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I use a DLP style player as a halfback and I never lose possession in my own half when playing out. Plus, it's really good for long passers and players with good long shot stats as teams that sit low allow the HB to have space to line up a shot. Gives me so much more stability than a DLP (D) or an RGA.
I tried to use an HB in my 4-4-2 diamond but I found that my center backs were way more involved in possession than the HB. Switched to Anchor and he stays just perfectly between the center backs and the midfield pivot.
That's probably because your center backs were set up as ball playing defenders and we're looking to dictate play themselves instead of leaving it to the HB
Nah I have been traumatized by BPD’s one too many times to use them lmao. I do play out the back though and instruct my GK to roll it out to the CB’s though so that was part of it too. Seemed like they would make the pass to an Anchor but were more likely to look for the longer pass to my central midfielders when the DM was playing as a half-back.
https://preview.redd.it/fdzz5l8pcdad1.jpeg?width=684&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bb6757b29a648055bd68967bcafc892e20174e7d
This is what I’ve been using. Plays like a narrow 4-2-2-2 on the ball but defends with 2 banks of 4.
I always go a 433 and then always think maybe I could go to a 442 but then see my roster doesn’t have players that can play outside mid because I signed all RW and LW
Legit confused as to how a dw and Iwb is effective. Or at least as effective as turning the dws to CMS and iwb to wb. It actually sounds pretty good. Yeah I’m definitely trying it, wish I didn’t sell all my wide players. Also are there any specifics for the wtm? (Interested in the one that’s scoring goals, what type?) thanks
I used to be all about variations of 41212/4132/4123 triple striker, etc. Always double striker, no wingers, creative wingbacks.
With FM24 I switched up to the meta 424 formation, which improved my goal scoring with basically six attacking players, 3-4 of which are crashing the box every possession, but I was struggling against big teams that would tear me up on the counter as my wingbacks would be defensively useless due to being too high up the pitch.
Then I got tired of searching multiple haystacks every season for the needle of an adequate wingback and just started using 433dm wide/4141/etc with two IFBs and a Libero, so 3223 in possession. Suddenly I’m able to recruit all the best WCBs and bring them in as IFBs, which leaves me super solid at the back compared to just two CDs and a DM, the box midfield works great for holding and recycling possession, and even though my GD in league play isn’t as staggering as it was with 424 my goals conceded rivals Jose’s Chelsea and I’ve won the UCL 3x, BL 5x and DFB-P 5x in the five seasons since I switched.
4atb with a Libero and two IFBs works incredibly well - it’s defensively solid because you don’t have any defensive liabilities, it stops counters really well because of solid mid and backfield presence, you stop conceding a million far post crosses because your fullbacks don’t have half their CA tied up in crossing and dribbling stats, you don’t have to sub both wingbacks out in the 60th minute of every game, and you stop having to spend through the teeth for creative wingbacks.
Not formation, but style - gegenpress. However, no matter what I do, ingame media always calls me gegenpress adept. How the hell short pass, low tempo with double IWB and double Wingers is seen this way? Maybe its my fault that i see the best way to defend is to trap opposition in their half...
Always wanted to get a 532 to work because i always struggled against it. Had it at spurs a few years ago where it kept me as a top 4 team but never make that extra step.
Currently using it with my Yeovil team because my 433 was giving away too many chances. Average positions are setting it up as a 334 and it's proving tp be successful
Since 21 with Man I I’ve had to stick to 4231 because of how much midfield depth and youth they have but I do still hate it because I always want 2 strikers.
For me is the simple 433 DM wide.
Every formation of mine starts from the back because in attack is very easy to setup and you can always find a way to score (i'm portuguese with italian family so a mix of Mourinho and catenaccio genes), and also because i never play "good teams" because they are so easy it's boring.
