Popular Post VinceLombardi Posted January 11, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted January 11, 2019 (edited) American Football Returns to FM 19 I am happy to introduce y’all to my revamped American Football system for FM 19 where I show you how to play real football with a soccer ball. If you have no idea what I’m talking about and want a bit of background of what I mean, you can check out my American Football system from FM 16. And for everybody else, strap on your helmets, because an American who still knows next to nothing about soccer is about to tell you how to play your sport. Alright, joking aside, I am super excited about what I’ve got going over here because this year’s tactical system combined with the new roles from the last couple years have allowed me to create what I honestly fell short of in the previous system: a true playbook. And although this is still a work in progress, I’ve got enough here already and done enough concept testing to say that this is as close to the real deal as I’m ever going to be able to do. But before I get too far ahead of myself, a quick explanation of what I am doing: I apply American Football concepts to soccer to create a dynamic and entirely different way to approach to tactics and gameplay. And true to my inspiration, I am now able to do it with different personnel packages, formations, alignments, and an actual playbook in a manner that works almost like the real deal. Now be forewarned. The original system was a lot to take in and this new version dwarfs the previous. It’s truly a monster. So like before, I’m going to hide as much as possible behind spoiler tags to help keep it navigable and reduce scroll and load times. Also, because this is a work in progress, I will link useful posts later in the thread in the final post so that they are more easily located. Also if/when there are significant permanent changes to the system, instructions, etc, I will try to update them in the top posts so that it stays current. Terminology Just to ensure clarity I am going to take a moment to explain a few terms that you will see me use throughout this thread. Most are football terms converted for use in my system. Also note before we get started: Typically, when I say football, I mean “football” sport of the American variety with the oblong ball. When I mean the sport where one must use their foot to kick the round ball, I will refer to it as soccer. Packages, Formations, Alignments, and Plays Spoiler Packages In football, packages are the collective name for the group of players on the field based on their position. This has nothing to do with their alignment on the field or formation. An 11 package in football (meaning 1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR) could line up those players in any number of ways. In my system, I use package to describe a group of very closely related formations that have very similar players. Most packages have a couple formations and you can reasonably expect to be able to shift between formations within the same package without having to sub or only needing to sub 1 player. Formations Like soccer, this is the actual way the players line up. And like soccer while two team might line up in the same formation, say a 4-4-2, that doesn’t mean they are playing the exact same way. This only denotes where the players line up, not what they do. Alignment This is slight shifts in a formation that aren’t significant enough to create another formation. Oftentimes this are minor shifts in the central midfield or strikers to make them play in a slightly different position to introduce asymmetric elements that can help alter shape and create space. Plays In football, a play denotes a single bit of action, typically no more than a few seconds, starting when the ball is put into motion and ending when the player with the ball is tackled or leaves the field. In every play, each player has specific instructions on what they are to do and those collective instructions are known as a play. Each team will typically run around 100 plays in a game and rarely run the same play more than 1-2 times. That means teams will have hundreds of plays prepared for a game – a play book. In this system, each individual soccer tactic is considered a play. Putting it all together Let’s take my Nickel Package, which has 2 STC, 2 CD, 2 wide players on each wing, and 2 midfielders. It’s got 3 formations that I use, based on where the players line up: Nickel Base, Nickel Wide, and Nickel Deep. Within each of those formations I could have any number of plays, some of which may incorporate alignment shifts. Describing Space: Line of Scrimmage, Gaps, and Passing Zones Spoiler Line of Scrimmage (“LOS”) In football, this is where the ball starts on any given play. In soccer, I see the LOS as the defensive line and they can be used interchangeably. It doesn't really matter if its a high line at the halfway line or deep in its own box. It is simply where the defense digs in its heels and you as an offense, need to find a way to get the ball around/over/through it. This is only used as a reference point for the other areas and on its own is not useful. In front of the LOS denotes the space in front of the defensive line, between the defenders and the midfield. Behind the LOS would then be the space between the defenders and the goal. This may seem reversed to the football folk, but it may make more sense when you consider that defensive line protects the box and the goal like an offensive line protects the quarterback. Gaps In football, these are the spaces between the offensive linemen that denote where there may be space for the offense to run the ball or the defense to rush the passer. Gap control is a major component of football on both offense and defense. Books can (and have) been written on the topic. Because of my football background, I focus on the gaps in the line of scrimmage which are to be attacked and defended. Using the same naming system as in football, we start with letter “A” to identify the innermost gap and work outward in both directions along the LOS. Passing Zones (“Zones”) Football identifies the various passing zones by the routes that attack them and defenses are named based on how they defend those zones. Naming based on routes is useless for use in soccer, but identifying the zones is very helpful for identifying space and describing passing/running patterns. For simplicity, I will refer to them relative to the gaps and players on the LOS, using a similar system to defensive line techniques in football. “0” zone in the center, and increasing as we work outwards, labeling the zones immediately in front of the defenders and the zones between the defenders, in front of the gaps. Combined with the Gaps above the result for a 4-4-2 is: A 5-3-2 would result in an additional A gap and a 5th zone like this: For further reference, note how the 4-1-2-3 has the same gaps/zones as the 4-4-2. The presence of a DMC doesn't change anything, it only effects how they defend the gaps/zones. Types of Matchups and Mismatches Spoiler Double-teams and Bracketing The most obvious mismatches are double-teams (which includes 3v2 and other overloads), but each double-team leaves me short somewhere else. If I'm going to devote those kinds of resources to shut down a player(s) on defense, I want to do it efficiently. Instead of just blindly throwing players at the problem, I look to bracket the target(s) of the double-team by placing the defenders over and under the target. This puts a defender between the ball and the target and a defender between the target and the goal, which removes the player from any possible space to get the ball. A DM and a CD working together will lock out a forward better than 2 DC (who leave space in front of them) or 2 DM (who give up space behind). One-on-Ones and Mismatches More commonly I'm stuck with one-on-ones. I expect my players to beat the man across from them – football is all about “players not plays”. And if my players aren't routinely winning their one-on-ones, then I can't win. Superstars are a natural mismatch for a regular player in a one-on-one and create favorable matchups by merit of just being better than the player they are lined up against. But for normal players, I need to use attribute and skill advantages they have over the player they are matched up against. These mismatches can be created by having players with certain extreme attributes (eg. speed on wingers), odd attributes for their position (eg. a midfielder with great jumping), or by using movement to get them to match up against a player who doesn't match-up as well against them (eg a speedy wide player coming inside and running past a slower, less agile central defender). Leverage A player is said to have inside leverage if they are nearer the center of the field compared to the player they are matched up with. They have outside leverage if they are on the outside. Leverage can be used to describe the natural 1-2 step advantage a player has on another to getting to the ball or specific areas of the field. For example, if I want a player to receive a pass in a shooting position, inside leverage will give them an advantage in getting the ball into a favorable position. I believe this may be related to showing a player on a foot, but I’m not familiar enough to be certain. Isolation Once I have a favorable matchup, I try to isolate those players and matchups from the others on the pitch to ensure the matchup is available to be exploited over and over again in the game. I use other players to pull, mark out, and matchup with opposing players which could potentially alter the matchup I am trying to isolate. Leading edge, offensive screen, and playing between the lines Spoiler These aren’t football terms, but rather explain some important elements of my shape in attack that I’m not sure how to describe in soccer terms. Leading Edge These are the players who are actively pushing the defenders back and creating space for my other players in the zones in front of the opposing defense, while trying to attack the zones behind them. They are also the players that are going to be in the gaps or matching up with the opposing defenders. These guys are important because they force the defense deeper than it wants to be and will work in the box when we get there. Typically this is 2-4 players anchored by my striker(s) in the middle. In most plays, these are my primary scoring threats. And as they push back the defense it creates more and more space for my creative players to use to feed them the ball. Offensive Screen I see a lot of talk about players who are designated to screen the defense in your own half, but equally important is screening as part of the attack. These players are the back edge of the attack and create a perimeter around the other attacking players. Their job is to collect loose balls, serve as the first line of defense if there is a turnover, serve as an outlet for a back pass, and pass among each other as a means to relieve pressure. It’s important that these players cover the entire field from sideline to sideline and can keep passing lanes to one another to allow for passes between them. These players can work up the field, particularly on the flanks, but ideally you do not want them getting caught up into traffic or the opposing defense. Instead you want them to work the space around the defense and standing in open space ready to receive a pass or make an uncontested recovery of a loose ball. Typically this is 3-4 players and anchored by 1-2 pivot players (normally DM). Playing between the lines The rest of the attacking players are tasked with playing between these two lines. They are the creative players who need to work the space created by the leading edge. They move where they are needed as the attack progresses. They could be tasked with threading passes in tight areas around the box or between the lines, they could look to attack space in the box, or work with the offensive screen to recover loose balls or be the first line of defense after a turnover. Typically they have less of a set position, and more of an area where they are tasked with doing their jobs. These are the quintessential support players and provide continuity between the players on either of the lines. My System Objectives It’s of paramount importance to set forth the objectives and goals before you begin designing elements. For this system I have most of the same high level goals as the previous system. On Defense: “Bend but don’t break” Spoiler I want to force the opposing team to have to work to get the ball into a scoring position by forcing them to make as many moves and passes as possible before they can get a shot off. The idea being, that each of those is an opportunity for me to make a tackle, interception or force a mistake. So the more they need to do to get to goal, the less likely they are to put together a scoring sequence. Additionally, every little bit I can do to make it more difficult for them to advance the ball, the better. But I don’t want to hurt myself doing it. I don’t need to go all out to win any one specific pass. Just aim to win any one of the many passes in the sequence. If I limit a team to 25% possession and 50% pass completion, but it only takes them 1 pass to get the ball into a dangerous spot (like say a long ball over the top), then I am putting myself in a dangerous position because they are getting that pass off, completed, and that shot with some regularity. But, if I force a team to string together 10 passes in order to get the ball into a shooting position, then, even if they have 60% possession and 80% pass completion, it’s not the end of the world, because they only have about a 10% chance of actually stringing together the 10 consecutive completed passes they need to get the ball into a scoring position. Basically, the more steps I can make them take to get to a shooting position, and the more difficult I make each step, the less likely it is for them to do all of those steps without error and actually get there. On Offense: “Run to Daylight” Spoiler I want to rely on my players to decide what to do on the field based on the situation. That means I need to ensure that they are in situations that favor them and have favorable outcomes. So I am looking to create good matchups and mismatches as well as plenty of options to help ensure good options are available for them to choose from. Because I don’t want them to feel they have to force the ball somewhere. Instead, I want them to identify and take the best option based on what the defense is doing to stop us, known in football as "taking what the defense gives you". If they are pressing up and giving us easy long ball opportunities, we need to have players that are willing and authorized to take that option, as well as a player in position to get on the end of the ball and turn it into a goal. But at the same time, we can’t be forcing it and must have other options available when it’s not there. That means we need to work the entire field both laterally, sideline to sideline, but also vertically, goal to goal. Also, this doesn’t mean that we are risk adverse. We just need to make good risk vs reward decisions. Shape. Shape. Shape. Spoiler I’m aiming to accomplish both of these objectives through a superior use of shape. By keeping a good shape and my players spread over the entire field, I can both prevent them from