Best FM 2014 Tactics: Darrens Dynamic 4-2-3-1 ver 14.

Updated 24/03/14 to suit patch 14.3 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 back to our series of best FM 2014 tactics. Its been a while since I could update you with something new, mainly due to this years tactics and match engine been so tough to master. However, after many hours of testing I think weve found one of my best FM 2014 tactics yet, at least I hope so. :) For some time now youve been asking us to create a 4-2-3-1 tactic for Football Manager 2014. Well now we have, the holy grail of FM 2014 formations has been unlocked. I call it Darrens dynamic 4-2-3-1, Darren because of my name, dynamic because its fast paced and well you get the rest. :) Enough of the jokes, lets jump into it as theres a lot to explain. Let me begin by saying this is tested for patch 14.2.2 and I cant say if it will work beyond that patch. Also, if you are struggling with this tactic and havent read the full post before using, then dont complain, its your own fault. Below should explain all you need to know in order to use this properly. This tactic is suitable for almost any team in the top flight or second tier of almost any country. However, bare in mind you must have the correct personnel for all the best FM 2014 tactics to work, if you dont this tactic will be an epic fail. I tested it with Swansea to great effect and a friend did so with Chelsea, West Brom and Atletico Madrid. That should give you an idea of the sorts of teams that are primed and ready to play. I recently tried it in Italy, not as effective there due to its fluidity but with patience and good signings it should work.

Best FM 2014 Tactics: 4-2-3-1 formation

Important! The philosophy is very fluid and must stay that way, the strategy should vary on who you are. As a guideline, when playing with Swansea I used counter for every single match bar the incredibly easy ones. My friend Dan used control strategy for every single match when playing with Chelsea, bar the very difficult away games to the likes of Man Utd and City etc. Basically if you are not a top top side then stick with the counter strategy, but youll have to gauge yourself where your strategy should lye. I actually created this tactic while watching Chelsea beat Manchester United. All I did was examine every role Jose played and how they moved, hassled and all their general play, then tried to replicate the roles and instructions in FM. So if you are considering who to sign, just consider Chelseas starting XI and use them as inspiration for the types of players you will need. Again, this will work with underdogs, but you do need to make sure the squad is suitable and its worth noting that speed is quite important but well cover that later.

Best FM 2014 Tactics: 4-2-3-1 Team Instructions

The instructions are designed again to try and emulate Chelseas game. I noted in the United victory that they seemed very expressive, closed the opposition down fast and most of the play was at a high tempo (note AMC is instructed to hold up ball as to try and be more calculated with his passing options.) Due to their superior wingers they exploited Hazard and co on the flanks and the full backs liked to overlap as did the box to box MC. I also noted that most of the passing was short as they tried to work an angle into the box and they liked to run at the opposition with the ball as well as drill their crosses in. The only instruction that doesnt resemble their general style is the pass into space, but that is just to try and combat the difficult match engine. This tactic does feature a number of player instructions, of which I wont go into detail. But none effect the roles or general duties youd expect the players to fulfillthey just enhance what the players are already asked to do like the inside forwards are told to dribble more for instance.

Best FM 2014 Tactics: 4-2-3-1 Roles

GK: goalkeeper defend - Nothing special required, sometimes your keeper may be left a little stranded with long balls over the top, so one on ones and running out may be a bonus but not a necessity.

DR/DL: wing back support - Very important players, they give the inside forwards support and overlap going forward. Speed is very important, stamina too and the obvious defensive attributes. But the better these guys are at crossing and dribbling the more chances you will create. DC: ball playing defender defend - You should look for all the usual defensive attributes, but also passing, composure and acceleration are very important. If the pace and acceleration are below 12 for top flight teams this guy may cause problems. The faster the better. DC: central defender defend - Same as above, he will be vulnerable to balls over the top so needs speed to avoid being caught out. Dont worry about the passing for this guy though as he isnt expected to play out of defence. Look more for someone good in the air with jumping and heading. MC: ball winning midfielder defend - This guy will need to hunt down possession and then lay it off to a team mate. Good physicals are a bonus, work rate and tackling are very important alongside the usual attributes for this role. MC: box to box midfielder support - We want someone with acceleration, dribbling and great work rate for this role. He will run up and down the pitch, good shooting ability will be a bonus too. AMR/AML: inside forward attack - Very important players, they will get the goals when your forward cant. We must have flair, plenty of pace and acceleration and the better they are in front of goal the more theyll score. Most importantly we need good dribblers. These two will transform you from average to great if picked correctly. AMC: attacking midfielder support - The AMC is your link, he should connect everything together so great technical ability is a must. Also the better his mentals in general the better hell perform, teamwork and work rate could be a real bonus but look for creativity and try to avoid slow players. ST: deep lying forward support - This guy needs to be a bit of an all rounder, the best example for this role would be Bony. But dont pick someone slow as they will not work. Try for a minimum of 12 in pace and acceleration, again more is better. General player tips: I cant stress how important speed is in this tactic, namely out wide and at centre back, slow defenders will be caught out due to the fluidity and number of players in attacking positions.

