[Natural fitness & stamina - Would you sign this player as a DLF (s) in League 2?]

Alternatively I could loan Jon Stead for a year but he's seen as being inferior quality despite only having slightly lower attributes. Is it just because Davies is good with both feet?

[Natural fitness & stamina - Would you sign this player as a DLF (s) in League 2?]

Hi,

I've been desperately trying to find a DFL(s) for my League 2 team Colchester United. Someone who can hold the ball up, get into good positions & play clever passes. Finishing, jumping, bravery, work rate, heading & speed would be a welcome bonus. I've found Steve Davies who has all of the right key attributes & is happy to join my club on a free transfer for a reasonable wage but he is already quite slow while his natural fitness & stamina is very low (2 & 5 respectively).

Does the low natural fitness mean that his physical attributes will decline quickly? Is he liable to be injured a lot?

He only wants an 11 month contract & I'm very tempted to take a punt but wanted other people's opinions first. What would you do?

I've also posted a screenshot of a comparison between him & my current striker Brown (who lacks strength, jumping, heading & workrate but is quicker)

[Future manager transfers]

4 hours ago, Roy Race 9 said:

post a screenshot of the change you made and try the tip outlined below with Roma's previous manager too

yes I do that too I expire the contract a day befor the 'new manager' is due to takeover and set eg Bilic to leave at the end of the contract just to be sure- the thing to look out for is the optional 1 year extension by club make sure that is unchecked

mixed success setting up national manager changes however

made a staff change file but havent tested in game yet

 

 

If I remember rightly there's also a box that states something like 'will leave when contract expires'.

[Future manager transfers]

I'm sure I've had success with it before when I arranged for Big Sam to take over from Bilic at West Brom. I'd imagine I also arranged for Bilic to leave West Brom on or before that date to make room for the move.

[The Concept Of Visible Potential]

1 hour ago, duesouth said:

In the case of your youth intake, you'll see the PPA change over time.  For example, on one youth intake day in my FM19 save, I got very excited with three 5* PPA players came down the pipe (doing the San Marino Challenge that rarely, if ever, happens).  Two developed really well and became 5* CA - but one had a bad personality and that 5* PPA changed to 3* PPA after a short time - and then up again to 4* after successful mentoring.  Obviously, in the case of scouting, that would be one snapshot opinion which might change in a years time.

Great, thank you! So it would seem that the scouts/coaches do take a player's personality into account which is good news. Any other factors that anyone is aware of? I'm assuming the coaches aren't aware of hidden attributes? So really, they are going to make roughly the same judgements as me as they're looking at CA & the players age & personality?

[The Concept Of Visible Potential]

3 hours ago, HUNT3R said:

It isn't visible. We see PPA (perceived potential ability) and that's based on things (in the scout or coach opinion) like age and current ability.

Very interesting! So is it a case of the scout/coach thinking 'their ability is this already so they could reach this ability in the future as they have this number of years to progress? Or is it based on other factors too? For example, the player's personality.

[Can you 'mushroom' a player?]

1 hour ago, Grifty said:

Yes, I've done it before and they are unhappy to be moved to the reserves

Great news, thanks!

[Can you 'mushroom' a player?]

1 hour ago, Grifty said:

Yeah, move them to the U23 or U18s.

Do they recognise that they are being poorly treated (in the way that they do when you criticise them or transfer list them etc) ?

[Can you 'mushroom' a player?]

54 minutes ago, IbrahimAliMaher said:

I have a 22 year old academy player who was a bright prospect at 17/18 and played for me in the Bundesliga/CL but failed to live up to his potential. After an unsuccessful spell out on loan he had one year left on his contract so I decided to get rid. I had a transfer agreed with another Bundesliga club, set his squad status to 'not needed' and dumped him in my B team squad playing in the third tier, but he still rejected the transfer and said he was going to prove me wrong 

I guess that happens in real life. The player has been with the club since joining them as a young child & doesn't want to leave without a fight. It also happens with older players who feel that they haven't been given a fair chance yet. Did he have a high level of determination?

[Can you 'mushroom' a player?]

Hi,

I have a couple of players that I would like to force out of the club & wondered whether it's effective to do what Big Sam Allardyce describes as 'mushrooming' a player? It's essentially keeping him in the dark (making him train at odd times & with the kids) until he changes his mind & decides to leave. Thanks!

[What formation & tactics would you use for these players?]

26 minutes ago, glengarry224 said:

For L2, your striker has good Flair, Finishing, Composure and Acceleration.  If you have trouble scoring, you could also play him as a DLF(a).  He'll still come deep to get the ball, and play in teammates, but will look to create more chances for himself.

Possibly, you could train Barlow as a DLF(a), though his composure is v low now.

Thank you!

[What formation & tactics would you use for these players?]

