[FM22] Chemie Leipzig: The Chemical Element

[haier_fm]

January + February '22

"I felt very disappointed in how things had turned out between me and the gaffer. I came to him and said, "Look, I am good enough to start games, I need to play more. It is either me or Florian [Bruegmann]." I was happy to hear that he promised me game time, and I was satisfied. One game went by, two went by, three, four. I kept getting benched. For a player, there is nothing worse than sitting on the bench when you know you can get out there and make a significant contribution to the team, to your friends. To his credit, the Petr did give me some sort of game time, but at that point the ship had sailed. He made a promise and had broken it, so I had had enough and handed in my transfer request." - Lucas Surek, on his move away from BSG Chemie Leipzig, for Horsens Folkeblad.

After some time away from the pitch, the stands, the stadium, BSG Chemie Leipzig had to come out fighting if they were to claim the top spot as theirs. And they needed to be, as sterner tests would follow in the second half of the season. It was imperative that Havlicek got his boys playing champagne football to carry on the momentum gained from the first half of the season. 

If we compare the schedule to a four course meal, January would be the delicious but criminally small portion of a beef pastarami sandwich as an appetizer. Delicious but too short to fill the stomach. 

Anyway, Chemie started their season restart on the road against Eilenburg. A side that languished nearer the lower reaches of the table, they were always a side that can prove to be dangerous, not on the goal front however. Why? Historically, they have been reckless in the amount of fouls accumulated and it showed here too. Sidekick Max Kessler turned in two penalties to send Der Chemiker 2 in front, first one being on the 6th, with the second following just before the whistle blew for half time. After coming out the dressing room, it was our winger Dennis Mast, swinging in a ball from the left hand side for Alexander Bury to meet the ball in-flight. While the header ricocheted off the post, Max Kessler found himself open to tap-in the rebound in the 68th minute, which sent the travelling fans singing the youngster's name throughout the journey back to Leipzig. 

After been under maintenance for the best part of the winter break, the Alfred-Kunze Sportpark was ready to host guests from the capital, Hertha BSC II. In the reverse fixture, Chemie struggled. This time, the roles switched. A calamitous own-goal in the 12th minute set the tone for the rest of the 90 minutes. Cunning genius from Dennis Mast inside the box had sent through Tom Gruendling to double the lead on the 84th, before Timo Mauer found the net after stunning play from the attacking quartet just before the game drew to a close. This was a win that served itself as a warm up for Havlicek's men.

The Leipziger Stadt Derby.

However, there would be no time to rest, as the 'Diablos' ultras marched into the centre of Leipzig and headed down south of the city to gather at the Bruno Plache Stadion, where hated rivals Lok welcomed Chemie. Revenge was on the cards for the Railway men - the reverse fixture was marred by crowd trouble as Chemie had undeservedly won 1-0. Leutzch versus Probstheida - two teams on two opposite ends of the political spectrum, two opposite ends of the city,  would meet for another showdown.

Once again, Havlicek urged his team on under the intense jeers, chants, pyrotechnics of the home support, telling them not to get lost themselves in the atmosphere and press on. Screams for a pen by the away side were validated when the referee blew and pointed to the spot kick. 16th minute, Max Kessler converts from 11 metres to send the away end roaring in delight, as beer cups launched into the air. With the game in Chemie's hands, metronome and ex-Lok player Andy Wendschuch produced a Mesut Ozil-esque through ball to send Max Kessler one-on-one and duly roll it past the keeper and into the net for his second in the 33rd miunte. This was the Max Kessler show. An outrageous, inswinging lob, from the right half space, by Kessler over the back line found Dennis Mast unmarked, who sent the ball into the net from a ridiculous angle. By half time, the game was done, as Lokomotive Leipzig once again found themselves inferior to their rivals. A poor showing from an outfit that was supposed to challenge for the top spots, yet found themselves with a new manager, subbornly clinging to a disappointing 14th spot in the league. They would score a consolation, in the 64th minute, through an error by Benjamin Bellot to choose to come out for the cross, only to leave Bogdan Rangelov to head it into the empty net. However, this wouldn't deter the Chemie faithful. A double over their enemies sent Leipzig rocking that night in the green of the Leutzch side. 

Despite all of this, Andy Wendschuch came off due to an injury on the 75th. The damage done would present itself after the game.  

We are light on true central midfielders, and after this game, we would be down to 4 for the month, as poor Andy got strechered off for a groin strain. 

Keen to move on, we returned to welcome another guest from the capital, this time one with history - BFC Dynamo Berlin. Still on a high from the last dismantling of our rivals, Havlicek was swift to remind the players to stay focused. Dynamo was a direct competitor for top spot, even if they were at a distance away from Chemie. Evidently, this didn't quite work, as Chemie found themselves behind for the very first time in a long while - a clean finish by Justin Mobius had dealt the first blow in the hopes to stay invincibles. However, Havlicek, frustrated at his team for underperforming for the first 20 minute rallied his men. A Florian Bruegmann free-kick from 20 yards rebounded off the wall and back to Dennis Mast, who arrowed the ball from distance into the empty net on the 35th minute. While being all over the opposition, the representatives from the capital defended superbly to deny us the winner. Consequently, Havlicek left the pitch of the Alfred Kunze with a point, in a game that was frustrating to watch. 

Cup action provided a bit of breathing room from the league, as Chemie Leipzig travelled south to Chemnitzer, for a place in the semi-final of the Sachsenpokal. At times, when Havlicek's men travel round the country to different grounds, they feel like at home, thanks to the proud support of the ultras. This proved to be important, as Chemie regrouped themselves after conceding a disallowed goal early on. From the left-hand side, Manuel Wajer sent in a hopeful ball into the box, which Max Kessler would meet and score in the 14th minute. Dangerous challenges flew in from the home side and claimed a hit when Manuel Wajer went down after a sickening challenge. As we were extremely light on left-backs, we formed a makeshift defence that held on for the rest of the game. This sent Havlicek, the players, and the fans ecstatic, after grinding a out a tough game to book our place in the semi-final of the regional cup. 

Another player that would be gone for the rest of the month. Chemie may find themselves in real trouble, and it isn't their fault either!

Halberstadt away. A game that marked the end of Stephy Mvibudulu's goalless run of 5 games. He looked very relieved to have found his scoring touch again, after Timo Mauer's pass found the striker facing the onrushing opposition goalkeeper, easily sliding the ball past and into the net on the 14th. A rifle from Dennis Mast, beautifully receiving Tarik Reinhard's penetrating ball through the middle, crashed in off the bar and the right post before bouncing past the goal-line on the 22nd. Tired after the last game 3 days ago, the players took it easy this game, as Havlicek needed to protect his players from excessive fouling by the opposition. Cottbus was on the horizon and another injury would provide a huge, unnecessary spanner in the works. The game finished 2-0, a solid win and a game that didn't provide much in terms of entertainment. 

Things would turn sour, both for Havlicek and Mvibudulu, with this message after the game. 

Just about when he found his scoring touch, he went down injured with a knee problem. Hopefully this doesn't impact him greatly. Seriously not ideal, with the game against Cottbus just around the corner.   

To close out a tough February, we welcomed yet another side from the capital in the form of Babelsberg. A side that was beaten 6-0, Chemie left the tunnel in the hopes that the score across the first and the reverse game would increase. And it would, in great style. Dennis Mast had his goal chalked off for offside, before Max Kessler found the net from a Timo Mauer cutback to open the scoring on the 9th. Timo Mauer then ensured that he contributed to the goal tally, after a firm strike flew past the keeper from a Tarik Reinhard through ball on the 22nd. Our wizard no.10 Dennis Mast sent a graceful lob over the high line of the away side to send Kessler through yet again. Our youngster applied the finish, making the score 3-0 straight after the break. Max Kessler would have grabbed another hat-trick, had he not been offside for a fourth closer to the end of the game. A comprehensive 3-0 win, which could have been 5-0 and a scoreline of 11-0 overall, Havlicek was content, as were the Chemie fans. However, Timo Mauer, after scoring, went off at half-time, as another injury was added onto the chart. 

Honestly, what is the problem with everyone's ankles and knees nowadays? That is another key player out for the Cottbus game. Watching this unfold, I felt as if we were reliving Arsenal's winter period under Arsene Wenger (we better not repeat that awful 2007/08 season, otherwise our season will be disastrous.)

Nevertheless, the talk among the media had started, as Havlicek was awoken to this the next morning. 

With February concluded, here is how the table looks.

 

Cottbus are keeping us honest. They are currently on an 8 game winning streak, dropping 2 points since the 4th December, as we dropped the same amount against Dynamo Berlin. The amount of draws Der Chemiker have is alarming - while the form is good, it doesn't give the impression of complete domination. From what had been a 6 point gap, the reduction to 4 makes things very interesting as we approach the climax of the season. We are at a point where a title and promotion is slowly becoming a reality. However, it is now more important, more than ever, to pick up points wherever possible. I'm not as worried about Dynamo Berlin, as they are 17 points behind, but the threat from Energie is getting ever closer. 

As we approach the game against Cottbus in two weeks, things can either turn really south or can benefit us. We beat them in a tense game last time out. With home support, we will see what we can do, but we must avoid a loss at all costs. Whatever the outcome, we have to maintain belief and keep up the momentum. That is the least we can do because after all, BSG Chemie Leipzig is about proud support, belief and that hunger to win, which gives an incentive to perform well.  

Thank you for reading. 

-----

 

    Allez BSG!

[haier_fm]

On 24/04/2022 at 20:09, 13th Man said:

Great stuff! You might be in a tough spot in the summer due to all those expiring contracts but there’s only so much you can do!

On xG - I think it tends to undervalue crosses and headed opportunities, so if that’s where you get your goals and it’s consistent then I see nothing wrong.  If you have/create mismatches or a player(s) well suited then those chances are better then xG gives them credit for!

I feel with the massive amount of expiring contracts, the squad can be naturally filtered out. I definitely think that the occasion is a perfect opportunity to get the DNA system up and running from next season. 

Anyway, thanks for the support! 

[13th Man]

52 minutes ago, haier_fm said:

I feel with the massive amount of expiring contracts, the squad can be naturally filtered out. I definitely think that the occasion is a perfect opportunity to get the DNA system up and running from next season. 

Anyway, thanks for the support! 

Good way of thinking on the contracts. A good chance to weed out the players you don’t want and bring in the sort you do.

[SixPointer]

16 hours ago, haier_fm said:

January + February '22

"I felt very disappointed in how things had turned out between me and the gaffer. I came to him and said, "Look, I am good enough to start games, I need to play more. It is either me or Florian [Bruegmann]." I was happy to hear that he promised me game time, and I was satisfied. One game went by, two went by, three, four. I kept getting benched. For a player, there is nothing worse than sitting on the bench when you know you can get out there and make a significant contribution to the team, to your friends. To his credit, the Petr did give me some sort of game time, but at that point the ship had sailed. He made a promise and had broken it, so I had had enough and handed in my transfer request." - Lucas Surek, on his move away from BSG Chemie Leipzig, for Horsens Folkeblad.

After some time away from the pitch, the stands, the stadium, BSG Chemie Leipzig had to come out fighting if they were to claim the top spot as theirs. And they needed to be, as sterner tests would follow in the second half of the season. It was imperative that Havlicek got his boys playing champagne football to carry on the momentum gained from the first half of the season. 

If we compare the schedule to a four course meal, January would be the delicious but criminally small portion of a beef pastarami sandwich as an appetizer. Delicious but too short to fill the stomach. 

Anyway, Chemie started their season restart on the road against Eilenburg. A side that languished nearer the lower reaches of the table, they were always a side that can prove to be dangerous, not on the goal front however. Why? Historically, they have been reckless in the amount of fouls accumulated and it showed here too. Sidekick Max Kessler turned in two penalties to send Der Chemiker 2 in front, first one being on the 6th, with the second following just before the whistle blew for half time. After coming out the dressing room, it was our winger Dennis Mast, swinging in a ball from the left hand side for Alexander Bury to meet the ball in-flight. While the header ricocheted off the post, Max Kessler found himself open to tap-in the rebound in the 68th minute, which sent the travelling fans singing the youngster's name throughout the journey back to Leipzig. 

After been under maintenance for the best part of the winter break, the Alfred-Kunze Sportpark was ready to host guests from the capital, Hertha BSC II. In the reverse fixture, Chemie struggled. This time, the roles switched. A calamitous own-goal in the 12th minute set the tone for the rest of the 90 minutes. Cunning genius from Dennis Mast inside the box had sent through Tom Gruendling to double the lead on the 84th, before Timo Mauer found the net after stunning play from the attacking quartet just before the game drew to a close. This was a win that served itself as a warm up for Havlicek's men.

The Leipziger Stadt Derby.

However, there would be no time to rest, as the 'Diablos' ultras marched into the centre of Leipzig and headed down south of the city to gather at the Bruno Plache Stadion, where hated rivals Lok welcomed Chemie. Revenge was on the cards for the Railway men - the reverse fixture was marred by crowd trouble as Chemie had undeservedly won 1-0. Leutzch versus Probstheida - two teams on two opposite ends of the political spectrum, two opposite ends of the city,  would meet for another showdown.

Once again, Havlicek urged his team on under the intense jeers, chants, pyrotechnics of the home support, telling them not to get lost themselves in the atmosphere and press on. Screams for a pen by the away side were validated when the referee blew and pointed to the spot kick. 16th minute, Max Kessler converts from 11 metres to send the away end roaring in delight, as beer cups launched into the air. With the game in Chemie's hands, metronome and ex-Lok player Andy Wendschuch produced a Mesut Ozil-esque through ball to send Max Kessler one-on-one and duly roll it past the keeper and into the net for his second in the 33rd miunte. This was the Max Kessler show. An outrageous, inswinging lob, from the right half space, by Kessler over the back line found Dennis Mast unmarked, who sent the ball into the net from a ridiculous angle. By half time, the game was done, as Lokomotive Leipzig once again found themselves inferior to their rivals. A poor showing from an outfit that was supposed to challenge for the top spots, yet found themselves with a new manager, subbornly clinging to a disappointing 14th spot in the league. They would score a consolation, in the 64th minute, through an error by Benjamin Bellot to choose to come out for the cross, only to leave Bogdan Rangelov to head it into the empty net. However, this wouldn't deter the Chemie faithful. A double over their enemies sent Leipzig rocking that night in the green of the Leutzch side. 

Despite all of this, Andy Wendschuch came off due to an injury on the 75th. The damage done would present itself after the game.  

We are light on true central midfielders, and after this game, we would be down to 4 for the month, as poor Andy got strechered off for a groin strain. 

Keen to move on, we returned to welcome another guest from the capital, this time one with history - BFC Dynamo Berlin. Still on a high from the last dismantling of our rivals, Havlicek was swift to remind the players to stay focused. Dynamo was a direct competitor for top spot, even if they were at a distance away from Chemie. Evidently, this didn't quite work, as Chemie found themselves behind for the very first time in a long while - a clean finish by Justin Mobius had dealt the first blow in the hopes to stay invincibles. However, Havlicek, frustrated at his team for underperforming for the first 20 minute rallied his men. A Florian Bruegmann free-kick from 20 yards rebounded off the wall and back to Dennis Mast, who arrowed the ball from distance into the empty net on the 35th minute. While being all over the opposition, the representatives from the capital defended superbly to deny us the winner. Consequently, Havlicek left the pitch of the Alfred Kunze with a point, in a game that was frustrating to watch. 

Cup action provided a bit of breathing room from the league, as Chemie Leipzig travelled south to Chemnitzer, for a place in the semi-final of the Sachsenpokal. At times, when Havlicek's men travel round the country to different grounds, they feel like at home, thanks to the proud support of the ultras. This proved to be important, as Chemie regrouped themselves after conceding a disallowed goal early on. From the left-hand side, Manuel Wajer sent in a hopeful ball into the box, which Max Kessler would meet and score in the 14th minute. Dangerous challenges flew in from the home side and claimed a hit when Manuel Wajer went down after a sickening challenge. As we were extremely light on left-backs, we formed a makeshift defence that held on for the rest of the game. This sent Havlicek, the players, and the fans ecstatic, after grinding a out a tough game to book our place in the semi-final of the regional cup. 

