FM22: OLYMPIQUE LYONNAIS — LES GONES

[SteinkelssonFM]

 

A few days ago I stumbled across an open letter to the Olympique Lyonnais (OL) fans from their owner and president Jean-Michel Aulas. 

Aulas has been fighting Lyon’s corner for more than 30 years and is renowned for being a gentleman who has a bit of a reputation for being outspoken and forthright with his views.

His letter was written with two rounds remaining before the close of the 2021–2022 Ligue 1 season, in which OL have failed to secure a European spot.

Quote

Not everything is played out in a single season when you are an institution as solid as ours. Remember the failures and rebuildings of AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus or Atlético Madrid. 

 

Lyon is the home to Olympique Lyonnais, one of French footballs most storied clubs. OL were founded in 1950 but, for the most part played a bit-part role in French Football until they were purchased in 1987 by the eclectic Jean-Michael Aulas.

OL finally broke through for their first Ligue 1 title in 2001/02, following that up with seven championships in a row until the club’s last in 2008.

Quote

We have already begun a deep self-interrogation at the end of this three-year cycle, marked by 175 million euros of investment in our men’s team.

 

Underlying the club’s success in the 21st century has been the emergence of an abundance of elite academy talents. In total Olympique Lyonnais generated almost 200 million in transfer revenue through sales of their 1990–1998 academy crop.

 

These are Les Gones, ‘the kids’: the products of a proud city, a proud region, with a deep connection to place and the football team that represents it. 

Quote

This is not a revolution, our roots are there.

 

From the above quote my interpretation is that Aulas wants to bring the focus back to what has served OL so well for the past few decades, the integration of youth into the first team. 

With the Under 18s winning ‘The Gambardella’ (U18 cup) this season, crowning an exceptional moment for both the club and les Gones, given the 25 year absence since OL were last crowned victorious, Aulas has good foundations to build on. 

Quote

We want the DNA of Lyon training to be the key word for the future. We will be vigilant in parsing the profiles of our players who will join us, and will try to target as a priority those whom we consider to be compatible with our philosophy

 

However, the above quotation highlights that Aulas will not be dismissive of any external talent as long as he believes they are compatible with the philosophy of the club.

Quote

This is a model that we want to develop within all teams, by including former club players at the highest level, with staff that also have our DNA

 

Again the understanding, appreciation and ability to resonate with these values are essential to recruitment of non-playing staff. I suppose the integration of individuals who have first hand experience of the club help to keep the core values at the forefront of Aulas’ club. 

THE OL DNA

Aulas has made reference to the OL DNA many times in his letter, which I have touched upon above. 

I wanted to explore if I could pinpoint the OL ‘DNA’, this would be then used as a filtering tool when profiling players to ensure that external acquisitions maintained a synergy with the rest of the playing squad.

For me, when applying a DNA model I like to focus on the mental attributes of the team, the brain is the basis of everything we do: how we behave, communicate, feel, remember, pay attention, create, influence and decide.

Anticipation — How well a player can predict the movements and other actions of his teammates and opposition players. 

Composure — How unaffected a player is by mental pressure when making a decision or performing his chosen action. 

Flair — How well a player takes opportunities to attempt unexpected actions when he is on the ball. 

Leadership — How inspirational and motivational a player is to his teammates.

Positioning — How well a player moves and positions himself, in order to deal with an opposition attack. (Preferred)

Vision — How well a player observes the options available to him when he is on the ball. 

If you don’t have the right cognition, other attributes (Technical, Physical), for me don’t matter. The above attributes are those which are at least 0.5 over the league average and will be desired when scouting players.

First Touch — How well a player can control the ball and set it up for his next action when receiving it.

Passing  — How accurately a player can pass the ball to his intended target.

Technique — How well a player perform more challenging technical actions when he is on the ball.

The above technical attributes are those which will then be desired from individuals as these will ensure that the individuals can fit into the style of play which we will be looking to play, which is a quick passing style of possession and movement 

CLUB CULTURE

The culture focuses on what Aulas delivered in his open letter, a need for the development of players using the club’s youth system and a preference towards domestic talent. 

