What's the problem with this tactic??

[ncamb]

Hello guys!

I need your help, I'm going crazy, I have read a lot of tactic guides and I have created a lot of tactics but my results are too bad!!

This is the last tactic I have created, I hope you'll be able to help me!

[RTHerringbone]

You tell us. What's happening in games that makes you feel something is wrong? What goals are you conceding? What chances do you create?

[ncamb]

You tell us. What's happening in games that makes you feel something is wrong? What goals are you conceding? What chances do you create?

I'm conceding not much goals, but I can't score..the major problems are:

- medium number of shots but just a few of them is on target

- bad ball possession

for example:

Liverpool - Southampton 0-2

shots: 12 vs 11

on target: 4 vs 6

fouls: 20 vs 8

yellow cards: 5 vs 1

possession: 45% - 55%

or

Swansea - Liverpool 1-1

shots: 14 vs 11

on target: 4 vs 5

fouls: 12 vs 9

yellow cards: 1 vs 2

possession: 56% vs 44%

[HUNT3R]

Who's going to create chances and how? Who's expected to score? In other words, is there a plan for why you chose the roles and instructions you did and what is it?

[RTHerringbone]

Possession is low because you are using a reasonably high tempo system and were playing at home against Southampton, whose own Mentality will probably have been Counter. That has a lower tempo and will be the main thing affecting possession. Your use of a Target Man will also affect this as the team will look to Benteke and pump long passes towards him.

The shot count is just a number, you need to appraise the quality of chances created - start simply by just looking at how many Long Shots you take, and what your Shots On Target total is as a proportion of overall shots taken - you want ~50% on target ideally. Your TIs also potentially conflict: Look For Overlap will reduce the intent of your IFs and encourage the wing backs to push on, but you then Work Ball Into Box which will reduce crossing. That's fine if the intent is to have the wing backs running up field and then playing the ball back infield to deeper players, but not fine if that's not how you want to play.

[sporadicsmiles]

You entire tactic seems geared towards aiming for the target man with crosses, right? So if a team shuts down the crosses, or shuts down the target man, you are going to struggle by default. This I think is made worse by the fact that you are going to continuously feed the balls to the wing backs with the overlap shout. Can you show where the assists come from in your last X number of games (the more the better) since using this tactic?

[louis7]

What I would do at first is make the tactic more balanced. You have no attacking duty in defence, none on the wings. Turn one FB-A and the same side winger turn into IF-s to overlap. I would also use Ibe as AMR W-A to create some width in the attack. So basically:

-------TM-s---------

IF-s---AP-a------W-A

-----CM-D---CM-s----

FB-A---CD---CD---FB-s

[fraeyke]

Try changing one IF to a W.. The IF's will look for space in the same area as your T.

Dont worry about the winger not cutting inside because they do.. only later then an IF.

I find that wingers do get on the end of crosses a lot at the second post.

Also where you keep the IF, maybe give an attack duty to your wingback. This provides more width..

With look for overlap i tend to find this slows down your play a lot because the IF's will keep the ball and wait for the overlap.

Giving an attack duty to one of your backs will also make him try to overlap.

Thats just my opinion and i consider myself far away from beeing an expert

Good luck

[Rashidi]

I am just looking at shouts, you seem to be desperate at making things work. You have exploit the middle as well as overlap shouts. Try deciding on one way to play. You also have Lucas Leiva playing as a BWM when his pace and acceleration are slow for someone to be playing that role in a 2 man midfield.

[ncamb]

Thanks guys, I've hugely appreciated your suggestions, I've made some changes and I'll let you know how thing are going on! I've changed:

- IF-S to W-A

- exploit the middle to exploit left and right flank

- WB-S to WB-A

- removed work ball into box

I've played too less matches to post statistics about assist, I'll do that asap

[ncamb]

Anyway...I don't know if Benteke isn't a good player or if I'm not able to let him play well, he's always in offside and he's never the first on crosses

[rich10]

I could be wrong here with these suggestions (but you did ask)

1. Try changing Firmino to a Support Striker(SS) to provide real support to Benteke's flick-ons, and have your IF's set to Attack to provide the penetration in behind the defensive line.

