UNCLE MAD's TACTICS GUIDE
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1. Forget about the previous versions' training systems and/or habits. FM15 apparently has a new training system that is more realistic in that it is gradual.
2. From the coaches' point of view its no longer ideal to have only one coach doing a specific job but its better to have him doing more than one.
3. Understand that training is gradual. Gone are the days where you started training very heavily from the get go. Instead, do the following:
(a) First week fitness general training - tactics match training (focus bar should be all the way to the left) plus rest after match. Intensity: Average. Actually its even better to start season earlier (you gain a couple of weeks which you can use just for fitness training without playing friendlies)
(b) Second week increase intensity to high
(c) Third week gen training team cohesion - Intensity high. No rest after matches
(d) Fourth week gen training team cohesion - Intensity high + rest after matches.
(e) Fifth week till start of season team cohesion and intensity high + rest after matches
(f) From start of season: intensity low + rest after matches (lose tactics/team cohesion when your tactics bars are 3/4 or as you did in previous versions. Also intensity low).
(g) Do not individually train your first team squad players in pre- season. Very high intensity is too dangerous for injuries and you should avoid it.
(h) MATCH FITNESS is VERY important. Monitor it and utilise the much improved system of utilising the reserve team to build up player's match fitness. If possible DO NOT play people with less than 85 match fitness for more than 45 minutes. Non match fit players are more susceptible to injury.
I initially experimented with individual training. In order to avoid injuries and for the first time in my FM life I was training individuals not on intense (1st season). But took one player at the start of season 2 - who Ive had for a season already trained on average (HOU SAETER)- and given him intense individual training and Im monitoring his injury record to see if individual training should also be gradual - ANSWER IS YES: Start on average for a couple of months with every new first team squad player and only after that increase it to high (pair low team training with high individual as you can tell from all the above).
ALSO: CLEON IS GOD
Look for posts by him in SI forums and here: SI Sports Centre | Home of FM Training and Tactics
Read and learn!
2. From the coaches' point of view its no longer ideal to have only one coach doing a specific job but its better to have him doing more than one.
3. Understand that training is gradual. Gone are the days where you started training very heavily from the get go. Instead, do the following:
(a) First week fitness general training - tactics match training (focus bar should be all the way to the left) plus rest after match. Intensity: Average. Actually its even better to start season earlier (you gain a couple of weeks which you can use just for fitness training without playing friendlies)
(b) Second week increase intensity to high
(c) Third week gen training team cohesion - Intensity high. No rest after matches
(d) Fourth week gen training team cohesion - Intensity high + rest after matches.
(e) Fifth week till start of season team cohesion and intensity high + rest after matches
(f) From start of season: intensity low + rest after matches (lose tactics/team cohesion when your tactics bars are 3/4 or as you did in previous versions. Also intensity low).
(g) Do not individually train your first team squad players in pre- season. Very high intensity is too dangerous for injuries and you should avoid it.
(h) MATCH FITNESS is VERY important. Monitor it and utilise the much improved system of utilising the reserve team to build up player's match fitness. If possible DO NOT play people with less than 85 match fitness for more than 45 minutes. Non match fit players are more susceptible to injury.
I initially experimented with individual training. In order to avoid injuries and for the first time in my FM life I was training individuals not on intense (1st season). But took one player at the start of season 2 - who Ive had for a season already trained on average (HOU SAETER)- and given him intense individual training and Im monitoring his injury record to see if individual training should also be gradual - ANSWER IS YES: Start on average for a couple of months with every new first team squad player and only after that increase it to high (pair low team training with high individual as you can tell from all the above).
ALSO: CLEON IS GOD
Look for posts by him in SI forums and here: SI Sports Centre | Home of FM Training and Tactics
Read and learn!
Fancy going strikerless?
Playing strikerless formations is very interesting. Have a look at these babies:
Counterpressing variations | Spielverlagerung.com
The Whitehouse Address: Football's New Era - The Rise of 'Counter-Pressing'
Utilizing Pressing in Football Manager | Passion for Football Manager
And this idea for TIs
Click here to view the original image of 795x616px and 95KB.
Mentality: Attacking/overload
Fluid
Playing strikerless formations is very interesting. Have a look at these babies:
Counterpressing variations | Spielverlagerung.com
The Whitehouse Address: Football's New Era - The Rise of 'Counter-Pressing'
Utilizing Pressing in Football Manager | Passion for Football Manager
And this idea for TIs
Click here to view the original image of 795x616px and 95KB.
Mentality: Attacking/overload
Fluid
How to not concede in the last few minutes of matches
The most popular approach to wind down the clock and hang on to a result is to adopt a Contain strategy together with a combination of team instructions, such as Drop (much) Deeper, Stay On Feet, play narrower and close down (much) less (also waste time - retain possession).
But actually such changes may actually be counter-productive. Also you sometimes dont necessarily need to be so defensive. It may even be making it more likely that the opposition will score. Dont forget that "retain possession" in combination to those other instructions equates to dithering on the ball, so if your team is not technically up to it or can be out muscled by the opposition it may be a recipe for disaster - better to employ the clear ball to flanks instruction instead provided you have wingers/ifs.
Before I move on to discuss the matter further I want to share what I found with the FM15 tactics system in this respect: On top of the above team instructions Going very rigid and the additional instructions: stick to positions and be more disciplined are extremely effective.
The main issue to bear in mind when adopting an extremely defensive mentality is that it invites pressure. The opposition is allowed to advance at will quite deep in your half until they are met with any resistance (drop (much) deeper/ close down (much) less/ stay on feet exacerbate this). So, this approach should be far from your mind if you have had the upper-hand for the vast majority of the match, or if the opposition happens to be a significantly weaker team that have been defending up until this point. If you have been able to control the match and peg the other team back, why would you drop back and finally giving them enough space to create chances?! In this situation, a slightly reduced mentality (ie from attacking to standard) and a modified approach geared towards keeping the ball can more than suffice. Not only is this likely to be a more practical way of thwarting the opposition under the circumstances, but it's also likely to represent less of a change compared with your starting tactic. Also, sudden changes in mentality are problematic. So, if you started the match with a positive approach involving an Attacking or Control strategy, your team may struggle more when suddenly switching to a Contain strategy, much more so than if you were going from Standard to Contain, for example.
Not only is the team being asked to do something drastically different, but it's also inviting unnecessary pressure on top of that. This logic strongly advocates only slight modification when you're defending against a weaker team. So, possibly a Standard mentality, alongside instruction such as Get Stuck In or Retain Possession. This would ensure that your team eases off slightly and comfortably holds onto the ball, allowing you to still control the game and at the same time be more than stable enough defensively, even if its at the expense of attacking intent. The logic in not dropping back more than that is that if the smaller opposition haven't been able to be particularly threatening throughout the game, then they're going to struggle just as much to do so now, even when getting more players forward. No need to back off and gift them the space on a plate that they've not been able to find otherwise.
Of course it's different if you are the smaller team attempting to maintain a flattering scoreline against better opposition, or if you have been outplayed and outfought (in which case as early as possible in the match look to substitute in stronger/more aggressive players and have the team tackle and press more and harder and close space -esp midfield space- better and in this respect tweaking your formation may also help). If you still have struggled to contain a team over the course of a match, it's inevitable that when they turn up the pressure you'll be even more overrun than you were before the final minutes. THIS is when you should drop back and shut-up-shop (but do it carefully, gradually and only for the last 5-10 minutes). There is little to no chance of suddenly pressuring the opposition in ways that you've been unable to previously, so better to get men behind the ball, maintain the team's shape and try to weather the storm by being as difficult as possible to break down. So, a Contain or Defensive strategy, supplemented by instructions such as Drop (much) Deeper,Close down (much) less, Stay On Feet, andPlay Narrower is advisable.
An alternative way of approaching this stage of a match is to be counter-attacking. Generally speaking, this method will only be as effective as your team is at counter-attacking in general. So, if you haven't built a tactic around counter-attacking and been successful with it, this approach is most likely not your best option now when such an approach would need to be at its most effective. In general I dont like counter tactics and cant seem to make them work in FM15. Anyway, a Standard, Counter or Defensive (depending on how far you're deviating from your starting tactic, as well as your team's performance on the day) mentality, in addition to the team instructions of Drop Deeper, and Clear Ball To Flanksand Pass Into Spacein order to encourage longer balls that play your wingers into space, which can be especially effective if the other team has adopted a desperate 4-2-4 shape.
Another thing to do is to be reactive to what the opposition does in another way: you must in any case always have the opposition formation on screen during matches. Usually when the opposition is chasing matches it changes formation to extremely attacking such as 424. This presents a golden opportunity for you to take control of the most crucial area: the midfield. So change your own formation to pack the midfield so that the opposition two players there will be inundated by your players. When opposition teams try to break you down they do so trying to exploit width and space on the shoulder of your defenders. So look at your left defender and right defender (turn both of them into full backs and have them on defend with instructions to hold position).
The most popular approach to wind down the clock and hang on to a result is to adopt a Contain strategy together with a combination of team instructions, such as Drop (much) Deeper, Stay On Feet, play narrower and close down (much) less (also waste time - retain possession).
But actually such changes may actually be counter-productive. Also you sometimes dont necessarily need to be so defensive. It may even be making it more likely that the opposition will score. Dont forget that "retain possession" in combination to those other instructions equates to dithering on the ball, so if your team is not technically up to it or can be out muscled by the opposition it may be a recipe for disaster - better to employ the clear ball to flanks instruction instead provided you have wingers/ifs.
Before I move on to discuss the matter further I want to share what I found with the FM15 tactics system in this respect: On top of the above team instructions Going very rigid and the additional instructions: stick to positions and be more disciplined are extremely effective.
The main issue to bear in mind when adopting an extremely defensive mentality is that it invites pressure. The opposition is allowed to advance at will quite deep in your half until they are met with any resistance (drop (much) deeper/ close down (much) less/ stay on feet exacerbate this). So, this approach should be far from your mind if you have had the upper-hand for the vast majority of the match, or if the opposition happens to be a significantly weaker team that have been defending up until this point. If you have been able to control the match and peg the other team back, why would you drop back and finally giving them enough space to create chances?! In this situation, a slightly reduced mentality (ie from attacking to standard) and a modified approach geared towards keeping the ball can more than suffice. Not only is this likely to be a more practical way of thwarting the opposition under the circumstances, but it's also likely to represent less of a change compared with your starting tactic. Also, sudden changes in mentality are problematic. So, if you started the match with a positive approach involving an Attacking or Control strategy, your team may struggle more when suddenly switching to a Contain strategy, much more so than if you were going from Standard to Contain, for example.
Not only is the team being asked to do something drastically different, but it's also inviting unnecessary pressure on top of that. This logic strongly advocates only slight modification when you're defending against a weaker team. So, possibly a Standard mentality, alongside instruction such as Get Stuck In or Retain Possession. This would ensure that your team eases off slightly and comfortably holds onto the ball, allowing you to still control the game and at the same time be more than stable enough defensively, even if its at the expense of attacking intent. The logic in not dropping back more than that is that if the smaller opposition haven't been able to be particularly threatening throughout the game, then they're going to struggle just as much to do so now, even when getting more players forward. No need to back off and gift them the space on a plate that they've not been able to find otherwise.
