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

[tajj7]

Just now, herne79 said:

Positioning is used when defending, not attacking.  Kind of the defensive equivalent of off the ball.

You're the boss so you're free to ignore the advice.  It is worth noting though that coach advice isn't always bad especially if it's a good coach who is relevant to the PPM you are looking to train.

I've still told them to do it against the coach advice, but I am wondering if they fail to learn the PPM, whether it is then worth trying to get them to learn it again or whether some players basically can never learn some PPMs. 

[herne79]

2 minutes ago, tajj7 said:

I've still told them to do it against the coach advice, but I am wondering if they fail to learn the PPM, whether it is then worth trying to get them to learn it again or whether some players basically can never learn some PPMs. 

Some players will never learn some PPMs but they'll be more likely to learn relevant PPMs.  There are various factors which determine whether PPM training will succeed or not such as:- how suitable the PPM is (eg., a player with 4 Technique may be less likely to learn "Places Shots" than a player with 16 Technique); the player may already have too many PPMs and is unable to learn another; personality traits may reduce the likelihood; coach ability.

So consider what the PPM is and how suitable it may be for the player in relation to his attributes.  Better coaches will give you better advice, but nobody is infallible.

[tajj7]

1 minute ago, herne79 said:

Some players will never learn some PPMs but they'll be more likely to learn relevant PPMs.  There are various factors which determine whether PPM training will succeed or not such as:- how suitable the PPM is (eg., a player with 4 Technique may be less likely to learn "Places Shots" than a player with 16 Technique); the player may already have too many PPMs and is unable to learn another; personality traits may reduce the likelihood; coach ability.

So consider what the PPM is and how suitable it may be for the player in relation to his attributes.  Better coaches will give you better advice, but nobody is infallible.

Ok thanks.

Examples I have are like De Ligt and Wesley Hoedt - 'Bring ball out of defence', James Ward-Prowse - 'Stays back at all times', Donny Van de beek - 'gets forward whenever possible' which all to me seem fairly logical to their best roles and attributes.  They either all have none or just one PPM currently, but all of them my coaches for the relevant areas did not think they could do it. 

[Harryhi]

Has the update today changed everything about the way I should be approaching things? Seems so. I’m not complaining but boy, this is hard work to find something that works. I did have decent working tactics last night lol, ah well, back to cleon and Rashidi threads I go..

[Cleon]

Nothing’s changed. I still play the exact same way I did on FM05 😂

[tajj7]

How do I make a back 3 when dealing with one lone striker, cover each other? I have had several occasions where the central centre back say goes for the header wins it and is then obviously ahead of the striker, so the opposition just hump a ball forwared straight away or they just do that generally and the central of the 3 defenders loses his man so is out of position. The other two centre-backs are well positioned either side but just don't react or go near that central striker so he just gets a clear run at goal.  Its like they are just saying 'he is not my man'.

All 3 are just central defenders. I did have one on cover but it didn't seem to work very well either. 

Do I need mark specifc player on? Just not sure how to get the other two to help out their mate. I kind of feel that 3 good centre-backs should very easily deal with one average PL striker (Rondon, Wood, Hernandez etc.) especially when they have very little support near them. 

EDIT: Van Dijk is the centre of the 3 and I have just noticed that his aggression is 17 and his decision making is 10, so is he too aggressively trying to come out and win the ball thus leaving the gap? Still can't work why the other centre-backs don't deal with the threat though. 

Edited November 10, 2017 by tajj7

[RGRB]

Quick Question, I'm playing with a 

RB Full back (At
CB Central Defender (Def)
CB Central Defender (Def)
LB Full back (At)

DM Defensive Mid (Def)

CM BWM (Sup)
CM CM (At)

RW IF (At)
LW if (At)

St CF (Sup)
 

Play out of defence, Exploit the middle, Look for Overlap,, Be more expressive 

Any suggestions on how I can get more out of my striker? I am getting assists from him but would like to get more goals I'm playing Dolberg who is best suited to complete forward

 

[Frisian]

Don't know if this is the right place for it, but  don't know where else.

