Anybody else experiencing hopelessly overpowered crosses?

[diabolicpanda]

I'm 2½ seasons into my Liverpool save, and I guess I can't complain. Won the CL second season and currently top of the league at January.

Still one thing is bugging me big time. 80% of the goals scored against me comes from corners and crosses.

When conceding from crosses it usually goes like this:

Winger gets the ball, and is pressured by my fullback. Winger is allowed to turn on the ball and start his run to the byline. At no point he actually goes past my FB - they just kind of walk there together. By the time he gets there he has usually drawn out a CB as well. Now under pressure from two very good defenders he is allowed to float in a cross. Right footed only player swinging it in with his useless left foot? No problem.

Now there is two options:

1. The cross arrives in the six yard box where my other CB, who has had all the time in world to possition himself, is outjumped by any striker with 11+ for jumping. Furthermore my keeper with great stats for arial ability and command of area is rooted on the line even though he has time and room to get to the ball.

2. It is floated to the far post where my other fullback is standing at a nice distance from the winger allowing him the world easiest tap in.

Luckily the corner thing applies to both ends, so my two 17+ jumping centrebacks get 7+ goals each a season - even with attacking corner instructions still left on default.

Paticularly the rooted keeper thing annoys me to no known end. It's just stupid. If I was coaching childrens football and a keeper did anything remotely as stupid as the things I have seen Pepe Reina do, I would sub him and shame him on the spot.

So... Anybody else experiencing this? Is it a ME thing or something with my tactics? I bought my first CM (now FM) in 1992, so I consider myself pretty adjusted to the workings of the game.

Apart from the occational tight marking og closing down I don't play with OI's. Again - if a 10 year old allowed a winger on to his strong foot on the outside because he wasn't told not to, I would make him cry.

I play with a DL of 14 as i have quick defenders, no offside trap. Fullbacks on normal ment., closing down 14 and tight zonal marking. CBs on normal ment., closing down 10 and tight zonal.

Any thoughts?

 

[serp1]

I can't say I'm having any huge problems with crosses and corners so far after several seasons with different types of teams. But I'll agree that fullbacks are sometimes quite terrible when it comes to defending, even when you have world-class players. Especially their ability to mark a winger attacking far post seems to be very hard for them. The only things I can suggest it first of all looking to tweak the CB roles and closing down more - and also possibly try to have your fullbacks man mark wingers instead of using zonal marking.

And conceding goals from crosses and corners is especially typical when you're playing good and keeping possession, as the opposition will counter on you and will also probably put more focus into set pieces since it's one of their best chances of scoring.

It also seems that most agree on that defending is a bit under-powered compared to attacking for the moment and it's being looked into.

When it comes to the keeper I don't have much other advice than tweaking his settings as well. Although I'm honestly not sure how much you can tweak that affects their field-work etc.

 

[diabolicpanda]

Thanks for the reply. My centrebacks are protected by a DM (i play a 4-1-2-2-1 aka 4-3-3) so theres really no need for then to close down more. I'd rather push them forward by raising the D-line.

I actually found out that lowering the D-line helps the problem a bit. But I like to play a high pressuring game from the front (never sign a player with workrate below 12), which can be risky business without a high D-line.

Ah, decisions, decisions..

Which settings should I try and change with the keeper? He's on normal ment. and closing down 11.

 

[serp1]

Thanks for the reply. My centrebacks are protected by a DM (i play a 4-1-2-2-1 aka 4-3-3) so theres really no need for then to close down more. I'd rather push them forward by raising the D-line.

I actually found out that lowering the D-line helps the problem a bit. But I like to play a high pressuring game from the front (never sign a player with workrate below 12), which can be risky business without a high D-line.

Ah, decisions, decisions..

Which settings should I try and change with the keeper? He's on normal ment. and closing down 11.