Of course it's different if you are the smaller team attempting to maintain a flattering scoreline against better opposition, or if you have been outplayed and outfought (in which case as early as possible in the match look to substitute in stronger/more aggressive players and have the team tackle and press more and harder and close space -esp midfield space- better and in this respect tweaking your formation may also help). If you still have struggled to contain a team over the course of a match, it's inevitable that when they turn up the pressure you'll be even more overrun than you were before the final minutes. THIS is when you should drop back and shut-up-shop (but do it carefully, gradually and only for the last 5-10 minutes). There is little to no chance of suddenly pressuring the opposition in ways that you've been unable to previously, so better to get men behind the ball, maintain the team's shape and try to weather the storm by being as difficult as possible to break down. So, a Contain or Defensive strategy, supplemented by instructions such as Drop (much) Deeper,Close down (much) less, Stay On Feet, andPlay Narrower is advisable.
An alternative way of approaching this stage of a match is to be counter-attacking. Generally speaking, this method will only be as effective as your team is at counter-attacking in general. So, if you haven't built a tactic around counter-attacking and been successful with it, this approach is most likely not your best option now when such an approach would need to be at its most effective. In general I dont like counter tactics and cant seem to make them work in FM15. Anyway, a Standard, Counter or Defensive (depending on how far you're deviating from your starting tactic, as well as your team's performance on the day) mentality, in addition to the team instructions of Drop Deeper, and Clear Ball To Flanksand Pass Into Spacein order to encourage longer balls that play your wingers into space, which can be especially effective if the other team has adopted a desperate 4-2-4 shape.
Another thing to do is to be reactive to what the opposition does in another way: you must in any case always have the opposition formation on screen during matches. Usually when the opposition is chasing matches it changes formation to extremely attacking such as 424. This presents a golden opportunity for you to take control of the most crucial area: the midfield. So change your own formation to pack the midfield so that the opposition two players there will be inundated by your players. When opposition teams try to break you down they do so trying to exploit width and space on the shoulder of your defenders. So look at your left defender and right defender (turn both of them into full backs and have them on defend with instructions to hold position).
How to not concede in the last few minutes of matches ... PART DEUX
If a Standard strategy is used, it makes more sense for your team to not be backing off so much.
In contrast, if you choose a Counter strategy, lower closing down becomes more important, so drop down (much) less should be considered, as this mentality requires more emphasis on team shape than Standard. With Defensive though, you may as well use both drop down (much) less and Stay On Feet. After all, your players are sitting so deep that they may as well be looking to force the other team to break them. Otherwise, if midfielders in particular are too readily leaving their defensive positions, opposition midfielders and forwards may find enough space to go unchallenged and have enough time to produce dangerous shots just outside the penalty area. Allowing such attacks defeats the purpose and compromises the strength of sitting so deep within your own half.
With the right balance,you'll defend opposition attacks and give them something to struggle with on the other end. If you don't have a direct threat that's causing problems to the opposition then you're simply allowing the opposition to swiftly get the ball back, allowing them to attack you again. Its not only a question of altering team/player mentality and instructions however. Only doing that is dangerous and may well result in you conceding. Equally if not more important are formational tweaks. You should be watching matches at least on extensive and have the formation of the opposing team on screen at all times. This is to know immediately about formational changes they may employ so that you can negate or even exploit them.
For example:
a. If you play with wingbacks / fullbacks with attacking /automatic duty it would be good between the 80th and 85th minute to pull them back to be in line with your cbs and have them DEFEND. Even more drastic but quite effective is to also pull the "wingers" back to the wb position so that you have two banks of players on the left and right side of your defence. But NEVER forget having alsways a player who can get the ball and move it (swiftly) to opposition territory as explained above.
b. If the opposition possesses good wingers/employs wing tactics such as 442/you see a wing thread, then identify it and maybe have your own wingers man markt heir wingers (or if their wingbacks are the threat point have them man mark them instead). Of course if you employ Ifs, in order to do that you need to change them to wide players instead so that they occupy the same areas as their target players.
c. If the opposition changes formation to one using an am then pull one cm back, make him dm or anchorman and have him man mark their am.
d. The most common AI tactic to seek goals is to employ a 424. This is very easy to tackle. All you have to do is a. above plus pack the midfield by either employing a 4141 or a 451 (but not with a flat 5 cos that is not conducive to defending better nor to having an outlet for your own attacks). Also remember that a mf which has a dlp (even on defend) as well as an AP will hold the ball better.
e. Make sure whatever you do to leave attacking outlets of your own as if you dont have any whenever your players have the ball they wont have players in mf/attack seeking openings resulting instead in loss of possession. Generally speaking the one time when you unavoidably MUST be REACTIVE to what the opposition does is when you are trying to hold on to a slender lead.
If when watching matches you see the other team attacking in waves and yours defending/being unable to keep possession you are deffo not playing well defensively. This means that you are employing the wrong approach combination towards safety (the wrong tactics for the match) and its an indication that alternative tweaks are necessary.
Shutting up shop in a few clear steps:
1. There is no substitute for watching matches on extensive at least. If there is a time to be reactive to what you have seen its in the last 10 minutes of matches.
2. Bear in mind what all instructions actually do. Close down (much) less for example can be a dangerous counter productive instruction to suddenly introduce. If you have quick defenders to the other teams not so quick attacking players or if you are the much more reputable team DO NOT employ this shout in its extreme version (ie much less).
3. Following on from 2. above, do not blindly introduce stuff that make your team more defensive/less ambitious. Always do it in relation to what you have seen in the match as well as your players vs opposition players.
4. On the 80th minute pause the match and make your formation more defensive: eg pull back wbs to fb position giving them defend instructions/pull back a cm sit him in front of your cbs make him an anchor man etc.
5. On 84/5th minute pause match again and give defensive instructions:- contain mentality drop deep (much deeper if you are the weaker team)/narrower/retain possession/stay on feet/close down (much) less/waste time/play even safer/be more disciplined/stay in position/clear ball to flanks and exploit flanks. If you dont have wide players in the tactic you are using then pull one player on the wing so that you can have an avenue to release pressure cos otherwise you will be hemmed in as your players wont have anyone to pass the ball from deep/defence and clearing ball to flanks has more chance of releasing players for counter attacks.
6. Dont use counter unless you re sure you know what you re doing as its very difficult to make it work.
I employ the above and I very rarely concede in the last 5/10 minutes as aresult - not only that but mostly I score! (mishaps do happen but then THATS FOOTIE for you!).
If a Standard strategy is used, it makes more sense for your team to not be backing off so much.
In contrast, if you choose a Counter strategy, lower closing down becomes more important, so drop down (much) less should be considered, as this mentality requires more emphasis on team shape than Standard. With Defensive though, you may as well use both drop down (much) less and Stay On Feet. After all, your players are sitting so deep that they may as well be looking to force the other team to break them. Otherwise, if midfielders in particular are too readily leaving their defensive positions, opposition midfielders and forwards may find enough space to go unchallenged and have enough time to produce dangerous shots just outside the penalty area. Allowing such attacks defeats the purpose and compromises the strength of sitting so deep within your own half.
With the right balance,you'll defend opposition attacks and give them something to struggle with on the other end. If you don't have a direct threat that's causing problems to the opposition then you're simply allowing the opposition to swiftly get the ball back, allowing them to attack you again. Its not only a question of altering team/player mentality and instructions however. Only doing that is dangerous and may well result in you conceding. Equally if not more important are formational tweaks. You should be watching matches at least on extensive and have the formation of the opposing team on screen at all times. This is to know immediately about formational changes they may employ so that you can negate or even exploit them.
For example:
a. If you play with wingbacks / fullbacks with attacking /automatic duty it would be good between the 80th and 85th minute to pull them back to be in line with your cbs and have them DEFEND. Even more drastic but quite effective is to also pull the "wingers" back to the wb position so that you have two banks of players on the left and right side of your defence. But NEVER forget having alsways a player who can get the ball and move it (swiftly) to opposition territory as explained above.
b. If the opposition possesses good wingers/employs wing tactics such as 442/you see a wing thread, then identify it and maybe have your own wingers man markt heir wingers (or if their wingbacks are the threat point have them man mark them instead). Of course if you employ Ifs, in order to do that you need to change them to wide players instead so that they occupy the same areas as their target players.
c. If the opposition changes formation to one using an am then pull one cm back, make him dm or anchorman and have him man mark their am.
d. The most common AI tactic to seek goals is to employ a 424. This is very easy to tackle. All you have to do is a. above plus pack the midfield by either employing a 4141 or a 451 (but not with a flat 5 cos that is not conducive to defending better nor to having an outlet for your own attacks). Also remember that a mf which has a dlp (even on defend) as well as an AP will hold the ball better.
e. Make sure whatever you do to leave attacking outlets of your own as if you dont have any whenever your players have the ball they wont have players in mf/attack seeking openings resulting instead in loss of possession. Generally speaking the one time when you unavoidably MUST be REACTIVE to what the opposition does is when you are trying to hold on to a slender lead.
If when watching matches you see the other team attacking in waves and yours defending/being unable to keep possession you are deffo not playing well defensively. This means that you are employing the wrong approach combination towards safety (the wrong tactics for the match) and its an indication that alternative tweaks are necessary.
Shutting up shop in a few clear steps:
1. There is no substitute for watching matches on extensive at least. If there is a time to be reactive to what you have seen its in the last 10 minutes of matches.
2. Bear in mind what all instructions actually do. Close down (much) less for example can be a dangerous counter productive instruction to suddenly introduce. If you have quick defenders to the other teams not so quick attacking players or if you are the much more reputable team DO NOT employ this shout in its extreme version (ie much less).
3. Following on from 2. above, do not blindly introduce stuff that make your team more defensive/less ambitious. Always do it in relation to what you have seen in the match as well as your players vs opposition players.
4. On the 80th minute pause the match and make your formation more defensive: eg pull back wbs to fb position giving them defend instructions/pull back a cm sit him in front of your cbs make him an anchor man etc.
5. On 84/5th minute pause match again and give defensive instructions:- contain mentality drop deep (much deeper if you are the weaker team)/narrower/retain possession/stay on feet/close down (much) less/waste time/play even safer/be more disciplined/stay in position/clear ball to flanks and exploit flanks. If you dont have wide players in the tactic you are using then pull one player on the wing so that you can have an avenue to release pressure cos otherwise you will be hemmed in as your players wont have anyone to pass the ball from deep/defence and clearing ball to flanks has more chance of releasing players for counter attacks.
6. Dont use counter unless you re sure you know what you re doing as its very difficult to make it work.
I employ the above and I very rarely concede in the last 5/10 minutes as aresult - not only that but mostly I score! (mishaps do happen but then THATS FOOTIE for you!).
Miscellaneous - including SECOND SEASON SYNDROME AVOIDANCE TECHNIQUE
A. Very useful advice on tactics:
Pairs & Combinations Part 1: Central Midfielders
Pairs & Combinations Part 2: Central Defenders
B. SECOND SEASON SYNDROME AVOIDANCE TECHNIQUE
Remember that chances are that in the second season your reputation will have risen, so now your team is much more of a threat in the eyes of your opponents.
