Hello all! Im probably posting in the wrong section but i find my posts get little attention in the "i have a small question" section so, i try here. Im playing with Real Madrid at the moment, 1st season and im doing well! Scoring loads of goals winning most my games, home and away.My problem is that i seem to conceed alot of goals, easy goals, goals from lack of preasure on oposition players, misstakes in defence, corner/free-kicks, very few from open play. So, what i normaly tend to do is put match prep on defensive positioning or defensive set-pieces, but for some reason i then stop scoring! So it seems to me you cant get good in both at the same time! If i match prep defensivly i stop scoring, if i match prep attackingly i conceed goals. Are there anyway i can get solid in all options? I also notice ( i view all key happening in 3D ) that my players hardly put preasure on my oposition team, as in they just let them run with the ball! They dont try to tackle or anything! Also they are very poor at trying to win the ball back if they loose it! Are there any instructions i can put on to make this better? Also 1 thing thats really bothering me!! My attackers are HORRIBLE 1 on 1 againts their Gk!!!! I cant belive it! They miss like 9 out of 10 times!! How do i ppm to avoid this? I try to ppm them to drible Gk, place shots in corners but still their awefull! This is Higuain, ronaldo, benzema were talking about! So, in short terms, i need help to tighten my defence! hint how to setup the defenders, should i use 1 stopper and 1 cover? I have Pepe, Dede, Varane and Carvalho as CD`s. And, how do i ppm my attackers to get better 1 vs 1 with Gk? All pointers appretiated!!
trouble conceeding
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TheFinalThird
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Make sure your instructions work together. If your players have high pressing but easy tackling then good players are going to tear them apart the same as if you play a deep line but have high pressing your players are going to get pulled out of position. By the sounds of it your players aren't closing down enough and maybe have easy tackling. Put your midfield on close down whole pitch and normal maybe hard tackling. Other than that we need more info. What formation do you play? Shouts? Screenshots? maybe some clips of the goals your conceding.
Hi mate and thanks for responce! The tactics i play are these, i play an attacking 4-2-3-1 for homegames and a deep 4-2-3-1 with counter for away/difficult games. I also try to get a 4-5-1 tactic going, with controll but i find it hard to accomplish, but working on it. With the attacking 4-2-3-1 i play direct passing, press more, sonal marking, short crosses and more roaming. This is to dominate oposition with hard attack, i have set the back four to normal so that im not so vournable to counter. I also use the CB partnership that is advised on the forum, the stopper/cover using Pepe and Hummels. I also use this on the deep 4-2-3-1. The goals i conceed are very strange to me, like their right winger can run across my defence and get a finish without any tackles beeing made, or any decent preasure from my defenders! Also, because of this, the oposition is allowed alot of possesion without any of my players preasuring or tackling. But i have to add that your advise helped quite abit! I set my 2 central midfielders ( Alonso and Kedhira ) on hard tackling and close down full pitch and it helped! I also set the 2 CB`s on hard tackling but this was no good idea as they kept making penalties! So i set the back to easy tackling. On the deep 4-2-3-1 i play counter, standard passes, pull back, hard tackling, short crosses. ( would it be a good idea to play Rigid for this formation? ) I feel that with this formation the teams i play are allowed to create soo many chances!! My players hardly preasure them at all! And no tackles are beeing done! I would love to find a way to play more defensivly and be good on counter! I have fast players like Ronaldo, Di Maria, Øtzl and Higuain that should be perfect to couner with! Also, wich passing should i use when counter? Long passes from fullbacks? I now also have another problem! My inside forwards ( that i use for all 3 formations ) eather shoot from distance, or DONT pass to the striker! They eather shoot from distance, even if its on the lowest bar, and very rarely pass smart passes to the striker even though i have often on short/smart passes!! why is this? This makes my attack not very fluid and im wondering how to combine the inside forwards with the central attacking midfielder and poacher! ( even still, my inside forwards, Ronaldo and Di Maria is by faar my 2 best players, with well over 8.00 in average rating )Both for the attacking and counter formation! I agree with you to make instructions work together, this must be vital! All advise is appretiated mates!
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TheFinalThird
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I suppose using opposition instructions on the other teams wingers and strikers might help if you set them to hard tackling would help this means that when there players are far out your players will tackle hard on them but when they get into dangerous areas your player instructions will take over also if your defenders are letting the wingers get into the box too much show them onto the outside foot so they are forced to cross the ball and most of the time your defenders shoulddeal with the crosses as hummels and pepe are both quite aggressive and will attack the ball. try and get the balance right with your cms they are both the type of players who can sit back and spray passes so there is no need to give them a high mentality as this will make them stray further up the pitch and leave your defence vulnerable. As for your wingers this is probably because CR7 and Di Maria are fairly greedy players with low teamwork and so they would much rather go for goal and put themselves in the headlines than put it on a plate for your strikers. 1 way to counter this would be to lower there creative freedom I would do this with di maria because he can benefit from being reeled in a bit but for ronaldo i would leave him he is very dangerous from long range efforts
Thanks again so much, i feel that the small tweaks and the pointers from you have really made an awesome attacking tacktic now!! So, thanks again! The challenge i have now is the deep 4-2-3-1 tacktic i want to use for away games etc.. You have any tips on that aswell? i play it with counter etc ( like i said above ) and its working decent but i cant at all keep possesion! All tips welcome!
TheFinalThird
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If your playing counter you don't want possession, you want them to have the ball so that they all push up and then you steal the ball and break quickly. Play a deep line and zonal marking apart from your cbs who should stay on man just to make sure they can't play a through ball in between them which happens a lot in this game. Put all your players closing down on own half so that once the opposition get too close to your goal your players push up as a unit and take the ball then put direct passing and often through balls and run from deep so that they break quickly opting to play a longer "Killer" ball to cut through there defence. Make sure you play narrow with a quick tempo and use appropriate shouts.
thanks again mate, your pointers helped! now a NEW problem has arised! this game is seriously killing me! my poachers cant score!!!!! i used to play 2 inside forwards ( ronaldo & Di maria ) 1 attacking midf. ( Øtzl ) and Higuain as poacher! he has 1 goal in 10 games and his backup poachers are horrible too! normally they are awesome ( benzema and doumbia ) but now they cant score for ****! ive changed the attacking midf to triquarista and now play 1 winger 1 inside forward to change things aound but no luck!! any pointers on this matter aswell?? i find that this happens every damm time i play, no matter what team/players i use!!
