What tackling actually trades
Tackling is a risk dial, not an aggression badge. Move it up and you win more duels and break up more attacks; you also concede more fouls, collect more cards, and hand set pieces to teams that want them. Move it down and your defenders stay on the pitch but back off in the moments that decide matches.
A rule per matchup
Decide it from the matchup, not from habit:
- Careful: you are much stronger and expect to dominate the ball; duels barely matter.
- Normal: the default for even matches. Boring and correct.
- Aggressive: you need to disrupt a better passing side, and your defense has depth for a suspension.
- Reckless: almost never. A cup final you must drag into chaos, with nothing to lose.
The interaction people miss
High pressing plus aggressive tackling stacks two foul sources; against a strict referee that combination is how you finish with ten men. If you raise one, consider lowering the other. Our Match Tester flags exactly this stack when it scores your plan's intensity.