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More from @ViewFTTouchline

View From The Touchline

@ViewFTTouchline

Nov 29, 2023

Thread

Making You Better in Football Manager #FM24

I always see people asking how to take their tactic to the next level, so this thread will focus on this exact topic. Ever wondered how to elevate your tactical prowess in Football Manager? This thread is your ultimate guide to taking your game strategy to new heights.

Tactical prowess involves a mix of understanding the core game mechanics and applying your unique football philosophy. Let's dive in and dissect the art of tactical mastery.

Breakdown: The Tactical Ecosystem

To conquer tactical challenges, recognise that Football Manager consists of four crucial components:

Formation & Tactic: The heart of your strategy. Formations dictate player positioning, roles, and playing style. Research various formations to find what resonates with your vision.

Training: The path to perfection. Design tailored training schedules that bolster your chosen tactic. Enhance player attributes that align with your strategy.

Recruitment: Assembling your dream squad. Scout players with attributes and attributes that synchronise with your chosen tactic. Avoid signing players just for their fame; they must harmonise with your game plan.

In-Match Adaptation: Think on your feet. Mid-match changes can turn the tide. Observe how the opponent responds to your tactics and adapt accordingly.

Balancing Act: The 25% Rule

Taking your tactic to the next level mainly comes down to how you think, view and play the game. The game is split into 4 parts;

Media/Interactions
Training
Tactic
Recruitment

Many other aspects can be part of the above too, but for simplicity, the game is split into 4 parts. If you think of the above as percentages and 25% equal for all that would be a great well-balanced approach.

However, you can ignore parts if you wish. But that means you then need to be stronger in other areas. Take my own playing style, for example, I don’t like the media/interactions side of things and think it’s repetitive. So I ignore that.

That means I need to make this up elsewhere, which I believe I do with my tactics. Someone else who plays might dislike tactics and does the bare minimum.

That approach is fine, and works too. But again it means they need to make the advantage elsewhere. Optimal tactical mastery requires a balanced approach.

While you can prioritise based on your strengths, never neglect any aspect entirely. A harmonious blend ensures a solid foundation for success. So where are we actually going with this thread? #FM24

Unearth Your Style: Play to Your Strengths

Identify your playing style. Are you a possession maestro or a counter-attacking strategist? Tailor your tactics to your preferences, but remain open to experimentation. Embrace change when results demand it.

To be better tactically you need to understand the basics and sometimes it might not even be tactically that you need to improve. Confused? Let me explain.

Let’s take something simple like a playing style and say you’re wanting to create one. Then training and recruitment will be vital as you need specific things. This can often mean buying the right type of player for the system, rather than just any old player.

Just because someone might be labelled as a wonderkid or world-class doesn’t mean they fit your style. Don’t sign just anyone for the sake of it.

Sounds simple doesn’t it? It is. But often I see people buying players that don’t fit their needs or playing style. #FM24

Read 9 tweets

View From The Touchline

@ViewFTTouchline

Nov 23, 2023

Thread #FM24

Transcending Borders: Adapting Fernando Diniz’s Tactical Ingenuity to the Icy Plains of Akureyri is the first of many tactical articles in our new series for FM24.

Introduction FM24

The ambition brewing within the heart of Þór Akureyri is palpable—to ascend not only as a club but to uplift the footballing stature of Iceland on the global canvas. The journey, however, craves a novel tactical narrative, one that could harmonise with the robust ethos of Icelandic football while introducing a fluidic choreography on the pitch. The answer might just lie across the Atlantic, in the vibrant footballing philosophy of Fernando Diniz at Fluminense.

Diniz’s style, a blend of fluid, possession-based football with a dash of creative freedom, orchestrates a beautiful game where each player is both a maestro and a part of a larger symphony. It’s a dance of control, expression, and tactical ingenuity. Imagine this South American footballing saga resonating amidst the cold breezes and the poetic northern lights of Akureyri.

Transplanting this tactical blueprint into Þór Akureyri’s Nordic framework is an expedition of its own. It demands meticulous adaptation to resonate with the strengths, culture, and competitive spirit of Icelandic football. Yet, the essence remains untouched—a football narrative that cherishes possession, champions creative expression, and seeks to dominate not just the scoreboard but the rhythm of the game.

