Tactic building for dummies - A guide for newbies. part 2

Hi guys. Some time has passed since i wrote my last article about tactic making and while I was pretty happy with it some things have changed and I feel I could have been more thorough.

however for those still interested here is a link to it:

http://community.sigames.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1519717/m/6802062472

The following is based on my experiences so if you have disagreements about my explanations please feel free to voice them in here and initiate some discussion on it.

I will from time to time in this article link to other threads and/or insert text such as the best attributes needed for each position. I wish to make it clear that some of the information can be found in the manual. However where I do this I will make you aware and attribute the praise to the rightful author as is only right.

So lets get started.

Formation: In my opinion one of the most common Formations used is the 4-4-2 Diamond so with that in mind I will be using this formation as the basis for my discussion.

Bear in mind that the majority of this information is also useful for other formations too.

Your team

The first step as ever is not only determining who your best starting 11 are but also how strong in general you feel your side are. This is a crucial consideration because it must be considered as a factor when deciding what type of tactic you will be building.

If you are a weaker side playing aggressive attacking football each week is going to be suicide as you will simply not be good enough to pester anyone.

Next step before you start playing about with the tactic is to decide who your starting 11 will be. Who are the best players for each position on the formation? The following is the key attributes required for each position (borrowed from the manual):

Key skills for each postion

Goalkeeper - Reflexes, Handling, Communication, Jumping

Fullbacks - Positioning, Tackling, Pace, Anticipation

Central Defenders - Tackling, Jumping, Positioning, Heading, Strength, Marking, Bravery, Teamwork

Wingers - Pace, Dribbling, Passing, Off the Ball, Creativity, Crossing

Attacking Midfield Passing, Off the Ball, Creativity, Technique, Dribbling

Defensive Midfield - Workrate, Jumping, Tackling, Stamina, Positioning

Fast Striker - Pace, Acceleration, Dribbling, Technique, Finishing, Off the Ball

Target Striker - Jumping, Heading, Strength, Off the ball

TEAM INSTRUCTIONS

MENTALITY - I won't go to much into this. There is a good article by Cleon if you interested which defines it nicely here:

http://community.sigames.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1519717/m/4422017872

To start with in your tactic put this at 10, or midway between the slider - which means your side will spend equal amounts of time defending and attacking. This can be changed later as desired but this will be the starting point.

CREATIVITY - Put your team mentality at 10 but no higher and only about as low as 8. If you go to low your side will be restricted by the lack of freedom. If you go to high the side will take their own liberties and will drift away from the instructions you have set.

The best way to use creativity is sparingly. It should be rationed out only to those with high creativity (decision making should also be a factor too). This will be made more clear with individual creativity later on.

PASSING STYLE - This is linked with width and tempo. If you play a short passing game your must ensure your width is more narrow or there is a danger of the other side making intercepts.

If you are a lower league side it would pay to play a more direct or even long balled game. The reason for this is that technical attributes are not that great further down the leagues so playing a short passing game your side needs to be reasonably skilled at least.

So the best way to set this up at the beginning is to put it on mixed if you are a good side and increase it towards long the lower the league you are.

TEMPO - As I said above this is linked with width and passing so try to mirror it with the settings for those. Therefore set it at mixed (in the middle) at the beginning and as you adjust the others in the evolution of your tactic continue to match this with them.

WIDTH - Bearing in mind your tempo and passing will start at mixed put this there too. If you decide to play a more direct or long game you can widen this but if you are playing short keep this mixed to narrow. (mirror with the other two).

CLOSING DOWN - Keep this at about 10 and instead use individual instructions as some positions are better suited to this than others. If you have high closing down for every one they will get dragged out of position more so that is why in this instance individual closing down should be considered.

TIME WASTING - If you are playing at home put this quite low but when away put it up to mixed. There are times when you will have it higher but this will be at the end of a game to shut the other side out and I will discuss this later.

DEFENSIVE LINE - If you are playing away keep this at about 10 or down as low as the first notch of deep (but no lower or youare jst inviting trouble). This range of settings gives your side the best opportunity to combat an attacking side and have time to effectively repell it.

At home a higher D/line will put more pressure on the other side especially if you increase closing down for players further up the pitch.

So at home a D/line of 11/12 up to the first notch of high is ideal. Any more than that though and there is a risk of being hit on the break.

If you do have a higher D/line consider applying the offside trap but ensure you have at least one fast centreback and give him a slightly reduced mentality to the other (1-2 notches down). ALso worth considering using a sweeper keeper as well but I will go into this more later.

TACKLING - Set to normal. If you have particular players such as a DMC you want hard tackling then adjust his individulal setting.

FOCUS PASSING - If you are playing at home and are attacking then mixed is fine. his way you will vary your attacking options.

Playing away and in a counter attacking mindset try focussing down the flanks to promote quick breaks.

MARKING - Zonal would be the ideal team setting and adjust individual settings to man mark if desired. If you are manmarking with everybody then they may be dragged out of position.

TARGET MAN SUPPLY - Depends on what kind of target man you have if you are using one. I will direct you to a good article by WWfan which says all you need to know really.

http://community.sigames.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1519717/m/8712035403

INDIVIDUAL INSTRUCTIONS

Individual Philosophy – The heart of my first article was concerned with this and how it is probably the most neglected thing for many managers. I will touch on that again soon but for now I will simply run through the important things to remember for each position.

One thing I would like to point out is the use of creativity… I have a theory that matching a players actual creativity attribute to his individual setting might be a very good way of implementing his instructions. For example if he has an attribute of 11 for creativity then you should give this to him as a creativity instruction – 11. Therefore the link between a players exact creativity attribute and his instruction will allow him to EXACTLY be as creative as he is capable – not too much and not too little.

Please remember this is a theory of mine and as such is not set in stone yet so if you feel it does not work for you then just make sure as a general rule that only your most creative players are given any creativity.

I will not talk about mentality as each positions mentality is dependent on the system you are using for the team – global, RoO, RoT etc etc.

Goalkeeper

If you are playing a higher D/line with offside trap on your players will naturally be further up the field. Therefore a sweeper keeper is a good option so he will clean up any balls lodged over the top of your back line. To set him up thus give him a mentality at about 13-15.

If you are playing away and have a deeper D/line give you keeper a mentality of about 4 - ie, a very defensive minded keeper who will not come out of his line much.

