rothordegilian
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INTRODUCTION
Creating a good, winning tactic in Football Manger has always been the most fun part of the game (for me at least), I've always enjoyed the challenge of recreating the tactical formations of historical teams. Some of you may be aware of my attempts to recreate Brazil 1970 (which was nuts but fun) and Brazil 1982 (which I still use and with a few careful tweaks can still be effective even in the First Touch killing recent patch). I'm currently testing an Ajax 1973 formation which is effective but frustrating! Anyway, this is an attempt to emulate the (in)famous 3-3-1-3 formation used by genius maverick Marcelo Bielsa. I've seen a few in FM over the years but they always seemed to be slightly compromised to account for the match engine's limitations. This is an attempt not only to make the formation work in FM14 but to retain the 'feel' of Bielsa's tactics.
BASIC PHILOSOPHY
To play high tempo, short passing attacking football. The team will play high up the pitch and adopt a pressing game. The team must stretch play wide to pull defences out of shape and then attack centrally. Ball retention is preferred but not at the expense of attacking opportunities.
THE FORMATION
The formation is 3-3-1-3. Although Bielsa would change the numbers in defence if faced with only one enemy forward, we're going to stick to the basic formation with 3 centre backs and 2 wing backs covering the defence out wide. This is an attacking formation so we will use a classical Argentinian enganche and 3 forwards.
View attachment 427820
POSITIONING
The central defenders remain static as does the enganche and the poacher. Everyone else is to revolve around them with the CWBs forced infield to support the midfield and the width is provided by the inside forwards. Roaming is encouraged with the idea of overloading enemy defences. There can be up to 6 or 7 people attacking at any one time. The team is roughly split into two units - one attacking and one defending but the play is never simply lumped from one to the other as the regista and enganche provide the transition.
Central Defence - Quite straightforward really. Three big, uncompromising central defenders who do nothing but defend. The outside two are given instructions to close down more and mark tighter leaving the central guy to act effectively as cover without having him drop out of the line. They all have pass shorter instructions to encourage them to channel the ball through the Regista.
Wing Backs - These guys are encouraged to play narrower than normal wing backs as they will be required to cover the central midfield. The normal vertical up and down runs of the CWB are replaced with angled runs infield in support of the regista and enganche. They are support players rather than out and out attackers but they need to be highly dynamic and as such, the CWB role suits them perfectly.
Regista - The ball winning, play making, hard tackling heart of the team. He's as a happy kicking lumps out of the opposition as he is with the ball at his feet. He needs to be creative, quick and strong. The Regista is the outlet for the defensive unit and is given reign to push further up the pitch in order to shut down attacks. He is rather like a defensive version of the Trequartista, floating around looking for opportunities to be creative and set up attacks. He will often be found lurking just outside the opposition area as the attacking players push forward in attack.
He naturally finds himself in position to close down opposition players but he has a lot of ground to cover so he is set to close down more. He's also the only player in the team not given a Shorter Passing instruction. The opposite, in fact, being instructed to use More Direct Passes to allow him to pick out killer passes to players in attacking positions and to discourage him from needlessly passing the ball backwards. Because of the positions he finds himself in, you may find that the Regista takes an large number of long shots. I'm lucky in that my player has great Long Shots so I let him try, but instruct him to Shoot Less Often if it's a problem. Look for someone with great Passing, Tackling, Decisions and Off The Ball.
Enganche - This advanced playmaker is the prime target for the Regista. He is asked to play even further forward than usual to bring him closer to the Poacher and hence attract the attention of enemy centre backs, leaving space for the poacher to run in to. Essentially like a F9 but maintaining the required formation.
Poacher - All of the attacking focus of the team is to get this guy on to the end of through balls. His job is simple - to hang on the shoulder of the last defender, wait for the through ball to be played in and then score. He contributes little in attacking set up, preferring to lay the ball off if he finds himself out of position, and nothing at all in defense. That's for others. As such, he is given Hold Position to force him to stay put. He needs to move into the space vacated by or created by others so he is told to Move Into Channel.
Inside Forwards - The temptation is to set these guys to Attack but we want the play to be spread wide and the attacks to come from wide into central areas which is exactly the kind of runs that they will automatically make on a Support duty.
TEAM INSTRUCTIONS
Mentality - Attacking. Usually 'Control' is enough to dominate teams but we have lots of strong defensive cover here so the step up to Attacking is worth the extra risk. Feel free to reign it back to Control if you are geting over-run.
Fluidity - Fluid. 'Very Fluid' is too much for this as there needs to be discipline in certain areas. The players need to be able to contribute everywhere and the ones that don't have been firmly nailed into position via their player instructions.
Be More Expressive - We're on the attack here and the players that are given creative freedom need to be given their heads in order to maximise attacking potential.
Look For Overlap - To compel the midfielders to utilise the wide Inside Forwards.
Higher Tempo - The ball has move through the transition phase as quickly as possible.
Shorter Passing - Lumping the ball forward is not acceptable
Play Narrower - Or else the CWBs will stay too wide and the midfield gets over-run. The inside forwards are specifically told to stay out and provide width.
