3-4-2-1 Mid Block: Control and Attack Space

[kr10]

Hi guys - long time FM player here. 

Some of you might remember the tactic I created for FM 21 and 22: 4-4-2, Control and Attack Space: 

I decided to make another tactic this year, with the similar principles of play (sorry for the gray background, copied it from the general tactics session, wasn't sure where to post)

Overall Philosophy

1. Balance: I am a defense first manager. My tactics have to be balanced and defensively solid. The defensive positioning of the players, forward runs, and risk taking have to be measured and considered. No gung-ho attacking tactics that overwhelm the ME, or that are inherently imbalanced. For example, you won't see 2 attack duties on the same flank. An attacking wingback will be offset by a defensive midfielder, and so on. 

2. Realism: I strive to make tactics that are realistic, meaning that it could work in real life. Again, not something that is designed to exploit the match engine, but rather a realistic, balanced tactic that incorporates real-life footballing concepts

3. Variety in possession: To me, variety in build-up and attacking play is critical. I want at least 3 different, distinct routes to goal: Across each flank, and through the center. This means setting up player roles and duties accordingly - I want a mix of patient build up and overlap, wide play, incisive central passing, and a more direct route to goal. This makes the team harder to defend against and produces a wide variety of goals.

4. Supply and demand: Loosely, I define "supply" as players on support or defend roles who are looking to drop into space and receive the ball at feet, and "demand" as the players on attacking duty who are looking to make aggressive, forward runs and demand the ball. I want each attacking player to have at least 3 sources from which they can receive the ball, and ensure that no 2 players are making attacking runs into the same space. 

4. Positional Play: In my attacking patterns, I want to take advantage of all 5 verticals areas of the pitch: The 2 wide areas, 2 channels, and central region. My tactic aims to take advantage of all these zones through varied and dynamic movement

5. Compact defense: The defense should be vertically compact, not allowing the opposition team time and space between my lines. I have therefore gone for a MID block, rather than the typical high press/Geggenpressing system that win on FM

6. Win transitions: Transition (when the ball is immediately won or lost) is a critical aspect of the game, and one that I want to maximize. Having the right tactical setup (shape/roles/duties) to effectively counter and counter press is therefore critical to how I want to play

7. Dominant in possession: I view possession as a form of defense, rather than an attacking philosophy. The more you keep the ball, the less chances the opponent has to score. Therefore, the tactic should have an emphasis on building out from the back and being measured with the ball, rather than try to force it upfield with unnecessary direct and risky passes when nothing is on

 

With these in mind, I have done a lot of tweaking and come up with a mid-block, 3-4-2-1 that captures most of my key fundamental concepts. 

1. Defensive Structure: My team is strongest in the middle zone, with 4 players vertically across the DM strata. with a CF and 2 #10s, I don't really have the shape to press high up the field, as I don't have wide attacking players. Therefore a mid-block made the most sense for me. Combined with a higher defensive line and step up more, we create a zone of vertical compression near the halfway line

2. Attacking patterns of play: I was very keen on having defined but varied attacking patterns of play that are different to one another. Play is generally channeled through the SV, AP,  or supporting wingback, after which there are several routes to goal:

- Direct through ball to the Pressing Forward

- Through ball to the overlapping attacking right 

- Through ball to the shadow striker making a late run

- Angled through ball from the supporting wingback to one of the attack duty players

The AP essentially has 3 players in front of him making forward runs at all times - combined with space to operate in (more on this below), he is positioned for success

3. Supply and Demand: Each attacking player has at least 3 support/defend duty player who can pass the ball to them

In addition, each attack duty player is looking to make a run into a different area of the pitch

This ensures a good mix between having passing options available, whilst at the same time maintaining vertical attacking depth. Too many players going in behind with no one to pass to, or everyone attempting to drop deep without anyone running in behind generally causes problems. 

4. Utilizing space and role combinations: There are a few key combinations in the tactic that I wanted to highlight:

- Creating space for the playmaker to play: The DM(D) creates space for the AP(s) to drop into, whilst at the same time covering for the attacking wingback. It creates beautiful triangles of play between the 3, with the wingback being the "third man" or "auxiliary runner". This also creates balance by ensuring that my right side is protected by the DM being a sitter. 

- The left half features a more aggressive midfielder (SV), who has more space to exploit, since the SS plays much higher up the field. To compensate for this, the WB on the left is on a support duty. The other benefit of having one wingback on support is that he can help a lot with building out from the back

- Central space: The Main CF of the team, the PF(a), has 2 players directly behind him who can slip in through balls, as well as 2 wingbacks who will cross from different positions (attacking wingback from the by-line, and supporting wingback generally from deeper). The whole team is setup to feed him, and the players who are setup to feed him will also see a lot of the ball. Your CF is going to bang in the goals. 

5. Positioning Play: This setup allows you to occupy all 5 horizontal blocks: The wingbacks occupy the wide positions, the 2 #10s occupy the channels, and the CF takes up the central space. I have found that the 2 AMs are much more effective for me than traditional wide players, such as the IF/IW. 

As you can see, there are very different attacking patterns through the left, center, and right. In addition, all attack duty/attack minded players are compensated by support/defend duty players to maintain overall balance, prevent the opposition from exploiting you on the counter, and create a good mix between players looking to drop deep to receive the ball (supply), versus players looking to make runs in behind (demand).

A few closing thoughts

- Defensively, this tactic is extremely solid: We conceded just 11 goals in the league (and 9 goals the year before), and only 1 goal in the entire UCL knockout stages

- Offensively, the tactic is very solid and produces some beautiful football. It might not produce as many goals as an overpowered 4231 Geggenpress, but that is not the goal here. 

- A tall CF is pretty critical given the volume of crosses that will be coming in

- The CF and AP are well positioned to succeed - due to the space they have in which to operate, as well as the movement around them

- I decided to go for WCB, both on defend. They help a lot in build-up while maintaining a 3 back defensive structure which is hugely helpful in possession.

- Overall, there is a lot of variety in the tactic: A more conservative left wingback paired with a more attacking shadow striker on the left, and a more attacking left wingback paired with an AP on support on the right. This is balanced out with the DM roles, both to protect the wingbacks and in conjunction to the 2 AM roles ahead of them

- The download tactic has set pieces fully loaded, on corners especially it is quite good both offensively and defensively

 

That's it! Hope you enjoyed the read, and looking forward to others trying it out and sharing your feedback

3421 Calcio.fmf

[calimero80]

Do you use any opposition instructions?