Chat Can AI crack tactics

[Bamb00zle]

Just wondering this as I've been promoted as champions in successive seasons from the national league to L1 now we are being ruthlessly exposed at L1 level. The tactic was my own 4123, very solid at the back, good going forward previously now the AI gets in and behind at will and we are in the relegation zone. The goals and chances have dried up and we are now awful.

Is it a case that we're just facing better teams or does the AI figure out how to beat your tactic after a couple of seasons?

[rseven]

This is a game, the system will make trouble to you by any possible ways. 

[DanEnglish]

Personally I’d say it’s either (a) you’re facing better players, or (b) you’re using different players - e.g. ‘relatively’ slower DCs (vs opposition STs).

If you’re struggling defensively, a good rule of thumb is about whether you have a defensive midfielder (either a DMC or a MC BWM/Anchor) - as if you don’t have one, you can get ripped apart by a better quality opposition AMC / attacking midfielder.

Can you share your tactic + a screenshot of your main ST and DCs?

[fufi]

I agree, the rivals are also superior, unless you've either made a good replacement of players or the ones you had have evolved quite a bit. If they were young, it should be difficult for you since the difficulty when moving up should be greater.
I remember a game I started with Marbella in Spain, which was promoted to the First Division in consecutive years with a team full of youngsters and in the First Division they were fighting relegation. I just signed Sampdoria, which also saved them from relegation. I was able to make a replacement with youngsters. First and second years I fought in the middle of the table, and when those youngsters evolved (some were from Marbella, which I already knew from before), they started winning everything, Italian League in the third season, Europa League that same year and La Liga, Champions League and everything that was played in the following one, always using the same tactics. I only had better players at one point.

[Bamb00zle]

20 hours ago, DanEnglish said:

Personally I’d say it’s either (a) you’re facing better players, or (b) you’re using different players - e.g. ‘relatively’ slower DCs (vs opposition STs).

If you’re struggling defensively, a good rule of thumb is about whether you have a defensive midfielder (either a DMC or a MC BWM/Anchor) - as if you don’t have one, you can get ripped apart by a better quality opposition AMC / attacking midfielder.

Can you share your tactic + a screenshot of your main ST and DCs?

Here is my tactic, I've had loads of success with it and yes our defence is a bit slower than most of the L1 strikers, one DC has 12 pace and the other 9 but he is a danger at set pieces so that keeps him in the side. Hugill the striker should be more than good enough at L1 level. The midfielders are not making the runs to support which they were doing more often in L2. 

To address the AI getting through us I switched down to balance from control, deeper defensive line and change the WB to FB and put the DM sometimes to anchor and  on man marking. Unfortunately it's not working, it weakens us offensively and they're still getting through us. Might be an issue with IFs who don't have teamwork so may not track back much. Otherwise it is a mystery. There should more than enough in my squad to be mid table

Edited October 26 by Bamb00zle

[DanEnglish]

23 minutes ago, Bamb00zle said:

Here is my tactic …

A good balanced tactic 👍 and yes  Hugill is good enough for League 1 for sure.

Defensively
Two questions - what’s your defensive line (high vs mid vs low) … and how are most of the AI chances created?

• Are they getting behind your WBs on your flanks?
• Are they playing through / long balls behind your 2 (slightly slow) DCs?
• Are their FBs putting in crosses from deep?
• etc

If you can better identify the problem, you can tweak your tactic (or players) to prevent these issues.

Offensively
I’ve got 4 options to evolve your 41221 tactic to score more goals <here> which may give you some ideas to create more chances.

Also if you’re struggling with a lack of midfield runs, consider changing the mentality back from balanced to control, but perhaps changing your WBs to FBs - so your midfield move forward more, but you’re less exposed on the flanks 🤷 

Thoughts? 🙂 

[Marc Vaughan]

The better tactical managers in the game simply ascertain which tactics perform best against other tactical styles and then makes choices appropriately (which you might consider 'cracking' but the aim is that it reflects what the managers do in real-life) ... worse tactical managers will either make incorrect decisions in this regard or (if they're inflexible) stick to their preferred approach regardless (which can work if they're at a good enough team, but if not ... well .. its not always great ).

[ManagerFm]

On 27/10/2025 at 10:54, Marc Vaughan said:

The better tactical managers in the game simply ascertain which tactics perform best against other tactical styles and then makes choices appropriately (which you might consider 'cracking' but the aim is that it reflects what the managers do in real-life) ... worse tactical managers will either make incorrect decisions in this regard or (if they're inflexible) stick to their preferred approach regardless (which can work if they're at a good enough team, but if not ... well .. its not always great ).

Can't agree Marc on this one. I'm playing and played against top teams with managers that have 20 grade for tactical knowledge and still it offers little or none challenge. I'm not saying this to downplay game, if you go through my posts on this forum you'll see hronology and some positive criticism. I'm reading SI forum as well, and would really appreciate you developers to sometimes pay attention for players that are asking for difficulty upgrades, not only of those asking for "libero position" upgrades and similar stuff.

Game has already so much addictive features, so many small details, that adding difficulty increase would make wonders for it.

I understand tho that you are making game more "easy" for casual users. Keep up the good work, hopefully we will come to an option to choose difficulty level when starting the game.

P.S. Don't reply that you are keeping game realistic since there are so many unrealistic, user "preferred" features. I do get it why, but if you make this game more challenging it doesn't mean you will loose casual gamers in your sales, you will get more of those that are currently playing PC version.

Greetings!

[Marc Vaughan]

15 hours ago, ManagerFm said:

Can't agree Marc on this one. I'm playing and played against top teams with managers that have 20 grade for tactical knowledge and still it offers little or none challenge. I'm not saying this to downplay game, if you go through my posts on this forum you'll see hronology and some positive criticism. I'm reading SI forum as well, and would really appreciate you developers to sometimes pay attention for players that are asking for difficulty upgrades, not only of those asking for "libero position" upgrades and similar stuff.

 

I don't disagree at all that its not 'perfect' in this regard - it doesn't make 'brand new' tactics, all that happens is that it analyses those available and selects the ones it 'thinks' will be most effective.

(eventually, one day I'll make the AI tweak the pre-existing formations and truly evolve - but there are limitations to what I can do without simply dedicating all my time to the AI)

15 hours ago, ManagerFm said:

P.S. Don't reply that you are keeping game realistic since there are so many unrealistic, user "preferred" features. I do get it why, but if you make this game more challenging it doesn't mean you will loose casual gamers in your sales, you will get more of those that are currently playing PC version.

I'm constantly trying to evolve and balance things and think that you'll find this years game a little more challenging for various reasons - including the evolution of the match AI ... and also as importantly the squad management AI for clubs.

[MegaBoi]

1 hour ago, Marc Vaughan said:

I don't disagree at all that its not 'perfect' in this regard - it doesn't make 'brand new' tactics, all that happens is that it analyses those available and selects the ones it 'thinks' will be most effective.

(eventually, one day I'll make the AI tweak the pre-existing formations and truly evolve - but there are limitations to what I can do without simply dedicating all my time to the AI)

I'm constantly trying to evolve and balance things and think that you'll find this years game a little more challenging for various reasons - including the evolution of the match AI ... and also as importantly the squad management AI for clubs.

Looking forward to this year's Game. Hopefully the game will do justice to all your Words.

And Honestly I would love to have a Career more than 30 years, Is it a possibility in near Future that we will have a career longer then 30 years??

Also Thanks for keep working on such game.