_Ben_ Posted July 6, 2022 Author Share Posted July 6, 2022 June 2037 A really short update as I am digging into the recruitment process in huge depth but one that acknowledges the end of season stats, taking some positives and negatives into next year: Positives: The spread of minutes for young players has been fantastic and Zambrano has cemented himself as a first team player Neira is a real threat from set plays and he makes a difference when he's playing Five assists for Regeer is strong from right back Ten goal involvements for Speksnijder is a good return for the midfielder - considering the % of total goals we've scored. Negatives: Overall, the goalscoring is poor and we've vastly underperformed our xG with only Westra in positive figures here. There is a huge gulf in minutes between first team and backup: an area that may lead to a lot of recruitment --- However, there has been a huge tactical change at the club over the course of the year and I want to share the level that this has happened - the easiest way is to compare some key metrics, as seen here: We are defending deeper and keeping the ball better in the defensive areas but our dribbling has vastly improved as have our interceptions and xGA. Tighter defensively, as I've always wanted, before we build the team I want and make strides offensively. I'm already set for a hugely busy summer and I'm currently in the game saved last summer to ensure I have two years of statistical analysis for a couple of targets who I feel have either underperformed or have been frozen out this year. This is the depth I want to be in! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyler16 Posted July 7, 2022 Share Posted July 7, 2022 (edited) Sporadic thoughts as I read your last post. - Is xA recorded in this version of FM? Curious who is over/underperforming as assists tend to be one of the least predictive stats in real life. Also, have we ever gotten a concrete definition on what FM considers a key pass? In the real world, it's simply the pass before a shot. Neira looks to be a key player no matter what the definition, even if it's probably inflated by set pieces (just checked his profile, makes sense with the high corners/technique/curls ball). - Jonsson's numbers look decent, I'd imagine he'll come good. Nice to see he has more key passes than Westra which checks out with how you'd imagine them to play. Things like this, even though they're expected, help with the immersion for me. - Evident to me you've improved the team since you've arrived, mainly defensively. The "passes attempted" chart suggests you've had a bit more control as well. Looking forward to how this progresses over time. Edited July 7, 2022 by tyler16 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 7, 2022 Author Share Posted July 7, 2022 2 hours ago, tyler16 said: - Is xA recorded in this version of FM? Curious who is over/underperforming as assists tend to be one of the least predictive stats in real life. Also, have we ever gotten a concrete definition on what FM considers a key pass? In the real world, it's simply the pass before a shot. Neira looks to be a key player no matter what the definition, even if it's probably inflated by set pieces (just checked his profile, makes sense with the high corners/technique/curls ball). No, sadly not! I've used a combination of key passes/90 and chances created/90 to try and simulate that kind of thing. A key pass, I don't think, necessarily leads to a shot but anything that counts as a chance is, I think, a pass that leads to a shot with xG of over 0.25. I can't fully confirm this but I like that correlation of who's making good passes and who's passes are leading to good scoring chances. Yes, Neira is the corner taker but, with the style in full swing at Krasnodar, was hitting near those numbers from open play! 2 hours ago, tyler16 said: - Jonsson's numbers look decent, I'd imagine he'll come good. Nice to see he has more key passes than Westra which checks out with how you'd imagine them to play. Things like this, even though they're expected, help with the immersion for me. I'm backing him to come good! A full season in this role will hopefully see him spring into action. I've liked the look of Escalona stepping up and in the Jong team so competition is quite good, too. 2 hours ago, tyler16 said: - Evident to me you've improved the team since you've arrived, mainly defensively. The "passes attempted" chart suggests you've had a bit more control as well. Looking forward to how this progresses over time. As strange as it sounds, that control is not intended. It's really hard to perfect the lightning quick, incisive break but the fewer passes we actually have, the better. I want to weave in elements of total football and positional play but, at the end of the day, the brand of football I like the most is that dangerous counter attacking. Again, we're working towards that and my first step in that was learning how to control games so I could see who is good enough on the ball and who has the ability to find good positions and move the ball forward. The rebuild here is bigger than I actually anticipated and I'm hitting a lot of walls with finding the players I think will better us, so I have to put my faith in moulding the squad to do that - which, I think, is possible the real test of managerial competency. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonic Youth Posted July 9, 2022 Share Posted July 9, 2022 (edited) A step too far was last season, though going out of Europe on away goals is definitely a positive for the coming season. A fruitful offseason of preseason and squad building (internal + transfers) is just what Groningen needs. Plus, that youth intake looked promising indeed just thought I’d mention that I like how you’ve added the link to the player profile connected with the pic/info/etc. Does it take you much time to do? Edited July 9, 2022 by Sonic Youth O Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 9, 2022 Author Share Posted July 9, 2022 4 hours ago, Sonic Youth said: A step too far was last season, though going out of Europe on away goals is definitely a positive for the coming season. A fruitful offseason of preseason and squad building (internal + transfers) is just what Groningen needs. Plus, that youth intake looked promising indeed Slow steps, at first anyway, but we'll get there. Next season is all about becoming the best of the rest - maybe sneaking that fourth spot behind Ajax, PSV and Feyenooord but we'll see how the season pans out as my recruitment hasn't quite done what I want, yet. 4 hours ago, Sonic Youth said: just thought I’d mention that I like how you’ve added the link to the player profile connected with the pic/info/etc. Does it take you much time to do? Thanks! Just adds a chance to add some more detail. Instead of highlighting text to add a hyperlink, you highlight the image so aside from having to take a 'thumbnail' too, it's no extra work. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 9, 2022 Author Share Posted July 9, 2022 (Early) July 2037 To kick things off, I've been working (I say I, I mean the DoF and the Unwanted List) to move on as many sellable assets from outside the core of the first team as possible. He's done a wonderful job and we've raised just around €5m from these sales plus the buy out of a clause for extra striker, Nlend. Whilst he's at Watford, in the Premier League, I feel that his form and the fact he's no longer such a promising player at 23, means that I might be waiting some time to see any comeback on this and he'd have to be sold on for upwards of €15m for me to see any improvement on that deal. I also am still owed three payments from them of around €700k plus other clauses, including our ex-goalkeeper that will give me another €3m or so a year. With funds in hand, the fun can start. Firstly, these are the pre-contract signings I've made. One thing that needs reiterating is that when my initial scouting was set up, the funds available to me meant that realistically, players earning less than €10k p/w or those with expiring deals were the only ones that would actually sign. Player profiles can be seen by clicking on the thumbnail. I've profiled the first four of these previously but there was mixed feelings from the fans as I have actually signed two players - Diallo and Nilden-Lindner - from arch rivals Heerenveen. Never the less, I feel that they do strengthen the team and will come good, plus, neither are youth products there and have a particular affiliation to the club. I like that these players have joined and are immediately high up the hierarchy, as I want to count on their experience and presence as well as their quality on the pitch. Lastly, I made a risky move for ex Twente full back Marco Couto. Twente were relegated last season and I was, as a result of this, having a look through and comparing statistical data between last year and the year before, where they finished 12th. I was hoping to find some players who underperformed, as you'd probably expect when a club gets relegated, weeding them out from the players who just aren't good enough. I think that Couto fits that bill - as seen here. Offensively in 2035/36, he was very good and, as you'd expect, that's dipped this season but he's retained some good defensive stats anyway. I know that this is really a 50/50 deal - did he overperform in the first year or underperform last year? But, on a free transfer, I can't complain... --- I've now kind of filled all of the necessary gaps within the team and want to look at how many - within reason and realism - can now be upgraded. But, with all the best planning, always come a surprise. I cannot turn down an offer like this. Whilst the money won't be useful immediately - we don't have the reputation to sign these valuable players and also my scouting, as I said, has been focused around much cheaper options anyway - this could be huge to improve the infrastructure and start planning longer term. He's adamant he wants to go to Sevilla so it looks like adding a Left Back is also on the cards - although I had already found a player who I'd baulked at knowing that Sebwe wouldn't accept being a rotational option: Cambuur full back Marcel Schuur, who comes with the added bonus of a really low release clause. Let's do this! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 9, 2022 Author Share Posted July 9, 2022 (Mid) July 2037 Armed with the near €20m from the Sebwe sale, with some already being invested into the training facilities, I set about trying to appease the board's disappointment at not signing U23 players. However, a quick look at the makeup of the squad will tell you my age preferences for each area of the squad, with much more experience being signed - more urgently, too - in the defensive areas. Full profiles of each incoming can be found by clicking on the thumbnail. First through the door, on a free transfer from Jamaican side Portmore United is talented winger-cum-forward Gregory Sharpe. As a Villa fan, I can't get the Leon Bailey comparisons out my head here and I hope that, eventually, he'll be able to use Holland as his stepping stone to bigger things, given the amount of potential I think he has. Presumably played as a forward in his native country and for his national team (more on that later), he'll be used as a wider player for us, even if just to provide a different option to what we already have. Whilst not the best crosser and not the best team player, he's quick, fairly agile and has an eye for goal. His international career has been phenomenal to date and a personal scouting mission from me, after an invite to scout the competition, saw him net a hattrick against Cuba in the Gold Cup. There's plenty to develop with him - initially there'll be some thought around the Knocks Ball Past Opponent trait and extra work on his Anticipation - but, hopefully, he can go on to achieve good things here and fetch us a profit. The next deal - a €1m signing - came from much closer to home. The 'lack of' a career for Jay ter Burg makes my statistical method for scouting much harder. I can go by the 30 games he played for the Jong Feyenoord team that won the reserves competition last year but there is very little else to compare to. Therefore, this is one of those rare attribute-driven purchases or, if you'd like, a rough diamond. 24 U21 caps for Holland doesn't come easy but he's just not good enough to break into the first team. I envisage that, like Sharpe, he'll play as a winger, again, using his First Touch, speed and Agility to help our transitions. He's probably a player that, if this experiment comes off, won't be sticking around forever, but, again, it'll signify a good profit for us. A much more usual transfer is this one. Schuur was simply sublime last season for a Cambuur team that sealed promotion and it was a no-brainer to exercise the €180k release clause, especially after Sebwe moved on. Particularly impressive are his possessional stats, something which will really compliment our style and his Pace means that he's able to commit a bit more but is still going to be able to get back into position. He'll be an important player for us this season, I believe. I'm in the process of reshaping how I think about scouting but, before I do that, I can revel in one of the more unrealistic finds. In my opinion, a club like Groningen, certainly at the level I have them at right now, wouldn't be scouring the Chilean top flight for young breakthrough wingers. They might have a recruiter who oversees big TV games in South America but (in my case) wouldn't have a Bosnian out there digging into the real depths of the o'Higgins squad. However, that did happen here and I'll write about my reaction to this later on. Ariel is a promising young winger who, when compared to all South American wingers holds his own. Again (notice a pattern) full of pace and Agility and a little bit more a convectional winger than my previous two signings - meaning that meeting his €1.5m release clause was a simple decision. It now gives me some really nice options for my wide players as I look to morph them into more wide forwards (in style rather than role) that offer a less aggressive but (hopefully) more potent option that the really gung-ho central midfielders. I want to continue to create overloads that will also allow these players to come in from the back post and, unlike previously, finish their chances. This should mean that my squad for the 2037/38 campaign is complete. If you click on the below image, you'll see what that looks like in FM terms - along with a few youngsters joining us for pre-season. Nine new signings in total (Couto, Schuur, Rocha, Sigurdsson, Diallo, Cespedes, Nilden-Lindner, Sharpe and ter Burg) but the squad, in my opinion, is much better suited to the style I want to play and is much more balanced in terms of the quality I want to have. Plus - we haven't kicked off the friendlies yet so there's good time to develop the cohesion we need! 