My players have just completely stopped performing, i just don't get it.

I've made a few topics similar to this, but this is something different and i really don't understand why it's happening.

Last season I won the premier league and the FA cup with my club, Bath City. That was my second season in the premier league. So before this season i said that my expectations were to qualify to europe, just in case i couldn't recreate last season's success. The season starts out okay, two wins, a draw and a loss in my first four games. But since then i haven't won in twelve games in the premier league and it's completely amazing i have no idea why this is. When this started out I had great squad harmony (86%), none of my players were concerned about anything, I had acquired three new players, two wonderkid strikers who are brilliant, much better than two of my older ones, and a brilliant centre back from Sevilla. Didn't ruin the harmony or anything, since I was still at a high level.

But then my players just completely stop performing. No injuries or anything. My players aren't too tired either. I've played the CL too of course, but i have a big squad and all my players have been rested enough. I just can't win anymore. Eight draws and three losses my last eleven, and i've scored like 6 goals in those eleven games. My games are either 0-0, 0-1, 1-1, or 1-2 pretty much. It's astonishing. And i'm not playing any particularly great teams either. My hardest have been West Ham and Aston Villa (2-2 and 0-1 respectively), aside from them i've had 0-1 home vs Bristol City, 1-1 against Sunderland, 1-1 against Newcastle, 0-0 against Stoke, 0-1 against Burnley, 1-1 against Birmingham, 1-1 against Fulham, and so on. I just have no clue what to do. No clue whatsoever. I'm using the same tactics that i always have (Mr Hough's 4-1-2-3 i admit), they have always done well for me before. Now i'm doing completely horrible, and i have BETTER players than before by far! And my squad harmony was great, but now all my players are getting concerned that I'm underperforming, so that has sunk my squad harmony down to 50% from 86% in like two weeks. So now the squad harmony is bad, but the only reason for this is that i'm underperforming, and I can't help that I am, my players are just playing completely crap.

How the hell do i turn this around? I'm moving around players, trying different combinations, tried with only old players a few times, still play crap. Completely unbelievable and i don't know what to do. I mean I would understand if I had 4-5 games without winning, but it's 12 straight games without a win now i think! And i'm completely stumped. I don't even know why i'm posting this here, I just need to tell someone! Maybe there's some help to be had in some way?

I find the trick is to keep players playing. Rotation is the key. Go back to what you know best and play on extended/full back to see what's going wrong and why you're not winning games or losing them.

Keep all your players ready for the first team (difficult but possible). I find that way, there is more continuity and loses of form are minimal because all players are firing.

Also, possibly related to my situation, my strikers can't score. They miss one-on-ones all the time, and pretty much any good goalscoring chance. Either my strikers miss the target completely, or they shoot straight at the goalie. The only time my players hit a good shot, the goalie pulls of a wonder save. I miss like 6-7 clear chances every game. And my strikers have great finishing (18-20) and good composure too (15+). I've taught some of them to place shots, some to shoot with power. I've taught some to lob the keeper and some to round the keeper, according to their attributes. But they never do it. Not once have i seen one my strikers lob or round the keeper, they just keep shooting straight at him. wtf am i supposed to do when my strikers can't score? I bought in two brilliant strikers for 50 million pounds, with terrific stats, and they cant score. My old strikers can't score either anymore. I don't concede many goals, I have a good defence and Akinfeev in goal, but i don't score either, no wonder i don't win. But i have no idea why.

I find the trick is to keep players playing. Rotation is the key. Go back to what you know best and play on extended/full back to see what's going wrong and why you're not winning games or losing them.

Keep all your players ready for the first team (difficult but possible). I find that way, there is more continuity and loses of form are minimal because all players are firing.

yeah i am trying to rotate my players as much as possible. But good idea about full playback. Though I do think my biggest problem is my strikers are having an awful (and awfully long) run of form, they can't score at all.

You probably should change one of your positions in the tactic, say take a striker and put him as a MC.

Just won my first time in 13 games, but it was against Metalist Kharkiv in CL, so it wasn't huge, and none of my goals were especially good, one my CB headed in on a corner, and the second was on a penalty. Still i'll take it, hopefully my team can build on this win, still 10 without win in the PL though

Because you did so well last season other teams now see you as a bigger threat and play more defensive/counter attacking against you.

You need to work on keeping things tight at the back while stretching their defence to create space.

Nope, still losing. Lost 1-2 away against West Brom now... Took the lead 1-0, but then they equalize on the ****ing corner bug, and then they score 2-1 in the 90th minute. Christ.

Well i don't feel like playing more now, will continue tomorrow and see if i can work something out i guess. Thanks for the responses everyone at least

I had this problem. Took over Premier League relegation candidates West Brom in 2024 and built them up into a mid table side in one season. Brought in better players in the summer. Next season, it all went inexplicably wrong and I got the sack. Bought one forward who had been lethal the previous season but couldn't hit a barn door under my management. My two solid defenders turned into donkeys. It was the same tactics too.

But this is what I think happens having discussed stuff with SIG over the years. Team expectations go up and some players struggle to cope and lose form. Then the new players don't settle in. Also, as Cougar says, suddenly you're a bigger threat and teams that played openly against you before, play more defensively so you're grinding out results instead of winning in style. You get into a rut and it can take most of the season before your team's quality finally shows and you get out of it. But that might be too late for the board.

Because you did so well last season other teams now see you as a bigger threat and play more defensive/counter attacking against you.

You need to work on keeping things tight at the back while stretching their defence to create space.

This. Because my reputation was so low my first season in the prem was easy winning doubles against utd and arenal. They didn't treat me as a threat. I played utd four times and despite rooney being fit for three of the games he didnt even make the bench and they played some useless 16year old instead. Things changed next season after a mid table finish though.