This may have the following results:
1. Teams will often be happier to take a draw against you.
2. Deeper defensive lines: the space behind the lines that you were exploiting will get smaller.
3. Man-marking of your star players will be much more common - so tweak your tactics to have more varied danger sources (see comments in other posts in this thread).
One cannot be too specific about any recommended tactical changes because you must consider what will work best for the players at your disposal, but I would advise doing the following:
(a) Only recruit players you are sure you need.
(b) Look for players with good Creativity, Determination, Off The Ball, Composure, Vision and Anticipation, as these are the types of player who will help you to stay in games, break down narrow defences and retain possession.
(c) Look for pace as well - even where you wouldnt think that its that important (eg starting xi/back up cbs with less than 11/12 pace should be avoided. The ideal is at least 14).
(d) If you got promoted in the previous season, you have turned from one of the top teams in the previous division to one of the lesser ones in the division you now find yourself in so: tweak your tactics to reflect this.
(e) Understand your reputation has changed and play according to it.
(f) It is reasonable to want to build on your squad after the first season in a better divison (or after a season of success) but being too busy in the transfer market will damage your team more than improve it. Do NOT go on spending sprees. Rather decide what you need and buy the best players you can for it. Buy quality not quantity. Not more than 3/4 players per summer (up to two in January). Even if you do buy with restraint you still have to introduce your new players gradually (one per starting lineup for a couple of months plus one more as a sub).
(g) Conversely dont offload too many players at once. Remember TEAM COHESION is very important. Aim for a gradual shift towards a more balanced team. A team which stays together for long will play better than a team which keeps changing even with the introduction of better players. Language is also very important. It takes players about 6 months to learn the language and this will affect their performances.
(h) Look at the candidates you want to buy and esp their character. Dont bring in disruptive players.
(i) Are players who previously played tremendously now looking lazy or demotivated (watch the games closely: who is misplacing passes they shouldnt, who is getting caught on the ball, who is skying shots from 6 yards?)? Remember that motivation issues emanate from the way you approach press conferences, team talks, private chats and media comments as well.
(j) Match train (and general train) to combat specific issues. Or try attacking training for longer periods as Ive found this works quite well.
A. Very useful advice on tactics:
Pairs & Combinations Part 1: Central Midfielders
Pairs & Combinations Part 2: Central Defenders
B. SECOND SEASON SYNDROME AVOIDANCE TECHNIQUE
Remember that chances are that in the second season your reputation will have risen, so now your team is much more of a threat in the eyes of your opponents.
This may have the following results:
1. Teams will often be happier to take a draw against you.
2. Deeper defensive lines: the space behind the lines that you were exploiting will get smaller.
3. Man-marking of your star players will be much more common - so tweak your tactics to have more varied danger sources (see comments in other posts in this thread).
One cannot be too specific about any recommended tactical changes because you must consider what will work best for the players at your disposal, but I would advise doing the following:
(a) Only recruit players you are sure you need.
(b) Look for players with good Creativity, Determination, Off The Ball, Composure, Vision and Anticipation, as these are the types of player who will help you to stay in games, break down narrow defences and retain possession.
(c) Look for pace as well - even where you wouldnt think that its that important (eg starting xi/back up cbs with less than 11/12 pace should be avoided. The ideal is at least 14).
(d) If you got promoted in the previous season, you have turned from one of the top teams in the previous division to one of the lesser ones in the division you now find yourself in so: tweak your tactics to reflect this.
(e) Understand your reputation has changed and play according to it.
(f) It is reasonable to want to build on your squad after the first season in a better divison (or after a season of success) but being too busy in the transfer market will damage your team more than improve it. Do NOT go on spending sprees. Rather decide what you need and buy the best players you can for it. Buy quality not quantity. Not more than 3/4 players per summer (up to two in January). Even if you do buy with restraint you still have to introduce your new players gradually (one per starting lineup for a couple of months plus one more as a sub).
(g) Conversely dont offload too many players at once. Remember TEAM COHESION is very important. Aim for a gradual shift towards a more balanced team. A team which stays together for long will play better than a team which keeps changing even with the introduction of better players. Language is also very important. It takes players about 6 months to learn the language and this will affect their performances.
(h) Look at the candidates you want to buy and esp their character. Dont bring in disruptive players.
(i) Are players who previously played tremendously now looking lazy or demotivated (watch the games closely: who is misplacing passes they shouldnt, who is getting caught on the ball, who is skying shots from 6 yards?)? Remember that motivation issues emanate from the way you approach press conferences, team talks, private chats and media comments as well.
(j) Match train (and general train) to combat specific issues. Or try attacking training for longer periods as Ive found this works quite well.
Tactical musings part 778 ...
The simplest way to tactics (either downloaded ones and tweaked to suit your squad etc / ones you make yourself) is:
1. Have a basic idea of how you want to play (be realistic - no tiki taka with Crew Alexandra in the first season for example). We all love footy and have watched it all our lives. Think about what you like to see and what works in real life and try to implement it - eg having a slow cb like J Terry man mark C Ronaldo in real life is a recepe for disaster. Same in FM - so dont have slow defenders on man mark - or if you re Chelski on FM and your other 3 defs are ok pace wise and you want to use man mark you could try giving only terry zonal (but then dont play with off side trap as he'll always play people on, etc).
2. Time and again I see people coming on this site frustrated with FM / asking for tactical help/ wondering what they do wrong, and when they post their tactics they are allover the place.
There are loads of good blogs etc on tactics so read around at least for the basics - high defence line goes with offside trap and sweeper keeper etc. But I said the "simplest" way so here goes: Balance. You should have people doing different stuff per "line" ie: dont have all defenders defend (eg have at least one fb/wb on automatic or even attack), in a 4 man mf you should have at least one player defending. Balance means that the other 3 are: one attacking one defending one supporting (plus the other on defending/attacking/supporting/auto).
Also try to have your forwards doing different things. Its ok having both on attack (as long as the def and esp mf set up has enuff support potential to them) but dont give them the same roles! For example in a 3 man attack with a Treq/Target man up top and two IFs, having all three on attack is not balanced. A nice idea is the TM on attack the left IF on attack with a fb on auto behind him and the right IF on support with a wb on attack behind him.
3. Defence is not just for your defenders. Its about occupying and controlling space especially the middle of the park (literally). That is why the most effective (and nicest to look at in action) tactics are the strikerless ones - losing the attacker(s) means that you have extra players where it really counts (in the middle of the park).
4. FM Blogs I say above. There's loads - google Shrewnaldo/The FM Veteran which is an awesome blog that can start you off, and on it there's links to about 10 more which also have links to others ...... Passion4fm is also a great blog as is True Football Manager. Even blogs on past versions of the game are a treasure trove.
5. The ME is not broken. The game is not fixed against you or predetermined. If stuff is not working then its surely something you are (not) doing. With this in mind and with patience you will deffo have a better time with FM.
The simplest way to tactics (either downloaded ones and tweaked to suit your squad etc / ones you make yourself) is:
1. Have a basic idea of how you want to play (be realistic - no tiki taka with Crew Alexandra in the first season for example). We all love footy and have watched it all our lives. Think about what you like to see and what works in real life and try to implement it - eg having a slow cb like J Terry man mark C Ronaldo in real life is a recepe for disaster. Same in FM - so dont have slow defenders on man mark - or if you re Chelski on FM and your other 3 defs are ok pace wise and you want to use man mark you could try giving only terry zonal (but then dont play with off side trap as he'll always play people on, etc).
2. Time and again I see people coming on this site frustrated with FM / asking for tactical help/ wondering what they do wrong, and when they post their tactics they are allover the place.
There are loads of good blogs etc on tactics so read around at least for the basics - high defence line goes with offside trap and sweeper keeper etc. But I said the "simplest" way so here goes: Balance. You should have people doing different stuff per "line" ie: dont have all defenders defend (eg have at least one fb/wb on automatic or even attack), in a 4 man mf you should have at least one player defending. Balance means that the other 3 are: one attacking one defending one supporting (plus the other on defending/attacking/supporting/auto).
Also try to have your forwards doing different things. Its ok having both on attack (as long as the def and esp mf set up has enuff support potential to them) but dont give them the same roles! For example in a 3 man attack with a Treq/Target man up top and two IFs, having all three on attack is not balanced. A nice idea is the TM on attack the left IF on attack with a fb on auto behind him and the right IF on support with a wb on attack behind him.
3. Defence is not just for your defenders. Its about occupying and controlling space especially the middle of the park (literally). That is why the most effective (and nicest to look at in action) tactics are the strikerless ones - losing the attacker(s) means that you have extra players where it really counts (in the middle of the park).
4. FM Blogs I say above. There's loads - google Shrewnaldo/The FM Veteran which is an awesome blog that can start you off, and on it there's links to about 10 more which also have links to others ...... Passion4fm is also a great blog as is True Football Manager. Even blogs on past versions of the game are a treasure trove.
5. The ME is not broken. The game is not fixed against you or predetermined. If stuff is not working then its surely something you are (not) doing. With this in mind and with patience you will deffo have a better time with FM.
PRE-SEASON GUIDE
INTRODUCTION
The first day at your new club is perhaps the most important day of your career (and every first day of a new pre-season is the most important day of that season).
There are a number of things that you absolutely MUST do if you don't want to have various problems later on. Most people find them boring as it delays the "real" action (buying and selling players and playing matches) for quite some time (takes me between half an hour and 1.5 hours).
But if you dont do them or if you dont do them properly you will suffer the consequences (delayed learning of tactics/no cohesion etc). But dont worry, if you do them once they become second nature and, I dare say it, enjoyable.
It would be helpful if you arm yourself with a couple of A4 size pieces of paper and a pen at the start of every pre-season ...
GAME START DATE
Aim to have as long a pre- season as possible. When choosing leagues bear in mind their start dates. To show you what I mean by an example say I start a save with GENK and Belgium game start date is July; I would then choose game to start in a different country with an earlier season start (eg Germany) so as to have it start in June and have an extra month of preparation.
Before the start of every new season you will get a message asking when you want pre-season to start. Choose early but also look for balance (give your players a reasonable holiday!).
NEW MANAGERS GET TO KNOW YOUR CLUB!
1. Look at your squads: decide
(a) who are your best players for every position,
(b) who are the up and coming youngsters, and
(c) who are the players you dont need.
Look in your reserve and other squads carefully as there usually are good players hidden there who for whatever reason are (wrongly) transfer listed by the previous regime.
A good tip to make your life easier in a club you know little about is to categorise players by value (press the relevant button in the squad screen) as value is a good starting indicator as to ability.
Take one of the A4 papers and carefully space out every position of your tactic (using dots on it for every position). Then put the players you will be keeping in the position you will be playing them hierarchically - eg in a club where Strandberg/Andia/Milosevic/Okore are your cbs decide the two pairs (Strandberg/Milosevic and Okore/Andia) and put them there. Thats your rotated cb pairs there for you and thats your cbs there for you. This should also tell you that you need another one cb (maybe promote one from youth ranks/loan one in) for when matches will be coming thick and fast.