 

Looking into Olympique Lyonnais affiliate network you can see OL’s scouts have eyes not just all over the city, but the entire Rhône-Alpes region. The club has links with smaller local teams, creating two-way relationships that give them greater access to the cream of the crop. But Lyon pay attention to players all over France — Ben Arfa, picked up from Paris, was one of there best non-local recruits. 

THE SQUAD

THE TACTIC

This tactic is very much the out of the box vertical tiki-taka with a few changes to the player roles to suit the playing staff. 

There are no PI at present, apart from those which I have selected for the DM, with the view to this player adopting a more riskier approach both on and off the ball with the ‘take more risks’ to get his creative juices flowing and ‘tackle harder’. The DM will often be the first player opponents engage with on transition, I want it to be an experience which they don’t forget too soon. 

THE DATABASE

Daveincid Medium DB

Check out the size of the boy… with 64 playable leagues in 41 Nations with 204,000 players, thanks to Daveincid and the reccomneded game and database setup which can be found on Passion4FM.

This setup will guarantee a well balanced transfer market, and strong competitors. All matches will be played out in full detail, resulting in comprehensive statistics for the other leagues, leading to a better quality of data analysis. 

THE OBJECTIVES

Aulas made reference to a three-year cycle, therefore my aim is to see how far I can take his club over that time period. I am well aware that if achieved, this will be my longest FM22 save (yes, I have had what we call in Bristol a mare!)

The five year plan is to continue to be recognised as ‘the best of the rest’ which in my opinion translates as UEFA Champions League qualification through Ligue 1 and the ability to compete on all fronts year in year out. 

Given the nickname of the club, Les Gones (the kids) it would be rude of me not to try and hold some significance around this being a youth development save. 

Therefore I will look to apply some of my knowledge which I captured in FM22: Youth development — building a football club and focus on providing the first team with three players per season from either Lyon 2 or the U19s. 

 

[SixPointer]

I’m in for the ride…… once again 🤣. Please please stick this one out. Because I get so involved only too start over again ahahah. Best of luck mate. 

[SteinkelssonFM]

1 minute ago, SixPointer said:

I’m in for the ride…… once again 🤣. Please please stick this one out. Because I get so involved only too start over again ahahah. Best of luck mate.

After writing at least 10k words on intros in this edition I will 💯 be committed to at least the three year cycle on this save 🤥 jokes mate...you have my word. 

[RageMaster]

Looking forward to it! Enjoyed managing in Ligue 1 last edition with Lille. 

[Jogo Bonito]

I like the idea of this, Lyon do have a rich history of producing talent and this approach is similar to how I try to shape my clubs too. Best of luck 

[SteinkelssonFM]

@RageMaster Ligue 1 is grand, full of lots of potential talent and if you remove PSG from the equation it's a fairly competitive league.

@Jogo Bonitothanks for the good luck wishes, I will attempt to provide a brief update on the save to bring everyone up to speed along with sharing my methodology for giving those young pips some exposure 

[karanhsingh]

14 hours ago, SixPointer said:

I’m in for the ride…… once again 🤣. Please please stick this one out. Because I get so involved only too start over again ahahah. Best of luck mate. 

Haha i echo the same thoughts!

Very nice intro 

[haier_fm]

Great to see you back!

Will be following.

[SteinkelssonFM]

Bringing you up to speed

Pre season for me is about getting an initial feel for the club, players and establishing which individuals within the club will become central to proceedings. It is fair to say that Lyon have a wealth of talent given their positioning within French football. However, this can sometimes make the process harder, given the need to also consider personnel and maintaining a good squad balance through managing playing time. 

Fortunately, at Lyon there are only five 'Important Players'

Jason Denayer - despite not being a natural left-footed centre back Denayer at 26 years old is a better first-choice when compared to the true left-footed option within the squad, Castello Lukeba. This experience should be enough to see Denayer draw down a significant amount of minutes within the squad, keeping the Belgian happy.

 

Emerson - the services of the 27 year-old Italian have been secured from Chelsea until the end of the 2021/22 season. Lyon are obliged to pay 100% of Emerson's wage (£42k per week), making him inside the top 10 earners at the club. The left-sided attack minded player is a natural for the wing-back on attack duty set out in our tactic and he has hit the ground running in this early period with two goals and four assists from his 812 minutes played at point of writing. 

