Basically this is a 4-1-3-2 formation which has allowed me to achieve success at a number of levels – getting promotion from League One to the Premier League with Leeds, getting Napoli Champions League football after winning the UEFA cup, and taking Bayer Leverkusen back into the Champions League.

Now i’m not saying this is THE best tactic for FM ever, obviously little things such as training, scouts and more importantly your playing staff will all play a part in the success or failure of your team, be it with this tactic or not.

Unlike most of my tactics on FM, this incorporates more of a long ball game so is best used with more powerful strikers, but we’ll get onto that later. I am a believer of buying players that suit a certain formation, not building the formation around 11 players, obviously it may require tweaking in fields such as long shots, through balls etc, but the basis of this formation is what I now use in every game.

This is quite an attacking tactic that requires heavily on a deep line backline allowing them to pressurise you, before you hit them on the counter. I keep width as wide as possible so both wingers hog the line, providing the basis for an efficient counter attack. You’ll notice though, I have set passing to focus ‘through the middle’. I have to admit, I did this a while back by mistake but it really works brilliantly. By having such width, in the midfield especially, leaves so much room for your central midfielder to bomb on and support the front pairing.

A target man is essential in this tactic; I have used the likes of Oscar Cardozo and Stefan Kli?ling as the main target man, and every time it has worked a treat. You will see later that the full backs play a big part in getting the best out of the target man.

Center backs:

You will have noticed (hopefully) that I missed the goalkeeper purely because I use the default player instruction for him, sometimes tweaking distribution method but that’s up for the individual to access the strengths and weaknesses of your own player.

On to the center backs now, and as you can see it’s a pretty generic instruction for them. I instruct them to play direct because not only does it allow you to cut out any schloppy passes that could result in an interception leading to a goal, but it also suits the counter attacking style. Obviously you don’t want them to run with the ball, take long shots (unless he’s Lucio!) or attempt through balls, just keep it simple.

Full backs:

Like I said above, full backs play a huge part in this tactic, mainly in the success of the target man. Similar to the center backs, I instruct them to play a direct game, but also to cross the ball often. Cross aim set to ‘target man’ is really where the tactic comes to life; the overlapping fullbacks picking out the target man is a recipe for success. If your full back has poor dribbling then I recommend setting it to cross from deep, rather than byline, which doesn’t really detract from the effectiveness of the target man.

I have forward runs and run with ball both set to mixed mainly so that I don’t get caught out at the back, although if you find yourself chasing a game then the obvious move is to notch them up to ‘often’.

Defensive Midfielder:

The defensive midfielder is very much a destroyed with limited attacking options. I set him to have a defensive mentality with little creative freedom. Quite contradictory to what I said above, but I use a short passing style here so he basically wins the ball and plays it allowing a swift counter attack. I set forward runs and run with ball to ‘rarely’ so he just sits and acts as a third center back when we don’t have the ball, but closes down everything when we are out of possession.

Occasionally I have set my defensive midfielder as play maker, the Xabi Alonso type role. If you are a dominant team and have 60%+ of possession each game then it may be a good idea to utilise this option. A good playmaker could be someone such as Veloso or Alonso, but remember his primary objective should be to defend.

Central Midfielder:

The central midfielder in this tactic is, in essence, an attacking midfielder. From the instructions you can see he has no defensive responsibilities at all, an attacking mentality with tonnes of creative freedom will allow him to dictate the play and chip in with invaluable goals and assists. As well as giving him the freedom to run forward, the midfielder is also told to take long shots and attempt through balls as much as possible. The long shots may not directly result in goals, but if your midfielder has a good long shot stat (i.e. over 12) then you should be rewarded with a number of corners and the odd one will fly in from 30 yards. If your midfielder doesn’t have an adequate long shot stat then knock it down to mixed or rarely. Similar really with through balls, if he has a poor passing stat then you should knock through balls down a notch, although you have to ask yourself what use a midfielder is who cannot pass…

Wingers:

As well as the full backs, the wingers play an integral part in the success of this tactic, providing the front pairing with tonnes of chances every game. As I just want them to hit the byline and whip the ball in, I choose to limit both long shots and through balls so when they get the ball they only have one thing on their mind, beat the man and then pick out the striker. Like with full backs, if your winger cannot dribble but has a sweet cross then change ‘cross from’ to ‘deep’, from ‘byline’. Again though, I don’t really know what value a winger who cannot cross has in your team.

Although I don’t recommend the wingers taking long shots, you have to use common sense so if you have say Gerrard or Ronaldinho who have 18 for long shots, then you obviously use their individual strengths to benefit the team.

Forward (right on FM):

I’ll start with the target man; now obviously he’s going to be in the target man list (Instructions/Target Men/drag here), and he should also have ‘hold up ball’ ticked too. Forward runs and run with ball are both set at mixed to which is what I recommend with any striker, unless they have a distinctly high/low dribbling stat when you should adjust accordingly. As my current target man is Oscar Cardozo, I have instructed long shots to be taken often as quite frankly he’s lethal from long range. This should be lowered if his long shot stat isn’t up to scratch, same with through balls which is currently at mixed. I’d be quite wary about lowering it from mixed though, even if he has poor passing as you could become quite one dimensional in your attacks. The target man should look to link play, and what better way than threading a through ball for his partner to slot home?

Target Man (left on FM):

Onto the forward, both forward runs and run with ball should be set to ‘often’ so he can latch onto the through balls and flick ons the target man will inevitably win. Long shots and through balls should again be customised to the strength of your player, although in the ideal situation he should be capable of firing in the odd long shot and picking out a through ball. Passing style should be short, after all, he should be the furthest man up the pitch so what’s the point in playing it long to.. well, no-one. Like the target man, I have closing down up at about three-quarters of the bar to keep the pressure up all over the pitch, hoping for a mistake enabling us to counter and hopefully go on to score.

Important Positions:

Full backs – As well as the obvious defensive attributes, crossing, dribbling and stamina are vital. The likes of Vargas, Azpilicuela and Srna are prime candidates for this role.

Wingers – Top class wingers will make the strikers’ job so much easier so it’s vital to get these in. Crossing, dribbling, technique and pace are all vital attributes, long shots and finishing are great bonuses. Surprisngly, the Portuguesse trio of Nani, Simao and Quaresma are top of the search when it comes to these attributes.

Target Man – A monster upfront to win the flick ons and power his way through the defence is what really makes this tactic work. In my experience his partner seems to pick up more goals, but his importance to the team is valued in the assists department. Obviously strength, heading, finishing, composure, technique and first touch are the necessities, with passing and long shots added bonuses. KJH, RVN and RSC lead the way in the abbreviated target man role! The cheaper options may come in Hoarau and Maiga who could do the job just as well.

Download link – John's 4-1-3-2 Tactic (402)

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