Tactics Guardiola 17/18 with Blackburn Rovers (2-3-2-2-1)

[LFCMO_11]

So this is my first post on any FMM forum even though I am a consistent player since 2018. I was looking for a way to imitate 17/18 Guardiola with Man City where I think City  dominated the league not only by the scoreline but their tactical wits. I am not sure exactly how Pep played but I tried my best to imitate it with Blackburn Rovers in the Championship. 

Also guys just wanted to give some reason why it is specifically Guardiola 17/18; it is because of the wingers, during this season I believe it was Sane on the LW and Sterling RW, using the pace down the byline and not really cutting inside.

I will explain my Player Role choices:

GK - SK (Should really be a sweeper keeper with good technique and good pace to not make many mistakes which  FMM loves to do in crucial games..)

CB - I suggest either one or both to be BPD, if only one then the other should be CB or NSCB. Either way I have not noticed too much of a difference. (Your BPD should have passing and decisions over 12 to not make errors playing out of defense often)

LB and RB - IWB (Here is where the magic starts to happen with the formation. I suggest that they be inverted so they can act as your LM and RM that will whip in early crosses to your forward but also will cover the wings like a traditional wing back. Think of how City play there fullbacks, rarely do you see them overlap like regular teams, but they join a solid midfield position instead.)

DM - Here is a tricky but REALLY important position to get right. I tried 3 different roles (Anchor, DM, and DLP) The best so far has been anchor against really good tough teams, and against regular or equal opposition you should try DM or DLP, (DM will not perform the crucial passes, but they are almost the same defensively in my opinion)

CM - Your center midfielders should be just that, plain CM, you need them to perform both attacking and defensive duties. You may ask why not BBM instead? Well, because a BBM will actually make attacking runs in behind which. will lose too much shape in this formation and make you concede many counters (trust me on this one). A CM is enough because we will be playing a high line so they will be attacking a lot anyways, just in a structured way.

LW and RW - Again, your wingers should be just that Wingers, if you set them to be IF which is very tempting to 85% of FMM users (like me LOL), it will leave only your IWB's to cover the wings which is not good enough defensively in this formation. If they are just plain wingers instead, then they can press the. opposition full backs and their wingers back. They also whip in crosses for your forward more often.

ST - Here is where I kind of struggle. It made more sense to me to play the lone striker as an AF, so he can create some chances with wingers or midfielders, but my striker never performs well in this role, even with good stats like dribbling and passing creativity. Even Aguero I believe played this role because he is always passing and interchanging with others. However, the role that works the most for me is Poacher, which makes sense but that means it will be harder for him to assist. That is fine because my striker has 10 goals and 2 assists in 8 games. 

 

I will explain my Tactics choices:

Shape

For team mentality I chose it to be attacking, you can choose either that or control but sometimes control you are not pressing the other team enough so they can create some chances. With attacking the other team really feels the pressure, but make sure they are not insanely better than you as a team. 

Width should be balanced so that way you are not exposed on the wings, don't worry the IWB and CM and DM will provide enough cover in the center to make up for not being narrow width.

Tempo should be slow, so you can take your time building up, keeping the ball in your opponents half and not make too many passing errors. Your. creative freedom should be either balanced or expressive if you feel like your players are good passers. Especially your wingers and CM.

Defence

Your defensive line should be high so you could press teams and pin them back. Close down all over for constant pressure on the ball. Tackling can be either committed to stop counterattacks with tactical fouls like Guardiola, or just normal. VERY IMPORTANT to play the offside trap, almost every will try to play ball behind your defence because of the high line, do not let them! Time wasting up to you. 

Attack

For the final third you will want to whip in early crosses, so your IWB does not overlap with your winger too much and you're exposed on the wings. Try to work it into the box so you are not just shooting random shots, and run at the defence is optional. I actually prefer to leave this one unchecked because I want my team to do both actually, run at defence and play through balls since I do not have a CAM just CM's. 

Passing style should be short, focus should be mixed, and GK distribution short. 

 

Good Luck guys, let me know if you have tried it out or if you have any opinions!

I will also post updates on the rest of my season.