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyler16 Posted July 9, 2022 Share Posted July 9, 2022 (edited) Some great signings, love the varied background in the players you target. Do you have a first choice XI in mind? edit: some thoughts on the new players now that I have the time. Couto is exactly the type of fullback I'd go after. Quick, team player, ability to play on either side and some really good mentals. I can see you getting 3-4 more years out of him, even if he eventually drops down to become a squad player. Schuur is solid. How does he compare to the left back you sold? Also, did he have a problem with accumulating cards last season? ter Burg looks like the perfect player to complement Jonsson, with the former playing off the right side. His athleticism will be deadly both in transitions and running into the space created by Jonsson. I would be shocked if he isn't your top scorer, especially with his finishing ability. Cespedes genuinely looks like a world class player in the making, even if he's a bit rough around the edges right now. Curious if you have a specific idea for his development! Looking forward to the season! Edited July 10, 2022 by tyler16 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 10, 2022 Author Share Posted July 10, 2022 18 hours ago, tyler16 said: Some great signings, love the varied background in the players you target. Do you have a first choice XI in mind? Thanks. Definitely something I want to expand on is the realism behind the scouting as I've got some ideas on that. I don't really have a first XI, you know! Players like Diallo are likely to start as I try and be sensible with the amount of minutes that Zambrano gets as he's developing. Jonsson is a great player but, like anyone, will be judged on form and that might mean he sits out for some time, if necessary! The only one kind of answered part is that Sharpe will be slowly introduced as he's away with Jamaica at the Gold Cup and, whilst he'll be match fit, won't be tactically acclimatised and that's a really big part of my needs. 18 hours ago, tyler16 said: Couto is exactly the type of fullback I'd go after. Quick, team player, ability to play on either side and some really good mentals. I can see you getting 3-4 more years out of him, even if he eventually drops down to become a squad player. Schuur is solid. How does he compare to the left back you sold? Also, did he have a problem with accumulating cards last season? I like both full backs. Our style of play puts a lot of emphasis on build up through these players and I think we're getting closer to what I ideally want: I think Couto is a great match for my DNA and, as you say, is mentally strong - so I'm ignoring his 'poor' (in comparison) CA rating. I think that Schuur has a bit more of the passing need I want but is a little weaker on the ball. Naturally, he's a step down when compared to Sebwe but I am hoping that I can grow and develop him. I think that combining the two of them would probably make the perfect full back for what I need! He didn't have a problem with cards, no, just 6 yellows and no reds last year. Did you get that from High Aggression/Average Decisions? 18 hours ago, tyler16 said: ter Burg looks like the perfect player to complement Jonsson, with the former playing off the right side. His athleticism will be deadly both in transitions and running into the space created by Jonsson. I would be shocked if he isn't your top scorer, especially with his finishing ability. Cespedes genuinely looks like a world class player in the making, even if he's a bit rough around the edges right now. Curious if you have a specific idea for his development! I like to think that my wide men are really telling to the style I'm trying to develop here. I want to use a W(s) for them both as that really takes away that gung-ho approach whereby they just attack everything - instead using them to keep the width and attack the spaces left by the False Nine: experimenting with these instructions. It's the third man run that I'm trying to perfect, as seen by this terrible PowerPoint illustration: Here (and see the importance of passing from the IWBs), the ball is played, vertically, up to Jonsson (who, by the way, might be the subject of the Plays With Back to Goal trait - as that's potentially perfect in combo with Plays One Twos in this role) who can lay it off to the MCs and, in the space vacated by the forward, can set the ball through to the wingers to hopefully finish. I will try my best to catch this, in match, rather than portrayed like this! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielgear Posted July 10, 2022 Share Posted July 10, 2022 27 minutes ago, _Ben_ said: so I'm ignoring his 'poor' (in comparison) CA rating How’s your AssMans Judging ability and potential attributes? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 10, 2022 Author Share Posted July 10, 2022 3 hours ago, danielgear said: How’s your AssMans Judging ability and potential attributes? He's actually quite poor: He was brought in, initially, because of his likeness to my playing style but I'll look to upgrade at some point. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 10, 2022 Author Share Posted July 10, 2022 (Late) July 2037 Digging really deep into the friendlies this year so that I can make a good judgement on who is ready to play for us and who simply isn't, making sure that there are ample minutes to get ready to start the season strong. To help me achieve this, I've picked two sepearate teams each game, both playing 45 minutes - in order to allow me to look at different pairings and combinations. A strong start against second tier Eindhoven as we raced into a 4-0 lead. However, beset by an injury following the change of teams, I was left playing a strange 4-2-2-1 shape with no defensive cover. It would be over protective to say that Rocha's positioning wasn't slightly askew for both of the goals, but there seems to be other concerns about him, which I will detail later. Against Roda - our feeder also from the second tier - I sat back a bit more, trying to right the defensive wrongs from last time. Probably not necessary given the way we conceded but still nice to engineer a shut out in the manner that we did - but, again, this has cost us going forward. At present, with the squad I have, I feel like these two cannot be mutually exclusive - to score more goals, I need to concede more! Against Oostende, we raced into a three goal lead with a lovely goal demonstrating the give-and-go that I want Jonsson to pioneer this year. However, two late goals that concern me in both shot position and shot quality somewhat took the shine off the day. ---- Whilst there have been some very strong performances, there have also been some concerning ones, too. Adelio Rocha, unable to speak Dutch yet has not exactly set the world on fire in his first three halves for the club, being accountable for the worst defensive performances. I don't know how much of this can be solved by some language but his performances aren't be shared by the other centre backs, who don't make this list. Furthermore, the performance of Westerveld against Oostende has concerned me - we did allow 1.03 of the 1.15xG whilst he was on the pitch but the two goals he conceded amounted to just 0.08 of that total. I'll be giving Ikeda a run in the remaining friendlies as there are no certainties in this squad, which is exactly what I want to achieve. I've fallen in love a little bit with the Last Five Matches tab in the Data Hub as it gives some really strong metrics that can't be gathered elsewhere. This is amazing! I felt it by watching the games but it's really interesting to see that we're doing a little better when keeping the ball for longer. I think there are two reactions to this - change the tactic to emphasise that or develop and work on the reasons why we are now keeping the ball longer than others. Pre-season has seen somewhat of a change and I've noticed my defensive pairing keeping the ball for a lot longer - almost as if that BPD is a bit of a ball magnet for backwards and sideways passes. I've watched us play, against particularly reluctant presses and we keep the ball for a lot longer here but actually do not create spaces or draw players out as they stay in their retreated shape. Whilst this needs to be taken with a pinch of salt given the quality we're playing against, it has changed my thinking and I've now opted for standard CD(d) rather than BPD(d) in these roles - hoping that they are used less in the build up. This can be amended against higher presses where their ability on the ball will create gaps and let us play through the press, but right now, I want to see how this does in our last friendlies. Again, ignoring the quality of opposition, we've reduced this metric from 6.4 entries per shot to now 4.6 entries per shot. This is a metric that I want to keep working with as it really shows the intensity of our counter and how lethal it is. I have introduced some new players, also, but it does give me hope that the tactical ideology is beginning to sink into the club. --- Up next, we finish off pre-season against Katwijk, a third tier side, KAA Gent and PSG-2. There are plenty of things I'm still wanting to see, such as that fabled third-man-run but I'm liking more things that I'm disliking at this stage of the season, which can only be a positive! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyler16 Posted July 10, 2022 Share Posted July 10, 2022 Love when you post videos of goals/moments such as that Jonsson assist. Brilliant play and exactly what I imagine him doing. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 11, 2022 Author Share Posted July 11, 2022 (Early) August 2037 Three to finish and three strong performances. I really wasn't expecting Katwijk to be as weak as they were but we really dominated and, despite the level of opposition, played our football and did it well. A couple of strong performances against good opposition, including a real backs to the wall job against Gent, have pleased me. Utilising the double squad as well as game time for the Jong and U18 has led to a fully fit, and raring to go, squad for the new season. --- I've been thinking about some of key battles within the squad, something that I've never really delved into before: Defensively, we've let our guard down a few times in pre-season as I've looked to interchange pairings and then also see the impact of using or not using really specific opposition instructions has been. At centre back, there are three names who have all performed very similarly with just Adelio Rocha struggling - and that will largely be replicated in my team choices in the early games. Sigurdsson hasn't quite done enough to usurp de Wit but, in all honesty, that's fine as he's a key, academy graduate, who I want to build the team around. At right back, and, in fact, both full back slots, I've been a little disappointed with the offensive work with just the solitary assist for full back Rensch over the course of the pre-season. Ally has stepped up for Couto, who has missed almost the entire pre-season with an injury but his performances, whilst in line average rating wise with Schuur, mean that a loan deal may be sought providing Couto can prove his fitness: first team football at a lower level club might bring his overall ability to a more level playing field. In front of them, both Diallo and Zambrano have performed well and quite similarly - the youngster winning more headers and making more interceptions whilst being a little less productive in the tackle, although the overall numbers of tackles are limited anyway. I have been delighted with the form of Bouma, whose five goals are more than he's scored competitively in his whole career but it's the key passes - as a non-set piece taker - that stand out to me here. He's really jumped at the opportunity afforded to him by Hernandez' international commitments. Jonsson has looked much more assured as a striker and, whilst his creativity isn't quite there yet, the xG overperformance is a breath of fresh air from last year. Thijs Pander, a 17 year old B team player, has impressed me, more so than both Asante and Swager, who both may be finding themselves on loan - securing constant first team football in a bid to develop and grow. Out wide, the winders have produced fairly similar returns - Neira will always be a danger as our set piece taker but I do feel, on quality during the games rather than pure outputs, that Cespedes and ter Burg will probably be the first choices early on. --- Feyenoord, away, to start the season isn't quite as easy as I'd want but we've got to play them all! 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielgear Posted July 11, 2022 Share Posted July 11, 2022 On 10/07/2022 at 19:54, _Ben_ said: He's actually quite poor: He was brought in, initially, because of his likeness to my playing style but I'll look to upgrade at some point. How much faith do you put into their star ratings? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 15, 2022 Author Share Posted July 15, 2022 On 11/07/2022 at 22:35, danielgear said: How much faith do you put into their star ratings? Not really that much, if I'm honest! At Krasnodar, given our quality, a 2.5* player was good enough for the top flight - but you see that kind of value generally discarded by others in the community. I do like (and plan to try and skin in) the tag that tells you the suitability in terms of division - such as A good Eredivisie Player - for example! I find that quite useful when judging talent. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 15, 2022 Author Share Posted July 15, 2022 August 2037 It's been a busy week of little FM time and, to be fair, the FM time I've had has been spent watching the Jong and U18 team play, sharpening the physical condition and tactical awareness of my players and watching out for good performances from my youngsters. It's mad to think how much my FM gaming experience has changed. Whilst I have no issues with those who do motor through the seasons on Instant Result and hit 5/10 saves a year, I think I've now found my way. The season started away at Feyenoord and I opted for the 4-2-1-3 to counter their AM and two striker and also to ensure that we didn't come away with nothing to start the season off. Whilst demanding that kind of outcome away at one of the big three is a lofty expectation, it's genuine given the quality that I think we have, on our day. Up next was a tight win over Utrecht as I felt an enormous sense of deja vu, given the fact that we had underperformed on xG like we did so many time last season. The month ended with a strong win away at Willem II and, finally, a penalty converted by Jonsson. Five points from three is a strong start, and I'm even more buoyed by the fact you cannot see PSV on my screenshot, showing that they've had somewhat of an indifferent start. In terms of tactical development, the main negative brought to my attention is this: Here is his pass map showing all of the loss of possessions. The first thing to note is that I'd accidentally not changed back the throw ins, after I utilised long throws with Sebwe. Schuur isn't fit for that purpose and that already writes off several of the losses. I've numbered the zones 1-4 to explain my thinking a little easier, noticing that 1 and 3 are the attacking zones when comparing these three performances. Once you remove the six losses from attacking throw ins, I really see very little that actually concerns me, aside from, potentially, the pass outside the area in zone 2. However, with no context on this, and me not really wanting to dig through and find it, I can't come to a conclusion that it wasn't a pressured pass or clearance. Every other pass that he's made is in an area whereby, with this shape and style (and look at a video I've added further down), I'd want him to do this. I really like this screen and, actually, even though I'm not sold on this set of recommended changes, I think it's great that my attention is being brought to something so small. --- I've made rather a big decision to send out five quite promising young players, all with first team minutes last year, to Roda JC: playing under the tutelage of Jesper Neele and his team. I thought realistically and, after being somewhat unimpressed by the performances of both Asante and Ally over our pre-season tour, wanted to give the realistic option of second division minutes over the sporadic first team appearance and Jong game time. This also has allowed the burgeoning talent of Thijs Pander, (comparison with Asante in the link) get more minutes in the Jong Team. He's essentially every bit as good but just two years younger. I spent a little bit of time watching these proteges in the Roda JC vs Jong Ajax game and will look to monitor their development with the following options available in either December (end of Ostergaard loan - as he's older and I want the decision quicker) or June (end of the remaining loans): A further loan at a team of the stature of Roda. A loan to a higher ability, promotion chasing, second tier side. A loan to a top division side. Moving to the Groningen first team squad. Being sold. --- As I previously said - I've been watching the Jong and U18 teams a fair bit over the last game month, using it for a number of reasons. Our brand of football is quite distinctive and I really like that it is visible even at the age group level - albeit with help from Escalona, Neira and Nilden-Lindner, all looking for match fitness: It's the give and go from the CM(A) back to the IWB(s) that sets this up but look at the positioning of Escalona - F9(s) and the other CM(A), Van Nispen. It's that movement that creates these chances and, providing that my wing backs are capable of playing these types of balls, we'll always have that option to get in behind. Van Nispen, on this occasion, took his goal beautifully, rounded the onrushing keeper and slotting home. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyler16 Posted July 15, 2022 Share Posted July 15, 2022 Glad you're back, miss reading the daily updates when there's nothing new. Sending a group of players out on loan together to see who sinks/swims is great, curious how it turns out. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielgear Posted July 16, 2022 Share Posted July 16, 2022 11 hours ago, _Ben_ said: Not really that much, if I'm honest! At Krasnodar, given our quality, a 2.5* player was good enough for the top flight - but you see that kind of value generally discarded by others in the community. I do like (and plan to try and skin in) the tag that tells you the suitability in terms of division - such as A good Eredivisie Player - for example! I find that quite useful when judging talent. Oh yes one of my biggest gripes is when you see people sell 3* as they’re not good enough 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 16, 2022 Author Share Posted July 16, 2022 September 2037 Through another month and we're flying! Things are falling into place that cover way more than what I'm seeing on the (first team) pitch and the tactical thoughts I've dived into more in this post: we're maintaining match fitness through scheduled performances in the youth team, corroborating thoughts about the need for sharpness, familiarity and morale as a precursor for good performances, sometimes over ability itself and really fine tuning development plans for my young squad. --- FC Groningen 1-0 De Graafschap We opened up the month with a nice tactical victory over De Graafschap. Their 5-2-1-2 WB formation posed me two problems: I would normally go for a double pivot against an AM and to ST but that shape can make me somewhat limited up top, even more so against the other issue of their shape being that we would normally opt for the Christmas Tree shape against a back three yet that one gives us no defensive mid cover. With it being early in the season and having a lot of new additions to the club who still aren't quite where they need to be tactically, I opted for the first choice, which would hopefully see us better off defensively but maybe lacking a little going forward. As you can see from the ratings at the hour mark, we'd done a superb job on limiting the effectiveness of their AM, allowing a really small number of passes to reach him. Eren was subbed off but his replacement could offer little creativity, either. The only issue I found here, and one that is clearly visible on the xG story is that the quality, and quantity of our shooting was not where I wanted. The data hub highlighted the issue, below: Of those ten shots, 70% came from Jonsson and a further 20% from direct free kicks. Our problem, as I expected and clearly seen here, is that we're not able to create spaces within the, essentially, five defenders. This has caused, in conjunction with the positive mentality, a gut reaction of 'SHOOT!' It's a bigger picture revolving around me working on the most efficient mentalities for us but, in the short term, I've customised the F9 roles to ask whoever plays their to Shoot Less Often. This, also as expected, creates confusion for Jonsson, who has the Tries First Time Shots trait. FC Groningen 5-0 PSV Another tactical battle won! Their 4-4-2 with really advanced wing backs saw me bring the wingers to the midfield strata to cope with the overlaps. What it did, in reality, is create the most ridiculously potent counter attacking tactic that I think I've ever seen - essentially scoring every time the game was in our favour! Our defensive shape was organised and complete but we simply tore PSV apart including this move that led to Bouma's hatrick goal: a simple lay off from Jonsson as we cleared from some pressure but, given the number of bodies they had committed (including a CWB at left back), the space was ours to exploit. I had mentioned being impressed with his performances in pre-season but for Bouma to open his senior competitive account, and go on to net three, is a great thing. Obviously, on another day, this was not a 5-0 win. Looking at the figures below tells you that. We recorded just 67% of the number of touches in their box as they did in ours but, obviously, it's the scoreline that counts! Probably - and this is not really hyperbolic despite playing 488 other games in my career - the best and most pleasing win of my managerial tenure! ADO Den Haag 1-0 FC Groningen A poor way to end the month. Tactically, we need to be more creative when coming up against teams who are more defensive and play a lower block, although I'd have expected the problem to be lessened with us on the road than if we were at home. This screenshot, taken around the hour mark shows the problem: These more defensive minded teams, particularly Den Haag with their two midfielders, are able to follow our centre mids back and, with Jonsson coming deep too, a block of all the creative outlets in made. It then relies on our wingers to create chances. In this case, I made the wrong decisions - utilising the same 4-1-4-1 shape against a 4-4-2 that worked so well last time. However, given that we weren't able to pull them out of shape to counter, our attacks were somewhat predictable and easy to defend. Whilst we lacked in the offensive prowess, we did, as expected, contain them to one real chance, which, of course they scored from. Our compact shape saw them keep the ball for long periods of time but, looking at the pass map - this was predominantly between their defensive players. I think that, going forward, I need to consider a different plan for teams like this as our unbeaten streak ends but, as they say, we go again! --- I agree @tyler16 that the loans are a risky business! I just want to instil that team ethos that you get by keeping them together at this age. Plus, having Roda in our division would only allow us to loan our more players as we develop into the future. However, it's safe to say that Herman Swager has not enjoyed the best of starts... Two red cards in 176 minutes of football! He's spent more time suspended than on the pitch so far in this loan spell. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 18, 2022 Author Share Posted July 18, 2022 October 2037 Coming in at nearly two thousand words, this must be one of my most documented months, ever. However, it really goes to show the amount of thought and care that I'm putting into FM: the ultimate escape from real life. We're performing really well, which, of course, helps, but I'm building both a really strong squad but also an understanding and appreciation of how to get the best out of them. We're not going to challenge for the title - Ajax are just too good - but we've put ourselves in a really strong position to mix it with PSV and Feyenoord for those top four spaces. --- Vitesse 1-1 FC Groningen Before the game, I'd spent a little bit of time thinking about the pace of my defenders and whether I was setting myself up to fail - considering the assist types. With little pace outside of De Wit and Sigurdsson, who, given my want to play a right footer and a left footer, are unlikely to play together, I decided to change both the LoE and DL. Pulling everything back one click still keeps us tight and compact but reduces the space in behind. Westerveld is a good stopper but certainly not a natural sweeper keeper. The game itself was good and we deserved much more. Our chance creation, particularly after we went behind, was good and we were unlucky thanks to a really strong goalkeeping performance. What does concern me though is that we actually took our foot off the pedal after we scored just after the hour mark. Given our domination, I wanted us to then go on and win this but actually we just produced little. I need to look and see if I can notice Vitesse making a concerted effort to change their style so that I can learn to adapt to those triggers. In terms of the goal they scored - I have no qualms. Given my thoughts on the compactness of defence and slight changes to the defensive line, I envisage that I'll see more events like the one below, that led to Alipour's goal. What we've essentially done here, by tight marking their AM and sitting deeper, is asked their less creative midfielders (a BWM and CM) or their defenders to create something. It was Medved, who, miraculously, threaded a ball over the top of Couto's head, which led to the goal but this is a pass that doesn't happen often and can't be done, regularly, by non-world class players. I'm happy (as strange as it seems) to concede this type of goal because, until it becomes repeatable, teams have got to score wonderful goals against us. As you can see here, their forward four (AM, P, IW and W) are all marked and I really see no issues. Granted, we could be a little tighter on Medved, but, as the BWM and a man with six assists in his 93 games for the club, he's not someone I'd identified as their creative spark. It's a goal conceded and dropped points but, again, at this stage of the season, one point is worth more than none. It feels really good to know how and why we're conceding, too. Between games, I visited Borehamwood to watch our Jong Team do a number over Arsenal U23, winning 3-0. The International Cup is not the most prestigious youth tournament but success here, whilst we're not in any European youth leagues, would be wonderful. You may also note that I've fully utilised the younger first team players (plus my quota of 3 over 23 players), in order to maintain match fitness. Fortuna Sittard 0-1 FC Groningen A little bit of a downer despite the win against Fortuna, as we've really struggled to replicate the powerful counter attacking style that did us so well against PSV. In fact, we went as far as probably being second best in most areas - the data hub outlines the concern that my coaching staff still have about our fragility centrally. This is advice I've constantly ignored, pushing forwards with the two CM(a) players in that role, against pretty much any opposition that we face that play a 4-2-3-1. However, on the flip side of this, we're winning the ball back in those areas and Zambrano, playing, this time, as a centre back (although I've now deemed he's too slow for this to be long term), impressed again. At the end of the day though, it's another three points and more offensive and defensive tactical thoughts to ponder over... FC Groningen 1-0 N.E.C Turgid! How did I play with one tactic throughout the season, not even trying to understand things that worked and things that did not?! 59% possession is 13% above the average for the rest of the season but I believe a big reason for this is that NEC sat back and, given our lower defensive line, so did we. 256 passes were completed by our back five, and, as you can see from the graphic above, not many of those progressed us out of our half. When we opened the scoring after four minutes following a lovely ball from Regeer down the half space for Speksnijder to finish, I felt positive: NEC are bottom of the league and I felt that the floodgates might open. I was wrong. However, I think I have identified a few reasons why we failed to capitalise on a team devoid of morale and, to be fair, much quality. It could very well be that our offensive players were far too static and easily tracked by the opposition, as this graphic of their average positions would show: But, again, it's that age old dilemma of using the F9 against a team who has a particularly defensive DM. If you look at this image, you'll see, on the left, the times that we lost possession but then, on the right, the times that Henry Westra received the ball. Just once in the opponents area, meaning that he's not passing and moving on but he's also not losing the ball: whilst this sounds good, it's not the risk level that I want our football to have going forwards. Again, a win is a win is a win but it's all about identifying games and being able to change accordingly. Looking back at this game, I feel an Advanced Forward would have excelled, playing on the back of the centre backs and getting fed from the only two players who seemed to have some space - the wingers. IJsselmeervogels 1-5 FC Groningen A lovely run out for a really young match day squad, with a full debut for Mischa Verveer - a full back who, despite being very short in stature, has impressed of late with some strong performances for the U18 and Jong Team. Time will tell if his height will be a limiting factor but I thought that, by pairing him with the most experienced defenders I had, he'd gain a lot from this game given that they weren't fielding wingers and that would naturally limit the number of crosses to deal with. In the end it was the Kawanami show as he netted twice but my plan to take on their 4-1-2-1-2 diamond really worked. Using Mez(a) to take out the DM and stretch their quite (surprisingly) attacking wing backs and then an AF(a) instead of a F9(s) to be on the last man gave me counter attacks that looked like this. Whilst the minnows are quite obviously retreating quickly, we have a number of players in space, something that never really happened against NEC. To concede was annoying, especially in this (click for GIF) manner. A shot that should have been saved by Ikeda that did slightly take the shine off the win. Into the next round we go, though. FC Groningen 4-0 Cambuur Some big thoughts before the game, focusing mainly around my wingers, see below, and their lack of both goals and assists. My current instructions has them staying wide, occupying the space and allowing the transition between the F9 and CM(a) to take place but I think that's really wasting four really top players. Therefore, my idea, and against a perfect opposition in the weaker Cambuur side, was to change it up. Keep them high and wide but also get them to cut in and be a bit more aggressive, almost doubling up in the half spaces with the CM(a) - by using the IF(a) role - with a slight tweak to stay wider. I am concerned that this does give us four attacking duties in a team I want to remain compact but we will see how this plays out. For reference, this gives the individual mentalities as follows: IWB(s) - Both positive CD(d) - Both defensive DM(d) - Cautious CM(a) - Both very attacking IF(a) - Both very attacking F9(s) - Attacking I don't want to create a big chasm between the defensive and offensive parts of the team as that is not conducive to overloading through counter attacking but there must be some way to diminish our often-low scoring games, creating a more potent attack. What I do like is that the F9 is naturally less aggressive than the wide men - who are told to engage lower and, as such are pulled back naturally - and centre mids, meaning that, when combining this with his actual role, he'll become a really nice attacking fulcrum: hopefully! Ok...let's not get too excited! However, there was some fantastic things to see in the game - particularly that our shape (in that 2-3-2-3 kind of style) remains and the IF(a) are still staying wide in the build up. Jay Ter Burg getting the Player of the Match with four clear cut chances created, six key passes and an assist to his name, with a goal for the other IF(a), Cespedes. What I like most is the width of the inside forwards and how, now, they're just as offensive as the F9(s). The gap between the lines is a little bigger than I want but it does encourage that vertical passing in the build up that I want. I recognise that this is probably not a shape for every game - particularly as their 4-2-3-1 shape does tend to play into the hands of our F9 - but, with 35 shots and 3.94xG created, it's given the fans something to cheer about and something for me to think about! 