Distribution… If you are playing away and are counter attacking set his passing to direct and look to distribute to a winger so that the break down the wings can be initiated. At home in a more built up match distribute to mixed or to the fullbacks if you are possession conscious.

Backline - Defence

Fullbacks - Fullbacks should not just be seen as defenders. They can also be quite dangerous in terms of getting crossing in for your target men. Therefore at home or whenever you are playing an attacking game getting your fullbacks involved in the attacking process can be highly beneficial.

Creativity… Look at their individual attributes for this. If they are high give them first notch of much when playing at home. Give them about 11-13 away. If they have low creativity then give them the same for this.

Passing… Try to match this with the team width. If the width is wide then apply a more direct passing instruction, conversely a narrow width with a shorter passing.

Closing down… Giving your fullbacks high closing down means that crosses into your area by the AI are going tobe made under pressure and are therefore not going to be as accurate. So giving them high closing down would be advised.

Forward runs… At home giving them forward runs is a good idea as they will get into good attacking positions. When playing away it is best to put this on rarely so that balls aren’t continuously lobbed over and behind them into the space created.

Crossing and where to cross from… When playing away get them to cross from deep so they don’t have to back track when possession is lost. At home crossing can be set up to you though mixed is probably the best bet.

If your Fullback is not good at crossing set it to rarely or he is probably just going to cross the ball away and lose possession.

Centrebacks – Your two centrebacks are one of the most important positions in the team. Set up wrongly these two can be the absolute downfall of your side.

Passing,… Direct passing is best so that you don’t have them passing between themselves too much and end up with interecepted balls flying into the net.

Closing down… It is best to leave these two on very low closing down. This means that they will be effectively becoming a wall which the AI has to somehow navigate. It also means they will not get dragged out of position. They will be relying on other players such as your DMC to do the closing down and pestering of the AI while they provide the last line of defence.

Tackling… Never put them on hard tackling since most of the time they will be in the penalty area and if they draw fouls then you will be looking at conceding goals through penalties.

Marking… If you are playing an offside trap then give them zonal marking with tight so they keep the line better, If they are playing away then man marking might be preferential .

Tight marking… Use this for them combined with zonal.

Of the five slider instructions a the bottom the only one you should consider is try though balls. Put this on mixed or if they have super passing then on often. Forward runs, run with ball, long shots and crossing should all be rarely.

Midfield

DMC - The DMC is an important position as he is being tasked with providing cover for the centrebacks and attempting to win as much of the ball of the AI forwards as possible to safeguard against shots on goal. The attributes you should look for in a good DMC are Workrate, Jumping, Tackling, Stamina and Positioning.

Closing down… The DMC’s role is to hamper the AI and win the ball back therefore his closing down should be high so that the AI is under constant pressure from him. If he is beaten by the AI then at least the centrebacks are still there to deal with anything he misses.

Passing… This should be mirrored with the team tempo and width.

Tackling… if he is excellent at tackling put the DMC on hard tackling however if and when he gets a yellow make sure you drop it back down to mixed.

Marking… Zonal would be best so that whoever comes into his area with the ball becomes a marked man (no pun intended).

Run with ball… Look at his attributes to decide this.

Forward runs… rarely away and mixed at home.

Long shots… Again look at his attributes and make your decision based on that.

Through balls… attributes should be decisive here too… If they are good put this on often otherwise mixed.

Crossing… rarely as a general rule otherwise he will be getting out of position.

AMC – What you need for a typical AMC = Midfield Passing, Off the Ball, Creativity, Technique, Dribbling.

Passing… mixed is best to give him options. He is likely to be one of your better players so therefore the more options he has to put others into good positions thebetter.

Tackling… base this on his attributes otherwise normal is fine.

Closing down… If he is your playmaker give him less closing down so that he is in space more often and is available for passes. Otherwise giving him high closing down will help pester the AI.

Marking – Zonal

Forward runs… best set to mixed. This position will set up others for good attacks but is less likely to do that if he is too far advanced.

Run with ball… Look at his attributes to decide this.

Long shots…as above

Through balls…. Mixed.

Crossing… rarely unless he is good at crossing and then put to mixed.

Wingers – key attributes are - Pace, Dribbling, Passing, Off the Ball, Creativity and Crossing.

Passing… set between short and mixed depending on how good he is at passing.

Closing down… often as he will need to put pressure on AI’s wide players often.

Tackling… If he is good at tackling put him on hard but not many players are that play as a wing so normal will suffice.

Marking… Zonal unless you identify a super winger on the AI’s team in which case man mark him out of the game if possible.

Forward runs… often obviously.

Run with ball… look at his attributes to decide this.

Long shots… another attributes dependent setting.

Through balls… look at his passing skills.

Crossing… Hopefully your winger is good at crossing in which case set to often. If you are attacking or at home set his crossing to be from the byline but if you are away set it to mixed.

Try to always cross to either the target man if you are using one or the best header out of the strikers.

Strikers and Target men – Wwfan wrote a good article on that so instead of regurgitating it I though I would direct you to his sound thread.

http://community.sigames.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1519717/m/8712035403

SUBSTITUTIONS

The following paragraphs are probably one of the most important parts of this article to take on board.

“Whenever there is a substitution due to tactical change or injury and someone else takes their place albeit temporarily you will need to adjust the instructions for that position so that the incoming player is playing to HIS strengths and not someone elses.

An example of this is The England National Team. Aaron Lennon has pace to burn but is only an average passer and average creative ability. So he will make forward runs often and since he has high dribbling you can let him run with the ball often too. BUT... if you decide to change him for David Beckham for example during the game or before kickoff you will have to adjust the individual instructions because Beckham does not have much pace but he can pass well and is much more creative. Therefore his instructions will be to try through passes often but not to run with the ball since his skill is more to do with the passing and long shots. Since he can cross well you can tell him to do forward runs so he gets to the byline more.â€

Tactical flexibility

This has been talked about by many people including all the usual suspects (wwfan, Cleon, Asmodeus etc) and there are different takes on it.

This is mine and it is how I do things.

I create my tactic at the beginning of the season and tweak it as necessary throughout. But I do not stick to just the one tactic.

I have a home tactic for attacking plus I have an away tactic also for attacking but with slightly more emphasis on defense.

I also have ingame tactics which I use when certain situations arise which I recommend you do to. These are scenario based tactics that I use to force a result one way or the other… Here is an example of some that I use:

1. repelling the 4-2-4. From the 70th minute on if I am only ahead by one goal I switch to the formation page and watch for the AI to change to the 4-2-4. As soon as he does I change tactics to my repelling shut up shop tactic. It is basically the exact same tactic that can be found in wwfans thread in the downloads:

http://community.sigames.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1519717/m/4422073592 in here.

It is called a shutup shop and combats it effectively.

2. I also use a 4-2-4 tactic which I change sometime around the 75th minute if I am trailing or want to score a winner. The bludgeon tactic is a good example of this:

http://community.sigames.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1519717...2046692?r=4982046692 - 4982046692

3. I also use a full on attack with everyone going forward if I see that they have parked the proverbial bus in front of the goal and I am having trouble getting past it.

It is a good idea for you to have tactics like these presaved and ready for use when needed.

Well that will be that for now. If anyone is interested I can add some more to this in regards to set pieces which is a very important part of tactics as well. But I’ll just see how this is received first before considering that.

excellent read Dayle, really good stuff

will be trying this kind of stuff out on my struggling Wycombe wanderers side

KUTGW

Cheers mate. If you need any help let me know.

yeah mate welldone excellent thread if its no problem could you talk a bit about freekicks.

would you use tight marking?

Tight marking and closing down

If a player is told to close down alot and tight mark then he will follow the player around and try to get the ball of him immediately.

Whereas if he has low closing down but is tight marking he will let the player keep the ball more but will keep himself between the ball holder and the goal.

So for your two centrebacks low closing down combined with tight marking is the way to go as it will reduced space for the the AI strikers at the same time as a virtual wall which your defenders have formed.

Man Marking away from home and either when you are at home though if you are using an offside trap then Zonal is better as you will keep your shape more which is obviously important in offside trap tactics.

At home the rest of the team would be better on loose zonal marking as opposed to tight since this gives them more space to attack.

Away tight man marking is advised for the rest of the side with low closing down so they importantly keep the shape of the side.

However the exception would be the strikers who should have no tight marking appled. You want them to have space so you can pass to them.

Originally posted by bongo nuts:

yeah mate welldone excellent thread if its no problem could you talk a bit about freekicks.

no probs.

Freekicks

GK - Default

Fullbacks - Stay Back

DC's - One forward and the strongest to disrupt wall

DMC - Stay Back if needed

Wingers - Forward

AMC - Forward

Strikers - Both forward (if one is strong get him marking the keeper).

I like to aim for the best header and get John Terry type goals. Quite effective.

Corners

gk default

dr stay back

dl stay back

dc near post flick on (your best header of the two).

dc challange keeper (makes it hard for the keeper to get to the ball)

mc stay back

mc lurk outside area (someone with good long shots)

mr forward

ml farward

sc lurk out side

sc attack ball from deep

aim for near post.

Bear in mind there are many different ways of setting up a corner and many og them are effective - this is just mine.

Dayle, after playing 5 matches with the tactic you explained in this threat, my AZ side is even struggling harder.

I followed exactly your instructions, setting up different tactics (home, away etc.) and it resulted in 1 point in 5 games! I play a 442 diamond formation.

Do you have any clue why this tactic isn't working for me? Or is it just that the team need some time to get used to it and I (and my chairman) need to be more patient?

Yeah changing tactics usually means there will be some time needed to get used to it.

But if you could tell me what problems you are having I would be happy to help you.

once again cheers.

dayle

i have just quick question

i work about new 442 tactic, with 2 hardworking MCs in the midlle. their mentality is 6 cf 10 fwr-rearly rwb-mixed,ttb-often and crossing-rearly cd is 8 (d-line is 8 also) my qestion is: wat mentality sholud i give my two strikers? ( the same question for closing down)

thanx for any help

Dayle, I tried a few games as West Ham by using your instructions and am having a nightmare. My problems are :

a. Creative freedom. Should I have my Full Backs and Wingers on high creativity?

b. The ball never sticks with any of my players. Any ideas?

c. Dean Ashton??? An Enigma. He was great before the 7.02 patch but hopeless now. I try using him as a target man and have tried ball to head,,, feet,,, mixed,,,!!! Hopeless. His stats for a target man are good bar his jumping which is average, I just dont know how to deploy him.

Should I have him high mentality, or normal which seems to be the consensus for a Target Man? Also if you play ball to head should I NOT tick "Hold Up ball" because surely that then goes against the grain if he is trying to flick it on?

d. I have my full backs and wingers on high crossing but from what I can see they hardly ever do??

Any advice gratefully received.

Crackin user name

Dayle your a busy man as I also have a request would you be able to tell me how to now defend setpieces. Sorry for asking so much but setpieces are certainly my teams weak point.

Originally posted by Gabi80:

dayle

i have just quick question

i work about new 442 tactic, with 2 hardworking MCs in the midlle. their mentality is 6 cf 10 fwr-rearly rwb-mixed,ttb-often and crossing-rearly cd is 8 (d-line is 8 also) my qestion is: wat mentality sholud i give my two strikers? ( the same question for closing down)

thanx for any help

What sort of mentality system are you using? if any? rule of one? Rule of two? Global mentality?

If you are using a rule of one or two then their mentality shouldn't be more than 2 notches above your wingers and/or AMC.

If you are using a target man (heading) as one of your strikers then give the other striker 1 or two notches higher for mentality so that he is getting the knock ons.

If they are both fast strikers their mentality can either be the same or if you want one dropping back as an option lower his mentality to match the AMC or wingers.

Closing down: I'd say high if you are at home but not tight marking. This way they will try to put the defense under pressure to make mistakes and lose the ball whilst at the same time keeping some space for passes.

away, lower the closing down so that they are more likely to be in space so that they are open for passes.

Originally posted by Sussex Hammer:

Dayle, I tried a few games as West Ham by using your instructions and am having a nightmare. My problems are :

a. Creative freedom. Should I have my Full Backs and Wingers on high creativity?

b. The ball never sticks with any of my players. Any ideas?

c. Dean Ashton??? An Enigma. He was great before the 7.02 patch but hopeless now. I try using him as a target man and have tried ball to head,,, feet,,, mixed,,,!!! Hopeless. His stats for a target man are good bar his jumping which is average, I just dont know how to deploy him.

