The 4th Uprising - "To My Narod Slaski"

[13th Man]

2 hours ago, SixPointer said:

The 12 draws and the level the football take a bit of shine off it but still a great achievement in the first year. Am more pleased with how we achieved our goal with the style of play tbh. 

Undefeated is a big accomplishment! No matter the division.
 

BTW, I almost got to have an undefeated season as a player years ago (real life) but we ended up falling to the team second from bottom 1-0 in the last game of the season. It’s not just FM as it turns out. We still won the title and promotion but still!

anyway, now the real work begins! Now the opposition will be tougher!

[SixPointer]

13 minutes ago, 13th Man said:

Undefeated is a big accomplishment! No matter the division.
 

BTW, I almost got to have an undefeated season as a player years ago (real life) but we ended up falling to the team second from bottom 1-0 in the last game of the season. It’s not just FM as it turns out. We still won the title and promotion but still!

anyway, now the real work begins! Now the opposition will be tougher!

Thanks man! We nearly chucked it second last game of the season. Ended up 2 down got back to 2-2 then 3-2 down and in the end managed to get 4-3 us as we just threw everything at them. Was a good lesson learnt as I realised I can throw caution to the wind even in a possession system and make it work 

[SixPointer]

The 4th Uprising - To My Narod Slaski

Analysis Paralysis

Tactical Analysis

I’m sure you can guess already that formation wise there was certainly a lot of trial and error. Many shapes being tested. This is probably still the biggest area in the tactics that am not quite sure am settled on. I have two formations set in stone, the other am bouncing between 4231, 424.

Most used formation was the 433 DM WB Wide (Salida), which does really give us the best basic build up shape, the problem seems to stem when transitioning into the final third. While it’s still effective it certainly needs improving and will be one of the main tasks in the next pre-season. I think the symmetry in build-up play is a huge advantage but becomes very predictable in the final third. below you can clearly see four lovely diamond shapes, along with countless triangles, which provides a wonderful shape for ball progression with short passing.

The 4141 (Conductor) provides us with the most successful shape, with a much improved +25 clear cut chances which averages out at one every 31 minutes.

One issue seems to be costing the tactic and that is the one player its named after, the deep lying playmakers numbers turned out for the way I wanted. Think Xabi Alonso sitting in the pocket spraying balls. Our DLP key passes sit at a mere 0.96 per 90. Now of course that covers all the tactics in which most times he is used as a half back.

But even when I do a closer analysis of a game in which the 4141 was used its clear to see he does not represent the true unlocking ability. What is clear is the inverted wing backs seem to be doing his job either side of him. Bedzieszak provides 6 key passes, Paprzycki 3 and Mokrzycki only the 1.

So, in the reality the 3 deep central players are providing the cutting creation. Perhaps the inverts are getting that better angle to make the pass into the channels that are key, also the DLP's space could be slightly suffocated by the double inverts, all of this information really does give me some good ideas for the sister system of the conductor I look to create.

Taking a closer look at goals scored, placed shots dominate the type of goals scored which is a fundamental part of the style of play looking to get goals in and around the area. Which the location matches nicely 24 in the 6yard box and 63 in the centre of the penalty box. 9/10 from the golden zones again something that will come from teams parking the bus and midfielders eventually letting fly. 8 penalty's seeing that we flood the box am not surprised we have a high turnover of penalty many teams diving in last ditch.

Goals are nicely shared out across the positions, if I could be critical of section, it would be AML 8 isn’t really lethal and would much prefer to see this become double figures. However, I think its most likely down to the player types, Janoska and Bak appear to be more direct and better finishers compared to Mamis and Fosz. However, an area that can be worked on and may provide the key to Salida becoming a more effective attacking shape.

Here we go with the assists. Locations are magnificent, a real clear indicator that our central overloads are paying off. 33 from central areas or the golden zone which it can often be referred to. 21 from inside the box again central and an area I would like to improve upon. 15,19 from each wing is still high enough that when the overload pays off the space on the flanks is still being utilised and turned into effective goalscoring chances. Only 7 from inside our half which again ties in with the philosophy.

Assist types which will give another crucial indicator to the style of play. Set plays have carried on from where they left off in my previous save game in Norway with Odd BK. The setups are basically the same if it works why change it.... Short pass of 13 pleasing stuff matched with a nice 30 through balls that is the type of passing I am looking to see. Cross is 20 now this is an area I wish SI would expand, what type of crosses where they? was it low, whipped, floated after all we do get all of them options in the tactical creator.

Only 2 long balls now that right there makes me a very happy man, in the first season there is already no sign of any hoof ball in Roland Buchala’s game model. Square balls well they really are the holy grail now it’s something I would love to see become double figures and, in all honesty, something am going to strive to create more off, in all honesty the issue is am not really sure how to at the minute.

Rounding the analysts’ views up with a look at our efficiency in the league, will provide a good comparison to the clubs at the same competitive level.

Attacking - Certainly the most aggressive team in the division, with Rekord Bielsko Bala the only team matching our aggression; however, they provide a better clinical edge than ourselves, something that certainly needs addressing next season is getting those conversion numbers increased.

Defending - No doubt that our defence was the best in the league, miles in front of everyone. Shots faces is incredibly low, but what proves to be an issue is the conversion rate of our opponents, much like our attacking side this is an area that needs addressing next season.

All in all, efficiency is good, but could do with sharping our point and one end and shutting our door slightly more at the other, of course next season possess its own problem with a step up in class, but its key I don’t stray away from the game plan and keep the fundamentals high.

Team Statistics

In possession the key area to observe in terms of our style of play. The one part that had to be right from the start, I couldn’t allow any exceptions in this one department, or the key principle of my philosophy was lost.

• Average possession 62% eclipses every team in the league by a minimum 9%
• Passes completed 15,536, which is 4,166 pass more than the next highest
• Pass completion percentage 87% which is 6% more than the closest rival

These three figures already clearly indicate how much we dominated the ball compared any other opponent in the league and by some distance. Mission accomplished in the first season but will be very interesting to see how we fair against a higher level of team next term.

The stats of all stats, these give me the biggest indicator that it’s not possession for the sake of possession. While we are top of the pile in clear cut chances it’s no by a huge distance which is what you would expect from a team that dominated the league on the ball, also we fall behind Rekord in expected goals.

So, the quality of chance needs to improve slightly and the number in which we create them. These two bring the whole possession side of our game into context while it’s not perfect it still good. Possibly because Salida ended up becoming rather stale at times these numbers have taking a hit, also there was a period of real trial and error. It is the first season and we do step up in class next year but these two stats I will be paying very close attention to.

The bad stat! Not hitting the target enough, of course when you take the most shots the law of averages come into play, and you expect to see a slightly lower average. But the main concern is this doesn’t tie in with our positional play, possession-based style, where we are patient until the right moment strikes and make the chance count. So, for me this is my big bad stat.

The unusual positive. A key element to possession football is winning the ball back, our high block with counter pressing is our main defensive feature.

What truly delights me with in our aggressive high block we are winning the tackles and turning over possession, it’s not just a case of forcing the opponent long we also are winning the ball back. Something that I was worried about with a heavy emphasis on technical type players was this being a weaker area of the press.

Player Statistics

Goals Goals Goals, Kuczera proved to be the main striker in the end and secured himself a permanent deal. 19 goals are a good solid return at 18 years old also when you consider he played a lot less games and in doing so topped the average minutes a goal stat by some distance with a goal every 89.68 minutes. Phenomenal return really in his breakthrough season.

Mamis provides our creative edge, but what is worrying is he’s the only man in there with recognition. Key passes per 90 he rates well and with assists he makes double figures. But our playmakers are nowhere to be seen. Assists I can live with as the mainly do the job of overloading, but I would really like to see a higher number for key passes, that pass before the assist that usually unlocks the team.

Of course, we play a short passing style and patient approach so there not expected to be hitting long raking through balls, but I do expect them to play a higher percentage of through balls or switches of play, so this becomes another crucial area to be worked on.

Young Neugebauer does rank third best for pass completion but this could be alluding that its is rather passive in the middle. I do want them to overload by I also want to see them unpick that lock when the moment is right as well. Suppose its about finding the perfect balance which now becomes a challenge.

Looking closer at the defenders passing number, it’s good to see both main wing backs perform well in key passes 62,58 with an average of just under 2.5 a game for each only downside is they only provided 5 assists between them. but I can live with that first season.

Something else that caught my attention is the Kowalski is the dominant centre back in terms of pass completion where as Kawula and Kasolik really dropped off compared to him. This in a sense funnels play slightly its crucial both our centre backs are capable passers.

