hi everyone!
after quite a bit of frustation with creating tactics for the latest patches, ive finally managed to create something that im happy with
this is a 4123, one of my most favourite formations, and a formation that ive tried to recreate many a time for fm13 with mixed to relatively low success, this time however, i think its right on the money! i've undertook a completely new approach for me, using mostly default settings and shouts.
View attachment 301713
the tactic and player settings are mostly default. i've made some tweaks to long shots and crossing, but thats about it. this is the main idea behind this tactic, the fact that it can adapt to different situations and needs within a game and a season. to achieve this i've used 4 players on "automatic" duty, the two FB's and the two CM's, this way their settings will adapt and change according to the team mentality. these 4 players are the most important players in this tactic, they bring balance to this 4123
these 4 players will be the link between defense and attack. you have 3 defensive minded players, two CB's and a DLP, they will aim to maintain their positions as the 4 players that surround them perform pressing and hard tackling trying to regain the ball high up the pitch (this will obviously happen in different degrees with different team mentalities). the DLP acts as the first line of defense, but also the first offensive player, looking to launch quick through balls to the 4 players directly in front and around him after the balls has been regained or played out of defense.
in attack we have 3 players once again (balance
). one CF and two DLF's on support duty. these 3 players will roam in attack looking for space, either for themselves, or to play other players in runnng from deep. the DLF's play closer to midfield and also incorporate some wingplay. the CF isnt the main goalscorer in the team, he normally plays others in, as well as finishing either from crosses, individual runs or through balls. goals come from all round, mostly because team play is emphasized, which is a plus, meaning that your team isnt dependant on one or two players to succeed.
mostly i use attacking, control and counter strategies, i've never used defensive, but will use it if i need it, and that is one of the things i love most about this tactic, it is prepared for every situation you might find during a match or even a season. it can defend, attack or control, play short in posession, or quick and direct, use the wings or exploit the middle, its all up to what you as a manager decide, without ever having to change tactic hopefully this will also work in the way of the AI not getting used to out tactics iver the seasons, as it is constantly changing.
to achieve this interchangeability, not only do i use the team strategy, but shouts too, ive created a different set of shouts for each mentality i use. i'm relatively new to using shouts, so i just went with what made most sense to me:
View attachment 301718View attachment 301719View attachment 301720
i play attack in most matches, although i normally go to control when i'm 2 goals up. hard away matches i use counter.
in relation to the players needed to make this tactic work, you will need all round players mostly, the more complete the better.
CB's are straighforward, although having high passing and decisions is obviously a plus
FB's should be strong both offensively and defensively, because they will have to perform both roles within the strategy changes, so basically pace, marking, tackling, anticipation, work rate, crossing and passing.
DLP should be very strong defensively but with good passing, decisions and creativity is definately a plus.
CM's should be all rounders. i love dembele, andre ayew and cabaye for this position. you can use more offensive players, but mostly only with attacking strategy, as you will hinder the effectiveness of the tactic if you use very offensive players here when employing more contained strategies. so, passing, decisions, creativity, and tackling are essential. dribbling, long shots, technique, first touch, crossing etc; are a plus, obviously the more complete the better.
DLF's should have good passing, creativity, dribbling, crossing, finishing, flair and pace. anything else is a definate plus.
CF is what it is. all round player, capable of creating, finishing and transporting the ball. being good in the air is a definate plus.
in relation to training, obviously fitness and tactics during pre-season until tactics are fluid (add german league and starting date as german league in june, this gives time for many more friendlies, it also gives time for tactic to become fluid before season starts and most transfers will be complete before friendlies even start).
then i aim to find a balance between offensive and defensive play, much as the tactic itself:
View attachment 301722
now for my results. i started a new save with tottenham, and as most of my previous tries at creating a 4123 were leaky in defense, i tried going with a 523. i did pre-season and a few matches, but then holidayed until november (had to go out for a while and wanted to give the tactic a rough test), when i came back from holiday i tried one or two more variations of the 523 but wasnt happy with it. when i was playing with these formations, i was using one or two notions of the "automatic duty" employed with this tactic, and this ultimately gave me the idea to use it as the base for a tactic, a hybrid of sorts.
i completely overhauled the tottenham squad, so my team lacked cohesion in the beginning of the season. when i came back from holiday i had a lot of unhappy players and team morale was at a very disturbing low.
View attachment 301723View attachment 301724View attachment 301725
i started using this tactic on 12.12.2012 away against stoke.
so 10 wins and 3 draws, although some of the draws were hard done by, as i will show.
the results are in reverse order (most recent first):
View attachment 301726View attachment 301727View attachment 301728View attachment 301729View attachment 301730View attachment 301731View attachment 301732View attachment 301733View attachment 301734View attachment 301735View attachment 301736View attachment 301737View attachment 301738
as you may have noticed, the tactic doesnt always create many CCC's, although it does always create a lot of half chances, and im very happy with te football played, so it doesnt really worry me. and as my team get more cohesive, this will also probably improve.
