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

[llama3]

what is the best Role/position for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on 2th season Arsenal ??

I've kind of gone into this on your PM. If you have a tactical issue, open your own thread here. You can also get advice in the Good Player Team Guide Arsenal thread.

[Double0Seven]

Well for example, if you are holding onto the ball, trying to play your way through a packed defence, you can drop deeper, and retain possession, your frustrated/ill-disciplined/poorer opponents may then decide to come further forward to win the ball - once they have come further forward they will open up space between their lines, suddenly giving you space to exploit.

So against good opponents: push much higher up, hassle opponents and not allow them to have possession/any time on the ball.

Bad opponents: Drop a bit deeper, give them some time on the ball and hopefully create more space behind them.

Is this what I should do?

[llama3]

So against good opponents: push much higher up, hassle opponents and not allow them to have possession/any time on the ball.

Bad opponents: Drop a bit deeper, give them some time on the ball and hopefully create more space behind them.

Is this what I should do?

It isn't as simple as that at all. I may wish to hassle poor opponents, they may be on a poor run of form, nervous and hassling them may force the mistake. Good opponents may be very good at countering me, so I need a touch more caution with a deeper line. For your specific team's problems i suggest starting your own thread and we can help. Examples are the easiest way to help you.

[Sussex Hammer]

Not really a tactics question but not sure where to put it without starting a new thread.

Got Victor Valdes on a free in January 2015. He plays for me in the League but in the 4th Round of the FA Cup he is Cup Tied?? He has been at Barcelona and then a free agent so won't have played in the FA Cup!!! Any ideas?!

[Cleon]

Not really a tactics question but not sure where to put it without starting a new thread.

Got Victor Valdes on a free in January 2015. He plays for me in the League but in the 4th Round of the FA Cup he is Cup Tied?? He has been at Barcelona and then a free agent so won't have played in the FA Cup!!! Any ideas?!

Depending on the date of him signing and the date of the game it makes him cup tied this round like IRL iirc.

[Chris Anthemum]

Hi guys, I came across this post from wwfan (albeit from a while ago so info may be obsolete but I doubt it as it relates to fundamental parts of the ME) http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/359194-FM14-New-Tactical-Elements?p=9094706&viewfull=1#post9094706

So does this mean that Hassle Opponents and the D-Line modifiers essentially do the same thing, just to a different degree? I didn't realise Hassle Opponents told the D-Line to push up all the way for instance and have been using it in conjuction with the D-Line modifiers (by which I mean push higher up, much higher up etc.)

Does it also mean that the base strategy and any D-Line modifiers are rendered obsolete if I use Hassle Opponents? (Since it moves the D-Line up all the way)? Eg. An attack mentality with push higher up + hassle opponents would be no different from a defensive mentality with drop deeper + hassle opponents (again, since hassle opponenets by default moves the D-Line all the way up). Solely in terms of the defensive line/pressing, obviously the different mentalities would affect other things in different ways

Bit of a ramble but hopefully that makes sense and someone can clear it up for me

[Cleon]

Hi guys, I came across this post from wwfan (albeit from a while ago so info may be obsolete but I doubt it as it relates to fundamental parts of the ME) http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/359194-FM14-New-Tactical-Elements?p=9094706&viewfull=1#post9094706

So does this mean that Hassle Opponents and the D-Line modifiers essentially do the same thing, just to a different degree? I didn't realise Hassle Opponents told the D-Line to push up all the way for instance and have been using it in conjuction with the D-Line modifiers (by which I mean push higher up, much higher up etc.)

