retired_slayerbing

The following is WWfan's advice on combating the 4-2-4:

AI Attacking Strategies

When losing, the AI often reverts to an attacking strategy between the 60 and 70 minute marks. They will begin to play wide and fast with a high mentality, with full-backs pouring forward, long-farrowed wingers (or a 4-2-4) and forwards staying up the pitch all the time. This system will offer huge amounts of space down the flanks or around their back two as they only keep the DCs back. Two ways to counter this are to focus passing down flanks to sarrowed FCs which exploits the channels or focus passing down centre with the wide men forward sarrowed to the AMR/L positions so you create a 4 on 2 situation when attacking the central defenders. Personally, I employ the sarrowed FCs solution. Defensively, forward runs should be set to rarely for FBs and a MCd/DMC (see Forward Runs & Farrows/Sarrows/Barrows/Defend Lead).
WWfan.


Based on that and also in part due to my displeasure at conceding late goals I have decided to go into depth and create a tactic you can change to whenever the AI reverts to this formation. The tactics sucess will not be based on scoring goals obviously but in your ability to close the game without conceding any goals and holding on to your slender lead.

I am basing the following on a 4-4-2 system.

Team settings

Mentality: I think about 10 assuming you are playing with it normally at around 12-14. This reduction means there will be less attacking play but considering you lead anyway that isn't such a concern.

Width: The AI will be attacking down the flanks so to play wide would be meeting him head on. If you already play wide then this may not need changing.

Time wasting:probably on mixed should be enough. Any more and you are holding on to the ball to long and inviting pressure. Any less and you won't see the ball at all.

Tempo I'm going with a faster tempo. You are probably going to want to try hitting them on the break by counterattacking (??) so faster tempo is needed for that. If you want to forgo attacking altogether then I still would say a faster tempo would suit but maybe turn counterattacking off.

Passing style: Direct seems to be the sensible choice coupled with the faster tempo. The exceptions would be the strikers which you can fiddle about with in individual instructions.

D-Line: Playing too deep invites trouble but combating the 4-2-4 means (in my opinion) dropping your D-line to about 8-10. You can play about with this and find what works best (and let me know! )

Individual Instructions

Goalkeepers

Not much to say about the keepers instructions. If you employ him as a sweeper keeper then you may wish to change his settings and make him more conservative and not come out more. The assumption is that your D-line will be somewhat deeper (3-4 notches?) so there should not be a great need for him to come out as much.

Defence:

Not much should change with your Centrebacks. If you had fullbacks that were making forward runs drop that to rarely as you want a static back line that is not joining any attacks. This should help negate any fast breaks by the AI. I think closing down should be lower for these 4 players and zonal marking applied (just my opinion - might need to test a little with this).

Wingers

The wingers can have their forward runs reduced to mixed. Their mentality can be dropped to 10 and crossing set to mixed possibly from deep to avoid them making striding long runs to the byline. Through balls set to mixed, if not already. I welcome any other ideas regarding their settings.

Centre Midfielders

Usually in your normal tactic one of these will be more attack minded and the other will be either a DMC or defensive minded. Combating the 4-2-4 means they both need to be more defense minded so forward runs will be rarely and if one of them is good at long shots and not already on often that could be an idea. Another option might be to barrow one or maybe even both of them.
A consideration when changing to this tactic is too substitute your attacking midfielder for another DMC or more defensively appropriate player - if available of course. (Again I welcome suggestions on these settings)

Strikers

These are probably the only players you might want to leave on the same settings as your normal tactic. The only thing I can think of is maybe dropping one back to an AMC role as that might help link ups more.


Finally I would say through balls be increased for the side and think about making a striker a target man who recieves those through balls. Not sure how effective that might be.

Focuss passing would be down the wings.

Please feel free to argue against any of my points I've made. This is not set in stone, I am merely using WWfans ideas as a starting point and trying to build on them. If you have hints that discredit my ideas or support them - or are completely new, please add them here so this counter 4-2-4 tactic can be of benefit to all (including me!)

Cheers.

retired_erik86

Im using a highly modified bluntblade tactic, and i found it's best to focus on scoring aginst the 424 rather than try and not concede anything. I find it incredibily easy to score when they use 424.

All i do is push up, offside trap, Defensive line depends on their strikers. Tempo Normal, and since i use 1 striker i find focusing down the middle or mixed to be more effective, due to my formation.

I agree, team mentality shud be nothing less than normal, and the defensive line shud be no less than 8 (or maybe 6, depends on their strikers).

but as i said, keep the back solid, but focusing on scoring is the better option, their so open at the back, any kind of counter attack can kill them off.

retired_Lyon

If it's a very important game against a tough team, I take off an attacker (usually a striker if I have two of them on the pitch) and employ a sweeper, placed just behind the two centerbacks. He is ultra defensive with very low closing down, and his job is to always be the last man back incase the AI tries a through pass or one of the CB's get beaten.

I used to use Van Buyten specifically for this role back in FM2006, but this year I'm using Vidic to some degree of success. Might consider training one of my youngsters to be a decent sweeper.

retired_erik86

the SW would be pique assuming ur man utd.

retired_slayerbing

Do you change much else - Mentality, D-line etc etc?

retired_management team

I do something quite similar. I also like to put everyone but the striker and the wingers to playwith defensive mentality. I play with long passes. The striker has very attacking mentality and the wingers have normal. these three players should score an extra goal by the end of the game by getting to these long passes and use their dribbling skills.

retired_Lyon

Do you change much else - Mentality, D-line etc etc? </BLOCKQUOTE>

D-line 8-10, doesn't need to be too deep unless their strikers are incredibly fast like Eto'o. Mentality I keep at 12'ish, so my forwards can still counterattack if needed (my defenders have individual settings anyways). Untick Offside Trap, and tick Counterattack. Time Wasting is increased, Tempo to Quick (so they don't dawdle), Passing to Direct 14-15 so they bang the ball up the field to the forwards for a break.

retired_glix

I can easily defend most leads with a good defensive 4-4-2, with 2 DMs and more defensive intructions to wingers, to prevent crossing threats.