June 7, 2007

Muddy Pitch Adaptation
Small tweaks to help you through the mud

There is a little hint in the in-game tutorial: short passing teams may suffer if playing under bad conditions. While a few raindrops will not change much for the game, this can change dramatically if you are playing a quality side on a muddy field that usually favours a short passing, technical style.

The problem may even increase if you are relying heavily on players who run with ball often and usually beat their opponents in one-on-one situations. This will need a lot of stamina and it is more then obvious that you can dribble very well on a slightly wet pitch while it will be pointless when you are sinking in the mud.

Unfortunately there are no hints that wet conditions have any effect on long shots so far.

Here are some suggestion how to prepare your team when playing under muddy pitch conditions. However, you will not need them if you are playing a direct style anyway without many run with ball instructions.

Small adaptations that are needed:

Team instructions

Passing: passing should be more direct as the in-game hint suggests, so you should increase that by up to 3 notches depending on the current setting.

Width: If you want to stick to a passing-width theory, you should increase width by the same amount. Some players prefer to stick with their original width though.

D-line: Because balls over the top will hold up more in the wet, you should decrease the d-line by up to 2 notches depending on the current setting.

Tempo: It can be very effective to adjust the tempo according to passing and width. However, increasing the tempo should be handled with care. It may need a slight reduction if you are facing too many off-target shots.

If you are playing in a deluge, you may consider an increased adjustment by 4 steps for passing and width.

Individual instructions

Run with ball: Reduce throughout, to a maximum of mixed for the quick, creative striker and the two wingers, with rarely for everyone else. Rarely for all at lower levels.
This supports a more direct play, saves stamina and even reduce the injury risk slightly while avoiding dangerous tackles.

With special credits to our team member Crazy Gra for ‘inventing’ the wet-versions.

Tactical Bible Credits:
Crazy Gra, Millie, wwfan, The Next Diaby