Lineup, fitness and preparation

OSM staff have acknowledged a lineup/specific-position component. Its magnitude is unknown.

Rules:

• Use natural specific positions when player quality is close.
• Do not sacrifice a large rating advantage solely for positional purity.
• Audit all eleven starters before adjusting sliders; correcting the XI is often higher value than moving a slider by three points.

Confirmed: six starters of the same nationality activate the bonus.
Unknown: the numerical size.

Use it only when six same-nationality starters can be fielded without materially weakening the XI. Claims that the bonus is exactly 25% are unsupported; OSM staff explicitly declined to disclose the value.

• Fitness recovers when the player does not play.
• High-intensity systems logically increase the cost of using an already depleted XI, but exact curves are unpublished.
• Rotate low-fitness starters first when replacement quality is close.
• Reduce pressing when several essential starters cannot be rested.
• A player can be in individual training and still play without a separate match-performance penalty according to moderator guidance in the source set.

• Winning helps morale; newly purchased players arrive with full morale according to moderator guidance in the source set.
• A low-morale player may need involvement in favorable fixtures, replacement, or sale.
• Do not bench a player indefinitely when both morale and fitness are poor; solve the causes separately.

A practical squad contains approximately 17–20 players:

Line	Competitive depth
Goalkeepers	2
Defenders	6–7
Midfielders	5–6
Attackers/wingers	4–5

Bench priority for a match:

1. Replacement goalkeeper
2. Flexible defender/full-back
3. Central midfielder
4. Attacking midfielder/winger
5. Striker
6. Additional player covering the least fit or suspension-prone line

• Both are current mechanics; events can modify their effectiveness.
• A Training Camp should move the opponent into a tougher practical strength category.
• Do not translate a percentage claim into displayed rating points.
• Secret Training lowers scouting confidence and can conceal preparation; use a robust setup rather than an overly specific guessed counter.
• Always check the current event calendar because temporary event modifiers can invalidate normal assumptions.

1. Scout opponent.
2. Set the likely XI in correct positions.
3. Check six-player nationality possibility.
4. Compare line strength and fitness.
5. Set the formation/game plan.
6. Add coherent line instructions.
7. Tune sliders within the tactic’s band.
8. Set referee-appropriate tackling.
9. Assign specialists.
10. Decide whether the fixture justifies Training Camp/Secret Training.
11. Run contradiction audit.

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