Mentality Systems/Mindsets
Advantages and disadvantages of various mindsets

Disclaimer: It is hard to discuss the various mindsets without considering many other factors that make up a tactic. Different combinations can work under different circumstances. Therefore, the problem has to be looked at as a whole, taking into account the various situations that result from formation, passing, time wasting, tempo, target man supply etc. etc. etc…

No one can offer advice such as “this is the best mindset”. A setup may work with one mindset and completely disintegrate with a different one. However, there are certain ideas that have been tried and tested, and these will be the ones we will try to follow.

The Rule of One (RoO) and Rule of Two (RoT) mindsets have been successfully introduced at FM-Britain by
one of the best tacticians, FM-Britain moderator wwfan (comment by the editors). Since then they have proven their superiority to global/split mentality systems, with many different formations and in nearly every nation at nearly every level.

There are two major groups that are more or less related:

RoO - Rule of One mentality and global mentality

RoT - Rule of Two mentality and split mentality

RoO: Definitely the best choice for a classic flat 4-4-2. It works equally well with other various formations like 4-4-2 diamond, 4-4-2 narrow diamond, 4-3-3 and former Chelsea-style 4-3-3 (4-1-2-2-1). In other words: it works for the vast majority of real-life formations.

Advantages: Closely linked up teamwork. Compliance with many passing styles and formations with large gaps between positions. More positional differences compared to global mentality, resulting in stronger dominance all over the pitch.

The attack away mindset is very versatile and can be taken in different directions just by tweaking these settings: d-line, time-wasting, tight marking, closing down, FWR, TMS, RWB and counter attack if you want to start playing possession football. The results range from defensive possession football to powerful attacking play.

Disadvantages: Vulnerability against opposition mentality changes, especially in most attacking and defensive mindsets.

RoT: A good choice for very tight formations. Players must support each other strongly either in defence or attack. Tends to work best in what have become known as “multi-strata” formations; i.e. 4-2-3-1, 4-2-2-2 with either 2 AMC up front or 2 DMC back in midfield and the like.

Advantages: Very independent from opposition mentality. Ideal for short passing systems that dominate either the midfield or concentrate on attack/defence. Better teamwork and short passing options compared to split mentality.

Disadvantages: Not reliable for 4-4-2, 4-4-2 diamond and any wide formation with large gaps between sections.

About the ‘realism’ of mindsets:

There have been several discussions whether mentality systems are realistic or too “mathematical”.
For some, RoO is realistic because:

• You want your full backs to be slightly more attacking than your centre backs, and slightly less attacking than the midfield - this allows the sliders to be used as a “comparative” tool
• Therefore the “average” mentality you end up with is just as valid as having everyone on the same 1-22 team mentality
• RoO (and RoT for FM06) keep the team tight together but allow the forwards more scope to get forward and the defenders more time to defend - like you want in real life

However, where RoO falls down… :

• No manager describes how attacking he wants players to be in numbers
• The whole point of RoO over global is that it gives us a slight advantage over the more rigid frameworks of the AI - therefore, you could call RoO a pseudo “exploit” of the game’s limitations
• Some of the mentalities seem a little forced at times to fit the game. Defensive midfielders for example: in real life, if you wanted them to play more defensively you would probably have them on a setting much lower than one or two below the more attacking midfielder, yet this simply wouldn’t work in the game

When RoT was used in FM06 especially it was very logical and had a basis in real life. You do want a staggered “attackingness” throughout the side from back to front. Perhaps, however, the positional roles are better defined in FM07 so that this is no longer strictly necessary.

Helpful Links:

Rule of One, Tactical Theories and Frameworks ’07
New Strategies related to RoO
Rule of Two, Tactical Theory Thread ´06

Tactical Bible Credits
Millie, wwfan, The Next Diaby, garyh. Editor: TND, Millie