Example Tactics Starter Guides

These example tactics starter guides provide a variety of example tactics and get you started with the process of creating your own tactics to suit your team.

There is a separate example tactics starter guide for each of several different playing styles, so you can focus on the type of football that you want your team to play. Each starter guide analyses suggested formations, player roles and duties, team instructions and player instructions for the playing style, as well as giving you an example tactic to try out or modify to suit your own players or preferences.

A description of each style, its important player attributes and its example tactic are given below to help you to decide which of the starter guides you want to use.

Further details on the different tactical options and how to use them are given in the subsequent guides in the Tactics section.

If you are new to Football Manager then you may want to use the in-game tutorial to familiarise yourself with the tactics screens and options before reading these starter guides or using the example tactics.

Once you have created your tactic, or modified one of the example tactics, you can check how well balanced it is and how suitable it is for your playing style at Rate My Tactic.

Attacking Football

With attacking football your team will take a high risk approach by playing in more advanced areas; proactively creating and penetrating space when in possession, and restricting space when out of possession, therefore applying more pressure to the opposition team and forcing mistakes from opposition players.

Attacks will be developed more progressively, with the earlier stages of build-up play involving relatively shorter passes from your more defensive-minded players in order to help your team to create space before penetrating from more advanced areas.

The following variants of attacking football have their own starter guides for you to use instead:

• Direct attacking football – combines attacking football with direct plays.

• Pass and move football – combines attacking football with short plays.

Important player attributes:

• Good intelligence (Anticipation, Decisions, Flair, Teamwork, Vision) and passing ability (Passing, Technique) – for M/AM(C/R/L)s and STCs in particular

• Good movement (Anticipation, Decisions, Teamwork), defensive positioning (Positioning) and tackling ability (Tackling) – for DCs and DM/M(C)s in particular

• Good movement (Anticipation, Decisions, Teamwork) and mobility (Acceleration, Agility, Balance, Pace) – for D(C/R/L)s and WB(R/L)s in particular

Attacking Football Example Tactic

Modify this example tactic for your team or create your own. Then check your attacking football tactic using the System Analyser and Style Analyser and see how it performs in matches.

Team mentality: Positive

Formation:

• 4-2-3-1 DM AM Wide – neutral
  • 4 Ds / 2 DMCs / 1 AMC / 2 AM(R/L)s / 1 STC

Player roles and duties:

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Goalkeeper (GK Defend)

Forward movement scores:

• Penetration score = 1.5 + target = moderate to high
  • Left side = 0.5 + target = low to moderate
  • Right side = 2.5 + target = high to very high

• Solidity score = 1.0 + target = moderate
  • Left side = 1.5 + target = moderate to high
  • Right side = 0.5 + target = low to moderate

• Support score = 1.0 + target = moderate
  • Left side = 0.5 + target = low to moderate
  • Right side = 1.5 + target = moderate to high

Other team instructions:

• Use Offside Trap

Defensive Football

With defensive football your team will take a low risk approach by playing in deeper areas; patiently keeping possession and retaining solidity when in possession, and protecting space when out of possession, therefore inviting more pressure from the opposition team and allowing available space to open up behind opposition players which can then be penetrated.

Attacks will be developed more directly, with the earlier stages of build-up play involving relatively longer passes from your more defensive-minded players in order to help your team to penetrate the space behind the opposition before they re-organise.

The following variants of defensive football have their own starter guides for you to use instead:

• Long ball football – combines defensive football with direct plays.

• Possession football – combines defensive football with short plays.

Important player attributes:

• Good mobility (Acceleration, Agility, Balance, Pace) – for M/AM(C/R/L)s and STCs in particular

• Good physical presence (Strength) and aerial presence (Jumping Reach) – for D(C/R/L)s, DMCs and STCs in particular

Defensive Football Example Tactic

Modify this example tactic for your team or create your own. Then check your defensive football tactic using the System Analyser and Style Analyser and see how it performs in matches.

Team mentality: Cautious

Formation:

• 4-4-1-1 – neutral
  • 4 Ds / 4 Ms / 1 AMC / 1 STC

Player roles and duties:

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Goalkeeper (GK Defend)

Forward movement scores:

• Penetration score = 0.5 + target = low to moderate
  • Left side = 0.5 – target = low to very low
  • Right side = 1.5 + target = moderate to high
  • Penetrating space in the attacking third may be difficult on the left-hand side. The STC could be moved to STCL and the AMC could be moved to AMCR to adjust these scores if necessary.

