Non-league Struggles

[stephensmedley]

I'm running what now seems to be the old Youth Academy Challenge, where you up your youth facilities etc to 20 in editor before starting and not signing players other than youth intake

And that's where my problem lies

I can't get any decent strikers, even the ones I get in and play them they don't seem to improve

This is my first team squad

As you can see the whole squad is somewhat unbalanced, not to mention the amount of times my better players get unsettled in a season

These are the current two tactics I'm running with limited success

I've also tried a flat 4-4-2 but I get overrun in midfield and neither striker can finish so I end up in a match with 6 CCC's scoring 0/1 and the opposition getting 1/2 CCC's and outscoring me

My current team instructions are;

Lower Tempo

Wide

Deeper Defensive Line

More Closing Down

Short Passing

Work Ball Into Box

Whipped Crosses

Any input would be grand, I'm floundering a bit atm

[OrientTillIDie]

Well if you play a flat 4-4-2 then of course you're going to get overrun in midfield.

[stephensmedley]

Well done you just backed up my point?

I don't know what you were trying to achieve with that statement? Would you like a gold star?

[OrientTillIDie]

Well done you just backed up my point?

I don't know what you were trying to achieve with that statement? Would you like a gold star?

You were hardly making a point in your OP. A flat 4-4-2 in the lower leagues will get overrun 9 times out of 10 because so many teams play with 5 in midfield. If you scouted your opposition properly and made changes accordingly then you would have realised that playing a flat 4-4-2 was a fool's game. Don't know why you even bothered in the first place. That's a rookie error.

I also wouldn't be playing with a Lower Tempo and Short Passing with a Deeper Defensive Line because they're just going to knock the ball around in front of your goal. If you want to play short passing then you need to push higher up. If you want to drop deep, play more direct. Also, you want your players to Close Down More but with the Deep Defensive Line, they're sitting off the opposition.

You want to Work Ball Into Box but you've put an instruction on saying to Whip Crosses in. Pointless. You've told your players not to cross, but then you've told them how you want crosses put in. Do you see the problem?

You have so many contradicting TIs. Keep it simple, especially in the lower leagues. I'd personally take all of your TIs off and play a few games to see what happens. Then add a couple in if you feel it needs refining. People always think that TIs are compulsory but as the Mods and Developers on here always say, your formation, mentality and player roles basically tell your players how to play. Then add one or two if (and only if) it needs them.

[stephensmedley]

That was more informative and what I was looking for so thank you

4-4-2 is a perfectly adequate formation depending on your set up

I won promotion with Derby County and finished top 6 in my first season in the Prem with a 4-4-2 so it is more than possible.

As for the defensive line I have done that more for the pace of the CB's I didn't consider it the way you put it.

As for crosses, there is always something set as default, so my thinking was why not set it as something that would be beneficial rather than 'Mixed' where I could get a lofted cross to my naff strikers.

I have however since I posted this moved onto a 4-4-1-1 and been rather successful, with the AMC set as an AP(Support) he tends to drop in more and on the 'Average position' isn't a great deal further forward than the CM's off the ball.