retired_elpata

Picking a formation in Football Manager can be a daunting task at times, do you go with the unknown and try a 343 and be a bit adventurous or do you stick to the good old 442. The reason why so many people use 442 is because its familiar and always a safe bet for any side to use, its also very flexible and allows you to change into other systems during a match if you need to shake things up a bit. Another reason why the 442 is so popular is because of the balance between defending and scoring, you can create a very solid 442 that is tight at the back but lethal when going forward. A lot of other formations like a 424 or 433 all have quite a few weaknesses against certain formations were as the 442 can be used against almost every formation there is.

There are a few types of 442;

Standard 442, Diamond, Diamond Wide, Defensive Midfielder, Attacking Midfielder, Sweeper/Stopper

These are the basic 442's that you are likely to encounter.

Standard 442

This is the more neutral focused 442 that concentrates on the defending and attacking ability of you're team, this is a very good starting point for any side to see what you're team is capable of. This type of formation should produce a fair amount of goals as well as keeping it very tight at the back if set up correctly. The wingers in this formation are vital for providing crosses into the box for your strikers. A lot of people also like to play one attacking midfielder and one defensive midfielder to make it a lot more balanced.

Diamond

The 442 diamond normally consists of a flat back four, two central midfielder, a defensive midfielder, an attacking midfielder and 2 strikers. This set-up is very dependant on your fullbacks as they will be responsible for getting forward at every opportunity available because you have no wingers. So at times if the fullbacks are struggling to get forward you might find your strikers could get isolated for periods in the game. The wings can be a problem area at times, especially if you're playing against two very good wingers as they will have lots of space and time on the ball. If you do use this formation ensure that your fullbacks are good going forward but extremely good at defending duties too.

Diamond Wide

Unlike the diamond one above this set-up does have wingers and is a good system to use if you want to use overlapping fullbacks (these are explained further down). The vital part of this formation is the attacking midfielder’s position and the defensive midfielders too. The attacking midfielder will have both attacking and defensive duties; if he does not track players back when your side is not in possession of the ball then you will have a huge gap in middle of the park. This can cause big problems as your defensive midfielder will then move forward to try and win the ball and if he doesn't win it your defence will have all sorts of problems to deal with.

Defensive Midfielder

One of the more popular 442 systems to use is one that implements a defensive midfielder. This offers extra cover in front of the back four and when used right you should find the opposition’s chances are rather limited. This is an extremely useful set-up if you need to keep clean sheets and dominate the game in the midfield areas. The defensive midfielder’s job is to break up play and distribute the ball up field as quick as possible or hold onto the ball and wait until a clear cut pass arises, however holding onto the ball for too long can cause problems especially if he loses possession from dwelling on the ball.

Attacking Midfielder

Another popular choice on the Football Manager series is the use of an attacking midfielder. A lot of people use this system and play through the attacking midfielder letting him get forward and create chances. A free role can work well in this position for the correct player as it allows him the licence to roam and wander looking for the ball. However if you play through the attacking midfielder the opposition might soon see this and make it incredibly difficult for you to get the ball to him. If you realise this is happening then change your passing style to down the wings and utilise the wingers.

Sweeper/Stopper

A sweeper or stopper can be used in any formation or system but is mainly used for a back three rather than a back four and is mainly used in real life by the Italians. For this type of system to work you need the sweeper to be very good for the level that he is currently playing at. If he is not then it simply will not work how it should and be more of weakness that a strength.

I've not gone into too much detail about what each system does as I just want to cover the basics in this thread, but further down the line, we will take a more in-depth view of all the formations and really analyze them, but first let’s cover the bread and butter stuff. The stuff that I am about to write is just a starting point for people who want to create tactics but have little knowledge, I'm not saying these instructions are spot on because they might be for someone else but not you. But this is a good reference for a starting point for each position.

Defence

There are also four main ways to play your fullbacks as well, you can have over lapping fullbacks who are very offensive minded and provide a very attacking option to the team. But the draw back of playing with over lapping fullbacks is your wingers will have a lot of defensive duties to do in a game and you might find you get exposed a few times down the wings when your fullback is out of position. Another way in the flat back formation is to make them mark the opponent's forwards or wingers. These players have to be dependable and willing to give up any kind of offensive play as they will be very defensive minded so don't expect them to contribute on attacks. A third way to get them to work would be to have them work with the wingers (not over lapping though) and get forward to get crosses into the box at every chance possible for your strikers. The fourth way is more of a mixture between attacking and defending, the settings of this specific way really depends on how neutral you want to be, a good idea would to be leave a lot of things normal as that is neutral.

