Best formation

[tHurley2010]

With Man City I'm rolling with a 4-1-3-2. Touré in the middle is wonderful; Javi Garcia/Fernandinho at CDM in case the CPU wants to counter, and Navas and Silva on the wings with Agüero and Negredo/Dzeko/Jovetic at the striker positions.

Great formation, real fun.

[milrod22]

I am a huge fan of the 3-5-2. In my CM, I am a big youth squad/regen guy. I try to get rid of all of my "real face" players as quickly as possible. What I have found in the youth academy this year is that it is very hard to find big CB's but very easy to find CDM's that are actually mis-positioned CB's (and usually taller than my CB's). Therefore, I have a pacier back 3 with good foot skills (since they are actually CDMs) and at least one large CDM in one of the CDM positions in the 3-5-2. Also, the ease at which it is to find LB and RB that are attacking minded means that the two wings in my 3-5-2 are usually fast LB/RB from the youth academy.

With that set-up, this formation is very effective and a joy to play with.

[ROL Jamas]

I use the 4-3-3 Attack formation. Right and Left wings, a pure striker, and a CAM to direct traffic. A lot of my offense is derived from pushing the ball up the middle of the field with my attacking mid, and finding my speedy wingers on the runs down the flanks, opening up space behind the defense.

I ran a 4-1-2-1-2 on previous versions of Fifa, but for some reason, having 2 pure strikers now feels cluttered, and the defense has an easier time concentrating on the middle of the field. An evolution of play, I suppose.

[NightmareBooster]

I used to love the 4-3-1-2. My friend and I used to play '07 against each other all the time and victory for me was almost always guaranteed when is used that formation. For whatever reason now the 4-4-2 feels so much better to me.

[mfp]

Totally depends on the players, the opposition, and the situation, but my baseline formation tends to be a 4-2-3-1. I've also had a lot of joy with a 4-5-1 that focuses on wing play and attacking runs from CMs.

If I'm chasing a goal, up against weaker opposition, or simply want more attacking firepower, I've had success with both 4-3-3 and 4-1-2-1-2.

When I'm up against strong opposition, trying to protect a lead, or just wanted a more conservative strategy, I've had success with various 4-5-1 formations, with different variations of CDM-CM-CAM combinations.

My biggest disappointment is with the 4-4-1-1 formation because there seems to be a bug where the CF and ST bunch up together.

[Lonestar210]

Quote: Originally Posted by tHurley2010

With Man City I'm rolling with a 4-1-3-2. Touré in the middle is wonderful; Javi Garcia/Fernandinho at CDM in case the CPU wants to counter, and Navas and Silva on the wings with Agüero and Negredo/Dzeko/Jovetic at the striker positions. Great formation, real fun.

City is my favorite team; I've yet to start a CM with them but may do so soon and I will probably use that exact formation based on their personnel.

As far as the original question, the formation I use the most is the 4-3-3 (False 9). The False 9 refers to the lone striker who instead of waiting for the ball to be passed to him, instead drops deep and drifts around the pitch in search of the ball. You need a centre forward who can pass and has good attack positioning. I also use the trendy 4-2-3-1 which works just fine.

[orion523]

Quote: Originally Posted by mfp

Totally depends on the players, the opposition, and the situation, but my baseline formation tends to be a 4-2-3-1. I've also had a lot of joy with a 4-5-1 that focuses on wing play and attacking runs from CMs. If I'm chasing a goal, up against weaker opposition, or simply want more attacking firepower, I've had success with both 4-3-3 and 4-1-2-1-2. When I'm up against strong opposition, trying to protect a lead, or just wanted a more conservative strategy, I've had success with various 4-5-1 formations, with different variations of CDM-CM-CAM combinations. My biggest disappointment is with the 4-4-1-1 formation because there seems to be a bug where the CF and ST bunch up together.

Agree, depending on the club I start out with I usually begin a CM with the same formation that the club uses in real life because more often than not its the best fit for the team. As time goes on and I begin adding pieces, I tend to go for more of a 4-3-3 with one CDM as the club's anchor, and two box to box types in front finishing the midfield trident. Up front I like three free flowing attackers who can interchange with one another on the fly. With fullbacks I want players with good pace and good marking skills and at CB I like big strong tough guys, heading ability is a plus.

[Another Dave]

Variations on the 4-4-2, but never a straight 4-4-2, are what I tend to stick with. A custom 4-2-3-1 is my preference if the squad have the right strengths for it, and most do. A 4-1-2-1-2 / 4-4-2 diamond is another I use occasionally if I want two up front.

Full backs who can overlap the wide midfielders, a solid DM (or two) and a creative AM/CF are all key for me, but I'll make any number of tweaks to the CTTs to try and pull the best out of the players I have and handle the opposition as best I can.

I've managed to get draws and wins over much higher level teams as Bristol Rovers just by managing the game as best I could and playing on the weaknesses of the opposition. Playing tactically is so much fun.

I have a few specific formations and tactics for different situations too; a very deep 4-2-3-1 for when it's all hands to the pump on defence and a sort of 4-1-2-3 / 2-3-2-3 asymmetrical variant for when a goal is urgently needed.