Poacher, Complete Forward, False 9, Pressing Forward, Target Man. The striker role is the load-bearing piece for everything else: a False 9 changes what your wide forwards have to do, a Pressing Forward changes what your defensive line is allowed to be.

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The cards above are uploaded player profiles. If you're trying to figure out which role a player should be playing (or which type of player your tactic actually needs), start with the articles below. Each bucket links to the guides that explain the role distribution, the pairings that work, and the antipatterns that don't.
Stopper, Cover, BPD: every back four is a triangulation between aggression, recovery, and progression. Pairings here decide how high your line can hold and whether you keep clean sheets against pace.
The position whose duty changes the entire shape of the team. Attacking full-backs turn 4-4-2 into 2-4-4 in possession; defensive full-backs let your front three stay aggressive without leaving the centre-backs alone.
Overlap, underlap, IF + attacking WB. The same-channel rule for full-back and winger pairings, and the cases where it doesn't apply.
Build through the wide areas or through the middle? A working framework for picking the right one for your squad.
How Mentality, Duty, and Role interact in FM, why duty trumps mentality every time, and the role-on-top-of-duty composition rules.
Scout for system fit, not stat stars. The shortlist filters in FM that map to your tactic, and the role-attribute matrix to use.
Anchor, Half-Back, DLP, Regista, BWM. Each one solves a different problem and creates a different gap. Pick the wrong one and your back four has nobody screening them.
Double pivots and flat pairs in 4-2-3-1 and 4-4-2: when each pairing works, when it collapses, and the AMC unicorn that rescues both.
Holder, runner, creator: the role distribution rule for three-man midfields, the AMC variants, and the antipatterns that break them.
How Mentality, Duty, and Role interact in FM, why duty trumps mentality every time, and the role-on-top-of-duty composition rules.
Counter-Press, Regroup, Stand Off, Trigger Press: what each pressing instruction does in FM and how to pair them without contradicting.
The role that does the most invisible work. Box-to-Box, Mezzala, Carrilero, Roaming Playmaker: the right pick depends on what the players around them are doing as much as the player's own attributes.
Holder, runner, creator: the role distribution rule for three-man midfields, the AMC variants, and the antipatterns that break them.
Double pivots and flat pairs in 4-2-3-1 and 4-4-2: when each pairing works, when it collapses, and the AMC unicorn that rescues both.
How Mentality, Duty, and Role interact in FM, why duty trumps mentality every time, and the role-on-top-of-duty composition rules.
Scout for system fit, not stat stars. The shortlist filters in FM that map to your tactic, and the role-attribute matrix to use.
The number ten lives in the half-space behind the striker. Trequartista, Enganche, Shadow Striker, AP: each variant trades creativity for off-ball discipline differently, and your midfield pivot has to pick up the slack accordingly.
Holder, runner, creator: the role distribution rule for three-man midfields, the AMC variants, and the antipatterns that break them.
Double pivots and flat pairs in 4-2-3-1 and 4-4-2: when each pairing works, when it collapses, and the AMC unicorn that rescues both.
Why circulation density and zonal occupation aren't the same thing in FM, and the half-space occupation rule that decides build-up.
The 13/15/17 working tiers in FM, hidden attributes that scouting won't show, and the per-role priorities that actually matter.
Inside Forward, Inverted Winger, traditional Winger, Wide Playmaker. The choice is whether the wide player attacks the half-space or hugs the touchline, and whether your full-back is the one providing width or not.
Overlap, underlap, IF + attacking WB. The same-channel rule for full-back and winger pairings, and the cases where it doesn't apply.
Build through the wide areas or through the middle? A working framework for picking the right one for your squad.
Klopp-style gegenpressing in FM, including squad profile, line-and-press pairing, sustainable workload, and the antipatterns to avoid.
Scout for system fit, not stat stars. The shortlist filters in FM that map to your tactic, and the role-attribute matrix to use.
Poacher, Complete Forward, False 9, Pressing Forward, Target Man. The striker role is the load-bearing piece for everything else: a False 9 changes what your wide forwards have to do, a Pressing Forward changes what your defensive line is allowed to be.
Target Man and Poacher, False 9 and Inside Forward: the striker partnerships that solve isolation, plus the pairings that contradict.
Klopp-style gegenpressing in FM, including squad profile, line-and-press pairing, sustainable workload, and the antipatterns to avoid.
Sit deep, win the ball, and break in three passes. The roles, instructions, and squad profile that make it work.
Scout for system fit, not stat stars. The shortlist filters in FM that map to your tactic, and the role-attribute matrix to use.