What are your cm roles? Are both Di Maria and Ronaldo IF-A? If Ronaldo, Di Maria and Higuain are attacking so much then you may have problems because their attacking mentalities are so high. Think about it like this: your reputation is much higher than almost every team in La Liga and as a result most of your opponents are going to sit very deep against you. If all of your attacking players are playing an all out attack, then you are playing into your opponents hands. I would suggest to try and slow down the tempo (I'm assuming its relatively high) and play a couple of your attacking players in a support role and/or play Higuain as a deep-lying forward against week opponents. Madrid are able to play this way in real life because they can draw the opponents out and counter, but I find that is much more difficult in FM until you are leading by a couple of goals. In real life, the best way to beat an opponent that parks the bus is to patiently wait for openings and then exploit it. You might want to layer your attack a little as well. The problem with this for Madrid is that each of those players-individually-plays best in the role you have given them. I think that your team would play much better with Benzema as a dlf-s (or maybe even a treq) and allow him to create space for ronaldo and Di Maria to move into. This is why Mourinho prefers Benzema against strong teams. Another option could be to find a new rw and play him as a natural winger to create width (or maybe instruct them to move into channels as opposed to cut inside). Right now, all of your attacking players are occupying space in the middle of the field and you can be defended by congesting the middle, playing a deep line and countering on the wings. Are your fbs making a lot of forward runs? If they arent, that could be another option (instruct them to hug the touchline) and you could compensate defensively by playing pairing you cms as a dlp-s and bwm-d or something like that. Basically, you want to make sure that you are occupying as much of the field as possible. If I were playing as Madrid (I'm a Barca fan so its unlikely), I would play a 4-3-3 (with a dm) and play with attacking fbs, an anchorman, dlp-s and ap-s mids (maybe even instruct them to hug touchline so they drift wider while your wingers cut inside), Ronaldo as IF-A, Ozil as AP-A (or maybe IF-S) and Benzema as a dlf-s.
Those are several different options, but in general just think about where you want your goals to come from and how best to ensure that you play to his strengths (probably Ronaldo), while still forcing the opponent to defend the entire pitch and thus allow openings. I hope this rambling and somewhat incoherent post helps.
Those are several different options, but in general just think about where you want your goals to come from and how best to ensure that you play to his strengths (probably Ronaldo), while still forcing the opponent to defend the entire pitch and thus allow openings. I hope this rambling and somewhat incoherent post helps.
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Thanks so much barca-fan, very much appretiated! It feels exacly like you describe it!! All teams i face, play SO deep! All my players run diagonaly infront of their defenceline and normally it ends with a shot from distance! I can have 30 shots, 15 on goal and maybe win 1-0! or draw from a counterattack. I will try and tweak and test some of your ideas and see how it turns out! Its also a good point you make with my fullbacks, up unthil now ive played with marcelo/Coentrao as an attacking wingback while ive played ramos as a normal fullback on support, maybe not the right way for Ramos, but i found myself weak against counters with my high defenceline ( wich now is on normal ) that i wanted some extra backup. I am also now testing raikan`s 4-2-3-1 from his tacticpack, just to see how it runs in attack and it looks very fluid, just what im looking for, ill try and take some things from his tactic and create some from there. Ill deffenitly try and change my strikers role because noone of my strikers, like stated above ( Higuain, Doumbia and benzema ) are doing well at all, simply not even involed in the game! Thanks alot mate, for your help!
PS!!!! To answer your 1st question : I play my CM`s as BWM ( defend ) with kedhira or M`Vila and Deeplaying playmaker ( support ) with xabi Alonso or Nuri Sahin. This has allways worked out for me but im not 100% sure anymore.. They are VERY little involved in the game, with low ratings, few "magic" passes, even when through passes are on often. But i allways thought that when you have souch an attacking mentality ( i play fluid/attack ) i needed 2 CM`s that lay deep and kind of spread the passes to the wingers etc.. I try and have atleast Alonso play the ball in channels for the wingers but his not really doing it.. Some advise here would be awesome too, how to set up the CM partnership. Thanks again guys, your great!
PS nr 2!! : You guys know any good away/counter or possesion tactics i could use with Madrid? I allways try to have a home and away tactic.
PS!!!! To answer your 1st question : I play my CM`s as BWM ( defend ) with kedhira or M`Vila and Deeplaying playmaker ( support ) with xabi Alonso or Nuri Sahin. This has allways worked out for me but im not 100% sure anymore.. They are VERY little involved in the game, with low ratings, few "magic" passes, even when through passes are on often. But i allways thought that when you have souch an attacking mentality ( i play fluid/attack ) i needed 2 CM`s that lay deep and kind of spread the passes to the wingers etc.. I try and have atleast Alonso play the ball in channels for the wingers but his not really doing it.. Some advise here would be awesome too, how to set up the CM partnership. Thanks again guys, your great!
PS nr 2!! : You guys know any good away/counter or possesion tactics i could use with Madrid? I allways try to have a home and away tactic.
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Before I start, I would highly recommend watching-at least the first 15-20 minutes-the game in extended or full game (if you are really patient...I usually watch in extended). This will allow you to have a pretty good idea how your team is playing, what your opposition is doing and build up your understanding of how the match engine interprets your instructions. I usually do this until the game is pretty much decided.
I prefer to play in a manner that may not suit Madrid (at least as you want to play with them). Philosophically, I have constructed my team somewhat similarly to the Spanish National Team. I develop individual training schedules for all important players/prospects and train them all either intensive or very high in mental attributes while placing a priority on the following attributes: anticipation, teamwork, off the ball, work rate, determination, composure, decisions and stamina. I place a high value on possession, despise conceding goals and prioritize cms, dms and cbs (I will occasionally play a 4-2-3-1, but I almost always decrease my cms mentality and I feel very uncomfortable without a world-class dm in the lineup...guess what position I played?).
I have attached my 2 preferred formations, but it should be noted that I change my players' roles a great deal (I also have a strong preference to the 4-3-3). Madrid is likely much stronger than my Betis squad, so you can probably afford to be more aggressive. I am currently trying to strengthen my lb position, but I have a set-up a pretty rigid wage scale at the moment (or at least max wage scale and Kara and Astori both have match highest earner clause) and I will probably have to wait until my youth players develop or until I am willing to adjust my wage scale because I would like to be able to attack more from my lb.
As for your questions...most of them would depend on the rest of your squad. If you want your attacking players to be more aggressive, then you might want to consider dropping your defensive line a little in order to invite the opposition to attack and clicking the counter attack option. I don't know if the match engine would fall for this, but if you watch Madrid you will realize that real life opponents do. If I were managing Madrid I would retrain Higuain to play as a IF-A (while playing or transfer him) and play with 2 attacking IF wingers, an AP-s AMC and a Treq/DLF-s striker (then maybe adjust his runs from deep to sometimes if he is a Treq). If you want to play a possession oriented attack then you may not want to play 2 wb-a while countering because they will just bomb up the field when you win possession instead of providing a passing outlet. Your cms...again, it depends on the rest of your team. If you want to play a more conservative back line, then maybe a dlp (Xabi Alonso and Sahin were born to play dlp-s) and a cm-s or maybe a dlp-d and a cm-s/bbm? I find that asking your cms to hug touchline if your wingers cut inside provides a little additional width (especially if your amc drops deep to create space for the wingers to cut inside). If you play a very high line, conversely, then you may not need to adjust your fbs runs from deep because a fb-s will naturally occupy attacking/wide spaces (especially with hugs touchline ppm/instruction). In that case, you may just want to adjust mentality and passing/crossing/runs with ball frequency.
In genral, I would once again advise to watch the game in extended and then decide how you want your individual players to fit into your team scheme, while ensuring that someone occupies as much of the pitch as possible. Good luck and if you found this helpful, then feel free to ask more questions.
I prefer to play in a manner that may not suit Madrid (at least as you want to play with them). Philosophically, I have constructed my team somewhat similarly to the Spanish National Team. I develop individual training schedules for all important players/prospects and train them all either intensive or very high in mental attributes while placing a priority on the following attributes: anticipation, teamwork, off the ball, work rate, determination, composure, decisions and stamina. I place a high value on possession, despise conceding goals and prioritize cms, dms and cbs (I will occasionally play a 4-2-3-1, but I almost always decrease my cms mentality and I feel very uncomfortable without a world-class dm in the lineup...guess what position I played?).
I have attached my 2 preferred formations, but it should be noted that I change my players' roles a great deal (I also have a strong preference to the 4-3-3). Madrid is likely much stronger than my Betis squad, so you can probably afford to be more aggressive. I am currently trying to strengthen my lb position, but I have a set-up a pretty rigid wage scale at the moment (or at least max wage scale and Kara and Astori both have match highest earner clause) and I will probably have to wait until my youth players develop or until I am willing to adjust my wage scale because I would like to be able to attack more from my lb.
As for your questions...most of them would depend on the rest of your squad. If you want your attacking players to be more aggressive, then you might want to consider dropping your defensive line a little in order to invite the opposition to attack and clicking the counter attack option. I don't know if the match engine would fall for this, but if you watch Madrid you will realize that real life opponents do. If I were managing Madrid I would retrain Higuain to play as a IF-A (while playing or transfer him) and play with 2 attacking IF wingers, an AP-s AMC and a Treq/DLF-s striker (then maybe adjust his runs from deep to sometimes if he is a Treq). If you want to play a possession oriented attack then you may not want to play 2 wb-a while countering because they will just bomb up the field when you win possession instead of providing a passing outlet. Your cms...again, it depends on the rest of your team. If you want to play a more conservative back line, then maybe a dlp (Xabi Alonso and Sahin were born to play dlp-s) and a cm-s or maybe a dlp-d and a cm-s/bbm? I find that asking your cms to hug touchline if your wingers cut inside provides a little additional width (especially if your amc drops deep to create space for the wingers to cut inside). If you play a very high line, conversely, then you may not need to adjust your fbs runs from deep because a fb-s will naturally occupy attacking/wide spaces (especially with hugs touchline ppm/instruction). In that case, you may just want to adjust mentality and passing/crossing/runs with ball frequency.
In genral, I would once again advise to watch the game in extended and then decide how you want your individual players to fit into your team scheme, while ensuring that someone occupies as much of the pitch as possible. Good luck and if you found this helpful, then feel free to ask more questions.
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Thanks again mate your your responce! That is impressive results there mate, with betis! You hardly conceed any goals!! This must meen that your tactics really work! Normally i watch all "key" happenings in the games, goals, big chances, free-kicks/corners etc and get quite a good view of whats going on. Like stated previously, i feel that my attackers run "into" eacother, running more diagonally infront of oposition defence, rather than moving into channels, like i have instructed them to, maybe because the CM`s dont hit the magic pass through, like i have trained them to and also instructed them to. I allways have the feeling that my team instructions dont match with the player instructions i make. You impress me with alot of insight on tactics and i would love to see how you setup your team-instructions for these 2 tactics! Also how you setup the player instructions for the different positions, or atleast how you start of ( since you change them alot ) so i could get a sence on how they work together ( team and player instructions ). Ive been playing this game for years and i find it SOOO frustrating that im not able to figure this out for myself 
About training schedule i use the Duncan training regime and i thinks its pretty good, atleast most people say so, + i allways position train players for new positions or atleast to make them natural in the position i want them to play. Im pretty sure that your point on the striker role is a good one because my poachers just dont do the job! I think changing their roles will help, you see for me, the goals can come from anywhere, i dont care who scores, in a perfect world i would love if both my IF`s AND my striker score, so getting the striker more involved in the attack would be good! Also, like stated above, when i look at my team playing, i find that my players dont "preasure" the oposition when they have the ball, they can just run and run forever with it and my players do nothing! I made some adjustments from tips i got here and it did help, but not very much! Also i find that their strikers run "through" my defence so easy, even when i use the CB setup that to me looks great, the one called stopper/cover partnership, with a ballplaying/cover and a limited/stopper. But i guess my attacking problems and my defence problems is due to my instructions not mixing well. I also notice you have very high attacking movement in your match preps, do you allways use this?