getting free space to make easy plays and take advantage of easy plays into space they aren’t defending. Additionally, by manipulating my shape I can determine how my players matchup with theirs and get more favorable matchups. Also by using a strong shape I can control how I concede space in defense and position myself to reclaim it quickly if the opportunity presents itself. Similarly, I can use my shape to “save” space to attack into until its most advantageous to use it. Finally I can use shape to ensure that I have players nearby to take advantage of loose balls to either stop an attack on defense or recycle possession in my own attack. Edited January 12, 2019 by VinceLombardi 13 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post VinceLombardi Posted January 11, 2019 Author Popular Post Share Posted January 11, 2019 (edited) Layer 1: Team Instructions and the Roster Before I get into any plays or formations, I start at the bottom and build up from there. I’ve got to define what I want my team to do as a whole and also what the players that make my roster are going to look like. These two elements are going to be omni-present throughout all the formations and plays, so the entire system will collapse if time isn’t taken to really get these parts right. Team Instructions for the System Objectives Unlike the previous version, I’m not really relying on Team Instructions to change the way I play, game to game. Instead I’m just looking for my team to go out and execute our plays and then use the plays to get the variations I need. I might explore that avenue at a later point in the save, but for now I’m happy keeping this relatively straight forward so I can focus my energies elsewhere. So, while I may have more TI setups in this system, they aren’t radically different from one another and only tweak how we play – they don’t make huge macro changes like before. So what does that look like? Defense Spoiler For this system it all starts on defense. Defense wins championships. As I already indicated, my first and most important goal is to take away the ball over the top so I’m not going with a high defensive line. I also need to make sure that the runs are handled well through the midfield and I’m not making it easy for them to get into scoring position. So I want my defense to engage relatively early and challenge them to force their way in. That means I want a higher defensive line. In resolving this dilemma, I look back to my priorities. Number one, no long balls. And because I know my shape is going to be solid, I can expect to rely on it to help get defenders where the need to be to cut off those runs. Shape is going to be a lot less effective vs. those long balls since they bypass my midfield. Not high defensive line wins out. But I also want to get my defense engaged early so I can force the opposing team to have to make more passes, runs, etc. to have a successful attack. That means a high line of engagement and more urgent pressing to get my guys active early and often on defense. This will get them pressuring the origins of the pass, but I also want them to pressure the players who are receiving the pass, so tighter marking. Additionally, I don’t want my guys to just stand there when they get up in a ball carrier’s face. It needs to be a problem for the other team when the pressure gets there, so get stuck in so that my players try to work that ball free. This will both buy time for the defense to get into a better position and potentially create a loose ball situation – which my superior positioning should give me an advantage to recover. Offense Spoiler On offense, most of the heavy lifting is going to be done by me via picking the right play to give my guys a favorable situation to exploit. Also I don’t want to make too many instructions, because at the end of the day the tactic creates the favorable situation, but the player is going to decide in the moment how to best exploit it. So I just remind them that the goal of almost every play is to work the ball into the box and let them do what they thing is best from there. With that in mind, I want my players to feel comfortable taking a bit of risk under the assumption that the matchups are favoring us, so I will avoid mentalities below balanced. I definitely want to make sure that I’m using the entire pitch and I don’t want any of my players to feel they can’t get the ball to an open guy because he is too far away. As a result, I will have them play with wide width and more direct passing. I also want my team to look at ways to pass into space behind the defense. In terms of tempo, I’m all over the board, but I do authorize my team to waste time sometimes as it allows my team a bit of a breather to offset the high intensity of my tactics and also to introduce some change of pace. Finally, I am going to lean on my shape to ensure I always have support so I can expect that my defenders should have an easy pass outlet so I will play out of defense to limit unnecessary clearances and give aways – plus it helps prevent opposing teams from preventing GK distribution. The Specific TI Balance Spoiler This setup is all about running the system while minimizing risk. It’s not designed to be run throughout a match, but rather to open a match and feel out an opponent, with the expectation to make a switch to another setup with a bit more focus and direction. It’s the TI that I have all my plays saved with, just in case I forget to make the switch to the proper TI I want in a match. Not much to see here and I rarely spend more than 5 mins in a match in this setting. Control Spoiler This is one of my main 3 setups. It seeks to take advantage of a passive defense by using the extra time they give me on the ball to both stifle their attack and also make ours more effective. First, I lower the tempo a bit and be bit more expressive. When we get the ball we hold our shape, which is counterproductive to break down a stubborn side, but I primarily rely on my play selection to resolve that issue. By holding shape we make sure that the play is run as crisp as possible. Finally, knowing that my offense is useful as my defense at keeping them from scoring, I instruct my team to counter-press when they lose possession to try to win the ball back quickly and hopefully stem off ay counter attack before it starts. This TI setup isn’t just about controlling time of possession. It’s about controlling the pace of the game, space, and hopefully running our plays and system to perfection. Cover Spoiler This is my second of my main setups. It focuses on maintaining shape and defensive solidarity. We redouble our efforts using a more aggressive, extremely urgent press while simultaneously lowering the defensive line to further ensure that we don’t give up the big pass. When we attack, we counter immediately upon getting the ball and focus on being disciplined in executing the play. And then as soon as we lose the ball immediately regroup into our defensive shape. This TI setup is all about playing to our strengths. And while it is useful against a strong attacking team, it’s also when I tend to go when my offense is struggling to create opportunities. If we can keep them off the board, then we only need a goal to win. And I expect we can get that goal, either through a well-executed play or a turnover/counter opportunity created by my defense. No Huddle Spoiler The last of the big three, this setup is about higher tempo, preventing the opposing side from ever getting their shape, and grinding their team down with our superior workrate and stamina. We don’t waste any time and as soon as we get the ball we are looking to counter into whatever space is available, running at the defense and making long direct passes. If we lose possession we immediately counter-press to try to recover it again to knock them off their tempo. Oftentimes I will use this to lean into a side that is trying to press us and rush our attack. My quick ball movement will help keep the press from getting to its target and leave the defender stranded in space making their press work against them. It can also be useful for a bit of change of pace or to take advantage of a player who is trying to play injured. Hurry Up Spoiler This is my “time is running out and I have got to score” settings – attacking football with reckless abandon. Like the No Huddle, we run at the defense and make more direct passes, but at a much higher tempo. Similarly we look for opportunities to counter attack and counter press. We also press extremely urgently. This is all in hopes of getting the ball into a position where we might be able to shoot on sight. Thankfully, thus far I have rarely had to use these settings, and I expect they are a bit extreme. But you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, and when skill hasn’t gotten the job done, it’s time to turn to lady luck. Team Roster I just want to take a moment to contemplate the macro roles (eg. creator, scorer, etc.) each position is going to have in my system and also the type of players that I would need to perform those roles. I also will point out that, as of yet, I do not use any players in the attacking midfield strata nor do I use FBs, opting instead to push them up into the WB spot. In both cases, this is to help me more easily control my shape and timings in my plays, but I’m sure with a little work it would be possible to incorporate and adjust to accommodate those positions. I also relied so heavily on the AMC position in the previous version that it felt liberating to not be building every tactic around it. Central Defenders Spoiler These guys are the backbone of my defense and though I don’t ask them to do a lot of different things, I need them to do those few things to very well. Namely they need to keep the play in front of them, prevent any long balls over the top, and defend the box from crosses. They are also tasked with protecting the A & B Gaps as well as the 0,1,2 zones behind the line of scrimmage. They need the all your normal defensive attributes on top of the physical attributes to keep them from getting beat. I expect to have 2 or 3 of my top 5 paid players to be CD and wont hesitate to spend big money to get the players I need. Wingbacks Spoiler These guys need to be extremely versatile as in any given play they could be tasked with about anything in conjunction with their very important duties as my wide defenders. They will need speed to cover opposing wingers, speed to get forward in attack, speed to get back in defense, and speed to collect loose balls. Plus the stamina and workrate to keep it up for the entire game. Their defensive duties will trump their offensive, but more important than that will be their mental ability to read the game to ensure they are in the right place doing the right thing at the right time. Whereas in the old system these players were CD with a bit of speed, in this system they will look more like wingers with defensive skills. Defensive Midfielder Spoiler These players are going to be the anchor on both defense and attack, primarily functioning as both a screen to protect the A Gap on defense and also as pivots in attack. Their position is likely to be one of the least demanding in terms of movement, but the most important to not be caught out of position. Again, his defensive duties will far outweight his offensive, and as a result he is going to look like a CD that maybe doesn’t quite have the jumping or speed to make the cut, or maybe has just a bit more ball skills. It is vitally important that he have good anticipation, positioning, marking, and tackling as he needs to attack the ball or the ball carrier before it gets to the CD so that they can focus on their duties controlling the gaps. Wide Midfielders Spoiler These guys are my primary creators and will regularly find themselves in and around the box in addition to their duties along the sideline. They need to have the speed to get up field and into position early in the attack and the technical ability to make magic with the ball at their feet. These guys are going to regularly be lined up in a 1v1 situation with the opposing FBs and WBs and I expect them to win those matchups with regularity. They are likely to be my most technically skilled and versatile attackers. And most importantly they will need the workrate and stamina to play at a high level all game long. When the game is on the line, these are the guys I am going to look at to make a play to get that goal. Central Midfielders Spoiler Honestly, these guys don’t have any defining trait in my head. They are just good all-around players. I would like them to have a slight emphasis on the defensive side of their game, but they are going to be expected to do it all. These players are going to really benefit from good mentals as they will help on both sides of the ball. From there I will be looking for groups of attributes that will add different facets to their game. For example dribbling alone might not be very interesting, but if I can pair it with some speed and agility and suddenly I have a weapon that I can use to really open the midfield up. The most important thing is likely that they don’t have any glaring holes in their game so that they can do whatever is needed in the moment. Strikers Spoiler These guys are just brutes and bullies. It would be nice if they had a bit of finishing, but honestly all I’m looking at are physical attributes. I need these guys to be able to dominate the CD they are matchup against and fight for space in the box. When I employ a striker pair, it will be a big man, bigger man combo. I want them to be huge and imposing and intimidate the opposing team from the moment they step off the bus. They should run faster than a man that size should. Then throw in just enough mentals so that they know how to use their athleticism. Knowing how to actually kick the ball is entirely optional. Edited January 11, 2019 by VinceLombardi 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post VinceLombardi Posted January 11, 2019 Author Popular Post Share Posted January 11, 2019 (edited) Layer 2: Player Roles, Duties, and Instructions The player role and duty combinations are the puzzle pieces I will be using to assemble the plays. As such, it is important that I understand how they fit into my system and have the players consistently performing in the manner expected. Where in the previous system each position had only 1-2 setups, in this system most positions have 4 or more setups. This is to create the different movements needed to make the varied attacks and shapes from one play to the next. Also this is almost exclusively focused on how they are used in my attack as each position as a whole more or less plays the same on defense, irrespective of role and duty. And while there are subtle and sometimes significant differences between the roles/duties in defense, they are not being selected for that reason at his time. Perhaps later iterations will include more focus on role/duty selection for defensive purposes. Additionally, for the time being, I have only included the most common setups and how I use them currently. The more niche setups are still in testing and will be added after I am comfortable that they produce the desired results. In the process, I’m also expecting to do some slight revisions on these roles as well. Finally, as of yet, I am almost exclusively focused on the play of my midfielders, and so both my CD and STC have very limited role options. All WB, DM, and CM players have Shoot Less Often to discourage long shots. If a player has a good long shot, then they will be given individual instructions to allow them more freedom in this regard. All players except CD and STC have Mark Tighter to help encourage them to latch on to players that enter their area. Central Defenders Spoiler 1) CD(d) with Close Down Less. It’s not quite as single focused as a cover guy, but it does rely on the players in front to apply pressure. While he single-mindedly focuses on keeping gaps well defended and preventing play from getting behind him. He doesn’t have any duties in attack, other than get the ball up to a midfielder. Wingbacks Spoiler 1) WB(s) with Stay Wider. These players are my wide men that help form the offensive screen around my attackers. If they have room, they will work up into a wide position and put crosses into the box. I will often use them behind a WM attacking inside to ensure I keep a presence on the flank, but also behind wingers as a way to keep the more advanced player connected to the rest of the team and provide a back pass option. They tend to bide their time during an attack and only advance after the WM makes its move inside. This leaves them as an option to attack into space late into an attack, saving that space until it’s needed. Also, because this move occurs late, it can cause defenders to get drawn inside and give them a free run on the flank, especially if the defense is deep and narrow. 