With each season that unfolds, this venture is an open narrative. It’s an invitation to peek into the tactical evolution and witness how Diniz’s philosophy melds with Þór Akureyri’s ambitions, creating a novel football narrative. From player recruitment to development, from the in-game notes shedding light on player evolution to the tactical tweaks echoing on the pitch, it’s a holistic footballing journey.

Each game played, each tactic adapted, and each goal scored will not just be a chapter in Þór Akureyri’s journey, but a step towards a new footballing narrative that could echo from the stadiums in Iceland to the footballing hearts across continents.

Yet, this endeavour transcends the ambitions of a single club. It’s a spark aimed at igniting a footballing renaissance across Iceland, envisioning a future where the Icelandic football saga is not merely a whisper but a dominant narrative on the global stage. Through Þór Akureyri’s adaptation of Diniz’s tactical finesse, the aspiration is to set a precedent, inspire, and elevate the game across the nation, nurturing a footballing culture that could see Iceland emerge as a formidable force in the world of football.

Join us as we delve deeper into this tactical narrative on FM24, exploring how Diniz’s fluidic football philosophy could be tailored to echo within the hearts of Þór Akureyri’s squad and fans while aspiring to etch Iceland’s name into the annals of European football.

Playing style: FM24

While the specific shapes that Fernando Diniz employs with Fluminense can be elusive and challenging to pin down and recreate, the underlying foundation of their style of play remains consistent. This foundation is more defined and set in stone, transcending the various systems they deploy on the field.

The core elements of Diniz’s footballing philosophy, fluid possession-based football, permeate every formation and tactic he utilises, providing a cohesive and recognisable identity to Fluminense. These elements include:

Anti-positional play: A fluid and dynamic style that allows players to interchange positions and move freely on the pitch rather than adhering to rigid positions or formations.

High pressing: Applying pressure on the opposition high up the pitch to win back possession quickly and disrupt the opponent’s build-up play.

Possession-based football: A tactical approach that emphasises maintaining control of the ball, dictating the tempo of the game, and patiently building up attacks.

Playing out from the back: Building up play from the goalkeeper and defenders with the aim of maintaining possession, drawing out the opposition, and creating space for attacking opportunities.

Overloads: Creating numerical advantages in certain areas of the pitch, often by having multiple players in close proximity, to overwhelm the opposition and break down their defensive structure.

Verticality: A focus on direct and purposeful forward passing, aiming to progress the ball quickly up the pitch and exploit gaps in the opposition’s defence.

Interchangeability: Encouraging players to swap positions and roles during a match to confuse the opposition and create more dynamic attacking patterns.

Ball retention: Prioritising keeping possession of the ball, often through short and accurate passing, to control the game and tire out the opposition.

Quick transitions: Rapidly switching from defence to attack (or vice versa) to exploit the opposition’s unpreparedness and create goal-scoring opportunities.

Off-the-ball movement: The movement of players without the ball to create space, drag defenders out of position, and support teammates in possession.

Creative freedom: Diniz allows his players the freedom to express themselves on the pitch, encouraging them to take risks, improvise, and harness their individual skills to create goal-scoring opportunities.

Fullbacks as attacking outlets: Diniz’s teams often rely on fullbacks to provide the width and attacking support, stretching the opposition’s defence and creating chances through overlapping runs and crosses. However, there is an argument to be made for them playing narrow too.

Versatile forward roles: Forwards are encouraged to drop deep, link up with midfielders, and create space for teammates, while also exploiting spaces and making runs behind the defence. #FM24

Building from the back

Fernando Diniz, the innovative manager of Fluminense and the Brazilian national team, is well-known for his preference to play out from the back. This approach is closely tied to his overall football philosophy, which is centred around several key principles.

First and foremost, playing out from the back allows Diniz’s team to control possession and dictate the tempo of the game. By patiently building from the back, they can establish the rhythm of play and force the opposition to adapt to their style. This method ensures that every player on the team, including the goalkeeper and defenders, is actively involved in the build-up play. As a result, technical skills, composure on the ball, and effective decision-making are promoted throughout the team.

