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--------------edit by infernova-----------------
The 2-6-2 Framework. An Approach To Creating Tactics In FM 08.
Part II -- The Rise Of The Flat
For all that have read the first part of the 2-6-2 idea, welcome back. For all that have not, please refer to my first post on this framework as the basic set-up and priciples are described there. Some of the explanations and thoughts behind it will be repeated in this part. But to get the whole thing, a look at the initial post might be helpful.
Before I start, I apologize for being even (muuuch) longer than in the first thread. But I hope it is worth a read. I did some research on how the 4-4-2 is played today. You will find some well-known details put into new perspectives. You may get some new insights into the 4-4-2. At least I did while looking at it more closely...
// The initiating event
My basic idea was to use some current football tactics and strategies in real life and try to translate them into the game. Foremost the so called team defense, in which the whole team is responsible for defending as well as for attacking, and the pressure-cover-balance positioning within that.
The aim was to build a possession based system, tight at the back, using fullbacks as strong build-up players for the attack, supporting good passing and interaction in the midfield and producing chances upfront.
The excerpts from real life have in the first part led to a sum of settings and instructions that developed into a 4-4-2 diamond formation (or 4-1-2-1-2) with mixed passing and a split mentality system with
- 2 DCs fixed on defensive mentality
- 6 players (FBs and midfielders)on variable team mentality
- 2 FCs on fixed reasonable attacking
I was surprised and glad at the same time to get that much of a feedback and at this point I would like to thank all that have tried, used and tweaked this set-up. And even more so, thanks to all those who came up with ideas on how to improve it. Some ideas have made their way into this threat.
// The complication
After publishing the first thread some questions came up, which I would like to answer.
#1. Is this a „super-tactic“?
No, it’s not. And most likely there isn’t any for FM2008. There are several approaches on how to build tactics for the game - and they all seem to work at least to some extent. The 2-6-2 is an idea on how to set up a mentality framework within the team, combined with some logical thoughts about the individual and team instructions that should compliment it. The idea is based on current thinking and observations from real life and tries to translate these advantages into the game. Nevertheless is it possible that it also translates one or the other disadvantage into the game. This might be due to the fact that the game is still game and running on certain parameters. Or that in real life „the“ perfect tactic has not been found yet. Or is it just Murphy’s Law...?
#2. Is this working for every team?
To be honest - I don’t know. The teams I have played with used it successfully, ranging from medium-low first division teams to world-class sites. Others reported great success, too, also with lower league teams. Some had problems with the stability of the defensive line (especially when using slow defenders) or the effectivity of the attackers. Fact is, this framework cannot win every game all by itself, but it can improve the teams performance on the pitch. It cannot enhance the quality of players, but it can help to improve their performance within the system.
But if the system does not match the players it will get difficult. So whichever team you are playing, you need to tweak the settings according to your players and teams attributes, qualities and even your preferred style of play. Again - just as in real life. Just take a look at three of the big four in Premier League. Arsenal, Liverpool and ManUtd all play or played a 4-4-2. But all three teams interpreted it in a completely different way. All with great success at some point.
Same with the 2-6-2. Sometimes you may transform it into a 3-5-2 frame with the DMC/MCd on the same defensive mentality as the DCs, or change the settings for closing-down, zonal-/man-marking and creative freedom to name a few. I strongly recommend a read of wwfans „Tactical Thoerems and Frameworks '08“ , which elaborates on almost all aspects of the possible settings and combinations. With all that in mind, I believe it is possible to make the 2-6-2 framework work successfully for lots of teams. But please - don’t see it as a straightjacket.
#3. Does this work with 8.0.2?
Yes it does. The part 2 setup was tested on 8.0.1 first and after the patch optimized with 8.0.2.
I have also restarted a game with diamond formation and the new update. A revised tactics set with improved settings, further tweaks and explanations is available in the 2-6-2 part 1 thread. Experience from my testing is that the influences from the patch compliment the 2-6-2 framework very well. - Apart from that I have to say that I think this improved match engine is one of the best the game ever had yet. The development and testing team has done a really good job!
#4. Now the last and most important question (again with regards to wwfan): Does this work for a 4-4-2 with a flat midfield?
The flat 4-4-2 is said to be the biggest challenge in FM. And there are several reasons for that:
The formation uses only three strata/zones, while others use multiple ones and therefore have a better positioning on and coverage of the pitch.
