FM10: Official Unione Sportiva Ciitta di Palermo Thread - The Eagles have landed

Unione Sportiva Città di Palermo is an Italian football club from Palermo, Sicily which currently plays in Serie A, the top level of Italian football. Formed in 1900 as Anglo Panormitan Athletic and Football Club, the club existed under various names before finally assuming the current denomination in 1987. Following its return to Serie A in 2004, the club became one of the most prominent in Italy. It has obtained a UEFA Cup place in each of the past three seasons, narrowly missing UEFA Champions League qualification in 2007.

The official team colours are pink and black, giving rise to the nickname rosanero; another less common nickname is aquile, referring to the eagle present in both the official club logo and the coat of arms of the city of Palermo.

US Città di Palermo plays its home games at Stadio Renzo Barbera, formerly known as La Favorita; as of 2007 the stadium has a capacity of 36,871 people. It was originally built in 1932, but was renovated in the late 1980s and served as a venue for the 1990 FIFA World Cup.

Like many Italian clubs they were originally founded by an Englishman. There is some debate about the exact founding date of the club: some date the club foundation to as early as 1898 due to the existence of papers addressed to Joseph Whitaker, English consul in Palermo and originally believed to be first club president, about a Palermitan football team founded in that year. However, the most common and officially stated foundation date is November 1, 1900, as the Anglo Panormitan Athletic and Football Club. The club is stated to be founded by Ignazio Majo Pagano, a young Palermitan colleague of Whitaker who had discovered football while at college in London, England where the sport was already popular. The staff foundations of the Palermo football organisation was composed of 3 Englishmen and 9 natives of Palermo, with Whitaker as honorary chairman, Edward De Garston as first president and red and blue as original team colours. The first known football match, played by the team on December 30, 1900, ended in a 5-0 defeat to an unidentified amateur English team. First official match played on April 18, 1901 against Messina Football Club ended in a 3-2 win to the Palermitan side.

Colours: Pink shirts with black trim and black shorts and socks

Full name: Unione Sportiva Città di Palermo SpA

Nickname(s) Rosanero ("Pink-blacks"), Aquile ("Eagles")

Reputation: Continental

Chairman Status: Loves the club

Finances: Rich

Estimated Value: £87m (£55m loan debt)

Stadium: Renzo Barbera, La Favorita

Stadium Capacity: 38500 all seater

Training Facilities: Good Training Facilities

Youth Facilities: Excellent Youth Facilities & Youth Academy

Media Prediction: 7th

Transfer Budget: £5.25M - Continental qualification through league

Wage Budget: £775K - Continental qualification through league

Despite being considered a rich club chairman Maurizio Zamperini keeps a tight rein on the finances, and although he won’t grant an increase the transfer budget he will authorise an increase in the wage budget to £850K, couple this with the fact that your wage bill is only £382K you can raise your transfer budget to a healthy £22M and still have £530K left for wages.

Squad Analysis:

Goalkeepers: Rubinho, Giacomo Brichetto, Salavatore Sirigu.

Rubinho is the obvious 1st choice here, Sirigu may develop into a decent keeper but it’s doubtful he’ll really challenge Rubinho. On-loan

Brichetto’s stats are awful and he should quickly be sent packing. Without decent back-up I would recommend bringing in a young keeper like Silviu Lung Jr or a veteran Marco Storari.

Full-Back Left: Federico Balzaretti

Balzaretti is more a more than capable full-back, so it’s just decent back-up that’s needed.

Full-Back Right: Mattia Cassani, Michel Morganella.

Cassani is 1st choice and Morganella seems like a decent prospect at 20.

Centre-Back: Dorin Goian, Cesare Bovo, Simon Kjaer, Adriano Siragusa, Marco Carrozzieri

Goian, Bovo and Kjaer battle for places, while Carrozzieri serves a global ban and Siragusa not seeming to offer much of a challenge an addition is needed here. Jan Vertonghan would be my choice.

Wingers: Nicolas Bertolo, Mark Bresciano

Probably the weakest area of the team, definite strengthening needed Di Maria (obviously) and Barnetta would be good additions as wood Ninis but also Torje, Ochirosii and Gangioveanu if they are as good as in 09 when the full game is released.