Best FM 2014 Tactics: 4-2-3-1 In Action

With the right players as I have laid out above, this tactic should play fairly solid at the back and very dangerous upfront. When the opposition press against you as opposed to counter, your back four should stay compact while the two MCs, AMC and all other attacking players press and hassle, making it difficult for the opposition to break through.

When against lesser opposition who would rather sit back and play on the counter, the team will press much higher up as shown below. The pressure is great, but this is why you need fast wing backs and centre backs as they can be drawn out of position and that is when the long ball over the top will hurt you most and lead to annoying losses to lesser sides.

The build up play can see every one of your players involved. The screenshot below is from a counter attack against Man City that lead to a penalty. The ball winning midfielder picks up possession and finds the marauding wing back who plays a quick threaded pass to the left sided

inside forward, Dyer speeds away and is brought down. As you can see there are a lot of attacking options.

The AMC is set to hold up play and pass more direct, this is to further enhance his playmaking options, while the box to box midfielder tends to get up alongside him offering a flat passing option, this helps open play and further passing options. Meanwhile the ST, AMR and AML pry around the opposition defence in search of an opening.

Best FM 2014 Tactics: Screwbys 4-3-3 (Deepfried Chicken) My name is Carl, but a few of you may recognize me by my internet pseudonym Screwby since one of my tactics was reviewed by Darren here on Football Manager Story last year. My tactic from Football Manager 13 was very well received from you readers. Recently some people have asked me if Ive managed to recreate it for FM14. Ive actually tried to recreate it more than once, without success. I really struggled with the 4-2-3-1 formation and especially the defensive aspect of the tactic and formation. I rethinked and decided to restart my project from step one and completely revamp the tactic. Instead of trying to recreate my old one, I managed to instead create something new and hopefully even better. Heres a link to my Football Manager 13 tactic if you wish to read it (again): 4-2-3-1 DEEP FRIED CHICKEN First off Im going to do a little presentation about myself and my views and approach to football and tactics in general, so youll hopefully get a greater understanding on what Ive tried to create with this FM 2014 tactic. Im a 20 year old Swede with a passion for tactics and strategies, primarily in football but also in other sports such as hockey and even when it comes to historical and modern warfare. Im also a vivid Manchester United supporter, but with Ferguson as a manager during my time as a supporter, the tactical approach of United havent really been something to hang in the christmas tree. I prefer the more radical, extreme and philosophical managers in football such as Bielsa, Klopp and Guardiola but also Pulis and his Swedish counterpart, Pelle Olsson. Therefore my influences comes from both ends of the spectrum. A vague summarize of my personal tactical approach would be that Im quite fond of dominating a match in an unfashionable way. The most obvious one is of course, domination in terms of possession, but it might as well be through a high tempo approach with players surging forward, overpowering the opposition in the last third of the pitch, or by physically harassing the opposition defense to alter conditions of the game to my advantage. Now, lets move on to the tactic, shall we? Formation I developed this tactic throughout my save with Grimsby. I just finished the 2024/25 season, so obviously my team consists exclusively of regens.

As you can see, Im using a 4-3-3 (4-1-2-2-1) formation, one of the most common formations in modern football, especially on the Iberian Peninsula and in South America. This may be faced with some disappointing glances, some of you probably hoped for yet another 4-2-3-1, the undoubtedly most popular formation. Well, dont be fooled, in some cases theres a thin line between the two formations. I choose to change the formation for different reasons. In the 4-2-3-1 formation you can easily become too dependent of your AMC while at the same time its easier for the opposition team to neutralize him, whereas in my 4-3-3 the two MCs becomes kind of like a dynamic duo. They split the offensive responsibilities between the two and theyre a lot harder to neutralize for the opposition. Their deeper starting positions also means that they will face the opposition goal a lot more, whilst operating a lone AMC will result in him facing the back towards the opposition goal quite often (which reduces his effectiveness). The anchorman is also very beneficial here, he is focusing solely on defending and distributing passes to more creative players. He relieves the two MCs of their defensive responsibilities and also let the full backs surge forward when spaces are opening up. Team Instructions

