I looked at was CM as with having three playing I need alot of depth. The man I picked was Isaac Cofie from Genoa who looks like a good allround player and can fit in any of the CM roles

For my loan signing I picked a right back as this was a really weak area for the team. The man I picked was Felix Passlack. His defensive stats are lacking a bit but he is very good going forward which is why the Rb is a FB-a

 

Will do some analysis on my game against Arouca in the Europa League playoff and then will do the same for my first game of the season against Juve, need to create a different tactic for the games against the bigger teams.

[DrPoods]

4-2-1-3 DM Wide eh?

No complaints at all! Should prove to be quite interesting.

[cregan]

3-2-3-2 DM

It turns out an HB won't drop back into a three-man defence like I was hoping (or at least, mine didn't), so no quasi-back-four for me. The original version lacked penetration and was way too prone to passing the ball idly sideways for 60%+ possession and nothing to show for it, and we didn't seem to be triggering counters in the ME. So with some tweaking, what I've got now is:

Defensive / Highly Structured

TIs: More Direct Passing, Higher Tempo, Much Less Closing Down, Low Crosses

PIs: RGA - Get Further Forward, More Risky Passes

That's certainly looked more like a time inclined to sit tight and then go fast on the break, though I suspect more tweaks will be needed. In particular, I'm not sure about the CM and support striker roles. If BBM doesn't cut it, I may go CM(a) - definitely not with Magnanelli if so - while the F9 is an experiment to see if he contributes more than DF(s), which didn't seem to add much to our overall way of play. This might also be where Berardi ends up playing once he's fit.

Signed Angelo Henriquez for his high work rate and determination, intending to play him in that support role, but he looked way better playing as AF against West Ham. Also signed hard-working utility wunderkind Fredrik Midtsjø to cover all midfield bases, especially the flanks.

[Jean0987654321]

I'm sort of into it now as I'm building my team and slowly going into preseason. I'm waiting for my transfers as my team is a bit lacking defensively and we need a striker.

[Guest]

Sorry to do this Jambo but I'm out before I even get started, please feel free to recycle 5-4-1 back into the black box,

[DrPoods]

Huzzah!

Thanks to Steam and "Midweek Madness" I managed to get FM17 a bit quicker than anticipated.

Should be able to get going on this today.

[Andrew K]

I drew the fashionable 3-4-2-1.   

A couple of things immediately jump out.

• Defensive Wingers will be mandatory. 
• The tactic is naturally narrow

I've never used defensive wingers so this will be a learning experience.   Will they track back on "support" or will I need one or both on a "defend" duty to stay sound at the back?

I need to mitigate how narrow the tactic will be by default with both team instructions and player duties; picking duties that will push the player wider to support the DWs and free up space in the middle.  

So here's version one of my tactic:

Counter : Structured - I'm using counter not because I expect to counterattack with three men forward but because I want to slow things down and make my attack more methodical and possession oriented.  I think the use of defensive wingers suits this style as they'll often start off deep during transitions.  Slow it down and build up from the back.   Likewise, structured should give myself passing lanes and a bit more space in a congested formation.

Team Instructions:

Play out of Defense:  This reduces passing length across the board and should help counteract defenders passing long with a counter mentality.  I believe I have the passers along the backline to play this way, but it will be something I'll be keeping an eye on during friendlies.

Play Wider:  The tactic is naturally narrow so I'm going slightly wider to reduce congestion in the middle.

Dribble Less:  Standard TI for me in FM17 as losing the ball on a dribble seems to equal an instant dangerous counter for the opposition.  I only take it off if the opposition starts racking up cards.

 

When possible I'll increase my d-line to make my possession more suffocating, but with a slow backline I need to be careful on who I do this against.  If shots on target becomes a problem I'll add in work ball into box.

