Defence-First Football - Winning Champions League with Club Outside of Europe's Elite (UPDATED on Dec 11, 2022)

[Mourinho_Mastermind]

So I have finally finished my season with Sevilla in fm 22 and I wanted to incorporate a tactic like Mourinho. The reason I have picked the team was that it had one of the best records defensive records last season and they had the J. Kounde-D. Carlos cb partership which is one of the best outside of the main top 3. I have run into some troubles with the defense as I had stints in which my team couldn't score and my defense was shaky, mostly on the side in which my lb was but in the end I prevailed in the division winning it at a pretty tight neck to neck with Barcelona and Real Madrid. I will attach my tactic and also the schelude. The record in league was 81 scored and 33 conceded.

 

Also this one was my original tactic in which i went to with a positive mentality and I wanna know which tactic is better

Edited November 7, 2022 by Mourinho_Mastermind

[The3points]

Curious, why the dribble less? Wouldn't that restrict the Ronaldo/Robben type winger that Mourinho often uses?

[Mourinho_Mastermind]

Wanted to try how efficient they wouldbe if they focused more on passing rather than then dribble so when the situation in which the defense of many teams were much more tightly packed my dlp would carve up in a counter with a pass to either my tf or one of the inverted wingers, it worked tho I think i could unclick it if you think it would work better

[Lira95]

A very nice article about pragmatism. I'm implementing some principles into my save and getting awesome results

 

https://analyticsfc.co.uk/blog/2022/11/04/controlled-directness-ernesto-valverdes-athletic-club/

[HanziZoloman]

Am 30.10.2022 um 21:09 schrieb crusadertsar:

So that is it! The latest version of the tactic. And now back to testing it with the Beta, before the final release when the full game comes out. Let me know what you think 

Hey @crusadertsar I’m here as well for sure, your work is really inspiring and helpful. I gave your tactic a go in my longtime (FM20) save with 1860 Munich and did. really well. Against an underdog I played with your midblock (Lower LoE) and gut plenty of shots and goals. Just wonderful! 
beforehand I had the 4231 with Vol / Reg (DLP) combo and now with the 433 there is no true playmaker (I’m not sure if I like that) but my IW is kind of creative up front I play a CFa. But the main part for me is the hard working defensive. It’s very difficult for our opponents Tonscherben a goal (often just a setpiece).

good work!

[crusadertsar]

9 minutes ago, HanziZoloman said:

Hey @crusadertsar I’m here as well for sure, your work is really inspiring and helpful. I gave your tactic a go in my longtime (FM20) save with 1860 Munich and did. really well. Against an underdog I played with your midblock (Lower LoE) and gut plenty of shots and goals. Just wonderful! 
beforehand I had the 4231 with Vol / Reg (DLP) combo and now with the 433 there is no true playmaker (I’m not sure if I like that) but my IW is kind of creative up front I play a CFa. But the main part for me is the hard working defensive. It’s very difficult for our opponents Tonscherben a goal (often just a setpiece).

good work!

Awesome stuff mate! Very glad it's working out for you. Been busy with my 4-2-3-1 experiment but will need to go back and give 4-3-3 some more love soon. 

[HanziZoloman]

@crusadertsar but it’s difficult to score goals

edit: now it’s better. I changed a little and try to play more to the strengths of the players which you mentioned above. My team still isn’t a favourite many players are youngsters from the academy and still no money but expectations are high. 

Edited November 12, 2022 by HanziZoloman

[Mourinho_Mastermind]

@crusadertsarI wanna make a 41212 based on Mourinho's Inter but I wanna ask, would you think that the striker duo could be one of dlf su/tf-su and af at/cf at  ?

Edited November 12, 2022 by Mourinho_Mastermind

[HanziZoloman]

vor 6 Stunden schrieb Mourinho_Mastermind:

@crusadertsarI wanna make a 41212 based on Mourinho's Inter but I wanna ask, would you think that the striker duo could be one of dlf su/tf-su and af at/cf at  ?

Mou should answer the question in a pragmatic way, what works best and what kind of players are at hand (?)

[kalongtongan]

This is my philosophy everytime i want to create tactik from this simulation game, "defence first" and you explained very well. If you want to implement the positional play then you must thinking about how we should defend. if you good at that then you can leave the rest to the players on front.

This is my tactic, influenced by arteta's positional play It's amazing how Arteta's metamorphosis from first time in management until now, from 5-2-3(low/mid-block), 4-2dm-3-1 until now he wants to perfect it (not yet) into a 4-3-3 high pressing positional play. And in The Process he is well aware that "defence first" is very important.

Keep Updated! Good Work.

[Mourinho_Mastermind]

3 hours ago, HanziZoloman said:

Mou should answer the question in a pragmatic way, what works best and what kind of players are at hand (?)

For sure on that, I initially tried at tf-su and pf-at combo but i wanted to ask the xpertise from soneone that's far better at making tactics

[crusadertsar]

2 hours ago, Mourinho_Mastermind said:

For sure on that, I initially tried at tf-su and pf-at combo but i wanted to ask the xpertise from soneone that's far better at making tactics

I'm no tactical expert . Not more than many others on the forums. I tend to regurgitate stuff that I heard other better at tactics than me say. So the best answer I can give you is make sure that the the two strikers compliment each other. That they do different things and have different duties. Offer a different element to your attack. Like classic DLF(s) and AF(a). But there are so many other combinations you can use.

[crusadertsar]

5 hours ago, HanziZoloman said:

Mou should answer the question in a pragmatic way, what works best and what kind of players are at hand (?)

[HanziZoloman]

vor 2 Stunden schrieb Mourinho_Mastermind:

For sure on that, I initially tried at tf-su and pf-at combo but i wanted to ask the xpertise from soneone that's far better at making tactics

What kind of attacking patterns do you want to see @Mourinho_Mastermind?

when I first implemented @crusadertsar tactics some of my less good finishers were to score the goals as a result we didn’t score much. Then I asked myself who should score and who should assist? After that I changed some roles and the next games were much better goalscoring wise.

@crusadertsar I am not able to make the CMa work well in any tactics. Do you have suggestions? Like which attributes do you recommend or how the movement around should be? 
I am dreaming of a player like Lampard which is a classic CMa and have a good passer finisher and hard working midfielder at hand. The MEZ is always working better in this position.
 

 

Edited November 12, 2022 by HanziZoloman

[HanziZoloman]

Am 9.11.2022 um 20:41 schrieb Lira95:

A very nice article about pragmatism. I'm implementing some principles into my save and getting awesome results

 

https://analyticsfc.co.uk/blog/2022/11/04/controlled-directness-ernesto-valverdes-athletic-club/

Nice work! Especially the movement and changing of shape.

I believe it could be of great help to have at least two movement patterns in Offense Plan a and b. 

Plan a: my AF and my IFa are my most dangerous players and therefor I want them to be a threat. The AF is sitting in the shoulder of the Defense waiting for a throughball by my DLP or BPD. My IF comes into play by the opposite WB and the PPM „switches ball to other side“ by two of my central midfielders.

Plan b should bring an attacking midfielder into play, I have two fantastic sharpshooter but how bring them into dangerous position with enough freedom to take a shot. 
I have to clear the middle, opposing defenders should be on either side left or right and a switch to the other side should bring the sharpshooter into play (?)

Place a Ws / IWs a WBs / IWBs and a MEZs (with switch ball) on the right and the sniper on the left could do the trick. Or a DLP (with switch ball) behind the others (?) 

Bit which role is the sniper who should arrive late at the box (VOLs B2B?)

Edited November 12, 2022 by HanziZoloman

[Mourinho_Mastermind]

@HanziZolomanWell I think I am gonna go with what CT said: dlf su and af-at as It kinda fits the milito-eto'o thing I wanna recreate

[crusadertsar]

14 minutes ago, HanziZoloman said:

What kind of attacking patterns do you want to see @Mourinho_Mastermind?

when I first implemented @crusadertsar tactics some of my less good finishers were to score the goals as a result we didn’t score much. Then I asked myself who should score and who should assist? After that I changed some roles and the next games were much better goalscoring wise.

@crusadertsar I am not able to make the CMa work well in any tactics. Do you have suggestions? Like which attributes do you recommend or how the movement around should be? 
I am dreaming of a player like Lampard which is a classic CMa and have a good passer finisher and hard working midfielder at hand. The MEZ is always working better in this position.
 

 

You have to think outside the box for the CM(a) role. Think of it as a sort of false winger. So for best results don't look for a typical midfielder. Off the ball, long shots, dribbling and acceleration are key here. Tackling less so. Although good positioning and workrate is always good to have for any player starting in midfield.

