The Italian Job! Italian league thread is here!

[john1]

 

 

Season 2022/23 midway update

 

 

Happy how the season going so far, baring losing to Lazio  Surprised to see how well Udinese, are doing at the moment. We also drawn against Atlético Madrid in Champions League 1st knockout round, away first leg, definitely happy with that.

 

 

Here are my transfers dealing, most of them are regens, apart from Andre Gomes, who have been utterly fantastic so far. I am quite surprised how the hell we managed to sign Diarra from Lens for 22k   And  Nascimento had 26K minimum release clause   I expect to sell both of them on for profit in near future. Most of them are signed for back up due to key players moaning about lack of depth 

Edited June 24, 2019 by john1

[john1]

 

 

Him at 2017/18 season

 

Also could be end of my love for this guy  Came in saying he wants to leave the club to win Champions League and get that medal  Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid came in with 75M offer for him, decided to accept it and promote another youth from the academy. 

Edited June 24, 2019 by john1

[john1]

There he goes  Turned down Real Madrid to join Atletico Madrid.

[zlatanera]

@john1 at least he has some sense of adventure, not just going to the team that thinks the Champions League is their birthright! 

@Raymond85 I'm finding summer 2019 to be awful too. In 4 real-life days I barely advanced 2 in-game days as I tried to figure out what I wanted my squad to look like, who I needed to sell, scout, offer contract extensions to etc...

then when I finally did figure it all out, the only upgrade I could find in wide areas for under £10m, Viktor Fischer, with his brilliant Perfectionist personality, did his hamstring again. I'm hoping to get to the first games of the new season by Wednesday at the latest.

[quee]

10 minutes ago, zlatanera said:

@john1 at least he has some sense of adventure, not just going to the team that thinks the Champions League is their birthright! 

@Raymond85 I'm finding summer 2019 to be awful too. In 4 real-life days I barely advanced 2 in-game days as I tried to figure out what I wanted my squad to look like, who I needed to sell, scout, offer contract extensions to etc...

then when I finally did figure it all out, the only upgrade I could find in wide areas for under £10m, Viktor Fischer, with his brilliant Perfectionist personality, did his hamstring again. I'm hoping to get to the first games of the new season by Wednesday at the latest.

I do that too! I spend too long during transfer windows, thinking too far ahead! And too much!

[Raymond85]

The second preseason is the longest always, especially when i am in italy. So many players to evaluate and move on...

then it gets better. As you can see i love to keep my squads short and essential, it helps giving young players a chance. I might have to rethink something with Juventus under23 being in serie b, if i want them to get into higher positions, maybe some backup and better starters are needed, even if that will come naturaly in time, promoting under 20’s

[zlatanera]

Yeah the pre-season was what killed my Freiburg save dead, I'd been doing a gambit of making a bunch of loan signings and either developing + selling, or loaning for £250k/month then selling. Massively boosted our finances over two years, but I just got the summer when we'd finally made CL (2nd in the league) in our first season in our new stadium, look at the 150+ players on the books and said "naaa..."

Also Fiorentina have the likes of Schetino and Baez on stupid contracts - £18k/month for Serie C quality players - which adds another wrinkle as you always have to exclude the "wages paid by club" part when offering them out.

 

[Raymond85]

1 ora fa, zlatanera ha scritto:

Yeah the pre-season was what killed my Freiburg save dead, I'd been doing a gambit of making a bunch of loan signings and either developing + selling, or loaning for £250k/month then selling. Massively boosted our finances over two years, but I just got the summer when we'd finally made CL (2nd in the league) in our first season in our new stadium, look at the 150+ players on the books and said "naaa..."

Also Fiorentina have the likes of Schetino and Baez on stupid contracts - £18k/month for Serie C quality players - which adds another wrinkle as you always have to exclude the "wages paid by club" part when offering them out.

 

I go on selling sprees, i HAVE to trust my assistant's judgment (i always look for highest JPA and JPP), so everyone less than 3 star potential gets the boot (with some exceptions, i get sentimental sometimes). Even if it means letting others develop a goodish player.

[zlatanera]

20 minutes ago, Raymond85 said:

I go on selling sprees, i HAVE to trust my assistant's judgment (i always look for highest JPA and JPP), so everyone less than 3 star potential gets the boot (with some exceptions, i get sentimental sometimes). Even if it means letting others develop a goodish player.

I’m usually like that, I’ve gradually reduced my hoarding ways over time. But I also look at CA - a 2 star guy with 3 star potential aged 19 might develop well on a loan and make a much higher profit than selling straight off, whereas some guy who is 4 star potential but still only 1/2 star ability age 20 might be worth letting go for free with a sell-on clause just in case. 

[zlatanera]

 

[Raymond85]

So Cancelo is putting up a fit, wanting his contract more than doubled. I think i found my next big sale for January. Now on to find Vagnoman's (who i will start from now on) new backup (hopefuly italian). Or might bring De Sciglio back on the flank, if i find myself with a nice centerback

Edited June 25, 2019 by Raymond85

[john1]

3 hours ago, zlatanera said:

 

Any replacement for him?