• Solidity score = 1.0 + target = moderate
  • Left side = 0.5 + target = low to moderate
  • Right side = 1.5 + target = moderate to high

• Support score = 2.0 + target = high
  • Left side = 2.5 + target = high to very high
  • Right side = 1.5 + target = moderate to high

Other team instructions:

• Narrow attacking width
• Play For Set Pieces
• Counter
• Defend Narrower

Direct Plays

With direct plays your team, when in possession, will directly penetrate space, mainly creating space by using physical power and forcing defensive mistakes from opposition players.

The following variants of direct plays have their own starter guides for you to use instead:

• Direct attacking football – combines direct plays with attacking football.

• Long ball football – combines direct plays with defensive football.

Important player attributes:

• Good endeavour (Aggression, Bravery and Work Rate) – for M/AM(C/R/L)s and STCs in particular

• Good physical presence (Strength), aerial presence (Jumping Reach) and mobility (Acceleration, Agility, Balance, Pace) – for M/AM(C/R/L)s and STCs in particular

• Good crossing ability (Crossing) – for D/WB/M/AM(R/L)s in particular

• Good dribbling ability (Dribbling) and heading ability (Heading) – for M/AM(C/R/L)s and STCs in particular

Direct Plays Example Tactic

Modify this example tactic for your team or create your own. Then check your direct plays tactic using the System Analyser and Style Analyser and see how it performs in matches.

Team passing directness: More Direct Passing (one notch up)

Formation:

• 5-1-2-2 DM WB – neutral
  • 3 DCs / 2 WBs / 1 DMC / 2 MCs / 2 STCs
  • Instruct MCs to Stay Wider to provide support to the flanks

Player roles and duties:

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Goalkeeper (GK Defend)

Forward movement scores:

• Penetration score = 3.0 + target = very high
  • Left side = 2.5 + target = high to very high
  • Right side = 3.5 + target = very high to extremely high

• Solidity score = 2.0 + target = high
  • Left side = 1.5 + target = moderate to high
  • Right side = 2.5 + target = high to very high

• Support score = 1.0 + target = moderate
  • Left side = 1.5 + target = moderate to high
  • Right side = 0.5 + target = low to moderate

Other team instructions:

• Hit Early Crosses
• Run At Defence
• Be More Disciplined
• Lower Defensive Line

Short Plays

With short plays your team, when in possession, will carefully penetrate space and keep possession by cycling possession, mainly creating space by drawing players out of position.

The following variants of short plays have their own starter guides for you to use instead:

• Pass and move football – combines short plays with attacking football.

• Possession football – combines short plays with defensive football.

Important player attributes:

• Good creativity (Anticipation, Decisions, Flair, Teamwork, Vision) – for M/AM(C/R/L)s and STCs in particular

• Good off the ball movement (Off The Ball, Anticipation, Decisions, Teamwork) – for D/WB(R/L)s, M/AM(C/R/L)s and STCs in particular

• Good control (First Touch) and passing ability (Passing, Technique) – for M/AM(C/R/L)s and STCs in particular

Short Plays Example Tactic

Modify this example tactic for your team or create your own. Then check your short plays tactic using the System Analyser and Style Analyser and see how it performs in matches.

Team passing directness: Shorter Passing (one notch up)

Formation:

• 4-1-4-1 DM Wide – neutral
  • 4 Ds / 1 DMC / 2 MCs / 2 AM(R/L)s / 1 STC

Player roles and duties:

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Forward movement scores:

• Penetration score = 2.0 + target = high
  • Left side = 2.5 + target = high to very high
  • Right side = 1.5 + target = moderate to high

• Solidity score = 0.5 + target = low to moderate
  • Left side = 0.0 + target = low
  • Right side = 1.0 + target = moderate

• Support score = 1.5 + target = moderate to high
  • Left side = 1.0 + target = moderate
  • Right side = 2.0 + target = high

Other team instructions:

• Play Out Of Defence
• Dribble Less
• Higher Defensive Line