Hassle Opponents - Winning the ball back high up is important, particularly with the number of attackers on the field.
Work Ball into Box - or you'll find the team taking too many long shots.
Roam From Position - Don't just stand there!! Attack!! (Unless you're a defender, in which case - just stand there!)
You'll note that there is no Retain Possession instruction, something that in modern football is increasingly popular. This is deliberate. With such a naturally strong defense and attack and a well balanced formation, possession comes naturally, particularly against weaker opponents. All the Retain Possession instruction does is force the team to reign in it's attacking freedom and that is not the philosophy here.
Opposition Instructions - None. The player roles, player and team instructions should take care of everything.
Team Talk - As you see fit.
Red Card / 10 men - Take off a forward and maintain the integrity of the defensive unit at all costs. Switch to Control and leave everything else the same.
Training/Transfers - Once we hit 'fluid' I normally just leave team training on attacking movement. Individual training is normally just set according to the position of the player. It's important to pay attention to the player roles and play the right players there. Don't play a Target Man as the Poacher for example. So I often use individual attribute training to mold players as I want them. Young players with high Determination and Professionalism with good PA can almost always be molded into good players if you're patient.
Set Pieces - I used the examples from Jassar's tactical thread so props to him
The Season - I used this on my Forest save as I already had a well developed set of players who could fill the majority of the roles. I started the season with a Ajax 1973 based tactic which was giving me 68-75% possession each game but only 1 or 2 goal winning margins. I switched to this in early November and immediately started spanking teams. Particular highlights include a 5-1 demolition of Bayern in the Champions League and a 5-0 away win at Man Utd. We finished with the best defence and 2nd most goals scored (best goal difference). We won the Premier League, The FA cup and the Champions League.
Notes on Editing - Ever since FM first shipped with an editor, I have edited my kids into the game. I can't bear to play it without them because I'm a sentimental old goat. The unknown names you see in the screenshots are them. But I always simply use an existing young player at the club and change the name and the nationality. I choose players with high PA and who can play in roughly the right position and then expose them to a vigorous and dictatorial training regime. Much like I do in real life! They advance quickly due mainly to careful management and continued 1st team exposure. If some people consider this cheating, fair enough so be it. But I don't - it's my game and I'll play it how it pleases me.
No other editing was done either pre or save game.
I started the game with the Brazil leagues loaded which allowed me to start the game in December 2012. I always do this. I simply set up the training regimes and then go on holiday. It gives me 6 free months of training. Sue me!
View attachment 427811View attachment 427810View attachment 427809View attachment 427807View attachment 427806View attachment 427804
DOWNLOAD HERE
View attachment 427802
Creating a good, winning tactic in Football Manger has always been the most fun part of the game (for me at least), I've always enjoyed the challenge of recreating the tactical formations of historical teams. Some of you may be aware of my attempts to recreate Brazil 1970 (which was nuts but fun) and Brazil 1982 (which I still use and with a few careful tweaks can still be effective even in the First Touch killing recent patch). I'm currently testing an Ajax 1973 formation which is effective but frustrating! Anyway, this is an attempt to emulate the (in)famous 3-3-1-3 formation used by genius maverick Marcelo Bielsa. I've seen a few in FM over the years but they always seemed to be slightly compromised to account for the match engine's limitations. This is an attempt not only to make the formation work in FM14 but to retain the 'feel' of Bielsa's tactics.
BASIC PHILOSOPHY
To play high tempo, short passing attacking football. The team will play high up the pitch and adopt a pressing game. The team must stretch play wide to pull defences out of shape and then attack centrally. Ball retention is preferred but not at the expense of attacking opportunities.
THE FORMATION
The formation is 3-3-1-3. Although Bielsa would change the numbers in defence if faced with only one enemy forward, we're going to stick to the basic formation with 3 centre backs and 2 wing backs covering the defence out wide. This is an attacking formation so we will use a classical Argentinian enganche and 3 forwards.
View attachment 427820
POSITIONING
The central defenders remain static as does the enganche and the poacher. Everyone else is to revolve around them with the CWBs forced infield to support the midfield and the width is provided by the inside forwards. Roaming is encouraged with the idea of overloading enemy defences. There can be up to 6 or 7 people attacking at any one time. The team is roughly split into two units - one attacking and one defending but the play is never simply lumped from one to the other as the regista and enganche provide the transition.
Central Defence - Quite straightforward really. Three big, uncompromising central defenders who do nothing but defend. The outside two are given instructions to close down more and mark tighter leaving the central guy to act effectively as cover without having him drop out of the line. They all have pass shorter instructions to encourage them to channel the ball through the Regista.
Wing Backs - These guys are encouraged to play narrower than normal wing backs as they will be required to cover the central midfield. The normal vertical up and down runs of the CWB are replaced with angled runs infield in support of the regista and enganche. They are support players rather than out and out attackers but they need to be highly dynamic and as such, the CWB role suits them perfectly.
Regista - The ball winning, play making, hard tackling heart of the team. He's as a happy kicking lumps out of the opposition as he is with the ball at his feet. He needs to be creative, quick and strong. The Regista is the outlet for the defensive unit and is given reign to push further up the pitch in order to shut down attacks. He is rather like a defensive version of the Trequartista, floating around looking for opportunities to be creative and set up attacks. He will often be found lurking just outside the opposition area as the attacking players push forward in attack.