2) IWB(s) with Get Further Forward. These guys are also part of my offensive screen, but play inside, typically in conjunction with a winger in front of them or to move into space vacated by attacking CMs in my single DM formations. They also are used to help support an overload either in central areas or on the opposite flank, by filling in space vacated by CMs that pull to the opposite flank. They work space well, typically staying just outside of traffic or on the edge of traffic. This lets them stay back more when the opposing defense is aggressive and play a pivot like role. But against a more passive defense they will get much closer to my advanced attackers and provide closer support, playing between the DM pivot and STC/WM. Occassionally, if space is available, they may work their way up to or even into the box and can create scoring opportunities because the defense in preoccupied with the other attackers. 3) WB(a) with Stay Wider. These guys are a more aggressive flank attacker who looks to get into crossing position quickly. I typically only use them as part of an overload on a flank, or when I want to force an overlap, but don’t use a WM that cuts inside. These guys don’t save space like the WB(s), making them less likely to be useful late in an attack or to be left alone in space. They are also useful to try to push back wide defenders off my WM and create space for the WM to work their magic. 4) IWB(a). This is my blitzer from the wingback position and will rapidly get to and into the box. On their own, they aren’t very useful, but with a little help they can find a lot of open space in very dangerous locations. These guys are the easiest way to get a free runner into the box and can really challenge a defense in a way that other players can’t. This is the only role/duty for the WB that doesn’t play as part of the offensive screen and instead works between the lines. Defensive Midfielder Spoiler 1) DLP(d) with More Direct Passes. This is my standard single pivot player and my only defensive duty in regular use in the midfield. Because he is the only pivot, he needs to play deeper to better ensure he doesn’t get pulled into traffic and is available for the pass. He has more direct passing to ensure that he can still pass to any player despite his deep positioning. These guys are normally the anchor on my offensive screen in single DM formations. 2) DM(s) with Dribble Less, Close Down More, and Hold Position. This is my standard double pivot player where I play 2 of these guys together. Because there are 2 DMs, I allow them to be more aggressive in stepping up on defense and attack, but also take care that they don’t get too advanced that they are out of position. I also add on the dribble less to encourage them to focus on passes and not linger on the ball. These two players typically anchor the offensive screen in 2 DM formations. 3) VOL(a) with Dribble Less and Move into Channels. This is my DM blitzer setup and works up the field vertically well, playing between the lines. He can find his way into and around the box, and like the IWB(a), can find space in dangerous locations if other players are used to work him free. 4) RGA(s) with Get Further Forward and Dribble Less. Although this guy still plays primarily in the offensive screen, he doesn’t anchor it like either of the pivot roles above. This allows him to step up into the midfield a bit more as well as get more lateral movement to find space. This can be useful to create shifting support for an overload, or to put pressure on the advanced defenders and slowly choke them out of space. This also brings the offensive screen closer to the leading edge allowing for easier passes between the two without the use of the players between the lines. Wide Midfielder Spoiler 1) IW(a) with Close Down More, Sit Narrower, Take More Risk and Roam From Position. This is my primary way to get my WM into the box and into position on the leading edge of the attack, where they rapidly challenge the opposing wide defenders. They work the edge of the opposing defensive line trying to force them narrower and deeper into the box, but given complete freedom to then use that position to make a move. Sometimes it’s a dribble run to get a shot on goal, sometimes it’s to get a cross/through ball in to a STC, sometimes it’s something else entirely unexpected. My entire goal here is just to get a dangerous player into a dangerous spot in that B Gap and see what he can do with the ball. 2) W(s) with Close Down More, Get Further Forward, Take More Risk, and Roam From Position. This is a setup I use that can vary widely based on what is around it. If there isn’t anything around it, then it will work between the lines, probing the edge of the box and working that wide flank, being a general pain for the opposing wide defenders. But if you put a player in the box in front of him (say a Mez(a)), he plays back a bit more, playing more in that offensive screen role, controlling the flank. This can really pressure the wide defender to have to make a tough choice. In turn, this can give the WM a bit of space to get the ball in a place where he can just as easily use his speed to rush up the flank in the C gap or dribble inside into the 2,3,4 zones behind the leading edge – both of which are great locations for a creative and technically gifted player to get a back breaking pass off. 3) IW(s) with Close Down More, Sit Narrower, Take More Risk, Get Further Forward and Roam From Position. This guy plays behind the line, working in the space created by the leading edge of the attack. By coming in from the wide position, he can often get around DMs, while staying in front of the wide defenders and get a great opportunity for a dribble into the box or a through ball to a STC or similar. Also because he works inside, he allows for a natural overlap with the WB and together they can create a 2v1 opportunity on the opposing wide players. It’s a really dynamic role that creates great opportunities and can help break down even the most stubborn defense by attacking the 2,3,4 zones and the B gap. 4) W(a) with Close Down More, and Roam From Position. This guy is all about attacking that C gap and spreading the defense. He plays as part of the leading edge and will get into the box. But his real skill is hitting that early cross before the defense gets set and pulling the wide defender wider than he wants to be to expand that B gap. This guy is especially fast moving vertical up the field and will make a play move quickly from the middle third to the box. This can be helpful to create early options in the attack or to create space for the players playing between the lines. Central Midfielders Spoiler 1) BBM(s) with Get Further Forward, Move into Channels, and Close Down More. This is my standard CM. He plays between the lines and works hard to create passing options for both. He works the 0,1,2 zones well and moves well both laterally and vertically to find packets of space. It’s just a really good role that helps the rest of the team do what it wants to do. 2) AP(a) with Get Further Forward, Roam From Position, and Close Down More. This is another role I really like and plays a lot in my single CM formations. He plays space even more aggressively than the BBM, but shows an obvious preference to play closer to the box and the leading edge. He plays between the lines in that close support role in zones 0,1,2 and really likes to look for opportunities to get that pass into the box. His focus around the box sometimes requires that I either bring the screen further forward or use other roles to get another player between the lines to assist the screen. 3) Mez(a) with Run Wide with Ball and Close Down More. This is another role that plays between the lines, but primarily right behind the leading edge. But he moves into that half space, working the 1,2,3 zones and the B gap, getting into the box whenever an opportunity presents itself. He is especially effective if my STC locks down the CD inside and my WM pulls the wide defender outside. This gives him tons of space in that B Gap to get runs into the box and shots on goal. 4) CM(a) with Roam from Position, Move into Channels, and Close Down More. This guy plays between the lines similarly to the AP(a), but doesn’t use the space quite as well, particularly in moving laterally. Instead, he is a much more aggressive vertical runner and can lead the attack and add some tempo in the movement between the middle third and the box, similar to the W(a) out wide. Where the AP(a) works the zones first and then the gaps, this guy is focused on attacking gaps and will relentlessly find opportunities in the A and B gaps if they are available. Strikers Spoiler 1) PF(s) with Hold Position. This guy is currently my first choice STC in any situation as he does a few things that are really important. First, in defense, he harasses the opposing holding midfielders and takes away the easy pivot. This allows me to have my other defensive players focus at taking out the attacking players. Second, he is that quick outlet in transition because, as he moves between the holding midfielder in defense to his position on the leading edge in attack, he is available for a quick pass up field. There he holds up the ball while my other attackers rush forward. And third he anchors the center of the leading edge and keeps pressure on the A gap, not allowing opposing CD to do much other than cover him. From there he is just a big physical presence that is always a risk to get on a cross or pick up a rebound. 2) PF(a) with Roam from Position. This guy is my second choice STC and does what the PF(s) doesn’t. Instead of harassing the holding midfielders, he focuses on the CDs in defense, taking away more back pass options. Then in transition, he immediately looks to beat them to a long ball. Finally, when he gets pushed up into the box, he moves around a bit, looking to attack space behind the defense and finding space away from the PF(s). This forces the opposing CD to cover both of my STCs 1v1, giving both a better opportunity to get a chance on goal and potentially opening up that A gap for my CMs. Edited January 11, 2019 by VinceLombardi 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinceLombardi Posted January 11, 2019 Author Share Posted January 11, 2019 (edited) Layer 3: Packages and Formations The last step before I actually start designing plays and putting the puzzle pieces into place, is to take some time to think about the packages and formations that I want to run. These will be the templates we fit the pieces into. With my goals of really pressuring the entire field, I’m going to focus on formations that cover the entire field well sideline to sideline and create layered defenses. The other consideration is that I am planning on running multiple plays from the same formation, so it will need to be generic enough to run multiple plays from it. If it’s a very oddball and specific formation that only works if it’s run a certain way, then it’s not going to serve my purposes well. I need formations that have a lot of potential options. For now I’m focusing on 5 packages, which will allow me 10 formations between them. I’ve done concept testing on another 2 packages that could have as many as 18 formations between them, plus a 3rd package that I haven’t tested at all yet. But those are pretty finicky and aren’t great to build the core playbook around. They would be more trick plays and filling out the edges based around particularly special players. The core 5 packages should give me lots of room to work without worrying about those others until I’ve got these down. Finally, before we get into those formations, remember at this stage it has nothing to do with the actual player roles or any specific play. For our purposes now, it’s just the player positions and defensive shape that we are looking at. 34 Package Spoiler The 34 is just a single formation, defined by the 3 players in the DM strata and 4 in the CM strata. Like the 3-4 defense it is named after, it is a defensive formation aimed at stopping the run and offering lots of options to bring an extra blitzer. Two CMs give me a lot of ways to get players into and around the box as either runners or passers. These options also free me up to not be obligated to bring my WM into the box and vary their attack as well, giving me lots of options with those 4 attackers and the ability to disguise my attack. The 3 players behind them offer a natural screen, but one could also be brought forward without significantly compromising my defensive stability. 