[FM20][FM21][FM22][FM23] Calcio

[AceCream]

Verona Season Preview 19/20

The club: Hellas Verona is a club located in the region of Veneto in Northern Italy. The name Hellas is greek for Greece. Hellas Verona have 1 historical Scudetto win in the 1984/85 season thus being one of the 4 smaller teams to have won it. Here is a very good article about that season and its significance in Italian football with videos and pictures which I highly recommend: https://footballmusings.home.blog/2019/02/19/the-beauty-of-football-hellas-verona-1984-85-serie-as-cinderella/?fbclid=IwAR2NiXgr2BNvlPr1btVRW5zaUtGB1ESkRMQOmTihBXXkqX_bn6psgO_rXuw

The manager: I am going to be role playing as Luca Toni, a legend at the club according to FM. Luca ended his career at Verona, and surprisingly his three years there were arguably some of his best. Scoring 51 goals in 100 appearances at 40 years old. He later was on the board of directors at Verona for a couple years. This will be his first stint in management, I have not yet decided if Verona will be a stepping stone to one of the bigger Italian clubs or if he will manage them long-term. Only time will tell. 

The tactics: Verona will play a cautious 3-5-2 with a Libero and attacking wing backs, similarly to how the played when they won the Scudetto in the eighties.  

The team/transfers: Marash Kumbulla is the most promising player in the team, an Albanian defender with 4.5 star potential. The team seems to be a bit too reliant on loans so that is something I will have to take care of in the future.

The kits: To celebrate their 35th anniversary of their only Scudetto win Verona will be wearing remakes of their 84/85 kit. 

Now to play some FM  

Edited May 13, 2020 by AceCream

[quee]

3 minutes ago, AceCream said:

Now to play some FM  

 

Nicely done! Good start and a good first update!

You seem to know your way around the image editing side as well, loving the classic look of the kits!

It is a shame we can't actually play as one of the real people in the game. Definitely a feature for future FMs?

Are you playing with or without the first window disabled?

[AceCream]

12 minutes ago, quee said:

It is a shame we can't actually play as one of the real people in the game. Definitely a feature for future FMs?

I agree! I really like to role play as real people. The problem is they are often already in game, for example Xabi Alonso is manager of Real Sociedad B, which kind of breaks the immersion if there are two of the same person in the database with different histories etc.  You could of course remove the original person from the database.

 

16 minutes ago, quee said:

Are you playing with or without the first window disabled?

Enabled. I have been reading this thread and see a lot of people are loaning Sebastiano Esposito. I need to replace an aging and ridiculously slow Pazzini and maybe he is the one to do so. However like I stated above I do not want to be too reliant on loans. The board also wants me to sign domestic players form the lower leagues. I tried to renegotiate it but the director didn't budge. 

[quee]

3 minutes ago, AceCream said:

The board also wants me to sign domestic players form the lower leagues. I tried to renegotiate it but the director didn't budge. 

Club Vision is very dynamic in FM20, which can be a good thing.

Parma also had the same preference at the start of the game. Since I only signed one player in January (first window disabled), I had arranged to sign 2 players from Serie B at the end of the first season. When they arrived on July 3rd, the board had actually changed the Club Vision a couple of days before and removed said preference.

I guess paying attention to the level are more important. Required, Desired, Preferred, Favoured.

[AceCream]

8 minutes ago, quee said:

Club Vision is very dynamic in FM20, which can be a good thing.

I sure hope so! I do not plan on to be still fighting relegation at the end of the 5 year plan. 

They also want me to play counter attacking football, which for the first few seasons while I am an underdog, is possibly a good idea. However I still intend to develop into a more attacking side when I have established the team in the league. 

On what season are you with Parma? Did you start off more cautious and passive during your first years? 

Edited May 12, 2020 by AceCream

[john1]

Welcome @AceCream  Good luck with Verona!

[quee]

3 minutes ago, AceCream said:

On what season are you with Parma? Did you start off more cautious and passive during your first years? 

End of 3rd season, as can be seen from my latest update 

In the first season, I did switch between Cautious and Balanced. In the 2nd season, it was mostly Balanced, with a few Positive for home games. In the 3rd season, mostly balanced again, but more Positives against lower in the table teams - home or away.

Not a fan of Attacking mentality so far, as I either only win 1-0 or I will lose  My records against the 20th-placed team are abysmal because of this 

[john1]

3 minutes ago, quee said:

End of 3rd season, as can be seen from my latest update 

In the first season, I did switch between Cautious and Balanced. In the 2nd season, it was mostly Balanced, with a few Positive for home games. In the 3rd season, mostly balanced again, but more Positives against lower in the table teams - home or away.

