Match Tactics
Strategic advantages and performance penalties.
In Hattrick, besides the "Normal" behavior, you can instruct your team to use one of the 6 available match tactics. Each tactic has advantages you can boost, but also permanent disadvantages you must know to avoid harming team performance.
1. Play Normal
This is the default tactic and applies no penalties to your ratings. The distribution of attacks is as follows:
2. Attack in the Middle (AIM)
Mechanic: The team tries to redirect between 15% and 30% of wing attacks toward the center of the field.
Cost: Your side defense (both wings) decreases by approximately 10%.
Use: Superior central attack or when playing with 3 forwards.
3. Attack on Wings (AOW)
Mechanic: The team tries to redirect between 20% and 40% of central attacks toward the wings.
Cost: Your central defense decreases by approximately 10%.
Use: Strong wingers against a rival with an impenetrable central defense.
4. Counter-attacks (CA)
Mechanic: Allows you to gain additional attacks whenever your defense stops a conventional rival attack.
Cost: You lose 7% of your midfield capacity.
Skill: Defending and passing of defenders (passing counts double).
5. Pressing
Mechanic: The team tries to abort or "destroy" scoring opportunities before they reach the defense. Destroys both yours and rival's chances.
Cost: Players tire more quickly (stamina drops faster).
Note: "Powerful" specialty counts double in defense.
6. Long Shots (LS)
Mechanic: Converts up to 30% of conventional attacks into shots from outside the box (Scoring+SP vs Goalkeeping+SP).
Cost: Ratings for all three attacks and midfield will drop.
7. Play Creatively (PC)
Mechanic: Increases the probability of Special Events (SE) during the match for both teams.
Cost: The team's defense (all three zones) worsens by 7.5%.
Key Concepts on Tactical Skill
Not trained
The level depends exclusively on the current skills of the players and their experience bonus.
Relative difficulty
The higher the player level (higher divisions), the more tactical skill you need for the same efficiency.
Coach's role
Coach mentality does not affect the tactical level, but it does affect the modified final ratings.