retired_elpata

Passing is a very important part of football and on FM this is no different, but don't make the mistake that a lot of people do and match the players passing attribute to the passing slider. So for example if someone has 4 for passing this doesn't mean that you should give him (4) short passing on the game. You need to study your players really carefully before deciding what passing to choose. If you have a player who has 15+ for his passing attribute then he is probably good enough to play every single passing style depending at what level you are playing at.

The players passing in the midfield area is the most vital part of your formation in my eyes because you need to keep possession of the ball but also know when to release the ball to someone in a more advanced position. Time the passes right to your strikers and it could lead to a very good chance, but miss time the pass and you might give the possession of the ball away to the opposition. The passing to your strikers is important because get it wrong and you might get caught offside, but passing alone doesn't determine that it also depends on the strikers stats such as decision, anticipation and off the ball.

In Lower League Management situations you probably don’t have the players to play a very short passing game as they lack technique and creativity. So you need to find a passing style that suits the individual player. I would recommend trying to mix the passing styles up through out your team, don't have everyone set on the same settings. By doing this you give your team a variation of passing styles and make it UN predictable for the opposition to figure out what you will do with the ball.

Mixed: This means your players will attempt short passing, direct passing and long passing. This can be a good starting point when deciding what passing to have your players on. If you are unsure stick to mixed until you become more confident.

Short: Your players will just pass the ball to the closest player that isn’t marked. He will just play the basics. But if he is on (1)-(3) short passing this will mean he plays a more one touch football game. This style is only advisable for very good players who are comfortable with passing and moving.

Direct: Your players will attempt to get the ball up field as quick as possible. They will go through the positions until it has reached the front men. But don’t get this mistaken for long passing even though they sound same they are different.

Long: Your players will always hit long balls forward. They will play the ball over the top. This works well if players have poor passing stats, the weather conditions are bad or if you are playing against tough opposition. The downfall of playing like this is you could give a lot of possession away needlessly.

To be able to play any sort of passing game it also relies on other factors too not only the passing attribute. Decisions are important for knowing exactly who to choose to pass to as well as choosing when. Anticipation is another attribute that is quite important as if your player is passing to a player who is currently running he needs to anticipate where he is exactly running too. There are a few more factors too but they will get covered in a different article. It all comes down to combinations of attributes rather than just one overall attribute.

retired_Komododragoon

What exactly are the differences between a direct passing instruction of 14 and 18 or a mixed passing instruction of 8 or 11?

pat555

You probably already know what I am going to ask Cleon, can I Please?

retired_elpata

Well between 14-18 each one gets more direct and further away, hence why you get long passing towards the end. Each notch towards 20 makes it more direct and more longer. While in reverse the opposite happens and you get shorter.

Change the settings 1 by 1 to see the effects, you'll notice a difference.

Sorry not checked mails for a while, ofc, take anything of mine nps

retired_rjw13838

Does anyone notice a big difference between slow and quick tempo? (cause I dont really..)

What I want, is to create a good passing side. Pass the ball around patiently, waiting for the opening. Forwards should try to get into space all the times to receive a pass at any moment. (have a lot of movement, drag defenders out of place)
If there is no good opening, keep passing the ball around, perhaps occasionally moving the ball (and yourself) quicker to force an opening.

If they start to press a lot, play the ball back to the defence and play it there from one side to the other, creating gaps in the midfield (if the opponent keep moving forward and pressing), after which you can move the ball forward again.

Sounds cool eh? Now how do I implement it? And what kind of players do I need?

retired_rjw13838

And what formation would work best..

retired_elpata

Passing 1 is 1 touch football.

Yes but it depends what you are looking for. If you play a quick tempo, you should notice the team pass forward a lot more than in a slower tempo game. They also seem to want to get the ball from a-b quicker.

If you want the forwards to create space and drag defenders out of position, use sideward arrows on them. Its really useful for the style you want to play.

Id say a shortish passing around 6ish should do the passing and movement you want, but play with a slightly high tempo of maybe around 12ish and see how that goes.

Good work and teamrate is a must. As will the intelligence stats of a player.

retired_elpata

Something with really good AMC's to explouit the space the strikers would create.

retired_rjw13838

And how do I set up the defence? Defensive line only seems to work when not in possesion, right? But even if I am in possesion, I want my defence to be sufficiently far back to allow my midfielders an easy pass back in case the other teams midfielders start pressing. If my defenders are too close, they may get under pressure too quickly, and considering defenders are usually not as good in passing, they may quickly lose the ball Im afraid.

retired_elpata

You could have them very defensive, this will allow the space you want for the passes back. Or use a defensive team mentality, I find this useful for backward passes if nothing is on.