The three strata build-up makes it more difficult to move from zone to zone on the pitch.
Having less contact with the opponents, the team needs better organization - meaning mental stats - in the game.
When in possession it is more difficult to form triangles between players as from the first picture they are positioned in line. So the build-up will be elaborate but slower.
The gap between the defensive and midfield line is larger than in formations using a DMC and might be exploited more easily.
Lots of teams use the 4-4-2 as a standard formation, so countering it with the same set-up makes it more difficult to find spaces to exploit.
So far nothing new for an experienced FM gamer. But now let’s take this challenge and see if and how the 2-6-2 framework compares to the basic principles of a modern flat 4-4-2.
// The peripety
So are you ready for a change in perception? Here is a look at the strenghts of the 4-4-2:
It offers good balance, giving the team width and depth at the same time.
It encourages players to work in pairs in certain areas of the field (FBr + MR, MCa + Mcd etc.).
When defending, only the strikers can be outnumbered, as the other zones are equal or more in players.
The load of work is lighter, because the players are not placed on the field in relation to their opponents but in relation to the ball.
If well-organized, the formation is much more compact (a rule of thumb says, the distance between the deepest defender and the most forward striker should never be more than 35-40 yards). With the 3 sections playing short(er) and close together, the opposition has less space to play in - thus it will be easier to regain possession.
The reduced spaces between players allow for an attractive midfield game with lots of variations, beautiful (short) passes and quick, flexible shifts from attack to defense and back again.
Defensively the 4-4-2 is usually organized by zonal marking, which assures cover of all areas on the teams own half of the pitch. (Although this very much depends on the quality of the players.)
The presence of four players in defense and four in midfield enables the team to cover the entire width of the game.
=> Taking an overall look at the 2-6-2 framework it should support the flat 4-4-2 well. The six players set to the same (team) mentality keep the formation tight. The midfielders can play close together, the FBs move closer to the midfielders and form pairs or even triangles at the sides (see picture below).
On the other hand, the assumption that the 4-4-2 lacks compactness in defense could be critical. A compact defense is the foundation of effective football. So to sort things out, we should take a look at the defensive philosophy of the 4-4-2 as described in lots of sources.
The defensive line in a flat 4-4-2 usually plays without a sweeper, but with four defenders in line. But not excessively, as the DCs play in a withdrawn position compared to the FBs. This semi-circle position is fundamental, because it opens passing options to the FBs when pressured by the opposition.
Reduced: 95% of original size [ 672 x 464 ] - Click to view full image
Reduced: 94% of original size [ 674 x 456 ] - Click to view full image
That is similar to a style the AI uses, when attacking with a 4-4-2 as I observed.
=>Setting both DCs to a fixed defensive mentality and keeping them in the back should work with a flat 4-4-2.
Today, most teams use a ball oriented and active approach when defending, trying to stay as compact as possible.
When playing ball oriented, the whole defensive line shifts to the opponent with the ball. When the opponent reaches the zone of one defender, the closest defender moves forward and quickly disrupts the attack. He tries to pressure the ball and to disturb the player with the ball and/or cuts off passing lanes. The next defender (at times two) covers him, the others provide balance. The areas of the defenders overlap. The FBs can shift almost to a DC position, depending on the position of the opponent in possesion.
The aim is to create numerical superiority around the ball and to make the playing area smaller (closing down), lowering the danger of loosing a 1:1. Together with the midfielders tracking back, the defenders try to surround the player with the ball so that he cannot pass on and loses the ball. Winning the ball then results in a quick shift from defensive to offensive play, often with the FBs pushing up the wings.
In other words: When playing ball oriented, you should make fewer useless efforts to tackle or grab the ball, but instead let the opponent do the runs - while you defend towards the ball.
=> Although some parts of this movement can be simulated with appropriate settings, a complete ball orientation is almost impossible to set up in the game. The players are based on certain positions on the field and more or less stick to them within a certain area. Trying to make them do lateral shifts to the ball is only possible within this area. And rising the closing-down to very high does not make sense at all. So this is the maximum to achieve.
Now comes the crucial part: The closer the defenders are to the ball, the tighter the marking. Close to the ball, the marking is NOT zonal (as „zonal marking“ indicates), but an aggressive man-marking, one-on-one or sometimes even one-on-two! If, for example, an attacker comes close to the penalty area, he needs to be pressured closely and man-to-man. But the larger the distance to the ball, the more the players cover zones.
