3-3-3-1 Golden Circus | Football Manager 2023 Tactics

Hello everyone, I’m Vieux Lardon, a French Football Manager Streamer & Youtuber who presents to you my very first article for the English FM community (a source of pride!). I wanted to introduce you to my latest Football Manager 2023 tactic creation that is very close to my heart, but which gives me a lot of emotions and pleasure to see played. 

So I present to you the Football Manager 2023 tactic 3-3-3-1 Golden Circus! Why this name, because the passing pattern looks like a circus tent! 😅

Basically, I like tactics that are a bit original, rather narrow and offensive, whether it’s in the positioning of the players or the roles. So we’re going for an offensive 3-3-3-1 based on intense pressing, a lot of movement and a lot of possession with a Regista & an Enganche.

Small precision! The goal is not to have the "best" tactic in the world, or the most meta, but rather a tactic that gives pleasure to see played and I guarantee you that it is the case here 🙂

Introducing the player roles of Golden Circus

Goalkeeper

Role: Sweeper keeper — Defend
Instructions: —

Classic role, Sweeper keeper, who will be used as a first restart. I put him in a defensive role because the technical level of my goalkeeper is not top, but it is possible to put him in support so that he can participate even more in the game.

Central defender

Role: Central defender — Defend
Instructions: —

In the axis a CD Defend, a basic and simple role. He is the control tower of the defence, he must be good defensively, but also fast enough and good at covering. The technical level is also important because all the ball releases go through him.

Wide Center Back

Role: Wide Center Back — Support
Instructions: Dribble more, Shoot Less Often

On the sides of the defence we have Wide Center Backs. I love this role in a three-man defence because it naturally allows the team to expand. Putting them in support gives them the possibility to project themselves on their wing and to accompany the wing-back in front of him. They therefore need, in addition to their defensive qualities, to have a correct technical level, as they will be required to cross and overrun in certain situations. The idea is to have a wing-back that can play in the centre (e.g. Gvardiol, Koundé…).

Wing-backs

Role: Inverted Wing-Back — Attack
Instructions: Shoot Less Often

The inverted wing-backs have an important role in this tactic. Together with the attack task, they will contribute a lot offensively. Basically the inverted wing-backs are supposed to come back to the centre very often, but with the set-up and the 3 attacking midfielders there is no space available for them to come back to the centre.

So they often play as attacking wing-backs along the line, which is quite disturbing at first, but in the end it helps a lot in the construction and in the passing of the ball. A lot of triangle play, whether with the WCB and the DM on ball outs or with the DM and the SS on offence. In addition to running along the line, IWBs will often run back into the centre, either between the SS and the Enganche or behind the SS when he is off the ball. 

In terms of profile, you need fairly complete wing-backs, a good technical and physical level, but also a decent mark in the centre.

Defensive Midfielder

Role: Regista — Support
Instructions: Dribble more, Shoot Less Often

So, for years I really wanted to test this role and and I fell in love with it. He is the central point of the tactics, absolutely all the ball releases go through him. He needs to have a good technical level, vision of the game, but also physicality to make the defensive efforts. It’s not specified by the game for the role of Regista, but for me it’s important that the player has a minimum of defensive qualities because placed in front of the defence, he will have to make defensive interventions in all cases. 

If you are not used to this role I think you will love it, a lot of movement to make it available, risk in the pass, vertical and diagonal passes, it is really the accelerator of the game.

Possible adjustment: If you need to stabilize your defence a bit more, you can switch to a Defensive Midfielder – Support, he will also touch the ball a lot but will have less creativity.

Enganche

Role: Enganche — Support
Instructions: Dribble more

He is the pivot of your attack. He is there to make the others play around him, he is not the player who will carry the ball or even drop off a lot, he will especially offer solutions to the creation of offensives.

Possible adjustment: Use an Attacking Midfielder Attack if you want a player who is a bit more mobile, avoid having a player who will stall, otherwise he will come and encroach on the Regista space. Add “Tackle harder” and “Mark Tighter” to set up a more intense pressing.

Shadow Striker

Role: Shadow Striker — Attack
Instructions: Run Wide With Ball, Shoot Less Often, Stay Wider

My primary objective was to have an Attacking Midfielder who goes out on the wings to free up space for the inverted wing-backs, so I add “Run Wide With Ball” and “Stay Wider” but also the “Focus play down the wings” in the team instructions. He will often provide an overhang in the box, very often coming in at the far post when the SS on the other side will drop back and/or go out on the wing to cross or make space for the inverted wing-back to cross or pass back.

Possible adjustment: Add “Tackle harder” and “Mark Tighter” to set up a more intense pressing.

Striker

Role: Advanced Forward — Attack
Instructions: Dribble more, Shoot Less Often

A more than classic attacking role, you will need an efficient and fast striker. He will create a lot of chances and one-on-ones, if you have a killer it’s a win.

Possible adjustment: Add “Tackle harder” and “Mark Tighter” to set up a more intense pressing.

Golden Circus’ Team instructions

Few instructions on the tactics, except to focus play a little on the wings to use the splits between the Shadow Strikers and the Inverted Wing-Backs as much as possible.

We also play shorter and slightly higher to encourage triangle play and possession.

The rest of the instructions are very classical, we put in place a big pressing to recover the ball as soon as possible.

In Possession

In Transition

Out of Possession

Pass maps & Passing Network

Results

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Here is a presentation of the Golden Circus tactic in video (FR). Here I’ll go through the player roles and performance of the tactic a bit more in-depth.

Credit & Social Medias

This tactic is made by French Football Manager Streamer VieuxLardon. If you have any questions about this tactic, please direct them to my Twitter and I’ll do my best to answer them.

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