HELP! I'm going mad..

[luka_zg]

Ok. Here is my tactical set up. I am playing as Schalke.

4-2-3-1 deep. Control mentality, and fluid style. Everything else on default.

GK - Unerstall (goalkeeper/def)

DR - Maicon (wingback/def)

DL - Escudero (wingback/att)

DC - Matip (central def/def)

DC - Howedes (central def/def)

DMCR - Neustadter (def mid/def)

DMCL - Hoger (deep lying plym/supp)

AMR - Farfan (winger/att)

AML - Draxler (adv plym/supp)

AMC - Holtby (att mid/att)

FC - Ademilson (complete fwd/att)

My primary playmaker is Hoger, and I set my striker as target man/run onto ball. He scores nicely, that is not the problem.

The problem is that almost always I am dominating possesion and shots on goal but even if I play some poor team I am unable to break them. I score one, but to score a second it is mission impossible!!..And then always from their first or second SoT the AI score. I am going mad here.

The quality of my team is quite high and then comes some poor side like anderlecht and I lose the game. Ofcourse a game where I am the better side. They have two shots and boom. I get two goals. I just want to be able to win comfortably against squads that are evidently much more worse that my squad. What am I doing wrong?

How on earth do you break down poor sides in this game?

[Lowie]

A lot of people are having this problem, so do I. I don't know what the problem is but as you say atleast some games should be an easy 3/4-0 win when you're playing a team like Schalke or any other top league club.

I guess they tried to make the game a little too realistic, so it became unrealistic hard .

Waiting for news on this matter from the SI-staff and i hope we'll get an update soon.

[Wiltshire_Bee]

same for me, all for the game being realistic but I'm playing as West Ham against lower league sides in the cup, killing them for 90 minutes and losing 2-0. I'm playing 4-1-2-3 formation.

[Flohrinho]

Experiencing the same thing atm despite my season starting promising with some good wins.

Then I had a game against Manchester United where I played good but conceded a late goal and lost.

Since this game I can't hold on to a lead for the life of me, tried every thing but nothing works.

Counter setup didn't work, keeping up the pressure didn't work, keeping up the pressure but reducing tempo to play more calmly didn't work.

I also struggle to create any chances once I'm one goal up and have no idea why, okay they put up more pressure on me but that should also open up more space my players could exploit yet nothing seems to work it's like my players give up after getting the lead, really strange.

[RTHerringbone]

What do you do if you go a goal up? You say that you often take the lead but fail to push on and score a second. Do you leave your strategy on control? Your start strategy should vary dependent on the quality of the opposition.

If you were playing as a top side against a mid-rated side, then Control would be a reasonable strategy for home games. If you take the lead, then it is possible that you'd want to soften your strategy, as the opposition are almost certainly going to look to equalize. By dropping to Standard, you'd play narrower and deeper, and be more likely to absorb the opposition attacks.

[Mattp1980]

You say you're playing control but you have six players assigned a defensive role and an additional one in a defensive position. You then have just 1 player in a support role and 3 in the attack. Try adjusting your wing backs to automatic or support and setting one of the AM to a support role to help with actually controlling the play in the opponents 3rd I would guess right now you're controlling it in the middle of the pitch. Looking at how you're setup the back 6 move the ball around between themselves until a clear passing chance opens and then the forwards will pretty much run and shoot.

[luka_zg]

What do you do if you go a goal up? You say that you often take the lead but fail to push on and score a second. Do you leave your strategy on control? Your start strategy should vary dependent on the quality of the opposition.

If you were playing as a top side against a mid-rated side, then Control would be a reasonable strategy for home games. If you take the lead, then it is possible that you'd want to soften your strategy, as the opposition are almost certainly going to look to equalize. By dropping to Standard, you'd play narrower and deeper, and be more likely to absorb the opposition attacks.

I am sorry but I do not want to absorb the attacks of Kahrlsrue SC. I should be able to break down this kind of opponent by attacking and not giving the the room to breathe. I don't want to resort to more defensive setting against this kind of opponent. I am not talkin about Bayern Munich here.

It is obviusly something very wrong with this ME in this regard. Either the counter tactic deployed by this kind of teams is too powerful, or the individual player quality does not have the effect it should. And I tried all kinds of tactic set ups, tried the advices of people here but nothing is solving this issue.

I am not losing, I am not very bad...so don't think I am complaining because of that , it just doesn't feel right. The balance in the game is flawed somehow, I don't know why but clearly there is something wrong. Hopefully it will be solved with the next update although I am not very optimistic because nobody from SI didn't respond to this actual problem.

[luka_zg]

You say you're playing control but you have six players assigned a defensive role and an additional one in a defensive position. You then have just 1 player in a support role and 3 in the attack. Try adjusting your wing backs to automatic or support and setting one of the AM to a support role to help with actually controlling the play in the opponents 3rd I would guess right now you're controlling it in the middle of the pitch. Looking at how you're setup the back 6 move the ball around between themselves until a clear passing chance opens and then the forwards will pretty much run and shoot.

what are you talking about. I have 4 players on def duty, 2 on support and 4 on attack. I don't count the gk. and i tried everything. and still the poor teams play way too good.

[Mattp1980]

I am sorry but I do not want to absorb the attacks of Kahrlsrue SC. I should be able to break down this kind of opponent by attacking and not giving the the room to breathe. I don't want to resort to more defensive setting against this kind of opponent. I am not talkin about Bayern Munich here.

It is obviusly something very wrong with this ME in this regard. Either the counter tactic deployed by this kind of teams is too powerful, or the individual player quality does not have the effect it should. And I tried all kinds of tactic set ups, tried the advices of people here but nothing is solving this issue.

