Guide: Score More Goals - Evolve Your Tactic (41221 / 4231)

FMM Guide:
Evolving Your Tactic

Score More Goals!
After helping 3x FMM players with the same situation, I thought it’s better to write up this advice into a guide …

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“My Team Scores Less Now - Help!”

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“My team became galacticos level - so I'm not losing, but lots of negative draws”

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“I won Serie A with this tactic, but the next season I barely got 2nd. We don’t score enough anymore, most games are a 0-0 draw.” 

Intro
After a successful 1st season - some FMM players find they are performing worse + scoring less the next season! 🔻

With the same tactic, mostly the same players - they don’t understand why.

… so how can YOU solve this? 
 

Solutions
To score more goals, you could get:

• better players
• higher mentality (e.g. from ‘normal’ to ‘attacking’)
• different roles (e.g. from CMs to APs/RPs)
• different instructions (e.g. from ‘mixed’ to ‘short’ passing)
• … or a different FORMATIONS (e.g. 451 vs 4231)

This guide focuses on different FORMATIONS - to evolve your tactic, to score more goals.  
 

Example Base Formation
You see a lot of players use a 41221 like this:

It’s solid, balanced, good. You may win a title with it 🏆 

BUT as your team’s form / reputations improves, opposition AI managers will use more defensive mentalities - meaning it becomes harder for you to score 🔻

• In that 41221 - you have only 5 players attacking, mostly from deeper positions,
• while the opposition usually have 6-7 players defending (e.g. in a 41221, 4231 DM, 343 DM formations),
• so you rarely outnumber them when attacking.

So what are your options?!

 
Option A - Advanced IFs 

Many FMM players use Inside Forwards - however the consensus is that IFs perform better in more advanced positions in this years FMM 🔥 I.e. in the FR/L positions, in line with the central ST.  
 

Option B - Midfield Three

Instead of having a 41221, you can easily push your central midfield into more advanced positions (like a 4231) - with an AMC + 2 MCs 🔥 .  
 

Option C - Midfield Three
Thanks  @Reshetnikov who suggested adding this 👍 

Instead of moving your midfield three forward, you could just give all of them different roles which encourage forward runs. The RP (DMC) and two B2Bs (MCs) combination is probably the best example of this and is one of the ‘secrets’ behind the Black Hawk tactic’s success.  
 

Option D - Wing Backs

Is your ST is aerially dominant in your league (e.g. 17+ aerial / strength in the English Premier League) … ?

If yes, then having WBs will encourage more crosses to him 🔥 (don’t do this if your ST has low aerial). 

You could even move your WBs to a more advanced position (DM R/L)?! 
 

Combinations of Options
Alternatively you can use any combination of these options for your formation:

Assuming you’re one of the league’s better teams - here are four formation options to help you evolve your tactic - to score more goals 🔥 

You don’t have to do all three of these tweaks - pick the most suitable for you 👍

Thoughts? 🙂 

Edited July 28, 2023 by DanEnglish

[Reshetnikov]

Do you think 4231 with one AMC is still good decision? I had always troubles in my softest area - zone 6, where I had no DMC.

Just as an option: we can change the initial roles in 41221 to the RP (DMC position) and two BBMs (CMs position). It works really well for me with combination on flanks and halfspaces.

[DanEnglish]

34 minutes ago, Reshetnikov said:

Do you think 4231 with one AMC is still good decision? I had always troubles in my softest area - zone 6, where I had no DMC.

Depends on your midfield roles.

• ✅ It works wonderfully if you have a BWM (or theoretically an Anchor - though I haven’t tested).
• ❌ Without a defensive midfielder in the MC position (BWM or Anchor) - then you’ll get slaughtered - unless you are a dominant team of course.

38 minutes ago, Reshetnikov said:

Just as an option: we can change the initial roles in 41221 to the RP (DMC position) and two BBMs (CMs position). It works really well for me with combination on flanks and halfspaces.

Absolutely yes - that’s one of the ‘secrets’ about why the Black Hawk 4123 tactic works so well. 

You can be more attacking / score more goals by different roles, different mentalities, different players, etc …

… just this guide was about different formations / player positions 🙂 

[Reshetnikov]

1 hour ago, DanEnglish said:

✅ It works wonderfully if you have a BWM (or theoretically an Anchor - though I haven’t tested).

I need to test this) But I had players with poor positioning back there in some Man Utd saves, with also high team pressing. Therefore I saw, BWM instead of keeping central defensive position, where quite often off the defensive formation, usually attacking opponents CMs/DMs.

Thanks for sharing, I'll review my attitutde to 4231 after this

[DanEnglish]

4 minutes ago, Reshetnikov said:

Therefore I saw, BWM instead of keeping central defensive position, where quite often off the defensive formation, usually attacking opponents CMs/DMs.

