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

[SFraser]

I'm currently trying to put together my own training schedule and just wanted to ask a short (and possibly stupid) question about set pieces. Does penalty taking work for goalkeepers?, i noticed that the default goalkeeeper schedule has very low workload on set pieces which seems surprising, i have always thought goalkeepers need to train set pieces for penalty taking skill?

The Penalty Taking attribute is all about the accuracy of the kick. The higher the attribute the more likely the player is to find the spot he aimed at and vice versa. For a Goalkeeper facing a Penalty Kick you are looking at Reflexes and Agility, and very likely you are looking for Anticipation, Composure and possibly Decisions. I have a goalkeeper with 19 Reflexes, 19 Composure, 19 Concentration and 18 Agility and he is a monster at keeping out penalty kicks.

If you don't want to "build" set-piece taking goalkeepers or goalkeepers with great first touch and passing and instead just want a good goalkeeper, stick to the training categories of Aerobic, Goalkeeping and Tactics. These three categories are all you need and they cover a goalkeepers physical ability at goalkeeping, his mental ability at goalkeeping and his "technical" ability at goalkeeping.

Hey,

This question is regarding the training schedule page where you assign your players different training regimes. Now on that page, these are green or red arrows next to each players name, under various attributes. What do these arrows mean?

I always thought that these means changes in skills in the appropriate skill attribute. But when I saw the changes in the corresponding skills (from the players page), these were not consistent.

Thanks and regards

To my knowledge they indicate changes to how a player is training, not directly corresponding to end result but close enough.

In this image Ryan Giggs is just back from injury and so has started training again, so the efforts to improve his categories has picked up and that's what you see here. He wont actually improve though because he is too old, but none of his attributes will decline quicker than any others going by the info on this screen, atleast not because of training. They might decline faster for other reasons.

Douglas Costa has had his Set Piece training reduced to zero by me, and because of this all the rest of his categories have started improving more because no ability is being added to his Set Pieces and is instead being spread out amongst the rest of his categories. However his Strength training has not changed by reducing his Set Piece training, so if I want his Strength keep pace with the rest I will have to go into his schedule and crank it up a bit more compared to the rest.

These arrows show the effect that changes to training, whether the schedules themselves or injuries or holidays or improvements in attitude or coaches, is having on the player. Whenever you make a change to a schedule, check back here to make sure it is working as you have planned. If you want to see more Strength increases compared to everything else then change his schedule untill you see arrows on this screen indicating that Strength is improving faster. After he has been on the same schedule for a while these arrows will all go away as there are no more changes to the EFFECT of his training schedule.

What kind of tactical adjustments are effective against opponents that use zonal marking vs man-marking?

The simple answer would be to try and overload Zonal Marking systems with lots of players in the same area, while against Man Marking systems you want to pull players out of position and try and get a good player of yours against a bad player of the opponent in a dangerous position.

I can't give a more complex answer because I don't know precisely what circumstances you have in mind and I don't know the precise ins-and-outs of all marking and defensive behaviour in the ME. Nor would I like to give out any "game-breaking" answers if I did.

How do I make a player stay higher up the pitch and not track an opposing player back who has the ball? For example: I want a left winger or striker of mine to NOT pursue the opposing team's right fullback ( or whoever else has the ball) into my defensive side of the pitch. The reason being that my defensive midfielders or fullback will make an interception, launch the ball upfield to the winger or striker who has now been left isolated by the opposition's attacking fullback.

Loose Zonal Marking with little to no Closing Down, and a player with very low Workrate.

Also if you position a player in a "strata" above the opponent, for example place your Wingers at AMR/L when the opponents has his Wingersat ML/R then they tend not to "catch" each other defensively because they are in different zones.

hey iknow its a stupid question but how do i go about making my team get more clear cut chances? i have some players with run with ball sometiems and they just run inwards and then into trouble and dont pass yet everyone has throughballs often its just quite annoying

There is no simple answer to this question but the general idea is excellent movement from your front men pulling defenders out of position, combined to intelligence, creativity and technical ability of delivery for your providers. The more and better quality movement you can produce and the better your players can spot passing opportunities and deliver the ball, the more likely you are to create CCC's.

Tempo is a very important aspect of creating good quality chances, because it forces a speed of play and this effects the ability to make good decisions and deliver good quality passes but also affects the time the oppositions defence has to think and get back into position. There is a tempo "sweetspot" for every match but in general you should look to find the "average tempo sweetspot" for your team. The balance between quality and pace of play is as important as the quality of movement and delivery.

Sorry if this has been asked before, but what is the effect of a player's position rating, i.e "natural," "accomplished" etc? Does it really come down to his attributes, or if he has the right attributes for a position, but is not natural there, will he not play as well? For example, will Pirlo not play as well as a central midfielder as he does as a defensive midfielder as he is only "accomplished" at the former? Is there a thread on this?

There are two very sound "answers" to this question I have read but I do not know the truth for sure, however both tend to mean the same thing.

