2014 The Tactics Guide

[Dec]

Sorry for the delay on the next part guys but I want to get it fully right and not miss anything major. I have currently over 1000 words in the sections with what I believe to be 5 remaining combinations and a conclusion.

[Dec]

2. Individual Players

      a) Practicality of Player Roles

 

Now you have a good understanding of the backbone to each player role and their uses we need to consider the practicality of each one when setting up a team.

While it is easy to place the player's in roles that they are most suited for with their attributes sometimes this isn't the way to go about it as the pairing of roles can change the use of it. You need to consider this and envisage how each player will influence a role. For example if you want your Ball Winning Midfielder to go forward more then you shouldn't pair him with only "attacking" midfield player roles; such as Advanced Playmaker, else he will be solely responsible for defending and not have a chance to get into the opposition's third. Please note this will not cover every single combination as this would get extensive beyond readability. While you will find a few examples of combinations influencing defence it is more than likely you will find more to do with attacking and space due to roles occupying similar spaces will adapt to find new positions (such as INFs with a DLF). It may also be noted that positioning can have a say in a player's role whether this be attacking or defending; though it is in more cases than not the case 'if a player has a lot of room on one side of him then he will often drift to occupy this extra room.'

Throughout this article I am going to look at the variance of roles when you place another role with them or how you can get the best out of a player in a specific role by using other roles in your team.

 

 Ball Playing Defenders with Central/Limited Defenders:

If you look at the Ball Playing Defender and what he is capable of then you wouldn't be wrong to think they can be hazardous. However pairing with another type of central defenders and they can be the first point in a very dangerous move. Putting a Ball Playing Defender with another defender (particularly two either side in a 3 or 5 man defensive line) allows him more freedom and to take more risks to get the most out of the player without the worry about them pushing up too far up and getting exposed by great movement and pace by the opposition.

 

Wing Backs with Inside Forwards:

As you know from the previous section wing backs are very adventurous and love to get forward when they can to join in with attacks. However with this it can also depend on who is far up the pitch as to the extent of how far they get up and what they do when they are up there. In the case of pairing them with Inside Forwards will allow them to have the flank to themselves at times and mean they can get as far up the pitch as they desire. They will be whipping in crosses and linking up with the inside forward with short passes; with the inside forward taking out their opposite number by drawing him central and thus giving the wing back more space to play in.

 

Wing Backs with Wingers:

As mentioned in the above section of Wing Backs with Inside Forwards they act differently depending on the player higher up the pitch. In the case of Wingers they will often lie further back and feed the ball up to the wingers so that they can cross the ball. However, this isn't all as they may look to overlap and combine on the wing in a 2v2 situation as they move the ball around the side of the pitch to find a crossing spot. This is more the case when they play a team who are hard to break down and get men back as it allows the Wing Back to get further forward without much defensive responsibility.

 

 

A Wing Back paired with a Winger at Real Madrid

 

 

Ball Winning Midfielders with Deep Lying Midfielders:

Ball Winning Midfielders are a unique player role in FMH2014 as they are one of the only players that can change their role almost entirely depending on how they are lined up with. If they are with a Deep Lying Midfielder then they will be a lot more aggressive and attacking than when paired with any other role. With a Deep Lying Midfielder they'll look to get forward and dribble the ball to shoot as opposed to sitting back and acting as a screen to break up play near him in front of the defence.

 

Multiple Advanced Playmakers:

While having many threats is very useful especially when it comes to the supply against high pressing teams it may actually be counter-intuitive to your team if you do not set them out correctly. Each playmaker needs two things - time and space, without these they will not thrive and their quality will suffer. In order to get the full potential out of your advanced playmaker/s you need to give them space. For example in a 433 you may want to play them either side of the 3 man midfield and not next to each other as this will limit their productivity and their similar styles will clash.

 

Wingers with Target Men:

In order to make a Target Man effective Wingers are often the most commonly used with him. Their deadly crosses are the perfect supply for the strong, lethal forwards. Able to dominate many people in the air the Target Men need a passing source to utilise this and Wingers do just that. If you have Target Men then a Winger is a real threat for the opposition unless you play long passing in which case this can also use his strength but in a different way. There will be more on passing styles and how to make it work later in the guide though.