Ah so we are getting to a slightly more advanced conversation here 👍 …

… so if you are willing to tweak your tactic at the start (first 5 mins) of EVERY match, then you check the opposition formation (in the first 5 mins of the match) + make sure your BWM is on the same side as the opposition’s most defensive DM/MC.

Example:

• The opposition are playing a 4231 DM formation - with a DM / RP pair in the DMC positions, plus an AP in the AMC position. 
• Therefore you will need to have your BWM on the same side as the opposition’s DM (not the RP)!
• This means their AP / AMC is covered by your BWM / MC, plus their RP / DMC is covered by your B2B / other MC. 

Otherwise you are asking your BWM to cover TWO opposition players who are roaming forward / attacking you.

Does that make sense, do you see it differently?

[broodje kip]

Nice guide Dan.
 

A lot of people probably don’t know the fact that AI on FM isn’t coded to adapt to your tactics but instead to perceive your form and reputation of your club and players (they don’t look into their CA/PA). This is the reason you seems to think the second season is harder. It’s because in your previous season, your tactic was made to counter the tactic that the opponent use based on your manager, club and players reputation at the time.

A reputation of any of those three will increase or decrease every season based on their performance from the previous season. If let’s say you start of as a 3.5 stars club, and you win the league; the reputation will increase to 4 or 4.5 stars the season after. Now, the AI will change the tactic as they see you as a more prominent team due to the form (of last season) and the increased reputation.

[DanEnglish]

@broodje kip - exactly 👍 beautifully worded

@Reshetnikov - after thinking about it, you are more right than I originally thought. I probably should add that combo (RP + 2B2Bs) into the guide as it IS a very good option. Cheers 👍 edit: done ✅ 

Edited June 9, 2023 by DanEnglish

[Reshetnikov]

2 hours ago, DanEnglish said:

Otherwise you are asking your BWM to cover TWO opposition players who are roaming forward / attacking you.

Oh yes, beautiful explanation, thanks! Need to test, anyone knows good middle-tier team for 4231?

Last question about it - I suppose you prefer right footed CM on the right and left footed on the left of your midfield. What do you do if you do these switches in first 5 mins of the game? IE, initially I have right footed BWM, but he starts upfront opponent's RM, not the DM or Anchor, and I need to switch positions in my midfield. What do you prefer - switch players on positions or roles on players?

 

[DanEnglish]

25 minutes ago, Reshetnikov said:

Last question about it - I suppose you prefer right footed CM on the right and left footed on the left of your midfield. What do you do if you do these switches in first 5 mins of the game? IE, initially I have right footed BWM, but he starts upfront opponent's RM, not the DM or Anchor, and I need to switch positions in my midfield. What do you prefer - switch players on positions or roles on players?

Yes ideally I’d like the B2B to be on their dominant foot (e.g. right footers in the MRC position) - but for me it’s MUCH more important to switch roles to ensure my BWM isn’t overloaded (even if my B2B is on the weaker foot). Personal opinion.

[TmcnAsln09]

On 09.06.2023 at 13:23, DanEnglish said:

Ah, burada biraz daha ileri düzeyde bir sohbete geçiyoruz 👍 …

… yani HER maçın başlangıcında (ilk 5 dakika) taktiğinizi değiştirmeye istekliyseniz, o zaman rakip dizilişini kontrol edin (maçın ilk 5 dakikasında) + BWM'nizin rakiple aynı tarafta olduğundan emin olun. muhalefetin en savunmacı DM/MC'si.

Örnek:

• Rakip, DMC pozisyonlarında bir DM / RP çifti ve AMC pozisyonunda bir AP ile 4231 DM dizilişiyle oynuyor. 
• Bu nedenle BWM'nizi rakibin DM'siyle (RP'yle değil) aynı tarafta tutmanız gerekecek!
• Bu, onların AP/AMC'sinin BWM/MC'niz tarafından kapsandığı, ayrıca RP/DMC'lerinin B2B/diğer MC'niz tarafından kapsandığı anlamına gelir. 

Aksi takdirde, BWM'nizden ileriye doğru dolaşan / size saldıran İKİ rakip oyuncuyu korumasını istersiniz.

Bu mantıklı mı, farklı mı görüyorsunuz?

Can you show the template with a picture? I couldn't understand it fully with the translation.

[edison96]

How about the shape, defense, and attack strategy ?

[Blancos]

I wish SI gives us an option of RP role also in AMC position. I don't like how some good positions/roles in most FM felt so useless in FMM24 (Inside Forwards, AMCs), especially against parking bus clubs. All they do is stand there wait for the ball, only to lose it later when they passed to the IFs, who then mindlessly cross the ball to lone really gifted, but small AF.

 

What I need from them is for them to creatively finding alternative ways as contingency if the main way doesn't work (cut inside dribbles then shoots, or drifting to take the opposition's focus away from the striker, or do through passes instead of crossing, etc). Nowadays, Inside Forwards are just a renamed Winger with inverted feet, and Playmakers are not the one who make the play.