On Man Management, team talks, and optimizing play

[Contexx]

I've been playing CM/FM since the days of Jetscream, and while I sometimes found myself disagreeing with some of the ideas posted here, I'd really like to commend this forum for the sheer level of imagination and thought you put into the FM addiction-experience. While my marriage has survived FM12, after the initial skepticism about the new ME, I'm finding myself immersed in the sheer detail of tactics and management in this game, much to the displeasure of my wife and boss.

In the last version I started playing around more and more with Opposition Instructions, and have always paid close attention to morale and man management, as I think they're really key to optimizing the tactics, as well as eventually playing playing more attractive, incisive football. We all know the feeling when suddenly and finally, your striker is scoring, your defenders are bossing your area, and you're even getting the rub of the green (or in this year's case, those stray "certainly didn't mean it" goals are in your favor). Morale, morale, morale - it is such a small yet crucial thing, and I cannot stress enough the importance of keeping it as high as possible and taking the time to manage it through playing time, team talks, and even individual talks.

An example of this is De Rossi in my Roma save. He bleeds Roma, and as in real life, he sometimes gets a bit carried away with his "enthusiasm", and his PPM of "shoots from distance", coupled with his sheer will to win and 13 for long shots can sometimes be frustrating when I have him as a B2B or BWM midfielder. During a particularly frustrating run with my team having the lion's share of possession and chances but losing in ridiculous circumstances, his morale was "good" and I couldn't get him to stop bullying the fans in Row Z of the Olympico with his long shots. Now, telling De Rossi in a team talk to "just relax and play his natural game" against Milan, even away, would probably make him turn against me and question in in fact I bleed red and gold, or if I'm happy with the way we've been drawing and losing matches. Halftime against Milan, i told everyone we've been "unlucky", but De Rossi, even with his 6.9 rating (good everything, but too many long shots) got "very disappointed" - akin to the Fergie boot just missing his head. It took him but ten minutes to telegraph a 30 yard screamer into the top corner, and then give an all action performance, get man of the match, and single handedely terrorize Milan.

In the Sheffield thread, Rashidi mentioned a game where he only tight marked the opposition winger in the OI's, due to the fact that the team was posing a threat from there. In FM12, it had become almost automatic for me to give virtually the same OI's depending on tactic faced - "close down/weaker foot" for wingers against 442, and sometimes "tight marking" their fullbacks etc. In this version, I'm starting to have more success giving Opposition Instructions more sparingly, depending on the threats to my tactics. For example, I generally use to CM's and a DMC - tight marking their central midfielder is usually not so useful as central midfielders, by default already have tight marking. Now if facing a particularly skilled DLP, this may change, as the risk/return dynamic of sacrificing some of my own shape for sake of nullifying their threat is favorable. In the case of my own tactic, I'm often vulnerable down the wings, so sure, I will pay attention to the opposition wingers and fullbacks. But what about those pesky wide midfielders who cannot cross but can sure give a good through ball, especially when my DC comes over to obey my instructions and help close him down? He cannot be blamed because he's closing down the winger, just as I told him. Perhaps tight marking the wide midfielder, showing him onto his specifically (left or right) weaker foot, or hard tackling him would have been wiser. More crucially, nipping the supply to said winger in the bud would not have left me with such a headache in the first place.

Another thing I find is the AI is now much more reactive, and seems to change player roles according to the match situation. Suddenly, the left winger who was trying to bomb down the flank, has been substituted for an inside forward, cutting inside and is certainly happy to have my fullback close him down, lunge into a tackle, draw a dangerous free kick or worse. The changes in the AI's approach are shown in the highlights almost instantly, as many have found when the team that had for 75 minutes parked the bus suddenly turn into ManUntd and score immediately after you've finally grabbed a goal against them. In order to cut down the smoking and reduce the risk of smashing my computer, I've started giving more defensive or counterattacking shouts right after scoring, at least for a few minutes in hope to grab another goal or at least nullify the impending attack.

