I would just like to make it very clear that this thread was not designed to make many great tactics, it was designed to show examples and explanations of how to adapt your team to beat almost any opposition. Please don't download the individual tactics, try and see if you can analyse your opponents strengths and weaknesses and use them to determine how you will beat your opponent
Southampton FC, a tactical exercise on FM15
- Thread starter dakofsta
- Start date
- Replies 112
- Views 229K
English only please
First of all, cheers for a great thread! Really enjoyed reading all 9 pages so far, keep it up. I'm currently managing Saints as well and I thought that I would share some bits.
I finished 4th in my first season by mainly playing your 4-1-2-2-1 control formation. To be honest I've witnessed some mixed result but I'm pretty sure it's a consequence of me being poor at adapting my tactic to the opposition. It's really clear (as many already have mentioned) that this year, there's no click-and-play tactic that works every game. For example, Ward-Prowse was getting man marked every game as an AP but when changed to a RP instead, he and the team played a lot better. Might be obvious but these are things that are very easy to miss.
Unfortunately neither Schneiderlin, Wanyama or Mané have showed their quality yet, only the last one have made a handful good games 1/4 in of the 2nd season. It seemed almost impossible to find Wanyama a suitable role anywhere so I decided to sell him for £15 million just before the summer transfer window closed and replaced him with Roman Neustädter from Schalke 04 for £9,5 million who proved himself to be a good replacement.
As for Schneiderlin it's quite tough to find him a suitable role as well, he's currently on the CM(S) position and have an average rating of 6.9 at the highest. A bit worried that I might have to sell him like Wanyama if I don't find him a role soon enough... Any ideas here folks?
To finish off I've just started to use a traditional 4-2-3-1 formation with not so traditional roles that you can read about in the Pairs & Combination guide. Anyway it goes like this starting from the back and right:
--------SK(S)
WB( A)-CB(D)-CB(X)-FS(S)
---DLP(D)-BWM(S)
AP(S)-SS( A)-W( A)
-------CF(S)
This gives a movement that is very unpredictable with adaptable options on flanks and attack overall. I have not tested it enough to give you a full summary of how it's working etc but so far I can tell you it gives you plenty of goals at least! Might come back with an update of how it's working if anyone's interested.
I hope my English is alright for a non-native English speaker...
I finished 4th in my first season by mainly playing your 4-1-2-2-1 control formation. To be honest I've witnessed some mixed result but I'm pretty sure it's a consequence of me being poor at adapting my tactic to the opposition. It's really clear (as many already have mentioned) that this year, there's no click-and-play tactic that works every game. For example, Ward-Prowse was getting man marked every game as an AP but when changed to a RP instead, he and the team played a lot better. Might be obvious but these are things that are very easy to miss.
Unfortunately neither Schneiderlin, Wanyama or Mané have showed their quality yet, only the last one have made a handful good games 1/4 in of the 2nd season. It seemed almost impossible to find Wanyama a suitable role anywhere so I decided to sell him for £15 million just before the summer transfer window closed and replaced him with Roman Neustädter from Schalke 04 for £9,5 million who proved himself to be a good replacement.
As for Schneiderlin it's quite tough to find him a suitable role as well, he's currently on the CM(S) position and have an average rating of 6.9 at the highest. A bit worried that I might have to sell him like Wanyama if I don't find him a role soon enough... Any ideas here folks?
To finish off I've just started to use a traditional 4-2-3-1 formation with not so traditional roles that you can read about in the Pairs & Combination guide. Anyway it goes like this starting from the back and right:
--------SK(S)
WB( A)-CB(D)-CB(X)-FS(S)
---DLP(D)-BWM(S)
AP(S)-SS( A)-W( A)
-------CF(S)
This gives a movement that is very unpredictable with adaptable options on flanks and attack overall. I have not tested it enough to give you a full summary of how it's working etc but so far I can tell you it gives you plenty of goals at least! Might come back with an update of how it's working if anyone's interested.
I hope my English is alright for a non-native English speaker...
