Recreate the Blues’ suffocating high press and 3-2-5 build-up in FM24
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In 24/25, Birmingham City ran away with the League One title, winning 34 of their 46 league games and, ultimately, accumulating a record-breaking 111 points.
Now in the Championship, the Blues have begun as they mean to go on as they are in an early-season hunt for promotion up to the Premier League.
Birmingham’s performances against recent Premier League sides in Ipswich Town and Sheffield United have particularly impressed me, thus the idea to recreate their tactics was born. Firstly, let’s break down the core principles of their system under Chris Davies.
Incredible High-Press
Against Ipswich Town, Birmingham were completely dominant from minute one, and that all stemmed from their suffocatingly scintillating high-press. When Ipswich would try to build up from the back, Birmingham would spring from a 4-4-2 ‘high-block’ into a man-to-man, ball-dependent high-press, where they would squeeze very high and try to force the ball into wide areas. If Ipswich could break their high-press, Birmingham would drop back into the 4-4-2 ‘high-block’, from which they would continue to force play wide.
Dominance in Possession
In the first half vs Ipswich, before finally taking the lead early in the second half, Birmingham completely controlled the game as they generated 65% possession. Whilst their relentless pressing allowed them to retain the initiative of the game, it was their 3-2-5 in-possession shape that gave them the platform to build from. The 3-2-5 isn’t a revolutionary concept, with many teams utilising this shape in-possession in Europe now – the difference with Birmingham’s, however, is their emphasis on central play and the narrow, yet flexible spacing between the players.
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Let’s Break Down the Tactic
In Possession:
When Birmingham have the ball, they mostly begin their possession from deep, using the backline to aid build-up – they do this relatively patiently whilst prioritising shorter passes to retain possession, although, the idea is to get forward, attack and be the protagonists; From here, they can risk the ball in-behind to Kyogo/Stansfield if the run is being made. Birmingham tend to play a bit narrower, shortening the gaps between players, allowing easier access to one another. Finally, upon reaching the final third, Birmingham can be expressive at times in their approach. Additionally, they prioritise cut-backs into the penalty area.
In transition:
When Birmingham lose the ball, they will immediately counter-press to try and regain possession. If/when they win the ball back, their players will assess the situation before deciding whether to counter immediately or retain possession. Finally, from goal-kicks, the ‘keeper will usually just distribute short to his centre-backs.
Out of Possession:
When Birmingham don’t have the ball, they want to retain control, thus erecting their hyper-intense high-press, wherefrom they will attempt to regain possession as frequently as possible. Birmingham use a very high line to supplement their high-press, whilst allowing their players to be aggressive and imposing in their duels.
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Player Roles
Sweeper Keeper – Support:
In this system, the ‘keeper has a fair bit of responsibility in-possession, as they must provide a backwards passing option to allow Birmingham to rotate possession. When Birmingham don’t have the ball, the ‘keeper will be often be active in sweeping and cross-claiming. Therefore, I felt this role was perfect. No added instructions.
Wing-Back – Attack:
The right-back, in this system, is the player to move higher to help form the front five in-possession. From here, the right-back will move higher and will hold the width on the right-side. When he receives the ball, the right-back (usually Osayi-Samuel) will carry the ball regularly. Therefore, I felt this role was most optimal, with the added instructions:
Ball-Playing Defender – Defend:
In this system, the right-sided centre-back is often the more progressive of the two centre-backs as he looks to break the lines regularly. To help form our back-three, I added the instruction ‘Stay Wider’ – this was the role’s only instruction, as demonstrated below:
Central Defender – Defend:
Whilst the right-sided centre-back will often risk the ball, the left-sided centre-back will usually aim to retain possession. However, at times, this centre-back will go direct towards Kyogo upfront. Therefore, I felt this role was best suited, with the added instruction:
Full-Back – Support:
In this system, the left-back is almost always the full-back who will drop deeper and narrower to form a faux back-three in-possession. However, the disparity between this role in-real-life and the ‘Inverted Full-Back’ role in-game is that the left-back in this system will tend to carry the ball often, trying to reach the byline to supply crosses/cut-backs. Therefore, I felt this role was most ideal, with the added instructions:
Deep Lying Playmaker – Defend:
In this position, Iwata will tend to move side to side to always try and get on the ball, becoming a metronomic figure in this squad. Sometimes, he will drop deeper than his midfield partner to emerge a staggered midfield pattern. Therefore, I felt this role best replicated these movements. No added instructions.
Defensive Midfielder – Support:
In this position, Paik will often remain deeper to form the midfield two in Birmingham’s 3-2-5 in-possession shape. However, he will regularly move higher and wider to crash the box as the spare man. Finally, sometimes when he receives the ball, Paik will carry the ball forward to aid deeper progression. Therefore, I felt this role was optimal, with the added instructions:
Shadow Striker – Attack:
With the arrival of Kyogo, Stansfield has been moved slightly deeper, operating as more of a ‘10’ in-behind his Japanese striker team-mate. In this position, Stansfield will regularly make runs in-behind, usually in the left channel, becoming a faux strike partner for Kyogo. Therefore, I felt this role was perfect, with the added instruction:
Advanced Playmaker – Support:
In accordance with the right-back’s higher and wider positioning, the right-winger will sit narrower to occupy the right half-space. From here, the right-winger will camp between the lines of the opposition to remain in an optimal position to receive the ball, before carrying and creating for his team-mates. Therefore, I felt this role was perfect, with the added instructions:
Winger – Support:
Corresponding with the left-back’s deeper, narrower positioning, the left-winger will hold the width on the left-side – however, unlike other players that operate in this sort of role, the left-winger, in this system, will situationally drop deeper to receive. This movement deeper, if followed by the opposition full-back, creates space in-behind the winger for a team-mate (usually Stansfield) to run into and exploit. Finally, when he receives the ball, the left-winger will almost always cut inside onto their stronger right foot. Therefore, I felt this role was also perfect, with the added instruction:
Pressing Forward – Attack:
In this position, Kyogo’s job is relatively simple: In possession, whilst he is the outlet (typically through runs in-behind), he can roam to try and receive the ball in various advantageous positions. Out of possession, he must relentlessly harry the opposition defenders into either going long or making a mistake. This role is the perfect depiction, with the added instruction:
Results
Sky Bet Championship:
Using this tactic, we absolutely tore the Championship to pieces, winning the title at a canter – amassing a whopping 119 points in the process, 20 points clear of second. Of our 46 league games, we won 38 games, drew 5 games and lost just 3 games, scoring 110 goals and conceding just 25 goals.
Domestic Cups:
In the Carabao Cup, we had a fairytale campaign as we made it to Wembley to compete in the Final! Blue hearts were broken, however, as we would agonizingly miss out, losing to winners Liverpool 2-1 thanks to a late Salah winner. On our way to the final, we beat the likes of Sunderland, Charlton and even Manchester City, of whom we beat in the Semi-Finals 6-4 on aggregate.
We couldn’t repeat such a fairytale journey in the FA Cup, however, as we were knocked out by Liverpool’s closest title rivals Arsenal in the Quarter-Finals, heartbreakingly losing 2-1 at the Emirates after a Saka penalty in the 97th minute.
Conclusion
Blues fans will be feeling optimistic looking ahead to the rest of the 25/26 campaign, following a promising start to the season with impressive performances against former Premier League outfits. Time will tell whether they can push for promotion this season, but tactically speaking, they’re one of the most intriguing teams in England at the moment. If you want a taste of this extraordinary tactic, make sure to download the tactics 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!
