[FM20] Manchester United: Falling Giant...

[luka_zg]

It's always difficult to resist the urge to just buy quality in instead of playing young players in ManUtd. Like, do I believe in Dan James or shold I just splash the cash for Sancho? Do I believe in Garner or should I just buy another midfielder. Especially with all that money in the bank.

 

[Deano565]

13 minutes ago, luka_ said:

It's always difficult to resist the urge to just buy quality in instead of playing young players in ManUtd. Like, do I believe in Dan James or shold I just splash the cash for Sancho? Do I believe in Garner or should I just buy another midfielder. Especially with all that money in the bank.

They can both be part of the squad, but they won't match up to what you could buy in. I'd go and get Sancho. 

I normally play my first game as Man United but I've actually plumped for Chelsea this time around, so that the decision of development v signings is taken out of my hands anyway. Reece James, Tomori, Mount, CHO and Abraham are all great prospects. 

[Gee_Simpson]

@luka_ I noticed you mentioned in the feedback thread you are using Pogba at CM in a 4231, doesn't he struggle defensively? 

[luka_zg]

6 minutes ago, Gee_Simpson said:

@luka_ I noticed you mentioned in the feedback thread you are using Pogba at CM in a 4231, doesn't he struggle defensively? 

No. I've paired him with BWM on defend duty. Pogba is immense ,rocking 8.14 avg/rating in late January so no complaints there.

[milan_manutd]

In my save Pogba picture is missing. Anyone have problem wiht that?

[Gee_Simpson]

1 hour ago, luka_ said:

No. I've paired him with BWM on defend duty. Pogba is immense ,rocking 8.14 avg/rating in late January so no complaints there.

I'm guessing you use Pogba as a BBM? 

[luka_zg]

43 minutes ago, Gee_Simpson said:

I'm guessing you use Pogba as a BBM? 

No, DLP on support

[Smaldini]

4 hours ago, milan_manutd said:

In my save Pogba picture is missing. Anyone have problem wiht that?

Yeah the latest cutout pack update left his ID out of the config. There's a fix in the link below.

https://sortitoutsi.net/forums/topic/362/megapack-home-thread-fm17-megapack-90-out-now-18102016?page=70#comment_502041

 

[axehan1]

First season finished and it was a close run thing between us and Arsenal

First season transfers in

Chiesa was a solid buy with 20 assists even with the (bug) of getting to the byline and shooting from crazy angles.

Ruben Dias in from Benfica was a no brainer as he is a beast as was Florentino Luis also from Benfica, a fantastic DM.

Haaland at £17.5m was a steal even though he hasn't set the world on fire with his goals return and Rolando Mandragora was a solid CM who came in from Udinese for a relatively low fee to bump up the numbers in midfield.

Second season transfers in

I am trying to go domestic with transfers so in comes Chilwell,Abraham,Godfrey and Rice all for silly money(instalments),Bruno Fernandes had to come in from Sporting because I wanted a hard working goal threat in the AMC position.

Tactic

It took almost all season to tinker around with the formation/roles and duties but I feel like I have something solid to go into season 2 with.

On the trophy front, along with the Premier League we also beat Ajax 3-1 in the Europa League final.

[Spiegel]

On 21/11/2019 at 11:32, trekman said:

Thomas Partey is a great B2B. He has a release clause in the game of £53m which is a bargain imo. The board might try and block this transfer though but they should give in once you talk to them.

 

Hang fire on that one - December 2019 on my save; 

 

[Sherkey]

What have you guys done with Sanchez? I just found out that I can offer him a new contract in March, season 1, for a wage of 275k p/w (for 3 years). He is on a wage of 525k for 2 more years. I reckon I'll offer him the new contract (lesser burden on my wages, as its about the same what I'm covering when he is one loan). I can offer him off for sale later, and it'll be comparatively easier to move him on.

[Linus_Shepard]

Howe is Smalling doing in Roma for you guys? In my save he is their 2th top goalscorer  with 6 goals with 24games.

[MatthewS17]

Add on the previous, how is Maddison shaping up, and has anyone looked into Donny Van De Beek? Thee are my two midfield targets, as I don't sign in the first season. However, in Maddison's case, he looks very similar to last year, and I may find myself better off going for Havertz. 

Edited November 23, 2019 by MatthewS17

[Shanksie1975]

Ahh I love this game sometimes!