=> If this behaviour could be translated into the game, we would have the chance to make the defense much more solid. So the question is how to set it up, that the defenders use the zonal defense but man-mark tightly when close to the ball without being drawn out of position?
The answer lies in the running paths of the opponent. When using a setup with offensive minded FBs, we have a huge advantage when attacking, as we have numerical superiority on the wings. But at the same time invite the opposition to play through the middle. That rises the danger of a well-played deep pass into the free space behind the defense.
Although this might be the worst thing that can happen to a flat 4-4-2, it also gives a hint on how to setup the marking for the defensive line within a zonal marking team:
The FBs are higher up the pitch. On the sideline they have one opponent most of the time. And they have to stop him from getting behind their own positions by all means. Because otherwise the opposing winger will be able to run behind the whole defense.
=> Closing down: own half
=> Marking: man
=> Tight marking: yes (or Tackling: hard (when using quality FBs))
The DCs are positioned deeper, they know that most attack will come through the center and will let the opponent run onto them. They have to hold their positions in relation to the ball, otherwise they will get drawn out of position and open holes for the strikers.
=> Closing down: own area
=> Marking: zonal
=> Tight marking: no, in more difficult games yes
A remark to tight marking for the DCs: Using tight marking for the DCs can be dangerous, because they might get drawn out of position. But the better the defenders are, the more it can be used effectively. Especially for harder games with opponents pushing through the center. In these games the whole backline will be more defensively oriented anyhow and sit deeper. So whenever a DC is in danger of losing his position, the other defenders will try to cover the hole. And make the tight marking less dangerous. An example out of the game:
So - will this simulate the ball oriented approach? Not sufficiently. But we can use another setting to move closer to it: the opposition instructions before each game.
All defensive movements of the backline are intended to either mark players or mark space. We can translate this split into the game instructions. The player instructions are set in relation to space. The opposition instructions are set in relation to the players, i.e. the ball. So if we use the opposition instructions accordingly, we can move closer to the approach.
For the FBs opponents the instructions look like:
=> Tight marking
=> Closing down always
=> Show on weaker foot
Translation: The FBs mark an opponent as soon as he gets into their area in own half. In case the opponent has or gets the ball they don’t even wait for him to reach their area but pressure him earlier, while the other defenders cover. In case the winger then moves into the field the FB follows inside while staying between ball and goal (most times the winger won’t and instead plays a backpass - seems to be an AI thing). In case the winger passes the FB, he runs inside to take the closest DC position. In both cases the closest DC moves out to the side to cover the open space on the wing. Nice!
For the DCs opponents (2 forwards or 1 FC + 1 AMC) the instructions look like:
=> Tight marking
=> Closing down always
Translation: The DCs sit deeper and let the attacker come onto them, always trying to stay behind the ball. But when the player reaches their area, they quickly and aggressively try to pressure him. Hard tackling could be another option here, but it falls down against the danger of provoking penalties or free kicks close to the box.
There instructions are pretty common, but together with the player instructions they should make up for a tight defense that simulates ball oriented play.
One thing to be aware of: A really fast striker with good dribbling skills will turn „closing down always“ into his advantage. So when your defender is not really quick and skilled, don’t use it.
On the other hand: We are not playing a 4-4-2, but a 1-4-4-2. The goalkeeper plays an important role here. A flat back defense with the FBs pretty far away from the the goal calls for a cautious goalkeeper, who can also play the role of sweeper. He usually has to play around the 18-yard-line, being responsible to intercept deep passes if played by the opponent (see ball oriented play picture). So good rushing out and one-on-one stats will be helpful and setting him up accordingly will stabilize the backline even further.
=> Mentality: team (assuming your are playing a normal or attacking style)
=> Closing down: mid own half
=> Cross from: mixed
=> Forward runs: mixed (if playing vs. weaker teams or at home, otherwise rarely)
One last word on zonal play. When using it, the position of all players is determined by where the ball is. And not their direct opponent. This requires the players to not only use their feet, but also their head! They have to have a certain intelligence, as zonal play requires them to be proactive, not reactive.
