Season 42

[dv8r]

i think you're taking it way too hard on yourself. You were gone for 90% of the season and yet won the league and went into CL final. But the team obviously underperformed due to you not following the matches all through the season. With my alts accounts i notice i seriously continuosly lose to a lot weaker teams not following matches, and it repeats even if i come back for 3-4 of them. You should slowly rebuild you team yet not crushing it brand new. After all you are one of the very few people out there who held a player able to score over 60 goals per season for a lot of seasons. You should consider also a revamp to your module and tactics much more than using new players, it will both make the game funnier to play, give you new ideas and ways of play it, and make you brainload over exploring new ways. Using the same old 4-5-1 / butterfly setup for endles seasons counting more on the Quality then on the adptability is just boring, and basically, surpassed.

BTW, most of my players apart 4-5 ranges between 6,5 and 6,9 avg, which i for me a good enough score. I'd be good even on a 6, and not good on everything less than it.

Hmm what do you suggest I do? I'm not sure about countering formations all the time either... Any tips?

[Morgan O'Bree]

Hmm what do you suggest I do? I'm not sure about countering formations all the time either... Any tips?

I'll tell you what i usually do for every match and generally every season:

1)I rejuvenate my team with about 3 young players, one per sector or basically where the previous star player won't retain or will cost a lot to retain what for me is the set quality as main 11 player.

2)I do PT with the criteria of having 1 player per sector which can jump into another one (IE: DC/DMC/MC, MC/MR/DMR, ML/AML/ST) so basically with no subs or just one i can cover all the possible formations of the game, and if not, most of them.

3)for every match, i just basically try to spot the weakness of the other team: i never ONCE followed any counter-formation thread on here, rather i just try to figure myself what would counter that formation.

3a) if i'm stronger, i sacrifice one player from a side (example, leaving 1 mc facing his 2 mcs) to add it into a weak zone (IEn a 3W defense, i alwais use AML/AMR with reds on simply because i believe with them pressuring the sides of defense, my 2 ST are in superiority whenever their DC is left alone).

3b) Unless the opponent lacks totally sides or middle, i alwais play mixed: first, it let all the team touch the ball (hence you see less bad ratings - and the ones you see are clearly underperforming players who you can bench in the meanwhile)and mostly second, that way i play in the zone my opponent has chosen to play. PLaying on flanks against teams playing through middle (ie ND) surely lets you expose their weakness, but same time, since you avoid your own middle, let them expose YOUR weak points. If to that you add your MC don't touch the ball (you play on flanks), it's very probable the engine will mark them as <6 ratings hence the opponent will have easy way there.

3c) if i'm stronger, i'll squash them. Full pitch is vital for any stronger team. Leaving them space to pressure, even if unnoticed, will lead to more chanches for them, and eventually they'll score on a fluke. I never use own half pressing, as i never once remember it worked good unless maybe you play defensive, long ball, counter on.

4)1 ST alone won't cut it VS any defense with a 4back. Even using reds on ams, you'll get less chanches of what you should. On top, if your ST underperforms, or your AM don't score his usual 60 goals per season, you suffer. What was the last time you had your ST score more than your wingers? Leave the proper job to the proper role.

5) if i'm doubting if a module could work or not, i usually choose among my top 3 favourites and set up a team able to morph into any of those 3 choiches without using up all subs: if it means a 8* player should start from bench, i do not care. Sometimes sacrificing a great good can bring forth a greater one, don't rely only in your top11.

Basically, it all comes down to intuition and brain-storming. i do not keep the same module twice in the league, and i alwais modify it against even 20Q less teams.

In the end, what i advice you is to take a two steps proget on Perfect Tactics: rejuvenate the team with 3 players going to be main 11, than take in 2-3 young (must be 18yo) as benchers. PT the first 3 into 6-7-8 stars whatever, and let the second batch grow without PTing them, or lightly doing it. The first 3 will be your main reinforcements of the season, while you'll be preparing the second batch of three to take the roles, in 1 or 2 seasons, of the players you'll know to be going to be out of optimal PT window, or just to be too old to be still main 11 from here into 1 or 2 seasons in the future. Add to that 1/2/3 possible good scouts from the list and you got yourself a team which is able to go through several seasons. After 1/2 seasons, PT heavily the second batch of players and take in a new batch as benchers. Repeat endlessy and you got the maximum result with minimum effort.

Above all, i find this way a lot more fun than the mere "pt them all".

I took Flanagan, Blaze, Tenma, Parker as reserves two seasons ago, they were all 18yo. In the second one they were 19 and still reserves, but catched up, in the 3rd they are main 11 on 7* avg, and i spent on them half of the tokens i'd have done by PT'ing them. Scouts from list held their position warm waiting for them to be ready, and as scouts, now that they got down on 6* or 5*, they replaced the youngsters into being benchers. Pretty handy :P

Might write a more complete and real guid in the future, if you might find some good stuff from this mixed **** xD

[dv8r]

3b) Unless the opponent lacks totally sides or middle, i alwais play mixed: first, it let all the team touch the ball (hence you see less bad ratings - and the ones you see are clearly underperforming players who you can bench in the meanwhile)and mostly second, that way i play in the zone my opponent has chosen to play. PLaying on flanks against teams playing through middle (ie ND) surely lets you expose their weakness, but same time, since you avoid your own middle, let them expose YOUR weak points. If to that you add your MC don't touch the ball (you play on flanks), it's very probable the engine will mark them as <6 ratings hence the opponent will have easy way there

So mixed passing is better?

