What kind of tactics do you guys use? I did well with de Graaphschap (sp) in Dutch first division and got promoted my 2nd season. So for the first 1/4 of the third season I am in 3rd place doing great, then all of the sudden now I am at February haven't won a game in 10 matches and lost 3 out of last 4 by 3-0 or more. What do you guys do? I guess after a season or so they AI just figures you out and it is impossible to win anything at all? Has anyone else found this? Not only have I gone down to 13th place in risk of religation but I have also gone from national reputation to local reputation, which is important to me (as I will probably never get back up again because I went from obscure to National by promotion, knowing this game) as I want to move to England eventually. I dunno this sucks is all I h ave to say. Just trying to get some views from people on here not from the SI board, as that worked for a couple of seasons now it is nothing. Hopefully we can get something going on here. Maybe, doubtful.
I'm using a variation of a 4-1-3-2, customized to the strengths of my players. It's really a better way than tactics that you get off the net to get success in the game. Of course, if your players suck like mine do, then you're screwed either way.
----------------Buffon---------------------- Zambrotta---Chivu----Natali----Grosso ------------Vieira------De Rossi Mancini----------------------------C. Ronaldo ------------Trezeguet----Ibrahimovic I am Juve and use that formation. I have Vieira and De Rossi as CM, Mancini as AMR and Ronaldo as AML. I usually wins most matches by a 3-0 or so margin. Ibrahimovic and Del Piero (who I have to use as a sub since his stamina sucks) average over a goal a game each.
I use one of the default tactics: the 4-4-2 Diamond version 2. To use it, just be sure you have a great back line. I think that your specific player tactics are much more important this year than last.
The AI in this iteration has taken a big leap forward from previous versions. I worked with some of the guys involved and know how the match engine operates, so beware. Your tactics will be cracked and if you try to use any of the so-called super tactics around, the AI will deploy some rather devious countermeasures to shift the balance of power. Of particular note is the inclusion of the team talk function and the influence that it has, particularly in terms of how players react in the period after half-time and also in terms of how your squad responds. The easiest way to counter all of this is to tweak your tactics whenever you notice a difference. Despite knowing how everything works, it's still screwed me over at times, so have fun.
I have a question to submit for your opinion oh great TDB. You think you can use, for instance, a 442 for quite a few seasons just tweaking and still have success? I mean, like our beloved Man Utd until the 2000's. With them using mostly a 442 just changing to adjust to players. Or is a total rehaul required?
Tweaking tends to delay/prevent the crack and if done correctly, then it should work. However, it all depends on what the exact problem you are having is. What is going wrong with your side? Is it not playing well at all, being screwed by a clinical opposition/super keeper or getting hit in the second half?
Yes you can use the same basic formation for many seasons. You will have to tweak and can expect the AI to take reasonable steps to counter your method of attack and exploit holes in your defense. However, tweaking and rotation of several styles of the same basic formation works fine.
Well, the team I was using until I got extremely mad at the damn game was just getting slammed 5-1 6-0 etc. I am going to try a game with real madrid to see how the tactics actually work with good players. Just doing some testing now.
What also works for me sometimes is switching formations during the game. 4-1-3-2 is my base formation, but if I'm up by a goal or two late against a quality side, I'll switch to a defensive 5-4-1 and substitute a defender/DM for an attacking player. So far, it seems to confuse my opponents enough to help me finish out matches.
I agree with everyone who's suggested rotating tactics. I've been playing a 4-2-3-1 at home and a 4-1-3-2 away for three seasons now, and there are few signs of cracking.
Sorry, if I sound like a lost puppy, but let me just make sure so I did cause myself more frustration. TOTAL formation changes, not just a little lessing the width and upping tempo etc. But position changes too, correct?
It depends. I was trying to make the point that you can also just rotate between different tweaks of the same basic formation. I've played it both ways and found that either one works pretty well...if you know how to tweak your tactic without screwing it up and taking the other side's characteristics in mind. I would advise against doing serious formation changes on a constant basis. It is counterproductive. My last game I had three different versions of a 4-4-2 diamond. One for home, one for away, and one for outclassed (I'm usually lower league so the cup runs can put you out of your depth in terms of quality of player. Think league two vs a Chelsea team well on its way to 100+ points in the Prem). I then just make minor tweaks to adjust to player changes and the strengths and weaknesses of the other team. Can't say they were ever cracked and progress up the league was straightforward. Only time I ever went away from the basic formation was when injuries left me without suitable players like when I lost all of my forwards except one old weak guy or when I lost every FB to injury/bans.
