[FM22] Matryoshka

[Novem9]

RPL place in UEFA rating please? I hope it's in top10 and you have a chance for Conference League  

[Sonic Youth]

Congrats on promotion 

[Hootieleece]

Players always want stupid deals after promotion and have large ego's that makes every 18 y o that has seen a few minutes of game time think they should be highest paid player on the team!

Congrats on the Promotion. If your team plays just half as well in the RPL you should definitely not get relegated.

In fact, you might snatch a European place with a few good performances against the big teams.

 

[SixPointer]

Congratulations on the promotion 

[Shrewnaldo]

Nice one Ben, winning promotion has got to feel very good 

[wpmk]

Congrats on the promotion, no other team even came close which vindicates your approach. Interested to see how you get on in the RPL.

[RogerC]

20 hours ago, wpmk said:

Excellent work! Even if there are some overlaps on the consistency scale, I think it’s great being able to compare and contrast against other scores.

I usually have a threshold of around “12”, depending on the league level, as a minimum viable competency. It looks like this would work on a consistency scale too.

Also, yes, I fear my hunger for depth here has derailed the topic somewhat. Ben, if you’d prefer to keep it to your save here then perhaps this is an opportunity for us to create a thread in the Tactics and Training forum instead?

14 hours ago, _Ben_ said:

@RogerC- I really like that spreadsheet. I wonder if that's something, in the future, maybe in a thread in the Training/Development area that we could collaborate on. The ideas that you propose and the wider reading too from @wpmkare fantastic!

Gladly!! Whenever you want! The geek in me wants more excels spreadsheets and also figure out Training and player development.  

 

 

Amazing unbeaten campaign, looks like the current squad/tactics would do you well even in the league above. Promising campaign next season in the top tier with the signings you will certainly do!

Edited January 14, 2022 by RogerC

[_Ben_]

Thanks @RogerC, @wpmk, @Shrewnaldo, @SixPointer, @Hootieleece and @Sonic Youth - I'm really happy to have been promoted with such ease. I feel like I walked into quite a tough job, considering the player sales over the summer, too, and have really thought long and hard about the decisions - with the vast majority coming off!

21 hours ago, Novem9 said:

RPL place in UEFA rating please? I hope it's in top10 and you have a chance for Conference League  

Eighth most reputable league but...

Tailed off a little in terms of performances in Europe so we're likely to lose some standing there, even though the actual qualifying places will remain the same. However, the money seems pretty decent, still:

 

[_Ben_]

April 2031

Promotion was already secured but we've ensured that we take the league title too as we chase down a few league records.

It says something when we create over 2.00xG in each game of the month - we are a real attacking machine and goals come from anywhere. We opened up with four of them against Perm, starting with a penalty in the eleventh minute from evergreen de la Cruz. Young academy lads Babushkin and Petrenko netted, solidifying the need to absolutely focus on their development. We sealed the title away at Leningradets thanks to a lovely freekick from de la Cruz, who has really shown his worth with 21 goal contributions this season, which has included a pretty big spell on the sidelines, too. He was rested for the Volga game and it was his replacement, Sobirjonov, that showed how potent the role is, adding two goals himself, taking his own tally to 14 goal contributions. I ended the month with a hammering of Neftekhimik in what was, by far, the most even game of the month but we just took our chances!

---

With Ezequiel Ponce nearing a return to full fitness, I feel that it's a good time to evaluate the decision I made when he was injured, which was to just allow 18-year-old Anton Petrenko a free reign to lead the line for us, despite only have a season of football at this level before. Here is my ode to Anton.

 

The above compares his before and after statistics and attributes. In this time, he started fourteen games, which is pretty much of all of them, scoring fifteen times and setting up one goal. His Average Rating increased from 6.89 to a very respectable 7.26. There have also been improvements in his key attributes.

However, I can dig a little deeper. Using the divisional mean for strikers, which @Shrewnaldo found a way to access, I can see how he compares to other forwards in the league. I wasn't too concerned with him, attribute wise, when I made this decision, but, at that point, I was less aware of how he stacked up in terms of his performances. Now, unfortunately, I don't have a full set of 'before stats' as I only took the above screenshot butt here are some good comparisons to be made. It is also worth noting that these are all forwards - so I'm talking about your stereotypical Target Forwards mixed in with the small, pacey ones as well as those that play in a 1 or a 2. But, still, it's a good start:

His scoring rate was strong but it is now absolutely fantastic but what is even more impressive is that he's getting the ball in great places to take those shots. That, because it hasn't changed, is a great credit to our creative players who are still putting on the same type of chances that they were doing for Ponce. He plays as a CF(a), and, to be fair, I'd like him to be a little more involved in everything else, but he's pretty much below the average in every other area, although I am safe in the knowledge that my wingers, de la Cruz and Antonio will be absolutely nailing the crosses and dribbles and we purposely instruct our crosses to be different in order to take into account his poor heading completion rate.

He may just be 18, but, based on these stats, he's a finisher that is certainly good enough for this level and I think I'd be doing him a disservice to not allow to him to try at the next level up.

Furthermore, his attribute development has been a real success, too:

He's been working on his Passing as an extra focus (with no P/R/D) and he's seen a 2 point improvement in Vision and a 1 point improvement in Passing. He's also got a bit better at making Decisions and a bit stronger, too. I'd like to continue to develop his Technique as that is the only area I wanted to develop that has seen no changes, but, I think I'm happy with the path he's on right now.

Significant development in a short period of time and great performances by an eighteen year old! Great work Anton!

 

[_Ben_]

(Early) May 2031

Historically, this is not the time when I start my recruitment, instead I just find that I am aimlessly going through the motions, ready to end the season so I can start. Not this year! With a much greater focus on statistics, I cannot wait until July 1st and just sign up all the free agents because, whilst I can match their attributes with what I want, I can't look at how they've performed.