During the build-up play, Fluminense adopts a 4-2 formation, with the goalkeeper taking on an active role. The involvement of the goalie and the two defensive midfielders is essential for gaining a numerical advantage. Two key principles in this phase are proximity and numerical superiority.

The players are constantly on the move to create ideal passing lanes, allowing the team to advance through various zones on the pitch. By having the goalkeeper and the two defensive midfielders work in close collaboration, Fluminense achieves numerical superiority through proximity. The concept of the third man is also employed during the build-up phase. Players positioned further up the pitch offer support by providing a third passing option and an outlet for moving the ball forward. It’s crucial for Fluminense to progress from the middle third to the final third while maintaining total control of possession and operating as a cohesive unit.

As the team builds from the back, they can draw the opposition forward, which in turn creates gaps and opportunities to exploit further up the pitch. This approach often leads to numerical advantages and overloads in key areas, making it easier to break down a compact defence. Additionally, playing out from the back forces the opposition to press higher up the pitch in an attempt to regain possession. Consequently, they may overcommit players and leave spaces behind, which can be exploited by Diniz’s team with quick and precise passing.

Playing out from the back is also an integral part of Diniz’s anti-positional philosophy, which emphasises fluidity and interchangeability among players. This encourages the players to adapt to different situations and move freely on the pitch, contributing to both offence and defence. This strategy enables Diniz’s team to control possession, involve all players, create space and opportunities, and promote a fluid and dynamic style of play. #FM24

Read 6 tweets

View From The Touchline

@ViewFTTouchline

Oct 25, 2023

THREAD

In this thread, I'll talk about attributes needed for a few different playstyles for #FM24 #FM24EarlyAccess

Playing Styles - The Attribute Side Of The Game

It’s not only the shape, roles and duties that you choose that determine how you can play. When creating a tactical style, you need to ensure you have players with the correct attributes to play this way.

Below is a list of attributes I look for in players if I want to create some of these styles. They're not set in stone, but remember, these are just my opinions, and this is aimed at those who might be struggling with the game or need to strip everything back because they’ve become confused.

I’ve also only broken them down to more generalised playing styles for now just to give you a general idea.

Defensive Approach

To play a defensive type of game it is important that your team is able to keep its shape at all times. This will make it hard to break down and mean you are well organised.

When playing defensive, if you don’t keep the shape it will mean you have holes in your tactics and the opposition will exploit them. Plus if you don’t keep shape then the whole philosophy is flawed, to begin with. The players must be alert for the full 90 minutes and be on the ball so to speak.

Any lapse in concentration can be very costly, especially late in games. It also requires you to get men back behind the ball. Remember also that someone defensive-minded will be less ambitious with their passing.

Technical Attributes

Tackling – This is important for all players who will be back behind the ball.

Marking – You’ll want the players to be able to pick up their man and stick with him. One slips up by not marking properly and you could start to see gaps appear in your shape.

Heading – Because you’re defensive the chances are a lot of balls over the top and crosses from the wings will be a big issue. So you’ll want the defenders to be able to cope with these. Heading across the field, in general, will be a big bonus but it’s vital for the defence to be able to deal with aerial threats.

Mental Attributes

To be able to stay focused and keep the team in shape, players need to be mentally aware of problems and potential problems. So they must have good mental attributes to excel under pressure and reduce the number of mistakes they make.

It’s no good someone being brilliant for 85 minutes of a game then having a lapse in the final 5 minutes of the game as that would undo the entire game that unfolded before. Despite how good the team may have been for the rest of the game. You need everyone to be switched on the entire game and to play as a unit.

Anticipation – Players need to be aware of the danger before it happens

Composure – The calmer the player is on the ball the less hurried his next action will be. You want people who won’t panic on the ball and give possession away cheaply. Especially when in your own half

Concentration – It’s no use having players who might switch off at any moment. You need them focused at all times.

Positioning – You want them positioned well enough to force pressure if it’s needed. This also helps the players keep the shape of the formation.

Teamwork – As the team will be playing as a defensive unit then it’s important all players are on the same page and working together while carrying out your tactical instructions.

