FM26 The Stupid 4-2-4 DM | Swansea Season 4 (Patreon)

Another step in the Swansea wonderkids project, this time with a more aggressive shape.

The idea here was simple: keep the spirit of the Stupid Series, but push the structure into a 4-2-4 with a DM pair, using two wide forwards and two strikers while still trying to keep some control through the middle.

This one was fun, dangerous, and at times a bit unhinged.

Season Results

✅ 7th in the Premier League

🏆 FA Cup Semi Final, eliminated by Leicester City

🏆 Carabao Cup Third Round, eliminated by Tottenham Hotspur

Every match was played.

A More Aggressive Stupid System

Compared to the more classic Stupid 4-4-2 versions, this setup pushes more numbers forward.

The shape gives you:

2 strikers

2 wide attackers

2 deeper midfielders

2 attacking wing-backs

2 centre-backs

So even if the structure still has some control through the middle, the intention is clearly to attack first and ask questions later.

That is pretty much why the season ended up looking the way it did.

Tactical Shape

In Possession

The system attacks in a very front-foot way:

Sarco as a CFD

Jones as a CHF

Symalla and Campbell as WFDs

Reid as a DLP

Mohanrj as a BBM

Rapoo and Sebelebele as AWBs

Chukwu and Siwe as BCBs

Nwosu in goal

The attacking shape is built to keep four players high and dangerous, while the wing-backs give extra width and support from deeper zones.

Out of Possession

Out of possession, the structure becomes a bit more stable:

Two strikers drop into more active pressing roles

The wide forwards become more like wide midfielders

The central pair sit as two DMs

The wing-backs become more conservative full-backs

The keeper changes to a Sweeper Keeper

Even with that adjustment, the overall identity is still aggressive.

Premier League Performance

Swansea finished:

7th in the Premier League

56 points

16 wins

8 draws

14 losses

76 goals scored

68 goals conceded

+8 goal difference

This was a good season overall.

Seventh place is a strong outcome for this project, especially considering the quality gap Swansea still has compared to the big Premier League clubs.

At the same time, the season also showed exactly what this tactic is about.

Strong in attack, shaky in defence

The Data Hub summary was very clear:

Good in attack

Extremely shaky in defence

A good threat going forward

Too much of a pushover at the back

That matches the core season numbers:

2.0 goals per game

1.9 non-penalty xG per 90

15.2 shots per game

47.2% shot accuracy

85.4% pass completion

1.8 goals conceded per game

1.8 xGA per game

So the trade-off was obvious.

You gain a lot of threat in attack, but you also leave yourself exposed too often.

Home vs Away Split

This season was heavily shaped by the home and away split.

Home

12 wins

4 draws

3 losses

45 goals scored

25 goals conceded

Away

4 wins

4 draws

11 losses

31 goals scored

43 goals conceded

At home, the tactic looked strong and dangerous.

Away from home, it was much less reliable. That was one of the biggest reasons why Swansea stopped at 7th instead of pushing even higher.

Underlying Numbers

The expected table puts Swansea in a slightly lower position than the real one.

From the xPTS screen:

xG: 72.43

xGA: 66.51

xPTS: 56.71

xPTS Position: 9th

Actual Finish: 7th

So while 7th was deserved in the sense that Swansea performed well enough to compete there, the underlying numbers suggest the team slightly overachieved relative to the expected table.

Not by a huge amount, but enough to note.

Best Performers

Jake Jones

The main goalscorer again:

45 appearances

27 goals

9 assists

7.11 average rating

He was the standout attacking player and the main reason the tactic kept producing goals so consistently.

Cole Campbell

Another very productive season:

45 appearances

13 goals

12 assists

6.88 average rating

Campbell kept delivering output from the right side and remained one of the most important players in the save.

Jan-Simon Symalla

Useful support from the other flank:

45 appearances

6 goals

12 assists

6.60 average rating

Kamogelo Sebelebele

A big contributor from wing-back:

45 appearances

5 goals

12 assists

6.82 average rating

Neo Rapoo

Good output from the opposite side too:

45 appearances

2 goals

10 assists

6.67 average rating

The wing-backs were clearly important in giving the system width and helping the attack stay supplied.

Cup Runs

FA Cup

A very good run:

Reached the Semi Final

Eliminated by Leicester City

That is a strong cup run and definitely one of the positives of the season.

Carabao Cup

Less impressive:

Eliminated in the Third Round

Lost to Tottenham Hotspur

Overall Verdict

The Stupid 4-2-4 DM gave Swansea:

A very strong attacking output

Another good Premier League season

A top-7 finish

A solid FA Cup run

But it also came with clear weaknesses:

Too open defensively

Too fragile away from home

More chaotic than some of the other Swansea systems

If you want a version of the Stupid Series that is more direct, more aggressive, and more entertaining, this is absolutely one of them.

If you want balance and defensive security, this is probably not the first choice.

Still, for a squad like this, built around wonderkids and development rather than big spending, finishing 7th in the Premier League is a very respectable result.

Download Package

The release includes:

FM26 The Stupid 4-2-4 DM tactic

Swansea game save

Season screenshots and stats

Squad overview

Team Instructions and Player Instructions video for console players