Guide: Setting your formation

The formation page is where you decide who plays and where they play. Reach it via Team → Line Up, by clicking the date/time of your next match at the top of the screen, or from the field icon next to any fixture in All Fixtures.

Your formation must be saved at least 60 minutes before kick-off. Late formations fall back to your Standard preset.

Placing Players

Drag players from the list on the left onto the pitch. A bar appears above each player as you drag them; a full bar means a good positional fit, an empty bar means a poor fit. Always try to play players in positions that match their trained skills.

• Start eleven → highlighted in green in the player list once placed.

• Bench → fill with up to 5 substitutes.

• Injured players cannot be placed. Bruised players can play but risk further injury.

• Suspended players cannot play and will be automatically replaced if placed in the lineup.

When two players have similar strength, break ties by form, then energy, then endurance.

The 9-Sector System

The pitch is divided into 9 sectors, numbered like a numpad (1 = bottom-left, 9 = top-right). Each sector has a main position at its centre and sub-positions around it.

Sub-positions also change which skill matters most. For example, a striker shifted to the left edge uses wingplay more than scoring — keep this in mind when fine-tuning.

Aim to win as many of the 9 sectors as possible in your matches!

Special Jobs

You must assign all four special jobs before saving any formation. If you forget, the game assigns them randomly.

A charismatic captain with 100 XP is 35% more effective than a non-charismatic player with the same XP. Personality matters more than position here.

Saving Presets

Save up to four formations as presets for quick recall later:

• Standard preset → used automatically when no individual formation is set for a match. Keep this up to date at all times.

• Friendly preset → set this with low effort to protect energy during non-competitive matches.

• Custom presets → save specialised formations (e.g. defensive shape, or one that exploits a specific opponent).

After buying or selling players, always update your Standard preset. An outdated preset is a silent drain on your results.