If you have a DM working as a shield in front, you could try to reduce the closing down of your CBs so that they stay more in position until the opposition are in/or close to their own area. Have you tried having one of the CBs as covering and set his closing down to a minimum, so that he can try to pick out those players the fullbacks fail at marking?

Since you're thinking about playing with a high D-line (something I do myself, along with high pressure and aggressive tackling) you can try using offside trap and also maybe combine that with a sweeper keeper if your keeper is suited for that role. That won't make any difference in the box though. I'm not sure if closing down and mentality of the keeper decides how offensive they are in the box when it comes to crosses etc. or if it's just down to attributes like aerial ability, command, communication, tendency to punch, jumping etc.

 

[Sc00by]

Read the OP nodding along the entire time, so frustrating.

Worst is when they pick the ball up in their own half, my fullback stays within 5 yards all the way to the touchline, my CB gets drawn out and they both stop 5 yards from the touchline and leave him room to cross, cross will go very close to GK, IRL would be an easy gather, but no, guaranteed a goal every time.

 

[diabolicpanda]

Serp1: I've played with offside trap for a long time to no avail. Didn't seem to make any difference at all actually. The problem seem to be down to the fullbacks not closing down the winger agressivly enough and thus not forcing a backpass and never getting a tackle in. They just kind of shield the winger until he gets to the byline and puts in a cross.

When I tell my fullback to manmark the winger on the far post he's often beaten in the heading challenge. My laptop was very close to not surviving Messi winning an areal challenge on a floated cross against Wilson basically on the goalline with Reina doing absolutely nothing. Luckily Muniain did the same thing vs Alves in the opposite end for my team.

Just curious: How high do you play your D-Line?

 

[diabolicpanda]

Sc00by: I can tell you know my pain.

 

[serp1]

I've played with offside trap for a long time to no avail. Didn't seem to make any difference at all actually. The problem seem to be down to the fullbacks not closing down the winger agressivly enough and thus not forcing a backpass and never getting a tackle in. They just kind of shield the winger until he gets to the byline and puts in a cross.

When I tell my fullback to manmark the winger on the far post he's often beaten in the heading challenge. My laptop was very close to not surviving Messi winning an areal challenge on a floated cross against Wilson basically on the goalline with Reina doing absolutely nothing. Luckily Muniain did the same thing vs Alves in the opposite end for my team.

Just curious: How high do you play your D-Line?

I don't have the skin that shows how much but just beyond 3/4 of the slider on my current tactic. When it comes to the fullbacks just shielding, I'm pretty sure you've tried to make them as aggressive as possible when it comes to tackling etc? Cause if none of that works out as you like, I guess it comes down to the quality of your fullbacks and the ME.

 

[diabolicpanda]

I don't have the skin that shows how much but just beyond 3/4 of the slider on my current tactic. When it comes to the fullbacks just shielding, I'm pretty sure you've tried to make them as aggressive as possible when it comes to tackling etc? Cause if none of that works out as you like, I guess it comes down to the quality of your fullbacks and the ME.

They're on hard tackling and pretty high closing down settings. We're talking Kyle Walker and now regular England leftback Jack Robinson with great defensive abilities. I smell a ME issue..

Last try: allout closing down with untight zonal marking.

Thanks for your feedback, though.

 

[diabolicpanda]

Okay, might be on to something here. When up agains AM L/R wingers I now manmark them with the fullback with 14 closing down. When up against M R/L wide midfielders in a 4-4-2 I manmark the strikers with my CBs and max out the closing down for my fullbacks on zonal. First impressions are good. A 3-0 victory against Man U (4-2-3-1) with Neymar and Nani out of the game and a 4-0 against Aston Villa (4-4-2) with no problems with the wingers. Be prepared to lower mentalily on your own wingers to make sure they track those attacking fullbacks, though.

 

[Sc00by]

Keep us posted, and if results are good please give details description of what to do. If I didnt concede in these situations I would win the league with ease.

 

[Sc00by]

How is it going? Have you found a way to defend it yet?

