This week’s tactic we tested is Odd 433 by Franklyfm84. The tactic first caught my eye on Twitter because of its name, as I have been looking for slightly different tactics and formations to test for these pieces and in my personal save.
The conditions of the test
As always, I tested with the Everton team from the official update. I simmed a whole season without making any signings, changes to the personnel or tweaks.
I have to say I thought this tactic might well suit the players in the Toffees squad, and it turned out it did.
How is the tactic set up?
As alluded to in the name of the tactic, it’s a lob-sided 4-3-3, an odd 4-3-3 if you like. To be fair, it is not as odd a shape as suggested. The tactic has the goalkeeper as a sweeper keeper on support duty. At the heart of the defence are two ball-playing defenders flanked by wing-backs on attack duty. Interestingly, the only two players on defend in the team are the two players at the heart of the backline.
In front of the defence, there are three defensive midfielders, one playing as a traditional defensive midfielder on support duty, with the other two playing as volantes. The two volantes are on attack, allowing them to belie their defensive midfield positions and break forward in support of the attack.
Further up the pitch, on the left flank, an inside forward on attack provides the attacking support to a deep-lying forward on support and an advanced forward on attack. These roles were perfect for the players available.
Dwight McNeil performed well on the left, while Neal Maupay offered support to the advanced forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The formation suited the trio’s individual strengths, and it was almost as if it was designed for the current Everton squad.
How did the tactic perform in the test?
The tactic worked really well in testing. The team was predicted to finish in 16th place, and in the end, the team finished sixth place, which with the current Everton team, is a big achievement.
However, it could have been so much better as the team was in fourth place in the table heading into the final game of the season. Unfortunately, a 2-0 defeat at fifth-place Arsenal saw the Gunners move into fourth place, and to add insult to injury, Leicester nicked fifth place too.
There were no stats that really stood out, apart from the fact that the team collected 73 points, which is a club record in the Premier League era.
The team had the fourth-best defence and attack in the Premier League, and it was only that unfortunate last-day defeat that denied the team a top-four finish.
Unfortunately, there were no cup runs, as the team exited in the third round of both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup against Bradford City and Watford respectively.
Which players were the top performers?
When it comes to goals and average season ratings, it is unsurprising that star forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin came top in both categories. The England international playing as the advanced forward scored 21 goals in 31 appearances, accruing a season rating of 7.51.
The second-highest goalscorer was a surprise, as centre-back James Tarkowski scored 11 times and produced two assists. The goals tally suggests that the creator has put some excellent work into the set-pieces setup.
McNeil, playing as the left inside forward, also enjoyed a profitable campaign, as he scored ten goals and provided 13 assists, with the latter a team-high. This was no surprise, as it’s almost the role he was born to play in.
In real life, French striker Neal Maupay struggled to find goals at Everton in the 2022/23 season, scoring just once. However, that was largely down to having to play up front on his own at times. The team never really played to his strengths.
Playing as a deep-lying forward in this setup, he scored nine goals and produced two assists, which was his standard return playing for his previous club Brighton.
Young backup striker Ellis Simms also scored a respective eight goals and produced five assists, despite most of his 38 appearances coming from the substitutes bench.
Right wing-back Nathan Patterson deserves mention, as the Scot produced six assists, which made him second only to McNeil in terms of assists for the season at Everton.
Conclusion
This was a really interesting tactic, for sure, and I tried it for a few games on a personal save. I have to say it is one that I am likely to come back to in future, especially playing as Everton because, as previously mentioned, the tactic fits the Toffees’ players so well.
Been working on this one for a while. Have a look at the ODD 433 which will give you some brilliant results 👌👇
I Use This 433 To Get Brilliant Rebuild Results…… FM23 – Football Manager 23 Tactic Videohttps://t.co/G7XoUSDbKX#fm23tactic #fm23 #footballmanager23 pic.twitter.com/H6h6ogHqxo
— FRANKLYFM84 (@franklyfm84) July 4, 2023
Although the tactic fits the Everton players, this tactic could well be something special with even better players.
Have you ever used Odd 433 by Franklyfm84, and what do you think of it?
