Help with defending crosses and scoring goals with through balls

[Weller1980]

Hi,

 

Id like some help in making my teams score more goals with through balls and better defending against crosses.

 

I have two saves going on at the moment and in both saves assists from crosses are very, very high both for and against. Roughly 50% of all my assists come from crosses. Someone told me 30% would be considered normal in relation to real life.

 

I play the same formation on both saves but one save is with Northampton and the other is with Liverpool.

 

I play: 5 2 2 1

 

DL (full back, support, inverted)

CB, CB, CB

DR (full back support, inverted)

 

CM(Advanced playmaker attack)

CM(Ball winning)

 

IF(support)

IF(support)

 

ST(advanced forward)

 

Tactics:

 

Standard mentality, sometimes attacking depending on the score

Play through middle

Direct passing

Pass into space

Work ball into box

All player instructions are set to cross les often

 

Thanks for any help, much appreciated

[Tom8983]

I'm by no means a tactical genius but I'd say that if you want more assists to come from through balls, you've got to draw the opposition defence forward to create space for your striker to run into. If you insist on playing with a standard mentality I'd suggest taking a deeper line, and/or dropping your inside forwards to inverted wingers, and changing your striker to a deep lying forward (attack) with lots of pace, anticipation, off the ball movement, and see if there's any suitable PPMs to get him playing on the shoulder of the last man, moving into channels etc. Maybe change you full backs to wing backs, as I think with a support duty it says they try more diagonal through balls. I'd get rid of the work ball into box instruction too, it goes against the idea of playing through balls for your forward to run on to.

Alternatively, bring your inside forwards inside to begin with to play in the AM positions. Not ideal for liverpool, Coutinho and Salah/Mane work quite well as inverted wingers though I've found, with a little training. If you really want to play with inside forwards, make sure they are on support duty, see if you can make them sit narrower, and train them with PPMs to suit you, like 'tries risky passes often', 'plays through balls' etc (they might not be the correct terms, but I've not got the game loaded to check right now)

I'd look at changing to counter or defensive, and altering the team instructions slightly. I've found that team mentality doesn't really change all that much apart from how far up the pitch you are, how direct you play, and a few other things easily changed and you want to draw forward the oppositions defence. You don't do that by playing with an attacking mentality and an advanced forward pushing them back.

As for conceding less from crosses, again the lower defensive line should help you with that, but it's as much down to personnel I've found. You need defenders with good heading and jumping reach (obviously), but also very good positioning, strength, anticipation, concentration, and probably bravery to an extent too. You can help by forcing the oppostion wingers onto their inside foot. 

 

That's all I've got.