Pros and cons of Control Possession tactics in Football Manager 2024

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When you start your save in Football Manager, you have to choose your default tactics. While tactics can be tweaked and changed as you advance through the game, it is advisable to know your players well first and choose your tactics accordingly which will be based on your players’ strengths.

There are several preset tactics you can go for and the first and most attacking one of these is Control Possession. It is a tactic that focuses on your team dominating the ball and creating chances with a rather patient approach.

This tactic is best suited for teams who have plenty of technically gifted and creative players at their disposal. If you are managing an underdog side and don’t have technical players all across the pitch, it is not recommended at all.

There are pros and cons for every tactic in the game and control possession is no exception. The biggest pro of this tactic is that your team will look to keep possession of the ball as much as they can which eventually somewhat negates the threat of conceding goals. However, this tactic can make you vulnerable against teams who sit deep and look to hit on the break.

Players will look to play out of defence and play very short passes in this system. They will be allowed to roam around the pitch to create passing options and eventually create openings. However, unless you have high-quality technical players with good decision making and vision, it might become hard to create clear-cut chances occasionally.

Your team won’t press as aggressively as that of a gegenpress tactic and will somewhat play a mid block rather than a high press which means there will be more bodies in the central area of the pitch when you don’t have the ball. However, if the opponent has good long passers, they can create dangerous situations on the break.

A control possession tactic does not necessarily mean that you will have a very good xG. Rather your team will be looking to create more high-quality chances. You will need good finishers in order to convert those otherwise it can become frustrating to see plenty of possession resulting in lack of goals.