2015 FM Handheld 2015: Guide to Creating Tactics

[Dec]

Tactics are a large and complex area of FMH2015 that can take years to master. The difference between a good and great tactic may be a simple tweak away and while there is no such thing as a perfect tactic, I (Dec) will take you on a journey from 'analysing your team' to 'keeping a tactic effective' stopping off at 'how player roles work', 'the difference in passing styles' and more. Whether you are a newbie or a FMH veteran I will be covering the tactic system in the most extensive guide yet.

Index:

1. Tactical Shape
a) Analysing your squad
b) Balance and Width
c) Finalising your shape

2. Individual Players
a) Player Roles explained
b) Practicality of Player Roles

3. Team Instructions
a) Using Team Instructions
b) Variations and their effects

4. Finishing touches and the future
a) Final tactical considerations
b) Modifying your tactic
c) Changing to a new tactic

[Dec]

1. Tactical Shape

a) Analysing your squad

Before delving into the transfer market in order to strengthen your team you need to set up your tactic in order which areas need improving the most. However while you are doing this you should consider your tactic as well.

Your tactic will be the backbone of your success and will determine who you sign, sell and play over the entire length of the career you're about to embark on. It is therefore of the utmost importance to get the tactic right, not just for your results but also to maximise your efficiency in the transfer market and to get the most your current players.

There isn't an easy way to analyse the squad, while it helps if you know about the players before it doesn't give you a massive advantage over not knowing though for a newbie to tactics. Therefore if you are new to tactic creating then I fully recommend going with a team you know quite well as this well help save time and be a great learning curve for you, up until you are confident enough to delve into unknown territory.

We shall start at the numbers. Before deciding upon a tactic you should look at how many players are capable of playing in each position. For example when you look at Chelsea with England only (counting loans out) 11 players can play in AMC. Of them 11 there are 8 players who can play AML and 8 who can play AMR. This is a huge number for just 1 position therefore you may consider playing multiple players within the AM positions at one time. As well as a large amount you also need to consider a lack of players in positions so you play fewer in these areas. A good demonstration of this is the Bayern Munich squad in which only 4 are capable of playing up front; meaning an injury can cause problems especially if they play in other positions as Gotze does. A 3 up front formation will therefore be very risky and perhaps not the best use of the players at your disposal.

Bayern Munich's lack of strikers makes a 3 up front tactic risky

Then you have to consider where you want to play a player and their abilities to play in these positions. Looking at Spanish Champions Barcelona you see 8 players capable of playing as a forward, yet considering one of them is Cesc Fabregas whom is arguably better at playing MC that makes 7. Utilising a player's strengths is a job of the tactic and while we will cover player roles in a different article the first job is to get the players down to a specific position or positions. The point of this is to make it easier for you to decide how many positions are covered extensively and which need improving in their depth.

Now while we have spoken about buying players we need to consider selling of your players too. Some players won't be of the quality that you need, Barcelona are also a good example of this. While some players like Neymar and Messi are great, however others like Rafinha and Bojan are sub-par and perhaps not old enough to feature in the team regularly. The age and ability of a player needs to be taken into consideration when picking a formation else you may cater for the players that are not up to scratch of the rest of your team. This will lead to a highly imbalanced formation in terms of who you may have to play if and when injuries or loss of form occurs. Therefore when judging players take a look into their attributes and see if they fit the roles you envisage them playing for your squad. If they aren't good enough then you should consider selling them for either a like for like replacement or modifying the formation. This means you shouldn't have to play that player if the worst does happen., yet once you break it down only 3 or 4 are suitable at maximum for a striking role. An injury could cause a major problem whether it be a reshuffle of players; in which may harm their performances if they have been on form, or the playing of an average player in whom may struggle at your level. The tactic needs to avoid this from happening (especially early on in the career when you cannot sign and sell the whole of your team due to the period new signings take to gel into the team).

[Dec]

1. Tactical Shape

b) Balance and Width

Now you have laid down your initial shape of the tactic you will need to look into it further to check it works. While balance and width can be modified using player roles too; we will explore these at a later date), it is often a cornerstone of a formation if the shape is correctly laid out in order maximise your team's results.

First we will start with the balance between attacking and defensive. A too attacking team will concede a lot of goals while a team too defensive will be struggling to create opportunities to put the ball in the back of the net. In order to be successful a team must get the mix of attack and defence just right as even a tiny shift in the balance may change the whole outcome of a game. An important part of balance is to ensure that the team has enough men forward or back at one time regardless of movement (this is to do with player roles and instructing your players due to different roles in midfield having different outcomes on the balance). While we will cover the player roles at a later date it is first important to understand positioning on the pitch and how that can influence a player's motives and in turn influence a team. For example a DMC will naturally sit deeper and be less adventurous even in comparison to a player on the same role in MC.

It is important to first understand that balance also depends on situation, when against a defensive unit who are trying to just sit back and not concede then you can push the boat out more than against an attacking unit whose goal is to dominate you and score. We will cover tweaking to suit opponents later in the guide but for now it is worth keeping it in mind.

My preferred option and probably the safest when starting a tactic is to maintain a 5 attacking and 5 defending outfielders balance. The attacking section includes all neutral players whose job it is to attack and defend as when going forward their job will be to attack and therefore you cannot rely on them to always be back in time to defend. There must always be a mixture of 5 defensive players on the pitch however this doesn't mean 5 players in the back line but instead 5 players who've roles set to defence most often or not 3/4 defenders and 1/2 DMCs or MCs. Unless you are one of the best sides in the world by a mile then it is difficult to have a purely 6 attacking outfield balance as there will be a high possibly on being overrun by better teams and therefore concede many, many goals. For balance you also need to consider space between each player. If there is a massive gap between attack and defence then you're going to find problems with getting the ball forward and when attacking though this will be covered at a later date. For now just consider roughly which of your players are attacking and which are defensive and how to set up your team in accordance to this as if you plan on playing 4 attacking midfielders and 3 strikers then this is going to cause a lot of problems with how your tactic will work.

