This tactic takes heavy inspiration from Carlo Ancelotti's pragmatism and structure, adapted to fit the FM24 meta using FMTweaks.

❓ Why Use This Setup?

✅ Pros
* Something different from the usual meta setups — this one’s bold, aggressive, and exciting to watch.
* Extremely attacking: Expect a ton of goals.
* With Southampton, we scored 124 goals in a season.
* With Real Madrid, the average went up to 150.8 goals per season.

⚠️ Cons
* Leaky defense, especially in away games.
* You can use the "All-In" version to try and "scam" some tough matches.
* With Saints, I conceded 64 goals in one season — not ideal.
* With an elite team like Real Madrid, that number dropped to a much more manageable 31.2 goals conceded (check the data sheet for breakdown).

📝 Why Southampton Matters
Sure, testing a tactic with Real Madrid might feel like overkill — they can make almost anything look good. But what really matters is how the setup holds up with a mid-table or underdog side.

That’s where Southampton comes in.

This part of the test shows you how the tactic performs without elite players, massive budgets, or world-class depth. If it works here — and it does — you know it’s structurally solid.

🔍 Saints Squad Analysis – Personal Notes

🧤 Goalkeeper (GK)

  • Ramsdale: Sell him after season1. He’s just not good enough when it comes to aerial threats. I conceded way too many stupid goals with him.
    I can’t tell if it’s because of FMtweaks Simatch or just his poor animations/performance, but he cost me a lot of points.

* 🏃‍♂️Right Wing-Back (WBR)*
* Sugawara: Pretty solid overall. He can stay as backup or be sold for profit.
* Bellis: Has poor dribbling, decent crossing. I didn’t use him much since Sugawara was my go-to.
* Walker-Peters: Decent stats, but at 26 he won’t develop much further. Could be sold for market money—depends if you’re going "marketless" or not.

* 🏃‍♂️Left Wing-Back (WBL)*
* Charlie Taylor: Good, reliable, similar to Sugawara—but aging. I used him in Season 1, then sold him.
* Manning: Recently joined. You can use him as backup for Taylor and sell him after Season 1.

* 🛡️Centre-Backs (DC)*
This is the area I focused most on, testing new players. Still, some are usable:

Kotchap: Worth playing to boost resale value. He’s 21 and has room to grow, although his “passive” skills are poor.
* Bednarek: OK-ish, but at 27, use for a season then sell.
* Nathan Wood: Could be your 2nd/3rd option depending on transfer strategy.
* Stephens: Same as Wood, but older and honestly not good enough

🎯 Midfield – The real problem area

Let’s be honest: midfield is a mess in this squad.

  • Dibling & Fernandes: Both are absolute wonderkids with crazy potential. Dibling especially is a favorite of mine.
  • Albert Grønbæk: Good player, but on loan. I usually don’t like playing loanees unless there's an option to buy. Up to you.
  • Prati (my signing): If you're doing a long save, get him. Great as a DM/RPM.
  • Bernabé: A gem. Can play DM/CM/AM — super versatile, a must buy in my opinion.

⚔️ Strikers
* Archer: Great potential. Use as a rotation option.
* Konaté: I bought him, but didn’t use him much because Big Paul and Emegha were smashing.
* Big Paul: The reason to go full Saint. He’s a tank, a bulldozer, a Godzilla. Pure cheat code on corners and crosses.
* With 20 Jumping Reach and 14 Heading, he’s a monster. Sell him after S1 if you want and go for Lucca/Esposito/anyone else.
* Emegha: I played him as Advanced Forward — he delivered.
* Konaté: If you follow me, you know I’m not a fan of short, fast strikers in this meta. They just can’t dominate aerially. It’s cross city, baby.

* If you don’t want to buy strikers, you can run double AFs like I did with Madrid. It’s okay, but I’ll always favor Big Flying Meat™ up top.

⚙️ Tactical Note (41212 Narrow Diamond)
Without wingers, your WBL/WBR are your engines. Their crosses are what feed your entire attack — they must have:

Crossing
Dribbling
Pace
Acceleration
💡 Just look at the stats:

Sugawara: 29 assists
Charlie Taylor: 34 assists
These roles are non-negotiable if you're playing this system.

Here if you want to understand how to "All-in"