4-4-2 - Modern (Control and Attack Space)

[kr10]

Below is a screenshot of a recent match against Chelsea, which is a great example to better illustrate the type of play the tactic creates, as well as the profile of players needed (note: my support striker here is a left footed PF(s), a regen)

For reference, here is my main striker: Pietro Pellegri, the absolute perfect type of striker for this tactic:

Let's take a quick look at the statistics:

1. AF (Pellegri):

- 21 headers contested, 66% won, 7 key headers

- 13 shots (including heading and feet, I believe), almost half on target, 3 goals

From the stats, you can see that the entire team is essentially feeding the AF, a lot of it through crosses. The rest of the team had 14 shots together (to Pellegri's 13)

2. Crossing:

Including corners, there were a total of 48 crosses provided - Bailey (Left Winger) alone provided 20, of which 40% were successful (this is an insanely high number from my experience). Again, this shows the importance of having a big, tall striker. I've found that even 190+ CA strikers who aren't tall don't do as well as Pellegri has been doing (averaging a goal a game in League and CL play).

3. Central Midfielders (sancet, Belecan, Bentancur):

Another key area to get right. Between the 2 of them (and a sub, as one got hurt), they completed 6 tackles (100% ratio), provided 3 key passes (1 chance created), recorded 4 interceptions, and contested 11 headers (winning 7). This highlights 2 points:

- Try to have CMs with decent marking, tackling, and positioning, along with workrate, to help you control the center of the park (no room here for pure playmakers)

4. Wide Playmaker (Havertz):

Solid if unspectacular game from him. Attempted 61 passes, competing 77%, with 3 key passes. It is worth noting that the LCB and LB also see the ball a lot, so having defenders here who are competent in retaining possession is definitely a plus.

Anyway, I hope this was helpful to find the right players. As always, feel free to reach out if you have questions/comments. 

- Height certainly makes a big difference here, as you don't want the ball going to the defensive line too often

[afailed10]

Really good and well thought system here. It's very good to see the WP having room to play. Found it works very well with my wide creative winger who likes to run with the ball a lot and has flair to spare. 

It helped me immensily to fix my issues against defensive sides. Reading these forums we sometimes get the wrong ideas about overloads. I'm personally guilty of trying to overload areas with the WP and a support striker for instance, but what happened was that we would be playing to those defensive sides hands by congesting space. 

[kr10]

4 hours ago, KyleHyde said:

Really good and well thought system here. It's very good to see the WP having room to play. Found it works very well with my wide creative winger who likes to run with the ball a lot and has flair to spare. 

It helped me immensily to fix my issues against defensive sides. Reading these forums we sometimes get the wrong ideas about overloads. I'm personally guilty of trying to overload areas with the WP and a support striker for instance, but what happened was that we would be playing to those defensive sides hands by congesting space. 

Full agreed regarding utilization of space. I personally avoid tactics which require adjacent players to operate in the same space, vertically and horizontally. On the other hand, I think it’s important to not create too much distance between players either (especially vertically), because then the players get cut off from one another. For example, a CM(d) and a W(a) might be on opposite ends of the field in possession, and won’t be able to connect easily, save for a long/risky pass

[thehig2]

On 10/05/2019 at 16:36, kr10 said:

 

It would be great if poeple could try it out and let me know their thoughts, I have personally very curious to see if this tactic works at all levels. Thank you for taking the time to read it.

I've had some success using your tactic, the tactic in the screenshot is inverted so my playmaker is Jack Grealish on the left, cutting in with his right foot. Hes had 6 goals, 7 assists and an average rating of 7.44 from 20 games so far this season.

I think I'm performing slight above expected in the league, and excellent in cups getting to the league cup final and still going strong in FA cup and Europa League.

I would say using this tactic at an average team is pretty good, you generally win more than you loose, however one thing I've noticed is its a giant killing tactic.

You can see on the screenshot multiple wins over Arsenal, a win over Totenham, Liverpool, Villareal and Napoli. Newcastle fans would be happy with that.

[kr10]

On 15/07/2019 at 19:29, thehig2 said:

I've had some success using your tactic, the tactic in the screenshot is inverted so my playmaker is Jack Grealish on the left, cutting in with his right foot. Hes had 6 goals, 7 assists and an average rating of 7.44 from 20 games so far this season.

I think I'm performing slight above expected in the league, and excellent in cups getting to the league cup final and still going strong in FA cup and Europa League.

I would say using this tactic at an average team is pretty good, you generally win more than you loose, however one thing I've noticed is its a giant killing tactic.

You can see on the screenshot multiple wins over Arsenal, a win over Totenham, Liverpool, Villareal and Napoli. Newcastle fans would be happy with that.

A quick note, the duties on the WP and goalkeeper seem to be wrong, I would change those if I were you. The WP for example performs better in a support duty from my experience, while I generally stay away from a support duty goalkeeper. 

It looks like if you win your game in hand you’ll be 6th? I hope you can push for a top 4 spot next season. 

Ive found the tactic scales well with the quality of players as well. The winger and AF in particular are critical, they put up the best numbers for me. Try getting Pietro Pellegri if you can, he performs better in this tactic than any 190+ player I’ve owned 

[thehig2]

1 hour ago, kr10 said:

A quick note, the duties on the WP and goalkeeper seem to be wrong, I would change those if I were you. The WP for example performs better in a support duty from my experience, while I generally stay away from a support duty goalkeeper. 

It looks like if you win your game in hand you’ll be 6th? I hope you can push for a top 4 spot next season. 

Ive found the tactic scales well with the quality of players as well. The winger and AF in particular are critical, they put up the best numbers for me. Try getting Pietro Pellegri if you can, he performs better in this tactic than any 190+ player I’ve owned 

Finished 6th in the end, but lost both my cup finals both times my team bottled it. 

Starting my 4th season now winning first 4 games, including a 3-2 win over Manchester City, Batshuayi with a hat trick in that game, iv'e never used a tactic that has gotten me so many wins over stronger opposition. Had a draw Vs Norwich because my centre midfielder got sent off for a stupid two footed lunge, did well to get a draw.

I've chosen to play Grealish my WP in  Attack duty because he likes to run with ball, on attack duty he seems to include driving runs into game which troubles weaker sides. Its another option he has as well as the passing options. When I play other players in that WP role they are put on support duty.

The Sweeper keeper on support I find helps counter over the top balls the tactic can be a little vulnerable too.

I've also changed Eustaquio to a deep lying playmaker on support, given how good his range of passing and mentals are to be playmaker, and hes not right next to my wide playmaker its worked so far.  

I'm looking forward to leaving Newcastle on this game, to try the tactic in a new team and league, for now I'll stay at Newcastle a few more years their fans deserve a trophy.

[kr10]

6 hours ago, thehig2 said:

Finished 6th in the end, but lost both my cup finals both times my team bottled it. 

Starting my 4th season now winning first 4 games, including a 3-2 win over Manchester City, Batshuayi with a hat trick in that game, iv'e never used a tactic that has gotten me so many wins over stronger opposition. Had a draw Vs Norwich because my centre midfielder got sent off for a stupid two footed lunge, did well to get a draw.

I've chosen to play Grealish my WP in  Attack duty because he likes to run with ball, on attack duty he seems to include driving runs into game which troubles weaker sides. Its another option he has as well as the passing options. When I play other players in that WP role they are put on support duty.

The Sweeper keeper on support I find helps counter over the top balls the tactic can be a little vulnerable too.

I've also changed Eustaquio to a deep lying playmaker on support, given how good his range of passing and mentals are to be playmaker, and hes not right next to my wide playmaker its worked so far.  

I'm looking forward to leaving Newcastle on this game, to try the tactic in a new team and league, for now I'll stay at Newcastle a few more years their fans deserve a trophy.

Thanks for the update - cup finals losses are certainly infuriating, but this Newcastle side you’ve built is destined for bigger trophies - hopefully the CL or premier league one day. If you’re doing well against top teams, perhaps you could make a fairly tale run in the CL. Top 4 certainly seems possible this year. 

interesting note on the support duty sweeper keeper, I might have to give it a go. Does your GK have high “rushing out”? Does the support role make him come off his line more?

I like to train my WP to “dribble more” and “cut inside with ball”, to get the behavior you mentioned. That being said, I didn’t use an attack duty because it just doesn’t look right to my eye having 2 attack duties on the same flank, those things bug me. 

Another thing I have done is adjusting the defensive line and/or fullback duties against particularly strong opposition away from home. For example, when I played against PSG with Neymar, Mbappe, and a world class regen with 18/19 pace, I dropped my defensive line a notch, changed RB to WB(s), and LB to FB(d). Any/all of these changes can be made away from home or in a Cup final against particularly dangerous forwards. 

On the DLP front - I think it comes down to who is your best playmaking midfielder. I personally don’t like having more than one playmaker. If your CM(s) is your best player, you could also try a DLP(s) with an IW(s). Or even a DLP(d) instead of a CM(d). I started with this but went with the WP as he was my best player, and I do like the idea of building a team around a special player 

[thehig2]

8 hours ago, kr10 said:

Thanks for the update - cup finals losses are certainly infuriating, but this Newcastle side you’ve built is destined for bigger trophies - hopefully the CL or premier league one day. If you’re doing well against top teams, perhaps you could make a fairly tale run in the CL. Top 4 certainly seems possible this year. 

interesting note on the support duty sweeper keeper, I might have to give it a go. Does your GK have high “rushing out”? Does the support role make him come off his line more?

I like to train my WP to “dribble more” and “cut inside with ball”, to get the behavior you mentioned. That being said, I didn’t use an attack duty because it just doesn’t look right to my eye having 2 attack duties on the same flank, those things bug me. 

Another thing I have done is adjusting the defensive line and/or fullback duties against particularly strong opposition away from home. For example, when I played against PSG with Neymar, Mbappe, and a world class regen with 18/19 pace, I dropped my defensive line a notch, changed RB to WB(s), and LB to FB(d). Any/all of these changes can be made away from home or in a Cup final against particularly dangerous forwards. 

On the DLP front - I think it comes down to who is your best playmaking midfielder. I personally don’t like having more than one playmaker. If your CM(s) is your best player, you could also try a DLP(s) with an IW(s). Or even a DLP(d) instead of a CM(d). I started with this but went with the WP as he was my best player, and I do like the idea of building a team around a special player 

Sacked off the two playmakers, it stopped grealish getting the ball as much.

I want him on the ball because that tactic is set up to give him lots of passing options, and he has another option to go and run with it.

As for my keeper, his rushing out 15, although his acceleration is only 7.

Im on the lookout for a new goalkeeper to take me to the next level.

I was just about to ask what do you do to tighten up this tactic when protecting a lead, or playing stronger opposistion but you answered that in this post.

Tempted to make Ricca my LB a full back on defend duty  to stop him overlapping.

I'll update again around halfway point of the season.

 

[kr10]

7 hours ago, thehig2 said:

Sacked off the two playmakers, it stopped grealish getting the ball as much.

I want him on the ball because that tactic is set up to give him lots of passing options, and he has another option to go and run with it.

As for my keeper, his rushing out 15, although his acceleration is only 7.

Im on the lookout for a new goalkeeper to take me to the next level.

I was just about to ask what do you do to tighten up this tactic when protecting a lead, or playing stronger opposistion but you answered that in this post.

Tempted to make Ricca my LB a full back on defend duty  to stop him overlapping.

I'll update again around halfway point of the season.

 

I just noticed that you didn’t switch your striker roles. With your version of the tactic, the AF should be on the left (ideally with a left footed player). This is so that the support striker doesn’t drop into the space of the WP. Imo this is quite an important change that will help you a lot, provided you have a left footed guy

[kr10]

7 hours ago, thehig2 said:

Sacked off the two playmakers, it stopped grealish getting the ball as much.

I want him on the ball because that tactic is set up to give him lots of passing options, and he has another option to go and run with it.

As for my keeper, his rushing out 15, although his acceleration is only 7.

Im on the lookout for a new goalkeeper to take me to the next level.

I was just about to ask what do you do to tighten up this tactic when protecting a lead, or playing stronger opposistion but you answered that in this post.

Tempted to make Ricca my LB a full back on defend duty  to stop him overlapping.

I'll update again around halfway point of the season.

 

I would also recommend not changing the full back on the WP side to a defensive one. At most, wing back support. Overlapping is a key element of opening up space for the WP

[thehig2]

2 hours ago, kr10 said:

I would also recommend not changing the full back on the WP side to a defensive one. At most, wing back support. Overlapping is a key element of opening up space for the WP

sorry I mean in tough games were the opposition are way better, defensive line is more solid when Ricca is maundering forward.

 

2 hours ago, kr10 said:

I just noticed that you didn’t switch your striker roles. With your version of the tactic, the AF should be on the left (ideally with a left footed player). This is so that the support striker doesn’t drop into the space of the WP. Imo this is quite an important change that will help you a lot, provided you have a left footed guy

Sorted that now, Batshuayi is double footed so he can play that role, my other striker Haaland for roatation purposes is left footed.

