Lower DL + higher LOE?

[goalash]

So, everyone’s advocating how you should compress the space and have your DL one tick higher than your LOE. I do get the merit of that.

But what if your front line is comfortable pressing higher up, but at the same time speed of your defenders is pretty average? While I understand that going with DL: lower and LOE: high makes your players run and press all over the place like headless chickens, what about the:

DL: normal / LOE block: high

setup? Can it work?

Additional question: I can see in the Out of Posession tab, that pushing my LOE higher while leaving the DL as it is creates a visible gap between my defence and midfield. Should I deploy a DM in order to reduce the gap and make the system work?

[Cleon]

Lower defensive line and high line of engagement can be fine. It's very formation dependant or something specific the user is wanting. Take a flat 4-1-4-1 or a 3-5-2 for example, using a high LOE and low DL can see your two strikers running about aggressively and doing nothing but chasing shadows. Same in the 4-1-4-1 too. But in a 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3, 4-4-2 diamond etc it can work fine as you have the numbers to cut off passing lanes in midfield and at the back

The same kind of logic can be applied to normal DL and high LOE too. If you think either will give you the desired effect you are searching then use it. You can see within seconds of viewing a match if its problematic or not.

As for the 2nd question, again it depends. Gaps aren't an issue in isolation and on their own. It's what happens when the opposition plays in those gaps that can be an issue. If you're winning the ball back high up the pitch due to the LOE it's likely you don't need it. But if you're failing to win the ball back with high LOE in advanced areas, then it could be problematic.

Basically it all comes down to how effective you are.

Edited April 15, 2023 by Cleon

[goalash]

@Cleon I see. That makes total sense.

Does going to a higher Mentality in FM 23 also affect both DL and LOE? The tactics screen is pretty unclear in this regard.

Edited April 15, 2023 by goalash

[fc.cadoni]

1 hour ago, goalash said:

Does going to a higher Mentality in FM 23 also affect both DL and LOE?

Yes.

[goalash]

In other words (e.g.):

Balanced’s mid block = Positive’s low block;

Balanced’s Standard d-line = Positive’s lower d-line.

Correct?

[Cleon]

42 minutes ago, goalash said:

In other words (e.g.):

Balanced’s mid block = Positive’s low block;

Balanced’s Standard d-line = Positive’s lower d-line.

Correct?

No, the lowest d-line on positive will still be higher than the lowest d-line on balanced and so on. It's relevant to the mentality you're playing at, not what the other mentalities are that's not how it works. The settings set it for the framework you are using. Changing mentality alters the thresholds but they're not the same as the next mentality down etc.

Same with the midblock question, that's not right either.

 

Edited April 15, 2023 by Cleon

[goalash]

Wait: I’m aware that the lowest d-line on Positive is always higher than the lowest d-line in Balanced.

What I’m asking is: is the lower d-line on Positive higher than the higher on Balanced?

Edited April 15, 2023 by goalash

[Cleon]

No, I answered above.

Lowest/highest in one mentality doesn't equate to the other in another mentality.

Edited April 15, 2023 by Cleon

[Justified]

I feel that you @goalash are overcomplicating things. The best way to find out what it looks like is playing the matches, not trying to figure out where the D-line is on different mentalities on that tactics screen. Even if they visually look the same on the tactics screen, that doesn't mean that's where they line up in game.

[goalash]

@Justified I might be approaching the matter too mathematically. I sort of expected the d-line position to be a precisely fixed point on the Y scale. As in: Lower at Very Defensive - 1, Higher at Very Attacking - 10. I feel that’s kind of how the width works, so I find it odd that it’s different with DL/LOE.