Should I have him high mentality, or normal which seems to be the consensus for a Target Man? Also if you play ball to head should I NOT tick "Hold Up ball" because surely that then goes against the grain if he is trying to flick it on?

d. I have my full backs and wingers on high crossing but from what I can see they hardly ever do??

Any advice gratefully received.

Hi mate.

Creative freedom. Should I have my Full Backs and Wingers on high creativity?

a) Look at their attributes for creative freedom. What are they? 15 and above I would say give them creative freedom otherwise put it at about 10. If they are REALLY low drop them right down so they not dpoing dumb things butare following your instructions.

Thats a good general rule for your whole team tbh.

The ball never sticks with any of my players. Any ideas?

b) What do you mean? You are losing possession alot? Or the passing is erratic? At halftime look at the stats page in the game... Are you getting 55% or more possession? If so this means you are dominating with the ball but perhaps aren't making good quality chances. Where are your shots on goal coming from? Long shots? Make sure only the players with good longs shots are taking them.

Are you playing ashort passing game or direct?

Dean Ashton??? An Enigma. He was great before the 7.02 patch but hopeless now. I try using him as a target man and have tried ball to head,,, feet,,, mixed,,,!!! Hopeless. His stats for a target man are good bar his jumping which is average, I just dont know how to deploy him.

Just had a look at his attributes in my game: I'd give him these instructions: (M,M,R,M,R) whiich is:

M - mixed forward runs

m - mixed run with ball

R - rarely long shots since he is not that great at them.

M - mixed try though balls since he has 14 for it in my game.

R - rarely for crossing since he is no good at that either.

Give him low creative freedom since in my game it is only 12. (I am assuming it is similar on yours).

make his tackling easy and closing down about 10-12.

Instead of making him a target man since I don't think by the looks of him he is the best target man about I'd have the wings crossing to his position so if he was on your right FC then get the left winger to cross to the right post and get your lefft winger to cross to the near post. That will have a positive effect when they cross.

Make that same change for your full backs if you have them crossing too. (make sure they can cross ok otherwise set to mixed or rarely).

Who is your main other striker?

Ashtons mentality should be a little bit lower than the other striker if your other striker is faster so that your other striker benefits from the heading.

I would get him to hold the ball up because he is strong but iff you do this set get the balls sent to him as mixed not just by head. The balls that go to his feet are the ones he will hold up, the headed balls he will knock forward hopefully to your other striker or into the net!

I have my full backs and wingers on high crossing but from what I can see they hardly ever do?

Where are you getting them to cross from? What are their crossing attribtes like? One reason they may not be crossing is there may not be players there for them to cross to. If either of your full backs is strong try getting him to hold the ball up so that players can get into position.

Let me know how this goes and I will keep helping if you need it.

Originally posted by bongo nuts:

Dayle your a busy man as I also have a request would you be able to tell me how to now defend setpieces. Sorry for asking so much but setpieces are certainly my teams weak point.

hi mate. Get your centrebacks to man mark the tallest headers in the other side. If you have a tall target man striker pull him back to do the same and send one of the faster wingers to stay forwad instead. The rest of your players can be default which is stay back and you should be ok.

Another thing to try which I use in defending freekicks is putting a player on the near post. This means your keeper has less space to cover and if the ball is kicked into that post during the free kick you have a player thereable to react to it and not a diving keeper who may or may not get to it.

Hope you understand.

Originally posted by Dayle Wood:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Gabi80:

dayle

i have just quick question

i work about new 442 tactic, with 2 hardworking MCs in the midlle. their mentality is 6 cf 10 fwr-rearly rwb-mixed,ttb-often and crossing-rearly cd is 8 (d-line is 8 also) my qestion is: wat mentality sholud i give my two strikers? ( the same question for closing down)

thanx for any help

What sort of mentality system are you using? if any? rule of one? Rule of two? Global mentality?

If you are using a rule of one or two then their mentality shouldn't be more than 2 notches above your wingers and/or AMC.

If you are using a target man (heading) as one of your strikers then give the other striker 1 or two notches higher for mentality so that he is getting the knock ons.

If they are both fast strikers their mentality can either be the same or if you want one dropping back as an option lower his mentality to match the AMC or wingers.

Closing down: I'd say high if you are at home but not tight marking. This way they will try to put the defense under pressure to make mistakes and lose the ball whilst at the same time keeping some space for passes.

away, lower the closing down so that they are more likely to be in space so that they are open for passes. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

dayle thanx

i don`t have AMC. I have two DMC on MCs position.

Mentality:

FB-7

DCs-5

MCs- both the same 6

Wingers-15

Strikers? This is my question what mentality for strikers

I don`t have amc becouse i`m big fan playing with two hardworking midfield in the midle wit no FWr, onlt rwb on mixed ttb oftem,crossing rearly. Menyality 6 from both, cf 10. cd 8 tackling hard.

Nice one Doyle i got a network game with wolves in the premiership which im struggling in im hoping using some of your information here i may be able too create a successful set up. shall get on too that when i get a chance!

quality post shall let you know.

*thumbs up*

I think your wingers mentality is to far away from the rest of the team. Your strikers would be just 1 or 2 notches above the wingers.

With your DMCs I would have one on lower mentality than the other... Give that DMC higher closing down and harder tackling (if he is good at tackling). The other DMC should be the opposite with less closing down and slightly higher mentality so that he is more of the creative hopefully and is looking to pick out decent passes to your forwards.

But you only need one sweeping for the defence, the other can be given more space so your centrebacks have him as a passing option. The most creative one should be the attacking DMC (like Xavi at Barcelona for example) and the less creative but better tackling sweeping player (like Sissoko at Liverpool) is more defensive.

Originally posted by Matty110:

Nice one Doyle i got a network game with wolves in the premiership which im struggling in im hoping using some of your information here i may be able too create a successful set up. shall get on too that when i get a chance!

quality post shall let you know.

*thumbs up*

sweet if you have any queries let me know.

Excellent write-up, it's helped me somewhat with my AZ game. One thing that I forgot to set was the width, and since I tend to play a slow tempo, short passing game, matching all three seems to have done the job! Can't really believe I missed such a simple concept

Dayle, Your help is much appreciated, I can understand that you are a busy man. I tried out 3 matches with your above instructions for a home formation, plus your instructions that were a reply to my post and lost them all. 0-2 at home v Sheff Utd. 0-1 at home to Reading and 0-3 away to Newcastle. God it's frustrating!!!

