Eredivisie title, Dutch Cup and a UCL Semi-Final — the complete FM26 recreation of Ten Hag's iconic Ajax 4-2-3-1, where De Jong's Half-Back drop transforms the shape into a devastating 3-1-6 in attack.
The 2018/19 Ajax campaign remains one of the most enchanting stories in modern football history. Erik ten Hag built a team that combined historical Dutch Totaalvoetbal principles with modern structural positioning, taking Europe by storm and coming within seconds of a UEFA Champions League semi-final. Recreating this highly fluid, aggressive, and entertaining system in Football Manager has historically been important.
Tactical Philosophy: The Great Mutation (4-2-3-1 into 3-1-6)
Formations vs Roles: What Actually Shapes the Game?
The defining characteristic of Ten Hag's Ajax was its fluidity. On paper, the team lined up in a balanced 4-2-3-1 shape. Yet, the moment the goalkeeper or central defenders claimed the ball, this structure underwent a transformation.
Out of possession, the team maintains a compact, structured shape to defend space, compress the midfield, and force turnovers. In possession, the tactic automatically alters its geometry to morph into a devastating, aggressive 3-1-6 attacking layout.
Instead of forcing players to operate in static corridors, it allows the team to construct natural passing triangles, stretch the opponent horizontally, and flood the penalty box with late runners. For a detailed breakdown of how this Half-Back, Wing-Back and False Nine role combination creates these fluid transformations, our FM26 role synergy guide covers the exact pairings in depth.
In Possession (IP) Team Instructions
Passing Directness & Tempo: Shorter & Higher
To recreate the rapid, intricate combinations of Ajax, selection of Shorter Passing combined with a Higher Tempo is absolutely vital. This instruction prevents technical players from launching low-percentage long balls while forcing them to make lightning-fast decisions. The ball moves quickly from player to player, shifting the opponent's defensive block from side to side until a gap opens up.
Attacking Width: Wider
At first glance, a Wider attacking width might seem contrary to the narrow, central combinations Ajax used in the half-spaces. However, this is a brilliant choice. By telling the team to stay wider, you ensure that overlapping wing-backs, Nicolás Tagliafico and Noussair Mazraoui, stay pinned to the touchlines. This horizontal stretching forces the opposition backline to widen, which directly creates the massive internal gaps needed for Hakim Ziyech and David Neres to exploit when they cut inside.
Build-Up Strategy & GK Distribution: Play Through Press & Short to Centre-Backs
Ten Hag's build-up play was designed to deliberately bait the opponent into pressing high up the pitch. Play Through Press, Short Goal Kicks, and distributing directly to the Centre-Backs achieves this exact effect. When André Onana passes short to Matthijs de Ligt or Daley Blind, the opposition team steps forward to press. The moment they commit their midfielders to the press, they leave space behind their lines, allowing the technical double pivot to turn and launch vertical attacks.
Final Third Patience: Work Ball Into Box & Low Crosses
Ajax rarely relied on hopeful, floating crosses into the area, as they did not possess a traditional, physically dominant target man. Choosing Work Ball Into Box combined with Low Crosses ensures that players look for clever cutbacks, low driven deliveries across the face of goal, and intricate through-balls. This perfectly accommodates the technical skill sets of Dušan Tadić and Donny van de Beek.
Out of Possession (OOP) Team Instructions
When possession is lost, the tactical configuration shifts into a suffocating, highly disciplined defensive monster designed to win the ball back as close to the opponent's goal as possible. For a deeper look at how high-press traps and engagement lines combine in FM26, our FM26 pressing principles guide is an excellent companion read.
Line of Engagement & Defensive Line: High Press & Higher
High Press paired with a Higher Defensive Line effectively reduces the playable area of the pitch, squeezing the opposition into a small box. There is no room for the opponent to comfortably breathe or control the ball.
Pressing Intensity & Transition: More Often & Counter-Press
The core of Ten Hag's defensive phase was an immediate, fierce reaction to losing the ball. More Often Trigger Press and an active Counter-Press ensure that as soon as a pass is misplaced, the nearest three red-and-white shirts will instantly swarm the ball carrier, taking advantage of the chaotic seconds during a transition.
Defensive Line Behaviour: Step Up More
This is an incredibly brave and tactically accurate setting. By selecting Step Up More, the central defensive pairing will not drop back or retreat when the opponent tries to launch a counter-attack. Instead, they aggressively step forward to intercept passes, catch opposition strikers in offside traps, and maintain the vertical compactness of the team.
Pressing Trap & Goalkeeper Distribution: Trap Outside
By selecting Trap Outside, the team deliberately blocks central passing lanes, forcing the opponent to pass the ball wide to their full-backs. The moment the ball travels to the touchline, aggressive pressing full-backs use the boundary of the pitch as an extra defender, squeezing the opponent against the line to force a turnover.
