Tactics and match preparation, importance?

http://renegades.homepage.dk/matches.jpg

Above is a list of my recent games, untill the Everton game I was running with 3 versions of prepared tactics ... the ones which have given me 3 successfull promotions in a row to the premier league, 3 very unlikely promotions where my keeper all 3 seasons made incredible play off games. Last season in the premier league I continued with the 3 tactics and barely escaped relegation.

This year with a much improved squad, 4 major reinforcements .... wanted more, but didnt want to damage the teams consistency. However I was getting trashed every match and didnt stance a chance, so decided to make a totally new tactic without preparing it, I dont know if the AI actually prepares itself against the tactics you have prepared. But without preparation I havnt lost in 9 games and playing the best football I have seen my team play throughout the 5 seasons I have managed them.

My last game against West Ham was 30 shots vs 0 .. 9 clear cuts, but not scoring more at the moment because I lack quality up front.

What puzzles me is that my team without preparation is doing so well compared to the prepared tactics, which actually are tailor made to the players I have. I wont even save the current tactic, I have some sort of supersticious believe that the ai looks at the saved tactic and prepares accordingly.

I wonder if anyone has had the same experience with players of a lesser caliber, if you play with a top team this doesnt really apply I think ...maybe I am just imagining stuff, but the results dont lie.

Would like your oppinion on this.

I have used match preparation and have had every bar fluid and still had awful results..i really thought that it would help tactically..Still seems with FM that super tactics are needed..how hard would it be to code the game to recognise that tactics used without match preparation would have less chance of being successful.

I think the match preparation makes very very little difference.

On my AC Milan save, we were fluid on everything and had great players and were very inconsistent and often poor.

Nowadays, on my Arsenal save, it is usually Akward or Competent at best and we are destorying everyone.

It's too hard to maintain fluid levels. Especially if you tweak your tactics a lot as you should be. It also goes up very slowly unless you use a bog standard formation. So I just have it on Very Low, accept it is going to be bad and get on with it. And it doesnt seem to make any difference. I try putting it up in pre-season but it doesnt seem to make much difference. Goes up very slowly and Im not willing to sacrifice my players training.

Oh and as for your tactics.

I'm not sure why your oldd tactics stopped working. Probably because the other sides went from seeing you as easy pickings, to a normal Prem team, so maybe they played more cautiously agaisnt you making your tactics less effective.

I tend to experiment for a bit when not doing well until we get a system that goes well. It is nearly always 4- 2CM- 2AMR/L - 2SC. And then after that, the only changed I will make will be on the defensive line between middle and all the way at the top. Mentality between standard and overload. And the main thing is the personnel on. I'll play pacier wide men, and more holding CMs against good teams, and strictly creative technical players when I am playing a crpa team I need to break down. I'll also slow the tempo down in these cases.

Usually leave the width very narrow at all times. Doesnt seem to make much difference in attack but it leaves a lot less gaps in my defence in terms of stopping through balls.

1) match preparation makes a hefty difference

2) its not hard to maintain fluid levels at all, unless you are making major changes

My last 4 games have all ended 1-1 with the opponent having 1 shot on target each game, all goals from the opposition have been long range effords. So I am happy, going to continue as it is ... might even take all the workload of match preparation just to see how it goes.

Since I started this thread I thought I would give a status on how it has gone. I took match preparation off totally and have won my last 5 games. During the "unprepared tactic" I have only lost 1 game where I chose to start with a few reserves,to Leicester 0-1. 9 clean sheets in 14 games also seems to be nice.

I really want to save my tactic but due to supersticion I refuse to do so at the moment.

1) match preparation makes a hefty difference

2) its not hard to maintain fluid levels at all, unless you are making major changes

How can you be so sure. I am winning with ease with my players akward with the tactic.

And how can you maintain fluid levels without scarificng general training?

How can you be so sure. I am winning with ease with my players akward with the tactic.

And how can you maintain fluid levels without scarificng general training?

just becuse it is awkward doesnt mean it will always be rubbish.

once you hit fluid, you can lower the training, i have it around 10%

you cannot compare ac milan to arsenal btw, i noticed that youve posted on another thread that pace is vital. you do realise that AC milan is a particularly slow side. Match prepartaion isnt a magic tool, if your tactics and style of play isnt suited to your side, then you will struggle, no matter how fluid they are. I tweak my tactics, but if you are frequently majorly tweaking of course they will drop. This would have been the same in FM10 without match prep.

Well, I stopped doing match preparation last season, currently on good run in the premier league sitting in 4th position, cant catch the leaders ... all with players like Zavon Hines and Simon Church as my best strikers, cant get any better ones.

... so FM is also doable wihtout match preparation.

AC Milan aren't that slow.

Robinho, Pato are very quick. Abate is very quick. Thiago Silva is fast, some of the others like Zlatan, Flamini aren't that slow at all either. Plus its easy to buy one or 2 good quick players like Coentrao.

Arsenal aren't any quicker really.