Hi guys, I've recently gotten into FM again and found a pretty good tactic but it still need a bit of sharpening. So I was wondering how you guys improve your tactics. Do you look at analysis, reports, action zones, etc? And if so how does that reflect in the changes for your tactic?
Perfecting your formation
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rocheyb
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I operate three sets of tactics at a time and switch between them from match-to-match according to Opposition Scouting Reports, Past Meetings and by simply remembering what has or hasn't worked against similar tactics. Within that set of three, I always have a preferred one and use the other two to keep the opposition guessing, exploit known or suspected weaknesses in the opposition's set-up and to aid with squad rotation.
At the moment, I'm using 3-5-2 with a flat midfield 5; 4-2DM-1MC-2W-1 where the MC is an Advanced Playmaker_Attack, the Wingers are also on Attack and the lone frontman is a Complete Forward_Support; and 4-4-1-1 which I wrote about extensively some time ago, including how the individual skills of James Ward-Prowse and Morgan Schneiderlin provided the basis for my team's style of play (you'll also find a link in that thread to another I wrote entitled 'You Need More Than One Tactic'):
http://www.fm-base.co.uk/forum/foot...1-real-4-4-2-how-i-learned-play-triangle.html
I base my tactics around the individual skills and Preferred Moves of my players, trying to get as many round pegs in round holes as possible to help them play to the best of their ability. Now that I am 10+ seasons into my save, I have become quite good at promoting my better youth players into the First Team - and I'm Southampton, so I have loads of them - but their individual strengths and weaknesses sometimes mean that I have to reconsider my formations.
I tend to change one of my three sets of tactics per season, based on my observations of watching matches in the Comprehensive animation view and learning from what other top teams are doing. I learned that convoluted 2DM formation from Chelsea and have since used it to beat them when they went back to 4-2-3-1; in fact, I only use that formation against the stronger sides and only if they play 4-2-3-1, with success so far in my latest season. It limits the space for their attacking midfield three very effectively, often strangling their No.10 out-of-the-game, while allowing you to hit on the break and pass the ball around in midfield during your more dominant passages of play.
Also, your players will give you clues at times just by watching them play. I signed a World Class Advanced Playmaker - an Italian regen called Giammarco Stangoni - and I played him in the No.10 position in the 4-4-1-1 for the first season, and he scored loads of goals and was doing very well. But when I experimented with a flat 5 with him working as an AP_Attack from the M_C position, I found that by receiving the ball in deeper positions, he was better able to set off on attacking runs; running at defenders at pace, putting them on the back foot, opening up space for his team-mates and drawing fouls in dangerous free-kick positions.
I had an excellent young Advanced Forward coming through at the same time and an established Danish striker to work as my False-9, and they linked up with him to great effect. He also brought my Wide Midfielders into the game very effectively, too. So even though Stangoni's goals tally went down, his assists went way up and the strikers began to easily surpass the 25 goals mark in all competitions, leading to a Premier League record of 106 goals scored two seasons ago (92 last season). I had to adapt the defensive side a little to stop us being so vulnerable in the channels, especially when the opposition operated with a No.10 to release forwards behind my back-3.
By watching the matches, I also noticed that left-footed Advanced Forwards are far more effective in the left-hand channel than on the right - likewise, right-footers are better on the right; I'm convinced that SI have incorporated 'range of motion' into their thinking on the ME animation. So in my formation, the AF is always lined-up on the same side as his stronger foot, with the False-9 on whichever side remains. Two left-footers or two right-footers seems to work best, particularly if your F-9 is good at long-range shooting.
I always look to retrain promising young players into new positions to be as versatile as possible within the set of three tactics that I'm operating. This makes it easier to find opportunities for them in the First Team throughout the season, and on those occasions when I get my starting tactics wrong I can switch to another without having to use all three substitutions at once.
I have been quite successful with Southampton. I've won the Premier League twice (most recently 3 seasons ago); runner-up 3 times; 3rd twice; Lost the Champions League Final once; Won the Europa League once; Won the FA Cup 4 times and the Capital One Cup in each of the last 6 seasons; Won 5 Community Shields. I've seen other FMers have won the league sooner with The Saints and some might question the lack of more Prem titles (I have twice missed out on the last day of the season!) but I've done it with my own tactics and while blending Academy players into the squad and I'm genuinely competitive in all competitions every season.
