Quickfire Questions and Answers Thread (Tactic and Training Questions Only)

[denna99]

How can i work on the link between my defenders? I always had 3 ball playing defenders set like this in the past years, never found myself in the situation of struggling like this. Are those 3 players simply not working together in the save? Should I replace them on the market? Any tips? 

 

Thanks!

[Hovis Dexter]

2 hours ago, oakesypvfc said:

Moving on from the above question, is there really not much point training a player in that position then?

To answer a question with a question, if you are going to use a player in a specific position why would you not train him in that position 

[Sharkn20]

On 17/03/2020 at 14:08, zlatanera said:

Another question about traits, one I just thought about having finally managed to get a player to un-learn 'Dwells On Ball'.

Do the attributes of the coach, in terms of their relevance to the move being trained, affect the success of trait training?

i.e. If I want to train an attacking to 'Move Into Channels' should I select my coach with the best combo of Attacking and Tactical training, whereas if I wanted a player to learn 'Marks Opponent Tightly' I'd choose a coach with good Defending and Technical training? 

An addendum - if this is the case, does it make a difference if said coach is also assigned to those training sessions in the Training module?

This is a great question, any takers?

[Experienced Defender]

3 hours ago, denna99 said:

How can i work on the link between my defenders? I always had 3 ball playing defenders set like this in the past years, never found myself in the situation of struggling like this. Are those 3 players simply not working together in the save? Should I replace them on the market? Any tips? 

 

Thanks!

You need to start a separate thread, post a screenshot of the whole tactic in English (not just 3/4 roles) and explain what style of football you want to play. Only then we will be able to help you with some useful advice.

Because your question requires a more complex answer, and this particular thread is not meant for that type of issues.

[oakesypvfc]

4 hours ago, Hovis Dexter said:

To answer a question with a question, if you are going to use a player in a specific position why would you not train him in that position 

Because you don't want to tire him out through too much training if it is going to have such a minimal effect perhaps?

[DiStru_]

Can someone quickly explain Pressing Forward vs. Advanced Forward to me?

When it comes to PIs, they are the same apart from the pressing part. However, Pressing Forward's position is lower than Advanced Forward's, meaning what exactly? That he will look to be more involved in the build-up play, rather than be focused solely on running in behind defences?

I wan't to make my 4-2-4 work. Two very quick strikers (Advanced Forward+Poacher), one Winger and one Inverted Winger. Is that a system more suited to Advanced or Pressing Forward?

[Sharkn20]

43 minutes ago, DiStru_ said:

Can someone quickly explain Pressing Forward vs. Advanced Forward to me?

When it comes to PIs, they are the same apart from the pressing part. However, Pressing Forward's position is lower than Advanced Forward's, meaning what exactly? That he will look to be more involved in the build-up play, rather than be focused solely on running in behind defences?

I wan't to make my 4-2-4 work. Two very quick strikers (Advanced Forward+Poacher), one Winger and one Inverted Winger. Is that a system more suited to Advanced or Pressing Forward?

You will need someone to bring the ball to the 4 offensive outlets, if none of your Midfielders serves as bridge, you bettet get a DLF up there to distribute the ball

[Experienced Defender]

3 hours ago, DiStru_ said:

When it comes to PIs, they are the same apart from the pressing part. However, Pressing Forward's position is lower than Advanced Forward's, meaning what exactly? That he will look to be more involved in the build-up play, rather than be focused solely on running in behind defences?

Yes. The key difference between AF and PF on attack - besides the pressing and tackling part - is that the latter does not play on the shoulder of the last defender (at least not most of the time). I like to call the PF on attack "deep AF". And when you play in a lone-striker system, PF on attack is usually a better choice than AF, because AF tends to get isolated due to the nature of the role.

[Experienced Defender]

3 hours ago, DiStru_ said:

Two very quick strikers (Advanced Forward+Poacher)

AF and poacher is usually not an optimal striker combo. They can sometimes work well in counter-attacking tactics, but generally it's advisable to play strikers in different types of roles (one in a creator role,  the other as a simple runner/scorer). 

