I've always tried to create a tactic that uses a Sweeper efficiently, and I believe I am onto something (finally !!).
I've used a variation of this tactic with Dortmund for about 4 seasons (last 2 seasons I won the Bundesliga but nothing else with an impressive squad avarage age of 20 and 21).
And now I started a game with Ajax.
I've started using the first beta version of this tactic after I almost lost my job due to having 2 wins, 2 ties and 3 losses in my first 7 league games.
Anyway enough talk, onto screenshots:
Formation:
Instructions: these are global instructions which I tweak every game, so it's a bit pointless to show them (except the Set pieces settings and the bottom settings).
Team: well I had to buy a few players during the winter break because my Chairman decided it's a wise idea to sell my playmaker, Sneijder. I bought a replacement for him, which was Wagner (from Cruzeiro). I also bought a DMC and it was Apiah (from Fenerbache) and I bought a SW/DC named Chicao (from America (MEX)). The other signings were just youngsters which I plan on using later on.
And now individual settings:
GK: this I chose the preset that comes with FM
SW:
DL and DR:
DCs:
DMC (the left MC):
AMC (the right MC):
AML and AMR:
ST:
This was the league standing (keep in mind 3 of the 4 losses were when I was using a
diff tactic):
Also my team avg age was 24 (according to the news item that told me that I won the league with an average age of just 24).
Now onto the discussion.
Special instructions that you cannot see directly from the SSs:
I use target men, but not the target man you would think of. My target men are the two wingers, but mainly the left one (Marica). I found that this way I can get a lot more crosses in and I can split the opposing team defences much better.
One thing I like a lot about this tactic is the fact that it's so versatile. For example if I am behind and wish to push for a win or a tie you can sub the SW for a DMC or another FC/ST (based on what you want) and of course take the Farrows and make them Barrows on the full backs (otherwise you'll be getting a lot of goals scored against you). Now if you want to defend a score a lot, you can always sub your ST for a DMC but make sure your AMC gets a Farrow. I found this very usefull in the last 10-15 mins of a game that I really need to preserve a score (and I had a ton of counter attacks that were succesfull).
With the way my team is setup and the players I have at my disposal I found that Stam is almost always getting out paced, so I'll need to get a replacement for him. Probably if you want to try this tactic you will need pacy center backs.
Anyway I gotta run for now, please post your comments, suggestions or questions below.