Not a fan of Attacking mentality so far, as I either only win 1-0 or I will lose  My records against the 20th-placed team are abysmal because of this 

Massive fan of attacking mentality  I think it works well with Italians teams, rarely use positive mentality.  

Edited May 12, 2020 by john1

[quee]

1 minute ago, john1 said:

Massive fan of attacking mentality  I think it works well with Italians teams, rarely use positive mentality.  

Very un-Italian of you there 

I think it depends on the players and setup you have. With Atlanta and Lazio for example, I definitely would play on Attacking regardless of opposition. Atlanta winning 7-1s away from home were great entertainment irl, as well losing their subsequent matches at home 

My Parma are more suited to taking advantage of space as I don't play on short and slow passing.

[AceCream]

10 minutes ago, quee said:

End of 3rd season, as can be seen from my latest update 

I'm currently catching up on the thread. I am on page 3 at the moment . Its really fun reading about all of these saves.

12 minutes ago, john1 said:

Welcome @AceCream  Good luck with Verona!

Thank you sir! 

[john1]

 

Don't know what to make of this review??? 

[quee]

1 minute ago, john1 said:

 

Don't know what to make of this review??? 

That RB will be your best player. Whoever catching the eye and with a place of birth mentioned is usually the best regen of that intake for me so far.

[Unforced error]

Not a bad start to life in Serie B (much better than last time). I think I need to find some better defenders as we have let in too many easy goals.

[Muttley84]

Oh, what a sweet way to win the Cup, with a goal in the 119 minute against your bitter rivals. This is one trophy down for Inter, we are sitting 2 points ahead of Napoli and Lazio in Serie A with 5 games to go and in the semi-final of the Champions League where we will meet Manchester City. Could I do a Mourinho and win them all? 

Edited May 12, 2020 by Muttley84

[Matt_1979]

AC MILAN - Season 3: One month to go...

Tactical Changes:

So, my issues with lack of productivity from the AMC spot were well documented and I gave it until the winter transfer window but still wasn’t happy with the results. Therefore I’ve swapped the AMC for a Half back (a position I love) and the middle of the three man midfield has changed from a DLP to a Advanced Playmaker. Let’s see how this does and if the extra space in front of the three midfielders can wield more contribution in terms of goals and assists.

Italian Cup:

Let’s get the boring out of the way. I made it to the semi-final where I was knocked out on away goals by Napoli after two draws. No sleep shall be lost. 

Serie A:

A 5-0 thrashing of Torino saw out unbeaten run stretch to 7 games which put us top of the table. After a 2-0 win over Atalanta, Donnarumma strained a thigh and would miss a month. This meant backup Guido Geurierri (who is VERY average) would get his first action of the season which would include a Champions League tie against Man United at Old Trafford.

Let’s see how we’d do without Donnarumma in goal. Well, we lost 2-0 to Udinese which broke our 9 game unbeaten run and saw Juve leapfrog us and take a 2 point lead and we could only scrape a 2-2 draw versus Sassusulo. Four goals conceded in two games versus average opponents. Then came the trip to Old Trafford .... but you’ll read about that later...

With Donnarumma back we were able to get cup-revenge over Napoli with a 1-0 win, however Bennacer, last seasons Player of the Year who had been putting in come great performances in the HB slot got injured and would miss 3 weeks. Great!

The injuries then hit with a vengeance and a makeshift team, which included marauding fullback Hernandez slotting in at Centreback, lost 2-1 to Lazio. Juve were now level with us at the top and to make things worse, Camavinga strained knee ligaments in the game and would miss 3 weeks. 

Another makeshift team managed to despatch Sampdoria with a 3-0 win with all three goals coming in the last 10 minutes!

Champions League:

So, the scene was set earlier. We were away to Man Utd at Old Trafford with a fairly poor back up keeper and an injury hit squad which also has star midfielder, Renato Sanches, suspended. What could go wrong??  Well.... PLENTY! Greenwood and Rashford both scored in the first 8 minutes and Rashford scored again on 40 to put us 3-0 down at half time. Luckily Romagnoli scored a header from a corner to grab us a lifeline and an away goal. Full time: 3-1.

The second leg soon came around but Donnarumma was still sidelined. At least our injuries has started clearing up though. And we had that away goal.... 

We started off in rampant fashion and immediately put United on the back foot. This early dominance lead to an early lead when Leao continued his god-like form and smashed into the top corner from 20 yards. 1-0 (2-3 on aggregate).

