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How to Slow Decline of Aging Player?


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I've got Tevez and he's 30, still a beast but one or two of his attributes took a small dip this year. I have him playing pretty much every game (and he never needs to be subbed) -- if I reduce his playing time can I slow his decline as a player?

What factors determine how fast a player declines in general?

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To me it seems to be a crapshoot- some players fall off quickly, others are very slow. In my Athletic save, Igor Gabilondo hardly declined at all but retired at 33.

What seems to be best is finding a good balance with playing time. Don't play them a ton, but don't under-play them. Put the player on a balanced training schedule. Do whatever it takes to make sure they don't get injured as well.

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Natural fitness, professionalism, determination and other stats of that ilk affect it. It's a careful balance to strike, on one hand if you use him too sparingly he'll dip, if you use him too much he may be overexerted and also dip. The decline will happen adjusting your tactics to accomodate him as he gets slower (perhaps by keeping him further up the field, or by changing his role) can see an older player still be useful. If he's leading the attack now as he gets older either keep him permanently at that end of the pitch and less need for him to be deeper and beating players, or bring him deeper into a more creative role.

Injuries once players get beyond 30 can do some serious damage though, if he does sustain a bad injury its unlikely he will recover the attributes lost.

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I think it is best to carefully manage the playing time of an aging player. Aging players get physically jaded more easily, and if a player becomes jaded it can effect they're training performance, hence an older player can deteriorate from being overplayed. Jaded players are also more susceptible to injury, and even a relatively minor injury can really knock an older player for 6. So for those reasons I always make sure my over 30s players always get ample rest time even if they are key players for the team.

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