Not necessarily. All of my tactics use Exploit The Flanks and have central midfielders playing More Direct Passes - within my otherwise short-passing, possession-based style - to move the ball around quickly and exploit space as and when it appears.
In my 4-4-1-1 with a Shadow Striker behind a Deep-Lying Forward, I am dependent on good service from the wings and the aerial prowess of my 6'4" SS and 6'0" DLF.
In my 4-2DM-1-2-1, I have a World Class Advanced Playmaker_Attack in the M(C) position who can run at teams through the centre, picking the ball up in deep positions to gain the sort of momentum that puts defenders on the wrong foot, out-of-position or in the referee's notebook - with wingers in the AM line offering width high up the pitch, if required. The left-sided AM operates as a right-footed Inside Forward_Support with instructions to Sit Narrower, while Luke Shaw overlaps from Full-Back (Left)_Attack. I also have a conventional Left Winger who I swap in as AM_Attack and set Shaw back to DL_Support when I want to protect a lead.
In my 5-3-2 system, I have two genuine wing-backs either side of a Regista_Support in the DM line; a BWM_Support and that AP_Attack in M(C) positions; and an Advanced Forward_Attack alongside a Deep-Lying Forward_Support / False-9_Support up top - with my left-footed AF playing on the left of the two, for better accuracy when shooting from the inside-left channel. The Regista helps to establish possession high up the pitch so the wing backs can push on and my AP can look for pockets in the No.10 region while the BWM picks up scraps and closes down any miss-placed passes. This achieves a high press and an all-angles attack - with three at the back providing assurance against the counter.
None of these systems are perfect, but I populate my bench with players that enable me to switch mid-match if things are not going my way, and I use the Scouting Reports, Past Meetings List and my own memory to do my research on upcoming opponents match-by-match (sometimes a couple of games ahead if I want to rotate my squad to keep certain players fit for an upcoming big match).
My Southampton team is the current European and World Club Champion, and top of the Premier League (which I have only won twice, so far) at the end of January 2026 - so it's fair to say that my system is working:
http://www.fm-base.co.uk/forum/foot...3194-diary-season-st-marys-redemption-37.html