Football Manager 2024has a lot of detail and gives you total control over whatever team you decide to manage. This level of detail extends to your tactical setup, lineup, and formations. Football Manager 2024 isn’t like other football games in the sense that you may’t control the outcome of the game by taking control of the players.
You must simply give your tactical instructions and wait to see if they’re enough. With that said, you can line up your teams in many ways, and while specific teams will always dominate due to their star power, here are some formations that give you an edgeno matter what team you manage.
85-4-1
The Best Formation For Defensive-Minded Teams
The 5-4-1 formation gives you solid defensive cover and control over the middle of the pitch. While running this formation, you will keep most opponents from scoring and maintain possession of the ball.
The downside to this formation is the limited number of attacking outlets. However, depending on the roles and individual instructions you give your players, you can create many chances. Getting a tall, strong, and agile player in the lone striker position to play as a target forward will allow you to create chances by crossing aerial balls into the box.
Having at least one ball-playing defender will greatly increase your team’s creativity.
74-2-4
Solid For Both Offense And Defense
With the 4-2-4 formation, you sacrifice your control over the possession and progression of the match for more attacking outlets and better defensive cover.
With this formation, you can have two strikers that complement each other’s abilities, depending on their role in the team and the instructions you’ve set for them. You’ll also have two wingers to help stretch the opposition’s defense and offer more goal-scoring threats. The only issue with this formation is the number of bodies in midfield, which can be rectified if you utilize the new inverted fullback instruction, allowing your wide defenders to transition into the midfield when needed.
64-5-1
A Possession Heavy Formation
The 4-5-1 formation is another great defensively sound possession-heavy tactical setup similar to the 5-4-1 formation mentioned earlier.
However, this formation edges ahead by offering better attacking outlets in the form of wide midfielders that can also fulfill the role of wingers and help stretch the opposition defense, offer assistance to the lone striker, or even provide the goal-scoring threat, depending on your instructions. While the wide midfielders transition into wingers, you still have three players in midfield and four defenders in your back line.
Having a solid target striker and good crossers of the ball will serve you well while using this formation.
55-3-2
A Great Formation That Relies On Fluid Passing
The 5-3-2 formation is a fluid tactical setup that can be bent or molded at any point during a match to gain advantages or a desired result. The formation is solid in every area that matters. This formation gives you five defenders, three midfielders, and two strikers.
Depending on your tactical vision and instructions, this fluid formation can offer you extra men in midfield in the form of your inverted fullbacks, bringing your midfield total to five players while maintaining three men in the back line for maximum defensive security.
Having a striker pairing of an advanced striker and a deep-lying forward is the best way for both strikers to fully perform to the best of their abilities.
43-4-3
Take Control Of The Flow Of The Game
The 3-4-3 formation, when used correctly, offers you many different ways to create chances and score goals while maintaining possession, controlling the match’s progression, and remaining defensively sound.
You could line up in a diamond formation, keeping your midfield players narrow to maximize creativity and maintain possession of the hall. You could also have a wide midfield, which would give you a more direct line to goals as your wide midfielders can replace the wingers, and the wingers could tuck in, giving you two extra strikers and more goal-scoring chances.
34-3-3
The Most Customizable Formation In The Game
The 4-3-3 formation is modern football’s cheat code, and it’s easy to see why that is. The formation is incredibly malleable and has no specific strong or weak points if you have the right players in the correct positions.
Depending on your instructions, this formation offers you defensive security, goal-scoring threats, possession maintenance, creativity, and exciting score lines. You must get the right players in the right roles and positions with the proper instructions, and your team will be unstoppable.
Having wingers that have traits like ‘cuts inside’ and ‘takes on defenders’ will open up a lot of creative outlets for your whole team.
24-4-2
The Formation That Best Represents Football Heritage
4-4-2 is a rigid standard formation that has precise instructions and objectives. If you want to do 4-4-2 right, you must build a good team of fast and strong players, line them up in their most preferred positions, and let them do their job.
With the 4-4-2, there’s no need for flashy instructions or excessively creative roles. The defenders defend, the midfielders create chances, the wide midfielders dribble and stretch the opposition team’s players, and the strikers score. It is a solid, straight-to-the-point formation that gets the job done.
14-2-3-1
The Best Formation In The Game
The 4-2-3-1 formation is simply the best formation you can use in Football Manager 2024. It is fluid, covers every basis, and has very few weaknesses.
The formation is defensively sound, possession-heavy, and very fluid regarding player roles and team instructions.
you may have one of your midfielders play as a defensive midfielder with several roles ranging from deep-lying playmaker to anchor, where he essentially serves as an extra defender. You could invert your fullbacks, giving you more control over possession and progression. Your sole striker could hang back as a false nine or deep-lying forward while your wingers cut inside and provide goals. Whatever tactical instruction or individual roles you can fathom, you can implement in the 4-2-3-1 formation.