2. Look to have two players per position plus an extra player apart from GKs where two are enough. This is especially true if you are a top team in a major league as you should be going after all possible trophies so you ll have to play more matches.
3. If you list the players you will be using from the existing squad on the A4 paper as above you will have a very concrete indication of what you need to buy- this will avoid mindless adrenaline rushes of buying for the sake of buying which will ultimately hurt your team cohesion and team spirit (cos people will start complaining about game time).
4. Team cohesion is important and very difficult to establish. If you bring in more than 3/4 players every summer and 1/2 in January then prepare for performances not to reflect squad strength for a pretty long time.
As a new manager you need to use pre season to get acquainted withyour new club, in addition to building up your players fitness levels.
When managing a new club you need to analyse the squads strengths and weaknesses (as above), set up your three formations, and schedule training to aid player development.
ARRANGE FRIENDLIES
Dont let the assistant do it! Do it yourself. If you are a poor team try to arrange friendlies away against better opponents but don't overdo it as another target during pre season is to build up morale and you cant really do that if you get your *** whupped repeatedly. Start with "easy" teams to build up morale and have the better teams in the middle of your schedule. Always arrange the last friendly against a team you know you ll whup the *** off again for morale. Arrange as many friendlies aspossible (max 4/5 days between each).
By playing matches the players will both improve their knowledge of your tactics and their individual match fitness. The individual players match fitness will also be improved by assigning players to heavy physical training.
By arranging multiple friendly matches, you increase your players"comfort" with your tactics quicker AND give them match fitness which affects their performances. Rotate your players. But rotate cleverly - dont rotate both first choice cbs at the same time rotate only one, dont put a newbie gk behind two cbs that are new to club/young/not first choice etc ... (this is also my advice about rotating in season btw and remember its better to give a youngster league time with a risk of a draw/loss than put loads of youngsters -not heeding my above advice in your starting lineup in Cup matches- with the potential certainty of failing to progress).
LOOK AT FINANCES
Look at your team's balance and sources of income. If the income sources are limited but you have a "big" transfer kitty (eg for Argentinian teams something in the region of 3m) so that your income can barely sustain that this means that if you spend it all you will be given (next to) nothing the next season. Spend wisely and what is left put in wages for two reasons: board will be happy with your control over wages and apparently you will be getting interest on the (bigger) difference.
INTRODUCTION
The first day at your new club is perhaps the most important day of your career (and every first day of a new pre-season is the most important day of that season).
There are a number of things that you absolutely MUST do if you don't want to have various problems later on. Most people find them boring as it delays the "real" action (buying and selling players and playing matches) for quite some time (takes me between half an hour and 1.5 hours).
But if you dont do them or if you dont do them properly you will suffer the consequences (delayed learning of tactics/no cohesion etc). But dont worry, if you do them once they become second nature and, I dare say it, enjoyable.
It would be helpful if you arm yourself with a couple of A4 size pieces of paper and a pen at the start of every pre-season ...
GAME START DATE
Aim to have as long a pre- season as possible. When choosing leagues bear in mind their start dates. To show you what I mean by an example say I start a save with GENK and Belgium game start date is July; I would then choose game to start in a different country with an earlier season start (eg Germany) so as to have it start in June and have an extra month of preparation.
Before the start of every new season you will get a message asking when you want pre-season to start. Choose early but also look for balance (give your players a reasonable holiday!).
NEW MANAGERS GET TO KNOW YOUR CLUB!
1. Look at your squads: decide
(a) who are your best players for every position,
(b) who are the up and coming youngsters, and
(c) who are the players you dont need.
Look in your reserve and other squads carefully as there usually are good players hidden there who for whatever reason are (wrongly) transfer listed by the previous regime.
A good tip to make your life easier in a club you know little about is to categorise players by value (press the relevant button in the squad screen) as value is a good starting indicator as to ability.
Take one of the A4 papers and carefully space out every position of your tactic (using dots on it for every position). Then put the players you will be keeping in the position you will be playing them hierarchically - eg in a club where Strandberg/Andia/Milosevic/Okore are your cbs decide the two pairs (Strandberg/Milosevic and Okore/Andia) and put them there. Thats your rotated cb pairs there for you and thats your cbs there for you. This should also tell you that you need another one cb (maybe promote one from youth ranks/loan one in) for when matches will be coming thick and fast.
2. Look to have two players per position plus an extra player apart from GKs where two are enough. This is especially true if you are a top team in a major league as you should be going after all possible trophies so you ll have to play more matches.
3. If you list the players you will be using from the existing squad on the A4 paper as above you will have a very concrete indication of what you need to buy- this will avoid mindless adrenaline rushes of buying for the sake of buying which will ultimately hurt your team cohesion and team spirit (cos people will start complaining about game time).
4. Team cohesion is important and very difficult to establish. If you bring in more than 3/4 players every summer and 1/2 in January then prepare for performances not to reflect squad strength for a pretty long time.
As a new manager you need to use pre season to get acquainted withyour new club, in addition to building up your players fitness levels.
When managing a new club you need to analyse the squads strengths and weaknesses (as above), set up your three formations, and schedule training to aid player development.
ARRANGE FRIENDLIES
Dont let the assistant do it! Do it yourself. If you are a poor team try to arrange friendlies away against better opponents but don't overdo it as another target during pre season is to build up morale and you cant really do that if you get your *** whupped repeatedly. Start with "easy" teams to build up morale and have the better teams in the middle of your schedule. Always arrange the last friendly against a team you know you ll whup the *** off again for morale. Arrange as many friendlies aspossible (max 4/5 days between each).
By playing matches the players will both improve their knowledge of your tactics and their individual match fitness. The individual players match fitness will also be improved by assigning players to heavy physical training.
By arranging multiple friendly matches, you increase your players"comfort" with your tactics quicker AND give them match fitness which affects their performances. Rotate your players. But rotate cleverly - dont rotate both first choice cbs at the same time rotate only one, dont put a newbie gk behind two cbs that are new to club/young/not first choice etc ... (this is also my advice about rotating in season btw and remember its better to give a youngster league time with a risk of a draw/loss than put loads of youngsters -not heeding my above advice in your starting lineup in Cup matches- with the potential certainty of failing to progress).
LOOK AT FINANCES
Look at your team's balance and sources of income. If the income sources are limited but you have a "big" transfer kitty (eg for Argentinian teams something in the region of 3m) so that your income can barely sustain that this means that if you spend it all you will be given (next to) nothing the next season. Spend wisely and what is left put in wages for two reasons: board will be happy with your control over wages and apparently you will be getting interest on the (bigger) difference.
PRE-SEASON GUIDE PART 2
General Training and Match Training
Dont forget to schedule training on the first day on a new save and if its an ongoing one do so right after your last match!
My advice of what to schedule is in the earlier post about avoiding injuries.
Staff
Look at them from the training page and see who is below par. Give them mutual termination (doing it first day means they' ll leave for less). Then go to staff screen and clear the deadwood looking at that.
Make a note on your other piece of A4 paper what training categories you need staff for and how many coaches. Go to staff transfer centre and start looking. Make note of who you offer jobs to in order to avoid getting more experts for a category than you need. Aim to have coaches with as many stars as you can and the indication of light workload. Look also at their personalities as this will be a factor influencing your regens. Once I get the best I can, if I have a free coaching position I search for somebody with 20 or near it for motivating, I bring him in and have him train EVERY category. Dunno if it works but it seems reasonable (note: passion4fm blog has helpful downloadable filters to find the best staff).
Once you complete your squad (and WHEN YOU FINISH PRE SEASON FOR NEW PLAYERS/IN THE FIRST SEASON) you then assign individual training. Have all players individually training positions which train most of the attributes you want improved for the season (unless somebody has a very low attribute for his position which sticks out where you will assign that particular attribute). In the following seasons you can look at individual attributes. Every 3/4 months go back to this and monitor player improvement. Look also at what PPMs you want to teach/unteach and schedule them as well. Tutor pairings should also be addressed at this stage and monitored through the season.
Another piece of advice is to train your younger players esp to be comfortable in more than one position as this gives you flexibility and saves money in the long term.
Once the season starts you should aim to gradually set the intensity to low and once you are done with tactics/cohesion you should assign something else as GT. Most people have it on Balanced. That is one option I use. I alternatively train ball control and attacking interchangeably (cos I like the attributes they deal with eg possession) and only train balanced one week per month. I also look at opponents and how Im doing (I will occasionally train attack or defence for example).
MT should be opponent - orientated. An example that brings the two together: Im Bologna and scheduled to play Bayern in the second round (knock out) CL who are much stronger. If I have first match away Ill train GT Defence and MT Attacking set pieces cos I want to grab an away goal. If I then win or get a score draw for the return leg I train Defence and Defend Set pieces.
The slider should be less match training - 1 day match training. With rest after match only.
Set the Tactics
The orthodox way to do it is to look at your players and use a tactic to suit them (eg no wingers in the team? dont set a 442). Thats all fine and dandy but thats not what I do. I have a couple of tactics that I know work peachily and always set them and have a third to experiment with/play reactively with).
Be varied - I often see people who have eg 442 defend 442 attack and 442 counter to use depending on opponent. That to my mind is wrong. You should have a similar tactical/team instruction basis running through all three tactics as much as possible but the formations should be different. For example a wider one (eg a 451), a narrower one (eg a 41212) and eg one with 3 cbs. You could achieve this by having wingbacks instead of fbs in the first two. This will come in handy when you read the scout reports of opponents and particularly the tactics faced part and you notice that a particular opponent doesnt like a narrow formation. It may be a different narrow formation from the one your players know but believe me your narrow formation will usually work almost equally well.
Note: have the board set expectations of attacking /possession football? Use at least one tactic aimed at that.
Setting up scouting network/looking for Transfer targets
1. Import any shortlists into the game.
2. Have a look at the transfer/loan market.
3. If you are in an alien league to you eg Uruguay look at each team of similar/lowerlevel from the league table page. Press the value tab as its a good startingindicator and if you like what you see scout player and take it from there. Do the same with analogous reputation leagues (eg Chile).
4. Assign scouts to find transfer targets - but always relative to where you are and what you need. Eg it would be pointless at Penarol to scout European leagues as nobody of note would deign to join you.
5. Dont suffer from the obsession that all FMers apparently suffer from! ie dont always look only for youth! Look for players who will win you money/trophies/reputation asap (and these are not necessarily youngsters). As always balance is the name of the game.
General Training and Match Training
Dont forget to schedule training on the first day on a new save and if its an ongoing one do so right after your last match!
My advice of what to schedule is in the earlier post about avoiding injuries.
Staff
Look at them from the training page and see who is below par. Give them mutual termination (doing it first day means they' ll leave for less). Then go to staff screen and clear the deadwood looking at that.
Make a note on your other piece of A4 paper what training categories you need staff for and how many coaches. Go to staff transfer centre and start looking. Make note of who you offer jobs to in order to avoid getting more experts for a category than you need. Aim to have coaches with as many stars as you can and the indication of light workload. Look also at their personalities as this will be a factor influencing your regens. Once I get the best I can, if I have a free coaching position I search for somebody with 20 or near it for motivating, I bring him in and have him train EVERY category. Dunno if it works but it seems reasonable (note: passion4fm blog has helpful downloadable filters to find the best staff).
