Serpico

I've never been one for to much faffing with tactics, but all the ones I've downloaded have been absolute turd so I guess I'd better get my hands dirty.

I've spent a good few bob on a rake of new players, and by my reckoning I should be challenging the likes of WBA and Brum at the top of the Championship (season 3). However all three attempts I've had at this season have ended disastrously. So I've come here to pick your brains.

I have moderately quick defenders 13/14 or so, so I should be ok leaving the defensive line at default, yeah?

So then what?

I've taken creative freedom down to zero for all the back four so they do what I want.

Full Backs

I'd rather my full backs didn't go all gung-ho on me, so I've set forward runs to mixed and run with ball to rarely. Sound ok? Mentality?







Centre Backs

Anything look out of place here?

afeckingname

try closing the mentality gap between the CB and FB's looks quiet big there. CLoser the mentalities better the unit. Also 1st notch of defensive for your CB will probably see alot of hoof the ball to anywhere.

Serpico

First game played, even with the mentality gap, the defence looked a solid unit. The opposition didn't really have a sniff until Sidibe ran from his own half, my DCs backed off until the box where he skinned one and shot into the top corner for a 1-0 defeat.

I'm going to replay the game now without the mentality gap.

chopper99

You've got the closing down pretty low for your centre backs, which is probably why they backed off and allowed someone to run to the edge of the area to bang a goal in.

If I've set my closing down a bit lower I like to use tight, zonal marking so that the defenders look to get tight on anyone who wnaders into their 'area'.

I'd also (but this is just a personal thing) up the 'try through balls' of the full backs to mixed. If they can ping the odd decent pass then that's fine with me.

afeckingname

also you said you set your defensive line to default, that is ten, halfway between the 18 yard box and halfway line, now your CB mentality is 1 and 1 to 10 is a long long gap. that is why your defenders are so deep. think of it as him being 10 mentality points away from halfway between the 18 yard box and halfway line

Fred_the_Red

To be honest and Im not trying to stop you having fun but your putting your heart and soul into this tactic and once the full patch is released you have to redone the whole thing again.

What happen to me during the box game, beta patch and beta patch 2. Had to redone it so many times that I got sick of it.

Anyways generally defenders are 5 on menatiltiy so they can pass the ball to midfield. Ful backs should be 7 or 8 so they play a little higher up allowing suppoting your wingers.

McNugget™

Serpico is only starting his journey? Any help needed holla

Serpico

A promising start after the defensive adjustments. Only 4 goals conceded in 6 games in contrast to around a dozen before.

afeckingname

Try raising it a bit for the full backs you have them getting forward so may aswell give them a little freedom to express themselves while there up there.

james170288

do not use man marking this can leave a lot of space for through balls, i conceded so many like this until i realised this was the cause of my problems, changed it to zonal and now have the 2nd best defence in the english premier league, with reading!