itsallaboutthierry Posted November 17, 2013 Share Posted November 17, 2013 Hi, I'm finding that the goals I'm conceding (aside from goals that come directly from wingers skinning my inept full backs & near post corners) tend to arise from either poor marking, poor positioning or very poor reactions (can't remember many times where my defenders reacted first to a rebound ahead of an attacker). Basically, my defenders lack any kind of defensive intelligence. This is normally compounded after one mistake is made when the whole back 4 can fall apart. I'm playing as Arsenal, and my normal back 4 is Gibbs, Mertesacker, Koscielny, Sagna. These guys are not defenders that don't know how to defend according to their stats, Koscielny's anticipation and positioning being a healthy 17 and 16 respectively. So what's going on and what can I do to fix it? For completeness here, my tactics are as follows - a deep 4-2-3-1: -----------------------------Szczesny GK(D)--------------------------- Sagna WB Auto --- Koscielny CB(D) --- Mertesacker CB© --- Gibbs WB(A) --------------------Ramsey DM(S) --- Arteta DLP (D) ------------------- Walcott IF(A) ------------------ Ozil EG(A) ----------------- Cazorla IF(S) ---------------------------Martinez/Giroud AF(A)------------------------ I play balanced and standard, often dropping mentality back to defensive if things aren't clicking. I start with the pass into space, work ball into box, roam from positions, allow wide players to swap, use tighter marking and look for overlap shouts. My DM(S) is set to get further forward and close down more, and my left WB(A) has a few attacking instructions such as get further forward and play wider. When I pause the game during opposition build up, everyone seems to be in decent positions and marking well (for the most part, you can't expect to stick to an attacker 100% of the time) but then the killer ball/cross/dribble happens and it all goes to pot. Any advice gratefully received thanks! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
j4y_z Posted November 17, 2013 Share Posted November 17, 2013 Maybe try playing more rigid/disciplined to avoid losing shape. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsallaboutthierry Posted November 18, 2013 Author Share Posted November 18, 2013 Thanks j4y_z I might give it a go, but losing their shape isn't the problem. We're not being carved open, my defenders are just second to react for every goal I concede. There are plenty of examples higher up the pitch where they make some lovely interceptions and demonstrate their very good anticipation. When the ball gets to the box however... that's a different story. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eple Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 I'm sure it would improve if you moved the wingers down to midfield, as that is just how FM is with advanced midfielders, but I can understand if you want to keep that formation though. So what I suggest you do is instruct them to get stuck in, hassle opponent and tighter marking. With the ME now players are too passive when defending and this will correct it IMO. Just remember to instruct any player that picks up a yellow card to ease of tackles. If it still not enough you might want to try close down more and tackle hard on full backs and DMCs. Changing to fluid might give the fullback more support when defending, but it will also tire your players out more. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Presidente Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 I really can't get into FM 14 at the moment. I like to play a 4-4-2 or 4-2-4 but full backs are a serious problem. Defeating a bigger club 3-1 in a close game followed by a 3-0 mauling at a lower league club that had 3 shots at goal all game with full backs lucky to get a 3 rating? No thanks. If they had a bad game fair enough but their stats do not confirm that. I'm sure SI will fix it but for now, back to FM13. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eple Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 Well as I said there are steps you can take to get your defence to play more of a part in the game, especially the full backs. My fullbacks ratings this season halfway through Azpilicueta: League 7.72 - Overall 7.63 Aramendia: League 7.56 - Overall 7.31 Saborit: League 7.38 - Overall 7.36 Ruben: League 7.47 - Overall 7.28 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTHerringbone Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 Defeating a bigger club 3-1 in a close game followed by a 3-0 mauling at a lower league club that had 3 shots at goal all game with full backs lucky to get a 3 rating? No thanks. This sort of back-to-back record does hint at something more fundamental than purely an issue with full backs. Is the rating of a 3 for real? I've never seen a rating so low. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auqakuh Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 Per Mertesacker has horrendous Agility. I wouldn't play him in defence if we were playing against dogs. Dogs who had never played football before. With three legs each. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Presidente Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 This sort of back-to-back record does hint at something more fundamental than purely an issue with full backs.Is the rating of a 3 for real? I've never seen a rating so low. Been playing the game religiously since CM2. Yes I'm afraid once the full back(s) hits that buggy rating he gets slated by ex-players and the press and they never recovers leading to silly scores like 6-4 etc with the opposition having just 6 shots. I don't know what causes it but that is for SI to sort out. It's definitely not the performance of the full back having checked his stats on the game. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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