Since Fm26 is out there but its not up to the expectations (for me atleast) I decided to keep myself with the FM 24.
Decision which gave birth to fruitful tactic employed Westfallen.
As title suggests its a 442, I always like 433's but this time around I decided that I want a 442, old way of playing inspired by the invincible squad but modified to some extent to work within modern game.
NOTE:
Game is running on Tweaked engine, reasons among improvements of game quality is youth development. Game is running on updated DB from sortistroui whatevs its' spelled with transfers up to 1st of September of 25.
So the tactic:
In my case the squad is a bit inverted compared to actual Invincibles since "Henry role" and "Ashley Cole role" are coming off from right since I had access to Yan Couto from game start and LB options in BvB are more defensive minded.
So how does it work and why 442 is good?
People struggle to realize that tactic screen actually shows you defensive formation after whole transition is complete and opposition has possession of the ball.
Once you realize that 442 becomes near perfect form for defence.
The front 2
You have 2 forwards up high, pressing sides and forcing opposing fullbacks to stay low, or punish them if they wonder too high. In 3 CB's scenarios they effectively mark out 3 players out of the match more often then not and in turn cut passing lanes for recycling of possession. in 1DM pivot scenarios the deeper striker(provided he has right attributes) will harass the metronome and again make it harded for opposition to recycle.
2 banks of 4
to simply put it the central quartet (DM CB) is really close and will provide cover again early trough balls, and once in position the DM's will alternate around and keep pressure on opposing AM and CM strata, keeps you rock solid in middle.
On both wings you have 2 players in support mentality who will stay closer together when needed and in turn avoid giving opposition 2v1 or 1v1 scenarios, and since I'm using Invite crosses TI the team will try to trigger press and split teams into wider areas and allow them to cross and block back passing lanes.
We are also pressing higher which is kinda counter-intuitive within the regular 442 systems, but in this scenario I'm using it to intentionally split the front 2 press and in turn wingers join the high press in build-up phases making the effective 4 press system in initial phase of build-up and then move into more cohesive unit if ball progresses.
That is theory behind good defense and attack wins games, defense wins titles.
So what is the idea in offense?
Idea is to have great transitional cappabilities but if that fails idea is to split enemy team, usually football is focused on vertical splits but in this scenario if you see the roles you will see that left and right side combined have near same mentality whilst left is a bit more supportive then right due to AF(A).
Instead of trying to occupy middle of pitch like 433 would do with dropping forward I'll try to dominate both wings and create favorable 1v1 or 2v1 on wings and in turn make an extra player on other side of the pitch which can then score or assist.
For reference we can see that ball is either kept on left or right and shuttled side to side by the DMs and CBs trying to stretch opposition. This constantly shifts the opposition and makes it vulnerable for trough balls.
In a sense we don't have but 1 runner in team if you judge by role alone and that is AF, but in reallity almost whole team will do forward runs.
Reason for doing so is their supportive mentality, the way FM works is that Attack player will focus on penetrating space, but support player will do so only when he feels secure by his teammates who cover for him, so we will have balanced forward runs and late run ins but only once player decides that it is favorable to do so.
The PI's:
LM has stay wider and both CB's have dribble more.
Stay wider is simple I want him to draw the RB out so DLF has more room to slot into and try to disturb the opposition line. Since they are pulled appart Volante can exploit that situation by making a run beyond them both and become the 2nd striker while DLF becomes sort of shadow striker in that scenario, confusing the defence whom to mark.
In scenaro where VOL makes a run but gets marked out either DLF or Winger are clear to progress the ball which leads to possession switch to other side or ti solo run.
On other side we have similar idea but other way around, AF will pin them, so defenders are drawn to him, and rest of team will push up in order to bait a defender to leave him unmarked or mark AF and then suffer from IW or WB.
When all is put together we get 2 halves which work completely different but well together with the same goal.
