Tactics.....Whats the point......

Started a online save which im using tried and tested tactics from my own single player save which is 4 defenders, 2 central midfielders, 3 attacking midfielders and a lone striker, with a attacking mentality, retain poss, shorter passing, exploit the flanks, push up, close down more, play wider and higher tempo.

Now on my single player save im Chelsea and in the year 2019 won everything, winning as a top team should do, well organised, knocking the ball around keeping poss, strikers scoring, goals from midfield and generally hard to break down playing brilliantly 80/90% of the time, you get the picture.

However on my online save Iam using exactly the same tactic with possibly a better defence and stronger midfield not by much though, my team are all over the place defensively, massive spaces which opposition players exploit time after time, my team keep hoofing the ball forward and giving it away (even though there set set to retain poss and shorter passing), every time im attacking the opposition defence are like a wall so many blocked shots and their keepers have a worldy and then they go and attack and score, Ive lost count on how many games ive played against teams in and around relegation where ive gone 1,2,3 up then they come back and win. I'll may be win 3 or 4 in a row then lose 2 or 3 with a coupe of draws then win again and that's the pattern of the season.

Im at a loss ive tried tweaking the tactic im using with a dm rather than a cam just to give me a bit more strength when defending but the above just keeps happening my team are all over the place. In the online save ive just about limped over the finish line every time miles off 1st, quarters of champs league, 5th round of fa cup and not really fussed about league cup I only use that to bring youngster through. Any advice would be welcomed....

Are you playing with the same team on both saves?

I'm having the same problem, started a new season fairly recently and no matter what tactics I use, the results aren't changing or my team isn't playing any better. It's as if the match engine is just completely random in how it reacts to tactics you select. Never had a problem with previous versions of the game so I'm at a loss

The match engine is not completely random. Please don't say this without any arguments. We can't help you if you don't even post the tactic. The game is hard and you have to realise that not all is tactic. Its also players, morale and perhaps a bit of luck.

Yes, like I say ive probably got a better team on the online save

I would post the tactic but its on the online save and im not the host so will have to wait until im on to get the screen shot. I totally understand that no save is the same, but Ive tried 3 tactics in total over 2 and a half seasons and each one is the same, ive tried tweaking each one, trying to identify where im going wrong and sorting it but its just not working. My team are over the place, every time time the opposition have the ball my team look like there going to concede.

I have a superb bunch of players, courtois gk, pique and marquinhos cb's, azpilicueta lb, a potential 5 star youth prospect who im trying to break in at rb or murru, kovakic and neves cm, hazard, Oscar and Lozano in am and cavani or costa up front with ricardo zivhkovic as a back up that's my usual starting 11

Well, firstly, we can't help with a tactic that we can't see. Secondly, what highlights mode do you use? Full, comprehensive, extended, key?

i'll post it once im on fm, just waiting for the other player to come on, I use key mainly but sometime extended

i'll post it once im on fm, just waiting for the other player to come on, I use key mainly but sometime extended

OK, I look forward to seeing it in full. About the highlights, you're not going to be able to read much into your tactic if you have it on key or extended. I know Cleon recommends watching the first 20 minutes of every game in full so that you can see exactly how your tactic works, and how the opposition are functioning. Obviously, you don't have to watch the full 90 in full, that would take a while, but it helps when trying to identify a tactic's weaknesses.

shouldn't be too long with the screenshot, and fair point about the first 20 watching in full then adjusting if needs be, its so frustrating that my team cant defendas its cost me in the last 2 seasons

Started a online save which im using tried and tested tactics from my own single player save which is 4 defenders, 2 central midfielders, 3 attacking midfielders and a lone striker, with a attacking mentality, retain poss, shorter passing, exploit the flanks, push up, close down more, play wider and higher tempo.

Now on my single player save im Chelsea and in the year 2019 won everything, winning as a top team should do, well organised, knocking the ball around keeping poss, strikers scoring, goals from midfield and generally hard to break down playing brilliantly 80/90% of the time, you get the picture.

