Here are some tips for reducing fatigue in FM24 and keeping your players fresh throughout the season.
Here are some tips for reducing fatigue in FM23 and keeping your players fresh throughout the season.
We've all been there. You've started a new FM23 save, figured out most of your best XI, built a beauty of a tactic ready to take on the world, and you see the worst possible outcome: a red intensity bar.
I can already hear my physio banging on my office door because they're overworked and my players moaning at the end of the season that they're knackered. If this keeps happening to you, here are some tips for keeping your players fresh throughout the season.
Look, I get it. I love pressing, you love pressing, we all love pressing. But this is the most obvious one. Nothing tires your players out more than high pressing. The good news is, I promise you don't need to have 'Much More Often' pressing. Drop down to 'More Often' and pull your line of engagement back to high instead of very high (staying on your feet doesn't hurt either). You'll still be causing the opposition defence big problems if they try to play out from the back without demanding every ounce of blood, sweat and tears from your players.
1. Drop your pressing intensity
READ ALSO: Guide for Opposition Instructions
Dribbling is a major cause of individual fatigue. This is because you're asking certain players to face a lot of defensive attention, which can be quite a high burden on two or three individuals. You'll probably notice this most in wingers or full-backs, who have to cover large areas of the pitch and carry the ball out of position, to then have long distances to travel to recover when possession is lost. I like to have 'Dribble Less' as a team instruction, making the ball do the work and taking the burden off my players. I can then tailor player instructions so that only my best dribblers - or positions where I have a lot of cover to rotate - are asked to take on that burden.
Not all fatigue comes from your tactics. Sometimes it can be from over-training, particularly late in the season. A good way to limit this is to make sure your rest settings are optimised. Under training, select the 'Rest' tab, and you'll be able to set conditional rest settings for your squad.
Late in the season, I tend to have both red hearts set to "no pitch or gym work" and the yellow heart to "half intensity". This is different from just granting players rest days, because "no pitch or gym work" means they'll still come in for recovery sessions or match reviews, but wouldn't participate in any other drills. Don't be afraid to listen to the physio's recommendations either; that's what you pay them for: if your medical team reckons a player needs a complete rest, give it to them.
2. Dribble Less
READ ALSO: Guide to Rotating Tactics
This mainly concerns full-backs and midfielders. If you have too many players on attack duty from deep positions, you're dragging them out of position to influence the game in the final third. Then when possession is lost, they've got much further to go to get back in position. Support duties ask players to be more mindful of their defensive responsibilities, so while they will still get forward to support the attack, they won't be so far out of position and won't have so much ground to cover.
3. Support Duties
READ ALSO: Simple Tips for Setting Up Training
4. Training Rests
Late in the season, I tend to have both red hearts set to "no pitch or gym work" and the yellow heart to "half intensity". This is different from just granting players rest days, because "no pitch or gym work" means they'll still come in for recovery sessions or match reviews, but wouldn't participate in any other drills. Don't be afraid to listen to the physio's recommendations either; that's what you pay them for: if your medical team reckons a player needs a complete rest, give it to them.
YOU MIGHT LIKE: OUT NOW: Mastering Football Manager - eBook
Of course, not all of these tips will apply to every save, but if you're really struggling with a fatigued squad, these things are worth bearing in mind. With good rotations and sensible substitutions, these tips should keep your team fit enough to compete all season long.
Final Thoughts
Of course, not all of these tips will apply to every save, but if you're really struggling with a fatigued squad, these things are worth bearing in mind. With good rotations and sensible substitutions, these tips should keep your team fit enough to compete all season long.