I've been giving Romero the odd few games as you do, and then this happens

 

 

[luka_zg]

13 hours ago, MatthewS17 said:

Add on the previous, how is Maddison shaping up, and has anyone looked into Donny Van De Beek? Thee are my two midfield targets, as I don't sign in the first season. However, in Maddison's case, he looks very similar to last year, and I may find myself better off going for Havertz. 

Maddison is very good for me.

Brought in Sancho,took a few games for him to adapt but now he started to be great signing.

Liverpool run away with the title,it's back to back titles for them. We were in title race with 4 points behind them and going at OT against them in week 29. I opted to go with my started offensive system instead of more cautious one I use in europe amd tough away games and they blasted us 3-0. We never recovered after that and went on a 4 game winless streak in the league.

In CL we managed to go through Monaco and then in the QF against Barcelona we produced our finest game of the season,overturning 2-1 deficit from Nou Camp with a massive 5-1 victory at OT.

It's PSG in the semi final now,first leg to be played in Paris.

Top 4 is secured so we can rest our first team and focus on CL. It will be tough but we have a chance I hope.

I feel the rebuild is over now,we have a young team full of quality so next transfer window we will only go for one superstar player if there will be one available.

[milan_manutd]

Sergio Regulion (LB) can be signed on free after first season, rates similar to Jose Gaya.

 

[Spiegel]

Finished my first season, so have put together a bit of a summary. Hope it's interesting for you guys! Enjoyed as much as my save on FM19, but ultimately this season's been a rather disappointing start...

Competitions
Irritating, to be honest. We were top in January, but ultimately collapsed as the season went on.

Transfers
This season was an opportunity to continue the work Solskjær carried out in moving on some of the deadwood. I sold Nemanja Matic to Wolves in the summer, followed by Juan Mata, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, and Phil Jones in January. Marcos Rojo and Eric Bailly both left the club on loan with a view of a permanent deal. 

The only incoming signing I made in the summer transfer window was former United midfielder Darren Fletcher. He was brought in to take Matic's place in the squad; if someone's not going to play, I'd prefer them to be cheap, and a good tutor - Matic was neither. 

John Souttar and Jude Bellingham joined the club in January. Souttar, a solid ball playing defender, would take Jones' place as 4th choice centre-half, while Bellingham was a big (and rather expensive) addition to the academy squad. 

Squad & Individual Performances
Think everyone got a fair stab at the first team. 

Particular props to Axel Tuanzebe, Brandon Williams and Mason Greenwood, who played significantly more first team football than initially planned. Tuanzebe is now my preferred partner to Maguire. Williams as usurped Ashley Young as 2nd choice Left Back, and Greenwood, while having a considerable share of goal-droughts, showed enough potential to prevent me moving for a striker in the January window.

Also, I'm having a ton of drama with Angel Gomes. I gave him a loan deal as promised in the summer, but he's unhappy that I didn't send him on loan? I recalled him in January to take Mata's place and he got fair minutes, but he's still crying?

Proposed Changes

• I will be looking at the goalkeeping situation in the summer. Sergio Romero's justifiably showing signs of unhappiness with his minutes, so may have to move him on. If this is the case, I will likely run with Joel Pereira as backup. Henderson's too promising at this stage to limit his game time, so will likely go out on loan again.
• Defence is fairly stable. I expect to move Ashley Young on when his contract expires. Ethan Laird, and a returning Lee O'Connor will likely take his minutes. Smalling, Bailly and Rojo will be moved on when their loans expire. An improvement on Luke Shaw would be nice, but not a key addition this summer.
• Midfield will require some additions. I feel we lack a bit of bite when McTominay's not playing. Fred's proved to be an adequate alternative to Pogba when called upon, and I also have Garner, but I'm eyeing another BWM-type.
• The forward line is a slight concern. Everyone's clearly performed, but I feel our season collapsed when Dan James was injured. A big money move for Sancho is on the cards. I'm also considering a more physical presence up top. Haaland is still available for fairly cheap, while Cavani is available for free. Liverpool are supposedly linked with Kane however, I don't think I could let them make a move for him unopposed, given how irritatingly good they already are.

[stevemc]

Curious to see, which players are people targeting and/or signing in the first transfer window for United?

[PaulC2K]

Im about to go into my first league match, so cant really comment on their impact yet.

In - Chilwell, Bruno Fernandes, van de Beek, and Dias
Out - Rojo, Matic, and Fred.
Loans - Garner & Williams.