[thehig2]

Not made any progress in the league this season, if anything gone backwards a few steps, I'm certainly not on course to match last seasons points total and 8th place looks like my ceiling this season.

This means I need to win a trophy to stay in European Football, if I fail I'll leave Newcastle because this will be the point I cant take them any further.

So I need to somehow break into the top 7, or win the FA cup or Europa League (knocked out of Carabao cup at third round by Arsenal) 

It seems this year my success isn't as consistent Vs Bigger teams, however still good enough for a club of Newcastle size and my squad ability. Good wins over Manchester City and Manchester United this year, and Marsielle away in the Europa League was a pretty big win.

We have been awful in a few games, Vs Leicester, Bournemouth and Southampton, we should be taking points here.

What I'm struggling with is in certain games when I'm not creating anything, not much changes the game unless I abandon the tactic all together, which I'm not going to do this is how I want to play this save. It seems if the opposition score first I might as well give the game up rarely do we take points from loosing positions.

Looking forward anyway to see how this season ends up.

[kr10]

1 hour ago, thehig2 said:

Not made any progress in the league this season, if anything gone backwards a few steps, I'm certainly not on course to match last seasons points total and 8th place looks like my ceiling this season.

This means I need to win a trophy to stay in European Football, if I fail I'll leave Newcastle because this will be the point I cant take them any further.

So I need to somehow break into the top 7, or win the FA cup or Europa League (knocked out of Carabao cup at third round by Arsenal) 

It seems this year my success isn't as consistent Vs Bigger teams, however still good enough for a club of Newcastle size and my squad ability. Good wins over Manchester City and Manchester United this year, and Marsielle away in the Europa League was a pretty big win.

We have been awful in a few games, Vs Leicester, Bournemouth and Southampton, we should be taking points here.

What I'm struggling with is in certain games when I'm not creating anything, not much changes the game unless I abandon the tactic all together, which I'm not going to do this is how I want to play this save. It seems if the opposition score first I might as well give the game up rarely do we take points from loosing positions.

Looking forward anyway to see how this season ends up.

Thanks for the update. As I wrote a earlier, to test the tactic I started a new save with Milan (the initial tactic was deep into an existing save where my team was already good). With an expected finish of 5th, we managed to win the league in the first season and the CL in the second. I can definitely say based on that (as well as the performance of my youth teams who always win the league) that the tactic does work well, so you don’t need to worry about that. England is undoubtedly the hardest league to reach top 4, so at this stage it likely comes down to player quality to take the next step. 

I think the key to getting through slumps and/or shock performances lies in rotating players (based on form), and handle moral and man management correctly (avoiding complacency etc.) I spend quite a lot of time on this, as well as using an assistant with 20 man management to handle press conferences. Give this a go, it should aid in consistency. 

In any case thanks for the update and sorry to hear that an improvement wasn’t seen. I just wanted to assure you that I’ve tried this tactic a lot across multiple seasons/saves and it does work, so just work on reinforcing with the right players and optimizing along the other lines I have mentioned above. Good luck! 

 

[DigoV]

 

Hello, I have read about your tactics and I was left with a question about something I saw you commenting on. The CMs you do not use any of the PPMs? No PPM in players? Only MR?

[thehig2]

6 hours ago, kr10 said:

 

 

Im enjoying the save anyway, singed a upgrade for centre midfield whos better than Drinkwater.

If your not a massive club its hard to find qaulity players a few years on, unless you have signed the known wonderkids early doors.

[kr10]

On 20/07/2019 at 02:12, thehig2 said:

Im enjoying the save anyway, singed a upgrade for centre midfield whos better than Drinkwater.

If your not a massive club its hard to find qaulity players a few years on, unless you have signed the known wonderkids early doors.

I try to focus only on buying youth/regens, to me it’s the fastest way to become good quickly. The method I use is:

- Hire scouts with knowledge of most of the major leagues in Europe/South America 

- assign each scout to one nation, searching for “hot prospect”, and click “ongoing” 

- for all 5 star potential players (80+ scout rating), scout then further for another 3-6 months 

ive found this method is the best way to get the best regens. Despite this, around half of them turn out to be poor, so I just buy 5-6 every season (all <3m), and a few end up being very good 

[kr10]

On 19/07/2019 at 20:10, DigoV said:

 

Hello, I have read about your tactics and I was left with a question about something I saw you commenting on. The CMs you do not use any of the PPMs? No PPM in players? Only MR?

 I don’t think any PPMs are strictly required, but I don’t mind having some based on the skills of the player. In general, I believe that the player role already has a lot of instructions coded into it, and PPMs don’t add all that much. But, it can be good to maximize the good qualities of a player (first time shots, killer balls, dribble often etc), or hide weaknesses (knocks ball past opponent, does not dive into tackles, etc)

[thehig2]

5 hours ago, kr10 said:

 

Ill post screenshots tomorrow but 4th season done with.

8th in league 9 pts worse than last year

Carabao Cup 3rd round

Europa League Semi Final

FA Cup Final

 

So that's another cup final lost, plus side ive made it 5 cup finals but loose 90% of them.

No Europe for following season players might want to leave now.

 

Main issue ive noticed this season is seeing out games, many a game I have a narrow lead and always conceed late (usaully after 90 mins)

What would you recommend to adjust to see out last 10-15 minutes of close games with a narrow lead?

Then the issue of bottling cup finals.

Staying at Newcaslte for a 5th year for now but I'm open to any clubs that offer for me.

[kr10]

36 minutes ago, thehig2 said:

Ill post screenshots tomorrow but 4th season done with.

8th in league 9 pts worse than last year

Carabao Cup 3rd round

Europa League Semi Final

FA Cup Final

 

So that's another cup final lost, plus side ive made it 5 cup finals but loose 90% of them.

No Europe for following season players might want to leave now.

 

Main issue ive noticed this season is seeing out games, many a game I have a narrow lead and always conceed late (usaully after 90 mins)

What would you recommend to adjust to see out last 10-15 minutes of close games with a narrow lead?

Then the issue of bottling cup finals.

Staying at Newcaslte for a 5th year for now but I'm open to any clubs that offer for me.

1. Cup finals is frustrating for sure. On hand it’s likely you are playing the strongest team, but losing 90% certainly isn’t fun. Do you have players who don’t enjoy big games?

2. What types of goals do you tend to concede? Looking at your results, I am surprised by how many goals you are conceding. Can you look under the analysis section under assist locations and see where the assists are coming from?