United then started to peg us back an had some great changes to score with Pogba hitting the bar and Greenwood having a goal ruled out for offside after 18 minutes. The game then changed into a real need to end affair but United we’re defending doggedly and that much needed second goal looked like it would never come. Until....the 72nd minute when Paqueta won us a free kick a few feet from the sideline, level with the 18 yard box. Bennacer, in his first game after injury coming on as a sub, swung in a free kick which - who else - Leao headed home. As is stand we were going through on away goals. 2-0 (3-3 on Aggregate).

United really piled on the pressure and Maguire forced a stunning save from Guerierri. Final score: 3-3. We’d come back from 3-1 down to advance to the quarter finals on away goals. We’d face Chelsea and our former starting right back Hans Hateboer. Who joined them in the summer.

Quarter Final Vs Chelsea

We started off with the home leg which went wrong quickly with Malen scoring a vital away goal after just 6 minutes. 0-1.

Luckily, Kessie was back from injury and in his usually brash style, dispossessed Azpilicueta on the edge of the box and fired home into the bottom corner. 1-1. Sanches then headed home an Hernandez cross and shortly after Paqueta volleyed home from the penalty spot to make it 3-1 and Chelsea were well beaten.

The away leg again got off to a bad start as Malen scored his 30th goal of the season to give Chelsea the lead and make it 3-2 on aggregate. The London club continued to put Donnarumma under pressure and they always looked like their second goal would come at any time... until Quintero came off the subs bench and scored a worldwide from 20 yards in the 79th minute. Tie over.

Full time: 1-1 (4-2 on aggregate) and through to face Liverpool in the semi-finals. Damn. 

The 7 days of hell!!:

In the next week we would face potential title deciders versus Inter (who AGAIN had come from nowhere to be challenging for the title), then Juventus and three days later, Liverpool. Truth be told I wasn’t holding out much hope for Liverpool but I needed to get at least one win from Inter or Juve. 

Franck Kessie, who Liverpool had made two bids for in January would miss the chance to impress as he picked up another injury and would be sidelined for 2 weeks. Vlahovic had been struggling since January and the switch to the new formation so I decided to bench him for a while and give Jovetic another shot as he’d bagged a couple as a substitute.

Inter (Away) - Crucial game as Inter were in second place and two points behind us. Unfortunately they scored two goals in 3 minutes and put us 2-0 down after 9 minutes. I wasn’t too dishearten as both had been lucky goals (keeping error and lucky rebound) so had confidence we could get something out the game. Jovetic tucked away a penalty and we dominated the rest of the game and I thought we’d done it when Bennacer scored a screamer on 86 minutes, only for Leao to be judged offside and the goal was disallowed. Full time: 2-1 Inter. this put them top.

Juventus (Home) - What a scrappy game this was - the first shot didn’t come until 14 minutes and when chances did start coming they were all falling the way of Juve. Luckily Jovetic managed to poke home a goal line scramble to give us a 1-0 lead which we were able to hold onto - and its a good job as Vlahovic, on as sub, missed his third consecutive penalty of the season. Full time: 1-0. Phew! We we still in second and putting pressure on Inter.

Liverpool - Champions League Semi final (Home) - I’d decided I’d have more chance of wining Serie A than beat Liverpool over two legs so put the strongest team possible out to face Juve three days earlier. We still had a strong team out though but it wasn’t enough as Liverpool beat us 3-0 thanks to two Andrea Belotti goals (signed from Torino) and a 90th minute poachers effort from Mane. Leg 1 Final score 3-0.

The second leg at Anfield was a much better performance and Paqueta gave us an early lead, however Belotti scored and the tie finished 1-1. We were out of the Champions League but this meant we could focus on the league.

So, there we have it. With just THREE games left we are second, one point behind Inter - just as the season ended last year. Can we turn things around in the final month?

We’ll have to wait and see!!!

[sedge11]

56 minutes ago, Matt_1979 said:

So, there we have it. With just THREE games left we are second, one point behind Inter - just as the season ended last year. Can we turn things around in the final month?

Good luck hope you do it.

What are Fixtures like for the last 3 games for you and inter?

[Matt_1979]

1 hour ago, sedge11 said:

Good luck hope you do it.

What are Fixtures like for the last 3 games for you and inter?

I’ve got Fiorentina, SPAL and Verona. 
Inter have Cagliari, Udinese and Sussoulo. 
 

Fingers crossed  

 

 

[FMbeginner]

I have finally completed my season with Sassuolo. I finished just below my target of 10th place. A little concerned with the goals for and against, but I was testing a few tactics so I can understand. 

There was only 2 transfers of note in 2019: Obando from Boca Juniors for 5mil, whilst being loaned back for the remainder of the season due to Non EU limits. Marlon then left the club to China for 12mil. Below are the major transfers for 2020 summer transfer window so far. There are a few loaned out players missing - no one major.

I was disappointed to sell Russo and Frattesi but a combined 16mil for the pair was acceptable - helping me get in some first team players. I still have 8mil to spend but there isn't anyone really available at the moment who I would consider so I will wait and see if any players become available later in the window or during the January transfer window.

I'm currently playing a flat 4-3-3 which was working fairly well for the last 3 months of the season, so I will carry on with it for the time being. There are a few players I can't shift (Caputo & Ricci) so they will be fringe players for now. I also have Bourabia going into the last year of his contract, but I'm undecided on him. Anyone got any experience on how to get the best out of him? 

My squad as it stands is below. I also have Matias Arezo joining in January. Any comments, tips or observations? Are there any lower league gems worth picking up?

 

Edited May 12, 2020 by FMbeginner

[Matt_1979]

AC MILAN - Season 3: The final month

So, from reading my previous post you’ll know my AC Milan team were 1 point behind city rivals Inter with just three games remaining. You may also remember that last season, we finished in second place behind, yup, you guessed it. Inter. 

Would history repeat itself? I needed Inter to slip up just once in the final three games to paint Milan Red and Black and send the Blue half of the city into floods of tears......

Game Week 36:
Inter 1 - 1 Cagliari !!!!! Cagliari had done me a huge favour, however we had 5th place Fiorentina to play and Chiesa always scores against me. I headed into the game knowing it would be tough  

16 mins - Leao goal (Celik assist)

17 mins - Leao goal (Celik assist)

31 mins - Leao goal (Celik assist)

Final score: 3-0

We were top!! Now we needed to keep on winning. 
 

Game Week 37:

Inter 2 - 1 Udinese  

SPAL 0 - 2 AC Milan (Kessie, Celik)

Game Week 38:

Final game of the season  Paqueta and Camavinga both picked up injuries in training and would miss the game. Enzo Perez announced he was planning to retire at the end of the season so he’s damn well starting at Half Back! Let’s send him out in style boys!
 

AC Milan 2 -0 Verona (Leao, Celik)

Inter 0 - 0 Sassuolo

WE DID IT!! SERIE A CHAMPIONS!!!! 

 

Other awards:

Player of the season: LB Theo Hernandez 

Serie A Top Goalscorer: Rafael Leao (22 league goals)

Serie A Goal of the Season: Ismael Bennacer (vs Brescia)

AC Milan Assists Record: Donny Van de Beek - 15 (previously Hans Hateboer with 10)

Edited May 12, 2020 by Matt_1979

[sedge11]

31 minutes ago, Matt_1979 said:

AC MILAN - Season 3: The final month

So, from reading my previous post you’ll know my AC Milan team were 1 point behind city rivals Inter with just three games remaining. You may also remember that last season, we finished in second place behind, yup, you guessed it. Inter. 

Would history repeat itself? I needed Inter to slip up just once in the final three games to paint Milan Red and Black and send the Blue half of the city into floods of tears......

Game Week 36:
Inter 1 - 1 Cagliari !!!!! Cagliari had done me a huge favour, however we had 5th place Fiorentina to play and Chiesa always scores against me. I headed into the game knowing it would be tough  

16 mins - Leao goal (Celik assist)

17 mins - Leao goal (Celik assist)

31 mins - Leao goal (Celik assist)

Final score: 3-0

We were top!! Now we needed to keep on winning. 
 

Game Week 37:

Inter 2 - 1 Udinese  

SPAL 0 - 2 AC Milan (Kessie, Celik)

Game Week 38:

Final game of the season  Paqueta and Camavinga both picked up injuries in training and would miss the game. Enzo Perez announced he was planning to retire at the end of the season so he’s damn well starting at Half Back! Let’s send him out in style boys!
 

AC Milan 2 -0 Verona (Leao, Celik)

Inter 0 - 0 Sassuolo

WE DID IT!! SERIE A CHAMPIONS!!!! 

 

Other awards:

Player of the season: LB Theo Hernandez 

Serie A Top Goalscorer: Rafael Leao (22 league goals)

Serie A Goal of the Season: Ismael Bennacer (vs Brescia)

AC Milan Assists Record: Donny Van de Beek - 15 (previously Hans Hateboer with 10)

Get in nice one.

Must of felt after Inter drew it was yours. I’ve been looking at Leao for my Lazio team, definitely be worth it by looks of your save.

[Matt_1979]

19 minutes ago, sedge11 said:

Get in nice one.

Must of felt after Inter drew it was yours. I’ve been looking at Leao for my Lazio team, definitely be worth it by looks of your save.

Definitely. I’m sure you won’t regret it. I play him as AF and he’s great. Can also play as a CF but I don’t want him playing so deep (not in my current formation anyway) 

[sedge11]

1 hour ago, Matt_1979 said:

Definitely. I’m sure you won’t regret it. I play him as AF and he’s great. Can also play as a CF but I don’t want him playing so deep (not in my current formation anyway) 

Milan wouldn't budge on a price, so am looking elsewhere, Osimhen is transfer listed so am thinking him.

[Matt_1979]

I’m unsure how I should progress into season 4 off the back of the Serie A win. 
 

Should I stick with the 4-1-3-2 (although I think I’m getting a bit bored of it) or switch it up to a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1??

Any thoughts?

[3maldini3]

Greenwood joined and helped winning the fourth in a row

Spoiler

Spoiler

The problem now is that Tonali, Torreira and Vlahovic are all wanted by the biggest teams.

I really want to keep the midfielders but I don't know if it will be possible.

 

Also, we are building a new 40,000 seats stadium.

[john1]

47 minutes ago, turgi said:

Greenwood joined and helped winning the fourth in a row

  Reveal hidden contents

  Reveal hidden contents

The problem now is that Tonali, Torreira and Vlahovic are all wanted by the biggest teams.

I really want to keep the midfielders but I don't know if it will be possible.

 

Also, we are building a new 40,000 seats stadium.

I would be tempted to cash all 3 in ;)  And promote few regens?

[john1]

Half way point of the season

 

  

 

Happy with how the team is going at the moment  Gutted with Man City loss, as Augero, scored in 90+3 minutes Happy with our CL draw, would have liked to play home in second leg.
 

Edited May 13, 2020 by john1

[john1]

 
Also delighted to see this guy at age of 34, still playing brilliant  

Edited May 13, 2020 by john1

[john1]

 

 

 

Edited May 13, 2020 by john1

[quee]

Lots of updates, will catch up later 

Keep going guys! 

[3maldini3]

1 hour ago, john1 said:

 
Also delighted to see this guy at age of 34, still playing brilliant  

I had him as well, only for one season I think.

How is Carnesecchi going? Mazzini is a big surprise for me.

[3maldini3]

Advice anyone? I went to compare Gollini with Donnarumma and to my surprise found that he is transfer listed only for 29 million.

The problem is that he asking wage of 15.8 million a year.

My most expemsive player in the squad is Tonali on 8.8 million. (mind you, I rejected so many offers on him that he might ask for a wage bump soon.

To buy Donnarumma or not to buy?

There are offers on Gollini from many teams.

[Muttley84]

41 minutes ago, turgi said:

To buy Donnarumma or not to buy?

I would be curious if he wants to join you, my money is on no But that's massive wages, I would be reluctant to offer that much to anyone but Messi or Ronaldo :))

[Matt_1979]

3 hours ago, turgi said:

Advice anyone? I went to compare Gollini with Donnarumma and to my surprise found that he is transfer listed only for 29 million.

The problem is that he asking wage of 15.8 million a year.

My most expemsive player in the squad is Tonali on 8.8 million. (mind you, I rejected so many offers on him that he might ask for a wage bump soon.

To buy Donnarumma or not to buy?

There are offers on Gollini from many teams.

 

Sign the man!!!

Edited May 13, 2020 by Matt_1979

[Stackalee]

3 hours ago, turgi said:

he is transfer listed only for 29 million.

The problem is that he asking wage of 15.8 million a year.

Worth testing if Milan will contribute to his wages - I've had some joy with this when players are transfer listed.

[Muttley84]

First game of the Champions League semifinal. Sure, they were missing Ederson in goal, but had their new players Mbappe or Robertson in the first 11. So the score is a bit harsh on them, but I couldn't care less that Lautaro and Lukaku destroyed them. I would have to mess things real bad at this point for us to miss on the final.

[Micks112]

Season 2

Season two is coming to an end and it's been a good and solid season for the Azzuri.

I adjusted my tactic shortly into the season, as we didn't have the best of starts, and I quickly assumed it would be a tough and long season. But we managed to comfortably beat the drop with a great set of results from the end of December to February.

Mancuso was a revelation for us, after he had a terrible first season in Calcio B, he really started the season on fire and kept a consistent level throughout the entire season finishing as the top goalscorer for us with 12 in Calcio A.

Leo Stulac yet again finished with the highest average rating, although he was plagued with injuries.

Transfers:

While the aim was to essentially limit the amount of loan players, it was tough with the 6m euro budget provided. 

