While counterattacking football has negative connotations associated with it, many world-class managers such as Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte have found great success with it. You don’t need to dominate possession or be the better team to win a game of football; you just need to get your game plan right in the pivotal moments of the game to upset your opponent. That’s exactly what this Football Manager 2023 Counterattacking Tactics Guide will teach you to do.
Tactical Style
Firstly you need to choose the appropriate tactical style for your setup. I have identified three relevant styles for what we are aiming for. These are Route One, Fluid Counterattack, and Direct Counterattack. You could make your setup work with all three, but I have found that Fluid Counterattack works best for my team. Route One is a bit too negative for my liking, as it involves playing a lot of long balls over the top of the opposition defense, hoping your player latches onto it rather than actually constructing tactical plays. Direct is very similar to the fluid system, but I prefer more creativity in my team’s play; therefore, going for the latter. We’ll talk about the tweaks to this style in the following sections.
I recommend going for the Fluid Counterattacking style
Formation
Let’s now talk about the right formation to use. Most counterattacking managers in the real world use a hybrid 5-3-2 system which transforms into a 3-5-2 when in possession by instructing the wingbacks to join the attack. This is similar to the idea we’ll be implementing in our setup. I have gone for the 5-3-2 DM WB formation in Football Manager 2023. This provides ample cover in defense thanks to the three reliable Central Defenders and the two wingbacks who will be helping in both the defense and attack. The Deep Lying Playmaker will be able to quickly release pinpoint passes to turn the defense into counterattacks through quick transitions. In this regard, he will have plenty of options, such as the two midfielders in front of him, the overlapping wingbacks, and the option to play a long ball over the top to the big target man upfront.
The 5-3-2 DM WB is your best bet.
Overall, the numbers in the counterattack will overload and stretch the opposition’s defense to create ample goalscoring opportunities. You can also personalize the players’ roles to your liking, though the overall structure should remain the same. For instance, I instructed my left wingback to employ a defensive role and the right one an attacking one, as he would be far more of a threat owing to his higher pace. At the same time, this provided a more balanced feel to my team’s structure.
In-Possession Tactics
Next up in this Football Manager 2023 Counterattacking Tactics guide are the various tactics to adopt when in possession, in transition, or out of possession. When your team is in possession, you’ll want to set your attacking width to fairly wide in order to stretch the counters. Choose more directness for your passing directness and set the tempo to slightly higher. Both these will encourage your players to break quickly out of defense and look for direct passing options when possible in order to increase the chances of 1v1s.
Time wasting should be set to frequently because you’ll generally want to shut down shop after taking the lead and defend with your life. Instruct your players to win as many set pieces as possible, as you might not get many chances on the counter; therefore, set pieces will often be your best friend. I have also set the crosses type to floated as the two strikers upfront will use their physicality to their advantage to win aerial duels.
Add width and directness to your attacks.
In-Transition Tactics
In transition, once you lose the ball, you’ll want your team to maintain their shape rather than pressing blindly to win back the ball. Hence, instruct them to regroup back into the structure to prepare for the counter opportunities. Once this happens, they should pounce on the counterattack. Going in hand with the need to maintain a quick tempo with your passing, the goalkeeper should be asked to distribute the ball quickly; I have encouraged him to take long throws toward the flanks to exploit the space available to the quick wingbacks.
Hold your team’s shape and then pounce on the counter
Out-of-Possession Tactics
In general, counterattacking teams keep a low defensive line to shut out space at the back. This is also the case in Football Manager 2023. This ensures that quick opposition forwards can’t get in behind and cause havoc for the keeper by beating the offside trap. I have also asked my defense to drop off more to accentuate this tactic. Further forward, the mid-block line of engagement ensures that the forwards are never too far away to latch onto potential through balls from the defense.
Hold a low defensive line to neutralize quick opposition forwards
Mentality
Finally, we’ll conclude this Football Manager 2023 Counterattacking Tactics guide by talking about the team’s mentality. Teams that tend to concede possession to the opposition are usually less skilled than the rival and, therefore, likely to give them the initiative, looking for them to commit a mistake rather than carving out opportunities themselves. Hence, set your team’s mentality to be cautious. This will ensure that your players don’t overcommit to the attack but do charge forward when the opportunity presents itself.
Proceed with caution
Conclusion
That’s about it for this Football Manager 2023 Counterattacking Tactics guide. Remember that there’s no right way to play football. There’s no shame in letting your opponent dominate possession, it’s the goals that count, and this tactical setup will provide your team with the structure to create sufficient opportunities while holding a solid defensive shape.
If you want more Football Manager 2023, check out our other guides, including these:
