Bad Starter!

[Ulric Hilroth Jude]

Hi all!
I don't know why, but I've started the past 3 seasons horribly! I'm lvl 4 in season 4 just now, and apart from starting my first season midway and in a bad position but winning all I played, I just can't start my seasons right!
Season 2, I got knocked out of the Champions League in the bottom of the group. Had a good Cup run, though (finished 3rd) and won the league after laying in the bottom 5 for at least the first 8 games.
Season 3, I got knocked out of the Cup in round 1 but got to the quarters of the CL, finished 3rd in the league after the first week or so losing or drawing.
Now, again in season 4, I had a horrible start to the Cup (out on the first round!!) Still in the CL (tactical wow against a money player in my last game), but I only just started climbing up the league.
4/4 times has the others in the league had a head start and so far, I've caught up to within a point of them.
Only wish I could start better!!!
I used a 4-1-2-2W-1 formation in my first two campaigns. Hard Attacking against equals and Attacking/Normal against teams that are much stronger than I.
Now I vary between a regular 4-4-2 or a 4-4-1-1 (Hard Attacking for equals and Attacking/Normal for better opponents), depending on the opponents formation. Also go to my old favourite for tough opponents (which works for me).
I've always had a 4-star squad nearing on 5-stars.

Any advice would be much appreciated!
Hilroth.
P.S. If here isn't the right place to post this, I apologise.

[Cat Harrison]

All I can say is, I only ever use hard attacking if I am already losing a match.

I would consider trying Normal or Defensive more often. I go defensive at home, attack or normal away. most of the time, anyway.

[Ulric Hilroth Jude]

I see. But then, why does my team keep winning once they start winning? I keep Morale and Conditioning healthy throughout the season, starting eleven rarely get long injuries, but they start the season like Derby and finish like Madrid.

Thanks for the input!

[Cat Harrison]

Do you buy players at the beginning of the Season? Sometimes I find it takes some playing & training (and assigning points as you like) to get the best form out of new guys. I tend to start the season with my veterans with best form, in their best formation. Nothing is exact in this game, and there are many ways to play it successfully. Be willing to fool around with orders and players skills until you find the way you want to play. I ..think defensively, and when I started that is what I built my team as, counter attacking, with offensive minded middlefielders, eventually I found that what we on here call Maple Leaf (DL DC DR -DMC DMC -ML MC MR -AMC -ST) worked well for how I think. I still play it. and slight variants of it are what my team plays best.

Also, if you want to compete in 3 Comps you need TWO teams, really,21 or 22 worth fielding (2nd GK is least necessary if you can hold enough reds to always fix him) you have to be able to rotate and sit out injuries. Your Team likely does better because it is no longer in Cup (or CL), and truly gets rested. From what you said, it is when you drop out of that third comp that things look up.

[cookizzz]

Do you often have significant change in lineup at the start of every season? Probably continuity of lineup affects performance temporarily.

[Buffs Mad]

There are many possible reasons. I tend to find that many managers start the season cagey, looking for position, before becoming more aggressive later as opportunity allows. Maybe your Hard Attacking start is suffering in the face of more counterattacking opposition - but it could be anything.

I have in the past (and I go on about it a lot when the opportunity arises) had 1 season where I failed to win a single home game in the first half of the Season (but won through on the last day). Never really thought that I found the answer. I just drank the Champagne and got on with the next one.

[Ulric Hilroth Jude]

You make sense. My season does pick up after I get tossed out of a competition. Though, I make sure I have 18 players who can shuffle about when needed. Reserves are only for youth/free transfers, so far. Train/coach and sell.
I usually buy players near the middle of the season after I assess which areas need adding to. I'm not averse to buying at the beginning, though. No sense in turning away from gold. D:
I think I'm loyal to the players I started out with. Take my Rightback for instance. The chap has developed so well, been a 4* verging on 5* every season that I don't have the heart to drop/replace him. (Scores 1 in 3 and makes a goal every other game!) What I mean is, I experiment with the line up, but only if the DR can play. D: (Broke my heart to drop my DMR/MR. I inadvertently started training with AMR in my first season and with the new update, he's got 38/50 done since the end of Jan but his overall Q hasn't kept up with the overall squad Q. Had to drop him to the bench - though he's still the most capped in the team. T_T Bad man management skillz, bruh.)

[Ulric Hilroth Jude]

Do you often have significant change in lineup at the start of every season? Probably continuity of lineup affects performance temporarily.

Nope. At least I wouldn't say so. Here, I'll tell you what I mean. I started out with a 4-1-2-2W-1 (4-5-1 V?) stuck with that for a season, then experimented with a conventional 4-4-2 for a season. This season, I have a 4-4-1-1 but I've started adapting my formation+tactics for the opponent to good avail. That's the 3 formations I've used and continue to use, depending.

[Cat Harrison]

For sure you have the right idea... I find that the best way to keep a player longer is to play him every day.. and give the ones you want to keep extra training when you can. If you train him as often as you can when he is young, helps too. I like my players to be in my team for at least a handful of seasons, the more the better. I've only been able to keep one player his whole career, and it took a lot of extra training. But he was the special one that generated with my team. I am also a proponent of high physical stats to have fit players that break less often so they can play two matches in a day if need be.

I prefer mid season to avoid bidding wars, I find them too tedious & expensive.

[Ulric Hilroth Jude]

There are many possible reasons. I tend to find that many managers start the season cagey, looking for position, before becoming more aggressive later as opportunity allows. Maybe your Hard Attacking start is suffering in the face of more counterattacking opposition - but it could be anything.

I have in the past (and I go on about it a lot when the opportunity arises) had 1 season where I failed to win a single home game in the first half of the Season (but won through on the last day). Never really thought that I found the answer. I just drank the Champagne and got on with the next one.

You know, I assumed that when I started my first full season. That was why I thought Hard Attacking would beat cautions teams. After 2 seasons of that failing, I switched to just Attacking. Guess next season is the "Normal" one. XD

I had a season similar to yours. I started horribly in my 2nd full season (3rd Season) with 4 straight losses, then followed that with 4 straight draws and then I ended up with 18 straight wins to finish a point behind 2nd and 7 points behind 1st! Scored the most goals in the league along the way and ended up with the second best defence. XD