It was important to upgrade the full back positions, and Muldur and Costa provided adequate options for us for not too much money.

I was not openly looking to sell Brignoli but with Sportiello becoming available for peanuts I started to look for suitors for Brignoli and with Marseille offering a value of 5 times what I paid for Sportiello it was a no-brainer.

Oh, and Sportiello won goalkeeper of the year 

Fixtures:

Expectations for upcoming 3rd season.

With a budget of nearly 12 million euros, I'll be able to add extra firepower to an already great team. With a few additions I'm sure I'll be able to finish top 10 yet again.

- Another season of adjusting to the best Italian league. 

- Limit loan signings at the club to 5 max.

- Survive a consortium take over.

 

Edited May 13, 2020 by Micks112

[Sysiphus]

Ascoli

Just starting season 1 after having fiddled around with the team in pre-season. Had the transfer window disabled as I always do -- I find it better to get to know the team before making sweeping changes. However, before I joined a lot was done, with 16 new players joining the club.

The season has gone off to a mixed start, with 4 points from 3 games in the league (including games against favourites Benevento and Empoli though) and sadly we went out of the cup against Serie C team Pro Vercelli. The squad seems to be playing itself together, with no current team leaders and only one highly influential player.

Overall, the squad is not as well balanced as I'd like and does not really allow me to play the football I wanted to. I've used gegenpress and counter attacking football in FM20 so far so I wanted to try a possession style now, which will take time. I don't have any solid BPDs and the amount of loans is high. This is my preferred XI and the tactic I will use most often, with tweaks for bigger or smaller games or in game management:

My key players going into the season (in my opinion):

The base for building a future here is solid, there is no big dept and the balance is currently in the green. However, I will have to make shrewd signings in the first few seasons if I am going to move this club forward.

[Muttley84]

We actually did it. In the second season of our career we won the treble with Inter. In Serie A it was harder than it looked, as we were head to head with Napoli in the last 4 games, and only them drawing in the last stage put two points between us and them. Either way, we had the better direct results (won 2-1 at San Paoli and draw 2-2 at home) so we would have won it anyways. Lazio made a great season also and finished third while Juve barely got to 4th to catch a Champions League spot, despite Ronaldo having another terrific season (scored 36 goals in the league). He was actually their only player in the Team of the season, together with 3 from Napoli and 7 from us (Dimarco, Bastoni, Skriniar, Sensi, Barella, Martinez and Lukaku). You can get a preview of the way players performed for us by checking out the Players who got medals this season. 
The Champions League was a similar story, we were not great and I lacked the confidence that we can go all the way, but somehow we managed to do it. We were lacking confidence especially as we finished 2nd in the group with only 8 points (Man Utd had 16, we also had Dinamo Zagreb and Shakhtar). It is true that we rotated a bit in the games with the last two. After, in the knockout stages we concentrated a lot, and passed by Bayer, Rennes and Manchester City. In the final there was awaiting Liverpool who won the last two editions of the competitions. They kinda dominated the final also, but they shot a lot from the distance and we won it. Now comes the big challenge of the summer - we are going to push all of the non-italian players out (including the stars Lukaku, Lautaro, Brozovic, de Vrij, Eriksen) and go for a full squad of Italians. Hopefully we can make some good deals out of it.

[Adzke]

@Muttley84 How is your central midfield set up? I am playing with a 2 CM-AM combination, but I am considering abolishing the AMC, and I am wondering how to ecploit the space behind the attackers.

[Muttley84]

11 minutes ago, Adzke said:

@Muttley84 How is your central midfield set up? I am playing with a 2 CM-AM combination, but I am considering abolishing the AMC, and I am wondering how to ecploit the space behind the attackers.

Playing with 3 central midfielders: 1 Carrilero - (most often Support, mainly Brozovic), 1 Ball Winning Midfielder (most often Support, mainly Barella, shifted to defend where Dominguez played there), 1 Mezzala (Support for Sensi, Attack for Eriksen). Not sure if its the best combo but it worked wonders for us. I have tried using Eriksen as AMC in the first season but without much results.

[AceCream]

1 hour ago, Muttley84 said:

together with 3 from Napoli and 7 from us (Dimarco, Bastoni, Skriniar, Sensi, Barella, Martinez and Lukaku).

I've got Dimarco in my Verona squad in the 1st season on loan from Inter. Not sure if he has a buy-option, will have to check later. I take it that you would recommend him as a WBL? I am rotating him and Darko Lazovic at the moment with Faraoni on the right in a 5-3-2 cautious system using attacking wingbacks. Wingbacks seem to be extra good this year as they are racking up goals and assists so I have to choose wisely who my future wing backs will be. 

