As you can see you can make a combination of shouts from this screen. It also tells you what category the shouts come under.
So let’s take a look at what each shout does;
Defensive Distribution
Play Out of Defence –It will instruct any player with a defensive duty (midfield and defence) to play shorter passes. So it reduces passing. It’s worth using this if you find that these players are just hoofing the ball forward and giving possession away cheaply.
Pump Ball Into Box – This is great to use when you are chasing a goal late in a game. It instructs players to pass longer and play through the middle. It tells your defenders (and defensive midfielders) to try less through balls. If you use wide players it will ask them (and fullbacks) to hold up the ball rather than trying to play down the channels and instruct fullbacks to cross more (so make sure they are set to cross from deep). Your strikers will be told to run from deep more often.
It’s also great to use this is you have big target men type forwards who tower over the defenders and are good in the air. You can score quite a few goals by using this shout I’ve found out.
Clear Ball to Flanks - This shout instructs players to pass long, to play wider and focus play down the wings. It also tells defenders (and defensive midfielders) to play less through balls. I generally use this if teams play narrower (the narrow Man City 4231) than me. It’s also good for counter attacking if the opposition are playing through the middle.
Defensive Line
Push Higher Up - Self explanatory this one. You instruct the defence to move high up the pitch and increases closing down. Ideal for using if you are facing slow strikers (you need intelligent defenders though), a team who are very defensive or if you want to reduce the space that the opposition is playing in.
Drop Deeper – Again explains itself but it tells the players to drop back deeper and reduces closing down. Times to use this are if you play against a team who pushes high up themselves and you are struggling to find any kind of space. Dropping deeper could see you create a bit more space. It’s also good to employ against fast strikers.
Tackling
Get Stuck In - This tells the team to tackle hard. Useful if the motivation widget tells you if the opposition are playing nervous or if a team has low bravery. Use this if you get the sense of your team been to0 soft and you think they could be winning the ball back quicker. Note though that you need the correct attributes from your own players to time the challenge right or you could pick up extra bookings and sending off’s.
Stay On Feet – Everyone (unless you use a BWM) will be instructed to easy tackle. This is useful if you feel challenges are been miss-timed or if you are just been reckless. Also good to use if your players are lack the tackling attribute. Using this also helps the team keep its defensive shape, especially against technically fast sides.
Passing
Pass Into Space - This is one of my favourite shouts to use especially if I am struggling to break down the opposition. It increases through balls so the players pass the ball in front of the receiver so he can run onto the ball. It’s great for creating space and forcing the opposition’s players to try and make a tackle.
Pass Into Feet – Reduces through ball’s for the players. This is good to use if you feel too many passes are been intercepted by the opposition or you feel too many passes are been misplaced. If you have slow players this is the type of passing you want rather than the pass into space one above.
Width
Play Wider – Instructs the players to play wider and to focus passing down both flanks. If the opposition are playing narrow it can be used to try and stretch them wider. Extremely useful if the midfield is cramped and you are outnumbered.
Play Narrower - You focus passing through the centre and decrease width. I find it best used when the opposition are outnumbered and leaving holes through the centre. It’s also useful if you want to pack the midfield and become more solid to get through.
Attacking
Run At Defence - Instructs all attacking players to run with the ball often. This does not include MC’s on attacking duty, only attacking midfielders. This is best used when the opposition allows your attacking players time on the ball .i.e. not closing you down. It can be a great shout to use if the opposition is standing off you. It can be equally effective if the oppositions defence are bad at tackling as well.
Play Through Defence – Tells the players to run with the ball rarely. This only works for attacking midfielders (AML/AMR too) and strikers. The rest of the players will still be as you’ve instructed them to play; this includes MC’s who have an attacking duty. This can be a great shout to use if you feel the opposition are defending well and winning the ball too much from your attacking players. So use this when you are struggling to break down the oppositions defence.
Shooting
Shoot On Sight – Increases the long shots for your team. Can be used against sides that are deemed to park the bus in front of the goal. Advisable to use if your attacking players have a good long shot attribute.
Work Ball Into Box – This tells players to use long shots rarely. This is useful if you think your players are shooting too often. Or if you find you want to keep possession and be more probing.
