[FM22] A Day Without Football is a Day Lost

[SixPointer]

20 hours ago, rich ruzzian said:

I would not be to worried about the difference between goals and expected goals. 

Surely it has to be of some concern when compared to the big three? I would be wanting to score at least all my expected goals while finishing some of the harder chances. The reassuring thing is chances are being created so it could be a good goalkeeping performance to factor in?

13 hours ago, JoOSTAR said:

Great story this is!

Are you going to do a detailed post about your tactic this year?

Thanks very much! Em in terms of something like the Atalanta recreation and last season with Odd I haven’t planned to do one similar yet. I was asked by @crusadertsar to do some writing for his fantastic https://dictatethegame.com website and this is something I’d love to do but unfortunately my work at the minute is so demanding to dedicate my full attention to a tactical series that would be fit for his site. There is a gap in schedule around May so potentially I may get together with him then and write some content.

In the meantime I’m trying to pack as much detail into this thread with tactics/training and how I play the game incase I don’t manage a tactical series. If the Oil & Gas sector was more predictable I would commit to it but my work can become extremely busy or quiet at the drop of the hat. 

[SixPointer]

 

Training Assessment

I decided to revisit  training in depth again which is an area of the game that I am really starting to enjoy and starting to see real results from. In particialt general team training an area I often left to my assistant and tweaked as I went, and I would just control individual training but after researching half way through FM21 I felt I needed to get into training as much as I do tactics after all linking the two will only strengthen the cause.

I have been using the tactical periodisation module for training and while it's very hard to get a pure replication of this methodology I felt I had matched it somewhat. I made the training plan for my FM21 Ruch Chorzow career  which I had implemented the same philosophy as I have done here at Sparta, so it was a case of copying the schedules over and applying them.

What is tactical periodisation you say? Tactical Periodization is a football training methodology developed around 35 years ago by Vítor Frade, a sports science professor from Porto University in Portugal with one of its most famous advocates being the special one Jose Mourhino himself.

If you are really intrigued I would have a read of this article . It's what I based all my schedule building from and what I used to do in depth write up back with Ruch. Its detail is incredible and shows the task in hand translating it into FM. For a more simple explanation i found this article incredibly useful and make things a lot easier to understand and has some nice graphics especially for making up the morphocycle (schedules to you and me)

The basic thinking behind it is that all every session must be game-like, in the sense that it must contribute to the tactical plan/style of play and play out as in game scenarios. It's usually broken down into the four moments of the game,  Offensive Organisation, the Transition from Defence to Attack, Defensive Organisation, and the Transition from Attack to Defence. The aim is to develop players to rapidly alter their on-field behaviours according to the tactical context of the match, and what actually unfolds in front of them.

This is the original Morphocycle made way back in FM21, each schedule is based on a game day Saturday just for ease. Sunday is recovery and review, monday is a general day as a team with little intensity before the tuesday when things started to get more intense and game specific, wednesday is the high intensity day when everything is done as a team, thursday breaks off into technical units again as things start to become about activation and friday is the final preparations for the friday.

I felt all four phases of the the game was covered well, high pressing session football, the real issue is translating the physical element into the sessions unlike real life where they suggest speed, endurance etc i can only really go of the intensity of the session and what i'd imagine they would be doing in those sessions. These sessions were used throughout the first season with varying match days, when midweek games come it's simply filled with match preparation and recovery after.

The improvement of attributes across the whole first season focused on the DNA, with a 40+ improvement across the board with a high emphasis on the mental aspect of the game. Now as pleasing as this was, I did feel there was room for improvement, especially in the technical area where I had hoped for a similar increase as in the intelligence department. Possibly it had been two lenient  with my sessions or my planning had been too focused on the artcole. So in the summer I set about rectifying it. Of Course there are more factors involved than just a schedule, facilities, coaches, player potential all play their part with two of the three sitting the same. I felt I had a good base to compare from.

The first steps to a new schedule was to decide what sessions suited the four moments of our game model. At this stage I am purely going off the description of the session and not taking into account what attributes are really involved. 

Attacking organisations would most likely fall into attacking patients although there would be an argument for attacking overlaps but since there is an inverted system I think patient alone is enough. It ties in with the idea of circulating the ball to create overloads and 2v1 and 1v1 situations. Transition from attack to defence well i think with the high press and counter press defending from the front would be best suited getting the attacking unit working on this part of their game. 

Defensive organisation was a tricky one as realistically i still want them pressing with the high line so I went for defending - engaged as i want them getting in the faces of the opponent. transition from defence to attack i think the ball retention and distribution are key here as we look to win the ball back recycle possession allow us to gain the attacking shape and then begin our transition into the attack and with the hold shape idea these are totally suited add into the mix play out from the back as its a crucial part of the game plan and this area is more than covered.

So now with these sessions in mind a look at the previous seasons idea and its got the exact same feel about it, now it was time to number crunch the attributes trained. Bare in mind that these session don't boost your next game in order to have a direct impact on the next game only match preperation and and set piece sessions have impact on upcoming games. These sessions i have decided on are only going to benefit attribute growth over a period of time and tactical familiarity.

For instance defending from the front does not mean the forwards will be better at pressing in the game at the end of the week, it means the forwards over time will see there attributes grow in the area trained, in this case it would improve heading, marking, tackling, concentration and positioning. Now looking at those attributes I have no desire for my forwards to get better at these attributes. None tie into the DNA nor do they increase what I value most for forwards pressing well, outside the DNA I'd be looking for aggression and bravery.

So the name and how I used to interpret training misled me in a sense, thinking if I had my forwards practice pressing it would see them improve the next match day and it really doesn't suit even my targeted attributes. Two sessions that would be a better choice for what I really want would be transition press and teamwork. One offers me better targeted attributes with anticipation, aggression, decisions, teamwork and work rate being worked equally across the outfield units while teamwork offers me a boost in pressing for the upcoming match and teamwork attribute growth.

After this revelation delved into every session and scored what hit my desired DNA best while keeping in touch with the philosophy, now it shouldn't be an issue after all the two should align and they did so with most of the sessions spoken about being high scorers although didn't offer the full coverage of what i wanted to cover, armed with my scribblings in my notebook and my new morphocycle example to go off i set about designing the perfect schedule that would be worked every week and capturing the best attribute growth and match prep.

Sunday match day +1 - Passive recovery and assessment of the previous match both areas are captured with a simple recovery and match review combination.

Monday match day +2 - Regeneration stage still so intensity remains low, the first two sessions of the day are simple keep ball sessions before the extra session of teamwork. The first two sessions see the team split into positional units before coming back together as a team for the match prep. It's stated at this stage we should analyse the last match; this is not possible in FM so teamwork will act as tactical work.

Tuesday match day +3 - The intensity rises as the load period begins, the team breaks into units and focuses on three elements of the game attacking, defending and transitioning through pressing to cover sub principles of the game model. No match prep today as there aren't enough sessions in the day again this is an area hard to replicate if the balance is to be struck.

Wednesday match day -3 - Principle day as everything is done as a team in large space with two key principles sessions either side of the match practice section preparing the full 11 for the opponent all done at the highest intensity of the week.

Thursday match day -2 -The taper begins and the day is started with match preparation as the team is given a session dedicated to upcoming match tactics, with the tactics discussed players break off into units and train attack and defence in positional units to train sub principles of the game model. 

Friday match day -1 - Shape day comes with a full day dedicated to game situations without fatigue and covers the final details before the game next day and is all done at low intensity to keep the freshness for the match the next day.

While it is impossible with the limitations of the game to truly replicate the methodology, I think this is a real close representation. It's difficult in the game to incorporate physical, technical, tactical and psychological into every session with the way the game structures improvements from each individual session. I do think there are enough game-like scenarios within the schedule with perhaps possession being the only real holistic session, it does however hit a lot of DNA for attribute growth.

