Advice For Non League 4-4-2

[GeorgiieBoii]

I am managing Lowestoft in the conference north and after looking at the players available I feel that a 4-4-2 suits my players best. Still haven't played a game yet but I just want the opinion of others so they can see any flaws in my tactic before I start. I want my team to play at a high tempo attacking down the flanks and putting in plenty of crosses for my two strikers and without the ball I want my team to press high up the pitch.

Menatlity: Standard
Team Shape: Fluid

SK(D)
FB(S) CD(D) CD(D) FB(S)
W(A) BWM(S) DLP(D) W(S)
AF(A) DF(S)

Instructions: Higher tempo, Play fairly wider, Push Slightly higher, Press More, Exploit the flanks

Any advice or help before i start my season?

 

[LesthaT]

I am managing Watford and i have played really similar as you mentioned my 1st season

Now i realised that i get better results with the fullback's with an attack role and the winger's with "wide playmaker" attack

Also i check "look for the overlap"

You can also put the support striker in a DF (s) role so he can press the defence and be more useful

Sorry for my bad english

Enviado desde mi SM-G900H mediante Tapatalk

 

[LesthaT]

I am managing Watford and i have played really similar as you mentioned my 1st season

Now i realised that i could get better results with the fullback's with an attack role and the winger's with "wide playmaker" attack

Also i check "look for the overlap"

You can also put the support striker in a DF (s) role so he can press the defence and be more useful

Sorry for my bad english

Enviado desde mi SM-G900H mediante Tapatalk

Enviado desde mi SM-G900H mediante Tapatalk

 

[WJ]

Still haven't played a game yet but I just want the opinion of others so they can see any flaws in my tactic before I start.

You haven't really outlined much of a plan though, so it's difficult to highlight much.

However, the balance looks off. You have a right winger crossing mainly to a withdrawn striker. Also, the AF likes drifting wide - the same space that winger is attacking. I'd swap the strikers around so that your BWM can link better with the DF and the advanced winger can cross better to the advanced striker.

 

[redtilimdead]

Similar to my Salford tactic

 

[rocheyb]

You haven't really outlined much of a plan though, so it's difficult to highlight much.

However, the balance looks off. You have a right winger crossing mainly to a withdrawn striker. Also, the AF likes drifting wide - the same space that winger is attacking. I'd swap the strikers around so that your BWM can link better with the DF and the advanced winger can cross better to the advanced striker.

Keep your Advanced Forward on whichever side corresponds to his strongest foot - right-footed player on the right or a left-footed player on the left. It makes a difference to their ability to shoot across goal into the far corner and whether they have the ball between them and the closest defender (easier to tackle) or their own body between the ball and the closest defender (more difficult not to foul).

 

[WJ]

Keep your Advanced Forward on whichever side corresponds to his strongest foot - right-footed player on the right or a left-footed player on the left. It makes a difference to their ability to shoot across goal into the far corner and whether they have the ball between them and the closest defender (easier to tackle) or their own body between the ball and the closest defender (more difficult not to foul).

The opposite argument can easily be made though. "Cutting in" on your stronger foot has the AF facing goal and can pick his spot where to place it.

I've had strikers who seem to only do the shot across goal well, whereas others almost needed to be on the opposite side of their footedness to be scoring kings.

 

[rocheyb]

The opposite argument can easily be made though. "Cutting in" on your stronger foot has the AF facing goal and can pick his spot where to place it.

I've had strikers who seem to only do the shot across goal well, whereas others almost needed to be on the opposite side of their footedness to be scoring kings.

My point is specific to Advanced Forwards who only come in Attack mode, playing off the shoulder of the last defender. The cutting in that you describe is true of False-9s and Deep-Lying Forwards (and maybe one or two other roles for which you can select the Support mode) but the AF_A doesn't typically do that. His role is to get goalside or alongside the defender to shoot at goal. For the same reason, AF_As don't typically score a lot of headers or goals from long range.

 

[WJ]

My point is specific to Advanced Forwards who only come in Attack mode, playing off the shoulder of the last defender. The cutting in that you describe is true of False-9s and Deep-Lying Forwards (and maybe one or two other roles for which you can select the Support mode) but the AF_A doesn't typically do that. His role is to get goalside or alongside the defender to shoot at goal. For the same reason, AF_As don't typically score a lot of headers or goals from long range.

I also specifically mentioned an AF.

 

[rocheyb]

I also specifically mentioned an AF.

I'm just passing on the benefit of my experience, having addressed many of this type of issue in FM over the years. My argument is primarily based on a mammoth 2-year long Southampton save from FM14, in which I came to realise by watching matches in the Comprehensive View that my front two were much more effective when I switched the Advanced Forward to either the left side or right side of his False-9 partner depending on which of my AFs I picked to play. The left footer was far more effective on the left and the right footer was far more effective on the right. When they played on their "wrong" side, they were taking an extra second to switch the ball from one foot to the other, allowing the defender to make a last ditch tackle. But when their slightly more withdrawn strike partner (False-9 or Deep-Lying Forward) did the same thing, it was typically from outside the box and less likely to draw that all-or-nothing sliding challenge from the defender.

I was promoting players from the youth academy and learning how to tweak my tactics to accommodate individual players. Not to brag, but I'd say two European Champions' League titles and multiple Premier Leagues and domestic cups with a modest club like The Saints renders that a relatively successful experiment.

In FM16, although I have preferred a False-9_Support with Target Man_Support combination up-front, one of my tactics for changing up a gear and exploiting fatigue in the opposition defensive ranks is to replace the TM with an AF_Attack, playing on his stronger side. Many a late winner or equaliser was achieved during two successful Championship promotion campaigns with Sheffield Wednesday and AFC Bournemouth, and my Zach Clough (F-9) / Rushian Hepburn-Murphy (AF) partnership was reasonably functional in the Premier League before I got bored and went to Bordeaux.