I've found West Ham are a tough one this year again (just like last year where I found we were terrible to manage)
I'm currently using a 4-5-1 as my default tactic, Attacking or Counter mentality depending on if I feel I can beat the team or not and Fluid.
Jussi (Normal goalkeeper, defend
Rat (Full Back, Support) Reid (Central Defender, Defend) Tomkins (Central Defender, Defend) O'Brien (Full Back, Support)
Noble (Regista, Support)
Diame or Collison (BWM, Defend) Nolan or Morrison (Advanced Playmaker, Attack)
Downing (Winger, Support) J.Cole (Winger, Support)
Petric (Poacher, Attack)
I tend to have starting team instructions of Retain Possession, Higher Tempo, Short Passing.
Then player instructions to pass short, close down more on a lot of the players, tight marking if they can have it too, as my aim is to win the ball back as quickly as possible, hold up ball on the attacking players that can have it to.
It worked fairly well in pre-season, the only game I lost was a 2-1 loss to Mallorca and that was when I started with another tactic and went 2-0 down before going back to the 4-5-1.
Season started and I've had a high and low already, opening day against Liverpool and won 3-0, 2 goals from Joey Cole and 1 from Reid from a corner. I was very much the dominant side against them, I opted for Counter as I was playing away from home, barely changed anything all game as it was working, although about 65 minutes in I opted for defensive. Then 2nd game of the season I came up against Spurs, a big game at home and I ended up losing 3-0, to be fair my tactic didn't work too well, went 1-0 down and Lamela was causing Rat a nightmare with his cutting in, although it was 1-0 until about 75 minutes in, then I tried to be ambitious and go more direct, I was overrun in midfield and conceded 2 more, so I don't think that was the tactic's fault, it was me trying to push for a draw as no one likes to lose to a rival. Will try and get a picture tonight. I do find though I'm using the Extended highlights on this game as so much seems to change mid game that I might miss on Key highlights this year.
I do have 2 more tactics set up but not 100% sure how good they will be as I haven't really used them, think one is a deep 4-2-3-1 and the other is my own attempt at the 4-6-0 that worked so well at Spurs in real life, with a holding midfielder, 2 centre mids and 3 attacking mids, but again not sure on if the player instructions/team instructions, will try and get another picture.
Have to admit though, I'm preferring 14 to 13 already, seems much simpler to make a team at least try to play how you want them to, I just need to work on Opposition instructions I think to just show people onto their weaker foot/tackle hard. Currently I just let Assistant Manager Neil McDonald do this, but I feel it failed with Lamela and Chadli, who seemed to have too much space.