These concepts are taken from Communication & Psychological Warfare ‘10.

Manuel Pellegrini has arguably the hardest job in football. He is not only expected by the fans to win every competition available in his first full season in charge. But he has to deal with the fact that the club has spent a quarter of a billion pound on some of the biggest names in world Football. Having to work with those egos at the same time as keeping the squad happy. Putting together the worlds finest has never been Madrids problem, getting them all to play well together though has.

1. Play in-form players

For a club chasing silverware, poor performances really cannot be afforded. Dropping a player who is not playing at an acceptable level, no matter who he is, will allow you to play the best possible players at any time. Form players are going to be more confident, much more happier and squads with high morale are going to perform much better on the pitch.

Brave Pellegrini has made the decision to drop the golden man Raul. Making a brave move, that will never be liked by the fans. This has helped bring in form strikers to the fold. Higuaín has repaid the manager with 16 goals in 19 games. This can keep your squad rotated well, happy and bring your full squad together much better to playing as a unit.

2. Helping the squad gel

Pellegrini has done well in the wake of a near first team change over the summer. It can be hard for any side to bring in a lot of players and expect silverware in the first season. Your squad will take time to gel. But with a good rotation system and utilising players that have been around for the club for sometime has proved a great strategy for Pellegrini instead of relying on Kaka, Ronaldo and Benezema.

“Pellegrini has also fostered a spirit of collaboration that, at a club such as Real, is more important than “confidence”, that tired cliché. After all, players such as Cristiano Ronaldo are not likely to be short in that department.” - Marcotti on Real Madrid’s spirit

In Football Manager this would keep many of your players happy within the squad, especially those who have felt threatened by the influx of new face into the side. Players who are familiar with the with each other, the squad and the environment will play more confidently and with more flair. Benefiting Pellegrini’s attacking style of Football as the likes of Kaka and Benezema try and find their feet. Good teams are built over the summer, great teams are built over seasons.

3. Know your players personalities

Getting to know your players will be a road of trial and error. Keeping a note of the way your player behaves within the game, during matches and in the media can be important information to help you make the decisions to get the best out of your star players. Each player will react differently to your criticism, support and praise of players.

If you have followed any comments in the media, you will see how Pellegrini has done just this with his players. Knowing each of the personalities and how to push their buttons has produced great performances. He has been publicly critical of Rafael Van Der Vaart, playing to his professional nature and determination to prove the manager wrong.

Equally he has played to the ego of Ronaldo, giving him praise on top of praise even during a difficult start in adjusting and dealing with the pressure of his price tag. By massaging his ego, Pellegrini has got the best out of Ronaldo, giving him assurance that he is one of the best players in the world and helping him play that way. Something you will learn to do in Football Manager 2010 by using the feedback to judge personailty.

We talk even more about these concepts in Communication & Psychological Warfare ’10, The Ultimate Squad Management, Team Talk & Media Guide.