Another player that would be gone for the rest of the month. Chemie may find themselves in real trouble, and it isn't their fault either!

Halberstadt away. A game that marked the end of Stephy Mvibudulu's goalless run of 5 games. He looked very relieved to have found his scoring touch again, after Timo Mauer's pass found the striker facing the onrushing opposition goalkeeper, easily sliding the ball past and into the net on the 14th. A rifle from Dennis Mast, beautifully receiving Tarik Reinhard's penetrating ball through the middle, crashed in off the bar and the right post before bouncing past the goal-line on the 22nd. Tired after the last game 3 days ago, the players took it easy this game, as Havlicek needed to protect his players from excessive fouling by the opposition. Cottbus was on the horizon and another injury would provide a huge, unnecessary spanner in the works. The game finished 2-0, a solid win and a game that didn't provide much in terms of entertainment. 

Things would turn sour, both for Havlicek and Mvibudulu, with this message after the game. 

Just about when he found his scoring touch, he went down injured with a knee problem. Hopefully this doesn't impact him greatly. Seriously not ideal, with the game against Cottbus just around the corner.   

To close out a tough February, we welcomed yet another side from the capital in the form of Babelsberg. A side that was beaten 6-0, Chemie left the tunnel in the hopes that the score across the first and the reverse game would increase. And it would, in great style. Dennis Mast had his goal chalked off for offside, before Max Kessler found the net from a Timo Mauer cutback to open the scoring on the 9th. Timo Mauer then ensured that he contributed to the goal tally, after a firm strike flew past the keeper from a Tarik Reinhard through ball on the 22nd. Our wizard no.10 Dennis Mast sent a graceful lob over the high line of the away side to send Kessler through yet again. Our youngster applied the finish, making the score 3-0 straight after the break. Max Kessler would have grabbed another hat-trick, had he not been offside for a fourth closer to the end of the game. A comprehensive 3-0 win, which could have been 5-0 and a scoreline of 11-0 overall, Havlicek was content, as were the Chemie fans. However, Timo Mauer, after scoring, went off at half-time, as another injury was added onto the chart. 

Honestly, what is the problem with everyone's ankles and knees nowadays? That is another key player out for the Cottbus game. Watching this unfold, I felt as if we were reliving Arsenal's winter period under Arsene Wenger (we better not repeat that awful 2007/08 season, otherwise our season will be disastrous.)

Nevertheless, the talk among the media had started, as Havlicek was awoken to this the next morning. 

With February concluded, here is how the table looks.

 

Cottbus are keeping us honest. They are currently on an 8 game winning streak, dropping 2 points since the 4th December, as we dropped the same amount against Dynamo Berlin. The amount of draws Der Chemiker have is alarming - while the form is good, it doesn't give the impression of complete domination. From what had been a 6 point gap, the reduction to 4 makes things very interesting as we approach the climax of the season. We are at a point where a title and promotion is slowly becoming a reality. However, it is now more important, more than ever, to pick up points wherever possible. I'm not as worried about Dynamo Berlin, as they are 17 points behind, but the threat from Energie is getting ever closer. 

As we approach the game against Cottbus in two weeks, things can either turn really south or can benefit us. We beat them in a tense game last time out. With home support, we will see what we can do, but we must avoid a loss at all costs. Whatever the outcome, we have to maintain belief and keep up the momentum. That is the least we can do because after all, BSG Chemie Leipzig is about proud support, belief and that hunger to win, which gives an incentive to perform well.  

Thank you for reading. 

-----

 

    Allez BSG!

Great to have you back…. Big derby win, still unbeaten and still a title race. A lot to be excited about!

[haier_fm]

March '22

"March is the month where the title may be decided. If Chemie don't drop any points over the four game period, I can't see them dropping behind Cottbus for the rest of the season. However, it will be a different story if results go differently. Cottbus simply look unbeatable and it will take something special for them to drop points." - Thomas Doll, former Dynamo Berlin player.

Before we dive in, the top clubs in Germany had released their prospects, meaning that we were out to find some decent players that could bolster our squad for next season. After searching across some of the youth, we stumbled across this player. Introducing, Jorden Winter.

 

He was the best of the bunch, a highly average to meh bunch. Yes, he may look very one sided and one hell of a one-trick pony, but his mental attributes are very good for this level. Being only 18 and having 13 determination, along with having good attributes in key areas, shows he has the potential to go far. He could serve as the Mvibudulu replacement if such an occasion arrives. A big plus is that he is already settled at Leipzig, albeit playing for the franchise. But, without hesitation...

 

...we snapped him up. At no cost and cheap wages, Winter has some serious resale value should we keep him beyond next season. 

Back to the league though, where things were hotting up. 

With the closing stages of the season upon us, the Regionaliga Nordost finds Chemie and Cottbus neck and neck, vying for the name on the league trophy. This is an important month for both teams, as they will face off against each other, which will ultimately determine the destination of the cup come the end of the 38 games in the league.

Ouch. 

Things seemed to start off well on paper, as Chemie travelled to FSV Optik Rathenow, who were in the relegation zone at the time. This was the game where we should have won before approaching the match. Or so we thought. Havlicek's men conceded very early on. Mr. Reliable, Club Captain, the skipper, or however he should be described, our veteran CB Stefan Karau lost the run of the opposition striker Lucas Will, who, after receiving the ball, slid past the onrushing Benjamin Bellot in the 2nd minute. However, while keen to bounce back, it took ages for Chemie to score past the resolute Rathenow defence. The equaliser only came straight after halftime. Dennis Jaepel, after receiving a good forward pass, sent an inswinger towards the box for Max Kessler to prod home on the 46th minute. Nonetheless, mistakes from the Chemie defence kept on coming, conceding a 22 yeard freekick on the 49th minute - a freekick that would find the net. Afterwards and even throughout the match, we couldn't create anything. Mvibudulu and the quartet were surprisingly silent. With the Cottbus game around the corner, this wasn't according to the script, and unfortunately, Optik Rathenow inflict our first defeat of the season.

Our tally of 28 games without a loss had stopped. Quite a feat, but it could have been so much more. 

Energie Cottbus at the Alfred-Kunze. The biggest game of the season. Cottbus were coming into the game in hot form, winning their last 8 games while we were reeling off of that defeat from the previous game. 

We started on the back foot instantly, but this was the case too in the reverse fixture. The main aim was to contain Cottbus and hit them on the break, exploiting the space in behind. This worked well, as the Chemie defence stood tall against a truckload of Cottbus chances, some coming from crosses, some were ridiculous one-on-ones, some were ambitious pot shots.

Contrary to the reverse fixture, we created nothing - no shots on target, with Mvibudulu ending the game on a 6.2. We could only defend for so long before the floodgates would open. This proved to be the case, as the Cottbus attack used the space between our LB Manuel Wajer and CB Stefan Karau to get in behind and in on goal. This time, Cottbus indeed scored when the timer indicated 50 minutes on the clock. We didn't not muster up with an answer to that, conceding a second 5 minutes later after Karau made another defensive mistake by committing to a man and leaving space in behind, the space which was exploited for Cottbus' second goal of the game. And unfortunately, that was how the game finished - Havlicek looked a frustrated and depressed figure, as Chemie were lifeless and struck. 

Cottbus and Rathenow proved to be the sucker punch, throwing the spanner in the works in Chemie's fight for the title. 

Auerbach away was a game where we had to regain our momentum - those last two defeats had shot our confidence to pieces and we didn't play the way we were before entering March. We looked spooked and a ghost of our old selves, as we conceded early yet again - a first minute breakaway and scored by the opposition suddenly posed a lot of questions for our defence, the questions to which we didn't seem to have an answer.

Thankfully, Chemie found their scoring touch, after Manuel Wajer heading in the delivery from a corner by Max Kessler in the 7th minute. During half-time, Havlicek demanded more from his players.

"Where is your passion lads? Do you even want to play? What happened to you? We were 28 games unbeaten, now suddenly a couple of hiccups and you lads look down and out. We cannot have that in any circumstance. We cannot let a couple of silly defeats derail our season. Come on lads, we have still got this, I believe in you.", he said, desperately seeking answer in his players' eyes.

However, Chemie concede a penalty, a very rare occurence, as Paul Horschig stops a one-on-one, injuring himself in the process. The penalty would be converted on the 48th and Auerbach were 2-1 up, against the run of play. Chemie would get their own slice of luck, receiving a soft penalty, for Max Kessler to step up and score. Sometimes reality is different from expectation as our youngster missed the chance to draw level by hitting a soft penalty down the middle, which was saved. Despite the awful attempt at a spot kick, we pressed on, desperate to at least grab a point. And that would arrive in the 90th minute. A scramble in the box, Auerbach defenders discombobulated and the ball miraculously found the feet of Max Kessler, to finally score and send the away end celebrating, euphorically chanting the hero's name. Havlicek had mixed emotions - on one hand avoiding defeat but on the other, dropping yet more points to Cottbus, who were unbeaten in March so far. 

We should've won that though and a look at the stats doesn't make that us feel any better. 

AAAARRRRRRGHHH!!!!! FM can be brutal sometimes, but at a time like this......

Tasmania Berlin at home. We couldn't play them at a more perfect time. Already occupying the foot of the table and consigned to relegation, we needed to win and win big against the opposition. And so we did, thankfully. A game that was awfully close on paper but we were just clinical on the day. Tarik Reinhard got his hat-trick - a header on the 35th, a tap-in from a Dennis Jaepel cutback on the 72nd and a penalty on the 79th, guaranteed that the man of the match award would go to him. However, he wasn't the only peformer that stood out. Stephy Mvibudulu had once again scored, converting a cross from a deep free-kick, Max Kessler had done the same and Andy Wendschuch scored another free-kick just outside the area, ensuring that Chemie would recover some of the lost ground in terms of goal difference. Yes, Havlicek's men conceded two to a very poor side and the defence must be questioned after yet again a poor showing. However, a 6-2 win is never unwanted, especially if it is a 6-2 win that allows a team to get back on its feet. 

Picking up 4 points out of a possible 12 is awful form, challenging to harm our position in the league table. It would prove to be the case when looking at the table at the end of the month.

           

The side that play in green had been displaced from the green that is the top spot.

This is giving me serious Liverpool 2013-14 energy. 

A 4 point gap behind suddenly turned into a 4 point gap in front. Really upsetting, to be honest, as there wasn't much that Havlicek could have done. Cottbus were in flying form (honestly their run is ridiculous) and we just did not turn up on the day where we should have, simply put. Yes, on another day, it could have looked very different. It remains to be seen if promotion is a reality, as it seems that the opportunity is slipping away from our firm grasp. It is an uphill battle from here and it is unlikely that Cottbus will drop points during their run-in, considering their last few games are much easier than Chemie's on paper. 

Despite the catastrophic situation, the side from the Leutzch district of Leipzig should not worry about that. Second place in the league is still an outstanding achievement. Cottbus look very strong, almost too strong. However, the most important thing now is to keep going and finish the last 6 games to our best, giving it our all. Because that is all that can be done at this stage. The rest will depend upon fate.  

As the managerial mastermind Ted Lasso once said: "Believe". And so we will Ted, so we will.....

Thank you for reading.

-----

     Allez BSG!

Edited May 5, 2022 by haier_fm

[SixPointer]

16 hours ago, haier_fm said:

March '22

"March is the month where the title may be decided. If Chemie don't drop any points over the four game period, I can't see them dropping behind Cottbus for the rest of the season. However, it will be a different story if results go differently. Cottbus simply look unbeatable and it will take something special for them to drop points." - Thomas Doll, former Dynamo Berlin player.

Before we dive in, the top clubs in Germany had released their prospects, meaning that we were out to find some decent players that could bolster our squad for next season. After searching across some of the youth, we stumbled across this player. Introducing, Jorden Winter.

 

He was the best of the bunch, a highly average to meh bunch. Yes, he may look very one sided and one hell of a one-trick pony, but his mental attributes are very good for this level. Being only 18 and having 13 determination, along with having good attributes in key areas, shows he has the potential to go far. He could serve as the Mvibudulu replacement if such an occasion arrives. A big plus is that he is already settled at Leipzig, albeit playing for the franchise. But, without hesitation...

 

...we snapped him up. At no cost and cheap wages, Winter has some serious resale value should we keep him beyond next season. 

Back to the league though, where things were hotting up. 

With the closing stages of the season upon us, the Regionaliga Nordost finds Chemie and Cottbus neck and neck, vying for the name on the league trophy. This is an important month for both teams, as they will face off against each other, which will ultimately determine the destination of the cup come the end of the 38 games in the league.

Ouch. 

Things seemed to start off well on paper, as Chemie travelled to FSV Optik Rathenow, who were in the relegation zone at the time. This was the game where we should have won before approaching the match. Or so we thought. Havlicek's men conceded very early on. Mr. Reliable, Club Captain, the skipper, or however he should be described, our veteran CB Stefan Karau lost the run of the opposition striker Lucas Will, who, after receiving the ball, slid past the onrushing Benjamin Bellot in the 2nd minute. However, while keen to bounce back, it took ages for Chemie to score past the resolute Rathenow defence. The equaliser only came straight after halftime. Dennis Jaepel, after receiving a good forward pass, sent an inswinger towards the box for Max Kessler to prod home on the 46th minute. Nonetheless, mistakes from the Chemie defence kept on coming, conceding a 22 yeard freekick on the 49th minute - a freekick that would find the net. Afterwards and even throughout the match, we couldn't create anything. Mvibudulu and the quartet were surprisingly silent. With the Cottbus game around the corner, this wasn't according to the script, and unfortunately, Optik Rathenow inflict our first defeat of the season.

Our tally of 28 games without a loss had stopped. Quite a feat, but it could have been so much more. 

Energie Cottbus at the Alfred-Kunze. The biggest game of the season. Cottbus were coming into the game in hot form, winning their last 8 games while we were reeling off of that defeat from the previous game. 

We started on the back foot instantly, but this was the case too in the reverse fixture. The main aim was to contain Cottbus and hit them on the break, exploiting the space in behind. This worked well, as the Chemie defence stood tall against a truckload of Cottbus chances, some coming from crosses, some were ridiculous one-on-ones, some were ambitious pot shots.

Contrary to the reverse fixture, we created nothing - no shots on target, with Mvibudulu ending the game on a 6.2. We could only defend for so long before the floodgates would open. This proved to be the case, as the Cottbus attack used the space between our LB Manuel Wajer and CB Stefan Karau to get in behind and in on goal. This time, Cottbus indeed scored when the timer indicated 50 minutes on the clock. We didn't not muster up with an answer to that, conceding a second 5 minutes later after Karau made another defensive mistake by committing to a man and leaving space in behind, the space which was exploited for Cottbus' second goal of the game. And unfortunately, that was how the game finished - Havlicek looked a frustrated and depressed figure, as Chemie were lifeless and struck. 

Cottbus and Rathenow proved to be the sucker punch, throwing the spanner in the works in Chemie's fight for the title. 

Auerbach away was a game where we had to regain our momentum - those last two defeats had shot our confidence to pieces and we didn't play the way we were before entering March. We looked spooked and a ghost of our old selves, as we conceded early yet again - a first minute breakaway and scored by the opposition suddenly posed a lot of questions for our defence, the questions to which we didn't seem to have an answer.

Thankfully, Chemie found their scoring touch, after Manuel Wajer heading in the delivery from a corner by Max Kessler in the 7th minute. During half-time, Havlicek demanded more from his players.

"Where is your passion lads? Do you even want to play? What happened to you? We were 28 games unbeaten, now suddenly a couple of hiccups and you lads look down and out. We cannot have that in any circumstance. We cannot let a couple of silly defeats derail our season. Come on lads, we have still got this, I believe in you.", he said, desperately seeking answer in his players' eyes.

However, Chemie concede a penalty, a very rare occurence, as Paul Horschig stops a one-on-one, injuring himself in the process. The penalty would be converted on the 48th and Auerbach were 2-1 up, against the run of play. Chemie would get their own slice of luck, receiving a soft penalty, for Max Kessler to step up and score. Sometimes reality is different from expectation as our youngster missed the chance to draw level by hitting a soft penalty down the middle, which was saved. Despite the awful attempt at a spot kick, we pressed on, desperate to at least grab a point. And that would arrive in the 90th minute. A scramble in the box, Auerbach defenders discombobulated and the ball miraculously found the feet of Max Kessler, to finally score and send the away end celebrating, euphorically chanting the hero's name. Havlicek had mixed emotions - on one hand avoiding defeat but on the other, dropping yet more points to Cottbus, who were unbeaten in March so far. 

We should've won that though and a look at the stats doesn't make that us feel any better. 

AAAARRRRRRGHHH!!!!! FM can be brutal sometimes, but at a time like this......

Tasmania Berlin at home. We couldn't play them at a more perfect time. Already occupying the foot of the table and consigned to relegation, we needed to win and win big against the opposition. And so we did, thankfully. A game that was awfully close on paper but we were just clinical on the day. Tarik Reinhard got his hat-trick - a header on the 35th, a tap-in from a Dennis Jaepel cutback on the 72nd and a penalty on the 79th, guaranteed that the man of the match award would go to him. However, he wasn't the only peformer that stood out. Stephy Mvibudulu had once again scored, converting a cross from a deep free-kick, Max Kessler had done the same and Andy Wendschuch scored another free-kick just outside the area, ensuring that Chemie would recover some of the lost ground in terms of goal difference. Yes, Havlicek's men conceded two to a very poor side and the defence must be questioned after yet again a poor showing. However, a 6-2 win is never unwanted, especially if it is a 6-2 win that allows a team to get back on its feet. 

Picking up 4 points out of a possible 12 is awful form, challenging to harm our position in the league table. It would prove to be the case when looking at the table at the end of the month.

           

The side that play in green had been displaced from the green that is the top spot.

This is giving me serious Liverpool 2013-14 energy. 

A 4 point gap behind suddenly turned into a 4 point gap in front. Really upsetting, to be honest, as there wasn't much that Havlicek could have done. Cottbus were in flying form (honestly their run is ridiculous) and we just did not turn up on the day where we should have, simply put. Yes, on another day, it could have looked very different. It remains to be seen if promotion is a reality, as it seems that the opportunity is slipping away from our firm grasp. It is an uphill battle from here and it is unlikely that Cottbus will drop points during their run-in, considering their last few games are much easier than Chemie's on paper. 

Despite the catastrophic situation, the side from the Leutzch district of Leipzig should not worry about that. Second place in the league is still an outstanding achievement. Cottbus look very strong, almost too strong. However, the most important thing now is to keep going and finish the last 6 games to our best, giving it our all. Because that is all that can be done at this stage. The rest will depend upon fate.  

As the managerial mastermind Ted Lasso once said: "Believe". And so we will Ted, so we will.....

Thank you for reading.

-----

     Allez BSG!

Few tough results to take! Losing the unbeaten run the game before the biggest game of the season had a very lasting effect on your players.

How do the remaining fixtures compare? 

[haier_fm]

April '22

"Reports emerge from the Leutzsch, specifically from Chemie Leipzig, where a number of deals were extended to 15 first team players, including Paul Horschig, Tarik Reinhard and Benjamin Bellot. This is fantastic for the side that play in green as futures are secured for their most crucial players."

After a dismal month of March, we were looking to battle on towards the remaining fixtures in the league and the regional cup. We needed to pick ourselves up, and do it quickly, as it was our job to catch Cottbus.

Altglienicke away. Another trip to Berlin sees us face a side in mid-table. A vicious ball into the box from the right by Florian Bruegmann finds Dennis Mast to head home at the far post on the 29th. A close game with two evenly matched sides, we should be thankful for our luck, as we didn't score anymore in a tight contest. A huge win at the expense of the hosts. 

Auerbach in the Semi Final of the cup. As this game was highly important, giving us a potential ticket into the DFB Pokal should we win the final, Havlicek put out the strongest XI possible. Under the voracious cheer from the Diablos, Max Kessler gives us the lead from a Dennis Mast cross on the 45th. It was a special occasion, as the headed goal would give us the lead as we re-entered the dressing room of the Alfred-Kunze Sportpark. A neat passing move, sending Dennis Mast through in on goal would put us 2 to the good and close out the game. A raucous chant from all four sides of the ground would mark the end of 90 minutes, ensuring Chemie's ticket to the final. The win sees us play against high-flying Zwickau in the final. 

3 days later, a game against Fuerstenwalde at our place. With half the squad tired from the recent exploits in the cup, Havlicek picked a rotated side which inclued personnel such as Anton Kanther and Dennis Jaepel. As we took the lead through Stephy Mvibudulu, a nice through ball converted on the 31st, we were pegged back 4 minutes later through poor defending by our club captain yet again. A game where we dominated, we ended up taking a point instead of three. This severely impacted our gap between ourselves and Cottbus. This isn't turning out to be our year as it stands, unfortunately. 

*****

On 06/05/2022 at 14:13, SixPointer said:

Few tough results to take! Losing the unbeaten run the game before the biggest game of the season had a very lasting effect on your players.

How do the remaining fixtures compare? 

This is how the run in for both teams is looking like. 

Trailing 6 points and having a slightly tougher run-in than Cottbus, our hope for the title is fading fast, as it is looking likely that Cottbus will win the league this year. Very unfortunate as we held the lead for the better part of the year, only for us to bin our gap to second with a horrible run of form. 

Cottbus would win all their games in April, as seen below. 

A ridiculous run of form, but they are just a class apart from the rest of the league. I guess its just the way the cookie crumbles, we were never expected to give a fight for the title anyway. 

*****

Back to the action though.  

The game at home against Lichtenberg was our redemption game. Havlicek set out his team to get forward and intimidate the opposition. Credit to the Berlin based side, they stood firm, as defending became a matter of life and death in this game. This would continue until the 60th minute mark, where a horrid tackle put them down to 10 men. We finally open the scoring 3 minutes after; Stephy Mvibudulu found the net from a neat Manuel Wajer pass from the left. With that, the opposition defence crumbled - Dennis Mast scoring from a header on the 72nd, and an own goal on the 84th made it a day to forget for Lichtenberg, as Chemie outclassed their opposition yet again. 

Jena away on paper was our toughest match up in the league in April. We didn't want to drop additional points as the gap was already looking insurmountable. We were up for the game as we reduced Jena to no shots on target throughout the whole 90 minutes. While Tarik Reinhard hit the post from very close out, we were lucky, as the rebound fell to Timo Mauer, who wouldn't have an easier chance to score. We take the lead very early on, in the 8th minute, as Jena battled hard to gain supremacy in the middle of the pitch through persistent challenges. It didn't work however, and it guaranteed our positive end to the month. 

Here is the league table as it stands, going into the last two games. 

  

We need Cottbus to lose against both Berliner AK and Eilenburg. It isn't looking very likely that this will happen as the latter is doomed to relegation. Berliner AK can defeat Cottbus and cut the gap down to 3 should we win both our games. We will see what happens, and act accordingly. 

Sachsenpokal Final

This was a big game, as this gave us our first taste of competition against the sides in the league above. Zwickau were red hot coming into this game, chasing promotion into the 2.Bundesliga through a potential play-off tie. 

We needed to win this to 100% guarantee our participation in the DFB Pokal.

So, as both sides headed out onto the pitch, Havlicek reminded his boys there was no pressure to win. "Allow yourselves to enjoy the occasion". 

2 TIME CHAMPIONS OF SAXONY-ANHALT - BSG CHEMIE LEIPZIG boomed over the speakers as the Diablos stormed the pitch to embrace with their heroes. 

Fear and disappointment suddenly blanketed the away end, as Zwickau took the lead through a break in our defensive line. Keen to build on our promising start before conceding, Havlicek eagerly shouted his players on. This worked as Dennis Mast turned in the rebound from a Tom Gruendling effort on the 16th, before chipping the keeper after a flowing move on the 28th minute. A touch of class from a classy player put us in the lead of the final. We never looked like conceding after that, dominating the game, creating chance after chance. As the game drew to a close, it was us who lifted the Sachsenpokal. 

A brilliant effort from the players all year round finally got rewarded with silverware. 

Behind the scenes, we were looking for potential deals to come in during the summer. After searching from the teams already relegated from the league above, we stumbled upon Lukas Pinckert, playing for @Deisler26's Viktoria Berlin. They are currently struggling to avoid the drop. With his contract running out in the summer, it was time to act now if we were to secure him. 

Tidy player, insane mentals, young, this lad ticks all boxes, without eating up too much of our wages. He fits the system perfectly, as Havlicek intends to change the way Chemie play next season. This signing is integral to that happening. 

So therefore... 

... welcome Lukas Pinckert. 

The prospect of this signing causes an air of excitement for the Chemie fans, eager to see what Havlicek does next during the summer. With the season drawing to a close, there is a slow realisation that promotion is out of reach this season. However, Chemie must mount a full assault on the title next year if it wants to run sustainably a debt-free. Whether this occurs time will tell. But for now, it is time for the Leipzig based side from the northern Leutzch district to close out the season and thank the fans for their support. 

Thank you for reading. 

-----

Allez BSG!

 

Edited May 14, 2022 by haier_fm

[SixPointer]

Congratulations on the cup win 

Cottbus form is frightening  nothing you can do about it when they are relentless like that!

[Deisler26]

Brilliant cup win! Lukas was a good player for me until he just didn't develop as fast as the team was!

[haier_fm]

20 hours ago, SixPointer said:

Congratulations on the cup win 

Cottbus form is frightening  nothing you can do about it when they are relentless like that!

Cheers! Can't wait for the DFB Pokal - giving us that sweet sweet extra revenue to our suffering finances

4 hours ago, Deisler26 said:

Brilliant cup win! Lukas was a good player for me until he just didn't develop as fast as the team was!

Fair enough. When I first stumbled upon him, I thought it would be a coup if I pulled a deal off. Only 22 and plenty of room to grow, future captain material with those mentals. 

[karanhsingh]

Just had a quick catch up with this thread! Love your idea behind it. And congratulations on the cup win! Keep it up 

[haier_fm]

13 minutes ago, karanhsingh said:

Just had a quick catch up with this thread! Love your idea behind it. And congratulations on the cup win! Keep it up 

Danke schön!

[haier_fm]

May '22

"We know what we need to do, Cottbus know what they need to do. It is just now a question of who can execute their plan to perfection better. We believe in ourselves and our ability - we are going out to fight for every inch, every blade of grass, so that there is nothing left of our boots by the end of the 90 minutes in each of the two games. I believe only that will help us on our course to conquer the title." - Petr Havlicek, speaking to Chemisches Element Podcast.

With the season drawing to a close, we are 6 points away from first. While some of that was our own doing, Cottbus' form meant that with 2 games to go, they were in provisional pole for the title. Despite the odds, we were determined to try and stop Cottbus' supremacy and win the league ourselves. Just to recap, here is our run-in. 

At home to in-form Tennis Borussia Berlin before heading to midtable side Meuselwitz to close out the season. Our fixture list looks relatively even on paper against Cottbus'...

...who host a very good side in Berliner AK before travelling down to already relegated Eilenburg.

For us to win the title, we need to win our both games and Cottbus to lose both of thiers. We should become top in that case, as our GD is superior to theirs. 

With this in mind, TeBe Berlin came to town. A game with a lot at stake, as the visitors arrived off the back of a 10 game unbeaten run. Our job was simple - to win and pray that Berliner AK do their job against Cottbus. It was another game where we dominated but didn't necessarily translate this into goals. Stephy Mvibudulu got his 28th goal of the season in the 21st minute with a smashing effort after being put clean through on goal by Dennis Mast. That was how the game finished, as the ground suddenly grew quiet in anticipation.

The reports after the final whistle came in from Stadion der Freundschaft in Cottbus, reporting:

BERLINER AK HAVE DONE THE IMPOSSIBLE!

As news reached the ears of the Chemie faithful, the stadium arose from its slumber. As it stood, Chemie were now 3 points off from Cottbus with a game to go. 

The noise at the Alfred Kunze at this news? Deafening. 

Which made things very interesting. 

As we travelled to Meusselwitz, the fans, Petr Havlicek, and his players were clear about one thing. Win, and win at all costs, in the hope that Cottbus slip up. Buses, draped in the colour of green, yellow and white, arrived as a horde, as the side from the Leutzsch district of Leipzig disembarked. All focused and ready at hand, the lot were incredibly eager to win the game. Havlicek had put them in the right frame of mind, stressing how a win would put them one foot away from the title. 

As the Chemie players emerged from the tunnel under the loud chants of the Diablos, the stage was set, the aims were clear. 

Chemie dominated proceedings yet again, urgently moving the ball forward beyond the opposition. Chances came and went for the visiting side. A usual occurrence that Havlicek was indifferent to seeing to. Eventually one of these would make its way into the net, he thought to himself. The fans would wait for a while before Die Chemiker finally struck first. A neat passing move on the right, a Florian Bruegmann drilled cross, leading to Tom Gruendling to net just before the hour mark. The Chemie defence were brilliant all game, doing everything to restrict the hosts to only 4 shots, with all of them failing to hit the target. In a game which left no chance for the opposition to restore parity, Chemie found themselves on top. 

However. And there is a however in every feel-good story.  

Just about after when the stoppages were added, a Meusselwitz ball over the top from deep found their winger straight through on goal. The ball was played across to the striker and to the horror of the Chemie fans, Meusselwitz levelled with their only shot on target. 

1-1 with 2 minutes left to go. 

Suddenly, a whistle from the referee interrupted the eruption from all 3 home ends. The flag was raised by the linesman, and just like that Chemie snatched a victory. And as the whistle blew again for full time, the away end was once again quiet, eagerly waiting for the results from elsewhere. It seemed as if hope lingered for a moment, as the destination of the trophy was being decided at this very moment. 

We had done everything in our right to put one hand on the title. The fate of the other hand lied in Eilenburg, where Cottbus were in the midst of duelling against the already relegated hosts. 

Before BSG Chemie Leipzig 2021-22 could be engraved into the side of the winners list on the side of the Regionaliga Nordost title, the news finally filtered through the ground at Meusselwitz.

The away end was stunned into silence. A few heads dropped in light of the reports. 

So close but yet so far. A flagrant groan resonated through the away end, as some heads in the crowd slowly started to perch down, refusing to believe the news.

Cottbus made it over the line convincingly on the last day.  

Unfortunately for us, this meant the top 3 looked like this at the end of the season's conclusion. 

And as the players made their way to the away end, there was a sour atmosphere blanketing over the Chemie ultras. Havlicek did his best to console some of his players, but he himself knew that his side didn't make it in the end. 

While a Sacshenpokal trophy serves as some sort of consolation, this was an opportunity that went begging. 

And just like that, the season finished. THAT run in March was just a small, yet significant speck, which left marks of regret and dull pain, in otherwise a monumental effort from Petr Havlicek, his players, the fans, the staff, the people that run the club, run the ground. A monumental effort from the club as a whole, the conclusion of the league season felt bittersweet.  

Nonetheless, upon reflection, 3 days after the season's end, Chemie realised that they should be proud that they mounted a title challenge in this manner. While they may have binned pole position while attempting to overcome one of the penultimate hurdles (ahem, pointing at you Optik Rathenow, Fuerstenwalde, Auerbach), they were never a contender to be champions anyway. With reinforcements coming in over the summer and some change in the old guard on order, Die Chemiker have a lot of potential to harness. With Petr Havlicek at the helm, Chemie look safe for the future. For Petr himself, winning the title is now of urgent importance, as it has become a question of when and where. Turning the side professional is imperative if the club were to develop, and gaining promotion to the 3.Liga plays a crucial role in that endeavour.  

