Littell_Sam

In FM06 I think we had more or less figured out how to play against the big sides a la Arsenal, Man Utd, etc

side arrows on strikers, narrow, closing down of around 8, direct passing, focus down both flanks

but this set up doesnt seem to work in FM07. You end up surrendering most of the possession to the AI those killer balls down the flanks to the side arrowed forwards dont seem to work as well (although they do still work sometimes, just not with the same frequency as on FM06)

so I thought Id start up a discussion on how to play against the big teams on FM07. Obviously, in 8 games against Chelsea, United, Arsenal and Liverpool in a season Im not expecting to win all 8, but getting a few wins or draws in these games wouldnt hurt. So far my record against the big 4 is played 5 lost 4 won 1 (at Anfield, somehow)

Firstly, I think that slowing down the tempo is a must. Playing direct and quick didnt work as I just kept giving the ball away and it was wave after wave of attacks on my defense.

In terms of defensive line, I think that has to be selected keeping in mind who your playing against, eg. higher DL vs Liverpool than Arsenal. That said, I played really deep (DL=5) vs Arsenal away to counter the pace of Henry and van Persie but got outplayed and beaten 3-1. So maybe going too deep isnt a good idea.

In terms of width, from what Ive noticed, I think its important not to get too narrow because these teams play with a lot of width usually and then you get overrun on the flanks. I especially detest those long diagonal balls played to a winger in space when the fullback supposed to be marking him has drifted inside. Kewell scored 2 against me like that when I played Liverpool at home.

Anyway, seeing as I have just 3 points from 5 games against the big sides (with Charlton btw) I probably dont even know what Im talking about, so would like to hear the thoughts of other gamers on this, how they approach these games, what has worked and what hasnt, etc.