Thanks alot again bro, so nice of you to take time to help me!
PS: im gonna try and make some screenshots of my formation etc for you to see clearer how i play
About training schedule i use the Duncan training regime and i thinks its pretty good, atleast most people say so, + i allways position train players for new positions or atleast to make them natural in the position i want them to play. Im pretty sure that your point on the striker role is a good one because my poachers just dont do the job! I think changing their roles will help, you see for me, the goals can come from anywhere, i dont care who scores, in a perfect world i would love if both my IF`s AND my striker score, so getting the striker more involved in the attack would be good! Also, like stated above, when i look at my team playing, i find that my players dont "preasure" the oposition when they have the ball, they can just run and run forever with it and my players do nothing! I made some adjustments from tips i got here and it did help, but not very much! Also i find that their strikers run "through" my defence so easy, even when i use the CB setup that to me looks great, the one called stopper/cover partnership, with a ballplaying/cover and a limited/stopper. But i guess my attacking problems and my defence problems is due to my instructions not mixing well. I also notice you have very high attacking movement in your match preps, do you allways use this? Thanks alot again bro, so nice of you to take time to help me!
PS: im gonna try and make some screenshots of my formation etc for you to see clearer how i play
I'd be glad to show you my team instructions page. This is only for my 4-3-3 because I never keep the settings the same for the 4-2-3-1. My other tactic is a counter that I rarely use. Basically, I tend to develop my preferred tactic how I will generally play and then use the others to ensure that my team is fluid in a variety of instructions (ie, Even if I want to counter, I would prefer to do so in a 4-3-3 and my counter tactic really just serves so I have another formation that I can play to mix things up with (narrow 4-1-2-1-2) while ensuring that I can switch to a counter strategy, man marking, more disciplined, ect tactical instruction if I want). For example, My 4-2-3-1 formation uses an attacking strategy, fluid philosophy and hard tackling team instructions, but when I use it I will usually change that to a default tackling and control strategy but it gives me the option of being fluid-in any formation-in those tactical instructions. I generally keep the default player instructions, but I use a lot of different shouts to adjust to my opponents (if you manually set their player instructions, then you have to manually change those instructions and shouts/change in team instructions won't change anything).
The most important thing I do has nothing to do with tactical instructions--I tend to target players with high mental stats (especially anticipation, decisions and teamwork). This allows me to allow my players a great deal of creative/roaming freedom while playing a very fluid philosophy and still being strong in the back. I also try to train my players to be accomplished in several positions and I think that is important (especially if you are trying to find time for young players). Another tip would be to arrange friendlies (I just vacation through them) against very week teams when your team doesn't have a midweek game in order to maintain your backup players morale and conditioning. They still need first-team action (they will still ask to be transferred if they don't play), but that will help to ensure that they are successful when they are given a chance and remain injury free.
As for my Betis squad, I anticipate that we have some problems coming up. The final quarter of our schedule is brutal and Ive been quite lucky with injuries so far. As I've stated, I prefer to build from the middle/back...my best players are my 2 cbs, dm and my dlp-s. That gives me the confidence to give my players a lot of freedom and letting other players attack because I know I am incredibly solid in those positions (seriously, Jenssen, Ekdal (I just bought him), Astori, Kara and Fernando are world class players that-if developed-could find time on any team in the world). My strikers are easily my weak link at the moment (my leading scorer (all competitions) has 10 goals), but they will develop and I envision Isco (sign him ASAP) and Rafinha (if you can) playing a great deal of striker with Torres, Fierro and Vadillo (along with some regens) scoring most of our goals from the wings.
My general advice for Madrid is to develop a long-term strategy of how you want to play and then find players to fit those roles. If you want your wingers to score, then find a withdrawn striker to drop deep and create space for them (and set them up). With Ronaldo make sure you have adequate defensive support in your cml, but maybe target a highly intelligent player that can roam and drift wide (Xabi Alonso is perfect) or have your lb occupy the touchline when he cuts in. In your 4-2-3-1, I imagine that your attacking 4 (Ozil/Benz especially) can create the majority of the goals. Don't focus too much in the assists of you cm because much of their job is to prevent counters and to cycle possession...basically, get the pass before the assist. Also, you should seriously consider watching a couple games in extended and even full match--it really helps you understand the match engine. You can learn equally as much based on failed/minor possessions as you do from key ones. Also, study the match analysis (especially the heat map and the passes...this really helps to make sure that your key players are seeing enough of the ball and figuring out exactly where they are spending their time on the pitch). Finally, defensively, make your opponents uncomfortable. I always adjust all of the opposition instructions...I your are playing against Llorente, man mark him, force him to his weaker foot and force their wingers inside (except Muniain) to prevent crosses. If they only have 1 very creative/high flair mid, then man mark him and make another player beat you. At least at the beginning, most teams play a 4-2-3-1...if they are giving you trouble, develop a formation with a dm and take their amc out of the game. Force their cbs to play with their weaker foot. Stuff like that.
The most important thing I do has nothing to do with tactical instructions--I tend to target players with high mental stats (especially anticipation, decisions and teamwork). This allows me to allow my players a great deal of creative/roaming freedom while playing a very fluid philosophy and still being strong in the back. I also try to train my players to be accomplished in several positions and I think that is important (especially if you are trying to find time for young players). Another tip would be to arrange friendlies (I just vacation through them) against very week teams when your team doesn't have a midweek game in order to maintain your backup players morale and conditioning. They still need first-team action (they will still ask to be transferred if they don't play), but that will help to ensure that they are successful when they are given a chance and remain injury free.