Defensive Midfield: Manuele Blasi, Giulio Migliaccio, Fabio Liverani, Giovanni Tedesco

Blasi or Migliaccio would be 1st choice for me but veterans Liverani and Tedesco provide decent cover but at 33 and 36 respectively a young prospect is needed. The list is endless here, Matuidi, Veloso, Capoue, Sissoko, it just depends what you want from your Defensive

Midfielder.

Midfield Centre: Antonio Nocerino

Has been on the cusp for a few years now but competition is needed. Joao Moutinho or Christian Grindheim if you’re looking for a cheaper back-up.

Attacking Midfield: Javier Pastore, Daniele Conti

Pastore the ‘Argentine Kaka’ is the only choice hear Conti is lacking the stats to compete for me, Per Ciljan Skjelbred or Alejandro Dominguez would provide excellent back-up.

Attack: Abel Hernandez, Fabricio Miccoli, Igor Budan, Edison Cavani, Levan Mchedlidze, Davide Succi.

Spoilt for choice really plenty of decent options just depends on your approach easily the strongest area of the team with a good mix of youth and experience.

Recommende Line-up:

Conclusion

Once the budgets are adjusted and you arm yourself with a decent war-chest the minor tweaking to the squad should give you an excellent chance of reaching your season objectives, at this point in time I think Champions League Positions are just beyond this team but the potential is certainly there. Should be a definite top 7 finish and they are capable of beating any of the other Serie A sides on their day including Inter. Anyway that’s my opening stab, will post an in-depth look at the youth and the better prospects as soon as the full game comes out along with making whatever necessary adjustments are needed.

Nice opening post, I hope to have a successful save with Palermo on the full game... Tiny budget but isn't it? Had an amazing save with Palermo on FM08, Bresciano was amazing on that version.

A tip for anyone playing: NEVER sell Kjaer as he has a very high PA and will only get better and better! Same with Abel Hernandez and Javier Pastore

thaks man, just trying to get a feel for the players, definitely agree with you about Kjaer always signed him in my Milan saves in '09 becomes an absolute legend

Right I've reached the beginning of September and the end of the transfer window, so I guess this is as good a time as any to post an update. Pre-season was a bit hit and miss narrow wins and defeats, but it served its purpose, finding out who the better players are, as I stated in the OP there were several areas needing attention. I brought in five players:

Silviu Lung Jr £250k

Alejandro Dominguez £1.8m

Angel Di Maria £5m

Eduardo Salvio £4m

Artunes £650K

These signings addressed most of the shortages in the squad but I still need to get some back-up for Nocerino.

Of the original squad Kjaer, Balzaretti, Nocerino, Migliaccio, Pastore, Cavani and Miccoli are probably the best players. The teams performances have been okay, reckon I just need to find the right blend.

I'll have a better look at the Under 20's squad over the next while and try and post something later on.

Gutted.

I spent ages doing some in-depth squad analysis to create a Palermo thread but you beat me to it!

442 is dead - Do you want to add some of it into the first post? At least then it's not gone to waste..

Squad Analysis

Goalkeepers

Rubinho, signed this summer from Genoa, is your number one keeper. His main strength is one on one situations and his only real downfalls being his average distribution abilities. He is relatively young for a keeper, at 26, and should be good enough for now. A decent backup is required though, as none as your other goalkeeping options will cut it in Serie A.

Centrebacks

Dorin Goian is another new signing this summer, from Steaua in Romania. He is the most experienced centreback in the first team. At 6’4” he is dominant in the air and shows excellent strength on the ground, although his lack of pace is his weakness.

Cesare Bovo – very good all round defender who plays best at DC but can also do a job at DL and DR. Bovo is determined, strong and equally good at tackling.

Simon Kjaer – At only 20 years old, Kjaer has already broken into the Danish first team and looks like he may become one of the best centrebacks on the game. Excellent at marking, Kjaer also shows good pace and jumping, and is definitely good enough to play week in week out already.

Moris Carrozzieri from the Reserves has a global ban until April 2011, which is a pity as he is similar in ability to Goian and would otherwise definitely be in the first team squad.

A surplus of defensive midfielders means Giulio Migliaccio is a possibility to cover at DC.

