The most frustrating thing...

It's a good game, although the improvements are not too drastic from the previous FM. I like the negotiations, i think that's the best part. The extra details are very nice.

So, i'm in my third year with Juventus and the first year was easiest to win the Serie A, Ita-Cup, and the Euro Challenge. The last two years have been more difficult, especially this one.

My roster:

Buffon

Areola

Vanden Borre

Chiellini

Onyewu

Bonucci

Cassani

Srna

De Ceglie

Coentrao (what a steal)

Sissoko

Marchisio (underrated atributes, he is better than as listed)

Pepe

David Silva (Man City wanted to dump him for e11M, he wanted to leave, got him at e9.7M!

Lanzafame (overrated, but can't complain!)

Giovinco

Eden Hazard (e40M with 48 month installments, heavy price but he makes a difference every game)

Canales (just got him)

Del Piero (great on kicks, but can't use him because of his physical attributes making him look like as if he was 300 pounds too heavy)

Neymar (first acquisition i made since on day one playing the game)

G. Rossi

Acquafresca (overrated, but came in fairly cheap...so, can't complain there either!)

So, a very strong team. Yet, i am not having a hard time playing against Inter, Milan, Roma, somehow Palermo is stronger than those two. I even managed to beat Barcelona and Chelsea. I'm not even afraid to play those teams anymore. I am afraid to play against the crappiest teams! For some reason, i get my ass whooped by the likes of Mainz, Atalanta, Cesena, Parma..... Brescia. My team either loses or luckily ties with those teams. It ends up getting over four yellow cards. The opponents' goalies (Farsyth... really, a star?) make miraculous saves and my deadliest players, Neymar and Rossi, miss open nets.

I understand that your top team can take it too easy on a very low reputation squad, but it is WAY overdone to the point where it angers me because the game is flawed in its programming to make it that way. Thing is, i get tired of it happening every time. So i lost to Atalanta 3-1, Chiellini red carded, Sissoko injured, Silva injured, Rossi yellow carded, Coentrao yellow carded, and Hazard yellow carded. Giovinco missed a PK as well. I had enough. So, i reloaded the game and played Atalanta again.

Results?

2-0 loss. Chiellini injured, Giovinco injured, Neymar, Rossi, Bonucci, Coentrao, Hazard, yellow carded. Atalanta scored on a PK.

I reload again because it was too obvious that the AI wanted me to lose this game against this relegation bound team.

3-2 loss. They scored TWO penalty kicks. Rossi got two yellow cards (although the second yellow in extra time), but this time only Sissoko was yellow carded. Yet, my team barely had chances. Had 46% of ball possession.

I reload AGAIN, this time, though, i go on holiday for one day and my Juve wins 3-0.

I just lost to Parma with the same kind of play. My team barely did anything, it missed chances...Mirante was god-like. I go on holiday for one day, Juve 4-1 over Parma (Neymar hat trick!).

So...it is obvious that the AI is programmed to make you lose when you MUST lose and it usually happens against the low reputation teams. But really, it is bothersome, frustrating, and downright stupid that this game overdoes it with having you losing to bad teams.

Otherwise, it still is a good game, i like the new extras and like i said...the negotiations part is a lot of fun. I have more fun in the summer transfer window than playing the actual season. So, if you plan on making another patch, or if not then for the next FM, PLEASE.......do not repeat this frustrating thing where your top team continuously has a tough time beating small reputation teams too frequently.

How do you prepare tactically and motivationally for these matches? Any differences to when you are playing better teams?

Can you describe the rough philosophy of your tactical strategy?

Do you reload if you win and the computer gets a red, five yellows and three injuries?

I agree it is annoying how often all these things seem to happen in one game though.

Could be complancy (sp), maybe use i expect a win if you want to win the match, though the injuries may be due to the other team tackling harder to bully you out the game

I got to the rsults part but then stopped reading when i saw "I reload again because it was too obvious that the AI wanted me to lose this game against this relegation bound team."

perhaps instead of accusing the game of cheating, you could give some info about your tactics and ask for some help.

