Defending leads?

I have so much trouble defending leads it just makes the game seem so unrealistic to me, can anyone help me out?

I've tried slowing down the tempo, going defensive, time wasting bringing another defender on etc all the usual sort of suggestions but I just surrended 2-0, 3-0 leads at the time its beyond a joke.

Also can anyone suggest what to do if you take a two goal+ lead early on in the game to see the game out?

Try using the touchline shouts. I use ones like: Play narrower, Drop deeper, Clear Ball to Flanks, retain Possession, pass to feet etc..

Try using the touchline shouts. I use ones like: Play narrower, Drop deeper, Clear Ball to Flanks, retain Possession, pass to feet etc..

I'm using a classic tactic

Completely change your tactics and go ultra defensive. Lets say you're playing a standard 4-4-2, take 1 striker down to CB and sub him, if you're midfielders can cope, make them WB's or DM's, if they cant, compromise. Make your team as defensive as possible and set to contain .

Sometimes it just best to continue to play with the same tactic that brought the lead to you and just put time wasting to maximum.

Attacking is the best defense If you continue pressing them they wont be able to create chances... but if you go ultra defensive they will be creating alot of chances and usually score at least 1 of them .. so if something is working why would you change it?

My usual method is to go into the other room, make a cup of tea or read a chapter of my book, then come back and hope I've not conceded.

Seems to have a higher success rate than making tactical changes.

take on a striker stick a anchor man on

Sometimes it just best to continue to play with the same tactic that brought the lead to you and just put time wasting to maximum.

This.

Unless your basic tactics are insanely aggressive.

I change my wing backs to defensive full backs and place two defensive midfielders in the centre of the pitch. It works almost 90% of the time.

If you only have to survive a few minutes then you can stick your midfielders into DM postitions and play deep and defensive. That should see you through, although I wouldn't recommend that for a longer period of time.

I have so much trouble defending leads it just makes the game seem so unrealistic to me, can anyone help me out?

I've tried slowing down the tempo, going defensive, time wasting bringing another defender on etc all the usual sort of suggestions but I just surrended 2-0, 3-0 leads at the time its beyond a joke.

Also can anyone suggest what to do if you take a two goal+ lead early on in the game to see the game out?

Defensive and counter attacking is all you need really. If you have fast players then attack down the flanks with direct passing and don't hesitate to make changes if you have pace on the bench.

Also, don't mess up the team talk. Probably best to say nothing.

I generally don't try and radically change my formation if something is working as there's a chance I can nick another goal against a tactic that is forced to attack (more), unless of course the opposition fundamentally changes their own tactic. I might drop slightly deeper simply to give myself a bit more space with the opposition's higher defensive line and perhaps a bit wider as well, compensating the additional width with a slightly more defensive mentality in midfield. My wingers will simply run a bit more - maybe boost their mentalities - and tick counter-attacks. Maybe increase time-wasting and tempo to promote counter-attacks.

When push comes to shove stuffing the midfield by 4-5-1 is always a good idea. Tight marking, don't close down heavily and pull players out of position, make sure defenders don't do silly fouls via a high defensive line...

If you want to keep possession a 5-man midfield often works wonders.

The main thing is to broadly stick with the tactic that has got you the lead in the first place, then:

play narrower, time waste a bit, as the final whistle gets closer waste more and more time

Then if you want to consolidate the lead:

lower defensive line, more direct passing, (both just 2/3 notches) focus through the centre, tick counter attack...

You should first find out WHY they're giving away leads? Are they complacent? Are they tired?

My usual method is to go into the other room, make a cup of tea or read a chapter of my book, then come back and hope I've not conceded.

Seems to have a higher success rate than making tactical changes.

I loll'ed

As for what I do, I usually stick with my same tactic and set my team to standard style of play. If I'm going up against a power house, I'll set my team to rigid, no roaming with defensive or counter attack mentality.

The formation I run allows me to switch player positions easily, so what I do is switch my WB to FBs and set them on defensive duties, drop my MCs to DMC and give them ball winning and pressuring roles, drop my AMC to MC as a playmaker, and drop my AM wingers to defensive side midfielders and leave a defensive striker up top to hassle the DCs.

Works like a freaking charm.

Completely change your tactics and go ultra defensive. Lets say you're playing a standard 4-4-2, take 1 striker down to CB and sub him, if you're midfielders can cope, make them WB's or DM's, if they cant, compromise. Make your team as defensive as possible and set to contain .

To me that sounds like asking for them to throw everything at you... eventually they'll get through 9/10 times and then the team will shake and then collapse.

Like others have said, I drop deeper, counter, pass to feet, clear to flanks, but generally I lean towards adjusting from Overload/Attacking to contain, and ball to feet/work ball into box. This keeps possession, makes the players more aware of the opposition threat but also ensures the team aren't resting on their lorals, they still go forward with the aim of scoring.

