Highlights
- Tinkering with training schedules is essential for player development and tactical evolution, especially during crucial parts of the season.
- Pre-season conditioning helps bring the team up to speed for the new season and focuses on physical conditioning and tactical familiarity.
- Different training focuses, such as physical, technical, and tactical familiarity, benefit different positions and aspects of the game, but can sacrifice attribute development in some cases.
Although essential, newcomers and returning veterans to Football Manager 2024 can still be dismissive towards the idea of tinkering with training schedules, especially during crucial parts of the season such as in the pre-season, and towards the end of the season, before big matches like playoffs and cup finals.
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These specialized training schedules benefit a team’s progress in player development and tactical evolution since the team will need practice before they can successfully grasp the manager’s tactical instructions. Moreover, having the player progress their attributes instead of stagnating is one of the most important things to do as a team.
1 Pre-Season Conditioning
Brings The Team Up To Speed For The New Season
- Focuses on both Physical Conditioning and Tactical Familiarity
- Recoveries after each friendly match for less injury risk
Entering the new season can be overwhelming for new managers and returning managers alike, as they either try to implement a new formation to welcome the new season, or perfect the previous tactic to preserve continuity and achieve easier tactical familiarity. A heavy pre-season schedule is necessary for the team, especially when they are about to face numerous matches in the season.
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By focusing on Physical training such as Endurance and Quickness, players will be able to regain their previous physical performance in no time. The extra sessions in the form of Chance Convertions, Creations, and Team Bonding will be crucial to increase the tactical familiarity of the players.
2 Physical Focus
Focusing Physical Development During The Season
- Focuses on Physical attributes development during the season
- Benefit players and teams with tactics that rely on physicality
For Physically oriented teams that can overwhelm their opponents with their players’ physical attributes, such as quick movements and great strength, a physical focus will be needed to increase their Physical attributes throughout the season. Since the training is going to be taken in the middle of a season, a less intense schedule will be needed to preserve the players’ conditions.
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This type of focus will greatly benefit positions that rely on their physicality, such as ball-winning midfielders that guard the backline with their Strength and Quickness. However, players in other positions will also benefit from the training as well.
3 Technical Focus
Improve The Team’s Technical Attributes For Easier Pitch Control
- Focuses on Technical attributes such as Passing, Vision, and Finishing
- Will generally benefit attacking midfielders, forwards, and wide players
Techniques are one of the most important attributes in Football Manager 2024 as players will need to outplay their opponents during intense moments in the match. Getting out of a press and releasing a great pass will require a player to have high Dribbling, Passing, and also Decisions to create chances for the players in front of them. Generally, this training schedule will benefit midfielders and forwards.
Both the midfielders and forwards typically rely on technical abilities to play on their side of the pitch. For example, successful forwards will need high Finishing and Composure to convert chances and give their team the advantage of a goal.
4 Tactical Familiarity Focus
Keeping The Team Focused On Current Playstyle
- Focuses on keeping Tactic Familiarity high to perform better on the pitch
- Generally benefits every player on the pitch, at the cost of their development
A manager can sometimes be forced to re-tinker their tactics to solve problems on the pitch due to the difficulty of the team they are managing, such as leaking unnecessary goals and getting caught in transitions too often, or simply failing to both create and convert chances on the opponent’s side of the pitch. However, they can also try to better familiarize themselves with the current tactic first before making such drastic decisions with these training schedules.
Both Attacking and Defensive Shadow Plays will allow the player to develop their Tactical Familiarity greatly while also increasing the attributes slightly. Moreover, a focus on Match Tactics and Match Reviews will make the player more familiar with the current tactics, at the cost of attribute development as they focus on the tactics only.
5 Defense Focus
Increase Defensive Capabilities To Prevent Goals
- Focuses on increasing Defensive attributes to prevent goals
- Greatly benefit goalkeepers, defenders, and defensive midfielders
Sometimes, a team can perform well on the offensive side, but terrible in their defensive positioning due to a lack of defensive attributes and cohesion on their side of the pitch. Therefore, training schedules on Defensive attributes will be needed to have the backline of the team improve immensely, especially the center backs and the full backs.
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The focus will generally improve a player’s Positioning and Decisions on the mental side, while also increasing Tackling, Marking, and Heading on the technical side. These will be crucial to keep the opposition’s forwards quiet throughout the game and keep a clean sheet.
6 Attack Focus
Have The Forwards Of The Team Score Consistently
- Focuses on increasing Attacking attributes to score more goals
- Greatly benefits attacking midfielders and forwards, which consist of wide-attacking players and strikers
Although a solid backline will translate to a team’s clean sheet, more points will come if the forwards of the team can be productive as well. To have them consistently score goals, a focus on improving the team’s Attacking attributes might be needed, especially for the forwards.
These training schedules will immensely improve a player’s attacking attributes such as Passing, Dribbling, Finishing, and Crossing for the technical side. For the mental side, Composure, Anticipation, Off The Ball, and Vision will be developed for the forwards.
7 Pre-Big Matches
Prepare The Team For Every Possibility In The Match
- Focuses on match preparation before the big games such as playoffs and finals
- Added focus to both set piece routines and penalty
Anything can happen in a big match, such as an upset with the “weaker” team winning, or a routine victory for the bigger team as expected. Therefore, every team will want to focus on match preparation before such matches to improve their chances of winning, such as on tactical familiarity and set pieces.
Moreover, an added focus on penalties can be rewarding as the match can remain a draw after extra time. Aside from the forwards, Goalkeepers will also benefit greatly from this schedule as it allows them to prepare better for the opponents’ penalties.
