Choosing pitch sizes - for newbies

[wolfen2000]

Hello little Mourinhos,

when surfing through the different tactics explanations in this forum you often read about the right adjusted pitch sizes.

I´m new to the game. So can anybody tell me where and why I have to adjust the pitch size in the game.

 

[fable]

boardroom request
there select stadium, then you can pick pitch size

atleast i think its like that not running FM atm, got to study :<

 

[ajt09]

not sure if you mean when the groundsman asks you for pitch size alterations before the season starts.

 

[W4FC B3N]

Choose it to suit your style of play, wide or more direct.

 

[Prakamos]

As far as I know you can only do this at the start of the season, when the groundskeeper asks you the size you want.
In a nutshell, if you play a formation that's focusing play on the middle (say 4-1-2-1-2 with 2 CM's), you'll want a narrower pitch, so you don't give out too much space in the wings. If you're playing a classic 4-4-2 however, since you've got wingers, you'll want a wider pitch to extend your game as much as possible.
Shorter pitches are better for posession-oriented teams, with slower tempo, whilst longer ones suit teams playing a direct or counterattacking style better, since there's more terrain to cover and, therefore, more space to explore.

 

[Broyston]

So is there a hard and fast rule as to what actually defines a short pitch or a narrow pitch, i.e less than 85m etc. I have been told to look at my opponents pitches in the match preview to alter my tactics accordingly, but the fact the pitch is XXXm wide means nothing to me. OK it's 1m narrower than my pitch, probably not an issue, but would 7m's make a difference?