It's a tactic that, honestly, gets taken apart by top-flight football outfits, but it's bloody effective in the lower leagues, or in situations where you're fielding strikers that have a speed or strength advantage on the opposing team's defenders.Īs a lower-league tactic, I tried this out with Sky Bet League Two side Grimsby, and it can be remarkably efficient for getting goals at this level of play. This one is a good laugh to play in a classic 4-4-2 style, as you need a target-man to catch the ball and keep it while support arrives, and then a nippy striker who can run in behind to actually score.

Overview: Big Sam's big tactic, the whole point of Route One is to get the ball and hoof it upfield to let your team rattle up the pitch behind it. (Image credit: SI Games) (opens in new tab)įormation: 4-4-2, 4-1-4-1 DM Wide or 4-4-1-1 The methodical playstyle could also stand to be a little more interesting. This requires first touch, passing, decisions and composure.

It's becoming overwhelming popular in many of the English leagues right now, and if your team has solid Stamina and Teamwork attributes, it could well be a good fit.Īs it relies on a single striker, Tottenham are an obvious choice, with Harry Kane widely recognised to be one of the finest British strikers lacing up his boots.ĭon't use this if: Teams with overly specialised players struggle here: every player needs to be able to carry his weight - and the ball - when the situation demands it. If you want stuff to happen immediately, this isn't the strategy for you, but it suits players comfortable with the ball, ball-player centre-backs and strikers with a mix of skills. Overview: Control Possession is in the 'what it says on the tin' school of football, in that you're looking to dominate possession and patiently build chances. Weak spots can and will be taken advantage of by long balls, which can pull you apart and see plenty of goals being conceded. This is my 'out of the box' strategy for West Ham, with players I'd generally describe as 'scrappy' - perfect to make this work.ĭon't use this if: Slower-paced more physical players are left behind with this set-up, and as soon as there's a chink in the armour you're in trouble. It's not flashy, but adhering to this and making it work keeps your team in the lead and opponents off-balance with blistering tempo. Get this working and it seems insurmountable for the opposing team. This also means you need to be ruthless and sub out anyone that's looking a little tired for a pair of fresh legs. To make this work, make sure your entire team has good anticipation, natural fitness, stamina and work rate because your team is going to be buzzing around constantly looking for their moment. Gegenpress, roughly, translates to 'counter-press' and the idea is that you play on the break, pushing back hard whenever you get the opportunity, winning the ball upfield and constantly harassing the opposing team to gain any edge you can. Overview: This one can be a bit trickier. Vertical Tiki-Takaįormation: 4-1-4-1 DM Wide or 4-2-3-1 Wide How then do you manage new entries to a Tiki-Taka squad? Time and patience seems to be the only answer.

If you're breaking in a couple of new players, Tiki-Taka is going to be difficult, but then if you change the tactic to something simpler, the rest of the team will be all out of whack. Try this out if you're a team that struggles in the air, as the ball is played low in Tiki-Taka.ĭon't use this if: Tiki-Taka needs knowledge of the tactic and team cohesion to work, in addition to technical ability. Liverpool are a natural fit for this, and with a 5-2-2-1 WB set-up, you're giving Salah, Lallana and Firmino space to shine, while the rest of your team lock it down with Milner, Trent Alexander Arnold, Gomez and van Dijk offer the enemy a fearful task even if they can win the ball. As you would expect, you need players that can pass to make it work, but they also need solid agility, decisions, stamina, technique and off-the-ball attributes. Tiki-Taka is incredibly tricky to stop, which is part of the reason it's so effective. Tiki-Taka incorporates a barrage of short, quick passes that get your team up the field like a slightly nervous FIFA player. Overview: Tiki-Taka is a strong option for a wide variety of teams, but fast-paced European clubs like Barcelona are part of the group that brought it to the world stage.

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