What is my team's problem?

[ObeLisk]

I'm the leader in the league, but I'm having a lot of trouble in terms of tactics, we are very bad especially against teams that play closed defense. Although I gave Gaya the role of Wing-Back (A), he does not run from the left wing in any way, although I gave the role of inside forward (A) to Marco Reus, he does not run into the penalty area in any way. Now you will say to me "because they can't find enough space in the opponent's defense", but I also have this problem against opponents who do not play closed defense. I also don't think the "Focus Play Down The Left / Right" instructions work properly either. For example, as far as I know, when I give the instruction "Focus Play Down The Right" to my team, my players need to approach the right wing and set up the game from this area, is this correct? Before I forget, let me also point out: Most of Reus' goals are from penalties.

Edited February 25, 2023 by ObeLisk

[JimbobWWFC]

You have pass into space selected. Against a defensive team like that, what space is there for your players to pass into?

I would play wider to stretch the pitch, focus play down the flanks to exploit their WBs, lower the tempo, and maybe play for set pieces. Then look at whether their centre backs are better in the air or with pace, then decide whether to have low crosses or not.

You are top of the league so clearly doing a lot of things right, so you might only need to tweak a few things depending on the circumstances. Of course they identify you as a threat, so they will be very defensively sound

[ObeLisk]

11 dakika önce, JimbobWWFC said:

You have pass into space selected. Against a defensive team like that, what space is there for your players to pass into?

I would play wider to stretch the pitch, focus play down the flanks to exploit their WBs, lower the tempo, and maybe play for set pieces. Then look at whether their centre backs are better in the air or with pace, then decide whether to have low crosses or not.

You are top of the league so clearly doing a lot of things right, so you might only need to tweak a few things depending on the circumstances. Of course they identify you as a threat, so they will be very defensively sound

I actually tried to play wide, but my Inside Forwards never stay in narrow positions. My aim is to keep them in narrow areas and increase the number of attacking players with the support of the fullbacks, but for some reason I cannot achieve this.

My biggest problem is that I don't fully understand the team shape and mentality, the explanations in the game are not good enough. When the team shape is "very fluid" they do the running behind the defense that I want, but in the "balanced" and "structured" team shapes, nobody wants to run behind the defense.

I have one more question. Although I maximize the defense and pressing line, in some matches they do not do this at all, what could be the reason? My players are waiting in the front area but they are not pressing, they are just watching the opponent pass. I had a hard time even against a team whose players like Cologne were much weaker than mine. Aggressiveness, team play etc. I can understand if their features are bad but they have average - above average features.

Edited February 25, 2023 by ObeLisk

[JimbobWWFC]

In terms of team shape, I wouldn't pay any attention to that and I'm sure it has been confirmed I recent years that this means nothing and has no impact on your tactic.

As for closing down or not, do you use opposition instructions? If not, these can actually be more useful that putting a team-wide instruction into your tactic.

And depending on what you want from your width, using underlap or overlap instructions can be very effective your ideas into practice

[The3points]

1 hour ago, JimbobWWFC said:

In terms of team shape, I wouldn't pay any attention to that and I'm sure it has been confirmed I recent years that this means nothing and has no impact on your tactic.

As for closing down or not, do you use opposition instructions? If not, these can actually be more useful that putting a team-wide instruction into your tactic.

And depending on what you want from your width, using underlap or overlap instructions can be very effective your ideas into practice

I believe that team shape has an impact on team creative freedom which shows up in match in terms of movement

[ObeLisk]

1 saat önce, JimbobWWFC said:

In terms of team shape, I wouldn't pay any attention to that and I'm sure it has been confirmed I recent years that this means nothing and has no impact on your tactic.

As for closing down or not, do you use opposition instructions? If not, these can actually be more useful that putting a team-wide instruction into your tactic.

And depending on what you want from your width, using underlap or overlap instructions can be very effective your ideas into practice

I disagree with your first statement. Team shape has a huge impact on tactics. In the form of a fluid team, the players act more compactly, while in the form of structured teams it is the opposite.