Wing Play
Hit Early Crosses – Tells fullback, wingbacks, wide midfielders and wingers to cross the ball early. It puts run with ball on rarely and cross from on mixed. This can be used against sides that play with a high defensive line. This can also be used if you have a fast striker who can break defences with his pace and acceleration.
Look For Overlap – Your fullbacks or wingbacks will be given a more attacking mentality, run from deep often, cross ball often and be asked to cross from byline. While your wingers will be given a more defensive mentality, run from deep rarely and hold up the ball. It’s great to use against defensive sides who don’t really pose an attacking threat. Can also be used against narrow formations that lack wide players.
Take A Breather - Decreases forward runs and tempo. You should use this is you don’t have players with good stamina or if condition is getting a bit low. It’s useful to use in games where you might have a few close games in succession. Can also be used to help maintain a good lead.
Possession
Retain Possession – Shortens passing length and slows the tempo down for your players. I use this shout a lot, it helps pass the ball around and not give possession away easily. Some people enjoy dominating possession as they believe if the opposition don’t have the ball they can’t score. Which is true but it’s also a good tool to use when you want to close a game out and hold onto the current result. Rather than go defensive and invite un-needed pressure I believe this to be a lot less risky and just as effective;
Get Ball Forward – Increases both passing length and tempo for the side. If you feel you are having a lot of possession but not really doing anything with it, then you’ll want to use this touchline shout. Also good to use this if you are chasing a game.
Pressing
Stand-Off Opponents – Changes marking to loose zonal, reduces closing down drastically and decreases tempo. When you play a technically superior side and don’t want players to get skinned you’d use this shout to ensure you keep your defensive shape and don’t allow gaps to appear which the opposition could exploit.
Hassle Opponents – Increases the tempo, tells the team to tight man mark and also increases the closing down for your side. Use this if you want to reduce space and time that you allow the opposition to have. Works good with a very attacking strategy and against teams who are a lot weaker than yours.
Midfield Distribution
Exploit The Flanks – It gives the fullback/wingbacks and wingers more attacking and focuses the play down both flanks. It also tells them to run from deep and cross the ball more often. If you use central midfielders then it’ll tell them to hold up the ball. You should use this if you find the middle over crowded or if you have good wide players who can cross.
Exploit The Middle – None defensive players will have their run from deep increased too often. Tells your team to focus their passing through the middle and any defenders and defensive midfielders will have their mentality changed to a more attacking one and be told to do through balls often. If you don’t use wide players then you should use this shout. It’s also great against teams who leave big gaping holes through the centre. I find it really effective against the 4231 (the CM one and not the DM) as the gap in the middle is huge.
I’m not sure how many of you are aware of this but there are actually two more shouts that can only be used when you use either contain or overload strategy. They are;
Play Even Safer - This shout is for the contain strategy only. It decreases all (except for strikers) run from deep and through balls to rarely. It also tells all the players except wingers to run with the ball rarely. You should use this if you don’t want your players to be adventurous and get pulled out of position. This is ideal for late in the game and protecting a lead.
Take More Risks – This shout if for the overload strategy only. Sets run from deep to often for all players on a support duty. Increases through balls to often and run with the ball for all players. Best used when you want to grab that equaliser or score that eluding goal at all costs.
Let’s have a look at some scenarios and talk about how I use a combination of shouts to work with my formations. Remember there is more combinations you can use but these are just the ones I make and use. So they will probably vary compared to what someone else uses.
You can make all these from the
‘shouts’ tab in the
‘Tactic’ overview screen.
Possession Shout’s
Winning Possession
We all have games where the opposition is having a lot of possession and you can’t get a hold of the ball. So if you face this scenario then the shouts I would use are;
Push higher up; get stuck in, Hassle opponents.
By pushing higher up you would be reducing the space available to the opposition in which they can pass around in. The get stuck in shout will help be more aggressive and can unsettle the calmness of the opposition players on the ball, in instructs them to tackle harder. And by using hassle opponents shout you’ll be changing to man marking and instructing players to closedown higher up
Retaining Possession
Some people enjoy dominating possession as they believe if the opposition don’t have the ball they can’t score. Which is true but it’s also a good tool to use when you want to close a game out and hold onto the current result. Rather than go defensive and invite un-needed pressure I believe this to be a lot less risky and just as effective;
Retain possession, pass to feet and drop deeper.
