Struggling wit real madrid in away games (second season)

[vandamme22]

Hi guys

I am playing with real madrid and I am struggling in the second season only on the away games.

Just for the record:

In the first season, I won the league title, reached the semi-final in CL and also reached the final oft he spanish cup. I finished the away games table as champion. Everything was fine…

Second saison:

Now after 12 games I am second and 9 points behind barca, I scored a lot of goals but also concede a lot. I used to score almost 30 goals and got 16. One of the relegated team candidate also reached 16 goals only to compare.

Something goes wrong in the away games. For example I beat barcelona 4-0 at home, 3 days later I lost against bilbao 2-0 or I beat man city 3-0 three days later I lost againt zaragossa 3-2 away.

After 8 away matches, I didt win one oft hem, 6 draws and 2 defeats, its horrible. I have a defensive problem, almost every game I concede a goal and also dont create many clear cut chances…

This is only for the away games.

Shape/Formation:

Fluid

Standard

Short passing

Zonal marking

All the other settings are on default

Counter Attack box is ticked

Focus passing: mixed

Formation:

4-2-3-1

Casillas (GK)

Danilo (FBR automatic) PEPE (CD stopper) Ramos( BPD defend) Alex Sandro (FBL automatic)

Xabi alonso (DLP support as a DM) Khedira (Anchor Man defend DM)

Di maria (IFR attack) Özil (APM support) Ronaldo (IFL attack)

Higuain (DLF support)

Except the long shots setting I didnt change anything of the default player settings.

Board expectations : Win the League, reach the final of the Champions League

At the moment they are pleased with the team, job status is very secure (about 60%)

I use shouts like : work ball into box, play through defence, push higer up

And also OIs, only for the dangerous players

Sorry for my english, I have to practise a little bit more the writing part

[vandamme22]

nice forum...

I respect the rules and did post my thread - result no answer....

[vasilli07]

Nothing too wrong about your setup. Maybe I will suggest using Di Maria on sup duty if you are playing away to let him drop abit deeper to help in defending.

How do you concede your goals? Set pieces or open play like crosses?

[Guest]

A stopper and the other defender on defend is also maybe an issue? There is a gap between your central defenders when your stopper pushes up which a good striker will exploit and have no cover to intercept him.. There is also the fact you have four specialist roles in your team(Two defensive) and you are playing fluid. Have your tried Rigid or balanced

But if you could provide an idea of goals conceded as Vasilli has said that would help.

[Puni]

As you've got at least four specialised roles (DLP, anchorman, AP, BPD) I'd suggest changing your philosophy to rigid or very rigid. Apart from that, I wouldn't use push higher up too much. Considering you're having a lot of trouble with weaker teams, they're probably hitting you on the counter attack. Leaving a lot of space behind your defense may be an issue then.

[tomtuck01]

Rather than have the "Counter Attack" box ticked, why not just set your strategy to "Counter"? :confused:

[sebaz]

No reason to act so rude, perhaps more info can be useful, like for example the way you concede most of your goals?

[vandamme22]

No matter what I do, I cant get a solide defence... guys its so frustrating!!! I think I am gonna leave this game...

Please Help me!!!

[Puni]

What kind of goals do you concede? It's been asked before, we can't help you if we don't even know that.

[vandamme22]

hi

Here it is:

you need something else?

[Guest]

hi

Here it is:

you need something else?

Well it's obvious the problems are coming from the middle of the park so what advice from us did you use? As I said personally the stopper and no cover set-op is asking for trouble. Did you use our suggestion to switch to rigid?

[vandamme22]

I use two cb with defend partnership.

middfield: cm defend and dlp support

and I still play fluid, with real madrid I should play fluid shouldnt I?

[Guest]

I use two cb with defend partnership.

middfield: cm defend and dlp support

and I still play fluid, with real madrid I should play fluid shouldnt I?

Fluidity in game has nothing to do with the quality of your team. If you have 4 or more specialised roles in your team you should use a rigid or very rigid framework. I have taken this from a post Cleon made in another thread.

In the tactic above, I have 5 players doing specialised roles. Non-specialist roles pretty much describe a position on the pitch, i.e. central defender, defensive midfielder, central midfielder etc. If the role focuses on what a player does, rather than the position he plays in, i.e. anchoring the midfield, being a playmaker, poaching etc, then it is specialist role.

wwfan helped design and create the tactics creator and here is what he classes as general and special roles;

“I consider the following to be specialist:

Target Man

Poacher

Trequartista

Advanced Playmaker

Deep Lying Playmaker

Ball Winning Midfielder

Anchor Man

Libero

These five roles can fit in either camp, depending on your interpretation.

Complete Forward

Defensive Forward

Defensive Winger

Box to Box Midfielder

Ball Playing Defender

Generic roles:

Advanced Forward

Deep Lying Forward

Attacking Midfielder

Central Midfielder

Defensive Midfielder

Inside Forward

Winger

Wide Midfielder

Wing Back

Full Back

Central Defender

Sweeper

I don’t include keepers.”

Specialist roles explain what the player does, i.e (playmaking, anchoring, poaching). Generic roles focus only on the players’ position.

