Hello all, thought I'd share the tactic I'm (*sigh* constantly) working on, and get your thoughts and input should you decide to give it shot, which would be much appreciated.
First things first,
download 4-1-3-2 Julmar here.
Overview (click here to view)
A bit of a disclaimer first, I guess. I'm not a master tactician and this is not one of the so-called supertactics. I wouldn't even know how to make one. I just know a couple of things. Namely, the kind of football I like to see played and the fact that the process of trial and error inevitably involves error at some point. Which in this case means defeats, which I used to learn from and correct what I could. In fact, I'm still playing with this tactic and this process is still ongoing. I didn't expect to just create this on the first go, touch a couple of things and not having to change anything for five seasons, and neither should you. Experimentation and adaptation are key.
On to things, then. I called this baby a 4-1-3-2 because that's what it looks like on the screen and originally that's what I had set out to do. I just have a weak spot for that kind of formation when it's well-played. However, as it turned out, calling it a 4-1-3-2 is a bit deceptive because it ended up quite the variable entity during the game, and also quite susceptible to be poked and prodded with a lot of approaches -- and I claim no responsibility for that. It was purely accidental, I assure you.
Watching it play over several seasons and as used by several teams, sometimes I've seen it perform as a 5-3-2 proper on defense all the way to a 4-3-3 on offense, all in the course of a game with no adjusting on my aprt as far as the formation proper or player instructions.
Some observations, line by line: GK: There's no mystery here. Just adapt this to whatever kind of keepers your side has for maximum effect in terms of distribution. My own experiences with different GK distributions of the ball have been inconclusive, really. While I haven't found one type of distribution that works wonders, no type of distribution completely destroyed the tactic either; GK mistakes are GK mistakes, I believe, so you should play to your GK's best abilities to minimize those.
The back four: This is a very, very static line and you will notice this immediately. I decided to keep the full backs on a leash, not because I don't like it when full backs join the attack (I do. Hello, Zanetti) but simply due to my utter inability to let them go forward constantly and not break things beyond repair. The DR and DL have a pretty defensive mentality (6), with forward runs set at 'mixed' and no farrows. They occasionally break free and join the attack, but only when they deem it safe to do so. It's not a constant thing. They are also set to press with the team, which I've found does not take them out of position as much as I would have thought initially, and lets them anticipate, harass and steal balls from the opposition wingers quite often. They are set to direct passing as to avoid unnecessary moving of the ball laterally all through the back line - they will try to play it upfield if able.
The DCs are set to be just a hair more defensive (5) and with little creative freedom. They will also try to pass it directly to the midfield or the attack, and their pressing is set on mixed as to avoid getting them easily out of position and leaving a huge hole behind. Of course, no forward runs or anything of the sort - the back four will play just like that, like a back four. They are set to hard tackling, which combined with the ocassional pressing they do lets them disrupt most of the opposition's attempts either by brute force of tackling or via anticipation to steal a ball, or a clearing header (or at least, that's the plan).
DM: This is a key position. The little engine of the team, so it's always advisable to try and field as good a DMC as you can get. Normal mentality dead-set on the middle (10) as well as mixed forward runs. He will also press with the team, as to link him with the offensive midfielders in position on attack, as well as direct passing to link him (conceptually at least) with the back four. He will often try through balls and to hold the play up to take a look at the situation.
As I mentioned before, all this happened quite by accident, but I've observed how this combination of instructions allows the DMC to become a variable role; that is, when on defense, he naturally becomes the fifth man back, essentially creating a back five when the play could not be stopped on 3/4ths of the field. Due to the position, many times he will also be the first choice to receive the ball once it's been recovered by the defense. His direct passing allows him to quickly turn the play from defense to offense, while he will hold the ball to make sure the team has time to position itself on offense, or to get those forward runs going ('quick transitions' + 'hold up ball' might sound like a contradiction, but it seems to work well).
Finally, the mixed setting on forward runs allows him to join the attack from the back (essentially a 'last man' of the attack) if he's able and the situation calls for it. By the time the offensive play evolves and reaches the opposition's box, he would be lurking outside their area, hopefully positioned well-enough to catch a clearance or to disrupt a quick counter attack if the ball is lost. This has the added benefit, should the offensive play break down or get stalled/stumped, of him becoming another passing option to alleviate things and continue to keep the ball on their turf.
The midfield: It's a midfield line of three, AMR, AML and AMC, that by far will be on offense most of the time. The AMR and AML have sarrows to their outside, while the AMC has a simple short farrow.
The wingers are positioned 'closed', that is on a center position. Their sarrows allow them to 'open up' once the play transitions to offense, while decidedly offensive instructions make sure they always keep a shiny, healthy attacking coat without any thoughts of seriously defending or anything
. They will be constantly running forward and attempting to cross the ball as much as they can. If they can't, a mixed instruction to attempt through balls makes sure they can try other ways of getting rid of the ball if the opportunity opens up.