Over Lapping fullbacks:

Crossing, dribbling, teamwork, stamina, passing, off the ball and fitness. I found that fullbacks with these stats do well indeed. Also look out for the descriptions, I like to use explosive or attacking fullbacks as they are better suited to the job

Defensive fullbacks:

Work rate, stamina, teamwork, decisions, positioning and acceleration, determination, strength and tackling

Attacking fullbacks:

Work rate, stamina, teamwork, decisions, positioning and acceleration, determination, strength, crossing and dribbling.

The Sweeper and Stopper systems are very similar and positional look the exact same, but it's what they do that makes them different. You have the sweeper set to where he'll push up and mop up any balls that the defenders in front of him cannot deal with and does what the name "sweeper" suggest and sweeps up any trouble your front defenders might make. Were as the stopper system uses man marking to either mark a striker or a central midfielder of the opposing team. Plus he is expected to play quick and early balls to your midfield to start early counter attacks.

Sweeper System:
The sweeper should have a good understanding of the game and be a leader on the field. He controls the defence, always staying behind the fullbacks. For this to work you need a sweeper who as high concentration, decisions, influence, positioning, team work, tackling and a little bit of pace wouldn't go a miss too. If you can't find a player with the right stats then I suggest you don't play the sweeper system as put the wrong player as the sweeper and you may get crucified, but get the right player here and you can have a very solid back 4.

Stopper System: The stopper is responsible for marking the centre forward or centre midfielder of the other team. He also has an important offensive part of distributing the ball to the midfielders so you need a player who is good at passing, decisions, anticipation, decisions, tackling, concentration, work rate, positioning and a good first touch can help too.

Midfield

The midfield of a 442 formation can be very variable indeed; you can play a flat four midfielders which is very stable and safe. You can use two wingers, one attacking midfielder and one defensive midfielder which are a common thing on Football Manager to do. Or instead of using two wingers you can bring them in to the middle of the pitch so you have two central midfielders. This way makes you a lot narrower but is good if you have very attacking fullbacks who like to venture forward. You can also use two wingers and two defensive midfielders if you wanted to as well. There are also lots of other ways like using a flat three midfielders with one defensive midfielder behind them but if I try to describe every variation I would be here all day.

Left/Right wingers:They are in charge for the crosses in the offence, and they usually carry the ball up the field, since they have more room than the centre midfielders. For wingers you need players with some of these stats crossing, creativity, dribbling, pace, acceleration, tackling, balance, technique, passing, finishing, long shots, teamwork, work rate and off ball. Not all of these are vital but some are. I have already explained in another thread what the vital and not so vital stats are.

Left/Right Centre midfielders: Distribute the ball the best they can to start quick attacks and try to stop or slow down opposing plays before they get to the defensive line. Good passing, decent tackling, work rate, team work, stamina, heading can be quite good and decent concentration are all important if you want them to be alert for 90 minutes.

Attacking Midfielders: These guys are the links between midfield and strikers and play in a very important position of the pitch. The ball is often there to be won in the last third of the pitch, so ideally you want an all round player a bit like a DMC. Some of the stats he needs are creativity, passing, off ball, technique, finishing, work rate, stamina, teamwork, flair, long shots, pace, acceleration.

Defensive Midfielders: The defensive midfields are key players for breaking up play and beginning attacks. Some of the stats needed are tackling, strength, aggression, marking, stamina, work rate, teamwork, pace, passing, acceleration, determination, concentration and creativity.

Strikers

As for the strikers in a 442 formation you can't really do much with them as there are only two of them. So you can play two fast strikers, two big strong strikers or one of each. In these very basic formations, the forwards do no special work. Runs to the corners need to be only occasional, and dropping back to the midfield shouldn't be the primary way of getting the ball, this position is actually self explanatory.