Moving into central midfield which means we can discount Mamis and Foszmanczyk. The numbers in this area do need improvement like I touched on in the league stats. Granted the style of play and central overload has an effect.

• Highest key pass per 90 = 1.94 simply not enough got to be looking at 3.00 from the playmakers
• Clear cut chances per 90 = 0.15 again not good enough I would expect at least 0.25 as an average considering the spread of creative players
• Assists per 90 = 0.22 in a sense I can live with this as they are often the player looking to find the free man (third man) 
• Pass completion across the board is above 90% so maybe we are being slightly passive

Of course, our style of play is a massive trade off, camped in the opponents half there isn't a lot of space for the playmakers to unpick teams or space in behind. They clearly are doing well in the overloading of teams with their high passing percentage but again I may need to use varied shapes or sister systems for when we come up against tougher teams were the playmakers become the most creative outlet in the team.

To finish my analyst, post off, take a closer look at the flanks. An area I have been critical off during the season but what comes clear here is the have in fact carried the team in a sense. 

• Key pass per 90 = 3.50 much more like it
• Clear cut chances per 90 = 0.25 again not immense as they should be the final killer ball
• Assist per 90 = 0.38 with all being over 0.25 this definitely helps balance out the clear-cut chances
• Pass completion is of course a lot lower, but I would expect that due to the offset of the likely hood of their intent

It’s clear to see in comparison our wide men are proving to be more creative that what was catching my eye, whereas the playmakers were pulling the wool over my eyes. Maybe I was caught up in watching the nice rapid ball circulation and one touch passing that I missed out on the lack of penetration at times or where it was coming from. This fuels the fire of next season and only increases my desire to work on the prefect tactical system.

Final Look On first Season

Kowalski cleans up the awards, Wyroba goal deservedly so wins goal of the season (the huge team move I tried to upload) to date the best goal ive ever scored in footy man. Mamis and Kuczera provide goals and assists and somehow Dychus who was totally underwhelming gets signing of the season, Paprzycki should have taken that by a country mile as he was a fantastic free agent.

The Fosz wants to bow out as club captain of the invincible's fair enough at 34, he probably never played as key a part as he should have.

The board are over the moon and rightly so, special mention to our style off play and the passing football.

No real growth in terms of stature which is to be expected, a once great club like this shouldn't be lingering in the lower divisions! Skra and former boss take the biggest leap in polish football nice to see a former manager do well right? well maybe because I chose his destination.

As @Bigpole mentioned in Poland they have a fantastic reward scheme for playing younger players, I wish Scotland would do the same to encourage youth progress. Anyway Ruch finished second in the table which bagged us a nice 61K not something you can turn your nose up at when your riddled with debt.

The finances have took a nice upturn, why apparently we have been given a grant of 815,502, how, or why am not sure. I don't know enough about that part of the game perhaps someone much wiser will be able to clear that one up. Am not sure if its something to do with our state loan, where we possibly get a grant each year to help keep afloat. On the plus side the misc. debt is sitting at 500k and will be paid off in the not so distant future.

Final moment from the first season at Ruch Chorzow is Roland Buchala signs a new two-year contract which sees him continue his revolution in the industrial heartland. Thanks for being a part of the first season. It’s been incredibly slow due to work reasons. the offshore laying season is in full flow which really restricts my game time hopefully with all the key components in place and the basics covered the second season should come at a reasonably better pace.

Thanks for reading 

SixPointer

[deltablue]

Very nicely done.

[SixPointer]

3 hours ago, deltablue said:

Very nicely done.

Thanks man. Appreciate the support 

[Rikulec]

Congratulations on the unbeaten season! From my experience you should keep doing well at least until you reach the Ekstraklasa, that's when you're probably going to need some tinkering. Anyway, well done.

[SixPointer]

14 minutes ago, Rikulec said:

Congratulations on the unbeaten season! From my experience you should keep doing well at least until you reach the Ekstraklasa, that's when you're probably going to need some tinkering. Anyway, well done.

Thanks very much man! The summer business has went well so far. At least 3 players identified right at the start as being on my wish list are on board. 

[13th Man]

Nice analysis!  The assists types and locations definitely show that your Guardiola-esque tactic is functioning the way you want it.

Reading about the shots on target and all that, I was thinking - one of the things I've found about a possession tactics is that you get a lot of shots but not high quality chances.  With slower buildup and loaded boxes it's hard to catch the opponent out for those clear cut chances.

Also - as I was reading your post I was wondering about doing away with the DLP and giving him a more traditional role if he's not really providing the killer balls.  I find the DLP in a 4-3-3/4-1-4-1 works really well in a more fast paced, direct system, where they can sit deep, recycle possession, and find runners rather than in a patient build up where they might slow things down too much and have players looking to play to them rather than more advanced options.  Just a thought!

[SixPointer]

The DLP issue is from the IWB’s actually being better placed than him to pick the passes I wanted him to pick. He’s essentially just in there dictating the tempo and keeping everything ticking over. I could move him out of the 6 and into the 8 and add more direct passing. 
 

clear cut chances I agree with what you say in a sense. But I still should be seeing some clear cut chances from the overload switching to under loads.  I think because I’ve focused on a level of symmetry to create central dominance ive lacked some penetration in areas. I’ve had a little test and a little think about certain things and look to do some tweaking. While central overload is key am gonna add a element of my usual overload types as well. 

[13th Man]

8 hours ago, SixPointer said:

The DLP issue is from the IWB’s actually being better placed than him to pick the passes I wanted him to pick.

That’s a bit of why I was wondering if you’d be better served with just a DM until you (maybe) get your Regista?

8 hours ago, SixPointer said:

But I still should be seeing some clear cut chances from the overload switching to under loads.

But with a possession heavy, short passing setup you’ll get less switches of play like that, right? I had a hard time changing up my point of view for the first few years of my Livorno save for that reason. “Why isn’t wide width working???” I’d ask myself, not realizing that in a possession tactic players need to be close together - cause I’ve always preferred a more direct and aggressive style of play. You’d expect more switching with your high mentality but the shorter passing should still mean that players will look short rather than long I’d imagine.

[SixPointer]

41 minutes ago, 13th Man said:

That’s a bit of why I was wondering if you’d be better served with just a DM until you (maybe) get your Regista?

But with a possession heavy, short passing setup you’ll get less switches of play like that, right? I had a hard time changing up my point of view for the first few years of my Livorno save for that reason. “Why isn’t wide width working???” I’d ask myself, not realizing that in a possession tactic players need to be close together - cause I’ve always preferred a more direct and aggressive style of play. You’d expect more switching with your high mentality but the shorter passing should still mean that players will look short rather than long I’d imagine.

Am currently working on training traits for switches of play! I think once I make more complex systems I should hopefully see an improvement all round. Right now I was just getting a feel for what sort of instructions roles etc suited the style. I’ve never ever went down the possession route before. I need to get the feelers out. 
 

Am very much a klopp type of fan! Although I of course admire Pep and love his innovation or throwbacks let’s say. I would even go as far to say I prefer bielsa ball as it’s that little bit more direct. So as you can imagine covering Pep school of thought was a first will certainly take time to grasp it and perfect my take on it. Although I must say I don’t want replication. But he of course is the best example of positional play. I love my overloads etc I any system as you seen with Odd. But usually it’s flank to flank which is easier. Here I want central overload with exploits on each flank but the ability for the flank to be overload as well so I need that perfect blend which is my challenge 

[13th Man]

Got you on the above. Loving watching you make a similar switch from a sort of high paced/direct and aggressive style to the more possession oriented - just like I did w Livorno, but in a totally different way. I think our previous styles also keep us a bit more flexible than many possession folks and we add slightly different wrinkles to the tactic. I do counters, and yours sounds like it might be those nasty switches of play (which I do miss in Livorno after being a central aspect of my 4-3-3 tactics).

[SixPointer]

The 4th Uprising To My Narod Slaski

A Pitiful Pre-Season

The title hints at what is to come, poor results? Poor transfers? well it more to do about the actual size of pre-season. Incredible that you are expected to prepare your team for a whole season with only 20 days!! Doesn’t give much time to work a new shapes in fact doesn’t allow much time to work on match fitness across the team. Suppose it is what is and come the winter break the team can meet drill Sargent Buchala again!

Transfer Business

No less than nine players arrived when the window swung open. The squad needed a face lift for sure, more importantly it needed players that come in and improve on the requirements for our illustrious style. With a budget increase its easy to get out of hand, now wasn’t the time for that I needed to be shrewd, regardless of if the club had over half a million in the bank it had to be kept in reserve for the long-term aspect. I'm delighted with the transfer business and probably even at this early stage feel no need to go back into the market other than to move players on. A left footed left winger would be useful if the right player became available. 

