Your tactics shape everything in Football Manager. Getting them right is of paramount importance.

But what are the best formations to use in FM24? In truth, there is no right or wrong answer. Good managers will make any formation work, but if you are unsure, we can help.

It is important to note that all the tactics listed below can easily be modified. If you do not like the player roles I have suggested, feel free to tweak things as you see fit. These are just the formations that proved successful for me, a self-confessed FM nerd who has been playing the game since it was called Championship Manager.

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Here are The Athletic’s choices for the best formations in Football Manager 2024.

4-3-3

My go-to formation. If I take over a team and the players in my squad are not suited to this formation, then it is about to be an extremely busy transfer window.

With three central midfielders, this tactic makes your team hard to beat. One of those players should be a box-to-box midfielder, similar to how Jude Bellingham used to play before switching to a more forward-thinking role at Real Madrid. They act as a foil against the opponent’s attacking midfielders and support your forwards.

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The other central midfielder should have the licence to roam forward. I like having an advanced playmaker here, or if their dribbling and positioning attributes are strong, I might use them as a mezzala and allow them to drift wide if they want to. The other midfielder in this trio is best used as a deep-lying playmaker.

Inside forwards are easier to work with in Football Manager because when you have your wide players functioning as wingers, they may struggle to be effective if they are not quick. Jack Grealish, for example, does not have blistering pace but is still highly effective as an inside forward. He will often cut inside and make space for a full-back or midfielder to make an overlapping run.

There are a few different roles you can ask your striker to fulfil, but in the above example, we have gone with an advanced forward. A good rule of thumb is playing your best players in their best roles. Erling Haaland is best as an advanced forward, so it makes sense to use him in that role. The only caveat here is that if your striker is best used as a poacher or target forward, it may be worth selling them and signing somebody with more tactical flexibility.

4-2-3-1

This formation should really only be used if you expect to win more games than you will lose. And when a big game comes around, it may be worth temporarily using the 4-3-3 tactic listed above to add some defensive steel because a 4-2-3-1 leaves you a little exposed at the back.

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With the addition of an attacking midfielder, you can have your wide players play as wingers rather than inside forwards because there is less need to cut inside so much with an advanced playmaker filling the space between your two centre-midfielders and striker.

There are few occasions when having a ball-playing centre-back would not be of benefit. Defenders who cannot play from the back can still find ways to thrive in FM24, but even if you are managing a team with players not quite suited to that role, it is better to put them on an individual training program to improve their passing until you can sign better players, rather than change your whole team’s style.

Seeing as you basically have four forwards, your two centre-midfielders cannot be too attack-minded. One should be focused on winning back the ball, while the other fulfils a box-to-box role. If you choose to have one centre-midfielder playing as an advanced playmaker, for example, you will probably be too exposed for all that firepower to actually have much of an impact.

Using your wing-backs in a support role means they will not run at opposing defenders too much, which is ideal unless you have a full-back with excellent dribbling ability.

Having the goalkeeper in the same support role will also mean he does not stray too far outside of the box. The goalkeeper is better suited to a riskier role when there are more options for him to pass, too. Without a defensive midfielder, it makes sense to rein him in a bit.

3-5-2

If you are playing with a team that has a lot of options at centre-back and are not blessed with too many central midfielders, a 5-2-3 may also be the way to go.

In both formations, it is helpful if one of the three central defenders plays in a slightly more advanced role as a stopper, which will ensure they are more proactive than the other two in closing down the space between your midfielders and defenders.

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How you choose to instruct your wing-backs will go a long way to determining how attack-minded your team is. I would suggest having them in a support role, but if you are feeling confident, have them in an attack role. If you do this, make sure the two centre-backs on the edge of the three are wide centre-backs, which will provide you with more cover in that area.

Having one of your midfielders play as a deep-lying playmaker in a defensive role will mean that player drops deeper and will not stray too far forward.

If you have followed all of the above steps, you will essentially have six players who will help out in defence. The second centre-midfielder, therefore, has a licence to play further forward as an attacking playmaker.

Your team’s wing-backs will provide a wide threat, so it makes sense to instruct your wingers to cut inside as inside forwards. The reason Robert Lewandowski is used as a deep-lying forward is because this is his best role in FM24. If your striker is one of your best players, make the tactic suit him. If he is not, use him as a pressing forward and make the player suit the tactic.

4-2-4

The default use of this formation in FM24 features two defensive midfielders, but the only time I have used this formation is when I wake up and think, “To hell with defending, I am going to stick four forwards up top and outscore everyone.”

A running theme is my insistence on having wide defenders play as wing-backs instead of full-backs. I want my full-backs to contribute in attack, but in this instance, if you did want some more solidity at the back, using full-backs would make sense.

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Similarly, any defender who is not capable of playing it out from the back is not a player I will look to keep around in the long-term. Further afield, seeing as you have four forwards, the centre-midfielders at your disposal need to focus on breaking up play rather than scoring goals.

The roles you give your wingers are also flexible. If you have them play as wingers, they will hog the touchline, which could create gaps between your midfield and attack that are unlikely to be filled given one of your centre-midfielders is focused on winning back the ball and the other is tasked with spraying passes from deep.

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For that reason, I like my wide players cutting in when I go to a 4-2-4. If you have no presence in the space that a No 10 may occupy, it can become quite easy for opponents to nullify your attack.

The role of your striker is flexible, too. I like to have one striker tasked with trying to win back balls and the other one leading the line slightly further up the pitch. This formation is best suited to teams with a lot of firepower or for when you are chasing a goal.

5-4-1

This is the most defensive-minded formation and something you should consider using if you are trying to protect a lead late in a game, though I would not advise starting matches with this setup.

However, just because you are trying to protect a lead does not mean you should simply lump the ball up top, which is why your centre-backs should look to play the ball rather than hoof it away at every opportunity.

If you go too defensive, you leave yourself open to a wave of attacks. You need to have at least some form of counter-attacking threat, which is why your wingers should either be used in an attacking or support role.

Having one of your centre-midfielders in a box-to-box role means you can still counter-attack. Your two wingers, a centre-midfielder and your striker will likely be a part of any counter, while in defence, they will close down the space and force the other team to beat you with incisive passing rather than exploiting holes in your defence.

This is a tactic to keep in your back pocket for when you find yourself 1-0 up against Man City with 10 minutes left while managing Burnley.

(Top photo: Pep Guardiola; by Catherine Ivill via Getty Images)