Last edited:
First of all, cheers for a great thread! Really enjoyed reading all 9 pages so far, keep it up. I'm currently managing Saints as well and I thought that I would share some bits.
I finished 4th in my first season by mainly playing your 4-1-2-2-1 control formation. To be honest I've witnessed some mixed result but I'm pretty sure it's a consequence of me being poor at adapting my tactic to the opposition. It's really clear (as many already have mentioned) that this year, there's no click-and-play tactic that works every game. For example, Ward-Prowse was getting man marked every game as an AP but when changed to a RP instead, he and the team played a lot better. Might be obvious but these are things that are very easy to miss.
Unfortunately neither Schneiderlin, Wanyama or Mané have showed their quality yet, only the last one have made a handful good games 1/4 in of the 2nd season. It seemed almost impossible to find Wanyama a suitable role anywhere so I decided to sell him for £15 million just before the summer transfer window closed and replaced him with Roman Neustädter from Schalke 04 for £9,5 million who proved himself to be a good replacement.
As for Schneiderlin it's quite tough to find him a suitable role as well, he's currently on the CM(S) position and have an average rating of 6.9 at the highest. A bit worried that I might have to sell him like Wanyama if I don't find him a role soon enough... Any ideas here folks?
To finish off I've just started to use a traditional 4-2-3-1 formation with not so traditional roles that you can read about in the Pairs & Combination guide. Anyway it goes like this starting from the back and right:
--------SK(S)
WB( A)-CB(D)-CB(X)-FS(S)
---DLP(D)-BWM(S)
AP(S)-SS( A)-W( A)
-------CF(S)
This gives a movement that is very unpredictable with adaptable options on flanks and attack overall. I have not tested it enough to give you a full summary of how it's working etc but so far I can tell you it gives you plenty of goals at least! Might come back with an update of how it's working if anyone's interested.
I hope my English is alright for a non-native English speaker...
Firstly, thank you very much for reading and complimenting this thread, it means a lot
I think Ward - Prowse was consistently being man marked because he was your team's main playmaker. If he was marked out of the game, your side would struggle to create chances, making it easier for the opposition to win. This is why the playmaker on the flanks is such a great role - either the opponent marks them, leaving a player out of position or they give them the freedom to create chances!
Schneiderlin's stats don't reflect how good he is in real life, I'd recommend replacing him with Lucas Romero, but if you insist on keeping him then deep-lying playmaker would be my recommendation
Your tactic looks good! I'd recommend making the striker a deep lying forward to allow him and the shadow striker to interchange, but the shadow striker needs good pace, heading, jumping reach, finishing, off the ball and composure due to the variety of your attack
Firstly, thank you very much for reading and complimenting this thread, it means a lot
I think Ward - Prowse was consistently being man marked because he was your team's main playmaker. If he was marked out of the game, your side would struggle to create chances, making it easier for the opposition to win. This is why the playmaker on the flanks is such a great role - either the opponent marks them, leaving a player out of position or they give them the freedom to create chances!
Schneiderlin's stats don't reflect how good he is in real life, I'd recommend replacing him with Lucas Romero, but if you insist on keeping him then deep-lying playmaker would be my recommendation
Your tactic looks good! I'd recommend making the striker a deep lying forward to allow him and the shadow striker to interchange, but the shadow striker needs good pace, heading, jumping reach, finishing, off the ball and composure due to the variety of your attack
Are the tactics you use in this thread available for download? Are you still doing this save and is it working onlatest patch? Nice work though
Are the tactics you use in this thread available for download? Are you still doing this save and is it working onlatest patch? Nice work though
Sorry mate, I didn't make them available for download, but I will from now on! And no, unfortunately the laptop I did the save on is currently being repaired so I've started a new one on another laptop with crystal palace. I can carry on making and posting new tactics with them if you want?