 

 

 

I have two playmakers which might be a problem, but structured and their spacing away from each other should help.  I wanted a DLP because it suits the player very well and he'll be an immediate passing option for my CBs.   I used an AP because I've found they often drift wide which should help support the DW on the left side.  Also he should be in position to send through balls.  I'm not sure if the CM-A is too aggressive, but he should overlap the AP and make a nice through ball option (though he is a poor finisher).  I may be flexible with the duty based on the opponent and in-match circumstances.    I picked an AM-A to pair with the AP as I think he might end up drifting wide too, giving the right-side DW a passing option as well as a through ball option for the AP and CF.  A shadow striker role is another possiblity.  A CF seems ideal, but not sure I have the player for the job.

 

That's version one of my tactic.   Would love some feedback.  I jumped into this as a learning experience.   

[Rashidi]

I am just itching to get back into this. Just roll me in and I will try to get a save going. :-)

[Rashidi]

1 hour ago, Andrew K said:

I drew the fashionable 3-4-2-1.   

A couple of things immediately jump out.

• Defensive Wingers will be mandatory. 
• The tactic is naturally narrow

I've never used defensive wingers so this will be a learning experience.   Will they track back on "support" or will I need one or both on a "defend" duty to stay sound at the back?

I need to mitigate how narrow the tactic will be by default with both team instructions and player duties; picking duties that will push the player wider to support the DWs and free up space in the middle.  

So here's version one of my tactic:

Counter : Structured - I'm using counter not because I expect to counterattack with three men forward but because I want to slow things down and make my attack more methodical and possession oriented.  I think the use of defensive wingers suits this style as they'll often start off deep during transitions.  Slow it down and build up from the back.   Likewise, structured should give myself passing lanes and a bit more space in a congested formation.

Team Instructions:

Play out of Defense:  This reduces passing length across the board and should help counteract defenders passing long with a counter mentality.  I believe I have the passers along the backline to play this way, but it will be something I'll be keeping an eye on during friendlies.

Play Wider:  The tactic is naturally narrow so I'm going slightly wider to reduce congestion in the middle.

Dribble Less:  Standard TI for me in FM17 as losing the ball on a dribble seems to equal an instant dangerous counter for the opposition.  I only take it off if the opposition starts racking up cards.

 

When possible I'll increase my d-line to make my possession more suffocating, but with a slow backline I need to be careful on who I do this against.  If shots on target becomes a problem I'll add in work ball into box.

 

 

 

I have two playmakers which might be a problem, but structured and their spacing away from each other should help.  I wanted a DLP because it suits the player very well and he'll be an immediate passing option for my CBs.   I used an AP because I've found they often drift wide which should help support the DW on the left side.  Also he should be in position to send through balls.  I'm not sure if the CM-A is too aggressive, but he should overlap the AP and make a nice through ball option (though he is a poor finisher).  I may be flexible with the duty based on the opponent and in-match circumstances.    I picked an AM-A to pair with the AP as I think he might end up drifting wide too, giving the right-side DW a passing option as well as a through ball option for the AP and CF.  A shadow striker role is another possiblity.  A CF seems ideal, but not sure I have the player for the job.

 

That's version one of my tactic.   Would love some feedback.  I jumped into this as a learning experience.   

You are going to enjoy this system. Defensive wingers are very under rated.

[Jambo98]

@Rashidi - 4222 DM

 

[DrPoods]

What is the policy on making changes to downloaded tactics? I have been playing around with one that I downloaded and made some changes to it so that it fit the shape and minor adjustments to some roles. It's working extremely well.

So I wouldn't mind using it for the experiment when I get going on it. Of course, if people feel there is something wrong with doing that then I am happy to use the other one I am mucking around with while I get to grips with the new version.

