BULLETPROOF!
To some, my username may ring a bell. To others, it may not. However what remains the same is my love for counter-attacking football, defensive football, boring football. Over the years - when time has allowed me to do so - I've shared a handful of successful implementations of Jose Mourinho's tactics in previous versions of the game, as well as imitations of the likes of Ranieri's Leicester & Pulis's Stoke City.
We now find ourselves in a new era - an era where defensive football is unfortunately shunned by many in world football, an era where even the Football Manager engine seems to favour short passing, possession based tactics. Yet despite that, we see teams like Leicester prosper doing the impossible. We see managers like Mourinho winning numerous titles on his return to Stamford Bridge and English football, despite being constantly snubbed by the media all season long for apparently not playing in an 'attractive' way.
"There is a team that plays really well, the ball goes and goes and goes.
The quality of the ball possession is really beautiful, but no goals.
Unfortunately that bigger percentage of ball possession doesn't win matches
and they were not champions."
Jose Mourinho on Arsenal (May 2015)
To celebrate the fact that I finally have more free time in my life to play Football Manager (last time I had this much free time for FM was in 2012), I decided to implement Mourinho's approach to his title winning Chelsea side in his first season at Stamford Bridge. This was successful in the beta, however I've found that after the full release of Football Manager 2017, certain player instructions have started behaving differently which has changed the style of play slightly. Regardless, the tactic still remains fundamentally solid and despite not mimicking the exact Chelsea approach (which I will release in a future thread - so keep an eye out for that), I have decided to still share this tactic with you all with which I have achieved great success.
Like all tactics I have shared in the past, I'm not claiming this is a super tactic that will win guarantee you silverware at the push of a button. In fact, most tactics I've shared in the past are just successful recreations of certain real life philosophies - meaning there is no guarantee of success with the wrong squad of players. However with the right players and the right micromanagement from yourself, this should at least give you a solid basis for further tweaking and hopefully years of success to come on your save, playing what I believe is the right way of playing the beautiful game.
THE FORMATION
The shape is a 4-1-4-1, however in reality I see it more as a 4-3-3. In previous Football Manager editions, back in the days of sliders, it was possible to make players in the AML/AMR positions to track back more using the "runs from deep" yellow arrows without enforcing man marking on wingers. For this reason, the wide players have been set to Inside Forwards and their base position which represents their position on the pitch off the ball ensures they track back.
Other than that, the rest is rather self explanatory. Defend deep, work hard & take advantage of the numerical advantage in the middle of the park where possible. Look for pace and defensive solidity on the full backs. Think of your Anchorman as your Makelele type of player, strong in the tackle, your gladiator. Your Ball Winner meanwhile is your long distance runner, a hard worker but also a player who possesses the technical ability to contribute going forward. Meanwhile your final central midfielder is your Lampard, fantastic technically, will shoot plenty from distance, as close to a world class central midfielder as you can get. This lad will also get plenty of assists, playing through balls to the front three. As for the wingers, think versatile, think Eden Hazard or Damien Duff. Two different types of wide players, but in many ways, jacks of many trades. Pace, dribbling, a huge threat going forward. The tactic allows plenty of freedom for the wide players to do as they like, so as long as it is someone who is technically strong, pacey and direct, it should be fine. Finally you have your Costa, your Drogba, your Gudjohnsen, your Ibrahimovic - the big lad up front with that something special. Your fans love him, he's a God to them... however everyone else? Hates him. He hassles defenders, argues with the referee, he's everywhere at once... you get what I mean when I say "that something special", don't you?
THE OPPOSITION INSTRUCTIONS
Do not set these to anything by default. However, I recommend depending on your opponents formation to set their wide positions to show on to 'Weaker Foot' at the start of each game. If over time you find you have certain bogey opponents (e.g. Arsenal and OP Giroud who seems to never miss a header) then it is easy to nullify them by making varied input yourself. I firmly believe the days of plug & play are over and you need to at least micromanage your team slightly to get the best out of them.
Note: Against stronger teams, simply select "Retain Possession".
THE TRAINING REGIME
Again, micromanagement is required. It seems that tactical familiarity now decreases during seasons and is based around players going off on international breaks as well as injuries. This means you will have to constantly be pro-active and change your regime. In pre-season, I like to put a high emphasis on match tactics. Then once familiarity is achieved, I address the area that I feel will benefit the team the most based off performances. I always keep match training on match tactics and adjust the slider whenever it seems familiarity is dropping off. Don't over-complicate things and just ensure your backroom staff are solid.
THE RESULTS
Note: This is a Counter-Attacking tactic. The focus should be on how victory is attained through defensive stability, a high number of clean sheets & consistency rather than goals scored.
Chelsea - Tactic Building Save
(A lot of tweaking occurred during the season & beta,
which will be the cause of some of the poorer results
as well as poor morale which I did not care about)
Chelsea - Final Tactic Test on FM17 Release Match Engine
Blackburn Rovers (Predicted: 19th) - Final Tactic Test on FM17 Release Match Engine
THE DOWNLOAD
DOWNLOAD
THE CONCLUSION
Again, would like to emphasize that this is a Counter-Attacking tactic. You will score goals that are not derived from playing on the break too, however the end goal is to produce a solid ecosystem. If you can't concede, you can't lose. In conclusion, good luck to whoever tries out this tactic. But don't panic if you end each match with 10-20% less possession than your opponents... quality over quantity. The same applies to shots.
I often stream when I'm messing around with new tactics on FM17, so if you're in to Twitchy things, feel free to drop me a follow on there too:
www.twitch.tv/KYAN1TE
Thanks!
