[video=youtube;M5YLG57a2GE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5YLG57a2GE[/video]
Above is a brilliant video of Holland in 1974 I think it sums up how relentless and attacking the dutch side was.
View attachment 221939
A History and Explanation of Total Football:
Sjaak Swart (Nicknamed Mr. Ajax in the late 60's and early 70's) "...Very Agressive. We went for goal. First we make three goals and then, yes, we can make some nice combinations, something you would'nt normally do. You can make a show for the public. We were all winners; we weren't tryng to be artists. We Just wanted to win"...
These Ajax squads did not tiki-taka up and down the field. They moved the ball forward with a vengeance, constantly pushing their opponents. Players who had won the ball would pass to the man moving into space whether he was five or ten or forty yards ahead, and he seemed to be forty yards ahead a lot, especially on the moves that resulted in shots on goal. As David Winner quotes winger Sjark Swaart, “In four passes we would be in front of goal. Nowadays they take twenty passes — backwards, sideways, backwards. We didn’t play like that. We went for the goal.”
Their wingers were real wingers, hanging on the touchline with the ball to draw defenders wide before crossing, which allowed them to fill the gaps that were created in the center with midfielders and the occasional defender. If the defense failed to clear a cross, there were Ajax men everywhere waiting to pounce on the ball and take it home.
One of the main points I must stress from what I've read about total football is that the position switches were not happening all the time needlessly, just when they needed to and this meant that the midfield kept their shape.
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Notes and Screenshots About my FM version:
I've noticed a large number of changes in position between the midfield 3 and the wingers. The two wider midfielders of the three, often help out wide, and then the wingers come inside at that point. Also I wanted to try recreate the Cruyff role better, but I could'nt find a striker good enough apart from messi to recreate it well, and I thought that'd be cheating.
The formation and team instructions:
View attachment 221941
As you can see a very high line like the Original Ajax Team, Quick Tempo and very wide play, all makes it very agressive and attacking.
View attachment 221943
View attachment 221944
View attachment 221945
View attachment 221947
Some of the ideas for the PI's were from last years http://www.fm-base.co.uk/forum/football-manager-2011-tactics-training/57796-[amateur]-tacticians-chalkboard-football-manager-2011-a.html- which is well worth a look for any tactician.
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Results:
View attachment 221911View attachment 221912View attachment 221913View attachment 221914View attachment 221915View attachment 221916View attachment 221918View attachment 221942
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Match Preperation: I use team work: very high- until all the areas are Fluid.
After that, I used Teamwork: Average
Shouts: I haven't used any shouts with this tactic.
Pitch Size: Normal seems to work very well.
______________________
Some Notes to consider when picking your side, and building it to fit in with total football: Obviously, if you’re going to remake Total Football, you need versatile players. The position switching — along with the pressing from the front and the high offsides line — is one of the vital characteristics of the system, and we can’t just ignore that and plug players into any old 4-3-3. I tried the formation with AC Milan and would dominate for the most 60 minutes, but the players got very tired as they're quite old so bare this in mind, so when I started with a new save with Juventus- I invested very heavily in youth and tried to tailor my players to fit within the system.
Above is a brilliant video of Holland in 1974 I think it sums up how relentless and attacking the dutch side was.
View attachment 221939
A History and Explanation of Total Football:
Sjaak Swart (Nicknamed Mr. Ajax in the late 60's and early 70's) "...Very Agressive. We went for goal. First we make three goals and then, yes, we can make some nice combinations, something you would'nt normally do. You can make a show for the public. We were all winners; we weren't tryng to be artists. We Just wanted to win"...
These Ajax squads did not tiki-taka up and down the field. They moved the ball forward with a vengeance, constantly pushing their opponents. Players who had won the ball would pass to the man moving into space whether he was five or ten or forty yards ahead, and he seemed to be forty yards ahead a lot, especially on the moves that resulted in shots on goal. As David Winner quotes winger Sjark Swaart, “In four passes we would be in front of goal. Nowadays they take twenty passes — backwards, sideways, backwards. We didn’t play like that. We went for the goal.”
Their wingers were real wingers, hanging on the touchline with the ball to draw defenders wide before crossing, which allowed them to fill the gaps that were created in the center with midfielders and the occasional defender. If the defense failed to clear a cross, there were Ajax men everywhere waiting to pounce on the ball and take it home.
One of the main points I must stress from what I've read about total football is that the position switches were not happening all the time needlessly, just when they needed to and this meant that the midfield kept their shape.
____________________
Notes and Screenshots About my FM version:
I've noticed a large number of changes in position between the midfield 3 and the wingers. The two wider midfielders of the three, often help out wide, and then the wingers come inside at that point. Also I wanted to try recreate the Cruyff role better, but I could'nt find a striker good enough apart from messi to recreate it well, and I thought that'd be cheating.
The formation and team instructions:
View attachment 221941
As you can see a very high line like the Original Ajax Team, Quick Tempo and very wide play, all makes it very agressive and attacking.
View attachment 221943
View attachment 221944
View attachment 221945
View attachment 221947
Some of the ideas for the PI's were from last years http://www.fm-base.co.uk/forum/football-manager-2011-tactics-training/57796-[amateur]-tacticians-chalkboard-football-manager-2011-a.html- which is well worth a look for any tactician.
_____________________
Results:
View attachment 221911View attachment 221912View attachment 221913View attachment 221914View attachment 221915View attachment 221916View attachment 221918View attachment 221942
______________
Match Preperation: I use team work: very high- until all the areas are Fluid.
After that, I used Teamwork: Average
Shouts: I haven't used any shouts with this tactic.
Pitch Size: Normal seems to work very well.
______________________
Some Notes to consider when picking your side, and building it to fit in with total football: Obviously, if you’re going to remake Total Football, you need versatile players. The position switching — along with the pressing from the front and the high offsides line — is one of the vital characteristics of the system, and we can’t just ignore that and plug players into any old 4-3-3. I tried the formation with AC Milan and would dominate for the most 60 minutes, but the players got very tired as they're quite old so bare this in mind, so when I started with a new save with Juventus- I invested very heavily in youth and tried to tailor my players to fit within the system.
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Its very attacking on standard even (several games I've scored 7 goals regulary with two different teams now- will post results with Dynamo Kyiev), and its quite direct, the tempo is quick so the ball gets up the field very fast, the ball is often launched up the field by the centre backs to the wingers to run on to, just like in the descriptions of the Ajax teams, so it is quite direct