Tactics

First team → Tactics is the lineup for league matches: the formation, a player for every position and the substitutes.

Formations

There are four formations. The pitch is drawn as on the Tactics screen: attack at the top, the goalkeeper at the bottom.

STST

LMCMCMRM

LBCBCBRB

GK

4-4-2

LWSTRW

CDMCMCM

LBCBCBRB

GK

4-3-3

STST

LMCDMCMCAMRM

CBCBCB

GK

3-5-2

STST

CDMCMCM

LBCBCBCBRB

GK

5-3-2

Formation	Defenders	Midfielders	Forwards	When it fits
4-4-2	4	4	2	Balance, the default formation
4-3-3	4	3	3	More attack, less in the centre
3-5-2	3	5	2	Control of midfield at the cost of defence
5-3-2	5	3	2	A solid defence

A formation matters not on its own but against the opponent’s: an extra player in one line gives an edge there and a weakness elsewhere. The table of every pairing: Formation against formation.

Picking a lineup

1. Pick a formation in the list at the top. The players of each line keep their places as far as the new formation has room, and new positions need filling.
2. Pick a player for every position. The list shows players of the matching line first, and you can search by surname.
3. Add substitutes, up to seven. The order of the list is the order they come on.
4. Click “Save”. The button is active once all 11 positions are filled. “Discard changes” goes back to the saved lineup.

A player out of position

A position held by a player from another line is outlined in yellow. A player out of position plays weaker:

Who is where	How much strength is left
In their own position	100%
In another position of the same line, e.g. a CM in the CDM slot	90%
In another line, e.g. a CM in defence	75%
An outfield player in goal, or the goalkeeper outfield	40%

The saved lineup

• The lineup stands until you change it. There is no need to set it before every round.
• On your first visit you see the side the game picked itself in a 4-4-2. Change and save it to make it yours.
• If the saved lineup no longer works, for example when a player has retired, the club plays a side the game picks in your formation. Fix the lineup and yours plays again.
• While your league’s round is being played, the lineup is locked. You can save changes once the round is over.
• If auto lineup is set to “Always” in Automation, the game picks the side before every match, so you cannot save your own here.

How the game picks a side

When the game picks the side, it goes through every “position and player” pair from the best one down and puts the player in if both the player and the position are still free. That way the strongest pairs take their places first. The bench gets the seven strongest of the rest.

The Automation rules can change that: prefer fresher players or start young ones.