Beating teams alot better then you

[Dgirth]

Hello

I'm Looking for a tactic or advice on beating teams alot better then me. Im playing as Airdrie Utd In the SPL, I'm in my 10th season and last season i finished 5th which got me into the Euro cup. I started off employed and Airdrie where the first team that gave me a job so it means alot to me to do well in the Euro cup.

I got past the 3rd and 4th round quals by drawning easy teams but i have payed for that be landing a really tough group

Villarreal

Zurich

Sparta Prague

Now i would love to finish 2nd or perhaps win it as i need the money for the club, its not been easy gettiing Airdrie into the SPL and finishing 5th. took me ten years and i need to make money to expand the stadium and training facilites.

Im looking for a tactic designed for beating bigger teams with world class players

I have read many guides on here and looked at many tactics that have been very helpful to me, Its why i have done so well with Airdrie so i thank you all for that

If any can help with this, I bake you some cookies!

[diabolicpanda]

Sit deep-ish, defensive mentality, direct passing, quick-ish tempo, limited forward runs and a fast targetman with run onto ball. I find this to be the most succesfull recipe for an effective counterattacking game to win those underdog games. Bear in mind, though, that the reason you is an underdog is that the other team is better than you and hence has the best chances of winning..

[heathxxx]

My preference against "stronger" teams, is to favour an attacking mentality.

I may still defend deeper, to contain pacey or skilled opposing forwards, but chances are, a team strongly favoured to win will tend to attack more. This invariably leaves space open to be exploited and seized upon, for my team.

I have a disregard for reputation as an indicator of if my team can win a game or not, but I am mindful of the tendencies of AI managers, based upon reputation and match odds. As suggested, if my team are underdogs, I can safely say most opposing teams will start the match with an attacking mentality. As I favour an attacking mentality myself, this works in my favour, because my attacking system looks for space.

If you know your team is technically and mentally superior (regardless of match odds/reputation) then play to your teams strengths offensively. Set your passing, width accordingly. If you know your team is technically and mentally weaker, then it's often better to adopt a more direct approach. Do the simple things well and clinically, without the need for anything particularly "fancy", that the opponents will likely be better at than your side.

[Ishu]

Yeah as heathxxx says attacking works better. Defending is kinda difficult in FM10.

Also you are better of playing to your teams strength.

[lucatonix]

I've always thought that if you are using a defensive formation such as a 4-5-1 then attacking is the way to go, but if you are using an attacking formation then anything from counter to control can work. For example, when I was Atletico madrid using a 2-1-4-1-2 I never used anything more than control against any team because it would be too attacking but against stronger teams I used standard.

[Mr Hough]

My preference against "stronger" teams, is to favour an attacking mentality.

I may still defend deeper, to contain pacey or skilled opposing forwards, but chances are, a team strongly favoured to win will tend to attack more. This invariably leaves space open to be exploited and seized upon, for my team.

I have a disregard for reputation as an indicator of if my team can win a game or not, but I am mindful of the tendencies of AI managers, based upon reputation and match odds. As suggested, if my team are underdogs, I can safely say most opposing teams will start the match with an attacking mentality. As I favour an attacking mentality myself, this works in my favour, because my attacking system looks for space.

If you know your team is technically and mentally superior (regardless of match odds/reputation) then play to your teams strengths offensively. Set your passing, width accordingly. If you know your team is technically and mentally weaker, then it's often better to adopt a more direct approach. Do the simple things well and clinically, without the need for anything particularly "fancy", that the opponents will likely be better at than your side.

Completly agree with this, When i was testing some Very Rigid Formations i found them to be excellent against the teams that don't genreally attack fast or with any sort of skill but against the strong sides you just seem to get picked apart because they have so much time on the ball and with the players that they have can use it effectivly.

The attacking menatlity i think also works against teams that go 4-2-4 because 9 times out of 10 people think 'crap the oppsotion has gone 4-2-4 i better go defensive' I think doing this you are playing into the oppositions hands and giving them space inside your area and time on the ball because you will proberly go with less preassure and try and stand a man instead of trying to win the ball.

What i do in these situations is Use OI's on the oppositions attacking players instead of changing anything because it will be you that is more likely to score rather than the opposition.

[Bippu]

I also agree that playing defensively against a far superior team can only bring you grief. As Portsmouth, I performed very well against ManU, ManC, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham by deploying only 3 central defenders. This worked well for the 2 seasons that I managed the Pompeys. I had a fast striker so I preferred Counter to Attacking, but whenever I went defensive, there was just so much pressure that even a GK like Ochoa finally gave in. Of course, there were days when it just wasn't going to happen and I faced a 3-0 or 5-2 drubbing, but this gave me a chance in the game at least.

[ShirazS]

In addition to playing with an attacking mentality against bigger teams favoured to win, I always use opposition instructions. It really helps to limit key individuals although it can backfire if you use it incorrectly. If you're not sure, best to just "Ask Assistant".

[heathxxx]

As others have suggested, using OI's can be a big help. You'll be able to make more detailed instructions to help contain troublesome opposing players. If you're not sure exactly what's best to choose with OI's, most helpful is an Assistant Manager with Tactical Knowledge 18+.

Not only will he select the right options more often than not, it's also a useful way to learn the usage of OI's for different ability players. During matches, get the Assistant Manager to select the OI's at the start, then keep checking with the "ask assistant" button on the OI screen. Most useful at half-time and any time opponents make substitutions, or even sometimes when they change shape or style, as AI can reposition players too.

An Assistant Manager with less than 18 Tactical Knowledge, will both instruct less OI's and may not always select the most appropriate.

[Bippu]

Regarding the OIs, I believe that you also need to keep in mind the Assistant Manager's preferences. If you are ManU playing against Portsmouth and your assistant chooses to tackle most of the opponents hard, it will not be a problem. However, if it is the other way round, you can get a fair few bookings. I know I did and my assistant had a tactical knowledge of 19. He loved to tackle hard although I don't know if there is even a hidden attribute for that.

My new assistant at ManU is much more balanced although he only has a tactical knowledge of 18. His instructions are working fine for me.

For a new player like me, I would suggest letting the assistant give the OIs and see how it goes. If you don't like it, then you should see his suggestions - they will always be less than the OIs he will issue when asked to do so. You can just follow those instructions instead of allowing him to choose all the OIs. This worked like a charm for me at Portsmouth, letting me win the League and League Cup double.

[Dgirth]

Thx for the tips guys

Well i Lost 3-0 both times to Villarreal

Draw on the away legs with Zurich and Sparta Prague and beath on the home legs, I went through 2nd I now got Cska Moscow. I dediced to play a counter attacking 4.2.1.2.1 target formation with the D-line pushing up. Fluid and attacking.

Im wondering what team talks you use for when playing much better teams ?

Im using get stuck in and hassle opponets, not sure if that works tho