The first answer is that Position Rating affects Positioning, Off-The-Ball, Decisions and other Mental Attributes that relate to intelligence and understanding. So playing a player out of position will affect his "Intelligence" Mental Attributes but not his "Personality" Mental Attributes.

The second answer is that it reduces a players CA via some fairly complex equation. In other words a player playing in an unfamiliar has his effective ability reduced.

Both of these seem sensible answers to me but I don't know the truth. However if either of these are true then Mental Attributes will be reduced by playing out of position, so that is what I personally take into account when playing players out of position.

what attributes(including hidden) make player effective in roaming?

I want to set my AMC in free role in 4-2-3-1(wide) while wingers will play wide and my striker will play relatively deep. move into channels is also something I want him to do so some information about attributes for this setting will be good to

Based on my own observation of free role behaviour I would say the following:

Free Roles "liberate" a player from positional absolutes and allow him to play according to his own positional understanding. When Free Role is given to players, Off-The-Ball + Positioning + Teamwork become absolutely vital. Players will make attacking runs, position themselves defensively, and offer support to teammates based on their own abilities at these attributes combined to the situation being played out in the match. Free Role effectively free's a player to Position himself defensively, move into attacking space, or move into supporting positions according to his abilities.

Personally speaking I would consider Teamwork to be by far the single most vital attribute when it comes to Free Roles as players with high Teamwork and Free Role will constantly be looking to support the team effort by moving into space whenever possible. For that space to be great attacking space requires Off-The-Ball, for a great defensive supporting position requires Positioning, and to fully exploit space requires a high Free Role attribute. It is however Teamwork that encourages or forces players to constantly be on the move to support the team effort to the best of their abilities, whether that is support the team via offensive movement or defensive positioning.

In my own save I play a 4-4-1-1 / 4-2-3-1 and I have given my advanced six players outside my back four Free Roles. My two CM's all have excellent Teamwork and Positioning attributes and negligable Off-The-Ball and their play consists of brilliant positional support for all play. They very rarely move into advanced areas, they very rarely move wide, they spend most of their time creating passing angles for each other and for the rest of the team in the centre of midfield. They are constantly moving into space in support of the team around the ideal positions for them to occupy, right at the heart of the team.

By constrast the AMC with Free Role and negligable positioning but high Off-The-Ball and high Teamwork is constantly looking to support my CM's but through movement into attacking areas. He combines the effort to support the team with the effort to take up very threatening positions.

So the summary of my answer is that when you are planning to give someone a Free Role, look at the Positioning / Off The Ball / Teamwork attributes and decide whether "liberating" these players from absolute positioning instructions is going to enhance their role in your team or diminish it.

For example, if you give Fabregas a Free Role don't expect him to support your team from deep, because his positional sense is low, especially compared to his attacking movement off-the-ball. However if you give Carrick a Free Role, do expect him to support your team from deep. His high Teamwork and high Positioning means that he will constantly be taking up excellent supporting deep positions relative to your attack.

This looks like the correct thread for my question.

When the Barcelona defenders have the ball and they try to set up a new attack:

the backs push up, the central defenders go wide and the most defensive midfielder tends to fall a bit back (to ask to ball).

How on earth can you manage this in a tactic?

To my knowledge there is no combination of instructions that produces this behaviour to an acceptable degree. The game simply does not support it.

[Bippu]

Based on my own observation of free role behaviour I would say the following:

Free Roles "liberate" a player from positional absolutes and allow him to play according to his own positional understanding. When Free Role is given to players, Off-The-Ball + Positioning + Teamwork become absolutely vital. Players will make attacking runs, position themselves defensively, and offer support to teammates based on their own abilities at these attributes combined to the situation being played out in the match. Free Role effectively free's a player to Position himself defensively, move into attacking space, or move into supporting positions according to his abilities.

Personally speaking I would consider Teamwork to be by far the single most vital attribute when it comes to Free Roles as players with high Teamwork and Free Role will constantly be looking to support the team effort by moving into space whenever possible. For that space to be great attacking space requires Off-The-Ball, for a great defensive supporting position requires Positioning, and to fully exploit space requires a high Free Role attribute. It is however Teamwork that encourages or forces players to constantly be on the move to support the team effort to the best of their abilities, whether that is support the team via offensive movement or defensive positioning.

In my own save I play a 4-4-1-1 / 4-2-3-1 and I have given my advanced six players outside my back four Free Roles. My two CM's all have excellent Teamwork and Positioning attributes and negligable Off-The-Ball and their play consists of brilliant positional support for all play. They very rarely move into advanced areas, they very rarely move wide, they spend most of their time creating passing angles for each other and for the rest of the team in the centre of midfield. They are constantly moving into space in support of the team around the ideal positions for them to occupy, right at the heart of the team.

By constrast the AMC with Free Role and negligable positioning but high Off-The-Ball and high Teamwork is constantly looking to support my CM's but through movement into attacking areas. He combines the effort to support the team with the effort to take up very threatening positions.