I think there are some real benefits of this: I'm identifying players who are already good at what they do and then also identify some with just one or two areas of weakness, and (especially in youngsters) then have already got a clear development plan with measurable KPIs for them over the coming years. There are, obviously, weakness to this approach, too: the standard of the FNL is not the same as the RPL so the players' statistics are slightly skewed, I'm likely to miss out on underperforming, and, therefore, probably cheaper players and I have to take into account team styles and quality of other leagues. However, I feel that is still going to be provide me with some useful evidence:

Before I even analyse my squad's performance this year, I'm able to create a short list of the positions I need to strengthen:

• Right Back: We have just one senior right back who will be remaining at the club next year.
• Centre Back: We have three senior centre backs for next year.
• Left Back: We are left with one senior left back and a 16-year-old, who, whilst has performed really well this season, will probably be loaned out next year.
• Defensive Mid: Our first choice has started 39 of the 42 games we've played this year
• Right Wing: We have no suitable backup in this role.

I also then have to consider my 8 Foreign player slots for next year, which I want to be used as almost DESIGNATED PLAYERS. Currently, my foreign players are:

• Manuel Antonio
• Ezequiel Ponce
• Nicolas de la Cruz
• Giorgi Kutsia

The limit doubles next year and I know that certain nationalities (Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan) are not considered foreign by the Russian FA. In an ideal world, nobody that is a backup would fill these slots, leaving me the chance to sign a few marquee players from abroad. 

I've already been very busy with scouting and feel that I've succeeded in one area, already:

---

Centre Back

Here are my current options:

I've been really impressed with Borodin and Usov has come in and done a really good job. I'm at the point though whereby I'd like to dispose of Mishaktin. He's put up some decent stats, although his successful tackle % is only at 63%, some 20% below the other two. His pass completion in on a par but also his Interceptions/90 is significantly down on the other two. The biggest factor though is linked to his Aggression attribute of 18. He's really hard to motivate in a game as he's always Aggressive. He's not been a walking Yellow Card, with only 3, but I need players who I can motivate, and he, sadly, isn't it. His market value is around £1m and that, ideally, will subsidise the deals that I've already done through some really specific scouting over the past months.

Here is my new centre back line up for next season:

Mikhail Branovets. Vadim Karpov. Andrey Khugaev.

Three new faces will be joining me for a combined £820k (Branovets - £450k, Karpov - £220k and Khuageav - £150k) and, in my opinion, will strengthen this area. Whilst I could have waited until we were officially a RPL club, I wanted to act now to secure these deals based on statistical evidence. Looking at their Defensive attributes - there are some outlying issues that I feel I can work on over time:

• Branovets - Pace (through Quickness focus) and Anticipation (through BPD P/R/D)
• Khuagaev - Heading (Aerial) and Pace (Quickness)

There is a clear idea here that Borodin (left side) and Usov (right side) will probably start at they work well together and have performed well this seaosn but, with an able backup of Karpov ready to deputise for them. Branovets, considering his age, may well be brought through quite slowly and Khuagaev is certainly a development case study.

For me, it gets even easier to justify these deals when I see this:

 

Whilst the First Touch is slightly down on the average of the team (although this includes Full Backs, too), they are a strong group based on key attributes but have really impressed me with their KPIs compared to the rest of the league. As I've alluded to before, this is no indication of how the RPL will be, but, signing players who've done well at this level or similar (the Belarussian top tier is actually higher rated than this second Russian tier) is, to me, a smart move. Obviously, the outlier is Khugaev and his passing but Chaika, a struggling recently-promoted very much play anti-football with long balls out from the back. He's also a poor passing anyway, but I feel that I can work on this:

• Watch him play within our system and style.
• Additional focus on Passing.
• Develop a trait (probably Plays short simple passes) in order to encourage him to pass more if the first two don't have significant changes.

What this hasn't done, yet, is dug deeper into hidden attributes. I do remember from my Sochi days (as I actually brought Karpov to Sochi), that he's not the biggest fan of big games. There are no such weaknesses for the other two - in fact, Branovets in quite consistent

[john1]

Wow, what a hidden gem with Branoverts!  

[_Ben_]

(Mid) May 2031

Another transfer one.

Just to recap - here's where we are with my plans before I evaluate the current bunch of players that are contracted past the end of this summer:

Before I even analyse my squad's performance this year, I'm able to create a short list of the positions I need to strengthen:

• Right Back: We have just one senior right back who will be remaining at the club next year.
• Centre Back: We have three senior centre backs for next year.  COMPLETE ✓
• Left Back: We are left with one senior left back and a 16-year-old, who, whilst has performed really well this season, will probably be loaned out next year.
• Defensive Mid: Our first choice has started 39 of the 42 games we've played this year
• Right Wing: We have no suitable backup in this role.

---

Right Back

When looking at the players that my recruitment team have found who can play at Right Back, I'm left with two standout players:

Vladimir Fatullaev. Predrag Ilic.

It's a bit of a shame that we haven't got a slightly longer list to work from - but these two players represent the highest rated of all scouted players currently interested in joining me. I've worked hard on my Recruitment Team, including new Chief Scout, Conor Marlin and trust their views on this. Unfortunately, based on the reports, to date, there is only one player who is actually suitable - and that is Fatullaev. With such poor Decision making, plus a poor rating for Marking and Positioning, he's not the type of player that can be trusted in a newly promoted team in such an important position. Whilst he offers more of an attacking threat, I can't allow for us to be weakened in a season whereby I don't expect it to all go my way. Furthermore, I don't have the Serbian league loaded right now so cannot dig into the statistical analysis of the young Serb (although he's not actually playing first team football anyway), and that goes against how I want to recruit.

Therefore, I've decided to focus my intents on the Torpedo right back, who, despite his age, has played a full season at RPL level, which is where we'll be going next year. Here is his statistical comparison against other full backs in the league:

Torpedo are a team that have struggled this season - conceded lots of goals and picking up a small number of points per game. However, the statistics that this young man is putting up are really strong. He's effective in all areas of the pitch and, even if he won't be crossing as much as an Inverted Wingback, will be putting up key passes, dribbling and, hopefully, making shot creating actions. For a 5'9" full back, he's got a remarkably strong Header/Key Header ratio, telling me that he's quite happy to get in the way and reasonable with his head, despite his size.

