
The Philosophy
This tactic intends to have a demolishing on attack a rock solid defense and a lethal counter.A mix between the vertical tiki-taka (you will see lots of short passes and good possession that can range from 55% to 65%) and gegenpress (aggressive and urgent pressing and fast counters).
You will score slow buildup goals with underlaps, counter goals, through pass goals, direct, short...you never know. Your opponent won't too.
Also, it will be common to see the opponent team strangled inside their own box.
Initially this tactic was giving me wins of 6-1, 5-2 and so on, but I tweaked it during these 8 seasons so now the defense is much more solid although i score less goals. But don't fool yourself, big wins are still going to happen (just won 7-0 vs Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals).
This is not a match engine exploit tactic so don't expect any miracles.
I only buy players that will fit in the tactic, not the opposite. So if you don't have the right men for the roles you may not experience the same results.
In general and for any position we will want ALL players to have good Determination, Concentration, Acceleration, Pace and Stamina and Passing.

The Roles
These are the roles we're going to use. Individual instructions (besides the default role ones) will be have to be set manually.Player examples are from my 2nd Season Champions League win with Benfica.
The attributes I'm highlighting as good or required are not the only ones needed, I'll leave that for you to think about when understanding what is asked for each of this players while watching your team play.
GK - Sweeper Keeper (Attack)
The keeper will act like a sweeper to prevent attacks that may penetrate your defense from through balls. Besides the obvious ones, lookout for attributes like Passing, Decisions, Concentration and Anticipation.
Instructions to be added: None
Useful preferred moves: Avoids Using Weaker Foot
DR - Wing-Back Right (Attack)
Our Wing-backs will be very involved in the attack movement, making crosses and being involved in underlaps. Required to have Pace, Stamina, Acceleration, Tackling, Technique, Dribbling and Crossing.
Instructions to be added: Take Fewer Risks, Shoot Less Often, Stay Wider
Useful preferred moves: Knocks Ball Past Opponent, Gets Forward Whenever Possible
DL - Wing-Back Left (Attack)
Same as above.
Instructions to be added: Take Fewer Risks, Shoot Less Often, Stay Wider
Useful preferred moves: Knocks Ball Past Opponent, Gets Forward Whenever Possible
DC - Ball Playing Defender (Defend)
For our playing style it's very important these players to have lots of Pace and Acceleration (both 15 or above) to recover and catch the attacker that's running from a through ball. Other important attributes are Passing (above 13) since he will be making some long passes from time to time, Concentration, Anticipation, Decisions and Positioning are also required.
Instructions to be added: None
Useful preferred moves: Marks Opponent Tightly, Stays Back At All Times, Refrains From Taking Long Shots, Brings Ball Out of Defense
DC - Ball Playing Defender (Defend)
Same as above.
Instructions to be added: None
DM - Deep Lying Playmaker (Defend)
This player is very important and all the phases of the game. He will act as a pendulum of your team when attacking or defending. We don't want a big guy that can only tackle, we want someone that can defend but also make plays and makes the ball go around the pitch. Requires good Passing, some Tackling (13, 14 or above), Positioning, Vision, Teamwork and First Touch. Sandro Tonali is a great example of what we're trying to achieve here.
Instructions to be added: None
Useful preferred moves: Tries Killer Balls Often, Dictates Tempo, Does Not Dive Into Tackles, Tries Long Range Passes
MCL - Advanced Playmaker (Attack)
The Advanced Playmaker will be the main creative, the guy with the 10 on his back. Required to have good Dribbling, Passing, Technique, Vision and First Touch.
Instructions to be added: None
Useful preferred moves: Tries Killer Balls Often, Plays One-Twos, Tries Long Range Passes
MCR - Box to Box Midfielder (Support)
This guy will cover the whole pitch, role is pretty self explanatory. Requires good Pace, Stamina, Balance, Passing, First Touch, Work Rate, Tackling and Technique.
