pyeduke

Thanks very much.

Looking for advice on a new save game. I usually either play in England or one of the top European leagues, but want to try something a bit different. I’m thinking along the lines of taking a lower level team from an obscure nation and seeing how far I can take them. Currently weighing up either somewhere in Eastern Europe or Scandinavia, but have very little experience so not sure on the best option. Any recommendations for a country or a team would be much appreciated.

Thanks very much. Yeah fair points. And obviously there is the risk that you lose in the play-off round and miss out on future potential earnings/glory...

Since playing in the new format CL, I've noticed that there is a considerable fee awarded for playing in the first play-off round after the league phase (for teams finishing 9-24). From memory it's something like £8 million. Do teams who finish 1-8 also get awarded this cash, or is it just for teams who appear in the play-off round? I'm trying to work out if it is actually preferable to finish 9-24 so that you can get some extra cash from the extra games played.

When the inverted wingback inverts into the midfield and essentially becomes a defensive midfielder, what role type will he perform like? I've assumed he operates like a standard defensive midfielder, but I'm not entirely sure. My actual defensive midfielder is set to BWM (d) but I'm not sure how best to set up given that one of the fullbacks inverts alongside him.

I think this guy is the best striker I've ever had on any FM. And I think this guy might be the second best. Awesome regen strikers like buses. You wait for years for one, then get two in one save.

Thanks for the replies - really helpful. I’ll have a play with it and see how it goes.

Hi all Quick tactical question. I currently play a 433 with a DM as a half back. My defence has two BPD at centre back, my right back is a FB on attack and my left back is a WB on support. Given that both full backs are pretty attack minded, and I have a DM who drops between the two CB, would I benefit from asking my central defenders to stay wider, or would that leave me exposed defensively?

Has anyone else noticed a pattern whereby central defenders have lower average ratings in this year's version than previous years? On FM22, my CBs were routinely some of the players with the highest average ratings in my teams, consistently 7.2-7.4 range for a season. This was across various different levels of football from non-league to Champions League. On this year's version of the game, my CBs are averaging around 6.7-6.9 across a season. From what I can tell, there aren't even any major differences in the way they're performing to what I've done before - similar system, similar style of football, similar results to what I've achieved before. I'm currently in 2028, about to win the Premier League and I've got Antonio Silva and Jurrien Timber barely scraping a 7 for their average rating (Timber was averaging around 7.4 for several seasons prior to joining me from Ajax). In the current season we've only conceded 30 goals in 34 league games, keeping 14 clean sheets in the process, so the defence are doing a good job. They just don't seem to ever breach 7 for their rating, unless they score a goal. Just wondered if anyone else had experienced anything similar?

I've played most of the season and had a bit of an upturn in form. The main thing that made a difference seemed to be going to a more direct, high-tempo system. My AF does particularly well latching on to through balls down the middle, which I know is something that's been highlighted in the ME. Don't get me wrong, he isn't really getting involved in build-up play, but at least he's scoring more regularly and getting better ratings as a result. I tend to finish games with lower possession than my opponent but with a greater XG. Swings and roundabouts I suppose.

Thanks for the advice. Initially I had the CM as a B2B midfielder, but changed to CM(a) because the role was so effective last year and I thought he’d give more support in the final third and get Endrick involved. I had the DLP on defend duty to begin with as well, but since changing him to support he’s been my best player, so I’d be reluctant to alter that. Would dropping the CM to support rather than attack be sufficient do you think? I might also try changing the WB to FB - my two full backs routinely get the worst average ratings across the whole team, especially my right backs.

Hi everyone I'm having trouble with my current tactic - specifically, getting my lone striker involved in the play. As a team results have been OK - won 6 from 11 games with Burnley in the Prem (3rd season). However, we don't score all that often, and after digging into it a little in the data hub, I've noticed my striker seems incredibly isolated in matches. I've attached a screenshot of our pass map from my previous game (1-0 loss away to Leicester). This is fairly typical of what I've seen in recent matches. My formation has been fairly stable throughout the save, but I've played around with team instructions a fair bit to find the right balance. I've gone from a possession-orientated side, to one who plays fast, counter-attacking football, and various points in between. The one constant has been my striker not really getting involved in the game or performing well. I've attached a screenshot of my tactic. If anyone has any suggestions it would be much appreciated. Thanks.