Chapter 03
Matchday
A match brings together selection, tactics, individual quality, fitness, morale, weather, opposition and the decisions made in real time. It can be played, watched or resolved as a result.
Before kick-off
Open Squad and tactics before advancing to the fixture. The first eleven occupy the active places in the formation; the next group supplies your matchday substitutes. A complete side needs an eligible goalkeeper and outfield balance, while injured or suspended players must be replaced.
Each starting place can have a defensive position and an attacking position. This lets a full-back become a wide midfielder in possession, a midfielder drop between defenders when the ball is lost, or a forward begin from a wider attacking lane. The left, central and right preference matters as much as the broad role: a strong player used on an unfamiliar side may offer less than a naturally suited team-mate.
Check the small status markers. An injury is the immediate concern; competition-specific bans apply only to the relevant league, domestic cup, international or continental fixture. Fitness tells you whether the player is physically ready. Recent form, confidence and established performance help the manager judge who is most likely to deliver today.
Overall ability is one part of the selection assessment. Position and side suitability, form, fitness, availability and the intended team shape also influence how well the eleven fits together.
Play, watch or take the result
- Play match
- Enter the live match with the keyboard or gamepad assignments chosen for the teams and individual players. Unassigned footballers make their own decisions within the formation.
- Watch match
- See the complete live football while both sides are directed from the touchline and by their players’ own decisions within the selected formations.
- Result only
- Resolve the fixture without watching every action. The same squad context, player availability and competitive consequences apply. If your own individual footballer has been selected, the game asks you to confirm that you really want to miss the opportunity to play.
The choice is made for each fixture and does not change the participant’s career role.
Tactical attitudes
The team attitude changes how readily the side commits players and risk. It works together with the formation rather than replacing it: a defensive attitude does not turn a forward into a centre-back, but it makes the whole team protect its shape more carefully.
| Attitude | Abbreviation | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Men behind ball | MBB | The strongest collective priority for defensive depth and numbers behind possession. |
| Defensive | DEF | A deeper structure with reduced forward commitment. |
| Counter Attack | COU | A compact defensive phase followed by quicker forward movement after possession changes. |
| Cautious | CAU | A balanced structure with a defensive preference. |
| Controlled Offensive | COF | An attacking preference while retaining more recovery structure than the two most aggressive attitudes. |
| Offensive | OFF | More players and movement committed to attacks, with more space accepted behind them. |
| All out attack | AOA | The maximum team-wide commitment to forward play. |
The computer manager can also change its attitude as the match develops. Score, time remaining, relative team strength, danger and the available players all contribute, so an opponent may become more direct when behind or protect space when ahead.
How the football unfolds
Players follow the team shape but interpret the moment according to their own qualities and footballing personality. They look for short passes, balls into space, crosses, clearances and shots; they track opponents, cover zones and react to loose balls. Better vision and teamwork encourage useful combinations, while attacking instinct and forward-running tendencies change who breaks from the formation.
There is no separate advantage granted simply because a side is computer-controlled. The same players, ball, space, rules, fitness and tactical context govern both teams. A stronger side usually produces better decisions and execution because its footballers are better equipped, not because the match ignores the contest.
Momentum remains physical. Players turn, accelerate and tire; the ball can rebound from goalposts, crossbars, goalkeepers and challenges. A pass can be intercepted, a first touch can escape under pressure, and a well-positioned defender can prevent a chance before a tackle becomes necessary.
On-screen information
The lower display identifies the player in possession, the team colours, score and match time. Offside notices and pending substitution indicators appear for the relevant side. Goal announcements name the scorer and, when recognised, the assisting player. Cards and injury messages are shown as the incident is resolved.
Weather, wind and the pitch
Match conditions are part of the football rather than a decorative backdrop. Wind can alter the flight of long balls and high shots. Rain and difficult ground change the feel of movement and ball travel, while winter conditions may bring a harder, icier surface. Thunder and changing skies give some fixtures a very different atmosphere.
When the METAR option is enabled and an internet connection is available, the game can refresh real-world aviation weather observations before a match and translate them into the stadium conditions. With the option off, the career still supplies varied football weather of its own. The setting changes the source of the conditions, not whether weather matters.
These conditions are included in ball flight, movement and control for both teams. Wind is most visible on high and long balls, while a difficult surface is most visible during acceleration, turning and repeated movement.
Offside, fouls and discipline
The offside rule follows the active attack. A team-mate beyond the defensive line may be flagged when the ball is played and he becomes involved. The notice appears for the affected side, and the defending team restarts with a free kick.
