In my second overall season, I am currently overachieving in the Premier League with Sunderland (media predicted 18th). I have won my first 9 league games (including games against Man City, Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea) as well as all Europa League games. As my main game plan, I am using a tactic very similar to Steelwod's Cameron 4-2-3-1 BAL. However, I make numerous changes both before and during gametime. What I observe is that many people expect "meta" tactics to perform in all circumstances without making any changes and are unwilling to make adjustments. I want to explain my understanding of these tactical instructions and how to effectively make use of them on a game-by-game basis.
Tempo: Most of the time, when the opposing team is very defensive, I lower the tempo to "slower/balanced." Many people confuse tempo with being offensive or playing "fast". A fast tempo mainly determines how your team attacks the opponent's goal. If you are playing with a higher tempo, it means your team is more likely to make vertical and high-risk passes, which can result in losing possession. On the other hand, a slower tempo means your team will make more horizontal passes, trying to disrupt the opponent's shape. If I am struggling against a defensive team and losing too much possession, the tempo will be the first thing I look at. If I am ahead and chasing counter-attacks however, I am more likely to increase tempo. Fast tempo is not all about how quickly your team passes or makes plays, but also rather how quickly they cover vertical space with the ball.
Pass into space: Similar to tempo, overusing this tactic can result in low-percentage passing when playing against defensive teams that leave no space behind the defense or between lines.
Run at defense: This approach works best against teams on which you can apply pressure, but it's a risky strategy to use against stronger opponents. Employing this tactic is especially risky if your opponent can counter effectively. I only use it when I sense that my team can exert pressure on the opponent, and the opponent is unlikely to leave their own half. It's important not to overuse this strategy against stronger teams.
Defensive Line: If you're facing a high-intensity pressure team (e.g. Villa) and struggling to establish set-up play, consider lowering your defensive line. This can help weaken their pressure play, increase the space between their lines, and create more passing options. This adjustment is particularly useful when you feel overpowered by your opponent's press.
Team Width: If you aim for more possession, narrowing the team width can help with passing and linking the ball between lines. This adjustment is particularly useful when your team is under high pressure.
Get Stuck In/Stay on feet: This setting determines how patiently your defenders wait to make approaches to win the ball. Overusing "Get stuck in" can create empty spaces in your defense due to high-risk defending. If you observe gaps in your defense, this might be the reason. Try adjusting its effect by setting specific instructions for opposing players.
These are the primary instructions I adjust during a game. I welcome insights into the adjustments others make in-game.
Do you play watching the entire game or extended highlights? I usually play watching just key highlights and feels impossible to react/counter the enemy team.
Amazing post btw, thanks for sharing, for sure a lot of players gonna find it helpful
I usually start the game with extended highlights. I focus on dynamics, primarily the opposition and my team's heat map. This is crucial for understanding if I can establish pressure on the opponent. Possession % is a good indicator, but if I am losing the possession battle, I look at where the opponent plays with the ball. If they play in their half, no problem. Perhaps set up some pressure with opponent instructions on their technical defender to disrupt their setup. I usually also consider match momentum as an indicator along with possession %. When there are big problems, opponent has the momentum, posession and my pass completion is below 80% I watch the full game try to understand where I am failing. The high tempo, high width, or high defensive line is usually the cause of my players' passing failures and increased pressure on me.
Great post, what about midblock and lowblock do you try to go there ? also changing mentality and going from attack roles to support because meta-wise that is very bad in terms of performance but can be handy when trying to close a game last 20-30 minutes or so
Avenger22 said: Great post, what about midblock and lowblock do you try to go there ? also changing mentality and going from attack roles to support because meta-wise that is very bad in terms of performance but can be handy when trying to close a game last 20-30 minutes or so Expand Sure, roles and mentality are very helpful when you are trying to close the game. However, I only switch to cautious or defensive when I am ahead by multiple goals or there are a few minutes left. This is because I've experienced that if you focus too much on support and less on penetration, you get pressured because you create no threat to the opponent, and they press more and more. Also I hate no-nonsense clearances which gives possession directly to the opponent which are more likely in cautious or defensive. All these aspects are things to consider, and you just need to find the right balance, just like IRL!
Just to add to the tempo part, I see a lot of people complaining that the team is shattered and they usually concede goals in the last 20 mins of the game, reducing the tempo will help you maintain fitness a little while longer as you've not got them tired players bombing forward.