 

Inside Forwards (Wing) vs Inside Forwards (Central):

Inside Forwards' are tasked with the job of finding space and bursting into them often to pass or shoot but their positioning is important. However placing an Inside Forward on the wing means they can only drift one way - inside by the side of the striker/s or just behind. On the other hand the central Inside Forwards will look to get past the striker/s in all sides possible.

 

Inside Forwards (Wing) with Deep Lying Forwards:

As the player role guide should have explained to you a Deep Lying Forward is a player whom sits farther back than a normal striker trying to bring the defenders up the field a bit to leave gaps in behind.  This means that when playing Inside Forwards that they will have even more room up front to get into and create a goal scoring player from the wing akin to Cristiano Ronaldo.

 

Inside Forwards (Wings) and a Deep Lying Forward up front for Chelsea

 

Inside Forwards (Wing) with Advanced Forwards:

As you may have noticed by now a common trend with Inside Forwards is that they drift inside when out on the wing. With this in mind an Advanced Forward will look to exploit this by getting into the free space around the edge of the boxes and the wings. This will end up pulling players out of their comfort zones  like the Inside Forwards to create deadly movement that is designed to confuse the opposition's defence. As Advanced Forwards love to make runs to get into pockets of space the opposition find difficult to attract this allows them to pull out space for the Inside Forwards to get into. This means they will still provide width that the Inside Forwards do not, allowing for link up play and one twos between the players to make untrackable runs.

 

Advanced Forwards with Deep Lying Forwards:

As previously explained Advanced Forwards like to use their movement and pace to create chances. When you put an Advanced Forward with a Deep Lying Forward then they act as a pivot with the Advanced Forwards playing off of the defenders looking to beat the offside trap and the Deep Lying Forwards coming closer to bridge the gap between attack and midfield and take men away to feed the Advanced Forward. If your Advanced Forward has good pace, movement and decisions then he can be very hard to catch when he breaks free of the defence and paired with a natural scoring instinct then a goal is almost certain.

 

Poachers with Target Men:

Poachers' aim is to put the ball into the back of the net by being in the box on the opposition's blind side. When you pair this with a Target Man you get the situation of having polar opposites in which can outdo even the best defences with their movement and strength having to be matched. While the Target Man will be stationary for the most part he will feed the Poacher whom will pop up where the defenders don't expect him to as he floats around the Target Man to get into good areas. The Poacher will use the Target Man's natural levitation of drawing in opposition defenders to find his space and a scoring opportunity.

 

 Trequartistas with Poachers OR Target Men:

When you pair a Trequartista with a Poacher or a Target Man then they will drop deeper and act as an ever-moving threat trying to feed the ball up. They'll drift from left to right just behind the main attacker looking to feed balls through and open up spaces for their partner to use. Their constant movement will make them hard to pick up and draw the opposition out to try and combat this but this can then leave their partner free for a killer through ball to be played. If that opportunity happens then they will duly oblige by providing that.

 

Advanced Forwards with Target Men:

Play an Advanced Forward beside or either side of a Target Man and you don't get a player who wants to just break past the defence but you'll get a player who will drift outside looking to chip the ball into the Target Man. As well as trying to feed off of his knock downs stretching the play and providing a variety in pressure for the opposition due to the opposite nature of the Advanced Forward and Target Man roles.

 

While I have covered the majority of player roles that differ and work well together this isn't all of them as Football Manager Handheld 2014 offers so many different roles and combinations that when working together can change the very nature of the play. I hope by explaining a few of them you can get a good grasp on how players evolve to suit their surrounding players.  Remember that balance is key in a tactic so using too many attacking/defensive players can create a great imbalance and you will find it hard to do the other or too similar players can lead to one dimensional play. You must consider the types of players you're playing else you may end up with a front line of two or three non-striking forwards such as a Defensive Forward with Deep Lying Forwards and these will then struggle to put the ball into the back of the net due to the nature of their roles. Don't be afraid to go with non-symmetrical player roles with your tactic if it suits your players better and can create deadly combinations as this can sometimes be the difference between a win and a draw.

