Scoring Droughts and Rotations of Strikers (in Big Clubs)

[mister.cool40]

Yes,the Agueros,Lewandowski's and Suarez's all go through scoring droughts.However in football manager 2020 this issue is artificially exaggerated.In every season,my strikers go through 2-3 patches of goal droughts each consisting 10-14 games/hours. 

I think In case of  non elite teams this could be comparable to real life.These teams doesn't create too many chances and their strikers aren't even that great anyway.However for elite teams and elite strikers this is clearly not the case.You won't see Aguero or Lewandowski going through goal drought of 10+ games 2-3 times a season...you just won't. Yes this can happen in once in 2-3 seasons for the best strikers but clearly not as much as FM 20 is offering.

It could be argued that maybe my tactic is faltering.However my team is creating enough one on ones or good chances.Another thing could be the rotation policy of strikers .I play a one striker formation and frequently bring in the 2nd striker at 70+ minutes if the game is done and dusted.However this 15-20 odd minutes seem to do more harm to the 2nd striker.3 matches of these goal less 15-20 minutes and the game seems to trigger a scoring drought.

And what happens in these scoring droughts is really unimmersive.No matter how many one on ones or CCC is created the striker won't be able to score.If you give him the the penalty duties he will miss one after one.The snatching of chances and the defenders flying out to block the strikers shots just seems way too artificial...

[noikeee]

I agree, this is exaggerated in the game. 

It's not just strikers (though they really, really sulk under the pressure of being considered to be in a "goal drought"), I'm managing a top squad with Bologna by 2027 and I have an experience of pretty much every player drifting in and out of form dramatically, it's very common for me for example to have the first choice right winger totally dominate the first half of the season whilst the second choice guy is quite underwhelming, and then the last few months of the season it's the other way around. Players go on mini runs in which they're unstoppable then disappear. It does happen sometimes in real life but it's over the top in the game, and doubly so for strikers. 

[noikeee]

Oh and conversely, when your set piece taker is on peak form, it's jackpot time. Every free kick he takes will lead to a goal, hitting the post, or on target for a difficult keeper save. I've had players score free kicks in 3 consecutive matches. Of course, they then don't score one the rest of the season... 

[zyfon5]

Is this post a joke to you?

[JEinchy]

It's not "exaggerated" because even the AI with their wonky set-ups can get strikers scoring regularly. In my recent save in Holland, Dusan Tadic scored 33 goals and Myron Baodu scored 25 under AI management. I had a season where Lacazette scored 45 goals for Arsenal under the AI's management. In most of my saves, Aguero, Suarez, Kane, Lewandowski, etc. bag 20+ most seasons. 

So if you're having recurring issues with strikers scoring consistently, the issue is unlikely to be with the game. It'll be more down to your system or your man management. The latter is often overlooked imo. If you have a system that's working well enough but your striker isn't scoring and putting up poor ratings, have you tried criticising their form at all?

Having said that, if the issue is recurring every season then I'd say it's a tactical one. You say you're making good CCCs but what the game classes a CCC isn't necessary the best chance your striker have. For example, nearly all 1v1 chances in the game as classified as a CCC even when most of them favour the keeper. You have to examine whether the shot is being taken from a good area (usually the centre of the box), how many opportunities he's getting in those areas, whether he's under pressure from defenders, and what foot he's striking it with to get to the bottom of the problem. 

[Experienced Defender]

6 hours ago, JEinchy said:

It's not "exaggerated" because even the AI with their wonky set-ups can get strikers scoring regularly. In my recent save in Holland, Dusan Tadic scored 33 goals and Myron Baodu scored 25 under AI management. I had a season where Lacazette scored 45 goals for Arsenal under the AI's management. In most of my saves, Aguero, Suarez, Kane, Lewandowski, etc. bag 20+ most seasons. 

So if you're having recurring issues with strikers scoring consistently, the issue is unlikely to be with the game. It'll be more down to your system or your man management. The latter is often overlooked imo. If you have a system that's working well enough but your striker isn't scoring and putting up poor ratings, have you tried criticising their form at all?

Having said that, if the issue is recurring every season then I'd say it's a tactical one. You say you're making good CCCs but what the game classes a CCC isn't necessary the best chance your striker have. For example, nearly all 1v1 chances in the game as classified as a CCC even when most of them favour the keeper. You have to examine whether the shot is being taken from a good area (usually the centre of the box), how many opportunities he's getting in those areas, whether he's under pressure from defenders, and what foot he's striking it with to get to the bottom of the problem. 