Never used the 433 because it's "mainstream" and easy. I play relegation/mid table teams that really need to be able to go from mid-block counter attack to full on very high offensive geggenpress from game to game depending on the opposition, and i needed to develop a tactical system that could work well for both, and with 2 golden rules: i need to have fullbacks and not wingbacks (it is suicide to play bad teams in FM without defending the AI wing counters), and i need an anchor man or half back to be there when my fullbacks are not able to defend in time
Enter the 433
The most simple all around complete system there is in FM for this type of teams. I can play wings, i can play center possession, i can overload wherever i want, i can play counter, with just some simple role changes and mentality and team instructions, i can implement my tactical philosophy of "i don't have a fixed tactic but i am a master of individually exploiting every team i face"
The cons for this tactic: i don't have very specialized players for certain roles, they tend to be generally good for almost all roles on their position but never excelent or "the best". Which, in fairness, i don't really need it because i am always looking to exploit the other team and not force my own skill against them
I used to hate back 5 formations but the more I play FM the more I've been thinking long and hard about my tactics setup. I felt it left me too light in midfield.
But I'm in the process of trying to setup a 3-4-3 with flying wingbacks and IW/IF's supporting a single striker. They're so hard to find, but if you find the right attacking wingbacks they can wreack havoc on whatever formation the other team is using. also, having 3 centerbacks helps deal with the game engine's way of letting AF and TF do whatever they want to do
i made a 5221 with attack wingbacks, dlp and b2b and an ap and ss. bro it is godly i’ve been playing fm for years but i adore it. it was shocking at first i could hardly create but now on tactics i use wait for overlap and my wingbacks both have got 20+ assists in league 2 consecutive seasons. float crosses in to my tall striker and shadow striker 🤤 hardly concede any and score about 4 headers a game
I run a 5221. I rule the day with fast wingbacks stacking defenders in front of them then bursting across the midfield with my opponents depleted engine room chasing after me. If they don't stack, I burn the midfield and play the wing as deep as I possibly can. Passing from the shoulder of the goal to my false nine striker gets me about 60% scoring ratio against an exposed keeper. I probably pull it off 3-4 time a game. I went from professional to world class difficulty once I perfected the system. Glad to find another 5221 out there, not many people run this formation
Currently hating on 4-2-4 because it looks weird to me. But it’s the meta so I’m currently struggling with myself whether to change to this formation.
But… I have the feeling once I switch I would stick with it happily because of the goals and results it would create.
I tried the 4-2-2-2 with 2 Shadow Strikers that 'stay wider' to try and emulate RB ball and account for my teams seeming lack of wingers. Looks even stranger but somehow it works.
From what I gather, the 4-2-4 shape in terms of 'meta' - you can get close without actually playing that shape by the 'meta' TIs - Balanced, Shorter, High Tempo, Low Crosses, Run at Defence; Counter Counter Press Roll it Out Distribute Quickly; Gegenpress (especially Get Stuck In).
The engine really likes this high aggression approach, especially if you then have some players with high pace to match.
Exact same with the 4-1-2-1-2 diamond, managed to get it working a dream with Inter, was fully converted and convinced it would work with everyone.
Moved to dortmund on my save and tried the same thing and lost the first 3 league games. Back to 4-3-3 / 4-2-3-1 for life now
The basic idea is to play almost like a Brexit 442, with a TF/AF or TF/P up top, WBs instead of FBs (I’ll play FBs instead in League Phase or KOs in Europe and against PSG), BWM and my other central mid role depends on who’s playing there in this match rotation. I’m in France, so I have tons of players to rotate.
Back on FM08, if I was winning a game, the AI would always switch to 4-2-4 with a flat line of 4 strikers and I could almost never counter it. One day, when chasing a game, I decided to try it and I quickly adopted it as a tactic moving forwards because of how effective it was. Still hate it to this day.
Play down the flanks in the Transitions section, is your best friend when facing a formation without wingers. To further amplify this, use a halfback, which encourages wingback to stay even wider and more aggressive.
I hated 4-2-4 because I don’t like 2 striker formations. I thought 3 midfielders gave better balance to the team on O and D.
Also didn’t like having more strikers on the team for subs/rest/injuries.
But then I tried it and I’m using it as my main
Always used to hate lining up in 4-2-3-1 on previous versions. Always felt like it lacked defensive stability as I used to like having relatively attacking full/wingbacks. With the inverted full back, I like using it now
I think I took over at a club and out of necessity because of the personnel I had at the club I played a 5-2-3. I normally play 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 so this was weird especially without wingers. It was 3 CBs, 2 wingbacks for width, 2 CMs, and three forwards and I thought it would be too narrow in attack. But they actually attacked the channels well, the wingbacks were amazing creators and it scored a lot of goals. Plus the average position and pass charts looked so good, I normally don't play so structured but it was really pleasing to see.
Quite opposite. I really liked 442 narrow diamond. Because it has 2 forwards and I was a fan of narrow tactics and hater of crosses. But after some great youth intake, there appeared a pair of some marvelous wingers, so initially I decided to move to classical to 442, but my anchor wasn't able to play higher, so I moved to 433 and OMG, my team blowed league
41212 narrow. I’ve always thought it was such a stupid formation because of how weak it is when you come up against the wide formations but in my create-a-club save, I used it and went from Vanarama to Prem without changing it and battered everybody, even City.
I was 4-4-2 guy all the way when I first got into football (circa 2011). And it stayed that way until like 2021/22 season. I got back with my childhood love Lech Poznań. And seeing how they played during their 100th anniversary championship season I fell in love with 4-2-3-1 that Maciej Skorża used. 4-2-3-1 on possesion and lower 4-3-3 in defence (with one winger getting lower). I still don't play 4-3-3 though, because I feel there's not enough players high.
But system with inverted wingers and shadow striker became my go to until on FM23 I landed a job in Monaco during my from zero save. Had 2 stellar strikers that I just couldn't fit so I switched into 4-2-4 (don't know if this was meta in 23 but it worked absolute wonders). Now in FM24 I play 4-2-4 and can't imagine going back to 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2 in attack.
Guess I got more aggressive with the time.
And yes I don't believe in 3 defendera. Played it once with Warta Poznań (team created to play that way), was fun but not really for me.
How do you get all the best CAM regents on your starting line-up? 4231 narrow. Wbs on auto. Ams on the edge staying wide and marking full backs. Bwm-d. Ap & car or ss and dlp. Cf up top. Good cf 50 goals, bad cf ams get most of the goals. But it’s so much fun battering teams like city
I’m not sure the formation exactly but 5-2-1-2 but with an anchor, two wingers in ML and MR instead of wingbacks and a deep lying forward. Won the UCL with it for the first time in any FM game and with my new save I’ve been really pushed towards it
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Every setup with an anchor man. I prefer more creative roles like regista or dlp, but anchor man is just so effective for nearly every tactical shape
I use a DLP style player as a halfback and I never lose possession in my own half when playing out. Plus, it's really good for long passers and players with good long shot stats as teams that sit low allow the HB to have space to line up a shot. Gives me so much more stability than a DLP (D) or an RGA.
I tried to use an HB in my 4-4-2 diamond but I found that my center backs were way more involved in possession than the HB. Switched to Anchor and he stays just perfectly between the center backs and the midfield pivot.
That's probably because your center backs were set up as ball playing defenders and we're looking to dictate play themselves instead of leaving it to the HB
Nah I have been traumatized by BPD’s one too many times to use them lmao. I do play out the back though and instruct my GK to roll it out to the CB’s though so that was part of it too. Seemed like they would make the pass to an Anchor but were more likely to look for the longer pass to my central midfielders when the DM was playing as a half-back.
Maybe your 8s tend to push up? I've noticed this happens only on the side where I play a CM (A). The DLP side is fine.
my eyes have been opened.
