Help: AMC's query

[Liamgannon]

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Can anyone give me advice on how I should set up my AMC players. My team is below. I play a short passing and slow passing game. My def line is 3 slides to the right of normal. I play down both flanks. I just can't seem to get my 2 AMC to play well at the smae time and it is the only thing stopping this from being a superb tactic. I have won 18/20 games in my 1st season. Everyone else performs apart from van de vaart.

------------Casillas------------------

Ramos--- Pepe--- Chiellini---- Marcelo

--Ronaldo----- Alonso---------Silva---

-----------Kaka-----Vaart-------------

----------------Villa-------------------

[ZdlR]

It's interesting that you play a wingless Christmas Tree but you elect to focus passing down both flanks. That might be the start or your problems as it indicates - to me, at least - that your full backs are supposed to get forward and provide the primary attacking threat. If anything, I'd go mixed but you could have a good candidate to play through the middle.

Are your AMCs suppose to be goal-threats or creators - or one of each. I'd suggest that the latter would be preferable, lest they both play very similar games. One would look to join the loan striker up front and chip in with finishing moves. The other would drop deep with a free role and collect the ball from midfield before either carrying the ball foward, providing a killer through ball or a mix of both. I'm not sure what kind of stats the two have, but with sufficient team-work and other relevant stats, you could set them both up to alternate ball-carrying and goal-scoring opportunities. I would claim that this would be the pinnacle, but they need such a good spread of attributes that it would be rare to find two such players.

[silten]

I've not used two AMCs at the same time before, but given the lack of space afforded to just one on the pitch, I'm guessing that they are prone to getting in each other's way a little, unless you're playing very wide.

I would suggest that no matter how good they are at dribbling, to not set run with ball above mixed, as the space they are working in is limited and if they're good enough, they'll know to exploit any gaps that do appear with a mixed setting, rather than trying to force the issue. I find an individual mentality set above the team average helps an AMC get involved more with the striker, but if you're working with two, I'd go with what ZdlR has said and give them different roles, one dropping deep and acting more as a link up player.

[SSJ3-BROLLY]

Tick use playmakers and select the two amc's as your playmakers? You can have them on the same mentality with mixed FWR's, they should naturally alternate, when one goes foward, one drops deep to collect and so forth, goodluck.

[lam]

I would set up like this (skills permitting).

Free roles for both. This I beleive will be essential for you. I am a firm beleiver in Free Roles translating into lateral movement (side to side) whereas FWR controls vertical movement (end to end). This will put them into space, it will also create space for your MC or MCL/R (assuming they are mCLR and not MLR's)to advance into (hoping to drag the oppo's Defensive players out of position).

If possible, I agree with Zdlr, set them up differently. However, I dont necessarily agree with Silten. An AMC that has NO FWR that has RWB often can be truely devasting. Generaly when playing with NO FWR they are in space to receive the ball as they are playing between the oppo's MC's and DC's. When they then receive the ball, they draw players to them, if those players do not succeed in making tackle then the AMC is either drawing a DC out of position (assuming it was the MC that missed the tackle) to make the next tackle, which in turn creates space for your advanced AMC or your striker to move into OR they dribble into a scoring position.

Its important to understand that the AMC role is NOT just about scoring or making that last pass through........ It is probably one of the best positions for space manipulation! If use correctly, they will drag players (often two at a time) out of position nearly every time they get the ball.

Admittedly, my next commment is based on a flawed 08 match engine. One of the most fun and successful formation I ever played i use the same setup you have....... and just to make a point about use of space..... my MCL (assuming your are not using ML or MR) was the 2nd highest scorer in my team after my striker. I had both the AMC's on free roles and they would often move out to the side lines and I had FWR often on my MCL (only FWR mixed on my MCR) and he would move into a ton of space everytime. I think he also had the 2nd or 3rd highest assists.

If you think of one of them as a space maker then you can begin to reap rewards from them.

This post has even tempted me to try them again!!!!

LAM

ps.... Personaly I wouldnt use playmaker unless you have seen a gap in the oppo's play and want to exploit it. Using it this way works very well.... but to limit the team to start with is something I would not recomend. This formation is about free flowing football, its about creating space and moving into it. Let them play to their strengths.

Another thought, you might want a decent level of CF in there! This formation presents so many opportunities that you dont really want to limit the team again...... sure you can give some often and some rare instructions, but caveat this will good use of CF.

[dankrzyz]

If possible, I agree with Zdlr, set them up differently.

I will agree with this as well. Even if I have two "parallel" players playing the same role -- both playing AMC, side by side -- I start with identical instructions then tweak to that particular player's strengths. A little more of this, a little less of that, et cetera. This helps maximize each AMC's play and provides some diversity in the pair's play so as to keep the defenders off balance.

Another thought, you might want a decent level of CF in there! This formation presents so many opportunities that you dont really want to limit the team again...... sure you can give some often and some rare instructions, but caveat this will good use of CF.

Remember to find players with good 'decisions' and 'creativity', add the Creative Freedom, and you might be looking at a winning set-up there!