Mitja

wasn't team shape also about vertical compactness, more fluid being more compact? is it still working under the hood, depending on players duty combinations? horizontal lines can be manipulated by team width and other TIs and also by different PIs.

i think the key element of Simeone's 442 (or any other 442) is very compact vertical defensive unit where strikers help putting pressure on opponents midfielders. since usually 442 will have a man less in midfield both strikers need to drop deeper while defending, i'm not sure if attack duty is correct in replicating Simeone defensive style? is it possible to achieve it with attack duties on balanced mentality? another thing about 442, you need to use play wider and/or exploit flanks.

Thats good to know but I've never seen AI using support duty in gegenpress. I quit playing long time ago, before the latest patch though. Enjoying 17 more than I thought I would.

It looks little odd, there's zero variation there and contrary to previous editions logics there should be one support duty there in attack preferably. Can't really think of any striker with attack duty irl, they're all liking players in 433. Agree about midfield setup too even though there are teams using similar style. It would be awesome if AI managers would become more flexible in use of different midfield setups in 433, with DM or three MCs.

Stopped playing it a long time ago. Worst ME since 2d introduction. Rewamped tactics are step backwards for me.

i'm not sure if the above is true for top league clubs. it is in long term like playing 90 min high press all the time during whole season with 2, 3 games per week but in one game it's not such a big difference. low block defending needs to be improved in ME because it's less risky, easier to execute, offers much more compactness and usually comes with quick, direct counter attacking style which is again easier and safer style than controlling possession in opponent's half. these are football basics which need to be implemented better than they are currently. now it's a mess with these different styles, they do opposite to what they claim. like attacking styles being too direct and urgent and defensive too possessional.

usually such posts come with something like ''I'm having 40 shots but....'' and include ''blocked shots/srikers don't score/no movement/no creativity''. too defensive AI is maybe step in the right direction in terms of improving efficiency of low block defending but it's implementation is weird. such teams can completely outpass best teams for example and at the same time have zero shots on goal.

but he is a great player already. Dutch international and right there with top world talents. maybe that's why he was signed by Barca for 75 milion and they didn't pay such money for none of the players you listed there. is he going to be next Messi? i don't know and that's not my job but i truely doubt they would pay that money for a youngster that they don't beleve has the potential to become key player for them. and the lower end of his PA simply doesn't suggest that. what i hinted is not that his PA is too low but that he should have had fixed PA as Ayax key player and Dutch international since 6th of September 2018. we can continue this discussion after fm20 comes out and FdJ becomes 180 PA player just because he signed for Barca maybe?

but the main issue of this thread is lower end of his -9 PA and difference of only 10-20 points compared to his age.

did they pay 75 milion euros for those players?

as i said in FM they wouldn't bother to buy player of 150-160 PA let alone spend that money on such player. i bet everything you want he will have at least 180 in fm20.

obviously it was set too low or his CA was too high. and i doubt Barca would go for a player of bellow 160 PA in FM. also the random difference of 30 points seems strange for such a renowned player at 20/21.

DLPs, DMd, even BWMs it really depends on opposition formation and their midfield setup. do you really need defend duty DM - and 3 players marking lone striker against flat 4141? wouldn't he be more usefull further up? what about against 442 or 4231? defend duty might be more much apropriate here.

description for more attacking mentalities says it tries to control possession in opponents half. i see no problem with that. it's the too high urgency to score that and other tactical setup like high tempo that makes attacking style too direct especially against defensive teams.

never said it's only down to mentality but it seems you can't or don't wanr to understand how ''urgency to score'' afects passing decisioning and how defensive teams lack any desire to score, how unrealsitic this fact is and how it afects (AI vs AI) match.