Is this because it takes time with a new tactic?

I am playing A 4-4-2 short passing game so have width/tempo/passing all on 4. The only thing different I have to your instructions are forward arrows on full backs and wingers. And a backward arrow towards DM for my DM. Is that wrong??

My team is.

GK Green

RB Neill

LB Konchesky

CB Upson/Ferdinand

CB Gabbidon

RM Benayoun/Bowyer

LM Etherington/Boa Morte

DM Barton Joey

CM Reo Coker/Noble

RF Ashton

LF Tevez

Appreciated mate.

Originally posted by Sussex Hammer:

Dayle, Your help is much appreciated, I can understand that you are a busy man. I tried out 3 matches with your above instructions for a home formation, plus your instructions that were a reply to my post and lost them all. 0-2 at home v Sheff Utd. 0-1 at home to Reading and 0-3 away to Newcastle. God it's frustrating!!!

Is this because it takes time with a new tactic?

I am playing A 4-4-2 short passing game so have width/tempo/passing all on 4. The only thing different I have to your instructions are forward arrows on full backs and wingers. And a backward arrow towards DM for my DM. Is that wrong??

My team is.

GK Green

RB Neill

LB Konchesky

CB Upson/Ferdinand

CB Gabbidon

RM Benayoun/Bowyer

LM Etherington/Boa Morte

DM Barton Joey

CM Reo Coker/Noble

RF Ashton

LF Tevez

Appreciated mate.

Hi mate... try putting your tempo/width and passing up to mixed (the middle) and start from there. I wouldn't start of at an extreme like you have - not saying it's wrong but starting of in the middle is a safer bet. If you want your full backs to get forward you can simply give them mixed forward runs rather than farrows. That way they are still keeping their position most of the time and won't be as susceptible to balls hit behind them. Also are your fullbacks crossing at all and from where? I'd suggest deep at the moment which is more conservative than the byline butt again it keeps them from going to forward to much and leaving your flanks exposed.

Did you notice where the AI was scoring from?

What is your possession like?

Where is your D/line set to at home? If you have it set high then take the backward arrow of the mc (DMC) all that will be doing is putting him on the same line as your DC's and you really want him in front of them as cover.

When you are playing away make sure your D/line is deeper (and its ok then to have your Mc barrowed).

Are you making a away tactic and saving it under a different name? There are lots of differences between home and away and the easist way is to just have two different tactics to switch between.

Get back to me and let me know how its going.

Originally posted by onimkron:

Excellent write-up, it's helped me somewhat with my AZ game. One thing that I forgot to set was the width, and since I tend to play a slow tempo, short passing game, matching all three seems to have done the job! Can't really believe I missed such a simple concept

glad to hear i am helping onr person at least.

In-Match tactical considerations

1. Check what your possession is like after 10 minutes. It should be at least 53%... This means you are controlling the game. If it gets to 55% in favour of the AI it means your tactic is not working and you need to make changes sooner rather than later.

Switch from your home to your away tactic if this is the case and vice versa if you are playing away.

2. Take stock of the situation at half time? Are you winning? If you are and possession is good stay with what you are doing.

If you are behind look at your squad and see if there are any weak spots... Someone with a 5 or 4 would be a good candidate to sub out at this time.

3. The 60 minute mark is another time to take stock of your situation. Even if you have to pause the game momentarily to check possession and players health do so and if need be make necessary substitutons. Always try to leave one sub on the bench in case of an injury and make sure you use your other subs thoughtfully.

4. At the 70th minute of a game switch over to the formation page and look at what the AI's formation is. If you are winning by a goal this is a crucial step as from anytime from now onwards the AI is likely to change to a 4-2-4.

As SOON AS YOU SEE THIS you need to make a tactical change yourself... a shut up shop response... I personally recommend the shut up shop tactic that can be found in here:

http://community.sigames.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1519717/m/4422073592

This is an excellent counter attacking tactic created by 'The Next Diaby'. It maintains an extrememely defensive mentality but also counterattcks the weaknesses of a 4-2-4 and will often snatch you goals.

5. If you get to the 75th minute and are trailing by 1 or 2 goals then it is time to get serious and full on attack. You have nothing to lose so launch a 4-2-4 against the AI. The best I have seen that implement this is WWfans Bludgeon tactic here:

http://community.sigames.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1519717/m/4982046692

You don't need to tweak this just change to it and hope for the best. I find it has about a 50% success rate which is better than just giving up and losing.

The important thing to remember is that if you score you need to look at what the AI does in repsonse. If he doesn't respond stay on it and look for a winner. If however he changes to a 4-2-4 tactic then you need to also change immediately to the shut up shop tactic which is your best chance at holding out for a draw or even sneaking a winner.

6. At the end of the game look at your possession and shots on target. At least 53% possession is what you want to see and hopefully this translates into shots on goal.

I hope this helps you. I use this strategy and have lots of success withit. I have started games with 45% and a goal down very quickly but have ended up tactically outclassing my opponant by acting and reacting to the situation and not just being a passive watcher of it.

Good luck.

Dale,,, You are a star mate!!

I have to be honest I thought that I had gone too narrow because using a target man of sorts logic says that you have to put the ball wide???

My possession is good, I am actually the better team, bar Newcastle game, but I just can't score. With CB's on direct passing it just doesn't stick up front, it's like it bounces of Ashton's knees.

As for conceded goals it tends to be the ball over the top so I will take away the farrows off my full backs and see if that makes a difference.

My defensive line was set to high so again I will take the back arrow of the DM.

I hadn't made an away tactic but will. My concern on this is that if it takes time for players to get used to a tactic does it not just confuse them if you swap tactics ever game if you have one home and then one away etc???

Another question. I read on here somewhere two schools of thought :

a. All defenders on the same instructions because they then act as a tight unit.

b. No more than two notches on mentality within each position so players are not too far away from eachother. Eg. GK 4 DEF 6 CM 8 Wingers 10 Strikers 12.

Do you agree with either of those at all?

Many thanks for your help.

Originally posted by Sussex Hammer:

Dale,,, You are a star mate!!

I have to be honest I thought that I had gone too narrow because using a target man of sorts logic says that you have to put the ball wide???

My possession is good, I am actually the better team, bar Newcastle game, but I just can't score. With CB's on direct passing it just doesn't stick up front, it's like it bounces of Ashton's knees.

