Space and Overloads: 343 - Football Manager Tactics

 
 

Guest Blogger tommysboy007 returns once again with another ‘Space and Overloads’, which aims to detail a few tactical setups in Football Manager 2023. From passing networks, structural shapes and vulnerabilities this 343 post is the 4th tactical piece of this series. The previous posts can be found here: coffeehousefm.com/lattequarterly

I hope you enjoy them - FM Grasshopper


343

343 Passing Network

Similarly to the 3-5-2, this formation benefits from the extra centre back when starting to build our attack. Like the 3-5-2, it is unlikely that it’ll be facing 3 centre forwards pressing the centre halves, thus we have our solid base for passing. We can advance via wide centre backs out to the wings or alternatively our central centre half might carry the ball forward through the middle. With clever movement we can open up passing lanes to the Central Midfielders and Wide Attackers. The Centre Forward can drop deep to offer a line breaking passing option too.

3-4-3 Structural Spaces

Half Spaces

Our two wider attackers not only sit in space between the opponents Defence and Midfield but also if against a back 4 between their Full Backs and Centre Backs or for a back 3, behind their Wing Backs. They are placed in that Half Space channel mentioned above and are very hard to pick up. From here they can drive into space behind or ahead of the Centre Backs.

Wing Play

The two Central Midfielders act as Double Pivots in this system which free up the Wing Backs to push forward more than the 3-5-2 system. The Wide Attackers can occupy the opponent Full Backs or Wide Defenders thus creating more space for our Wing Backs to exploit high and wide up the pitch. If in this position, we also have the Centre Forward and far-side Wide Attacker to give crossing options in the box.

3-4-3 Structural Overloads

3-man Attack of Centre

We mentioned above that the 3 attackers can combine to overload the opposition’s defensive centre especially if they have a back four. They can pass around the defenders or simply using their presence can create space for the extra Attacker. Look out for those diagonal runs from wide in behind occupied centre back.

Out Wide

I said previously in the ‘Beat the 4-4-2 section’, with this tactic that when our Wide Centre Back has possession it creates a 3v2 on the flank. The rest is copied from above verbatim:

“When the centre back moves forward with the ball we look to commit the wide midfielder to come forward to press, thus creating a 2v1 with Wide Attacker and Wing Back. We also have options from opposite side Wide Attacker and Centre Forward.”

Source: https://coffeehousefm.com/lqblog/2023/1/15/space-and-overloads-442-football-manager-tactics

Clogging the Middle

We can drop back this formation easily to defend as a 5-4-1 with a heavy presence of defenders through the centre of the park. If we do sit in, it makes it very difficult for opponent to break down.

3-4-3 Vulnerabilities

Space behind Wing Backs/Getting caught on the Counter Attack

There is the same danger as the 3-5-2 in the space behind our wing backs can be exploited. Having the two centre midfielders instead of a single pivot a la the 3-5-2 should lessen the risk but it still exists here. Again if the wing backs aren't physically up to the task this compounds the vulnerability.

The risk of getting caught with too many players in defence is heightened in the 3-4-3 because we are asking our Wing Backs to be pushed higher and more focused on attack because of the cover. However if the central midfielders desert their post in excitement then we will be more exposed.

3-4-3 Transitional Shapes

Defends in a 5-4-1:

Attacks in a 2-2-3-3 or 2-2-6:

2233

226

3-4-3 Attacking Variance/Predictability Rating

One of the great proponents of the 3-4-3 is Antonio Conte. His football has often been described as dull or predictable but everyone agrees it is very effective. I personally think the 3-4-3 gives you options to attack wide, through the centre or in those half-spaces which in my opinion make it quite varied.

How to beat 3-4-3 in FM23

My plan on beating the 3-4-3 would focus on the wings. Firstly, by having two players wide, I am looking to unsettle their WIng Back. Get him looking over his shoulder at my Winger waiting to sprint into that big space behind every time he runs forward. I am counting on my Full Back and Centre Midfielders to cope with the threat of the Wing Back/Wide Attacker combination. By setting up with 4 at the back I have one defender more than their forward three. Of course my wingers can and should drop back to form a midfield bank of 4 whilst my 2 strikers can harry the 3 centre backs despite being outnumbered. In theory my 4-2-4 can defend with 8 against 7 opposition attackers whilst countering in the areas the 3-4-3 is weakest - the space behind the wing backs.

