Is 5-2-3 WB Overpowered in General?

[DasMagicMullet]

This is absolutely not an 'FM22 is too easy' take, I'm just wondering about the power of 523, as changing to the formation with the same set of players had immediate and lasting effects.

For context, I took over Halifax and made very few new signings. I finished Season 1 playing 4-3-3 and getting hammered (as was expected with the squad).

I started the save with zero qualifications, zero history, absolute minimal attributes.

 

Then in season 2, after 2 opening defeats using 4-3-3, I switch to 5-2-3 and the rest is history:

After the Solihull game, I don't lose a further match, knock Crystal Palace out of the FA Cup, win the FA trophy and reach a record points total on the back of going 32 games undefeated:

 

 

I've not made that many changes to a squad that was expected to struggle, aside from a few free transfers during the summer. 

I'm just wondering if 5-2-3 is a broken formation in this edition as I like as much realism as possible in my game and such results from so few changes puts me off continuing.

Edited December 6, 2021 by DasMagicMullet

[kevhamster]

Not sure if it's the formation, but wing play does seem quite potent.

I took over a struggling Haverfordwest in the Cymru Premier who hadn't won in ages and were in the relegation zone.  I used a 4-4-2 wing play, purely because the best players I had were the wide men and went on quite the unbeaten run, and for the first 10 games or so, the only games I lost were against TNS, who are utterly dominant in Wales and nobody else comes close to.  I ended up mid-table at the point the league split occurred a good few points clear of the drop zone.

[TireanFM]

I also changed to a 5-2-3 WB and had good results. Seems to stop a lot of those crosses to the back post type of goals which I was conceding a lot before the switch.

[Prepper_Jack]

Overpowered? Not really, no, though it may have suited your team better. Also, there's a whole lot of factors that can take you from being a losing side to overnight becoming a winning one. Perhaps the team, now less concerned about the back, has a mentality that is more attacking, and they take it to the opposition more. After that, because of increased morale, your players, which might have low consistency ratings, began to perform much better, and this led to even more wins. Furthermore, you, having been there longer and may have forged some relationships with the players, may have been able to increase their general confidence about the playing style you have laid out for them in general. Small tweaks here and there can have cascading effects, both good and bad, and you seem to have found one that worked.

As for the shape itself, it's not bad at all. Defensively it's quite strong, as 3 centers in the back, sitting as narrow as they do in a 5 wide formation, are a tough obstacle to get through for either central or cross attacks, and wingbacks aren't necessarily inferior to fullbacks for defending that area of the pitch. I've even tried a 4-2-4 WB Wide and 4-2-3-1 WB Wide and didn't really suffer on the defense, though I did have quality players in those positions. The forward positioning of the wingbacks and aggressive motions forward in comparison to the deeper variants is definitely a help on the offense, though.

[FrazT]

This could just be a case of finding a formation that suits your players rather than starting with a formation and then fitting the players into it.

[AurioDK]

I tried it with Wrexham, do have a really good squad but it didn´t work, had to revert to my regular 4-4-2. Could be a lot of things though, wrong instructions, players not used to it and I do have a light midfield which needs backup from a strong DM. Tried to switch to a similar 3-3-2-2 (DM + 2 mids) .. but got constantly beaten on the flanks.

Possibly what Frazt wrote, you need the players and the 3-5-2 is pretty solid overall regardless unless you have a midfield that can´t tackle like I do.

[santy001]

Have been pushing and working on a 5-2-3 myself and with some other moderators was discussing the success I'd dropped onto with my most recent iteration.

Had a pretty powerful goalscoring return after the first 10 games:

But that had been pushing it down a very specialised route.