Football Manager Top Tips - How to defend a one-goal lead after the 80th minute

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Change the formation – park the bus, but not too much

Useful instructions to add

Take your time going from attacking to defensive

Make substitutions – slowly

The final form tactic

It’s the 80th minute. You’re winning 1-2 away from home, and you desperately need the three points. You’ve been the better team for most of the match, but now momentum is swinging their way. Despite your best strikers doing their best and months of preparation, you can feel the equaliser coming, and you just know it’s going to be from that guy who’s scored three goals all season, smashing it in during the last minute of added time. So, what can you do to stop this Football Manager nightmare scenario?

Over the years, I’ve developed some habits—a mix of logic, superstition, and sheer panic—to help see out these situations. None of this is scientifically proven, and some of it might not even make sense, but it’s worked for me often enough to share. If you try these steps and still concede, don’t come at me with pitchforks. Sometimes, when the Football Manager gods decide an equaliser is coming, there’s nothing a mere mortal can do. That said, I’m confident these steps can help reduce the number of last-minute heartbreaks over time. At the very least, you’ll have the peace of mind knowing you tried everything.

Change the formation – park the bus, but not too much

Formation before – Football Manager 2024

Start gradually moving players into more defensive positions, but don’t overdo it all at once. For example, switch to three at the back in the 81st minute, then drop your attacking midfielder into a defensive midfield role in the 84th minute, and so on. No matter how defensive you get, always keep one striker up the pitch. Every time I’ve parked the bus completely, it’s backfired. Without an outlet, the opposition smothers you, and that’s when disaster strikes.

Also, adjust player roles as you go. If your wingbacks were on attack, pull them back to support. This isn’t groundbreaking tactical advice, but you’d be amazed how easy it is to forget the basics under pressure.

Useful instructions to add

Some of these are based purely on vibes, but they’ve got a solid rationale.

Lower Tempo: Slowing the game down reduces the chance of your team getting caught out of shape.
Time Wasting: Full-on time wasting is self-explanatory.
Be More Disciplined: I don’t want my centre-back trying a rabona on the edge of our box. Stick to the plan, lads.
Slow the Pace Down (Goalkeeper): Same reasoning as lowering tempo—control the game, drag it out.
Stay on Feet: Nothing is more infuriating than conceding a penalty because your defender went full kamikaze. This instruction helps avoid reckless tackles.
Drop Off More: Prevent your team from getting caught out by balls over the top.
Reduce Pressing: Don’t push too high and risk being left exposed.

Take your time going from attacking to defensive

This is purely psychological, but it feels right. Instead of switching straight from “Attacking” to “Defensive,” I make incremental changes. For instance, if I’m on “Attacking” in the 80th minute, I’ll go to “Positive” in the 82nd, “Balanced” in the 84th, “Cautious” in the 86th, and so on. It might be complete nonsense, but it feels like it reduces the chances of the opposition getting a highlight. At the very least, it keeps me busy and stops me from nervously watching the clock.

Make substitutions – slowly

The rationale here is the same as above: reduce the time available for the opposition to have a highlight. Ideally, bring on a competent defender with good fitness. Bonus points if they’re good at heading crosses out of the box.

The final form tactic

The final form of the tactic – Football Manager 2024

By the 92nd minute, I aim to have my team in this shape. I’ve moved incrementally to this setup from around the 85th minute. One striker stays up to maintain a minimal attacking outlet, but the rest of the team is locked in full Simeone mode. I’ll have a couple of players on slightly attacking duties to keep a sliver of hope for a counterattack, but let’s be real—if there’s a highlight at this stage, it’s probably for the opposition. If they manage to score against this setup, you truly did your best.

So, that’s my approach to defending leads. I’m not a tactical genius—far from it. Despite playing this game since 2007, most of my decisions are based on intuition and vibes. But I’ve noticed a difference in how often I concede late goals. There’s no worse feeling than conceding without making any changes and realising you could have done something earlier.

For those more tactically savvy than me, what do you do to defend a lead in the last five minutes? Have I got something completely wrong? Let me know in the comments!

About the Author

William is the admin of Out of Context Football Manager, an X account that focuses on FM news. He's worked for LADbible Group and is VG's resident FM expert.