The first time I started tinkering with my own tactics was back on FM2005, I always remember my most successful game with Valencia (they were the “in” team back then) in which I dominated using a formations based around my 2 wingbacks. I can’t for the life of me remember who they were; all I know is they were the most important players in the team and DOMINATED teams.

In real life there are no highly successful teams that really incorporate the use of wingbacks into their tactics anymore, although Brazil used to be the masters at it. Roberto Carlos and Cafu were more renowned for their forward runs than last ditch tackles, and this was in a back 4! Wing backs should bomb forward but also be prepared to hold back and defend for their lives  maybe the Brazilian duo wasn’t the best example!

The Formation:

Onto the FM side of things, and the base of this formation is pretty simple one, a back 3 who all sit back no matter what, maybe more defensive than the average 4-4-2 and this will show in the results you will get. I am currently in a 16 game run without conceding thanks to this formation!

Looking forward a bit, and the wingbacks are obviously wanted to bomb on as much as possible to support the front men  the farrows allow them to do this. The base position is at wing back, but when they are bombing down the wing they will often be found up out where you’d expect to find a winger!

Into the middle now, and this is where you get a bit of freedom. Personally I have a defensive midfielder (on the left) and a neutral midfield (right), along with an attacking midfielder (center). I have achieved relative success with this, but you could try any mix of the three really. A DMC with two central midfielders would work just as well, along with a DMC/CM/AMC in a line,  anything works as long as it has the balance needed.

Upfront I have a big man/little man combination, although again you have the freedom to change what you see fit depending on your players. Balance is key again, make sure your pairing can work off of each other or atleast work together.

Team Instructions:

To combat the defensive set-up of this formation, I have gone for an attacking mentality with mixed creative freedom. The mentality of a team isn’t the be all and end all though, the player instructions are just as important, if not more so.

With the masses of players flooding forward, short passes are absolutely key. The tempo is mixed, as the aim is to keep the ball moving as much as possible, but not to rush passes and risk losing it. You will notice in the match stats that in 90% of games you will get more possession than your opponents, this is all well and good but you need to get somewhere to create some chances. If you notice this is happening all too often then you should consider whacking up tempo and passing a few notches to the right for longer, quicker passes.

This may surprise you, but I have told the team to play as narrow as possible, primarily to leave the space down the wings for the wingbacks. If you look at the focus passing, I have advised them to pass it out wide so in theory the wing backs will get the ball in acres of space.
I have set closing down to whole pitch as you don’t want to invite pressure onto yourself.

Having a back 3 that always sit back allows other players to close down all over the pitch without worrying about losing shape and being caught light at the back. I also use this idea to play a high defensive line  the back three don’t have to be the Jamaican relay team, but having a fair bit of pace (atleast 12 each) helps! Closing down all over the pitch with a high defensive line will put your opponents under pressure and allow you to totally dominate the game.

Time wasting and tackling are both mixed, although time wasting should be adjusted when you see fit in the games. Obviously when chasing a game you’d lower it and when you’re holding on for dear life you’d raise it. Be warned though, if you turn to the time wasting tactics too early you will get punished… From experience!

Player Instructions:

Goalkeeper:

From the screenshot it is quite apparent what is going on here. The default goalkeeper filter that SI have provided is ideal and really doesn’t need to be tampered with in anyway. Depending on the strengths of your keeper you may want to edit the methods of distribution. My current keeper is equally adept kicking and throwing so I left it as mixed. You may want to set it to

Center back:

From the image you can see that my center backs are just that, no forwards runs or anything fancy, just sitting back at all time. They are the base of the formation so a strong back line that won’t be breached is critical, the main aim of this tactic is to win 1-0 or 2-0, you can see the emphasis on the clean sheet.

Wing back:

Now then, the most important men in this formation if old versions of FM are to go by, the wing backs! From the image you can see I encourage them to bomb forward as much as possible before crossing the ball in. They are very much one-dimensional in the lack of cutting inside, shooting or attempting through balls. All you want from them is to run back and forth down the line all game. Obviously dribbling, crossing and stamina are key attributes, although you’d want them to be competent in the defensive departments (tackling, marking, positioning etc).

Central midfielder:

As I’ve said in the introduction, the central midfielder department is where you can express your imagination and stamp your own identity on the team. Personally I’d use the default player instructions pre-loaded into FM, especially the Midfielder one. It is a steady base that you can personalise to the strengths of your players. Long shots, through balls etc really can’t be advised for or against without knowing the players so i’ll leave this to your judgement.

Strikers:

A bit like above, the strikers really depend on personal preference. With my big man/small man combination I achieved a fair bit of success so recommend this combination. The image shows my small man instructions, nothing here is really out of the ordinary in terms of a small striker. I have limited the long shots and through balls enabling him to get into the positions in which he will be able to poach. Corresponding with the team instructions, your striker should have an attacking mentality with short passing.

Now onto his partner. This striker should be in the Adebayor/Cardozo mould – tall, powerful and a good header of the ball. He should be set as target man (to head) so the wing backs will look to pick him out at every opportunity.

I have not provided another image as it’s very similar to the small man apart from he is more direct. Also, the striker who I used in this tactic was lethal from long range hence the long shots, but if yours isn’t then simply remove it. I do however suggest you keep the rest as it is; the direct style of play coupled with the minimal creative freedom really gives a plan B which is needed at times.

Conclusion:

To some up this guide in a few sentences, the whole idea is built on keeping clean sheets and over-powering the opponents. The pressure is always on your opponents so even if you’re not the greatest team you will scrap out wins as the opposition are always liable to make a mistake coming under all this pressure.

So far I have tested this tactic with Shakhtar Donetsk and Hearts, both times my wing backs were key. Both occasions I kept plenty of clean sheets, Shakhtar more so, but on both occasions I got found out in Europe so this could be considered as a domestic tactic.

Recommended key players:

WBR: Darijo Srna, Daniel Alves, Rafinha
WBL: Phillip Lahm, Andres Guardado, Juan Manuel Vargas
ST (Target man): Oscar Cardozo, Emmanuel Adebayor, Mario Gomez

Download:

Big Dave’s tactics – 5-3-2 wingbacks (178)

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