While balance is key there is also another thing to consider and that is width. Whether you have attacking wing backs like Leighton Baines or ones that like to sit deeper such as Branislav Ivanovic there is always a way to include width in the team. Before we get onto how to do so we must first consider what width is in relations to football and tactics. Width is the two outer areas of the pitch when it is divided vertically into 3 sections, these are often occupied by wingers and full backs/wing backs. The aim of the players in this position is to spread the play and utilise the whole pitch as to allow the central players more room and to bring gaps into the oppositions defence. While on the defensive side they help counter the opposition doing this by effectively man marking the threats as to stop crosses reaching the box.

The left and right channels in a 442

We've established that too little width will lead to very little space in the attack and too much will grant the opposition a lot of space and too much width leads to gaps in the middle for your team. We have to find ways of countering it. A good rule of thumb is never have more than 2 players on either side, it is just unnecessary and will leave you open in the middle. Now width doesn't have to be 2 players but you have to consider what type of players you have on the wing, for example if you just play full backs who cannot cross or dribble then they will stay deeper and not provide width on attacks. However the flip side are very attacking wing backs who will use their attacking assets if instructed right. You must also consider the other way around as in a 352 for instance you only have one wide player on either side. If he is too far forward then in your defence it is exposed. Consider your options on the wing before selecting how many players you should play on the left and right. Sometimes you may only need one spot as they are very good in both aspects of the game but others it may be wise to use two as you'll be limiting yourself otherwise.

[Dec]

1. Tactical Shape

c) Finalising your shape

The team's shape should now be almost in place with only a few final and optional tweaks left to implement if this applies to your shape. While there are multiple factors that influence the spacing between your players such as player roles and passing style. The main thing to consider is whether your players can easily be closed down within the same area or are so far away from each other that there's no safe outlet for your defenders.

First you must consider where your players line up, for example if you have 5 players within a square of each other this can be easy to man mark by a few players and therefore leaves some of their players open (most often on the wings). Spreading your players over the pitch; but still close enough to provide safe passing lanes, allows your team to stretch the opposition always giving you an option when your team are struggling to break down a congested area.

A narrow shape leaving wide gaps open to the opposition

Look at the above diagram of a 41131 against a simple 41221. You see 3 players marking the 2 in midfield creating space for both MCs on the outside and pulling out the reds' DMC creating space for the other in attack. In this instance the blues would dominate the midfield due to the reds' poor width making the reds transition from defence to attack harder and therefore pushing them back into their own half or resorting to the long ball. Also it is worth considering if the blues have World Class players then they will make use of this space. Could you imagine leaving Xavi or Iniesta with a quarter of the pitch and no one marking them? It is deadly to say the least. The solution for this however is easy. Push the DMC and MC across in opposite directions so you have a skewed 41131. Whether this is the MC is on the furthest right MC spot or the furthest left it won't make a difference as long as the DMC is the polar opposite.

This brings us onto the next point of non-symmetrical formations. A mistake that you may see especially in the media is the representation of tactics as always symmetrical which isn't true. Though you may turn on Sky Sports and see Real Madrid lining up in a 4231 it may not be the actual way they line up with Ronaldo potentially tucked into the AMCL slot not the AML. If you think you can utilise everything and make better use of a player from a different position then don't be afraid to try it. This minor change may make the difference between a win and a draw. You must also consider this when you look at player roles in which is the next section.

This concludes our first chapter on setting up your shape. Next up is player roles, therefore if you don't have a rough idea on what type of players you want for most of your positions and how your team plays then you should really review this section before proceeding.

[Dec]

2. Individual Players

a) Player Roles explained

Defender Roles:

Sweeper - The Sweeper's role is to 'mop up' anything that passes the DCs using his positioning and decisions. He acts as the final line of defence with no attacking abilities.

Limited Defender - Limited Defenders are the no-nonsense centre backs England fans are used to. They don't care where they put the ball as long as they get it away from the goal. This role is suited for less technical central defenders.

Central Defender - A central defender will do what is required of him. He won't try to overplay or try to play too simply. He'll look for the safest play and act that out.

Ball Playing Defender - Ball Playing Defenders like to take more risks by getting the ball back then initiating moves. They will look to play defence splitting passes by moving out of their defensive zone to make a creative play to try and score a goal. They can be prone to mistakes with a lack of mental attributes though.

Full Back - The less attacking of the two DL/DR roles. A full back's primary job is to defend and then provide support in attacking when it is a very clear opportunity. He doesn't risk anything by leaving his man free to go and join in with the attack.

Wing Back - A source of width from deep. The Wing Back will look to push on at every chance to try and provide a further crossing option from the wings. He requires great stamina, crossing, dribbling and decisions as they may be guilty of leaving their man free if a turnover in play happens quickly.

Midfielder Roles:

Deep Lying Midfielder - The Deep Lying Midfielder is a player who sits in front of the defence trying to retrieve the ball using brains. He looks to intercept the ball and only commits to tackles when vital. His job is to provide the defence with a closer outlet and also start attacks through clever passes with ball retention is primary concern.

Ball Winning Midfielder - An aggressive player who likes to throw his physical stature around in order to win the ball back. He may often make surging runs into space to progress his team forward and try a long shot.

Box to Box Midfielder - Box to Box Midfielders never stop running. They need very high stamina and are everywhere on the pitch. This role is the most demanding on the game as they need the ability to do everything on the pitch for 90 minutes as they look to move from defence to attack with the play.

