[We need dirty manager instructions feature]

I want to intruct a player to purposefully injure specific opposition player(s) to get them out of the game.

[How can I customize training schedules for my U23 and U18 teams?]

Instead of leaving it to their respective coaches? I know I can take over and customize their role/personal training routines but I realize that their team training isn't the same.

[Manchester City Pep Guardiola Analysis and Tactical Recreation]

On 21/05/2021 at 08:04, Mike_Cardinal said:

I've made a couple of tweaks to my setup with real success recently, partly inspired by Ozil-to-the-Arsenal's classic threads, including the use of Support duties for 'Very Fluid' total football.

I also wanted to really minimise TIs, and come up with something like a universal tactic for this style of play - I tested it on FM20, but I think it could be applied to any of the recent games.

Positive

Much Shorter Passing, Play Out of Defence

More Urgent

SKd

IWBs - CDd - CDd - IWBs

MEZs - CMd - MEZs

IWs - F9s - IWs

The IWs have PIs to 'Stay Wider' and 'Get Further Forward'. And that's it!

Here's why I think it works so well:

The full backs, Mezzalas and wingers are on Positive mentality, the False Nine is on Balanced, and the rest on Cautious.

I experimented with an Attack duty up front, but I do think the False Nine is perfect for this style of play. The key was playing on Positive team mentality or higher - the role is too passive otherwise, being Cautious with a Balanced team mentality.

With a higher team mentality, I found my IWBs were getting too far forward with Underlaps - this creates an Attacking mentality, and we were being exposed on the counter.

It also led to them sitting on top of the Mezzalas, which is completely contradictory to positional play principles. 

I took off the Underlaps, and also found great success in moving the DM to CM, which forces the Mezzalas wider. They make runs outside more often, they press the flanks better to stop counters, and there is generally excellent spacing and interplay between them, the IWBs and IWs - I cannot recommend testing this out strongly enough.

Without a DM, I found the Support duty worked well for the Mezzalas, rather than Attack. They helped out in defence more, so we weren't exposed in the middle, and as I increased Mentality to Positive, they still got forward plenty. I didn't want them shooting constantly on Very Attacking mentality.

The CMd also seems to have the effect of pushing the defensive line higher, indirectly, and works really nicely supporting attacks in a line of '3' with the IWBs in possession, whilst dropping deep as a holding midfielder out of possession. I often use a 'Tighter Marking' OI on opposition AMs, which works well. 

The IWs also benefit from a Positive mentality, as the lack of Underlaps means they get forward a little more, and form a proper front three with the False Nine - I still think this role is the best way to give Pep-style width in buildup, before attacking the box at the right moment.

The only essential team instruction is Much Shorter Passing, genuinely. Shorter Passing gives me around 62% possession on average, Much Shorter Passing gives around 68% - it seems to prevent the CBs from ever kicking it long on Positive, and everyone focuses on neat, simple passes all over the pitch. 

We naturally work the ball into the box - the IWBs cross less often by default, and we don't use Wingers, who Cross More Often. We are patient, but always building towards creating chances.

This means the attacking play is varied without being over complicated and players have the freedom to score all types of goal, without being given too many instructions, or forcing the ball to a designated playmaker. Again, try it out, and I think you'll see how a very simple approach can give really effective patterns of play, as players decide how to best unlock the defence, using the overloads created by a 235.

A truer Pep recreation may be achieved with more tinkering, but in terms of results on FM, this has given me the best results with a 235 by far, as well as some seriously beautiful football.

Hey I'm doing a similar 4-3-3 Man City with IWBs, an anchor man, mezzala, box to box, IF-IW-F9. Tactic works for now but how do you train Gabriel Jesus? I'm using him as one of my F9s and as a back up winger but I don't know how I should set his position/role/duty training. If I set him as a winger, he's a striker so he wouldn't be properly trained. I set him up as complete forward - support and continued playing him, and his attributes are all falling.  

 

[Training & Youth Intake - A Brief Guide **Updated for FM20**]

I hope this is the correct thread for this question:  

How do I set/load/change youth training schedules in FM21? Or can I? I can do schedules for senior team and its calender, I can't find one for youth teams (u19 and u23).