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Tiki Taka (5-2-3 Base)

The idea:

Tiki Taka is all about possession, but to say you want the possession is one thing, to achive it is something else. The idea is that the roles are very free, the players support the ball holder at all times so that he can pass with ease and without risk. The key is to pass in triangles it outpasses the opossition, and the opposition needs to hunt for the ball but will fail to retain it in theory because there are so good passing options.

Eventually the opposition will make a misstake and that is when you hit them. To pass until they make a mistake and then you go for goal that is the attacking idea of Tiki Taka.To support this passing there need to always be two players available to pass to with ease, to ensure that you need a lot of players involverd in an attack. Therefor you have a very high defense with wing backs comfortable with attacking and three defender very high up in the field means they are always ready to support in case your player need to pass back but not nececerally fancy a pass too far back.

But how do you defend? The basic idea in defending is If we have the ball, no matter what we do with it at least they can't score and this is fundamental. Keep the ball and they'll find it hard to score but how do we regain the possession, eventually no matter how good you are with passing you will lose the possession now and then.What you do is to have a very high pressure and hassle the opposition players and defend aggressivly, in real world there is a thumb rule called the 3-second rule wich means the defender can only have three seconds with the ball before someone pressure him. In football manager you can't apply the 3-second rule but don't worry. By playing with a high defensive line, hassle defenders, play aggressivly and have tight marking will give them very little time with the ball, that is when they do mistakes and lose the ball, and when they lose the ball they need to hunt for the ball again all over. Besides a high defensive line means you can easily use offside as a powerfull weapon, the opposition almoast needs to start their attack from their half!



Team instruction:

To realise this tactic in fm I use a 5-2-3 tactic but especially in tiki taka the numbers are very missleading. 3 defenders in the back, two offensive wing backs, two central midfielder, two inner forward and a striker. To get this triangle passing play as I described above I use "very fluid" and obviously "control" (after all that's what possession football is all about). The look for overlap is like an instruction just made for this tactic with wingbacks high up the field and inner forwards.

REMEMBER, DON'T switch to something like attacking/overload if you receive a goal. It's all about patience.



Player instruction:

Goalkeeper:
- Sweeper Keeper - support
- Instr. Distribute to defenders, pass it shorter

First of all, with a high defensive line sweeper keeper is a must. Remember originality is important here, Usually you want a sane goalkeeper but yes this time a crazy goalie is exactly what you need


Central defender right:
- Central defender - defend
- Instr. Close down more, tackle harder

Central defender:
- Ball playing defender - cover
- Instr. Close down more, mark tighter, hold position, tackle harder

This defender is not the classic central defender, this defender needs to have some attacking skills aswell for example passing and crativity is important.


Central defender left:
- Central defender - Stopper
- Instr. Close down more, tackle harder

Wing back right
- Complete wing back - Attack
- Instr. Run wide with ball, close down more, cross more often, mark tighter

Wing back left
- Complete wing back - Attack
- Instr. Run wide with ball, close down more, cross more often, mark tighter

Midfielder Central right
- Deep lying playmaker - support
- Instr. Close down more, Tackle harder, Mark tighter, Roam from position

Midfielder Central left
- Advanced playmaker - Attack
- Instr. Pass it shorter, Fewer risky passes, Mark tighter, Close down more, Roam from position

Attacking mifielder right
- Inside forward - Attack
- Instr. Pass it shorter, Dribble less, Mark tighter, Get further forward, Shoot more

REMEMBER, make sure that the player playing in this position is LEFT FOOTED or BOTH (Either)


Attacking mifielder left
- Inside forward - Attack
- Instr. Pass it shorter, Dribble less, Mark tighter, Get further forward, Shoot more

REMEMBER, make sure that the player playing in this position is RIGHT FOOTED or BOTH (Either)


Striker central
- Trequarterista - Attack
- Instr. Pass it shorter, Mark tighter

Be sure youre striker is any good as a trequarterista, this position needs to function more than any other position with this tactic. Your forward should exactly not be a tank. He should be something like a mix of an agile offensive midfielder with a strong finish. In many cases he will receive the ball from the AP and then either goes for the box or passes to one of the inside wingers. Use the highlight feature to see which stats are vital for your Treq (since in most cases you won't have one) and choose the forward with high passing and the best overall kit.