Congratulations on the treble!

[Stackalee]

3 minutes ago, AceCream said:

I've got Dimarco in my Verona squad in the 1st season on loan from Inter. Not sure if he has a buy-option, will have to check later.

No buy option but you can sign him up for ~£3m early on. Well worth it.

[Jumping Jack Flash]

Hi guys, I have been a lurker during the lockdown on this thread as I've finally found people as passionate about Italian football as me.

As a background, I started off as Albinoleffe as I was looking for a challenge, like the old Palermo or Monza challenges back in the day.

I am Season 3 and into Serie A, one game left in the campaign and currently sat in 8th.

Tough because we have such little money and I'm having to develop academy talent or cheap prospects disgarded by the big boys (D'amico or Lunetta).

Only disappointment with Serie A, and FM have done this for years, is the big boys sell their stars for huge money but never reinvest it well or to the same scale. Maybe all the clubs have huge debt levels still?

We are due to move into a new stadium at the start of season 5, which will be a 13k capacity stadium. We are currently renting a 3k capacity stadium in Gorgonzola!

I am currently using a 3-5-2 formation due to failing fallback, a lot of talent in midfield and finding it hard dropping Armini, Mondonico (c) or Canestrelli. Below is my normal team and you will note a lot of homegrown players and regens! Important to me to stick to the philosophy.

Iago is my record signing at €1.1m, Armini is a legend and managed to loan him for 3 season on the bounce and lastly Vergani came from Inter and is probably one of the most well known players.

As for season 4, the best player I have joining on a free is Eze from QPR, who normally smashes it for Newcastle on other saves so I have big hopes for him.

[AceCream]

1 hour ago, Stackalee said:

No buy option but you can sign him up for ~£3m early on. Well worth it.

Well that practically settles it then. 

8 minutes ago, Jumping Jack Flash said:

Hi guys

Welcome friend. A 3k stadium for a team in Serie A is adorable let alone one in a town named after a cheese (or is it the other way around?).  I have been scouting players to be a backup to my mezzala Zaccagni. A Czech named Barak and Cataldi at Lazio have been my targets but I may have to reconsider and look at Iago as well!

[Muttley84]

1 hour ago, AceCream said:

I've got Dimarco in my Verona squad in the 1st season on loan from Inter. Not sure if he has a buy-option, will have to check later. I take it that you would recommend him as a WBL? I am rotating him and Darko Lazovic at the moment with Faraoni on the right in a 5-3-2 cautious system using attacking wingbacks. Wingbacks seem to be extra good this year as they are racking up goals and assists so I have to choose wisely who my future wing backs will be. 

Congratulations on the treble!

He and Biraghi doesn't look very special if you check their attributes, but they are performing well above expectations. And he did score the winning goal in a Champions League final, so he is gold for us. Not sure if its the tactics we are using (pretty much the same it would seem for us) or in general wingbacks are that good. But I would agree, I mean how other can we explain that Candevra playing at WBR had the highest number of assists last season?  

[Jumping Jack Flash]

36 minutes ago, AceCream said:

Welcome friend. A 3k stadium for a team in Serie A is adorable let alone one in a town named after a cheese (or is it the other way around?).  I have been scouting players to be a backup to my mezzala Zaccagni. A Czech named Barak and Cataldi at Lazio have been my targets but I may have to reconsider and look at Iago as well!

I have played him as an AP (S) and he's made a big difference controlling a game. The main reason I avoided making him a Mezzala was his physical attributes are fairly poor and I opt for beasts in that role. 7/10 every week and his average tackles, passing and dribbles per game are good. I've always wanted to go for Cataldi and he's normally really cheap season 1.

[Weston]

4 hours ago, AceCream said:

I've got Dimarco in my Verona squad in the 1st season on loan from Inter. Not sure if he has a buy-option, will have to check later. I take it that you would recommend him as a WBL? I am rotating him and Darko Lazovic at the moment with Faraoni on the right in a 5-3-2 cautious system using attacking wingbacks. Wingbacks seem to be extra good this year as they are racking up goals and assists so I have to choose wisely who my future wing backs will be. 

Congratulations on the treble!

 

4 hours ago, Stackalee said:

No buy option but you can sign him up for ~£3m early on. Well worth it.

 

2 hours ago, Muttley84 said:

He and Biraghi doesn't look very special if you check their attributes, but they are performing well above expectations. And he did score the winning goal in a Champions League final, so he is gold for us. Not sure if its the tactics we are using (pretty much the same it would seem for us) or in general wingbacks are that good. But I would agree, I mean how other can we explain that Candevra playing at WBR had the highest number of assists last season?  

