I play by watching the matches in the Comprehensive view, so you get a good impression of whether yours is the better team or you're the ones trying to keep up with the opposition. Learn from what you see; address your weaknesses and exploit your strengths - and vice-versa with the opposition's. Use the Match Stats and Action Zones to confirm what you're seeing and to pinpoint particular weaknesses (like tackling, passing, heading etc). If you don't usually play in the Comprehensive view then I would recommend it at least until you are comfortable that your tactics are working - and how they work.
Good crosses need good crossers, obviously, and forwards who are good in the air. That's why I like having a Shadow Striker behind a Deep-Lying Forward who are both decent headers to put bodies in the box and get on the end of things. If the opposition has imposing centre-backs, you may want to drill crosses or - if they are slow - put more emphasis on attacking them in the channels. If the opposition full-backs are blocking your crosses at source, consider playing a Higher Tempo, Short Passing game with players bursting through the lines to pull their defence apart (another good use for the Shadow Striker, or an Advanced Forward/False-9 combination).
I instruct wingers to Cross From Byline; Cross Aim Target Man and either More Risky Passes or just Get Further Forward depending on how creative they are.
Over-lapping full-backs can help to break down stubborn defences, too, by bringing new momentum to attacks just as they begin to falter and doubling up on the opposition full-back. Sign or train central midfielders so they can Switch The Play Often and Try More Direct Passes to exploit open spaces and play team-mates in on goal. All wide men should have pace, including the full-backs.
For corners, use the Player Instructions to get your best headers of the ball to Attack Front Post; Attack Far Post; Stand on Far Post; Attack Ball From Deep; Near Post Flick-on; Challenge Keeper. Your best long-range shooter should Lurk Outside Area and the rest just Go Forward - but always keep two players back (usually full-backs). Make sure your best set-piece taker is taking the corner and I opt for Mixing It Up in terms of delivery, to keep the other team guessing.
Likewise when setting your defensive corner instructions; assign by aerial ability and strength and leave the faster, smaller players further up to counter attack. Assign one of your scouts to provide Opposition Scouting Reports every week; he'll tell you when to work on Attacking Set-Pieces or Defensive Movement etc in training and you should just follow his advice.
Your other questions:
- What is a good pass completion rating?
Playing a short possession game, most of my players are in the 80-85% bracket for Pass Completion Ratio. Centre-Backs a little less; Central Midfielders more like 90%.
- What is the "optimal" average field position?
For who or what? I don't use heat maps - they leave out more relevant information than they actually provide.
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]- What is a solid amount of shots on target?[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Tahoma, Calibri, Geneva, sans-serif]Considerably more than the opposition, but the important thing is to create chances that your attackers can finish. So understand their strengths, attributes and Preferred Moves, incorporate them into your pattern of play and individual instructions and watch them closely to see how well they perform; it's no good crossing high balls for a 5ft6in Poacher, or asking a 14st Target Man to chase the ball into the channels, so shape your tactics around your team. Praise good performances (7.6 or higher) and criticise bad ones (5.6 or lower) in the Private Chat function, the day after matches - but try not to let your squad all become Superbly confident at once, or they'll lapse into over confidence.[/FONT]