Fullbacks

The best rightback is Mattia Cassani, who is very determined and if encouraged to get forward would supply good crosses into the box. His versatility is a big bonus, being able to play comfortably on the right side of midfield and also at leftback. It is only a matter of time before he is called up for his first Italy cap.

Michel Morganella provides adequate back up for now and Giammarco Corsini in the youth squad has the potential to be top class so should be given some appearances from the subs bench.

The best leftback and one of the best players in the squad is Federico Balzaretti. He is quick and determined, with great stamina levels and his long throws could pose a threat for the opposition. Apart from Cassani, who is the first choice rightback, there isn’t any decent cover for Balzaretti so a backup is needed.

Defensive midfielders

Manuele Blasi (on loan from Napoli) is a great ball-winning midfielder - with top attributes in bravery, aggression, determination, tackling and teamwork. He is the player to chase down opposing midfielders and win back possession. There is an agreed price of £3.5m if you want Blasi on a permanent basis. Can also play on the right side of midfield, but his poor crossing and dribbling don’t make him the best out wide.

Antonio Nocerino – a tireless midfielder who can run all day, but is poor in the air and his technical abilities are only average.

Giulio Migliaccio – a tenacious defensive midfielder who can also do a job as a centreback. His professional and influential personality make him good captain material.

Fabio Liverani – the current captain is a calm and intelligent midfielder but is out injured for at least four months. He has very good technical and mental attributes, but at 33 years old his physical ability is declining quickly.

Giovanni Tedesco in the Reserves is 37 years old and his only good attributes are his mental ones. Robert Guana is out on loan but poor technically anyway. Misuraca and Temperino could be worth looking at once they come back from their loans.

Guido Davi is your only real prospect for the future in this position.

Wide midfielders

Mark Bresciano is your best left sided midfielder but can also play comfortably on the right or in the centre. He has very good movement of the ball and his long shots pose a real threat. Daniele Conti can play here but is still developing and may be better suited to the centre.

Nicolas Bertolo can also play across the midfielder but is strongest on the right, although you should probably look at buying a better player if you want to play with wide midfielders.

Rightbacks Cassani and Morganella can play here if needed, as can Manuele Blasi.

If using a formation with AM R and AM L, then there are a couple of striker who could play these positions well (including Davide

Lanzafame who is currently out on loan)

Attacking midfielders

Javier Pastore is one of the most exciting players in the squad. The young Argentinian midfielder was one of the main reasons behind Huracan’s recent successful season and he was the architect in the 4-0 demolition of River Plate, grabbing two goals and an assist. His partnership with Matias De Federico (now at Corinthians) was nothing short of sensational. After turning down the chance to join Manchester United for £8.8m in the summer, and also attracting interest from Milan and Lazio, Pastore headed for Palermo for guaranteed first team football. He is quick off the mark and at 6’2” can challenge most defenders well in the air. He is extremely flamboyant and determined, while his technique, first touch and dribbling abilities are all top class. Pastore is an essential player now and for the future.

Fabio Simplicio is not as good now as on previous versions, although he will still be a useful player in the first season. His best attributes are his finishing, passing, determination, natural fitness and strength. He could also make a good box-to-box midfielder, as he can play as DM and CM also.

Forwards

Edinson Cavani is one of the best strikers in the squad. He has good acceleration, great fitness levels and is an excellent finisher. Cavani has a professional personality and may be suited playing deeper (AM RLC?) with his good passing and off the ball attributes.

Fabrizio Miccoli – at 5’6” and fairly weak, he is definitely not going to be a danger in the air, but Miccoli still has a lot going for him. He is very versatile and can play on either wing. In fact on the wing may be his best position, with great attributes for pace, agility, dribbling, technique, passing and long shots. His first touch is top class and is a dead ball expert.

Igor Budan gives a different option up front. Tall, strong, determined, with a good leap off the ground and great with his head – Budan would make an ideal target man to win the high balls and hold play up.

Levan Mchedlidze is on loan from Empoli, with an option to buy for £4.8m. Although only young, he has good stamina, strength, teamwork and positioning. Mchedlidze is a focused, determined player and a good finisher – especially from the penalty spot.

