Instructions for the team | Tactics Football Manager 2016 Guide

Last update: 11 May 2016

By selecting some options, you exclude others.

Instructions for the entire team are actually recommendations that, along with choosing formation, mentality and playing style define tactical aims of your team. You can specify instructions depending on the preferred playing style, but pay attention to the fact that selecting some options rules out other ones (e.g. attacking along the middle of the field excludes attacking along sides). Various instructions can be matched with various mentalities, thanks to which your team will move differently in counter attack and differently when you pick ultra-offensive settings ("Charge").

Team's playing style

Starting with settings that restricts players' behavior ("Highly Structured"), you can fluently change to settings that ensure players with more tactical freedom (Highly Flexible). Playing style influences the way players observe formation and their positioning in the field - if they are rigidly assigned to their positions, they will be trying to play obey their roles, defenders restrict themselves to defending, midfielders restrict themselves to support and forwards restrict themselves to attack. In the case of a more flexible playing style, these restrictions are blurred and players get involved into a wider variety of actions (a classic example is when outside defenders support the attack and perform raids to the opponent's penalty area). You can then expect your team play a more natural ball and exchange passes more fluently. However, this kind of settings requires better player skills and their lack may result in more frequent ball losses and exposing to counter attacks. With flexible playing style of the team, also roles of players become less important.

Mentality

The main setting that defines your team's playing style and their attitude towards winning. Standard mentality is responsible for normal formation of the team, where they focus on the defensive and offensive aspects of the game and they do not stand out in either. Moving focus slightly towards offensive play is when you need to select Control, which becomes useful when you expect to win the match and you want to impose your own pace, while remaining less exposed to counterattack. Counterattack, in the other hand is a highly defensive setting, which is useful against stronger teams that are focused on attacking. This lets you to focus more on defense and on using quick counterattacks to score goals. Attacking and Defense are about more bold behavior in these respects and they come in handy when you want to crush your opponent or avoid failure. In the case of the offensive setting, you are open to counterattacks, where defensive strips you of many opportunities to score a goal that you need to search for in set pieces. Also, there are "extreme" settings: Contain and Overload. You should be using these two only for a limited period of time and only when you are defending the result and you want to maintain it, or when you have nothing to lose and you want to score the key goal, respectively.

Instructions- defense

Defensive Line	It sets the height at which defenders are to play. The higher it is, the more offensive the formation and the more frequent offside ambushes. On the other hand, a long pass and a quick forward will be more likely to overtake a less maneuverable defender and open his way to the goal.
Close down	This is a containing setting for the players. You can either sacrifice contain to keep a dense defense line (especially if attributes of the individual defenders are not too high), or have them harass the opponents and not let them play any action (if the "Tackle" characteristic is sufficiently high in opponents, otherwise you risk spreading out the defense line).
Offside trap	Your players attempt to catch the opponent on the offside. This requires harmonization of the defense line and appropriate positioning, or you make it possible for the opponent to come to a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper.
Get stuck in	Your players will be trying to seize the ball more aggressively and with more resolve. Be careful with this instruction during matches with strict referees.
Stay on feet	Players do not perform slides. This may make it more difficult for the opponents to pass them by, especially if their "Dribbling" is not that well-developed .
Prevent short GK distribution	Instructs attackers to dash to the goalkeeper and coerce him to perform long kicks or risky passes to defenders.
Shorter cover	Players stick closer to the opponents.

Instructions - Attacking

Quick centering	Players will be trying to throw-in the ball to the penalty area, as quickly as possible. It is useful in situations, in which there is a quick player in the attacking position, with a good head play.
Look for Overlap	Holding the ball and waiting for the player that runs around. This requires a more fluent playing style, because actions usually involve outside defenders.
Shoot from each position	Players will be trying to shoot whenever they tackle the ball. It may be helpful, when you take very few shots and you have players that are capable of shooting at a long range.
Pass into penalty area	Passes between defenders. This requires players with good passing, and also quick forwards that position themselves well, if you want the effects to be as good as possible.
Centering method	You can select way in which the ball is to be thrown-in into the penalty area, depending on the player/position that you want to play to.
Run at defense	It instructs players to dribble defenders more often. It is useful if your forwards are quicker than the defenders that are trying to contain them and their "Dribbling" is well-developed.
Dribble less	Decreases the number of instances of dribbling players where, instead of this, they try to search opportunities on their own. This option is worth checking if your players are poor dribblers.
Stick to position	Sticking to the set roles and positions, limiting the players to only one aspect of game.
Roam from position	More engagement in various phases of the game, in combination with a fluent playing style, it results in more frequent instances of players' dashing out to free positions, in involving defenders into attack and mixing of formations.

Instructions - Action preparation

Exploit the flanks	It instructs throwing the ball to wingers or to outside defenders.
Pass into penalty area	Defenders will send high balls straight to forwards. This option is useful in combination with counterattack, when you want to start your action quickly.
Exploit the right flank	Selection of the wing along which most of the actions will be played. It is a very good option when you spot a gap in the opposing team - a player weaker and slower than your winger.
Exploit the left flank	Selection of the wing along which most of the actions will be played. It is a very good option when you spot a gap in the opposing team - a player weaker and slower than your winger.
Exploit the middle	Attacking along the midfield is natural, you can increase the number of actions played this way, when your formation favors defenders or when their individual surpass those of their counterparts in the opposing team.
Low Crosses	Defenders prepare actions by passing the ball over the surface.
Pass into space	Passes to blank fields, which uses the speed of your players (by default, this attribute is higher than in the players of the opposing team).
Directness of passes	Select the way in which your players are o pass the ball, ranging from short passes that result in a slower but more accurate action, to playing somewhat chaotically and looking for opportunities from somewhat chaotic centering passes.
Retain ball	It forces the players to hold the ball for a longer time.
Be more expressive	Players are now more free to act and to get involved in phases other than the ones assigned to them.
Be more disciplined	Higher tactical responsibility where players stick to roles assigned to them.

Instructions - Other

Tempo	Lowering the pace, by default, means slower actions that are, at the same time, more accurate (what is important is that payers can pass and center well and that their technique is perfect). High pace means relying on the players' physical aspects, such as acceleration and speed.
Waste time	In case of defensive formations, you can tell players to hold the ball and play to win time, especially when you are defending the current score and there is little time left until the end of the match.
Risk	You can set risk-taking by selecting "Overwhelm", at which point players do everything to score a goal, without worrying about possible loss of a goal. The opposite situation is when you check the appropriate option while "Blocking", when players are focused mainly on retaining the current score and preventing the opponent from scoring.
Play wider	A wider playing field is a choice for teams that favor long passes, involve wingers and outside defenders into actions. A more narrow playing field is an option for the teams that rely more on technique and a slower construction of the action, by means of shorter passes.

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