Creating a 451/433 hybrid

[TheGhostofPaulLambert]

So for quite a while on this save I've been trying a failing to create a 451/433 hybrid. I've always played with wide players in the AM strata but after a lot of reading on the forums I've been wanting to move them back to the midfield for the defensive stability.

Anyway what I've been trying to create is a 451 with WMs that get forward to form a front 3 when in possession and drop back to defend when out of it. I've been playing as Aston Villa and using Cleon's Art of Counter Attacking as a template but I just can't seem to get the WMs to push forward.

This is how I'm set up:

451, counter, flexible,no TIs

GK (d)

FB (s) CD (D) CD (D) WB (s)

WM (a) CM (S) DLP (D) B2B (s) WM (a)

DLF (s)

The only PIs I use are on the WMS to replicate the IF role.

Now defensively it's not been hugely solid - I don't mind that, this is Villa after all - but I just can't get the WMs to join the attack. Is it perhaps a symptom of playing flexible? Or simply not possible on lower mentality?

Any help / advice would be greatly appreciated.

[neonshaker]

Any luck with this?

[Pakito]

I seem to understand that to make the best of counter you should go structured to rleease the wingers as soon as the ball is recovered... but I might be completely wrong - last time i more or less clearly understood what was going on it was in FM11.