Does it also mean that the base strategy and any D-Line modifiers are rendered obsolete if I use Hassle Opponents? (Since it moves the D-Line up all the way)? Eg. An attack mentality with push higher up + hassle opponents would be no different from a defensive mentality with drop deeper + hassle opponents (again, since hassle opponenets by default moves the D-Line all the way up). Solely in terms of the defensive line/pressing, obviously the different mentalities would affect other things in different ways

Bit of a ramble but hopefully that makes sense and someone can clear it up for me

Hassle opponents has nothing to do with d-line at all. Hassle opponents opponents changes 'Increases the tempo, tells the team to tight mark and also increases the closing down for your side'. It's nothing to do with d-line so ignore that post

[Chris Anthemum]

Hassle opponents has nothing to do with d-line at all. Hassle opponents opponents changes 'Increases the tempo, tells the team to tight mark and also increases the closing down for your side'. It's nothing to do with d-line so ignore that post

I see

So does hassle opponents work like any other modifier? In that, a control mentality with HO will close down more than a standard mentality with HO or is it a more on/off type thing? Also, I assumed the tempo modifier only affected how your team played when they had possession - is that not true? And also, does that mean it isn't necessary to use tight marking if you're already using hassle? Cheers

[Sussex Hammer]

Stupid question again!! Are you all sure that strikers haven't been toned down in this version? Jordan Rhodes, finishing and composure 16 has just had 6 shots inside the penalty area, 3 of them in the 6 yard box inexplicably saved by John Ruddy. Now I say inexplicably because not on gods earth should he have saved at least 3 of them without being Superman on steroids!! Either this version has an invasion of the super keepers of strikers, especially solo ones have been seriously toned down. I read through the forums and getting strikers scoring seems to be a major issue for many.

[Animasta]

Where should central defenders be in regards to their foot? Should a very strong left footed player be on the right or left?

[Dr. Hook]

Where should central defenders be in regards to their foot? Should a very strong left footed player be on the right or left?

There is no hard and fast rule, but I like; whenever possible, to play left-footed centerbacks at the left position in the four at the back and same for the CDR. I do this mainly because I want them to have an easier time passing it out to the fullback on that side. That said, I don't think it's critical, and I've ignored my own rule to put a CB against a specific attacker.

[Sussex Hammer]

Team talks can have a significant effect on strikers. If players are under too much pressure they can miss otherwise easy chances. Whenever the time is 'right' to encourage my players to 'relax' or have a 'no pressure' situation, they often put away their chances more efficiently.

I think that people focus too much on attributes and ignore mentality too often in FM. Mentality is everything. In real life it's the difference between Kieran Gibbs bottling a shot from 4yds out in the FA Cup final or burying it. Clearly his technique is good enough for him to succeed there, but what let him down was his mentality. If this is to be a simulation then that rightly should be a determining factor when it comes to manager motivation and team talks. While I think that team talks have been made easier in FM14, I think it constitutes a lot toward results and performances, yet rarely gets introduced in the tactics forum discussions.

Slight difference in Kieran Gibbs being a defender and in my case Jordan Rhodes being a striker with 5 goals in 10 games prior to the Norwich game. If Team Talks take priority over composure, finishing and form then they have far too much impact.

I tend to leave them to my Assistant anyway who generally just says "go out and give the fans something to cheer". I tried it once recently saying I expected the team to win the match against a Championship side. I lost at home and was out of the Cup!! Even a kick up the backside at half time had no effect as they all looked like they were running through treacle!!

[ianscousemac]

How many tactics do people usually have? just the 3 on the tactics screen or more? also be interesting to know how often people change strategy from Counter to Attacking or if they play counter the majority of the time or just change there style with shouts.

Thoughts please?

[RTHerringbone]

How many tactics do people usually have? just the 3 on the tactics screen or more? also be interesting to know how often people change strategy from Counter to Attacking or if they play counter the majority of the time or just change there style with shouts.

Thoughts please?

I have a ludicrous amount of tactics, but that's because:

a) I play FMC, so I can

b) I get bored easily and like the challenge of setting up new tactics all the time

My general tactical approach has changed recently. On FM13, I would change formation rather than Mentality.

This is how I started on FM14 too, but I now tend to set up matches based on the formation of the AI and (critically) their managers playing preferences.

I now use the same formation every single match, but will tweak Mentality before anything else, and occasionally the odd Team Instruction.

Cleon has gone the other way. He often used to achieve all he wanted with Mentality changes, but now does to via Instructions!

There's never one way to do things, and I reckon there's probably a relatively even mix of people who predominantly change either formation, Mentality or Instructions.

[Dr. Hook]

How many tactics do people usually have? just the 3 on the tactics screen or more? also be interesting to know how often people change strategy from Counter to Attacking or if they play counter the majority of the time or just change there style with shouts.