 

[JoeLapira]

So i've been allocated the 5-4-1 Diamond WB. On one hand I'm glad because I always try out WBs but never stick with them but now I have to, on the other hand I'm worried because I experimented the 5-4-1 Diamond WB before but could never get to successfully work in attack. This is what I'm going to start out with anyway: 

I have no TIs or PIs yet and I'm gonna start off with Standard and Flexible as sort of a blank canvas and use the friendlies to see what works and what doesn't. At the minute the Roles and Duties are very symmetrical but again this is just a start. Overall I'll be looking to set up 2 tactics,  a counter to be used against the bigger sides and in some tricky away matches, the other will be a attack based possession tactic to be used in games we should be expecting to win. Will update again after the friendlies to see what has developed tactically. 

[Rashidi]

8 hours ago, Jambo98 said:

@Rashidi - 4222 DM

 

Feel like giving you a big fat kiss, the guys on my Discord channel have been talking about the 4222DM Lol

 

[Rashidi]

7 hours ago, DrPoods said:

What is the policy on making changes to downloaded tactics? I have been playing around with one that I downloaded and made some changes to it so that it fit the shape and minor adjustments to some roles. It's working extremely well.

So I wouldn't mind using it for the experiment when I get going on it. Of course, if people feel there is something wrong with doing that then I am happy to use the other one I am mucking around with while I get to grips with the new version.

 

I doubt its an issue, it's nice that you admitted it isn't yours entirely but you have morphed it. To be entirely honest, all systems are similar to some extent. So long as you understand what you are doing thats fine. 

[DrPoods]

13 minutes ago, Rashidi said:

I doubt its an issue, it's nice that you admitted it isn't yours entirely but you have morphed it. To be entirely honest, all systems are similar to some extent. So long as you understand what you are doing thats fine. 

Well it's interesting because I am developing one from scratch at the same time. Which I may end up trying to use because I know that this other one works. It's one that starts as a 4-4-2DM which I downloaded in FM16 to try out and fell in love with (I got the FM17 version but it looks basically the same to my eyes).

My main concern is that with the formation the way it is, the striker will be completely isolated the way I usually set them up. This tactic uses two F9's so I found that it immediately links well

Essentially what I have done is pull one of the strikers down to MC and try to make him a similar midfielder to the two DMC. With the PIs of Shoot less often, tackle harder, mark tighter, get further forward and more risky passes.

The difference mainly lies in the wide men. Because the original has them cutting inside but crossing from the byline I had to compromise. I decided that getting balls in from wide areas could both prevent congestion in and around the box and create another avenue to goal.

Those are basically the changes I have made. The back 6 has not been tweaked because it worked brilliantly in FM16 and does in the few games I have played trialling it. The team instructions have also not been touched.

So that's my worry. I haven't changed a great deal because I know the TIs and PIs work and the play looks great. Basically it presses the hell out of the opposition, hits them hard and the high line prevents the striker from being isolated. With him dropping deep from the STC position the link play is great.

That's why I am putting it out there. I don't know how much I can actually claim to have done. Changing ML/R to LW(S)/RW(S) and putting in another aggressive midfielder is essentially all I have done. It has been extremely successful but I cannot claim it to be mine in all honesty.

Perhaps I would be better off going from scratch after all. But it would be so tempting to use a fair bit of the TIs and PIs as they are just so good.

What do you think?

[Rashidi]

@DrPoods Tbh I am certain that a lot of users here have probably looked at a tactic and derived ideas that morphed a tactic into something else. So as far as I am concerned, not that it matters, its perfectly okay. This is a game after all, and I for one, upload my tactics as templates for others to go do what you have done. So if that was my tactic and you went on to make it your own, I would be happy to see you do that. So go for it, you don't owe anyone anything. 

[Rashidi]

Oh @Jambo98 and once again I will do these updates on me show and I will try to feature some other pkms from other managers. Let's see how far I get on with this one.

One other thing, that's 4222DM Narrow right cos there isn't a 4222 default in the game I think, apart from the 4222DM Narrow one

[DrPoods]

Thanks mate. I just wanted to see how people felt about it. More of a tweak than a wholesale change.

