retired_hope

Remember, they are only on mixed forward runs. I would not advocate often for the DC's unless you are really going for a win.

GK I would never put on often.

When this is combined with the correct mentality for the situation the player will act how you want them to. E.g if you are on a defensive mentality the DC would only move forward to receive the ball if the risk to them doing so was small.

retired_payalpatel

Nice thread.

Question: it seems you often tweaking the tactic of your formation. Does it affect to the players? I mean, as far as I know player will be confused if there so many/often change in your tactic.

retired_hope

Well there aren't that many changes in my tactics, because I manage the same team thoughout a season.

When I talk about playing more direct I mean in terms of a couple of notches on the slider not, from short to direct in one go.

A formation change has a much greater effct than a tactical change. However I do change my formation sometimes against certain opposition.

retired_mgavlick

I'd like to add a proviso to the d-line if I may.

If you are a dominant force in the game (top 20 in Europe as a rough guide) then you need to start lowering your d-line for attacking systems. This is to ensure you maximise your playing space and pull the opposition around. I've lost count of the number of games in which possession became goasl in the last 20 mins, simply because my team were in much better condition.

retired_hope

Yes the d-line will need to be lowered against more attacking teams. This makes sense as they are less likely to be playing direct football and the opportunity to use the offside trap will be reduced.

But then you would lower you d-line anyway in this situation.

Sky King

I personally do not know of a defensively-sound tactic with high defensive line.
You pretty much have to lower the d-line with no off-side trap in order to solidify the D.

retired_mgavlick

I'm suggesting the opposite. You need to lower the d-line against defensive teams to spread the play more.

And it is entirely possible to defend with a high d-line. I use a d-line of 17 in my attack system and rarely conceeded when it was my tactic of choice for home games. I now mainly use Control (lower d-line, wider, slower) to maximise playing area and keep hold of the ball.

retired_mgavlick

I'm suggesting the opposite. You need to lower the d-line against defensive teams to spread the play more. But only when you are playing agaisnt highly defensive systems (4-4-2 no farrows and more defensive variants

And it is entirely possible to defend with a high d-line. I use a d-line of 17 in my attack system and rarely conceeded when it was my tactic of choice for home games. I now mainly use Control (lower d-line, wider, slower) to maximise playing area and keep hold of the ball. </BLOCKQUOTE>

Sorry, forgot to make that clear.

retired_kellyk

My approach is identical actually. I've always contended that the best way to get goals has always been..

1. High intense closing down up front
2. Width - adjusting it accordingly
3. And if you need to drop Dline to invite the AI so you can hit back

retired_jveklund

Interesting. I was under the impression that the defensive line settings determine the distance between the back four and the rest of the team. As I pull the DL back the distance increases, hence why there is a need for a defensive midfielder. Do you suggest that DL has a positional effect on the entire team?