Help with middlesbrough

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Mad Fortune

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Losing all them games against **** teams. With middlesbrough, i should dominate the championship.

4-3-3 with Inside Forwards. DMC is Deep lying playmaker support, MC's is Central midfielder support and Advanced playmaker attack.

Team instruction Balanced/Attacking. All other default but Zonal Marking and More Pressing. Shouts is Play Wider, Push up, Pass into the Space.

Media prediction 6, board expectation "respectable position". Now played 7 matches 2-0-5 position 20.

Dunno what screenshots i should put here..?
 
Seriously. I dont know what im doing wrong. For example:

Jason "Balls of steele" Steele is by far the best GK in this league.

Rhys williams best DC in this league.

Smallwood is solid at DMC slot. Leadbitter solid cm and McEachran has World class potential.
 
Mad Fortune said:
Pls some advice please!
Click to expand...


I would start of by trying to recognize the following

  • Your team is not really better than most teams in your division
  • Any team can beat any team in this league
  • The way you handle the man management and pick the players for a match means just as much as your tactical approach

Now, if setting realistic expectations and don’t look at single matches but at the whole, it’s much easier to stay calm and not so frustrated.
My first step would be the following
  • Look for you key players and how you can play them where they make the most damage, i.e. use your strengths
  • Look at any weak links and try to make up for them. Like if having slow defenders, you might need to play deeper etc.
  • Look at the players and their mental stats. Here, you will see if the team is determined ( determination), work for each other and put in the effort ( team work, work rate)
Now, to be able to construct an approach that suit your team and still is balanced enough, you also have to look realistic at it. As you play now, you are playing really, really attacking and it will be really easy to hit you on the counter. If your opponent sits with men behind the ball and are up for the challenge, they will have no problem of sorting out your attacks. Remember that the difference in quality between your squad and the rest of the league is ever so small


My advice would be to for you to answer ( most of all think about them) some of the questions raised in my post. Then try to come up with a plan for your general approach and then if this approach really fits the formation you want to be playing
 
"Shouts is Play Wider, Push up, Pass into the Space."

Looking at these shouts within your already attacking approach, it will translate into the following

  • Play really attacking ( strategy)
  • Get the ball forward as quickly as you can and try to hit through balls as often as you can( the tempo and pass into space)
  • Try to get the ball to the AMR/L rather than the central midfielders ( play wider sets the focus play)
  • Push up the team really high and close down the opponent

Now, why not try this instead

Balanced/Counter

Retain possession – Pass into space –Push up

Here, you are playing slower and trying to drag the opponent onto you.You play a slower tempo without the need to get the ball forward as soon as possible When the attack is on, the team WILL try tpo get the ball forward quickly though. AS you push up from a deeper position, you will still be rather deep but with a higher closing down instruction
 


  • Balls of steele. Rush out is quite **** so he is just normal GK, not Sweeperkeeper.
  • Rhys captain Williams. Attribute-wise could play at playmaking Central Midfielder. Ball playing defender it is.
  • The squad is very solid. No weak link's ever get to the starting 11 or even the Subs bench.
  • EXCEPT now when i look at them stats. some players have **** determination or work stats. For example Halliday is **** in everything stats-wise but he has played well. And i must play him because first choice left-back George Friend is injured. Ok the wingers is quite ****.
  • And best player attribute-wise - RICHARD SMALLWOOD. The central midfield is the best part of this team i think.

Now when ledesma is injured the formation can be only 4-3-3 . There aint no AMC players. And carayol.. Work rate, determination, embarrasssingly ****. Gonna try Luke Williams at the wings against Brighton away.
 
Mad Fortune said:


  • Balls of steele. Rush out is quite **** so he is just normal GK, not Sweeperkeeper.
  • Rhys captain Williams. Attribute-wise could play at playmaking Central Midfielder. Ball playing defender it is.
  • The squad is very solid. No weak link's ever get to the starting 11 or even the Subs bench.
  • EXCEPT now when i look at them stats. some players have **** determination or work stats. For example Halliday is **** in everything stats-wise but he has played well. And i must play him because first choice left-back George Friend is injured. Ok the wingers is quite ****.
  • And best player attribute-wise - RICHARD SMALLWOOD. The central midfield is the best part of this team i think.
Now when ledesma is injured the formation can be only 4-3-3 . There aint no AMC players. And carayol.. Work rate, determination, embarrasssingly ****. Gonna try Luke Williams at the wings against Brighton away.
Click to expand...

