Football Manager 2008 FAQ - Includes hints and tips Part 5

and this last another FAQ ...
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++Understanding football formations+++
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As managers are unable to get on the field themselves, the formation is a vital way for them to enforce their vision on the players. The type of formation selected by the manager reflects the sort of football you can
expect them to play, so understanding what the most commonly used formations signify is key to understanding football.

4-4-2 Formation

The most common and adaptable formation in modern football, the weakness of 4-4-2 is the gaps between the central defenders,midfielders and the strikers. As such, a huge burden is placed on the central midfield to augment defense and attack.


Precisely because of this all-round contribution, the wings play a vitalrole in spurring on attacks and supporting the strikers. This was evident in the approach of Manchester United and Arsenal during the late 1990s and early 2000s. The former utilised David Beckham and Gary Neville’s ability to deliver crosses from deep positions (as well as Beckham’s abilities from set-pieces), while the latter relied heavily on the goalscoring contributions both of right-winger Freddie Ljungberg and left-winger Robert Pires.

However, the two sides’ contrasting attitudes in central midfield reflects the subtle variations in the 4-4-2. Whereas Manchester United’s first-choice midfield of Paul Scholes and Roy Keane married a powerful but diminutive mixture of a goal-scoring attacking midfielder and a box-to-box tough-tackler, Arsenal emphasised a tall, powerful combination with their own tough-tackling box-to-box midfielder, Patrick Vieira, and a strict holding midfielder in Gilberto Silva.


4-5-1 Formation

A formation which has grown in popularity in recent times, the 4-5-1 is fundamentally defensive, but can be tweaked to provide more of an offensive threat. The essential qualities of the 4-5-1 are a three-man central midfield and a lone striker, typically a target man. By packing the midfield, a technically strong passing side will come unstuck and provide opportunities for counter-attacking football. When on the attack, the 4-5-1 is heavily dependent on the wingers supporting the lone striker.


Perhaps the best illustration of 4-5-1 in full flow is Jose Mourinho’s system. Both as manager of FC Porto and Chelsea, Mourinho founded his sides on strong defensive line-ups and an excellent holding midfielder, while the attack relied on a hard-working front man and a goal-scorer in midfield. At Chelsea, his defensive stalwarts were the captain and central defender John Terry and the holding midfielder Claude Makélélé. Alongside the Frenchman, Frank Lampard provided the bulk of goals from central midfield, ably supported by Joe Cole and Arjen Robben on the wings and Didier Drogba’s efforts up front. The side was extremely successful, picking up back-to-back Premiership titles in 2005 and 2006,building on Mourinho’s previous achievement at Porto in winning the 2004 Champions League trophy.


4-3-3

In some ways, the 4-3-3 is covered in the description of the 4-5-1.However, whereas the 4-5-1 starts with the wingers supporting the central midfielders, the 4-3-3 encourages the wingers to act as true forwards and the formation generally emphasises attack more than defense.


This theory was put into action by Frank Rijkaard as manager of Barcelona. Faced with the problem of how to accommodate Ronaldinho,Samuel Eto’o and Lionel Messi, as well as a host of central midfielders,Rijkaard adopted a 4-3-3. The triangle up front of the aforementioned players was supported by a creative and defensive midfield backbone of the playmaker Xavi, the holding midfielder Edmilson and either Andrés Iniesta or Thiago Motta as an all-rounder. The side was hugely successful, picking up back-to-back La Liga titles in 2005 and 2006 and the Champions League trophy in 2006.

The ‘Diamond Formation’ (4-3-1-2)

The diamond in the formation refers to the midfield, with an attacking midfielder and a holding midfielder employed and flanked by two wingers, who move in-field slightly to shore up the gaps in the centre. To cover
for the lack of width in the side, the full-backs become wingbacks and start slightly higher up the pitch.


The diamond formation is typically associated with the World Cup-winning English national team in 1966, christened the ‘wingless wonders’. In recent times though, the employment of the diamond usually revolves around a single player. The Argentinian national side in the 2006 World Cup held an extremely fluid diamond formation which gave Juan Roman Riquelme space to instigate attacks, while AC Milan under Carlo Ancelotti in 2004 used the diamond to assist the Brazilian playmaker Kaká.


5-3-2 Formation

In theory, the 5-3-2 is a purely defensive-minded line-up. The three central defenders provide extra resoluteness, while the three in midfield are all located around the centre circle. There is also a notable gap between midfield and attack, and the wing-play is the sole responsibility of the fullbacks.


However, the most famous modern practitioners of this system, the 1990s West German national side, were no slouches in front of goal. On their way to the World Cup in 1990, they scored an exceptional 15 goals, with
the midfielder Lothar Matthäus notching 4 on his own. As a result, the 5-3-2 is something of a tactical enigma, though rarely seen today.

4-4-1-1 Formation

It is a simple variation of 4-4-2 formation in which the second attacker plays just behind the main striker but ahead of the midfield.If a player plays ahead of the midfield but behind the striker, it causes problems for the opposition because they find it hard to mark them.

