Creating more chances (433 Wide)

[AndrikoDS]

Hi all,

I have developed the below using advice from the forum, but find that the team don't take many shots and the ST is more than useless, and player ratings tend to be mediocre (6.5 are, lower for the ST).

The problem is partly, I suspect, due to low morale and being a weak team in the league, but I also think there are a few adjustments that need to be made, but I don't know what they should be. The weakest areas seem to be the ST, AM/R and CMs, though the wing backs are working nicely. The tactic defends reasonably well, but doesn't seem to score much.

Would changing the IF on the right to an IW make much of a difference? I always thought the from three would be scoring goals, but it doesn't seem to be the case.

Any help would be much appreciated - if only to understand what's going on!

 

[Justified]

Have you tried IFat on the left and IWsu on the right? Seems the most logical change regarding roles.

[Johnny Ace]

You could try moving the Mentality up too 

[Lasson]

I would, as @Johnny Ace suggets, try upping the mentality to at least Balanced. Also, who do you want to be your primary goal scorers?

[AndrikoDS]

I was hoping the primary goal scorers would be the front three, particularly the AM/L and ST.

 

For a weaker team, wouldn't upping the mentality cause problems? To be frank, I don't really understand what mentality does in FM anymore.

Thanks!

A

[Johnny Ace]

14 minutes ago, AndrikoDS said:

For a weaker team, wouldn't upping the mentality cause problems?

I think the Counter Press is a bigger issue for a weaker team myself, why have you selected that in the first place?

14 minutes ago, AndrikoDS said:

To be frank, I don't really understand what mentality does in FM anymore.

It's all about risk, risk the players are willing to take. The lower down the mentalities, they're likely to make safer choices in and out of possession. On higher mentalities they're likely to make more riskier choices. It's why I said to move it up a little, the players will be a little more forward thinking and more likely to create chances and take shots 

I don't think the DLF is doing you many favours either to be honest, that's a drop off and create sort of role which works brilliantly but I think you need a striker that's looks to break beyond the defence. If you're a weaker team, the opposition should be giving up that space as they're more than likely going to attack you 

[Lasson]

9 minutes ago, AndrikoDS said:

To be frank, I don't really understand what mentality does in FM anymore.

As I understand it and use it, it is how risk willing your team is going to be - both with and without the ball. Therefore, when you are playing on cautios, your players will be less aggressive, which could be why you are struggling creating chances.

10 minutes ago, AndrikoDS said:

I was hoping the primary goal scorers would be the front three, particularly the AM/L and ST.

For a weaker team, wouldn't upping the mentality cause problems?

Not necessarily. If you are a weaker team, I would actually drop into a mid block and employ an AF up front and then your IW/IF combo could both be on support duty.

[AndrikoDS]

20 hours ago, Johnny Ace said:

I think the Counter Press is a bigger issue for a weaker team myself, why have you selected that in the first place?

It's all about risk, risk the players are willing to take. The lower down the mentalities, they're likely to make safer choices in and out of possession. On higher mentalities they're likely to make more riskier choices. It's why I said to move it up a little, the players will be a little more forward thinking and more likely to create chances and take shots 

 

 

I selected counter press I think mainly because it was part of what the game suggested, it was mainly a way to stop taking constant pressure until the other team inevitably got a goal fro ma cross or something, which seemed to be what happened before.

 

20 hours ago, Lasson said:

As I understand it and use it, it is how risk willing your team is going to be - both with and without the ball. Therefore, when you are playing on cautios, your players will be less aggressive, which could be why you are struggling creating chances.

Not necessarily. If you are a weaker team, I would actually drop into a mid block and employ an AF up front and then your IW/IF combo could both be on support duty.

With the mentalities, would that then explain why, on cautious, my defensive players are still determined to just boot the ball away even though I want them to keep passing shorter so as not to give away possession all the time?