It sounds like you have a good tactical setup for playing the big teams, perhaps a defensive or counter strategy, but are probably using the same one against smaller teams who you are expected to beat, and therefore your team is sitting back when you should be attacking.

When you go on holiday, do you ask your AssMan to use your tactics or choose his own?

I got to the results part but then stopped reading when i saw "I reload again because it was too obvious that the AI wanted me to lose this game against this relegation bound team."

exactly the same as me.

Out of frustration i put easy tackling and tried different offensive tactics. Sometimes Control and Retain Possession do very well with a skilled team such as that. Motivation? I don't know. At home i've used "expect you to win", "You can win". I didn't see much difference in the those changes.

The tactics should not be too sensitive when it comes to playing relegation bound teams, though. I can understand a few times, but in a 38 game schedule and your losses and draws are mostly due to teams positioned 20th to 15th then you know something's not right.

Do you reload if you win and the computer gets a red, five yellows and three injuries?

I agree it is annoying how often all these things seem to happen in one game though.

lol, no. And it's not one game, it's usually against lower end teams and it bothers me after a while. My first year i had a decent team, and managed to win Serie A by two points, but i guess my team was not good enough to have the "take it too easy against bad teams" flaw. Ever since it got that good, then yeah....it got annoying.

And the CPU team injuring my players should get its player(s) carded for doing so, which rarely happens.

perhaps instead of accusing the game of cheating, you could give some info about your tactics and ask for some help.

It sounds like you have a good tactical setup for playing the big teams, perhaps a defensive or counter strategy, but are probably using the same one against smaller teams who you are expected to beat, and therefore your team is sitting back when you should be attacking.

When you go on holiday, do you ask your AssMan to use your tactics or choose his own?

I keep tactics very basic as they worked better for me in the past since the previous versions.

I call it circle attack even though it is labeled as 4-2-4:

Two strikers

Two attacking wingers

Two midfielders (one defensive, one advanced playmaker on support; usually Hazard)

Two wingbacks near midfield line

Two defenders

GK

Looks like a circle and the attack is very up front.

But i don't believe it is a tactical issue. It's that i see a guy like Forsyth make incredible saves. Neymar and Rossi shouldn't miss open side nets too many times either. Overall, the team plays poorly...makes mistakes.

It's the "lack of motivation versus low rep teams" that is too effective. That's the game's flaw.

I don't have a problem beating them myself ...but then when playing the 20th-placed team at home I revert to grovelling that we'll be lucky to get anything at all.

Managing complacency is far too big a deal in this version.

I don't have a problem beating them myself ...but then when playing the 20th-placed team at home I revert to grovelling that we'll be lucky to get anything at all.

Managing complacency is far too big a deal in this version.

There are so many people who feel the same way regarding motivation/teamtalks etc. They are VASTLY overplayed in FM, the game was a lot better when the quality of your players and tactics had the greatest impact on the game. The series if gradually turning into 'The Sims - Football Edition'. I don't see this changing honestly, until SI have some serious competition in regards to other management games.

One explanation for Neymar missing a lot is his finishing and composure usually settles around 13/14 each which is fairly bad for a top team. Rossi on the other hand has excellent stats in those departments..

I got to the rsults part but then stopped reading when i saw "I reload again because it was too obvious that the AI wanted me to lose this game against this relegation bound team."

I disagree here, reloading sometimes shows the flaws in the whole program. When you get a multitude of different results from reloading it really does make you think how much of the game is pure luck/random chance.

I disagree here, reloading sometimes shows the flaws in the whole program. When you get a multitude of different results from reloading it really does make you think how much of the game is pure luck/random chance.

You can't be serious. The outcome of a game is based on a number of factors just like irl, one of them obviously being luck but if you reload and change your tactical decisions or the AI changes its tactical decisions of course you could have a totally different outcome. Even if you keep your starting team and tactics the same the game won't be identical, players will be effected differently by different factors. If one of your defenders plays brilliantly at first but then you reload and he makes a mistake early on that can make a huge difference just in itself.