Interaction with your squad and knowing their "personality" is so important. Attributes such as Determination, Influence, as well as their general character are often overlooked, especially at times when you're having trouble. Our first instinct is to think "it must be my tactic" - even if creating chances, playing well, but something just not clicking. Chances are your DC has a brainfart not because of your tactic, but more because he's got low determination or composure and is just not comfortable with having the kitchen sink thrown his way by Stokeish opposition. I recommend experimenting heavily with team talks and squad interaction, especially in friendlies, and observing how players react. One example was during a 4-0 mauling of Fiorentina, I decided to give a player with low morale due to him spending much time on the bench, a run out for five minutes. He had no match rating as he spent little time on the pitch, but overall, the team played very well. My team talk was a passionate "very happy", and everyone was delighted, except for that player, who was "angered" - certainly not because of my assessment of his performance, but probably because he was "alienated". Maybe I'm looking too much into it, but the difference in performance depending on morale is not something to be overlooked.

Finally, Team Meetings...I use them around 3 times a season, and it's often a matter of picking your spots. During slumps or ahead of crucial games while on a good run are some examples, and the nature of the talks should vary according to the overall personality of your squad. My Roma are "very ambitious" and so they don't respond so well to pats on the back for drawing games and giving good effort. Telling them to buck up their ideas once in a while can, however, really fire up the team and provide a watershed effect. Another important thing to consider is "who is talking during the meeting" - often it will be the senior players with high determination and influence, and it's useful to take note how they respond. Your 34 year old slow but determined DC who tries to rally the team during one of those meetings may very well earn himself a starting spot for the upcoming Derby, by virtue of his value to the overall psychology (?) of your team.

Anyway, I apologize for the rambling post and acknowledge I may be wrong with some of my observations, though it's useful to keep in mind these details when tactically, your team seems sound, and everything goes well, yet the squad, in general is underperforming. After becoming familiar with the TC and its effect, I think the next step towards getting the most from your team and gaming experience is understanding the man management effect of the game. In real life, it's what gives a Mourinho or Ferguson an edge over, say, a tactically astute (maybe) but still raw AVB...

[wwfan]

Great post. We could do with a few more people providing this level of reflection and insight on these forums at the moment.

[DreamsDefined]

Quality post Contexx.

Really found the section on OI useful... as I've been the same as you were - setting the same generic ones regardless of formation. I'll have to go away and look at my setup a bit more

[Cleon]

I agree with what wwfan says above. It's not often I open up a thread and it be a positive thing these days

Great post:thup:

[Contexx]

I'm playing with Roma in the seria A, and developed what seemed to be 3 compact, effective, and sound tactics. The football was sometimes mouth-watering, with neat build up and some beautiful goals. However, in the first half season, I was 4th, only losing once having drawn 8 of 17 of my games. Lately, I've been ill and stuck at home, and a friend of mine was over - a Milan fan with a genuine love for football. Watching the match, he commented "your players get anxious when you're winning". Indeed, I would almost always score, then concede through silly play, lapses of concetration, or players just cracking under an increasingly aggressive and pressing opposition. In a game against Atalanta, we were battering them, missing a lot of chances, but winning 1:0 and in control of the match. I switched to a more conservative strategy, but ended up conceding to a 30 yard free kick, then another via an interception. My first instinct was "it's my tactic", and perhaps there were holes in it, and very likely, I could have prevented the collapse and held on to the 1:0 lead. However, what happened was in fact a collapse by my team - as a reaction to the tactic, and previous interaction. It leads to poor decision making, poor concentration, and ultimately, a losing mentality in spite of the tactics.

In had noticed that all too often, with my team leading 1:0, even when controlling a game, would go into halftime, and their morale would be worse than at the start of the match. This not only means "poor little things needing encouragement", but also complacency, underestimating the opposition, and frustration. As I mentioned, with De Rossi, my driving engine and captain, I've sometimes used Assertive, "not happy" team talks at halftime even if his rating was 6.9. More often than not, he gets fired up, and plays his role to the best of his ability - the "sometimes" settings for his role end up being more and more effective. With players of lower determination, composure, and generally weaker personalities, the arm around the shoulder encouragement is often better.

