Updated 19/12/13 to suit patch 14.2 – This post has not been changed, but the changelist for the updated tactic can be found near the bottom of this post, just before the download link. Minor tweaks and enhancements have been made so this will be just as effective with the new patch.
Hey guys and welcome to my latest Football Manager 2014 best tactic. Based around the flat 4-5-1, I wanted to design a system stable at the back and strong enough going forward. Like many, I was sick and tired of playing great Football, just to lose 1-0 against a team bottom of the table due to an own goal, which turned out to be there only chance in the entire match.
We’ve all been there and we can accept that once or twice a season, but for me, FM 2014 has seen this happening far too often while using free flowing tactics. That is what inspired my new Football Manager 2014 tactic. This system is all about results, yes I have built in settings and roles to create some pretty passing moves and ball retention, but you won’t truly dominate and play beautiful Football until you have great players and they have played the tactic for while, maybe half a season or more. This is all about keeping a clean sheet and leaving your team with a chance to win matches, as opposed to chasing a big scoreline just to lose by a frustrating margin.
It’s also worth mentioning that suitable teams for this tactic would be top half contenders and above, I would not recommend this tactic for a team that could potentially struggle and not even challenge the top 6 in any division. I tested this best FM 2014 tactic with Tottenham to great success, so have based my research around the north London club and their players.
Football Manager 2014 best tactic: formation
I originally wanted this tactic with the two wingers pushed up, but that caused too many upsets, which pissed me off. :) So I now have a flat five in midfield, the two wingers maraud forward but their starting position makes defending much more unified and forces them to work harder. Due to the striker been all alone I felt it vital he drop deep and drag the centre backs with him, that leaves room for the B2B midfielder and advanced playmaker to attack and work the space.
The instructions are very simple as always, but let me explain the important ones and any that need changing on a game to game basis.
- Fluid philosophy helps counter attack the negative formation slightly, giving the players more freedom to get involved in different phases of play.
- IMPORTANT! The strategy must be changed on a game to game basis for my Football Manager 2014 best tactic. If at home to a side you expect to beat use the control strategy. However, if you are at home to a side in great form or that you think could pose a threat, use counter strategy. And when away always use counter…I can’t stress how much difference it makes to get this right and it could vary marginally from team to team so you’ll have to be prepared to adapt in your own game.
- I like my sides to press and hassle their opponents off the ball, hence that setting.
- We have high tempo and shorter passing to retain the ball and zip it around the park, I often find its that or direct Football and this tactic definitely suits a shorter passing game.
- I wanted my players to run at the defence and look for the overlap as this can convert a boring stable formation into something more extravagant when in possession.
- I selected work ball into box for one reason, because this formation can lead to long range shooting, which is a waste of possession, its a common problem for any tactician to overcome in this years game. Please note this doesn’t completely stop long shots, so I have set all the players in attacking positions to ‘shoot less often’. This tactic naturally baits them into shooting anyway, so don’t be worried if you see that happening, your team will need time to adapt and as long as results are coming its working.
- IMPORTANT! Out of place but match preperation during the season is important. If against a team you expect to beat then always prepare attacking movement, if against a tough opponent away and I mean tough, then use defensive positioning. If against a tough opponent at home let your form do the deciding, playing well then attacking, playing not so good then defensive.
Football Manager 2014 best tactic: roles
GK – goalkeeper, defend: No special requirements as the defensive line isn’t too high in this system, but you’ll still need a good keeper.
DR/DL – full back, support: These guys need to primarily defend but also get forward in support of the wingers. If the wingers cut inside for any reason the full backs tend to hover in line on the flanks to add a further passing option. You’ll want reasonable pace and acceleration, with good crossing and work rate. Here’s the key attributes.
DC – central defender, defend: Due to there been no DMC it helps to have aerial ability, so jumping and heading are required. The usual defensive attributes are needed and I also quite like defenders that don’t move like snails, but I wouldn’t say slow defenders are a deal breaker. Here’s the key attributes.
MR/ML – winger, attack: Due to there been only one striker and this system using short passing, you don’t have to have traditional wingers that hug the touchline. You could have someone who prefers to plays the attacking midfield position with inside forward role and train him in this position. If you have a traditional winger he’ll hug the line and often keep possession by passing infield or to the supporting full back. If you have a player that likes the inside forward role he’ll naturally cut inside and attack through the middle, which is what Lamela did for me. Either way pace, acceleration, dribbling, flair and the usual attributes for being creative will help. Key attributes for the role are here. But remember it depends on what type of player you want, just picture the options as a normal winger, or deep lying inside forward, both will work.
MCR – ball winning midfielder, defend: This guy tends to drop deeper than the other two MC’s, cleaning up and winning back possession. Tackling, marking, passing and work rate are good to have, but the more rounded he is the better. The general attributes required are here.
MC – advanced playmaker, attack: Now we have the spark, the man to make everything tick. This guy not only needs great creativity and general passing attributes, but he must be able to carry the ball. Due to the space in front of him, its vital that he dribble and attack the opposition. your playmaker will also get into shooting positions so long range shots and finishing can help, but not vital. I would recommend someone with pace and acceleration. The general attributes required are here.
MCL – box to box midfielder, support: As mentioned, this formation leaves lots of space to exploit in the middle, so we use this guy to carry the ball forward and make late bursts into the box for link up play. He will also do his bit defensively so the B2B midfielder should be your most versatile midfielder. I would really recommend some good physical attributes and again he does have the opportunity to shoot from range. The general attributes required are here.
