Useful hints on roles and duties in 4-2-3-1

[Banks_87]

haha I do have a 4-2-3-1, its more to maybe get Payet in the team and I don't feel as though its as sound either defensively or going forward

In regards to the 4-1-2-3, I've thought about using an Inside Forward either side and maybe a DLF (A) I wast just concerned of the players crowding each other out. 

 

[vogado86]

My first 4-2-3-1, any opinion?

[Experienced Defender]

3 hours ago, Banks_87 said:

In terms of roles and duties, the attacking fullback would make more sense behind the IF, which creates a natural overlap and thus more varied interplay on that flank. The rest looks okay. Therefore, I would make only that small change and then the setup would look like this:

PFat/PO

Wat               TQ                 IFsu

CMde     DLPsu

WBsu     BPD     CD        FBat

SKsu

 

[Experienced Defender]

3 hours ago, vogado86 said:

You don't have a single holding role in central midfield, so that's the first issue you need to address, because in a 4231 that's absolutely critical.

[vogado86]

1 minute ago, Experienced Defender said:

You don't have a single holding role in central midfield, so that's the first issue you need to address, because in a 4231 that's absolutely critical.

Maybe i left the BMM and instead of the BWM i put a MC (DE)

[Experienced Defender]

Just now, vogado86 said:

Maybe i left the BMM and instead of the BWM i put a MC (DE)

Yes, CM on defend duty is always a better (safer) choice in a 4231 than BWM.

[vogado86]

Just now, Experienced Defender said:

Yes, CM on defend duty is always a better (safer) choice in a 4231 than BWM.

Any more advice?

[Banks_87]

36 minutes ago, Experienced Defender said:

In terms of roles and duties, the attacking fullback would make more sense behind the IF, which creates a natural overlap and thus more varied interplay on that flank. The rest looks okay. Therefore, I would make only that small change and then the setup would look like this:

PFat/PO

Wat               TQ                 IFsu

CMde     DLPsu

WBsu     BPD     CD        FBat

SKsu

 

Thanks for that, i'll try it out. 1 thing both tactics struggle with is players hitting the target, i'll have 13-16 shots a game but sometimes only 2 or 3 of those will be on target

[Experienced Defender]

1 hour ago, vogado86 said:

Any more advice?

For more advice I would need to know more about your players. Maybe a 4231 does not suit them as a system. It's a tricky formation and hence should not be played if you don't have the right players. As far as I know, you played a 4141dm wide. It is a better balanced system than 4231, so you better stick with it.

[Johnny Ace]

I'm trying to be a bit more flexible in my approach this season & using a couple more team shapes

Last night, the January transfer window threw a spanner into my system, I couldn't keep PSG & Man City at bay anymore, PSG took my star BPD & City took my main man. He was a product of our youth academy, club captain, team leader & club icon, I took him from a pacy striker & turned him into a devastating Inside Forward , the best in the World. I nearly cried as I was powerless to stop the transfer  

Anyway, I've been thinking about how that's ballsed up my 4-2-3-1, I've been planning how I cope without him, with this added problem of playing with a parked bus in-front of me. I've been tinkering with a test save at work (ssssh) & have come up with this, ignore the team & ignore the instructions, it's a WIP based off of the tika-taka template. I've gone via the route of tiki-taka because the board still won't let up on this playing possession football, not my style but it's what they want &  can't convince them otherwise 

 

 

It's nothing out of the ordinary but the idea upfront is kind of false-9, false-10. It was no good having a spearhead striker with a supporting no. 10. Looking at the Tre-A & SS-A in the number 10 spot, I wanted a more adventurous no. 10 but without the Tre-A's lax defending, I want them to hassle the backline & put a tackle in. Mentality between the two roles is the same, the Shadow Striker will hassle & tackle, you can add Roam from Position to the SS & he won't have the under the hood Focus Play instruction so he's like a quasi attacking playmaker but with defensive responsibility 

The CF-S's role is to lead the line, drift around to make room for the SS & IF, disrupt the backline, supply & score 

The only other PI in there is to the right FB-A to stay a little narrower with the winger providing the width on the right flank

In testing, it's playing out well but it's only testing , it'll be a different story when I take it to my main save  

Any thoughts/input& any experiences with a false 9 type would be greatly received

      

 

 

  

[Experienced Defender]

3 hours ago, Johnny Ace said:

 

3 hours ago, Johnny Ace said:

Any thoughts/input& any experiences with a false 9 type would be greatly received

But you are not playing with an F9. You striker is in a CF role. I personally would prefer an F9 (or DLF) paired with a SS (especially in a top-heavy system). CF is a nice role, but tends to work better when allowed more space (e.g. 442, 4411, 4141) IMHO. I would also change your role/duty combos on the flanks - when playing with a SS, a winger on attack and IF on support make more sense than the other way around. And so on...

