Using your tactic slots

[scratchmonkey]

FM19, like most recent FMs (in fact, I forget when and how this has changed historically), offers up three active slots for tactics that your team trains to learn, with one of them treated as the "primary" tactic, the one that your team concentrates on when doing tactically specific training.

I'm interested to see how all users of the SI Tactics forums use these slots in a numerical perspective. Are there people who only ever have one tactic slot in use? Or do you use all three, even if you predominantly use one of them more than the others (I would guess that this is the most common use case)? Do you use your tactic slots to have copies of the same tactic, tweaked for in-game situational needs, i.e. adding more attacking roles when chasing the game or holding more players back on dead-ball situations when trying to see out a game?

Right now, I have all three slots filled, my primary tactic, a mostly dis-similar tactic that I use in games where I expect the other team to be ultra-defensive, and a mostly-different tactic that I use in-game to chase the game that requires 0-2 substitutions from my regular tactic/starting 11 to work. So I'll select option 5 in the poll. 

[Guest]

1 Tactic into three slots

[herne79]

I usually only have one tactic slot in use which I use as a starting framework and adapt (if necessary) during matches.  So kind of the top option - one tactic slot but the system itself can be a little more fluid.

[Experienced Defender]

My case is most close to the option number 3 in your poll. Actually, I (usually) use 2-3 similar formations, but the tactics somewhat differ from one another. In the 1st slot is my primary tactic (and formation), i.e. the one that I start most of my matches with (with occasional minor tweaks). The other one (or two) is/are those I use only in "special situations" (against much stronger opposition, for example). 

[plcarlos]

My default is a wider version for wingers\overlaps. 2nd is vertical and narrow, but same formation. 3rd is option 1 counter attack attempt

One day, I'll post here fpr advice so i stop tweaking so much.

LLM Saves have 2 - A main, and a counter attack defensive one that flukes me cup wins

 

[M0n3y]

Playing as Sassuolo, I have a standard 4-1-4-1 (DM wide) possession based football for when I'm the better team (as I am most of the time), a 4-2-3-1 (AM wide) with Gegenpress mostly used on away games against equal or stronger teams.

My third slot is a WIP tiki-taka-work-your-magic kind of tactic, quite succesfull in friendlies. Next season I'll be testing it out in league games against the weakest sides.

I tweak my tactics shortly based on the weaknesses of my opponents.

[SD]

I try to cover all the mentality/tempo/passing length/defensive line combinations I might use, but all three tactics are variations of the same playing style/formation.

[Piperita]

I always have three similar tactics slotted in with #2 and #3 mostly being tweaks for 'holding' and 'attacking'.

I have a rather extensive list of saved main tactics which get loaded in with their respective variations after the previous match or when injuries/bans/discipline is forcing my hand.

Should I be forced to *completely* change approaches during a match, I have more to change and analyse than simply pick from two alternatives and pray.

Therefore my secondary tactics are the formation for success and minor tweaks. For bigger ones I handle stuff manually.

[craiigman]

I tend to use 2, but essentially the same setup, just mirrored. So if my left side is more attacking, on the mirrored one it’s the right side.

In a 22 man squad I aim for 2 per position, and 1 for each style.

Usually I have 1 direct winger and 1 more technical winger. So who plays depends on which side I’m focusing play down.

[yolixeya]

In FM18 I played 4-1-4-1 DM wide as it's called now, but I had 4-4-2 on second slot because I had trouble breaking defensive sides. Now I'm playing with Dender, I have possesion based 4-1-4-1 DM wide, and because I'm now in the top league in Belgium, I have same formation but exept AML is lowered to ML and AMR to MR position, with direct counter template (edited) which I use against top teams. I still have 4-4-2 but I don't use it anymore, not even in the matches where I am clear favorite, as it's not working well.

[mp_87]

Depends on the save, and what I'm trying to do, but most commonly how I play and what I prefer is an ultra-possession juego de posicion type approach where the principles never change but I will choose a line up based on what the opposition does in order to achieve superiority in certain areas. All three tactics slots will be filled, but beyond that I may have half a dozen (or more) tactics that play out in a certain formation: 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3, 3-4-3, 4-4-2, if I'm against a really weak team then I even have 3-3-4 and what plays basically as a 2-3-5 that are available. These/the roles then might be customised further on a game by game basis depending on which individuals I have selected in the team.