An exciting summer awaits for BSG Chemie Leipzig, as the Alfred Kunze Sportpark closes its gates for the last time this season.  

Thank you for reading. 

-----

Allez BSG!

 

Edited May 15, 2022 by haier_fm

[SixPointer]

Very unfortunate in the end my man! The fact you pushed Cottbus the whole way after their incredible winning running is testament to the work you have done at the club!! The cup also gave the fans a huge high  and im sure it won’t be the last 

[haier_fm]

14 hours ago, SixPointer said:

Very unfortunate in the end my man! The fact you pushed Cottbus the whole way after their incredible winning running is testament to the work you have done at the club!! The cup also gave the fans a huge high  and im sure it won’t be the last 

Thank you! 

I will have the end of season awards and report in the next post.

After that, some big changes ahead are on the horizon (DNA, Transfer Policy, Club Structure, Tactical Philosophy). Exciting times!

[SixPointer]

9 hours ago, haier_fm said:

.After that, some big changes ahead are on the horizon (DNA, Transfer Policy, Club Structure, Tactical Philosophy). Exciting times!

Look forward to it 

[karanhsingh]

Unfortunate - i must say i hate these leagues where it's top spot or nothing. But you gotta go again! 

[13th Man]

Tough to drop a lead like that but a good effort overall. Cup win and a title challenge is a good foundation to build on.

Looking forward to the off season posts coming up.

[haier_fm]

End of Season Report - 2021/22

"The 21/22 season for BSG Chemie Leipzig went well, exceeding expectations set during pre-season. Although unfortunate to not win the title by the end, Die Chemiker should be proud of their efforts this season - they have deservedly earned their summer break."

The season drew to a close and it is now time to briefly sum up key events and moments, conclude the year and set out targets for next season. 

Key point here - Andy Wendschuch is most likely leaving at the end of the season, as we don't intend to renew his contract. While very useful and crucial this season, at the age of 33/34, he is dropping off in quality. We may renew him for an extra year, but that isn't looking probable, as we need physicality and fresh blood in midfield.

Some sales and/or loans are needed if we are to bring new faces in for next season. 

Great performance from Stephy - the tally could've been bigger though had he not dropped off in the second half of the season.   

In the end, Cottbus lose their play-off against Weiche from the Regionaliga Nord, meaning that Energie Cottbus stay in our division next year. *groan*

In the end, the league table was tight at the top, fine margins separating us and Cottbus on the xPTS table. We both outperformed the numbers, but again, we were unfortunate to come out second best after maintaining top form throughout the season.

The most goals scored and the least conceded sounds like title winning form. It is difficult to say what could be improved upon, as it was the run in March that proved to be our undoing. Otherwise, I fancied us for top spot and winning against Weiche to promote ourselves to the 3.Liga. 

But Brian Clough didn't take Forest into the First Division in his first attempt either. 

The takeaway here is - we need to focus on the league next year and take each game seriously. With our ailing finances and operating on a shoestring budget, turning professional is absolutely crucial for the health of our finances. A shift in tactical identity and player recruitment is already undergoing its development phase, as Havlicek looks to increase the odds of promotion for next season. All of this will be revealed in the next update. 

And finally, we say goodbye to Benjamin Boltze, who has performed excellently when called upon. I'm sure those free-kicks scored from close out will be remembered in Chemie's hearts. 

But for the Chemie players, it is a matter of taking a break, relax and forget about football for a bit, as Havlicek will look to double down on his players next season. 

(Thank you for sticking around so far! I appreciate reading individual replies and enjoy answering any burning questions. As my life IRL has gotten much busier over the past few weeks, I'm not sure whether I will be able to post regularly in the future (as if I do already post with a consistent schedule ). I have the pre-season update in the works, but beyond that, it may be a while before I come here to post again. This is just to let you know that this is the case and hopefully the next update won't be too long of a wait. But until then, and as always, thank you for reading!)

[SixPointer]

What’s the ambitious for next season? Promotion of course! Same style of play? 

[haier_fm]

13 hours ago, SixPointer said:

What’s the ambitious for next season? Promotion of course! Same style of play? 

All will be revealed in the next post

[haier_fm]

Tactical Interlude #2.1 - Brining Wengerball to Non-League

Before reading, please note that this will be a three part post as I ramble on for quite a bit about only one of the three setups that I look to employ with Chemie Leipzig this season. Expect another two to follow very soon. 

Last season was a good one for us. The right formation, sensible TIs and picking PIs that suit the playstyle we wanted to achieve. That is all well and good, but during the dying embers of the previous campaign, I found ourselves to be less effective against the same type of opposition. We either lost confidence in our abilities or just were a tad unlucky. Maybe it was a bit of both? Regardless, I was keen to mix up the play style, as I grew slightly tired of my variations of the 4231. 

I still wanted to be defensively solid, but definitely more attacking and fluid when going forward. 

Seeing this as a perfect opportunity to embed a certain tactical playstyle, I sought for some inspiration. And I didn't have to search far for it:

Before you groan, yes I am an Arsenal fan (despite my confusing Dynamo Dresden banner, an Andriy Shevchenko avatar, and my favourite team indicated as AC Milan in my profile.) Yes I also support many other teams, but none as much as the Gunners. Watching Arsene Wenger's teams attack is what made me fall in love with the game in the first place. Free-flowing movement, one touch passing, dynamism off the ball, positive management of the ball. This is all what Wengerball was about throughout his tenure. Albeit the results with this were a mixed bag, as Arsenal have not won the Premier League since 2003/04 and looked wildly inconsistent. But on their day, the Gunners put up a show, a form of entertainment, as seen attached above, with many more examples existing in the realms of the internet.

While Wenger shifted ideology twice throughout his tenure (with the first being after the move to the Emirates (442->433/4231) and the second following Conte's mini-revolution in 2017), I will focus on Wenger's side between 2008 to 2016, where perhaps the most beautiful football was played in my opinion. 

 This particular positional map was from Arsenal's 4-1 win over Brendan Rodgers' Liverpool in 2015

Wenger's 4231 morphed into a 316 in attack, with Moneral, Koscielny and Mertesacker staying put, with Coquelin screening the defence from potential counterattacks. What this presented is - 1) the license for the 6 in attack to interchange and interplay with each other, often creating chaos, due to the constant positional rotation between each other and 2) secure structure in the build-up for when Arsenal played out the back, as Sterling, Markovic and Coutinho had a lot to do in order to close down the back three + Coquelin. This gave Arsenal a spare man to play into when in their own half.  

Ozil was given pure freedom to patrol the space between Liverpool's backline and midfield, inviting Sanchez and Ramsey to attack the half spaces vacated by the German's smart movement. Often, this created a 4v4 situation, where each attacker was responsible for creating space and taking on their man or pass when they chose. Part of Wenger's laissez-faire football is evident in Sanchez's third goal (see the clip above).

What I am trying to replicate is the 3-1-6 shape in the buildup + the positional fluidity of the players upfront. While it may not be a perfect replication, more as an interpretation, given the limitations of FM and lower league football, I believe I got it working somewhat. 

Right so, where do we begin. 

As @SixPointer, or any FM veteran correctly pointed out, the hardcoded formation is the shape of the team in defence. The individual roles and instructions are the main proponents of my interpretation. The reason as to why I had moved the LB into the WBL strata is to encourage the movement forward. 

Mentality

Attacking mentality? What?

While you may be surprised at this decision, there is quite a bit to unpack, which should hopefully make sense as I try to explain my way through my thinking. Nearly all of our team is on Support duty? Why? Because I find that having a Positive Team Mentality with a clear split between Attacking and Defending duties is equivalent to having Support duties on attacking mentality. The bonus of having the former is that the team plays as a collective rather than a group of individuals. Wenger's Arsenal was about playing as a collective (and yes, some individuality did help with how they played, but I see it differently). Shorter Passing and Higher Tempo seems a bit overkill, considering the Attacking team mentality. However, this facilitates the one-touch, progressive football that I am looking for. The team mentality just complements that idea. Work Ball into Box allows us to slow down when we get into the opposition penalty area and introduce runners, who will seek to search and exploit the space in the box. Wide is selected with the aim of having one of our wide players to hug the touchline at all times, granting 1v1 situations, where we should in theory reign supreme as we have got excellent wide players for this division. 

The Transition instructions permit me to not select Play out of Defence, the instruction that I wanted to stay away from given we are a lower league side. 

The Out of Possession instructions seem strange. Why is there no team press? Why is the line of defence at least not on higher? Hopefully it will make sense as to why when we start to look at the PIs

Our forward is the spearhead of the attack. Because Wenger emphasised upon the fluid interplay between his attackers, I thought I would tick Roam from Position. Yes, it is the Regionaliga Nordost. Yes, most of the players in this division may not exactly have the attributes needed to execute the fluid interplay. However, I find that for certain systems to work, certain things must be in play. Roaming is one of them. 

Both wing players have very similar instructions. In my eyes, the IF is the scorer and the IW is the creator in this dynamic. Both are asked to close down more, along with the PFa, which makes a front trident to engage in the press once the ball is lost. 

In this setup, I want my Mezzala to co-operate with the IFs. As the role naturally uses the right half-space, the passes and the overlaps between the two were very infrequent and far between. Hence, Run Wide With Ball is ticked in order to encourage the positional rotation on the right hand side. 

Rather than choosing a BBM role, I decided to go for the vanilla CMs with similar instructions to a hardcoded BBM. I feel that this gives more of freedom for the player in this position to do whatever he likes, a bit like Ozil in a sense. What is not like Ozil is the requirement to Close Down More.

"Why is there no team press?"

As with the Mezzala, I have the front 5 engaging in a press. Once we have achieved this, I see no reason as to why we should have Press More Often as our TI, when a combination of PIs do the job already. 

"Why is the line of defence at least not on higher?"

Our defence is not great at defending, put it mildly. Nearly the slowest in the league, below average in Positioning, Tackling and Heading - this will become an accentuated problem if we raise our Defensive line any higher. One simple long ball over the top will undo all of our backline if we are not too careful. Going lower defensive line is just asking for trouble in FM (although I have seen some people pull it off before). So I feel it makes sense to leave our defensive line as is.   

The DCL is asked to stay wider. This makes the 3-1 shape in defence when we build up, as the WBL pushes higher up and the IWB tucks in to form a back three. 

This is best seen in our friendly against Fortuna Koln. 

This leads me to another point. Remember how I signed Lukas Pinckert nearer to the end of last season?

One of the benefits in this system is that he can play anywhere across the backline. Most importantly, he can double up as a centre back. This is extremely useful for our interpretation of the 3-1-6. Plus, he ticks the boxes for general attributes of Passing, Work Rate, Vision, Teamwork and Decisions. These five attributes will eventually form into our DNA (more of this in a later post).

Back to the system...

This is a perfect example of how the 3-1-6 works in action. Number 7, Alexander Bury, is with the ball. He has several options to pass to. He can either make a cross-field ball into Number 4, or play it safer to someone like Number 5, Paul Horschig. Many passing options, triangles and notice how Fortuna are defending very narrowly here. This leaves space for either of our outside players to get involved in the play and exploit the space in behind.

The build up shape is what I care about most however, as it sets the foundations for everything else that follows. The 3-1 structure provides an edge against any 1/2 striker formations, avoiding the opposition press and forming a diamond as a base for the 6 attackers to use the room in front of them. 

While I am not that bothered about the exact positioning of the front 6, you can see how much we stretch the play, often having at least a player on each wing. What this allows us is to overload one side of the pitch in order to facilitate a 1v1 situation on the other side where there is space. Given that our side is one of the best in dribbling and technique, I fancy us to win a lot of those 1v1s and contest for the free space of green on the pitch. 

We won that friendly 1-0, against a side who were a division above, which was pleasing to see. 

While opinions on positional play may vary, I find that I may have cracked the code with the 3-1-6. The football we play has become more intricate and free-flowing as a result of the shift in tactical ideology. I will definitely link some clips of our play in later posts (once I figure out how to do that).

But before that happens, I have prepared another two tactics based on the 2-3-5 and the 3-2-5, which will be revealed and explained soon.   

Thank you for reading. 

[SixPointer]

18 hours ago, haier_fm said:

Tactical Interlude #2.1 - Brining Wengerball to Non-League

Before reading, please note that this will be a three part post as I ramble on for quite a bit about only one of the three setups that I look to employ with Chemie Leipzig this season. Expect another two to follow very soon. 

Last season was a good one for us. The right formation, sensible TIs and picking PIs that suit the playstyle we wanted to achieve. That is all well and good, but during the dying embers of the previous campaign, I found ourselves to be less effective against the same type of opposition. We either lost confidence in our abilities or just were a tad unlucky. Maybe it was a bit of both? Regardless, I was keen to mix up the play style, as I grew slightly tired of my variations of the 4231. 

I still wanted to be defensively solid, but definitely more attacking and fluid when going forward. 

Seeing this as a perfect opportunity to embed a certain tactical playstyle, I sought for some inspiration. And I didn't have to search far for it:

Before you groan, yes I am an Arsenal fan (despite my confusing Dynamo Dresden banner, an Andriy Shevchenko avatar, and my favourite team indicated as AC Milan in my profile.) Yes I also support many other teams, but none as much as the Gunners. Watching Arsene Wenger's teams attack is what made me fall in love with the game in the first place. Free-flowing movement, one touch passing, dynamism off the ball, positive management of the ball. This is all what Wengerball was about throughout his tenure. Albeit the results with this were a mixed bag, as Arsenal have not won the Premier League since 2003/04 and looked wildly inconsistent. But on their day, the Gunners put up a show, a form of entertainment, as seen attached above, with many more examples existing in the realms of the internet.

While Wenger shifted ideology twice throughout his tenure (with the first being after the move to the Emirates (442->433/4231) and the second following Conte's mini-revolution in 2017), I will focus on Wenger's side between 2008 to 2016, where perhaps the most beautiful football was played in my opinion. 

 This particular positional map was from Arsenal's 4-1 win over Brendan Rodgers' Liverpool in 2015

Wenger's 4231 morphed into a 316 in attack, with Moneral, Koscielny and Mertesacker staying put, with Coquelin screening the defence from potential counterattacks. What this presented is - 1) the license for the 6 in attack to interchange and interplay with each other, often creating chaos, due to the constant positional rotation between each other and 2) secure structure in the build-up for when Arsenal played out the back, as Sterling, Markovic and Coutinho had a lot to do in order to close down the back three + Coquelin. This gave Arsenal a spare man to play into when in their own half.  

Ozil was given pure freedom to patrol the space between Liverpool's backline and midfield, inviting Sanchez and Ramsey to attack the half spaces vacated by the German's smart movement. Often, this created a 4v4 situation, where each attacker was responsible for creating space and taking on their man or pass when they chose. Part of Wenger's laissez-faire football is evident in Sanchez's third goal (see the clip above).

What I am trying to replicate is the 3-1-6 shape in the buildup + the positional fluidity of the players upfront. While it may not be a perfect replication, more as an interpretation, given the limitations of FM and lower league football, I believe I got it working somewhat. 

Right so, where do we begin. 

As @SixPointer, or any FM veteran correctly pointed out, the hardcoded formation is the shape of the team in defence. The individual roles and instructions are the main proponents of my interpretation. The reason as to why I had moved the LB into the WBL strata is to encourage the movement forward. 

Mentality

Attacking mentality? What?

