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

[Sussex Hammer]

7 hours ago, Rashidi said:

Depends on your mentality I reckon, but why would you want him to defend? You don't have any outlets after that...In episode 10 of Gloucesters save, we played counter/very fluid against Arsenal, and the boys defended well and made each chance matter. So sometimes it depends on the overall setup.  Remember too, the only real thing you can influence from set piece defending is who takes the ball out first...after that the AI takes over

Thanks Rashidi.  Do you have any fast and hard rules re fluidity these days?  It's the one thing that still baffles me really because when I play games in friendlies using different Team shapes I really can't see the difference on how the players interact.  At the moment I am not using any specialists (unless I try that poacher out) so in a 4132 is there a fluidity you would choose particularly?

BTW Set piece defending is a nightmare.  I am giving away several penalties a season because the opposition just lumps it in from 35 yards and suddenly penalty.  Obviously you just see a coming together of players at best so it's difficult to see what's gone on.  Considering those long free kicks are controlled by the AI is there anything I can do/control?  For instance would "get stuck in" promote aggressive defending at set pieces?  or Would having defenders with high aggression mean the higher likelihood of a penalty being conceded?  That sort of thing.   My heart is in my mouth every time one of those is launched into my area.  I guess the obvious thing would be to stop giving away free kicks in the first place!!!

[mikcheck]

And for Roaming Playmaker or Regista playing in DM spot, isn't off the ball important too? Both roles roam from position, that's why i'd like to know if you also consider it important? Tks

[mikcheck]

Thanks

[Rashidi]

@Sussex Hammer  Tbh there's a myth on the forums I have not bothered to correct which is very fluid shouldn't be used with poor teams. Well idc really when it comes to fluidity. Fluidity just makes a team more likely to behave as a unit. The only hard and fast rule I have is never use Overload with fluid. Cos your whole team wants to kamikaze.. For all other mentalities, fluidity is fine...so the more fluid you are the more players in your team react to transitions, and the only defining thing would be duties. The whole specialists vs generalists thing is redundant now, its not even relevant since the change to Shape, in fact even SI have told me there is no correlation between the two. So I wouldn't worry about it. I am also playing a 4132 this time around and I switch between shapes to get my players involved in transitions. Lower mentalities = slower transitions, .lower shapes = more distinct transitions involving specific players

[Kcinnay]

Not exactly a question, but a very nice example of how efficient tutoring can be. I choose my captain Wim Mennes (39 years old, 17 determination, faithful personality) as a mentor for this player. From august til october, his level of determination has rise from 8 tot 17. As a matter of fact, in one month, he already developed it from 8 to 15. Really makes a difference, especially in LLM.

[Nim-z]

How would a high/low teamwork attribute affect the behavior of a player who plays in a role that doesn't require that attribute, let's say - anchor man?

Edited April 11, 2017 by Nim-z

[Sussex Hammer]

Thanks Rashidi....  Another question if I may.  Not sure why but since the last patch I have been giving away an awful lot of penalties from when crosses, corners, throw ins or free kicks get launched into my penalty area.  It's just a coming together of players (or that's what it looks like) but any sort of contact and it's a penalty.  It's getting so silly that I wince every time I see an aerial ball come in as I know it will end up in a penalty.  Any ways of stopping or at least limiting this?

Edited April 13, 2017 by Sussex Hammer

[ppl_unicode]

I am trying to build a tactic for a lower league team, consisting of only youth player, using an highly structured team shape with a high workrate, high teamwork players.

I am going over the System fluidity page in the manual, and it's a little confusing to me.

That's from section 4. Summary of player roles:

Quote

tactical roles that include a greater number of attacking and defensive role types that enable a player to perform a positional responsibility to a greater extent are considered to be specialist player roles, while tactical roles that include a lesser number of attacking and defensive role types that enable a player to perform a positional responsibility to a greater extent are considered to be generalist player roles.

I don't understand that explanation. Also, there is a list of specialized roles with a number before each of them, what does that number represent?

