2022-05-20, 10:23 PM - Word count:
Before we kick off I'm going to post about my predictions about the expansion teams. Don't worry this will go well over 300 words.
Also wow I, an S1 player, got picked first in the expansion draft. Never been picked in a draft I didn't know I was going to be 100% picked in before. You'd think the people you talk to every day are going to give you a heads up about something like that but I guess "Keeping cards close to my chest" is code for not having a reason to care about anyone on your team.
I was spot on about the Ghanaian team and where they were going to be located. I own a kit from that area irl and its really cool to see another African team in the league.
Wasn't expecting paris but its got a lot of potential. Definitely got the most stylish merch in the world irl but hasn't had much luck on the field itself.
There are five principles of attack, namely penetration, width, support, mobility and improvisation.
Last week I covered the 3-4-3 but I realized doing it that I referenced a lot of other formations. For a quick reference to that article, the midfield is taken from a 4-4-2 and the trident is taken from an inverted 4-3-2-1. The defense harkens back to a Danubian waltz that rings true today.
However, if we're going to talk about formations we need to start with some base to go off of. A 3-4-3 is still a vastly unorthodox system based on a mismash of new meta formations, old timy stalworths and a german philosophy by way of the soviet union. I come from Minnesota so I'm going to go to the well of Adrian Heath and talk about the 4-2-3-1, aka the "double pivot"
The double pivot operates under a very simple thesis. 5 attackers vs 4 defenders is a good attack. There is obviously a lot of directions you can go with it but the set up is aways the same. 4 defenders with 2 wingbacks and 2 centrebacks. Two defensive midfielders that are capable of moving forward while with the ball and are capable of moving to cover space without the ball. Two wingers that (are increasingly strikers more than the actual striker in the modern game) can be dangerous enough to score in their own right but are able to provide service to their striker. A center-attacking midfielder capable of pulling strings and creating chances for everyone else on the field, also can score when the other team tries to play hockey and cover their passing lanes. Finally a Striker capable of stretching the other team vertically. Put the Goalie at sweeper keeper defend and don't ask questions.
Now the major talk coming from the peanut gallery is from the people who have seen Barthalona and now Manchester: Blue version. Yes one of the defensive midfielders comes forward with the ball and "pivots" into being an attacker. But why stop there? You have your two defensive midfielders that only come up when they have the ball. Why not have two defenders pivot forward instead of one? You only need 4 defenders after all for counters and then 6 for when the play develops. Enter some Spanish guy who only manages super clubs and never had to figure out who to work with players who aren't world class.
Ok I'll get back into it. The new major feature of a 4-2-3-1 is to accommodate your wingbacks pivoting into the attack. This gives you an attacker into every 5th laterally and forces an overload on the flank, Every, Single, Attack. That poor wide defender has to decide on staying with the winger or picking up the wingback thats bombing past him. There is no good answer to this question, both decisions lead to an attacker with the ball in space in the final third. If for some reason this doesn't work you can ping the ball back to your two defensive midfielders and then back to your centerbacks to recycle the possession. If the press isn't near your defenders you will always have an outlet to release pressure.
The problem with this is that the type of player you need to make this work does not exist except for the highest level of the game. You need a player who is a freakish athlete in a sport that more than not distains freak athletes. This isn't American football where there running a sub 4.4 second 40 yard dash is a requirement for a third of the positions on the field for the entire sport. The number of players who are that level of athlete, while also being technically capable of delivering a cross into the box, tackle counters from behind, while also being able to read the game well enough to see when they should bomb forward into space vs staying back to guard against a counter, simply doesn't exist on a massive scale.
Now we're deep into this article and I think I've shed most of the people who are actually reading to this point. A piece of football manager wisdom that is tried and true: When in doubt, press it out.
See the underlying issues with tactics, for the most part, don't really matter if you press better than the other team can withstand. Defensive shapes don't matter if the other team can't get into their defensive shape. Attacking concepts don't matter when you've got the advantage of numbers and can just go over there and score a goal. This is where the advantage of peps "wingback" concept meets a funny German guy. See when you press enough to get a transition the 4-2-3-1 turns into an attack that just keeps attacking in layers that a shape can't react to without compromising itself to the next attack. The striker keeps the last defenders running backwards to prevent him from getting an easy run onto the goal, the Center attacking midfielder is then there in open space to dribble to a close shot on goal, but to stop this they then have to leave the striker open or one of the wingers blazing back up the field who is then in open space and can score. Even if they're somehow able to stop the striker, attacking center midfielder, and the wingers from scoring into space there is no way for a fullback to cover the wingback that is now bombing forward into the final third on the far flanks. That wingback now is in space and can dribble into the box until a defender leaves the shape and allows the wingback to penetrate the shape with a pass to any number of attackers that are operating in the box already.
