Before getting into the thesis and implementation of this tactic, I want to cover a couple of things. I'd just like to mention that I've worked fairly hard on getting this tactic right, but due to my busy schedule at work, I haven't had the time to complete the full season to show you finished results – I have only done up to 10 games in the league and 4 Champions League matches. However, these show you the early indicators of how effective this tactic could and, hopefully, should be. If you think the tactic looks interesting, feel free to test it and let me know what you think after X amount of results. Any other feedback would be appreciated also!
I'd also like to thank a few people for their previous threads for giving me the knowledge and confidence to start building and inventing my own tactics on FM, rather than just importing it and using somebody else's tactic. Firstly, thanks to Kris for his very detailed and beautifully described Kris' Swan Song tactic, this helped me in deciding what Philosophy style and strategy I needed to play with. Secondly, cheers to seanhrfc and his Arrigo Sacchi's 4-4-2: High Pressure, Attacking Tactic for Top Teams and Underdogs tactic – again, this gave me a lot of detail into how to set up my set pieces properly and also how to play attractive, attacking football as well as pressing high and defending from the front. And last but by no means least, cheers to Raikan007 for his Raikan007's Possession tactic discussion, this helped me to discover the best ways to maintain the ball when in possession and what sort of attributes, preffered moves, roles etc that players would need in a possession/high pressing/counter attacking tactic for it to work effectively. So yeah, a big thank you to you guys!
“In actuality it's a 4-4-2. I know of course novelty makes sometimes a great topic of discussion. If instead of saying '4-2-4' I had said '4-4-2' from the very beginning, we wouldn't be discussing this 'innovation'. Maybe all it is is just a normal idea of play. It is a normal 4-4-2. I think in England, most teams that are winning are applying this type of module, which enables you to cover the playing field in the best possible way I think.”- Antonio Conte
This quote from the Juventus manager was a clear indicator to me that this tactic could be absolutely brilliant in Football Manager, it just had to be carried out properly. After all, covering the spaces that the opposition would look to use can only mean one thing, a break down of their play, correct?
So I did my research into how Antonio Conte instructs each 'pair' of his players to operate. Now, I say 'pair' of players because effectively he breaks the team down into 2-2-2-2-2 and they act as a single unit within the team, while at the same time, playing as an entire team in a 4-2-4/4-4-2. This resulted in me choosing the following roles for the designated positions on the pitch.
From the above photo's, you can see that I chose to have two attacking midfield wingers yet I have their roles set to “Defensive Winger” with the Support duty. I really can't explain how important I believe these to be in this tactic. I chose them as defensive wingers because Antonio Conte installed a hard-working mentality into his team which therefore meant the wingers had to attack swiftly and efficiently, but also had to track back and help out when his team was not in possession of the football and the defensive winger role fits this mould perfectly. So I would advise switching your wingers to train in the defensive winger role as soon as possible if you decide to use this tactic. In the centre of the midfield I've chosen a Deep Lying Playmaker and a Ball Winning Midfielder, both with the support duty. Pirlo is my main DLP and Vidal is my main BWM. Pirlo is more often than not given the ball from defence and from there he can then dictate the play and spray passes backwards, sidewards, forwards and diagonally. Vidal is there with the support duty to hassle the opponents and win the ball back from the front and once winning the ball back, immediately looks to play in the wingers ahead of him or one of the strikers to link up the play. As for the strikers, I've chosen a Complete Forward with the attack duty and a Deep Lying Forward with Support duty. I've done this because the Deep Lying forward drops off the front line and links up the play with the midfield (Pirlo/Vidal) essentially becoming a Centre Attacking Midfielder for a short period before moving back into the box. The complete forward in this instance is Tevez, he buzzes around everywhere proving to be a nightmare for defenders (think of strikers like Javier Hernandez, Drogba, Rooney). He links the play up, moves all over the 18 yard box, assists his team-mates and scores plenty of goals himself.
A tip that I've used to make this tactic work, is to make sure that the majority (if not all) of my players have an adequate rating in Stamina, Work Rate, Teamwork and Composure. Without these attributes at a good enough level (12+ for weaker teams, 14/15+ for stronger teams) the tactic won't work as well.
SWEEPER KEEPER
First touch, Rushing out, Anticipation, Creativity, Acceleration and Pace in addition to the standard GK attributes. I'd also look slightly for keepers that have good throwing/ kicking in order for him to release the ball quickly to create counter-attacking opportunities.
