Players on the beach? Why lack of motivation is difficult to deal with

Players on the beach? Why lack of motivation is difficult to deal withPublished3 minutes agoCommentsThis 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.The players don't think like that though, and as a manager it is really tough to maintain that relentless focus you have demanded from the group for the previous nine months - but now without the cutting edge you only get from having a target to reach.Giving them a financial incentive is probably the only way to solve the issue. Premier League players are paid enormous basic wages, but at times like this you'd prefer to cut that figure and replace it with winning, appearance and league-position bonuses that run right up to the last game of every season.Getting your priorities rightTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be playedFigure caption, Emery praises 'fantastic' Tottenham after defeatAnother bone of contention at the moment, especially for fans of...