[Help needed with 4-2-3-1 tactic]

What role or TI changes would you make to this tactic as an underdog team expected to finish in the lower half of the table? http://imgur.com/gallery/uyJVp6M

[Help needed with setting up a mid block]

5 hours ago, DarJ said:

As @Fatkidscantjumpsaid the aim of a mid block is to win the ball in midfield and turn defence into attack quickly but with the setup of your roles thar won't happen.

If you want to play a mid block I suggest this instead 

I tried that tactic but ran into trouble quickly, what  would you say is wrong with the defensive set up in the one I'm currently using and what roles do you think I could use to strengthen the defensive side.

[Help needed with setting up a mid block]

[Help needed with setting up a mid block]

I've been having decent success using this tactic for 20+ seasons and went from the 3rd division in France to Ligue 1 and stayed in mid table for 10+ years I was initially using two IF (S) paired with two WB(S)  but  couldn't  would bounce between 8th and 14th each season  a few seasons ago I changed one of my IS (s)  to Winger (s) and moved the WB (S) to FB(S) and for the last 5 years have finished between 4th-7th and won the French Cup in 2035 but after a few years I feel like the tactic has defensive  weaknesses that make it harder to beat big teams consistently 

 

So I thought that dropping the defensive lines and lines of engagement would make the team more compact but I just haven't  found the right combinations

 

I tried to change to a mid block but I can never seem to get the balance right on the out of possession point of view  I've tried standard line of engagement + standard defensive line + more urgent pressing + prevent short GK distribution + offside trap

And standard line of engagement + standard defensive line +offside trap + more urgent pressing 

And standard line of engagement  + standard defensive line with no offside trap or urgent pressing or preventing short GK distribution but it never seems to work 

So I'm just kinda confused as to what else it could be should I remove "counter press?"

[AZ 433]

On 27/07/2021 at 12:04, michaeldawson75 said:

Change the right IW to winger, so that player provides width rather than the WB. Change the WB on the same side to FB-S. The FB will stay back more as there is less space for him to move into, and then you have five players for defensive cover (CB x2, FB-S, DM, and DLP also holds position). If you want to keep the WB-A/IW combo (and if they are good source of creativity/goals, you maybe should), change the CM-A to CM-S.

Lower the defensive line/LOE back to normal, but not low (inviting strong teams to attack is disastrous in my experience). Change your forward to a DLF-A to help counter attacking.

Mentality can stay as is or go down to balanced, change 'Counter press' to 'Counter'.

How would you  say that I can make this tactic more adaptable as an underdog tactic I've tried using a mid block but I can never seem to get the right balance with the pressing and lines of engagement  and pressing urgency 

[Help needed with defensive organisation]

From a defensive standpoint how can I make the midfield and defence  more difficult to play through in this tactic? 

[What am I not seeing?]

2 hours ago, CARRERA said:

There is noone who links up with the TM, i would either use an attack duty CM / mezzala or a wide player who is drifting inside, like an AP, T, RMD, IF. no IW though. Also whats your teams media prediction / your boards expectations for ligue 1?

The board's expectation is to "battle against relegation" and media prediction is 19th I was thinking of using IF (s) but I haven't  used that with TM yet.

[What am I not seeing?]

The defending  with this tactic is usually  quite solid but it struggles to score goals or do anything when specific PIS are moved or changed for example if you remove the get further forward PIS on the wingers or change them to attack duty all hell breaks loose, if you try changing a   CM (S) to CM (A) BBM (S) AP (S/A) all hell breaks loose, if you try changing the wingers to IF (S) all hell still breaks loose I just feel stuck because there's  nothing you can do.

The tactic works well in the lower  leagues even if you have a team that is expected to finish in the bottom half of the table.

I got back to back promotions in France but when you reach Ligue 1  it becomes impossible to do anything.

What can I try to improve chance creation / defending in a top league?