How offensive should you play?

How offensive you play is seen as possibly the most important tactical aspect in Xpert Eleven. Picking the right level isn't a straightforward selection as it will often depend on how aggressive you and the opponent play as well as the formation.


Playing more offensively doesn't necessarily equate to more chances, and if you play too offensive for your team and matchup you can often get overrun and unable to get the ball out of defence. The net effect is you turn a win into a loss. indeed more offensive play can often be seen as making the game more random and many of the top players will tend to play less offensively than less experienced players, especially if they have the stronger team.

Attacking style and formations

With attacking formations like 433, 352, 343 then Cautious/Normal at home and Cautious/Defensive away would be a reasonable starting point against a similarly strong opponent.

Neutral formations like 451 & 442 you can maybe try Normal/Offensive at home and Cautious/Normal away. This is probably a good starting point for defensive formations such as 541, 532, 523.

Tweak according to the opponent

Consider the opponents strength - if they are 1-2 bars stronger than you then consider dropping aggression an extra bar.

Bizarrely the same is probably good advice for teams who are considerbly weaker. Playing more defensively allows you to sit back and control the game, and you can often get double digit chances with defensive style against weaker opposition. Don't take the risks of playing too offensive unless you need to.

Tweak for Aggression

Aggression is an important factor in games. Sometimes cirumstances might dictate you want to play more aggressively than usual with a given referee. When this is the case I often adjust my attacking style up a little, and correspondingly drop it down a notch if I'm playing less aggressively.

There was a recent coach's corner article on playing styles which might also provide useful reading.