Couldn't agree more  

[Guest]

 

7 hours ago, JEinchy said:

It's not "exaggerated" because even the AI with their wonky set-ups can get strikers scoring regularly. In my recent save in Holland, Dusan Tadic scored 33 goals and Myron Baodu scored 25 under AI management. I had a season where Lacazette scored 45 goals for Arsenal under the AI's management. In most of my saves, Aguero, Suarez, Kane, Lewandowski, etc. bag 20+ most seasons. 

So if you're having recurring issues with strikers scoring consistently, the issue is unlikely to be with the game. It'll be more down to your system or your man management. The latter is often overlooked imo. If you have a system that's working well enough but your striker isn't scoring and putting up poor ratings, have you tried criticising their form at all?

Having said that, if the issue is recurring every season then I'd say it's a tactical one. You say you're making good CCCs but what the game classes a CCC isn't necessary the best chance your striker have. For example, nearly all 1v1 chances in the game as classified as a CCC even when most of them favour the keeper. You have to examine whether the shot is being taken from a good area (usually the centre of the box), how many opportunities he's getting in those areas, whether he's under pressure from defenders, and what foot he's striking it with to get to the bottom of the problem. 

Well said, never had an issue with a striker having a prolonged drought and I also will use man management to perk up a striker who has taken a game or two off. I also agree with the CCC's, it drives me insane when you get those cutbacks where the striker has a defender right in front of him he inevitably pings it off the striker and it's called a CCC.

Edited June 9, 2020 by Crazy_Ivan

[jozza800]

I think it's the way the game shows whatever causes these issues. You dont really get a proper visual of when things aren't quite right.

I'm currently in one of those ruts right now. Games are being played out in the same way but my forwards ratings just drop throug the floor. It doesnt look like teams are playing more defensively. You dont get any feedback that your players are over confident/feeling the pressure etc. They just stop playing.

After playing god knows how many systems in my current career, it looks like i'm going to have to come up with something new.

 

I could play until Christmas in some games and no matter what I do tactically in games the same thing happens. Time after time.

What am I doing fundementally wrong? And how do we fix this issue?

 

[HUNT3R]

5 minutes ago, jozza800 said:

What am I doing fundementally wrong?

You're asking a question about what you're doing fundamentally wrong, when no one knows what you're actually doing. We don't know who you're managing, where you're supposed to finish, what's happening etc. If you want tactical advice or advice in general, it's better to open a thread and provide all the information about what's going on.

[noikeee]

Well I get striker goal droughts (and like I said before, wild swings of form for all other positions on the pitch) but I have absolutely no problem in winning matches.

Goals are well spread through the whole pitch though, I don't expect only the strikers to score, and I rotate a lot. I suspect the 40+ goals a season exemplified in previous posts, are from teams that dramatically rely on a single striker getting most of the goals. 

Edited June 9, 2020 by noikeee

[HUNT3R]

10 minutes ago, jozza800 said:

So this is what I'd been using and it had been working brilliantly.

Like I said -

29 minutes ago, HUNT3R said:

You're asking a question about what you're doing fundamentally wrong, when no one knows what you're actually doing. We don't know who you're managing, where you're supposed to finish, what's happening etc. If you want tactical advice or advice in general, it's better to open a thread and provide all the information about what's going on.

It's going to be best posting a thread of your own. Provide as much info as possible, like I asked in the quote. If you want answers, that's the best way of doing it. Otherwise you're hijacking someone else's thread.

[jozza800]

Ok, but i'm not 100% it's tactically specific.

[HUNT3R]

7 minutes ago, jozza800 said:

Ok, but i'm not 100% it's tactically specific.

The point is, no one knows. Creating a thread at least helps in getting somewhere. You could have inconsistent strikers/players. It could be the tactic. It could be a lack of understanding of what happens in-game. It could be tactics, players, the manager or something else. With info, there can be a discussion and hopefully a conclusion as to what it is. "What am I fundamentally wrong?" with no info can have no answers. That's the point I'm making.

Btw, I don't want you to feel singled out. You at least provided a fixture list and asked what's wrong. It's more than what most do, so it seems you do want to get to the bottom of it.

[Guest]

36 minutes ago, noikeee said:

Well I get striker goal droughts (and like I said before, wild swings of form for all other positions on the pitch) but I have absolutely no problem in winning matches.

Goals are well spread through the whole pitch though, I don't expect only the strikers to score, and I rotate a lot. I suspect the 40+ goals a season exemplified in previous posts, are from teams that dramatically rely on a single striker getting most of the goals. 

That makes zero sense to me because you're basically inferring it's a game problem so anyone who uses a one striker system would surely struggle if their strikers were to go awol for any length of time because the game overcooks player goal droughts. 

