Need some help with my tactics

Hi, i would need some help with my tactics because we still conciede way to many goals. A lot of the goals we recieve is from a direct pass from defender or midfielder that passes it in front of the forward and while my defenders keep waving their hands for a offside an attacker scores. Other goals are because defenders don't do a thing. They just stand a yard or two in front of attacker and follows him around while he walks towards goal. I tried a lot of different variations, from higher to lower defensive lines, from closing down more to closing down less but nothing seems to work.

Here are my tactics:

And PI:

DL, DR- Ease off tackles, Stay wider

DCL - Close down less

BTB- Close down more

AML, AMC, AMR- Shoot less often, Close down more

I really miss the simpler times when i didn't have to read tutorials and post on tactics forum to enjoy the game. I'm really considering just deleting the game because i used to enjoy it know it's just frustration :/

Maybe try changing one (or both) of your CM to DM?

You're asking your attacking wide players to hold up the ball so your defensive wingbacks can overlap them, doesn't seem too coherent to me. On a control mentality your BBM is going to want to get quite high up the pitch reasonably often when he doesn't need to, you already have 4 players in good attacking positions so you need more more defensive balance.

You aren't exactly going to encourage people to put time into helping you with that last paragraph. Most people over complicate things which it looks like you've done with that setup. If you've watched tv analysis of Man City this season your pretty much doing the same thing, giving your CB's no protection who then get blamed for everything. They have to cover the space behind them, beside them and behind them, it's just too much.

Quick Summary (your going to have to read guides for more detail):

1. Players carry out your instructions but will play according to there attributes. You need the right players for what you want to do.

2. Your asking your advanced wide players to look for your WB-D to overlap? What will they do once they've overlapped with the PIs they have being a defend duty? Drop the Look for Overlaps instruction, you can make overlaps naturally if you want them.

3. Balance your DL+DR with your MC pair. If you want both DL+DR going forward often (WB-S, FB-A, WB-A, CWB-S, CWB-A) then both midfielders need to stay deep to cover. For your MC your typically looking for roles with defend duties that have Hold Position and do not have roam for position such as CM-D + DLP-D. If you have a FB-S + WB-S or FB-S + WB-A then you may be able to use a support + defend pair but still don't want roaming and may want both to have Hold Position.

4. Your formation is your defensive formation and its almost a 424. The only way its defensively solid is if you close down hard, this not only requires the instruction but the players who will do it. The most extreme example is to think of Balloteli when he was asked to close down, you'd see him sprint a couple of times at the start but typically he would just wander around then you'd see someone shout at him to press or he'd remember what he's meant to be doing so he'd get into a jog, the ball goes past/away from him and he's like "well I tried". This is what I mean in point 1.

5. If your players have the mental ability you could get them to actually play the Offside Trap but from your comment I guess they don't.

6. Sweeper Keeper will push further out so makes balls over the top have to be more accurate or he will sweep them up.

You aren't exactly going to encourage people to put time into helping you with that last paragraph. Most people over complicate things which it looks like you've done with that setup. If you've watched tv analysis of Man City this season your pretty much doing the same thing, giving your CB's no protection who then get blamed for everything. They have to cover the space behind them, beside them and behind them, it's just too much.

Quick Summary (your going to have to read guides for more detail):

1. Players carry out your instructions but will play according to there attributes. You need the right players for what you want to do.

2. Your asking your advanced wide players to look for your WB-D to overlap? What will they do once they've overlapped with the PIs they have being a defend duty? Drop the Look for Overlaps instruction, you can make overlaps naturally if you want them.

3. Balance your DL+DR with your MC pair. If you want both DL+DR going forward often (WB-S, FB-A, WB-A, CWB-S, CWB-A) then both midfielders need to stay deep to cover. For your MC your typically looking for roles with defend duties that have Hold Position and do not have roam for position such as CM-D + DLP-D. If you have a FB-S + WB-S or FB-S + WB-A then you may be able to use a support + defend pair but still don't want roaming and may want both to have Hold Position.

4. Your formation is your defensive formation and its almost a 424. The only way its defensively solid is if you close down hard, this not only requires the instruction but the players who will do it. The most extreme example is to think of Balloteli when he was asked to close down, you'd see him sprint a couple of times at the start but typically he would just wander around then you'd see someone shout at him to press or he'd remember what he's meant to be doing so he'd get into a jog, the ball goes past/away from him and he's like "well I tried". This is what I mean in point 1.

5. If your players have the mental ability you could get them to actually play the Offside Trap but from your comment I guess they don't.