BALL PLAYING DEFENDER
Heading, Marking, Passing, Tackling, Technique, Composure, Concentration, Creativity, Decisions, Determination, Positioning, Jumping and Strength. Additionally, Teamwork is an important attribute to have between Centre Backs in order for the offside trap to work.
WING BACK
Marking, Tackling, Decisions, Positioning, Teamwork, Work Rate, Acceleration, Pace and Stamina. Crossing and Passing are secondary key attributes for a wing back with the support duty.
BALL WINNING MIDFIELDER
Marking, Tackling, Aggression, Bravery, Determination, Positioning, Teamwork, Work Rate, Stamina, Strength and Passing for the support duty.
DEEP LYING PLAYMAKER
Passing, Tackling, Technique, Composure, Creativity, Decisions, Positioning, Teamwork and Strength. First Touch and Off the Ball are key secondary attributes for the support duty.
DEFENSIVE WINGER
Crossing, Dribbling, Marking, Tackling, Technique, Decisions, Teamwork, Work Rate, Pace and Stamina.
DEEP LYING FORWARD
Dribbling, First Touch, Passing, Technique, Creativity, Decisions, Off the Ball, Teamwork, Balance and Strength. Long Shots are a useful secondary key attribute for the support duty.
COMPLETE FORWARD
Dribbling, Finishing, First Touch, Heading, Long Shots, Passing, Technique, Anticipation, Composure, Creativity, Decisions, Determination, Off the Ball, Teamwork, Acceleration, Agility, Balance, Jumping, Pace and Strength.
Opposition Instructions
Here, I select all of the midfield players and the strikers on the opposite and use the same instructions regardless of the quality of opposition. If the opposition has wing-backs (Napoli, for example) then select these and choose the following, too:
Closing down: Always
Tackling: Hard
Show onto: Weaker Foot
I'd also like to thank a few people for their previous threads for giving me the knowledge and confidence to start building and inventing my own tactics on FM, rather than just importing it and using somebody else's tactic. Firstly, thanks to Kris for his very detailed and beautifully described Kris' Swan Song tactic, this helped me in deciding what Philosophy style and strategy I needed to play with. Secondly, cheers to seanhrfc and his Arrigo Sacchi's 4-4-2: High Pressure, Attacking Tactic for Top Teams and Underdogs tactic – again, this gave me a lot of detail into how to set up my set pieces properly and also how to play attractive, attacking football as well as pressing high and defending from the front. And last but by no means least, cheers to Raikan007 for his Raikan007's Possession tactic discussion, this helped me to discover the best ways to maintain the ball when in possession and what sort of attributes, preffered moves, roles etc that players would need in a possession/high pressing/counter attacking tactic for it to work effectively. So yeah, a big thank you to you guys!
Introduction
I suppose the best way to introduce this tactic would be my reasons for wanting to make it in FM. So, last season I watched Chelsea lose a 2-0 lead to Juventus at Stamford Bridge and then watched as they were absolutely dominated in the Juventus Stadium and I remember thinking at the time “****** ****, they play some amazing footie!” even though I'd just seen my side concede 5 goals and be totally outplayed over 2 games. So I decided I was going to try and implement it into FM and went ahead to achieve that, and this is what I came up with.
The Tactic
“In actuality it's a 4-4-2. I know of course novelty makes sometimes a great topic of discussion. If instead of saying '4-2-4' I had said '4-4-2' from the very beginning, we wouldn't be discussing this 'innovation'. Maybe all it is is just a normal idea of play. It is a normal 4-4-2. I think in England, most teams that are winning are applying this type of module, which enables you to cover the playing field in the best possible way I think.”- Antonio Conte
This quote from the Juventus manager was a clear indicator to me that this tactic could be absolutely brilliant in Football Manager, it just had to be carried out properly. After all, covering the spaces that the opposition would look to use can only mean one thing, a break down of their play, correct?
So I did my research into how Antonio Conte instructs each 'pair' of his players to operate. Now, I say 'pair' of players because effectively he breaks the team down into 2-2-2-2-2 and they act as a single unit within the team, while at the same time, playing as an entire team in a 4-2-4/4-4-2. This resulted in me choosing the following roles for the designated positions on the pitch.
