Football Manager 2024: Best Tactics To Try Out

In Football Manager 2024, there is an abundance of different tactics that managers can choose from, ranging from high-pressing tactics such as Gengenpress, which looks to overwhelm the opposition with pressure, to possession-based tactics like Tiki Taka that aim to wear down the opposition players by keeping the ball for as long as possible.

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Players of Football Manager 2024 can play adaptively, switching tactics in-game or based on the opposition, or choose to master a specific tactic in the hopes that theirs becomes unbeatable and a cornerstone of their clubs’ playstyle. Regardless, creating tactics in Football Manager 2024 is a very fun experience that leaves a lot to the imagination, allowing players to experiment with their teams.

Updated by April 20, 2024 by Henry Whiting: Tactics in football have a habit of constantly changing, while also having mainstays that seem to never go completely out of fashion. The beauty of Football Manager 2024 is that managers can create their one-of-one tactics, while also trying out the newest and best formations for themselves. Alternatively, managers could look to the more tried and tested tactics, but ultimately, the pool of available strategies will always grow and change.

1 Fluid Counter Attack

Move The Ball Up The Pitch Quickly After Defending Strongly

• Transitions between attack and defense quickly
• Suits complete strikers who can create chances themselves
• Works best in 5-defender formations (5-3-2, 5-2-2-1, 5-2-3, 5-4-1)

While counter-attacking football is often seen as more boring compared to the flashy Tiki Taka or Gegenpress tactics, it can be just as effective. In fact, counter-attacking football is a great counter-punch when playing against the flashier teams.

The fluid counter-attack tactic in particular looks to combine the rugged and tough defensive unit with quick and concise passing to carve open opportunities from the opposition’s attacks. Attacking wing backs and inverted wingers is common in this tactic, as they will likely combine down the wings to get past opposition players, eventually looking to get the ball to the striker. The striker will be rather isolated in a tactic like this, so players should make sure that their striker is capable of creating chances themselves.

2 Park The Bus

Defend First Attack Later

• The most defensive tactic in the game
• Great for seeing out games
• Works best in 5-defender formations (5-3-2, 5-2-2-1, 5-2-3, 5-4-1)

Parking the bus was a phrase coined by legendary manager José Mourinho after playing against an extremely defensive Tottenham Hotspur team in his first spell at Chelsea in 2004. Since then, Park The Bus has become its own tactic in Football Manager, with the tactic supposedly being similar to parking a bus-load of defenders in front of the goal in an attempt to simply stop the opposition from any form of attack.

Although Park The Bus is seen as a very negative style of play, it can be surprisingly fun and effective to use, especially in situations where players have a lead that they are desperate not to lose, or are in dire need of a draw. The tension when using Park The Bus is palpable, with the opposition team likely to have most of the possession. This can be quite exciting in the way that managers will be celebrating every defensive block, and any attacking opportunity is so rare that it’s thrilling for any attack to occur.

3 Wing Play

Crosses Into The Box And Shots From Wingers

• Requires good wingers
• Tall and strong strikers thrive
• Works best in 4-3-3, 5-2-3, or 3-4-3

In world football, many wingers love to cut inside and shoot, with managers all around the top leagues opting for inverted wingers rather than the traditional build-up of a winger who would play on the outside. This is no different in Football Manager 2024, with most wingers thriving as inverted wingers or inside forwards.

The beauty about the Wing Play tactic is that wingers thrive regardless of their preferred role, as this tactic can work with outside wingers who look to beat their man and get a cross into the box for a big striker to header home, while also allowing wingers who enjoy cutting inside and shooting from range to get many chances. As it says in the name, Wing Play looks to get the ball to the wingers and let them play with freedom, meaning the striker in the team must be someone clinical for this tactic to work.

4 Vertical Tiki Taka

Direct And Aggressive Form Of Tiki Taka

• A good tactic for attacking teams
• It can be countered if players aren’t good enough
• Works best with narrow formations such as 4-2-3-1 or 4-2-2-2

Tiki Taka is probably the most recognized tactic of the modern era of football. However, Vertical Tiki Taka is a bit of a mix of past and present, deploying old-fashioned and direct elements alongside the slick and classy Tiki Taka tactic of quick passes to open up a defensive system with ease. Vertical Tiki Taka looks to play even more quickly, hence the leniency on the shortness of passing range, which is noticeable in Football Manager 2024 matches.

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The idea is that if a pass can be skipped by a direct pass, then players have the freedom to go for it, which in normal Tiki Taka would usually be frowned upon. It’s a riskier and higher-intensity tactic that will require players who have great levels of stamina and technical attributes. However, if done correctly, it can be a tactic that’s fun to watch and hard to stop.

5 Direct Counter Attack

Transition From Defense To Attack With Long Passes

• Transitions between attack and defense quickly
• Suits strong defensive players and fast attackers
• Works best in 5-defender formations (5-3-2, 5-2-2-1, 5-2-3, 5-4-1)

Counter-attacking football comes in many shapes and sizes, with the direct counterattack being the most popular and most effective. Granted, this tactic is far from glamorous, with a heavy reliance on long passes that have massively fallen out of popularity in the 2020s. However, it can be very effective, especially when playing against teams that look to press high up the pitch.

Assuming the team defends well enough to win the ball back, managers using a direct counterattack will be able to get their players to play a long pass over an opposition’s high line, which is perfect for fast wingers and strikers who can use their pace to get to the long passes and close in on goal. The direct counterattack probably suits teams with fewer quality players in Football Manager 2024, as not every player needs to be technically good on the ball to make a direct counterattack work.

6 Tiki Taka

Short And Precise Passing

• Beautiful passing patterns
• Unselfish players thrive in this tactic
• Works best with any 4-defender formation

Famed for its highly effective use at Pep Guardiola’s FC Barcelona, Tiki Taka is one of the most aesthetic tactics in world football and Football Manager 2024. Tiki Taka looks to focus all the attacking play into small and quick passes that move up the pitch beautifully. These passing patterns include many triangles and traps for defenders to fall into, making it very satisfying when it works.

Managers should look to buy players who have a high teamwork stat and have team player mental attributes that indicate that the players will be very unselfish, as Tiki Taka requires every player to be on the same page at all times. While it is okay to have one or two players who will take their defender on, the players should look to pass first 99% of the time, which of course means they need high passing stats and decision-making stats.

7 Gegenpress

Extremely High-Intensity Playstyle

• High pressing attackers
• Needs players with good stamina and mental stats
• Works best in 4-defender formations (notably 4-2-3-1)

The German Gegenpress took the English Premier League by storm when Jürgen Klopp introduced the tactic to his Liverpool side. High pressing that seems to never give in is the trademark of the Gegenpress, with the opposition being suffocated by the press, creating a situation where Gegenpressing teams would be essentially defenders from the front. When combined with the high-flying wing backs and center backs who have a good range of passing, the Gegenpress is, without doubt, one of the most effective and threatening tactics in Football Manager 2024.

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Managers can have fun experimenting with the Gegenpress, as it works with almost any 4-defender formation, as long as the attackers are instructed to always press. Build-up play is quick and clinical, as a Gegenpressing team will win the ball back high up the pitch, so they must be able to make the most of every chance for this tactic to work the best. Additionally, it’s worth noting that the defenders will need pace, as this tactic utilizes a very high line, so a quick opposition player could likely get in behind the defense if the defenders are not fast enough.

Football Manager 2024

Released

November 6, 2024

Genre(s)

Management , Simulation , Sports