 

Jerome Boateng - this man needs no introduction, with 79 caps to his name for Germany, Jerome is by far our most experienced player, he is also our highest paid on £82k per week. He is our best defender who at 33 years old has some excellent attributes (Marking 15, Passing 15, Tackling 15, Anticipation 16, Composure 17, Decisions 15, Positioning 15, Jumping Reach 17 and Strength 16) he will no doubt be one of the first names on the team sheet.

 

Anthony Lopes - with no other strong back-up at the club Lopes is our first choice keeper. However, he would certainly hold his own in most well established teams with Reflexes 16, One on Ones 16 and Agility 16. 

 

Tanguy Ndombele - the services of the 24 year-old Frenchman have been secured from Tottenham until the end of the 2021/22 season with Lyon paying 50% of his £120k per week wage. The signing in itself was a masterstroke by Aulas who most recently persuaded Daniel Levy, the Tottenham chairman, to part company with Ndombele who was a club-record transfer, moving to Tottenham for £51.3 million at the end of the 2020/21 season.  

 

Pre-season results were grand, the one standout was the 3-2 victory over Real Madrid, the low come straight after losing to Getafe. 

We have made a smashing start to the season only managing to drop three points in Ligue 1 and two points in the Europa League, Dembele has lead the line exceptionally well contributing with 10 goals and four assists in 987 minutes of football, making him have a goal contribution every 70.5 minutes.

This form is a true replication of the player in real life with the Frenchman going about his business very much under the radar. 

At present he is the second best performing striker in Ligue 1 only to be beaten by Wissam Ben Yedder of Monaco who is outscoring his xG of 8.72 (12 goals). 

Looking at the current top five teams in France you can see that despite not being a volume shooting side we are generating 0.12 xG per shot which is higher than all other teams around us, other than PSG. 

Given our focus on playing a possession based game, we are performing very well with only PSG attempting and completing more passes per game, there have been some key contributors to our passing game. Jerome Boateng, Thiago Mendes and Karl Toko Ekambi all are performing significantly above average in relation to passes completed when comparing them to individuals playing in a similar role. 

I will look to provide another update, probably after the below run of fixtures. 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 15, 2022 by MattyLewis11

[haier_fm]

Off to a great start! While in the early stages of the season, have you identified anyone from the U19s who you will likely feature in the first team this season?    

[SteinkelssonFM]

It is funny you should ask @haier_fm as I was going to save this for the next update which I will post a little into my methodology at the end of October on the game...(a few days) 

Bradley Barcola

Mohamed El Arouch 

Marley Felix 

If you are happy to wait all will be revealed as to my reasons why I have  chosen these players. 

 

Edited May 15, 2022 by MattyLewis11

[SteinkelssonFM]

My approach to 'Youth Development'

For a deeper dive into how I feel youth development should be managed in FM I would like to direct you to a blog I wrote earlier in the year FM22: Youth development — building a football club which covers the three main drivers which I feel contribute towards the progression of 'current ability'. 

Today I am going to share with you how I am ensuring players are receiving exposure to both training and game time above their ability in order to challenge the individuals in relation to their learning and development. 

An analysis into all players at the club is ESSENTIAL when conducting any youth development save in order to ensure that you as the manager have an improved understanding of players at the club, like many of you will have learnt with training, this is something which ideally should not be left to your assistant if you are looking to maximise the impact you have on the club and the individuals within it. Above I have included my candidates which I feel at present are best suited for first-team football based upon their potential ability, pro's and con's and fit with the OL DNA as mentioned in my opening post.

Tracking Talent 

What is FM without having the second screen open with a spreadsheet open in the background, the above is my approach to tracking and rewarding talent. Football management in todays age is more about psychology and people management than just simply getting 11 players to perform on the pitch, for that reason at the end of every month I like to take the time to praise those who have trained well and challenge those who have not. This is replicated across all three squads and the top trainers recorded. 

