Carrusel v5

Carrusel v5

Fifth iteration. Same save and same test conditions as v1 to v4: OGC Nice, fresh save on 26.3, original database, holiday, no transfers, training and opposition instructions delegated, same set piece routines.

CHANGES FROM V4

Out of possession, the 4-3-3 becomes a 4-2-3-1 that folds into a 5-2-3 when pinned back:
Midfield: three DMs (Pressing DM, Dropping DM, Pressing DM) -> two (Pressing DM + Dropping DM)
Second channel midfielder: Pressing DM -> Pressing Central Midfielder, one line higher, behind the striker
Striker: Attacking Midfielder -> Centre Forward, staying high instead of dropping onto the AM line
Wingers, back four and Sweeper Keeper unchanged

In possession:
DM: Defensive Midfielder -> Deep-Lying Playmaker

Unchanged from v4: Higher defensive line and every team instruction.

WHY

v1 is still the best of the four on test (73.5 PTS) and the whole gap is at the back: 46 goals conceded with its back five, 52 to 54 for every version with a back four. The attack never moved, 78 or 79 goals in all of them.

So v5 tries to keep the four where it helps and the five where it protected. In the mid block it is a 4-2-3-1 with four players pressing up front instead of three. Once the team is pinned in its own third, the Dropping DM falls into the line and it becomes a back five again.

The side effect I like most: in v1 the DM dropped into the middle of the back three, so the centre of the five was a midfielder. Here he drops in between the right centre-back and the right back, which leaves an actual centre-back in the middle of the five, where the crosses land. With Invite Crosses on, that always looked like the weakest point of v1.

The trade-off is one fewer body in front of the defence in the mid block, six behind the ball instead of seven. If the press gets broken, there is more space between the lines.


Thanks for reading.