I created a tactic in the bétaversion, but I can't find these tactics in the full version. The file is in the right map, but doesn't show up. Can someone tell me what's wrong? (See attached files).

Edited November 10, 2017 by Frisian

[Cleon]

File types change when full version is released. Load the save you was using it on and resave the tactic then you can reload it. 

[Frisian]

Just now, Cleon said:

File types change when full version is released. Load the save you was using it on and resave the tactic then you can reload it. 

I already deleted it..... No other option?

[join.me]

Could you please show me (screenshot would be ideal) how and where to set up a "Targetman" and "Playmaker" for the whole team on the "Tactics" page as it was in Football Manager 13 (last time played)  

Does FM18 have the same options?

[HUNT3R]

3 minutes ago, join.me said:

Could you please show me (screenshot would be ideal) how and where to set up a "Targetman" and "Playmaker" for the whole team on the "Tactics" page as it was in Football Manager 13 (last time played)  

Does FM18 have the same options?

This is automatically done by selecting a playmaker or target man role.

[Cleon]

16 minutes ago, Frisian said:

I already deleted it..... No other option?

You could rename the file and try but I don't think that works. The switching of the files FM use from beta to full version have been like this for a few years now.

5 minutes ago, join.me said:

Could you please show me (screenshot would be ideal) how and where to set up a "Targetman" and "Playmaker" for the whole team on the "Tactics" page as it was in Football Manager 13 (last time played)  

Does FM18 have the same options?

There is no such option now, it's done automatic when you select the targetman or playmaking roles.

[HUNT3R]

15 minutes ago, Frisian said:

I already deleted it..... No other option?

No. The full version uses FMF files, not TAC.

[Clifton]

Can someone remind me how to get the names above all players in 3D matches, please.

[Harryhi]

I’m pretty happy with my current tactics, I’m winning and dominating and it’s not too heavy yet producing good attacking football, just one question though, what’s the general idea about switching between mentality/shape during matches? Would changing it too much lead to a bit of instability? Or is this idea just in my mind?

[Cleon]

4 minutes ago, Harryhi said:

I’m pretty happy with my current tactics, I’m winning and dominating and it’s not too heavy yet producing good attacking football, just one question though, what’s the general idea about switching between mentality/shape during matches? Would changing it too much lead to a bit of instability? Or is this idea just in my mind?

It depends on why you'd be changing the mentality and the reasoning behind it. If you're winning, playing good football and dominating why would you even consider changing mentality? If people change shape during a match I'd have to question if the base tactic they use was the correct one to begin with. As for mentality though lots of people (myself included) often change it. But we don't change it just for the sake of it, there has to be a reason behind it and something that triggers the change.

[Harryhi]

9 minutes ago, Cleon said:

It depends on why you'd be changing the mentality and the reasoning behind it. If you're winning, playing good football and dominating why would you even consider changing mentality? If people change shape during a match I'd have to question if the base tactic they use was the correct one to begin with. As for mentality though lots of people (myself included) often change it. But we don't change it just for the sake of it, there has to be a reason behind it and something that triggers the change.

The reason being would mainly be that I have my lead in the game, and I’m sure the other team is coming at me more, so mostly I think I want to drop the mentality to being more like counter. I think understand that being say, control, doesn’t necessarily mean I’m putting too much emphasis on attack, cos of player roles right? but I’ve kind of got it in my head that a sort of control mentality = a naturally higher defensive line. 

[Cleon]

3 minutes ago, Harryhi said:

The reason being would mainly be that I have my lead in the game, and I’m sure the other team is coming at me more, so mostly I think I want to drop the mentality to being more like counter. I think understand that being say, control, doesn’t necessarily mean I’m putting too much emphasis on attack, cos of player roles right? but I’ve kind of got it in my head that a sort of control mentality = a naturally higher defensive line. 