[Johnny Ace]

4 minutes ago, Experienced Defender said:

 

But you are not playing with an F9. You striker is in a CF role. I personally would prefer an F9 (or DLF) paired with a SS (especially in a top-heavy system). CF is a nice role, but tends to work better when allowed more space (e.g. 442, 4411, 4141) IMHO. I would also change your role/duty combos on the flanks - when playing with a SS, a winger on attack and IF on support make more sense than the other way around. And so on...

Yeah, I meant like a False-9 type ie someone who gets out of the way laterally rather than drops deep

I will try the DLF or F-9 though & see how they go, thanks

Can you explain the IF-S & W-A point a bit please? I do struggle to see how a winger on attack could be effective, though my usual winger support does net a fair few goals 

 

[Experienced Defender]

1 hour ago, Johnny Ace said:

Can you explain the IF-S & W-A point a bit please?

Very simple: IF on support cuts inside and from there can pass:

- a killer ball to a SS when the latter attacks the box (ideal option); or

- switch it to the opposite side for the onrushing winger who can then: a) either put a quick cross into the box; b) or get into the area and then: b1) play a cut-back pass/low cross for an onrushing teammate; b2) finish the action himself if in a favorable goal-scoring position atm

- if neither of these 2 options is available (i.e. safe enough) atm, the IFsu can exchange passes with midfielders and striker, or release his overlapping fullback on the flank (who at that point will have enough teammates in and around the opposition area to try to find them with a cross.

What about the Winger on attack - already explained above (through the example of IF).

SS - explore channels, looks to get himself into goal-scoring positions, but also actively participate in attacking build-ups until the ball is deep into the attacking third, so he will also bring others into play in addition to being a goal threat.

Hope this was helpful? 

 

[Johnny Ace]

1 hour ago, Experienced Defender said:

Hope this was helpful? 

Very much so, cheers man 

[Johnny Ace]

I've just played one of my toughest games, like a real bitch

Away at Wolfsburg, 2-5 favourites, they came at me like this:

 

I set out like this, with a split-press:

 

& my god, it was a slog

The opening 20 minutes, we barely got a sniff, they played it amongst themselves along the back, no intention of going forward, we had something like 20% possession at this point

So I upped the LOE one, I knew upping the DL would be suicide as long as they were playing defensive

By HT we'd had a few chances & pulled possession upto 45% so I stuck with it into the second half 

I was tempted bumping up the mentality but I knew if I went too risky they'd hit me on the break

At points of the game they had a narrow back 4 parked across the 6 yard line with two 2 DMs sat in front of them so I changed my striker to a DLF-A so he wouldn't force them too deep

At around 70 minutes I went a tad wider to try & stretch them out & it eventually worked, we got a cross in from the right, the defender made a bad clearance & my striker controlled it & scored

 

Wolfsburg had no plan to attack me & parked the tank with a solid central block, there was no way I was breaking through that but a couple of subtle changes to the instructions of my 4-2-3-1, I eventually sniffed out a game winning chance

I'm no expert but the 4-2-3-1 really is a fantastic shape that can play in so many ways with the roles & instructions but can leave you in trouble if you don't keep your eye on the game 

Edited September 14, 2019 by Johnny Ace

[Experienced Defender]

28 minutes ago, Johnny Ace said:

Not sure what you are trying to achieve with a tactic like this, especially with a top team like Bayern. I see the "custom tiki-taka" is displayed as the nominal tactical style, but this setup looks more like a wing-play of sorts than tiki-taka or anything like that. Which of course does not mean that I would recommend tiki-taka  

[Johnny Ace]

Just now, Experienced Defender said:

Not sure what you are trying to achieve with a tactic like this, especially with a top team like Bayern. I see the "custom tiki-taka" is displayed as the nominal tactical style, but this setup looks more like a wing-play of sorts than tiki-taka or anything like that. Which of course does not mean that I would recommend tiki-taka  