Central Midfielder - The second neutral midfield role with the Box to Box Midfielder. The central midfielder tries to pass the ball on and hold play up by linking the attack and defence up through vision and passing ability. He will very rarely leave the middle third of the pitch as he tries to provide a smooth transition throughout the team's play.

Advanced Playmaker - One of the most craved players in the game but a role that is very hard to get right. An advanced playmaker is the hub of most teams when he is on the pitch and can be responsible for goals out of nothing with the creativity and passing ability that they bring. However if marked out of the game with no other outlet for splitting a defence apart the team can struggle because of this.

Inside Forward - Inside Forwards will look to find space in order to shoot. They'll go on surging runs from the wings or centre to get next to or past the forwards or shoot on sight. They may have a high amount of shots with most off target but an inside forward with high shooting may net some very important goals against hard to break down teams.

Defensive Winger - A defensive winger is extremely useful against top wing backs. They will not just look to get forward but think about their defensive duties too in a manner similar to wing backs but higher up the pitch. They too are like a box to box midfielder in which they require high stamina but instead of requiring tackling/shooting they will need crossing and tackling.

Wide Midfielder - The Wide Midfielders are a similar role as a central midfielder but on the ML/MR spots. They will try to drift inside and are useful for if there is space in MC such as in a wide diamond. Their role means that your team will be compact in which is ideal for short passing but they'll lack width so you cannot stretch your attacking plays as much.

Winger - Wingers are the conventional role that you expect out wide. When they get the ball they will run forward with speed in order to deliver the ball into the box. Their speed is perfect for quick moves such as counter attacks but they will hardly ever worry about their opposite number meaning that in defence your DL/DR may be overran with two players depending on the other team's tactics.

Forward Roles:

Defensive Forward - A Defensive Forward will track back and press the opposition defences. Their primary aim is to win the ball back high up in order to force opposition mistakes and gift your team cheap goals.

Deep Lying Forward - Deep Lying Forwards are exactly what the name says. They sit back when not in possession to pick up the ball from a near AMC spot and move forward with the team as opposed to being the furthest player forward. This is useful if you intend to play the ball around quickly in order to make space and sit deep to play on the counter.

Trequartista - This role isn't a typical forward role. It concentrates more on the link up play and playing the passing game. The Trequartista uses movement to find space in order to link up play between the attacking midfielders and strikers. You may often find this player on the wings too if given enough space to do so.

Advanced Forward - The Advanced Forward will play off of the back of the opposition defenders so is prone to being offside. However with his pace and movement often means he can be one on one with the goalkeeper and be scoring 40/50 a season as a result. His movement means he will struggle to be tracked by a sub-par defender and can cause problems by dragging oppositions out of their natural positions creating room for others.

Poacher - A Poacher will sit in and around the box trying to get on the end of low crosses and passes. The primary aim of a Poacher is to put the ball into the back of the net from rebounds, deflections and crosses.

Target Man - Target Men use their strength and height in order to score goals or feed the ball to other players from long balls. They will look to outmuscle players and win everything in the air to generally keep possession, put the ball in the net or be a pest to the defenders.

Complete Forward - The name for a Complete Forward says it all. They do all of the forward roles as instructed and as they decide fit depending on the match they are playing in. This player will use his decisions and his well rounded attacking ability to play the best he can in the match. This is therefore the hardest role to be played in the game as it relies on extreme ability and decisions to conquer.

[Dec]

2. Individual Players

      b) Practicality of Player Roles

 

Now you have a good understanding of the backbone to each player role and their uses we need to consider the practicality of each one when setting up a team.

While it is easy to place the player's in roles that they are most suited for with their attributes sometimes this isn't the way to go about it as the pairing of roles can change the use of it. You need to consider this and envisage how each player will influence a role. For example if you want your Ball Winning Midfielder to go forward more then you shouldn't pair him with only "attacking" midfield player roles; such as Advanced Playmaker, else he will be solely responsible for defending and not have a chance to get into the opposition's third. Please note this will not cover every single combination as this would get extensive beyond readability. While you will find a few examples of combinations influencing defence it is more than likely you will find more to do with attacking and space due to roles occupying similar spaces will adapt to find new positions (such as INFs with a DLF). It may also be noted that positioning can have a say in a player's role whether this be attacking or defending; though it is in more cases than not the case 'if a player has a lot of room on one side of him then he will often drift to occupy this extra room.'

Throughout this article I am going to look at the variance of roles when you place another role with them or how you can get the best out of a player in a specific role by using other roles in your team.

 

 Ball Playing Defenders with Central/Limited Defenders:

If you look at the Ball Playing Defender and what he is capable of then you wouldn't be wrong to think they can be hazardous. However pairing with another type of central defenders and they can be the first point in a very dangerous move. Putting a Ball Playing Defender with another defender (particularly two either side in a 3 or 5 man defensive line) allows him more freedom and to take more risks to get the most out of the player without the worry about them pushing up too far up and getting exposed by great movement and pace by the opposition.

 

Wing Backs with Inside Forwards:

As you know from the previous section wing backs are very adventurous and love to get forward when they can to join in with attacks. However with this it can also depend on who is far up the pitch as to the extent of how far they get up and what they do when they are up there. In the case of pairing them with Inside Forwards will allow them to have the flank to themselves at times and mean they can get as far up the pitch as they desire. They will be whipping in crosses and linking up with the inside forward with short passes; with the inside forward taking out their opposite number by drawing him central and thus giving the wing back more space to play in.

