Substitutions | The match Football Manager 2016 Guide

You effect substitutions by dragging the player to the slot with the player in the base eleven.

During each match, you can perform a specific number of substitutions (usually, in league matches and cup tournaments, there are three). The substitution panel is intuitive to use - you simply need to pick the player and drag his name over the name of the player on the substitutes' bench. After that, you can have a quick motivational talk with the player that enters the field, and after you accept the substitution, the player enters the field.

When to substitute players?

- injury - the player signals his injury (an appropriate icon, a hint from the assistant). This means that the player gas been injured. Even though he can continue playing, it is better to replace him to prevent making the injury worse. During the game, also a serious injury may occur, at which point you have no choice - the player needs to be substituted. You will be notified of that and the substitution screen pops up automatically.

- drop in physical condition - when the player's stamina drops to 70%, this means that he is becoming more and more weary. Keeping him on the field may result in a situation, where he will be barely running and becomes of little use to the team.

- low teamwork - if, in the field, there is a player that does not fit the playing style of the team, he may be the weakest ling in your team. If so, do not hesitate to substitute him.

- poor performance - sometimes, every player makes mistakes and perform poorly. You will find this out by the assessment of the given player, or by the an unfavorable commentary from the assistant.

- yellow card - if your player gets the yellow card and you fear that he may receive the red one, consider removing him fro the field. Who is especially likely to receive another card is one of your defenders or a defensive midfielder.

- squad rotation - it goes without saying that not all of the player can play in the base line-up. By performing substitutions, you also let into the game substitutes that may win their way into the base eleven, this way. The advantage is two-fold, because players from the base eleven also need to rest sometimes.

Remember that you should not overdo with substitutions, e.g. use up all three available substitutions during the first fifteen minutes of the match. It is always a good idea to keep one spare substitution, until the last fifteen minutes, just in case of an unexpected injury, or the necessity to change tactic, e.g. after you get the red card. Also, remember that there needs to be another goalkeeper on the substitutes' bench - there is nothing worse than the injury of the goalkeeper and the necessity to put, in front, of the goal, one of the players from the middle of the field.