In my second overall season, I am currently overachieving in the Premier League with Sunderland (media predicted 18th). I have won my first 9 league games (including games against Man City, Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea) as well as all Europa League games. As my main game plan, I am using a tactic very similar to Steelwod's Cameron 4-2-3-1 BAL. However, I make numerous changes both before and during gametime. What I observe is that many people expect "meta" tactics to perform in all circumstances without making any changes and are unwilling to make adjustments. I want to explain my understanding of these tactical instructions and how to effectively make use of them on a game-by-game basis.
Tempo: Most of the time, when the opposing team is very defensive, I lower the tempo to "slower/balanced." Many people confuse tempo with being offensive or playing "fast". A fast tempo mainly determines how your team attacks the opponent's goal. If you are playing with a higher tempo, it means your team is more likely to make vertical and high-risk passes, which can result in losing possession. On the other hand, a slower tempo means your team will make more horizontal passes, trying to disrupt the opponent's shape. If I am struggling against a defensive team and losing too much possession, the tempo will be the first thing I look at. If I am ahead and chasing counter-attacks however, I am more likely to increase tempo. Fast tempo is not all about how quickly your team passes or makes plays, but also rather how quickly they cover vertical space with the ball.
Pass into space: Similar to tempo, overusing this tactic can result in low-percentage passing when playing against defensive teams that leave no space behind the defense or between lines.
Run at defense: This approach works best against teams on which you can apply pressure, but it's a risky strategy to use against stronger opponents. Employing this tactic is especially risky if your opponent can counter effectively. I only use it when I sense that my team can exert pressure on the opponent, and the opponent is unlikely to leave their own half. It's important not to overuse this strategy against stronger teams.
Defensive Line: If you're facing a high-intensity pressure team (e.g. Villa) and struggling to establish set-up play, consider lowering your defensive line. This can help weaken their pressure play, increase the space between their lines, and create more passing options. This adjustment is particularly useful when you feel overpowered by your opponent's press.
Team Width: If you aim for more possession, narrowing the team width can help with passing and linking the ball between lines. This adjustment is particularly useful when your team is under high pressure.
Get Stuck In/Stay on feet: This setting determines how patiently your defenders wait to make approaches to win the ball. Overusing "Get stuck in" can create empty spaces in your defense due to high-risk defending. If you observe gaps in your defense, this might be the reason. Try adjusting its effect by setting specific instructions for opposing players.
These are the primary instructions I adjust during a game. I welcome insights into the adjustments others make in-game.
Do you play watching the entire game or extended highlights? I usually play watching just key highlights and feels impossible to react/counter the enemy team.
Amazing post btw, thanks for sharing, for sure a lot of players gonna find it helpful
I usually start the game with extended highlights. I focus on dynamics, primarily the opposition and my team's heat map. This is crucial for understanding if I can establish pressure on the opponent. Possession % is a good indicator, but if I am losing the possession battle, I look at where the opponent plays with the ball. If they play in their half, no problem. Perhaps set up some pressure with opponent instructions on their technical defender to disrupt their setup. I usually also consider match momentum as an indicator along with possession %. When there are big problems, opponent has the momentum, posession and my pass completion is below 80% I watch the full game try to understand where I am failing. The high tempo, high width, or high defensive line is usually the cause of my players' passing failures and increased pressure on me.
Great post, what about midblock and lowblock do you try to go there ? also changing mentality and going from attack roles to support because meta-wise that is very bad in terms of performance but can be handy when trying to close a game last 20-30 minutes or so
Nice work @DonCarlo!
I also created a thread recently describing in general terms what each instruction does.
You can read it here - https://fm-arena.com/thread/7467-useful-information-regarding-team-instructions/
Avenger22 said: Great post, what about midblock and lowblock do you try to go there ? also changing mentality and going from attack roles to support because meta-wise that is very bad in terms of performance but can be handy when trying to close a game last 20-30 minutes or so
Sure, roles and mentality are very helpful when you are trying to close the game. However, I only switch to cautious or defensive when I am ahead by multiple goals or there are a few minutes left. This is because I've experienced that if you focus too much on support and less on penetration, you get pressured because you create no threat to the opponent, and they press more and more. Also I hate no-nonsense clearances which gives possession directly to the opponent which are more likely in cautious or defensive. All these aspects are things to consider, and you just need to find the right balance, just like IRL!
Good post @DonCarlo some good pointers
Just to add to the tempo part, I see a lot of people complaining that the team is shattered and they usually concede goals in the last 20 mins of the game, reducing the tempo will help you maintain fitness a little while longer as you've not got them tired players bombing forward.