And what do you mean by "let them expose my weak points"?

[Morgan O'Bree]

So mixed passing is better?

And what do you mean by "let them expose my weak points"?

In real football, teams playing on flanks will have the central mids and defenders take a lot more time for "enter the game", hence their reaction at the start and sometimes for all the match will be slightly delayed, hence create openings for the opponent.

If i would translate it in t11 form, your dcs, dmc, mcs will score a lower rating, and when even weak opponents will face them, their low rate will be calculated into the simulation hence, sometimes (more often if you face simar qualities like in cup), they will be passed. That's partially why you see 3* players performing as 9*, like you often say. Point is, it's not them rather than your players where problems lays.

[dv8r]

In real football, teams playing on flanks will have the central mids and defenders take a lot more time for "enter the game", hence their reaction at the start and sometimes for all the match will be slightly delayed, hence create openings for the opponent.

If i would translate it in t11 form, your dcs, dmc, mcs will score a lower rating, and when even weak opponents will face them, their low rate will be calculated into the simulation hence, sometimes (more often if you face simar qualities like in cup), they will be passed. That's partially why you see 3* players performing as 9*, like you often say. Point is, it's not them rather than your players where problems lays.

I guess next season I'll have to try something out then... I did play full pitch today and I won 0-5. I was playing with pressing the own half and with counter attack but that doesn't always work.

So what do you (yourself) do when you are playing against a weaker opponent and you
A) are being outplayed
B) can't score (their 3* playing like 9*)

Just wanted to get some insight in the way you play

[Morgan O'Bree]

I guess next season I'll have to try something out then... I did play full pitch today and I won 0-5. I was playing with pressing the own half and with counter attack but that doesn't always work.

So what do you (yourself) do when you are playing against a weaker opponent and you
A) are being outplayed
B) can't score (their 3* playing like 9*)

Just wanted to get some insight in the way you play

I'll be frank but please do not take it as showing off. In 7 seasons, it happened twice to me to be pressured instead of pressuring the opponents: once was when i lost 2-0 home in cup this season, and once was last season's second leg's first half against Kaiserslauten. While in the first case i was working and couldn't do jack ****, in the second case i was facing a 4-3-3 with a 4-4-2 classic which wasn't working like in the first leg, so i thought that even having one more MC wasn't enough, as well as my defenders were probably suffering: i picked one MC of the two i had (the one which was shown as "committing fouls" and "refuging in corner kick" and subbed him, while i also subbed my 7* DC which wasn't mentioned once on their attacks. In the second half i squashed him and went from 2-0 to 2-3.

Against stronger teams, i never once was being outplayed, rather i've outplayed alwais them apart from the usual 5-10 mins per time in which your pressure has to diminish.

Finally, to answer your question, i usually sub one of my ST (my 3 subs are alwais: ST, MC, one between DC or a AM) as to have fresh men on the pitch, and if that isn't enough, i move the MR/ML to AMs, and turn to man to man marking and hard tackling. I never change into offensive type as when you suffer, you're likely to take in a counter.

As golden rule, i can tell you that whenever i face teams 8+ Q lower than me and the pressure bar isn't at about 65% or more on my favour, then that's a sign something is wrong with either a player or the module.

[dv8r]

I'll be frank but please do not take it as showing off. In 7 seasons, it happened twice to me to be pressured instead of pressuring the opponents: once was when i lost 2-0 home in cup this season, and once was last season's second leg's first half against Kaiserslauten. While in the first case i was working and couldn't do jack ****, in the second case i was facing a 4-3-3 with a 4-4-2 classic which wasn't working like in the first leg, so i thought that even having one more MC wasn't enough, as well as my defenders were probably suffering: i picked one MC of the two i had (the one which was shown as "committing fouls" and "refuging in corner kick" and subbed him, while i also subbed my 7* DC which wasn't mentioned once on their attacks. In the second half i squashed him and went from 2-0 to 2-3.

Against stronger teams, i never once was being outplayed, rather i've outplayed alwais them apart from the usual 5-10 mins per time in which your pressure has to diminish.

Finally, to answer your question, i usually sub one of my ST (my 3 subs are alwais: ST, MC, one between DC or a AM) as to have fresh men on the pitch, and if that isn't enough, i move the MR/ML to AMs, and turn to man to man marking and hard tackling. I never change into offensive type as when you suffer, you're likely to take in a counter.

As golden rule, i can tell you that whenever i face teams 8+ Q lower than me and the pressure bar isn't at about 65% or more on my favour, then that's a sign something is wrong with either a player or the module.

So what do you normally play with? As in terms with orders..

And I'm still trying to come to terms with passing style... I always have it on mixed and when I put it on short... not a lot changes for me