Luizinho

Still having issues here... Not sure if this needs to be raised as a bug or if Im missing something... Next match is against Almeria and no fixture data is available: Detail level has been on the below for a few months

No, it's coming up as HOME in their schedule

Very keen for a YouTube series!

Yes I believe it was always going to be played there: Also I can see that previous finals have been played at some of the finalists home stadiums:

Hi All, I have reached he Spanish Cup final with Barcelona and Im set to play Valencia. Ive just looked at the schedule and realised that it's being played at the Mestalla (Valencia home ground). The fixture is coming up an away fixture in my schedule. My question is, am I going to get a disadvantageous ME bias in the final or can I treat it like a neutral (normal) cup final?

Appreciate the comments and understand your points . However I'm looking for specific thoughts on the Valencia match in my opening post and how my system got exploited - so I can learn. I'm actually fairly happy with how my system is playing out in general. I've been unlucky in all of the games except for the Valencia fixture, which is what the whole thread is about. As for Messi, his stats for this year are below. I'm pretty happy considering his physical stats have dropped tremendously and he's not supposed to be my main goalscorer. Lautaro and Griemann are on 17

Thanks point taken. Messi normally does plays in the AMC position as an AP (S) and will often have the swap position option with Coutinho at AMR. Messi been amazing for me this year - he came 2nd in world player of the year to Mbappe. I decided to start Coutinho at AMC as he played really well the previous game. Also maybe some more room outwide for Messi considering the narrow formation.

So is my logic flawed around using the 'pass into space' instruction (as below)? The plan is to play defensive, possession football. (I've taken on board the feedback regarding formation!). Essentially "if we have the ball, they can't hurt us" mentality, but then encouraging the players to exploit the space (when appropriate) that a stronger team will likely surrender... Does that combination work in reality? I take you point about overkill with this instruction. I assume a DLP (S), AP (S), two BPD (D) and an IW (S) with aggressive PIs is enough riskier passes...

Sorry, I've been pretty slammed with work recently! Thanks for the feedback, getting round to replying. Found these two points interesting. 1. I'd have to disagree. The system is designed for him to play in the hole, with two aggressive options ahead of him in an IF (A) and an AF (A). I feel that giving him an attack duty would potentially make the final third a bit too cluttered. There have been games when I've used an AP (A) and it's worked well. At time I want him to push a little ahead and commit an extra body forward. However more often than not, I want him to drop an

Yeah I agree the regarding the 'Fullback' role. I think the combination can work, but not in terms of what I'm looking to do. The AF is there to both keep the defensive line honest (pin them back) and to create space for both the AMC and AMR. He does still get involved with the build-up play and Martinez also has the 'Comes Deep TO Get Ball' PPM - so it creates some nice variation. This is his form FYG Could you elaborate?

This is a really good point regarding personal - I'll definitely pay more attention to this. Doesn't 'hold position' only apply when we have the ball? Both MCs are instructed to sit and be a double pivot when in possession. His pressing intensity is at 33%. I think counter-press overrules the hold position PI? Again it's an 'in possession' instruction.

I'm really looking to embody the Barca identity/DNA by using a possession style. Possession is big objective for me during a match. Therefore by employing an aggressive defensive strategy (high line/high press), I can win the ball quickly (very generic strategy). For these difficult games, I still want to play in a similar way. So I thought reducing both Defensive Line and Line of Engagement by one notch, would make me slightly more cautious, but not impact the strategy of winning the ball back. Similar to my above comment, but I still want to play a possession focused style. Ho

Hi All, Earlier this week I fired up my save and played an away match against high-flying Valencia. My team has been slow out of the blocks this season, but we're now starting to find some real momentum and we headed into the game with good form. It was set to be a key game, with both teams looking very strong. I was looking forward to it, as it is a real opportunity to measure how good my side and tactic is. Unfortunately the game didn't go to plan and we lost 7-2. The result came out of nowhere and we got complete destroyed. I was so annoyed, that I immediately closed the game and

Thanks I’m playing as Barcelona and I’ve always been wary of playing Real Madrid, Atletico and other big guns away from home. I normally make tweaks (perhaps too many) and tend to struggle. I’ve always found that teams are so much stronger when they play at home. I can completely outplay Real Madrid when I play at home, but then if I play away against them, I also get outplayed. Just wandering if there is any science behind it?

Is there any strategy guides on how set-up against big teams away from home?