I think the balance of attribute focus and match prep is struck nicely although again in real life they expect a tactical session for the next game every day it's simply not visible in FM or attribute growth would suffer greatly. The match preparations also offer attribute growth in the individual role training which is another vital boost. A few double sessions in the week as well as attacking patient and defending engaged get two hits each and you'll notice back to back but in opposite order, the thinking here is the coaches will work with one unit heavily in the first session and the entirely spend more focus on the opposite unit in the next session, both are great for attribute growth and match the game model. looks good, sounds good but does it work?

In the first season there was +91 in attribute growth with 43.9% of the growth going towards the DNA attributes, This is a steady increase and an indication that the original schedules had been working. The second season's numbers however vindicate my research and decision to take action in changing up the schedule, with a total of +144 growth this represents a 53 point boost in the overall growth with 53.4% of the total being growth within the DNA attributes. Now like I said previously it's not just down to the schedule there are other factors but while most remain the same, besides player personnel. I think it's safe to say this is a good indication that the new schedule made a big difference, not only in totals but in the ratio in which the DNA attributes are being hit.

I spoke about the lack of technical growth from the first season and with the new schedule technical were boosted by 23 this season. A remarkable increase of 17 attributes from the original schedule which is a 73.9% increase, this makes going through each schedule and writing down what attributes were affected from each session all worth the time. Physicals (Stamina DNA) have risen from 3 to 5 which is mainly down to the fact there are really no sessions totally devoted to it, this is where my new pre-season schedule that i'll be starting work on soon should hopefully have an impact. Mentals was a strong point in 21/22 and the trend continued with a 49 point increase which is up from 31 in the first season, a nice 36.7% increase on what was already a good stat.

Only one one of the ten DNA attributes reduced between the change in schedule that being work rate which dropped from 4 to 3, much like Stamina. I'm hoping a better structured and well thought out pre-season regime will help improve this. Technique was the big winner and again vindicates my decision as it jumps an incredible 10 points, something that was very low in the 2021/22 cycle has jumped to be one of the front runners. Anticipation also enjoyed a large increase as it leaped up 9 points to sit top of the pile in terms of overall growth. Teamwork is a slow burner mainly because I was dropping that match prep session if travel days were involved or midweek games, going forward that won't be the case and will now be a mainstay as I look to push on with its progression.

The player specifics for 2022/23 shows that the younger players are the real winners, which is what you would expect as they start to progress towards their potential. Fantastic attribute progression from Verbeek, El Dahri and Schieffer, as someone who is still learning how to get the best out of training and player development these are really rewarding for me. Mijnans had another good progressive year following up from his +21 in the first cycle with a +11 in the second, he represents great attribute growth over a two year period and is probably living up to being one of the best players at the club. Emegha is considered the best up lift as he goes from +1 first cycle to +14 second cycle and with a good ratio towards the DNA after being one of the major disappointments of the first cycle that led to the switch this is a mega boost.Now in the first season I did use additional focuses targeting weaker attributes, while in the second season I only used the position they played as their individual focus and targeted player traits instead. The thinking was those all important individual roles sessions would get some good attention to attributes across the board and with my intensity settings set like so and the fact i use up all the sessions in a week i felt adding more focus would just lead to overloading the players and in the end results being sparse as there time is so spread. It is a demanding training regime but it ties in with a demanding style of play and game plan and while i've had injuries i would say i was far from being plagued by them. Looking at the numbers, 46 for the season when it was expetced to be 119 and really the graph shows that it was very similar to last year's performance, with lower numbers in november but a higher peak in january.

I knew when I found Mario Hasenhutl that I had discovered a very promising player, however I never ever thought he would be in the mix with some of the candidates mentioned here, never mind sitting in 6th place. In terms of his training progress a +8 is a good gain especially considering he is almost playing at full potential. The plan is to add him into the attacking unit this season to try to develop some of his more attacking/technical attributes. Defensively he is very strong so I considered re-training him to play CB but he had such a good season I think it's wise to try to build on that.

Comparing him to the other wing backs it's clear he had a very successful first season at the club and in the top flight at only just 16 years of age! Played the most minutes which is testament to his consistency especially with Bader pushing him for game time.

Most tackles per game with the second best percentage of completion, he is miles in front in the air with an incredible 94% completion on his nearly 11 attempted headers per 90 to round it off he leads the way with the most interceptions per 90. One bad mistake but we can forgive him. He's 16.

Attacking wise he has the best cross completion off all four as does he with pass completion with a very good 91% with 1.47 per 90 being a key pass, only Kaib beats him in chance creation per 90 but he makes up for it with leading the way on assist per 90 with 0.16 to Kaib's 00.6.

Youth Academy

It looks like another good year on this front with the intake being marked as another golden generation, sadly it looks like it will be Andreas Patz 'last one as he is failing to agree terms on a contract extension. Which is sad considering the board has started to back this area of the club which would only help Patz's successful start so far especially when they upped his budget as well. Now matching our great rivals Feyenoord in both these departments can only be a good thing.

Bakker for me is the pick of the bunch with a DNA of 107 at the age of 15 he is already starting to look like he has the credentials to fit the philosophy, vision being a concern as its really low at 6, but with the training plan i would expect boosts in passing, technique and vision all to happen in good time. Certainly not a flying machine by any sense of the word nor is David Beckham for crosses so I reckon much like Hasenhuttl I push him towards the inverted idea. Its a real pity he isn't left sided.

Randall becomes the second promising goalkeeper to come through in the two years i have been here, the last one so far has failed to really make that step towards the first time however Wau looks like he is in with a better chance, provided he is given the right guidance. As of now he looks like a very good standard keeper for his age so it's about shaping him into a sweeper keeper to fit the philosophy.

Beyond these two there are some other players with good potential but not ones I envisaged making it to the first team anytime soon, unless they begin to realise their potential quickly. Like all intakes, I signed all the players as I have seen in the past, players who initially look average accelerated very quickly and soon looked a lot better than when first viewing. Ill keep an eye on the progress and update if anyone else starts to really catch the eye.

The summer is here and it's time for recruitment where I plan on using some of @Shrewnaldo techniques for the test and hopefully get them working as well as @_Ben_. There hasn't been a big detailed drive since the opening window so it will be good to get into it again.

Edited February 5, 2022 by SixPointer

[Hootieleece]

Looking Good! Unfortunately the General Training Schedule (one game a week) goes out the window almost as soon as you get into European Football.  I was having real fun in the Irish Premier League....Buy the end of the season (October) I would be playing matches every other say for like the last Three Weeks due to all the Cup Competitions and the fact that Advancing to the Group Stage would add 12-14 matches to a 36 match Regular Season schedule because of the low ranking of the League, I literally just switched out whole teams....and plowed ahead.

The Physical Training with One game a week would be great for a newly promoted Bundesliga Team.  Looking to develop players!

 

I have moved on and trying to overthrow Bayern with Bayern's Tactics! 

[SixPointer]

7 hours ago, Hootieleece said:

Looking Good! Unfortunately the General Training Schedule (one game a week) goes out the window almost as soon as you get into European Football.  I was having real fun in the Irish Premier League....Buy the end of the season (October) I would be playing matches every other say for like the last Three Weeks due to all the Cup Competitions and the fact that Advancing to the Group Stage would add 12-14 matches to a 36 match Regular Season schedule because of the low ranking of the League, I literally just switched out whole teams....and plowed ahead.

The Physical Training with One game a week would be great for a newly promoted Bundesliga Team.  Looking to develop players!

 

I have moved on and trying to overthrow Bayern with Bayern's Tactics! 

When fixture congestion hits. I just load up on match preparation, as soon as the fixtures are out for the league. I fill all the training out for the year so that the Friday, Saturday, Sunday variation is covered along with any midweek games. So I only really need to adjust once cup fixtures come into play. 

[13th Man]

The project continues!  It's slow progress but it's progress.

Annoying that you're still conceding late in games.  I think I mentioned this previously, but I've been trying to avoid the urge to protect a lead late in games.  If my tactic was what got us ahead, then why switch it now that I have the lead?  Of course, if I notice specific weaknesses, or spots where the opposition are getting to much joy, I'll adjust to counter that, but overall I'm really trying to only start protecting a lead in stoppage time.  The temptation is often too great, and I am not immune to it at all, but the only changes I try to make are just to maybe play out of defense if I'm not already, or lower the tempo - all just to ensure more possession.  Just some thoughts!

Also, I don't think I press as urgently as you do, so that might be part of it as well.

On training - I'm still needing to catch up in terms of the depth.  Love that you went and saw how much improvement you were getting on DNA!

Edited February 5, 2022 by 13th Man

[SixPointer]

10 minutes ago, 13th Man said:

The project continues!  It's slow progress but it's progress.

Annoying that you're still conceding late in games.  I think I mentioned this previously, but I've been trying to avoid the urge to protect a lead late in games.  If my tactic was what got us ahead, then why switch it now that I have the lead?  Of course, if I notice specific weaknesses, or spots where the opposition are getting to much joy, I'll adjust to counter that, but overall I'm really trying to only start protecting a lead in stoppage time.  The temptation is often too great, and I am not immune to it at all, but the only changes I try to make are just to maybe play out of defense if I'm not already, or lower the tempo - all just to ensure more possession.  Just some thoughts!

Also, I don't think I press as urgently as you do, so that might be part of it as well.

On training - I'm still needing to catch up in terms of the depth.  Love that you went and saw how much improvement you were getting on DNA!

The first season I took the view off doing exactly what you said. If it’s not broke don’t fix it because it’s getting late on, and I was getting hammered with late goals. Hence why I made a set of team instructions for holding on to them one goal leads. I would need to check back but am not sure how many of the late goals came in this scenario. I know the FC Twente one did. As I scored so late I shut up shop instantly and they scored even later. Definitely something to look at if my hold on worked and most of the late goals came when cruising or if they did cost us. 

Until FM21 team training was a job for my assistant, now I’m really getting into and starting to find some success but in far from having it all worked out! 

[13th Man]

10 minutes ago, SixPointer said:

The first season I took the view off doing exactly what you said. If it’s not broke don’t fix it because it’s getting late on, and I was getting hammered with late goals. Hence why I made a set of team instructions for holding on to them one goal leads. I would need to check back but am not sure how many of the late goals came in this scenario. I know the FC Twente one did. As I scored so late I shut up shop instantly and they scored even later. Definitely something to look at if my hold on worked and most of the late goals came when cruising or if they did cost us. 

Until FM21 team training was a job for my assistant, now I’m really getting into and starting to find some success but in far from having it all worked out! 

Funny!  Damned if you do, damned if you don't.  I mean, yes, teams will come at you when they're down late, but you'd think that one or the other would do better for you.  Longshot thought but...what's the determination like overall in your squad?  I've noticed the team has gotten better at finishing games now that Benjani's got a more determined squad overall. 

[SixPointer]

5 hours ago, 13th Man said:

Funny!  Damned if you do, damned if you don't.  I mean, yes, teams will come at you when they're down late, but you'd think that one or the other would do better for you.  Longshot thought but...what's the determination like overall in your squad?  I've noticed the team has gotten better at finishing games now that Benjani's got a more determined squad overall. 

It’s not part of my DNA so I’ll have to check that out for you. Very good thinking. Also my pre seasons haven’t been great setups so maybe the fitness is an issue as well. So hopefully once I make I dedicated pre season the fitness over the season helps. 

[_Ben_]

A really great post there! I've stolen so much from your tactical periodisation work and just cannot ever go back to AI created schedules; I wince when I see full physical weeks planned by the AM in February!

16 hours ago, SixPointer said:

Bakker for me is the pick of the bunch with a DNA of 107 at the age of 15 he is already starting to look like he has the credentials to fit the philosophy, vision being a concern as its really low at 6, but with the training plan i would expect boosts in passing, technique and vision all to happen in good time. Certainly not a flying machine by any sense of the word nor is David Beckham for crosses so I reckon much like Hasenhuttl I push him towards the inverted idea. Its a real pity he isn't left sided.

I'd certainly go left back! In my experience, full backs/wingers retrain pretty quickly to the other side and, at 15, he's got loads of time. I'd go for NFB(d) - because it trains the least number of attributes, ergo the least time spent of them as opposed to the position, at Left Back with no additional focus right no, except for work to get him to lose the 'Right only' tag. Also, get someone to work on that Determination! You may be able to do that in just the youth squad, or by adding him to train with the seniors (especially if you've not got a busy European schedule and therefore have more match practice time) so that he can join a mentoring group!

[13th Man]

3 hours ago, SixPointer said:

It’s not part of my DNA so I’ll have to check that out for you. Very good thinking. Also my pre seasons haven’t been great setups so maybe the fitness is an issue as well. So hopefully once I make I dedicated pre season the fitness over the season helps. 

determination is hugely important but I doubt it’s so simple. 
On preseason - I can only say from the last two seasons, but a front-loaded heavy physical schedule has worked incredibly well. I’ve been disappointed with my preseasons for a while before that - players not getting fit, getting injured etc.
As usual, I looked back to my playing days - though I had to look a bit further back to when I was playing competitively. It’s in one of my Benjani posts but in a six week preseason, there are three days of double physical work in weeks 1-2, two double sessions in weeks 3-4, and then down to two individual sessions the last two weeks. The physical sessions are endurance paired with alternating quickness and resistance. I’ve also cut down on the friendlies (more like 6-8 tops instead of 8-12) and the players were match fit sooner, there were less injuries, and the players seemed to cope better with heavy fixture lists (though I don’t have hard data on that point). Wish I’d done it sooner.

Edited February 5, 2022 by 13th Man

[SixPointer]

2 hours ago, _Ben_ said:

A really great post there! I've stolen so much from your tactical periodisation work and just cannot ever go back to AI created schedules; I wince when I see full physical weeks planned by the AM in February!

I'd certainly go left back! In my experience, full backs/wingers retrain pretty quickly to the other side and, at 15, he's got loads of time. I'd go for NFB(d) - because it trains the least number of attributes, ergo the least time spent of them as opposed to the position, at Left Back with no additional focus right no, except for work to get him to lose the 'Right only' tag. Also, get someone to work on that Determination! You may be able to do that in just the youth squad, or by adding him to train with the seniors (especially if you've not got a busy European schedule and therefore have more match practice time) so that he can join a mentoring group!

I totally agree, the ass man is maniac! I feel I’ve gotten a decent grasp on the training now, while it’s fantastic since the big change which it had been need for some time. I just hate that sessions don’t effect the match day unless there match prep. But I do understand SI thinking that if your practice practice eventually you get better and the match prep is your up lift. But I can’t help but fell if I was doing shooting drills three times a week that come the game I would feel more confident in the finish. Even at semi pro when I was younger you took almost everything from training into a game not just the tactical bits.

 

I like the suggestion off switching him to the left, would also be good considering I would eventually look at him being inverted. I’ve retrained wingers on sides but never a full back tbh. Determination was lacking across the whole intake this year so maybe Patz moving on isn’t the worst idea although his first intake was spectacular. I actually want to swap him with my assistant who I originally wanted as HOYD. 

[SixPointer]

53 minutes ago, 13th Man said:

determination is hugely important but I doubt it’s so simple. 
On preseason - I can only say from the last two seasons, but a front-loaded heavy physical schedule has worked incredibly well. I’ve been disappointed with my preseasons for a while before that - players not getting fit, getting injured etc.
As usual, I looked back to my playing days - though I had to look a bit further back to when I was playing competitively. It’s in one of my Benjani posts but in a six week preseason, there are three days of double physical work in weeks 1-2, two double sessions in weeks 3-4, and then down to two individual sessions the last two weeks. The physical sessions are endurance paired with alternating quickness and resistance. I’ve also cut down on the friendlies (more like 6-8 tops instead of 8-12) and the players were match fit sooner, there were less injuries, and the players seemed to cope better with heavy fixture lists (though I don’t have hard data on that point). Wish I’d done it sooner.