3. I think the first thing you need to do is tighten up the defense. For that, try the following: 

- LB to WB (s)

- RB to FB (d)

- Defensive line one notch lower (so standard for positive mentality

As your team improves, you can gradually make your fullbacks more attacking and push the defensive line up again. 

The above are the instructions are also what I use to close out games if it’s tight, in addition to “shorter passing”, “Lower tempo”, and “waste time when possible”. I would only use these three TIs at the end though and not in the entire match. 

4. Conceding late goals also indicates that perhaps your players are tired and making mistakes. Removing the “get stuck in” TI should also help your players maintain their condition for longer. 

Can you post screenshots of your starting CMs and CBs? 

5. The other option is to use a 4-1-4-1 (I posted the shape earlier in this thread, don’t have access to the download file though). Especially against teams who use a #10 it’s a good option 

[thehig2]

9 hours ago, kr10 said:

1. Cup finals is frustrating for sure. On hand it’s likely you are playing the strongest team, but losing 90% certainly isn’t fun. Do you have players who don’t enjoy big games?

2. What types of goals do you tend to concede? Looking at your results, I am surprised by how many goals you are conceding. Can you look under the analysis section under assist locations and see where the assists are coming from?

3. I think the first thing you need to do is tighten up the defense. For that, try the following: 

- LB to WB (s)

- RB to FB (d)

- Defensive line one notch lower (so standard for positive mentality

As your team improves, you can gradually make your fullbacks more attacking and push the defensive line up again. 

The above are the instructions are also what I use to close out games if it’s tight, in addition to “shorter passing”, “Lower tempo”, and “waste time when possible”. I would only use these three TIs at the end though and not in the entire match. 

4. Conceding late goals also indicates that perhaps your players are tired and making mistakes. Removing the “get stuck in” TI should also help your players maintain their condition for longer. 

Can you post screenshots of your starting CMs and CBs? 

5. The other option is to use a 4-1-4-1 (I posted the shape earlier in this thread, don’t have access to the download file though). Especially against teams who use a #10 it’s a good option 

Ill give more detailed answers and screenshots later when I get home

Goals conceeded as a whole I dont think is excessive for a team of my ability and reputation, remember im not one of the top teams in the league but in the premier league my defense was 6th best.

However the qaulity of goal I conceed is always important, always an eqauliser or a late winner for them. So even though my total goals conceeded is acceptable, im conceedeing too many important goals that are costing my points.

I'll post the Analysis later on were my goals are leaking from, off top of my head there doesn't seem to be a pattern.

An equal mix of over the top(most common) but that is a vulnerability of the tactic, I accept a couple goals scored in this fashion.

A couple from deep crosses, a couple long shots, a couple were the opposition just dribbles through my defence, and several corners.

 

[thehig2]

18 hours ago, kr10 said:

1. Cup finals is frustrating for sure. On hand it’s likely you are playing the strongest team, but losing 90% certainly isn’t fun. Do you have players who don’t enjoy big games?

2. What types of goals do you tend to concede? Looking at your results, I am surprised by how many goals you are conceding. Can you look under the analysis section under assist locations and see where the assists are coming from?

3. I think the first thing you need to do is tighten up the defense. For that, try the following: 

- LB to WB (s)

- RB to FB (d)

- Defensive line one notch lower (so standard for positive mentality

As your team improves, you can gradually make your fullbacks more attacking and push the defensive line up again. 

The above are the instructions are also what I use to close out games if it’s tight, in addition to “shorter passing”, “Lower tempo”, and “waste time when possible”. I would only use these three TIs at the end though and not in the entire match. 

4. Conceding late goals also indicates that perhaps your players are tired and making mistakes. Removing the “get stuck in” TI should also help your players maintain their condition for longer. 

Can you post screenshots of your starting CMs and CBs? 

5. The other option is to use a 4-1-4-1 (I posted the shape earlier in this thread, don’t have access to the download file though). Especially against teams who use a #10 it’s a good option 

So having a look myself at this, it looks like 

Gabriel Paulista despite being an excellent defender, has pretty low composure for this level which will cause him to make mistakes, unless I sign another centre back Jack Stephens is a more reliable centre back.

Ryan Fraser is my only player who doesnt enjoy big matches, several in my team do enjoy big matches such as Ferderico Ricca, Michy Batsyshaui, Jack Grealish, Danny Drinkwater ( I should have started him in FA cup final), Eustacuccio, Kondogbia, 

Edited July 22, 2019 by thehig2

[kr10]

6 hours ago, thehig2 said:

So having a look myself at this, it looks like 

Gabriel Paulista despite being an excellent defender, has pretty low composure for this level which will cause him to make mistakes, unless I sign another centre back Jack Stephens is a more reliable centre back.

Ryan Fraser is my only player who doesnt enjoy big matches, several in my team do enjoy big matches such as Ferderico Ricca, Michy Batsyshaui, Jack Grealish, Danny Drinkwater ( I should have started him in FA cup final), Eustacuccio, Kondogbia, 

Gabriel Paulista:

I do agree that his defending stats are actually quite good, as well as his team work. However, the low composure, along with low decisions, imo means that he's going to make a lot of individual errors. Is this something you have noticed? To me, decisions is the #1 most important attribute in the game

Lascelles:

While he has no obvious weakness on paper, his average rating in the PL seem to be significantly lower than Paulista. 

Re midfielders, I don't think there is any glaring issue here, both the guys you posted more or less have the right attribute distribution for the job. 

IMO in terms of transfers, based on the screenshots you have provided, a winger upgrade, followed by a CB one should be your top 2 priorities. A good winger i've noticed can make a massive difference for this tactic. 

Goals conceded:

- Your left wing is certainly susceptible. Kondogbia has the right attributes for the CM(d), so I would change the LB to a WB(s) for a bit more balance

- Regarding balls over the top, the CB's attributes could be an issue for playing offside trap effectively (anticipation, teamwork, positioning, decisions). To counter this, until you get better players, I would drop the defensive line a notch

Overall 6th best defense despite conceding many late goals isn't too bad, like you said. I think it's just a case of being a bit unlucky. You can try making the two changes I listed above, as well as removing "get stuck in" from the TIs. All these should help tighten up the defense. 

In terms of the support striker, I've found that an out and out striker works better here compared to a creative "second striker". Try working this into your team selection/transfer strategy as well.

Equally important imo is to get your regen scouting setup asap. Given the year you are in, there should be several 19-21 years olds who could slot into the first team very soon

 

 

 

[kr10]

Just adding one more point - dropping the line a notch should help with deep assists from the center (12 conceded), while making the attacking fullback into a WB(s) should help with assists from the left wing (11 conceded, much higher than the other flank). 

