Ok, for ages i've been trying to find a good Paolo Di Canio tactic that he used at Sunderland. He used a counter attacking tactic of 4-4-1-1 that was unlucky not to get a result against Chelsea, but completely outplayed Newcastle in a 3-0 win and got a smash and grab victory against Everton. However in the Summer of 2014, he bought in 14 new players, and he changed his tactics to an attacking and high pressing 4-4-2 which they played some great attacking and fluid football but unfortunately could not win a single game.
So i've tried to create these two tactics (4-4-2 attacking and 4-4-1-1 counter attack) and have failed numerous times. So i'm gonna give you some guidelines and analysis for you more experienced FM players to try and re create Di Canio's tactic.
Let's start with the 4-4-1-1 counter attacking tactic that beat Newcastle 3-0.
Here was the lineup:
GK - Mignolet
RB - Bardsley
DC - Cuellar
DC - O'Shea
DL - Rose
MC - N'Diaye
MC - Larsson
MR - Johnson
ML - McClean
AM - Sessegnon
FC - Graham
And here are the stats of the game:
Possession: Newcastle: 66% Sunderland 34%
Shots: Newcastle 19 Sunderland 10
On target: Newcastle 5 Sunderland 6
Off target: Newcastle 9 Sunderland 2
Passes made: Newcastle 303/375 Sunderland 119/186
Crosses: Newcastle 13/37 Sunderland 4/19
Take ons: Newcastle 10/23 Sunderland 6/16
Tackles: Newcastle 17/23 Sunderland 22/32
Interceptions: Newcastle 2 Sunderland 20
So obviously there is a significant difference in possession and shots, however Sunderland having the more shots on target and the more tackles and interceptions made. So in this match, Sunderland had a well drilled defence, and broke on the counter with pace.
Here are some things i noticed in Sunderland's tactic that won them the game:
- The first goal sunderland scored, it led from James McClean intercepting Gutierrez's missed placed pass, they broke quickly with Sessegnon running at the defence and scoring from the edge of the box. When Gutierrez had the ball, Sunderland had 2 banks of 4 all behind the half way line, standing off but playing very narrowly, making it almost impossible for Gutierrez to play the ball forward, so as soon as gutierrez got to the half way line, Larsson (MC) and McClean (ML) quickly closed him down. So obviously the midfielders are instructed to only close down in their own half.
- Di Canio obviously worked hard on attacking and shooting coaching, as all 3 of Sunderland's goals came from outside the box, as did Sessegnon's against Everton. This tells us that Di Canio instructs them to shoot whenever they get the sight of goal.
- Larsson hardly ever got forward, i think the closest he got in the Newcastle half was the edge of the centre circle, so he was clearly instructed to win the ball back in defensive areas. it was N'Diaye who was acting as the box to box midfielder. he was linking up and interchanging with Sessegnon.
- Johnson was more advanced than McClean, he rarely looked to cut inside only when there weren't very many newcastle defenders, but would often hug the touchline and either try and whip in a cross or win a corner.
- Sessegnon had a sort of free role. He would roam about creating space and dragging Newcastle players away, leaving space for Graham and Johnson. Sessegnon was also very direct into the strikers, he always looked to take on the defenders and always looked for Graham, N'Diaye and Johnson.
- The full backs never got forward. I don't think they made any crosses during the whole game.
- The defenders, whenever they had the opportunity was to clear the ball to the wings, when Newcastle were attacking.
- Graham had a sort of target man role, but was also trying to drag defenders away for Sessegnon to shoot.
- Overall, the attacking players were always making runs to drag players out of position, they were always interchanging and looking to shoot and cross.
So this is the closest tactic i can think of that can replicate Di Canio's tactic in Sunderlands derby win:
Goalkeeper (Defend)
Limited full back (Defend)
Limited defender (Defend)
Limited defender (Defend)
Limited full back (Defend)
Wide midfielder (Attack)
Box-to-box midfielder (Support)
Ball winning midfielder (Defend)
Wide midfielder (Attack)
Shadow Striker (Attack)
Target man (Support)
Philosophies:
Fluid
Counter attack
Instructions:
More direct passing
Pass into space
Clear Ball to flanks
Run at defence
Shoot on sight
Exploit the flanks
Play narrower
Drop deeper
Stand off opponents
Get stuck in
Use tighter marking
Higher tempo
Be more expressive
Player instructions:
AMC (Shadow striker) - Shoot more often, dribble more, move into channels, more risky passes
FC (Target man) - Move into spaces, mark tighter
So now we will move onto Di Canio's latest tactic, particularly the one he used in Sunderland's 1-0 loss to fulham at the start of this season.
