5 October 2026
Tactics Win the Game
Most Used Tactic / Formation of the Week: Long Ball Counter Still Rules, Quick Counter Makes a Strong Entry
The leaderboard remains extremely competitive this week. Long Ball Counter continues to dominate the majority of the top spots, with José Mourinho appearing three times in the Top 5. Fluid Formation setups (different shapes in attack and defence) are still widely used at the highest level, while Antonio Conte’s Quick Counter hybrid delivers the highest Collective Strength of the week. Squad synergy, manager proficiency, and clean transitions between phases remain the key differentiators.
Top 5 Pro Tactics of the Week
Here are the five standout tactics from the current Top Division 1 / high-rank pro players:
1. srVegetto
Manager: José Mourinho
Formation / Playstyle: 4-2-2-2 Long Ball Counter
Collective Strength: 3303
2. wassimvsworld
Manager: D. Deschamps
Attack: 4-2-1-3 Long Ball Counter
Defence: 4-2-2-2 Long Ball Counter
Collective Strength: 3308
3. GuiFera01
Manager: José Mourinho
Attack: 4-2-2-2 Long Ball Counter
Defence: 4-2-2-2 Long Ball Counter
Collective Strength: 3310
4. pituok
Manager: José Mourinho
Formation / Playstyle: 4-2-1-3 Long Ball Counter
Collective Strength: 3288
5. muis90
Manager: Antonio Conte
Attack: 4-2-1-3 Quick Counter
Defence: 4-2-2-2 Quick Counter
Collective Strength: 3313
Most Used Managers in Top 5
- Long Ball Counter: José Mourinho (×3), D. Deschamps
- Quick Counter: Antonio Conte
Most Used Player Cards of the Week
(Continuing trends + ongoing adaptation to Fluid Formation and dual Playing Styles)
- Eden Hazard
- Lilian Thuram
- Paolo Maldini
- Lionel Messi
- Peter Schmeichel
Honorable mentions: Virgil van Dijk, Ronaldinho Gaúcho, Kylian Mbappé, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Roberto Carlos, Roy Makaay.
Meta Summary
muis90’s Antonio Conte Quick Counter hybrid currently sits at the top of the Collective Strength chart in the Top 5 with 3313, using a 4-2-1-3 attacking shape that recovers into a 4-2-2-2 defensive block. Long Ball Counter still occupies four of the five spots (three of them under Mourinho), proving once again that it remains the most reliable high-level system. Collective Strength above 3300 continues to be the clear elite benchmark this week.
Flexibility remains crucial. Players who understand how their squad transitions between attacking and defensive shapes under the Fluid Formation system continue to outperform pure copy-paste setups.
Bonus: Fluid Formation (Attack & Defence)
As of the v6.0.0 update, you can set separate formations for when you are attacking and when you are defending.
- Attacking formation: Players push higher, create overloads, and focus on build-up or direct runs.
- Defensive formation: Players drop into a more compact block, prioritising recovery and solidity.
On console you effectively have access to four shapes (main tactic attack/defence + sub tactic attack/defence). On mobile it is two. The formation switches automatically based on possession. Auto-Pick has also been updated so it can fill both the attacking and defensive shapes with one click.
This change rewards managers who design realistic travel distances for players so the team can actually shift between the two shapes without leaving huge gaps. Many top players still use the same base shape for both phases, while others experiment with more aggressive attacking shapes that recover into a deeper or differently structured block.
Bonus: Player Cards Now Have Attack & Defence Skill Branches (Playing Styles)
On the individual footballer level, player cards have received a major overhaul. Playing Styles are now split into two separate branches:
- Attacking Playing Style – Controls movement, runs, support, and positioning when your team has the ball.
- Defensive Playing Style – Controls pressing, marking, recovery, and line behaviour when your team does not have the ball.
A single player can now have one style for attack and a completely different style for defence (or only one of the two). New defensive styles have been added, giving cards more specialised behaviour out of possession. For example, a forward can be a Goal Poacher when attacking and switch to Front Line Pressure when defending.
This means squad building is no longer just about the overall rating or the attacking playstyle. You must now check both the attacking and defensive styles (and position proficiency) to make sure the player fits the role you want in each phase of play — especially important with Fluid Formation.
Test these high-performing tactics (or adapt them with the new Fluid Formation and dual Playing Styles) for your next Division push!
Weekly Tactics Report every Friday.
Drop your current formation and favourite player in the comments!
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