Changing tactics just doesn't work. I took yet another lead today only to come under pressure, so I changed to a more defensive set up, but the CPU manages to find a way every time. For 20 seconds in a 15 minute match it goes into God mode and screws you over. I like I said, I took the lead, then some division two player smashed in a shot from what must have been 40 yards, fucking ridiculous. I reckon that's at least ten goals I've conceded this season from crazy long range efforts. Then, the CPU yet again does, for five seconds, some insane one touch passing around my penalty area, I can't get anywhere near the ball, bang, 2-1. I then win a penalty, their keeper of course dives the right way and saves it even though it was powerful and right in the bottom corner, then in the second half, no matter how many times I alter my tactics, they just repeatedly play a through ball and my defenders leave the attackers EVERY single time. Ended up a 6-1 defeat, with me having double the shots and superior possession. Fucking pathetic.
I've now lost four in a row and have slipped to fourth from bottom. Every time I take the lead, the CPU ups its game and scores some kind of wonder goal that I can't possibly counter, it's gone past ridiculous now. Like I said, half the time if I shut the CPU out for ten minutes or so after I take the lead, it just replies with a shot from just past the halfway line and it rockets into the net. I've never seen the best players in the world score some of the goals this game is putting past me.
It's just too difficult. Playing the game itself is easy, even with awful players I can still dominate most matches, but the CPU finishing is beyond stupid. For Division Two players playing for, say, 'Wondengine Town' to be smashing in 40 yard screamers, or to take virtually 100% of all chances on goal they have is pretty criminal. Where the fuck are the contextual stats when this happens? I don't mind when I'm running in on goal and Ordaz fluffs a shot at goal because he's shit and off balance, that's fine. But when a player rated by the game at 45, with shooting stats of 30, fires a screamer into the top corner when he's off balance practically facing the other way, and is MILES out from goal, against my 78 rated keeper on a yellow arrow, then yeah, that's cheating. There's no contextual stats going on there, it's just the game doing what it wants against you, when it wants.
So I'm not sure where to go with this, I can't improve my team because I have no money, I've got no prospect of funds because I'm finishing way down the league, my training is doing fuck all to the development of my players, and I've now degenerated to winning probably one in every six or seven matches.
Those five clean sheets where I thought the game was getting a bit easy was bizarre, now I can't stop the CPU no matter what tactics I do. You can have as many men behind the ball as you like, if the game keeps making your players just wander away from the opposition they're supposed to be marking, or the CPU suddenly speed burst dribbles past three of your challenges with nothing you can do about it, then you're gonna get screwed game after game, which I am.
I'm bordering on quitting this game mode now, there's nothing I can see that I can do. Like I say, improving the personnel isn't an option because of finances, training them doesn't seem to do anything (even if you improve technique, something else goes down, so improve that, then technique goes back down again for example), then I'm stuck in this perpetual cycle of struggling and being fucked over by the game.
Not that I'll last too long, my chairman expects promotion back to the Portuguese League despite the players I have and lack of money. Not asking too much then ...
my final game I carved out a 2-1 win but the CPU still managed to take a high ball on the chest and bycicle kick into the top corner from nearly 30 yards out. It was their only shot at goal ...