Passing combination map

[Colorado]

Can anyone share a good link or help explain, exactly how to read and utilise the passing combination map on the analysis screen. I've never been completely comfortable in understanding it!

My understanding is the thickness of the lines represents the number of those passes but I don't get the direction, other players/dots who are not linked to the passing web (are they just uncompleted passes??), and other than put pressure on those making the most passes, what my options are?

I'm sure I'm overlooking stuff so would appreciate some help here!

[Rashidi]

I did a video on youtube explaining how to under key pass combinations.

Essentially in FM18 you have a list of players now available as a dropdown, so this shows you combinations between 2 players either way. You need at least 2 passes to generate a pass combination between players. If there are no links between players then, either they had less than 2 passes between them or they have no passes between them.

Finally you can draw these out yourself which I recommend to most people, take the top 3, these are the head honchos for passing, see how they link up. Sometimes you are lucky its just a wb and a wide player and sometimes you are unlucky and it shows 3 players in a central position linking with another in attack. Then you need to decide how to break this down. And that you do by overloading, man marking or breaking someone's legs. Thats basically it.

[howard moon]

Not sure if it’s the same on FM18, but on 17 the position of the players doesn’t correlate with their average position, which also confuses me.

[Colorado]

@Rashidi Oh, I was hoping you would reply as I watched your video. I remember you felt the two CMs and a FW were the main threat, but I couldn't see how you felt they were more of a threat than anyone else as the lines were the same thickness going to the other forward, who left alone.  Big fan of your tactical guide videos btw. 

[Rashidi]

@Colorado It’s important to remember that passing combinations by themselves aren’t very helpful. You need to use them in conjunction with reviewing action in the game. They just tell you who the more influential players are. 

From there you start to analyse how they build up their attacks. Here we need to look transitions. I use them to disrupt their consolidation phase. In other words I do what managers in real life do, disorganise the opposition and throw them off.

To do that, in the example you listed I identified those 3 players watched the highlights and  came to the conclusion that if I could disrupt how the three of them played I would stand a chance.

Here the links were formed by the two CMs so it was important to do something about that.

[Fritz13]

In terms in shutting down the supply would you say it’s better to close down and/or tackle hard the playmaker?

or the player who passes to that playmaker most frequently?

[Colorado]

Good question!