So key stats for zonal defense are: anticipation, decisions, positioning. If these are too low, a man-marking approach for the whole backline would suit them better, relying more on concentration, marking and tackling. In this case, only use tight marking with the DCs for very difficult game situations
Now to the midfield. All midfielders act as kind of filters in front of the defensive line. They have to maintain the distances to the other sections and move and act to maintain the team shape. At the same time they have to help the defense to reduce the oppositions pressing. During the opponents possession they remain closer to the FBs. Together with the wingers and at times the forwards the central midfielders should attempt to arrange and set a block around the middle line.
The aim here is to stop the opponent from playing the dangerous through ball and to make him play lateral passes to the sides instead. That way the team gains valuable time and space - the most important variables in football. Because the defenders can get back into their positions in/around the penalty area and cover all other important areas.
=> Closing down: medium own half to whole pitch
In case the midfielders can’t win the ball, they have to make a tactical foul to stop the through ball, being prepared to get a booking for it.
The wingers must stay in a position, that will not allow them to be passed on the outside. This forces the opponent to pass or dribble in the direction of the center, where it is busier and the chance of loosing the ball is higher. But on the other hand, the wingers have to come infield at times. Either to move into channels while attacking, or to narrow the midfield when defending.
=> Creative freedom: little, sometimes normal
=> Closing down: whole pitch
So the basic goal is to effectively have 8 men back when not having the ball. Defense and Midfield double up whenever the team has to defend. With the pairs all over the field, you have 4 teams of 2 who protect the goal. And on the other hand 6 players being able to attack.
When attacking, the moves and setups for the central midfielders depend on their stats. When the MCd is more defensively minded, he can protect the backline, but the MCa has to stay deeper and use more through balls than runs. He cannot move up the whole pitch often as this would produce a hole in midfiled.
When both MCs are good passers, the MCa can get more freedom to go forward or both can alternate in their FwRs depending on the match situation. This can be very successful when the opposition concentrates and pressures on the creative MCa and the MCd exploits the holes and/or uses long shots. But also in this variation, they have to support the defense. A strong midfield plays for winning one-on-ones an provides chances for the attackers.
In build-up play the midfielders pilot the game. They should make the field big, with players wide on the flanks and depth in the play. In case there is no possibility for an attacking move, they start quick ball circulation and shifting to the flanks. They should always choose a position on an angle to each other and to players coming up from behind.
Key settings MCa:
Creative freedom high
Closing down medium own half
Tackling easy
FwR often (if his stats allow, otherwise mixed)
RwB often
Through balls often
Cross from mixed
Free role yes, if it works with player stats
Tight marking never
Key settings MCd:
Creative freedom low
Closing down whole pitch
Tackling normal
FwR mixed
RwB mixed
Through balls often
Cross from mixed (attacking), deep (cautious)
Free role no
Tight marking yes (for cautious play, watch bookings)
Against strong sides and/or good AMCs the MCd can get a back arrow to the DMC position and use tight marking. FwR should be set to rarely then.
Now to the forwards. Their main responsibility is to finish the play. But at the same time they are the first to defend and press, when the team has to regain possession. The question here is, when they should start pressing. The answer: it depends. On the qualities of the forwards. On the strength of the opposition. On the match situation.
High pressing (upfront !) aggressively tries to prevent the opponent from starting the play. It can be very effective against weaker teams or when leading. But playing a good side it won’t make much sense as the defenders will have the ability to keep the ball and play dangerous passes or start a counter.
Medium pressing starting in the oppositions half needs a clever midfield with high anticipation and forwards with good heading stats, because the team will aim to play balls into the box. The midfielders will try to force the opponent into long balls, relying on the defense to win the ball back quickly. As soon as the opponents leave their half, the team presses harder to regain possession.
The tactic here should be based on possession, attacking via the flanks and higher creative freedom.
Lower pressing is a more cautious tactical behaviour. It delivers better cover for the defenders and is more difficult to break through. The attackers can move in larger spaces and should have speed and/or good finishing attributes. A good header can also be used, but is not mandatory.
This should be used when leading the game or the opposition is strong and the team has to be more cautious or is not in a perfect condition.
When having the ball they should try to maintain possession in order to let the rest of the team get out of the defensive positions. All of their movements are intended to either create space or run into space.
The forwards work as a unit and should have a central starting position, with at least one as high as possible. When receiving the ball they should stay in central positions whenever possible. That keeps them closer to the goal, making them more dangerous. And it also leaves the flanks open for the wingers to support the attack.
And the last thing on the setting: get the set pieces right. The 4-4-2 today relies heavily on the effective use of corners and free kicks.