Workrate – Players need to have a good work ethic as they’ll have lots of running to do. You need players who will work hard for the result.

Physical Attributes

Acceleration – You need people to be able to be fast over short distances to cover other players. Or for them to pick up any loose balls quickly. It will also help with getting across to mark a player or to close him down.

Balance - A player who falls over easily and isn’t on his feet is out of the game. The high balance will allow the player to turn his body more quickly.

Jumping – This will help in defensive situations.

Strength – Having a high attribute for this will ensure he can hold his own against the opposition should they get close to each other. You don’t want your players to get outmuscled and knocked off the ball.

Stamina – You’ll want players who won’t get tired after 20 minutes of a game. The higher the attribute the more they can cope with high-level physical activities.

Some might argue that other attributes should be on the list and that could possibly be the case. But for me, these are the important ones for playing defensively.

A few of you would have probably put decisions on the list and I'd agree but decisions are something you always want to be high regardless of how you set up. #FM24EarlyAccess

A Normal Approach

A normal approach is neutral and doesn’t concentrate on one aspect more than the other. It will provide the right balance between defence and attack. Meaning the players are less likely to take risks defensively or attacking. So this approach is more neutral compared to the others. That doesn’t mean it's boring, it just means it doesn’t favour anything and treats it all equally.

Technical Attributes

First Touch – You want the players to be comfortable when receiving the ball. This prevents risks if they can control the ball the first time asking.

Passing – It’s important that the players don’t take risks and lose the ball needlessly.

Tackling - The midfielders will need decent tackling so they can win the ball back and start attacks early.

Mental Attributes

Anticipation – This attribute is important for almost everything. So it’s no surprise I think it's needed here again. Much for the same reasons already mentioned further up the guide.

Aggression – Having a high attribute for this will make the player more likely to get involved in an incident and get stuck in.

Composure – The calmer the player is on the ball the less hurried his next action will be. You want people who won’t panic on the ball and give possession away cheaply.

Teamwork – It probably feels like I am repeating a lot of attributes and that would be the right assessment. But a lot of them do tie into all aspects of the game as hopefully, we are beginning to demonstrate throughout the guide.

Teamwork is important in that you want the team as a unit. So anything that requires you to work as a team and not individuals will always require a high teamwork attribute throughout the team.

Physical Attributes

Stamina – This is the only attribute I’d put for this part for the same reasons as the defensive one.

Playing a normal game means teams won’t excel at one particular area of the game. They should try to be competitive in all areas equally. #FM24EarlyAccess

Read 10 tweets

View From The Touchline

@ViewFTTouchline

Oct 9, 2023

Others are using what I've written for their own writings so I may as well get the credit it deserves right? So here is a collection of stuff I wrote about playing like Fernando Diniz and adapting his style to FM.

I. Introduction

Football has always been a game of tactics, and in recent years, the tactical prowess of certain managers has caught the attention of fans and (budding)analysts alike. One such current manager is Fernando Diniz, who has transformed Fluminense into a force to be reckoned with in Brazilian football. Diniz's distinctive tactical approach, characterised by a focus on ball possession, high pressing, and attacking flair, has not only earned him plaudits but also sparked interest in recreating his tactics in Football Manager 2023.

As a platform for experimenting with tactics and managing football clubs, Football Manager has become an essential tool for football enthusiasts who wish to test their skills and understanding of the beautiful game. In this long-form blog post, we aim to provide a comprehensive guide to understanding Fernando Diniz's tactics at Fluminense and recreating them in Football Manager 2023.

From setting up formations and player roles to adapting tactics to specific opponents and in-game scenarios, we will explore the intricacies of Diniz's tactical philosophy and demonstrate how you can implement these strategies in your own virtual football management journey. Whether you're a seasoned Football Manager veteran or a newcomer eager to learn more about the game's tactical depth, this guide will offer valuable insights and help you master the art of emulating Fernando Diniz's Fluminense tactics in Football Manager 2023.

Due to the complex strategies and systems used by Fernando Diniz, we will have to make compromises. On Football Manager we have to give players a specific role. While Fluminense do have a defined strategy it’s more loose than the match engine on Football Manager allows. This means we can’t assign multiple roles to a player, so have to choose which reflects the best of what we are trying to recreate.