Once you complete your squad (and WHEN YOU FINISH PRE SEASON FOR NEW PLAYERS/IN THE FIRST SEASON) you then assign individual training. Have all players individually training positions which train most of the attributes you want improved for the season (unless somebody has a very low attribute for his position which sticks out where you will assign that particular attribute). In the following seasons you can look at individual attributes. Every 3/4 months go back to this and monitor player improvement. Look also at what PPMs you want to teach/unteach and schedule them as well. Tutor pairings should also be addressed at this stage and monitored through the season.
Another piece of advice is to train your younger players esp to be comfortable in more than one position as this gives you flexibility and saves money in the long term.
Once the season starts you should aim to gradually set the intensity to low and once you are done with tactics/cohesion you should assign something else as GT. Most people have it on Balanced. That is one option I use. I alternatively train ball control and attacking interchangeably (cos I like the attributes they deal with eg possession) and only train balanced one week per month. I also look at opponents and how Im doing (I will occasionally train attack or defence for example).
MT should be opponent - orientated. An example that brings the two together: Im Bologna and scheduled to play Bayern in the second round (knock out) CL who are much stronger. If I have first match away Ill train GT Defence and MT Attacking set pieces cos I want to grab an away goal. If I then win or get a score draw for the return leg I train Defence and Defend Set pieces.
The slider should be less match training - 1 day match training. With rest after match only.
Set the Tactics
The orthodox way to do it is to look at your players and use a tactic to suit them (eg no wingers in the team? dont set a 442). Thats all fine and dandy but thats not what I do. I have a couple of tactics that I know work peachily and always set them and have a third to experiment with/play reactively with).
Be varied - I often see people who have eg 442 defend 442 attack and 442 counter to use depending on opponent. That to my mind is wrong. You should have a similar tactical/team instruction basis running through all three tactics as much as possible but the formations should be different. For example a wider one (eg a 451), a narrower one (eg a 41212) and eg one with 3 cbs. You could achieve this by having wingbacks instead of fbs in the first two. This will come in handy when you read the scout reports of opponents and particularly the tactics faced part and you notice that a particular opponent doesnt like a narrow formation. It may be a different narrow formation from the one your players know but believe me your narrow formation will usually work almost equally well.
Note: have the board set expectations of attacking /possession football? Use at least one tactic aimed at that.
Setting up scouting network/looking for Transfer targets
1. Import any shortlists into the game.
2. Have a look at the transfer/loan market.
3. If you are in an alien league to you eg Uruguay look at each team of similar/lowerlevel from the league table page. Press the value tab as its a good startingindicator and if you like what you see scout player and take it from there. Do the same with analogous reputation leagues (eg Chile).
4. Assign scouts to find transfer targets - but always relative to where you are and what you need. Eg it would be pointless at Penarol to scout European leagues as nobody of note would deign to join you.
5. Dont suffer from the obsession that all FMers apparently suffer from! ie dont always look only for youth! Look for players who will win you money/trophies/reputation asap (and these are not necessarily youngsters). As always balance is the name of the game.
WAFFLING ABOUT TACTICS ...
In order to ensure that goals will be scored in FM, as in real life, what is necessary is variation in attacking threats.
Width is crucial. This is not to say that narrow formations/settings are not effective, but the ability to stretch the width of opponents means that space will be found in the middle. So try to combine width with exploit the middle maybe (or do it with roles and instructions: eg am + run from deep/shoot often). By stretching teams wide, especially with overlaps, it becomes much easier to separate centre backs from full backs, as the wider defenders spread out; this means that there is space in the channels and in the box for midfield runners and strikers to exploit. If the opposition defence choose not to spread, they then sacrifice the wings and give you the chance to cross the ball.
Try to have vertical depth in your attacks. Players with "inbuilt instructions" to eg Run From Deep Often, such as Poachers and Attacking Wingers push the opposition defensive line back whereas playmakers tend to engage opposition midfielders and pull them out; a good combination can really open up the space in midfield and mean that you only have one line of the opposition to beat rather than two solid banks.
A nice way to put it all together is by using a high pressing aggressive set up that keeps pushing the opposition players back and doesnt leave them time on the ball. But see the value of having pace all through your team as indicated in previous posts.
Time and again I see people on this site and elsewhere greatly limiting themselves by setting up tactics only having one line/outlet of attack that they rely on. The problem with this is that it relies on that one line performing to its full potential; thus if the opposition block it off or your player does not perform well, any attacking potential is completely wiped out. Therefore, it is essential that you add lots of little lines of attack that can add variation. Also try having a number of options on the bench that are completely different to the players who are already on the pitch, and ensure that you can attack through a number of different players and styles.
Suggestions:
1. Use a poacher up front and a deep lying playmaker in midfield with your best player in attacking midfield - he will find lots of space.
2. Use a winger on one wing, and an inside forward on the other - this gives you two different attacking threats even if the winger has support duty.
3. Where you use an inside forward, use a wing back or attacking full back on the same side - they will overlap and add width.
4. Situate your best creative players near your fastest players and best finishers - they will have good passing lines.
5. Use a creative striker when you are only using one forward, and surround them with runners from midfield - they will receive passes and get in behind as they are tough to mark.
6. When attacking players have Run From Deep Rarely, allow a midfielder nearby to attack from deep and penetrate the line.
7. If you have a creative winger set him up to be your playmaker (on the wing).
8. Use combinations ensuring ball retention - eg: dlp (defend) in front of defence + ap (support) in mf + an am with the proper instructions for ball holding.
9. Try set up with one cf (dlf support) with two oncoming ams behind him (eg one a shadow striker the other an am) on attack
10. Use asymmetrical formations even if its by only moving one player: eg in 442 move left mf up a bit and make him a winger support/if attack. This stretches/confuses the opposition.
And a word on defending:
Use defensive triangles: three players forming a narrow triangle, the tip of which is closest to the ball, and looks to force the ball-carrier opposing player to pass the ball away from the triangle, seeing as he can't run through it, and then quickly adjust shape to force them wide until they're forced onto the touchline where they're closed down, or they try to dribble through and are dispossessed.
Easiest way to make a triangle is by two cbs and a dm. Or in the AMC role with two midfielders in a 4-2-3-1, allowing teams to funnel counter-attacks wide earlier and close down high up the pitch this way against players who don't have a chance at playing a pass or dribbling through them. Or in the non flat 451 with the dm and the two cms. The latter two are very difficult to work in fm ...
In order to ensure that goals will be scored in FM, as in real life, what is necessary is variation in attacking threats.
Width is crucial. This is not to say that narrow formations/settings are not effective, but the ability to stretch the width of opponents means that space will be found in the middle. So try to combine width with exploit the middle maybe (or do it with roles and instructions: eg am + run from deep/shoot often). By stretching teams wide, especially with overlaps, it becomes much easier to separate centre backs from full backs, as the wider defenders spread out; this means that there is space in the channels and in the box for midfield runners and strikers to exploit. If the opposition defence choose not to spread, they then sacrifice the wings and give you the chance to cross the ball.
Try to have vertical depth in your attacks. Players with "inbuilt instructions" to eg Run From Deep Often, such as Poachers and Attacking Wingers push the opposition defensive line back whereas playmakers tend to engage opposition midfielders and pull them out; a good combination can really open up the space in midfield and mean that you only have one line of the opposition to beat rather than two solid banks.
A nice way to put it all together is by using a high pressing aggressive set up that keeps pushing the opposition players back and doesnt leave them time on the ball. But see the value of having pace all through your team as indicated in previous posts.
Time and again I see people on this site and elsewhere greatly limiting themselves by setting up tactics only having one line/outlet of attack that they rely on. The problem with this is that it relies on that one line performing to its full potential; thus if the opposition block it off or your player does not perform well, any attacking potential is completely wiped out. Therefore, it is essential that you add lots of little lines of attack that can add variation. Also try having a number of options on the bench that are completely different to the players who are already on the pitch, and ensure that you can attack through a number of different players and styles.
Suggestions:
1. Use a poacher up front and a deep lying playmaker in midfield with your best player in attacking midfield - he will find lots of space.
2. Use a winger on one wing, and an inside forward on the other - this gives you two different attacking threats even if the winger has support duty.
3. Where you use an inside forward, use a wing back or attacking full back on the same side - they will overlap and add width.
4. Situate your best creative players near your fastest players and best finishers - they will have good passing lines.
5. Use a creative striker when you are only using one forward, and surround them with runners from midfield - they will receive passes and get in behind as they are tough to mark.
6. When attacking players have Run From Deep Rarely, allow a midfielder nearby to attack from deep and penetrate the line.
7. If you have a creative winger set him up to be your playmaker (on the wing).
8. Use combinations ensuring ball retention - eg: dlp (defend) in front of defence + ap (support) in mf + an am with the proper instructions for ball holding.
9. Try set up with one cf (dlf support) with two oncoming ams behind him (eg one a shadow striker the other an am) on attack
10. Use asymmetrical formations even if its by only moving one player: eg in 442 move left mf up a bit and make him a winger support/if attack. This stretches/confuses the opposition.
And a word on defending:
Use defensive triangles: three players forming a narrow triangle, the tip of which is closest to the ball, and looks to force the ball-carrier opposing player to pass the ball away from the triangle, seeing as he can't run through it, and then quickly adjust shape to force them wide until they're forced onto the touchline where they're closed down, or they try to dribble through and are dispossessed.
Easiest way to make a triangle is by two cbs and a dm. Or in the AMC role with two midfielders in a 4-2-3-1, allowing teams to funnel counter-attacks wide earlier and close down high up the pitch this way against players who don't have a chance at playing a pass or dribbling through them. Or in the non flat 451 with the dm and the two cms. The latter two are very difficult to work in fm ...
SMELLS LIKE TEAM SPIRIT
An team which isn't cohesive is not a team, its a group of individuals. If you watch the game on Full or Comprehensive, as you ought to, you will see passes that don't go straight to feet, or first touches that are slightly delayed or wayward. At its worst, a lack of team cohesion will see your pass completion ratio plummet, runs go unnoticed and movement being completely senseless, all of which will undermine the success of your tactic (and MAKE YOU THINK THE ME IS BROKEN WHEN ITS NOT!!!).
The most obvious form of team spirit is how well the team is blended, and this depends on a combination of things:
1. Time spent together
This is the most obvious one and it is probably one of the reasons that in real life Barcelona have dominated football for the last few years. Most of their squad has come from La Masia. If players spend so many years with one another, they' re much more likely to know their role in the team and how to complement each other, and this is paramount to playing good football.
2. Languages spoken
If a player speaks a different language to the rest of the team, it severely damages his ability to play well and link up well; the impact is lessened if he is a less creative role where synchronisation is less important, but it is there nonetheless. It takes over a year for a player to fully learn a language, but less if you have a player of the same nationality who can speak both languages. Remember that South American and African countries tend to be former colonies and players from these countries will speak one of the major European languages, which is one less thing to worry about (Brazilians speak Portuguese, Argentinians Spanish, Ivory Coast French etc).
