Next opposition scout reports and how to use them........?

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mcbgun

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Having played the new game for a solid period of time and read various forums, I am starting to understand how the new game differs from previous version. My results and squad management have improved in response to the greater emphasis on morale in 2013.

However, I think my biggest weakness that I need to correct is dissecting the next opponent. The occasional scout report advises on what match prep to use (currently tactical knowledge 8 so getting a better rated scout solely for next opposition reports is high on my agenda).

Honestly though, I currently approach match days with perhaps a far too simple approach. I look at form, morale and betting odds and choose a strategy based on that. I have the same formation but use counter, defensive and attacking in 3 separately so I have 3 strategies of the same formation being learned.

If I'm an heavy underdog I'll choose counter switching to defensive if I score or attacking if I need a goal.

If I'm heavy favourite I go through the same process but start with attacking dependant on opposition form etc....

Basically, I'm not just sticking with a default strategy is my point. But, analyzing the opposition for weaknesses is still a mystery for me. People talk about exploiting slow full backs with quick wingers.....that's all very well and good if there is sizeable difference in speed but what if your managing a newly promoted team like myself who has an average squad?

Even forgetting what team you are, what are the processes which people go through pre match (can be days in advance if that is your way of doing things) in order to understand fully what the opposition is likely to play like, what players are the danger men etc etc etc.

I don't utilize opposition instructions or shouts at the moment simply because in the past I have never received any benefit. Plus, the formation I use utilizes zonal marking so personally I think giving out further instructions overcomplicates things.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.....quite happy to follow links if that is better. I will keep searching in the meantime though!
 
I look at the scout report of each team to see what formation they usually play, and what formation they struggle against. using these 2, I try to pick the most appropiate formation. It's good to have 3 formations set up, so that if you need to adjust your formation, your team will adjust better. As for the match prep, if the other team concedes a lot or you are expected to win then go for attacking movement, and if it's the opposite, go for defensive positioning. It can also be helpful going into their results this season and look at tactics that other teams used against them that were effective. For example, I had a game coming up against Liverpool who had lost just one game all season against Spurs. I used the tactic that Spurs had used and I came out with a 1-1 draw (as Swansea). I also have my assistant manager apply the in game instructions like who to mark and stuff.

Edit: This link is great. Opposition Team Report | Football Manager 2013 Guide
 
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Thanks for the link, I had read a bit of that previously but will go over it in more detail. The main issue I see is that due to the tactic familiarity part of the game, you can't just pick the formation you want based on their historical results.

By that I mean, its difficult enough having one formation with three different strategies. The game doesn't allow for a wide scope of tactics so I still don't "get" how aside from changing your formation to one that was successful against that team by another team......you can counter what the opposition is doing.

The only thing I can see of relevance is changing player roles and including opposition instructions....anything else results in reduced tactical familiarity.

In other words, I'd like to be able to choose a formation I think will have the most impact based on previous results...but as you essentially have only three tactics you can learn.....short of having three different formations with three different strategies....I just don't see how its possible.....unless of course that's what the majority of veterans do, in which case I will need to go back to the drawing board.

The only other thing I can think of is go through every team in the division and write down what formations worked best against them and get a top three. Honestly can't think of any other way.
 
But if your team is very comfortable playing a 4-4-2 lets say, if you change your formation to a 4-2-2-2 by having wingers rather than wide midfielders, they should be comfortable playing this. You are not completely restricted to 3 formations.
 
I see, but won't you lose tactic familiarity by doing this pre match or do you do it once you've clicked submit and do it that way....does that make a difference?
 
I don't think it makes a difference, just as your in the tactics screen, set up 3 formations which will then be the main tactics trained to the team. Should you need to change to a tactic that isn't one of those starting 3, it would be best to do it as soon as you get the scout report for your next match giving your team at least a few days to learn the tweaks made to the tactic.
 
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You should be able to make some assumptions about the way that certain teams play, although in FM it's not quite as certain as real life, and plan ahead. If you've got a game coming up that may need a more defensive tactic then start preparing a few weeks in advance.
 
mcbgun said:
However, I think my biggest weakness that I need to correct is dissecting the next opponent. The occasional scout report advises on what match prep to use (currently tactical knowledge 8 so getting a better rated scout solely for next opposition reports is high on my agenda).
Click to expand...

I think this is one of those parts of the game that SI is encouraging us to begin using without having done much to help us interpret what we're seeing, so your confusion's not weird. Let me try to explain my own process. I welcome disagreement; there are so many questions/uncertainties I have too.

I scout every single one of their players who play regularly. All those hidden stats really get in the way. Sometimes this does reveal a stark weakness at left back or something, but that's not really that common. Besides, just because they have a weakness there doesn't mean you can take advantage of it; is your right winger good? Even if he is good, are your strikers going to be able to beat their central defenders to the cross? Is there an anchorman to help out? Big questions to answer.

Your goal is actually to come up with some idea of how they're going to play. You can see their likely formations under "Report->Tactics" and how often they start with those tactics. Some teams start with the same formation each game; that's wonderful, because you can be sure of their shape ahead of time. Under "Report->Team Depth chart -> Position Strength," you can see who is likely to start where. Assuming you've got some full scout reports, you can make some guesses as to how they will attack and defend. Maybe it turns out the guy who has 16 passing only has 8 creativity; he's not the playmaker you were worried about. In fact, their midfield is nothing but aggressive ball hounds, so that's probably not where the majority of goal-scoring passes are going to come from then. Are their wingers incredible crossers? Take note!

Here are two particularly confusing scenarios, though.
1. You seem to be better than them at every position. In fact, they don't have particular weaknesses, but they really don't have particularly talented players anywhere, either. Yet they're in 3rd, and they've won 7 straight.

You're up against a team with momentum. Uh-oh. Here's where all those invisible stats--confidence, motivation, etc.--come into play. You may know this team if you've managed it before; for no apparent reason, your cobbled-together team of kids and oldsters puts together a delightfully mysterious streak against superior opposition. How to deal with this?

Possibly commenting on the match if you're comfortable using the media to create pressure/overconfidence. I like to take the wind out of the game: retain possession, take a breather right away. Sometimes it works, sometimes it's the kind of game that on paper looks totally even, but I lose 2-0 because they finish their CCC's and I don't. That's FM. Probably it's football, too.

2. You're fairly sure you understand what the other team's going to do, but you don't know what to do to counter it. Or rather, you don't know what FM thinks your supposed to do to counter it. Me either. For this, I use my "let's see what the situation is" tactic, which is basically a careful, slow, don't-make-too-many-mistakes setup, and--this is the important part--I watch the match engine.

Hope this helps!
 
Its a bit overwhelming thinking about all the permutations.....I had a quick look at the 5 teams I already played this season to see what common formations they struggled against and came up with 41221 and 41212.....might try those formations alongside my own 442 (with aml and amr not ml and mr) and see what my results are like....

Maybe using shouts might aid my cause aswell......that and deep analysis of the opposition....
 
I've made an adjustment to my management style now that seems to be working quite well......to get an idea what the opposition is likely to do either at home or away, I now look at a few of their fixtures played...click on report and then on performance.

I then click average positions to get an idea of width, defensive line etc etc. I've also found this little gem (Football Manager 2013 Shouts - Change your tactic setup easy | My Passion for Football Manager) that I've been using and have set up all the shout combinations and have utilized many in comprehensive highlight mode.

I just unlocked 10 match unbeaten streak and I sense a bit of consistency now that I've made the switch from casual manager to analyst pre match.
 
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