However, no combination of striker roles will work if the tactic as a whole is not designed in a sensible and logical fashion.

 

 

[DiStru_]

Makes sense, ty @Sharkn20 and @Experienced Defender!

Edited March 19, 2020 by DiStru_

[DiStru_]

Can someone give me an example when one would use following TIs:

• Wide+Focus Play Through Middle
• Narrow+Focus Play Through Flanks

I'm sort of struggling to understand the difference between team width, and exploiting/focusing play through areas. If you go wide, with players staying wider, wouldn't that naturally change the passing focus wider as well?

I understand focusing play through middle/flanks increases individual mentalities of FBs/CBs and DMs, but as I understand, there's some passing focus behind it too. So what then happens if you for example go extremely wide, but focus play through middle, or the other way around?

[Experienced Defender]

1 hour ago, DiStru_ said:

Can someone give me an example when one would use following TIs:

• Wide+Focus Play Through Middle
• Narrow+Focus Play Through Flanks

I'm sort of struggling to understand the difference between team width, and exploiting/focusing play through areas. If you go wide, with players staying wider, wouldn't that naturally change the passing focus wider as well?

I understand focusing play through middle/flanks increases individual mentalities of FBs/CBs and DMs, but as I understand, there's some passing focus behind it too. So what then happens if you for example go extremely wide, but focus play through middle, or the other way around?

I fear your question(s) require(s) a more complex answer than this particular thread is intended for. But I would strongly recommend that you watch @Rashidi's latest video, in which he explains - in a very informative way - exactly what you asked about. Here is the link to the video.

[DiStru_]

7 hours ago, Experienced Defender said:

I fear your question(s) require(s) a more complex answer than this particular thread is intended for. But I would strongly recommend that you watch @Rashidi's latest video, in which he explains - in a very informative way - exactly what you asked about. Here is the link to the video.

Thanks, @Experienced Defender!

So, if I got this right, does this make sense:

• Wide+Exploit Middle=stretch the pitch, then focus passes to the inside (make space for your central players, who are superior 1v1)
• Narrow+Exploit Flanks=narrow the pitch, then focus passes to the outside (make space for wide players, who are superior 1v1)
• Wide+Exploit Flanks=play solely through flanks
• Narrow+Exploit Middle=play solely through middle
• Just Wide=no special passing focus, but play will naturally happen more down the flanks, due to players being positioned wider
• Just Narrow=no special passing focus, but play will naturally happen more down the middle, due to players being positioned narrower

Also, thanks for the video, @Rashidi!

[Experienced Defender]

5 hours ago, DiStru_ said:

• Wide+Exploit Flanks=play solely through flanks
• Narrow+Exploit Middle=play solely through middle

Predominantly, rather than solely. Because sometimes players' passing options could be limited. Instructions are more of a tendency than being literal and set in stone. Think of them as a way of encouraging players to do certain things (a bit) more often than they otherwise would. 

[DiStru_]

2 minutes ago, Experienced Defender said:

Predominantly, rather than solely.

Got it, thanks.

I guess the main thing I was wondering was if Focus Play Through Flanks/Middle actually has some passing focus to it under the hood, or is it just the increase in individual mentalities of those areas.

[Experienced Defender]

22 minutes ago, DiStru_ said:

I guess the main thing I was wondering was if Focus Play Through Flanks/Middle actually has some passing focus to it under the hood, or is it just the increase in individual mentalities of those areas

Both. 

[AzevedoVCD]

hey guys.

does trainning schedules affetcs how our formation can work or not?

Sorry my poor english and thanks in advance for your help! 

[Experienced Defender]

23 minutes ago, AzevedoVCD said:

does trainning schedules affetcs how our formation can work or not?

Formation or tactic? 

It affects how the tactic works, but only to a limited degree. If you have a good tactic, wisely designed training schedules can help it work even better. But if the tactic is poorly constructed, then no training schedules can help.

