retired_tamara3047

I had been using different variations of 442 for a total of seven seasons - 3 with Valencia and 4 with Napoli. I'm not a tactical genius, though have managed to win virtually everything, and it's been tough because I'm a micormanager, who tinkers a lot and examines virtually every detail within the game.

My focus, however, has always been on the players and making the best use of their attributes. I never quite saw the sense of downloading others' tactics, and while I'm greatful to the works of the likes of Cleon, wwfan, and Rashidi (his old screamjet was an inspiration to me), I've been using the tactical discussions on this forum as a resource for a deeper understanding of the game and football in general...

But I digress...

Something strange happened with my Napoli team. I had been using the same tactic and virtually the same squad for a while, and in the midst of a title race, I had become pretty bullish with my squad. I focused a lot on my teamtalks, and made pretty heavy use of the media by praising and (rarely) slagging off my players. I won my first title with Napoli in a fierce race with Roma, grinding out the results but playing very sound, neat football. It wasn't too attractive, but so effective that it was always clear I would win the games even if the results were 1:0.

In the second season, in spite of using virtually the same tactic with minor adjustments to counter my standing as the favorite to win almost every match, I started playing some stunning football. The thing is, my squad went from having an "extremely strong understanding" to "ready to die for each other", and virtually every player seemed to have another from my team as his favorite person. 9 out of my starting 11 had me as their favorite person. Essentially, they had become a really tight unit, and in spite of not being that highly rated in terms of attributes, they seemed to develop such a strong understanding that winning became a sort of habit for the team.

It wasn't just the results, however, but the nature of the team's play. A 6-1 demolition of Roma (league runner up) away was followed by a 4:3 come from behind win against ManUntd in the Champions League, and a 1:0 (90th minute tap-in) win against Inter.

My point is not at all to gloat, as I don't think my achievement is all that impressive. The Napoli I had built had much better players than, say, Cleon's Sheffield United. I'd just like to stress the importance of the "gelling" factor. It's always been apparent in the CM/FM series, and seems to affect the team's morale, and by extension their performance as a whole. I believe the atmosphere among the squad is almost as important as the shape of the formation or the width with which they play. We've all experienced the consequences of morale, but when applying tactics, it's important to judge the players carefully, and also make sure that they are, in fact, a team, rather than just a bunch of players fitted into a tactical design.

Sometimes when people discuss tactics (especially when losing) they don't pay nearly as much attention to morale and the atmosphere among the squad as they should. Perhaps it's because those are intangible factors that can't be spotted so easily, though I believe they are absolutely crucial. As in real life, the job of the manager is not only to be the one drawing up the tactics, but also making sure his team is in fact a unit. The Capellos, Maurinhos and Fergusons of the football world would not be nearly as successful had they not considered that point....

Anyway, sorry for the long post, and addictional imput on the value of mentality and player personality would be welcome

retired_barbiej

Fantastic post there Contexx02 :thup:

Another thing that influences performances in players happiness. I try to avoid playing anyone that has any sort of concerns, may it be seeking a new contract or wanting a move. Thats why when every majority of my players start thinking the team should be topping the table(2nd season) it hard to win games.

retired_scott1129

I think you are quite right contexx02, the rhytm of the team is very important in this game and i think there are many hidden elements. I have been playing the 23. season in Italy (in various teams, a long carrier surely but thats an other story) and I usually prefer a young team with high determination and teamwork stats, this choice has following consequences in my opinion:

A determined squad gives you much flexibility about the team talks, they are easier to motivate and as a result they play often better in the second half. An ambitious nature of the team is very likely to disrupt the harmony because you always have to deal with the players, who want to go to a bigger club.

Better teamwork brings a better coordination to the team. The defenders with good teamwork keep their lines better for example. (with decent positioning attribute)

Age and experience is also very important. My average squad age has always been 22-23 and that brings some problems. I usually have a better team than my opponent but sometimes the opponent plays better than me and dictates the game. I think young players have the problem, that they cant give the game its style.
Younger players get quickly excited and for examle in the last few minutes my team is tend to concede goals. And when the opponent defends, my team cant get positions and the few positions
are wasted by my young strikers. Long goal droughts happen very often in my team.

I think young players attributes grow by time, but we dont see it. For example a forward 21 years old with composure 16 is equal to a forward 32 years old with composure of 12.

retired_e_fores

You've clearly got your approach to media and teamtalks spot on - it would be great if you could outline them in more detail in perhaps a seperate thread or something.

Personally I feel as if I've sussed media interaction, but now I've just got my Ass Man to do team talks (by signing a good one) I'm finding myself to be way more consistent and feel I may actually win something instead of throwing away titles with silly results all because I made the wrong team talk or said something in the media.

I just feel that teamtalks in particular have too ambiguous effect and it's virtually impossible to tell what effect they are having and why (at leas specifically). SI need to either tone down their influence or make it much more clear as to what saying certain things actually does (perhaps with the help of the traditionally useless Ass Man).

retired_hope

I too would be very interested in your approach as the most I have got is "forged and extremely strong understanding."

Ambition and determination are not mutually exclusive. A player can have high ratings in both.