Here was their lineup:
GK - Westwood
DR - Celustka
DC - O'Shea
DC - Roberge
DL - Colback
MC - Cabral
MC - Larsson
MR - Johnson
ML - Giaccherini
AM - Sessegnon
FC - Altidore
Stats:
Shots - Sunderland 21 Fulham 5
On target - Sunderland 3 Fulham 1
Off target - Sunderland 11 Fulham 0
Passes - Sunderland 384/460 Fulham 254/326
Possession - Sunderland 58% Fulham 42%
Crosses - Sunderland 5/29 Fulham 1/8
Take ons - Sunderland 7/15 Fulham 8/14
Tackles - Sunderland 24/32 Fulham 13/20
So just from those stats, we know that Di Canio has made Sunderland a more fit, energetic, high pressing and attacking side. obviously he's instructed them to shoot on sight, but their shooting not being up to scratch with only 3 being on target. Throughout the game we saw a quick tempo game from sunderland, some great interchanging play with the wingers, the full backs pushing forward. Again Larsson often stayed back with Cabral often shooting from outside the box. Giaccherini and Johnson were crossing and shooting whenever they had the opportunity. They would often take on the fullbacks whenever they had the opportunity. Altidore was the one who was getting in the box and trying to get on the end of crosses. We often saw the full backs, wingers and the centre mid (Cabral) running from deep and taking on their man. the fullbacks wouldn't really cross the ball, they mostly played the ball into Cabral or Sessegnon.
So to summarise the new Di Canio tactic, we saw:
- Cabral, Celustka, Johnson, Giaccherini, Colback running from deep and taking on the fulham players. Celustka and Colback either having an ambitious effort or playing the ball into central midfield.
- Cabral, Johnson, Giaccherini and Sessegnon would shoot whenever they had the sight of goal.
- Johnson and Giaccherini would take on the fullbacks, get as far down the wing as they can and whip in the ball into the box.
- Larsson would stay back to win back the ball in defensive areas and would look to play it out wide to quickly set off a counter attack.
- Sunderland played a high pressing, quick tempo, attacking game and were unlucky to lose.
We can see lots of similarities with both of the tactics, both use a quick tempo game, breaking on the counter attack quickly, crossing and shooting whenever they can, and players taking on defenders as much as they can-if you like-being more expressive.
So here is a tactic that is as close as i can think of to replicate Di Canio's tactic used against fulham.
Goalkeeper (Defend)
Full back (Support)
Limited Defender (Defend)
Limited Defender (Defend)
Full back (Support)
Wide midfielder (Attack)
Box to box midfielder (Support)
Ball winning midfielder (Defend)
Wide midfielder (Attack)
Shadow Striker (Attack)
Poacher (Attack)
Philosophies:
Fluid
Attacking
Instructions:
Shorter passing
Pass into space
Play out of defence
Float crosses
Run at defence
Shoot on sight
Play wider
Push higher up
Roam from positions
Hassle opponents
Get stuck in
Use tighter marking
Much higher tempo
Be more expressive
Player instructions:
BBM - Shoot more often
WMs - Run wide with ball, cross aim centre
SS - Dribble more, Shoot more often, close down more
thank you for reading, i hope you can reply with some tips and maybe a more accurate tactic
So i've tried to create these two tactics (4-4-2 attacking and 4-4-1-1 counter attack) and have failed numerous times. So i'm gonna give you some guidelines and analysis for you more experienced FM players to try and re create Di Canio's tactic.
Let's start with the 4-4-1-1 counter attacking tactic that beat Newcastle 3-0.
Here was the lineup:
GK - Mignolet
RB - Bardsley
DC - Cuellar
DC - O'Shea
DL - Rose
MC - N'Diaye
MC - Larsson
MR - Johnson
ML - McClean
AM - Sessegnon
FC - Graham
And here are the stats of the game:
Possession: Newcastle: 66% Sunderland 34%
Shots: Newcastle 19 Sunderland 10
On target: Newcastle 5 Sunderland 6
Off target: Newcastle 9 Sunderland 2
Passes made: Newcastle 303/375 Sunderland 119/186
Crosses: Newcastle 13/37 Sunderland 4/19
Take ons: Newcastle 10/23 Sunderland 6/16
Tackles: Newcastle 17/23 Sunderland 22/32
Interceptions: Newcastle 2 Sunderland 20
So obviously there is a significant difference in possession and shots, however Sunderland having the more shots on target and the more tackles and interceptions made. So in this match, Sunderland had a well drilled defence, and broke on the counter with pace.
Here are some things i noticed in Sunderland's tactic that won them the game:
- The first goal sunderland scored, it led from James McClean intercepting Gutierrez's missed placed pass, they broke quickly with Sessegnon running at the defence and scoring from the edge of the box. When Gutierrez had the ball, Sunderland had 2 banks of 4 all behind the half way line, standing off but playing very narrowly, making it almost impossible for Gutierrez to play the ball forward, so as soon as gutierrez got to the half way line, Larsson (MC) and McClean (ML) quickly closed him down. So obviously the midfielders are instructed to only close down in their own half.
- Di Canio obviously worked hard on attacking and shooting coaching, as all 3 of Sunderland's goals came from outside the box, as did Sessegnon's against Everton. This tells us that Di Canio instructs them to shoot whenever they get the sight of goal.
- Larsson hardly ever got forward, i think the closest he got in the Newcastle half was the edge of the centre circle, so he was clearly instructed to win the ball back in defensive areas. it was N'Diaye who was acting as the box to box midfielder. he was linking up and interchanging with Sessegnon.
