📣 Live match management

Live match management is where you respond to the actual match rather than the match you expected. Footium matches are played live each day and last around 30 minutes. When your club has a fixture, go to the Fixtures page, open the match and use the Manage tab. From there, you can make changes while the match is in progress.

Live management is powerful, but it is not automatically beneficial. A well-timed change can protect a lead, chase a result or save a tired player from being run into the ground. A poor change can reduce chemistry, leave gaps, waste substitutions or increase condition loss. Treat it as decision-making, not button pressing.

What you can change

During a live match you can make up to three substitutions. You can also move players around the pitch, change formation, change mentality and change your captain. This gives you several ways to react to the state of the game.

If you are losing, you might switch from Balanced to Attacking, bring on a forward, or move into a formation with more attacking roles. If you are winning, you might go more defensive, replace a tired winger, or add another defender. If a player is struggling out of position, you might move them into a better-fit role and adjust the shape around them.

When you submit changes, they do not happen instantly. You must submit the change, then wait a few in-game minutes for it to take effect. You cannot queue future tactical changes, but you can make multiple changes in the same submission. For example, you could change formation, make two substitutions and switch mentality at once.

Reading the match

Good live management starts with asking what problem you are trying to solve. Is your team failing to create chances? Are you conceding too much? Are players tiring? Is your current formation forcing too many players into yellow, orange or red positions? Are you about to need a suspended or injured player in tomorrow’s match?

Avoid changing shape just because time is passing. If your team is playing well and the score is level, a small adjustment may be enough. If you are chasing the match late, a more aggressive shift can make sense, but remember that Attacking and Ultra Attacking increase condition loss for attackers and midfielders. Defensive and Ultra Defensive increase condition loss for defenders, the goalkeeper and midfielders.

Managing condition and injury risk

Condition matters across a season. Players lose condition for every minute on the pitch, and the amount depends on position, stamina and mentality. Players finishing at or below 60% condition have a chance of picking up a 25-hour injury, with the probability rising sharply the closer they finish to the minimum condition.

Substitutions are therefore not only tactical. They are also a way to protect valuable players. If a key player is exhausted and you have a match tomorrow, taking them off can be the smarter long-term decision, especially during a 22-match season.

Captain changes

You can change captain during live matches. Leadership gives a boost to both attack and defence, so if your captain is substituted, moved out of the XI, or no longer the best choice for the match situation, update the armband. This is a small detail, but small details matter over a full season.

Common mistakes

The biggest mistakes are over-tinkering, ignoring chemistry, and leaving changes too late. If you switch formation but push several players into unfamiliar roles, your team chemistry may fall. If you wait until the final moments, the change may not take effect in time. If you use all three substitutions early, you lose flexibility later.

Use live management with purpose. Watch the score, the flow, your players’ condition and your bench options. The best managers do not change constantly. They change when the match gives them a reason.

Pep Talks before the match

Pep Talks happen before the player goes into the match, not during live management. They cost 5% condition and can move the player rating from -5 to +5 for the next few matches. Use them as part of your match plan, then manage the actual match with substitutions, mentality and shape changes.

Updated on: 10/09/2026