Pull It Back

[Fisher310]

Just looking for a little help here. What I am trying to do is create a tactic playing attractive football - pass and move football. However the problem I am having is with my wingers. I'm playing a 4-2-3-1 with two wingers as an oppose to three attacking midfielders. I want my two wingers to get in behind the oppositions' full backs and then pull it back for either my AMC or ST to tap into an empty net, a la Pires and Ljungberg for Arsenal. Any suggestions on the set up of my wingers and the types of players they should be would be much appreciated. Cheers

[Karnage94]

I would suggest having your wingers move into channels to get in between the full back and centre back. Hug touchline will keep them too wide for pull backs and Cut inside will mean that frequently they will cut across in front of the defenders. Cross from the Byline and the target mixed so that once they get to the byline they will have the freedom to pick out the best cross. Finally I would set crossing to Mixed, not Often, just in case they can see a better option than the cross/pull back. There isn't much point in telling them to cross whenever the opportunity arises if there isn't anyone in the box. The rest of the settings I would keep default on a Winger - Attack.

As for the types of players for this, somebody with good pace and dribbling, with a good cross and good creativity and decisions. I personally don't rely on my Wingers to play the pull backs, I have them cut inside and let my one of my strikers drift out towards the flank to play the ball in.

Hope that helps

[ham_aka_stam]

Move into channels makes them run wider than they do on Normal (contrary to the name). Bear in mind this only effects them on-the-ball.

Agree with the rest though, and you definitely need someone with good creativity and teamwork.

[Karnage94]

Move into channels makes them run wider than they do on Normal (contrary to the name). Bear in mind this only effects them on-the-ball.

Agree with the rest though, and you definitely need someone with good creativity and teamwork.

Fair enough. Wasn't 100% sure on the Move into channels setting, it was a bit of a guess. Teamwork I did forget about, that's probably the biggest one. I've used a fair few strikers in an Advanced Forward role with mixed crossing and when they go wide the tendency is for them to try take 3 defenders on and score from a ridiculous angle instead of doing the sensible thing and crossing the ball.

[ham_aka_stam]

I have the same problem. Both Hernandez and Alcacer are far too greedy.

[deserter]

Move into channels makes them run wider than they do on Normal (contrary to the name). Bear in mind this only effects them on-the-ball.

How certain are you of this?

I have suspected that wide play instructions don't work off the ball, to my frustration. However it seems counter intuitive that moves to channels on a winger would make him play wider. The whole wide play instruction is a bit fuzzy all in all. I mean, does Cut Inside do anything if you're already in the middle of the pitch? Does it prevent you from going wide? Do Hug the Line work for central players? Does normal mean that a player is free to choose where to move? I don't really have a clue although I have tried to figure it out in-game. Not very hard but still.

EDIT: Regarding pull backs: 'Looks for pass rather than shooting' should help as well. In my experience Teamwork is indeed essential and creativity is good for spotting the team mate. Technical ability is a bonus naturally.

[ellandroader82]

How certain are you of this?

I have suspected that wide play instructions don't work off the ball, to my frustration. However it seems counter intuitive that moves to channels on a winger would make him play wider. The whole wide play instruction is a bit fuzzy all in all. I mean, does Cut Inside do anything if you're already in the middle of the pitch? Does it prevent you from going wide? Do Hug the Line work for central players? Does normal mean that a player is free to choose where to move? I don't really have a clue although I have tried to figure it out in-game. Not very hard but still.

EDIT: Regarding pull backs: 'Looks for pass rather than shooting' should help as well. In my experience Teamwork is indeed essential and creativity is good for spotting the team mate. Technical ability is a bonus naturally.

I actually found that with a narrow looking midfield, playing the ball into space as opposed to feet (which I prefer to do, I pass into space when the opponents are very rigid) tends to lend to the teams ability to move around and find the passes. For example, if one of your defensive players retrieves the ball and spreads it out to the flanks, one of my inside forwards (depending on the left/right flank) will go and fetch the ball then go from there.

[ham_aka_stam]

How certain are you of this?

I have suspected that wide play instructions don't work off the ball, to my frustration. However it seems counter intuitive that moves to channels on a winger would make him play wider. The whole wide play instruction is a bit fuzzy all in all. I mean, does Cut Inside do anything if you're already in the middle of the pitch? Does it prevent you from going wide? Do Hug the Line work for central players? Does normal mean that a player is free to choose where to move? I don't really have a clue although I have tried to figure it out in-game. Not very hard but still.

Pretty certain. Not only from my own experience, but from bits read from both users I trust and SI team members.

Normal = make your own decisions whether to go wide or come inside with the ball.

Move into channels = move outside more often than you come inside

Hug touchline = move outside the majority of the time

Cut inside = move inside more than you go outside

As for if you're already in the position which the instructions suggests, I'm not sure. Part of me thinks the instruction also tells the player which side of his marker to take the ball, but that may also be linked to player footedness and the OI used by the defender (which side he's showing him down).

In my experience, Hug Touchline works for MCR or MCL etc, but not for CM. And rather than make them hug the touchline at all times, it just means they tend to take the ball wide when they have it at their feet.

I don't use any of them, unless I have a player with PPM which sees them do one or the other, then I will instruct them enough to negate it. i.e. Nani has cut inside, so I tell him to move into channels so that he plays more like someone on Normal.

Some wingers have Hugs Touchline, I'll tell them to Cut Inside to negate it and see them playing more "normally".

EDIT: Regarding pull backs: 'Looks for pass rather than shooting' should help as well. In my experience Teamwork is indeed essential and creativity is good for spotting the team mate. Technical ability is a bonus naturally.

All that PPM does is lower the player's Long Shots slider. If you set it to medium, and the player has that PPM, they play at Rarely. However, if they're already set to Rarely, and you give them that PPM, it won't change anything. A lot of the PPMs do this, they just modify a tactical setting within the parameters already set.

[HUNT3R]

Just to add, Moves Into Channels and Hug Touchline is an off/without the ball instruction. Cuts Inside is an on/with the ball instruction.

[ham_aka_stam]

You might be right there actually. That rings a bell.

It's still true that Move Into Channels doesn't actually make the player move into the channels, it just means he'll make slightly wider runs. But not as wide as someone who has Hugs Touchline.

Good spot HUNT3R

[HUNT3R]

Thanks. It was either Cleon or wwfan who said it. Must say that I never really noticed that players don't properly run into channels. Makes me wonder where my attention is when the match is on, that I've missed it all this time!