Dayle Wood

Hi fellow FM addicts. This thread is dedicated to the pursuit of FM success, something that eludes many of us and is the holy grail of gaming (or maybe I'm just being melodramatic!).

Obviously there is no such thing as a supertactic as re ranking and better AI's have meant the game is unarguably harder than ever before. This is good for the long term longevity but for those of us that aren't too astute this can mean much frustration, hair pulling and missed dinner breaks (not to mention computer screen breaks for the short tempered among us).

So I have decided to list the different styles of formation we would use for playing home or away and also reaction styles to combat AI strategy. Make sense? Don't worry it will soon... I have quit my job, dumped my girlfriend and stocked the kitchen with easy to grab food as I seek to make this game bend to our will... namely winning consistantly.

I might also just note that this will be aimed at people playing with reasonably good sides (not LLM) however maybe some or all of this will be relevant anyway. Fingers crossed.

Firstly I shall list the Home styles and reactions styles that we would play... Let's get started.

Your basic starting formation assumptions

1. Starting home formation - Your general starting formation which will size a side up. This is what you will use with most sides when you are playing at home. It is attacking minded and designed hold the ball and create chances.

2. Breaking down teams tactic - This is a 'reaction' tactic you would use if your home tactic is failing to break down a side because they failed to read the parking regulations at your stadium and left the bus in front of goal.



Home sweet home: At home your starting formation would be slow to medium tempo, attacking mentality, passing short to low mixed, with D-line at 10-12. Timewasting will be low to mixed and you will be looking with this to be playing possession football and dominating visiting sides.

Positions: This is mostly depenant on player attributes of course but think of this as general rules...
Goalkeeper: Can be either sweeper keeper or conservative but sweeper keeper works well here since your D-line is at 10-12. His mentality can be at about 14 and he will act kind of like a sweeper (hence the name - duh!).
Fullbacks - these fellows can have forward runs set to mixed or often (if you are brave), and a slightly higher mentality than centrebacks. They can have high closing down and crossing set to often and from deep. This means they will get forward when prudent to support the attack.

Centrebacks - Mentality at 6-10. Closing down at about 10 and passing set to short to allow nice build up play and maintaining possession. They won't have forward runs or any of that nonsense though.

Wingers - forward runs often, run with ball on mixed, creative freedom on medium (unless their first or last name is Ronaldinho). Their closing down can be at 10.

MCd or DMC - This guy can have forward runs set to mixed. Look at his attributes, but basically he will be looking to pass the ball alot, have long shots often if he is the shizzle (that means good!) and basically sit somewhere around the centre of the field sipping champaigne while your forwards wreak havoc.

MC att - this fellow makes forward runs often, runs with ball often and creates chances for all players with the same colored shirt as him. He will have high creativity and will concentrate more on attack than defence.

Attackers - of course depending on whether you have a target man or not their instructions may vary but bascially these boys get forward often, have higher mentality and creativity. Thier passing like the Mid att will be short and they will have higher closing down to annoy the defence (unless it's a tall lanky targetman who will look to find space to recieve the ball).

So thats the starting formation in a cashew nutshell. Depending on its sucess will determine whether you need to stick with it or move onto the next 'reaction' tactic...

breaking down sides: If you have trouble scoring against a side with your starting tactic you will need to figure out a way to break them down... Thanks to WWfan this is bascially how to do it.

Wingers on long farrows, fullbacks on short farrows, team width set to wide, Closing down for the back 5 is raised to often, closing down for the front 5 lowered to rarely. Wingers with Creative freedom of about 10 and Mid att and strikers raised to 15 or so to give them space. D-line is brought down to 8 so you can combat the counter attack easily and your DMC will use a bucket and mop up strikers. You can read more about this in the essential threads up the top... I need to move on!

