Dont worry, its clear to me just a small group of Americans like Tea party shit. I guess every country has such people, so off course I won't generalize, I know most Americans are great.
On topic
@ MERAZUL
I tried playing small teams too, but I always get slaughtered. Probably cause Im not a great player, but I'm really curious what formation you play?
Pokervriend,
Well, for me there are two schools of thought here. If I’m serious and want to play proper football I use method 1 (90% of the time), but when I feel like annoying a big team player, I employ the latter (10% of the time).
1) Since your players are far inferior in terms of pace and strength, you can’t play like they do, i.e. play ping-pong football - where fast players are a prerequisite - as this will play into their hands. Also, due to the disparity in stats, the best form of defence is possession football. In real life, Barcelona has a good defensive record because they have about 70% possession of the ball in a game. If the other team has only 30%, they have only a 3 in 10 (or 27 minutes) chance of scoring.
Since your players are slower in terms of pace and reaction, you have to understand how the other guy plays, and try to anticipate his passes or moves. For example, use the square button (PS3) to chase the player on the ball whilst you manually cover the potential through ball. Or if Ronaldo is running at you, use square to get the AI to pressure him and manually cover that player in case Ronaldo skips past.
In terms of formation, I deploy all sorts. I guess it depends on your style of football. I tend to use 4-5-1 or 4-4-2, as this gives me greater depth in midfield.
2) This method is not dependent on possession, but on having as many players behind the ball as possible and making the most of the counter attacks. I use it as more of a jovial thing and to give the other player a taste of a rather bitter pill. I don't use it often as it is not the sort of football I like.
For this method pick a physically strong team with decently tall players, for example, Stoke or Bolton. Even teams like Swansea can effective. Use a 5-4-1 formation, with the 5 at back being central defenders (CB), 2 DM and 2 wide midfielders and a lone striker. The basic principal is to stifle the other player and dismantle them on the counter attack. With 5 CB and 4 midfielders, it’s really easy to defend against most players as they play predictable football. You may want to try different variations of the formation as sometimes I find 2 CMs to be more effective than 2 DMs.
The chances of winning with the method are much greater, and if played properly, it can be devastating. I have thrashed Real Madrid and Barcelona many times with approach. The best bit is when the match ends and they accuse me of not playing the game properly. Talk about hypocrisy!
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