Popular Post crusadertsar Posted July 17, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted July 17, 2020 (edited) So far in my Total Football Journeyman series, I had covered some pretty great historic teams like Ajax, Barcelona, and Liverpool. But I feel that in recounting the stories of these giants, I lost track of something important. All those sides played beautiful fluid football but were already established world-class clubs. Yet the question remains, can a Total Football style be achieved by a side that is good but not world-class. And can Total Football be achieved on a budget? To answer this I will go back in time a decade to 2011. This was the year when Barcelona, Manchester United, and AC Milan were the champions of their respective leagues while a little team called Les Dogues shocked France by breaking the duopoly of Lyon and Marseille. And doing it in style. Les Dogues (Lille Olympique Sporting Club) Before I had the idea for this article's topic, I planned to either write about Viktor Maslov's Dynamo Kiev from 1960s or Brazil's 1970 World Cup winning team. Maslov's was a pioneer pressing side with an innovative, for its time, 4-4-2 shape. And the latter, arguably the best team ever assembled. But on second thought I realized that enough has been written about both topics. And Jonathan Wilson did it far better than I ever could in his seminal "Inverting the Pyramid". In fact, there are whole chapters devoted to both teams in this amazing book. So I decided to look for a Total Football story that did not already have books about it. The French Dark Horse Also I was looking to emulate a manager who is not as well known as my usual suspects, Guardiola, Cruyff or Bielsa. The name of Rudy Garcia, the current manager of Olympique Lyonnais, came to mind. He does not have many articles written about him although I think he should. Not every manager can boast three French Manager of the Year awards, one League double and Europa League runner-up. It's a shame because the story of Rudy Garcia's Lille has all the makings of a blockbuster. What's more interesting than a story about a team that overcame all odds and were crowned champions of France in 2011? Perhaps a team that played beautifully while operating on a shoestring budget? So lets find out about how that Lille formation worked and about its players. And more importantly lets see how you can play some beautiful Total Football in FM20 without actually being a world-class club. When Rudi Garcia got the job managing AS Roma, he not only brought his star player Gervinho, but also his title-winning formation. Unfortunately, the 4-3-3 (or 4-1-2-3 DM) that brought a domestic double to Lille and crowned Garcia as the French Manager of the Year was not as successful in the sunny Italian capital. It just goes to show that in real life as in Football Manager, plug-and-play tactics don't usually work. It is the specific collection of players on the field that makes a successful tactic. The magic formula. So what made that team from the small, cold city in northern France so good? Rudi Garcia - manager who combines both Guardiola's style and Simeone's dogged attitude. And in a tactical sense too. Recreating History In some positions the current Lille squad mirrors that legendary 2010 side. While in others not so much. In the screen above, you can see Moussa Sow as he appeared in FM12. One year after leaving Lille, he presents a picture of a very physical, yet versatile striker in his prime. These are qualities he used to lead the line of attack from his central striker position. The current frontman is Victor Osimhen. He has remarkably similar attribute profile to Sow. But his main advantage is his age. Unlike Sow, he still has plenty of potential to grow into a more complete striker. On the right Garcia usually used the up-and-coming Ivory Coast star, Gervinho. At 23 years old, he was already at his prime. Interestingly his attributes have not changed that much over the last 10 years. He is currently terrorizing defenders at Parma in Serie A. And still known for his blistering quick acceleration and tricky running. Also due to his excellent ball control, agility and sudden bursts of energy, Garcia had him cutting inside from the right and moving centrally to the edge of attack just next to the central striker. This movement coupled with the left winger dropping much deeper into the traditional #10 slot between midfield and attack. It was almost as if Lille transformed into 4-1-2-1-2 when in attacking phase. Gervinho, still as great as 10 years ago. Of the current batch of Lille attackers, the one that approaches Gervinho the closest is the wonderkid Jonathan Ikone. The Frenchman, similarly pacey and tricky dribbler, also prefers to cut inside to attack. And he looks like he could become even better than Gervinho. In almost every one of my previous FM20 saves, he earned himself a mega-million move to a bigger European