Oscar Bohm - arrives on a free transfer, highly versatile and a fantastic attribute spread. My only real issue with Oscar is what is he? I can’t seem to nail down what I want him to become? he has key components to play the half back, he has an element of skill and flair but lacks they standouts to be a true playmaker? he can cross is he a wide man, he is slow so I can’t see that paying off. At the minute he’s very useful as he is and out and out utility man which can save me having to dig around for three players as he can do a job in three areas.

Jakub Banach - A Chorzow man through and through, playing at Stadion Chorzów a well know local team that is a feeder club to Ruch, who down the years have supplied them with man players. Jakub was one of the first players that caught my attention in the game. Suits the style of play, born in the city and has the personality to match the club. He looks to be a fantastic bargain on a free. He has every quality except for composure which is concern and he likes a long ball but am not totally against him being the man to switch it up and go direct after neat build ups.

Bartosz Bak - Our first sizeable fee goes on a loanee from the second half of last season, he arrived and scored some crucial goals and also made it clear that the attacking winger role can easily be one of the best utilised roles in the possession style. He is far from the complete player, but he has all attributes to excel at his role within the team. I think he is a coup for the club considering his age.

Seb Szczytniewski - Another player that was followed from the very start of the game. Originally, I had him billed as centre back but am now also toying with the idea of having him as the inverted wing back option. I think his attributes could go either way, better first touch and pace would definitely see a wide role more suited more marking would perhaps favour him becoming a centre back, the good thing is he is versatile and is very fluid in his positioning to which again suits us down to the ground.

Seb Dworaczek - Bit of a stab in the dark this one as he just came up through the scouting plan from nowhere, certainly has a great skillset to become a solid playmaker at this level, in fact in the key attributes he probably ranks the highest (passing, technique, vison, flair and decisions) still young and raw am keen to see what he can bring in the short pre-season. If he can get in and hit the ground running every chance of him challenging for first team football.

Daniel Pawlowski - The third player that arrives to the club after being tracked from the very start of the game. A way back at the start it was already clear that Daniel had everything I was looking for in a centre back. At just 18 he has an exceptional attribute spread, only technique sits below 8 in all the desired attributes. Compared to Banach who he will partner he is much more rounded and does everything well, rather than just scoring high on certain aspects. For a while he was in the Poland under 18's am surprised the level he starts at in the game and the fact we faced very little competition to sign him. For me I think he is the biggest coup of the window and could easily with the right guidance go all the way to the top tier.

Jakub Kuczera - Last season’s top goalscorer signs on, following manager Roland Buchala from his previous club, the two have worked together for many years now from the under 19 team to seniors and now join up again at Ruch Chorzow, this time permanently. An extremely intelligent centre forward for this level of the game. He does possess all the technical skills and the physicals to be that creative spearhead. Am intrigued to see if I can get more assists out of him this year, his training program has been designed to try and boost that side of his game.

Dawid Brzozowski - The young wing king adds yet another layer to the wide options, with the retirement of the former club captain and Janoska aging it was key to nail this man along with Bak. More rounded than Bak as he has the full package, a loan spell maybe be required to insure he gets that first team football guaranteed and I feel again this is a superb bit of business for the club. Not one single DNA attribute below 8 which is a mighty task at this level!

Maciej Tomaszewski - One of these players that for some reason doesn’t seem to be rated, but when you look at his attributes its hard to understand why not. I never have been a fan of the star ratings often going with what the scout actually says about the player and his attributes. Anyway, he comes in to add cover for Mokrzycki at half back. which now gives us two players in there capable of fulfilling that role. On paper he’s better and I would like to see how he plays out in the side. Has all the right ingredients to make that number 6 slot his own.

Outgoings

With nine arrivals it was key to move players on that no longer had any chance of featuring. A few notable ones are Starzynski who refused a contract who most certainly would have been first choice left back. Bielecki who was a good keeper but has no chance with Lech returning from his loan spell and Nowak as back up and Kamil as the prospect. The rest it’s fair to say were never making the grade especially after the new arrivals. So, its keeps the wage budget intact and also gives them a chance to go onto better things and net the club some sell on fees.

Season Preview

 

Middle table mediocracy is what there tipping us for. Which for me suits as I think it means teams will press us high thinking, we are weak, it also means teams shouldn’t sit to deep, so in a way this should suit us and our style. Hopefully playing around high presses and facing less a parked buses. 

No players in the dream eleven shows a step up in class, but I feel collectively the team is very strong and well balanced in all departments and with our passion for positional possession football we can certainly upset a few teams. Of course, now that we no longer play in the regional division there will be a lot less emphasis on Silesian battles in fact there isn't an official derby featured in the league this year, as Katowice gained promotion.

Certainly, getting off to reasonably tough start. 4/5 teams are certainly fancied as top half teams with Chojniczanka and Stal Rzeszow the top two fancied teams outside they second teams of the bigger clubs in polish football. So will be a big task right from the start.

The club has bought into Roland Buchala's long term vision, and after one season have brought all of the club culture into line with the young managers beliefs. This for me is one of my favourite elements of the game. The same thing happened at Odd. After all every club I take over I want to change top to bottom and bring my philosophy so this is already a big plus point.

Pre Season Results

Well, the short and sharp pre-season is over. Not a lot of time tinker as much as I would have liked. I did learn a few things which I plan to cover as the season unfolds. Big win against Widzew Lodz being the highlight, in which I shifted the DLP into the centre of the park. He got more key passes and looked more deadly, but we lost our 2-3-5 attacking shape so for now it’s still experimental. Some poor results early on as we shuffled the team to try get fitness but all in all am happy with the turnaround and ready for the second season.

Thanks for reading

SixPointer

 

 

[Sheriff7]

Good luck in your new season!With so many B teams you can hit promotion.

[_Ben_]

Once again - wonderful write ups and well thought out decisions. 

Good luck for the new season. 

[13th Man]

A lot of young players with good potential!  Let's see how your progressive possession system works at the next level!

Agreed on star system (as I think most players do).  It's a decent starting point, and sometimes a way of wading through the dozens of scouting reports, but often way off the mark - especially when you have a club culture/specific style of play.

[SixPointer]

6 hours ago, Sheriff7 said:

Good luck in your new season!With so many B teams you can hit promotion.

Thanks dude!! I’m hoping our style of play catches many of guard and they don’t start parking the bus until half way through the season 

[SixPointer]

4 hours ago, _Ben_ said:

Once again - wonderful write ups and well thought out decisions. 

Good luck for the new season. 

Thanks very much! I think am one left winger away from the perfect window!

[SixPointer]

2 hours ago, 13th Man said:

A lot of young players with good potential!  Let's see how your progressive possession system works at the next level!

Agreed on star system (as I think most players do).  It's a decent starting point, and sometimes a way of wading through the dozens of scouting reports, but often way off the mark - especially when you have a club culture/specific style of play.

I think with a few slight adjustments to Salida and conductor they can still be very successful in this league. Pivots has really been abandoned at this stage as am not really sure what I want from it!

[Hootieleece]

I may look into your tactics and borrow for FC Kosice since I am having terrible trouble breaking down "Parked buses" and our team might benefit from "Positional Play". 

But if I stay with 3 at the back I may borrow from Nesselquist again.

 

Good Luck with the season!

 

[SixPointer]

19 minutes ago, Hootieleece said:

I may look into your tactics and borrow for FC Kosice since I am having terrible trouble breaking down "Parked buses" and our team might benefit from "Positional Play". 

But if I stay with 3 at the back I may borrow from Nesselquist again.

 

Good Luck with the season!

 

Your more than welcome to! Nesselquist was great at drawing the parked bus out. Where as buchala is trying to move it out the way 

[SixPointer]

The 4th Uprising To My Narod Slaski

Early Signs Of Promise

After my analysis of last season, there was certain aspects that I wanted to be improved. Improving the squad is naturally a must every season especially when moving up a tier I feel I done that as seen in the previous update. This update is more about the other areas I spoke about needing improvement.

Key areas I said needing improvement was key passes from the playmakers in the setups, another area of concern I had especially with Salida was a lack of real cutting edge. As I see Salida as the best base shape for possession which I touched on last season as well, I knew I had to refine the tactic to make it more potent. It’s at this point where it was time to unleash the SixPointer idea and ditch the Pep recreation. Peps Barcelona base had given me success and a good building point but now the games limitations had caught up with it and it was time for it to go under the knife.

First and foremost, football is a results business so let’s cover that first before getting to the beautiful side of the game. Three wins from three, zero goals conceded, eight goals scored, not bad for the new boys on the block. Sitting top of the pile albeit in goal difference.