ST – false nine, support: This guys is all on his own up top, he does drop off the defenders and link up play, so passing and technique are helpful. But he also needs to create his own chances so pace, acceleration, dribbling and creativity are very helpful. Like any forward he needs to be composed and finish, but also remember he’ll naturally be inclined to shoot from range despite the setting asking him not too, so the better his ability in this area the more screamers he’ll score. Due to dropping off and having to create room off the ball movement is vital. In general, this guy will manage a goal every other game or less and may not perform overly well, its a shame but makes the tactic work and is a good sacrifice to make for the sake of results. Please note all strikers will take a while before coming into form with this role and tactic, give it time. Here are the attributes a traditional false nine requires.
Football Manager 2014 best tactic: in action
This tactic holds a very good line and packs out your half of the pitch. As you can see below, almost every area of the pitch is covered and you can be very hard to break down. All your outfield players bar the false nine turn their thoughts to defence once the ball is lost, they fight as a unit to win it back. In the scenario below Man City were left with little choice but to pass down the right flank in order to move forward.
Once that pass had been made, Navas was left stranded out wide to take on our full back. While the rest of my players had crowded our penalty area to mark. The two players nearest possession were primed to intercept any attempt the winger made at getting past my full back.
Navas lost possession and we instantly launched a counter attack, in which all our attacking players got involved as a unit (this is what I call the transition phase.) As seen below we have the AP, B2B, full backs and both wingers flying forward, while the F9 is ready to receive the ball already out of this screenshot.
After passing to our ML who then dribbled the ball forward possession ended up with Eriksen (my AP.) Both the B2B and winger carried on their runs through the centre and down the flank, this drew the full back and a centre back out of position. The false nine had already dropped deep and this left City’s other centre back with a problem, when Soldado decided to turn and run through the middle the centre back followed which created a giant hole to be exploited by Eriksen as shown by the dotted line below.
As mentioned, this tactic is all about movement, on the face its very boring, with boring positions and roles, but its the players movement and exploitation of space that brings it all to life.
That is just one example of many great moves I witnessed with Spur’s, but below are some more, watch this short video to understand the movement and passing a little better.
My team didn’t start out this slick, believe me. It took a matter of months but eventually we played some really nice free flowing Football and for those games where it just didn’t happen, we still grinded out results…but you can see that below.
Results and key players
I’m sure its obvious by now, but I tested my Football Manager 2014 best tactic with Spur’s. I enjoyed great success, not always perfect Football, but almost always what I saw as the right result, which is what this tactic was created to achieve. Lets see how I got on.
Premier League table
FA Cup
League Cup
Europa League
Key players
Roberto Soldado (ST) – 45 starts / 28 goals / 7.01 av. rating
Younes Kaboul (DC) – 42 starts / 6 goals / 3 assists / 7.43 av. rating
Nacer Chadli (ML) – 42 starts / 9 goals / 17 assists / 7.05 av. rating
Christian Eriksen (MC, adv. playmaker) – 39 starts / 10 goals / 15 assists / 6.99 av. rating
Mousa Dembele (MC, B2B midfielder) – 31 starts / 13 goals / 6 assists / 7.05 av. rating
As you can see, average ratings aren’t always going to be high, so don’t judge this tactic on the performance of individuals, judge it on the results gained as a team. The ratings will improve as your players get better and well adjusted to the system, I have enjoyed some wonderful performances with my Newcastle team in the third season.
Important notes
An advance apology, no one likes the “its not my fault if this tactic doesn’t work because…” bit, but I want to make sure you all know how to use and prepare it, so please read the notes below.
- Patch 14.1.3 tactic – This tactic was created and tested using patch 14.1.3, the game is well established now so I doubt any future patches would prevent it working, but then again I don’t know what SI might change in the future…safe to say it should work though.
- Poor preperation, blah, blah – Ever heard the saying ‘poor preparation equals piss poor performance’? Well its true, if you don’t prepare this tactic throughout pre-season don’t expect an instant impact, even then it still takes time into the season before your players will perform.
- Opposition instructions – Always ask your assistant to set the ‘opposition instructions’, they usually know best and with none set you stand little chance.
- Team talks must be taken correctly in accordance with the opponents ability and current form. Get a great assistant with good motivation and ask him to do the team talks if not experienced.
- Does it work in other countries – I have only tested this tactic in England, but had Johnny test it in Italy and he seemed happy with the results.
- Player selection – You must have the correct players to use this system, if you don’t, do not waste your time. lots of pace and acceleration across the entire midfield will improve your counter attacks no end. While the striker is asked to shoot less often, good long range shooting will help his goals tally etc, etc.
- Pick correct roles – Pick the right players for the right roles, if you don’t this tactic will not work at all…as is the same with any system.
- Training and match prep – The myth of training and match preperation being appropriate to specific tactics is bollocks, they are not related. Of course a possession orientated tactic needs good ball control and you can train in that area, but that only sets to train your players attributes in that area, not make them better in the tactic, it helps marginally indirectly, but they are not directly linked at all. Having said that, like with any tactic, you should do pre-season with match prep as ‘tactic only’ and training as ‘team cohesion’ and a bit of ‘fitness’ before changing to balanced once the season is underway. Intensity is set to high during pre-season and average once the season is underway. Your match prep should be as I have already mentioned in the formation and instructions section of this post.
- Pitch size makes such a small difference I wouldn’t waste your time on it.
- Shouts in the match aren’t needed, unless to combat certain formations or your teams bad performance. Like ‘retain possession’ when required or taken the lead and ‘get stuck in’ if your boys look like fairy’s. I purposely didn’t use them while testing and the season turned out OK.
14.2 Tactic Changelist
As mentioned at the top of this post, I have adjusted and tweaked this tactic to suit the most recent patch, 14.2. Below are all the changes made to suit the new patch, while almost all the information above still applies in using this tactic, just note that the counter strategy is best to use in general.
- Team instructions – Taken off ‘work ball into box’ and replaced it with ‘pass into space’.
- Both DC’s have ‘mark tighter’ player instruction.
