Team Shape, Player Roles and PPM – A summery about what the

community thinks about it and my opinion to it

When I was in the learning phase of myself I read several guides and one of it was the "How to
Play FM: A Twelve Step Guide" by wwfan. See the whole thread here:
http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/366111-How-to-Play-FM-A-Twelve-Step-
Guide
There he based his playroles on "philosophies/playstyles" which is given by the team shape
instruction.
Team Shape – Phases (influencing the "Freedom of Movement):

Highly Structured Defense(CB/FB/) - Defense (DM(d))) –

Transition (CM (s) /AM(s)) – Attack (CM(a)) -
Attack (ST(a)) -> 5 specific roles
Structured Defense(CB(d)) – Defense/Transition
(FB/DM(d)/CM(d) – Transition/Attack (CM(s)
(a)) – Attack (ST(a)) -> 4 specific roles
Flexible Defense/Transition (CB/FB/DM) –
Transition/Attack (CM/OM/ST) based on duties
(d)-(s)-(a) -> 3 specific roles
Fluid Defense – Transition (CB/FB/DM) -Transition-
Attack ((CM/OM/ST)) based on duties (d) –
(s/a) -> 2 specific roles
Very Fluid (Defense/Transition/Attack
(CB/FB/DM/CM/AM/ST)) -> alltogether either
defend or transition or attack

Roles: (CB) all "Centreback" roles (FB) all "Fullback" roles (DM) all "Defensive Midfielder" roles
(CM) all "Central Midfielder" roles (AM) all "Attacking Midfielder" roles (ST) all "Striker" roles

Duties: (d) defend (s) support (a) attack

*I changed it accordingly to FM 16, while wwfan was using the terms of FM14.
My team shape table, and if you look at the FM16 ingame description, both shows that team shape
setting is influencing the freedom of movement. But as you can see in wwfan's thread he ignored
that and he sorted the playeroles, based just on the creative freedom of team shape aspect, in three
categories, which are "Specialists", "Generalists" and player roles, which doesn't fit in either
categories.
While I felt confident about his team shape interpretation I had worries about his interpretation
about which role fits in each category. He wrote about very rigid (or highly structured) team shape:
"Each player is given a specific job and is supposed to stick to it (usually 5+ different jobs across
a team) "
Therefore wwfan puts a roaming playmaker in the "Specialists" category and I totally disagree
with that decision. The reason is, that in the FM16 ingame description the "Roaming Playmaker"
role is descripted as a role, in which he's "driving forward with the ball to spearhead attacks as
well as tracking back to cover defensively". FM16 adds he's "looking for room to shoot or to
try that killer ball". As you can see the "Roaming Playmaker" doesn't just do a (one) specific job
– he is switching between the jobs or multitasking. What he has written lately contradicts with
the ingame description.
Wwfan also doesn't care about duties for each roles and I'll show later he should have done it. I
have to add wwfan just saw the creative freedom aspect of team shape and not the positional play
one.
Because all of that I distance myself from the wwfan's categories and I'll set my own ones.
Finding the right player roles for your tactic – a different way

According to the FM16 Manual on

http://www.footballmanager.com/manual/fm2016/tactics/tactics-overview-screen/team-
instructions

Freedom of Movement:
Stick To Positions Instructs players to stick to their primary
duties in their assigned position. It does not
allow for fluidity of movement.
Roam From Positions Instructs players to be more creative and fluid
with their positional locations on the pitch,
demanding sufficient tactical awareness so that
one player is able to fill in for another who has
roamed from his position.

Fluidity, and so positional play, is obviously influenced by the team instruction "Freedom of
Movement".

But there is something, you should consider too!

In the thread

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/139740-Do-Team-tactics-override-specific-
player-position-instructions

DivineOne says:
"Player instructions obviously override team instructions.

Otherwise player instructions would have been useless.

So you need to either put all player instructions to defensive or untick mentality slider so that the
team instructions are used."
But this was pre – FM 16!

Cleon says to FM 16:

Using TI's and PI's should be used to either make the players act differently to what their current
role allows. Or you should use them to create a specific style. Since last year TI's and PI's now
stack, they no longer get overwritten. But still, most of the tactics you mention, the creators don't
actually understand the impact the TI's or PI's have and they use them because they think you have
to.

Using TI's and PI's does have advantages yes but unless it's to make a player behave differently,
create a specific style of football or to change a game around, then there is no need to use them.

So in short the pro's are, they provide you with tools that can be used to turn games around or to
change players behaviour. The con's are you need to understand what they do, what they offer and
most importantly how they all interact with the settings you already use. Using them can
dramatically change your style of play to something completely different.

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/431467-Do-players-ignore-instructions-
because-of-their-personality

HUNT3R says:
"The only thing (that I can think of right now) that would make a player 'ignore' instructions,
would be PPMs. To a lesser extent, the amount of creative freedom they have will cause them to
deviate a little too, but PPMs are a much bigger influence. "

Therefore is the conclusion for this is: PPM > Player Instruction =Team Instruction

Knowing this you shouldn't base your tactics on team instructions only, but rather analyse
your player individual skillset.
But for now I'll overlook PPM's and take a look about "Freedom of Movement".

In the past I have written, "fluidity is obviously influenced by the team instruction "Freedom of
Movement""

What is valid for the team instruction is also relevant for the player instruction. But there
"Sticking to Positions" is called "Hold Position" and "Roam From Positions" is still called "Roam
From Position".

Because of the conclusion above "Player Instruction = Team Instruction", your "Team Shape"
instruction is overridden by the player instruction.

So isn't it also allowed to base the player roles on their default player instruction, rather than
team instruction ?
FM16 Roles (duties) interpretation by default player instruction "Hold
Position" and "Roam from Postion" which influences "Freedom of Movement"

Highly Structured Roles (duties):

All roles with "Hold Position" instruction selected by default so they are "Specialists".

Defensive Forward (defend)

Wide Target Man (support)
Central Midfielder (defend)
Anchor Man (Defend)
Defensive Midfielder (defend)
Ballwinning Midfielder (defend)
Deep lying playmaker (defend & support)
Wide Midfielder (defend)
Defensive Winger (defend & support)
Half Back (defend)
Limited Fullback (defend)
Fullback (defend)
Wingback (defend)
Limited Defender (defend)
Central Defender (defend)
Ball-playing Defender (defend)
Sweeper (defend)

Structured Roles (duties):

All roles with "More Roaming" instruction is not available by default and "Hold Position"
instruction is available so they can be "Limited Generalists".

Advanced playmaker (support)

Ballwinning Midfielder (support)
Defensive Midfielder (support)
Fullback (support)
Limited Defender (stopper & cover)
Central Defender (stopper & cover)
Ball-playing Defender (stopper & cover)
Libero (support)
Flexible Roles (duties):

All roles with neither "Hold Position" nor "More Roaming" selected so they are
"Generalists".

Deep-lying Forward (support)

Target Man (support)
Defensive Forward (support)
Inside Forward (support)
Winger (support)
Wide Target Man (attack)
Wide Midfielder (support, automatic)
Enganche (attack) Exception: Neither "Hold Position" nor "More Roaming" is selectable.
Attacking Midfielder (support)
Central Midfielder (support, automatic)
Advanced playmaker (attack)
Fullback (attack, automatic))
Wingback (support, attack, automatic)
Libero (attack)

Fluid Roles (duties):

All roles with "Hold Position" instruction is not available by default and "More Roaming"
instruction is available so they can be "Free Generalists".

False Nine (support)

Poacher (attack)
Target Man (attack)
Advanced Forward (attack)
Deep-lying Forward (attack)
Inside Forward (attack)
Winger (attack)
Attacking Midfielder (attack)
Shadow Striker (attack)
Central Midfielder (attack)
Wide Midfielder (attack)

Very Fluid Roles (duties):

All roles with "More Roaming" instruction selected by default so they are "Freestylers".

Complete Foward (support & attack)

Trequatista (attack)
Raumdeuter (attack)
Wide Playmaker (support & attack)
Box – to – Box Midfielder (support)
Roaming Playmaker (support)
Complete Wingback (support & attack)
Inverted Winback (support)
Regista (support)

It is shown at, for example, the Central Midfielder role, that duties is influencing his willingness to
roam and so his creative freedom is influenced. What I want to say is that wwfan should have
considered the impact of duties in case of fluidity. Basing roles on "Team Shape" setting isn't
enough!

