This is the stage of the season where players are sometimes accused of being 'on the beach' after a poor performance, which is something no manager wants to hear said about his side.
But, being completely honest, a lack of motivation can be difficult to deal with if you are in charge of a team that find themselves in the middle of the table with, in their minds, nothing to play for.
Clubs generally pay players bonus money for staying up, yet I have been at places where reaching 40 points has guaranteed us safety and, having received the extra payments, results have dropped off afterwards.
It's never like that for a manager, though. The Premier League has always had positional prize money with a difference of several million between, say, eighth and 12th.
So the club itself is always motivated to finish as high as possible, even if you know that is going to be in mid-table. It could add a couple of million to your transfer budget for the following season but, even if you don't get to spend it yourself, you know it will pay a bill somewhere.
