Team is underperforming as a whole

[Jamesveekay]

I'm using Derby County, into my second season after winning the Championship in the first, earning promotion to the Premier League. We're 12-13 games into the season and I found my team stumbling to 18th, despite being were touted to finish 14th.

I'm currently using a 4-3-3 DM Wide:

View attachment 144604

Basically my team is performing well below expectation in every position except for Jesus Gamez, the midfield three, and Charlie Austin. Even Austin is, performance-wise, sometimes unsatisfactory despite his good tally of 7 goals in 13 games, much like Benteke with Liverpool last season. In summary, we just can't keep possession, and when we do, our shots keep getting blocked, the players rarely beat their man, and nothing just seem to go our way. When defending, we keep losing the opposing forwards, and we just can't seem to defend as a unit. Left-back is currently our worst link in defence, with neither Paul Dummett nor Craig Forsyth are doing their job well enough, Dummett especially. He was a terrible purchase, I'll admit that much. Forsyth is mediocre at best.

I used Lee Grant as my first-choice goalkeeper in the Championship, but honestly both are performing similarly well in the Premier League. I'm also very concerned with my centre-back pairing. Shackell and Keogh are my first-choice, but Shackell is 33 and Keogh is also starting to decline, and my backups Alex Pearce and Raul Albentosa aren't that good either. The two Inside Forwards are sometimes ineffective, either failing to beat their man or are dispossessed too easily, something that can be said to most of my team, to be honest. Austin has a good goal tally, but I'm pretty sure he can do much better to create chances either for himself or for others. He's playing with his back to goal a bit too often, in my opinion, so I'm currently in the process of removing that preferred move of his. Also, generally, we've been losing headers but when we win, we just knock it without aiming and the ball often lands back at one of the opposing players. Is that something I can change in my tactics? I'm not sure.

I have already secured the transfer of Andrew Robertson, a left-back, from Hull, as well as Abdelaziz Barrada, a central midfielder, from Marseille. Robertson is faster as well as a much better crosser than both Dummett and Forsyth, so I hope he can fill that hole. Barrada is an Advanced Playmaker, an upgrade to Butterfield. Butterfield isn't bad, but I need someone to spray the ball around better.

What do you think can be improved further for my team? Any constructive advice will be appreciated. Thank you.

 

[WJ]

I'd be interested in hearing clear reasoning for choosing your Mentality as well as each of the Team Instructions?

 

[Jamesveekay]

I'd be interested in hearing clear reasoning for choosing your Mentality as well as each of the Team Instructions?

First of all, I play Jeff Hendrick rather than Craig Bryson as my BBM normally. The picture was the last team I played and Hendrick is currently injured. The rest is pretty much my current first-choice starting XI

I use Control so as to make my team slightly more attack-minded since I think on paper, we are pretty strong going forward. Attacking would be too attack-minded. Flexible is used so that in a defensive scenario, the players wouldn't leave too large of a space by holding their position better.

Retain Possession is the TI I have only included recently in an effort to increase our time on the ball. Clear Ball To Flanks is because I think I have good wide players, especially on the right. Ince has good Technique and Flair, so I thought he would be able to beat a defender more often than not. Gamez is currently my top assister, as his deliveries inside the box can be very accurate. Look For Overlap is to stretch the play and create more options, as I would still have my full-backs out wide on the byline when the IFs cut inside. Play Wider is again, to stretch the play. Drop Deeper is also a new TI, as I thought it would give less space for the opposing forwards to run into. Be More Expressive is to give freedom for the creators to do what they think will carve more chances.

 

[WJ]

I use Control so as to make my team slightly more attack-minded since I think on paper, we are pretty strong going forward. Attacking would be too attack-minded. Flexible is used so that in a defensive scenario, the players wouldn't leave too large of a space by holding their position better.

I was just wondering why such an attacking Mentality considering you are a lower-mid table club.

Retain Possession is the TI I have only included recently in an effort to increase our time on the ball.

It shortens passing, so is that what you meant by more time on the ball?

The other effect is reducing passes into space, so everyone who doesn't have instructions to try risky passes often, will be forced to pass to feet only. Is that what you want?

Clear Ball To Flanks is because I think I have good wide players, especially on the right. Ince has good Technique and Flair, so I thought he would be able to beat a defender more often than not. Gamez is currently my top assister, as his deliveries inside the box can be very accurate.

Okay, so this is the opposite. On one hand (previous instruction) your asking for more time on the ball, but on the other (this one) you're asking the team to be as direct as possible to send it down the flanks?

Look For Overlap is to stretch the play and create more options, as I would still have my full-backs out wide on the byline when the IFs cut inside.

Now a third conflict. You're asking the wide men to reduce their runs forward (decreasing their opportunities to be in position to receive the clearances down the flanks) and you're also asking them to hold up the ball for the onrushing fullbacks.

Play Wider is again, to stretch the play.

You're al ready fairly wide, as per Control's default. So you saw it was needed to be wider?

Drop Deeper is also a new TI, as I thought it would give less space for the opposing forwards to run into.

That it does, so I'm assuming you saw you were too high? Control by default has a fairly high line and fairly high closing down.

Be More Expressive is to give freedom for the creators to do what they think will carve more chances.

This instruction gives more freedom to everyone, not just the creators. Playmaker types and 'complete' roles already with have a lot of creative freedom. It's their role to have. Were you aware of that?

 

[WJ]

Was going to say that the last 3 instructions are minor in the bigger scheme of things. As long as you know what the instructions all do. The first 3 instructions (probably Mentality too though) are where your biggest issues are, so it's a matter of just knowing what the instructions actually do and then deciding what you do want.

 

[rocheyb]

You have an Inside Forward_Support on the left wing. So he is going to move infield and drag the opposition right back with him. I would have the left back on Attack mode, so he looks to overlap as often as possible, and with instructions to cross often and from the byline. I know from my own game that if the right sided player is a Winger_Attack then he'll get on the end of crosses that are aimed to the far post. I don't know whether an Inside Forward_Attack does, too - try it and see what happens.

If your right sided player is on Attack mode, you don't need your right back on Attack, as well. Put him on Support mode and he will get forward when the opportunity arises - most likely offering a second-wave attack when your IF_A's progress has been halted - without leaving you over exposed down that side.

Your central midfield looks lightweight, to me. Don't you find that your Advanced Playmaker_Attack and Box-to-Box_Support sometimes vacate the middle of the park, leaving the tough tackling (??!) Will Hughes to deal with the opposition all on his beautifully blonde-locked lonesome? If I expect to dominate possession, then I'd leave Hughes where he is but replace Bryson with a Ball Winning-Midfielder_Support. If you expect to be on the back foot, put the more combative player in the DM position and Hughes into CM.

Train your central midfielders to switch the ball to the opposite flank - to quickly exploit the space when it appears - and the Advanced Playmaker_Attack to try killer balls often, which should match with having Charlie Austin move into the channels and shoot more often. More risky passes can be assigned to Hughes and your AP, but I'd have your other central midfielder play fewer risky passes.

I always switch the central defensive roles to whatever best suits the individual players, so it changes from match-to-match as I rotate players in and out of the team. I prefer to have one Ball Playing Defender_Defend and a Central Defender_Stopper but whatever best suits the players themselves works better.