How to maintain a long winning streak in Football Manager

You wonder why your team’s good form suddenly stops when facing a weaker opponent; those unexpected moments when good turns bad and bad gets worse.

Many think it’s just because the game wants you to lose. Even though it might seem like it at times, there’s more behind it than just a scripted piece of code. The following tips should help you lengthen your winning streaks in Football Manager:

1. The Speech

There’s no doubt morale can be more important than tactics or players in Football Manager. Weird or not, morale can slightly drop even after a positive pre-match team talk.

By clicking on Touchline Instructions you can check it live during a match. This mainly happens because you have been overconfident or too relaxed at your Press Conference or during Team Talks.

Players with low Determination are also more prone to morale drops. Also, encouraging players passionately when they are playing half-decent can have a negative effect on their morale.

• Avoid being overconfident during your speeches. Doubting your team can prove helpful at times; determined players will often try to prove you wrong.
• Don’t give Touchline Talks unless you know what you’re doing.
• Make use of monthly Team Meetings when you most need them – just before a derby for e.g.

Squad Rotation

Many managers go for the 2 first eleven’s approach. This isn’t as easy to pull off in Football Manager.

When selecting your starters, pay attention to their morale. Always try to maximise their morale through interactions or even by offering contracts in desperate moments.

I’ve detailed many ways to hack the morale in our Football Manager eBooks.

• Don’t start better players with low morale if you’ve got slightly weaker options with much better morale available.
• Don’t try to rotate your whole squad in important matches unless their condition is really low.

Super Subs

Don’t forget to select players with higher morale for the bench. Subs with low morale won’t increase your chances of winning.

When giving the instructions for sub going on, avoid putting pressure on them if their morale isn’t great.

And if you’re sending a youth or a fresh face on, your tone and message should be aiming to calm and relax them.

• Avoid using subs with lower morale than the player brought off.
• Try to get players with higher morale on when things don’t go well.
• Strikers without morale are very less likely to score; make a sub when u got a better option available.
• Avoid putting pressure on fresh faces and youngsters.

Put off the opposition

Many old fashioned managers used to have a single formation and stick to it; It used to work until Football Manager 2015, but now it’s really important to have more than one option available. Nowadays, advanced users use completely different home and away tactics.

Another interesting feature many you might not be aware of is Opposition Scouting. Yes, the AI has become more intelligent this year. In the recent Football Manager releases, the opposition manager can change tactics and set opposition instructions only to try to counter you.

• Make use of the 3 tactics your team can learn at once.
• Try to chance tactics at least every 5 games, or at least tweak them so the opposition can’t make proper preparation.

If you still need more advice on improving your team’s morale, handling Press Conferences, a list of best answers for your Team Talks or even three working formations, consider downloading our free Football Manager eBooks.