Abel Hernandez – is a young, determined striker who has the potential to develop into a good Serie A player. Still learning, Hernandez should probably be used for cup games and the subs bench

Davide Succi is another striking option who is a good passer and finisher with strong mental attributes.

Edgar Cani and Gianluca Palmiteri from the Reserves may prove to be useful players once they return from their loans.

Giovio and Pittaresi are decent youngsters to tutor and keep an eye on.

Summary

Area’s To Strengthen – backup GK, extra backup DC, backup DL. MR and backup ML if playing with wide midfielders.

Possible Targets:

GK – German Lux, Begovic

DC – Jorge Andrade (free), Mathias Jorgensen

DL - Fabio Daprela

MR - Zezinho, Tabare Viudez (free)

Jadson from Shakhtar can be approached to sign on a free at the start of the game, would join 1st January 2010.

Obviously not much use for the demo, but definately one to go for on the full game.

Tony Vain, sorry I got their before you, Thanks for the offer but I think you should get the credit for your time and effort. The whole point of the forums is to give everyone the chance to voice their opinion.Liked your squad analysis. What starting line-up do you go for.

I've had a bit of time to examine the youth prospects, as expected with a good youth set-up, there are several decent prospects though none appear to be outstanding. So I've listed the ones I reckon as follows:

Benedetto Monforte

Karim Laribi

Andrea Adami - has attracted offers from Milan

Gianmarco Corsini - have received bids from Milan, Inter and Juventus

Guido Davi - wanted by Inter

In the reserves on loan there are also some decent prospects you will have when they return to the club:

Samir Ujkani

Andrea Raggi

Antonio Mazzotta

Emanuelle Terranova

Davide Lanzafane

Salvatore Temperino

Guanvito Mirusaca

Edgar Cani

Marco Giovio

Francesco Pittaresi

No worries 442 is dead, you did a good job anyway.

Due to the lack of width in midfield and the fact we have fullbacks who aren't afraid to go forward, I will be trying a few different formations.

(MCs = central midfielder set as a 'support' role)

4-1-2-1-2

The traditional AC Milan style..

GK - Rubinho

DR - Cassani

DL - Balzaretti

DC - Goian

DC - Bovo

DM - Migliaccio

MCs - Blasi

MCa - Bresciano

AM - Pastore

FCs - Miccoli

FCa - Cavani

4-3-1-2 (home) / 4-1-3-2 (away)

This worked really well for my Hull team in FM09 who had a similar lack of wide midfielders..

Home:

GK - Rubinho

DR - Cassani

DL - Balzaretti

DC - Goian

DC - Bovo

MCs - Blasi

MCd - Migliaccio

MCa - Bresciano

AM - Pastore

FCs - Miccoli

FCa - Cavani

Away:

GK - Rubinho

DR - Cassani

DL - Balzaretti

DC - Goian

DC - Bovo

DM - Migliaccio

MCd - Blasi

MCa - Pastore

MCs - Bresciano (plan to use Nocerino against tougher teams)

FCs - Miccoli

FCa - Cavani

How have you been doing with your 4-5-1 formation? I might try it using Cavani/Miccoli wide right and Budan as a target man..

-TV-

Nice analysis -TonyVain-.

I've signed;

GK - Lung Jr. - £250k

DL - Jankulovski - £2.3m

DC - Otamendi - £3.5m

MC/R - Beckham (god of a deep-lying playmaker) - £450k

AM/L - Di Maria - £5m over 48 months

FC - Ronaldo - £3.2m

Play a 4-3-1-2.

GK - Rubinho - sweeper keeper

DL - Balzaretti - attacking

DR - Cassani - attacking

DC - Goian - limited + stopper

DC - Kjaer - CB + cover

MC - Beckham - deep lying playmaker

MC - Migliaccio - ball winner

MC - Simplicio - Box to Box

AM - Pastore - attacking mid in support role

FC - Miccoli - deep lying forward

FC - Cavani - advanced forward

sold a Morganella, his physical stats weren't great especialy for a full back, and promoted Corsini and Davi up from the U20's. May have a look at Adami and Laribi.

No worries 442 is dead, you did a good job anyway.

Due to the lack of width in midfield and the fact we have fullbacks who aren't afraid to go forward, I will be trying a few different formations.

