How to fix poor touch to goal ratio?

[spursy3241]

I'm playing as Tottenham so I'm kinda restricted to using wingers, but literally every cross I make no matter what tactic results in them just kicking the ball into a defender and having the ball go out of bounds. The touches to goals ratio is also god awful no matter what I do for some reason.

Here are my tactics as well as issues. I'd love to get advice on how I can improve as this is my first game of football manager and I just don't get what I'm doing wrong.

 

[Old Scouser Tommy]

I'm no expert by any means but I have an idea of what works for me so just looking at a glance I'd say that your attack is very 1 dimensional. All your wide players have support duties and there doesn't seen to be any variety in their movement. Also I don't see anyone breaking forward to get beyond your striker. 

You say you're 'Restricted to Wingers'. Why are you restricted to wingers? Personally I would have at least one your wide players as an Inside Forward, maybe Son on the left with an attack duty. I think he has 'Cut Inside From Both Wings' as a trait and that would create a natural overlap on the left. Leave Moura as a winger on support and change your right Fullback to an attack duty. This will hopefully give a bit more variety in wide areas and create some runners.

I'd also change Kane to a DLF. He will drop deep and allow space for Son to run into. It's all about creating space and giving your players options. Maybe a CM on Support instead of your DLP or even a Box To Box midfielder alongside your CM defend.

Lots of things can work it's all about finding a balance that works for the players you have. What works for me and my players might not work with your players and vice-versa. I also tend to use very few team instructions as I like the players to use their attributes rather than forcing things in a sense. I'm currently managing AFC Liverpool and I think I have 4 or 5 altogether. I find it's less confusing and keeps it simple. @herne79 had a fantastic thread focusing on his West Ham save where he used no TI and just used shouts. I don't know if it's still up I didn't look. Maybe he can link into here.

[spursy3241]

 

1 hour ago, Old Scouser Tommy said:

I'm no expert by any means but I have an idea of what works for me so just looking at a glance I'd say that your attack is very 1 dimensional. All your wide players have support duties and there doesn't seen to be any variety in their movement. Also I don't see anyone breaking forward to get beyond your striker. 

You say you're 'Restricted to Wingers'. Why are you restricted to wingers? Personally I would have at least one your wide players as an Inside Forward, maybe Son on the left with an attack duty. I think he has 'Cut Inside From Both Wings' as a trait and that would create a natural overlap on the left. Leave Moura as a winger on support and change your right Fullback to an attack duty. This will hopefully give a bit more variety in wide areas and create some runners.

I'd also change Kane to a DLF. He will drop deep and allow space for Son to run into. It's all about creating space and giving your players options. Maybe a CM on Support instead of your DLP or even a Box To Box midfielder alongside your CM defend.

Lots of things can work it's all about finding a balance that works for the players you have. What works for me and my players might not work with your players and vice-versa. I also tend to use very few team instructions as I like the players to use their attributes rather than forcing things in a sense. I'm currently managing AFC Liverpool and I think I have 4 or 5 altogether. I find it's less confusing and keeps it simple. @herne79 had a fantastic thread focusing on his West Ham save where he used no TI and just used shouts. I don't know if it's still up I didn't look. Maybe he can link into here.

I honestly had no idea what to be looking for in  changing my tactics so thank you. Do you know how I'm supposed to stop my players from shooting the ball right at defenders?

[spursy3241]

 

1 hour ago, Old Scouser Tommy said:

I'm no expert by any means but I have an idea of what works for me so just looking at a glance I'd say that your attack is very 1 dimensional. All your wide players have support duties and there doesn't seen to be any variety in their movement. Also I don't see anyone breaking forward to get beyond your striker. 

You say you're 'Restricted to Wingers'. Why are you restricted to wingers? Personally I would have at least one your wide players as an Inside Forward, maybe Son on the left with an attack duty. I think he has 'Cut Inside From Both Wings' as a trait and that would create a natural overlap on the left. Leave Moura as a winger on support and change your right Fullback to an attack duty. This will hopefully give a bit more variety in wide areas and create some runners.

I'd also change Kane to a DLF. He will drop deep and allow space for Son to run into. It's all about creating space and giving your players options. Maybe a CM on Support instead of your DLP or even a Box To Box midfielder alongside your CM defend.

Lots of things can work it's all about finding a balance that works for the players you have. What works for me and my players might not work with your players and vice-versa. I also tend to use very few team instructions as I like the players to use their attributes rather than forcing things in a sense. I'm currently managing AFC Liverpool and I think I have 4 or 5 altogether. I find it's less confusing and keeps it simple. @herne79 had a fantastic thread focusing on his West Ham save where he used no TI and just used shouts. I don't know if it's still up I didn't look. Maybe he can link into here.