 

 

Edited March 27, 2020 by LFCMO_11

[AndersJ]

Very impressive stats so far. Im looking forward to the update of the whole season. I Will surely try this out at some point

[bb]

This tactic explanation should be the emblem of what all tactic posts should be about!!! Fair play to you bro... I hope this post takes off and if the tactic is as good as the explanation then we are in for a madness

[LFCMO_11]

51 minutes ago, AndersJ said:

Very impressive stats so far. Im looking forward to the update of the whole season. I Will surely try this out at some point

Thank you mate, I've seen you comment on a lot of posts on this site with a lot of helpful info! I hope to try to help and learn from this great community as well 

Edited March 27, 2020 by LFCMO_11

[LFCMO_11]

Haha, I kind of made this out of spite lol. I was looking for a tactic like this and not many people have detailed tactics on 2 at the back or IWB so I said why not go all out, and it's paying off so far. Cheers. 😎

added 0 minutes later

22 minutes ago, bb said:

This tactic explanation should be the emblem of what all tactic posts should be about!!! Fair play to you bro... I hope this post takes off and if the tactic is as good as the explanation then we are in for a madness

 

[LFCMO_11]

Also guys just wanted to give some reason why it is specifically Guardiola 17/18; it is because of the wingers, during this season I believe it was Sane on the LW and Sterling RW, using the pace down the byline and not really cutting inside. 

[BatiGoal]

I did enjoy the read as well, some nice thinking behind some of the choices you made. Hope it works for the people here. 

[Van The Man]

Looks great!!

[BCBS23]

Gonna give this a try. Just to be sure: the CF is a Poacher right?

[LFCMO_11]

Yes Poacher worked the best for me, let me know how you are doing with this tactic and what team you are using, I am interested.

[bb]

1 hour ago, LFCMO_11 said:

Yes Poacher worked the best for me, let me know how you are doing with this tactic and what team you are using, I am interested.

How did the season go with blackburn

[DanM]

Nice tactic& post.

To share a similar experience, I moved to Man City in FMM19 in the 2029/30 (?) season, their squad was awful except for Foden, and have been playing with IWB.

FORMATIONS: I’ve had to switch between two similar formations depending on the opposition strength & formation.

 - 4141 / 23221 (2xCD, 2xIWB, 1xAnchor, 2xBBM, 2xWG, 1xPoacher it TM).

 - 4411 / 22231 (same as above, but change the anchor into an AMC / AM role).

 - the first is more defensive & is better suited against strong teams with 2 ST ... while the second is more attacking & my main “go-to” tactic.

THOUGHTS: 

> playing wingers is crucial, as the opposition full backs play much wide when I’m attacking, so there is much more room in the center for my ST & AMC. I found my shots to goals ratio went up a lot vs having 2xIFs in this formation  (as the box became so crowded).

> having a big target man gives most of goals. Crosses, corners, free kicks ... without a big target man, playing those wingers is kind of useless. If he’s quick as well, then I’ll change between TM and Poacher roles if he’s being ineffective in one role.

> if I play the first formation, the anchor sits beautifully just in front of my two CB, preventing balls into the oppositions 2 ST.

> if I play the second formation, and the opposition play with no DMC, then my AMC is typically marked by one of their MC, which leaves my MC (left) in loads of space. Being a BBM, they often ‘create’ a lot of chances. Sometimes a near 30 year old Foden is more effective in that BBM / MC (left) position than in AMC!

> the two IWB are kind of strange. They often don’t roam inside to become full DMC/MC as i’d expect. Instead they sometimes pull in, sometimes pull wide, and mostly just sit around a WB position. Having narrow mentality when needed causes them to play inside a bit more.

SUMMARY - just another option for you with some tactical commentary.

[AndersJ]

12 minutes ago, DanM said:

Nice tactic& post.

To share a similar experience, I moved to Man City in FMM19 in the 2029/30 (?) season, their squad was awful except for Foden, and have been playing with IWB.

FORMATIONS: I’ve had to switch between two similar formations depending on the opposition strength & formation.

 - 4141 / 23221 (2xCD, 2xIWB, 1xAnchor, 2xBBM, 2xWG, 1xPoacher it TM).

 - 4411 / 22231 (same as above, but change the anchor into an AMC / AM role).

 - the first is more defensive & is better suited against strong teams with 2 ST ... while the second is more attacking & my main “go-to” tactic.

THOUGHTS: 

> playing wingers is crucial, as the opposition full backs play much wide when I’m attacking, so there is much more room in the center for my ST & AMC. I found my shots to goals ratio went up a lot vs having 2xIFs in this formation  (as the box became so crowded).

> having a big target man gives most of goals. Crosses, corners, free kicks ... without a big target man, playing those wingers is kind of useless. If he’s quick as well, then I’ll change between TM and Poacher roles if he’s being ineffective in one role.

> if I play the first formation, the anchor sits beautifully just in front of my two CB, preventing balls into the oppositions 2 ST.

> if I play the second formation, and the opposition play with no DMC, then my AMC is typically marked by one of their MC, which leaves my MC (left) in loads of space. Being a BBM, they often ‘create’ a lot of chances. Sometimes a near 30 year old Foden is more effective in that BBM / MC (left) position than in AMC!

> the two IWB are kind of strange. They often don’t roam inside to become full DMC/MC as i’d expect. Instead they sometimes pull in, sometimes pull wide, and mostly just sit around a WB position. Having narrow mentality when needed causes them to play inside a bit more.

