Football Manager 2014 Team Instructions

The team instructions panel in Football Manager 14 allows to quickly setup specific instructions tailoring the style of football your team will play in upcoming matches.

There are two types of team instructions, the "general" instructions where you can set the type of mentality and fluidity that your team plays with and specific "team instructions" that act the same way shouts did in previous versions of Football Manager. Here's a quick overview of what each option means and how it will affect your tactics in FM2014.

Here's what you should see before you when managing your sides Team Instructions:

Fluidity Team Instructions

Very Rigid

With this approach, each player is expected to focus on a single phase of play within a very rigid system.

Defenders are responsible only for the defensive phase, midfielders are responsible only for the transition phase and forwards are responsible only for the attacking phase.

The team will be expected to keep its shape at all times, playing very precise and controlled football with players allowed little creative freedom.

Rigid

With this approach, players are expected to contribute to fewer phases of play than with the Balanced philosophy.

Central defenders are responsible only for the defensive phase. The full backs and more defensive midfielders are responsible for both defensive and transition phases. The wingers and more attacking midfielders are responsible for both transition and attacking phases. The forwards are responsible only for the attacking phase

The team will be expected to keep it shape and play precise and controlled football with players allowed less creative freedom.

Balanced

With this approach, players are expected to contribute to more than one phase of play.

Defenders and more defensive midfielders are responsible for both defensive and transition phases and more attacking midfielders and forwards are responsible for both transition and attack phases.

The team will aim to find a balance between the movement of players within the system and keeping its shape.

Fluid

With this approach, players are expected to contribute to more phases of play than with the Balanced philosophy.

The team is split into broad attacking and defensive units with the more creative players responsible for the attacking phase and the more defensively disciplined players responsible for the defensive phase. However, players from each unit are expected to move into the transition phase when the right opportunity arises.

Very Fluid

With this approach, all the players are expected to contribute to all phases of play within a very fluid system.

Attackers must be able to defend and defenders must be able to attack, with players relying on their reading of the game and each other's movement to shift in and out of each phase at the right moment.

Important Attributes for Team Style

Rigid

A more rigid style is useful if your players lack strong mental attributes and are not gifted technically (since these are two important attributes, we really mean, if your players aren't very good or just physical brutes).

Important attributes for a rigid style of player are anticipation and positioning, since the players need to stick to their respective positions.

Fluid

When playing with a fluid mentality it's important to have strong mental attributes such as anticipation, decisions, flair, off the ball, positioning, team work and creativity. Your defenders should also have decent technical attributes in order to get involved in the attack, while your strikers should possess decent defensive attributes as well, since the whole idea of a fluid mentality is that every player contributes to every situation whether defensive or offensive.

Balanced

Choosing a balanced mentality will mean that whether your players contribute to attack or defence will be based largely on their individual player roles and duties rather than a general mentality across the entire team. When using fluid and rigid styles of play a players mentality will often be more dictated by the position the player has on the field. But when using a balanced style, the position merely acts to give the player a general area of the pitch while his specific playing style and mentality will be more dictated by the specific role and duty you assign to him.

Mentality Team Instructions

Contain

The aim of this mentality is to frustrate the opposition by reducing space, slowing things down, keeping the ball, wasting time as much as possible and to clear the ball long when out of risk-free options.

Unlike the Defensive Match Mentality, it is not looking to score on the counter-attack, just not to concede.

As possession and frustration is the priority, more players than usual will be kept behind the ball.

Defensive

This mentality is best employed for matches that you are favourites to lose and in which you expect your opponent to put you under extended pressure.

It aims to keep men behind the ball, to restrict space in your half, to slow things down and to frustrate the opposition.

It relies on direct balls to the forwards followed by sharp and quick passing to score goals on the counter.

Counter

This mentality is best employed for matches in which you expect to lose the battle for possession but you feel you can break with some regularity.

It aims to keep men behind the ball when defending but to provide quick support to attacking players when the ball is in the final third.

It relies on getting the ball forward quickly enough to expose the spaces behind the aggressive full-backs and wingers, with players tending to stay deeper and maintain defensive shape if the break looks like coming to nothing.

Standard

This is arguably the most important of all match mentalities. By carefully balancing risk and reward, it enables a manager to assess the match situation and how well the team is playing prior to switching to a more specilaised tactical plan.

It is an ideal starting mentality for all the short-odds matches; by carefully watching the match the manager can then decide to be more aggressive or cautious or to stick with the standard approach if things are going well.

Control

This mentality is best employed for matches in which you believe you are the stronger team but are wary of your opponent's counter-attacking threat.

It aims to move the ball around the park and to patiently probe the final third to find space as and when it opens up.

Although full-backs overlap and midfielders break ahead of the forwards, they will generally only do so during relatively risk-free situations and will usually sit back and help the midfield maintain possession until chances open up.

Attacking

This mentality is best employed for matches that you are favourites to win and expect to dominate possession in your opponents half.

It aims to exploit the space in the final third by employing a fast tempo and direct, attacking passing supported by a defensive mentality aimed at recycling possession.

It focuses heavily on getting players forward and into space and allows them the creative freedom to express themselves.

Overload

This mentality is intended for situations where you need to go for broke to try and score a goal.

It aims to overload the final third by employing an ultra-fast tempo, ultra direct, attacking-orientated passing supported by defensive mentality aimed at recycling possession.

