Quickfire Questions and Answers Thread (Tactic and Training Questions Only)

[Gee_Simpson]

Yeah. I'm sure you was involved with the discussion the last time I brought this up

Nah, this is the first time I've asked this question

[Adzke]

One of my players are able to be taught the PPM "Dictates tempo", while others (playing AMC, MC) aren't.

What are the requirements to learn this PPM?

[Dr. Hook]

Thanks RTH.

I have a good idea about how I would like to play the 4 in the midfield diamond; it is organising the players around them I am struggling with. I am frustrating myself by trying to get the best of all worlds but I really want width without compromising up front or in defence.

Could I get away with using WBs in a 4-4-2 diamond or is that overly aggressive?

Spotted this, and thought I could add to it as I used the narrow diamond almost exclusively. Half back as RT says is a great role, but I've successfully used the straight DM role as well. When I needed stability, I used a defensive, and if I wanted him more involved I used support. Either way, you get three at the back when the play turns on you, even if you're fullbacks have bombed forward as they will need to do. I use the full back rather than wingback when I get worried about the opposition, and they track back better but still get forward enough to provide width. For the central midfield pair I like a CM (S), typically a man with good stamina and defensive attributes in addition to passing, and a CM(A) who will get forward into the attack well enough. My AMC I used either a straight AMC (A) or a Treq. depending on who I have, and then one of the Strikers on DLF(S), the other AF(A). I get a nice range of movement with this setup. Since you have an idea about your midfield four, experiment a bit. You'll want fullbacks or wingbacks with attack duty, the 2 centrebacks as straight central defenders on defend, and one striker pushing the line with the other dropping off into space.

It;s my favorite formation, and has the added advantage in that team building doesn't require wingers, and you can have a multiplicity of central midfielders to play roles and cover everything

[Sussex Hammer]

How do you guys "close down". It really seems impossible to get any more than a casual meander towards the ball !!!

[thomit]

If you mean; how to make them close down quicker, you can't, Even with "hassle opponents" ticked, they often seem to take their time doing it, don't they. Having a high d-line and/or tight marking will help a little, at least visually more gratifying, simply because your players will be closer to the players they need to close down in the first place. But if you want to see your players rush towards the opposing player on the ball at the speed of light; No, it won't happen very often. Re all these threads started by people complaining that they can't get their players to close down like they see Barca or Dortmund or Bayern often do; immediately and at full speed. Aggressive mentality and "hassle" is the best you can do. But I also think that it could be that the shortcomings of the 3d graphics make it look slower than it actually is.

[Murder on Zidane's Floor]

I've seen it posted many times that by using 'hassle opponents' and 'use tighter marking' is a no-no for the effects on your central defenders' behaviour. Namely charging out of position or doubling up on the striker, both leading to simple through balls for clear chances. I haven't seen a suggestion for how to contend with this. Obviously I could take the shouts off but then how do I play a pressing game? In the same vein, does 'hassle opponents' increase man to man marking anyway and such make the 'use tighter marking' over kill?

[Sussex Hammer]

It's a pain. Ideally I want my front players closing down ie striker, wide players and one CM. I then want my DLP, AM and defenders to stand off more because I want my DLP in space to receive the ball. I play a 433.451. However because closing down is far to passive by the time my players have approached their target he has just passed it behind them. Really difficult to work out what to do.

[Sussex Hammer]

Just an update on the closing down issue.

I tried something with my 451. I generally line up like this -

-------------AF A------------

IF S----------------------W A

---------DLP S---CM A-----

--------------AM D----------

FB A-----CB D----CB D---FB S

---------------SK S----------

Mentality - Defensive

Fluid

Higher Defensive Line

What I did was to max out closing down for any player on an attacking duty through the instructions if they didn't already have high closing down. I then asked any defensive duty to close down less if it wasn't already active in their instructions so in my case only the Anchor Man needed to be adjusted manually to close down less. Any player with a support duty I left as it is.

The thinking behind this is obviously logical - Attacking duties - MAX, Supporting - AVERAGE, Defend - LITTLE.

The first thing I noticed is that the Anchor Man wasn't charging all over the pitch and sat in front of my CB's which is where you want an Anchor Man. My FB A actually did far better in winning balls with that extra closing down although with both full backs if they don't get there that diagonal ball behind them still creates a problem. Really not sure how to stop this I have tried tighter marking and less closing down but the issue still persists.

Played Man Utd at home with this new way of closing down and drew 1-1 and they only had one CCC which was pleasing. Still wondering whether to maybe have my left CB on a cover duty or even lower closing down on support duties even more?