SUMMARY - just another option for you with some tactical commentary.

Could be very i interesting to read about you tactics and thoughts in you own thread. I think i could learn alot. 

Do tell more about wingers before Ifs. I tend to go with ifs.

This year i noticed that defensive mentallity can be highly efficient 

[LFCMO_11]

 

5 hours ago, bb said:

How did the season go with blackburn

I ended up finishing first with 2 losses in the championship and 4 losses all competitions in the season. The tactic has real potential but I am afraid you need some technical players to start or have some decent finances as its hard to find competent players who can play the crucial inverted wing back role correctly.

[LFCMO_11]

3 hours ago, DanM said:

Nice tactic& post.

To share a similar experience, I moved to Man City in FMM19 in the 2029/30 (?) season, their squad was awful except for Foden, and have been playing with IWB.

FORMATIONS: I’ve had to switch between two similar formations depending on the opposition strength & formation.

 - 4141 / 23221 (2xCD, 2xIWB, 1xAnchor, 2xBBM, 2xWG, 1xPoacher it TM).

 - 4411 / 22231 (same as above, but change the anchor into an AMC / AM role).

 - the first is more defensive & is better suited against strong teams with 2 ST ... while the second is more attacking & my main “go-to” tactic.

THOUGHTS: 

> playing wingers is crucial, as the opposition full backs play much wide when I’m attacking, so there is much more room in the center for my ST & AMC. I found my shots to goals ratio went up a lot vs having 2xIFs in this formation  (as the box became so crowded).

> having a big target man gives most of goals. Crosses, corners, free kicks ... without a big target man, playing those wingers is kind of useless. If he’s quick as well, then I’ll change between TM and Poacher roles if he’s being ineffective in one role.

> if I play the first formation, the anchor sits beautifully just in front of my two CB, preventing balls into the oppositions 2 ST.

> if I play the second formation, and the opposition play with no DMC, then my AMC is typically marked by one of their MC, which leaves my MC (left) in loads of space. Being a BBM, they often ‘create’ a lot of chances. Sometimes a near 30 year old Foden is more effective in that BBM / MC (left) position than in AMC!

> the two IWB are kind of strange. They often don’t roam inside to become full DMC/MC as i’d expect. Instead they sometimes pull in, sometimes pull wide, and mostly just sit around a WB position. Having narrow mentality when needed causes them to play inside a bit more.

SUMMARY - just another option for you with some tactical commentary.

Mate amazing summary, I could not agree more about your point with the inverted wing backs. It is a very tough position to get right in terms of formation, players who fit there, and how the team plays specifically width. I like the fact they dont hold their MC position and roam instead on the flanks/their side of CM. It gives better attacking options. Thats actually why I do not play BBM, there would be too many runs from midfield, and not enough cover.

Great analysis, always love having convos about tactics and hearing other people's thoughts!

 

[LFCMO_11]

3 hours ago, AndersJ said:

Could be very i interesting to read about you tactics and thoughts in you own thread. I think i could learn alot. 

Do tell more about wingers before Ifs. I tend to go with ifs.

This year i noticed that defensive mentallity can be highly efficient 

Is it true about the defensive mentality being efficient? What kind of formations or tactics work well with that mentality?

I am always afraid to go below balanced, even against tough teams I tend to leave it on control, and it usually works so I have not changed it. But I am interested in a good pure defensive tactic if you know of one.

Cheers 

[BCBS23]

This after the first half of the season. Not great yet, but i feel we have been playing good and unlucky. Some injury's and not winning heavily dominated matches.

I'm gonna keep playing and will post a update

Edited April 1, 2020 by BCBS23

[LFCMO_11]

@BCBS23

Awesome! Yea I noticed that you do not dominate a lot of teams, but instead your team holds a decent defensive shape, it makes sense that you are averaging about 1 goal conceded per game, could be better.

I am surprised you have not scored a bit more, would turn some of those draws into wins. What player positions are you using on the DM, and Striker (and midfielders i guess) ?

Edited April 2, 2020 by LFCMO_11

[Beau2228]

Ive been trying this with blackburn also got promoted the the prem. Currenty sitting 5th in the prem after around 10 games , this tactic is very effective for me against the big teams its just the smaller clubs that seem to cause trouble for it.

[BCBS23]

DM - Fred
CM - Pogba and Bruno
ST - Martial

I have to start all over because i didn't load the French and Portuguese League's😬

Will play with your tactic and will tell you how it went

[LFCMO_11]

10 minutes ago, BCBS23 said:

DM - Fred
CM - Pogba and Bruno
ST - Martial

I have to start all over because i didn't load the French and Portuguese League's😬

Will play with your tactic and will tell you how it went

sounds good! I was actually referring to the roles that those players are playing like is fred anchor or dm or dlp ?