The best advice about player roles to give is to envisage the roles and how they will be playing in a team, if you think something will work and can justify it then give it a go. Sometimes a little foresight is all that you require is the best thing to have when determining player roles so they don't clash and can work together to create a solid unit in both defence and attack. While Lionel Messi may prefer to be a poacher you have to consider how well he would perform in that role and also the influence of him being this in relation to the team as you may find that a Deep Lying Forward could benefit your squad more and therefore one simple change can win you the league! And most importantly be patient with your team, don't start modifying their roles after one game as you lost it may take time for them to settle. Deadly partnerships are not created over night but also be strict with the results you get by looking at their match statistics.

[aikiash]

Wow...great write up. Really helps clear up how the different roles interact. I do have 2 questions:

1) How would a Ball Winning Midfielder interact with Box to Box Midfielders?

2) How would the different striker roles interact with a complete striker?

[Dec]

A Box to Box midfielder fulfils every task a BWM does in theory so they would act quite defensive due to the BBM getting forward afterwards. You'd just have a really aggressive midfield pairing to win the ball back so expect a few cards going their way.

 

Complete Strikers are something I don't really use unless on their own or in a threesome and the CMF would do the jobs the other doesn't do so may act as a Target Man or drop deep depending on the situation if surrounded by ADFs.

 

Basically the players' roles won't change from what is standard but may create a different dynamic to the team which is especially seen in the first one as you may have tackling on normal but pairing two aggressive roles together will make it naturally more likely to get bookings but you are probably going to win the ball back further up the pitch.

[aikiash]

http://community.fmhvibe.co.uk/?app=gallery&module=gallery&controller=view&id=2808

I play this guy as my BWM in a DM position. Does a fantastic job destroying my opponent's plays. His MC partner is Paul Pogba whom I have tried playing him in DLM and BBM roles. He seems to perform better in BBM role but can go for some games with poor performance.

 

I also have a Complete Striker regen who scores for fun. But his poor partners are all left out of the game. I finally settled on a DLF. The DLF drops deep and helps to supply balls and back up the goal scoring. Works well for now.

[winksys99]

How would a 3 striker formation with trq-pcr-tm work?

ps would this work?

gk

wbk-cd-cd-fbk

bwm (dmcr)

dlm (mcl)

wng (amr)

tm-pcr-trq (sstr-stc-stl)

[Dec]

It would work but I would put the TM as the central striker so the players with movement can play off of him so the Trq would drop back a bit to find space to play the balls back in and the PCR would then get to the knock downs on the other side when in a good scoring opportunity.

[boyscout]

Nice guide! Up until now I only use trial and error to finally find the best tactic for my team then I just buy/sell player to fit those tactic.

[rooneyaan]

can you explain more about wide mid?

[Dec]

What more do you want to know? They act exactly the same as a central midfielder in the flanks using passing and not dribbling. Think David Beckham.

[famheld]

With regard to non-symmetrical shapes and their being misrepresented in the media, this is not an entirely accurate observation. The graphics that are ascribed on SkySports etc. to depict a team's formation denote the shape said team will adopt when defending. Of course, formations may alter throughout the game but generally the tactical representation we are presented with is a good match as to how that team is lined up when they do not have the ball. When the ball is won, and play transitions to attack, this is when formations almost invariably morph into a non-symmetrical mess (and even as a fan of Allardyce's West Ham, I can say this!). Football Manager Handheld, though, is a relatively simplistic game, so I doubt it is sophisticated enough to process transition as I have described above - making it a tough one in terms of creating tactics in FMH. Ronaldo may indeed suit your attacking shape better in an AMCL role than an AML, but this could leave you defensively vulnerable. It's swings and roundabouts, I suppose. 

 

Can't say I've read the whole guide yet (first time back for a while, been very busy!) but what I have seen seems good. Very much looking forward to the next section on team instructions.

