Player Duties

[lewissmith2111]

Hi,

I need some help understanding player duties and how to pick the right duty for each player/role.

I've done some research and the general idea I have is:

Defend - Holds position. i.e. DLP (D) will stay in his designated position when the team have the ball.

Support - Makes himself available to all phases of play. i.e. CM(S) will offer himself as a passing option to build up play and join the attack when safe to do so.

Attack - This is the most confusing one for me. Generally the reason to select an attack duty is for the player to set off early and attack the space when the team has the ball right? i.e. a W(A) will bomb off down the wing as soon as we get control of the ball.

However, for example when using a DLF on attack they are still meant to drop deep correct? so what does the attack duty mean to them because their role is the polar opposite of bombing forward? Or the AP(A) will still play in between the defence and midfield. I can see on the attack duty they have the dribble more instruction but what's the difference if I just give the AP(S) that instruction?

Then there is the confusion of a FB(A) vs WB(S) as they both have the ‘get further forward’ instruction. Which also brings me onto the IF(S) and IF(A), what's the difference here? what does the duty do for them as they have the same instructions.

I've read pretty much all guides out there and watched videos available on youtube but I just can't seem to get my head around player duties and how to pick the right one. I'm hoping someone might be able to explain it in a way I haven't read/heard/watched so far.

I hope this doesn't come across as a rant as it's not meant to be. I'm just becoming slightly disillusioned with the game and frustrated at myself for not understanding, what seems to be, a simple part of creating a tactic.

Thanks.

[fc.cadoni]

 

[fc.cadoni]

 

[lewissmith2111]

7 minutes ago, fc.cadoni said:

 

Thanks for these. I have just read the book of roles and read the previous edition, the same with the pairs & combination guide. I still just don't understand it properly.

[Fraser.]

Try thinking of it more in terms of risk taking. 

A player will be more likely to get forward, attack the box, try risky passes, shoot at goal etc

Also they will show less concern about leaving space behind them for the opposition to attack.

Edited December 3, 2022 by Fraser.
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[CARRERA]

1 hour ago, lewissmith2111 said:

I've read pretty much all guides out there and watched videos available on youtube but I just can't seem to get my head around player duties and how to pick the right one.

You are not too far off, the duty does not only assign some additional PI's to the role, but does also affect the individual mentality of the player.
In Football Manager, almost everything is on a Scale behind the scenes and the base modifier is mentality (not only for your team, but also for individual players). That said, e.g. Move further forward on a support duty is not exactly the same as it would be on an attack duty.

Another way to look at it, is to think about the structure of your team. Who do you want to attack space (attack duty), who do you want to protect space (defend duty), who do you want to like up play (support duty).
Its also important, to understand how the dispersal of duties can create space or compactness. Assigning several support duties into one area, will help your team to stay compact and offer safe passing options to keep the ball. However, against deep and compact defences, you may lack depth and space to actually find a way to score.
Basicly said, attack duties create depth ahead of the ball and defend duties create depth behind the ball. If done correctly, you can achieve great space between the lines to either have the opposition move out of position, or to have players completely free for a pass.

There are of course some exceptions, as some roles are between certain duties, but you could take those as a rule of thump or a broad idea of how to set up your team duty wise.

Edited December 3, 2022 by CARRERA