[Xulu]

The following is the tactical approach to FM that I have traditionally undertaken when I did not have a specific objective in mind, and my current approach when playing with small clubs.


Historical Background and Contemporaries:
Zdeněk Zeman, Marcelo Biesla, Drillo, Nils Arne Eggen, Ian Holloway, Pep Guardiola, Johan Cruyff, Anson Dorrance, Jürgen Klinsmann

That is a large group of people, but there are commonalities in how each of them have managed their teams, which are explained below.

Tactical Philosophy:
You can always attack, but you cannot always defend. Attacking does not necessarily mean “Route One” football; attacking can mean controlling and probing, holding the ball to kill off a game or break down a tough side. I could write a treatise on how I believe players should perform, but that would be fairly long and boring so the simple version is here. At upper-levels, I am more inclined to put the ball on the ground and play shorter passes. If the players lack the ability to do such, then I will often play very directly and use Run From Deep to get players into the box. I do not like to wed myself to one particular passing style if I can afford it; maintaining possession is good but not every pass needs to travel less than 5m. Being able to play directly with an aerial option while maintaining your short-passing possession game is the ideal offensive setup for me. I like to have many options in attack for goalscorers, creators, and runners from all possible manner of angles and positions. Defensively, I want my sides to press fairly high up the pitch and win the ball back quickly. I want to have the ball; if the other side does not have the ball then they cannot score. This means that in possession the defenders have to be vigilant in order to prevent a cheap counterattack, but all players must be able to work hard to get the ball back when possession is lost. For the most part, I want to play an attacking game without being too gung-ho, but still allowing my players to be able to play aggressively.

Here is how I would ideally construct a side. For some teams I may need to play more Rigid, or more Direct, or I need to use a Target Man, or whatever but for the most part here is the standard. The match engine in FM is getting better with each year, but there is still a lot of work left to do before I could play how I ideally would like.

Philosophy: Fluid
Strategy: Control (Upper-League Slow) / Attacking (Upper/Lower-League General)
Passing: Default (I like balance and options when I attack)
Creative Freedom: Default (I want players to have some freedom, but use instructions too)
Closing Down: Press More (I want the ball, period)
Tackling: More Aggressive
Marking: Zonal Marking
Crossing: Drill Crosses
Roaming: More Roaming (Gives more variation in attack)
Defensive Line: 20
Width: 13
Tempo: 13
Time Wasting: 1
Focus Passing: Mixed
Counter Attack: No
Offsides: Yes/No
Primary Playmaker: None
Target Man: None

Player Philosophy:
Certain positions demand certain characteristics. There will obviously be a different ability level for lower-league sides than upper-league ones, but I still look for certain characteristics in all of my players regardless of level. For the most part, I like universality rather than specialization. A player who is capable of doing a number of things is usually preferable than someone who is limited, although in some instances such players are good. All Background and Prime attributes are critical and I try to look for players with high marks in them. In addition, other skills that help a player attack in his position are sought after.

Because of some of the limitations of the match engine, I have to fudge a bit from what I would prefer to actually play. I would like to have a “Busquets-style-centre-half” at DMC, and the ability to use the STL/R who could double as STCL/R more often than having to use AML/R players. Until then, this is a sort of idealized lineup regardless of ability level. I will make changes based on the players I have (for example: using a Target Man as STC or Central Midfielders at the MCs), but this is what I want to ideally create:

GK: Sweeper Keeper (Attack) – I desire for my keepers to model the Cruyff vision of the "11th Outfielder" - a Sweeper who plays behind the defensive line. I do not need them to score goals, but I do want them sweeping up mistakes and advancing forward to provide passing options and support.

DL/R: Wing Back (Attack) – Players who are very well suited to play WB or M (or even AM) are wonderful here. These players need to be fairly well-rounded, which is often a slight detriment defensively but the offensive gain is usually enough to make up for it.

DCL/R: Central Defender (Defend) – Stopper/Cover is a possibility if the players better fit that mold. If the players are a little more like each other, D/D is the pairing. If I have a brutish CB and an elegant CB I usually go with S/C. These players do need some technical ability; their ability to play from the back can make the difference and thus they need to have some quality.

MCC: Ball-Winning Midfielder (Defend) – Balance is critical here; this player needs ability to destroy, create, keep possession, and possibly run if needed. This role is mainly used because this player does need to be better defensively than the other CM players and keep position in the middle of the park.

MCL/R: Advanced Playmaker (Support/Attack) – I am comfortable with having two fairly technical players to play with the ball. Both need to be able to pass and create in concert with the other players in the attacking phase, but any other attributes that can give them an advantage (Long Shots, Pace, etc) are just wonderful to have.

AML/R: Inside Forward (Attack) – Can ideally play as a ST also. Preferable to be able to both score and create fairly equally as I require them to be able to do both. They will have freedom to play inside with the advancing Wing Backs giving support out wide.

STC: Complete Forward/Target Man (Attack) – A big, physical presence in the center to play as a battering ram. Also, what it says on the tin; a striker who can do it all (or at least come close).

This post has been edited by Xulu: 09 July 2012 - 07:59 PM