How can I fix this tactic?

[FMNEWBIE12]

This is my tactic for my Derby save. We started the season poorly, then went on a really good run and now we are playing poorly again. I am wondering what is going wrong tactically. We have been hit with many injuries and obviously that is playing a factor in this. If anybody could help inform me what is going wrong and how I could fix the tactic let me know! 

[Johnny Ace]

That's quite a bad run! Might be time for a team meeting?

Your tactic looks alright, I might change a couple of things but if it worked well previously, it could be down to the injuries & now team morale

 

[FMNEWBIE12]

Just now, Johnny Ace said:

That's quite a bad run! Might be time for a team meeting?

Your tactic looks alright, I might change a couple of things but if it worked well previously, it could be down to the injuries & now team morale

 

I’m not sure what’s going wrong. We did go on a really good run but it’s just went poor again. I have already done a team meeting.

[Johnny Ace]

Just now, FMNEWBIE12 said:

I’m not sure what’s going wrong. We did go on a really good run but it’s just went poor again. I have already done a team meeting.

Where were you in the league when this bad run started? Teams may have seen you as an underdog at the start of the season & now take you more seriously

 

[FMNEWBIE12]

Just now, Johnny Ace said:

Where were you in the league when this bad run started? Teams may have seen you as an underdog at the start of the season & now take you more seriously

 

-21 point deduction from the start as you inherit when you manage Derby. We are down to (-3) now 17 games in

[Johnny Ace]

1 minute ago, FMNEWBIE12 said:

-21 point deduction from the start as you inherit when you manage Derby. We are down to (-3) now 17 games in

Ah yes! I imagine the opposition are taking into account your early season form & see you as more of a threat now regardless of your actual point tally 

Maybe just try:

- Lowering your tempo, you might have to take your time on the ball a bit more now that teams will be less open against you

- remove the Regroup, its a bit negative & goes against the rest of your tactic  

Try & watch a few games in as much detail as you can & see if you can spot any trends in play ie how you're conceding, is it the same sort of goals? They come from a particular area of the pitch? What's stopping you scoring? Is a player being wasteful? Is a player making mistakes? etc etc 

[Tsuru]

I am playing with a tactic similar to yours regarding roles and duties, still on the moment of testing some tweaks and ideas, so some insights here:

• Through the instructions I think you are trying to play offensive football, so I would start removing Regroup. Personally I don´t like this TI, I think it is too defensive and invites too much pressure on you. You may try to Counter Press or just leave none of them.
   
• As @Johnny Acesaid, your Tempo may be too high. If you want to play fast, quick attacking football, I believe a Positive mentality with Higher Tempo + Short Passing is enough. I am testing it here and I like the results overall.
   
• I believe your Out of Possession instructions are a little bit too much for a Positive mentality. I would suggest that you test one of the TIs at each time - that is, test first just with a Higher DL, then remove Higher DL and test just with More Often pressing, and see which you like the most. Both can work depending on a lot of factors, but I think they are too much when used together. For example, I use a Positive mentality with max pressing and I prefer it because when I moved the DL up, my defenders were always caught "with short pants" and I saw lots of through balls - but other players prefer a higher DL and standard pressure. You have to test and see the way you feel more comfortable.
   
• I would remove Fairly Narrow as an In Possession TI. If you feel that you need it during a match, just add it at the moment. If your team is playing well, simple don´t change Width as it will be not necessary.
   
• I don´t think an Anchorman is a good option here. He is kind of too static and doesn´t cover the flanks very well, specially when you play with two WBs. I would consider other options here - I would say a Half Back would be the best option but it depends a lot on many factors, including on the players you have available. So you can start with a DM-D and test other roles, see what works best for you. But I would not consider an Anchor as the first option.
   
• I would change the IF-Su on the left for a IW-Su. Here on the forums I discovered that a Mez-AT and a IW-Su work very well together and yes, they do. Try for yourself and see.
   
• I don´t think a BBM is a good partner for your Mez-AT. Both roles roam from their position and this can expose you on the counter. I would suggest a more conservative role. You have many options here: AP-Su, DLP-Su, Carrilero or maybe a CM-Su with instructions, for example. Please note that this choice is very important, because this second man in midfield will have to help the DM, help your Winger, help the Mezzala and cover the right flank. This choice will also help you choosing the role for your fullback on the right - if your second man in midfield is more conservative, you can release your fullback to help the Winger and attack more, if the midfielder is a little bit more agressive (like an AP-Su) your fullback will probably have to stay back a little bit more.
   
• I would also considering changing your AF-At for a PF-At, if possible, because it helps the buildup a little bit more. If it is not possible just leave the AF.
   
• Finally, the fullbacks. I think this is a vital point in this system - you need them to attack and help the advanced midfielders, but at the same time they need to cover the flanks. I tested two FB-Su with the same instructions of WB-Su and I liked the results, and now I am testing a different combination: an IWB-Su on the right paired with a DLP-Su, so the IWB can move inside and compensate the DLP´s more conservative behaviour; and a WB-D on the left with the "Look for Overlap" TI, this way he can cover the Mezzala more and at the same time work better with the IW-Su. The Mezzala AT is very agressive, so he will need cover but at the same time the fullback on that side needs to open space for your inside winger.

You see, my system is not ready yet and I am still trying and figuring it out what works better for me, so we can exchange impressions on that.

Also remember that sometimes we select the right roles and duties, but our players are not adequate for them - so if you choose DLP-Su for a player that is not suited for the role, it will probably not work well even if the idea of using the role is correct in your system. So if you try to decide your roles and duties based on the players you have, you will probably have better results.

Edited January 24, 2022 by Tsuru

[fc.cadoni]

Sometimes it’s not always about a tactic, but lack of strategy how to turn off the lights of AI.

In your Data Hub, you have the option about “Next Opposition”. There you will see a card with “Last Match Passes”. It tells you where AI is build up his playing. So, let’s say a particular player have in and out strong green line. This is where you need to cut the line.

If it’s a center back, tell your ST with PI to Mark Specific Player (not position nor OI, it’s useless IMHO). Your ST will hunt down and destroy the game for that player. AI will panic and will hoof the ball to you. Now it’s your turn.

GG

[sporadicsmiles]

You were scoring goals, and then you stopped scoring goals. The key question, therefore, is why did you stop scoring goals. Did a player get injured? Is someone really out of form? I'd say finding this is the first thing you should be looking at. There is a priori nothing wrong with the way you set up. You can make some changes to get out of the losing run (focus on being a little more solid to snatch some draws for example), but something clearly changed. Some things to look for.

- Players. Are they doing okay? Did you notice a difference? I find it quite easy to spot an out of form player because they constantly do crap things. 
- What goals were you scoring before, while you were winning? What happened to those goals? Why are they not being scored now. What do you see in your attacking play now compared to before? 

[ta11zx]

Can you guys give examples of in game analysis you did during a poor run to figure out why ur gols tried up ir you started concerning more?

 

I understand your saying you have to watch the games and try to spot trends but what if your nit seeing any or you simply don't know HOW to spot the reason why ur doing poorly in a match?  This is wher I am.  I always start saves with a great suitable tactic.  I overachiever then ai adjust to me and I I on a 12 game winless run and it discourages me and makes me. 

[BadAss88]

1 hour ago, ta11zx said:

Can you guys give examples of in game analysis you did during a poor run to figure out why ur gols tried up ir you started concerning more?

 

I understand your saying you have to watch the games and try to spot trends but what if your nit seeing any or you simply don't know HOW to spot the reason why ur doing poorly in a match?  This is wher I am.  I always start saves with a great suitable tactic.  I overachiever then ai adjust to me and I I on a 12 game winless run and it discourages me and makes me. 

It isn't necessarily your tactic which isn't working when you hit a bad run, but maybe your managing the morale of the team badly..

[ta11zx]

1 hour ago, BadAss88 said:

It isn't necessarily your tactic which isn't working when you hit a bad run, but maybe your managing the morale of the team badly..

Ive taken care of their morale.  Citizens bad trainers   praised good trainers   team meets elite positive results.  Fitness levels are fantastic.  No injuries  

 

But when we play games ... total garbage.  Just can't figure out why or how to analyze a match because I don't understand what to look for.  Or if I watch us concede  I still don't understand why