So, the results are good, but why such a buzz after only three games, well Salida was used in all three of the games which compared to the tail end of last season things are looking up for the system. Yes, like I stated teams are maybe a little more open at the minute while the adjust to our styles, well certainly in the first two games they were the third a slightly different story.

Salida in its new tweaked form, few changes to roles and duties and some potent player instructions added. This wasn’t about tearing the system apart the bulk of what it done was fine, the inside forwards and Symmetry of the Guardiola system was killing it, play wasn’t carried enough our overloads never pulled teams to where I wanted them enough.

The Inverted wing back/Winger combo now combines on the right-hand side, IWB had impressed in the conductor system, and should it be a real asset in half space overloading, the winger is now positioned on the flank again it had flourished in the conductor. So now these pair coupled with the AP with his new team instructions off more direct passing and roam from position will now be the right-hand side overload. The idea is simple the winger holds the width while the IWB and AP overload the half space and the opposition full back has to decide between staying with the winger or helping his teammates.

The Inverted winger comes into play now, coupled with a wing back this combo is the role reverse of the right-hand side essentially which alone gives us that much needed variety. The wing back holds the width, supporting play then naturally overlapping, the inverted winger becomes the playmaker in the half space, while the Mezzala becomes the third man runner as we look for him to make that underlapping run. Again, the combination allows the half space to be overload while a wide option makes progress down the flank leaving the opponents in two minds.

The False 9 is back in for the TREQ, in all honesty am still not sure what role I prefer for our lone striker. I feel at the minute that the false 9 plays a bigger part in the central overload, which is crucial, forming the central diamond with the 3 centre midfield roles. Which allows the wider overloads to function higher up the park closer to the final third. Yes, that word again variety now with this setup I have multiple overloads in all the channels, multiple runners and still have that great build up shape that made the Salida standout.

People will most likely be wondering why I don’t have look for underlap on the right and overlap on the left, few reasons naturally with the roles and duties I have picked these movements I want will happen so its overkill by adding instructions, also these team instructions effect the individual mentalities of the players on the flanks which I don’t really want to effect as ive set their duties for a reason.

Chojniczanka (A)

Real domination in the first game of the season was of course pleasing especially the manner in which it came. The Mezzala getting on the scoresheet twice is a real delight as again its an area that needed work adding some goals from that area will prove crucial add into the fact the AP & Inverted winger both creative hubs got the assists adds the gloss to goalscorer.

Key passes 6 and 1 assists from the AP, clearly his more direct passing instruction paying off. Neugebauer last year had the highest pass completion which pointed to the fact he was being to safe in possession, now it appears the new instruction, his new player trait tries killer balls and the movement on the flank and opposite half space is paying off.

As you can see from the teams shape in possession coupled with the heat maps, it’s clear the half spaces are being utilised a lot better now. A 2-3-4-1 is now more average shape, but it’s clear to see the players that are playing closer together now as they make up the overloads. The unsung hero really is the Half Back who pretty much links everything together and breaking up anything that beats the press.

The second goal really sums up everything nicely, the team shape is excellent to begin with as we transition back into the attacking organisation. Both half spaces are initially overload and the false 9 is doing a great job off somehow drawing the attention of 4 central players.

The ball is fired into the winger, is the laid back into the half back who knocks into the AP who plays defence splitting pass into the Mezzala who tucks home. The crucial part is the movement in each half space, the right side allows rapid ball circulation, while the left is all about movement to free a player. 8 the mezzala and 10 the inverted winger pulls the number 2 a part while the false 9 drags the centre back in the channel opens up and the mezzala strikes. A central overload in each half with a key pass from the playmaker is a real plus point for me.

3D shows the true beauty of the central duo linking up.

Olympia (H)

Well, if the first game was domination this was annihilation, Mezzala bags another brace what a start to the season for young Jakub Nowak. His second goal of the game a real highlight. The ball is worked from the defensive transition, through the attacking transition, into the attacking organisation seamlessly. The ball working its way back down the left and with a series of short passes and interchanges drags the opponents out of shape. The LCB again plays a pivotal role as he plays the final ball into the IWB........

From there the IWB plays across the midfield into the unmarked left half space (as once again the opponent is in the process of shifting over to our right) The inverted winger takes one touch and slides the mezzala in who has made a lovely run in the channel off the back of the full back, he slots in the far corner and again the satisfaction for Roland Buchala is off the scale. The blueprint he has worked on day in day out on the training pitch all comes together.

Another man enjoying a fine first two games is Neugebauer another assists and another 7 key passes. The adjustment to his role instructions and his training regime paying off in the early stages. remarkably Ruch had 32 key pass all in all with the highest rankers being the AP, IW and F9 coming from all of the channels and across the pitch. The AP, IW look to be my creative linchpins, but it seems the F9 wants in on the act as well.

Sadly, Bartosz Bak who lit up the game early on received a bad injury that looks to rule him out for at least the next month of fixtures A real blow especially after his goal and early signs so far.

This kid is the one that convinced me that the winger was the answer, drawing back on Peps wide men it’s very hard to nail them down in the game, I would say at city they are definitely inverted wingers. The winger however seems to make runs more like the inside forwards of real life hitting that channel area. Below you can see a fine example of what am talking about. The only real difference is the run isn’t true outside to in where the player starts on the touch line and runs inside his man.

Simple football executed to perfection, puling the opponent out of position, and punishing them, positional play is really starting to come together, in the build-up shot its clear to see the half spaces are a real focal point before everything comes back together nicely. I wish I could walk you through a game just to show all the little movements that are making up the positional play. Like I said the winger here attacks that channel space which is what I wanted my IF's doing but just never seemed to do it. This opens the door for me now, it’s just a shame young Bak is out for the month.

The team shape is pleasing again, along with the heat map. In particular it’s nice to see very little players playing in the sae vertical channels close together its far from perfect but am pleased with how its progressing, with the hope of eventually following the rule no more than 3 in a horizontal zone and no more than 2 in vertical zone. but of course, this cab effect the overloads in game as its hard for me to tell players to rotate out of certain zones if a player moves into a certain zone.

Yet again its more joy for Buchala as his game plan again comes to fruition, overloads, overlaps, underlaps attacking space, third man running, dominating possession this game really ticked all boxes.

Pruskow (A)

Certainly, the toughest task since moving up a level, credit to our opponents who knock the ball around just as good if not better than us. The 3-0 score line flattered us in a sense. What is really clear is the lower key passes (9), nothing from the playmaker this time around, however Dychus who came on and played the winger role excelled and now looks as if he could be the man to fill Bak's boots.

You can see the from the team shape in possession and heat map that our opponents done a good job at keeping us deeper than our previous two opponents.

Now I don’t want to make excuses as it’s my fault anyway, but the midweek game caught me off guard at the training pitch, the player carried on with their usual cycle as I never noticed the game coming which meant the legs were a little worn. however, the creation off the midweek morpho cycle below should help.

Thinking is pretty clear here, hit as much match preparation as I can in between the games and two key principles sessions of possession. Mainly it’s just trying to get the boys ready to go again tactically. Of course, no time to cover sub principles.

To round things off the final goal of the month, again it centres around fantastic ball circulation and off the ball movement followed by a lovely ball from the IWB to the Winger who again has attacked that channel perfectly. The lifted ball to the far post finds the false move and caps of a fine move and month.

is it time to quote it as Buchala ball? possibly a little premature!

Thanks for reading

SixPointer

Edited August 14, 2021 by SixPointer

[SixPointer]

First personal award for Buchala

[13th Man]

Loving the idea of that IWB, AP and W combo on the right, with the contrasting movement and shapes on the left. Like you said too, while the W will start wide, when possession is progressing on the other flank, they’ll make dangerous runs into the center.

Weirdly, some I've seen people complain that the wingers never stay wide enough, but from playing personally and from watching you never see wingers hang out on the far touchline when the ball is in the final third - you’re useless out there! Far post or at least inside the box is much more dangerous. If the ball gets recycled, obviously you drop back and wide…

[SixPointer]

On 17/08/2021 at 07:29, 13th Man said:

Loving the idea of that IWB, AP and W combo on the right, with the contrasting movement and shapes on the left. Like you said too, while the W will start wide, when possession is progressing on the other flank, they’ll make dangerous runs into the center.

Weirdly, some I've seen people complain that the wingers never stay wide enough, but from playing personally and from watching you never see wingers hang out on the far touchline when the ball is in the final third - you’re useless out there! Far post or at least inside the box is much more dangerous. If the ball gets recycled, obviously you drop back and wide…

The combos are working nicely in both sides!! Getting exactly what I wanted from them which of course is very pleasing. I’ve also added a few PI’s on the wide players to aim for the far past and that’s working a dream for players arriving nicely as the overload looks to switch 

[13th Man]

On 18/08/2021 at 19:39, SixPointer said:

The combos are working nicely in both sides!! Getting exactly what I wanted from them which of course is very pleasing. I’ve also added a few PI’s on the wide players to aim for the far past and that’s working a dream for players arriving nicely as the overload looks to switch 

Nice! Getting close to your dream of Pep ball but with more switches of play. Like it. 