Not only that but the OP said he was reloading because it was too obvious that the AI wanted him to lose. O course it wants him to lose! Its an opposition manager! Unless of course he's referring to the conspiracy theory that the AI acts as one ginat enemy that controls all of the teams you don't and they conspire against you to make you do the worst you can. I don't care if you want to reload and cheat but don't use pathetic excuses. Sorry for the rant but this attitude says more about the human brain than it does about the AI.

If you don't change anything but the AI does and the chances of either side scoring the first goal is 40% (with a 20% chance of no side scoring), you will get a selection of completely random results if you reload. If you learn to change things to maximize your chances of winning, then you'll probably see 90%+ consistency.

You can't be serious. The outcome of a game is based on a number of factors just like irl, one of them obviously being luck but if you reload and change your tactical decisions or the AI changes its tactical decisions of course you could have a totally different outcome. Even if you keep your starting team and tactics the same the game won't be identical, players will be effected differently by different factors. If one of your defenders plays brilliantly at first but then you reload and he makes a mistake early on that can make a huge difference just in itself.

Not only that but the OP said he was reloading because it was too obvious that the AI wanted him to lose. O course it wants him to lose! Its an opposition manager! Unless of course he's referring to the conspiracy theory that the AI acts as one ginat enemy that controls all of the teams you don't and they conspire against you to make you do the worst you can. I don't care if you want to reload and cheat but don't use pathetic excuses. Sorry for the rant but this attitude says more about the human brain than it does about the AI.

I enjoyed the rant, but my point was that maybe too much emphasis is put on luck/random factor etc. I think the excuse that 'it's just like real life' is rubbish honestly, there is NO WAY SI or anyone really is capable of simulating the kind of nuances that you see in football, coupled with a motivation/player personality system. I think the ME puts far too much emphasis on luck and so called motivation rather that simply going by player attributes.

If you don't change anything but the AI does and the chances of either side scoring the first goal is 40% (with a 20% chance of no side scoring), you will get a selection of completely random results if you reload. If you learn to change things to maximize your chances of winning, then you'll probably see 90%+ consistency.

Difference is that the AI seems to have the ability to crank up the pressure on your team when its ahead like crazy. You can be 2-0, 3-0 up and suddenly the AI makes a switch that somehow enables them to simply bombard your goal. They then score and you get the message team x has reverted back to their normal style etc. This type of stuff annoys me, what exactly did they change, i check their formation etc but it seems the same, they just seem to have a magic button then enables them to exert a insane amount of pressure.

I keep tactics very basic as they worked better for me in the past since the previous versions.

I call it circle attack even though it is labeled as 4-2-4:

Two strikers

Two attacking wingers

Two midfielders (one defensive, one advanced playmaker on support; usually Hazard)

Two wingbacks near midfield line

Two defenders

GK

Looks like a circle and the attack is very up front.

But i don't believe it is a tactical issue. It's that i see a guy like Forsyth make incredible saves. Neymar and Rossi shouldn't miss open side nets too many times either. Overall, the team plays poorly...makes mistakes.

It's the "lack of motivation versus low rep teams" that is too effective. That's the game's flaw.

So, a formation that is 100% unlike anything played in the modern game! And it is all the AI's fault!

I'd suggest playing deeper and more patiently, draw the opposition out, and take advantage of the space that opens up. If you push everyone high, then a deep sitting opposition will easily frustrate you and you risk getting caught on the counter. If you are playing a fast paced, short passing game with such a formation, then it is even more likely that you'll come unstuck against spoiling tactics.

Saying that, I do think CCCs are far too liberally measured. The next time I see the commentator say my striker, who is on his wrong foot, moving at pace, 18 yards out, wide of the posts and being chased by a big centre back, has missed a sitter, I think I'll scream! You really need to make your own subjective evaluation of CCCs. Too many chances determined CCCs are half chances at best!

I enjoyed the rant, but my point was that maybe too much emphasis is put on luck/random factor etc. I think the excuse that 'it's just like real life' is rubbish honestly, there is NO WAY SI or anyone really is capable of simulating the kind of nuances that you see in football, coupled with a motivation/player personality system. I think the ME puts far too much emphasis on luck and so called motivation rather that simply going by player attributes.

