[FM23 Headline Features Revealed]

I think there has to be a level of mutual respect. Developers need to understand that a yearly game cycle (these games aren't cheap) is going to put that extra focus on unique and significant developments to the game. Incremental and superficial change is always going to make it seem like a cash grab. But fans of the game also have to face the reality that the developers can only achieve so much in the allotted time between games and that ultimately you, as the player, are under no obligation to buy the game. Miles doesn't put a gun to your head and force you to hand over your cash. Personally, I'll be giving this one a miss, like the last one, as I don't think there has been a significant enough development to justify spending the money and upgrading. I don't hold it against SI though. I hope they don't hold it against me.

[FM23 Headline Features Revealed]

I didn't buy FM 2022 because I was underwhelmed and it looks like a won't be buying FM 2023 either for the same reason. I'm not especially bothered, FM 21 was awesome, in my opinion, and I could more than happily keep playing that for another year or two. I'll see what they offer up for FM24 before I consider switching. I will say though, that I'm glad they took on my suggestion of adding the puffer jackets back to the manager creator.

[Problems with a simple system]

My first observation is that there isn't a whole lot of creativity in that midfield three. I don't know what their attributes are but one is being told to get up the pitch ahead of the transition (CM-A), one is being told to work his socks off up and down the pitch (BBM) and one is being told to focus on positional cover (DM-D). Its pretty effective as a defensive unit and might even work in keeping the ball but there's no one really getting on the ball and linking things together. There's no one taking responsibility for switching play or finding a quick dangerous pass before the opposition are set. The focus is on solidity and possession, not chance creation or penetration.

[Handling the mid-season slump]

Are you being overrun or are the opposition nicking narrow wins? If its the first option then the opposition are playing more aggressively against you or exploiting weaknesses in your shape. You should decide if you're going to fight back or if you're going to hit teams on the break. If its the latter then you're going to need to make some changes to the way you play in order to create more chances. This could be a change of shape or a change in team instructions.

All the opposition can do is change shape and change tactical style.

[Non league tactic help!!]

Depending on your squad I'd go with a very simple 4-4-2. I absolutely blast non-league with the following.

 

Its really forgiving. You can have absolute dross to begin with.

 

In terms of players recruitment I look for everyone to have aggression, bravery, determination, teamwork, workrate and stamina. It might take time but that's your bedrock. Goalkeepers need shot stopping, jumping, aerial reach and if you're lucky kicking. Fullbacks need pace, tackling, positioning. Centrebacks need jumping, strength, heading and bravery. One of them needs high aggression. One midfielder needs positioning, tackling and stamina and the other one needs passing, vision and off the ball. One winger needs crossing, passing and vision. The other winger needs acceleration, pace, dribbling and balance, agility and flair if you can get it. One forward needs strength, aggression, team work, rate and stamina. The other needs acceleration, pace and finishing. Composure, anticipation, off the ball are a great too. You also want to slowly increase the number of players with good personalities and leadership. To begin with one or two leaders is fine.

One little tweak I sometimes like to employ is this. You stick your poacher on AF, you stick your more attacking winger on IW (it helps if you've got someone who likes to cut inside onto their stronger foot) and you set the CM inside him to CM(d). The IW exploits the space created by the CM dropping off and the AF driving forward. Its just one possible variation but you could definitely find other tweaks.

 

[Tactic randomly stopped working.]

The AI does not find out your tactic. It cannot do that. The AI manager you are facing merely assesses your threat based on certain parameters such as form, reputation.etc and sets up according to their tactical preferences.

Morale and confidence play a role also.

In simple terms when a tactic stops working its because teams that had been passive against you are now aggressive and visa versa.

[Lower League Newgen generation]

I pretty much always play in a modded DB that takes the English league down to level 13. One of the frustrations of playing at that level is that when you start a game you start with a really patchy squad. Quite often I find myself without a single CM but always, and I mean always about eight wingers. That could be improved. The second issue is that the youth team is usually generated with fifteen or sixteen 15/16 year olds which, in the name of realism, makes me not want to use them straight away. I think having a more balanced range of 15-17 would make it more realistic and make players like me more comfortable about using them.

[Do you know where to find a template for this kit design?]

My bad. Can you move it to the right sub-forum please?

[Do you know where to find a template for this kit design?]

Whiteley Wanderers Kit

As the title suggests, I'm looking for a photoshopable template for this kit design. In particular the angled stripes along the the waist line. I've got the SS'09-14 Templates Pack and the PR Kits Brand Templates 2022 pack but this particular design isn't in there.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers.

[Scoring goals help.]

Mate, your tactic made my eyes bleed. Don't worry about who can play where. Keep it simple. If you've got someone who can do a job out wide then stick them out there. Get some balls in the box. There's nothing wrong with an old fashioned 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1 or even a 4-2-3-1 to get your team motoring. Your striker should be fine if you create good quality chances for him. The problem may well be that you're not creating a lot of chances and the ones you do create are not simple. I generally play 4-4-2 regardless of what the position indicators tell me about my squad. If they've got the attributes and don't have any obviously counter-productive PPMs then you're set. Get one winger up the line, one winger pinging balls from deeper. Get one forward dropping into space, another getting in behind. Get both midfielders on CM(s) and both fullbacks on FB(s) unless you've got one who can get up the line. In which case pair him with your deeper winger. It's not complicated.

Success is guaranteed with 4-4-2 and players with the right attitude.

[Is there a way to tweak this 433?]

I'm a bit of a football dinosaur so you won't get much sophistication from me, but I'd question whether you could play Iheanacho AND two wingers cutting into space. There'd just be too much congestion. You could potentially set Hlozek to IF(s). He'd still score and create goals, maybe even a lot of goals but he'd blend better with Iheanacho & Vignato. Ideally, with two wingers cutting in I'd want a striker who dropped off and linked up but it's not impossible to make it work with a central striker who attacks the box. You just need enough support players around him.

If you don't mind me saying, I think your tactic is a bit over the top anyway. You're on Attacking mentality and you have five players on Attacking duties. That's a whole lot of players looking to get ahead of the play.

[Not played for a while having a mid season slump]

Your opponent's have re-assessed your threat. You might want to take games a bit slower and see where your transitions are breaking down and how the opposition are creating chances against you. Are teams sitting off you more and hitting you on the break? Are they pinning you back and pressuring you into mistakes? Are they forcing into their areas where they have superior numbers? Just watch the games and make a note of when and where teams win the ball off of you and how. This will give you an idea of what to avoid. Watch how the opposition builds its attacks and think how your tactic could close up those gaps. There isn't a shortcut I've ever found.

[Restricting turning semi-professional to a certain point]

I think I know what you mean but it doesn't do want I want. I'm playing an English LLM db that goes down to Level 13. If I go to Competitions within the editor and select Level 13 (for example) and then Contract Type I can set everything to Amateur but that doesn't stop my chairman deciding that he wants to go semi-professional. What I need is an option to disable moving to semi-pro until a certain level (maybe level 8 or 9).

[Restricting turning semi-professional to a certain point]

I'm having trouble finding it, could you tell me exactly where the option us please?

[Restricting turning semi-professional to a certain point]

For reference I'm still playing in FM21.

I want to be able to stop teams turning professional before they're ready. My last save was ruined because my chairman decided to turn the club semi-pro against my wishes. It ruined the club as even the smallest wage budget we could afford was much larger than our annual income.

Does anyone know what to select in the editor so that clubs only go semi-pro once they hit the 7th or 8th tier?

[CBs' stamina draining way quicker than other players]

I have had this issue even with lower defensive lines for the last three or four versions of the game. Towards the end of games my CBs are always dead on their feet. Their stamina isn't fantastic (as I play LLM) but it definitely drains really quickly compared to other outfield players with comparable stamina.

[Tactics Rookie]

I play LLM and I never mess around with downloaded tactics. FIrst of all 99.9% have BPDs playing a Much high Defensive Line which is simply ridiculous when you've got CBs with Passing of 2, Anticipation 3, Concentration 2 and Pace of 3. They often have Counter-Press enabled as well which isn't a fantastic idea if your average Stamina is 6.

You need to focus on what you have available and keep it simple.

In terms of building an attacking pattern consider what your aim is. The ball has to get from the goalkeeper to the back of the opposition's net. There are only so many ways you can do that. You can move up the pitch by pass and move. Ball goes into feet, pass to some who's found space. Rinse and repeat. For this you need to have players with technique and intelligence. Option 2 is that you hit the ball into space for someone to run onto. In this scenario the ball does all the work moving up the pitch. For this scenario you'll need at least one midfielder with good passing and creativity and a runner who has anticipation, pace  and off the ball. The third option is get the ball to a dribbler. In this scenario moving the ball up the pitch rests on one player's ability to dribble effectively into dangerous areas. You'll need a ball carrier with dribbling, technique and either flair or pace. The final realistic option is the old target man option where you launch the ball at someone further up the field who can bring the ball under control, hold it up and then release runners off of him. For this you need a capable TM who has strength, bravery, first touch and also players with anticipation, concentration and off the ball to link up with him. One or two of these options are going to be realistic with the players that you have available at LLM level.

So, when working out how to build from the back just ask yourself the following questions.

(1) how accurate is my keeper with his hands and feet? If he can't kick or throw it very far and accurately then there's no point asking him to hit it long.

(2) Who in my back-line can I trust to receive the ball from the keeper under pressure? Does anyone have decent Composure, Strength and First Touch? If not then you're going to need a midfielder to drop deep to receive the ball.

(3) Once the ball is with a defender or deep midfielder where are they going to look to move the ball up the field? Can they go short or do they need to look for a runner or TM or is there a designated ball carrier you need the ball to get to?

(4) Once the ball is moving up the pitch what now? Who's it with and how can you make sure the conditions are favourable for them to do their thing? If its gone into someone's feet then you need players for them to pass to so you'll need players with intelligence and movement. If the ball has gone straight up to a target man then where is his support. Does it get to him quickly enough? If the ball has been hit into space is there the space to exploit? If there is who do they have around them to pass to, cross to and just for support should they hit a brick wall. If the ball is with a ball carrier then who are they going to be passing to, crossing to or who is supporting them should they run into trouble?

(5) When you get to the edge of the penalty area how are you getting into a good shooting angle? How are you ensuring your attack isn't crowded out? Are you going to drag the opposition out so there's space behind? Are you going to create a gap in the defence through a switch of play so you've dragged the defence one way only put someone through on the opposite side? A you going to try to outnumber and overload a particular area of the opposition defence?

I find breaking down my attacks into these phases helps me to see where things are breaking down. If you've already realised that playing the ball long to a target man is not an option for you then if you see your team doing that and failing you can go straight into your instructions tell them to cut that out. If your strategy is to hit the ball into space but the space isn't there then you need to consider doing something to create that space or find a plan B. If your dribbler is getting crowded out then you need to draw players away from that area, move your dribbler to a different area or move to plan B.

A lot of people struggle to develop tactics because they (a) don't really have a realistic and well thought out plan and (b) they don't have a strategy for watching their tactic play out. They just see it not working and have no idea why.

 

So, be realistic about your players. Give them the best chance to succeed by not asking them to do things they can't do. Keep it simple and break things down into smaller parts.

 

[Replacement for Mentality]

This is to build on what on @Rashidi talked about in his latest youtube video.

Basically I am of the opinion that Mentality both team and player is unnecessarily opaque and complicated, especially for newbies. It also takes me out of the realism of the game because there is no real life equivalent.

My suggestion would be to axe mentality altogether. Rely on formation and the team instructions to give a particular style of play and use player roles to distribute mentality throughout the team.

As an addition to the PI's Stays Back & Get Further Forward I would really like to have the option to tell any player to drop deeper (in other words find space by moving deeper), Move Into Space (find space by moving ahead of the ball) or Attack Space (wait until the ball is played into space before getting forward aggressively). I see Attack space being a little different than the current instruction to Get Further Forward because Get Further Forward tells a player to take a higher position earlier in the transition (which to me is almost the definition of an Attacking role) where as I explained Attack Space is about not closing off the space until the ball is played and then and only then aggressively attacking the box or the byline.

I would also add an option within the team view of clicking on a player and having the option to say Tell teammates to hit ball into space for player to run onto or Tell teammates to play into his feet. Letting the rest of the team know that you want your right winger to be running onto a lot of long balls would be extremely helpful. Letting your team know that absolutely do NOT want them overhitting passes to your slow as molasses target man would also be a really useful tool to have.

These instructions are far closer to the sort of instructions that are given to players in real life and would be far more intuitive for players of FM.

It becomes clear using the system I've described who has the attacking mentalities, who has the supporting mentalities and who has the more defensive mentalities but its both more subtle and more powerful.

Using these instructions it would be a lot clearer why a player is where a player is at any given moment, it also be a lot clearer why a player passes in the way that they do.

Why is your winger not receiving the ball in the final third the newbie asks the forum? Simple, you've instructed them to Attack Space instead of Get Further Forward.

Why can no one seem to find your fullback with a pass the new poster asks @Rashidi for the millionth time? Simple, You've selected the option Tell teammates to hit ball into space for player to run onto.

Why is your AM not getting into the box more, the frustrated FMer demands of the game developers? Simple, you've told him to Drop Deeper.

 

The more the game can reflect the way people think about football the more accessible and the more enjoyable it will become. I think Mentality has to be removed at some point. When it is finally removed I think something like the above system would make sure the change is better and not worse. Clearer, not even more unrealistic and unintuitive.

[4-3-3 DM Wide Defensive Problems]

I don't really have time to give you an in depth analysis but right off the batt I'd be worried about the lack of penetration into the box. Your DLF drops deep and follows play into the box. Your IW(s) will attempt cut in and also follow play into the box. The Mezzalla will be attack a very similar area to your IW(s) but, again, won't be attacking the box. The IF(a) will attack the box but that's it.

I'm also unsure of the balance you've got in your spine. A HB and a BPD seems a little off to me. The HB drops in between the centre backs to dictate play but the BPD wants to bring the ball out of the back. Ahead of the HB and the BPD are an AP(s) and a MEZ(a) who will be moving away from them. There's a lot of emphasis on the WB's and the BPD to carry the ball.

As to your defensive woes... You're playing a high line so there's naturally space behind. You are playing WB(s) so they're ahead of the defensive line. The HB is vacating the midfield when your team has the ball and dropping between the centre backs. The AP & MEZ are getting forward which means that if you lose the ball you have zero midfield. The defenders will either need to drop very quickly or push up and engage. You've selected More Urgent pressing so I'm going to assume that your defenders leave their defensive shape to win the ball, leaving even more space behind you.

I don't know if I'd use a BPD AND a HB. I also wouldn't have the two midfielders ahead of him be creative players who roam. So, yeh, basically, when you lose the ball you have no midfield, your defenders are instructed to leave their shape and you're playing a higher line. You are definitely going to get attacked behind your defensive line.

 

[Recommendation for a really negative anti-football 4-4-2]

It really depends on what kind of way you want to play it. I tend to go Counter and drop my LoE. I use Get stuck in and then, depending on my keepers' distribution attributes I will either tell him to give it to a defender to hoof or if he's got a long kick on him I'll tell him to send it to the wingers, the centre forward or over the top.

Role wise I tend to keep it simple. GK(d) or if he's good at distributing then SK(d).

Fullbacks I tend to set to FB(s) just because I find FB(d) and NFB too passive. I usually have my most composed centre back as a CB(d) and the less composed one as a NNCB(D).

In midfield, depending on the players I'll have one support and one attack on the wings. Use wingers if they can carry the ball and their natural foot matches their flank. If their foot is the opposite set them to IW. If they aren't great dribblers then use WM. In that case they'll make runs off the ball into space. I try, generally to have one wide player cut in and other stay wide just for a bit of variety.

Centrally you want two players who shut down the middle of the field. One should hold and the other should definitely be a ball winner. You could try a CM(d) and a BWM(s) or I've used CM(s) with the Hold Position PI alongside a BWM(s) before. I use a CM(s) if I want my midfield players to hold a line slightly higher up. The CM(d) tends to drop off which can invite pressure. If your holding player is a good passer then DLP(d) comes into play, although, again, watch that he's not too passive.

Up front I've experimented with a lot of different combos and they all work to an extent. My favourite anti-football combo is probably either the TM(s) + DF(a) combo or the DF(d) + DF(a) combo.

If you've got more than three big, strong players who are good in the air then I'd definitely recommend playing for set-pieces and taking the time to set up a routine.

If you really want to stink the place out then you could try recruiting players who lack sportsmanship and add the waste time TI at every opportunity.

It won't win you any fans and your board might hate you but you'd be surprised by how successful it can be. 

Its fair to say though that there really are loads of ways to play this kind of football. I've tried it lots of different ways.

[Defensively solid tactic]

Low ratings in Determination, Work Rate, Concentration and Stamina will definitely effect your ability to see out games.

In terms of tactics... there are a number of considerations. First of all you need to consider whether your team has the ability to withstand heavy pressure before doing something like getting everyone behind the ball and letting the other team attack you in wave after wave. Does your team have the stamina and concentration to stay switched on late in the game under immense pressure? Do they have the determination, workrate and stamina to work at full capacity late in the game. Do they have the requisite marking, tackling, anticipation and heading to deal with what is basically a defence vs attack situation.

If the answer to any of that is no then its definitely not recommended to employ any kind of park the bus system.

The reverse applies too. If you're not a very competent possession team then its probably not a good idea to try and kill the game by passing it around at the back because a team that is half-way competent at a high block will rip you to shreds.

So, if your team aren't a quality defensive unit or a quality possession unit then you're better off sticking to some version of your main tactic but just making a few little tweaks depending on what your team can do and what the opposition are trying to do.

I think the single biggest mistake people can make when thinking about seeing a game out is that they suddenly think all of the usual rules of football go out of the window. They don't. The last ten minutes of a game follow exactly the same rules as the first 80 minutes. All that changes is that the opposition may take more/or less risks in defence or attack. That's it. But the same principles apply. They still have to win the ball somewhere on the pitch, they still have to build up play through a certain area and they still have to attack certain areas.

Your job is to adjust the risk you take in defence or attack and to try to manipulate where the opposition can win the ball, where and how they can build up and where and how they can attack your goal.

If you try to keep the ball in defence then that is the most likely place the opposition will win the ball. If you camp in their half then the opposition are probably going to knock long balls in behind you (because you're forcing them to). If you go for an ultra-low block containment style then the opposition will have the freedom to take pot shots at your goal. If you surrender the flanks to defend very narrow then expect the opposition to pepper you with crosses. If you sacrifice an attacker for a defender then your ability to defend the opposition's build up is reduced. They will progress the ball. If the opposition are attacking the flanks and having success consider whether your wingers are up to the job of backing up the fullback (Do they lack workrate, teamwork, bravery, aggression. etc) These are just some examples of things to think about.

I haven't seen your tactic so I don't know what you're trying to do in the first 80 minutes or what you're switching to late on but you need to think about how your team defends best and also what the particular opposition are doing.

 

[Make the set-piece creator more stable and possible more user-freindly]

One of the most, potentially, useful parts of the game, set-pieces, is also one of the most glitchy and the least enjoyable to use.

Its especially frustrating that the icons seem to have a life of their own, taking up odd positions on the pitch which just makes making sense of what's in front of you all the more confusing. Is there a way to ensure that the icons remain in the correct shape across the penalty box? Could there also be a system for ensuring that players listed as Go Back or Man Mark (generic settings) are numbered or ordered so that you get your bigger players exactly where you want them?

Its also quite fiddly and time consuming to have to program in so many different settings. Could I recommend an assistant manager function where you can select from options like

• Man to Man, Zonal or combined,
• Defend front post area, central area or back post area.
• Set by Size (so the Ass Man would order your defenders based height and jumping reach) or set by marking (so he orders your defence by Marking & Positioning).
• You can select how many men you like to leave up (1, 2, 3.etc).

You could do the same for attacking set-pieces.

• Choose Front Post routine, Central routine, Back Post Routine or Short Routine.etc
• You could, again, select your players to be ordered by Size or Finishing (OTB + Finishing).
• You could choose how many to leave back.

The set-piece creator could even come with handy presets with easy to understand names representing different set-piece philosophies.

This could be further developed so that you could have generic variations like Overload, Standard and Cautious set-piece templates which were easily switched between mid-game depending on how much risk you wanted to take during the game.

All of this would be designed to save time, enable to the player focus on game-play and not on the mind-numbing minutia of the set-piece creator.

[Help with a LLM tactic Isthmian Premier League Division]

2 minutes ago, FM86 said:

Thanks for the info mate, but as i said for example: A basic system like this will require the central defenders to have jumping, strength, aggression, bravery, positioning, marking an heading. The thing is i can only scout or get players that have only 1 decent stat (10 points or higher) so where should i look out for mostly?

Well I can't see your scouting set up. I don't have one on my games. In the first season I just offer trials to players in the same division as me and in the reserves of the two divisions above me. I make a list of my top five targets in each position and then try to bring them in. You're not going to complete the jigsaw puzzle in one season. Get the best you can for now but be realistic. If your squad can't do the basics in season one then they're not going to storm the league. It might take you two or three seasons of incremental progress before you can get promoted. The thing is if you want guaranteed success then take over the best team in the league, use an external scout app and search the entire database for the best hidden gems and try to bring them in, don't worry about where they're from and how realistic it is. You can try and get a parent club who will loan you players (something I have never done because it feels cheaty). If you want to really grind out your successes then just accept that there's no quick fix and it'll take time but when you get it right it'll be much more satisfying.

[Help with a LLM tactic Isthmian Premier League Division]

20 minutes ago, FM86 said:

Second match: xG opponent 2,7! 27 shots on goal. I lowered my defence line but not working at all.

Most players in the squad right now: poor. But that is maybe because we are almost last in the league (season almost over). So i will give this tactic a try in the new season i guess?

You say: low determination, work rate, team work, aggression, bravery, stamina and acceleration then there's not much any tactical system can do for you. I cannot get any players that have decent stats for all these points so that is a problem. Most players dont wanna join as well. The ones who are willing to join have mostly 1 good stat but only 1 and thats it.

So which stats should i focus on?

You need to really focus on what each player needs as a minimum. A basic system like this will require the central defenders to have jumping, strength, aggression, bravery, positioning, marking an heading. Would you like them to have more, yes, but beggars can't be choosers. Fullbacks will need strength, aggression, bravery, positioning, marking, tackling. Again, as a minimum. Your inverted winger will need to be left footed if he's playing on the right or right footed if he's playing from the left. He'll need to have balance, acceleration, dribbling but also agility and flair if you can get it. Your regular winger will need technique, crossing, passing and if you can get it vision. The better the wingers are at defending the better your whole team will be at defending (so if you have someone with workrate, team work, aggression and bravery then even better). You CM(d) will need work rate, positioning, strength, bravery and aggression. My CM(s) is usually just whoever is my best attacking/creative central midfielder so first touch, passing, vision, long shots.etc Your DF(s) just needs to work hard so stamina, acceleration, work rate, aggression, bravery, srength.etc if you can find someone who also has passing and vision then great. Your poacher just needs anticipation, concentration, off the ball, finishing, composure, acceleration and pace.

We all need to make compromises somewhere so don't expect to find the perfect squad straight away but you should always be trying to improve the basics where you can. Start with what you can get and build from there but if your players are terrible at the basics then you need to understand that you're going to struggle until you can bring in better players.

 

I only play lower league (level 10 or 11 in England)*. I start with a simple system and try to assemble a squad that can do the basics. This might take a couple of seasons. I want my team to be solid, hard working and hard to beat. As you get more money and your reputation improves then you can try to add some genuine quality, maybe a DLP(d) here and a DLF(s) there.

*I also only sign newgens and from clubs local to the club I'm managing. Its just a set of rules that I use to make the game more interesting.

[Help with a LLM tactic Isthmian Premier League Division]

1 minute ago, FM86 said:

I was thinking about something like this. Problem is almost every chance is a goal against us. Even with decent defenders (for this level). First game with your tactic 2-4 at home.

What is your morale like? If the team are low on morale and/or they have low determination, work rate, team work, aggression, bravery, stamina and acceleration then there's not much any tactical system can do for you. Step 1 is to assemble a squad capable of putting in effort consistently. Step 2 is getting and keeping the squad fit and motivated. Step 3 is coming up with a system that maximises your players strengths and minimises their weaknesses. The tactic I suggested is very simple and effective and should work at almost any level and assembling a squad capable of playing that way should be very easy. If your squad is mentality and physically weak, unfit and/or unmotivated then no tactic will work.