 

Wing Backs with Wingers:

As mentioned in the above section of Wing Backs with Inside Forwards they act differently depending on the player higher up the pitch. In the case of Wingers they will often lie further back and feed the ball up to the wingers so that they can cross the ball. However, this isn't all as they may look to overlap and combine on the wing in a 2v2 situation as they move the ball around the side of the pitch to find a crossing spot. This is more the case when they play a team who are hard to break down and get men back as it allows the Wing Back to get further forward without much defensive responsibility.

 

 

A Wing Back paired with a Winger at Real Madrid

 

 

Ball Winning Midfielders with Deep Lying Midfielders:

Ball Winning Midfielders are a unique player role in FMH2015 as they are one of the only players that can change their role almost entirely depending on how they are lined up with. If they are with a Deep Lying Midfielder then they will be a lot more aggressive and attacking than when paired with any other role. With a Deep Lying Midfielder they'll look to get forward and dribble the ball to shoot as opposed to sitting back and acting as a screen to break up play near him in front of the defence.

 

Multiple Advanced Playmakers:

While having many threats is very useful especially when it comes to the supply against high pressing teams it may actually be counter-intuitive to your team if you do not set them out correctly. Each playmaker needs two things - time and space, without these they will not thrive and their quality will suffer. In order to get the full potential out of your advanced playmaker/s you need to give them space. For example in a 433 you may want to play them either side of the 3 man midfield and not next to each other as this will limit their productivity and their similar styles will clash.

 

Wingers with Target Men:

In order to make a Target Man effective Wingers are often the most commonly used with him. Their deadly crosses are the perfect supply for the strong, lethal forwards. Able to dominate many people in the air the Target Men need a passing source to utilise this and Wingers do just that. If you have Target Men then a Winger is a real threat for the opposition unless you play long passing in which case this can also use his strength but in a different way. There will be more on passing styles and how to make it work later in the guide though.

 

Inside Forwards (Wing) vs Inside Forwards (Central):

Inside Forwards' are tasked with the job of finding space and bursting into them often to pass or shoot but their positioning is important. However placing an Inside Forward on the wing means they can only drift one way - inside by the side of the striker/s or just behind. On the other hand the central Inside Forwards will look to get past the striker/s in all sides possible.

 

Inside Forwards (Wing) with Deep Lying Forwards:

As the player role guide should have explained to you a Deep Lying Forward is a player whom sits farther back than a normal striker trying to bring the defenders up the field a bit to leave gaps in behind.  This means that when playing Inside Forwards that they will have even more room up front to get into and create a goal scoring player from the wing akin to Cristiano Ronaldo.

 

Inside Forwards (Wings) and a Deep Lying Forward up front for Chelsea

Inside Forwards (Wing) with Advanced Forwards:

As you may have noticed by now a common trend with Inside Forwards is that they drift inside when out on the wing. With this in mind an Advanced Forward will look to exploit this by getting into the free space around the edge of the boxes and the wings. This will end up pulling players out of their comfort zones  like the Inside Forwards to create deadly movement that is designed to confuse the opposition's defence. As Advanced Forwards love to make runs to get into pockets of space the opposition find difficult to attract this allows them to pull out space for the Inside Forwards to get into. This means they will still provide width that the Inside Forwards do not, allowing for link up play and one twos between the players to make untrackable runs.

 

Advanced Forwards with Deep Lying Forwards:

As previously explained Advanced Forwards like to use their movement and pace to create chances. When you put an Advanced Forward with a Deep Lying Forward then they act as a pivot with the Advanced Forwards playing off of the defenders looking to beat the offside trap and the Deep Lying Forwards coming closer to bridge the gap between attack and midfield and take men away to feed the Advanced Forward. If your Advanced Forward has good pace, movement and decisions then he can be very hard to catch when he breaks free of the defence and paired with a natural scoring instinct then a goal is almost certain.

 

Poachers with Target Men:

Poachers' aim is to put the ball into the back of the net by being in the box on the opposition's blind side. When you pair this with a Target Man you get the situation of having polar opposites in which can outdo even the best defences with their movement and strength having to be matched. While the Target Man will be stationary for the most part he will feed the Poacher whom will pop up where the defenders don't expect him to as he floats around the Target Man to get into good areas. The Poacher will use the Target Man's natural levitation of drawing in opposition defenders to find his space and a scoring opportunity.

 

 Trequartistas with Poachers OR Target Men:

When you pair a Trequartista with a Poacher or a Target Man then they will drop deeper and act as an ever-moving threat trying to feed the ball up. They'll drift from left to right just behind the main attacker looking to feed balls through and open up spaces for their partner to use. Their constant movement will make them hard to pick up and draw the opposition out to try and combat this but this can then leave their partner free for a killer through ball to be played. If that opportunity happens then they will duly oblige by providing that.

 

Advanced Forwards with Target Men:

Play an Advanced Forward beside or either side of a Target Man and you don't get a player who wants to just break past the defence but you'll get a player who will drift outside looking to chip the ball into the Target Man. As well as trying to feed off of his knock downs stretching the play and providing a variety in pressure for the opposition due to the opposite nature of the Advanced Forward and Target Man roles.

 

While I have covered the majority of player roles that differ and work well together this isn't all of them as Football Manager Handheld 2015 offers so many different roles and combinations that when working together can change the very nature of the play. I hope by explaining a few of them you can get a good grasp on how players evolve to suit their surrounding players.  Remember that balance is key in a tactic so using too many attacking/defensive players can create a great imbalance and you will find it hard to do the other or too similar players can lead to one dimensional play. You must consider the types of players you're playing else you may end up with a front line of two or three non-striking forwards such as a Defensive Forward with Deep Lying Forwards and these will then struggle to put the ball into the back of the net due to the nature of their roles. Don't be afraid to go with non-symmetrical player roles with your tactic if it suits your players better and can create deadly combinations as this can sometimes be the difference between a win and a draw.