Well,looking at what I have highligted in your post, I would not use the "play wider" shout as it instructs your team to focus the build up down the flanks. Why not use " exploit the middle" instead, perhaps in a counter approach.. I would also recommend using the FC as a supporting player and use a supporting player in the position ( rtahr than a poacher that likes to beat the offside trap etc), all this to make the tam more compact within your formation
 
Wellll. At brighton. Balanced-counter. Push up, retain possession, pass to the space.

2-0 win.

3 days later - At watford. Same instructions but ALSO the Exploit middle shout.

0-1 lose. 33% possession, Mceachran, Leadbitter (MC) 5.7 and 5.8 average ratings.
 
Well, when 20 minutes Into the Watford match seing that they where in control of the match, did you try to react to this?
 
Mad Fortune said:
Not. I thought they need to Gel.
Click to expand...

I always try to be in control of the match ( could be by possession, or restricting a team to taking longshots even though letting the. have more possession, or win the midfield battle, or trying to overload certain areas etc ) and if its not working, I always try to see why. Then, I either make small adjustments to it or simply use my Plan B Instead ( like if not being able to keep possession but seing that hitting direct balls I to channels behind their pushed up defence might be a better idea. The key here is to watch the match.
 
Playing Richard Smallwood is the biggest mistake ;)
 
they definitely need to gel first.
I have always start CM/Fm save with Boro.
Not always getting promotion, been sack several times as well. My latest is probably like the 15th time i start a new save with Boro. Each time trying to get a better formation for Boro.

I followed the training guide someone (I can't remember the name) wrote in this forum (credit to him)
Pre-Season training
50% prep (on tactics)
Team Cohesion - Very heavy

In Season
30-40% prep (Def position / Def set piece)
Balance - Low
Individual training - role - heavy
Position training if they are deploy to unfamiliar position. Like leadbitter playing in DM for me.

Its working pretty well for me.

I feel that i finally found a formation for Boro.
I play a 4231 - Attacking (can't remember the settings at the moment, at work at the moment)
My backup formation is 41221 (Same as yours i believe)

working well for me so far, sitting on top of the championship with about half the season gone (using the latest transfer update downloaded from this forum)
Surf around this forum. I like to create my own tactics and this forum contains plenty of guides / tips on creating one.

I dont use shouts, ocassionally uses opposition instructions (LB/RB/RW/LW/RM/LM - show to weaker foot, close down and CB - close down) In short, try to cut out crosses.

Try looking at Alemback (spelling ?), a CB, fit in well to all my boro saves.
Tony Watts from celtic is also good.
Bueno from villadolid i think (or some other spanish club) will make do for the first season
Look for overseas loan, I load Dutch league and there are plenty of good players up for loan/sale.
Klassen - a good CM/AM/ST from Ajax
A couple of good wingers from PSV but I can't quite remember the names.

I usually sell Zemmama, Arca, Haliday, Haroun, Dyer and a whole lot of youngsters
I sign C.Zanetti a couple of times. Old but use him to train younger players.

Good Luck with your Boro save. :)
 
Richard smallwood is BE$T. Constantly averaging over 7 rating. AND at one match he made over 150 succesful passes.

.. And u mad when sell Fazza Haroun. Hes perfect for Backup role at central midfield. Off the ball skills 18 !!!!
 
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This exploit the middle seems pretty good. Its like barcelona style - LOVE IT.

But. Another issue i need some advice. The club makes 2 000 000 € of losses every single month. How to rebuild the squad and ship the deadwood out.
 
haroun earns me the money and i dont use him much. he has good stats but I rather take the money.

try loaning out players, release youngsters you see no future.

Agree that smallwood will good, he is one of the most consistent players in my team.
 
Back in the Businesssss ! Got sacked by the middlesbrough - Now new systems with the Ipswich.

Good squad, not as dominant as boro but solid anyways. 4-2-3-1 it is, Balanced-counter, Push up retain possesion and pass into space.
 
Surprise surprise - doing **** with Ipswich. After 21 matches played, position 16 . Chopra keeps bangin them goalzzz thats almost only positive thing.
 
Tryin to get David Fox from Norwich 1.3 million. Dominating player for championship. Hope he comes to the Ipswichhhh

Then its like

Chopra

Martin -- Taylor -- Jay Emmanuel Thomas

N'daw -- Fox

Cresswell -- Chambers -- Stearman -- Paintsil

Loach.


Balanced-counter, push up, pass to space, retain possession + Work ball to the box. Its ****** annoying when they blast them long shots all the time.
 
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