So the summary of my answer is that when you are planning to give someone a Free Role, look at the Positioning / Off The Ball / Teamwork attributes and decide whether "liberating" these players from absolute positioning instructions is going to enhance their role in your team or diminish it.

For example, if you give Fabregas a Free Role don't expect him to support your team from deep, because his positional sense is low, especially compared to his attacking movement off-the-ball. However if you give Carrick a Free Role, do expect him to support your team from deep. His high Teamwork and high Positioning means that he will constantly be taking up excellent supporting deep positions relative to your attack.

A brilliant analysis from you. THANKS!

Just one question - I have never seen a free role attribute!

[SFraser]

A brilliant analysis from you. THANKS!

Just one question - I have never seen a free role attribute!

It's hidden.

The Free Role attribute could work exactly the same as other position attributes and reduce a players mental attributes or CA or whatever else might occur when playing a player out of position. But because it is an actual attribute then it will directly define something. Either accuracy/quality at exploiting space or the players overall ability when in a "Free Role".

[DirtyACE]

This is going to sound really stupid, but what does it mean when my Assistant Manager (High determination, motivation and tactical knowledge 19 plus 100% club player knowledge) constantly keeps saying that:

-My short passing is appalling

-Most of my long passes are connecting.

Does it simply mean that I need to try a more direct passing approach or something else? I am playing a 3-4-1-2 with a good poacher (averaging more than a goal a game as Portsmouth). If he gets a near the goal, he scores.

Thanks for your reply

Yes, in that case you can try playing more direct because your assistant is saying that your players are completing few short passes while having success with long passes. However, I personally don't pay much attention to the assistant's feedback. First, because possession is not a priority for me. Having advantage in possession does not equate to winning a match. I always go by what I see on the pitch, not what my assistant tells me.

Second, his advice is rather trivial and misleading. He could be saying that you're not completing many short passes because a couple players have been struggling in this area, while the rest of the team is playing mainly medium or long range passes. He simply doesn't give you much of an explanation as to why the short passing has been poor, only that it has been poor and that's it. He could also, for example, say that your long range shooting has been poor, while only one long range shot has been attempted and missed.

[Bippu]

Yes, in that case you can try playing more direct because your assistant is saying that your players are completing few short passes while having success with long passes. However, I personally don't pay much attention to the assistant's feedback. First, because possession is not a priority for me. Having advantage in possession does not equate to winning a match. I always go by what I see on the pitch, not what my assistant tells me.

Second, his advice is rather trivial and misleading. He could be saying that you're not completing many short passes because a couple players have been struggling in this area, while the rest of the team is playing mainly medium or long range passes. He simply doesn't give you much of an explanation as to why the short passing has been poor, only that it has been poor and that's it. He could also, for example, say that your long range shooting has been poor, while only one long range shot has been attempted and missed.

I see your point. I guess it will be better to use the analyser to check out if the assistance is making sense or not. Thanks!

At the moment, I am frustrated because my team can't keep possession even though they are the better side in a majority of the matches. From what I have seen, my attackers are poor in the air and so we are losing possession as soon as our GK kicks the ball up the pitch. Very frustrating

[isuckatfm]

I see your point. I guess it will be better to use the analyser to check out if the assistance is making sense or not. Thanks!

At the moment, I am frustrated because my team can't keep possession even though they are the better side in a majority of the matches. From what I have seen, my attackers are poor in the air and so we are losing possession as soon as our GK kicks the ball up the pitch. Very frustrating

First thing I do with any tactic is set Goalkeeper to defender collect and designate the full back (composure, decisions weigh into which I choose). You'd be surprised at how easy it can be to go FB => winger and right on the attack or if you have no wingers one quick long ball to release a striker pulling wide in behind.

[Bippu]

First thing I do with any tactic is set Goalkeeper to defender collect and designate the full back (composure, decisions weigh into which I choose). You'd be surprised at how easy it can be to go FB => winger and right on the attack or if you have no wingers one quick long ball to release a striker pulling wide in behind.

Thanks for your advice. I tried it the last time but my GK would just kick the ball nonetheless. But now that I have Ochoa, I will try it again. I am still a newbie and on top of that I am not very patient and not at all a good loser. Not a good combination for FM tactics, you see

[Karnage94]

This seems like the thread to stick this in, How do I score direct free kicks, I have Robin van Persie taking them and he seems to have all the stats required yet I haven't scored from a free kick in over a season. I think I've only scored 2 free kicks in all of my saves in FM10 put together so am I missing something here or is it just rotten luck?

[Bippu]

First thing I do with any tactic is set Goalkeeper to defender collect and designate the full back (composure, decisions weigh into which I choose). You'd be surprised at how easy it can be to go FB => winger and right on the attack or if you have no wingers one quick long ball to release a striker pulling wide in behind.

