Discover Sir Alex Ferguson’s 2008 Manchester United tactics and how to recreate them in Football Manager 2024.
Recreating Man Utd’s Treble-Winning Tactics in Football Manager 2024 – Unstoppable Attacks & Tactical Brilliance
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Premium: Extra Benefits Sir Alex Ferguson’s UEFA Champions League-winning Man Chester United in 2008 will always be regarded as one of the greatest teams in history. A team with tactical principles beyond its time, committed to unrelenting attacking and an extraordinary front three… there’s no wonder this team ruled the roost in this season.
In this article, I will be providing my brief analysis of the tactics used by
Manchester United in 2008, before showcasing my recreation of said tactics in
Football Manager 2024 and demonstrating the incredible results the tactic
achieved in testing. Firstly, let’s have a look at the core principles of this
system.
When you think of the 2008 Manchester United side, your memory will most
likely point to their remarkable front three featuring Wayne Rooney, Carlos
Tevez and the Ballon d’Or winner of 2008,
Cristiano Ronaldo. The three of them formed one of the best, and most frightening frontlines
in football history as they racked up an astonishing 107 goal contributions
combined across 2007/08. Their off-the-ball movement, along with their
combination play and skills were almost unstoppable at times as they’d
regularly set each other up for goals and often switch positions in the
front three.
The 2008 Manchester United team, probably more than any other United team under Sir Alex Ferguson, were embodied by their unwavering commitment to attacking football, as former Manchester United coach René Meulensteen put it:
“I’d just been promoted to first-team coach at Manchester United when Sir Alex Ferguson called me into his office.
‘Listen Ren, I want to have a quick chat about how I like to see United perform.’
He was standing by a flipchart where he’d scribbled notes down over three pages: one on defence, one talking about possession and one about attacking.
‘When I see United attack, I want to see them attack with four things: pace, power, penetration and unpredictability.’
Bang, bang, bang, bang.
He spoke in the same way he wanted his team to play.” – Coaches Voice
Due to this commitment to attacking, unpredictable football, it wouldn’t be uncommon to see players popping out of their natural position to provide an extra body, as demonstrated by Wes Brown’s goal vs Liverpool in Man Utd’s 3-0 win against their fierce rivals in 2008, where the English right-back won back possession close to the halfway line, before laying off a simple pass and marauding into the penalty area as a late box-crasher, eventually being found by Wayne Rooney’s cross to give the Red Devils the lead.
Van der Sar’s role in this United side was quite modern considering the times he played in, as he would be instructed to hold a higher position when United didn’t have the ball for prolonged periods – this higher positioning would leave him in an ideal position to sweep any loose balls in-behind the United defence. When United did have the ball, however, Van der Sar’s role was quite traditional as he rarely got involved in build-up. Therefore, I felt this role is perfect. No added instructions.
Both full-backs in this system were rather flexible with their movement and could situationally differentiate between joining the attack and retaining a solid defensive shape. This flexibility was particularly prevalent in Wes Brown’s role, and I feel the ’Wing-Back’ role on the ‘Defend’ duty best replicates such flexibility in-game. When United had possession, Wes Brown would initially hold a narrower position, before drifting wide to create potential overlapping situations with the right winger. From here, Wes Brown would often cross the ball into the box. Therefore, I felt this role was ideal, with the added instructions:
Rio Ferdinand was one of the best centre-backs of his generation with the ball at his feet, and Sir Alex made sure his technical abilities were put to good use by giving him licence to take more risks to break the lines or adventurously carry the ball forward. When United didn’t have possession, Rio Ferdinand’s rapid pace and intelligent game-reading were crucial to United defending with a high line, as the Englishman would drop slightly deeper to cover space in-behind. Therefore, I felt this role was perfect, with the added instruction:
Nemanja Vidić also possessed such abilities both in and out of possession, despite popular believe, however, he wouldn’t demonstrate said abilities as frequently as Ferdinand and would primarily focus on his defensive duties. When United had possession, he’d regularly opt for a simple pass to a teammate. Therefore, I felt this role was perfect. No added instructions.
As aforementioned, both full-backs in this system were rather flexible. However, Patrice Evra was the more attacking of the two and could use his electric pace to bomb up and down the left flank, regularly providing overlaps for the winger on his side. His exhilarating speed was particularly ideal for his tendency to carry the ball up the pitch, providing United with another solution from deep. Lastly, as with Wes Brown, Patrice Evra would initially hold a narrower position, before drifting wider. Therefore, I felt this role was perfect, with the added instructions:
Carrick’s role in this system, despite his talents in an array of areas, was rather simple. His main job was to sit a little deeper and protect the backline. When United had possession, he’d make himself available as an option, however, he wouldn’t demand the ball, rather offering himself as a safe option. If he received the ball, he would mainly opt for shorter passes, particularly to Paul Scholes, despite his excellent passing range. Therefore, I felt this role was ideal, with the added instruction:
Paul Scholes’ role in this United team was the epitome of the ‘Roaming Playmaker’ role in Football Manager. He would regularly drift from his position to offer himself as a passing option and had the elite vision to find attackers making runs in-behind/in space. Additionally, if the ball was in a wide area, he would often make penetrative, box-crashing runs into the penalty area, which would usually result in him becoming a spare, unmarked target for a cross. If a pass forward wasn’t on, Scholes was more than happy to instead carry the ball forwards as a mean of progression. Therefore, I felt this was the quintessential role for Scholes, with the added instructions:
Giggs’ role in this system was quite complex, as he was naturally a winger, however, he would often drift inside to accommodate Patrice Evra, before moving back outside to offer overlapping runs to Evra! The best way for me to recreate this intriguing movement in-game was to apply the ‘Sit Narrower’ and ‘Cross More Often’ instructions to his role, hoping he’d situationally move into crossing positions (wide) from an initial inverted position – this was successful. Therefore, I felt this was the best way to recreate Giggs’ role in this United side, with the added instructions:
Cristiano Ronaldo was the best player in the world in 2008, as he secured a Ballon d’Or win following a stunning 50 G/A season for the Red Devils – 38 G/A coming from the Premier League (31 goals, a record number at the time). From this right-sided position, he'd regularly roam from his position and swap positions with the strikers, creating one of the most positionally fluid front-threes of all time. He’d also often create one-two scenarios with team-mates by using a shorter, initiative pass and making a run in-behind in tandem. Finally, Ronaldo took a lot of shots for United this season, and that’s reflected by the ’Shoot More Often’ instruction being applied to his role. Therefore, I felt this role was ideal, with the instructions:
Wayne Rooney was also exceptional in the 2007/08 season, however, it’s his (and Tevez’) work off the ball which really made this side tick, as the pair would take it in turns to switch positions with Ronaldo and take his position on the flank, offering more aggression and defensive discipline than the Portuguese. If Rooney or Tevez did hold a central position in United’s settled defence, they’d work like dogs to get the ball back and would press the opposition incessantly. The main difference between Tevez and Rooney was that the former was more of a gunman, focused on attacking and receiving the ball in-behind/on the last line, whereas the latter would often drop from the attacking line to receive between the lines – this slight difference is reflected by the role’s duties (‘Support’ vs ‘Attack’). Therefore, I felt these roles were perfect, with the same added instructions for both:
When on the ‘Tactics’ page, click on the ‘Player’ button next to overview as seen below:
Then, click on the AMR position on the mini formation and, at the bottom, you should see ‘Swap Positions With…’ and a button below. Click on the button and click on the STCL position/player’s name in the ‘STCL’ position, as demonstrated below:
In the Premier League, we were absolutely exceptional as we walked the league, accumulating 108 points after winning 35 out of 38 games! Wins included thrashings against our title rivals in Liverpool (5-0 & 0-3) and Chelsea (6-0 & 1-2), along with a couple of 10-0 thrashings of Wigan and Fulham. We ended up scoring 154 goals, averaging 4.05 goals per game, and conceding a record low of just 14 goals.
We made it a domestic double as we ended up winning the League Cup (Carabao Cup), following an impressive 0-4 win over fierce rivals Liverpool at Wembley. Unfortunately, however, we were unable to make it a treble in the FA Cup, as Newcastle United knocked us out in the Quarter-Finals at St. James’ Park in a 2-1 defeat. Could we end the season on a high in the UEFA Champions League, however?