Thoughts please?

I tend to shift strategies up and down in the match rather than mess with bunches of shouts. I do use shouts, but sparingly. My three tactics are all variations on a theme, but I will usually not change them in match unless there is a specific problem I've spotted.

[Sussex Hammer]

I think it all depends on the individual as to whether a manger talk will have a significant influence on their performance, both in real life and the game. But 5 goals in 10 games previous indicates to me that he'd just had a bad game, which also happens on occasion.

I also think you are missing out on having a real advantage with team talks. I personally don't think that they are all that complicated if your reputation is high enough. I don't worry too much about the reactions either, unless I've clearly got it terribly wrong. I focus instead on saying the right things in the right way that work toward keeping the balance of high morale and assuring they don't get complacent. Even if I don't always get a green reaction or whatever I don't care, and sometimes I'm completely okay with the one player who was complacent in the game getting a red reaction when I shake them up.

One example would be when your team has a very nice win, which is a situation where to my knowledge your assistant would never choose to say "good win, why can't you play like that all the time?". I actually wonder how many FM players would choose that, but it's a good talk to give to keep players from getting complacent and I try to use it when I can get away with it.

If you get into a spiral of losses, yeah it can be hard to get morale back, but it's possible through private chats outside of the game, talking to the media, and eventually getting a good performance to build on. I'm about to post a few things in the World Cup tactics thread, and I'll try to remember to write about my team talk vs Italy.

I think the problem with talks etc is that a lot of the time you are damned if you do, damned if you don't! Examples are too numerous to mention but for instance welcoming a player to the Club who doesn't speak English. You say something along the lines of "it's the responsibility for everyone to rally round blah blah" which is very much a Politician's answer but it "should" cover all bases. Yet sometimes the player has a hissy fit about your response so in the end you feel that saying nothing is better than saying anything at all.

Another classic is this. I have recently had two players sent off for two yellow cards. Fair enough, I play a hassle and get stuck in game and two yellows is unfortunate so I give them both a warning as its a first offence. I then have three players come to me complaining that there is a lack of discipline at the Club. That's what I mean if you go one way you alienate one group go the other way you alienate another group. You just can't win at times!!

[Gee_Simpson]

I have a ludicrous amount of tactics, but that's because:

a) I play FMC, so I can

b) I get bored easily and like the challenge of setting up new tactics all the time

My general tactical approach has changed recently. On FM13, I would change formation rather than Mentality.

This is how I started on FM14 too, but I now tend to set up matches based on the formation of the AI and (critically) their managers playing preferences.

I now use the same formation every single match, but will tweak Mentality before anything else, and occasionally the odd Team Instruction.

Cleon has gone the other way. He often used to achieve all he wanted with Mentality changes, but now does to via Instructions!

There's never one way to do things, and I reckon there's probably a relatively even mix of people who predominantly change either formation, Mentality or Instructions.

Do you mean PI/TI or Shouts?

[Double0Seven]

I got a few questions regarding mentality and plauers

1. Increasing mentality increases tempo? For example I play control+higher tempo. Does that mean that my tempo is pretty high?

2. Do certain players have a max rating for some attributes? For example I have a striker with only 8 creativity and he has high ratings in finishing, strength, heading and it looks like he isn't the creative type. Is it still worth trying to increase his creativity?

And I have a defender with 5 long shots and I want him to become better with long shots. He has pa left but does it have a maximum rating that he can reach?

3. I remember someone once said that if you play someone in a wrong position the only thing that matters is the decision making attribute and that he doesn't have to be trained in that position. Is this right?

4. Are there any guides out there on how to counter formations, playing style and similar things?

[ianscousemac]

I have 2 tactics setup. Any reason why suddenly on one of my tactics the Familiarity with closing down just dropped to awkward. When on my other tactic its fluid?

[RTHerringbone]

Do you mean PI/TI or Shouts?

Shouts was the FM13 term for TIs. PIs are "new".

[RTHerringbone]

I have 2 tactics setup. Any reason why suddenly on one of my tactics the Familiarity with closing down just dropped to awkward. When on my other tactic its fluid?

