Alright, let's dive into this 5-2-1-2 tactic, guys. I'm going to break down the custom tactics, show you some gameplay examples, and give you my honest opinion on whether it's Weekend League-worthy. Let's get straight into it!
Formation and Build-Up
First things first, we're going with the 5-2-1-2 formation. For the build-up play, we're using "Counter" to quickly transition from defense to attack. The defensive approach is set to "High" with a line of 70. This is all about getting that high press going and squeezing the opponent.
Player Roles
Now, let's talk player roles. This is where we really start to customize things.
- Goalkeeper: I've got Kang-in Lee, who has the Sweeper Keeper Plus+ playstyle. We're definitely making use of that, combined with the "Rush Out" playstyle. So, he's on "Sweeper Keeper" and "Balanced."
- Center Backs: The other center backs are set to "Defender" and "Defend." I'm not a huge fan of "Stopper" because you can get caught out over the top. "Defender" is a bit lower risk and gives you more control.
- Wing Backs: The left and right backs are the attackers in this formation. They're on "Attacking Wing Back." Think of them like Grimaldo and Frimpong in real life. We're not putting the focus on attack, though; we're keeping them on "Balanced" so they're back defending as well.
- Center Midfielders: Both center mids are on "Box to Box." You need them to defend and attack because three guys in the middle isn't enough. They need to join the attack and be there in defense to act like defensive midfielders.
- CAM: Our CAM is on "Playmaker" and "Balanced." Honestly, I'm still figuring out the best setting there, but "Playmaker" seems to be the best based on what I've seen.
- Strikers: Both strikers are on "Advanced Forward" and "Attack." That's just the best for me. I haven't really tried the other options, but I see all the pros using "Advanced Forward," so I might as well copy them, you know?
Now that we've covered all the tactics, let's get straight into the gameplay examples.
Attacking Examples
Let's start with some attacking examples.
- Example 1: This is a long attack to show you exactly what you want to do. Theo, our attacking wing back, gets the L1 command, so he continues his run. We take up space with him, keeping our opponent's right back guessing. We find the passes inside, and then quick combination play with Mbappe and Vini. Pay to win, I know, but you can do this with any team; it's more about the thought process. Build up from the back, get Theo Hernandez involved, and secure the depth in this formation. After that, it's just a matter of picking out the right passes.
- Example 2: Vini and our midfielders are on "Box to Box." Val gets involved and has the space. Don't be afraid to shoot with your midfielders because the through ball is a very good way to finish or get a long shot in from distance. We keep dribbling with Vini to pull players out of the middle, and then we find V totally free because he committed already, and there's space for a long shot. This year, unfortunately, it's not always possible to score the perfect goal by just passing, so you've got to take those long shots at the right time.
- Example 3: Build up from the back. You see Yur running, we find him with the "Whipped Pass Plus" playstyle, which is very effective this year. Look to Mbappe, and then we need a moment of brilliance. The build-up is the most important part. We send Loro Nan with the L1 button, then pass it to the person with the best long balls on our team, Patri, and we find Dor in the end. We're already like 50 yards up the pitch instead of passing it with short passes.
- Example 4: Build from the back. See Theo running again; it's a common theme. Finding him with the "Long Ball Plus" is a common theme in our attacks. Then, the inside moment of brilliance from Vini and a goal. Theo gets the L1 pass, then we search for pass three to give that over-the-top through ball. We find Theo, and then it's just so easy because there's so much space, and we stay composed for the finish.
Enough attacking clips; let's get over to the defensive clips now.
Defensive Examples
Alright, let's talk defense.
- Example 1: You play a five-back, so you want to keep that line of five and the midfielders in front. Midfielders running back, and the left back is closing in. You want to keep it as compact as possible, just like in real life. If you recognize a position where your opponent has no wingers, and he's trying to go through the middle, just take your left back or right back and pull them inside to make it even more compact.
- Example 2: He's building up from the back. Theo is gone because we counter. Give him time to run back, so run back with your other players, let him get into position, and then, if you see, we close the passing with Y, forcing him to play forward where F is, and then we recover the ball. What we did well in this clip is every time he gets the ball, we cut out the most important passing lanes, forcing him to go back or take a sideways pass, and then, in the end, being a bit more aggressive, covering off the passing lanes again with Yente, and then forcing him into a pass forward where Fa is, and we recovered.
- Example 3: He's on the wing. You see that Patri is there, but we want him in position, so we run everyone into position, stay focused, just let him make the decision, and we get the ball off him. What's important in this clip is that you don't be so aggressive, for example, with a Kaliba or a center back. Just take your midfielder, keep him there on the wing until your left back gets into position.
- Example 4: He's building up from the back again, obviously trying to apply pressure with the strikers and midfielders. He switches the play well, done with him. What you want to do now is don't be too aggressive with the center back, run back your midfielder. Then, we're still being aggressive with the center back. You can see the mistake we make there when we are being aggressive. There's still time to recover, so we take off a Verda and cover up the space we gave up with Rudiger to prevent him from sprint-booting through it. As you can see, being aggressive is something you could get punished for, but when you calmly run back your players, keep everyone in position, it's very, very easy to defend.
Final Thoughts
So, guys, that was it for the 5-2-1-2. I also said I was going to give my opinion. I play Weekend League with it. It's a very, very good formation, especially when you want to play through the middle. Wing backs, you got to get them involved as well. The only thing you have to watch out for is that it's obviously very narrow, but also in defense, which means that your opponent probably has a lot of time and space on the wing. If you don't really like that, maybe you should go into a more wide formation like a 4-4-2, 4-5-1, stuff like that. But if you have no problems with that, then 5-2-1-2 is an extremely viable formation, which is played by many pros, so don't be scared to use it, apart from against me, obviously, because I don't want to face a five-back.