We could! It was like 1999 all over again as Louis Saha scored our 2nd in 2 minutes to turn it around in the final… in INJURY TIME! 1-0 in minute 92 to 1-2 in minute 94! Astonishing! This time, however, it was Barcelona in the final. On our way to Moscow, we beat Inter Milan, Valencia and Benfica 5-2, 6-0 and 2-1 on aggregate respectively after navigating a group containing Real Madrid, Lazio and Salzburg.
READ NEXT: Bayern Munich 2012/13 Treble-Winning Tactic for FM24
The Man Utd side of 2007/08 will always go down as one of the greatest club teams the world has ever seen, and rightfully so, as their modern tactical principles and frightening front three tore teams to shreds at times. In this article, I have provided my brief analysis of the tactics used by this great team, before showcasing the tactic and demonstrating the fabulous results said tactic achieved in testing. If you want a taste of this thrilling tactic, make sure to download the tactic using the link attached to this article and follow FM Blog and myself (@AshtonGgmu) on our respective socials. I hope you have enjoyed this article, and I wish you much success with this tactic on your saves! Thanks for reading!
Rooney x Ronaldo x Tevez
Pace, Power, Penetration and Unpredictability
The 2008 Manchester United team, probably more than any other United team under Sir Alex Ferguson, were embodied by their unwavering commitment to attacking football, as former Manchester United coach René Meulensteen put it:
“I’d just been promoted to first-team coach at Manchester United when Sir Alex Ferguson called me into his office.
‘Listen Ren, I want to have a quick chat about how I like to see United perform.’
He was standing by a flipchart where he’d scribbled notes down over three pages: one on defence, one talking about possession and one about attacking.
‘When I see United attack, I want to see them attack with four things: pace, power, penetration and unpredictability.’
Bang, bang, bang, bang.
He spoke in the same way he wanted his team to play.” – Coaches Voice
Due to this commitment to attacking, unpredictable football, it wouldn’t be uncommon to see players popping out of their natural position to provide an extra body, as demonstrated by Wes Brown’s goal vs Liverpool in Man Utd’s 3-0 win against their fierce rivals in 2008, where the English right-back won back possession close to the halfway line, before laying off a simple pass and marauding into the penalty area as a late box-crasher, eventually being found by Wayne Rooney’s cross to give the Red Devils the lead.
READ ALSO: FM24 Arne Slot Liverpool Tactic – Quadruple-Winning Recreation
When Man Utd had the ball, they would begin their possession ventures from the back as they had one of the silkiest ball-playing defenders of his time in Rio Ferdinand. From here, they would prioritise shorter passes, however, they would operate at a higher tempo in order to accommodate their attacking commitment. When given the opportunity, United would play balls in-behind for their quick attackers to chase. Finally, when United had possession, their players would regularly roam from their position to try and disorganise the opposition’s defensive shape.
When United would lose the ball, they would immediately try and win back possession. If successful, they made no bones about punishing the opposition and would launch devastating counter-attacks to take advantage of the opposition’s poor transitional shape. Finally, from goal-kicks, Van der Sar would primarily distribute the ball to Rio Ferdinand as he was United’s best ball-progressor in the backline.
When United didn’t have possession for prolonged periods, they would sit-off the opposition in a compact mid-block. From this mid-block, United would force the opposition into wide areas in order to protect the centre of the pitch. United would also hold a higher line, as they could rely on the pace of Rio Ferdinand and the sweeping abilities of Van der Sar – a true, modern Sweeper-Keeper. Finally, United’s players would only opportunely press the opposition.
Let’s Break Down the Tactic
In Possession
When Man Utd had the ball, they would begin their possession ventures from the back as they had one of the silkiest ball-playing defenders of his time in Rio Ferdinand. From here, they would prioritise shorter passes, however, they would operate at a higher tempo in order to accommodate their attacking commitment. When given the opportunity, United would play balls in-behind for their quick attackers to chase. Finally, when United had possession, their players would regularly roam from their position to try and disorganise the opposition’s defensive shape.