How come an ap/a is specialized and ap/s isn't, or wb/s isn't and wb/a is.

A poacher isn't specialized and a complete forward is? 

Can someone please clear this out for me, because I can't make sense of it all.

 

Edited April 13, 2017 by ppl_unicode

[HUNT3R]

1 minute ago, ppl_unicode said:

I am trying to build a tactic for a lower league team, consisting of only youth player, using an highly structured team shape with a high workrate, high teamwork players.

I am going over the System fluidity page in the manual, and it's a little confusing to me.

That's from section 4. Summary of player roles:

I don't understand that explanation. Also, there is a list of specialized roles with a number before each of them, what does that number represent?

How come an ap/a is specialized and ap/s isn't, or wb/s isn't and wb/a is.

A poacher isn't specialized and a complete forward is? 

Can someone please clear this out for me, because I can't make sense of it all.

 

That's not the manual. The online manual can be accessed at the top of the page.

It's wrong in some areas and inconsistent in others - especially regarding the tactical side of the game. You'd need to ask its creator.

[ppl_unicode]

4 minutes ago, HUNT3R said:

That's not the manual. The online manual can be accessed at the top of the page.

Thank you. 

[Hoptoad]

My CMs will move further to the sides in the tactical creator if I push my DM into the CM strata. Is this actually happening in the matches as well or is this only depicted like that on the tactics creator screen? If I watch the matches I do not really see an effect. I must note that my new central CM still plays behind the other CMs in possesion. because of his lower mentality.

The idea was that a flat midfield might exploit the half-spaces better if the outer CMs are actually pushed to the sides, compared to a triangle with a DM.

[Dr. Hook]

31 minutes ago, Hoptoad said:

My CMs will move further to the sides in the tactical creator if I push my DM into the CM strata. Is this actually happening in the matches as well or is this only depicted like that on the tactics creator screen? If I watch the matches I do not really see an effect. I must note that my new central CM still plays behind the other CMs in possesion. because of his lower mentality.

The idea was that a flat midfield might exploit the half-spaces better if the outer CMs are actually pushed to the sides, compared to a triangle with a DM.

It depends on their role/duties and attributes how exactly they move- if you are using a CM-D or a DLP-D as sort of a pushed up DM, then the two CMs will still play fairly centrally as the third man will be occupying a deeper position.

[Hoptoad]

Thanks, that explains it. This means I will have to decide if wider CMs is worth having a less defensive CM/DM. Back to the drawing board :-)

[mikcheck]

Does mentality also affect how willing is a player in the AM/ST strata to defend? In lower mentalities they will defend and track back more than the higher ones?

 

[Armistice]

Hi there, is it possible to make a winger on attack one of my main goalscorers?

[Hoptoad]

10 hours ago, D_LO_ said:

DLP on support is what I use in the middle to achieve exactly what you describe, for what it's worth. 

Thanks for the suggestion. This guy was my holding midfielder, so I will have to see if and how I can implement this without losing to much in terms of defense.

[Hoptoad]

I thought about this too, but unfortunately this was not available as PI for my advanced playmaker in the CM-strata. An AP on the AM strata or other roles in the CM-strata could have this PI. 

[Methos]

I am asking for another manager game (MMO) which is very similar to FM but is not so active in terms of asking help there. I am looking forward to the moderator kindness to allow me to ask for generic football advise non game specific and answer it. I am aware the advise might be off, but it doesn't hurt to ask generic football principles:

 

I have a team full of 27-31 year old players with great mental stats like: Anticipation, Composure, Decisions, Determination, Reading of Game, Teamwork, Tenacity, Vision, Work Rate etc... etc... While I am superior mentally, I am not lacking physically or technically.

That said I am looking to take advantage of that mental advantage:

Here are the sliders the game offers:

Mentality: Defensive Normal Attacking

Passing Style: Short mixed Direct

Defensive Line: Deep normal High

Width: Narrow normal Wide

Philosophy: Rigid Normal Fluid

Tackling: Cautious normal aggressive

Closing Down: Back Normal Press

Tempo: Slow Normal Fast

 

As I said,  I am looking to take advantage of that mental advantage over other teams.

