_Ben_ Posted June 19, 2020 Author Share Posted June 19, 2020 Youth Intake Preview Could it be that striker?! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 19, 2020 Author Share Posted June 19, 2020 Mentoring update Both Joao Carlos and Marinho continue to make positive steps and the overall squad now is starting to reach the levels that I want: Given the length of time that influential players Andreson and Jaja have been mentoring - I'd really like to see Santos, Geilton, Pacheco and Marcio Ricardo turn to Model Professionals when they reach 23 - but time will tell... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 19, 2020 Author Share Posted June 19, 2020 New Contract Very important. If/when, he becomes unhappy and outgrows the club (the only reason I'd have to sell him), I will be able to demand enough money to sort out the facilities and bring through development players for a long time to come. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 20, 2020 Author Share Posted June 20, 2020 Promising youngsters outside of the First Team Early in the game, I was able to give me opportunities to younger and less developed players and, because of that, I know have quite a large number of academy graduates in the first team squad: Maicon, Santos, Ricardo, Joao Carlos, Joao Fernando, Felipe Marinho and Pacheco - but there seems to be a bit of a lull in both number of and focus upon those who have not yet made the first team. Obviously, we have grown in stature and, in the top flight, it's much harder to give minutes to young players but the four players below are the best that we currently have: ---- Roma He was the top player in the last intake but, to be fair, he's not really a standout player anywhere. He'll become decent on the ball but neither excels in the defensive or the offensive third and isn't well rounded enough to be a box-to-box type player. He's certainly a player who looks like he'll be developed in order for us to gain financially. --- Christian Currently on the fringes of the first team and the only one to have made any first team appearances. Christian is a ball winner and more physical than Felipe Marinho, who I intend to be his long term partner. There are no real holes in his game so he's being trained as a HB(d) to look to push his defensive attributes as high as they'll go. Has recently had his head turned by bigger clubs but my influential players were able to resolve that. Ideally - he'll really benefit from mentoring and become that one strong player in my DM strata. --- Marcos Antonio He's like a poorer version of Christian, to be fair. I'm a little worried about his lack of presence in the team with his stocky frame yet inability to work hard and lack of bravery. He too is developing as a HB(d) at the moment as there is nothing massively weak but, yet, he doesn't really fill me with any confidence that he'll come good enough for the first team. --- Anderson Varejao He's gone a little bit under the radar to be fair and is certainly third choice behind Edilson and Quintanilha but is developing well. He's two footed and got that little bit of Brazilian eccentricity about him but is a decent shot stopper, too. Going to take a lot for him to make the first team though, sadly. --- Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Campos Posted June 20, 2020 Share Posted June 20, 2020 On 19/06/2020 at 09:29, _Ben_ said: Thank you so much for the kind words! The Dugout seems like a long time ago - but that place was great at it's peak. What was your username? Without sounding too much like a 'oh, I've already done that' - check out my Guadalajara thread where I was a Paraguayan manager doing pretty much the same thing. One recommendation is that you load the Venezuelan leagues (especially as they aren't formed correctly in the vanilla database) to get better access to newgens and the like! No worries. I was Campos on there too but mainly lurked and read. Got involved with a succession save once. It was a long time ago, dread to think how much time we've spent on FM since then... I'll take a look at that thread too, I rarely start with a small, lower tier side so doing something new is exciting, even if it's been done before. Cracking effort in the top league, can you maintain it all year? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 20, 2020 Author Share Posted June 20, 2020 7 minutes ago, Campos said: No worries. I was Campos on there too but mainly lurked and read. Got involved with a succession save once. It was a long time ago, dread to think how much time we've spent on FM since then... I'll take a look at that thread too, I rarely start with a small, lower tier side so doing something new is exciting, even if it's been done before. Cracking effort in the top league, can you maintain it all year? I vaguely remember you - and I do remember some great succession saves, particularly one that went to/won lots with St Etienne! I have to start with a small side, so that I can have a few years to get to know the players, board, expectations of what I want in the game etc before we get to a point whereby if I mess up, I'd lose my job! -- As for the league - I'm not sure. I'm slightly disappointed with just how easy I've found it to outplay and outclass some of the sides here with, what I'd consider, a Serie B squad! I think we'll find our level at around upper mid table, which, given the silliness of Brazil, still qualifies us for continental competition! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 20, 2020 Author Share Posted June 20, 2020 (edited) Developing our approach Once again, I'm going to use my core to explore what I think could be a positive way forward for the club, using a slightly altered tactic, below: Instead of having two wide players, one who drifts inside to be an AP(s) and one, an IF(a) who makes a second striker - I've decided to move them inside. I think the double AP(s) will still allow me to create that traditional Brazilian box with the two DM(s) but it allows me to use a role that I really haven't explored in the past, a Shadow Striker. I think that Joao Fernando, seen below with the SS(a) schedule and a Passing individual focus, fits that bill really well: With my width still provided by the full backs and the double pivot behind them, I am cautious of too many supporting duties so want to go for an out-and-out striker and, again, use a role that I have rarely done before, a Poacher. I have a dream that I can get a player to score a shedload of goals and I think that this role could be the right one for that. One out-and-out striker and one offensive attacking midfielder who will play as a second striker but also be able to chip in with plenty himself. I think that this also really plays into what I have understood the Brazilian system relies on - the ability of those star players in 'selfish' roles. --- I will play a few matches and try and get some analysis in here on how it's working... Edited June 20, 2020 by _Ben_ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 20, 2020 Author Share Posted June 20, 2020 Early thoughts We are literally one match into the experiment - but here are a few things: 1. Average positions I need to sort out the box, they are too close together and I worry that, despite us playing quite short passing in the offensive third, they are too close to my attacker and shadow striker to really have an impact against stubborn defenses 2. More involved? Again - one game but Joao Fernando seems more involved. He actually missed a penalty in the Botafogo game, too, which may have impacted his rating. It means that his poor heading is less evident (60% success in the recent game but as low 16% against Palmeiras, for example). The average of his dribbles per game should be considerably higher too, given the fact he'll have a lot more space. --- Lots more tinkering and thinking to do! Plus - a lot of this relies on me getting that Brasilieiro quality poacher that I need! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 20, 2020 Author Share Posted June 20, 2020 Exploiting the space I really like the Joao starts deeper than the forward and, as such, is not marked out of the game by two big centre halves. He's managed to get his head on the ball somewhat unchallenged, which makes the most of his average heading. He's literally done it twice inside forty minutes! Two headers, two goals. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
karanhsingh Posted June 21, 2020 Share Posted June 21, 2020 Interesting tactics. How are the APs coming along? Any thoughts on using a Volante as one of the DMs? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 21, 2020 Author Share Posted June 21, 2020 12 hours ago, karanhsingh said: Interesting tactics. How are the APs coming along? Any thoughts on using a Volante as one of the DMs? No, not at all. In fact, quite the opposite. We already employ two offensive wingbacks and four players (three in the AM strata and one striker) who I'd consider offensive so I need to go the other way. As it is, I feel that when we do concede, it's because of the gap between the DMs and the CBs so might look at using a more defensive role than a DM(s). These are our average positions from a game - there is a lot of work left to do on this and, ideally, it'd work out better doing that in the State Championships. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 21, 2020 Author Share Posted June 21, 2020 June/July and one from August 2029 We are still doing much, much better than I thought we would do. June was a quiet month on the goalscoring front but we recorded an important win over Gremio and took points from Palmeiras, Santos and Sao Paulo - I don't think you could ask for more from a newly promoted team, regardless of the current league standings of these historically grand opposition. The only blot in July came from a poor performance at home to Botafogo, whereby we had to snatch a late equaliser. --- We've also got our first wonderkid and it's made even better by the fact he's an academy graduate, too. --- The most pleasing bit of business in this update is this: I think that this goes a long way in showing what I'm trying to achieve with the squad personality and, hopefully, the intake personalities going forward. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