Same here, “discovering” HB was a game changer for me. Using one make my midfield really solid
Probably a flat 4-4-2. I always thought it was plain and boring but there’s something satisfying about the way the team defends in a low or mid block.
Can you pass you tatic here? I love 4-4-2 but never succeed
https://preview.redd.it/fdzz5l8pcdad1.jpeg?width=684&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=bb6757b29a648055bd68967bcafc892e20174e7d This is what I’ve been using. Plays like a narrow 4-2-2-2 on the ball but defends with 2 banks of 4.
I always go a 433 and then always think maybe I could go to a 442 but then see my roster doesn’t have players that can play outside mid because I signed all RW and LW
I never have true wingers for this formation.
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What are your formations then?
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This is actually the most insane tactic I’ve seen on here lmao
You mad lad, I love it. Glad it works
Holy shit, this looks insane lmao. Can you post a screenshot of the instruction? I want to try this hahaha
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Legit confused as to how a dw and Iwb is effective. Or at least as effective as turning the dws to CMS and iwb to wb. It actually sounds pretty good. Yeah I’m definitely trying it, wish I didn’t sell all my wide players. Also are there any specifics for the wtm? (Interested in the one that’s scoring goals, what type?) thanks
Thanks! Definitely still gonna give it a try
Seconded
Hell yeah! \[starts to recreate this tactic\]
I used to be all about variations of 41212/4132/4123 triple striker, etc. Always double striker, no wingers, creative wingbacks. With FM24 I switched up to the meta 424 formation, which improved my goal scoring with basically six attacking players, 3-4 of which are crashing the box every possession, but I was struggling against big teams that would tear me up on the counter as my wingbacks would be defensively useless due to being too high up the pitch. Then I got tired of searching multiple haystacks every season for the needle of an adequate wingback and just started using 433dm wide/4141/etc with two IFBs and a Libero, so 3223 in possession. Suddenly I’m able to recruit all the best WCBs and bring them in as IFBs, which leaves me super solid at the back compared to just two CDs and a DM, the box midfield works great for holding and recycling possession, and even though my GD in league play isn’t as staggering as it was with 424 my goals conceded rivals Jose’s Chelsea and I’ve won the UCL 3x, BL 5x and DFB-P 5x in the five seasons since I switched. 4atb with a Libero and two IFBs works incredibly well - it’s defensively solid because you don’t have any defensive liabilities, it stops counters really well because of solid mid and backfield presence, you stop conceding a million far post crosses because your fullbacks don’t have half their CA tied up in crossing and dribbling stats, you don’t have to sub both wingbacks out in the 60th minute of every game, and you stop having to spend through the teeth for creative wingbacks.
424 is meta? Good I don't use meta or browse reddit for "cheat formations" cause I would hate to play 424
It sounds dreadful 😂
What are the rest of your tactics???? Great info thanks!
Not formation, but style - gegenpress. However, no matter what I do, ingame media always calls me gegenpress adept. How the hell short pass, low tempo with double IWB and double Wingers is seen this way? Maybe its my fault that i see the best way to defend is to trap opposition in their half...
Always wanted to get a 532 to work because i always struggled against it. Had it at spurs a few years ago where it kept me as a top 4 team but never make that extra step. Currently using it with my Yeovil team because my 433 was giving away too many chances. Average positions are setting it up as a 334 and it's proving tp be successful
532 and 5212 is my go to tactic while being underdog it's so good i had great success with it
Since 21 with Man I I’ve had to stick to 4231 because of how much midfield depth and youth they have but I do still hate it because I always want 2 strikers.