My 4-2-4 using FM preset Wing Play TIs would look like this:

424 Wing Play

My 3-4-3 in FM23

I am taking inspiration for the 3-4-3 from Serbia and Denmark with a team of 10 hard working players looking to fight for their teammates when out of possession. Try to frustrate the opposition in a 5-4-1 defensive shape. For my defence, nothing too fancy - standard Goal Keeper with 3 x Centre Backs (x2 defend and x1 on cover). Ahead will be two attacking Wing Backs ready to get up the pitch and offer width to our attacks. Inside them will be two sitting midfielders who will need to be positionally disciplined. I may allow one of them to step forward to join attacks but just the one!

Ahead, two wide attackers I am going to use Inside Wingers and have them sit narrower via Player Instructions. For variance, one will be on Attack and the other Support.

At the top, a good old fashioned battering ram would be good. If I have a Mitrovic-like player then Target Forward on Attack. If not, I might play a support forward (DLF or PF) with an Inside Forward on Attack instead.

My 343 in FM23.

That’s my thoughts on the 343, thank you for reading,

tommysboy007

Space and Overloads: 532 - Football Manager Tactics

 
 

Guest Blogger tommysboy007 returns once again with another ‘Space and Overloads’, which aims to detail a few tactical setups in Football Manager 2023. From passing networks, structural shapes and vulnerabilities this 532 post is the 3rd tactical piece of this series. The previous 442 + 433 posts can be found here: coffeehousefm.com/lattequarterly

I hope you enjoy them - FM Grasshopper


532

532 Passing Network

By having 3 centre backs, it is likely to have at least one spare man available to pass away from pressing opposition striker(s) if playing against a one or two attacker formation. This gives us a stable base with which to build up from the back. In front of our defence we have 5 midfielders offering more passing angles to progress the ball forwards. The middle holding midfielder will be our passing pivot. These numbers in midfield give a variety to how we can attack. Most positions will have at least 2 passing triangles to help us control possession.

3-5-2 Structural Spaces

Two Forwards Partnership (as per 4-4-2). With two up top you have the opportunity to expose space behind and in front of the opposition’s defensive line. 

3-5-2 Structural Overloads

Flanks

With our Wing Backs pushing forward and wide, we can use the nearest Wide Centre Back or Striker and Central Midfielder to create 3v2 overloads on each wing. 

As an extreme example of overloading the flanks, Chris Wilder’s Sheffield United or Steve Clarke’s Scotland use an attacking Wide Centre Back to overlap their Wing Back who is occupying the opponent’s full back. 

Midfield Numerical Superiority

The 5 men across the horizontal middle of the pitch will outnumber most other formations. As seen with Passing Network above this enables good possessional control.

3v2 or 5v3 Defence?

Let’s not pretend this isn't a Defence Minded tactic. With wing backs dropping back to form a 5 man defence and one striker coming into create 4 man midfield the basic defensive shape is 5-4-1. Quick counter attacks should still see us defend with 3 against two strikers or matched up against a 3 attacker formation. Note against a 4-2-4, I’d like to think we’d have enough bodies going forward to not worry about counter attacks!

3-5-2 Vulnerabilities

Space behind Wing Backs/Getting caught on the Counter Attack

There is a danger especially when losing possession that the space behind a 3-5-2’s wing backs can be exploited. As we have seen with Wing Backs having to patrol the full length of the pitch, this space will be exaggerated if a player’s stamina is too low to make the effort and get back in defence. 

3-5-2 Transitional Shapes

Defends in a 5-4-1:

Attacks in a 3-1-2-4 or 3-1-6:

3-5-2 Attacking Variance/Predictability

The 3-5-2 does offer different angles of attack with the 5 man midfield. By sacrificing a defender, we can attack with 7 players although due to noted vulnerability to counter attacks above, it is typical to keep a holding midfielder back to help out defensively. Even so we can push forward our midfielders to join the striker force and have four bodies in and around the penalty area for chance creations, getting on the end of crosses and capitalising on any poor clearances.  

How to Beat a 3-5-2 in FM23

Similarly to defeating the 4-4-2 and for the same reason, I am going with 3 at the back. We’re up against 2 strikers and we’re going to assume they are better players than my defenders so we need to outnumber them with a 3-player central defensive line. Read above in the 4-4-2 section for more benefits to keeping to the Defenders = No. of Opponent Strikers + 1 formula. 