Again, this is replicated for those with the best form on the pitch, rewarding those who have played well in competitive fixtures. Unlike training which is easily sourced in the 'training rating' metric, FM provides form over the last five games. You will need to be careful if adopting this method as you will need to carry out a micro analysis into the individuals via the form tab to see if they have actually played over the month as the dashboard rating is literally over their last five games which for some players could be spread across a few months. 

Taking the time to give players recognition improves morale and hopefully tailors behaviour under the hood. 

The next step is to identify any trends across time, one I like to use is if a player is training well and has a training rating of over 9.5 he will get the opportunity to train with the first team as a reward. 

Let's take Bradley Barcola as our example, Bradley had the second best form and training rating in the opening month, he was on my radar. In September he continued to train well and by October his training rating was 9.6 and he was again Lyon 2 best performer.

You can see that the 19-year-old has been putting in some consistent performances for Lyon 2, there is nothing wrong with consistency. However, Bradley was then given the opportunity to train within the first team across November and his rating spiked at 10.0, for this reward he was given an appearance from the bench (45 mins) in Europe vs the weakest side in the group Slovan Bratislava...

*note I did not pull Bradley from Lyon 2 as I don't want him to get reduced playing time, if he was in the first-team he wouldn't be starting over Dembele, he isn't even at the level to compete for the starting spot, this is all in the love for his development.

Spoiler

The boy delivered, a curling effort from outside the box to open up his account for the senior side. 

 

He later doubled his account in what can absolutely be deemed as a success.

 

Barcola in his 45 minute cameo completed 100% of his passes 14/14, played one key pass and had a 66% shot on target ratio, picking up an average rating of 8.2...three days later Bradley was back with the Lyon 2 squad scoring a goal in their game against Jura Sud Foot.

He is progressing well, long may this continue. 

I hope this post gives you a little insight into how I manage players, of course there are other things such as mentoring etc which I haven't touched upon which can also influence individuals.  

[danielgear]

Nice start Matty, how do you align your transfer plans with your aims to promote youth to ensure there is a consistent path to the first team?

[SteinkelssonFM]

Hi @danielgear, 

I don't think there is much difference in how you approach a transfer policy in a youth development save in comparison to any other save. The reason why I say this is because the vast majority of players who step up into the first-team squad will likely not be making the step up to play as a important/regular player. 

Therefore recruitment will still need to focus on filling any voids within your main playing squad, particularly if those higher profile players are moved on. If you were to prioritise 'youth' then you could fall foul in reducing the ability of your squad.

I think if you look to bring through 2-3 players per season into the fray, then these will likely be to replace those individuals who have played a peripheral role in your team. 

At Lyon there is certainly need to secure an affiliate club who play their trade in Switzerland or Italy (Serie B)  (geographical preference - close to Lyon) to aid the development of those who are too good for Lyon 2 (currently playing their trade in Championnat National 2, fourth tier)  but not quite ready to step up into Ligue 1. 

At the very least this would increase their market value and aid there development. If after a season they aren't good enough then we can discard them for a nice sum of monies. 

Thanks for the follow mate 

Edited May 17, 2022 by MattyLewis11

[karanhsingh]

Love the training based approach to youth development and glad to see some early rewards coming in!

[Ronaldo Beckham]

@MattyLewis11 awesome thread so far. I had a great save with Lyon on FM2019 and yet to go back to them but I am thinking of doing a Lyon save and sticking to how you do it with the DNA. I might focus more on bringing in African based players and the occasional South American player but also having the aim of bringing through the young players at the club. 

I look forward to seeing who breaks through from the youth team and who you bring into the club who have the key attributes you need for the OL DNA.

[danielgear]

1 hour ago, MattyLewis11 said:

Hi @danielgear, 

I don't think there is much difference in how you approach a transfer policy in a youth development save in comparison to any other save. The reason why I say this is because the vast majority of players who step up into the first-team squad will likely not be making the step up to play as a important/regular player. 

Therefore recruitment will still need to focus on filling any voids within your main playing squad, particularly if those higher profile players are moved on. If you were to prioritise 'youth' then you could fall foul in reducing the ability of your squad.

I think if you look to bring through 2-3 players per season into the fray, then these will likely be to replace those individuals who have played a peripheral role in your team. 

