The very first tactic in this series of blogs (maybe you could call it a Road to Glory) will be a 4-1-2-1-2 Narrow, focusing on the front 3. My methods probably differ from what you’re used to, especially since the introduction of untradable players. I like to create a tactic from top to bottom with a style of play in mind, followed by buying players that match the way I want to play. This introductory example is incredibly basic, but I sometimes experiment with more out there ideas. So… let’s dive into the tactic.
*anything separated by | signifies the different game plans e.g.
Ultra Defensive | Defensive | Balanced | Attacking | Ultra Attacking
** anything without the separator is the same across all game plans
Tactic
Formation: 4-1-2-1-2 (2)
Defence
Defensive Style: Drop Back | Balanced | Balanced | Balanced | Constant Pressure
Width: 5
Depth: 2 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8
Offense
Offensive Style: Balanced
Width: 5
Players in Box: 2 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8
Corners: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
Free Kicks: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
Player Instructions
Goalkeeper: Default
Full Backs: Stay Back While Attacking
Central Defenders: Default
Defensive Midfielder: Stay Back While Attacking
Central Midfielders: Stay Back While Attacking | Default | Default | Default | Join the Attack
Attacking Midfielder: Stay Forward
Right Striker: Get in Behind, Stay Forward
Left Striker: Stay Forward
This tactic was originally made as my meta breaker, intending to exploit the pace and movement of the attacking 3 and predominantly using the deeper players as numerous defensive blocks. The game plan adjustments followed Jose Mourinho’s explanation of how to adjust to the opposition: consistent principles of play, but adjusting the depth of the defensive lines. The only real changes throughout the game plan were all with regards to how the team would defend, pressing higher and more aggressively the more attacking the game plan.
Squad Building
To build the squad for this tactic, I started with what I considered the most important and backtracked from there. I wanted the pace and movement of the front 3 to be the priority, and thus I started by recruiting for the 3 attacking roles. To do so, I set criteria and put it into FUTBIN. I wanted the attacking trio to all be pacy but technically able, leading to the filters: 85 pace, 70 dribbling, shooting, passing. I also needed to consider the cost, and set the max price at 2000 coins, as well as the position (CM, CAM, CF, ST). I naturally wanted 3 players that had chemistry between each other, and thankfully there was 3 MLS options. The select 3 were: Gonzalo Martinez, Darwin QUintero and Brian Fernandez.
Given a bigger budget, I would have liked to use Martinez as the left striker (he’s left footed) and Quintero at attacking midfield, but that wasn’t possible and I put them in the opposite positions. Fernandez was ideal for the right striker role given his pace, shooting and right-footedness. From this position, I decided not to go with a straight forward MLS team due to the poor options, and instead tried to exploit the nationalities. The RCM role was ideal for an Argentinian midfielder, but the left would need a Colombian and other strong links. The FUTBIN criteria for the two central midfielder roles was a bit more lax, with the only stat criteria being 70, ensuring they could get up and down the pitch quickly. I also naturally filtered positions to CDM, CM and CAM to ensure they would get full chemistry. I used in game stats to decide after the filter, and for the Argentinian I had two real options, Rodrigo Aliendro and Exequiel Palacios. Aliendro was superior defensively and had M/M work rates, whilst Palacios excelled in passing with H/H work rates. I opted for the passing and high work rates, and thus added Palacios to the squad. The same process was applied to the Colombian, leading to Jefferson Lerma and Mateus Uribe. Lerma struggled with shooting and had M/H work rates, whilst Uribe struggled defensively and had H/H work rates. The more important factor for this position was the potential links, and given my low balance I figured I’d find better value for money by using a Porto player than a Bournemouth player. Uribe was added.
Next up was the DM role, and the only concerns were defending and chemistry. I wanted someone that could link to both central midfielders without compromising ability too much. The obvious option was Rodrigo Battaglia. I then focused on maxing the chemistry for the two central midfielders. Uribe needed a strong link, and the obvious choice was Alex Telles. Unfortunately he was too expensive, but Christian Borja came to the rescue, a Colombian LB that plays for Sporting CP and has decent enough stats. At this point it was evident I’d have a Liga NOS defence, and thus Renzo Saravia was selected for RB, an Argentinian that plays for Porto. I then completed the team by selecting the CB’s and GK I most liked the look of (and could afford) in Liga NOS, leaving the team complete as follows:
There was a lot of improvements that could have been made without affecting chemistry (Pepe, Jeremy Mathieu, Iker Casillas, Alex Telles) but a lack of coins prevented this. If you wanted to replicate this team, I’d highly recommend all those changes.
Matches
To test the tactic, I utilised the 6 games the cards could play without running out of contracts. In future posts I’ll have the games available to watch, but half of these games corrupted so I can’t provide them for this one.
If you aren’t already aware, I have created an xG model for FIFA, and that will be used to help in analysing the matches. I’ll be creating a mini league table for the tactics to outline which performed best, as well as providing a bunch of stats relating to the players that EA can’t be bothered to provide.