Instructions to be added: Shoot Less Often
Useful preferred moves: Gets Into Opposition Area, Plays One-Twos
AMR - Inside Forward (Support)
The inside forward are the guys that will tear the opposite defenses apart. Lots of assists, and goals scored from cutting inside or from the crosses that come from the other side. Required to have good Dribbling, Finishing, First Touch, Technique, Passing, Crossing (not super important, it's ok if he only has like 13 or 14), Flair. Composure and Vision are a Plus. And of course, Pace and Acceleration.
Instructions to be added: More Direct Passes, Shoot Less Often
Useful preferred moves: Cuts Inside From the Right Wing
AML - Inside Forward (Support)
Same as above.
Instructions to be added: More Direct Passes, Shoot Less Often
Useful preferred moves: Cuts Inside From the Left Wing
ST - Complete Forward (Attack)
We need a well rounded ST since this guy will be involved in the attack in all sorts of ways. No point in having someone with 19 heading and then only 10 on Technique or Passing. Besides the ones mentioned we want good physical attributes and good Finishing, Off the Ball and Anticipation. First Touch also important.
Instructions to be added: Shoot More Often
Results


Achievements during 9 Seasons
- 6 Champions League- 3 Fifa Club World Cup
- 8 Portuguese Liga NOS Champion
- 7 Supercup Taça Cândido Oliveira
- 3 Taça de Portugal
- 4 Allianz Cup
- 109 matches without losing
- 4 unbeaten seasons
- 541 matches played: 470 wins, 43 draws, 28 loses
- Got to top 50 in Football Manager world leaderboard
And this is it!
I'll be very happy if you guys can test it on your save and tell me how it's going or/and give suggestions on how it can be improved!
Thank you for visiting and good luck my fellow managers.
Discussion: S1CKS1D3's (TOP 50 World Leaderboard) Attacking 4-1-4-1 V4
20 comments have been posted so far.
First of all thank you all for your comments, constructive criticiscm and for using my tactic, hope you enjoyed!
I will be releasing the new version for FM 20 (going to start working on it today) on the next days (V1).
I will mantain the same philosophy and adapt it the best that i can to the updated match engine of FM20.
Also will try to answear all your comments (something i forgot to do last year, sorry!) when it releases and try to use your opinions to improve it.
Thank you!
Tranmere Save; it failed miserably probably due to the lack of quality and the bet6ter teams in the league, though I didn't concede many per a game I just didn't score enough. This continued into the second season however towards the end I started winning every game. Third season I smashed the league and got promoted.
Brighton - This worked exceptionally well against the bottom half teams in the league winning comfortably every time. I struggled using this against the 'big 6' as they just had to much quality. S1 - 8th s2 - 7th and S3 - 6th.
Finally
Liverpool - Over three season I lost five games in the Prem and three in the CL. I couldn't stop scoring and conceded a very small number of goals.
Summery - The bigger and better your players (as in any game) the better this tactic works and the more rewarding it is. However as with the Tranmere save don't give up on it and it does prevail in the end.
I forgot to take screenshots of the results and teams but i'm currently using it on my new save and so far so good again!
Started with Rangers. 3 seasons all won.
Then headhunted to Man United. First season 20 matches in, no lost. The tactic is very powerfull all over the pitch.
The greatest thing with this tactic, is that your opponent do'sent scores any goals against you.
In Rangers season 3. Won 33 matches and 5 draw. Opponent only scored 5 goals.
Great defensive and great attacking
Take a Look:
https://ibb.co/j8ttCBr
https://ibb.co/mDGM1Pt
https://ibb.co/6JMR0Zq
https://ibb.co/X8Fx5gn
https://ibb.co/t3TRmnB
https://ibb.co/sRVcccV
And I'd say it is really important to have pacey center backs or you're gonna have hard times with long over-the-head passes from opposition.
The good thing is that this tactic is almost plug-and-play for AS Roma, I had to make a couple of signings only.
This is not a match engine exploit tactic so don't expect any miracles.
I only buy players that will fit in the tactic, not the opposite. So if you don't have the right men for the roles you may not experience the same results.