First off, Ive chosen a balanced fluidity based on that I wish the roles of my players to define how they act on the pitch. A more fluid philosophy is in my experience also easier to break down and encourages the opposition to exploit any defensive irregularities. The mentality Ive chosen is Control due to the fact that one of the most important defensive aspects of the tactic is to keep pressure on the opposition constantly. In my experience, a more cautious approach will disrupt the closing down. Even if Defensive or Counter seems more defensively solid, it might not be a beneficial change. Its obvious this tactic revolves around possession with instructions like Retain Possession, Work Ball Into Box, Lower Tempo, Roam From Positions and Push Higher Up. Though, theres more to this than meets the eye. You may wonder why I use Retain Possession rather than Shorter Passing. When using the Shorter Passing instruction your players will be somewhat limited in terms of forward passes. They may avoid the opportunity to make a quicker forward pass into an open space, instead favoring a short pass to a closer player. When using the Retain Possession instruction, your team will still prioritize keeping hold of the ball, but they wont hesitate to start of a quick counter or make a more direct pass into an open space. This instruction results in more counter attacks for your team and more efficient exploits of spaces in offensive zones. You could argue that I actually use the Use Tighter Marking instruction. I think its essential to mark tighter when using a defensive system based on pressuring your opponents. In this case Ive assigned this instruction to the individual players instead. I dont want my two center backs and my defensive midfielder to mark tightly, instead I want them to cover space and be ready for through balls behind my defensive line. Player Roles

The roles used in this tactic is pretty much generic and defined. The player instructions Ive changed are pretty much based on improving the closing down. Note: I encourage all offensive players (including the MCs) to have high teamwork and work rate abilities, otherwise the closing down wouldnt work as good. GK Sweeper Keeper The duty of the keeper is pretty basic, he distributes passes to defenders. Due to the high defensive line he should also be able to rush out to clear opposition through balls behind the defense. Player instruction: Distribute To Defenders DR/DL Full Back (Attack) Acts like a modern wing back, not quite unusual. They fulfill their defensive duties but should be ready to attack and support the inside forwards further up the pitch. They are the main threat on the wings due to the inside forwards cutting inside. Should be able to cross and dribble and should also possess physical attributes such as pace, acceleration and stamina. In defense often works together with the AMR/AML to counter the opposition threat on the wings. Player Instruction: Mark Tighter CD Central Defender (Cover/Defend) Works as a unit together with the defensive midfielder, creating a defensive triangle that blocks spaces for the opposition to exploit. The closing down of the more offensive midfielders often leads to opposition long balls that needs to be headed away. Should have excellent heading attributes and at least one of the center backs (Cover Role) should be quite quick to counter through balls behind the defensive line. Player Instruction: Pass It Shorter DM Anchorman The last resort of midfield, a shield in front of the center backs. Probably the most important player when facing a team with a technical and playmaking AMC. In possession he receives the ball and distributes simple passes to more creative players up the pitch. He sometimes falls down as a third center back. Should be a quite smart player with good defensive attributes. If one of the center backs lacks authority in the air, it would be great to have some heading skills as well. More of a Leon Britton/Joe Allen/Liam Bridcutt/Xavi-type of player rather than a ball winner. Player Instruction: Pass It Shorter MC Box To Box Midfielder Not much to tell here, works in both directions. Often links together the defense and offense when in possession leading to passing triangles. Surging forward outside of the box when there is space. He is also a secondary playmaker and roams around looking for space. When not in possession hes closing down the opposition central midfielders. I own (more than) two playmakers, Ive assigned the one with higher defensive attributes as BBM, the other as AP. Should have good technical and creative abilities but also good work rate and stamina.

Player Instructions: Close Down More, Mark Tighter, More Risky Passes (Not necessary. If you dont have two creative players, this can be removed) MC Advanced Playmaker (Attack) The teams primary creator, although shares this responsibility with his BBM companion. Moves around in the center of the pitch looking for space. Often plays one-twos with other offensive players. Should be creative, technical and mobile. Player Instructions: Close Down more, Mark Tighter AMR/AML Inside Forwards Contributes with a more direct display than their teammates. Creates space and chances through individual skill. Often drifts inside, dragging the opposition full backs with them, opening up spaces on the wings for the attacking full backs. Should primarily have great technical abilities, first touch is especially important due to the fact that they often receives the ball in tight areas. Pace, agility and acceleration is also essential. Player Instructions: Mark Tighter ST Complete Forward (S) Drops deep to receive ball in transitions. Drags central defenders out of position, which creates space for the inside forwards to exploit. Acts very similar to Olivier Giroud in Arsenal. Should be quite all-round, balance and strength together with a fair amount of creativity wouldnt hurt. Player Instructions: Mark Tighter The Tactic in action Average Positions

This picture is from a match against a high mid-table team in the Premier League (cant remember which team), so we had a good amount of possession, around 60 % I reckon. As you can see, its pretty spot-on how I want it to look. The defensive line is really high, but when out of possession the DM and MCs falls back a bit and creates a tight block, choking spaces in the centre of the pitch. The initial fear is of course, through balls behind the defensive line, luckily I have quick defenders to pick up these passes. You can also see a good balance and unity between the two MCs, the advanced playmaker is only slightly more offensive than the box to box midfielder. Defending

