cooknaris

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Hi all,

You may have read my thread regarding my AFC Wimbledon team... I now have a squad which is better than most League 1 teams (attribute wise), yet I am really struggling against weak teams in League 2. I have tried tactic after tactic, formation after formation, tweaked things which I think could improve the squad but they do not do so... I have back to back results where I win 3-0 and play really well, then lose 3-0 and only manage 2 or 3 shots. In a nutshell, there is no consistency whatsoever, and I go into every game not having a clue how we will play or what the result will be no, no matter what players I pick, what tactics I use or whether the opposition is top of the league unbeaten or bottom of the league without a win. I know no one can predict a result, but Man Utd can expect to at least outplay QPR at home and probably win, whereas on FM13, I would say a QPR 0-3 win is quite possible.

I have read other forums where people have said that FM13 is different to the previous versions in that one tactic will not simply work against all teams, and tactics must be edited for each individual opponent. My problem with this is that I have no idea how I am supposed to edit my tactics for the opponent when there is no way of knowing how they play, other than the formation they use. Just to experiment, I saved my game before a match and tried pretty much every different tactical approach possible, and still lost every time except once when I grabbed an draw (I played about 7 games).

All this add up to make a game which is not fun at all, but very frustrating. I like a challenge but this game is proving impossible to play for me, without me smashing up my laptop.

Has anyone found any way of getting consistent results and performances or at least help? Something simple maybe like playing a Defensive style away from home or something... Nothing I do seems to make the slightest difference!!
 
Another thing I'd like to add to this is in-game advise from the assistant manager. For example, he will say something like 'Bob Smith is an accomplished crosser of the ball, we need to close him down before he creates a goal scoring opportunity.' The first thing I do when I see a message like this is change my tactics to that 'Bob Smith' is closed down quickly. 15 minutes later, a lovely cross from 'Bob Smith' and bang, 1-0. I wouldn't mind if this was a one off, but nearly every game this seems to happen.

Sometimes, the assistant manager will say 'You should encourage the team to play more long balls forward.' So I change my tactics to do this, yet my team still continue to play mixed passes (as they always do, whatever tactic I use).

Is this a bug? Or do my players just not listen to me?!
 
I tend to ignore the assistants advise during a match unless I can see it becoming an issue.

I've found that it's very important to have 3 tactics to rotate. I usually play a defensive counter attacking tactic for away games and difficult home games, and a standard, balanced tactic for most other close odds matches. I have an attacking tactic but only tend to use this against very weak teams at home, or when I'm desperate for a goal in the last 20 minutes of a match.

Remember that team talks are very important too, but also, don't expect to win every game! I'm Dortmund, and have had a good start to the season (Won 6, Drew 1 in the league, scoring 13 and conceding 1) and have found it useful to switch to counter attacking when I take the lead in matches. I have struggled in Europe, however, losing 4-1 to Man City and 1-2 to Benfica. It's usually more a case of me making mistakes with tactical choice/team talks rather than the team's inconsistency.
 
Thank you for your advice! I will look at making a few different tactics now and use them how you have suggested... I love FM but I've really struggled to enjoy it this year. Its not losing that annoys me because I'd be annoyed if I won every game as well, as this is unrealistic... Its more the fact that the performance and result seems to have nothing to do with the quality of my players or the tactics I use. I'm willing to keep trying different things though, thanks! I'll let you know how I get on.
 
Okay so I have made my 3 tactics, one standard, one attack and one defence... Unfortunately, none of them seem to have made a difference in the few games I have played... I know it may take a while for my team to adapt to the new tactics and maybe I need to tweak a few things but they do not seem to have made any difference at all yet...

Perhaps you would give me a few ideas about how to make my tactics, for example with a defensive tactic, should I play offside? Should I play counter attack? Should I play short or direct passes? Any information at all would be greatly appreciated right now!!!
 
View attachment 289356

Just had this message come up! Nice to get that recognition!

I play a standard, balanced tactic for most home games and some easier away games, using a mixed passing system and an assymetric 4-2-3-1. It allows me to judge the opposition and react using touchline shouts or by changing the formation.

My defensive tactic for difficult away games is a 4-1-2-3 with a defensive anchor man, deep lying playmaker and a ball winning midfielder. I play a deep, rigid defence with counter attacking, direct passing and ask the wide men to stay high up the pitch. Use the shouts 'clear ball to flanks', 'hit early crosses' and 'run at defence'.

My attacking tactic is a 4-2-3-1 with shorter passing and more fluidity and roaming. Push the defence high up, play offside and press the opposition with aggresive tackling.
 
I find trying to match the opposite can help. I.E. If they tend to play 5 in midfield, try also playing 5 in midfield and so on...
 
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