To some, my username may ring a bell. To others, it may not. However what remains the same is my love for counter-attacking football, defensive football, boring football. Over the years - when time has allowed me to do so - I've shared a handful of successful implementations of Jose Mourinho's tactics in previous versions of the game, as well as imitations of the likes of Ranieri's Leicester & Pulis's Stoke City.
We now find ourselves in a new era - an era where defensive football is unfortunately shunned by many in world football, an era where even the Football Manager engine seems to favour short passing, possession based tactics. Yet despite that, we see teams like Leicester prosper doing the impossible. We see managers like Mourinho winning numerous titles on his return to Stamford Bridge and English football, despite being constantly snubbed by the media all season long for apparently not playing in an 'attractive' way.
"There is a team that plays really well, the ball goes and goes and goes.
The quality of the ball possession is really beautiful, but no goals.
Unfortunately that bigger percentage of ball possession doesn't win matches
and they were not champions."
Jose Mourinho on Arsenal (May 2015)
To celebrate the fact that I finally have more free time in my life to play Football Manager (last time I had this much free time for FM was in 2012), I decided to implement Mourinho's approach to his title winning Chelsea side in his first season at Stamford Bridge. This was successful in the beta, however I've found that after the full release of Football Manager 2017, certain player instructions have started behaving differently which has changed the style of play slightly. Regardless, the tactic still remains fundamentally solid and despite not mimicking the exact Chelsea approach (which I will release in a future thread - so keep an eye out for that), I have decided to still share this tactic with you all with which I have achieved great success.
Like all tactics I have shared in the past, I'm not claiming this is a super tactic that will win guarantee you silverware at the push of a button. In fact, most tactics I've shared in the past are just successful recreations of certain real life philosophies - meaning there is no guarantee of success with the wrong squad of players. However with the right players and the right micromanagement from yourself, this should at least give you a solid basis for further tweaking and hopefully years of success to come on your save, playing what I believe is the right way of playing the beautiful game.
THE FORMATION
The shape is a 4-1-4-1, however in reality I see it more as a 4-3-3. In previous Football Manager editions, back in the days of sliders, it was possible to make players in the AML/AMR positions to track back more using the "runs from deep" yellow arrows without enforcing man marking on wingers. For this reason, the wide players have been set to Inside Forwards and their base position which represents their position on the pitch off the ball ensures they track back.
Other than that, the rest is rather self explanatory. Defend deep, work hard & take advantage of the numerical advantage in the middle of the park where possible. Look for pace and defensive solidity on the full backs. Think of your Anchorman as your Makelele type of player, strong in the tackle, your gladiator. Your Ball Winner meanwhile is your long distance runner, a hard worker but also a player who possesses the technical ability to contribute going forward. Meanwhile your final central midfielder is your Lampard, fantastic technically, will shoot plenty from distance, as close to a world class central midfielder as you can get. This lad will also get plenty of assists, playing through balls to the front three. As for the wingers, think versatile, think Eden Hazard or Damien Duff. Two different types of wide players, but in many ways, jacks of many trades. Pace, dribbling, a huge threat going forward. The tactic allows plenty of freedom for the wide players to do as they like, so as long as it is someone who is technically strong, pacey and direct, it should be fine. Finally you have your Costa, your Drogba, your Gudjohnsen, your Ibrahimovic - the big lad up front with that something special. Your fans love him, he's a God to them... however everyone else? Hates him. He hassles defenders, argues with the referee, he's everywhere at once... you get what I mean when I say "that something special", don't you?
THE OPPOSITION INSTRUCTIONS
Do not set these to anything by default. However, I recommend depending on your opponents formation to set their wide positions to show on to 'Weaker Foot' at the start of each game. If over time you find you have certain bogey opponents (e.g. Arsenal and OP Giroud who seems to never miss a header) then it is easy to nullify them by making varied input yourself. I firmly believe the days of plug & play are over and you need to at least micromanage your team slightly to get the best out of them.
Note: Against stronger teams, simply select "Retain Possession".
THE TRAINING REGIME
Again, micromanagement is required. It seems that tactical familiarity now decreases during seasons and is based around players going off on international breaks as well as injuries. This means you will have to constantly be pro-active and change your regime. In pre-season, I like to put a high emphasis on match tactics. Then once familiarity is achieved, I address the area that I feel will benefit the team the most based off performances. I always keep match training on match tactics and adjust the slider whenever it seems familiarity is dropping off. Don't over-complicate things and just ensure your backroom staff are solid.
THE RESULTS
Note: This is a Counter-Attacking tactic. The focus should be on how victory is attained through defensive stability, a high number of clean sheets & consistency rather than goals scored.
Chelsea - Tactic Building Save
(A lot of tweaking occurred during the season & beta,
which will be the cause of some of the poorer results
as well as poor morale which I did not care about)
Chelsea - Final Tactic Test on FM17 Release Match Engine
Blackburn Rovers (Predicted: 19th) - Final Tactic Test on FM17 Release Match Engine
THE DOWNLOAD
DOWNLOAD
THE CONCLUSION
Again, would like to emphasize that this is a Counter-Attacking tactic. You will score goals that are not derived from playing on the break too, however the end goal is to produce a solid ecosystem. If you can't concede, you can't lose. In conclusion, good luck to whoever tries out this tactic. But don't panic if you end each match with 10-20% less possession than your opponents... quality over quantity. The same applies to shots.
I often stream when I'm messing around with new tactics on FM17, so if you're in to Twitchy things, feel free to drop me a follow on there too:
www.twitch.tv/KYAN1TE
Thanks!
Please Note: Latest patch (17.1.2) has significantly hindered how this tactic performs (despite SI claiming absolutely no ME changes were made).
May still get the job done with Chelsea and other stronger teams, but is doing poorly with lower league teams now e.g. Blackburn.
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