- MR and ML have player instructions of ‘more direct passes’ and ‘get further forward’ instead of ‘shoot less often’.
- MC has player instruction of ‘more direct passes’.
- MCL has player instructions player instructions ‘shoot less often’ and ‘dribble more’ taken off.
- ST now has a new player instruction of ‘more direct passes’.
The download below is for the new revised tactic.
FM 2014 tactic download for patch 14.2 and beyond
If you like what you see, then just click the download image below and download the file from mediafire. Then follow the instructions.
- Once download is complete, move the file to the following folder documents>sports interactive>football manager 2014>tactics
- Now load the game as normal and enter the tactics screen.
- Click the button to add a tactic and look in ‘archived tactics’, then select ‘Darren’s untouchable 4-5-1 ver14.2’.
Well that is my Football Manager 2014 best tactic. I hope it works for you as well as it has for me, until next time thanks for reading and please do share this post on Facebook and Twitter…sharing our site will help us grow and I’d really appreciate it.
Great tactic to use on my Southampton save I`ll compare it to my on tactic with if and dlp.(4-5-1).
Hope it will work for you, word of warning though, read the post carefully before using as it will make a big difference.
I just finished 3rd in the first season with Southampton using this tactic – easily the best I’ve used in FM 14 so far. Retrain Ramirez as the false 9 up front and Luke shaw as a left winger and you’ve got one of the most solid but free flowing teams I’ve played with. It really is sublime to watch them grind out win after win.
Well done, hope it continues to work.
hi. Darren why You think is the best tactic for fm14… maybe we wait few mor weeks :-)
At which point within the post did I say its the best tactic for FM14? I said its my best tactic yes, which it is so far. The title is so to be search engine friendly…I assume you haven’t even tried it yet…so not sure what the point is in commenting.
Darren, what an ass of a reply.
I disagree, I think you may be misreading the readers comment, which was provocative and got the same level of response. I don’t appreciate sarcy comments when I’ve put the effort in to help people.
Out of interest, why do you think its OK for a reader to be sarcy like that and try to make the writer out to be claiming something he isn’t, but then not OK for a writer to merely set the record straight? Sure I could have been more polite, but I don’t see why I should when someone approaches me like that. Let me put it this way, if you’d done a 1000 word plus post alongside a 2000 worded guide and pumped tonnes of effort into it, how would you respond to that comment? How would it make you feel? Baring in mind the post wasn’t out long enough before the comment for him to have even tried what was been written about…that was not a productive comment, it was one to cause trouble and we stamp that out straight away around here.
Looks a great tactic Darren. I’m having incredible results in my recent save with wide midfielders in a flat midfield instead of wingers further up the pitch. Seems to offer much more defensive stabilty and doesn’t appear to hinder their attacking prowess.
That’s certainly what I found too, the advanced wingers just seemed to lead us into dodgy results.
So you have changed the wingers to WideMidfielders? The tactic loads them as Wingers, so im a bit in doubt what to do with them? :)
Im currently playing with a bottom team, fighting for survival this season :)
No I never changed them, where did you get that from? Btw thats not me been awkward or shirty, its a genuine question to make sure something I have written isn’t misleading. :)
Wint11 just wrote he used widemidfielders in stead of wingers, and looked like you agreed with him, so was just curious.
P.S I will never read you as awkward or shitty mate, just ignore those others who is flaming with no reason at all. I really enjoy your tactics and contribution to this game, and have done so for a long time. Keep it up :)
Sorry for the confusion Vader. My point is actually quite hard to make. I wrote and re-wrote that sentence many times! What I meant, and what Darren agreed with, was using players in the RM/LM postions instead of the RW/LW positions. Their role is still winger, not wide-midfielder. Sorry for causing any confusion… This has probably just made it worse!
I understand, yes we agreed that MR and ML are definitely better used than previous versions of the tactic, bit confusing looking in from the outside.
Great post Darren, really interesting to see the tactic in action. I’m using a very similar 4-5-1 at the moment, except with a deep lying playmaker (Defend) and a poacher up top, with great effect. Great defensively but still packs a punch up front. Really cant recommend a flat midfield 5 enough.
Thnaks Archie, I think the flat five could be this years solid system, whereas last year for me it was a flat three with advanced wingers.
it is suitable for Arsenal ?
Yes it would be suitable for Arsenal, as it would for most teams with such great players. Because the wingers can either be a traditional winger or more of an inside forward it isn’t too limited like this formation can be sometimes.
You don’t see a flat midfield 5 very often but this tactic you’ve come up with certainly demonstrates it’s worth with a very impressive season. Great job!
That’s true Kevin, you don’t. I have tried tonnes of different formations, the majority were written off straight away while a few were tested over 5-10 games but all felt too inconsistent. Then I finally landed on this and have tested it over two full seasons in separate games and had two other people do the same…due to its defending and fine margins getting a result I wanted to make sure it worked, hopefully it will for others too.
Pretty much tested this all night haha with Newcastle and I only have one word… Brilliant! I do have a pretty good team but it just worked wonders, we must have won 15 games in 15, great work mate.
You say to only use this with a top side so have you found anything to use for lesser sides or is that next on the agenda? ;)
Good to know its worked for you Gaurav…TBH I haven’t tested this with a lesser side, when I say lesser side I mean a team that would be an underdog in their respective leagues, ie relegation candidate. I just assume that due to the tight margins involved in this systems results it could esily be a struggle with a team that can’t control any of their fixtures.
TBH I don’t have any ambitions to create a tactic for an underdog, but I think Johnny’s tactic which is coming soon will be worth reading about.
cant import file…. why`?
Don’t know what the problem is, you’ll have to provide more information than that…sounds like an issue with your game though.
