This is a tactic I've had my eye on creating for a while now but have never gotten around to. It is inspired by England's so called golden generation from the the mid-2000s, a team filled with top class players that never quite fulfilled it's potential, mostly because (in my opinion) successive managers tried to shoehorn players into formations that didn't suit them (Gerrard sitting in front of the defence, or an insistence on playing wide players when all the best midfielders favoured playing centrally). Looking back, I've always thought that a narrow 4-3-2-1 would have been the best way to accommodate the players had at the time. This is my attempt at creating such a tactic. Unfortunately I don't have the time to play FM at the moment due to my uni schedule so I decided to post my tactic for anyone who wants to test it or tinker with it, this is literally the first attempt with two minor tweaks, hence the 1.2 numbering, and to be honest I haven't even tested the 1.2 version. The 1.1 version was tested with Man City by holidaying a season and seemed to show some potential.
GK: Sweeper Keeper (Support)
DCR: Ball-Playing Defender (Defend)
DCL: Ball-Playing Defender (Defend)
WBR: Complete Wingback (Support)
WBL: Complete Wingback (Support)
MCR: Deep Lying Playmaker (Defend)
MC: Roaming Playmaker (Support)
MCL: Deep Lying Playmaker (Defend)
AMCR: Attacking Midfielder (Attack)
AMCL: Attacking Midfielder (Attack)
STC: Deep Lying Forward (Support)
The concept of the tactic is to control the game in the centre of the pitch whilst unsettling the opposition defence with the movement of the front three. The wingbacks are entirely responsible for providing width, this was done with Ashley Cole and Glen Johnson/Micah Richard's style of play in mind. The midfield three are aimed at controlling the game in the middle of the pitch, their job is ensure supremacy in the middle, provide defensive stability, and pick the key passes to unlock the opposition defence (they were inspired by the likes of Carrick, Barry, and Parker, players with good passing who operate from deep and add defensive stability). The use of wingbacks with a back two and no holding midfielder is defensively risky so the two DLPs are aimed to balance that, the RPM is to provide a some runs from the midfield and link attack and defence. The front three are aimed at being as fluid as possible, the idea being that the centre forward drops deeper and playmakes (a role I think Rooney was made for) whilst the two AMs are free to burst beyond him into goalscoring positions (my solution to the epic "how to play Gerrard and Lampard together" conundrum). I'm hoping this movement will make them a nightmare for opposition defenders to mark.
I'd love to hear any feedback anyone has, I'm hoping that come the summer I'll actually have time to start a game and see how I get on with this tactic so anyone who improves it or offers suggestions to help me improve it would be much appreciated.
GK: Sweeper Keeper (Support)
DCR: Ball-Playing Defender (Defend)
DCL: Ball-Playing Defender (Defend)
WBR: Complete Wingback (Support)
WBL: Complete Wingback (Support)
MCR: Deep Lying Playmaker (Defend)
MC: Roaming Playmaker (Support)
MCL: Deep Lying Playmaker (Defend)
AMCR: Attacking Midfielder (Attack)
AMCL: Attacking Midfielder (Attack)
STC: Deep Lying Forward (Support)
The concept of the tactic is to control the game in the centre of the pitch whilst unsettling the opposition defence with the movement of the front three. The wingbacks are entirely responsible for providing width, this was done with Ashley Cole and Glen Johnson/Micah Richard's style of play in mind. The midfield three are aimed at controlling the game in the middle of the pitch, their job is ensure supremacy in the middle, provide defensive stability, and pick the key passes to unlock the opposition defence (they were inspired by the likes of Carrick, Barry, and Parker, players with good passing who operate from deep and add defensive stability). The use of wingbacks with a back two and no holding midfielder is defensively risky so the two DLPs are aimed to balance that, the RPM is to provide a some runs from the midfield and link attack and defence. The front three are aimed at being as fluid as possible, the idea being that the centre forward drops deeper and playmakes (a role I think Rooney was made for) whilst the two AMs are free to burst beyond him into goalscoring positions (my solution to the epic "how to play Gerrard and Lampard together" conundrum). I'm hoping this movement will make them a nightmare for opposition defenders to mark.
I'd love to hear any feedback anyone has, I'm hoping that come the summer I'll actually have time to start a game and see how I get on with this tactic so anyone who improves it or offers suggestions to help me improve it would be much appreciated.