This is a picture from a game versus Liverpool, its a typical example on how the pressing in the tactic works. Initially the defensive line may look quite high and prone to through balls, a very skilled player may be able to pick out a pass, but not a central defender as in this case. Even if they manage to move the ball to one of their more creative midfielders, my team would have closed them down and my central defenders would have fallen deeper already. The opposition defender in this case, has three (realistic) options. 1. He can make a short pass to one of his teammates, which will result in continuous pressing from my side, and eventually well win the ball in a dangerous position. 2. He can make a pass home to the goalie, the goalie will then hoof the ball forward to their strikers. This will result in my central defenders winning the ball in the air about 90 % of all times or theyve already fallen deeper to counter the threat exposed behind the defensive line. One way or another I win the ball back. 3. He can try to turn around and hoof the ball to the strikers, the result will be the same as in option two. (Obviously my team/tactic is not invincible, but this is how it usually looks against teams inferior to mine.) Lets take another look at the positioning of my players. All players except the defensive midfielder and to some degree the central defenders, are tracking the opposition players, marking them tightly, choking space and reducing passing alternatives. Although the most beautiful part of this picture is the defensive midfielder. Due to my advantage in terms of players in the center of the pitch, he can just roam around in front of the central defenders, covering space, making interceptions and cutting off passing routes. Well, what happened after I took the picture? Their central defender made a short pass to their right back, my AML closed him down and won the ball back. He quickly passed a through ball to my striker that scored.

The unity and narrowness between the central midfielders and the defensive midfielder, more than often leads to the opposition focusing their passing towards the wings, where my full backs and inside forwards co-operates to counter the threat of the opposition. Attacking As I earlier mentioned, this tactic revolves around possession, but nonetheless it doesnt limit the players ability to start of a quick counter attack. Therefore Im going to show you two different examples on how it looks during the offensive phases. The first goal Im going to show you is occurring in a situation where my team have had the possession for some time. They went about their business in a cautious and patient way, just waiting for an opportunity. The arrows represent the players upcoming movements.

This is the initial start of the goal sequence. My MC just picked up a pass from my AML and is looking for a teammate to pass. Take a close look on the position of my players, the AMR have dragged the opposition full back into a central position and my full backs (especially the right one) are seeing some space further up the pitch.

A couple of seconds later my other MC have received the ball, he quickly turns around looking for passing alternatives. The most obvious pass would be into the space in front of my DR, although the opposition full back and winger could easily cut my DR off. Instead my centrally positioned AMR comes deep to get the ball.

Here my AMR has received the ball. The opposition full back is still focusing on him while at the same time my DR has surged forward on the wing, sprinting past the opponents winger unguarded. Space is now wide open on the right wing, my team has realized this long before the opposition and all of my offensive players are ready to run into the box when my DR receives the ball.

Here my DR has received the ball inside the box. He now has several alternatives to make something of this attack. 1. He can just score it himself (although its a tricky angle) 2. He can pass it into the box, either to the ST or the AML (Who both will be in dangerous scoring positions in a second) 3. He can pass it backward towards the end of the box to the MC who will have a great scoring opportunity. Unexpectedly my full back actually picked option number one, luckily for me he put it in the back of the net. This goal is a great example of what simple movement can lead to. My AMR dragged his marker out of position, opening up space for my DR to exploit. This exact sequence happens on countless occasions, usually its the ST who comes deep and the AMR/AML who exploits the space either on the wings or in center of the pitch behind the opposition central defenders. The second goal I want to show you is a result of turnover in possession, in my eyes its beautiful in so many ways.

In this picture, my MC just won the ball from the opposition and is in the process of passing it to my other MC.

The other MC is about to receive the ball and is going to one touch pass it to the ST who is coming deep. Note that ALL my players except the defending ones have already started their runs (including the ball holding MC who is already planning his move to a more advanced position).

The ST is now the ball holder and the MC is now in a more advanced position, the MC will get the ball back. Note that there is vast amounts of space to exploit.

The MC now has two obvious alternatives, either he passes it into space in front of the AML or the AMR. Obviously my MC is a French artist ala Zidane or Platini, so of course hes hitting the ball once again with one touch, towards the space in front of my AML.

Simple, my AML can either shoot it himself or pass it to the AMR. He fired a screamer towards the farther corner and scored. This attack started after winning the ball in the middle of the pitch, 4 passes and 8 seconds later the ball was in the net. This goal is a brilliant example on how efficient the counter attacking works with this tactic. The most notable thing with both these goals, is the transition from the point of the players deciding to go forward until the attack is finished. After they realize there is an opening, it takes just a matter of seconds until a chance is created.