the counterattack

[Theredkop]

how do you set effective instructions for a counterattacking style.preferably in a 4231 ,451 or attacking 442

[Os]

Player or team instructions?

[Theredkop]

Player or team instructions?

team instructions

[SPDtrip]

how do you set effective instructions for a counterattacking style.preferably in a 4231 ,451 or attacking 442

Use Rigid or V Rigid philosophy (this isn't set in stone but I think it works best for most teams).

Set you Def Line pretty deep (say 3 or 4 clicks from left).

Set your Width same as your line (3 or 4 clicks from left).

Set you Tempo to Quick (3 or 4 clicks from right).

Set Time Wasting same as your Def Line (Opposite Tempo, 3 or 4 clicks from left).

Passing Style either Default or Long, up to you. I prefer Default.

Creative Freedom to Default or Less Creative (depends on players, you might want to increase CF on a player to player basis).

Close Down to Stand Off more.

Tackling to More Cautious.

Marking is up to you. Smart players (good positioning attribute) use Zone otherwise use default or man.

Crossing up to you but probably to Drill

Roaming set to Stick to Position or default.

With the player Duties don't do anything too radical. I'd advise keeping it simple. For example with a 4-4-2 , put the CBs on Defend, the L/R backs on Auto. The CM's one on Defend the other Support. The wings on Att. One Striker on Att the other on Support. You can change things around as you feel necessary but generally I'd start with a 3 (Def)/ 4 (Sup)/ 3(Att) for all formations.

Basically you want to keep it nice and tight at the back, let the opposing team come to you, win the ball in your half (generally) and then spring forward at high speed before the Opposition has time to set up properly. Once your team becomes pretty accustomed to all these settings you should have a pretty deadly counter. Obviously having decent players doesn't hurt

Hope this helps.

[5uare2]

Some player roles you might want to consider for a counter-attacking style, if you have the players:

- Deep-Lying Playmaker; especially useful when your team is generally low on technical and creative skills, but you have / can get one guy who is head and shoulders above the rest creatively and technically. He'll become your team's playmaker, so when you break up the opposition's attacks, they'll try and get the ball to him, and he can launch long passes forward into space.

- Strikers - a Target-Man (support) and poacher combination can work if you want your players to provide crosses or long balls from deep for your target man to flick on to your poacher; otherwise, I'd say a deep-lying forward (support) and poacher; in general, fast poachers are quite good for counter-attacking.

Avoid using a ball-winning midfielder, by the way - even though it's a "defensive" role, and comes with a 'defend' duty, the way he works is by pressing aggressively to win the ball, which is against what you want to do - sit back, keep your shape, challenge the other team to find space 'through' you. If he's charging everywhere like Javier Mascherano on steroids, he's leaving gaps for them to get through.