 

Thanks!

 

Edited April 15, 2017 by Methos

[Marabak]

A training related question. I have a player who's training as pretty much dropped "orange arrow" across the board. I'm aware that this might be a minute decrease in a hidden decimal place, but I'm slightly concerned as for the reason. Logically, it might be related to playing time (3 starts in 12 games), but I can't find anything anywhere to back this idea up and he only played 14 games last season (before I joined the club). Additionally, he is a Natural RB but Accomplished LB and my training is aimed at his LB position.

He is 29, so possible age related but I'd hazard a guess that is a little early. No injuries for over 6 months. Coach progress report just states that he has declined in the last two months, no reasons given. No happiness concerns. Determination is high (17) and the player is pleased with training.

Any suggestions on how I can pin point this down a little rather than just guessing?

[herne79]

46 minutes ago, Marabak said:

A training related question. I have a player who's training as pretty much dropped "orange arrow" across the board. I'm aware that this might be a minute decrease in a hidden decimal place, but I'm slightly concerned as for the reason. Logically, it might be related to playing time (3 starts in 12 games), but I can't find anything anywhere to back this idea up and he only played 14 games last season (before I joined the club). Additionally, he is a Natural RB but Accomplished LB and my training is aimed at his LB position.

He is 29, so possible age related but I'd hazard a guess that is a little early. No injuries for over 6 months. Coach progress report just states that he has declined in the last two months, no reasons given. No happiness concerns. Determination is high (17) and the player is pleased with training.

Any suggestions on how I can pin point this down a little rather than just guessing?

Those orange arrows can appear suddenly and disappear just as quickly.  Check his long term training performance graphs - they're the important ones and will show you if there is indeed a long term issue or if these arrows are just a short term blip.

At 29 he should be around his peak, so overall I'd expect to see a fairly stable training performance.

[Marabak]

3 hours ago, herne79 said:

Those orange arrows can appear suddenly and disappear just as quickly.  Check his long term training performance graphs - they're the important ones and will show you if there is indeed a long term issue or if these arrows are just a short term blip.

At 29 he should be around his peak, so overall I'd expect to see a fairly stable training performance.

I've only been at the club since May, but since then he has been consistent until two months ago (just started November). Then there is around 0.2 drop across the board. Nothing to be concerned about in isolation, but I just wondered if I could identify the cause to limit it going any further.

[mikcheck]

Hi,

Passing length affects  the distance of a pass and his directness is affected by mentality, am i far from the truth?  For example in lower mentalities a direct pass still a longer pass but more to the back and sides, and in higher mentalities that pass will be done forwards. I know it's not that simple and creative freedom can also affect passing directness, even in lower mentalities.

Edited April 16, 2017 by mikcheck

[SteveUK]

Playing as Ebbsfleet United in the Conference South, i have a large squad, and i'm struggling to keep them all match fit throughout the season.

There is no u23 competition so i can't stick them in the reserves to keep match fit, i pretty much always have 11 match fit, 3-5 lacking match fitness (these are usually my subs) and then several others who are always severely lacking match fitness.

I put team training as Fitness very high with no rests before or after games to see if this improves the situation.

[vasilli07]

7 minutes ago, SteveUK said:

Playing as Ebbsfleet United in the Conference South, i have a large squad, and i'm struggling to keep them all match fit throughout the season.

There is no u23 competition so i can't stick them in the reserves to keep match fit, i pretty much always have 11 match fit, 3-5 lacking match fitness (these are usually my subs) and then several others who are always severely lacking match fitness.

I put team training as Fitness very high with no rests before or after games to see if this improves the situation.

Can't you set up friendly games for reserves and then set them to be available for reserves?

[SteveUK]

5 minutes ago, vasilli07 said:

Can't you set up friendly games for reserves and then set them to be available for reserves?

