Thomas Reis's Samsunspor Gegenpressing rock'n'roll: finished 2nd in Turkish Lig and qualified for UCL

[fmcalciomaestro]

Hi guys today I show you how to emulate Thomas Reis's Samsunspor.

Thomas Reis: Samsunspor's 4-2-3-1 in Football Manager 2024

Samsunspor's 2024-2025 season under Thomas Reis was a real triumph, culminating in an impressive third-place finish in the Turkish Süper Lig and qualification for the UEFA Europa League preliminaries. The secret to their success was the implementation of a balanced and dynamic 4-2-3-1 formation, capable of balancing defensive solidity with attacking prowess. If you're a Football Manager 2024 enthusiast looking to emulate this winning playing style, you've come to the right place. This guide will help you configure your tactic to replicate Reis's approach.

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Player Roles and Duties

Goalkeeper:

• Sweeper Keeper (Support): To facilitate build-up play from the back and provide an extra man in ball circulation.

Defense (Back Four):

• Full-Back (Support): On both sides. They need to push forward and offer width in attack, while maintaining some defensive cover. Instructions: Stay Wider, Get Further Forward.
• Central Defender (Right): Ball Playing Defender (Defend). Instructions: Mark Tighter.
• Central Defender (Left): Central Defender (Defend). Instructions: Take Fewer Risks, Mark Tighter. The priority here is solidity.

Midfield (Double Pivot): This is the heart of Reis's system. It includes a more disruptive, defensively-minded midfielder and a deep-lying playmaker.

• Defensive Midfielder (Defend): The "ball-winner" in front of the defense, with good ball-winning skills and physicality. Instructions: Tackle Harder, Mark Tighter.
• Deep-Lying Playmaker (Defend): The play distributor who stays in front of the defense to help cover spaces. Instructions: None.

Attacking Midfielder (CAM):

• Shadow Striker (Attack): The focal point of offensive play. This should be a creative, technical player with good off-the-ball movement and excellent vision to link up with the attackers. They are the key element for "creations" between the lines. Instructions: Roam From Position, Mark Tighter.

Wingers: To replicate Reis's approach, we can consider one as an Inside Forward (Attack) who cuts inside (e.g., a right-footed player on the left) to look for a shot, and the other as a Winger (Support/Attack) who cuts inside less and looks more for the byline to cross. The key is dynamism and the ability to create numerical superiority.

• Right Winger: Inside Forward (Attack). Instructions: Roam From Position, Mark Tighter.
• Left Winger: Winger (Attack). Instructions: Roam From Position, Mark Tighter.

Striker:

• Pressing Forward (Attack): A striker who is not just a finisher, but who knows how to link play, create space, and participate in build-up. Instructions: None.

Team Instructions

Mentality: Positive: To promote proactive, goal-oriented football.

In Possession:

• Shorter Passing: For reasoned ball possession, but also with the possibility of immediate vertical passes.
• Slightly Higher Tempo: To speed up transitions from defense to attack.
• Pass into spaces: Encourages players to look for runs in behind the opponent's defense.
• Overlap (Left/Right): For pushing full-backs.
• Fairly Wide: To stretch the opponent's defense and create central spaces.

In Transition:

• Counter-Press: To immediately win the ball back after losing it.
• Counter: To quickly launch attacks after winning the ball.
• Distribute to Centre Backs / Take Short Kicks: To build up play from the back.

Out of Possession:

• Higher Defensive Line: To condense the pitch and apply pressing.
• Higher Line of Engagement: To press opponents from the very beginning.
• Get Stuck In: The team must be aggressive in winning the ball back (remove if too many yellow and red cards are received).
• Much More Often Pressing: Players must quickly close spaces.
• Step up More: To apply the offside trap.
• Trap Outside: Force opponents to play along the flanks where they have fewer options to pass or dribble.

Results

I tested this tactic with Samsunspor starting from season 2024-25 with same players available after January 2025 transfermarkt session. I finished 2nd in Turkish Superlig and got qualified to season 2025-26 UEFA Champions League

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