Next we are man-to-man with two central midfielders and two deeper wing backs against the 4 more advanced players of the 3-5-2 midfield. The “spare” man is going to be played higher up the middle of the pitch to occupy the mind of the 3-5-2’s holding midfielder. In front of him we will have two centre forwards being asked to press the opponent’s defence when out of possession. 

The plan in possession is to counter attack with the two strikers making runs outside and in behind the centre backs to create space for the Advanced Midfielder to attack. 

Note - the Alternative Plan to use a 4231 shape. Drop a Defensive Midfielder into the defensive line for build up; overload wings 2v1 with wide attacker and full back; Send wide forwards inside to pin wide centre backs. 

My 3-5-2 in FM23

Having players that can be effective attacking Wide Centre Backs - like Croatia’s Gvardiol or Scotland’s Tierney - is unlikely at my level. Which is why we’re following the Wales blueprint. A standard Goalkeeper and Central Defenders are chosen. 

Our holding midfielder will also be our playmaker, a Deep Lying Playmaker on Defend to be more precise. On the flanks will be two Wing Backs because I don’t feel any of the Player Role options on the “midfield line” will make the players join the defensive line as I would like. One Central Midfielder on Support and the other on Attack will be balanced enough to get a staggering shape moving forward. Upfront, will be a Deep Lying Forward on Support + Advanced Forward combination with the option of making it a Pressing Forwards on same duties if against really tough opposition. 

As a team strategy, I want more controlled possession so Balanced Mentality and Shorter Passing are chosen with a Standard Defensive Line and Mid Block to maintain the shape. 

That’s my thoughts on the 532, I’ll be back soon with a breakdown of a Denmark/Serbian inspired 343 from World Cup 2022.

Thank you for reading,

tommysboy007

Space and Overloads: 433 - Football Manager Tactics

 
 

Guest Blogger tommysboy007 returns with his series titled ‘Space and Overloads’, which aims to detail a few tactical setups in Football Manager 2023. From passing networks, structural shapes and vulnerabilities this 433 post is the 2nd tactical piece of this series. The previous 442 post, and introduction to the series, can be found here: coffeehousefm.com/lattequarterly

I hope you enjoy them - FM Grasshopper


433

433 Passing Network

The strength of the 4-3-3 is ball progression via the natural triangles the structure offers. It makes this formation very suitable for keeping possession of the ball. Building up from the back the Defensive Midfielder can drop between the centre halves or wide into space vacated by a forward running full back to offer a third passing option. Alternatively, and increasingly, the modern Sweeper Keepers may step forward in possession to offer themselves as a passing option. The full backs and wide attackers offer passing options on the flanks. The near side Centre Back and DM make a triangle with the Full Back to pass around the opposition press. The FB, DM and near side Central Midfielder form a more advanced triangle. As the FB continues forward, the Wide Attacker becomes the third point with the CM. Finally, the Centre Forward, CM and Wide Attacker make the furthermost passing triangle and we’ve progressed the ball into attacking areas. 

Typically, a playmaker is used at the base of the three man midfield - think Sergio Busquets. All play tends to pass through him. Your passing network graph will show this player right at the centre dictating play.

4-3-3 Structural Spaces

Half Spaces

It's a commonly accepted and understood term - indeed is referenced in some of the player descriptions in FM23 - but at risk of repeating myself and every football tactics blog, by Half Space I am talking about the gap between a centre half and full back in your opponent’s defence. The 4-3-3 offers the opportunity to place one of 4 players into this dangerous space:

  1. Centre Forward 

  2. Wide Attacker

  3. Central Midfielder

  4. Inverted Wing Back

This variety is created by the 4-3-3 because the natural position of all these players above can pin the opposition’s centre half and full back to maximise the space and our opportunity to exploit it. 

Gegenpressing

Less about creating space to attack, the 4-3-3 shape is incredibly useful to close space down for the opponents. The formation is used, most famously by Klopp, to counter press as soon as an attack breaks down. The 3 forwards positioned higher up the pitch means pressing can cover a back four with the aim to win the ball back in a dangerous area of the pitch or at least harry an opponent into kicking long and regain possession that way.

433 Structural Overloads

Flanks

We saw the ability to progress the ball up the field with the natural triangles created in the 4-3-3. The shape allows us to overload the opponents flank at different areas of the pitch by shifting the Defensive Midfielder, Central Midfielder and Centre Forward towards the flank, we are creating 2v1, 3v2 and 4v2 situations very quickly. 

