Championship Manager 2010 Walkthrough - Tactical Play

Your first match in Championship Manager 2010 will be full of anticipation and excitement, and that's before the “play” button has even been pressed!

This latest version of the Championship Manager series has a revised match engine in which players organize themselves and perform (to the best of their ability) the instructions you give them before the match. While the instructions may be precise, the individual players each have their own personalities, which may result in them misunderstanding, misinterpreting or just ignoring your instructions.

Continuing our walkthrough guide of Championship Manager 2010, this article covers formations, tactics and team talks. Each a vital component to winning a game.

We'll look at every element of the tactical side of the game in turn. Each of the sections below describes one of the screens available to you right before playing a match.

A range of formations are already setup in Championship Manager 2010, from the standard 4-4-2 to more eclectic styles such as 3-1-3-1-2. These can be accessed from the Subs and Tactics screen, or before the match in the Team Selection view.

At the beginning of the game formations should be based on your team's strengths. As you play Championship Manager for longer and have the opportunity to buy the players you want, you should find that you can alter formations or design your own to meet your requirements as a manager and tailor the shape of your team.

Eventually, and with a bit of luck, the team will play how you want them to play.

This screen allows you to instruct your team to play in a particular way as a unit.

For instance you can set the team to play with short, simple passing, light tackling and a fast tempo. Alternatively you might instruct them to play an aggressive game, close down the opposition whenever they have the ball and launch long balls up the middle of the pitch to the big centre forward.

Instructing the team to play in a particular style can also please the fans. A team that plays fast attacking football will impress more than a team that plays the long ball method. High flying teams that take their time, pass the ball well, and retain possession will also impress fans and the club's directors.