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyler16 Posted July 18, 2022 Share Posted July 18, 2022 Said it a million times, this is incredible content. Enjoying the match to match tweaks, rationale for decisions, player development, visuals, all of it really. Don't have a ton to add but I think moving to more aggressive wide players is suitable for the players you have and something worth continuing to experiment with. I agree with your analysis of the Vitesse match, that's a goal I'm happy conceding as the setup looks spot on. Looking forward to the next update! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1 Posted July 18, 2022 Share Posted July 18, 2022 Absolutely agree with @tyler16your contents writing gets better each time! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 19, 2022 Author Share Posted July 19, 2022 23 hours ago, tyler16 said: Said it a million times, this is incredible content. Enjoying the match to match tweaks, rationale for decisions, player development, visuals, all of it really. Don't have a ton to add but I think moving to more aggressive wide players is suitable for the players you have and something worth continuing to experiment with. I agree with your analysis of the Vitesse match, that's a goal I'm happy conceding as the setup looks spot on. Looking forward to the next update! 21 hours ago, john1 said: Absolutely agree with @tyler16your contents writing gets better each time! Thanks both! It's no surprise for me to say that the last two months have been among the most enjoyable of any FM I've ever played and I think that's come through in how I've written about them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 19, 2022 Author Share Posted July 19, 2022 October 2037 What, on paper, looks like a month where we've faltered is actually a month where we can hold our heads high in terms of performances against teams arguably better than we are. I'm still really getting to grips with the game (so weird to say as a veteran since CM01/02) tactically, hence another month really detailed like this. I'm sure this posting style will subside and change when I have other things - normally statistical analysis - to focus on, but it's enjoyable anyway! In terms of our position in the league, I couldn't be happier. Ajax are long gone and I think Feyenoord will follow, given their resurgence, game in hand and the fact that they're unbeaten too. However, it's going to take some turnaround for PSV to be back challenging in the upper echelons, which really does open the door for either us, or arch-rivals Heerenveen, to sneak in. Europe this season is the aim and anywhere in that top five would signify a really strong start for me here. --- AZ Alkmaar 0-0 FC Groningen Bare a crazy moment in the 87th minute, we controlled this match and that is certainly something that we can look back on with immense pride. AZ are that 'gateway' team, not quite up to the level of the top three but probably better than the rest of the league, on paper, and are currently competing in Europe. Whilst the continued experiment with four attacking players - two CM(a) and two IF(a) continued and somewhat faltered in this game, the evidence of our continual chance creation and very tight defensive unit is still evident for all to see. Heracles 1-1 FC Groningen A really interesting tie against high-flying Heracles. They lined up in a 4-3-2-1 Christmas three shape, of which I'd never properly faced before. Again, following the ideology that, at this point, one point is better than none, I probably did give them a bit too much - playing the 4-2-1-3 shape with two DMs in order to combat, and provide one spare man, for their forward three. As I've found with this shape, it does limit by attacking ability and, even with the change from IWB(s) to WB(s) on the full backs, felt that in this tie. What we did do we though is, despite them having a spare man in midfield, really limited the options of progressive passes for them, keeping close tabs on their more creative three. Yet, if I look at where those progressive passes went, I see a pattern - that both full backs were allowed time and space high up the pitch and that is where the more offensive IF(a) provides an issue for me. The more I get into this, tactically, the more I see that there is no one approach and I need to really make use of the scouting report and what I see on the pitch to adapt and overcome issues. The moan comes from their goal though, where Rocha's positioning really must be called into question. He's not sluggish but was caught on his heels as this header was seemingly placed well enough to allow their forward to win the footrace and score. He's really not impressed me since joining and that has been justified by the 1(1) appearances he's made. I know that using a statistical method, I won't get every signing right so am in no way complaining, but it's certainly interesting to see just how far off the boil he is for us compared to the games I watched at Vitoria. Again, confirmation that this tactic is some way away from hitting the desired levels: The removal of one of the CM(a) really stops us creating through the middle - maybe this is where an AF(a) is needed to lead the line and we then have something to play up to. FC Groningen 1-1 Heerenveen Before the match, I was rocked by a meeting involving the three aging team leaders: Vos, Regeer and Speksnjider, all angry that Henry Westra wasn't getting the football he deserved. I told them that, quite frankly, he wasn't performing well enough, but that didn't go down too well... I don't think it takes a genius to work out which four players were not selected? Hardly ideal to head into the big derby without your team leaders and captain, but these are the decisions that I live and die by... In the end, the game was hard-fought and a draw was probably deserved, despite our heavy xG win. As mentioned in the Heracles tie, I'm still looking to learn ways to adapt - both Heerenveen wide men caused me issues, despite the TI pushing them inside and me pushing them onto the weaker, inside, feet. It was until I switched the IWB(s) to WB(s) and changed the DM(d) to HB(d) in order to create a 3-2 in defence instead of a 2-3. Yet I think that the overall tactical issue from this month is below: We're just not receiving the ball in the opposition area. It's simple - when we do, we score goals. We don't complete a huge number of crosses - 24%, 9th in Eredivisie - and Dennis Bouma sits atop of our leaderboard for Key Passes/90 on 2.45 (he's not a set piece taker), but this places him only 17th in the league. With Barreto, Zherebyatjev, Hylnsson and Conberse at Kransodar - I had some incredible playmakers who were able to thread the ball through. We're somewhat lacking in that here. I'm never a blame the personnel manager as I need to get the most out of the squad I have, but I do feel a little short. ---- I decided to recall Herman Swager (don't be fooled by the arrows, look at his progression graph) from his loan at Roda, which had produced some pretty shambolic performances; he'll join back up with the Jong squad but his place is at risk, especially as I'll be looking to recruit some younger players now that I've reshuffled my scouting team... This was something I wanted to post about few months back but it got waylaid. I mentioned, when recruiting Cespedes that this kind of deal would, in no way, be realistic for a club of our stature. Therefore, I've utilised the team I have and built what I feel is a slightly more realistic scouting setup. I have kept on Varas, who was my scout and Ural and Krasnodar, and he'll stay in South America but I feel that there should be mastery gained at much closer to home levels first. I want to create strongholds within: Scandinavia - particularly Iceland as that is where the cheapest and 'rawest' potential is and we already have two players from their national team. Eastern Europe - Russia is expensive but a natural area of focus given the nationality and history of the manager, Nikita Zakharov, within this save. Central Europe - largely from clubs with II teams or those playing at youth levels. I think that's a realistic aim for a club of our size Africa - Avoiding the more expensive areas (although keeping an eye out in Egypt) and utilising nations with known academies that would benefit from future sell on fees. Middle East - again, quite an undervalued hunting ground. Avoiding the riches of Qatar and Saudi Arabia to focus on some lesser known countries but those who are often seen as second nationalities in Dutch intakes. I have sent the scouts to the country of their birth (minus Dutch Postema and Central African Republic Kaimba) as well as two further countries. Whilst this feels a little loose - not favouring youth competitions or anything as well - it appears to be the most fruitful way of finding players. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonic Youth Posted July 20, 2022 Share Posted July 20, 2022 Looking good in the league so far, giving the teams around you something to think about. Do you think you have enough depth to last all season? I like seeing the positional instructions you’ve post, something you don’t see dived into that deeply Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
john1 Posted July 20, 2022 Share Posted July 20, 2022 Are you sending scouts to individually countries? How long do they scout for? 6 months? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyler16 Posted July 20, 2022 Share Posted July 20, 2022 Another great update! Leaving four important players out of a derby is a bold, but correct call long term. Are the other loanees getting on any better than Swager? Scouting blueprint looks thorough and realistic, curious who pops up. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 21, 2022 Author Share Posted July 21, 2022 On 20/07/2022 at 01:50, Sonic Youth said: Looking good in the league so far, giving the teams around you something to think about. Do you think you have enough depth to last all season? I like seeing the positional instructions you’ve post, something you don’t see dived into that deeply That's the million dollar question, isn't it! To be truthful, I don't think we're going to finish in the top two: Ajax are running away with and Feyenoord are back. But, then you have PSV, who have massively faltered and AZ, who weren't quite as good as us last month so it's hard to tell where we're going to finish really. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 21, 2022 Author Share Posted July 21, 2022 On 20/07/2022 at 10:44, john1 said: Are you sending scouts to individually countries? How long do they scout for? 6 months? I set them off to three countries at a time until they 'finish' although I don't quite know what that means. I've done a fair bit of reading and experimenting with it and it seems like this is the most efficient method in FM22, although it's not really as realistic as I'd like it to be. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 21, 2022 Author Share Posted July 21, 2022 23 hours ago, tyler16 said: Another great update! Leaving four important players out of a derby is a bold, but correct call long term. I'm still early enough in my tenure here to be overawed by senior players so these kind of calls are really important. 23 hours ago, tyler16 said: Are the other loanees getting on any better than Swager? Much better, yes. Still keeping a close eye on them but, given that Roda are a lower mid-table side, these aren't too bad results. On 20/07/2022 at 18:21, tyler16 said: Scouting blueprint looks thorough and realistic, curious who pops up. Thanks. Finland's number one, still playing in his home league, is an early sighting. Just getting a better insight on him and then will delve into some stats as that's, by far, my weakest area of recruiting. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 24, 2022 Author Share Posted July 24, 2022 (Early) December 2037 So much to go through this month, that I've chopped it into two. Genuinely, this is the most invested I've ever felt in a save and the words keep spilling onto the page - we're at nearly a dissertation length for this season alone! In player news, Herman Swager is, apparently, struggling with the pressure of first team football - which may, @tyler16, be the reason behind his awful loan spell. It also absolutely adds weight to the fact that, for many years, I have overlooked the necessity of loaning young players out, which wouldn't have necessarily uncovered this (and, if it did - impacted our own performances) and my own practice needs to develop. Furthermore, Henry Westra, the man who came to me upset at being played back into form, now is upset that he's no longer considered a squad player. Fortunately, there are offers in for him; he's not a player I want to sell but I can't accept players who aren't willing to fight for their place in the team and accept that they will be dropped if their form isn't good enough or another player is just playing and training better than they are. --- First up, I was rocked by news that Rocha wanted to leave but, given his performances, I was not too worried about being able to replace him. For us to receive €2.4m upfront and another €2.4m in instalments is a simply wondrous turn around for a 31-year old with 83 minutes of football this season, who signed on a free a matter of months ago. Patrick Bruneck., as seen in a comparison with Rocha will be recalled from his loan at Roda to make the fourth centre back. Whilst there is a step down in quality, clearly, the way Patrick has developed has really earned him a place within my first team. As we're into December and discussing one incoming, it's a good time to review all of the signings that made the move to Eurobug this summer: Sigurdsson: A 9th in the league for interceptions per/90 but also contribution a near league high blocks/90 and fouls conceded/90. Whilst blocks is a little concerning as it shows we're having to engage in more last ditch defending, it shows he's doing it well. In the top 20 for key passes/90 too, which shows that he's added more than just defensive solidity. The only downside is that he's left footed, like de Wit, but I'm more and more open to playing two left footed defenders. A real coup on a Bosman deal. Schuur: A+ Leading the league in dribbles for a full back, which, given his attribute profile, is probably expected. However, he's also rated inside the top 20 for key passes/90 and assists/90, showing that he's no slouch creating either. 