Oh no, ignore the tik-taka, that was a failed trial   It's just a custom 4-2-3-1 Bayern 2030, a couple of AML/R's have the Cuts inside PPI so playing them as Wingers gives them the option of going wide or cutting inside. These two, on the day are flat out wingers but still cut in when they see fit, I didn't really want them cutting in much playing against 2 DMs. My two main strikers are beasts in the air, I overturned a 3-1 away first leg loss to Chelsea in the ECL last season to win 6-0  in the return leg with Haaland getting a hattrick with his head so it's one of our strengths      

[Johnny Ace]

On 14/09/2019 at 13:35, Experienced Defender said:

In that case, I would suggest some tweaking of your setup of roles and duties. Also keep in mind that you are playing on the Balanced mentality, which is a good starting point, but will see your players less willing to take risks than they would be under a higher mentality. For that reason, I would prefer the DLP on support duty. So this is one possible way to set up roles and duties without making too big a change to your original setup:

PFat

Wat                  AMsu               IFsu

BBM       DLPsu

FBsu/WBde       BPD       CD       FBat

SKde/su

This would allow you to have a natural overlap on the right flank (via the combo of IFsu and FBat). The reason I opted for the winger on attack duty instead of IF is the role of your striker (PF on attack duty). If you played a DLF on attack (or trequartista), then having IF on attack would make more sense because these creator roles tend to make more space for the IF cutting inside. But simpler roles such as poacher or PF on attack generally work better when paired with an attacking winger on one flank and supporting IF on the other.

What you said here ED over on @Matty99's thread was absolute gold dust & really helped me get my head around how to line up the top 4. I hope you don't mind me moving the quote over to here 

I'll try & not babble too much but basically I'm pondering ahead to next season, I'm thinking of using a more creative striker, a TRE(A) upfront for games next season to disrupt the CB's & create chances, mainly where I'm playing against a team that are using a Defensive or Cautious approach. I'll still use my AF(S) Standard mentality set-up for the less defensive teams 

Anyway, toward the end of this season, I used this setup  

 

                                                                                                                 DLF(A)

 

                                                                                       IF(A)                  AM(S)                  W(S)

 

                                                                                                       BBM(S)       DLP(D)

 

                                                                                   FB(S)         BPD(D)            CD(D)          FB(A)

 

                                                                                                                SK(S)

 

Positive mentality

We got some fantastic results against the Defensive/ Cautious teams, played some brilliant & exciting football with the majority of goals coming from open play 

The only problem I have is I don't really have any creative forwards, they're all AF(A) types & I have my eye on a striker who has all of the qualities of TRE(A)

So, would using a TRE(A) instead of the DLF(A) in the above setup be a sensible approach? I'm thinking it may lack a bit of goal threat but a TRE(A) is a role I've never used up front          

[Experienced Defender]

3 hours ago, Johnny Ace said:

would using a TRE(A) instead of the DLF(A) in the above setup be a sensible approach? I'm thinking it may lack a bit of goal threat but a TRE(A) is a role I've never used up front 

As far as I am concerned, I would give it a go (provided -as always - that you have the right player for the role). What I would consider is changing the RB from FBat to IWBat in order to reduce crosses coming from the right flank (since you already have a winger there), but also to provide more of a central threat in the final third. But again, you need to make sure your RB has what it takes to play as an IWB (especially on attack duty).

[Johnny Ace]

1 minute ago, Experienced Defender said:

As far as I am concerned, I would give it a go (provided -as always - that you have the right player for the role). What I would consider is changing the RB from FBat to IWBat in order to reduce crosses coming from the right flank (since you already have a winger there), but also to provide more of a central threat in the final third. But again, you need to make sure your RB has what it takes to play as an IWB (especially on attack duty).

Unfortunately he can't, he's semi-competent at playing IWB on the left. I'm having a clear out over summer so should have ample funds to find a right sided IWB (A) who'll be happy to come in for an experiment  Thanks again for your help ED  

[Experienced Defender]

13 minutes ago, Johnny Ace said:

Unfortunately he can't, he's semi-competent at playing IWB on the left

Don't pay attention to what the game suggests. Look at his attributes instead - acceleration, pace, anticipation, decisions, stamina, work rate, teamwork, off the ball, first touch, passing...