Yet, they're set to press alongside the team (which under normal conditions means most of the time), with normal tackling. Basically, this allows them, should they see an opportunity to steal a ball, challenge a header, intercept a pass or even go for a winning tackle, to go for it and turn the thing into offense again. It works quite well.
For the AMC I thought I'd do something a little differently than most tactics I've seen. The AMC in this formation is the target man, which means the team will try to get the ball to him if they can. A team instruction of delivering this balls to the AMC's feet ensures that he'll also get these balls the way AMCs like them. Short, to feet and to the point. A short farrow, short passing, attacking mentality and much creative freedom tells him he should join the attack whenever possible. In essence, it's an AMC proper, like the ones of old... receive and deliver balls to feet, run with it, spot a team mate for the killer pass and if not, well, you have the ability to skin a few people and do it yourself if it comes to that. It works quite well. He will join the attack most of the time, practically becoming the third man in a line of three up front, overloading their defense a bit more.
Up front: Two strikers. Set to short passing in order to disrupt the opposition's defense with quick 1-2's, either with the other striker, the AMC or the wingers if the play evolved to the wings. Attacking mentality and forward runs tells them to do just that -- always to look to get up there and start pestering people with their runs. They will try through balls often in case there's a team mate in a better position, but they're told to rarely cross the ball in an (often unsuccessful) attempt to stop doing the wingers' job. No long shots is a subtle hint for them to get in the box and do their job there, not from miles away.
Observed concepts:
A fist and an open hand. On defense, the team acts as a fist. Close your hand, make a fist and look at it. It's compact, crowded and solid. The distances between fingers are short. A lot of force concentrated on a small space to disrupt things. On offense, the team acts like an open hand. Open your hand, extend your fingers and look at it. The fingers are many and versatile, they can be extended, moved around individually, or in pairs. Options, subtletly, precision.
The offensive key is the transition from fist to hand. A team instruction to play wide (14) ensures that the close fist becomes a hand of many fingers when it's time to do so. The defensive key, if defense cannot be done by the individual fingers and they are overwhelmed, is to quickly transition, fold and become a fist. Concentrated strength.
I've observed the offensive play to be very fluid and versatile due to the options available at all times to both focal points of the team - the DMC and the AMC. It can manifest itself in short passing moves, always carrying the ball upfield in a series of pass connections, or a quick, direct stab forwards if the opportunity presents itself.
Again, all this is purely accidental, I assure you, and it most certainly
does not work all the time. Against superior opposition, the chances of them taking the ball, thus removing this tactic's lifeblood, which is possession, increase dramatically. Without possession, all the tactic can do is to try and recover the ball. I've seen it work quite well at that, specially on the midfield, given competent players, how they try and challenge headers, press and steal the ball. But it does not work all the time, and when the opposition is better, the team can fold. If you don't have the ball and you can't get the ball, you're in trouble no matter what tactic you use.
What I tried to implement in order to minimize this, and it works quite well (when it does... *ahem*), is to set up three zones of recovery of increasing intensity. A gradient of ball recovery, if you will. The first zone is upfield, given to the FC/STs and the AMC. Their generally easy tackling instructions and 'press with the team' orders create a sort of lax recovery zone. Something to harass the opposition with lightly instead of having them just sit there watching the other side play. If it works and the ball is recovered there, then great. If not, it was worth a shot.
The second zone is a bit hard for the other side and is located on the midfield proper. This is a zone of team pressing and normal tackling, given to the wingers and the DMC. The concept is the same -- to try and get the ball. Only this time they will go for it more decidedly and with more energy. If it works, great, let's move the ball up. If not, it was worth a shot.
The last zone is give to the back four + the DMC when he drops back. The DCs are set on hard tackling, while the full backs press with the team and tackle normally. This is the hardest area of ball recovery and they will go for it with all they have, because they next recovery zone could very well be recovering the ball out of your own goal.
It all works nicely (again, when it works. Sometimes you just sit there and curse at the monitor. C'est la vie.)
Testing and results:
I just realized I'm an idiot and I've been saving my tests over and over on the same savegame. Yes, wonderful. Go me.
Anyway, I can offer some of my observations and comments. I tried to test this at several levels on different leagues. Unfortunately, I don't have all the time in the world, so my testing was limited.
Test #1: Ferro - Argentine Second Division
I thought I'd start small. Ferro is a small side of the second division, and it was a problem from the beginning. A common problem with this kind of teams: Half the team are unproven youngsters in no way fit to be chose for the starting XI, the other half are old timers on their way out. Ferro was simply lacking a good chunk of reasonable players in their mid-20's that could offer some skill and consistency with it.
This test was more or less a disaster. The tactic simply did not work at all with them. I got what reinforcements I could from free transfers, but I could never really got it going well at all. Injuries only added to the debacle, and a very poor season ensued. The players never 'connected' with the tactic at all, it appears the level of playing that the tactic proposes calls for players with more technical ability and skill than the ones I had. Ferro regrettably finished on a solid, 3/4ths down the table position, morale was low, so I piled up all the money I made during the season (which wasn't much) and headed for the Bahamas.
