Tactics: the basics

Tactics are the instructions your team follows for the whole match. They do not make players stronger, but they decide how that strength is used.

The tactics screen

Above the pitch there is one row: formation, game plan and "Auto". Below it:

• the pitch with your eleven. Each marker shows the face, the surname and the skill adjusted for position, and its frame fills up with fitness. A "!" means the player is out of position. Tap a player to open "Player decisions" (on a phone, as a sheet from the bottom);
• "Line strength" — an estimate for defence, midfield and attack (how to read it);
• "Coach's advice" — plan conflicts, squad risks and short tips in one block;
• the bench (up to 7 players) and the "Not in squad" button with the rest of your players;
• the save row with the "Save squad" button.

On a wide screen the header also sums up your starting eleven: strength, average fitness, morale and form, and "Ready" — how many of the eleven can play.

Three decisions everything starts with

1. Formation — how the 11 players are arranged on the pitch. Choose it for the players you have, not the other way round. You change it in a window of mini pitches: players move to the nearest positions and nobody is dropped. The "Recommended" tag marks the formation where your squad has the highest estimate.
2. Mentality — how much risk the team takes. 5 levels, from "very defensive" to "very attacking".
3. Pressing — how actively the team wins the ball back. High pressing wins the ball closer to the opponent's goal, but players tire faster.

The game plan

All settings live in the "Game plan" drawer — the plan row above the pitch opens it ("Change plan"). At the top there are 7 ready-made plans, each with a plus and a minus: pick one and all the dials are set for you. Below, "The main dials" are mentality, pressing and tempo, and "Details" holds seven more. What each one changes is in "Tactics dials".

Moving players

1. Tap a player on the bench ("Put on the pitch"), in the "Not in squad" list, or "Move" in the decisions of a player on the pitch.
2. Tap a place on the pitch — the player goes there. A bench player swaps with whoever stood there (who goes to the bench), and two players on the pitch simply swap places.

With a mouse you can simply drag a player. "Auto" fields the strongest eleven for the formation, taking position fit into account. After "Auto", a formation change or removing a player, a message with an "Undo" button appears at the bottom — one tap puts things back.

Line strength

Three bars: defence, midfield and attack. This is an estimate, not the engine's rating: the average skill of the players in a line, adjusted for whether they play their own positions and shifted by mentality — an attacking one strengthens the attack and weakens the defence. The bars move as soon as you change the squad, the formation or the plan, so you see which way a change pushes the team. A real match also weighs attributes, fatigue and shape.

Saving

Changes save by themselves within about a second. The save row shows the state: "Saving…", "Saved" or the reason why the squad cannot be saved right now (for example, an unavailable player in the eleven). The squad and the game plan are saved separately: a problem with one does not block the other. If you close the page with unsaved changes, the browser asks first.

Conflicts in the plan

Some settings contradict each other — for example, an offside trap without a high line. The game will not save such a plan: the plan row turns red and shows the number of conflicts, and the "Game plan" highlights the dial at fault. All four conflicts and how to fix them are in "Tactics conflicts".

Duties and set pieces

In a player's decisions you set his duty — "Defend", "Neutral" or "Attack" — and assign the set-piece taker. More in "Duties and set pieces".

How to tell your tactics work

• Play 2–3 friendlies with the same tactics: one match is not a conclusion.
• Change one thing at a time, otherwise you will not know what worked.
• Watch fitness: tactics your squad cannot sustain physically fall apart in the second half.

Tactics during the match

In a live match you have up to 4 tactical changes and your substitutions (3 in cup matches, 5 in friendlies). A change takes effect from the next stoppage. Changes on the "Tactics" screen do not affect a match that is already being played — they apply from the next one. More in "Match control".