[Experienced Defender]

Or send me a screenshot of his profile 

[Johnny Ace]

5 minutes ago, Experienced Defender said:

Don't pay attention to what the game suggests. Look at his attributes instead - acceleration, pace, anticipation, decisions, stamina, work rate, teamwork, off the ball, first touch, passing...

He's a very right footed fellow, would it be preferable that he was left footed? Then again, he might be able to play some angled balls to the IF on his right foot 

I'll be away from my save until tomorrow, I'll get a screenie of him up in the evening  

 

Edited September 18, 2019 by Johnny Ace

[Experienced Defender]

1 hour ago, Johnny Ace said:

He's a very right footed fellow, would it be preferable that he was left footed?

No, he does not need to be left-footed to play as an IWB on the right. So if he has the right attributes, you can play him as an IWB. 

 

1 hour ago, Johnny Ace said:

Then again, he might be able to play some angled balls to the IF on his right foot 

[Johnny Ace]

Here he is @Experienced Defender

 

 

He looks like he can do the job, he has the "Hugs Line" PPM though which might be a problem 

[Experienced Defender]

3 hours ago, Johnny Ace said:

Here he is @Experienced Defender

 

 

He looks like he can do the job, he has the "Hugs Line" PPM though which might be a problem 

Based on the attributes, he absolutely can play as an IWB. The "Hugs line" trait will probably add an extra dimension to his game, but should not completely nullify the main characteristics of an IWB as a role. 

[jc577]

Hi all,

I was going to start a thread to discuss my tactic, but seeing as its a 4231 I thought it made sense to talk about it in here.

So for my last save on FM, I decided to start up with Norwich and roughly try and play their exciting attacking football we've seen from them IRL. Here is the tactic: 

We're not doing too badly in the league all things considered, sitting in 14th currently which I think is respectable, but there is scope for improvement (as always). Going forward we've been decent: 6th in the league for goals scored, 3rd for chances created, 7th for SoT % and 2nd for average possession. We do seem a little reliant on balls from the Treq to the Poacher, but I can't complain. However, defensively we are poor. Currently sitting in 19th for goals conceded, and 3rd for yellow cards, which tells me that we're being stretched and having to make fouls. To me the tactic seems balanced, the press isn't overly aggressive nor is the defensive line, but yet we still concede lots of goals. Is there anything i'm missing that can be improved upon? Perhaps my players just aren't good enough to play this formation? 

Thanks!

[Experienced Defender]

1 hour ago, jc577 said:

We're not doing too badly in the league all things considered, sitting in 14th currently which I think is respectable, but there is scope for improvement (as always). Going forward we've been decent: 6th in the league for goals scored, 3rd for chances created, 7th for SoT % and 2nd for average possession. We do seem a little reliant on balls from the Treq to the Poacher, but I can't complain. However, defensively we are poor. Currently sitting in 19th for goals conceded, and 3rd for yellow cards, which tells me that we're being stretched and having to make fouls. To me the tactic seems balanced, the press isn't overly aggressive nor is the defensive line, but yet we still concede lots of goals. Is there anything i'm missing that can be improved upon? Perhaps my players just aren't good enough to play this formation? 

I think you've just answered your own question. And btw, I agree that 14th place is respectable taking into account the strength and reputation of your team 

[RossH7]

Hello, looking for feedback on my Inter 4231 deep. Not a fan of having wide players higher, so pulled them back to be a bit more solid. Feel we are playing ok but there can be a real lack of CCCs created. Main idea is for EG to feed Icardi directly, or winger to then find Icardi or Perisic or late arriving SV.
 

I've tried swapping the duties of IW and W but unsure what is best option. Any help appreciated.

[Experienced Defender]

2 hours ago, RossH7 said:

 

2 hours ago, RossH7 said:

looking for feedback on my Inter 4231 deep

Sorry mate, but this is not a 4231 (of any sort). Your formation is 42211. Nevertheless, I'll tell you my opinion as to what I would change to improve the tactic:

- enganche is an interesting role, but a pretty static type of PM and therefore is likely to struggle in this type of system (because it works better when having more close and direct support from the teammates). So if you want to have a playmaker in the AMC spot in this particular system, I would rather opt for trequartista

- given that you are playing out of defence, there is no need to tell the keeper whom specifically he should distribute the ball to (especially when he is played in a SK role). Let him pick the best (and safest) option, depending on the situation at any given point.