He naturally finds himself in position to close down opposition players but he has a lot of ground to cover so he is set to close down more. He's also the only player in the team not given a Shorter Passing instruction. The opposite, in fact, being instructed to use More Direct Passes to allow him to pick out killer passes to players in attacking positions and to discourage him from needlessly passing the ball backwards. Because of the positions he finds himself in, you may find that the Regista takes an large number of long shots. I'm lucky in that my player has great Long Shots so I let him try, but instruct him to Shoot Less Often if it's a problem. Look for someone with great Passing, Tackling, Decisions and Off The Ball.
Enganche - This advanced playmaker is the prime target for the Regista. He is asked to play even further forward than usual to bring him closer to the Poacher and hence attract the attention of enemy centre backs, leaving space for the poacher to run in to. Essentially like a F9 but maintaining the required formation.
Poacher - All of the attacking focus of the team is to get this guy on to the end of through balls. His job is simple - to hang on the shoulder of the last defender, wait for the through ball to be played in and then score. He contributes little in attacking set up, preferring to lay the ball off if he finds himself out of position, and nothing at all in defense. That's for others. As such, he is given Hold Position to force him to stay put. He needs to move into the space vacated by or created by others so he is told to Move Into Channel.
Inside Forwards - The temptation is to set these guys to Attack but we want the play to be spread wide and the attacks to come from wide into central areas which is exactly the kind of runs that they will automatically make on a Support duty.
TEAM INSTRUCTIONS
Mentality - Attacking. Usually 'Control' is enough to dominate teams but we have lots of strong defensive cover here so the step up to Attacking is worth the extra risk. Feel free to reign it back to Control if you are geting over-run.
Fluidity - Fluid. 'Very Fluid' is too much for this as there needs to be discipline in certain areas. The players need to be able to contribute everywhere and the ones that don't have been firmly nailed into position via their player instructions.
Be More Expressive - We're on the attack here and the players that are given creative freedom need to be given their heads in order to maximise attacking potential.
Look For Overlap - To compel the midfielders to utilise the wide Inside Forwards.
Higher Tempo - The ball has move through the transition phase as quickly as possible.
Shorter Passing - Lumping the ball forward is not acceptable
Play Narrower - Or else the CWBs will stay too wide and the midfield gets over-run. The inside forwards are specifically told to stay out and provide width.
Hassle Opponents - Winning the ball back high up is important, particularly with the number of attackers on the field.
Work Ball into Box - or you'll find the team taking too many long shots.
Roam From Position - Don't just stand there!! Attack!! (Unless you're a defender, in which case - just stand there!)
You'll note that there is no Retain Possession instruction, something that in modern football is increasingly popular. This is deliberate. With such a naturally strong defense and attack and a well balanced formation, possession comes naturally, particularly against weaker opponents. All the Retain Possession instruction does is force the team to reign in it's attacking freedom and that is not the philosophy here.
Opposition Instructions - None. The player roles, player and team instructions should take care of everything.
Team Talk - As you see fit.
Red Card / 10 men - Take off a forward and maintain the integrity of the defensive unit at all costs. Switch to Control and leave everything else the same.
Training/Transfers - Once we hit 'fluid' I normally just leave team training on attacking movement. Individual training is normally just set according to the position of the player. It's important to pay attention to the player roles and play the right players there. Don't play a Target Man as the Poacher for example. So I often use individual attribute training to mold players as I want them. Young players with high Determination and Professionalism with good PA can almost always be molded into good players if you're patient.
Set Pieces - I used the examples from Jassar's tactical thread so props to him
The Season - I used this on my Forest save as I already had a well developed set of players who could fill the majority of the roles. I started the season with a Ajax 1973 based tactic which was giving me 68-75% possession each game but only 1 or 2 goal winning margins. I switched to this in early November and immediately started spanking teams. Particular highlights include a 5-1 demolition of Bayern in the Champions League and a 5-0 away win at Man Utd. We finished with the best defence and 2nd most goals scored (best goal difference). We won the Premier League, The FA cup and the Champions League.
Notes on Editing - Ever since FM first shipped with an editor, I have edited my kids into the game. I can't bear to play it without them because I'm a sentimental old goat. The unknown names you see in the screenshots are them. But I always simply use an existing young player at the club and change the name and the nationality. I choose players with high PA and who can play in roughly the right position and then expose them to a vigorous and dictatorial training regime. Much like I do in real life! They advance quickly due mainly to careful management and continued 1st team exposure. If some people consider this cheating, fair enough so be it. But I don't - it's my game and I'll play it how it pleases me.
No other editing was done either pre or save game.
I started the game with the Brazil leagues loaded which allowed me to start the game in December 2012. I always do this. I simply set up the training regimes and then go on holiday. It gives me 6 free months of training. Sue me!
View attachment 427811View attachment 427810View attachment 427809View attachment 427807View attachment 427806View attachment 427804
DOWNLOAD HERE
View attachment 427802
