How to impose better control over the average position?

[santy001]

The heatmap/average position is something I tend to look at from time to time as it provides a quick glance of how the game is lining up. It's early in the game, but here's a screenshot of what I mean which shows my side on the right, vastly higher up the pitch than the opposition. I'm aiming to try and impose a bit more control on this, as all too often it feels like this is largely determined by the opposition and their impetus, or lack thereof. 

I'm using my own tactic, but it still suffers from pushing too high up the field. Despite not really being built that way, or at least not intentionally. One thing I tend to dislike about a lot of the incredibly successful tactics you can find is that losses tend to come in a very similar pattern. The opposition is happy to defend deep, and my team steps into this void no questions asked. Eventually it reaches a kind of tipping point where all of a sudden your entire team is firmly camped in their half and the only out-ball for the opponent is a long ball. It poses a massive risk, even if not directly through the ball itself with the chance to force a free kick or corner it can quickly be your undoing and if they get a goal ahead against the run of play it becomes all the worse. It's the same kind of reason I end up losing games, often my team has been over-extended by trying to break down deep defending opposition.

Right now, my only real mechanism I'm making use of to try and alter this is the mentality of the team. I'll also switch to use the dribble less and be more disciplined, but even with a formation not particularly designed to push opposition back and pin them in it still happens an awful lot. I suspect the use of counter and counter-press are somewhat responsible for this, despite having a lower defensive line and lower line of engagement.

I'd like there to be some breathing room where the team tries to lure out midfielders/full backs and so on to create an opening. Rather than brute forcing it with superior/faster players.

The formation just so better insight can be provided:

[Experienced Defender]

3 hours ago, santy001 said:

I'm using my own tactic, but it still suffers from pushing too high up the field. Despite not really being built that way, or at least not intentionally

 

3 hours ago, santy001 said:

I'm aiming to try and impose a bit more control on this, as all too often it feels like this is largely determined by the opposition and their impetus, or lack thereof

I think the main "problem" here is the team you are managing (Atletico). Simply because it's a top team. Therefore, even if you as a manager want to play a counter-attacking style of football, the AI behaves based on your reputation of a top team. That probably explains why your players are actually positioned so high up the pitch despite the low block you are applying. 

So you basically answered your own question in this sentence: 

3 hours ago, santy001 said:

it feels like this is largely determined by the opposition and their impetus, or lack thereof

 

[Old Joe Clarke]

Would making one of the BPD's a cover rather than defend add a little more security, like your fastest one. Just those few extra yards deeper could make the difference.

Do you need two BPD's at all?

Edited May 1, 2020 by Old Joe Clarke

[santy001]

5 hours ago, Experienced Defender said:

So you basically answered your own question in this sentence: 

Yeah, I did half expect this was going to be the case. Invariably most games are going to end up in a position of dominance, relative to your own league if not on a global level so I've been trying to find a way to fall into the trap less.

The only modicum of control I have really been able to get is by using the mentality to match or go lower than them. So against cautious I'll select cautious, or lower, and so on. 

3 hours ago, Old Joe Clarke said:

Do you need two BPD's at all?

Quite a valid question actually, this has been a formation I've largely been using for a couple of editions of FM with subtle tweaks over time - usually higher up the pitch. I don't think the central defence roles is something I've thought about for a long time. 

[santy001]

@Old Joe Clarke it has been a lot better with a cover role. 

Barcelona did finally push me to the stage where the counter system finally got pushed properly. An early goal, sitting back and absorbing pressure. Based on the match stats, the AI should be submitting a bug report some time today claiming its rigged.

 

[Old Joe Clarke]

@santy001Nice result and a good little pun chucked in as well  Have you played against a negative team yet with your new ideas at the back?

 

[Djuicer]

I used something similar like this with Burnley on 19 (4-2-0-2-2). 

Worked like a charm. Used early crosses, play for set pieces (some more TIs) and I think the team was like this GK, FBs, CDd, CDd, FBs, dlp or rpm, VOLs, Ws, Ws, PFs, DLFs.

Edited May 1, 2020 by Djuicer