I need a advice: look at my squad (Premier league squad depth): http://gratisupload.dk/vis_billede/703949/
My problem is that my best players are AMC, AML and AMR… can i put them up to AML and AMR? if so what instruction?
Please help :)
As mentioned in the post I too had players that were best in the AM positions, but I just used them in the drawn back positions of this tactic and they worked fine. If you push those players up this tactic won’t work. Just play them in the positions and train them to adapt. The post explains that this worked for me.
If you are going to play this tactic with a counter attacking mentality is it still best to play a short passing game or would a more direct approach be better? Or just not giving passing instructions at all? Cheers
I didn’t mention anything other than changing the strategy in the post, that’s what works best for me, I just change the strategy, I don’t touch any other settings. In my opinion there is a misconception that counter attacking Football has to be direct, it doesn’t…every player flies forward on the counter and they can pass between them, it doesn’t just have to be a long clearance to the flanks etc. This tactic is already set to run at defence and high tempo which should help with the short passing.
Thank you very much for the humble response, Darren :-)
Sarcasm? I guess I won’t offer any help next time if that’s the case. From how I read my comment I simply gave you your answer and then explained the answer in more detail and how I came to the conclusion, really can’t see what was wrong with it. Unless you’re reading something between the lines there…or of course anyone with an opinion is then somehow seen as not been humble?
Hi, I’m ten games into the season and struggling with Chelsea! Would it be wise to change to this now? Thanks!
If you are struggling anyway then its certainly worth a crack. The ideal preparation to any tactic is throughout pre-season, but if things aren’t going to plan then you need to make a switch and this tactic is stable so should be better than most at been thrown into a season without preparation.
Currently trying this with Arsenal I lost against Spurs away 2-1 and i am out of the CL because i didnt qualifyed against PSV. also draw 0-0 at home against West Ham, beeing manager of Arsenal is a pain in the arse because i cannot find a tactic which allows me to win games…
I will keep you updated Darren, i just want to give you credits
I am struggeling atm, i am playing with Cazorla on the left and with Ozil on the right, first i played Ozil as the most advanced midfielder but he is very limited when it comes to defending so i have just played Wilshere in that position and played Ozil on the right.
And i am fired
Hi darren,
I have just played 7 matches with Arsenal, but already conceded 12 goals, is there any possibility that there is a tactic which could work with Arsenal? I am already fired, so cannot change anything
I don’t think its Arsenal or the tactics that are the problem, you’ve tried far too many tactics without success when so many others have enjoyed them…there must be something else you are doing wrong somewhere, whether its the preparation of the tactic, your player selection, something isn’t right. For example send me this Arsenal save to download and I’ll see if I have more luck.
Hi Darren,
I know alot of people are enjoying, and i also want to give you credit for this tactic.
I can show you how i am playing atm.
I have tried this tactic already in pre-season. (So its not based on that i have already tried a few tactics.
GK Sczech
RB Sagna
CB Mertesacker
CB Koscielny
LB Gibbs
RM Ozil (the same in the tactic you posted)
CM Bender as the destroyer
AM Wilshere advanced playmaker just as your tactic
CM Ramsey (Dynamic midfielder)
LM Cazorla just as your tactic
False 9 Giroud
But that doesn’t tell me anything other than your team which I could have guessed anyway, there’s so much to this game you may not be doing right. Also, are you playing Wilshere at AMC? If so I can’t really offer advice not knowing what you are doing in game and also based on a tactic that isn’t mine.
Hi Darren,
I am playing Wilshere in the place you are playing Eriksen
OK, have you done everything you usually would before the season begins to set yourself up? If so please upload the save game file somewhere for me to download and I will take a look and see if I can’t spot things you are or aren’t doing.
Hi Darren,
Thanks for your help, I will try a new game, and will have a closely look what i am doing wrong, maby its a small details, will read the instructions very clearly again, and i will let you know!
You don’t understand, I am trying to explain this game goes way beyond the instructions you will have for any tactic, if you are struggling with all these tactics then it must be something more than just that, unless we can see your game we cannot say what the problem is.
Hi Darren,
Opposition instructions – Always ask your assistant to set the ‘opposition instructions’, they usually know best and with none set you stand little chance.
I cannot find this in my game, i could be really stupid though.
If you are not setting opposition instructions then this could well be the problem as its a major part of winning matches. Every match you will be taken to a few screens, after clicking ‘submit team’ you will then see the formations, from there click ‘continue to pre-match analysis’, then click ‘continue to opposition instructions’, now in this screen you must click the ‘ask advice’ drop down button and select your assistant manager or best coach tactically. After doing so some stars should appear next to some of the opposition players names, this means they now have instruction set again them so your team know how to handle their threat better.
You can also change it in the staff responsibilities and he will do it every game, only your ass man can be selected though which is a pain when you have a coach with 20 tac knowledge (which i assume is the main factor)
Well, did not trust it at first.. but I must say the approach works very well.. guess the key word is consistent results..only lost 1 game in 10 matches. I used your tactic as a base to create something more appropriate for my team.. in this years FM there are no Plug and Play tactics.. unless u have a Top Squad with flexible players.
So here is what I did for my team: I dropped in CM to a Anchor Man (D) so it’s now a 4-1-4-1 with the AM and BBM in the middle.. the reason for this is that most of the opponents use an AM near their lone Striker.. so with the Anchor Man I can do Man Mark on their key playmaker without affecting shape and really destroy their creative force…. Since I don’t have Striker who would be good as a F9 I’m using a DLF(s). Other than that use same instructions, with minor tweaks depending on opponent.. for example I’m using a WM instead of W on left or right.. my wings and AM are scoring and assisting like crazy..
It works like a charm if you slightly adapt to your current players, at least this is what worked for me, so thanks for this really good tactic.
Cheers!