[Mourinho_Mastermind]

I also have been playing out this season between a dlf-at and a tf-at and I could say for a Mourinho side most of the teams (probably porto and real less) a tf would be more consisent but i might be wrong

[HanziZoloman]

Am 9.11.2022 um 20:41 schrieb Lira95:

A very nice article about pragmatism. I'm implementing some principles into my save and getting awesome results

 

https://analyticsfc.co.uk/blog/2022/11/04/controlled-directness-ernesto-valverdes-athletic-club/

Had some tough results and a bad form. I tried to implement the basque style and it’s closed the gates in Defense. Now I am experimenting in offense, trying to open the gates up front. 

[mikcheck]

@crusadertsar would you use a role like a PF in a classic 442 with this kind of playing style? I'm asking this because it's a player who normally close down more.

[HanziZoloman]

vor 23 Stunden schrieb mikcheck:

@crusadertsar would you use a role like a PF in a classic 442 with this kind of playing style? I'm asking this because it's a player who normally close down more.

You can drop the DL and press in a midblock. I believe that Mou would use a PF when he has one. What kind of player has Drogba been if not a PF who was constantly harassing opponents? 

[VeniVV]

11 hours ago, HanziZoloman said:

You can drop the DL and press in a midblock. I believe that Mou would use a PF when he has one. What kind of player has Drogba been if not a PF who was constantly harassing opponents? 

This is good if you want to under perform as the match engine only really favors pressing systems. Has been like this for years and will continue to be so. 

[HanziZoloman]

vor 4 Stunden schrieb VeniVV:

This is good if you want to under perform as the match engine only really favors pressing systems. Has been like this for years and will continue to be so. 

Sure enough! I am totally on your side.

It is very difficult to let tactics different to Gegenpress work. But especially in the topics from @crusadertsar you‘ll get plenty of help to work it out. There are other topics too @cocoadavid had a topic with defending like a real 442 which was enormously helpful. 
You could post your tactic and tell us about your difficulties and maybe we‘re able to help.

[Mourinho_Mastermind]

21 hours ago, HanziZoloman said:

You can drop the DL and press in a midblock. I believe that Mou would use a PF when he has one. What kind of player has Drogba been if not a PF who was constantly harassing opponents? 

Tbh I would see Drogba more like a TF but I get your point as a PF, I think Mou used that role a lot with his strikers, either that or a cf even

Edited November 15, 2022 by Mourinho_Mastermind

[Mourinho_Mastermind]

So I have been dwealing in my older save and I have decied to try out a 4312 in the style Inter deployed in the famous 09/10 treble campaign, I think I have nailed almost all the roles except the milito one where i was thinking between tf and cf, Also the ap role can be on su too when I need to make the midfield more stable

Edited November 21, 2022 by Mourinho_Mastermind

[Mourinho_Mastermind]

@crusadertsarWould like to ask, do you think a pf-su would fit more the droga/milito/benzema mold or the cf-su ?

[crusadertsar]

Defence-First Football and Winning The Champion's League with a Club Outside of Europe's Elite 

The Guide to My Management Philosophy in FM23

There is no grander achievement in football than winning that biggest of trophies - League of Champions Cup. This becomes even more of a special achievement when the winning club is not from the top European leagues, the elite of Spain, Germany, England or Italy. For that reason the continental trophies clubs like Red Star Belgrade and Porto will always occupy that highest of history's honours, and be a bit more special then the similar achievements of Real Madrid or Bayern. Afterall, Yugoslavia's Red Star managed to win the Champions trophy not so much through financial riches and prestige but through pure tactical ingenuity. And maybe a few very sensible transfers. A fun fact to remember. In 1991 when Crvena Zvezda won their defining Champions League Cup, their combined FIrst Team roster was worth 1/5 of what Barcelona's team was worth. So how did Red Star managed to succeed in what is probably the most competitive football competition on the planet? They practiced "Defence-First" Football both on the pitch and in the boardroom. And I learned that you can do the same in Football Manager. 

 

The Foundations: Disciplined and Sensible Management in Football Manager 2023

This is going to be a guide on strategies that I learned in all of my years playing Football Manager. Not just FM2023. Partly my goal is to debunk a few myths that players have about FM management as well as about "Defensive" Football. It's also a guide on how to turn an underdog team into a serious contender over time. It's not a guide to instant success in FM23. But rather repeatable strategies that can improve any club. One word of caution however. Stop reading if you're after simple, "exploity" fixes. The following guide will be for those interested in taking a more hands-on management approach while making long-term, gradual changes to your team that will result in improvement over time. Nor is it for those whose idea of management includes holidaying for 10 years. But if you enjoy youth development and nurturing your "Club DNA" then read on!

So where to begin? First let me clear up some confusion. For me "Defence-First" Football is a catch-all term that is not exclusive to playing defensive football. Not at all. Neither is it about the dreaded and reviled "Park The Bus" approach. No, to me Defence-First Football is more than just about on-pitch tactics. Since following the tenants of this style can lead the team to be very attacking. Was Mourinho's Chelsea side from early 2000s a defenisive side? Most definitely not. They scored enough goals to secure the title. It was most definitely not a boring "Anti-Football" side. But Jose Mourinho was primarily a Defence-First kind of manager. My kind of manager. He also led his Porto side to a Champion's League title in 2004. An unbelievable feat at the time. In retrospect, it would turn out the last time that a side from outside of England, Spain, Italy or Germany would win the trophy. Almost 20 years ago. 

What does it mean to be a Defence-First manager. It is about being a pragmatist in your management approach. That is using all the means at your disposal to win. Always favouring the collective good. "Defence-First" Football encompasses other aspects of management such as transfers and club culture. But most importantly Defence-First Football is build on three main pillars: Three Ps of Effective and Sensible Management in FM23. The Three Ps of Defence-First Football:

1. Pragmatic - This encompasses both strategic and tactical management, on and off the pitch. Any good pragmatic manager will only get the players that he absolutely needs for his tactical system. Every player (whether on First Team on in reserves) should be there with a clear purpose in mind. Either he serves as an integral cog to your tactic (collective good) or is 2nd or 3rd backup in case #1 choice is unavailable. There is no room for bench-warmers in sensible and smart football management. Same thing goes for on-pitch tactics. It only takes one goal to win a match. Not less, not more. Only use the team instructions that your tactic absolutely needs to recreate the type of football you want.
2. Purposeful - Every little instruction needs to play a necessary role in the greater strategy. The opposite is true, the less team and player instructions you can use and still be able to convey exactly what you want your team to do, the better. That is tactical Pragmatism. It is the opposite of Wasteful management, which you cannot really afford to do if you are not managing a top-of-the-line, world-class club.
3. Precise - As mentioned before Defence-First Football cannot be wasteful. This applies both when you are managing an underdo squad in an elite league, and and a team from a "smaller" league in Champions League. In both cases you cannot afford to have your players running around like crazy and pressing every which way for 90 minutes. Heck, not even Liverpool can afford that. Similarly, taking 20 shots to score one goal plays into the hands of the defending team because it tires out your players with every attacking run they make. It also frustrates and lowers their morale while improving the morale of the opposing defenders. While a perfectly executed counter-attack can absolutely shatter the confidence of the countered team. In football, nothing is sweeter than hitting a tougher opponent on a break. Touche!

So without further ado, lets debunk a few FM myths. Hopefully this exercise will help you understand better my pragmatic management style. And why I prefer my Defence-First Football to other more gung-ho styles. To me it is the ideal way to play in any FM game. Simply, it can be mastered by any team, in any league. Whether they are a world-class giant or 3rd division minnow.

There Are No "Killer" Exploit Tactics

Myth: If you tinker hard enough you will come up with a "super" tactic to win most games and get all the trophies.

This might have been true in the early days of Championship Manager and Football Manager (anyone old enough to remember "El Diablo" tactic?). But with the recent versions of FM, the game has become very complex. It has gotten to the point where there are simply too many factors that can influence your team's success. Or failure. Just like in real life. Anything from match day weather to that one failed talk you had with your star striker two weeks prior can and will have an effect on the results you will see on the pitch. True to their name, Football Manager games are made to model real life as closely as possible. The whole point is to really make you feel like you embody day-to-day job of running a football team. And there are a multitude of factors that give headaches to real managers.

This might have been true in the early days of Championship Manager and Football Manager (anyone old enough to remember "El Diablo" tactic?). But with the recent versions of FM, the game has become very complex. It has gotten to the point where there are simply too many factors that can influence your team's success. Or failure. Just like in real life. Anything from match day weather to that one failed talk you had with your star striker two weeks prior can and will have an effect on the results you will see on the pitch. True to their name, Football Manager games are made to model real life as closely as possible. The whole point is to really make you feel like you embody day-to-day job of running a football team. And there are a multitude of factors that give headaches to real managers.

