'Opposition instructions' - do you just KNOW what to do now?

At first, when I discovered the asistant's feedback it worked a treat. Snuffing the strikers out, getting tight on the winger, closing that midfielder who'd been running me ragged - brilliant, I'm winning again. But after years of it I've realised that the 'opposition instructions' section of the assistant's feedback follows the same old formula. Pre-game, he tells you to close the centre mids, 'weaker foot' the strikers and then go in hard on two of his choice (that's the only bit of difference). He proceeds to tell you to tackle and 'weaker foot' the centre mids, 'everything' the wingers (that means weaker foot, always close and tackle hard - not tight marking, he never tells you to do that) and go in hard and close a few of the centre backs. As the game progresses and he gets bored he might ask you to do a job on the full backs.

What I was wondering is if people who've noticed this just do everything pre-game. So, before the match, instead of just doing the three your assistant tells you to, you also snuff out the wingers, meaning he won't proceed to tell you that and will actually be quicker to tell you which centre back to close. I was just wondering whether this worked, or whether you ''should'' take the assistant's advice step by step ('coz I get bored pausing every 10 minutes to go in hard on a different man, I'd rather just do it at the start and play the match).

Also, I was wondering if anyone used additional tactics to what their assistant advised, or even did the opposite of his suggestions.

(Side point - nowt more annoying than the opposition making subs and the sub having the freedom of the world until you realise and actually stick some instructions on him. In the Premiership you're not half punished for letting their striker get away unmarked).

I think it's the matter of "trust, but still check".

Your assman sometimes gives too few information. For example he asks you to close down one MC, but you (based on your experience) would close down both. He asks you to show one striker to weaker foot, but you would show both. You can do most of the decisions yourself, you don't have to wait until this suggestion appears to assman feedback.

But you have to check, obviously. Sometimes your assman doesn't ask you to show opp. player to weaker foot because he's two-footed or his both feet are at least reasonably strong.

You also have to consider opp. instructions together with your team and player orders. When your players will close down only on own half, then closing down one player "always" doesn't give you full effect or even causes mess on the pitch. Tackling hard is also tricky, because when everybody are tackling hard (even the players that can't really tackle) it causes a lot of fouls and free kicks and possible yellow/red cards.

So for some degree you can trust your assman, but you have to think things through yourself.

I tend to highlight the main threats and counter...

and if they have Celestine Babayaro....... its hard tackling all the way baby

I never use OI but for the times when i notice a player with low condition - i will select him for hard tackling in the hope of getting him injured

but then i'm evil like that

I have my own formula:

Wingers: Opposite foot to what side their on

Strikers: One Close Down, One Tight Marking Both Weaker foot

Central mids: Sometimes Hard Tackling

See how I did on The new Careers Forum: United Kingdom Journey