From the above photo's, you can see that I chose to have two attacking midfield wingers yet I have their roles set to “Defensive Winger” with the Support duty. I really can't explain how important I believe these to be in this tactic. I chose them as defensive wingers because Antonio Conte installed a hard-working mentality into his team which therefore meant the wingers had to attack swiftly and efficiently, but also had to track back and help out when his team was not in possession of the football and the defensive winger role fits this mould perfectly. So I would advise switching your wingers to train in the defensive winger role as soon as possible if you decide to use this tactic. In the centre of the midfield I've chosen a Deep Lying Playmaker and a Ball Winning Midfielder, both with the support duty. Pirlo is my main DLP and Vidal is my main BWM. Pirlo is more often than not given the ball from defence and from there he can then dictate the play and spray passes backwards, sidewards, forwards and diagonally. Vidal is there with the support duty to hassle the opponents and win the ball back from the front and once winning the ball back, immediately looks to play in the wingers ahead of him or one of the strikers to link up the play. As for the strikers, I've chosen a Complete Forward with the attack duty and a Deep Lying Forward with Support duty. I've done this because the Deep Lying forward drops off the front line and links up the play with the midfield (Pirlo/Vidal) essentially becoming a Centre Attacking Midfielder for a short period before moving back into the box. The complete forward in this instance is Tevez, he buzzes around everywhere proving to be a nightmare for defenders (think of strikers like Javier Hernandez, Drogba, Rooney). He links the play up, moves all over the 18 yard box, assists his team-mates and scores plenty of goals himself.
A tip that I've used to make this tactic work, is to make sure that the majority (if not all) of my players have an adequate rating in Stamina, Work Rate, Teamwork and Composure. Without these attributes at a good enough level (12+ for weaker teams, 14/15+ for stronger teams) the tactic won't work as well.
PLAYER ROLES
Below, you can find all of the key attributes, as well as some key secondary attributes, that are needed in the players in order for this tactic to be effective:
SWEEPER KEEPER
First touch, Rushing out, Anticipation, Creativity, Acceleration and Pace in addition to the standard GK attributes. I'd also look slightly for keepers that have good throwing/ kicking in order for him to release the ball quickly to create counter-attacking opportunities.
BALL PLAYING DEFENDER
Heading, Marking, Passing, Tackling, Technique, Composure, Concentration, Creativity, Decisions, Determination, Positioning, Jumping and Strength. Additionally, Teamwork is an important attribute to have between Centre Backs in order for the offside trap to work.
WING BACK
Marking, Tackling, Decisions, Positioning, Teamwork, Work Rate, Acceleration, Pace and Stamina. Crossing and Passing are secondary key attributes for a wing back with the support duty.
BALL WINNING MIDFIELDER
Marking, Tackling, Aggression, Bravery, Determination, Positioning, Teamwork, Work Rate, Stamina, Strength and Passing for the support duty.
DEEP LYING PLAYMAKER
Passing, Tackling, Technique, Composure, Creativity, Decisions, Positioning, Teamwork and Strength. First Touch and Off the Ball are key secondary attributes for the support duty.
DEFENSIVE WINGER
Crossing, Dribbling, Marking, Tackling, Technique, Decisions, Teamwork, Work Rate, Pace and Stamina.
DEEP LYING FORWARD
Dribbling, First Touch, Passing, Technique, Creativity, Decisions, Off the Ball, Teamwork, Balance and Strength. Long Shots are a useful secondary key attribute for the support duty.
COMPLETE FORWARD
Dribbling, Finishing, First Touch, Heading, Long Shots, Passing, Technique, Anticipation, Composure, Creativity, Decisions, Determination, Off the Ball, Teamwork, Acceleration, Agility, Balance, Jumping, Pace and Strength.
Match Preparation
During pre-season, have Fitness set to high and Tactics only with no rest before matches. Before your first competitive league fixture, switch these to Balanced and Def. Positioning.
Opposition Instructions
Here, I select all of the midfield players and the strikers on the opposite and use the same instructions regardless of the quality of opposition. If the opposition has wing-backs (Napoli, for example) then select these and choose the following, too:
Closing down: Always
Tackling: Hard
Show onto: Weaker Foot
Shouts
I haven't used any shouts during the testing of this tactic, however, if I was going to use any then I would have to use the shouts Raikan007 uses in his possession thread linked at the top of this thread. They're brilliant for possession football.
Results
From the below screenshots, you can see just how effective this tactic has been. Unbeaten in both the league and Champions League, as well as winning the Italian Super Cup. A total of 24 goals scored and just 4 conceded in 10 league games and also 14 goals scored and just the 2 conceded in 4 games in the Champions League, a solid defence combined with an amazing goals return. What can also be seen is just how many CCC's can be carved out against high-quality opposition. The possession, passing and generally the majority of the rest of the stats are in my teams favour.
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