Quick update:
I am no longer managing Southampton and am now managing crystal palace. I am halfway through my second season and will post around 7pm to show you my current performance. I will start the tactical analysis after that
I am no longer managing Southampton and am now managing crystal palace. I am halfway through my second season and will post around 7pm to show you my current performance. I will start the tactical analysis after that
So as you previously read, I am currently in charge of Crystal Palace. At the start of my reign, the team was predicted to finish 18th. We finished 10th and could've finished a lot higher if it wasn't for a drop off in form in the last eight or so games
View attachment 312309 View attachment 312307
Anyway, I was happy with the performance considering the fact that we didn't have a very strong squad. Bolasie was a superstar. We made many free transfers at the start of the next season due to only receiving a 12 million pound transfer budget
View attachment 312302
View attachment 312309 View attachment 312307
Anyway, I was happy with the performance considering the fact that we didn't have a very strong squad. Bolasie was a superstar. We made many free transfers at the start of the next season due to only receiving a 12 million pound transfer budget
View attachment 312302
However this season started HORRIBLY. After eleven games, we hadn't won a single one and were down in 19th.
View attachment 312299
In reality, we should've been around eleventh or so but for some reason we missed many chances, so certain results weren't what they seemed. A very big example is our match against the league leaders Arsenal. A five-nil scoreline seems like a very bad defeat in which I didn't have any shots and they obliterated my defence, but please take a close look at the match stats:
View attachment 312297
Seven, yes, seven clear cut chances! We hit the post four times. We were very low on confidence at that point and I was very confused how we were doing so poorly during the season. Our tactics were always dominating matches but we missed clear cut chances and the opposition always scored theirs.
But then I realised the issue. I had been watching all my matches with the game speed set on 'key'. Once I changed to extended, I was able to see where we were conceding goals and at times shooting from too far out. I was also allowing the opposition instructions to be set by my manager and that was a big mistake. I set the instructions myself against Everton and tore them apart, but alas, we didn't win. However, since then we have won every game bar one and that shows that the tactics are working very well. My main two are these:
Counter attack:
View attachment 312293 View attachment 312292 View attachment 312291
Wide players are closed down and central players are tightly marked. This is so that central players don't get space to thread passes and wide players don't get space to run down the line. Strikers are tightly marked if they are the small speedy type or closed down if they are the tall, strong, creative type. The box to box midfielder has the 'get further forward' instruction.
Possession/tiki taka:
View attachment 312290 View attachment 312293 View attachment 312289
As you can see, the opposition instructions are the same. The deep lying forward can also be a Trequartista, Complete forward, Target man or false 9. The inside forward can be an advanced playmaker too.
There aren't many player instructions; instead they are changed every game depending on the opposition's strengths and weaknesses. I don't know how to post links to tactics but if somebody could tell me how to then I'd be more than happy to do it.
View attachment 312299
In reality, we should've been around eleventh or so but for some reason we missed many chances, so certain results weren't what they seemed. A very big example is our match against the league leaders Arsenal. A five-nil scoreline seems like a very bad defeat in which I didn't have any shots and they obliterated my defence, but please take a close look at the match stats:
View attachment 312297
Seven, yes, seven clear cut chances! We hit the post four times. We were very low on confidence at that point and I was very confused how we were doing so poorly during the season. Our tactics were always dominating matches but we missed clear cut chances and the opposition always scored theirs.
But then I realised the issue. I had been watching all my matches with the game speed set on 'key'. Once I changed to extended, I was able to see where we were conceding goals and at times shooting from too far out. I was also allowing the opposition instructions to be set by my manager and that was a big mistake. I set the instructions myself against Everton and tore them apart, but alas, we didn't win. However, since then we have won every game bar one and that shows that the tactics are working very well. My main two are these:
Counter attack:
View attachment 312293 View attachment 312292 View attachment 312291
Wide players are closed down and central players are tightly marked. This is so that central players don't get space to thread passes and wide players don't get space to run down the line. Strikers are tightly marked if they are the small speedy type or closed down if they are the tall, strong, creative type. The box to box midfielder has the 'get further forward' instruction.
Possession/tiki taka:
View attachment 312290 View attachment 312293 View attachment 312289
As you can see, the opposition instructions are the same. The deep lying forward can also be a Trequartista, Complete forward, Target man or false 9. The inside forward can be an advanced playmaker too.
