I've always liked to try and recreate tactics from my favourite managers on FM. As a Roma fan, Luciano Spalletti's false-9, Zemanlandia and Rudi Garcia's 4-3-3 have been fun to try and copy.
Of course everyone who has seen Marcelo Bielsa's Chile and Athletic sides (Newell's and Argentina too if you're older) knows what he's all about and how exciting the football can be. His disciples include managers like Pep Guardiola and Tata Martino, and he is one of the most stubborn and committed managers in football today.
This is my attempt at recreating Bielsa-style tactics in FM14.
Here are some videos and articles if you want to know more..
Guardian: Bilbao's Bielsa - obsessive and dangerous for United's chances
Guardian: Why Chilean football is set for a revolution
ESPN: Can El Loco lead Bilbao to success?
chalkontheboots: Bielsa - method in the madness
Worldsoccer: The genius of El Loco
[video=youtube;yAEvOHCOeRw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAEvOHCOeRw[/video]
[video=youtube;eTKiMGYN9eQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTKiMGYN9eQ[/video]
[video=youtube;AVC7Tfzo6r8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVC7Tfzo6r8[/video]
Which brings me neatly on to..
2. Always keep a spare man at the back
3 at the back vs 2 strikers. 4 at the back vs 1 striker
Lone striker usually has to press 2 CBs.
Spare man isn't one particular CB, but whoever isn't with the striker.
3. Heavy relentless pressing everywhere + high defensive line
Wingers press full backs, central midfielders press central midfielders, full-backs press wingers. High fitness levels and great stamina are needed in order to implement this. The high defensive line means the team can be susceptible to counter-attacks
4. Man-to-man marking (almost) everywhere
The home game to Barcelona in 11-12 is a great example of this (see video 3 above). Players stick to their man even if they are dragged way out of position - it doesn't matter so much because whoever takes advantage of that space is also accompanied by a marker.
5. Wing-backs
Attacking when in possession, often cutting inside as the wingers stretch the opposition
6. Quick transitions + verticality but also good possession
Once you have the ball, attack. Holding the ball at the back turns to direct passing going forward. Athletic under Bielsa were less direct then Chile, and the build-up play was more patient (Athletic were 3rd for possession in La Liga 2011-12).
7. Centre-backs with good passing skills
Bielsa has used numerous defensive midfielders in defence (Javi Martinez, Arturo Vidal, Gary Medel) - they are quick to cover, and they are better passers than most CBs. The team playing high up the field also contributes to this.
Problems trying to recreate tactics
1. Man-marking
In FM, players will stick to their men even when it makes no sense to. In a game I had just lost possession from a corner and opposition were counter-attacking. I had two men back, but the defender who the opponent was running at literally ran out of the way to go mark his man.
So players don't use their 'sense'/AI to get back into position, they just blindly follow the instructions.
2. The fluid spare man
You can obviously only pick one man as cover, with the other/s marking the opposition forward/s. So there's no way to defend fluidly (i.e. one defender marks & the other covers and vice-versa depending on where the forward is). Playing a proper sweeper would destroy the offside trap.
3. Direct passing + keeping possession
I started off giving a team order for short passing + keep possession, with the front 3 and two CMs instructed to play more direct passes. This meant that, although we kept possession well, transitions were too slow.
So then I changed to a team order for direct passing, and the defensive players instructed to play short passes. When I did this, possession was poor, and there were a lot of misplace passes in attack.
The keeper seems to just kick it wherever he wants whatever I tell him to do.
4. Breaking up counter-attacks
There is no way to tell players to commit fouls on purpose once you have been caught out, so tactical fouling in order to kill an opposition counter-attack is out of the window.
Mentality: Counter
Fluidity: Fluid
The fluidity and mentality are things I have wondered about changing.
Fluid or very fluid? I have never seen much difference in the on-pitch product. Could even make an argument for rigid given the defensive style.
Should mentality be overload? Relentless attacking is Bielsa, but quickly getting the ball forward is too. Hmm..
These are something everyone will have a different view on - there isn't a definitive answer, just our own interpretations.
GK: Pass it shorter, take quick throws
FBs: Mark tighter, close down more, cut inside with ball, get further forward, pass it shorter, shoot less often
DCs: Mark tighter, pass it shorter, tackle harder
DM: Mark tighter, close down more, pass it shorter, tackle harder
MCs: Mark tighter, close down more, more direct passes, tackle harder, dribble less
Ws: More direct passes, stay wider, run wide with ball, get further forward, roam from position
STC: Mark tighter
(all underlined are essential, the rest can depend on what players you're working with)
Set Pieces: Corners are short, because the CBs are told to stay back - FBs are pulled out of position if we lose the corner due to their marking responsibilities (see 1. in the problems section above). CBs also stay back at free-kicks for the same reason. Throw-ins taken quickly.
The players: Everybody on the pitch needs to have (relatively) good stats for stamina, marking, workrate, positioning. This tactic won't work for any old team - you need defensively aware wingers and a strong hard-working striker.
