Zorak's Brave New World, 4-2-3-1. Wycombe win Premiership with 101 points.

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Zorak’s Brave New World, 4-2-3-1. Wycombe win Premiership with 101 points.

Before we begin, this is not the tactic that I took Wycombe up through the divisions with, it is merely the tactic I have used for my current season that has brought about my best success in the Premiership so far. I would never use this tactic for Wycombe before I was able to adequately strengthen with quality. That being said, my current Wycombe team is never predicted to finish above third, usually fourth or fifth; and the team that performed so admirably this season had lost the top scorer and two top assisters from the season previous. So, it is not the strongest side I have possessed in the last few seasons, but it is the one that has performed the best, which I believe is the sign of a working strategy.

The Tactic, The Philosophy:

The philosophy of Brave New World is, at its core, is to play football in an adaptive and assertive fashion. It aims to take games by the scruff of the neck and establish leads through quick back-to-front football. Then sit back and invite teams to expand and leave gaps to be exploited.
The adaptive element of BNW is mastered through a number of shouts (that I will detail later) that allow a manager to not just react to tactical threats, but create their own. The assertive side of BNW stems from the emphasis of playing the game in the opponents half, with the Attacking Midfield providing a physical, driving influence through the opposition ranks. This is not a patient, probing exercise in ball retention. BNW encourages and implores adventurous players to force their way between defenders, through skill and physicality in equal parts. To describe it in another fashion, this tactic would take Fellaini, Ronaldo and Hulk over Iniesta, Fabregas and Silva.

Results, Tables, Analysis, Players used, etc.
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Note here the way play is focused in the opposing half, no faffing about in our own half.

Shouts: (SET THESE UP AND USE THEM, THIS TACTIC HAS MANY OPTIONS LEFT UNTICKED TO MAXIMISE THE EFFECT OF MULTIPLE SHOUTS)
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The shouts are setup to control and react to games and what unfolds.
Possess is a possession based collection of shouts that will conserve energy and encourage ball retention in the name of defence, not attack.
AlloutAttack will push the whole team further forward, widen the play, quicken the tempo and encourage more freedom. Will turn an already positive tactic into an almost foolhardy one. But goals are almost inevitable when using this.
DefDefDef is the opposite. The team will drop way back and stop pressing and try and keep shape. Actually a very good shout to use to ride out storms or lull opposition.
Counter will drop the team deeper, but aim to get the ball up the field quicker using the flanks and the pace of the attacking midfielders to advantage. Will catch all teams out.
PassMove encourages an expansive passing approach to breaking opposition down, if you find in a game passing is proving more effective than dribbling.


Recommended player types:


Goalkeeper:
A sweeper keeper would be nice, but any solid keeper should do.

Full-backs
: Defensively solid, adequate in supporting attacks. Usually full-backs are the most important element of my strategies, but not here.
Primary stats: Positioning, tackling, Marking, teamwork
Secondary stats: crossing, passing, heading, jumping, stamina, pace\acceleration, Dribbling
PPM’s: Any personal preference. I have had great success using a right footed left back and vice versa with “Cut Inside”
Elite example: Ivanovic, Zabaleta
Budget example: Courtney Meppen-Walters, Marnick Vermijl

Centre-backs:
No ball players here needed, they should be good all-rounders, or excel in a few areas.
Primary stats: Positioning, tackling, marking, heading, jumping, concentration
Secondary stats: teamwork, composure, anticipation, acceleration
PPM’S: Stays on feet, marks opponents tightly.
Elite example: Kompany, Nastajic, Vidic plenty to choose from
Lower –league example: Gary Doherty, Nicolo Cherubin

CM-Def:
The ball winner.
Primary stats: tackling, aggression, marking, positioning, anticipation, pace\acceleration
Secondary stats: passing, teamwork, stamina, strength
PPM’s: Stays on feet, marks opponents tightly, plays short simple passes (if they’re not great passer)
Elite example: M’vila
Lower –league example: Jason Lowe, Matt Spring, Matt Bloomfield, Stuart Lewis

DLP:
The deepest member of the midfield, pulling springs and spraying passes while offering defensive solidarity
Primary stats: passing, creativity, positioning, teamwork
Secondary stats: composure, first touch, tackling, marking
PPM’s: Comes deep to get ball, Dictates tempo, tries killer balls, tries long range passes
Elite example: Alonso
Lower –league example: Jurgen Prutsch, Raphael Holzhauser

