When a defender is on the sidelines getting treatment...

None of your players cover their position and 90% of the time there's a chance because of the enormous gap left. Surely somebody can cover the position temporarily without your instruction!?

I think they should add a touchline shout called "Cover for Missing Position" when you get a player sent off, injured with no substitutions left, or is on the sidelines getting treatment.

I don't even think it should be a shout - it should just be automatic, somebody fills in for that minute or so, and there's no problems

Maybe they will put it in fm13

I remember having a defender out like that like two or three times and I could swear I saw my defensive midfielder taking up the vacant position on at least one occasion. Might be remembering it wrong or it could have been just a lucky thing in a highlight but I swear it looked like he went to cover the hole in the back four.

I've definitely seen players cover the position before. The trouble is, you can't tell which player to cover the position, so the shape ends up a bit lop-sided sometimes.

I've seen one of my midfielder's drop to provide cover when a defender is off getting treatment, the only problem is that a forward will not then drop or wide player come inside to cover the gap that has been created in midfield.

I've seen one of my midfielder's drop to provide cover when a defender is off getting treatment, the only problem is that a forward will not then drop or wide player come inside to cover the gap that has been created in midfield.

Same experience for me. It should automatically change the whole shape of the team to compensate but it only drops the nearest player in there to cover. It still leaves a huge cap if the injured player is a defender.

I play the matches in full and I've definitely seen players cover a defender's position when they're off the field. The same apllies for all positions.

I've also seen the resulting effect where by two players will be occupying the same position (on the pitch view) when an opposition goal kick or free kick is taken.

They definitely do cover, but it may be down to intelligence. Seeing as I'm playing in the English non-league then I'm sure intelligence isn't the only factor.

I've also seen the behaviour posted by those above.

I don't think it would be possible to make other players then cover those positions now empty because of the initial covering player. This would take a lot of control away from you as the manager - one player covering an injury position it probably the maximum assumption the game could make about your intentions. Everything else would be guess work.