Also do you tutor your players? Do you only by players of a certain personality etc.

Great topic looking forward to hearing you responses.

Leroy

retired_hope

Apologies for double post but I forgot to add the reason I do the team talks myself.

When you get things right you gain some influence with the players, eventually this will lead to your name appearing in their favorites list. I believe this has a big impact on whether the players listen to you when you give a team talks. Also if you start the game with no experience then this also has an impact.

If the assistant manager does the team talks then it is that indiviual who is gaining influence with the players not you.

retired_jfarleymeade1

"Ready to die for each other" !?!! Wow. Hmm I just checked and my squad is also "ready to die for each other." Cool. Hadn't noticed. I rarely use the media to praise players...unless it is a "prompted story" (so and so is playing really well, or is injured...blah, blah, blah). Lots of "faith in ability." After matches anyone with an 8 or higher gets a "delighted" in a win or a pleased in a loss/draw. It is very rare that I am negative after a match...usually sympathatic after a loss. I have NEVER fined anyone on this squad. I have warned a few players for missing training or complaining about squad status...I think I may have warned a player once for throwing a punch in a match and he immediately disliked me...I sold him. I regret warning him, he had been exemplary for me...it was probably a one off incident. I sell anyone who dislikes anyone else...ESPECIALLY if they dislike ME!

retired_tamara3047

I don't think it's a matter of looking for specific types of players. I find that sticking with your squad as much as possible and avoiding unnecessary glamor signings is a big help. On your manager profile, there are attributes for loyalty and domestic player bias. I think a similar thing can be applied to your squad. I find that sticking with your squad as much as possible is sometimes better than taking the newly acquired funds to buy big stars. In my time at Napoli, I only made one big signing (Lavezzi for 15 million) and it was only because I had big problems with injuries. I lucked out because he had a cracker of a debut, scoring a hattrick and immediately became a favorite among the rest of the squad.

Essentially, I built a tactic that fits the roles of my players, who were by no means great. Besides Lavezzi, the closest I have to a world class player is Goran Slavkovski (amazing player though spends about half a season being injured). My DC's are not special at all, though they're both Brazillian, have good teamwork, and have each other as their favorite personnel.

Finally, one important comment on what I call the "Bucci Factor". In last year's version of the game as well as this one, Christian Bucci has been my favorite player. His attributes are never anything special, but he is a born leader. As my captain, he scored 31 goals at the ripe age of 35, including the winner in the CL final. Most importantly, the team plays better with him there, in spite of him becoming increasingly peripheral due to his declining stats. At first I thought it to be a slightly absurd playing him ahead of strikers with much better finishing, pace, etc, though I do think the team as a whole takes into account the player's effect on the team. When he turned 36, his pace dropped to 9, and I really couldn't justify starting with him, though he continues to be my first choice for a supersub especially when the team is not performing.

To sum it up, I don't think it's so much about "looking for players" as this usually results in too much instability among your current squad. Forging links between players is much more important. This means playing partnerships, getting to know which players work with each other best, and recognizing the importance of a player's happiness within the squad.

retired_kellyk

I've been noticing the same thing as well. For a long time, I've resisted against the use of the ass man and pre match media talks.

I've been software testing for a long time at work, and i used the same priniciples here. After establishing that my tactics were fundamentally sound I decided to utilised teamtalks. The changes are there, the scorelines have become more consistent. But its all dependant on getting your tactics right the furst time.

The challenge in the game has been this: The game engine has evolved faster than the Staff interaction module. This means, you may not be able to assess the impacts nearly as well as you would like. They are there, the representation isn't perfect.

It is definitely a vast improvement on the game and does reflect how deep its become,and I have to admit the game has definitely become more addictive as a result

retired_tamara3047

Is it me or does the effect of team talks sometimes show very clearly within the first few minutes of the game/half. For example, if you get the team talks right (morale boost, motivated etc), you can clearly see the team playing better. Even if they don't score, the effect of the team talk is there (shots or sheer effort).

I watch my important matches on full highlight mode, and the effect of teamtalks can really be a sort of barometer for your tactics. For example, it's easy to notice a winger who is determined, motivated, etc. doing all he can though being let down by your tactic. You can clearly see him running himself into the ground (or corner) but stopped by the superior fullback. That's when you know your tactic is simply not working. Conversely, if the tactic is sound enough, the team talks and player chemistry can provide that extra boost. Perhaps in some ways, it's cosmetic. We've all seen the effects of an incisive teamtalk at halftime, and it often produces some stunning football, great passing, and summed up by a comment at the end of the match (someting like "the manager's team talk really did wonders").

One more thing about teamtalks. I don't know how many people use the dreaded "i want a performance like this in every match". It makes the entire team unhappy, and I know people will find it crazy, but I think it's a perfect tonic on some occasions. It's a sort of kick in the a*s the team sometimes needs - tough love if you will.

I used it once when I came from behind after trailing 2:0 at halftime, and even though the squad was upset, they upped their game overall and went on a nice winning run. I wouldn't recommend using it too often, though it's a good way to fire up your squad. I never tested it though use it at least once a season and even though the "sit"'s seem to be disturbing, it's a great form of tough love.