43 Package Spoiler The 43 is the reciprocal of the 34, defined by 4 players in the DM strata and 3 in the CM strata. Similarly this package has just a single formation and like its 4-3 namesake in football, it is also designed to stop the run. However, again like its namesake, it does it with less flair, telegraphing the likely attackers and likely defenders based on position. It demands less versatility from the individual players and instead lets them focus on their specific role. Like the differences between the 3-4 and 4-3 in football, it trades the variability and surprise of the 34 for the strength that comes from being able to play one-dimensional players in the roles most suited their skills. Knowing that there is a natural 4 player screen behind them, the WM and CM can focus more on their offensive duties and get up the field more aggressively. And should an extra blitzer be brought from the deeper areas, they have a good chance of being a free runner and unaccounted by the defense. Nickel Package Spoiler This package has 3 formations, and is built around balance, with 2 STC, 2 CD, 2 Wide players on each side, and 2 midfielders in the central areas. Again, it draws inspiration from the football formation it is named for, attempting to strike a balance between attack and defense, run and pass. And as the Nickel is rapidly becoming the go-to in the modern NFL, I too expect this package will become the one I build my top 11 around. The various formations of the Nickel Package are differentiated by the positioning of the 2 midfielders. In the Nickel base formation, they line up with one in the CM spot and one in the DM spot, again trying to strike that balance and create layers to the defense and attack, while also allowing the players to focus on their roles. Their alignment doesn’t matter in terms of which of the 3 CM or DM slots they occupy, and this formation, in particular, lends itself to shifting players into slightly asymmetrical positioning as there is a lot of space for all the players to work in. Additionally, because there are 2 STC, my other players, namely the WM, are freed from needing to get into the box. This allows me to vary my attack while also utilizing players in ways that best match their skills. The Nickel Wide formation has both the midfielders pushed up into the CM strata. This offers maximum versatility in attack and lets me get really creative in that regard. However, without a DM, it lacks a natural pivot player and the natural screen is weak. Defensively, it can suffer as well as there is no defensive screen in front of the CD – though without the DM the players fall back into 2 banks of 4. So it still has a good shape, it just needs a bit more time to get into it and until it does, there is an opportunity for a resourceful opponent. The Nickel Deep formation has both the midfielders pushed back into the DM strata. This offers a very strong natural screen in both attack and defense, but in return there are comparably limited options in attack and it may struggle getting players to play between the lines in those central 0,1 zones. Still, with a strong screen, there is no reason a player or two can’t be brought forward, and players that are brought forward will find plenty of space to exploit. Dime Package Spoiler Like the previous, this package follows its inspiration by focusing on stopping the pass – particularly deep passes – by taking away the receivers. Like the Nickel, it has 6 players in the midfield, with 2 on each flank and 2 in the middle. But where the Nickel traded out a midfielder for a striker, the Dime trades the midfielder for an extra CD, making 3 in the back. This is helpful against teams that feature exceptional or numerous strikers. It also mitigates the risk of being a bit more aggressive in the midfield, allowing for means to make up for one less attacker. Additionally, the central CD can be played as a Libero to get that attacker back. It follows the same convention as the Nickel, with 3 formations, each determined by the positioning of the 2 central midfielders. The Dime Base formation has the 2 midfielders split between the CM and DM positions. The Dime Wide has them both in the CM strata. And the Dime Deep has them both in the DM strata. Generally speaking all three more or less have the same strengths and weaknesses of the Nickel formations, with 2 major differences. First, the lack of a second striker means that we need to get additional players into the box and with only 3 obvious options, much of that duty is going to fall to the WMs, limiting my ability to vary the attack. And second, the ability to use the CD as a Libero can free up the DM to be a bit more adventurous if I choose, or mitigate the absence of a DM in the Dime Wide. Singleback Package Spoiler This package is defined by the fact that it utilizes a single CD. This gives me an extra attacker, but obviously creates significant risks in defense. The WBs fall back well, and create a solid, albeit wide, back 3, so it’s not terrible. But it means I will need to rely on the DMs in both the offensive and defensive screening roles to limit opposing opportunities to play into the gaps between the 3 in the back. That means playing 4 in that DM strata and neutralizing the opposing advance players by cutting off their supply of passes. I play this package in 2 formations. The first formation is the Singleback Base formation, which uses the extra man to get another midfielder and gives me a truly packed midfield for maximum creative options in play design. It has all the advantages of the 34 and 43, with a really solid natural screen, a natural double pivot, and lots of options for bringing attackers forward. The packed midfield is very difficult to play through and mitigates our risk in defense, which in turn allows the sole CD to focus on defending long balls. The second formation is Singleback Twins, which uses the extra man to get another striker. This frees up the WMs, so that I can utilize them in more creative ways, and has most of the advantages of the Nickel and 43. It’s a bit more risky than the base Singleback formation in defense, but it makes up for it with that second striker, who should always ready to run behind the opposing defense on a fast break off a counter attacking long ball if they try to get too aggressive. This makes it higher risk for both parties, hopefully something I can take advantage of. Edited January 12, 2019 by VinceLombardi 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post VinceLombardi Posted January 11, 2019 Author Popular Post Share Posted January 11, 2019 (edited) Layer 4: Conceptualizing Play Design Now that all the pieces are in place, it’s time to create the plays and the playbook. While my roles and duties definitely influence my defensive shape, I expect all of my roles for each position to defend more or less the same. So while my defense first approach significantly influences my TI, PI, and formations, my plays are all about my offense. Play Design: System Objectives That means going way back to the beginning, back to the “Run to Daylight” approach I want for my system from the first post. And while I expect my players to make decisions for themselves in the moment, I want to set them up for success. That means I need to give them multiple options to allow them to take what the defense gives them. If they have limited options they may feel more inclined to force a situation that just isn’t going to work. I’m going to manifest my “Run to Daylight” approach by sticking to 3 basic rules: 1) Use the Whole Field Spoiler I want to make the opposing team defend the entire field and if there are areas they are not defending, I want my team to find them and exploit them – not just laterally, sideline to sideline, but also vertically. By forcing them to defend the whole field, I can make them alter their shape some to meet me and create space within their end. That means my attacks need both width and depth. And you can see some of those elements in the TI instructions that avoid shorter passing and encourage passing into space and the regular use of the PI roam from position. I want my guys to find and exploit space, even if that means they need to distort their shape a bit or make long passes. The width part is relatively easy, but the depth takes a bit more thought. My attacks will need to start early, while there is a lot of space. It’s easy to have depth early, as there is space behind the defense. But I will need to keep that space throughout the attack. I don’t want to use it all up on that first aggressive pass, have everybody run up, and congest the box. And I’m going to keep that space by maintaining a solid shape – my other major system goal. I do this by designing my plays around two lines – a leading edge and an offensive screen. The first line is the leading edge. These are the attackers I want to constantly be pushing the defensive line back and trying to get into and stay in the box. As they push the line back, this trades the space behind the defensive line for space in front of it. But in order to keep that space useable, I need to make sure it doesn’t get too congested. That’s where the offensive screen comes in. This is the second line and is the back edge of my attack. By carefully maintaining and manipulating the distance between these two lines, I can keep that space between them from getting too congested. This enables other players to play in that space between the lines. What I end up with is a shape like this in every play: I circle the STC and DM in each of the line because, most of the time, these players will be tasked with anchoring those lines and keeping their spacing. And while each play may change the players in each line, their positioning, or their spacing, in the end I want to see that same shape so that I can use more of the field in my attacks. 2) Be Efficient Spoiler This is the antithesis of my defense. The less I have to do to get a shot on goal, the less likely it is to break down. Basically I’m going to encourage my player to take that extra bit of risk, to try to pull off the attack with less moves. Each dribble or pass I don’t have to make, is one less I can fail. Try not to make needless passes and prefer a more direct approach. Again, you can see this in my TIs, where I use positive mentalities, higher tempos, and direct passing. Now how aggressive I want my players to be in this regard is controlled by my TIs and largely determined by how they are trying to defend me. In my No Huddle, I ideally want my entire attack – from halfline to shot on goal – to be 4 or less passes/moves and each pass/move to only take 2-3 secs to pull off. Whereas my Control could take 8-10 passes/moves and take as long as needed for each move to make sure we are making the best one. 3) Maximize our opportunities Spoiler Namely this means I want our moves to end with a shot from a good location in the box. But, absent that, at least end the move in what is likely to have the best outcome in our favor. For my team, that’s almost always going to be to force the ball into the box. Again, this is expressed with the TI Work Ball into the Box and PI shoot less. I don’t care if it is a cross, a through ball, a dribble, or a longshot. Just get the ball into the box. Because in the center of my box are my STC and they are all about fighting for space. Failing him getting the ball, there are still a lot of acceptable outcomes. A clear is likely to get picked up by my screen. A loose ball in or around the box can get jumped on by my hardworking midfielders. The pass deflected out for a corner. Lots of possibilities I am okay with and all are better than passing around the ball until a defender jumps it for an interception and a counter attack. Play Design: Creating Options As I’ve already identified, I’m all about creating options for my guys and then letting them choose the best in the moment. Run to Daylight. That leaves me to create the options within each play for the likely scenarios they will face. If I give them good options, then I should have good results from their decisions. As with most of this system, these options are typically going to depend on my shape. Get the Ball to the Middle Third Spoiler As discussed, my plays are designed to start around the halfline. I play direct, but it’s not a counter system. The attack isn’t designed to start in my half. The ideal situation has me getting the ball via a defensive turnover in the middle third. Worst case, it’s a CD looking to make a pass up under pressure. I’ve got some good options for that situation which are built into every play. In every formation, I have an STC as a PF(s) which will be running between the holding midfielder he was defending to the leading edge as soon as the ball is turned over. In this transition he is available for a pass and will hold up the ball as the rest of my players run up. Further, if the opportunity is ripe and defense out of position, I should have a speedy wide midfielder or maybe a striker as a PF(a) who can run on to a long ball and create a scoring opportunity. Absent those options, my formations generally feature DMs and WBs which should offer easy outlets. First Pass to Start an Attack Spoiler This situation is slightly unique from others during the attack as my players are typically still moving forward and aren’t necessarily in their attacking shape yet. My STC should already be forming that leading edge and pushing the defensive line back. And if the defense isn’t falling back, that will give me tons of space behind them to drop in a pass over the top to either the STC or my WM on the flanks. But if the defensive line is falling back, then there should be plenty of opportunity for my players playing between the lines or my screen players to find that space and make themselves available for a pass. Good options in this situation are going to hinge on forming that leading edge early. Attack Option 1: Attack defenders out of position to get the ball into the box for a shot Spoiler The best opportunities are going to come when the defense is out of position and isn’t set to stop an attacker getting into the box. So I want to ensure that my plays create opportunities and options to take advantage. The most likely way this is going to happen is early in the attack, before the defensive line has set its feet. There should be space both behind and in front of the retreating defensive line for the players in my leading edge to either run on to a long pass behind, or receive the pass in the zones in front of the defense. Again, that line needs to form early. I can also look to early runners (blitzers) and players between the lines who are attacking gaps that might not be properly defended yet. Finally, I can take advantage of the opposing midfield either not being set yet or else reacting to my player with the ball to try to pass to a between the lines player with space in a dangerous location. This last option I expect to commonly be the “best” option that my player will see as it doesn’t depend on catching the defense in transition. Every time the ball is passed the opposing midfielders are going to have to move to react to it. That means that options which only rely on moving midfielders will be much easier to create. So I’m going to want to make sure to feature at least 1-2 players between the lines who will find space for a pass in dangerous positions. Attack Option 2: Make the defense react to me with the ball in dangerous locations Spoiler Once the defense is in position and option 1 is out of the window, I need to unsettle the defense to open option 1 back up. The best way to do this is by getting the ball into a dangerous location that forces the defense to react. This means getting players into the zones right in front of the defense, particularly zones 0,1,2 as they lead directly into the A & B gaps. This puts defenders in the defensive line in a tough spot. If they step up and challenge, then they could be releasing one of the players on my leading edge to get a quick pass. And if they don’t step up, then the player with the ball could run through the gap or make a through pass to a leading edge player making a run. All of which are favorable to create opportunities for option 1 and catch them out of position. But if that doesn’t work, we can always see if option 2 is available again and pass to another player in a dangerous location that forces the defense to react. And there is a good chance that we might have an oppurtunity to do that as it only really requires the opposing midfielders being out of position and they are almost certainly reacting to where I have the ball currently. But it’s possible that those passing lanes aren’t there, so I need another type of option: to pass