Player Roles and Instructions
The Goalkeeper and Rest Defence
André Onana (GK)
- In Possession Role: Ball Playing GK (BGK)
- Out of Possession Role: Goalkeeper (GK)
Onana acts as the initial point of distribution. By keeping him on a standard Goalkeeper role out of possession with instructions to stay in his box, you ensure he maintains a secure, disciplined base. He acts as a reliable passing option to recycle possession without taking unnecessary risks or sweeping too high when the team is in a stable defensive shape.
Matthijs de Ligt (RCB)
- In Possession Role: Ball-Playing CB (BCB)
- Out of Possession Role: Centre Back (CB)
As the right-sided centre-back, De Ligt's job is to protect the space left exposed by the rampaging Mazraoui. He is an aggressive defender who relishes physical duels. Out of possession, he stays reliable in a standard central defensive role, but the team's Step Up More instruction allows him to advance and stop counter-attacks before they cross the halfway line.
Daley Blind (LCB)
- In Possession Role: Ball-Playing CB (BCB)
- Out of Possession Role: Centre Back (CB)
Blind provides the technical composure to balance De Ligt's aggression. When the opposition sits deep, the BCB has the creative licence to carry the ball forward out of defence and pick out line-breaking vertical passes into the feet of the attacking midfielders.
The Flank Engines
Nicolás Tagliafico (LB)
- In Possession Role: Wing-Back (WB)
- Out of Possession Role: Full Back (FB)
- Player Instructions: Stay Wider, Run Wide With Ball, Make More Runs
Tagliafico provides the entire attacking width on the left flank. Because David Neres moves into central areas, Tagliafico is instructed to Stay Wider and Make More Runs, transforming him into an orthodox winger when the team is attacking. Out of possession, he drops back into a standard Full Back role, creating a rigid four-man defensive line to guard against transitions.
Noussair Mazraoui (RB)
- In Possession Role: Wing-Back (WB)
- Out of Possession Role: Full Back (FB)
- Player Instructions: Stay Wider, Run Wide With Ball, Make More Runs
Much like Tagliafico on the opposite flank, Mazraoui provides critical overlapping width on the right side. Because Hakim Ziyech vacates the right wing to act as a central playmaker, Mazraoui uses the Stay Wider and Run Wide With Ball instructions to exploit the wide channel, stretching the opposition defence to its absolute limits.
The Double Pivot
Frenkie de Jong (LDM)
- In Possession Role: Half Back (HB)
- Out of Possession Role: Defensive Midfielder (DM)
- Player Instructions: Make Fewer Runs, Take More Risks
The Half Back role for Frenkie de Jong is a tactical masterstroke. De Jong's most iconic trait was dropping deeply between or to the left of the centre-backs to collect the ball directly from the goalkeeper. The Half Back role emulates this perfectly in FM26: he drops into the backline during build-up to form a temporary three-man defence, allowing both full-backs to push high up the pitch simultaneously. By adding Take More Risks, you encourage him to execute those breathtaking, line-breaking passes that completely bypass the opposition's first line of pressure.
Lasse Schöne (RDM)
- In Possession Role: Defensive Midfielder (DM)
- Out of Possession Role: Defensive Midfielder (DM)
With De Jong dropping into the defensive line and the full-backs pushing forward, Schöne serves as the vital structural anchor in central midfield. He does not embark on adventurous forward runs; instead, he sits directly in front of the back three as a lone pivot, recycling possession, switching play to the wings, and sweeping up second balls during defensive transitions.
The Fluid Front Four
David Neres (LW)
- In Possession Role: Inside Forward (IF)
- Out of Possession Role: Wide Outlet Winger (WOW)
- Player Instructions: Sit Narrower, Cut Inside With Ball, Dribble More, Make More Runs
Neres operates as a direct, goal-scoring inside forward. The Sit Narrower and Cut Inside With Ball instructions force him off the left touchline and into the penalty box, essentially operating as a second striker alongside Van de Beek. Out of possession, his role as a Wide Outlet Winger ensures that the moment your team wins the ball back, Neres instantly bursts wide into space to offer a devastating counter-attacking outlet.
Hakim Ziyech (RW)
- In Possession Role: Playmaking Winger (PW)
- Out of Possession Role: Tracking Winger (TW)
- Player Instructions: Sit Narrower, Cut Inside With Ball, Roam From Position, Hold Up Ball: Yes, Shoot More Often, Take More Risks
This role configuration completely mirrors Ziyech's unique playstyle. He is not a traditional winger, nor is he a standard inside forward. By combining Playmaking Winger with Sit Narrower, Roam From Position, and Hold Up Ball, Ziyech drifts inside into the right half-space pocket. He pauses on the ball, drawing defenders toward him, and uses his Take More Risks instruction to whip spectacular diagonal passes to the far post for Neres or Tagliafico. With Shoot More Often, he is also encouraged to unleash his signature long-range efforts from the edge of the area.