Early signs are promising though.

Beat Lokomotiva 7-1 on aggregate in the 3rd Qualifying Round and Brøndby 6-1 on aggregate on the Playoff.

Beat Fiorentina 3-1 away and Crotone 5-0 at home. My only signing has been Miroslav Stoch who can play both LW and RW. He hasn't played much yet.

EURO group is Standard, Ajax and Rostov. Not too bad.

[Jambo98]

20 minutes ago, Rashidi said:

Oh @Jambo98 and once again I will do these updates on me show and I will try to feature some other pkms from other managers. Let's see how far I get on with this one.

One other thing, that's 4222DM Narrow right cos there isn't a 4222 default in the game I think, apart from the 4222DM Narrow one

There is one?  Its about half way down the list of the "4 defender" list of default tactics - Sorry its not the box one, some one already got allocated that!

[Rashidi]

Yeah that one...just wanted to make sure I didn't get Box

[noikeee]

I dunno if I'll have much time for this (and have a feeling it won't go well!), but I reckon a break from my Dafuge Challenge save could be interesting. Can you give me a formation please?

[lmaoAbu]

If one of my players gets a red card, how do I go about the rest of the match?

[yau]

On 12.02.2017 at 18:03, Jambo98 said:

@yau - 4231 Narrow

Isn't this formation pretty common? 

[Jambo98]

12 hours ago, DrPoods said:

What is the policy on making changes to downloaded tactics? I have been playing around with one that I downloaded and made some changes to it so that it fit the shape and minor adjustments to some roles. It's working extremely well.

So I wouldn't mind using it for the experiment when I get going on it. Of course, if people feel there is something wrong with doing that then I am happy to use the other one I am mucking around with while I get to grips with the new version.

 

Well, I won't tell you how to play your game, but what i would say is that copying a downloaded tactic and just moving one of the players to match this formation, sort of loses a bit of the point of taking part in this - I have no issue with you doing it and continuing to post updates etc, but a big part of why we do this is to help people learn new tactical aspects of the game and ME and how to create and adapt. Really, you are just taking a download tactic and making it fit the the fact that you happened to draw a pretty similar shape.  

My advice would be to start from scratch, but if you do want to continue with the downloaded one, maybe you can ask yourself a few things which might still help you use this exercise to gain some things?

- What is it about the downloaded tactic that is generating the success? What aspects has the creator used to build a solid system and why do they work

- Are you really happy just using 1 tactic all the time, without any adapting for opposition / situations or even for taking account of the types of player you have? For example, Matri might not be a great F9 (the only role you mentioned)

- You have been forced into one change (moving the F9 to CM from what i can tell) which is actually a pretty small one, but maybe you can focus on that particular player and look at how you now get the most out of him, an how that fits with the system that the other guy (or girl) has created. 

Overall - your game, your call  

1 hour ago, lmaoAbu said:

If one of my players gets a red card, how do I go about the rest of the match?

Covered this earlier i think - Same as you would before, you can replace that player and leave the "gap" elsewhere in the system, but you cannot then move any other players out of there "slot. 

So, to put that in context, you have 5221 DM. If you get a DC sent off, you can remove your LM and move him to DC (presumably also making a sub! ) but what you cannot do is remove your LM, move him to DC but then move your RM into DM to give a more solid 10 man base - thereby altering the tactic. 

Hope that makes sense! 

 

5 minutes ago, yau said:

Isn't this formation pretty common? 

I must admit, i have never seen it used on the forums in a long time, and would struggle to think of any real life examples of teams using a similar shape. The narrow element is what makes it different i would say? 3 x AMC is pretty uncommon?

If you like can exclude it and give you a redraw, although only 3 formations left at this point! 