[john1]

 

Anyone see club sacking managers so many times?

Hoping to finish my season tonight  

[Raymond85]

2 ore fa, Raymond85 ha scritto:

So Cancelo is putting up a fit, wanting his contract more than doubled. I think i found my next big sale for January. Now on to find Vagnoman's (who i will start from now on) new backup (hopefuly italian). Or might bring De Sciglio back on the flank, if i find myself with a nice centerback

 

Well, Cristiano is not only outstanding on the field, but also outside as he convinces his fellow portoguese team mate to stop throwing toys out of the pram

[john1]

Boom! Gomes 

[zlatanera]

6 hours ago, john1 said:

Any replacement for him?

If Simeone stays fit then I won’t need one, as I think Vlahovic will be my first choice striker. But I’m constructing quite a versatile team - my MEZ is a left winger, both my W at AMR are natural strikers (retraining young Florentine Gabriele Gori to backup Domenico Berardi), and if I get really desperate one of four high PA newgens is a striker. Also I’m loaning half the u18s in Italy on two year loans with purchase so might get a striker there if Eddy Salcedo gets listed.

I am tempted to resign Borja Valero just to keep the connection to Montella through over-the-hill former Villarreal players!

Edited June 25, 2019 by zlatanera

[quee]

PARMA CALCIO 1913 - 2020/2021

May

Final stretch of the season is here! In good form and hoping to finish the season strongly. Buoyed by the Coppa Italia success, the players are raring to go!

In-House news: 3 players selected for the u20 World Cup, disappointed to see some players not going like Da Graca. It would be a good chance for Ivonei to get u20 caps in order to hopefully allowed him to be registered next season. The u20s also did their Coppa and League double. Promising future!

FIXTURES

Would you believed it? A further 3 '1-0' victory, to make it 9 straight of such win! Not sure if I should be pleased (I am) or worried that our goals are drying up (I am also). With Gomez not playing well against Udinese, Inglese came in for the game against Atlanta and got the required goal. Was planning to keep choosing Inglese for the rest of the season but he got a 7 weeks injury to end his season after twisting his ankle in training before the game against Genoa. After the win against Atlanta, we got the messages below, about to beat our previous record of 10 straight win and about to set a new consecutive clean sheet record. Excitement and nervousness in equal measures! Roma lost to Cagliari, so Inter retained their Seria A title with 2 games to go.

So, can we do it? The news officially came together at midnight after yet another 1-0 win against Genoa! Of the 3 games so far in May, Genoa caused us the most troubles and the whole defence had to be at their best to keep the clean sheet. Ecstatic to get it! The clean sheet record might stay for a while once it's over. We have also confirmed our Champions League place together with Inter and Roma.

Our last game of the season was against already relegated Benevento at home. Can we continue our '1-0' victory sequence? All the games leading up to this I've been using a positive mentality. Since this is the last game at home, I decided to let the players loose and enjoy themselves. It is also a chance to give something back to the fans. With an 'Attacking' mentality, we stormed to a 5-0 victory, breaking our '1-0 Parma' tag. Was I disappointed not to get another 1-0 win? In a way yes haha as it is unique situation for me as I've never experienced anything like it before. Despite the big win, Benevento caused us some trouble defensively and I was worried that we might finally concede (I'm sure they will come back up at the first time of asking). But Brazao and the defence doesn't seem want the run to end and put in a concentrated effort, especially in the last 10 minutes of the game.

Verdict: 1-0 is definitely enough, if you are this Parma! What an end to the season!

END OF SEASON AWARDS

Parma

Usually, the day after my last game I would get a message regarding Parma's End of Season Awards but it is not appearing? A bug?

Serie A

Olaza got his' Player of the Year' award! Great first season from him. Brazao, Birindelli, and Olaza got into the 'Team of the Year'. But Brazao is second for 'Goalkeeper of the Year'? How does that work? The fact that 3 of my defenders are in the top 3 for Defenders of the Year' reflected our season well. Xadas's consistency helped him got the 'Midfielder of the Year' over Despodov, who had a great goalscoring season. I'm considering him as a transfer target (see below).

Botturi and Da Graca got their respective u19s awards. Gomez someway behind in the Topscorer rankings, with him finishing on 13 goals and Ingles on 7 goals. Fatih Terim got my vote as 'Manager of the Year', just missing out on a Champions League place on the final day of the season. Genoa, Cagliari, and Palermo all had a great season finishing in the top half of the table. Cagliari just missed out on Europa League on the last day of the season as well.

END OF SEASON REVIEW & THOUGHTS

As I mentioned above, I still hasn't received Parma's End of Season Awards. A bit weird?