As for my Betis squad, I anticipate that we have some problems coming up. The final quarter of our schedule is brutal and Ive been quite lucky with injuries so far. As I've stated, I prefer to build from the middle/back...my best players are my 2 cbs, dm and my dlp-s. That gives me the confidence to give my players a lot of freedom and letting other players attack because I know I am incredibly solid in those positions (seriously, Jenssen, Ekdal (I just bought him), Astori, Kara and Fernando are world class players that-if developed-could find time on any team in the world). My strikers are easily my weak link at the moment (my leading scorer (all competitions) has 10 goals), but they will develop and I envision Isco (sign him ASAP) and Rafinha (if you can) playing a great deal of striker with Torres, Fierro and Vadillo (along with some regens) scoring most of our goals from the wings.
My general advice for Madrid is to develop a long-term strategy of how you want to play and then find players to fit those roles. If you want your wingers to score, then find a withdrawn striker to drop deep and create space for them (and set them up). With Ronaldo make sure you have adequate defensive support in your cml, but maybe target a highly intelligent player that can roam and drift wide (Xabi Alonso is perfect) or have your lb occupy the touchline when he cuts in. In your 4-2-3-1, I imagine that your attacking 4 (Ozil/Benz especially) can create the majority of the goals. Don't focus too much in the assists of you cm because much of their job is to prevent counters and to cycle possession...basically, get the pass before the assist. Also, you should seriously consider watching a couple games in extended and even full match--it really helps you understand the match engine. You can learn equally as much based on failed/minor possessions as you do from key ones. Also, study the match analysis (especially the heat map and the passes...this really helps to make sure that your key players are seeing enough of the ball and figuring out exactly where they are spending their time on the pitch). Finally, defensively, make your opponents uncomfortable. I always adjust all of the opposition instructions...I your are playing against Llorente, man mark him, force him to his weaker foot and force their wingers inside (except Muniain) to prevent crosses. If they only have 1 very creative/high flair mid, then man mark him and make another player beat you. At least at the beginning, most teams play a 4-2-3-1...if they are giving you trouble, develop a formation with a dm and take their amc out of the game. Force their cbs to play with their weaker foot. Stuff like that.
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Despite my 900000000 word reply, I forgot a couple of things. I do not train my team on very high throughout the season. Everything I've read says it doesn't matter (and I strongly suspect they are right), but I instinctively increase my match prep to very high the day of the game. After my formations are fluid, I do low match prep on teamwork focus (sometimes very low, but Jenssen always complains when I do so and because I consider him my Xavi, I do anything possible to please him) until the day before the game then I adjust it to average and usually attack movement unless I am playing a vastly superior team. Maintaining club moral/squad harmony is very important...the friendlies really help with this.
As for ppms...I train almost all of my players in plays one-two passes. If I don't expect a player to create many opportunities, then I give him plays short-simple passes. My attacking players all get places shots (if their decisions and composure aren't terrible). Finally, my creative players almost always are given plays killer bills often and drops deep ppms (especially if I want them playing treq/dlf-s). My fbs are trained in hugs touchline and gets forward whenever possible (rarely do I train any other position). I train my goal scoring threats in moves into channels. I also find that combining short-simple passes and plays killer through balls for my creative mids to be a very good combination (although my players fail quite often on whatever I train them on 2nd so make sure to prioritize which one you train your players in. Also, I like to sign terrible players that combine high determination and model pros or highly professional (that are never registered) only to tutor my hot prospects. Let me know if you have any more questions.
As for ppms...I train almost all of my players in plays one-two passes. If I don't expect a player to create many opportunities, then I give him plays short-simple passes. My attacking players all get places shots (if their decisions and composure aren't terrible). Finally, my creative players almost always are given plays killer bills often and drops deep ppms (especially if I want them playing treq/dlf-s). My fbs are trained in hugs touchline and gets forward whenever possible (rarely do I train any other position). I train my goal scoring threats in moves into channels. I also find that combining short-simple passes and plays killer through balls for my creative mids to be a very good combination (although my players fail quite often on whatever I train them on 2nd so make sure to prioritize which one you train your players in. Also, I like to sign terrible players that combine high determination and model pros or highly professional (that are never registered) only to tutor my hot prospects. Let me know if you have any more questions.
This is so much great info for me mate, thank you very much! You have given me so much to think about now that i have to try and implement this into my game! I wil start a new save with Real Madrid, trying to build 2 formations, a 4-2-3-1 and a 4-1-2-2-1 baring in mind what you said about adjusting formation during the game ( wich i have allways been loking for ), changing between attack, controll and counter for exampel. I find that this is so important and almost allways have an impact on games. I had almost given up on the 4-2-3-1, felt like it didnt work aswell for FM12 as in FM11, and i found it so hard to setup the attacking midfielder position ( wich was the main position in FM11 ) and how to get a fluid attack. Funny enough i allways got it right at the start of every season and then as time passed it got worse and worse! I never understood this..
I also have been using both CR7 and Di maria as inside forwards, because Di Maria plays rightside but is left footed, and CR7 uses both feet, but i have noticed many ( including you ) play with 1 IF and 1 Winger, is this the best way? The more i think about it the more it makes sence to be honest. I guess 2 IF`s will also complicate things for the AP/AM in attack and they will run into eachother. By the way, do you recomend AP or AM for this position? I feel that both Kaka and Øtzl should be able to play both but i have very variable results for this position! In one save Kaka can be great and Øtzl rubbish, and the next save the other way around.
You also mention that you dont change player instructions much, but i feel forced to since it feels to me that all players go for long shots if i dont! Also i prefer my IF`s to move into channels insted of cutting inside. What you think about this? I would love it if i didnt have to because to be honest, the players instructions feels sometimes to overcomplicate things!
Also, i agree with you about the CM`s, i shouldnt focus on getting assist from them. Alonso and Kedhira should pass short passes to the guys who SHOULD provide the assist, namely the wingers and the AM. So i guess i should just leave the playerinstruction on them alone. I play them as DLP (support) and BWM (defend), is this the best combination you think in a 4-2-3-1?
