Football Manager 2020 Tactics: Defending In A José Mourinho Mid-Block

8. Formation

Before picking a formation, it’s important to understand what the aim is with this approach. We are defending the middle of the pitch, trying to prevent the opponent playing through you. Your middle needs to be the strongest part of the team and ideally outnumber the opposition in that area.

A 4–1–2–3/4–5–1 or a 4–2–3–1 are good starting points. They are middle heavy formations that most top flight teams are a capable of using in FM 20. When using a 4–1–2–3 you have a single pivot and two central midfielders which gives you a variety of options in terms of roles. You could line up with two functional central midfielders and a deep playmaker behind. Maybe you want your deepest man to be the destroyer, reminiscent of Claude Makélélé under Mourinho at Chelsea? You could even choose three playmakers if you have the talent in your squad.

Choose a combination that suits your style and your players but always remember this area is where your best players should be. They need to make good decisions defensively and offensively, be able to win the ball and launch attacks either on the counter or through build up play.