I'd like to share a tactic I've been working on for quite some time.
This system was developed and tested almost exclusively with smaller clubs. The goal wasn't to create an overpowered tactic for elite teams, but to build a system that allows underdogs to compete while playing proactive, attacking football.
Tactical Philosophy
The idea behind ArsenalX is to dominate matches through movement rather than possession alone.
Although the mentality is Attacking, the team remains surprisingly compact because of the player movements.
The most important feature of the tactic is the behaviour of the full-backs.
Inverted Full-Back Movement
Instead of constantly overlapping on the wings, both full-backs move inside during possession and operate almost like additional central midfielders.
This creates several advantages:
Numerical superiority in midfield. Better protection against counter attacks. More passing triangles. Better ball circulation under pressure. Central overloads that create space for the attacking players.
Rather than stretching the pitch with overlapping full-backs, width comes naturally from the movement of the attacking players while the full-backs secure and support the midfield.
Team Instructions In Possession
The team plays with:
Higher Tempo More Direct Passing Fairly Narrow Width Counter when possible Pass Into Space Short Goalkeeper Distribution Distribute to Full-Backs Encourage Dribbling Low Crosses Work Ball Into Box Balanced Creative Freedom
The objective is to move the ball forward quickly without becoming overly direct.
Out of Possession
Without the ball the team becomes very aggressive.
High Press High Press Intensity Counter-Press immediately after losing possession Tackle Harder Press Opposition Goalkeeper Distribution
Interestingly, despite the aggressive press, the defensive line is intentionally much deeper than many modern Gegenpress systems.
This helps smaller clubs avoid being constantly exposed by balls over the top while still applying heavy pressure higher up the pitch.
Set Pieces
One thing worth mentioning:
There are absolutely no set-piece routines included.
No attacking corners.
No defensive corners.
No free kicks.
Everything has been left on default because I wanted the tactic to be judged purely on its open-play performance.
If you enjoy creating your own set pieces, you can probably improve the results even further.
Testing Tested mainly with smaller clubs. No editor used. No save scumming. Holiday mode was only used to speed up long-term simulations.
I haven't tested it extensively with elite clubs yet, so stronger teams may achieve even better results.
Player Profile
The system doesn't require world-class players.
The most important attributes are:
Work Rate Stamina Teamwork Decisions Off The Ball Positioning Anticipation
Quick centre-backs are also highly recommended.
Weaknesses
No tactic is perfect.
Very fast counter-attacking teams can still cause problems if your defenders lack pace.
Squad quality will always have an impact.
This tactic was built for people who enjoy taking smaller clubs beyond expectations.
If you decide to try it, I'd love to hear your feedback—good or bad.
I'd like to share a tactic I've been working on for quite some time.
This system was developed and tested almost exclusively with smaller clubs. The goal wasn't to create an overpowered tactic for elite teams, but to build a system that allows underdogs to compete while playing proactive, attacking football.
Tactical Philosophy
The idea behind ArsenalX is to dominate matches through movement rather than possession alone.
Although the mentality is Attacking, the team remains surprisingly compact because of the player movements.
The most important feature of the tactic is the behaviour of the full-backs.
Inverted Full-Back Movement
Instead of constantly overlapping on the wings, both full-backs move inside during possession and operate almost like additional central midfielders.
This creates several advantages:
Numerical superiority in midfield. Better protection against counter attacks. More passing triangles. Better ball circulation under pressure. Central overloads that create space for the attacking players.
Rather than stretching the pitch with overlapping full-backs, width comes naturally from the movement of the attacking players while the full-backs secure and support the midfield.
Team Instructions In Possession
The team plays with:
Higher Tempo More Direct Passing Fairly Narrow Width Counter when possible Pass Into Space Short Goalkeeper Distribution Distribute to Full-Backs Encourage Dribbling Low Crosses Work Ball Into Box Balanced Creative Freedom
The objective is to move the ball forward quickly without becoming overly direct.
Out of Possession
Without the ball the team becomes very aggressive.
High Press High Press Intensity Counter-Press immediately after losing possession Tackle Harder Press Opposition Goalkeeper Distribution
Interestingly, despite the aggressive press, the defensive line is intentionally much deeper than many modern Gegenpress systems.
This helps smaller clubs avoid being constantly exposed by balls over the top while still applying heavy pressure higher up the pitch.
Set Pieces
One thing worth mentioning:
There are absolutely no set-piece routines included.
No attacking corners.
No defensive corners.
No free kicks.
Everything has been left on default because I wanted the tactic to be judged purely on its open-play performance.
If you enjoy creating your own set pieces, you can probably improve the results even further.
Testing Tested mainly with smaller clubs. No editor used. No save scumming. Holiday mode was only used to speed up long-term simulations.
I haven't tested it extensively with elite clubs yet, so stronger teams may achieve even better results.
Player Profile
The system doesn't require world-class players.
The most important attributes are:
Work Rate Stamina Teamwork Decisions Off The Ball Positioning Anticipation
Quick centre-backs are also highly recommended.
Weaknesses
No tactic is perfect.
Very fast counter-attacking teams can still cause problems if your defenders lack pace.
Squad quality will always have an impact.
This tactic was built for people who enjoy taking smaller clubs beyond expectations.
If you decide to try it, I'd love to hear your feedback—good or bad.
In this version of the tactic I tried to be more attacking compared to v1, but I also got very solid results defensively. I had some great comebacks with smaller teams as well. The screenshots will be down below.
With this tactic, don’t expect crazy high-scoring games – it’s a tactic focused on winning matches rather than just scoring for fun. It’s especially effective for underdog and mid-table teams that need to be compact at the back but still dangerous going forward.
The idea is simple: stay organised, don’t give away easy chances, and punish the opponent whenever you win the ball. It’s easy to plug in and play, you don’t need world-class players for it to work – just a balanced squad and a bit of patience. If you try it, let me know your results and feel free to share your screenshots!
Carabao Cup: Knocked out in the 4th Round by Ipswich
The most important detail: I played the entire season on holiday mode. I did not touch anything on match days, gave no touchline instructions and made no in-game tactical changes.
Tactical Philosophy – Organized Counter Attack
This is not a classic “park the bus and pray for one counter” system. What I call organized counter attacking is built on three core ideas:
1. Patience in a mid block
The team doesn’t press recklessly high, but also doesn’t sit on the edge of its own box.
The aim is to let the opponent advance into the second third of the pitch and force their mistakes there.
2. Go forward immediately, but with control
The first pass after regaining the ball usually goes through Gravenberch or one of the centre-backs.
In the middle Wirtz and Szoboszlai, on the flanks Isak and Frimpong are already positioned to explode forward.
With just 2–3 passes, you regularly create very clean transition chances and high-quality counter-attacking goals.
3. Big-game edge
What really makes the difference in big matches:
The opponent stretches the pitch in settled possession, trying to break you down.
You stay compact and patient in a mid block.
Once you win the ball, a through ball from Wirtz or Szoboszlai combined with Gakpo’s run or link-up play is absolutely lethal.
What This Tactic Delivers
This system:
Is defensively secure,
Attacks quickly but without chaos,
Shines in big games against strong opponents,
And, most impressively, can deliver a Premier League & Champions League double even when you simulate the whole season on holiday mode with no matchday tweaks, no touchline shouts, no in-game changes
What you need to do to get the most out of the tactic edge players have to have good centre-opening and crossing skills your forwards need to be tall because you will usually score goals with headballs The rest of the roles should be as they should be. Have fun.
What you need to do to get the most out of the tactic edge players have to have good centre-opening and crossing skills your forwards need to be tall because you will usually score goals with headballs The rest of the roles should be as they should be. Have fun.
I'd like to share a tactic I've been working on for quite some time.
This system was developed and tested almost exclusively with smaller clubs. The goal wasn't to create an overpowered tactic for elite teams, but to build a system that allows underdogs to compete while playing proactive, attacking football.
Tactical Philosophy
The idea behind ArsenalX is to dominate matches through movement rather than possession alone.