[mister.cool40]

On 09/06/2020 at 16:28, JEinchy said:

It's not "exaggerated" because even the AI with their wonky set-ups can get strikers scoring regularly. In my recent save in Holland, Dusan Tadic scored 33 goals and Myron Baodu scored 25 under AI management. I had a season where Lacazette scored 45 goals for Arsenal under the AI's management. In most of my saves, Aguero, Suarez, Kane, Lewandowski, etc. bag 20+ most seasons. 

So if you're having recurring issues with strikers scoring consistently, the issue is unlikely to be with the game. It'll be more down to your system or your man management. The latter is often overlooked imo. If you have a system that's working well enough but your striker isn't scoring and putting up poor ratings, have you tried criticising their form at all?

Having said that, if the issue is recurring every season then I'd say it's a tactical one. You say you're making good CCCs but what the game classes a CCC isn't necessary the best chance your striker have. For example, nearly all 1v1 chances in the game as classified as a CCC even when most of them favour the keeper. You have to examine whether the shot is being taken from a good area (usually the centre of the box), how many opportunities he's getting in those areas, whether he's under pressure from defenders, and what foot he's striking it with to get to the bottom of the problem. 

Actually it's not that my strikers are not scoring consistently,Lautaro Martinez and backup striker Edward Vink both score around 25+ and 15+ goals each season.The fact is when they score they do score consistently...however every season they have one or more big rough patches.[It's not only the strikers though,the wide forwards in 4141 DM Wide also suffer these patches....maybe I should have named ths thread "the Handling of goal droughts by ME] And when in these droughts it feels like the game just switches off the  goal button for these players.There should be some randomness.And the length and frequency of these droughts need to be shortened.

And I am aware that all these CCC are not necessarily good chances.However,they are chances and I am paying big bucks to these elite players to take these chance.If It was so easy for me to create many open goal chances every match,I wouldn't need very good finishers.

[mister.cool40]

17 hours ago, jozza800 said:

I think it's the way the game shows whatever causes these issues. You dont really get a proper visual of when things aren't quite right.

I'm currently in one of those ruts right now. Games are being played out in the same way but my forwards ratings just drop throug the floor. It doesnt look like teams are playing more defensively. You dont get any feedback that your players are over confident/feeling the pressure etc. They just stop playing.

After playing god knows how many systems in my current career, it looks like i'm going to have to come up with something new.

 

I could play until Christmas in some games and no matter what I do tactically in games the same thing happens. Time after time.

What am I doing fundementally wrong? And how do we fix this issue?

 

Yepp I also think how the game SHOWS stuff is pretty weird.It's difficult to exactly pin point what the problem is.Could be I am so accustomed to playing FM 16 ( over 800 + hours ) that I am having difficulty grasping the new ME.Or it could be I am blinded by rage when all of my forwards are going through goal droughts in a UCL semifinal match and I am trailing by 2 goals....

 

[Santa Claus]

On 09/06/2020 at 12:28, JEinchy said:

You say you're making good CCCs but what the game classes a CCC isn't necessary the best chance your striker have.

This is often pointed out on here but my question is, why does the game classes the chance as clear cut if it is not one?

[KingCanary]

6 minutes ago, Santa Claus said:

This is often pointed out on here but my question is, why does the game classes the chance as clear cut if it is not one?

I think the CCC stat needs to be removed from the game at this point. All it does is cause confusion.

[Experienced Defender]

I had to move this topic to GD, since there has been no discussion at all about tactics. What the game should or should not count as a CCC - and other similar remarks - are definitely not tactic-related.

[Svenc]

3 hours ago, mister.cool40 said:

Actually it's not that my strikers are not scoring consistently,Lautaro Martinez and backup striker Edward Vink both score around 25+ and 15+ goals each season.The fact is when they score they do score consistently...however every season they have one or more big rough patches.[It's not only the strikers though,the wide forwards in 4141 DM Wide also suffer these patches....maybe I should have named ths thread "the Handling of goal droughts by ME] And when in these droughts it feels like the game just switches off the  goal button for these players.There should be some randomness.And the length and frequency of these droughts need to be shortened.

What if what you're witnessing is in parts randomness already? 

Let's assume the makers of this game actually follow Football Analysis, rather than making up their own Fantasy.

- Football analysis suggests even the best chances rarely favor the forward to score
- It also suggests that forwards scoring consistently every season have at least ~5 shots per match (Messi 5, CR7 7, Kane at his best also 5 et all) from good positions and mostly open Play situations rather than set piece based

Therefore, purple and bad spells with anybody having less are guaranteed. Sometimes you may hit the lucky internal dice roll, however consistency is about consistently having opportunity. These numbers can be checked in the forward's profile already

Edited June 10, 2020 by Svenc