Firstly, a background to how this idea started. I am currently the manager of the U.S.A. as well as Chester. When I took over, there was only eighty-seven americans to choose from, and only one could even play left midfield. To say he wasn't international class is a bit of an understatement, I wouldn't even sign him if I was still in league 2!
So where were the strengths of my U.S.A. team? I had one world class DC and one world class MC, with a handful of good forwards and my first team full backs could also play wing back. I decided I needed a formation that doesn't play a left winger, as Philip Cook was awful. Firstly I unsuccessfully tried a 4-4-2 box formation made so famous by Brazil, but I couldn't get it to work how I wanted, and all my players just ended up on top of each other. So.....the move onto 4-4-2 diamond narrow.
I started by clicking the pre-set button on the tactics creator, but I didn't like the shape and the way the team played. Very narrow, very scrappy, just poor football. I didn't want to be a counter attaking team, or a defensive or attacking team. All I was looking for was for my midfield and forwards to keep the ball long enough for my wingbacks to get forward, spray it out wide and whip it in the box. It wasn't happening, so what next?
I developed my tactic by having a close look at the player (PI) and team (TI) instructions. As for the TI's, the tactic is set up ok by default, with normal tempo, depth and width. I clicked exploit the middle and look for overlap, my thinking being I wanted the ball retained in the middle without playing possession football, I only want it in there long enough for the wing backs to advance.
PI wise I changed my full backs from FB(a) to WB(a). It worked, results and style picked up markedly, my midfield were passing to each other until I effectively had a 2-6-2 formation, then the ball was being whipped into the box. But I was playing weak opposition apart from Canada and Mexico, who I struggled against. How do I develop this further?
I looked at the PI's again. I was leaving huge gaps in the middle and my defenders were just hoofing the ball up to no one. A check over past games and I still could not get over 55% possession, despite four CM's and playing bad teams. The first thing I did was change both DC's to ball playing defenders. This comes with more risky passes as default, but I put the passing range to short to negate this. 'Who are they going to pass short to?' I hear you say? To help link the defence and midfield together I put my DM onto an anchor man role. The description was just what I was after, someone with a defensive mentality who would drop deep to get the ball, often fitting in between the DC's. Great I could work the ball out and stop the aimless hoofs.
Next to get some attention was the rest of midfield. The right sided of the two was set to be a box-to-box midfielder and the left of the two to a roaming playmaker role. My reasons are quite simple and logical. I wanted both players to come short and link up with the anchor man, giving him options to pass too, and both roles involve getting up and down the pitch. I put my world class midfielder Tom Smith in the roaming role as it was his best role, and since the roaming playmaker is the heartbeat of the team this was a perfect choice.
The attacking midfielder caused me a headache. OK, so now I have the midfield linking together, passing well, and coming back to cover when the opposition have the ball. But what happens when both of my players in the midfield strata come deep together? Their only options would be to give it back to the anchor man or give it out wide too early. So I needed a role that would mean my AMC would also come deep to get the ball when required, linking my whole defence and midfield together. I chose an attacking midfielder on attack duty. 'Attack duty? Are you mad?' I can hear you saying. Not at all, let me explain.
The attacking midfielder comes with an attack or support duty. You would assume the attack duty would see them more advanced, and the support duty would be deeper. However this isn't true. On support duty the AMC stays inbetween the opponents defence and midfield, and rarely moves. If the opponents have a DMC playing, our AMC can end up marked out the game as he cant get the ball on support duty. On attack however, the AMC comes deep to get the ball, and turns and runs at the opponents, giving the ball away too often. This duty comes with shoots less often, dribble more and more risky passes on default, which can lead to him giving the ball away a bit too often. I changed this by making his passing range shorter, and clicking hold up ball, it really did help us keep possession in the middle until the wing backs advanced.
Finally the attack. I suppose many classic combinations would work here. I decided on a deep lying forward support with an advanced forward on attack. I play fluid and standard, hence the reason why I need one of my forward to be a support duty. To be honest, four players with attack duty is probably too many for fluid and standard, most tactical guides would say two or three maximum, and I went for three originally before changing my ACM to do exactly what I wanted. I also need my wing backs on attack so they fly forward whenever we have the ball, and I need my other striker on attack to stretch the play, otherwise everyone is coming deep to get the ball, the only way we have to score is from crosses, and we become one dimensional.
So....here is how my finished tactic looks....
And how did this relate to Chester and staying in the Premier League with keeping a 4-4-2? Well after relegation I changed to a copy of this tactic, got promoted straight away and now sit pretty as I explained on the opening paragraph. Results are not too shabby, especially since half my squad and team are through my own youth team.
I do make alterations with Chester. If I play this when away against a strong side I sometime unclick the look for overlap. I swap the midfield roles around too, depending on who I am playing.
I hope you have enjoyed reading this guide and you try it and find it useful. Thanks, Mike.