I honestly had no idea what to be looking for in  changing my tactics so thank you. Do you know how I'm supposed to stop my players from shooting the ball right at defenders?

[Old Scouser Tommy]

28 minutes ago, spursy3241 said:

 

I honestly had no idea what to be looking for in  changing my tactics so thank you. Do you know how I'm supposed to stop my players from shooting the ball right at defenders?

To me would suggest a lack of options. Players moving into the spaces would create options. Work the ball into box TI won't stop random long shots if there is a lack of options. Just think about getting players into spaces to give the player with the ball a passing option.

[>LJ<]

I think crosses hitting the first defend is a known issue with the match engine? But also a lack of better options for the crossing player would contribute to this.

 

One thing which I think might help you is that you dont need your player roles to have full green or close to full circles. These are just suggestions and should not be taken as gospel. If a player has the right attributes they can play in any position and any role, even if they have a red circle of suitability. Also when it comes to team instructions think less is more at least initially. Try to have as few team instructions as you can and then add/take away as you watch games. When you have lots of instructions it can be difficult to pin point what is actually going wrong. 

[spursy3241]

21 minutes ago, >LJ< said:

I think crosses hitting the first defend is a known issue with the match engine? But also a lack of better options for the crossing player would contribute to this.

 

 One thing which I think might help you is that you dont need your player roles to have full green or close to full circles. These are just suggestions and should not be taken as gospel. If a player has the right attributes they can play in any position and any role, even if they have a red circle of suitability. Also when it comes to team instructions think less is more at least initially. Try to have as few team instructions as you can and then add/take away as you watch games. When you have lots of instructions it can be difficult to pin point what is actually going wrong. 

Okay thank you.

[pheelf]

What is the profile of a successful cross?

From the deliverer

- They need to have the vision to be able to see where they need to place the cross and the technical ability to be able to execute on the decision to cross

- They need to be agile and quick footed in order to create space to shift the ball away from the onrushing defender and get the cross into the box

From the receiver

- They need to have excellent off the ball skills in order to free themselves from markers

- They need either to have the ability to accelerate away from defenders to get on the end of low or whipped crosses or be capable of winning the aerial battles with the defenders for lofted crosses.

The problem you have is that the two (deliverer and receiver) are often out of sync.

In the first 2 tactics you posted the winger (support) is going to cross early but you don't really have anyone consistently in the box early. In your 3rd tactic you have everyone designated to run into the box doing so early but your wingbacks arrive late. 

You have also selected the Work Ball Into Box TI in all your tactics which exacerbates the problem as that reduces your wide players tendency to cross which means that they will hold onto the ball looking for a passing option instead. The problem with this is if there isn't one available within range they have to resort to crossing the ball but by then the opportunity to cross has often passed and they have been closed down giving the defender the advantage and ability to block the delivery easily.

It might be helpful if you did a bit of analysis of the games and looked at the touches your players had in the opposition box. A statistic (5 goals from 177 touches in the opposition penalty area) without any context is very hard to interpret. Who is having those touches? How many of those touches are in good goal scoring positions? What is the posture of the player like on receiving the ball? Does the player receiving the ball have a great first touch? 

I agree with the suggestions others have posted in this thread that you need more penetration into the box and more variety when it comes to forging routes to goal.

Best of luck

[summatsupeer]

I think your not creating quality chances.

Your playing a risky mentality with higher tempo and a focus on through balls but only your ST is playing on the shoulder.

Theres a lack of movement, the winger stay wide with WB-S staying wide.  Two holding players with a patient AM-Su.

Your just pushing opponents back and then most of team is standing around wanting the ball whilst youve told them to try and create quickly but lack options.

[Urotsukidoji]

left footed wingers on right cant cross, and vice versa, but I got doku since 18 on left wing and Sancho on right since 19. also slow possession lots of defence back, direct no one back

[Experienced Defender]

You are using as many as 3 different formations and 4 different tactics, which is the first mistake. And - to make things worse - none of them is set up in a logical way.

For starters, pick just one formation (my preference for the Spurs in FM19 would be 4141dm wide). Then try to use as few instructions as possible (i.e. use just those that vaguely define your preferred style of play). The same goes for roles and duties - set them up in accordance with how you want to play, and make sure you can achieve both defensive solidity and balance on one hand, and sufficient attacking potency on the other. If you keep struggling after that, come here again and post a screenshot of that new (sole) tactic for us to discuss.