At Lyon there is certainly need to secure an affiliate club who play their trade in Switzerland or Italy (Serie B)  (geographical preference - close to Lyon) to aid the development of those who are too good for Lyon 2 (currently playing their trade in Championnat National 2, fourth tier)  but not quite ready to step up into Ligue 1. 

At the very least this would increase their market value and aid there development. If after a season they aren't good enough then we can discard them for a nice sum of monies. 

Thanks for the follow mate 

I understand your thoughts, I tend to approach it from a different angle, I try to develop a core of youth (in a youth development save) to be first team players then a sprinkle of 2-3 key players via transfers to elevate the standard. A 70/30 in favour of promoted youth players at all times. And when I sign the key players it’s always with 3-5 years planned in advance. As when youth come through aged 16-17 I’d want them to be hitting the first team as a starter by 21-23. So if I have a hot prospect at 16 say a Striker but I need one now I’ll either sign a 27-29 year old who could fill the gap for a few years or a younger player aged 21-24 who I feel could be a starter now and sell on for a big fee by the time the prospect arrives. 
I never want pathways to be blocked especially when they hit that crucial development stage where they need first team football at my club. 
At Lyon I think you should feel confident in being able to develop first team players rather than squad players, even just looking at their history. 

[SteinkelssonFM]

I agree @danielgear that given the clubs rich history in bringing youth players through we should be in a good position. However, looking back over the past three years you can see the pathway into the squad isn't exactly linear in real life.

2021/22

Lukeba 2006 mins 
Kieta 4 mins
Gusto 1788 mins

2020/21

Soumare 1 minute
Bard 424 mins
Diomande 1117 mins

2019/20

Cherki 139 mins  

I think If I went back past the last three year cycle we could see a better production line, hence why Aulas is so gung ho on returning back to the OL DNA which was heavily geared by the sell of youth talent. 

- - - 

@Ronaldo Beckham below is an example of my custom view in the scouting centre and can give you a little flavour of the type of players who are ticking most/all boxes (Allan) 

 

[Ronaldo Beckham]

2 hours ago, MattyLewis11 said:

I agree @danielgear that given the clubs rich history in bringing youth players through we should be in a good position. However, looking back over the past three years you can see the pathway into the squad isn't exactly linear in real life.

2021/22

Lukeba 2006 mins 
Kieta 4 mins
Gusto 1788 mins

2020/21

Soumare 1 minute
Bard 424 mins
Diomande 1117 mins

2019/20

Cherki 139 mins  

I think If I went back past the last three year cycle we could see a better production line, hence why Aulas is so gung ho on returning back to the OL DNA which was heavily geared by the sell of youth talent. 

- - - 

@Ronaldo Beckham below is an example of my custom view in the scouting centre and can give you a little flavour of the type of players who are ticking most/all boxes (Allan) 

 

Cheers buddy. Do you scout regions or countries or just leave it up to your Chief Scout and you just ask them to search for players with the key attributes ?

 

[SteinkelssonFM]

8 minutes ago, Ronaldo Beckham said:

Do you scout regions or countries or just leave it up to your Chief Scout and you just ask them to search for players with the key attributes ?

No mate, I am a control freak so manually set up all my scouting assignments. Some are set to regions and other specific countries or leagues.

I will also scout competitions which pop up in the calendar along with setting up screen flows on the UEFA Youth League so that I can pay a little more attention to the players and underlying metrics. 

[Ronaldo Beckham]

4 minutes ago, MattyLewis11 said:

No mate, I am a control freak so manually set up all my scouting assignments. Some are set to regions and other specific countries or leagues.

I will also scout competitions which pop up in the calendar along with setting up screen flows on the UEFA Youth League so that I can pay a little more attention to the players and underlying metrics. 

Oh ok cool thank you buddy. I look forward to seeing how you progress as I am doing my Lyon save.

 

[SteinkelssonFM]

The mid-point 

Picking up from where we left off in terms of results, you can see that our Ligue 1 form has been great, picking up six wins from a possible nine. Our home form has been exceptional, boasting a 100% record over the period, the bump in the road has been our form on the road. 