3. Personalities
Again all of the Barcelona squad have a broadly similar personality. There's no-one really in their squad, or in any successful team, who has a personality out of kilter with the team ethos (see also Man Utd till Moyes came in and did his best to destroy us or the **** under Wenger).
If you are patient you can change personalities and breed this ethos into players from your youth team by using stuff like tutoring etc.
4. Favoured personnel
The highest level of blending a team can achieve on FM is ?willing to die for each other? and this should be the ultimateteam building aim for managers. You want your players like one another as this will prevent disagreements and help them to link up more often and with better quality. There are obvious team cohesion/blending/spirit advantages to having players who like and appreciate one another as friends.
How to encourage blending:
1. Watch matches closely, look at player stats etc and see who is not blended.
2. Only play one or two unblended/new players at a time to slowly blend them into the squad and allow them to feel their way around your style. This will reduce their negative impact and allow you to grind out some results in the early stages of a season. This is slow but means you' ll be able to keep the board's and fans' confidence and get some decent form going. See previous post about avoiding second season syndrome for more on this.
3. Expect unblended/ new players to suffer in form till they blend. Dont be quickly disappointed or lose faith. Talk to them and utilise the option "I know you havent been scoring recently but I have faith you ll get through it" or similar. Throw them straight in the deep end and let them fight through for form. But not more than 1/2 per starting XI. This will be the quickest way of blending them into the squad, as they will get used to playing with one another, your existing players, and your tactics, but you will most probably get some badresults unless you try to do as per my post on second season syndrome. In my career as an FMer I very rarely if ever experience second season syndrome following exactly the advice Im giving you.
At the same time be the boss!
1. Dont let upset players call the shots.
2. Dont allow players to leave for any other reason than because you dont need/want them any more.
3. Do not give in to transfer requests.
Remember that in a team with most players on excellent morale you can afford to have 1/2 with bad morale because they ve fallen out with you. Keep playing the rebels and dont budge. Sooner or later they will kiss and make up (and while upset they'll keep playing for the team despite themselves - I lost count of the times players on red morale played well for me/scored crucial goals etc).
An team which isn't cohesive is not a team, its a group of individuals. If you watch the game on Full or Comprehensive, as you ought to, you will see passes that don't go straight to feet, or first touches that are slightly delayed or wayward. At its worst, a lack of team cohesion will see your pass completion ratio plummet, runs go unnoticed and movement being completely senseless, all of which will undermine the success of your tactic (and MAKE YOU THINK THE ME IS BROKEN WHEN ITS NOT!!!).
The most obvious form of team spirit is how well the team is blended, and this depends on a combination of things:
1. Time spent together
This is the most obvious one and it is probably one of the reasons that in real life Barcelona have dominated football for the last few years. Most of their squad has come from La Masia. If players spend so many years with one another, they' re much more likely to know their role in the team and how to complement each other, and this is paramount to playing good football.
2. Languages spoken
If a player speaks a different language to the rest of the team, it severely damages his ability to play well and link up well; the impact is lessened if he is a less creative role where synchronisation is less important, but it is there nonetheless. It takes over a year for a player to fully learn a language, but less if you have a player of the same nationality who can speak both languages. Remember that South American and African countries tend to be former colonies and players from these countries will speak one of the major European languages, which is one less thing to worry about (Brazilians speak Portuguese, Argentinians Spanish, Ivory Coast French etc).
3. Personalities
Again all of the Barcelona squad have a broadly similar personality. There's no-one really in their squad, or in any successful team, who has a personality out of kilter with the team ethos (see also Man Utd till Moyes came in and did his best to destroy us or the **** under Wenger).
If you are patient you can change personalities and breed this ethos into players from your youth team by using stuff like tutoring etc.
4. Favoured personnel
The highest level of blending a team can achieve on FM is ?willing to die for each other? and this should be the ultimateteam building aim for managers. You want your players like one another as this will prevent disagreements and help them to link up more often and with better quality. There are obvious team cohesion/blending/spirit advantages to having players who like and appreciate one another as friends.
How to encourage blending:
1. Watch matches closely, look at player stats etc and see who is not blended.
2. Only play one or two unblended/new players at a time to slowly blend them into the squad and allow them to feel their way around your style. This will reduce their negative impact and allow you to grind out some results in the early stages of a season. This is slow but means you' ll be able to keep the board's and fans' confidence and get some decent form going. See previous post about avoiding second season syndrome for more on this.
3. Expect unblended/ new players to suffer in form till they blend. Dont be quickly disappointed or lose faith. Talk to them and utilise the option "I know you havent been scoring recently but I have faith you ll get through it" or similar. Throw them straight in the deep end and let them fight through for form. But not more than 1/2 per starting XI. This will be the quickest way of blending them into the squad, as they will get used to playing with one another, your existing players, and your tactics, but you will most probably get some badresults unless you try to do as per my post on second season syndrome. In my career as an FMer I very rarely if ever experience second season syndrome following exactly the advice Im giving you.
At the same time be the boss!
1. Dont let upset players call the shots.
2. Dont allow players to leave for any other reason than because you dont need/want them any more.
3. Do not give in to transfer requests.
Remember that in a team with most players on excellent morale you can afford to have 1/2 with bad morale because they ve fallen out with you. Keep playing the rebels and dont budge. Sooner or later they will kiss and make up (and while upset they'll keep playing for the team despite themselves - I lost count of the times players on red morale played well for me/scored crucial goals etc).
HOW TO WIN POSSESSION AND KEEP IT
passion4fm is DA MAN for you. Go to his blog and particularly:
How to win Possession - Adapting The Match Tactic | Passion for Football Manager
How to eliminate threat with Opposition Instructions | Passion for Football Manager
Though written for FM13 the ideas are still valid and the articles are very helpful.
NOTE: the passion4fm site has moved - but you can find the above articles by searching on his new site.
Keeping possession/possession tactics:
Make sure you have ball holding duty players -eg: one ball playing cb/a dlp (df)/a bwm and an ap in the am position. If you do this even if your overall team tactics/instructions are not particularly possession minded (eg high pressing+/hassling+/getting stuck in+/more direct+/pass into space you ll still end up with high ball possession.
passion4fm is DA MAN for you. Go to his blog and particularly:
How to win Possession - Adapting The Match Tactic | Passion for Football Manager
How to eliminate threat with Opposition Instructions | Passion for Football Manager
Though written for FM13 the ideas are still valid and the articles are very helpful.
NOTE: the passion4fm site has moved - but you can find the above articles by searching on his new site.
Keeping possession/possession tactics:
Make sure you have ball holding duty players -eg: one ball playing cb/a dlp (df)/a bwm and an ap in the am position. If you do this even if your overall team tactics/instructions are not particularly possession minded (eg high pressing+/hassling+/getting stuck in+/more direct+/pass into space you ll still end up with high ball possession.
PRE-SEASON AND THE PARABLE OF REAPING WHAT YOU SOW ...
This post should be read in the light of what I say above about avoiding "second season syndrome".
Your targets in pre season should be:
-To get your FITNESS levels up.
-To get TACTIC familiarity to acceptable levels (if not to full)
-TEAM COHESION (absolutely crucial if you have more than two new players)
Concurrently to the above you need to increase MORALE.
Morale
Having players with high morale is crucial for success in FM15 and its a really good idea to get it as high as possible straight away. To achieve this as soon as possible make sure you play friendlies mostly against extremely weaker opposition. You want the team to score a lot of goals. You can set up a couple of friendlies against more difficult teams but do it in the "middle" of your schedules and ensure you have at least 2 friendlies against much weaker opponents till the season starts.
Fitness
Every player at the club must be match fit before the season starts. If not then the risk of picking up injuries or little niggles from games is increased. Also by getting everyone match fit it means you can throw them into the first team should you suffer injuries/suspensions early on in the season and don't have to worry that they aren't fit. It also becomes easier to maintain throughout the season.
Tactic Familiarity
This is the most important thing to concentrate on. The sooner it is fluid the better because it means your tactic will play better and the players are used to every aspect of it. You can get tactic familiarity fluid before the start of the first game of the season (or near it) if you plan properly. Set up around 12 friendlies (mostly as above vs weaker teams). Dont forget that against weaker teams you can play some of your youths without any fear. But you should always put out a side to win and win emphatically. So a match every 3/4 days.
Set match training to tactics and general training to cohesion. If you go to training camps then while these are on you gain tactic familiarity/fitness a lot quicker.
Therefore:
Team Cohesion
Have all your squads training the same tactics always. That way if you ve promoted players from your youth/reserves team into the first team they will already have tactical awareness.
If you bought more than two/three players especially who speak various languages then you should focus on this heavily as the general focus from the third week onwards (so from third week onwards training should be general team cohesion, match tactics - but see previous posts). It helps them settle into the team quickly and get an understanding.
Friendlies
As above (and see previous posts)
This post should be read in the light of what I say above about avoiding "second season syndrome".
Your targets in pre season should be:
-To get your FITNESS levels up.
-To get TACTIC familiarity to acceptable levels (if not to full)
-TEAM COHESION (absolutely crucial if you have more than two new players)
Concurrently to the above you need to increase MORALE.
Morale
Having players with high morale is crucial for success in FM15 and its a really good idea to get it as high as possible straight away. To achieve this as soon as possible make sure you play friendlies mostly against extremely weaker opposition. You want the team to score a lot of goals. You can set up a couple of friendlies against more difficult teams but do it in the "middle" of your schedules and ensure you have at least 2 friendlies against much weaker opponents till the season starts.
Fitness
Every player at the club must be match fit before the season starts. If not then the risk of picking up injuries or little niggles from games is increased. Also by getting everyone match fit it means you can throw them into the first team should you suffer injuries/suspensions early on in the season and don't have to worry that they aren't fit. It also becomes easier to maintain throughout the season.
Tactic Familiarity
This is the most important thing to concentrate on. The sooner it is fluid the better because it means your tactic will play better and the players are used to every aspect of it. You can get tactic familiarity fluid before the start of the first game of the season (or near it) if you plan properly. Set up around 12 friendlies (mostly as above vs weaker teams). Dont forget that against weaker teams you can play some of your youths without any fear. But you should always put out a side to win and win emphatically. So a match every 3/4 days.
Set match training to tactics and general training to cohesion. If you go to training camps then while these are on you gain tactic familiarity/fitness a lot quicker.
Therefore:
- Set up around 10/12 friendlies.
- Signing new players will reduce tactic familiarity, so the more signings you make the longer time you need to become fluid.
- You must set the scheduling bar in the training section all the way to the left so its set on 50%. That is where its 50% and not at the end of the bar.
- When you've set up the friendlies check on the training calendar to make sure you have at least two training days before each match.
- V IMPORTANT: Choose as early as possible pre season starting date (see previous posts on this)
Team Cohesion
Have all your squads training the same tactics always. That way if you ve promoted players from your youth/reserves team into the first team they will already have tactical awareness.
If you bought more than two/three players especially who speak various languages then you should focus on this heavily as the general focus from the third week onwards (so from third week onwards training should be general team cohesion, match tactics - but see previous posts). It helps them settle into the team quickly and get an understanding.
Friendlies
As above (and see previous posts)
Substitutions ... including how to ensure that you dont concede late in matches
This should be read together with my previous post (s) on how to ensure you dont concede late in matches and on how to avoid "second season syndrome".