[Murder on Zidane's Floor]

So have you dropped the hassle opponents shout all together then? I was thinking of just using PI's so that looks like a good way to do it. Keep me updated on your observations!

[Lord Rowell]

Please could someone advise me how to deal with the following two, related scenarios?

1. AI team pushing up against my defence and marking my defenders tightly, resulting in my goalkeeper clearing it long because he can't "see" anyone to pass to.

2. My FB or CB, deep and under pressure from a high-up, tight marking AI wide midfielder or forward, aimlessly clears the ball, not down the line as would happen IRL, but instead lumping it into the middle, often into extremely dangerous areas. I would add and emphasise that there are often other simple passing options available.

I do think to some degree these are ME issues. Nonetheless, any advice welcome, even if its just a workaround.

LR

[bennymc]

Please could someone advise me how to deal with the following two, related scenarios?

1. AI team pushing up against my defence and marking my defenders tightly, resulting in my goalkeeper clearing it long because he can't "see" anyone to pass to.

2. My FB or CB, deep and under pressure from a high-up, tight marking AI wide midfielder or forward, aimlessly clears the ball, not down the line as would happen IRL, but instead lumping it into the middle, often into extremely dangerous areas. I would add and emphasise that there are often other simple passing options available.

I do think to some degree these are ME issues. Nonetheless, any advice welcome, even if its just a workaround.

LR

Use the Chile approach, have one more defender (or DM... halfback perhaps?) than the opponent has strikers so there's always a spare man at the back to play out of defence.

[Damedius]

How do you prevent long bombs?

Where a defender or a goalie kick the ball down the length of the field and somehow the attacker catches all your defenders sleeping.

[Dr. Hook]

Please could someone advise me how to deal with the following two, related scenarios?

1. AI team pushing up against my defence and marking my defenders tightly, resulting in my goalkeeper clearing it long because he can't "see" anyone to pass to.

2. My FB or CB, deep and under pressure from a high-up, tight marking AI wide midfielder or forward, aimlessly clears the ball, not down the line as would happen IRL, but instead lumping it into the middle, often into extremely dangerous areas. I would add and emphasise that there are often other simple passing options available.

I do think to some degree these are ME issues. Nonetheless, any advice welcome, even if its just a workaround.

LR

First, let's stipulate the keeper distribution in the ME is fairly crap and has been for a long time. Given that, using the DM could work, but if you don't want to change your shape around to accommodate a DM, then a possible solution is to have your keeper distribute to your center mid that you have on defensive duty (or whoever you have dropping back to link to the defense). It won't be a perfect solution because of point one, but it may help. At any rate, that is how I've dealt with keeper distribution insofar as I can.

[Dr. Hook]

How do you prevent long bombs?

Where a defender of a goalie kick the ball down the length of the field and somehow the attacker catches all your defenders sleeping.

Can't say as I've experienced this- is your d-line pushed up high perhaps? Are you playing an offside trap? That could result in what you are seeing.

[Lord Rowell]

First, let's stipulate the keeper distribution in the ME is fairly crap and has been for a long time. Given that, using the DM could work, but if you don't want to change your shape around to accommodate a DM, then a possible solution is to have your keeper distribute to your center mid that you have on defensive duty (or whoever you have dropping back to link to the defense). It won't be a perfect solution because of point one, but it may help. At any rate, that is how I've dealt with keeper distribution insofar as I can.

I do have a DM in my 4-5-1 formation so I'll try that - thank you.

[Damedius]

Can't say as I've experienced this- is your d-line pushed up high perhaps? Are you playing an offside trap? That could result in what you are seeing.

I have Attacking mentality. That is about the only thing I can think of. The only team instruction that might effect my d-line is drop deeper.

[Lord Rowell]

I have Attacking mentality. That is about the only thing I can think of. The only team instruction that might effect my d-line is drop deeper.

That will automatically mean you play with a very high line.

As you say, drop deeper is an option. Other possibilities might include setting a CB to a cover duty, having a really good Sweeper Keeper (not easy to find!), or using OI's on the forwards - can be tricky to get right though.

Tbh I'd drop your mentality to Control.

[Damedius]

That will automatically mean you play with a very high line.

As you say, drop deeper is an option. Other possibilities might include setting a CB to a cover duty, having a really good Sweeper Keeper (not easy to find!), or using OI's on the forwards - can be tricky to get right though.

Tbh I'd drop your mentality to Control.

