What should we do coaching really weak team?

[Dr.Y]

  As looking for new challenge, I start a new save as unemployed. I try to apply for the manager position for several teams and got the job at Macclesfield Town ( England sky bet league two ). I soon realized that it is the weakest team in the league, some of the main problems listed below:

1. Nearly all kinds of abilities far below the average level, including speed, technique, mentality... The only ability above the average is jumping and, age...

2. No transfer fee and no room for salary (Although the salary level is already the lowest in the league)

3. Only three players can play the CM/DM role with good familiarity, two of them age above 35, the other one is loaned from other team, also weak in ability and will leave in winter.

4. More than half players in the last year of contract but we dont have enough budget to renew the contract.

5. No potential young players in the U18 team ( All reported below 2 stars )

  It is really challenge job, and I am trying to avoid delegation at the first season. ( In real world, Macclesfield Town is now at the last position of the league ) After trying a few strategies, I now play a 424 tactic, with narrower width and shorter pass, as to try to control the possession a little bit more, as I found we can not resist long if letting the opposite control the possession. Sometimes I try a higher pressing tactic but it does not always work as the average mobility of the team is too low.  

  Now 1/3 the season past, I managed to lead the team out the delegation zone but can hardly improve any more. 

  So I could like to ask, what we should do with the really weak team like Macclesfield Town. What should be the proper tactical philosophy for such a team? Also, what long term developing philosophy should we insist for such a team? Anyone can help?

 

[TESURAS]

Because coaching really weak team and promote them to top tier or so they can build a stadium and name it with your name lol

 

[pheelf]

I don't think there is a definitive answer to the question but first a few pointers on the numbered problems you raised.

1. If jumping reach is your only strength then it's important that your set pieces are on point and lofted (direct play) passes/crosses needs to be considered as the way to play. 

2. Loans are your friend

3. Ditto point 2

4. That could actually be a good thing if you want to make progress with the club as it should free up some funds next season for a rebuild and allow you to get rid of a lot of the deadwood.

5. Don't read too much into the star ratings (incidentally what is the JPA/JPP of the person giving the assessment). What you need to be looking at is what are their best attributes and whether you can utilize them in your system. For e.g. say you have a lightning quick winger that's isn't very good at anything else, think about where that speed will be useful and incorporate that player there.

From my perspective, you should be trying to make the most of how lowly you are regarded as opposition by the other teams in the league. They are likely to play more aggressively (higher mentalities) against you which means that you should focus on exploiting the areas in which those approaches leave them exposed. For e.g. higher mentalities have a higher defensive line, how can you best exploit this?

As for a long-term development philosophy well that is really up to you as any team can be made to play any way you like given enough time. With that in mind, I think if you wanted to say play a Gegenpress you'll probably be looking some way into the future to perform that well to give time to get the right sort of players in.

[Dr.Y]

一小时前, pheelf说:

I don't think there is a definitive answer to the question but first a few pointers on the numbered problems you raised.

1. If jumping reach is your only strength then it's important that your set pieces are on point and lofted (direct play) passes/crosses needs to be considered as the way to play. 

2. Loans are your friend

3. Ditto point 2

4. That could actually be a good thing if you want to make progress with the club as it should free up some funds next season for a rebuild and allow you to get rid of a lot of the deadwood.

5. Don't read too much into the star ratings (incidentally what is the JPA/JPP of the person giving the assessment). What you need to be looking at is what are their best attributes and whether you can utilize them in your system. For e.g. say you have a lightning quick winger that's isn't very good at anything else, think about where that speed will be useful and incorporate that player there.

From my perspective, you should be trying to make the most of how lowly you are regarded as opposition by the other teams in the league. They are likely to play more aggressively (higher mentalities) against you which means that you should focus on exploiting the areas in which those approaches leave them exposed. For e.g. higher mentalities have a higher defensive line, how can you best exploit this?

As for a long-term development philosophy well that is really up to you as any team can be made to play any way you like given enough time. With that in mind, I think if you wanted to say play a Gegenpress you'll probably be looking some way into the future to perform that well to give time to get the right sort of players in.

I know that it is suggested teams with tall players can try straight passing, try to get more corners and free kicks, and deeper defense. Actually it is hard as in straight passing, we loss possession quickly, and can hardly defend for long before conceding a goal as the average ability of players low. And the players are not fast enough, or with poor technique and first touch (Maybe average value about 7-8 for the strikers and wingers) so it makes long passing ineffective. 

Also I can not loan more players as we can not afford any more salary...

So it is really hard, I will wait and see if anything improve, and try to avoid drop in the delegation zone.

[pheelf]

20 hours ago, Dr.Y said:

I know that it is suggested teams with tall players can try straight passing, try to get more corners and free kicks, and deeper defense. Actually it is hard as in straight passing, we loss possession quickly, and can hardly defend for long before conceding a goal as the average ability of players low. And the players are not fast enough, or with poor technique and first touch (Maybe average value about 7-8 for the strikers and wingers) so it makes long passing ineffective. 

Also I can not loan more players as we can not afford any more salary...

So it is really hard, I will wait and see if anything improve, and try to avoid drop in the delegation zone.

Can't you get any loans where you don't have to contribute to their salary? That's the lifeblood of lower league teams, taking young players from bigger teams and offering them the first team football they wouldn't otherwise get which usually the bigger team is happy to pay for.

Nobody said it would be easy but when you're fighting for survival with one of the worst teams in the division you need to try to maximise any strengths you have. You may find that direct passing results in a turnover of possession but at least it gets the ball away from your goal. Trying to play short intricate passes and buildup play with a team with such poor technique and first touch is more dangerous as you risk not only losing the ball but losing it in bad areas where your defensive vulnerability can be more easily exposed.

You have to play the percentage game. The more passes you have to attempt with low ability players the less likely you are to be successful building an attack. I have experience of this being a player who has extensively (almost exclusively) played LLM. Dominating possession isn't going to win you games, being lethal on the counter-attack against opponents that overcommit men forward and making the most of set pieces will. As a result, that would be my focus going forward until I've got the required players to play a better brand of football.

[Azza09]

I did similar to you, I started unemployed and took over as Macclesfield manager.  Somehow I actually managed to win League 2 in the first season just by using a slight variation of the standard 442 wing play default tactic.  If I remember I dropped the defensive line slightly to combat balls over the top and also dropped the passing to mixed rather than direct passing but that was about it.  So many goals came from a ball out to Durrell on the right to swing in to either Smith or Wilson to head in.  Wilson actually ended up with 32 goals as we scored the most in the league but also conceded the most.  It was an interesting and pretty fun season!

Loans are definitely your friend here, there are a lot about where you don't have to contribute to their salary.  Get as many loans in as you can, there were times when I was starting with 6 or 7 loan players in my starting eleven.

[Dr.Y]

48 分钟前, Azza09说:

I did similar to you, I started unemployed and took over as Macclesfield manager.  Somehow I actually managed to win League 2 in the first season just by using a slight variation of the standard 442 wing play default tactic.  If I remember I dropped the defensive line slightly to combat balls over the top and also dropped the passing to mixed rather than direct passing but that was about it.  So many goals came from a ball out to Durrell on the right to swing in to either Smith or Wilson to head in.  Wilson actually ended up with 32 goals as we scored the most in the league but also conceded the most.  It was an interesting and pretty fun season!

Loans are definitely your friend here, there are a lot about where you don't have to contribute to their salary.  Get as many loans in as you can, there were times when I was starting with 6 or 7 loan players in my starting eleven.

It is really encouraging. I will try later.