How do you close out games?

[Mst82]

Although not every game, quite often I’m hit with late comebacks. Only the other day on FM24 i was 2-1 up at Wolves and comfortable, with 4 minutes to go.

From nowhere they turned into prime Liverpool in terms of their high press and scored two goals to beat me 3-2.

I had a look through my previous 10-15 games and I conceded a fair few late goals to drop points, particularly in games where the score line was close - even though I had dominated the games statistically.

Do those experts out there have any generic tips for closing out games? I often try to go a little more direct, slow the pace down etc etc but still come unstuck.

The AI seems to employ a tactic whereby they can get their forward players to sit on my back line and I’d love to know how they’re doing this, as any high press I try doesn’t get anywhere near this! They also seem to have the ability to put the ball in behind from deep, again something I have never been able to replicate. These seem to be the main two factors that cause my late capitulations - the amount of late headed goals I concede from deep crosses is insane.

(I try combinations of staying narrow, closing down wide players, staying wide, dropping my wingers back…. I cannot consistently prevent the above from happening and it’s really spoiling the game for me)

Edited November 6, 2023 by Mst82

[llama3]

So I play a possession style normally, and I don’t change that. I slow the pace down, waste time, play for set pieces, drop mentality - I do want to keep the ball because otherwise I’m turning it over to them. 
 

What is your squad concentration, and stamina like?

If you do sit off later on, maybe a change of shape - bring on an extra centre back and go to a 5, might help you to deal with those crosses and get numbers. 

[vrig]

30 minutes ago, llama3 said:

So I play a possession style normally, and I don’t change that. I slow the pace down, waste time, play for set pieces, drop mentality - I do want to keep the ball because otherwise I’m turning it over to them. 
 

What is your squad concentration, and stamina like?

Agree with this, although personally I only really drop the mentality if I'm very nervous. Mentality affects all 6 instructions that my team are working towards familiarity on, so I typically favour the 'toggle options' when tweaking.

I'd also add that it's a good idea to watch who the opposition are subbing on. They could be bringing on a target up top, which might affect how you engage crosses, they might bring on a fresh winger to go at a tired fullback, which might merit a sub of your own in reply, etc.

[Cloud9]

On 05/11/2023 at 22:10, Mst82 said:

Although not every game, quite often I’m hit with late comebacks. Only the other day on FM24 i was 2-1 up at Wolves and comfortable, with 4 minutes to go.

From nowhere they turned into prime Liverpool in terms of their high press and scored two goals to beat me 3-2.

I had a look through my previous 10-15 games and I conceded a fair few late goals to drop points, particularly in games where the score line was close - even though I had dominated the games statistically.

Do those experts out there have any generic tips for closing out games? I often try to go a little more direct, slow the pace down etc etc but still come unstuck.

The AI seems to employ a tactic whereby they can get their forward players to sit on my back line and I’d love to know how they’re doing this, as any high press I try doesn’t get anywhere near this! They also seem to have the ability to put the ball in behind from deep, again something I have never been able to replicate. These seem to be the main two factors that cause my late capitulations - the amount of late headed goals I concede from deep crosses is insane.

(I try combinations of staying narrow, closing down wide players, staying wide, dropping my wingers back…. I cannot consistently prevent the above from happening and it’s really spoiling the game for me)

Make sure you are still applying pressure at all times.

Switch roles/players to more conservative options and drop the tempo/play narrow w/less trigger press & no counter press. In general it's better to play a more conservative version of your current plan w/defensive tweaks than abandon it for a style of football your player's aren't built for. 

If you've got the attributes to do it, switching to a Midblock/Lowblock is possible. Again, set up a counter attack (for the pressure) instead of just trying to park the bus which will invite endless pressure. Changing the mentality to see out a game is something I would avoid. 

Edited November 8, 2023 by Cloud9

[Mst82]

4 hours ago, Cloud9 said:

Make sure you are still applying pressure at all times.

Switch roles/players to more conservative options and drop the tempo/play narrow w/less trigger press & no counter press. In general it's better to play a more conservative version of your current plan w/defensive tweaks than abandon it for a style of football your player's aren't built for. 

If you've got the attributes to do it, switching to a Midblock/Lowblock is possible. Again, set up a counter attack (for the pressure) instead of just trying to park the bus which will invite endless pressure. Changing the mentality to see out a game is something I would avoid. 

Much appreciated all

Edited November 8, 2023 by Mst82

[Mst82]

On 08/11/2023 at 06:43, Cloud9 said:

Make sure you are still applying pressure at all times.

Switch roles/players to more conservative options and drop the tempo/play narrow w/less trigger press & no counter press. In general it's better to play a more conservative version of your current plan w/defensive tweaks than abandon it for a style of football your player's aren't built for. 

If you've got the attributes to do it, switching to a Midblock/Lowblock is possible. Again, set up a counter attack (for the pressure) instead of just trying to park the bus which will invite endless pressure. Changing the mentality to see out a game is something I would avoid. 

 

Well that went well - still a work in progress I think  - mind you the 3 shots 3 goals aspect will forever infuriate me about this game

[Cloud9]

7 hours ago, Mst82 said:

 

Well that went well - still a work in progress I think  - mind you the 3 shots 3 goals aspect will forever infuriate me about this game

Oof tough luck there. I'd watch the goals back to see if it was just bad luck or goals coming from preventable issues. Own goals + long range shots conceded are generally good indicators of just getting unlucky. Checking the stats / pass maps of the opposition can be useful as well, was there a player running the game for them that you could have shut down?

A result like that as a one off can just be a bad day at the office for the goalkeeper, but if it's happening frequently you might need to move him on.

Edited November 9, 2023 by Cloud9

[Cloud9]

7 hours ago, Mst82 said:

 

Well that went well - still a work in progress I think  - mind you the 3 shots 3 goals aspect will forever infuriate me about this game

Is this your goalkeeper w/ the own goal? 

His mentals are a death sentence for a premier league club and he's got almost no aerial reach which is very important on a gk. If he's at the back the best thing you can do is keep the ball as far away from the net as possible every game  

Edited November 9, 2023 by Cloud9

[Mst82]

19 minutes ago, Cloud9 said:

Is this your goalkeeper w/ the own goal? 

His mentals are a death sentence for a premier league club and he's got almost no aerial reach which is very important on a gk. If he's at the back the best thing you can do is keep the ball as far away from the net as possible every game  

Yeah that’s him. I really struggled to find a good goalkeeper so had to settle for him. He’ll be moved on at the end of the season believe me 😂

[Mst82]

He's a bit better a few seasons in ^^

[KnotveryAthletic]

I've had this happen in 4 out of 5 games (lower league) - seeing the opposition in the Northern Ireland second tier suddenly transform into peak Barcelona in the last 10 minutes. Haven't found a solution so far, and like OP it is spoiling the enjoyment.

[Mst82]

7 hours ago, KnotveryAthletic said:

I've had this happen in 4 out of 5 games (lower league) - seeing the opposition in the Northern Ireland second tier suddenly transform into peak Barcelona in the last 10 minutes. Haven't found a solution so far, and like OP it is spoiling the enjoyment.

I'm finding the second halves as a whole are like playing peak Barca. The context of the game seems to completely change if you're beating the AI at half time.

The game seems far from ready to be the full version.

[Johnny Ace]

Various things

I tend to stick with what gave us the lead in the first place

First step is usually subbing out tired and/or under performing players

If the opposition are going gung ho and closing us down, I'll up the tempo and the passing directness/ pass into space 

I may switch an Attack duty to a Support duty down the wings 

Good ol' time wasting late on 

I may push the lines up but I never touch mentality 

 

[Domoboy23]

4 hours ago, Johnny Ace said:

Various things

I tend to stick with what gave us the lead in the first place

First step is usually subbing out tired and/or under performing players

If the opposition are going gung ho and closing us down, I'll up the tempo and the passing directness/ pass into space 

I may switch an Attack duty to a Support duty down the wings 

Good ol' time wasting late on 

I may push the lines up but I never touch mentality 

 

Interesting. I'd of thought this bit would be the last thing to do when preserving a lead.

[Johnny Ace]

2 hours ago, Domoboy23 said:

Interesting. I'd of thought this bit would be the last thing to do when preserving a lead.

Get on the front foot a bit more, push them back rather than let them push you back sort of thing