Although the mentality is Attacking, the team remains surprisingly compact because of the player movements.
The most important feature of the tactic is the behaviour of the full-backs.
Inverted Full-Back Movement
Instead of constantly overlapping on the wings, both full-backs move inside during possession and operate almost like additional central midfielders.
This creates several advantages:
Numerical superiority in midfield.
Better protection against counter attacks.
More passing triangles.
Better ball circulation under pressure.
Central overloads that create space for the attacking players.
Rather than stretching the pitch with overlapping full-backs, width comes naturally from the movement of the attacking players while the full-backs secure and support the midfield.
Team Instructions
In Possession
The team plays with:
Higher Tempo
More Direct Passing
Fairly Narrow Width
Counter when possible
Pass Into Space
Short Goalkeeper Distribution
Distribute to Full-Backs
Encourage Dribbling
Low Crosses
Work Ball Into Box
Balanced Creative Freedom
The objective is to move the ball forward quickly without becoming overly direct.
Out of Possession
Without the ball the team becomes very aggressive.
High Press
High Press Intensity
Counter-Press immediately after losing possession
Tackle Harder
Press Opposition Goalkeeper Distribution
Interestingly, despite the aggressive press, the defensive line is intentionally much deeper than many modern Gegenpress systems.
This helps smaller clubs avoid being constantly exposed by balls over the top while still applying heavy pressure higher up the pitch.
Set Pieces
One thing worth mentioning:
There are absolutely no set-piece routines included.
No attacking corners.
No defensive corners.
No free kicks.
Everything has been left on default because I wanted the tactic to be judged purely on its open-play performance.
If you enjoy creating your own set pieces, you can probably improve the results even further.
Testing
Tested mainly with smaller clubs.
No editor used.
No save scumming.
Holiday mode was only used to speed up long-term simulations.
I haven't tested it extensively with elite clubs yet, so stronger teams may achieve even better results.
Player Profile
The system doesn't require world-class players.
The most important attributes are:
Work Rate
Stamina
Teamwork
Decisions
Off The Ball
Positioning
Anticipation
Quick centre-backs are also highly recommended.
Weaknesses
No tactic is perfect.
Very fast counter-attacking teams can still cause problems if your defenders lack pace.
Squad quality will always have an impact.
This tactic was built for people who enjoy taking smaller clubs beyond expectations.
If you decide to try it, I'd love to hear your feedback—good or bad.
Every comment helps improve the tactic.
Enjoy!
I'd like to share a tactic I've been working on for quite some time.
This system was developed and tested almost exclusively with smaller clubs. The goal wasn't to create an overpowered tactic for elite teams, but to build a system that allows underdogs to compete while playing proactive, attacking football.
Tactical Philosophy
The idea behind ArsenalX is to dominate matches through movement rather than possession alone.
Although the mentality is Attacking, the team remains surprisingly compact because of the player movements.
The most important feature of the tactic is the behaviour of the full-backs.
Inverted Full-Back Movement
Instead of constantly overlapping on the wings, both full-backs move inside during possession and operate almost like additional central midfielders.
This creates several advantages:
Numerical superiority in midfield.
Better protection against counter attacks.
More passing triangles.
Better ball circulation under pressure.
Central overloads that create space for the attacking players.
Rather than stretching the pitch with overlapping full-backs, width comes naturally from the movement of the attacking players while the full-backs secure and support the midfield.
Team Instructions
In Possession
The team plays with:
Higher Tempo
More Direct Passing
Fairly Narrow Width
Counter when possible
Pass Into Space
Short Goalkeeper Distribution
Distribute to Full-Backs
Encourage Dribbling
Low Crosses
Work Ball Into Box
Balanced Creative Freedom
The objective is to move the ball forward quickly without becoming overly direct.
Out of Possession
Without the ball the team becomes very aggressive.
High Press
High Press Intensity
Counter-Press immediately after losing possession
Tackle Harder
Press Opposition Goalkeeper Distribution
Interestingly, despite the aggressive press, the defensive line is intentionally much deeper than many modern Gegenpress systems.
