Team Selection and Tactics
Picking your team is the most important job you do each week. On the tactics page, Club > Tactics, you choose a formation, your starting eleven and three substitutes, and how you want them to play. This guide explains each choice.
1. Choose a formation
The formation sets how many defenders, midfielders and forwards you play. In the free games you can choose from 3-4-3, 3-5-2, 4-3-3, 4-4-2, 5-3-2, 6-3-1.
The premier games add 4-1-4-1, 4-2-3-1, 4-2-4, 4-3-2-1, 4-5-1, 5-2-3.
Pick a formation that suits your players and takes advantage of your opponents' tactics. If your best players are midfielders, a formation with more of them gets them all on the pitch. And if the other side likes to attack, an extra defender may keep them out.
To see how your next opponents play, read the match reports from their recent games: each one shows the formation they used and gives hints about their tactics.
2. Pick your players
Fill the 11 places in the formation, then the 3 substitutes' places. The list of your squad beside it shows each player's position, rating, fitness and form, so you can see who is in shape to play.
Every player has a position (goalkeeper, defender, midfielder or forward) and a preferred place on the pitch. As you pick, the page shows whether each player is in his preferred position, in position, or out of position. Players can play out of position, but they do not play as well there.
Injured and suspended players cannot play, and tired players play below their best, so rest players who need it. The page adds up the strength of your defence, midfield and attack as you go, so you can see where your team is strong and where it is thin.
If you prefer, switch to the drag-and-drop layout and drag your players into place on the pitch.
3. Set the tempo
The tempo is how hard you want your team to play, from Take it easy to Aggressive. A higher tempo means more effort, but your players tire faster and pick up more bookings. A lower tempo saves their legs for the next match.
A high tempo can help when you need a result. Against a weaker side, or with a busy run of matches coming, a calmer tempo may serve you better.
4. Set your tactics
You choose how each part of the team plays:
- Defence: Man-To-Man Marking, Zone Marking, Sweeper System, Offside Trap
- Midfield: Support Defence, Wide Play, Keep Possession, Push Forward
- Attack: Cross Balls, Short Plays, Shoot From Distance
- Overall: Long Ball, Short Passing, Counter Attack, Defensive, Attacking
Different tactics suit different players and different opponents, and none of them is best every time. The more your team plays a tactic, the better it gets at it, so a team that sticks with its tactics tends to play them better than one that changes them every week. How quickly it learns also depends on the coaches you hire.
5. Save, and confirm before every match
Press save when you are done. Your team and tactics carry over to the next match, but you are expected to check and confirm your line-up before every match: an injury, a suspension, a tired player or a transfer can each leave a gap in it.
Your Master Account page shows a tick next to each club with a valid team selection. If you have not picked a valid team, your head coach picks one for you.
In the premier games
The premier games add advanced tactics: you can name a captain, choose who takes your penalties, free kicks and corners, offer the players a win bonus, and set substitutions to happen during a match. See Advanced Tactics.