16 hours ago, Barside said:

Sorry to do this Jambo but I'm out before I even get started, please feel free to recycle 5-4-1 back into the black box,

No probs, sorry to hear that your out. Have taken your name off the list but your welcome to join back anytime if things change

[Jambo98]

@noikeee - 5122 DM WB

[weanut]

Hello,

Would I be able to jump in please. Sorry for the late sign up but I've been away.

[Jambo98]

@weanut - 4132 DM Narrow

[Jambo98]

Crazy interest in this again! We now have 50 people who signed up (49 active, with Barside having to unfortunately step back). It means we have only one formation left from the first set of allocations (depending on whether yau decides his is too common).  Not only that, we have interest from Russia, and language barrier / google translate permitting, this same experiment will be up and running in the Russian FM community shortly (*insert joke about the risks of sharing computer code with Russia here.... )  

I dont think we need to "close" this - i will just clear down the black box after the final one is allocated and start again - means two people could have the same formation, but no issue with that. 

Also great to see so many people getting going and posting thoughts, ideas, shapes etc. 

My first stab did not feel quite right in the Europa games (needed ET to get past some 2 bit eastern european team!) so i am now looking at a slightly different approach, trying to get more width into my game. 

[JoeLapira]

So having played 2 friendlies and both legs of the Europa League qualifier this is the setup I've settled on:

We won both friendlies comfortably 2-0. Then the first leg of the EL qualifier, which was against Vaduz, at home was a successful 2-0 win and then we followed it up with a resounding 4-0 victory away from home. As i mentioned before I had difficulty setting up the attacking aspect of this formation in the past and after no shots on target in the first half of the first friendly, I had to reassess. I've been using Fluid or Very Fluid a lot lately so I changed to Fluid from Flexible with the aim of squeezing the team up together and closing the gap between the front and back. To help allow the team to get up and support the lone front man, I selected POOD, Shorter passing and WBIB but I wanted it to be done quickly as to not allow the opposition to settle. I only chose counter mentality going into the the second leg of the EL qualifier as I felt we would be under pressure and it worked an absolute treat. As for the roles, I was happy with the back 3 and the DM so I left them as they were. In the midfield I originally had 2 B2Bs, it wasn't working, to be honest neither of them were here nor there. I chose to keep it simple, one CM(S), to support attacks and the other a CM(A), to join in attacks and get in the box. Out wide i decided to keep both WBs on Attack duty as I wanted them high up pitch when we had the ball providing the width but the player on the right i set to a WB while leaving the left sided player on CWB just to distort the lines of attack. The front 2 was the trickiest, I settled on an SS and Trequartista, the object of the Treq is to move freely across the attacking line, aiming to seek out spaces while the SS attacks the spaces vacated by the Treq. I signed Valentin Stocker to play as the SS and he has scored 3 in 4, while I chose Pietro Iemmello to play as the Treq and he has scored 4 in 3. The most pleasing thing about the front 2 now is the movement, the Treq tends to drift to the wide areas leaving those gaps for the SS exploit. We'll see how this setup progresses and I'll update again soon with any potential changes and ideas.

[thels]

451

Transfers:

Results:

Tactics:

Control/Structured: I’ve gone for structured with a combination of different duties in midfield to add a bit of depth into the flat midfield 5. The mentality is currently on control but may change depending on opposition.
Shorter Passing, Play Out Of Defence, Work Ball Into Box, Lower Tempo: Fairly straightforward possession shouts. Work Ball Into Box was added after I noticed my players taking too many long shots. I initially went for a pushed up defensive line but after some defensive struggles I removed it early on in the encounter with Chievo and the defence has looked better since.

The DLP(D) drops deeper and helps build up play from the back. The CM(A) is given more freedom to push forward as he has the IWB(S) slotting into midfield behind him. For tougher games I will look at changing the IWB to a regular full back.

Average positions with the ball:

Average positions without the ball:

[Jambo98]

Really interesting use of the IWB there - Seems like that role really does work since the latest patch. Sadly i cant see myself using it in my setup, but interesting to note for other times