[AzevedoVCD]

4 minutes ago, Experienced Defender said:

Formation or tactic? 

It affects how the tactic works, but only to a limited degree. If you have a good tactic, wisely designed training schedules can help it work even better. But if the tactic is poorly constructed, then no training schedules can help.

I want to mean tactic! Thanks. I am using the schedules from fm korea (for the first time) that you can find here on this forum and i am struggling a little bit. i think it could be because of the training schedules

[Experienced Defender]

1 minute ago, AzevedoVCD said:

I want to mean tactic! Thanks. I am using the schedules from fm korea (for the first time) that you can find here on this forum and i am struggling a little bit. i think it could be because of the training schedules

I really don't know. I always create my training schedules myself. 

[Zemahh]

1 hour ago, AzevedoVCD said:

i think it could be because of the training schedules

Check your players' training ratings and happiness, that should be a good indicator whether your training is good or bad. Bad training performances across the whole squad or fatigued players can definitely lead to bad matchday performances.

As for your tactic being affected by it, different training sessions improve different parts of Tactical Familiarity, so that's something worth looking into, if your players are still very unfamiliar with the tactic.

[kevaggel]

Which one is the most 'defensive' role in AMC position ?

[Experienced Defender]

2 hours ago, kevaggel said:

Which one is the most 'defensive' role in AMC position ?

AM on support duty. AP on support is also similarly "defensive". 

On the other hand, SS is the most attack-minded.

[dejarik]

(I'm playing FM Touch)

While playing a game, the game (or assistant manager?) is able to analyze which roles your opponent's players have. It's shown on Analysis - Formations.

1) Is this something that the assistant manager does for you?

2) If yes, is this affected by your assistant manager's "Tactical" (under the Coaching category) or "Tactical Knowledge" (under the Knowledge category?)

3) Are there any ways of knowing the opponent's player roles when the game starts?

[Vali184]

How do i set the B team's tactic? Please don't answer with another question.

Edited March 23, 2020 by Vali184

[dejarik]

Based on experiences from previous FMs (I'm talking the first half of the 2010s), I almost have no faith in 24-year-olds (and older) to do any significant developing. This is within the context of a club with good training facilities, coaches etc. I remember seeing 21-year-olds take giant leaps, but 24-year-olds barely improving.

So my question is: How much development would you expect from a 24-year-old in general?

[barry the second]

I am conceding at least 1 goal from corners and wide free kicks every match without fail. Conceded 2 goals on a number of occasions and even 3 against Stoke City. I'm playing as Derby in my first season and haven't kept a clean sheet in 20+ games due to the corners. I have a mix of man mark and zonally marking the 6 yard box. Does anyone have any advice on how to stop conceding from these situations?

[Experienced Defender]

4 minutes ago, barry the second said:

I am conceding at least 1 goal from corners and wide free kicks every match without fail. Conceded 2 goals on a number of occasions and even 3 against Stoke City. I'm playing as Derby in my first season and haven't kept a clean sheet in 20+ games due to the corners. I have a mix of man mark and zonally marking the 6 yard box. Does anyone have any advice on how to stop conceding from these situations?

You should start a separate thread and post a screenshot of your defensive set-piece setup(s) there, for starters.

[jordan_ye]

Quick question: When AI manager use certain roles like Mezzala or Carrilero, would they take the formation into account?

For example: We know Mezzala and Carrilero are used in a three-man midfield, if AI manager has a world-class Mezzala. would AI manager therefore change their formation to accommodate those roles, or just use them in whatever formation?

Looking forward to the response from @Seb Wasselland @Jack Joyce!!

[gam945]

What is the difference between having -for example- a Positive mentality + defend duty and a Cautious mentality + attack duty if overall the player has the same mentality? What would be the reasoning between choosing one or the other?

Also, do the team fluidity still means something in the ME? From what I've read, it replaces the Team Shape and doesn't mean anything now apart from being an indication on how duties are allocated.