It wasn't really a problem until this season. I had a great run at the end of the last season and got promoted to Skybet Championship. Now I'm seriously outclassed by my opponents.

I'll give control a try for a few games.

Edit:Here is the tactic i'm using. Second last post is the updated version.

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/394081-Help-With-My-442

Edit:Still getting beaten deep. Though I have one win and one tie after switching to control.

[Dr. Hook]

It wasn't really a problem until this season. I had a great run at the end of the last season and got promoted to Skybet Championship. Now I'm seriously outclassed by my opponents.

I'll give control a try for a few games.

Edit:Here is the tactic i'm using. Second last post is the updated version.

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/394081-Help-With-My-442

Edit:Still getting beaten deep. Though I have one win and one tie after switching to control.

How do your defenders stack up with the average oppo in terms of pace and positioning? If you stepped up a level, and in my experience the jump from League One to the Championship can be a bit painful, you might be getting exposed by better players. Control will keep a fairly high line too, so you may want to modify with a drop deeper shout- the cover defender will stay back a bit as well, but I've never liked it in normal defending play, he tended to leave too much space in front of him the times I've used it.

[Animasta]

I'm using a 4-4-1-1 with Barry as a DLP(D) as Everton, but unfortunately he's leaving and as I don't particularly want to pay for him cause he's a little old and I've got enough older midfielders already... I have a few targets in mind that can play as a DLP, but none of them are particularly... defensive enough. Would a BPD be a good substitute so I could use, say, a designated holding midfielder?

[Damedius]

How do your defenders stack up with the average oppo in terms of pace and positioning? If you stepped up a level, and in my experience the jump from League One to the Championship can be a bit painful, you might be getting exposed by better players. Control will keep a fairly high line too, so you may want to modify with a drop deeper shout- the cover defender will stay back a bit as well, but I've never liked it in normal defending play, he tended to leave too much space in front of him the times I've used it.

They are probably slow in comparison. 13 Acc 12 Pace and 10 Acc 10 Pace. Should I try to get a pacey central defender? I'm losing one of them at the end of the year because he won't sign with me.

[Getzlaf]

Hey guys!

How much does acceleration and pace improve? Take Sterling for example, his acceleration is 17 and his speed is 16 at the start of the game. How much faster will he be when he is 25 years old? Will his attributes be around 18-19 or will they be about the same?

[RTHerringbone]

Hey guys!

How much does acceleration and pace improve? Take Sterling for example, his acceleration is 17 and his speed is 16 at the start of the game. How much faster will he be when he is 25 years old? Will his attributes be around 18-19 or will they be about the same?

Extraordinarily hard to answer. It depends on too many factors to give a clear response.

It depends on his PA vs his CA, it depends on how you train him - are you training specific attributes?

It depends on your coaching infrastructure etc. etc.

[Adsuperjenius]

how to use 4-4-2 formation well?

my assistant keep saying there are too many space to exploit between defence and midfield

also he say that too many space between midifeld and attack so the support didnt come anywhere..

and,do 4-4-2 diamond would create more hole, as only 1 DM do defence in center?

[Dr. Hook]

They are probably slow in comparison. 13 Acc 12 Pace and 10 Acc 10 Pace. Should I try to get a pacey central defender? I'm losing one of them at the end of the year because he won't sign with me.

It certainly won't hurt But yes, unless they are really savvy mentally (high decisions, positioning, anticipation) they will get caught out by the through balls if they are pushed up. Look for pace and/or good mental stats, and drop that d-line back a bit until you get it.

[Dr. Hook]

I'm using a 4-4-1-1 with Barry as a DLP(D) as Everton, but unfortunately he's leaving and as I don't particularly want to pay for him cause he's a little old and I've got enough older midfielders already... I have a few targets in mind that can play as a DLP, but none of them are particularly... defensive enough. Would a BPD be a good substitute so I could use, say, a designated holding midfielder?

A BPD is a nice role for me, but I don't think he'll do quite what you want as a replacement for a DLP. You will still have the same issue once he gets the ball up to your holding mid- who is going to be the creative fulcrum for your attack? The BPD doesn't get much forward (at least as I've experienced him) where he would substitute for a DLP at the CM position. What you could do, is use two to make up for the one- creative solutions! USe your BPD and then a holding mid who may not be a great playmaker but is still good to link up with a better playmaker more forward.

[Lyssien]

Hey guys!

How much does acceleration and pace improve? Take Sterling for example, his acceleration is 17 and his speed is 16 at the start of the game. How much faster will he be when he is 25 years old? Will his attributes be around 18-19 or will they be about the same?