Well glad it is working. TBH I don’t have players to suit most of these roles bar two or three myself but I know they can be at least effective, that is why I created it this way, so it can suit most scenarios. You should be able to get good results with most types of teams due to the flexibility of the positions (ie the wingers can be inside forward type players or natural wingers.) But for the full effect tweaking the tactic is best if you know what you are doing, which you obviously do. Hope the results keep coming.
Great tactic this :)
2 questions:
1. When you play away and are huge favourites (like 1.10 – 1.40 pre match odds) what do you do? I normaly let my assistant do this, but ending up with draws almost always. Any tips :)?
2. I have two really great DMC-s who have best position as anchor man. is it possible to put either the BWM or Box to box midtfielder down to the dmc position? Or would that destroy the tactic? Just wonder :)
For the first question, I was going to say I use control strategy, but not sure what you want me to answer there, what are you referring too when you say ‘what do I do’?
You could move one of those down to DMC, but it would no longer be my tactic so I can’t tell you whether it would work or not.
Seems like these tests is always shown with Top or sub Top teams, which imo doesnt really show much because of the high quality in the team. My point being that they usually play well in all formations/tactics with just a hint of sensability. Many maybe play these teams, which is why they might be on point, but I would like to see a tactic, or version of this for underdog teams. You know, the team that really fight for relegation.
Im not looking for a tactic that makes me champion with such a team, but I would like to see a tactic which one can use, and get a good result in the mid table area.
Anyway, love your tactics Darren, and looking forward to your next contribution to this great game :)
Best regards
Here’s one tested with Aston Villa: http://www.footballmanagerstory.com/best-fm-2014-tactics-surprising-4-3-3/
Got to disagree a bit there Vader, this year I don’t think any tactic will work just because you manage a good team….I have been testing furiously for the last few weeks and only found one tactic that I feel can provide consistent performances and results over a long term period with teams like Spur’s, who are predicted 5th at the start I believe. Could be my daftly high expectations for a tactic but this is the only one that has been acceptable out of lots and lots. I completely get what you are saying, of course its far easier to get top spot with a tactic if you’re Spur’s, but when making this tactic I wanted one that could get the reader winning trophies, so as you rightly mentioned testing with Spur’s was on point in this case.
As Johnny mentioned he made one with Aston Villa, who are definitely an underdog and that was for attractive Football. We will test all sorts of tactics I’m sure but in all honesty the main reason we’ll pick someone like Spur’s is for their spread of versatility within the team…any tactic is destined to fail without the right players and smaller teams have less variety of player to test with.
On a final note, I’d maybe try this tactic with an underdog, it may work, I was been very negative in the beginning saying it wouldn’t to avoid an influx of ‘this doesn’t work with Crappy United’ etc. I am not 100% certain as I haven’t tested it of course, but if not Johnny’s will be an option.
Who knows, if I can muster the energy to start testing again soon I may look into a lesser team, but my style tends to point more towards the top half teams and its always best to make tactics for the teams you like managing…but as I said, I’ll see what I can do.
Thanks guys, for taking your time to explain, and for being part of this great community. I definite see what you mean Darren. I just have a soft spot for those teams who doesnt have the capital or players to do what the top half can do, and work my way up, so I would love to see what you can offer if you get the time.
I would also like to say that I dont sit on my a** and wait for the good stuff, im testing and testing my self, and will post it here if I findt anything good :)
P.S I will test both tacs with a lesser team and get back to you with results…
I am looking at a system as we speak but not sure it’ll work consistently…we’ll see.
awesome tactic, works great, i have used you tactics before, they are all great.. the things is, the player i have arent so familiard with so low position, especial gaston ramirez, i dont wanna lose him so i was wondering if you will ever do a 4-2-3-1 with the ofenssive midlefilders? thanks
i’m portuguese, sorry if a write something wrong
Sorry Daniel but I have not been able to create a consistent and good performing tactic in that shape even last year, I don’t think I could make one this year either.
thats ok, i cant either. thanks any way
Hi Darren,
First of all I want to say that this is an awesome tactic and even with teams that are in the 3rd Division in Portugal for exemple… I’ve tested in 3rd, 2nd and 1rst Division in Portugal and went very well!
So great post and congratulations. This one is a work of art! It is not always easy to create such a tactic!
By the way, the tactic did not worked in with the previous version, I dont know why…
Thank you very much Darren!
Greetings
Thanks Joao, hope it keeps working for you.
Hi.. how about you setting up with your players instruction??
No real player instructions to speak of other than all midfielders and striker been asked to shoot less often.
My Central defenders gets 5.2 – 5.8 almost every game, but they have really good stats. If i am huge favourite home, i can have 25-5 in shots and loose 1-0… any tips?
All the tips are in the post TBH, all I’d ask is have you read it properly? I know some who haven’t and later realized they weren’t doing certain aspects correctly.
Would this tactic work well with Liverpool or Newcastle? Thanks :)
It certainly should yes, just be sure to read the post in full and follow the instructions, if you do that then it should bring good results.
did you tweak this tactic?if you did can you upload it..thanks
No tweaks bar what is mentioned in the post. If you read the post in full then any tweaks necessary which are few should be obvious.
Wow – what a find! I googled “Fm2014 set up if clear underdog” and found this page :) The transformation is pretty immediate. Suddenly my players are getting high 7’s or low 8’s in rating and remarks like “dominating the midfield” or “having an excellent game”. I’m still leaking goals but then.. oh I haven’t mentioned.. I’m managing Chesterfield FC haha – so it’s most likely their quality and need some more time to hone the particular skills as best they can. Anyway, thank you for submitting!
Glad its working for you Scott, I actually found that some players got quite poor av. ratings but we still notched up results, but if you have the right players for the right roles then they will get better ratings as you seem to be experiencing, hope it continues.
