In recent years, a trend has begun to emerge – the classical No.10 or advanced playmaker isn’t used in the same way anymore.

Given the importance of collective pressing and counter-pressing in the modern game, many managers don’t quite feel comfortable deploying a free-floating midfielder behind their leading striker. However, this doesn’t mean that playmakers aren’t important – in fact, they’ve probably got a more important role than ever. The main difference now is that they tend to operate in different places on the pitch.

Two of the best roles in Football Manager 2024 showcasing the evolution of the traditional playmaker are the Libero and the Roaming Playmaker. Here, Ihor Crusadertsar uses Manchester City stars John Stones and Kevin De Bruyne to illustrate how to use both roles in your latest FM24 saves.

Having players who can perform two different jobs at the same time can be an absolute game-changer for your tactics in Football Manager 2024. Few player roles fit that bill better than the Complete Forward. 

Expected to lead the line but also link up with your team’s other attackers, the Complete Forward could be your top scorer or best playmaker in any given game. This makes them an ideal role to unlock your team’s full potential but also one that needs a special, well-rounded player to do it well.

In this guide, Rock’s End FM shows you the skills you need to look for in a Complete Forward and how to make the role fit into your tactics.

Developing tactics and recreating the styles of football’s leading coaches is one of the most enjoyable aspects of playing Football Manager. 

In Football Manager 2024, you have more creative tools for expressing your tactical philosophy thanks to the player rotation changes that have been added..

These rotations see players take up a different position while in possession than they occupy while defending, such as an Inverted Full-Back tucking in as an additional central defender or Central Midfielders pushing forward to join the attack.

Making the most of these rotations will allow you to implement positional play principles in your tactics and become a more dynamic attacking team in every career. In this blog, Dan Gear explains which roles trigger these positional rotations and shows them in action. 

Being tactically flexible is one of the most important characteristics any manager can have. Having the insight to change your approach mid-game when things aren’t working or employing different game plans for different opponents stops you from being predictable and can keep the positive results coming. 

One of the best ways to do this is by setting up different tactical approaches for home and away matches. Here, Rock’s End FM dives deep to show how you can do it in your latest FM24 careers to gain that extra edge with a newly-promoted team.  

The role of the Winger in football has changed dramatically over the years. No longer are they just expected to hug the touchline and whip in lofted deliveries for tall, old-school centre forwards. Now, just like their teammates in other positions, they have to be much more versatile.

Modern wingers now serve a variety of roles across the pitch, something reflected in the growth in attacking and defensive outputs delivered by top wingers year after year.

Here, SteinkelssonFM uses Brighton & Hove Albion to break down all of the different winger roles in Football Manager 2024 and how you can effectively build your tactics around getting the most from them.

In football, it's about being at the right place at the right time - and few players are better at that than a Segundo Volante.

One of several roles to be impacted by Football Manager 2024’s new positional play changes, the Segundo Volante can perform a range of duties, from long-range passes to darting runs and shots from distance.

In this guide, we’ll be taking an in-depth look into the role, what makes it so good, and how you can make the most of it in your latest FM24 career. 

In recent years, Brighton & Hove Albion have been widely heralded for their style on the pitch and strategy off it. Many other clubs in Europe have taken note of their innovations and sought to replicate them.

What makes the Seagulls’ approach so special is their knack for matching the right players with the right roles to accelerate their development and help the club achieve an exciting playing style.

Here, MaddFM dives deep on the Wing-Back role in Football Manager 2024, using Brighton’s stars to showcase how best to deploy the role in your tactics.  

As football evolves and clubs continually seek out new ways to outsmart their rivals, it has become essential for football managers to constantly innovate when it comes to on-field roles and tactical decisions.

Football Manager is no different and with each year we see the game adding new tactical options and player roles. This is both a case of keeping up with real-life developments but also giving you more room as boss to refine your own unique approach.

Football Manager 2024’s most notable positional innovation is the Inverted Full-Back and here MaddFM dives deep into what the role is all about and some practical applications for your latest career.

With more and more teams working to involve all 11 players on the pitch in their build-up play, the role of the Poacher has diminished somewhat in recent years.

As their Football Manager role description says, the focus of the Poacher is “on scoring goals is so extreme that they rarely offer much help in constructing moves”. They’re there to put the ball in the back of the net and not much else. 

However, being a good Poacher requires a very specific skillset and here, Ihor Crusadertsar explores several ways that you can use them to great effect in FM23.

Since its introduction to the Football Manager series in FM18, the Mezzala role has been hugely popular. Drenched in historic tradition, the role offers dynamism and creativity in the middle of the pitch and gives managers tremendous tactical flexibility. 

However, while a Mezzala can carry out several different responsibilities within a midfield, it’s not often thought of as a team’s main creative force. In this blog, Rock’s End FM uses Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne to change that perception and show how you can build your attacking threats around the Mezzala. 

As football managers have become more comfortable sharing and discussing complex tactical concepts and terminology with the press and the public, the debate surrounding the sport grows ever richer. However, that also means sometimes the wider football conversation can become harder to follow as the concepts involved become more and more specialised. 

One such concept is ‘rest defence’, a term borrowed from German and Dutch football that is at times misunderstood. In this Byline post, Rock’s End FM explains exactly what Rest Defence is and how can we use it to improve our careers in Football Manager 2023.

Since the 1970s, pressing has become increasingly important in football. As more teams focus on regaining the ball quickly and efficiently, pressing with commitment and intelligence is key to success in the modern game. 

Pressing is vital to most Football Manager 2023 tactics. Here, Rock’s End FM provides a detailed guide to help you master the press.