Anyway, first time in my Parma career that we are able to finish strongly in the season. The improved defence did their part and I'm happy with how everything have unfolded since our lost to Man Utd. Wanted another crack at Europa League next season but got Champions League. Finishing above Roma is unexpected as Jose Mourinho's team don't usually collapsed after leading the table for most  weeks of the season. Napoli was the other end of season form team, just pipping Genoa, Milan, and Juventus for the final CL spot.

Players - Where to start? Brazao (18 clean sheets), Birindelli (knocking on Italy's door now), Olaza (for me signing of the season and giving so much balance defensively and offensively on the left hand side), Tonali (starting to feel important now, especially in the big games, as his presence on the ball allowed us to be braver in the middle of the field), Xadas for all his assists and goals, Sprocati for all his goals. I also feel both Gomez and Inglese contributed their parts, but I am expecting better from them next season.

Special mentions - To Minelli for filling in for Olaza admirably over a stretch of 2 months, more than enough to cement his future at the club. To Bastoni for recovering his form and remembering how to play just in time to kickstart our run of winning and defensive sequence. You will be missed!

Diakhate had a tale of two half-seasons. Majestic in the first half, and the pressure getting to him in the second half. But he's a promising talent and will be a fixture in our midfield for many years. Stulac on the other hand, has not reached the heights of his first 2 seasons. Mainly due to exhaustion and niggling injuries in the first part of the season, before recapturing some of his form later on. The fact that he scored all his 3 goals in the early months of the season suggested how everything caught up to him physically. But he still ended up with 8 assists towards the end. Disappointingly though, he only scored one free kick this season (the injury time goal against Benevento 3-3).

FUTURE PLANS

The board set aside £22m+ of transfer budget, I think a bit lower than previous season (as I bought Gomez for £25m). Still, not many positions that jumped at me that I would like to get in within the budget. Before I started the game, my transfer targets were Pavon, Lozano, van de Beek, Rodrigo Caio, Tagliafico... All of them have wages demands beyond our means and as in the  case of Pavon and Lozano, they already made high profile transfers (Pavon went to Barca then Monaco, whilst Lozano is at Liverpool). Whilst others are still at their original club and their transfer fees are within budget, but their wage demands would make them the best paid players at the club above Gomez. This is unsuitable for us as I also have Stulac, Xadas, and Tonali who wanted new contracts all season but backed down after having a conversation with them and being a pro about it. I can imagine all 3 will double or triple their wages with the forthcoming new contracts already. I have since dropped my interest in Tagliafico due to Olaza and Minelli. Rodrigo Caio is still of interest, as I'm considering if he can replace Bastoni instead. But I decided I still want my balance with a left footer there. 

Possible Transfers Out

 I don't have anyone I'm actively want to sell at the moment but they are some who I might considered selling. En-Nesyri and Spalek demanded new contracts and I didn't give in as they're already on good wages and they're not first team players. They were unhappy for a bit before dropping it but now they think of me as their adversary. If I can get Vignato I might consider letting Spalek go, same for Despodov who can cover both of En-Nesyri and Spalek positions. Palacios is another name that I might considered selling if I have good offers for him. Whilst on paper he is my best midfielder, but his contribution to how my team plays is minimal (just like Pereira previously, but at least he scored lots of goals). van de Beek might be a good replacement for him.

Possible Transfers In

As you know by know, my main concern would be the starting left sided-CB position. In the beginning of May, I made an offer to extend Bastoni's loan but was rejected. When I made an enquiry, I was given £40m+ as a number. I could structured the deal in order to get him but I preferred not use instalments as I think that will make the game too easy as you can get more players in. I have 2 strong candidates that I'm considering at the moment to come in. Luperto (Napoli) and Cozza (Montpellier). Whilst Luperto is a much a better player than Cozza, he's still below Bastoni's quality. 

Some things I need to consider when it comes to Luperto vs Cozza - £1.9m transfer listed vs estimated £7.5 non-transfer listed value, 2 years older but closest to Bastoni in style, Cozza have the interesting option of playing as a Libero but he is also not dominant in the air. I will give Bastoni another try in early June then if that failed, I will have to decide between this two players (Botturi will be the backup). Though, for that price, Luperto is still an attractive addition even if I managed to get Bastoni in somehow. Decisions.

Loans

Bastoni, Valery, and Lo Celso will end their loan stints at the club. I would have liked to get Valery but he just signed a new contract and was quoted £66m when I enquired. Lo Celso's contract is ending with PSG but I won't be interested in taking him on. Inglese have another season of his loan deal (at 30% of his wage). Hoever also have another 12 months of his loan to run, and he will provide backup to Birindelli. So, I don't have to get in a new right back for now. No further loan deal will come in at the moment.

Of those out on loan, Krajnc is a definite sell (he have an optional £1.5m but not sure if it will activated as he rarely played), same with Mauri's £7.5m optional fees. Guga I might keep around in the squad, just incase Hoever is unable to provide the needed cover. The rest will go out on loan again or will be sold if there's any offer for them. Interesting to note that Dao, Krajnc, Guga are all relegated this season.

