Tactics
Five settings, all team-wide and fixed for the whole match. None of them is a formation: the shape is whatever you drew on the grid.
The five settings#
| Setting | Options | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Game style | Super Defensive, Defensive, Normal, Attacking, Super Attacking | Tilts the team's effective skills between defence and attack. The defensive settings strengthen the defensive work at the expense of the attacking, the attacking settings the reverse, and Normal is neutral |
| Attack direction | All, Left, Center, Right, Both Flanks | A mild preference for passes towards that side of the pitch |
| Shots allow | Close shots, Medium shots, Long shots | A hard limit on shooting distance: 18 m, 24 m or 30 m from goal. Nobody shoots from further out, whatever the situation |
| Defensive line | High, Medium, Low | How far up the pitch the back line holds |
| Pressing | High, Medium, Low | How aggressively a player who is already responsible for pressure closes and commits |
Reading them#
Shots allow is a limit, not a preference. With Close shots nobody shoots from outside 18 metres, so a strong long-range shooter waits for a better chance; with Long shots he may shoot from 30, but nothing makes him do so. Game style is the setting with the widest effect, since it moves every player's effective skills for the whole 90 minutes. Defensive line is the trade between holding the play far up the pitch and the space behind the defence; the offside trap is part of the simulation and a higher line plays into it.
Pressing#
Pressing does not send all ten outfield players charging at the ball. Your tactical system decides when pressure is needed and who owns it. This setting changes how that responsible player carries out the job.
High#
Earlier, harder closing and more willingness to challenge. Stamina work and post-match Energy both use ×1.20.
Medium#
Balanced engagement and containment. Stamina work and post-match Energy both use ×1.00.
Low#
More conservative containment and later commitment. Stamina work and post-match Energy both use ×0.80.
The Stamina factor applies to physical work, not simply to having the setting selected. High normally costs more because responsible players work harder and that work is more demanding. Goalkeepers do not receive this in-match Pressing factor.
There is no live control once the match has started: the five settings, the lineup and the substitution rules are the whole of your influence. A friendly is the place to try a setting before a match that counts.
See also The match