Player Swapping - position only / instructions / position & instructions

This season so far, my team St. Albans City have been playing a 4-3-3 formation and I have been trying to replicate this on FM. However, I have had some considerable difficulty in translating this system into the match engine. I have talked about some of the issues on the tactics forum in this thread, which goes into some depth above the difficulties I have experienced.

Obviously, in the 4-3-3, the midfield is often staggered for different effects. At recent games, I have been spending a lot of time carefully watching the middle three and their movement. Obviously, a midfield thrives on having different qualities of player with different quantities of attack and defend. I had presumed that the midfield would be layered and that one midfield player would have a clear defensive duty, while the other two played a little wider, moved into space and made forward runs. In reality, although the midfield was slightly staggered, the midfield trio were very fluid, much more than I expected, and they often exchanged responsibilities while keeping their assigned positions in the midfield.

Here, I come straight to a major tactical issue in FM. How could this fluid exchange of responsibilities be reflected in the game? I can use 'swap position' settings but that will literally make the player switch position to take on his partner's settings. This isn't what I was seeing in real life, where the midfield trio were staying to their assigned area of the pitch and exchanging responsibilities in a fluid way. What seems to be needed here is a 'swap responsibilities' instruction so that the player takes the instructions of his partner, as appropriate given the circumstances, and his partner takes his.

I would like to see this introduced in Football Manager. That is, I would like to have the ability to ask two or more players to swap responsibilities in a way which would allow them to complement each other. This would introduce a much needed fluidity into the match engine and result in the kind of real life swapping of responsibilities we see, for instance, between a midfield partnership where one player will advance while the other covers, and vice-versa.

I hope that PhroX won't mind me quoting from one of his recent posts here but it seems to me that we need the following potential settings to achieve the desired tactical effects:

1) Swap position only:

For example, two wingers who can both play either side, but have very different instructions - one as a classic "get to the byline" player, the other a more Beckham like player who'll pass/cross from deep. You want them swapping sides to mix things up, but they need their instructions individually tailored to play well.

2) Swap instructions only

For example, two "box-to-box" midfielders, you want them to keep to their side of the formation, but alternate which goes forward

3) Swap position and instructions

I.E. as it is now

I think his idea pretty much sums up the kinds of options I would like to see introduced in the future.

Please, let me know your thoughts and opinions regarding this idea.

Regards,

C.

Excellent eactly the thing I've been waiting for, for a while now.

great idea that has been wanted for many for a while now. This idea is crucial for strikers as well - for example if you want your two very different strikers to swap positions to confuse the opposition but keep their instructions e.g. Heskey and Agbonlahor spring to mind

I'd go further and suggest that was is needed is the ability to instruct a player to react to another player. That way we can really get partnerships going.

For instance...

A RM could be instructed to drop back if his RB overlaps him.

A RB could be instructed not to go forward if the LB has made a run forward

A CM could be instructed to make a run into the box if a winger gets to the byline

Etc....

You might be able to do this with the new tactics creator - I suppose we just have to wait for the demo to see what you can or cannot do.

I am looking forward to the tactics creator although I can see many a long night, sore knuckles, fraid tempers and general bad moods until you perfect this side of it - just like real life really!

One of the thing we definitely need...

With regard to strikers and wingers swapping with their counterpart, then I think you are absolutely spot on.

I wonder if midfielders alternating runs perhaps requires something slightly different - that is, they actually share an instruction rather than swap instructions. Rather than use a modified 'Swap With' instruction, the forward runs (and mentality maybe?) should have an 'Alternate With'. You therefore retain the same instructions rather than swapping instructions wholesale, better producing the effect you are looking for.

For example, if you have two players swapping the whole set of instrucitions, then one on FWR Always and one on FWR Sometimes could still see both go forwards or both sit back, as it does not explicitly imply that one stays and one goes, even if it increases the likelihood. 'Alternate With', plus the AI to handle it, tells your players exactly what is required.

Maybe it should be subject to a Lampard/Gerrard style failure, where neither player is able to resist their natural instinct to get forward (PPMs). Same goes for Pompey's three Defensive midfielders, where the concept of anyone getting into the box is rather alien.

Thanks for the comments so far chaps.

playmaker - I like your 'alternate with' instruction. Very good idea!

Regards,

C.

I would actually expect some of this to be part of the ME already.

For instance, if one player advances on the pitch, even if it is the MCd (forward runs rarely doesn't mean never) it is just basic common sense that he needs to be covered by someone. I would not like having to give an according tactical instruction. I expect my players (the ME) to do it by themselves automatically.

Other than that I would indeed also like being able to swap positions in a more flexible way

Like my strikers switching sides without switching their roles of SCa and SCd.