Tactical Theorems and Frameworks '08 Part 3

Theorems: Key Settings

All great teams are built first and foremost on a solid defence. Getting the defensive settings right enables you to have a solid platform from which to build and...
experiment. The following section outlines the key settings towards designing a working defence.

Mentality

As iterated previously, ensure that one MC is on the same mentality settings as the central defenders to provide constant defensive cover (for 8.0.1 but not necessarily correct for 8.0.2). A small backwards arrow can also aid in this respect.

Defensive Line

The defensive line links heavily with whatever mentality framework you have chosen. Defender attributes, specifically pace and positioning, will allow for some level of line adjustment but I would advise not placing the defensive line in a position that unlinks it from the framework. Simply put, the defensive line should be placed at mid-point of the framework mentality (for Attack, Balanced and Counter). Thus, if you have chosen to implement the attacking framework, with player mentalities ranging from 14-19, you would position the defensive line at midpoint between the two (16-17). If you have chosen the Counter formation (6-11), you would set the defensive line at eight or nine.

If you have quick defenders who have good positioning stats you could happily place the defensive line higher than the mid-point of the mentality framework in confidence that their pace and ability to read the game will allow them to cover any counter-attacks over the top with relative ease. However, if they are slower than average, then dropping the d-line back slightly will allow them to cover quick attackers without becoming over exposed to balls over their heads into the space behind them.

For the Control and Defend frameworks the defensive line setting requires some adjustment. As Control aims to open space and assumes the opposition will not commit many players forward, the DCs job will be mainly recycling possession rather than defensive duties. Reduce the d-line to mid-normal to ensure the DCs are in space to pick up rushed clearances and keep pressure on the opposition. For the Defend framework the d-line needs to be higher than the mentality average in order to compact space. Setting the d-line to a very low mentality invites almost constant pressure and the team is likely to give up a plethora of chances in and around the six-yard box.


Width

Just as the defensive line, width varies dependent on how aggressive you wish to be. Widening the formation opens up space and enables a greater variety of attacking balls. Equally, it allows more space for the opposition to exploit should you lose the ball. Therefore, narrow is defensive and wide is attacking. However, too narrow is not advisable as it gives up too much space on the flanks. I use roughly the following pattern:

Control: 20
Attack: 16
Balanced: 12
Counter: 8
Defend: 4

If you have a squad full of speedy, tireless workaholics you can play with slightly higher width settings as these attributes enable them to get quickly back into position once the ball has been lost. If you have a few too many work-shy plodders then play more narrowly in order to maintain shape.


Closing Down & Marking

Closing Down and Marking seem to work in conjunction. There is a logical pattern. Defensive formations require tight, man-marking to constantly maintain contact with the opposition attackers, leaving them as little space as possible in which to operate. As the players are already closely marked, closing down isn’t required. For more aggressive formations in which you expect to control the play then marking should be zonal and loose. In order to regain quick possession, preferably in the opposition’s half, closing down should be pretty high.

Defenders

In general, the defenders’ marking/closing down settings should be roughly as follows:

Control: All zonal/loose, FBs close down 14-16, DCs 10-12.
Attack: DCs man/loose, FBs zonal/loose; FBs close down 10-12, DCs 6-8
Balanced: DCs man/tight, FBs zonal/tight; reduce closing down
Counter: All man/tight; further reduce closing down
Defend: All man/tight; further reduce closing down

Midfielders

More of an art than a science. Getting the midfielders’ closing down settings correct are paramount to creating a decent tactic. As with the defenders, the marking/closing down should be looser and more heavy the more aggressive the tactic; tighter and less heavy the more defensive. However, unlike in 07, in which you could be defensively sound simply by having a low CD DMC/MCd sitting in front of your back line, in 2008 these settings are much more sensitive. Too low and you will see the opposition pass the ball uncontested around the perimeter of your 18 yard box. Too high and the midfield cover will be bypassed leaving the back four to contest with breaking midfielders and strikers as the MCs struggle to regain position. You will need to watch the 2d very carefully to decide upon your best settings. They will be player specific, depending on work rate, pace, stamina, adaptability and culture. Play around with them until you start to see the MCs break up attacking play in the areas you wish (just above the final third in Counter, much higher up the pitch in Attack).

Attackers and Wingers

Usually both wingers and one attacker need to have reasonably heavy closing down in order to stop the opposing defenders launching uncontested balls forward. This has two functions. Firstly, it reduces their time on the ball and helps your team regain possession. Secondly, it ensures the balls from defence can’t split your defensive structure as the player in possession has much less time to hit a composed ball. Deep crosses and direct through balls become more aimless and easier to defend. Play around with these settings until you are confident your attackers and wingers are providing enough defensive aid to the back six.

Tackling

Heavy tackling is more likely to win the ball, but also more likely to give away free kicks and penalties. Therefore, heavy tackling is best employed with the loose marking and high closing down of more aggressive systems, in which the aim is to win the ball high up the pitch. It doesn’t matter if you give away a free kick on the edge of the opposition’s area; it does matter on the edge of yours. A rough rule of thumb is as follows, although you can be more or less aggressive with attacking players should you wish.

Control: Heavy
Attack: Heavy except for defenders (normal)
Balanced: Normal except for defenders (Easy)
Counter: Easy
Defend: Easy


Specific Marking

Specific Marking is not required when you are facing a tactic that exactly or roughly mirrors your own (i.e. 4-4-2 v 4-4-2, 4-2-2-2, 4-2-4). However, when facing a different type of formation use the specific marking function to ensure all the opposing players you want to be marked are being marked. Not doing so may allow a DMC to control the game, or an AMC to run riot, simply because they have no one marking them. Check and correct in the pre-match tactical options.


Theorems: Flavour Settings

Once you have a solid defensive platform you can begin to think about exactly how you wish your team to play when going forward. The following settings impact upon the style of football your team will play.

Passing

In general, the more counter attacking the tactic the more direct the passing. A rough rule of thumb would be as follows:

Control: Short
Attack: Normal-Short
Balanced: Normal
Counter: Direct-Normal
Defend: Direct

However, there are variations that can make the tactic more customised to your team. Firstly, and most obviously, the lower the level the longer the passing. Players simply don’t have the technique to play controlled possession football, so direct-long is the key. At the highest level teams can aim to maximise possession by playing very short passing. This is not to say that it is not possible to construct a short passing tactic for lower level teams; it is and can bring great reward. However, it is arguably much harder to do and requires a lot of patient tweaking (see Tempo section for further detail).

Although the passing can be set to global throughout the team, I have found more success in varying the passing dependent on strata. I use the MCs as a fulcrum with their passing usually being set to mixed, allowing them to pick short or long passes at will. In all the tactics the wingers and forwards play shorter passes than the MCs, simply because when the play gets to areas in which they are effective players are closer together and short passing is the most valuable option. The defenders require a little more variety, with them hitting direct balls in counter attacking tactics and shorter ones in possession focused ones. This enables them to hit quick balls to attackers in the channels with counter attacking tactics and feed the MCs in more aggressive tactics.

Defender Passing

Control: Short
Attack: Short
Balanced: Mixed-Direct (dependent on passing attribute)
Counter: Direct
Defend: Direct-Long


Focus Passing

Focus passing is also important in creating/reducing space. Spreading the play enables attacking options but increases the probability of stray passes being intercepted. Keeping the ball in the middle reduces attacking potency but reduces the risk of losing the ball in a dangerous area. Control requires you to open space so using the flanks is paramount. Defend requires you to keep it tight, so down the middle is required. For the other tactic types it will depend upon the quality of player as to which you should choose. For example, keeping it through the middle with Counter would be useful if you had two big, strong forwards, but less useful if you have speedy FCs who can exploit the gaps behind attacking-minded full backs, in which case mixed, or even down the flanks, may well be the best option. A rough guide follows, but be prepared to alter it depending on player types:

Control: Passing Focus Down Both Flanks
Attack: Passing Focus Down Both Flanks/Mixed
Balanced: Passing Focus Mixed
Counter: Passing Focus Mixed/Down the Middle
Defend: Passing Focus Down the Middle


Tempo

Tempo is culturally specific and largely dictated by weather conditions. Playing fast-tempo football in extremely hot climates will do little outside of tiring your players. Likewise, a heavy pitch will drain players of energy. Always have this in mind when selecting your tempo.

A quicker tempo tends to be the requirement for lowly-skilled players playing a counter attacking brand of football. That is not to say lower level players can't play a more possession based game; rather that to do so requires great observation of the engine and very sophisticated tactical design. Lower level players tend to panic when being pressured, so a slow tempo, short passing game can come seriously unstuck if your tactical design doesn't offer easy passing options at all times. Players dawdling on the ball is indicative of this issue and a sign you need to change tempo and/or length of passing.

For more highly skilled players it should be used subjectively, brought into play as and when your team needs it. You may wish to start fast and slow it down once you score, or play possession football for twenty minutes before upping the pace of the game for a quarter of an hour. You may wish to play an AC Milan brand of counter attacking football, slow-slow-fast, which would require a slow tempo, technically gifted players and a lot of flair and creativity up front. Clever use of the tempo slider can change things in your favour at the flick of a wrist.

Tempo is basically subjective at all levels and for different cultural brands of football. Man Utd will play fast tempo football on a cold January day at Old Trafford against Liverpool, but slow tempo away to Barca in a Champions League semi-final. Be prepared to do the same. Look at the conditions, the type of match, the quality of the opposition and decide on how best to play.


Time Wasting

Another variable slider, the amount of time wasting you choose will indicate to your players at which stage in the match they should start playing for a draw or protecting a lead. In general, keep it low in a match you think you should win and have it higher in away games. It should be almost negligible in a Control tactic, so your players are always looking to play football. It is more important for the Balanced, Counter and Defend tactics. Ideally, you should be looking to change it incrementally after you score and as you wish to protect a lead during the latter stages of a match.


Creative Freedom

The most pertinent piece of information for creative freedom is to keep it low for most players until you have a world class side. At any level below world class it is an absolute requirement for players to keep it simple. Once you have a great team and an excellent reputation, creative freedom becomes vital. You will need to get the best out of your flair players in order to break down the ‘parked bus’ tactics the AI will employ against you. At the very highest levels, three-four players (usually wingers, AMC, FCd) will have high creative freedom instructions for Control and Attack based tactics.


Free Roles

As with creative freedom, pretty useless, even dangerous, at lower levels. However, once you have the requisite team and reputation you could employ the following free role settings (again, usually wingers, AMC, FCd as first choices):

Control: Three-Four Free Roles
Attack: Two-Three Free Roles
Balanced: One-Two Free Roles
Counter: Zero-One Free Roles
Defend: No Free Roles


Hold-Up Ball

Hold-Up Ball is a little talked about, yet vital, setting. Most people simply set their DMC and FCd to hold up the ball and leave it at that. To a certain extent this works, but it also contributes to many people’s downfall at the highest level.

From Attack through to Defend, the DMC/MCd and FCd holding up the ball is often enough. Using the full-backs to hold up the ball is also extremely effective. However, when you begin to come up against the ‘parked bus’ AI it becomes necessary to overload their defence. To do that you need to hold the ball up front long enough to have the FBs overlap and the MCs get into position to support the attack. Thus, a Control based tactic requires both wingers and forwards to hold up the ball. Likewise, the DMC/MCd’s job is more aggressive, so he needn’t hold it up any longer. This won’t create many one-on-ones, but it will help quality build up play. At the higher levels the Attack framework could also benefit from having both wingers and one FC hold up the ball.


Through Balls

Another slightly misunderstood setting, the Through Balls instruction tells players to hit the ball into space in front of a team mate, rather than to feet. It is not just about breaking through the d-line but about constucting attacks in which players are always running onto balls. This is obviously risky for defensive tactics but essential for aggressive ones. In general the midfield, wingers and deep lying forward should be the main Through Ball providers, but other players can also benefit form having through balls as an instruction. A rough guide is as follows:

Control: All outfield players Often
Attack: Five Often, Five Mixed
Balanced: All outfield players Mixed
Counter: Five Rarely, Five Mixed
Defend: All outfield players Rarely

These are just rough guidelines and you may well decide your defenders lose possession too often with Through Balls on Often, especially if they have poor passing or technique. Look at the match stats and see if they are giving the ball away and change the settings for those who are.


Theorems: Other Settings

Some of these sections have specific threads supporting them which offer extremely far reaching advice. Please click on the links to access these threads.


Use Target Man

This setting works exceedingly well and can create a plethora of chances if used correctly. The archetypal target man, tall, big and strong, can be devastating when set to no forward runs and balls played to head, to feet, or mixed. Obviously, if you want him to run onto ball forward runs are required.


Use Playmaker

A playmaker needs to be in position to pick up easy balls, so giving him high forward runs into attacking zones will lessen his effectiveness. Low or mixed forward runs, low closing down, loose, zonal marking and possibly free role will enable you to get the most out of an AMC playmaker. However, a deeper lying playmaker can have his forward runs set to Often.


Play Offside

Use it in conjunction with a high defensive line, so if the offside trap is beaten your defenders will have time to get back and cover. Thus, it is ideal for aggressive frameworks, but less effective for conservative ones. Obviously, there is a greater risk in employing it if all your defenders are slow.