[Dec]

With regard to non-symmetrical shapes and their being misrepresented in the media, this is not an entirely accurate observation. The graphics that are ascribed on SkySports etc. to depict a team's formation denote the shape said team will adopt when defending. Of course, formations may alter throughout the game but generally the tactical representation we are presented with is a good match as to how that team is lined up when they do not have the ball. When the ball is won, and play transitions to attack, this is when formations almost invariably morph into a non-symmetrical mess (and even as a fan of Allardyce's West Ham, I can say this!). Football Manager Handheld, though, is a relatively simplistic game, so I doubt it is sophisticated enough to process transition as I have described above - making it a tough one in terms of creating tactics in FMH. Ronaldo may indeed suit your attacking shape better in an AMCL role than an AML, but this could leave you defensively vulnerable. It's swings and roundabouts, I suppose.

FMH2014 does do attacking and defensive transitions but the Sky Sports thing is entirely right in my opinion. Ronaldo is hardly ever on the wing for Real Madrid yet Sky Sports show him there. Also you look when defending then Isco and Bale drop back so it should be a 42211 yet they donate it as a 4231.

[aikiash]

What is the difference between a Deep lying Forward and a Trequartista? Seems like both aim to drop deep and link the midfield with attack?

[Dec]

Trequartista's use movement and can drift anywhere behind the striker. The DLF may pick up the ball and run but mainly stay central.

[famheld]

 

With regard to non-symmetrical shapes and their being misrepresented in the media, this is not an entirely accurate observation. The graphics that are ascribed on SkySports etc. to depict a team's formation denote the shape said team will adopt when defending. Of course, formations may alter throughout the game but generally the tactical representation we are presented with is a good match as to how that team is lined up when they do not have the ball. When the ball is won, and play transitions to attack, this is when formations almost invariably morph into a non-symmetrical mess (and even as a fan of Allardyce's West Ham, I can say this!). Football Manager Handheld, though, is a relatively simplistic game, so I doubt it is sophisticated enough to process transition as I have described above - making it a tough one in terms of creating tactics in FMH. Ronaldo may indeed suit your attacking shape better in an AMCL role than an AML, but this could leave you defensively vulnerable. It's swings and roundabouts, I suppose.

FMH2014 does do attacking and defensive transitions but the Sky Sports thing is entirely right in my opinion. Ronaldo is hardly ever on the wing for Real Madrid yet Sky Sports show him there. Also you look when defending then Isco and Bale drop back so it should be a 42211 yet they donate it as a 4231.

 

 

When Mr. Ancelotti draws up his side and shape on whatever form of whiteboard he uses before a game, the little circle representing Mr. Ronaldo will be placed firmly on the left hand side. Yes, the tactics screen in FM doesn't allow for the best graphical depiction of his real life position, but he is a winger in that his 'opposite number' is well and truly the opposition fullback - not centre back (four man defence only, ofc.). Sure, he will spend the game terrorising the central defenders, he may even end up on the right-hand side at times, but his primary defensive responsibility (not that Ronaldo is particularly burdened with one) will always be to track the runs of the opponent's fullback.  

[rooneyaan]

What more do you want to know? They act exactly the same as a central midfielder in the flanks using passing and not dribbling. Think David Beckham.

oh I see

sorry for my newbieism

[Prosherry]

Would there be any changes recommended for my tactic

[sharaziuk]

My tactics are almost identical, but I play both WNG. Sometimes I change it depending on the situation. Sometimes I change a CTR to BPD, BWM to APM, APM to InF, AdF to Trq. Also I fiddle with the counter attacks.

[Prosherry]

How well are your tactics working

[madcat]

Hi all,

What would be the different if set the role to APM or IF for AML or AMR position?

Ih there is APM on the AML/AMR, what would be the best role for AMC? Is APM again too close to the APM on the wing?

Thanks in advance.

[Dec]

I wouldn't overload a tactic with 3 playmakers if that is what you are thinking but one on a wing and one in the centre should be fine as long as there is a slot gap.

[ianpwilliams]

I've been reading your tactics guide, and it caused be to change things up a bit. I was originally use 41221 because I have some decent DMC's and MC's, and my results were not great. But I've since changed to a 33211 (although more it's more of a 51221 really), with 3 DM's (left, right, centre), behind two talented CM's, and an inside forward linking the MC's to the lone striker (team instructions Defensive, normal tackling, mixed passing, pressing), and I'm getting some fantastic results. I've been beating or drawing against the very best teams in the league, and now I'm in the SF of the League Cup, and 2nd in the Premier League, 3 points off the lead.