My Roma were frustrated. We were playing so well, yet didn't have the killer instinct to put opponents away. In real life, for example, Alex Ferguson has the uncanny ability to build teams which are known to "put the boot to the neck" of their opponents - this is the stamp he makes on his teams and what makes him truly a giant of the game in spite of not being as tactically sophisticated as some other managers. It is also what Wenger's teams are often accused of lacking, and what Mancini is constantly wrestling to establish.

In Football Manager, building and managing a team is more than mere tactics, but also building a story manifested in what happens on the pitch. There is nothing uglier to watch than a match with an unhappy plamaker and a squad that's just not performing. Our first instinct is to blame our tactics. As seen by a lot of threads, our second instinct seems to be to blame the match engine and pine for the days of ScreamJet and being able to give our Daniel Braaten a long forward arrow and watch the magic.

We've all had those times when nothing seems to be working, and we end up tinkering and changing things to the point that the system (cheers, rashidi) has, fundamentally, changed. And after beating Chelsea 5:1 losing to Wigan 0:1, and the next instinct is to go on the forums and proclaim the game is unrealistic and sulk till the patch ensures the realistic thing happens and you beat Wigan 7:1. After all, Man Untd would never lose to Norwich and Barca always beats Celtic.

I am not saying ignore tactics, and I still find myself tinkering and constantly working to improve my style of play. But do not ignore the effect of morale and squad management on results. I personally always detested "supertactics" and never saw much point in them. But we've all experienced moments in our FM story where the forgotten veteran with diminishing ability comes off the bench, and scores yet another equalizer, or the devastation of just coming short in a promotion bid. Sure, the tactical changes and the mechanics of probablity when you switch a setting from "sometimes" to "often" play a big part, but as a manager, it is also important to build and maintain positive momentum.

I apologize for the long post. It's my homage to the game and what keeps me coming back, but also it's an important element to understanding not only what happens on the pitch, but also the interplay of tactics and psychology.

[peleJunior]

Team talks are such a delicate thing. I have seen players with high determination and composure crumble to very anxious in pressure matches. Some players are hard to pin down mentally aswell, managing luis suarez for a few months and you feel like you are in one flew over the cuckoo's nest! Getting the pre match press conferences right beforehand can be crucial as it gives you a chance to build confidence or ease pressure.

[Rashidi]

Actually for me the warning bells are player motivations during the game, I always have these up seeing if they are more composed then my team and motivated. I have led a match

1-0, but seen my players "composed and normal" whilst the other team only had one anxious player but 3 motivated and 7 composed, and then 4 motivated and 7 composed, a few minutes later they scored.

There are times when I wonder if the motivational mechanics play a huge roll during a game, they may explain swings which is why I try and look out for signs..and do things that will frustrate a motivated team..but then again its all very hard to pin down.

If i lead at halftime by 1-0 I always go assertive and tell the team that I am not happy with their play the fired up helps mitigate their halftime teamtalk. I have stopped saying KUTGW cos that always makes em leave happy which now = conceding goals

[peleJunior]

Actually for me the warning bells are player motivations during the game, I always have these up seeing if they are more composed then my team and motivated. I have led a match

1-0, but seen my players "composed and normal" whilst the other team only had one anxious player but 3 motivated and 7 composed, and then 4 motivated and 7 composed, a few minutes later they scored.

There are times when I wonder if the motivational mechanics play a huge roll during a game, they may explain swings which is why I try and look out for signs..and do things that will frustrate a motivated team..but then again its all very hard to pin down.

If i lead at halftime by 1-0 I always go assertive and tell the team that I am not happy with their play the fired up helps mitigate their halftime teamtalk. I have stopped saying KUTGW cos that always makes em leave happy which now = conceding goals

Haha, yeah I have noticed everybody delighted at half time team talk is not necessarily a great thing.