If he has potential left (I don't know what his CA/PA are), there is no reason why his acceleration/pace cannot improve a lot. If you care enough, work him on Quickness to help him out.

[FM_Squall]

What formations/tactics would you use to maximise a selfish target man-esque finisher like Luca Toni? I want to take advantage of his aerial presence, but with no creative strikers in my team, i'm hesitant to use him with another poacher, and a sole striker who can't pass is difficult to work with.

[vasilli07]

What formations/tactics would you use to maximise a selfish target man-esque finisher like Luca Toni? I want to take advantage of his aerial presence, but with no creative strikers in my team, i'm hesitant to use him with another poacher, and a sole striker who can't pass is difficult to work with.

Maybe a formation with wingbacks/fullbacks/wingers with good crossing ability.

[Azmodai]

Dear Cleon, THOG and other people who know what they are talking about and the match engine inside out.

I am struggling like i've never struggled before in this game, 30 years old, been playing fm since CM2 and I've never had so much trouble as I have over the past 2 years, especially this year. I appreciate all of your detailed posts and guides in this forum, It's obvious how much work and effort has gone into it, but to put things frankly, I just cannot keep up with the information. The game is incredibly difficult for me to play these days, I've tried reading the fluidity thread, but I work 11 hours a day and only have weekends to play the game and I feel that reading mountains of guides to even try and understand positioning and basic team functions is too much work for what is essentially a game.

My question is I come across advice from you and others along the lines of "Why would you hassle opponents while your line is already high, the default is already very aggressive" or something like "your defense line will wander forward if you have fluidity set to high, set fluidity to a more rigid style" but then I read the 12 step guide and because I don't like using specialist roles, It's not smart for me to use rigid mentalities or something?

Basically what I'm getting at is that the game is extremely difficult, from what I can understand I need to know almost off by heart all the roles and how they effect forward runs, marking, tackling, positioning on the field, how often they will pass, cut inside etc... but on top of that also know what the in game shouts will do as well as the mentality and philosophy... and it just overwhelms me. When you guys say stuff like, "I use a high line with a defensive mentality to make a higher deep line", it sticks and just confuses me when I want to do anything on my own.

I've spent maybe 3-4 hours reading all the stickies and am confused to hell basically... all I want to be able to do is set my team in a nice 4-5-1 counterattacking where the team sits back and when in possession quickly transitions play to the wingers who will cut inside and try to score... but because I'm worrying about how to attain this with what fluidity, or mentality or individual instructions, I can never seem to come up with a tactic that I ever want to do, if anything does work, it's basically pure luck and as soon as the tactic loses it's effectiveness and I need a new one, I mess up, then I lose morale and I can never fix things.

I'm not saying make the game easier, but I just wish things were more open, I'm frankly amazed at how you guys will look at a formation screenshot and go "yeah you have no cover for the forwards, there will be gaps, and your full backs are crossing over inside leaving space on the sides" or such... Please help me understand how I can get into the grove of things, I have read the stickies, but it's just so dense and full of information, most of it just confuses me to hell... I'm not saying that I want to win every game with minimum effort, but currently, the game seems to be exceptionally difficult, and I'm lost, I'd be happy if my team were playing the way I wanted them to, but they don't either.

[Uncle_Sam]

OK, so this may not be the right place for this question but I didn't want open a thread for it in the general discussion forum since it's probably an easy answer. Do the AI managers improve their clubs' training and youth facilities?

[liam9sufc]

If I put a player in the left central attacking midfield slot (4141 formation basically with the LM moved to LCAM). Which role would best replicate lateral movement? I'm trying to recreate David silvas role in the sense that he starts out wide left but is given license to drift across either side of the pitch in the attacking third. I want my player to be able to just float around the last third looking for pockets of space on the left right and centre of the field. Will Trequatista offer this kind of behaviour better than an APs/a? Would obviously give the player I'm using for this idea (Coutinho) the PI roam from position

[Kelvinu]

i know that the PI overwrites TI's, but if i set 'stick to position+be more disciplined' on TI, and 'roam from position' on PI, the tactic will also remove the 'be more disciplined'?

[Marsupian]

Dear Cleon, THOG and other people who know what they are talking about and the match engine inside out.