side within a year or two of starting. So it will take some effort from you as a manager to keep him at Lille. Just look at those attributes! On the left wing, there was of course the boy wonder, Eden Hazard. Little needs to be said to introduce him. Except that he was undoubtedly the crowning jewel that Lille team. Even at 19 year old he was already showing signs of being one in the generation type of talent. Hazard was touted as some kind of Belgian Messi, especially due to his unbelievable pace, dribbling and creativity. While he never truly developed to the same level as Messi perhaps, he still turned into one of the best attacking playmakers in Europe. Rudy Garcia was very lucky to have his services in that defining season. For as we know in retrospect the diminutive Belgian wonderkid would not stay in France long, moving on to foreign coasts and greater things. Finding his equivalent now will be tricky, but I have a few ideas already. To be Continued in my Next Article So in my next update, which I will release simultaneously on here and on Dictatethegame website in about a week, I will continue to explore how the rest of the current Lille squad measures up to that historic 2010-11 side. I will also expand further on the "Hazard role" and who I see as the best alternative for it. And of course I will show how my own tactical recreation of Rudy Garcia's 4-3-3 tactic works. I was inspired by the great FC Kaiserslautern thread started on this forum by @Deego619 to go for a simplified approach. That is to try to keep the team and player instructions minimal and see how far it takes us. So what do you think? Is Total Football possible in FM20 without a budget like Manchester City or without min-maxing every decision like Pep Guardiola? Edited July 17, 2020 by crusadertsar 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusadertsar Posted July 17, 2020 Author Share Posted July 17, 2020 Reserved Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusadertsar Posted July 17, 2020 Author Share Posted July 17, 2020 Reserved Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusadertsar Posted July 17, 2020 Author Share Posted July 17, 2020 Reserved Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
yonko Posted July 17, 2020 Share Posted July 17, 2020 Yes, Total Football is possible with low budget. I made Roma champions of Italy, won Copa Italia and Europa League in the first season pretty much without transfers. Only got Kurzawa in January as he was transfer listed for cheap price. I like the simplicity approach you will be going for. However, in order to control possession you know your team needs to win the ball back. For that to happen, I have found that I need a specific set of Team Instructions at a minimum. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusadertsar Posted July 17, 2020 Author Share Posted July 17, 2020 (edited) 29 minutes ago, yonko said: Yes, Total Football is possible with low budget. I made Roma champions of Italy, won Copa Italia and Europa League in the first season pretty much without transfers. Only got Kurzawa in January as he was transfer listed for cheap price. I like the simplicity approach you will be going for. However, in order to control possession you know your team needs to win the ball back. For that to happen, I have found that I need a specific set of Team Instructions at a minimum. Yeah for sure I'm not going for complete blank slate approach that's for sure. Unlike @Deego619 s 442 which is easy to set up for crossing game, you need a bit more to make 4-1-2-3 into fluid possession system. Will need to specify pressing and defensive line height and line of engagement. Those i have no choice but to select. But I'm still looking for no more than 5-7 team instructions overall. Edited July 17, 2020 by crusadertsar Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Djuicer Posted July 17, 2020 Share Posted July 17, 2020 Looks good mate Will be interesting to see how you recreate Hazard. That Lille team was so good and built in a very exciting and clever way, not far away (-results) from the team they have today. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusadertsar Posted July 17, 2020 Author Share Posted July 17, 2020 (edited) 43 minutes ago, Djuicer said: Looks good mate Will be interesting to see how you recreate Hazard. That Lille team was so good and built in a very exciting and clever way, not far away (-results) from the team they have today. That's what excited me when looking at the current squad! It's equivalent or better for most positions when comparing with old screenshots from fm11. Except for Hazard Although the French league is not quite the same, as now we have the seemingly unstoppable monster that is PSG. So it will definitely make for an exciting save. Thanks for following. Edited July 17, 2020 by crusadertsar 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