Note:
That interpretation doesn't mean you can't play "Freestylers" in a higly structured team shape. It
doesn't contradict ingame. The "Roam from Position" player instruction, for example of a "Box – to
– Box Midfielder", doesn't negate the team shape as a whole, it adds a specific instruction. But if
you exspecting that the assigned player is following your team shape instruction more
consequently, you should assign him, for example, as a "Deep-lying Playmaker (support & defend)
to be more consequent, because he will be more restricted in his positional play. And, in my
opinion and game experience, be more consequent was/is the key to be more succesful.
So for me a consequent highly structured tactic with, for example, with a defensive mentality
would be as follows:
 GK (d)
FB (d) – CB(d) - CB(d) – FB (d)
DM (d)
WM (d) – BWM (d) – DLP (d) - WM (d)
DF (d)

Some afterthoughts

Team Shape – Creative Freedom:

Creative Freedom (vision and flair) is a given a value based team shape instruction. Theese values
are just given by me, and not set in stone or by game.

Team Shape Highly Structured Balanced Fluid Very Fluid

Structured
Creative -2 -1 0 1 2
Freedom

Team Instruction values that impacts "Creative Freedom":

Creative Freedom:
Be More Expressive: +1
Be More Disciplined: -1

Freedom of Movement:
Roam From Postion: +1
Stick To Positions: -1

The team instruction "Creative Freedom" correspodents with the TI "Freedom of

Movement" ! You can't assign players to be more disciplined while roaming from position
according to FM16 !

Player Instruction that impacts "Creative Freedom":

Freedom of Movement:
Roam From Postion: +1
Hold Positions: -1

A role example:
If you playing highly structured with no preference in "Creative Freedom" or "Freedom of
Movement", then give all of your player "-2" as creative freedom value. Now you set one player as
a "Freestyler" according to my player roles interpretation. This role now has the creative freedom
value -1 (-2+1=-1). It will roam because of the player instruction but with less creativity – with
lesser consequences. In other words: He won't overextend his roaming but he would more if you
play him with +3 creative freedom value. That means playing "Highly Structured" team shape and
"Roam from Position" team/player instruction doesn't negate or contradict eachother - they add.
Why I am thinking that ? While the team instruction "Creative Freedom" correspodents with the TI
"Freedom of Movement" as showed it isn't linked with team shape setting, because highly strucured
setting doesn't contradict with "roam from postion". If it would, then "roam from postion" won't be
selectable.
Take A closer look – Assign a players role based on his PPM (Prefered Player Moves)

If you are one of the guys who is wondering why a player isn't following tactical instructions you
have assigned to him, then a PPM could be the reason for it.
To save some words this guide says alot what I would say here:
http://www.guidetofootballmanager.com/players/player-preferred-moves

As you may read, if you did, PPM's can contrast or complement a tactical instruction. In my
Liverpool save Coutinho is one example for it (I could list dozen examples). Firstly I assigned him
as "Advanced Playmaker" because according to FM16 ingame feature, it is his best role. But for
"Advanced Playmaker" he was shooting at goal far too often. Checking the player's PPM I saw
"Shoots From Distance" as his PPM. After that I got it why he is shooting so often. His PPM
overrides his tactical instructions (remember HUNT3R's post). From this experience on I don't
press my players in a preconstructed tactical corset anymore rather than I evaluate my players
PPM's to see how they will really perform. So I changed my paradigma from deductive coaching
style into a inductive one. And my tactics changed from a unperforming one into a succesful one.
If you are one of the guys like I was who is/was annoyed by failing players then you may now
recognize that you and not the player was failing. Take more care about your players PPM.
I hope all that helps you to find the optimal player roles for your player and your tactic.
Thanks for reading,

corax3d

TL;DR:
• wwfan uses a team instruction as fundament of his player roles interpretation
• I use player instruction as fundament of my player roles interpretation
• "Team Shape" consists of "Creative Freedom" and "Phases (Freedom of Movement)"
aspects of fluidity
• wwfan just uses "Creative Freedom" as fluidity aspect of team shape setting and basis for
his role interpretation
• I use "Phases (Freedom of Movement)" as fluidity aspect of team shape setting and basis for
my role interpretation
• PPM > Player Instruction = Team Instruction
• Duties influences the "Freedom of Movement", what wwfan didn't show but I did
• wwfan isn't completely wrong about player roles BUT it could be more accurate
• you can play either category in either team Shape because FM16 allowed it
• But think about to be consequent with player instruction and team instruction
• "Team Shape" and team/player instruction doesn't negate or contradict eachother - they
add
• evaluate your players to assign them correctly to their PPM's