I feel like that should be enough quality and depth to challenge for the league and various cups. My signings were also heavy on the 3yr payments, for anyone wondering how i got all 4 within budget.

Im planning on giving Shaw some games, hope he stays fit, and then look to sell him next summer and give Williams more time. I kinda wanted to sell or loan out Mata, but i dont want to shake things up too much within the whole team dynamic. So i'll probably see whether he's needed at the winter window and give it a go.
I'll also be looking to bring in Haaland in the winter, and Sancho in the summer. The only other area i wouldnt mind adding to is a BWM/DM, but it wouldnt be a huge concern.

[onecockygeezer]

Good work on the thread @stevemc

Season 1

Transfers out -

Like most, I started the season with the hope of shifting the "dead wood". Matic, seemed to be the only player I could drum up any real interest for, out he went for 9 mil to Guanzhou. Rojo and Bailly leaving on loan deals to Wolves and Marseille respectively. 

Unfortunately, Lingard picked up an injury that ruled him out for the season, and a move away from the club.

Mata & Jones were unwanted by myself...….and everyone else. 

 

Transfers in - 

With a purse bursting at the seams, I had high hopes of snapping up some English talent. With my scouts looking at Sancho, Chilwell, Maddison & Rice. 

In reality, I failed to lure the sought after youngsters, and settled for 1 transfer and 2 loan deals.

In came - 

Leon Goretzka for 33 mil. My thought process here was that I wanted a solid, hard working BBM to partner Mr Pogba. 

In came James Rodriguez on loan for the season. A no brainer this one, A solid AM for little financial & contractual commitment. Eyes & hopes were on Eriksen in the following summer.

My second loan deal - Federico Bernadeschi. With Lingard our for the year and Sancho not interested. Another loan deal seemed the sensible option, giving me the time to fulfil positions whilst waiting upon desired players.

 

Formation & style of play -

I wanted wide, attacking, decisive & exciting.

Settling into a 4231 attack.

I wanted my wing backs pushing up high, providing an outlet from central areas. BPCBs using the ball well, picking passes for my pacey attack. A BBM & AP in the centre providing energy and creativity. My wide players being set to IFL & IWR pushing into central areas to support my AF. Lastly my AM, linking it all together in the final third, providing goals. assists and all round technical wizardry. 

 

Season progression

My season started better than Sir Alex could of imagined. 20 league games played & 19 won. Not bad that?!

Over the next 6-8 games, my smooth, fast paced wheels, decided to, just. Fall off. Goals dried up, confidence got knocked, form.....nowhere to be found. 

Tweaks & changes ensued, and my cup competition journeys all burst like a worn tyre. Europa League, knocked out by Arsenal in the 2nd RK iirc. FA Cup, losing to Liverpool in a 4th round replay and the EFL losing early doors to the mighty Irons. 

Luckily, and without the pressures of cup and continental football, our league form picked up and the tweaks took shape. 

My AF changed to a DLF - A. 

My BBM changed to a DLP, IW-R to W-S

&

Various changes to my AM to AP & back to AM.

And back came the Premier league champions status to Old Trafford. 

Finished with 94 pts, 6 pts above Liverpool in second. 

 

Standout players 

Bernadeschi - 40 apps and 21 goals. For a loan signing, he really bought in to what I was trying to achieve. 

Martial as my AF then into my DLF-A scored 27 in all comps in 43 apps. 

Linderlof - A rock for me at the back, and his balls being sprayed around the pitch were a delight. ooo er.

 

Season 2

Transfers IN

Transfers OUT

 

Will try to update as I go through. Currently - 

 

Edited November 24, 2019 by onecockygeezer

[luka_zg]

We lost our CL semis against PSG. 1-0 in Paris and then managed only a 1-1 draw at OT. We were better, I felt we deserved a win at least. The finish to the PL season was a little nightmare, losing against West Brom, scraped a win against Brighton and then fineshed it off with a deafeat at Southampton. It was only a continuation of our ****** form since March in the league where we managed only 5 wins until the end. Very bad. 

I think I will switch from 4231 to 433 as my primary formation next year. 

Also we have a budget of 325mil euros to spend. Mbappe is our number one target. Also I'd like a world class CB. 

[isignedupfornorealreason]

I like United this season, there are so many ways to slice the team up.