Will look to loan Senesi to a Spanish club next season and Farinez have another season on loan at Leganes, who just survived relegation. Before my last game against Benenvento, I got a message below saying they just beat Barcelona (when I checked that result it costed Barca the league with Madrid winning on +4 goal difference on the last day, whilst securing Leganes season). Farinez will challenge Joel Pereira to be the understudy to Brazao after that, with whoever ended up as the 3rd choice being sold to make space for my regen Hyso.

Verdict: Great season, now to prepare for a better, but harder European campaign. It will be a season of stability next, with focus on renewing contracts and minimal additions to the squad as needed. Our finances are still meagre compared to other more established clubs, as we only have £21m+ in the bank balance. Prudence will be key to make this a long enjoyable save.

Welcome any comments and feedbacks. Would be interesting to see other Parma saves as well.

Will post the next update when I got the End of Season Awards for Parma (hopefully it will come).

 

Edited June 27, 2019 by quee
Just found out I can centered my post! Looking much better!

[Raymond85]

@quee in my experience Luperto is a very very solid option, way over his attributes. And also it doesn't hurt registration rules that he is homegrown for nation and italian.

[quee]

8 minutes ago, Raymond85 said:

@quee in my experience Luperto is a very very solid option, way over his attributes. And also it doesn't hurt registration rules that he is homegrown for nation and italian.

Yes, been scouting him extensively. And each report comes back better everytime. He can be the rugged defender in my team, my Chiellini. I swear he had resolute character too when I first checked him out, now it's only balanced. Might remembering it wrong though.

[Raymond85]

41 minuti fa, quee ha scritto:

Yes, been scouting him extensively. And each report comes back better everytime. He can be the rugged defender in my team, my Chiellini. I swear he had resolute character too when I first checked him out, now it's only balanced. Might remembering it wrong though.

i just checked in my save and he's balanced in october 2019

[zlatanera]

7 hours ago, quee said:

Possible Transfers In

As you know by know, my main concern would be the starting left sided-CB position. In the beginning of May, I made an offer to extend Bastoni's loan but was rejected. When I made an enquiry, I was given £40m+ as a number. I could structured the deal in order to get him but I preferred not use instalments as I think that will make the game too easy as you can get more players in. 

You could think of it as added realism, given that transfers are usually done in instalments (even in Spain, with release clauses on every contract - the clubs tend to agree to paying the release fee over 5 years or whatever the contract is, whereas to actually activate it would be a lump sum, which is I think what Neymar's transfer was).

r.e. Luperto I had him on my Freiburg save and he was great, just got squeezed out by a newgen who may well be the greatest player Ecuador has ever produced if I continue that save.  

[quee]

5 minutes ago, zlatanera said:

You could think of it as added realism, given that transfers are usually done in instalments (even in Spain, with release clauses on every contract - the clubs tend to agree to paying the release fee over 5 years or whatever the contract is, whereas to actually activate it would be a lump sum, which is I think what Neymar's transfer was).

r.e. Luperto I had him on my Freiburg save and he was great, just got squeezed out by a newgen who may well be the greatest player Ecuador has ever produced if I continue that save.  

Up to what point, though? You see the posts in the Leeds topic and by the 2nd season he already managed to buy all the players he needs. Leeds.

I can understand if it's some add ons but not unrealistic unreachable ones. For instalments, if only minimum amount upfront, then it's not realistic for me. 50-70% upfront then then the rest in instalments are more like in real life transfers. Even then abusing it in-game is not fun for me. That is why lots of saves gets boring after only a few years.

[zlatanera]

35 minutes ago, quee said:

Up to what point, though? You see the posts in the Leeds topic and by the 2nd season he already managed to buy all the players he needs. Leeds.

I can understand if it's some add ons but not unrealistic unreachable ones. For instalments, if only minimum amount upfront, then it's not realistic for me. 50-70% upfront then then the rest in instalments are more like in real life transfers. Even then abusing it in-game is not fun for me. That is why lots of saves gets boring after only a few years.

Fair enough. I haven't looked at the Leeds thread much, although given Fulham's historic spree last season you could argue anything's possible for promoted teams. We all have our different ways of playing, and I can't argue yours isn't working, those are some impressive results you're getting with Parma!

[Raymond85]

Also i’d like to add, in italy real life football, there is a lot of abusing installments and add on fees with little upfront cash. Also loans with option or set to buy. As you can tell by Milan’s trouble with Uefa. Also Inter to some extention.

i also like paying with money i have, and try to get installments when i sell, so i have a regular cash flow in the following years

[quee]

1 hour ago, Raymond85 said:

Also i’d like to add, in italy real life football, there is a lot of abusing installments and add on fees with little upfront cash. Also loans with option or set to buy. As you can tell by Milan’s trouble with Uefa. Also Inter to some extention.

i also like paying with money i have, and try to get installments when i sell, so i have a regular cash flow in the following years

What is the most expensive loan in game that are known? James Rodriguez went to Bayern for 8m for 2 season I think? Wonder if there's any like that in FM.