What defensive corner instructions are you using? The same ones I outlined in my tactic? Considering how many corners this tactic will produce (from blocked crosses), getting your attacking corners right will also help a lot 

[thehig2]

@kr10Another update

Towards the end of the season, in the Premier League I haven't had so many giant killings this season but together a winning run beating lots of teams I should beat to be in 6th place with 4 games left.

Made it to another two Cup finals, I'm blown away by how frequently this team make it to cup finals, often beating top 6 teams on route, I lost the carabao cup final 1-0 to West Ham though, another Cup Final loss to a smaller team too.

Got the FA cup Final vs Arsenal to look forward too, just need to secure top 7 to ensure I'm back into Europa League for next season. 

 

So I have ran the whole season with the inverted tactic, only changes I have made is the defensive line dropped to standard and Ricca in FB Attack is now FB support.

I have bought a 20 year old wonderkid centre back, with compusure and team work a little low, however hes only 20 and these should rise to acceptable levels .

 

Also found a  19 year old wonder kid centre midfielder and a right winger to challenge Fraiser, however hes left footed though so hes an option when I play the tactic with the Wide playmaker on the right handside, hes had decent success this season and has added to my sqauds options.

Defence has been great this season, lots of clean sheets, however I have suffered somewhat attacking wise, Grealish my WP playmaker only has 8 assists and 0 goals in nearly 30 games. Must be he has less options and space on the ball with Ricca not getting as far forward, also mid game I'm often changing my midfielder support to defend duty to tighten up.

 

I think I'll put the tactic back to default when my players improve, (my wonderkids & a few new signings)

Next season is will be my season to break the top 4

[kr10]

On 25/07/2019 at 15:00, thehig2 said:

@kr10Another update

Towards the end of the season, in the Premier League I haven't had so many giant killings this season but together a winning run beating lots of teams I should beat to be in 6th place with 4 games left.

Made it to another two Cup finals, I'm blown away by how frequently this team make it to cup finals, often beating top 6 teams on route, I lost the carabao cup final 1-0 to West Ham though, another Cup Final loss to a smaller team too.

Got the FA cup Final vs Arsenal to look forward too, just need to secure top 7 to ensure I'm back into Europa League for next season. 

 

So I have ran the whole season with the inverted tactic, only changes I have made is the defensive line dropped to standard and Ricca in FB Attack is now FB support.

I have bought a 20 year old wonderkid centre back, with compusure and team work a little low, however hes only 20 and these should rise to acceptable levels .

 

Also found a  19 year old wonder kid centre midfielder and a right winger to challenge Fraiser, however hes left footed though so hes an option when I play the tactic with the Wide playmaker on the right handside, hes had decent success this season and has added to my sqauds options.

Defence has been great this season, lots of clean sheets, however I have suffered somewhat attacking wise, Grealish my WP playmaker only has 8 assists and 0 goals in nearly 30 games. Must be he has less options and space on the ball with Ricca not getting as far forward, also mid game I'm often changing my midfielder support to defend duty to tighten up.

 

I think I'll put the tactic back to default when my players improve, (my wonderkids & a few new signings)

Next season is will be my season to break the top 4

Thanks for the update. 3rd best defense in the league is nice to see. Btw I just checked and one of my beat defenders has composure of 11 and still performs well, so maybe composure affects strikers and CMs more. 

Try WB(s) for your left back - that’s something between a FB(s) and FB(a), perhaps just the balance you need. 

Did adjusting the defensive line help with balls over the top? 

Definitely the less attacking FB is contributing to worse performances from the WP, it’s all about the balance. I think wb(s) should be a good balance for you. 

You can also adjust the D line on a game by game basis - home teams against lower opposition, move it up, other games move it down. 

Also try an assistant with 20 man management and let him do press conferences. 

What training are you using pre match? Again, adjust this to attacking movement or defensive positioning based on the match odds. 

Besides these, I think you are reaching close to the max potential of your players. A top winger would make a big difference. Try and do your best this winter transfer market, and I hope you can make the jump to top 4 next year. Once you do, It’s only a matter of time before you rule the world. Also, good luck in the FA Cup final. Set your whole week to “big match preparation” in training. 

[thehig2]

@kr10I@kr10I lost the FA cup final.

Drew the game 2-2 vs Chelsea then lost on penalties

However im back in Europe and feel the team is playing close to its potential.

This tactic has been great on the whole really enjoyed building my team around it.

I love that it gets lots of goals from your advanced forward, and watching that wide play maker control games and get tons of assists.

So im going into season 5 with the same Club and im more up for this season than ever, normally ive started to get bored by now and either quit the save or move clubs

 

Mini update for this season, everything has come together im joint top of the league after 13 games,  my only concern is cup finals which warrants its own thread ill create another time 

[kr10]

18 minutes ago, thehig2 said:

@kr10I@kr10I lost the FA cup final.

Drew the game 2-2 vs Chelsea then lost on penalties

However im back in Europe and feel the team is playing close to its potential.

This tactic has been great on the whole really enjoyed building my team around it.

I love that it gets lots of goals from your advanced forward, and watching that wide play maker control games and get tons of assists.

So im going into season 5 with the same Club and im more up for this season than ever, normally ive started to get bored by now and either quit the save or move clubs

 

Mini update for this season, everything has come together im joint top of the league after 13 games,  my only concern is cup finals which warrants its own thread ill create another time 

Brilliant to hear that this season is going well. Looking forward to your next update highlighting a champions league berth and a cup trophy to go with it. 

Even on the cup finals front, you are getting closer. Very frustrating but progress is clear, and that’s the most important. 

Also, how is your youth scouting coming along? By season 5, there should be a ton of regens in the game. 

PS in FM17 I ran a 20 season save with Stockport country (6th division), and this was the only way to beat the top teams (youth recruitment). Once you reach the CL it will be much easier to keep your players, especially as you are in the PL. 

stock up on as many as you can, many of them have the trait “doesn’t enjoy big games” which only shows up when they are 22. I always sell those players, not in my clubs DNA. 

I want a group of professional/resolute, consistent, big game players. No room for the Higuains and Balotellis of this world 

[thehig2]

14 minutes ago, kr10 said:

Brilliant to hear that this season is going well. Looking forward to your next update highlighting a champions league berth and a cup trophy to go with it. 

Even on the cup finals front, you are getting closer. Very frustrating but progress is clear, and that’s the most important. 

Also, how is your youth scouting coming along? By season 5, there should be a ton of regens in the game. 

