Tactic stops working after one season.

[trueblue9877]

I have been playing as Grimsby Town and have been doing quite well for the strength of the team using this tactic 

Then in the second season ( 3rd and 4th screenshot) I noticed that the tactic stopped working completely even though the team is pretty much composed of the same players if not some slightly better ones, how can I counter this? 

Edited January 20 by trueblue9877
Changed picture.

[Cloud9]

5 hours ago, trueblue9877 said:

I have been playing as Grimsby Town and have been doing quite well for the strength of the team using this tactic 

Then in the second season ( 3rd and 4th screenshot) I noticed that the tactic stopped working completely even though the team is pretty much composed of the same players if not some slightly better ones, how can I counter this? 

I would say opposition teams have stopped coming out to play against you due to over performance. This happens with counter attacking setups over time.

[Bahnzo]

IMO, this is due to the AI is now taking you seriously. They are pressing and marking you, which they probably didn't before because you weren't seen as a top contender. This happens to me every time, and is annoying....yet it's also a good thing because it forces you to evaluate your tactics. Before, you could get away with having some holes because the AI teams weren't giving their all against you. Now, you need to be sure you are sound and have little or no mistakes. 

[trueblue9877]

@Bahnzo @Cloud9

So I have tried to make some changes and have seen some different results, I now consistently have one of the better attacks but also one of the worst defences when using the new tactic however, I'm not sure what I can do to improve the defending here.

[kopfan1977]

How good is your team compared to the rest of the division?

Feel confident you can overwhelm the opposition then increase mentality to attacking and just blow them away.

 

Or reshape that centre mid slightly, This ME has been geared towards a double pivot like with real life a lot of teams play this way.. 

This is how I have my midfield trio set up. BWM can change into DM sup/def depending who I am playing, Vol can change to support - All 3 roles I have set to mark tighter and tackle harder.
I can also move the DM/BWM more central which in turn pushes the Vol across slightly more, I then turn the CM into a B2B.

[kopfan1977]

On 20/01/2024 at 18:02, Cloud9 said:

I would say opposition teams have stopped coming out to play against you due to over performance. This happens with counter attacking setups over time.

This much is true.

First season in prem all teams came to attack me. 2nd season I saw they sat back further so just pulled back the press to mid block which gave them chance to come at me which allowed me a chance to pinch the ball and attack them.

[Cloud9]

8 hours ago, trueblue9877 said:

@Bahnzo @Cloud9

So I have tried to make some changes and have seen some different results, I now consistently have one of the better attacks but also one of the worst defences when using the new tactic however, I'm not sure what I can do to improve the defending here.

 Higher quality players//attributes that fit your style of play.

[Bahnzo]

1 hour ago, Cloud9 said:

 Higher quality players//attributes that fit your style of play.

This is always true. "get better players" is kind of a no-brainer. 

What I've come to accept, is that you can't play like like Barca when you are a mid table team. You need to play more direct and not be afraid to play a mid or low block and just allow that you aren't going to dominate possession. Until you are in a position to get those better players, of course. 

There's a youtuber I've watched recently, Old Man Phil, which has a great piece of advice. "If you can't do it, don't do it". Simple, eh? If your team isn't good at counter attacking, don't do it. This means you need to take the time to understand your teams strengths and weaknesses and craft your tactic around it. But it's true and will make a difference in your game if you do it. 

[Cloud9]

2 hours ago, Bahnzo said:

This is always true. "get better players" is kind of a no-brainer. 

What I've come to accept, is that you can't play like like Barca when you are a mid table team. You need to play more direct and not be afraid to play a mid or low block and just allow that you aren't going to dominate possession. Until you are in a position to get those better players, of course. 

There's a youtuber I've watched recently, Old Man Phil, which has a great piece of advice. "If you can't do it, don't do it". Simple, eh? If your team isn't good at counter attacking, don't do it. This means you need to take the time to understand your teams strengths and weaknesses and craft your tactic around it. But it's true and will make a difference in your game if you do it. 

Not really, this misses the point. You also can play expansive football as a mid table quality side and have a lot of success.

We're discussing why a tactic has stagnated. I don't see anything particularly wrong with the current midblock which is why it's important to look at the players within the squad to address the goals conceded problem. I'm not just saying to add more CA/PA to your team (although from season to season this is necessary to progress) but to recruit players capable of executing a midblock counter attack as this is especially important in defensive styles of play. 

There are little tactical suggestions in here that I would recommend (DM(d) to (s) etc.), but the underlying problem is the attributes on the players themselves. Specifically I'd look to add pace to the frontline for pushback & to exploit where the space is on the pitch + defenders/midfielders with well balanced mental attributes. 

Here is a good guide to the attributes you'll need on players to be defensively sound: 

Here's my own approach to the mid block counter attack 4-3-3 laid out in this thread if you're interested. I would strongly recommend utilizing traps this year and recruiting players specifically to do so. To that end I really liked the PF(a) within a 4-3-3 counter attack as my spearheading forward. 

On a final note, I'd say there now will be some games where you'll want to play more expansively if teams are trying to play more conservatively against you. When I'm creating a counter attacking system and this starts to happen I utilize an AP mold squad player / a secondary tactic to control these matches a bit more/break down the opposition. As a midblock you'll be set up to "go for it" in a high pressing style w/a few caveats (vulnerability on the counter etc.) but recruiting lock picking players like this (who normally wouldn't get into your mid block) can be helpful. 

The 4-3-3 also demands higher quality players (striker/dm especially so and leaves more players in 1v1 defense battles). A classic 4-4-2 counter can be a great tactical solution to a lower quality squad.

Edited January 22 by Cloud9