Help with a little doubt

[miguelalves]

Does move into channels can be interpreted as the player moving horizontally along the pitch (not just between CB's and FB's) as opposing to run from the deep (moving vertically) ?

thanks for clarifying

[miguelalves]

No one ?

[RTHerringbone]

Does this help: http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/302184-Cuts-inside-or-moves-in-channels?highlight=moves+channels

[miguelalves]

Thanks, although I know that as for Forwards it has to do with moving between fb's and cb's... but my question is more about other positions, for instance:

- imagine having the fb's playing with the instruction "hug touchline", this makes the team play wider, but at the same time I want my cb's to cover the forward moves from my fb's. So, instructing my cb's to move into channels would help covering ?

[RTHerringbone]

- imagine having the fb's playing with the instruction "hug touchline", this makes the team play wider, but at the same time I want my cb's to cover the forward moves from my fb's. So, instructing my cb's to move into channels would help covering ?

Surely that would be a bad idea though?

If your DCs split to cover the forward movement of the FBs, there is a risk that a quick turnover of possession and a direct pass could exploit that gap between DCs.

Where you have aggressive attacking wide defenders, more normal practice would be to have one or more midfielders sitting back to offer cover to the flanks where required.

It all depends on the rest of your setup, but I certainly would never consider any form of wide play instruction for central defenders.

[miguelalves]

Yes, I know it's a very risky way of playing, that's why I am thinking in a Defensive Midfielder (or an Anchor) that holds his position with the lowest mentality... the two defenders moving to cover the runs from the FB's and the defensive midfielder acting like a 3rd defender. The point is just trying to figure if moving into channels would instruct the two defenders to make the cover.

[RTHerringbone]

Yes, I know it's a very risky way of playing, that's why I am thinking in a Defensive Midfielder (or an Anchor) that holds his position with the lowest mentality... the two defenders moving to cover the runs from the FB's and the defensive midfielder acting like a 3rd defender. The point is just trying to figure if moving into channels would instruct the two defenders to make the cover.

It possibly would, but an Anchor, DLP (D), CM (D) or DM (D) would offer more conventional cover.

Think of real life; when Daniel Alves goes up field does Pique move wide? When Rafael marauds forward does Vidic move wide?

[miguelalves]

It possibly would, but an Anchor, DLP (D), CM (D) or DM (D) would offer more conventional cover.

Think of real life; when Daniel Alves goes up field does Pique move wide? When Rafael marauds forward does Vidic move wide?

Puyol does :-) With Guardiola's Barcelona we would often see Dani Alves playing as right-midfielder and Puyol moving wide to cover. Piqué would stay more in position because he had Abidal at his side, that's why it was a false 4-3-3

[RTHerringbone]

Puyol does :-) With Guardiola's Barcelona we would often see Dani Alves playing as right-midfielder and Puyol moving wide to cover. Piqué would stay more in position because he had Abidal at his side, that's why it was a false 4-3-3

OK, I'm with you now. I guess it all depends on how you would need to set up tactically in FM to interpret that.

In this scenario, FM would probably need Alves to be stationed in the DM line as a wingback.

You're essentially asking that if Puyol has physical space to his right, does the ME reflect this in his movement; does his Positioning ensure that he naturally covers the space to his right more, or does he need a Wide Play setting to be tweaked?

Instinctively I'd suggest that Positioning achieves this and suspect that most peoples' inclination would remain not to tweak a DCs Wide Play, but if you do test it, I'd be interested to hear what it does.

[miguelalves]

Tweaking both Central Defenders to move into channels would be completly madness :-) but if move into channels is about the player moving wider I guess a central defender would ocupy the position (or at least cover that position) of a Right Defender when he is attacking / running from deep. Ok let's test this !

[däkkä]

The space you all want your centre-backs to move into isn't what 'channel' generally refers to in football jargon, is it? I don't believe these kind of 'tweaks' can have the desired effect. If it was programmed to the ME, surely this would be reflected in the TC or touchline instructions somehow?

Maybe in FM the closest thing to this is the team's 'width' setting. Playing extremely wide is basically telling players to take up attacking positions in the sense that they aren't in an ideal defensive position, which is what centre-backs moving wide is on a theoretical level at least. Apart from that, maybe CF and roaming with high enough mentality would allow them to take the risk and think offense rather than defense. It mightn't produce the same kind of movement but on a theoretical level it bears some resemblance.

E: It seems you were talking about defensive positioning after all, in which case I'd go with what Herringbone's saying.

It's very difficult to see there'd be any connection between wide play and defenders covering for each other.

[miguelalves]

Oh forgot to mention that the CB would have set roam from position

[furiousuk]

For most of my entire FM11 save (about 12-13 seasons) my CB's had Move Into Channels. I don't expect the game knows what a 'channel' really is and just encourages players to move into the 'crease' between central and wide.

In 500 odd games I never noticed it doing anything. Which is probably for the best anyway!

My thinking was similar to yours, when I'm in possession my CB's spread wide because it is usually a better place to receive the ball. I also had a DM which dropped back (ala Busquets/Mascherano) to fill that central gap, which didn't reliably work either!

I can't see that this has changed for FM13.

[miguelalves]

Well, that is what I have been noticing. Setting the CB's with move into channels is irrelevant, it seems FM ignores the instruction for defenders, not sure if it also ignores when applied to midfielders.

[däkkä]

Well, that is what I have been noticing. Setting the CB's with move into channels is irrelevant, it seems FM ignores the instruction for defenders, not sure if it also ignores when applied to midfielders.

Which is logical considering wide play instructions for DCs never change in the TC + touchline instructions system.

[Lenners]

When you consider the channel is the space between a CB and a FB, it doesn't really make sense for it to affect a CB, the channel will always exist, wherever he moves.