PS in FM17 I ran a 20 season save with Stockport country (6th division), and this was the only way to beat the top teams (youth recruitment). Once you reach the CL it will be much easier to keep your players, especially as you are in the PL. 

stock up on as many as you can, many of them have the trait “doesn’t enjoy big games” which only shows up when they are 22. I always sell those players, not in my clubs DNA. 

I want a group of professional/resolute, consistent, big game players. No room for the Higuains and Balotellis of this world 

Ive got 9 16 year old south Americans who are going to turn up at ST James park on Janaury 1st, all 5 star potential so that's going well done what you said with youth scouting.

Edited July 26, 2019 by thehig2

[thehig2]

@kr10its all clicked into place, team has been really consistent all season winning games, scoring goals and keeping clean sheets. I'm on the title race in Mid January, might not win it but Champions League football looking likely.

I may have yet another cup final, beat Everton 3-0 in first leg of Carabao cup semi final. Still in FA cup and got the knockout stages of the Europa League to look forward to, a trip to Greece to face Olimpiakos.

An update on what the tactic is getting out of players...

Wide Playmaker (Jack Grealish) 19 games, 2 goals, 4 assists, average rating of 7.38, not setting the world a light but a high average rating hes always involved in my attacks. 

Advanced Forward (Erling Haaland) 20 games, 12 goals, average rating of 7.22, love this, this tactic consistently gets a lot out of the advanced forward, hes on course for over 20 goals this season.

At Centre back a 29 year old Jack Stephens has kept his place ahead of my wonderkid, hes so consistent and has had a great partnership with Laschelles. 

Tactic wise the roles are at your default, only change is the defence line at standard not higher, and I've gone crazy with my sweeper keeper on attack duty, it gets me some great goals on the counter and my keepers rushing out is 18, accel 13, kicking 16, other stats good for this role. 

Coming to the business end of the season, this is defiantly the breakthrough season were everything has clicked.

Edited July 27, 2019 by thehig2

[kr10]

7 hours ago, thehig2 said:

@kr10its all clicked into place, team has been really consistent all season winning games, scoring goals and keeping clean sheets. I'm on the title race in Mid January, might not win it but Champions League football looking likely.

I may have yet another cup final, beat Everton 3-0 in first leg of Carabao cup semi final. Still in FA cup and got the knockout stages of the Europa League to look forward to, a trip to Greece to face Olimpiakos.

An update on what the tactic is getting out of players...

Wide Playmaker (Jack Grealish) 19 games, 2 goals, 4 assists, average rating of 7.38, not setting the world a light but a high average rating hes always involved in my attacks. 

Advanced Forward (Erling Haaland) 20 games, 12 goals, average rating of 7.22, love this, this tactic consistently gets a lot out of the advanced forward, hes on course for over 20 goals this season.

At Centre back a 29 year old Jack Stephens has kept his place ahead of my wonderkid, hes so consistent and has had a great partnership with Laschelles. 

Tactic wise the roles are at your default, only change is the defence line at standard not higher, and I've gone crazy with my sweeper keeper on attack duty, it gets me some great goals on the counter and my keepers rushing out is 18, accel 13, kicking 16, other stats good for this role. 

Coming to the business end of the season, this is defiantly the breakthrough season were everything has clicked.

Fantastic. Were there major improvements on the player front? Any other changes you made to your match preparation/team talks etc? 

If you don’t win the title this year, you have to next year. That would be quite something for Newcastle! Winning with a board expectation finish top half would be amazing 

[thehig2]

@kr10

Massive improvements are my Wonderkid Edward Grim improving dramatically, to be one of the best midfielders in the league 

My Advanced Forward Erling Haaland has improved massively as well becoming one of the leagues top scorers, sticking by these players because they were right for this system has paid off. 

Erling Haaland is left footed, tall, good in the air so hes a perfect Advanced forward for this system.

Grim is a natural supporting centre midfielder with 15+ rating in all the key areas now. 

I have already won the carabao cup this season, ending my cup final duck. 

Made no changes to preparation, I leave that to my assistant manager. 

My expectation was top half, but I'm 6 seasons in now the board expect Europa League from me now.

[thegoon65]

Big fan of 442 and this is up there with the best, I've implemented this into my long term Orient save, 2nf season in prem and going well. 

I found at first losing or drawing silly games then found your recent post on the LB/RB and def line. Altered this and just beat WBA 4-0, noticed my left footed PF(s) is dominate in the air my AF(a) right footed now plays like a striker. 

I was wondering to make this already sublime tactic more versatile could a gegenpres be added to it? Only concern I see is that would it alter the midfield dominance and disrupt the solid shaped defence I enjoy so much. 

[kr10]

On 28/07/2019 at 00:26, thehig2 said:

@kr10

Massive improvements are my Wonderkid Edward Grim improving dramatically, to be one of the best midfielders in the league 

My Advanced Forward Erling Haaland has improved massively as well becoming one of the leagues top scorers, sticking by these players because they were right for this system has paid off. 

Erling Haaland is left footed, tall, good in the air so hes a perfect Advanced forward for this system.

Grim is a natural supporting centre midfielder with 15+ rating in all the key areas now. 

I have already won the carabao cup this season, ending my cup final duck. 

Made no changes to preparation, I leave that to my assistant manager. 

My expectation was top half, but I'm 6 seasons in now the board expect Europa League from me now.

How did the season go finally? 

[kr10]

On 31/07/2019 at 12:03, thegoon65 said:

Big fan of 442 and this is up there with the best, I've implemented this into my long term Orient save, 2nf season in prem and going well. 

I found at first losing or drawing silly games then found your recent post on the LB/RB and def line. Altered this and just beat WBA 4-0, noticed my left footed PF(s) is dominate in the air my AF(a) right footed now plays like a striker. 

I was wondering to make this already sublime tactic more versatile could a gegenpres be added to it? Only concern I see is that would it alter the midfield dominance and disrupt the solid shaped defence I enjoy so much. 

I’ve found this to be the optimal level of closing down and line of engagement. 

With a higher line of engagement, the team is less compact vertically (large gap from defense to strikers). I don’t think you’d want this as that leaves too much space in the midfield. Arrigo Sacchi always said he wanted the team to be within 30m of each other vertically to compress space in midfield. 

Regarding pressing, I’ve found that if you increase it more (to Geggenpress levels) it pulls the defense and midfield out of shape. When playing the offside trap especially, I don’t think you want the defenders pressing too much, but rather maintaining a defensive line and moving up as a unit.

