Sifu Thom

I've always had my first choice 11 players in my 1st team slection screen unless one is injured whereby I'll 'promote' someone from the reserves to temporarily replace him.

When selecting the team on matchday I'll use the filter to show my reserves and give them a place on the bench accordingly.

My logic is that although I might rotate players each week or bring someone off the bench every game, they are by default in the reserves side and will always retain match fitness.

I just wondered if anybody else did this?

bootle

Yeah, I used to have my 22 man squad all in the first team, promoting players from the reserves when needed. Recently I realised, like you, that squad players will retain their match fitness playing in the reserves. Now it the bare minimum on the first team page.

It also seems to be the case that morale for the reserves is usually quite high too. I put this down to them winning games a lot -due to there being better players in the reserve team.

Benoit2

What happens when the reserves play a match a day before your first team, but you want to play a player who is in your reserves, only to find out he is very tired because he played just one day before?

socks

do your subs sprint over from the reserve game as well or do they have a place on the bench?

timpino

I usually have around 25 at the start of the season, and by jan-feb this is usually down to ~15 due to injuries, sellings and demotions to the reserves.

Putting all the backups in the reserves might be a good idea if you have a small squad, but when you have a squad of ~60 players and only 15 of those in the u18 and 11 in the first team the reserves are going to be crammed with people.

Shure you can loan them out but you probably can't loan out ~20 players a season and this will lead to you having a few young guns not playing at all thus no improving.

Also when first team and reserves matches clash all the reserves are no shows for your first team, meaning you'll have to draw upon the "vast" knowledge of your U18 players to get you through the game.

Just my £0.02 worth