 

As much as it hurts to see Inter win any thing I have to smile to see Dimarco doing so well for everyone. This is the 2nd or 3rd edition of FM in which I've loaned him in for multiple seasons before eventually signing him for cheap or for free. I play with WB(A) in the FB position and they do feel a little overpowered, which worries me. Despite being injury prone Dimarco has done well, but the star ratings seem very fickle and he's now rated very poorly so I may have to move him on even though he's not performing terribly, I'm not sure.

I only played Dimarco at mezzala once during an injury crisis, which included Barak being out for a while, who I brought in to play B2B. He's even captained my club for a time.

3 hours ago, AceCream said:

Welcome friend. A 3k stadium for a team in Serie A is adorable let alone one in a town named after a cheese (or is it the other way around?).  I have been scouting players to be a backup to my mezzala Zaccagni. A Czech named Barak and Cataldi at Lazio have been my targets but I may have to reconsider and look at Iago as well!

 

3 hours ago, Jumping Jack Flash said:

We are due to move into a new stadium at the start of season 5, which will be a 13k capacity stadium. We are currently renting a 3k capacity stadium in Gorgonzola!

 

And wow, this truly is amazing haha

[quee]

3 hours ago, Jumping Jack Flash said:

Hi guys, I have been a lurker during the lockdown on this thread as I've finally found people as passionate about Italian football as me.

 

Welcome! 

Great first update that, I like your writing style. Keep it up!

Interesting choice with a team we haven't seen so far in this thread, so will be very good to follow!

Iago seems like a good catch and discovery! More than good enough to build a side around for Serie A. Never heard of him before, I'm a fan of this type of signing 

How was season 1 and 2 for you? Is Europe a chance for you with a game left and in 8th place?

3 hours ago, Jumping Jack Flash said:

Maybe all the clubs have huge debt levels still?

I just treat it as Serie A unable to compete financially with the other leagues, especially wage-wise. I do agree with you. Benitez and Inter seem to breaking the trend in my save though.

3 hours ago, Jumping Jack Flash said:

Below is my normal team and you will note a lot of homegrown players and regens!

Unfortunately can't tell who are the regens since your players are a bit on the obscure side of being typical known players in FM. But this is not a knock on your style, in fact I am a fan of this style of play. Definitely more realistic and a great journey to be had long-term. 

From those players, I'm only familiar with Armini and D'Amico, whilst I have seen Turati, Sala around but not very familiar with them. Is that Liverpool's van der Bergh as well? The rest are total unknown to me.

 

I still need to catch up on the rest of the updates from everyone, a bit preoccupied atm 

[quee]

On 12/05/2020 at 22:56, Unforced error said:

Not a bad start to life in Serie B (much better than last time). I think I need to find some better defenders as we have let in too many easy goals.

 

Loving the Mejbri acquisition 

 

[quee]

On 13/05/2020 at 00:11, Muttley84 said:

Oh, what a sweet way to win the Cup, with a goal in the 119 minute against your bitter rivals. This is one trophy down for Inter, we are sitting 2 points ahead of Napoli and Lazio in Serie A with 5 games to go and in the semi-final of the Champions League where we will meet Manchester City. Could I do a Mourinho and win them all? 

 

Is Radu your first choice ahead of Gollini? Or is he your Cup-GK?

On 13/05/2020 at 18:17, Muttley84 said:

First game of the Champions League semifinal. Sure, they were missing Ederson in goal, but had their new players Mbappe or Robertson in the first 11. So the score is a bit harsh on them, but I couldn't care less that Lautaro and Lukaku destroyed them. I would have to mess things real bad at this point for us to miss on the final.

 

Nevermind, seems like he is your first choice 

 

6 hours ago, Muttley84 said:

We actually did it. In the second season of our career we won the treble with Inter.

Nicely done, glad your save is turning out as you wanted it to be this time around 

6 hours ago, Muttley84 said:

Now comes the big challenge of the summer - we are going to push all of the non-italian players out (including the stars Lukaku, Lautaro, Brozovic, de Vrij, Eriksen) and go for a full squad of Italians. Hopefully we can make some good deals out of it.

Very bold and brave! 

Interesting to see how you will handle it and rebuild the squad after a treble like that.

The OCD in me can't help but noticed you never used all of your subs 

5 hours ago, Muttley84 said:

1 Carrilero - (most often Support

I actually have to check this later when reading this, I thought Car is Support only? 

3 hours ago, Muttley84 said:

And he did score the winning goal in a Champions League final, so he is gold for us.

This alone should mean to keep him until he retires and became a legend for you