Advanced Preperation

I’ll start off by talking to you about the preperation. If you’re approaching a big match like the one I mentioned above then you should look at preparing your squad very early. Of course nobody can always take everything into account for every single game, but looking at the calendar at times and setting your eyes on these dates can improve your performance massively. If a few of you’re players are low on confidence then you should think above giving them a match in the reserves. A good performance could see their confidence shoot up and as I’ve mentioned already – Moral is very important in this game. Alternatively, if a player if playing poorly don’t be shy of telling them. I’ll look at this in a future part of this series but giving them a good kick up the backside might see them perform better in the next match. On the other hand, if they are actually on good form then likewise tell them by praising them in the media. Try not to go overboard unless they have really been in out of this world form.

If you are playing a fierce rival or participating in a local derby then you may want to comment on the manager screen concerning the other teams. These are usually the only matches I comment on and the best one to use is that you “expect a good rivalry” as this tends to take pressure off yours players and put this pressure more on the other team than your own starting eleven.

Scout Reports

No matter the ability of your scout, they are usually pretty spot-on with their reports and you should pay close attention to them. If you see a player to watch out for – you should think about looking at which of your players could counter them. For example, if your Chelsea up against Liverpool with Fernando Torres playing as a striker you should think about using a quick defender at the back to keep up with him or perhaps dropping your defensive line deeper to avoid getting caught out by a ball over the top.

It is often useful to comment on the “danger-man” that is shown in the scout report. Again, I’ll use an example. If your playing against Barcelona and you’re told to watch out for Ronaldinho, you could perhaps comment him as you do have the option to. Before doing this you should look at the form and personality of the players. If they are model professionals, driven or highly determined players who are on good form or even if their team is on bad form I wouldn’t advise putting pressure on them because it will spur them on to putting in a good performance to help out their team. It doesn’t always work but when it does it actually works very well and effects their performances although as I said it can go wrong if not used correctly.

Pre-match media

Before every match on this years version, you are presented with the same question by the media asking how you think you team will do in the upcoming match-up. If you have used the previous steps incorrectly then this can make up for this or it can ruin all your previous work. Here are the options that you are usually given before the match and when they should be used correctly.

We are in a good form and can win this – This is the option you should look at using if your team are on good form and you have a determined bunch of players. It’s the kind of statement you would use if you were perhaps in the middle on a mini unbeaten run of lets say, 5 games or so.
They can cause us problems – I would use this option if you face a difficult away match and the odds for your team are less than brilliant. It will take the pressure off your players and they will play with a more relaxed approach.
Just want a good performance – If you’re managing a team similar to Derby who are on rotten form at the moment and aren’t favourites to win any of their games. It takes the pressure off your players and they may come away with a good moral even if they lose the match. Make sure you don’t use this and get angry with your team if they lose
You can see your team winning today – This should only be using if you are perhaps playing a minnow in a couple competition or you are top of the league and destroying every team put in your way. Using this option however may see your players go into the game over confident but also make you unpopular with the the managers that lack a sense of humour at times.
No Comment – This is advised if you have “Superb” moral for all your players and you don’t want to risk anything to gain extra motivation for your team. It doesn’t affect the players if you choose this option.

That’s the basics of pre-game build up comments and how you should approach the media. This for me is the best way to approach games, no matter what opponents you are up against. I hope some of you guys who read this actually appreciate it and perhaps even use these methods in your next game. Feel free to leave a comment or respond on the forums.