retired_devisserjulie

I'm pulling my hair out over a certain really frustrating aspect of FM07.

When I get penalties, I ususally see them tucked away, no problem there. In fact I think that they're more of a 'dead cert' goal in FM than in real life. However when I get to the dreaded shoot-out, my players turn into rabid gibbons. They seem to think that they are either supposed to be warming up the goalkeeper, or that perhaps they'll get 2 points for a conversion and blaze over the bar.

I seem to lose 3/4 of all of the shootouts that come along, including 2 consecutive Champions League finals with my West Ham team . Every man and his dog from Barcelona all the way down to Worksop Rovers seem to be able to do me over in a shootout. I've tried picking my lineup based solely on the 'Penalties' stat, and trying to have a compromise based on 'penalties', 'composure' and 'bravery', and I've had no luck there either.

Help would be greatly, greatly appreciated.

retired_management team

There is not much help to be offered here I am afraid. You can train set pieces intensively several days before a game you suspect you may have a shootout. Rafa did that IRL against Chelsea last season.

Other than that - avoid shootouts. Switch to attacking in the last couple of minutes of E.T.

remember there are some teams always lose on penalties (e.g. England and Italy) and some always win (Germany, Brazil)

... and good luck!

retired_kotterkey

as assenuma said i would just up the training before key games such as a champions league semi final just incase, this also rest players before a big game as they are only taking penalties and resting on alot of other things, maybe you should concentrate alot on set peice training in the summer aswell when it is not too close to the season.

retired_kimberly fries

Other way round for me, in the last 10 years or so my team has probably converted about 10% of match penaties and we've won about 90% of shoot outs.

retired_management team

Also, I sometimes have players with good penalty stats who do not normally play first team football. I will put one or two of them on the bench of such a game. I will wait with the substitutions, especially if my team plays well, and introduce them to the game late in ET. Of course you need to make sure they are match fit.

It is not a magic wand but at least I try to do something about winning the shootout... better than nothing

retired_jenngranados

I'm on the lucky side of winning Penalty shoot-outs

retired_vanessahawkins

I had a tremendous record in shoot-outs w/ ADO Den Haag. I bet I won 10 shoot-outs in a row at one point w/ them. I was blessed w/ a number of players with very high PK attributes, and I would always make sure to start thinking about penalties in about the 70th minute so that the only subs I would bring on would be guys who could bolster my PK lineup.

I obviously had some good luck, and I was lucky that a lot of my players were good PK takers (I didn't seek such players out, just got players for other attributes and they happened to have good PK ratings). But I also gave my team a shot to win on PKs by making those key subs.

I recently started a new game w/ Vauxhall and got a promotion in the playoff final on PKs after a nil-nil draw - that was especially surprising given the fact that I had terrible PK takers (though there aren't many 19s at that level!), but I made two subs in the 120th minute to bring on two guys that took and scored PKs in the shootout. I was thinking 'shootout' all the way.

retired_Orangejulius

I do the same thing Assenuma does. First of all, do all your best to make sure it does NOT get to that point. I know throwing a few more bodies forward leaves you open to counters, but personally I'd rather lose in minute 120 than in penalties, it just hurts more. And definitely have that "designated penalty-taker" on the bench, if a shootout seems inevitable, time to bring him on. At least that's one less miss! Good luck

retired_happydawg

Along with a high penalty kick stat', check whether or not your penalty takers have a high composure stat'.

retired_thehpsleb

I also beleave the hidden stats ; "Pressure" and "Important matches" means something in shootouts.