yonko Posted July 17, 2020 Share Posted July 17, 2020 3 hours ago, crusadertsar said: Yeah for sure I'm not going for complete blank slate approach that's for sure. Unlike @Deego619 s 442 which is easy to set up for crossing game, you need a bit more to make 4-1-2-3 into fluid possession system. Will need to specify pressing and defensive line height and line of engagement. Those i have no choice but to select. But I'm still looking for no more than 5-7 team instructions overall. For me the mandatory instructions for the style are: Shorter Passing or Much Shorter Passing Play Out Of Defense Work Ball Into Box Counter-Press Hold Position Higher or Much Higher D-Line Higher or Much Higher LOE Extremely Urgent That's 8 Team Instructions. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusadertsar Posted July 17, 2020 Author Share Posted July 17, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, yonko said: For me the mandatory instructions for the style are: Shorter Passing or Much Shorter Passing Play Out Of Defense Work Ball Into Box Counter-Press Hold Position Higher or Much Higher D-Line Higher or Much Higher LOE Extremely Urgent That's 8 Team Instructions. My thinking exactly! Except without hold position and with added slower tempo. What's your reasoning for hold position? Doesn't it kinda go against high pressing possession style? Also thinking of removing Work Ball into the box as I don't find it makes that much difference when playing with slow tempo and on balanced team mentality. Edited July 17, 2020 by crusadertsar Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post yonko Posted July 18, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted July 18, 2020 6 hours ago, crusadertsar said: My thinking exactly! Except without hold position and with added slower tempo. What's your reasoning for hold position? Doesn't it kinda go against high pressing possession style? Also thinking of removing Work Ball into the box as I don't find it makes that much difference when playing with slow tempo and on balanced team mentality. I think Hold Position is essential for good possession tactic. Many gamers fall in love with Counter and I think the ME is set up more towards that. But Hold Position is a patient way to establish possession and passing patterns. I take it as inline with Pep's thinking of establishing 15 passes for good transition into offense. If you use Hold Position, you don't need Slower Tempo. Remember, that instruction is how long your players will take to make a play with the ball and make decisions. And if you already use Shorter or Much Shorter Passing, then your Tempo is already slow enough. Plus Slower Tempo invites pressure and you may lose possession in tough situations. Actually I often click to Higher Tempo cause I don't want my players taking too long on the ball. I want the ball moved quicker around. And when you have players with "One-two's" PPM makes it real fun to watch. If you have players who like to run with the ball and you use Dribble Less, then they move the ball quickly and at a moment they dribble to create opening and find a pass. It's amazing to see a good combination of Team Instructions, Player roles, PPMs and Attributes work together. It takes time to put it all together though. Back to Hold Position instruction. This is an In Transition instruction. Keep in mind that in Possession Tactic you don't have that many roles that surge forward with urgency - most roles are on Support, with maybe one on Attack. And if you do, they are usually from deeper positions. They need time to get up there and support play and offer options. So you need a patient transition. Total Football is about doing it together as unit, not by an individual with quick break. Though you can still have some nice counters with possession tactic instructions when the occasion allows for it. But it is calculated. As for Work Ball Into Box, it's another way to be patient when in the final third. Crosses and shots are calculated and performed when the opportunity is right. And when you use players who have the vision and decision to play this style, they will pick the right choice when needed most of the time. The whole possession tactic idea is to move the ball until the best chance opens up to score. Don't rush anything. Trust the style and chances will open up. Just be prepared to take them. That's my thinking anyway. Btw, I'm youth football (aka soccer) coach in USA for 20 years now, so that has been my philosophy in real life with the kids as well. 9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusadertsar Posted July 18, 2020 Author Share Posted July 18, 2020 @yonko Thanks for the advise. It makes much sense. I think I'll try hold position instead of slow tempo because it's really the transition where I need to slow things down. Then I like to think that my players are good enough to make the right choice in final third, so I will continue without selecting WBIB. Don't want to overdue it and lose penetration factor, especially with hold position and much shorter passing there already. I will post an update sooner than expected because results have been so good . I really think that going for a simpler approach makes a big difference in FM20! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo_Francescoli Posted July 18, 2020 Share Posted July 18, 2020 (edited) That was a great team, I remember them well. Hazard was the superstar, but the exceptional work rate of the midfield three and the complete full-backs (who often played almost like wingers) made the system tick. I'm interested to see how you pull it off. Also, are you planning to go back to Dynamo Kyiv sometime? I'm having so much fun with them. Edited July 18, 2020 by Enzo_Francescoli Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
yonko Posted July 18, 2020 Share Posted July 18, 2020 3 hours ago, crusadertsar said: @yonko Thanks for the advise. It makes much sense. I think I'll try hold position instead of slow tempo because it's really the transition where I need to slow things down. Then I like to think that my players are good enough to make the right choice in final third, so I will continue without selecting WBIB. Don't want to overdue it and lose penetration factor, especially with hold position and much shorter passing there already. I will post an update sooner than expected because results have been so good . I really think that going for a simpler approach makes a big difference in FM20! Just for clarification as I noticed I've used the wrong term. It's Hold Shape not Hold Position. Oops But here is the description of the instruction: It says it all really. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferrarinseb Posted July 18, 2020 Share Posted July 18, 2020 @yonko That's a really superb explanation on hold shape. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusadertsar Posted July 18, 2020 Author Share Posted July 18, 2020 (edited) 35 minutes ago, yonko said: Just for clarification as I noticed I've used the wrong term. It's Hold Shape not Hold Position. Oops But here is the description of the instruction: It says it all really. Haha no me too used wrong term, I understood that you meant Hold Shape from the transition instructions. I think its also similar to the old "retain possession" option Edited July 18, 2020 by crusadertsar Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
yonko Posted July 18, 2020 Share Posted July 18, 2020 1 hour ago, ferrarinseb said: @yonko That's a really superb explanation on hold shape. Thanks, but that is just a screenshot of the In Game description of Hold Shape instruction. 1 hour ago, crusadertsar said: Haha no me too used wrong term, I understood that you meant Hold Shape from the transition instructions. I think its also similar to the old "retain possession" option Perhaps, I don't know. The old "Retain Possession" was instruction with the ball as we didn't have In Transition instructions before. Hold Shape seems to directly influence how players behave when transitioning after winning the ball. Similarly Counter Press makes players chase after the ball when losing possession, much like Pep's famous 6 seconds rule. Maybe someone from SI would know and can comment. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusadertsar Posted July 18, 2020 Author Share Posted July 18, 2020 (edited) So this is my current tactic. I tried to really go for the absolute essential minimum to create Lille's vintage possession with intent style. Thanks to some of you, including @yonko for the helpful advise. It still has 8 Team instructions. But they are really the ones needed for this style. The start to the season couldn't have been better! I know its only a handfull of games but the types of goals (open play) and the number of chances we are creating are really encouraging, especially as I continue to watch more games. The only slip happened in the last game against the stubborn Angers side. They really parked a tank trying to stop us and we were probably going to draw that game but then my rightback got injured and were left with only 10. Their last 5 minute goal was a heartbreaker. And now we have a tough series of games, including PSG at home and Barca in Champions League. Will have to try to pick ourselves up and make the best of it. The real test of the tactic is coming up! Oh, and almost forgot this is my "Hazard" player Maybe not quite the same level as Eden was in 2010. But Angel definitely has the potential to develop into a similar style of attacking playmaker. And two League goals to start off is not too shabby. Excited to monitor his development for the rest of the season. More updates will come as I test the tactic further. Edited July 18, 2020 by crusadertsar 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusadertsar Posted July 18, 2020 Author Share Posted July 18, 2020 6 hours ago, Enzo_Francescoli said: That was a great