- tighter marking can be a bit risky when playing with a higher D-line, because when a fast (and technically skillful) opposition forward loses his marker - you could well find yourself in all sorts of trouble  Telling your midfielders (i.e. the 2 DMs in this case) to mark tighter via their player instructions would be a safer option IMHO.

What I like is your overall setup of roles and duties, except for the already mentioned (and explained) enganche and - to a lesser extent - AF. AF as a lone striker generally works better in counter-attack-based tactics, whereas in possession-oriented ones tends to struggle due to lack of space (assuming that most opponents will play defensively against Inter). In this particular system, my personal preference would be PF on attack duty (with TQ behind him).

I hope you'll find these suggestions helpful 

Edited September 24, 2019 by Experienced Defender

[RossH7]

I had kinda looked at it as a 4411 - so not a million miles away ....

Thanks for feedback, I had worried re AF but wanted to make most of icardi's off the ball and keep him as close to box as possible. Re the EG and AF, do you think that moving the wide players up to being IFs & Wa would impact this? As would get bodies closer to EG.

Much appreciated.

[Experienced Defender]

3 hours ago, RossH7 said:

I had worried re AF but wanted to make most of icardi's off the ball and keep him as close to box as possible

In my book, Icardi is a perfect poacher. And a poacher (role) supported by a trequartista behind him is a very good combo in general. 

 

3 hours ago, RossH7 said:

Re the EG and AF, do you think that moving the wide players up to being IFs & Wa would impact this? As would get bodies closer to EG

If you move the wide midfielders to wide forward positions, your formation will be 4231 deep (with DMs), assuming you don't change other positions. If you want to use an enganche at all costs - and I hope you have a suitable player for the role - than a standard 4231 (with CMs) would make more sense (speaking merely of the formation).

But bear in mind that enganche as a role is better suited for possession-based styles of play (which is not quite the case with your current tactic).

[Johnny Ace]

35 minutes ago, Experienced Defender said:

In my book

You should write a book ED  Your combinations of roles & explanations behind all of them are top drawer 

[Experienced Defender]

1 hour ago, Johnny Ace said:

You should write a book ED  Your combinations of roles & explanations behind all of them are top drawer 

I learned (and am still learning) from great teachers on this forum, so they are the ones that should write a book 

[RossH7]

3 hours ago, Experienced Defender said:

In my book, Icardi is a perfect poacher. And a poacher (role) supported by a trequartista behind him is a very good combo in general. 

 

If you move the wide midfielders to wide forward positions, your formation will be 4231 deep (with DMs), assuming you don't change other positions. If you want to use an enganche at all costs - and I hope you have a suitable player for the role - than a standard 4231 (with CMs) would make more sense (speaking merely of the formation).

But bear in mind that enganche as a role is better suited for possession-based styles of play (which is not quite the case with your current tactic).

Not set on the EG, main bit is about getting Icardi chances. So will give the Treq and poacher a go. 

Cheers!

Edited September 25, 2019 by RossH7

[BadAss88]

Any feedback on this? Should I use a playmaker? IF-s and W-a or IF-a and W-s? What if I want my lone striker as the main goal thread?

PF-s

IF-s       SS-a      W-a

CM-d   BBM-s

FB-a   CD-d   CD-d   FB-s

SK-d

Postive mentality, play out of defense, be more expressive, counter, counterpress, higher defensive line, higher line of engagement and my front 4 press more urgent.

EDIT: I'm playing with Borussia Dortmund with the official SI winter update 19.3 db

Edited September 30, 2019 by BadAss88

[Experienced Defender]

3 minutes ago, BadAss88 said:

PF-s

IF-s       SS-a      W-a

CM-d   BBM-s

FB-a   CD-d   CD-d   FB-s

SK-d

Postive mentality, play out of defense, be more expressive, counter, counterpress, higher defensive line, higher line of engagement and my front 4 press more urgent

 

3 minutes ago, BadAss88 said:

Any feedback on this?

I like it. Don't know your players, but both the setup of roles and duties and instructions absolutely make sense IMHO  

 

5 minutes ago, BadAss88 said:

Should I use a playmaker?

