Match: Set pieces and special events

Set pieces

Some of your basic attacks will result in a set pieces opportunity. Just as in real football, you can earn many points by being good at set pieces. There are two types of set pieces, direct and indirect.

Direct set pieces

Direct set pieces are penalties and direct free kicks. To score your appointed set pieces taker uses his set pieces skill to outwit the opposing goalkeeper. Your goalkeeper uses set pieces in addition to his goalkeeping skill when defending against direct set pieces, but he can not be your set pieces taker.

Indirect set pieces

About 1/3 of your set pieces chances will be indirect. Indirect set pieces are indirect free kicks, and the outcome depends on team effort. To attack you use (in order of importance) your outfield players' average scoring skill, their average set pieces skill, and your set pieces taker's set pieces skill. To defend you use (in order of importance) your outfielders' average defending, their average set pieces, your goalkeeper's goalkeeping, and his set pieces.

Special events

Apart from the basic attacks, you can also have "special events" happen. Special events are match events depending on players' attributes, their specialities in particular, which makes it a strategy itself to compose a squad that has a good balance of player specialities.

There are two types of special events, team events and individual events. The chance to experience a team special event is decided by your ball possession (if you have 55% ball possession you also have a 55% chance to get a team special event).

The individual special events is driven by what specialities the players on the field have. Having many players with specialities can be an advantage, but it is not enough. You must also have players with the right attribute in the right position for a particular event for it to be triggered. It is important to find the right balance of specialities on your team.

For each special event happening in a match, the chance for another special event decreases.

Weather conditions

Certain specialties are better suited to certain weather conditions. All players’ performance are affected under specific weather conditions from the very start of the game.

Technical players gain 5% on all their skills in the sun, but lose the same percentage in the rain.

Powerful players gain 5% in the rain, and lose 5% in the sun.

Quick players lose 5% in the rain and in the sun.

When the weather has an influence on the players, you will get information about it in the match report, and the affected players' star rating will also reflect their performance accordingly.

Goal events

Specialities (and other player attributes) can gain you additional attacks. In addition to what is listed below, the player who puts the chance away (often, but not always, the same player who creates the chance) also needs some scoring skill in order to score from these attacks.

Unpredictable players can use their passing skill to create unexpected long passes if they are keepers, wing-backs or central defenders, and their scoring skill to intercept the ball if they are inner midfielders, forwards or wingers. If they are outfield players, their unpredictability itself may also create unlikely scoring opportunities. The lower the defence skill of an unpredictable defender or inner midfielder, the higher the probability that they can also make a reckless error that will give the opponent a chance to score. Besides this, an unpredictable winger or forward with low passing skill is more likely to cause chaos in your defence, possibly resulting in an unfortunate own goal.

Quick wingers, inner midfielders and forwards can create a chance by using a burst of speed. This can be countered by the opposing team using a defensive player (central defender or wing back) who is also quick. You will also have a boost on your counter attacks tactic level for every quick winger, inner midfielder, and forward on your team. The opponent can still diminish this effect with quick inner midfielders, wing backs, defenders or keeper (just the extra boost can be nullified, not the initial tactic level).

Technical wingers, inner midfielders and forwards can create chances if an opposing keeper, defender or inner midfielder is a head specialist (the head specialist doesn’t have to be in the exact opposite slot). Moreover, every technical defender and wing back will give you a small chance to create a non-tactical counter attack from a missed normal chance of your opponent. The higher the passing of the defender, the bigger the chance.

Wingers with sufficient winger skill can create chances that will have to be finished off by another winger, a midfielder or a forward. If that other player has sufficient scoring skill, he will be more likely to score; if he is a head specialist, it will be even easier for him to score.

Corner: To score from a corner kick, you can improve your chances by having a high set pieces skill on the player that takes the corner and by having a high offensive indirect set pieces rating against the opponent's defensive indirect set pieces rating. There are two types of corner kicks. In one, the higher the number of outfield head specialists in your team (your set pieces taker does not count), and the lower the number of head specialists among your opponent's, the better your chances to score. Having no head specialists at all will make you very weak at defending against corners and very weak at scoring from your own corners. In the other, the chance to score will depend on the scoring skill of the player that receives the ball. Note that corners might lead to a yellow card for the offensive team, but if your player is already carded, he will be extra careful, so the risk of a second yellow is lower than it would otherwise have been.

Experience: experienced forwards can score using their experience. Inexperienced central defenders and wing backs can give their opponents an extra chance.

Tiredness: Tired central defensive players can make mistakes. Unless the opposing attacker is also too tired, this may create a chance for the opponent.

Other additional match events

There are also some additional events you can get in a match. The chance to get these events is not dependent on midfield strength, so the chance doesn't increase if you're dominating the midfield.

Counter-attacks: Even if you don't use the counter-attack tactic there is a slim chance that your team gets to counter. These "tactic-independent" counter-attacks do not require your team to have an inferior midfield (which otherwise is necessary to counter). See the chapter about tactics for more info about counter-attacks.

Long shots: Even if you don't use the long shot tactic there is a slim chance that your team gets a long shot opportunity. Read the tactics chapter for more info about long shots.

Powerful inner midfielders, if playing defensive (also called sitting midfielders) can concentrate on breaking up attacks and winning the ball. If he succeeds in pressing, the opponent’s attack breaks down. To do that, he will rely on his defending skill and stamina.

Powerful forwards, if playing normal (also called power forwards) can put their bodies in the right place, forcing a second chance to shoot and score after a normal chance for your team has been missed. They will need sufficient playmaking and scoring skills to do that. Note that their physical play can result in yellow cards; however, if your player has already been carded, he will tread more carefully in these situations.

You will suffer an overcrowding penalty if you field two or three players having the same combination of specialities and positions, among the following types: technical defensive forwards, powerful normal forwards and powerful defensive inner midfielders. If you field two players of the same type, you will suffer a penalty on their contribution (4% each). If you field three of them, the penalty will be bigger (7.5% each).