As for conceded goals it tends to be the ball over the top so I will take away the farrows off my full backs and see if that makes a difference.

My defensive line was set to high so again I will take the back arrow of the DM.

I hadn't made an away tactic but will. My concern on this is that if it takes time for players to get used to a tactic does it not just confuse them if you swap tactics ever game if you have one home and then one away etc???

Another question. I read on here somewhere two schools of thought :

a. All defenders on the same instructions because they then act as a tight unit.

b. No more than two notches on mentality within each position so players are not too far away from eachother. Eg. GK 4 DEF 6 CM 8 Wingers 10 Strikers 12.

Do you agree with either of those at all?

Many thanks for your help.

Hi mate. It takes players time to adjust to a new formation but if you keep the same formation and have different tactics for that formation you will be fine.

What I suggest is the following:

An attacking tactic for home and against weak sides. This is where your D/line is higher and your mc does not have barrows. You can have passing mixed through the middle and down the wing. Your sides general mentality will be higher since you are on the attack. At home your side will be closing down the other side more (except the centrebacks of course) to put them under pressure.

An away tactic which is more direct and counter attacking. With this tactic your fullbacks will have less forward runs as will your midfield except for your wingers. So if you have a mc on fwd runs often at home then the away tactic would be rarely or mixed at the very most.

Your D/line will be deeper and of course your MC will barrow into the DMC to fill the space between defence and midfield.

Since you will be counter attacking your ball should be focussed down the wings to utilise your wingers. I'm sure I have forgotten some stuff but just ask if you are not sure.

Oh yeah, closing down should be rarely when away so that you keep your structure and make it hard for them to get past.

The other two tactics you should also have saved other than the home and away tactics is the 4-2-4 I discussed earlier which you use in the last 15 minutes if you are behind and are trying to get back in it.

AND also the Shut up shop tactic that is a direct response to the 4-2-4 implemented by the AI.

That is all you should need.

Your questions:

a) no not quite true. Your fullbacks have to deal with players trying to cross the ball so their role is different from the Centre backs who are mostly dealing with crosses into the penalty area. Therefore your fullbacks can afford to close down marginly more so than the centrebacks who should not be closing down much at all. They are acting as a wall against attacks coming from the middle.

b) This is pretty accurate. Some prefer the rule of one which is 1 notch between positions while some prefer 2. You just have to pick one and see what you prefer. The thing here to remember is higher mentality at home and lower away. So if you pick the rule of one for example you might go like this:

AWAY Mentalities

GK 6

DC's 7

fullbacks 8

MCd 9

MCa 10

wingers 11

FC (target man or less faster player) 12

FC (faster striker) 13

Home

GK 10

DC 11

FB 12

MCd 13

MCa 14

Wings 15

FC slow or target 16

FC fast 17

The above is how you might set the rule of one up home and away.

Hope that helps.

P.s. above is the In match tactical considerations. Use that as a guide in the match to help you stay on course.

Dayle,

Great. One thing. I have downloaded Asmodeous Bludgeon Tactic ok, but there are several Diaby tactics. Which one is it? Apologies.

it is called TTF RoOmbus Set/RoOmbus SUS

Dayle,

Have played 4 games with your new and other instructions I have read on here. Some success. You have got Ashton firing for a start with 4 goals in 4 games including a brace against Chelsea.

My results are

West Ham 2 Reading 1

Newcastle 4 West Ham 0

Watford 1 West Ham 3

West Ham 2 Chelsea 2

Not bad apart from the Newcastle game. In that and the first half v Watford I played my 4-4-2 but as an away tactic with your suggestions, eg deeper defensive line, full backs pulling back a little, more direct to the wings and your mentality for each player.

I was having a nightmare v Newcastle as you see and tried Asmodeous Bludgeon Tactic to get back in the game but that didn't help... After a similar bashing in the first half V Watford I changed to my home 4-4-2 and won 3-1.

Against Chelsea I didn't want to risk my Away Tactic and played the RoOmbus SUS for the whole 90 minutes. Despite Chelsea obviously being the better side I matched them and was 2-1 up until they got a fortuitous 93rd minute penalty!!! Typical..

My Away stats are :

Mentality Normal

CF Normal

Passing Mixed

Tempo Normal

Width Normal

Closing Down Rare

Defensive Line Normal

Tackling Normal

Counter Attack On

Focus Passing Wide

Do you notice any glaring errors there?

My home 4-4-2 seems fine so many thanks.

I wonder because West Ham are notoriously bad at defending my best bet is to just go for it in each game!!

Many thanks again.

I'm suprised you used the shut up shop for 90 minutes against chelsea! Mind you playing againtst them is never an easy thing so a draw is probably a good result.

Your away settings look alright.

the Newcastle result is obviously a concern. Did you keep an eye on possession during the game? I would guess that they were dominating so what you should have done is change from your defence to attack tactic. It is pretty much the polar opposite and could have made a difference.

Still you did change against Watford and got a result so thats good.

I guess that is the thing to mention: If your tactic is not working then you need to change to your other tactic early on. The SUS and the Bludgeon are really for the end of the game although in the case of Chelsea I guess anything goes if you can scrape a result.

So since your home tactic is sorted thats a good start. The away is always harder to pin down but like I said if you can master getting possession then that is half the battle. It is then just a matter of turning possession into shots and goals.

Whenever you are away start with the away tactic and of course if it is not workng change to the Home.

Things you can try to improve the away tactic gradually would be:

adjusting the mentalities up or down some notches.

adjusting the width/tempo up or down

giving a little more creative freedom to the most creative players.

Don't give up.

at the moment since i havent been on my network game for a day or so im playing my 1 player Norwich game too work on tactic building.

As suggested im trying too play too my individual players strenghs and using some of your instructions.

1 thing i seem too have problems with is keeping clean sheets. i have earnshaw and john sutton up front as little and large which seems too be working a treat!

but defensively i cant keep clean sheets on a regular basis.

you suggest using closing down for full backs, what mentality should i partner with this? i've got the tab set on the last notch of normal before defensive but it seems too me by closing down they are being dragged way out of position.

my dmc also seems too go abit far forward with high closing down. is it just a matter of dropping mentalities?

be interested too hear your views!

thanks for ya help so far!

Originally posted by Matty110:

at the moment since i havent been on my network game for a day or so im playing my 1 player Norwich game too work on tactic building.

