Struggling with my West Ham 4231 First seasn

Fanty111

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okay so this is what im working with, there arnt many PI's but i havent won a game in 6 in the premier league.

against lower teams i seem to dominate and score good goals

My strikers don't score its usually a winger or a long shot from midfield but i need some level of consistency.

any advice is greatly appreciated
 
Looking at your three central midfield players first of all; Kouyate wants to be a DM, Obiang wants to be an M(C) and Lanzini wants the No.10 role. So, I would switch your shape to match this one, with which my Sheffield Wednesday has just won the Steel City Derby 2-0 at Bramall Lane...

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...to get all three of your midfield players operating in their preferred positions, roles and duties. Do likewise for your back four - put all four of them in their preferred positions, roles and duties. If either Reid or Ogbonna is comfortable operating as a Stopper then so much the better; one of them will step out of the defensive line to make a challenge when the need arises - something England could have done with last week to prevent Iceland's second goal.

That puts Jenkinson on Attack duty and Cresswell on Support. I'd replace Moses with either Antonio or Byram in the M(R) position and put them on Support mode; Jenkinson will be overlapping regularly to go beyond your M(R) who will often play infield for your central midfielders to hit the pass out to the runner on the flank. If you're going to leave Payet on Attack duty, then I'd instruct your M(R) to Cross From Deep and aim for the Far Post (Payet). Jenkinson should Cross from the Byline and Aim for Centre (Emenike, Payet). Have Cresswell Cross from Deep and Aim for Target Man. Use Moses from the bench as a genuine Left Winger, as a tactical alternative to Payet who I'm sure you can move around without diminishing his contribution - especially if he's already playing well.

If Emenike is anything like my Advanced Forward, he's constantly offside. But in this formation, the ability of a decent AF to run with the ball on the counter attack is invaluable. I don't think the Poacher role will suit the formation, but try it and see what happens.

I'd advise also developing a 4-4-2 tactic that uses Andy Carroll as Target Man_Support alongside Emenike or Sakho in their preferred role. Make sure that the more advanced striker is lining up on whichever side corresponds to his strongest foot. And I'd also do a 4-3-3 (or 4-5-1) with Carroll as a Target Man with proper old-fashioned wingers left and right getting high crosses in.

If you want to retain possession then Playing Out of Defence is sensible. Exploit Both Flanks will give your full backs plenty of possession and they'll bring the more advanced wide men into play. So as to start as you mean to go on, have your goalkeeper Roll the Ball Out to your full backs and play Fewer Risky Passes.

The Deep Lying Playmaker should be trained in Switching the Ball to the Opposite Flank, to exploit space quickly when it appears. Have the team Look For Overlap, to make use of those mobile full backs. For the Control-Flexible option, I like to have the side Get Stuck In and Be More Disciplined. That gives you somewhere to go when you want to switch to a more attacking stance: Get Stuck In, Be More Expressive and Roam From Positions. I think whether you instruct Whipped or Floated crosses should probably depend on whether Andy Carroll is on the pitch.

Getting caught offside too much is a constant problem with all of my formations. I'm currently trying to retrain the most frequent offenders to Beat the Offside Trap, but I'm still waiting to see their improvement!
 
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