Through The Centre

With a holding midfielder shielding two centre backs, the 4-3-3 frees up to attack with seven players. As we looked at above, we can overload the flanks easily but if the opposition takes preventative action to counter that wide threat, it simply opens them up to being overloaded through the centre. Keeping our full backs push forward and wide, offers space for us to send our wide attackers and central midfielders through the middle with positions staggered to make it difficult to mark. For example, if we set both Wide Attackers as Inside Forwards against an opponent playing with a back four, we can create a 3v2 overload through the heart of their defence. 

433 Vulnerabilities

At Full Back

In the 4-3-3, the Full Back or Wing Back players are responsible for creating width in possession but out of possession, it is vital they recover back to rejoin the defensive line. The physical and mental attributes of this role are very demanding. Getting the right player for these roles are essential because a poor player or a tired player can be a major vulnerability. 

In addition to player selection/suitability, the space in front of the full backs can be exploited. With the wide attackers pushed further up the field, the opposition can find room to attack the potentially isolated full back. If caught on a counter, the defensive midfielder will need to come across to help cover opening up space in other areas of the pitch that could be potentially more dangerous. 

433 Attacking Variance/Predictability

The variety of attacking shapes is arguably the biggest strength of the 4-3-3. As seen above we can attack down the flanks and through the centre and always in numbers that can overwhelm the opposition. The attacking shape below shows the staggering of player positions that makes it difficult for the opposition. With clever movement and patient passing even the most stubborn low block can be breached.

4-3-3 Transitional Shapes

Defends in a 4-1-4-1 or 4-5-1:

Attacks in a 2-1-2-5:

How to Beat a 433 in FM23

There are a few options for nullifying a 4-3-3 depending on your level of players relative to the opposition. If the teams are even (or you are better) you could match up against the attacking shape (2-1-2-5 as above) with a 3-4-3. A 5-3-2 line up will give you a numerical advantage in defence or go even more defensive with a 5-4-1. However, if you are up against a high pressing team a la Liverpool, you could take a leaf out of Thomas Tuchel’s playbook. When faced with Klopp’s side in the Champions League, his PSG side adopted a 3-3-4 shape. In the first leg Liverpool’s 4-3-3 featured two narrow banks of 3 forwards and midfielders which really dominated the centre of the pitch. The 3 forwards engaged high up the pitch to force PSG into mistakes. Learning from this, Tuchel set his team up with instructions to pass around the centre of the pitch and overloaded each fullback. This also stymied the attacking threat of the full backs. By skirting around the congested centre, PSG were able to progress the ball up the field and get their key creative players Neymar and Di Maria in space high up the pitch. PSG went on to win the game. 

This is how I would set up my 3-3-4:

My 433 in FM23

It is unlikely in FM23 that I will have the talent at my disposal to get a fully formed 4-3-3 up and running but let’s pretend for now. I would prefer my team to be aggressive out of possession and patient in possession. Not Van Gaal Man Utd slow but patient. I am going with variation and (hopefully) balance. First up my goalie will be a Sweeper Keeper because I intend to have a high def-line with high press. I will want him to short kick out too as we’ll be Playing Out of Defence. 

My defensive core will be Centre Backs both on Defend. One might be Ball Playing if he has passing ability. In front will be my metronome - Deep Lying Midfielder on Defend. Down one flank will be a Wing Back Support with an Inside Forward Attack ahead and a Mezzala Attack just inside. On the other a Wing Back on Attack with an Inside Winger Support and a Central Midfielder Support. An alternative for this flank would be an Inverted Wing Back Support, Winger Attack and Advanced Playmaker on Support.

Up top will be likely be a Deep Lying Forward on Support but a Complete Forward would be better.

That’s my thoughts on the 433, I’ll be back soon with a breakdown of a Welsh inspired 532 from World Cup 2022.

