rocheyb
Member
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- Jul 8, 2013
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My preferred tactic is called 4-5-1 Assymetric Saints and it looks like this:
View attachment 449353 View attachment 449352 View attachment 449344
What I like about this tactic is that you get one of everything: A defensive midfielder; a central midfielder; an attacking midfielder; a wide midfielder; a winger; a centre-forward. But by matching the individual players to their most appropriate roles for each position, and giving them the right individual instructions, you can get the team to morph into other formations during different phases of play.
When we attack, pressing high up the pitch with high tempo, Schneiderlin moves up alongside Wanyama, the full-backs come up and both wingers can get down the flanks. The Shadow Striker and the Deep Lying Forward will work together to ensure that one drops and one goes long when playing through the middle, but both will hit the front when the winger is raiding down the flank. So you can go from the original 4-5-1 to an attacking 4-2-3-1 and into 4-4-2 within a single attacking move. When we defend, the two central midfielders sit in front of the defence and the wingers drop deep to help the full backs. The Shadow Striker provides an outlet on the left and the Deep Lying Forward plays with his back to goal, holding the ball up near the centre circle while the rest of the midfield adopts a counter-attacking shape around him, the right winger in particular going further forward for a quick break, often into the channel to go directly for goal. When I get a two goal lead, I usually switch off the High Press / High Tempo team instructions and gradually make the team more solid and defensive throughout the course of the second half, as long as we aren't in danger of losing our lead.
I tweak the roles for each position/player going into every match, according to the player's qualities and the strengths or weaknesses of the opposition - an understanding which, at this point, is based on my knowledge of the real life players themselves rather than their FM avatars. But this, using the Team Selection and Instructions shown above, is the usual starting style for most matches where I fancy my chances of getting a result but don't want to be too open at the back:
Goalkeeper - Defend: Take quick throws / Pass it shorter (1)
Right Full-Back - Support: Pass it shorter / Close down more / Cross aim target man
Left Full-Back - Support: Pass it shorter / Close down more / Cross aim target man
Centre-Back - Defend: Pass it shorter / Close down more
Centre-Back - Defend: Pass it shorter / Close down more
Regista - Support: Close down more / More direct passes / Hold position
Ball Winning Midfielder - Support: Pass it shorter / Hold position / Shoot less often (2)
Left Winger - Attack: Pass it shorter / Cross from byline / Cross aim target man
Right Winger - Attack: More risky passes / Get further forward / Cross aim target man (3)
Shadow Striker - Attack: More direct passes / Move into channels / Dribble more (4)
Deep Lying Forward - Support: Pass it shorter / Move into channels (5)
(1) These are the magic instructions to make the keeper throw or roll the ball to one of your full-backs or a wide-open winger
(2) Often changes to a Box-to-Box Midfielder or Deep Lying Playmaker (Steven Davis or James Ward-Prowse) who are better at more direct passing
(3) More risky passes is for Adam Lallana only
(4) More direct passes and dribble more are for Gaston Ramirez only; Jay Rodriguez passes short and doesn't dribble
(5) The tactics explained in the in-game description of any given position are applied automatically, so the Deep Lying Forward will Hold up ball even though I haven't told him to.
EDIT NOTE: I also set opposition instructions for all midfielders and forwards (and wing-backs, if they have them). You have to click each player so you know which is their stronger/weaker foot:
Close down: Always
Tackle: Hard
Show Onto: (whichever is their weaker foot - or select "Weaker foot" for players who can use either)
Set the 2nd general set of instructions, too. This allows for when wingers switch flanks or when a like-for-like substitution is made. But when the opposition makes substitutions pause the game and check what impact it has made on your previous instructions. If they have changed formation, they may have attacking players going unchallenged and being allowed to play on their stronger feet. Keep an eye on those full-backs that you know like to attack, like Leighton Baines and Kyle Walker. Set instructions for them too, if you want - especially if you're defending a lead.
View attachment 449349
Jordan Henderson is a diving cheat! Two minutes into injury time and he throws himself under Jose Fonte for a penalty, which Gerrard duly despatched to rob me of an opening day point at Anfield. I'm still very bitter about that! Anyway, as you can see, with the exception of Hull City (when I switched to 4-2-3-1 with disastrous results), and allowing for the fact that Spurs won all of their opening 10 matches, we only lost to the teams you would expect even the modern Pochettino-fuelled Saints to lose to, with wins against Manchester City and most of the lesser rated teams, draws with Arsenal and Manchester United and victories in the return fixtures with Liverpool and Tottenham (who are now back to their reassuringly mediocre best). I'm also through to the Capital One Cup Final and, having beaten Walsall at the second attempt with a weakened team, face Chelsea in the FA Cup 4th Round.
