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

[Cleon]

Where can I say how gelled my squad is?

Report > last match > teamtalk feedback

[Sarmatian]

Report > last match > teamtalk feedback

Really, really weird. It's almost they don't want you to find it. Thanks.

[mikcheck]

furiousuk and Satchy, thannks.

[markyosullivan]

I've seen this answered before but can't remember where. When do you use Fluid tactics and when Rigid? Do you use Rigid when you have 4/5 specialist roles in your side and Fluid when you don't?

[olivermain83]

Is a heavy pressing game more suited to offensive formations? e.g. 424 would be more suitable than 532. And if so then is the opposite true that a 532 would be more suitable for a standing off game than a 424?

My other question is could someone explain the difference between the AMC roles (AP,AM,IF,T) for me? Maybe with real life examples so i can visualise it a bit better.

[Guest Satchy]

Is a heavy pressing game more suited to offensive formations? e.g. 424 would be more suitable than 532. And if so then is the opposite true that a 532 would be more suitable for a standing off game than a 424?

Pressing games are more suited to being higher up the pitch and winning the ball back in midfield and the opposition half, keeping constant pressure on them. Your formation should suit that kind of play, but you also need the right players, and I'd say it's as much about attacking mentality as it is about formation.

My other question is could someone explain the difference between the AMC roles (AP,AM,IF,T) for me? Maybe with real life examples so i can visualise it a bit better.

Go to the team instructions. Then go to the player instructions. When you change roles it will give you a description of what that player does in that role. You can also see how the sliders change with each role and mentality change.

[SpartyOn]

My other question is could someone explain the difference between the AMC roles (AP,AM,IF,T) for me? Maybe with real life examples so i can visualise it a bit better.

This article really helped me understand the difference in the roles. Particularly the line... "In fact, considering the four roles on an incredibly crude sliding scale from runner to passer, I’d think of it as inside forward > attacking midfielder > advanced playmaker > trequartista."

[olivermain83]

Thanks. I'll check that article out as the descriptions in game seem to make them sound quite similar to me.

[Shrewnaldo]

This article really helped me understand the difference in the roles. Particularly the line... "In fact, considering the four roles on an incredibly crude sliding scale from runner to passer, I’d think of it as inside forward > attacking midfielder > advanced playmaker > trequartista."

Thanks :-) Always nice to hear that people find my stuff useful.

[MSCCG]

I've been trying to set up a player in the AM position that plays like Ozil - A central winger whose job it is to overload on each wing and/or cover for the wide player drifting inside http://www.zonalmarking.net/2010/12/03/introducing-the-central-winger/. Which settings should I use, apart from the obvious "cross often"?

[furiousuk]

I've been trying to set up a player in the AM position that plays like Ozil - A central winger whose job it is to overload on each wing and/or cover for the wide player drifting inside http://www.zonalmarking.net/2010/12/03/introducing-the-central-winger/. Which settings should I use, apart from the obvious "cross often"?

I'm not sure exactly what you're after (missing links and chalkboards on ZM at the moment) but if you want a central player to move out to the wings when you regain possession then you'll probably be out of luck, you can try move into channels for wide play but they'll stay inside the wingers and they wont tend to move much if there are players on either side of them (lone-strikers will move more, for example, than an AM flanked by AMR/AML or even MR/ML)

[sakrai]

Hey guys, can someone give me some in depth insight on the differences between a Target Man on Attack and one on Support? I have used a TM on Support with an AM on Attack in the past and they played off each other quite well, but I never used a TM(A) before and I don't know how to set him up at all. Same thing with a DLF(S) and a DLF(A), both of these roles (TM and DLF) sound like total supporting roles so when and how would you choose an attacking duty for them?

Another thing, anyone using a Defensive Forward? I'm experimenting with one on my 4-2-3-1 setup that plays a heavy pressing game, but I don't know exactly how well it is going yet. The ratings are about 7.0 and it's hard for me to notice their impact on the game since their primary focus isn't goal scoring.

[Methos]

I am playing the worst team in my lower league, and I use a rigid counter style tactic. The results is that I have one of the best defences in the division but the worst attack.

The worst attack concerns me.

How will I know who to blame for the poor goalscoring record?

Is it the counter style? Is it the slightly fast tempo? Or is it just the bad quality of the players?

[Methos]

Another question: How do I fix my team making better passes?

[stephen_atk]

Training question - I've been able to double my coaching staff but am a bit confused with the Coaches display in Training. What does the overall rating at the bottom mean? I can put all of my coaches in the same category but the Overall rating doesn't change. Does having more than 1 coach covering the same area have an improved affect on the team. I assumed that it would but not sure.

