JFurlong2000

The story of how a novice Colombian coach turned Mallorca into La Liga contenders. Inspired by both Girona's surpirse 2023/24 La Liga campaign under Míchel and Henrik Rydström's 'Relationism' tactic at Malmo will come a story of how a former Colombian defender turned RCD Mallorca into a contending team in Spanish football. This story will be focused on growing the club's reputation, both domestically and into European competition. We will be aiming to signing young players for the first team and improving the youth recruitment and academy so that the club produces it's own stars in the future. We will also need to improve the club's financial position, and thus will prove challenging initially. Starting with a balance of just €7.5m in the accounts, emphasis on a data analytical approach to recruitment, desiring unappreciated and/or undervalued talents, will be favoured. I will evaluate both first team and any other young prospects at the club in a forthcoming post, but what is noticable upon first glance is we have some great young talent in the first team already, most notably Spaniards Javi Llabrés, Manu Morlanes, Pablo Maffeo and Portuguese Samú. It seems we have a highly determined and professional squad to begin with, possessing great fitness, stamina, work rate and bravery across each departments. This will hopefully prove to be a great starting point in fitting into a philosophy I hope to introduce to our playing style; hardworking, short passing, one-touch pass attractive attacking football, pressing vigorously to win back possession if lost. An overhaul of the already short backroom teams is planned to take place. Whilst covering contract terminations and compensations to clubs on any headhunted staff may eat into an already modest bank balance, it is imperative to bring in the right team to begin with and hopefully establish a strong backing in each department. More to follow with the chosen manager to take RCD Mallorca forward in the 2023/24 season...

My Approach Initally, I intend to favour the below starting line up to start the season. 'Intend' being a key word, as I will of course adapt to impressive, or, lack of form within the team and change accordingly. I also plan to introduce some of our younger prospects intermittently to the first team throughout the season, both off the bench and in cup finals where we have confidence. This will see the likes of Wisdom Amey, Santiago Castro, Tommasso Ravaglioli and Kazper Karlsson get a chance to show us what the future of Bologna may look like. The style of play will be a very much modern approach to the game. Positive forward progression and high pressing intensity, with emphasis in keeping the ball. There is no intention to be 'gung-ho' at this point, so a patient build-up play from the back and some vertical back and forth passing exchanges will be desired. The heading ability of the team is a stand out in comparison to opposition squads in Serie A. For this reason, we will invite crosses when under pressure due to the higher probability of taking back possession. Passing the ball to the feet of teammates in link-up play will be instructed. Whilst playing the ball forwards for a teammate to run onto, retaining possession is a key aspect of our gameplay, so passing straight to feet and dribbling past 1v1's when nessecary will be preferred. Wing play in the final third will also be a key aspect of our attack. I intend to rotate which side of the team to invert inwards on the attach, but two key players in Riccardo Orsolini and Jesper Karlsson look to have the attributes to do whats needed when asked. As this will be the latter stages of full back Lorenzo Di Silvestri's playing career, we won't be putting to much pressure on advancing forward and instead will instruct him to invert into a back three alongside Jhon Lucumí and Riccardo Calafiori whilst left back Victor Kristiansen goes forward. The two starting centre halves will have specific roles in build up play. Jhon Lucumí will be deployed as the Italian football's favourite 'Libero', while Calafiori will be involved more in ball playing from the back line. Goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski will be encouraged to advance to the edge, if not beyond, his goalkeeping area and act as an additional man in build-up play in what may be described as an advanced sweeper keeper. Our midfield duo will act as the 'engine' of the team, focusing on winning the ball back and putting in a shift between the two boxes. I will likely favour promising Italian Giovanni Fabbian, and loanee Remo Freuler in these roles, rotating duties accordingly throughout the 90 mins. Lastly is our lone striker, who will be instructed to lead the press in winning the ball back as the most advanced player up the field, and also play a big part in link up play as the wingers join the final third assault. Joshua Kirkzee will be primarily selected to start here, with young Santiago Castro from Argentina as his back-up.

A FM24 save inspired by Thiago Motta's thesis during his coaching badges journey, 'THE VALUE OF THE BALL - instruments of exchange in the heart of the game'. Starting in July 2023, Bologna, Italy.

Thank you 👍

After two full months now in charge, we look at how Francesco Farioli is setting up 'I Gigliati' in Serie A. It is clear to see after several games that the young Italian coach is encouraging a very much attack minded, high tempo approach to his squad. Consistent progressive movement up the pitch has seen Fiorentina score 18 and concede 7, with a split of four wins, five draws and just the single loss to Lazio across February and March. Formation. It initially looks that Farioli's is favouring a three at the back starting formation, whilst the central defender acts in the 'Libero' role and moves forwards in possession with move wing backs accompanying him. As the attack advances, the 'Libero' will stop slightly behind the midfield line to support as the full backs continue to move forwards. Both midfielders generally stay in line and move vertically in sync, whether that be to track back and win the ball or when in possession to playmake from deep. As the marauding full backs advance high, both wingers will cut inside and regulary take on the opposition in 1v1's. The lone striker mostly remains the most advanced body on the pitch, pulling any marking defenders away from advancing team mates to create space. The right flank. It appears the bulk of attack movements are being focused down the right side, where two key players in Michael Kayode and Nicolas González regulary start and feature somewhere in the goal involvement statistics. It is evident from the first eight weeks of starting team selections that Farioli prefers the young Michael Kayode over loanee Davide Faraoni, and even the former first choice Dodo who recently returned from a lengthy spell on the side lines. Kayode is currently leading third on the successful dribbles in the league, with more than any other defender in Serie A, and has now been named the 'Young Player of the Month' in Italy for two consecutive months under Francesco. The partnership with Argentine forward, Nicolas González, has been the key aspect of Fiorentina's attacking play so far. Thanks to Kayode's consistent threat moving forward, González has regulary took opportunity to cut inside, thus so far netting four goals under Farioli. When possession is lost, Farioli has clearly instructed his side to press imediately and chase the opposition until the ball is won back. As thought when bringing in two world class fitness coaches in February, the intensity under Farioli has stepped up a notch or two. The side currently sit 4th in the most high intensity sprints across the 20 teams. Posession does not seem to sole focus for Farioli however, who seems to be playing with a mixed passing style with ethos of its what you do with the ball as oppose to how much of it you have. Aswell as Kayode featurin in fourth, Jonathan Ikoné now leads the way in chances created per 90 minutes, with his stand out performance at home to Atalanta at the end of March putting him at the top.

FARIOLI'S MEN DECISIVE IN FLORENCE

PREDICTING FRANCESCO FARIOLI'S FIORENTINA With just days until Fiorentina take to the Stadio Artemi Franchi for the first time under new coach Francesco Farioli, we look at the young Italians time at French side OGC Nice and what we can expect from his style of play. Origins Francesco studied philosophy and sports science at university. After a successful education in Italy, Farioli's love for the game took him into coaching where he found himself in 2009 becoming a goalkeeping coach for Margine Coperta. He thereafter was the goalkeepers coach at Fortis Juventus, and Lucchese, before moving to Qatar with the Aspire Academy, the Qatar U16s. He was soon approached and brought back to Italy to coach at Benevento by one Roberto De Zerbi. He soon became close and had his talents recigonized by De Zerbi, who when moving onto Sassuolo, took his young coach with him. After two years at Sassuolo, Farioli got his first Assisstant Manager's role at Turkish side Alanyaspor for the 2020–21 season, where the team had an impressive start that saw them close to the top of the league. On 21 March 2021, he was appointed the head coach of Fatih Karagümrük, another Turkish Super League club. At 31, he was the youngest football manager in a pro league in Europe at the time. He later rejoined Alanyaspor but this time as manager, before moving onto Ligue 1 outfit OGC Nice. He then became, and remains to be, the youngest manager across the top five 'big' European football leagues. OGC Nice 2023 Farioli's Nice caught the attention of European football in 2023, using their fluid attacking build-up to claim scalpel of several French giants and found themselves surprisingly in second place going into 2024. Build-up play begins with three central defenders recieving the ball from the goalkeeper. Initially, Farioli's men looked to be in a 2-3-2-3 formation. In possession, the middle centre back wil generally begin to play a little higher, somewhere between the two midfielders and two centre backs, with both full backs accompanying him on the push forwards. Until the play advances into the oppositions half, the three forwards will keep their line and maintain distance between to stretch the opposing defence and create gaps. As the team advance into the final third, this is where we see the two wingers cut inside and enter the oppositions box as a trio, with the support of two cenral midfielders behind and two marauding wing backs on both sides. Any loss of possession will generate an intense press led by the most advanced parties of the team on the pitch. Instructions appears to be to not hold back on tackling, winning the ball back with controlled aggression and clear intent. Indeed, Farioli has summed up his coaching style by stating that: “It is the small details that help us make the difference.” Certainly, it is an approach that has quickly made a difference to a club that has never previously qualified for a Champions League group stage. However, as Nice entered the latter half of the 2023/24 season in strong position, opportunity came knocking for the young Francesco Farioli in Florence and he could not turn it down. So how can we expect Faroli to line up La Viola? If it's similar to how he deployed his French side, we may begin seeing three at the back for Fiorentina. If there is a suitable candidate in the current first team to move between defence and midfield, one would assume Argentine Lucas Martínez to assume this role, with his gifted passing and work rate ability. The midfield two may be up for grabs between the likes of Giacomo Bonaventura, Maxi Lopez, Rolando Mandragora, Arthur, Alfred Duncan and Gaetano Castrovilli. He is also slightly spoilt on the flanks, with Nico González, Jonathan Ikone, Ricardo Sottil, Christian Kounamé and maybe even Lucas Beltrán. Conclusion One thing is for sure, for Francesco Farioli to pack up and leave Nice whilst on top of the world in France, he must have big ambitions to take I Gigliati forward. If he can replicate what we have been seeing in Ligue 1 since June, we are in for a treat and hopefully will see another contender battle for the Scudetto in the coming seasons, a league where we have seen four different winners in the past four years.