I am struggling like i've never struggled before in this game, 30 years old, been playing fm since CM2 and I've never had so much trouble as I have over the past 2 years, especially this year. I appreciate all of your detailed posts and guides in this forum, It's obvious how much work and effort has gone into it, but to put things frankly, I just cannot keep up with the information. The game is incredibly difficult for me to play these days, I've tried reading the fluidity thread, but I work 11 hours a day and only have weekends to play the game and I feel that reading mountains of guides to even try and understand positioning and basic team functions is too much work for what is essentially a game.

My question is I come across advice from you and others along the lines of "Why would you hassle opponents while your line is already high, the default is already very aggressive" or something like "your defense line will wander forward if you have fluidity set to high, set fluidity to a more rigid style" but then I read the 12 step guide and because I don't like using specialist roles, It's not smart for me to use rigid mentalities or something?

Basically what I'm getting at is that the game is extremely difficult, from what I can understand I need to know almost off by heart all the roles and how they effect forward runs, marking, tackling, positioning on the field, how often they will pass, cut inside etc... but on top of that also know what the in game shouts will do as well as the mentality and philosophy... and it just overwhelms me. When you guys say stuff like, "I use a high line with a defensive mentality to make a higher deep line", it sticks and just confuses me when I want to do anything on my own.

I've spent maybe 3-4 hours reading all the stickies and am confused to hell basically... all I want to be able to do is set my team in a nice 4-5-1 counterattacking where the team sits back and when in possession quickly transitions play to the wingers who will cut inside and try to score... but because I'm worrying about how to attain this with what fluidity, or mentality or individual instructions, I can never seem to come up with a tactic that I ever want to do, if anything does work, it's basically pure luck and as soon as the tactic loses it's effectiveness and I need a new one, I mess up, then I lose morale and I can never fix things.

I'm not saying make the game easier, but I just wish things were more open, I'm frankly amazed at how you guys will look at a formation screenshot and go "yeah you have no cover for the forwards, there will be gaps, and your full backs are crossing over inside leaving space on the sides" or such... Please help me understand how I can get into the grove of things, I have read the stickies, but it's just so dense and full of information, most of it just confuses me to hell... I'm not saying that I want to win every game with minimum effort, but currently, the game seems to be exceptionally difficult, and I'm lost, I'd be happy if my team were playing the way I wanted them to, but they don't either.

The idea SI had when removing the slider info (mentality and such) was to make it more intuitive. Now people who know how things are effected are explaining things to people in terms of sliders/tick boxes etc. because that is the common language on these boards. What the game is trying to do is move away from this and instead make the common language football.

*Note* The consensus is that SI could do a better job with giving more detailed, in-depth or clearer info on what instructions actually do but that is another point.

Now if you want the game to be more fun and less of a hassle I would advice you to follow the direction SI is trying to steer you towards. Drop the idea of sliders, drop the idea of forward runs, drop everything you know about the ME. Instead keep things simple.

1. Have a look at your squad.

2. Make a gameplan (defend high with pressing/defend deep with a strong shape, exploit space behind the opponents defensive line with pace and fast transition/sit deep and safe while probing for that magic through ball/play a controlled attacking game with a striker creating space for deep runners trying to unsettle the opponents defense with superior passing and movement). Basically make a couple of big decisions on how to play.

3. Base your formation, strategy and philosophy on your gameplan. From here maybe add a couple of key team instructions to put a signature on the way your team plays. If it's more than four you should probably reconsider which ones really further your gameplan and which ones are just adding unecessary instructions on top of a pile.

4. Set up your roles and duties to further your gameplan while getting the most out of your key players. Pay some attention to putting out a balanced team but also don't be afraid to tip the balance in one direction to get an advantage create an advantage somewhere. A good way to decide on roles/duties is to look at different phases on play and how you want players to position and move. For the defensive phase you usually want at least one midfielder staying back to hold position so that is a defensive duty and likely not a role that closes down aggressively. Now depending on how attacking/defensive you want to play you can say 3 players is enough or you can keep another player or two back (fullbacks on support rather than attack, two holding midfielders, an extra DC). How players track back to defend will largely be decided by the formation, CM strata players generally get back behind the ball while AM strata players tend to stay in front unless on support duty and playing with a more defensive strategy. Setting up attacking players is less straightforward and more up to how you want to create space for your goalscorers. Always think about how many players are actually going to be in the box and how you are going to give them space and a ball at their feet/head.

5. Watch matches and see how your team plays together. This is the fun part so make sure you are having furn. Get passionate, get dramatic and then have fun analyzing the games. Be patient with changes you make and think in football terms. Also if a player performs badly I always first consider how the players around him can solve the issue instead of looking at how I can change the player in question. Often it's best to invite a certain behavior through your tactical set up than to instruct behavior through individual instructions.