Love your thinking and structure behind the pre season. I’m going to be setting out to set mines up this weekend I’ll be sure to let you know what i come up with and can gets some good discussion. Don’t remind me of pre season playing days please. Running on the east of Scotland beaches is not a happy memory 🤣🤣

[13th Man]

1 hour ago, SixPointer said:

Running on the east of Scotland beaches is not a happy memory 🤣🤣

Ha! I kind of loved it to be honest. Was always relieved when it was over though!

[SixPointer]

2 hours ago, 13th Man said:

Ha! I kind of loved it to be honest. Was always relieved when it was over though!

I preferred the boxing training tbh then sessions on the Tuesday night were brilliant. Although I was never super fit back then. I’m actually more fit now at 31 than I was when I was in my 18,19, 20 when At Edinburgh city 

[Sonic Youth]

Some great discussion here from everyone 

Could we get a shot of Paz?

A top 6 wonderkid? You’ve developed him well.

Getting Wau and Bakker in that last youth batch is promising, especially if they have high potential. Wau has a higher technique than Bakker!

I was going to ask about a two game week, but that was covered. And the preseason! How does offseason get treated?

I used to play hockey (knee injuries caught up with me) and agree that what you practice is what you bring to games. How else would you know what to do for set pieces and phases of play around the pitch. Just go out and play just doesn’t work all the time.

Thanks for the write-up 

[SixPointer]

I’ll get Patz shot for your shortly. Also the guy I’m trying to get him to switch with. First years intake was better than second for sure. Was a serious lack of determination and while it’s not in my DNA having the two best players in the intake with 2 isn’t ideal. 

I can’t take all the credit for Hasenhutl he came through at Volendam I just spotted the potential and acted and then gave him the game time. He has done the rest. Only 8+ Attribute growth from when I originally signed him which is good but when you compare it to El dahri and Verbeek who climbed +20 and +16 i feel this shows a better representation of me developing my youngster as the boy arrived at the club.

Wau looks like he has the potential to be a real sweeper keeper. You often see some described as it but there sweeping stats never grow so key to watch. Bakker certainly has some good attributes but does lack in a few key areas which I’ll be looking to rectify.

two game weeks are filled with match preparation sessions, no matter what i want to effect the upcoming match, these two me are tactical sessions. As for Pre season I haven’t really got my teeth into as of yet. But its on my too do list today so potentially have the plan out this evening.

Your welcome I enjoy these in depth moments i share. But it is me that should thank you for you Interest and input.

Thank you!

[Shrewnaldo]

On 04/02/2022 at 21:15, SixPointer said:

 

Training Assessment

I decided to revisit  training in depth again which is an area of the game that I am really starting to enjoy and starting to see real results from. In particialt general team training an area I often left to my assistant and tweaked as I went, and I would just control individual training but after researching half way through FM21 I felt I needed to get into training as much as I do tactics after all linking the two will only strengthen the cause.

I have been using the tactical periodisation module for training and while it's very hard to get a pure replication of this methodology I felt I had matched it somewhat. I made the training plan for my FM21 Ruch Chorzow career  which I had implemented the same philosophy as I have done here at Sparta, so it was a case of copying the schedules over and applying them.

What is tactical periodisation you say? Tactical Periodization is a football training methodology developed around 35 years ago by Vítor Frade, a sports science professor from Porto University in Portugal with one of its most famous advocates being the special one Jose Mourhino himself.

If you are really intrigued I would have a read of this article . It's what I based all my schedule building from and what I used to do in depth write up back with Ruch. Its detail is incredible and shows the task in hand translating it into FM. For a more simple explanation i found this article incredibly useful and make things a lot easier to understand and has some nice graphics especially for making up the morphocycle (schedules to you and me)

The basic thinking behind it is that all every session must be game-like, in the sense that it must contribute to the tactical plan/style of play and play out as in game scenarios. It's usually broken down into the four moments of the game,  Offensive Organisation, the Transition from Defence to Attack, Defensive Organisation, and the Transition from Attack to Defence. The aim is to develop players to rapidly alter their on-field behaviours according to the tactical context of the match, and what actually unfolds in front of them.

This is the original Morphocycle made way back in FM21, each schedule is based on a game day Saturday just for ease. Sunday is recovery and review, monday is a general day as a team with little intensity before the tuesday when things started to get more intense and game specific, wednesday is the high intensity day when everything is done as a team, thursday breaks off into technical units again as things start to become about activation and friday is the final preparations for the friday.

I felt all four phases of the the game was covered well, high pressing session football, the real issue is translating the physical element into the sessions unlike real life where they suggest speed, endurance etc i can only really go of the intensity of the session and what i'd imagine they would be doing in those sessions. These sessions were used throughout the first season with varying match days, when midweek games come it's simply filled with match preparation and recovery after.

The improvement of attributes across the whole first season focused on the DNA, with a 40+ improvement across the board with a high emphasis on the mental aspect of the game. Now as pleasing as this was, I did feel there was room for improvement, especially in the technical area where I had hoped for a similar increase as in the intelligence department. Possibly it had been two lenient  with my sessions or my planning had been too focused on the artcole. So in the summer I set about rectifying it. Of Course there are more factors involved than just a schedule, facilities, coaches, player potential all play their part with two of the three sitting the same. I felt I had a good base to compare from.

The first steps to a new schedule was to decide what sessions suited the four moments of our game model. At this stage I am purely going off the description of the session and not taking into account what attributes are really involved. 

Attacking organisations would most likely fall into attacking patients although there would be an argument for attacking overlaps but since there is an inverted system I think patient alone is enough. It ties in with the idea of circulating the ball to create overloads and 2v1 and 1v1 situations. Transition from attack to defence well i think with the high press and counter press defending from the front would be best suited getting the attacking unit working on this part of their game. 

Defensive organisation was a tricky one as realistically i still want them pressing with the high line so I went for defending - engaged as i want them getting in the faces of the opponent. transition from defence to attack i think the ball retention and distribution are key here as we look to win the ball back recycle possession allow us to gain the attacking shape and then begin our transition into the attack and with the hold shape idea these are totally suited add into the mix play out from the back as its a crucial part of the game plan and this area is more than covered.

So now with these sessions in mind a look at the previous seasons idea and its got the exact same feel about it, now it was time to number crunch the attributes trained. Bare in mind that these session don't boost your next game in order to have a direct impact on the next game only match preperation and and set piece sessions have impact on upcoming games. These sessions i have decided on are only going to benefit attribute growth over a period of time and tactical familiarity.

For instance defending from the front does not mean the forwards will be better at pressing in the game at the end of the week, it means the forwards over time will see there attributes grow in the area trained, in this case it would improve heading, marking, tackling, concentration and positioning. Now looking at those attributes I have no desire for my forwards to get better at these attributes. None tie into the DNA nor do they increase what I value most for forwards pressing well, outside the DNA I'd be looking for aggression and bravery.

So the name and how I used to interpret training misled me in a sense, thinking if I had my forwards practice pressing it would see them improve the next match day and it really doesn't suit even my targeted attributes. Two sessions that would be a better choice for what I really want would be transition press and teamwork. One offers me better targeted attributes with anticipation, aggression, decisions, teamwork and work rate being worked equally across the outfield units while teamwork offers me a boost in pressing for the upcoming match and teamwork attribute growth.

After this revelation delved into every session and scored what hit my desired DNA best while keeping in touch with the philosophy, now it shouldn't be an issue after all the two should align and they did so with most of the sessions spoken about being high scorers although didn't offer the full coverage of what i wanted to cover, armed with my scribblings in my notebook and my new morphocycle example to go off i set about designing the perfect schedule that would be worked every week and capturing the best attribute growth and match prep.

Sunday match day +1 - Passive recovery and assessment of the previous match both areas are captured with a simple recovery and match review combination.

Monday match day +2 - Regeneration stage still so intensity remains low, the first two sessions of the day are simple keep ball sessions before the extra session of teamwork. The first two sessions see the team split into positional units before coming back together as a team for the match prep. It's stated at this stage we should analyse the last match; this is not possible in FM so teamwork will act as tactical work.

Tuesday match day +3 - The intensity rises as the load period begins, the team breaks into units and focuses on three elements of the game attacking, defending and transitioning through pressing to cover sub principles of the game model. No match prep today as there aren't enough sessions in the day again this is an area hard to replicate if the balance is to be struck.

Wednesday match day -3 - Principle day as everything is done as a team in large space with two key principles sessions either side of the match practice section preparing the full 11 for the opponent all done at the highest intensity of the week.

Thursday match day -2 -The taper begins and the day is started with match preparation as the team is given a session dedicated to upcoming match tactics, with the tactics discussed players break off into units and train attack and defence in positional units to train sub principles of the game model. 

Friday match day -1 - Shape day comes with a full day dedicated to game situations without fatigue and covers the final details before the game next day and is all done at low intensity to keep the freshness for the match the next day.

While it is impossible with the limitations of the game to truly replicate the methodology, I think this is a real close representation. It's difficult in the game to incorporate physical, technical, tactical and psychological into every session with the way the game structures improvements from each individual session. I do think there are enough game-like scenarios within the schedule with perhaps possession being the only real holistic session, it does however hit a lot of DNA for attribute growth.

I think the balance of attribute focus and match prep is struck nicely although again in real life they expect a tactical session for the next game every day it's simply not visible in FM or attribute growth would suffer greatly. The match preparations also offer attribute growth in the individual role training which is another vital boost. A few double sessions in the week as well as attacking patient and defending engaged get two hits each and you'll notice back to back but in opposite order, the thinking here is the coaches will work with one unit heavily in the first session and the entirely spend more focus on the opposite unit in the next session, both are great for attribute growth and match the game model. looks good, sounds good but does it work?

In the first season there was +91 in attribute growth with 43.9% of the growth going towards the DNA attributes, This is a steady increase and an indication that the original schedules had been working. The second season's numbers however vindicate my research and decision to take action in changing up the schedule, with a total of +144 growth this represents a 53 point boost in the overall growth with 53.4% of the total being growth within the DNA attributes. Now like I said previously it's not just down to the schedule there are other factors but while most remain the same, besides player personnel. I think it's safe to say this is a good indication that the new schedule made a big difference, not only in totals but in the ratio in which the DNA attributes are being hit.

I spoke about the lack of technical growth from the first season and with the new schedule technical were boosted by 23 this season. A remarkable increase of 17 attributes from the original schedule which is a 73.9% increase, this makes going through each schedule and writing down what attributes were affected from each session all worth the time. Physicals (Stamina DNA) have risen from 3 to 5 which is mainly down to the fact there are really no sessions totally devoted to it, this is where my new pre-season schedule that i'll be starting work on soon should hopefully have an impact. Mentals was a strong point in 21/22 and the trend continued with a 49 point increase which is up from 31 in the first season, a nice 36.7% increase on what was already a good stat.

Only one one of the ten DNA attributes reduced between the change in schedule that being work rate which dropped from 4 to 3, much like Stamina. I'm hoping a better structured and well thought out pre-season regime will help improve this. Technique was the big winner and again vindicates my decision as it jumps an incredible 10 points, something that was very low in the 2021/22 cycle has jumped to be one of the front runners. Anticipation also enjoyed a large increase as it leaped up 9 points to sit top of the pile in terms of overall growth. Teamwork is a slow burner mainly because I was dropping that match prep session if travel days were involved or midweek games, going forward that won't be the case and will now be a mainstay as I look to push on with its progression.

The player specifics for 2022/23 shows that the younger players are the real winners, which is what you would expect as they start to progress towards their potential. Fantastic attribute progression from Verbeek, El Dahri and Schieffer, as someone who is still learning how to get the best out of training and player development these are really rewarding for me. Mijnans had another good progressive year following up from his +21 in the first cycle with a +11 in the second, he represents great attribute growth over a two year period and is probably living up to being one of the best players at the club. Emegha is considered the best up lift as he goes from +1 first cycle to +14 second cycle and with a good ratio towards the DNA after being one of the major disappointments of the first cycle that led to the switch this is a mega boost.Now in the first season I did use additional focuses targeting weaker attributes, while in the second season I only used the position they played as their individual focus and targeted player traits instead. The thinking was those all important individual roles sessions would get some good attention to attributes across the board and with my intensity settings set like so and the fact i use up all the sessions in a week i felt adding more focus would just lead to overloading the players and in the end results being sparse as there time is so spread. It is a demanding training regime but it ties in with a demanding style of play and game plan and while i've had injuries i would say i was far from being plagued by them. Looking at the numbers, 46 for the season when it was expetced to be 119 and really the graph shows that it was very similar to last year's performance, with lower numbers in november but a higher peak in january.

I knew when I found Mario Hasenhutl that I had discovered a very promising player, however I never ever thought he would be in the mix with some of the candidates mentioned here, never mind sitting in 6th place. In terms of his training progress a +8 is a good gain especially considering he is almost playing at full potential. The plan is to add him into the attacking unit this season to try to develop some of his more attacking/technical attributes. Defensively he is very strong so I considered re-training him to play CB but he had such a good season I think it's wise to try to build on that.

Comparing him to the other wing backs it's clear he had a very successful first season at the club and in the top flight at only just 16 years of age! Played the most minutes which is testament to his consistency especially with Bader pushing him for game time.

Most tackles per game with the second best percentage of completion, he is miles in front in the air with an incredible 94% completion on his nearly 11 attempted headers per 90 to round it off he leads the way with the most interceptions per 90. One bad mistake but we can forgive him. He's 16.

Attacking wise he has the best cross completion off all four as does he with pass completion with a very good 91% with 1.47 per 90 being a key pass, only Kaib beats him in chance creation per 90 but he makes up for it with leading the way on assist per 90 with 0.16 to Kaib's 00.6.

Youth Academy

It looks like another good year on this front with the intake being marked as another golden generation, sadly it looks like it will be Andreas Patz 'last one as he is failing to agree terms on a contract extension. Which is sad considering the board has started to back this area of the club which would only help Patz's successful start so far especially when they upped his budget as well. Now matching our great rivals Feyenoord in both these departments can only be a good thing.

Bakker for me is the pick of the bunch with a DNA of 107 at the age of 15 he is already starting to look like he has the credentials to fit the philosophy, vision being a concern as its really low at 6, but with the training plan i would expect boosts in passing, technique and vision all to happen in good time. Certainly not a flying machine by any sense of the word nor is David Beckham for crosses so I reckon much like Hasenhuttl I push him towards the inverted idea. Its a real pity he isn't left sided.

Randall becomes the second promising goalkeeper to come through in the two years i have been here, the last one so far has failed to really make that step towards the first time however Wau looks like he is in with a better chance, provided he is given the right guidance. As of now he looks like a very good standard keeper for his age so it's about shaping him into a sweeper keeper to fit the philosophy.

Beyond these two there are some other players with good potential but not ones I envisaged making it to the first team anytime soon, unless they begin to realise their potential quickly. Like all intakes, I signed all the players as I have seen in the past, players who initially look average accelerated very quickly and soon looked a lot better than when first viewing. Ill keep an eye on the progress and update if anyone else starts to really catch the eye.

The summer is here and it's time for recruitment where I plan on using some of @Shrewnaldo techniques for the test and hopefully get them working as well as @_Ben_. There hasn't been a big detailed drive since the opening window so it will be good to get into it again.

That is some very impressive attribute growth. Did you have any other changes between the two seasons - facility improvements or additional coaches?

It's interesting that you've kept the Match Practice session for Wednesdays. It's one session I always drop out if we've got a game that week, primarily because I don't like the physical impact. But I see you've kept it in and have triple sessions throughout the week. I'm assuming you don't see any physical detriment to this? Do you reduce the intensity at all for individuals, particularly older players? 

[_Ben_]

1 hour ago, SixPointer said:

As for Pre season I haven’t really got my teeth into as of yet. But its on my too do list today so potentially have the plan out this evening.

Looking forward to this. I’ve got a pretty specific plan that I use pre and mid season so would love to compare to others’.  

[SixPointer]

2 hours ago, Shrewnaldo said:

That is some very impressive attribute growth. Did you have any other changes between the two seasons - facility improvements or additional coaches?

It's interesting that you've kept the Match Practice session for Wednesdays. It's one session I always drop out if we've got a game that week, primarily because I don't like the physical impact. But I see you've kept it in and have triple sessions throughout the week. I'm assuming you don't see any physical detriment to this? Do you reduce the intensity at all for individuals, particularly older players? 

Everything remained the same expect for player personal that had a few changes and the schedule change.

Wednesday is the highest intensity day and is trained as a team in the largest of space and the most game like scenario so match practice is essential for the methodology. The intensity goes from recovery - passive recovery - activation - load - taper - final touch - game day. 
So the intensity is designed to provide ample recovery and then work towards the game day but while being smart. The day before the game is virtually no intensity as it’s pure match preparation. I never noticed a load of injuries of fitness issues other than match sharpness which match practice in-fact helps. So it does really give a huge benefit. Intensity is set as double if players are of full health but I never used individual focus, I trained player traits and just used role training as there individual program.

2 hours ago, _Ben_ said:

Looking forward to this. I’ve got a pretty specific plan that I use pre and mid season so would love to compare to others’.  

It’s something I really should have tackled at the start of last season but now it should give me a good base for comparison to see if it works. It’s great to bounce ideas so it’s good that we are all helping each other’s strengths and weakness. I had a go and building statistical parameters for recruitment last night and although I was getting to grips with it I would never ever have had the insight to do so without ideas from yous guys! 

 

[Shrewnaldo]

2 minutes ago, SixPointer said:

Everything remained the same expect for player personal that had a few changes and the schedule change.

Wednesday is the highest intensity day and is trained as a team in the largest of space and the most game like scenario so match practice is essential for the methodology. The intensity goes from recovery - passive recovery - activation - load - taper - final touch - game day. 
So the intensity is designed to provide ample recovery and then work towards the game day but while being smart. The day before the game is virtually no intensity as it’s pure match preparation. I never noticed a load of injuries of fitness issues other than match sharpness which match practice in-fact helps. So it does really give a huge benefit. Intensity is set as double if players are of full health but I never used individual focus, I trained player traits and just used role training as there individual program.

 

Ah that's interesting, my next question was going to be on individual focus as it's something I use a lot and see as the "third schedule" for each day.

That's maybe why I see fitness issues if I triple up the schedules, or maybe I'm just too timid with the training. Food for thought 

[SixPointer]

59 minutes ago, Shrewnaldo said:

Ah that's interesting, my next question was going to be on individual focus as it's something I use a lot and see as the "third schedule" for each day.

That's maybe why I see fitness issues if I triple up the schedules, or maybe I'm just too timid with the training. Food for thought 

I’m still very new to the training module far from a expert hence why am following tactical periodisation as always feel having a real life structure allows me to get a good handle on what I want in game. 

[SixPointer]

8 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

Some great discussion here from everyone 

Could we get a shot of Paz?

A top 6 wonderkid? You’ve developed him well.

Getting Wau and Bakker in that last youth batch is promising, especially if they have high potential. Wau has a higher technique than Bakker!

I was going to ask about a two game week, but that was covered. And the preseason! How does offseason get treated?

I used to play hockey (knee injuries caught up with me) and agree that what you practice is what you bring to games. How else would you know what to do for set pieces and phases of play around the pitch. Just go out and play just doesn’t work all the time.

Thanks for the write-up 

Patz the German was originally identified to become Howedes assistant but in the end i couldn't get a suitable HOYD so i shipped him in. He has had one very good intake and a good second one. Has the correct style and playing style, first formation isn't the best hence why there is a shortage of good wingers. personality isn't the best either so although he has done well a stronger HOYD could well make for even better intake especially with the new upgrades.

The ideal candidate to take his place, so in an ideal world they just swap places but budget stops Lierop from going to HOYD. His style is perfect although it was originally Gegenpress. It seems i've had an influence on him, formation is spot on playing style I can live with. Personality is better as is his coaching attributes.

[SixPointer]

Question everyone! Is there anyway to adjust the date pre season will begin? As it stands I’ll have about a 4 week period of Pre season. I would much rather 6/7. The season before I had a 6 week period but for some reason this season it’s a lot shorter. 

[Shrewnaldo]

9 minutes ago, SixPointer said:

Question everyone! Is there anyway to adjust the date pre season will begin? As it stands I’ll have about a 4 week period of Pre season. I would much rather 6/7. The season before I had a 6 week period but for some reason this season it’s a lot shorter. 

You used to get a news item asking you to choose the length of your pre-season. It would arrive just as your team was going on holiday at the end of the preceding season. I can't, however, remember seeing it on FM22. As you're past World Cup 22, I'm surprised that your pre-season is shorter, though. Maybe to allow for Euro 2024?

[Hootieleece]

2 hours ago, SixPointer said:

Question everyone! Is there anyway to adjust the date pre season will begin? As it stands I’ll have about a 4 week period of Pre season. I would much rather 6/7. The season before I had a 6 week period but for some reason this season it’s a lot shorter. 

I think the board decides and European Finals and playing postponed matches usually really shorten both Vacation and Preseason......(Players like to moan about starting the Preseason too early, but don't mind not getting a break at all to play for their country!)

Another possible way is to start scheduling friendlies BEFORE the end of the season and you usually end up with about an extra two weeks before your first friendly. (if early enough) but I haven't really tested it in FM22.

[SixPointer]

9 hours ago, Shrewnaldo said:

You used to get a news item asking you to choose the length of your pre-season. It would arrive just as your team was going on holiday at the end of the preceding season. I can't, however, remember seeing it on FM22. As you're past World Cup 22, I'm surprised that your pre-season is shorter, though. Maybe to allow for Euro 2024?

yeah, definitely used to get asked how long you wanted pre season to be but no option this time. I just got a message saying the date. Euro 2024 will be next summer I’m going into 23/24 season now. looks like I won’t be able to apply my overall thoughts for pre season….

7 hours ago, Hootieleece said:

I think the board decides and European Finals and playing postponed matches usually really shorten both Vacation and Preseason......(Players like to moan about starting the Preseason too early, but don't mind not getting a break at all to play for their country!)

Another possible way is to start scheduling friendlies BEFORE the end of the season and you usually end up with about an extra two weeks before your first friendly. (if early enough) but I haven't really tested it in FM22.

ahh I wish I knew about the friendly idea before as I would have scheduled them to begin two weeks earlier and that would have been perfect. 

[karanhsingh]

Wonderful post on training & attribute development - the attention to detail quite clearly paying off. Just caught up with this.

And I know you know it but you have a real gem on your hands with Hassenhuttl.

[SixPointer]

34 minutes ago, karanhsingh said:

Wonderful post on training & attribute development - the attention to detail quite clearly paying off. Just caught up with this.

And I know you know it but you have a real gem on your hands with Hassenhuttl.

Thanks man! Definitely worth the effort when the results are good. It’s an area am finding more and more enjoyable and really paying great attention to.

He really is and he is still on a youth contract and is valued at 12-15 Million euros. 

[13th Man]

Unfortunate with the short preseason. Still, if you do the first two weeks with the 3 double days and good match time, your players will be fit.  My new preseason focus has been fitness and then tactics - which go together as shadow play is very low intensity. Key with heavy physical training is to give recovery time and do no more than three days in a row.

Of course, you may have a completely different plan. I’m just really thrilled with my results with a heavy physical preseason after years of frustration.

