wana_be_seal

Hi to all,

Through study and luck I was able to get my Real Sociedad team into Champions League Qualifying Phase just two seasons after being a 2nd Division side.

But now I met something I never seen before at the game.

I played my first UCL qualifier against Rangers at Ibrox and went down 2-1 in a tightly contested match (ie. terrible officiating denying me a goal and allowing one for them when there was a clear offsides).

Having said that, their team has amazing passing/crossing attributes(midfield 16 up with a couple of 18) and is a very strong opponent.

They play a single striker (Boyd) who has terrific heading skills and they play him the ball all the time both to finish and setup talented midfielders like Rakitic.

After the loss at Ibrox I was confident that my away goal would be the edge, but then I found them with a 4-1-4-1 tactic I never seen any team apply in the game against me before.

They play the 2 fullbacks-2central defenders scheme and then they have a very defensive defensive midfielder in front of them.

They apply a line of 4 in front of him, with no farrows, two wingers at the side, but all of them in their own field!

And then they have this guy Boyd alone in my penalty box.

Talk about a 'Swiss' defensive tactic!

Of course, when they get the ball they go very quickly to attack and I am still puzzled on how many fouls my team gave near my box since I play the game in highlights mode.

My tactic is a 4-2-3-1, following Rule of One and Googen's 4-4-2 principles adjusted (still not fully developed but it had worked wonders for me in Spanish Primera getting a reasonable team in terms of individual players to fight for third place for most of the season and comeback to draw Barcelona after being 2-0 at half time.

Did any of you already faced a 4-1-4-1 tactical scheme?

The flanks are guarded and the middle likewise.

Any comments? Adjustments you suggest? How to entertain such a defensive formation?

Cheers and thanks,
Rodrigo

wana_be_seal

Well, there was no reply but let me share with you my tactical plan.

Rangers 9 players in their own side of the field.

I started the game with an extremely offensive 3-5-2.

Usually I use 4-2-3-1, which proved very succesful, with the 2 first MCs actually placed in the DMC position, 1 AMC and two wingers completing the midfield formation.

With 4 defenders on their side and 5 on their midfield in such a compact formation I realized my lone striker would be wasted, so I placed my AMC as his colleague up front (very good at dribbling and finishing).

Then I took my DL which is pretty decent going to attack and placed him at the ML position. Since he's primary business is defending, that would prove to be a good decision.

I placed my best playmaker in the central MC position, surrounded by the two DMCs and completed by having my AMR who is a decent tackler and determined fellow to guard the MR spot.

On defense, I had Ignashevich who is very tough mentally as a sweeper behind my best marking DC (Miranda) who man-marked Rangers' strong striker Boyd.

Then I placed Sun Jihai, originally RD, as the central defender to the right of Miranda.

Something like that:
ST-FC

ML-MC-MC-MC-MR

DC-DC
SW
GK

I completed the setting with the following instructions:

Farrows on the flanking midfielders and on the MC at the center of midfield.

No forward runs for the DMCs placed in between them.

One of the DMCs, great passing/good creative set as the playmaker.

My AMC/FC upfront as the target man, to explore the slower side of Rangers defense.

I also needed to cut the lines to Boyd from Rangers' ML and MR - so I placed my wingers - one of them, the converted DL - on man-marking. Gari was superb on the right side given he's not a defender by nature.

My DMCs did the same taking hold of the other two midfielders.

That left my central MC as the only player without man-marking responsibilities in the midfield fighting for space against their DMC - this guy is Daniel Carvalho in my team, very good player who I assumed would be able to win this match-up.

I think the setup really surprised them.

My team scored with 5 minutes on our 3rd chance.

Then Rangers had to open their game as my away result was enough to see me through.

Before the break, switching to my usual tactics and setting counter-attacks, I was able to score one more.

But this one wouldn't go without a bit of drama.

They scored from a free-kick (always giving up goals like that, gee).

I came back to this unorthodox approach with 30 minutes to play and we kept pressuring them with amazing saves from their keeper.

They hit me on the break and had a ball in my woodwork.

But at 75 minutes my wonderkid FC/AMC Dalla Valle scored the 3-1.

It became my turn. I placed every player in my side of the field just like they did at the start, did some replacements, opened my wingers (Daniel Carvalho back to left and Gari to the right), told them to hold the ball.

And we were able to kill time, despite claims for a goal which was offsides from their part at the added time.

It was an incredible match.

I think it has been the most exciting match I had so far in FM 2008.

Big lesson today.

Even when we think we hit a very good tactical setting (based on Googen's post), we need to think flexible when we face something unseen before.

Cheers,
Rodrigo