View attachment 449353 View attachment 449352 View attachment 449344
What I like about this tactic is that you get one of everything: A defensive midfielder; a central midfielder; an attacking midfielder; a wide midfielder; a winger; a centre-forward. But by matching the individual players to their most appropriate roles for each position, and giving them the right individual instructions, you can get the team to morph into other formations during different phases of play.
When we attack, pressing high up the pitch with high tempo, Schneiderlin moves up alongside Wanyama, the full-backs come up and both wingers can get down the flanks. The Shadow Striker and the Deep Lying Forward will work together to ensure that one drops and one goes long when playing through the middle, but both will hit the front when the winger is raiding down the flank. So you can go from the original 4-5-1 to an attacking 4-2-3-1 and into 4-4-2 within a single attacking move. When we defend, the two central midfielders sit in front of the defence and the wingers drop deep to help the full backs. The Shadow Striker provides an outlet on the left and the Deep Lying Forward plays with his back to goal, holding the ball up near the centre circle while the rest of the midfield adopts a counter-attacking shape around him, the right winger in particular going further forward for a quick break, often into the channel to go directly for goal. When I get a two goal lead, I usually switch off the High Press / High Tempo team instructions and gradually make the team more solid and defensive throughout the course of the second half, as long as we aren't in danger of losing our lead.
I tweak the roles for each position/player going into every match, according to the player's qualities and the strengths or weaknesses of the opposition - an understanding which, at this point, is based on my knowledge of the real life players themselves rather than their FM avatars. But this, using the Team Selection and Instructions shown above, is the usual starting style for most matches where I fancy my chances of getting a result but don't want to be too open at the back:
Goalkeeper - Defend: Take quick throws / Pass it shorter (1)
Right Full-Back - Support: Pass it shorter / Close down more / Cross aim target man
Left Full-Back - Support: Pass it shorter / Close down more / Cross aim target man
Centre-Back - Defend: Pass it shorter / Close down more
Centre-Back - Defend: Pass it shorter / Close down more
Regista - Support: Close down more / More direct passes / Hold position
Ball Winning Midfielder - Support: Pass it shorter / Hold position / Shoot less often (2)
Left Winger - Attack: Pass it shorter / Cross from byline / Cross aim target man
Right Winger - Attack: More risky passes / Get further forward / Cross aim target man (3)
Shadow Striker - Attack: More direct passes / Move into channels / Dribble more (4)
Deep Lying Forward - Support: Pass it shorter / Move into channels (5)
(1) These are the magic instructions to make the keeper throw or roll the ball to one of your full-backs or a wide-open winger
(2) Often changes to a Box-to-Box Midfielder or Deep Lying Playmaker (Steven Davis or James Ward-Prowse) who are better at more direct passing
(3) More risky passes is for Adam Lallana only
(4) More direct passes and dribble more are for Gaston Ramirez only; Jay Rodriguez passes short and doesn't dribble
(5) The tactics explained in the in-game description of any given position are applied automatically, so the Deep Lying Forward will Hold up ball even though I haven't told him to.
EDIT NOTE: I also set opposition instructions for all midfielders and forwards (and wing-backs, if they have them). You have to click each player so you know which is their stronger/weaker foot:
Close down: Always
Tackle: Hard
Show Onto: (whichever is their weaker foot - or select "Weaker foot" for players who can use either)
Set the 2nd general set of instructions, too. This allows for when wingers switch flanks or when a like-for-like substitution is made. But when the opposition makes substitutions pause the game and check what impact it has made on your previous instructions. If they have changed formation, they may have attacking players going unchallenged and being allowed to play on their stronger feet. Keep an eye on those full-backs that you know like to attack, like Leighton Baines and Kyle Walker. Set instructions for them too, if you want - especially if you're defending a lead.
View attachment 449349
Jordan Henderson is a diving cheat! Two minutes into injury time and he throws himself under Jose Fonte for a penalty, which Gerrard duly despatched to rob me of an opening day point at Anfield. I'm still very bitter about that! Anyway, as you can see, with the exception of Hull City (when I switched to 4-2-3-1 with disastrous results), and allowing for the fact that Spurs won all of their opening 10 matches, we only lost to the teams you would expect even the modern Pochettino-fuelled Saints to lose to, with wins against Manchester City and most of the lesser rated teams, draws with Arsenal and Manchester United and victories in the return fixtures with Liverpool and Tottenham (who are now back to their reassuringly mediocre best). I'm also through to the Capital One Cup Final and, having beaten Walsall at the second attempt with a weakened team, face Chelsea in the FA Cup 4th Round.
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