What level was it at before? Have you changed any other settings in that tactic? Signed any players? What stage of the season are you at?

[RTHerringbone]

I got a few questions regarding mentality and plauers.....

1. Yes. Tempo is relative to Mentality, so Contain is slowest tempo, Overload is highest. The Mentalitirs in between have incremental increases in tempo, with Standard being "in the middle".

2. Anyone with remaining PA can still improve theoretically, and as lower attributes cost less PA to increase than higher ones, these are more likely to increase more quickly.

3. Yep.

4. Not really, as there are so many factors to consider that you can't consider all 4-4-2s the same, or all Attacking Mentalities the same. If in doubt, ask a specific question in here and you should get a decent answer.

[ianscousemac]

What level was it at before? Have you changed any other settings in that tactic? Signed any players? What stage of the season are you at?

Midway through the season. Have altered play narrower only. I thought if Closing down was Fluid whatever tactic/formation I used it would also be fluid.

[RTHerringbone]

Midway through the season. Have altered play narrower only. I thought if Closing down was Fluid whatever tactic/formation I used it would also be fluid.

Unfortunately, as many elements of a tactic overlap, a change to something fundamental like width, defensive line etc. will impact other Fluidity bars.

[ianscousemac]

Unfortunately, as many elements of a tactic overlap, a change to something fundamental like width, defensive line etc. will impact other Fluidity bars.

Ahhh was the stay on feet shout. Thanks

[Double0Seven]

1. Yes. Tempo is relative to Mentality, so Contain is slowest tempo, Overload is highest. The Mentalitirs in between have incremental increases in tempo, with Standard being "in the middle".

2. Anyone with remaining PA can still improve theoretically, and as lower attributes cost less PA to increase than higher ones, these are more likely to increase more quickly.

3. Yep.

4. Not really, as there are so many factors to consider that you can't consider all 4-4-2s the same, or all Attacking Mentalities the same. If in doubt, ask a specific question in here and you should get a decent answer.

3. So why do we have to retrain players? Is this useless?

[Cleon]

3. So why do we have to retrain players? Is this useless?

Lower decision making impacts every single thing a player does, so retraining them is extremely beneficial if you plan on doing it long term. The worse someone is in a position the lower his decision making will be lowered.

[RTHerringbone]

3. So why do we have to retrain players? Is this useless?

Retraining him so he becomes competent in that position means that you aren't depending on his decision making to make up for his incompetence in that position any more. So, if you use a AML competent player at ML and he has bad decision making, then it is entirely appropriate to retain his position.

EDIT - Cleon replied whilst I was away from my desk - same answers basically.

[Double0Seven]

Ok so I have been reading THOG's mentality ladder guide and this is what he said about a AMRL if you play control/very fluid: Support Duty (All Other Roles): Create Chances

So if I play a IF(S) one of his jobs would be to create chances up front. And high creativity is needed right? Even though this attribute isn't highlighted in game.

[Sussex Hammer]

1. Yes. Tempo is relative to Mentality, so Contain is slowest tempo, Overload is highest. The Mentalitirs in between have incremental increases in tempo, with Standard being "in the middle".

Interesting. So what do contain, defensive, standard, control, attack, overload become if you then tinker with the team instructions to either increase or decrease tempo?

Eg Does Control with higher tempo become attack?

[RTHerringbone]

Interesting. So what do contain, defensive, standard, control, attack, overload become if you then tinker with the team instructions to either increase or decrease tempo?

Eg Does Control with higher tempo become attack?

Yep, that's it. So, as an example with another TI in mind, you might want to play Attacking Mentality, but you're wary of the space it leaves behind (Attacking Mentality = Very High Line). You could Drop Deeper or Much Deeper Defensive Line to get your Defensive line more similar to the Control / Standard Mentalities. To be honest, I'm unsure if those increments (from Drop Deeper to Much Deeper Defensive Line) equate directly to the shift from one Mentality to another, but it would make sense.

[Double0Seven]

But increasing mentality also increase closing down right?

[Ö-zil to the Arsenal!]

Very quick question - will tutoring improve aggression?