Control is very attacking and comes with a higher line than normal.

Going more defensive isn't always the best way to deal with things though as you can end up being sat too deep and not doing the things that were winning you the game in the first place. So remember that the context of what is currently happening in the match is the most important thing to consider. 

[Deisler26]

Is anyone else finding that their strikers shoot straight at the opposition keeper a lot? A lot of opportunities that the AI have (crosses, free man at corners, FK), they score from, where as I just put the ball straight at the keeper?

[Big Marv]

Is there any way to retain set piece takers between tactics? I’m sick of having to reassign the same corner/freekick takers every new tactic

[Dr. Hook]

5 minutes ago, Big Marv said:

Is there any way to retain set piece takers between tactics? I’m sick of having to reassign the same corner/freekick takers every new tactic

I haven't checked it in 18, but in previous versions you could just open up your setpieces in the tactics screen and assign them there and they stay. Is that not the case any longer?

[Big Marv]

I’ve had to set the takers up for each new tactic

[Artin]

do any of these reduce crosses from the flanks?:

• fewer risky passes (PI)
• shorter passing (PI)
• retain possession (TI)
• work ball into box (TI)

i'm pretty confident the last two TIs does but i'm hoping the PIs above will also reduce crosses so i only have to apply it to two players (instead of the whole team when using TIs)

[mikcheck]

Hi,

Is move into channels useless for players in AMCL/AMCR positions? I ask this because they're already in the channels

 Thanks.

[summatsupeer]

10 minutes ago, mikcheck said:

Hi,

Is move into channels useless for players in AMCL/AMCR positions? I ask this because they're already in the channels

 Thanks.

That's there defensive position. 

How and where they move will depends on role&duty plus any custom PI's you add, even team width will have a bit of an effect.

[Hansaplast]

8 hours ago, Artin said:

do any of these reduce crosses from the flanks?:

• fewer risky passes (PI)
• shorter passing (PI)
• retain possession (TI)
• work ball into box (TI)

i'm pretty confident the last two TIs does but i'm hoping the PIs above will also reduce crosses so i only have to apply it to two players (instead of the whole team when using TIs)

"work ball into box"  definitely reduces crosses; the two PIs don't 

[Armistice]

Could anyone tell me if there's any significant difference between a flat 3 midfield and a DM-CM-CM set-up apart from the defensive shape coming from the formation?

[herne79]

1 hour ago, Armistice said:

Could anyone tell me if there's any significant difference between a flat 3 midfield and a DM-CM-CM set-up apart from the defensive shape coming from the formation?

Two main differences:- 1) their starting positions.  So in a flat 3 the two outer central mids will be slightly wider and the central mid slightly higher.  With a DM instead it's the opposite - central mids slightly narrower, central mid slightly deeper.  A DM will also push your def line a little deeper.

2) Choosing DM or CM also gives you some different roles to pick from.

[Houndd]

If my left inside forward has the player trait "Runs with ball down left", does that override or impact the "cut inside with ball" player instruction?

[Armistice]

So I've got another question, a Shadow Striker has Closing Down locked in to "Sometimes", does it mean he does not press much? The role description says he presses the defenders when he's off the ball, is this behaviour hardcoded or something?

[stevemc]

Hi,

Probably a silly question, but if you select the maximum amount to manager stats to distribute at the start of the game, how much does it matter if you did this?

Obviously I'd make a useless GK coach, but I can get coaches in to cover that, moving my stats elsewhere to be a 5* somewhere else. But if I did this, would there be a negative effect for GK's? Likewise, what if I put my working with youngsters stat down to 1? Does this effect dynamics in any way?

[Argonaut]

As far as I know, all of those green attributes (except Working With Youngsters) only affect your coaching stars. So unless you're at a poor club who can't afford many coaches, it's good to specialize.  I like to max Determination, Discipline, and Motivation on the blue side, as well as something like Tactical and Fitness on the green side so I can be a 5 Star tactics or fitness coach.