Generally, the average FM player substitutes tired players. But is that really wise?
What we are usually guilty of is forgetting the mentality of players. Determination, composure, concentration and even flair are very important attributes, especially late in matches. Players with high stats in these (esp the first two) will have "more in the tank" to aid you in your cause.
Other considerations would be:
(a) Players on yellow cards (esp defensive ones - ones who have been yellow carded very early in matches). Check their aggression stat - if high they re in danger of a red. Alternatively consider instructing them to tackle easy and/or shouting at them to calm down.
(b) Players who are very nervous, complacent etc. Try shouting at them to show passion/demand more etc but if no change then sub. Look at personality - players with no ambition etc tend to feel nervous no matter what.
(c) Players who you will be starting next match. But calculate the threat posed by the opposition before you take them off. In my experience, in FM15 you should always do your best to win the match that comes first/which you re involved in, than rotate thinking of the next one.
(d) Obviously players who are slightly injured.
(e) Players on low morale. Morale is extremely important in FM15. Players with low morale, especially late in matches in key positions (cb esp) is a recipe for disaster.
So, who to bring on and when?
When it looks like the fate of the match is decided, bring on:
This should be read together with my previous post (s) on how to ensure you dont concede late in matches and on how to avoid "second season syndrome".
Generally, the average FM player substitutes tired players. But is that really wise?
What we are usually guilty of is forgetting the mentality of players. Determination, composure, concentration and even flair are very important attributes, especially late in matches. Players with high stats in these (esp the first two) will have "more in the tank" to aid you in your cause.
Other considerations would be:
(a) Players on yellow cards (esp defensive ones - ones who have been yellow carded very early in matches). Check their aggression stat - if high they re in danger of a red. Alternatively consider instructing them to tackle easy and/or shouting at them to calm down.
(b) Players who are very nervous, complacent etc. Try shouting at them to show passion/demand more etc but if no change then sub. Look at personality - players with no ambition etc tend to feel nervous no matter what.
(c) Players who you will be starting next match. But calculate the threat posed by the opposition before you take them off. In my experience, in FM15 you should always do your best to win the match that comes first/which you re involved in, than rotate thinking of the next one.
(d) Obviously players who are slightly injured.
(e) Players on low morale. Morale is extremely important in FM15. Players with low morale, especially late in matches in key positions (cb esp) is a recipe for disaster.
So, who to bring on and when?
- players with better morale than the ones brought off; condition is nowhere near as important as morale is. Though if your tactics are spot on you CAN carry up to a couple low morale players as indicated elsewhere in this thread.
- defenders with better mental attributes.
- more experienced players, if you can see someone underpeforming and being very nervous, after your attempts of taking pressure off him failed.
When it looks like the fate of the match is decided, bring on:
- young players; senior match experience is one of the most important factors in player development;
- newly transfered in players, in order to help them get integrated without risking team cohesion.
- those who are complaining about lack of first team football, even if their morale is not very good, as they might start getting over their slight concern;
- match unfit players.
I had 38 shots on goal and 10 ccs and yet I lost 1-0 to a team that had 2 shots!
... FFS isnt FM so unfair/unrealistic (I want my mummy!
)
In this post I will attempt to give people ideas as to why such things happen sometimes and how to deal with and/or prevent them.
1. You must watch matches on Extended at least (best on comprehensive) to understand whats happening in a match and how to deal with it.
2. Look at opposition reports, opposition squads, previous matches of opposition but esp opposition's league position and reputation - TO UNDERSTAND WHETHER they will attack you OR be happy to sit back give you space in front of them soak the pressure and hit you on the counter. It really is that straightforward: the AI in all matches has these two options and works to exploit space (esp space behind you).
3. Equally simple is the logical outcome of the two ways that the AI will choose to play against you: those who attack and press you aim to push you back and restrict space in front of you (but - CRUCIALLY - leave space behind them to be taken advantage of). Those who sit back are happy to give up space in front of them but restrict the possibility of your players finding any space behind them.
4. If you do the background work as above you ll be able to predict which of the two options will be used against you so that you will be able to try and deal with them.
5. As alluded to by the post title and the first sentence, too often I see people coming on fm base to complain that they got beaten by a weak team despite total domination in match, having the (far) better players and when I read about their experience I see that they essentially play the same way against all opponents. Or if they dont, they make counterproductive changes.
6. People usually have a tactical setup that is more defensive (counter even) to use against stronger sides or away and a more attacking one to use against the weaker ones. Thats not necessarily the way to go (at least not always).
7. As indicated above, sides who attack you leave acres of space behind them for you to take advantage of. Through balls work better against them for example. But also mentality changes and role changes of a couple of crucial players (eg wingers). If you watch matches properly you ll see whether they tend to attack more from one side (so - aim to exploit it by having players running into the space behind opposition players on that side). You can go more attacking yourself (either as a whole or particular players) but that is risky as it would leave space for the opposition to exploit. Another option would be to sit deep and get them to come forward then fight for the ball, win it and launch quick counters to exploit the space left behind the opposition.
8. But, more to the point, what do you do if a team refuses to come out of its shell and restricts space behind it to be exploited by you? Do you press and attack like **** hoping they'll make a mistake to let you through to score? I sometimes do that myself but if the opposition can retain their shape then you re likely to lose (because you really leave acres and acres of space behind you to be easily exploited), and blame the game when really you should be blaming someone whose name starts with "s" and ends with "elf"! What if you set a trap of your own to lure them out of their shell so that you can find pockets of space behind them to exploit? What if you set your own team to be defensive or with a counter or standard mentality or not use pressing TIs? If you are the better team, they'll see the space in front of them and try to move forward and you can then easily pick them off and use the now exposed space behind them.
9. Dont forget width. You can use it to go "round" players or to restrict space yourself. Dont thinkthat width is only the y narrower" or "play wider" TIs. Its other things also such as: instructing fbs/wbs to stay wide, using the right mentality (attacking naturally employs wider formation for example), different roles (eg: the Raumdeuter is a space finder ...) etc
10. So what do I do against teams to park the bus? In a simple step by step process:
(a) Start with a standard mentality and a formation which has width (note that formations such as a 4231 with the 3 "AMs" being narrow in the middle (eg SS-EG-SS) can still have width if the players in the fb positions are wbs on attack and if the the two SS are given TIs to run towards the flanks).
(b) Watch the match carefully esp the first 15/20 minutes. If you see your players being forced to shoot from distance, have little penetration or keep losing sitters then time to change.
(c) Using the above narrow 4231 formation as an example- push the (currently sitting narrowly) SSs in the AMR and AML positions and turn one into an IF (support) and the other to a WINGER (attack). Have the IF sit narrower and instruct the wb behind him to overlap (TIs stay wide and move further up). At the same time add the play wider TI but also change your own mentality to COUNTER.
(d) Watch match for a while. Do you see any changes in the behaviour of both sets of players? Try to change individual player roles and/or give them additional PIs to press and/or move into channels and/or more direct passes (ie instructions which are designed to exploit space). If not much changes then go DEFENSIVE.
(e) Still cant break them down? In the 50th minute change formation in reaction to the oppositions play till that point.
(f) Still cant break them down? around the 65th minute become more aggressive (eg change mentality to control).
(g) Whatever you do dont play the last 15 minutes of such matches (where you re the much better team pounding the opposition) with attacking and/or overload and with too much pressing as thats when the AI/the game tends to punish you.
(h) Generally be mindful of the need to create movement to stretch opposition.
This wont always succeed but at least it will help you to be able to understand what is really happening in matches and you will be satisfied that you tried, by taking steps, to change stuff to gain advantages.
This thread in a way was sparked by my yesterday's match against BRENDN in the FM BASE league thingy. I started with a set of tactics went 2-0 in front but he changed approach a number of times, scored a goal in the 61st minute and I then had to keep tweaking to keep him out in what was a progressively very nervous last 15 minutes for me ...
... FFS isnt FM so unfair/unrealistic (I want my mummy!
In this post I will attempt to give people ideas as to why such things happen sometimes and how to deal with and/or prevent them.
1. You must watch matches on Extended at least (best on comprehensive) to understand whats happening in a match and how to deal with it.
2. Look at opposition reports, opposition squads, previous matches of opposition but esp opposition's league position and reputation - TO UNDERSTAND WHETHER they will attack you OR be happy to sit back give you space in front of them soak the pressure and hit you on the counter. It really is that straightforward: the AI in all matches has these two options and works to exploit space (esp space behind you).
3. Equally simple is the logical outcome of the two ways that the AI will choose to play against you: those who attack and press you aim to push you back and restrict space in front of you (but - CRUCIALLY - leave space behind them to be taken advantage of). Those who sit back are happy to give up space in front of them but restrict the possibility of your players finding any space behind them.
4. If you do the background work as above you ll be able to predict which of the two options will be used against you so that you will be able to try and deal with them.
5. As alluded to by the post title and the first sentence, too often I see people coming on fm base to complain that they got beaten by a weak team despite total domination in match, having the (far) better players and when I read about their experience I see that they essentially play the same way against all opponents. Or if they dont, they make counterproductive changes.
6. People usually have a tactical setup that is more defensive (counter even) to use against stronger sides or away and a more attacking one to use against the weaker ones. Thats not necessarily the way to go (at least not always).
7. As indicated above, sides who attack you leave acres of space behind them for you to take advantage of. Through balls work better against them for example. But also mentality changes and role changes of a couple of crucial players (eg wingers). If you watch matches properly you ll see whether they tend to attack more from one side (so - aim to exploit it by having players running into the space behind opposition players on that side). You can go more attacking yourself (either as a whole or particular players) but that is risky as it would leave space for the opposition to exploit. Another option would be to sit deep and get them to come forward then fight for the ball, win it and launch quick counters to exploit the space left behind the opposition.
8. But, more to the point, what do you do if a team refuses to come out of its shell and restricts space behind it to be exploited by you? Do you press and attack like **** hoping they'll make a mistake to let you through to score? I sometimes do that myself but if the opposition can retain their shape then you re likely to lose (because you really leave acres and acres of space behind you to be easily exploited), and blame the game when really you should be blaming someone whose name starts with "s" and ends with "elf"! What if you set a trap of your own to lure them out of their shell so that you can find pockets of space behind them to exploit? What if you set your own team to be defensive or with a counter or standard mentality or not use pressing TIs? If you are the better team, they'll see the space in front of them and try to move forward and you can then easily pick them off and use the now exposed space behind them.
9. Dont forget width. You can use it to go "round" players or to restrict space yourself. Dont thinkthat width is only the y narrower" or "play wider" TIs. Its other things also such as: instructing fbs/wbs to stay wide, using the right mentality (attacking naturally employs wider formation for example), different roles (eg: the Raumdeuter is a space finder ...) etc
10. So what do I do against teams to park the bus? In a simple step by step process:
(a) Start with a standard mentality and a formation which has width (note that formations such as a 4231 with the 3 "AMs" being narrow in the middle (eg SS-EG-SS) can still have width if the players in the fb positions are wbs on attack and if the the two SS are given TIs to run towards the flanks).