I don't use these instructions when pressing because I don't know exactly how they are used. For example, when I give "show your weak foot" "press more" and "getting stuck in" instructions for the opponent's right-back, which players in my team will do this? Everyone on the team or my player on his wing?

[ObeLisk]

6 dakika önce, The3points said:

I believe that team shape has an impact on team creative freedom which shows up in match in terms of movement

I agree. They are constantly on the move as a "fluid" team.

[sonnevillejr]

I played with almost the same set-up as yours and won the league :

- Regarding the IWBsu and Wsu combination, I noticed they were in the exact same position in my pass map, and I can see in the screen you provided that both your RW and RB have low ratings. Therefore, since I wanted to keep the MEZat/Wsu combination, I changed my IWBsu to a IWBde and it fixed the issue. 

- With this change, I changed my DM duty to a support one since I have enough cover.

- I personnally wouldn't play with 2 attack duties on the same side, so I would put Gaya on support

- Since you have a MEZat (the most attacking role in CM strata), I wouldn't put an AP next to him, but any other role who can defend as well (CMsu, B2B, RPM...)

Regarding TIs, I wouldn't play narrow since you have an IWB and 2 'attacking' CMs and I wouldn't pass into space. OOP, I would be less aggressive, especially against good sides

Edited February 26, 2023 by sonnevillejr

[ObeLisk]

16 dakika önce, sonnevillejr said:

I played with almost the same set-up as yours and won the league :

- Regarding the IWBsu and Wsu combination, I noticed they were in the exact same position in my pass map, and I can see in the screen you provided that both your RW and RB have low ratings. Therefore, since I wanted to keep the MEZat/Wsu combination, I changed my IWBsu to a IWBde and it fixed the issue. 

- With this change, I changed my DM duty to a support one since I have enough cover.

- I personnally wouldn't play with 2 attack duties on the same side, so I would put Gaya on support

- Since you have a MEZat (the most attacking role in CM strata), I wouldn't put an AP next to him, but any other role who can defend as well (CMsu, B2B, RPM...)

Regarding TIs, I wouldn't play narrow since you have an IWB and 2 'attacking' CMs and I wouldn't pass into space. OOP, I would be less aggressive, especially against good sides

While I was thinking about it a while ago, I also thought of exactly the items 1,2 and 4 that you wrote

As you said, when I put IWB (s) behind Mez (A), there isn't enough cover in that area.

When I played with Bellingham and Zaracho in existing roles, I realized that I was very fragile in midfield. I'll probably put Laimer in the BWM(s) role alongside Bellingham, putting a DLP(S) in the defensive midfield.

Normally, I don't play two attacking players on the same wing, but I thought if I could send Gaya to attack more, I could get Reus to run behind the defense.

In tactics made by many publishers such as RDF, the role of IF works exactly as I want it to, but when I do the same, the result is frustration

[CARRERA]

Doesn’t seem to go too bad as you are already first in the league. Against more defensive opponents you could add an additional attack duty (properbly the Winger). Your team will have an additional body in attack and will create more depth and be more positional.

[sonnevillejr]

22 minutes ago, ObeLisk said:

While I was thinking about it a while ago, I also thought of exactly the items 1,2 and 4 that you wrote

As you said, when I put IWB (s) behind Mez (A), there isn't enough cover in that area.

When I played with Bellingham and Zaracho in existing roles, I realized that I was very fragile in midfield. I'll probably put Laimer in the BWM(s) role alongside Bellingham, putting a DLP(S) in the defensive midfield.

Normally, I don't play two attacking players on the same wing, but I thought if I could send Gaya to attack more, I could get Reus to run behind the defense.