[Sarmatian]

Training question - I've been able to double my coaching staff but am a bit confused with the Coaches display in Training. What does the overall rating at the bottom mean? I can put all of my coaches in the same category but the Overall rating doesn't change. Does having more than 1 coach covering the same area have an improved affect on the team. I assumed that it would but not sure.

You always get the rating of best coach as overall rating. If you have more players, and possibly lower standard of training facilities, coach workload may become average or even heavy, which is not recommended. For best results, you want most possible stars in a category with light workload.

I usually achieve that by having assistant manager who is coaching every category to help with the workload and one specialist coach for each category.

So, if the workload is "light" there's no need to have more than one coach in each category.

[Sarmatian]

Now, mine training question - what's the difference between two teamwork training on training screen? The tooltip provides the same explanation.

Does either of them have any effect on teamwork attribute?

[prince0102]

I have a few stupid questions

a) are there particular roles/duties more suited for younger players..so poor mental attributes like decisions ?

b) all three passing styles - shorter, default and more direct have higher directness for defense than attack if you look at sliders in player instructions. This is completely counter-intuitive to me. The defenders should pass short and midfield such as pirlo ping long accurate passes. I don't know know if as a consequence my defense pass completion is horrendous. The goalkeeper's distribution is the worst. How do i fix it ?

c) how does the ai manager analyze our tactics ? it seems to be quite smart and finding the exact tweak to make ?

d) related to c) but separate too. How do i make back 3 or narrow tactics be defensively strong on the wings ? By second half, the AI probably tweaks to have fullbacks attacking frequently and i usually end up giving up 2-3 goals that way?

[arjwiz]

Stupid question about how player preferred positions affect performance.

I have a player whose natural position is WBL, and is accomplished as ML. But, I think he has the perfect qualities to play a LB.

Does the match engine automatically discount the performance or ability of a player if he is not playing in his preferred position? Does this also affect minor differences (for instance, would someone perform better on average if the position is Natural as opposed to Accomplished)? If this is true, does it training a player to play a new position really matter?

Or is the preferred position just an indicator for us to see where the player is most adept playing at?

[SpartyOn]

b) all three passing styles - shorter, default and more direct have higher directness for defense than attack if you look at sliders in player instructions. This is completely counter-intuitive to me. The defenders should pass short and midfield such as pirlo ping long accurate passes. I don't know know if as a consequence my defense pass completion is horrendous. The goalkeeper's distribution is the worst. How do i fix it ?

This depends on your match strategy. In a counter or defensive strategy, defenders pass more direct and attacking players pass shorter. In control or attack, it's reversed.

If you want to use a more defensive strategy and have your defenders pass shorter, you could use the "Play Out of Defense" shout.

[Cleon]

Now, mine training question - what's the difference between two teamwork training on training screen? The tooltip provides the same explanation.

Does either of them have any effect on teamwork attribute?

The general one helps them settle off the pitch and the match training one gets them to learn about each other on the pitch i.e team play. Neither have anything to do with teamwork attribute

[Cleon]

[h=2][/h]

I have a few stupid questions

a) are there particular roles/duties more suited for younger players..so poor mental attributes like decisions ?

b) all three passing styles - shorter, default and more direct have higher directness for defense than attack if you look at sliders in player instructions. This is completely counter-intuitive to me. The defenders should pass short and midfield such as pirlo ping long accurate passes. I don't know know if as a consequence my defense pass completion is horrendous. The goalkeeper's distribution is the worst. How do i fix it ?

c) how does the ai manager analyze our tactics ? it seems to be quite smart and finding the exact tweak to make ?

d) related to c) but separate too. How do i make back 3 or narrow tactics be defensively strong on the wings ? By second half, the AI probably tweaks to have fullbacks attacking frequently and i usually end up giving up 2-3 goals that way?

A. No they will all require attributes regardless.

B. Why is it counter-intuitive? The last thing you'd want is the defenders passing the ball around in their own half close to goal. Unless you have quality defenders who have the required attributes then this is the lass thing you'd want. There is only a small propotion of defenders who are capable of playing with the ball at their feet. Also remember you need to take into what strategy you are using.

C. It can only do the things you can do. Actually that's a lie, it can do far less than you can. The AI see's tactics and roles and can't identify any manual changes you've made. So a DLP will always be seen as a DLP by the AI even if you've manually changed every single slider to reflect a BWM etc. It uses the TC so sees things as roles.