Results
Results wise, this team ended the 6 matches 3-0-1. Matches 4 and 6 have been removed from consideration due to the opponent leaving the match at a draw in the first half. If I was winning/losing or the game was in the second half I would have counted them. xG wise, this team performed even better. Most xG comparisons use a 0.3 differential to decide the winner, and I will be using the same theory, leaving this team with a record of 4-1-0. The first game was the closest xG wise, and a late late goal gave me the win. The most interesting, undoubtedly, was match 5. I took a battering result wise but certainly not performance wise. Poor finishing and goalkeeping ultimately cost me. If I was going to suggest you watch any of the matches that would certainly be the one. The above stats outline on a game to game basis, but across the 6 games how did it play out?
Fixture Set Stats
Goals: 15 vs 12
xG: 14.64 vs 8.55
Shots: 47 vs 38
Shots on Target: 29 vs 28
xG Per Shot: 0.31 vs 0.23
Shot Accuracy: 61.70% vs 73.87%
Possession: 51.67% vs 48.33%
Tackles: 52 vs 56
These stats provide a clear idea as to where the flaws in this team came. Whilst I scored about as many as xG suggested I should, I also conceded far more than I should have. You can analyse this in many ways. Firstly, you could blame my keeper. Viviano conceded 3 more goals than he should have, and a better keeper may have kept this down. You could also blame the fact my opposition generally had elite tier finishers and you would expect them to outscore xG. Ultimately, I think I’d say it’s a mix of the two.
I think it’s fair to compliment the defensive and attacking setup of the team. I didn’t particularly dominate possession, but xG creation and prevention was impressive. My shot accuracy was another huge flaw, as I was outdone quite heavily. Considering I scored pretty much in line with expected goals, it makes you wonder how much I could have outscored it if I wasn’t missing the target so frequently. I guess this is a flaw in using lower rated attackers, but I was still content with my attacking display.
Tactical Breakdown
Brian Fernandez had been played in behind, with Darwin Quintero, Gonzalo Martinez and Exequiel Palacios all attacking the box. As the play was down the right hand side, the right sided central midfielder stepped forward in support. Matheus Uribe is in the top left, offering what will be the first line of defensive protection, and Palacios will retreat into a similar position if the attack breaks down. The radar shows a flat back four, with Battaglia stepping into the space left by Palacios. Once the attack breaks down, it transitions into a defensive phase like this:
In this particular screenshot the 3 man midfield wall has been bypassed and Marcano has stepped up to tackle. Ruben Dias has followed the more advanced attacker. This tended to be the case due to Marcano’s inferior pace. You can see on the radar that the front 3 are still relatively high up the field and will never be isolated when breaking away. Ideally the three midfielders would force a turnover, but when that wasn’t the case the defence pressured the ball instantly, as shown.
Player Stats
If you want to look at the stats yourself you can find a breakdown here (filter by 41212 and MLS), but I’m going to discuss the standout players here.
Brian Fernandez
Brian Fernandez led the team in numerous areas, including: Goals, Shots, Shots on Target, xG and xGA. Ultimately, he was the man who put the ball in the back of the net. He outscored his xG by 0.6, suggesting his finishing was up to scratch but nothing exceptional. He created chances at the 3rd best rate in the squad, but the quality of the chances he created was worse than all CM’s, AM’s and ST’s. This is more than likely due to the use of ‘Get in Behind’ which saw him on the end of a majority of the good chances.
Gonzalo Martinez
Gonzalo Martinez was undoubtedly the standout in this team, providing both a goalscoring and chance creation threat. He led in Key Passes, Goals – xG, Passes, Completed Passes, Dribbles and Completed Dribbles. He was basically the hub of all attacking play, outscored his xG significantly and created more chances than any other player. Essentially he did everything you would expect of an AM, whilst being far more clinical than either striker. He was perfect for the role.
Darwin Quintero
Darwin Quintero was a mixed bag. He led in Assists and xG Assists, but his goalscoring ability was poor. Just 25% of his shots hit the target, and he ended up with a Goals – xG of -1.33. This is something you would more openly accept from an AM, but as a striker it was disappointing. He cost me games, but won me others when creating chances for other players. I think he would be usable at AM but I would avoid leaning on him for goals.
Exequiel Palacios
Exequiel Palacios was probably a close second to Martinez with regards to being the teams most influential player. He scored 0.76 per 90 from CM, had a Goals – xG of 1.32 and led in shot accuracy for players with over 1 shot per 90. He provided chances at a steady rate, and ultimately fulfilled the all round role I wanted from the CM’s with the 3rd best tackle success rate.
Ivan Marcano
For balances sake, I want to conclude with a defender, and the superior defender was Ivan Marcano. He tackled more regularly than his partner, Ruben Dias, and also succeeded at a higher rate. His ability to play out from the back was also stronger, possessing the 2nd best pass accuracy in the team. Despite his card looking inferior, he ultimately outperformed Dias.
This selection of players doesn’t cover the whole story, but I don’t want to waste too much of your time. If you’re interested you can scroll back up and look at the full dataset.
Conclusion
In future posts I’ll compare the tactics and squads against one another, but that’s impossible with this being the first. The results will have to speak for themselves on this one. I enjoyed the team for the most part, and got good results, particularly considering the value of the squad. Thanks for taking the time to read, I hope you enjoyed. The next post will have a strong Sheffield United feel to it, so hopefully you’ll return for that one…
PERFUTMANCE 