Challenges are judged from their timing and contact. A fair tackle wins the ball; a mistimed or overly forceful one can produce a free kick or penalty. Aggressive players engage readily but also require discipline. The referee may show a yellow card, a second yellow followed by a dismissal, or a straight red card for a serious offence.
Suspensions are tracked by competition. A league ban does not automatically remove the player from a domestic or continental cup, and cards accumulated in one competition are recorded separately from the others. The player information screen shows exactly where a ban applies and how many matches remain.
Knockout matches can use extra time, golden goal or a penalty shoot-out according to the competition or friendly settings. During a shoot-out, the players who finished the match take the kicks and no new substitution window is opened.
Injuries, fitness and substitutions
A player may suffer anything from a slight knock to a serious injury. The match message describes the incident, and the player’s reduced condition affects repeated sprints, challenges and precise technique. The resulting injury duration is carried back into the career.
Request a home-team substitution with F1 or an away-team substitution with F5. On an assigned gamepad, use Back, View or Select. The request waits until a legal stoppage, then opens the line-up. Press the command again while it is pending to withdraw it.
You may make up to three changes. A replacement is judged not only by his general level but by the position and side he is asked to occupy. The computer manager considers tiredness, injuries, cards, role suitability and the state of the match when making its own changes.
How player ratings are earned
The match rating is a broad assessment of contribution, not a popularity score. Goals and assists matter, but so do accurate and inaccurate passes, interceptions, successful and lost tackles, shots saved or missed, involvement with the ball, possession and faithfulness to the assigned position. Cards, own goals, time on the pitch and the team’s overall match also form part of the judgement.
Tactical evaluation specifically reflects how closely a player’s movement follows the responsibilities of his assigned position. It can therefore recognise positional discipline even when the player records no goal or assist.
Ratings are placed in the context of the match and the team. Playing time and repeated contributions matter alongside exceptional events. The final report identifies the man of the match, and season totals retain average performance, appearances, goals, assists, disciplinary points and man-of-the-match awards.
Match performances gradually build a longer-term football assessment. Over time this can affect how managers view the player’s place in the team, value, salary level, transfer interest and national-team prospects.
The post-match report
The final screen lists every player who took part and retains a dismissed player even when no positive playing time was recorded. The two teams are separated, and every number in a row belongs to that individual rather than to the whole side.
| Code | Meaning | What the figure records |
|---|---|---|
| GLS | Goals | Goals credited to the player. |
| ASS | Assists | The final recognised pass or touch before a team-mate’s goal. |
| SAV | Shots saved | Shots taken by this player that were stopped by the opposing goalkeeper. It is a shooting statistic, not the goalkeeper’s personal save total. |
| MIS | Shots missed | Attempts that went wide or over without being saved. |
| WWK | Woodwork | Attempts that struck a post or the crossbar. |
| PCO | Passes complete | Passes that reached a team-mate and retained possession. |
| PIC | Passes incomplete | Passes that failed to reach a team-mate. |
| PIN | Pass interceptions | Opposition passes cut out by the player. |
| TKW | Tackles won | Direct contests from which the player emerged with the ball. |
| TKL | Tackles lost | Direct contests won by the opponent. |
| BCO | Ball contacts | Recognised touches and involvements. It measures activity with the ball, not the success of every action. |
| POS | Possession | The accumulated time for which the player personally controlled the ball. |
| TAC | Tactical evaluation | How closely the player’s movement followed the position assigned in the formation. |
| RAT | Rating | The final match assessment on a 1–10 scale. |
Man of the match identifies the highest-rated performance, while Attendance records the crowd. A coloured rating moves from weaker performances toward stronger ones, allowing the final column to be scanned quickly.
What contributes to RAT
The rating combines the visible report with match events that need no separate column. Goals, assists, passing, interceptions, tackles, woodwork, ball involvement and tactical position contribute positively when successful. Missed passes, lost tackles, own goals, cards and involvement in goals conceded can reduce the assessment. Goalkeepers are additionally judged on goals conceded and balls caught or parried; defenders receive added recognition for defensive contests, and midfielders for circulation and interceptions.
Playing time and the team result provide context. Individual ratings are also brought partly toward the average performance of their own side before the final 1–10 value is shown. This keeps a short or isolated action from being read without the surrounding match.
The result then returns to the career. League points, goals for and against, cup progression, player statistics, cards, bans, injuries and appearances are updated. The home crowd contributes attendance income; supporter mood, club confidence and team morale respond over time to the pattern of results rather than treating every match as isolated.
R opens the replay, S changes replay speed, and Enter saves the replay for the main menu’s replay viewer.