The best advice about player roles to give is to envisage the roles and how they will be playing in a team, if you think something will work and can justify it then give it a go. Sometimes a little foresight is all that you require is the best thing to have when determining player roles so they don't clash and can work together to create a solid unit in both defence and attack. While Lionel Messi may prefer to be a poacher you have to consider how well he would perform in that role and also the influence of him being this in relation to the team as you may find that a Deep Lying Forward could benefit your squad more and therefore one simple change can win you the league! And most importantly be patient with your team, don't start modifying their roles after one game as you lost it may take time for them to settle. Deadly partnerships are not created over night but also be strict with the results you get by looking at their match statistics.

[Dec]

3. Team Instructions

      a) Using Team Instructions

 

Team Instructions may be down to personal preference on most occasions but this isn't it as combinations, opposition and situation can help influence how your team plays. In this section I will run you through the basics of every team instruction available on Football Manager Handheld 2015 to make your team play in your philosophy. After this I will be looking at combining the basic knowledge with a more practical basis to inform and educate you on the practical side of team instructions so not only can you get the best out of your players but the results too.

 

Team Mentality:

Your team mentality is what  your team focuses on the most. For example if you play defensive your team will look to drop back and emphasise their defensive play instead of getting on the forefront and attacking the opponents at every opportunity with a barrage of people. The mentality can directly influence which players take risks (such as wing backs) and how many push up with your team often operating higher with playing attacking.

 

Passing Style:

A passing style is how you want your team to play the ball to a team mate. While this will not always be true given circumstances this is what you'd encourage them to play the majority of the time.

The passing style set has 4 options to it - Mixed, Short, Direct and Long. While Mixed is fairly obvious (it is all of the other 3 and down to the player to pick which one he chooses) encouraging short, direct or long can be better if you set your team up around that style of play. Short tells the players to always play the ball to the closest available player to them and often this means going backwards or sideways and lacks a 'key pass'. In contrast direct focuses on moving the ball quickly to the nearest player to the goal with the safest option, however with direct passing you are relying on players to make quick and sensible decisions and risk a lot of turnovers in possession if passes aren't accurate especially in the midfield area.  Long balls are often referred to as 'hoofs'. The aim is to get the ball up quickly with very little aim but simply clearing the ball away from danger. This can often mean exploitation of the opposition if they play very attacking though can also mean a high chance of the ball falling into opposition hands.

 

Tackling:

Tackling in the team instructions is simply how aggressive your team will be when trying to retrieve the ball back. Some teams benefit from the aggressive approach as they are very physical and are against a more technical side so can afford to bully them however on the flip side others are technical and prefer to let the opposition have more space and stay resolute at the back preventing passes going through them. If you think the latter suits your team then pick cautious as this will mean your players will use their technical attributes to determine passes and intercept the play. However using this will mean that your team will be pushed back and sometimes not have the ball for long periods of time. On the flip side using the committed approach will mean your player's will try to outmuscle the opposition and get in a tackle as soon as possible. This will risk the chance of getting more bookings and sending offs but if it works then it allows you to retrieve the ball back early on to start an attack before the opposition can get their defence settled.

 

Pressing:

                                         

Pressing is the art of attacking the opposition whenever your team doesn't have the ball by harassing the player on the ball as quickly as possible to get the ball back as soon as possible. This will force the opposition into more mistakes though can be fairly intensive meaning players will tire quickly especially if they are poor in the stamina attribute. Therefore it is up to you to consider if your players can handle it and if it is worth tiring them out more than usual (especially during a busy period of fixtures).

 

Offside Trap:

The Offside Trap is one of the most difficult parts of football to master. It relies on perfect teamwork, decision making and timing in order to implement this simple but deadly trick however one wrong move and you put the other team in a great goalscoring situation every time. The aim of the offside trap is to push up at exactly the right moment to catch the opposing forwards offside in order to win the ball back with a free kick. This will relieve and allow your forwards to get into good positions in order to receive the ball however as aforementioned if it goes wrong it could be very deadly and often results in a goal.

 

Counter Attack:

Counter Attacking can be very lethal if executed right. The use of fast players to hit quickly when the opposition get forward in numbers to expose themselves at the back can lead to some amazing goalscoring opportunities for your team. However while this is great for creating chances when the opponent is vulnerable it relies on having a sturdy defence than can soak up pressure. Then the right mix of players who can carry the ball forward is also needed. They need to be able to make a deadly pass and finish with ease despite only having a few chances during a game.

 

Men Behind Ball:

Your team will look to 'park the bus' as they set up defensive walls up to stop the other team trying to get passes through the slot into dangerous areas. This is very useful when trying to protect a lead against a team better than your own but due to the nature of the option it invites the opposition to get forward with a lot of your players in your own half. Your players will therefore find it difficult to get up the pitch to creating chances for themselves. Men Behind Ball is a purely defensive option and sometimes may not work as letting the opponents attack will sometimes mean they will get a goal as teams cannot keep clean sheets every single game. However it is useful if you want to base your success on solid defence or are looking to keep the result the same as it is in a game.

 

Captain:

The captain of the team is the leader. Naturally due to this you will look for the player with high leadership but also experience is key for this role as it allows your player to set an example to the younger members of the team especially in bigger matches. The player will be the role model of the team and communicate and organise on the pitch trying to get the best possible results out of the team by being a constant and consistent figure of the line up.

[Dec]

3. Team Instructions

b) Variations and their effects

It is all well and good knowing what each team instruction does and how you want to play but football is a complex game. Sometimes what you want is vastly different to what you need (I want to eat chocolate for the rest of my life but I need protein to live). A lot of times these can be necessary changes and fixes using your own tactical viewpoint but other times it may take a more in depth approach as to what needs doing.

Firstly let us talk about passing. While there are some obvious things such as short passing requires players close together and not spaced out like a 4231 with 2 DMCs would be. You also have to consider with passing the use of wingers. Wingers are known for their direct play and therefore will not retain possession instead whip balls into the box instead. If you are defending it may be an option to put short passing on with Men Behind Ball as this will mean you are trying to retain the ball with vast numbers behind just in case you do lose it. On the subject of short passing it is worth noting that the slow nature of progression is not ideal if you plan to break quick via counter attacks. You will find that short passing will be a hindrance to your progress as your team looks to advance up the field with a few concise passes.

On the other hand long passing thrives on totally different types of players to short passing. The nimble movement and skilful nature that short passing benefits from isn't going to suit the long passing play. Instead players who are taller and stronger (heading + strength) will be perfect to challenge the opposition defenders for the ball in the air then make us of it by either a turn and run at goal, knock down to a supporting player or have a shot on goal. As defenders are often tall and physical and long balls are usually aerial battles the player/players receiving the ball need to be able to challenge these opposition defenders in order to win it, more agile players are often shorter and focus more on their pace than their strength (or lack of strength). If you have a beast up front or someone who is very tall like Drogba is the former and Crouch is the latter then you want to make use of their traits and aim for their head at every opportunity.

Long passing is also good when you have "backs to the wall" defending being done. If you are in a sticky situation pairing a strong player as above with long passing can relieve pressure, waste time and put the opposition in a very compromising situation if they have over committed. The only problem with this is that the long passing ball may not work all the time so sometimes the ball will come right back at you for another wave of attack. There is also a heavy reliance on your striker being on form, he may be isolated if playing one up top or there may be a gross outnumbering of defenders to your strikers, if your striker/strikers cannot cope with being outnumbered then you will cause little threat to the opposition.

Right attributes as you know are important for player roles but they can also influence your team's performance in their tasks. For example if you like to play committed tackling naturally you want players with high tackling and aggression as this means they are more likely to go for the ball with hard crunching tackles. However without the right decision making attribute your players may end up lunging into tackles that are going to get them cautioned or dismissed making a result for your team harder to achieve than before and suspensions plentiful.

Similarly if your defence doesn't have high teamwork and cohesion (played together for a while) then you may find using an offside trap may cause more goals than it saves. This is even more so the case when your defenders have a lack of experience but without the teamwork one man may drop deeper allowing space in behind to be used by the attacker. If they have a yard of pace on their opposite number often a great goal scoring opportunity will follow from this situation too.

On the subject of defending it is worth noting that when wanting to hold onto a lead defensive may be a good idea to pair with Men Behind Ball in order to make the team harder to break down, however your team will lose firepower doing this. You will need to experiment and use this carefully else you may find your team getting shots hit at you constantly with very few for your team, however if you can get this right some big scalps can be gotten against a lot better teams.

On the other hand if you decide to go attacking then pressing the opposition can cause them to make mistakes high up the pitch so you can continue your offensive push and attacking dominance. This can lead to you barraging your opposition and stop them playing making them tire quicker and lead to more mistakes. With pressing though you must consider the energy required to fulfil such a role. Players with low stamina may have to be rested or substituted more often and this can lead to a burn out if too heavy which in turn may cause problems later on in the game, during congested periods of the season or with consistent injuries occurring.

While it is impossible for me to cover every single option and this would create a very long article. Part of the fun of FMH2015 is experimenting and finding out what works and doesn't work, I hope I have given you a rough idea throughout this section and also the guide on how tactics work and what can make a tactic great. Sometimes you may just be using a wrong player role or team instruction, however by now you should be able to grasp each section of tactics and competently create a tactic that can take you to many, many trophies. Find your preferred style and have a look at whether this fits in with not only your team but also the game mechanics, if it is logical then more often than not then it will and you will accomplish great things.

[Dec]

4. Finishing touches and the future

a) Final tactical considerations

While you should now have a solid idea on what makes your tactic there are a few final things to consider that can directly influence results. These logical and simple methods are some of the most overlooked things in FMH and normally a go-to response for when a tactic isn't working but really should.

First up is the consideration of your team's age. While in theory you may try to buy young and sell the old doing this too drastically can have serious implications on results. While it is ok to have a majority of your squad being young (for this let's say young is under 23) if you are heavily challenging for a title or in a relegation scrap experience is needed. Without experience in your squad youngsters have a proneness to be vastly inconsistent, fail under pressure and make silly decisions. The inclusion of older and more experienced players at the level you are performing is important to stop this especially in areas of the pitch where decisions are key such as defending or producing a key pass to open up a tight defence knowing you need a win or scoring a vital goal. Having budding youngsters is always going to be key and a sound investment if they show a lot of potential but making sure you have the right balance and players to carry them over the finishing line will be what makes you win games and trophies. Arsenal are a good example of how not to do this as they have shown in their trophyless seasons in which the majority of players in the squad have been under 23 or never played at the level they are looking to compete at. On the other hand though Barcelona have managed to breed through many youngsters such as Lionel Messi and Gerard Pique by having core players such as Victor Valdes, Carles Puyol and David Villa in their squad to show the younger ones how to perform on the pitch and to step up every week when the team needs it.

You should also watch your transfer policy as while it may be easy to load up a game with Real Madrid and spend the millions on 10 or so players to craft your dream squad this will not work. Players need time to gel and get used to the team and set up. Changing your team too dramatically can lead to poor results for an extended amount of time with negative morale kicking in and therefore players not settling in as quickly as they would if only several changes had been made. Teams need consistency and though individually better options will be available most of the time as a unit your team is very important and can combat the flaws of said individuals with their harmony with one another and the knowledge of the club/league.