 

[diabolicpanda]

How is it going? Have you found a way to defend it yet?

Manmarking AM R/L with your fullbacks does seem to solve the issue (if your fullbacks have the quality, that is), granted you are prepared to drop mentallity on your own wingers to make sure they track back.

M R/L's are still just a pain in the lower lower back. They recieve the ball so far from the fullback it's rediculous. And then we have the problem. The best solution I've found so far is showing them inwards where my battleship of an DM actually sometime gets in a tackle! Anyway they are not able to cross from there.

Luckily it's mostly lesser teams taht play 4-4-2, so I usually outclass them over 90 minutes.

Putting more closing down on the keeper actually seem to make him more aggressive on crosses. I've now maxed it out and will report back with my findings.

 

[diabolicpanda]

Manmarking AM R/L with your fullbacks does seem to solve the issue (if your fullbacks have the quality, that is), granted you are prepared to drop mentallity on your own wingers to make sure they track back.

M R/L's are still just a pain in the lower lower back. They recieve the ball so far from the fullback it's rediculous. And then we have the problem. The best solution I've found so far is showing them inwards where my battleship of an DM actually sometime gets in a tackle! Anyway they are not able to cross from there.

Luckily it's mostly lesser teams taht play 4-4-2, so I usually outclass them over 90 minutes.

Putting more closing down on the keeper actually seem to make him more aggressive on crosses. I've now maxed it out and will report back with my findings.

Just had a thought: Maybe there's a reason three at the back is becoming the prefered solution when going up against two strikers IRL?

 

[Coupdhaha]

Playing a back three isn't going to be the answer to your crossing problems though.

If you're having trouble with crosses AND 2 strikers, the best bet IMO would be a a flat 5 midfield with a 4 man defence.

To make this 5 man-midfield quite offensive, have the two wide MC have quite an attacking mentality and high work rate, the very middle midfielder your Advanced Playmaker (attacking mentality). Have this AP flanked by a BWM and a Box-Box midfielder.

Also drop down the mentality of your forward so he's not too isolated.

 

[diabolicpanda]

Playing a back three isn't going to be the answer to your crossing problems though.

If you're having trouble with crosses AND 2 strikers, the best bet IMO would be a a flat 5 midfield with a 4 man defence.

To make this 5 man-midfield quite offensive, have the two wide MC have quite an attacking mentality and high work rate, the very middle midfielder your Advanced Playmaker (attacking mentality). Have this AP flanked by a BWM and a Box-Box midfielder.

Also drop down the mentality of your forward so he's not too isolated.

Problem is I have no wide midfielders, so this would leave me with playing my AM R/L's out of position on a regular basis.

Three at the back in a 3-4-3 would mean I can move my fullbacks to wingback position and manmark their wide midfielders. That way It would be an evennumbered battle in central midfield, my wingforwards would be responsible for handling their fullbacks and the strikers would be tightly marked with a spare man at the back.

Thanks for your feedback, though. Against tough opponents with two strikers a flat five man midfield or a 4-4-1-1 (or even 4-1-4-1) is a very useful approach.

 

[diabolicpanda]

Yeah. Raising closing down on the keeper turned out to be useless. Still not catching anything. For now I "solved" the crossing thing by showing wingers on to weaker foot and playing an anchorman. The only thing I've found to be remotely usefull. Good advice is still well recieved.

 

[Sc00by]

Do hyou have to set that before every game or can you set it in the tactic?

 

[CariadocThorne]

I'm having a very different issue with crossing. I very rarely see an opposing winger get a cross in, they ALWAYS pass back to their fullback under pressure from my fullback, and the fullback either crosses from deep or passes inside to a midfielder. Part of this may be due to my wide players being set as advanced playmakers, as they seem terrible at tracking the fullback when he comes to support the winger. I am experimenting with their settings, but it could just be that RVP and Isco suck at tracking back.