Some ideas:

Wan Bissaka is the better of the defensive pairing, but I think Dalot has so much potential to be used further up in midfield as a more generic wing-midfielder. Why? He has the attributes to cross, can attack reasonably well and you can use him liberally in attack knowing WB is behind him to clean up, or if you come up against a team that has a dangerous inside forward, make him more defensive and essentially lock down that right flank entirely. In my beta save I used him initially as a W/S and WM/S (David Beckham role) and he was racking up tons of assists thanks to his crossing ability.

 

In defence, I'm of the opinion that mental attributes are what makes a good defender great. If you have defenders that are composed, they will make the correct decisions. They also need to have high levels of concentration. Most defenders at United, predictably, suck in these areas.

If I were to break them down:

Maguire: Has great composure, reasonable decisions and concentration. He's also good defensively, but where he's weak is his lack of pace and I think his agility doesn't really help him out of tight spots.

Jones: A phenomenal defender but he lacks concentration and he not a composed player. One for the transfer list.

Tuanzebe: Almost ready for first team action, he's fairly composed, makes good decisions and concentrates well for his age. He only lacks heading ability (on my save anyway), so he really should be earmarked for first team action.

Smalling: Outstanding but his mental attributes are only serviceable. He's on loan anyway so no bother.

Bailly: He doesn't concentrate (8) and his decision making is poor (10), in essence, an awful player, sell him.

Lindelof: He's okay. He lacks heading (12), strength (13) and jumping ability (13), whilst his mental attributes are just 'ok' for his level. He's a prime candidate for moving into defensive midfield, where his jumping and heading are less of an issue, because his composure and decision making can make use of him as a basic midfielder. Plus, if he misses a header as DM, you at least have two men behind him to help him out.

Rojo: Good, but again jumping is an issue (13). He's not a composed defender, so will hoofball it if he comes under pressure. 

 

With that set up in mind, the two main defenders in my opinion would be Maguire and Smalling. But Smalling is out on loan. That leaves Lindelof, however, Tuanzebe is younger although he has similar weaknesses. My feeling then, is Tuanzebe is the better player to throw into the first team alongside Maguire. Why? The match experience will catapult him in terms of progress, he should eradicate his weaknesses rather quickly, whereas Lindelof is unlikely to get that sort of growth spurt.  That would allow Lindelof to move into other positions where he's less of a liability. Smalling and Rojo would make decent cover, although you can replace them with future academy youngsters. Jones and Bailly need to be shifted on, but with their wages it might be a tough call.

 

When it comes to the flanks, I think it is worth paying attention to the attributes of some of the reserve players. In my last save, Gomes was superior to Daniel James as an IF or Winger, which meant I actually sent James out on loan and put Gomes into the first team as cover. James' attributes are quite poor considering, which leads me to think that United's reserve players are maybe a bit overrated.

Worth checking out Williams' attributes, to see if he can cover for Shaw or needs loaning out too. Basically, before starting a save, check that reserve and youth section out, they have some fairly talented players that seem almost ready for first team action.

[swansongs]

56 minutes ago, isignedupfornorealreason said:

which leads me to think that United's reserve players are maybe a bit overrated.

 

Just the reserve players? 

[Champ15]

Anyone else having difficulty getting rid of players? Had Rojo transfer listed and hoping to get around €12 - 15m for him but only offer I get is around €3m from Saudi Arabian clubs. Only able to loan out other deadwood like Mata, Jones & Matic due to their high wages I imagine. 

[isignedupfornorealreason]

5 hours ago, swansongs said:

Just the reserve players? 

Well, it's no secret I've thought the United team has been overrated for a while now. :P

[sedge11]

7 hours ago, isignedupfornorealreason said:

Jones: A phenomenal defender

Have I seriously just read someone saying Jones is a phenomenal defender. You must of made a mistake there.

[isignedupfornorealreason]

5 hours ago, sedge11 said:

Have I seriously just read someone saying Jones is a phenomenal defender. You must of made a mistake there.

It is 'must have' not 'must of' btw.

But if you had read the full context; it's true Phil Jones is a phenomenal defender.

The key attributes for a CB are: Heading (16), Marking (15), Tackling (17), Positioning (16), Jumping (12), Strength (16).

That's pretty much world-class/elite levels. Even the preferable attributes are very good; Aggression (15), Anticipation (14), Bravery (19), Pace (14).

IMO, he's overrated as usual, but as I said, my preference is for defenders who have high composure, concentration and decision making, which is why I said to sell him.

[Gee_Simpson]

9 minutes ago, isignedupfornorealreason said:

It is 'must have' not 'must of' btw.

