We are back only our second tactic testing for FM24, and like our first article, the tactic is by a prolific FM tactic creator, GYR.
The tactic we used in the test is DRAX FM24, which unsurprisingly produced excellent results, which we will go into further later in the article.
How is the tactic set up?
The tactic is set up in a 3-3-2-2 formation, or some may describe it almost like a 3-5-2, with a positive mentality. Looking at the individual player roles, the tactic is undoubtedly well-balanced between attack and defence.
The formation starts with a goalkeeper on support, with two ball-playing defenders flanking a central defender, who all have the defend mentality. Then there is a defensive midfielder on support duty, flanked by complete wing-backs, who are on attack to provide the width in the team.
In the centre of the park is a mezzala and a roaming playmaker. The team is completed by a pressing forward and an advanced forward, both on attack duty.
Looking at the tactic screen at the end of the season, many lovely green lines indicate that players have strong relationships all over the pitch. The defenders all seem to have a good understanding, while in midfield, two of the three midfielders have the same. Unsurprisingly, the forwards also have a similarly good relationship, with the formation and tactic playing a big part in the success of those understandings.
How did the tactic perform?
As with many of GYR tactics I have used, it produced excellent results. It took a team that was predicted to finish 13th place in the table to a third-place finish and a place in the following season’s Champions League.
The team were particularly effective in attack, scoring a highly impressive 88 goals. Usually, with tactics that produce lots of goals, the defensive side of the game can suffer. However, this wasn’t the case with this tactic, as the team conceded just 41 goals, which was still the fifth-best in the league. The two combined to give the team a more than impressive 47-goal difference, a tally only bettered by the two teams in the league.
There wasn’t much else that stood out for this tactic, apart from solid stats all around. The only negative was that the team struggled for results towards the end of the season, as they won just one of their last five games of the league campaign. They also lost just once in the run, as three of the games ended in draws.
While the team thrived in the Premier League, they struggled in the cup competitions. They suffered elimination at the Fourth-Round stage by Leeds United while going out of the FA Cup at the same stage against Arsenal.
Which players performed the best in the tactic?
Many players thrived using this specific tactic, playing a big part in a successful campaign. Here are the players who produced the best performances in certain categories:
The players with the highest season average rating
Striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin picked up the highest season rating, picking up an impressive rating of 7.56. DCL’s strike partner Beto was only slightly worse in the average rating, as his rating was 7.50.
Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford played every game in all competitions, gaining a rating of 7.19, while full-back Vitaliy Mykolenko was just behind England’s number one with a rating of 7.17. Midfielder James Garner also shone in the centre of the field, his rating of 7.10 was probably the highest rating I have seen the former Manchester United player pick up in FM23 or FM24.
Wing-back Nathan Patterson was highly effective in his role, with his season rating of 7.02 reflecting his displays out wide. Centre-back James Tarkowski also picked up a respectable 7.01.
Who were the team’s top goalscorers?
The two forwards were always going to be the main source of goals, and so it turned out. Beto was the team’s top goalscorer with 30 goals, while his strike partner Calvert-Lewin scored just one fewer goals than the Portuguese star.
The midfield also produced their fair share of goals, as James Garner scored six times, while Abdoulaye Doucoure and Dwight McNeil scored five goals.
Who were the players who produced the most assists?
In real life, Ukrainian international Mykolenko was been criticised during his Everton career for his attacking play (despite recently scoring against Brighton). However, he was highly effective going forward using this tactic, producing a team-high 13 assists while scoring three goals.
The forwards were prolific and creative, as Calvert-Lewin picked up 12 assists while Beto also got 11. However, James Garner was level with Calvert-Lewin for the second-most assists for the team. Right wing-back Patterson managed a respectable seven assists, while Doucoure registered six and McNeil managed five each.
A special mention should also be made for veteran Ashley Young, who scored four goals and created another four.
My conclusion on the tactic
There is very little you can criticise about a tactic that takes a team predicted to finish 13th to third place. It produced excellent results. The system worked incredibly well, utilising two of Everton’s best players in the game, forward pair Beto and Calvert-Lewin. However, it also managed to bring the best out of the likes of Garner and Mykolenko.
The one thing that may be a negative for using this tactic is that the likes of Jack Harrison, McNeil and Arnaut Danjuma struggle to get into the team, as all three seem to thrive in wide areas in FM. Neither Harrison nor Danjuma featured at all during the campaign.
However, this is not the fault of the tactic creator, as he didn’t create the tactic for the current Everton squad. Ironically, not using the pair could well prove beneficial, as both players are on loan, and if they excel in the first season, their respective clubs usually want big fees to sign them permanently.
Would I use this tactic again?
This tactic is one of my early go-to tactics in FM24 so far. I would recommend this tactic to anybody managing any mid-level Premier League team. I haven’t tested it with teams of an inferior standard, but from what I have read from other FM players, it has produced decent results with lesser-quality teams.
Have you used GYR-DRAX FM24? If you have, let us know what you think of the tactic via our socials