Edited June 26, 2019 by quee

[Raymond85]

15 minuti fa, quee ha scritto:

What is the most expensive loan in game that are known? James Rodriguez went to Bayern for 8m for 2 season I think? Wonder if there's any like that in FM.

Higuain’s loan to Milan cost 18 mln (then half of that was agreed as he spent the rest of the season at chelsea, who paid the other 9 mln)

[ajt]

if someone needs a good DM for not much money then Ndoj @ brescia is good. he has immense mentals, & in my first season after promotion to serie A he has 7.17 rating from 13 games. obviously there is sandro tonali too but he is more of a boring choice.

oh and if someone looks for a young striker to grow (TM/DLF link up type) then Brijan Ibrahimi is very good. he's already starting at 18 years old for me and already scoring a few goals.

Edited June 26, 2019 by ajt

[john1]

2 minutes ago, ajt said:

if someone needs a good DM for not much money then Ndoj @ brescia is good. he has immense mentals, & in my first season after promotion to serie A he has 7.17 rating from 13 games. obviously there is sandro tonali too but he is more of a boring choice.

Will take look at him on my Torino save  

[john1]

14 hours ago, quee said:

PARMA CALCIO 1913 - 2020/2021

May

Final stretch of the season is here! In good form and hoping to finish the season strongly. Buoyed by the Coppa Italia success, the players are raring to go!

In-House news: 3 players selected for the u20 World Cup, disappointed to see some players not going like Da Graca. It would be a good chance for Ivonei to get u20 caps in order to hopefully allowed him to be registered next season. The u20s also did their Coppa and League double. Promising future!

FIXTURES

Would you believed it? A further 3 '1-0' victory, to make it 9 straight of such win! Not sure if I should be pleased (I am) or worried that our goals are drying up (I am also). With Gomez not playing well against Udinese, Inglese came in for the game against Atlanta and got the required goal. Was planning to keep choosing Inglese for the rest of the season but he got a 7 weeks injury to end his season after twisting his ankle in training before the game against Genoa. After the win against Atlanta, we got the messages below, about to beat our previous record of 10 straight win and about to set a new consecutive clean sheet record. Excitement and nervousness in equal measures! Roma lost to Cagliari, so Inter retained their Seria A title with 2 games to go.

So, can we do it? The news officially came together at midnight after yet another 1-0 win against Genoa! Of the 3 games so far in May, Genoa caused us the most troubles and the whole defence had to be at their best to keep the clean sheet. Ecstatic to get it! The clean sheet record might stay for a while once it's over. We have also confirmed our Champions League place together with Inter and Roma.

Our last game of the season was against already relegated Benevento at home. Can we continue our '1-0' victory sequence? All the games leading up to this I've been using a positive mentality. Since this is the last game at home, I decided to let the players loose and enjoy themselves. It is also a chance to give something back to the fans. With an 'Attacking' mentality, we stormed to a 5-0 victory, breaking our '1-0 Parma' tag. Was I disappointed not to get another 1-0 win? In a way yes haha as it is unique situation for me as I've never experienced anything like it before. Despite the big win, Benevento caused us some trouble defensively and I was worried that we might finally concede (I'm sure they will come back up at the first time of asking). But Brazao and the defence doesn't seem want the run to end and put in a concentrated effort, especially in the last 10 minutes of the game.

Verdict: 1-0 is definitely enough, if you are this Parma! What an end to the season!

END OF SEASON AWARDS

Parma

Usually, the day after my last game I would get a message regarding Parma's End of Season Awards but it is not appearing? A bug?

Serie A

Olaza got his' Player of the Year' award! Great first season from him. Brazao, Birindelli, and Olaza got into the 'Team of the Year'. But Brazao is second for 'Goalkeeper of the Year'? How does that work? The fact that 3 of my defenders are in the top 3 for Defenders of the Year' reflected our season well. Xadas's consistency helped him got the 'Midfielder of the Year' over Despodov, who had a great goalscoring season. I'm considering him as a transfer target (see below).

Botturi and Da Graca got their respective u19s awards. Gomez someway behind in the Topscorer rankings, with him finishing on 13 goals and Ingles on 7 goals. Fatih Terim got my vote as 'Manager of the Year', just missing out on a Champions League place on the final day of the season. Genoa, Cagliari, and Palermo all had a great season finishing in the top half of the table. Cagliari just missed out on Europa League on the last day of the season as well.

END OF SEASON REVIEW & THOUGHTS

As I mentioned above, I still hasn't received Parma's End of Season Awards. A bit weird?

Anyway, first time in my Parma career that we are able to finish strongly in the season. The improved defence did their part and I'm happy with how everything have unfolded since our lost to Man Utd. Wanted another crack at Europa League next season but got Champions League. Finishing above Roma is unexpected as Jose Mourinho's team don't usually collapsed after leading the table for most  weeks of the season. Napoli was the other end of season form team, just pipping Genoa, Milan, and Juventus for the final CL spot.

