Joined
Oct 12, 2016
Messages
3
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Hey, there.

Can anyone explain me the difference between playing a Ball Winning Midfielder on "defend" duty or "support" duty?
 
Hey, there.

Can anyone explain me the difference between playing a Ball Winning Midfielder on "defend" duty or "support" duty?
The Support duty (like all other support duties) keeps up with play more, to SUPPORT play. A Defend duty (like all Defend duties) stays behind play, so won't make runs forward.

Should add that a Defend duty will defend deeper, having a more defensive mentality as well.
 
Last edited:
The Support duty (like all other support duties) keeps up with play more, to SUPPORT play. A Defend duty (like all Defend duties) stays behind play, so won't make runs forward.

Should add that a Defend duty will defend deeper, having a more defensive mentality as well.


So with a possession tactic style of play, should I select "support" duty for my ball winning midfielder?
 
So with a possession tactic style of play, should I select "support" duty for my ball winning midfielder?

A Ball-Winning Midfielder_Defend operating from the DM position will essentially sit in front of your centre backs and make it more difficult for the opposition to get at you through the middle. In Support mode from the DM position, he will provide back up to your central midfielders by offering an option for short passes, helping them to retain and recycle possession, and he'll be ready to defend the centre of the pitch and within your own half.

From the M(C) position, if he's in Defend mode, the BWM will hold centre field while you're in possession and fall back to defend when needed. In Support mode from the M(C) position, he'll engage the opposition in their own half and lay the ball off to your more creative midfielders.

At Southampton at the beginning of my FM16 save, I began with Victor Wanyama in the DM position with Jordie Clasie and Steven Davis in the M(C) positions in a 4-3-3. But I found that my possession game improved by swapping Wanyama and Clasie around because then Wanyama started putting his tackles in slightly higher up the pitch, enabling us to win the ball back quicker. And, by sitting slightly deeper in the DM position as a Deep-Lying Playmaker, Clasie avoided the midfield scrum and had more space to spray the ball out to the wings, as instructed, in classic Michael Carrick 'quarterback' style.
 
Last edited:
Top