- Johnson was more advanced than McClean, he rarely looked to cut inside only when there weren't very many newcastle defenders, but would often hug the touchline and either try and whip in a cross or win a corner.
- Sessegnon had a sort of free role. He would roam about creating space and dragging Newcastle players away, leaving space for Graham and Johnson. Sessegnon was also very direct into the strikers, he always looked to take on the defenders and always looked for Graham, N'Diaye and Johnson.
- The full backs never got forward. I don't think they made any crosses during the whole game.
- The defenders, whenever they had the opportunity was to clear the ball to the wings, when Newcastle were attacking.
- Graham had a sort of target man role, but was also trying to drag defenders away for Sessegnon to shoot.
- Overall, the attacking players were always making runs to drag players out of position, they were always interchanging and looking to shoot and cross.
So this is the closest tactic i can think of that can replicate Di Canio's tactic in Sunderlands derby win:
Goalkeeper (Defend)
Limited full back (Defend)
Limited defender (Defend)
Limited defender (Defend)
Limited full back (Defend)
Wide midfielder (Attack)
Box-to-box midfielder (Support)
Ball winning midfielder (Defend)
Wide midfielder (Attack)
Shadow Striker (Attack)
Target man (Support)
Philosophies:
Fluid
Counter attack
Instructions:
More direct passing
Pass into space
Clear Ball to flanks
Run at defence
Shoot on sight
Exploit the flanks
Play narrower
Drop deeper
Stand off opponents
Get stuck in
Use tighter marking
Higher tempo
Be more expressive
Player instructions:
AMC (Shadow striker) - Shoot more often, dribble more, move into channels, more risky passes
FC (Target man) - Move into spaces, mark tighter
So now we will move onto Di Canio's latest tactic, particularly the one he used in Sunderland's 1-0 loss to fulham at the start of this season.
Here was their lineup:
GK - Westwood
DR - Celustka
DC - O'Shea
DC - Roberge
DL - Colback
MC - Cabral
MC - Larsson
MR - Johnson
ML - Giaccherini
AM - Sessegnon
FC - Altidore
Stats:
Shots - Sunderland 21 Fulham 5
On target - Sunderland 3 Fulham 1
Off target - Sunderland 11 Fulham 0
Passes - Sunderland 384/460 Fulham 254/326
Possession - Sunderland 58% Fulham 42%
Crosses - Sunderland 5/29 Fulham 1/8
Take ons - Sunderland 7/15 Fulham 8/14
Tackles - Sunderland 24/32 Fulham 13/20
So just from those stats, we know that Di Canio has made Sunderland a more fit, energetic, high pressing and attacking side. obviously he's instructed them to shoot on sight, but their shooting not being up to scratch with only 3 being on target. Throughout the game we saw a quick tempo game from sunderland, some great interchanging play with the wingers, the full backs pushing forward. Again Larsson often stayed back with Cabral often shooting from outside the box. Giaccherini and Johnson were crossing and shooting whenever they had the opportunity. They would often take on the fullbacks whenever they had the opportunity. Altidore was the one who was getting in the box and trying to get on the end of crosses. We often saw the full backs, wingers and the centre mid (Cabral) running from deep and taking on their man. the fullbacks wouldn't really cross the ball, they mostly played the ball into Cabral or Sessegnon.
So to summarise the new Di Canio tactic, we saw:
- Cabral, Celustka, Johnson, Giaccherini, Colback running from deep and taking on the fulham players. Celustka and Colback either having an ambitious effort or playing the ball into central midfield.
- Cabral, Johnson, Giaccherini and Sessegnon would shoot whenever they had the sight of goal.
- Johnson and Giaccherini would take on the fullbacks, get as far down the wing as they can and whip in the ball into the box.
- Larsson would stay back to win back the ball in defensive areas and would look to play it out wide to quickly set off a counter attack.
- Sunderland played a high pressing, quick tempo, attacking game and were unlucky to lose.
We can see lots of similarities with both of the tactics, both use a quick tempo game, breaking on the counter attack quickly, crossing and shooting whenever they can, and players taking on defenders as much as they can-if you like-being more expressive.
So here is a tactic that is as close as i can think of to replicate Di Canio's tactic used against fulham.
Goalkeeper (Defend)
Full back (Support)
Limited Defender (Defend)
Limited Defender (Defend)
Full back (Support)
Wide midfielder (Attack)
Box to box midfielder (Support)
Ball winning midfielder (Defend)
Wide midfielder (Attack)
Shadow Striker (Attack)
Poacher (Attack)
Philosophies:
Fluid
Attacking
Instructions:
Shorter passing
Pass into space
Play out of defence
Float crosses
Run at defence
Shoot on sight
Play wider
Push higher up
Roam from positions
Hassle opponents
Get stuck in
Use tighter marking
Much higher tempo
Be more expressive
Player instructions:
BBM - Shoot more often
WMs - Run wide with ball, cross aim centre
SS - Dribble more, Shoot more often, close down more
thank you for reading, i hope you can reply with some tips and maybe a more accurate tactic