[SixPointer]

1 hour ago, 13th Man said:

Unfortunate with the short preseason. Still, if you do the first two weeks with the 3 double days and good match time, your players will be fit.  My new preseason focus has been fitness and then tactics - which go together as shadow play is very low intensity. Key with heavy physical training is to give recovery time and do no more than three days in a row.

Of course, you may have a completely different plan. I’m just really thrilled with my results with a heavy physical preseason after years of frustration.

I’ve set something up but certainly wasn’t how vast I had been planing should be writing it up tomorrow evening after work. 

[SixPointer]

Sorry it’s been a really slow burner this week. Real life getting in the way off my dream life (how dare it) should have a write up out in the next few day. It’s a really crucial summer so I’m not rushing it and vessel arrival at work means 12 hour shifts for me (the joys)

[sigurd2resen]

Really enjoy the reading!
Your tactical approach inspires me. 
Inspired by your content, I just started up a new «sleeping giant»-save with IFK Göteborg from Sweden, trying to implement total football in Scandinavia. Excited! 

Edited February 13, 2022 by sigurd2resen

[SixPointer]

9 hours ago, sigurd2resen said:

Really enjoy the reading!
Your tactical approach inspires me. 
Inspired by your content, I just started up a new «sleeping giant»-save with IFK Göteborg from Sweden, trying to implement total football in Scandinavia. Excited! 

Thanks man. Glad your taking some inspiration from my approach. Love a good sleeping giant and Goteborg certainly are that being the only Scandinavian team to lift major European silverware, twice! 82 & 87. Are you writing about the save? I’d definitely be interested to follow your progress.

[sigurd2resen]

10 hours ago, SixPointer said:

Thanks man. Glad your taking some inspiration from my approach. Love a good sleeping giant and Goteborg certainly are that being the only Scandinavian team to lift major European silverware, twice! 82 & 87. Are you writing about the save? I’d definitely be interested to follow your progress.

Yes, I know! I grew up not too far away from Göteborg actually - a very beautiful city on the southwest coast of Sweden. 
 

Not writing about it right now, but maybe I will consider. Already started the save tho, and currently it is a tough battle for a 4th-place finish. 
Enjoying a lot of possession, but struggling to score goals. Tweaking and changing a lot, but at the minute it is a struggle. 

Need to think and analyse so I can figure out what is going wrong.

[SixPointer]

13 hours ago, sigurd2resen said:

Yes, I know! I grew up not too far away from Göteborg actually - a very beautiful city on the southwest coast of Sweden. 
 

Not writing about it right now, but maybe I will consider. Already started the save tho, and currently it is a tough battle for a 4th-place finish. 
Enjoying a lot of possession, but struggling to score goals. Tweaking and changing a lot, but at the minute it is a struggle. 

Need to think and analyse so I can figure out what is going wrong.

Fantastic, it’s definitely I’ve team I’ve considered previously. I love good city rivalries as well so have also thought about the other two clubs.

Lots of possession and not enough goals seems to be an issue for me also. Though my defence is solid, as we have so much of the ball. 

[sigurd2resen]

4 hours ago, SixPointer said:

Fantastic, it’s definitely I’ve team I’ve considered previously. I love good city rivalries as well so have also thought about the other two clubs.

Lots of possession and not enough goals seems to be an issue for me also. Though my defence is solid, as we have so much of the ball. 

Ah, nice to hear I am not the only one, haha! 
I love a good defence though - just have to balance in some penetration against the oppositions defence as well. 
 

Tried out the tactic tester app yesterday, and managed to tweak my tactic to become much more balanced between def and off. 
From my first few games after tweaking - it seems like we’re turning the ship around. 

Check it out, and see if it helps you;)

 

https://ratemytactic.web.app

[SixPointer]

5 hours ago, sigurd2resen said:

Ah, nice to hear I am not the only one, haha! 
I love a good defence though - just have to balance in some penetration against the oppositions defence as well. 
 

Tried out the tactic tester app yesterday, and managed to tweak my tactic to become much more balanced between def and off. 
From my first few games after tweaking - it seems like we’re turning the ship around. 

Check it out, and see if it helps you;)

 

https://ratemytactic.web.app

I’ll have a look at that! Generally I would say I have a good understanding of tactics I think its only because I have tried to be very specific about positional play.

It will come good I’m seeing the paterns I want to see and created the 4th most clear cut chances in the league.

 What system are you using at The Swedish sleeping giants?

[RogerC]

Just caught up with this! Excellent progress!! I really like how you've worked with the training schedules. Have you tried out the FM22 training planner to see how each area/attribute is affected by the schedule?

 

[SixPointer]

21 minutes ago, RogerC said:

Just caught up with this! Excellent progress!! I really like how you've worked with the training schedules. Have you tried out the FM22 training planner to see how each area/attribute is affected by the schedule?

 

I’ve never seen this! Could be an absolute game changer that…. Could further enhance it. Just starting pre season as we speak (finally, no game time last week) so it’s good timing 

[RogerC]

What I've done to it is basically duplicate everything so I'm able to compare side by side 2 different schedules or have the same one side by side and see what changing one slot does exactly. I found it quite useful to be honest! Don't know how accurate it is though. Maybe you can put it it to test with you're schedule and the data you've collected so far to see if it matches!

Edited February 16, 2022 by RogerC

[SixPointer]

4 hours ago, RogerC said:

What I've done to it is basically duplicate everything so I'm able to compare side by side 2 different schedules or have the same one side by side and see what changing one slot does exactly. I found it quite useful to be honest! Don't know how accurate it is though. Maybe you can put it it to test with you're schedule and the data you've collected so far to see if it matches!

I like the thinking. I suppose the issue would be the other variables that contribute other than just schedule, player potential, coaches, game time etc that all have an effect of player growth, so I would imagine it tough to get an exact match. So doing like you said have two screens and only altering schedule is probably the closest you’ll get. 

[sigurd2resen]

On 15/02/2022 at 17:51, SixPointer said:

I’ll have a look at that! Generally I would say I have a good understanding of tactics I think its only because I have tried to be very specific about positional play.

It will come good I’m seeing the paterns I want to see and created the 4th most clear cut chances in the league.

 What system are you using at The Swedish sleeping giants?

Sorry for late reply - was knocked out cold with the covid for a couple of days. 
 

Will share my tactic/system later when I am home again - it was very good defensively and I controlled pos. in most games. Only problem I have is that I still create way too few chances and are missing on a lot of the ones I create. Bad shot on target-ratio.
Maybe you guys can give me some input later.

 

That put aside, I still managed to win (!) my first season in charge (predicted 5th) - which was very surprising. First Allsvenskan for IFK since 2007!

Was actually tipped to be sacked by the bookmakers mid-season, when I struggled to even qualify for Europe. Had a strong finish after i tweaked my tactic as I mentioned in the earlier post.

 

BUT sadly I just found out that the Swedish top division (Allsvenskan) don’t have the possibility to sign scouts on full time contracts - which is really annoying. There is no way to change it without the editor. In the standard database it is locked in on part time, for some reason. 

So heads up to everybody who want to try a Swedish save - make sure to change this in the editor first.

 

I kind of lost some of the will to keep this save going now unfortunately. I even completed a very good transfer window too, signing young talent with the right DNA (same att. values as you use). 
Thinking about «journeymaning» my way to another available job, or start up a new save.

Both Nottingham Forest and Hannover 96 are keen on the services of the young, «up and coming», Icelandic IFK Göteborg manager, Högni Liljarsson (yes, I used an Icelandic name generator, and yes that name is the most cool part of the whole save).

 

Still want to nail this tactic/system tho. Refusing to give up yet! 
 

Sorry for the long post:))

 

Edited February 18, 2022 by sigurd2resen

[SixPointer]

1 hour ago, sigurd2resen said:

Sorry for late reply - was knocked out cold with the covid for a couple of days. 
 

Will share my tactic/system later when I am home again - it was very good defensively and I controlled pos. in most games. Only problem I have is that I still create way too few chances and are missing on a lot of the ones I create. Bad shot on target-ratio.
Maybe you guys can give me some input later.

