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FM26: Maresca's Perfect 4-2-3-1 Tactic for Chelsea - Quadruple Winner!
This video presents a 4-2-3-1 tactic inspired by Enzo Maresca for Football Manager 2026 (FM26), tested with Chelsea, which resulted in a quadruple-winning season. The video details three variants of the tactic (balanced, offensive, and defensive), player instructions, and team settings to dominate possession, pressure the opponent, and achieve success in the game.
1. 🏆 Introduction to Enzo Maresca's Tactics and Chelsea's Quadruple Success in FM26
- ✅ The video presents a tactic inspired by Enzo Maresca, tested with Chelsea in Football Manager 2026.
- ✅ The tactic was tested in a rebuild, with most games played manually for added realism.
- ✅ Chelsea achieved a quadruple-winning season using this tactic.
- ✅ Viewers are encouraged to leave a like and subscribe to celebrate the success.
00:00 - 00:38
1. 🏆 Introduction to Enzo Maresca's Tactics and Chelsea's Quadruple Success in FM26
- ✅ The video presents a tactic inspired by Enzo Maresca, tested with Chelsea in Football Manager 2026.
- ✅ The tactic was tested in a rebuild, with most games played manually for added realism.
- ✅ Chelsea achieved a quadruple-winning season using this tactic.
- ✅ Viewers are encouraged to leave a like and subscribe to celebrate the success.
00:39 - 01:25
2. 📊 Tactic Performance and Key Chelsea Stats in FM26
- ✅ The tactic is adaptable to various teams due to its shape and play style.
- ✅ Chelsea won the Premier League multiple times in a 5-year span.
- ✅ The Premier League was very competitive each season.
- ✅ Cole Palmer had a standout season, leading in goals and average rating.
- ✅ The team had an average possession of 60% and scored the most goals (76).
01:26 - 02:02
3. 🏆 Additional Wins: Community Shield, FA Cup, and EFL Cup
- ✅ Chelsea also won the Community Shield with a 2-0 victory.
- ✅ The team won the FA Cup, with a final decided by penalties and a semi-final in extra time.
- ✅ Chelsea won the EFL Cup, overcoming Ipswich Town 3-2 in the final.
02:03 - 02:39
4. 🤔 Analysis of Cup Wins: Difficulty and Determination
- ✅ The FA Cup and EFL Cup wins were not easy, requiring determination and effort.
- ✅ Some matches were won on penalties or in extra time, demonstrating the team's ability to overcome challenges.
02:40 - 03:06
5. 📈 Key Data and Realism of Enzo Maresca's Tactic
- ✅ The tactic is realistic and not a meta 4-2-3-1 tactic.
- ✅ The team scored more than double the goals they conceded, with good passing accuracy.
- ✅ The tactic prioritizes realism over exploiting the game engine.
03:07 - 04:55
6. 🎁 Benefits for Patreon Members: Save Files and More
- ✅ Patreon members get access to definitive save files for each team.
- ✅ These files include the three variants of Enzo Maresca's tactic, a realistic transfer list, and set pieces.
- ✅ Patreon members also receive exclusive tactics, set pieces, training, mobile console tactics, rebuild files, tactical help, access to giveaways, and ad-free viewing.
04:56 - 05:35
7. 🛠️ Building the Base Tactic: Tiki-Taka Style and Positive Mentality
- ✅ The base tactic uses a tiki-taka play style and a positive mentality.
- ✅ The goalkeeper is a ball-playing goalkeeper with predetermined instructions.
05:36 - 06:43
8. 🛡️ Defense Setup: Inverted Wing-Backs and Ball-Playing Center-Backs
- ✅ The right-back is an inverted wing-back with fewer runs.
- ✅ The left-back is an inside full-back with predetermined instructions.
- ✅ The two center-backs are ball-playing defenders with predetermined instructions.
- ✅ The back line is predetermined, making it easy to copy.