Striker: They are here to score the majority of your goals, remember though, not both strikers will be prolific it usually tends to be just one out of the two who scores the most goals. A few stats to look for are pace, technique, acceleration, dribbling, long shots, finishing and off ball.

Target man:You will need this play to keep hold of the ball and bring others into play and feed balls through to the slower striker. A few of the stats needed for this player type are strength, jumping, balance, agility, aggression, heading, anticipation and bravery.

retired_elpata

The Italian Metodo(1934)

Another modification to the 2-3-5, implemented by Vittorio Pozzo, 1934 coach to the Italian World Cup team. It was meant to be the Danubian style, with which the Austrian team were destroying all opposition, but he had no playmaker -- his centre-half was more of a defensive type -- and thus no source of attacks. This problem he solved by pulling the two inside-forwards back into midfield to start off the attacks and to act as playmaker. His centre-half then took on a more defensive role. This meant that his attack looked somewhat like the M of the W-M formation we will see later.

Advice on the metodo: The centre-half has to be alert, as he is now a part-time "fullback" instead of a playmaker. He still helps out in attack, but just not as often. The two inside-forwards need to have the same qualities the 2-3-5 centre-half had, as they are now the offensive playmakers. The centre-forward has to be more skilful as he is the only one with the responsibility of scoring goals.

retired_elpata

The W-M (!925)

The 1925 amendment of the offside rule meant that an attacking player need only keep 2 opponents in front of him and not 3 as stated before. This made the offside trap a much more challenging proposition. If one defender made a mistake, then the goalkeeper would be left on his own to defend the goal... Unsurprisingly, the number of goals scored in the English First Division rose by 43%, from 1,192 to 1,703.

The perceptive Arsenal manager Herbert Chapman, along with his captain Charlie Buchan, devised a system to stop this problem after a 7-0 drubbing by Newcastle. They noticed that it was the centre-forward doing most of the goalscoring. Thus, the centre-half was pulled back to become the stopper, or the centre-back. To fill up the gap created in midfield, the two inside-forwards were pulled back to create a four-man midfield which the Italians called the magic square. The team thus had the general shape of a W of defensive players and an M of attack-minded players, giving rise to the name W-M. The typical W-M centre-forward was brawny and could score well.

Arsenal's W-M was very successful because of a few special touches that Chapman put in: Firstly, his defensive W was a lopsided one. This meant that when an attack began on the opposition's left flank, Arsenal's rightback would come in for the challenge, while Arsenal's defensive right midfielder, stopper, defensive left midfielder and leftback moved to respectively deeper positions as shown in the diagram to your right. Secondly, the Arsenal wingers could also cut in to score goals. Thirdly, one of the inside-forwards was used as a playmaker, to fill up the gap from the loss of the centre-half
Brazil's version of the W-M in 1950 was the diagonal system, with only 2 fullbacks, covering the centre and right part of the defensive third of the field, the left flank being the job of a withdrawn left midfielder who was expected to help out in attack. This led to some defensive vulnerability, but lots of attacking firepower. Its vulnerabilities were only exposed once, by the Swiss, which held the Brazilian team to a 2-2 draw with their bolt system. This was enough, and the Brazilians switched to an orthodox version of the W-M, which proved very successful, taking them to the Final where they lost to a highly adapted Uruguayan team using a sort of metodo which was really more like a 4-3-3.

Advice on the W-M: To use the orthodox W-M successfully, the defense has to be alert, and passing within the team must be good. In other words, as with all other formations, teamwork has to be strong so that communication is done efficiently. Scoring must not be a difficulty to the forwards as there are now less forwards up front, and where attacking play is concerned, the midfield has to help out as well as the movements upfront have to start with the midfield.

To use the Arsenal version, your wingers should have about the same skills as a 2-3-5 centre-forward, for scoring goals is another of the new responsibilities of the wingers. You can use all four midfielders as a bridge between the defense and offense, as the role of playmaker will be taken up by one of the inside forwards. For the Brazilian version, strong defenders with lots of stamina are the thing to have because if the withdrawn left midfielder gets caught out, then the two backs will have to cover the entire defensive third of the pitch.

retired_elpata

The Swiss verrou(1931)

Also known as the Swiss bolt formation, the verrou is a system of play that requires disciplined and highly-fit players who can afford to run hard and long throughout the entire game and can act in both offensive and defensive roles. Generally played with 3 defenders, 3 midfielders and 4 forwards, the entire team advanced on attack. Even the defence was shifted up to the centre of the field, in the neutral third of the pitch. But the special feature of the verrou was the defence.

