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How do you beat (or at least challenge) the bigger teams?


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I've started a small experiment: I'm playing as KRC Genk (one of the bigger teams in Belgium but a small fish in Europe) and am playing FC Barcelona in the Champions League. These kinds of matches I've been playing since FM15 are making me question some things about the way I play or about how the game plays itself. 

First of all: I know that a match against Barcelona shouldn't count as a benchmark, but then again, it's 2020 and the team I've molded so far isn't all that bad but I'm just really asking questions here.

Somehow, every single player of Barcelona seems to be faster, stronger, smarter, a better passer, a better header (Messi scoring headers against my 191cm 17 jumping range 16 decisions 15 power defender) than every single one of my players. Every. Single. One. 

Every attack is the same. I get a corner, it gets headed away. Dembele (or even Busquets or Piqué or some other superhuman organism playing there) gets the ball, dribbles past five of my players (yes, Busquets and Piqué), reaches the touchline, plays a massive 45 back to outside of the box and some other superhuman organism is there to slot it home from 30 meters. Messi, Suarez, okay, I'll take it. But Busquets, Piqué?! These guys dribble past mine as if it's Maradona in his prime. Okay, maybe I'm vulnerable to long range shots, so I put an anchorman there and adjust my defensive line. Nothing changes. 

To the point: I am not ranting, I am well aware that Barcelona is the best team football has seen in decades and that, although I'm almost untouchable in Belgium, I'm no match for them. Plain fact. But how is it possible that I can't seem to even put up a challenge against any of those teams? It's like my team suddenly rolls over and dies. Nothing works. 4-1-2-3 DM wide, 5-1-3-1, 5-1-2-1-1, cautious, defending, all out attack gegenpress, low LOE, high LOE, training for specific tactics, training for a big match, ... I have tried it all and it's always the same. I've beat Zenit in the same group 4-1 at home and 1-2 away. Both times with different tactics. 

So my question is this: Is the gap between the biggest (let's say) 10 teams and the rest of the pile THAT big? Are there general tips for battling the bigger teams and at least not getting hammered 4-0? Other than lower LOE and defensive line, support duties, mentality and so on. I don't necessarily need an upset, but just once lose such a game with 2-0 or less. Sad, isn't it? 

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