Similarly players need to also have time to adjust to any tactical change. For example if you intend on rapidly changing your team's formation from 3 at the back to 4 then expect results to dip while they get used to the set up and this will depend on the team's adaptability (in which is a player's hidden attribute).

It would be a good idea to consider the rotation of your players. If you are changing more than half your squad every match then the team cannot gel and bond. This will then create erratic performances and more mistakes especially in defence and with instructions such as offside trap on. Changing too drastically too often means the team struggles to get to grips with how each other play and work on intricate details that only match experience allows them to improve at. Rotation is key for many factors such as preventing fatigue, keeping morale on all players high and allowing growth for all players. Players with low fatigue (90 and below) will become tired in matches quicker, be prone to mistakes and may lack the energy needed to fulfil a high energy role such as a box to box midfielder or winger. If a player isn't high on morale then depending on personality they may wander around the pitch with no purpose and not want to play well in which will arguably be a waste of time playing them. However it should be noted some players may want to "prove the media wrong" or are determined on their player personalities. It is worth noting that a player's personality can affect their in game performance too; for example if a player is lazy it may be best to not ask them to do a lot of work.

[Dec]

4. Finishing touches and the future

b) Modifying your tactic

Sometimes in Football Manager Handheld things happen that you just cannot help such as mass injuries, red cards or even coming up against an opponent so in-form that you fear their performance may single-handedly stop you from winning. On occasions it is obvious what is needed to be done, other times it requires a bit more thought. Constantly changing your tactics can be a hindrance if you do it too much as players will struggle to adapt and gain consistency but maintaining the right balance and knowing when and what to tweak can take your team up a level even if the task seems impossible.

As aforementioned the most likely situation in which you will change your tactic is if your team goes down to 10 men. When you lose a man to a red card (or injury on rare occasions) then you may find that player whom has gone off was playing a vital role and you have to sacrifice another player for them. This is in most occasions when you have a result you are happy with now given the situation and you want to "shut up shop" by swapping your attacker for a more defensive player to fill the void for the player that has just been sent off. Making little changes or slightly tactical ones such as moving your wingers back would help the team keep their harmony and not confuse their roles in which mass changing may do this. Sometimes though in extreme circumstances you don't have to abide by the balance rule as taking off your lone striker could be helpful as you intend to go all out defensive and chance your luck within the last ten minutes of the game.

You may also get advice to man mark a player on team reports. While Football Manager Handheld doesn't currently have the ability to do this at the time of writing there are options that can be done in order to restrict a threat's effectiveness. Whether it be an attacking midfielder or striker playing an experienced and defensive minded player or cluster of players to limit options for that player and crowd him out is a wise choice. Dropping a striker or attacking minded player depending on formation; for example a 442 could turn into a 451 and a 4231 could mean an attacking midfielder is dropped to make a defensive choice. Simply pulling one attacking player back will allow you to sure up a threat while keeping most of the team cohesion there providing it isn't a key player to the game you play or one of few of your own threats. On form players and players who are a lot better than your team can lead to games being won on their own, stopping these threats can often nullify whole teams' attacking strategies and with some smart thinking and careful deployment may lead to an easier game than you expected.

The premise of modifying is pretty easy but it just depends on the situation. With 11 players sometimes it can be changing a player role from a B2B to BWM that may win the game to counter an opposition or to play more physical and overpower technical opponents. However one thing should be clear, modifications should be done little and with thought. Thought of not just the opponent but your team's strategy, who your players are and how many changes you are making. This can be the difference in a big game or halfway through a game between 3 points and 1 or 0. Good managers can adapt slightly and not upset the team but enhance it, even if it is for just one game of the season (see Mourinho's Chelsea v Manchester City away for a great example of this).

[Dec]

4. Finishing touches and the future

c) Changing your tactic

Over time you may notice tactics get less effective. Teams slowly start to figure out your weaknesses and when that happens a rapid decline in form can occur. While sometimes this may be temporary lack of form can also turn into greater, permanent issues.

Sometimes tactics simply require a tweak (see the "modifying your tactics" section). Other times it requires something more drastic whether it is a gradual team reshuffle; to go with a new transfer policy, or a fast change in order to have an immediate impact upon results. Changing your tactic isn't a fast thing and can yield undesirable results at first until the team gets used to the formation, especially if the formation isn't a "standard" one or is quite different from the previous used formation. However as FMH has evolved it is key that you do change tactic to stop your form going down after several seasons of use as teams work their way around it.

As aforementioned you cannot expect instant impact and while some (namely big) players have high adaptability and it will be less obvious upon this others can be resulted negatively at first by a new system employed by you - their manager. The key to changing a tactic is give it time, a few months may be wise to leave it though if you are in a situation where you are struggling keep in mind what the team has and try and work your way around that instead of going "gung ho" and chopping/changing the formation. Often you are best to do any major tactical changes at the close of the season so your team gets used to the system in pre-season. With the pre-season you can find and iron out any fundamental flaws or vastly underperforming players without losing points in the league. It also allows you to buy new players to fit into your system as you adapt it meaning you can enhance your team to the new system as opposed to fitting your system around what you currently have as there may still be problems there with lazy players or players struggling to play how you expect them to.

