We are back with our latest tactic testing, this time from the highly productive Josh Daly. He seems to be constantly working hard on FM24 tactics, for which we are grateful. The tactic we are reviewing is his Insane 41131.
This one wasn’t revolutionary regarding team shape, but it produced some interesting results. Here is what we found:
The conditions of the test
As has more often been the case recently, we tested the tactic with Aston Villa. We simmed a whole season using the tactic with no tweaks or transfers.
Villa is perfect for testing in many ways, as their squad is relatively strong but not overpowered.
How was the team set up?
As I previously mentioned, it wasn’t anything too revolutionary in terms of shape. As it states in the title of the tactic, the formation is a 41131 formation. The mentality of the team is attacking, which I love in a tactic, even if it doesn’t often produce the best defensive results.
The team set-up starts with a sweeper keeper on support duty. In front of him are two ball-playing defenders on defend, flanked by wing-backs on support duty.
One of the key players in this formation is a deep-lying playmaker on defend, who sits in the defensive midfield role protecting the team’s backline. He is assisted by a central midfielder on attack duty.
The attack sees two inside forwards on support, with a shadow striker sandwiched in between the wide players. The attacking trio support an advanced forward.
As you can see from the above image, the tactic created some very useful partnerships. The two wing-backs built good relationships with the inside forwards. The centre-backs also built a strong understanding, while the shadow striker and advanced forward combined well in attack.
How did the tactic perform?
While Villa surprised everybody in real life by claiming a fourth-place finish last season, my Villa team was predicted to finish eighth place.
This tactic overperformed, and the team finished in fourth place, mirroring the team’s real-life achievement of booking a place in the Champions League for season 2024/25.
Considering that the tactic’s mentality is attack, it is no surprise that the team performed well in attacking play, scoring 82 goals, the second-highest in the league, with only second-place Liverpool scoring more top-flight goals.
When you score that many goals, you have to expect to concede them. Conceded them, our team did, as no team conceded more goals than any other team in the top six.
Interestingly, the tactic produced largely the same sort of results at home and away. They were not significantly better on home soil, which can be the case while using most tactics.
However, the team did have the second-best away record in the league after champions Manchester City. However, they won one more home game than away from home.
Which players thrived using this tactic?
As we all know, a good tactic using the right players can bring out the best in a team. More often than not, the best-performing player using most tactics is the central striker, in whatever role he plays.
However, using this tactic, the best-performing player was shadow striker Jacob Ramsey, who enjoyed a brilliant campaign. The midfielder scored 22 goals and produced ten assists.
In real life, Ramsey struggled for first-team action last season, starting just eight top-flight games and making eight substitute appearances. However, what is interesting is that none of the games in which he featured were as a central attacking midfielder or a shadow striker.
England international Ollie Watkins was the next most prolific in front of goal, scoring 21 goals and producing seven assists. He actually scored 23 goals in all competitions last season, so he slightly underperformed in our season.
Midfielder John McGinn was highly prolific, playing on both wings and his real-life position as a central midfielder. The Scotland midfielder scored an impressive 18 goals and produced ten assists.
On-loan Italian international Nicolo Zaniolo also thrived, scoring 18 goals and creating a further 13 for his teammates, with the majority of his appearances coming as an inside forward.
Winger Moussa Diaby played much of the season as an inside forward on the right of the attack, scoring 17 times and producing nine assists.
Centre-back Pau Torres is not one you think of when you think of goals. However, the Spanish international scored ten goals during the campaign, presumably the majority coming from set-pieces.
Brazilian central midfielder Douglas Luiz matched his real-life goal tally of nine goals for the season while also producing 11 assists, six more than he produced in season 2023/24.
French full-back Lucas Digne was the king of assists over the campaign, though, picking up 14 assists and scoring four goals. His compatriot Boubacar Kamara also produced a highly respectable ten assists, while also scoring four times.
Despite only starting in 17 of his 55 appearances in all competitions, Belgian midfielder Youri Tielemans scored four goals but, arguably more importantly, produced eight assists.
What these stats tell us is that the attacking players thrived using this tactic and formation.
What is our conclusion?
I love this formation. In some traditional 4231s (which this is a hybrid of, really), you will see two defensive midfielders, which means that you have no place for a player who can only play as an out-and-out central midfielder.
He could be a top player, but because he isn’t a defensive midfielder, there is no room in your formation for him. It is not the best tactic I have tested on FM24, but it has fast become my favourite for the above reason.
Not only did I do this test, but I also used it on my personal game with Everton. Apart from a game in which I got FM’ed, it worked superbly, as it allowed me to use my world-class central midfielder without converting him into a defensive or attacking midfielder.
Would I recommend this tactic? Yes, I would, as it’s one of those FM tactics that’s fun to use and brings enjoyment back to the game, which is, of course, why we play the game.
Have you used Insane 41131 by Josh Daly? If so, please let us know your thoughts on the tactic and how it worked out for you