But if you had read the full context; it's true Phil Jones is a phenomenal defender.

The key attributes for a CB are: Heading (16), Marking (15), Tackling (17), Positioning (16), Jumping (12), Strength (16).

That's pretty much world-class/elite levels. Even the preferable attributes are very good; Aggression (15), Anticipation (14), Bravery (19), Pace (14).

IMO, he's overrated as usual, but as I said, my preference is for defenders who have high composure, concentration and decision making, which is why I said to sell him.

I also rate mentals as the most important for a CB, especially anticipation, positioning, concentration and decisions. It's a real shame Bailly looks a beast apart from his awful concentration and decisions. Do you think he would be worthwhile training up those two areas or have you given up on him?

Edited November 26, 2019 by Gee_Simpson

[luka_zg]

I didn't manage to get Mbappe. Offered 220mil but all I got in response is "the offer is unacceptable". :D

So, I brought in only Bruno Fernandes for 46mil which I think is a bargain price for such a quality player. Managed to sell Chong,Jones,Pereira,Fosu Mensah for combined 55mil. Also I got rid of Sanchez who I gave for free to Fenerbahce but I'm still paying half his wages though. I've sent Laird.Williams, Levitt, Mejbri and Omeragic(young CB I brought from Zurich for 12mil) all on loan.

Now my 1st team squad looks like this:

https://www.buildlineup.com/shared/5ddcd20a138c092e24aea0d9

 

2nd choice squad:

https://www.buildlineup.com/shared/5ddcd2ba138c092e24aea0da

 

Also part of the squad are Russo(GK), Angel Gomes and James Garner

[pizzachips]

just started a 442 disabled first window

[MatthewS17]

Disabled the first transfer window. In January, brought in Eriksen and Haland to replace Martial up front. He's got better off the ball and aerial ability, and Martial is known as inconsistent. Him and Greenwood going to be my first choices up front. 

Looking at Ben Godfrey as a backup in defence, while I ship Rojo and Jones out, and probably Smalling as well. 

 

Plus looking at Havertz and Maddison for the longer term, as I signed Eriksen just to add some creativity alongside Pogba. 

Edited November 26, 2019 by MatthewS17

[Spiegel]

On the topic of centre-backs, I prioritise ball playing ability as much as their defensive qualities. Lindelof is serviceable, and Axel has that all important “Brings Ball out of Defence” PPM

Smalling, Bailly and Jones all have solid enough defensive attributes but are fairly poor in possession.

[Gee_Simpson]

5 minutes ago, Spiegel said:

On the topic of centre-backs, I prioritise ball playing ability as much as their defensive qualities. Lindelof is serviceable, and Axel has that all important “Brings Ball out of Defence” PPM

Smalling, Bailly and Jones all have solid enough defensive attributes but are fairly poor in possession.

Don't you rate mentals highly? Bailly can't concentrate and makes bad decisions. Good positioning and anticipation though, which makes me think is it worth putting work into concentration and decisions? If he had good concentration and decisions he would be amazing. 

[Spiegel]

10 minutes ago, Gee_Simpson said:

Don't you rate mentals highly? Bailly can't concentrate and makes bad decisions. Good positioning and anticipation though, which makes me think is it worth putting work into concentration and decisions? If he had good concentration and decisions he would be amazing. 

I’ve always got good performances out of Bailly on both FM19 and 20. I think his good positioning and anticipation combined with his outstanding physicals have masked a lot of his weaknesses defensively.

I find him bang average on the ball though which is why I put Axel, Lindelof and Maguire over him.

Would have kept him if not for Work Permit issues...

[Gee_Simpson]

30 minutes ago, Spiegel said:

I’ve always got good performances out of Bailly on both FM19 and 20. I think his good positioning and anticipation combined with his outstanding physicals have masked a lot of his weaknesses defensively.

I find him bang average on the ball though which is why I put Axel, Lindelof and Maguire over him.

Would have kept him if not for Work Permit issues...

I haven't started my save and haven't been Utd since FM10 I think so I've never used Bailly. That's good to hear that he performs well, but you're saying he doesn't get a work permit? Shame, I will move him on then. 

[Spiegel]

6 minutes ago, Gee_Simpson said:

I haven't started my save and haven't been Utd since FM10 I think so I've never used Bailly. That's good to hear that he performs well, but you're saying he doesn't get a work permit? Shame, I will move him on then. 

