I think I finally figured out how this ME works, and how real football works aswell, so I'm making my, hopefully, last guide. Follow it and be a successfull football manager.
Formation:
Pick a formation that suits your players. Or, pick a formation you want, and sign players for it.
Mentality:
This should fit your formation. Basically, where you have most players, you should focus your mentality, because this is where you have biggest chances of wining the ball. If your formation features a DM, your defensive line will naturally be slightly deeper, so you will win the ball slightly lower. So, for example, a 4-2-3-1 formation will work with attack or overload mentality, while 4-2-3-1 deep formation featuring a DM will work with attack or control mentality.
Fluidity:
This should depend on what your team is capable of. A sticky guide on this forum (team shape, roles and duties guide) is what you should take a look at. Very fluid requires roaming players, so complete forwards, trequartistas, wide playmakers, raumdeuters, roaming playmakers, box to box players, registas, comlete wing backs and BPD's would be usefull. If your striker is more suitable to a support duty, pick fluid or flexible shape. If your sidebacks are only capable of defend duty and clearing the ball, pick highly structured. If you have decent sidebacks, but your defenders lack composure, assign them limited defender role, and go structured team shape. It's all in the sticky guide here.
Team instructions:
Team instructions require 2 intructions per type. 2 possession, 2 penetration, 2 defending etc. You may go for more or for less instructions, but that may be to much or to little for your players.
If you opted for a formation featuring wide mids or wingers, you may want to focus your game on them, so I suggest playing narrower and exploiting the flanks.
If you have inside forwards or other players cutting inside, you would do well to play wider and exploit the middle.
The only other TI is look for overlap, and you should tick it.
Your players wont overlap in all cases, but they will make through balls releasing their winger into space.
Pressing (counter, standard, control, attack, overload):
Pressing is best done via pushing higher up, closing down more, using tighter marking and being more discplined. Pressing is a team effort, and something like a tactic by itself, so you should always pick these four options if you want effective pressing. If using overload mentality, you can even use "much" options.
Defend (contain, defend):
This is where you try to frustrate your opposition by trying to slow things down. It is the opposite of pressing therefore, you should drop deeper, stand off more, stay on feet and be more expressive. "Much" options in case of contain.
Possession football (contain, control, attack) :
This is where you want to use shorter passing, play out of defence and lower tempo instructions. These are basically "low risk" instruction, with which you probably wont make many goals, but will create more CCC's, fewer, but better opportunities, and will keep you possession, in an attempt to remove opponents chances of scoring. Retain possession instead of shorter passing and much lower tempo in case of contain.
Counter attacking (counter, defend, overload):
Counter attacking is based on exploiting opposition when they are out of balance. It requires 2 possession intructions, and those 2 are direct passing and run at defence. Direct passing works best with high tempo, so you should also tick that on too. Those three instructions are "risky instructions" increasing your chances of scoring goals but will lose you possession. Go route one and much higher tempo in case of overload.
Formation:
Pick a formation that suits your players. Or, pick a formation you want, and sign players for it.
Mentality:
This should fit your formation. Basically, where you have most players, you should focus your mentality, because this is where you have biggest chances of wining the ball. If your formation features a DM, your defensive line will naturally be slightly deeper, so you will win the ball slightly lower. So, for example, a 4-2-3-1 formation will work with attack or overload mentality, while 4-2-3-1 deep formation featuring a DM will work with attack or control mentality.
Fluidity:
This should depend on what your team is capable of. A sticky guide on this forum (team shape, roles and duties guide) is what you should take a look at. Very fluid requires roaming players, so complete forwards, trequartistas, wide playmakers, raumdeuters, roaming playmakers, box to box players, registas, comlete wing backs and BPD's would be usefull. If your striker is more suitable to a support duty, pick fluid or flexible shape. If your sidebacks are only capable of defend duty and clearing the ball, pick highly structured. If you have decent sidebacks, but your defenders lack composure, assign them limited defender role, and go structured team shape. It's all in the sticky guide here.
Team instructions:
Team instructions require 2 intructions per type. 2 possession, 2 penetration, 2 defending etc. You may go for more or for less instructions, but that may be to much or to little for your players.
If you opted for a formation featuring wide mids or wingers, you may want to focus your game on them, so I suggest playing narrower and exploiting the flanks.
If you have inside forwards or other players cutting inside, you would do well to play wider and exploit the middle.
The only other TI is look for overlap, and you should tick it.
Your players wont overlap in all cases, but they will make through balls releasing their winger into space.
Pressing (counter, standard, control, attack, overload):
Pressing is best done via pushing higher up, closing down more, using tighter marking and being more discplined. Pressing is a team effort, and something like a tactic by itself, so you should always pick these four options if you want effective pressing. If using overload mentality, you can even use "much" options.
Defend (contain, defend):
This is where you try to frustrate your opposition by trying to slow things down. It is the opposite of pressing therefore, you should drop deeper, stand off more, stay on feet and be more expressive. "Much" options in case of contain.
Possession football (contain, control, attack) :
This is where you want to use shorter passing, play out of defence and lower tempo instructions. These are basically "low risk" instruction, with which you probably wont make many goals, but will create more CCC's, fewer, but better opportunities, and will keep you possession, in an attempt to remove opponents chances of scoring. Retain possession instead of shorter passing and much lower tempo in case of contain.
Counter attacking (counter, defend, overload):
Counter attacking is based on exploiting opposition when they are out of balance. It requires 2 possession intructions, and those 2 are direct passing and run at defence. Direct passing works best with high tempo, so you should also tick that on too. Those three instructions are "risky instructions" increasing your chances of scoring goals but will lose you possession. Go route one and much higher tempo in case of overload.
Last edited:
