lied90

I think a lot of people know that pace is important, they just don't understand how important. They also don't understand that it is important regardless of player position, player role, formation, playstyle etc. What I find frustrating is that people come to these and other forums asking for advice about how to get their team to perform, and sometimes the answer could simply be: "ehm maybe get a striker with higher pace and put him as AF".

I made another test save to show how incredibly important pace is. I swapped Man City's front line with four Adama Traore. The reason I picked Man City is pretty simple. They are favorites to win everything, and I didn't want people to think that it only works because other teams give us lots of space (like some said about the Forest test). I reduced injury proneness to 1 and consistency to 15, because I'm on holiday and don't want them to get injured, and I want to test Traore's attributes (not his consistency). Our Traore dominated the average rating table in the league. Not surprisingly. the only other player in top 5 is our second fastest player, Kyle Walker. Kinda funny how Kevin Traore, our AMC, with the passing ability of a blind Emile Heskey, is doing so well. Erling Traore averaged a goal per game, with 10 or less in finishing, anticipation, composure, off the ball, and decisions.

Player quality > tactics, so whatever you do the odds are against you. My experience is that pressing high and getting players forward is the best option against good teams. You can see from this thread, that you don't need great players to beat good teams, and the tactics don't need to be complicated. For more specific advice you should post the tactic.

Is this FM 22?

People told me on other platforms that this wouldn't work in the second season, because clubs would adapt and go in a low block so my pacy players would need attributes like vision, passing etc to get trough the low block. Also been told by several people that this recruitment policy won't work long term. I decided to test this by continuing the first test save. I will continue as most managers do, by looking to improve the team, but still recruit based on pace. So, we are Nottingham Forest in season 2. This is what buying horrible players with lots of pace have achieved so far: - CL football - Top 4 finish - Incredibly good finances, as all our players don't demand high wages. This means we have 80mill to spend and 800k surplus in wages (pounds). Recruitment: The thing is, we can't buy faster players because there are only so many Adama Traores in the world. To keep it simply we will still buy players with the same pace/acceleration, but have agility and balance as secondary stats. Why? Because Agility and balance is important for running fast in different situations. Most of the players I bought didn't cost very much or demand high wages, and I intentionally didn't buy the best players available. I did buy some young players because of their pace. After the transfers are done, we have the lowest average in the league, in the following attributes: Mentals: Anticipation, concentration, composure, decisions, leadership, positioning, team work, and vision. We are below average/close to bottom at everything else. Technicals: Corners, crossing, dribbling, first touch, free kicks, marking, passing, technique. We are close to bottom on everything else, except long throws. Physicals: Nothing, we are top in speed. Above average agility, average jumping reach, below average/close to bottom at everything else. Average CA is now closer to 130. (except GK, but this is about outfield players) Team: Results: Going back to the questions I tried to answer. Can you have a successful long term career in FM by simply searching for fast players and buying them, despite bad mental and technical attributes? Yes, no doubt about it. We are on the top of the xG table, despite being on holiday mode, and our team is mostly cheap players combined with young players far from their prime. We also destroyed teams like Barcelona in the CL and had a 19 goal difference in a group with Barca, Juve and Sporting. Do you need players with passing, vision, technique etc when teams start playing more cautious against you? Clearly not, as I have no such players and still won most games. I assume there is no doubt that teams would try to adapt after the finish we had last season.

I've been thinking about this, how should I go about demonstrating it? Keep qualifying for CL over several seasons with the same types of players?

By request, the XG tables of each save test:

The last part is what I feel like a lot of players are not unaware of, how important it is regardless of almost any context.

As requested, tested with the original players, a 424 preset gegenpress. Set pieces routines are also default, which matters a lot in terms of goals scored/conceded.

I got some replies and simulated another season based on that. Some said that it might just be the tactic and not the high pace. I subtracted all players by -2 pace/acc. To compensate I have +1 to all other highlighted role attributes. So for a wingback or Volante they lost -4 and gained +16 total attributes, roles with fewer highlighted attributes gained less. This gave the players roughly the same CA as before I subtracted pace/acc. It could have been done more accurately I'm sure, but I don't have the patience for it, and didn't get any better suggestions so I had to be creative. League table: Still a good results considering how bad the players are. Obviously a lot of randomness in a single season, but I think a gap of 32 points is more than can be contributed to randomness. I removed unhappiness and injuries from both tests. I was also suggested to test the same players with a different tactic, so I'll do that also.

Unrealistic yes, but not a bug.