Good shout, i was concerned i would have to manually set one up every week, but looking in staff responsibilities it says i can set my ass manager to do that, so hopefully that will help, thanks

[Sussex Hammer]

How can I train my players to take a throw in like this?  And get away with it !!!!! 

 

[LCFCEaves31]

2 questions about a club having young player philosophy... 

First, what age does the board class as 'young' ? Currently I have 0% on that philoshy even though I've got on average age one of the youngest squads in the league (23)

Second, is it likely the board will ever allow me to change it in the future and what would I need to do? I've asked once and they said no, the club relies on us producing young players...

[Dr. Hook]

49 minutes ago, Sussex Hammer said:

How can I train my players to take a throw in like this?  And get away with it !!!!! 

 

Ha! Definitely report this on the bug forum- they'll want the .pkm as well I am sure, but that is clearly not right

[Kcinnay]

How can you make your team play with so called fighting spirit? Players with high agression surely help, but what tactical instructions implement grit in your team, make your team play dirty and agressive? Lots of sliding tackles, strong charges etc. Does mentality play a part in this? Closing down?

I use the 'tackle harder' and 'tight marking' instructions atm, with counter mentality and very fluid team shape, but still, in most situations, my players stand off, even those with (moderate) high aggression attributes, even when the opponent is very near,

Thanks in advance!

[Tom14]

I'd say 'get stuck in', 'press more', and 'tighter marking' are a good start but as with everything related to tactics it depends on your players attributes.

[Kcinnay]

2 minutes ago, brookie1402 said:

I'd say 'get stuck in', 'press more', and 'tighter marking' are a good start but as with everything related to tactics it depends on your players attributes.

Thanks! Although it can't entirely depend on players' attributes, can it? IRL, a team can choose to play in an intimidating, personal manner in one game and in a cautious way in the other. Do you think mentality is a factor in this? (Higher risk = more daring challenges?)

[Tom14]

I meant that the success of the style will be influenced by the players attributes. Better to have Kante being aggressive and snapping into challenges rather than Juninho.

[Rashidi]

6 hours ago, Kcinnay said:

How can you make your team play with so called fighting spirit? Players with high agression surely help, but what tactical instructions implement grit in your team, make your team play dirty and agressive? Lots of sliding tackles, strong charges etc. Does mentality play a part in this? Closing down?

I use the 'tackle harder' and 'tight marking' instructions atm, with counter mentality and very fluid team shape, but still, in most situations, my players stand off, even those with (moderate) high aggression attributes, even when the opponent is very near,

Thanks in advance!

Apart from the advice given, I'd look at hidden attributes like sportsmanship and dirtiness too.

[DJ Sir Matthew]

Quick question on training : when you choose an additional focus (f.e. tackling) , in cleons thread it stated once you see improvement, choose another attribute. Back then, an improvement was +1 (going from 15 to 16 f.e.) but now attributes jump up&down by 0.2 points. I have several of my players on an individual attribute focus for a full year now and it hasn't budged or improved with 0.2 but no more. Is 0.2 enough to say it's improvement and switch to another attribute?

Edited April 18, 2017 by DJ Sir Matthew

[Armistice]

What should you look for when analysing the Heat Map & Passing Combinations (might have spelt it wrong) to notice if anything seems wrong?

[summatsupeer]

1 hour ago, nightwalker22 said:

What should you look for when analysing the Heat Map & Passing Combinations (might have spelt it wrong) to notice if anything seems wrong?

Have an issue in mind when you use them, I don't think you'll spot an issue from looking at them.

For example if I have a player who i've asked to play risky passes but has a low number of assists/key passes i'll look at his passing map to see how he's passing, if he's attempting the passes I want him to but failing etc.

[Armistice]

5 minutes ago, summatsupeer said:

Have an issue in mind when you use them, I don't think you'll spot an issue from looking at them.

For example if I have a player who i've asked to play risky passes but has a low number of assists/key passes i'll look at his passing map to see how he's passing, if he's attempting the passes I want him to but failing etc.

For example Rashidi looks in his Gloucester videos at the Heat map to see if he controlled the Golden Zone and the Pass combination which seems quite symetric so I believe that mirrors if you have enough fluidity between roles and if players are involved and actually aren't isolated?

[Kcinnay]

10 hours ago, Rashidi said:

Apart from the advice given, I'd look at hidden attributes like sportsmanship and dirtiness too.

Thanks. Can those attributes be increased? And if so: how?

[Rashidi]

I am not sure if they can be increased lol, they are attributes that I have always assumed are fixed, but if you want to track these yourself, then I recommend you use the Flut skin cause it has those attributes listed on the player information panel

 

[Tiger666]

OK quick question regarding roles. I have a midfielder who I want simply to sit and hold his position. These are the options I'm looking at:

Central Midfielder/Defend which has "Hold Position" and "Close Down More"
Deep Lying Playmaker/Defend which has "Hold Position" and "Shoot Less Often"

I don't want him closing down so the DLP/D looks most suitable. The thing is, the player is not creative or a great passer at all. He's just a brute I want to sit, hold position and play simple passes. It seems odd to assign this kind of player to a role that has "playmaker" in the title.

I suppose my question is, should I basically ignore what the role is called and just focus on the duty and instructions? I mean, are there things going on under the hood for that playmaker role that aren't described by his instructions? 

[mikcheck]

Hello all,

Which one of these formations do you think it's more balanced? I'm struggling with both of them, to create a more direct style.

Edited April 21, 2017 by mikcheck

[jonomagloneo]

Something I've never really tried much is retraining an entirely new position - the player I want to retrain is a CM/AM, to be able to play as a LW (IF) as his attributes will really work for this role.

• Is it simply a case of setting their role/position training as such and playing the player in that position?
• If they are a youth team player, do you simply want to select them in the desired position (and obv ensure the youth team is set to employ the same tactics as 1st team)?
• Is it worth removing any additional focuses while trying to get the player familiarised with the new position?
• Trouble is, the IF training regime doesn't hit as many attribute areas as the two I'd usually use for midfielders (BBM or RP), but presumably the role/position training is a key part of learning a new role so not much of a way around this?
• Could you perhaps stop role training at a point where they reached, say, competent, then change their regime and rely on just match experience to have it improve to accomplished/natural?

Ta.

Edited April 21, 2017 by jonomagloneo

[Dr. Hook]

On ‎4‎/‎19‎/‎2017 at 12:50, Tiger666 said:

I suppose my question is, should I basically ignore what the role is called and just focus on the duty and instructions? I mean, are there things going on under the hood for that playmaker role that aren't described by his instructions? 

Yes, most always, but in the case of roles that are considered "playmakers" there is code that will cause your players to look to him as a first pass option- what we often call "ball magnet." If the CM you have in mind is just a brute with no real ball skills, you don't want him as a playmaker role, because he will see a lot of the ball. I would do the CM-D, even with the close down more if your team closing down is not set to very high. Because he has a old position instruction, his closing down will be a bit more aggressive, but he won't go crashing about the place like a BWM is prone to do.

[Dr. Hook]

22 minutes ago, jonomagloneo said:

Something I've never really tried much is retraining an entirely new position - the player I want to retrain is a CM/AM, to be able to play as a LW (IF) as his attributes will really work for this role.

• Is it simply a case of setting their role/position training as such and playing the player in that position?
• If they are a youth team player, do you simply want to select them in the desired position (and obv ensure the youth team is set to employ the same tactics as 1st team)?
• Is it worth removing any additional focuses while trying to get the player familiarised with the new position?
• Trouble is, the IF training regime doesn't hit as many attribute areas as the two I'd usually use for midfielders (BBM or RP), but presumably the role/position training is a key part of learning a new role so not much of a way around this?
• Could you perhaps stop role training at a point where they reached, say, competent, then change their regime and rely on just match experience to have it improve to accomplished/natural?

Ta.

