Football Manager 2024: What are the defensive lines?

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We have discussed the lines of engagement in our previous article. In this article, we will help you out with the defensive lines. Both of these have to be in sync for your tactics to work as effectively as you want them to be. They must not be contradictory otherwise it will affect your team negatively.

There are four options for your defensive line which are very high, higher, standard and lower. It means how far up the pitch your defenders will be when your team owns the ball.

A lower line invites a lot of pressure and is best suited for underdog teams who are playing a low block. This is designed to frustrate opponents by not giving them any space to hurt but this can be broken by technically gifted players who have a lot of flair, vision and movement.

A standard defensive line is self-explanatory where your defensive line won’t be either too high or too low. It can work with both a high press and a mid-block. Unless you have defenders with good pace and technique, a standard defensive line will be safer to play rather than a higher defensive line.

A higher defensive line encourages your defenders to move higher up the pitch and it is very effective when you want to build from the back. However, high-quality centre-backs are a must for this along with a sweeper keeper who can come out of his box when needed to.

A higher defensive line along with a high press and even a mid-block will mean you will have plenty of passing options in the middle of the pitch and can hope to dominate the ball.

A very high defensive line is the most aggressive defensive line where you will see every player in your team in the opposition half when you have the ball. With a high press, a very high line of engagement can be greatly effective when you have top-class defenders and goalkeepers like Alisson Becker, or Ederson or Manuel Neuer. This makes you vulnerable on the break but with pacey centre-backs and a top-notch sweeper-keeper, this threat can be minimised.