By using these shouts you’ll be asking the players to drop deeper and close down less. This will help retain the natural shape of the formation you use. Plus you’ll be using shorter passes and playing at a slower tempo while doing more through balls.
The above 2 shouts are what I end up using the most of from the various game’s I’ve got on the go.
Taking Advantage of Positional Weakness
The next shout might surprise a few of you as I’ve not seen many users post about this combination of shouts.
Sometimes we face formations that are vulnerable in the middle of the pitch. Yet our own formation might have good wingers and good central midfielders. So when I want to stretch the opponent I use these;
Exploit the middle and play wider.
This allows my players to play wider than normal but due to me normally outnumbering the opposition’s midfield it allows my central players more space on the ball. The opposition’s central players will also be stretched and this can create bit gaps to exploit. Obviously using this shout will depend on your own formation and how capable you are of actually playing through the middle. I like using this against 4231’s, 442’s and any other formation with just 2 central midfielders and no defensive midfielders.
You can also do the opposite and use;
Exploit the Flanks and play narrower.
I find this useful sometimes when the opposition out number me in the middle and I want to stay as compact as I can. Yet at the same time cause them problems down the wings. This is great to use against teams who don’t use wide players. I know this is a rare occurrence but sometimes you will face a team who don’t use wingers or wide attacking midfielders. This isn’t a shout I use often but I’ve used it a few times throughout the season.
Then we also have the normal approach many of you will no-doubt use at times.
Exploit the middle and play narrower.
I like using this combination if you yourself lack wide players and have a much stronger central midfield compared to the opposition. Plus if you don’t have wide players then all your play will be centrally, so makes sense to use this.
You might also find yourself;
Play wider and exploit the flanks.
This is useful for when you have stronger wide play than the opposition. Also useful if the opposition is all in the middle and you want to stretch them and don’t mind been wider in your own play.
Retain Possession
Effect: Instructs the team to try to hold on to the ball rather than making rushed long passes.
Action: Shortens passing length, slows tempo.
Useful: When struggling to hold on to possession; when having low pass completion percentage; to keep the ball from the opposition when leading to hold on to a lead.
Get Ball Forward
Effect: Instructs the team to get the ball up to the forward line quickly to put pressure on the opposition.
Action: Increases passing length, increases tempo.
Useful: When not penetrating the opposition; when having high possession and/or pass completion rates but few good shots; when needing a goal later in the game; when playing on a large pitch.
Pass Into Space
Effect: Instructs the team to play the ball in front of the receiving player so that he can run on to it and create space for attacks.
Action: Increases try through balls.
Useful: When not penetrating the oppositions; when having high possession and/or pass completion rates but few good shots; when playing against a side with far less acceleration or pace than your own.
Pass to Feet
Effect: Instructs the team to make passes directly to a player rather than in front of him so he can run on to it.
Action: Reduces try through balls.
Useful: When struggling to gain high enough possession or pass completion percentages; when many passes are being intercepted; when your team has far less acceleration or pace than the opposition.
Pump Ball Into Box
Effect: Instructs the team to play long balls in to the opposition penalty area to try to get an advantage.
Action: Large increase in passing length but decrease in try through balls for defenders and defensive midfielders, tells players to play with less wide play, makes full backs and wingers hold up the ball, increases forward runs for forwards, sets maximum crossing for full backs, focus passing through the centre.
Useful: When needing a goal late on in the game; when possessing taller and/or stronger forwards than the opposition defenders.
Clear Ball To Flanks
Effect: Instructs the team to clear the ball to the flanks in order to reduce the possible danger.
Action: Large increase in passing length but decrease in try through balls for defenders and defensive midfielders, tells players to play with more wide play, focus passing to the wings.
Useful: When trying to hold on to a lead late on in the game; when the opposition is countering through the centre; when possessing quick wingers who are good on the counter attack.
Shoot On Sight
Effect: Instructs the team to take the opportunity to shoot whenever they get anywhere near to the goal.
Action: Increases try long shots.
Useful: When playing against a side who are “parking the bus”; when struggling to get any shots in at all; when needing a goal at all costs.
Work Ball Into Box
Effect: Instructs the team to only shoot once they get close to the goal.
Action: Decreases try long shots.
Useful: When shooting far too much from range; when creating a lot of shots but few clear cut chances; when playing with a team who are poor at shooting from range.