Continuing to have success with Chesterfield. They’re promotion contenders in L2 so it fits the opening criteria. But also having success against L1 clubs and top L2 teams in league/cup. High ratings still as well: 6.8 to 8.0.
However, tried this tactic with Roma after after a dodgy start and despite a couple good games and similar good ratings, they’re still crap. They don’t seem to respect me!
No one else seems to have that trouble suddenly starting as an unknown managing a top team, so it’s probably me and I’ll just stick to Chesterfield!
Good, well done. Sounds like the issue in Italy is team talk orientated and due to how you set the Footballing experience in your profile maybe.
In the short time I have used this tactic, I can unequivocally state that it works reasonably well for an underdog team.
I was struggling in the Premier League with Shrewsbury and it certainly helped limit the amount of goals I conceded and even gained me a few credible draws and one or two decent wins.
I truly believe that if I get back to the Premier League, this is the tactic that could grant me survival at the fifth time of asking (provided I can buy in two or three top quality players). It really is that good.
As for the start to life in the Championship following my relegation, it’s gone down a treat. Putting aside a disappointing 1-1 away to a 24th-placed Huddersfield, I have won every game (albeit I am only about a month in).
Congratulations on a solid tactic, Sir!
Thanks for the feedback Steve, really glad its working for you, let me know if you get up and stay up this time.
Great tactic I’m using it with wigan and its got me promotion and im now sitting nicely in 8th in prem in my 1st season in prem
Well done, glad its working for you.
Firstly, thanks Darren, I have been struggling to find a formation that did not want to make me rage quit after 5 games and this is it, playing as Arsenal for the 3rd time and they are starting to do well, I am not one that minds losing games etc but it was getting silly, now going into games with confidence that I will not let a 3 goal lead slip in the last 10 mins!
Also, for those that are having trouble with strikers – I feel your pain, for my Arsenal side in this and other attempts I have signed Lewandowski who had been extremely average in previous saves but up top in this formation with the False9 instruction he is a beast, worth considering if people are playing as a bigger side advised at the top of the page
Thanks again, great work
Glad its worked well for you and thanks for the tip on Lewandowski, he is a really brilliant forward all round.
We we got a player sent off, what sould we do? how much percentage of match prep do you use? And what about rest before and after games? Thanks!
*when
The sending off depends completely on who walked TBH, but use the rule you want to have four at the back and four across midfield in that scenario. I had the mix as one notch towards match prep from the middle and I rest after the match but not before.
So you use 20% of especific training in match preparation right? And what about individual training? Thanks.
Sorry you’ve lost me there, in the training where there is a slider for more match preparation I have it slightly pulled past the halfway mark towards more match prep. Individual training is completely your choice, that is for the player not the tactic, but I try to train in whatever I feel they are weakest or relevant to a role or position I want them to learn.
Ok thanks! Do you think it’s good idea do let staff take control of individual training?
I haven’t tried that yet, if you can afford the time its better done yourself IMO.
WOW…..just wow. What a tactic!!!!!!!!! Darren you are a tactics god sent from heaven!!
I was bottom of table 10 points from safety, 10 games left and I used your tactic instead of my rigid defensive 4-1-4-1.
what a change! now i just scored 15 goals in 6 games, 4wins from 6 games for the little old yeovil. wow
Good to hear, hope you can stay up now.
hey im a beginner here and im not able to attend any matches.. the match just skipped and the final score is displayed..any way to change this?
I can only assume you are playing in classic mode and pressing ‘instant result’, you need to press ‘play’ to see the match.
Thank you for the tactic, its helping me a lot …. I do have a wee problem which I am not sure if I can address but playing with Ipswich I have conceded 5 penalties in the last 6 games. It may just be a coincidence but it its cost me points on every occasion.
cheers Dave
I haven’t really noticed such a problem, all you can do is narrow down who is giving away the penalties and ask them to not go so hard into tackles in their player instructions I guess.
This is a very interesting formation indeed. I’m almost finished pre-season with Arsenal and it’s nowhere near fluid yet, but I’m determined not to be my fickle self and stick it out to give it a proper test.
As an aside, for everyone that is desperately seeking the FM holy grail of a 4-2-3-1, I suggest you give this a go. Consult the positional heat map and you’ll see the player roles make this essentially a 4-2-3-1 in practice in games where you dominate. It has for me so far anyway. As the writer Jonathan Wilson says, formations are essentially neutral. This year’s FM tactics really allows the manager and the players to create shapes on the pitch rather than the tactics board.
Very interesting you should say that, I have actually started composing a guide to player movement and its all based around what you are saying there, pretty much to the tee…should be published in the next week.
darren could you give me a good tactic for southampton!its too hard to manage…
Well I’d actually use this one TBH, this is the only one I have got fully working so far, but maybe try this one too http://www.footballmanagerstory.com/best-fm-2014-tactics-surprising-4-3-3/
thanks i work on it and i tell you the results..
did you use this tactic all in all of the matches?
I did yes.
The worst tactic i have ever used, hope this isn’t your day job
So I guess the thousands that shared this through social media are idiots and the many that have told me stories of their success are too and I am considering I have enjoyed success in every single save. I tend to listen to the majority, not the minority. You can make any tactic look bad with poor management and lack of knowledge for how to use it.
But at the end of the day, just don’t use it if you don’t like it, simple.
I read some of your comments,and i have only 1 thing to say!
THIS THE BEST TACTIC IN THE WEB!!!Thank you so much Darren!
You made me understand the game much better.
Really you should charge this one… ;)
Thanks Kostas, glad its helped.
Want use this tactic as celtic but just wondering about Tom Rogic? He is only an AMC but I’m assuming can be trained as a CM or ST as he is yellow for CM and olive green for ST?
What do you recommend, training him up in another position or playing with an AMC as ADV PLYM….