Because at the end of the day, the best road to success in via a strategy that is both repeatable and easily sustainable. But even then be prepared to lose from time to time. And use those matches as a chance to reflect and learn from your mistakes. The best managers are those are still quite flexible and prepared to try something else if things don't go their way.

FM is Not Like Other Computer Games (It's No FIFA)

Myth: FM is but a game and thus you as a human player have full agency over it.

No. Football Manager is a sports management SIMULATION. And in technical terms this means that like in real sports management, you control only one of the two teams involved in a match. The opposing AI manager is doing his/her best to mess up even your best-laid plans. The best way of conceptualizing the way FM games work is in terms of a card game.

Like in a card game, you put your "best" cards into the draw pile. Then mix them with some "bad" cards that your opponent throws in (opposition tactics, ect.). Throw in some "handicap" cards (bad morale, matchday rain). Then shuffle them all. After this, you hope that the probability is on your side when it's your turn to draw from this deck. The best you can do is stack your odds and hope that you draw your good cards. And avoid the bad cards that help the opposition win. In other words, you won't win every hand. So temper your expectations.

The job of this guide is to show you that in Football Manager game there are ways to "stack" your hand to make sure that there is a greater probability of favourable results.

As a human manager in a complex AI-driven virtual football world, you can only "influence" results, not guarantee them. What I am basically trying to say is that you have to temper your expectations and keep them realistic. In real life, who does not want to see a cinderella underdog story of 2nd division team winning the Cup? And nothing is more satisfying than to lead your own underpowered to unprecedented success despite all the odds stacked against them. But in the reality of a complex game engine a chance of doing this is very slim. Because FM is a realistic sports simulator, not a an arcade game like FIFA. FM is meant to model real football as much as possible. In a real world where even a master manager like Pep Guardiola would have a slim chance of winning FA Cup with Watford.

One has to be realistic about what success looks like in a Football Manager game. It is definitely not winning every single match. Even as a top team. So temper your expectations and look at what your board expects from you. What is the media prediction? If you are a top-5 team and your board expects you to challenge for the title, and media prediction is finishing 3rd, then finishing 3rd is success. Achieving this year after year is a mark of a successful team. In real football, overachievement is very rare and truly exceptional occurrence. But if you continue to improve your team each season by making smart transfers and developing your young players, then achieving something greater than 3rd place finish becomes more and more probable.

Football Manager is about making gradual, incremental changes over time to lead to better performance the next season. Thus patience and perseverance is the number one requirement for success in FM. It is about creating an efficiently running machine both on and off the pitch. A well-oiled machine that will continue to work even if you step back, letting your assistant manager take the reigns.

Your Wage Bill Should Not Become a Runaway Train On A Road To Success

Myth: In Football Manager Salary Cap won't allow your club to be competitive with top world-class clubs.

I have a confession to make. I am a big fan of restrictive wage ceilings or salary caps. Not necessarily as an existing league rule, but as a self-imposed "house rule" to set on any club I manage. Often it makes for a fun challenge and helps me to stay focused on the real goals of the save. That is developing a great football club slowly over time by making careful transfers and youth development decisions. Also I like to create a whole football tactical system that can work across multiple teams. Not just a singular tactic created with specific players in mind. In my opinion, a football philosophy like Total Football, stood a test of time because it treated individual players as cogs in a bigger machine. And not as irreplaceable stars without whom the tactic wouldn't work.

Over the years playing FM, I came to realize that no single player is irreplaceable in my tactical systems. No player is bigger than the whole team. Depending on the quality of the team I manage, I tend to set a specific wage as my limit. Once they demand over this amount, be it 100k or 300k, I set my foot down. And basically tell the player "thank you for your years of service, but do take a walk out the door at the end of the season".

One beautiful thing about wages in FM games is that there is no complex way to model real-life salary inflation. That is in the real world, the playing wage of 10 000 pounds/week in 1985 would not have the same value in 2022. On the other hand in FM23, you can set a wage limit of 100 000 pound/week in 2022 when you start your save and it will mean the exact same thing 10 seasons into the save. So interestingly, the wage limit does not have to evolve with time to reflect for inflation or even changing dynamics in the league (increasing growth in value for home-grown players in some football leagues). The complex reality of modern football, is one of the reasons why teams like Spurs could not maintain their strict wage limits. It is just not feasible in the world of ever-increasing transfers.

You Don't Need to Spend Big Bucks to Compete with The Big Boys

Myth: You won't win any trophies without dropping serious transfer kitty.

Wage limits align well with the style of management that I prefer. Primarily, building teams from within. I just love turning "small" (relatively-speaking) clubs into youth development factories. First things I try to do upon taking over a club is to make sure that their youth training facilities and youth recruitment are the highest they can be, Then the process begins. That annual cycle of uncovering top local talent, helping them achieve their potential and selling them to clubs with deeper pockets then us. Ideally, if those players spend a few years with us then they can help in achieving the bonus objective of winning some trophies. And then by the time they are sold, there should already be some younger replacements in the youth teams. This is basically the current Ajax model which allowed them to stay very competitive not only domestically but also continentally, where it counts most.

The often-used term "Smart Transfer Policy" basically sums it up. It is easier said than done. The trick is to find the right players to fit your system. And to do so within a very competitive football talent market. The prices of elite young footballers have gone up exponentially in the last 30 years or so. Whereas not so long ago, in the 1980s, Diego Maradona set world records for transfer fees when he moved to Barcelona for £5 million, and then to Napoli for a fee of £6.9 million. Today such amounts are considered to be measly, even by the standards of English Football League One.

For that reason I really admire modern teams that are able to build a good squad to be able to compete both domestically and in continental competition, without breaking the bank. In FM23 as well, this can be accomplished through the use of sensible transfers and strategic, short-term loans. Sides like Olympique de Marseille garner admiration because they will often use older experienced stars, who might be past their prime (like Payet and Sanchez) in combination with some young loanees like Arsenal reject Guendouzi to build a truly interesting tactical system. While Marseille might not be able to afford a completely free style of attacking football like that used by world-class clubs like Man City or Real Madrid, it can nevertheless punch far above its weight. They do this by fitting some very competent footballers into roles that are perfectly specialized for their unique skill set.

To me it makes more sense to develop a tactical idea first and then find specific players to fill the roles rather than build your tactic around a bunch of super-star players, who on their own might all be amazingly talented individuals but just don't mesh all that well together. For "big" club whose top concern is selling a few hundred thousand Mbappe jerseys, sometimes the social media trending of the players matters more than how well he will fit into the tactical system. I don't manage like that. And it's definitely not Defence-First way of football. Instead, I will play an unknown 2nd Division football in my primary striker spot, if it means that he fits my tactical system better than the over-paid star.

You Are But a Number - No Player is Bigger Than The Team

Myth: If I could just buy Mbappe, I could win Champions League.

As a manager, I rather find the NEW Mbappe and cash in on him. After he helps our club win a few trophies of course.

One of the new FM23 features that I actually like the most, is the Squad Planner. And not only because it allows me to finally do some of my squad planning in-game instead of wasting reams of paper. But because it perfectly illustrates the replaceability of every single player that fills every position in my tactic. It show this concept visually with a nice list generated by the game of all the players in your system that can fill that position. You can even add players who only on your shortlist and not yet at your club. The neat visual hierarchy generated in this way shows the stark reality of football. All players age and retire, or get serious long-term injuries. Or get bought by PSG for astronomical sums that you cannot possibly match.

The Law of KISS and Going Back to Tactical Basics

Myth: The more complex your tactic, the better it will be.

Wrong! Keep It Simple, Stupid. Simple tactics that make logical sense and use less instructions win you trophies. My first ever "big" achievement in Football Manager was winning the Champions League in FM2014. I did it with Hansa Rostock FC, which at that time started in 3rd division of the German football pyramid.

It took me quite a few seasons of struggle to finally get to a point where we could compete for Europe's biggest trophy. But after a few years of sensible transfers and targeted youth development, we finally did it. And the tactic I used for most of those seasons was but a simple 4-1-4-1. It was a very versatile shape that with a few role, duty and instruction changes could play almost any kind of football. Defending, attacking, counter-attacking or even heavy dominating-possession. I trained all my players, and youth teams in this formation. It became part of the club DNA culture. And was proud to say that by the time I got fed up with that save, no other team in that virtual footballing world played the 4-1-4-1 quite as well Hansa Rostock did.

It boggles my mind when I see the number of asymmetric tactics with 20+ team instructions that are posted on the forum everyday. Or the ultra attacking tactics with half-dozen or more attack duties and super extreme defending, pressing instructions.