(MCs = central midfielder set as a 'support' role)

4-1-2-1-2

The traditional AC Milan style..

GK - Rubinho

DR - Cassani

DL - Balzaretti

DC - Goian

DC - Bovo

DM - Migliaccio

MCs - Blasi

MCa - Bresciano

AM - Pastore

FCs - Miccoli

FCa - Cavani

4-3-1-2 (home) / 4-1-3-2 (away)

This worked really well for my Hull team in FM09 who had a similar lack of wide midfielders..

Home:

GK - Rubinho

DR - Cassani

DL - Balzaretti

DC - Goian

DC - Bovo

MCs - Blasi

MCd - Migliaccio

MCa - Bresciano

AM - Pastore

FCs - Miccoli

FCa - Cavani

Away:

GK - Rubinho

DR - Cassani

DL - Balzaretti

DC - Goian

DC - Bovo

DM - Migliaccio

MCd - Blasi

MCa - Pastore

MCs - Bresciano (plan to use Nocerino against tougher teams)

FCs - Miccoli

FCa - Cavani

How have you been doing with your 4-5-1 formation? I might try it using Cavani/Miccoli wide right and Budan as a target man..

-TV-

I've had mixed results so far but I rarely play without wingers. I find its more adaptive especially as I can easily switch to a 4-2-3-1. I've transfer-listed Budan as I find him quite sluggish and a pretty poor finisher.

Yeah I've just started to dabble with a 4231. I play with cm/cm/amr/amc/aml at home and dm/dm/cm/amr/aml in away games. And I've signed Di Maria, Alejandro Dominguez and brought back Simone Pepe specifically to test this formation. Di Maria was £5.5m over 48 months and Pepe was £9m over 48 months.

Will let you know how I get on!

-TV-

Yeah I've just started to dabble with a 4231. I play with cm/cm/amr/amc/aml at home and dm/dm/cm/amr/aml in away games. And I've signed Di Maria, Alejandro Dominguez and brought back Simone Pepe specifically to test this formation. Di Maria was £5.5m over 48 months and Pepe was £9m over 48 months.

Will let you know how I get on!

-TV-

So far I've had a few decent results, using the demo as a testing ground really, trying to get used to the new tactical set-up, don't want to go back to using sliders, so I'm working on gettingt the right blend of player roles, will hopefully have a better feel for it by the time the full game comes around.

Loved playing as them on 09, will hopefully start with them soon. Dominguez and Di Maria will probably be players I target aswell.

I've been playing 4-4-2 diamond and been doing great - first 7 games of the season, 7 wins! couldn't beat roma though, missing up a lot of first team players (them too, but they have more squad depth)

only bought silviu lung jr because it was recommended, and some youngsters for the under-20, who are doing great too!

I line up

GK- Rubinho

DR- Cassani

DC- Goian

DC- Bovo

DL- Balzaretti

DMC- Migliaccio

MR- Bertolo

ML- Bresciano

AMC- Pastore

DC- Miccoli

DC- Cavani

Miccoli has been fantastic for me, scoring more than 1 goal a game.

Don't think you should buy anyone really.

i hav played till dec on my palermo save.

its going gr88. Iam in 2nd pos in serie A.

iam using the default tactic i.e 4-3-3 formation.

this team looks to be quite a fun team to play with when full game becomes available.

Started up a Palermo save (I've always wanted to play as them dating back to 08, but never got into it) and I have to say, I like it so far. I sold Miccoli and brought in Welliton as a replacement who plays so well with Cavani, both of them move so well and link with each other, but Welliton is out for a couple of months. I also bought Eden Hazard when Pastore went down for a couple months and he's been great too. However, now he's injured and Pastore's back. Having a lot of fun with this game so far. I'll keep everyone updated.

Glad to hear you're having fun with Palermo.. how much did you pay for Welliton and Hazard??

10m over 48 for both, I know it's a lot, but for some reason I really wanted them. I'm playing a diamond midfield so I didn't need wingers either. Hazard has 4 assists in his 3 matches, and Welliton has 6 goals in 3 matches.

