How do you normally deal with the reranking/going on a bad run?

[TwoShedsJackson]

I frequently hit a wall in January of a Premiership season, presumably related to reranking if I've been overachieving thus far e.g. my current game managing Everton in the third season, using a TTF 4321 we were doing very well up til Christmas, sitting 4th or 5th in the table, media prediction was 11th.

Then after the FA Cup 3rd round, four straight defeats in the league, now two of those games were away at Chelsea and away at Spurs, neither of which I was expecting much from. Morale in the team is generally good and the team should be mostly gelled, a lot of the squad is still the same as Everton's current RL squad.

So, do you prefer to adjust your tactics to cope with more packed defences, or use a more cautious tactic from the set i.e use normal where you would have used attack, or defence where you might have used normal? I'm leaning towards the latter and using team talks to keep morale up, but am wondering how others approach it?

I should add that in most of these games I still dominate posession and passing, and have as many if not more shots then the opposition e.g. the Spurs game I had 60% posession, 82% passes completed to their 60-something, and had 9 shots, 5 on target and 4 off. They had about the same amount of shots and we lost 4-0 Does this point to morale rather than tactics??

[ZdlR]

I'm going through exactly the same sort of blip at the moment: playing really well - even getting 3+ clear-cut chances per match - but we're just not putting them away and get caught on the break or by a set-piece. I'm trying to keep morale up and trying to get through it without weeping that my hopes of a Uefa Cup place are all but dead. If you get a winnable game at home, I advise you put sympathy aside and demand a lot from the players. I always suffer from January onwards, especially in the EPL.

[TheBetterHalf]

In situations like this, I tend to use my slow defensive version until I have managed to strengthened the squad.

[micro-ice]

i normally create a control tactic. it seeks to create well worked chances by playing rather deeper and extremely wide; advocating patience during build up play.

i can upload mine (433) which you can use as a template.

[Tubey84]

I agree with micro-ice; I also adapt my tactic to a deeper defensive line and "grind out" results until morale improves and you notice a notable improvement in the flow of the side. This is especially useful if the morale of your side has dropped considerably. Then I become steadily more adventurous when I feel comfortable.

There's no right or wrong answer though. I know some managers who refuse to buckle their tactical approach midway through a season for any reason whatsoever and they eventually turn things round. It depends on what you feel comfortable doing.

[TwoShedsJackson]

i normally create a control tactic. it seeks to create well worked chances by playing rather deeper and extremely wide; advocating patience during build up play.

i can upload mine (433) which you can use as a template.

If you could upload it so I can have a look that'd be great, thanks.

[micro-ice]

http://rs695.rapidshare.com/files/234890454/433_Man_U_controll__Man_Utd__Mar_2009_.tac

here you go mate.

no opposition instructions btw.

[TwoShedsJackson]

http://rs695.rapidshare.com/files/234890454/433_Man_U_controll__Man_Utd__Mar_2009_.tac

here you go mate.

no opposition instructions btw.

Much obliged, will have a look this evening.

[Freakyspiderlegs]

I frequently hit a wall in January of a Premiership season, presumably related to reranking if I've been overachieving thus far e.g. my current game managing Everton in the third season, using a TTF 4321 we were doing very well up til Christmas, sitting 4th or 5th in the table, media prediction was 11th.

Then after the FA Cup 3rd round, four straight defeats in the league, now two of those games were away at Chelsea and away at Spurs, neither of which I was expecting much from. Morale in the team is generally good and the team should be mostly gelled, a lot of the squad is still the same as Everton's current RL squad.

So, do you prefer to adjust your tactics to cope with more packed defences, or use a more cautious tactic from the set i.e use normal where you would have used attack, or defence where you might have used normal? I'm leaning towards the latter and using team talks to keep morale up, but am wondering how others approach it?

I should add that in most of these games I still dominate posession and passing, and have as many if not more shots then the opposition e.g. the Spurs game I had 60% posession, 82% passes completed to their 60-something, and had 9 shots, 5 on target and 4 off. They had about the same amount of shots and we lost 4-0 Does this point to morale rather than tactics??

When I am having a bit of indifferent form I try to go back to basics.

The very first thing I will do is improve morale in my squad. When a team hits a poor patch it’s usually down to the players lacking confidence. It’s your job as manager to reinstall that self belief back into the players so they go out and do the business on the pitch.

A good way to improve moral which often gets overlooked is interaction. Tell the players what you think. If their rating in the last 5 games is below an acceptable level then tell them! Alternatively, if you are happy with the performance then be sure to praise them for their efforts. You should get a positive reaction from your players if you chose criticism/praise wisely.

Now that you have installed a little confidence into your players, it’s time to look into your tactics. If individual players are not firing on all cylinders then it’s time to go back to basics and set up some simple team instructions.

Note – the following is my opinion only and based on my own observations.

Step1

Apply a global team mentality set on ‘Normal’

Step2

Apply a global creative freedom to ‘little’ but chose 2 or 3 attacking/creative players and set theirs to high.

Step3 (Important!)

‘Run with ball’ sliders are often misunderstood as a player just getting the ball and taking on the opponents. This is not the case. It simply means that the player will keep hold of the ball more than normal. Combined with creative freedom and a good morale, this setting applied to the right player can really turn around your fortunes. If your team are not playing well and players are clearly not performing then setting that player with a ‘run with ball’ option could be a costly mistake. Only apply this setting to your best and most creative players.

Step4

Apply global settings for the following:-

Passing – Mixed

Tackling – Normal

Focus passing – Mixed

Def Line – Mixed

Time wasting – Mixed

Temp – Normal

Closing Down – Mixed

Tackling – Normal

Long Shots – Rarely

Forward Runs – Mixed (Rarely for Defenders/GK)

Remember, If you have some good players who you trust and have reacted well to your praise/criticism and have a V.good to Superb moral, you will be looking to these players to lift your team. Tweak your sliders (especially Run with ball) and give them a free role – you want them on the ball trying to make things happen

Hope that helps. It certainly works for me.

Also, to get your strikers scoring it’s sometimes good to arrange a friendly match against your reserves. The idea is that you win the game easy which increased their morale and reminds them they can find the back of the net!