Thank you for reading,

tommysboy007

Space and Overloads: 442 - Football Manager Tactics

 
 

Guest Blogger tommysboy007 introduces us to a new series titled ‘Space and Overloads’, which aims to detail a few tactical setups in Football Manager 2023. From passing networks, structural shapes and vulnerabilities this 442 post is the start of a cycle of tactical pieces that will be drip fed onto the site over the coming months. They will be collated here: coffeehousefm.com/lattequarterly

I hope you enjoy them - FM Grasshopper

Intro

In this post, my aim is to examine some tactical formations I am thinking of using in my Football Manager 23 save and drill down into their strengths and weaknesses. I have named this post Space and Overloads because these are the two factors that go into helping a team win football matches. The third factor is the individual affecting play either through brilliance or errors (more likely the latter at the level my teams play at). The whole point though is to set your team up to create more than the sum of your parts and mitigate this third factor.

I don’t mean to insult anyone’s intelligence but it is worthwhile quickly setting out what I mean by Space and Overloads in relation to football. Space is an area of the pitch that has no players in it. Overload is where in one area of the pitch the number of players of one team is greater than the opposition’s.

My aim for a successful tactic is to create Space in my opponents team that we can exploit or force Overloads in vulnerable areas that we can attack. Actually, I want to do both. All the while, I want to minimise the Space and Overloads that my team give to the opposition.

A balanced tactic is like a toddler with sweets - he will Take more than he Gives.

Here are some Football Manager 23 formations that I’m interested in using and the inherent strengths and weaknesses found in their structure. I will then look at using Player Roles and Instructions to strengthen further.

In my opinion Team instructions and Mentality are mainly used to set up the team’s playing style as part of the coach’s (or club’s) vision of how to play but both will impact on the Space and Overloads. For example, say I want to create overloads on the opposition’s left back and set my formation and player roles to do that with an Inverted Winger on Support and Attacking Wing Back to overlap. But I recognise space will open up down my right flank vulnerable to attacks so I have a Ball Winning Midfielder on that side with the idea of snuffing out attacks. On Cautious. I will see the BWM sit in behind on the (rare) occasions when wide men are attacking but on Attacking, not only will my Wing Back be more often than not in line with our strikers, that support duty may see our BWM haring into tackles much higher up the pitch. The space would be much bigger and potentially more vulnerable. In Football Manager, everything is connected, nothing works in isolation.


442

Most teams late 90s/early 00s

 

Basic 4-4-2 structure.

 

442 Passing Network

 
 

You can see the symmetry straight down the vertical line in this basic 4-4-2 structure with the left and right flanks mirroring each other. You can also see the passing triangles in the diagram. Each position has at least 4 passing options without having to break lines. Your central defenders have 6 passing options and central midfielder has 7. However, with your players positioned in straight lines this makes it easier for the opponent to cover the passing lane whilst pressing the ball. Passing triangles for ball progression up the field may require an initial sideways or backwards pass depending on opposition positions. For example, passing moves from CB to LB to CM to bypass a pressing AM. This slows down moves to short pass up the field which is why teams prefer more direct (i.e. longer) passing in this formation.

442 Structural Spaces

Two Forwards Partnership

With two up top you have the opportunity to expose space behind and in front of the opposition’s defensive line. How many goals have you conceded (or hopefully scored) where one striker drops a bit deeper taking his marker with him. His strike partner then runs into the space behind to receive a flick on or through ball. A slower variation but using the same space would be the one-two pass between strikers again into the same space. 

Wide Players

The wide players may have space to exploit depending on the opponent’s formation. If against a back four,  a winger can occupy the full back to create space either

  1. behind or wide for our supporting full back 

  2. between near side centre half and full back (commonly known as the Half Space) for our Striker or Central Midfielder to run into.

If playing against a back 3, the space is there for our wide player to run into.

442 Structural Overloads

Flanks

With the 4-4-2, we can look to create numerical advantages on the flanks by sending our Full Backs up beside our Wingers. This can be on the outside with Overlap Team Instruction or Inside with an Inverted Wing Back player role. Our Forwards (using a role that encourages wide runs like Complete Forward or Advanced Forward) and Central Midfielders can also move quickly into the same zones to further overload.

Central Defence

When against an opponent’s back four formation, with the two Forwards occupying their Centre Backs, we can overload with forward runs from Central Midfielders or diagonal runs inside from Inverted Wingers. 

442 Vulnerabilities
Space Between Horizontal Lines

As mentioned regarding Passing Networks, the 4-4-2 is full of straight lines. There is a danger for opposition to exploit the space found between our defence and midfield. An Attacking Midfielder could find space in one of the most dangerous areas of the pitch. Known as Zone 14 (if attacking) or the Golden Zone - it is the central space around where the “D” of the penalty area is. A perfect place for an attacker to slip a through ball or have a shot themselves. 