My current right back, Giorgi Kutsia, is a good player and has performed pretty well this season but the comparison (even with the difference in league level) shows that the young Russian would probably improve our backline, should he be able to continue this form. £1.5m is a pretty big deal but would not be a club record, and, if it comes off, could lead to a right back that develops here and brings Ural considerably more money in future. What is more, it works for a club culture that we are currently not achieving, signing first team players under 23. The small reservations are that Kutsia is a team leader and, as such, a change in his playing time (from Important Player) may lead to some unhappiness, which could spread across the club. It also goes against my previous plan to ensure that the Foreign players were marquee signings and would regularly play. However, I will take into account all of these things as I move forward.

The main reason for this early identification is that I can get a really good picture of how he's performing, by sending my scouts and even watching the games myself - allowing me to see his game stats and highlights package.

I am going to wait until the end of the season, seeing if Torpedo get relegated and if that will drive down the price at all. There is no other interest so I'm not rushing this through right now.

---

AOB

Lion Kacoubi (yes, his real name) was brought to my attention and the scouts love him. If he's that all action DM that he appears he could be, then that might also be a move I pursue. I'd have to consider how I'd get Rudenko - a key player from this year, and Kacoubi in the same team but two quality players per position is never a bad thing,.

I'd also like to add an experienced second string goalkeeper to my squad too, particularly one with RPL experience. 

 

 

[karanhsingh]

Really like the thought process behind your recruitment. 

I'm already sold on the young ivorian given he's from ASEC - personally my favorite academy in the game. Also the young RB looks very promising. 

Just realized Kutsia is your current RB - he was my main DLP for years at Ujpest during my Hungarian game! Amazing how things can be so different in two saves. 

[john1]

Wow, Lion Kacoubi!  

[Shrewnaldo]

Intriguing thought on finding underperforming players through the statistics. I had one where a player was underperforming on assists/90 but other stats pointed to him still creating chances. But this isn't really personal underperformance - just other players missing chances and so impacting his stats.

I wonder how we could pick up on genuine underperformance where it doesn't indicate regression, or a player getting beyond his level. Going to give that one some thought 

[_Ben_]

17 hours ago, karanhsingh said:

Really like the thought process behind your recruitment. 

I'm already sold on the young ivorian given he's from ASEC - personally my favorite academy in the game. Also the young RB looks very promising. 

Just realized Kutsia is your current RB - he was my main DLP for years at Ujpest during my Hungarian game! Amazing how things can be so different in two saves. 

Yep - it feels to me like this is the most thorough and realistic approach I've taken, to date. Hopefully it will be worth the extra time and effort!

I do like the look of Kacoubi and I've just hired a Moroccan scout to give me a little more base knowledge of Africa as well as, hopefully, speeding up the scouting process. I'm still at only about 40% knowledge and I really want a thorough understanding before I splash any cash. I guess that this is one of the drawbacks of not running an Ivorian league setup.

16 hours ago, john1 said:

Wow, Lion Kacoubi!  

I think he could be good! I want to get his attributes uncovered first before I get too excited. Love his name though.

2 hours ago, Shrewnaldo said:

Intriguing thought on finding underperforming players through the statistics. I had one where a player was underperforming on assists/90 but other stats pointed to him still creating chances. But this isn't really personal underperformance - just other players missing chances and so impacting his stats.

I wonder how we could pick up on genuine underperformance where it doesn't indicate regression, or a player getting beyond his level. Going to give that one some thought 

I think I'd have originally overlooked Khugaev if just looking at the base stats but seeing that a) his passing is poor and b) Chaika don't play from the back gave me some hope that I can develop that in him, especially because everywhere else was strong. I also saw that with Fatullaev, who has a great Key Pass rate but no assists - not his fault!

I don't quite know how I can get around this with nothing like xA available but could I pick up on a striker with poor xG but excellent final third entries, for example. Gets in the position but doesn't get the right ball to him. I would have to do that on a game-to-game basis and it'd be a hell of a job but feels like it could be worth it! Also, with a 34 year old striker, this is something I'm very much going to have to do!

I also love your point in your thread about a save game at the end of season to go back and look at stats. I used to keep pages and pages of spreadsheets for my own team, especially when playing youth only, but that doesn't help with recruitment and I don't just want to go with goals, assists and the very unreliable Average Rating metrics.

[Shrewnaldo]

Have you come across any statistical distortion from set piece takers? And any easy way to remove that distortion?

I'm looking primarily at key passes per 90 but the numbers are massively skewed towards freekick and, particularly, corner takers.

[_Ben_]

(End) May 2031

Season finished, with a bang, too.

I'm not sure I have ever completed an invincible season when not in the top flight and, Luzern aside, in a really small country. I think that the manner of our league win (records for league wins, points, goals scored and goals conceded) further demonstrates just how right I got this! Even the board appraisal at the end - normally the toughest of cookies to crack, rated all my signing at A-, at worst and tactically, I think we were spot on.

I don't think that there is a lot to say about these fixtures that hasn't already been said. Sometimes, the tactical side takes a step back when you've got the best players and the best tactical set up and that's really what has happened here. Turn up, do what we do in terms of motivating the players, identifying any weak opposition areas, and then just dominate.

---

With our domination, these attributes are largely useless but offer a good overview into how we play the game. Lots of dribbles, accurate shooting and clever defending: interceptions over tackles and last ditch blocks. We're also outscoring our xG, heavily, and full of confidence.

When we're so dominant, we don't do a lot of defending and we, as seen earlier in the season, win the ball back high and move it forward. We lose possession quite a lot in that transitional area, and I understand why, given the high risk strategy of having two really offensive runners from the centre of the pitch and a player behind trying to link the play. It'll be interesting to see just how far back we are pushed next year, but I will stick to my guns, at home at least, and try and be a front-foot positive team with devastating transitions.

Just going to use one screenshot to evaluate player performance as I have been, and will continue to, evaluate  position by position in terms of replacements:

Just one player (and he is not first team material) averaging below 7.0 is an amazing feat, even if this metric is not the most accurate. Goals and assists from everywhere with five players in double figures for goals and four players with more than 20 goal contributions. 

