Best FM 2016 Tactics: Darren’s Devastating 4-1-2-3

Hi guys

Welcome to the first edition of our best FM 2016 tactics series. If you like devastating attacks, plenty of excitement and edge of your seat Football this is the tactic for you. Plenty of goals, pressing Football and the odd red card, oh well you can’t have it all.

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Best FM 2016 Tactics: Formation

The system is based around the popular 4-1-2-3, or 4-5-1 as some prefer. The two central defenders and half back are a security blanket, your shield in front of goal…the rest? Well its a bit chaotic with complete wing backs bombing on the overlap, two attacking central midfielders making late runs into the box, a false nine pulling defenders away and two marauding inside forwards with the freedom to do as they please.

Sounds like a defensive nightmare I know, but that three man defensive shield keeps it all together and every player is instructed to mark tightly and close down so they all do a job defensively.

Best FM 2016 Tactics: Team Instructions

I kept all instructions the same regardless of opponent, the only time you may feel the need to adjust is if your opponent pack out the middle of the field and you keep losing possession as a result, then playing a little wider may help, equally if you are worried about the number of bookings then take off ‘get stuck in’. This is a pressing tactic that unsettles the opposition and includes some very physical play.

Before we move on, please do not ask me to list the individual player instructions, I have made the effort of making, testing and writing this tactic up, the least you can do is learn how to download it as if you don’t chances are the tactic won’t work. The player instructions are very, very important and that is why I have put this tactic up for download, to make sure they implemented properly.

Best FM 2016 Tactics: Player Roles

GK — goalkeeper (defend) — standard goalkeeper

CD — central defender (defend) — typical central defenders as ever, tackling, positioning, strength and heading are key attributes, try and avoid slow centre backs as you can be in danger of the counter attack and passes over the top.

DM — half back (defend) — This guy can drop back to form a three man defence or act as a shield in front of your defence so he needs to tackle, head the ball, mark and pass. Defensive attributes are best but an all round midfielder would be ideal.

CM — central midfielder (attack) — The complete midfielder would be ideal but players with great physical ability and good speed are best, both CM’s are instructed to get furtehr forward and dribble more as well as move into channels. They must be able to pass and the better they are in front of goal the more they’ll score.

AMR/AML — inside forward (attack) — lots of goals and assists from these two players, they have a lot of freedom and you need someone who has vision, flair, speed, dribbling and finishing ability. Also off the ball is important as the ability to be lost in the box will make scoring easier. The better these two are the more success you will gain and magician dribblers are preferred.

ST — false nine (support) — Possibly the hardest position to fill. This guy must do it all, he needs speed, dribbling, flair and the usual finishing attributes. Off the ball is very important as is anticipation but don’t underestimate how good passing should be, this guy needs to pick out the inside forwards.

Best FM 2016 Tactics: Results

Premier League with Newcastle

Considering the weak defence I think 2nd is a great finish and we only lost three times. Some of those draws were down to injuries and suspensions. This tactic can feel inconsistent with the odd unexpected draw, these usually happen for a reason either a very important player was missing or your side squandered too many chances.

Player Stats

The stats above prove how vital those inside forwards are, also note the wing backs assist record they need to play a big part also.

Results with Roma

One save didn’t feel like enough so I decided to test this in Italy and the results were great. Considering we had a tonne of injuries to deal with the tactic performed almost perfectly. With Newcastle I found the bookings and red cards bearable, but in Italy it was almost unplayable, therefore I had to deselect ‘get stuck in’ from team instructions, this worked almost instantly and didn’t damage the tactic.

Best FM 2016 Tactics: Top Tips

• This has been tested for the BETA, we cannot predict whether this will work on full release due to potential match engine changes.
• Note, this tactic can seem inconsistent at times, chances are you are watching in key highlights mode and not seeing all the chances your players are missing…if your players are not creating chances then you do not have a suitable squad to use this system.
• As with any tactic it needs loading at the start of pre-season and don’t sign a whole new team, these two things will see you under perform not because of a poor tactic but because of poor management.
• Pre-season:  General training – team cohesion  with medium intensity.
• During Season: General Training – balanced, Match Preparation – take assistants advice and judge by form.
• For opposition instructions use your assistant manager or coach with best tactical knowledge.
• Be aware you need a decent size squad…at least two players per position to allow for injuries and bans.
• You will commit a lot of fouls and have impact injuries, its the nature of the tactic. If you struggle with bookings then deselect ‘get stuck in’ from your team instructions, but do not stop closing down.
• If you do not have suitable players for the DR, DL, AMR, AML and ST then this tactic will be hindered.

Best FM 2016 Tactics: Download

If you would like to give the tactic a try, follow the instructions below:

1. Click the download link above and download the file.

2. Once the file is downloaded move it to the following folder documents>sports interactive>football manager 2016>tactics

3. Now load the game as normal and enter the tactics screen.

4. In the tactics screen, click the tactic you currently have loaded then select ‘load’ from the drop-down menu

5. Select ‘Darren’s devastating 4-1-2-3′ and click  load.

Thanks for reading. Please feel free to leave a comment. Hope you enjoy :)

This tactic was updated for FM 2017 and FM 2018.