4-4-2 tactic with Benitez flavour

  • Thread starter Thread starter Zebedee
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Isn't doing well now but I have changed the tactic 7 games into the season lol. Went to penalties against Cardiff in the Carling Cup and then lost 1-0 at home to Blackpool and drawn 1-1 at Southampton. All games I should be comfortably winning.

What team are you managing?


with Q.P.R. you should have a comfortably win with every team, also with man city =/
 
I don't know how to d/l these tactics. -_-
 
Do you always start of with a standard variation for the start of the game?
 
Do you always start of with a standard variation for the start of the game?

No mate. Look at the opposition and how they play. Also have a look at the expectations for a match. Figure out which variant best suits the match, but be prepared to change if you're wrong or the match is going better or worse than you expected. If your scouting and knowledge of the opposition is limited, or the match is predicted to be a draw, standard is probably a 'safe' bet for the start but not always - doing the unexpected can sometimes pay dividends. I've started with ultra-attacking on occasions because I figured the opposition was being so heavily backed to win that they would never expect it.

I had Blackburn in the league cup with Bury. Not a hope of winning it. So I started with defensive until it became clear that my strikers and wingers were having a great day. So I switched to attacking for a 10 minute spell and nicked a goal from a corner. Went to defensive again until the pressure built up too much and then I tucked into ultradefensive for the last 20 minutes.

I drew Gateshead in the FA cup. It was obvious that they'd be trying to shut up shop but my team has been destabilised recently by some new signings. So I played control as the starting variant. But my passing stank so I moved up to attacking (had considered starting with it but figured discretion is the better part of valour) and got 2 goals up. Then I moved back down to a tailored standard and then defensive due to the way they were peppering the channels with long balls and the fact that I have three non-English speakers in the team who are very fragile on confidence at the moment.

Choose what tool you think is best for the job as you'll know your team and you'll know whether they are on form etc or in need of a good solid draw to restore some confidence.

edit: here's my 2nd round FA cup match against League 1 Brighton with my League 2 Bury side. Efficiency is all ;)



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Cheers, im using it with celtic. will let you know how im getting on.
 
Cheers, im using it with celtic. will let you know how im getting on.

Good luck mate :) Just a quick thought on clubs in European competition using this tactic - your midfielder with a defensive mindset is going to be a critical position. Get as good as you can - preferably natural in both CM and DM. Fullbacks who are rated as 'accomplished' or better as wingbacks will help greatly with your attacking play too - although be careful they aren't leaving you shorthanded at the back. Personally, I'd consider using the mentality structure but at least one clear DMC for teams in the top flight, but any port in a storm :D (Lee's tactic seems to be very sound, so that might be a plan if Celtic have the players able to play it). The Scottish league itself should be very doable with my existing tactic if you can tailor it to your players correctly.

All the best though!
 
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quality start. won all my friends comfertabily, won 8-0 in 1 of them. played 4 won 4 in the league. was 1 down to falkirk then just change the tactic and qucikly back in front. i feel like i can dictate games now and know how to win them. finding the tactics brillient. just worried about european games tho.
 
oh heres my team

brouc
aralio mcmanus cacres(on loan from barc) hinkle
mcgeady carioca brown nakamura
hulk pogra...(the zenit boy)

recommend any signings?
 
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oh heres my team

brouc
aralio mcmanus cacres(on loan from barc) hinkle
mcgeady carioca brown nakamura
hulk pogra...(the zenit boy)

recommend any signings?

Haven't a clue about any of those players mate, sorry - I know the general principles of how to build a formation and tactical approach, I know what type of player you'll probably need, but I've no idea which specific player will be suitable for your team - I've not managed outside of league 2 in the game yet due to the rules I set myself when playing. :) Trust your instincts and analyse where your team does well and where it does badly. And don't be afraid to fiddle with the sliders - I'd leave the mentality one alone unless you're going to move every mentality slider appropriately, and I'd keep the defensive line the same as the mentality of your DC or MCa (depending on how quick your defenders are - faster means MCa, although I personally feel the ball over the top is a little bugged and leads to too much success so keep my defensive line quite deep) but everything else is tailoring that position for your specific player ;)
 
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I'm very impressed with this set of tactics you have here, switching between them in matches to get the desired performance from my team is working great. It's all presented well and obviously thought out. Top man.
 