And, if not, is there another way to improve aggression?

[RTHerringbone]

But increasing mentality also increase closing down right?

Yep. that's right.

[Double0Seven]

So from what I now know increasing mentality increases D-Line, tempo, closing down and the distance of passes(shortest to most direct)? And if you add certain TIs such as shorter passing, higher tempo or higher d line you will INCREASE the base setting of your mentality? If so why are 4 options for changing tempo, 4 for d line and only 1(hassle) for closing down? Wouldn't it be more logic to have close down more, close even much more down etc?

[RTHerringbone]

So from what I now know increasing mentality increases D-Line, tempo, closing down and the distance of passes(shortest to most direct)? And if you add certain TIs such as shorter passing, higher tempo or higher d line you will INCREASE the base setting of your mentality? If so why are 4 options for changing tempo, 4 for d line and only 1(hassle) for closing down? Wouldn't it be more logic to have close down more, close even much more down etc?

Passing isn't so simple. More Defensive Mentality sees direct passing for Defend Duties, Shorter Passing for Attacking, Mixed for Support.

Attacking Mentalities flip that so Shorter passing for Defend, Direct for Attack, Mixed for Support.

Closing Down increases with Mentality. Hassle / Stand Off kind of fall outside the remit of standard "Closing Down". They are extreme Instructions.

[Lyssien]

Very quick question - will tutoring improve aggression?

And, if not, is there another way to improve aggression?

Tutoring will not improve aggression. Tutoring affects the hidden personality stats and determination.

I have never found a way to improve aggression on purpose, maybe it is not possible. (It may be possible however to decrease it: in older versions, a player's aggression could decrease if you warned/fined him for yellow cards and such. Not sure about FM14 though.)

[Ö-zil to the Arsenal!]

Tutoring will not improve aggression. Tutoring affects the hidden personality stats and determination.

I have never found a way to improve aggression on purpose, maybe it is not possible. (It may be possible however to decrease it: in older versions, a player's aggression could decrease if you warned/fined him for yellow cards and such. Not sure about FM14 though.)

Thank you.

[thomit]

I have noticed a couple of my players have an increasing aggression curve in my training overlook, but I don't know why. And this decrease in aggression as a result of red card punishments that Lyssien mentioned is still there.

Welcome back Lyssien, btw; long time no see.

[Chris Anthemum]

Would you guys agree that pace/acceleration (mostly acceleration) is an important attribute for closing down? I don't often see it mentioned but to me it seems like it's key - the faster a player is able to cover ground and close down space the less time the opposition player has on the ball before he has to make a decision.

[MarchColorDrink]

I'm getting really frustrated with my keepers distribution. Quite often he just floats a ball, aimlessly, to the center off the pitch. As my CMs are short I loose the header most of the times. This often results in me being carved completely open from the header followed by a one-two pass behind my attacking wing back.

This could be prevented by setting my keeper to distribute to the defenders, but that isn't what I want either. I would like the keeper to distribute it either to my target man, one of the wing backs or just long and wide. Never ever should the ball be played from GK to CMs.

How should I instruct him? I can't seem to find a suitable choice.

[JOSEPH!]

I'm getting really frustrated with my keepers distribution. Quite often he just floats a ball, aimlessly, to the center off the pitch. As my CMs are short I loose the header most of the times. This often results in me being carved completely open from the header followed by a one-two pass behind my attacking wing back.

This could be prevented by setting my keeper to distribute to the defenders, but that isn't what I want either. I would like the keeper to distribute it either to my target man, one of the wing backs or just long and wide. Never ever should the ball be played from GK to CMs.

How should I instruct him? I can't seem to find a suitable choice.

Do you ask your team to push higher up? If so, he won't distribute short because there is no-one short.

Are your defenders being marked by opposition attackers? If so, he won't pass to them as it is too risky.

If you're set on the WBL/R receiving the ball ask your team to drop deeper and the GK to 'distribute to defenders'. If opposition is playing with two CFs then this is risky too as they will likely close down your defenders quickly if he constantly distributes short.

