ParkThePlane 4-3-1-2 v1
Note: I do not claim to be a Tactical Magician. I do not claim this will win you the Quadruple every season. I have simply toiled hours upon end to bring you the closest tactic I could to the one The Special One uses in real life.
Many have tried to emulate José Mourinho tactics in the past, and have often failed. The Special One is known for his tactical stubborness and well known for doing whatever it takes to win - hence the ParkThePlane name of the tactic. (For those of you who do not understand the ParkThePlane reference, refer to the ParkTheBus saying, as well as Mourinho's post-match interview after Inter Milan vs Barcelona, Champions League Semi-Final.)
ParkThePlane is similar to a 4-1-2-1-2, although I like to think of it as a 4-3-1-2, with the Defensive Midfielder and the two Central Midfielders working as a unit, as they do for Mourinho. Used mainly with the Champions League winning Porto side in 2004, but also occasionally used with Chelsea, Inter Milan and more recently, Real Madrid.
Due to the sheer complexity of the tactic this is version 1, and I am very much open to advise, feedback and constructive criticism. There will certainly be changes made, and as the Match Engine changes from Demo to Real Thing, I will also accomodate changes into the ParkThePlane tactic to maximise realism and success.
Goalkeeper - Sweeper Keeper - Support
Right Back - Wing Back - Support
Right Centre Back - Central Defender - Defend
Left Centre Back - Central Defender - Defend
Left Back - Wing Back - Support
Defensive Midfielder - Anchor Man - Defend
Left Central Midfielder - Box-To-Box Midfielder - Support
Right Central Midfielder - Ball Winning Midfielder - Support
Centre Attacking Midfielder - Advanced Playmaker - Attack
Right Striker - Target Man - Support
Left Striker - Advanced Striker - Attack
"I don't say we are a defensive team. I say we are a strong team in defensive terms."
Mourinho has never openly admitted his defensive attitude towards tactics, and has often encouraged attacking, flowing football. Therefore, the tactic needs a good balance of both attack and defense, rather than being completely aimed at not conceding. Therefore, the CAM is given a Free Role. Much like Wesley Sneijder, Frank Lampard, Deco at Inter, Chelsea and Porto respectively, Mourinho has always had a playmaker who can produce fantastic service to a front one, two or three. These playmakers are often the key men in Mourinho's attack.
The Right Back and Left Back are also highly important in Mourinho's team and are often underrated in terms of their role when Mourinho tactics are emulated in Football Manager. Mourinho has always had attacking Full Backs, and with no-one in front of them in this formation, they are encouraged to bomb forward. Paulo Ferreria and Nuno Valente wre highly successful in these roles in the 2003/04 season in which Porto won the Champions League.
The Defensive Midfielder acts as another Centre Back and as an Anchor Man, is just another line of defense. The Central Midfielders are also fairly important, and when the ball is shipped forward, a decent LCM can result in an overload of the opposition defense, which occured when Axel Witsel (£2million signing for Sunderland, in my Tactic Tester save), completely ran Manchester United ragged on our way to a 3-0 victory.
Just a few of the very decent results I was getting when I tested this tactic.
As I said, I'm new to tactic-making, so definately open to any feedback or just any general comments anyone has. As I said at the beginning of this post, it's very very tricky to make tactics that resemble the ones Mourinho puts out, but I've done my best and I am welcome to hear your two cents.
Cheers,
Eds.