// The climax
To make a long story short, the setup for the flat 4-4-2 is the same as with the diamond using 2-6-2. The mentalities:
GK - team
DC - defensive (3)
DC - defensive (3)
FBR - team
FBL - team
MR - team
MCd - team
MCa - team
ML - team
FR - attacking (17)
FL - attacking (17)
Team mentality can be influenced via the team instructions slider. That way the mentalities of the central players can easily be tweaked according to the style of play, the opponent and the game situation. Even without changing the whole tactics.
I am using 4 standard setups at the moment:
Attack - with medium tempo, a high defensive line and offside trap ticked. For all games where opposition is not too defensive minded or home games. Team mentality is 16, which is 2 clicks into attacking
Control - with wider play, medium def line and almost slow tempo. For more difficult or defensive opponents. Team mentality is 14, if not creating enough chances, higher.
Counter - with normal to narrow width, deeper def line and upper normal tempo. For the same situations as before, plus at home against teams being 3 to 5 places below in the league table. Team mentality is 15, for tougher ones 14.
Possession - with lower tempo medium time-wasting and def line and lower medium tempo. For a possession based game with quick attacks against difficult opponents. Team mentality is 13, sometimes 14.
For more details on when to use which setup please refer back to the part 1 threat.
Although initially thought, setting the team mentality slider to „defensive“ is not a sufficient measure to, defend a lead, to lock up the defense at the end of the game or to try to cope with the AIs gung-ho-style 4-2-4!!! Testing has shown that. Therefore, setting down team mentality to lower normal or defensive and the well known measures like reducing width, tempo, RwB and FwdR and using high time-wasting and tight marking are more than helpful. This would make for a 5th setup (shut-up) if needed.
In my 4-4-2 setup I use short passing at the moment. This works perfectly with the tight midfield of the 2-6-2 and even with a wider play as the triangles still open up. I have tested the short passing with a weaker side, it also did work although the team did not try to play Arsenal style and used some nice direct balls.
For the team instructions I used a lot of descriptions from wwfans „Tactical Thoerems and Frameworks '08“ with some tweaks and good success. For player instructions a mixture of them and settings according to the player’s individual strengths and preferred moves. Which are close to the ones shown in part 1 of 2-6-2. Here are two examples:
The Control Settings:
The Counter Settings:
You also get an idea of the individual settings when looking at the revised diamond tac-files available in the first part of 2-6-2. If you encounter any problems with the compactness of your defense, here are some tweaks that might help:
- rise closing down for FBs
- lower DCs mentality 1 notch
- put MCd on tight marking or(!) man-marking when playing tough opponent
- reduce creative freedom for MCd
- give MCd an barrow to DMC position
- put DMC on same mentality as DCs (-> 3-5-2 frame)
- up closing-down for MCa and MCd (watch out for fouls)
- reduce tempo
- put team passing more to short side
And here again, all opposition instructions I am using:
For the opposing wingers: Tight marking, Closing down always, Show on weaker foot.
For the strikers: Tight marking, Closing down always; if playing against a really fast and creative one only Tight marking.
For a central AM and MCa: Tight marking, Closing down always, if he is identitfied as danger man and my DCs have good tackling stats Hard tackling.
If a DMC or a FB is named danger man: also Closing down always.
For the GK: Closing down always.
// The retardation
On training: I also reworked the training for this approach, to have the stats rise a little faster and use some more physical training in workload optimized schedules. It’s going ok, but still could use some improvement, so I won’t go into detail on this. But I still believe that a good fitness level is important for this approach as the team will be in a constant movement. Also a high fitness level can give the team an edge at the end of the game, when the opposition’s stamina lowers.
// The denouement
Now, finally, we come to the end of the drama. Here are the results. I have played this setup in 8.0.1 with Valencia once. The games:
Played it again, a whole season while being „on holiday“ with „use current tactic“ (=counter):
Played it with Arsenal for half a season in 8.0.2 with some minor tweaks:
In mid December, Adebayor has 17 league goals in 12 appearances, 6 continental goals in 4 appearances...
After all that I believe the 2-6-2 framework does work with the flat 4-4-2.
Sorry, for taking that much of your time. I didn’t have enough of it to make it shorter. I hope this thing helps you and your 4-4-2 in case you want to give it a go. If you like give me some feedback on how it works out. |
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发表于 2008-3-7 19:37:04
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