☁ THE TROOPER ☁ by KYANITE
Some may remember this tactic from FM13. I created it as an offshoot of my "FM13 IL DEVASTO (Thanks to Satorox)" and the original thread can be found here: "☁ THE TROOPER ☁ by KYANITE".
I didn't play FM14, so admittedly this whole new non-slider tactical approach is a bit new to me and I don't really like it, but I'm back to managing in FM15 and I think I've done an acceptable job of trying to bring life back to the old tactic which won me numerous Champions League titles on my 2038 Blackburn Rovers FM13 save.
So, let's cut to the chase. It took some tweaking and it isn't as clinical as it used to be as I can't get the wingers to function with as much urgency as they used to. However this could be because I have only tested the tactic with Blackburn Rovers who have slow wingers. I'd like to think that faster wingers will take on opposition full backs more like the original. Full backs were also a huge part of the original and in this case I have had very weak full backs.
GK - Solid keeper. You want someone with good decision making & concentration. This will prevent silly mistakes when passing out of the back.
CB - Tall, strong, great in the air.
LB/RB - TOP PRIORITY POSITION - One of the most important positions for the success of this tactic. Invest in some top full backs who are great going forward but also strong defensively. The original was built around top full backs and I still believe that you can get a lot more than I did out of this approach on FM15 if you had good full backs.
DM - Tall, strong, traditionally I used to go for David Luiz like players. Center backs who are great in the air (opposition goal kicks) and good at tackling to win back the ball but possess solid passing ability to speed up the transition to the flanks and also decrease mistakes when retaining possession in the middle of the park and frustrating the opposition.
CM - TOP PRIORITY POSITION - Links the defence to the attack. Traditionally I used to go for a striker with great technical ability and a favour to play as an AMC. I would then train them as an MC. This is because this player will make plenty of runs from deep in to the area and look to score himself too. He also has to have the technical ability to be the playmaker of the side too. BUT in FM15 I'd probably recommend someone more like a Kroos, Ozil, Nasri, Mata, Oscar, etc. They have to be more of a hard worker for this iteration of the game but will continue to make runs from deep and score. Truth is, the more of a physical presence they have in the middle of the park the better. So I'd probably choose an Oscar over a Mata for the same reasons Mourinho prefered Oscar over Mata despite Mata's better technical ability.
AMR/AML - TOP PRIORITY POSITION - These guys will track back to try and help the team in defence from time to time, even though it isn't as prominent as the original since it is difficult to get them to do this I have found in FM15 without setting specific man marking. However due to the counter attacking aspect this tactic can provide, I suggest FAST wingers with good dribbling & crossing. They will mainly look to assist your striker. The wingers will constantly swap sides so ones who are either footed would be a huge bonus and allow one to turn in to an inside forward automatically when required.
ST - I believe a Drogba-style striker is the best approach. Jordan Rhodes did very well like the original once upon a time in FM13 however I'm not sure if he'd score 40+ in the Premier League like he did in the FM13 version. The role is a Complete Forward and that is what you need. Someone with a bit of pace, good strength, solid in the air and a top finisher who can also come deep and help out. If you can train your striker to try and beat the offside trap then that'd work well against this broken beta engine (15.0.2) where long ball through balls over idiot defenders works well.
For anyone who doesn't know what style of football to expect, you will play decent 'on the floor' football when you have the ball. You will move up the pitch as a unit and eventually force a shot on goal. If it results in a corner, you are in luck because the tactic takes advantage of the beta engine's defenders failure to defend set pieces properly. You might see this as a corner exploit but I see it as the only way to even out the constant ridiculous 45 yard free kicks the beta forces you to concede and constant over the top through balls where your defenders decide to slow down and leave an opposition striker 1v1 on goal. It's also worth noting that the original had a solid corner tactic too which scored regularly but not to the extent of an exploit by any means. When off the ball, you will be narrow, compact, have most men behind the ball and when you win it back look to spring and counter attack effectively in a direct manner. Do not think that just because when you have the ball you play short one touch football that your team will be limited to only that approach. This is why if you have fast full backs and wingers, you can employ this more effectively. Every player will know their role. Some will press hard and others will sit back and not concede space. Some mark zonally, others mark men. Just like the original.
I haven't tried this with anyone other than Blackburn, however it's worth noting that Blackburn are an average Championship team bar Jordan Rhodes. I was personally impressed by how solid at the back it was by the FM15 beta's standards. So I'd appreciate it if you let me know how you got on, any tweaks you made and if you don't get success then it'd be interesting to try and figure out why! You will also my Team Report which emphasizes we are the 20th WORST team when it comes to pace in the league which is normally crucial for this approach.
Please ensure you have the right type of players though.
- I have also tested this on FMC (same match engine) but for that reason, I can only advise you to take the training approach the original used (which is still what I'd probably use on FM15) which is:
Tactics only for 1-2 weeks after 100% familiarity.
Teamwork for about 2-3 months then let your assistant take control.
If you find one too many results go badly then switch back to Teamwork & continue the loop.
- No Opposition Instructions. But you can feel free to opt to close down opposition playmakers down quicker than usual and tackle soft opposition/important players harder to try injure them!
- Large pitch size (feel free to experiment with smaller ones, I don't think it'd make too much of a difference in all honesty).
- The HOME version plays a higher line and attacking. The AWAY version plays a deeper line and is standard. Use HOME at home and AWAY when away from home. However against difficult opposition, I'd recommend using AWAY all the time.
DISCLAIMER: Credit to ChristianEriksen for his corners, a friend recommended them to me.
BLACKBURN
The below results with Blackburn had little to no management. It was just plug and play and watch through the games. It wasn't a proper save, rather I was just getting through everything quickly and it still worked ever so well. NO TRANSFERS.
LEICESTER:
CHORLEY FC (Predicted finish 19th):
CHORLEY FC (Predicted finish 19th) (15.0.3 TEST):
Same point in the season had 4 points less. Probably attribute this to injuries/luck rather than the tactic specifically. However you can definitely tell the 15.0.3 patch has made crossing a lot less overpowered & defending a lot better. However we're still somewhat punching above our weight. Still need further tests on 15.0.3.
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