The defeat to OGC Nice should come as no surprise, they have been impressive under Galtier, in fact they only suffered their first defeat in game week 19, losing 4-2 at home to Lens! The Montpellier result was our worst performance this season, we didn't muster up a single shot on target despite seeing 58% of the ball, the word lacklustre comes to mind. 

As with my previous experience managing OGC Nice in FM21, the Ligue 1 battle looks to be over with PSG likely to hold an eight point buffer over second place when they play their game in hand. The Parisians have scored 51 goals, 10 more than second placed Nice and 15 more than ourselves whilst  only conceding nine goals, the best attack and defence in the league.

 

Continental catch up

We have had a blast in the Europa League closing the group undefeated, the major surprise when looking at the table below is that PSV failed to secure second place after FC Midtjylland did the double over them (0-3 away and 3-4 home) . 

We were handed £840k prize money for topping the group and advance to the Second Knockout round which automatically provides an additional £1 million appearance pay-out. 

 

A focus on Moussa

The 25-year -old has been central to the early success with OL, the advanced forward has scored 42% of all goals scored in Ligue 1 and has been pretty consistent in relation to his average rating in the league. His 1,845 minutes played to date make him the most used outfield player which whilst can be considered as an achievement, can also be a worry as we can't afford our talisman to pick up an injury or suffer from burn-out. 

I wanted to carry out a bit of an analysis (shock) comparing his performances in-front of goal against the top goal scorers in Europe's big five leagues. 

Goals - taking the most single important statistic into consideration Moussa at present is the second highest scorer across Europe's big five leagues, this title is also still applicable when you look at non-penalty goals scored, with only Wissam Ben Yedder of AS Monaco in front of our in form forward. 

Non-penalty conversion rate - Moussa is a volume shooter in comparison to both Maxi Gomez (Valencia) and Odsonne Edouard (Crystal Palace), despite him taking more shots than others he still boasts a conversion rate of 18% which is higher than Dusan Vlahovic, Robert Lewandowski and Edouard. Although he is taking more shots these are not of the scatter-gun approach, they are hitting the back of the net.

Non-penalty expected goals per shot - The last statement is highlighted in his non-penalty expected goals per shot value of 0.15, Moussa is taking a large proportion of his shots from positions which hold a significant goal threat. Ben Yedder is country miles ahead of all the chasing pack with this metric (note to self - check Monaco's tactic in more detail) 

Non penalty goals vs Non penalty expected goals - the fact that Moussa is only outperforming his non penalty expected goals figure by 1.69 means that his goals are justified through the xG model. Others such as Maxi Gomes +6.11 have been more lucky clinical at finishing of those half-chances and in theory shouldn't be able to maintain such an emphatic output.

Given his performance it only seemed right to offer him an extended contract (5-years), the wage of £63k per week makes him our second highest paid player and also sees a shift from important player to star player.

Whilst we are on the topic of contract extensions...

“I would like to thank the club, who have given me confidence. I try to give back this confidence on a daily basis. OL is the club of my life, of my city, of my family. We want to revive the club's fortunes. We are able to see our mistakes, and to recognize them. We want to do better and put the team back at the top of the table. You have to know how to bounce back. I will do everything to become a leader in the locker room. I can't imagine anything better than winning with OL. I have evolved a lot during this season, the coach has given me a lot of confidence. I still have a lot of things to improve upon to become even more complete."

Yep, Maxence has committed his long-term future to the club, here is what Mr Aulas had to say..

Quote

“We are looking to the future. Maxence is one of the talents to have come from the Academy. This is the starting point of a new strategy. We are rebuilding. It sends a clear message. This can play the role of the tipping point with this new policy."

The change of playing time from a squad player to a regular starter was a no brainer, Maxence only wanted an additional few thousand on top of his wage which shows his love for the club. 

 

[Ronaldo Beckham]

1 hour ago, MattyLewis11 said:

The mid-point 

Picking up from where we left off in terms of results, you can see that our Ligue 1 form has been great, picking up six wins from a possible nine. Our home form has been exceptional, boasting a 100% record over the period, the bump in the road has been our form on the road. 

The defeat to OGC Nice should come as no surprise, they have been impressive under Galtier, in fact they only suffered their first defeat in game week 19, losing 4-2 at home to Lens! The Montpellier result was our worst performance this season, we didn't muster up a single shot on target despite seeing 58% of the ball, the word lacklustre comes to mind. 