---

A truly memorable season and one that I cannot wait to build on against the big boys! But now comes the continuation of the most important period of recruitment I've faced in this career, to date.

[_Ben_]

5 minutes ago, Shrewnaldo said:

Have you come across any statistical distortion from set piece takers? And any easy way to remove that distortion?

I'm looking primarily at key passes per 90 but the numbers are massively skewed towards freekick and, particularly, corner takers.

You absolutely cannot remove dead balls from them, which is annoying. I was sitting with defensive midfielders hitting 5+ key passes/90 last year simply because they were corner takers. There is also no really simple way to check whether they take set pieces for their club aside from looking at their Corner attribute, for example.

For a game that prides itself on these stats, there is a lot of work to do to iron out some pretty big gaps.

[Shrewnaldo]

1 minute ago, _Ben_ said:

You absolutely cannot remove dead balls from them, which is annoying. I was sitting with defensive midfielders hitting 5+ key passes/90 last year simply because they were corner takers. There is also no really simple way to check whether they take set pieces for their club aside from looking at their Corner attribute, for example.

For a game that prides itself on these stats, there is a lot of work to do to iron out some pretty big gaps.

Aye, I've spent a good half hour just looking through the highlights and match analysis for a bunch of games to see if the players were taking corners. And you can only do that where you have the league loaded to sufficient detail to have the analysis and highlights available.

[_Ben_]

(Early) June 2031

Somebody decided to leak my bid for him and now I've been usurped. I'll check whether he'll actually get the Work Permit and, if he does, whether he'd come on loan but this is very disappointing. 

Learning points:

• I'm glad this happened now and not late July.
• Identify more than one suitable candidate where possible.
• Try, somehow, to not have the transfer offer getting leaked.

[Sonic Youth]

Well that’s not the outcome expected with Fatullaev! Waiting for if Torpedo get relegated is a calculated risk. This does though give you that chance to consider a foreign marquee signing.

Lion Kacoubi is a cracking name 

More interesting analysis 

Good ending to your season, with a few nicely placed 100+ columns (GD/Points/GS) 

[wpmk]

Great evaluation of Pedrag Ilic. While a player might pass a benchmark, it’s important to understand the limitations. The over indexing on natural fitness and determination isn’t enough to compensate for really inferior decision making, which is a key part of your setup.  A handy reminder that constraints are there to inform decisions but ultimately we need to look at the bigger picture.

Shame about Vladimir Fatullaev though. What does plan B look like if he passes work permit or is unavailable for loan? Do you set a short term focus to find more candidates?

Also interested to see how long it takes for Andrey Khugaev to adapt to your tactical setup coming from Chaika. 

[RogerC]

That sucks but I don't think you can do much about the leak. The player has gone into the U18s? Could always ask for a loan if you can't find a replacement.

[john1]

Surely his agent is Mino Raiola   To leak that.

Edited January 16, 2022 by john1

[_Ben_]

June 2031

Back to transfer action. Here is my shopping list:

• Goalkeeper: We need someone who is better with the ball at his feet.
• Right Back: We have just one senior right back who will be remaining at the club next year.
• Centre Back: We have three senior centre backs for next year.  COMPLETE ✓
• Left Back: We are left with one senior left back and a 16-year-old, who, whilst has performed really well this season, will probably be loaned out next year.
• Defensive Mid: Our first choice has started 39 of the 42 games we've played this year
• Right Wing: We have no suitable backup in this role.

With the failure of Fatullaev, I want to ensure that I get the right man but also act quickly as to not get usurped. As you'll see, I think there is a mole within the club as all of my transfers keep getting leaked.

---

Goalkeeper

As above, I wanted a keeper who is able to assist in our transitional play. Whilst Volodin did make two assists last year, both were long kicks that somehow beat the defenders. I want someone who can play out from the back and bring other, more advanced, players in. In an ideal world, I would have wanted someone with RPL, or top level experience in a decent country, but I found a player I wanted and acted quickly.

Andrey Kudravets, from BATE in Belarus, looks, on paper, to be a significant step up on Volodin. He's a bit older but has much less experience (he only spawned when I loaded the Belarus league so I will oversee this) but is considerably better with his feet an, actually, is probably the better of the all-round keepers, too.

I wanted to see, statistically, how they compared but I've never been good at buying or developing keepers so I wasn't too sure about the amount of stats I could see. With BATE's league being on a par with the Russian second tier, I felt like it was a decent thing to compare them like for like:

Both keepers have performed pretty well in teams that aren't doing much defending. It's noted that Volodin has been expected to make more saves, but, actually he hasn't whereas Kudravets has literally saved what he's been expected to, even if he has conceded more regularly. However, the fact that teams have created more xG against him links to the quality of the BATE defence and not his own goalkeeping. He's held far less saves but I don't see too much of a difference in their attribute values there but feel that I need to look at his parrying, as that is often an indicator that goals are coming if he's parrying it out into a dangerous area. He's not been played as a Sweeper Keeper hence his lower levels of interceptions but his general passing stats are really promising - more of the ball but also much better pass completion.

Annoyingly, the transfer was leaked but I did enough to get my man for just £160k. Yes, I'd have liked a better Personality and Media Handling and that Determination could have been a little better too, but Andrey feels like a real improvement and one that is not just going out and signing the best players, instead focusing directly on an area I want to improve and doing it!

---

Left Back

With Adilkov deciding to leave on a free, I am left with just Ruslan Prutov, a now-17 year old, who has impressed me hugely with his performance and development but just isn't ready for the big league. I was drawn to a player who could, following the disappointment of Fatullaev, play on both sides. Amirkhan Agabalaev was a player I stumbled across and needed to take a second look based on his wonderful personality.

My first job was to compare him with my full backs and the failed transfer:

Clearly someone comfortable in possession but, despite that, the lowest number of key passes. Furthermore, his Headers, Tackles and Interceptions are the lowest of all, including my own players. A statistical gamble, I admit, but, again Spartak's 2nd team play in a very different way to us and it transpires that quite a number of his performances had been in varying positions which a) meant that his positional understanding was down and b) skews the statistics that I have gathered. His personality aside, the defining factor in the completion of this deal was the comparison with Prutov, which shows I'm getting a better player. It was, again, leaked but the pre-contract was signed. Not necessarily the best player, nor the best performance but I sense some kind of underperformance when pulling together all of the factors. If nothing else - he's not going to bow under pressure and has some experience at this level with Spartak's first team.