As suggested im trying too play too my individual players strenghs and using some of your instructions.

1 thing i seem too have problems with is keeping clean sheets. i have earnshaw and john sutton up front as little and large which seems too be working a treat!

but defensively i cant keep clean sheets on a regular basis.

you suggest using closing down for full backs, what mentality should i partner with this? i've got the tab set on the last notch of normal before defensive but it seems too me by closing down they are being dragged way out of position.

my dmc also seems too go abit far forward with high closing down. is it just a matter of dropping mentalities?

be interested too hear your views!

thanks for ya help so far!

hi mate. I'd say playing away give your Fullbacks less closing down. At home slightly more but don't go over board.

Tight marking woul dbe good too. You are basically trying to stop the quantity and quality of crosses into the box area so these two players need to deal with that.

Mentality I would hope for you is 1 or 2 notches more than the DC's at most. Are you using rule of one or two? Or are you using a different mentality system? I hope you have SOME osrt of system in place for mentality!

You could try giving your DMC less closing down but with tight marking ticked. That might also solve your problem. Is he zonal or man marking?

Are you playing with a home tactic and an away tactic?

I'm in the process of building a home and away tactic. at home i do look preety good. not much of a problem there.

well i try too keep the teams mentalities close together so its easier too keep possesion. but i dont have a strict rule on the system myself. as long as the gap between one department too another isnt too big im happy enough.

I've got my DMC on zonal so he would cover his area of the pitch. but the gap between him and my DC's seems too big as players can get him behind him and get at my center backs. i'll make sure his mentalities are closer too the DC's when i go on it as maybe thats the problem!

another thing im abit unsure about is having my center backs on tight marking? i dont want my DC's too be turned so would this counter act low closing down?

The team mentality away from home i may have it on the lower part of normal with counter attacking on. with a direct style and high tempo. what would you suggest i set my width at?

cheers for ya help.

In regards to your DMC, what is your D/line setting?

Tight marking with low closing down means you are keeping yourself between them and the goalbox but not being to urgent about getting the ball of them. You are also very close to them so getting passes to them will be more risky for the AI midfield. If you don't have tight marking they will have more space and more chance at a decent shot.

Set your width to the same as the tempo. They influence each other and should therefore be mirrored.

example: If you have short passing but wide width your passses will not find the player often and interceptions will be more of a problem.

cheers shall keep that one in mind!

my D line setting away from home i've set too 5. which is okay and yes i've been looking at my team mentalities too and their were gaps in them! dohhh lol out that right!

so they are now within 2 notches of each otherr.

although im unsure about the strikers? im thinking about leaving them higher up the pitch mentality wise then the others. in particulartly earnshaw as he is my main goal threat.

i've now set my full backs for the different home/away tactics both on closing down which should be useful with the differing closing down methods.

on another note is it okay having my amc mentality on 10 being at home?! im not sure whether i should have all the individual players mentalitys higher when playing at home?

Your strikers mentality should be no more than 2 above the highest midfielder, otherwise you will be isolating him.

For home mentality I would universally set mentality higher for every position. The important thing is keeping the mentalities close so that your team functions as a unit and are not split apart.

This is a mentality setting I suggested as a starting point for someone earlier:

AWAY Mentalities

GK 6

DC's 7

fullbacks 8

MCd 9

MCa 10

wingers 11

FC (target man or less faster player) 12

FC (faster striker) 13

Home

GK 10

DC 11

FB 12

MCd 13

MCa 14

Wings 15

FC slow or target 16

FC fast 17

Hopefully that will give you an idea.

You can also if you want to try that swap the mentalities of the wingers with the slower FC or even the MCa with the FC.

that helps loadsss thanks.

looking at those figures i had my mentalitys alot lower then that even when at home!

especially at home so this is some what of an eye opener thanks alot hope it works out!

i just had a bland game at home too cardiff and i looked alot more solid at the back with your suggestings! and hopefully these mentality changes will make me look more dangerous as it was a bland 0 0 draw in which there was 4 shots in total!

I dominated possesion but created very little but more solid!

Dale, Once again many thanks. One quick question, in a 4-4-2 is swapping positions between the two Central midfielders and also the two strikers be an idea?

I suspect with Tevez and Ashton being two different players not?!

Originally posted by Sussex Hammer:

Dale, Once again many thanks. One quick question, in a 4-4-2 is swapping positions between the two Central midfielders and also the two strikers be an idea?

I suspect with Tevez and Ashton being two different players not?!

I've never tried it with midfielders so not too sure there.

With strikers it can be quite good as the defenders are put under more stress trying to mark them all the time. The thing to remember is that as the two players are changing into the other players instructions so I THINK that you'd want two similar strikers. I'd say get your tactic humming away to a point where you are happy with it and THEN give this a whirl.

Concentrate on the basics first such as dominating possession and increasing the quality of your shots on goal.

DAYLE

thanx for help

Ihave quick questions:

1. I know that passing is linked with tempo but when i give all my players individual setings passing what tempo should i ticked? ( DCs-13 FBs-13 Wingers-10 MC-8 Mc-7 FCs-5 that`s my passing for players)

2. If i have good Fb - Ratinho f.e but give him 1 for cf it is chance that my fulbacls will be playing well?

3. Last question: Why taget-men mentality should be lower that faststriker mentality? ( i look for cleon tread about SU game, and his targetmen has 13 mentality, fast striker-12 ) but you suggest that targetmen mentality should be lower that fast striker, why?

Thanx for any answer, and sorry for very poor english ( i`m from Poland btw. )

Best regards :-)

Troubleshooting

The following is a check list you can go through to make sure you side are set up properly.

1. Team width and tempo. Make sure they are fairly close together.

2. Target men settings. If you are using a target man make sure the ball is going to the right part of his body (head/feet)

3. Defensive line - Is it where you want it? If you have a DMC then you should drop your D/line so he does'nt get swallowed up by the defence.

4. Offside trap - If you are employing this don't use a DMC or if you do farrow him up to the MC position.

5. Forward runs - when playing away give less players forward runs. Be more conservative.

6. Run with ball/long shots/crossing - Look at players attributes. Don't tell them to do these unless they are capable of doing so.

7. Creative freedom - give to your most creative players only (look to their attributes).

8. Defence - Look closely at your DC's settings. Are they marking how you want them? Give them mixed through balls and if their passing is good give them often.