Hello

In : Anthony Annan £2.5m

Ruben yttergård jenssen £1.1m

Silviu Lung £250k

Di Maria £3m

Per Cijan Skjelbred £2m

Out : Fabio Simplicio £3.1m

Mark Bresciano £7.5m

Fabio Liverani £1.6m

Igor Budan £5m

Antonio Nocerino £10m

Im in April in my first season and is in 4th place. Juventus have almost won Serie A. But the next 7 places there is only 4 points between. Gonna be tight

And dont sell Miccoli. So far 34 games and 29 goals

Hello

In : Anthony Annan £2.5m

Ruben yttergård jenssen £1.1m

Silviu Lung £250k

Di Maria £3m

Per Cijan Skjelbred £2m

Out : Fabio Simplicio £3.1m

Mark Bresciano £7.5m

Fabio Liverani £1.6m

Igor Budan £5m

Antonio Nocerino £10m

Im in April in my first season and is in 4th place. Juventus have almost won Serie A. But the next 7 places there is only 4 points between. Gonna be tight

And dont sell Miccoli. So far 34 games and 29 goals

Who did you sell Simplicio, Bresciano, and Nocerino to.

Bresciano to Napoli - Nocerino to Roma (januar) - Simplicio to Sporting CP

Welliton is now back for me, and I can't say enough good things about him. He has 3 starts and 3 subs in league and has 9 goals now. I'm in first place after 11 matches, but I'm a match up on a few teams that can pass me.

Still barely hanging on to first place as I round out the first half of fixtures. Cavani and Kjaer have gone down for two month and Goian wants to leave because he never settled. I think I'm going to sell him and Bovo and pick up Salvatore Bocchetti, which will leave me with Santacroce, Kjaer, and Bocchetti for CB's, so I might pick up another cheap youngster.

Surprisingly, Livorno having been the biggest thorn in my side. 2 points in two matches and they account for 5 of my 19 goals conceded.

They seem to be a really good team in 2010....I am playing AC in second and Palermo is infront of me 9 points clear (two games more)......they just beat Inter 2-1 at home

Milan's actually been a pain too. I've played them once in league and in the cup, and they absolutely dominated me. I only lost by one in the first match and two in the second, but I stood no chance. I at least had a decent chance against Inter.

I've finally got my hands on the full game, after a few test runs I'm going to start my full Palermo game and I'll keep you posted.

Ouch, third page. Let's get this thing more active. Palermo has been a really fun save. I'm still sitting just barely in first place, but I have not been winning by much lately. I'm scraping a lot of wins by one goal to teams I should be killing. However, I did beat Milan 4-1, so that was nice. 8 matches left, so I'll update when I finish.

Just had my signature win for the season, down 0-1 to Viola at home and I managed 3 goals in the last 10 minutes to win. Two coming from Hernandez who went in for an injured Cavani.

Well I won the league and have been shuffling players around a lot. Got rid of some players I could cash in on that weren't extremely important, and I've brought quite a few players in.

Out:

Nocerino-10m

Balzaretti-8.5m

Goian-1.8m

In:

Ariaudo-2.5m

Gamberini-14m

Dessena-5m

Camoranesi-3m

Seydou Keita-Free

Pretty satisfied with my team right now, but I kind of want to bring in a new keeper.

GK- Rubinho

DR- Cassani

DC- Kjaer

DC- Bovo

DL- Balzaretti

DMC- Migliaccio

MC- Nocerino (Ball-Winning Midfielder - Support)

MC- Krivets (Central Midfielder - Attack)

AMC- Pastore (Trequartista - Attack)

ST- Miccoli (Support)

ST - Cavani (Attack)

Sorry can't mind exactly which roles the two ST are set up. I love the narrow diamond, I've setup it up with maximum freedom, generally hoping for some creative fluid play.

Pre-season Miccoli has been fantastic, as has Pastore and Krivets.

I've also got Skjelbred coming in, in which case I'll try to sell either Bresciano or some other midfielder depending on who I can get the most for.

I'm so unsure what players to buy with the rest of my transfer budget though!

Should I get a backup GK/DC/DL/DR/ST?

Does anyone have experience with this Argentinian DC called M(something) Cutto? He's transfer listed for £350k so I'm tempted as his attributes looks fairly decent. But I'm always a bit weary if a player is transfer-listed at a value "too good to be true"...

