boblardo Posted November 24, 2015 Share Posted November 24, 2015 So I have started up a game and gone with my usual 4-1-4-1 formation that gave me so much success in FM15. Playing as Maidenhead Formation Team Instructions I Use counter/Flexible when I am massive favourites and Standard/Flexible when I am Underdogs I want my two wide midfielders to cut inside and be a goal threat, this is generally working as players in these positions are averaging a goal every 3 games. My ST is expected to drop deep, they have PI's Cut Inside Sit Narrower Cross Less Often Close Down More My full backs are expected to get forward and provide some width so they have PI's Get Further Forward Stay Wider Fewer Risky Passes Cross From Deep I have tried an A(d) and a DM(d) If I am playing against teams with AML & AMR I remove Get Further Forward and Stay Wider to give me a little stability If the opposition go to attacking i take off Stay Wider to make me narrower I am in my 3rd season, made the play offs in season 1, finished 7th season 2 and currently top after 20 games in season 3 In Seasons 1 & 2 I used Control, Close Down More, Play Offside and Stay on Feet with mixed success, some good wins but some heavy defeats Any glaring omissions or improvements? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
boblardo Posted November 30, 2015 Author Share Posted November 30, 2015 Following on from this my tactic really struggles when I am leading by 2-0 and the AI goes attacking. Usually I am already on a counter mentality so am reluctant to go to defensive as this will invite more pressure, I don't want to try and go "toe to toe" as when i have done it usually results in my getting ripped to shreds. I already have a low tempo so again reducing this further may not be an option Would it be worth going narrower? What do other people do when the AI goes to an attacking mentality? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyon_Games Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 There are... some similar threads. 4-1-4-1 thread - same as you: http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/443357-4-1-4-1-opinions-advice Art of counter attacking: http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/444680-The-Art-of-Counter-Attacking/page2 I guess its not needed todo another thread about this formation ^^ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
isignedupfornorealreason Posted November 30, 2015 Share Posted November 30, 2015 Following on from this my tactic really struggles when I am leading by 2-0 and the AI goes attacking.Usually I am already on a counter mentality so am reluctant to go to defensive as this will invite more pressure, I don't want to try and go "toe to toe" as when i have done it usually results in my getting ripped to shreds. I already have a low tempo so again reducing this further may not be an option Would it be worth going narrower? What do other people do when the AI goes to an attacking mentality? Have you identified why you're struggling though? Pressure isn't by itself a negative thing. If you're containing them and they're peppering the goal with long shots, then you're doing fine. If you're finding it is individual mistakes that are letting them through, then you need to examine if it is tiredness or poor mental attributes having an effect. Tactically, have the opposition changed formation? Have they put an extra man in the middle? Maybe they've changed a role causing an overload that you need to 'plug in' with a role change of your own? For me, when the AI goes attacking, I score more (usually) because they start leaving lots of space for me to exploit. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
boblardo Posted December 3, 2015 Author Share Posted December 3, 2015 My FB had PI's stay wider and get further forward which I removed. Removed had my advanced players with PI's Close down more, tackle harder which was leading to them being out of position and/or fouls being committed. Removed these PI's and while I am still conceding late goals I am generally much more solid Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
boblardo Posted December 10, 2015 Author Share Posted December 10, 2015 My original tactic was setup largely using similar TI/PI as those from FM15 and while I had some success it wasn't clear why I was winning games and my away form was shocking. I read through the forums and stumbled across Cleons excellent counter attacking thread and applied some of the principles mentioned. I found that my away form improved considerably but now my home form was slipping, games i was winning i was now drawing. My overall record stands at 13-13-5 So it was back to the drawing board, I knew how I wanted to play, which players would be my attacking threats Tactic Nothing complex here a simple 4-1-4-1 with basic roles Team Instructions I sometimes switch my DM for an Anchor but generally as I have no specialist roles i have chosen a FLUID mentality. Be compact, slow the pace, retain possession (when leading). I switch between Counter & Standard depending on the match situation Player Instructions Not many of these have been set My right sided WMa is intended to be a goal threat, he has Sit Narrower, Cut Inside with Ball and cross less often. This is a continuation of my first tactic and he gets lots of goals my left sided WMs is told to Hold Postion & Sit Narrower. the thinking here is to cover the the attacking CM and allow the WBs to overlap my right sided FB is given Fewer Risky Passes and the left sided WB is given dribble less and Fewer Risky Passes Still mixed results but seeing some good goals scored, shots & shots on target is usually around 1 in 3 which isn't too bad. Any glaring problems? any tips or suggested tweaks that can be made Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleon Posted December 10, 2015 Share Posted December 10, 2015 Why not try it in game then post the issues/observations you made and then ask for help? Kind of hard to do that without actual match context. Most thing look fine on paper but that doesn't mean they do in practise. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
boblardo Posted December 11, 2015 Author Share Posted December 11, 2015 First thing I noticed was that my Left sided WM(s) with a Narrow PI kept getting into the same space as my left CM(a). the intention was to provide a little more "defence" when we lost the ball and "sit" in behind the CM(a). I removed the PI Sit Narrower which stopped this occuring. I went on a little unbeaten run, although it was all draws. Changed my DF to DLF, as I used this in my first season with some success when using 2 IF but this had a negative impact, with my chances created going right down. I think its because the DLF & CM(a) kept getting in each others way It still didn't feel right, I was certainly over achieving but i just felt i could get more out of the tactic. Removed ALL PI's from ALL players except the right sided WM(a) and added GK PI's to stop hoofs upfield all of which were getting intercepted. Changed my left WM(s) to WP(s) changed from FLUID to STRUCTURED and after resetting the TI's selected COUNTER, Fairly Narrower (I previously choose Narrow which was making me too narrow!), Close Down More and work ball into box. Results improved considerably and as i entered the play-offs was optimistic, sadly i lost the first leg 3-0 and despite a 3-1 win in the second failed to reach the final for the 3rd year in a row!!!! GRRRRRRRRR!!!! I have been tipped to finish mid table each season so to be involved in the play offs is an achievement if i can just turn some of those 16 draws into a few wins i can win this league. more analysis to do but some good improvement One question, I know that playmakers attract the ball, i assume this applies to WP as well? The player i have at WP at the moment is just about good to play there although if i were to change the role to WM(s) with similar PI's to that selected by default for WP (ie Narrower & Roam from Position) how would the role play differently (other than "attracting" the ball more often)? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
boblardo Posted December 12, 2015 Author Share Posted December 12, 2015 After a mixed pre season I won my first game 4-0, "brilliant" I have cracked it or so I thought Next few games I manage to scrape wins but I am still struggling big time when a team goes attacking and cannot figure out what to change so any pointers would be great This game is so frustrating!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleon Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 What do you change when the opposition goes more attacking? Normally they leave space in behind and commit more men forward so as a rule, you'd take advantage of this and use the space against them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
boblardo Posted December 14, 2015 Author Share Posted December 14, 2015 IMO the 4-1-4-1 is quite a defensive shape so I allowed myself to be a little more adventurous with the mentality, changing from Counter -> Control and structured -> Fluid. this worked will for the 1st half of the season, topping the VCS by 7 points, however after xmas I am really struggling to score Thinking that the teams now see me as "good side" i assumed they would be setting up differently and after a run of 6 games without a win needed to change something I changed to Counter again which saw me change losses into draws, alot of 0-0 score lines Currently in the play offs, thanks to my good start and likely to limp over the line Really not sure what to look at now, cannot understand why my striker has just stopped scoring. i even rested him for a few games and none of his replacements managed to score either!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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