What is your favorite method of countering the classic 4-4-2 w/ short passing?

[Stephen Lam]

Hi all,

I'm 15 seasons in and like to think that i'm fairly experienced with seeing different formations/tactics and finding a way to deal with them.

However through multiple seasons I've found that I struggle against the classic 4-4-2 formation. Initially i had great success using the Butterfly(3n-2-2-2w-1), only to discover that it SUCKS against 4-4-2 if they use short passes. I've also tried my favored 4-5-1 V formation and also found that defensively it is very poor against 4-4-2. Shifting to a more defensive mentality using these formations makes things even worse.

What do people like to use when up against this? Thanks!

[REDEEMER130]

Try
4-1DMC (UP)-2nMC-2wAML/AMR-1



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[madflo19]

4141 if he is stronger or 442 if he is weaker than you 😉

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[Stephen Lam]

Try
4-1DMC (UP)-2nMC-2wAML/AMR-1

So that just sounds like 4-5-1 V formation with the DMC more attacking. How does that help me with defending against 4-4-2? I already know from experience that 4-5-1 V doesn't work well against it.

4141 if he is stronger or 442 if he is weaker than you

What sort of tactics would you recommend against 4-4-2 if you were running 4-1-4-1? I've had decent success with 4-1-4-1 in general on normal but not when using more defensive mentality.

[pcmacdaniel]

4-4-2 is the most balanced formation in top eleven. That being the case, there are many different order/arrow combinations that can be used. With that being the case, I recommend looking at your opponent's stats to develop an idea about what his orders and/or arrows are. Sometimes you can get lucky and their will be a tell, telegraphing the oppositions gameplan.

For example, if their ML and MR don't score many goals, but their MC's do score a bunch, your opponent is probably passing through the middle and/or has up arrows on the MC's. If your opponent is focusing on attacking the middle, I'd recommend going with a 4-1-2-1-2 ND, since you'll have more bodies in the central midfield, so your opponent won't be able to attack and defend the central midfield at the same time, so the 4-1-2-1-2 ND should overrun the middle, especially if the MC's in the 4-4-2 are motivated.

[Stephen Lam]

4-4-2 is the most balanced formation in top eleven. That being the case, there are many different order/arrow combinations that can be used. With that being the case, I recommend looking at your opponent's stats to develop an idea about what his orders and/or arrows are. Sometimes you can get lucky and their will be a tell, telegraphing the oppositions gameplan.

For example, if their ML and MR don't score many goals, but their MC's do score a bunch, your opponent is probably passing through the middle and/or has up arrows on the MC's. If your opponent is focusing on attacking the middle, I'd recommend going with a 4-1-2-1-2 ND, since you'll have more bodies in the central midfield, so your opponent won't be able to attack and defend the central midfield at the same time, so the 4-1-2-1-2 ND should overrun the middle, especially if the MC's in the 4-4-2 are motivated.

Cool. I don't really have a good AMC right now so the narrow diamond is a bit hard, but I can try something similar for narrow attacks.

What do you recommend if they attack wide?

[khris]

Injuring the Gk.

[nikolgiorgos]

There are maybe 10 formations to play vs 4-4-2 but you can loose with every one of them.
4-4-2 doesn't have a "real" counter.
Just needs to watch the game and a good coaching.

[pcmacdaniel]

Cool. I don't really have a good AMC right now so the narrow diamond is a bit hard, but I can try something similar for narrow attacks.

What do you recommend if they attack wide?

As Nik mentioned, there are several different options for playing against 4-4-2. It's not a guaranteed win, but you should have a slight advantage.

if you're stronger, mirroring isn't a bad idea as madflo suggested above. Since if your both playing the same tactic, he has no advantage.

Personally, I like the Christmas Tree (4-3w-2n-1) or 4-3w-1-2 when the opponent is passing down the flanks. Since he isn't trying to attack my middle, one MC (down arrow) should work fine. A DMC instead of MC, should do the trick as well.

[nikolgiorgos]

I think it's better for someone to use a formation where his teams performs better (let the players decide - lol), instead of using something that never played before in any game.
After that, make the right moves during the match