Now the above are only guidelines and you can work outside of those parameters. But ideally if you are not comfortable with how the game works or find yourself struggling then you should take the above into consideration.

[vandamme22]

@ the moment, then I use only two specialst roles, dlpm and apm

here again my problem in detail:

Main Issue:

Since I play FM 13 I had always problem with my defence, no matter what roles or duties I use, Its not good enough to be satisfied

I wanna explain shortly the situation:

I play with real madrid and I am in fifth season. Achievements till yet: Won 1 X spanish league (first season), 3 times second, won 2 X times the spanish cup, reached one time the cl-final.

The problem is I dont know how to set up the 4-2-3-1 formation to have a solid defence and attack???

@home I get very good results, score a lot but still concede every match one, against smaller teams, and similiar reputation teams.

Tactic @home:

Fluid, control, short passing, pressing, hard tackling, zonal marking, drill crossing and all the other settings are on default

formation: 4-2-3-1

neuer (gk defend)

danilo (FB automatic), ramos (cd defend), hummels (cd defend), alex sandro (wingback automatic)

gündogan (dlp defend), khedira (cm support) both ared used in the midfield center

di maria (winger support), özil (apm attack), ronaldo (IF attack)

higuain (af attack)

shouts:

look for overlap, play wider, work ball into box, play through defence, push higer up, retain possession

@away:

Really struggling away, doest matter small, middle or strong team,

fluid, standard or counter depens on the opponent, zonal marking, every other setting is on default

formation: 4-2-3-1

danilo (FB automatic), ramos (cd defend), hummels (cd defend), alex sandro (FB automatic)

gündogan (dlp defend), khedira (cm support) both ared used in the defence midfield

di maria (winger support), özil (apm attack), ronaldo (IF attack)

higuain (af attack)

shouts:

play narrower, exploit the flanks, work ball into box, run at defence or play through defence

Observations:

If I play a little bit more attack in the away games, then the opponent hit me on counter, or I concede more goals.

If I play more cautions, like my shape at the moment, then the opponent have more time and can do what they want, my players have then a too biding attitude!!!!

What could you recommend me to have a solid defence and at the meantime a good working attacking football with this 4-2-3-1 formation???

How would you set up for the away games, against teams who are smaller or I am the favourite

[Guest]

Well personally I don't use the 4231 with cm's away from home either. I play a more cautious 4231 Counter attack deep unless the opponent is a hell of a lot weaker. I always had issues shipping a lot of goals with my AC Milan team but took some advice from another forum and now do not use tight zonal marking for my central defenders but instead tick tight marking on my full-backs which has helped and I am now the best defensive team in the league. Since most of your goals are coming from the middle it seems maybe your two cd's who are marking on zonal tightly will still be pulled out of their position to close somebody near to them with the ball leaving space. Try unticking their tight marking and tick the fullbacks on and see how that goes for a while.

My counter tactic is working fine against small teams away from home so I keep using it.

[Puni]

Is Khedira playing on the left side of your central midfield or the right? If he's on the left, he could be pulled out of position because of the IF(A) on that side. Placing your DLP(D) on that side and the CM(S) on the other may help.

[vandamme22]

Well personally I don't use the 4231 with cm's away from home either. I play a more cautious 4231 Counter attack deep unless the opponent is a hell of a lot weaker. I always had issues shipping a lot of goals with my AC Milan team but took some advice from another forum and now do not use tight zonal marking for my central defenders but instead tick tight marking on my full-backs which has helped and I am now the best defensive team in the league. Since most of your goals are coming from the middle it seems maybe your two cd's who are marking on zonal tightly will still be pulled out of their position to close somebody near to them with the ball leaving space. Try unticking their tight marking and tick the fullbacks on and see how that goes for a while.

My counter tactic is working fine against small teams away from home so I keep using it.

hmm.

Well, I am gonna try this with the tight marking for the fb and not the central backs. But regarding my current analysis, my players leave with the cautions approach (4-2-3-1) deep formation too much space to the opponent, and when I tick the tight marking setting of, wouldnt get this more worse?

For your record, sometimes I use tight marking the lone forward, if he has no support like amc oder apm, only then...

Other question regarding the opponent: My problem is sometimes with odds and then I think I am gonna the wrong way with the tactical approach.

F.e. after 7 games granada is top in the league. Depending on their current form, they were the favourit against me for the home clash. The odd were against me like 2.25 for granada and 2.75 for me. So, If you compare the two teams my team is clearly the stronger one, but depending their current position and form I did chose the more cautions approach, 4-2-3-1 deep counter, and finally lost 1-0. I think would I have listen to me and started with a more attacking strategy I would have get a better result. How would you act in this kind of situation??????

But this partnership for a 4-2-3-1 deep counter, dlp (defend) and dm (support) would be good enough to keep shape?

Can you show me please your counter tactic?

[vandamme22]

Is Khedira playing on the left side of your central midfield or the right? If he's on the left, he could be pulled out of position because of the IF(A) on that side. Placing your DLP(D) on that side and the CM(S) on the other may help.

Khedira is playing on the right, because when my left wb gets forward, he covers the left side. That defend mc will be always on that side, which the fb or wb goes forward to cover defence...

what do you think?