Hello, and welcome to Shiggs713's 4-5-1 thread!
This tactic or more specifically set of tactics, is the culmination of many months of private testing and tweaking. Now I know FM2013 is just around the corner, but I had these sitting here, and I figured I would share them with anyone interested. I would imagine 2013 will be much the same, so I'm sure it could be recreated without much trouble when that comes about. There are many elements from other tactic creators within these tactics, so I will not take full credit for it. Much of the inspiration comes from Raikan, Hazza, and TheBetterHalf, and this is simply my version of the "best of the best" if you will.
__________________________________________________
Overview
View attachment 275838 View attachment 275846 View attachment 275847
All 3 tactics (Control, Standard, Counter) employ a Very Rigid philosophy, Short Passing, More Disciplined Creative Freedom, Default Closing Down, Aggressive Tackling, Zonal Marking, Drilled Crosses, and more Roaming. This allows players with very limited technical skills to still be very successful, so long as they have the skills needed for their specific role. It is a very good tactic for beating teams that are better than yours. I have never tried this tactic with a very large club.... only small ones like some of my examples... Killymoon Rangers, Thurrock, and Wigan, and with very thrilling results.
Results
View attachment 275840
Promotion every year possible. I developed the tactic during this Thurrock save. The first couple seasons it was not refined, but almost all of this was done with these tactics. Works well as-is in both the Premier League and the Blue Square N/S and anywhere in between.
View attachment 275841 View attachment 275842 View attachment 275843 View attachment 275844
And then 3 1/2 seasons as Wigan in the English Premier League. 7th, 6th, 5th, and currently holding 5th. This was done with a very frugal approach, I barely spent any money on players, the club made massive profits and I was able to upgrade all kinds of facilities and youth recruitment every season.
__________________________________________________
Strategic and Tactical Details
- Make your home pitch very small. All of these tactics use a high defensive line, so the biggest threat to your defense is long through balls... Smaller pitches will help negate that. - I generally use Control at home, unless I am a big time underdog, then I will sometimes use Standard.
- Away on large pitches usually Standard or Counter are effective, though sometimes Control still works best, particularly if the opposing team isn't that great.
- Note that not all settings are manually configured. I built this using the wizard and some of the settings I felt best if left alone. This gives each tactic a slightly different look and feel that could throw your opponent off if you feel like they have adapted to this tactic and it isn't as efficient as it once was.
- If you go into "Player Instructions" while not in a match, it is possible that the specific man marking settings for the Inside Forwards will get reset. I recommend not doing that, and if you do, simply reload the tactic.
- I also highly recommend not messing with any of the back 4's Player Instructions, unless you know what you are doing or just want to experiment. They are all set to "Defend" with matching "Closing Down",and " Zonal Marking" settings. They work as a cohesive unit, catching the opposition offside mostly, and delaying attacks this way. This tactic may have some weaknesses, but defending is not one of them, so long as your back 4 has some good pace and positioning.
- While the back 4 plays in a Zone, the Anchor Man, Ballwinner, and Advanced Playmaker all play a very high pressure Man system. The Anchor Man and the Ballwinner set to heavy tackling... they will need to be tenacious ball winners. Both of the Inside Forwards are set to attack, but while defending, they are set to specifically Man mark the Fullbacks or Wingbacks, whichever the opposition is using.
- Because of the heavy pressure upfront, both in the middle and on the wings, often times the opposition will repeatedly kick the ball back to their goalkeeper, and as everyone close is still marked, he will generally kick the ball away right into my Anchor Man or BWM and it usually results in a great deal of possession in the other teams half, even against world class teams.
- You probably want some defenders, your goalkeeper and a striker as key players. If you are very tight in the back, and can just squeeze a goal out here and there, this tactic is great for winning those 1-0 matches, but still has potential to blow teams out.
- Hire the best Assistant you can get, have him Automatically do Opposition instructions and Pep talks. Man Management, Motivation, Determination, Discipline, Tactical Knowledge, Judging Player Potential & Ability are the main things to look for.
__________________________________________________
Match Preparation
- During the preseason put Match Preparation workload on "Very High" and focus on "Teamwork". Once you get a notice from your coaching staff that the Match Preparation is good, lower it to "High". After all 3 tactics are close to fluid, lower workload to "Average", and set focus to "Defending Set Pieces". Because we are aggressive in our approach we tend to give up a fair amount of free kicks, so this helps tremendously.