Once your players improve and become close to world class, you will see incredible levels of dominance, I can promise you that! 

In any case, happy to see that you are using and enjoying the tactic 

[thehig2]

38 minutes ago, kr10 said:

How did the season go finally? 

having already managing to win the Carabao Cup and a massive improvement in league form I was going to happy of the outcome of the season, but the bottling geordies strike again ? 

Final game of the season, I'm top of league with 83 points, and Manchester United are 2nd with 82 points, my last game of the season is at home against.....

Manchester United

Lost the game and the title 1-0, couldn't really create any chances in the game and the goal I conceded was a 30 yard screamer, interesting my feedback in game said the team were struggling down the left, my playmaker side, I wonder if the AI is adapting.

Somehow didn't even finish second, Liverpool who weren't even a part of the title race in the last game, sneaked ahead of me into 2nd place. My form had dropped with around 5 games to go, loosing to West Ham in the league before the final day was equally as damaging to my title hopes.

I also had a second Europa League Final of my time at Newcastle to play, could this help finish off the season and help the fans forget the disappointment of loosing the title on the last day ?

The Europa League Final was Vs Lazio. 

Another tense game, once again I failed to create chances however neither did Lazio, the game stayed 0-0 for 120 minutes so it was to be decided with Penalties. 

We lost on penalties, another cup final loss to the record. 

New season though, chin up again positives are I think my team has moved a level and were finally in the champions league. With the team being experienced in European Football (x2 EL Finals, x1 EF SF Final) hopefully we can make an impact in the champions league. 

Whats frustrating is in my second game of the new season I've beaten Manchester United 2-1, just shows pressure is a thing and they won were it mattered.

[timcliffsmith]

Hi there, just thought I'd offer some thoughts on this tactic.

I've been playing it for quite a while as Cardiff.

1. Love the look and the way it plays.

2. Noticed that I tend to really struggle at the start of a new season, especially if I have quite a few new players. A bad start can balls up an entire season.

3. thehig2 said in one post that it is a good giant-killer tactic. That's not my experience. In fact, I tend to get a bit battered by the big boys.

4. However, this is my main point about this tactic: It has that very nice 'real feel' about it. It takes time to build a squad, and each game has a nice edge to it and feels very satisfying when you do get a result. I hand out the occasional shoeing and receive the occasional one (losing 2-7 at home to Man City was particularly painful), but results are realistic. There are certainly better tactics out there in terms of just winning (I accidentally produced a game killer myself - won league with Cardiff in second season by eight points), but that is boring. 

5. So, for me, this tactic has that lovely balance that makes the game very enjoyable and gives it longevity.

Thanks for the tactic kr10 and the good work.

[kr10]

9 hours ago, thehig2 said:

having already managing to win the Carabao Cup and a massive improvement in league form I was going to happy of the outcome of the season, but the bottling geordies strike again ? 

Final game of the season, I'm top of league with 83 points, and Manchester United are 2nd with 82 points, my last game of the season is at home against.....

Manchester United

Lost the game and the title 1-0, couldn't really create any chances in the game and the goal I conceded was a 30 yard screamer, interesting my feedback in game said the team were struggling down the left, my playmaker side, I wonder if the AI is adapting.

Somehow didn't even finish second, Liverpool who weren't even a part of the title race in the last game, sneaked ahead of me into 2nd place. My form had dropped with around 5 games to go, loosing to West Ham in the league before the final day was equally as damaging to my title hopes.

I also had a second Europa League Final of my time at Newcastle to play, could this help finish off the season and help the fans forget the disappointment of loosing the title on the last day ?

The Europa League Final was Vs Lazio. 

Another tense game, once again I failed to create chances however neither did Lazio, the game stayed 0-0 for 120 minutes so it was to be decided with Penalties. 

We lost on penalties, another cup final loss to the record. 

New season though, chin up again positives are I think my team has moved a level and were finally in the champions league. With the team being experienced in European Football (x2 EL Finals, x1 EF SF Final) hopefully we can make an impact in the champions league. 

Whats frustrating is in my second game of the new season I've beaten Manchester United 2-1, just shows pressure is a thing and they won were it mattered.

Thanks for the update. At this point, I’m pretty heavily emotionally involved in your save haha, so I am gutted about what happened. Losing on the last day at home against United... I can’t think of much worse. FM does that to you sometimes, it can be infuriatingly frustrating. In any case, looking at the larger picture - your team is now on the cusp on doing something very special. Premier league and CL dominance is just around the corner. With your wonderkids and other players continuing to improve as well, the team should not get significantly stronger each year. CL funds should allow you to dramatically strengthen the team as well. 

I wouldn’t worry too much about the AI adapting. It could just be that your players on the left had the odd bad game, or something about the opponents specific tactic caused on issue on that day. 

For games such as these, I believe the hidden stats “important matches” and “pressure” both come into play. Depending on the pre game press conference, and how the game is built up in the media, I think these can have more or less of an effect. 

In any case, like you said massive positives about this season. After finishing 8th a few years ago and almost leaving Newcastle, you have now led them back into the promise land of the CL with a great chance of winning the league title. That is serious progress, and it’s the type of thing that creates motivation. 

How have the 9 South American players you bought done? Did some of them end up developing into world class players?

[kr10]

6 hours ago, timcliffsmith said:

Hi there, just thought I'd offer some thoughts on this tactic.

I've been playing it for quite a while as Cardiff.

1. Love the look and the way it plays.

2. Noticed that I tend to really struggle at the start of a new season, especially if I have quite a few new players. A bad start can balls up an entire season.

3. thehig2 said in one post that it is a good giant-killer tactic. That's not my experience. In fact, I tend to get a bit battered by the big boys.

4. However, this is my main point about this tactic: It has that very nice 'real feel' about it. It takes time to build a squad, and each game has a nice edge to it and feels very satisfying when you do get a result. I hand out the occasional shoeing and receive the occasional one (losing 2-7 at home to Man City was particularly painful), but results are realistic. There are certainly better tactics out there in terms of just winning (I accidentally produced a game killer myself - won league with Cardiff in second season by eight points), but that is boring. 

5. So, for me, this tactic has that lovely balance that makes the game very enjoyable and gives it longevity.

Thanks for the tactic kr10 and the good work.

Thank you for the write up and the kind words. I’m very glad that you are enjoying playing your save with this tactic. 

I too see tactics online that are simply unrealistic - imbalanced attacking tactics that crowd the box, ones without pragmatism, or ones that take advantage of an exploit in the ME. 