[SixPointer]

12 minutes ago, 13th Man said:

Nice! Getting close to your dream of Pep ball but with more switches of play. Like it. 

Ehh well considering am in the lower reaches of polish football am delighted with how we are tactically performing. But like always my quest for perfection is crucial. The conductor systems seems to have run into problems and am yet to find my 4231. And as you know I’m usually a man who likes his formations to start with 3’s and feel and slowly being drawn into one! 

[SixPointer]

Unfortunately a vessel has arrived at work  today and looks like 3 weeks constant nights which means very little updates. But a whole lot of research times. 
 

I’m just about ready for a 3 month update but I won’t have the time. So will be a small break am afraid. 
 

anyone with great football reading am more than happy to listen to suggestions. wether it be in game articles or real life. This football addict needs more sources 🤣

Usual suspects of my research 

Total football 

spierlaverung

between the posts 

break the lines

[RoguPL]

Just caught up on this ! 

Amazing job so far ! Nice to see Polish save on the forum. 

Can't wait to see where you'll end up! 

 

 

[SixPointer]

17 hours ago, rrozek93 said:

Just caught up on this ! 

Amazing job so far ! Nice to see Polish save on the forum. 

Can't wait to see where you'll end up! 

 

 

Thanks man! Hopefully with some luck I’ll be able to update Sunday. 

[SixPointer]

Lady’s and gentlemen! 6 months away is coming to end today!! It’s been a long slog but I’ve made it. Back to sunny Scotland soon! Hopefully can update the thread I a couple of days after my wife lets me 🤣

[13th Man]

11 hours ago, SixPointer said:

Lady’s and gentlemen! 6 months away is coming to end today!! It’s been a long slog but I’ve made it. Back to sunny Scotland soon! Hopefully can update the thread I a couple of days after my wife lets me 🤣

So many things that get in the way!  Work, wives, kids, other interests!  It's like the world doesn't understand that a game where we manage spreadsheets that control imaginary footballers in imaginary games is important and so it conspires against us...

[karanhsingh]

Just had a catch up with your thread, great work so far! Love the level of detail and immersion as always. Hope you can keep it going into the top division and beyond... 

[SixPointer]

On 31/08/2021 at 20:05, karanhsingh said:

Just had a catch up with your thread, great work so far! Love the level of detail and immersion as always. Hope you can keep it going into the top division and beyond... 

Game time has been so limited that I can’t see me ever reaching the heights I wanted to before FM 22 is out. Perhaps with such a long term plan I should have started it earlier on! But we will see I should see a spike in game time when I return to Norway and I’m hoping to update all the way to the winter break in the second season this week 

[karanhsingh]

8 minutes ago, SixPointer said:

Game time has been so limited that I can’t see me ever reaching the heights I wanted to before FM 22 is out. Perhaps with such a long term plan I should have started it earlier on! But we will see I should see a spike in game time when I return to Norway and I’m hoping to update all the way to the winter break in the second season this week 

I understand, unfortunately my Budapest save got stopped in the tracks as well due to real life issues...

[13th Man]

3 hours ago, SixPointer said:

Game time has been so limited that I can’t see me ever reaching the heights I wanted to before FM 22 is out. Perhaps with such a long term plan I should have started it earlier on! But we will see I should see a spike in game time when I return to Norway and I’m hoping to update all the way to the winter break in the second season this week 

Looking forward to another update! Funny about not having the time before FM22 for your ambitious project. I usually wait a few months at least to buy the next year’s update anyway, so I think I’ll have “time” to finish up in Livorno even though I’m going especially slow, but the “through the leagues” projects certainly take time!

Edited September 7, 2021 by 13th Man

[SixPointer]

I am back! After a lengthy spell away from the game and writing due to work and then some rotation at home (Wife wouldn’t let me play) she has a point 6 months away for work and only 2 weeks off, Covid’s fault much like everything else in the world. Thing is when I left, I had played all the way up to the winter break but never got round to writing it up. I do take notes screenshots etc so bear with me as I catch up on what I have done in that time. In the interest of speeding, it up all cover the whole period in one large update which means it will be slightly briefer than I had previously planned. However, a glance at my notes should allow me to get some good writing about some of the very key matches and moments.

 

 

[13th Man]

42 minutes ago, SixPointer said:

I am back! After a lengthy spell away from the game and writing due to work and then some rotation at home (Wife wouldn’t let me play) she has a point 6 months away for work and only 2 weeks off, Covid’s fault much like everything else in the world. Thing is when I left, I had played all the way up to the winter break but never got round to writing it up. I do take notes screenshots etc so bear with me as I catch up on what I have done in that time. In the interest of speeding, it up all cover the whole period in one large update which means it will be slightly briefer than I had previously planned. However, a glance at my notes should allow me to get some good writing about some of the very key matches and moments.

 

 

Sounds pretty fair! If my wife was away for six months I wouldn’t want her playing Zelda (her current poison of choice) half the time.

Looking forward to more updates from Silesia!

[SixPointer]

38 minutes ago, 13th Man said:

Sounds pretty fair! If my wife was away for six months I wouldn’t want her playing Zelda (her current poison of choice) half the time.

Looking forward to more updates from Silesia!

Very true my man! 

[SixPointer]

The 4th Uprising - To My Narod Slaski

Putting the cat amongst the pigeons

August 2021

3 wins from 3 so far puts us in good stead before tackling this hectic August month. The first 3 games prove a stern test with all teams expected to be challenging for the top 6, while the second half of sees a few mid table sides rounded off with the team expected to finish stone last. Yet to concede a goal but I anticipate a few high octane games here. Lech II on paper are tipped for 2nd but it depends on what players filter down from the top side on the day.

Wisla Pulawy (H) 1-0

Nowak continued his goalscoring start to the season hitting his 5th of the season. This time operating in the Mezzala role within the 4-1-4-1 Conductor system, which ended in the same result for the young man breaking into the box and finishing well. I fell the Conductor offers us the best shape in possession for creating triangles in the half spaces. The IWB's Mezz's & Wingers link into a nice overload.

The winger role really has become of interest especially on attack duty something which I stated in previous updates as it really attacks the box well from wide even when the ball is on his side. The combo of these three roles certainly drives me back into the creator in the quest for a third system.

Stal Rzeszow (A) 2-3

Roland, A thrilling encounter, the late winner makes it 5 wins in 5 and it’s hard to believe Ruch were promoted this season. how is it going so well?

First of all, I fell the recruitment in the summer was magnificent the board really went out their way to secure the players me and my staff has identified so there is huge praise for them. Also, I believe teams find our style of play a surprise, many would have expected us to restrict our philosophy with being promoted but we have stuck to our guns, however as you can see from Stal's game plan today teams are now getting wise, so it’s now down to us to keep finding ways to win. 40 games without losing so everyone is looking to topple us.

Lech II (H) 4-2

Dominated our opponents in every department and ran out clear winners in the end, concerns slight as goals start to leak in back-to-back games but when you’re scoring more goals like this and doing it all within your style of play you can’t complain too much. 23 Key passes with 63% possession and 4 chances made ticks the boxes. Great team move from LWB-HB-AP-MEZ-W-IW back of the net. Overload on left and passed through to other side before fantastic play from the winger. Love how Nowak moves in from the overload to slide into the number ten hole.

Our shape in possession in the Salida system also offers great diamonds, triangles, and overloads. Again, particularly in the half spaces, where the wide combination again cause havoc. now with wingbacks and wide men all doing opposite jobs it offers great variety while still holding the core principles. another big difference is how spread the back 2 allowing for the half back to drop in compared to the DLP in the conductor system. Both systems now give us a great shape when in our attacking phase of play.

Another key point is the IWB is doing a great job doubling up with the AP and the 3 killer passes he provided from inside the park was essential when the AP was miss firing. On the opposite side both players that played the LWB ended with 3 killer passes but come from much wider. It again gives us much needed variety, it also leads to me to think about an opposite of this sort of combo for the third system.

Pogon Siedlce (A) 2-3

Vintage display flatters us, left it late to secure the 3 points. Warning signs are there, and it was time to it the training pitch and start hitting our defensive cycle maybe it can shore us up a little. Of course, midweek games make it tough but a few adjustments and were working on defensive preparations. Conceding two goals a game in our last 3 after keeping clean sheets in the first 4 is a trend. I noticed all but one goal has come in the second half maybe tired legs becoming an issue, may be that I need to slow the tempo of the game down once on top maybe press a little less aggressive.

