The risk of a playing style is determined by the risk of the implemented style methods and the extent to which they are implemented. Higher risk and lower risk style methods are summarised in the Playing Style Composition guide, where higher risk style methods are shown on the left and lower risk style methods on the right.
You can generate an automatic tactical analysis of the team and player instructions in your tactic by using the Playing Style Implementation Style Analyser.
Introduction & Style Analyser
Playing Style Composition | Playing Style Risk | Transition Play Tactics
High Risk & Low Risk Playing Styles
Advantages
Implementing higher risk style methods to a greater extent can be useful if you are managing a high ability team, relative to the opposition teams.
Higher risk style methods in possession can enable your team to take advantage of its higher ability by focusing more on creating space and penetrating space, which makes it easier to create goal-scoring chances. The greater the relative ability of your team, in terms of attacking abilities in particular, the more likely you are to benefit from implementing higher risk style methods in possession.
Higher risk style methods out of possession can enable your team to take advantage of its higher ability by focusing more on restricting space, which makes it easier to win possession. The greater the relative ability of your team, in terms of defensive abilities in particular, the more likely you are to benefit from implementing higher risk style methods out of possession.
Implementing lower risk style methods to a greater extent can be useful if you are managing a low ability team, relative to the opposition teams.
Lower risk style methods in possession can enable your team to cover for its lower ability by focusing more on keeping possession, which reduces the time the opposition teams have in possession, and by focusing more on retaining solidity, which makes it easier to protect space after possession is conceded. The lower the relative ability of your team, in terms of attacking abilities in particular, the more likely you are to benefit from implementing lower risk style methods in possession.
Lower risk style methods out of possession can enable your team to cover for its lower ability by focusing more on protecting space, which makes it easier to prevent goal-scoring chances for the opposition teams, and by focusing more on avoiding committing fouls, which reduces the number of chances conceded from free-kicks and penalties, as well as reducing the number of bookings. The lower the relative ability of your team, in terms of defensive abilities in particular, the more likely you are to benefit from implementing lower risk style methods out of possession.
Disadvantages
However, implementing higher risk style methods to too great an extent, taking into account relative ability, can cause problems for your team.
Too many higher risk style methods in possession can cause your team to fail to keep possession effectively, which increases the time the opposition teams have in possession, and to fail to retain solidity effectively, which makes it difficult to protect space after possession is conceded.
Too many higher risk style methods out of possession can cause your team to fail to protect space effectively, which makes it difficult to prevent goal-scoring chances for the opposition teams, and to commit fouls excessively, which concedes further chances from free-kicks and penalties, as well as resulting in numerous bookings.
Similarly, implementing lower risk style methods to too great an extent, taking into account relative ability, can also cause problems for your team.
Too many lower risk style methods in possession can cause your team to fail to create space and penetrate space effectively, which makes it difficult to create goal-scoring chances.
Too many lower risk style methods out of possession can cause your team to fail to restrict space effectively, which makes it difficult to win possession.
Balancing Playing Style Risk
If desired, you can balance the risk of your playing style (to varying extents) by either:
- Adding or increasing the implementation of style methods of opposing risk.
- Removing or reducing the implementation of style methods of similar risk.
To lower the risk of your playing style you can add or increase lower risk style methods or remove or reduce higher risk style methods.
To increase the risk of your playing style you can add or increase higher risk style methods or remove or reduce lower risk style methods.
Both ‘natural’ and ‘neutral’ style methods are particularly useful for adding to a playing style in order to balance risk. However, there are no such style methods available in the cases of attacking football and defensive football. Therefore, you may want to consider ‘contrasting’ style methods as an alternative option, or simply remove or reduce already implemented style methods.
You can also use the In Transition team instructions Counter, Hold Shape, Counter-Press and Regroup to balance risk, which will be explained in the Transition Play Tactics guide.
In Possession and Out of Possession
Style methods in possession can be used to balance risk in possession, while style methods out of possession can be used to balance risk out of possession.
However, both types of style method can be used to balance overall risk.
Excessive high risk style methods, both in and out of possession, ultimately make it difficult to prevent goal-scoring chances, and this can be balanced by low risk style methods, either in or out of possession, which ultimately make it easier to prevent goal-scoring chances.
Similarly, excessive low risk style methods, both in and out of possession, ultimately make it difficult to create goal-scoring chances, and this can be balanced by high risk style methods, either in or out of possession, which ultimately make it easier to create goal-scoring chances.
Natural Risk of Playing Styles
Particular types of playing style tend to naturally involve particular levels of risk, which may need balancing accordingly, as follows:
- Attacking football – high risk in possession and out of possession
- Defensive football – low risk in possession and out of possession
- Direct plays – fairly high risk in possession
- Short plays – fairly low risk in possession
- Aggressive defending – high risk out of possession
- Cautious defending – low risk out of possession
Combining these playing styles combines the risk accordingly. For example, aggressive pass and move football (attacking football + short plays + aggressive defending) tends to naturally involve fairly high risk in possession and very high risk out of possession.
Related Guides
Other Playing Style Implementation Guides
Related Tactics Guides
- Playing Style Balance – tactical theory guide.