 

That put aside, I still managed to win (!) my first season in charge (predicted 5th) - which was very surprising. First Allsvenskan for IFK since 2007!

Was actually tipped to be sacked by the bookmakers mid-season, when I struggled to even qualify for Europe. Had a strong finish after i tweaked my tactic as I mentioned in the earlier post.

 

BUT sadly I just found out that the Swedish top division (Allsvenskan) don’t have the possibility to sign scouts on full time contracts - which is really annoying. There is no way to change it without the editor. In the standard database it is locked in on part time, for some reason. 

So heads up to everybody who want to try a Swedish save - make sure to change this in the editor first.

 

I kind of lost some of the will to keep this save going now unfortunately. I even completed a very good transfer window too, signing young talent with the right DNA (same att. values as you use). 
Thinking about «journeymaning» my way to another available job, or start up a new save.

Both Nottingham Forest and Hannover 96 are keen on the services of the young, «up and coming», Icelandic IFK Göteborg manager, Högni Liljarsson (yes, I used an Icelandic name generator, and yes that name is the most cool part of the whole save).

 

Still want to nail this tactic/system tho. Refusing to give up yet! 
 

Sorry for the long post:))

 

Hope your feeling better! 
sounds like you had a first good season. I’m usually a one club man this is my first attempt at journeyman type save so I would tend to tell you to stick it out a little longer make your legacy first! 

[sigurd2resen]

4 hours ago, SixPointer said:

Hope your feeling better! 
sounds like you had a first good season. I’m usually a one club man this is my first attempt at journeyman type save so I would tend to tell you to stick it out a little longer make your legacy first! 

Yeah, I agree with you. And the plan was all along to make it a long one.

But the scouts I can get on part time wages are very limited, which hinders the squad development in the long run.

Still, I will at least complete this season and take it from there.

 

Here is a screenshot of the tactic and system which brought me the Allsvenskan gold:

I adjusted the width, mentality and tempo throughout the season. 

Started out inspired by Pep's sides, but with my own adaptions. I also used one more attacking CM at times. Either CM(A) or Mezzala (A).

It gave me very good control, a lot of possession and kept a lot of clean sheets. 

Nevertheless, it struggled to produce a lot of good, quality chances. At the same time, my players (especially forwards) squandered a lot of chances. I also used WBiB-instruction in the beginning, but removed it, and instead opted for "shoot less often" PI's for my midfielders. 

An interesting key point for me was that Erlingmark in the HB-role was one of my best players that season. A very good option for recycling possession in the attacking phase, and a key player in the build up play. Especially as the AI kept deploying two forwards against me - I always had 3v2 in build up play.

 

 

This is how I have set up the side this season. Early signs suggests that I produce a little more quality chances - but I am still not entirely satisfied. (Screenshot is a bit off - using one AML/R on IF(s))

Have also changed around on the wings using IF(A) or IF(S) and IW(A) or IW(S). Also tried DLF(A) but feel that the striker gets too isolated. 

Will go back to more witdth tho, so I can be more true to the more fluid, total football. Also going to try out CWB or WB(A) on both sides, as I have 3 defenders keeping solidity. A lot more risky - but could pay off.

 

 

Enough about my save now, on YOUR thread, haha. 

Looking forward to reading more from your career. Keep up the good work!

Edited February 18, 2022 by sigurd2resen

[SixPointer]

8 hours ago, sigurd2resen said:

 

The system looks pretty good. I love the half back like you said great for getting the overload in early build up. I would potentially swap your attacking wing backs to the right. Unless you are looking got the right side to be a clear overload and the left the exploit side. If that’s the case I would switch the mezzala to the RCM slot.

In my first season I lacked clear cut chances. So I added the Player instruction more direct passing to players capable (passing, technique, vision, decisions) and trained them to learn killer balls.

having managed Ronnigen Jorgensen in FM21 at ODD I know he’s ideal for such idea he’s turned into an assist machine. Erlingmark is someone who come to my attention on my scouting drive earlier this week. Very good CDM. 

[MattyLewis11]

41 minutes ago, SixPointer said:

In my first season I lacked clear cut chances. So I added the Player instruction more direct passing to players capable (passing, technique, vision, decisions) and trained them to learn killer balls.

Do you have any stats on this to show how not only just adding the training of the new trait but making passing more direct, impacted those all important Key Passes. 

I'm not sure how you save your game, I save each game by season so I can look back at historic data, always found that useful.

[SixPointer]

25 minutes ago, MattyLewis11 said:

Do you have any stats on this to show how not only just adding the training of the new trait but making passing more direct, impacted those all important Key Passes. 

I'm not sure how you save your game, I save each game by season so I can look back at historic data, always found that useful.

I don’t think I have the first season saved am afraid, I generally just have an auto save every month that I run off. It’s perhaps something I’ll consider, usually I just look there’s screenshots or notes I have taken.

I could potentially have screenshots of the clear cut chances from season to season but it’s not going to be a very in depth way to look at it.

I will have a look through screenshots tonight after work, it’s something I’ve turned to a few times now and paid off. I came across it when I was managing Odd in FM21 when I was looking to exploit the space in behind the opponents back line.

Plays killer ball is the first trait I train on any playmaker, I’m not really interested in my playmakers playing safe, I want them using there skill set to best effect and unlock defences. You of course need the movement/runners in order to facilitate it. 

[sigurd2resen]

2 hours ago, SixPointer said:

The system looks pretty good. I love the half back like you said great for getting the overload in early build up. I would potentially swap your attacking wing backs to the right. Unless you are looking got the right side to be a clear overload and the left the exploit side. If that’s the case I would switch the mezzala to the RCM slot.

In my first season I lacked clear cut chances. So I added the Player instruction more direct passing to players capable (passing, technique, vision, decisions) and trained them to learn killer balls.

having managed Ronnigen Jorgensen in FM21 at ODD I know he’s ideal for such idea he’s turned into an assist machine. Erlingmark is someone who come to my attention on my scouting drive earlier this week. Very good CDM. 

Good points, my man!

I will try this out! Did wonder if I should use Mez as RCM or LCM. Creating overloads on one side is always something I’ll tend to use in my tactics.

 

Yes! I love Rønning Jørgensen! Played with Vålerenga from Oslo in Norway last save, and he was a beast. He already has «Tries killer balls» trait, and uses him as AP to make him the centre of all things creative in my side. Will try to switch back to BBM, but with «more direct passing» and «take more risks» if he get’s to passive defensivly. 
 

Got Luke Dreher on a free from Crystal Palace, and he also had some amazing games as AP while R. Jørgensen was out injured. Both the boys had almos 8 in avg. score over multiple matches.

[SixPointer]

2 hours ago, sigurd2resen said:

Good points, my man!

I will try this out! Did wonder if I should use Mez as RCM or LCM. Creating overloads on one side is always something I’ll tend to use in my tactics.

 

Yes! I love Rønning Jørgensen! Played with Vålerenga from Oslo in Norway last save, and he was a beast. He already has «Tries killer balls» trait, and uses him as AP to make him the centre of all things creative in my side. Will try to switch back to BBM, but with «more direct passing» and «take more risks» if he get’s to passive defensivly. 
 

Got Luke Dreher on a free from Crystal Palace, and he also had some amazing games as AP while R. Jørgensen was out injured. Both the boys had almos 8 in avg. score over multiple matches.

I think you need to try take Goteborg back to euro glory, it sounds like your still invested in the save. Shame about the scouts but I’m sure you will be able to survive. 

[SixPointer]

13 hours ago, MattyLewis11 said:

Do you have any stats on this to show how not only just adding the training of the new trait but making passing more direct, impacted those all important Key Passes. 

I'm not sure how you save your game, I save each game by season so I can look back at historic data, always found that useful.

I don’t have enough historical data to provide a good enough sample, this is we’re your progressive passes type screen would be ideal.