Thanks for your advice. I tried it the last time but my GK would just kick the ball nonetheless. But now that I have Ochoa, I will try it again. I am still a newbie and on top of that I am not very patient and not at all a good loser. Not a good combination for FM tactics, you see

Yep, it was the mental traits! Ochoa did as told and now Consigli (whom I brought to my new club ManU ) is also doing as told. Keeping possession is not a problem anymore. But I lost the European Super Cup to Liverpool on penalties

[heathxxx]

This seems like the thread to stick this in, How do I score direct free kicks, I have Robin van Persie taking them and he seems to have all the stats required yet I haven't scored from a free kick in over a season. I think I've only scored 2 free kicks in all of my saves in FM10 put together so am I missing something here or is it just rotten luck?

It's difficult to say really, if the player seems to have all the right looking attributes. I currently have Marco Verratti banging in DFK's every other game. The curl he gets on the ball is phenomenal. Nothing tactical I've done, other than simply select him to take them.

I'll check all his attributes and PPM's and post them when I fire up the game later, so you can compare them with van Persie.

[Karnage94]

Thanks Heath, as I type that Gary O'Neill of Middlesborough scored a cracker of a free kick, 35 yards out, I check his attributes and PPM's and I can't see anything special with them. I'll try and give Van Persie the long range free kick PPM and see if that does anything although I am confused at the lack of goals from direct free kicks

[Bippu]

I don't think the game simulates the DFKs right. I look at the number of DFKs scored by teams in the EPL and it is much lower than what happens in reality.

[The Tactician]

Try high CF and long shots often on your player perhaps. Not 100% but I think it may have an effect.

[Karnage94]

Nasri just scored a beauty of a free kick, ridiculous curl on it. I have one guy disrupting the wall, so that might help. Cheers for the input guys

[SFraser]

This seems like the thread to stick this in, How do I score direct free kicks, I have Robin van Persie taking them and he seems to have all the stats required yet I haven't scored from a free kick in over a season. I think I've only scored 2 free kicks in all of my saves in FM10 put together so am I missing something here or is it just rotten luck?

Technique is extremely important when it comes to Free-kicks, and very often your back room staff will recommend a player that does not have the highest free-kick attribute but has high technique for this very reason.

The reason technique is important is because the "Free-Kick" attribute defines the accuracy of the final position of the ball, defines how close the player will get the ball to his target, but technique defines the ability to execute curling or swerving or dipping or thunderbolt shots. Players with high Technique will be able to chip the ball over the wall and then have it dip and curl into the top corner. A player with low technique will only be able to batter the shot straight at the top corner.

So when choosing free-kick takers, or any set-piece taker, keep the distinction in mind. The specific attribute governs the final accuracy of the ball but the Technique attribute governs the danger/threat/quality of the actual delivery. This is the same for Free-Kicks as much as for Crosses or any other form of delivery and is really worth looking at whenever you rely on "X" form of delivery. Technique matters every time someone strikes a ball.

For example:

A player with 20 passing can aim right at his target all the time, but with low technique the pass can only be straight and along the ground. With 20 for technique it can be both curled around a player and chipped over defenders heads. The player with 20 technique is therefore much more capable of delivering a trully dangerous pass than the player with low technique, because he can deliver a pass that takes opponents out of the game even if they are in the way. Precisely the same matters for crosses, and every other time a ball is kicked. It is in my opinion quite important to take this attribute into account.

There is very little in this game to my knowledge that relies solely upon a single attribute. Even a penalty kick takes into account a lot of different factors for a player.

[Bippu]

I think you are right, but as long as DFKs are being discussed, what do you think about this guy's ability?

The only weakness I can see is his Decisions attribute but still he should be banging in a lot more DFKs than he did with me. I think the number of DFKs scored by top teams in this game is unrealistically low.

Thanks for the explanation about the Technique attribute. I usually try to get players who have a technique of at least 15. What is the point of having high crossing, passing, creativity, flair and decisions if you don't have the technique to carry it out?

[Bippu]

I need help in making personalized youth schedules for my youth players.

Suppose that I want to use Dan's youth training schedules as the basis and wish to tweak it for different players. If I change the sliders for one player, will it change for all the other players on that schedule? If yes, then how do I do it? Do I have to give a name to the schedule for each player? Please say no!

[heathxxx]

Thanks Heath, as I type that Gary O'Neill of Middlesborough scored a cracker of a free kick, 35 yards out, I check his attributes and PPM's and I can't see anything special with them. I'll try and give Van Persie the long range free kick PPM and see if that does anything although I am confused at the lack of goals from direct free kicks

Well, suffice it to say, Marco Verratti has 20 Free Kick Taking and 19 Technique on my current save. No special PPM's either. He's also got high Passing, Creativity and Flair, amongst other very good overall attributes. He could literally drop a ball on a six-pence.

That's why I've got him as my free-kick and corner taker. He's currently played 10, scored 8 in my third season. All but two of those from DFK's. He's not scored many from open play so far this season, but that's because I've set him up specifically to feed balls to my inside-forwards and complete striker. He's doing really well with that too.

[Karnage94]

Cheers guys for the help, will try and implement it into a new save and have somebody with high technique take my free kicks and see how it goes.

[Bippu]

I have a really stupid question to ask - How do I add a training schedule?

I went to the Training screen, selected Schedules -> New -> Full Time Schedule.

However, nothing happens. What am I supposed to do? The online manual and the F1 help are of no use.

Also, I would like to repeat my old question here:

I need help in making personalized youth schedules for my youth players.

Suppose that I want to use Dan's youth training schedules as the basis and wish to tweak it for different players. If I change the sliders for one player, will it change for all the other players on that schedule? If yes, then how do I do it? Do I have to give a name to the schedule for each player? Please say no!

[KMK24]

Hey all,

First I'm new to this game.

But anyway I got promoted to Serie A with my Brescia team. Mainly because of many great posts of SFraser. Those posts really helped to understand the game FM10 and Football it self. So thanks

But how to survive the frist season in Serie A. What do you need to do to make that next step and compete with the big boys

I played wery active 4-2-3-1 and pressured high. season was really great. offensively it was quite creative and active. I think that partly the tactick was created by accident

So if someone can point me to right direction and give few pointers how to prepare to new season in Serie A

[KnightedManager]

How can I pick out the newgen coaches who are usually created at the start of a new game. Or does that not happen and I've been hoodwinked into signing real life unknowns all these years?

[Robin :)]

I got a really stupid question...

What is the meaning of run from deep?

Does it just mean foward run?

I put a player on MC, while run from deep is activated on him, he will go back then go back to the MC place ?

Or I put a player on MC, while run from deep is activated on him, he will go front to the place on AMC or even ST?

Which one is the correct answer? I am really confused.

[SFraser]

I think you are right, but as long as DFKs are being discussed, what do you think about this guy's ability?

The only weakness I can see is his Decisions attribute but still he should be banging in a lot more DFKs than he did with me. I think the number of DFKs scored by top teams in this game is unrealistically low.

Thanks for the explanation about the Technique attribute. I usually try to get players who have a technique of at least 15. What is the point of having high crossing, passing, creativity, flair and decisions if you don't have the technique to carry it out?

I will try not to derail this thread and make this my last answer to this particular question.

Speaking from my own experience I would consider Technique to be the trump attribute, the key attribute in Free Kicks. I would also consider Flair to be essential for players to step up and attempt a curling howitzer into the top corner. These two attributes combine to produce a player that is willing and capable to try the kind of freekick capable of beating goalkeepers in FM. Generally those with heaps of pace that swerve into the top corner.

The actual Free-Kick attribute in my opinion is of a lesser importance to the above two but still important. With Technique around 18, and Flair above 15, then any double figures Free Kick attribute should give you some return, with an increasing return as the Free Kick Attribute increases. Lacking Technique and Flair however will almost inevitably see the ball hitting the wall regularly irrespective of Free Kick Accuracy.

It is much the same as the Longshots attribute. You have a player with high Longshots and so his Longshots are more and more accurate, but Technique, Flair and Composure make them better struck, and more difficult to save. Lampard in FM has a rather low longshots attribute you would think at first glance, and yet is highly lethal from range because of his Composure and Technique. A calm, composed player hitting a very well struck shot does not need to stick it into the top corner to score, he can fire it past goalkeepers at speed.

So generally speaking when you are looking for a very well struck shot you are looking for Technique and Composure. When you are looking for an accurate shot you are looking at the relevant Shooting Attribute, Freekicks/Longshots/Finishing etc. When you are looking for a shot that is difficult for the keeper to reach due to the trajectory of the ball then you are looking for Flair. Technique+Composure+Flair contribute a huge amount to the "components" of any shot, but you will still need to be reasonably accurate if you don't want your howitzer style thunderbolt or 20 yard top corner curler or delicate edge of the box chip to slide wide of the post.

Hey all,

First I'm new to this game.

But anyway I got promoted to Serie A with my Brescia team. Mainly because of many great posts of SFraser. Those posts really helped to understand the game FM10 and Football it self. So thanks

But how to survive the frist season in Serie A. What do you need to do to make that next step and compete with the big boys

I played wery active 4-2-3-1 and pressured high. season was really great. offensively it was quite creative and active. I think that partly the tactick was created by accident

So if someone can point me to right direction and give few pointers how to prepare to new season in Serie A

I am glad I could be of help.

I would say here that you should look at the lessons you learned when beating the lesser teams in the previous division on your way to promotion. Particularly the teams you played last season that had just been promoted themselves.

Irrespective of how you approach the next season in terms of style, philosophy, offensive aggression etc. It will absolutely vital to make your team difficult to beat. You will very likely be playing against superior players that are looking to attack you and while you don't necessarilly have to adopt a "9+1" system on the edge of your box, you do have to understand that giving the opponent space, time, and worst of all giving them the ball is going to play directly in their favour.

There are several ways to play football as the underdog. There is the counter-attack approach where you defend deep with numbers and attempt to catch the opponent under-manned at the back with quick and direct counter-attacking play. There is the "bring the game to them" approach where you effectively counter the opponents attempt to exploit space and play football by playing an aggressive, tight, dense block of players further up the pitch trying to disrupt play from a more central position than they operate in forcing them to try and play around you where they have less numbers while you have much greater strength through the middle and can win the ball quickly and release it quickly to your forwards. And then there is the "strangle" approach where you play deeper, narrower with plenty of hard tackling, timewasting, man marking key players with your more advanced players and then when you win the ball back you keep it and play very conservative passing football making them chase the ball, and slowly work your way up the pitch where you only play a risky ball when there is a glorious opportunity to get a striker through on goal.

Whether you play defensive, counter-attacking, or a more aggressive attacking game is up to you, but as the underdog the key element of your tactical design must be to control the middle of the pitch and deny the opponent space and time on the ball in the most dangerous areas, which ultimately means the centre of the pitch.

And I would also advise you to invest in good defenders. If you can dominate the centre of the pitch and force the opponent wide or to try and play over the top then defenders that are dominant in the air and capable of holding a good line are worth their weight in gold.

It is very likely that to stay in the division and do well in the division in your first season that you will need to become adept at all of these approaches. There will be teams you can take points off by playing the more aggressive but narrow and tight "slugfest" style through the middle, but there will be teams where you simply cannot leave any space in behind, nor can beat through the middle and these teams you may have to counter-attack, and then there will be the top quality teams in the division where your only realistic hope is to make sure you keep the ball as long as possible.

And study the opposition. If you can spot a weak player in their side, say a slow rightback or an aerially weak leftback, then exploit them. Set your attacking players up to exploit any and all weaknesses you can spot. Do that and you will have much more ability to score goals from a defensive base than simply playing blindly in attack.

[ALCHARLTON]

I wouldn't buy Van der Vaart for that price! Stupid money, especially as there are so many other players out there. Also, on the technique attribute, I wouldn't always worry about it. I've got a youth player in the first team who's almost peaked, his technique is 11.....but, he is banging in goals for club and country, although it will probably mean that he'll miss a few sitters. True that technique might hinder his other attributes from time to time, but it's relative to position too.

[ALCHARLTON]

Can't find a specific thread for this, is there a 'here's my over-sized squad, someone tell me if I've got too many players' or a 'How many players do you have in your squad?' If not, then how many maximum should one have between the first and reserves? I've got a first team of about 25-ish, but there are a few players who'll warrant a first team place soon and I'm finding it hard to keep the balance right. Just checked, I've got 51 players, not including the youth system, mind you I've got about 30 coaches.

[SFraser]

Can't find a specific thread for this, is there a 'here's my over-sized squad, someone tell me if I've got too many players' or a 'How many players do you have in your squad?' If not, then how many maximum should one have between the first and reserves? I've got a first team of about 25-ish, but there are a few players who'll warrant a first team place soon and I'm finding it hard to keep the balance right. Just checked, I've got 51 players, not including the youth system, mind you I've got about 30 coaches.

The best answer would be to have as many players as you can comfortably and effectively manage, or want to have around the club. I personally have a first team of 25 players, a reserve team of zero players at the club but with all my loan players sitting in there, and a youth team of around 20 or so players.

51 players at the club not including youth team players seems extremely bloated to me, but that's my opinion. The key things you want to look out for is unhappiness over excessive players, lack of football, the increased risk of personality conflicts, lack of matches and opportunities for players to develop or even maintain their current level.

With a bloated reserve team your youth players wont get much chance to experience reserve team football which will stunt their development, and your senior pro's in your first team will also find themselves competing for space and time in the reserves and if their match fitness drops, so does their current level of ability.

And then you have the inevitably cost in terms of wages for players doing nothing other than sitting in the reserves. £20k a week wages is a million quid a year, so five players sitting on these wages for five seasons is the price of a top class striker simply wasted.

It's up to you how you organise your club, but the way I organise my club is to have no such thing as a reserve team, just a combination of youngsters and first team squad players getting reserve matches, and I use my reserve team as a "store" for all my youngsters out on loan. I would rather have ten youngsters out on loan with the option to recall them than have ten youngsters sitting rotting in the reserves.