Thanks for taking the time to help me so much, i really appretiate it! I would love it if you could help me get started setting up the 2 tactics, because now im playing using some crazy classic mode downloaded tactics from the forum and it gives me no pleasure playing downloaded tactics to be honest, that has been made by others! Id prefer to make one on my own I also love to play with Manchester United ( wich is my favorite team in reallife ), would be so awesome to have 2 tactics i could use for both Real and United!
Hope to hear from you soon!! ; )
I also have been using both CR7 and Di maria as inside forwards, because Di Maria plays rightside but is left footed, and CR7 uses both feet, but i have noticed many ( including you ) play with 1 IF and 1 Winger, is this the best way? The more i think about it the more it makes sence to be honest. I guess 2 IF`s will also complicate things for the AP/AM in attack and they will run into eachother. By the way, do you recomend AP or AM for this position? I feel that both Kaka and Øtzl should be able to play both but i have very variable results for this position! In one save Kaka can be great and Øtzl rubbish, and the next save the other way around.
You also mention that you dont change player instructions much, but i feel forced to since it feels to me that all players go for long shots if i dont! Also i prefer my IF`s to move into channels insted of cutting inside. What you think about this? I would love it if i didnt have to because to be honest, the players instructions feels sometimes to overcomplicate things!
Also, i agree with you about the CM`s, i shouldnt focus on getting assist from them. Alonso and Kedhira should pass short passes to the guys who SHOULD provide the assist, namely the wingers and the AM. So i guess i should just leave the playerinstruction on them alone. I play them as DLP (support) and BWM (defend), is this the best combination you think in a 4-2-3-1?
Thanks for taking the time to help me so much, i really appretiate it! I would love it if you could help me get started setting up the 2 tactics, because now im playing using some crazy classic mode downloaded tactics from the forum and it gives me no pleasure playing downloaded tactics to be honest, that has been made by others! Id prefer to make one on my own
I also love to play with Manchester United ( wich is my favorite team in reallife ), would be so awesome to have 2 tactics i could use for both Real and United! Hope to hear from you soon!! ; )
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I'm not sure if you need to start a completely new save as it would probably be quicker to just make some slight adjustments. As for the winger, if I play a winger on attack, then I usually change him to move into channels and depend on my fbs to provide extra width on each side. Unless I have a targetman striker, then I usually want my wingers to be more of a goal scoring threat. When I say that I don't change their instructions too much, I meant that I don't manually change every instruction like some people do in their tactics. I don't like many people shooting from deep unless they just have a cannon, but that can also be decrease with the work into the box shout. Again, I don't think there is an ideal way to set-up a midfield because it depends on the rest of your squad and how attacking you want to play (as well as your players). I generally prefer a AP-s amc (I usually click on roam too), but there are some players who would do better in AM position. I also don't think you need to play much of a counter-attacking philosophy with Madrid and you could easily click the counter option in the team instructions and that will instruct your team to counter-attack briefly when they win possession without playing a counter philosophy. Just think about the game as if it were real life and try to imagine how you want each individual to play in order to contribute best to the success of the team and how to best break down whichever defense you are playing. Also, make sure to provide yourself with various attacking options in order to adjust to the opposition. Finally, regarding the 2 IFs both cutting inside, if you develop a 4-3-3, I find that it works quite well to have both wingers do so as there isnt an amc occupying that space...the only problem with that would be Ozil's role...I imagine he could play an ap-s as a cm, but I don't know how much he can contribute defensively.
check out this article (and others on the site). http://footballmanageranalysis.word...mechanising-the-play-stretching-the-midfield/
http://footballmanageranalysis.wordpress.com/2012/03/11/mechanising-the-play-layering-your-attack/
check out this article (and others on the site). http://footballmanageranalysis.word...mechanising-the-play-stretching-the-midfield/
http://footballmanageranalysis.wordpress.com/2012/03/11/mechanising-the-play-layering-your-attack/
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Hi again! I deleted the madrid save i had, just wanted to start over, lost motivation with the last one. So now im trying to setup a 4-1-2-2-1 ( 4-5-1 ) like yours, with 2 IF`s ( ronaldo and di maria ) alonso and øtzl in the center, kedhira deep infront of the CB`s as a anchorman. Ill play Benzema as a Triq. so that he will be deeper than the poacher i normally use. Ive set the same team instructions you have but im abit unsure wich player instructions to use. Did you make the FB`s hug the line for extra width? Should the IF`s move into channels? Roam the AP from center?
I see your point on having a 2nd tactic to train the instructions other than the ones you use on your main tactic, good idea! Im gonna use the 4-5-1 as my main tactic and the 4-2-3-1 as my 2nd one, just to have the opertunity to mix things up during a game. In Spain, many teams play the 4-2-3-1 so i see a clear advantage using the anchorman/defensive midfielder in the deep position to neutralize him. But i feel that the 4-2-3-1 also causes more threat in attack ( for some reason this is my favorite tactic ) but maybe im wrong.
So, any pointers on player instructions for the 4-5-1, and the 4-2-3-1 for that matter is more than welcome! Also, you say you use personal training scedules for your most "important" players, i tend to use the Duncans training regime, is that good enough you think? I hope so. Also, when playing R Madrid the 1st thing to do is getting a full new coaching staff! The ones that is there when you start is a joke!
Thanks again pal...
PS! I took your advise from your 1st or 2nd post where you talked about if you played R madrid, you`d use attacking fullbacks, anchorman, DLP support, AP attack, with attacking IF`s thats moving into channels in a 4-3-3, with a deeplaying strike( Cavani or Banzema ) Maybe Treq. would be even better? Just for info..
I see your point on having a 2nd tactic to train the instructions other than the ones you use on your main tactic, good idea! Im gonna use the 4-5-1 as my main tactic and the 4-2-3-1 as my 2nd one, just to have the opertunity to mix things up during a game. In Spain, many teams play the 4-2-3-1 so i see a clear advantage using the anchorman/defensive midfielder in the deep position to neutralize him. But i feel that the 4-2-3-1 also causes more threat in attack ( for some reason this is my favorite tactic ) but maybe im wrong.
So, any pointers on player instructions for the 4-5-1, and the 4-2-3-1 for that matter is more than welcome! Also, you say you use personal training scedules for your most "important" players, i tend to use the Duncans training regime, is that good enough you think? I hope so. Also, when playing R Madrid the 1st thing to do is getting a full new coaching staff! The ones that is there when you start is a joke!
Thanks again pal...
PS! I took your advise from your 1st or 2nd post where you talked about if you played R madrid, you`d use attacking fullbacks, anchorman, DLP support, AP attack, with attacking IF`s thats moving into channels in a 4-3-3, with a deeplaying strike( Cavani or Banzema ) Maybe Treq. would be even better? Just for info..
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That is one way you could do the 4-3-3. If you play a high defensive line, then fb-s would probably be sufficient to provide enough width. I sometimes play an attacking fb, but oftentimes I just leave them as fb-s. However, I don't have the likes of Marcelo on my team either. I tend to set my team up somewhat conservatively and then adjust based on who's playing well and trying to figure out where I can exploit. You could try playing them at fb-s and adjusting their mentality or in a wb role or fb-a role. If you want them running to the endline and sending crosses in, then the attack role would be perfect. If not, then watch them play and make adjustments to make sure they occupy the space that you want them too Also, yes, my fbs are instructed to hug touchline.
I wouldn't necessarily try to replicate my formation because Madrid-in real life at least-were not designed to play a control/heavy possession game. They are good enough to adjust and you could def buy players to fit into that system, but you should focus on developing them in the manner which you like to watch. If you imagine how the players will respond to a given instruction, then you should be able to map out a style that works for you. As for dlf-s vs treq, I play a treq, but I make him run from deep occasionally and pressure the entire pitch on low tackling (in order to pressure the cbs and not force my wingers/cms to stray too far from their position). Cavani would be excellent anywhere, but he's probably best as an AF. Benzema is very dangerous as a withdrawn striker and I imagine that Ozil could be retrained to play there as well.
Training...I don't know how good Duncan's training schedules are, but people seem to be very happy with them. I don't generally download tactics/schedules, but if you are willing to put in the time (especially with young regens), then it can be very advantageous to individualize training schedules in order to for you to have more control over the development of your players. However, it is time consuming (especially at first).
4-2-3-1 vs 4-3-3...its a matter of preference. I would much prefer a 1 or 2-0 win than say a 5-2 win and I like that the 4-3-3 gives me more open space in the middle to occupy (and choose who moves into it). You could definitely play a 4-2-3-1 and have your amc drop deeper than normal or play treq (drops deep ppm is a must for all playmakers...especially if you want to dominate possession game) in order to have leave space in the middle for wingers/withdrawn striker to occupy. Again, when you set up your formation just try to think about where the players are going to be on the pitch and then try and force your opponent to defend as much of it *** possible. If you play Ozil in the cm, then make sure to train him heavy in defense and stamina.
I wouldn't necessarily try to replicate my formation because Madrid-in real life at least-were not designed to play a control/heavy possession game. They are good enough to adjust and you could def buy players to fit into that system, but you should focus on developing them in the manner which you like to watch. If you imagine how the players will respond to a given instruction, then you should be able to map out a style that works for you. As for dlf-s vs treq, I play a treq, but I make him run from deep occasionally and pressure the entire pitch on low tackling (in order to pressure the cbs and not force my wingers/cms to stray too far from their position). Cavani would be excellent anywhere, but he's probably best as an AF. Benzema is very dangerous as a withdrawn striker and I imagine that Ozil could be retrained to play there as well.
Training...I don't know how good Duncan's training schedules are, but people seem to be very happy with them. I don't generally download tactics/schedules, but if you are willing to put in the time (especially with young regens), then it can be very advantageous to individualize training schedules in order to for you to have more control over the development of your players. However, it is time consuming (especially at first).
4-2-3-1 vs 4-3-3...its a matter of preference. I would much prefer a 1 or 2-0 win than say a 5-2 win and I like that the 4-3-3 gives me more open space in the middle to occupy (and choose who moves into it). You could definitely play a 4-2-3-1 and have your amc drop deeper than normal or play treq (drops deep ppm is a must for all playmakers...especially if you want to dominate possession game) in order to have leave space in the middle for wingers/withdrawn striker to occupy. Again, when you set up your formation just try to think about where the players are going to be on the pitch and then try and force your opponent to defend as much of it *** possible. If you play Ozil in the cm, then make sure to train him heavy in defense and stamina.
After watching a few games now im fairly happy with my attacking movement but i notice some flaws in defence. Their strikers seems to be able to break my defence ( CB`s ) quite easely. They find ways through them all the time. Also i notice my FB`s put very low preasure on their wingers. Any advise on this? Maybe more aggressive shout? Also, im curious on oposition instructions! How do you see this? You let assistent decide or you set them up yourself?
One last thing, for now : ) I find that CR7 shoots from distance, like well outside the box way to often, shooting it over the crossbar every time! In real life he has an amazing long shot but on FM he really doesent, and he seems to choose the wrong time to try it too often! Should i set long shot to rarely and maybe take down his creative freedom a touch?
I see benefits in using a withdrawn striker, he is very involved in the attack and also finishes himself! brilliant!
**PS! How in the **** do i play against barcelona!!?? I beat them 5-0 in the homegame in the supercup, thought i had it, ended up loosing 7-0 with 0 shots on goal in the game at nou camp! Im embaressed!! What the f+2k happened???? Do i need a special tactic just for the Barca games?? I completely dominated them at home, Di Maria scored a hat-trick and the attack was amazing! Barca had 52% posession but created nothing in attack. But at Nou Camp, im meen, comon, 7-0???? what the ****? After that home win? Now thats not logical!! With the exact same tactic i beat them 5-0? I dont get it.. Does FM also favour Barca?? Im thinking a deep 4-2-3-1 for exampel? What u think? I also fear that when Barca own me up like that ill suffer against most teams away from home...
One last thing, for now : ) I find that CR7 shoots from distance, like well outside the box way to often, shooting it over the crossbar every time! In real life he has an amazing long shot but on FM he really doesent, and he seems to choose the wrong time to try it too often! Should i set long shot to rarely and maybe take down his creative freedom a touch?