For example, Ganso for Fluminense, might be an advanced playmaker, enganche and even a trequartista during certain phases of play. Real-life players fulfil many different roles depending on the phase of play, current situation, different scenarios etc. But on Football Manager we have to be more defined and select just one. Unless we change the role of the player fifty times throughout a game which is just not a realistic way of playing.

That’s why we have to compromise and focus more on the playing style of Fernando Diniz and his footballing principles. This is also why the shapes we use in Football Manager might differ from what is used in real life by Fluminense. On Football Manager the best way of replicating his 4-2-3-1 shape for example might be from a 4-1-4-1 or even a 4-3-3. These shapes might replicate how they transition or move into other shapes throughout the match much better than the 4-2-3-1 itself.

The same with the roles used in the game too. You might see someone as a deep-lying playmaker in real life but in the game, this might translate into them being a regista or roaming playmaker. Purely based on the settings the roles have. So try not to get hung up on real-life terminology and wording compared to those used in real life. More often than not, the game and real-life drastically differ in that department. All that matters is we nail down the footballing principles and create something that resembles Fernando Diniz’s Fluminense. #FM23 #FM24 #FootballManager

II. Understanding Fernando Diniz's Tactical Philosophy

Before diving into the world of Football Manager 2023, it is crucial to gain a deeper understanding of Fernando Diniz's tactical philosophy and how it has contributed to Fluminense's success. As a manager who has been influenced by the likes of Pep Guardiola and Marcelo Bielsa, Diniz places a strong emphasis on ball possession, pressing, and attacking flair. He believes that dominating possession allows his team to control the tempo of the game, while high pressing disrupts the opposition's rhythm and forces them into making errors.

When Fernando Diniz discusses his football philosophy as being "anti-positional," he is emphasising the fluidity and interchangeability of positions among his players. Rather than adhering to rigid positions or a strict formation, Diniz's approach encourages his players to be flexible, move freely, and adapt to various situations on the pitch.

This fluidity injects a level of unpredictability into the attacking play, allowing players to exploit available spaces, create overloads in certain zones, and contribute to both the offensive and defensive phases of the game. To successfully execute this approach, players must possess intelligence and good decision-making abilities, as well as an innate understanding of their teammates' movements and tendencies.

While Fernando Diniz's style of play has garnered praise for its attacking flair and entertainment value, it has also faced criticism for its defensive vulnerabilities. His teams can struggle against high-pressing, physical opponents or when facing teams that are adept at exploiting spaces left by the attacking fullbacks.

A. Influences on Diniz's tactical style

Drawing inspiration from some of the game's most innovative minds, Diniz has created a unique tactical identity that combines elements of different styles. For instance, his possession-based approach can be traced back to Guardiola's tiki-taka philosophy, while the intensity of his pressing game is reminiscent of Bielsa's high-energy tactics. By studying these influences, we can better appreciate the foundations upon which Diniz's Fluminense tactics have been built.

Fernando Diniz and Pep Guardiola are both renowned football managers, known for their innovative tactics and possession-based styles of play. While they share similarities in their footballing philosophies, there are also key differences in their tactical approaches.

Their relationship can be described as one of mutual admiration and respect. Diniz has mentioned in the past that he has been inspired by Guardiola's work, particularly at Barcelona, and admires the way Guardiola's teams control the game through possession and intricate passing. Guardiola, on the other hand, has praised Diniz's work in Brazil, acknowledging his unique style and creativity.

While both managers emphasise ball retention, high pressing, and playing out from the back, there are differences in their styles. Diniz's approach is more focused on "anti-positional" play, which encourages fluidity and interchangeability among players. This allows for greater freedom of movement and the creation of overloads in specific areas of the pitch. In contrast, Guardiola's system is more structured, with a greater emphasis on positional play and maintaining specific roles on the field.

B. Emphasis on ball possession, pressing, and attacking flair

Central to Diniz's tactical philosophy is the importance of maintaining control over the game. Ball possession, pressing, and attacking flair are three interrelated elements of a football team's tactical approach that work together to create an effective and entertaining style of play.