I'm very impressed with this set of tactics you have here, switching between them in matches to get the desired performance from my team is working great. It's all presented well and obviously thought out. Top man.

Thanks Craven. Glad they've been of some use to your Rams :)
 
very very good. won 11 out of 11 in the league. i find that you need to keep up with the assistants oppotition instructions during games if you dont want to conceed. thats just part of the game tho. i feel like i can influence a game now from the sideline. thanks again. great work.
 
very very good. won 11 out of 11 in the league. i find that you need to keep up with the assistants oppotition instructions during games if you dont want to conceed. thats just part of the game tho. i feel like i can influence a game now from the sideline. thanks again. great work.

Really pleased that it's working for you Dave. You're spot on about the assistant's advice as the AI does change tactics through a game to try and find a way through your defence - as I said in my OP, I tend to check every 10 mins or so of the match, just to make sure that the OI's are correct and that the opposition formation hasn't changed without me noticing (it's not always reported in the ingame text either...).

Full credit to the TT&F guys really for producing a document that explains how the sliders really work.
 
For a big team that dominates, which celtic do... what changes would you make to make it perfect?
 
For a big team that dominates, which celtic do... what changes would you make to make it perfect?

I'd be looking to release the creative shackles a little bit of the better players, tailoring the positions to each individual player, ultimately aiming to move to a 4-2-3-1 when I have sufficiently skilled players and end up playing like Sacchi's Milan :) Which isn't really answering the question I know, but I know the limitations of 4-4-2 with the 5x5 mentality - primarily 5x5 was never designed to be used with 4-4-2 and only is used for it to cover a lack of overall technical and tactical ability in the players. So trying to make something I know is flawed beyond redemption perfect would be a tough challenge :D If you are wedded to 4-4-2, something like Mourinho's or Ferguson/Quelroz's mentality systems would probably serve you better at the very top of the pyramid - Mourinho's mentality is a very defensive one which grinds out results through dictating to the players and the F/Q mentality allows a more free-flowing, attacking form of football which is suited to both European and British football. Wenger's system requires ludicrously high technical levels and I think is easily countered so not something I'd personally use though it would probably get results for a team which clearly is better than all around them.

Celtic are in an odd position though - the only real challenge they'll face in the league is Rangers (and perhaps a team like Aberdeen or Hearts if the regens are in their favour) but the quality they'll be able to attract without European success mean that at best they'll get solid continental players. I'd be scouting like crazy trying to find very young international talent to come through into the first team, I'd probably play u-18s with 4-2-3-1 for a couple of seasons and then progress them to the reserves and switch the reserves to that formation while occasionally getting the first team used to it for matches I think they should comfortably win.

Sorry if your question isn't answered in quite the way you expected.
 
just an update played 30, drew 1 won 29! i promise i havnt cheated. this is brillient. got hammerd in europe tho. thanks agian. best tactics ive ever used. your theory is flauless.
 
just an update played 30, drew 1 won 29! i promise i havnt cheated. this is brillient. got hammerd in europe tho. thanks agian. best tactics ive ever used. your theory is flauless.

That's brilliant, although I'm truly sorry about Europe :( I'll eventually get round to doing a 4-1-4-1 once I've figured out how to work the midfield best which should help out with bigger sides or tough away days, although I think eventually with Celtic you'll be able to play a decent 4-1-3-2 (Lee's Liverpool tactic might be a plan in Europe) or a 4-2-3-1.

As ever full credit to people like wwfan who wrote the TT&F so that people like me can relate reality to the match engine.
 
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really simple but, really effective got to say :)

but i had to do a few tweaks especially on my 'Wingers' giving them a free role dididnt help me because my 'ML' ended up at the other side of the pitch for some reason.

And the other team cardiff took full advantage on the left flank with my winger out of position so really it was 2 players versus my left back who got ripped to pieces dont really blame him.

it tweaked the 'wingers' and unticked the free role and just gave my playmaker the freerole and other than that the tactics are perfect :)
 
I used control tactics with fiorentina at home and it worked very good. But I want to ask you witch tactics of those 6 would be best when I play away with palermo,genova , atalanta(teams I want to beat). I tried standard tactics but it didnt work very well for me. Should I also use control tactic or defensive?
What tactic is best when I play Inter,milan,chelsea (defensive or ultra defensive)?
And when they ask me for opponents instructions before the game shold I leave it as it is or shold I set tight marking on their best atacking player?
 
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