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Spades 4-5-1 Gegenpress / Won the PL with Wolves, no transfers

A gung-ho tactic that I came up with using Spades as a shape. The tactic creates an overload on the wings and often have 5 to 6 men in the opponent's goal area.

By on Jan 21, 2025   7561 views   0 comments
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Downloads: 1397 / Size: 42.5 kB / Added: 2025-01-21
Football Manager 2024 Tactics - Spades 4-5-1 Gegenpress / Won the PL with Wolves, no transfers
For several years I've been somewhat obsessed with making a viable tactic in FM with the figure of spades as a challenge. This year I decided to try creating a plug and play tactic for the first time and to my surprise it went very well. Wolves won the PL and Bayern München won every possible title, including the Champions League!

First and foremost, I set myself rules for this challenge:

- No transfers.
- Only use defensive versions of this tactic if one of the players is sent off (which was very rare).

I felt I had to go down this route, however unreasonable it might have been in the circumstances of the game, because it was the only way to prove that the tactic demonstrates consistency in success.

At the first attempt I took charge of Wolves and won the Premier League, focusing only on the league due to the lack of depth in the squad to play in the two cups (I literally played with the B/C team).

In the second attempt I tried to see how far I could go with an elite team and I smashed the league with 116 goals scored and won every possible title, including the Champions League final where I beat Liverpool 5-2.

You will from time to time be exposed, but it's important to have very pacey wingbacks and with high dribbling if you want to make the best out of this tactic both offensively and defensively.

So, let's start with the necessary knowledge to make this tactic work properly.



ROLES

It's important to note that Work Rate and First Touch are general important attributes for this tactic.

BCD: Some level of pace is important, especially higher than 13 but some slow CBs can get the job done if it's against opposition you're meant to dominate.
Good passing is a bonus.

A: Anchor needs good passing and tackling.

WB: Likely the key role in this tactic. Lots of pace and dribbling are needed.

IW: High dribbling required.

AM: Creative midfielders for the most part, if they have the pace, then it can be a huge bonus. They are often leading the spear in counters. You can absolutely adapt false 9s in this role.

DLF: First touch and passing, and frankly height is also important in this case for set pieces and the occasional floating cross to the area. He will often drop low to play combinations with the IWs while the AMs and WBs are overlapping.

What is requested of you as a coach

Make sure to reinforce 2 or 3 extra players in your squad as well as adapting player roles to fit this tactic While you can work in creating a versatile squad, it's much harder on depth front.

Watch out for your training calendar, this tactic demands a lot of the players phisically. Same about medical department. I reccomend Mike's Schedule Units and make few minor tweaks along your journey. I was forced to go with heavy rotation throughout the season by following the No Transfer rule that I set to myself. This tactic does not create extra pressure to you as a coach on the injuries front as expected if you're extra careful on this front.

Make the best out of corners since you'll have plenty. Both Wolves and Bayern were tied up with 2nd place for most corners scored, so it is hardly OP if you use Zealand's corner routine, but it can create danger out of set pieces as you will win a lot of 2nd balls outside of the goal area.

Learn how to speak to players to motivate them. There are useful guides out there, it still plays a big role in the game and I am quite experienced in this regard. If you struggle then at the very least make sure to have high mental stats as a coach.

Just keep in mind that these type of instructions are useful to switch the order of events in a match. If your opponent had 3 to 4 attempts in a row and your team has created nothing while playing away after 15 to 20 mins, you need to motivate your team (if underdog then "Encourage" and if elite then "Demand More"). How you do it is related to how much your team is favourite for that match and if you're playing Home or Away. Just keep in mind as well in using i at the final minutes of every half to avoid getting those dreadful last minute goals.



Last but not least, make sure to use this defensive tactical version to when you want to be more defensive and secure a result, while still attacking.

Spades Defensive

And when you want to absolutely defend in the last minutes of a match that is critical for you.

Spades Ultra Defensive

That's it! I hope you enjoy this tactic.

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Downloads: 1397 / Size: 42.5 kB / Added: 2025-01-21
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