The start of the season

I'm managing Valencia at the moment, joined January, went on a massive unbeaten run and ended up coming 3rd after starting in 15th. Wooo me and all that.

On that kind of form, looking for the title this year, made a few small additions to the squad players to boost numbers, but no massive team-changing signings. Everyone is fit, got enough match practice and should be set to go.

First game managed to sneak a win despite being largely out-played, second game away to Espanyol drew 1-1 and could have been worse there and then played Sevilla at home, went 2-0 up, they got a goal from nothing, then they got a dodgy penalty, Raul Albiol, my captain and first choice central defender got sent off for arguing. They scored the penalty, scored an offside goal and won 3-2 and I got fined for complaining.

(As a side note, it's a true testament to the game that it's still playing on my mind at work today)

This brought me on to think that the starts to my season are always considerably worse than the rest of the season, despite my fitness training regime, warm-up games with everyone getting game time, and no major changes to the squad. I always seem to lose games that would have been won at the end of the previous season.

Does anyone else have this problem, and how do you fix it?

Maybe try changing/tweaking your tactics?

always have the same problem when im managing Liverpool. never sure why, and havent managed to fix it yet. does seem to help if i start my season with a bog standard 4-4-2 formation, then change to my preferred formation after the 3rd round of the carling cup. that seems to minimise the daft results towards the start of the season but doesnt do much for the performances.

Maybe you are focusing too much on fitness during the summer?

Personally i only put my squad on my pre-season schedule for a 7-10 days and normally have them onto their regular during season schedules even before i play my first friendly.

I pride myself on getting off to a flying start and getting a cushion early.

Also, maybe your players have low morale. If so, try boosting it by arranging mid-week friendlies against your reserves

All makes sense, cheers. Perhaps I'm a little too frustrated by that Sevilla game and when I load it up tonight I will go on a 35-match unbeaten run.

The weird thing is it never seems to affect European games, just league ones. I've had it happen enough times before to think it's more than a coincidence.

I am totally the opposite my teams tend to get of the an absolutely stonking start in the league and i have won 17 out of the 19 games of the season. However although I have 3 back to back titles my team seems to fail miserably in the final few games of the season and draw and lose to lesser or relegated sides. Could also be why I struggle to get beyond the quarters of European comps.

I am also the complete opposite. I always get off to a flying start....but then slowly descend down the table. I guess its somethign to do witht he fitness.

2nd Season syndrome. I usually walk the league with a big club first season (Liverpool, Chelksi, Barca, Real) but then really struggle start of the second season.

Might be wrong, but when the press asks about your chances for the league it's probably the same issue we have with press comments before matches, ie, they have way too much affect on the outcome. Or maybe the players are just overconfident.

I'm the opposite, i'm unstoppable until the winter break in germany (which lasts over a month) and then I struggle for form, picking up again in April :confused:

I quite often start slowly, then pick up form and then finish slowly too! Certainly first season at Hibs we started so slowly we only won 2 of our opening 11 matches, but then rallied to finish 3rd. At Scunthorpe I started very inconsistently (4 wins, 2 draws, 4 defeats all in a mish-mash), but now I'm starting to pick up some consistency with 3 defeats on the bounce

First season at Bremen I started fast, second season slightly slower, but then picked up speed like an express train, but 3rd season we got off so slowly we were 22 points behind Bayern Munich by the winter break, but finished about the same distance behind after matching them from afar for the end of the season. 4th seasn we have again got off to a slow start and are 10 or 12 points behind Bayern

I think its down to moral mostly i guess.. sometimes it can affect your team way too much... which would explain why some get slow starts then do real good and then suddenly near end of season they start losing a few and then their form drops again. Happens with most teams... I'd try what the other guy said eg friendly vs reserves or any other ways of making the squad morale better.

Morale is the bane of my FM existence!

It can be annoying especially when you start a game and the players don't think you have the required experience to take the club to the next level and their morale is absolutely awful so it takes 6 months to get their spirits up unless you get a lucky win at the start!

There is no logic. Sayign it's the tactics adds even less logic..