[Rashidi]

Somehow a happy team = a bad team just doesnt make any sense lol

[Contexx]

Just played a game against Napoli, a title rival. A dream first half where even Cavani was kept quiet, and my 2:0 lead flattered them. My squad is pretty thin due to injuries and had just played a nerve wracking game in the Champions League, and with everyone "composed" in the motivation, I just told them I was very happy at halftime. Screen turns gorgeous green and everyone was delighted. Team keeps probing Napoli and creating chance after chance, keeping Cavani and comfortably away from my penalty area and just squeezing the daylights out of the increasingly frustrated opposition. With Edison liking to come deep and Napoli keeping their style of play, I was playing Counterattacking with a higher defensive line and mostly attacking with through-balls to from the flanks. 80th minute, they sub in Pandev and with his first shot he scores from a long shot. Before I even change have time to load my change to close him down, they get a free kick, and Pandev buries it - 2:2 with a frantic and dispiriting 8 minutes to go....

At full time, I was really left with a dilemma - having dominated the game, built up a 2:0 lead, and then threw it away in 2 minutes of madness, it's a matter of figuring out where things went wrong. Was I too slow to note the change by the AI? Napoli just subbed off Maggio (basically a winger/wide midfielder) for Pandev (Forward/Attacking winger). More crucially, it did start to seem like in spite of generating chances, it would have been wiser to totally shut up shop. On the other hand, It was the last 10 minutes of the match, and it's been a draining run of games with my team relying heavily on young players...It's near the end of the season, neck in the title race with an experienced, rampaging Juventus, and unbeaten in the league in 18 matches. The 3 points against Napoli would have been ideal and to lose them in these circumstances was gutting.

So what to do? I ended up sympathizing with the team, though giving harsher talks to the more experienced players. Funny thing is, as soon as I clicked on "not happy" for my 32 year old Fullback (low rating having committed the foul leading to the equalizer), two other players were "angry" and "confused". My interpretation of this is that it's an instance of certain squad members reacting negatively to my singling out their teammates. While the majority of the team was showing as "relaxed" or even "motivated", I think it was my own failure to inspire the team at halftime that was more responsible than my tactics. By telling them I'm happy and the squad reacting in positive way doesn't mean I turned them into world beaters - in fact, they seemed to be content to dominate the match, yet lacked the sheer bloody mindedness to see through a crucial match against a rival.

So happy squad does not necessarily mean a bad team. It does however, potentially, give a Wenger disease - cracking under pressure and losing in spite of things seeming to be right.

I may very well be wrong and possibly have too much time on my hands and too much faith into the fundamental system I use, tactically.

One of my fondest memories as a kid was watching football in former Yugoslavia with my uncle, on those rare occasions when it was on TV rather than just on the radio. It was a match between Yugoslavia and Bulgaria, and I believe it was tied and Yugoslavia was desperately searching for an equalizer. 85th minute, the broadcaster, in a drawn out, resigned tone, teasing us with "there's no more time for anything" with Yugoslavia just bombing forward. It is this psychological drama that keeps us as fans. The sheer madness when they eventually scored the winning goal and even the body language of the respective teams was something I can never forget. Think Man Untd in the CL final against Byern. Tactically, Ferguson didn't exactly outthink Hitzfeld. Two goals scrappy goals from corners more as a result of the "never say die" attitude than playing "sexy football" is what we remember. Besides Kuffor's tears, I don't think I recall much from that match, other than those two corners.

I am trying to focus on that element in FM. Sometimes, dealing with team talks borders on absurd. There are often truly puzzling reactions from the players, and I find myself wishing for more depth. However, there are also so many things to consider when building a team dynamic which we often neglect. It is too easy to give gredit to changing from a DLP (d) to DLP (s), yet somehow, we don't give the game enough credit to recognize the overall effect on a team when they suffer a particularly gutting final loss or the effect on a player when he misses a potentially winning penalty. One of my favorite news items in the game is for a player who makes a huge error in a final and even the teammates show anger towards him. How he reacts, or bounces back, is critical, and something often neglected in the tangle of mentalities, sliders, and shouts.