Cheers
I would never change the positions, always make the player adapt. Whether you push him forward to ST or back to MC will be your choice though based on what players you already have.
Hi Darren , what do you think the best formation for arsenal is ?
I don’t know, because I have never tried to create a tactic for them in FM14. No team has a best formation though, of course they have players that have preferred positions but its the tactic as a whole that matters. Just the shape the players are in is irrelevant as the roles and instructions transform the tactic and what roles and instructions you need to use may dictate the formation you use. It goes in round-a-bouts so there isn’t a right answer to the question is what I’m trying to say I guess.
In previous years I have basically rejected any tactic that isn’t a 4-2-3-1 as soon as I see the picture of the formation. But as yourself and many have stated it just isn’t a balanced enough tactic in this years iteration of the game. I found this tactic to have most of the benefits with the standard 4-2-3-1 used to have. So, as with everything related to this site, great work!
Do you believe the 14.1.4 update caused any disturbances with the tactic? If so, will you be updating it?
Once again, great work!
Sikava
Well I haven’t been able to test the tactic in 14.1.4 enough to know for sure, but seeing the list of changes I can’t see there being any issues, nothing mentioned should effect the tactic in a negative way.
Been using this tactic on my Dagenham & Redbridge game. Started off with a couple of dodgy results while the team was adapting but after the first 5 or so games the team really picked up and started winning the majority of my games taking me to top of the league. Hit a bad patch of form after that and lost 4 in a row and went a while without a win. Stuck with it and the team are playing better again, 6 games left in the season and I’m 3 points of automatic promotion. The problem I’m having at the moment is that the team aren’t creating chances. They tend to have 55-65% of the possession (unless the opponents are particularly strong) but they only ever tend to create 5 or 6 chances with 1 or 2 on target (unless the opponents are particularly weak). I’ve tried changing the instructions for the wingers and striker to shoot less often but this didn’t work. Tried pushing the wingers forward but they didn’t really create any extra chances and as you state it effects the defensive side of the team too much. Also tried turning off the work ball into the box option which didn’t work. Then tried replacing it with shoot on sight which also didn’t work. Any ideas for what I could try to get some extra chances created?
Also wanted to add, getting a fair few goals from corners at the near post.
TBH your media prediction is just 15th so I’d say that you are performing as I’d expect. You are in theory not one of the favourites and in the lower leagues this can lead to lack of chances created. I’m afraid the only way to sort that is to find better players for the attacking positions. Maybe also try using the counter strategy more often.
Just tried a couple of games using counter and got a couple of wins and a draw away at top of the league.
I’ve got League 1 quality players with Murphy up front and Hines on the right and Bingham who is playing the advanced playmaker role is top of the assists charts for the League.
When player quality is ruled out it only leaves player suitability for the role you play them in and also if you signed too many players at once, hence the team can’t settle.
To be honest that probably is the issue. Had about 5 injuries and my centre backs just love getting sent off so I had to bring in quite a few loans.
Yeah it can be tough to dim down expectations when you look at your key stars, but we all have to account for injuries and bad luck unfortunately.
Also forgot to mention, getting some really solid defensive performances in the team. Lost a couple of games 4-0 in a row when we had the bad patch but still have the joint best defense in the league and went 5 games without conceding at one point.
Worked with my Rijeka.. with a little bit of change… (4-4-1-1)
Glad to hear it and every tactic should be adapted to suit your team for sure.
Good tactic but effectiveness can vary from team to team depending on their strengths and weeknesses
Yeah that is the case with any tactic this year, they’ll all vary with the team you manage and suitability of players.
Hey, i tried this tactic after I had very bad results with Southampton at middle of last season.After I tried it i finished 6th which is very good.This season I bought better players for this tactic but this time it isnt working.Now im 9th and close to get sacked :(.I dont know where is the problem.BTW can you recomend me something for match preparation ? Thanks in advance
Match prep is mentioned in the post, please find it there and as for the issue I think there’s a chance you may be playing too many of the new recruits at the same time before they’ve settled. Or you got lucky last season and maybe are missing a tip or two from the post above like match prep which you’ve asked about?
Thanks for the quick answer, Darren.My match preparation is: pre-season General training on Main focus is team cohesion on very high intesity level and after few first games i set it to balance on average intensity level.Match training – teamwork.Now after last season which i nearly got sacked I’m challenging for CL which is very good.I also beat Chelsea 4:0 but problem is my team struggles against small teams, and there is lot of matches like this – http://i41.tinypic.com/2wp44lj.jpg I hope this season i will manage to qualify for CL and next season i will buy 2-3 world class players and attack PRM :D
Great tactic, I have tried 30 different tactics created by myself and downloaded and this has to be the best one I’ve found, great work!!! And everyone who is moaning, work on other factors such match preparation and team morale.
Thanks Dan, glad you enjoyed it. Generally people prefer to comment when they don’t like something as opposed to when they do like it, as you can see here. So thanks for the comment, appreciate it.
The thought process that went into this tactic is insightful. Currently experimenting with my Liverpool side with devastating effect. End of January, Top of the league, final of Capital One and looking strong in the FA Cup. Board has already offered new contract at the start of January.
Strength of this tactic I’ve discovered is consistency. Defensive discipline of the whole team as a unit makes my side very hard to beat. Have conceded the least number of goals in the league.
However, it is in attack that this tactic really explodes to life when movement of players transforms it into a 4-2-3-1 with attackers flying forward. Have to admit, I was a bit skeptical at the start because it appeared too negative to the eye, but I’m being proven wrong.
Great work Darren! It was your piece explaining movement of players in this tactic that really pushed me to try.
Thanks Ian, great to see you are enjoying so much success. I thought that there’d be a lot of sceptics for this and that is why I spent so long explaining it including the additional post…as you said its deceiving really.
