Dictate The Game

It looks like you’ve got enough men back. The next thing you know, someone ends up ghosting behind your flabbergasted defence. Your first instinct is to blame your players, but the game’s animation often makes players look slower, or less alert, than they actually are. High line in FM19 Your next instinct might be to change your centre-backs; either in personnel or roles. Nothing wrong with this at all. That said, without suitable protection, isolated centre-backs in a high line…

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I’ve always had the same problem on Football Manager. My teams either don’t create many chances, and rely on long-range shots, or become exposed to counter-attacks. And I’m supposed to be good at this game. 4-4-2 Diamond Narrow in FM19. Lately, I’ve been facing both of those problems.

Inverted wing-backs in FM19: what’s the point? Inverted wing-backs are often just seen as full-backs standing in central midfield. An excuse to pass sideways. An excuse to bring natural full-backs out of position. An excuse to play 20,000 bleeding passes for the sake of it! However, believe it or not, using inverted wing-backs correctly can give your side an unrivalled attacking threat. If you’re still with me, I’ll try to explain how!

When we think of the inside forward in FM19, we might imagine Messi or Neymar showing off with their fancy tricks and blasting shots home from 30 yards out. Our players probably have boots made of bin bags, so what else is this role useful for?

In a game where complicated build ups are difficult to engineer, I can see the appeal of the 4-3-3 in FM19. A traditional 4-3-3 allows you to play vertically. You can pass behind the opposition’s backline as if there’s a shining halo there; it has half a chance of reaching one of your strikers. It’s also an effective system for keeping possession. With players close to each other in a narrow formation, it’s easier for players to find their teammates…

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Should they press? Should they restrict our opponents? How do we make them calm on the ball but also make a killer pass every two touches?

Score goals while not conceding any from counter-attacks or set pieces.  Simple enough, right?