D. Check out my Yorkshireman & Libero thread, it's on the first page of the forum. I use a back and shows examples and discuss this.

[Cleon]

Stupid question about how player preferred positions affect performance.

I have a player whose natural position is WBL, and is accomplished as ML. But, I think he has the perfect qualities to play a LB.

Does the match engine automatically discount the performance or ability of a player if he is not playing in his preferred position? Does this also affect minor differences (for instance, would someone perform better on average if the position is Natural as opposed to Accomplished)? If this is true, does it training a player to play a new position really matter?

Or is the preferred position just an indicator for us to see where the player is most adept playing at?

Things like positioning and decision making will be lowered when playing someone out of position hence why if its long term its beneficial retraining them to the position. If they have the attributes to play other positions that aren't listed you can still play them there. But long term might be best to retrain. I play people out of position all the time as I base my decision on the attributes of the player and not the positions listed in his profile. I retrain them while playing in the new position

[SamLFC]

Well i had been managing Liverpool for 2 and a half seasons now and i have finally gotten the boot. In the first season i came third. In the second I came second and won the carling cup. But in the third i was in 7th place with 12-14 games and i was fired. Now i was pretty happy with my success over the last seasons and so i didnt change my tactics so i am not sure what went wrong. The only thing i can think of is that i brought in too many players and they couldnt gel together. Could this be the reason for my sudden downfall?

[El_Loco7]

That is probably your answer right there SamLFC, squad cohesion makes a big difference and bringing in a lot of new players disrupts this. Another possible reason could be the other teams changing how they play against you due to you now being title chasing not just a top 4/ EL team and so they could be playing more defensively against you, requiring a few tactical tweaks.

However I don't really think that your club reputation or match odds would change enough for this to make a big difference so it's probably the team fluidity, it sounds as though the board are trigger happy, how far behind were you?

[mojojojo101]

C. It can only do the things you can do. Actually that's a lie, it can do far less than you can. The AI see's tactics and roles and can't identify any manual changes you've made. So a DLP will always be seen as a DLP by the AI even if you've manually changed every single slider to reflect a BWM etc. It uses the TC so sees things as roles.

Out of interest has anyone deliberatley tried to manipulate the ME by manually setting all the sliders to something else, maybe by editing a DLF(S) to use all a Poacher's slider settings to trick the opponents defence into coming higher up the pitch and allowing more chances in behind?

[Methos]

Can a bad team (relative to other teams in the same league) play a possession style football?

Or in other words what contributes "more" to possession? Quality of the players or tactics? How much would you "weight" each factor?

[Cleon]

Out of interest has anyone deliberatley tried to manipulate the ME by manually setting all the sliders to something else, maybe by editing a DLF(S) to use all a Poacher's slider settings to trick the opponents defence into coming higher up the pitch and allowing more chances in behind?

Yes many people over the years.

[Cleon]

Can a bad team (relative to other teams in the same league) play a possession style football?

Or in other words what contributes "more" to possession? Quality of the players or tactics? How much would you "weight" each factor?

It's player attributes that determine how well someone can keep the ball and how pressured they feel. You can have a weak squad but players with high passing, technique, composure, decisions etc and play a possession game. Possession is actually really easy to achieve but the right type of possession is a lot harder to create.

[SamLFC]

That is probably your answer right there SamLFC, squad cohesion makes a big difference and bringing in a lot of new players disrupts this. Another possible reason could be the other teams changing how they play against you due to you now being title chasing not just a top 4/ EL team and so they could be playing more defensively against you, requiring a few tactical tweaks.

However I don't really think that your club reputation or match odds would change enough for this to make a big difference so it's probably the team fluidity, it sounds as though the board are trigger happy, how far behind were you?

I was about 12-15 points behind top spot and about 6 behind CL so i guess i warranted the sack.

But thanks mate i appreciate you help!

[TacticalMaestro]

What would be the most logical approach for a CL Quater Final Second Leg game against Man Utd ? I am currently leading 2-0 after dominating them . However , last year it was the same ; I met them in the QF as well, and I went to Old Trafford with a 1-0 lead and at the end of the night I lost 4-1 . (4-2 on aggregate )

I really don't think we can pull off a defensive masterclass against Manchester United at Old Trafford since we don't exactly have the players to fully sit back and I know they will play with much more intensity.