Wingers L&R:
Not out and out wingers in the traditional sense, but more like attacking midfielders, moving into channels and beyond the front man, they will both drive at the defence towards goal and towards the byline to cross.
Primary stats: dribbling, acceleration/pace, passing, finishing, composure
Secondary stats: strength, crossing, creativity, flair, off the ball
PPM’s: Moves into channels, gets forward
Elite example: Hulk, Bale
Lower –league example: Shaun Batt, Joel Grant

Attacking Midfield:
This is the main man of the tactic. He should be your best player. He will score goals using a direct approach. No diminutive intelligent playmakers here. This guy is just fast, powerful and a dribbling machine, any more is a bonus.
Primary stats: dribbling, acceleration/pace, passing, finishing, composure, flair
Secondary stats: strength , creativity, off the ball
PPM’s: Runs with ball through centre, gets forward, arrives late, knocks ball past opponent
Elite example: Bale, Goetze, Wilshere
Lower –league example: Ross Barkley

Striker: I use a DLP on attack, but have alternated between Poacher and advanced forward too, doesn’t seem to make too much difference. So any good forward should do. I used a decidedly average front man this season (2.5 stars) and he scored 20 league goals.


Final words and advice:

Set up the shouts as I have suggested, I generally use my Counter shouts after going 2 goals ahead, and against strong opposition I might use it from the start. Possess will attempt to choke the life out of the game by playing safe and holding onto the ball, a good tactic to see out games in a more measured fashion. The important part to using these shouts is sensing when to use them, sometimes you can tell from the way play is going whether it's worth adopting a different approach for 15 minutes to ride out some pressure. Sometimes the best defence isn't using Counter or DefDefDef, but getting on the front foot and forcing the game back in your favour.
 
In 2023 you have just pure regens players ... Easy to have great results ! :)
Have to try it with middle team in 2013 to see the efficiency of this tactic

I just ask myself about the Pushed-up defensive line and No Offside played ... Why ?

Good job by the way ! :)
 
In 2023 you have just pure regens players ... Easy to have great results ! :)
Have to try it with middle team in 2013 to see the efficiency of this tactic

I just ask myself about the Pushed-up defensive line and No Offside played ... Why ?

Good job by the way ! :)

Yeah, that's a problem with FM, but I don't go crazy and buy the best regens all the time. Most of my regens are pretty rubbish actually. And the good ones leave after a few seasons because I have no wage budget. :(

As to the offside: I don't play offside. It doesn't work as far as I am concerned. I have played football manager for many, many years, and since the Match Engine was introduced (in cm4 or whatever it was) I have never actually seen a player or set of players drop deep, then quickly push up to rejoin the line and catch a striker off-side like in real-life. Any offsides that happen are due to an overzealous striker running before the pass comes through, and you don't need an offside trap for that. IMO, a highish line does that fine already. :)
I don't believe in exploiting the match engine, but neither do I believe in being held captive to its inadequacies.

I have an Arsenal save as well in 2014, and this tactic I've briefly used and it's done well, perhaps I'll do more expansive testing soon. :)
 
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I will try it without the shouts, as they just ruin every tactic tbh
 
I will try it without the shouts, as they just ruin every tactic tbh

If you understand exactly how the Tactic Creator tactics work, and how shouts effect the strategy, shouts will help and not hinder tactics. They encourage a greater tactical awareness in match.
People have been fighting against shouts and the tactic creator, but it's time to work with it, not against it.
 
If you understand exactly how the Tactic Creator tactics work, and how shouts effect the strategy, shouts will help and not hinder tactics. They encourage a greater tactical awareness in match.
People have been fighting against shouts and the tactic creator, but it's time to work with it, not against it.
it isnt just that, it wastes so much time just have keep selecting your shouts every game, becomes boring and pointless
 
@dooley93lfc, you can pre-select them in tactics screen. Then you just modify to what you think it is better in the game.

Zorak is absolutely right. From my experience, playing with shouts can make your team play exactly how you want. And you have lesser work, it's just 2 or 3 clickings :)
 
How is the goal spread with this tactic? Do your wingers get many?
 