There aren't many player instructions; instead they are changed every game depending on the opposition's strengths and weaknesses. I don't know how to post links to tactics but if somebody could tell me how to then I'd be more than happy to do it.
Great thread so far but I noticed something in the Crystal Palace image. Based on my experience on FM over the years, I think that whenever you decide to play a HB in midfield, you should push your FBs to the WB position and most likely change your CM(s) to a BBM or a RPM for more fluid movement in the middle
Do you have any tips on how to beat opponents playing very narrow formations? Like 4-3-2-1 or 4-2-2-2. Liverpool and United love this ones on my save and I really can't get a result against these formations, very frustrating...
By the way, good luck on your CP save! I'll follow it for sure.
By the way, good luck on your CP save! I'll follow it for sure.
Matthew Gary Snook
Member
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2011
- Messages
- 146
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 0
First of all, cheers for a great thread! Really enjoyed reading all 9 pages so far, keep it up. I'm currently managing Saints as well and I thought that I would share some bits.
I finished 4th in my first season by mainly playing your 4-1-2-2-1 control formation. To be honest I've witnessed some mixed result but I'm pretty sure it's a consequence of me being poor at adapting my tactic to the opposition. It's really clear (as many already have mentioned) that this year, there's no click-and-play tactic that works every game. For example, Ward-Prowse was getting man marked every game as an AP but when changed to a RP instead, he and the team played a lot better. Might be obvious but these are things that are very easy to miss.
Unfortunately neither Schneiderlin, Wanyama or Mané have showed their quality yet, only the last one have made a handful good games 1/4 in of the 2nd season. It seemed almost impossible to find Wanyama a suitable role anywhere so I decided to sell him for £15 million just before the summer transfer window closed and replaced him with Roman Neustädter from Schalke 04 for £9,5 million who proved himself to be a good replacement.
As for Schneiderlin it's quite tough to find him a suitable role as well, he's currently on the CM(S) position and have an average rating of 6.9 at the highest. A bit worried that I might have to sell him like Wanyama if I don't find him a role soon enough... Any ideas here folks?
To finish off I've just started to use a traditional 4-2-3-1 formation with not so traditional roles that you can read about in the Pairs & Combination guide. Anyway it goes like this starting from the back and right:
--------SK(S)
WB( A)-CB(D)-CB(X)-FS(S)
---DLP(D)-BWM(S)
AP(S)-SS( A)-W( A)
-------CF(S)
This gives a movement that is very unpredictable with adaptable options on flanks and attack overall. I have not tested it enough to give you a full summary of how it's working etc but so far I can tell you it gives you plenty of goals at least! Might come back with an update of how it's working if anyone's interested.
I hope my English is alright for a non-native English speaker...
i find schniederlin is best played in half back role, wins the ball back then plays passes like a quarter back. i signed lucas romero to be the third man in my midfield three. and jwp romero and schniderlin dominate games. even though morgan is unhappy as he wants to leave for liverpool for some strange reason ( i got champions league and they didnt)
This used to be my issue! But now I just use two defensively minded players in the middle and overload the flanks
My last match against swansea is an example
They used a very narrow formation
View attachment 309459
By keeping tight in the middle and overloading the flanks, we could easily counter attack
This was the tactic
View attachment 309457 View attachment 309455
We ran out 3-1 winners!
Crystal palace update:
Last season we finished a dissapointing 11th, partly due to that terrible start. However we won the FA cup and are now in the Europa league! Ben arfa was the star man, finishing with 15 goals and 18 assists in the league. I am currently second in the league after two games, here are my transfers
View attachment 309453
Sounds like a solid midfield! Don't be afraid to sell Schneiderlin if he is disrupting the squad!
Matthew Gary Snook
Member
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2011
- Messages
- 146
- Reaction score
- 0
- Points
- 0
That's the thing he's not, he has high morale and my harmony is full. Been offered by other clubs sill amounts like 8-9m so holding out for a decent amount really