Why Can't My Shalke Team Create Shots?

[jmckenzie]

Hi all,

This is my first time through the game, and my career started over in England with Leicester, but I moved to FC Shalke 04 in November of 2014. I've managed to pull us back from the bottom half and we're currently sitting 4th. But I've had a hard time generating attempts on goal, its especially bad against top half clubs FC Bayeren, Leverkusen, Hoffenheim, Hannover, etc. I'm only averaging 5-10 shots on goal, with less than half of those on target. I left the Champions League in the group stage after a loss to Man City where we only generated 5 shots 1 on target. I play an attacking style 4-1-1-3-1 (4-5-1). I just won a match against bottom club Dusseldorf with only 15 shots, but 8 were on target. The formation and starting eleven are below; and I've focused on attack and tactics are each 20% of my trainings, the rest of my training have been balanced among cohesion, defending, and control. Any changes that you guys can see to help increase attack success?

BTW, one of my boardroom goals is to play attacking soccer, and challenge for the title; so I really need to increase shots on target and I should really be burying bottom of the table opponents by margins greater than 2 or 3.

Thanks for the advice,

-J-

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[duca015]

You should put in your team instruction.

I guess you are playing with "work ball into box" instructions. Problem is that with this setup, if first option , a direkt pas to your Poacher is not going trough, your second option is slow build up of attack, but then you have problem with stability of your passing game. You have no realy option in back (no dlp, regista or any holding midfielder), so your attacks are basecly forced on wings and two players on one side, winger and your fullback.

Your team is setup for counter game, no possesion game. You may change a bit roles you are using. If you want to play possesion, or more direct football, this require certain needs. For example, for possesion game, you need to have option of back pass, for secure option, that supposed to be your dm or cm with dlp/regista rolle, or at least CM, DM rolle. Also, if you are going to play possesion game, your poacher would be basecally ussles, since there will be no space for him.

If you do not want to play possesion game, there is no need to double your wings in attack all the time, you want swift and fast, direct attack, so changing your fullbacks to FB-sup, or WB-sup, and your wingers on attack sould be good option, and then your Huntellar is great as target man, so I would certanly think about changing his role to TM-sup, in order to get most of your attack and options. In this case, you should not use "look for overlap", short passing, low tempo, sinc this is not cohesive with your primary intention of how you want to play. Also, you may want to shrink a field for your opponent, and create space for your attacks, with narrow game, direct passing and quick tempo/stand off instructions, tighter marking and high deffensive line with Offside traps. This will narrow space for your opponents and shorten field for you so your counter strategy could look attacking, and your great offensive midfielders should have much more space to use their good sides. In this case, Huntellar should be your flocal point of attack, and one of best scorers, altough, most of shots would go to your wingers...

And also, position of your DMC, MC and AMC is wrong, they are straight as arrow, and you shoud revise their positions a bit. Move cm to left, and AMC to rigth or vice versa, in order to have better coverage of field and moro passing options.

 

[jmckenzie]

Here are the instructions used, and the changes to the starting tactics I used. Still haven't had much success, played Dortmund and was lucky to get a 3-3 draw off of 7 total shots to Dortmund's 30. Obviously, my finishing is pretty great, but I still want to create more opportunities, and prevent the late shots that have lost me the lead most often.

I appreciate your help, I think I'm a few instruction tweaks away from snatching the title away from Dortmund. I think that would make the Schalke board and fans extremely happy.
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[jmckenzie]

I did't take the screenshot, but I moved Goretzka one space to the right, and lodeiro one space to the left, kept the samejobs though.
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[SmoothJitsu]

I did't take the screenshot, but I moved Goretzka one space to the right, and lodeiro one space to the left, kept the samejobs though.
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The 4 attacking guys are on Attack duties, put one on support (my advice would be either put the TM on support or use a DLF) so he can come deep to pick up the ball

I also suppose that you're either using Control or Attacking so both the wing backs will mainly attack because of the automatic duty. on the left is ok because the AP will more often than not play centrally (at least from my experience) and you need the WB to provide width but the WB on the right should be on support.

 

[jmckenzie]

I switched my AP on the left wing to a supporting IF, left my left fullback automatic and changed the right to support. The rest I've kept the same. Got some pretty good results against bottom half teams, but still struggle against the top. I lost to rivals Dortmund 6-1, creating only 7 shots to their 47. Looks like I may have to re-think my entire tactic for top flight teams.

 

[duca015]

You do not have to change much... Just stay on same course, but be little more reserved... For example, you may tick off retain possesion, slow down game and play little more disciplined game, you may play narrower, and since your main playmaker will be mostly in trafic (Lodero), you may change his role during game, to SS, or Treq, so he could find a little more space. EG is basecally someone who stays in between lines at all times and your other players will try to pass him the ball. If he can not find space, you may have problem with organizing your attacks. So some other rolle that moves more would really make a change. Also,your opponents defender will be more capable, so if you are not able to attack in waves, you may have problems when first option pas is not working.

So Winger support will give you different ways to attack, since your attacking roles will push line towards goal, if this does not go trough, then you will have players in penalty to pick up cross that will come from incoming winger, and you will have your holding midfielder to pick up cleared balls and start all over again. Also, TM-sup does not mean that Huntelar will not be in opportunities to score, ok, maybe not so often, but if you ask him to hold position and play direct passing, you may benefit greatly as you will have outlet option at all time, since your players will always know where he is, and as he passes to wing and comes from deep to finish, he will conect on more crosses, at least this is from my oppinion. Also, his rolle will create space for Draxler and Lodero to come into, and this will defenitly create hole between opponents deffence and attack.