Time for another new version to add to my list of tactics.
So as it stands right now I have four tactics;
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI> 4-1-3-2 Version 1 – Original tactic
<LI> 4-1-3-2 Version 2 – strengthened tactic to add support to the midfield and defence
<LI> 5-3-2 Version 1 – Away tactic to help support team on away days
<LI> 5-3-2 Version 2 – strengthened away tactic built for use on lower league teams.
</UL>
4-1-3-2 version 1 – used with Celtic (premier league)
4-1-3-2 version 2 – used with Celtic(premier league) and Watford (championship)
5-3-2 version 1 – used with Celtic (premier league) and Watford (championship)
5-3-2 version 2 – used with Watford (premiership) and Motherwell (premier league)
From my last post, you are able to see that 5-3-2 tactic was the last one devised, and from the use of teams, you are able to tell that I built it to try support lower teams to compete with big teams, so now I more cement the tactic for use with lower teams but should still work well with bigger.
Now to add to this list, comes 4-1-3-2 Version 3 .
Last season with Motherwell, I managed to get them into the top six for the first time in years.
They had finished (before I came into charge);
7th
7th
7th
10th
My first season with them I finished sixth, just scrapping into the top half before the split.
This season, at the start, I managed to sell one of the players I signed for free for £10m to palmero, I didn’t want to sell him so thats why I set such a high price when his original value was £2.2m but the board accepted it over my head and there was nothing I could do.
So for this season I brought in the following players to work with my new 4-1-3-2.
Filip sebo
Thomas Buffel
Daniele Paponi
Robert olejnik
Jamie Adamsc
Steven Fletcher
Shaun Maloney
Ryan Donk
Dean shiels
Jack Hobbs
Now to the tactic.
After binning my 4-1-3-2 for the time I was with Watford and Motherwell because I didn’t feel that it would be strong enough to keep them going, I devised the 5-3-2 Version 2 tactic but I wanted to bring back my original. So to do this, I needed to find a way of making my original strong attacking formation, still strong in attack, but even stronger in the back so it worked both ways.
The basic setup of the players and the runs is untouched.
The team and player instructions is where I had to look at in detail to devise some new plays.
So to go into detail, to follow will be the changes made in order to try support my new version.
Results and season review found at the end with download
Team Instructions
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<LI>Mentality – reduced but still kept as Attacking. Reason for this is simple, with a smaller team and you have several teams who are better rated, you don’t want to over risk the chance of being caught out, so with the slight pull back on the slider, the team is attacking but its only just off the normal level allowing them to keep a frame of mind.
<LI>Creative Freedom – reduced to dead centre normal – the players I had brought in had more skill than previous, but I still didn’t want to take the chance of their being any free flowing thoughts to hinder the team, so a small reduction should keep the players stable and focussed on going for goal.
<LI>Passing Style – increased to the maximum Direct. the players focus on the ball, to keep it down and get it to the player without a risk of a mixed pass being cut off.
<LI>Tempo – slightly reduced, still stays normal but slightly down on the slider, in order to keep the ball and not lose position if a fast break goes wrong.
<LI>Width – increased to above the centre normal. Before it was played as narrow to try keep the ball centre and use the midfield runs to spruce the ball out wide, but I wanted to try stop any wide attacks and give the players some more flow so I opened it up.
<LI>Closing down – slightly increased but still regarded as mixed.
<LI>Time wasting – down from often to mixed, to try keep the players focused on maintaining a strong approach but if the game is going our way, keep it that way.
<LI> Defensive line – slightly pushed up but still as normal to try catch out the pace of the faster players in the league.
<LI>Tackling – remained the same.
</UL>
Goalkeeper
Stats remained the same
Defenders Right and Left
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI>Closing down – increased to often, to try get the ball to stay out of the box.
<LI>Forward Runs – taken to mixed, wanted them to focus more on supporting the defence rather than the midfield as a lower team.
</UL>
Defenders Centre
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<LI>Closing down increased to often to try prevent the ball getting in closer.
</UL>
Defensive Midfielder
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<LI>Mentality – changed to defensive, dont want to risk them moving too far up the park and leaving space open.
<LI>Creative Freedom – reduced to normal, like before, I dont want them trying too much and moving up the park when the defence will need them more than the midfield..
<LI>Closing Down – increased to often in order to try prevent more attacks.
<LI>Forward Runs – reduced to mixed to try prevent too much movement.
<LI>Through Balls – now mixed, this is to try cement the whole idea that he now has less freedom with the attacking side of the game and the midfield.
</UL>
Midfielders left and right.
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI>Closing Down – changed from team to player set often, just so its more cemented that with the extra width in the team, they can now look to take on players more in the wing.
<LI>Long Shots – now set to rarely, want the ball to be fed up to the goal with better chance from close range.
</UL>
Midfield centre
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<LI>Closing Down – set to maximum of Often, to try stop the ball before it gets past the midfield.
</UL>
Strikers
<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI>Long Shots – now set to mixed from often, try to make the players move in towards goal before shooting.
<LI>Cross Ball – now set to mixed. I started to notice that with the style of width and changes, the strikers opened up, and sometimes, depending on how far wide the ball was, they would move out wide, so I gave them the option, if out there, try get it in.
</UL>
Now its time to see if my changes actually worked
Final SPL Table Season Results
Now as you can see, this tactic along with 5-3-2 v2, works well with teams who dont have such high expectations in the league and gives them a good grasp.
You can download this tactic from the links below;
Download from FM Downloads Download from Rapidshare 
Linear Mode