Exploit The Flanks
Effect: Instructs the team to play the ball out wide in order to try to play the ball down the wings.
Action: Focus passing down the wings, increases forward runs, crossing and mentality for full backs and wing backs, increased wide play for wing players, central midfielders hold up ball.
Useful: When the opposition are flooding the centre; when playing with good wide players; when playing with a team who are good at crossing; when playing on a wide pitch.
Exploit The Middle
Effect: Instructs the team to play the ball through the middle of the field.
Action: Focus passing through the centre, increased mentality and try through balls for defenders and defensive midfield players, decrease forward runs for wide players, increase forward runs for non-defensive central players in midfield and attack, decrease wide play for wing players.
Useful: When not playing with any wider players; when the opposition are leaving gaps in the middle of the field; when playing with a strong side with good central players; when playing on a narrow pitch.
Look For Overlap
Effect: Tells deeper wide players to run beyond the wide midfielders to offer more passing options and crossing opportunities.
Action: Increases mentality, more crossing, cross from further up the field and maximum forward runs for full backs and wing backs, hold up ball and decrease of mentality, forward runs and run with ball for wide midfielders, attacking midfielders and forwards, reduces wide play for wing players.
Useful: When using excellent attacking full backs and needing extra penetration down the wings; when needing more passing options in the final third; when playing against a side who are weak or undermanned down the flanks.
Take A Breather
Effect: Allows the team to slow the pace of the game down to conserve energy.
Action: Decrease forward runs, decrease tempo.
Useful: To try and slow the pace of the game when playing in very hot conditions; to keep players fit when well in the lead; to calm the game down before radically increasing the tempo and catching the opposition cold.
Play Wider
Effect: Instruct the team to play with more width.
Action: Increases width, focus passing down both flanks.
Useful: When the opposition is attacking down the wings; when the opposition is flooding the centre of the field; when needing more space to break down the opposition; when playing on a narrow pitch.
Play Narrower
Effect: Instructs the side to tighten up through the centre.
Action: Decreases width, focus passing through the centre.
Useful: When the opposition is attacking through the centre; when the opposition is leaving holes in the centre; when needing to keep the game tight and reducing space for the opposition; when playing on a wide pitch.
Push Higher Up
Effect: Tells the defence to push higher up the field when in possession.
Action: Increases defensive line height, increase closing down.
Useful: When playing against slow strikers; when playing against a team sitting deep; when needing to reduce the space of the opposition.
Drop Deeper
Effect: Tells the defence to sag further back when in possession.
Action: Decreases the defensive line height, lower closing down.
Useful: When playing against quicker strikers; when playing against a team pushing up; when looking for more space with a team packing the midfield and defence.
Hassle Opponents
Effect: Instructs the team to close down the opposition and reduce the space available.
Action: Vastly increases closing down settings, changes marking to tight-man, increases tempo.
Useful: When needing to regain possession quickly; when playing against a slow, technically inferior team; when needing to reduce space for the opposition.
Stand-Off Opponents
Effect: Instructs the team to hold back from the opposition and try to direct them away from danger.
Action: Vastly decreases closing down settings, changes marking to loose-zonal, decreases tempo.
Useful: When playing against a quick, technically superior team; when needing to hold team defensive shape; when looking for more space to break down a team who refuse to come out of their own half.
Get Stuck In
Effect: Instructs the team to tackle hard to regain possession.
Action: Increases tackling intensity to hard.
Useful: When needing to regain possession quickly; when playing against a team with little bravery; when not getting a high enough tackles completed percentage.
Stay On Feet
Effect: Instructs the team to only make tackles when they are definitely “on”.
Action: Decreases tackling intensity to easy, except for the “ball winning midfielder”.
Useful: When conceding too many free kicks; when looking to hold defensive shape; when playing against very quick players good at riding a tackle.
The following shouts are only available when playing the contain or overload strategies.
Play Even Safer
Effect: Tells the team to play even more defensively when using the contain strategy.
Action: Sets forward runs and try through balls to minimum for all players except forwards, decreases run with ball.
Useful: Late on in a game when facing an onslaught.
Take More Risks
Effect: Tell the team to be even more gung-ho when using the overload strategy.
Action: Sets forward runs to maximum for support players, through balls to maximum for all players, increases run with ball.
Useful: Late on in a game when absolutely desperate for a goal.