The midfield already has four midfielders to mark and if a opposing defender takes up the job, he will get pulled out of defence.This formation allows a creative player a bit more freedom to operate. He has more options, to pass short or long, dribble, cut wide or bear down on goal.If he fails to create an opening for himself, more often than not he will create goal scoring chances for others.And the added advantage is that, if he creates something further forward, he can arrive late in the box to join the attack.

4-3-2-1 Christmas Tree

3-4-3

3-4-3 is a classic formation, considered offensive by today's standards. In this system, one striker must consistently stay on the tip of the attack.He therefore should be able to hold his ground. In defense, the three fullbacks must work together as a unit.

At least one midfielder needs to drop back and play in front of defensive line. His job is to constantly pressure the ball so that the defense is never caught in a compromising position.

Detailed look at a 442 and attributes need for FM

Picking a formation in Football Manager can be a daunting task at times, do you go with the unknown and try a 343 and be a bit adventurous or do you stick to the good old 442. The reason why so many people use 442 is because its familiar and always a safe bet for any side to use, its also very flexible and allows you to change into other systems during a match if you need to shake things up a bit. Another reason why the 442 is so popular is because of the balance between defending and scoring, you can create a very solid 442 that is tight at the back but lethal when going forward. A lot of other formations like a 424 or 433 all have quite a few weaknesses against certain formations were as the 442 can be used against almost every formation there is.

There are a few types of 442;

Standard 442, Diamond, Diamond Wide, Defensive Midfielder, Attacking Midfielder, Sweeper/Stopper

These are the basic 442's that you are likely to encounter.

Standard 442

This is the more neutral focused 442 that concentrates on the defending and attacking ability of you're team, this is a very good starting point for any side to see what you're team is capable of. This type of formation should produce a fair amount of goals as well as keeping it very tight at the back if set up correctly. The wingers in this formation are vital for providing crosses into the box for your strikers. A lot of people also like to play one attacking midfielder and one defensive midfielder to make it a lot more balanced.

Diamond

The 442 diamond normally consists of a flat back four, two central midfielder, a defensive midfielder, an attacking midfielder and 2 strikers. This set-up is very dependant on your fullbacks as they will be responsible for getting forward at every opportunity available because you have no wingers. So at times if the fullbacks are struggling to get forward you might find your strikers could get isolated for periods in the game. The wings can be a problem area at times, especially if you're playing against two very good wingers as they will have lots of space and time on the ball. If you do use this formation ensure that your fullbacks are good going forward but extremely good at defending duties too.

Diamond Wide

Unlike the diamond one above this set-up does have wingers and is a good system to use if you want to use overlapping fullbacks (these are explained further down). The vital part of this formation is the attacking midfielder’s position and the defensive midfielders too. The attacking midfielder will have both attacking and defensive duties; if he does not track players back when your side is not in possession of the ball then you will have a huge gap in middle of the park. This can cause big problems as your defensive midfielder will then move forward to try and win the ball and if he doesn't win it your defence will have all sorts of problems to deal with.

Defensive Midfielder

One of the more popular 442 systems to use is one that implements a defensive midfielder. This offers extra cover in front of the back four and when used right you should find the opposition’s chances are rather limited. This is an extremely useful set-up if you need to keep clean sheets and dominate the game in the midfield areas. The defensive midfielder’s job is to break up play and distribute the ball up field as quick as possible or hold onto the ball and wait until a clear cut pass arises, however holding onto the ball for too long can cause problems especially if he loses possession from dwelling on the ball.

Attacking Midfielder

Another popular choice on the Football Manager series is the use of an attacking midfielder. A lot of people use this system and play through the attacking midfielder letting him get forward and create chances. A free role can work well in this position for the correct player as it allows him the licence to roam and wander looking for the ball. However if you play through the attacking midfielder the opposition might soon see this and make it incredibly difficult for you to get the ball to him. If you realise this is happening then change your passing style to down the wings and utilise the wingers.

Sweeper/Stopper

A sweeper or stopper can be used in any formation or system but is mainly used for a back three rather than a back four and is mainly used in real life by the Italians. For this type of system to work you need the sweeper to be very good for the level that he is currently playing at. If he is not then it simply will not work how it should and be more of weakness that a strength.

I've not gone into too much detail about what each system does as I just want to cover the basics in this thread, but further down the line, we will take a more in-depth view of all the formations and really analyze them, but first let’s cover the bread and butter stuff. The stuff that I am about to write is just a starting point for people who want to create tactics but have little knowledge, I'm not saying these instructions are spot on because they might be for someone else but not you. But this is a good reference for a starting point for each position.