I might drop a ST to AMC, or ST to MC to bulk out the midfield, to make it easier to play higher up the field too.

I do think teams coming back from behind happens a little too often though.

You should also have a close look at the impact your team talks are having as they're easy to get wrong when you're leading a game confortably. I'd say they were the main reason why people experience this too much. Me included... the learning curve I guess.

It depends on how the oppersition are playing, how good they are, how good you are etc. I have said before that this version of the game more then any other needs a lot of mid-game tweaking. Tweaking is the word here - don't change things too much. Don't go ultra offensive or ultra defensive for long periods. You also need to notice changes in how the oppersition. If they go more attacking towards the end of the game and you are protecting a norrow lead. Try either putting in a defensive midfielder or drop a striker back etc etc (depending on your tactics) I also find that touchline shouts are sometimes effective.

take on a striker stick a anchor man on

And hope the ref doesn't notice that you've now got 13 players on the pitch

I always think the "play even safer" shout works quite well.

To me that sounds like asking for them to throw everything at you... eventually they'll get through 9/10 times and then the team will shake and then collapse.

If you're defense is good enough, it works. Mainly because there is no space for the attackers to penetrate, so they usually try long shots. Pass to feet & retain possession is also something you should put on as well.

I never defend Leeds. Dirty Leeds!

Actually, I found that short passing & slow tempo was so effective at defending leads that now I use it for the whole 90 minutes.

I always start the games with

Get stuck in and expose the flanks.

after about 25/35 minutes i retain possession and look for the overlap.

and about 5 minutes before the half time whistle i tell them to get stuck in.

If at any point i'm winning, i don't change from this all that often. However! If i score and the other team are giving me hell.

Then i switch to counter, wich btw, i always start the game with Control. I flip between control and counter. but if i am playing against a team who like mine like to play the ball, then i'll just go on an all out attack after every 15 minutes.

When you go 1 up. make a call. is the team your playing against caving in or snapping back. Then just use common sence.

If I'm leading, normally I'll slow the tempo, use "pass to feet" and "keep possesion"

If you're defense is good enough, it works. Mainly because there is no space for the attackers to penetrate, so they usually try long shots. Pass to feet & retain possession is also something you should put on as well.

It's always a case of 'if your defense is good enough'

Anything can happen in football... FM more than illustrates this And I find more often than not they'll break through and then the game shifts and my team bottle it. I'm a relative n00b to FM10 though, and I know for sure that I need to get a better defense sorted. I'll blame that as opposed to tactics

It's always a case of 'if your defense is good enough'

Anything can happen in football... FM more than illustrates this and I find more often than not they'll break through and then the game shifts and my team bottle it. I'm a relative n00b to FM10 though, and I know for sure that I need to get a better defense sorted. I'll blame that as opposed to tactics

No, i understand what you're saying and it makes perfect sense. I think it just comes down to what you as a manager believe will work, and if it doesn't pay off, you dont blame your tactics!

For me, i have thrown away leads with my all hands on deck approach, i wont lie and i wont deny it. Its just its the best tactic that seems to work for me, i've tried overs, but this one seems the best. I'm not claiming its the best way or the right way, just one that works for me .

I'm not a fan of pass to feet and retain possession.

I usually play as a smaller club, so when I have to defend a lead it's against a larger club. My players aren't skilled enough to retain possession in that manner and I always end up giving up possession.

I'm not a fan of pass to feet and retain possession.

I usually play as a smaller club, so when I have to defend a lead it's against a larger club. My players aren't skilled enough to retain possession in that manner and I always end up giving up possession.

Same, Im a fan of close down heavily, foul all over the pitch and time waste, normally combined with sitting deep and narrow. Only works if you have the strength or aggression advantage usually i build for both of them and height.

As several people seem to have said, going defensive is asking for pressure. I do feel that there is a tendency in 10.3 for the AI to be able to score at will. My personal hate is when clubs come to you playing 4-1-4-1, defend doggedly for an hour, finally concede and then go 4-4-2 and dominate, usually scoring in less than 10 minutes before returning to 4-1-4-1 and grinding out a draw that they could clearly have won by 3 goals if they played 4-4-2 the whole game. That aside though in a normal game I would normally play my usual tactic with shouts designed to exploit/counter the AI's set up until 70-75 minutes, then change some player instructions (fullbacks from support to defend, MC from attack to support or defend, wide players similarly) and maybe use the drop deeper shout. Finally I only go Defend after 85 minutes. I usually find Contain to be more effective than Defend anyway, but obviously you don't want to use it for too long so if possible aim to stay standard or counter until 87-90 minutes, then go Contain for injury time (assuming you have a one goal lead).

Dont sit back and let the opponents put pressure on with more than 5 minutes to play.

If you take an early lead I'd just go for more goals