Few questions about how to set the right options

Hello,

Regularly, I want my team, or particular players to do specific things, but can't quite get them to happen. None of the options in the Tactics screen available to me seems to allow me to get things working as I would wish.

For example,

• 
  Chelsea's recent game against Barcelona saw them adopt a long-ball game at times, towards Drogba, and Malouda and Anelka would move closer to Drogba, waiting for a header down. If I position my wingers in the usual AMR and AML positons, such as Malouda and Anelka were, and play a long-ball game, my striker usually has no-one around him to header to. My wingers normally stay wide, or if I set their width to narrow, they never go wide. I can't seem to get them to go towards the striker when my defenders play a long ball, and stay wide when the team is playing it through midfield. The options seem quite rigid, and my players don't seem to be able to do one thing or another thing, based on particular situations.
  

• 
  Taking the Chelsea tactics as an example again, a long ball would be played, headed down to one of the supporting wingers, who would then keep it and wait for other players to join them, before passing it around and looking for an opening. So, tactically, this seems to be a long ball game, changing to a short passing game. However, my team can't seem to do that. If I set them to play long-ball, and aim towards my striker, they always try and play long balls to him, so when he heads it to my winger, he immediately trys a cross (long-ball)towards the striker again. I can't seem to stop this from happening.
  

• 
  I often play with a DMC in my team, as most of my opposition seems to favour having a AMC, so I find playing with a DMC can stop many of their attacks. I often play a man-marking tactic so the AMC is always looked after. However, some of the best teams in the league play with a AMC, as well as a AMR and AML, and these players change positions frequently. I find that if I set my DMC to man-marking, and the original AMC goes wide for a bit, my DMC is often miles out of position, and I often don't spot the oppositons changes until it's too late, as I view the game in Key Highlights mode. Is there a way to set my DMC to man-mark whoever is in the AMC position, not just a specific player?
  

Hello,

Regularly, I want my team, or particular players to do specific things, but can't quite get them to happen. None of the options in the Tactics screen available to me seems to allow me to get things working as I would wish.

For example,

• 
  Chelsea's recent game against Barcelona saw them adopt a long-ball game at times, towards Drogba, and Malouda and Anelka would move closer to Drogba, waiting for a header down. If I position my wingers in the usual AMR and AML positons, such as Malouda and Anelka were, and play a long-ball game, my striker usually has no-one around him to header to. My wingers normally stay wide, or if I set their width to narrow, they never go wide. I can't seem to get them to go towards the striker when my defenders play a long ball, and stay wide when the team is playing it through midfield. The options seem quite rigid, and my players don't seem to be able to do one thing or another thing, based on particular situations.
  

• 
  Taking the Chelsea tactics as an example again, a long ball would be played, headed down to one of the supporting wingers, who would then keep it and wait for other players to join them, before passing it around and looking for an opening. So, tactically, this seems to be a long ball game, changing to a short passing game. However, my team can't seem to do that. If I set them to play long-ball, and aim towards my striker, they always try and play long balls to him, so when he heads it to my winger, he immediately trys a cross (long-ball)towards the striker again. I can't seem to stop this from happening.
  

• 
  I often play with a DMC in my team, as most of my opposition seems to favour having a AMC, so I find playing with a DMC can stop many of their attacks. I often play a man-marking tactic so the AMC is always looked after. However, some of the best teams in the league play with a AMC, as well as a AMR and AML, and these players change positions frequently. I find that if I set my DMC to man-marking, and the original AMC goes wide for a bit, my DMC is often miles out of position, and I often don't spot the oppositons changes until it's too late, as I view the game in Key Highlights mode. Is there a way to set my DMC to man-mark whoever is in the AMC position, not just a specific player?
  

Would be better asked in the tactic and training forum

But anyway:

1) Play directly and narrowley. Put Anelka and Maloudas mentality one notch lower than Drogbas.

2) Put the defenders passing style on Direct and the wingers passing style on short.

3) You'll have to put your DM on zonal marking and get him to do more closing down, there is no other way

It would be good if I didnt have to "teach" my players how to play football through all these instructions. If I'm a manager, then I'm not a professional player - they are!

I should just have to say "right, here's my 11, DMC guy I want you to keep an eye on their players running from midfield, track the runs, and keep it tight. Little striker guy, watch for long balls and keep close to our big striker, watch for headers down. OK. Now, let's start the game attacking and quick, high tempo, get at them for the first 10/15 minutes, and then if we get a goal, calm it down a bit, and make sure we don't concede."

I shouldn't have to tell each player how to play football, just general instructions, and let their talents take over.

BTW in FM10 doing this will be a lot easier as they are using a TT@F (which can be read in the tactics forum) tactics wizard. There wont be the use of sliders as much and you can tell a player how to play by choosing from a drop down menu (example for a striker: Target Man, poacher, all round striker, FCA, FCd).

Would be better asked in the tactic and training forum

But anyway:

1) Play directly and narrowley. Put Anelka and Maloudas mentality one notch lower than Drogbas.

2) Put the defenders passing style on Direct and the wingers passing style on short.

3) You'll have to put your DM on zonal marking and get him to do more closing down, there is no other way

No.

Put him on tight man marking with no specific player marked and he will mark whoever is in that position.

An idea for (2) would be to instruct the wingers to 'hold up ball' but it may conflict with other orders.

1.) I'm not entirely sure, but I'd say average "Width", AML and AMR set with high Creative Freedom and Forward Runs: Often .. that should give them the freedom to make attacking runs off of your Target Man. (SI: I do wish we had a "Drift Inside" PPM for AMR/AML players, kind of the opposite of "Drift Into Channels" for an ST).

2.) is definitely "Hold Up Ball" for your wingers, that's what I have mine on.

You might also want to get them off of "Cross Ball: Often". They're wingers. They know to cross the ball. Try the medium/default setting for that, and they'll be much more dangerous - they may cut inside with the ball, try a low through ball, or try to whip in a cross. I reserve "Cross Often" for games in which I oppose two short central defenders (low Jumping).

3.) Definitely, just set him to Marking: Man, without specifying a specific player. I'd also suggest lowering his closing down, as I find a high-closing-down DM tries to range sideline to sideline; I'm perfectly happy with the amount of closing down I get from a DM if I have him set on the centerpoint or slightly lower. He still breaks up the plays I want him to break up, but he's much less likely to get way out of position.

My favorite counter to an AML/AMR formation is actually to set my DR and DL to explicitly Man-Mark the winger in question; not as useful if you're seeing frequent "Swap Position" instructions on those two as your fullbacks will get way out of position, but its quite effective against the ST-AML-AMR-MC-??-MC formations, where the ?? could be either a third MC, a DM, or a defender.

BTW in FM10 doing this will be a lot easier as they are using a TT@F (which can be read in the tactics forum) tactics wizard. There wont be the use of sliders as much and you can tell a player how to play by choosing from a drop down menu (example for a striker: Target Man, poacher, all round striker, FCA, FCd).

If they add this to FM10, I will appreciate the wizard. Has there been any official confirmation that the tactics wizard is in the works for FM10?