Save me from relegation!

[LasseT95]

I was promoted to the Bundesliga with Dresden, i have decent players and i used the same tactic i used when i was in 2. Bundesliga. My first two games was fine as you can see, draw and 3-0 win. After that... 1 win and 1 draw in 12 matches.

Changed from 433 to 4231 and still no luck.
My best players are underperforming. Lo celso is by far my best player and he has an average of 6.58 the last 5 games. My striker have 1 goal in 12 matches. Inverted winger/inside forward is by far the worst performing, no matter who plays there.

Do i keep playing 4231 or do i go back to 433? Balanced or positive? What roles and insructions should i use? Nothing seems to work at all. When i look at the players the other teams have, they have the same quality as me. All my highlights are from set-pieces. All the opponents highlights are prime barcelona tika-taka high tempo no mistakes. Even though they are outnumbered they always find a way through my defence with one single pass

I desperately need help.

[Brian]

First of all, looking at the results I don't think you can be to harsh on yourself. Dortmund, Leipzig, Bayern and M'gladbach are good teams and games you're expected to lose. Also, I see you're almost in january. Try looking at the top teams (Bayern, Leipzig, Leverkussen, Dortmund, etc..) and look for loan players that will improve your team dramatically. 

When being the underdog, you need to look how you can unsettle the opponents defenders. 

I would go for something like this. Very simpel, but focused on the counter more. The idea is that the attackers and AM-At (also has Move into Channels) will occupy the 2 or 3 central defenders from the opposition, making it hard to pick one of the 3 to defend. The winger and fullback will look to low cross in to the box when it's basically 1 vs 1. 

 

 

[Cloud9]

4 hours ago, LasseT95 said:

I was promoted to the Bundesliga with Dresden, i have decent players and i used the same tactic i used when i was in 2. Bundesliga. My first two games was fine as you can see, draw and 3-0 win. After that... 1 win and 1 draw in 12 matches.

Changed from 433 to 4231 and still no luck.
My best players are underperforming. Lo celso is by far my best player and he has an average of 6.58 the last 5 games. My striker have 1 goal in 12 matches. Inverted winger/inside forward is by far the worst performing, no matter who plays there.

Do i keep playing 4231 or do i go back to 433? Balanced or positive? What roles and insructions should i use? Nothing seems to work at all. When i look at the players the other teams have, they have the same quality as me. All my highlights are from set-pieces. All the opponents highlights are prime barcelona tika-taka high tempo no mistakes. Even though they are outnumbered they always find a way through my defence with one single pass

I desperately need help.

If you've got a clear star player in your squad, building around them makes sense. I would opt for a 4-2-3-1 where Lo Celso gets to sit as a 10 w/roam position. Remove counter press and sort out a double pivot with two holding roles. Drop one of the Wingbacks to a FB(s) for defensive stability. Remove play out from the back and keep the morale topped up (I see your goalkeeper is in full revolt which needs to be sorted ASAP if you want to stay up). 

You could consider dropping to a mid block and playing on the counter to take advantage of your low reputation in the league (teams will take the game to you and leave space in behind), but I'd only consider this if you've got quick enough frontline players to pull it off. 

Alternatively you could look to run a striker partnership, which could help sort out some of your goal scoring issues. A 5-2-1-2 would still let you have Lo Celso sit in the 10 while splitting the goal scoring responsibilities a bit better. 

Edited November 5, 2023 by Cloud9

[Solonic]

Think about what you're trying to achieve. For an underdog you're trying to have solidity and to counter and get the ball up the pitch quickly as you're only going to have 40% possession I'm guessing. Which is fine. You want to get the ball up the pitch quicker so go to a more direct passing style and/or a faster tempo.

You might go mid block with no pressing to hit them on the break so your defenders and DM will probably be your ball winners. If you go to a higher line and counterpress / press more you'll get possession back higher up the pitch but are vulnerable to balls over the top, particularly if your CDs lack acceleration, pace, anticipation and positioning. So play to your strengths.

I'd typically go 433 for solidity and use the DM to provide extra support for the defence so maybe DM or BWM with good stamina, anticipation and tackling. Central midfield box to box and mezzala is fine. Look at each player individually and use them, If you have a great dribbler then set a PI for him to dribble. If his vision and passing are the best on your team get him to take more risks and longer passes. If passing is weak set a PI to make lower risk passes and shorter passes. 

Get the ball quickly to the flanks so add instruction to distribute to the full backs. Look at those positions. Do they have excellent stamina, pace, dribbling, passing, crossing? If dribbling and stamina are mediocre they'll lose the ball and get tired quickly. So full backs are safer since they start slightly deeper and will pass to the wingers earlier. And you're an underdog. If you have one with excellent crossing use him. Put him on attack duty and overlap him but ensure the winger is on support or he'll never get there in time. But be aware that overlapping will slow down the pace of the counter attack as the winger waits for him to run up the flank.

Maybe focus play down each flank to release early balls to for your main forward and wingers to run onto.  Set the centre forward  to advanced forward with good pace, acceleration, off the ball, anticipation and finishing. A DLF won't be able to chase balls over the top because he isn't far enough up the pitch. Watch the highlights on comprehensive for a while and look to see what the players are doing as a result of your changes.

Your morale will have tanked and morale is critical in the game particularly if your determination levels are mediocre so check player morale. As soon as low determination players go behind in a game their performance deteriorates. Find any and every opportunity to praise players. Check Individual training every week and if 7.5 or more praise them until their ears bleed. Play a friendly or two against a minnow and hopefully score lots of goals then praise any performance at 7.5 and over (do this anyway as a matter of routine). Do pre and post match talks and look for players to respond positively to what you say. I tend to focus on the team rather than the individual in pre match and the individual post match.

Use shouts. In match highlights after 20 minutes if 0-0 encourage the whole team, Most players attitude bubble will go from purple to green. If you go behind immediately encourage, if two down encourage. If one up calm down. If two up praise, Rinse and repeat. Try to inspire and motivate in team talks. Chuffed players won't work harder for you, motivated payers will.