2 different tactics / styles of play for one team?

[sm1979]

Do any of you have two (or more) different tactics and style of play for one team? Or do you just adjust the mentality / instructions of your chosen style depending on the opposition?

Curious really as I'm at a crossroads with a new team. I've been in my current job for half a season and just going into my first couple of games of the new season but a few days remaining of the transfer window and finally have some money to spend after a few departures.

Should I concentrate on one style of play and getting the best players possible to suit this? Usually in the second season the opposition tend to figure my tactics out, so just remaining cautious. 

[Jack722]

15 minutes ago, sm1979 said:

Do any of you have two (or more) different tactics and style of play for one team? Or do you just adjust the mentality / instructions of your chosen style depending on the opposition?

Curious really as I'm at a crossroads with a new team. I've been in my current job for half a season and just going into my first couple of games of the new season but a few days remaining of the transfer window and finally have some money to spend after a few departures.

Should I concentrate on one style of play and getting the best players possible to suit this? Usually in the second season the opposition tend to figure my tactics out, so just remaining cautious. 

I normally use all three tactic slots, but don't massively change the style of play. More just make one style of play more attacking / defensive. The tactic slots determine the style of play your team will be using in training.

For example, I have an attacking/high press, a positive / mid block and a defensive / low block. I normally recruit for a balanced style of play (for example I don't stack my team full of playmakers to play tikitaka nor recruit a load of giants for long ball) but if i came into a club first season, and the team massively suited longball, or wing play, or control possession, i would keep some instructions consistent across all three tactics, like extremely direct passing.

The other thing you have to think about when making more than one tactic is the individual training. This determines the formation your team will be using in training. If you want to achieve a high familiarity, you need to be training players in the position/role/duty you expect them to play, and also have them play a significant number of games in that position/role/duty. Due to the effort required to achieve high familiarity, it's only really worth having multiple formations if you truly believe that the secondary formation will come in handy. Perhaps your star player is your CAM in a 4231, and if he gets injured or fatigued, you'd be better off playing a 433. 

Your familiarity in terms of position/role/duty as well as style of play iirc will never fill more than 1/4 without playing matches using the tactic, and won't fill more than 3/4 if you never train the tactic. because of this, if you're only going to play a tactic once a season (maybe away against the league's best team) it's worth questioning if the tactical advantage will be worth your players having slightly poorer chemistry and mental stats. And if it is worth it, you should try and organise a few friendlies to play with that tactic, as well as have a heavy few weeks training match tactics, with your secondary tactic being the primarily trained.

 

[sm1979]

19 minutes ago, Jack722 said:

I normally use all three tactic slots, but don't massively change the style of play. More just make one style of play more attacking / defensive. The tactic slots determine the style of play your team will be using in training.

For example, I have an attacking/high press, a positive / mid block and a defensive / low block. I normally recruit for a balanced style of play (for example I don't stack my team full of playmakers to play tikitaka nor recruit a load of giants for long ball) but if i came into a club first season, and the team massively suited longball, or wing play, or control possession, i would keep some instructions consistent across all three tactics, like extremely direct passing.

The other thing you have to think about when making more than one tactic is the individual training. This determines the formation your team will be using in training. If you want to achieve a high familiarity, you need to be training players in the position/role/duty you expect them to play, and also have them play a significant number of games in that position/role/duty. Due to the effort required to achieve high familiarity, it's only really worth having multiple formations if you truly believe that the secondary formation will come in handy. Perhaps your star player is your CAM in a 4231, and if he gets injured or fatigued, you'd be better off playing a 433. 

Your familiarity in terms of position/role/duty as well as style of play iirc will never fill more than 1/4 without playing matches using the tactic, and won't fill more than 3/4 if you never train the tactic. because of this, if you're only going to play a tactic once a season (maybe away against the league's best team) it's worth questioning if the tactical advantage will be worth your players having slightly poorer chemistry and mental stats. And if it is worth it, you should try and organise a few friendlies to play with that tactic, as well as have a heavy few weeks training match tactics, with your secondary tactic being the primarily trained.

 

Wow, thoroughly detailed answer, love it! Thanks for that input. One thing I will add is that I only play Touch so don't have any Familiarity worries. You make some very good points though. Multiple tactics are something I've never really considered, certainly not differing styles within one team, but have done very recently, hence me asking the question. I do feel like you though that it probably is overkill, but similar style with a variation of tactics to suit the requirements at that given moment would be more beneficial.

Thanks bud.

[glengarry224]

In analyzing my tactic, both abstractly and during the first games of the season, I like to catalogue all of the changes which I like to make for certain situations.  For example, if I have slow central defenders, maybe with a lead after 70 minutes, I like to drop from a high to a mid block; or with a late lead, I switch my LB from attack to support, or support to defend when he gets tired; or if I'm trailing at 65 minutes, I switch my BWM to BBM and mentality from balanced to positive; or against superior teams, etc etc etc.

Then I create a training tactic, or 2, which makes many or all of these changes.  You don't have to use the training tactic in any game but if, during a game, you employ one or more of these changes, your players are familiar with them.  Once I get much more specific with changes I make for game situations or specific matchups, I do create specific tactics to save time:  I have a base tactic; an underdog tactic; a 'bus' tactic; an 'aggro' tactic.....

[Poison]

I have a home and two away tactics, because I believe you have got to mix it up away to even remotely have a chance (I'm at the EPL). I try to purchase players that fit all 3 tactics so I can rotate accordingly.