Blekitni (H) 5-2

A sublime game of football! Ruthless Ruch in front of goal again but that second half slip is still an issue however 9 wins from 9 hitting the net so you can’t have it all. Some masterful football on show, and goals from all three of the front 3. Kuczera has really made a statement in that wide role, 2 assists and a goal real live wire with his pace and something Buchala can consider when Bak is out. Jano seems to have settled into the other wing lacks the pace, but the intelligence is there, and he times his out to in runs perfectly.

As mentioned Kuczera revelled in the winger role as you can see here from his spectacular finish getting on the end of Jano's delightful switch of play. A great example of the positional play paying off through using the overload to work wonders and thus giving us all three examples of superiority.

Isolating the winger against the full back gives us the qualitative superiority as he is much quicker than the full back. it’s also classed as numerical, but I would highlight the IWB (24) for the numerical part as his positioning stops opponents winger number 8 staying wide and doubling up with his full back. These two examples are only isolated to the right flank. 

The white box has a 5v4 and is dragging the opponent towards our left flank again numerical superiority is gained, the mezzala (8) sitting in the half space links both the central overload and the wide overload as he can either make it 5v4 or 3v2 in which area he sees fit this gives us the numerical and positional superiority as he is the main foil in the opponents positioning along with the false 9 (18).

Overall because the opponent has been dragged out of shape and we have multiple overloads the quest for overall positional superiority has been won, and pays off with a delightful, chipped goal. The idea is that with this philosophy we will dominate and create more chances through these premeditated and trained movements. Players need to move in rehearsed fashion so that they occupy the correct zone at the correct time.

A wonderful team move, I won’t dissect it too much due to the size of the goal. you can see the early build up stage both CBs are happy to take it off the keeper, the high press is bypassed by firing into the F9. Then the ball is worked nicely in the left half space and middle of the pitch. Then similar to against Lech II the play opens up in the final third as the half back receives it one telling ball into the winger who turns it around the corner to the F9 to chip over the keeper again.

A lovely move and paired with the goal above show exactly what I am trying to create here at Ruch Chorzow. Pass and move, intelligent positional play, overloads, and versatility.

Hutnik Krakow (A) 0-2

400 fans make the journey up to Krakow Buchala ball and the chance to win 9 on the spin is starting to bring the Ruch fans back into the fold.

9 wins it is! a solid 2-0 away win, top against bottom but still nice to get a clean sheet after conceding 2 goals for 4 games in a row. Salida still dominates as the main system, but I do transition between that and Conductor in game. Third system at this stage of the game was still under construction in the idea stage in my book that I write all my in-game notes and ideas in. It was yet to be translated into FM.

Safe to say it was one of the very best month at the helm. Already things have far surpassed what I had imagined for this season. I can’t rest on my laurels though, as FM has a habit of catching you out and hitting you when you’re at the top. focus is key and also finding this third system to offer another solution in the quest for variety within the parameters of our key principles. Subtle tweaked system we shall call it.

Unfortunately, I forgot to screenshot the league at this stage, I did however after one game into September so I will let you into a secret for the next update.

The game was won which I will cover in more depth in the next update. The number are incredible, 10/10, 30 scored 8 conceded, Difference 22. However only 7 points clear after they remarkable stats. There is still a long way to go here and am certainly not counting my chickens before my eggs have hatched. Slaski live up to the bookies short price, while Chojniczanka and Stal Rzeszow look to have made solid starts and Stal provided us the biggest test to date.

Financial Check 

The club remains relatively healthy, our gate receipts almost covering our player wages last month. Still losing just shy of 100k a month is not sustainable could do with an ex-player moving on for good money as really none of our player sales would amount to much at the moment. It was always going to be a big financial task and getting things right on the pitch will only help off it.

Naturally my plan of one big update to catch up fell to bits the minute I started looking into my notes, was simply too much good stuff to cut out and miss out on as I genuinely build updates by month. I thought about carrying on and just doing all 3 months like so, but I live in fear of deleting it like I have done so many times before and although its mostly a copy and paste job it still requires effort.

Thanks SixPointer

[Hootieleece]

Welcome Back! 

Are you going to keep this up after FM22?

 

Slovakia is no longer be played or reported on and is now just a non-career update journeyman until FM 22.  (Stops in US and France for Horvath)

 

 

[SixPointer]

8 hours ago, Hootieleece said:

Welcome Back! 

Are you going to keep this up after FM22?

 

Slovakia is no longer be played or reported on and is now just a non-career update journeyman until FM 22.  (Stops in US and France for Horvath)

 

 

I’ll see how I feel at the time, I’m really enjoying the save. Mainly I’ve found the full philosophy and how to implement it. So if I was to start a new challenge when FM22 arrives I would probably use the same philosophy etc. I may hold of till the turn of the year. At the minute no team jumps out at me for FM22

[13th Man]

Really nice start to the season!  It certainly seems like the Second Division wasn't ready for Ruch's intricate passing!  I think that sometimes there's not as much difference as you'd think between the lower divisions, and the gap in quality only grows in the top flight.  Even that might just be a 'big five' league thing though.

Seems like you're in a good place to get back to back promotions, especially if you can tighten up at the back.  May or may not have anything to do with your defensive 'problems' (can't be that bad if you keep winning!), but when I had Livorno playing on a positive mentality they were defensively wobbly and only decent/good going forward, but when I pulled back to balanced suddenly there have been clean sheets and goals galore.  That's not the only tweak (and mentality means its not just a tiny tweak!), but I wonder there's just one or two little things you can do that will tighten things up.

[SixPointer]

8 minutes ago, 13th Man said:

Really nice start to the season!  It certainly seems like the Second Division wasn't ready for Ruch's intricate passing!  I think that sometimes there's not as much difference as you'd think between the lower divisions, and the gap in quality only grows in the top flight.  Even that might just be a 'big five' league thing though.

Seems like you're in a good place to get back to back promotions, especially if you can tighten up at the back.  May or may not have anything to do with your defensive 'problems' (can't be that bad if you keep winning!), but when I had Livorno playing on a positive mentality they were defensively wobbly and only decent/good going forward, but when I pulled back to balanced suddenly there have been clean sheets and goals galore.  That's not the only tweak (and mentality means its not just a tiny tweak!), but I wonder there's just one or two little things you can do that will tighten things up.

Mentality tends to be the one thing I really don’t touch after I set it. So I may give it a go. It effects everything so I often leave it as is because it’s the one big thing I pick when making the desired system and everything else is adjusted to suit. Then I usually play with small in game tweaks. Team instructions, player instructions maybe even a role or duty change or even a slight formation adjustments. Like dropping wings backs back to make flat 4 etc. 

[13th Man]

10 minutes ago, SixPointer said:

Mentality tends to be the one thing I really don’t touch after I set it. So I may give it a go. It effects everything so I often leave it as is because it’s the one big thing I pick when making the desired system and everything else is adjusted to suit. Then I usually play with small in game tweaks. Team instructions, player instructions maybe even a role or duty change or even a slight formation adjustments. Like dropping wings backs back to make flat 4 etc. 

It really does make a big difference, and that wasn’t really my suggestion! Like you said, if effects everything. I do like to use it to switch things up sometimes - hit a team with sustained pressure, or smother the opposition with possession and make them chase - but I’m starting to think it is less effective for my Livorno 3atb, which is all about passing, than it was for my previous direct 4-3-3 where the risk taking or lack thereof was a bigger part of the tactic. My realization was that I higher risk taking was counterproductive for both defending (obviously) and attacking in the 5-2-1-2 because it’s all about proving and forcing mistakes. 

[SixPointer]

21 minutes ago, 13th Man said:

It really does make a big difference, and that wasn’t really my suggestion! Like you said, if effects everything. I do like to use it to switch things up sometimes - hit a team with sustained pressure, or smother the opposition with possession and make them chase - but I’m starting to think it is less effective for my Livorno 3atb, which is all about passing, than it was for my previous direct 4-3-3 where the risk taking or lack thereof was a bigger part of the tactic. My realization was that I higher risk taking was counterproductive for both defending (obviously) and attacking in the 5-2-1-2 because it’s all about proving and forcing mistakes. 

Definitely get where your coming from. I found on balanced it was to much possession for possession sake. And meant I would need to up tempo possibly direction. I’m already high on possession numbers so feel if I went balanced it would prove to counter productive and mean a small overhaul. 

[SixPointer]

The 4th Uprising - To My Narod Slaski

Be Careful What You Wish For!