Counter Attack

Counter attack is, somewhat ironically, counter intuitive. It does not mean that your players will sprint forward into attacking positions once you get the ball, but rather your players will only launch attacks that are definitely ‘on’. Thus, it is a defensive measure. It is a very useful tool and can be used in two ways. Firstly, it ensures your players remain in defensively effective positions until an attack is on. Secondly, it can force a ‘parked bus’ AI out of its own half by drawing them forwards until your team suddenly pounces. It does mean you won’t see a lot of big wins, but it also guarantees a level of defensive stability that allows your side to grind out one or two nil victories.


Run With Ball, Long Shots, and Cross Ball

All of the above often give the ball away but also create chances. Therefore, they should be used in conjunction with a risk analysis of the frameworks. The more attacking the framework, the more settings should be set to often (with players' attributes taken into consideration). The more defensive the framework, the more settings should be set to rarerly.

Run With Ball: Vital for wingers in Attack and Control, less useful for more conservative tactics

Long Shots: Useful for Attackers in Counter and Defend, Central Midfielders for the other frameworks

Cross Ball: Used mainly with wingers and full backs. A rough guide is as follows:

Control: Both Often
Attack: Wingers Often, FBs Mixed
Balanced: Both Mixed
Counter: Wingers Mixed, FBs Rarely
Defend: Both Rarely


Cross From

Control: Wingers cross from byline, full-backs from mixed/byline (depending on dribbling).
Attack: Wingers cross from byline, full-backs from mixed.
Balanced: Wingers cross from mixed, full-backs from mixed.
Counter: Wingers cross from mixed, full-backs from deep.
Defend: Wingers cross from deep, full-backs from deep.


Cross Aim

This depends considerably on your tactical set up. If you have a tall, strong target man it can be more than worthwhile aiming to target man. If both strikers are good in the air then mixed is the best option. If one striker is considerably faster than his opponent, aim for him at near post. If both strikers will get constantly beaten to the ball, aim for far post and hope your winger out jumps the opposing full back.


Swap Position

Best used with MCs or FCs. If you have a playmaker MC, the swap position roles will keep him as a playmaker, but sometimes drop him deeper and sometimes play him higher up the pitch. This can pull the opposition around very effectively. Likewise, a target man striker who is also fast can switch between the rare forward runs and mixed forward runs roles and, with supply balls at mixed, can run riot.


Further Settings

Player Prefered Moves

Player Prefered Moves can be used to considerably enhance your tactics. They can also considerably detract from them as well. If you have an MC with Shoots from Distance as a PPM, it will not matter if you set his Long Shots to rarely; he'll still shoot. You might prefer to have a player who looks for the pass instead of shooting, or hits killer balls in that position in his stead. It might be worthwhile having a player who Winds Up Opponents, Argues with Referees and Gets the Crowd Going in your team, it might not. You decide.

Opposition Instructions

Opposition Instructions can be used to considerably enhance your tactics.

Keeper Settings

Decent keeper settings will considerably improve your overall play.

Throwing Caution to the Winds

On occasion, you may have to abandon all tactical plans and go for the jugular in a deperate attempt to grab a goal.


Testing

As there are some formations that can still unbalance the engine, all the above has been tested with a standard four-four-two. Other formations have advantages over the AI that the four-four-two doesn’t offer and can thus bias results.


Credits

The FM-Britain Tactical Think Tank

The FM-B TTT takes these theories to a new level and their Tactical Bible articles are a must read for anyone struggling to understand the nuances of the engine.

The next Diaby
Millie
Crazy gra
Garyh
Leroy1883
Pelle mandorff
Abramovic
Rashidi
Asmodeus
Adonis

FM-Britain Staff

A more friendly, thoughtful and dedicated bunch of people would be difficult to find.

Gaz
JP
Keith (although he’ll never read it)
Fids (him neither)
Smitheh
Gaz..
Jcb
Simon

Contributors Past and Present

Without these people TT&F wouldn’t be half as extensive as it is today.

GarryWHUFC
Supersaint
Cleon
Roy
Soul
zeusbheld
THotW
Justified
thegooner
Sir Bobby Moore II
El Padre
ntfc
CB&C
Redefining Form
Tays
Neonlights
FrazT
Anyone else I may have forgotten

Useful Others

JordanC from ‘GetSacked’
Rob from ‘The Portal’
PaulC

Thanks to all those who contribute to and read TT&F. Good luck and play seriously.