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

The English Football Association states that ‘the bottom line of the mid-block is usually about 20 yards out from the 18-yard box.’ Translating that into Football Manager makes standard or higher the best choice for a defensive line.

Before making your decision, ask yourself this: ‘Are my defenders fast?’. If the answer is no, congratulations, you’re playing with a standard defensive line. Due to you clogging up the middle the AI will look to bypass this with balls into the channel or over the top. A standard defensive line gives you a better chance of dealing with that threat as you haven’t positioned your defenders too high up the pitch. If you are a quicker side, playing a higher defensive side is a good choice. The higher up you are, the closer your side is to goal when you win the ball back and look to counter.

The defensive line should always be selected in unison with the line of engagement. They compliment each other, and picking two vastly different lines will open up a cavernous amount of space in midfield. A standard line of engagement with a higher defensive line is recommended if you’re a strong side while a lower line of engagement with a standard defensive line is a well balanced approach for your average Joes.