to a player in a “safe” spot. Attack Option 3: Get the ball to a “safe” location Spoiler If I can’t take advantage of a defender out of position or get the ball into a dangerous location that might force a defender out of position, then I want to get the ball into a “safe” place that the defense can’t get it easily. This is typically some sort of sideways or backpass. For my system, that typically means getting the ball to a screen player who is playing on the back edge of the attack. This forces the opposing midfielders to come out to challenge and can also buy time for the leading edge to keep pushing the defensive line. And both of those things create space that may open up options 1 and 2 again. Most of my players are going to be making option 2 & 3 moves until an opportunity to exercise an option 1 move presents itself. So it’s important that the screen and players between the lines are positioned in a way that they can work together well and the defense cannot easily shut down passing lanes. Also, keeping screen players out of traffic and away from defenders will help ensure that there are plenty of players available who meet that option 3 criteria. But sometimes everything breaks down, and I want them to remember a very simple option 4: Force the ball into the box. Attack Option 4: Force the ball into the box Spoiler When all else fails, I want my players to just throw caution to the wind and force the ball into the box. Be it cross, through ball, a dribble, whatever. If the other options aren’t available for whatever reason, just blast something into the box. Because at the end of the day that is an opportunity, however slim, for our STC to do what he does best and outmuscle everybody for the ball. It’s literally what he is on the field to do. My strikers are not technical or cerebral players who work space and make unbelievable goals. They are physical brutes who dominate in contested space. Give them a chance to make a play. And if it fails, oh well, most of those outcomes will favor me too. Corner kicks, loose balls in the box, clears that my screen can scoop up, are all perfectly acceptable outcomes. I would prefer a clean shot by a player in the box with space and all the rest of the play is built with that as a goal. But my worst case scenario is just to force the ball into the box and see what happens. And so each of my players will hopefully play a little like a Quarterback going through their reads, first looking for option 1 opportunities, then option 2, etc. Most of my attacks are going to be a series of option 2 and 3 moves, before finally ending in either an option 1 or 4 finisher. That means that my plays need to create those options and I do that by utilizing a specific shape – namely the leading edge, between the lines, and offensive screen model. Edited January 28, 2019 by VinceLombardi 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinceLombardi Posted January 11, 2019 Author Share Posted January 11, 2019 (edited) Layer 5: Designing Plays and Making a Playbook Now it’s time for the fun part, actually making plays. But before I let my creativity go wild, I need to establish my “Base” play that will be the template from which all other plays are built. In determining what your base play is, you are going to look back to your high level system goals and use them to guide your design. Additionally you will want to consider your TI options and conceptualize how you see those affecting your base default. For this entire process we are going to stick with the 34 formation, since it’s my most developed and the one I am most familiar with. Base play Spoiler For my base plays, I look to create the simplest and most natural expression of the formation’s shape, as that the most important element for me and is key to my system working in attack and defense. I want my players by default to be in or near their defensive position. From there, I am looking to create an effective leading edge of players in the box to create scoring threats and an offensive screen behind them to support them. Whatever is left will be tasked with playing between those lines. Looking at the 34 formation, I see this shape naturally occurring as the players get forward and I put in the player roles that will encourage it. Then I watch it in matches. A lot. In all the TI settings, in all kinds of situations, against all types of opponents. I want to see the team doing the same thing, over and over again. Because if I can’t reliably get what I want with the Base play, then I can’t expect it to play reliably as I start adding more creative elements later. I don’t care if it wins. I only care that I see what I want to see, and for my system that’s strong shapes – namely that well defined leading edge, that offensive screen behind it, and the players between the lines playing the space effectively between and with the two lines. They might miss every shot, pass and cross. Don’t care. I can get better players to do what I need later. I want very reliable movement patterns and shapes. I want the players finding and working the space well. Eventually I hope to see something like this on every build up. Well defined leading edge and offensive screen, with the players between them supporting the lines. I cannot emphasize how important it is to get this Base play right. All your other plays in the formation will be based on this play. So if there are any issues in this play, they will be copied to all your other plays. Take your time. Do it right. If you find a mistake later, go back and adjust. I just finished my 1st season and I am about to go through my 3rd revision to the 34 Base. I expect a 4th before I am happy with it. Boom. First play of the playbook down. Designing Plays Spoiler Now that we have the Base Play, it’s time to start designing other plays that can be run with it. Now, designing a play is a little different than designing a tactic. In a tactic, you need a level of versatility to make it suitable for almost any situation so that you can run it game after game. A play doesn’t need that. It can be incredibly focused and situational in a way that a tactic never could. The versatility comes from the play book as a whole, the plethora of options and how you use them. Each individual play only needs to do 1 or 2 things very well and if it can do them reliably, then it’s a good play. Maybe a play isn’t super useful because it’s only for a very niche situation. But if it can reliably handle that situation, it’s still a good play. I try to have versatility built in to my plays, but that’s not because they need it, it’s because that an essential feature to my system and how I want my offense to run. You could just as easily build a system around getting a specific superstar player the ball in the box and each play is a different, very specific way to do it. That’s your own choice for your system. So the first step to designing a play is to identify what is the thing that you want this play to do. Maybe it’s as general or simple as shifting the entire team to the left. Maybe it’s as specific as getting your WBR into the box between the CDL and DL, late in the attack, with time and space to get a good shot on goal. It can be anything. But take the time to define it and make a clear design goal. If you have multiple ideas then design them as different plays. Don’t try to do it all in one play. Now you might find later that you can combine them, but in the design phase, don’t do too much. As an example, let’s say I want to pull the defense right to create a free runner on the left flank. It’s an overload concept that I see people struggle with all the time. First I load up my Base Play and use it as a start point. I already know how my players look in this play because I have already watched it way too much. So what do I need to do to change this play into the desired play? Well first, I’m trying to shift the team right. That means I need space on the right for my team to move into. That means my MR as an IW(a) isn’t going to work because he is going into space I need my midfielders to move into. So, I go into my toolbox of player roles and switch this player to a W(s) to keep him along the flank. The WBR is already on the flank in the base play, so no adjustment needed there. Next I need that CMR to pull right to create space for the other midfielders to move into where he normally is. In my toolbox, the Mez(a) how I create that movement, so I make that switch too. Then I get to the DM and CML. I don’t really have anything in my toolbox to get these guys to go right. But I do know that the BBM that I have in the base tactic moves laterally well. Maybe just creating the free space to his right by moving the CMR out will be enough to get him over. Additionally, the DM doesn’t really need to move per say, as nobody further left is looking to get into the space he is in. For now I will leave them both be, but will keep a close eye on them. If I need to get them over I can try to find a different role or physically move them over in the tactics screen. For now, those changes seem a bit drastic and will introduce unexpected changes to our defensive shape and attack. I would prefer to stick with what I know works in the Base play and then change it if it needs to be changed. Finally on the left side, I need to decide who is the free runner I am trying to get open. As is, in my Base play, the ML likes to move right into the box already and the WB sticks to the flank, so it wouldn’t require much, if any, change to get the players where I need them. This is what I end with: What I hope to see and expect to see when I run this is the ML and STC working the leading edge. The screen is untouched, the left side should still be able to push up freely, but the right side is going to run into the traffic in front, holding it back and slightly distorting its shape. Finally, the MR is pulled off the leading edge to work between the lines and collectively all 3 of the players working between the lines should see themselves on the right side of the formation. When I am watching to see if these 2 roles changes are effective, there are 3 key areas I will be watching. Do the 3 players on the right, create an overload? That is, do they pull the ball, defenders, teammates, and action their way and congest it on the right sideline? Do the central 2 midfielders that we didn’t change work laterally to the middle or right of middle into the spaces vacated by the Mez(a)? Finally are we getting our objective of getting that WB free? The end result is promising. We get the shape we are after. Looking back to our original concept, the overload works and it pulls the defenders and the midfielders with some regularity, which in turn frees up the WBL. But its not 100%. We never get that back breaking run from the WBL and at least some of the time, we don’t manage to even work him free. He might need to be a bit more aggressive, maybe a WB(a) instead of WB(s) – something worth experimenting with. But the concept is sound and something to build on in the future. One thing I thought was really interesting was the way the players shifted immediately following a goal kick and how the overload was expressing itself so deep in our own end. The Mez(a) moving could be expected, but the other 2 caught me off guard. Also the screen wasn’t as distorted as I expected. I also might need that WB(a). It might take some tinkering to perfect, but it’s reliably creating what I am looking for, so we are going to call it another play and save it to work with later. And that’s really all there is too it. Have a concept, make a few switches to try to get what you are looking for, and then test it. If it works or looks good, then I save it so that it can be improved later. Rinse. Repeat. My naming convention Spoiler Before we got further I want to point out that I’ve got 10 formations already and each will have 3-4 plays, maybe more. That’s a lot of tactics to keep straight. So to keep it organized I needed to create a naming convention to name my plays and as with everything else, it’s using the football verbiage I am familiar with. I was a little loose with this when I started and as my playbook grows, I am finding myself having to go back and fix omissions. Now I stick to it religiously. [Package] [Formation] [Macro Team Movement] [Individual Player Movement] [Blitzes] Packages and formations are easy. That helps keep the formations within the same group together on the tactics list. So any play that starts with “Nickel” is going to be my base Nickel personnel with 2 STC, 2 CD, etc. etc. etc. A play starting “Nickel Wide” or “Nickel Deep” would be the same group, but with the midfielders realigned as appropriate. And all of these Nickel package plays will be grouped together on the tactics list. Macro team movements are denoted as a “Crash” or “Sweep” and identify what direction the team as a whole is shifting. A “Crash” and “Sweep” differ in that a “Crash” is a more subtle shift often used as a set up for another move, whereas a “Sweep” is a hyper aggressive attempt to completely overwhelm a specific area of the pitch. So “34 Crash Left” is a play run out of the 34 package that has the entire team shifting action to the left, however “34 Sweep Left” has the team truly attacking that left side and trying to overwhelm it. These macro team shifts also redefine what the base play is for the rest of the naming convention. So, continuing the example, in the “34 Base”, the ML and MR by default are IW(a) getting into the box. But in the “34 Crash Left”, I am shifting the entire team left, so the default for the ML will change to a W(s) or W(a), but the MR will remain by default a IW(a) since that is consistent with the macro team shift. This is important, because if I later change the ML back to a IW(a) in another play I need to denote that change as a Stunt or Blitz so that I know he isn’t following the Crash Left with the rest of the team. Individual player movements are denoted by “Stunt” and identify the player(s) doing the shift and what direction the shift is. So “ML Stunt In” in any play tells me that the ML is shifting into the inside zones instead of his normal movement for the base play. So “34 Crash Left ML Stunt In” is a macro shift left by the team, but the ML moves back against the grain of the macro team movement to work the zones in front of the defense. Next I denote any blitzes, what players are making them, and where they are going. For me blitzes are different than stunts and crashes as they are creating more significant changes in the way we are playing by default. They often raise the tempo of my transitions because players are given much higher mentalities than default and the movements differ in that it is much quicker and more single-mindedly vertical than Stunts or Crashes. So, for example, the uses of a WB(a) or IWB(a) would be denoted as a blitz rather than a stunt. Additionally, Sweeps are plays that inherently have a lot of blitzing movements, so I don’t bother to denote the blitzes in those plays as its implied. So putting it all together when I see the play “34 Crash Left ML Stunt In WBR Blitz Down” I know that this is a play out of the 34 formation, where the team is pushing action to the left. However the ML is working back against the grain to work the zones in front of the defense and the WBR is rapidly moving up field trying to attack into the box. Finally, I am not naming every element of the play, only the major elements that are defining what I am trying to do with that play as a whole. So again going back to the final example, “34 Crash Left Stunt In WBR Down”, there are likely other changes that are happening that aren’t denoted in the name. In this play the CMR and MR are both shifted slightly compared to what they do in the base “Crash Left” play, which helps create space for the blitzing WBR. But I do not include their shifts as part of the name as these shift are not the goal of the play, nor necessary to understand what the play is designed to do. Edited January 11, 2019 by VinceLombardi 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinceLombardi Posted January 11, 2019 Author Share Posted January 11, 2019 (edited) Putting it all together: My Playbook As a disclaimer, this is very much a work in progress. I spent half a season concept testing and half a season putting together these plays. Some, like the 34 plays, are much more thoroughly tested than others because they fit my personnel on my roster. And some, like the Twins and Trips stuff are still very much concept testing that haven’t seen much attention, which is why the formations weren’t included above. I can say everything has at least been tested in matches to ensure that it at least gets close to the mark and nothing should be complete crap. But thats no guarantee its good. A lot of it needs work yet. I also want to point out that because this is all a work in progress, I do not guarantee that any of it is a perfect match for the player roles as laid out above, and there player roles used in the plays that I didn’t include in the post. This is because I am currently between the 2nd and 3rd revisions of my system and I forsee, at minimum, a 4th revision before I am happy with the playbook. Most of these plays are 2nd revision designs, but the roles above are what I am starting with going into my 3rd revision. Moving forward, I am looking forward to this next season as I want to expand the roles I use and introduce more tools to create more varied plays. I expect to be adding at least 2-3 roles to each midfield position before the season is up. I design following the layers above, so I expect it will be most of a season before I get back to designing plays and updating these for the new roles. Finally, I’m not going much into the plays and will only likely mention a few with any comments. This post is long enough without me writing a paragraph for each, finding screenshots, etc. I’m largely just going to throw these up so that those interested can check them out for themselves and use them for jumping off points for their own versions of the system. The Playbook Spoiler 34 Base – If there is one play I am confident about, this is it. Spoiler 34 Blitz Inside Spoiler 34 Crash Left ML Stunt In WBR Blitz Down – That’s a mouthful, but it’s actually a pretty cool play. The CM(s) has roaming, but not get further forward. So he gets pushed out of the way by the blitzing WBR and then roams back into the space after the WBR goes by. The CM(s) kinda works like a door. It’s a role/combo that I plan on experimenting with more. There are also likely too many players between the lines and not enough on the leading edge. Spoiler 34 Crash Left WBR Blitz Wide – This is what the 34 Crash Right could become. Looks like I already made the WB switch on a previous version. Also note that the leading edge of this crash is on the overload side with the W(a) and PF(s) instead of away from the overload as with the 34 Crash Right below. Spoiler 34 Crash Right – This is the play I made as the example above. I would suggest looking into changing the WBL to a WB(a) to get him forward, making “34 Crash Right WBL Blitz Wide”. Spoiler 34 Sweep Left – The sweep plays are all kinda cool, but this one in particular is fun. The 3 players on the left are all like a loaded gun, ready to explode when somebody pulls the trigger by getting them the ball. The 4 right players all make an overload around the halfspace instead of the flank which is another cool element. It still needs a little work I think, but there are some neat things here. Definitely worth the look, imo. Spoiler Nickel Base Spoiler Nickel Crash Down – This is a really solid play. The IW(s) play really well behind the leading edge made by the STC pair. Spoiler Nickel Crash Right ML Stunt – WBR needs to get fixed. That role plays too far back iirc. IWB(s) w/o gets further forward would be better. Also the name isn’t correct. The ML isn’t stunting imo. This looks like an alternate crash configuration with a WBR stunt. Spoiler Nickel Crash Left Spoiler Nickel MR Blitz In – This has a nice leading edge. Spoiler Nickel Stunts In – This play makes an interesting midfield diamond Spoiler Nickel Sweep Right Spoiler Nickel Wide Spoiler Nickel Wide CMR Blitz Spoiler Nickel Deep Spoiler Nickel Deep MR Stunt DMR Blitz Spoiler 43 Base Spoiler 43 WBR Blitz – This is a simple and effective WBR blitz. Spoiler Dime Base Spoiler Dime Wide – The Libero plays as a holding midfielder to help complete the screen Spoiler Singleback Base – The Singleback formation is fun and surprisingly strong defensively. Just don’t try it against 2 striker sets and be careful that they don’t switch into a multiple striker formation on you. Spoiler Singleback Sweep Left Spoiler Singleback Twins Spoiler Singleback Twins Sweep Left Spoiler Singleback Twins DMR Blitz In Spoiler Twins Base Spoiler Twins Wide Spoiler Twins Wide WB Stunts – This play is a likely cut candidate. The screen isn’t right and the IWB(d) role doesn’t work well for what I want. They don’t get far enough forward. If you check it out, I would try IWB(s) without gets further forward and see if that plays better. Needs work. Spoiler Trips Base Spoiler Trips Deep Spoiler Edited January 12, 2019 by VinceLombardi 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinceLombardi Posted January 11, 2019 Author Share Posted January 11, 2019 (edited) Putting it all together: Match Day When I watch a match I look for a few specific things, which dictate what TI and plays I want to run. This particular bit is rather new to me as I only started really adjusting to my opponents and flexing my system the last 5-10 games of the season. Prior to that I was so focused on testing plays that I didn’t pay much attention to what they did. I watch all matches on Comprehensive Highlights. Middle Third Spoiler This area is the starting point of my attacks and where I hope to recover the ball in defense. As such it is the focal point of my attention as it will tell me how I’m doing in both phases. In defense, I am watching their highlights to see how they are getting through the front line of my defense. If they are struggling to get into my third, then I will be more focused on what I am doing on offense, as my defense is holding. However if they are getting into my third with regularity or, even worse getting the ball into dangerous shooting locations, then I am going Cover TI to give my defense a little more room and and time to try to pick off a pass. Also, if I can’t keep them from getting the ball into the box, then I want to fall back deeper to protect the box, even if that means I am giving up a bit of space for those long shots. In attack, I am primarily watching how they pressure my ball carriers. If they are playing passive and letting me to get to the half-line uncontested, then I want to take advantage of that opportunity to play my Control TI game. This will make sure that I am taking the time to get my guys into position and form our shapes before entering into the other half. On the contrary if closing down on my guys and pressuring them to pass the ball (or even worse, tackling it off them), then I know that my offense cannot wait until we form up our shape. I will switch into the No Huddle TI in order to try to catch them in no man’s land between players and exploit their press before it gets home. On attack Spoiler I want to watch where the space is in the opposing formation as they fall back and whether or not my players, particularly the between the lines guys are getting into it. They are the real destabilizing force for my attacks, and so I need them to quickly and efficiently find space to receive the ball. This will largely direct my play calls as I will switch into something that will get into that space better. This sequence is a great example of what I mean. After 58 minutes of struggling to break the opposing team down, I identify pockets of space in the 2,3 zones. My existing play has my WMs playing on the flanks as W(s), so I switch into a Crash In play, to get those WMs playing nearer the free space. Then I use the leading edge to drive the already deep defender, deeper into the box to move that space back into the box as well. This enables my WM to take a shot from inside the box instead of making a speculative effort from long range. Prior to that shift, they had my number and I only a few shots on goal, despite controlling the match. After, I was able to get a lot more shots, and they were from better locations. What looked to be a 0-0 draw at 58 mins turned into a 2-0 win. Standout players Spoiler Finally, I am watching for any specific players that are repeatedly standing out for one reason or another. They could be on my team, their team, offense, defense, whatever. They also could be standing out for about any reason, exceptionally fast, always out of position, always in position, just having a good day, injury, etc. From there I might adjust a play to take advantage of an opportunity or to avoid an opposing player that just always has my number. On multiple occasions I have identified attacking fullbacks that don’t track back well and shifted action their way with a Crash in their direction or a Blitzer into where they should be and used that to exploit their poor positioning. This is still something I am still trying to incorporate better into my game and play selection, but when I have been able to make the right read it has paid dividends. What I want to see on Defense Spoiler Opposing player gets ball in the midfield wing, looking to start an attack. My right side players are well positioned to prevent him from getting a free run on the flank. The opposing STC is bracketed by the DML and CD preventing a long ball, a normal pass, and giving him no space to work in. On the far side, my ML sticks to his man to prevent the field getting flipped and my WBL floats in space ready to clean up wherever he is needed. There are no options, so the opposing player passes it back when my MCR pressures him. But my MCR isn’t done. He forced the pass out of his area, but now he sticks to this guy to prevent the opposing team from being able to immediately pass the ball back. This frees up the other players to apply pressure without needing to worry about my own press pulling my shape apart. Sure 1-2 players might be slightly out of position, with the STC having to rotate back to cover the gap left by the MCL. But they aren’t out of position because they are frantically trying to press everything at once and get caught in space between players. Instead, they are still contributing on defense even while “out of position” and he is now helping create a bracket on a player that was part of the attack immediately prior. The end result of the situation is opposing team makes 3 passes, but doesn’t manage to advance the ball forward. And when the ball gets passed out of the area, both the MCL and STC can quickly spring back into their original positions so I can regain my shape and solidify the defense again. This sequence is the ideal way my attack works. Each move is contested and they result in very little from the effort. If I remember correctly, in the example, that last opposing player dwelled just a little too long on the ball and the MR was able to tackle it loose for a turnover. My defense is built around creating those opportunities for myself. By everybody sharing the duties and working as a team we don’t rely on any particular player’s success or failure. Those front players step up to harass players as a group, closing them down into smaller and smaller space until they are forced to move the attack into another area. Unlike, a single BWM, the team can close from all directions and if one is out of position another can step up into their spot. Away from the action my players wait to prevent an easy pass into another area and also to make that first close down quickly to prevent them from turning that completed pass into a backbreaking run through my defense. Finally behind all this action my primary defenders keep their shape and remain ready to deal with anything that gets through. Edited January 11, 2019 by VinceLombardi 7 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinceLombardi Posted January 11, 2019 Author Share Posted January 11, 2019 (edited) Football as an Inspiration While it’s clear that I am heavily influenced by my football background in designing this system, I thought it might be helpful for me to point out and explain some of the elements I have taken and how they inform the system. Defense as a model for shape and space Spoiler So while it may be easy to assume that my attacking shapes come from offense in football, it’s actually the defensive side of the game that really takes center stage and is the model for much of the system. This is especially true for its shape and how I use space. The leading edge, offensive screen, and between the lines model that I feature so heavily is the same general structure of defense in football. The front defenders set the edge against the offense trying to attack the line of scrimmage. The defensive backs are tasked with ensuring that nothing gets behind them. And the linebackers are tasked with playing and defending space between those groups. We can see this shape and model and use it for soccer by simply changing the way we see the positions. Their roles are the same. And with the magic of MSPaint, we can see how the 34 defense from football becomes the shape for the 34 formation in my system. Blocking Spoiler Blocking is key to both offense and defense in football. And while it might seem a bit off to use it in soccer, the concept is surprisingly effective when applied to the sport. It’s really not that different than pulling defenders. The big difference is, rather than pulling the defenders with movement, you lock them down preventing their movement. This in turn prevents them from stepping up to challenge a ball carrier. It works in soccer by moving an attacker into a dangerous location. Naturally the defenders move to cover him. This takes the attacker out of the play, but it also occupies the defender. And while occupied in such a way, the defender can’t cover another player without releasing the attacker he was previously defending. This can leave gaps without defenders to actually defend them. We can design these elements into our plays relatively easily. Here is a simple blocking design from a football perspective: The MR and STC block out the opposing CD and DL. With no defenders left to protect the B gap, we can then blitz in our CMR. And we can see exactly that occur on the field. These strategies are especially effective against the opposing defensive line. Passing Concepts Spoiler Another source of inspiration are the passing concepts in football. In my sweep plays I abandon my normal defensively inspired shapes to apply an aggressive Vertical Passing concept. In these plays, the offensive players all run deep and spread out over the field laterally. This challenges the defenders to not only fall back at pace, but also track laterally with their movement. Additionally, the defenders in the middle need to quickly recognize that the movement from the outside is going to require them to drop deep, lest they be caught out of position. But the defenders drift too far down and the MR passes up to the rushing CML, who relays it quickly to the ML. The DR doesn’t recognize that his man is the ML and tries to close down the CML, but that just makes it worse. The ML gets behind the DR with the ball and gets a free run all the way to the goal. Edited January 12, 2019 by VinceLombardi 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinceLombardi Posted January 11, 2019 Author Share Posted January 11, 2019 (edited) Final Thoughts and Links to Interesting Posts Using Tempo to Break a Defense I would also like to put a big "Thank You" for @wkdsoul who designed the database I'm playing. It features a Premier League modeled pyramid which includes all the teams across all the major USA sports (MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, MLS). Edited January 28, 2019 by VinceLombardi 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoosier_76 Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 Bravo. This is fantastic. I've been an American football fan my whole life (Go Colts!) and I can still get overwhelmed by all of the terminology and concepts. Not only is your work applying football strategy to soccer incredibly impressive, but you did it in a way that makes both reading and comprehending it easier. It's a fascinating way to look at FM and I'm looking forward to seeing how it plays out. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusadertsar Posted January 11, 2019 Share Posted January 11, 2019 It is too bad there is no American Football Manager Sim because I think you would boss it 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinceLombardi Posted January 12, 2019 Author Share Posted January 12, 2019 6 hours ago, Hoosier_76 said: Bravo. This is fantastic. I've been an American football fan my whole life (Go Colts!) and I can still get overwhelmed by all of the terminology and concepts. Not only is your work applying football strategy to soccer incredibly impressive, but you did it in a way that makes both reading and comprehending it easier. It's a fascinating way to look at FM and I'm looking forward to seeing how it plays out. I'm glad its understandable. Its a bit long winded, but I wanted to make sure it made sense to people who had little or no football background. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gambit Posted January 12, 2019 Share Posted January 12, 2019 6 hours ago, crusadertsar said: It is too bad there is no American Football Manager Sim because I think you would boss it Front Office Football is the closest we'll get thanks to EA owning the NFL license 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AceAvenger Posted January 12, 2019 Share Posted January 12, 2019 Amazing work, I remember using the FM16 iteration of your playbook to great effect with my Stenhousemuir save. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Generation-Next Posted January 12, 2019 Share Posted January 12, 2019 8 hours ago, VinceLombardi said: I'm glad its understandable. Its a bit long winded, but I wanted to make sure it made sense to people who had little or no football background. Yeah, it's a wonderful post and not long winded at all. Better than the amount of "I IZ NEEDING HELP WIV DIS TAKTIK" We've been getting recently. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinceLombardi Posted January 12, 2019 Author Share Posted January 12, 2019 (edited) 7 hours ago, Gambit said: Front Office Football is the closest we'll get thanks to EA owning the NFL license Yep. There was a Head Coach game, which was super promising. But it never got off the ground as a franchise. Madden 2005(?) let you design plays. That was pretty awesome too. Sad to see it go. Edited January 12, 2019 by VinceLombardi Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wkdsoul Posted January 12, 2019 Share Posted January 12, 2019 Awesome Vince 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinceLombardi Posted January 12, 2019 Author Share Posted January 12, 2019 2 minutes ago, wkdsoul said: Awesome Vince Thank you for the database. I'm having a great time with my Green Bay Packers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinceLombardi Posted January 12, 2019 Author Share Posted January 12, 2019 (edited) 20 hours ago, VinceLombardi said: I would like to put a big "Thank You" for @wkdsoul who designed the database I'm playing. It edits the US to feature a Premier League modeled pyramid which includes all the teams across all the major US sports (MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, MLS). Edited January 12, 2019 by VinceLombardi Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
loisvale Posted January 12, 2019 Share Posted January 12, 2019 Great read and thanks for sharing. Much to take in! Have been trying the 34 for a few weeks now and a big fan and it works well. The difficult bit is now working out when to use the right packages, formations, plays etc. There are so many options! Think I will concentrate on 34 and Nickel and get to know them first before delving any deeper. Maybe also use the Dime package against the many 442s you get in Germany. Do you give the Libero any PIs? Brilliant post. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinceLombardi Posted January 12, 2019 Author Share Posted January 12, 2019 (edited) 4 hours ago, loisvale said: Great read and thanks for sharing. Much to take in! Have been trying the 34 for a few weeks now and a big fan and it works well. The difficult bit is now working out when to use the right packages, formations, plays etc. There are so many options! Think I will concentrate on 34 and Nickel and get to know them first before delving any deeper. Maybe also use the Dime package against the many 442s you get in Germany. Do you give the Libero any PIs? Brilliant post. Yeah. I still need to work on that stuff too. I'm trying to have more options than I need, but still avoid too many options. Each revision cycle allows me an opportunity to cut the fringes and work with the best parts of the previous cycle as a starting point. With so much stuff, I don't want to waste my time improving something that might never be good enough. And each revision cycle I more or less follow the layers improving each area in turn before moving on to the next. So being in the revision 3 cycle, layer 2 currently, when I get around to revamping the plays in this cycle, I should have a much better toolbox for designing those plays. The Libero (a) has close down less, so that it operates like the rest of the CD, focusing on A gap control in defense. And also more direct passing, so that he has the passing range to work the entire field from his spot at the back like a DLP. Even if he doesn't have the skill or mentals, I want him to have all his options. It doesn't take a brilliant or skilled passer to get the ball to a free WB on the far flank. But without more direct passing, he won't even be looking for him. And with less options, I expect he will be more likely to try to force a pass into a tight spot, something he clearly lacks the ability to do. IMO, the less I let him do, the more likely he is to do something bad. Edited January 12, 2019 by VinceLombardi Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TownForThePrem! Posted January 12, 2019 Share Posted January 12, 2019 7 hours ago, VinceLombardi said: Yep. There was a Head Coach game, which was super promising. But it never got off the ground as a franchise. Madden 2005(?) let you design plays. That was pretty awesome too. Sad to see it go. FoF has now been bought/partnered with the devs who make OOTP, so their next game should be good! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
loisvale Posted January 12, 2019 Share Posted January 12, 2019 Thanks for the reply. Helpful info as always. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
loisvale Posted January 13, 2019 Share Posted January 13, 2019 @Vince Lombardi out of interest what packages, formations and plays do you have the most faith in at present. I feel the Base 34, base Nickel and the inside blitz for both work the best at the moment. Top German sides away from home are very difficult at the moment and having to work very hard to get points off them. As it should be. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinceLombardi Posted January 13, 2019 Author Share Posted January 13, 2019 4 hours ago, loisvale said: @Vince Lombardi out of interest what packages, formations and plays do you have the most faith in at present. I feel the Base 34, base Nickel and the inside blitz for both work the best at the moment. Top German sides away from home are very difficult at the moment and having to work very hard to get points off them. As it should be. In terms of formations, 34, Nickel Base (not wide or deep formations), and Singleback have had the most testing. For all 3 I have spent a lot of time in Base play. Crashes are likely next as they have been used as jumping off points for other plays. Sweeps less so, but also tested more than the rest. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
loisvale Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 Ok completed first season with this system on journey man season with Dortmund. 3rd place 5 points behind Schalke. 21 wins 7 draws and 6 losses. Didn’t lose at home all season. Both 34 and Nickle are really strong at home. Nees to work on away strategy especially against the big boys. Think it is mainly down to poor choices I make. Will be trying the cover TI much more to focus the defence and carefully pick the plays. Overall really enjoy this system. Have just moved to Liverpool as Tuchel skipped over to Barcelona. Very surprised to get the job as reputation lower than the other candidates but maybe as it is listed as my favourite club and I said what they wanted to hear! anyway am now where I wanted to be since starting the save and will not move again. @Vince Lombardi do you have a particular thought process when away from home and tips/suggestions? Really enjoying it and the football is tremendous. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinceLombardi Posted January 16, 2019 Author Share Posted January 16, 2019 Away vs big boys, you are likely facing a more aggressive attack. Cover is the answer. Honestly it's likely my most used TI. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
loisvale Posted January 16, 2019 Share Posted January 16, 2019 1 hour ago, VinceLombardi said: Away vs big boys, you are likely facing a more aggressive attack. Cover is the answer. Honestly it's likely my most used TI. Agreed. Thanks for the response. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
loisvale Posted January 20, 2019 Share Posted January 20, 2019 How much affect do player traits have on PIs? Does it mean they ignore instructions? Tactic is working very well with Liverpool on journeyman save and leading league after 16 games with only one loss. However very difficult to find a dlp that doesn’t have contrary traits. Fabinho should be perfect but his traits of plays one twos, knocks ball past opponent and gets into opposition area all conflict with what I want him to do. That is a lot of coaching of a 30 year old to reverse and now play him as a box to box instead. All my first ream defenders have some issue or other with their traits but can be coached. Basically how much attention to traits should be paid? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
loisvale Posted January 20, 2019 Share Posted January 20, 2019 How much affect do player traits have on PIs? Does it mean they ignore instructions? Tactic is working very well with Liverpool on journeyman save and leading league after 16 games with only one loss. However very difficult to find a dlp that doesn’t have contrary traits. Fabinho should be perfect but his traits of plays one twos, knocks ball past opponent and gets into opposition area all conflict with what I want him to do. That is a lot of coaching of a 30 year old to reverse and now play him as a box to box instead. All my first ream defenders have some issue or other with their traits but can be coached. Basically how much attention to traits should be paid? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinceLombardi Posted January 20, 2019 Author Share Posted January 20, 2019 (edited) 1 hour ago, loisvale said: Basically how much attention to traits should be paid? Currently I don't pay hardly any attention, but that's because I'm still developing the system. If somebody is doing unexpected stuff, then I check to see if traits explains it. Once I get settled into a regular roster and the system is clicking right, then I will turn my attention there. I would agree with your analysis of that player though. That's a lot of traits that wouldn't be useful in that DM-DLP (d) spot. Just based on them, the CM position seems a much better fit. Edited January 20, 2019 by VinceLombardi Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinceLombardi Posted January 23, 2019 Author Share Posted January 23, 2019 (edited) Using Tempo to Break a Defense So I mainly use either Cover or Control TI, as they work in 70-80% of situations for me. But sometimes I need to break out the No Huddle to fill in a few gaps. Here I use the higher tempo to break a stubborn defense and get 2 quick goals to break a tie. Spoiler This was an away match against a team further up the table that I was slated to lose. They come out reasonably aggressive, but I am able to use the Cover TI to stifle their attack and turn the game into a defensive slog. It works in that regard, but I'm never able to get off any of my own opportunities and all I've got is longballs, longshots and/or set pieces to get that upset goal based on how the match played out in the first half. Rather than rely on luck, I look to see if I can identify why my attack is breaking down and what I can go to resolve it. Simply put, they have really good defensive shape. They are matching up well with my attackers and trading them off between defenders well. I've got no advanced players to cleanly pass the ball up to. They are essentially doing what I do, take away the passing outlets and then pressure the passer to force a bad pass. This slows down my buildup and prevents me from moving my attack forward like I would like. This in turn causes my players to bunch up and gives them even more time to get into their good shape. It really is my defense come back to get me. If I can get to it, there is space behind the defenders. I play direct, but I'm not really a long ball/hoofball team. And the only way I could exploit it with a play change is a shift into a Nickle or other 2+ STC formation, as I don't have any 1 STC plays with a poacher or similar (yet). Plus honestly, their defenders are as good or better than my strikers and at least as fast. It would be unlikely for me to really get a good long ball opportunity even if I made that switch. I have a rather average roster for my league and they have better quality players. So that option is kinda out, or at least