However on my online save Iam using exactly the same tactic with possibly a better defence and stronger midfield not by much though, my team are all over the place defensively, massive spaces which opposition players exploit time after time, my team keep hoofing the ball forward and giving it away (even though there set set to retain poss and shorter passing), every time im attacking the opposition defence are like a wall so many blocked shots and their keepers have a worldy and then they go and attack and score, Ive lost count on how many games ive played against teams in and around relegation where ive gone 1,2,3 up then they come back and win. I'll may be win 3 or 4 in a row then lose 2 or 3 with a coupe of draws then win again and that's the pattern of the season.

Im at a loss ive tried tweaking the tactic im using with a dm rather than a cam just to give me a bit more strength when defending but the above just keeps happening my team are all over the place. In the online save ive just about limped over the finish line every time miles off 1st, quarters of champs league, 5th round of fa cup and not really fussed about league cup I only use that to bring youngster through. Any advice would be welcomed....

I would say be a bit more conservative with the use of shouts....and only use them if you know what they do specifically. "exploit the flanks" is one such shout that shouldn't be used in conjunction with a retain possession shout. Just reading your shouts made me stop reading the rest of your post..you need to dig through some of the threads or go to my blog where i explain the shouts in my older fm sections ...and those are still relevant

Here's a link to the post, now granted this was done way back...but the fundamentals of the shouts remain the same...I think what I need to do is another post..listing out defensive and offensive shouts. FM15, things have changed slightly, theres more incorporation of stuff into shouts as well...and these are usually refined so a shout from FM12 may not necessarily give you the same outcome, but one needs to know at least..broadly what these shouts can do.

http://cloud-4.steamusercontent.com/ugc/30732307546691162/976877F122B675503E946E686485F47AAA3DC5A4/

my formation

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=381665277

my instructons

The tactic is horribly top heavy with attacking duties with one poor soul holding fort in midfield. I can't see any obvious logic in how you thought about what kind of goals/chance types you are trying to create or how you would look in defence. It all seems thrown together.

Have you read the Pairs & Combination sticky at the top?http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/375632-Pairs-amp-Combinations-FM2015-UPDATED?p=9234112&viewfull=1#post9234112

thank you for feedback, I just don't understand on my single player save this tactic and instructions won me so many title and cups. Even when ive put the cam as a dm the results are still the same and my team are all over the place.............

i'll give the combinations a read defo

thank you for feedback, I just don't understand on my single player save this tactic and instructions won me so many title and cups. Even when ive put the cam as a dm the results are still the same and my team are all over the place.............

i'll give the combinations a read defo

That's half the trouble you don't understand what you created so have no idea how to fix it or spot where it is weak. Two different saves, the AI could have absolutely no interest in attacking you if your a massive favourite in 2019 with amazing squad, leaving all those holes in your tactic untested in the main. In the other save they might be having more of a go and finding spaces aplenty believe me. Did you create the tactic later in your save or at the beginning? I'm willing to bet it was later.

In my own save I played with this tactic from the first season onwards, slighty adjusting it for different games ie protecting a small goal advantage in a semi final of the champs league. THat is a strong possibility that my tactic has been sussed out early in the online save, I must admit changing to 4 defender, 2 cm, 2 wide am's and 2 strikers on a counter attack style after looking into the tactics more since posting this has got me good results in the last few games on the online save.

Meybe evolving the tactic in question, I like playing this as the players I have in my squad fit into this system, I tried signing Sergio busquets to fit in along side neves and going for 2 defence minded players in cm then rotating Oscar and kovakic in cam.

It's fine creating a formation to suit players positions, I don't believe in formations, I believe in patterns of play creating space doesn't matter the system. No matter what system you try to create if you create a balanced one to begin with problems down the road are easier to spot and fix. Don't just haphazardly try to chuck everybody on Attack, think about a push and pull concept, use duties to pull defenders deeper (support) and pair them up with some body who will run into the space vacated (penetrative Attack role). And vice versa using a push (Attack) to move defender/s backwards opening up space in front of them for your pull (support) players to dictate play/have shots/play killer balls etc.

That is what the game is all about, creating space with logical patterns and exploiting what you opened up.

this is something im going to have to work on, Ive got comfortable with a formation/system and got mad when its failed and like you say ive not seen and fixed this problem with this system