Ball possession: This refers to a team's ability to maintain control of the ball, using accurate and purposeful passing to dictate the tempo of the game.

A team with a high level of ball possession can wear down their opponents, force them to chase the game and create openings in their defensive structure.

Pressing: Pressing is the act of applying pressure on the opposition when they have the ball, with the goal of winning back possession as quickly as possible if you’re using a counter-press. Effective pressing can disrupt the opposition's rhythm, force mistakes, and create opportunities for quick transitions from defence to attack.

Attacking flair: Attacking flair refers to the creativity, unpredictability, and individual skill of a team's attacking players. Teams with a high level of attacking flair can create goal-scoring opportunities through inventive play, dazzling dribbling, and precise passing. This element adds excitement and entertainment value to a team's style of play, making it more difficult for opponents to defend against.

When these three elements are combined effectively, a team can dominate possession, suffocate their opponents with relentless pressing, and dazzle fans with their attacking flair. This creates a style of play that is not only successful on the pitch but also enjoyable to watch.

By dominating possession and recycling the ball effectively, Fluminense can dictate the pace and create opportunities to break down their opponents. High pressing, on the other hand, allows the team to win back possession quickly and launch counter-attacks before the opposition has a chance to regroup. This dual focus on possession and pressing is what sets Diniz's tactics apart and makes Fluminense a force to be reckoned with. Especially when you add the third element of attacking flair to the equation too.

C. Adapting tactics to suit specific opponents

Another key aspect of Diniz's tactical approach is his ability to adapt his game plan to exploit the weaknesses of each opponent. Rather than adhering to a rigid tactical system, Diniz is willing to make adjustments in order to maximize his team's chances of success. By tailoring his approach based on the strengths and vulnerabilities of the opposition, Diniz can create a game plan that is most effective for each match.

There are several reasons why this adaptation is essential:

Exploit weaknesses: By studying the opposition's tactics, Diniz can identify areas of vulnerability that his team can take advantage of. For example, if an opponent struggles to defend against fast, direct attacks, Diniz may adjust his team's strategy to focus on quick transitions and long balls.

Neutralise strengths: Adapting tactics also allows Diniz to neutralize the strengths of the opposition. If a team is particularly good at creating chances from wide areas, he may instruct his players to close down those spaces and force the opponent to play through the middle.

Flexibility: Being adaptable allows Diniz's team to be more versatile and unpredictable, making it harder for opponents to prepare for their matches. This can give his team a competitive edge and keep the opposition guessing throughout the game.

Maximize player strengths: By adapting his tactics, Diniz can ensure that his players are put in positions where their individual skills are most effective. For example, if he has a creative playmaker who excels at breaking down defences, he may alter his formation to give that player more freedom and space to operate.

Fernando Diniz adapts his tactics to suit specific opponents because it allows him to exploit weaknesses, neutralise strengths, maintain tactical flexibility, and maximise the effectiveness of his players. This approach helps his team to be more competitive and increases their chances of success in each match. This flexibility is an essential quality for any manager and is particularly important when attempting to recreate his tactics in Football Manager 2023.

D. Key components of Diniz's Fluminense tactics

At Fluminense, Fernando Diniz's tactical approach often results in a fluid formation with varying numbers of players occupying specific areas of the pitch. It's not unusual for the team to have between 4 and 7 players clustered in a particular zone at any given time. This tactic enables them to create overloads and overwhelm the opposition, making it difficult for them to defend effectively.

To achieve this, Diniz encourages his players to adopt dynamic and adaptable roles. For instance, a forward might drop deep into the midfield, a defensive midfielder could shift across to cover a different position, and a central midfielder might push further forward. This constant movement and positional interchanging create a host of different scenarios that can destabilize the opposition's defensive structure.

The number 10 plays a crucial role in Diniz's system, often operating as the chief creator and orchestrator in the attacking phase. This player is responsible for linking up play, finding pockets of space, and providing key passes to unlock the opposition's defence.

