Yeah these are compliment sandwiches because we've been terrible and I don't think I could come up with two positives for everyone.
First off, across the board, we have got to stop turning the ball over in midfield. This is prime puber counter goal territory. That brings me to my first corching point - MISS LONG! Pubers don't give up as many cheap goals because they just hit through ball after through ball. If they roll to our keeper, it's no big deal, they still have 11 behind the ball. When you get it taken off you as a midfielder, it's likely 3 v 4 going the other way - but our CPU defenders are so bad and slow that we are not in a good spot. Hit that long ball over the top or take the shot from 35 out. Both of those are preferable to getting it stolen. This will also save our legs.
Second corching point - play backwards when there's nothing on. Too often we see this as an opportunity to try and go 1v1 and that leads to turnovers. This is especially useful if we have 5 or more. When I was playing holding in the 4-1-4-1, I tried to shift with the ball and always be an option back. So, if ur in that holding mid spot, drop off - ur not there to score goals. If you do, they should be long shots. I understand that when we don't have the human back there it's a little scarier, but it's still often the better choice.
Third - calm ur tits with the call for pass button. The biggest mistake we make here is hitting it when they aren't facing us. Again - DONT CALL FOR IT IF THEY ARENT FACING YOU. This is practically a guaranteed turnover. I understand the button delay or the "call for it but they were already passing it to you" turnovers. That's not what I'm referring to.
Kella
- probably our biggest drop off once ur in the cycle
- occasionally over confident with the ball. Especially when drunk
Yeah this is fair. MRW we get on and immediately get depantsed while turning the ball over incessantly and calling for passes with a defender between urself and the CPU with the ball:
The overconfidence follows the tilt, and the tilt has been happening really quickly recently.
I agree with general points as well, and will add a few others:
1) Play the ball the way ur facing. This sounds like weird advice but it's simple. If your back is to goal, and you get the ball, it's going to be very hard to turn around and start running. Dribble the OTHER way even if it's backward, or look for an easy layoff to a teammate.
2) Know what ur gonna do when you get the ball. Know who is around you. This way you don't have to fucking stare a hole through your guy and subsequently miss every available pass until you dribble out of bounds or into a corner or into a defender. If there's a one touch available, DO IT. Tempo is the only way to break down packed defenses.
3) If you're a striker and you're coming BACK to get a ball, ok, but you have to understand that your job immediately after getting that ball is not to score a goal. It is to redistribute and get yourself back to pushing the defensive line. If you are coming back to get it you are likely a minimum 30 yards from the opponent's net and not facing it.
4) If you do get the ball in space, with a lot of time (like on a well executed counter), do not immediately launch some hail mary of a lofted ball. Play it early if there's an obvious outlet, otherwise let your teammates' runs develop and evaluate a few options. DO NOT decide to do your favorite thing and just do it no matter what happens. This is related to #2 because as you are receiving a long pass on the counter you should know where your immediate options are.
5) Regular passes, through balls, and lobbed through balls exploit space in different ways. A direct pass exploits the space directly around (or behind) the receiving player. A through ball goes to empty space between a player and the opponent's net and requires that you exploit an angle. A lobbed through ball exploits the angle with disregards for any players who may be directly in the way. It acts like a through ball would if the defender between you and ur target were not there, but it takes a lot longer to get there and has to be taken down in the air...it should be the fucking LAST choice for a pass. The lobbed through ball hasn't been OP since like FIFA 12.
6) Cross it early. It's never bad to cross too early. It's always bad to cross too late (and especially weak/bad crosses turn into immediate counter attacks). If your striker is in line with you or ahead of you and you're on the wing, cross it just before you reach the edge of the box (imagining the box line extends all the way to the sideline) using L1+Long Pass. This will intentionally lead the cross and if it ur lucky it will bend right to the striker's head.
7) On the flanks, look for the cutback and look for it
early. It does nobody any good if you're on the wing to take it all the way to the end line and then send a slow rolling pass back to the CAM/CDM supporting. (This is what we call "the play" from the MS Paint days).
8) Utilize the driven ground pass to cover long distances. R1+X. Great for sending the ball diagonally up to the striker from about the half line.
9) Shot fake and skill moves rarely work against CPU defenders. CPU defenders are idiots but the only move that really works is sprinting toward the end line and then cutting back inside.
If you're used to playing Seasons/FUT/offline/whatever, Clubs takes some adjustment. You aren't always going to have the ball. You aren't making every pass and a lot of times your job is simply to get the ball and move it as quickly as possible. For all the flaws this mode has, it mirrors real soccer in that way at the very least.