On loss of the ball, all ten outfield players retreated, and their functions were as follows: the four forwards would harass the opposing attackers, slowing the attack down and giving time for the rest of the team to move back into place. The midfield "line" shifted further back, allowing the centre-half to take the position of the centre-back. The defense retreated to just outside the penalty area, and the former centre-back now became the deep centre-back, the player behind all the rest save the goalkeeper. This feature of the verrou, the deep centre-back, will be seen later on in another system.

Advice on the verrou:Highly fit, disciplined players are required, as stated above, along with good teamwork and good sense of positioning. This is not a very easy formation to use, because of the fitness and discipline required.

retired_elpata

The Catenaccio(1947)

In 1947, Nereo Rocco became the new coach of Triestina, a small club in Italy's Serie A. Triestina was then only barely surviving in the league. Rocco's catenaccio system saw Triestina shooting up to second in the league later that season.

Catenaccio at its most attacking is played with a 1-3-3-3 formation. The most important part of the catenaccio was the focus on defence. Though not as outright defensive as the verrou, this defensive alignment was also important -- it led to football's darkest era (in Italy, anyway) when sterile, goalless matches were produced.

Three of the fullbacks had man-to-man marking duties, and the deep centre-back, the solitary "1" behind the defence, would be the libero, the free man. This libero would have no marking duties, and would patrol the backline to cover up in case a fullback made a mistake. Almost all of the game was spent with long balls probing the defence, or sending only the forward line to attack, so that there would be enough players left to defend if a counterattack from the opposition developed. At its most defensive, a catenaccio team can even play with a 1-4-3-2 or 1-4-4-1 formation.

Advice on the catenaccio: Catenaccio was a very wary, cautious form of play and is not recommended except when you are David against Goliath... but then again, if you already have your own rather successful style, stick to it

retired_elpata

The W-W(1953)

Hungary's problem in the 1950s was the centre-forward. Along with the W-M came the brawny centre-forward, which is what the Hungarian team did not have in 1953. Gustav Sebes, the 1953 coach of the Hungarian national team, changed the W-M to a W-W in the following manner:

He pulled the centre-forward back to play as a playmaker, taking over the role of the two inside-forwards. They were instead pushed up to give Hungary a two-pronged strikeforce. The wingers were pulled back to give a 5-man midfield.

Hungary's national team also attacked as a unit, with the backline moving into the opposing half. This adventurous play was open to counterattacks, via a long ball over the desperately out-of-place defence and speedy forwards. But the likelihood of this was lessened by the even more adventurous play of goalkeeper Gyula Grosics, who often came out of the 18-yard box to clear loose balls.

Advice on the W-W: If the W-W is to be used successfully, you need two centre-forwards, one playmaker, and two very good runners who can play up and down the wing. This is for the forward line. For the defensive W you need to have five alert players who can run well, have plenty of stamina and pass well.

retired_elpata

The Brazilian 4-2-4(1958)

We call it the Brazilian 4-2-4 because it was brought to a satisfying maturity in the 1958 World Cup in Sweden by the Brazilians. Brazil showed the world that despite the four fullbacks used, the 4-2-4 need not be a defensive formation relying only on counterattacks. In fact, one of the more exciting parts of the Brazilian 4-2-4 game was the attacking outside fullbacks, which lent the midfield some support on attack. It sometimes became a 2-4-4, and at its best, was a 2-2-6 with even the fullbacks joining in the attack. This added excitement to many of the Brazilian games in the World Cup and was also the main reason why they won every game (of course, including the Final) to clinch their first World Cup.