I see benefits in using a withdrawn striker, he is very involved in the attack and also finishes himself! brilliant!
**PS! How in the **** do i play against barcelona!!?? I beat them 5-0 in the homegame in the supercup, thought i had it, ended up loosing 7-0 with 0 shots on goal in the game at nou camp! Im embaressed!! What the f+2k happened???? Do i need a special tactic just for the Barca games?? I completely dominated them at home, Di Maria scored a hat-trick and the attack was amazing! Barca had 52% posession but created nothing in attack. But at Nou Camp, im meen, comon, 7-0???? what the ****? After that home win? Now thats not logical!! With the exact same tactic i beat them 5-0? I dont get it.. Does FM also favour Barca?? Im thinking a deep 4-2-3-1 for exampel? What u think? I also fear that when Barca own me up like that ill suffer against most teams away from home...
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Real Madrid C.F. (Taktikk_ Oversikt).png
just rightclick link to open picture. this tactic beat barca 5-0 at home and lost 7-0 away wich adjustments should i do? tactic is 90% fluid, been working like a charm all games in pre-season.
just rightclick link to open picture. this tactic beat barca 5-0 at home and lost 7-0 away
wich adjustments should i do? tactic is 90% fluid, been working like a charm all games in pre-season.
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I think you're gonna find it difficult to prevent Ronaldo from taking ridiculous shots. I'm pretty sure he has the "takes long shots" ppm (you could try to get him to unlearn it, but it probably won't be successful...at least initially), his teamwork is pretty low and in order to get him to play at his best he needs to play with a very attacking mentality; all of those characteristics will probably lead to a lot of long shots no matter what you do tactically. Also, your manager reputation is probably pretty low, so its gonna be even more difficult to get the players to listen to you until you've got a couple seasons under your belt. However, you could definitely set his takes long shots to low and that might help a little (his ppm will override his individual instructions).
I love playing with a withdrawn striker up top, but that doesn't mean that you always have to do it...just make sure to layer your attack and to cover the whole pitch. Barca is tough to beat (so is Madrid). I often find myself vacationing through those games because I have an excellent assistant and I hate watching my team having to park the bus in order to survive (my assistant just beat them 3-0 doing just that). I don't think it would be a bad idea to have a specific Barca tactic (or for road games against other huge squads if you just need to maintain a couple goal aggregate advantage). I play a counter 4-1-2-1-2 in theses situations. I find that narrow tactics are best in these situations, but you could definitely be more creative in devising such a formation. In general, pressing Barca on the road (at least until they start to age) is suicide regardless of who you are. The only real way to beat them is to take away the middle of the pitch and hope to hit them on the counter. a deep 4-2-3-1 could probably work and Madrid should have the personal to play that very well as that is essentially what they play in real life.
I rarely play a stopper, but I sometimes do when I don't play a dm. I generally partner my defense with a one cb-defend and a cb-c. I don't know if that is the best partnership, but I play as high as my team can get away with and that creates a lot of room for the opponent to exploit. I don't like setting anyone to tackle hard, but I will tackle hard on individuals (just try to avoid doing so against quick/excellent dribbling opponents as you will rack up cards). If they are running right by you though, you might have to risk a tackle hard (I almost always tackle hard on the opposing striker as I trust my cbs tackling ability much more). You also want to avoid closing down on too many opponents. I only close down often against players who will hold the ball, poor dribblers, cbs and players with extremely low morale. I may also do it on an opponents playmaker, but I'm more likely to man mark him tightly as he's probably skilled enough to run right by my closing down attacker. I would just play around with individual instuctions, opposition instructions, players' mentality and closing down option...also, sometimes you will have to tone down your closing down on the road.
Finally, I couldn't view your tactic. It just went to a blank white screen. Try taking a screenshot: I think the code is alt+F9 (check preferences section). It will load into your screenshots folder and you can upload them in the advanced section. If you don't have a screenshots folder, then you can create one and the game will automatically store them there.
I love playing with a withdrawn striker up top, but that doesn't mean that you always have to do it...just make sure to layer your attack and to cover the whole pitch. Barca is tough to beat (so is Madrid). I often find myself vacationing through those games because I have an excellent assistant and I hate watching my team having to park the bus in order to survive (my assistant just beat them 3-0 doing just that). I don't think it would be a bad idea to have a specific Barca tactic (or for road games against other huge squads if you just need to maintain a couple goal aggregate advantage). I play a counter 4-1-2-1-2 in theses situations. I find that narrow tactics are best in these situations, but you could definitely be more creative in devising such a formation. In general, pressing Barca on the road (at least until they start to age) is suicide regardless of who you are. The only real way to beat them is to take away the middle of the pitch and hope to hit them on the counter. a deep 4-2-3-1 could probably work and Madrid should have the personal to play that very well as that is essentially what they play in real life.
I rarely play a stopper, but I sometimes do when I don't play a dm. I generally partner my defense with a one cb-defend and a cb-c. I don't know if that is the best partnership, but I play as high as my team can get away with and that creates a lot of room for the opponent to exploit. I don't like setting anyone to tackle hard, but I will tackle hard on individuals (just try to avoid doing so against quick/excellent dribbling opponents as you will rack up cards). If they are running right by you though, you might have to risk a tackle hard (I almost always tackle hard on the opposing striker as I trust my cbs tackling ability much more). You also want to avoid closing down on too many opponents. I only close down often against players who will hold the ball, poor dribblers, cbs and players with extremely low morale. I may also do it on an opponents playmaker, but I'm more likely to man mark him tightly as he's probably skilled enough to run right by my closing down attacker. I would just play around with individual instuctions, opposition instructions, players' mentality and closing down option...also, sometimes you will have to tone down your closing down on the road.
Finally, I couldn't view your tactic. It just went to a blank white screen. Try taking a screenshot: I think the code is alt+F9 (check preferences section). It will load into your screenshots folder and you can upload them in the advanced section. If you don't have a screenshots folder, then you can create one and the game will automatically store them there.