4-1-4-1 in LLM

[fraeyke]

Hi,

I've been having a very amusing save with Sutton United atm. Played champions last year in conference south, after some struggling in the beginning i found a good way to play with my team with some nice games and results.

This year in the conference division i am predicted 20th. I allready made a good counter tactic with a 4-1-2-1-2 formation from last year that still works, combined with a high pressure attacking 4-4-2 (wich is used less now since i'm underdogs most of the games)

So now i was trying to work out another counter tactic with a 4-1-4-1 formation.

I know in this formation stikers are bound to be a bit more isolated. Altough my players find him rather well still. But when is has the ball I see players from deep making a run to offer an extra option. But i feel that its going a bit to slow. Its almost that those players 'doubt' to fully commit forward. Because of this, most of the times the 'speed' of the counter is beeing hampered.

My team lines up: DLP (a)

W(s) Cm(s) Dym(s) W(s)

DM (d)

WB(s) Cd(d) Cd(d) FB (s)

On fluid and counter

So i generaly ask penetration from my dym, wingers and the wingback.

Wich made me wondering: Since i have lower level players, are they just less able to perfom there roles? They are considered average for the league so they are not absolute crap. The abilities neccesery to perform in a role vary between 9-12.

But lets say: is a winger with premier division stats just performing its role better against a premier league side then a winger with conference stats against a conference side.

Cheers!

[Guest]

I actually think you have really limited your scoring options there, I would want at the very least one of my wingers to help out in scoring as a wm. What is a dym by the way? A box to box midfielder? Those Cm'ers aren't the answer to your scoring and your striker is essentially holding the ball up for who?

[OrientTillIDie]

The reason your midfielders are supporting your striker so slowly is because they're all on support duty. At least one of them needs to be on attack duty... Probably your CM. Theyll be supporting the defence as well so when you get the ball back and move forward, they'll take longer to catch up because they're deeper.

EDIT: Beaten to it! I was also going to add about the wingers. When I play with two wingers, I generally have one on Attack and one on Support to make it a bit less predictable. It also stops the oppositions defensive line being able to stay rigid. Having different duties attacking them means they get drawn out of position.

[fraeyke]

Hi, thanks for the reply

Yeah a dym is a box to box , i'm Belgian and play in Dutch wich is called a dynamic midfielder there.. :-)

I get what you are saying. But as I am using the info on this forum a lot i looked up for the counter-attacking thread of Cleon. He also handled the same formation with as good as the same roles.

Also read somewhere that 'support' does not mean players not commiting forward. They just only go forward if they think there is a good opportunity (what counterplay should be).

In this formation, wich cm would u change then? The cm (s) or the box to box?

[OrientTillIDie]

I would be tempted to change the CM(s) to Attack duty. Personally I don't know if I'd be using a box to box midfielder either. Maybe a DLP(s) because BBMs tend to end up out of position on a quick break going both ways so almost end up being a pointless role. This is just from my experience... One of my mates that plays FM loves a BBM and has loads of success using them so it's really what ends up working for you.

[Guest]

Cleon used two WMers not wingers, there was a reason for that.

[fraeyke]

I said 'as good as'.. No reason to copy an entire formation cuz the player material is not the same..

And what reason is that then? My guess would be a winger would go forward more then a wm..

But i will give it a try with two wm'ers

[Guest]

I said 'as good as'.. No reason to copy an entire formation cuz the player material is not the same..

And what reason is that then? My guess would be a winger would go forward more then a wm..

But i will give it a try with two wm'ers

I am not saying you have to copy him, I am saying I don't think you have much of a goal threat there. The wm will provide more of a presence in the box than what you would have. Right now I don't think your cmers will provide quite the scoring threat you need.

They will attack from deep and arrive late and those wingers will end up holding up the ball because you don't have numbers in the box and it might end up blunting the very thing you are trying to achieve.

It's just a thought.

[Rashidi]

I have a 4141 which massacres oppositions. You need BOTH the attacking option of one side mid on Attack duty and on the opp flank, you need to set the roles up so that one side midfielder and his corresponding fullback create movement that absolutely wrecks teams.

It can be done but so far you aren't thinking of the team as one cohesive unit.

It really depends on what your club DNA is. What are your players strengths? Have you made a plan on how your goals are coming?

I already decided in preSeason how my goals were going to come. The good thing about LLM Football is the Low starting base. So it's supereasy to get a title winning side set up in preseason.

You can use WMA or Wingers but how do you use them is the question.

I am doing it in my LLM save with Kingstonians. No other team in the conference has goals as distributed as my team. So I would suggest - get imaginative. The 4141 is decent

[fraeyke]

I have a 4141 which massacres oppositions. You need BOTH the attacking option of one side mid on Attack duty and on the opp flank, you need to set the roles up so that one side midfielder and his corresponding fullback create movement that absolutely wrecks teams.

It can be done but so far you aren't thinking of the team as one cohesive unit.

It really depends on what your club DNA is. What are your players strengths? Have you made a plan on how your goals are coming?

I already decided in preSeason how my goals were going to come. The good thing about LLM Football is the Low starting base. So it's supereasy to get a title winning side set up in preseason.

You can use WMA or Wingers but how do you use them is the question.

I am doing it in my LLM save with Kingstonians. No other team in the conference has goals as distributed as my team. So I would suggest - get imaginative. The 4141 is decent

Thx for the reply Rashidi1!

Keen reader and listener of your blog and youtube channel!

Well, since i wanted to have a more defensive approach i tried to tone down on the attacking duty. With the idea that this might make to much players not contribute to defense. This prob means less movement forward. So i might have to rethink the roles eventually to find a better balance since the formation is not that top heavy and relies more on runners .

I have not gotten as far as a 'DNA' yet. I tought just to make it out of conference and decide my dna there. :-) My players strenghts mostly are in the fysical compartment, with one or 2 more technical players. But nothing schocking atm. :-)

Atm i've stepped away from the 4-1-4-1 and was going for an agressive pressure 4-4-2 on attack. As this sometimes is the best defense. :-)

Thus far it has payed off going on an 7 games unbeaten run and moving up to 10th place.

However, i will try to implement a more catious form (with prob a 4-1-4-1) IF i get promoted to league 2.

As for a club DNA i will try to steer towards the high pressure, high workrate vertical kind of system/players.

The past Fm's i mostly went for the patient passing game wich got dull after a while...