There is nothing wrong in itself about tactical asymmetry. But there has to be a good reason for it. Remember one of the Ps I mentioned above: Purpose. Why use formation asymmetry when same result can be achieved easily with a simple role, duty or individual instruction? Unless you are looking to make a serious overload on one side, why use asymmetry in the first place? And even overloads don't require asymmetry. It is a tactical tool, but a very specific one. And definitely not a requirement for successful tactics. Lets continues keeping it simple.

There is nothing wrong in itself about tactical asymmetry. But there has to be a good reason for it. Remember one of the Ps I mentioned above: Purpose. Why use formation asymmetry when same result can be achieved easily with a simple role, duty or individual instruction? Unless you are looking to make a serious overload on one side, why use asymmetry in the first place? And even overloads don't require asymmetry. It is a tactical tool, but a very specific one. And definitely not a requirement for successful tactics. Lets continues keeping it simple.

Sometimes the best ideas are also the simplest ones. As well as those proven to be effective by other real-life successful managers in the past. And in the game just as it in real-life, the same motto applies. KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid.

Like for example, lets take a tactical idea that is more utilitarian than it is fresh and exciting. It might not be some fancy asymmetric tactic or balls-to-the-wall, high-pressing attacking style. It's simply this. Create a tactical system that suits your players. And it can be even better if you can create a tactic that can get the most out of your best players. It comes down to the same concept of taking your best players and trying to make them work well together as a single tactical unit. So in this respect, Defence-First Football is definitely not about amassing a team of stars, only to have them play as selfish individuals. Defence-First Football is first of all about tactical collectivism. Putting the collective whole ahead of the individual brilliance.

There is a good reason why I used the photo of Igor Tudor for my feature image. I am a big fan of Olympique de Marseille's stoic manager, going back to his playing days with Hajduck Split and eventually Juventus. He perfectly represents the kind of sensible, old-fashioned, collectivist pragmatism that is somewhat lacking in the modern game. Tudor would not abide Cristiano Ronaldo on his team. Even if he was paid to take him on loan. Neither would I. In my opinion, it takes a former, hard-as-nails defender to realize that for a team to be successful it must keep things tight both in defending on the pitch and in off-the-field discipline. Tudor is the new breed of Mourinho-style manager who I hope makes a bigger impact and influences the future generation of managers.

I also have a lot of respect for how virtual Igor Tudor is managing Marseille in FM23. Actually, it is through the game that I found out about Tudor's rather interesting tactics. And boy, am I glad I lost to his team in the game.

To keep it short, I think Tudor's Marseille are rather brilliant! At least in my save they are. That is the impression I got from playing against them (as Sporting CP) in the Champions' League.

We lost. It was a bitter pill to swallow because it made my current team's Champions League chances rather slim. But at the same time I gained some valuable tactical insights. The biggest take-away message? Sometimes it is worthwhile to take a page from the AI manager and just keep your tactics simple. Play to your team's current strengths. Don't try any fancy tactics that would require a lot of adjustment from both your players and the transfer budget. Go easy on those exotic roles. A simple symmetric formation will do. One that you understand. And at the beginning at least start with one that is used by the team in real life. Because it already suits their best players.

It's Not Copying, It's Reverse Engineering

Myth: AI Managers are not very good, thus we cannot learn about successful tactics from them.

On the contrary, I find AI managers in FM are becoming more and more competent with each new version of the game. So don't be afraid to learn from the AI. Especially how they play on their home ground. Many of you are complainng about not being able to win in those tough AWAY games. But have you actually paid attention to how AI sets up their formation and roles during those games? Have you made any changes from how you play at HOME.

Computer managers' tactics are also becoming more reflective of how the real team plays. In this respect, the attention to detail in FM23 is outstanding. It is amazing that we can choose a random club (from the big European leagues at least, as I did not really test veracity of this in the less known leagues) and see their AI manager apply tactics that are very similar to how that club actually plays in real life. Igor Tudor's Marseille being the perfect example.

Well Tudor's Marseille in the game actually plays rather similar to how they do in real life. And they are doing well in their first season at least. Of course it is not a very fancy style. Nothing like Pep's famous Positional Play or other complex possession-heavy systems loved by football hipsters everywhere. No Tudor uses a rather pragmatic, utilitarian 3-4-2-1 (that is really a 3-4-3) not too dissimilar to how many Italian teams play (ever since Conte popularized it years ago). It is nothing new nor fancy.

Maybe that is the secret of why this type of pragmatic football does so well in the game. It is build around some simple concepts of utilizing space in attack and defence. A very BALANCED approach that is neither too attacking, nor too defensive which is rather easy to implement within the tactical constraints of FM23. We are not trying to create Total Football here. That legendary style is definitely my dream but I am starting to accept that its not very "recreatable" in Football Manager.

While on the other hand the style that the game seems to favour is a Balanced approach that utilized strong compact mid-block press, and allows for good space for attacking players to exploit during counter-attacking situations. It is simple and it works. You just need the right players for it.

Well, if you want to get into more tactical creation specifics, I am going to try to come up with some simple logical ideas for how I want my team to play and plug them into a tactic. In my next update.

How can I get the best use out of two attack-happy fullbacks, a pair of hard-working midfielders and a well-rounded work-horse of a striker? Tune in to my next update to find out! I will also try to bust a few more FM myths in my future updates. First proving that Balanced, "Defence-First" tactics are possible and can be very successful without using any form of high-pressing strategies. Just good compact low or midblock defence and smart utilization of attacking space.

 

TO BE CONTINUED ...

In Next Part - Crafting a "Defence-First" Balanced Tactic with Champions League "minnow" team

[crusadertsar]

Tactics Creation in FM23: Maximising Space-Oriented Attack and Defence

 

I already wrote about a classic 4-4-2 before. Now I will try to break down and simplify a 4-4-2 Narrow Diamond. The following tactical advise is loosely inspired by the work of one special Portuguese manager. I took a few concepts from one of his most iconic teams and tried to adapt them for the FM23 game. So please take this with a grain of salt. It's not meant to be an accurate tactical recreation. Instead, it's a showcase of how easy it is to take concepts from real football and apply them in the game. When creating a tactic, you'll need to think in terms of how real footballers move on the real pitch. Where do you want them to start in their defensive positioning? Where should they move with or without the ball? Which areas of the pitch do you want "overloaded"? Or in general, how do you want your footballers to move the ball towards opponent's goal area? Game's ultimate objective.

Variety in Your Tactical Toolbox

Tactical variety is the exotic spice that completes the recipe for any formation's success. In fact, in every one of my tactics, I go out of my way to make sure that every one of 11 players does something different. Every single role should be set up a little differently from all the others. Occupying a different space, moving into another area on the pitch, or in general focusing on varied behaviours (hardcoded individual instructions) from the player next to them. So when setting up a tactic, I strongly recommend you study every single role in your formation, especially their in-game descriptions and hard-coded instructions. Do this in order to really understand and better visualize the players' predicted behaviour within the larger tactic.

 

Just like putting more tools in your tactical toolbox, you can maximize your attacking potential by injecting more variety into your formation. Such as creating more than one outlet for your attack. In the image above, can you guess how many of the 10 outfield roles are involved in attacking? Or are designated as my primary goals-scorers? Those who consistently exploit half-spaces and put pressure on the opposition defences. Depending on their quality, you should be able to have at least 3-4 players like that in the above tactic. The pressing forward is one of course, but I foresee at least two other roles in two different tactical strata should be able to do that.

In attacking strata, there is the Pressing Forward (or Advanced Forward if you have a player suited to that role) who pins the opposition defenders back and is willing to move into channels. In the advanced midfield, the AP(A) occupies the advanced central area from where he can carry the ball through dribbling or killer passes. He is positioned perfectly to act as both creative and goal-scoring outlet. Depending on the attributes of your Target Forward, he could also act as another goal threat, but he is usually more of a creative/supporting role. Finally, in midfield, there is Mezzala, who like your PF(A) is another dedicated half-space operator.

Much like tactical variety, smart use of space is very important in football. In fact, the two work hand-in-hand. While you have your players all doing different things, you should also have them do these things in different areas of the pitch. So if the opposition concentrates its defences in one particular area (like midfield) then you will ensure that your attack will not be shut down easily by only attacking through the middle. Instead, you should have them maximise the use of the pitch space by splitting your attack between the two half-spaces and both flanks. A four-pronged attack.

In a good balanced tactic you cannot neglect any one element, be it midfield channels or width. And width is one of the main elements in any good tactic. You can also intentionally overload some areas with numerical superiority or ball-magnet roles (supporting roles and playmakers) to draw the opposition players there. While at the same time you position your more attack-duty players in other areas to pounce and exploit openings (created by opponents moving to the overload). Your opponent cannot possibly defend every part of the pitch equally. So by focusing on the flanks you are actually making it easier for your players to attack through the middle. Or vice versa.