The space between our midfield line and forwards is maybe less immediately dangerous but against teams with a Deep Lying Playmaker (or similar role) sitting in this gap will have time to control possession or look for clever runs to start attacks from deep. Something to keep in mind if you are chasing the game and you want to avoid the opposition running down the clock.  

This space can be reduced by making your team compact. Lowering your line of engagement, raising your defensive line or doing both to squeeze the lines together. 

Space Between Vertical Lines

Again the rigid structure of the 4-4-2 opens up potential space in between Centre Backs centrally with his defensive partner or with their nearest full back in the half space. 

Team instructions to reduce defending width (Pressing Traps) or Player Instructions on Full Backs can tighten the defence and reduce these gaps between the defenders. 

Midfield Overloads

In a 4-4-2 our central midfielders have a lot of ground to cover shuttling between deeper defensive line and supporting the forward line. Against opposition with the same formation, a missed tackle or interception and your opponent has free run at the defence. The responsibility on the central midfielders in a 4-4-2 is immense.

However against a 3-man midfield, the task becomes nigh on impossible. As stated above, the space in front and behind the midfield lines would be exploited by the third player. It gives an easy pass around the two defending midfielders. To prevent this, we need one or both of the forwards to drop back into midfield to pick up the most defensive of the three opponents. We also need to squeeze these horizontal and vertical spaces creating a really compact centre with the drawback of leaving space on the flanks and in front of us for their defence to pass the ball about at will. 

It also makes it harder to attack and progress the ball through the centre which is why most successful uses of this formation either use counter attacks - with more direct balls from defence to strikers or wingers - or a Wide Playmaker - see Simeone’s Atletico Madrid and his utilisation of Koke. 

442 Transitional Shapes
Defends in a 4-4-1-1 or a 4-1-3-1-1:

 
 

Attacks in a 2-4-4 or 2-1-2-5:

 
 

442 Attacking Variance/Predictability

The 4-4-2 is more suited to underdog teams - it allows lesser talented players to set up as two compact banks of four, soaking up pressure and hitting teams on the break. As such it doesn’t offer a lot of variance of attacks - usually relying on the two wingers and two forwards to fashion chances on the counter. If faced by an opponent also happy to sit back and defend, there will be a predictability about the attacking shapes a 4-4-2 allows. 

How to Beat a 442 in FM23
Step 1 - Three at the back.

Let’s think defensively first. We’re up against 2 strikers and we’re going to assume they are better players than my defenders so we need to outnumber them with a 3-player central defensive line. The benefit to our attacking play is that we can build from the back as we will always have one player free to receive a pass. The 3 defenders are positioned naturally in line with the vertical spaces of the 4-4-2 basic structure so someone will need to move out of shape to close down our third man creating pockets of space in more dangerous areas.

Step 2 - Attack the flanks

To mitigate the weaknesses of the 4-4-2, the opponent will make their centre compact. This gives us the opportunity to look for wide overloads. To overload a winger and full back, we need to occupy their near sided centre midfielder - with one of our own - and centre back - with a single centre forward we can pin back both centre backs. For the overload we will use a wing back pushing high and wide to pin their full back and a wide attacker taking up dangerous position on the inside channel to make their wide midfielder drop back. When mirrored on the other side, we now have a 3-4-3 shape and when our Wide Centre Back has possession it creates a 3v2 on the flank. When the centre back moves forward with the ball we look to commit the wide midfielder to come forward to press, thus creating a 2v1 with Wide Attacker and Wing Back. We also have options from opposite side Wide Attacker and Centre Forward. 

My 343 to beat a 442

 
 

My 442 in FM23

As an underdog side, I would be looking at Dycheone’s 4-4-2 set up rather than a pressing Sachhi or Lobanovskyi system. What that means is a compression of lines using either Sean’s Low Block/Standard Line or a Mid-Block/High Line combination. I am looking to soak up pressure and hit on the break. I don’t mind seeking out a set piece! I want hard working players especially through my centre. Finally, to keep things more spicy in the attack, I will use a Wide Playmaker instead of two wingers a la Diego. My FM23 4-4-2 tactic will look like this:

 
 

That’s my thoughts on the 442, I’ll be back soon with a breakdown of the tactic that overtook the 442 in popularity: the 433.

Thank you for reading,

tommysboy007