While you may be surprised at this decision, there is quite a bit to unpack, which should hopefully make sense as I try to explain my way through my thinking. Nearly all of our team is on Support duty? Why? Because I find that having a Positive Team Mentality with a clear split between Attacking and Defending duties is equivalent to having Support duties on attacking mentality. The bonus of having the former is that the team plays as a collective rather than a group of individuals. Wenger's Arsenal was about playing as a collective (and yes, some individuality did help with how they played, but I see it differently). Shorter Passing and Higher Tempo seems a bit overkill, considering the Attacking team mentality. However, this facilitates the one-touch, progressive football that I am looking for. The team mentality just complements that idea. Work Ball into Box allows us to slow down when we get into the opposition penalty area and introduce runners, who will seek to search and exploit the space in the box. Wide is selected with the aim of having one of our wide players to hug the touchline at all times, granting 1v1 situations, where we should in theory reign supreme as we have got excellent wide players for this division. 

The Transition instructions permit me to not select Play out of Defence, the instruction that I wanted to stay away from given we are a lower league side. 

The Out of Possession instructions seem strange. Why is there no team press? Why is the line of defence at least not on higher? Hopefully it will make sense as to why when we start to look at the PIs

Our forward is the spearhead of the attack. Because Wenger emphasised upon the fluid interplay between his attackers, I thought I would tick Roam from Position. Yes, it is the Regionaliga Nordost. Yes, most of the players in this division may not exactly have the attributes needed to execute the fluid interplay. However, I find that for certain systems to work, certain things must be in play. Roaming is one of them. 

Both wing players have very similar instructions. In my eyes, the IF is the scorer and the IW is the creator in this dynamic. Both are asked to close down more, along with the PFa, which makes a front trident to engage in the press once the ball is lost. 

In this setup, I want my Mezzala to co-operate with the IFs. As the role naturally uses the right half-space, the passes and the overlaps between the two were very infrequent and far between. Hence, Run Wide With Ball is ticked in order to encourage the positional rotation on the right hand side. 

Rather than choosing a BBM role, I decided to go for the vanilla CMs with similar instructions to a hardcoded BBM. I feel that this gives more of freedom for the player in this position to do whatever he likes, a bit like Ozil in a sense. What is not like Ozil is the requirement to Close Down More.

"Why is there no team press?"

As with the Mezzala, I have the front 5 engaging in a press. Once we have achieved this, I see no reason as to why we should have Press More Often as our TI, when a combination of PIs do the job already. 

"Why is the line of defence at least not on higher?"

Our defence is not great at defending, put it mildly. Nearly the slowest in the league, below average in Positioning, Tackling and Heading - this will become an accentuated problem if we raise our Defensive line any higher. One simple long ball over the top will undo all of our backline if we are not too careful. Going lower defensive line is just asking for trouble in FM (although I have seen some people pull it off before). So I feel it makes sense to leave our defensive line as is.   

The DCL is asked to stay wider. This makes the 3-1 shape in defence when we build up, as the WBL pushes higher up and the IWB tucks in to form a back three. 

This is best seen in our friendly against Fortuna Koln. 

This leads me to another point. Remember how I signed Lukas Pinckert nearer to the end of last season?

One of the benefits in this system is that he can play anywhere across the backline. Most importantly, he can double up as a centre back. This is extremely useful for our interpretation of the 3-1-6. Plus, he ticks the boxes for general attributes of Passing, Work Rate, Vision, Teamwork and Decisions. These five attributes will eventually form into our DNA (more of this in a later post).

Back to the system...

This is a perfect example of how the 3-1-6 works in action. Number 7, Alexander Bury, is with the ball. He has several options to pass to. He can either make a cross-field ball into Number 4, or play it safer to someone like Number 5, Paul Horschig. Many passing options, triangles and notice how Fortuna are defending very narrowly here. This leaves space for either of our outside players to get involved in the play and exploit the space in behind.

The build up shape is what I care about most however, as it sets the foundations for everything else that follows. The 3-1 structure provides an edge against any 1/2 striker formations, avoiding the opposition press and forming a diamond as a base for the 6 attackers to use the room in front of them. 

While I am not that bothered about the exact positioning of the front 6, you can see how much we stretch the play, often having at least a player on each wing. What this allows us is to overload one side of the pitch in order to facilitate a 1v1 situation on the other side where there is space. Given that our side is one of the best in dribbling and technique, I fancy us to win a lot of those 1v1s and contest for the free space of green on the pitch. 

We won that friendly 1-0, against a side who were a division above, which was pleasing to see. 

While opinions on positional play may vary, I find that I may have cracked the code with the 3-1-6. The football we play has become more intricate and free-flowing as a result of the shift in tactical ideology. I will definitely link some clips of our play in later posts (once I figure out how to do that).

But before that happens, I have prepared another two tactics based on the 2-3-5 and the 3-2-5, which will be revealed and explained soon.   

Thank you for reading. 

I absolutely love this post! I can’t get enough of that tactical breakdown. That’s exactly my favourite thing about FM!

I like that you’ve taken a real life example as a base to build from, i find this extremely useful. In fact it’s actually how I learnt about the tactics creator, by making my own recreations I learnt about roles etc of course through research and learning from others on the forum. But the thing I think it helps most with is you then have a clear idea of what you want to see from the team.

Before I would get overwhelmed and throw loads of ideas in and end up with a disjointed tactic. We’re as with a base I know whats sort of shape in and out of possession I want, who I’m I expecting to score the goals, who makes them, who covers the defence, who links it, and so on! 
 

I like how you made a unorthodox back three, something I’ve had a go at recently but found myself wanting a bit with it. You seemed to have gotten it working nicely. Which is huge cause it’s such a big factor in today’s game. I would love to be able to tell players things like, when the LB is wide the RB tucks in and vice versa. Or when the IF comes narrow the wb overlaps but if he stays wide he underlaps. Unfortunately we are limited with the ME but when things like what you’ve done here work it brings even more joy.

I can’t wait to see the other systems. Great work!

[haier_fm]

1 hour ago, SixPointer said:

I absolutely love this post! I can’t get enough of that tactical breakdown. That’s exactly my favourite thing about FM!

I like that you’ve taken a real life example as a base to build from, i find this extremely useful. In fact it’s actually how I learnt about the tactics creator, by making my own recreations I learnt about roles etc of course through research and learning from others on the forum. But the thing I think it helps most with is you then have a clear idea of what you want to see from the team.

Before I would get overwhelmed and throw loads of ideas in and end up with a disjointed tactic. We’re as with a base I know whats sort of shape in and out of possession I want, who I’m I expecting to score the goals, who makes them, who covers the defence, who links it, and so on! 
 

I like how you made a unorthodox back three, something I’ve had a go at recently but found myself wanting a bit with it. You seemed to have gotten it working nicely. Which is huge cause it’s such a big factor in today’s game. I would love to be able to tell players things like, when the LB is wide the RB tucks in and vice versa. Or when the IF comes narrow the wb overlaps but if he stays wide he underlaps. Unfortunately we are limited with the ME but when things like what you’ve done here work it brings even more joy.

I can’t wait to see the other systems. Great work!

I came across a thread in the Tactics forum actually about the Soviet hockey team from the 80s and it did get me thinking. I wanted to also portray the positional interchanges and I do really think I have got it working. 

As you said, I have learnt a lot from others, particularly @crusadertsar and @Ö-zil to the Arsenal!. The way they play this game is mind-blowing, the ins and outs, the finer details etc. So massive thanks to them for their contribution to the FM community. 

19 hours ago, haier_fm said:

I will definitely link some clips of our play in later posts (once I figure out how to do that).

As promised, here are the 3 clips showing the system in action.

One thing to note - Number 4 Manuel Wajer does drop deep in some instances, but that was prior to pushing him up to WBL. 

 

[SixPointer]

20 minutes ago, haier_fm said:

As you said, I have learnt a lot from others, particularly @crusadertsar and @Ö-zil to the Arsenal!. The way they play this game is mind-blowing, the ins and outs, the finer details etc. So massive thanks to them for their contribution to the FM community. 

 

Certainly two people up with there very best when it comes to the tactical side of this game! 

[haier_fm]

Tactical Interlude #2.2 - Bringing Wengerball to Non-League 

While setting a profound impact before, during and after his time, Arsene Wenger was not the only man to revolutionise English football. 

Some of you may remember this guy.

Herbert Chapman. 

The Gunners, under the steady leadership of Herbert Chapman, steadily rose from mid-table obscurity to First Division champions. At a time when most teams employed 9 striker formations,  a 1 man defence, the Arsenal manager changed football thinking at the start of 1930. While the popular trend was to throw as many attackers as possible, neglecting every other position on the field, Chapman's side appeared to be balanced across the pitch, giving solidity at the back while not compensating for efficiency in attack. 

Chpaman's 3-2-5, or more commonly known nowadays as the WM, was set-up with the aim of covering all spaces on the pitch, all five channels across all thirds. 

The Gunners blew their competition out the water, finishing top with the highest goals scored (127) and the least conceded (59). Moreover, they finished with a decent 7 point gap down to second at the end of the 1930-31 First Division campaign. The season after finished in the same fashion, with another trophy bagged under the leadership of Chapman. 

Now, even if the 1930's were a long time ago, we can still see traces of the 3-2-5 employed in modern football today. Wenger used the principles of the 3-2-5 in some games, but no manager had been set on using the set-up as Pep Guardiola, the pioneer of Juego de Posicion. 

 https://bitterandblue.sbnation.com/2016/8/30/12682782/pep-guardiola-tactics-manchester-city-analysis

"The formation, though it is often presented as a 4-3-3 on the pre-match graphic, transforms into a 3-2-5. There are various nuances to the correct implementation of the functioning formation, but some of the more important ones are attacking and defending with five, width, midfield ball retention, and movement. All of these key aspects, combined with positional discipline, high work rate, and counter-pressing, make up the Guardiola playing philosophy at Manchester City."

As there are a countless of threads talking about Guardiola and his tactical philosophy, I thought I would chip in too. 

Here is how my hardcoded formation looks:

  

Similar instructions to the 3-1-6, I wanted to aid efforts with the tactical familiarity, to allow the players to get used to our pass and move football. I will not delve into the team instructions this time, for the reasons aforementioned. However, what I will explain is the PI and the reasons for me choosing roles I had chosen. 

 

As I have got a Shadow Striker in the system, using a holding frontman is needed to maximise the effect the AMC will have on our pattern of play in the final third. Out of all roles, I find the DLFs suits our purpose and the way we want to play. Considering Stephy Mvibudulu is in the frame to operate in that position, him as a Targetman does not look like a good idea. Close down More is to avoid setting the whole team to press, while Roaming From Position is needed in order to encourage fluid movement between the front four + opens space for the SSa to operate and thrive in. 

 

In previous versions, I could never get the SSa to work. Maybe this year is the year. Based on what I have seen from this role, the results look encouraging. Again, I have ticked the same PIs as the DLFs, wanting to have these two players work in tandem with and without the ball. Definitely the role to keep an eye out for later in the season. 

The IFs in this instance is the player we will look to cover the gap created by the SSa on the right hand side, hence the Sit Narrower instruction. It should aid with the buildup between the relatively conservative midfield and the attack as the IFs will look to drop deep and ask for the ball when in the middle third. Because of this, I have set the IW to Get Further Forward, again, using PIs to generate the natural fluid movement. 

Both are on Close Down More to operate a split block in transition. 

WIthout the Hold Position engaged, I felt as if the DMs ventured too far forward for my liking, going as far as to be in the box or on the very edge at times. Considering the aim of maintaining the structural integrity in our half, Hold Position is a must.

The WBL is told to stay wider to encourage the overlaps on the left hand side, again, as part of the fluid movement that I intend to create. The DCL covers the space vacated by the WBL, thanks to his Stay Wider instruction. 

Here is how the system looks when we have got the ball. 

Again, the front 5 look slightly disorganised, but that is completely intentional. Wengerball thrived in chaos, as mentioned in my previous major update. I wanted to cultivate some of that chaos and become witness to the fluidity in attack. Thanks to the movement of the front 5, due to their roles and PIs, we are creating natural movement and positional rotation. The IWs tucks in, creating space for the onrushing WBL to run onto on the left-hand side. In the centre, as the IWs drops in, we try to create numbers so that No14, Max Kessler can use the space and beat his man 1v1. No15 Lukas Pinckert can always run in to support the play if needed. 

More importantly, look at the amount of space No17 Tom Gruendling has around him. While zonally marked, there is a large space to operate in. This is thanks to our conservative midfield base of BWMd and DMs. We don't necessarily pack the centre, which in turn permits the central attacking players to work in the 'hole' between the midfield and defence, the area where he is most proficient and effective in. 

I realise that I may have not spoken much about Wenger in this post despite the title. 

The main principle of Wenger's teams was the positional fluidity in the opposition third, playing short, zippy, one-touch passes. Pass and move. Rinse and repeat. This is what I am attempting here. 

Moreover, in the last image, you can see that we are outnumbered on the left flank, a 5v6 situation. However, this allows our spare man to be available on the right flank, creating a 4v3 situation, which is a huge positive - a quick switch and we manipulate space this way, while not necessarily occupying all of the 5 channels as intended. 

This all leads to the same outcome, beautiful, flowing, smart football. A very laissez-faire brand of football. 

Thank you for reading.   

[13th Man]

Going to +1 @SixPointer  and say this all is my favorite stuff in these forums - TACTICS/SYSTEMS!!!

Wengerball has a special place in my heart (a story for another time) and those video clips from the late-4th is a trophy Wenger brought back glorious memories of beer soaked times with a friend I don't get to see much anymore.  [Enough reminiscing old man!]

To the point - I want to take another read through these two posts, but I love the chaos as you say.  It has a lot of what I loved about the way Wenger set up his teams - so much movement but quick, progressive passing.  It was so much more entertaining (if less effective maybe) than the tiki-takka that (I think) drained all the beauty out of attacking football for a spell there (Spain's WC 2010?  Horrible.)

I'm curious how the attacking mentality will work out.  I've been going the opposite way (more attacking roles and duties, less attacking mentalities), but your thinking, role selection, and TI's/PI's seem really well worked out.  I like too that you have 'shorter passing', which will be the default, but the attacking mentality means players will go and take the risk and pick out the long diagonal when it's on.

Looking forward to seeing how this works out for you.  You should be one of the better sides in the league, especially with another preseason to put your fingerprints on the team, and I see this tactical evolution taking you that next step - hopefully towards promotion.

 

[SixPointer]

Another great tactical write up 

[haier_fm]

1 hour ago, 13th Man said:

Going to +1 @SixPointer  and say this all is my favorite stuff in these forums - TACTICS/SYSTEMS!!!

Wengerball has a special place in my heart (a story for another time) and those video clips from the late-4th is a trophy Wenger brought back glorious memories of beer soaked times with a friend I don't get to see much anymore.  [Enough reminiscing old man!]

To the point - I want to take another read through these two posts, but I love the chaos as you say.  It has a lot of what I loved about the way Wenger set up his teams - so much movement but quick, progressive passing.  It was so much more entertaining (if less effective maybe) than the tiki-takka that (I think) drained all the beauty out of attacking football for a spell there (Spain's WC 2010?  Horrible.)

I'm curious how the attacking mentality will work out.  I've been going the opposite way (more attacking roles and duties, less attacking mentalities), but your thinking, role selection, and TI's/PI's seem really well worked out.  I like too that you have 'shorter passing', which will be the default, but the attacking mentality means players will go and take the risk and pick out the long diagonal when it's on.

Looking forward to seeing how this works out for you.  You should be one of the better sides in the league, especially with another preseason to put your fingerprints on the team, and I see this tactical evolution taking you that next step - hopefully towards promotion.

 

I am currently toying with the idea of going Much Shorter Passing and Much Higher Tempo, as I have seen success with it in one of my other saves. However, for that, I need the right player profiles, something that is currently lacking in this Chemie Leipzig team. 

But this is my thinking behind the attacking mentality - loads of support duties and maybe one or two on attacking duties, just to aid with the final third output - this all forces the team to play as a collective, all of whom will look to attack the spaces in front, rather than a bunch of mismatching individuals. The "Fluid" and "Very Fluid" tasks don't carry the same importance as they did in previous versions of the game, but it is nice to see that my thinking be reflected by a simple label on the bottom right of the formation screen. 