The CBs are both set to defend because I feel that's a better compromise than one covering and one stopper - one of them will pick up the striker in any case.
Two BBMs because my midfielders aren't creative enough, but one of those should be a playmaker in real life.
DWs are needed so they actually track back. Also haven't noticed any drop in attacking with this role.
Obviously you have to set everyone but the CBs + ST to mark a man because that's what this thing is based around. While it isn't true-to-life, sometimes I set the ST to mark the opposition's best CB passer.
Other thoughts: Despite the look of it, its still a very attacking tactic (even with nobody set to attack and the mentality as counter). It is the aggressiveness and reactivity of the tactic that make it attacking.
I just remembered that I have the pitch size is 90x55 (max for Osasuna is 112x71). This must be a reason for why I am doing very well at home.
The marking fits perfectly against a 4-2-3-1. When I play against a 4-1-2-3 like mine I shift the anchorman forward to a BWM(d) and use him to mark their DM.
I have tried out a 3-3-1-3/3-4-3 against teams with two strikers, but defensively those matches have been disasters for reasons explained below.
How it has gone so far
6th in the table after 13 matches with the 3rd highest scored and 2nd highest conceded. A lot more goals than a team like this should be scoring, and performing above the media expectation of 15th place so far.
The bad results have been against two strikers, except the Bilbao game (when I was still tweaking the tactic). I tried 3 at the back with two man-markers against Atletico, Levante and Sociedad, but the spare man always ended up playing people onside. The wing-backs also tended to lose their man more often than they do in a back 4.
I don't really know how to make this 3-3-1-3 work.
Possession is pretty good considering my best passer who regularly starts is only 13 for passing - 62, 52, 54, 55, 48, 53, 54, 48, 39, 52, 53, 48, 51 (league games). I think performances are slowing down a bit due to lack of rotation + me disabling first window transfers by accident.
Lots of shots - 18-25 is the average, haven't checked back on all the chances created but there are quite a few in each game for sure.
Getting interceptions and tackles in the opponents half too which shows the marking and hassling is working.
Anyway, it's a fun tactic and the movement and pressing have made it genuinely exciting to watch. It has been a success so far, and seems to replicate Bielsa's style better than anything I have tried before.
I've included the tactic so anyone can download and try it out and make suggestions etc..
I would particularly welcome help for the Bielsa-style 3 man defence.
Feel free to ask questions also, because I accidentally deleted a chunk of this post before and have probably missed some stuff out.
Of course everyone who has seen Marcelo Bielsa's Chile and Athletic sides (Newell's and Argentina too if you're older) knows what he's all about and how exciting the football can be. His disciples include managers like Pep Guardiola and Tata Martino, and he is one of the most stubborn and committed managers in football today.
This is my attempt at recreating Bielsa-style tactics in FM14.
Here are some videos and articles if you want to know more..
Guardian: Bilbao's Bielsa - obsessive and dangerous for United's chances
Guardian: Why Chilean football is set for a revolution
ESPN: Can El Loco lead Bilbao to success?
chalkontheboots: Bielsa - method in the madness
Worldsoccer: The genius of El Loco
[video=youtube;yAEvOHCOeRw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAEvOHCOeRw[/video]
[video=youtube;eTKiMGYN9eQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTKiMGYN9eQ[/video]
[video=youtube;AVC7Tfzo6r8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVC7Tfzo6r8[/video]
Summary of Bielsa's tactics
1. He generally plays either a 3-3-1-3 or 4-3-3
Which brings me neatly on to..
2. Always keep a spare man at the back
3 at the back vs 2 strikers. 4 at the back vs 1 striker
Lone striker usually has to press 2 CBs.
Spare man isn't one particular CB, but whoever isn't with the striker.
3. Heavy relentless pressing everywhere + high defensive line
Wingers press full backs, central midfielders press central midfielders, full-backs press wingers. High fitness levels and great stamina are needed in order to implement this. The high defensive line means the team can be susceptible to counter-attacks
4. Man-to-man marking (almost) everywhere
The home game to Barcelona in 11-12 is a great example of this (see video 3 above). Players stick to their man even if they are dragged way out of position - it doesn't matter so much because whoever takes advantage of that space is also accompanied by a marker.
5. Wing-backs
Attacking when in possession, often cutting inside as the wingers stretch the opposition
6. Quick transitions + verticality but also good possession
Once you have the ball, attack. Holding the ball at the back turns to direct passing going forward. Athletic under Bielsa were less direct then Chile, and the build-up play was more patient (Athletic were 3rd for possession in La Liga 2011-12).
7. Centre-backs with good passing skills
Bielsa has used numerous defensive midfielders in defence (Javi Martinez, Arturo Vidal, Gary Medel) - they are quick to cover, and they are better passers than most CBs. The team playing high up the field also contributes to this.