CB dribble more is simple decision, I don't want him to hoof it, I want him to run with it, invite the press, get trough it and make space for rest of teams.
Modern CB's are not butchers anymore, they have to be able and comfortable with ball in their feet, they are the start of your attack and end of oppositions.
TI reasoning:
Mentality is mainly set to balanced, this will depend on your club reputation, BvB in 3rd season are top of the line club under my managment so I want to keep it stable and try to patiently probe and defend instead of smashing players forward. I also use attacking mentality in couple scenarios.
Counter-intuitive again, I use attacking mentality against stronger sides who focus on possession, in a sense gegen pressing is part of modern game, and teams will try to press you high and fast, attacking mentality aims to exploit that decision, idea is if they press high I want my team to be attacking so the runs come in earlier and expose their high line and at same time give better passing range to my back line players.
Shorter passing is something I try to use so I don't have too many hoofed balls and old style 442 which is pump it up and hope for the best.
Low crosses is something I personally use 99% of time since most the time CBs are way taller then ST.
Higher tempo is simply there to move ball with a bit more of urgency so that enemy can't re-settle in position once exploit is created
Fairly narrow works wonders (for me) combined with Invite crosses, idea is if I'm gonna be exposed I want to be exposed on flanks since my tall CB line will likely be able to deal with crosses.
Counter-press now this and counter attack are instructions which most people just turn on and leave them be, but they have so much impact on game (unless using exploity tactics) that its simply to much to ignore.
I personally use counter-press when I know my team is capable of stopping opposition up high, so when I'm playing less mobile strikers or less technical teams.
Counter is something I use when I know I'm an underdog and team will try to keep themselves on my half of the field.
I use none when I deem it too risky judging by looking at highlights, if I feel like we are trying to press too hard or trying too many futile counters.
I keep both on when I'm desperate and on attacking mentality trying to score late goal.
Why mostly later in game?
Stamina, its a factor in game, if you keep the team fresh for longer time they will outrun and outgun later in game.
I already discussed the defensive part, but its simple, I want to create transitional situations and I want to keep enemy on backfoot all the time, so I press high, I press often and I tackle hard (we gonna get carded either way, so why not on our terms?)
Invite crosses is already covered by transitional ideas.
Point is that I don't use the "same" tactic all the time, its a system of sorts which is suited to opposition but using simple smaller tweaks, I still want them to try and adapt to my game and play it my way.
So 442 is great and all, but, there is always a but, but why don't everyone use 442 then? Well it has a futile flaw, 442 can't afford you any luxury player, and you are near almost always outnumbered in midfield which is the risk of the game.
What do I mean by luxury? You can't afford a low workrate, teamwork, I would even argue low determination and aggression since you need them all to work hard to be willing to go the extra step for the team, to be aware of situation, to be able to do tasks all over the area they are responsible for.
That means whole team is a unit, they attack together, they defend together, you can't allow Inzaghi who is always in offside waiting for it, he has to press, to cut lanes, create pressure and in turn opportunities.
How to find players?
Ideally look for workrate, teamwork above 12, and try above 15 for wings and mid, try to get determination above 15 for whole team. As for aggression I'd say low entry point is somewhere near 11. Rest of attributes are general like in other cases, fast wings, capable of moving the ball and passing, stamina heavy fullbacks and positionally aware, rock steady fast and tall CB's, you can try 1 tall 1 fast, keeping the fast one opposite to FB(S). Rooney on DLF(s) simply put it imo (even as Arsenal fan) near perfect link-up striker, and pacey attacker with great dribling or complete forward, both work, but tactic will play out differently with ie. Endrick in AF(A) who relies on speed and technique alone and Sesko who is fast and tall.
I'm providing the general tactic with post so you can use it on your own will if anyone wants to experiment and play around.
Competitions wise I won it all multiple times, no need to upload needless screenshots, idea of the post is to share game insight and idea how to play the 442.
If people request it I'll post it.
