Team Instructions

[wazza]

When I set my team instructions I normally do it using a team instruction guide for each one and determine which option to choose ie high defensive line / low defensive line, Attacking width ,Push up / drop back, stop or invite crosses etc... to suit the attributes required in the guide for each instruction,  If the majority of my team has thoses attributes I will generally click that option for the team instruction.

Therefore I normally have the majority of team instructiions clicked in my tactic.

I have read many posts or watched you tube videos on tactics where they say keep it simple and not click each instruction.  If you don't click an option for example stop crosses / invite crosses - what does this do in game.  I understand that this is the old defensive width instruction so stop crosses is play wider where invite is play narrower - what is the effect of not clicking - I guess somewhere in the middle - Does it need to be clicked and an option picked.

Is it wrong to have alot of team instructions and what affect does this have on your team and tactic.  I get the keep it simple - but if the majority of the players have the attribtues for the instruction option to be clicked then should you do it or not.  Where you do not click the options and leave it unselcted( ie keep it simple)  what affect does this have on the tactic as it is must be a default for that instruciton - but what does the default do in each instruction.  For example does it mean that for stop crosses / invite crosses the default is it will do a bit of both during a match?  With the same question for the other team instrucitons.

 

Edited October 24, 2023 by wazza

[Fraser]

More instructions can lead to more chance of conflicting instructions, and more chance of players being confused.

I like to think of it this way: If ask you to stand in the corner of the room and count to 100 then you could do that pretty easily.  If I ask you to stand in the corner and count to 100 with your right hand in your left pocket, your left hand touching your right foot, alternating between closing your right and left eye every 3 seconds, while you are listening to the theme tune to Duck Tales - then it's more difficult. 

Not selecting an instruction often means that the player or team will decide what to do, and that is where a lot of mental attributes come into play (particularly decisions and teamwork). 

Some of the instructions are slightly different than this. For example, if you don's select and high or low defensive line then the defenders will hold a standard line somewhere in the middle. They won't sometimes hold a high line and sometimes a low one.  As for stop/invite crosses, I'm sure @Rashidi mentions in a lot of his videos that stop crosses will get the winger tracking back to help his full back (I'm guessing then that invite crossed means the winger stays up the pitch).

[wazza]

10 minutes ago, Fraser said:

Not selecting an instruction often means that the player or team will decide what to do, and that is where a lot of mental attributes come into play (particularly decisions and teamwork). 

Thank you for the help - thats exactly what I was looking for the attribtutes to determine for the team to make there own decisions and not click on anything.  I'll check my squad to see if they have good mental stats, particularly decisions and teamwork, like you say to determine if they are good enough to play this way.

 

11 minutes ago, Fraser said:

 I'm sure @Rashidi mentions in a lot of his videos that stop crosses will get the winger tracking back to help his full back (I'm guessing then that invite crossed means the winger stays up the pitch).

I watch alot of @Rahidi you tube videos which is where I got the information from to keep it simple as well as others.  If that is correct and the winger tracks back that is what I want in my tactic to help out the full backs.  It should also make my 4231 formation look more like a 442 formation in the defensive phase, which is what I am looking at also trying to achieve.  I was hoping to try and do this with player instructions and roles, but if stop crosses helps that will be great.  I will experiment with that in my new tactical set ups.

What roles would you suggest to get the wingers to track back - In a 442 I like to have WA or WMS on each side - and as a 4231 I generally play with a WA or IWA and on the other side IFS  - would these work to get them to track back to help the full backs so that the 4231 goes to a 442 in the defensive phase or would I need to add more player instructions - if so what would you recommend.

 

This all makes more sense as when I design tactics and set my instructions I always want a reason for doing so, rather then clicking on instructions randomly, which is why I look at the teams general attributes for each instruction before I set them to determine, which instructions are best for the players I have inherited.  It then determines where my squad is weak as not all players will meet the attributes required for the instructions, then they can be replaced.

[Fraser]

40 minutes ago, wazza said:

What roles would you suggest to get the wingers to track back - In a 442 I like to have WA or WMS on each side - and as a 4231 I generally play with a WA or IWA and on the other side IFS  - would these work to get them to track back to help the full backs so that the 4231 goes to a 442 in the defensive phase or would I need to add more player instructions - if so what would you recommend.

 

Support roles will generally defend more than Attack roles will (it's not an exact science, but I always like to think that Defend duty means stay back, Support duty means follow the play and Attack duty means get ahead of play.)  You could use a Winger on Support and, if you want them to get forward more, than add the Get Forward player instruction,  You should note that they will play on a slightly lower individual mentality than an Attack duty player, so they will also take less risks going forward.

There will be other attributes to consider for tracking back as well, so check work rate for willingness to do the work and check stamina and natural fitness for endurance and recovery.

[CARRERA]

@wazza your team will always have a basic set of instructions determined by the mentality you picked. Team Instructions are only used to further refine what you already got. That’s why you can play without ticking anything or just a few without a problem. Ticking many is no problem tho, as long as they match each other and fit your vision of football.

[DarJ]

4 hours ago, wazza said:

What roles would you suggest to get the wingers to track back

You can use the player instruction "mark tighter" and you will see that even players on attack duties will track back more compared to when you don't have that instruction that instruction.