[tajj7]

If a player says 'feels the individual training he has been assigned to work on is not beneficial', but the area I have assigned him has increased, shall I just ignore him?

I have Pellegri and told him to work on his passing because it was 10, his first training report is in and it says that, but his passing has gone up to 11. 

 

[Argonaut]

3 minutes ago, tajj7 said:

If a player says 'feels the individual training he has been assigned to work on is not beneficial', but the area I have assigned him has increased, shall I just ignore him?

I have Pellegri and told him to work on his passing because it was 10, his first training report is in and it says that, but his passing has gone up to 11. 

 

Yeah I would just ignore him.

But maybe there is something behind this.. I had Eric Dier working on his Jumping Reach, which he complained about in training despite the stat increasing. And then he got injured from jumping in training specifically. Strange coincidence or did he know what he was talking about?

[Fritz13]

Is the TI work ball into box completely wasted if you are playing with at least one winger?

would a MEZ better compliment a winger or an IF playing in the AM slot?

[Dr. Hook]

1 hour ago, Argonaut said:

Yeah I would just ignore him.

But maybe there is something behind this.. I had Eric Dier working on his Jumping Reach, which he complained about in training despite the stat increasing. And then he got injured from jumping in training specifically. Strange coincidence or did he know what he was talking about?

It appears when you assign them to work on an attribute that isn't considered a key attribute for their position.  Strikers typically throw this moan up over passing. If you assigned a DM finishing you'd probably get the same thing. Dier is natural at midfield, right? Not a surprise this would come up with jumping. It doesn't always appear, but this is pretty much why it does when it does. 

[Dr. Hook]

26 minutes ago, Fritz13 said:

Is the TI work ball into box completely wasted if you are playing with at least one winger?

would a MEZ better compliment a winger or an IF playing in the AM slot?

Why? It reduces crosses, but doesn't eliminate them entirely- you might still want the winger to get the ball out wide to draw defenders, for example, before passing, and he will still put crosses in when there is a good opportunity. WBIB just modifies tendencies is all. 

[TheRoverOfBlackburn]

What's the difference between a Winger on attack and a Winger on support that has PI's of Get further forward and cross from byline?

[Argonaut]

41 minutes ago, TheRoverOfBlackburn said:

What's the difference between a Winger on attack and a Winger on support that has PI's of Get further forward and cross from byline?

Winger on attack duty has a higher mentality, meaning he will be more apt to attack and will contribute less defensively. He will also tend to sit further up the pitch.

[Fritz13]

8 hours ago, Dr. Hook said:

Why? It reduces crosses, but doesn't eliminate them entirely- you might still want the winger to get the ball out wide to draw defenders, for example, before passing, and he will still put crosses in when there is a good opportunity. WBIB just modifies tendencies is all. 

Thanks - wasn’t sure how drastic the reduction was

[Aksi92]

If I am using two IF one on attack duty and one on supp. Then I use RPM and Mezzala in CM positions. Mezzala on attack duty should be on which side of the pitch? Is he covering same space with IF-S? Then maybe I should use him on same side where IF-A is?

And how is Mezzala on attack doing with Winger-S on same side?

[Marc.Foster050]

3 hours ago, Aksi92 said:

If I am using two IF one on attack duty and one on supp. Then I use RPM and Mezzala in CM positions. Mezzala on attack duty should be on which side of the pitch? Is he covering same space with IF-S? Then maybe I should use him on same side where IF-A is?

And how is Mezzala on attack doing with Winger-S on same side?

All depend how you want the team to play. In one of my systems I have a rpm(s) in the RCM position and in the AMR I have an AP(S). They both occupy the same area of the pitch but I wouldn't say they get in each others way they drag a lot of attention from the defenders to that side and I score a lot of goals from this creating space for the IF in the AML position.

So it could cause issues but with the right balance it can also be beneficial.