karanhsingh Posted June 22, 2020 Share Posted June 22, 2020 Wow I didn't know that ultra professional is a possibility Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bpecanha Posted June 23, 2020 Share Posted June 23, 2020 As a brazilian and carioca citizen, I must say that is a pleasure to see a career with Volta Redonda on this forum. I have a friend who lives in Barra do Piraí (who neighbours Volta Redonda) and he mainly supports Botafogo, but he's also a fan of Voltaço. I'm loving to see your progress with the youngsters and hopefully you'll qualify to Copa Libertadores. IRL, Volta Redonda also produced some good players and my favourite one is Dedé - I support Vasco da Gama and he was a joy to watch here, our fans called him "Dedeckenbauer". If it wasn't for the injuries, I would say that he could develop into one of the best center backs in the world, man was an absolutely beast at his prime. Good luck! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 23, 2020 Author Share Posted June 23, 2020 10 hours ago, bpecanha said: As a brazilian and carioca citizen, I must say that is a pleasure to see a career with Volta Redonda on this forum. I have a friend who lives in Barra do Piraí (who neighbours Volta Redonda) and he mainly supports Botafogo, but he's also a fan of Voltaço. I'm loving to see your progress with the youngsters and hopefully you'll qualify to Copa Libertadores. IRL, Volta Redonda also produced some good players and my favourite one is Dedé - I support Vasco da Gama and he was a joy to watch here, our fans called him "Dedeckenbauer". If it wasn't for the injuries, I would say that he could develop into one of the best center backs in the world, man was an absolutely beast at his prime. Good luck! This is absolutely fantastic to hear! I tend to propel myself around the globe in my saves and I can't say I've ever communicated with a fan of a club I'm managing! I hope I do and your friend proud! In terms of Dede - sadly, I know nothing of him. It seems that, in Europe, you only get to hear about either the top level players who move abroad or the standard quip about just how many Brazilians play in foreign leagues, rather than the top talent that is currently in Brazil. My job is to create as many of the former of my category as I can but also have those Dede-esque players who spend their career in Brazil (and hopefully with us) who are loyal servants but sadly not good enough to play abroad in the big leagues. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 23, 2020 Author Share Posted June 23, 2020 2029 Youth Intake A note on this - I've completed disregarded my tracking of players for now. Partly because I have done the background and, for me, my results tell me that the better the starting personality, the better the development. Therefore, my sole focus now is doing all I can to get those good starting personalities. I'm trying to track progress via in game tools at the moment and through regular progress posts on the players. ---- For a 'golden generation' this is largely disappointing. However, Pacato stands out for both his potential and his personality. He's quite well rounded for a sixteen year old and I'm excited to see how he progresses. Flavio Aurelio is the second best player on this list, but I'm less excited about him. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 23, 2020 Author Share Posted June 23, 2020 August/September 2029 I think there might be a clear point where you can see that I switched up our approach! The 4-2-3-1 with the narrow forward line was leaving us too exposed defensively and the opposition full backs, in true Brazilian style, were able to run riot - much like my own do when we face narrow teams and I just ended up on the back foot all game, removing our attacking power to compensate for defensive numbers. After the Vasco defeat, I moved back to the wider shape but I have played around with using Joao Fernando as a left winger, in the IF(a) role - essentially making him a wide Shadow Striker. When my youth intake promised a striker, I was excited, but now I've seen him - I am less so! As you can see, the table is so tight and I've cropped it at Fortaleza, the team occupying the last position that qualifies for continental competition. Given that there is twelve games left and we have a twelve point cushion over them, I think I can predict that we'll probably be in some kind of South American competition next year and all the extra fixtures that it brings! However - this goes to show just how well we've done this year, defying our predictions of a relegation scrap. --- My mentoring groups are looking fairly simple at the moment - with just one running: Obviously the three M.Pros have 20 for Pro and but they also have decent Det (Jaja: 15, Andreson: 17, Magno: 14). Currently both Marinho and Christian are F.Pro (15-17) and have Determination of 12. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justified Posted June 24, 2020 Share Posted June 24, 2020 Got a question for you Ben, how do you think your managers Working with Youngsters attribute is increasing? Started off an unemployed save ages ago but my WWY attribute is still 2 I do all the training and individual training myself so it can't be that. Is it because I'm not giving enough time for the youngsters coming through? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 24, 2020 Author Share Posted June 24, 2020 34 minutes ago, Justified said: Got a question for you Ben, how do you think your managers Working with Youngsters attribute is increasing? Started off an unemployed save ages ago but my WWY attribute is still 2 I do all the training and individual training myself so it can't be that. Is it because I'm not giving enough time for the youngsters coming through? Manager attributes are foreign to me as I have no idea how to improve them and no idea how much impact they actually have! Speaking hypothetically, I'd imagine you'd improve it by working with youngsters - i.e. giving them game time etc? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justified Posted June 24, 2020 Share Posted June 24, 2020 1 minute ago, _Ben_ said: Manager attributes are foreign to me as I have no idea how to improve them and no idea how much impact they actually have! Speaking hypothetically, I'd imagine you'd improve it by working with youngsters - i.e. giving them game time etc? That must be it then because mine has not increased at all. Although I've given them time I guess maybe I'm not giving enough. It's only a small gripe though, more cosmetic if anything Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 24, 2020 Author Share Posted June 24, 2020 2029 End of season Review I combined the last three months of fixtures into one report as it very much demonstrates how our season has ended - as a solid mid-table club. In the last twelve games, as shown, we picked up nineteen points, at an average of 1.58 PPG - a little below where we have ended this season. I am still, however, absolutely delighted with how we have attacked our first season in the top flight, playing our normal game and not bowing down to pressure from the big clubs. Corinthians have ran away with the league but we aren't far away from those clubs above us and have beaten many of them over this season and have often had the better of Flamengo in state championship play. --- In terms of a player review, I've decided to create a newer version of my statistic screen - the one I use day in, day out during the season. I really wasn't paying any attention to their header completion ratio, how many interceptions they'd made or similar. I am now using the screen below which gives me some key attacking information as well as fitness and the like. I have found that, now I'm watching the games in 3D and paying way more attention, tactically, I can see who is regularly getting beaten in the air or who is being caught out of position. This is a largely positive screen here although there are a few issues that need to be unpicked: I am concerned how long Prego and Valdinei will be happy as 'squad players' given their huge reduction in minutes this year. I may look to renegotiate contracts with them over the break to set them up as Fringe Players. The current Fringe Players have not contributed much, although Jaja is a great influence on the squad and has performed well. I believe that Rocha will move on. Maicon has really struggled for form this year and I've not been that confident in using him as a direct replacement for Joao Fernando when needed, hence the huge amount of game time for an 18 year old striker in his first full season at the club. Geilton's goalscoring has significantly dropped and he's not anywhere near as dangerous with free-kicks as he used to be. I think that I can allocate some more training time to this in order to rectify it as he has scored 14 goals in the last two campaigns, but only two in this one. --- Going forward, and as I mentioned earlier in the season, I want to use the Carioca state as a chance to give my younger players football, at a good level (yet with easier teams) and exposure to the first team training groups. Therefore, I will be promoting the following players to the first team until April of next year (when the league season starts): I have included a few players who I have not screenshotted much before, so here they all are: Quintanilha. Varejao. Magrao. Josa. Marcos Antonio. Roma. Patrick. Flavio Aurelio. Pacato. Joabson. My plan is to use these five months to focus on mentoring them, allowing them to train under my watchful eye and to get as many first team minutes as possible. That is easier said than done with two goalkeepers and one already great first team keeper but I will have to be clever with how I rotate and play these. The majority of these players have better than average personalities but I'm hoping that the squad personality can push them higher and their exposure to football can increase their key intelligence attributes. I have created a very basic Excel sheet that will monitor their progress and decide who returns to reserve team football, goes out on loan, stays within the first team squad or even gets sold. ---- 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 24, 2020 Author Share Posted June 24, 2020 Hotshot Still not any interest in him though... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 24, 2020 Author Share Posted June 24, 2020 Coaching update More for names (and personalities) rather than attributes, at this point... They join the youth staff international legends which includes Felipe Melo, Lucas Leiva, Rafael and Lisandro Lopez. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausie Posted June 24, 2020 Share Posted June 24, 2020 Question for you @_Ben_ and indeed anyone else on the thread who has spent time on player personalities. I've got a youth player who looks a great prospect and has been promoted into the 1st team this season. I've had him in a mentoring group for a while and his personality changed to 'resolute' which I was delighted with. His determination was fine when he joined (14) but it jumped up to 16. Another couple of months on though and I received the same message saying squads mentality had had a positive impact. So I went to see if there had been a further change and he is now listed as 'light hearted'. No more changes in his determination though, he still sits at his improved rating of 16. Surely light hearted isn't a better personality than resolute? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 24, 2020 Author Share Posted June 24, 2020 1 hour ago, Ausie said: Question for you @_Ben_ and indeed anyone else on the thread who has spent time on player personalities. I've got a youth player who looks a great prospect and has been promoted into the 1st team this season. I've had him in a mentoring group for a while and his personality changed to 'resolute' which I was delighted with. His determination was fine when he joined (14) but it jumped up to 16. Another couple of months on though and I received the same message saying squads mentality had had a positive impact. So I went to see if there had been a further change and he is now listed as 'light hearted'. No more changes in his determination though, he still sits at his improved rating of 16. Surely light hearted isn't a better personality than resolute? Squad personality isn't just Determination and Professionalism. Light-Hearted players have good Pressure (15-20) and Sportmanship (15-20) whereas there is no boundary in that for Resolute. So you may find he has the 15-17 in Determination and Professionalism to reach the Resolute boundary but now the squad has pushed up his ability to handle pressure and he has, in turn, changed. This example does not take into account what can be uncovered by Media Handling - so you'd need to include that information if you want to really dig down into what might have changed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 24, 2020 Author Share Posted June 24, 2020 Player Release: Vander Torres One of my original development players, but sadly, he's been left behind by the club and his attributes are sub-standard for this level. He was the last remaining player to play a game before I took over as manager, as seen below, and now has interest from the second tier and a handful of Gulf state clubs. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausie Posted June 25, 2020 Share Posted June 25, 2020 7 hours ago, _Ben_ said: Squad personality isn't just Determination and Professionalism. Light-Hearted players have good Pressure (15-20) and Sportmanship (15-20) whereas there is no boundary in that for Resolute. So you may find he has the 15-17 in Determination and Professionalism to reach the Resolute boundary but now the squad has pushed up his ability to handle pressure and he has, in turn, changed. This example does not take into account what can be uncovered by Media Handling - so you'd need to include that information if you want to really dig down into what might have changed. Thanks for the reply again. His media handling is 'evasive, reserved' although I'm not sure what this was previously. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 25, 2020 Author Share Posted June 25, 2020 Transfer worries 1. Willian Willian's release clause was met and his head was turned. Sadly, there was no way back. He was getting paid £3k p/w with me and has moved to a £52k p/w contract - which I cannot blame him for! --- 2. William Rocha It looks like I'll be losing William Rocha, too, as his foreign release clause has been triggered and he now has no interest in talking to me. At least I'll be getting a very healthy amount of money for him. --- 3. Prego I rejected a derisory bid for him and now he wants out. I asked him what I could do and he wants the team building around him, which is just not something I can do. I have 16 year old Pacato, who has just come through the intake, as a replacement for him - but that's a couple of years down the road, ideally. --- Potentially three first team players down and lacking the reputation to replace them right now! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 25, 2020 Author Share Posted June 25, 2020 Incoming transfer It's very hard pickings at the moment, given out reputation as a club that has only had one season in the top flight and a wage structure that is still pretty much second tier level. However, I've used the money from the Willian and William Rocha (he moved to Shangdong in the end) to improve data, training and youth facilities as well as activate a £160k relegation clause for this man. Essentially, he's a direct replacement for WIllian - a player who will start wide left and has the freedom to get into the forward positions (likes to beat the offside trap - Decisions: 14) as well as moving inside (cuts inside from both wings - Off the Ball: 16) to form another advanced forward (runs with ball through centre - Dribbling: 15) as well as helping us on the counter (knocks ball past opponent - Pace: 12 and Technique: 15). He's not 'star quality' but this is the kind of player I can attract at the moment - 130 career games and 32 goals, most in this tier for a struggling Ceara side but the potential to be a good squad player for a slightly larger side. He starts with the Resolute/Level-Headed combo and I've asked Andreson (Model Pro/Level Headed) to welcome him, hoping it'll have a positive impact on his personality. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 25, 2020 Author Share Posted June 25, 2020 Incoming Transfer My second dip into the transfer market in this off season and it's a direct replacement for Prego - and one who is actually slightly better. I have a player, as mentioned, in Pacato, who I want to replace Prego long term but I see no issues in bringing in a decent short-term replacement and another 'Welcoming Period' experiment. Geilton, the now-Team Leader, with a Professional personality will take him under his wing and see what happens! Prego moved for £500k and I found Rafa on a free following his release from Palmeiras. He's average, but that is really all I need as he'll certainly be second fiddle to Magno. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 25, 2020 Author Share Posted June 25, 2020 Hierarchy update With the successes of my mentoring, to date, and recruitment of good personalities - I feel this is a strong area. Team Leaders ' To have a Model Pro as well as club captain and Pro (and hopefully Model Pro when he reaches 23) here is great. Maicon is the only team leader and, to be fair, that's not great, as Resolute is my weakest of the best personalities). The Determination of these three is 17, 15 and 15 respectively - which is great for improving the overall squad level. Highly Influential Players This is arguably the strongest: 1x Model Citizen 3x Model Professional 3x Professional 1x Fairly Professional If these, and the players above him can impact Felipe Marinho's personality - then I feel that this is a really strong group. We do have three of the older players and Jaja, soon to be 35 and who I said wouldn't ever make Serie A level, will find his playing time reduced further but things are good. Other Players This is the key one for me. With the massively extended State Championship squad/pool, I have promoted a load of the players for a four month period. There are some great personalities in here and a few Pro players but these players have little say in a mentoring group and are quite quick to develop. If I can impact on them now, before they become more influential, then I am possibly set for a long time! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toffle Posted June 25, 2020 Share Posted June 25, 2020 Il y a 3 heures, _Ben_ a dit : However, I've used the money from the Willian and William Rocha (he moved to Shangdong in the end) to improve data, training and youth facilities as well as activate a £160k relegation clause for this man. That's great! Keep it up! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 25, 2020 Author Share Posted June 25, 2020 Free kick He's pretty good at them! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 25, 2020 Author Share Posted June 25, 2020 2 minutes ago, Toffle said: That's great! Keep it up! Thanks! It has left a bit of a hole, but I need to consider: Neither are academy graduates and that is always my focus in this save. Neither actually wanted to stay given the transfer bid. Neither have moved to Europe, indicating that they are probably not too far from their maximum potential, or they've just massively flown under the radar. The facilities work, in total, has cost around one quarter of the money I've brought in. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 25, 2020 Author Share Posted June 25, 2020 (edited) Continental debut We made a 2000 mile trip (although, it would have been over 6000 to Caracas, Venezuela if Danubio hadn't have gone through) for our first tie in continental competition, the Copa Liberdatores. We were by far the stronger side but couldn't make our chances count. They will be in Redonda in a little under a week and I expect us to make our quality count there. Worryingly, striker Joao Fernando hobbled off with a pulled calf and will miss the next three weeks - which, in Brazilian terms, feels like about twenty-seven games! Edited June 25, 2020 by _Ben_ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 25, 2020 Author Share Posted June 25, 2020 Fernandez: Second striker Just a heat map from a single game but, to me, evidence that Fernandez is very much suited to play as a second striker and move up and in from his original wide left starting berth. At time, he's been on the last shoulder but in the channel between full back and centre back, which is a very dangerous space. It does make me wonder though whether, to fill the space, I should have my more attacking full back on the same side as him as, right now, the box is skewed (as I expected) but Geilton, my right back, is very close to that four. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 25, 2020 Author Share Posted June 25, 2020 New record Pacato is not the player I envisaged to break my goalscoring record, but I won't complain! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 25, 2020 Author Share Posted June 25, 2020 First continental goal And it's a cracker! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 25, 2020 Author Share Posted June 25, 2020 January/February (Copa Guanabara) 2030 Wow! What an absolutely manic schedule this is. We have started off with a nice unbeaten run that has lasted two months and we have secured progression to the Group Stage of the Liberdatores, which gives us another six games! The State Championships have been fairly straightforward, minus the good one 'one shot, one goal' from Boavista but, even with a win - we wouldn't have bettered Flamengo's goal difference and save ourselves a final. There has been little to note as a whole, aside from the distorted performances from so many changes - a necessity when we get two or three days between ties and have to travel from Uruguay and Chile, as we have done this month! In actual fact, the worst game of the time was the home tie against Danubio, where a relatively strong side were taken apart several times and we were actually lucky to have progressed. --- This is a squad game and I have a very youthful squad, but I'm hoping that this season can be a learning curve for how we manage such hectic schedules. For reference, we have played eleven times for a total of 990 competitive minutes this year: Star Players In an ideal world, Joao Fernando would use the State Championships to boost his career scoring records but, this time around has been used a bit more sparingly as he's been injured. Edilson was used in the four Liberdatores games and the toughest state game, against Serie A Botafogo, whereas Geilton made a couple of extra performances, against Fluminense and in the cup against FAC. Regular Starters Again, the four continental ties and just a little extra to keep them on their toes. They have been protected where possible, but sadly, have not found the kind of form that I'd normally expect. Maybe an extended run in the last three Copa Rio ties could give them the kick-start to the season that they need. Squad Players A bit more football for this lot but I've looked to bring them off where possible, especially when we are winning games. Maicon was injured as he'd have been the perfect step-in for Joao Fernando in the 'I want him to score lots of goals against poor players' position. Fernandez has stepped into the main striker role and has done really well, sitting joint top of the scoring charts although with nearly double the minutes of my main man. Fringe Players Valdinei is playing himself back into my plans somewhat and evergreen Jaja is always a good go-to option at this time of year. Breakthrough Players I've tried to give these players as much playing time as possible and some, as you can see from their ratings, they are repaying me well. However, these must be taken with a huge pinch of salt as we are playing against poor (sometimes Serie C and sometimes below) opposition and the majority of these will be returning to the reserves with a) some first team football b) some training time with the senior team c) some mentoring from the senior team and d) having given the star players some respite in what may be an 80 game season! ---- Last year we topped our group and won the mini-final with a 5-1-0 record and scoring 22 times, with three conceded. Our record is the same and this rotation has cost me five goals and saved a conceded goal but may have given us a chance to perform at a higher standard for longer in the season. I'll run through the next month, which, of course, has at least eight games and finish off the second stage (the Copa Rio) before evaluating the performances and improvements of these youngsters. --- We have also been given our Copa Liberdatores group draw: I have no idea how much of a chance we have here! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 26, 2020 Author Share Posted June 26, 2020 Welcoming period Fantastic! 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1 Posted June 26, 2020 Share Posted June 26, 2020 Fantastic progress since I last looked few days ago! I am tempted to manage in Brazil too! Would you recommend it if someone want to focus on youth? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toffle Posted June 26, 2020 Share Posted June 26, 2020 il y a une heure, _Ben_ a dit : Welcoming period Best cheat code ever Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 26, 2020 Author Share Posted June 26, 2020 7 hours ago, john1 said: Fantastic progress since I last looked few days ago! I am tempted to manage in Brazil too! Would you recommend it if someone want to focus on youth? Thank you! I've moved quite slowly over the past couple of weeks, especially compared to the season-a-day at the start of the save! I'm definitely invested in it though now. In terms of youth development - a massive YES and probably more so than any other league given the extra 10-15 competitive games you get a season. Youth development is all about first team opportunities and this offers that, in abundance. Also - Brazil has the best youth rating and game importance so you're going to be churning out some incredible youngsters, too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 26, 2020 Author Share Posted June 26, 2020 6 hours ago, Toffle said: Best cheat code ever Ha! Sadly, it doesn't appear to work every time and the main part does come down to the hard work I've done before this point. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 26, 2020 Author Share Posted June 26, 2020 New HoYD Pablo Zabaleta was good, and his M.Pro personality was the second best in my eyes, but having a Model Citizen means that I've got a few other hidden attributes covered (M.Pro only stipulates 20 for Pro and 10-20 for Temperament whereas Model Citizen requires Determination, Professionalism, Ambition, Loyalty, Pressure, Sportsmanship and Temperament even if the threshold for Pro moves down to 15). Therefore, I've hired this man: A bit of a hit in those attributes but still very good at what he does. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 26, 2020 Author Share Posted June 26, 2020 Milestone Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 27, 2020 Author Share Posted June 27, 2020 (edited) March/April 2030 Another manic two months! --- Copa Rio (Carioca Turn Two) Our first attention was the Copa Rio and we entered the second turn knowing that we'd have to top Flamengo if we wanted to take this to a 'final' rather than letting the Turn One winners take the whole competition. We did as well as could be expected and, aside from putting a few more goals past Bangu, couldn't have done any more. Beating Vasco in the last round saw us finish second in the group and second in the overall table to see me take my third Runners Up accolade and second in two years. Copa Liberdatores The other competition that we featured in has been the Liberdatores and we have made great progress, qualifying with a game left to play. I knew all about the strength of my fellow Brazilians but have been very surprised with how little fight Cali have put up. The biggest result though, for me, is for my squad to make a 7266km journey from Cali back to Redonda and then face, and compete, against Flamengo just four days later - with the importance of both fixtures meaning that I limited rotation. --- The youth team player experiment has worked really well, if I'm honest. Whilst there hasn't been a huge amount of change when comparing start to end: Magro +1 Determination Magrao changing from Fairly Professional to Professional Marcos Antonio +1 Concentration Roma -1 Determination Roma changing from Driven to Resolute Patrick +1 Anticipation Patrick +1 Decisions Flavio Aurelio +1 Determination Flavio Aurelio changing from Fairly Ambitious to Fairly Determined Pacato +1 Concentration Joabson +1 Decisions Joabson +1 Determination However, there have been some great performances, on the pitch: I have given plenty of first team minutes to these players, ideally in games against teams who are at their level or below, in order to facilitate opportunities for the best performances and, as such, chance for attribute growth. Pacato not only broke the record for our youngest goalscorer but has been quite the threat from set pieces whilst Marcos Antonio and his just 6 for long shots (annoyingly combined with his shoots from distance trait) has made lower league keepers look silly with three great strikes. The best part of this kind of exploration phase is that players can either a) play themselves into my first team b) prove they aren't good enough or c) put themselves in the shop window and, despite his high ratings - Magrao, to me, isn't good enough. He is ideal for starting counter attacks with his blistering pace and does have an attribute skew due to be two footed, but is not better than Joao Carlos. Therefore, I certainly won't be jumping to reject a £4.2m offer from Fluminense (in the second tier and probably his level) as it hits his release clause. --- On to the small matter of a 38 game league season now! Edited June 27, 2020 by _Ben_ 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brentmeister Posted June 28, 2020 Share Posted June 28, 2020 Great series as usual Ben, what do you mean with this: "does have an attribute skew due to be two footed"? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 28, 2020 Author Share Posted June 28, 2020 New contract He only recently signed one but this takes away his £19m clause to domestic clubs, which was very close to being met! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 28, 2020 Author Share Posted June 28, 2020 8 hours ago, Brentmeister said: Great series as usual Ben, what do you mean with this: "does have an attribute skew due to be two footed"? Ok - this is not easy to explain, so let me do my best! FM uses CA (current ability) and RCA (recommended current ability) to generate the attributes for a player. I'll take a completely random player to best explain this: This is some Antiguan that I've never come across before and will never come across again, but I'll use his attributes (and, more importantly his RCA to explain) as well as the editor that I installed to change the kits. He currently has these attributes and I can tell you that the ratings are as follows: Left foot: 16, Right Foot: 20 (this is important later) He is currently like this: If I change him, initially, to have 20 for each foot - I get this: Now to 10 for his left foot and 20 for his right foot: And now 1 for his left foot and 20 for his right foot: ---- So, what you're seeing is that being two footed essentially 'uses up CA' and, the way that I have interpreted that is that an Either footed player may be 1 or 2 points lower in certain attributes than a player who is one footed - yet may have a higher RCA (and, is very rough terms [obviously excluding all of the stuff like suitability for the role] is a better player). I think this is why there is so much more to look at a player than those visible attributes. Let me know if that makes sense! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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