TL;DR 442, its a bit modern, it works, you need workhorses if it starts failing increase mentality.
Decision which gave birth to fruitful tactic employed Westfallen.
As title suggests its a 442, I always like 433's but this time around I decided that I want a 442, old way of playing inspired by the invincible squad but modified to some extent to work within modern game.
NOTE:
Game is running on Tweaked engine, reasons among improvements of game quality is youth development. Game is running on updated DB from sortistroui whatevs its' spelled with transfers up to 1st of September of 25.
So the tactic:
In my case the squad is a bit inverted compared to actual Invincibles since "Henry role" and "Ashley Cole role" are coming off from right since I had access to Yan Couto from game start and LB options in BvB are more defensive minded.
So how does it work and why 442 is good?
People struggle to realize that tactic screen actually shows you defensive formation after whole transition is complete and opposition has possession of the ball.
Once you realize that 442 becomes near perfect form for defence.
The front 2
You have 2 forwards up high, pressing sides and forcing opposing fullbacks to stay low, or punish them if they wonder too high. In 3 CB's scenarios they effectively mark out 3 players out of the match more often then not and in turn cut passing lanes for recycling of possession. in 1DM pivot scenarios the deeper striker(provided he has right attributes) will harass the metronome and again make it harded for opposition to recycle.
2 banks of 4
to simply put it the central quartet (DM CB) is really close and will provide cover again early trough balls, and once in position the DM's will alternate around and keep pressure on opposing AM and CM strata, keeps you rock solid in middle.
On both wings you have 2 players in support mentality who will stay closer together when needed and in turn avoid giving opposition 2v1 or 1v1 scenarios, and since I'm using Invite crosses TI the team will try to trigger press and split teams into wider areas and allow them to cross and block back passing lanes.
We are also pressing higher which is kinda counter-intuitive within the regular 442 systems, but in this scenario I'm using it to intentionally split the front 2 press and in turn wingers join the high press in build-up phases making the effective 4 press system in initial phase of build-up and then move into more cohesive unit if ball progresses.
That is theory behind good defense and attack wins games, defense wins titles.
So what is the idea in offense?
Idea is to have great transitional cappabilities but if that fails idea is to split enemy team, usually football is focused on vertical splits but in this scenario if you see the roles you will see that left and right side combined have near same mentality whilst left is a bit more supportive then right due to AF(A).
Instead of trying to occupy middle of pitch like 433 would do with dropping forward I'll try to dominate both wings and create favorable 1v1 or 2v1 on wings and in turn make an extra player on other side of the pitch which can then score or assist.
For reference we can see that ball is either kept on left or right and shuttled side to side by the DMs and CBs trying to stretch opposition. This constantly shifts the opposition and makes it vulnerable for trough balls.
In a sense we don't have but 1 runner in team if you judge by role alone and that is AF, but in reallity almost whole team will do forward runs.
Reason for doing so is their supportive mentality, the way FM works is that Attack player will focus on penetrating space, but support player will do so only when he feels secure by his teammates who cover for him, so we will have balanced forward runs and late run ins but only once player decides that it is favorable to do so.
The PI's:
LM has stay wider and both CB's have dribble more.
Stay wider is simple I want him to draw the RB out so DLF has more room to slot into and try to disturb the opposition line. Since they are pulled appart Volante can exploit that situation by making a run beyond them both and become the 2nd striker while DLF becomes sort of shadow striker in that scenario, confusing the defence whom to mark.
In scenaro where VOL makes a run but gets marked out either DLF or Winger are clear to progress the ball which leads to possession switch to other side or ti solo run.
On other side we have similar idea but other way around, AF will pin them, so defenders are drawn to him, and rest of team will push up in order to bait a defender to leave him unmarked or mark AF and then suffer from IW or WB.
When all is put together we get 2 halves which work completely different but well together with the same goal.
CB dribble more is simple decision, I don't want him to hoof it, I want him to run with it, invite the press, get trough it and make space for rest of teams.