 

Have your mezzala train in the "switch ball" trait and then have him push forward aggressively into his half-space channel to draw the opposition there. All in order to free up much-needed space for your pressing forward in the opposite half-space. At its best, football is like fencing, an elaborate game of bait (parry) and riposte. If your mezzala is a good dribbler and passer then he might create a perfect goal opportunity for your striker. Or he might just bring the ball all the way by himself.

 

The Extra Man - Midfield Diamond Advantage

In a 4-4-2 Narrow Diamond, unlike in its wide variant, you have the luxury of an extra midfielder, usually a dedicated defence-oriented player (Half-back if you are playing with a DM role) who can mainly focus on his holding/covering duties. But must not do this at the expense of the other traditional midfield tasks: link-up and support. So while the defensive midfielder screens your centrebacks, he should also be recycling possession, and linking with the ball-playing defender to progress the ball from defence towards other midfielders and attackers.

I chose to go with a CM(D) and keep all my of midfielders in the same strata. This has a nice knock-on effect of pushing my two other midfielders wider to give more coverage on the flanks, where we lack it due to the narrow nature of the tactic. Then when out of possession, another great thing about the CM(D) is that he still tends to play deeper, in the DM strata.

 

In the image above, you can see the average positioning of my players. The #3 CM(D) clearly drops deeper into DM position. No matter whether you are playing 4-3-1-2 or the 4-1-2-1-2 (with DM), you still need some kind of role to focus on defence while the rest of the midfield focuses on providing some width and supporting the attack. In my opinion, a half-back or any other holding midfielder (with defend duty) is absolutely essential in any tactic where you are primarily aiming to stretch the play with two fullbacks/wingbacks. A defend-duty midfielder also allows the other two midfielders to embrace more progressive/risk-taking roles and thus serve as better links with the attackers. Finally, if you possess a player who is both creative and defensively-aware then an actual playmaker DLP(D) role is ideal here.

 

Because I am using a winger-less formation, then it is extra important to have CML and CMR midfielders cover wider areas in central midfield. Both carrilero and mezzala roles are perfect for this and are specifically designed with "winger-less" formations in mind. Carrilero does this in more conservative manner, by acting as more of a "shuttler", covering role, between AM and DM strata. On the other hand mezzala is essentially an aggressive half-winger, who starts in midfield but then during attack quickly moves into, and primarily operates in, the advanced half-channel, an area usually reserved for inside forwards and AMCs. You could even add an instruction for both of these players to "run wide with the ball", provided that they are both comfortable on the ball and are decent dribblers.

You could even play a more progressive role like box-to-box midfielder, instead of the carrilero, in a match where you are the favourite or when you notice the opposition sitting back a bit too much and need to improve your attack. It all depends on what players you have. If you are fortunate enough to have two very well-rounded midfielders then I would probably go with the mezzala/box-to-box pairing. But ensure that your box-to-box role is then instructed to "stay wider".

One other thing that I like about the mezzala is also hard-coded into the role. As it says in the role description, mezzala likes to "drift wide and operate in the half-space". In other words, he moves into channels on regular basis. With the right player in this role, you can essentially operate with a dangerous central winger who will provide late goal threat and, from time to time, help to overload the wider area covered by the wingback. Thus to get the best out of your mezzala you'll need to take the behaviour of other adjacent roles, such as the fullbacks, into account.

Do I Need a Fullback, or a Wingback?

According to his default behaviour on attack duty, the fullback will go up and down the flank, providing much needed width to the narrow formation. But he will do so differently from the more technical wingback on the tactic's right side. There, behind the mezzala, you will definitely want the more technical, progressive role like a wingback (support). Such player will not charge forward and try to cross at every single opportunity. Rather he will attempt to stay in a more advanced position (while not neglecting his defensive responsibilities) from which he can better support the mezzala and link up with the target forward through the use of both crosses and passes. Think of the wingback as a more well-rounded and technical fullback. A wide box-to-box player if you will.

 

 

The left fullback (especially on attack duty) will mainly focus on stretching play out wide and providing crosses at every opportunity. On the other hand, the wingback has multiple tasks that he can perform. His job is more like wide generalized support rather that a specialized crosser. Of course when presented with an opportunity, a wingback will still cross. But he is as likely to help in the possession battle in midfield, close down opposition wingers in defence, block crosses and win back the ball, and even provide angled through balls from out wide. Thus a good wingback is someone who can cross, dribble, tackle and pass. And generally support both attack and defence all along his designated flank. He might not excel at any one thing but should be more than capable of supporting/complimenting players from defence to attack.

 

While the mezzala moves into opposition's left (your right in the tactic screen) half-space channel, the Target Forward stays more central. TF will play with his back to the goal (if he has the trait then this tendency is accentuated), ready to receive crosses and long passes and then flick them on to the onrushing mezzala or pressing forward. Thus it is important for your Target Forward to have a good combination of first touch, passing and teamwork (aside from the obvious jumping reach, balance and strength). It is one of the few striker roles which actually avoids channel movement unless individually instructed to do so. On the other hand his Pressing Forward partner will move into channels regularly. In my tactic, PF will usually occupy opposition's left channel.

So to summarize, in attack, every role has a specific space that it is assigned to. More importantly, they occupy spaces and move into areas different from other roles in the formation. Both half-space channels are occupied (mezzala and pressing forward), both flanks (fullback and wingback) and the advanced central space (target forward and advanced playmaker).

The advanced playmaker is a sort of wild-card "free" player who occupies more than one area and tends to fill in the gaps left behind by other players. The attack duty (which comes with increased individual mentality) and added individual instruction to "roam more" both contribute to this behavior.

 

If you slot a technical, intelligent, quick player in here then he will play an essential role in overloading certain areas of the pitch, as he sees fit. The reason why you will need an intelligent player (with good decision, anticipation, teamwork and vision) to make those kinds of complex decisions. He has to be the brain of the whole formation. Basically, he will move to wherever the ball is and will be better at retaining it (due to his good technical and mental attributes). For example, if the ball is with one of your players in the half-space then the AP will move there and will naturally create an overload (numerical advantage) there. This role is perfect for your most creative attacker, fantasista, a player who is constantly hungry for the ball at his feet. To help satiate this hunger, he should be given complete creative freedom to act like your playmaking pivot in attack.

That completes the look at the attacking portion of the tactic. Now on to defence, and the part that all successful tactics have in common. Even the most attacking systems, need a very solid defensive set-up.

Defence - Keeping It Tight

If anything, defence is easier to set up than attack. In this style of tactic at least. When you know exactly what you want from your defenders then the roles and instructions will follow naturally.

 

Simply, I want my defensive unit to narrow their working area as much as possible and be very tough to break down. The more compact they make this space the less distance they'll need to travel in order to press the opposition and regain the ball. And the more effectively they will be able to defend. This is no gegenpress (despite the game labelling it as such). It's still midblock, as we don't press high. I don't really care what opposition does in its own half. But in our half of the field, my players will work hard to try to disrupt opposition play at every opportunity (close down much more). Furthermore, I want my defenders to mark their opponents tightly. And make life very miserable for anyone entering our half of the field. Aside from "get stuck in", I add "mark tighter" instruction on all players involved in the midblock.

Finally, it would not be an article about setting up a tactic with varied roles, that compliment each other, without mentioning the most iconic of all role partnerships: stopper and covering centreback (sweeper). These two roles fit each other like a hand and a glove. They are so different in how they perform their duties. And yet that is why you cannot have one without the other.

 

The stopper is the uncontested physical beast in the duo. Possessing the powerful combination of strength and jumping reach and heading ability, there are very few who can challenge him in the air. Among the strongest and tallest players on your team, the stopper should have the physique to aggressively and bravely challenge any cross and outjump even the tallest opposition striker. Above average tackling, determination can also help him in this regard. But he is not perfect as he needs a fast and intelligent partner to sweep up any balls (or opposition forwards) that get past the slower stopper.

 

The covering centreback is everything that the stopper is not: fast and mentally astute. He might not have the raw physical strength and jumping reach of a stopper but he should more than make up for it with his exceptional defensive awareness. Specifically, the combination of anticipation and positioning that allows him to predict where he needs to be in order to sweep up any opposition through balls before the attackers get there. For this he needs the pace to be able to drop deep into a favourable defensive position and outmaneuver his opponent. If he also happens to be a technical player (with good passing, first touch, technique and vision) then using a ball-playing defender role is an obvious choice. Along with a good sweeper-keeper, a BPD can be a very effective counter-attack initiator. And once they form a partnership, a stopper/sweeper duo will be the rock that will keep your defence solid for years to come. And improve the tactic as a whole. 

 

[frukox]

@crusadertsar This is an exceptional piece of work, mate. Well-written and clear!I'd also set this kind of system up pretty much like this. 