team, I remember them well. Hazard was the superstar, but the exceptional work rate of the midfield three and the complete full-backs (who often played almost like wingers) made the system tick. I'm interested to see how you pull it off. Also, are you planning to go back to Dynamo Kyiv sometime? I'm having so much fun with them. Going back to Ukraine would always be fun. I really enjoyed my Dynamo save in FM19. I guess I was just little disappointed how the league got weaker and less competitive since the troubles in the east started. Used to be one of the funnest leagues to play with the big three of Dynamo, Shakhtar and Dnipro. Now its just about breaking The Miners monopoly. It could still have potential as you play longer in it and more newgens appear. Also I'm still interested in doing a Maslov-inspired article eventually so going back to Dynamo is not out of the question. Just not sure whether it will be on this version of FM or another. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo_Francescoli Posted July 19, 2020 Share Posted July 19, 2020 22 hours ago, crusadertsar said: Going back to Ukraine would always be fun. I really enjoyed my Dynamo save in FM19. I guess I was just little disappointed how the league got weaker and less competitive since the troubles in the east started. Used to be one of the funnest leagues to play with the big three of Dynamo, Shakhtar and Dnipro. Now its just about breaking The Miners monopoly. It could still have potential as you play longer in it and more newgens appear. Also I'm still interested in doing a Maslov-inspired article eventually so going back to Dynamo is not out of the question. Just not sure whether it will be on this version of FM or another. I'm very disappointed by the quality of Ukranian newgens. I now probably have one of the greatest youth setups in the world, so hopefully that changes, and I get my next Shevchenko. On topic: I'm very surprised by your choice of tactics for that Lille team. I would probably go in a very different direction. Hope it goes well, though, and I wish you a fun save. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusadertsar Posted July 19, 2020 Author Share Posted July 19, 2020 34 minutes ago, Enzo_Francescoli said: I'm very disappointed by the quality of Ukranian newgens. I now probably have one of the greatest youth setups in the world, so hopefully that changes, and I get my next Shevchenko. On topic: I'm very surprised by your choice of tactics for that Lille team. I would probably go in a very different direction. Hope it goes well, though, and I wish you a fun save. Yeah I never got my next Shevchenko in my last Dynamo save either. I am trying to recreate that specific formation from 10 years ago and seemed suitable to their current squad. How would you set them up? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo_Francescoli Posted July 19, 2020 Share Posted July 19, 2020 32 minutes ago, crusadertsar said: Yeah I never got my next Shevchenko in my last Dynamo save either. I am trying to recreate that specific formation from 10 years ago and seemed suitable to their current squad. How would you set them up? Well, I would probably start with something like this, see how it goes: Gervinho either IW(s), IW(a) or IF(s), whichever works best. Balmont either a CAR or a BBM, but he surely supported Debuchy, and had playmaking abilities. Same for Cabaye, only he was a bit more adventurous. Neither of them was an outright PM though, that was Hazard. Mavuba was the defensive pivot. All three had great work rate, teamwork, stamina. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusadertsar Posted July 19, 2020 Author Share Posted July 19, 2020 (edited) 42 minutes ago, Enzo_Francescoli said: Well, I would probably start with something like this, see how it goes: Gervinho either IW(s), IW(a) or IF(s), whichever works best. Balmont either a CAR or a BBM, but he surely supported Debuchy, and had playmaking abilities. Same for Cabaye, only he was a bit more adventurous. Neither of them was an outright PM though, that was Hazard. Mavuba was the defensive pivot. All three had great work rate, teamwork, stamina. Interesting! Again i am probably taking some liberties to fit the current team better. I simply have more playmakers in midfield. Also I actually play Gomes as left Trequartista but then Bamba is more of an IF. Also from gamey perspective, when playing on balanced I need more aggressive roles in middle to create penetration or otherwise our attack ends up being too toothless as we pass the ball around just to keep possession. On the team Cabaye was probably the best midfield playmaker in my opinion. And I agree that his midfield partner Balmont was more of a BBM. And that how what I originally played there, but mezzala moves that much better in my formation. So far we are doing not too bad. Sitting second after PSG as of the beginning of October. Edited July 19, 2020 by