1.22 interceptions/90 more than the Eredivisie average for defenders is also a good comeback. Gets an A+ as he had really big shoes to fill following the departure of Sebwe in the summer. Untested at this level and only costing €180k; I feel that this is a great bit of business. Nilden-Linder: B Ahead of the league average for midfielders in goals/90, xG/90 assists/90 and key passes/90 is really great - even with the skew that comes with slightly less minutes played. Yet, gets a B because I haven't quite found him a partner to play with. Certainly fits the runner-role (as opposed to the playmaker in the duo I like at CM) but hasn't really clicked with a particular playmaker or a duo in a runner-heavy setup. I'm sure that, in time, this will iron itself out and he'll show his quality but it's been in fits and spurts, really. Diallo: A+ Times have changed since turning down 32 year old midfielders! He's the exact type of player we need and he's above the league average in Interceptions/90, Blocks/90, Headers won/90 and Clearances/90 - the exact thing that we were really weak at last year. His presence in that area of the team is essential to allow the players in front of him to be more creative. Even in his advancing years, he's holding steady with his fitness and could be really key for the next couple of years as Zambrano really develops into the role as his successor. Couto: B Two penalties skew his goals/90 but, at nearly 40% completion, he's been great with crosses and is way above average for full backs in Key Passes/90 and Dribbles/90 too - just second in the latter category to the much more suited Schuur. A very able backup and certainly someone who could take advantage of any openings that may appear. Ter Burg: C One of the new look forward line and like the rest, a man who I think will benefit hugely from the change to more aggressive wide players. Above average on xG/90 but scoring less than the average winger and a conversion rate of just 2.86% is a real concern to me, especially as 42% of his shots hit the target. Above average in Dribbles/90 too but I want more direct and more clinical play from him. Cespedes: C- At 5% conversion, he's slightly better than Ter Burg but takes 2.2 shots/90, which is way more than average, hitting 55% of them on target. Underperforming his xG - 0.24xG/90 to 0.11xG/90 means that he should come good at some point. Has hit a bit of a bump in the road with his development, which is pretty much non-existent at this point but he'll need time to bed in to the country and get used to the new style. Sharpe: C- Hot and cold. Matching his xG/90 performance with 0.19 goals/90 and way above average in Key Passes/90 but a wasteful shooter and not excelling in terms of ball carrying ability either. Has had the most up and down form of the three new wide men - ranging from 6.20 to 7.30 but, like Cespedes, is raw, young and not adapted to the country yet. Rocha: E Not enough minutes for any data viz to be generated - however, what I watched on the pitch was pretty horrendous. Turning like a fridge, scared of a 50/50 and no positional sense at all. I fully appreciate that there is a bedding-in phase and he doesn't know the language or culture but what I don't appreciate is the moaning and the inability to accept that he's not playing because he's playing so badly. As I said - I'm happy he's off and I know you can't win them all... But it does then move me to who I might want to bring in. Now, neither of these players are for now - they are on the DoF transfer target list and the status will only change if I hear of another club making a move for them. The plan is to ready the deals so that they can go through next summer, providing that both scout reports come back nice and positive. Both thumbnails are clickable. Munz is another runner in the same mould as Nilden-Lindner but is much younger with, hopefully, a higher ceiling. He's got thirteen goal contributions this season in the second tier and has a great personality to boot. At €3.5m, he'd be a record signing but I've recouped that, and more, moving on an aging centre back in Rocha. With two keepers that are both over 30, I need to think longer term and the scouting team quickly found Leino, who, at first glance, seems big, commanding and cheap. They're raving about him so I shall take a better look and maybe trigger that deal to go through at some point even if I have to maintain some reservations about the quality of player that hasn't left Finland despite being a regular in the national team. ---- VVV Venlo 1-1 FC Groningen A slightly tweaked line up following on from my previous thoughts to counter their 5-3-2 with an AM. I always want to maintain the extra man at the back but opted for the pace of Sharpe to disrupt behind their back line rather than the positional play of Escalona (as Jonsson is injured) int he False 9 role. On the half hour mark, I concluded that this was the correct thing, tactically but the previous issues of touches in the box still rang true as we lack that really clinical-ness. We conceded from a header that has absolutely no right to be scored from and, worrying, Westerveld looked dodgy with his positioning on other occasions, too. Maybe the need for a new goalkeeper is rising. We levelled late on thanks to a ter Burg goal and, like most times, we deserved it and maybe more. FC Groningen 2-0 Excelsior For my 500th game, I decided to take on board some pre-match advice from the backroom team, which must actually be the first time I've actually listened to it: The feedback I keep getting is that we are allowing too many touches in the box to the opponents so, by marking them tighter, we should look to minimise that - despite the fact that we're among the best defences in the league. I know Excelsior are what I'd consider lesser opposition but just by some screenshots - here or here - I can't say that there is really much difference made. It does appear that it has actually pulled the defensive solidity out of line a little as they seem to be following a player rather than controlling the space, which is the whole reason why we play a compact, low block. Looking at the image below, you could say that I've solved that problem but I really think there is more to it than this. Yes, they touched the ball less than the other games (38 vs VVV Venlo, 36 vs Heerenveen, 25 vs Heracles and 15 vs AZ) but there is more to it than that. It's against a different formation and, as I said, a slightly easier opposition. (Last five games, left, versus last game, right) In terms of the game itself, I was pleased: a searching pass from Couto - the exact thing I need the IWB(s) to do given the space in front of him - set up Neira who scored the second. We should have had more, showing some liquid football like that but annoyingly Cespedes could not find the back of the net from there. It stretches our unbeaten run to ten but was a timely win as we'd drawn the last four. FC Groningen 1-1 Ajax This is quickly becoming the longest post I've ever written so I may as well dive into the next thing I wanted to think about: defending corners. Whilst we don't look too vulnerable defending corners (none so far in the league), we, as a counter attacking team, never seem to make the most of them when can clear the ball. As it takes ages to load and watch old highlights, I'll just start back at the Venlo game and move forward from there. I've just taken a selection from each side rather than screenshotting every single one. VVV Venlo Corner 1 Corner 2 Excelsior Corner 1 Corner 2 Corner 3 It's interesting that, against both sides and from every corner, they had 6 men forward and we always had 8 men back with one on the area, who sometimes ventured back into the box. For reference, Heerenveen lead the league in goals from corners so I looked at a few of theirs. In this example, they have 7 men forward, forcing PSV to pull 9 men back but at other times, in the same game, they range from 4 men forward to 7 men. Each time, PSV have two men spare. What I want to know is what the trigger for the number of players they send forward is but I am aware that against Ajax is not the time to try this out. If I was to, for example, just keep three men back, would Ajax not send their normal six men forward, wary of us on the break? I then wonder what the tie breaker is - if it's an attacking manager, might he still put six forward against our three defenders when a defensive manager would not? i decided to replicate my shape from the away tie, creating a compact 4-1-4-1 despite being at home, in order to watch their marauding full backs, pushing them, and the wingers, wider through opposition and team instructions. The first issues came when I had used a Jong game for match fitness, meaning that half my squad became ineligible - seen here by the squad numbers. We conceded early to a Trigas strike where Westerveled, in my opinion should have done better - failing to meet the through ball and, at least, make him self a big target. However, we came back strong and, despite not putting up much in terms of xG ourselves, really stopped Ajax from the 30th minute onwards.. What it does mean is that we are unbeaten against Ajax this season, which is an insanely good win to take forward. In terms of the corner experiments - I sacrificed my man at the back post as I've not seen anything scored from the back post in games I've watched across the Eredivisie and added a second man up top. However, there was nothing really to note from the game: the experiment continues... 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 Things are going along nicely in the north of Holland my friend! how have you found the jump from Russia? Probably a higher nation as a whole but perhaps clubs wise a little smaller than what you built at krasnador? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tyler16 Posted July 24, 2022 Share Posted July 24, 2022 (edited) Some thoughts as I read through. What can you do with a player who isn't ready for the pressure of first team football? Loan them to a lower professional level or demote them to a youth team? Bruneck looks solid, that's definitely a successful loan spell for you. Is he an academy graduate? Early signs on the players brought in are encouraging, hopefully you can get more out of the attacking players in the second half of the season. Really like the big switch from Couto and more-so how wide the winger remains in buildup. Stretches the opposition horizontally and mimics how top teams play IRL. Edited July 24, 2022 by tyler16 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 24, 2022 Author Share Posted July 24, 2022 2 hours ago, SixPointer said: Things are going along nicely in the north of Holland my friend! how have you found the jump from Russia? Probably a higher nation as a whole but perhaps clubs wise a little smaller than what you built at krasnador? Thanks! Coming to have a check up on your thread shortly. I am absolutely loving Holland, it must be said. I don't think it's in particular Holland but just the move of country, which has really focused my attentions on learning about a new place: Krasnodar and Russia was, sadly, a little stale. The quality of the league, overall, is probably better than Russia but, yes, Groningen are a step down on the team that I won the league with at Kransodar. This was always a stepping stone to a big German club - Leipzig or Bayer fit my needs - but it's been the absolute best move I've made in Football Manager. I hope that the people who read along feel that and also enjoy my journey! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 24, 2022 Author Share Posted July 24, 2022 2 minutes ago, tyler16 said: Some thoughts as I read through. What can you do with a player who isn't ready for the pressure of first team football? Loan them to a lower professional level or demote them to a youth team? Bruneck looks solid, that's definitely a successful loan spell for you. Is he an academy graduate? Early signs on the players brought in are encouraging, hopefully you can get more out of the attacking players in the second half of the season. Really like the big switch from Couto and more-so how wide the winger remains in buildup. Stretches the opposition horizontally and mimics how top teams play IRL. Great question on Swager. To be honest - I don't know! He's back in the Jong team and doing really well but it's probably going to be another loan, which, if it yields the same results, will more than likely see him sold. I guess that's the cut throat nature of football. Yep, Bruneck is from the academy and I really like him. Not because he's the best product we've had but because of how well he's taken to the loan deal - improving really well across this season so far. He'll be back and in training with the senior squad as, essentially, fourth or fifth choice centre back. Given that he's not quite where I want him yet, that'll suit us perfectly as, hopefully, he continues to develop. My whole attacking shape is developing really nicely and I hope that this impacts on the players that we have, too. This little clip was going to be used in my next update but it really shows how we're quick, vertical and take risks with our offensive play. As you say, the wingers are purposely really wide but it's all been about finding that balance between width and scoring threats. Sharpe - IF(a), links nicely with Bouma - MC(a), who then plays in Ter Burg - AF(a) in this instance, who can feed through Nilden-Lindnder - MC(a), who scores. It's the influx and movement of bodies that I love to see in my attacking play. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 25, 2022 Author Share Posted July 25, 2022 (Late) December 2037 An absolutely wonderful way to round off the year as I feel that things are really starting to click into place for us. We head into the short winter break in a position that exceeds my expectations: granted, AZ and PSV are having poor seasons but to be pulling away from the chasing pack, sitting nicely behind the two big sides is a wonderful achievement. Thirty goals scored could be worked on but the joint best defence, eight conceded, shows the work I've put in to ensure that we aren't losing games. Again, we will need to turn seven draws into three draws and four wins next year if we want to challenge a bit higher - but we're hard to beat and that is a big part of my tactical identity. ----- VVV Venlo 0-3 FC Groningen e A heavily rotated side for the cup but we dominated Venlo with three goals for three different academy graduates: essentially, my holy grail. What pleased me most is that, with Venlo's attacking mid and two strikers, I've finally been able to create a more offensive, fluid, double pivot shape. Utilising one MC(a) and a AF(a), instead of a F9(s) and asking the keeper to distribute to the flanks, seems to allow us for a bit more penetration, particularly against their three defenders. I particularly liked how we pushed their wing backs inside, knowing that they had two pretty tall forwards and would, probably, look to cross to them. The win is great but the draw less so. Ajax. So much for an amateur side similar to the one that Utrecht put thirteen past in this round... Go Ahead Eagles 1-2 FC Groningen Go Ahead have been somewhat of the fairytale of the Eredivisie this season but we put pay to their strong start, creating a huge number of chances. The smooth interplay as seen in the reply to @tyler16 set us off well but we conceded, rather unfortunately, from their first shot of the game after a bit of a mix up at the back. I've often moaned at our inability to then perform after conceding, especially when we concede first, but our game plan stayed and, despite a slew of low quality chances, took one late on with the super-impressive Bouma. A huge underperformance based on xG but a strong win never the less. I gave a first team debut to Theophilus Etim - a lad I'm trying to develop, who is progressing nicely. The most important thing about this can be seen with his place of birth. He was poached into my intake from Sheffield United and born in Leeds so, because of this, holds a British passport. I know the value, in this post Brexit world, of English talent and could, should he continue to develop like this, fetch us a small fortune given that he'd not take up a foreign slot of have Work Permit issues. N.E.C 0-5 FC Groningen We see the year out with a cracking win over relegation candidates N.E.C. With Jonsson injured, again, I went with Gregory Sharpe up top but decided to utilise a PF(a) rather than a F9(s) - a change I've been making more often of late. Looking at the passes received by both the midfielders, I think that the role selection of the striker allows them more space. When using a False Nine, this seems to be the area that he'd be occupying and, maybe, my central trio needs to be a bit more variable: 2x Mez(a) and F9(s) 2x CM(a) and AF(a) 1x CM(a) and PF(a) when playing a double pivot Aside from the slight tactical tweaks, it was pleasing to see us tear a side apart as it's been coming for some time. We were a little more loose defensively, although a big, 0.42xG chance for N.E.C did skew that slightly but once again, created a plethora of good chances, entering their final third 75 times. When you look at the types of entries, you can see a lot of those diagonal balls, which are a by-product of creative inverted wing backs and wide, offensive, wingers. This pleases me greatly! --- Not planning a huge amount of dealings in January aside from the pre-contract sales of a few elders in the squad (two of the team leaders' contracts end this summer so I see this as a natural changing of the guard) as well as Westra's departure (€3.7m to Metz) and Rocha's (€4.8m to Eibar) but there is one player who has really caught my eye across this season. Clicking on the thumbnail takes you to his profile. I had already identified the central midfield area as one I wanted to improve, with the aging Speksnijder not featuring much this season thanks to his part in Westra-gate and Hernandez aging and not as impressive as the others. With Julius Munz, identified in an earlier post, now attracting the interest of bigger German clubs, I need to move faster to identify a possibly undervalued player. Konté brings something to the table that we don't have - and that is a really combative midfielder. Whilst there are areas he certainly is not excellent at, which should worry me for an attacking midfielder, I simply love the Aggression, Bravery, Stamina and Teamwork. He'll essentially function as a de facto box-to-box player who'll never tire of making marauding runs. Whilst we are compact and not an aggressive pressing side, his tenacity will help us win the ball back in an area that tactically we make ourselves vulnerable in. What is the best thing though, for me, given the way I play, is looking at his statistical analysis at a very poor N.E.C side: Top 10% for assists/90 7% of his passes are 'key' but does not appear to be a set piece taker Top 2% of all Eredivisie centre mids for key passes/90 Involved in 44% of all N.E.C goals this season Needs to work on finishing his chances but hasn't been presented with high quality opportunities. But, because of his low average rating and poor performances of his team, isn't really attracting any interest from elsewhere and I can hopefully snap him up even cheaper now I've uncovered that he has a minimum release clause that is active. I'm happy to delay any confirmation until he's fully scouted but there is nothing really that shows as a red flag. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 25, 2022 Author Share Posted July 25, 2022 (Early)January 2038 There is a natural break here to split the friendlies and competitive fixtures up into two posts, hopefully making them a little shorter and easier to digest. There is never any fun in playing teams this weak, particularly when the goal is match fitness for the first team players, meaning that I'm not going to use it as a time for run outs for youth players or experiment with much tactically. However, the clubs too far away wouldn't travel and my board wouldn't approve our own travel to far afield. I think that I need to assess the need for these friendlies next year and whether Match Practice - in training - would suffice. The first game, against the only real opposition we faced as a good one. We battled hard and tried to experiment with corners - this one leaving two men on the edge of the area. Interestingly, Mouscron didn't commit many players forward and it was easily collected by Ikeda. The Katwijk game saw a classic Matryoshka-move as a diagonal ball creates an overload and a low cross is put away by Konté, who impressed on debut. As I'm still experimenting with an AF(a) in some shapes whilst Jonsson is out, you may notice a familiar face. Here is Raul Budunov when I took over at Anji and here he is now. Sadly, he's probably not quite up to the level I need but this shape was essentially built for him to excel at. His form, below, albeit against poor teams, shows there might still be life left in the old dog: He's on trial for a month and is regaining match fitness after leaving Ural at the end of last season. Jonsson has missed 34% of the season to date and, whilst I'm lucky to have two IF(a) who can play up top, do feel that relying on Escalona in the short term probably isn't the wisest of ideas. The last game, whilst a cakewalk, shows the issue with this shape, particularly when I use an AF(a). A huge chasm is created between the attacking and defensive phase and we would, against better opposition, be wide open to be countered here. I'm a little unsure of what to do here. The CM(a)s are integral to the way we overload centrally and I am, therefore, loathed to move them back to supporting roles or even have one supporting. Using different roles, such as an AP(s) would change the shape, probably for the better, but would also create a ball magnet that I just don't need with this style. My other thoughts would be a pair of BBM(s) as they do get up and down but are largely supporting players. That fits Konté's skillset quite well but really won't work for the likes of Bouma or even Pander, who I hope to promote in the coming years. --- On the transfer front, I now face a really important summer. With us looking likely (hopefully!) to qualify for Europe, our scouting work this season pretty much becomes obsolete as we become able to attract a far higher quality of player. I'm saving the money ready but haven't been able to really assess and key targets. Further than that, three important players - more so in the hierarchy than playing ability - will be leaving us: Vos has accepted a contract double what I was willing to pay him, Rensch will spend the remainder of his career in the sun of California and Regeer has agreed a move to South Korea, although I did miss the email! Whilst this removes three older players, all of whom are declining, not playing much and have a history of moaning, it does leave me very empty in defence and will also lead to new team leaders being appointed. As I've said, I want to move now to fill those gaps but I've already missed out on the experienced Tim Bos as he moved for 400% of what I'd offered him and Richardly Bazoer, who moves to Utrecht for a similar wage but a more important squad status. Unrelated, but, as expected, I missed out on Juluis Munz, who went to Nurnberg, meaning the signing of Konté is even more important. I'm not sure if this is working as intended but there are only around 2,000 Dutch players in the entire database, meaning that, right now, signing anyone of note is very hard. This equated to roughly 2% of the entire gameworld. I am aware that, whilst we're not able to have the pick of the best Dutch players, we have to be smart with recruiting and I will be making the most of the lesser valued nations, such as Eastern Europe, Scandinavia and the Balkans. But, as I have said - we don't have an up to date database given our changes in reputation and continental competition that will hopefully follow this season. All fun and games... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 26, 2022 Author Share Posted July 26, 2022 (edited) (Late) January 2038 Four league games to end the month and, as has been custom this season, a huge amount of depth in terms of my decisions on players and tactics through the month. We're ending the month in a position I never thought we'd be in but with a squad that I'm developing into a really aggressive threat to others. I see this project having another two or three years left to run on it but the progress we've made in the year and a bit since I took over has been sublime. In player news, we've been quite active: Thijs is one of the most promising youngsters at the club and the second central midfielder off the recent production line to go out on loan, following on from Asante. They're not the same type of player and Pander is a little rough around the edges but he's got decent attributes for both the roles I use: a runner and a creator. Moving to NAC - in the second tier - will be a good move for him as he's going to become an important player in a team that is winning and chasing promotion. I don't envisage him being 'ready' to return to the first team after just six months, but he's certainly one to watch. I hope that Thijs can follow in the footsteps of Alfred Asante, who has made absolutely phenomenal progress in the last five hundred days or so since I moved to The Netherlands: What he's done here is made sustained progress in all areas of his game, adding physicality but also developing as both a finisher and a defender. Obviously, with the way I play the game - using a transparent font for attributes under 7 - I can see that, at minimum, he's improved four points on his Finishing in that time, which was the focus he had. He's also improved at least three in Concentration, as well as five in Pace and three in Acceleration, presumably coming from his work on the Mezzala training schedule as well as a short period of time using the Shadow Striker focus. Whilst his personality is good, it's not what's been considered the perfect in the past - but it shows how well, in this instance, my micromanaging has done. He's still lacking a little in specialising to be either a runner or a playmaker but his sheer physical presence is contributing to some decent performances in the second tier. He's just put pen to paper on a new contract, which will more than likely see him part of the first team next year. In terms of permanent transfers, HoYD Melnik has brought in Jonsson, Vilhjammson and Tarasovs, all of whom will play in the U18 team for the time being. I like the look of the young Icelandic winger but, most of all, I appreciate the realism in someone else dealing with signing these youngsters as it's not really something I envisage a manager having much of a say in. I also let first choice keeper Westerveld move to Heracles, for €625k up front with the same amount also paid in instalments. My hand somewhat forced as I was able to complete the below signing: (Image is clickable) I was told of Parma's bid so ended up submitting a bid one transfer window earlier than I intended but I got the man I want. My issue with Westerveld was his lack of presence but, with 15 for Command of Area and a 6'5" frame, I think the Fin will change that. What also impresses me is his footballing ability - a really good passer with some decent Vision to boot. His Rushing Out also means that I can continue with a push for a slightly higher line, knowing that I'll have a dependable 'keeper in behind. His signing does mean that I'll be breaking a promise to cup keeper Ikeda, who I had said would have a shot at the first team in order to cement a World Cup place but Westerveld was the more-sellable option, covering my costs here and also four years older. He's one of the higher earners and can leave for a €13m but that would signify a huge profit, anyway. ---- FC Groningen 0-0 VVV Venlo Didn't quite get this one right. Again, opting for the double pivot against the 5-2-1-2 that Venlo play and, again, using the PF(a) at the head of my attack, giving me a little more mobility when using just one central midfielder. However, thie really pulled Sharpe around and limited our ability to pull defenders out of play. As you can see from the shot map, so many of our shots came from 'in front of' their defensive line. Even our IF(a) were marshalled well by their (this time) less aggressive wing backs. With some injuries running through the squad, I wasn't able to move to the more risky Christmas Tree shape in order to try and overload their defensive three, negating their offensive issues as they hadn't offered much. As I've maintained all season - I think it's much easier to turn a draw into a win over the course of the next couple of years, as opposed to a defeat into a win. FC Groningen 0-1 Ajax This is one whereby I've executed my game plan almost to perfection but their class has just told at the end. We ensured that we were super compact and, as you can see from the heat map and action zones, let them have the ball in the middle of the pitch. We allowed them to have a whole host of shots but the average shot xG of just 0.06 tells you where they came from. We exit the cup and end with a record against Ajax of P3, D2, L1 with two goals scored and three goals conceded: not bad! What the cup has also allowed me to do is to give some minutes to youngsters. One of the biggest differences I've found between this and the Russian league is that I'm back to only have three substitutes, which was perfect to use the last one or two on youth players. Seven players from the Jong team have appeared, with Koji performing remarkably well across his cup games - so much that he's featured in the league too. My aim is to continue this kind of development across matches in the league - ensuring that I'm picking players who are training and developing well. This game also highlights the concerns that I have around Emile Escalona, particularly from his scout report, above. With just one goal in six on average at the start of his career, which has come mostly against lower level opposition, I am starting to worry whether I've thrust him into the first team too soon and without the pre-requisite experience. Emile is a good, well rounded player, but I have to confess that, maybe, the focus on utilising him cost me the future for Henry Westra. He's recorded 3.64xG but scored twice this season, once against Venlo and the other against Heerenveen with the former as an AF(a) and the latter as a F9(s). I wanted to take a look a little bit deeper into this so compiled data from all games he's played this season across each age group, split by position: I think we can probably exclude the game as a SS(a) in my Christmas tree shape as the Jong team demolished the reserves on an amateur side but there are some interesting things to note between playing as a F9(s) and as an AF(a). He's less involved, as you'd expect, with the ball and that really limits his creativity, yet has still created some assists. It also seems that the role hasn't hugely impacted his finishing ability, although he's been far more clinical as a False Nine. I want to see Emile a bit more in the Jong team in the AF(a) role before I fully make a decision on how his future may play out. Moving entirely away from a creative forward