In tactics made by many publishers such as RDF, the role of IF works exactly as I want it to, but when I do the same, the result is frustration

Yeah I think it's a bit hard to have a wide player as your main goal scorer in FM 

If you play with a IWBde, I since you could be a bit more adventurous with your left CM since you'll have a DM and a defending right back. I think a BWMsu doesn't contribute much in the attacking phase. Personally I used this set-up :

                       F9

Wsu                                 IFat

            MEZat      RPM

                      DMsu

IWBde  BPDde  CDde  WBsu

                      SKsu

[Cloud9]

8 hours ago, ObeLisk said:

I'm the leader in the league, but I'm having a lot of trouble in terms of tactics, we are very bad especially against teams that play closed defense. Although I gave Gaya the role of Wing-Back (A), he does not run from the left wing in any way, although I gave the role of inside forward (A) to Marco Reus, he does not run into the penalty area in any way. Now you will say to me "because they can't find enough space in the opponent's defense", but I also have this problem against opponents who do not play closed defense. I also don't think the "Focus Play Down The Left / Right" instructions work properly either. For example, as far as I know, when I give the instruction "Focus Play Down The Right" to my team, my players need to approach the right wing and set up the game from this area, is this correct? Before I forget, let me also point out: Most of Reus' goals are from penalties.

You're lacking two main goal threats in your tactic. 

I'd switch to a 4-2-3-1 and bump Bellingham into that 10 slot. He's too deep in the Mezzala position to be providing the type of goals your team is missing at the moment. In my experience a F9 operates best with a AMC (a) type role (ex. shadow striker) to rush into his space.

For a striker like Barbosa, he's naturally one of the best AF with his crazy off the ball movement, physical profile, and holy trinity. Playing him in a f9 will sacrifice his potential to score goals. If you want to keep your shape (a 4-3-3) and want him in a supporting striker role, he'll do well as a DLF(a) which will also fit the 4-3-3 better. 

Aside from that, 100% take Kobel off Sweeper keeper (a). He doesn't have the physical profile to be able to play that role and not get caught out. 

 

Edited February 26, 2023 by Cloud9

[ObeLisk]

9 saat önce, CARRERA said:

Doesn’t seem to go too bad as you are already first in the league. Against more defensive opponents you could add an additional attack duty (properbly the Winger). Your team will have an additional body in attack and will create more depth and be more positional.

Yes, I am the first in the league, but I am not very satisfied with the football played I've always wanted my Inside Forwards to run into the penalty area, but I haven't succeeded yet.

9 saat önce, Cloud9 said:

You're lacking two main goal threats in your tactic. 

I'd switch to a 4-2-3-1 and bump Bellingham into that 10 slot. He's too deep in the Mezzala position to be providing the type of goals your team is missing at the moment. In my experience a F9 operates best with a AMC (a) type role (ex. shadow striker) to rush into his space.

For a striker like Barbosa, he's naturally one of the best AF with his crazy off the ball movement, physical profile, and holy trinity. Playing him in a f9 will sacrifice his potential to score goals. If you want to keep your shape (a 4-3-3) and want him in a supporting striker role, he'll do well as a DLF(a) which will also fit the 4-3-3 better. 

Aside from that, 100% take Kobel off Sweeper keeper (a). He doesn't have the physical profile to be able to play that role and not get caught out. 

 

Wouldn't it make more sense to put Reus in the SS role at AMC?

Kobel's attributes seem fine for SK(A), am I thinking wrong?

[Cloud9]

16 hours ago, ObeLisk said:

Yes, I am the first in the league, but I am not very satisfied with the football played I've always wanted my Inside Forwards to run into the penalty area, but I haven't succeeded yet.

Wouldn't it make more sense to put Reus in the SS role at AMC?

Kobel's attributes seem fine for SK(A), am I thinking wrong?

Kobel is super slow and not that talented with the ball at feet. Sweeper keeper on attack I'd only use if you have an exceptional goalkeeper, and even then it's a risk. It puts "dribble more" on your goalkeeper. Support will add "take more risks" so I'd play Kobel as a Sweeperkeeper on defend, taking into account your high lines.

Reus could play AMC as well.

 

Edited February 27, 2023 by Cloud9

[lfds89]

My take on this: I would say as a base tactic yours is fine (you're first in the league in February, so you already know that).

Regarding the strategy against specific teams and this one in particular: 4-3-3 vs 5-3-2 where is the space? Where do you have a numerical advantage? Wings is a good answer. I would distribute to full-backs, make them play wide, and dribble more. I would want them to be the carriers and provoke the opposition. You also have another key space: your DM. There are 2 CM vs 2 CM and both DMs are "free". If they have a striker on support, he'll most likely be around your DM, but if your DM is also on support he'll move away from him. I would change the width to play wider or even extremely wide. Definitely remove play out of defence. They have 2 ST on your 2 CB so you don't want to keep the ball there.

