What's under the Match Day tab?
Arguably, Match Day is the absolute centre of the game.
This is where you check in for the matches coming up in the very near future. You can see and plan the next few matches in detail, and also the next six to eight fixtures in your list, as well as the League Table.
You will see a countdown to each of the next few matches, and the times of the matches on this page. Please note firstly that 09:00 is for Reserve matches on Wednesdays and Saturdays and for Friendly matches on any other days. whereas League matches can be scheduled 12:00,15:00 or 18:00 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays (except for the last league matches of the season when all matches will kick off at 15.00. League Cup and Super Cup matches will kick off at 12.00 on Wednesdays on Saturdays.Inter Cup matches will take place at 17.00 each Wednesday.
Preview
This gives you some idea about how your team selection looks against your opposition, but be wary about this, as their manager may be delaying making the team selection until the last moment before the match! You can also get a bit of information about the referee: can you make good use of it?
Team Selection
You must pick your team at least 15 minutes before each game, changes after that cut-off point won't be included for that match.
There is a lot of information here. Firstly, you can choose your formation from a drop-down menu. Subscribers can also save their team selections alongside set formations.
To help your choose your team, you can compare the current skill ratings of your players in positional groups, i.e. Forwards, Midfielders, Defenders and Goalkeepers. You can also look at their current form as well as their ratings for physical, technical and mental expertise in a drop-down menu. Another drop-down menu tells you about fitness and match fitness, with a further one giving some relevant statistical information:
App = Appearances
Csh = Clean Sheets
Ast = Assists
Gls = Goals
The following information about player positions may be found useful:
Player Positions Guide
Every player on IAG has a position (Pos) and a best position (BP), which remain constant over his career.
Position distinguishes between goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders, and forwards. It will also tell you which side of the pitch they prefer to play on, i.e. left (L), right (R), or both (B). For example, a defender who likes to play on the left side would be displayed as 
Best position identifies in much more detail where a player performs at his best. In order to clarify the meaning of the various best positions, short descriptions are provided below.
Every player has a particular skill set, meaning that a player's best position is reflected in his maximum ratings of trainable skills. For example, forwards have relatively better maximum ratings in shooting than centre backs do, whereas a centre back should see more progress in his tackling ability.
Descriptions of Best Positions
 - You guessed it! Your goalkeeper should be your commanding presence between the posts, destroying the confidence of the opposition's star strikers, and helping your defence keep that coveted clean sheet. That's the theory.
 - Centre Back: The task of the centre backs is to prevent opposing players from scoring, and to bring the ball out from the penalty area. As their name suggests, they play in the central positions of the defence line.
 - The job of a sweeper is to anticipate any breaches of the defensive line, ''sweeping up'' any attacks which may have eluded the traditional centre backs. He is generally more versatile than a typical centre back, and his position requires an excellent reading of the game.
 - A modern day full back will occupy the wider positions in the defensive line. Usually there will be two of these, with one on each side of the pitch. Their main task is to stop the opposition's wide players, making it difficult for them to play balls into the area, cross the ball, or dribble into the area.
 - A wing back will take up a wide position on the defence line just like a full back, but with a heavier emphasis on attack. Wing backs are expected to provide width in a team by delivering crosses and playing the ball into the opponent's penalty area.
 - A defensive midfielder is stationed in front of the defenders, and will try to dispossess opposition players pushing up from midfield, or strikers who are dropping deep. After having gained the ball, he safely distributes it to one of his team mates to initiate a new attack.
 - Central midfielder: He is the link between defence and attack and plays from box to box. Accordingly, he defends when the opposition are in possession and he creates goal-scoring opportunities when his own team is in possession.
 - A creative midfielder is similar to a central midfielder, but will spend the majority of the game creating chances for other players, and might not be as effective when it comes to defending. He will always look to receive the ball and create openings with his passing.
 - A playmaker is an attacking-minded midfielder who controls the flow of his team's offensive play, and is often involved in passing moves which lead to goals. Just like the creative midfielder, he should be more effective in a position where he gets the ball more frequently.
 - The attacking midfielder is stationed in an advanced midfield position behind the forwards. He is the attacking pivot of the team and is meant to create goal-scoring opportunities, as well as pushing forward to get goals himself.
 - A winger will take up an attacking position wide on the touchline. It is his job to beat opposition defenders and provide crosses for the strikers from a wide position.
 - A hole player is a deep-lying forward, who is supposed to create goal-scoring opportunities for other attackers and to score himself. He can provide an effective link between midfield and attack, and exploit any space in front of the opposition defence.
 - Each striker is stationed near to the opponent's goal and is primarily responsible for scoring.
Playing Players out of Best Position
In general, a player performs at his peak when playing in his best position. However a Manager may wish or need to play his players in other positions. In such a case, you should consider the player's adaptability (a fixed attribute), which is a measure of how well he performs on a position other than his best position.
Creating a Formation
As you can see from the list of the types of players in the footballing world, there are many systems and formations at a manager's disposal.
Using the formations and tactics settings, combined with the expertise of the different types of player, makes almost any tactical system possible.
It is up to the manager to decide how they will combine these things to get their team playing how they want them to play. Analysing match statistics against different standards of opposition, will give the manager a further idea of what needs changing in order to get that sought after style of play.
Tactics
This is where you choose how your selected players will be deployed in your bid to outwit your opponent and win the match. You have a choice between Simple and Advanced tactics: in a nutshell, there are more options available to you with Advanced Tactics. A little additional help is available by clicking on Mentality and on Aggression.
Mentality
This determines the overall strategy and mindset of the team. Playing defensively will limit your goalscoring opportunities but will ensure your team concentrates on defending. Normal mentality will provide a mixture of defensive and attacking play. A team with an attacking strategy will attack at every opportunity but can be left vulnerable at the back.
Aggression
This determines how aggressive your team is. Higher aggression can disrupt the opposition's game by breaking up creative play and intimidating weaker sides but will exert physical stress on your players. There is also the increased risk of bookings and possible injuries to players. A lower aggression setting reduces the risks of injuries and bookings, but may make your team play in a less competitive manner.
Subscribers can save various different selections of Tactics, in order to apply these to different matches.
Subs and Set Pieces
Here you can choose which players take your corners, free kicks and penalties; your conditions for bringing on substitutes; and what to do in the event of a red card.
The next six tabs: League, League Cup, IAG Super Cup, Divisional Cup, Reserve and Friendly allow you to bring up and prepare the next match in each category.[/list]
The last two tabs: Saved selections and Saved tactics, both save time when preparing matches. Subscribers can save multiple team selections and tactical plans, with non-Subscribers having one of each available to them. |
