Is form really that important?

I have never played a real game of scocer in my life so I don't know....but is the current form of a team really as big of a deciding factor as this game simulates it to be? In this year's version I don't think tactics matter at all...or at least not mearly as much as form and morale do, and to me that isn't right. I have seen so many times (both for me and against me) where it just feels as though I can't win no matter what or I can't lose no matter what, based on the current form of my team.

It is as though momentum in this game is an almost unstoppable force.

Do you think this is an accurate reflection in the game in real life, or does the game put too much weight into form and morale?

Well I can't comment on the game too much because i've only done one save and i've only had 1 bad season on it which was due to my crappy tactics and not having enough good players to make my later successful tactic work. As for football in real life, look at the fortunes of Chelsea, Rooney, Torres etc. Form and confidence make such a difference, it's what gives you that edge that makes you play better, and helps intimdate the opposition into playing below what they can. I have read a lot of the complaining about morale and stuff and maybe it has too much of an effect for them but I've never really suffered these losing runs out of nowhere or w/e. 15 straight league titles, 4 unbeaten seasons, an 101 game unbeaten streak in league illustrates i suppose the beneficial aspects of high morale and the team 'buzzing' if you will. As for your opinion that tactics don't seem to matter, I believe that's extremly wrong. If anything, its still the most important part. A successful tactic combined with players that suit the roles ultimately leads to success on the game and I think most players find that to be the case.

You may not have played football, but remember footballers are humans, and therefore the ones in this game are simulations of humans.

If you think about your day-to-day life, I'm sure there have been times when at school, uni, or work that you've found it hard to be motivated because of the size of a challenge, finding something difficult, or not getting encouragement from your peers or teachers/managers.

And once you're in that kind of rut, it can be hard to get out of it.

As it is in the game now, form is one of the most important factors. Tactics are nice and everything but if your scorers are in bad form, you won't score goals. It can drive you crazy from time to time, but that's part of the game. (4 star striker who scored close to one goal on avg. doesn't hit the goal for 600+ minutes...?)

I do not thinks that RL is represented accurately however. IRL good players only perform bad if there are important reasons. Bad form won't make Messi lose his skill. A superstar will always play at an at least acceptable level if he doesn't have serious problems with his manager or private life. In the game it is not like this ATM. Average players perform world class if they have a run of good form. World-class players don't hit the empty goal 3 times in a row if the game decides that they have a bad run...

Sometimes it is impossible to test a new tactic because of this. I never can tell if I lose/win because of my tactics or because of my form (or my opponent's form). This is mostly true for offense and scoring goals, so it helps to focus on defending.