Looking at numbers from their perspective, they have a great advantage on their backline: 5+1(+GK) vs 3. I would retreat to a mid-block.

[ObeLisk]

2 saat önce, lfds89 said:

My take on this: I would say as a base tactic yours is fine (you're first in the league in February, so you already know that).

Regarding the strategy against specific teams and this one in particular: 4-3-3 vs 5-3-2 where is the space? Where do you have a numerical advantage? Wings is a good answer. I would distribute to full-backs, make them play wide, and dribble more. I would want them to be the carriers and provoke the opposition. You also have another key space: your DM. There are 2 CM vs 2 CM and both DMs are "free". If they have a striker on support, he'll most likely be around your DM, but if your DM is also on support he'll move away from him. I would change the width to play wider or even extremely wide. Definitely remove play out of defence. They have 2 ST on your 2 CB so you don't want to keep the ball there.

Looking at numbers from their perspective, they have a great advantage on their backline: 5+1(+GK) vs 3. I would retreat to a mid-block.

What exactly are the offensive effects of the defensive and pressing line? If I pull the pressure line to the middle block, can I pull the opponent on me and break their structured defensive structures?

[eXistenZ]

On 25/02/2023 at 20:07, JimbobWWFC said:

You have pass into space selected. Against a defensive team like that, what space is there for your players to pass into?

I would play wider to stretch the pitch, focus play down the flanks to exploit their WBs, lower the tempo, and maybe play for set pieces. Then look at whether their centre backs are better in the air or with pace, then decide whether to have low crosses or not.

You are top of the league so clearly doing a lot of things right, so you might only need to tweak a few things depending on the circumstances. Of course they identify you as a threat, so they will be very defensively sound

doesnt lower tempo just leads to passing it around at the back/middle, resulting in 70% possession and no highlights?

 

do agree with wider and not passing in the space

[azymin]

Disclaimer - I'm no guru and could be 100% wrong on all of the below. 

I'd recommend:

1. Remove pass into space.

2. If your team is on Positive mentality it will play more urgently, more creatively and faster. Players will take more liberties. If you're looking to maintain possession switch to cautious and see how that works. You have 45% ball control above, and that's not enough if you're trying to control the ball against a team that's closed up shop. 

    I usually only switch to positive or attacking if I have tons of possession but struggling to create chances. Meaning I'm just passing the ball around without any penetration. 

3. Add hit early crosses to see if you can beat the defense to forming its shape in transition. 

4. AP and MEZ in midfield will have a hard time working well. Too much creativity and not enough structure. 

5. Try changing DM to (S). If he's on (D) there may be a gap between him and the other midfielders.

6. Try F9 as an AF. Right now it looks like only your IF is creating goal scoring threat, as F9 will drop deep into midfield.

7. Don't trap outside. That instruction doesn't really work well and won't suit your formation. Trap inside. Add trigger press on all op[posing defenders and tackle harder on central midfielders.

8. Bust the net has a video on Arsenal emulation as a 4-3-3DM. I highly recommend their channel in general. 

9. In general, you need depth and width for creating space. A WB stay wider and a W stay wider will create width. AF should create depth by pushing defense back. Otherwise defense will step up and congest the area. 

10. Also remove get stuck in. 

11. Try WB(S) and IWB(A). WB(S) should help prevent crowding with IF and IWB(A) will add more penetrating runs inside. 

12. I'd also examine PI vs preferred moves. Examine preferred foot for wide players. 

13. Simakan is right-footed, does he prefer right side of back 2?

14. Imo your front 3 aren't playing in roles/positions they're most suited for. I think Barbosa is best suited for AF, Reus as a playmaker, whether central or wide, and Reyna as a left-side IF. Also, to me Carvajal is a defensive type full back/wing back, not an IWB. 