At the moment these are the only two tactics I am using at home... though there may be a need for a more defensive minded one if you meet a super side (like mine). I imagine this sort of tactic would involve either a deeper D-line or a higher one with offside trap set. Your midfielders will have less forward runs as will the fullbacks. The wingers would be on mixed (?). You may want to tick counter attack. I invite peoples ideas on this one (and my others of course )

Away Games assumptions

1. Away against strong sides - playing a high tempo, direct game with counterattacking on. Not to hard to figure that out... forward runs set to rarely for almost everyone except maybe the wingers... sarrow the strikers maybe, closing down on rarely for everyone.

2. Combatting the 4-2-4 - This tactic will be a 'reaction' tactic since you wouldn't start with it but use it when the AI goes 4-2-4. There are a number of ways of using it, one is substituting a striker for a sweeper. Bascially the rest of the settings would be the same as you would use for the above tactic (against strong sides). Time wasting raised etc.

3. Playing against weaker or average sides: This in some ways is harder to figure out than a tactic against tough sides. At least with tough sides you know they are going to come at you and how to play against that. This tactic depends on you correctly identifying whether a side thinks they are better than you or not and therefore harder to judge.

I am still playing around with this one so please help me flesh it out. I would say you would use a mixed tempo/passing game and play a reduced mentality from say home (about 10?). This means you will be more patient and wait for chances. Forward runs will be low for entire backline as you want them to stay static. The midfield settings and D-line are up for discussion (this is where I am flummoxed ).

Anyway hope some of the above has helped. If you are keen then please add your tips to any of the above (especially my incomplete last one). There may also be other tactical scenarios you may wish to comment on or ask about.... defending a lead for example (though I would use the tactic for away tough sides for this).

Thanks for any comments in advance.

obad85

Very good post. :thup:

I have a question on passing, do you use the same passing system for all the team or is it position dependent?

also do you make other tactics for wet field conditions?

Millie

Some good points, especially the one about having a "default" formation to start with and then react to what the AI does. This has been my approach for a while now and appears to work. I've found that second guessing the computer is a sure fire way to get beaten!

One quick word of warning, and I know it sounds anal, but we should definitely be making a distinction between formation and tactics. I very rarely change formation, and if I do it's to a similar sort of formation to what I was playing before. It would be better, I feel, for people to learn how to adapt a 4-4-2 to do everything they want it to than start fiddling mid-season with a variety of 3-5-2s, 4-3-3s and 0-2-8s.

The Eagleman

Happy New Year Dayle - Mostly just read the threads, and have to say yours are the most helpfull and fun to read for crap players like myself.

Just one question, if a targetman is used is he best served with run onto ball or header (fully understanding heading would need to be high)?

Cheers Sir thanks for a very helpfull thread :cool:

onur7

what about the width for away or home tactics?
especially away matches?

Dayle Wood

Thanks mate and happy new year to you from New Zealand...

re: your question... Look at your target man and decide which of the following two he is...

1. A tall header probably quite strong or,

2. A Smaller player with lots of pace.

If he is tall set target aim to head obviously and if he is pacey set aim to feet.. if playing away or with a faster tempo game with players trying through balls set aim ahead of player to run onto...

If you are unsure look for any PPM's or just set to mix. The point is basically to aim to the part of his body that he is best at.

Dayle Wood

For wet games short passing will be very difficult so you will need to play amore direct type of game so that passing is more accurate and easy to recieve.

Millie - Dead right - my apologies. It is one formation with 4 or more different tactics designed for certain situations - home, away, against 4-2-4, breaking down defensive teams etc etc.

Onur - width should be based on a couple of different factors.... if you are away and a team is attacking you you will play more narrow 8-10 is best. Makes your team more cohesive defensively.
If you are playing with no wingers or a packed miidfield you will play more narrow and direct passing through the middle.

The Eagleman

Thanks mate and happy new year to you from New Zealand...

re: your question... Look at your target man and decide which of the following two he is...

1. A tall header probably quite strong or,

2. A Smaller player with lots of pace.

If he is tall set target aim to head obviously and if he is pacey set aim to feet.. if playing away or with a faster tempo game with players trying through balls set aim ahead of player to run onto...

If you are unsure look for any PPM's or just set to mix. The point is basically to aim to the part of his body that he is best at. </BLOCKQUOTE>

Many thanks :thup: