Playing without DM

[landskill]

Is anyone else struggling to play without aDM in front of your back four and not get opened up. I have been trying to play without one and can't get it right, if I play a high line and hassle the opponents I find one of my DCs steps out of the back line to close the space and leaves a huge hole, if I sit deep and narrow I find my two center midfielders get dragged around and leave big holes in front of them. I have tried various combinations in my MC pairing, even playing two that sit but without sucsess. Can anyone help? I'm in the low leagues so I expect them to make mistakes but it's starting to become frustrating

[Cleon]

This is a common issue in real life and why almost every team uses a DMC of somekind. Even the newage 442's we see teams using uses DMC's rather than an actual MC and the same with 4231's and any other successful shape.

[THOG]

This is a common issue in real life and why almost every team uses a DMC of somekind. Even the newage 442's we see teams using uses DMC's rather than an actual MC and the same with 4231's and any other successful shape.

One thing I would add to this is that using DMs will cause your central defenders to sit deeper by default (as the idea is that the DM reduces the need for the CBs to push up). However, if you want to press as a team, this means that you may need to rethink your d-line settings if you're going to try a 442 or the like with two DMs. So if you're transitioning from using CMs to using DMs, you may want to tell your team to push higher than you previously had to offset the d-line drop and ensure your defensive "square" doesn't stand off too much relative to the more advanced midfielders.

[James9]

One thing I would add to this is that using DMs will cause your central defenders to sit deeper by default (as the idea is that the DM reduces the need for the CBs to push up). However, if you want to press as a team, this means that you may need to rethink your d-line settings if you're going to try a 442 or the like with two DMs. So if you're transitioning from using CMs to using DMs, you may want to tell your team to push higher than you previously had to offset the d-line drop and ensure your defensive "square" doesn't stand off too much relative to the more advanced midfielders.

Would you then set up d-line to push higher up when using the 2 DMC in a 4231 formation.

[THOG]

Would you then set up d-line to push higher up when using the 2 DMC in a 4231 formation.

If you're defending aggressively and sending a lot of players forward, it will help if you find your defenders and DMs sitting too deep and allowing the opposition to control the midfield.

[deserter]

You could perhaps try to make your MC's hold their position more, to close down less in short. But I think you'd need to make sure that someone else is then doing the chasing.

[stevedavis]

It's possible to make it work if you use the 'mark specific opponent' individual player instruction and get your strikers involved in defending.

I use a 'defensive' mentality to ensure my players restrict space in my own half. This allows my team to play in a smaller area of the pitch, rather than being stretched over a larger area, which helps formations with no players naturally sitting between the lines.

I use 'much higher defensive line' to shut down space between defence and midfield.

I use 'player narrower' to shut down the space between my midfielders laterally so that my ML and MR can help close down passing lanes and potentially assist with closing down in more central areas when needed; they often cover space effectively in the centre when the ball is on the opposite flank.

I use Wide Midfielders on Support Duties to assist in tracking back and ball retention, due to lower crossing tendencies, and instead have my attacking width provided by Wing Backs on Attack Duties.

Since I use a lot of aggressive defensive instructions, I also select 'use offside trap' despite having a 'defensive mentality'. Fast players will try to take advantage of my tight marking, aggressive pressing and much higher defensive line so I like to be able to use the offside trap to negate their threat in behind. I use a Sweeper Keeper on Attack Duty to sweep up balls behind my defenders and to challenge attacking opponents as early as possible if they get in behind.

I use 'hassle opponents' and 'tighter marking' to ensure that my players close down and stick tightly to the opposing players, to restrict the space they have to play in and give them less time to take advantage of space between the lines.

I use normal Central Defenders on Defend Duties.

I use a CM(D) to specific mark the opponent's AMC.

My CM(S) will specific man mark the opposing MC on his side of the central area.

I use a Defensive Forward on Defend Duty to specific man mark the opposing MC that isn't marked by my MC(S).

My 'defensive' mentality and 'hassle opponents' instruction ensures that my AF(A) sits in his own half between the opposition MC's and DC's, ready to block and chase down passes that are played back towards the opponent's defenders.

None of my back 4 are ever given specific players to mark so that they are not drawn out into unnatural defensive positions, but they obviously will adhere to the team instruction of 'mark tighter' for opponents that appear in their zone.

My wingers will specific man mark the opponent's most attacking wide players.

Those are the instructions if facing a 4-4-1-1 or 4-2-3-1. If facing a 4-1-2-2-1 or 4-1-4-1, my MC's will specific man mark the opponent MC's and my Defensive Forward (Defend) will specific man mark the opponent DMC; my wide midfielders still specifically man mark the opponent's most attacking wide players. If facing 4-4-2, my MC's will specific man mark the opponent's MC's; my wide midfielders still specifically man mark the opponent's most attacking wide players. That covers most of the formations I face but I obviously have other plans for the more rarely use formations that I face as well.

I normally use a 4-1-2-2-1 but I have made 4-4-2 work quite well with the instructions outlined above.