Hello.
I'm playing the Norwegian league, with FK Haugesund, and I want to tweek my counter-attacking tactic.So here's what I'm thinking so far, and please share anything you might have to add, or disagree on:
Formation:
My team is well suited to play a classical 4-5-1 with one DM and to wingers in the AM-line. Pluss I like that formation, so I'm gonna go with that. I have set this up in the following way:
AF
IF(attack) W(support)
BBM CM(attack)
DLP(defend)
CWB LD(defend) BPD(defend) CWB
Reasoning and assumptions (which might be wrong):
1) I have fullbacks on both sides that are well capable of attacking wing-play. Therefore I go for the CWB-role, which is also recommended by the assistant as their best roles. They are pretty much star-player material in this division, so I suppose I should utilize them to the fullest.
2) My striker is too short, too weak and has too poor passing skills to be used for build-up play. But he is quick, a good dribbler and a good finisher. Therefore I want him to be spearhead the attack, and give him the AF-role. According to my assistant he is better played as a poacher, with also makes tactical sense since all I want him to so is to sniff out goals. However, I've never had much success with playing a poacher as a lone striker on FM. Seems like they just get cut off up there by themselves, and for some reason the AF works better.
3) The inside forward on the left I suppose works well with an attacking fullback, since they shouldn't be occupying the same space in attack. I therefore give him an attacking mentality (which he also is best at, according to the assistant).
4) I put the winger on the right on a supporting role because I don't want him to occupy the same space as the attacking fullback behind him. I suppose a supporting winger works better than an attacking winger in combination with an attacking fullback. According to my assistant he also works best in a supporting role.
5) I want a deep-lying playmaker in the team, since I play a quick, direct counter-attacking style, which I suppose should start from deep. It is also my DM's favorite role + my DM is the best player in the squad.
6) I would like to utilize my central defenders with their favorite duties, stopper/cover, but I've never had much success with that in FM. Seems like the best thing to do in FM is to play a flat backline, which I sort of agree with in real-life as well. But I do have one limited defender and one ball-playing defender, so I guess I have some sort of "partnership" going there. More about that later.
Team mentality and fluidity:
Again, this has almost always seemed to work best on a neutral mentality. I would like to have it work as well on a counter mentality too, since counter attack is sort the essence of what I'm trying to do. I do however sometimes use the counter mentality against tough opposition away. And sometimes I use control or attacking mentality against weaker opposition, or if I'm behind, but I'm not really sure if that helps anything at all. In fact, I think I've had just as much luck with just remaining on neutral mentality throughout any match. Seems like I just create more chances on neutral than on any of the more attacking ones.
Fluidity on 'rigid' or 'very rigid', for obvious reasons. That's what makes sense in real-life, so I suppose it makes sense on FM too. I tend to have good defensive records, so I guess it works. If not that, then something else is working. Who ****** knows?
Team instructions:
Now it gets really ambiguous, but here's what I think so far:
More direct passing. I'm counter-attacking, and I don't have the physical presence on top for a route one.
Pass into space. Must be good for both my striker and my attacking inside forward, who are both chasing space behind the opposition defence. Right?
Run at defence. Don't really know if this matter, since most of my players will have lots of forward runs (acccording to the 2013 tactics engine). But sure. It's a part of the whole direct, quick counter approach.
Drill Crosses. My striker is short and quick.
Drop deeper. Part of playing couter-attacking. Invite the opposition, and exploit the space behind them.
Play wider. I figured since I have so much attack presence on the flanks (with the CWBs), I better give them some room. Pluss I'm playing direct, which should mean my passing range is greater, and should be able to handle a wider play. Pluss it's sort of "tactical bible" - knowledge, not that I'm sure the people behind stuff like that really know what they're talking about either.
Hassle opponents. Allthough I drop deep to invite the opposition on, I want my team to be relatively aggressive once the pressing starts. Not sure if this is wise combined with 'drop deeper' on FM, maybe it will stretch my team defensively.
Higher tempo.Should be golden together with 'more direct passing' and the whole counter-attacking thing I'm trying to do. Sadly, on FM I've usually hade more luck with shorter passing, especially with poorer teams. Seems like the match-engine, at least since 2008, have treated it so that shorter passes are "simpler", and so therefore you need excellent passers (a great team, basically) to succesfully hoof braindead boring-balls up to a tall target man. This has annoyed me for seven years now, so let's hope 2014 is the year...
Stick to positions. I'm not sure, but I have this one on. I would like my BBM to have a free role, if he's still "supposed" to have that (ref. earlier versions of FM), but I'm not sure if it's needed anymore. Besides, I have run at opposition' selected, so I guess there should be enough follow-up runs from behind.