The inherent programming of the formation lends itself to a wide and deep attack that still has the flexibility to react to any opening that it can see.
Now we can't replicate this magic in FM but without going into meta-contexual tangents about the balance of ignorance we have a basic formation that works. As always your results may vary as every player is unique and exploiting their ability the best requires orchestrating the changes nessisary to do so.
Keep your goal keeper on sweeper keeper defend and do not as questions.
Your centerbacks should be on ball-playing centerbacks on defend. They don't need to be great at being ball players they just need to be able to take the ball in the case of pressing.
Your wide defenders should be wingbacks on support. I prefer telling them to stay narrow when in posession but thats just me.
Your midfield should be a deep lying playmaker on support and a box to box midfielder on support. Your classic sitter-runner pairing.
Your attacking wingers should be inverted wingers on support. You want them curling into the middle of the park and drawing in the other teams wingback while getting into the box.
Your center attacking midfielder should be attacking midfielder on support. change traits to their strengths.
Your striker should be an advanced forward. The best striker role as it stretches the other team vertically while also being considerate to create as well as score.
if you have the personnel going for a deep-lying forward/ shadow striker can work nicely. False 9's aren't real if your name isn't messi. If you're striker is bad and can only score make them poachers. if your wingers are bad and can't score make them wingers on support. if your wingers are really really good make them inside forwards. If your wingbacks are bad make them fullbacks on attack. If they're really really good make them complete wingbacks.
This is of course just a starting block. When I do a 4-2-3-1 in FM22 I'm rolling with double car-s and inverted wingbacks on attack that are just retrained wingers that have strength to them. distributing to wingers that are told to stay wide to induce a pre-emptive reaction to double underlapping wingers while having a 7th attacker ready to jump in on recycled clearances.
One day I'll explain that paragraph to where everyone can understand it no matter how little FM knowledge they have. Till then Drink water and get some sleep.
Also wow I, an S1 player, got picked first in the expansion draft. Never been picked in a draft I didn't know I was going to be 100% picked in before. You'd think the people you talk to every day are going to give you a heads up about something like that but I guess "Keeping cards close to my chest" is code for not having a reason to care about anyone on your team.
I was spot on about the Ghanaian team and where they were going to be located. I own a kit from that area irl and its really cool to see another African team in the league.
Wasn't expecting paris but its got a lot of potential. Definitely got the most stylish merch in the world irl but hasn't had much luck on the field itself.
There are five principles of attack, namely penetration, width, support, mobility and improvisation.
Last week I covered the 3-4-3 but I realized doing it that I referenced a lot of other formations. For a quick reference to that article, the midfield is taken from a 4-4-2 and the trident is taken from an inverted 4-3-2-1. The defense harkens back to a Danubian waltz that rings true today.
However, if we're going to talk about formations we need to start with some base to go off of. A 3-4-3 is still a vastly unorthodox system based on a mismash of new meta formations, old timy stalworths and a german philosophy by way of the soviet union. I come from Minnesota so I'm going to go to the well of Adrian Heath and talk about the 4-2-3-1, aka the "double pivot"
The double pivot operates under a very simple thesis. 5 attackers vs 4 defenders is a good attack. There is obviously a lot of directions you can go with it but the set up is aways the same. 4 defenders with 2 wingbacks and 2 centrebacks. Two defensive midfielders that are capable of moving forward while with the ball and are capable of moving to cover space without the ball. Two wingers that (are increasingly strikers more than the actual striker in the modern game) can be dangerous enough to score in their own right but are able to provide service to their striker. A center-attacking midfielder capable of pulling strings and creating chances for everyone else on the field, also can score when the other team tries to play hockey and cover their passing lanes. Finally a Striker capable of stretching the other team vertically. Put the Goalie at sweeper keeper defend and don't ask questions.