1 hour ago, SixPointer said:

Another great tactical write up 

Thank you. Just need to set the training regime up to help with the Tactical Periodisation, something which is currently difficult to do, given we are a semi-pro side at the moment.

[SixPointer]

5 hours ago, haier_fm said:

I am currently toying with the idea of going Much Shorter Passing and Much Higher Tempo, as I have seen success with it in one of my other saves. However, for that, I need the right player profiles, something that is currently lacking in this Chemie Leipzig team. 

But this is my thinking behind the attacking mentality - loads of support duties and maybe one or two on attacking duties, just to aid with the final third output - this all forces the team to play as a collective, all of whom will look to attack the spaces in front, rather than a bunch of mismatching individuals. The "Fluid" and "Very Fluid" tasks don't carry the same importance as they did in previous versions of the game, but it is nice to see that my thinking be reflected by a simple label on the bottom right of the formation screen. 

Thank you. Just need to set the training regime up to help with the Tactical Periodisation, something which is currently difficult to do, given we are a semi-pro side at the moment.

I like the tactical periodisation I’ve got going at the minute but it’s very hard to truly replicate in game.  But it’s given me enough structure to enjoy training 

[13th Man]

7 hours ago, haier_fm said:

this all forces the team to play as a collective

This is what I always liked about Wenger’s sides in the era you’re referencing.  It was so fluid, high tempo, and always looking to progress the ball.
It’s also probably the Achilles heel as it requires huge intelligence, concentration and workrate from every player. When it clicked it was glorious, when it didn’t it was ugly.

In your systems here, I like the roaming, potential for position switching, and the way you changed the IW and IF PIs to fit the different shapes. It’s easy to go in too hard on the PIs especially, but here I think they’re all necessary - for example having the left CB stay wider to cover the left wingback. 
Probably smart not to go much shorter and much higher tempo just yet, but that would be something to look to do as you progress….

[haier_fm]

Tactical Interlude #2.3 - Bringing Wengerball to Non-League

The 3-1-6 has been covered. So has the 3-2-5. But what about the 2-3-5?

Well, it is good that you ask that...

The 2-3-5 can be interpreted as the WW. The cousin of the 3-2-5 but yet seen more frequently in today's game than the WM, the 2-3-5 is the system that has been used for decades in modern football. Pep Guardiola's teams are famous for utilising structural positional play in the opposition third, often seeking to play passes first and foremost. While for some it is the standard nowadays, for others, back in the late 2000's, the Tiki-Taka was a novelty never seen before. 

However, I am not here to discuss about Guardiola's philosophy of football. There are plenty other threads for that. I am here to replicate Wengerball and try to use its interpretation with BSG Chemie Leipzig. 

Arsene Wenger employed the 2-3-5 on occasion when his team needed to either win emphatically or needed a goal. Their midfield changed throughout the years, Diaby - Denilson - Fabregas, Wilshere - Song - Fabregas, culminating in Ozil - Coquelin - Cazorla. Now, while the 2-3-5 was employed very often, it stemmed from either the variants of the 4231, if the opposition had creative midfielders, or the 433, which was more commonly featured during Wenger's stint as Arsenal boss during the early to mid Emirates era. 

The key to Wengerball was the ability of players to switch between counterattacking moves and possession in the final third. Think of it as the precursor to Vertical Tiki-Taka. What this means is that in Football Manager, Shorter Passing and High Tempo is set by default if we are to reach anywhere with getting results close to real-life. We also need the front five to roam from position, something that requires high intelligence and physical ability. Hence, if this tactic were to last for longer, we need to refine the recruitment policy at BSG Chemie Leipzig, about which I will delve into in a later post.

So, with the theory out the way, how will this look like in FM?

Now, one thing that I have done differently to Wenger here - the wingbacks. More specifically, I've gone for a pack-the-middle approach here, while the Frenchman used a pair of overlapping, high workrate Complete Wingbacks. Of course, there is room for variation. I could have gone for the hardcoded 433 instead of the 4231. I could have wanted a pair of overlapping wingbacks.  But this is what I love about this whole concept - I can be tactically agile as I am reluctant to be found out by the other sides in the league and the cup. 

Key differences here to my other setups:

Much Shorter Passing - To seek more of the ball if our counter attacks get stopped. Encourages the fluid movement off the ball even further when paired with higher tempo and attacking mentality. This is as sensible as it will get without going into the extremes of Gegenpress-esque style of buildup.

Higher Line of Engagement - If we need a win or a goal, we pen the opposition this way in their own half. 

I think I have explained enough the reasons for the Roam from Position PI. The PFa is experimental in this case, as the role really depends on the type of player I have at disposal. I may look to switch between the DLFa, DLFs and/or the PFa, depending on the player I play here and the type of result I want from a given game. Stephy Mvibudulu is suited to play the DLFs but Jorden Winter or Max Kessler are not.

The reason as to why I selected the role of a Winger on support rather than the IW as previously used in my other systems is simple - the IWBs behind him already occupies the same half-space. While an IWs is better in terms of possession, I don't want high possession numbers if we cannot penetrate the opposition defence. The Winger ensures that the left-flank is occupied most of the time. 

 

This is my Alexis Sanchez role. Given the license to do anything in attack, I just want him to stay wider before cutting inside. The IFa prompts runs from deep into space behind the defensive line, which creates rotation with the PFa, as the striker is likely to come wide before letting this role to cut in. 

The Attacking Midfielder (the Fabregas) on support duty, when considering the CMs plays alongside on the left, emulates the sort of 433 @SixPointer played with his Sparta Rotterdam, with two advanced 8s exploiting the hole in between the midfield and defence. What I love about this role is the AMs dropping deep when the team is in possession, creating a 433 in essence. Move into Channels and Roam from Position allow for positional rotation in the final third. 

 

This is my Cazorla/Diaby player. A runner from deep, extra outlet when we look to cross, the CMs will look to get further forward into the space of the AMCL when in possession while coming short and carrying the ball forward. Tarik Reinhard has 11 dribbling, which is above the league average. For this reason, I didn't tick the Dribble More PI. However, if someone else were to play in this role, I would probably have Dribble More on. 

Here is my Song/Coquelin type of player. Look to cut passing lanes, stay back and screen the defence. Play safe passes when building up in our own half and look to retain the ball when possible, this is the crucial position in our setup in terms of our defensive solidity. Close Down Less encourages positional awareness more so than anything, as any player in this role will look to adapt his position in order to limit space for opposition attacks.

All of the TIs, PIs, roles and mentalities combine to produce something like this on the pitch. 

  

At times, the IFa, No.14, gets too far forward while the ball is still in our half, which could cause problems with ball retention in future, but should be fine for now. We don't occupy all five channels at once (think this is party due to the AMR, AML and the STC all roaming), but this will hopefully come with tactical familiarity and a couple of tweaks. 

However, what is good to see is the clear W formation during buildup. This aids us a lot when playing from out the back, manipulating space, seeking the extra yard of green to exploit. Lots of triangles in our half and in front of the ball, lots of possible combinations where one touch football should thrive - this forms part of the basis in interpreting Wengerball. 

In addition, a keen eye may have noticed the lack of a playmaker in all 3 systems. This is intentional. This year, I find that the Playmaking roles slow down the play and partly become the cause of sideways passing that we so often see in this game at times. As we want to progress the ball up pitch, a playmaker goes against what we want to achieve with this tactical interpretation. 

Before I forget, I would also like to outline when we seek to use each system. 

The 2-3-5 will be used if:

- We are at home, and in need of a win

- The opposition play one man up front (i.e. 433, 451, 541 etc.)

- The opposition play 5 at the back (532, 523, 541). Why? As we have got the 5 men up front, they will occupy the 5 defenders, simply creating a 5v5 situation when we cross into the opposition half. 

The 3-2-5 will be used if:

- We face against tougher opposition (the 3-2 structure helps with the defensive solidity if we happen to turnover the ball)

- The opposition play 2 striker systems

- The opposition play on the counter

The 3-1-6 will be used if:

- We face weaker opposition

- The opposition has more creative players in the middle

- The opposition has high possession numbers

These are just the basic criteria for when and where to use certain systems. Of course, some of these may overlap (i.e. a 5 at the back on the counter) in which case I will seek to pick the system based on the most important/critical factor. 

Please do note that these systems are far from perfect and could be interpreted differently in different ways. Such is the beauty of FM. Of course at times, these will be subject to change depending on our results. But, based on what I saw from our preseason friendlies, these systems look encouraging. 

[13th Man]

Keep it coming!  Love it!

I also like the breakdowns of which shape/tactic you'll use and when.

Question - with much shorter passing, does the LWB still get involved a lot.  He seems a bit on an island.  I'm thinking the attacking mentality will mean that when he's in space, the ball will get to him even if it means a longer ball?  That said, I also bet that the movement is designed for short passing and moving the ball quickly, and that if and when the ball gets wide left, players will come to him and things will open up as the other side tries to shift.

That was one of the things I remember about Wengerball.  Where I felt like tiki-takka spent a lot of time passing the ball around the backline, Arsenal were always looking to push it forward and keep it in the opposition third.  Lots of off the ball movement and the ball zipping around the 18 yard box.

[haier_fm]

2 hours ago, 13th Man said:

Question - with much shorter passing, does the LWB still get involved a lot

I think you confused the AML with the DL. The DL, in the pictures, is actually Number 4. You can see how far he cuts inside, which allows him to stay involved at all times during the build up phase. 

With the AML (in this case Denis Japel), yes, perhaps he does seem isolated in certain phases of the game. In the game where this system was played, he was obviously the least active player on the pitch.

The potential problem with this is that I need him to be active and in the game for the majority of the 90 minutes. If the AML does not get the action he needs to see throughout the game, anyone playing in that position can switch off and feel disconnected from the game.  

I am not sure as to whether that is down to the fact he got injured early on or whether he does seem isolated. 35 passes completed in 56 minutes is not such a good showing. Second lowest out of the front 5 and ran a lot less than everyone else.

You can see the stats in a different game against Beerschot VA (a top-flight side in Belgium), where we lost 1-0.

Again, it is quite hard to read if it is down to the role, down to the opposition or another factor that I have not yet considered. 75 passes attempted with 12.7km worth of running on the pitch indicates that he was in fact part of the game. Maybe it was down to the nature of the opposition? I am not quite sure, to be honest. 

I will need to monitor players playing in this role in future games. I feel only this way will it become certain whether he disconnects from the game or not.

[SixPointer]

16 hours ago, haier_fm said:

Tactical Interlude #2.3 - Bringing Wengerball to Non-League

The 3-1-6 has been covered. So has the 3-2-5. But what about the 2-3-5?

Well, it is good that you ask that...

The 2-3-5 can be interpreted as the WW. The cousin of the 3-2-5 but yet seen more frequently in today's game than the WM, the 2-3-5 is the system that has been used for decades in modern football. Pep Guardiola's teams are famous for utilising structural positional play in the opposition third, often seeking to play passes first and foremost. While for some it is the standard nowadays, for others, back in the late 2000's, the Tiki-Taka was a novelty never seen before. 

However, I am not here to discuss about Guardiola's philosophy of football. There are plenty other threads for that. I am here to replicate Wengerball and try to use its interpretation with BSG Chemie Leipzig. 

Arsene Wenger employed the 2-3-5 on occasion when his team needed to either win emphatically or needed a goal. Their midfield changed throughout the years, Diaby - Denilson - Fabregas, Wilshere - Song - Fabregas, culminating in Ozil - Coquelin - Cazorla. Now, while the 2-3-5 was employed very often, it stemmed from either the variants of the 4231, if the opposition had creative midfielders, or the 433, which was more commonly featured during Wenger's stint as Arsenal boss during the early to mid Emirates era. 

The key to Wengerball was the ability of players to switch between counterattacking moves and possession in the final third. Think of it as the precursor to Vertical Tiki-Taka. What this means is that in Football Manager, Shorter Passing and High Tempo is set by default if we are to reach anywhere with getting results close to real-life. We also need the front five to roam from position, something that requires high intelligence and physical ability. Hence, if this tactic were to last for longer, we need to refine the recruitment policy at BSG Chemie Leipzig, about which I will delve into in a later post.

So, with the theory out the way, how will this look like in FM?

Now, one thing that I have done differently to Wenger here - the wingbacks. More specifically, I've gone for a pack-the-middle approach here, while the Frenchman used a pair of overlapping, high workrate Complete Wingbacks. Of course, there is room for variation. I could have gone for the hardcoded 433 instead of the 4231. I could have wanted a pair of overlapping wingbacks.  But this is what I love about this whole concept - I can be tactically agile as I am reluctant to be found out by the other sides in the league and the cup. 

Key differences here to my other setups:

Much Shorter Passing - To seek more of the ball if our counter attacks get stopped. Encourages the fluid movement off the ball even further when paired with higher tempo and attacking mentality. This is as sensible as it will get without going into the extremes of Gegenpress-esque style of buildup.

Higher Line of Engagement - If we need a win or a goal, we pen the opposition this way in their own half. 

I think I have explained enough the reasons for the Roam from Position PI. The PFa is experimental in this case, as the role really depends on the type of player I have at disposal. I may look to switch between the DLFa, DLFs and/or the PFa, depending on the player I play here and the type of result I want from a given game. Stephy Mvibudulu is suited to play the DLFs but Jorden Winter or Max Kessler are not.

The reason as to why I selected the role of a Winger on support rather than the IW as previously used in my other systems is simple - the IWBs behind him already occupies the same half-space. While an IWs is better in terms of possession, I don't want high possession numbers if we cannot penetrate the opposition defence. The Winger ensures that the left-flank is occupied most of the time. 

 

This is my Alexis Sanchez role. Given the license to do anything in attack, I just want him to stay wider before cutting inside. The IFa prompts runs from deep into space behind the defensive line, which creates rotation with the PFa, as the striker is likely to come wide before letting this role to cut in. 

The Attacking Midfielder (the Fabregas) on support duty, when considering the CMs plays alongside on the left, emulates the sort of 433 @SixPointer played with his Sparta Rotterdam, with two advanced 8s exploiting the hole in between the midfield and defence. What I love about this role is the AMs dropping deep when the team is in possession, creating a 433 in essence. Move into Channels and Roam from Position allow for positional rotation in the final third. 

 

This is my Cazorla/Diaby player. A runner from deep, extra outlet when we look to cross, the CMs will look to get further forward into the space of the AMCL when in possession while coming short and carrying the ball forward. Tarik Reinhard has 11 dribbling, which is above the league average. For this reason, I didn't tick the Dribble More PI. However, if someone else were to play in this role, I would probably have Dribble More on. 

Here is my Song/Coquelin type of player. Look to cut passing lanes, stay back and screen the defence. Play safe passes when building up in our own half and look to retain the ball when possible, this is the crucial position in our setup in terms of our defensive solidity. Close Down Less encourages positional awareness more so than anything, as any player in this role will look to adapt his position in order to limit space for opposition attacks.

All of the TIs, PIs, roles and mentalities combine to produce something like this on the pitch. 

  

At times, the IFa, No.14, gets too far forward while the ball is still in our half, which could cause problems with ball retention in future, but should be fine for now. We don't occupy all five channels at once (think this is party due to the AMR, AML and the STC all roaming), but this will hopefully come with tactical familiarity and a couple of tweaks. 

However, what is good to see is the clear W formation during buildup. This aids us a lot when playing from out the back, manipulating space, seeking the extra yard of green to exploit. Lots of triangles in our half and in front of the ball, lots of possible combinations where one touch football should thrive - this forms part of the basis in interpreting Wengerball. 

In addition, a keen eye may have noticed the lack of a playmaker in all 3 systems. This is intentional. This year, I find that the Playmaking roles slow down the play and partly become the cause of sideways passing that we so often see in this game at times. As we want to progress the ball up pitch, a playmaker goes against what we want to achieve with this tactical interpretation. 

