Now don’t expect a revolution here – There’s no overlapping centrebacks, Raumdeuters or Segundo Volantes. This is Tier 6 Scottish Football. KISS.
4-1-4-1 DM Wide Control. Our default tactic. A minimum of instructions, but Short Passing (As we are a pretty decent passing side), Play Out Of Defence (Slows the game a bit) Work Ball Into the Box (As our Long Shots are pretty poor), Counter Press (Might be a bit OP but as a rule I’d always want my teams to rush the opposition into errors, and we’ve got a decent level of Natural Fitness in the squad), Distribute short to the Full Backs, again slowing the temp a bit, with Higher Lines, all with a Positive Mentality. I have found in pre-season this gives a good level of chance creation, all whilst only having one Attack Duty in the team (Poacher). We can go more attcking by having Wingers going to Attack or Wing Backs, and Johnny Devers/David Churchill are Natural Attacking Centre Mids, but I prefer the Mezzala/DLP combo with the BWM S DM to start. I can also have Devers go Advanced Playmaker and McVitie come in as the BWM on Defend, with the DM going to Anchor Man or plain DM.
4-1-4-1 DM Wide Fluid Counter on Cautious. For games where we are underdogs. Counter using our pace, use normal passing and Pass Into Space for Hainey to run onto the ball and hopefully nick a goal or two, Wing Backs sit on defend duty, DM plays as a BWM on defend and a generic CM on Attack for those quick breaks. Defend Narrower to try and squeeze the opposition – I also have my WB’s set to mark the AMR/L to try and stop the all-too-often-this-year-unmarked-wingers/IF’s-getting-uncontested-tap-ins (Not bitter at all about them………..). We’ve also got Get Stuck In on to try and ruffle the feathers of the Divas playing in Ladbrokes League 2 in the cup (Or Celtic at their’s, we can dream). Playing normal lines here as well as our Defence is pretty good (Don’t want to drop too deep)
4-2-3-1 Wide Gegenpress on Positive – Mainly for where we are clear favourites, attacking Wingbacks, Attacking Mid as a Shadow Striker/Advanced Playmaker, Box-to-Box and BWM on Defend. Basically Foot-on-the-Jugular football.
Set Pieces – Our best Corner & Free Kick and Penalty takers have 7 attributes, hence no Play for Set Piece Instructions. However we do have Big Kev (6″ 4′, 13 Heading, & Jumping Reach) who will Mark Tall Player in Defence & be a handful in attacking positions. Our defensive corner set-up (Same Left & Right) looks like this
The other two best in the air can man mark, The little wing-backs on the posts, Mair on the edge of the area to feed off the clearances with Faye & Hainey up top tieing up 3 defenders hopefully – If they go man for man more fool them. Defending free-kicks is very similar. I go for 4 in the wall Direct, 2 at other times, 2 left up the pitch. Attacking-wise I’m quite risk-averse, so it looks like this:
Leaving 3 back to stop/ameliorate any break potential I have Big Kev steaming in from the edge of the area a la Razor Ruddock in his prime, Clappers lurking outside the area with his 8 Long Shots, Hainey attacking the far post with the little fellas all disrupting their hearts out. With attacking free kicks its the same, Kev running if from the edge for the Indirect Wide/Deeper FK’s, Hainey attacking the Far Post, Clappers waiting for a 25 yard screamer possibility.
Funnily my best Long Throw taker has a 7, so I’ve not specified anything for them. In the next post we will take a look at our pre-season results.