Now the major talk coming from the peanut gallery is from the people who have seen Barthalona and now Manchester: Blue version. Yes one of the defensive midfielders comes forward with the ball and "pivots" into being an attacker. But why stop there? You have your two defensive midfielders that only come up when they have the ball. Why not have two defenders pivot forward instead of one? You only need 4 defenders after all for counters and then 6 for when the play develops. Enter some Spanish guy who only manages super clubs and never had to figure out who to work with players who aren't world class.
Ok I'll get back into it. The new major feature of a 4-2-3-1 is to accommodate your wingbacks pivoting into the attack. This gives you an attacker into every 5th laterally and forces an overload on the flank, Every, Single, Attack. That poor wide defender has to decide on staying with the winger or picking up the wingback thats bombing past him. There is no good answer to this question, both decisions lead to an attacker with the ball in space in the final third. If for some reason this doesn't work you can ping the ball back to your two defensive midfielders and then back to your centerbacks to recycle the possession. If the press isn't near your defenders you will always have an outlet to release pressure.
The problem with this is that the type of player you need to make this work does not exist except for the highest level of the game. You need a player who is a freakish athlete in a sport that more than not distains freak athletes. This isn't American football where there running a sub 4.4 second 40 yard dash is a requirement for a third of the positions on the field for the entire sport. The number of players who are that level of athlete, while also being technically capable of delivering a cross into the box, tackle counters from behind, while also being able to read the game well enough to see when they should bomb forward into space vs staying back to guard against a counter, simply doesn't exist on a massive scale.
Now we're deep into this article and I think I've shed most of the people who are actually reading to this point. A piece of football manager wisdom that is tried and true: When in doubt, press it out.
See the underlying issues with tactics, for the most part, don't really matter if you press better than the other team can withstand. Defensive shapes don't matter if the other team can't get into their defensive shape. Attacking concepts don't matter when you've got the advantage of numbers and can just go over there and score a goal. This is where the advantage of peps "wingback" concept meets a funny German guy. See when you press enough to get a transition the 4-2-3-1 turns into an attack that just keeps attacking in layers that a shape can't react to without compromising itself to the next attack. The striker keeps the last defenders running backwards to prevent him from getting an easy run onto the goal, the Center attacking midfielder is then there in open space to dribble to a close shot on goal, but to stop this they then have to leave the striker open or one of the wingers blazing back up the field who is then in open space and can score. Even if they're somehow able to stop the striker, attacking center midfielder, and the wingers from scoring into space there is no way for a fullback to cover the wingback that is now bombing forward into the final third on the far flanks. That wingback now is in space and can dribble into the box until a defender leaves the shape and allows the wingback to penetrate the shape with a pass to any number of attackers that are operating in the box already.
The inherent programming of the formation lends itself to a wide and deep attack that still has the flexibility to react to any opening that it can see.
Now we can't replicate this magic in FM but without going into meta-contexual tangents about the balance of ignorance we have a basic formation that works. As always your results may vary as every player is unique and exploiting their ability the best requires orchestrating the changes nessisary to do so.
Keep your goal keeper on sweeper keeper defend and do not as questions.
Your centerbacks should be on ball-playing centerbacks on defend. They don't need to be great at being ball players they just need to be able to take the ball in the case of pressing.
Your wide defenders should be wingbacks on support. I prefer telling them to stay narrow when in posession but thats just me.
Your midfield should be a deep lying playmaker on support and a box to box midfielder on support. Your classic sitter-runner pairing.
Your attacking wingers should be inverted wingers on support. You want them curling into the middle of the park and drawing in the other teams wingback while getting into the box.
Your center attacking midfielder should be attacking midfielder on support. change traits to their strengths.
Your striker should be an advanced forward. The best striker role as it stretches the other team vertically while also being considerate to create as well as score.
if you have the personnel going for a deep-lying forward/ shadow striker can work nicely. False 9's aren't real if your name isn't messi. If you're striker is bad and can only score make them poachers. if your wingers are bad and can't score make them wingers on support. if your wingers are really really good make them inside forwards. If your wingbacks are bad make them fullbacks on attack. If they're really really good make them complete wingbacks.
This is of course just a starting block. When I do a 4-2-3-1 in FM22 I'm rolling with double car-s and inverted wingbacks on attack that are just retrained wingers that have strength to them. distributing to wingers that are told to stay wide to induce a pre-emptive reaction to double underlapping wingers while having a 7th attacker ready to jump in on recycled clearances.
One day I'll explain that paragraph to where everyone can understand it no matter how little FM knowledge they have. Till then Drink water and get some sleep.