I've found this one for anyone who might need it:

 

[What formation & tactics would you use for these players?]

20 minutes ago, HanziZoloman said:

This one‘s exactly what you’re looking for I believe:

 

Thank you, I've read that one before & it was very useful. Any others to recommend?

[What formation & tactics would you use for these players?]

Ok, it seems that I need to have more of a think about what type of football would be best for my players.

Am I right in thinking that fast attacking football might not be the best style for lower league teams as players would be rushed. Or is that a good thing as they lack mental attributes?

How does progressive possession football compare to possession football?

Is there somewhere where I can read up on the sorts of players/attributes needed for particular styles?

Thanks again!

[What formation & tactics would you use for these players?]

11 hours ago, Experienced Defender said:

If you aim for a slow and patient possession style, then DLF would be a better choice for the striker role than F9. 

 

I would have to see the tactic as a whole in order to be able to offer any meaningful thoughts. Although I don't see why would you want to replace your current formation (4123 wide) with the 4231 anyway. Not least because the 4123 is better suited to a slow possession style than 4231 (especially for a LL team). 

 

Where they will start pressing is defined by the line of engagement. Btw, if you switch to 4231, there won't be 3 but 4 attacking (i.e. advanced) players. 

 

Well, if you want a possession style, a higher D-line would be logical. 

 

Yes, good mental attributes (tactical intelligence) as well as the presence of a DM can compensate somewhat for the lack of pace. But I am again confused because you are mentioning a DM, which does not exist in the 4231 (unless you are talking about the deep 4231, with 2 DMs).

Thanks. In that case I think I'll stick with the 4123. That's the formation my instinct was telling me to go with but I wanted to make sure that I wasn't missing a better opportunity with the 4231.

I am also interested to know more about why the DLF would be a better choice that the F9 for a slow and patient possession style.? Is it because the DLF should be able to hold the ball up better?

What style (with the 4123 formation) would the F9 suit?

Thanks very much!

[What formation & tactics would you use for these players?]

3 minutes ago, Experienced Defender said:

Any formation can be viable as long as you set the roles and duties up in the right way, although some formations suit some types of teams better than others. For example, the 4231 is inherently more risky from a defensive perspective than 4123). 

 

The exact impact cannot be defined. Depends on how you want to play in terms of playing style. 

I'm steering towards a slow & patient possession game. My attacking players are generally decent passers with decent off the ball movement. My f9 is small & weak but has good movement & passing. My wingmen prefer to play inverted roles too. My wingbacks would be able to overlap too. What do you think?

Would this mean my 3 attacking players would press up the pitch to get the ball back asap?

And I assume I'd play a higher defensive line? I'm concerned by the fact that my centre backs are slow though. They have good positioning & mental attributes though so maybe this (along with the DM) will adequately compensate for the high defensive line?

Thanks

[What formation & tactics would you use for these players?]

1 hour ago, Experienced Defender said:

If you want to play him in an AM position, that means changing the whole formation (4231 instead of 4123, I guess?). 

Yep, in my (very inexperienced) opinion, for the players that I have at my disposal (attacking wide players & a f9), the viable formations are 433, 4123 & 4231. I just don't know which to choose & am going in circles. I'm trying to find the best formation to get the best out of my key players & I suppose it all depends on whether I play Barlow in the AM position or out wide?

What impact would going with a 4231 have on the player roles discussed above? 

Thanks again for your invaluable help!

 

[What formation & tactics would you use for these players?]

2 hours ago, Experienced Defender said:

What is the preferred foot of your central midfielders (players playing in MCL and MCR positions)? 

 

You don't have to play both fullbacks on attack duties in order for the HB to make sense, but in attack-minded roles, which do not necessarily imply an attack duty. For example, WB on support (or automatic) duty is an attack-minded role even though it's duty is not attacking. So for example, you can play with one FB on attack duty and the other as WB on support. Or both as WBs on support. But whichever combination you opt for in the end, you always need to consider the setup as a whole and make sure that there is enough defensive cover/protection for more attack-minded roles. Of course, the quality and strength of your team is also an important factor to take into account when it comes to the degree of defensive risk you can afford to take. Stronger teams will normally be able to play with less defensive protection than weaker ones, which does not mean that they necessarily should. The point is to get as much reward with as little risk as possible. 

 

1 hour ago, Experienced Defender said:

No need to answer because I saw in their player profiles that they are both right-footed. Which is great, because you can now simply just swap the sides of the related roles. Like this:

F9

IFat                                     Wsu

DLPsu   CMat

DMde

WBsu   CDde  CDde    FBsu

 

Thank you very much for your help and patient explanations!

I suppose my next question is will my team benefit from playing my star signing Barlow (pictured below) in the AM position as an AP at League 2 level? Or should I keep him on the wing & play a DM? It's some of Barlow's dodgy mental attributes that put me off. The potential DM players in my squad are weaker but maybe they are necessary to allow my fullbacks to support my attacks?