6. You have the most enjoyment with this game if you can see the fun part of hitting rough spots. It can be really hard if you get invested in a team/player/tactic but some of the best fun I've had was playing a role playing type manager game and getting sacked twice in half a year and deciding to just move to South America in the hopes they don't know my reputation there .

Good luck and I hope you can find the fun again!

[Crplz]

Is playing with multiple playmakers workable? It seems like it would confuse things, so I'm just wondering how well (or not) it works in the game.

[David91]

How to encourage players to perform one-twos? Without them having the PPM.

[THOG]

Is playing with multiple playmakers workable? It seems like it would confuse things, so I'm just wondering how well (or not) it works in the game.

Yes, it can work, but it will generally cause your attack to be channeled through a highly specific path and may cause your playmakers to be slightly more averse to playing low-probability-of-success passes to attacking players (since the two playmakers will look for one another when forward passing options are limited, as opposed to the ball coming to a single playmaker and seeing all other players as essentially "equal" in terms of passing preferences).

Phrasing that in different terms:

A lone playmaker thinks: "It's my job to make things happen."

A playmaker with another playmaker in the system thinks: "Well, if I can't think of something, maybe he can!"

How to encourage players to perform one-twos? Without them having the PPM.

One-twos are premised on two things: a simple pass to the feet of a more advanced player and an overlapping run from a more deeply positioned player.

So basically, you want a support player in an advanced position dropping off and playing higher risk passes while attacking players in deeper positions get forward and play lower risk passes to the advanced support player. You can use roles and PIs that fit that description to encourage them, and it also helps to have a Balanced or more fluid system to encourage forwards to sit a bit deeper.

[THOG]

The idea SI had when removing the slider info (mentality and such) was to make it more intuitive. Now people who know how things are effected are explaining things to people in terms of sliders/tick boxes etc. because that is the common language on these boards. What the game is trying to do is move away from this and instead make the common language football.

*Note* The consensus is that SI could do a better job with giving more detailed, in-depth or clearer info on what instructions actually do but that is another point.

Now if you want the game to be more fun and less of a hassle I would advice you to follow the direction SI is trying to steer you towards. Drop the idea of sliders, drop the idea of forward runs, drop everything you know about the ME. Instead keep things simple.

1. Have a look at your squad.

2. Make a gameplan (defend high with pressing/defend deep with a strong shape, exploit space behind the opponents defensive line with pace and fast transition/sit deep and safe while probing for that magic through ball/play a controlled attacking game with a striker creating space for deep runners trying to unsettle the opponents defense with superior passing and movement). Basically make a couple of big decisions on how to play.

3. Base your formation, strategy and philosophy on your gameplan. From here maybe add a couple of key team instructions to put a signature on the way your team plays. If it's more than four you should probably reconsider which ones really further your gameplan and which ones are just adding unecessary instructions on top of a pile.

4. Set up your roles and duties to further your gameplan while getting the most out of your key players. Pay some attention to putting out a balanced team but also don't be afraid to tip the balance in one direction to get an advantage create an advantage somewhere. A good way to decide on roles/duties is to look at different phases on play and how you want players to position and move. For the defensive phase you usually want at least one midfielder staying back to hold position so that is a defensive duty and likely not a role that closes down aggressively. Now depending on how attacking/defensive you want to play you can say 3 players is enough or you can keep another player or two back (fullbacks on support rather than attack, two holding midfielders, an extra DC). How players track back to defend will largely be decided by the formation, CM strata players generally get back behind the ball while AM strata players tend to stay in front unless on support duty and playing with a more defensive strategy. Setting up attacking players is less straightforward and more up to how you want to create space for your goalscorers. Always think about how many players are actually going to be in the box and how you are going to give them space and a ball at their feet/head.

5. Watch matches and see how your team plays together. This is the fun part so make sure you are having furn. Get passionate, get dramatic and then have fun analyzing the games. Be patient with changes you make and think in football terms. Also if a player performs badly I always first consider how the players around him can solve the issue instead of looking at how I can change the player in question. Often it's best to invite a certain behavior through your tactical set up than to instruct behavior through individual instructions.

6. You have the most enjoyment with this game if you can see the fun part of hitting rough spots. It can be really hard if you get invested in a team/player/tactic but some of the best fun I've had was playing a role playing type manager game and getting sacked twice in half a year and deciding to just move to South America in the hopes they don't know my reputation there .