[crusadertsar]

3 minutes ago, frukox said:

@crusadertsar This is an exceptional piece of work, mate. Well-written and clear!I'd also set this kind of system up pretty much like this. 

Thank you mate! Your valuable advise helped greatly in solidifying my system 

[frukox]

16 dakika önce, crusadertsar said:

Thank you mate! Your valuable advise helped greatly in solidifying my system 

Great to hear that I am now looking forward to seeing you getting results with this and keep us updated 

[The3points]

I love the midblock, high pressing combo, doesn't tire out the player 100%, but they still make it hard for the opposition

[crusadertsar]

6 hours ago, fraudiola said:

similar to what im playing currently (fm21)

 

How is it going for you? The strikers scoring?

[crusadertsar]

3 minutes ago, fraudiola said:

i had to make some adjustments (still not satisfied yet), i yo-yo between attacking and positive but my AF is currently the league's top scorer with 8 in 13 games. TM has been a let down tho, missing loads of headers. 6'6" Milan Djuric is always my go to budget TM with his 18 jumping, strength, 16 heading, 16 bravery, but i just couldn't squeeze out enough money for him, hopefully next window. 

somethings of note - 

ideally i would like the TM on attack duty in possession to get in the box for crosses and not drop deep too much for link-up on attack but also help out with defending like on support duty. this is where i wish the game would let you set in-possession and out-of-possession tactics and roles. they have to implement it soon as a lot of clubs are doing it IRL now. 

AP (hold position, stay wider) seems to be the only role that fits what i need from my LCM, just be available for a cut back or a one two on the wing and to not get near the box, hang back and provide defensive cover for the LB. DLP role could work but with no DM, the DLP kept filling in that DM area on goalkicks. carrilero stays too far back 

i opted for the attacking fullback/wingback on the left side because in order to increase your chances of crossing to the TM the crosses should come from the opposite wing that way the TM doesn't get caught up in the build-up play and is lagging behind when the fullback is in position to cross. wingback on support on the opposite wing left us too open to get countered. 

CAM role is still under experimentation. which role has the most lateral movement, shuffling out wide to help the wing? 

we force the opposition out wide a lot to play crosses in so we need to bring in some good aerial CBs soon. joint most clean sheets at 7 in 13 games but i feel like we conceded quite a few unlucky goals and there's still plenty of room for improvement. 

Great reasoning! 

[crusadertsar]

23 minutes ago, fraudiola said:

oh and without a DM there's this gulf between the CMs and defenders on goalkicks or any kicks by the GK, no one on the wings resulting in a lot of turnovers against pressy sides with lack of passing options. how are you dealing with this? 

ideally i'd like distribute to TM but thats broken.

My distribution works really well actually. CM(D) (or DLP on Defend sometimes depending on player) is one player through who alot of passes go actually. So I always try to get a more technical one for that role. 

But then my team instruction set up is completely different from yours. With Balanced mentality our build-up is more slow and patient at least until it gets to the midfielders. I use midblock set up with standard line of engagement and higher defensive line - meaning that our defence and midfield are relatively compact with the centrebacks pushing more forward (Step Up More) to link up with the CM(D). At the same time having Bring the Ball Out of Defence accentuates this behavior even further as it encourages my defensive CM to drop deeper. 

And also not sure about TM distribution being broken. Its actually much improved from the previous games. You just have to be careful how you set up your instructions and the players you have in the roles. I am not convinced that your TM being on Support duty and having Attacking Mentality combined with quick crosses is good for your TM distribution. He is on support duty, meaning that he drops deeper and sort of lags behind. So who are you sending all those crosses to? Sure hope that your AF is tall enough to be able to receive them. 

I actually switched my TM to Attack and he has been performing better in the last couple of games! Still links well to my PF(A) and AP(A). If anything playing PF on Support could work well with TM(A). 

Also this year, having high First Touch attribute is very important for players you  want receiving the ball in dangerous, contested areas. It could help your TM greatly. Aside from the typical physical attributes such as Jumping, Balance and Strength. 

Edited December 12, 2022 by crusadertsar

[crusadertsar]

1 minute ago, fraudiola said:

im not comfortable with a DLP as my center CM being dragged around when in possession in case of a counter. prefer someone stationary. 

how does your block and defensive line affect the compactness in possession? can you send me a screenshot of a goal kick, if there isn't a gap between your midfielders and defenders it's probably your play out of defence TI. 

 

okay here we go.... i haven't played fm23 yet but with thousands of hours in fm21 and 22 i can fairly certain say its broken. first of all the keeper has a bias towards his strong foot, right footed keepers tend to hit out towards the right. according to one of the mods, distribution is an "in-transition" TI so it shouldn't affect actual goal kicks where the ball goes out of play behind which doesn't make sense since distribute to FB and CB works for goal kicks. furthermore, if distribute to fb and cb results in keeper passing to them almost all the time then he should play long passes to the TM almost all the time as well but he doesn't due to the TM being recognized as being "marked" on goalkicks due to being up the field where there are opposition players nearby, opposition CB waiting to win the aerial duel, whereas cbs and fbs drop deep to receive the pass, which is why keepers tend to not follow your distribute to TM TI and play long passes to wingers or AF where he sees "fit". semi-related issue; with play out of defence ticked, distribute to FB becomes meaningless since GKs will only distribute to CBs (on goalkicks atleast, haven't paid much attention to in-transtion). it's all a big mess. 

the only time i don't want the GK to follow my instruction of distributing to TM is when i play a TM/s and he's still deep after the turnover. but if hes up the pitch then GK should distribute to the TM regardless of if there's an opposition defender ready to contest the header, hes a TARGET MAN for god sake, hes meant to win those headers. 

which is precisely why i stated my attacking FB is on the left side. if the play progresses down the left side, the TM won't get involved that way he's available in the box for crosses. 

Well you should try FM23 then . its not broken at all. I will be doing more analytical update soo with some screenshots or video clips of our typical plays

[crusadertsar]

1 hour ago, fraudiola said:

lol 100% there are definitely things that are still broken, some things are still broken since i started playing in 2013. 

Sure mate  I won't argue with you about that. Let's just leave it at that.

Edited December 12, 2022 by crusadertsar

[crusadertsar]

15 minutes ago, fraudiola said:

@crusadertsar

can you post a picture of your defensive shape? my CMs continually shift over to side where the ball is as you can see below, my RCM #42 is practically holding hands with my CM #6. 

I included an average position diagram in my write up already. That's what it looks like for most of our games. Very tight and structured through the middle.

[crusadertsar]

34 minutes ago, fraudiola said:

@crusadertsar

can you post a picture of your defensive shape? my CMs continually shift over to side where the ball is as you can see below, my RCM #42 is practically holding hands with my CM #6. 

You are using Attacking Team mentality which makes this formation play very different from my Balanced set up. You do realize that attacking mentality already sets a pretty high closing down setting? So your players are just doing what's dictated by the tactic, being very aggressive in trying to get the ball back.

Edited December 13, 2022 by crusadertsar

[crusadertsar]

20 minutes ago, fraudiola said:

It's on balanced since I last posted. 

Could also be the traits on your players. Cannot underestimate the influence of those in the match. 

Edited December 13, 2022 by crusadertsar

[HanziZoloman]

@crusadertsar how well did the Sparta Prague Save went?

I am battling against the Glasgow Giants in Scotland and after that: Europe. 

[MegaAlbin_88]

when you say you add mark tighter instruction to all players involved in the mid block, what positions do you mean? 

sorry if the question is stupid   

[crusadertsar]

On 14/12/2022 at 13:51, HanziZoloman said:

@crusadertsar how well did the Sparta Prague Save went?

I am battling against the Glasgow Giants in Scotland and after that: Europe. 

Unfortunately it was put on hold because of the recent focus on my jogo bonito tactic and the narrow diamond (lately i am actually trying to combine the two to create some kind of tribute to 2002 Brazil). I do intend to go back to my prague save eventually but i would have to rework my 4-3-3 approach because it was not getting the results I wanted.

@MegaAlbin_88 To answer your question about the marking instructions. Basically if you look at the tactical depiction of the midblock in the tactics screen, it would be the three central midfielders and the two centrebacks.

Edited December 16, 2022 by crusadertsar

[HanziZoloman]

vor 4 Stunden schrieb crusadertsar:

do intend to go back to my prague save eventually but i would have to rework my 4-3-3 approach because it was not getting the results I wanted.

Hey that’s not a shame. Indeed I believe far to less information is shared when things go wrong. Hope to hear more of the Prague Spartans. It’s beautiful club and a wonderful pursue.

[Gobias Industries]

Came to this needing help with a lower level Premier League team and the ideas implemented here have been such a huge help in solidifying what my team is doing. I have read all your stuff, but I particularly have enjoyed the Mourinho series of the last few years. Thanks for all your insight!

