Bayern Munich reserves

IRL, Bayern Munich reserves play 4 divisions below the main first team. Their team consists of players aged on average around 18-23, where this is seen as the penultimate step before entering the first team, with a few veteran players to provide valuable experience. What I am writing about is that in future games of Football Manager I would like an option where you can tick the reserve team manager to handle player contracts and player sales. My job is to look out for my players and not buy players for the reserves. If this doesnt happen and you are not intent on buying players for the reserves you are going to have a team in a division full of players around 14-17 year old regens from your youth team representing your reserve team which is highly unrealistic. IRL Bayern I am unsure of who buys players for the reserves but managing Bayern Munich in the game, the responsibility should be given to someone else.

For eg if you are managing Barcelona, Atletico or Real Madrid, all the reserve team sales and contracts are handled by the assistant manager/coach of the team which softens the burden on you. I really think this is something that should be introduced with the German clubs such as Bayern as well.

If anyone would like more clarification on what my point is I will be happy to provide, or debate either way, feedback is welcome

It is the same where I manage which is France at PSG. What I do is sign players young, maybe 15-18 then they play in under 19s until they cant any more, then progress onto the resevres automatically. Is this not what happens at Bayrn? Then when they are ready i bring them up to my team.

I wish my Villareal B manager had a brain more than anything.

He has no idea as to who is good or not and just neglects my talented youngsters.

Would be nice for them to make transfers as well, signing awful free players as Villareal manager makes it seem as if they're for the first team when they're really just getting dumped into the Spanish lower division.

Some of the talented youngters, mainly 17 and above will be promoted the reserves and the rest with the under 19s. But they also have a core of players who are experienced to play in the team. Eg irl Bayern bouggh Schweingsteiger brother who is 30 to play in the reserves. He was the top scorer in the third German division. Who ever bought him as bought him to play in the reserves and not first team. Now in FM, I would not have an idea who to buy to help out the reserves.

I am unsure about PSG though.

I wish my Villareal B manager had a brain more than anything.

He has no idea as to who is good or not and just neglects my talented youngsters.

Would be nice for them to make transfers as well, signing awful free players as Villareal manager makes it seem as if they're for the first team when they're really just getting dumped into the Spanish lower division.

You should put the youngsters in the Under 19s but at least you got a manager controlling that side of team. It should be the same in the Bundesliga and regarding transfers, this how it is done irl in terms of creating the motto that "they are ready for the first team".

I assumed German II sides had a manager, unlucky I guess.

It is an area that needs lots of work tbh.

I agree with you completely. The annoying thing is they have a manager but all the responsibilty outside managing the matches is solely on you. I don't want to see a team full of youth get battered in every single reserve game because of their inexperienced age.

I don't know how the situation is in other countries but in Germany, the II-team is very close to the first team. Players can be shifted between the teams on a weekly basis. Unlike in FM, head coach and manager are usually two distinct persons in Germany. The coach deals with the first team (training, team talk etc.) and the manager is in charge of contracts/transfers of the whole club. The 'managers' of II-teams are only in charge of training, team talk etc. of the reserve team. Hence, FM replicates it that way that the II-team is very dependant on the first team. I like it that way, too.

BTW: Bayern Munich II play in the 4th divison, thus 3 divisions lower than the first team

Thanks for the reply but it is hard to build up a good reserve team especially if you are going on seasons in and I know they are in the 4th division but they got promoted in my one

I usually buy a lot of young players and I am glad to have the II-team where they get playing time. Usually, after some years, my II-team will always win the 3rd division (they are not allowed to play higher). If you're not that kind of manager who buys too much, then maybe you can use the reserve team to showcase players you want to offload but who don't generate interest. Usually when they play good, clubs will get interested in them.

Just a lot of responsibility tbh, I am in effect managing 2 teams

I've downloaded the lower leagues editor file and been wanting to start a save in Germany for a while but i always feel it's going to be a lot of work to manage both teams and never get the thing started, just being lazy.

The potential to develop youngsters through your B team feels like it can be a lot of fun but at the same time it might be too much micro management.

To be honest i prefer the German way in-game than the Spanish one, though there is an editor file modification to make the Spanish B teams act like the German ones.

Actually it is not that much work. At the beginning of each season you delegate some players you don't want to have in the first team to the reserve squad and set them to 'available for loan', so they are either loaned out or will help the reserve team. You don't have to pick the players for each match or watch the matches, you can easily tell a coach of the staff to do so. If you don't have enough players for the reserve team it will be filled up with greyed-out players.

But if you get your team to the 3.Liga then you have to ensure they have some quality to stay up no?

Well it's probably easy to just find a lot of good young players to the II team i suppose.

If you don't care about the II-team, you don't have to buy them players. Of course, there is a great chance they will get relegated but it doesn't affect you in any way I know.