Target Man

[ChivuStoica]

So, I'm playing as Universitatea Cluj (Romanian First League), and my two best strikers are target men; one is a young guy with great jumping reach and the other is an older, bigger player. I have a couple of quick wingers as well, so my thought is that my best bet is to make use of the two good target men and hit lots of crosses (and some long balls) to them. However, in practice, my "direct passing" always turns into "center-back/defensive midfielder inaccurately hoofs the ball to a defender." It's as though the thought of playing it out wide or trying to turn a quick break through the middle has never occurred to them.

Do y'all have any suggestions as far as ways to make use of a target man more successfully? I've been mostly playing around with 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 because these are the formations I know and they probably suit my personnel the best (save the absence of a true left winger). Kind of tired of watching my 16 jumping reach striker stand around with nothing to jump and reach for.

 

[bcfc1]

I am not expert on tactics especially those using target men as I usually prefer possession football but I would suggest initially using a 4411 or flat 451 tactic. Dropping your wingers further back will give them more space and your defenders will have more luck in finding them for simple passes. You could also use instructions such as exploit the flanks and clear ball to flanks so the defenders are more instinctively looking for the wide men. I would also suggest using a counter mentality if you are trying to create quick breaks as the team will naturally look to get forward with speed and support the target man when you win the ball back.

Also if you decide to switch to a 4411 tactic I would suggest pairing the target man with a shadow striker behind him. They are hard working attacking midfielders with an eye for goal and are perfect partners for target men.

 

[Lippo255]

I also like to play direct, though for different reasons, but here is what i've found works.

1. Pair either the more direct passing or Route 1 (depending on your preference) TI with play out of defence.

This should not only have your defenders looking for shorter options such as fullbacks & midfielders who in general are better ball players but also give your attacking players the opportunity to get further forward before a ball is played.

2. Exploit the flanks, run at defence & float crosses.

Exploit the flanks so that your players are looking to play balls out wide, Run at defence to encourage your wingers to beat their man & find space & Float crosses so that your TM has time to position himself under the ball.

You could also use pass into space if your wingers are particularly quick.

I will admit that I am by no means a tactical genius, just repeating what I have found works & tweaking it a bit to accommodate the Target Man. Hope it helps in any case.

 

[detached]

You need smart people to play a good passing game, simple as that. You need defenders with vision, passing, composure, decisions and technique to find a target man accurately. Good luck finding one of them that costs less than 15M You have to selectively choose players to make direct passes; players who can actually do it properly. Use a generally short passing game and put PI "more direct passes" to a good DM/mc and make him a playmaker (deep lying or roaming if he can dribble). You can use "clear ball to flanks" to find your wingers or try short passing to a decent central defender (the other one will send the ball flying,unfortunately) to try and get the ball out of defense to your playmaker. Also it you set your TM to a "support" role he will look to engage to headers much closer to midfield. Also I agree with what Lippo255 said.