Good luck and I hope you can find the fun again!

Terrific post here.

I'd add that you shouldn't worry too much about some of the more theoretical writing on this forum. As I've said repeatedly in response to the feedback to my thread, a lot of the ideas being explored there are not the least bit necessary for playing the game and is geared more towards we more obsessive FMers working out ways to translate some of the more abstract/confusing/archaic mechanics into more accessible and accurate terms. That can be a long process with potential missteps along the way, and I wouldn't get too caught up in trying to keep up with that process if you think your time is better spent doing other things (like, say, actually playing the game ).

I think future guides, like jpcote's recent thread (which you should read if you haven't already), will better reflect the move away from the confusion created by some of the more archaic FM concepts, and hopefully, the FM15 UI will see some big improvements on this front as well.

[Sussex Hammer]

Another stupid question. One of the things that baffle me is the fact that in team instructions you can instruct "more expressive" or "more disciplined" and yet you don't have that option on a players instructions like the old way of allocating individual creative freedom. So if you were to instruct "be more expressive" does that have an effect on your basic centre backs and a plain old supporting central midfielder or just your more creative roles like playmakers?

[THOG]

It affects everyone and basically means you have the expressiveness of a different fluidity setting altogether.

Be More Expressive

Very Rigid -> approx. Balanced

Rigid -> approx. Fluid

Balanced -> approx. Very Fluid

Fluid -> Getting Pretty Gross Now

Very Fluid -> Sopping Wet

Be More Disciplined

Very Fluid -> approx. Balanced

Fluid -> approx. Rigid

Balanced -> approx. Very Rigid

Rigid -> Serious Issues with Control

Very Rigid -> "If you even so much as think about attempting a nutmeg, I will spend my every waking hour ensuring that you become intimately familiar with every conceivable facet of human suffering over the remainder of your miserable and repellent existence."

[Sussex Hammer]

It affects everyone and basically means you have the expressiveness of a different fluidity setting altogether.

Be More Expressive

Very Rigid -> approx. Balanced

Rigid -> approx. Fluid

Balanced -> approx. Very Fluid

Fluid -> Getting Pretty Gross Now

Very Fluid -> Sopping Wet

Be More Disciplined

Very Fluid -> approx. Balanced

Fluid -> approx. Rigid

Balanced -> approx. Very Rigid

Rigid -> Serious Issues with Control

Very Rigid -> "If you even so much as think about attempting a nutmeg, I will spend my every waking hour ensuring that you become intimately familiar with every conceivable facet of human suffering over the remainder of your miserable and repellent existence."

Quality reply.....

In all seriousness though that's half the problem I think. If it affects the whole team that can make things very difficult as you may only have one or two players who have flair and you may want to play a balanced set up but give an attacking midfielder the freedom to do what he wants. I know you have a TQ for instance and have roam from position and such and I suspect there are plenty of PI's you could add but still think SI missed a trick with no PI of creative freedom.

[junkie_xl]

a few question regarding d-line...

1) as i understand, each mentality has its own d-line setting, for example control has a higher d-line then standard and standard higher then counter, correct?

2)this is where i am a little unsure....does the d-line shouts incrementally adjust the mentality's d-line, or is it a standard adjustments? for example, is a "drop deeper" shout while on control result in a deeper d-line then a "drop deeper" shout while on standard? or does "drop deeper" result in a pre-defined d-line of the same depth regardless of mentality?

3)if the d-line shouts incrementally adjust the mentality's d-line, what is the minimal advisable depth of d-line to play offisides? in other words, realizing that it is increasingly riskier to play offsides the deeper you play, would a standard/drop deeper combo be the lowest advisable setting in order to play offsides?

thank you for your advise.

[CamillePunk]

a few question regarding d-line...

1) as i understand, each mentality has its own d-line setting, for example control has a higher d-line then standard and standard higher then counter, correct?

2)this is where i am a little unsure....does the d-line shouts incrementally adjust the mentality's d-line, or is it a standard adjustments? for example, is a "drop deeper" shout while on control result in a deeper d-line then a "drop deeper" shout while on standard? or does "drop deeper" result in a pre-defined d-line of the same depth regardless of mentality?

3)if the d-line shouts incrementally adjust the mentality's d-line, what is the minimal advisable depth of d-line to play offisides? in other words, realizing that it is increasingly riskier to play offsides the deeper you play, would a standard/drop deeper combo be the lowest advisable setting in order to play offsides?

thank you for your advise.