I had an odd issue with him. Came to me asking to be transfer listed as he was coming to the end of his contract and wouldn't get a work permit. I triggered his two year contract extension and stayed unhappy. Loaned him back to Villarreal as no-one would take him :')

[swansongs]

1 hour ago, Spiegel said:

On the topic of centre-backs, I prioritise ball playing ability as much as their defensive qualities. Lindelof is serviceable, and Axel has that all important “Brings Ball out of Defence” PPM

Smalling, Bailly and Jones all have solid enough defensive attributes but are fairly poor in possession.

That PPM is no longer all important, as the behaviour has been added to the Ball-Playing Defender role.

[warlock]

24 minutes ago, swansongs said:

That PPM is no longer all important, as the behaviour has been added to the Ball-Playing Defender role.

Really? It isn't mentioned in the description or as an applied PI.

[swansongs]

18 minutes ago, warlock said:

Really? It isn't mentioned in the description or as an applied PI.

Unless they changed it back very recently, yes.

[Indrid Cold]

I recently started my first United save ever in FM. I usually play MLS or lower level German teams. With United's current struggles, this year seems like much more of a challenge than year's past. 

Tactics

After a squad assessment, chose to line up as a 4-1-4-1 DM. My tactic is custom, but feels like a mix between tiki-taka and gengenpress. I remove play down left when Rashy is gone and change lines of engagement and mentality to suit opponents, otherwise not much tweaking. I've also got a 4-2-3-1 I'm working on, but I feel less confident about it. Probably try it out in the EL. 


 

Transfers

My main goal the first season was midfield. Bruno looked like an excellent Mez/AM and wasn't going for much. Goretzka as well looked excellent. Bernardeschi seemed a no brainer to cover the right side. 

ST: At the start of my save, Martial was injured for three months (he's finally almost OK again), so not bring in a striker was a huge risk. I couldn't get Haaland, and didn't want to settle for another option. Greenwood be my savior... 

DM: I tried for Tonalli, but Brescia wanted £65m and wouldn't budge. Hope to come back to him if they get relegated. Otherwise I'm going after Ajer as a stop gap. 

LB:  Also a concern with Shaw's history. I brought Williams up from the U23s and will continue to use Young. Hoping to go after Reguillon or Chillwell next summer. 

Current Status

I never expected to get off to this good of a start, especially after shaky wins against West Ham and Watford (90+6' goal). Liverpool at home came right after and I was expecting a draw. Still in shock that I won 6-1. Currently unbeaten, but with injuries and mediocre squad depth, I'm sure that will change shortly. Just need to make it to the winter window...

More updates to follow!

[MatthewS17]

Anyone notice that you can sign Arthur for around 60-80m From Barca? Just a heads up if you find yourself selling Pogba. Good option if you've a preference for technical players. 

[PaulC2K]

Almost at the half-way point and things are a lot closer in the league than i was expecting, with everyone losing plenty of games.

Theres been quite a lot of occasions where 2 top sides have gone head to head and the lower team has took the 3pts, which has really helped keep things as compact as they are, and as it stands i have the fewest defeats with 2, i just havent put a couple of teams to the sword and left points on the table.

The season started rough with City away (lost 3-1) and Liverpool at home (2-2) in the first 4 games, along with a win & draw in the other 2, after that things seemed to pick up and we've had 2 decent runs either side of silly defeats (one in Europa League when already through). 

Goals - Rashford has 9 from 15, Martial 7 from 15, and Pereira with 6 from 7 (mostly EL though).  13 different goal scorers so far seems pretty good though, everyone chipping in.

Injuries - I lost Dan James for 3 months early on, and had Chilwell & Marguire out for a month, all of which are just starting to regain match fitness at the moment. Otherwise just small knocks, 2-9 day stuff where there was no real impact and fortunately it wasnt like i lost 2 strikers or both starting CB's etc, all easily managed.

Im still only focusing on CL qualifications via both routes, and if i can put presure on City & Liverpool, even better. As things stand though, i still dont feel like we're a genuine title contender at the moment, the team is probably performing about as well as to be expected, stick Chilwell, Dias, vdBeek, and Fernandes in the current Utd side and im fairly confident things would looks significantly better IRL, too. I think the finances has been the one thing FM has really failed to accurately reproduce in recent years. Theres no owners trying to smother you with a pillow the second a transfer window comes into sight. We're actually able to act like a big club.