Thanks in advance!

[Jack Joyce]

16 hours ago, jordan_ye said:

Quick question: When AI manager use certain roles like Mezzala or Carrilero, would they take the formation into account?

For example: We know Mezzala and Carrilero are used in a three-man midfield, if AI manager has a world-class Mezzala. would AI manager therefore change their formation to accommodate those roles, or just use them in whatever formation?

Looking forward to the response from @Seb Wasselland @Jack Joyce!!

The manager would fit them into their preferred formation. They do prioritise the star players though so will look to fit them in to their best role where possible.

[FMadness]

If I want one of my staff to take care of general training, what attributes should I look for?

Should I look for a better attacking attributes if that's my style of play? It's nearly impossible to get someone good at every aspect.

[FMadness]

Someone please?

[Argie]

Hi all,

 

Sure this has been answered a number of times, but can a tactic just be 'found out' after being successful for a while?  If so, is there a way to tweak that will address this?  I have a system I use for my Sunderland save and have performed very well.  In my first season in the PL I managed to scrape into Euro Cup and had a wonderful season (not so much in the cups).  Now I'm getting laced all over off Brighton and the like and I've not changed anything in my system, the players are pretty much the same as the season before too (one or two loan players added and that's about it).

 

Don't feel like I've struggled so much in finding a tactic to work in any of the FM's as much as this one.  My online Spurs game, I'm getting hammered every other week, can't find a suitable formation that works for me, looks like I'm going to be saked...... is this years' edition the most difficult 'tactically' or have I just not found the formula yet?

 

Cheers,

 

[zlatanera]

@FMadness Actually not that much of a 'quick' question but I'll do my best not to confuse things too much.

r.e. your style of play: If you predominantly train focusses to do with the style of play, then it might help to have more coaches suited to the routines within those schedules i.e. if there are a lot of Technical and Attacking sessions but few Defending or Goalkeeping then yes, get a couple of coaches good at Technical and Attacking. But you'll also want some generalists - guys with a more balanced spread - because coaching workloads change all the time and you need some guys who you can assign to different sections. So for example in my Ajax save I had some specialists like Jaap Stam (Defensive) and Dennis Bergkamp (Technical, Attacking) with really high attributes in some areas and low in others. But then I also promoted one of my youth coaches - Simon Tahamata I think - who had 11 for all six coaching attributes to balance things out somewhat.

I usually manage decent-sized clubs (Ajax, Lyon, Real Sociedad and Manchester United are my favourites) so usually end up with a staff of about 16 coaches - 2-3 Goalkeeping, 2-3 Fitness, 6-8 specialists and 2 generalists. 

@Argie Yes and no. Sometimes if you manage a smaller club and you build an effective counter-attacking tactic for example, you might take teams by surprise for a while and shoot up the table, at which point the reputation increases of the club and the players mean clubs who previously may have considered themselves slightly above you and played right into your hands now approach things differently. I've had this before with a Fiorentina side where we played a 5-2-1-2 and everyone left so much space my wing backs and Trequartista-CF-Poacher combo had a field day, we were level top at exactly half-way through the season yet finished solidly mid-table as everyone adjusted in the new year. Or with my Freiburg team where I surprised everyone by playing an aggressive Attacking tactic and we tended to either win 4-3 or draw 3-3, and it seemed to take 18 months for the adjustment to come into effect (probably because Freiburg were predicted relegation whereas Fiorentina were predicted mid-table), at which point a push for a Europa League slot turned into a relegation battle.

But if you want help with a specific tactic of yours, start up a thread. Detail the tactic in full, how you think it should work, how it is / isn't working, what you think you should adjust and what you've already tried. Also maybe some info on the level of your squad, how many seasons in you are and your previous finishes. 

[FMadness]

@zlatanera thank you, I appreciate that. I was not referring to coach assignements, but yes a specific person from the staff to take control of my general training.  At least for now, I want to focus in my tactic, so I prefer someone else to take that part, but i'm not sure what attributes I should be looking for. However, i've already find someone with pretty decent attributes in almost all areas of training.

