Training is the engine of long-term squad improvement. In Footy Manager every training cycle adjusts fitness, morale and, over many sessions, your players' underlying attributes. Here's how to get the most out of it without burning anyone out.
Train by unit, not by individual
Training is configured per unit: attack, midfield, defence. You're not micro-managing every player's daily drills, you're deciding which collective area gets emphasis this week. That makes it tempting to spread training thin across all three units. Don't.
Pick the unit that needs the most work given your last few matches. Concede too many? Drill defenders. Can't break teams down? Drill attack. Rotating focus every week is fine; spreading it equally every week dilutes everything.
Match intensity to the fixture
Intensity is a trade-off:
- High intensity: faster attribute gains, higher injury risk, more fatigue.
- Low intensity: slower gains, safer, recovers fitness.
Simple rule: high intensity early in the week, taper down before your big fixture. Going high-intensity on the day before a match leaves your starters tired, irritable, and prone to knocks.
Rotation is not a luxury, it's how you build depth
Players who don't get minutes lose match sharpness, regardless of how hard they train. Use cup ties, friendlies and lower-stakes league games to rotate. Especially:
- Youngsters who need first-team exposure.
- Players returning from injury.
- Squad members on dropping morale (minutes are the cure).
Watch morale, not just ratings
A 7.5-rated player on bad morale plays worse than a 7.0-rated player on a hot streak. Press conferences, team meetings, fan engagements and match results all shift morale. If your star striker just had a bad week, give them a confidence-builder, a cup tie against weaker opposition where they're almost guaranteed to score.
Long-term growth is slow on purpose
Over many training sessions, players slowly improve their underlying attributes. The key word is slowly. Patience matters: don't sell a player after one bad month if their trajectory is still upward. Check the timeline, Footy Manager shows you form trends.
Avoid the "everyone on high intensity" trap
The most common new-manager mistake: setting everything to maximum because "more training = better players, right?". By match 8 your squad is exhausted, your injury list is full, and the gains from the intense weeks have been wiped out by the absences.
A simple weekly template
- Monday/Tuesday: high intensity, focus on the unit that needs work.
- Wednesday/Thursday: medium intensity, tactical drills.
- Friday: low intensity, recovery, light shape work.
- Match day: rest day for the rest of the squad.
Adapt to your fixture congestion. Cup ties, internationals and midweek games all squeeze this template.