Use offside trap. Since I'm playing with a flat backline, I figured I might as well use that for what it's worth, which is using the offside rule to your advantage. I suppose you should better use it with a high defensive line, at leasts that's what most tactical guides will tell you, but I think it can be useful in a diciplined defensive team that drops deep too. I don't know...
Be more diciplined. I want my team to be super-diciplined, like any other great counter-attacking, "overacheiving" side in history. Maybe I should leave more room for my players' creative talents (which aren't bad, compared to the Norwegian league), but I don't think it makes sense with the overall "German" style of play.
Look for overlap. Very uncertain if I should have this. I use it to fully reap the rewards of my attacking fullbacks, and on top of that I have set up my wingers for overlapping play (one as inside forwarder and one with a support duty). So it should be perfect, but I'm not sure if it will slow down my counter-attacking play.
What I would like to do:
I would like my right winger to have an attacking mentality as well. But an attacking winger doesn't strike me as a good match with an attacking fullback, since they will basically do the same job offensively. So maybe I can put the right fullback to a supporting doty. But then what about the 'look for overlap' instruction, when I only have one attacking fullback left?
I would like both my CMs to be BBM. First of all, it's what best suits my squads strengths. Second, because a real life box-to-box-midfielder is really what I want in both those two positions (somone who works hard in defense + supports the striker high up the pitch). However, in previous versions of FM I found that I always needed one attacking CM-role to properly support the striker.
I would like to play stopper/cover at the back, but like I said, never really gotten that to work. My most solid defences have always been in line.
I would like to play the inside forward in a support duty, but according to the assistant (and his stats) he's best as a goal-scoring type of IF. And again, I have not gotten the IF on support to work in this formation before either. I suspect he gets in the way of the left CM (BBM) when in attack, and therefore it's better to let him chase behind the defence, almost like a strike-partner. Winger on support, on the other hand, have often worked well together with an attacking fullback.
What I really would like to to is to buy one of the many excellent target men that are avaliable for cheap in Scandinavia, use him as a striker in a supporting TM role (in stead of the AF), play route one, have two attacking inside forwards on each side of him, to BBM midfielders in the middle (to overlap and score) and two CWB attacking fullbacks. Haven't gotten this to work since the 2007-edition though. Seems like ever since then, you can't use a slow striker on his own up front, even if just to put the inside forwards through.
I'm playing the Norwegian league, with FK Haugesund, and I want to tweek my counter-attacking tactic.So here's what I'm thinking so far, and please share anything you might have to add, or disagree on:
Formation:
My team is well suited to play a classical 4-5-1 with one DM and to wingers in the AM-line. Pluss I like that formation, so I'm gonna go with that. I have set this up in the following way:
AF
IF(attack) W(support)
BBM CM(attack)
DLP(defend)
CWB LD(defend) BPD(defend) CWB
Reasoning and assumptions (which might be wrong):
1) I have fullbacks on both sides that are well capable of attacking wing-play. Therefore I go for the CWB-role, which is also recommended by the assistant as their best roles. They are pretty much star-player material in this division, so I suppose I should utilize them to the fullest.
2) My striker is too short, too weak and has too poor passing skills to be used for build-up play. But he is quick, a good dribbler and a good finisher. Therefore I want him to be spearhead the attack, and give him the AF-role. According to my assistant he is better played as a poacher, with also makes tactical sense since all I want him to so is to sniff out goals. However, I've never had much success with playing a poacher as a lone striker on FM. Seems like they just get cut off up there by themselves, and for some reason the AF works better.
3) The inside forward on the left I suppose works well with an attacking fullback, since they shouldn't be occupying the same space in attack. I therefore give him an attacking mentality (which he also is best at, according to the assistant).
4) I put the winger on the right on a supporting role because I don't want him to occupy the same space as the attacking fullback behind him. I suppose a supporting winger works better than an attacking winger in combination with an attacking fullback. According to my assistant he also works best in a supporting role.
5) I want a deep-lying playmaker in the team, since I play a quick, direct counter-attacking style, which I suppose should start from deep. It is also my DM's favorite role + my DM is the best player in the squad.
6) I would like to utilize my central defenders with their favorite duties, stopper/cover, but I've never had much success with that in FM. Seems like the best thing to do in FM is to play a flat backline, which I sort of agree with in real-life as well. But I do have one limited defender and one ball-playing defender, so I guess I have some sort of "partnership" going there. More about that later.
