FM 12 - S.C. Braga - Os Arsenalistas

Welcome to the Braga 2011/2012 Thread which is surprisingly late in arrival.

History

Braga were founded in 1921 and altered their green and white kit to a red kit during the 1945/1946 season as their president José Antunes Guimarães who had business connections in London and was an Arsenal fan (there are also alternative stories along the lines of their coach admiring the playing style of the Arsenal side at the time), hence the nickname Os Arsenalistas (The Arsenalists). The badge includes an image of Mary and Jesus which Braga fans see as a lucky charm. Braga's main rivals are Vitoria de Guimaraes and goes back many many years. Braga's rise began in the 1960's and they won their first trophy in 1965 by winning the Portuguese Cup which they have not repeated but have been runners up on 3 occasions since. They have never won the domestic league and have recently been situated in UEFA cup/ Europa League places for the past 9 seasons. The main highlight in recent time was a surprise runner up finish in the 2011/2012 Europa League which was lost to Porto.

Factfile

FullName : Sporting Club de Braga

Nickname : Os Arsenalistas

Founded: 1921

Manager : Leonardo Jardim (2011/2012) although it is now José Peseiro

Major Rivals : Vitoria de Guimaraes

Affiliates : Riberao, Gil Vicente, Vitor Setabul, Moreirense, Penafiel, Vizela, Mirandela

Media Prediction : 4th

Club Captain : Alan

Club Vice-Captain : Hugo Viana

Transfer Budget : £875k

Wage Budget : £115k p/w

Current Wage Bill : £105k p/w

First Team Squad

1. GK Quim

4. DC Nuno André Coelho

5. DC Ewerton (on loan from Coimbra (MG))

6. CM Vinicius

8. AMR Márcio Mossoró

9. AMRL/ST Paulo Cesar

10. AML Hélder Barbosa

11. ST Edson Rivera

12. ST Alan (on loan from Coritiba)

13. WBR Miguel Lopes (on loan from Porto)

15. WBR Baiano

18. ST Lima

20. WBL Elderson

21. ST Nuno Gomes

23. WBL/LM Emmanuel Imorou

25. RB/CM Leandro Salino

26. DL/DC Paulo Vinicius

30. AMR Alan

32. GK Tommaso Berni

44. DC Douglao

45. CM Hugo Viana

55. DC Samuel

88. DM Luis Alberto

90. RB/DM Ruben Amorim

N/A - WBR Rodrigo Galo

N/A - AML Juan Carlos

Squad Analysis

Goalkeepers

Quim - He is clearly the better keeper out of him and Berni and is very strong at shot stopping and has good reflexes and agility. His distribution from kicking and throwing is also reasonably good and is good at communicating. He is quite slow off his line and is a terrible team player but I'm not sure how much this is relevant for a goalkeeper it may not be great for the dressing room. His aerial ability could be improved but at the age of 35 it is unlikely he will.

Tommaso Berni - The Italian is very similar to Quim as his strength is also shot stopping. His distribution is not as good as Quim's and he is weaker than Quim at catching crosses and is also slow at coming off his line. I suggest keeping him as a back up unless you can get a good fee for him and getting another back up for cheaper.

Defenders

Left Backs

Elderson - He possesses a reasonable amount of pace and acceleration and is reasonably hard working which helps him get forward and support attacks. He is also a decent crosser of the ball and has the physical stats needed to be good in the air. His main problems are that he can't pass very well, he has poor positioning and he makes bad decisions. He has the PPM "runs with the ball down the left" which isn't too helpful as he has 10 for dribbling.

Emmanuel Imorou - He is also quite similar to Elderson, his pace and acceleration and stamina are his main strengths and he is also a good crosser of the ball. He is not as good in the air as Elderson and also has poor positioning. He is also less aggressive and weaker at tackling and is not as good at moving off the ball. There are not many areas in which he is better than Elderson other than the odd 1 in a few attributes but he does have a better weaker foot. He also has the PPM "runs with the ball down the left" which also isn't useful as his dribbling is only 9.

Paulo Vinicius - While he lacks in pace he does still have good stamina. He has the better concentration and positioning out of the three fullbacks and has good teamwork and workrate attributes. I would think he would be most useful when defending deeper and against a winger that isn't too abundant in pace. Other than his weakness in pace he is also a weak dribbler and not a very good crosser. Oddly enough he is actually right footed which could help against players wanting to cut inside.

Right Backs

Miguel Lopes - The player is a good all round defender apart from his weakness in the air. He does not excel in many things although he has good acceleration and crossing but his main strength is that every single one of his attributes is above 10 which makes him a good choice when playing against a player with no obvious weaknesses. He possesses the "knocks ball past opponent" PPM which may be good combined with his acceleration.

Baiano - The Brazilian is also a reasonable all rounder and also excels in acceleration and pace and also has a weakness in the air which is even worse than Lopes' deficit. He is also not very determined and not as good at marking and I would personally only play Baiano to rest Lopes or as cover for injuries. He has the PPM "runs with the ball down the right" but his dribbling is not actually too bad (12). He is also only right footed.

Centre Backs

Douglao - He is completely dominant in the air and is an aggressive player although his tackling isn't phenominal for a centre back. He is also brave and decent at marking but lacks a lot in the technical stats and is very very slow and lacks concentration and turns like a bus. I feel it is a must to play a covering defender with him unless you are very very deep as both keepers are also slow off their line. He is however strong in the air and can be very useful at set pieces and defending crosses in the air. He also has the attribute "gets forward whenever possible" which is a bit random for a centre back and could leave him out of position.

Samuel - A more well rounded stopper who excels in the air but not to the extent of Douglao and also has a bit more pace than Douglao but may still need to play with a covering defender when playing against a fast striker. He lacks a bit of concentration and isn't the strongest tackler but can play the ball out from the back more successfully than Douglao. He would also be a threat from any set pieces that arise.

Ewerton - He is only on loan so don't get too attached but this is for 2 seasons so he could be a useful player for a while. He is in my opinion a very useful defender as he does not have any glaring weaknesses and I would suggest he could be a good covering defender for either Samuel or Douglao as he has good pace and has better positioning than the other defenders. He is also a good tackler and good in the air so could also play as a stopper if necessary.

Nuno André Coelho - Probably the best defender that you possess which would be great news in most circumstances. However, to make your job a little bit more difficult he is injured for at least 8 months which basically means you won't see him until the second season.

Midfielders

Left Winger

Helder Barbosa - A talented attacking winger that has great dribbling and crossing attributes and phenominal creativity and great flair, pace and off the ball movement. He isn't very strong defensively and is a bit selfish so I think he is best off left forward and used as a counter attacking threat. He is also one footed so he would be more useful getting past the defender on the outside or running in behind the oppositions line rather than cutting inside. It may also be useful to get him to cross the ball early and play direct passes as his creativity is very high and may be wasted if not attempting any through balls. He is the only really good left winger in the squad so you may need to sign another left winger.

Right Winger

Alan - The captain and another technically gifted player. He is probably a strange choice as a captain so feel free to replace him with someone more suitable. He is a great crosser of the ball and has a lot of flair he is however a quite lazy and selfish player and has a lot of poor mental attributes. I think it would be beneficial to Alan to be encouraged to either run with the ball or cross the ball and not try anything spectacular as he has poor decisions and creativity to got with his high technical ability.

Defensive Midfielder

Luis Alberto - Another good player and has all the attributes to be a good anchor man for the team. He is also great in the air and could be a massive threat from corners. I think that he would also be just as good in a ball winning midfielder role with a support duty. His attributes probably suggest a defend duty as his passing isn't remarkable but he has the "get forward whenever possible" and "gets in the oppositions area" which may mean he won't keep his position just defending all game and could be a threat attacking from making deep runs. I really rate him and don't think you will find many better players for his position that will be happy on 3k p/w.

Central Midfielders

Vinicius - Although not the most talented of players the boy has a great work rate and stamina and is a great team player. He is also quite an aggressive tackler and I suspect will give the team a rugged edge when he plays and could be useful when struggling to control possession. He is not particularly a great passer of the ball but will offer an option when his team mates are in possession which also makes him quite useful when trying to keep the ball a bit better. Due to his stamina and work rate I would use him as a Box-to-box midfielder or a ball winning midfielder.

Hugo Viana - Those of you who remember this lad from Newcastle may realize his stats are probably better than you thought they would be. Technically, he is up there with the best of the best. He takes a marvelous corner and freekick so be sure to stick him on them. He is also a great passer of the ball and has great creativity and decision making so it is unlikely that he will give the ball away too often. He will also be able to create quite a few chances and has excellent stamina to get forward but he does lack a bit of pace. His defensive game isn't too great but he will be a key player for you to try and get the best out of.

Leandro Salino - Another workhorse in the same kind of mold to Vinicius he has reasonable stats for tackling and marking and has great work rate and stamina and would be useful for man marking "special" players and disrupting general opposition play. He is no Hugo Viana when it comes to technical ability so keep things simpler for him and he should be a useful player.

Strikers

Lima - He is your best striker and has good pace and finishing and should make a good poacher. He is also decent with both feet and has a bit of strength which could help him when up front on his own. I would suggest trying to get him to run onto lots of through balls when against slower defenders and make him stay on the last defender at all times as he won't offer much but going deeper. He is suited to attacking space behind defenders which I feel suits Braga's overall defensive squad quite well and he may be handy in counter attacking moves.

Nuno Gomes - The 34 year old is a great finisher and also a threat in the air. He also has fantastic movement and anticipation and can pass well as well as being quite creative and having a good first touch. If he wasn't lacking in pace he would certainly bag goals for fun and I believe he would be a very useful player when trying to fashion chances against a team that is defending deep and he will more than likely score if that chance arrives. Due to his creativity and lack of pace it may be useful to play him as part of an attacking two with Lima and using him to play as a deep lying centre forward and taking chances as well as creating opportunities for other players. My only problem with this is that both Alan and Barbosa are both quite lazy so there may not be many players defending with a front two as well as the wingers.

Squad Overview

I think it is priority to sign a back up winger either left or right sided. I would probably go with a right sided winger as Alan is 31 and will only have a few seasons left until he becomes a bit part player unless you want to train Marcio Mossoro to play there. Also you may want to sign a new striker as Nuno Gomes is 34 unless you want to develop Edson Rivera. There are plenty of centre backs and centre midfielders and there are back up options at both fullbacks. The centre midfielders are mostly defensive except Viana so a new attacking midfielder may also be a target for you. I would also recommend trying to replace Paulo Cesar as I don't think he is very good.

I will also show how I have made my tactic to suit Braga and you can hopefully improve what I have done.

Good luck fellow Arsenalistas, hopefully you can bring a trophy back to the AXA!!

Hopefully someone can suggest potential signings as I am not the greatest manager for finding players

these are transfer listed and cheap wingers (less then 500k):

Emiliano Armenteros ML,AML Sevilla

Nauzet Alemán MR,AMRC Valladolid

Oleksandr Yakovenko AMRL, ST Anderlecht

also keep pizzi after the loan ends. i'll starting a Braga save and will post my team later

my potential signings list:

Sebastián Toro L, D (DC) Colo Colo CHI 178 cm 74 kg 21 €1.5M

Ânderson Martins L, D © AlJaish (QAT) BRA 184 cm 80 kg 23 €400m

Dustley Mulder D (DC) Levski NED 181 cm 71 kg 26 €120m

Damiano Ferronetti D (DC) Udinese ITA 185 cm 74 kg 26 €1.9M

Matías Cahais D (EC) Racing Club ARG 186 cm 80 kg 23 €140m

Rafael Tolói D © Goiás BRA 185 cm 75 kg 20 €1.6M

Yordan Miliev D © Levski BUL 184 cm 80 kg 23 €160m

Hrayr Mkoyan D © Spartak Nalchik ARM 182 cm 78 kg 24 €875m

Juan Manuel Insaurralde D © Boca ARG 187 cm 87 kg 26 €325m

Kris Stadsgaard D © DEN 185 cm 78 kg 25

Fernando Meira D © POR 190 cm 85 kg 33

Kara D ©, MD, M © Tromsø SEN 192 cm 87 kg 21 €1.1M

Ivan Bandalovski D/DA (D) CSKA (Sofia) BUL 182 cm 76 kg 24 €110m

Zhivko Milanov D/DA (D) FC Vaslui BUL 177 cm 67 kg 26 €350m

Laure D/DA (D) Deportivo ESP 171 cm 66 kg 26 €1.6M

Sime Vrsaljko D/DA (D), MD, M © Croácia Zagreb CRO 180 cm 75 kg 19 €1.2M

Knut Olav Rindarøy D/DA (E) Molde NOR 177 cm 74 kg 25 €775m

Laszlo Sepsi D/DA (E) ROU 179 cm 73 kg 25

Xabi Castillo D/DA (E) Athletic ESP 184 cm 75 kg 25 €1.6M

Gabriel Mercado D/DA/M (D) Estudiantes (LP) ARG 179 cm 83 kg 24 €170m

Tim Breukers D/DA/M (D) Heracles NED 178 cm 76 kg 23 €350m

Michael Lumb D/DA/M (E) Zenit DEN 177 cm 70 kg 23 €775m

Camilo Zúñiga DA/M (D) Napoli COL 172 cm 72 kg 25 €1M

Cristian Llama DA/M/MA (E) Catania ARG 179 cm 77 kg 24 €2M

Adriano MD Santos BRA 170 cm 85 kg 24 €2.4M

Ednilson MD, M © POR 173 cm 70 kg 28

Matías Sánchez MD, M © Estudiantes (LP) ARG 172 cm 70 kg 23 €675m

Claudemir M (DC) FC Copenhaga BRA 187 cm 73 kg 23 €1.2M

Nauzet Alemán M (D), MA (DC) Valladolid ESP 175 cm 69 kg 26 €1.3M

Ariel Rojas M (DEC), MA (DE) Godoy Cruz ARG 176 cm 82 kg 25 €850m

Stefan Babovic M (DC), MA (DEC) Partizan SRB 180 cm 77 kg 24 €850m

Petter Vaagan Moen M (E), MA (EC) NOR 181 cm 76 kg 27

Ruben Yttergård Jenssen M © Tromsø NOR 173 cm 71 kg 23 €1.2M

Birkir Bjarnason M ©, MA (DEC) Viking ISL 182 cm 73 kg 23 €350m

Augusto Fernández M/MA (D) Vélez ARG 177 cm 71 kg 25 €800m

Emiliano Armenteros M/MA (E) Sevilla ARG 178 cm 75 kg 25 €1.7M

Mateo Kovacic M/MA © Croácia Zagreb CRO 172 cm 63 kg 17 €1.2M

Yassine El Ghanassy MA (DE) AA Gent BEL 175 cm 70 kg 20 €675m

Dayro Moreno MA (DC), PL COL 178 cm 74 kg 25

Oleksandr Yakovenko MA (EC), PL Anderlecht UKR 183 cm 75 kg 23 €425m

Gabriel Hauche MA ©, PL Racing Club ARG 168 cm 71 kg 24 €975m

Silvio Romero PL Lanús ARG 176 cm 76 kg 22 €450m

Jackson Martínez PL Jaguares COL 188 cm 86 kg 24 €1.2M

Wallyson PL Cruzeiro BRA 179 cm 72 kg 22 €2.8M

all depends on the budget you can get and how much you can make from sales

My tactic

I am no Mourinho but will show how I have set up my team. I do know that there are plenty of different variations of 4-4-2 and 4-5-1 and other teams will play different formations other than these two but these are the most common and if I can win against these then I stand a good chance of getting morale up and beating the other teams by using shouts to cope with different situations.

Formation 1 - Against a 4-5-1 (A 4-3-1-2)

As the 4-5-1's main strength is that it has an extra body in the middle against a 4-4-2 my choice of a 4-3-1-2 is to to the main strength of a 4-5-1 a disadvantage.

GK - Quim isn't really suited to anything else so it would be stupid to get him to do anything else. Suggested role - Goalkeeper - Defend

RB - The right backs available are quite similar to each other and the left backs. I will be more defensive on this side as the covering defender is further away and Douglao is unlikely to be able to cover the right back as he is slow and he will probably be occupied. I still want them to get forward at times but not as much as the left back. Suggested role - Wingback - Defend

RCB - When facing one striker the obvious roles would be for one to mark tightly and the other centre back to cover. This is what I will do with Douglao and Ewerton. I may use Samuel if Douglao is on bad form or if against a really slow striker. Douglao will play on the right hand side of the two centre backs as he is right footed. He is technically bad so I just want simple passes from him or to get rid. Suggested role - Limited Defender - Stopper

LCB - As said above, this will be the covering defender, either Samuel or Ewerton. As neither centre back is likely to pass out from the back too effectively I will also have them as limited defenders to cover Douglao and then remove the threat straight away or pass if totally safe. Suggested role - Limited Defender - Cover

LB - It is important that they offer an option out wide as there is restricted space in the middle and I want them offering an option to cross the ball when the opportunity arises. I will play Elderson here when I am attacking but Paulo Vinicius could be useful when needing to defend and high pace isn't required to cover the centre backs as there is only one opposing striker. Suggested role - Wingback - Support

RCM - I want this player supporting attacking moves but also roaming around and possibly going out wide at times and being a bit unpredictable with their movement. I feel the midfield will need this and will require an opposing player to mark him a lot of the time giving more space for the attacking midfielder. He may need to drop back as well or defend down the right flank. For this role I think Vinicius would be most useful due to his stamina,work rate and decent off the ball attributes. Suggested role - Box to Box midfielder - Support

CM - I want this player to be the main destroyer and to break up the oppositions attacks. If there is an attacking midfielder I want him to man mark and make it difficult for him to get the ball. When on the ball I want him to keep possession rather than risk playing a ball to the attacking midfielder at the first opportunity. My main player for this role will be Leandro Salino.

Suggested role - Ball Winning Midfielder - Defend

LCM - As the left back is a supporting wingback and there is no winger in front of the left back I think it is important for this player to be defensive so he can cover when the wingback goes forwards. I want this player to stay back majority of the time and when on the ball be able to play simple passes out to the wingbacks or to get the attacking midfielder on the ball. I think the most capable player for this role would be Luis Alberto If struggling to create chances I may play Viana there as he is capable of being creative and may be able to get the ball to the attacking midfielder even when tightly marked. For starters though I want the player to do the basics. Suggested role - Centre Midfielder - Defend or if Viana Deep lying Playmaker - Defend

AM - This is the important position for creating a link between the defensive and attacking phase and getting him on the ball is key. If not getting him on the ball he is also used to create space for the other midfielders and taking away their pressuring opposition. I think the main player for this role is Hugo Viana and he has lots of stamina and a great shot so he must be getting around the edge of the box a lot. As his role is getting his own chances as well as creating I have chosen the role of Attacking Midfielder - Attack

STL - I want this striker to get on the end of crosses and stretch the oppositions back line to give space to my other striker and attacking midfielder. I don't really need him getting involved in the build up and should be looking to get into the box and score. Suggested role - Poacher - Attack

STR - As the attacking midfielder operates behind the central striker I don't want him dropping in and taking his space. I would rather he drifted out wide or also got into the box but should look to get involved in the build up without dropping into a deep central position. He could also play a creative role as Nuno Gomes and Alan are quite creative. He should also be looking to beat the fullback when out wide and crossing into the box for the poacher. Suggested Role - Deep Lying Forward - Support

Formation 2 - Against a 4-4-2 (A 5-3-2)

Formation 3 - Holding onto a lead

What does anyone think to my first tactical set up? I'm a bit unsure of the philosophy to use and the main strategy with my first tactic. Also could anyone suggest team instructions?

You use a good role combination on strikers, a poacher combines well with a deep lying forward.

Looking to your formation, since you don't use wingers a short passing approach is good choice, because the only fast player to carry or catch a long ball is the poacher and that isn't enough because he will reach the attack without support ending on a lose ball or a wasted long shot.

The short passing will allow to central midfielder support the attack and be in position to take long shoots and to the attacking midfielder be in position to feed the strikers or try to appear in the box.

The full back should have an attacking duty, because they will be the only support on the wings and they will be important wide your attacking zone.

Your full backs will have freedom to attack, because you have a ball winning midfielder with defend duty and a deep lying playmaker with defend duty, letting 4 players without being part of the attack, unless you set more roaming on team instructions.

Using more roaming on a short passing approach is recommended, because the attack will need more support, because will be slow.

You should try to have central defenders instead of limited defenders, because limited defender will do clearances with no sense and you will only have the poacher to take those balls.

Braga is a team to fight for the top 5 of Portguese League and I think your formation is too defensive for a team with those ambitions.

About philosophy, I choose based on the following logic:

- If the opposition is stronger, I chose rigid or very rigid;

- If the opposition have the same level, I chose balanced;

- If the opposition is weaker, I chose fluid or very fluid.

Rigid philosophy means less creativity freedom and less mistakes, and fluid philosophy mean more creativity freedom and more mistakes. Against weaker team you have more mistake freedom than against a stronger. That's how I think about philosophy.

Is your tactic work fine?, you had write your post about 2 weeks.

I'm going to have a look at this as the potential clubs to play 3-4-3 I made for another team as the full backs don't look that great to me and Braga are the sort of club I am looking for as in not quite top in their division, but have good facilities to build on

Thanks for the advice myfmdaily, I haven't really started as I've been distracted with my other FM save. I have made some changes that you suggested and will try and play through a few games and see how this system works before making more changes if neccessary. Look forward to any updates Dexter_Morgan.