Let me know how it goes 

[BCBS23]

Fred played as a DM

[LFCMO_11]

18 hours ago, Beau2228 said:

Ive been trying this with blackburn also got promoted the the prem. Currenty sitting 5th in the prem after around 10 games , this tactic is very effective for me against the big teams its just the smaller clubs that seem to cause trouble for it.

Yes I noticed that sometimes too, its because usually they will not attack you as much and just constantly hit long balls and crosses. Also, they tend to play a 5 at the back formation which means they are very narrow, so if your CM's are not creative enough, they might struggle to control the tempo of the midfield. Against bigger teams, I've noticed sometimes the CM's actually play a more AP kind of role, where they look to drop into holes and. spring a counter.

[Dagion]

This looks pretty good. Currently using it with RFC Seraing in Belgium, after getting promoted and playing playoffs for 6 months it seemed. Getting quite a lot of wins, which isn't expected with my players. Currently sitting in 6th end of November. Nice work!

Also, when I got a player sent off against Standard I took off my striker and changed the wingers to IF's. Seemed promising since I came back from 2-0 down with 11.

[Beau2228]

22 hours ago, Beau2228 said:

Ive been trying this with blackburn also got promoted the the prem. Currenty sitting 5th in the prem after around 10 games , this tactic is very effective for me against the big teams its just the smaller clubs that seem to cause trouble for it.

Ended up coming 3rd in my first season in the prem .Having a strong midfield was essential for me with my striker Obafemi scoring 28 goals , this might have just been my players but wingers didnt score much for me an seemed like they were just there to facilitate the attack and whip in crosses. Just started my 2nd season in the prem , brought in Florentino Luis so far to replace Jung in dm. Hoping to get a fairly easy champions league group and maybe cause an upset or two.Tactic is looking very solid.

[LFCMO_11]

14 minutes ago, Beau2228 said:

Ended up coming 3rd in my first season in the prem .Having a strong midfield was essential for me with my striker Obafemi scoring 28 goals , this might have just been my players but wingers didnt score much for me an seemed like they were just there to facilitate the attack and whip in crosses. Just started my 2nd season in the prem , brought in Florentino Luis so far to replace Jung in dm. Hoping to get a fairly easy champions league group and maybe cause an upset or two.Tactic is looking very solid.

Yea I noticed that wingers dont really do much in terms of scoring, which means you can save some money on class wingers (just get one with pace, crossing, decisions). Instead spend some money on a class midfield, can't go wrong!

 

Mate, on a side note, I too just picked up Florentino Luis and he is unreal. If you get him under the right circumstances and team, I can easily see a 15-20 goal , 15-20 assist player consistently. And Jung is a very underrated DM/CD 

[LFCMO_11]

3 hours ago, Dagion said:

This looks pretty good. Currently using it with RFC Seraing in Belgium, after getting promoted and playing playoffs for 6 months it seemed. Getting quite a lot of wins, which isn't expected with my players. Currently sitting in 6th end of November. Nice work!

Also, when I got a player sent off against Standard I took off my striker and changed the wingers to IF's. Seemed promising since I came back from 2-0 down with 11.

Wow really?! Awesome to hear it is working well in Belgium!

And it's great you told me about the IF's, I'll have to try that if my striker ever gets sent off 

[Beau2228]

2 minutes ago, LFCMO_11 said:

Yea I noticed that wingers dont really do much in terms of scoring, which means you can save some money on class wingers (just get one with pace, crossing, decisions). Instead spend some money on a class midfield, can't go wrong!

 

Mate, on a side note, I too just picked up Florentino Luis and he is unreal. If you get him under the right circumstances and team, I can easily see a 15-20 goal , 15-20 assist player consistently. And Jung is a very underrated DM/CD 

You gonna play Luis DM or CM? , last season i picked up Sow from Frankfurt for around 12 mill and he got something like 26 assists from cm , he is worth something like 48 mill now. Would recommend.

[LFCMO_11]

CM, and backup DM since my regular is injured currently. I trained it to gain better technical stats so he can play CM, gave him a few sub appearances in that role. first, and then he started for me, and he started to dominate the middle of the field for sure. There is another Chelsea youngster who grows to be a beast, I wish I could remember his name but if you play long enough he'll show up. His stats at CM end up being almost like Pogba too.

[Dagion]

17 hours ago, LFCMO_11 said:

Wow really?! Awesome to hear it is working well in Belgium!

And it's great you told me about the IF's, I'll have to try that if my striker ever gets sent off 

Also works for every other player that gets sent off, just sub your striker with a player who can play in the position of the sent off player.

Had to switch after February though, since my wingers got sold (release clauses). Ended up playing a 3-5-2 and finished in 5th.

Trying to get some players in for another go, because I really like the shape.