Don't know if I should be looking for something else.

Edited March 25, 2020 by FMadness

[Argie]

3 hours ago, zlatanera said:

@FMadness Actually not that much of a 'quick' question but I'll do my best not to confuse things too much.

r.e. your style of play: If you predominantly train focusses to do with the style of play, then it might help to have more coaches suited to the routines within those schedules i.e. if there are a lot of Technical and Attacking sessions but few Defending or Goalkeeping then yes, get a couple of coaches good at Technical and Attacking. But you'll also want some generalists - guys with a more balanced spread - because coaching workloads change all the time and you need some guys who you can assign to different sections. So for example in my Ajax save I had some specialists like Jaap Stam (Defensive) and Dennis Bergkamp (Technical, Attacking) with really high attributes in some areas and low in others. But then I also promoted one of my youth coaches - Simon Tahamata I think - who had 11 for all six coaching attributes to balance things out somewhat.

I usually manage decent-sized clubs (Ajax, Lyon, Real Sociedad and Manchester United are my favourites) so usually end up with a staff of about 16 coaches - 2-3 Goalkeeping, 2-3 Fitness, 6-8 specialists and 2 generalists. 

@Argie Yes and no. Sometimes if you manage a smaller club and you build an effective counter-attacking tactic for example, you might take teams by surprise for a while and shoot up the table, at which point the reputation increases of the club and the players mean clubs who previously may have considered themselves slightly above you and played right into your hands now approach things differently. I've had this before with a Fiorentina side where we played a 5-2-1-2 and everyone left so much space my wing backs and Trequartista-CF-Poacher combo had a field day, we were level top at exactly half-way through the season yet finished solidly mid-table as everyone adjusted in the new year. Or with my Freiburg team where I surprised everyone by playing an aggressive Attacking tactic and we tended to either win 4-3 or draw 3-3, and it seemed to take 18 months for the adjustment to come into effect (probably because Freiburg were predicted relegation whereas Fiorentina were predicted mid-table), at which point a push for a Europa League slot turned into a relegation battle.

But if you want help with a specific tactic of yours, start up a thread. Detail the tactic in full, how you think it should work, how it is / isn't working, what you think you should adjust and what you've already tried. Also maybe some info on the level of your squad, how many seasons in you are and your previous finishes. 

Cheers mate - may just do that!

[zlatanera]

2 hours ago, FMadness said:

@zlatanera thank you, I appreciate that. I was not referring to coach assignements, but yes a specific person from the staff to take control of my general training.  At least for now, I want to focus in my tactic, so I prefer someone else to take that part, but i'm not sure what attributes I should be looking for. However, i've already find someone with pretty decent attributes in almost all areas of training.

Don't know if I should be looking for something else.

Ah, I see, I misread it. So for a staff member setting up the training I guess you want to look at 'Playing Style', 'Coaching Style', 'Playing Mentality', 'Pressing Style' and 'Marking Style' as those will influence how they choose to set up the training. But given they can only pick from the presets they should generally choose one they think matches your style - I always play on higher mentalities so usually get recommended a lot of 'Vertical Tiki-Taka' or 'Gegenpress' training.

I doubt being good at actually coaching would hurt either. 

[mikcheck]

@Experienced Defender mate, wonder if you could give me your input on this tactic please.

PI's - AM(at) - Run wide with ball, moves into channels

I have Ilicic on attack duty, because he has comes deep to get the ball PPM, otherwise I'd use him on support.

Against stronger opposition I might remove play out of defence, work ball into box and a lower LOE. My central defenders are not that fast, so I might up the defensive line a notch in those games where I'm the clear favourite.

Thanks for your time.

 

Edited March 25, 2020 by mikcheck

[Experienced Defender]

23 minutes ago, mikcheck said:

@Experienced Defender mate, wonder if you could give me your input on this tactic please.