2. I think asking your keeper to distribute to your DLP is risky, if he loses the ball there the opposition will be right on top of your defence.

3. I'd not be asking the players to look for the overlap without attacking FBs/WBs, as they will hold the ball up (slowing down your play), I'd change your WBs back to FBs and just have them supplementing your midfield play, instead of potentially leaving you exposed on the counter.

4. Try setting Mignolet to a sweeper keeper on Support, playing a high line/offside trap will mean you'll be wanting a keeper to act as a sweeper on over hit passes. (better yet, sell Mignolet and bring in a more mobile keeper to help with this)

5. Nothing wrong with keeping Work Ball into Box IF you consider changing Benteke's role from a TM to a CF, as I think being a TM means your players tend to pass directly into him when nothing else is on.

6. I don't think your pair of midfielders compliment each other, the DLP-de drops deep and your BWM-su is dragged out of position by chasing opposition players in possession - try setting Lucas to a BWM-de and Valero to DLP-su and see how it goes.

Feel free to ignore, and I hope it goes well for you whatever you decide to change.

[ncamb]

Well, I've played a lot of matches:

Any suggestions to avoid through ball assists? I was thinking of keeping the defensive line lower and removing offside trap...what do you think about that? 39 goals conceded in 23 matches are too much..

[Domus Clamantium]

Well, I've played a lot of matches:

Any suggestions to avoid through ball assists? I was thinking of keeping the defensive line lower and removing offside trap...what do you think about that? 39 goals conceded in 23 matches are too much..

You're probably suffering from long balls over the top and fasts strikers. Get faster defenders or lower your defensive line.

[grimslaa]

You leave your centre backs exposed to through balls in to the channels. If you think about the nature of your roles and the lack of protection they offer your defence, the 2 wing backs on attack will be much higher than the 2CBs and perhaps as high as your midfield line. Add in a lack of a genuine holding midfield player due to the DLP(D) and BBM(S) combination means that your CBs will often be defending by themselves, particular in transition (which is where I imagine a lot of the through ball assists come from).

Basically you need to think about how you can counter the counter so to speak. I'd drop one of your wingbacks to support, or maybe even FB(S) to offer some stability. I'd also consider, depending on how you want your midfield to help an attack, changing either player to a CM(D) to have more static midfield player to protect your defence.

[Midnight Rob]

Just a few pointers...

1. If using a Treq you build your team around him. Instead you are playing down the wings and negating any meaningful influence from him on the game.

2. Worse than that you are sitting high up the pitch meaning you need to press successfully. And the Treq you're not using doesn't press at all!

3. A target man support is just that, a support player for flick ons or to link with attacking mids. He has neither a partner or attacking mid to bring into the game. He'll just hold the ball up all day long.

4. On the right hand side you have no cover.

5. Its a mute point but limited defenders aren't really meant for sides that play out of defence.

For a tad of positive you re scoring a lot of goals from crosses due to the movement/fluidity/roles on the flanks. Not that the match engine enjoys a cross or two, perish the thought.

[luka_zg]

I have similar tactic which I like to use away from home. I can see you are struggling in away matches.

lower your MC's to DM slots. Leave one on DLP/S and make the other one DM/D with "close down less" PI. Make the wingback on his side WB/A. Leave other wingback on FB/S or WB/S.

Up front leave it as it is, although I'd switch TM/S to CF/S.

TI: close down less, play fairly narrow,pass to space and retain possession.

See how this works for you, I created a machine of my Dortmund team playing 4-2-3-1 deep. Home version is slightly different ,though.

[ac13]

As others have said most when playing 3cm have at least one in the defensive midfielder position. Also not sure what Romero's tackling is like and if that is leading to players dribbling past him and playing through balls to the striker. Seems like you are doing pretty well considering the team isn't that great so playing more defensively may not really benefit you in terms of results if it causes you to score less goals too.

Oh yeah and the high line and play offsides could be a problem without a ball-winning midfielder pressurising opponents. Could try a Shadow striker instead of trequartista role for Coutinho. Is he getting many assists or are you mainly focused on him scoring goals from knock downs, lay-offs and poor clearances?