Hey everyone, we are back with another tactic test on FM23. We have returned to one of our favourite tactic creators for our latest tactic testing in Delicious Story for their 343 Re-Positive Suplex to the Fire tactic.
To find out how this tactic performed, its strengths and its weaknesses, please read on, as it produced some interesting results.
What were the conditions of the test?
I used the usual Everton setup from the latest update from FM. I set the tactic and then went on holiday for the season. I made no signings or tactical tweaks and let the season play out.
The team were expected to struggle with its predicted position of 16th place. We did a bit better than that predicted position, but you will have to carry on reading to find out how the tactic performed.
How is the team set up?
As the title of the tactic struggles, it is set up in a 343 forward. The goalkeeper is a sweeper keeper on defend, which is ideal for a goalkeeper like ours, Jordan Pickford, who is good with his feet.
Three ball-playing defenders on the defend duty are in front of England’s number one. Interestingly, these three are the only players in the team on defend.
On the flanks are two complete wing-backs on attack, who offer the team that desperately needed attacking width. Sandwiched in between the pair is a defensive midfielder on support and volante on attack. The former is the one who is likely to support the defence the most, while the latter will prove to be an attacking threat from deep.
The front three is a line of advanced forwards on attack whose sole job is the put the ball in the back of the net. This tactic could be adapted to playing with two wide attackers with one central forward, although it has to be done correctly. Otherwise, your wing-backs and wide forwards could be falling over each other, even if it does give your team an overload on the flanks.
If your team doesn’t score goals with this setup, then you need better forward players, as it’s set up to attack.
How did this tactic perform?
While this tactic wasn’t overpowered or spectacular, it did help the team outperform the predicted finish of 16th place by finishing eighth place in the Premier League table, ninth points adrift of the top six and the European spots.
Unsurprisingly with such an attacking formation, the attacking results were better than the defensive ones, as the team scored 70 goals, a goal tally only bettered by the league’s top two, Manchester City and Liverpool.
The team’s 57 goals conceded was slightly concerning, as only seven teams conceded more goals. However, the poor defensive numbers were understandable, considering the attacking nature of the tactic. The team was always going to use attack as the best form of defence.
In other competitions, the team made it to the fifth round of both the FA Cup, where they lost to Manchester United and the Carabao Cup, where they suffered a defeat against Manchester City.
Who were the top-performing players?
Now he wasn’t the top-performing player average season rating-wise, but French backup striker Neal Maupay was the team’s top goalscorer as an advanced forward with an impressive 22 goals while also producing three assists. It was a massive surprise, as I have never seen such a prolific season from the former Brighton man.
Fellow striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored 15 goals and produced seven assists in 29 appearances, also topping the average season rating charts with a score of 7.35.
Dwight McNeil, who usually plays as a wide attacker, was employed as one of the three advanced forwards, scoring 12 goals and producing four assists in the role in 43 appearances in all competitions.
Another winger Demarai Gray scored nine times and produced five assists, while young striker Ellis Simms matched Gray’s goal tally while also producing three assists, despite starting just 14 matches. French midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure also enjoyed a good season in front of goal, scoring seven goals in his role as a volante.
The burden of creativity very much fell on the shoulders of the two wing-backs, and they didn’t disappoint. Ukrainian international Vitaliy Mykolenko produced ten assists on the left, while his teammate on the right, Nathan Patterson, created eight goals.
The Scottish international was joined on eight assists by Alex Iwobi, who may have played as both a wing-back and a defensive midfielder, as he is highly versatile, so that he could have filled both roles.
The stats show the importance of the wing-backs as creators and as players that offer the team the width it obviously lacks without wide forwards or wingers.
Our conclusion on 343 Re-Positive Suplex
In truth, this is a solid tactic that will see most teams score goals but also concede quite a few if you haven’t got elite defenders. I don’t think the Everton squad was that well equipped to play this formation simply because of the lack of actual forwards in the team.
Their real-life struggles in front of goal have shown that they don’t have the best attacking options, especially when Calvert-Lewin is injured for much of the season. However, I must admit that Neal Maupay performed beyond all expectations in the formation.
Although Gray has played up front for Everton this season, his more natural position is playing as a winger, similar to Dwight McNeill. However, both performed admirably as part of that three-pronged attack.
This tactic could be a great success with a team with better quality forwards. I would certainly consider using it again. In my personal save, my team has sensational forward players, and no doubt this tactic would be highly successful with that team. I will try it with that team and come back and give a small update on how it gets on.
Have you ever used the 343 Re-Positive Suplex by Delicious Story? If you have, let us know via our socials what your think of the tactic.