[ALCHARLTON]

Yeah, I'm just checking really. It is bloated, for sure, too many first team players, but it's pretty much because I unsuspectingly found a few wonderkids in the transfer window and now they're pushing the first team players out. It's not a big issue because I'm close to the January transfer period. Plus I picked up Marcelo and Hulk on free transfers, but they're a lot older than my current crop and I'll probably ship 'em off for a quick buck in the transfer window. Oh yeah, you're right about the reserve teams too, I play out a balance, my reserves is a combination of the strong u-18's along with bit part players from the first team. Everyone is gtting a chance, just it's one or two players getting itchy feet, and who could blame 'em!? It's the first teamers that need to leave, but I've been guilty of getting a few in just to mentor my younger players. My team is only suffering from one bad attitude, right now. Luckily my finances are well in check and with a squad age averaging at about 22, only three of my players are getting £100k p/w, which for consecutive league champions is alright. I do fear hat a bad run would be hard to turn around. Cheers for replying, none of my mates play it, so the forum is the only way to discuss the game or opinions. I also get round the whole match fitness thing by managing my reserves up to the point of the reserve game, holidaying it up whilst making sure my team selection is played. It's not ideal, but it'll keep most happy until Christmas.

[Robin :)]

who could answer my stupid question above

[kajito99]

Robin, your second suggestion is the right one I think.

The player's mentality will determine his starting position with regards to his actual position (eg. an MC with an attacking mentality will stand on the pitch in a more advanced position than an MC with a defensive mentality). The Fowards runs option will then determine how often the player makes a run forward from that starting position (eg. rare forward runs - holds his position, often forward runs - often makes a run past a marker into advanced positions).

Hope that helps.

[Robin :)]

Robin, your second suggestion is the right one I think.

The player's mentality will determine his starting position with regards to his actual position (eg. an MC with an attacking mentality will stand on the pitch in a more advanced position than an MC with a defensive mentality). The Fowards runs option will then determine how often the player makes a run forward from that starting position (eg. rare forward runs - holds his position, often forward runs - often makes a run past a marker into advanced positions).

Hope that helps.

Thanks for your help...

And I got another question, what should I do when assistant manager tell me to not hold back when tackling player x?

I dont really understand whats the meaning of not hold back?

[kajito99]

Thanks for your help...

And I got another question, what should I do when assistant manager tell me to not hold back when tackling player x?

I dont really understand whats the meaning of not hold back?

He's telling you to tackle that player "hard".

[eddietheorc]

What the best team instructions for combating 4-4-2 Possession football defensive with the team counter attacking.

[Powermonger]

My turn for a stupid question. When deploying zonal-marking, is the Marking attribute used or is it all down the Positioning attribute? I started thinking about this today while reading a book on soccer tactics, marking and positioning almost seem interchangeable.

[KnightedManager]

How can I pick out the newgen coaches who are usually created at the start of a new game. Or does that not happen and I've been hoodwinked into signing real life unknowns all these years?

Can anyone help with this please?

[Goduerza]

Can I judge if a coach can have 4,5 or more stars on the discipline he's coaching at? Are any other attributes taken in consideration,apart from the coaching ones,like Adaptability,Determination,Motivation?

[heathxxx]

Can anyone help with this please?

Just simply a case of searching for them with the "Staff Search" in game, or browsing through different teams manually. For what it's worth, there usually aren't many good newgen coaches at the start, but as with the players, there's more appear as regens that are better quality.

For example, at the start of the game, just try finding a 4* plus set-piece coach. It's next to impossible. Most of them that have as high rating in that area of training, are managers of clubs. After the second season or so, there tends to be a plethora of them available as regens.

[lilandy]

I know this is not technically a training or tactics question but i have a player who is unavailable for club football due to medical reasons. He's out for 6 months and the game has never explained what is wrong with him. anyone shed some light on this?

ta

[SCIAG]

I got a really stupid question...

What is the meaning of run from deep?

Does it just mean foward run?

I put a player on MC, while run from deep is activated on him, he will go back then go back to the MC place ?

Or I put a player on MC, while run from deep is activated on him, he will go front to the place on AMC or even ST?

Which one is the correct answer? I am really confused.

He will move forward when it is appropriate.

[SCIAG]

I know this is not technically a training or tactics question but i have a player who is unavailable for club football due to medical reasons. He's out for 6 months and the game has never explained what is wrong with him. anyone shed some light on this?

ta

He probably has an issue in real life which means he won't be able to play in that time.

[isuckatfm]

I know this is not technically a training or tactics question but i have a player who is unavailable for club football due to medical reasons. He's out for 6 months and the game has never explained what is wrong with him. anyone shed some light on this?

ta

Buonanotte? If so hardcoded to reflect him being in a car crash. If not then I have no clue.

[lilandy]

Buonanotte? If so hardcoded to reflect him being in a car crash. If not then I have no clue.

Aha! Yeah it is him, i forgot that he was in a car crash. Must be the case. Cheers.

[KnightedManager]

Just simply a case of searching for them with the "Staff Search" in game, or browsing through different teams manually. For what it's worth, there usually aren't many good newgen coaches at the start, but as with the players, there's more appear as regens that are better quality.

For example, at the start of the game, just try finding a 4* plus set-piece coach. It's next to impossible. Most of them that have as high rating in that area of training, are managers of clubs. After the second season or so, there tends to be a plethora of them available as regens.