[Cleon]

What would be the most logical approach for a CL Quater Final Second Leg game against Man Utd ? I am currently leading 2-0 after dominating them . However , last year it was the same ; I met them in the QF as well, and I went to Old Trafford with a 1-0 lead and at the end of the night I lost 4-1 . (4-2 on aggregate )

I really don't think we can pull off a defensive masterclass against Manchester United at Old Trafford since we don't exactly have the players to fully sit back and I know they will play with much more intensity.

If it was me I'd watch the game because logically you need to see how you are playing and what the players are doing to full understand what's unfolding. That way any changes you make during the game will be because of what you see happening and not because you are trying to second guess what they'll do

[Kim Wong]

I am having troubles against wingers cutting inside. Especially I play with 4-4-2. There is no DM who could pick them up. Any suggestion?

[furiousuk]

I am having troubles against wingers cutting inside. Especially I play with 4-4-2. There is no DM who could pick them up. Any suggestion?

You can try pushing up to limit their space to move in but this might present other problems.

Also, stopper/cover in this situation could present gaps for them to run into (although I suppose the stopper on the more problematic side could actually help) so maybe use flat defenders with the theory being that those cutting in wingers have still got to dribble past an organised defence (as always, watch and see what suits).

You could also try having your midfielders drop a little deeper although this is much harder (movement of players without the ball is harder to achieve, as in, when the opposition have the ball).

[Cleon]

I am having troubles against wingers cutting inside. Especially I play with 4-4-2. There is no DM who could pick them up. Any suggestion?

In addition to what Furious posted you could always specific man mark them with your wingers?

[El_Loco7]

What's the difference between man marking them with your own wingers or using your full backs, as i'd use the latter then let my wingers worry about the opposing full backs if needs be. I'd rather have someone who can tackle tracking the tricky wingers. It could lessen the risk of potentially dangerous free kicks.

[cschillero_89]

I'm in preseason of a new save and I can't figure out why my reserve and youth teams match training and intensity changes without me actually doing it. I'm trying to train tactics on a high intensity (more match training) and I'll continue and a few days later my training will be switched to like defensive positioning or something like that and it will be on low intensity too. This doesn't happen for my first team, just reserve and youth. I used to think it was because I hired a U-18 Assistant Coach, but I didn't do that on this save. But, I do have a U-18 Head Coach. Does anyone know if the U-18 Head Coach is the problem or of any other way to fix this?

[Cleon]

I'm in preseason of a new save and I can't figure out why my reserve and youth teams match training and intensity changes without me actually doing it. I'm trying to train tactics on a high intensity (more match training) and I'll continue and a few days later my training will be switched to like defensive positioning or something like that and it will be on low intensity too. This doesn't happen for my first team, just reserve and youth. I used to think it was because I hired a U-18 Assistant Coach, but I didn't do that on this save. But, I do have a U-18 Head Coach. Does anyone know if the U-18 Head Coach is the problem or of any other way to fix this?

The only way you can change it is by taking control of the team yourself. If you have a coach or manager in charge of the team then it's their responsibility.

[cschillero_89]

The only way you can change it is by taking control of the team yourself. If you have a coach or manager in charge of the team then it's their responsibility.

Ok, thanks. I was trying to avoid that. The U-18 Head Coach was on the staff when I started the save and he's my best youth coach and best JPA and JPP on my coaching staff. I'll see if I can get get him signed to another position before I let him go.

[Reloaded]

Stupid question regarding tactics and signings:

Should I buy players who are best for said role (based on the highlighted attributes), or buy the best players for the position? I know the two are likely similar, but sometimes will find someone who could be good at a certain role but not necessarily the most talented.

[furiousuk]

Stupid question regarding tactics and signings:

Should I buy players who are best for said role (based on the highlighted attributes), or buy the best players for the position? I know the two are likely similar, but sometimes will find someone who could be good at a certain role but not necessarily the most talented.

I'm not exactly sure what the difference is but there can be a massive difference between two players in the same position so, if you're looking for a right winger (for example) then you want the one who is going to complement your playstyle i.e. if you play a 'keep possession' game then you'd want a passer rather than a traditional up-and-down quick winger.

However, you can go further and consider whether you want depth and variety in your squad by buying the guy who doesn't naturally fit your style but does offer you something to change it up when your usual style is not working.

Either way, I'd always pick the guy who fits my team (or offers a difference) over the guy who is on average better. I hope that makes sense.

I guess another example would be, if I had 2 ball-winners in my midfield and I'm scouting 2 players, one is a very good ball-winner and the other is slightly worse overall but a much better ball-player then I'd probably try and buy the 2nd guy (if price etc is equal) because he gives me something I don't currently have in the squad even if he is, overall, a slightly worse player (for me and my squad he would be a better player if that makes sense, even if he isnt on paper).

