Download link: http://www.mediafire.com/file/b8czp3c5xs8w787/4-4-2_Modern.fmf/file
Hello All,
Big FM and football fan for many years, particularly on the tactics front. By far the most intriguing element of the game for me. I've spent countless hours understanding, research, and applying tactical concepts from here and from real world write-ups to continually improve my knowledge, whilst at the same time building my own tactical philosophy. I've created many tactics over the years in FM, and have done most of what the game has to offer, including long-term LLM saves. However, the tactic that I created in FM 19 for my beloved Milan has been by far the most effective, and it's not even close.
What brought me so much joy about this tactic is not just the results, but the fact that it just makes sense from a fundamental standpoint - I am talking about intelligent and cohesive movement, opening up and exploiting of space, defensive cover and balance, and putting players in the best possible positions to succeed.
The tactic: a 4-4-2, with a modern twist
My tactical philosophies and how I used it to build the tactic
1. Build-up play: Variability. In short, I want a least three distinct routes to goal. Through the left flank, through the center, and through the right flank. I want each route to goal to be different - so, you'll never see me create a tactic that is symmetric across role and duty combinations on both flanks. I do this primarily to improve consistency of results, and make it harder for the AI to defend against me. When you have the same type of attacks going on in both flanks, it becomes much easier to defend against. Counter with fast wing-play? Sit back and defend. Possession based relying on overloading the central areas? Push up and restrict space. By varying routes to goal, it becomes much harder for the AI to game plan against you.
2. Attacking Philosophy: Attack Space. I believe in creating and exploiting space through the intelligent and cohesive movement of players, in a carefully drawn out manner, rather than a ball-to-feet possession based approach. More Klopp than Pep, if you will. To do this, you need 3 things 1)Players creating space for others to exploit 2)Players making runs into the space 3)Having the right players in the right positions to supply the players attacking space. Creating this requires a careful understanding of the movement of the players, who they function with each other, and how it affects the overall balance of the team.
3. Defensive Philosophy: Zonal High-Block. As a Milan fan, Sacchi's high-pressing zonal 4-4-2 was certainly an inspiration for this tactic. In FM, I have used a control setting, with slightly higher pressing and closing down. Any higher, and i've found that the team loses it's defensive shape and gets pulled out of position, making a cohesive offside trap impossible. Any lower, and balls get played in behind your defensive line too easily. Also, I do not select tighter marking because in my mind, this goes against the philosophy of an offside trap, where defenders need to be in a line marking their zones and not running after players.
Building the 4-4-2
1. I decided early on that I wanted to employ a Wide Playmaker, and build the tactic around him. To do this, I needed a few key elements to work out: 1)Create space for the WP to operate in 2)Provide enough runners off the ball, from different starting points and in different directions, to give him enough passing options.
With the wide playmaker cutting inside, I knew I needed an attacking full-back to take advantage of the space he was vacating on the flank, and also to provide a threat out-wide. An attacking full-back was the ideal choice here; they work beautifully together, each creating space for the other to exploit.
2. With a wide playmaker and an overlapping attacking full-back on one flank, I knew I wanted a different route of attacking play on the left. The obvious and stable choice here was a winger supported by a less attacking fullback, to maintain balance in the team. A winger attack and full back support was the sensible option. Again, I was looking to balance support and attack duties on both flanks, and create variability in my play.
3. CM Pairing - this was key to get right. The RCM needed to do 2 things 1)Cover for the attacking full-back and 2)Combine effectively with the WP. A defend duty midfielder was the clear choice here. Firstly, he can cover for the marauding RB, and secondly and more importantly, he wouldn't step on the shoes of the WP, who likes to take up narrow, central positions. A support duty CM wouldn't give the WP enough space to operate in. I decided to go with the CM-d which is a balanced option. the RCM, WP and FB all function beautifully together, creating overlapping triangles that are very hard to track. For the other CM, I knew I needed a support role (from the pairs and combinations guide, so I went for a CM-s, although other support duties should work quite well also. His job was to 1)balance the central midfield 2)link up with the wingers and strikers
4. Striker Pairing: It was key to have one support and one attack duty striker, the question was which duty on which side. After some thought, I decided to go for the attack striker on the right slot, and the defend striker on the left slot. The reasons, again, are related to creating and exploiting space. 1)The attack striker would push up, giving the WP plenty of space to operate in, and also making runs which the WP can feed 2)The support striker can drop deeper, and play in the onrushing winger on the left, or his attack duty strike partner.
In essence, almost all of the players in the team have been deployed to help create space for teammates playing next to them and/or provide passing opportunities by making runs. For example, the RCM, RB and RCF are all designed to to get the best out of the WP. The whole system works as one.
In short, I have built the tactic around the WP. In possession, he has 5 passing options:
1) Cross-field ball to the attacking winger
2) Ball down the channel for the attack duty striker
3) Overlapping ball to the fullback
4) Safe pass to one of the CMs.