Players - Where to start? Brazao (18 clean sheets), Birindelli (knocking on Italy's door now), Olaza (for me signing of the season and giving so much balance defensively and offensively on the left hand side), Tonali (starting to feel important now, especially in the big games, as his presence on the ball allowed us to be braver in the middle of the field), Xadas for all his assists and goals, Sprocati for all his goals. I also feel both Gomez and Inglese contributed their parts, but I am expecting better from them next season.

Special mentions - To Minelli for filling in for Olaza admirably over a stretch of 2 months, more than enough to cement his future at the club. To Bastoni for recovering his form and remembering how to play just in time to kickstart our run of winning and defensive sequence. You will be missed!

Diakhate had a tale of two half-seasons. Majestic in the first half, and the pressure getting to him in the second half. But he's a promising talent and will be a fixture in our midfield for many years. Stulac on the other hand, has not reached the heights of his first 2 seasons. Mainly due to exhaustion and niggling injuries in the first part of the season, before recapturing some of his form later on. The fact that he scored all his 3 goals in the early months of the season suggested how everything caught up to him physically. But he still ended up with 8 assists towards the end. Disappointingly though, he only scored one free kick this season (the injury time goal against Benevento 3-3).

FUTURE PLANS

The board set aside £22m+ of transfer budget, I think a bit lower than previous season (as I bought Gomez for £25m). Still, not many positions that jumped at me that I would like to get in within the budget. Before I started the game, my transfer targets were Pavon, Lozano, van de Beek, Rodrigo Caio, Tagliafico... All of them have wages demands beyond our means and as in the  case of Pavon and Lozano, they already made high profile transfers (Pavon went to Barca then Monaco, whilst Lozano is at Liverpool). Whilst others are still at their original club and their transfer fees are within budget, but their wage demands would make them the best paid players at the club above Gomez. This is unsuitable for us as I also have Stulac, Xadas, and Tonali who wanted new contracts all season but backed down after having a conversation with them and being a pro about it. I can imagine all 3 will double or triple their wages with the forthcoming new contracts already. I have since dropped my interest in Tagliafico due to Olaza and Minelli. Rodrigo Caio is still of interest, as I'm considering if he can replace Bastoni instead. But I decided I still want my balance with a left footer there. 

Possible Transfers Out

 I don't have anyone I'm actively want to sell at the moment but they are some who I might considered selling. En-Nesyri and Spalek demanded new contracts and I didn't give in as they're already on good wages and they're not first team players. They were unhappy for a bit before dropping it but now they think of me as their adversary. If I can get Vignato I might consider letting Spalek go, same for Despodov who can cover both of En-Nesyri and Spalek positions. Palacios is another name that I might considered selling if I have good offers for him. Whilst on paper he is my best midfielder, but his contribution to how my team plays is minimal (just like Pereira previously, but at least he scored lots of goals). van de Beek might be a good replacement for him.

Possible Transfers In

As you know by know, my main concern would be the starting left sided-CB position. In the beginning of May, I made an offer to extend Bastoni's loan but was rejected. When I made an enquiry, I was given £40m+ as a number. I could structured the deal in order to get him but I preferred not use instalments as I think that will make the game too easy as you can get more players in. I have 2 strong candidates that I'm considering at the moment to come in. Luperto (Napoli) and Cozza (Montpellier). Whilst Luperto is a much a better player than Cozza, he's still below Bastoni's quality. 

Some things I need to consider when it comes to Luperto vs Cozza - £1.9m transfer listed vs estimated £7.5 non-transfer listed value, 2 years older but closest to Bastoni in style, Cozza have the interesting option of playing as a Libero but he is also not dominant in the air. I will give Bastoni another try in early June then if that failed, I will have to decide between this two players (Botturi will be the backup). Though, for that price, Luperto is still an attractive addition even if I managed to get Bastoni in somehow. Decisions.

Loans

Bastoni, Valery, and Lo Celso will end their loan stints at the club. I would have liked to get Valery but he just signed a new contract and was quoted £66m when I enquired. Lo Celso's contract is ending with PSG but I won't be interested in taking him on. Inglese have another season of his loan deal (at 30% of his wage). Hoever also have another 12 months of his loan to run, and he will provide backup to Birindelli. So, I don't have to get in a new right back for now. No further loan deal will come in at the moment.

Of those out on loan, Krajnc is a definite sell (he have an optional £1.5m but not sure if it will activated as he rarely played), same with Mauri's £7.5m optional fees. Guga I might keep around in the squad, just incase Hoever is unable to provide the needed cover. The rest will go out on loan again or will be sold if there's any offer for them. Interesting to note that Dao, Krajnc, Guga are all relegated this season.