September 2021

A welcomed shorter month, after a packed august took its toll on the legs and the training structure. The lack of midweek games will now allow me to implement the defensive morphocycle and try cut out the goals we are shipping. In terms of games 3 games, I would expect to win followed by a tough test in the capital at the league favourites. Legia II probably won’t make as big a wave as trip to the capital to play the top team.

Olimpia Elblag (H) 4-0 

Ruthless first 20 minutes blew the away side away, in the second half Buchala's side seemed to take the foot off the gas. This is the first time ive lowered the tempo and decreased the press, all with the desire of not conceding sloppy goals. Seemed to work well, easy I suppose when the game is already out of reach of the opponent. All the front three on the scoresheet is always pleasing.

Another magical performance on the flank from Kuczera bar a penalty miss, rather enjoying that that winger attack role. What is clear he breaks the line behind perfectly to make him more of a wide poacher when the ball is on the opposite flank. He also laid on a lovely key pass but is probably the one area that needs work if he is to be a wide man, I do however still see him as a central striker, but the versatility is welcomed and a huge part of what I want to achieve at the club.

Garbarnia (A) 0-0

Well a chance to break some more records passes us by, The least said about our trip to Krakow the better. By far the worst performance in a long time. Clean sheets I complained about then and trained them team accordingly sometimes its a case of its not broke don't fix it. So be careful what you wish for.

Motor (H) 1-1

Lovely goal again from Kuczera, these runs he is making of the back of full backs is exactly what I desire from my wide men. The winger on attack as he really changed my view on it. This is the sort of run I would expect from inside forwards much like Salah does for Liverpool, but I never find I see it enough from inside forwards.

Poor losing a goal with ten to play, probably this time was the time to lower tempo and the press, but it was a goal completely against the run of play but certainly a lesson to be learned on my part. I need to find when the perfect time is to take the foot of the gas even if we are dominating and look like getting another goal. The LWB is caught out first off, all then the RWB doesn't track his man, considering back-to-back clean sheets before this it’s a very frustrating a goal to concede.

Legia II (A) 0-2

Huge result and performance to match, gets things back on track on and the decision to switch to the conductor from the start was vindicated. Restricted the capitals B team to virtually nothing. A penalty was needed to breakthrough but was deserved. The changes were rung in by Buchala and few player have shown the fight to stay in the side. The second goal was a work of art and put the icing on the cake.

This time around the goal comes from the left side, and once again the wingers movement really does tell the story that ive been trying to tell. Yet again the wingers run is more of inside forward/inverted winger. The ball is on his side so you would expect him to be looking to hold more width which is not the case. The run is so intelligent and really almost Raheem Sterling like. High praise I know for a polish lower league but all ties in with what I want to achieve.

The most pleasing part of the goal is the rotations and moving of positions form all players involved. The winger lays the ball off into the wing back at this point he vacates the space for the Mezz to drop into who has been leading the line as the false 9 had dropped. They now switch position the Mezz gets on the ball lays into the false 9 who now leads the line and lays it around the corner for the winger to finish. It’s a masterclass and really makes all effort I put into the tactical thinking worth it. If you see such movements from a Barcelona, City or Ajax side people would heap praise on the player movement.

Sticky patch in the middle of the month but, come through still unbeaten in 13 games as we steam ahead into October, and it certainly looks tough. Up first its upper Silesia vs lower Silesia it’s also first against second fantastic spectacle. Then next three games will see the full cycle of the league complete, before another top end clash against Chojniczanka to start it all off again!

Slask II (H) 0-1

All good things must come to an end and with an incredibly bad ad day at the office on the biggest of days, sees our incredible unbeaten run come to an end. A penalty out does us but in truth Slask II played us like a violin, sitting deep and regularly countering us. Front three lacked quality all in all a poor showing. Sad to see it go especially in front of the home fans at the Cicha. The lack of cutting edge again switched some of the ideas I had for the third system which is now into trial stage.

KP Starogard (A) 5-2

Well, if Slask II was a bad day am not really sure what kind of day this was. Battering the home side, but not making enough clear-cut chances 34 shots but with only an XG of 2.85 it’s not good enough chances, granted I threw caution to the wind later on in search of goals, but I still feel I have the players at my disposal to make more of over 30 shots at goal. A real bad display for the left hand side of the pitch. The goalkeeper well he basically gifted three goals so time for him to sit out.

Much like Slask the home side sat deep and hit us on the break, the more we chased the game the more we overcommitted the more they thrived on the counter. Throwing players forward in search of goals not taking care of my rest defence positions where players are ready to pick up second balls and block counter attacks.

Now it’s apparent more than ever that I need a system where the central striker can also go in behind more regularly, to break down these parked buses. right now, it’s mainly the job wide men to break the lines and get in behind, while the false 9 drags CB's out. I feel sometimes it would be better to push a player into the 10 and ask all three front me to be on the move towards the goal.

Wigry (A) 1-1

Dreadful performance and a result that really begs the question is this a dip in form or do I now have issues with the AI working my systems and game plans out. it’s no quite panic stations yet and at this stage the third system is going to be ready for next month.

From 34 shots the game before to just 6 shots at goal this game it is quite a remarkable drop and when you consider we scored and still only had an XG of 0.30 its certainly not acceptable!

The only shining light from the game was Idzik powerful dive into the smashing the underside of the bar and over the line. Both strikers are patchy with dry spells and the spells where the cant stop scoring, it’s great for them battling each other for a place. Also, Kuczera was doing a job out on the right flank which gave Idzik the central role to more or less himself.

Belchatow (H) 2-0

Vast improvement, that sees us retake the lead at the top jumping Slask II in the process. The home crowd played the part at the Cicha driving the team forward, two goals either side of half time done the job, and this time taking the foot of the gas at the right time paid off as we controlled the game to a finish and secured a massive three points.

Perhaps being a little harsh on the boys it has been a few bad results, but teams certainly had caught on to elements of the game plan. The analysts clear points to us still performing well above average in terms of the league I tend to forget we were only promoted this season due to our sublime start. Also, to note the squad is made up of hard workers, players with high level of technique and impressive creativity and vison, the squad building this early on is already shaping towards the end goal these three things are essential to the philosophy.

The boys have also been training well and responding well to the tactical periodisation, sitting with a team average rating of 7.95. Pleasing to see the 3 academy starts are the highest rated players as well, moving them up to the first team units has helped them massively. Most importantly no bad individual training performances which is crucial in my deciding if its paying off week to week. 

Chojniczanka (H) 3-0 

Now were talking, back to our clinical ways. I the result comes down to the preplanning, this flat back 4 isn't the new third system this is merely the Salida system adjusted to suit our opponents style. I remembered from the first game their flanks were very dangerous, and a looking into the scout report has backed this up, I countered this by lowering the wingbacks into the fullback slots and took the inverted full back off to a standard. In order to counter their main threat down the left. The game is started with the Salida but these changes are pre planned and if I see patterns in the first few highlights the switches begin to take place.

A few other tweaks that were made this is shown from the 78th minute just after making it 3-0. The central midfield pairing has been switched and a DLP(D) now preferred as the opponent looked to overload this side with their own playmaker, I decided to fight fire with fire and use a holding playmaker. while the mezzala drifting would give their left winger something to think about.

The RCB was switched to a cover duty to also help with the blistering pace of the Striker and Left inside forward. It was clear they wanted to exploit the space in that channel, so I shut it off. A DLF(A) instead of F9 purely because I needed a more physical performance due to the strengths of both of the CB's I wanted more than the intelligence and trickery of the F9.

Kuczera is at it again, that movement in behind the full back is deadly especially when is a more than capable finisher. Great ball from young Luczak who failed to settle in the top team at the start of the season but after a short spell at the 19's has come back and shown he is ready to fight for that slot which I have expected been if he is only 15 years of age. If your good enough your old enough here at Ruch...

Finished the month with two really strong performances, after a poor start. Two clean sheets and 5 scored in the last two games is a lot more promising than the earlier results.

After 18 games it’s all to play for, Slask II also slipped up in two games which allows us to maintain top spot. The form teams Stal Rzeszow and Olympia have really closed the gap and now become serious contenders. Chojniczanka dropped off slightly, which has allowed Pruszkow make up ground and I personally wouldn’t rule either of these two out to make a surge. Our goal difference is still far superior to the rest and when you consider we shipped 5 last month it really is impressive, perhaps I should stop moaning about it...

Thanks SixPointer

Edited September 18, 2021 by SixPointer

[13th Man]

Looks like positional play and Ruch’s  cohesive style has gotten through a bit of a dip and is still taking the Second Division by storm. 