Perhaps but maybe its not only luck thats changing when you're reloading, players can make different decisions or make mistakes they wouldn't have before. You can call that luck if you want but it would be based on their attributes and the chance that they will make the right decision or get their shots on target.

Difference is that the AI seems to have the ability to crank up the pressure on your team when its ahead like crazy. You can be 2-0, 3-0 up and suddenly the AI makes a switch that somehow enables them to simply bombard your goal. They then score and you get the message team x has reverted back to their normal style etc. This type of stuff annoys me, what exactly did they change, i check their formation etc but it seems the same, they just seem to have a magic button then enables them to exert a insane amount of pressure.

It is easy to close out games. Stop pushing for more and keep possession. Reduce your width, lower the d-line, reduce passing length and risk (less through balls), lower mentality, stay on feet.

Perhaps but maybe its not only luck thats changing when you're reloading, players can make different decisions or make mistakes they wouldn't have before. You can call that luck if you want but it would be based on their attributes and the chance that they will make the right decision or get their shots on target.

I can see that, I am just not sure if it's true or not. If that really is the case then the 'Decision' attribute is hands down the most important attribute in the game. I personally have my doubts honestly.

It is easy to close out games. Stop pushing for more and keep possession. Reduce your width, lower the d-line, reduce passing length and risk (less through balls), lower mentality, stay on feet.

Not sure I agree with that at all, I see way to many teams simply change tactics and start playing like Brazil 1970.

I can see that, I am just not sure if it's true or not. If that really is the case then the 'Decision' attribute is hands down the most important attribute in the game. I personally have my doubts honestly.

No i mean that as an example, it applies for all attributes. A player may miss a shot they would have scored in aprevious game because even if they have 20 composure and 20 finishing it doesn't mean they always score or that their shots are always on target it just makes it less likely that they'll miss.

Not sure I agree with that at all, I see way too many teams simply change tactics and start playing like Brazil 1970.

I do it all the time. I have just won the World Club Championship in my current save, so it will be early-mid December. Thus far, I have conceded three goals all season (2 in the league, 1 in the League Cup when I put out a reserve team, 0 in Europe). In my previous two seasons I've conceded 24 league goals in total.

It is perfectly possible. You just need to follow the base logic of football tactics. Open space and take more risks when looking to attack, close space and play more safely when looking to defend. If you play open, aggressive tactics and the opposition decide to come at you, they will slice you open. It's fine when you are trying to unlock an entrenched defence (although arguably not the best way to do it even then). However, it is really likely to backfire against a team countering at pace.

In my opinion the only thing that has an over-powering effect is Media Interaction. I use the press conferences and say pretty much what you'd expect a manager to say in real life. We need to watch out if im favourites and I think we can upset the favourites if we aren't the favourites. Using this I have led my Aberdeen team to 6 straight titles along with some pretty astute signings without so much as tweaking my tactic one bit since the first game.

It is easy to close out games. Stop pushing for more and keep possession. Reduce your width, lower the d-line, reduce passing length and risk (less through balls), lower mentality, stay on feet.

I'm not sure if i'm using the wrong strategy or shouts for this approach, but every time i try this the AI just pushes up and close down which leads to pointless punts up the pitch and losing possession cheaply, i actually find it more effective to just play more direct and try to take advantage of the space the AI leaves behind their back.

What kind of shouts and strategy do you use when trying to just hold a lead then?

To hold a lead I use the following:

Counter Strategy

Retain Possession (although I will switch from Get Ball Forward (which I often use when I'm looking to score) to no shout if the weather is very wet)

Pass into Space (I use this throughout every game to maximize the technical/passing strength of my side)

Work Ball into Box (don't want to lose possession by blasting long rangers)

Play Narrower (reduce space in the middle of the park)

Drop Deeper (encourage players to get behind the ball)

Stay on Feet (don't give away dangerous free kicks or risk getting skinned by missing a tackle)

With weaker squads uncomfortable with keeping possession deep on the park, I would Clear Ball to Flanks. I would also use the Defensive Strategy far more regularly. With my current team, the Counter Staretgy gives me the perfect balance between keeping possession and remaining a threat on the break. However, if you don't have the rigth type of players (my key players are my FBs and my two DMCs, all of whom are able to switch defence into attack in an instant), it might not be solid enough and a more defensaive strategy might be a better option.

