Three Simple Steps To Turn Around An Under-performing Team

When playing football manager it can be very frustrating when your team is not playing very well. There are a few things that you as a manager can do to try and turn things around. In this article we discuss three simple areas you need to try to try and turn things around. Sometimes just thinking about the simple things can steady the ship and help you to get some points on the board again.

Try To Increase Player Morale

High player morale is vital for trying to win football matches, your players will perform a lot better if they have higher morale. There are a number of ways to increase player morale, I will list below some of the different methods:

Praise form - if you player is doing a good job and playing well, let him know this.
Praise player conduct - I do this just before the start of each game, it is a sure fire way to increase the morale of your players and it’s something you should do often.
If you are not expected to win, tell the players to "win for the fans" then praise them to tell them you have faith in their ability - I find this the best way to increase player morale as a team talk.
If you have strikers who have not been scoring, try to warm them about their performances and let them know that you have faith that they will start scoring again. You need to be sure to praise your player if he does score in the next few games.
Praise performances - even if your players form is not too good, if they have that one good performance out of the last 5-6 games, be sure to praise them. That little boost in morale could be the thing to help them find their form.

How do you start winning on Football Manager?

Pick Players Based On Form

I often at the start of every match day clear out players who’s form is below a 7. If a player is playing over a 7 then keep them in the team so they can continue to play well. In most cases you will have another player to come into your team who might be able to do a better job than someone who is not playing too well. Consider dropping players who are on bad form, no matter how good they are. I would much rather play a player in form, who deserves to be in the starting eleven, rather than a player who is not playing well.

Sometimes a break from the starting eleven and a run in the reserves can help your players to find their form again, so consider doing this for a few matches. In an ideal world you would have a full starting eleven of players who are on great form. If a player is on form then do not take him out of your starting eleven, unless his fitness is low.

Try To Keep Things Simple

Sometimes just going back to basics can be a good idea. The art of keeping a clean sheet can be tough to find, but even just getting a 0-0 draw and keeping a clean sheet when you are on a bad run of form can be a good thing. It will give you a chance to praise your defenders and it gives you something to build on also.

If you do get a 1-0 win, again you can praise your defenders for the clean sheet and also if your striker scores, you can praise him for getting a goal. Sometimes thinking about the basics is a good way to try and get some form back in your team. Thinking about the morale and form of the players is a good place to start.