Since Football Manager originated in 2004, Sports Interactive’s series has gone from strength to strength to the point where it’s now one of the biggest names in both the sport and management genres. Football Manager 21 has continued the series’ impressive consistency, exemplified by its 85 Metascore that made it the review aggregator’s fourth highest-rated sports game in 2020.
The series’ rise in prominence has resulted in numerous new players giving the games a try, despite not being too knowledgable about the sport. For those that either want to try or already own the latest Football Manager game but aren’t sure about what formations and tactics to use, this list will provide ten reliable styles that are tried and tested in both the game and real-life.
NOTE: To get the most out of this list and your team, it’s best to use the player roles and specific team instructions listed as a general guide that should be tweaked and altered depending on the individual players’ strengths and weaknesses in your team.
10 442 – Wide
The most universally known formation in the sport’s history, the 442 formation was used by the vast majority of teams for multiple decades, following the introduction of the offside rule in 1883. The main benefit of the formation is that it’s very well balanced, giving teams two banks of four in defense and two out and out strikers in attack. However, teams using the formation today are few and far between, as it can often leave them vulnerable in the center of the pitch.
To ensure that your team doesn’t suffer from this issue, it’s best to instruct the team to defend narrowly to ensure that the side doesn’t get overrun by teams with a three-man midfield. To expand on this, it may be best to take Diego Simeone’s approach of changing the wingers pictured above to wide midfielders and instructing them to be more narrow.
9 442 – Diamond
An easy way to solve the central issues of the 442 wide formation is to simply swap the wingers for more central players. The 442 diamond was frequently used by AC Milan during their glory years, as it can make teams with great technical players dominant in the center of the pitch.
However, the issue with the 442 Diamond is clear to see; it harms the team’s attacking output on the wings. To compensate for this, it’s best to employ wing backs who have fantastic stamina levels and crossing capabilities in hopes that they can single-handedly control the team’s wide play. It may also be worth instructing the forward players to play as wider, split-strikers, offering further presence on the wings.
8 4411
A formation that tries to implement the best of both worlds from the previous two entries is the 4411. The 4411 sacrifices a striker but bolsters up the center of the pitch, which will help the team defensively, and help link the attacking phases of play.
The formation pictured above, as well as the first 442 image, presents a lopsided attack. This is generally a good idea for teams playing with two banks of four as it creates a defensive two banks of three when the attacking players push forward.
7 4231 – Defensive
The 4231 formation is one of the most commonly used today; Manchester United, Manchester City, and Arsenal have all used the shape multiple times this season. The shape can offer great fluidity, as the two central midfielders (who can also be defensive midfielders) offer solid defensive coverage in the center as the wide players push forward.
The above image shows a more defensive iteration of the formation, commonly used throughout José Mourinho’s career. In this style, the wingers are expected to offer plenty of defensive covers alongside their offensive duties. However, if things get too stale in attack, it may be worth changing one of them to an Inside forward like Mourinho currently does with Son.
6 4231 – Offensive
On the flip side of the previous entry, the 4231 can be one of the most attacking formations used today. By changing the wingers’ roles to inside forwards and full-backs to wing backs, the team can be devastating in the pitch’s wide areas.
To help the team’s defensive duties with this ultra-attacking approach, it’s best to build a team that can counter-press with great intensity in hopes that the players will prevent opposition counterattacks by swiftly winning the ball back. Moreover, it may be worth instructing players to tackle hard so that they’ll take a yellow card to stop a counter.
5 433 – Inverted Full Backs
Frequently used by Manchester City during their 100 point season in 2017/18, this formation manages to be just as offensive, if not more so than the 4231 shown above. Much like the previous entry, it’s essential to adopt a counter-pressing style of defense to prevent the team from being hit on the counter. The idea of “taking a yellow card to stop a counter” mentioned in the previous entry was frequently adopted by Pep Guardiola’s City side during their 100 point season, predominantly through the Brazilian defensive midfielder Fernandinho.
To compensate for the two advanced playmakers in the center of this pitch, Pep’s City team, and many others who adopt this style, utilize inverted wing backs to provide more coverage in the center of the pitch. Depending on your players, it may be worth swapping the inside forward roles to wingers, something that Pep Guardiola did when Leroy Sané played.
4 433 – Attacking Fullbacks
From a formation similar to the one that earned Manchester City 100 points to one similar to Liverpool’s style in their 99 points tally last season. The formation differentiates itself from the previous 433 style with the central midfielders and full-backs.
Whereas the previous side got its creativity from the central advanced playmakers, this side gets it through the attacking wing-backs. To compensate for the attacking output of the wide players, it’s best to give the central midfielders more reserved duties.
3 532
Playing with five at the back (or three at the back, as some people call it) isn’t common, though each league usually has one or two teams doing it. The style is synonymous with Antonio Conte, who has won multiple league titles with the formation throughout his career and may do so again with Inter Milan this season.
The benefit of playing with five at the back is that it allowed teams to have two or three attacking players who don’t need to have too many defensive duties and can predominantly focus on their offense due to the numerous defensive players behind them. The 523 has great coverage in the center of the pitch, with the most central defender operating in a Libero role that lets them push forward, consequently allowing the two Box To Box midfielders to get into dangerous positions.
2 523
Whereas the previous formation is geared towards an attack in the center, the 523 shape gets its attacking output on the wings. The formation was commonly used by Antonio Conte during his title-winning season at Chelsea, thanks to the excellent wide players that the team possessed like Eden Hazard.
The Libero role is optional in the previous formation, though it is almost essential in this one to provide better coverage in the center. It’s also best to give the striker a support role so that they can provide assistance in both the offensive and defensive phases of play.
1 5212
The 5212 shape will likely spring memories of England during the 2018 World Cup for anyone who remembers the national team’s road to the tournament’s semi-finals. The shape provides extra coverage in the midfield center with the attacking midfielder, a role played by Jesse Lingard in the World Cup, due to his energizing speed that helped the team both offensively and defensively.
For teams that want to play out of the back, it’s essential to employ a goalkeeper and defenders who are comfortable on the ball, as the rest of the players being so spaced out could result in a turnover of possession if the defensive players have poor passing attributes.
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