Mine is almost identical to wwfan's, and I have a similar record defensively. I find it easy to hold onto leads, and in fact I often score goals to extend my lead whilst closing games out.

I keep tactics very basic as they worked better for me in the past since the previous versions.

I call it circle attack even though it is labeled as 4-2-4:

Two strikers

Two attacking wingers

Two midfielders (one defensive, one advanced playmaker on support; usually Hazard)

Two wingbacks near midfield line

Two defenders

GK

Looks like a circle and the attack is very up front.

But i don't believe it is a tactical issue. It's that i see a guy like Forsyth make incredible saves. Neymar and Rossi shouldn't miss open side nets too many times either. Overall, the team plays poorly...makes mistakes.

It's the "lack of motivation versus low rep teams" that is too effective. That's the game's flaw.

You have a very attacking formation, but you have mentioned nothing about the tactics that support this. Formation is just a cog in the tactical machine. For all I know you could be playing a contain strategy, pumping ball into box, hassling opponents and setting a wing-back as target man...

When I made the switch from FM9 to FM11 I regularly left my tactical setup alone when 2 or 3 goals up and frequently got pegged back by the opposition or even ended up losing. When I removed my head from my **** I realised that it was all my fault. Since then I've pretty much done what WWFan & Kenco have said and got exactly the same results as them. Just because your team is worth 300M more than the opposition doesn't mean that you shouldn't use the defensive or contain strategy. Apparently pride comes before a fall, so does arrogance.

Out of frustration i put easy tackling and tried different offensive tactics. Sometimes Control and Retain Possession do very well with a skilled team such as that. Motivation? I don't know. At home i've used "expect you to win", "You can win". I didn't see much difference in the those changes.

The tactics should not be too sensitive when it comes to playing relegation bound teams, though. I can understand a few times, but in a 38 game schedule and your losses and draws are mostly due to teams positioned 20th to 15th then you know something's not right.

Bingo! That's your problem... if you don't know why you would (should) use a particular team-talk then you won't motivate your players properly. It's not just about the team-talk and tactics, there are many other factors to take into consideration, match-odds, press conferences, player/manager interaction, fitness, morale, happiness, etc.

Picking the right team-talk isn't difficult, IF you know WHY you are using that particular one...

The game is not programmed to make you lose, it's programmed to carry out the instructions given to it by the user. Sometimes that will result in a loss because you did/said something wrong and didn't correct it; sometimes that will result in a "lucky draw" because of something you did or didn't do and sometimes you'll get a resounding win because you got everything right

There is no point saying you expect to beat a team that are odds-on favourites to your long-odds outsiders... (however, saying in a press conference you expect to get beat and then using "expect a win!" as a team-talk has turned up trumps for me on a few occasions.. ) Similarly, it's pointless saying that you think you will struggle against a team that are big outsiders to beat you. Your interactions should match the game world; the match-odds should determine your base press-conference/team-talk strategy. Everything else then affects your individual team-talks..

knowing why you are using a particular team-talk (and what effect you want it to have) is the key

(however, saying in a press conference you expect to get beat and then using "expect a win!" as a team-talk has turned up trumps for me on a few occasions.. )

A managers stance with the media will often deviate from his stance with his players - Alex Ferguson is a prime example of excellent manipulation of the media which is refreshing as so many managers & players are hounded by the press. Ferguson (and other top managers) frequently play down their chances or praise their opposition but you can bet they don't do it behind closed doors. They might praise an attacking 18th placed team for their bravery in the press but you can bet the pre-match talk with the players will be focussed on demanding a performance from the players - it'll be a brutal teamtalk focussing on destroying the opposition. FM makes a fairly decent stab at simulating this but the media & player interaction could be so much more.

knowing why you are using a particular team-talk (and what effect you want it to have) is the key

Completely agree with this. It takes time to learn which teamtalks work for YOUR squad in different situations, maybe I'm not as sharp as others here but it probably takes me anywhere between 1/2 a season to several seasons to work this out and EVERY new player in your squad must be accomodated so you have to constantly re-appraise your motivational strategy. People say its effect is exaggerated in FM but they fail to understand its importance in RL. Look up some Vince Lombardi quotes, I'm telling you, motivation is absolutely key.