I am not losing, I am not very bad...so don't think I am complaining because of that , it just doesn't feel right. The balance in the game is flawed somehow, I don't know why but clearly there is something wrong. Hopefully it will be solved with the next update although I am not very optimistic because nobody from SI didn't respond to this actual problem.

The game and the match engine are fine. Look at my post and then look at how you're setup, you have no chance of breaking down the opponent when you've instructed so many players not to take a risk (so to speak). The suggestion about playing more defensive is a good one it has nothing to do with not being better than them it's about drawing the opponent out and creating space for your players to exploit.

[RTHerringbone]

I am sorry but I do not want to absorb the attacks of Kahrlsrue SC. I should be able to break down this kind of opponent by attacking and not giving the the room to breathe. I don't want to resort to more defensive setting against this kind of opponent. I am not talkin about Bayern Munich here.

Maybe Karlsruhe are no Bayern, but by initially taking the sting out of their reaction to going a goal down by softening your strategy, you reduce the likelihood of conceding in this period

Once you perceive that threat to have receded, you can harden your strategy accordingly.

How many games in real life do you watch where you don't see a strong team soften their strategy to see a game out late on, irrespective of the gulf between the sides?

It happens, it is logical.

[luka_zg]

Maybe Karlsruhe are no Bayern, but by initially taking the sting out of their reaction to going a goal down by softening your strategy, you reduce the likelihood of conceding in this period

Once you perceive that threat to have receded, you can harden your strategy accordingly.

How many games in real life do you watch where you don't see a strong team soften their strategy to see a game out late on, irrespective of the gulf between the sides?

It happens, it is logical.

It doesn't happen as much as it does in this game. And I don't se Manchester United going 1-0 up against Wigan at Old Trafford and resorting to defence. I see them push and hastle until they score the second,and even third before they slow down. That is how you play agains weaker opponent, you just roll over him and you don't stop until you have 3 points in the bag. I don't see that in this ME, I'm sorry. I'll try your advice but I don't think it'll work.

[Os]

Maybe Karlsruhe are no Bayern, but by initially taking the sting out of their reaction to going a goal down by softening your strategy, you reduce the likelihood of conceding in this period

Once you perceive that threat to have receded, you can harden your strategy accordingly.

How many games in real life do you watch where you don't see a strong team soften their strategy to see a game out late on, irrespective of the gulf between the sides?

It happens, it is logical.

I agree 100% with this, matches are made up of phases very rarely IRL will you find a game of 90 minute dominance from 1 team.

Also going hammer and tong will tire your team out and leave gaps they have to chase to fill.

I think its important to analyse the flow of the game and proact or react accordingly.

[luka_zg]

I agree 100% with this, matches are made up of phases very rarely IRL will you find a game of 90 minute dominance from 1 team.

Also going hammer and tong will tire your team out and leave gaps they have to chase to fill.

I think its important to analyse the flow of the game and proact or react accordingly.

watch every barca game 2 or 3 seasons ago. they were dominanting anybody for 90 minutes. take barco on fm13 and you'll se the same things I am talking about.

[RTHerringbone]

And I don't se Manchester United going 1-0 up against Wigan at Old Trafford and resorting to defence. I see them push and hastle until they score the second,and even third before they slow down. That is how you play agains weaker opponent, you just roll over him and you don't stop until you have 3 points in the bag. I don't see that in this ME, I'm sorry. I'll try your advice but I don't think it'll work.

I do agree with you with regard to your Man Utd example; if you score early and are playing a "weaker" side, you should theoretically be able to knock in two or three before you soften your strategy at the end. The important thing to note is "how have they adjusted themselves to react to my goal?". If there's no obvious adjustment, I personally would still err on the side of caution for 5 minutes before reverting back to a harder strategy.

[Os]

watch every barca game 2 or 3 seasons ago. they were dominanting anybody for 90 minutes. take barco on fm13 and you'll se the same things I am talking about.

I agree, however they are not doing it as much these days and they done it by holding the ball for long periods in neutral areas of the pitch and pressing to get it back quickly. I suspect their training in this time was geared a lot towards fitness which is overlooked because of the technical football.

[luka_zg]

I do agree with you with regard to your Man Utd example; if you score early and are playing a "weaker" side, you should theoretically be able to knock in two or three before you soften your strategy at the end. The important thing to note is "how have they adjusted themselves to react to my goal?". If there's no obvious adjustment, I personally would still err on the side of caution for 5 minutes before reverting back to a harder strategy.

Plus there is the level of adjustment each team can make. In theory Kahrlsrue could switch their style of play after conceding but are their squad talented enough for that switch to be succesful. And that is my main point. I am not saying weaker teams should just roll over but in the end I feel the quality oc their playsrs should limit them. As it is you are saying from a perspective of equal quality players. They make a switch,i dont and they score. But even if i do not respond to their switch I still have players that are much more better than theirs and therfore should at least get some good chances at the very least. But they do not.

And not just in that one game but is occurence that is happening constantly.

Each game on this ME is a hard battle and while I accept that everybody plays football,it is just not realistic. I have a normal tactic,nothing crazy,good players and it would be quite normal for my team to have certain amount of easy wins,especially playing at home. ATM it is just not happening,and i think somewhere in ME is a flaw.

Plus with the quite a number of weird results between AI teams,something doesn't work right.

[Noel Gallagher]

Hi luka,

Maybe you want to try having 4-6 players on a support duty instead of just the two you currently have? I definitely find that by having more support players the team both attacks and defends better as a unit.