Donny van de Beek (CAM)
- In Possession Role: Shadow Striker (SS)
- Out of Possession Role: Attacking Midfielder (AM)
- Player Instructions: Move Into Channels, Make More Runs
Van de Beek was the master of space optimisation. The Shadow Striker role combined with Move Into Channels captures his genius perfectly. He waits in the attacking midfield pocket until Dušan Tadić drops deep. The moment the opposition centre-backs follow Tadić, Van de Beek bursts forward into the vacated space, making late, lethal runs directly into the heart of the penalty area to finish off chances.
Dušan Tadić (ST)
- In Possession Role: False Nine (F9)
- Out of Possession Role: Central Forward Deep (CFD)
- Player Instructions: Roam From Position, Hold Up Ball: Yes, Take More Risks
Tadić is the focal point that holds this entire attacking system together. As a False Nine with Hold Up Ball and Roam From Position, he constantly drops deep into midfield, completely dragging the opponent's defensive structure out of shape. He links play with Ziyech, turns his back to goal, and plays delicate through-balls to the overlapping runners. Out of possession, his role as a Central Forward allows him to drop into the midfield block, clogging passing lanes and initiating the central press.
Results and Empirical Validation
The theoretical brilliance of this tactical framework has been fully vindicated by an outstanding domestic and European campaign. By implementing these precise IP and OOP parameters, the squad successfully secured a historic domestic double and mounted a breathtaking run into the final four of European football.
Domestic Dominance: Eredivisie Champions
The primary objective of the campaign was realised with absolute authority as the team finished at the summit of the Eredivisie table.
- Final Standings: 1st Place (Champions)
- Match Record: 34 Played | 21 Won | 9 Drawn | 4 Lost
- Attacking Output: 75 Goals For (the highest in the division)
- Defensive Record: 43 Goals Against
- Total Accumulation: 72 Points (finishing a comfortable 7 points ahead of rivals Feyenoord)
The 75 goals scored across the 34-game league calendar stand as a testament to the devastating efficacy of the 3-1-6 attacking shape. The fluid positional rotations completely dismantled low-block domestic defensive structures. With Oscar Gloukh operating as the False Nine, opposing centre-backs were consistently dragged out of the defensive line, opening massive interior corridors. This structural manipulation allowed Davy Klaassen, acting as the Shadow Striker, to execute late, unmarked forward surges into the penalty box to finish off high-quality chances.
Simultaneously, the width provided by Owen Wijndal and Takehiro Tomiyasu stretched opponents horizontally, leaving the half-spaces completely open for Mika Godts to cut inside aggressively from the left flank. On the opposite wing, Steven Berghuis orchestrated transitions beautifully, leveraging his Take More Risks and Hold Up Ball instructions to play precise, diagonal through-balls into the paths of the overlapping full-backs or late midfield runners.
Dutch Cup Glory
The tactical resilience of the system was tested to its absolute limit in the Dutch Cup Final against arch-rivals Feyenoord. In an incredibly tense, tactical chess match, the game finished 2-2 after extra time.
The defensive stability of the rest-defence structure was vital in containing Feyenoord's direct counter-attacks during transitions. Oleksandr Zinchenko's disciplined positioning as a Half Back allowed him to drop seamlessly between Youri Baas and Ko Itakura, forming a robust three-man protective screen that absorbed heavy pressure. Ultimately, the tactical discipline of the unit paid dividends, and the squad displayed elite mental fortitude to claim the trophy via a dramatic penalty shootout win (2-2 p), cementing a magnificent domestic double.
Continental Achievement: UEFA Champions League Semi-Finalists
While domestic success was expected, the team truly shocked the football world by navigating the brutal knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League to reach the Semi-Finals.
Defying financial and structural disparities, the tactical setup allowed this young side to out-press and out-play some of the absolute titans of European football. Operating with a high-intensity counter-press and the Step Up More defensive line instruction, the pairing of Baas and Itakura successfully neutralised world-class forwards high up the pitch, turning defensive interventions into immediate vertical counter-attacks.
Though the historic continental journey eventually came to an end in the semi-finals against an elite Arsenal side (losing 2-6 on aggregate), reaching the final four of the most prestigious club competition on the planet is an extraordinary overachievement that proves this framework can compete against the tactical elite.
Conclusion
The empirical data does not lie. Achieving an Eredivisie title with 75 goals scored, conquering the Dutch Cup under immense pressure against Feyenoord, and marching all the way to a UEFA Champions League Semi-Final represents an elite tier of tactical management. For more FM26 tactical recreations from football's most iconic sides, browse the full FM Blog tactics library.
