I don’t usually do tactic testing so close together. However, the prospect of a usable 4-2-4 on FM26 intrigued me, as my team on my personal save has so many talented attacking players.
With that in mind, GYR’s WOLVERINE V2 4-2-4 was perfect, as I wanted to play an attacking formation with a sense of solidity.
How was the tactic set up?
I tested the tactic using Everton as my test team. I went on holiday for a season, having made no transfers, and using the tactic for a whole campaign.
The tactic title says the formation is 4-2-4. It is a 4-2-4 in possession, but out of possession, it’s more of a 4-4-2. It uses a clean slate style and an attacking mentality. That clean slate gives you the chance to tailor the style to the way you want to play.
The tactic starts with a ball-playing goalkeeper. In front of the last line of defence are two wing-backs in possession and full-backs out of possession, with two ball-playing centre-backs in possession and centre-backs out of possession.
In the midfield is an attacking midfielder in possession, and a channel midfielder, who both become defensive midfielders out of possession.
On the flanks are two inside wingers in possession, who become tracking wide midfielders when out of possession. Up front are two channel forwards in possession, and tracking centre forwards out of possession.
The way the tactic is set up gives it a good balance. There are essentially five defensive players and five attacking players, since one of the central midfielders is more defensive and the other is more attacking.
How did the tactic perform?
The team were predicted to finish 10th in the table but slightly overachieved, finishing sixth and sealing qualification for the Europa League.
The team’s main strength using this tactic was in attack, as they scored the third-highest number of goals in the Premier League.
However, the team’s attacking efforts came at a price, as the team conceded the most goals out of any of the league’s ten finishes. There were not many other standout stats from the season using this tactic.
The tactic didn’t deliver in the cup competitions. The team exited the FA Cup in the fifth round against Brentford and the Carabao Cup in the second round against Burton Albion.
Which players performed well using this tactic?
Unsurprisingly, the players who performed best in this tactic were offensive-minded. The player with the highest average season rating using this tactic was Thierry Barry, at 7.30. The French forward scored 16 goals and produced 11 assists.
Winger Tyler Dibling scored 12 goals and produced five assists, racking up a season average of 6.96. Barry’s strike partner was also highly effective when it came to goal contributions, scoring 11 goals and producing 11 assists over the campaign.
Senegalese international Iliman Ndiaye was also effective in attack, scoring 9 goals and producing 5 assists, having played both as a central striker and also on the flank.
Central midfielders James Garner and Kieran Dewsbury-Hall also aided the team’s attack. Dewsbury-Hall scored six goals and produced a further ten assists, while Garner matched his midfield partner in assists but scored one fewer goal. Many of those assists for Garner likely came from set-pieces.
Dwight McNeil didn’t always start games, starting just 17 times, while making 19 substitute appearances, but he still scored six goals and produced nine assists.
The two players who played most regularly at full-back over the season, Jake O’Brien and Vitaliy Mykolenko, also chipped in attacking-wise, producing four and five assists respectively, while O’Brien also scored twice.
One surprisingly prolific scorer was centre-back Jarrad Branthwaite, who scored four goals.
One player that was slightly disappointing was on-loan Manchester City star Jack Grealish, who scored six goals.
What is our conclusion of the GYR’s WOLVERINE V2 4-2-4?
I always like a tactic that is slightly different from the ever-reliable and often boring 4-2-3-1. It gives you an opportunity to be slightly versatile and lets different players shine.
In my case, I had a lot of attacking players, so playing with two forwards and two wingers was perfect for my team. My team is full of quality players, so I am not surprised it did well.
However, the fact that it overachieved in the tactic testing with Everton’s first-team squad shows it has the ability to do so.
I would definitely use it again. In fact, I am currently playing around with the tactic, tweaking the style and different roles in an effort to adapt it to fit my squad.
It is definitely a tactic I would recommend to others, especially if you have two semi-competent strikers.
Have you used the GYR’s WOLVERINE V2 4-2-4? If you have, let us know your thoughts on the tactic via our socials
