Okay, so I had some problems with this tactic as I stated earlier in this thread. My Crewe team in League 1 struggled at the bottom at first, but is now competing for play-offs halfway through the season (media prediction is 22). I've done a range of changes that have seemed to work for me. I thought you might like to know:
Tactical changes:
Goalkeeper
In the beginning of the season I conceded a lot of goals because my goalkeepers would try to hit my midfielders at goal kicks, but then ended up hitting midfielders/strikers from the opponents who would easily run down and score. I conceded at least three goals in most matches. So the change I've made here is: Set the Goalkeeper instructions to 'distribute to defender' instead of 'distribute to specific teammate'.
Away Tactic
I've changed the mentality on the away tactic from 'attacking' to 'counter' (as suggested by some people in here - especially Jassar). Also, I've set my two CM's to 'support' instead of 'auto' (as suggested by staviros) to give more cover in front of the defenders.
Substitutions
I know this is kind of basic knowledge, but I still find it extremely important to stress a few things. Generally, try to keep your players fit and let those in best condition start the match. If someone is below 90% before a match I rarely use them in my start-11. I'd rather have a player with 100% condition than one with only 90% in my lineup. During a match if a player is comes below 70% I always take him off. In addition, I also take off players with grades 5.9 and below at half-time and during second half - the substitutes I put in instead always end up making a difference.
Mentality:
Team Talk
This is
extremely important! In fact, I cannot stress how important this is. I had my assistant taking care of team talks at first - this was a huge mistake. I was too lazy to do these at first, but after results were becoming real bad I decided to take care of this myself. Here are my general rules for team talk:
- Always have faith/believe in your players before starting a match (and if you put someone on the field during the match).
- Always be 'assertive' when trying to encourage your players.
- If doing good, tell players to keep it up/pick of where they left from/keep the streak going etc.
- If draw/losing at half-time and end of match then be 'aggressive' and tell your players that they didn't do well.
Individual Talk
These are also important! Keep your good players happy and let the one's who play bad know that they need to do better. Here are my general rules:
- 8.0+: Tell them they did a good job
- 5.9-: Tell them they did bad
You won't believe how much these changes have done for me in this years FM. All of a sudden I changed my team from being a group of despondent wussies to suddenly become a group of real men fighting for every inch on the field. My team started winning a lot of duels and second balls, which the opponents used to dominate in every game before.
Training:
I started switching my match training every week according to each opponent. I usually rotate my main focus every week (as suggested by staviros) to keep the team concentrated on what I think is most important. My general training is mostly set to 'balanced' with 'average' intensity, but sometimes changed too if I find it necessary. Also, I only allow players to rest after a match and not before it!
*I will upload some screenshots soon*