1. Yes

2. Yes- treat them the exact same, but with youth/reserve players, you might want to take a more active role in the selecting of the team to ensure that the player is being played in the new position.

3. No, keep the focuses and even the PPM if you want, as they won't effect the speed at which the new position is acquired

4. Yes, that is downside, but you could use the individual focus to train the spots you want that aren't being covered. Once the player is competent or accomplished in the role, you can move him to whatever role training you want and so long as he continues to play in the new position, he will retain the familiarity with it. Some players will never reach natural or even accomplished- this is down to their versatility rating which is hidden, but even at competent you will experience little or no issues using him in the new position.

[ilkork]

@jonomagloneoI don't have the answer to all your questions, but I know these:
-Versatility is the most important attribute to consider when retraining a player to new position. It is a hidden attribute, which you can only see with a 3rd party tool (like genie scout).
Sometimes in a scout (or coach) report you will see something like "Can play in a couple of positions". This means that the player can learn a new position faster than someone else.
-It's easier if that player has "competent" to the position you want him to be retrained, and harder if it's "awkward". It means it's gonna take more time.
-If they are in the youth squad and you don't have full control of it (you have another manager there), there might be a problem.
I have a right-footed with the "Inside Forward-Left" position natural. I am retraining him as a Winger-Right, but the U20s manager keeps playing him as an inside forward at the left flank.
You might wanna make sure that the new position isn't "overpopulated" with other youngsters familiar at it.
-You have to remove any additional focuses only if the player's workload is very heavy. Otherwise, the risk of injuries is increased. And keep in mind that FM tip: Remember that your youth players are still developing and as such will tire quicker. Be considerate with your workloads when devising youth schedules. Forget about that advice only if your player has high Natural Fitness, Determination and Professionalism.
-As long as it is the position you want, it doesn't matter what role you choose as training. At least that's what the mods have told me in another topic.
-As for your last question, I am not 100% sure.

Edited April 21, 2017 by ilkork

[Tiger666]

28 minutes ago, Dr. Hook said:

Yes, most always, but in the case of roles that are considered "playmakers" there is code that will cause your players to look to him as a first pass option- what we often call "ball magnet." If the CM you have in mind is just a brute with no real ball skills, you don't want him as a playmaker role, because he will see a lot of the ball. I would do the CM-D, even with the close down more if your team closing down is not set to very high. Because he has a old position instruction, his closing down will be a bit more aggressive, but he won't go crashing about the place like a BWM is prone to do.

Ah ok that's great advice, thank you. I do wish that for every position, there was a blank role you could select and just put in the instructions you want.

Edited April 21, 2017 by Tiger666

[Armistice]

Passing risk is increased/decreased by Mentality or Team Shape or both?

[Argonaut]

On 4/21/2017 at 10:27, Tiger666 said:

Ah ok that's great advice, thank you. I do wish that for every position, there was a blank role you could select and just put in the instructions you want.

The CM-S is a blank slate that you can mold, but I would argue that the CM-D would work better in your case. His mentality will be lowered, so he will sit deeper and take less risks anyway. Even the BWM-D role is very underrated as a holding midfielder with the right player (switch him to CM-D if he has a yellow). But it sounds like the CM-D will be perfect for you.

[jonomagloneo]

A belated thanks to @Dr. Hook and @ilkork for both your help 

 

[llado01]

hi to all!

great threat,

i need some help ;

I'm trying to re-create the villarreal style to play ,442 counter , and my biggest doubt, is to recreate the role of the two mcs, bruno & trigueros , bruno is a holding mid. and 1st creator, and trigueros is a posibly mixed runner/creator (runner with ball in fm terms) , but I'm not sure that being a creator can easily run at the opp. box and help de strikers pair.

I attach some file with trigueros passing stats and bruno description

 

i'm think bruno is DLP (d) and trigueros is a RPM , 

is good mc mix for 442 ?

or maybe bruno is the only one creator? 

 

thx a lot!

Edited April 25, 2017 by llado01