Rate my 4-4-2 strikerless

[Hog]

As the title says, please rate my 4-4-2 strikerless tactic, currently using with Barcelona. Here goes

 

GK Sweeper keeper support Ter Stegen

DR full back support Roberto

DCr BPDd Pique

DCl BPDd Lenglet

DL wingback support Alba

MR wide midfielder support Messi - dribble more, get further forward

MCr central midfielder support De Jong

MCl DLPd Busquets

ML wide midfielder support Fati - dribble more

AMCr attacking midfielder attack Griezmann 

AMCl advanced playmaker support Pedri

 

All players also have PI shoot less often. The idea for the tactic is for the two MCs and AMCl to form a triangle while AMCr attacks the space from deeper. The MRL cut inside or get down the wing, making them unpredictable. ML is overlapped by DL while MR is more attacking and supported by DR. I opted to play this 4-4-2 strikerless since I found the STs to be too isolated from the midfield. For team instructions I use:

 

Low crosses, counterpress, distribute to defenders, much higher def line, much higher line of engagement, prevent gk short distribution, max pressing, play offside trap.

 

The tactic plays decently in friendlies but hasn't been tested extensively. Please comment on the tactic and give suggestions.

Edited April 8, 2021 by Hog

[Experienced Defender]

One one hand you have extremely aggressive defensive team instructions, while on the other hand your setup of roles and duties looks way too conservative and with too little penetration, especially for a top team like Barca (unless you use the attacking team mentality, which we cannot know, since you failed to mention the mentality). Such a combination looks to me like trying to play a possession-for-the-sake-of-it style of football + doing so in a formation (442) that is not optimally suited to possession-minded styles in general. 

2 hours ago, Hog said:

give suggestions

I would definitely be less aggressive with out-of-possession TIs and would switch the ML's duty to attack for starters.