__________________________________________________
Set Pieces
- These tactics include a form of the corner glitch, where we always kick the ball to the near corner to our Advanced Forward (Striker), and he sometimes nods or taps it in from there. It helps his consistency and to keep his confidence up.
View attachment 275922View attachment 275923
-The Central Defenders stay back during corners and free kicks, contrary to many set piece tactics. You need to get your Anchor man marking the Goalkeeper, and your BWM up there too. With those 2 and a Striker that can head the ball, you'll still have plenty of set piece goals and opposition DFK opportunities will be limited to a bare minimum.
View attachment 275924View attachment 275925
- Throw-ins are pretty standard. Not concerned with who's doing it as long as its short and safe... Unless you have a BWM or Anchor man that is great at it, then have him do it, and aim at Center.
View attachment 275926View attachment 275927
__________________________________________________
Shouts - I don't use any regularly, but feel free to try them out. Certain ones can be nice occasionally for adjustments against what the other team is doing.
__________________________________________________
Preferred Player Attributes and PPM's
- Some attributes are fairly important for most if not all of your players to posses. Most of these are Background or Prime attributes, which can determine a players level of performance, regardless of position. The attributes I would include in this group go as follows; Concentration, Determination, Teamwork, Workrate, Anticipation, Decisions, and Pace. Some are more important for certain positions than others, but generally these are important attributes for all players to have, if you want to be successful. *link*
View attachment 275854
GoalKeeper - You want a good old fashioned shot stopper, with some decent distribution. One on One's, Reflexes, Positioning, Handling, Aerial Ability, Composure, Concentration, Command of Area, and Throwing since we use Defender Collect.
View attachment 275853
Fullbacks - You want a fast, hardworking defender type, Crossing, Passing, and dribbling are a plus but not necessary. Acceleration, Pace, Stamina, Tackling, Positioning, Workrate, Anticipation, Concentration, Marking, and Teamwork are the most important. Make them unlearn the "Gets Forward when possible" PPM if they have it. Have them learn the "Plays Short Simple Passes" or "Play no Through Balls" PPM if they aren't good at passing.
View attachment 275852
Central Defenders - You want a big physical defender types, preferably 6'2" or bigger, also intelligent and hopefully fast or at least quick. Marking, Positioning, Strength, Concentration, Tackling, Composure, Pace, Decisions, Anticipation, Jumping, and Acceleration. Unlearn "Dives into Tackles" if they have it. Learn the "Plays Short Simple Passes" or "Play no Through Balls" PPM if they aren't good at passing. "Stays Back at all times" is also a good one.
View attachment 275848
Anchor Man - You want a disciplined defender, great at reading out opposing attacks, and also winning the ball in the air. Anticipation, Marking, Tackling, Workrate, Strength, Positioning, Heading, Concentration, Decisions, and Determination. "Dives into Tackles" and "Stays Back at all times" are good PPM's for this role. Also as with other defender types, learn the "Plays Short Simple Passes" or "Play no Through Balls" PPM if they aren't good at passing.
View attachment 275851
Ball Winning Midfielder - You want a tenacious ball winning type, aggressive and good at winning the ball in the air. Tackling, Workrate, Marking, Aggression, Strength, Stamina, Positioning, Teamwork, Bravery, and Heading. Playing as Wigan, Diame was perfect for this role instantly. "Marks Opponent Tightly", "Dives into Tackles", and "Arrives Late into Opposition Area" can be useful PPM's for this role, but it can vary depending on the player.
View attachment 275850
Advanced Playmaker - You want a flamboyant creative force here. Ability to use either foot and take freekicks and/or corners is a huge plus. Creativity, Passing, Flair, Decisions, Technique, Teamwork, Workrate, Stamina, First Touch, and Anticipation. "Comes Deep to get the Ball", "Dictates Tempo", and "Tries killer through balls often" are good PPM's for this role.
View attachment 275855
Inside Forwards - You want some very pacy, high flair type players, able to dribble past their man and create problems for the opposing defense. Pace, Flair, Acceleration, Dribbling, Off the Ball, Passing, Crossing, Teamwork, Decisions, and Finishing. "Curls Ball", "Shoots with Power", "Cuts inside", and "Runs with Ball through Center" are all good PPM's for this role.
Also having the player play opposite of his dominate foot will help, so if he is right footed playing him (and training him if appropriate) at left winger would be the best scenario, and vice versa.
