The latest tactic we tested is Stevie G 433 WB by FMaddictzone. I felt like I was committing an act of treason by using a tactic based on Steven Gerrard’s time coaching Rangers while managing Everton because of his legendary status at Liverpool. However, I thought it would be an interesting one to try, as it seems to have had mixed results for different people.
It’s also slightly different from many of the tactics I have tested and used, for that matter, on FM23. It did produce an interesting campaign.
How was the test conducted?
As usual, I started the game with Everton. However, I used an updated custom database with the latest squads as of July 24th. That meant the likes of Luton Town, Burnley and Sheffield United replaced Southampton, Leeds and Leicester in the Premier League.
I played out an entire Premier League season without any interference from me, so no tactical tweaks and no transfers.
How is the tactic set up?
The tactic uses the vertical Tiki-Taka style and is set on positive for style mentality. The formation is relatively attacking. When it comes to the player’s duties, the goalkeeper is set to defend, with a central defender and ball-playing defender on defend in front of the last line of defence.
A defensive midfielder on defend patrols in front of the two centre-backs, flanked by wing-backs on either side of him on attack. In the centre of the pitch are a box-to-box midfielder and a deep-lying playmaker, both on support duty.
On the wings are an inside forward on support and another inside forward on the opposite flank but on attack. They support a pressing forward on attack.
When I first saw this formation and tactic, I had a feeling that this wouldn’t be great defensively with the players available in the first season at Everton. Unfortunately, as you will find out later on in the article, my initial reaction to the formation was spot on.
How did the tactic perform?
Out of the tactics I have used and tested, this one probably performed the worst in testing. The team was predicted to finish 16th place in the table but finished 14th place, which I guess is slightly overachievement.
The main weakness of this tactic was in defence, as the team conceded an incredible 83 goals. The only team in the English top-flight that conceded more was Luton Town, who finished bottom of the table. Usually, when using an attacking tactic, the team scores enough goals to negate the negatives of conceding at the other end.
However, with this tactic, the team scored just 50 goals, producing a highly concerning -33 goal difference at the end of the season. The fact that the team suffered 23 defeats in 38 games was also majorly disappointing, although it probably accurately reflects the Toffees’ current state in real life.
As usual with our tactic testing, Everton struggled in cup competitions. The team exited the FA Cup in the Third-Round stage against Blackpool while suffering a Second-Round exit from the Carabao Cup against Aston Villa.
Who were the top performers in the team?
There was only one player that broke the 7.00 barrier for average season rating, Jean-Phillipe Gbamin, but the midfielder only made three substitute appearances all season, having failed to start a game. However, unsurprisingly, the front players shined on sheer statistics alone.
It’s become a running theme that striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin tends to shine in every tactic testing. It was no different in this test, as DCL scored 20 goals and produced three assists in 36 appearances while picking up the highest average season rating of any player who actually started a game of 6.93.
On-loan winger Arnaut Danjuma played on the left flank and scored seven goals while also producing seven assists, which was a respectable return for a player in a struggling team. On the opposite side, the ever-reliable Dwight McNeil weighed in with seven goals and six assists.
The versatile Demarai Gray also scored six times and managed four assists, which was a decent return considering he only started ten games. Another backup player Neal Maupay scored five goals over 21 appearances.
When it came to assists, the wing-backs did their job, as Ukrainian left wing-back Vitaliy Mykolenko produced seven assists, which was a joint high alongside Danjuma. On the other side of the pitch, Nathan Patterson also got six assists, while midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure created five goals.
What is our conclusion?
I have to say I was interested to see how this tactic performed with the current Everton squad. However, this tactic fell flat in the test, as I believe the defensive players at Everton were not good enough to play the style.
For me, this is a tactic you use with teams full of quality players who are expected to dominate the ball and games. That is definitely not the current Everton squad. I may be tempted to revisit it at a later date with different players or even a different team, as I do think it’s an interesting set-up and idea of how to play. However, if I were playing as an underdog or a club looking to overachieve, I wouldn’t use this tactic.
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