He'll join when his contract expires at the start of next month.

---

Defensive Midfielder

With Lion Kacoubi my main interest here, I want someone who can come in and perform sensibly as a backup. I wanted, as previously said, to look at the local market, ideally a player who can rotate. This would also see Alexey Rudenko move forward into a Mezzala role, giving me five players who can play in the two roles. Nikita Romanov had been on my radar for some time (by radar, I mean a shortlist where I add scouted players who hit all of my five DNA attributes with values greater than 10).

Here are some of the stats that stood out to me:

• 92% pass completion
• 2% of passes were classed as key passes.
• Creates a big chance every seven games or so but assists every three. His 6 assists put him as the eleventh best creator in the Russian third tier (where Dinamo-2 play)
• Wins possession 10.57 times per game, nearly double the amount of the average (I know this includes all midfielders) at the FNL level.
• 3.18 clearances per game, showing that he's not just hitting the ball out long and will use a sensible, completed, pass instead.

---

To wrap up the month, here is where we now sit:

• Goalkeeper: We need someone who is better with the ball at his feet. COMPLETE ✓
• Right Back: We have just one senior right back who will be remaining at the club next year.
• Centre Back: We have three senior centre backs for next year.  COMPLETE ✓
• Left Back: We are left with one senior left back and a 16-year-old, who, whilst has performed really well this season, will probably be loaned out next year. COMPLETE ✓
• Defensive Mid: Our first choice has started 39 of the 42 games we've played this year. HALF COMPLETE ✓
• Right Wing: We have no suitable backup in this role.

I also feel that we can actually survive with the players we have in rotational roles - Kutsia and Tsutartaliev can compete at right back and Sedov is ample backup for Antonio. Therefore, really, any further signings now are just players who would really improve the squad!

Feels like a good place to be right now.

[_Ben_]

2 hours ago, wpmk said:

Great evaluation of Pedrag Ilic. While a player might pass a benchmark, it’s important to understand the limitations. The over indexing on natural fitness and determination isn’t enough to compensate for really inferior decision making, which is a key part of your setup.  A handy reminder that constraints are there to inform decisions but ultimately we need to look at the bigger picture.

Shame about Vladimir Fatullaev though. What does plan B look like if he passes work permit or is unavailable for loan? Do you set a short term focus to find more candidates?

Also interested to see how long it takes for Andrey Khugaev to adapt to your tactical setup coming from Chaika. 

I'm really pleased with how I've vetted these players. I wouldn't even really bothered to look in more detail than the scout recommendation back in the day!

Right now, I don't have a plan B but may be able to get by with what I have got at the club. It's one of those whereby he was just too good to turn down.

I'm also interested in Khugaev as it's a really different approach to normal, as I said.

1 hour ago, RogerC said:

That sucks but I don't think you can do much about the leak. The player has gone into the U18s? Could always ask for a loan if you can't find a replacement.

They keep getting leaked! I am tempted to chuck a loan offer in once the window has opened. 

34 minutes ago, john1 said:

Surely his agent is Mino Raiola   To leak that.

Haven't even got started into using agents for transfer dealings, yet! Still just using the DoF for recommendations and will be doing more so as we enter July and I've covered my key areas.

[_Ben_]

(Early) July 2031

Still on with these transfers, but now we look at ways to improve rather than just holes that need filling. I'm not normally this active but, given the fact that I'm just a year into the job and we've just been promoted, I feel that I need to be.

Now to the want shopping list.

• Right Back: Tsutsalaev isn't a very strong defender as he's a retrained midfielder/winger. I need similar passing ability but stronger in defence.
• Defensive Mid: I can't turn Lion down!
• Right Wing: Antonio has a year left on his contract and, when I just tried to negotiate, wanted £40k p/w - which is approximately £34k p/w more than my next highest earner!
• Left wing: de la Cruz is now 34 and attributes are falling, quickly.
• Forward: See above but Ponce is holding on better. Never a bad thing having three forwards anyway.

I've got plenty of money to do what I need to do:

----

Right Back

I've been bitten once already at right back but have found just what I needed:

I saw Ricardo Palma last year, when he was on loan at Khimki. I was taken aback by his lack of second nationality despite the not-very Russian name! I imagine that, since he was transfer listed by CSKA, he became interested in joining us. At just £30k (probably due to a year left on his deal), he's an absolute steal - especially as it allowed me to move Tsutsaleav on to Alania for about fifteen times that amount. Firstly, Ricardo is a huge step up when compared to the lad he's going to replace but also hit some of my key statistics last year whilst on loan:

• 94% pass completion - better than new left back Agabalaev and 3% better than other FNL defenders.
• 0.86 tackles per 90 - rating him higher than his new counterpart, again.
• 87% header completion with 170 headers won.

Now, sadly, as statistics aren't properly carried over and I forgot to make a spare save game at the end of the year, I can't dig in much further than this. However, there's a reduction, when directly compared with Tsutsalaev in tackles (although no idea in terms of completion) and also dribbles, but that is skewed as my old youngster played as a winger sometimes, too.

I think this is a big win for us!

---

Defensive Midfield

£230k for Kacoubi - I'm going for it!

Sadly, one of those where my new-found methods are pretty pointless. He gathers no true statistics because the Ivorian league isn't even created, let alone simulated (as it doesn't list a division here). However, he's a find, similar to the Antonio one a couple of years ago, that has come out of nowhere and could be wonderful for us!

---

Left Wing

Nothing, yet!

---

Right Wing

Going back to BATE (again!!!) to have a look at Andrey Potapenko, although their value seems they aren't too interested in selling:

He's had a really strong start to the season, too.

---

Striker

Bit of a wildcard from my DoF here, in Uruguayan Federico Waller, who has an expiring contract.

I'll take a look but he's lower on my list of demands and Benfica and Stuttgart are also interested, too.