*Also notice the "Marking" is empty for the Inside Forwards, this is because it is specifically set to DL/DR/WBL/WBR depending on the opposition. If you want to change any "player instructions" it is best that you do it while in a match, save the tactic, then reload it from the archived tactics afterwards, to ensure the specific marking stays in-tact. If you click on "player instructions" while not in a match it is best to reload the tactic.
View attachment 275849
Advanced Forward - This guy is mostly going to be a goal scorer, but being able to create, and even pick off opposing defenders mistakes is part of his job as well. Finishing, Composure, Off the Ball, Anticipation, Pace, Workrate, Dribbling, Heading, Flair, and Crossing are important attributes. Depending on the player, "Likes to round the Keeper", "Likes to lob over Keeper", "Places Shots", "Shoots with Power", "Curls Ball", "Likes to Beat offside Trap", or "Runs with ball through Center" could be good PPM's for this role.
- The only general PPM advice I would give is to have players with poor weaker foot ability to "Avoid use of weaker foot", and also unlearn any obviously bad ones like "argues with officials", or "plays way out of trouble" ect.
- One of the great strengths of these tactics are their simplicity in regards to the number of roles and the type of role the players play within it. Not withstanding the Goalkeeper there are only 7 roles to play and many of those even still are quite compatible. It is quite common for me to have a player that plays both FB and Central Defender (I got Bassong in my Wigan save, did great), or Anchor man and BWM (Diame, in the Wigan save), or Advanced Forward and Inside forward (Hugo Rodallega w/ Wigan did well), depending on injury and fitness, just as examples, but its not limited to just those.
- Don't expect to win every game unless you are playing as Barcelona or Man United or something along those lines.
-Sometimes I bounce back and forth between the tactics depending on what is working. Usually, if I make my adjustments quickly enough I control the match and win or tie depending on the quality of finishing.
-Very rarely none of the 3 will work against a top team like Man City, or Barcelona ect. Just sit there and take it, or make adjustment if you like. Don't overreact, next game will be better.
- For more useful information on PPM's among other things I recommend this site; Player Preferred Moves | Football Manager 2012 Guide, it has been very helpful for me in developing these tactics. Thanks for you interest, I hope you enjoy using them as much as I have.
__________________________________________________
Download
View attachment 275945View attachment 275946View attachment 275947
This tactic or more specifically set of tactics, is the culmination of many months of private testing and tweaking. Now I know FM2013 is just around the corner, but I had these sitting here, and I figured I would share them with anyone interested. I would imagine 2013 will be much the same, so I'm sure it could be recreated without much trouble when that comes about. There are many elements from other tactic creators within these tactics, so I will not take full credit for it. Much of the inspiration comes from Raikan, Hazza, and TheBetterHalf, and this is simply my version of the "best of the best" if you will.
__________________________________________________
Overview
View attachment 275838 View attachment 275846 View attachment 275847
All 3 tactics (Control, Standard, Counter) employ a Very Rigid philosophy, Short Passing, More Disciplined Creative Freedom, Default Closing Down, Aggressive Tackling, Zonal Marking, Drilled Crosses, and more Roaming. This allows players with very limited technical skills to still be very successful, so long as they have the skills needed for their specific role. It is a very good tactic for beating teams that are better than yours. I have never tried this tactic with a very large club.... only small ones like some of my examples... Killymoon Rangers, Thurrock, and Wigan, and with very thrilling results.
Results
View attachment 275840
Promotion every year possible. I developed the tactic during this Thurrock save. The first couple seasons it was not refined, but almost all of this was done with these tactics. Works well as-is in both the Premier League and the Blue Square N/S and anywhere in between.
View attachment 275841 View attachment 275842 View attachment 275843 View attachment 275844
And then 3 1/2 seasons as Wigan in the English Premier League. 7th, 6th, 5th, and currently holding 5th. This was done with a very frugal approach, I barely spent any money on players, the club made massive profits and I was able to upgrade all kinds of facilities and youth recruitment every season.
__________________________________________________
Strategic and Tactical Details
- Make your home pitch very small. All of these tactics use a high defensive line, so the biggest threat to your defense is long through balls... Smaller pitches will help negate that. - I generally use Control at home, unless I am a big time underdog, then I will sometimes use Standard.
- Away on large pitches usually Standard or Counter are effective, though sometimes Control still works best, particularly if the opposing team isn't that great.
- Note that not all settings are manually configured. I built this using the wizard and some of the settings I felt best if left alone. This gives each tactic a slightly different look and feel that could throw your opponent off if you feel like they have adapted to this tactic and it isn't as efficient as it once was.