Before I forget, I would also like to outline when we seek to use each system. 

The 2-3-5 will be used if:

- We are at home, and in need of a win

- The opposition play one man up front (i.e. 433, 451, 541 etc.)

- The opposition play 5 at the back (532, 523, 541). Why? As we have got the 5 men up front, they will occupy the 5 defenders, simply creating a 5v5 situation when we cross into the opposition half. 

The 3-2-5 will be used if:

- We face against tougher opposition (the 3-2 structure helps with the defensive solidity if we happen to turnover the ball)

- The opposition play 2 striker systems

- The opposition play on the counter

The 3-1-6 will be used if:

- We face weaker opposition

- The opposition has more creative players in the middle

- The opposition has high possession numbers

These are just the basic criteria for when and where to use certain systems. Of course, some of these may overlap (i.e. a 5 at the back on the counter) in which case I will seek to pick the system based on the most important/critical factor. 

Please do note that these systems are far from perfect and could be interpreted differently in different ways. Such is the beauty of FM. Of course at times, these will be subject to change depending on our results. But, based on what I saw from our preseason friendlies, these systems look encouraging. 

Another excellent tactical write up! I love your thought process and you now have a very clear game plan and when you want to deploy certain things. You have enough variation in each systems so you don’t become predicable and can change the angle of attack in an instances, without changing your whole philosophy 

[13th Man]

5 hours ago, haier_fm said:

I think you confused the AML with the DL.

Ha! Oops. Yes, I see that now. Think I was still stuck on the other tactic with the attacking LWB.

With that in mind, as an IF, I’d think he’d be involved once the ball is in the final third. Seems like he has the potential to get isolated based on the one game, but that overall, he should be involved.

Small sample size, but I get the thinking with those IWBs

[haier_fm]

Before you start reading, I apologise for the radio silence again. Don't worry, this save has not gone anywhere; I have been running it in the background. I have been busy in the past month. With that aside....

Technical & Tactical Empathy - a DNA

Author’s Note: I have been heavily inspired by Arsene Wenger and whilst researching him, I found this article – it may be worth a read (for those who enjoy the philosophical side of the game).

https://jwzfootball.medium.com/expanding-on-the-concept-of-technical-empathy-33658911409

Credit to the author of this post, John Zuidema, for serving as inspiration for this update.

*****

Judging by the previous posts about Wenger, his method of coaching, tactical thinking, managing, you may wonder if I am hit with a wave of nostalgia. I do admit, and I have said it before, that in my eyes, an Arsenal game in the late 2000’s was not a 90-minute exhibition of 22 players, one referee and one ball.

Far from it.

For what it was worth, the players, who dedicated their game to the cannon on the badge, these people produced art. While at times this display wasn’t manifested on a consistent basis, it still left a lasting imprint on young, casual followers of the sport like me. Players like Alexandr Hleb, Eduardo, Abou Diaby, Carlos Vela shifting position, playing interplay between themselves made football seem easy.

In general, the fluid, such interchanging type of football is achieved through what Arsene Wenger calls “Technical Empathy”.

“Passing the ball is communicating with another person; it’s being in the service of another person. It’s crucial. For the pass to be a good one, the player has to put himself in the position of the person who is going to receive it. It’s an act of intelligence and generosity, what I call technical empathy.”

Wenger was noted to have his players produce whatever they desired for themselves if it led to a strong result. At times, admittedly, they were punished (sometimes more brutally than in other instances) by more resolute sides such as Sir Alex’s United, Benitez’s Liverpool, and Mourinho’s Chelsea. In addition, Arsenal post-Highbury were often lambasted by the tabloid press for their naivety, lack of physicality and lack of fight against sides such as Stoke City, Bolton, and Birmingham City.

However, if we roll back the years, before Wenger’s presentation to the British media in 1996, with the Frenchman smiling while finding comfort in Highbury’s empty seats, the manager arrived with new ideas, new philosophy, and a new love for the game. Nagoya Grampus Eight, the ‘lab rabbit’ of Monsieur Wegner’s ideas, were synonymous with individuality. Wenger forced his players to think for themselves, rather than seeking instructions from the manager. Most of the time, this worked, given the players were competent to deal with the task at hand. Later down the line though, this would rub off negatively on Arsenal fans, with Wegner being accused of being passive and rather detached on the touchline.

However, the crux of this whole introduction is to force players to think for themselves. When this happens, we see an almost telepathic connection form between the 11 individuals on the pitch.

Now, Pass and Move. Part of the cornerstone that made Arsenal who they are today.

Throughout my days of playing the sport, coaches always drilled the importance of passing and moving into space. I guess this is where my virtual coaching style comes from. The only way to unsettle the opposition, in my opinion, is to create constant movement. Passing is the ingredient which triggers it.

Essentially, Technical Empathy is a tool which helps to achieve the pass and move type of football.

Tactics on their own are well and good, but what if the personnel in hand is not up to scratch? Why hasn’t player X tracked back? Why is player Y not continuing his run? Why is player Z not moving into space like I asked him to?

Throughout my time playing as various clubs across Europe, I realised the importance of having the right player profile. The right player will make an average team tick.

So, how exactly should this be achieved?

DNA.

A collection of attributes suited to the style of football we want to play. These will be dependent on tactical principles and areas of the pitch.

At Chemie Leipzig, I intend to employ a set of attributes and player personalities, which will permeate the club from its squad, down to the academies, fans, and club representatives.

First and foremost, to breed a winning mentality at the club, we need players who persevere, players who push themselves to be better, players who are dedicated.

This makes the first attribute to form part of the DNA.

Determination.

Players who are determined represent the club. If the players move forward, strive to push themselves, the club reaps its benefits. If the club progresses, the type of players in the roster advance in their development. There is a connection between these two entities – the club and the players at the club.

On the pitch, every player on the pitch must ask themselves.

What can I do to support my teammates on and off the ball?

From here, we separate the game into two parts – Attacking and Defending.

The Key Attributes:

The overall concept of Empathy in football, in my eyes, overarches two aspects of the game – the tactical and the technical side.

In Football Manager, I see the three attribute categories like this. 

Mental -> Technical <- Physical

The Mental side of the game affects technicality. Technicality can be sustained by Physical attributes. Most importantly, I find the Mental Attributes are just as important, if not more, than Technical Attributes.  

When we are in possession, players look up, assess their options, consider the type of player they pass to and make a resulting judgement of action. This is the “Technical Empathy” that I wish to install in my teams, no matter the club, no matter the players at hand. The only way such instinctive movement can be achieved is through a collection of desired skills and team cohesion.

For this, we need to consider what the players need to be conscious of their actions.

-         Teamwork

This is perhaps the most important attribute in Football Manager. Beautiful sequences of play happen because the player in question is willing to give up the ball to his teammates. The player in question is willing to make a pass, and in fact, finds that in most situations, sending a pass is better than going alone. Teamwork is one of the most important attributes that achieve this.

-         Technique/Passing

Without the Technique however, Teamwork is only half as effective. In order to ensure that Mental attributes are translated onto the pitch, the technical aspects of the game must be equally as good. First Touch and Passing serve as supplementary attributes, but if we want to switch the ball across the field in an instant, technique is important.

-         Off the Ball

Because we are talking about Passing and Moving, good technique and teamwork are good on their own. On the other hand, it just promotes passing for the sake of passing. A lot of the side-to-side sequences of play are caused by the lack of movement of the ball. We want to be progressive and fluid. Off the Ball, as an attribute, makes sense to use on players who are involved in the middle and the final third of the pitch. However, I find it is also suitable for use for defenders, especially for systems that prefer to play out the back (good for press resistance).

-         Decisions

Decisions are key in any position on the pitch. Why? I need any player in my starting XVIII to be able to make the right calls, choose the right option during key moments. If this is done to a suitable degree of success, key opportunities in transition and attack occur.

-         Anticipation

This is the attribute that I like to think of as the root of instinctive play. Each player knows each other well, everyone knows their role and the roles of their teammates. Anticipation promotes the idea of mutual cohesion between the players, the mental communication between each single working component in a machine. Anticipation will be used as a supplementary attribute for selected players, rather than the whole team.

There are plenty other attributes that I have missed out (what about First Touch? Positioning?). This set of attributes has been chosen as a general rule of thumb of the type of team I want to build - effective, understanding, all-knowing.

As each position is unique to the type of player I want to have, there will be other attributes that I will look for to build the team I want to build. Generally, though, these are the “pillars” that form the DNA of the club.

Before we delve further though, I will point out that players will not be strictly judged whether they meet the criteria for all key attributes – these types of players are almost impossible to find in the lower leagues, who are complete, and play their game at high quality. A little bit of mixing and matching should be enough.

“Fine, but you’ve mentioned about Tactical Empathy. What is that?”

Whereas Technical Empathy is responsible for phases in transition and attack, Tactical Empathy follows the same principles but on the defensive side of the game.

The players, when losing the ball, must ask themselves.

How should I act to support my teammates who are defending?

A pressing side always has their whole team working in tandem. If you look at modern day Liverpool, Firmino does not press on his own. Salah, Mane support by angling their runs in such a way, to restrict space for the opposing team. At times, Keita or Thiago will step in to cover the free space behind the front three.

Players, when the ball is in their area of responsibility, trigger their runs towards the opposing person with the ball. If the ball moves along the pitch, the Player X hands off his/her responsibility to Player Y. Player Z to Player A. A striker will hand off responsibility to the wingers and midfielders if the opposing ball reaches the middle third. This is the key to understanding how sustained pressure works. Gegenpress - the reason why it was so effective in the previous versions of the game, was because it took this concept to the extreme, without any repercussions to the Physical side of the game (I’m specifically talking about Stamina).

With BSG Chemie Leipzig, it is impossible to tell my players to go out and press for the full 90 minutes. Instead, I use individual player instructions to achieve the effect of sustained pressure. I would rather see my players make a consistent but average effort rather than be good for 10 minutes then drop off. An over-the-top example, but you get my point.  

Same set of attributes, but with a restructured list of importance apply. Teamwork and Work Rate are the most important, followed by Anticipation.

For those lost and confused, the DNA will be formed using the following attributes:

-         Teamwork

-         Technique/Passing

-         Work Rate

-         Off the Ball

-         Decisions

-         Determination

-         Anticipation

Here is a Venn Diagram to visualise the whole DNA better.

To produce a good, effective machine, you have got to consider all the possibilities. I do not want to go too much in-depth into the game than I already have, but I have tried to consider the main ingredients of our game. Off the pitch is another matter (i.e. Training, Youth Development, Mentoring, Injury Management), which I am currently figuring out. However, I feel like I have got the necessary set of tools to eventually succeed on the pitch. The 7 attributes will form a DNA, a shared set of skills a player needs to have in order to play for the club long-term.

Back to where the update started from - Technical Empathy. Empathy is the science of understanding and sharing the feelings of one another. Technically, Empathy helps with the use of the ball. Tactically, Empathy helps to get that ball back. These two meanings go hand in hand in this sport.

Ask yourself the question when next time on the pitch - would your teammate enjoy playing with you? Would the manager want to play for the team? Purely thinking about these not only does it elevate your game, but also elevates the game of others. In my eyes, football is a game where one ball is shared between 22 individuals for 90 minutes, give or take. In order to win, you need to learn and know about the other 10 people in your team- their personality, their skillset, and their identity. If this condition is satisfied, then will the team progress. Otherwise, a simple misunderstanding has the potential to undo all good.

Thank you for reading.

Edited June 17, 2022 by haier_fm

[karanhsingh]

Good to see you still at this!

[haier_fm]

August '22

"Our aim is to get promoted this season. I do not care for those who think we don't have the squad for it. I do not care for those who may be laughing at me now [smirks]. I believe we have a fantastic crop of players, perhaps the best in the league. I believe in my players, I trust in what they do, how they play. However, it is also up to the lads if they want to enjoy playing football this season." - Petr Havlicek, speaking to kicker.de

After a long awaited start to the season, BSG Chemie Leipzig are looking to improve on their finish last season. After the signing of Lucas Pinckert on a free, Die Chemiker are feeling bullish about their chances for the title this year. While it is easier said than done, Petr Havlicek is the man at the helm, who will be responsible to guide the unfancied side from Leutszch to promotion. 

Stronger prediction than last year but still got work to do if we are to go up this year. Energie Cottbus, after bottling promotion last season, are unsurprisingly the hot favourites for the second season running. We are here to crash the party and spoil the fun. 

Our wonderkid turned captain, Max Kessler, is the bookies favourite to finish with the golden boot this season. Too early to call this yet, as a relatively major tactical shift is on the agenda this season (see the posts above).

Without further ado, after a series of friendlies against varied but mostly weaker opposition, Die Chemiker were ready and raring to go. 

Altglienicke away. First trip of the season coincidentially falls on the first day of the season. Max Kessler's penalty on the 5 minute was canceled out by an attack down our right, exploiting the gap we left in front of our own goal. Going into half-time a goal a piece, Chemie never looked like they wanted the win. However, one player on the pitch was there when we needed him most. Coming on as a late second-half substitute, veteran Andy Wendschuch ensured Chemie got off to a winning start with a curling free-kick on the 78th minute, sending the travelling support happy and optimistic about their chances in the league. 

Der Leipziger-stadt Derby

Lok Leipzig at home should and was a guaranteed win. One pattern throughout August which appeared obvious was our tendency to frequently win penalties. While it is a good sign, we have scored only 3 of our 8 goals scored this month from open play. Nothing needs to be really said, a hat-trick of penalties + a stunner from newboy Lucas Pinckert gave the Chemie Leipzig fans bragging rights over their neighbours from the south of the city. Winning by a 4 goal margin just makes things that bit sweeter. 

To round off the month, Chemie faced another trip away, this time to Auerbach. A ball from deep over the defensive line from Florian Bruegmann set Stephy Mvidbudulu one-on-one with the keeper, who confidently tucked it home past the keeper in the 19th minute. We then double our advantage through very good play, where Mvibudulu turns provider for a Max Kessler tap-in. 

After the three games played in August, this is how the table looks come the end of the month. 

Goal of the Month

I decided to include this new section, which I plan to feature in each monthly update (because hey, why not?)

Anyway, given that all of the open play goals were really simple in aesthetic quality, I decided to award the Goal of the Month to one of the two freekicks scored in August.

Lukas Pinckert v Lok Leipzig (GW2)

https://gyazo.com/149dde60f24bc60044347522c3b046c9 

Given that the player is new to the squad, I thought it was a perfect occasion to give him the Goal of the Month for August. A curler perfectly disptached up and over the wall to give Chemie a 3-0 lead over their rivals. Congratulations Lukas!

Transfer Dealings

Around the time after the game against Auerbach, Stuttgart came in with an offer for one of our more promising players - central defender Ben Kessler. Brother to Max, he kicked up a fuss (who saw that coming huh?) after Havlicek rejected the offer. After contemplating on Lucas Surek's dealing of the matter, the manager took a firm stance. Chemie needs players who are there to play for the shirt. If a certain individual doesn't feel that way, they are free to leave the club. BSG Chemie Leipzig needs determined, ambitious AND loyal players. Add the potential financial incentive from such a reputable club like Stuttgart, it was sensible to allow Ben to leave. 

With the added cash, Havlicek moved quickly to secure the services of former Lok Leipzig defender, Leon Heynke. 

On a free, he looks like a steal. Young, room to improve. While technically not brilliant, he is decent in the tackle and makes good decisions. 

As I have talked about DNA in my last post, I used the selected 7 traits to scout for the player. Moving forward, I intend to use it frequently when searching for players overall.

For Regionalliga Nordost, I will seek for players who have a sum of above 70 for all the 7 attributes (taken from the requirement of the 7 attributes being above 10, which is more or less the average of the league. 10x7=70.)

