FM12: Improving The Match Analysis Screen (Passes Received & Passing Relationships)
In my opinion one of the most useful features introduced to Football Manager over recent years has been the “match analysis” screen – and I appear to be in good company if the regular appearance of passing charts and heat maps on forum threads and in Football Manager articles are anything to go by.
Just as real life managers rely on information provided by technologies such as Opta or miCoach, it seems the Football Manager player is becoming increasingly dependant on the visual tools of the match analysis screen to help identify the strengths and weaknesses of their (or their opponent’s) tactics.
And there is a wealth of information available here: shots, scoring chances, passes, tackles, interceptions, aerial duals, runs, crosses – all of which are broken down depending on the outcome – not forgetting the heat and average position maps, designed to help us understand player movement and positioning – and yet I have found myself wanting more…
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FM12: Two Legged Cup Ties – Home or Away First?
Picture the scene: the Champions League has reached the knockout stage and the continent’s finest managers and players have assembled for the draw. Centre stage sits a glass bowl containing several miniature “footballs”, one of which holds the name of your team inside. As the teams are drawn one by one, what are you hoping for? Do you want your team to be drawn at home for the first leg or would you prefer to finish the tie in front of your own fans? Does it really make a difference anyway?
When it comes to two legged cup ties is there any advantage in being drawn home or away for the opening game – to find out we took a look at the way forty-four ties played out in the UEFA Champions League and Europa League over one Football Manager season.
FM12 Newgens: Scandinavia
Every Football Manager dreams of signing tomorrow’s stars today, signing the best young talent and nurturing them through those formative early years can be invaluable – whether it is to enhance the long-term prospects of your side on the pitch or boost your bank balance off it, by selling the player for a sizeable profit later.
Commonly referred to as “newgens” (newly generated players), these youngsters are added to the game during pre-season. Some newgens will be destined to reach the very top of the game, others will undoubtedly fall into lower league obscurity – so it makes sense to know what to expect from your chosen nations and how to get the best from your scouting network.
FM12: A Pressing Matter – (My Sporting Clube de Portugal Tactic)
Shortly after writing the article Interceptions – The Art of Modern Defending I went back to my game-save as Sporting Clube de Portugal and began refining my tactical approach in order to make the most of the team’s interceptions. In the following article I aim to share with you the end result and invite your thoughts on the tactic’s potential strengths and weaknesses.
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FM12: Aerial Supremacy (What Makes A Player Good At Headers)
I recently read an article posted over at zonalmarking.net about the different qualities that make a player a good header of the ball, this got me thinking – how do the various attributes used by Football Manager combine to give a player the edge in an aerial battle?
FM12: Interceptions – The Art of Modern Defending
“GET INTO ‘EM!” – a cry from the stands all too familiar to English fans weaned on the game during the seventies, eighties and early nineties. And how many of us have looked to the “get stuck in” touchline shout when a game of Football Manager isn’t going our way? But should we really consider tackling as the principal art of defending?
As the game has developed with teams like Barcelona hitting so many passes, and at pace, modern defending has had to become more ‘ball-focused’ – that is to say the very best defensive units look to close down space and force their opponents into making a difficult pass. They do so knowing that the increased the likelihood of a miss placed pass will lead to an interception and, thereby, a turn-around in possession.
FM12: Asymmetrical Symmetrical Formations (by Lee Scott of FM Analysis)
Following the interest in his last article Making 4-4-2 Current And Effective, I am over the moon to be introducing yet another fantastic tactical study by Forza (Lee Scott). In today’s piece Lee examines how to turn a seemingly ordinary symmetrical formation into an attacking asymmetrical tactic using individual player instructions to devastating effect, and it is inspiring stuff! – Dan.
This article as with so many others that I have written has come after I found inspiration in the ‘real’ football world. Where though did I get the inspiration? From Michael Cox or Jonathan Wilson? Perhaps from Jose Mourinho, Andre Villas Boas or Marcelo Biesla? Well not quite. The inspiration for this article actually comes from the tactical lessons of one Harry Redknapp…
FM12: The Sir Alex Ferguson Experiment
Countless books and articles have been written on the personality traits and skill sets that go together in making the perfect football coach. But in the world of Football Manager these magic ingredients are more readily identified as a series of attributes.
But how important are these personal and coaching attributes in determining how the A.I. teams will perform? What would happen if we were to take one of the game’s greatest A.I. managers and put him in charge of a lowly ranked club?
FM12: Making 4-4-2 Current And Effective (by Lee Scott of FM Analysis)
The following article was put together by a friend of mine and one of the Football Manager Community’s finest writers and theorists – Lee Scott, otherwise known as Forza. I am thrilled to be able to introduce Lee’s article which is appearing here on The Boy Done Good first, I hope you enjoy reading it – Dan.
Those of you that are familiar with my previous articles on FM will know that I have written about the 4-4-2 tactic before in an attempt to show that the system can still be considered current in today’s age of 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1. This time around I am going to show that 4-4-2 still has a place on the tactical bookshelf of the contemporary FM player as a purely defensive setup.
FM12 Versus Real Life: Peter Crouch & Juan Mata
Each week here on The Boy Done Good we are comparing statistics from real life fixtures with those from the same game played out in the Football Manager match engine*.
*with the computer A.I managing each team.
All of the real life data has been gathered using the Statszone iPhone app’ from FourFourTwo magazine.