Anyway, I'll post an update once I've played some games of the season

For some reason I never feel comfortable relying on players I've only got on loan... Does anyone else feel this way?

For some reason I never feel comfortable relying on players I've only got on loan... Does anyone else feel this way?

I think that's just you?

What a team i am ripping the league to bits with them they are awesome.

Hey Palermo people, I'd be very interested to know how Pastore is performing for anyone who is using him regularly...

Hey Palermo people, I'd be very interested to know how Pastore is performing for anyone who is using him regularly...

he is a man that keeps my Juventus team ticking. use him as an advanced playmaker in MC position in 4-1-2-1-2 formation. just started my 3rd season, he has 4 assists in 4 games:).probably my most important player.

I'm into second season, almost done sitting on the 4th place at the moment. Finished 6th first season missing a CL spot by 2 points(drew the last match of the season against Livorno - a win would've taken me to CL ).

Cavani is such a beast. I'm using him as a Complete Forward Attack mentality and he can't stop scoring goals. He's got 24 goals in 25 apps in the league( 28 apps, 29 goals total) also he won 4 awards: Seria A Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year, Fans Player of the Year and Foreign Player of the Year in the first season where he scored 26 goals in 35 apps.

He's the most efficient player I've ever had in my teams in FM ( I play since 2008 )

Cavani was a beast for me scoring 25 goals for me in the first season. He has 4 in 4 the second.

Finished 4th and my champions league group consists of Werder Bremen, Porto and Dinamo (Croatia).

Have a story in the FMS section, Rise of the aquile if anyone is interested.

What kind of budget is given as a manager?

What a team i am ripping the league to bits with them they are awesome.

Yeah I think Palermo might be a bit over rated, I holidayed a couple of seasons with other teams and Palermo is always challenging for the title.

double post.

he is a man that keeps my Juventus team ticking. use him as an advanced playmaker in MC position in 4-1-2-1-2 formation. just started my 3rd season, he has 4 assists in 4 games:).probably my most important player.

Nice, I might have to look at him as a possible long term replacement for Seedorf.

First game of the season (one), lost to Roma 2-1 which I'm not too bothered about... Hopefully I'll start winning now!

Pastore got injured early in pre-season so has been out for 6-7 weeks, but coming back soon thankfully! What a player he is, tantalizing to think he's going to get even better over the next few seasons...

Has anyone managed to find any decent full-backs for backup/rotation that doesn't cost an arm and a leg?

Has anyone managed to find any decent full-backs for backup/rotation that doesn't cost an arm and a leg?

Corsino + Adamo are decent enough cover on the right, and do very well. I signed Fuchs for the LB postion, but he cost me £5.75m.

Ansaldi would be excellent.

Cheers, I managed to sign Andrea Rossi (D/WB LR) from Siena. He's performed well enough for me, useful he can play on both flanks as well...

I started a Palermo save last night after reading the thread, hence, alot of my buys are the same as yours. I did the budget adjaustment and gave myself £22m to play with.

This was spent on 8 players.

First up £5m on Angel Di Maria.

£2.5M on Anthony Annan

£500k on Marco Verratti

£5.25m on Cristian Ansaldi

£1m on Marek Suchy

£625k on Antunes

£1m on Frantisek Rajtoral

£1.8m on Marek Sapara.

My 2 sales were Fabio Simplicio for £6m and Liverani for £2.1m.

Mixed pre-season, about to start Serie A

About to win Serie A in my 3rd season. I'm 1 point before Inter who are second with 5 matches to go, hopefully I can do the deal.

does anyone else struggle with poor form up untill christmas? I was realy struggling in season 2 untill after January and now i'm on a 8 game win streak. Same happend last year.

Signed Zapata, a very good defender.

currently in an enjoyable save with palermo. they have a really strong squad fairplay. looking forward to getting a number of the ones back in off loan to like Cani. some great youth prospects also.

currently 4th in the table coming up to christmas. was playing a 4 3 1 2 which hit a brick wall and have since changed to 4 2 4 (2 cms and amr/aml) and ive got 6 wins on the bounce.

only notable signings were krivets who is starting amr and vuckevic aml from sporting, a snip at 5mil i thought as he is awsome with set pieces. just signed aload of youths then which look promising so still have a 13mil budget to strengthen in january.