This helps smaller clubs avoid being constantly exposed by balls over the top while still applying heavy pressure higher up the pitch.
Set Pieces
One thing worth mentioning:
There are absolutely no set-piece routines included.
No attacking corners.
No defensive corners.
No free kicks.
Everything has been left on default because I wanted the tactic to be judged purely on its open-play performance.
If you enjoy creating your own set pieces, you can probably improve the results even further.
Testing
Tested mainly with smaller clubs.
No editor used.
No save scumming.
Holiday mode was only used to speed up long-term simulations.
I haven't tested it extensively with elite clubs yet, so stronger teams may achieve even better results.
Player Profile
The system doesn't require world-class players.
The most important attributes are:
Work Rate
Stamina
Teamwork
Decisions
Off The Ball
Positioning
Anticipation
Quick centre-backs are also highly recommended.
Weaknesses
No tactic is perfect.
Very fast counter-attacking teams can still cause problems if your defenders lack pace.
Squad quality will always have an impact.
This tactic was built for people who enjoy taking smaller clubs beyond expectations.
If you decide to try it, I'd love to hear your feedback—good or bad.
Every comment helps improve the tactic.
Enjoy!
In this version of the tactic I tried to be more attacking compared to v1, but I also got very solid results defensively. I had some great comebacks with smaller teams as well. The screenshots will be down below.
With this tactic, don’t expect crazy high-scoring games – it’s a tactic focused on winning matches rather than just scoring for fun. It’s especially effective for underdog and mid-table teams that need to be compact at the back but still dangerous going forward.
The idea is simple: stay organised, don’t give away easy chances, and punish the opponent whenever you win the ball. It’s easy to plug in and play, you don’t need world-class players for it to work – just a balanced squad and a bit of patience. If you try it, let me know your results and feel free to share your screenshots!
Team: Liverpool
Season: 2025/26
Style of Play: Organized Counter Attack, hybrid 4-3-3 / 4-1-4-1
Achievements:
Premier League Champion
38 games – 25 W, 9 D, 4 L
73 goals scored, 25 conceded, +48 goal difference, 84 points
UEFA Champions League Winner
Beating Barcelona, PSG and Marseille in the final
Community Shield Winner
FA Cup: Knocked out in the 5th Round by Leicester
Carabao Cup: Knocked out in the 4th Round by Ipswich
The most important detail: I played the entire season on holiday mode.
I did not touch anything on match days, gave no touchline instructions and made no in-game tactical changes.
Tactical Philosophy – Organized Counter Attack
This is not a classic “park the bus and pray for one counter” system.
What I call organized counter attacking is built on three core ideas:
1. Patience in a mid block
The team doesn’t press recklessly high, but also doesn’t sit on the edge of its own box.
The aim is to let the opponent advance into the second third of the pitch and force their mistakes there.
2. Go forward immediately, but with control
The first pass after regaining the ball usually goes through Gravenberch or one of the centre-backs.
In the middle Wirtz and Szoboszlai, on the flanks Isak and Frimpong are already positioned to explode forward.
With just 2–3 passes, you regularly create very clean transition chances and high-quality counter-attacking goals.
3. Big-game edge
What really makes the difference in big matches:
The opponent stretches the pitch in settled possession, trying to break you down.
You stay compact and patient in a mid block.
Once you win the ball, a through ball from Wirtz or Szoboszlai combined with Gakpo’s run or link-up play is absolutely lethal.
What This Tactic Delivers
This system:
Is defensively secure,
Attacks quickly but without chaos,
Shines in big games against strong opponents,
And, most impressively, can deliver a Premier League & Champions League double
even when you simulate the whole season on holiday mode with
no matchday tweaks, no touchline shouts, no in-game changes
edge players have to have good centre-opening and crossing skills
your forwards need to be tall because you will usually score goals with headballs
The rest of the roles should be as they should be. Have fun.
What you need to do to get the most out of the tactic
edge players have to have good centre-opening and crossing skills
your forwards need to be tall because you will usually score goals with headballs
The rest of the roles should be as they should be. Have fun.