Defence

There are also four main ways to play your fullbacks as well, you can have over lapping fullbacks who are very offensive minded and provide a very attacking option to the team. But the draw back of playing with over lapping fullbacks is your wingers will have a lot of defensive duties to do in a game and you might find you get exposed a few times down the wings when your fullback is out of position. Another way in the flat back formation is to make them mark the opponent's forwards or wingers. These players have to be dependable and willing to give up any kind of offensive play as they will be very defensive minded so don't expect them to contribute on attacks. A third way to get them to work would be to have them work with the wingers (not over lapping though) and get forward to get crosses into the box at every chance possible for your strikers. The fourth way is more of a mixture between attacking and defending, the settings of this specific way really depends on how neutral you want to be, a good idea would to be leave a lot of things normal as that is neutral.

Over Lapping fullbacks:

rossing, dribbling, teamwork, stamina, passing, off the ball and fitness. I found that fullbacks with these stats do well indeed. Also look out for the descriptions, I like to use explosive or attacking fullbacks as they are better suited to the job

Defensive fullbacks:

Work rate, stamina, teamwork, decisions, positioning and acceleration, determination, strength and tackling

Attacking fullbacks:

Work rate, stamina, teamwork, decisions, positioning and acceleration, determination, strength, crossing and dribbling.

The Sweeper and Stopper systems are very similar and positional look the exact same, but it's what they do that makes them different. You have the sweeper set to where he'll push up and mop up any balls that the defenders in front of him cannot deal with and does what the name "sweeper" suggest and sweeps up any trouble your front defenders might make. Were as the stopper system uses man marking to either mark a striker or a central midfielder of the opposing team. Plus he is expected to play quick and early balls to your midfield to start early counter attacks.

Sweeper System:
The sweeper should have a good understanding of the game and be a leader on the field. He controls the defence, always staying behind the fullbacks. For this to work you need a sweeper who as high concentration, decisions, influence, positioning, team work, tackling and a little bit of pace wouldn't go a miss too. If you can't find a player with the right stats then I suggest you don't play the sweeper system as put the wrong player as the sweeper and you may get crucified, but get the right player here and you can have a very solid back 4.

Stopper System: The stopper is responsible for marking the centre forward or centre midfielder of the other team. He also has an important offensive part of distributing the ball to the midfielders so you need a player who is good at passing, decisions, anticipation, decisions, tackling, concentration, work rate, positioning and a good first touch can help too.

Midfield

The midfield of a 442 formation can be very variable indeed; you can play a flat four midfielders which is very stable and safe. You can use two wingers, one attacking midfielder and one defensive midfielder which are a common thing on Football Manager to do. Or instead of using two wingers you can bring them in to the middle of the pitch so you have two central midfielders. This way makes you a lot narrower but is good if you have very attacking fullbacks who like to venture forward. You can also use two wingers and two defensive midfielders if you wanted to as well. There are also lots of other ways like using a flat three midfielders with one defensive midfielder behind them but if I try to describe every variation I would be here all day.

Left/Right wingers:They are in charge for the crosses in the offence, and they usually carry the ball up the field, since they have more room than the centre midfielders. For wingers you need players with some of these stats crossing, creativity, dribbling, pace, acceleration, tackling, balance, technique, passing, finishing, long shots, teamwork, work rate and off ball. Not all of these are vital but some are. I have already explained in another thread what the vital and not so vital stats are.

Left/Right Centre midfielders: Distribute the ball the best they can to start quick attacks and try to stop or slow down opposing plays before they get to the defensive line. Good passing, decent tackling, work rate, team work, stamina, heading can be quite good and decent concentration are all important if you want them to be alert for 90 minutes.

Attacking Midfielders: These guys are the links between midfield and strikers and play in a very important position of the pitch. The ball is often there to be won in the last third of the pitch, so ideally you want an all round player a bit like a DMC. Some of the stats he needs are creativity, passing, off ball, technique, finishing, work rate, stamina, teamwork, flair, long shots, pace, acceleration.

Defensive Midfielders: The defensive midfields are key players for breaking up play and beginning attacks. Some of the stats needed are tackling, strength, aggression, marking, stamina, work rate, teamwork, pace, passing, acceleration, determination, concentration and creativity.

Strikers

As for the strikers in a 442 formation you can't really do much with them as there are only two of them. So you can play two fast strikers, two big strong strikers or one of each. In these very basic formations, the forwards do no special work. Runs to the corners need to be only occasional, and dropping back to the midfield shouldn't be the primary way of getting the ball, this position is actually self explanatory.

Striker: They are here to score the majority of your goals, remember though, not both strikers will be prolific it usually tends to be just one out of the two who scores the most goals. A few stats to look for are pace, technique, acceleration, dribbling, long shots, finishing and off ball.

Target man:You will need this play to keep hold of the ball and bring others into play and feed balls through to the slower striker. A few of the stats needed for this player type are strength, jumping, balance, agility, aggression, heading, anticipation and bravery.


and this maybe question of you

Installing Tactics

When installing a tactic make sure you add it to
C:\Documents and Settings\User\My Documents\Sports Interactive\Football Manager 2008\tactics

Answer : You install to that or simliar. Its normally in your documents.If its not working, your not putting it in the correct folder above.