View attachment 301740
as you can see ive only conceeded 6 goals in the last 13 matches, scoring 28 in the process.
here is the current league table:
View attachment 301741
although it wasnt solely achieved with this tactic. the 4123 is still unbeaten ans is what catapulted the team into 1st in recent matches
there are always some sceptics out there that always doubt one's methods when they achieve success. especially when you overhaul a squad and buy all the quality players i've had the pleasure to sign. overhauling squads to my image is sort of "my thing", so i've become quite good at it lol. here are a few screenshots that should ease oh yee of little faith
View attachment 301743
definately looks like im cheating here hehehe, however a great manager always uses monthly installments, "after league games" and "after league goals". i say a great manager because, if you dont win some trophies soon after, you will bankrupt your club
View attachment 301744
have a look at transfer expenditure, actually only spent 102M. hihihihi
so, thats all folks!
i hope you enjoy as much succes with this tactic as i am having. im obviously open to suggestions and constructive criticism to try and make this tactic even better. im not too experienced with shouts, so if anyone can tell me if im using the right ones, or suggest others i would greatly appreciate it!
DOWNLOAD LINK
View attachment 301775
happy gaming!
note: the DLF's are set by default to man mark the opposing FB's. if you change any setting for the DLF's this defaut marking setting will be automatically removed. it should appear simply as a blank space. if it is removed, the only way to add it again is during a match. set soecific man marking to FB's and then save the tactic. when you finish the game, simply import that tactic to your tactic screen and they will have default specific man marking.
update:
made a few changes to the tactic. set playmaker to none, target man to none, and supply to run onto ball. DLF's and CM's now swap positions too. i've also started to use opposition instructions. now also have a shout set for "standard" strategy, its simply the same set as "attack" but removed get stuck in and hassle opponents so as not to get caught on the break against bigger teams or when we arent desperate to score.
here are screenshots of my latest 2 matches with the v1:
View attachment 301826View attachment 301827
DOWNLOAD LINK BALANCED 4123 by veez v1
View attachment 302153
note2: change CF to poacher (download link updated with this change)
after quite a bit of frustation with creating tactics for the latest patches, ive finally managed to create something that im happy with
this is a 4123, one of my most favourite formations, and a formation that ive tried to recreate many a time for fm13 with mixed to relatively low success, this time however, i think its right on the money! i've undertook a completely new approach for me, using mostly default settings and shouts.
View attachment 301713
the tactic and player settings are mostly default. i've made some tweaks to long shots and crossing, but thats about it. this is the main idea behind this tactic, the fact that it can adapt to different situations and needs within a game and a season. to achieve this i've used 4 players on "automatic" duty, the two FB's and the two CM's, this way their settings will adapt and change according to the team mentality. these 4 players are the most important players in this tactic, they bring balance to this 4123
these 4 players will be the link between defense and attack. you have 3 defensive minded players, two CB's and a DLP, they will aim to maintain their positions as the 4 players that surround them perform pressing and hard tackling trying to regain the ball high up the pitch (this will obviously happen in different degrees with different team mentalities). the DLP acts as the first line of defense, but also the first offensive player, looking to launch quick through balls to the 4 players directly in front and around him after the balls has been regained or played out of defense.
in attack we have 3 players once again (balance
). one CF and two DLF's on support duty. these 3 players will roam in attack looking for space, either for themselves, or to play other players in runnng from deep. the DLF's play closer to midfield and also incorporate some wingplay. the CF isnt the main goalscorer in the team, he normally plays others in, as well as finishing either from crosses, individual runs or through balls. goals come from all round, mostly because team play is emphasized, which is a plus, meaning that your team isnt dependant on one or two players to succeed.mostly i use attacking, control and counter strategies, i've never used defensive, but will use it if i need it, and that is one of the things i love most about this tactic, it is prepared for every situation you might find during a match or even a season. it can defend, attack or control, play short in posession, or quick and direct, use the wings or exploit the middle, its all up to what you as a manager decide, without ever having to change tactic
hopefully this will also work in the way of the AI not getting used to out tactics iver the seasons, as it is constantly changing.to achieve this interchangeability, not only do i use the team strategy, but shouts too, ive created a different set of shouts for each mentality i use. i'm relatively new to using shouts, so i just went with what made most sense to me:
View attachment 301718View attachment 301719View attachment 301720
i play attack in most matches, although i normally go to control when i'm 2 goals up. hard away matches i use counter.
in relation to the players needed to make this tactic work, you will need all round players mostly, the more complete the better.