Completely agree with this. It takes time to learn which teamtalks work for YOUR squad in different situations, maybe I'm not as sharp as others here but it probably takes me anywhere between 1/2 a season to several seasons to work this out and EVERY new player in your squad must be accomodated so you have to constantly re-appraise your motivational strategy. People say its effect is exaggerated in FM but they fail to understand its importance in RL. Look up some Vince Lombardi quotes, I'm telling you, motivation is absolutely key.

Complete hogwash. Lombardi was from a different era and sports in general are a completely different these days, as are the media. FM problem is the complete lack of documentation regarding key elements to the game and the insanely unintuitive way it goes about handling players personality's and teamtalks/press. Take for example the 'feedback' that your assistant manager offers on teamtalk, that is beyond useless, 99% of the feedback is 'Nothing Specific Noticed'.

FM problem is the complete lack of documentation regarding key elements to the game and the insanely unintuitive way it goes about handling players personality's and teamtalks/press. Take for example the 'feedback' that your assistant manager offers on teamtalk, that is beyond useless, 99% of the feedback is 'Nothing Specific Noticed'.

I have to say I agree with this as well in so much as the player interaction in FM could (and should) be so much better, it doesn't mean that you can't implement interaction strategies to great effect though (I'll also agree that its pretty unintuitive). FM also doesn't report very well on interactions as you've noted - it might say nothing specific noted but things certainly have happened. I'll have to disagree with your first sentiment however

Complete hogwash. Lombardi was from a different era and sports in general are a completely different these days, as are the media. FM problem is the complete lack of documentation regarding key elements to the game and the insanely unintuitive way it goes about handling players personality's and teamtalks/press. Take for example the 'feedback' that your assistant manager offers on teamtalk, that is beyond useless, 99% of the feedback is 'Nothing Specific Noticed'.

Why do you need your ass-man to tell you the effect your team-talk had? I use it to confirm what I already know, if he says "nothing specific noted" when my player has just turned in a blinder after I told him I "expected a performance" then I just think my ass-man is exactly that, an Ass...

Why do you need your ass-man to tell you the effect your team-talk had? I use it to confirm what I already know, if he says "nothing specific noted" when my player has just turned in a blinder after I told him I "expected a performance" then I just think my ass-man is exactly that, an Ass...

Definitely agree with this! I'm feeling particularly agreeable today obviously!

Edit There is a lot more going on beneath the skin of FM. I spent a while wondering why the player motivation screen displayed a rather neutral report on specific players when it was obvious that my teamtalk had inspired them as they were more energetic and playing better. Sometimes it's just a matter of knowing where to look. Just like RL.

So, a formation that is 100% unlike anything played in the modern game! And it is all the AI's fault!

I'd suggest playing deeper and more patiently, draw the opposition out, and take advantage of the space that opens up. If you push everyone high, then a deep sitting opposition will easily frustrate you and you risk getting caught on the counter. If you are playing a fast paced, short passing game with such a formation, then it is even more likely that you'll come unstuck against spoiling tactics.

Saying that, I do think CCCs are far too liberally measured. The next time I see the commentator say my striker, who is on his wrong foot, moving at pace, 18 yards out, wide of the posts and being chased by a big centre back, has missed a sitter, I think I'll scream! You really need to make your own subjective evaluation of CCCs. Too many chances determined CCCs are half chances at best!

I treat it as a game!

If you have a very skilled offense, though, try it! It hasn't worked too well for me in this version, apparently, but in the older one that formation lasted a lonnnnng time. Now i have a 4-5-1 like:

Striker

A/L and A/R

Two mid-fielders on the circle

One defensive midfielder

Four man defensive line

So, the midfield and attacking midfield is like a V shape.

