4321 Custom Tactics

The 4321 is a formation that FUTWIZ Pro Mark11 had great success with last year, and this year he has continued to use this formation.

Here are the custom tactics, along with a brief explanation of why he recommends them. Additionally, there will be an overview of the types of players you should consider for each position.

Defence

• Defensive Style: Balanced
• Width: 32
• Depth: 72

Offence

• Build Up Play: Balanced
• Chance Creation: Direct Passing
• Width: 32
• Players in the Box: 5
• Corners: 3
• Free Kicks: 1

A little bit about these tactics, currently any depth above 71 will activate an auto press and auto offside trap, so having a depth this high is very good for a natural press, however as mentioned it can make you susceptible to through balls as the defensive line is naturally higher up the pitch.

Mark says that “if you are struggling to defend with a high line, I would suggest putting the depth down to 60”

Regarding Corners, these are at 3 because Mark believes that “these are very OP”, however you can have these on whatever setting suits you best, If you often find yourself being countered off of set pieces it might be worth dropping these down a bit.

Player Instructions
These are the player instructions which Mark recommends:

• GK - Default
• CBs - Default
• LB - Balanced, Overlap
• RB - Stay Back While Attacking, Overlap
• RCM - Default
• CM - Stay Back, Cover Center
• LCM - Stay Back, Cover Center
• LF - Stay Central, Get in Behind, Come back on Defence
• ST - Stay Central, Get in Behind
• RF - Stay Central, Get in Behind

>A short explanation as to the reasons behind these instructions is as follows:

The way in which this formation is setup allows it to attack in a 4321 with an overlapping left back and when defending it will defend in a 442, meaning the RCM moves into the RM position and the LF moves into the LM position when defending.

As mentioned, when attacking the left back will naturally overlap and give you an extra pass and the reason this is so effective is that the overload down the wing makes it difficult for the AI to defend meaning usually the overlapping fullback is unmarked which is key when building attacks.

Also when attacking the RCM will make late runs into the box, this also causes an overload in the opponents box giving you plenty of passing options.

Regarding defending, the CM and LCM operate as the defensive minded center midfielders as they are both set to stay back and cover center.

Players to Use
This is the team Mark has been using with this formation and instructions, this is how it lines up in game.

In order to help you build your team, these are the types of players you should be looking to fill these positions with:

• GK - Any goalkeeper is fine, most goalkeepers will be used for links.
• CB - Due to the depth being 72, you will want defenders who have that extra bit of pace as the team will likely be squeezing up towards the halfway line and are vulnerable to through balls.
• LB - This is the overlapping fullback, meaning they will need to be quick, but not only that they will need to have good attacking attributes too as they will be contributing to your attacks a lot.
• RB - This is your stay back fullback, they simply have to be quick and good at defending, the reason for the high pace requirement is again due to the high defensive line.
• RCM - Here you will want a CM who is good offensively as they will be contributing a lot to attacks, so ensure this player is good on the ball and has good passing and shooting.
• CM/LCM - These two players are going to be your more defensive focused CMs so these need to be able to defend well. These do not have to be outright CDMs, they can be a more balanced CM as long as they have a decent amount of defensive capabilities.
• LF - This player has defensive responsibilities as they will move into the LM position when transitioning into defence, however you do not need them to have high defending or physical, simply good pace is enough, you want all of your attackers to be able to score and create chances that is the focus and priority here.
• ST/RF - These two players are the goal scorers, these are the ones who are going to be creating and scoring chances. As they are both set to get in behind, it is recommended that they are quick, so ideally you want players who are quick with good dribbling and shooting so they can get those all important goals.

This tactic will take a few games to master and really understand the attacking patterns, but once you do you will see just how dangerous this formation is in attack.