- If you go into "Player Instructions" while not in a match, it is possible that the specific man marking settings for the Inside Forwards will get reset. I recommend not doing that, and if you do, simply reload the tactic.
- I also highly recommend not messing with any of the back 4's Player Instructions, unless you know what you are doing or just want to experiment. They are all set to "Defend" with matching "Closing Down",and " Zonal Marking" settings. They work as a cohesive unit, catching the opposition offside mostly, and delaying attacks this way. This tactic may have some weaknesses, but defending is not one of them, so long as your back 4 has some good pace and positioning.
- While the back 4 plays in a Zone, the Anchor Man, Ballwinner, and Advanced Playmaker all play a very high pressure Man system. The Anchor Man and the Ballwinner set to heavy tackling... they will need to be tenacious ball winners. Both of the Inside Forwards are set to attack, but while defending, they are set to specifically Man mark the Fullbacks or Wingbacks, whichever the opposition is using.
- Because of the heavy pressure upfront, both in the middle and on the wings, often times the opposition will repeatedly kick the ball back to their goalkeeper, and as everyone close is still marked, he will generally kick the ball away right into my Anchor Man or BWM and it usually results in a great deal of possession in the other teams half, even against world class teams.
- You probably want some defenders, your goalkeeper and a striker as key players. If you are very tight in the back, and can just squeeze a goal out here and there, this tactic is great for winning those 1-0 matches, but still has potential to blow teams out.
- Hire the best Assistant you can get, have him Automatically do Opposition instructions and Pep talks. Man Management, Motivation, Determination, Discipline, Tactical Knowledge, Judging Player Potential & Ability are the main things to look for.
__________________________________________________
Match Preparation
- During the preseason put Match Preparation workload on "Very High" and focus on "Teamwork". Once you get a notice from your coaching staff that the Match Preparation is good, lower it to "High". After all 3 tactics are close to fluid, lower workload to "Average", and set focus to "Defending Set Pieces". Because we are aggressive in our approach we tend to give up a fair amount of free kicks, so this helps tremendously.
__________________________________________________
Set Pieces
- These tactics include a form of the corner glitch, where we always kick the ball to the near corner to our Advanced Forward (Striker), and he sometimes nods or taps it in from there. It helps his consistency and to keep his confidence up.
View attachment 275922View attachment 275923
-The Central Defenders stay back during corners and free kicks, contrary to many set piece tactics. You need to get your Anchor man marking the Goalkeeper, and your BWM up there too. With those 2 and a Striker that can head the ball, you'll still have plenty of set piece goals and opposition DFK opportunities will be limited to a bare minimum.
View attachment 275924View attachment 275925
- Throw-ins are pretty standard. Not concerned with who's doing it as long as its short and safe... Unless you have a BWM or Anchor man that is great at it, then have him do it, and aim at Center.
View attachment 275926View attachment 275927
__________________________________________________
Shouts - I don't use any regularly, but feel free to try them out. Certain ones can be nice occasionally for adjustments against what the other team is doing.
__________________________________________________
Preferred Player Attributes and PPM's
- Some attributes are fairly important for most if not all of your players to posses. Most of these are Background or Prime attributes, which can determine a players level of performance, regardless of position. The attributes I would include in this group go as follows; Concentration, Determination, Teamwork, Workrate, Anticipation, Decisions, and Pace. Some are more important for certain positions than others, but generally these are important attributes for all players to have, if you want to be successful. *link*
View attachment 275854
GoalKeeper - You want a good old fashioned shot stopper, with some decent distribution. One on One's, Reflexes, Positioning, Handling, Aerial Ability, Composure, Concentration, Command of Area, and Throwing since we use Defender Collect.
View attachment 275853
Fullbacks - You want a fast, hardworking defender type, Crossing, Passing, and dribbling are a plus but not necessary. Acceleration, Pace, Stamina, Tackling, Positioning, Workrate, Anticipation, Concentration, Marking, and Teamwork are the most important. Make them unlearn the "Gets Forward when possible" PPM if they have it. Have them learn the "Plays Short Simple Passes" or "Play no Through Balls" PPM if they aren't good at passing.
View attachment 275852
Central Defenders - You want a big physical defender types, preferably 6'2" or bigger, also intelligent and hopefully fast or at least quick. Marking, Positioning, Strength, Concentration, Tackling, Composure, Pace, Decisions, Anticipation, Jumping, and Acceleration. Unlearn "Dives into Tackles" if they have it. Learn the "Plays Short Simple Passes" or "Play no Through Balls" PPM if they aren't good at passing. "Stays Back at all times" is also a good one.