crusadertsar Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusadertsar Posted July 20, 2020 Author Share Posted July 20, 2020 (edited) Rudi Garcia's Pressing Game and Midfield Trio Role As I mentioned earlier, Garcia's Lille's played more like a narrow 4-1-2-1-2 (or even 3-2-5 in-possession). This was due to the movement of Eden Hazard, who cut into the zone between the strikers and midfield. While the right winger, Gervinho moved forward and narrow to join Sow at the front. At the same time the two wingbacks got involved in attack by bombing forward and wide almost like wingers. Or old-fashioned Brazilian wingbacks. While Emerson (playing like a true-to-name Brazilian wingback) was probably the more attacking of the two, both would often reach the byline and ping crosses and lay-offs to the strikers and central midfielders. And speaking of the central midfielders, they were key in Garcia's formation. There was Mavuba - the more defensive holding midfielder and the two supporting midfielders of Cabaye and Balmont. The key aspect of the formation was the when these two more offensive midfielders pushed forward and got involved in high pressing (really defending from the front) the defensive holder had to stay back and help the centrebacks. It provided balance in what was otherwise a rather aggressive attacking formation. Something not that different from Vertical Tiki Taka that Sarri's Napoli would play a decade later. Thus relatively High Line of Defence and High Engagement Line were essential to Lille's game plan. It helped that the two central midfielders were very technical, but their high workrate was what matter more. Starting with the strikers and the central midfielders, the whole team tried to meet opposition's attack high up the field. The pressing started in the opponent’s half. I chose extremely urgent closing down to compliment the High DL and High LOE. The Midfield Roles As a holding DM Mavuba focused on covering the central position in front of and between the central defender. Like when the central defenders went high and wide to help support the full-back. Some might think that the half-back role might be more suitable here but I am currently enjoying the creativity that DLP (even on Defend duty) brings to the team. Especially with a player like Xeka in the position. To me the role of Balmont is better recreated as a dynamic Mezzala, because I envision him as player that needed to get up high up to press and support the right fullback. But also he needed to be more pro-active and attack-oriented to help with the attack by moving into the right half-space and staying closer to the opposition penalty area. A bit like Guardiola's hybrid Free Eight role. At 2010 Lille, Cabaye was also this type of Free Eight role that created from the front and pressed relentlessly. He was definitely more creative of the two, thus I chose Advanced Playmaker on Attack. Rather than a RPM or DLP, because I neither wanted my "Cabaye" player to roam around too much or be too static holding his position. Yucuf Yazici, of current Lille squad, was my perfect Cabaye. Already had 5 assists two months into our campaign. And might have even developed into a better player. Until this happened on one fateful night at the start of October. I never like to write off a young player due to long-term injury... but 10 months does seem kind of long So the search is on for his replacement and my "Cabaye" successor. Or do I even need a "successor"? Maybe not. Not when the original is still around and kicking. Thank you God for The French League 1 Joker Transfer clause. The season might still turn out alright. Just look at those attributes and traits! And besides being a great mentor for the youngsters, he only cost me 1.5 million. Edited July 20, 2020 by crusadertsar 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vico Vito Pep Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 Re Rudi Garcia: I know this topic is on his Lille side from back in the day but his tactics with Roma that first year for me was awesome. With Totti as a F9, Gervinho in a IF/a or RMD/a role on the RW. Llajic as IW/IF. Roma also had one of the best CD pairings in Serie A w/ Benatia & Castan + the ageless wonder Maicon on RB. Now with midfield @crusadertsar think you're pretty spot on with how Rudi set up Lille. Esp using more of the AP/a to replicate that free #8 role. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyzer Soze Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 On 18/07/2020 at 20:13, crusadertsar said: So this is my current tactic. I tried to really go for the absolute essential minimum to create Lille's vintage possession with intent style. Thanks to some of you, including @yonko for the helpful advise. I really like the idea behind this tactic, but i was a bit surprise with the forwards role. I was expecting more a DLF(a) to link more between both wide players and the midfield. Why did you choose the PF(a)? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusadertsar Posted July 20, 2020 Author Share Posted July 20, 2020 (edited) 3 hours ago, Keyzer Soze said: I really like the idea behind this tactic, but i was a bit surprise with the forwards role. I was expecting more a DLF(a) to link more between both wide players and the midfield. Why did you choose the PF(a)? I tried both actually. And I found that surprisingly Pressing Forward actually sat deeper than a DLF(a). It's a very hard working role, similar to shadow striker that covers a lot of ground. You need the right kind of player for it though, one that might not be necessarily the most technical but with good mentals. Victor Osimhen is just perfect for it. He actually assists more than he scores haha. Usually I would be playing with a False9 or Trequartista in the striker role but the current Lille team doesn't really have a suitable player. It could also be argued that Moussa Sow wasn't very technical and was more of a Pressing Forward. Edited July 20, 2020 by crusadertsar 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deego619 Posted July 20, 2020 Share Posted July 20, 2020 Simplistic, a man after my own heart. That Lille team has almost been forgotten about these days, a great side indeed. Cool that you picked up the real Cabaye! I found that the simplistic method works best after you give the players some time to gel. Results won't always be min-max but it does take some of the stress away from the tactical side of this game! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusadertsar Posted July 21, 2020 Author Share Posted July 21, 2020 (edited) 8 hours ago, Deego619 said: Simplistic, a man after my own heart. That Lille team has almost been forgotten about these days, a great side indeed. Cool that you picked up the real Cabaye! I found that the simplistic method works best after you give the players some time to gel. Results won't always be min-max but it does take some of the stress away from the tactical side of this game! The KISS ("Keep It Simple Stupid") method seems to be working wonders so far! Although drawing 1-1 against Barcelona and beating Borussia Dortmund 3-2 Away had been anything but not stressful. Very proud of our 2nd position in the league too. While could not stop from getting beaten by PSG so far, we did manage to beat Monaco 3-1 Away and Marseille 2-0 at Home. Definitely some of the highlights so far. Edited July 21, 2020 by crusadertsar Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo_Francescoli Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 Lille must have awesome full-backs if they can pull off CWB(a) without crashing and burning the whole system. I'd never use that role unless I have the second coming of Roberto Carlos on my team and could build the entire tactic around him. How are you finding their contributions, offensively and defensively? The results are certainly great so far! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
crusadertsar Posted July 21, 2020 Author Share Posted July 21, 2020 (edited) 3 hours ago, Enzo_Francescoli said: Lille must have awesome full-backs if they can pull off CWB(a) without crashing and burning the whole system. I'd never use that role unless I have the second coming of Roberto Carlos on my team and could build the entire tactic around him. How are you finding their contributions, offensively and defensively? The results are certainly great so far! Sometimes taking little risks pays off. My idea was that Rudi really created width at Lille through the fullbacks a bit like Guardiola. And luckily current Lille team has some good ones. Here they are, my Greco-Turkish Connection: I'm rather proud of Tsimikas. Was a 4 million dollar acquisition from Olympiakos. And as you can see you do need very good wingbacks. Mine might not be worldbeaters but they are good enough to play this demanding role. The whole tactic pretty much relies on them stretching the playing field. Edited July 21, 2020 by crusadertsar Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enzo_Francescoli Posted July 21, 2020 Share Posted July 21, 2020 56 minutes ago, crusadertsar said: Sometimes taking little risks pays off. My idea was that Rudi really created width at Lille through the fullbacks a bit like Guardiola. And luckily current Lille team has some good ones. Here they are, my Greco-Turkish Connection: I'm rather proud Tsimikas. Was a 4 million dollar acquisition from Olympiakos. And as you can see you do need very good wingbacks. Mine might not be worldbeaters but they are good enough to play this demanding role. The whole tactic pretty much relies on them stretching the playing field. Whoa, those are great players indeed. A little work on Tsimikas' decision making and Celik's agility and vision and they're ready tp play that role in Ligue 1. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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