In the final third, Diniz allows his players the freedom to express themselves by dribbling and taking on their markers. By encouraging players to draw out the opposition and force them to commit to tackles, spaces can be created for teammates. Once the opposition has been drawn out of position, Fluminense players can then play simple passes to the free player, capitalising on the newly created space and potentially leading to goal-scoring opportunities.

In order to effectively implement Diniz's tactics in Football Manager 2023, it is essential to understand the key components of his system. These include the preferred formation, with full-backs playing a crucial role in providing attacking width, and a deep-lying playmaker orchestrating the midfield.

Additionally, building from the back and maintaining a high-pressing and compact defensive shape is integral to the success of Diniz's Fluminense tactics. By gaining a thorough understanding of these components, you'll be better equipped to recreate Diniz's tactical vision in your own Football Manager save. #FM23 #FM24 #FootballManager

III. Diniz’s Systems Analysis

Fernando Diniz is known for his tactical flexibility and willingness to adapt his formations to suit specific opponents and game situations. While the 4-2-3-1 formation is often regarded as his default setup, Diniz has experimented with various other formations during his time at Fluminense. He also isn’t scared to change formation several times during games either.

But before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s look at the 4-2-3-1 and try and determine what roles the players use. This will allow us to then determine the shape we use.

The 4-2-3-1 vs River Plate

If we look at the recent game(as of writing this) Fluminense had against River Plate we can see how they lined up and use that as the basis of the 4-2-3-1 we use. Focusing on a specific game, moment or passage of play is much easier to make a replication. One of the reasons is teams change all the time how they play, even subtle changes that you perhaps wouldn’t notice at first. But it all makes it less likely you can make a recreation when you have too many factors.

That’s why breaking it down into more bitesize chunks is much easier, as it allows you to replicate that moment more precisely. #FM23 #FM24 #FootballManager

Read 26 tweets

View From The Touchline

@ViewFTTouchline

Sep 15, 2023

When it comes to studying the matches and spotting potential issues and fixing them, do you need help? If so then this thread is likely for you.

We study the actual football matches and use the data to refine our tactics and spot/fix potential issues before they happen. We also look at how we can use this data to evolve our systems and improve.

This thread continues on from the one I did yesterday.

FM23: Match Analysis

Match analysis can provide a more nuanced and qualitative understanding of a match that may not be captured by purely statistical data. For example, match analysis can help to identify patterns of play, tactical decisions made by managers and players, and the overall flow of the game. It can also help to identify key moments in the match that may have had a significant impact on the outcome, such as a red card or a penalty kick.

Additionally, match analysis can provide insight into the physical and mental states of the players, which can be difficult to quantify with data alone. This can include factors such as fatigue, injuries, and psychological factors such as confidence and motivation.

Overall, match analysis can offer a more complete picture of a football match, helping to understand not only what happened on the pitch, but also why it happened and how it impacted the outcome of the game.

In Game

First up I’m going to be looking at the matches just to see if I can spot any glaring issues before using the data to delve further. There are also three things from the first article I’ll be keeping an eye on here and those are;

Not many final third passes attempted
Low shot quality
Defensive actions

The first two are likely issues, we determined that in the first article. The third one is a non-issue but just want to double-check. #FM23 #FootballManager

FM23: Match Analysis – Final Third Creativity

Since we’ve switched to the possession-based system, we have favoured possession above all else. The main aim was to keep the ball as long as we could while maintaining a large number of passes. We’ve achieved that here but when watching games, it feels like we are lacking that creative spark in the final third.

For chances created, we are all the way down to 13th in the table, which could be quite telling, especially based on the “feeling” I have when watching games.

As we can see here, for the final third passes we seem to be quite high with being 3rd on the table. What is interesting here is we are high for final third passes yet low for chances created. This seems to suggest that we are prioritising passing the ball over being creative with it. This could be down to a number of factors.

Perhaps it’s down to the players being unable to create chances and the players are poorer than I realise. It is possible, after all, I am attributeless. Let’s take a look; #FM23 #FootballManager

For open-play key passes per 90, our central midfielder on support duty is ranked 4th. Which is pretty good considering.

