Disclaimer
This is a tactic based on sir Alex Fergusons Man Utd. There are no exploits included and it is not a cheat tactic. You are not going to do a invincibles season (If you have Henry etc then maybe). Read Additional tips for some extra help.Hi there fellow football managers it's Artisan back after a very long hiatus to bring to you guys another tactical recreation for FM14. Like I have said previously, I enjoy football manager the most when I can succesfully recreate a real life tactic and use it sucessfuly.
Tactical Inspiration
As the title suggests this formation will be based on arguably one of the greatest managers to ever grace the beautiful game. Alex Ferguson had a knack for winning things. I mean he was so confident in his winning ability that he bought race horses (H). View attachment 335730
Ferguson was an old fashioned English manager and up until he retired, he stuck to the old fashioned English philosophy of high tempo wing play. Players like Beckham, Giggs, Ronaldo (in his younger days) etc where massively key to his style of play and success. This is what I have tried to emulate with these football manager tactic. Ferguson also believed in structure and efficiency where players knew exactly what was expected of them.
The 4-4-2 seems to be gaining some popularity in recent times with teams like Atletico Madrid and Machester City adopting it.
Tactical Adaptation in Football Manager Engine
As I mentioned in my previous posts, being able to completely recreate a real life tactic in FM is almost impossible, so don't hassle me if your players don't run past 8 players before scoring a 40 yard banana shot with their weaker foot against Real Madrid in the Campions League Finals 
. I have tried to emulate Ferguson as much as possible while trying to maintain stability in the football manager match engine.There are three different tactics; the first being the base tactic which I use most often. The second tactic is a more cautious tactics where them team will play the safer option and try to retain posession and the third, is a more gung-ho one with more caution thrown to the wind.
How the Formation Plays
This formation is all about the wide play with a dual pivot system in the middle. A deeper pivot in the Deep lying Playmaker and a more advanced pivot in the Box-to-Box midfielder. The Wingers will look to run at oppositon defence before delivering a killer cross to the forward players. One of the strikers drops deep to support the midfield ehile the other one is more advanced. This creates diamond structures around the pitch. View attachment 335725
The image above shows the diamond shapes that form. This is the the average positions for the base tactic.
Sir Alex argued in an interview conducted by Gialuca Vialli, that he never throughout his united carrier used the traditional 4-4-2 and instead used a 4-2-3-1. Based on the player roles seen above, the formation transforms into a 4-2-3-1 with the advanced wingers and deeper forward
On-field Partnerships
The Centrebacks have different roles. Think about Vidic and Ferdinand. The Limited defender (VIdic) is the rock in your defence. He will look to mark opposition strikers into non existence leaving them feeling lonley on the pitch. He will not be the most technically gifted player and will be in charge of winning most headers. The ball playing defender (Ferdinand) will be in charge of covering any loose balls/passes that might fall behind his defensive partner. He is comfortable on the ball and will usually try to make himself another passin option for the players around him.The Central Midfielders as mentioned before work as a double pivot. Think of them as midfield generals. In my formation, I use a DLP and BBM combination. This is not exactly how Fergusons set up but remember what I said previously about stability. Both these players have to good on the ball going forward and competent defensively. Obviously, the DLP woud need to be more defensively adept while the BBm would need more of an attacking presence
The Fullbacks and Wingers offer I would say about 90%of all the width in this tactic. The other 10 % come from forwards moving into channels. Wide players will be quick direct runners who look to beat opposition fullbacks before delivering killer balls into the box. The Fullbacks will support their respective wingers and will sometimes overlap and deliver crosses as well.
View attachment 335724
The image shows the heatmap of the more attacking variation of the tactic. The AMR can be seen operating in a more central position.
The Strike Partnership is a techical player and atheletic player combination. The techinical player will drop deep and offer extra support in midfield. He will also arrive late in the box and look to get on the end of crosses. The more advanced technical player will need pace to run on to through balls and will look to work off opposition defenders shoulders.
View attachment 335723
The image abopve shows my first 11 during my test save with southampton. As you can see, most of the assists come from the wingers and the False 9. The goals are mainly scored by the strikers . Two of the goals scored by Tadic were penalties which is why he is higher up the scoring charts
[video=youtube_share;TTAiysui8Zo]http://youtu.be/TTAiysui8Zo[/video]
Training
I will mention the training regime I used in my test. this is not what is best but what I used. please cater your own match preparation and training to your own team requirements.
If you buy a lot of players then focus on team cohesion for about 2 weeks after all players have arrived.
Pre season: No rest before and after matches. Match Prep Max on Tactics Only
During season: Allow rest after match and match focus on defensive positioning (Two clicks)
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Opposition Instructions
I leave opposition instructions to the Assisstant Manager. So try to get a decent one people.Reccomended Player Attributes
Limited Defender
Heading, Marking, Tackling, Anticipation, Concentration, Jumping Reach, Strength, Decision, Positioning.
Ball Playing Defender
Heading, Marking, Tackling, Anticipation, Passing, Positioning, Concentration
Fullback
Crossing, Dribbling, Marking, Tackling, Technique, Aggression, Anticipation, Work Rate, Acceleration, Piositioning, Pace and Stamina
Wingers
Crossing, Dribbling, First touch, Passing, Technique, Anticipation, Off the Ball, Acceleration, Pace
Deep Lying Playmaker
First Touch, Long Shots, Passing, Tackling, Technique, Composure, Creativity, Off the Ball, Team Work, Strength
Box-to-Box Midfielder
First Touch, Passing, Tackling, Technique, Dribbling, Creativity, Off the Ball, Team Work, Work Rate, Stamina.
False 9
Dribbling, Finishing, First touch, Heading, Long Shots, Technique, Anticipation, Composure, Creativity, Off the Ball, Strength
Complete Forward
Dribbling, Finishing, Heading, Technique, Composure, Off the Ball, Acceleration, Pace
Brief Test results
I briefly tested the tactic with Southampton signing a few players to make the team play the way I wanted them to play. The formation played really well with this team and I was unbeaten after 10 competitive matches as seen below. It should be noted that I was lucky in the Chelsea game and the Man Utd game was a topsy turvy one.View attachment 335720
Signings
Nicolas Gaitan (ML)
Ryan Shawcross (DC - Limited Defender)
Jonjo Shelvey (MC - Deep Lying Playmaker)
Brian Oviedo (DL)
Looking at the players I signed, you can see my intent in getting the right personnel for the specified position. Jonjo Shelvey was my second choice after I lost out on Claudio Yacob. Gaitan was an amazing winger (after retraining position) and Shawcross was the tank I needed in defence. Oviedo had all the right stats to play full back and was affordable. The rest of the Southampton team slotted in very well into the system.
View attachment 335719
My testing was not as thorough as it usually is and i am hoping you guys can give this a go and give feedback so that tweaks can be made if needed.
Additional Tips
1. Load up the German League along with any other league you wish to play in and start your save a month earlier in June. This gives tactics more time to gel2. Arrange a lot of very easy pre season friendlies to keep your team morale high when the season starts. Especially the last game before the season starts
3. Rotate you team for cup games. I use an almost completely different starting 11 for Carling Cup games
4. Do not cry if you loose a match. It makes you weak and men are strong, so you must be strong and not cry
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