View attachment 275848
Anchor Man - You want a disciplined defender, great at reading out opposing attacks, and also winning the ball in the air. Anticipation, Marking, Tackling, Workrate, Strength, Positioning, Heading, Concentration, Decisions, and Determination. "Dives into Tackles" and "Stays Back at all times" are good PPM's for this role. Also as with other defender types, learn the "Plays Short Simple Passes" or "Play no Through Balls" PPM if they aren't good at passing.
View attachment 275851
Ball Winning Midfielder - You want a tenacious ball winning type, aggressive and good at winning the ball in the air. Tackling, Workrate, Marking, Aggression, Strength, Stamina, Positioning, Teamwork, Bravery, and Heading. Playing as Wigan, Diame was perfect for this role instantly. "Marks Opponent Tightly", "Dives into Tackles", and "Arrives Late into Opposition Area" can be useful PPM's for this role, but it can vary depending on the player.
View attachment 275850
Advanced Playmaker - You want a flamboyant creative force here. Ability to use either foot and take freekicks and/or corners is a huge plus. Creativity, Passing, Flair, Decisions, Technique, Teamwork, Workrate, Stamina, First Touch, and Anticipation. "Comes Deep to get the Ball", "Dictates Tempo", and "Tries killer through balls often" are good PPM's for this role.
View attachment 275855
Inside Forwards - You want some very pacy, high flair type players, able to dribble past their man and create problems for the opposing defense. Pace, Flair, Acceleration, Dribbling, Off the Ball, Passing, Crossing, Teamwork, Decisions, and Finishing. "Curls Ball", "Shoots with Power", "Cuts inside", and "Runs with Ball through Center" are all good PPM's for this role.
Also having the player play opposite of his dominate foot will help, so if he is right footed playing him (and training him if appropriate) at left winger would be the best scenario, and vice versa.
*Also notice the "Marking" is empty for the Inside Forwards, this is because it is specifically set to DL/DR/WBL/WBR depending on the opposition. If you want to change any "player instructions" it is best that you do it while in a match, save the tactic, then reload it from the archived tactics afterwards, to ensure the specific marking stays in-tact. If you click on "player instructions" while not in a match it is best to reload the tactic.
View attachment 275849
Advanced Forward - This guy is mostly going to be a goal scorer, but being able to create, and even pick off opposing defenders mistakes is part of his job as well. Finishing, Composure, Off the Ball, Anticipation, Pace, Workrate, Dribbling, Heading, Flair, and Crossing are important attributes. Depending on the player, "Likes to round the Keeper", "Likes to lob over Keeper", "Places Shots", "Shoots with Power", "Curls Ball", "Likes to Beat offside Trap", or "Runs with ball through Center" could be good PPM's for this role.
- The only general PPM advice I would give is to have players with poor weaker foot ability to "Avoid use of weaker foot", and also unlearn any obviously bad ones like "argues with officials", or "plays way out of trouble" ect.
- One of the great strengths of these tactics are their simplicity in regards to the number of roles and the type of role the players play within it. Not withstanding the Goalkeeper there are only 7 roles to play and many of those even still are quite compatible. It is quite common for me to have a player that plays both FB and Central Defender (I got Bassong in my Wigan save, did great), or Anchor man and BWM (Diame, in the Wigan save), or Advanced Forward and Inside forward (Hugo Rodallega w/ Wigan did well), depending on injury and fitness, just as examples, but its not limited to just those.
- Don't expect to win every game unless you are playing as Barcelona or Man United or something along those lines.
-Sometimes I bounce back and forth between the tactics depending on what is working. Usually, if I make my adjustments quickly enough I control the match and win or tie depending on the quality of finishing.
-Very rarely none of the 3 will work against a top team like Man City, or Barcelona ect. Just sit there and take it, or make adjustment if you like. Don't overreact, next game will be better.
- For more useful information on PPM's among other things I recommend this site; Player Preferred Moves | Football Manager 2012 Guide, it has been very helpful for me in developing these tactics. Thanks for you interest, I hope you enjoy using them as much as I have.
__________________________________________________
Download
View attachment 275945View attachment 275946View attachment 275947
Last edited:
glad to have helped in a little way as well! liking the defensive cohesive closing down setting I use 