Swansea Tactic help

[Barkermush]

I'm trying to create the tactic that Swansea play in real life. (Classic Style tactic)

Last Season Stats.

Over the 46-game regular season, Swansea could boast an incredible average of 526 passes per match - more than 100 clear of their nearest Championship rivals.


And, to show just how stark a contrast that is to others vying to make the top flight, the divisional average was just 312.

Yet, what makes the figures even more remarkable is the fact that Arsenal - rightly considered the best passing side in Britain - ‘only’ mustered an average of 428 per game.

That’s almost a hundred less than Swansea from Cesc Fabregas, Jack Wilshere, Nasri and co.

With such talented ball-players, it is easy to see why Arsenal lead the Premier passing stats and ended the campaign as the only club to have managed more than 60% possession as an average in matches.

Yet Swansea, in the more rough and tumble surroundings of the second-tier equalled the Gunners’ 61% possession figures for the campaign - and made it through the regular season without one opponent enjoying the ball more than them in any single match.

One of the trademarks of Swansea’s play is that every individual is comfortable in receiving and distributing the ball, including goalkeeper Dorus de Vries. Defenders like Ashley Williams regularly rack up more than 100 passes per game with some pass-completion rates reaching 95%.

Critics will argue - as Dave Jones so flippantly did so after last year’s Swansea derby victory - that it is well and good passing between team-mates when the pressure’s off.

And sides who have pressed high up the field have at times been able to disrupt Swansea’s style of building from the back, as Cardiff did in their Liberty revenge and as Reading will no doubt try themselves at Wembley.

But you cannot argue with the facts that Swansea have been bold enough to stick with what they - and Barca - regard as the winning formula - whatever the occasion.

In those nerve-wracking opening legs of the Play off semi-finals, Swansea still managed a combined passing accuracy of 80% with Nottingham Forest. They outplayed Forest at the City Ground despite being down to 10 men.

Read more here if you wish.

They are still passing teams of the pitch in the Premier League, and have had over 60% possession in a few games. Wolves/Norwich away- Bolton home etc.

I'm struggling to get their high amount of passes and possession on FM12 though, I'm using a 4-1-2-2-1 classic style formation. (I much prefer classic style tactics)

I don't know wether to tick counter attack? Because even though most of the games they have alot more of the ball than the opposition, and patiently pass it about all over the pitch.

They can be deadly on the counter when teams attack them though, with the pace and skill of their 2 wingers Sinclair and Dyer.
If I tick counter attack on FM, will it make my team just sit back more/ let the team attack us so we can counter? If so, I don't want this. I want to control the game like Swansea do in real life, but also be capable of a quick counter attack.

I've got the aml position to cut inside (Sinclair position) and the amr to hug the touch line (Dyer is really pacey and plays really wide most of the time)

I'm also finding that my left back and sometimes centre backs are hoofing it long, even when they have a player to the side of them in space?

The centre backs passing is set to 0 and creative freedom is 0, so I don't know why they are doing this?

Also I don't know if I should have a quicker tempo? In real life it's 1 and 2 touch passing, they don't dwell on the ball etc it's recieved then passed or recieved one touch then passed, so I wouldn't think it would be a slow tempo?

Any help would be much appreciated.