So, how did the WP do? In short, absolutely staggering. The numbers he consistently put up were better than anything i've ever seen on my FM career:
In addition, he would average 6-7 key passes and 3-4 chances created every game. It was beautiful to watch, I have never seen a tactic getting so much out of one player before.
The results are shown below. The first season I used the tactic I only conceded 1 goal in the league. I have attached a SS of that season as well as the most recent season. In addition, I have shown some results from the champions league run as well:
Below are the screenshots of my club captain and main striker, who I got when he was 17. He is now 34 and the leader of my team on and off the pitch
And below are the stats of my starting left winger, another player who thrives in this system:
Putting it all together:
Whilst I undoubtedly have a world class team, this is a tactic that I expect to work well across all levels, which is why I wanted to share it and get your feedback. The reasoning is that, from a standpoint of fundamentals, it just makes a lot of sense and works well:
1. 3 players making attacking runs, all from different stata (Demand)
2. Each attacking player has at least 2 support/defend duty players to feed them (Supply)
3. No one is running into each others' toes; everyone's movement is designed to give each other space to operate in
4. Balanced defensive philosophy without any major weaknesses (save for the space between attack and defense)
5. Large variability in play - Standard wing play on the left, midfield overloads and overlapping play down the right, and two strikers supporting each other in the center
Required player attributes
Note: The information below (including footedness) is based on the above screenshots. However, you could easily use a mirror image of the tactic instead with opposite footedness, if your players are better suited.
GK: Nothing specific
CB: In addition to normal key CB stats, good teamwork stat is key for an effective offside trap
RB: Attacking RB with good work rate, passing, and crossing. PPM - Get forward when possible
LB: Defensive LB with a focus on good passing stats as he will get the ball a lot. PPM - stays back at all times, isn't expected to overlap
CMs: Both CMs absolutely must be all rounded with high work rate (15+). This is the best way to make the 2 man mid work. In addition, the CM(s) will benefit from vision, flair, passing, and long shots to make an attacking contribution.
ML: Left footed winger with crossing, dribbling, and finishing (he will find himself in goal scoring positions reasonably often)
MR: Left footed play maker. PPMs - Dictates tempo, tries killer balls often, cuts inside from right wing
Left striker: Support duty striker, with good balance and strength, in addition to finishing and creativity attributes. Height is a bonus, right footed preferred.
Right striker: Attack duty striker, with good finishing, composure, off the ball, heading, speed, and decent jumping (12+). Right footed player highly preferred to take first time shots and play in crosses from the channels
It would be great if poeple could try it out and let me know their thoughts, I have personally very curious to see if this tactic works at all levels. Thank you for taking the time to read it.
Hello All,
Big FM and football fan for many years, particularly on the tactics front. By far the most intriguing element of the game for me. I've spent countless hours understanding, research, and applying tactical concepts from here and from real world write-ups to continually improve my knowledge, whilst at the same time building my own tactical philosophy. I've created many tactics over the years in FM, and have done most of what the game has to offer, including long-term LLM saves. However, the tactic that I created in FM 19 for my beloved Milan has been by far the most effective, and it's not even close.
What brought me so much joy about this tactic is not just the results, but the fact that it just makes sense from a fundamental standpoint - I am talking about intelligent and cohesive movement, opening up and exploiting of space, defensive cover and balance, and putting players in the best possible positions to succeed.
The tactic: a 4-4-2, with a modern twist
My tactical philosophies and how I used it to build the tactic
1. Build-up play: Variability. In short, I want a least three distinct routes to goal. Through the left flank, through the center, and through the right flank. I want each route to goal to be different - so, you'll never see me create a tactic that is symmetric across role and duty combinations on both flanks. I do this primarily to improve consistency of results, and make it harder for the AI to defend against me. When you have the same type of attacks going on in both flanks, it becomes much easier to defend against. Counter with fast wing-play? Sit back and defend. Possession based relying on overloading the central areas? Push up and restrict space. By varying routes to goal, it becomes much harder for the AI to game plan against you.
2. Attacking Philosophy: Attack Space. I believe in creating and exploiting space through the intelligent and cohesive movement of players, in a carefully drawn out manner, rather than a ball-to-feet possession based approach. More Klopp than Pep, if you will. To do this, you need 3 things 1)Players creating space for others to exploit 2)Players making runs into the space 3)Having the right players in the right positions to supply the players attacking space. Creating this requires a careful understanding of the movement of the players, who they function with each other, and how it affects the overall balance of the team.
3. Defensive Philosophy: Zonal High-Block. As a Milan fan, Sacchi's high-pressing zonal 4-4-2 was certainly an inspiration for this tactic. In FM, I have used a control setting, with slightly higher pressing and closing down. Any higher, and i've found that the team loses it's defensive shape and gets pulled out of position, making a cohesive offside trap impossible. Any lower, and balls get played in behind your defensive line too easily. Also, I do not select tighter marking because in my mind, this goes against the philosophy of an offside trap, where defenders need to be in a line marking their zones and not running after players.