[MarchColorDrink]

No, I dont push up. I'm at standard mentality and default D-line. The wing backs are generally open. Even so he shouldnt just float it to center pitch as that truly is risky when the team is moving forward.

If I do set it to dist to defs, he plays it short to either wingback. This however is contradictory to my strategy as I dont want to play out of defence

[somebodyelse]

can someone please tell me the approximate ratio of the score/ccc of their owns and their oppositions.every shot on target is goal.i finish the game 25/10/5 (shot/on target/ccc) and opposition 5/2/1 game ends 2-2 even at home with my two strikers they have 18 and 16 finishing.im new in this game but not in football.does your keepers save anything?i mean how can a keeper let the opposition do the header in 6yrd box?tried everything and read every useful threads in this forum and i came out with 1 answer.SCORE TOO MUCH.because clearly its insanely hard not to concede.

[JOSEPH!]

No, I dont push up. I'm at standard mentality and default D-line. The wing backs are generally open. Even so he shouldnt just float it to center pitch as that truly is risky when the team is moving forward.

If I do set it to dist to defs, he plays it short to either wingback. This however is contradictory to my strategy as I dont want to play out of defence

You did say however in your opening post that you wanted him to distribute the ball to either of your WBs?

So you want to play route one football? I'm sorry I don't quite understand. Playing the ball to either of your WBs isn't necessarily playing from defence in the same way Bayern do at the moment. It just means you have an open outlet. The WB who receives the ball may then bomb forward and play a direct ball to your target man and then continue to play as you want.

All distributing to your WB does is ensure you keep the ball straight after the keeper distributes it. How he then plays after that is in accordance with your strategy as a whole.

[JOSEPH!]

can someone please tell me the approximate ratio of the score/ccc of their owns and their oppositions.every shot on target is goal.i finish the game 25/10/5 (shot/on target/ccc) and opposition 5/2/1 game ends 2-2 even at home with my two strikers they have 18 and 16 finishing.im new in this game but not in football.does your keepers save anything?i mean how can a keeper let the opposition do the header in 6yrd box?tried everything and read every useful threads in this forum and i came out with 1 answer.SCORE TOO MUCH.because clearly its insanely hard not to concede.

The CCC stat is misleading. The definition of what makes a CCC is irrelevant for me - the things that are important however is in what situation did the CCC occur. He may be one on one with the keeper but a defender may be on his heels and he may miss. The ball may come on to his weaker foot and he skies it under pressure and using his wrong foot.

Also, what you're describing sounds like a smash-and-grab job done well. Were the opposition heavy underdogs? Was the aim of the opposition to defend deep and hit you on the counter? If so, it worked well.

[Double0Seven]

Does retraining cost PA points?

[Lyssien]

I have noticed a couple of my players have an increasing aggression curve in my training overlook, but I don't know why. And this decrease in aggression as a result of red card punishments that Lyssien mentioned is still there.

Welcome back Lyssien, btw; long time no see.

Hi thomit, cheers!

Interesting, I wonder if that could be due to the tactics you are training? I don't know as this is all new stuff to me, but it would be fun if training e.g. Hassle Opponents favored an increase in aggression. Just brainstorming here.

[Cleon]

Hi thomit, cheers!

Interesting, I wonder if that could be due to the tactics you are training? I don't know as this is all new stuff to me, but it would be fun if training e.g. Hassle Opponents favored an increase in aggression. Just brainstorming here.

Sadly the game doesn't work like that

[MarchColorDrink]

You did say however in your opening post that you wanted him to distribute the ball to either of your WBs?

So you want to play route one football? I'm sorry I don't quite understand. Playing the ball to either of your WBs isn't necessarily playing from defence in the same way Bayern do at the moment. It just means you have an open outlet. The WB who receives the ball may then bomb forward and play a direct ball to your target man and then continue to play as you want.

All distributing to your WB does is ensure you keep the ball straight after the keeper distributes it. How he then plays after that is in accordance with your strategy as a whole.

Yes, I'm sort of trying to play route one Drillo-esque football. I am ok with the keeper distributing to wb occationally, but I dont want that to be the primary option. I do take your point that it doesnt have to compromise my strategy and i will give it a whirl. Thanks for the input.