Thanks!

 

[What formation & tactics would you use for these players?]

1 hour ago, jeerinho said:

On the flank having the IF/IW, you want someone to attack the space vacated when having the ball. Otherwise, the opposing FB will just follow him infield. Usually it is the FB's job so you want to give the FB on that flank more offensive instruction. Another way is to use MEZ, but advanced roles like MEZ might be too much for LL players.

 

1 hour ago, Experienced Defender said:

Unfortunately, I don't have the time to analyze all these player profiles at the moment, so I can only tell you what in my very personal opinion could be potentially problematic in your setup of roles and duties (since you failed to provide the rest of the tactic):

- the left flank looks too risky defensively with both the FB and CM on attack duties, especially considering that you manage a LL team, so I would switch the FB to support (FBsu - CMat - Wsu)

- on the right flank, FB on support may prove a bit too conservative to consistently offer attacking support to his inside-oriented wide partner (IF), so I would change him into WB on support (or automatic duty)

- HB is a good choice for a DM role when you have attack-minded fullback or wing-back roles on both flanks. But given that you don't, I would suggest either the standard DM on defend duty or anchor man instead

Can you post a screenshot with the whole tactic, so that we could see your team instructions (including the mentality) as well?

Thank you both very much. I thought that would be the case but my left fullback (Cirkin, pictured above) is the better, more attacking fullback & so it felt like a missed opportunity not to take advantage of his attacking prowess. I guess I'll have to compromise. Cirkin does have the PPM of 'gets forward whenever possible' so perhaps making him a FB(a) isn't necessary.

Or perhaps I could make both fullbacks FB(a) & then the halfback would work better as you say. But then that would make my left flank vulnerable. Or is that something I could adjust match by match depending on the strength of the opposition?

I haven't created a tactic yet. I was awaiting to hear feedback on which formation/tactic the key players best lend themselves to & then I'll go from there.

Thanks again for your help!

[What formation & tactics would you use for these players?]

Hi

I've taken over Colchester United in League 2. The season preview told me that we were expected to battle relegation but since bringing in some free transfers & loan signings, expectations have risen & we're now predicted to finish second (without playing any games).

I wondered how people would get the best out my players including free signing Adrian Barlow. What formation & system would you use? According to my coaches Barlow is one of my best players but I'm struggling to justify using Barlow in the AM position because he has some poor mental attributes. I think he may have a higher CA because he's good with both feet & has good technique. 

My midfielders are generally good passers & my striker is a f9 so I'm thinking that a possessive, attacking game (443 dm) is maybe the best bet?

Pell is a tall, hardworking & strong defensive midfielder so I'm thinking of using him as a halfback to allow my fullbacks to bomb forward (particularly my loan signing Cirkin who is one of my best players).

My centre backs are fairly slow so a high defensive line would be risky but would the halfback mitigate this threat to some extent by marking their strikers when they come deep? But then maybe fast strikers wouldn't come deep anyway?

Below is the formation & roles I'm thinking of using & some screenshots of some of the players:

I'm new to the whole tactics thing & have been trying to do as much reading on here as possible but still need a lot of help!

Thank you!

 

[Busted Chelsea]

4 hours ago, Experienced Defender said:

Winger's crossing as well as going wide is the main reason why IF/IW is better suited to possession-minded styles compared to winger. Provided you insist on a die-hard possession approach. 

Thanks!

[Busted Chelsea]

7 minutes ago, Experienced Defender said:

Only change the AMR from winger on attack into IF on attack. That's all. 

 

Watch matches to see when the WBiB could make sense and when not. Your tactic is not of the plug'n'play kind, so you have to make occasional small tweaks. 

 

Looks okay. I would only change the striker into PF on attack (for more direct penetration)

Anyway, play and see what happens. 

Out of interest, please could you help me understand why the IF would be better suited to a possession game? Is it because the winger would stretch play rather than come inside? Or maybe because they would look to send crosses in? Or something else? Thanks!

[How fussy are AI managers about you playing loanees out of position?]

Thank you both! I suppose my next question is - how big a problem is it to play a player out of position (if they have the right attributes for the position)?

[How fussy are AI managers about you playing loanees out of position?]

Hi everyone,

I have my eye on a couple of players who have the right attributes but the parent clubs want them played in their natural position & role. If I accept them contract proposal & then play the player out of the desired position & role, will the club simply cancel the loan after a few games? How long roughly until the player becomes unhappy?

Thanks!

[[FM21] A Complete Guide to Quick Transitions and Counter Attacking Football]

Thanks very much for this amazingly helpful thread! 
 

I currently only have a F9 who lacks height & strength & I don’t think I’ll be able to get a decent DLF anytime soon. How big a problem is this? Thanks again.