Choosing a Tactical Style

The first stage of creating your tactic is to choose a tactical style that suits your players and your personal preferences.

This involves choosing a playing style and formation. You may also want to consider system specialisation and fluidity.

Alternatively, you can use a preset tactic to automatically implement a tactical style straight away. However, if you use a preset tactic then it is likely that you will still need to customise the preset tactical instructions in order to ensure that your tactic as a whole is logical and that it is suitable for your players. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you follow the rest of this guide, which will help you to do this.

UI:

• Tactics > Overview tab
  • Tactics drop-down > Presets…
    • Enables you to implement a tactical style with preset team instructions, formation, and player roles and duties.
  • Tactical Style drop-down
    • Enables you to implement a playing style with preset team instructions but does not set a formation, or player roles or duties.

Playing Styles

Aim: to choose, and begin to implement, a playing style according to how you want your team as a whole to play.

A playing style can be created by combining a core style, an attacking style and a defensive style. You can therefore choose and implement a playing style by choosing and implementing each of these individually.

At this stage you need only implement a basic core style, attacking style and defensive style.

UI:

• Tactics > Overview tab
  • Team Mentality drop-down
    • Enables you to set a basic core style.
  • In Possession panel > team Passing Directness slider
    • Enables you to set a basic attacking style.
  • Out Of Possession panel > team Pressing Intensity slider
    • Enables you to set a basic defensive style.

Read the full Playing Styles guide …

Formations

Aim: to choose and set a formation that gives your team’s playing system a good structural basis.

UI:

• Tactics > Overview tab
  • Formation drop-down
    • Enables you to set a formation. You can then drag the playing position icons on the Formation graphic to customise the formation if desired.

Read the full Formations guide …

System Specialisation & Fluidity

System specialisation and system fluidity are two concepts that you may want to incorporate into your tactical style when you choose player roles and duties. However, they are optional considerations and so can be ignored if you have no particular preferences.

Read the full System Specialisation & Fluidity guide …

System Specialisation Levels

Aim: to choose a system specialisation level according to how you want your players to play as individual ‘parts’ of your playing system.

You will implement your system specialisation level when choosing player roles and duties.

System Fluidity Levels

Aim: to choose a system fluidity level according to how you want your players to interchange within your playing system.

You will implement your system fluidity level when choosing player roles and duties.