CB's are straighforward, although having high passing and decisions is obviously a plus
FB's should be strong both offensively and defensively, because they will have to perform both roles within the strategy changes, so basically pace, marking, tackling, anticipation, work rate, crossing and passing.
DLP should be very strong defensively but with good passing, decisions and creativity is definately a plus.
CM's should be all rounders. i love dembele, andre ayew and cabaye for this position. you can use more offensive players, but mostly only with attacking strategy, as you will hinder the effectiveness of the tactic if you use very offensive players here when employing more contained strategies. so, passing, decisions, creativity, and tackling are essential. dribbling, long shots, technique, first touch, crossing etc; are a plus, obviously the more complete the better.
DLF's should have good passing, creativity, dribbling, crossing, finishing, flair and pace. anything else is a definate plus.
CF is what it is. all round player, capable of creating, finishing and transporting the ball. being good in the air is a definate plus.
in relation to training, obviously fitness and tactics during pre-season until tactics are fluid (add german league and starting date as german league in june, this gives time for many more friendlies, it also gives time for tactic to become fluid before season starts and most transfers will be complete before friendlies even start).
then i aim to find a balance between offensive and defensive play, much as the tactic itself:
View attachment 301722
now for my results. i started a new save with tottenham, and as most of my previous tries at creating a 4123 were leaky in defense, i tried going with a 523. i did pre-season and a few matches, but then holidayed until november (had to go out for a while and wanted to give the tactic a rough test), when i came back from holiday i tried one or two more variations of the 523 but wasnt happy with it. when i was playing with these formations, i was using one or two notions of the "automatic duty" employed with this tactic, and this ultimately gave me the idea to use it as the base for a tactic, a hybrid of sorts.
i completely overhauled the tottenham squad, so my team lacked cohesion in the beginning of the season. when i came back from holiday i had a lot of unhappy players and team morale was at a very disturbing low.
View attachment 301723View attachment 301724View attachment 301725
i started using this tactic on 12.12.2012 away against stoke.
so 10 wins and 3 draws, although some of the draws were hard done by, as i will show.
the results are in reverse order (most recent first):
View attachment 301726View attachment 301727View attachment 301728View attachment 301729View attachment 301730View attachment 301731View attachment 301732View attachment 301733View attachment 301734View attachment 301735View attachment 301736View attachment 301737View attachment 301738
as you may have noticed, the tactic doesnt always create many CCC's, although it does always create a lot of half chances, and im very happy with te football played, so it doesnt really worry me. and as my team get more cohesive, this will also probably improve.
View attachment 301740
as you can see ive only conceeded 6 goals in the last 13 matches, scoring 28 in the process.
here is the current league table:
View attachment 301741
although it wasnt solely achieved with this tactic. the 4123 is still unbeaten ans is what catapulted the team into 1st in recent matches
there are always some sceptics out there that always doubt one's methods when they achieve success. especially when you overhaul a squad and buy all the quality players i've had the pleasure to sign. overhauling squads to my image is sort of "my thing", so i've become quite good at it lol. here are a few screenshots that should ease oh yee of little faith
View attachment 301743
definately looks like im cheating here hehehe, however a great manager always uses monthly installments, "after league games" and "after league goals". i say a great manager because, if you dont win some trophies soon after, you will bankrupt your club
View attachment 301744
have a look at transfer expenditure, actually only spent 102M. hihihihi
so, thats all folks!
i hope you enjoy as much succes with this tactic as i am having. im obviously open to suggestions and constructive criticism to try and make this tactic even better. im not too experienced with shouts, so if anyone can tell me if im using the right ones, or suggest others i would greatly appreciate it!
DOWNLOAD LINK
View attachment 301775
happy gaming!
note: the DLF's are set by default to man mark the opposing FB's. if you change any setting for the DLF's this defaut marking setting will be automatically removed. it should appear simply as a blank space. if it is removed, the only way to add it again is during a match. set soecific man marking to FB's and then save the tactic. when you finish the game, simply import that tactic to your tactic screen and they will have default specific man marking.
update:
made a few changes to the tactic. set playmaker to none, target man to none, and supply to run onto ball. DLF's and CM's now swap positions too. i've also started to use opposition instructions. now also have a shout set for "standard" strategy, its simply the same set as "attack" but removed get stuck in and hassle opponents so as not to get caught on the break against bigger teams or when we arent desperate to score.
here are screenshots of my latest 2 matches with the v1:
View attachment 301826View attachment 301827
DOWNLOAD LINK BALANCED 4123 by veez v1
View attachment 302153
note2: change CF to poacher (download link updated with this change)
Last edited:
