MBarbaric

I've set-up (insert any posh manager/style here) tactics! I've set-up working pressing tactic! I've managed to get my team play like ManCity!

Funny how uneducated we all are when judging stats, especially if we work on feelings. So let's check some real stats: Average number of goals conceded from set pieces last season in EPL (38 matches) was 15 so you conceded double in only 20% more matches Note that the actual number is 14,1 but the program is making some silly rounding. Plus, it includes goals from penalties and throw ins. So, if zou take out penalties, throw-ins and direct free kicks) it is 10. So, you actually concede 300% more in 20% more matches.

I meant how are goals created. through ball, cross, direct pass over the defence... Also, I've noticed you scored 6 overhead kick goals in 50 matches, you must have Ibra on steroids in your squad

Just one question, what is the most common goal type he scores?

Indeed, but I think ultimately SI are right. The game has for years been on top of the most played games on steam. So, to bang on about the movement of strikers, passing decisions, defensive organization (and I've done it for years) is frankly - pointless. It doesn't matter to tenths of thousands of people playing the game at this moment and, as long as it is like that (and I see no reason why that would change in any reasonable time span), it shouldn't really matter to SI. They are business and, above all, they have to think about those who enjoy the game. The UI needs to be good, tactics need to be updated, DB needs to be updated, everything needs to work when you turn it on and that is basically it. Accept it as it is with its flaws and imperfections if you can. If you can't, then simply don't buy, don't play. It was always meant to be a dream machine where you pick your local team and win everything- It was never really a football tactics simulator so to complain about ME is kind of useless. If they could solve the problems in ME they would. They deserve the credit for introducing new TC with new instructions. They work as much anything in tactics has worked over the years. One patch yes, another not so much. But it has been like that since we got 2D where you could actually see the pitch. It was like that even before, you just couldn't see it.

there is a problem with the ME logic when playing out of the back. It simply lacks proper (or any at all) movement in order to make the play from back work. Above is a random example of a team playing from the back with two different approaches. a) red - with an aim to play in the half space b) blue - with an aim to play down the flank In the red example, the key player is the winger #17 dropping deep in the half space to pick the ball and CAM #7 simultaneously moving higher up the pitch offering a passing option in more advanced position. In blue, you see the CM #21 offering a short passing option and #7 offering central passing option while CM#5 offers security in both examples. Now, these are only two examples of only one phase (playing out of the back). You can see that AM#7 has two distinctive behaviours depending on the side of the pitch. You will notice that RW#17 drops very deep to pick up the ball in the half space. What role/mentality/position in FM behaves like that? And again, this is only in two examples of only one phase of play. All these players have different behaviours in different phases in different zones on the pitch. The way FM represents roles/positions/duties is infinitely more reductive than what actually happens on the pitch. In one moment a CAM is CM, in another, he is a winger, IF... and that is only in offensive phase and without touching on rotations or the defensive phase. There simply is no way you can get "correct" passing decisions in the game if there simply are no passing options. And there are no passing options because there is no movement. And there is no movement because how roles/positions/duties/formations work within TC. This lack of movement is equally visible in all thirds of the pitch in all offensive phases.

if that was true, it would probably be the most stupid thing to do in order to disguise it. the truth is far worst. these hunting packs are an inherent problem with ME or a bug. depends how you want to see it. since certain things repeat for years, I'd lean towards inherent problems with the ME. If they were mere bugs, they would have solved them in all these years.

the ability to explicitly set narrow defensive width is one of the best additions TC got in recent years. It is how defending works in football. You don't cover whole width of the pitch, you want to put pressure on the opposition where the ball is. The problem this created is that the offensive phase is unable to cope with it due: a) lack of movement off the ball (switching of positions/rotations) b) lack of individual technique and skill of players, Messi in ME? c) lack of combination play which involves movement and passing decisions

well of course they don't only do soak tests. However, whoever is doing the match analysis doesn't know how to do it or the ME is in such a state that there is not a lot of room to improve it. and I personally believe it is the latter as most things being reported are going on for years now.

Analysing a football match is a complex process taking days and to expect a casual player to do something like that is crazy. Most managers in real football clubs don't do that and rely on analysts. It is literally different job, and the game is called football manager not football analyst. You are right though, all the tools are in there, and one could really use them to get more out of his team. However, SI doesn't help a lot. xG has been in analytics for almost a decade now and is used at almost all clubs. It isn't a unified formula (different analysts/clubs use different formula) but it is currently the best way to objectively explain how much has some club been (un)lucky. Why isn+t that in the game? It would be much more clear than shot stats to an average person. where SI could profit from analysing matches is in beta testing. Actually watching matches in ME and comparing it to how they play out in reality would help a lot with combing out ME weaknesses. Instead, "soak tests show we are on track for number of goals scored from crosses so wide play must be OK" mantra is repeated for years now and wide (or central) play is still not right.

Oh I am not arguing that at all. Man City, nor any possession-oriented team, plays anything like their counterparts.

not strange you remember it since you are a ManUtd supporter . however, mostly in last century. 15/16 Leicester 81 10/11 Man Utd 80 00/01 Man Utd 80 98/99 Man Utd 79 97/98 Arsenal 78 96/97 Man Utd 75 95/96 Man Utd 82

i am saying that what yellow team does during that goal makes no sense. when you defend, you try to keep the defensive shape narrow and short to deny space. they have gaps horizontally and vertically allowing red team acres of space everywhere. This can, sort of, be explained if they wanted to press high up the pitch. the problem is, they do that with 3 front players but the rest of their squad is completely out of sync not doing their part. I won't bother explaining why since you have already decided there's nothing wrong with the ME here and the goal is the result of your good tactics. That is fair enough, and merry you go into more victories. as for the bolded part, what do they need to stretch if their team is already stretched all over the place? You'd need to stretch if they had been compact and narrow, not if they are so spread I'd still suggest you upload the PKM in the ME bugs section.

it is also possible you have some insight in football tactics but not likely. banter aside, looking at that one example it is possible of course. however, knowing the ME and the way defending had worked for years, i'd say it is far more likely there's something wrong with the ME. If they are trying to get back late in game, how they do it? I guess they want to put some pressure on the opposition? On the back line maybe? Ok, how they do it? LW takes out the RB, CF takes out one CB and RW marks LB. Fair enough, maybe they want to encourage the red team to play through the middle and press them there? Not likely, they are in 2v3 disadvantage there and those CM's don't mark anyone. You can turn and shift this as you like, but there is something wrong from whichever angle you look at it. It might be that the AI logic fails to understand they are a man down and doesn't adapt. In any case, you simply don't defend this way. not at this level, not even in sunday league. You can keep saying yourself you are the tactical mastermind (that is what the game is all about after all), but this is really for ME bugs section.

I can speak only about what I saw. And that goal, as those screenshots show, has very little to do with your team attacking, and everything with the way the opposition is defending. You might do well and upload it to ME bugs section. Please, get back, check those screenshots and honestly say how does that defence look to you? If you still think it is about your tactics, then all I can do is give up and agree that we disagree.