Not necessarily. But in case you decide to use a PM, I would prefer him as AP on support in AML. 

 

6 minutes ago, BadAss88 said:

IF-s and W-a or IF-a and W-s?

In this particular case - IF-s and W-a (just as it already is).

[Experienced Defender]

9 minutes ago, BadAss88 said:

What if I want my lone striker as the main goal thread?

In that case, you are actually not on the right track. 

[lferreira]

1 hour ago, BadAss88 said:

Any feedback on this? Should I use a playmaker? IF-s and W-a or IF-a and W-s? What if I want my lone striker as the main goal thread?

PF-s

IF-s       SS-a      W-a

CM-d   BBM-s

FB-a   CD-d   CD-d   FB-s

SK-d

Postive mentality, play out of defense, be more expressive, counter, counterpress, higher defensive line, higher line of engagement and my front 4 press more urgent.

EDIT: I'm playing with Borussia Dortmund with the official SI winter update 19.3 db

Your setup is telling the striker to be the workhorse, hold up the ball and play someone in before rushing to the box. 

If you want him scoring more you can try him as a PF-At, but then your AMC should probably be in a more supporting role. 

You can try IF-Su, AM-Su (tell him to roam from position if he's heavily marked or change his role to a Treq), W-At and PF/P-At.

This is the setup I've been using for Everton and my striker is getting his fair share of goals.

Edited September 30, 2019 by lferreira
grammar

[BadAss88]

2 hours ago, Experienced Defender said:

In that case, you are actually not on the right track. 

This is more my tactic where I want my SS to shine!

Since I can't seem to produce a tactic where my lone striker florishes with lots of goals..would the tactic be okay if I change the AMC to T-a and the SC to P-a? Or should I change more?

1 hour ago, lferreira said:

Your setup is telling the striker to be the workhorse, hold up the ball and play someone in before rushing to the box. 

If you want him scoring more you can try him as a PF-At, but then your AMC should probably be in a more supporting role. 

You can try IF-Su, AM-Su (tell him to roam from position if he's heavily marked or change his role to a Treq), W-At and PF/P-At.

This is the setup I've been using for Everton and my striker is getting his fair share of goals.

What's a fair share of goals? I would like to have it close to 1 goal/game..

[Experienced Defender]

41 minutes ago, BadAss88 said:

Since I can't seem to produce a tactic where my lone striker florishes with lots of goals..would the tactic be okay if I change the AMC to T-a and the SC to P-a? Or should I change more?

Yes, that's a good combo and should fit well into the rest of your setup. Just make sure you have the right players for both roles. In terms of instructions, you might now consider shorter passing as well (or experiment with both shorter and standard to see what works better for you).

[Gee_Simpson]

If you plan on making the main goalscorer the striker, then that is very similar to my tactic, almost identical. Good to know I'm on the right track 

I did plan on playing as Leverkusen on the 19.3 DB but I keep getting that niggling feeling that is stopping me from doing so because I know it's out of date now, for example Brandt is at Dortmund irl, it would feel like I'm cheating slightly by using him for Leverkusen now, so I'll probably wait for FM20. I had it all planned out for a Leverkusen FM19 save though which is a shame. I wanted to qualify for the Champions League 1st season without already having that done for me as will be the case in FM20. 

Edited September 30, 2019 by Gee_Simpson

[Johnny Ace]

11 hours ago, BadAss88 said:

Since I can't seem to produce a tactic where my lone striker florishes with lots of goals..would the tactic be okay if I change the AMC to T-a and the SC to P-a? Or should I change more?

I'm just about to finish up a season, using ED's advice, where the striker, AMC & IF(A) roles scored plenty, Haaland, who's now a rotation striker scored something like 17 in 15 starts including a hattrick v Man City knocking them out of the Champs League. I'll post some screenies up tonight & a mini write-up 

[lferreira]

14 hours ago, BadAss88 said:

This is more my tactic where I want my SS to shine!

Since I can't seem to produce a tactic where my lone striker florishes with lots of goals..would the tactic be okay if I change the AMC to T-a and the SC to P-a? Or should I change more?

What's a fair share of goals? I would like to have it close to 1 goal/game..

That's pretty much what my striker gets when I play him as a PF-At in front of an AM-Su. However, my striker is fast and creative, so I mix it up depending on the opponent's defensive behavior. 