In Leon Heynke's case, 

Technique - 9

Teamwork - 9

Work Rate - 10

Off the Ball - 10

Decisions - 14

Determination - 13

Anticipation - 7

Total = 72 

DNA = Satisfied

Thus, it seemed this was our man. We swiftly pounced on him and are delighted to announce him on a 3 year deal. Welcome Leon!

After seeing Benjamin Boltze retire, it was sensible to bring in a back-up central midfielder, as we were looking light on midfielders. After scouting for the right profile, Havlicek stumbled upon Dominik Wieland from Eintracht Braunschweig.

Technique - 11

Teamwork - 13

Work Rate - 14

Off the Ball - 8

Decisions - 8

Determination - 8

Anticipation - 11

Total = 73

DNA = Satisfied

Fitting with our DNA, and being a very good physical presence in midfield, Chemie were eager to strike a deal. Eintracht had a high price tag on him, but were willing to send out on loan. This meant that Dominik becomes our player for the season. Welcome Dominik!

With the transfer dealings done, now it is a case of taking the season game by game, adapting to problems that may head our way. If we deal with those, there is no reason why we will not be able to mount a title challenge this year. A winning start is essential for this. Hopefully, this marks the start of a memorable season to come. Hopefully. 

Thank you for reading.

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Allez BSG!

[karanhsingh]

Nice start! The fact you have the favorite for the golden boot certainly bodes well. 

[haier_fm]

August Pt.2 '22+ September '22

"It is important to keep on moving, we have a tough run of games this month. If we come out the other end of this unscathed, we set ourselves up in a very good position" - Petr Havlicek on the Matchday Programme

Well, where do I start? It has been a while, that cannot be left unsaid. I have enjoying my summer and decided to go fully offline. Now, feeling motivated to write again, I decided it wouldn't hurt to update on this thread. Considering I have got a tough year ahead in my student/work life, my posts will be as sporadic as ever, as Football Manager will be put on the backburner. To reassure, I'll resort to monthly updates for now, but I am considering to switch that to either half-season updates or just make the monthly posts much shorter than in its current format. All of this in an effort to at least have some sort of consistency in the updates. As much as I want to show the journey, I would still want to see us make quicker progress and show it through these write-ups. But this is just the thinking, saved for a later date.

Now, BSG Chemie Leipzig. Where were we? Where did we leave things?

Ah yes, now I remember.

Sandhausen at home was going to be a tough ask. The euphoria of participating in the National Cup for the first time since 1991 was quickly replaced by apprehension of facing a team two leagues above us. Nevertheless, we gave it a good shot, conceded only one and looked to score the equaliser right at the death, only to be denied by the brilliance of the Sandhausen keeper. At least, it was fun while it lasted. Oh well, onwards and upwards.

We then travelled to Dresden to kickstart our title defence in the Sachsenpokal, to face amateur side PSV Dresden. A simple drubbing of the opposition and it could have been an uglier scoreline.

A 3 goal bombradement inside the first 10 minutes of the game against Meuselwitz ensured we continued our unbeaten run in the league. Tarik Reinhard, Manuel Wajer and our new fan favourite Lukas Pinckert put the game to bed very early on in an otherwise slightly tame game. 

We continued our utter domination with a confident win at Fuerstenwalde. Florian Bruegmann, our explosive and combative right-back, slotted in at left-back for rotation. He scored a header from a free-kick routine, followed by a Max Kessler penalty to seal the win.

Litmus test. Earlier than Havlicek would have liked, but there was only one way forward - to beat Energie Cottbus at home. The raucous home crowd were felt throughout the whole Leutszch district on a serene Saturday afternoon. A Max Kessler penalty (yet again!) and a scorcher from distance by Tom Gruendling put us two to the good at half time. Unfortunately, we let it slip in the second half, where a mistake by our keeper Benjamin Bellot had allowed Cottbus to open their scoring and then equalise a few minutes later. Determined not "to be of the bottle" and spurred on by the Chemie faithful, Dennis Mast tucked away a looping header to give Leipzig a very important win in the early stages of the season.    

Going into September, we were facing Lichtenberg away, as we expected to pick up all three points and hit the road home with all smiles. Expectations do not line up with realities, however. Despite clearly being the dominant side, we could not for the life of us put the ball into the opposition's net. A mixture of their keeper having a blinder and our frontline being unusually blunt, leaves us more with a feeling of having lost 2 points than won the solitary one. 

Chemie fans, I hope you know. Reserving the number 12 just for you was not a mistake. Relegated from the 3.Liga, Viktoria Berlin were looking to cause an upset to finally kickstart their season. Lukas Pinckert, against his former side, and with the Chemie faithful behind the team, proved their resilience in the face of adversity. A Max Kessler penalty and a long range volley by substitute Benjamin Luis was enough to sink the visitors and dash their hopes of claiming a win at our ground. At home, we look invincible (need to be careful not to jinx it, though...)

A shock defeat to another amateur side Hohenstein was even less expected. Rotating the side isn't always risky, but it bit us by our backsides here in the end. Our second string XI isn't just ready yet to feature in games, even more so with the current Wengerball setup. Their early goal could not be cancelled despite all of our effort. Title defence - crumbled at the first hurdle. This means there is no DFB Pokal next season for us, unfortunately. 

That defeat really knocked our confidence heading into our game away against Tennis Borussia Berlin. An unusual situation for us, where we did not play, did not even try to turn up. 3 chances created the whole game, and a shocking performance all across the board - TeBe Berlin deserved all three points, and it pains me to say it. 

Going into the game against Hertha II in poor-ish form was worrying. Even more reliant on home support than ever before, a yard-trimmer from Alexander Bury gave us the lead, not long before being pegged back. However, our resilience showed again, as we managed to score again through Stephane Mvibudulu, finally looking like ourselves again. The intricate play secured us the win and closed out the month on a positive note. 

This is how the table looked at the conclusion of this set of games. 

Early stages of the season and we're the pace setters. A decent 4 point-sized cushion to Hertha II is a welcoming addition, but that can shrink at the blink of an eye as tougher obstacles loom near the horizon. With the distant aspirations of going invincible forgotten, we have put somewhat of a stable run together to put ourselves in the driver's seat of the league table. Cottbus did not have a good start to the season, but they remain as the force to take the crown this season. A 9 point gap to them is nothing in this league and it is early to be caught up in title-contention talk. As said many times previously, take one game at a time and see what comes of it. 

See what comes of it indeed.   

Goals of the Month

August - Tom Gruendling vs Energie Cottbus (GW6)

It is a no-brainer - Tom Gruendling's strike against Cottbus was important and stunning. He gets the award for this month. 

September - Benjamin Luis vs Viktoria Berlin (GW8)

Tom Gruendling's strike in August will be paired with Benjamin Luis' supreme volley against Viktoria Berlin. Wonderful stuff!

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Allez BSG!

[SixPointer]

Nice to see you back dude! Great start as well. Hertha look to match you, are they allowed to gain promotion or are the set to that league as they are a second team. 

[13th Man]

Great start, and some incredible goals.  The finishes were superb of course, but the build up and movement was really nice too!  Wengerball seems to be working well for you (at least with the first team...).

I'm now in the same boat with the updates - not sure how often/detailed I can be - but always enjoy your posts.

[haier_fm]

On 31/08/2022 at 12:54, SixPointer said:

Nice to see you back dude! Great start as well. Hertha look to match you, are they allowed to gain promotion or are the set to that league as they are a second team. 

Thank you, it does feel better to be back in familiar territory once again. Hertha II are allowed to gain promotion, but can only participate in the 3rd tier maximum.

14 hours ago, 13th Man said:

Great start, and some incredible goals.  The finishes were superb of course, but the build up and movement was really nice too!  Wengerball seems to be working well for you (at least with the first team...).

I'm now in the same boat with the updates - not sure how often/detailed I can be - but always enjoy your posts.

Oh this isn't the best of the build-up play, there are plenty of flowing moves that were scored (contemplating to post a separate compilation separately along with an update uncovering my tactical tweaks).

 

But yes, thank you. As much as I do these for my own enjoyment, I'm glad to also hear that you enjoy these too! 

[haier_fm]

October '22

"I am extraordinarily happy to have found a set of supporters, who have taken me with such open arms. Every time, every second I am here in Leipzig, it feels a privilege to be at this club, this club with a massive history, culture, and atmosphere. I just hope my performances vindicate the belief that Petr, Chemie, and the Leutszcher diablos have in me." - Lukas Pinckert during the post-match interview in the game against Hertha II

Well, well, well, autumn in the former lands of East Germany has finally settled and it is here to stay for the forseeable future. But, colder weather and the lack of sunshine will not deter Chemie Leipzig from continuing their hunt for their first League championship since 2019, while seeking a return to wider recognition among the German nation (and the European continent at that).

Things did not start well, however.

Despite dominating the game on paper, the division's new boys Krieschow, led by the ex-Chemie striker Leo Felgentraeger, had stunned our away end into silence by leading 2-1 at the break. A Stephane Mvibudulu equaliser into the empty net before the break was short-lived. Things got worse as we were bullied once again by our very own Leo 'The Trigger' Felgentraeger, who had scored his second, by which point, a Max Kessler header ended up being only a consolation. 

On the road again, this time against Erfurt, another recently promoted side who looked to capitalize on our indifferent form. And the game reflected our form, where we did not turn up at all, having no shots on target throughout the whole of 90 minutes. Poor, very poor. We seem to struggle against teams away, perhaps amplifying just how much the ultras mean to the team. A packed out Alfred Kunze Sportpark cannot compare to any other grounds in the league in terms of support, and it shows. 

Jena had the chance to harm us while we were down. Cue the "call an ambulance, but not for me meme", because we steamed into domination, despite conceding first. A freak clearance from the goalkeeper allowed Dennis Jaepel to equalize and save ourselves from our second defeat of the season. Hmm, it isn't a win, but that'll do. Havlicek was content with the game. Sure, 2 points were dropped, but it should serve as a good morale boost, as the happiness of the players happens to be so, so, so important, especially in the German 4th tier. 

A trip to the capital is always special. Celebrating by going to techno raves as a team after a win makes it sweeter. The goals scored to seal the 3 points make it even better. Havlicek's Immortal Game, away against Berliner AK, was a masterclass (for the time being) in Wengerball. A scorching Tom Gruendling strike from distance and Stephane Mvibudulu's smashing finish earns us the win, finally putting an end to our 3 game winless streak. At the right place, at the right time, with the aim to secure top spot and not letting go. Fantastic!

An unremarkable win against Greifswald followed the next Saturday afternoon. Towering header from our man mountain Paul Horschig was the only goal, which happened to be the difference. A weird game, but a win is a win. Still, room for improvement, though.

And now the table, after the end of these 5 games in October.

             

You know what, I'll take it! Havlicek will be happy too. Cottbus have shot up the table at the expense of the struggling Hertha II during the month. It seems like we weren't the only top dogs in the league struggling for form during this period. However, the gap to 2nd did increase to 7 points. Long way to go, but this is good tempo we are setting, and if anything is to go by after our last 3 games, we turned it round, at least for the moment. Good signs, but we need to carry this momentum into November and December before heading off for the Winter break. 

Interesting to note - last year's bronze medalists Dynamo Berlin are not doing really well, languishing below our hated rivals Lok. Viktoria Berlin also really struggling after being recently relegated. 

Goal of the Month

I am not sure how a trophy can be split into two. Physically sharing an award also seems a bit awkward. I guess Havlicek will need to personally order two for our recepients this month. 

Tom Gruendling vs Berliner AK (GW14)

The boy wonder (sorry Max [Kessler]!) has done it yet again with a peach of a volley from outside the box. Notice the build up to the goal too!

Stephane Mvibudulu vs Berliner AK (GW14)

The hitman finally features in what will be the first of many (I hope). I feel the whole team deserves this award too, maybe an all-charges paid trip to the Leipzig pub on a Tuesday evening would be a fine, unofficial reward. Up to Havlicek to decide on that one. 

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Allez BSG!

[13th Man]

Some rocky form to start the month as you say, but you got going by the end.  7 points that early in the campaign is a great sign too.  Early days yet, but the pace has been set.

[haier_fm]

November/December '22

"Now is time to put the foot down and run the whole course. We must not let up, for we have strong contenders for the title." - Stefan Karau

Setting into the winter period means shorter days and longer nights in the northern hemisphere. As the new floodlights system has been set up at the Alfred Kunze Sportpark, this means that we are now more likely to see evening games in the freezing cold. These types of conditions are perfect for character building. After a slight blip in form during October, Chemie Leipzig are now on the offensive in the hunt for a perfect month in all competitions (I say all, we have only got the league to focus on now). An objective has been set, but the question is, can this objective be met by the end of the half season?

The answer is, yes, maybe? Perfect is a relative term depending on who you ask, but 6 games without a loss seems really good on paper.

Three goals from Florian Bruegmann, Timo Mauer and Dennis Mast was enough to sink a surprisingly underperforming Dynamo Berlin side, manifesting in a dangerously strong away outing. A goal conceded late on, due to a glaring error when building from the back, would not dampen our mood or our spirit, as Havlicek and his men leave the capital with all three points. 

The Alfred Kunze Sportpark is a bastion, a bastion which no teams dare to show up. No shots on target against us is just one of the signs that Halberstadt struggled badly. Two strong finishes by Max Kessler and Stephane Mvibudulu from crosses out wide ensured it was a day to forget for the away side. 

I honestly don't know how to feel about draws in general. It is always the case of either perceiving a cup half full or half empty. On the whole, we are not as good away as we are at home, and despite after Max Kessler putting us into the lead very early on, we couldn't penetrate the opposition defence the second time. We were punished for it by Babelsberg, conceding a goal at the other end. We just don't look as scary away as we do at home, and this needs to change somehow. 

On the flip side, a return to winning ways followed, as we can safely rely on our 12th Man, the Chemie Ultras, to help us on our way to glory. A strong Chemnitzer side, with no real obvious weaknesses, came into town, conceding goals from two dead-ball situations. A Max Kessler penalty, who then further assisted an Alexander Bury header, made the day for Die Chemiker. 

Sustaining our form is crucial, especially in the latter stages of the half-season, where heads begin to drop and lose concentration. Stephane Mvibudulu clearly disagreed, first slotting home a penalty, then converting an exquisite pass from deep to give a conclusive 2 goal lead against fellow title challengers(!), Altglienicke.

With the odds stacked against Lok, we seemed to be ready and raring to go, haunting the opposition from the first minu.... we concede from a fluke long-range goal  . Bragging rights on the line, doubling down in the opposition's half was the only option. After a tactical switch to the 3-1-6 from a 3-2-5, we finally got we were looking for. Dennis Mast restores parity after shoving the ball into the net of the stern Lok defence. We could have gotten so much more, with clear opportunities missed late on, but in the end, we somehow share the spoils with our hated rivals. 

With nearly half the season gone, this is the state of the league table. 

   

Very decent showing. It seems like the emphasis on winning points, no matter how many (as long as most of them are the three and not one), is working. A healthy 8 point gap to Cottbus, who, it appears, cannot string a consistent run together while doing battle with Hertha II, Jena and Altglienicke. It remains to be seen if we can keep this up. We were in the same situation this time last year, only for it to worsen due to Cottbus' insane run and ourselves losing the belief we had.

Remains to be seen, for sure.

Goal of the Month

November - Max Kessler vs Babelsberg (GW18)

Spoilt for choice this month, as there were plenty of good goals and hence it was tough to choose. But for that ball alone by Tarik Reinhard and the build-up itself earns Kessler the Goal of the Month for November

December - Stephane Mvibudulu vs Altglienicke (GW20)

Similar reasons to Kessler's goal, this one earns the award due to the final ball and the movement that was required to score the goal. With Wengerball, we are slowly getting there...

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Allez BSG!

[13th Man]

Running away with the league! No time for overconfidence, but you’ve given some breathing room for a dip in form.

[oche balboa]

Enjoying this story. great detail and in an easy to read format. KUTGW

[john1]

Excellent updates!