The Best Way To Use A Segundo Volante In Football Manager

Who is a Segundo Volante?

A Segundo Volante, a role first introduced to Football Manager in FM18, refers to a defensive midfielder who when in possession bombs up the pitch similar to a box to box midfielder to offer passing options, and also take long shots when the opportunity presents itself but when the team losses possession, he drops back to his normal position to offer defensive cover to his backline. Good examples of this kind of player are Naby Keita of Liverpool, Franck Kessie of Ac Milan and Thomas Soucek of Westham.

Attributes Required for a Good Segundo Volante in Football Manager

Since the Segundo Volante is expected to bomb up and down the pitch numerous times in  a single match, stamina is key. I would prefer my Segundo Volante to have a minimum of 16 here.

Other key attributes for the Segundo Volante role are natural fitness to help him quickly recover between matches, excellent off the ball movement to help him occupy optimal positions when receiving passes and a good work rate in order for him to cover the whole pitch much more willingly. 

Aim for these to be at least 15. If you are using a lower ranked team, 14 or 13 in the aforementioned football manager attributes will work just fine.

Because of the demanding nature of the role, it is prudent that you have a good back up for your Segundo Volante. His physical condition will always get low at around the 70th minute, especially if he has a low stamina.

Subbing him out at this point if you have a comfortable lead or changing his instructions from attack to support will go a long way in minimizing chances of him picking up an injury.

Player Preferred Moves (PPMs) Suitable for a Segundo Volante

• Gets Forward Whenever Possible. This player trait will make your Segundo Volante to join the attack more often when the opportunity arises. His decision-making attribute will come in handy in picking the right moments to do so.
• Runs with ball through the centre. You want your Segundo Volante to drive through the park with the ball at his feet, using his strength and power before feeding your attackers. Dribbling and balance is key for this trait to work successfully.
• Dictates Tempo. Players with this trait will actively take responsibly for either slowing down the game’s pace or speeding it up as he sees fit. They are expected to have good team work, decisions and passing.

The above player traits will complement your Segundo Volante, note that your player does not need to have all these, and he will still perform to an acceptable standard without them, unless he has a conflicting trait which I have listed below.

Conflicting Player Preferred Moves (PPMs) for a Segundo Volante

• Stay back at all times. You want your Segundo Volante to supplement the attack, this trait will limit the role, basically making it useless. Stays back at all times is suited for static roles in the DM position like the Half Back.
• Tries Fewer Long Shots. You want your Segundo Volante to rifle them in once in space, having this trait will make a player more willing to pass to another player instead of taking a chance at a long range effort when in the position to do so.

Setting Up a Segundo Volante Tactic

As mentioned earlier, the Segundo Volante role is only available at the Defensive Midfield strata in football manager. In addition, the role is only available at the DMCR and DMCL positions but not centrally at the DM position. 

You can set up your Segundo Volante in various ways depending on the players you have and the strength of your team compared to the rest of the league, you can even use multiple Segundo Volantes if you are feeling adventurous. Here are two ways you can go about incorporating a Segundo Volante tactic;

4-2-1-3 DM Wide

The 4-2-3-1 with two central midfielders has to be one of the most common tactics in world football right now. The tactic normally consists of one midfielder who will hold his position to protect against counter attacks while his partner in midfield is more adventurous and joins the attacks when the chances arise.

Now, if the two midfielders are pulled back to the defensive midfielders’ area, the tactic becomes more defensively solid at the cost of the team losing a little of its attacking potency.

To counter this, put one of the defensive midfielders on the Segundo Volante role while the other one you can change depending on the opposition you are facing, E.g. Anchor Man or Ball Winning Midfielder(Defend)  against the very best sides in the division and Deep Lying Playmaker(Support) or regista when you need a little creativity to support the Segundo Volante and your Attacking Midfielder.

As you have probably guessed it, the 4-2-1-3 DM Wide tactic is best suited when you are slight underdogs, but you still carry a threat to hurt the opposition on the counter regularly. Check the two screenshots for more instructions on how to set up the tactic.

Just remember to slightly tweak the roles to suit your players. The tactic can also work for your fm18, fm19 or FM21 saves. Copy the instructions from the screenshot, don’t load it into your FM save if you are on a different edition of football manager.

4-3-1-2 DM AM NARROW

If you are playing without wingers, three defensive midfielders can provide defensive cover while freeing up your wingbacks or complete wingbacks to provide the required width up top. 

The central defensive midfielder should have a static role like Anchor Man or Half Back to prevent your defence from being exposed on the counter, while the two defensive midfielders on either side can be played as Segundo Volantes on Support and the other one on attack. 

If you do not have the players for two Segundo Volantes, you can put one as either a ball winning midfielder on support duty so that he joins the attack on occasion or a deep lying midfielder on support who will do the same.

The attacking midfielder should be put on support duty so that he drops into the midfield strata out of possession to add an extra body. The Advanced Playmaker on support can also work, but avoid static roles like the Enganche or the Trequartista who will be a passenger out of possession. If you are on FM18, FM19 or FM21, you can copy the instructions off the screenshots attached. Just remember to make slight tweaks to it so that it  better suits your team.