Team mentality and fluidity:
Again, this has almost always seemed to work best on a neutral mentality. I would like to have it work as well on a counter mentality too, since counter attack is sort the essence of what I'm trying to do. I do however sometimes use the counter mentality against tough opposition away. And sometimes I use control or attacking mentality against weaker opposition, or if I'm behind, but I'm not really sure if that helps anything at all. In fact, I think I've had just as much luck with just remaining on neutral mentality throughout any match. Seems like I just create more chances on neutral than on any of the more attacking ones.
Fluidity on 'rigid' or 'very rigid', for obvious reasons. That's what makes sense in real-life, so I suppose it makes sense on FM too. I tend to have good defensive records, so I guess it works. If not that, then something else is working. Who ****** knows?
Team instructions:
Now it gets really ambiguous, but here's what I think so far:
More direct passing. I'm counter-attacking, and I don't have the physical presence on top for a route one.
Pass into space. Must be good for both my striker and my attacking inside forward, who are both chasing space behind the opposition defence. Right?
Run at defence. Don't really know if this matter, since most of my players will have lots of forward runs (acccording to the 2013 tactics engine). But sure. It's a part of the whole direct, quick counter approach.
Drill Crosses. My striker is short and quick.
Drop deeper. Part of playing couter-attacking. Invite the opposition, and exploit the space behind them.
Play wider. I figured since I have so much attack presence on the flanks (with the CWBs), I better give them some room. Pluss I'm playing direct, which should mean my passing range is greater, and should be able to handle a wider play. Pluss it's sort of "tactical bible" - knowledge, not that I'm sure the people behind stuff like that really know what they're talking about either.
Hassle opponents. Allthough I drop deep to invite the opposition on, I want my team to be relatively aggressive once the pressing starts. Not sure if this is wise combined with 'drop deeper' on FM, maybe it will stretch my team defensively.
Higher tempo.Should be golden together with 'more direct passing' and the whole counter-attacking thing I'm trying to do. Sadly, on FM I've usually hade more luck with shorter passing, especially with poorer teams. Seems like the match-engine, at least since 2008, have treated it so that shorter passes are "simpler", and so therefore you need excellent passers (a great team, basically) to succesfully hoof braindead boring-balls up to a tall target man. This has annoyed me for seven years now, so let's hope 2014 is the year...
Stick to positions. I'm not sure, but I have this one on. I would like my BBM to have a free role, if he's still "supposed" to have that (ref. earlier versions of FM), but I'm not sure if it's needed anymore. Besides, I have run at opposition' selected, so I guess there should be enough follow-up runs from behind.
Use offside trap. Since I'm playing with a flat backline, I figured I might as well use that for what it's worth, which is using the offside rule to your advantage. I suppose you should better use it with a high defensive line, at leasts that's what most tactical guides will tell you, but I think it can be useful in a diciplined defensive team that drops deep too. I don't know...
Be more diciplined. I want my team to be super-diciplined, like any other great counter-attacking, "overacheiving" side in history. Maybe I should leave more room for my players' creative talents (which aren't bad, compared to the Norwegian league), but I don't think it makes sense with the overall "German" style of play.
Look for overlap. Very uncertain if I should have this. I use it to fully reap the rewards of my attacking fullbacks, and on top of that I have set up my wingers for overlapping play (one as inside forwarder and one with a support duty). So it should be perfect, but I'm not sure if it will slow down my counter-attacking play.
What I would like to do:
I would like my right winger to have an attacking mentality as well. But an attacking winger doesn't strike me as a good match with an attacking fullback, since they will basically do the same job offensively. So maybe I can put the right fullback to a supporting doty. But then what about the 'look for overlap' instruction, when I only have one attacking fullback left?
I would like both my CMs to be BBM. First of all, it's what best suits my squads strengths. Second, because a real life box-to-box-midfielder is really what I want in both those two positions (somone who works hard in defense + supports the striker high up the pitch). However, in previous versions of FM I found that I always needed one attacking CM-role to properly support the striker.
I would like to play stopper/cover at the back, but like I said, never really gotten that to work. My most solid defences have always been in line.
I would like to play the inside forward in a support duty, but according to the assistant (and his stats) he's best as a goal-scoring type of IF. And again, I have not gotten the IF on support to work in this formation before either. I suspect he gets in the way of the left CM (BBM) when in attack, and therefore it's better to let him chase behind the defence, almost like a strike-partner. Winger on support, on the other hand, have often worked well together with an attacking fullback.
What I really would like to to is to buy one of the many excellent target men that are avaliable for cheap in Scandinavia, use him as a striker in a supporting TM role (in stead of the AF), play route one, have two attacking inside forwards on each side of him, to BBM midfielders in the middle (to overlap and score) and two CWB attacking fullbacks. Haven't gotten this to work since the 2007-edition though. Seems like ever since then, you can't use a slow striker on his own up front, even if just to put the inside forwards through.