1) Yes

2) Its incremental. Drop deeper on attack drops the line to the default line for control, the same for control and standard, standard and counter, and so on. Much Deeper drops it two mentalities I believe.

3) No idea. I'd experiment and find something that works for me, but your defenders will still try an offside trap even if you don't use it as an instruction, just not as frequently.

[junkie_xl]

cheers for the answers, very helpful. as for my question #3, my specific problem is finding a good balance between playing deep enough to cover for a longball attack while trying not to sacrifice too much possession with a extremely deep line. i do find playing offsides helpful for the less technical opposing strikers that play longball, but dont want to run into suicidal territory while trying to play

deep/offisides.

of course, i realize that this setting very much depends on the team (or more specifically my CB pairing), so it will vary from team to team. just wondering if there is a "point of no return" when settingd-line/offside combos in general opinion. in my experience with a prem-quality CB pairing, the lowest d-line/offside combo i would play is standard/offsides. if i decide we need to drop to counter (or standard/drop deep shout) i stop playing offsides. just wondering if other players use this approach or if there is a better approach.

[TitouCythe]

It affects everyone and basically means you have the expressiveness of a different fluidity setting altogether.

Be More Expressive

Very Rigid -> approx. Balanced

Rigid -> approx. Fluid

Balanced -> approx. Very Fluid

Fluid -> Getting Pretty Gross Now

Very Fluid -> Sopping Wet

Be More Disciplined

Very Fluid -> approx. Balanced

Fluid -> approx. Rigid

Balanced -> approx. Very Rigid

Rigid -> Serious Issues with Control

Very Rigid -> "If you even so much as think about attempting a nutmeg, I will spend my every waking hour ensuring that you become intimately familiar with every conceivable facet of human suffering over the remainder of your miserable and repellent existence."

Fluidity, as i understand it affects creative freedom + depth, or am i wrong ?

So for instance if i have Fluid + more disciplined, still have the "compactness" of fluid, but my players will stick to their positions as in rigid, right ?

Or i am totally wrong and what you meant is i will simply get Rigid ?

Or am i partially wrong and then what will be the difference between Fluid + more disciplined and Rigid ?

[Luizinho]

Fluidity, as i understand it affects creative freedom + depth, or am i wrong ?

So for instance if i have Fluid + more disciplined, still have the "compactness" of fluid, but my players will stick to their positions as in rigid, right ?

Or i am totally wrong and what you meant is i will simply get Rigid ?

Or am i partially wrong and then what will be the difference between Fluid + more disciplined and Rigid ?

Fluidity is commonly know as Philosophy.

There are two main influences it has: Mentality Structure and Creative Freedom Delegation.

If you were to use a Fluid philosophy with 'Be More Disciplined', then only the amount of 'Creative Freedom' given to your players would be affected; in this case it would be slightly decreased from what Fluid originally gives (ie. Rigid). The Mentality Structure however would stay exactly the same, which on Fluid is a 5x5 split.

[TitouCythe]

Mentality structure ! That's the word i was looking for.

Thanks for the answer, it confirms what i see ingame.

[Dannehbai]

Apologies if I missed the answer, but I am on a work lunch break and don't have too much time to look, while my memory is goldfish-esque. So before I forget the question, What exactly does 'Hold up the ball' mean? Do they hold it up using their strength? Or by dribbling the ball around/generally keeping it in a way thats literally not holding off other players?

[THOG]

Apologies if I missed the answer, but I am on a work lunch break and don't have too much time to look, while my memory is goldfish-esque. So before I forget the question, What exactly does 'Hold up the ball' mean? Do they hold it up using their strength? Or by dribbling the ball around/generally keeping it in a way thats literally not holding off other players?

It means they're more likely to stop the ball and look around for a pass. It could mean they shield it while waiting for attacking reinforcements or just try to draw a defender forward as another player overlaps. The precise way it's used depends on the context, but it doesn't involve dribbling.

[Dannehbai]

It means they're more likely to stop the ball and look around for a pass. It could mean they shield it while waiting for attacking reinforcements or just try to draw a defender forward as another player overlaps. The precise way it's used depends on the context, but it doesn't involve dribbling.

Thanks for the quick reply, that helps clear it up a bit. I think the choice of the word 'dribbling' was a mistake I more meant, holding it up by moving the ball around rather than statically standing there with your back to the defender holding him off physically (I guess, therefore I meant is 'Strength' the biggest/only important factor in determining ability to hold up the ball). From your reply though I understand that it is just one factor in ability to hold up the ball.