Tactical styles

[Sogno_Azzurro]

Does anybody know how the developers choose a tactical style for real managers in-game?

for example, Conte as vertical-tiki taka, Spalletti as fluid counter and Ancelotti as tiki-taka?

 

doesnt really seem accurate to me..

[Marc Vaughan]

3 hours ago, Sogno_Azzurro said:

Does anybody know how the developers choose a tactical style for real managers in-game?

for example, Conte as vertical-tiki taka, Spalletti as fluid counter and Ancelotti as tiki-taka?

doesnt really seem accurate to me..

The researcher set stats for the managers and the game makes a guess as to the managers preferred style from these, then when we setup the tactics within the game we use the managers preferences combined with the players available to decide how they setup their sides.

In the main I think we do a reasonable job - but if people can post discrepancies and what they think managers should be using and what the game indicates they prefer then obviously we'll happily keep tweaking things.

With regards to some of these - the problem is more that we don't presently have a descriptor for the style they use eg:
 

Quote

The mid/deep block in 2022/23 resembled a 4–5–1 whilst in the season prior, Ancelotti started the season with a 4–4–2 that could morph into a 4–3–3. In both formations, the defensive midfielder acted as a sweeper between the lines to create a 4–1–4–1 or 4–1–3–2.

Presently we don't have 'descriptors' for styles which are mid/deep blocks so the game will describe their style in a different fashion (but they'll still do the tactical approach as described) ... I'll look at adding in more descriptors in for a future version.

(so if there are any you think are missing then please post and let us know and I'll consider adding them in due course, no promises as I want to keep things to those that I think more casual football fans will understand.. but I'll see what can be done)

[Sogno_Azzurro]

Thanks for the very informative info. It's interesting to chat to a developer.

so i play FM, the mobile version though and like to try emulate real managers in-game. unfortunately i've never had the pleasure of interviewing one and having them sit down with me and give me their tactics for football manager, which would be amazing.

and so ive had to resort to using other people's ideas of that manager's style, but always having the doubt as to how accurate they really are in the end.

In the mobile version I noticed that instead of the managers having assigned tactical styles like in the desktop version, they seem to only have one of "attacking, normal & defensive", which im not sure what this means exactly as tactics.

 

I have a pretty cool idea, if perhaps you guys released official tactics of managers for users to use, if they are like me and want to emulate people 

[Marc Vaughan]

19 hours ago, Sogno_Azzurro said:

I have a pretty cool idea, if perhaps you guys released official tactics of managers for users to use, if they are like me and want to emulate people 

That's an interesting idea and I'll suggest it to the people who do the PR for the studio, we've actually had real managers in sporadically to play the game and have had articles in some newspapers and magazines where they've done just this which has been fascinating from a personal perspective.

(one of my favorite parts of the job from a 'football geeks' perspective is the opportunity its given me to talk (and mainly listen) to people in and around the game over the years, I feel very fortunately to have been able to do so ... incidentally if you haven't already I'd definitely recommend reading autobiographies and such from players and managers - they're fascinating reads and give some insights into a lot of areas, there are also a number of training courses you can take if you're really interested in such things (not just managerial/coaching - but scouting qualifications etc.) )

[Marc Vaughan]

20 hours ago, Sogno_Azzurro said:

In the mobile version I noticed that instead of the managers having assigned tactical styles like in the desktop version, they seem to only have one of "attacking, normal & defensive", which im not sure what this means exactly as tactics.

At the moment we display this sort of information for managers:

So you can see a rough overview of them - Klopp likes attacking football and it shows his rough preferred formation, the rest you can infer from other information.

So his speicalism is determination, he's good at motivating his teams and keeping them going. His discipline score shows he doesn't suffer fools gladly (ie. he won't put up with unprofessional players) and is very good at people management (so handling the media and keeping players happy and positive), he is also great at motivating players and generally loyal and able to handle pressure well.
His tactical knowledge is good - but that isn't the strongest area of his game.
His 'title' is entertainer - so he wants his teams to play attractive attacking football and score goals more than anything else.

(for humans you can see the 'style' your team is playing at both when you setup a tactics template and also on the tactics page as you adjust it - if you think it might help I'll try and remember ot make that aspect visible for other managers so you could look at say a lower league manager and see his team is setup for 'Route One' or whatever ... would that help you?)

PS - One of the challenges in making the game and getting the managers feeling right is that while most have a defined style they prefer, they're often pragmatic and will flex somewhat within that. Brighton under De Zerbi for instance are reknowned for playing the ball patiently out from the back, but actually against certain teams (notably Man City) while they do this he also has them setup for playing direct balls down the wings when the opportunity arises which isn't their norm ... as such the tactical approach for managers irl is a lot more flexible than some supporters realize, with some managers changing the style subtly multiple times during a match and De Zerbi especially sometimes flexing between three distinct formations in a single match.
The game can (and will) simulate this if you examine your opposition setup, sometimes it is somewhat subtle maybe an opposition player changing his role, otherwise they'll bunker down and change to a very defensive formation with 10 minutes to go and simply try and hang onto a win etc. ... sorry for the long post, I tend to get excited when I talk tactics and how we approach things

[Sogno_Azzurro]

Once again, very informative thanks

In your opinion, what would you say the best way to emulate the tactical style of Antonio Conte and Luciano Spalletti?

 

Currently managing Juventus & Italy

 

*I've attached a screen of my own estimation of Conte's tactic, based off a tactical analysis I read and a little aid from chatgpt. Once again I'm not 100% if it's accurate, it's just based off a sum up 

Edited January 29 by Sogno_Azzurro