Serpico

Can a decent squad (not all world beaters) have any degree of success with 4-4-2? And by degree of success I'm meaning play-offs with Hull, European qualification with Pompey, that sort of thing.

All the tactics that seem to appear on here seem to go down the never seen irl tactic, rather than what we see every weekend.

My premiership squad is full of 140+ CA players, with 14 or so average pace, and positional attributed satisfied, yet I can't get a sniff of mid=table playing 442.

Cleon

A flat 442? Hull have a decent squad so getting promoted/plyoff's is very muc doable

What sort of settings have you tried for a 442?

Serpico

Default tactics, using the drop down individual settings. One defensively minded MC, one attack minded. Wide midfielders set to winger. Tried two strikers and one striker one target man with equal hopelessness.

Serpico

And I'm seven seasons in now, and fed up of playing 1 striker who scores 90% of my goals.

Abramovic

I used a 442 in League 1 with Forest and managed to secure promotion, however whilst in the Championship i used a 4231.

442 Can work but you have to have an exceptional side for that devision imho

Badboy500

442 is dificult to get consistent because of the gaps between the defensive line and midfield. I've recently tried with Arsenal(I know more than decent) to have a diagonal back arrow on the holding midfielder and other MC a diagonal forward arrow. The defensive minded mid is sort of in between a DMC and mid.I use default settings for "midielders" for both.

Justified

I think you can but I think you have to have diffrent types of players to do it rather then positions. If i take the example of Liverpool. You would say they are a top side IRL and FM. So take diffrent scenario's -

Home v. Easy Opposition = Easy opponents at home, you'd want a creative centre of midfield with like Alonso and Gerrard.

Home v. Better Opposition and away against Weaker = Good side with a potential threat, you'd still want to have creativity in midfield but you'd want a hard working good tackler as well so Sissoko or Mascherano coupled with Gerrard.

Away v. Good opposition = Two good tacklers in midfield to hit on the counter, preferably one with good creativity so Gerrard can still play just more defensive. A pacy frontline so Torres and Kuyt/Voronin perhaps.

Away v. Exceptional Opposition = Two out and out DMC's so Mascherano and Sissoko would apply, you want to stop them from playing the ball about.

SkidRo

you can but it depends on the players you have as to what type of way you play your 442.

i usually aim for more wing play and have my wingers and strikers individually set to an attacking mentality with the 2 central mids on normal with on making less forward runs then the other so he offers a sort of bit part defence mid way of playing. Also i sometimes set the 2 centre backs to very defence minded with closing down in own area but that just depends on what type of players i have as to whether i employ that for defence.

Baroslfc5

I have been trying a 4-4-2 system for a while but, as soon as I think it is set up well..I just do a little tweaking to make it even better and it F's it up

I had the wide players and forwards scoring the goals (Which is what I wanted) had the defence sort of right. But then I get stuck in the middle of the park.

As I see it we/me have three choices.

1. One CM who is defensive, One CM who is attacking

2. Two CM's who are "Normal" - Mixed on passing, forward runs, through balls, run with ball etc

3. Two CM's who are attacking

I would like to try option one, but just can't get the balance right. I have tried back arrow on one, the other on defalt, back arrow on one and forward arrow on the other, One on forward arrow the other on default.

So, normally I go with option Two, but then I miss the MC/AMC "Playmaker" type player from option one. In The end it more a 4-4-1-1 with two "Normal" CM (Slightly defensive), attacking wide players and a "Playmaker" in the hole behind a lone forward, but then I miss out on the passes between two forwards in a 4-4-2.

Hmmmm..