A couple of things Im having problems with...

[Avelives]

Ok I'm playing as Man City (I know, I know but i love spending cash )

In my second season and despite still not having the same calibre of player as the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool etc I am now being touted as favourites in alot of matches which before I wasnt expected to win. A good example being beating Chelsea 1-0 at stamford bridge and my fans only being 'pleased' last season theyd have been delighted.

Anyway onto the issues im having.

We are playing really well at the moment but in many games the assistant manager says things like 'players x, y and z are looking overconfident and just expect to turn up and win'

What I cant figure out is why??

I do very conservative press conferences, give positive but not unrealistic answers and generally it usually makes my players happy. Thing is I cant figure out what to say to them in the pre-match talk to stop them being complacent. Ive tried various different talks for the individuals concerned but they either have no effect at all or cause them to play nervously or just plain badly.

Has anyone figured out how to 'focus' those players who are being overconfident before a game??

Second problem I have is personalities.

I try where possible to sign people with a similar attitude to my base squad but inevitably sometimes thats not possible, as a result I have about 3 or 4 guys who in the words of my coaches are 'having to adapt to fit it'

Now this doesnt seem to be overly affecting their performances but Im wondering if this will ever change, after a period of time will they blend in properly despite their personalities or will they always feel like outsiders and is their anything i can do to help the problem?

Any help or suggestions gratefully received...

[Dekker]

When your team are over-confident, tell them that you expect a win, and you can tell a few players that you expect a perormance - even if they are doing well at HT, tell them you don't expect their performance to drop: at FT tell them nothing, don't congratulate them on the win.

Don't do this all the time - the withholding of praise makes some of them "angered" on the Team talk screen, and telling them not to get complacent in a mach they are dominating by several goals can get them "angered and confused", but whilst they won't love you for it, they will usually focus. Plus - when you actually have cause to praise them, you don't get "Didn't seem to be listening" or any of that.

This is what I do, and it seems to work. My squad don't get cocky. As for the outsiders, it can take a couple of seasons but I think everyone will eventually feel at home. Not sure though.