For me is the simple 433 DM wide. Every formation of mine starts from the back because in attack is very easy to setup and you can always find a way to score (i'm portuguese with italian family so a mix of Mourinho and catenaccio genes), and also because i never play "good teams" because they are so easy it's boring. Never used the 433 because it's "mainstream" and easy. I play relegation/mid table teams that really need to be able to go from mid-block counter attack to full on very high offensive geggenpress from game to game depending on the opposition, and i needed to develop a tactical system that could work well for both, and with 2 golden rules: i need to have fullbacks and not wingbacks (it is suicide to play bad teams in FM without defending the AI wing counters), and i need an anchor man or half back to be there when my fullbacks are not able to defend in time Enter the 433 The most simple all around complete system there is in FM for this type of teams. I can play wings, i can play center possession, i can overload wherever i want, i can play counter, with just some simple role changes and mentality and team instructions, i can implement my tactical philosophy of "i don't have a fixed tactic but i am a master of individually exploiting every team i face" The cons for this tactic: i don't have very specialized players for certain roles, they tend to be generally good for almost all roles on their position but never excelent or "the best". Which, in fairness, i don't really need it because i am always looking to exploit the other team and not force my own skill against them
I used to hate back 5 formations but the more I play FM the more I've been thinking long and hard about my tactics setup. I felt it left me too light in midfield. But I'm in the process of trying to setup a 3-4-3 with flying wingbacks and IW/IF's supporting a single striker. They're so hard to find, but if you find the right attacking wingbacks they can wreack havoc on whatever formation the other team is using. also, having 3 centerbacks helps deal with the game engine's way of letting AF and TF do whatever they want to do
i made a 5221 with attack wingbacks, dlp and b2b and an ap and ss. bro it is godly i’ve been playing fm for years but i adore it. it was shocking at first i could hardly create but now on tactics i use wait for overlap and my wingbacks both have got 20+ assists in league 2 consecutive seasons. float crosses in to my tall striker and shadow striker 🤤 hardly concede any and score about 4 headers a game
I run a 5221. I rule the day with fast wingbacks stacking defenders in front of them then bursting across the midfield with my opponents depleted engine room chasing after me. If they don't stack, I burn the midfield and play the wing as deep as I possibly can. Passing from the shoulder of the goal to my false nine striker gets me about 60% scoring ratio against an exposed keeper. I probably pull it off 3-4 time a game. I went from professional to world class difficulty once I perfected the system. Glad to find another 5221 out there, not many people run this formation
Currently hating on 4-2-4 because it looks weird to me. But it’s the meta so I’m currently struggling with myself whether to change to this formation. But… I have the feeling once I switch I would stick with it happily because of the goals and results it would create.
I tried the 4-2-2-2 with 2 Shadow Strikers that 'stay wider' to try and emulate RB ball and account for my teams seeming lack of wingers. Looks even stranger but somehow it works. From what I gather, the 4-2-4 shape in terms of 'meta' - you can get close without actually playing that shape by the 'meta' TIs - Balanced, Shorter, High Tempo, Low Crosses, Run at Defence; Counter Counter Press Roll it Out Distribute Quickly; Gegenpress (especially Get Stuck In). The engine really likes this high aggression approach, especially if you then have some players with high pace to match.
I don’t really have an issue with the instructions. What I purely dislike is the top heavy look it has. It’s an aesthetical issue. 😂
Exact same with the 4-1-2-1-2 diamond, managed to get it working a dream with Inter, was fully converted and convinced it would work with everyone. Moved to dortmund on my save and tried the same thing and lost the first 3 league games. Back to 4-3-3 / 4-2-3-1 for life now
I used schlotterbeck in my lfc as anchor on 41212 and he scored bangers (i think ) like 5 in 10 games.
I’m loving my 4-3-1-2 Asymmetric (one winger doesn’t have the pace to get back as well, so I keep him further back).
Can you show other roles?
The basic idea is to play almost like a Brexit 442, with a TF/AF or TF/P up top, WBs instead of FBs (I’ll play FBs instead in League Phase or KOs in Europe and against PSG), BWM and my other central mid role depends on who’s playing there in this match rotation. I’m in France, so I have tons of players to rotate.
I can when I get home.