means that Jonsson, who I've spent much time a) deliberating with and b) developing, would become somewhat of an extra. Valued at €50m, he'd bankroll the future of the club but the real test would be converting him back to a midfielder or trying to shoehorn him as some kind of an AF(a) - making use of his Off the Ball: 16, Agility: 15, Balance: 17, Finishing: 12, Composure: 13. What this has definitely told me is that a striker will be on the shopping list in the summer to allow Escalona to get some first team football, unless I decide to move either Sharpe or Ter Burg to that role leading to a new wide man being needed... FC Utrecht 0-1 FC Groningen Not a huge amount to say here as the game was relatively dull and we ran out of steam inside the last twenty minutes or so, given the exploits of our squad against Ajax previously. I often find that we are able to exploit spaces in a 4-2-3-1 shape with a F9(s) so opted for Ter Burg to play there, flanked by Sharpe and Cespedes but we had little luck against a very cautious opponenent. Still, three points is three points and we continue to march on with our unbeaten league run. Heerenveen 1-4 FC Groningen Off the back of the thoughts and then poor showings against Venlo and Utrecht, I have taken another look at my tactical approach, focusing on my wingers. I posted this back in October: Quote My current instructions has them staying wide, occupying the space and allowing the transition between the F9 and CM(a) to take place but I think that's really wasting four really top players. Therefore, my idea, and against a perfect opposition in the weaker Cambuur side, was to change it up. Keep them high and wide but also get them to cut in and be a bit more aggressive, almost doubling up in the half spaces with the CM(a) - by using the IF(a) role - with a slight tweak to stay wider. I am concerned that this does give us four attacking duties in a team I want to remain compact but we will see how this plays out. For reference, this gives the individual mentalities as follows: IWB(s) - Both positive CD(d) - Both defensive DM(d) - Cautious CM(a) - Both very attacking IF(a) - Both very attacking F9(s) - Attacking Obviously, the resounding win over Cambuur gave me a lot of hope that this system would help with the outputs from the wide players but I actually think it's created more concerns than answers. Yes, the way that they stretch the play is fantastic and really necessary to those central overloads, but I think I can get that without having to use very attacking mentalities. I believe that this is the cause of those rushed shots and poor conversions. As you can see, there haven't been a huge number of goals nor assists from these lads but I think the biggest barrier is that their attacking mentality changes how we play, especially when we use an AF(a). The changes make our mentalities look like this: IF(s) - Both very attacking AF(a) - Very attacking This can be altered quite easily with a move from Positive to Balanced if I feel that they're too attacking but, from the game, a comparison of the IF(s) position with ball (green) and without (red) shows that not much has changed, just they sit a little deeper to start with. The game itself, against our big rivals, was great. We controlled the spaces and, as I wanted, the IF(s) kept their width (graphic shows touches, dribbles, crosses, crosses received, gained possession and heat map) and the ever impressive Bouma set up a goal with the most sublime touch. We conceded from a lapse in concentration, allowing them to get to the byline and put a cross in: something that can cause us problems with our Tight Marking instruction becomes confusing with deeper runners, particularly in a 4-4-1-1. Obviously, Ter Burg netted twice, which is great and doubles his tally for the season but I'm making little reference to them as neither of them can be attributed to our style - one came from a set piece and the other was a strike from the edge of the area. --- Feyenoord come to town in the first game of February and, somehow, this really feels like a six-pointer that could decide second place: a position that I only thought we'd achieve in my wildest dreams. Edited July 26, 2022 by _Ben_ 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted July 26, 2022 Share Posted July 26, 2022 9 hours ago, _Ben_ said: (Late) January 2038 Four league games to end the month and, as has been custom this season, a huge amount of depth in terms of my decisions on players and tactics through the month. We're ending the month in a position I never thought we'd be in but with a squad that I'm developing into a really aggressive threat to others. I see this project having another two or three years left to run on it but the progress we've made in the year and a bit since I took over has been sublime. In player news, we've been quite active: Thijs is one of the most promising youngsters at the club and the second central midfielder off the recent production line to go out on loan, following on from Asante. They're not the same type of player and Pander is a little rough around the edges but he's got decent attributes for both the roles I use: a runner and a creator. Moving to NAC - in the second tier - will be a good move for him as he's going to become an important player in a team that is winning and chasing promotion. I don't envisage him being 'ready' to return to the first team after just six months, but he's certainly one to watch. I hope that Thijs can follow in the footsteps of Alfred Asante, who has made absolutely phenomenal progress in the last five hundred days or so since I moved to The Netherlands: What he's done here is made sustained progress in all areas of his game, adding physicality but also developing as both a finisher and a defender. Obviously, with the way I play the game - using a transparent font for attributes under 7 - I can see that, at minimum, he's improved four points on his Finishing in that time, which was the focus he had. He's also improved at least three in Concentration, as well as five in Pace and three in Acceleration, presumably coming from his work on the Mezzala training schedule as well as a short period of time using the Shadow Striker focus. Whilst his personality is good, it's not what's been considered the perfect in the past - but it shows how well, in this instance, my micromanaging has done. He's still lacking a little in specialising to be either a runner or a playmaker but his sheer physical presence is contributing to some decent performances in the second tier. He's just put pen to paper on a new contract, which will more than likely see him part of the first team next year. In terms of permanent transfers, HoYD Melnik has brought in Jonsson, Vilhjammson and Tarasovs, all of whom will play in the U18 team for the time being. I like the look of the young Icelandic winger but, most of all, I appreciate the realism in someone else dealing with signing these youngsters as it's not really something I envisage a manager having much of a say in. I also let first choice keeper Westerveld move to Heracles, for €625k up front with the same amount also paid in instalments. My hand somewhat forced as I was able to complete the below signing: (Image is clickable) I was told of Parma's bid so ended up submitting a bid one transfer window earlier than I intended but I got the man I want. My issue with Westerveld was his lack of presence but, with 15 for Command of Area and a 6'5" frame, I think the Fin will change that. What also impresses me is his footballing ability - a really good passer with some decent Vision to boot. His Rushing Out also means that I can continue with a push for a slightly higher line, knowing that I'll have a dependable 'keeper in behind. His signing does mean that I'll be breaking a promise to cup keeper Ikeda, who I had said would have a shot at the first team in order to cement a World Cup place but Westerveld was the more-sellable option, covering my costs here and also four years older. He's one of the higher earners and can leave for a €13m but that would signify a huge profit, anyway. ---- FC Groningen 0-0 VVV Venlo Didn't quite get this one right. Again, opting for the double pivot against the 5-2-1-2 that Venlo play and, again, using the PF(a) at the head of my attack, giving me a little more mobility when using just one central midfielder. However, thie really pulled Sharpe around and limited our ability to pull defenders out of play. As you can see from the shot map, so many of our shots came from 'in front of' their defensive line. Even our IF(a) were marshalled well by their (this time) less aggressive wing backs. With some injuries running through the squad, I wasn't able to move to the more risky Christmas Tree shape in order to try and overload their defensive three, negating their offensive issues as they hadn't offered much. As I've maintained all season - I think it's much easier to turn a draw into a win over the course of the next couple of years, as opposed to a defeat into a win. FC Groningen 0-1 Ajax This is one whereby I've executed my game plan almost to perfection but their class has just told at the end. We ensured that we were super compact and, as you can see from the heat map and action zones, let them have the ball in the middle of the pitch. We allowed them to have a whole host of shots but the average shot xG of just 0.06 tells you where they came from. We exit the cup and end with a record against Ajax of P3, D2, L1 with two goals scored and three goals conceded: not bad! What the cup has also allowed me to do is to give some minutes to youngsters. One of the biggest differences I've found between this and the Russian league is that I'm back to only have three substitutes, which was perfect to use the last one or two on youth players. Seven players from the Jong team have appeared, with Koji performing remarkably well across his cup games - so much that he's featured in the league too. My aim is to continue this kind of development across matches in the league - ensuring that I'm picking players who are training and developing well. This game also highlights the concerns that I have around Emile Escalona, particularly from his scout report, above. With just one goal in six on average at the start of his career, which has come mostly against lower level opposition, I am starting to worry whether I've thrust him into the first team too soon and without the pre-requisite experience. Emile is a good, well rounded player, but I have to confess that, maybe, the focus on utilising him cost me the future for Henry Westra. He's recorded 3.64xG but scored twice this season, once against Venlo and the other against Heerenveen with the former as an AF(a) and the latter as a F9(s). I wanted to take a look a little bit deeper into this so compiled data from all games he's played this season across each age group, split by position: I think we can probably exclude the game as a SS(a) in my Christmas tree shape as the Jong team demolished the reserves on an amateur side but there are some interesting things to note between playing as a F9(s) and as an AF(a). He's less involved, as you'd expect, with the ball and that really limits his creativity, yet has still created some assists. It also seems that the role hasn't hugely impacted his finishing ability, although he's been far more clinical as a False Nine. I want to see Emile a bit more in the Jong team in the AF(a) role before I fully make a decision on how his future may play out. Moving entirely away from a creative forward means that Jonsson, who I've spent much time a) deliberating with and b) developing, would become somewhat of an extra. Valued at €50m, he'd bankroll the future of the club but the real test would be converting him back to a midfielder or trying to shoehorn him as some kind of an AF(a) - making use of his Off the Ball: 16, Agility: 15, Balance: 17, Finishing: 12, Composure: 13. What this has definitely told me is that a striker will be on the shopping list in the summer to allow Escalona to get some first team football, unless I decide to move either Sharpe or Ter Burg to that role leading to a new wide man being needed... FC Utrecht 0-1 FC Groningen Not a huge amount to say here as the game was relatively dull and we ran out of steam inside the last twenty minutes or so, given the exploits of our squad against Ajax previously. I often find that we are able to exploit spaces in a 4-2-3-1 shape with a F9(s) so opted for Ter Burg to play there, flanked by Sharpe and Cespedes but we had little luck against a very cautious opponenent. Still, three points is three points and we continue to march on with our unbeaten league run. Heerenveen 1-4 FC Groningen Off the back of the thoughts and then poor showings against Venlo and Utrecht, I have taken another look at my tactical approach, focusing on my wingers. I posted this back in October: Obviously, the resounding win over Cambuur gave me a lot of hope that this system would help with the outputs from the wide players but I actually think it's created more concerns than answers. Yes, the way that they stretch the play is fantastic and really necessary to those central overloads, but I think I can get that without having to use very attacking mentalities. I believe that this is the cause of those rushed shots and poor conversions. As you can see, there haven't been a huge number of goals nor assists from these lads but I think the biggest barrier is that their attacking mentality changes how we play, especially when we use an AF(a). The changes make our mentalities look like this: IF(s) - Both very attacking AF(a) - Very attacking This can be altered quite easily with a move from Positive to Balanced if I feel that they're too attacking but, from the game, a comparison of the IF(s) position with ball (green) and without (red) shows that not much has changed, just they sit a little deeper to start with. The game itself, against our big rivals, was great. We controlled the spaces and, as I wanted, the IF(s) kept their width (graphic shows touches, dribbles, crosses, crosses received, gained possession and heat map) and the ever impressive Bouma set up a goal with the most sublime touch. We conceded from a lapse in concentration, allowing them to get to the byline and put a cross in: something that can cause us problems with our Tight Marking instruction becomes confusing with deeper runners, particularly in a 4-4-1-1. Obviously, Ter Burg netted twice, which is great and doubles his tally for the season but I'm making little reference to them as neither of them can be attributed to our style - one came from a set piece and the other was a strike from the edge of the area. --- Feyenoord come to town in the first game of February and, somehow, this really feels like a six-pointer that could decide second place: a position that I only thought we'd achieve in my wildest dreams. Great win in the derby! I’m having issues with my wide men also at Ajax, I also use them to stretch play and I find it’s isolated them a touch in terms of getting into goalscoring positions. I’m working on it at the minute so nice to see your workings. 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danielgear Posted July 26, 2022 Share Posted July 26, 2022 Great to see the move to Holland going well Ben, do you think your squad will be able to cope with the demands of Europe next year or will you be looking to increase the squad size? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 27, 2022 Author Share Posted July 27, 2022 13 hours ago, SixPointer said: Great win in the derby! I’m having issues with my wide men also at Ajax, I also use them to stretch play and I find it’s isolated them a touch in terms of getting into goalscoring positions. I’m working on it at the minute so nice to see your workings. Thanks! It's the fine tuning element that I'm really enjoying at the moment. I am a lot more confident in judging what I see on the pitch and adapting around it so that's the plan right now - getting my wingers to be a constant threat and, mainly, improving their conversion rates. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 27, 2022 Author Share Posted July 27, 2022 8 hours ago, danielgear said: Great to see the move to Holland going well Ben, do you think your squad will be able to cope with the demands of Europe next year or will you be looking to increase the squad size? Absolutely not! As I've said, the problem right now is the change in reputation that qualifying for Europe will bring. If I go for a fairly rudimentary search - realistically approaching the weaker teams in the top leagues, signing players who we already know and are statistically doing well - I get these results: Hardly a full database of potential incomings. The other thing to take into account is that, whilst we do have over €20m in the bank, we lose a couple of million a month and therefore I can't go ahead and spend €15m on a player this summer as it'll financially cripple us until we're regular Champions League qualifiers. Then you come to my actual plans for the summer... Ignoring the Jong team sales, I'm losing two full backs, a centre back, a backup goalkeeper probably and intend to lose my backup striker. I've been so obsessed with getting the best from the crop I currently have, that I've somewhat neglected the recruitment part in the past months. So much so that I added signings for the first team to my DoF (to compliment the youth signings that my HoYD initiates) but everyone he made a move for failed to really impress me or meet the needs I have. It's early February in game right now and I've got to get myself into gear - especially if I want to continue with the performance related, fully scouted realistic model that I've used to date! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted July 27, 2022 Share Posted July 27, 2022 2 hours ago, _Ben_ said: Thanks! It's the fine tuning element that I'm really enjoying at the moment. I am a lot more confident in judging what I see on the pitch and adapting around it so that's the plan right now - getting my wingers to be a constant threat and, mainly, improving their conversion rates. My favourite part of the game tbh. Nothing better than tweak either before or during the game and it comes off. After you’ve done your homework or noticed something in game. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielgear Posted July 27, 2022 Share Posted July 27, 2022 4 hours ago, _Ben_ said: Absolutely not! As I've said, the problem right now is the change in reputation that qualifying for Europe will bring. If I go for a fairly rudimentary search - realistically approaching the weaker teams in the top leagues, signing players who we already know and are statistically doing well - I get these results: Hardly a full database of potential incomings. The other thing to take into account is that, whilst we do have over €20m in the bank, we lose a couple of million a month and therefore I can't go ahead and spend €15m on a player this summer as it'll financially cripple us until we're regular Champions League qualifiers. Then you come to my actual plans for the summer... Ignoring the Jong team sales, I'm losing two full backs, a centre back, a backup goalkeeper probably and intend to lose my backup striker. I've been so obsessed with getting the best from the crop I currently have, that I've somewhat neglected the recruitment part in the past months. So much so that I added signings for the first team to my DoF (to compliment the youth signings that my HoYD initiates) but everyone he made a move for failed to really impress me or meet the needs I have. It's early February in game right now and I've got to get myself into gear - especially if I want to continue with the performance related, fully scouted realistic model that I've used to date! What’s the reason for losing millions per month? that is a small pool of players, at least you have a few months to try and bring recruitment plans in place ahead of the summer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 27, 2022 Author Share Posted July 27, 2022 (First half) of February 2038 This month, after my reply to @danielgear, has been all about recruiting and continuing to build the squad for next season, knowing that I'm not quite at that final touches stage but am certainly past the overhaul stage that happened last summer. As such, I've split the month into two sets of two games as my thoughts are away from the tactical side, momentarily, and onto the data analysis and squad building side. However, even with a PSV surge, we're still looking strong in the league and, even dropping down to fourth - whilst would be a shame given our form to date - would signify European qualification and good progress. ---- FC Groningen 1-1 Feyenoord These games are such fine margins and, if it wasn't for a lack of Composure from Zambrano here, miscuing a clearance that went nowhere other than to the feet of their striker, we may have won this match and moved above Feyenoord. However, a draw is a solid result against a team that kept the ball well and made it harder than a lot of teams for us to exploit space and create chances. I think that this result shows just how far we've come this year: yes, we beat PSV 5-0 and also drew twice with Ajax, but against a team in really good form who play in a slightly different way to the rest of the league is of great significance to our development. FC Groningen 1-1 Heracles From one strange shape to another; Heracles' 4-3-2-1 Christmas Tree is a tough shape for me to counter given the concerns with making sure I don't allow up to six players the chance to counter through the middle whilst our CM(a) are elsewhere. I went for the double pivot again, using IF(s) and a PF(a) in front of the sole CM(a) and it worked relatively well. That is, however, our tenth draw of the season and, whilst we wouldn't/couldn't/shouldn't win all of those games, imagine the difference if we were somewhere near twenty points better off. Only Fortuna Sittard - in 14th - have drawn as many as us and only the top two have lost as few as us. The next job, and one that will really decide how we progress over the coming years, is to turn those draws into wins, through whatever means necessary! --- On the recruitment side, I've kicked off my plans for the summer, starting with full backs. My method at the moment kind of merges what the scouts and analysts do in game with a bit more intelligence - and by that I mean using collated data for leagues and areas to find undervalued or high performing players. I think that this is a pretty robust, yet realistic approach as the data for players across leagues is widely available, in real life, on the Internet and I think that any data analyst, worth his salt, would be comparing and looking through these number in addition to those players he's watching and compiling numerical work on. For my wing backs, I want to target those who are already playing in European top flights and have excellent (> 2.00 per/90) outputs for both Dribbles and Interceptions, as those are key in my shape. I also wanted the added bonus of Key Passes but accept that this is, especially for the AI, an area where they may not excel. After filtering through the players who are interested, I was able to create a shortlist of the following players: With Pawel's wage demands sitting at over €30k p/w and with the Polish league not modelled, I settled on two impressive targets from leagues whereby I can a) watch the games and b) they are modelled in more detail to produce more realistic statistics. You can see their full screenshot by clicking on their thumbnails: Now, I've been burnt pretty badly with Adilio Rocha coming on from Portugal but genuinely believe that these two lads could be really special for us. Benjamin Kokora, an academy graduate of Newcastle now playing in Portugal, is available for €1.7m, his release clause. Obviously, his personality is top notch but I also really like his speed and overall mental attributes. Second in the list for Interceptions/90, and, around the level of my own full backs, which signifies a man with intelligence who can come out and meet the ball before engaging with a tackle. My own statistical analysis has him down as a very strong defender but also one who, whilst can be a little brash in possession, also creates some really good passes. With Chaves struggling at the bottom of Liga NOS, I envisage that his offensive side is somewhat compromised but still being in the top 30% of all full backs for Dribbles/90 is a great achievement. His wage demands and status should be no problem and I envisage that he'll come in as first choice right back. Despite being a natural Left Back, Duarte has played mostly at right back for another relegation threatened Liga NOS side, Nacional, however, I do love that his two-footedness will allow him to play on either side. Again, a man with a really cheap release clause and some quality statistics, leading Interceptions/90 on my shortlist and, from my own analysis, sitting in the top 20% for all recorded offensive actions. My only concerns with this deal is that his demands are slightly higher than Kokora and I worry that he'll be unhappy in a rotational role with the very impressive Schuur. However, having two strong players in each of these key roles for the club is important and something I need to press on with. I'll be handing these two over to DoF Tyrick Volkers, should the final reports come back with no red flags about their hidden attributes and they perform to an adequate level in the games I can get over to Portugal and watch. Two, seemingly, undervalued players who could form the corner store of my defence for years to come! I think that the easiest way to look at what else needs doing is by this basic depth chart: Green players are those who I am happy with within the team, whereas orange are players who maybe aren't quite ready yet. The yellow players are older, squad players who have no real need to move on but may be usurped by my youngsters and Ikeda, the only player in white, will be leaving as I'm unable to honour my promise to him. You can clearly see the need for full backs and a centre back here. Whilst the above scouting has thrown up a couple of diamonds in the rough, potentially, I'm finding it much harder to work through this process with a centre back given their importance to their teams and, as such, their values and interests in moving on. Essentially, if they're 24 or older and still not playing in a transitional league (e.g. Portugal, Holland, Belgium) then they're not good enough but if they've already moved to their or one of the big five leagues, I probably can't afford or tempt them. As my scouting ability and reputation grows, I'll try and cut out that first step, seizing young players from target markets but that's some distance from where we are right now. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 27, 2022 Author Share Posted July 27, 2022 32 minutes ago, danielgear said: What’s the reason for losing millions per month? Here is the breakdown of our books and below is the overall key figures: We need to sell to survive because our wages are essentially double our sponsorship income and the 22,000 stadium (of we average 19,000ish attendees) is barely just a cover for our youth setup. In an ideal world, I'd want the following things: Sponsorship >= Team Wages Gate Receipts >= 50% of Team Wages Prize Money and TV Money >= 200% of Team Wages Scouting, Youth costs, fees and bonuses to not exceed Team Wages Now those are just numbers and ideas off the top of my head as finances is something I've really not had to dig into given the riches of Krasnodar, but, in the short term, at least, we've got to be so sensible with our recruitment! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danielgear Posted July 27, 2022 Share Posted July 27, 2022 1 hour ago, _Ben_ said: Here is the breakdown of our books and below is the overall key figures: We need to sell to survive because our wages are essentially double our sponsorship income and the 22,000 stadium (of we average 19,000ish attendees) is barely just a cover for our youth setup. In an ideal world, I'd want the following things: Sponsorship >= Team Wages Gate Receipts >= 50% of Team Wages Prize Money and TV Money >= 200% of Team Wages Scouting, Youth costs, fees and bonuses to not exceed Team Wages Now those are just numbers and ideas off the top of my head as finances is something I've really not had to dig into given the riches of Krasnodar, but, in the short term, at least, we've got to be so sensible with our recruitment! More and more the move looks to have been a good choice, given you multiple challenges to get to grips with. A challenging league, A squad in need over a natural overhaul and finances need work too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jtomsett11 Posted July 28, 2022 Share Posted July 28, 2022 Ben, I've been putting off catching up with your thread as I really need to dedicate time to read your posts and haven't had that until the last week (although that could read as a criticism over length and detail, it's not!). I'm so glad I did put it off and spend an hour over the day today reading through and clicking all the links so I could fully appreciate your journey in the Netherlands so far. I'm delighted that you moved from Russia as these recent posts as you progress and develop a side are so engaging and interesting. Having played my most recent career on instant result and enjoyed the perks of that, your posts are inspiring me to return to a detailed tactical and recruitment approach in the next FM. Long may you continue your good work! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 28, 2022 Author Share Posted July 28, 2022 On 27/07/2022 at 15:58, danielgear said: More and more the move looks to have been a good choice, given you multiple challenges to get to grips with. A challenging league, A squad in need over a natural overhaul and finances need work too. Absolutely! It's really been a breath of fresh air and, as you may be able to tell, I'm loving it! 1 hour ago, Jtomsett11 said: Ben, I've been putting off catching up with your thread as I really need to dedicate time to read your posts and haven't had that until the last week (although that could read as a criticism over length and detail, it's not!). I'm so glad I did put it off and spend an hour over the day today reading through and clicking all the links so I could fully appreciate your journey in the Netherlands so far. I'm delighted that you moved from Russia as these recent posts as you progress and develop a side are so engaging and interesting. Having played my most recent career on instant result and enjoyed the perks of that, your posts are inspiring me to return to a detailed tactical and recruitment approach in the next FM. Long may you continue your good work! Thank you so much for taking the time to read my ramblings! I have spent much of my 'FM career' as you have in your Jersey save, using the instant result. I sincerely hope that none of my posts about that past come off as patronising or undermining the ability of FM players who play like that, but I've really found another gear in terms of FM play and really enjoy it. Having a forum like this where I can literally air my thoughts and learnings is great and I'm privileged to sit and reply to people who enjoy reading that! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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