2 different samples of struggling on matches
Okay, hi guys,
So today I’m gonna make a report on two of my very recent matches using Combo tactics. This is not because they are my favorite (actually they are), but due to the fact that the results illustrate clearly how the tactic changes can change the matches in a very different ways!
- What I did and the results
Sevilla 1-2 Manchester United
View attachment 291407
We start the match with
2Combo (Away match). But it was not enough, Negredo scored 1
st goal for the Away team right in 9’ of the match. Even after that, Sevilla continued to put on a very high pressure. My attackers cannot launch any chance at all! After that I change tactic just like what I have told you in OP, change
Strategy to
defensive, and
Tight marking,
Closing down on Negredo, Jesus Navas, Reyes (three magicians of Sevilla), all set to “
Never”. I also set my Wingers and AMC’s Run
with the ball to
Normal (Before that, they are always), which means that we drop deeper and stand more on our feet. Sevilla chances seem to stop coming. Manchester has defended the middle field bravely until we made counter on 2
nd half. Though Welbeck got several clear chances, he just placed some simple shots right in the hands of Sevilla’s goal keeper. So I decide to substitute him by Ademilson, who got us the equal goal in 83’. I’m happy with a draw, so change
Strategy to
Contain, however Ademilson made it on the break, a magically goal, in 89’.
Manchester United 4-2 Tottenham
View attachment 291409
I start with
2Combo/
Standard for more cautious approach (Even we’re at Home). Both teams really made chances right from the start. However, Tottenham seems to be better on set-piece, one penalty, and one corner, 2-0 for them in 25’. I notice that our defenders tried it too hard to get ball forward. However, when the ball has been in Tottenham’s half,
our attackers still can run with the ball and makes chances. We still make a balance dominance of the matches. So here is my decision: Switch to
1Combo. I sub Evans out (who was 3.6 because he was involved in both Tottenham’s goals) because he get badly nervous. After that, all chances made are toward Tottenham goal. We start to score in 43’, a penalty, and after that, my boys put a really storm until we made it 3-2 in 49’. I switched back to
2Combo/
counter to hold this result; however my boys still made chances. Tottenham's manager even told his player to play it more defensive, even we are leading. Tottenham’s morale seemed to badly damage, and the 4
th goal comes easily in 72’.
2. Two different kinds of struggling:
The thing is: the changes made in tactics (More
defensive on Sevilla match, more
attacking on Tottenham match) seem to
oppose each other. But the result of these changes is the same. We gradually retain the possession and after that, fight back.
The reason is that: Man utd’ situations in the 2 matches are totally different. In Sevilla’s clash, we just cannot keep the ball, because they get really great boys in the middle field.
They hassle on us; we just struggled on the match.
This is the typical kind of struggling, which happens when opponent closes down so quick, marks so tight and their tempo is so high. On this match kind,
the solution is that we make direct passing, decrease shot pass, we avoid running with the ball, and we drop deeper and keep standing on feet. We embrace our d-line, hold on the score and wait until some breaks appear; we counter them with pacey striker.
On Tottenham match, I notice that
we just are closed down too quickly when my defenders got the ball. We found it too hard to make precise direct passing toward. The ball just keep go out bound. However when ball is passed to our attackers, they’re still make it become chance. This is
because the opponents are closing down my defenders, tackling hard on them and shown them to their weaker foot. This is just like
a fake status of struggling. So the solution is to
push up the d-line, and make some more pressure on the opponent. At that time, I simply thought that with a higher d-line, if my defenders lost the ball, it will be further from my goal. But the result was far more than expected. Tottenham just cannot deal with us when we can get back our possession.
3. Conclusion: This stuff is totally for advanced users (who got familiar to my tactics). I also know that I got a bit lucky in the above cases; I have not expected the results to be so good. But clearly, the situations in these matches are just not the same. If you guys just view matches by “Key” or “Extend”, you may just see that your team is struggling. I am quite sure that you can have your own solutions to solve these kinds of matches, even with better result. The thing is that sometimes you cannot figure out what are happening on the field, because you are viewing it with too little caution. So when you see it is hard on matches, try to slow down the screen, figure things out so that you get chance to reverse the result.
P/S: first half players’ ratings of us are all below 5! In the end, all are above 7 on average. It is clearly comebacks we have made these days!