It focuses heavily on throwing players forward and into space to try to create goalscoring opportunities.

Specific Team Instructions

You can set specific team instructions by clicking "Edit" next to the title "Instructions". You will then see a screen like the one below. When selecting an option such as "Stay on feet", a related option such as "Get stuck in" may turn red. This is because the two instructions contradict each other so you cannot give your players both instructions at the same time.



Here's a quick overview of what each team instruction means in Football Manager 2014:

Possession

Go Route One

Instructs your players to look to get the ball into the attacking third with increased urgency, playing long balls over the midfield and into dangerous attacking areas quickly.

More Direct Passing

Instructs your players to adopt a style of passing based around a quicker transition from back to front, with the ball covering long distances in a quicker amount of time.

Retain Possession

Instructs your players to prioritise keeping hold of the ball.

Shorter Passing

Instructs your players to adopt a style of play based around shorter passing and greater ball retention.

Pass Into Space

Instructs your players to look to make passes into space.

Work Ball Into Box

Instructs your players to work hard for their opening, remaining patient and not forcing the issue.

Play Out Of Defence

Encourages defenders to pass their way clear from the back rather than clear the ball long.

Pump Ball Into Box

Instructs your players to launch high, long-range passes into the opposition's penalty area.

Clear Ball To Flanks

Instructs your players to look to make their clearances into wider areas to be picked up by attacking players.

Hit Early Crosses

Instructs players to cross the ball early.

Float Crosses

Instructs your players to play high, floating crosses into the penalty area with the intention for the ball to hang in the air and allow a forward to position himself accordingly to take advantage.

Drill Crosses

Instructs your players to play quick and powerful crosses into the penalty area with the intention of catching a defender off guard against a quicker forward with good movement.

Run At Defence

Instruct players to run at the opposition more than your tactics allow by default.

Shoot On Sight

Instructs your players to shoot when the opportunity arises instead of waiting for a more clear-cut opening.

Penetration

Exploit The Flanks

Instructs your players to look to take full advantage of wing play, perhaps due to an opposition weakness.

Exploit The Left Flank

Instructs your players to look to take full advantage of the left wing, perhaps due to an opposition weakness.

Exploit The Right Flank

Instructs your players to look to take full advantage of the right wing, perhaps due to an opposition weakness.

Exploit The Middle

Instructs your players to look to take full advantage of playing through the middle, perhaps due to an opposition weakness.

Look For Overlap

Instructs your players to hold onto the ball and look for an overlapping player in support, most likely a marauding full-back.

Shape

Play Wider

Instructs your players to look to stretch the pitch and play wider.

Play Narrower

Instructs your players to look to narrow the field and play in the middle of the pitch.

Much Higher Defensive Line

Instructs your players to adopt a much higher position on the pitch, closer to the halfway line, in a bid to compress the space in which the opposition can play whilst remaining close to their midfield team-mates.

Push Higher Up

Instructs your players to play higher up the pitch, starting with the line the defence holds, which should be close to the halfway line if this option is chosen.

Drop Deeper

Instructs your players to retreat into their own territory and defend it from there.

Much Deeper Defensive Line

Instructs your players to adopt a much deeper position on the pitch, retreating into a more compact shape closer to their own goal to prevent the opposition from exploiting space in behind them.

Stick To Positions

Instructs players to stick to their primary duties in their assigned position. It does not allow for fluidity of movement.

Roam From Positions

Instructs players to be more creative and fluid with their position locations on the pitch, demanding sufficient tactical awareness so one player is able to fill in for another who has roamed from his position.

Allow Wide Players to Swap

Allows two wide players to swap their respective sides at intermittent periods during play.

Defending

Hassle Opponents

Instructs your players to give the opposition little time and space on the ball, attempting to force a mistake.

Stand Off Opponents

Instructs your players to give the opposition more time, retreat into a defensive shape and minimise the risk of being opened up.

Get Stuck In

Instructs your players to be aggressive and strong in the tackle. This may increase the risk of fouls and disciplinary action.

Stay On Feet

Instructs your players to stay on their feet when making tackles instead of going to ground.

Use Tighter Marking

Instructs players to adopt a tighter marking scheme in defensive situations where players are encouraged to stick particularly close to their assigned opponent in order to prevent them from attacking the ball.

Use Offside Trap

Instructs the team to operate with the offside trap.

General

Take A Breather

Instructs your players to keep hold of the ball but simply take a moment to recover physically before attacking again.

Much Higher Tempo

Instructs the team to go about their business in a more urgent fashion, moving the ball around quickly and decisively, using the intensity of their approach to unsettle the opposition and eventually tire them out.

Higher Tempo

Instructs the team to go about their business in an urgent fashion, moving the ball around quickly and decisively, using the intensity of their approach to unsettle the opposition.

Lower Tempo

Instructs the team to go about their business in a considered and patient manner, taking their time with the ball and often retaining possession in order to retain control of the game.

Much Lower Tempo

Instructs the team to go about their business in a more considered and patient manner, taking their time with the ball and often retaining possession with no great short-term purpose, with the intention to retain control of the game.

Be More Expressive

Allows more creative players the freedom to play the game with additional creativity and flair outside of the confines of a team's tactical setup

Be More Disciplined

Asks players to play as part of a robust and focused tactical shape in order to make the team a stronger collective group. It may come at the expense of some individual expression.