2015 Match Settings 'Fun'

[BatiGoal]

Match Settings 'Fun'

 

There's a lot of good info here on how to create the best formations for any given squad and which types of players are most suitable to perform certain player roles and which ones are not and what specific player roles work well in combination with each other.

There is I however less discussion on match settings but that doesn't mean it's not as significant. Quite the contrary.

 

Once the 4 most time-consuming parts have been dealt with:

1. Assessing a squad
2. Buying/Selling players
3. Building a formation
4. Assigning player roles
5. Match settings

The match settings as a final touch remain and here's my take on how I approach every match and how/why I tweak the match settings if at all.

 

Attacking Mentality

 

I play attacking style if my best players play in any of

these positions and my attack is my strongest line

Note: only formations with min. of 2 strikers

 

 

Balanced Mentality

 

I play balanced style if my best players play in any of

these positions and my midfield is my strongest line

Note: only formations with min. of 3 midfielders

 

 

Defensive Mentality

 

I play defensive style if my best players play in any of

these positions and my defence is my strongest line

Note: only formations with min. of 4 defenders

 

Exceptions:

There are of course exceptions as with anything really such as playing attacking football

with a lone striker. That hasn't work for me. Neither does playing a defensive game with

only 3 defenders or a balanced game playing most part of the game in midfield trying to link

defence to attack with only 2 midfielders. So all of these should be taken into account.

Once the team mentality's been determined I select the rest of the instructions.

 

 

 

Attacking Mentality

If I play attacking football I usually opt for direct passing since the aim of this style is to play the ball forward quickly and that favors an attacking style of play. It's quite obvious in order to attack one needs to be in possession of the ball so I put pressing -ON- as to regain possession of the ball ASAP but players need good stamina for this to work.

 

Balanced Mentality

If my team's mentality is set to balanced it means my best players are packed in midfield. The more the better since this means little space between them which benefits a short passing style. In order to bring the lines on the pitch even closer to one another (which benefits short passing greater) I set offside trap -ON-.

All aimed to keep possession of the ball for long periods in the game as I want to take my time before finding that killer pass that destroys a defence.

 

Defensive Mentality

If I go defensive (which is rarely the case tho) it means my best players are right there in defence soaking up the pressure of the opponent. With all the available space this style creates on the opposition's half most effective option is to counter attack -ON- with either direct or as an alternative mixed passing.

 

• Attacking -> Direct -> Pressing
• Balanced -> Short -> Offside trap
• Defensive ->Direct/Mixed -> Counter Attack

 

Alternatives

Passing -> If plan A fails or isn't effective on the day I go for plan B mixed passing for all the above

Tackling -> I set this to normal unless many players possess great tackling skill -> committed

Men Behind Ball -> I only use it in combination with long balls when I'm desperate to hold on to a draw or lead, either facing a much stronger opponent or if I'm down 1 or 2 men with a fair amount of minutes left on the clock.

 

 

 

Final Words

 

Things don't always go according to plan for multiple reasons main one being due to the strength and/or formation of the opposition or simply the sheer quality of the players you're up against (or lack thereof in your own squad) so tweak as you go. I generally don't deviate from my team mentality once the team's comfortable with the chosen tactics but it's sometimes wise to play it a little 'safer' when you enter a match expecting a tough day or a loss. If the opponent is much stronger I recommend to tweak it down a notch attack to balanced style same goes for matches you expect to win easily then I'd say tweak your defensive mode up a notch to balanced or balanced to attack.

 

Altho generally in my first season I don't opt for attacking mentality since I'm in the process of building a new team (new players coming in and getting used to a specific playing style / player roles etc.) and I feel I'm not yet strong enough to dominate opponents and take unnecessary risks by going all out attack. I'm laying the foundations of a new team for the seasons to come so I think balanced style in the first season, or at least the first half of the season, works best. The real judging and evaluating begins in season 2.

It's a process of experimenting and if one formation, style or match setting won't work for your team then another will. It'll click eventually.

 

I try to not overcomplicate matters when I play FMH but I do want to be on the winning side more often than not.

These are my experiences and I kept it as basic and clear as I could, hopefully you can take some info out of it.

 

Comments of any kind welcome.

 

[Dec]

This is interesting, I would also be inclined to say that defensive is good when you have fast wingers and good passers who can easily break up the pitch with a few select passes. While attacking needs a good defence so your team must be strong without getting numbers back in this area.

[BatiGoal]

Thanks.

You're absolutely right. Defensive play with counter att. definitely works best with fast wingers.

And on another note it's of course very important to keep a certain level of quality in each line on the pitch or these tactics will collapse like a house of cards.

Which is why I recommend keeping things balanced in the first season before going into defensive/attacking mode.

[LostLegend]

I've found that when playing against a team who are defending deep, a balanced approach with short passing can work better than all out attack.

If you play an attacking formation, you are playing directly into the areas where they are defending deep and leaving yourself vulnerable to counter attack.

The balanced approach with short passing allows you to dominate the play and look to carefully pick your way through their defence whilst maintaining a good defensive line to soak up any counter attack.

Of course, this can also depend on who you are playing against... As Spurs recently discovered

[BatiGoal]

You're right, LL.

Every team mentality has its advantages and disadvantages but it's our job to get that extra goal over the opponent and in most cases I rely on my own team's strengths to achieve this.

[lilgwanz]

Nice work Bat