Will look to loan Senesi to a Spanish club next season and Farinez have another season on loan at Leganes, who just survived relegation. Before my last game against Benenvento, I got a message below saying they just beat Barcelona (when I checked that result it costed Barca the league with Madrid winning on +4 goal difference on the last day, whilst securing Leganes season). Farinez will challenge Joel Pereira to be the understudy to Brazao after that, with whoever ended up as the 3rd choice being sold to make space for my regen Hyso.

Verdict: Great season, now to prepare for a better, but harder European campaign. It will be a season of stability next, with focus on renewing contracts and minimal additions to the squad as needed. Our finances are still meagre compared to other more established clubs, as we only have £21m+ in the bank balance. Prudence will be key to make this a long enjoyable save.

Welcome any comments and feedbacks. Would be interesting to see other Parma saves as well.

Will post the next update when I got the End of Season Awards for Parma (hopefully it will come).

 

Fantastic season  Surprised to see Juventus finished 7th    Will be interesting if you can get Bastoni, also check out the free agent players, I am sure there bound to be few decent ones.

[john1]

 

Crashed out to Man City  First leg, Franco missed a penalty on 84th minutes, Sterling went to other end and scored to make it 2-2. Lost 2-1 away, with Paulinho scoring on 87th minutes. We did very well.

[quee]

On 26/06/2019 at 01:06, john1 said:

 

Anyone see club sacking managers so many times?

Hoping to finish my season tonight  

Not as bad as yours, but must have played a factor. Below is their current team (Szczesny, Perrin, Elia Petreli out of the screen). Not as star-studded as you would expect!

4 hours ago, john1 said:

Fantastic season  Surprised to see Juventus finished 7th    Will be interesting if you can get Bastoni, also check out the free agent players, I am sure there bound to be few decent ones.

Thanks! As for free transfers, I already have Friedl arranged (who looks likely to go out on loan), I missed out on Nsoki before getting Friedl though (both was leaving on a Bosman). Rojo is leaving Man Utd, might be an interesting senior option. Apart from that not many EU-available options. Juventus didn't renewed Chiellini's contract, would have been a good signing to guide my young team. But I just checked again, it turns out he has decided to retire instead. A shame.

[quee]

5 hours ago, ajt said:

if someone needs a good DM for not much money then Ndoj @ brescia is good. he has immense mentals, & in my first season after promotion to serie A he has 7.17 rating from 13 games. obviously there is sandro tonali too but he is more of a boring choice.

oh and if someone looks for a young striker to grow (TM/DLF link up type) then Brijan Ibrahimi is very good. he's already starting at 18 years old for me and already scoring a few goals.

Welcome! Post your Brescia updates here! Interesting team with lots of young talents.

[quee]

Just found out I can centered my post, making the layout much better!

[zlatanera]

I think I'm about done with my Fiorentina save - its taken me a week but indecision and an inability to offload players has meant I'm still in July 2019. Will be keenly following along in this thread though! 

[quee]

11 minutes ago, zlatanera said:

I think I'm about done with my Fiorentina save - its taken me a week but indecision and an inability to offload players has meant I'm still in July 2019. Will be keenly following along in this thread though! 

Shame! It is hard to offload players, I haven't got many starting offer above their values (without renegotiating). Sometimes I just sell players for any value, and at times still paying for their wages.

[zlatanera]

29 minutes ago, quee said:

Shame! It is hard to offload players, I haven't got many starting offer above their values (without renegotiating). Sometimes I just sell players for any value, and at times still paying for their wages.

Yeah. It’s partially my indecision on signing players too. Just lost momentum at the wrong moment really

[quee]

24 minutes ago, zlatanera said:

Yeah. It’s partially my indecision on signing players too. Just lost momentum at the wrong moment really

Maybe time for a new challenge?

[Raymond85]

1 ora fa, zlatanera ha scritto:

I think I'm about done with my Fiorentina save - its taken me a week but indecision and an inability to offload players has meant I'm still in July 2019. Will be keenly following along in this thread though! 

Remember my Udinese problem? Reputation is too much of a factor....

[quee]

5 minutes ago, Raymond85 said:

Remember my Udinese problem? Reputation is too much of a factor....

What was the problem?

 

[Raymond85]

35 minuti fa, quee ha scritto:

What was the problem?

 

after 4 seasons i lucked winning a Champions League.... players were worth from 30 to 60 mln, and not one single offer for anyone. Just for the promising youngsters i wanted to start sliding into first team. I think it's up to the reputation, it can't handle a quick boost from winning a major trophy, and making clubs interested in my star players, as would happen in real life if something like that were to take place

[zlatanera]

@Raymond85 @quee I think the problem is the clubs rep outpacing some of your squad players’ reps - club rep and financial situation showing you high value for your players whereas the AI sees a low-rep player and underbids 

[yonko]

I feel an urge to manage in Serie A as one of my last saves on FM19. I haven't done it in so many editions that I forgot when was the last time I had an Italian save.