Building the 4-4-2
1. I decided early on that I wanted to employ a Wide Playmaker, and build the tactic around him. To do this, I needed a few key elements to work out: 1)Create space for the WP to operate in 2)Provide enough runners off the ball, from different starting points and in different directions, to give him enough passing options.
With the wide playmaker cutting inside, I knew I needed an attacking full-back to take advantage of the space he was vacating on the flank, and also to provide a threat out-wide. An attacking full-back was the ideal choice here; they work beautifully together, each creating space for the other to exploit.
2. With a wide playmaker and an overlapping attacking full-back on one flank, I knew I wanted a different route of attacking play on the left. The obvious and stable choice here was a winger supported by a less attacking fullback, to maintain balance in the team. A winger attack and full back support was the sensible option. Again, I was looking to balance support and attack duties on both flanks, and create variability in my play.
3. CM Pairing - this was key to get right. The RCM needed to do 2 things 1)Cover for the attacking full-back and 2)Combine effectively with the WP. A defend duty midfielder was the clear choice here. Firstly, he can cover for the marauding RB, and secondly and more importantly, he wouldn't step on the shoes of the WP, who likes to take up narrow, central positions. A support duty CM wouldn't give the WP enough space to operate in. I decided to go with the CM-d which is a balanced option. the RCM, WP and FB all function beautifully together, creating overlapping triangles that are very hard to track. For the other CM, I knew I needed a support role (from the pairs and combinations guide, so I went for a CM-s, although other support duties should work quite well also. His job was to 1)balance the central midfield 2)link up with the wingers and strikers
4. Striker Pairing: It was key to have one support and one attack duty striker, the question was which duty on which side. After some thought, I decided to go for the attack striker on the right slot, and the defend striker on the left slot. The reasons, again, are related to creating and exploiting space. 1)The attack striker would push up, giving the WP plenty of space to operate in, and also making runs which the WP can feed 2)The support striker can drop deeper, and play in the onrushing winger on the left, or his attack duty strike partner.
In essence, almost all of the players in the team have been deployed to help create space for teammates playing next to them and/or provide passing opportunities by making runs. For example, the RCM, RB and RCF are all designed to to get the best out of the WP. The whole system works as one.
In short, I have built the tactic around the WP. In possession, he has 5 passing options:
1) Cross-field ball to the attacking winger
2) Ball down the channel for the attack duty striker
3) Overlapping ball to the fullback
4) Safe pass to one of the CMs.
So, how did the WP do? In short, absolutely staggering. The numbers he consistently put up were better than anything i've ever seen on my FM career:
In addition, he would average 6-7 key passes and 3-4 chances created every game. It was beautiful to watch, I have never seen a tactic getting so much out of one player before.
The results are shown below. The first season I used the tactic I only conceded 1 goal in the league. I have attached a SS of that season as well as the most recent season. In addition, I have shown some results from the champions league run as well:
Below are the screenshots of my club captain and main striker, who I got when he was 17. He is now 34 and the leader of my team on and off the pitch
And below are the stats of my starting left winger, another player who thrives in this system:
Putting it all together:
Whilst I undoubtedly have a world class team, this is a tactic that I expect to work well across all levels, which is why I wanted to share it and get your feedback. The reasoning is that, from a standpoint of fundamentals, it just makes a lot of sense and works well:
1. 3 players making attacking runs, all from different stata (Demand)
2. Each attacking player has at least 2 support/defend duty players to feed them (Supply)
3. No one is running into each others' toes; everyone's movement is designed to give each other space to operate in
4. Balanced defensive philosophy without any major weaknesses (save for the space between attack and defense)
5. Large variability in play - Standard wing play on the left, midfield overloads and overlapping play down the right, and two strikers supporting each other in the center
Required player attributes
Note: The information below (including footedness) is based on the above screenshots. However, you could easily use a mirror image of the tactic instead with opposite footedness, if your players are better suited.
GK: Nothing specific
CB: In addition to normal key CB stats, good teamwork stat is key for an effective offside trap
RB: Attacking RB with good work rate, passing, and crossing. PPM - Get forward when possible
LB: Defensive LB with a focus on good passing stats as he will get the ball a lot. PPM - stays back at all times, isn't expected to overlap
CMs: Both CMs absolutely must be all rounded with high work rate (15+). This is the best way to make the 2 man mid work. In addition, the CM(s) will benefit from vision, flair, passing, and long shots to make an attacking contribution.
ML: Left footed winger with crossing, dribbling, and finishing (he will find himself in goal scoring positions reasonably often)
MR: Left footed play maker. PPMs - Dictates tempo, tries killer balls often, cuts inside from right wing
Left striker: Support duty striker, with good balance and strength, in addition to finishing and creativity attributes. Height is a bonus, right footed preferred.
Right striker: Attack duty striker, with good finishing, composure, off the ball, heading, speed, and decent jumping (12+). Right footed player highly preferred to take first time shots and play in crosses from the channels
It would be great if poeple could try it out and let me know their thoughts, I have personally very curious to see if this tactic works at all levels. Thank you for taking the time to read it.
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