 

[Zodiak]

Does the match engine actually penalize fielding players out of position (red circle and all that?). Or is it just a recommendation to the player? An extreme example: putting a CB on a striker position - will the game actually make him play worse because of this, or is it just a matter of his attributes not being well-suited to a striker role, so he'll play as he does, but just won't produce goals because his finishing is bad?

A practical question in terms of borderline roles, for example what if my CM can't play DM at all, but has the attributes for it. I put him in the DM slot, it's all in red, but I know he can actually do a decent job. So I'm worried if the game goes out of its way to somehow make him play worse than he could, only because I had the audacity to put him a different slot. Or, say, an AMR/L being told to play in the MR/L position (without knowing it). 

Please reply, as I've always been wondering... How much freedom do I have to decide where to field my guys based not on these color-ratings, but on their attributes. 

[herne79]

31 minutes ago, Zodiak said:

Does the match engine actually penalize fielding players out of position (red circle and all that?). Or is it just a recommendation to the player? An extreme example: putting a CB on a striker position - will the game actually make him play worse because of this, or is it just a matter of his attributes not being well-suited to a striker role, so he'll play as he does, but just won't produce goals because his finishing is bad?

A practical question in terms of borderline roles, for example what if my CM can't play DM at all, but has the attributes for it. I put him in the DM slot, it's all in red, but I know he can actually do a decent job. So I'm worried if the game goes out of its way to somehow make him play worse than he could, only because I had the audacity to put him a different slot. Or, say, an AMR/L being told to play in the MR/L position (without knowing it). 

Please reply, as I've always been wondering... How much freedom do I have to decide where to field my guys based not on these color-ratings, but on their attributes. 

It'll have a bit of an impact on his Decisions attribute.  So long as the player has the attributes that you feel he needs for the role that you want him to play, that's the important part.

[BadAss88]

2 minutes ago, herne79 said:

It'll have a bit of an impact on his Decisions attribute.  So long as the player has the attributes that you feel he needs for the role that you want him to play, that's the important part.

Is the star rating correct in this? 

Say someone who is natural to play DM but only has 2.5 stars for the position and someone else who isn't natural in the DM position but has better attributes but scores only 2 stars. Is the stars rating correct in these situations?

[herne79]

6 minutes ago, BadAss88 said:

Is the star rating correct in this? 

Say someone who is natural to play DM but only has 2.5 stars for the position and someone else who isn't natural in the DM position but has better attributes but scores only 2 stars. Is the stars rating correct in these situations?

There are star ratings?  

Seriously though, the star ratings (basically) just compare similar players in your squad.  Attributes always have been and probably always will be king.  So in this situation if you believe the 2 star player has better attributes for how you see the role playing out then play him.

[Zodiak]

Thank you! Same thing for roles, right? So if a striker is dark orange for false nine, it’s just a recommendation based on his attributes and he won’t actually be impacted if played as a F9? I feel these things were brought in to help new players, but they have a strange psychological effect on me in that they make me think twice before going for what I feel is right. When you see a role in red and one in bright greens, you are bound to pick the green one even though red would work better in your system.

[herne79]

2 hours ago, Zodiak said:

Thank you! Same thing for roles, right? So if a striker is dark orange for false nine, it’s just a recommendation based on his attributes and he won’t actually be impacted if played as a F9? I feel these things were brought in to help new players, but they have a strange psychological effect on me in that they make me think twice before going for what I feel is right. When you see a role in red and one in bright greens, you are bound to pick the green one even though red would work better in your system.

These coloured dots are guides, not rules.  imo you're using them in the right way - they're helping you think about things to make your own decisions, rather than just blindly following them.  That's kind of how the entire game is designed: you're given information to help you make your own choices, rather than simply following instructions.

The colour of the dot won't directly impact how a player plays in a role.  That's down to attributes and tactical settings.

[Fritz13]

WB-S and. W-A playing down the same wing and expected to overlap - should I only be giving one of them the stay wide PI?

and if so which role?