Our advanced playmaker is ranked 15th for key passes per 90. Again this is decent for my side and where we are but still far behind a lot of other teams. A few of the teams have multiple players here, something I was hoping we would have. But this is likely part of the problem too that we are having. So far we seem reliant on specific players when I need other players on the side to help with the burden too. #FM23 #Footballmanager

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View From The Touchline

@ViewFTTouchline

Aug 24, 2023

Thread

In today's thread, we look at some match analysis that focuses on what the players are actually doing with the roles and settings they have.

Be sure to check out the past few day's threads in our highlights, if you want to know more information about the system itself.

Match Analysis

Now we have a general idea of how the season went and what players offered to the side statistically, it’s time to delve into the actual tactic and look at its functionality.

This time I’m going to start from the front backwards though as I believe to fully understand the system we use, we have to start there to demonstrate just how important the deeper players are. #FM23

Strike Partnerships

The strike partnerships are a very interesting part of the tactic and I’m also going to include the mezzala as one of the strikers too due to what he does and the style of play he’s adopted. Let’s look at the deep-lying forward and see just why I labelled him as the most important player, in the final third.

This role is all about the link-up play and its primary goal is to provide a link between the midfield and attack. It can be a very creative role and is often used when you lack bodies in and around the attacking midfield areas of the pitch.

The deep-lying forward will look to drop into this space and provide a link as well as looking to create chances for their teammates. You should expect him to be more focused on creating for others than scoring but that’s not to say he can’t score lots of goals.

In any two-man formation, you’d look to use this role if you had him partnered with someone more attack-minded like an advanced forward or poacher. It’s very rare in a two-man striker formation where this role is used that the second striker would be anything other than an attack-minded one.

The only time he would be played alongside another deep creative type of striker would be if you were creating something specific or looking to use strikers but give off the effect of playing strikerless.

It could also be used if you had a rampaging central or attacking midfielder like a mezzala or shadow striker. It even works if you want to create a goal threat from wide like an inside forward.

The main factor to consider when using the deep-lying forward role is, who are the support players going to be and who are getting beyond him to be a goal threat, as you will need those types of players to play off the deep-lying forward.

This role comes with two duties;

Support - On this duty, the player will have these instructions active, hold up the ball and more risky passes. With this duty, the player will be responsible for dropping deep and linking play. They can and will score goals but creating and playing others in is more the focus and aim of the support duty.

You can expect to see them dropping off into little pockets of space and roaming around looking for the space. They’ll look to spray passes out wide or to the oncoming players who are looking to go beyond him into more dangerous positions.

Attack – With this duty the player has three player instructions: hold up the ball, get further forward and move into channels. On this duty, the player won’t drop as deep as the support one and he will also be slightly more greedy in terms of taking shots or having chances himself.

He will still do the above but he’ll do them from areas slightly higher upfield and might be slightly more biased and selfish towards taking shots and being a goal threat compared to the support duty.

Those are the basics of the role that should give you an understanding of how the role functions and what to expect.

The shape you use will also impact how the role functions, as will the roles and duties used around him and in the setup generally. For example, a deep-lying forward as a lone striker will act a lot differently than in a system that uses two strikers.

The reasons for this are due to what the player actually does during the game and the space he’ll be dropping off into as well as the space he will be running into. The dynamics are vastly different when you add someone else into the mix alongside him or even just behind him from the attacking midfield position.

We also then have the player's attributes, which determine how he will interpret the role himself. There are also player traits to take into consideration too.

Lots of people think that a player must have ideal attributes to play roles and be successful in them but that’s not true. A player with a different attribute set will still be able to play the role and do well but how he plays the role will be a very different interpretation.

I find myself saying one sentence quite regularly in comments on the blog and when replying to people on the SI forums. That sentence is - Any player can play any role, the only thing that differs is how he interprets that role. I think a few people forget this at times. #fm23

In this example, we can see exactly what the deep-lying forward can offer us. We see that the anchor is in possession of the ball and is about to pass it to the central defender. The central defender can move forward with the ball at his feet.

All the time this is happening, the deep-lying forward is drifting around in the area that is circled. He’s roaming around constantly looking to find space where he can then involve himself in the play.

While this is happening, his strike partners have already begun to move forward. They both have two different running paths they can take, depending on how and when the ball is played to them. #FM23

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