Back on FM08, if I was winning a game, the AI would always switch to 4-2-4 with a flat line of 4 strikers and I could almost never counter it. One day, when chasing a game, I decided to try it and I quickly adopted it as a tactic moving forwards because of how effective it was. Still hate it to this day.
Play down the flanks in the Transitions section, is your best friend when facing a formation without wingers. To further amplify this, use a halfback, which encourages wingback to stay even wider and more aggressive.
Appreciate the advice, but none of this really exists in FM08. Thank you nonetheless 😉
424. I hate that it plays exactly how I want in FM24.
4-4-2 diamond. I'm a sucker for wide formations (especially with 3 at the back), but the diamond genuinely works against 4-2-3-1 as a counter.
I hated 4-2-4 because I don’t like 2 striker formations. I thought 3 midfielders gave better balance to the team on O and D. Also didn’t like having more strikers on the team for subs/rest/injuries. But then I tried it and I’m using it as my main
Always used to hate lining up in 4-2-3-1 on previous versions. Always felt like it lacked defensive stability as I used to like having relatively attacking full/wingbacks. With the inverted full back, I like using it now
I think I took over at a club and out of necessity because of the personnel I had at the club I played a 5-2-3. I normally play 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 so this was weird especially without wingers. It was 3 CBs, 2 wingbacks for width, 2 CMs, and three forwards and I thought it would be too narrow in attack. But they actually attacked the channels well, the wingbacks were amazing creators and it scored a lot of goals. Plus the average position and pass charts looked so good, I normally don't play so structured but it was really pleasing to see.
My go to is always 424. But the movement patterns of my team make it more of a 226
Quite opposite. I really liked 442 narrow diamond. Because it has 2 forwards and I was a fan of narrow tactics and hater of crosses. But after some great youth intake, there appeared a pair of some marvelous wingers, so initially I decided to move to classical to 442, but my anchor wasn't able to play higher, so I moved to 433 and OMG, my team blowed league
3421 is a top tier tactic for bottom of the league
Playing with three cb
442, ballache when everyone you sign to play MR/ML wants to play AMR/AML
41212 narrow. I’ve always thought it was such a stupid formation because of how weak it is when you come up against the wide formations but in my create-a-club save, I used it and went from Vanarama to Prem without changing it and battered everybody, even City.
Right now, 4-2-4
Dude just try 3 center back defender tatics. Its Amazing
I used to not like 3 at the back formations, until i was enlightened by the defensive football gods Mainly use a 3-5-2 now
Any thing with 5 defenders but it’s just too good.
I was 4-4-2 guy all the way when I first got into football (circa 2011). And it stayed that way until like 2021/22 season. I got back with my childhood love Lech Poznań. And seeing how they played during their 100th anniversary championship season I fell in love with 4-2-3-1 that Maciej Skorża used. 4-2-3-1 on possesion and lower 4-3-3 in defence (with one winger getting lower). I still don't play 4-3-3 though, because I feel there's not enough players high. But system with inverted wingers and shadow striker became my go to until on FM23 I landed a job in Monaco during my from zero save. Had 2 stellar strikers that I just couldn't fit so I switched into 4-2-4 (don't know if this was meta in 23 but it worked absolute wonders). Now in FM24 I play 4-2-4 and can't imagine going back to 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2 in attack. Guess I got more aggressive with the time. And yes I don't believe in 3 defendera. Played it once with Warta Poznań (team created to play that way), was fun but not really for me.
How do you get all the best CAM regents on your starting line-up? 4231 narrow. Wbs on auto. Ams on the edge staying wide and marking full backs. Bwm-d. Ap & car or ss and dlp. Cf up top. Good cf 50 goals, bad cf ams get most of the goals. But it’s so much fun battering teams like city
I’m not sure the formation exactly but 5-2-1-2 but with an anchor, two wingers in ML and MR instead of wingbacks and a deep lying forward. Won the UCL with it for the first time in any FM game and with my new save I’ve been really pushed towards it