Test #2: NAC Breda - Dutch First Division
Another small side. Strapped for cash like you wouldn't believe, which limited my options a lot, but the squad was good from what I could see. Again I saw the same problem of youngsters + old timers, though not as critical as it had been with Ferro.
This time it worked better, although not much better. NAC Breda finished on a nice mid-table position, which was great since my objective for the season was to avoid relegation, but I didn't like the way in which it happened. The tactic worked on and off, we were never consistent with it, and while it 'clicked' for a few players, most of the squad only had flashes of insight and good playing throughout the season. So, I saved my neck, became the hero of the board, but I did not like the way we played... most of the time having to resort to telling them to just **** it and play direct passing, get it quick up field. Something they could handle. It seemed, yet again, this tact requires good technical players to be most effective.
Test #3: Everton - English Premier Division
A good side overall. Nothing spectacular, but should be good enough to do a decent showing and hopefully achieve European qualification.
This time it worked much better, and I could notice the tactic 'clicking' and catching on for longer runs than at NAC Breda (not to mention, Ferro). Still, those good runs were not as long as I would have hoped. Half the season in and a short string of draws and losses, a freak cup elimination plus a spell of key players injured conspired to shoot our above-average form to hell, sending us to a mid-table hell we were never able to
really get out of (fixtures didn't help either).
However, we did manage a good push by the end of the season, recovered our form, the tactic clicked and we were able to challenge for that coveted Euro spot, only to fall short a couple of positions by the time the season ended. Still, a good mid-table position is what I was (realistically) aiming for, and I quite enjoyed the football we played while things were going our way and the players seemed to understand the tactic. While it didn't work, not so much, but at least I always saw the players trying. Seems the higher level of skill on this side was further evidence of the necesity for competent players to carry this out.
Test #4: Sampdoria - Serie A
Samp is a good, above-average if you go line by line. Nothing spectacular, but quite capable of a good showing if they play their best.
Which they did. This was the first test I would consider 'successful' and put a stamp on it. The season started quite badly, with both strikers apparently unable to score in a brothel, and the tactic not clicking at all. For the first 8-10 games I was fearing another NAC Breda scenario: A team that should perform well with this tactic, the material is there, but they can't seem to get it going consistently, so morale never kicks in, and they ultimately don't get things done.
However, a couple of key victories early on quickly put us on the right track. I was quite amazed at seeing the progress of the side and how they were looking more and more comfortable with the tactic as games went by, making less and less mistakes and playing the way they were supposed to.
The problem with the Serie A, as far as I've always noticed it, is that you could have a good side, capable of doing good things, but you're always faced with 5-6 monster teams that will eat you alive more often than not (Milan, Inter, Roma, Juve, etc..). The litmus test for me was to see if this tactic could cope with such teams.
Samp lost to league leader Inter badly early into the season, 1-4 at home. However, thanks to the fixture, we got to play Roma and Milan much later on. I was dreading it when I saw the fixture, because they were back to back: Roma away, Milan at home. But my fears were unfounded. By the time those fixtures came, the team was already playing splendidly, quickly rising up the table. The result? To my astonishment, we delivered a sound thrashing to 2nd-placed Roma away, 0-4, only to turn around and do the same to 5th-placed Milan at home, 3-1. It was beautiful, the way we manhandled those monster sides.
From then on, we really got things going, and despite us losing some points on the way that maybe we should not have lost (stupid goalie mistakes and offside goals
), we managed to finish the season on a very respectable 4th place. Little, above-average Samp managed to get a nice, coveted Euro spot. And the team played the tactic beautifully all through the second half of the season.
Test #5: River Plate - Argentine First Division.
Now, River is a very strong side, a perennial contender. But there are 4-5 other teams in there that can (and usually do) complicate things a lot. Although I went into this test knowing the team was going to do well, since the quality of players really is there, my main objective was to see how a big side would play the tactic, how long it would take until it caught on, how it would work against really small teams that just lock themselves on defense, etc.
Well, it was beautiful. The side managed to get the tactic going in a snap, performing well both in the league and the South American cups. In fact, I got quite addicted to this whole test and ended up playing for a few seasons... it was also a good test on how the tactic would perform on multiple seasons.
The result? 4 league titles in 3 years (it's Argentina so 3 years = 6 possible titles. Short leagues), runners-up once, third placed once. Runners-up of the Copa Sudamericana once, Won the Libertadores Cup on my last season. It was magnificent. The team adopted the tactic like nothing and we manage to string a 20-game unbeaten run at one point.
Click to see.
Well, I think I've rambled way more than I should have, and it's pretty late. If you want to give it shot, I would be glad and also would be interested in whatever input you guys might have, see how it performs for you, suggestions on how to improve it, etc.
Give it a shot. Hope it works for you.
download link again
--C.
PS: Sorry for the length, I got carried away a bit
4-1-3-2 Julmar -- The Beautiful Game 
Linear Mode
