rocheyb
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I've recently been operating a 3-5-2 formation that, while it's vulnerable in the channels at the back, works well with a flat midfield five with a dribble-happy Advanced Playmaker in the centre, surging forward with the ball from deep - starting from the M(C) position.
Upfront, I've been trying to rotate 6 players into 2 slots - a False9 and an Advanced Forward. What I'm finding is:
- If you play two left-footers, then the F-9 should be on the right and the AF should be on the left.
- If you play two right-footers, the F-9 should be on the left and the AF should be on the right.
- If you're playing one of each, make sure the AF is on his preferred side.
A left-footed AF running into the inside-left channel will often have already beaten the full-back thanks to the through ball. So with only the centre-back to deal with, the AF wants the ball on his left foot - the wrong side for the defender - making it difficult to block from the striker's right side. Shots can be struck into the top or bottom corner straight ahead or, from closer to goal, across the keeper into the far bottom corner. If he's going down the inside-left at pace on his right foot, his range of motion is restricted, making it more difficult to shoot across goal and easier for the defender to tackle from his own "correct" side.
A False9 tends not to take shots on the run like the AF, but rather try to pick his spot. A left-footed False9, who is prepared to shoot from a little further out, wants to turn infield from right-of-centre, onto his left foot to give him the whole goal to aim at. From left of the D on the edge of the area, he can only really aim into the far corner. If he's a confident long-range shooter then he doesn't need to beat the defenders. But if he's good with close control, he can sometimes be played in or dribble behind a centre-back, at which point opening his body up to take aim at the whole goal also places himself between the defender and the ball - making a legal challenge more difficult.
For right-footed players, just reverse the above!
I settled on two left-footers as my preferred starters, for a while. Then, while rotating, I put two right-footers in and swapped the roles over accordingly. I've had hat-tricks out of both AFs recently and the left-footed F-9 leads the Premier League scoring charts in November with 17 goals already. I also got a debut goal from another left-footed AF, a 16 year-old academy regen with 4.5 star potential.
The F-9 will often play the AF in behind the defence with a short incisive pass, and a good AF will always look for scraps if the F-9's shot is parried by the goalkeeper, blocked by a defender or comes back off the woodwork.
Upfront, I've been trying to rotate 6 players into 2 slots - a False9 and an Advanced Forward. What I'm finding is:
- If you play two left-footers, then the F-9 should be on the right and the AF should be on the left.
- If you play two right-footers, the F-9 should be on the left and the AF should be on the right.
- If you're playing one of each, make sure the AF is on his preferred side.
A left-footed AF running into the inside-left channel will often have already beaten the full-back thanks to the through ball. So with only the centre-back to deal with, the AF wants the ball on his left foot - the wrong side for the defender - making it difficult to block from the striker's right side. Shots can be struck into the top or bottom corner straight ahead or, from closer to goal, across the keeper into the far bottom corner. If he's going down the inside-left at pace on his right foot, his range of motion is restricted, making it more difficult to shoot across goal and easier for the defender to tackle from his own "correct" side.
A False9 tends not to take shots on the run like the AF, but rather try to pick his spot. A left-footed False9, who is prepared to shoot from a little further out, wants to turn infield from right-of-centre, onto his left foot to give him the whole goal to aim at. From left of the D on the edge of the area, he can only really aim into the far corner. If he's a confident long-range shooter then he doesn't need to beat the defenders. But if he's good with close control, he can sometimes be played in or dribble behind a centre-back, at which point opening his body up to take aim at the whole goal also places himself between the defender and the ball - making a legal challenge more difficult.
For right-footed players, just reverse the above!
I settled on two left-footers as my preferred starters, for a while. Then, while rotating, I put two right-footers in and swapped the roles over accordingly. I've had hat-tricks out of both AFs recently and the left-footed F-9 leads the Premier League scoring charts in November with 17 goals already. I also got a debut goal from another left-footed AF, a 16 year-old academy regen with 4.5 star potential.
The F-9 will often play the AF in behind the defence with a short incisive pass, and a good AF will always look for scraps if the F-9's shot is parried by the goalkeeper, blocked by a defender or comes back off the woodwork.
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