(b) Watch the match carefully esp the first 15/20 minutes. If you see your players being forced to shoot from distance, have little penetration or keep losing sitters then time to change.
(c) Using the above narrow 4231 formation as an example- push the (currently sitting narrowly) SSs in the AMR and AML positions and turn one into an IF (support) and the other to a WINGER (attack). Have the IF sit narrower and instruct the wb behind him to overlap (TIs stay wide and move further up). At the same time add the play wider TI but also change your own mentality to COUNTER.
(d) Watch match for a while. Do you see any changes in the behaviour of both sets of players? Try to change individual player roles and/or give them additional PIs to press and/or move into channels and/or more direct passes (ie instructions which are designed to exploit space). If not much changes then go DEFENSIVE.
(e) Still cant break them down? In the 50th minute change formation in reaction to the oppositions play till that point.
(f) Still cant break them down? around the 65th minute become more aggressive (eg change mentality to control).
(g) Whatever you do dont play the last 15 minutes of such matches (where you re the much better team pounding the opposition) with attacking and/or overload and with too much pressing as thats when the AI/the game tends to punish you.
(h) Generally be mindful of the need to create movement to stretch opposition.
This wont always succeed but at least it will help you to be able to understand what is really happening in matches and you will be satisfied that you tried, by taking steps, to change stuff to gain advantages.
This thread in a way was sparked by my yesterday's match against BRENDN in the FM BASE league thingy. I started with a set of tactics went 2-0 in front but he changed approach a number of times, scored a goal in the 61st minute and I then had to keep tweaking to keep him out in what was a progressively very nervous last 15 minutes for me ...
PLAYER ATTRIBUTES
Attributes are mentioned in order of importance.
Goalkeepers
1. The most important attribute for a keeper is REFLEXES.
2. Perhaps surprisingly, COMMUNICATION is also very important. If it’s low then you should stay
away from that player. It is strongly linked with Adaptability – one of the hidden player attributes. If the player that you want to sign doesn’t speak the language of your club’s country and your scout tells you he finds it hard to adapt to life in another country then dont purchase.
3.AERIAL ABILITY, AGILITY, ANTICIPATION, COMPOSURE, CONCENTRATION, DECISIONS, JUMPING REACH and POSITIONING.
Central Defenders
1.HEADING, MARKING and TACKLING aren’t as important as most people think. Remember that marking relates to the skill a player has to follow somebody.
2. ANTICIPATION, POSITIONING and WORK RATE are by far the most important attributes imho.
3. ACCELERATION is also v important. As indicated elsewhere in this thread I also like pace relative to position (at least 12 but better 13-16).
4.JUMPING REACH, COMPOSURE, BRAVERY and DETERMINATION.
Full Backs/Wing backs
Note: I have noticed that, tactically, full backs/wing backs are perhaps the most important players in a successful tactic plus (or maybe, consequently) they are among the first players to tire.
1. ACCELERATION, PACE, STAMINA, WORK RATE and TEAMWORK.
2. ANTICIPATION, CONCENTRATION.
3. CROSSINGand TACKLING.
4.MARKING.
Defensive Midfielders
1. ANTICIPATION, COMPOSURE, CONCENTRATION, DECISIONS, DETERMINATION, STAMINA and WORK RATE.
2.PASSINGand TACKLING.
3. Decent FLAIR, ACCELERATION and PACE (relative to position).
Attributes are mentioned in order of importance.
Goalkeepers
1. The most important attribute for a keeper is REFLEXES.
2. Perhaps surprisingly, COMMUNICATION is also very important. If it’s low then you should stay
away from that player. It is strongly linked with Adaptability – one of the hidden player attributes. If the player that you want to sign doesn’t speak the language of your club’s country and your scout tells you he finds it hard to adapt to life in another country then dont purchase.
3.AERIAL ABILITY, AGILITY, ANTICIPATION, COMPOSURE, CONCENTRATION, DECISIONS, JUMPING REACH and POSITIONING.
Central Defenders
1.HEADING, MARKING and TACKLING aren’t as important as most people think. Remember that marking relates to the skill a player has to follow somebody.
2. ANTICIPATION, POSITIONING and WORK RATE are by far the most important attributes imho.
3. ACCELERATION is also v important. As indicated elsewhere in this thread I also like pace relative to position (at least 12 but better 13-16).
4.JUMPING REACH, COMPOSURE, BRAVERY and DETERMINATION.
Full Backs/Wing backs
Note: I have noticed that, tactically, full backs/wing backs are perhaps the most important players in a successful tactic plus (or maybe, consequently) they are among the first players to tire.
1. ACCELERATION, PACE, STAMINA, WORK RATE and TEAMWORK.
2. ANTICIPATION, CONCENTRATION.
3. CROSSINGand TACKLING.
4.MARKING.
Defensive Midfielders
1. ANTICIPATION, COMPOSURE, CONCENTRATION, DECISIONS, DETERMINATION, STAMINA and WORK RATE.
2.PASSINGand TACKLING.
3. Decent FLAIR, ACCELERATION and PACE (relative to position).
PLAYER ATTRIBUTES PART 2
Attacking Midfielders
1. TECHNIQUE is by far the most important attribute. It is essentially a multiplier of every
other technical attribute. PASSING is the other imperative.
2. DECISIONS, FLAIR, TEAMWORK and VISION.
3. DRIBBLING, FIRST TOUCH,OFF THE BALL, AGILITY, BALANCE, and ANTICIPATION.
Note: A more attacking "AM" role such as a Shadow Striker needs: FINISHING and COMPOSURE. Also, for a Target Man or similar position, replace ACCELERATION with HEADING and JUMPING REACH .
Wingers
1. DRIBBLING, FIRST TOUCH, TECHNIQUE, OFF THE BALL, ACCELERATION,PACE and AGILITY.
2. COMPOSURE, FLAIR, VISION, PASSING and CROSSING.
Forwards
1.FINISHING, FIRST TOUCH, COMPOSURE,OFF THE BALL and ACCELERATION.
2. AGILITY, ANTICIPATION and CONCENTRATION.
Note: TECHNIQUE works like a multiplier of all the above
General considerations
DETERMINATION is very important for every player. Players which are highly determined won’t get nervous easily. during matches. Always try building a squad of driven characters, especially if you want to avoid sudden drops in morale and/or form slumps and/or "2nd season syndrome" (see separate previous post on how to avoid 2nd season syndrome).
WORK RATE is how much a player will get involved and run for the team.
NATURAL FITNESS relates to how fast a player gets fit and stays that way. In essence is a multiplier of STAMINA.
Attacking Midfielders
1. TECHNIQUE is by far the most important attribute. It is essentially a multiplier of every
other technical attribute. PASSING is the other imperative.
2. DECISIONS, FLAIR, TEAMWORK and VISION.
3. DRIBBLING, FIRST TOUCH,OFF THE BALL, AGILITY, BALANCE, and ANTICIPATION.
Note: A more attacking "AM" role such as a Shadow Striker needs: FINISHING and COMPOSURE. Also, for a Target Man or similar position, replace ACCELERATION with HEADING and JUMPING REACH .
Wingers
1. DRIBBLING, FIRST TOUCH, TECHNIQUE, OFF THE BALL, ACCELERATION,PACE and AGILITY.
2. COMPOSURE, FLAIR, VISION, PASSING and CROSSING.
Forwards
1.FINISHING, FIRST TOUCH, COMPOSURE,OFF THE BALL and ACCELERATION.
2. AGILITY, ANTICIPATION and CONCENTRATION.
Note: TECHNIQUE works like a multiplier of all the above
General considerations
DETERMINATION is very important for every player. Players which are highly determined won’t get nervous easily. during matches. Always try building a squad of driven characters, especially if you want to avoid sudden drops in morale and/or form slumps and/or "2nd season syndrome" (see separate previous post on how to avoid 2nd season syndrome).
WORK RATE is how much a player will get involved and run for the team.
NATURAL FITNESS relates to how fast a player gets fit and stays that way. In essence is a multiplier of STAMINA.
RANDOM BITS AND PIECES
NOTE ON IN MATCH TEAM TALKS
I encourage every 15 minutes as a general principle (passionately or assertively). But if by the 30th minute I havent scored Ill demand more (assertively/aggressively depending who opponent is). Even if Im ahead by 1 goal but Im not playing that well Ill (assertively) demand more. If I fall behind - and depending on body language and performance Ill ask passionately/aggressively to show passion or demand more. If I need a goal ill ask to push forward. If I want to protect a lead, the choice is tighten up and/or concentrate.
- Use in match team talks - they are very effective. Even passionately encouraging every 15 minutes seems to make a difference.
- Morale makes more of a difference in FM 15 than previous versions. So do team talks yourself, praise your players etc and you'll be surprised.
- Manually search the best teams in the world, starting with the best national teams. Look in the U21 squads. You can find a LOT of class players this way esp regens later on in saves.
- If you dont want to lose your players DONT react to transfer speculation.
- When scouting for players, filter for one technical attribute abs see if you can find a player with better mentals. It could make a big difference to the quality of the player you get as mental attributes influence greatly how well a technical attribute is executed.
- To evade man marking have players change their position. This may also drag defenders out of position leaving gaps to be exploited.
- It is better for an am/cm to arrive late in opposition area.
- Try mixing up the passing in your team. Having a team build up play at the back with short and slow passing theb up front make it quick and direct.
- Do NOT let assman take over team talks and/or press conferences. I know they are tedious but they DO make a difference morale wise (MUCH more than you think and MUCH more than previous versions). As far as talking to the press is concerned its safer to mix it up by choosing ether the 2nd or the 4th option with the 1st sometimes thrown in if merited by the facts.
- Dont be afraid to lose. If you re losing or about to play a tough matcg - just go for it. Attack them and or be aggressive with tackling etc. Its just one match and if you take the shackles off your team may surprise you.
- Pay attention to the weather (prediction). Not only for passing but also for gks. GKs will be at risk from wet surface so why not try some quick, long, frequent shots on goal to try to catch opp. gk out?
- Think about the mentality of the referee. If he's strict you may consider instructing your players to take it easy with tackling.
- Tall players with bad jumping attributes will compensate due to hight.
- Understand the following (the theory can be applied to other positions). A lot of people may consider a striker to be weak if he has 14/13 finishing. Thats not necessarily the case. Technical attributes are factored against mental attributes such as composure so if a player with 13/14 finishing has 19/20 composure then he's suddenly not that bad an option.
- Your youth team(s) should ideally be playing the same tactics as the first team. This establishes a culture in the club and helps young developing players know the formation so that they ll settle in easily when you want them to play a first team match.
- Every season make a couple of tweaks to your tactical set up, especially if there is an upwards jump in your reputation as a club.
NOTE ON IN MATCH TEAM TALKS
I encourage every 15 minutes as a general principle (passionately or assertively). But if by the 30th minute I havent scored Ill demand more (assertively/aggressively depending who opponent is). Even if Im ahead by 1 goal but Im not playing that well Ill (assertively) demand more. If I fall behind - and depending on body language and performance Ill ask passionately/aggressively to show passion or demand more. If I need a goal ill ask to push forward. If I want to protect a lead, the choice is tighten up and/or concentrate.