In Transition
When United would lose the ball, they would immediately try and win back possession. If successful, they made no bones about punishing the opposition and would launch devastating counter-attacks to take advantage of the opposition’s poor transitional shape. Finally, from goal-kicks, Van der Sar would primarily distribute the ball to Rio Ferdinand as he was United’s best ball-progressor in the backline.
Out of Possession
When United didn’t have possession for prolonged periods, they would sit-off the opposition in a compact mid-block. From this mid-block, United would force the opposition into wide areas in order to protect the centre of the pitch. United would also hold a higher line, as they could rely on the pace of Rio Ferdinand and the sweeping abilities of Van der Sar – a true, modern Sweeper-Keeper. Finally, United’s players would only opportunely press the opposition.
Player Roles
Sweeper Keeper – Defend
Van der Sar’s role in this United side was quite modern considering the times he played in, as he would be instructed to hold a higher position when United didn’t have the ball for prolonged periods – this higher positioning would leave him in an ideal position to sweep any loose balls in-behind the United defence. When United did have the ball, however, Van der Sar’s role was quite traditional as he rarely got involved in build-up. Therefore, I felt this role is perfect. No added instructions.
Wing-Back – Defend
Both full-backs in this system were rather flexible with their movement and could situationally differentiate between joining the attack and retaining a solid defensive shape. This flexibility was particularly prevalent in Wes Brown’s role, and I feel the ’Wing-Back’ role on the ‘Defend’ duty best replicates such flexibility in-game. When United had possession, Wes Brown would initially hold a narrower position, before drifting wide to create potential overlapping situations with the right winger. From here, Wes Brown would often cross the ball into the box. Therefore, I felt this role was ideal, with the added instructions:
Ball-Playing Defender – Cover
Rio Ferdinand was one of the best centre-backs of his generation with the ball at his feet, and Sir Alex made sure his technical abilities were put to good use by giving him licence to take more risks to break the lines or adventurously carry the ball forward. When United didn’t have possession, Rio Ferdinand’s rapid pace and intelligent game-reading were crucial to United defending with a high line, as the Englishman would drop slightly deeper to cover space in-behind. Therefore, I felt this role was perfect, with the added instruction:
Central Defender – Defend
Nemanja Vidić also possessed such abilities both in and out of possession, despite popular believe, however, he wouldn’t demonstrate said abilities as frequently as Ferdinand and would primarily focus on his defensive duties. When United had possession, he’d regularly opt for a simple pass to a teammate. Therefore, I felt this role was perfect. No added instructions.
Full-Back – Attack
As aforementioned, both full-backs in this system were rather flexible. However, Patrice Evra was the more attacking of the two and could use his electric pace to bomb up and down the left flank, regularly providing overlaps for the winger on his side. His exhilarating speed was particularly ideal for his tendency to carry the ball up the pitch, providing United with another solution from deep. Lastly, as with Wes Brown, Patrice Evra would initially hold a narrower position, before drifting wider. Therefore, I felt this role was perfect, with the added instructions:
Central Midfielder – Defend
Carrick’s role in this system, despite his talents in an array of areas, was rather simple. His main job was to sit a little deeper and protect the backline. When United had possession, he’d make himself available as an option, however, he wouldn’t demand the ball, rather offering himself as a safe option. If he received the ball, he would mainly opt for shorter passes, particularly to Paul Scholes, despite his excellent passing range. Therefore, I felt this role was ideal, with the added instruction:
Roaming Playmaker – Support
Paul Scholes’ role in this United team was the epitome of the ‘Roaming Playmaker’ role in Football Manager. He would regularly drift from his position to offer himself as a passing option and had the elite vision to find attackers making runs in-behind/in space. Additionally, if the ball was in a wide area, he would often make penetrative, box-crashing runs into the penalty area, which would usually result in him becoming a spare, unmarked target for a cross. If a pass forward wasn’t on, Scholes was more than happy to instead carry the ball forwards as a mean of progression. Therefore, I felt this was the quintessential role for Scholes, with the added instructions:
Inverted Winger – Support
Giggs’ role in this system was quite complex, as he was naturally a winger, however, he would often drift inside to accommodate Patrice Evra, before moving back outside to offer overlapping runs to Evra! The best way for me to recreate this intriguing movement in-game was to apply the ‘Sit Narrower’ and ‘Cross More Often’ instructions to his role, hoping he’d situationally move into crossing positions (wide) from an initial inverted position – this was successful. Therefore, I felt this was the best way to recreate Giggs’ role in this United side, with the added instructions:
Inside Forward – Support
Cristiano Ronaldo was the best player in the world in 2008, as he secured a Ballon d’Or win following a stunning 50 G/A season for the Red Devils – 38 G/A coming from the Premier League (31 goals, a record number at the time). From this right-sided position, he'd regularly roam from his position and swap positions with the strikers, creating one of the most positionally fluid front-threes of all time. He’d also often create one-two scenarios with team-mates by using a shorter, initiative pass and making a run in-behind in tandem. Finally, Ronaldo took a lot of shots for United this season, and that’s reflected by the ’Shoot More Often’ instruction being applied to his role. Therefore, I felt this role was ideal, with the instructions:
(STCL & STCR) Complete Forward – Support & Attack
Wayne Rooney was also exceptional in the 2007/08 season, however, it’s his (and Tevez’) work off the ball which really made this side tick, as the pair would take it in turns to switch positions with Ronaldo and take his position on the flank, offering more aggression and defensive discipline than the Portuguese. If Rooney or Tevez did hold a central position in United’s settled defence, they’d work like dogs to get the ball back and would press the opposition incessantly. The main difference between Tevez and Rooney was that the former was more of a gunman, focused on attacking and receiving the ball in-behind/on the last line, whereas the latter would often drop from the attacking line to receive between the lines – this slight difference is reflected by the role’s duties (‘Support’ vs ‘Attack’). Therefore, I felt these roles were perfect, with the same added instructions for both:
Players Swapping Positions
When on the ‘Tactics’ page, click on the ‘Player’ button next to overview as seen below:
Then, click on the AMR position on the mini formation and, at the bottom, you should see ‘Swap Positions With…’ and a button below. Click on the button and click on the STCL position/player’s name in the ‘STCL’ position, as demonstrated below:
Opposition Instructions
Results
- [message]
- ⚠️ DISCLAIMER:
- I did test this tactic on a retro database, so results may vary.
Premier League
In the Premier League, we were absolutely exceptional as we walked the league, accumulating 108 points after winning 35 out of 38 games! Wins included thrashings against our title rivals in Liverpool (5-0 & 0-3) and Chelsea (6-0 & 1-2), along with a couple of 10-0 thrashings of Wigan and Fulham. We ended up scoring 154 goals, averaging 4.05 goals per game, and conceding a record low of just 14 goals.
Domestic Cups
We made it a domestic double as we ended up winning the League Cup (Carabao Cup), following an impressive 0-4 win over fierce rivals Liverpool at Wembley. Unfortunately, however, we were unable to make it a treble in the FA Cup, as Newcastle United knocked us out in the Quarter-Finals at St. James’ Park in a 2-1 defeat. Could we end the season on a high in the UEFA Champions League, however?
UEFA Champions League
We could! It was like 1999 all over again as Louis Saha scored our 2nd in 2 minutes to turn it around in the final… in INJURY TIME! 1-0 in minute 92 to 1-2 in minute 94! Astonishing! This time, however, it was Barcelona in the final. On our way to Moscow, we beat Inter Milan, Valencia and Benfica 5-2, 6-0 and 2-1 on aggregate respectively after navigating a group containing Real Madrid, Lazio and Salzburg.
READ NEXT: Bayern Munich 2012/13 Treble-Winning Tactic for FM24
Conclusion
The Man Utd side of 2007/08 will always go down as one of the greatest club teams the world has ever seen, and rightfully so, as their modern tactical principles and frightening front three tore teams to shreds at times. In this article, I have provided my brief analysis of the tactics used by this great team, before showcasing the tactic and demonstrating the fabulous results said tactic achieved in testing. If you want a taste of this thrilling tactic, make sure to download the tactic using the link attached to this article and follow FM Blog and myself (@AshtonGgmu) on our respective socials. I hope you have enjoyed this article, and I wish you much success with this tactic on your saves! Thanks for reading!