The key to changing to a new tactic is how you implement it, sometimes you may want to gradually change it over by modifying one or two positions while keeping the solid base and doing this more and more over time or by mass changing. This however is dependent on situation as if your players are doing well and still on task to win the league then you don't want to upset this too much by editing to a tactic they aren't used to. Use common sense and caution, if things aren't going your way but one or two players are still performing spectacularly then it may be just be a minor modification as opposed to a huge revamp. Look at the situation and what/who is available on the market that can come in to your system too, if there are an abundance of tough tackling midfielders but you don't play any yet you play technical ones that you are struggling to find then consider changing to a different system to keep your team rolling. However if your team is vastly underperforming and you are in an all or nothing battle for relegation with no positives to your team then giving your team a change of system can turn the table dramatically and be the difference in your season. Simply some wise thinking and planning can turn a tactic change from a nightmare and huge loss of form to a smart move. Utilise pre-season, it is there for a reason and not just to build up form, it is a key and often over looked part in FMH but for tactics it can give you a huge edge over your rivals if you can get settled and find your rhythm tactically during it.

End Notes:

Thank you for reading the tactics guide, this 10,000 monster has taken a long time to plan, write and post. While it has taken a lot longer than I would have liked University and other real life matters got in the way so I had to put it to one side. However, I hope you have enjoyed reading this and it can take you to glory on Football Manager Handheld. Whether you are a tactics newbie or a veteran my only wish is that you have learnt something throughout this in which has made you a better, more thoughtful manager. It has been a honour guiding you through the most complex and intriguing section of the game and I wish you luck in your adventures through management on the best Football Management simulation on a mobile platform.

Regards,

Dec

[BigE]

So glad I found this thread Dec, superb mate I normally just use the preset tactics

[professor_rob]

Awesome.

I find tactics a lot harder this version. And believe that they are trying to eliminate "super tactics" that beat all.

[FMHTurkish]

What is the difference between original and new engine?

[Dec]

The new engine is totally different, coded from scratch. It should make more sense in relevance to this guide.

[mikan]

i'm playing 532, with 3 CD, 2 WB, 2 MC, AMC and 2 SC

(i'm using it because it's very simple and easy to build a team around - without having to worry about DL, DR, ML, MR + their subs - it's too much for me )

 

if i have DLM and ADM in the middle, and PCR and TRQ up front, should it make a difference on which side is which player?

 

i mean, if ADM and TRQ are on the same side, they should in theory get in each other way a lot?

[Dec]

The DLM and APM sounds passive. You should use a BWM or BBM

[mikan]

ok, thanks.

 

it's just that i'm having troubles forcing myself to change something... since i'm doing pretty good as it is.

 

yes, i did try BWM previously, also in pair with DLM... i thought they will act too defensively, but i got wonderful results even with such teams as MK dons, welling united and brighton.

 

this DLM that i have, has wonderful skills all over, so i guess he would do well as BWM - tackling, agression and strength all pretty high.

 

BBM sucked condition% too fast, and i don't have top shooting/tackling combo in my team... could it also work on top level if those skills are around 12?

 

WBs also get tired very quickly, so i have to change them basically every match around 65'. with BBM i would have all my subs determined in advance.

[Dec]

I would say always have a DLM OR BWM. If DLM then BBM and if BWM then any others.

BBM as explained is very high in intensity and can only be performed by the best athletes.

[Godric]

This is Fantastic, thank you for the great length guide!

[amzarkazuma95]

How can I solve the "lack of forward run by midfielders" problem ?

[Dec]

Use a player role such as a winger, inside forward, box to box midfielder or in some cases BWM.

[muptonfish]

Is there a conflict of spacing running a DLF and an APM (in the AMC position)?  What about a Treq and APM (in AMC position)

[Dec]

Space, not so much. Physicality and creativity, yes. You will have 2 weak, passing players who like the ball at their feet and to make good passes. No one to get stuck in and overpower which is key - Look at Yaya Toure and Matic.

 

TRQ will go to the wings more with an APM but both like to pass so again it is a conflict of interest.

[muptonfish]

Space, not so much. Physicality and creativity, yes. You will have 2 weak, passing players who like the ball at their feet and to make good passes. No one to get stuck in and overpower which is key - Look at Yaya Toure and Matic.

 

TRQ will go to the wings more with an APM but both like to pass so again it is a conflict of interest.

 So it looks like it is a choice then as playing both will be redundant.  Hmm back to the tactics board.  Thanks for the response

[malfotores]

Hi Dec thanks for the great thread! Just wondering, do you play with the old ME or new ME?

[Dec]

Hi Dec thanks for the great thread! Just wondering, do you play with the old ME or new ME?

I like the new ME as I have an iPhone so it doesn't slow the game down too much.

[messiLOLjayden]

I'm using Man Utd. The first season I for sack cause i was suppose to get 1st instead I got third. Fortunately, I saved the game before that and requested more time to rebuild squad.

The first season I use a 4 2 3 1 formation.

De Gea

Rafael Jones Evans Shaw

WBk BPD CD WBk

Perez Fellani

APM DLM

WNG Mata Di Maria

APM Inf

Falcao

Poacher

I sold Rooney cause he wants a new challange. That season I basically lose so much and drawn so much in important games.

I'm currently using a 4 1 2 2 1.

In reports this is what I get:

-lack of steel in midfield

-lack of forward runs in midfield

-moves break down in third of the pitch

-striker didn't test opposition gk enough

-conceded too many clear cut chances

-lone striker didn't get into position

-striker unable to win aerial duels

Please help me find a tactic for this I'm dying here cause if I don't win im gonna get sacked for real

[Dec]

-lack of steel in midfield  As you have Fellaini as a DLM, put him as a BWM and he will use his physicality. Maybe make Falcao a CMF to stop the others too.

[messiLOLjayden]

-lack of steel in midfield As you have Fellaini as a DLM, put him as a BWM and he will use his physicality. Maybe make Falcao a CMF to stop the others too.

It's now my second season I'm using 4-1-2-2-1

RAFael Evans Rojo shaw

Wbk. Cd. Bpd. Wbk

Fellani

. Dlm

. Mata gundogan

. Apm dlm

Wng. Wng

. Hernandez

. Traquetista