PI's - AM(at) - Run wide with ball, moves into channels

I have Ilicic on attack duty, because he has comes deep to get the ball PPM, otherwise I'd use him on support.

Against stronger opposition I might remove play out of defence, work ball into box and a lower LOE. My central defenders are not that fast, so I might up the defensive line a notch in those games where I'm the clear favourite.

Thanks for your time.

 

Start a separate thread, because this one is not for that type of questions.

[ChelseaFan]

I'm really enjoying the Regista this year. I'm playing a midfield three of

Regista (DM)

BWM-D (CM)

CM-A (CM)

One thing I'm struggling with is width. If I want to play through the middle, is it advisable to play wide and attack through the middle, or narrow?

[Akselito]

How does the PI "Cross to target man" work? The description states the the instruction "tells the player to aim the crosses to a dedicated target man". Does this mean that you have to have a striker with the target man role? Or does this apply to other roles like complete forward or advanced forward?

I see a lot of my crosses going from one winger to another, who naturally doesn't have the best attributes for heading, so I'm trying to get more of the crosses directed to my striker. 

[Hovis Dexter]

1 hour ago, Akselito said:

How does the PI "Cross to target man" work? The description states the the instruction "tells the player to aim the crosses to a dedicated target man". Does this mean that you have to have a striker with the target man role? Or does this apply to other roles like complete forward or advanced forward?

I see a lot of my crosses going from one winger to another, who naturally doesn't have the best attributes for heading, so I'm trying to get more of the crosses directed to my striker. 

If you tell people to cross to the TM they will cross to a dedicated TM. If you're not playing anybody in a TM role they'll cross the ball to whoever they judge the best person at the time.

[Experienced Defender]

10 hours ago, ChelseaFan said:

I'm really enjoying the Regista this year. I'm playing a midfield three of

Regista (DM)

BWM-D (CM)

CM-A (CM)

One thing I'm struggling with is width. If I want to play through the middle, is it advisable to play wide and attack through the middle, or narrow?

Your question is not for this particular thread. You'll need to start a separate thread and post a screenshot of your tactic as a whole (rather than just a couple of roles), because everything is interrelated when it comes to tactical creation. 

[Riven]

Some teams like City are playing with two free 8/10 in the half spaces... so my question is, how can we reflect this in FM? Maybe two Mezzalas? Thinking in a 4-3-3 (or 4-1-4-1).

[Experienced Defender]

11 hours ago, Fede22 said:

Some teams like City are playing with two free 8/10 in the half spaces... so my question is, how can we reflect this in FM? Maybe two Mezzalas? Thinking in a 4-3-3 (or 4-1-4-1).

I think Rashidi's liquid 4123 tactic has been the closes replication of how City play under Pep. His CM roles in that setup are RPM and mezzala on attack duty. For more information on the tactic as a whole, I recommend you visit his YouTube channel "Bust the net", where you can find it 

[right_winger]

My home ground has the pitch 5m longer than the rest of the league (all exactly the same).

Is this in any way something I could use and if so, how? Normally I try to play something along the lines of fast possession or gegenpress style and the opponents usually set up deep and defensive against me since I am the 2nd/3rd/4th best team in the league (they often play 3 DC / 2 WB / 3 CM and 2 ST). I find it harder to beat much weaker teams comfortably at home than away.

Edited March 27, 2020 by right_winger

[wouterb]

Is it normal that you cannot use segundo volante in the middle dm position?

[Experienced Defender]

3 minutes ago, wouterb said:

Is it normal that you cannot use segundo volante in the middle dm position?

Yes, that's been the case ever since the volante as a role was introduced (FM18). You can use a volante only if you have at least 2 DMs. In fact, you can use the role even with a single DM, but only if you move him to the DMCR or DMCL position (thus basically creating an asymmetric formation). 

[gam945]

Any thread on here that focuses on youth development and recruiting (more on cheap youngster recruiting to develop) ? I'm aware of the -excellent- thread of Ozil with Benfica, which I'm reading, but didn't find other interesting guides/threads.