6. Sweeper Keeper will push further out so makes balls over the top have to be more accurate or he will sweep them up.

That is some good advice. Would you say having two WM S or Inside Forward on Support sitting narrower would affect how Attacking Midfielder Attack plays in the AMC position

Have found having both full backs on support and sit narrower helps. With a support duty they still offer a bit of width by supporting the midfield. Centre Backs on defend, one a ball playing defender, one a normal centre back. The normal centre back tends to keep it simple, but the ball playing defender will launch the ball forward to try and start attacks. I use a defensive midfielder with a defend role to cover the supporting full backs, and in central midfield I use a box to box midfielder and a advanced playmaker (attack). Looking at summatsupeer advice I may look to change the box to box midfielder to central midfielder (defend).

The lack of a Regista/Half back/Ball winner in front of your back 4 looks like it is leaving you too open. Although you have Obiang set to DEF, as a deep lying playmaker his job is not to win the ball or shield the back 4. I would think this would leave you open to through balls and forwards breaking the offside trap and running clear, as you also play a higher defensive line.

As mentioned in posts above, I would personally change the full backs to attack if you want an overlap?

I would do away with the AMC and have a DMC set to defend, this would allow both CM's to go full on attack, but thats assuming you want to change formation? I use Odegaard as a right sided inside forward coming in on his left foot

The system makes absolutely no sense to me. You have 2 central midfielders who will never act as an effective screen because they have the wrong roles choses. Furthermore, how you gonna overlap? Why even overlap? If anything those inside forwards will CUT INSIDE.

I see two things off the bat, wrong roles in midfield and wrong TIs. And WBs in a 4231? The reason why your defense is being exploited is simply down to bad role selection and wrong TIs

The system makes absolutely no sense to me. You have 2 central midfielders who will never act as an effective screen because they have the wrong roles choses. Furthermore, how you gonna overlap? Why even overlap? If anything those inside forwards will CUT INSIDE.

I see two things off the bat, wrong roles in midfield and wrong TIs. And WBs in a 4231? The reason why your defense is being exploited is simply down to bad role selection and wrong TIs

Hi Rashidi are you suggesting that you cannot play WBs in a 4231. I always thought because the Inside Forward would naturally cut inside then you would need the WB to provide width.

I only set my players to wingback when it's late and I need a goal. My fullbacks give me a ton of assists as fullbacks. In my 4-2-3-1, my AMLs are inside forwards, so my LB starts "attacking." (My 4-2-3-1 is the tactic I use when I expect to beat the other team. It's too aggressive for equal or better opponents.) My AMR is a pure winger, and my DR is set to support. And like I said, I get a large number of assists from each side.

In short, I'm pretty sure "wingback" isn't about how wide on the pitch they are, it's about how far forward they get. Two wingbacks and nobody shielding your back 4 means you're going to be facing constant 2v2 counters.

The system makes absolutely no sense to me. You have 2 central midfielders who will never act as an effective screen because they have the wrong roles choses. Furthermore, how you gonna overlap? Why even overlap? If anything those inside forwards will CUT INSIDE.

I see two things off the bat, wrong roles in midfield and wrong TIs. And WBs in a 4231? The reason why your defense is being exploited is simply down to bad role selection and wrong TIs

I thought a DLP was ok as a defensive player no?

You have a player trying to be creative in the middle of the park...there are only 2 midfielders there. If he goes around trying to close people down, then he won't always be in the right place to make important plays.

I am not suggesting you CAN"T play with wingbacks. I am saying its not a good idea unless you are absolutely sure of how your IFs are going to play. Furthermore if they are already cutting inside even a FB on attack will overlap. Remember the difference in instructions between the WB and FB, there is one crucial difference between them, and you will know what it is if you look at their PIs.

You have a player trying to be creative in the middle of the park...there are only 2 midfielders there. If he goes around trying to close people down, then he won't always be in the right place to make important plays.

I am not suggesting you CAN"T play with wingbacks. I am saying its not a good idea unless you are absolutely sure of how your IFs are going to play. Furthermore if they are already cutting inside even a FB on attack will overlap. Remember the difference in instructions between the WB and FB, there is one crucial difference between them, and you will know what it is if you look at their PIs.

Rashidi now I am all confused again about the central midfield pair. You mentioned earlier in the thread that the two central midfielders will never act as a effective screen because they have the wrong roles and duties. I can understand the BBM being a liability but I am not sure why the DLP Defend is a wrong choice. I believe in your Torino save that your central midfield pair was a DLP Defend and Central Midfield Support and from what I saw in your videos and your comments it was not mentioned that it was causing any problems. I even think in one post you mentioned and showed screenshots of how the CM S and DLP D form a very good screen. I do not know if you used any additional PI for the central midfield pair but I am assuming not because it was not mentioned in any of your videos. I think even in one game you paired a BWM S and DLP D. In this game you played a 4411 and you used a Defensive Forward - Defend.

Now you can see why I get confused with the 4231.