 

[Johnny Ace]

2 hours ago, AndrikoDS said:

 

I selected counter press I think mainly because it was part of what the game suggested, it was mainly a way to stop taking constant pressure until the other team inevitably got a goal fro ma cross or something, which seemed to be what happened before.

If it's from a preset tactic, some instruction choices are a bit iffy. I always feel the Counter Press is great for quality sides pressing high up the pitch rather than a weaker team pressing from deep

2 hours ago, AndrikoDS said:

With the mentalities, would that then explain why, on cautious, my defensive players are still determined to just boot the ball away even though I want them to keep passing shorter so as not to give away possession all the time?

 

There's a good chance, ball clearances are very much a safety first thing 

[AndrikoDS]

Thanks for all your help guys, I was eventually sacked by Eastboure and took the job at St Albans and took on board what was said here and waht I've been reading up on and decided to go for something more attacking, and so far after 9 games am challenging for the top of the table. The passing is a bit more short now, though with the odd hoofed ball still, but now generally done in a more usefull manner.

The team generally get a lot more shots now, about a third on target and hold up well in defence. The only real problem is the Inside Forward on the left doesn't seem to be very involved in matches and seems to get a bit isolated. Maybe bumping up the FB(a) to a W(s) behind him might help, but I fear that will rip the defensiveness apart.

The other issue is that the players get quite worn out. Maybe lowering the tempo and dropping to balanced would help, but I'd hate to loose the good attacking play they now generate.

Thanks for the help, it has all been a reminder of my experiences the last few times I played FM (a long time ago!), that I can't ever pull off defensive mentalities for some reason.

 

[Cloud9]

6 minutes ago, AndrikoDS said:

Thanks for all your help guys, I was eventually sacked by Eastboure and took the job at St Albans and took on board what was said here and waht I've been reading up on and decided to go for something more attacking, and so far after 9 games am challenging for the top of the table. The passing is a bit more short now, though with the odd hoofed ball still, but now generally done in a more usefull manner.

The team generally get a lot more shots now, about a third on target and hold up well in defence. The only real problem is the Inside Forward on the left doesn't seem to be very involved in matches and seems to get a bit isolated. Maybe bumping up the FB(a) to a W(s) behind him might help, but I fear that will rip the defensiveness apart.

The other issue is that the players get quite worn out. Maybe lowering the tempo and dropping to balanced would help, but I'd hate to loose the good attacking play they now generate.

Thanks for the help, it has all been a reminder of my experiences the last few times I played FM (a long time ago!), that I can't ever pull off defensive mentalities for some reason.

 

I like the idea about adding in a WB(s) on the left to compliment the IF.

There's a lack of ball playing roles who can break the lines with their passes which could also be isolating him. Moving the DLP from defend duty to support duty or adding in some BPD/SK could help address this. 

If the players are getting worn down, I would look at how you're rotating the squad/squad depth. The current intensity doesn't look super demanding at the moment. You might consider dropping the WB(a) to a WB(s) if he's getting tired, WB(a) is asked to run to the byline. 

[Johnny Ace]

 

20 minutes ago, AndrikoDS said:

That right hand side looks a major risk and could leave the DLP a lot of work to do. The High Press loses a bit of vertical compactness so is something else to look out for. Agree on the above, two Wingbacks on Support should be fine, a FB(A) won't stay as wide as a WB. But of course, if it's doing well and winning games, don't change a thing   

For the fatigue, you could always add Dribble Less for the last 20 minutes of the game, depending on how the game is going to help save the legs

 

 

[AndrikoDS]

Thanks for the added advice, I will experiment with a WB(s) on the left as it seems the least  troublesome change to try. Alternativley I could experiment with the CM(s) role, but this is a part-time club, and anyrole which I can't pronounce (like Mezzanine) is probably too complicated to try out.

The tiredness is also a result of them being part-timers too I think, but dribbling less might be a good thing to try also.

Thanks again for the advice, it's great to see a tactic start to come together!