What to do when having a shocking game?

[summatsupeer]

I'm sure everyone has had that odd game or two where it looks like your players have their boots on the wrong feet. Things they were doing easily the previous game aren't even close to being successful. My issue is when I see things happening that I would normally attribute to a player just having a bad performance but its pretty much my whole team. I would substitute the worse offenders who I think are affecting the others but it seems like the replacements don't do much better. That makes me think its a tactical issue, but my instructions shouldn't cause a player to completely lose ability to control the ball when receiving a pass to feet or passes going 20 yards wide of there target when under no pressure?

The pragmatic side of me just wants to switch from my possession tactic or attacking tactic to a defensive/counter and get bodies in the way and hope for a counter / set piece goal and hope the next game is better.

The suborn side of me wants to ride it out and hope encouraging the players will make them improve. Typically during these off games I see players body language be nervous where before the game they were neutral / motivated / happy.

What do you do during these games?

[dcaine100]

Sometimes I put it down to complacency and a good aggressive half time team talk tends to do the trick, if a player is playing particularly badly then I will sub him aswell.

[Rashidi]

Rotation. It happens. I can go play matches where my players are dismantling and scoring with ease, and then they head into a game where they run into each other or leave the ball behind. It can be several issues:

a. your team is being pressed very effectively, no time and space on ball to make decisions. (Change of mentality needed)

b. your team is complacent - rotation

[summatsupeer]

Rotation. It happens. I can go play matches where my players are dismantling and scoring with ease, and then they head into a game where they run into each other or leave the ball behind. It can be several issues:

a. your team is being pressed very effectively, no time and space on ball to make decisions. (Change of mentality needed)

b. your team is complacent - rotation

Haha. I'm only laughing because i've tried to reduce the amount of rotation I do as I felt it might be causing poor performances! If a players playing well i'll try to keep him in the team where previously i'd look to rest him but I felt they never come back into the team at the same level they were before the game off.

Complacency is definitely something i'm aware of and try to stop. Trying to avoid negative reactions might mean i'm being to cautious and leave it till its too late.

[Rashidi]

Haha. I'm only laughing because i've tried to reduce the amount of rotation I do as I felt it might be causing poor performances! If a players playing well i'll try to keep him in the team where previously i'd look to rest him but I felt they never come back into the team at the same level they were before the game off.

Complacency is definitely something i'm aware of and try to stop. Trying to avoid negative reactions might mean i'm being to cautious and leave it till its too late.

I have players who I depend on game to game, but they will almost always perform lacklustre in some games. To counter that, I make sure that I rotate. So far my rotation happens heavily for matches which are not as important.

[beechy85]

Alt + F4 followed by enter.

Joking aside if I have a player in a rich vein of form I will praise him with a private chat and usually get "thanks boss ill keep on working hard" or something along those lines, or tell an underperforming player to buck his ideas up or he will be dropped. I rarely rotate unless players are tired but in lower leagues I have a small squad any way so rotation isn't much of an option

[Torminator]

I have 22 evenly stroing players so rotate the whole 11 every game. Works a treat. No complacency, no complaining and fit players.

In case of injuries certain players play more.

[shirajzl]

I have 22 evenly stroing players so rotate the whole 11 every game.

I always strive for that in my long term squad building. It works amazingly well, even in lower leagues.

[summatsupeer]

I think prevention is better then reaction so i'll try to improve my squad rotation and talks. Some positions are quite even so can rotate as needed but a few of the positions will probably be a younger player, I tend to try to blood them early so have a decent drop between starter and backup sometimes.

Just thinking about it I suppose over-confidence isn't just about the amount of effort they put in. They could take there eye off the ball when receiving it to look for a pass hence not control it properly, or trying a harder technique than they can do when passing which makes it miss by miles. Then at a certain point in the game they go "oh **** this isn't going to plan" and get nervous which affects them in other negative ways.

If it happens again I think i'll adjust the tactic to be a bit more conservative (changes depend on whats happening) until half time, then try and change things and go back to normal for second half.