JOSE' LUIS MENDILIBAR'S OLYMPIAKOS 4-2-3-1 WON THE DOUBLE 99 GS 21 AG

[fmcalciomaestro]

Tactical Emulation of José Luis Mendilibar's 2024-25 Olympiacos on Football Manager 2024

Following a historic Conference League victory and a promising start to the 2024-25 season, José Luis Mendilibar's Olympiacos presents an intriguing tactical blueprint to replicate in the virtual world of Football Manager 2024. The Basque coach has instilled a pragmatic and effective style of play in the Greek team, based on defensive solidity, rapid transitions, and a direct attacking approach. In this article, we will explore how to emulate the key characteristics of his Olympiacos in the popular football simulation game.

The Fundamental Principles of "Mendilibarism" to Translate into FM24:

• Defensive Solidity and Medium Block: The foundation of Mendilibar's success is an organized and compact defense. In FM24, this translates to setting a medium defensive block with a much higher defensive line to reduce the gaps between the two lines maintaining compactness and the instruction trap outside to protect the central area, keeping the opponents far from the box and forcing them to play near the touchline where it is easier to win the ball back.
• Double Pivot as a Protective Shield: The duo formed by a more positional defensive midfielder and one with distribution duties is crucial. In FM24, we can replicate this with a Defensive Midfielder (Defend) and a Ball Winning Midfielder (Support). Assigning individual instructions such as tackle harder, mark tighter, take fewer risks can emphasize their role as a screen in front of the defense. Moreover, they should be instructed to try more direct passes.
• Long Ball as the Primary Build-up Option: Abandoning elaborate possession play, Olympiacos often seeks immediate verticalization. In FM24, the team instruction slightly more direct passing and setting take long kicks for the goalkeeper will reflect this tendency. You can also individually instruct the central defenders to more direct passes
• Wide Full-backs for Width and crosses: Rodinei and Ortega provide width without overly unbalancing the team. In FM24, Full-Backs (Support) with individual instructions like cross from deep, cross more often, stay wider and take fewer risks can emulate their offensive contribution from the final third.
• Inverting Wingers to Attack the Center: The dynamic of wingers cutting inside is fundamental for creating danger. In FM24, setting the Inverted Winger (Attack) with the individual instruction cross more often and, to mimic their role as part of the first pressing line, the instruction tackle harder should be added.
• Dynamic Attacking Midfielder as a Connector: The "number 10" is the hub of the offensive play. An Attacking Midfielder (Support) in FM24, with instructions like move into channels, roaming from position, get further forward that can replicate his ability to link play and make runs into the box. As for the wingers, the instruction tackle harder should also be added.
• Striker as a Pivot and First Defender: The central striker is crucial both for aerial duels and pressing. A Pressing Forward (Attacl)) with instructions like roaming from position can reflect his dual role.
• Rapid Transitions: The switch from defense to attack needs to be quick. In FM24, setting Counter as the attacking transition instruction and counterpress as the defensive transition instruction can simulate the immediate reaction to losing the ball and the subsequent quick restart.

Key Formation and Instructions in FM24:

A possible starting formation to emulate Mendilibar's Olympiacos in FM24 could be a 4-2-3-1 with the following team instructions:

• Mentality: balanced
• Attacking Width: fairly wide
• Build Up: slightly more direct passing
• Tempo: slightly higher
• Transition - On Losing Ball: counterpress
• Transition - On Winning Ball: counter
• In Possession: low crosses, run at defense
• Out of Possession: middle block, much higher defensive line, much more often pressing, prevent short gk distribution, get stuck in, step up more, trap outside.

Individual roles and instructions

Goalkeeper: goalkeeper, defend, take fewer risks.

Central Defenders: no-nonsense central defender, tackle harder

Full-backs: full-back, support, stay wider, cross more often, cross from deep, take fewer risks.

Right defensive midfielder: defensive midfielder, defend, tackle harder, mark tighter, more direct passes, take fewer risks.

Left defensive midfielder: ball winning midfielder, support, more direct passes, take fewer risks, mark tighter.

Wingers: inverted winger, cross more often, tackle harder.

Attacking Midfielder: attacking midfielder, support, get further forward, move into channels, roaming from position, tackle harder.

Striker: pressing forward, roam from position.

Final Thoughts:

Perfectly emulating a real-life tactic in Football Manager is a challenge, but understanding the key principles and translating them into the game's instructions can lead to surprising results. Mendilibar's Olympiacos offers an interesting blueprint for those who appreciate a defensively solid, quick-transitioning, and spatially lethal style of football.

More details and highlights and stats in my video here

 

[chappers13]

Standard match engine or tweak?