I'll try to tinker more with tactics for this game, but i really do think it is a the motivational aspect and really...come on... let's admit it that this game has an AI that plays tricks on your players and makes your opponent's goalie all the sudden a Petr Cech or Buffon.

Also, i've never seen so many breakaways fail. The AI scores them! But not my team.

I'll try to tinker more with tactics for this game, but i really do think it is a the motivational aspect and really...come on... let's admit it that this game has an AI that plays tricks on your players and makes your opponent's goalie all the sudden a Petr Cech or Buffon.

It doesn't.

I doubt there is any piece of 'balancing' code in the game and doubt that there ever has been because of 2 reasons, firstly, it doesn't match with the ethos of the creators of the series and, secondly, and most importantly, there is no need.

I'm not sure if i'm using the wrong strategy or shouts for this approach, but every time i try this the AI just pushes up and close down which leads to pointless punts up the pitch and losing possession cheaply, i actually find it more effective to just play more direct and try to take advantage of the space the AI leaves behind their back.

What kind of shouts and strategy do you use when trying to just hold a lead then?

This is a very good post, I've also experienced this as well. I can only describe it as a basketball like full court press, Where the AI is in effective going man - man on my entire team and this is regardless of my formation and the AI's formation it makes ball retention very difficult and usually leads to a punt up field from one of my centre halfs.

although my team has been vastly successful at the highest level of the game i've been wondering is it the reputation of my club which is leading to such aggressive AI tactics.

It doesn't.

I doubt there is any piece of 'balancing' code in the game and doubt that there ever has been because of 2 reasons, firstly, it doesn't match with the ethos of the creators of the series and, secondly, and most importantly, there is no need.

Then how do you explain mediocre-at-best goalkeepers playing way too stellar making unbelievable saves, and are usually the ones from the relegation bound teams? Julio Cesar has allowed 2.973 goals per game against me. I've barely seen him perform as good as Forsyth, Mirante, Curci... come on. There's got to be a reason why.

To no surprise......

2-2 against ASCOLI...........ASCOLI!!!!! A ten man ASCOLI tied me. Loved to see Rossi missing a PK (resulted in Ascoli's red card), and it was great to see Ascoli score two breakaways with Davide Di Gennaro, a youngster 24 years of age with marginal attributes scored two breakaways.

Silva had a breakaway.......kicked right at Guarna's chest.

Neymar had a half a breakaway...just a bit ahead of Terzi, and he shoots it way up in the sky for God to catch it.

This is an annoying trend....the worst teams in this game are the toughest to beat. It's idiotic. Good thing that these crappy teams are few and played few times per stretch.

Oh, and before tying Ascoli i beat second place Fiorentina 4-0 (they scored two own goals, but one was pretty much Chiellini's goal from a corner kick).

right.. so what did you do differently for the Ascoli game from what you did for the Fiorentina game? Find that out, and you can fix your problems.

Then how do you explain mediocre-at-best goalkeepers playing way too stellar making unbelievable saves, and are usually the ones from the relegation bound teams? Julio Cesar has allowed 2.973 goals per game against me. I've barely seen him perform as good as Forsyth, Mirante, Curci... come on. There's got to be a reason why.

I wonder if you've ever noticed your GK will have a stormer somestimes too, probably in games you go on to win, unsurprisingly.

The rating system in FM will favour a GK that makes saves. If your defence allows 0 shots and 0 crosses in the game then the GK wont get a good rating as he didn't have to do anything - he didn't have a bad game, he didn't have an average game, the performance of his teammates just meant he could fill out a good crossword during the game. If your attackers dolly the ball to the GK because they are unmotivated or complacent then, 10 weak shots later, the GK will be the best keeper on the planet.

This is an annoying trend....the worst teams in this game are the toughest to beat. It's idiotic.

Did you even attempt any of the advice given above? If, like me, your main goalthreat comes from throughballs in behind the defence then you're always going to have to adapt when playing weaker teams as they'll get numbers back and restrict the space you want. As you push forward and tire yourself out they'll hit on the counter. This has all been explained already.