15. Try playing without 'work the ball into box' and 'play out of defense'. If you use 2 BPD they'll naturally 'play out of defense'. The team instruction makes them do that even more. Same with work the ball into box. Less is more with TIs. With less TIs your players will play in a way shape and roles intend for them to play. Your BPDs will pass around, but may also try long balls over the top in a right situation. That will depend on their attributes. 

         I'd generally recommend tweaking team mentality and attack vs support of individual players, before adding team instructions. 

Edited February 27, 2023 by azymin

[ObeLisk]

58 dakika önce, azymin said:

Disclaimer - I'm no guru and could be 100% wrong on all of the below. 

I'd recommend:

1. Remove pass into space.

2. If your team is on Positive mentality it will play more urgently, more creatively and faster. Players will take more liberties. If you're looking to maintain possession switch to cautious and see how that works. You have 45% ball control above, and that's not enough if you're trying to control the ball against a team that's closed up shop. 

    I usually only switch to positive or attacking if I have tons of possession but struggling to create chances. Meaning I'm just passing the ball around without any penetration. 

3. Add hit early crosses to see if you can beat the defense to forming its shape in transition. 

4. AP and MEZ in midfield will have a hard time working well. Too much creativity and not enough structure. 

5. Try changing DM to (S). If he's on (D) there may be a gap between him and the other midfielders.

6. Try F9 as an AF. Right now it looks like only your IF is creating goal scoring threat, as F9 will drop deep into midfield.

7. Don't trap outside. That instruction doesn't really work well and won't suit your formation. Trap inside. Add trigger press on all op[posing defenders and tackle harder on central midfielders.

8. Bust the net has a video on Arsenal emulation as a 4-3-3DM. I highly recommend their channel in general. 

9. In general, you need depth and width for creating space. A WB stay wider and a W stay wider will create width. AF should create depth by pushing defense back. Otherwise defense will step up and congest the area. 

10. Also remove get stuck in. 

11. Try WB(S) and IWB(A). WB(S) should help prevent crowding with IF and IWB(A) will add more penetrating runs inside. 

12. I'd also examine PI vs preferred moves. Examine preferred foot for wide players. 

13. Simakan is right-footed, does he prefer right side of back 2?

14. Imo your front 3 aren't playing in roles/positions they're most suited for. I think Barbosa is best suited for AF, Reus as a playmaker, whether central or wide, and Reyna as a left-side IF. Also, to me Carvajal is a defensive type full back/wing back, not an IWB. 

 

2- Does it make sense to play "Cautious" against an opponent who is closing like this? In the description of this mentality it says you should use it in matches where you think your opponent will have more ball.

6- Should I keep the pressure line in the middle block to get the best out of a striker in the AF role? Should I keep the pressure line in the middle block to get the best out of a striker in the AF role? After all, the purpose of this role is to chase the balls thrown behind the defense, and for this, the opponent needs to get away from the position of the defense a little bit.

13- Normally I would put Schlotterbeck on the left side of the defence, but since he was injured, I put Simakan in that area.

14- Barbosa...😡I'm starting to hate this man. I warned him because he missed absurd goals and missed a goal in 90+3 in my first match against Werder Bremen, but he said to put it on the list for sale. I will fulfill his request. After all, I signed Lautaro Martinez for the end of the season. 🥰

By the way, you're more guru than I am.

[azymin]

33 minutes ago, ObeLisk said:

2- Does it make sense to play "Cautious" against an opponent who is closing like this? In the description of this mentality it says you should use it in matches where you think your opponent will have more ball.

6- Should I keep the pressure line in the middle block to get the best out of a striker in the AF role? Should I keep the pressure line in the middle block to get the best out of a striker in the AF role? After all, the purpose of this role is to chase the balls thrown behind the defense, and for this, the opponent needs to get away from the position of the defense a little bit.

13- Normally I would put Schlotterbeck on the left side of the defence, but since he was injured, I put Simakan in that area.

14- Barbosa...😡I'm starting to hate this man. I warned him because he missed absurd goals and missed a goal in 90+3 in my first match against Werder Bremen, but he said to put it on the list for sale. I will fulfill his request. After all, I signed Lautaro Martinez for the end of the season. 🥰

By the way, you're more guru than I am.

2-what it says about mentality in the tool tip isn't what it really does. I highly recommend bust the net youtube channel. Their explanation is very good and very informative. 

To try to put it into words, mentality affects positioning and behavior of your players. A player with an attack duty in an attacking mentality will play higher up the field, will pass more aggressively and take more risks in all areas of play. So just because on cautious you're "taking less risks" doesn't mean you're not taking any at all. You can have an attacking tactic with a very defensive mentality or a defensive tactic with an attacking mentality. The roles and duties work in tandem with mentality. Watch this 

 

6-I wouldn't change from high block. You're better than most sides and expect to be winning, so camping in opponents half will be good. I recommended AF more from perspective of a goal scoring threat and stretching the field vertically. I also didn't think Barbosa's attributes suited F9 very well. You can try other roles as well. 

In general I'd advise against tweaking too many things at once.

13-Yeah CD's preferred side does make a difference. Plus it's harder for a right-footed player to play on the left. He'd be naturally inclined to not pass left, thereby reducing your width and letting opposition pressure you easier through the middle. 

14-Yeah individual performances by players can really differ based on role or even who's around them or formation. I have a CAM-AP(A) Shaparenko in my Dynamo Kyiv game and he was terrific in a 4-4-1-1. Now he has not been nearly as good in a 4-2-3-1. Same role and same position. Best i can guess is with more players up field around him he's having a harder time finding space or maybe being forced off the ball by more physical players.

He (Barbosa) does have incredible off the ball and anticipation, so he'd be great at moving into channels and trying to get behind the opponent - hence AF. You can also try poacher. 

How's his consistency? 

And thank you kindly

 

Edited February 27, 2023 by azymin

[ObeLisk]

11 dakika önce, azymin said:

2-what it says about mentality in the tool tip isn't what it really does. I highly recommend bust the net youtube channel. Their explanation is very good and very informative. 

To try to put it into words, mentality affects positioning and behavior of your players. A player with an attack duty in an attacking mentality will play higher up the field, will pass more aggressively and take more risks in all areas of play. So just because on cautious you're "taking less risks" doesn't mean you're not taking any at all. You can have an attacking tactic with a very defensive mentality or a defensive tactic with an attacking mentality. The roles and duties work in tandem with mentality. Watch this 

 

6-I wouldn't change from high block. You're better than most sides and expect to be winning, so camping in opponents half will be good. I recommended AF more from perspective of a goal scoring threat and stretching the field vertically. I also didn't think Barbosa's attributes suited F9 very well. You can try other roles as well. 

In general I'd advise against tweaking too many things at once.

13-Yeah CD's preferred side does make a difference. Plus it's harder for a right-footed player to play on the left. He'd be naturally inclined to not pass left, thereby reducing your width and letting opposition pressure you easier through the middle. 

14-Yeah individual performances by players can really differ based on role or even who's around them or formation. I have a CAM-AP(A) Shaparenko in my Dynamo Kyiv game and he was terrific in a 4-4-1-1. Now he has not been nearly as good in a 4-2-3-1. Same role and same position. Best i can guess is with more players up field around him he's having a harder time finding space or maybe being forced off the ball by more physical players.

He does have incredible off the ball and anticipation, so he'd be great at moving into channels and trying to get behind the opponent - hence AF. You can also try poacher. 

How's his consistency? 

And thank you kindly

 

14- Or the players around Shaparenko are not playing effectively. Maybe they were able to find more space when they were positioned behind, but when they moved to the AM region, they couldn't find as much space as they used to because they were closer to the opponent's defense.

Barbosa's consistency is not good at all, but maybe it's my fault. Because since the day I transferred, I have used it more often in the roles of DLF and F9.

[azymin]

1 minute ago, ObeLisk said:

14- Or the players around Shaparenko are not playing effectively. Maybe they were able to find more space when they were positioned behind, but when they moved to the AM region, they couldn't find as much space as they used to because they were closer to the opponent's defense.

Barbosa's consistency is not good at all, but maybe it's my fault. Because since the day I transferred, I have used it more often in the roles of DLF and F9.