True. Using totally different formations home and away can just confuse your players, and I'm sure that would be the case if I was, say, Sporting Gijon (I can get away with it since I'm playing as Valencia).
Just to clarify, when I switch from 4-1-3-2 to 5-4-1, I only do it for 10-15 minutes at a time, not for whole matches. It just screws up the opposition enough to get me out of the match. God knows it screws my team up when the other team changes up. I reallly need to develop a defensive 4-2-2 for road/"overmatched" matches. Anyone use backarrows on their midfielders? What 4-4-2 works best in a defensive posture?
I've been using the same tactics with Boston United that I used with CM 01/02 and they seem to be working well. It's a 3-5-2 star formation with two D-mids, two wings, and one attacking center mid. I get really good midfield possession and with good defenders I can really close down the central attack well. Its weakness is defending on the wings, but if you have good wingers and good outer defenders, they can usually adapt well. Thus far, I have played three matches with Boston United. My objective was to battle bravely against relegation, but I won my first two matches including a 4-0 destruction, and only lost 1-0 away at promotion candidate Stockport.
Have you guys gotten the new patch yet? If so, how does it affect your tactics? I have not gotten it because I downloaded the game and the download patch is having some problems are some reason (great way to spread the game in America SI, but oh well).
----------------Cudicini----------------- Friedrich----Simunic-----Madlung----Fathi -----------------Marx------------------- Cairo-----------------------------Gilberto --------Basturk---------Marcelinho------ ---------------Pantelic/Rafael----------- Good formation for attacking actually. The two attacking midfielders are really fast and technical, so if you have great attacking midfielders like I do, then it works well. This is Hertha BSC too For my Everton I have: -----------------Wright------------------ P. Neville-----Yobo------Kroldrup-----N.Valente ------------Arteta------Li Tie------------ van der Meyde----------------------McFadden ------------------Cahill------------------ -----------------Beattie/Bent------------ Good defensive formation and great for headers too. Cahill is great at "ghosting" in this game and will always get in the box. For your defensive midfield, workrate and teamwork and passing is a MUST. Li Tie covers it both.
I must just be plain trash at this game. New patch with Man Utd. 4 matches in 2 wins 2 losses (to Brom and Bolton........) Strikers can't finish, midfield doesn't control (like real life) a few poor errors in the back leads to goals. playing 4-3-1-2 with forward arrows on fbs and wingers, and back arrow on CM for home. No arrows on FB for away with a little bit of changing of tweaking, etc.
This function is another good idea gone awry. My first season, I was honest with the team...if they played well, I told 'em so. I mean, Jesus, you're up 3-0 at the half, they're not retarded, they know how they played. But I kept coughing up half-time leads. At the SI forums, they advised to always tell your team "not to get complacent." I started doing that. Problem solved. But think about it...the feature, as it functions in the game, DETRACTS from realism. It's like a cheat in a video game. It works on the assumption that players are retarded. They should take it out, and fix the problem of how easy it is for teams to come back when playing 4 forwards. It f'ing amazes me how powerful teams are with 4 forwards, and how rarely they concede a counterattacking goal. They should fix the massive bias against man-marking and in favor of 4 man backlines. They should fix the stupidity of the players. Once you piss one off (I had a bunch of strikers injured, tried to acquire another one, who would be my 3rd striker, and one of my starters began pouting and sucking. And never stopped) you can't talk to the player to fix the problem. They should make it so you can get your players to go where you want them. It pisses me off no end to see the opp. adopt some very narrow defensive tactic, and I can't get my guys to exploit all the wide open green spaces out wide. I dunno, I'm just really, really disappointed in this edition. Maybe when I switch clubs (I'm playing as DC United, so I adopted Nowak's 3-5-2) and can play a 4-4-2 or 4-1-3-2, the tactical part of the game won't seem like such a failure. But then, if you have to play a 4 man backline for the tactics not to be a failure, they're a failure anyway.
Yeah, I think the Team Talk Function is a bit too simplistic. If you're leading "Say don't get complacent" ....really? No! I could've never figured that out. That's what a captain is for to keep the team organized. And light some fires under some arses, during friendlies I don't speak to my team. But if a player or two is horrible then I speak to them alone. I'd like Team Talk to offer sub-options underneath the broader (Encourage, Sympathise, question the passion, Warn against Complacency). For complacency, for example and we're up 3-0 or more at halftime. I'd like to say "I don't want them to score.." or something to the effect of "We should be winning by even more.." Also if I put a player in a halftime who's been clamoring for first-team action I'd like to tell him at Halftime.."This is his chance to prove himself" or stuff like that..