It looks like i won't have any Champions League glory in this edition.

This is not a rant topic,i have been playing FM since 2004,with decent success.

However in this edition of FM for some reason i am struggling so hard in the Champions League.It is my third season now at Inter,and as always i passed the group stage without any problem(5wins 1 draw,0 goals conceided).And this is where things start to get wrong.

In my 1st season,i faced Atletico Madrid,played a good away game,but lost 2-1,then dominated the home game but still lost 0-1.

In my 2nd season,i faced RMadrid(great team),played a GREAT away game which i was drawing 1-1 but in the last 5 mins they scored 2 goals out of nowhere and the match finished 3-1.In the return leg my team was discouraged and we didnt make it(drew 1-1).

In this season,i am playing against Ol lyonnais,which is a good team but my team has the potential to beat them.Anyway we play the first leg in France,and for some reason my players decide to **** their pants and play a stupid match.10 mins before the end of the match we are losing by......4-0!!!!basically,they scored every single chance/long shot they had.Finally,Rooney and Balotelli decide to wake up and we manage to score 2 goals,the game finishes 4-2.

Now i have to play home game,and i already know we wont make it.I seriously dont understand how my team completely changes once we get past the group stage in the Champions League.We dominate the Serie A,dominate the group stage,but we become a team of sheeps once the real stuff begins.

Any suggestions on what i should do to improve the situation or win the damn return leg?

I play with this team:

4-3-3

Eto'o Balotelli Rooney

Veloso Cambiasso Sneijder

Fabio Lucio Breno Maicon

Julio Cesar

Subs:Muntari,Santacroce,Pandev,A.Sanchez,Santon,Montolivo,Macheda.

Play Cambiasso DM and play another Centre Midfielder there and take away one of your strikers whichever one really. That will shore it up I reckon as you are conceeding to many goals.

Play with no width and quick I would recommend.

EDIT: Oh and you can play an AMC instead if you would prefer than having 3 Centre Mids and 1 DM.

This is not a rant topic,i have been playing FM since 2004,with decent success.

However in this edition of FM for some reason i am struggling so hard in the Champions League.It is my third season now at Inter,and as always i passed the group stage without any problem(5wins 1 draw,0 goals conceided).And this is where things start to get wrong.

In my 1st season,i faced Atletico Madrid,played a good away game,but lost 2-1,then dominated the home game but still lost 0-1.

In my 2nd season,i faced RMadrid(great team),played a GREAT away game which i was drawing 1-1 but in the last 5 mins they scored 2 goals out of nowhere and the match finished 3-1.In the return leg my team was discouraged and we didnt make it(drew 1-1).

In this season,i am playing against Ol lyonnais,which is a good team but my team has the potential to beat them.Anyway we play the first leg in France,and for some reason my players decide to **** their pants and play a stupid match.10 mins before the end of the match we are losing by......4-0!!!!basically,they scored every single chance/long shot they had.Finally,Rooney and Balotelli decide to wake up and we manage to score 2 goals,the game finishes 4-2.

Now i have to play home game,and i already know we wont make it.I seriously dont understand how my team completely changes once we get past the group stage in the Champions League.We dominate the Serie A,dominate the group stage,but we become a team of sheeps once the real stuff begins.

Any suggestions on what i should do to improve the situation or win the damn return leg?

I play with this team:

4-3-3

Eto'o Balotelli Rooney

Veloso Cambiasso Sneijder

Fabio Lucio Breno Maicon

Julio Cesar

Subs:Muntari,Santacroce,Pandev,A.Sanchez,Santon,Montolivo,Macheda.

dont worry - you only need to win the home leg 2-0, or 3-1

pretty much what the other guy said though. i think you're playing too many strikers. i know from experience that if you use a top class striker you only need one up front to score the goals you need. i think you need an extra guy in midfield.

edit: just noticed you have montolivo on the bench. absolute top class for me when i bought him for my l'pool team, get him on.

So,you suggest to change my formation?i could try playing a DM when playing away games and then switching to AM when i play home.Anyway im not sure about conceeding goals is a problem,i have the best defence in serie A and i didnt conceide a single goal in the group stage

To conshaldo_bonaldo:i have to WIN,thats why im worried my monster team becomes crap for no reason.

So,you suggest to change my formation?i could try playing a DM when playing away games and then switching to AM when i play home.Anyway im not sure about conceeding goals is a problem,i have the best defence in serie A and i didnt conceide a single goal in the group stage

To conshaldo_bonaldo:i have to WIN,thats why im worried my monster team becomes crap for no reason.

Team talks maybe. Don't expect too much away from home but be more demanding in front of your own fans.

defend well - deep & narrow defending, force opposing wingers outside and head away their crosses all day long

It's your tactics. Just goes to show you are not a Mourinho And come on, expecting to win the CL with Inter is like hoping for R.Madrid to pass the first knockout stage.

You should learn more about the game. I will always recommend this because it turned me into a winner:

http://www.fm-britain.co.uk/tactics-ebooks/tactical-theorems-10/

It's your tactics. Just goes to show you are not a Mourinho And come on, expecting to win the CL with Inter is like hoping for R.Madrid to pass the first knockout stage.

You should learn more about the game. I will always recommend this because it turned me into a winner:

http://www.fm-britain.co.uk/tactics-ebooks/tactical-theorems-10/

That looks like some quality reading. I've downloaded the eBook and will try and find a few hours free to go through it. Will probably take a few days though. Thanks for the link

On FM08 I struggled in the Champions League until I made a few tactical changes. Those tactical changes have now won me numerous Champions League trophies on FM08, FM09 and FM10. The secret? Play a high tempo, high closing down, high defensive line game. With a side like Inter you should have no problems, especially if you adopt a 4-3-3.

You can't win the CL by employing Keegan-style 'score one more than you' tactics. Well you can, but it's very difficult. Also be wary of the counter-attack at home.

In the end i actually did it I told my players they could win the game,played a 4-3-3 with 2 defensive midfielders and i went all out attacking at the start of second half.Won 2-0 but was 1man down for the last 30minutes because muntari decided to hard tackle some1 from behind.Lyon hit the post once,but we finally made it.

Buy out Agueros release clause for £52m, i'll bet you win it then.

European competetions are far more realistic in FM10 than ever before. It used to be far too easy to win the CL but I think it's spot on now.

Im in a similar situation to you. I have won the EPL 7 times in eight seasons, but only been to one CL final which thankfully we won. Plenty of quater and semi finals but struggle at the last hurdle.

That mirrors real life when you look at how difficult it is to win the CL. It has never been succesfully defended.

Im afraid it's just our tactics. Let me know if you manage to crack it

My hope for FM11 is that domestic leagues become more of a challenge with big clubs. While my Man Utd team continue to average between 85 and 95 points a season, everyone else struggles to break 80. Not realistic and no fun.

I have had very decent success in the Champions League with this version of the game.

You just have to keep in mind that in a knock-out competition there is always a considerable degree of luck. You may just have gotten unlucky for 3 years in a row if for the rest your team plays great. Just try again and again, just like Inter did irl.

its the hardest thing to win in the game, i would hardly be over upset. i lose a lot in the semi finals but i have got used to it now