Doing well, but scoring very few goals. Classic mode

[chucklehead]

Hello people

I am currently playing a Classic game using Barnet. I am coming toward the end of my 6th season and am in my 1st season in the Championship.

I'm doing well (if I do say so myself), I was predicted to finish 24th and am currently 11th. My issue however, is the lack of goals my team scores. I am currently the 3rd lowest scoring team in the division. To balance it, my team has kept it tight at the back. We have conceded the 5th lowest amount of goals in the division.

The formation and tactics I am using are as follows:

I play with the 4-5-1 formation. The defence is a flat back four. There is 1 guy in the DM position, 2 guys in the CM position, 2 wingers and a striker.

The right-back is deplayed as a Full Back, with 'auto' mentality

The right handed centre-back is a CD with the 'defend' mentality

The left handed centre-back is a CD with the 'cover' mentality

The left-back is deployed as a Complete Wing Back with the 'attack' mentality

The DM is deployed as a Ball Winning Midfielder with the 'defend' mentality

The left handed central midfielder is deployed as a Box to Box with the 'support' mentality

The right handed central midfielder is deployed as an Advanced Playmaker with the 'attack' mentality

Both wingers are deployed as Wingers with the 'support' mentality

The Striker is deployed as an Advanced Forward with the 'attack' mentality.

I haven't changed any of the individual instructions for any player. I mainly use the 'Defensive' team mentality, (sometimes 'Standard' if I'm at home and aren't massive underdog). I also use the 'Work Ball Into Box' and 'Retain Possession' team instructions. I tried a few games using 'Control' at this level and got hammered.

In the lower leagues, goal scoring was not a problem. I steam rollered the Skrill Prem and League 2 in successive seasons using the same setup. I did however, tend to use the 'Control' team mentality a lot, as I was often the favourite to win my matches.

I would appreciate if you folks could try to point me toward one of the following reasons for my lack of goals:

1. I don't have a lack of goals. It's just where I should be considering my team and the league I'm playing in.

2. My formation is wrong/poor/inefficient.

3. It's because I generally use the 'Defensive' team mentality. If it is this, how do I stay defensively sound whilst using an attacking formation?

4. My strikers aren't good enough. Could be. The strikers in my squad aren't necessarily my star players.

5. My supporting players aren't good enough. I don't think it is this. My wide players and midfielders are pretty decent.

6. Something I haven't thought of.

I appreciate you taking the time to look. Any and all advice is most welcome. If I need to provide any more information, please say

[llama3]

You don't have much movement in the final third - your wide men won't get forward enough into the final third. Your BBM & AP will get into that central area - but won't exactly be penalty area players. You need a touch more movement in there. With your CWB on the left, you can get your left winger coming inside as an IF too. So you could go IF(S)-AF(A)-W(A) or IF(A)-AF(A)-W(S)

[chucklehead]

Hello again folks

I'm looking for a bit more advice on this if any of you would be so kind.

I took llama3's advice and made some slight changes. My lineup now looks like this:

I play with the 4-5-1 formation. The defence is a flat back four. There is 1 guy in the DM position, 2 guys in the CM position, 2 wingers and a striker. I generally use the 'Counter' team mentality if I'm away or up against a really strong team. If I'm at home I generally use 'Standard'. I also use 'Retain Possession' and 'Work Ball into Box'.

The right-back is deplayed as a Full Back, with 'auto' mentality

The right handed centre-back is a CD with the 'defend' mentality

The left handed centre-back is a CD with the 'cover' mentality

The left-back is deployed as a Complete Wing Back with the 'attack' mentality

The DM is deployed as a Ball Winning Midfielder with the 'support' mentality

The left handed central midfielder is deployed as a Box to Box with the 'support' mentality

The right handed central midfielder is deployed as an Advanced Playmaker with the 'attack' mentality

The left winger is deployed as an Inside Forward with the 'support' mentality

The right winger is deplaoyed as a Winger with the 'attack' mentality

The Striker is deployed as an Advanced Forward with the 'attack' mentality.

I'm finding the same issue persists: my team concedes very few goals, but also scores very few. Last season in the Championship I was predicted to finish 22nd and ended up 7th. I scored the fewest goals of all the teams in the league and conceded the 3rd fewest.

I've done quite well in the transfer market, made some very good signings, including 2 excellent strikers. I rotated between them last season, they scored 10 goals each. I don't think dodgy strikers is my issue.

Can anyone offer any further advice? I'm pleased my team concedes so few, but I'd like to bang in a few more at the other end!

Thanks for looking people

[llama3]

You still have same issue about lack of real movement from deep. A switch to IF(A) from support could help, as could making your central mid pairing AP(s) & CM(A) instead of BBM(S) & AP(A)?