baxter51

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Why are away games so difficult, no matter who I am, I am always prolific and can beat anyone at home, but absolutely appalling away from home, so annoying, going from attacking to counter doesn't do much good, what do I do? Anyone else experience this?
 
This was the same issue with me, one of those things that frustrates you, but i always know the game is meant to be hard, it's meant to feel like Football Management. So, i thought about it.

I tried changing to counter and even changing my formation. That didn't really work. Now, everyone says, to play fast on the counter attack, you need to make sure your tempo is fast with a direct playing style. Now that generally will work, but sometimes, you have to know the opposition and the way they play.

When you are given a team report by your assistant, check which formations they conceed the most against and play with that one if you have players in the correct positions.

For away games, i tend to play with the Counter Attacking style, balanced (not rigid or fluid). Direct passing, Man Marking and Drilled crosses, leave the rest default. With the sliders, i tend to make the tempo quick and width medium. Leave the other slider unticked.. Finally, tick the counter attacking box and if you have fast defenders, the play offside setting.

The formation i tend to use is a 4-2-3-1. 4 at the back, 2 defensive midfielders, 2 attacking wingers, one centre midfielder and a striker. The reason i do this is because when counter attacking, it can be very fluid when one of four defenders gets the ball to a DM, from there onto the CM, and he can spread it wide, and then the attack can really get going.

You can either go with that formation, or if you think its a little too defensive, even just play with one defensive midfielder, one centre midfielder and an attacking centre midfielder, with the striker and two wingers again. That works aswell. Even playing like this works at Home, you draw the opposition in, and swoop them on the counter.

Hope this helps, i had my struggles, but that's how away games are in the real world, not as easy as home games as the opposition always puts a bigger effort in.
 
Yeah that's a big help, always have struggled away from home, ill create. Second tactic just for away games and try and counter, never made a counter attacking formation or tactic before! Will see and hope, any recommended shouts for away games?
 
Just a quick one.. use the press more tactic, it seems to work well for me when playing away and counter attacking. I start off with no shouts. If we take the lead, i leave it as is. If we conceed, ill most likely leave it, but sometimes i may tell them to exploit the flanks.

If you are leading with 20 minutes to go, change your time wasting slider to 3/4 or even full. It helps see out the game.

I had a pretty crappy opening season with Australian Club Western Sydney Wanderers, finished 8th, and it's a top 6 for championship playoffs. So, pretty crappy even though expectations were to finish bottom.

Halfway into my second season, started off average. a win, draw, loss and than it would vary with the 3. A draw, a loss, a loss, a win, draw, loss, win etc.. it kept me around the 8th position mark.

Then i started using the tactics i just gave you, and i now sit 4th, 4 points off 3rd. Won 4 straight, 3 of which were away with back to back away wins. I do change things up at home when favourites.

When im at home and im odds on to win, even slightly, i will play a short passing game, mid tempo, and wide play. And controlled. IF it's at home and im playing a team who is still expected to beat me, ill use my away tactic.. Just though id tell you this because against easy teams at home i was using the away tactic, and it wasnt working, when controlling the game worked better.
 
I will make this tactic tomorrow and post it to the tactics section, i will link you to it when complete.
 
Maybe changining the philosophy to rigid might help, and also if your a low profile club then play deep and make sure there is no tight marking, so you can create two banks of 4, it'll be hard for the opposition to break down. If this still don't help i can upload a tactic it is good for both home and away, it's a narrow 4-1-2-1-2. rigid attacking.
 
What started it was, I made a fantasy team with spurs to sort of see a bit more about players I've never signe before and see how they perform etc, had an amazing team, yes I understand that it takes time to gel but I had this team from July cause I always start the game in June, I had this fantasy team and my first game of the season was away at west ham which I lost 2-1, I had another save with man united which I lost 3-2 away to villa, just frustrating, even having less possession and less chances, which at home I dominate
 
I see. Well i haven't had a chance to use a big club yet, i always start FM with a lower league team, or just a lesser team from a lesser country. In this case, Australian Club, Western Sydney, and from here my goal is to manage a United, Barca or a team like that in the future.

But i can tell you, make sure you aren't telling your team to dominate and control the match away from home. FM is stupid in one sense, for some reason it doesn't think you can play a short passing, fast tempo counter attacking game. Apparently it's logic is that you have to play fast tempo and direct to play counter attacking. Then to control a game, they say slow, short passing works best. It's weird, but thats how FM is.

Ill make the tactic soon and upload it.
 
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