[_Ben_]

(Mid) July 2031

I've played so much FM today but have successfully rounded up my season and then recruited, really well in my opinion, for next season. I guess this would be a good time for a full squad run down...

So, meet Ural's 2031/32 Squad - complete with some new kits:

Goalkeepers

It's always really hard to drop a keeper, especially when he's just had a season whereby he'd only conceded twelve times in the league but I feel that I've done excellent business in recruiting Kudravets for just £160k. The big Belarusian is much more composed with his feet and will aid us in playing out from the back. However, we still have a competent cup keeper to rely on.

Full Backs

The weakest area from the side I took over although that is probably due to the role I wish for my full backs to play and the level of football that we were at. In come two new faces who will take the majority of the playing time. Palma, for £30k could be a steal and provide this club with a constant for a decade or a significant profit and the signing of Agabalaev looks to be solid too. Kutsia, as Team Leader, will want his share of the action but, with such versatility among the full backs, there's certainly scope for that to happen. Ruslan Prutov, whose performances have belied his age in also there, developing really well. I certainly see some mentoring going on between these players, hoping to bring through the wonderful personality that Agbalaev has.

Centre Backs

Five players signifies a strong recruitment window for this area of the pitch. I normally run with four centre backs but, with few of the players elsewhere able to fill in here, decided that five would allow for a nicer cushion. Borodin has all the experience and quality if a little clumsy with his first touch and will have the pick of his partners, given the strength here. There is little to choose between the next three, with Branovets maybe edging it due to the combination of Positioning and Tackling. Khugaev is very much part of the plans to develop players within the first team squad as I look to build a style that runs deeper than just my key players.

Defensive Midfielders

He's here and it's wonderful.

Lion Kacoubi completes a £230k move to Russia and is immediately my best defensive midfielder. He'll spend time working on his First Touch and, if I'm being picky, would have liked a little more aerial ability for a man of 6'4" but, elsewhere, he's really solid. Romanov looks to be a really strong backup for him and will be afforded time to develop here. There is, in my mind, still some questions around which DM role is best for this kind of shape and these players going forward, but I have two players who are well rounded enough to cover a variety of them.

Central Midfielders

A really strong area for me. Krivtsov is likely entering the last year here though as he looks unlikely to want to negotiate a contract that we can afford to pay. However, it's a perfect foil for the development of Babushkin, who was a real standout talent last year. Rudenko will find himself a bit further forward this year but I don't feel that he's any less suited to a more offensive role, even if his traits tell me that he's not going to be that much of a goal scorer. Again, I've got the luxury of five players here as Nikitin fills the last slot. He's good and developing well but is that little bit older than Babushkin, which worries me in terms of him reaching his developmental peak a little sooner.

Wide Midfielders

I still haven't found me any wide players who can cross but this is a nice, constant area that hasn't changed at all from last season. Antonio, also in the last year of his deal and absolutely not interested in staying, is the star man here but de la Cruz and Sobirjonov found so much success in their Wide Playmaker berth last year that I'd be a fool not to keep that running, on whichever side I can find replacements for them in. Sedov is a solid backup player also but it's not an AFCON year so I should have my Mozambican genius for the full period of time. 

Forwards

The prince has returned.

I always keep a shortlist of players who I have enjoyed managing and had to pounce when Nizhniy came in with a £275k fee for Raul Budunov. Torpedo, despite paying £775k for him the year before, had included this clause in his deal and I just couldn't turn it down. Life for him has been somewhat tumultuous since he moved on from Anji but I've trusted this deal without all the statistical analysis that comes with is based on the simple fact that this shape and style was built around him whilst I was at Anji. You can see how well he scored for me, albeit at a lower level, but, for that price, I see the smallest of gambles of seeing if he can do it at this level. With Ponce probably entering the last year or so of his career and Petrenko still polishing his ability, plus untested at this level, this deal felt right.

---

Here's to a successful season; our first back in the Russian Premier League!

[Sonic Youth]

What, no a marquee signings, unless signing a Lion is considered this 

Nice to see Raul reunited back with you.

Comprehensive squad run down and transfer activity reporting springs to mind 

Is it time to blow the season start whistle yet?

Edited January 17, 2022 by Sonic Youth
Raul

[_Ben_]

11 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

What, no a marquee signings, unless signing a Lion is considered this 

No, I suppose not.

However, the vast majority of these deals were arranged pre-transfer window and that came at a time when our stature was significantly less than it is now. Add to that our ever-dwindling pot of money as well as the risks that any club take upon promotion, I went for safety first. It's quite a big overhaul but now leaves me one or two areas (namely left midfield), where my whole budget could be spent, should I wish for that.

[shaneomac]

What a sensationally dominant season! What is the shape/team instructions looking like now?

[QP]

Great career so far and impressive skin re-work and probably the by far the greatest excel tool so far that I've seen as FM oriented. You should think about releasing both of them. Impressive man keep up the good work.

Edited January 19, 2022 by QP

[_Ben_]

On 19/01/2022 at 21:49, QP said:

Great career so far and impressive skin re-work and probably the by far the greatest excel tool so far that I've seen as FM oriented. You should think about releasing both of them. Impressive man keep up the good work.

Thanks! Don't want to talk about skins though, right now. Something has changed (nothing that I can recall) and I've had the below message probably 100 times this week:

Trying to work through what is causing the crash though now...

[RogerC]

Do you get any error code? I've had to reinstall the game once lately. And delete cache/preferences 2 or 3 times because something bugged.

[Sonic Youth]

3 hours ago, _Ben_ said:

Thanks! Don't want to talk about skins though, right now. Something has changed (nothing that I can recall) and I've had the below message probably 100 times this week:

Trying to work through what is causing the crash though now...

That’s not cool!

Hope you find a solution.

[_Ben_]

12 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

That’s not cool!

Hope you find a solution.

I think I've fixed it!

14 hours ago, RogerC said:

Do you get any error code? I've had to reinstall the game once lately. And delete cache/preferences 2 or 3 times because something bugged.