Modern CB's are not butchers anymore, they have to be able and comfortable with ball in their feet, they are the start of your attack and end of oppositions.
TI reasoning:
Mentality is mainly set to balanced, this will depend on your club reputation, BvB in 3rd season are top of the line club under my managment so I want to keep it stable and try to patiently probe and defend instead of smashing players forward. I also use attacking mentality in couple scenarios.
Counter-intuitive again, I use attacking mentality against stronger sides who focus on possession, in a sense gegen pressing is part of modern game, and teams will try to press you high and fast, attacking mentality aims to exploit that decision, idea is if they press high I want my team to be attacking so the runs come in earlier and expose their high line and at same time give better passing range to my back line players.
Shorter passing is something I try to use so I don't have too many hoofed balls and old style 442 which is pump it up and hope for the best.
Low crosses is something I personally use 99% of time since most the time CBs are way taller then ST.
Higher tempo is simply there to move ball with a bit more of urgency so that enemy can't re-settle in position once exploit is created
Fairly narrow works wonders (for me) combined with Invite crosses, idea is if I'm gonna be exposed I want to be exposed on flanks since my tall CB line will likely be able to deal with crosses.
Counter-press now this and counter attack are instructions which most people just turn on and leave them be, but they have so much impact on game (unless using exploity tactics) that its simply to much to ignore.
I personally use counter-press when I know my team is capable of stopping opposition up high, so when I'm playing less mobile strikers or less technical teams.
Counter is something I use when I know I'm an underdog and team will try to keep themselves on my half of the field.
I use none when I deem it too risky judging by looking at highlights, if I feel like we are trying to press too hard or trying too many futile counters.
I keep both on when I'm desperate and on attacking mentality trying to score late goal.
Why mostly later in game?
Stamina, its a factor in game, if you keep the team fresh for longer time they will outrun and outgun later in game.
I already discussed the defensive part, but its simple, I want to create transitional situations and I want to keep enemy on backfoot all the time, so I press high, I press often and I tackle hard (we gonna get carded either way, so why not on our terms?)
Invite crosses is already covered by transitional ideas.
Point is that I don't use the "same" tactic all the time, its a system of sorts which is suited to opposition but using simple smaller tweaks, I still want them to try and adapt to my game and play it my way.
So 442 is great and all, but, there is always a but, but why don't everyone use 442 then? Well it has a futile flaw, 442 can't afford you any luxury player, and you are near almost always outnumbered in midfield which is the risk of the game.
What do I mean by luxury? You can't afford a low workrate, teamwork, I would even argue low determination and aggression since you need them all to work hard to be willing to go the extra step for the team, to be aware of situation, to be able to do tasks all over the area they are responsible for.
That means whole team is a unit, they attack together, they defend together, you can't allow Inzaghi who is always in offside waiting for it, he has to press, to cut lanes, create pressure and in turn opportunities.
How to find players?
Ideally look for workrate, teamwork above 12, and try above 15 for wings and mid, try to get determination above 15 for whole team. As for aggression I'd say low entry point is somewhere near 11. Rest of attributes are general like in other cases, fast wings, capable of moving the ball and passing, stamina heavy fullbacks and positionally aware, rock steady fast and tall CB's, you can try 1 tall 1 fast, keeping the fast one opposite to FB(S). Rooney on DLF(s) simply put it imo (even as Arsenal fan) near perfect link-up striker, and pacey attacker with great dribling or complete forward, both work, but tactic will play out differently with ie. Endrick in AF(A) who relies on speed and technique alone and Sesko who is fast and tall.
I'm providing the general tactic with post so you can use it on your own will if anyone wants to experiment and play around.
Competitions wise I won it all multiple times, no need to upload needless screenshots, idea of the post is to share game insight and idea how to play the 442.
If people request it I'll post it.
TL;DR 442, its a bit modern, it works, you need workhorses if it starts failing increase mentality.