I understand the confusion. It's not meant as a challenge, it's meant as a guide, hence the "How to....." "A section filled with useful hints and tips on how to get the best of out your Football Manager team, be it tactically, with player development or with any other strategic discussion. " I understood this as broad enough to post my topic there. People go to the tactics forum to learn about the game, how the game works, how tactics work, how attributes work etc. So for me it looked like the right spot to highlight how easy it is to overachieve by only focusing on pace. FM has been like this for a long time now, and a lot of players are unaware.

The thread was moved. I don't agree with it as it's not a challenge or experiment. I just ran a test season to show what I alreaady know, which is hardly an experiment imo. Filling a squad with pace and acceleration is a strategy. It's ridiculous and unrealistic, but it is a strategy that is only viable because of how this game works.

Alternatively, other attributes just doesn't matter enough. Even in a tactic with high press, high tempo, high lines etc. A bunch of players with the football brain of Ted Lasso should not be able to perform this well, despite their pace.

Index Original test/post (you are here already) Test with adjusted attributes to prove it's not the tactic Test with preset gegenpress Season 2 test - does it work long term? Adama Traore - The GOAT It's the summer transfer window You analyze your squad, filter out unwanted players, look at scout reports to find the player that perfectly fits your tactic. Defenders so smart that they can predict everything the opposition does, DMs with perfect positioning and passing, creative wide players with lots of flair, strikers who can smell a goal from miles away. Your players have high decision making, they are composed, have excellent technique, the vision of an eagle etc. You have used very tool at your disposal, compared the players, asked scouts, used the squad planner, analyzed every strength and flaw in your team, created a tactic that fits your players so well you can't even believe it yourself. Finally, all your hard work and several hours spent do get ready for the new season is about to bear fruits! How I do it: Goes to player search *Filter by pace* *Buys all the fasted players* Finished Testing: I took over Nottingham Forest and removed all their players. I replaced them with players with high acceleration and pace, and added jumping reach on CBs. All players had 100-115 current ability at the start of the season. We now have the lowest average of every single mental and technical attribute in FM (except long throws). Common sense would imply that we are destined for relegation as our players should simply be no more than championship level players at best Squad comparison: Results:

Does the man City tactic defend like Man city at all? I see how it can play out like Man City in possession, but not without possession.

I honestly really dislike the TF role, they drop deep all the time regardless of having supporting or attacking mentality, and I need them to lead the line and be in position to receive the long ball.

Live, love, and breathe hoofball - A club DNA project! Summer transfers - 25/26: Loads went out (not in the screenshot) , loads went in. We now have a few options for long throwers, so hopefully we get some long throw goals this season. Big center back Goode and no nonsense fullback McIntyre both have the ability to get the ball into the box by hoofing it with their hands. Jason Molumby is our biggest improvement in terms of quality and will fill the role of the brute in midfield. He dives into tackles and winds up the opponents. Rothwell is a short sighted signing, he still has a lot of pace and can be used to turn a match out on the wing. The rest is a mix of bench players and youngsters. McNeilly will probably get his fair share of game time in order to develop. Warburton was a steal for 300K: Transfers out, not much to say here except Lavery had to go after demanding to double his wages. Loved his mental attributes, but 8 goals in 36 games just doesn't justify the wage demand. He will earn his trade at Blackburn for now. Starts of the season: I decided to get a few games in to see how the team shaped up. First game of the season was big one away against Swansea, and McNeilly decided it with a memorable goal as he heads it into goal from outside the box.

Volante on attack, because..... They act like box2box players when attacking, and cover the DM spot when defending. Mixed with wingbacks staying narrow.

Can't say I agree with that. FM is a casual game for most, tactics that do well in testers are suited for plug n play, and most FM players just want tactics that work well consistently. So it has it's purpose.

Ran it trough a tactic tester out of curiosity, it did ok. Nothing more nothing less. I just copied the roles and instructions he posted + added set piece routines. I assume changes are done during matches and small changes home/away etc so prob not meant to be plug n play anyway.

Live, love, and breathe hoofball - A club DNA project! Hoofball was on fine display in the South Wales derby, as seen in the video. Tiki taka fan boys will never witness such simple yet beautiful football, with the ball bouncing all over and creating chaos. Jan Transfers: McBurnie was out of favour at Sheff Utd who looked destined for promotion. Mijnans is a decent set piece taker who can play as a wide midfielder on both flanks, Kerk is being overplayed so we needed a second option. Performance: Despite getting very good results in the second half of the season, it wasn't good enough to reach the play offs. We improved our total points tally by 2, from 79 points to 81. Our finest game was probably in the narrow win against a much stronger Wolves away, we played in a low block the entire game and won it on a set piece with Kolinger forcing in a header. I'm confident we can do better next season as we started this season with a long series of draws, gonna need to turn some of them into wins! The teams getting relegated from the PL are Burnley, Middlesbrough, and Blackburn, which is much easier opponents than the likes of Wolves. Trimming the squad: With several players out of contracts this summer there will be lots of new faces when the season starts. We now have a small core of players who get along well, and it's important to find players who fit into the group. The following players will all run out their contracts: We are then left with a senior squad where everyone is included in the core social group: In other news, the board has decided to drop their desires for the club to play attacking football! This is a big step towards the club becoming known for their football, especially the day we leave Cardiff.

Live, love, and breathe hoofball - A club DNA project! Evaluating our squad In addition to having a set formation that we will start every match, we need to look for certain profiles in each position: GK: Good shot stopper, high aerial reach (think Asmir Begovic) Current GK: Lee Nicholls - 196cm and a commanding GK. CB: Defenders with the physique and intelligence to keep attackers away. Passing and technique is not important, but the tries long passes trait is a bonus. Current CB pairing: Kolinger and McGuinness - One is a brute the other more well rounded but also tall. Fullbacks: Our fullbacks should fit the profile of a wide center back. Enough pace to cover the flank, but also enough strength and intelligence to defend more narrow. Big plus if he can cross from deep or throw it long. Current fullbacks: Joel Bagan and Perry Ng - Hardworking and balanced fullbacks. Decent, but need a proper no nonsense fullback and still no long thrower CM: One intelligent midfielder with a bit of passing range, the other should be a aggressive pit bull that flies into tackles. Big bonus with trait should as: Argues with ref, gets crowd going. or Winds up opponents. Currents CMs - Blanco who came from Real Madrid is brilliant, very intelligent with his positioning and good passer. We have several workhorses that chase the ball, but they are a bit lacking one way or another. Wide players: One classical winger who runs down the wing and crosses, the other a wide midfielder type who cross from deep and work hard at both ends (bonus if he can do set pieces). Current wide players: Kerks and Lokesa - Kerks lack a bit of stamina and work rate, otherwise perfect with deep crosses and excellent set pieces. Lokesa has a bit of growing to do but fits the profile of an old school winger. Strikers: Minimum one big man up top, preferably two with one being strong and fast. Optional, a pressing forward type who never stops running. Current strikers: Chory and Lavery - Chory has the perfect physique but is not a real team player (lacking team work and determination). Lavery has 19 work rate, high bravery, team work, aggression etc so very well suited. Wish list: - A proper shithouser like Ashley Barnes or Materazzi. - A long thrower and no nonsense CB - More depth in certain positions Performance: We are the king of draws..... Cardiff Stadium is a fortress and we are undefeated at home so far this season. With so may strong clubs down in the championship I think it's very unlikely that we will be in a position to promote at the end of the season, but we are not far behind play off atm. Wolves, Crystal Palace, Sheff Utd, , Watford, and Leeds (13th place) are all in the championship. In terms of stats, we are bottom at possession and passes completed, not very surprising. According to the comparison page, we are top of the league in terms of average strength, jumping reach, bravery, aggression, team work and work rate. The Tale of Perfect hoofball goal:

Think I read that one, was posted on reddit also. Had Ashley Barnes and Jamie Vardy up top, both 35+ at the time, brilliant.

Live, love, and breathe hoofball - A club DNA project! One team, one formation - Committing to the 4-4-2 So far the team has experimented with different formations to make hoofball work. I feel like this goes against our mission, so to bolster our reputation as a industrial and traditional club, we are from now on only playing 442. Summer transfers 24/25 Transfer statement: "We are delighted to announce that Cardiff Football Club has made significant additions to our roster in the latest transfer window. Aaron Ramsey, a youth product of our club, has returned on a free transfer to provide invaluable experience and skill to our midfield. Alongside him, we have signed promising young talents Sam Curtis and Chris Lokesa, who will add depth and energy to our squad. In defense, we have acquired the services of Willy Boly on a free transfer, a proven performer at the highest level whose leadership and toughness will be invaluable to us. Additionally, we have signed Eugene Cheberko from Ukraine, a versatile defender who brings both physicality and technical ability to our backline. We are also excited to welcome Sammie Szmodics on loan from Blackburn, a hardworking attacking midfielder who will add creativity and tenacity to our team. With these new additions, we believe we have strengthened our squad significantly and are well-equipped to compete at the highest level. We cannot wait to see these players in action and look forward to an exciting season ahead." Lokesa has established himself as a standout player in Belgium. He possesses explosive pace, excellent technical skills, combined with a good work rate. Curtis is a well young, rounded fullback who impressed in Ireland with 7.28 average rating last season.