No error codes. It's skin related because it comes up with 'Missing Widget' on the home screen and the In-Game Highlights panels were broken. As I'm not going to release this skin, I've just ported all of my stuff over into the Tato skin - which has a few panels that I've based my own skin on. We seem to be back up and running now.

[Sonic Youth]

5 minutes ago, _Ben_ said:

I think I've fixed it!

That’s great news. Restarting or beginning something anew doesn’t feel right for you as it looks like you’ve got a bunch of unfinished business in your save.

[_Ben_]

1 minute ago, Sonic Youth said:

That’s great news. Restarting or beginning something anew doesn’t feel right for you as it looks like you’ve got a bunch of unfinished business in your save.

It was never the save game, just the skin, thankfully!

[_Ben_]

July 2031

Do not underestimate us!

Obviously, the table, at this point, is completely ludicrous but our performances have been strong! I want to finish mid table so have targeted those teams below me, in the predictions, to take points off. My long terms aims are now either the Rubin or Rostov jobs but I'd like to take six points from the Kazan based team this year. The fact we started against the worst-rated team in the league was a good start for us, but we were superior in every area. Picking up points, particularly at home, against the bigger teams will also be important and I'm delighted that we did this against Krasnodar, in particular.

Two really strong performances and, to be honest, there's no better feeling than opening up the season with an away win in which two youth academy graduates, who have received a lot of attention and development focus, score their first top flight goals. We were a little wasteful against Krasnodar, to be fair, but, as I said, there is absolutely no issues with us taking a point from them.

---

I used the end of pre-season as a chance to make sure our mentoring system was properly up and running, setting up a new priority scouting missing, aiming to replace two of the older members of the team and then working on our scouting knowledge:

I've recently hired an African scout who massively assisted in the scouting of Lion Kacoubi but I have also added some new youth staff, who will, hopefully, increase our world knowledge. 

[john1]

Great to see you fixed that error!  Nice mixtures of nationally in your youth backroom   Decent point against Krasnodar

[SixPointer]

Good to see your back Ben! Great start as well and really unfortunate to not have six points. Battered Krasnodar!

[Hootieleece]

Very Happy that the save wasn't lost. Since I know little about skinning, I download some or just use the SI version most of the time.

You are building quite the team.

 

[Sonic Youth]

Business is resumed 

I see your branching out into other parts now like mentoring and youth team set-up. I guess you feel settled enough to implement longer term plans.

A decent start to the campaign, and on another day would have had all the points from both fixtures.

[Shrewnaldo]

Good to see that you've fixed the skin issue. Was a little worried when I first saw that error post

Does Raul Budunov have you as favoured personnel from your initial time together? 

Also, have you seen this? Sent it to Jonathan Aspey as he had a save with First back in day, and he reckons you did too? Not one I remember, I'm afraid. In case you fancy trying to win a shirt - 

 

Edited January 23, 2022 by Shrewnaldo

[_Ben_]

22 hours ago, john1 said:

Nice mixtures of nationally in your youth backroom

4 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

I see your branching out into other parts now like mentoring and youth team set-up. I guess you feel settled enough to implement longer term plans.

Settled, yes. Long term, no.

The youth team setup is something that will have a short term impact as there are some really good young players there and I want them to receive strong training. The other side of this is the impact it can have on short term recruitment with better knowledge.

I am, however, conscious that Ural will have a ceiling in terms of money and reputation that is a long term fix. I don't intend to be here long enough to change that massively.

18 hours ago, Hootieleece said:

You are building quite the team

I'm enjoying the mix of recruitment and working with what I already have. It feels realistic, fun and measurable in terms of my successes (or not) at the club.

19 hours ago, SixPointer said:

Great start as well and really unfortunate to not have six points. Battered Krasnodar!

Thanks! I really don't foresee a relegation battle this year, which is wonderful for me!

1 hour ago, Shrewnaldo said:

Does Raul Budunov have you as favoured personnel from your initial time together? 

Also, have you seen this? Sent it to Jonathan Aspey as he had a save with First back in day, and he reckons you did too? Not one I remember, I'm afraid. In case you fancy trying to win a shirt - 

Oh, absolutely!

We're BFFs! 

Yes - I had a great time at First Vienna and I think that was my first save to produce an in-game son, who was Japanese, like my own manager for that save. 

[_Ben_]

August 2031

I am absolutely thrilled with my first complete month in the RPL. We have played some really strong opponents, and, whilst I know, realistically, we won't finish here, I'm learning things all the time. Some of our play is absolutely world class and some of the recruited players are likely to go on to have long, successful careers here or at better clubs, given their start. The hard work on pre-season has certainly paid off and we're off and running now.

A Boris Babushkin double saw us start the month is the best possible way; with us beating a team that I'd like us to finish above in the league. It was a pretty straightforward result in a game that we dominated. I attempted to counter their 4-4-2 shape with a slightly more cautious midfield duo, moving DM Romanov up to a MC(s), as opposed a Mez(s), so that we had more players in that area and our three could dominate their two. It did.

Against Dinamo, our first really big game, I set out to not be overwhelmed. IWB(s) moved to FB(s) to sit on their wingers, Kacoubi, at DM(d) went man for man on their SS(a) and I pushed my WP(s), de la Cruz, to man mark their aggressive right back. Overall, we did well. Obviously, taking these precautions meant we didn't quite have the offensive impetus I'd like, but they didn't have too many chances. What we do need to do though is to cut out errors. Their second goal, scored by 5'11" Jaime, came from our inability to both mark and cut out a cross. These mistakes are not huge deals against the teams we're not expected to beat but I want to be able to spot them and work on them, particularly in the defensive area. The above graphic really does settle the game stats though, for me, as four of those shots in the penalty area came from headers from set plays - clearly we aren't working on them enough, either! It does actually mark my first league defeat as Ural manager and, in a way, I'm happy that we will be doing that this season as I will be able to learn much more about the tactical styles that we need to succeed here in Russia, and maybe beyond. The media, of course, just focused on the end of a 42-game unbeaten streak. Typical.