Cheers. I was meaning are there any particular stats, reputation level, or maybe career history I should be looking for. I've now twigged I could just turn on player and newgen faces. I forgot about staff pics, I never use them! Thanks for the response anyway.

[heathxxx]

Cheers. I was meaning are there any particular stats, reputation level, or maybe career history I should be looking for. I've now twigged I could just turn on player and newgen faces. I forgot about staff pics, I never use them! Thanks for the response anyway.

Well, for any coaching position, I always look for at least 10+ Determination, Discipline, Motivating, or "DDM" as you'll sometimes see them referred to in this forum.

For a set-piece coach specifically, you want to be looking at as high Attack, Mental, Technical as you can get. There is some flexibility however. If for example you find someone with 16+ Attack and Mental, but lower than 15 Technical, they will still be a decent set-piece coach. Indeed, any of those attributes, so long as at least two of the three are high enough to give you 3* plus ratings overall.

Like I said earlier though, unless lucky with the newgens at the start of a new save, it's very hard to find a 4* set-pieces coach. It does get a lot easier to find them from the second season onwards. In my current save in season four, I have 2x 5* set piece coaches and 1x 4* coach. I don't really need that many, but I always look to max out my available coaching slots, just in case another club successfully poaches one of my coaches from any given training regime. I currently have 32 coaches at my club.

[toffee]

apologies for asking a stupid question over at this thread. Could someone advise where can I download the latest squad updates?

[MSBazzer]

When trying to get a player tutored does it only let you do if the game thinks there is a player suitable? Like over a certain age, certain attributes etc.? I'm trying to get a few tutored but no learn from player options are there. Do you think it's because the oldest player in my team is 24?

Thanks.

[dz47]

I’ve just bought Welliton for my first season managing Everton. He is natural at FC and accomplished at AMC, but has no ability currently to play at AML and I’m thinking of switching to a wide 4231 formation. My first ‘stupid’ question is whether it is possible to retrain him to be natural at AML, and if so how long can I roughly expect it to take.

My second ‘stupid’ question is, seeing he is already accomplished at AMC, would I be better off playing a slightly modified 4231 with him at AMCL and then an AMC and AMR? Cheers.

[SFraser]

I’ve just bought Welliton for my first season managing Everton. He is natural at FC and accomplished at AMC, but has no ability currently to play at AML and I’m thinking of switching to a wide 4231 formation. My first ‘stupid’ question is whether it is possible to retrain him to be natural at AML, and if so how long can I roughly expect it to take.

If he is a natural FC then he will be natural all across the front line and you could play a modified FL role instead of AML. The behaviour of a modified FL role will not be exactly the same as an AML role but there are tools to atleast attempt an approximation.

How long it will take to retrain him to FL, or indeed if it is possible to achieve "Natural" depends on his Versatility attribute and the length of time spent playing and training in AML. Very versatile players can do this in a matter of months, less versatile players may not be able to reach "Natural" even after a long period of time.

My second ‘stupid’ question is, seeing he is already accomplished at AMC, would I be better off playing a slightly modified 4231 with him at AMCL and then an AMC and AMR? Cheers.

That's much the same as playing him at FL instead of AML. He will be more capable in his "Natural" roles but then his Natural roles may not be tactically ideal. May not produce the kind of tactical behaviour you wish to see, specifically defending and marking down your left flank.

The truth is that you are unlikely to get the exact tactical role and behaviour (AML) without some kind of sacrifice of this players overall effectiveness even if he retrains to "Natural AML". It is a juggling act, an issue of judgement and there is no real right or wrong answer to this question. You can try to mould him to fit the team or mould the team to fit him better.

I would suggest looking through the tactical threads on asymmetric 4-2-3-1's, such as the Brazilian box or the Spanish 4-2-3-1 type formation of the World Cup. A striker played wide left was a major feature of the World Cup just passed and a major feature of specific matches played by major European Club sides. Your situation as described here sounds like the perfect time and perfect opportunity to start experimenting with formations that have what I call an altered axis of attack. In these systems you need to start thinking of your Wingers/Inside Forwards as your true striker, your actual number 9.

[dz47]

Thanks for the in depth response SFraser. I did try him previously at FL as you suggested, but found that he was really isolated from the play. I did only try for a couple of games when he first joined though, so I may need to give it another try and play around with some other settings to see if can get it working better. Interesting that you mention the Brazil and Spain formations with the main striker playing from wide as that is exactly what I want to create. Might be a good time to re-read those threads!

Just one more thing, if I were to put him in the FL slot, would you recommend playing him as inside forward/attack (so that he plays high up and looks to get in behind the defence) or inside forward/support (so that he comes a bit deeper and gets more involved in build up as well as finishing moves?).Cheers again.

[michaelthestrange]

Did you observe players changing their mind about learning/delearning a PPM? So is it worth keep asking them? My major interest is to stop Anthony Annan from diving into tackles and to make Jeremy Menez (low Team Work) to pass rather than shoot.

Michael