Alright, lads, let's dive into my go-to 4-1-4-1 custom tactics. We'll break down the defensive setup, line depth, player roles, and then we'll get into some gameplay examples, followed by the pros and cons of this formation. Let's get it!
Defensive Setup and Build-Up Play
First up, the tactics, lads! We're starting with the build-up style, which is balanced. I'm a fan of short passing. If you're struggling to find those passes this year, or if you're not the best at using the bumpers to call players short, then short passing might be your best bet. But if you're fairly comfortable, balanced is definitely the way to go.
For the defensive line depth, we're playing at 75. We're looking to press a lot. Some people are playing at 95 right now, but that's not really my style. At 75, you get a good balance between pressing high and not overcommitting.
Player Roles
Now, let's get into the player roles. Make sure you leave a comment if you use these custom tactics and what you think about this new style of video. I'm thinking about doing more tactical analysis, like how a formation attacks, how it defends, the pros and cons, and so on, with gameplay clips at the end. If you enjoy that, let me know in the comments!
- Goalkeeper: Sweeper and Balanced. As always, use whatever you're most comfortable with. If your keeper has a specific trait like "Goalkeeper Plus" or "Sweeper Plus," use it!
- Center Backs: Defender and Defend. Simple as that. Just make sure you're doing that: Defender and Defend. Having a left-footed center back is also really nice because passing out to the left with a left-footed center back just makes your life a lot easier.
- Fullbacks: Both on Fullback and Balanced. As you can see from the activity map, they sit a little bit higher. This formation was built to counter the 4-2-1-3. When you have the fullbacks on balanced, they'll step forward a bit, so they're either right up the backside or in front of the winger when people are using the 4-2-1-3. You'll find it a lot easier to take the ball off them, especially when they're rushing.
- CDM: Playmaker and Defend. You can see he'll kind of hover in this area. He's going to act like a CDM, but I think the way the Deep Lying Playmaker works, the movement is a lot better versus a holding CDM, especially in this position. They show for feet, especially when you've got people that use 95 depth.
- Left Center Mid: Holding and Defend. We don't want him pushing too far forward. I recommend you have players that can pass, shoot, and do a bit of everything in these center mid positions because they are going to get chances to score.
- Right Center Mid: Box to Box. She does get back on defense, which is nice, especially when you're trying to avoid those counters. If they don't have Relentless or Relentless Plus, you're going to need to have a substitute in this position because they will get quite tired. Making the most of your subs is important.
- Left Mid and Right Mid: Both on Inside Forward and Balanced. I've played with attacking, but I prefer balanced because they get back a bit nicer. When you dispossess someone using the 4-2-1-3, these players are going to be open nine times out of ten. You're always going to have an outlet because the way the 4-2-1-3 defends is heavy through the middle, but on the flanks, it's a lot easier to attack. This formation with a flat midfield and the left and right mids will give you a lot of benefits when playing against a 4-2-1-3.
- Striker: Advanced Forward and Support. I like the support mainly because they drop back as well, help out, and show their feet for passing. I do recommend you have someone with a finesse shot because it's going to give you that extra ability to just snappy fire one into the top corner if you get a half chance.
Pros and Cons
Now, let's dive into the pros and cons.
Pros
- Slow Build-Up: It's great if you're looking for a slow build. You get a lot of options in midfield, especially when playing against a 4-2-1-3. You'll be able to overload that midfield and find a passing option.
- Passing Options: With any formation that has left or right mids against the 4-2-1-3, you're going to have a lot of passing options, which is good.
- Goal Scoring: You get goals from everywhere. You're getting goals from your left mid, your right mid, your striker, and from midfield as well. It adds that level of unpredictability to your team.
- CDM: Having a CDM is important, especially if you're not too comfortable with defending. The way we've got it set up, the CDM isn't just defending; he's a deep-lying playmaker, creating chances going forward.
- Stamina: The formation itself doesn't kill your stamina. The only thing you need to be aware of is the fullbacks. If they don't have Relentless, you'll need to replace them.
- Defensive Cover: You've got great cover out wide with this formation. When defending those counterattacks versus the 4-2-1-3, your fullbacks are set high, and you've got the left and right mids dropping in, cutting out those passing lanes.
- CDM vs. CAM: The CDM will always sit pretty much on top of the CAM when they're using a 4-2-1-3, so they haven't got that quick, easy pass into the CAM to try and break you down.
- Overall: It's a great formation if you've tried the 4-4-1-1 but didn't like it because you found it was too frail in terms of the midfield and defense.
Cons
- One CDM: You can find that the midfield gets overloaded quite easily, especially if you give the ball away in silly areas.
- Quick Counters: The formation isn't ideal for quick counters because your left and right mids aren't wingers. Their starting position is a bit deeper, which I prefer for the build-up.