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So after my first season, during which I won the Premier League, Champions League and League Cup, I decided to share my tactic in case anyone is interested.
I tried to develop something that is similar to that used by Mourinho and Man Utd, so I use a back four, with a full back (attack) on the right and a wing back on the left (support). There is then a defensive midfielder, a roaming playmaker and an attacking midfielder. On the right I have a wide midfielder and a inside forward on the left. The lone striker is a target man. The idea is that the right side sees a deeper winger but a more attacking right back, whereas the left has a deeper left back and more attack orientated winger. The team is set-up to avoid any gaps in midfield, allowing for control. I use a low tempo and possession based game.
Overall I have had an excellent defence, conceding only 19 in the league, going forward it can also be a killer with 84 goals, the best in the league. Lukaku also finished top goalscorer in both the league (31) and Champions League (8). The highlights had to be the 8-0 thumping of City over the two PL games and the 6-1 victory over Leipzig in the CL.
The way I approach the team is by having a first 11 and a back-up 11.
So De Gea, Valencia, Bailly, Lindelof, Shaw (Digne after January), Matic, Pogba, Mkhitaryan, Mata, Martial, Lukaku as the main eleven. Romero, Darmian, Jones, Rojo, Young (Shaw after January), Blind, Herrera, Lindgard, Fellaini, Rashford and Ibrahimovic as back-up. The back-up players can all play for the reserves (45 minutes, except Romero who is available for 90). Other first team squad players (Young after January, Smalling until he was sold, Wilson) are available for 60.
I will usually select the first 11 for most games using only the back-up for injuries, suspensions, or tired players. If I have a heavy fixture list I will alternate several players to keep the team somewhat fresh. For FA Cup and League Cup games I usually play my entire back-up team, giving the likes of Romero some game time to prevent too much unhappiness. The B team can also be played against small league teams if needed.
The fact players play in the reserves means they remain fit and ready to play, meaning less need to rotate. I will also try and send as many of my reserve squad out on loan (to teams willing to give them a first team or key player role), this means my squad players get more time in the reserves and my reserves get needed experience in competitive football.
For the training, as I use Touch (for the first time, as I do not have as much time to delve totally into the full version), I will set to TEAM COHESION/HIGH during July, then FITNESS/HIGH during August. Then BALANCED/AVERAGE for the rest of the season, but in January I use FITNESS/AVERAGE to give the players a little boost for the second half of the season, it prevents that performance drop that can sometimes occur. On the full version of the game, one would need to experiment, but I think BALANCED with match focus on ATTACK would make sense. I also assign each player to the specific role he will play, so BLIND as back-up to MATIC is trained as a defensive mid, not a WB.
I began the season with the formation set-up but tinkered with the roles and duties until I found something that was well balanced, meaning I started to concede a little more, but scored more and created more going forward. By the final third of the season, I had my tactic more of less how I wanted it.
For opposition instructions, I usually let my assistant select and add close down always and show onto weaker foot to the goalkeeper. I refresh this at half-time to reflect play and sometimes when the opposition makes a sub. If Aguero or Hazard enter the match, you'll want some instructions put onto them.
I have started my second season, and won the community shield before losing to Juventus in the European Super Cup (Matic was sent off in the second minute, which left me fighting for most of the match). However, I have had three straight wins in the league.
If a player is sent off, I usually remove the attacking mid, and keep the mentality and fluidity the same. If I am leading by one goal in the 85th minute, I will usually switch to contain and structured, just to give myself the best chance.
If someone does try this on the full version of the game, I would be interested in feedback, especially regarding training.
I tried to develop something that is similar to that used by Mourinho and Man Utd, so I use a back four, with a full back (attack) on the right and a wing back on the left (support). There is then a defensive midfielder, a roaming playmaker and an attacking midfielder. On the right I have a wide midfielder and a inside forward on the left. The lone striker is a target man. The idea is that the right side sees a deeper winger but a more attacking right back, whereas the left has a deeper left back and more attack orientated winger. The team is set-up to avoid any gaps in midfield, allowing for control. I use a low tempo and possession based game.
Overall I have had an excellent defence, conceding only 19 in the league, going forward it can also be a killer with 84 goals, the best in the league. Lukaku also finished top goalscorer in both the league (31) and Champions League (8). The highlights had to be the 8-0 thumping of City over the two PL games and the 6-1 victory over Leipzig in the CL.
The way I approach the team is by having a first 11 and a back-up 11.
So De Gea, Valencia, Bailly, Lindelof, Shaw (Digne after January), Matic, Pogba, Mkhitaryan, Mata, Martial, Lukaku as the main eleven. Romero, Darmian, Jones, Rojo, Young (Shaw after January), Blind, Herrera, Lindgard, Fellaini, Rashford and Ibrahimovic as back-up. The back-up players can all play for the reserves (45 minutes, except Romero who is available for 90). Other first team squad players (Young after January, Smalling until he was sold, Wilson) are available for 60.
I will usually select the first 11 for most games using only the back-up for injuries, suspensions, or tired players. If I have a heavy fixture list I will alternate several players to keep the team somewhat fresh. For FA Cup and League Cup games I usually play my entire back-up team, giving the likes of Romero some game time to prevent too much unhappiness. The B team can also be played against small league teams if needed.
The fact players play in the reserves means they remain fit and ready to play, meaning less need to rotate. I will also try and send as many of my reserve squad out on loan (to teams willing to give them a first team or key player role), this means my squad players get more time in the reserves and my reserves get needed experience in competitive football.
For the training, as I use Touch (for the first time, as I do not have as much time to delve totally into the full version), I will set to TEAM COHESION/HIGH during July, then FITNESS/HIGH during August. Then BALANCED/AVERAGE for the rest of the season, but in January I use FITNESS/AVERAGE to give the players a little boost for the second half of the season, it prevents that performance drop that can sometimes occur. On the full version of the game, one would need to experiment, but I think BALANCED with match focus on ATTACK would make sense. I also assign each player to the specific role he will play, so BLIND as back-up to MATIC is trained as a defensive mid, not a WB.
I began the season with the formation set-up but tinkered with the roles and duties until I found something that was well balanced, meaning I started to concede a little more, but scored more and created more going forward. By the final third of the season, I had my tactic more of less how I wanted it.
For opposition instructions, I usually let my assistant select and add close down always and show onto weaker foot to the goalkeeper. I refresh this at half-time to reflect play and sometimes when the opposition makes a sub. If Aguero or Hazard enter the match, you'll want some instructions put onto them.
I have started my second season, and won the community shield before losing to Juventus in the European Super Cup (Matic was sent off in the second minute, which left me fighting for most of the match). However, I have had three straight wins in the league.
If a player is sent off, I usually remove the attacking mid, and keep the mentality and fluidity the same. If I am leading by one goal in the 85th minute, I will usually switch to contain and structured, just to give myself the best chance.
If someone does try this on the full version of the game, I would be interested in feedback, especially regarding training.
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