WikiTactics
Tactics decide how the strength of your eleven players turns into chances and goals on matchday. You set them up before kick-off – and not rigidly, but through a matrix that switches automatically depending on the scoreline and the time played. This chapter shows what each setting really does inside the match engine.
First: effective strength
Before tactics kick in, each player's effective strength (ES) matters. It's the player's skill plus your form and depends heavily on the line-up:
- Form counts directly: full stamina + freshness add roughly +1, and morale is the biggest lever – every point above/below 100 makes ±0.1 ES per player (morale 80 = −2 per player!).
- Position: only in their ideal position does a player deliver 100 %. Same line, wrong position ≈ 90 %, completely wrong position ≈ 50 %, an outfield player in goal (or vice versa) only 15 %. Field players in their position.
- The lines support each other: a strong midfield lifts both defence and attack – the midfield is the heart of the team.
The tactics matrix – the heart of it
You don't set mentality, effort and aggression for "the whole match", but in a matrix. At every calculation step the match engine reads the matching cell there afresh – depending on the current scoreline and the match minute:
- Mentality & effort: a grid of 8 time blocks of 15 minutes each (0–15, 15–30 … through to extra time) × 5 scorelines (2+ behind, 1 behind, level, 1 ahead, 2+ ahead).
- Aggression: its own grid based on cards accumulated × players on the pitch – so you can automatically dial it back as soon as things get dicey.
This is exactly where you win or lose matches from the desk: managing a narrow lead defensively from minute 75 on, attacking a deficit in the closing stages with all-out attack – all in one setup, without having to step in live.
Mentality – defensive shell to all-out attack
Mentality shifts strength between defence and attack. Seven levels, with "Normal" as the neutral middle:
| Level | Effect in the match engine | What for |
|---|---|---|
| Defensive shell | Attack works at only 20 %; defence gains +44 % of the attacking strength | holding a result at all costs |
| On the counter | Attack 52 %; defence +28 % of the attacking strength · counters ×1.5 | sit deep, switch quickly |
| Cautious | Attack 76 %; defence +16 % of the attacking strength | slightly defensive, stable |
| Normal | balanced – no shift | standard against evenly matched opponents |
| Controlled attacking | Defence 76 %; attack +16 % of the defensive strength | push gently without opening up |
| Attacking | Defence 52 %; attack +28 % of the defensive strength | raise pressure and goal threat |
| All-out attack | Defence drops to only 20 %; attack +44 % of the defensive strength | late deficit, full risk |
This very level gives goalkeepers with kick-outs/throw-outs a ×1.5 bonus on build-up play – the next chance lands at your feet more often. Sitting deep and switching in a flash is often smarter against stronger opponents than going all-out attack.
Effort – intensity versus freshness
Effort raises or lowers the effective strength of your outfield players – but it costs freshness disproportionately. Values from the match engine:
| Level | Effective strength | Freshness loss / match |
|---|---|---|
| No effort | ×0.80 (−20 %) | ~5 |
| Low | ×0.90 (−10 %) | ~7 |
| Normal | ×1.00 | ~9 |
| Raised | ×1.05 (+5 %) | ~13 |
| Full | ×1.10 (+10 %) | ~18 |
1) Full effort eats twice as much freshness as normal – over several matchdays, constant flat-out play comes back to bite you. 2) With freshness and stamina below 25 the bonus fizzles out completely: exhausted players don't get better from more effort. The goalkeeper always plays at "no effort" regardless.
Aggression – more chances, more risk
Aggression helps decide the duels in midfield – and with them, who gets the next chance. Whoever goes in harder claims noticeably more of the game; as an equaliser for the underdog it's valuable, but on its own it no longer flips a clear strength gap. The price:
- Cards & injuries rise disproportionately with aggression (exponentially, not linearly).
- A player's fair play reins this in: players with high fair play see yellow/red far less often.
- Who risks the most: your defenders and the holding midfielder (highest card risk), then the central midfield, then the attack. The goalkeeper hardly ever.
Because the aggression grid switches by cards accumulated and players remaining, it pays to start hard and automatically ease off as soon as you've picked up one or two yellow cards or end up a man down – otherwise the next card will blow up in your face.
Substitutions
Up to 5 substitutions per match, each with a trigger: match minute, goal difference, number of yellow cards or number of your own players (for emergencies after a red). Only a player on the bench may come on, and no player already sent off may be substituted. Injury-related substitutions run automatically.
What else decides the match
Tactics don't work in a vacuum. As a manager you should know these factors:
| Factor | Effect |
|---|---|
| Home advantage | the home team gets roughly +10 % in the fight for chances – plus up to +3 % match strength with a good fan atmosphere (on neutral ground, e.g. finals, both are off) |
| Captain | from minute 80, +3 % effective strength for the whole team (if he's on the pitch). Leaders and aggressive leaders additionally affect their line |
| Red card | painful: every remaining player loses ES and each line loses extra strength on top – a sending-off costs roughly an eighth of the team's performance |
| Special skills | count triple in the duel match-ups – a well-chosen skill decides tight situations |
| Set pieces | corners, free kicks and penalties are taken by your assigned takers – shooting accuracy and the right special skills pay off |
| Opponent AI | unmanaged clubs play at −10 % – so active coaching gives you a real edge |
| Consolation chance | a team that hasn't had a single chance by minute 50 is awarded the next one – (almost) nobody stays entirely without a chance, though they still have to convert it |
On the side, every match minute develops your players' attributes a tiny bit further – so playing time is mini-training too.
How to make good tactical decisions
- Against stronger sides: sit deep, "On the counter", aggression up for the midfield – and rely on a goalkeeper with kick-outs.
- Against weaker sides: Normal to Controlled attacking is usually enough; save your freshness and card risk for the tough games.
- Managing a lead: in the matrix from around the 75th minute, when ahead, switch to Cautious/Defensive shell and lower the effort.
- When behind: go Attacking/All-out attack late and only when behind – not the whole match, or you'll concede counters.
- Sparing freshness: save full effort for key matches; in everyday league play Normal is enough. Plan this together with training.
- Adjusting aggression: start hard, ease off automatically after cards/going a man down. Don't put fragile or unfair players on permanent aggression.
- Choose your captain deliberately: his closing-stage boost and possible leadership skills are worth their weight in gold in tight games.
Matrix instead of rigid tactics · mentality shifts strength between defence and attack (All-out attack/Defensive shell = ±extreme) · effort +10 % strength costs double the freshness · aggression = more chances, but more cards (above all defence) · captain from min 80 +3 % · home +10 % plus fan-atmosphere bonus, AI −10 % · form and position decide the baseline.