How is the goal spread with this tactic? Do your wingers get many?

Good question.
In all competitions, my right winger gets about 20-25 a season, left winger about 10 at best.
My right winger is a very good player, my left winger is a work in progress. If you had two equally competent players on the wings, I see no reason they couldn't get 10 league goals a piece and a few more on the side elsewhere.

The wingers are not given specific instructions apart from to try a lot of through balls, dribble with the ball, cross at byline and move into channels. My idea was to give them the freedom to make choices when they are on the ball; and not restrict them to merely always cutting inside like an inside forward or staying wide like a traditional winger.
So you can use a left footer on the left or the right, shouldn't matter. But you may see more goals if you use a lefty on the right, while more crosses if they keep to their strong side.
 
whats your match preperation? :)

Whatever suits you, I personally use a High Balanced training, with either teamwork\tactics for match prep. But I have noticed attacking movement can get some good results.
 
Very similar to how i set up notice you have lots of items on each player ticked? This is the bit i found intresting as doing that negates the shouts but gotta say it makes your tactic more fluid. I combined this with my own OI's and very impressed with the style and commitment from each player. Do you use the same tactic home and away?
I agree with you that shouts are the way forward and if you get them right them make a huge tactical difference, congrats mate on a really top notch tactic and set up.

Thank you :)

I agree that having things ticked negates a lot of shouts, and I am constantly experimenting to see what I can get away with. However, when using the shouts, I strived for a balance between keeping the individual attacking instructions constant, and making some pretty radical changes in team instructions. I was most interested in not stifling the three attacking midfielders.

As for home and away, yes, I use this tactic away too. It's had good success; and I think one of the reasons is that it works well against teams who will play more open, which, at home, most will do.
 
Impressive presentation, will definitely try the tactic out !

Sorry if I haven't understood correctly,

but you start the match without any shouts and only apply them later on ???
 
Impressive presentation, will definitely try the tactic out !

Sorry if I haven't understood correctly,

but you start the match without any shouts and only apply them later on ???

I generally start without shouts, but sometimes, if I get a feeling from the team-talk that maybe the players aren't looking to motivated, or I'm playing a big team who will dominate, then I'll start either defensively or looking to counter with shouts.
Generally speaking, I like to hit teams hard and fast and score early as possible.
 
I generally start without shouts, but sometimes, if I get a feeling from the team-talk that maybe the players aren't looking to motivated, or I'm playing a big team who will dominate, then I'll start either defensively or looking to counter with shouts.
Generally speaking, I like to hit teams hard and fast and score early as possible.

Great, I'll let you know how the tactic does ;)
 
So let me get this straight.
I release a tactic named after an Iron Maiden song, then you release a tactic named after an Iron Maiden song?
THIS IS MADNESS!! (can I play with madness?)

nah jk, looks like a solid tactic mate well done lol :)
 
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Have attached results of season so far using your tactic and my own OI's. To say am impressed would be a lie i am ecstatic. I have changed nothing as the squad i have fit naturally into the formation(which i used already). The defeats are down to picking the wrong set of shouts and generally bad luck in football, otherwise amazed at the consistency and durability of the tactic.
I would say that the right players are needed and there stats are really important, also using the right OI's really helps as makes the midfield the supreme tackling machine. I would suggest also having 3/4 good players for the midfield roles due to the amount of work they do.
Regards the shouts i mix them around depending on a few factors
A- If home or away
B- Strength of opponent
C- Weather conditions
If i am favourite i will start with the all out attack and then change to either counter away or pass control. If underdog start with counter or control and then switch to all out attack to confuse the opp.

Thanks for your kind words :)

I especially like you're 4-0 drubbing of Inter, now there's a night that will be remembered in Barnsley. :)

So let me get this straight.
I release a tactic named after an Iron Maiden song, then you release a tactic named after an Iron Maiden song?
THIS IS MADNESS!! (can I play with madness?)

nah jk, looks like a solid tactic mate well done lol :)

Haha, actually, I'm not much of a Maiden fan, sorry! :) I'm more into my Deep Purple and Led Zep.
The title was a loose reference to the novel, but mainly just my transition from a defensive "anti-football" style to a more expansive one.
 
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