[crusadertsar]

On 17/01/2023 at 15:55, Gobias Industries said:

Came to this needing help with a lower level Premier League team and the ideas implemented here have been such a huge help in solidifying what my team is doing. I have read all your stuff, but I particularly have enjoyed the Mourinho series of the last few years. Thanks for all your insight!

Thanks so much for kind words, mate! Hope it is still working for you. I personally keep coming back to Mourinho tactics, no matter which FM or save I'm in. 

[Sinbad7104]

On 11/12/2022 at 19:49, crusadertsar said:

Tactics Creation in FM23: Maximising Space-Oriented Attack and Defence

 

I already wrote about a classic 4-4-2 before. Now I will try to break down and simplify a 4-4-2 Narrow Diamond. The following tactical advise is loosely inspired by the work of one special Portuguese manager. I took a few concepts from one of his most iconic teams and tried to adapt them for the FM23 game. So please take this with a grain of salt. It's not meant to be an accurate tactical recreation. Instead, it's a showcase of how easy it is to take concepts from real football and apply them in the game. When creating a tactic, you'll need to think in terms of how real footballers move on the real pitch. Where do you want them to start in their defensive positioning? Where should they move with or without the ball? Which areas of the pitch do you want "overloaded"? Or in general, how do you want your footballers to move the ball towards opponent's goal area? Game's ultimate objective.

Variety in Your Tactical Toolbox

Tactical variety is the exotic spice that completes the recipe for any formation's success. In fact, in every one of my tactics, I go out of my way to make sure that every one of 11 players does something different. Every single role should be set up a little differently from all the others. Occupying a different space, moving into another area on the pitch, or in general focusing on varied behaviours (hardcoded individual instructions) from the player next to them. So when setting up a tactic, I strongly recommend you study every single role in your formation, especially their in-game descriptions and hard-coded instructions. Do this in order to really understand and better visualize the players' predicted behaviour within the larger tactic.

 

Just like putting more tools in your tactical toolbox, you can maximize your attacking potential by injecting more variety into your formation. Such as creating more than one outlet for your attack. In the image above, can you guess how many of the 10 outfield roles are involved in attacking? Or are designated as my primary goals-scorers? Those who consistently exploit half-spaces and put pressure on the opposition defences. Depending on their quality, you should be able to have at least 3-4 players like that in the above tactic. The pressing forward is one of course, but I foresee at least two other roles in two different tactical strata should be able to do that.

In attacking strata, there is the Pressing Forward (or Advanced Forward if you have a player suited to that role) who pins the opposition defenders back and is willing to move into channels. In the advanced midfield, the AP(A) occupies the advanced central area from where he can carry the ball through dribbling or killer passes. He is positioned perfectly to act as both creative and goal-scoring outlet. Depending on the attributes of your Target Forward, he could also act as another goal threat, but he is usually more of a creative/supporting role. Finally, in midfield, there is Mezzala, who like your PF(A) is another dedicated half-space operator.

Much like tactical variety, smart use of space is very important in football. In fact, the two work hand-in-hand. While you have your players all doing different things, you should also have them do these things in different areas of the pitch. So if the opposition concentrates its defences in one particular area (like midfield) then you will ensure that your attack will not be shut down easily by only attacking through the middle. Instead, you should have them maximise the use of the pitch space by splitting your attack between the two half-spaces and both flanks. A four-pronged attack.

In a good balanced tactic you cannot neglect any one element, be it midfield channels or width. And width is one of the main elements in any good tactic. You can also intentionally overload some areas with numerical superiority or ball-magnet roles (supporting roles and playmakers) to draw the opposition players there. While at the same time you position your more attack-duty players in other areas to pounce and exploit openings (created by opponents moving to the overload). Your opponent cannot possibly defend every part of the pitch equally. So by focusing on the flanks you are actually making it easier for your players to attack through the middle. Or vice versa.

 

Have your mezzala train in the "switch ball" trait and then have him push forward aggressively into his half-space channel to draw the opposition there. All in order to free up much-needed space for your pressing forward in the opposite half-space. At its best, football is like fencing, an elaborate game of bait (parry) and riposte. If your mezzala is a good dribbler and passer then he might create a perfect goal opportunity for your striker. Or he might just bring the ball all the way by himself.

 

The Extra Man - Midfield Diamond Advantage

In a 4-4-2 Narrow Diamond, unlike in its wide variant, you have the luxury of an extra midfielder, usually a dedicated defence-oriented player (Half-back if you are playing with a DM role) who can mainly focus on his holding/covering duties. But must not do this at the expense of the other traditional midfield tasks: link-up and support. So while the defensive midfielder screens your centrebacks, he should also be recycling possession, and linking with the ball-playing defender to progress the ball from defence towards other midfielders and attackers.

I chose to go with a CM(D) and keep all my of midfielders in the same strata. This has a nice knock-on effect of pushing my two other midfielders wider to give more coverage on the flanks, where we lack it due to the narrow nature of the tactic. Then when out of possession, another great thing about the CM(D) is that he still tends to play deeper, in the DM strata.

 

In the image above, you can see the average positioning of my players. The #3 CM(D) clearly drops deeper into DM position. No matter whether you are playing 4-3-1-2 or the 4-1-2-1-2 (with DM), you still need some kind of role to focus on defence while the rest of the midfield focuses on providing some width and supporting the attack. In my opinion, a half-back or any other holding midfielder (with defend duty) is absolutely essential in any tactic where you are primarily aiming to stretch the play with two fullbacks/wingbacks. A defend-duty midfielder also allows the other two midfielders to embrace more progressive/risk-taking roles and thus serve as better links with the attackers. Finally, if you possess a player who is both creative and defensively-aware then an actual playmaker DLP(D) role is ideal here.

 

Because I am using a winger-less formation, then it is extra important to have CML and CMR midfielders cover wider areas in central midfield. Both carrilero and mezzala roles are perfect for this and are specifically designed with "winger-less" formations in mind. Carrilero does this in more conservative manner, by acting as more of a "shuttler", covering role, between AM and DM strata. On the other hand mezzala is essentially an aggressive half-winger, who starts in midfield but then during attack quickly moves into, and primarily operates in, the advanced half-channel, an area usually reserved for inside forwards and AMCs. You could even add an instruction for both of these players to "run wide with the ball", provided that they are both comfortable on the ball and are decent dribblers.

You could even play a more progressive role like box-to-box midfielder, instead of the carrilero, in a match where you are the favourite or when you notice the opposition sitting back a bit too much and need to improve your attack. It all depends on what players you have. If you are fortunate enough to have two very well-rounded midfielders then I would probably go with the mezzala/box-to-box pairing. But ensure that your box-to-box role is then instructed to "stay wider".

One other thing that I like about the mezzala is also hard-coded into the role. As it says in the role description, mezzala likes to "drift wide and operate in the half-space". In other words, he moves into channels on regular basis. With the right player in this role, you can essentially operate with a dangerous central winger who will provide late goal threat and, from time to time, help to overload the wider area covered by the wingback. Thus to get the best out of your mezzala you'll need to take the behaviour of other adjacent roles, such as the fullbacks, into account.

Do I Need a Fullback, or a Wingback?

According to his default behaviour on attack duty, the fullback will go up and down the flank, providing much needed width to the narrow formation. But he will do so differently from the more technical wingback on the tactic's right side. There, behind the mezzala, you will definitely want the more technical, progressive role like a wingback (support). Such player will not charge forward and try to cross at every single opportunity. Rather he will attempt to stay in a more advanced position (while not neglecting his defensive responsibilities) from which he can better support the mezzala and link up with the target forward through the use of both crosses and passes. Think of the wingback as a more well-rounded and technical fullback. A wide box-to-box player if you will.

 

 

The left fullback (especially on attack duty) will mainly focus on stretching play out wide and providing crosses at every opportunity. On the other hand, the wingback has multiple tasks that he can perform. His job is more like wide generalized support rather that a specialized crosser. Of course when presented with an opportunity, a wingback will still cross. But he is as likely to help in the possession battle in midfield, close down opposition wingers in defence, block crosses and win back the ball, and even provide angled through balls from out wide. Thus a good wingback is someone who can cross, dribble, tackle and pass. And generally support both attack and defence all along his designated flank. He might not excel at any one thing but should be more than capable of supporting/complimenting players from defence to attack.

 

While the mezzala moves into opposition's left (your right in the tactic screen) half-space channel, the Target Forward stays more central. TF will play with his back to the goal (if he has the trait then this tendency is accentuated), ready to receive crosses and long passes and then flick them on to the onrushing mezzala or pressing forward. Thus it is important for your Target Forward to have a good combination of first touch, passing and teamwork (aside from the obvious jumping reach, balance and strength). It is one of the few striker roles which actually avoids channel movement unless individually instructed to do so. On the other hand his Pressing Forward partner will move into channels regularly. In my tactic, PF will usually occupy opposition's left channel.

