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OVERVIEW
Overview
This 4-3-3 Plug & Play system was built to be immediately effective without relying on holiday testing or heavy in-game micromanagement. The focus is on balance, pressing efficiency, and consistent goal output across all competitions.
Unlike most testing formats, this tactic was played manually for every single match, with the entire save livestreamed on YouTube, providing full transparency throughout the season.
Across all competitions, the system averaged over 3 goals per game and delivered a domestic treble, showcasing both attacking consistency and reliability in high-pressure fixtures.
Key Features
True plug-and-play 4-3-3 setup
Balanced pressing and defensive structure
High chance creation without extreme risk
Minimal in-game adjustments required
Designed for long-term, fully played saves
KEY PLAYER PERFORMANCE
Bryan Mbeumo was the standout performer across all competitions, thriving within the system’s attacking structure. His movement, work rate, and end product made him central to the tactic’s success, consistently contributing goals and assists throughout the campaign.
TACTIC
Testing Methodology
Testing Style: 100% manual play (no holiday)
Set pieces and training were managed in the same way I would during any of my livestream saves, with no changes made purely for testing purposes.
During testing, a small rotation of three closely related variants was used, each being a slightly tweaked version of the default tactic to account for game state and opposition. This mirrors how I naturally manage matches in long-term saves rather than relying on a single static setup. The variants are also shown in more detail in a separate video for those interested.
FINAL NOTES
I’m Josh Daly, a full-time Football Manager content creator, working with the game on a daily basis. Because this is my full-time role, I spend 12–14 hours a day on Football Manager across testing, livestream saves, tactical development, and content production.
I have 40,000+ YouTube subscribers, have worked on the FMScout YouTube channel for over two years, and currently support a community of 7,000+ Patreon members — the largest Patreon page dedicated to Football Manager content. This demonstrates the loyalty and trust people have in my work.
The tactics I share here are built and tested using the same approach I apply to my long-term saves and live content, not one-off simulations.
I’m proud of the community around my work and the level of discussion it creates, and I’m always open to constructive feedback and genuine tactical debate.
If you have any questions or tactical issues, feel free to message me on any of my socials listed above.
Discussion: ULTIMATE Plug N Play 433 FM26 Tactic (No Holiday Test)
7 comments have been posted so far.
The tactics is similar to what I was using. It seems 433 works better in this FM. I ques that new role are making the different.
His tactics is rather base on possession style rather than direct passing.
It worked as he has good players, it didn't worked that well with Sampdoria because they has average squad (the injuries problem is very annoying too).
In Italy a lot of teams play 343 and they are solid at the back and they use 3 up front AMC/FC so that creates issue with only two defenders at the back. I didn't tested in Serie A. I would add that Sampdoria lacking a quality players up front and that could be a problem for the tactics to underperform.
As he stated his best players is Bryan Mbeumo.
Just adjust the balance to Balanced and set tackling to Standard.
Checked players dirtiness attributes in FM SCOUT and they got 10,10,11.