[luka_zg]

I managed to buy Mbappe after all, sent another bid few days before the deadline, 225mil and they accepted. Nice start to the season also, 3 games and 3 goals and 1 assist. :D I play him as IF on the right. Now I have too much AMR/L players..Mbappe,Rashford,Brooks,Martial,James,Sancho. Will have to sell in January. Probably James and Martial.

[Time_Consumer]

While waiting for the next ME patch, I played a pretty entertaining season with United despite the weitd stuff happening on pitch. Went wo a 442.

 

De Gea (DKd)

Wan Bissaka (FBs) - Maguire (BPDd) - Lindelöf (BPDc) - Shaw (WBs)

James (Wa) - Pogba (BBM) - McTominay (BWMd) - Lingard (IWs)

Martial (CFs/F9) - Rashford (PFa)  (both instructed to swap positions and roam from position)

 

Won the Europa League and made 2nd in the PL. Was leading the table for quite a chunk of the season, but pulled an Arsenal and bottled it despite the easiest run in of all contenders. So Liverpool won the league with one point, City 3rd, Arsenal 4th.

Bought Ajer (love this dude) and Ruben Dias in winter, as soon as i qualified for the CL i bought CVhilwell and Sancho for the summer. Tottenham just became 8th, Eriksen left for PSG, Kane will probably go to City and Alli is unsettled – I want him, because he's super versatile and will have a place in this squad. I have no funds left tho. Meanwhile, PSG sniffed around Pogba. He was my best player when it comes to ratings and he wants to leave. I overpaced though and PSG pulled out because they didn't wanna pay 200 millions... now Pogba is unhappy. Real still sniffing around though. Usually in FM, when things don't pan out players will give peace at some point. So whenever Real is ready to shill out enough cash, I am happy to pull the trigger on Dele and Tonali, but I also happily keep Pogba.

Squad as of now in Summer 20 (I listed played twice or more if they are regular options in different postitions):

GK:

De Gea, Henderson, some Italian Newgen wonderkid

FBr:

Wan Bissaka, Lindelöf, Clyne (free agent, squad role is "emergency backup" as usualy Lindelöf is first choice as second RB), Williams

CD:

Maguire, Ruben Dias, Lindelöf, Ajer, Tuanzebe, English youngster whose name I forgot

FBl:

Chilwell, Shaw, Williams

RM:

Sancho, Dalot (retraining him as winger), James (was one of my best players, but he has no further ceiling and both Dalot and Sancho have the way better attributes)

BBM:

Pogba, Ajer

BWM:

McTominay, Tuanzebe (retraining him), Ajer

LM:

Lingard (unpopular, but he had a HUGE season), Gomes, Sancho, Andreas (he's supposed to be sold though)

ST:

Martial, Rashford, Greenwod

 

As I said, woul love to get in Dele Alli as an allrounder similar to Ajer but offensive. Could easily play ST, BBM vs smaller teams, LM in my system.

Loving this save so far.

 

 

Edited November 27, 2019 by Time_Consumer

[Spiegel]

I was looking at Ajer before I moved for Souttar. Good ball playing defender who would also offer the alternative to McTominay I was after. I was wary of his one footedness though.

Went to Bayern on my save...

[Gee_Simpson]

As a Hearts fan, it will be hard to resist going for Souttar 

What's he like for you mate, worth it? @Spiegel

[swansongs]

Imagine benching one of your best performers because some other dudes have higher numbers and more potential. 

[Tummyowl]

I think I've settled on my transfers... I have spent a lot and moved out a lot. It's weird, having such a huge transfer budget but finding it does not actually go far... I have had to do almost all my deals over three seasons.

[Spiegel]

3 hours ago, Gee_Simpson said:

As a Hearts fan, it will be hard to resist going for Souttar 

What's he like for you mate, worth it? @Spiegel

Only brought in as a backup option, but yeah he's reliable when he's played. Solid defensively and capable on the ball. Left footed aswell which is nice. Pereira coming back so have even more of Hearts connection there!

I was looking at McKenna at Aberdeen aswell. Plenty of decent options in the Scottish league this year it seems. 
 

2 hours ago, swansongs said:

Imagine benching one of your best performers because some other dudes have higher numbers and more potential. 

I'm the same tbh, always look for players who perform beyond their attributes. Dan James is an absolute monster on this game!

 

[Nick OGS20]

On 25/11/2019 at 13:43, swansongs said:

Just the reserve players?