4-5-1 V style is not going so well

[RJSlow]

Play 3n-1-2-2w-2 v style

3-5-2 v style

[Pete Cresswell]

4-5-1V seemed to get de-powered 5 or 6 seasons ago for me - I do still use it on occasion (mostly if the oppo is playing 3 DCs), but generally only as a defensive counter-attacking formation. Note, I have found myself playing defensive-counter a lot more than I used to as I've moved up the leagues.

Generally it's my experience that a lone striker really struggles against a back 4, unless paired with an AMC - and an AMC isn't worth it if there's a DMC in place. I have 1 each of ML/AML, MR/AMR, AML/AMC and AMR/AMC in my 22 so can adapt to most requirements.

My defensive squad consists of 9 players, 2xDL/DML*, 1x DR/DMR, 1x DC/DL, 1x DR/DL, 4x DC/DMC, so I'm geared up to field a 4-man and a 5-man defense daily, it's really rare that anyone either misses out on playing or has to play twice in a day.


*I've got 2 good ones currently, will be going down to 1 and getting another DC/DMC once one of them gets too old

My rules of thumb when setting up for a match are:
-Always have at least 1 more defender than the oppo has strikers (if he only has 1ST you can get away with 3W or 3N and put red arrows on either the wingbacks or the DMC if you're using one)
-Always play a DMC if the oppo has an AMC
-Don't play an AMC (or possibly play 2 of them) if the oppo has a DMC
-Use long passing against a flat formation, mixed otherwise. If you're getting 80% possession due to an opponent's illegal/out of position formation it's worth playing long ball - I have a theory that often the "bonus" possession gets wasted playing tika-taka in midfield otherwise, and if you can give your strikers the ball a lot they'll get through eventually
-A DMC is really useful against 3MCs, as otherwise every now and then one breaks forward and gets a shot off from the AMC zone
-Only use down-both-flanks passing if you are fielding more wingers than the oppo. Use through-the-middle with narrow diamond (and I guess 4-3-3 - I only have 3 strikers in my squad so have never tried it).

[nikolgiorgos]

-Always play a DMC if the oppo has an AMC
-Don't play an AMC (or possibly play 2 of them) if the oppo has a DMC

Totally agree 100%
This thing with the use (or not) of DMC or AMC saved me from some troll results
also this one is anti-troll : when I see that I have better Q team, more possession, but have equal or my oppo has more shots, I change immediately my formation or orders.

The problem is when I can't watch the match. There is also a problem in this with auto-subs. If my DMC got injured I have another but he is DMC/DC so if I put him on auto-sub must be on Mid. subs but then if my AMC get injured then he 's gonna replace that one
The auto-sub must be more specific about positions

[Fc bal op t dak]

Totally agree 100%
This thing with the use (or not) of DMC or AMC saved me from some troll results
also this one is anti-troll : when I see that I have better Q team, more possession, but have equal or my oppo has more shots, I change immediately my formation or orders.

The problem is when I can't watch the match. There is also a problem in this with auto-subs. If my DMC got injured I have another but he is DMC/DC so if I put him on auto-sub must be on Mid. subs but then if my AMC get injured then he 's gonna replace that one
The auto-sub must be more specific about positions

Only thing what you then can do About it, create an dmc mc amc 😉

[Wohltat]

Loosing to 4-1-2-1-2 Narrow Diamond all day with 4-5-1 and 3-5-2 V-Style

[Sherifon]

Loosing to 4-1-2-1-2 Narrow Diamond all day with 4-5-1 and 3-5-2 V-Style

How ? I used to destroy ND using 4-5-1V

[RJSlow]

How ? I used to destroy ND using 4-5-1V

"used to" is the whole point, it does not work well anymore

[samupro97]

Wow... tat's awesome!!! What's ur orders for 4-3-2W-1?

u need to use normal,both wings,own half,normal,mixed or long (depends if your mc's have good passing skills, if yes then mixed), zonal. st and aml/r red arrows dc's and 1 mc blue arrow (alternatively 1 dl/r blue arrow). you can also play it defensive and man-on-man tackling but i never tested this in defensive myself. but normally it should work at least in real soccer.

[nikolgiorgos]

There is something known as “Murphy’s law” –check google about that. In my case 4-5-1 V it’s working but only for my opponents
This is yesterday’s game. Ok, a draw between a 5* and a 3* teams it’s not troll but what I cannot understand is that :

How a team with such low possession, against a superior team playing with full moral and condition (+ 1st level win bonus), playing defense (manager wasn’t in the game), can have equal number of shots and more corners than mine ?

In real football many teams gets draws or even wins against super teams but not having so many shots or more corners. They just have more shot efficiency in their few shots.
So, it’s just bad programming or wrong presentation of the match ?

[Buffs Mad]

Here's some numbers:

I've played 4-5-1V 12 times this season: 8/3/1 record.
16 other matches with different formations: 14/1/1.

2 draws v ND
1 draw v 4-5-1 flat
1 loss v 4-1-4-1

Most of the wins (5) have been against 4-4-2.
I tend to use it either when its obvious to do so or because my back's against the wall and I feel I know it better - its my favourite pair of jeans. (Edit: I should add 1 of those draws was a very good draw in the Cup.)

In league (today) I'm equal 4th by quality, in the Cup I'm permanently the underdog and in CL I'm Top Dog.

That's my record this season.

PS. For the last 4 Seasons I've been shifting away from v-style vs ND, but sometimes I get stubborn and try it 'just one last time'.