Tactical help (Fm2016)

[dolph11]

I'm having difficulty noticing where the problems are in my team. I am currently managing Wolves and am in the season 2022/2023. I play an attacking/highly structured 433 narrow formation. I got promoted in my first season pretty much blowing every other team away (albeit for a minor blip where team decided to down tools), nonetheless, it was an enjoyable season with some of the most potent attacking I've seen on the game mixed in with some pretty sturdy defending. I've had to change the instructions a few times due to 'being found out' by the AI or my team just not playing the same way as before, this has been my main problem. I watch the games on extended and I see no reason why my team change the way they play based on the way the opposition play, if that makes any sense? The decisions my players make are just stupid decisions that they didn't make before, not, from what I can see, being under any more pressure than before or teams defending differently. I'm ot saying this isn't happening, it's just not visible in the ME which leaves it up to guesswork.

 

Anyhow, here is my formation:

               GK/d

CWB/a     CD/d   CD/d     CWB/a

 

       AP/s     BWM/d     CM/a

 

       DLF/s     F9/s     DLF/a

 

Team Instructions - Play out of defence, exploit the middle, look for overlap, shorter passing, get stuck in, roam from positions.

 

Last season I finished 3rd in The Prem (overacheivers award) and felt we should have won the league given we went 25 games unbeaten at the beginning and were leading the league by ten points only to win only a handful of games in the remaining fixtures with a team that was unrecognisable from the beginning of the season. I had defenders closing down where they hadn't before, midfielders losing possesion where they hadn't before and strikers that didn't want to score and I couldn't see why. I saw no extra pressure from the opposing teams, I noticed teams did go a little more defensive against me so I used the 'drop deeper' instruction in some games which didn't work. I changed mentality and team shape now and then in different games which was of no benefit. 

Now onto this season, I've made a few big signings (3) and my team look all over the place! It's basically the same team except for 2 new strikers up top and a BWM centre mid. Not a massive overhaul but yes, it will have a slight affect on how things work in games. Tactic familiarity is full and team morale is ok so I'm in need of help as to how this can be changed. I'm sure there is somebody who will have more knowledge of the game than me so any help would be appreciated!

[herne79]

You're playing a pretty aggressive, high risk system.

Your first season in the prem you possibly took the opposition by surprise - they were perhaps playing quite open against you, expecting you to be easy meat and you exploited the space they were leaving.  Player nervousness and pressure for the title run in at the end of that season may explain why your form dipped.

Now that you finished 3rd, the opposition have more than likely tightened up in your 2nd season and aren't being quite so open against you any more, so the space you exploited last season isn't there to the same extent.  You need to adapt as your opponents have adapted as you are very open at the back.

[dolph11]

Thanks Herne, I did take the nervousness into account but it did seem way over the top to me. Still, that's just the way it goes. It was actually in my 5th season that I finished 3rd, it was slow progress. It genuinely isn't evident that the opposing teams have tightened up, All I see is ridiulous decision making allowing the opposition to have the ball back, it's frustrating. I did take into account my aggressive mentality but did try to adapt, to no avail. Should I totally change formation? It's not a save I want to just give up on as I feel that would be a waste but at the moment it's quite tiresome and boring. When I use the 'drop deeper' instruction does my team as a whole drop deeper or just my defence which in turn leaves a bigger gap between the defence and the midfield?