CM'93 Italia stared my addiction to CM/FM series. Parma used to be my favorite in the 90s. But my first love (before Barca took my heart in 1990) was AC Milan with Gullit, Van Basten and Rijkaard.

So I want to bring back the glory days for AC Milan. Anyone got any tips in terms of players that I should target in the first couple of seasons? I want to focus on Italians preferably. My personal preference is to use possession based 433 aka 4141 DM but I'm undecided until I analyze the players Milan start with. 

Winter Update Database and No First Window Transfers, btw. 

[john1]

  

Just finished my fifth season with Torino, won Serie A, CoppaItalia and Supercoppa  

 


 

 

I admit he didn't play enough games first 2 seasons, but since then became utterly brilliant for us and made defence central as his own with Caio. He's being chased by Man City and Real Madrid.

However, he just picked up fastest goal of the season

 

=========================================================================

 

Fantastic season from this guy  

Also won Champions League golden boot

 

 

Also made it in Dream Team, no surprised to see Barca dominated as they beat Real Madrid 1-0, in the final.

Edited June 27, 2019 by john1

[john1]

On 26/06/2019 at 20:23, ajt said:

if someone needs a good DM for not much money then Ndoj @ brescia is good. he has immense mentals, & in my first season after promotion to serie A he has 7.17 rating from 13 games. obviously there is sandro tonali too but he is more of a boring choice.

oh and if someone looks for a young striker to grow (TM/DLF link up type) then Brijan Ibrahimi is very good. he's already starting at 18 years old for me and already scoring a few goals.

Here is Ndoj, on my save

 

[ajt]

Ndoj on 3rd season: overview - coach reports - comparison to young tonali

i doubt he would be good enough for a top team, but I play him as a regista in a 2 DM / 1 CM midfield and he handles it well. have already been turning down offers of £6 million from the middle east for him.

also I forgot to introduce Mattia Viviani , he doesn't have the amazing PPMs of tonali but great mentals for his age.

and while I'm at it here is a pretty decent defender I managed to pick up from SPAL for 2.5m when they got relegated: Francesco Vicari - coach reports

 

i'm trying to fill my squad with as many italians as possible (mainly poaching from relegated teams) so I'll post any random decent ones I find that aren't so expensive.

or maybe I'll just do a season report. problem is that I end up spending more time formatting the posts than playing the damn game 

Edited June 27, 2019 by ajt

[john1]

 

Just won Nation League with Italy, France took 3 shots, none was on target. Also beat Germany in semi final, 2-1.

Edited June 27, 2019 by john1

[john1]

 

 

 

Good to see we taken over Spurs  Also noticed Bayern Munich, isn't on the list?!  

Edited June 27, 2019 by john1

[john1]

Would be amazing if I can get 152M for Franco.

[quee]

4 hours ago, yonko said:

I feel an urge to manage in Serie A as one of my last saves on FM19. I haven't done it in so many editions that I forgot when was the last time I had an Italian save.

CM'93 Italia stared my addiction to CM/FM series. Parma used to be my favorite in the 90s. But my first love (before Barca took my heart in 1990) was AC Milan with Gullit, Van Basten and Rijkaard.

So I want to bring back the glory days for AC Milan. Anyone got any tips in terms of players that I should target in the first couple of seasons? I want to focus on Italians preferably. My personal preference is to use possession based 433 aka 4141 DM but I'm undecided until I analyze the players Milan start with. 

Winter Update Database and No First Window Transfers, btw. 

Welcome! Looking forward to your updates!

Milan would be a good challenge, and you have a long term goalkeeper already at the club. Always important to have a good base. As for players, I'm having more fun discovering new players from scout reports than the usual recommendations online.

[quee]

3 hours ago, ajt said:

Ndoj on 3rd season: overview - coach reports - comparison to young tonali

i doubt he would be good enough for a top team, but I play him as a regista in a 2 DM / 1 CM midfield and he handles it well. have already been turning down offers of £6 million from the middle east for him.

also I forgot to introduce Mattia Viviani , he doesn't have the amazing PPMs of tonali but great mentals for his age.

and while I'm at it here is a pretty decent defender I managed to pick up from SPAL for 2.5m when they got relegated: Francesco Vicari - coach reports

 

i'm trying to fill my squad with as many italians as possible (mainly poaching from relegated teams) so I'll post any random decent ones I find that aren't so expensive.

or maybe I'll just do a season report. problem is that I end up spending more time formatting the posts than playing the damn game 

Do a season report! But I do get what you mean by spending too much time formatting posts 

Brescia has not get promoted once in my 4 seasons so far. I've never seen Ndoj before, will check him out. I like players from these smaller nations haha. Bajrami unfortunately hasn't developed in my game as well as he should. Viviani signed for Watford in January first season, but have been going out on loan since.

Vicari is a good signing! My DoF recommended me to sign him as well when they got relegated but I had already arranged other Bosman signing then. Was tempted with Lazarri as well, but he's weakness in the air was a concerned for how I would like my defence to be.