06:44 - 07:26
9. ⚙️ Midfield Setup: Defensive Midfielders with Predetermined Instructions
- ✅ One defensive midfielder (e.g., Kaiso) has predetermined instructions.
- ✅ The defensive midfielder next to him also has predetermined instructions.
07:27 - 08:45
10. ⚽ Attacking Line Setup: Wingers and Striker with Specific Instructions
- ✅ The winger is instructed to stay wider, run wider, make more runs, and mark tighter.
- ✅ The free role is instructed to dribble more, make more runs, roam from position, and also tackle harder.
- ✅ The inside forward cuts inside, dribbles more, makes more runs, shoots more often, and also marks tighter.
- ✅ The deep-lying forward has the default instruction while simply tackling harder.
08:46 - 09:31
11. 🔄 Translation to Console/Mobile Tactics and Role Changes
- ✅ The free role becomes the pressing midfielder.
- ✅ The pressing central midfielder copies the instructions.
- ✅ The box-to-box goes to MC and the DM goes to CDM.
- ✅ The left winger becomes a left winger without possession.
- ✅ The inverted winger on the right becomes an inside forward with the same instructions.
- ✅ The striker we use is a center forward.
- ✅ We use two pressing full-backs and then two default center-backs.
09:32 - 10:13
12. 🎯 Team Instructions in Possession: Short Passes and High Tempo
- ✅ In possession, much shorter passes, ideal for possession, higher tempo less often.
- ✅ Standard, standard, keep the ball in play.
- ✅ Balanced play through short goal kicks.
- ✅ Play to the center-backs, balanced support runs, balanced dribbling.
- ✅ Progress in a balanced way through the loss pass.
- ✅ Work the ball into the area, that patient build-up, balanced shots from distance, and also low crosses when it comes to style.
10:14 - 10:32
13. 🛡️ Team Instructions Out of Possession: High Press and High Defensive Line
- ✅ Out of possession, high press, higher defensive line more often.
- ✅ Counter press, get stuck in, cross engagement.
- ✅ Balanced, balanced, and also yes to short goalkeeper distribution.
10:33 - 12:30
14. ⚔️ Offensive Variant: Attacking Mentality and Higher Tempo
- ✅ The offensive variant maintains the same tiki-taka style but changes the mentality to attacking.
- ✅ It is recommended to use this tactic only if you are losing or drawing without goals.
- ✅ The midfield rises a little, but also this, as you can see, a much higher tempo, a big change, be more expressive.
- ✅ Much of the rest is going to remain the same.
12:31 - 12:57
15. 🚀 Team Instructions in the Offensive Variant: Accelerated Tempo and High Pressure
- ✅ In the offensive variant, the tempo is much higher and the players are more expressive.
- ✅ The defensive line is maximized with high pressure.
- ✅ Counter press, get stuck in, balanced, balanced, and of course yes when it comes to short goalkeeper distribution.
12:58 - 14:48
16. 🛡️ Defensive Variant: Balanced Mentality and Mid Block
- ✅ The defensive version defends in a 4141 and attacks in a deep 4231.
- ✅ The mentality is balanced.
- ✅ The wingers are now both wingers because I want them to provide as much width as possible because the inverted options, although they are inverted, used to make runs almost in a wide area.
- ✅ We switched to an AM in making more runs, roaming from the standard position and also tackling harder.
14:49 - 15:25
17. ⚙️ Team Instructions in the Defensive Variant: Low Tempo and Mid Block
- ✅ In the defensive variant, the tempo is lower and there is more time-wasting.
- ✅ Be more disciplined, play through short.
- ✅ Go to the center-backs, work the ball into the area and also low crosses.
- ✅ Everything else is the default value and out of possession, the mid block, the standard line, more often against pressure and short goalkeeper distribution.
15:26 - 15:45
18. 👋 Farewell and Call to Action
- ✅ Viewers are encouraged to leave a like on the video and subscribe to the channel.
- ✅ They are encouraged to watch the rebuild video.