Problems trying to recreate tactics
1. Man-marking
In FM, players will stick to their men even when it makes no sense to. In a game I had just lost possession from a corner and opposition were counter-attacking. I had two men back, but the defender who the opponent was running at literally ran out of the way to go mark his man.
So players don't use their 'sense'/AI to get back into position, they just blindly follow the instructions.
2. The fluid spare man
You can obviously only pick one man as cover, with the other/s marking the opposition forward/s. So there's no way to defend fluidly (i.e. one defender marks & the other covers and vice-versa depending on where the forward is). Playing a proper sweeper would destroy the offside trap.
3. Direct passing + keeping possession
I started off giving a team order for short passing + keep possession, with the front 3 and two CMs instructed to play more direct passes. This meant that, although we kept possession well, transitions were too slow.
So then I changed to a team order for direct passing, and the defensive players instructed to play short passes. When I did this, possession was poor, and there were a lot of misplace passes in attack.
The keeper seems to just kick it wherever he wants whatever I tell him to do.
4. Breaking up counter-attacks
There is no way to tell players to commit fouls on purpose once you have been caught out, so tactical fouling in order to kill an opposition counter-attack is out of the window.
Mentality: Counter
Fluidity: Fluid
The fluidity and mentality are things I have wondered about changing.
Fluid or very fluid? I have never seen much difference in the on-pitch product. Could even make an argument for rigid given the defensive style.
Should mentality be overload? Relentless attacking is Bielsa, but quickly getting the ball forward is too. Hmm..
These are something everyone will have a different view on - there isn't a definitive answer, just our own interpretations.
GK: Pass it shorter, take quick throws
FBs: Mark tighter, close down more, cut inside with ball, get further forward, pass it shorter, shoot less often
DCs: Mark tighter, pass it shorter, tackle harder
DM: Mark tighter, close down more, pass it shorter, tackle harder
MCs: Mark tighter, close down more, more direct passes, tackle harder, dribble less
Ws: More direct passes, stay wider, run wide with ball, get further forward, roam from position
STC: Mark tighter
(all underlined are essential, the rest can depend on what players you're working with)
Set Pieces: Corners are short, because the CBs are told to stay back - FBs are pulled out of position if we lose the corner due to their marking responsibilities (see 1. in the problems section above). CBs also stay back at free-kicks for the same reason. Throw-ins taken quickly.
The players: Everybody on the pitch needs to have (relatively) good stats for stamina, marking, workrate, positioning. This tactic won't work for any old team - you need defensively aware wingers and a strong hard-working striker.
The CBs are both set to defend because I feel that's a better compromise than one covering and one stopper - one of them will pick up the striker in any case.
Two BBMs because my midfielders aren't creative enough, but one of those should be a playmaker in real life.
DWs are needed so they actually track back. Also haven't noticed any drop in attacking with this role.
Obviously you have to set everyone but the CBs + ST to mark a man because that's what this thing is based around. While it isn't true-to-life, sometimes I set the ST to mark the opposition's best CB passer.
Other thoughts: Despite the look of it, its still a very attacking tactic (even with nobody set to attack and the mentality as counter). It is the aggressiveness and reactivity of the tactic that make it attacking.
I just remembered that I have the pitch size is 90x55 (max for Osasuna is 112x71). This must be a reason for why I am doing very well at home.
The marking fits perfectly against a 4-2-3-1. When I play against a 4-1-2-3 like mine I shift the anchorman forward to a BWM(d) and use him to mark their DM.
I have tried out a 3-3-1-3/3-4-3 against teams with two strikers, but defensively those matches have been disasters for reasons explained below.
How it has gone so far
6th in the table after 13 matches with the 3rd highest scored and 2nd highest conceded. A lot more goals than a team like this should be scoring, and performing above the media expectation of 15th place so far.
The bad results have been against two strikers, except the Bilbao game (when I was still tweaking the tactic). I tried 3 at the back with two man-markers against Atletico, Levante and Sociedad, but the spare man always ended up playing people onside. The wing-backs also tended to lose their man more often than they do in a back 4.
I don't really know how to make this 3-3-1-3 work.
Possession is pretty good considering my best passer who regularly starts is only 13 for passing - 62, 52, 54, 55, 48, 53, 54, 48, 39, 52, 53, 48, 51 (league games). I think performances are slowing down a bit due to lack of rotation + me disabling first window transfers by accident.
Lots of shots - 18-25 is the average, haven't checked back on all the chances created but there are quite a few in each game for sure.
Getting interceptions and tackles in the opponents half too which shows the marking and hassling is working.
Anyway, it's a fun tactic and the movement and pressing have made it genuinely exciting to watch. It has been a success so far, and seems to replicate Bielsa's style better than anything I have tried before.
I've included the tactic so anyone can download and try it out and make suggestions etc..
I would particularly welcome help for the Bielsa-style 3 man defence.
Feel free to ask questions also, because I accidentally deleted a chunk of this post before and have probably missed some stuff out.
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