DAWNBRINGER..........for FM16
Greetings Managers,
I wasn't sure i'd be posting a tactic this year, the forum's been a bit quiet and i'm not sure there's much appetite for them anymore, however a few people asked me for something so i'm happy to share what I've got.
I think the days of just plugging in a tactic and steaming up the league without any thought or effort are pretty much gone, thank god. The Match Engine is pretty robust these days, as should be, which means we have to work a little harder for our success which makes it all the more rewarding when we achieve it.
So, whilst the tactic is proven, I firmly believe you will now have to get all of the other managerial elements basically correct for you to see it at its full potential.
In other words, you need to be a good manager……. which is the whole point of the game after all.
A game can be lost in the pre-match press conference or at half time or with a poor player conversation or through suddenly having to field multiple players who are not match fit due to poor squad management.
A good tactic is no longer guaranteed to override poor management.
Poor management will likely override a good tactic.
Only good management & good tactics guarantees long term success.
So, after all that, I have found a system of play I like. I have exceeded expectations with both the strongest team in the league and more importantly the weakest and combined with selective recruitment I believe anyone can use it and improve year on year to meet your chosen objectives as long as you combine it with sensible management.
I built the tactics to satisfy my own preference for entertaining, high tempo, fairly direct football with lots of variety in play and a solid defensive platform.
Here’s what I ended up with.
DAWNBRINGER
http://i.imgur.com/DqqaemC.jpg
Formation
Yes, it’s an asymmetric 4-2-3-1.
I was seeking good pitch coverage, a balance of threats from wide and thru the middle, vertical & horizontal runners and defensive solidity.
This is the formation, combination of roles & duties which enabled me to achieve what I’m after.
The System
Key to the success of the system is the wide play, which works differently on either flank. On one side we have a RMD supported by a more conservative Full Back, on the other a ‘full on’ attacking full back with loads of space to attack.
Cover is provided by 2 BWM, its unusual not to have a ‘sitter’ in this formation (BWM’s are highly mobile, closing down etc) but due to the fact that all the players in the AM strata operate quite deep and when out of possession get in front of the ball it gives us a really solid 4-5-1 shape in defence. The RMD is a bit hit & miss defensively but our conservative Full Back behind him provides cover.
Our 2 central midfielders, although defensively minded are ideally situated to build attacks, more often than not feeding the ball into one flank or another or thru the middle if an obvious pass is on.
The main issue with FM16 is ‘quality of chance’, I had tactics which resulted in more shots at goal but were a bit hit & miss as they were not good chances.
By essentially spreading 5 players across the width of the penalty area, slightly staggering their depth we are able to create a good number of high quality chances due to players being unmarked and in space.
RESULTS
http://i.imgur.com/MjQbywi.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/8ONssan.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/8ONssan.jpg
Smashed it with City, won League Cup, lost in Champions League final vs Bayern but comfortably saw off Lazio, Chelsea & Real Madrid over 2 legs. Used Bony pretty much all season as Aguero was out, with a proper Striker would easily have got over 100 league goals.
I said in another thread i'd test with Bournemouth and if I kept them up i'd post the tactic. Happy to make that call after 11 games. On an 8 game unbeaten run, beat Man City & Everton 3-0 and a good 0-0 away at Arsenal. Happy to make the call now we'll be staying up (will complete season and update)
Although the results achieved are with ‘default’ squads (got Kone for Bournemouth) I believe the tactic can be massively enhanced with recruiting the right type of players.
For example, Navas was my main RMD, he has 10 finishing. With my £195m transfer budget I could get a MONSTER here and that alone must result in more goals. Due to Aguero being massively injury prone I had to play Bony pretty much all season, this is another area in the team that could easily be massively improved…… you catch my drift?
As such I have detailed below my ideas on how the system works and what type of players you should be looking for to get the best out of it. Just my ideas of course, you will likely have your own and there will be many paths to success.