[SixPointer]

1 hour ago, 13th Man said:

Looks like positional play and Ruch’s  cohesive style has gotten through a bit of a dip and is still taking the Second Division by storm. 

yes it’s heating up nicely!!
One more update and I’ll be back upto date with were I am in game. 

[SixPointer]

The 4th Uprising - To My Narod Slaski

By Hook Or By Crook!

November 2021

Nice four game month to take us into the winter break, well nice is maybe a stretch. This will be no easy task, all four are in the hunt for promotion playoffs. Olimpia have only lost one in their last 5, Pruszkow have won their last 3, Wisla looks like the easiest fixture but away games always are tricky, Stal Rzeszow are the form team in the league and only sit 6 points adrift of us. It might be winter, but this month could really see the league heat up....

Boys again responding well to the training program before a tough away trip, Average rating of 8.01 which am really over the moon about. This being my first real attempt at setting team training since the overhaul. I was happy leaving my assistant to it and just focusing on individual training, but I always felt it was an area I had to learn to match my reasonable knowledge of the tactical creator if I was to become a better player. At first, I found it all very overwhelming so many options hence why I had left it to the ass man, but with researching the tactical periodisation it gave me something to base on and structure it around, give me an oath so to speak, it’s really the same way I got better with the tactical creator by using real life ideas and translating them into FM. I must say I think the long-term objectives at Ruch will not be met In FM21 due to FM22 being around the corner, however the one thing ill definitely take from this save is the team training which I now really enjoy and fully see its worth when creating a club DNA.

Olimpia Grudziadz (A) 1-1

Wasn’t to be, just couldn’t find that all important second goal. Really took the game to Olimpia after they equalised and made some really good chances, in the second half the game fizzled out and we slumped to the draw. Some notable performances, the new look front three gave a good account of themselves all but hitting the net they did encounter a keeper on the top of his game. Pawlowski has been the signing of the season a real rock at the back hopefully Poland youth coaches have taken notice. Young Luczak at just 15 really is pushing to make that RWB slot his own still very all or nothing at the minute lacking consistency but what can you expect from a 15-year-old.

Znicz Pruszkow (H) 3-2

I expected a tough game even though they were coming off a loss to Slask II which seen them jump us I still knew it would be a battle and the visitors proved me right, Maciej Firlej proving to be a right handful easily the best striker ive came up against in this league, the poacher just punished Banach on the shoulder of our high defensive line and in the end the big centre back was subbed off. Idzik had a bad day in front of goal however the wide men either side got goals, although they both got them from the different positions as Kuczera moved central and Bak to the right after Jano came on for Idzik which worked wonders and flipped the result on its head particularly the third goal where all three combined. Kuczera goal I don’t think their goalie will want to see again he closed him down well, but he kicked it straight of the forward which the landed in his net... I suppose his work rate, endeavour, and the opposition instruction to close down the keeper earned us the goal. The winner is what we are all about at Ruch Chorzow and was worthy of winning any game.

Another wonderful team goal built on the left and finished on the right, The front three all involved but the real star of the move is Jakub Nowak the Mezzala his movement is superb and with it he cuts open the defence. First dropping into a nice space to take the ball of the LWB then dropping it into Jano form a one-two to open the space up before hitting Kucera who turns it around the corner for the on rushing Bak who yet again proves that winger on attack duty to be deadly. This is clearly one of the biggest weapons in the Salida systems armoury which has spurned the third system to be a slight opposite. Which is now ready after being long overdue.

Wisla Pulawy (A) 0-4

The Hook - named after the Enganche, sees the third system was finally unleashed and boy did it work. I had stated for a while the need for the central striker to be attacking space in behind that coupled with the need for a system with a number ten. The idea is the AF will work the space as well as help in build-up, the Enganche is the Enganche is just pulling strings from the middle, while the winger is switched to the opposite side and the IW MEZ WB combo now comes down the right, The RWB is given an attack duty and it’s just a standard full back on the opposite side rather than an invert. This is all to add variety, the team instructions are largely the same its mainly formational and roles n duties that mix it up. Three systems ill now cycle with opponent or game dependent, each built heavily around the key principles and same ideals with slight adjustments to give us enough variety to keep the opponent’s on their toes and counter specific threats.

Hattrick for the AF, 2 assists for the Enganche and RWB(A) and 5 key pass from the Mezzala. Real good numbers for its first full outing in competitive games, wide men lacked a little, but everyone is allowed a bad day. The DLP was vital in keeping the game ticking over becoming a link man doing all the easy stuff while the Mezzala offered a lot more than I expected as the second pivot done some real dirty work and the played a little more direct, both complemented the Enganche perfectly who also wasn’t shy in doing some dirty work.

First goal instantly highlights why I went for an AF, he has the CBS pinned thus giving the Enganche the space to operate if need be but also gives us a more direct ball in behind. The RWB takes up his offer and lifts a lovely ball into the channel much like the balls the winger latches onto in Salida, great off the ball great pass great finish.

The second goal shows off a whole new weapon, CB snaps into the challenge then ENG, MEZ play a one-two before the Enganche hits a raking through ball for the advance forward to latch onto he runs through and as Kuczera likes to chip the goalkeeper. More direct approach but very useful for some of the stubborn defences I had come up against.

Third goal sees him finish of a great cross from the RWB, safe to say he certainly enjoyed his day on the shoulder and is probably why he enjoyed the winger role so much, he is however great at the false 9 role as well when he is more creative, that word variety pops up again he has now become a more complete striker and player which is my aim, in an ideal world I would want ever player capable in at least three roles.

The real-life table as its stands, still unbeaten so maybe Ruch were already onto something they did smash the Liga 3 as well so maybe am not doing anything to special just yet. Another comparison is that Stal Rzeszow had become our closest challengers as well by far the best team in the league on form, so it was going to be a good battle for sure.

Stal Rzeszow (H) 1-0

Knowing that they had a very solid defence, in fact the best record in the league I knew I would have to be creative to break them down. What struck me was when reading through the reports they used two inverted roles on their left-hand side. This coupled with their playmaker made it very clear they wanted to overload this area, however I also viewed it as a potential weak spot for us to exploit with the winger on attack duty being a danger to the space the IWB would leave.

I didn’t however go with the Salida which already operates with the winger there. I put a spin on the new systems. I flipped the wingback to a fullback to help defend against the overload and switched the IW to the W(A). The reason I never flipped to the Salida was purely for protection, there AMC was highly dangerous with the two CMS it would help nullify him, also the Mezz drifting into the half space would help on their overload side give the fullback and hand in turnovers to get a press into their area quick. Another key point was I wanted the left back and winger on the left to stop their exploit side having any joy as they could just go man for man making. The man marking on the left would also stop them being dragged into the overload.

This is a good example of tweaks I use before games to gain advantages especially in bigger games where I know it will be tight. I make three systems to counter specific threats and usually that covers all angles but there are occasions when I use a small tweak as it simply makes more sense. Salida would probably got the job done but our left side would certainly have been vulnerable. Throw into the fact they had two very slow CB’s but strong It made more sense to have the AF than the F9.

In the build up to the goal you can see why I used this altered system in the attacking sense. Already Bak isolated 1v1, with the RB behind supporting freely. Their IW on the left has decided to pick up the mezzala due to the fact there two CMS are doubling up on the Enganche. As the move unfolds the Enganche drops deep on the ball the AF peels off, but most importantly the MEZZ runs of the IW and becomes the perfect third man he slips to the winger with some nice foot work and a great finish we are 1 up. There really is no better feeling for me in FM when this sort of thing comes off, finding gems or developing players is great but to me when a tactical idea plays out and comes off exactly how you intent it’s a different level of satisfaction.

The win sees manager of the month swing my way as well, always nice to get the recognition. Also shows you how inform two of our opponents in the month were, cause the managers come 2nd and third with the same win ratios. So this month really was massive especially heading into the winter break. The media have now delivered the statement, Its now regarded as Buchala-Ball. Nesselquist first now Buchala. FM21 has been great for my tactical growth this year especially attacking in two different ways gives more depth to the learning.

The finances are still on the slide, like I stated a few months back losing 100k a month will do that. Loan repayments take up the revenue made in a month instantly, so you’re onto a loss right away just on the running off the club. Staff wages and youth setup play their part, but they are essential as from the golden generation last intake that’s the best chance of us making money. This was always a task hopefully we can get that promotion to ease our worries.

The table makes for better reading this month, now the seven points that separates us from second place. Slask II had a poor month which allows us some breathing space, Rzeszow now join the hunt for real. Our goals for are incredible and our goals against isn't to bad either to think we were promoted I really have to be happy. With 10 regular season games left the focus must remain now with the third system firing I'm hoping that provides us with the last piece of the jigsaw to see us seal promotion.

Thanks SixPointer