Marcelo Bielsa

/Leeds United 2019-21

Promoted to the Premier League after 16 years

All-out man-oriented pressing + a very high line + extreme demands on individual fitness

Source: FBref / Sports Reference

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Style vector

Pressing IntensityVery High

All-out man-oriented pressing — players follow men, not zones

Defensive LineVery High

Leans heavily on the offside trap

Marking SchemeNot specified

All-out man-marking — a scheme the eight style axes cannot capture on their own

TempoHigh

Endless circulation and repositioning

Reliance on IndividualsVery High

Leans heavily on each player’s judgement and fitness

WidthWide

Full-backs and wingers hug the touchline to stretch the defence

Players only move where their role tag says — it's not a match replay

4-1-4-1

Both full-backs push on like wingers to make the width while the centre-backs pick their own moments to pass forward. The whole midfield rotates without stopping.

MentalityPositive to AttackingBased on: Defensive Line Very High · Pressing Intensity Very High

StyleClosest to GegenpressSet the instructions below by hand instead — picking this overwrites them with the preset's values · Based on: Pressing Intensity Very High · Defensive Line Very High · Defensive Transition Counter-Press

Line of EngagementHigh PressDiagram block: High Press

Style axesPressing Intensity Very High · Defensive Line Very High · Marking Scheme Not specified · Tempo High · Reliance on Individuals Very High · Width Wide

In possessionTempo Higher · Attacking Transition Counter · Passing Directness More Direct · Attacking Width Wider · Creative Freedom Be More Expressive · Build-Up Play Out Of Defence

Overlay with another manager

Identity

·The full-backs are effectively wingers in possession — two centre-backs must cover the whole space behind
·Because it is man-oriented, players follow their man out of position — completing the mark comes before holding a tidy line
·The physical cost is the highest in the league — without rotation it falls apart late in the season

Position mapping

Shows where the same player moves to between in- and out-of-possession phases.

In possession	Out of possession
GKBall-Playing Goalkeeper	GKSweeper Keeper
FB (L)Wing-Back	FB (L)Pressing Full-Back
CB (L)Ball-Playing Centre-Back	CB (L)Centre-Back
CB (R)Ball-Playing Centre-Back	CB (R)Centre-Back
FB (R)Wing-Back	FB (R)Pressing Full-Back
DMDeep Lying Playmaker	DMDefensive Midfielder
CM (L)Channel Midfielder	CM (L)Central Midfielder
CM (R)Channel Midfielder	CM (R)Central Midfielder
AM (L)Wide Forward	AM (L)Tracking Winger
STDeep Lying Forward	STTracking Centre-Forward
AM (R)Wide Forward	AM (R)Tracking Winger

Team instructions

Most important first. Switch to in-game order when you copy it across.

Amber badges are the identity-defining instructions. We only set a value where the data gives a clear signal; where it does not, the FM default is left in place and shown faded — those are yours to adjust. Click an item to check it off.

In Possession

Out of Possession

Things FM's tactic settings cannot express

FM26 handles one in-possession shape, one out-of-possession shape, and the switch between them. The items below fall outside that — this card carries only what the game can take.

Chained rotations within a phase — Switching between the two shapes exists, but there is no setting for players swapping positions with each other depending on where the ball is.
Ball-position triggers — Conditional movement like "the right wing-back tucks in only when the ball is on the left" cannot be set.
Player-to-player rules — Roles are set per player and cannot reference each other — "when A pushes up, B covers" is not expressible.
Automatic changes by time or score — In-match tactical changes are manual; there is no way to pre-set a condition.

Players who defined this system

Not an appearance ranking — these players embodied the system’s roles.

Kalvin PhillipsThe midfield anchor of a man-oriented pressing system
Patrick BamfordThe first trigger of the press up front
RaphinhaThe slot that breaks through by dribbling on the right

Attribute profiles

Tap a position on the pitch and the attributes that spot needs appear right there.

Both Full-Backs

Top priority

Wing-Back in possession, tucking back into a flat back four out of it — effectively covering a winger’s ground

Required

Stamina 17+Work Rate 17+Pace 15+

Preferred

Crossing 13+

Set by the role

In possessionGets Further ForwardStays Wide

Out of possessionHolds PositionStays Wide

Every other player instruction stays at its default — those are yours to adjust.

Below 16 Stamina the man-oriented press collapses in the second half

Weights: Stamina×3, Work Rate×3, Pace×2

Stepping-Out Centre-Back

Core

Ball-Playing Centre-Back in possession — decides for himself when to pass forward and when to step out

Required

Decisions 15+Pace 14+Positioning 15+

Preferred

Passing 13+

Common approach (reference only)

In possessionPassing Risk: Take More Risks

A common tweak among users of this role — not something the game requires, so feel free to change it.

A centre-back with poor Decisions steps out at the wrong moment and opens the space behind

GK Ball-Playing Goalkeeper

In possession: Ball-Playing Goalkeeper · Out of possession: Sweeper Keeper

Required

Technique 14+Passing 13+Pace 13+Positioning 14+

Preferred

Decisions 13+Marking 12+

DM Deep Lying Playmaker

In possession: Deep Lying Playmaker · Out of possession: Defensive Midfielder

Required

Passing 16+Decisions 14+Positioning 13+Tackling 12+Teamwork 13+

Preferred

Vision 13+Passing 12+

M L Channel Midfielder

In possession: Channel Midfielder · Out of possession: Central Midfielder

Required

Passing 13+Work Rate 13+

Preferred

Off the Ball 12+Teamwork 12+

Common approach (reference only)

In possessionAttacking Width: Move Into Channels

A common tweak among users of this role — not something the game requires, so feel free to change it.

M R Channel Midfielder

In possession: Channel Midfielder · Out of possession: Central Midfielder

Required

Passing 13+Work Rate 13+

Preferred

Off the Ball 12+Teamwork 12+

Common approach (reference only)

In possessionAttacking Width: Move Into Channels

A common tweak among users of this role — not something the game requires, so feel free to change it.

AM L Wide Forward

In possession: Wide Forward · Out of possession: Tracking Winger

Required

Pace 14+Crossing 13+Stamina 14+Tackling 11+

Preferred

Technique 12+Pace 13+

Common approach (reference only)

In possessionAttacking Width: Stay Wider

Out of possessionTrigger Press: More Often

A common tweak among users of this role — not something the game requires, so feel free to change it.

ST Deep Lying Forward

In possession: Deep Lying Forward · Out of possession: Tracking Centre-Forward

Required

Passing 13+First Touch 13+Finishing 13+Stamina 13+

Preferred

Vision 12+Pace 13+

Common approach (reference only)

In possessionHold Up Ball: Yes

Out of possessionTrigger Press: More Often

A common tweak among users of this role — not something the game requires, so feel free to change it.

AM R Wide Forward

In possession: Wide Forward · Out of possession: Tracking Winger

Required

Pace 14+Crossing 13+Stamina 14+Tackling 11+

Preferred

Technique 12+Pace 13+

Common approach (reference only)

In possessionAttacking Width: Stay Wider

Out of possessionTrigger Press: More Often

A common tweak among users of this role — not something the game requires, so feel free to change it.

This is a well-founded starting point — the FM match engine is a separate system, so real match performance is not guaranteed.