Like you said, I wanted a tactic that looked and played like a real life tactic, rather than just one that happened to work on football manager. I also wanted one in which I had a clear understanding and plan of how chances were created, what movements were critical, and what the defensive philosophy was. 

That being said, what was the tactic you used for your Cardiff save where you won the league? Just out of curiosity, it would be super interesting for me to see it. Thanks!

[thehig2]

@kr10one of the Strikers is pretty much world class already, and a Colombian left back has slotted into my first team as at the age of 18, was thinking you might be getting tired of my updates, im more than happy to keep them up.

Started this season even better than last season, 6 straight wins in the league, beating Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United. Got to play my first champions league game, I legit played the champions league theme before the game haha, I get really immersed into my saves sometimes.

[timcliffsmith]

Hi kr10. Not sure how you attach tactics. Is it like this?

It's actually a variation of the 19.3.5WULFKnapMatizWPF442P104ALLCUPS

I switched a few positions around and pushed the line right up and maxed out the intensity,

It doesn't seem to matter whether the centrebacks are central defenders or ballplaying defenders, but I keep the rest the same. It just went mental. Strangely, the scores weren't mad or anything, but we just kept winning. I had basically about half the original Cardiff squad but with Idah as AF and Luca Connell and Gogia as the wingers. Few others too, but as you can see, not much money was spent.

See how it works for you. Like I said, I stopped using it because it was not enjoyable.

Timmy442.fmf

[thegoon65]

23 hours ago, kr10 said:

I’ve found this to be the optimal level of closing down and line of engagement. 

With a higher line of engagement, the team is less compact vertically (large gap from defense to strikers). I don’t think you’d want this as that leaves too much space in the midfield. Arrigo Sacchi always said he wanted the team to be within 30m of each other vertically to compress space in midfield. 

Regarding pressing, I’ve found that if you increase it more (to Geggenpress levels) it pulls the defense and midfield out of shape. When playing the offside trap especially, I don’t think you want the defenders pressing too much, but rather maintaining a defensive line and moving up as a unit.

Once your players improve and become close to world class, you will see incredible levels of dominance, I can promise you that! 

In any case, happy to see that you are using and enjoying the tactic 

Cheers for the in depth reply 👍👍. Your right I tried a higher pressing system away against Chelsea and man City and got pulverised 4-1and 3-0. Against the top 6 away I have a terrible record but against other teams look good. Have tried the 4141 and 433 variants from here but still get owned. 

This I think is more down to players I can afford not so much tactic related. I need a top keeper, centre back and left back. The rest of my starting 11 fit the system superbly, so although frustrating, still a work in progress. 

I also invest heavily in youth and have at least 8 under 19 players developing nicely using the system, so the future looks pretty bright. 

Will keep posting as my season progresses and hopefully can sign the 3 I need. Very happy overall as a realistic process required with the tactic, no exploits or cheats keep it up mate. 

[thegoon65]

On a quick note regards the changes to the defence could you post a link to this version of the tactic. 

[kr10]

19 hours ago, thehig2 said:

@kr10one of the Strikers is pretty much world class already, and a Colombian left back has slotted into my first team as at the age of 18, was thinking you might be getting tired of my updates, im more than happy to keep them up.

Started this season even better than last season, 6 straight wins in the league, beating Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United. Got to play my first champions league game, I legit played the champions league theme before the game haha, I get really immersed into my saves sometimes.

Definitely keep the updates coming. I think at this stage you can go back to the default version of the tactic, including the defensive line back to slightly higher

[kr10]

5 hours ago, thegoon65 said:

On a quick note regards the changes to the defence could you post a link to this version of the tactic. 

I don’t run this version of this tactic, it is more game specific/team specific for slightly lower quality teams. i don’t have my laptop back in front of me, but it is imply a case of dropping the D line back to  standard and going more conservative with your fullback roles

[kr10]

10 hours ago, thegoon65 said:

Cheers for the in depth reply 👍👍. Your right I tried a higher pressing system away against Chelsea and man City and got pulverised 4-1and 3-0. Against the top 6 away I have a terrible record but against other teams look good. Have tried the 4141 and 433 variants from here but still get owned. 

This I think is more down to players I can afford not so much tactic related. I need a top keeper, centre back and left back. The rest of my starting 11 fit the system superbly, so although frustrating, still a work in progress. 

I also invest heavily in youth and have at least 8 under 19 players developing nicely using the system, so the future looks pretty bright. 

Will keep posting as my season progresses and hopefully can sign the 3 I need. Very happy overall as a realistic process required with the tactic, no exploits or cheats keep it up mate. 

Great to hear about the progress. As you said, building a long term save with the tactic in mind is both exciting and challenging. It is certainly a tactic where you want to bring specific players in, rather than a one size fits all system. But, once you get the right fit players, I do believe that the tactic performs extremely well. 

In particular, I’ve found getting the right CMs and AF is the most challenging. Well rounded CMs and tall strikers are pretty hard to find. FM loves rolling out quick paced midget regen strikers 

[thehig2]

1 hour ago, kr10 said:

Definitely keep the updates coming. I think at this stage you can go back to the default version of the tactic, including the defensive line back to slightly higher

I love the way it is, I love creating a team with a tight defense and that's what Ive got.

Already have my left back trained as natural as a wing back support.

More updates inbound..

[thegoon65]

OK so a quick update 5 games left and comfortable in 8th, very happy with this. 

Agree with the cm's I have 2 vgood players but only average behind them so I need to decide on buying a 3rd top notch player and rotate. Or buy 2 good cm's as back up? 

I have 3 great forwards and oddly 1 great PF and a great AF. Will keep updating as loving this save and the input on this thread. 

[thegoon65]

Here are my 2 starting forwards pic 1 is my AF and pic 2 is my PF.

pic 3 is my cm(D), pic 4 is my cm(s).

  

[kr10]

12 hours ago, thehig2 said:

I love the way it is, I love creating a team with a tight defense and that's what Ive got.

Already have my left back trained as natural as a wing back support.

More updates inbound..

Ok great. It is worth noting though that a higher defensive line doesn’t necessarily mean that the team will become worse defensively - it could even have the opposite effect. The higher line + pressing combo will result in suffocating the opponent higher up the pitch, reducing their time on the ball, and also increasing attacking opportunities for you. IMO it is worth trying - the standard settings from the original tactic yielded very good defensive results for me

[Cain89]

Hello @kr10,

sorry for the english it's not my nattive. I really enjoy yours tactic with Aj auxerre with good results with ligue 1 and CL in 2023. As i understand you're also an Ac milan fan and i wonder if you try to recreate ancelotti's diamond or christmas tree?