So to summarize, in attack, every role has a specific space that it is assigned to. More importantly, they occupy spaces and move into areas different from other roles in the formation. Both half-space channels are occupied (mezzala and pressing forward), both flanks (fullback and wingback) and the advanced central space (target forward and advanced playmaker).

The advanced playmaker is a sort of wild-card "free" player who occupies more than one area and tends to fill in the gaps left behind by other players. The attack duty (which comes with increased individual mentality) and added individual instruction to "roam more" both contribute to this behavior.

 

If you slot a technical, intelligent, quick player in here then he will play an essential role in overloading certain areas of the pitch, as he sees fit. The reason why you will need an intelligent player (with good decision, anticipation, teamwork and vision) to make those kinds of complex decisions. He has to be the brain of the whole formation. Basically, he will move to wherever the ball is and will be better at retaining it (due to his good technical and mental attributes). For example, if the ball is with one of your players in the half-space then the AP will move there and will naturally create an overload (numerical advantage) there. This role is perfect for your most creative attacker, fantasista, a player who is constantly hungry for the ball at his feet. To help satiate this hunger, he should be given complete creative freedom to act like your playmaking pivot in attack.

That completes the look at the attacking portion of the tactic. Now on to defence, and the part that all successful tactics have in common. Even the most attacking systems, need a very solid defensive set-up.

Defence - Keeping It Tight

If anything, defence is easier to set up than attack. In this style of tactic at least. When you know exactly what you want from your defenders then the roles and instructions will follow naturally.

 

Simply, I want my defensive unit to narrow their working area as much as possible and be very tough to break down. The more compact they make this space the less distance they'll need to travel in order to press the opposition and regain the ball. And the more effectively they will be able to defend. This is no gegenpress (despite the game labelling it as such). It's still midblock, as we don't press high. I don't really care what opposition does in its own half. But in our half of the field, my players will work hard to try to disrupt opposition play at every opportunity (close down much more). Furthermore, I want my defenders to mark their opponents tightly. And make life very miserable for anyone entering our half of the field. Aside from "get stuck in", I add "mark tighter" instruction on all players involved in the midblock.

Finally, it would not be an article about setting up a tactic with varied roles, that compliment each other, without mentioning the most iconic of all role partnerships: stopper and covering centreback (sweeper). These two roles fit each other like a hand and a glove. They are so different in how they perform their duties. And yet that is why you cannot have one without the other.

 

The stopper is the uncontested physical beast in the duo. Possessing the powerful combination of strength and jumping reach and heading ability, there are very few who can challenge him in the air. Among the strongest and tallest players on your team, the stopper should have the physique to aggressively and bravely challenge any cross and outjump even the tallest opposition striker. Above average tackling, determination can also help him in this regard. But he is not perfect as he needs a fast and intelligent partner to sweep up any balls (or opposition forwards) that get past the slower stopper.

 

The covering centreback is everything that the stopper is not: fast and mentally astute. He might not have the raw physical strength and jumping reach of a stopper but he should more than make up for it with his exceptional defensive awareness. Specifically, the combination of anticipation and positioning that allows him to predict where he needs to be in order to sweep up any opposition through balls before the attackers get there. For this he needs the pace to be able to drop deep into a favourable defensive position and outmaneuver his opponent. If he also happens to be a technical player (with good passing, first touch, technique and vision) then using a ball-playing defender role is an obvious choice. Along with a good sweeper-keeper, a BPD can be a very effective counter-attack initiator. And once they form a partnership, a stopper/sweeper duo will be the rock that will keep your defence solid for years to come. And improve the tactic as a whole. 

 

Would just like to thank you for this.

My current save had fallen into a bit of a rut, having won everything the past few years i was in that 'space bar smashing' mode.

Decided to switch to this from a 3 at the back system in November time and its been great and brought back the engagement for me. actually dropping the speed of my highlights and making tweaks in game something which im not used to.  It's also pretty different tacticly from what i was using so I've now had to start ripping apart a winning team for a mini rebuild.

 

One question i do have though is when you're chasing a goal what would be the best way to go about it? Sorry if i missed it in the write up.  Would it be best to just play with the mentality or go down the route of changing the width/lines/counter press.

 

Again many thanks for the brilliant work 

Edited July 2, 2023 by Sinbad7104

[VirgilFanDijk12]

On 30/10/2022 at 20:09, crusadertsar said:

UPDATE: On the Low Block, Mid Block and and Everything In Between

Here I just wanted to expand more on how I have my team (Sparta Prague) defend and attack. The two key areas of any tactic.

The general aim is to have my players defending in a compact mid block. Sort of. I see it as more of hybrid between a low block and midblock. By congesting the midfield with their bodies (that 3-men midfield certainly helps) and being extremely dogged and determined in small area of space will hopefully increase our odds of regaining the ball and launching a successful counter. 

What is great about mid block is that it that our defending is not confined to the area immediately around our goal which risks giving too much room to the opposition to overwhelm us. This is the main goal of a traditional low block tactic.

And neither is it too intense and stamina-draining to our own players like a high-pressing high block strategy would be. I always like a more balanced strategy which can be maintained for the whole 90 minutes rather than an extreme one which can tire your players out on both sides of the field. In the case of high press, no team can realistically expect to have its players chase the ball around and press for the whole match. Neither can they defend against constant opposition attacks if they are always stuck in the lowblock. 

Thus a strategy that is sort of a balance middle between the two blocks (low and high) is what I aim for. It has the best of both worlds. We defend very intensely, like in a high press, but in a much smaller area (and in my opinion where it counts). And then we rely on the pace and finishing ability of my attackers to perform lethal counters, a bit like in low-block except it can happen much more frequently and my players don't need to run as far up the field. Nevertheless with our lower line of engagement, the space for our attackers to run into should still be there. Much more so than in a high-pressing tactic. 

So all of my out-of-possessions instructions are geared to enhance the intensity of our defending withinin the compact block formed between our forwards and defenders. This zone starts just at the half-line and this is where I want my players to regain the ball. Neither low before our goal, nor too high in the opposition zone. This balance also allows us to maintain relatively low tactical intensity level. 

And closer look at our defending out of possession instructions

Due to the absence of "mark tighter" team instruction in this year's version of FM, I have decided to relegate some important instruction to players individually. 

Regarding my attack, in-possession set up, it's very simple and intuitive. It's main focus is help us create a pp a r in the final third, especially via one on one situations. Hence the combination of attack and support duties. Basically I use wide forwards to cut inside (IW and Raumdeuter) in order to pin down the opposition central defenders. And at the same time my central striker (DLF on attack to give him higher positioning during counters) dropping and holding up the ball. This allows him to either exploit the space between the lines or occupy the opposition Defensive Midfielder. Finally, both of my wingbacks will give us more width on the flanks. Although left Wingback (Defend) will do so more conservatively than the more adventurous Wingback (S) on the right flank.

So that is it! The latest version of the tactic. And now back to testing it with the Beta, before the final release when the full game comes out. Let me know what you think 

Great post as always crusadertsar, I just wanted to ask do you think this mid-block would work with a possession system and/or playing out from the back to draw in pressure and create counter situations (De-Zerbi esque)? 

[crusadertsar]

On 01/07/2023 at 19:04, Sinbad7104 said:

Would just like to thank you for this.

My current save had fallen into a bit of a rut, having won everything the past few years i was in that 'space bar smashing' mode.

Decided to switch to this from a 3 at the back system in November time and its been great and brought back the engagement for me. actually dropping the speed of my highlights and making tweaks in game something which im not used to.  It's also pretty different tacticly from what i was using so I've now had to start ripping apart a winning team for a mini rebuild.

 

One question i do have though is when you're chasing a goal what would be the best way to go about it? Sorry if i missed it in the write up.  Would it be best to just play with the mentality or go down the route of changing the width/lines/counter press.

 

Again many thanks for the brilliant work 

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it. My philosophy is to make least change to a tactic in such situations. Because once you go down the rabbit hole of altering the team instructions then before you know it your tactic resembles a different tactic and your players are not used to it. That could lead to even worse results than if you played original tactic.

In such situations i prefer changing the team mentality. Up from balanced to positive for example. Or making strategic changes by subbing in some fresh players. Hope this helps.

[crusadertsar]

On 02/07/2023 at 06:48, VirgilFanDijk12 said:

Great post as always crusadertsar, I just wanted to ask do you think this mid-block would work with a possession system and/or playing out from the back to draw in pressure and create counter situations (De-Zerbi esque)? 

I see no reason why not.