Help needed with a 442 Counter tactic

[Kuldaniss]

Hey everybody ,

I finally decided to create a thread to ask for some help after hitting a dead end with my tactic. I was always a fan of the 442 and variations of it, and after seeing Diego Simeone implement it really well at Atl Madrid and Pellegrini at Man City, I decided that this year my first save game would be based on that tactic.

I started up as Unemployed, no badge and no experience and got a job in the Romanian 2nd division. I'm at the start of my 4th season, still there, got Manager of the Year last season, after finishing 2nd and 3rd in the previous seasons. Now, when I first got here, the players weren't nowhere near the level required to even stay up but at this point I feel that my players are close to the level needed to finally push for promotion. I just need to make sure the tactic is up there too.

The first 2 seasons I played a 4 - 2DM - 2 - 2 Wide, with Counter and Structured. Last season I changed to Flexible because I felt that at times my play was too ... rigid.

My roles are :

Defense strata : WB(A)-CD(D)-CD(D)-WB(A)

Defensive Midfielders : Roaming Playmaker(S) - DLP(D)

Wingers : Winger(A) (changed to this because I bought a really good winger, used to be a Wide Playmaker (A) ) - Winger(S)

Strikers: DLF(S) - Advanced Forward(A)

Reasoning:

I opted for WB(A) on both sides because I feel that the main strength of the 442 is wide play, and I need that when countering. I know they won't defend as well as Fullbacks, but they will still defend better than CWBs and also provide width up top. Not sure though if they are the way to go when using Wingers further up the pitch.

The reason I chose 2 DMs is because when I took over, the team was very bad and I wanted defensive cover. Now I am at the point where the team is not that bad, but I still feel like 2 DMs is a good idea. I chose a Roaming Playmaker because I need someone to provide defensive cover but also get higher up the pitch when in possession. Next to him I used to have an Anchorman, but I felt like i needed a little bit more than just that and I chose a DLP(D), mainly because I wanted someone to pass it long for my wingers when there's a chance for a quick counter. These 2 players are supposed to be the ones that get the ball and start the counters with their passes or dribblings, at least that's how I picture it.

Next, I have 2 Wingers, Winger(A) on the left and Winger(S) on the right. Their job should be simple, get the ball, dribble and provide crosses or exchange passes with the DLF(S).

The DLF(S) have Roam From Position, Tackle Harder and Close down More because I want him to put pressure on the opposing players. Similar to what a Defensive Forward does, but also I need him to be able to hit a good pass at times, the reason why I went for DLF. The Advanced Forward is the player up the pitch and the one that is supposed to finish the counters.

Team Instructions : Direct Passing, Run at Defense, Drop Deeper, More Disciplined

Reasoning:

I want my team to Drop Deep, defend from there and then counter quickly with a Direct Style based football. I ticked More Disciplined because I want to maintain a good shape and be very hard to break through and Run at Defense is there because I want my players to dribble at times towards the opposing team, mainly when countering, because I figured that at times maybe just the Advanced Forward and maybe a Winger would be higher up the pitch for a counter and they need to dribble past players.

Problems:

Even though the main idea behind my tactic is defensive play and being very hard to break through, I feel that at times that’s not the case. I have games when I defend really well and get clean sheets, but those are fewer than I expected. I had games when I took the lead, didn’t change anything to the tactic at first because that’s when I feel my tactic should work best, after the opposing team has to attack be, but I was just destroyed in the battle for possession and they were having chances after chances, usually ending up with them getting the equalizer. This didn’t happen every game, there were games when I closed up really well and even though they had possession they couldn’t break through. In most of these games I went for defensive, changed my wingers to wide playmakers and sometimes even swapped my DLF for another Defender.

The other problem I have is when the opposite thing happens, meaning the opposing team score against me in the first 30 mins or so. I can’t seem to break through, even when I try to move my players further up, DM->MC, Wingers to the more advanced position, I change my Roaming Playmaker to Advanced Playmaker(S/A) and also push higher and Close down. When I get really desperate I use higher tempo, go route one but still can’t seem to break. These games happen against teams that are on the same level as mine, maybe sometimes even at a lower level. I feel that these are the games that are causing the problems, I tend to beat the bigger teams with my tactic or get really good draws against them.

The reason I created this thread is like I said in the beginning, I’ve hit a dead end. I watch all my games on full and try to figure out exactly what is wrong but I’m not sure I see it. As a short description, I want my team to drop deep, defend in my own half, my 2 defensive mids are supposed to win the ball back and start the counter. Analyzing games, I noticed that at times the Advanced Forward was the only player ready for a counter and I’m not sure how to treat this. I like the idea that my wingers used at the ML/MR position are defending well, but I feel that at times I need one to be higher up the pitch to be ready for counters. But then, maybe I won’t defend as well.

Do you guys have any suggestions? Where am I thinking it wrong? Any big mistakes I’m making and just not seeing?

Thanks