My striker got 5 goals and 3 assists in his last five games. He's a raw wonderkid though, sometimes he misses some absolute sitters and he's rather inconsistent. He's getting 1 goal per 2 games, but my team front four have a nice split of goals. Wish I had changed for the 4-2-3-1 earlier, I'm kinda sick of the 4-1-2-3 by now.

Edited October 1, 2019 by lferreira

[tsatsee]

Hello everyone,

I'am thinking about Juve side, to create an attacking 4-2-3-1.

                                 PFa

IFa                        TREQa        Wsu

                   CMde    DLPsu

WBsu      CDd     BPd    IWBsu
                        SKsu

 

TI: Work ball int box, be more expressive, counter, and counter-press, play wider, because of most sides will park the bus.

Positive mentality

[Experienced Defender]

1 hour ago, tsatsee said:

Hello everyone,

I'am thinking about Juve side, to create an attacking 4-2-3-1.

                                 PFa

IFa                        TREQa        Wsu

                   CMde    DLPsu

WBsu      CDd     BPd    IWBsu
                        SKsu

 

TI: Work ball int box, be more expressive, counter, and counter-press, play wider, because of most sides will park the bus.

Positive mentality

Don't know your players, but here are the changes I would consider:

- IF on support and W on attack 

- LB as FB on attack (instead of WBsu)

- MEZ on support (or BBM) instead of DLP (depends on the type of the player of course, but I guess you should have a good mezzala or BBM at Juve)

In terms of instructions, for a top team like Juve I think Play out of defence would make sense. Play wider is not necessary as part of the primary (starting) tactic. Instead, begin with normal (default) width and then tweak it when needed based on what you observe in a given match.

What about your defensive (out of possession) TIs?

[Johnny Ace]

Right, I've just had my most successful season ever, just minutes ago we won the Champs League & went undefeated in the Bundesliga scoring a record 109 goals & conceding 12. Big thanks ED  

 

 

This was the starting set-up I used most of the time in the league, well at least early on, the only PI I used was "take more risks" on the AMC (Foxy).  I found toward the end of the season we really had to squeeze the opponents because they were playing even more cautiously. The Treq, usually played by Alejandro Martinez has fantastic attributes for the role & caused defences problems with his movement for the IF(A) & AMC. As you'll see, Alejandro got 22 in 39 across all comps, his understudy got 16 in 23. Foxy in AMC got 23 in 38 though a lot were penalties & freekicks & was the top-scorer in the league 

 

This is how I set up against the less defensive teams, rarely in the league & mainly in the later stages of the Champs League. We hammered Real Madrid, 6-2 across 2 games, Chelsea 8-3 on aggregate & Man City 5-2 on aggregate. The AF as the spearhead to run on to through balls against the teams that actually came out of their own box. Haaland mainly played the AF role & finished up on 18 in 16

Players mainly used in the IF(A) Luis got 16 in 34 & Van Der Linden got 16 in 29

I rotated a hell of a lot so if some players got into 40-50 games they'd be getting 30-35 goals I would've thought 

 

 

I did tweak things during games, but only minor ones where I saw fit

I did use a 4-1-2-3 in a few games throughout the season, mainly away at league rivals where I was nervous on a result  

 

 

 

    

[Johnny Ace]

I stole my under 19's manager's 4-2-3-1 for a game.....

 

….. & this happened......

…….. 

 

 

[Sussex Hammer]

Sorry to jump in the thread but I was wondering if anyone has any answers on this.  In the PL in my game a vast majority of sides are playing a 4231 "but" with two midfielders in the DM strata and the three AM's in the AM strata somewhat different to a majority of 4231's.  How on earth does the AI get these to work?  They seem potent in attack but also good defensively so wondering if anyone tries this way rather than the standard two CM set up?

[Experienced Defender]

3 hours ago, Sussex Hammer said:

Sorry to jump in the thread but I was wondering if anyone has any answers on this.  In the PL in my game a vast majority of sides are playing a 4231 "but" with two midfielders in the DM strata and the three AM's in the AM strata somewhat different to a majority of 4231's

You mean 42DM31 narrow (with no wingers/wide forwards)? Like this:

STC

AMC   AMC   AMC

 

DMC    DMC

DL       DC       DC        DR

GK

?