I went into the Rostov game knowing that, despite their mediocre start to the season, that they'd be a good opponent. I took a leaf out of both @SixPointer and @Shrewnaldo's books - firstly, analysing the opposition in detail and, secondly, using a shape that looks a lot like what Shrew is rocking with Bristol City. I started with the normal 4-1-4-1 shape, just changing the IWB(s) to WB(s), in order to counter their aggressive wingers but it was the change that did it for us. Noticing from the pre-match report that they pushed their wingbacks up really high and a central midfield duo of Mez and BWM meant that there would be times that these areas would be open to exploit, plus their love for the ball (average 61% in the league this season) meant that I moved to a 4-3-2-1, which, in my opinion, is quite similar to what Steven Gerrard is using at Villa at the moment. We let them keep the ball, knowing that they'd struggle to get past an organised back five, or maybe even seven, and then hit them on the break. We carved them open on a number of occasions and should have scored more than just one. The media, as they do, just commented on the fact that we'd done this with such little of the ball, and, as such, were lucky! Wins like this just feel even sweeter, as I nullified their threat and created my own for them.

We lined up in our normal way against Lokomotiv, presuming that they too would favour their 4-1-4-1 shape. The game was the most one-sided I've seen for a while - our offensive 2-3-5 (the ball through leading to the Petrenko goal) and our defensive 4-1-4-1 shape of our base tactic work wonderfully. It was, of course, the only shot that Lokomotiv took that found the net. In the build up, DM Romanov is caught way out of position and, because of that, the two CBs don't shift over as the switch in play comes. This gives Brooks a clear run on goal and he finished emphatically. I had nothing but praise for the boys in the post match, as, in 99% of other games, we'd have won this game, and won it emphatically. Lokomotiv are a seasoned RPL team, predicted to finish sixth and we've just given them an absolute footballing lesson (bar the finishing bit!) - so I'm happy.

I don't normally write massive updates about cup games and this one is no different. We reverted to our old shape of W(s)-Mez(a)-Mez(a)-W(s) to bypass their very aggressive midfield trio of Mez-BWM-Mez and it worked, with our goals coming from midfield, as we pass the ball around, create an trap and play it into the space - just like the above, although this was one was particularly emphatically finished! A bit of a clanger from Volodin as he shows that I was probably right to upgrade him over the summer - palming a corner down into the path of their forward and leaving an empty net for him to finish in.  The game also saw two debutants; Matveev and Kurbanov, who are both mentioned in more detail below.

We were gifted the first goal as their left back failed to cut out a pretty average cross and Antonio did the rest. The replays say 'lost his man' but I know how I'd feel if this was at the other end. Their left back, coincidentally, was Filip Dagerstal: old, wrong footed, transfer listed (so morale will be shot) and in poor form. I immediately switched on 'Focus Play Down the Right' and Antonio waited about three minutes before skinning Filip to set up our second. On the half hour mark, he did it again - beating him for pace before sending a cross over that de la Cruz finished. It was the evergreen Uruguayan who netted our fourth from the spot, after winning the penalty himself as we rounded out a half in which we dominated: 14 shots, 10 on target and 1.93 non Pen xG. Borodin added a fifth from a corner before Antonio's day was ended by an injury in the 64th minute. Nicolas de la Cruz (almost certainly) became the oldest RPL hattrick hero with a delightful curling effort before Ponce and Sedov, late substitutes, squandered a couple of big chances. 6-0 is an incredibly emphatic win and one we 100% deserved and knew was coming.

----

I have to acknowledge the great work done by the above two players, who are both academy graduates. When I took over, neither had really tasted first team football but I wanted to use the season in the second tier, which we were always expected to win, as a chance to give them valuable minutes. However, their development has really led them to be serious candidates for regular starters, even at their age.

Babushkin has made some serious development and has stepped into the team to replace the unhappy Krivstov, with little deviation in quality. Likewise, Petrenko is keeping Budonov and last season's top scorer Ponce out of the team. By training well, developing under a well considered program, they're achieving what I really enjoy doing in FM - promoting youth from within, shaped by my footballing ethos.

Further down, we have some great prospects in the youth side:

In particular Andrey Matveev, who I genuinely believe could get some first team football this season despite his age. He's been picked for the Ural-2 squad a few times and I'm keeping a close eye on his development and will name him on the bench whenever possible. I'd really like the new wide playmaker to come from the youth team but Georgy Stolbikov just isn't progressing. Even worse, when warned, he felt it was unfair and stands by his decision to react badly to me. Not an attitude I want for my potential first-team players and one I will monitor closely. Even Kurbanov, the youngster I got through my intake at Sochi and brought with me for less than £1,000, is progressing, so it's clearly not all down to personality - as his is considered far 'worse.'

---

Also development related, I've allowed Russian u20 international Ruslan Prutov to join Khimki on loan. We are really well stacked for full backs, with them all being comfortable on both sides, so, even with his meteoric rise, felt it was best to afford him some serious game time elsewhere. He'll go to a strong club, predicted fourth in the tier below us, who have decent facilities and a manager, Artur Petrov, who works well with younger players and plays a relatively similar style to our own. He'll get first team football at Left Back and they're covering his wages. If he continues his overall development and his attributes rise at the same manner as they did last year - he'll very much be back in the first team next year or even earlier, as I've insisted on a recall clause.

I'd normally be hesitant about this with a 17-year old, but he's shown enough in his first team performances last year for us, at the same level as his loan, to not be restricted to age group football. He's also delighted with the opportunity to impress and come back to the first 

Go well, Ruslan!

---

Lastly, I added to my U18 squad after a successful recruitment process that saw me approach Shavar Thomas as new manager. He's the best of that bunch, and, be to fair, one of the better people I could find if I left this running and provides some further knowledge to us.

[john1]

What a top notch updates! Shame some of youngsters aren't developing as much you would have hoped.

Have signed Shavar Thomas as my U's19 manager on FM21. So no surprise, he looks very decent with attributes.

[Shrewnaldo]

Loving the reactive tactics - just makes it feel so much sweeter when it works.

How did you like the old Christmas tree?

[karanhsingh]

All of these threads are really inspiring me to have multiple tactical systems as well to respond to different threats, but I just know I would fail at it