Newcastle - Need help

[Chokopop]

Allright. I've started a season with Newcastle and have lost the first 4 matches. Latest a 3-2 defeat against WBA and a 4-0 defeat against Liverpool. I've been trying several players but none seem to perform. This is my formation :

GK: Johan Wiland (Bought from FC Copenhagen)
RB: Fereira (Loan from Chelsea)
CB: Olof Mellberg (Bought from Olympiakos)
CB: Sol Campbell
LB: Jose Enrique

LM: Hazard (On loan from Lille)
CM: Ben Arfa
RM: Joey Barton

AM: C. Eriksen (On loan from Ajax)

ST: Shola Ameobi
ST: Karim Benzema (On loan from R. Madrid, out for 3 months)/Peter Løvenkrands

SUB: Steve Harper
SUB: Mike Williamson
SUB: Coloccini
SUB: Stephen Ireland
SUB: Kevin Nolan
SUB: Shefki Kuqi
SUB: Nile Ranger

I dunno what i am doing wrong, as i think this is a pretty good team.

---------- Post added at 10:40 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:38 AM ----------

I'll give you any information you need to help. I'm reallt frustrated with this -.-

 

[dmlambert]

Ben Arfa as a CM? I think you need someone more like Tiote buy a new CM just to sit whilst the other 5 attack. Easy a little bit of pressure on the back 4. Just IMO.

 

[Chokopop]

Tioté doesnt perform because he has trouble motivating himself to play for me. And as i have a couple on injuries in midfield atm, Ben Arfa, Nolan and Ireland were my only choices. Got Dos Santos on loan from Barcelona too for the rest of the season. Might wanna try him out.

 

[dmlambert]

Try and sign Landon Donavon. Play Barton in the middle, with Ben Arfa on the right.

 

[W4FC B3N]

You got Hazard on loan!? :O Anyway, it appears you have revamped a lot of your squad.. It will take the team time to gel. Try playing with the original set-up and bring in new players as you go along. Put your Match Preparation up to Very High and Team Blend.

 

[Chokopop]

You got Hazard on loan!? :O Anyway, it appears you have revamped a lot of your squad.. It will take the team time to gel. Try playing with the original set-up and bring in new players as you go along. Put your Match Preparation up to Very High and Team Blend.

Yeah i got Hazard on loan. The only one who actually performs ^^

I have Match prep on Attacking Movement. That might be a part of the problem.

---------- Post added at 10:48 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:52 AM ----------

Gonna try and get Landon Donovan for January. Sunderland coming up, trying to swap the 2 players and see what happens.

---------- Post added at 10:56 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:48 AM ----------

Another part of the problem might be that many of my players keep getting injured for a couple of days, so i have to make alot of changes.

 

[dmlambert]

W4FC B3N has got a point with the lots of changes, I seem to do better with Newcastle when I have made just 1 or 2 at a push, and then introduce new players slowly over the first season trying to get a mid table finish and then really kick on for Europe the second season.

 

[Chokopop]

Well, i don't really wanna kick in for Europe just yet, i'm trying to save them from relegation. But yeah, the many changes might have affected it, but i really needed some depth in the squad, because of so many injuries.

 

[ThisIsJoe]

Sol Campbell is useless, You should play Colocini or Steven Taylor. Put Ben Arfa at Right mid and Shift Barton to Center mid. And i would play Nolan alongside Barton rather than Enriksen at the start.

 

[WelshBoy28]

You have changed a lot of the players in the starting 11 , play some of the more proven players then ease in some of your new signings game by game , also if that isn't Newcastle's original formation it will take the players time to get used to it.

 

[Chokopop]

Thanks for the help guys, really appreciate it..

Well, even though Christian Eriksen has been one of my best players so far, i'm trying to go with "Newcastle players only" for a couple of games, and using the new signings as subs.

 

[shunt]

No problem with Attacking Movement, I usually use team blend for the pre season friendlies and have workload on very high, once season kicks off I switch to attacking movement and set it on very low (sometimes a bit higher for a few games, until all are fluid), when I play away against a better team or rival, I usually set it to defensive positioning, European matches defensive as well, unless at home, always attacking movement at home. Be sure to adjust this as soon as the game is over, depending on what you need for the following match, the sooner the better.

Try and get Tiote on your side again? If his morale is very poor, take him with you as sub, put him on when you are leading by 2 goals, teamtalk to no pressure and pleased if he got a 6.9-7.5 rating, delighted only when he got 7.8+. He will come around, give it some time.

Anywho, if you need a CM, check Dennis Praet, youngster with great potential.

 

[Chokopop]

Well, Johan Wiland had trouble motivating himself to. I praised his performance, after some world class saves, and asked him for a new signing (thats why i got Mellberg) . Now i'm one of his favourite people. Gonna do the same with Tiote.

Gona take a look at Dennis Praet, thanks.

EIDT: Must be a regen, 'cos he doesn't exist in my game.

 

[shunt]

Hm, he's not a regen, he plays at Anderlecht U21 or U19, strange..
Oh well, theres always Lucas Biglia

 

[Chokopop]

Well, he exists. Looks decent too.. Might get him in January. Thanks for the help

 

[Ameniste]

I have a Newcastle save and I found that the biggest problem with the team is the defense. Jose Enrique is probably the only good one in the back. You need to find better CB and Wing/Fullback. For CB there are plenty out there. For the Wingback/Fullback I suggest Aurier or Romario. If you watch the game in extended mode as I do occasionally you'll notice that most of the screw ups are from your three useless defenders that can't keep up with the pace of attackers.

Also don't expect to beat any of the big EPL teams until much later when you've acquired some world class players. You can get a win here and there on them but it won't be consistent. For the poor defense problem, I actually spent something around 3-4 seasons developing my own set of world-class regen CB after Man U. (or Arsenal) took advantage of the release clause and stole Danny Wilson. I was stuck in mid tables for two seasons before moving up into top 4 or so.

Here is my team, I have a lot of regens so I'll indicate their equivalents:

GK: De Gea (finally got him after several seasons, a world-class GK does wonders. I went through Guillherme, Delac, and Areola before moving for De Gea)
STCL: Luiz Carlos (Neymar equivalent with even better creativity and attacking stats)
STCR: Neymar
AMCL: Lamela
AMCR: Lucas
MCL: Ganso
MCR: Agyei
LB: Digne (he's real and french, I sold Jose Enrique when he turned 29)
RCB: Higgins (imagine a young Sissoko in the back)
LCB: Carrington (a Danny Wilson with amazing heading)
RB: Aurier

I essentially stayed with the same formation that best fit the Newcastle players that I began with (4-4-2). I went for pacey and high creativity players up front with pacey defense at back.

 

[CsAtlantis]

Having 2 players who are basically AMs (Ben Arfa and Eriksen) playing in central midfield probably leaves your defenders somewhat exposed, you should try to play Tiote as DM (even if he can't be motivated to play for you, just play him, I get this message sometimes too maybe the player won't be outstanding, but I have never seen anyone play badly because of this)

You need a pacey central defender and a better striker up front to complement Benzema (Say, Ireland should be pretty good in game, maybe give him a chance?)

You could also change your strategy to 4-5-1 against bigger clubs