9. Passing - more direct with the back line and shorter with the strikers. Match the midfield with your tempo and width.

10. Timewasting - less so at home and mixed away.

Originally posted by Gabi80:

Hi Gabi - your passing settings look ok. A basic rule I follow for passing is this: more direct at the back and shorter at the front. Which you are applying from what I can see. The middle players I set to match their abilities and also keep in mind with the tempo/width.

If you are playing short narrow width/slow tempo then passing can be mixed down to short. If you players are not so good at passing then mirror the tempo and width. If they are then let them go up to mixed passing.

If you are playing wide and faster tempo then passing should be between mixed and direct.

If you are playing in the middle normal width and normal tempo then mixed passing would be the way to go to mirror that.

2. What is Ratinhos creativity attribute? Go of that. If it is 15 or above gove him first notch of 'much' for creative freedom. If he has between 10-14 then normal anything below that do give him much creative freedom.

All this means (creative freedom) is how rigidly he will follow your instructions. IF you give him more creative freedom he will still follow your instructions but will be more likely to try things outside of those boundaries.

Basically don't give anyone creative freedom if they have a poor creativity attribute. If you do your tactic will start to fall apart since they will be making poor decisions and not adhering to your instructions.

3. I would say his target man plays with back to goal which means his setting would be right. The other striker in his scenario will be slightly behind him and when he gets the headers they will be to that striker.

My set up would be more for strikers making forward runs and the target man is heading the ball on to them.

If you are using a target man look at his player preferred moves and take these into account.

Your english is fine... Let me know if you need anymore help.

Originally posted by Dayle Wood:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Gabi80:

Hi Gabi - your passing settings look ok. A basic rule I follow for passing is this: more direct at the back and shorter at the front. Which you are applying from what I can see. The middle players I set to match their abilities and also keep in mind with the tempo/width.

If you are playing short narrow width/slow tempo then passing can be mixed down to short. If you players are not so good at passing then mirror the tempo and width. If they are then let them go up to mixed passing.

If you are playing wide and faster tempo then passing should be between mixed and direct.

If you are playing in the middle normal width and normal tempo then mixed passing would be the way to go to mirror that.

2. What is Ratinhos creativity attribute? Go of that. If it is 15 or above gove him first notch of 'much' for creative freedom. If he has between 10-14 then normal anything below that do give him much creative freedom.

All this means (creative freedom) is how rigidly he will follow your instructions. IF you give him more creative freedom he will still follow your instructions but will be more likely to try things outside of those boundaries.

Basically don't give anyone creative freedom if they have a poor creativity attribute. If you do your tactic will start to fall apart since they will be making poor decisions and not adhering to your instructions.

3. I would say his target man plays with back to goal which means his setting would be right. The other striker in his scenario will be slightly behind him and when he gets the headers they will be to that striker.

My set up would be more for strikers making forward runs and the target man is heading the ball on to them.

If you are using a target man look at his player preferred moves and take these into account.

Your english is fine... Let me know if you need anymore help. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

dayle

very very thanx

ok, after your answer now i want to build tactic 442 flat on this kind instruction. So tell me if it`s something wrong, ok:

1.team ment.10 ( if i have individual ment. team mentality isn`t important- btw after wwfan tread)

2. cf 10

3. pass 8 ( i have individual passing for everyone, but in the middle MCd has 8 MCa 7 Wingers 10 so i decide team passing on 8, correct?)

4. Tempo 8 ( matching with passing )

5. Width 10 ( but i want to play wide, can i give 14 for wide?)

6. Cd mixed 10

7. D-line 8

Only target men ticked ( never play with counter attack, so decide don`t ticked it)

DCs- ment. 5 cf 3 cd 6 all rearly + mam marking+ zonal marking,pass-13

FBs- ment. 10 cf 10 cd 14 Fwr- often, rwb-mixed,cross from deep, ttb-mixed long sh.-rearly,pass 13 ( i give cf 10 for FBs becouse i have ratinho and ilsinho - they cf from both-13 decision- ratinho 12 ilsinho 14) cross to targetmen

MCd- ment. 6 cf 7 cd 8, fwr-rearly,rwb-mixed,ttb-often,cross-rearly from deep,pass 8, cd 8,long sh.-mixed ( i want hold his position)

MCa- ment 13 cf 14 fwr-often, rwb-mixed, ttb-often,cross-mixed from mixed, long shots often,passing 7

Wingers- ment. 13 cf 12 fwr-oftem-rwb-often,cross by line often, long sh.rearly,ttb mixed. Cd 10, tackling easy,long farrows, pass 10 cross to target men

Targetmen - men. 12 cf 9, cd 14 easy tackling, fwr-mixed, rwb-mixed or rearly ( if EJ,Zigic rearly if Klose or Toni-mixed)cross-rearly, long sh-mixed ttb-rearly. Hold up ball , passing 5

Fast striker - ment. 14( so i decide give fast striker mentality higher that targetm men, correct?) cf 12, cd 14, pass 5, all mixed, expect rwb-often

So what do you think about this seetings.

I`m blackburn, but in 2009, and won everything with my 343, but i want to change my tactic b`couse i`m litlle bored with my 343 )

Btw CD for MCa is 14

No offense but thats quite a hard read.

But from what I can see.... give your Centrebacks mixed 'try through balls'.

Give your MCd higher closing down if he is acting as a sweeper DMC and not an outlet for the defence. His run with ball is mixed... hat is his dribbling attribute? If less than 10 give him rarely.

MCa - forward runs mixed. Is his long shots attribute good?

Target man - less closing down so he is in space for passes to his head.

With hold up ball only if his strength is about 14 or higer. Easy tackling for your strikers since they will be poor at tackling anyway.

Also what is the pattern of your mentalty? Seems a little mixed up.

Is this your home or away tactic?

Team settings: if tempo is 8 then 14 might be too far along for width, possibly drop by a couple.

Your D/line is leaning on the side of deep so consider barrowing your MCd so the space between def and mid is not to great.

So far...

Really need to know if this is your home or away tactic to be honest.

Some tips that might help people

1. If you are playing a game and notice that you have something silly like 63% possession but only two shots on goal then consider raising your mentalities by one or two for all players.

This means you will likely have a drop in possession which you can affored but should get more shots from a more aggressive side.

more tips to come when my brain switches over to mastermind