Advice on the Brazilian 4-2-4: If the Brazilian style of the 4-2-4 is to be played successfully, two of the fullbacks in your starting lineup have to have good ball control, speed, good shooting and passing, and some amount of creativity, for sometimes they will have to function as wingers. Speed is one of the more important as the fullbacks will have to move back when a counterattack develops, or when they have made a mistake. The fullbacks should NOT move back the moment they have passed the ball away. When they have lost the ball, they should try to get the ball back, to proceed with the attack, rather than to mindlessly clear it upfield.

retired_elpata

The 4-3-3(1962)

The focus in the 1962 World Cup in Chile was shifted to defensive tactics, and the Brazilian team mirrored this trend. Aimoré Moreira, the Brazilian coach, shifted Mario Zagalo back into midfield. In 1958, he was a winger who occasionally dropped back to help out in defensive duties in midfield. By 1962 he was shifted to midfield, thus becoming a left midfielder who sometimes helped out with attacking moves on the left wing.

Played with 4 fullbacks, 3 midfielders, and 3 attackers including a winger, the 4-3-3 is both a defensive formation and an attacking formation. The Argentinian flavour of 4-3-3, played in the 1978 World Cup, was highly attack-oriented. Four fullbacks with zonal marking was the standard then in Argentine club sides. However, so many players tended to move forward that the formation ended up looking like a 2-3-5 at times. The modified 3-man forward line consisted of 2 wingers (said to have been extinct when England won World Cup '66 without wingers) and a centre-forward. Osvaldo Ardiles and Mario Kempes were "midfielders" on paper, but were really "inside-forwards", attacking from time to time.

Advice on the 4-3-3:To play the Brazilian flavour well, the same things as the 4-2-4 are needed: overlapping fullbacks. For the Argentinian flavour, all you really need are attacking players. Quite a few of them. They must also have above average ball control, and good sense of positioning as always.

retired_elpata

The English 4-4-2(1966)

This is a tamer formation than the 4-2-4, because there are less forwards used here. The forward line has been cut down to 2 forwards, and thus no real wingers were used. Of course, play still extended out to the wings, but this was only around the midfield area. This shortening of the paragraphs reflects the amount of tactical innovations in the time period: this was one of the last new tactics to come about. We are, by 1966, watching the fountain of tactics dry up.

England's midfield was interesting as it used Nobby Stiles as a sweeper in front of the defensive line. Stiles's hard and effective tackling meant that the defenders could concentrate on their man-marking duties. England's other special touch was that the strikers' off-the-ball running would draw the opposing defenders away and thus create space which the midfielders, Charlton and Ball, could put to good use.

In the 1982 World Cup, France and Brazil had their own versions of the 4-4-2... France used a sweeper while Brazil used zonal marking and overlapping fullbacks. However, due to the lax refereeing, and their finishing problems up front, these two teams were knocked out by the end of the first round.

Advice on the 4-4-2: To use this formation well, no wingers are needed. The forwards used must be of high standard, as they are the ones shouldering the full responsibility of getting the goals. Off-the-ball running, or decoying, is a good practice. This allows for more chances as it will pull defenders away from the line of action, giving the ball-player a clear path to goal. Faking passes might go well with this

retired_elpata

Total Football (1970's)

Pioneered (in the World Cup, at any rate) by the Dutch and the Germans in the 1974 World Cup in West Germany, the team plays as one giant unit. There are no fixed roles in a team (except the goalkeeper of course.) When a fullback has the ball and thinks he can start an attack, he can move up on his own, and any player, even a forward, can help out by moving back to fill up the gap in defense. In other words, the team is not divided into defenders, midfielders and forwards; anyone can do anything (intelligently, of course) he wishes to.

However, as total football is nothing but 10 skilful players having fun, the Dutch team lost its light springy image in 1978 without Johan Cruyff, star of the 1974 Dutch World Cup team, who announced he would not play in that World Cup. Franz Beckenbauer played in the libero position for Germany, and often moved up to join in the attacks, thus bewildering the opposition fullbacks who already had their own man-marking assignments. The German flavour was also diluted when Franz Beckenbauer followed Cruyff and "retired" for the '78 World Cup.

Advice on using total football: This style of play is not really a formation. Rather, the advantages of using this against an opponent is that the opposition will spend their time trying to figure out what tactics your team is using while your team can take advantage of the confusion and (hopefully) score! This should only be used, however, if the communication and rapport between the players is very good, and that most players have above average ball skills. Otherwise passes might go off target, possession might be lost, and big gaps might be created that the opposition can use to devastating effect. In other words, this is an all-or-nothing formation... either it works well, or it backfires badly. Not much of an in-between.