So, I think I'm probably enjoying FM14 more than most - especially the plug-and-players who start as Bayern Munich, take a fashionable tactic from this Forum and win everything always until they get bored.
At the moment, I'm using 3-5-2 with a flat midfield 5; 4-2DM-1MC-2W-1 where the MC is an Advanced Playmaker_Attack, the Wingers are also on Attack and the lone frontman is a Complete Forward_Support; and 4-4-1-1 which I wrote about extensively some time ago, including how the individual skills of James Ward-Prowse and Morgan Schneiderlin provided the basis for my team's style of play (you'll also find a link in that thread to another I wrote entitled 'You Need More Than One Tactic'):
http://www.fm-base.co.uk/forum/foot...1-real-4-4-2-how-i-learned-play-triangle.html
I base my tactics around the individual skills and Preferred Moves of my players, trying to get as many round pegs in round holes as possible to help them play to the best of their ability. Now that I am 10+ seasons into my save, I have become quite good at promoting my better youth players into the First Team - and I'm Southampton, so I have loads of them - but their individual strengths and weaknesses sometimes mean that I have to reconsider my formations.
I tend to change one of my three sets of tactics per season, based on my observations of watching matches in the Comprehensive animation view and learning from what other top teams are doing. I learned that convoluted 2DM formation from Chelsea and have since used it to beat them when they went back to 4-2-3-1; in fact, I only use that formation against the stronger sides and only if they play 4-2-3-1, with success so far in my latest season. It limits the space for their attacking midfield three very effectively, often strangling their No.10 out-of-the-game, while allowing you to hit on the break and pass the ball around in midfield during your more dominant passages of play.
Also, your players will give you clues at times just by watching them play. I signed a World Class Advanced Playmaker - an Italian regen called Giammarco Stangoni - and I played him in the No.10 position in the 4-4-1-1 for the first season, and he scored loads of goals and was doing very well. But when I experimented with a flat 5 with him working as an AP_Attack from the M_C position, I found that by receiving the ball in deeper positions, he was better able to set off on attacking runs; running at defenders at pace, putting them on the back foot, opening up space for his team-mates and drawing fouls in dangerous free-kick positions.
I had an excellent young Advanced Forward coming through at the same time and an established Danish striker to work as my False-9, and they linked up with him to great effect. He also brought my Wide Midfielders into the game very effectively, too. So even though Stangoni's goals tally went down, his assists went way up and the strikers began to easily surpass the 25 goals mark in all competitions, leading to a Premier League record of 106 goals scored two seasons ago (92 last season). I had to adapt the defensive side a little to stop us being so vulnerable in the channels, especially when the opposition operated with a No.10 to release forwards behind my back-3.
By watching the matches, I also noticed that left-footed Advanced Forwards are far more effective in the left-hand channel than on the right - likewise, right-footers are better on the right; I'm convinced that SI have incorporated 'range of motion' into their thinking on the ME animation. So in my formation, the AF is always lined-up on the same side as his stronger foot, with the False-9 on whichever side remains. Two left-footers or two right-footers seems to work best, particularly if your F-9 is good at long-range shooting.
I always look to retrain promising young players into new positions to be as versatile as possible within the set of three tactics that I'm operating. This makes it easier to find opportunities for them in the First Team throughout the season, and on those occasions when I get my starting tactics wrong I can switch to another without having to use all three substitutions at once.
I have been quite successful with Southampton. I've won the Premier League twice (most recently 3 seasons ago); runner-up 3 times; 3rd twice; Lost the Champions League Final once; Won the Europa League once; Won the FA Cup 4 times and the Capital One Cup in each of the last 6 seasons; Won 5 Community Shields. I've seen other FMers have won the league sooner with The Saints and some might question the lack of more Prem titles (I have twice missed out on the last day of the season!) but I've done it with my own tactics and while blending Academy players into the squad and I'm genuinely competitive in all competitions every season.
So, I think I'm probably enjoying FM14 more than most - especially the plug-and-players who start as Bayern Munich, take a fashionable tactic from this Forum and win everything always until they get bored.
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Wow! Thanks for the extended answer, this is really helping me mate!