 

I tried to work out why it is working so well, and I was of the view that because I have very good defenders, I might be able to get away with having three instead of four. I also have some very good DMC's (Dzemaili, Anita, Tiote, Sissoko, even Romera and Taider can play in that line if required), so I thought why not try having a solid defensive line in front of the defence, with two attacking-minded and creative MC's in front of them, and then an inside forward linking the MC's to the advanced forward. It does mean that I have nothing on the wings going forward, but that doesn't seem to matter, because more importantly it means I'm covering both narrow and wide midfielders when defending. I've just been amazed by the turnaround with this tactic. I've also noticed that it works better against top teams than against weaker teams, no doubt because it is fairly defensive-minded.

 

But what I really discovered is that not only is it ok to play a player in one of his yellow positions, but you can go even further than that, like I've done here with Dzemaili, who is totally out of position according to the game, but he's my captain, and consistently my star player. Same with Anita, I played him on the right wing quite often, and now he's DML, and doing great there.

 

Now I just need to work out a more attacking (but not dangerous and/or reckless) tactic to play against the weaker teams, because although I CAN use this against the weaker teams, it usually results in me scraping a 1-0 win or something, which is no fun, and is a lot less comfortable than it should be.

 

So I was wondering what your analysis of this tactic would be?

 

[Dec]

That seems a fairly solid tactic to me. If you wish to be more attacking consider changing the LID to a BPD as the two CDs and DLM should provide a lot of defensive stability to allow him to push up more.

[ianpwilliams]

Thanks, I'll give that a try. I was playing him as LID because that's his recommended role, but the game does seem to be forgiving sometimes when it comes to non-recommended positions and roles

[sharaziuk]

How well are your tactics working

Mixed really, managing United with away wins against Chelsea, Arsenal and City but struggled against Crystal Palace and Europe. Draw against Copenhagen at home but beat them away. Van Persie getting a goal to game ratio of above one...

[davboc]

Beautiful guide! Especially paragraph "Finalising your shape", I have some questions... I use a tactic like this one

 

 

 

But a looking for the right tips for adapt this to the opponent's tactic, like the one explained in the guide, to put the two central in a cross.

 

For example if play against a team that use two defensive midfielder and no central midfielder in a sort of 4-2-3-1, I can adapt this tactic moving the AM down near the other midfielder; in this case I have the advantage of a two against zero in the midfield, but the opponent have the same with the two DM... Otherwise I can move up the midfielder near the AM, in this case I have a two vs two in my attacking midfielder zone, but I have no numerical superiority. What's the right strategy? Or there is another one?

 

Thanks to all!

[Dec]

Don't think of it as 2 DMs v 0 AMCs as that wouldn't be the case as the DMs would push up but then this would leave space in behind them. Look at how good your players are against the oppositions and how your players are doing in their individual battles against the nearest players. For example if you play against a 4231 with a 4231 you would have 2 DMs v 1 AMC but they may be pushing up to your CM which would exploit space in behind. If your AMC is really good too it can open up areas or lose the men.

[davboc]

Don't think of it as 2 DMs v 0 AMCs as that wouldn't be the case as the DMs would push up but then this would leave space in behind them. Look at how good your players are against the oppositions and how your players are doing in their individual battles against the nearest players. For example if you play against a 4231 with a 4231 you would have 2 DMs v 1 AMC but they may be pushing up to your CM which would exploit space in behind. If your AMC is really good too it can open up areas or lose the men.

 

yes right tip! So in your opinion, with wich opponent tactic is necessary to change the disposition of the players in this tactic?

Thanks again

[Dec]

3. Team Instructions

      a) Using Team Instructions

 

Team Instructions may be down to personal preference on most occasions but this isn't it as combinations, opposition and situation can help influence how your team plays. In this section I will run you through the basics of every team instruction available on Football Manager Handheld 2014 to make your team play in your philosophy. After this I will be looking at combining the basic knowledge with a more practical basis to inform and educate you on the practical side of team instructions so not only can you get the best out of your players but the results too.

 

Team Mentality:

Your team mentality is what  your team focuses on the most. For example if you play defensive your team will look to drop back and emphasise their defensive play instead of getting on the forefront and attacking the opponents at every opportunity with a barrage of people. The mentality can directly influence which players take risks (such as wing backs) and how many push up with your team often operating higher with playing attacking.

 

Passing Style:

A passing style is how you want your team to play the ball to a team mate. While this will not always be true given circumstances this is what you'd encourage them to play the majority of the time.

The passing style set has 4 options to it - Mixed, Short, Direct and Long. While Mixed is fairly obvious (it is all of the other 3 and down to the player to pick which one he chooses) encouraging short, direct or long can be better if you set your team up around that style of play. Short tells the players to always play the ball to the closest available player to them and often this means going backwards or sideways and lacks a 'key pass'. In contrast direct focuses on moving the ball quickly to the nearest player to the goal with the safest option, however with direct passing you are relying on players to make quick and sensible decisions and risk a lot of turnovers in possession if passes aren't accurate especially in the midfield area.  Long balls are often referred to as 'hoofs'. The aim is to get the ball up quickly with very little aim but simply clearing the ball away from danger. This can often mean exploitation of the opposition if they play very attacking though can also mean a high chance of the ball falling into opposition hands.

 

Tackling:

Tackling in the team instructions is simply how aggressive your team will be when trying to retrieve the ball back. Some teams benefit from the aggressive approach as they are very physical and are against a more technical side so can afford to bully them however on the flip side others are technical and prefer to let the opposition have more space and stay resolute at the back preventing passes going through them. If you think the latter suits your team then pick cautious as this will mean your players will use their technical attributes to determine passes and intercept the play. However using this will mean that your team will be pushed back and sometimes not have the ball for long periods of time. On the flip side using the committed approach will mean your player's will try to outmuscle the opposition and get in a tackle as soon as possible. This will risk the chance of getting more bookings and sending offs but if it works then it allows you to retrieve the ball back early on to start an attack before the opposition can get their defence settled.

 

Pressing:

                                         

Pressing is the art of attacking the opposition whenever your team doesn't have the ball by harassing the player on the ball as quickly as possible to get the ball back as soon as possible. This will force the opposition into more mistakes though can be fairly intensive meaning players will tire quickly especially if they are poor in the stamina attribute. Therefore it is up to you to consider if your players can handle it and if it is worth tiring them out more than usual (especially during a busy period of fixtures).

 

Offside Trap:

The Offside Trap is one of the most difficult parts of football to master. It relies on perfect teamwork, decision making and timing in order to implement this simple but deadly trick however one wrong move and you put the other team in a great goalscoring situation every time. The aim of the offside trap is to push up at exactly the right moment to catch the opposing forwards offside in order to win the ball back with a free kick. This will relieve and allow your forwards to get into good positions in order to receive the ball however as aforementioned if it goes wrong it could be very deadly and often results in a goal.

 

Counter Attack:

Counter Attacking can be very lethal if executed right. The use of fast players to hit quickly when the opposition get forward in numbers to expose themselves at the back can lead to some amazing goalscoring opportunities for your team. However while this is great for creating chances when the opponent is vulnerable it relies on having a sturdy defence than can soak up pressure. Then the right mix of players who can carry the ball forward is also needed. They need to be able to make a deadly pass and finish with ease despite only having a few chances during a game.

 

Men Behind Ball:

Your team will look to 'park the bus' as they set up defensive walls up to stop the other team trying to get passes through the slot into dangerous areas. This is very useful when trying to protect a lead against a team better than your own but due to the nature of the option it invites the opposition to get forward with a lot of your players in your own half. Your players will therefore find it difficult to get up the pitch to creating chances for themselves. Men Behind Ball is a purely defensive option and sometimes may not work as letting the opponents attack will sometimes mean they will get a goal as teams cannot keep clean sheets every single game. However it is useful if you want to base your success on solid defence or are looking to keep the result the same as it is in a game.

 

Captain:

The captain of the team is the leader. Naturally due to this you will look for the player with high leadership but also experience is key for this role as it allows your player to set an example to the younger members of the team especially in bigger matches. The player will be the role model of the team and communicate and organise on the pitch trying to get the best possible results out of the team by being a constant and consistent figure of the line up.

[rooneyaan]

do "the captain" could affect the team?