Getting the best out of my 442

[bamb00zle]

Hi everyone

I’m looking for some wisdom on fine tuning my 442 tactic. I’m manager of Elgin City in Scotland. I started unemployed and saved them from relegation in the 1^st season before winning the league (Scots L2) the following year. I’m now in pre season in L1. I’m not entirely happy with my tactic. We won the league (60 points from 36 games) but a lot of the games were tight , tense affairs and arguably we were a bit lucky with some of the wins we got. I’m not getting enough chances created or much guile and craft in the final third. This may be down to the quality of the squad, they are a lower league team admittedly but I used to get my Stockport side on FM15 playing much better quality football with a side similar in attribute and ability and similar tactics. Our technical stats were about average for the league but we were leaders for work rate, fitness, determination and leadership, the cornerstone on how I want a lower league team to be.

To get into the tactics, here is my set up.

 

How the tactics plays out

I like my sides to press a lot from back to front, sit slightly deeper and play a short passing game with a high tempo. We don’t have a great deal of pace in the side so counter is mostly out of the equation. I like my attacking left full back to overlap my workmanlike left winger, with the guy on the right wing an attacking winger with a bit of pace. I like my deep lying playmaker to sit and play easy passes with the B2B guy getting up and down the pitch. The DLF (although I have mostly been playing a DFs) links up the attack and presses the backline alike and the AF is the main goalscorer although the DLF/DF chips in a fair bit. The CB partnership are set to close down less and tight mark. We are good defensively and teams find it tough to create a lot of major chances against us. That’s how we ground out the title win. The main chances we do get are from the flanks, crosses or when they move it back inside to the forwards but we get little in the way of through balls through the middle. Maybe an AP(s) is the answer? The problem with that is I like the sitter/runner combo in a 2 man midfield and I don’t want to lose the shield of the back 4. I want to create more through the middle. Also, we average out at about 46% possession which is not enough for me, it should be over 50. I feel we lack control a bit in some games. But the team lack composure and decisions attributes to make the control mentality viable (in my opinion) so I go with standard or attacking against weaker sides on paper.

Solutions

The main ideas I’ve thought up are adding an AP(s) from DLP, not using a B2B role and changing the striker roles. I want my forwards to press so I’m not sure if changing to a poacher would help. The TM(s) has been tried but there’s less work rate upfront with it. Also, would you use a DW on the left or WM(s)? The latter I used most of the title winning season but he didn’t contribute much, just added solidity and work rate to the team. I’ve been experimenting in the friendlies but nothing seems to have changed. I’m looking at a 352 which has been promising but the squad personnel are more suited to 442. What tips can anyone give? Just trying to get my Scots League 1 team playing a bit more exciting football!

[johnnyyakuza78]

I would say a few things:

1) 442 is maybe not the most ideal 'short passing' shape because your players are basically further away from each other naturally, I tend to think it as a more direct shape. Having said that Attacking mentality makes you quite direct in some ways as well. But I would reconsider it as a shape if a sort of possession style is something you were going for. Or stick to mixed passing.

2) I do feel a bit like your DLP is going to have a lot to do. Not only will he be starting attacks but he'll be asked to cover the gap behind your CWB (think your DW will do ok but still won't defend that deeply) plus he'll have to cover the gap when your BBM and winger go racing up the field. Personally I like to have a solid centre to my 442s, which usually means 2 holding players. Normally for me thats a CM/D and  CM/S or a DLP/S as that has hold position. I tend to think about a tactic in terms of where is the anvil and where is the hammer, which is an old thing from playing total war games. But which area holds the line while the other area attacks. So my centre would be my anvil, which is should be in a 442. The wings are where the threat comes from.

3) I'd also wonder if its worth having a CWB, especially with poorer players. I'd prefer to just stick him on FB/A or even support for harder games and then your WM in front can be made to sit narrower or hold position. I kind of like my WM to move inside when there is an overlapping fullback in a 442, makes the centre stronger and adds threat. With that in mind I might swap the AF and DLF so there is more space there.

 

[jorgvandervloed]

@bamb00zle

Mentality is all about ''risk taking'', which means at the moment you're playing very risky football. High defensive line, high tempo, lots of closing down etc. Comparable to how Liverpool plays at the moment in my opinion without taking shape in consideration.  If you want to be defensively a bit more stable you could consider using ''control'' a bit more often and move down to standard in tough games; control is still an attacking mentality don't get me wrong. 

May i ask why you have chosen ''drop deeper'' and ''close down more''? Seems a bit contradicting to me... In your setup I would probably only use ''shorter passing'' and ''close down more'' of your current team instructions. 

Role wise I would probably switch things around a bit;

                     DS (A)   -   DLF (S)

WM (S)   -   BBM (S)   -   DLP (D)   -   W (A)

  FB (A)   -    CD (D)    -    CD (D)     -    FB (S)

I just went with a WM (S) and FB (A) on the left, but this is obviously your choice. The Fullback will be more defensive compared to the CWB. Also, by placing the more defensive minded DLP next to the more attack minded Winger will balance things out a bit more. BBM (S) to be the runner from midfield as you don't have anyone else running into the box from deep on a regular bases. 

[Ugeine]

On 12/31/2016 at 15:13, johnnyyakuza78 said:

I would say a few things:

1) 442 is maybe not the most ideal 'short passing' shape because your players are basically further away from each other naturally, I tend to think it as a more direct shape. Having said that Attacking mentality makes you quite direct in some ways as well. But I would reconsider it as a shape if a sort of possession style is something you were going for. Or stick to mixed passing.

 

Surely in his formation though, the DLF drops quite deep to link up between the midfield and the strikers, filling up some of that space?