If some players/ teams get stuck in a rut and other teams are winning and get confidence, could the game diverge and lock in winners and losing teams based on form?
How do you break the cycle as a coach?
This is actually a good question.
Losing streaks can drag morale and form down, making it harder to win (based on factors you can control anyway, but remember that there are waaay more other factors than play than just those), but the game also have built in safeguards to precent a permanent spiral.
Form is based on individual performane, not team results. A player who puts up good performances even in a loss will see their form rise. Only players who are consistently poor will get stuck in a bad form.
Morale has offsets too. Even in a loss, a strong performer can potentially cancel out the morale hit from the loss.
As to how to break the cycle as a coach?
- Rest struggling players - i.e. give them a week off. Optionally you could also move them to the bench as bench players recover fitness and barely lose morale over a team loss.
- Change your game plan - Different tactics can change which players get involved and how. Who are the players inside/outside them that can make them better? This game is not about individual stars but the team as a collective.
- Making a trade - bringing in a high morale player may give your team a lift.
If all else fails, maybe its time to sack the coach?
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