[liamgriffiths85]

If playing a 4-4-1-1 counter formation, What are the best roles for the AM and Striker? Currently set to AM = AP(s) and the Striker is set to TM (A)

Will the players still pump up long balls to the TM though? i would rather keep it on the deck and play through the midfield and hopefully keep possession!

[Hdefte]

What is the best way to raise the concentration skill for a central defender?

[Hdefte]

If playing a 4-4-1-1 counter formation, What are the best roles for the AM and Striker? Currently set to AM = AP(s) and the Striker is set to TM (A)

Will the players still pump up long balls to the TM though? i would rather keep it on the deck and play through the midfield and hopefully keep possession!

In the team instructions in the tactic screen, if you tick the box at targetman, you can chose "none" in the dropbox below. Then the tactic doesnt use any targetman, the player is just instructed to play like one, as far as I understand. Hope that made sense?

[Clarky323]

hi guys, some of you may remember me from recently, complaining at my Liverpool save! anyway, if you do remember me, I'm a little bored with Volendam so am thinking of starting a new career (now I've learnt a lot and do better than I used to) with West Ham, Andy Carroll of course is their main striker but I want to know how to get the best out of him.

I presume play him as a target man, I was thinking with support duty and then have inside forwards and an attacking midfielder running into box for loose balls and things, I think that would work well, maybe the two holding mids could have passing set to long and maybe we could have hit early crosses call at the start of a match, then the wing backs might cross the ball to try to get the best out of the front 4.

any advice would be appreciated, thanks

[prince0102]

c) how does the ai manager analyze our tactics ? it seems to be quite smart and finding the exact tweak to make ?

C. It can only do the things you can do. Actually that's a lie, it can do far less than you can. The AI see's tactics and roles and can't identify any manual changes you've made. So a DLP will always be seen as a DLP by the AI even if you've manually changed every single slider to reflect a BWM etc. It uses the TC so sees things as roles.COLOR]

My question is more towards what is used by the AI to analyze our tactic and implement a change. Example: how does the AI manager decide to use a particular shout ? What is the logic behind it ? Since it is not a human, there must be some computer logic/ data analysis behind it.

[prince0102]

Is it better to use a 433 or 41221 if you have 3 excellent strikers ? In other words, is it better to use 2 strikers not in their natural position (as AML or AMR) but a better tactical shape or use them in striker position (so natural position) but less balanced tactical shape (especially wings).

Interestingly, in tactic creator, for 41221, I moved the two wingers in striker positions, so main difference is that the central 3 are in a very tight triangle and not flat 3 and now the two STCL and STCR cover the fullbacks. Probably because its zonal marking and that zone falls under their purview. Maybe this is the compromise ?

[furiousuk]

My question is more towards what is used by the AI to analyze our tactic and implement a change. Example: how does the AI manager decide to use a particular shout ? What is the logic behind it ? Since it is not a human, there must be some computer logic/ data analysis behind it.

What does it matter? All you have to worry about is that the AI do make decisions and you then have to react to those decisions. It doesn't matter what happens under the hood. If I choose to play wider you don't need to ask me why I'm doing so (I wouldnt tell you as I'm your opponent), you just need to react (and to do that you might try to guess my intentions, but it doesn't matter whether you guessed right or wrong, your counter-strategy will be successful/unsuccessful regardless of whether you know why I've made my decision).

[furiousuk]

Is it better to use a 433 or 41221 if you have 3 excellent strikers ? In other words, is it better to use 2 strikers not in their natural position (as AML or AMR) but a better tactical shape or use them in striker position (so natural position) but less balanced tactical shape (especially wings).

Interestingly, in tactic creator, for 41221, I moved the two wingers in striker positions, so main difference is that the central 3 are in a very tight triangle and not flat 3 and now the two STCL and STCR cover the fullbacks. Probably because its zonal marking and that zone falls under their purview. Maybe this is the compromise ?

I'm not sure what you're getting at. It isn't 'better' to use one formation over the other, it's up to the players and how you use them. Almost any formation can be successful given the right players and right usage.

[prince0102]

I'm not sure what you're getting at. It isn't 'better' to use one formation over the other, it's up to the players and how you use them. Almost any formation can be successful given the right players and right usage.

But that is exactly what I am asking. I have 3 striker players. Is it better to play them in AML and AMR positions for 41221 or should I try to create a 433 tactic ? Or to rephrase it, would playing them in positions awkward for them hinder success of the tactic too much ?