non-optimal. Plus my defense has been playing very well and a play or formation change risks upsetting what is working there. Instead, I'm going to try to prevent them from getting into their shape by raising the tempo. I make the switch right after halftime as I fear going down a goal will be insurmountable (and I just yelled at them at half and I wanted to use the morale boost). In the next 4 mins I am rewarded with 2 goals. The first is a long range effort following a fortuitous turnover, and admittedly it was a lucky long shot goal. The second goal is exactly what I was hoping for. We collect a loose ball in our own half and the team springs into action to prevent them from ever getting a chance to set their defensive shape. Instead of mucking about in the midfield and waiting for my play to develop, we just use our workrate and the morale boosts from the team talk and goal to out effort them. We push quickly up the field, and though they have the pace to repeatedly challenge us on our attack, they never all get set at once and get into their previously dominate defense shape. My guys crash the box and I'm rewarded with a second goal. I immediately return to my Cover TI as I don't want to give them a chance to get back in the game. They are the better team, but my defense is solid and should be able to hold a 2-0 lead if I don't take any chances. I never got another good shot off in open play, but I didn't need it. Turns out I broke their back and spirit in that 4 minutes. My defense holds them to no shots in the second half and I get 2 more goals off set pieces (a corner and free kick), for a dominating 4-0 victory. As a nice side note, they were the #1 defense in the league and hadn't conceded in nearly 500 minutes of soccer before I unleashed that double salvo. I never changed a single role all game, and just 4 min switch from Cover to No Huddle turned the game entirely around -- which substantively was just a quick shift to a higher tempo and freedom to play a bit more creatively. Both TI setups have the same mentality, directness, and the counter transition. And both the attacks I show took 12 seconds and are only a few mins apart in the match. But that tempo shift completely changed the way my team approached the build up, the attack, and most importantly the result. Edited January 23, 2019 by VinceLombardi Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
loisvale Posted January 23, 2019 Share Posted January 23, 2019 (edited) Interesting. I have experienced this kind of thing many times in the season with Liverpool on the journeyman save. What you have described above works well. The team has a great deal of pace and skill and given we have won 23 games drawn 2 and lost only one in the league I am coming up a against a lot of parked buses home and away. I almost exclusively use 34 formation away from home and the nickle at home. My experience of dealing with matches is mostly based around decisions taken on TIs and using the base formations. If really trying to force things then really attacking space on the left or the right along with tempo changes (no huddle) or changing to two strikers is very effective. If the opposition is backing off control TI works very well. The cover TI and base formations is very solid when protecting what you have or taking on difficult matches. Beat Man City away doing this and they are very strong in my save which is now in 2024.Pep still there and have won EPL last four years. in game shouts of demand more and get creative have an effect. Finally attention to player traits and getting the right personnel for the positions is critical. Football is great and this team is having great success but keeping Man City at bay is challenging in this save as despite the run of wins I am only 4 points ahead.Hopefully on track to end Liverpool’s long wait to win title in my first season. All in all the system is brilliant has lots of variety and is great fun to use and experiment with. Love it. Congratulations -many people would get a lot of enjoyment using it . I know sharing has helped you sort it out in your own head but very glad you did! Edited January 23, 2019 by loisvale 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukasZ_VCF Posted January 24, 2019 Share Posted January 24, 2019 (edited) I play with 4-4-2 I changed my AF to PF(s) with roam from position and lowered passing just by 1 click and it seems like they are making "one -twos" passing, it looks much better now forwards are little bit deeper and if I would have BBM with better finishing I will be scoring a lot more since they run passing each other with strikers and completely losing opponent defense and shot before I think I had more long failed shots now I think they run more into the penalty area...will check with more games:) Edited January 24, 2019 by LukasZ_VCF Simulated few games - ALL won ;O even CL final with PSG 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinceLombardi Posted January 24, 2019 Author Share Posted January 24, 2019 12 hours ago, loisvale said: I am coming up a against a lot of parked buses home and away. I almost exclusively use 34 formation away from home and the nickle at home. My experience of dealing with matches is mostly based around decisions taken on TIs and using the base formations. I am playing this league season almost exclusively from my base 34, 43, and Nickel as I've thrown out the rest of the playbook to more or less start over. I have found it to be very successful, and I really like the defensive stability they offer. The attacks can get a bit boring, especially against other good defenses, but quick tempo shifts or the like can create the edge I need. In this way it plays very similar to my FM16 version. 13 hours ago, loisvale said: If the opposition is backing off control TI works very well. Also has been my experience. If they give me time, this setup really takes advantage and works the ball around well. In my U23 league I am very dominate, so a lot of teams play back, which is great because this is my preferred TI setup for evaluating plays and I do most of my creative testing in those matches. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigcwwe Posted January 28, 2019 Share Posted January 28, 2019 (edited) Not read this yet, only skimmed some of it but I must say, it looks like you've gone into some real detail here. Will have a proper look through now. Edit: So yeah I've just gone through all of this, very impressive stuff @VinceLombardi, really interesting take on things and very detailed. Edited January 28, 2019 by craigcwwe Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinceLombardi Posted January 28, 2019 Author Share Posted January 28, 2019 7 hours ago, craigcwwe said: Not read this yet, only skimmed some of it but I must say, it looks like you've gone into some real detail here. Will have a proper look through now. Edit: So yeah I've just gone through all of this, very impressive stuff @VinceLombardi, really interesting take on things and very detailed. Yeah it's a lot to take in. Hopefully it mainly made sense. My limited soccer knowledge forces me to overexplain what I'm doing. I appreciate you taking the time to check it out and glad you found it interesting. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjohansen Posted February 14, 2019 Share Posted February 14, 2019 Sigames should make an (American) Football game too... If it is about licensing and stuff, just use "fake" nicknames and stuff and let users edit that out with an included editor. Would absolutely love it, as these are my two favorite sports. Would have to have College included too in my opinion. Great read! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidthekid Posted February 26, 2019 Share Posted February 26, 2019 Just found this thread. This was an awesome read. I love the idea of plays. I can imagine you having those signs that college football teams use, where the players turn to the sidelines to see the play. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
loisvale Posted March 16, 2019 Share Posted March 16, 2019 (edited) @VinceLombardi Are you still developing your playbook? I’m still using it and enjoying experimenting with various things. Still works great. Haven’t heard from you in a while. Edited March 16, 2019 by loisvale Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wkdsoul Posted April 2, 2019 Share Posted April 2, 2019 (edited) @VinceLombardi or @Morrissey some advice my NFL gurus. As my USA database, teams and league is setup as i want it. I'm gonna start making some players and need to transpose some of the positions. any suggestions on the below for NFL positions into football? Position NFL Ad Forward Wide Reciever Deep Lying Playmaker Tight End Box to Box Running Back Ball Winning Mid Centre Centre Mid Off Guard Regista Pocket QB Roaming Playmaker Scramble QB Anchor Safety Wing Back Off Tackle Centre Back LineBacker FullBack Corner Back Keeper Kicker Sweeper Keepr Punt Return Edited April 2, 2019 by wkdsoul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinceLombardi Posted June 25, 2019 Author Share Posted June 25, 2019 On 16/03/2019 at 04:49, loisvale said: @VinceLombardi Are you still developing your playbook? I’m still using it and enjoying experimenting with various things. Still works great. Haven’t heard from you in a while. I still play off and on. I've got a new 9 month old and that's really cutting into my game time. I was on paternity leave when I developed this and had time to really devote to it. That has since dried up. I've had good success and done some stuff beyond what is in the playbook. But honestly, generally speaking, I'm finding that it works best when I don't over complicate things. I stick mainly to my base plays and opt into a few other plays situationally if I need to break a game open. My formations are typically decided by some combination of whatever my best 11 are for the game and what my opponent's formation is. From there it's just about dialing in my mentality. I find that's enough for 90% of my games. When I do turn to them, of my most successful plays are simple, and just create an overload in a specific area or target a specific opposing player. For example the way the Nickle Crash Down challenges the front of the box while the STC drive the DC back. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinceLombardi Posted June 25, 2019 Author Share Posted June 25, 2019 (edited) On 02/04/2019 at 17:35, wkdsoul said: @VinceLombardi or @Morrissey some advice my NFL gurus. As my USA database, teams and league is setup as i want it. I'm gonna start making some players and need to transpose some of the positions. any suggestions on the below for NFL positions into football? Position NFL Ad Forward Wide Reciever Deep Lying Playmaker Tight End Box to Box Running Back Ball Winning Mid Centre Centre Mid Off Guard Regista Pocket QB Roaming Playmaker Scramble QB Anchor Safety Wing Back Off Tackle Centre Back LineBacker FullBack Corner Back Keeper Kicker Sweeper Keepr Punt Return It's really hard to transpose the positions between the two sports. The specialized nature of players in NFL doesn't translate well. But as to the question: Off Guard and Off Tackle are plays, not positions. It describes where the running back is running and who the lead blocker is. Just call them Guards and Tackles. Beside that, I would say that the names are appropriate. I can see where you were going with each one and can't say that any is inaccurate. Edited June 25, 2019 by VinceLombardi 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feddo Posted November 14, 2020 Share Posted November 14, 2020 @VinceLombardi I just found both of your threads about your way off playing. Such a fresh approach to the game and one I'm going to take inspiration from. I've been trying to implement some NFL principles into the game, but being a soccer fan first I've struggled. These explanations have given me so many pointers Aside from that you've also thought me a lot about how NFL teams approach there game. I've watched the NFL on and off for 20 years (packers "fan") but this part always remained a mystery to me. Are you still playing fm atm? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinceLombardi Posted November 15, 2020 Author Share Posted November 15, 2020 I am actually. Just picked up 21. Really enjoying it. Glad to be of some help. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wkdsoul Posted November 15, 2020 Share Posted November 15, 2020 4 minutes ago, VinceLombardi said: I am actually. Just picked up 21. Really enjoying it. Glad to be of some help. Ive added full rosters to that database for 21. SHould be up jsut after official launch. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CowShedBarmyArmy Posted November 15, 2020 Share Posted November 15, 2020 This is fantastic stuff. Really detailed and thoughtful. I've been binge-watching the All or Nothing series on Amazon so I couldn't have found this at a more apt time. I've started to implement your ideas in FM21 with a relegation tipped Brechin City. Won my first game with 34 + Control and I couldn't have been happier. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinceLombardi Posted November 15, 2020 Author Share Posted November 15, 2020 4 hours ago, CowShedBarmyArmy said: This is fantastic stuff. Really detailed and thoughtful. I've been binge-watching the All or Nothing series on Amazon so I couldn't have found this at a more apt time. I've started to implement your ideas in FM21 with a relegation tipped Brechin City. Won my first game with 34 + Control and I couldn't have been happier. Always happy to hear it's helping folk. I just started my first ever journeyman save. Normally I just stick to one team. Ended up at IK Sirius at the bottom of Swedish Premier with like 7 games left. Kept them up after a nice little run by playing a strikerless tactic I dusted off and revamped from FM16. Really a fan of the new match engine. A big step up from the rather tepid central play I was getting on FM19. I really think that there is a lot of room to be inventive in this ME and am looking forward to seeing how far these concepts can be utilized. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
facman Posted November 17, 2020 Share Posted November 17, 2020 (edited) On 15/11/2020 at 14:02, VinceLombardi said: Always happy to hear it's helping folk. Reading through it all now, and enjoying it thoroughly. As an old time American Football fan (first game I saw on tv was the Raiders v Redskins superbowl back in 1984!) who has been to the Big Apple to see the Giants play, I'm enjoying the crossover. I've always thought that once the Yanks (sic) got their hands on footy they would revolutionise the way people think about tactics, training and organisation, and the ideas above are very good food-for-thought. As Joe Collier, legendary Defensive Coordinator for the Broncos, who designed the Orange Crush defence of the 70 and 80s, once said: “There are no geniuses in this profession,” he said. “Again, it’s simple. You design defenses whereby your athletes are in the proper position to make the plays you want them to make. Anyone can draw up good plays. But what good are great X’s and O’s if you have your athletes 10 yards from the play you want them to stop?” KUTGW! Edited November 17, 2020 by facman Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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