No I mean what does his report say about his consistency?

[lfds89]

4 horas atrás, ObeLisk disse:

What exactly are the offensive effects of the defensive and pressing line? If I pull the pressure line to the middle block, can I pull the opponent on me and break their structured defensive structures?

My take on the pressing line/line of engagement has only to do with pressure being applied without results. You can see from the statistics they had more possession and quite high pass completion. They were probably passing between defensive players and your forwards will be running around 6 players to no effect.

On the offensive side, it might push them forward and once you get the ball back there might be some more space, but that isn't easy to control on FM.

[ObeLisk]

18 dakika önce, azymin said:

No I mean what does his report say about his consistency?

The report says the player is consistent.

[azymin]

2 minutes ago, lfds89 said:

My take on the pressing line/line of engagement has only to do with pressure being applied without results. You can see from the statistics they had more possession and quite high pass completion. They were probably passing between defensive players and your forwards will be running around 6 players to no effect.

On the offensive side, it might push them forward and once you get the ball back there might be some more space, but that isn't easy to control on FM.

It's the same as in a real game. If you press high up with a high line you can win the ball back high and put opposition under pressure, but there can be space behind your D-line. 

Press high with a lower line and you won't be able to congest the field enough to stop opponent from playing through you. 

Win the ball back high up field and you're close to the goal, but there may not be as much space. 

Win the ball back near your box and there's plenty of space to run into on a counter-attack. 

Just depends how you play and quality of your team. 

You also need to have enough players high up field to press high. Pressing high with 1 forward and no attacking midfielders will probably not do much for you.

[azymin]

5 minutes ago, ObeLisk said:

The report says the player is consistent.

Then I'd guess it has to do with his role and/or set up around him. 

[Cloud9]

27 minutes ago, ObeLisk said:

The report says the player is consistent.

Poacher, Attacking Forward, and Inside Forward are the three roles he'll excel in. Off the ball is the attribute I value highest in goal scoring players and his 18 is out of this world. He's a good supporting player but an elite goalscorer. 

Edited February 27, 2023 by Cloud9

[JimbobWWFC]

On 25/02/2023 at 21:24, The3points said:

I believe that team shape has an impact on team creative freedom which shows up in match in terms of movement

The option to increase or decrease creative freedom is literally there in team instructions. I believe what team shape shows you is just a cosmetic element, as a result of the roles and duties you have given your players.

On 25/02/2023 at 21:30, ObeLisk said:

I agree. They are constantly on the move as a "fluid" team.

You can adjust your team's fluidty via the instructions and roles you give your players, regardless of what the team shape tells you it is. It may say structured but you can still have fluid play in-game.

[JimbobWWFC]

20 hours ago, eXistenZ said:

doesnt lower tempo just leads to passing it around at the back/middle, resulting in 70% possession and no highlights?

 

do agree with wider and not passing in the space

It sounds backwards to me too. But after trying a lot more on FM23 myself, and seeing the effects it had in some of the Bust the Net series mentioned above, I'd definitely recommend it. Even if we are overwhelming favourites and the opposition is parking the bus, I find that a lower tempo can help your players make better decisions and not rush their actions so much. Yeah, maybe you'll have fewer attempts overall... but I've noticed I tend to have better quality attempts, fewer from long range, etc. I'd definitely recommend it to those who haven't given it a try 👍

[Dutchy1983]

Focus play down left or right, not sure it makes the team try to play down either side, it increases the 'mentality' of players on that side. If you play around with your WB-A, say make him support, then inside tactic check he's individual mentality it could be balanced, add focus down left and or overlap left , check his individual mentality and it will change to positive etc

[JimbobWWFC]

16 hours ago, Dutchy1983 said:

Focus play down left or right, not sure it makes the team try to play down either side, it increases the 'mentality' of players on that side. If you play around with your WB-A, say make him support, then inside tactic check he's individual mentality it could be balanced, add focus down left and or overlap left , check his individual mentality and it will change to positive etc

The change from balanced to positive (for example) is due to adding either an underlap or overlap instruction on that side rather than the focus play instruction