I always try to make the tactic myself because like you wrote in your guide you did recently, that’s kinda the fun of the game. However, I’m pretty horrible at the game, whatever I try fails, so I gave in and decided to try this tactic. Simply put, it’s fantastic, and it even has the team play the way my ideal team would play. (quick attacks, not a lot of wasted possession, frequently less possession than the other team but doing a lot more with it, and fluidity) So thanks for coming up with this, after being sacked by Villa i needed something to jump start my career, and this tactic seems like it’s done that so far. Great job.
Thanks mate, glad you are enjoying this. If you have the urge to make your own tactic trying out others can really help make light bulbs go off and ideas flood in while tiding you over at the same time so hope you can make one at some point.
I’m going to give this tactic a try Darren, I was a HUGE fan of your tactic last year with the inside forwards. I’ve tried to create several tactics this season using AMR and AML, but I just ultimately get caught out on the counter so I think your tactic with a flat 5 in midfield will be sturdy. This looks fantastic.
Hope it works for you Ian, this was made to be close to the tactic from last year but with defensive stability that just doesn’t seem possible this year when using AMR and AML.
I’m going to try it now mate, one quick question, is it still working well after the update? Cheers dude
I haven’t been able to play with any of my normal saves due to my laptop packing in hence losing everything. But I have started with North Ferriby and seems to be working there. I don’t see any changes to the patch that would effect it in a negative way thats for sure.
Hi Darren I’m huge fan of your tactics from previous fms.
I’d like to use this tactic for arsenal but I have doubts whether the players are suitable. Do you think Giroud is capable of playing a false nine? Thinking of playing Ozil as the false nine instead because he is useless at defending anyway but he is awkward in that position.
What do you recommend?
Hi, this should suit Arsenal fine, you can use Giroud upfront he will do OK in that role and I’d use Ozil as the advanced playmaker at MC or on one of the wings.
Thanks for the reply. I’ll try it out and see,
hey pal, I’m trying to find the best tactic for liverpool… is this a wise option with both suarez and sturridge? left and right midfielders are scarce in lfc as they are predominantly AML/R e.g. countinho sturridge.
I’d say this could still work with a signing or two.
wow all you people copying this ‘unbeatable’ tactic what is the point in playing the game knowing that you dont deserve any of the credit for your clubs success?
twat
Dom, so I suppose you have never once looked up how others do training, what roles they recommend, which players they buy or any form of how others may play the game? If you are commenting on sites such as this I highly doubt you haven’t.
Awesome tactic!! Without match preparation or time to get used to this formation, i just started it off for my Real Madrid squad against Atletico Madrid.
And mind you, Benzema, Ronaldo, Isco, Illaramendi, Alonso were all with long-term injuries so they were totally out. So you can safely rule out that my team was under-par, with the likes of only bale & modric in this equation that were considered stars on the front.
And.. The final result, 6-2 :) A grand win.
Didnt mess with much. And just changed the Full Back strat on yours to a CWB as my defence was a crazy strong one, that could afford more on offense.
Nice tactic :) Might change to your 4-5-1 permanently in the future :)
Hope it works on a regular basis if you decide to switch.
Hi, great tactic here!
Noticed a lot of people wondering if it worked with a relegation battle/bottom of the table kind of team so i thought id pip in with my experience of using it with Cardiff City.
Completed 3 seasons and finished 12th, 9th and 7th (just missed out on EURO!). So, yeah it has been working well. Seem to suffer against that no10 player who plays in the whole however and my bwm picks up way too many yellows and reds. Other than that, this has produced some fantastic results and I would definately recommend it
Thanks for the feedback, that will be very helpful for those asking the question about relegation candidates.
Playing as Shalke and having no success with this tactic at all. Almost smashed my computer. Just lost 3-1 to bremen and to United. It’s november and already i have lost 4 matches. Nothing is going well. My team’s familiarity with the tactic in counter and control is full bar. I have set everything out as you have explained..
Someone has anger issues lmao
When are you using the counter and control strategy? And where does it seem to be going wrong? Small losses, silly defeats, players not taking chances…
Control only at home. Counter at home against big teams and always away. No small losses, all seem to be quite heavy. Prone to conceding 3 goals in the space of 5 mins.
The recent game vs Man United i played control at home. Was 1-0 at half time, but in the second everything fell to pieces and lost 3-1. Against Bremen we were totally outclassed. It’s the attacking I’m worried about it’s the defense. All my players in the starting 11 are accomplished in their positions. It’s a very young team, and Huntelaar should be fine in the false nine position. I guess some of the players arnt taking their chances. We are losing the ball too easily as well.
We are capable of the good performance. Ran over wolfsburg 5-1 and stutgart 2-0 away from home. Good results. Just so inconsistent
May start a new one with liverpool and see how it goes. Just annoying how many useless players Brendan signed in the summer. aspas,alberto etc will likely sell sturridge.
Well going off what you said I can see that in my opinion the united game should have started with counter strategy…in fact to start with I would probably use counter strategy every game until you get on a winning streak. Problem is the run you’ve experienced will seriously hinder your performances anyway now so it may be best starting again and using the counter strategy more often. Could also be that German Football just isn’t suited to this shape and style.
Started as Liverpool. Got Cabaye. Playing with counter at the start as you said. First game lost to PSG 2-1 Cabaye missed a pen..
Not a good start
You can’t judge any tactic on one game, especially not pre-season. You need to give it time. I know you already have in Germany, but I don’t know what to say, it works for me and a lot of others. Without more info or seeing what you are doing I can’t help much more.
Trequartista(A) Shadow Striker(A) Attacking Mid(S)
Centre Mid(S) Centre Mid(A)
Anchor(D)
Fullback(Aut) Defend(D) Defend(D) Fullback(Aut)
GK(D)