As with my previous experience managing OGC Nice in FM21, the Ligue 1 battle looks to be over with PSG likely to hold an eight point buffer over second place when they play their game in hand. The Parisians have scored 51 goals, 10 more than second placed Nice and 15 more than ourselves whilst  only conceding nine goals, the best attack and defence in the league.

 

Continental catch up

We have had a blast in the Europa League closing the group undefeated, the major surprise when looking at the table below is that PSV failed to secure second place after FC Midtjylland did the double over them (0-3 away and 3-4 home) . 

We were handed £840k prize money for topping the group and advance to the Second Knockout round which automatically provides an additional £1 million appearance pay-out. 

 

A focus on Moussa

The 25-year -old has been central to the early success with OL, the advanced forward has scored 42% of all goals scored in Ligue 1 and has been pretty consistent in relation to his average rating in the league. His 1,845 minutes played to date make him the most used outfield player which whilst can be considered as an achievement, can also be a worry as we can't afford our talisman to pick up an injury or suffer from burn-out. 

I wanted to carry out a bit of an analysis (shock) comparing his performances in-front of goal against the top goal scorers in Europe's big five leagues. 

Goals - taking the most single important statistic into consideration Moussa at present is the second highest scorer across Europe's big five leagues, this title is also still applicable when you look at non-penalty goals scored, with only Wissam Ben Yedder of AS Monaco in front of our in form forward. 

Non-penalty conversion rate - Moussa is a volume shooter in comparison to both Maxi Gomez (Valencia) and Odsonne Edouard (Crystal Palace), despite him taking more shots than others he still boasts a conversion rate of 18% which is higher than Dusan Vlahovic, Robert Lewandowski and Edouard. Although he is taking more shots these are not of the scatter-gun approach, they are hitting the back of the net.

Non-penalty expected goals per shot - The last statement is highlighted in his non-penalty expected goals per shot value of 0.15, Moussa is taking a large proportion of his shots from positions which hold a significant goal threat. Ben Yedder is country miles ahead of all the chasing pack with this metric (note to self - check Monaco's tactic in more detail) 

Non penalty goals vs Non penalty expected goals - the fact that Moussa is only outperforming his non penalty expected goals figure by 1.69 means that his goals are justified through the xG model. Others such as Maxi Gomes +6.11 have been more lucky clinical at finishing of those half-chances and in theory shouldn't be able to maintain such an emphatic output.

Given his performance it only seemed right to offer him an extended contract (5-years), the wage of £63k per week makes him our second highest paid player and also sees a shift from important player to star player.

Whilst we are on the topic of contract extensions...

“I would like to thank the club, who have given me confidence. I try to give back this confidence on a daily basis. OL is the club of my life, of my city, of my family. We want to revive the club's fortunes. We are able to see our mistakes, and to recognize them. We want to do better and put the team back at the top of the table. You have to know how to bounce back. I will do everything to become a leader in the locker room. I can't imagine anything better than winning with OL. I have evolved a lot during this season, the coach has given me a lot of confidence. I still have a lot of things to improve upon to become even more complete."

Yep, Maxence has committed his long-term future to the club, here is what Mr Aulas had to say..

The change of playing time from a squad player to a regular starter was a no brainer, Maxence only wanted an additional few thousand on top of his wage which shows his love for the club. 

 

Nice to see you are progressing well with Lyon and good to see Dembele banging the goals in for you.

He currently has 11 goals in 16 games. I have not played him in every game to keep him fresh as I like to rotate for Cup games and Europa League games against lesser teams.

Here is a screenshot of Dembele for me. 

I also signed him to a long term contract and his value is now rated at £22-29m but I wont be happy to sell him for anything less then £40m at least. I will be rejecting low offers even if it upsets him. 

Sorry for bombarding your thread. I am really enjoying seeing how you manage Lyon as it enhances the enjoyment in my save.

 

 

[SteinkelssonFM]

@Ronaldo Beckham the below is a nice comparison for you, it looks as if in the only real differentiator between the two is in my system he is also having a greater influence in build-up/shot creation. 

19 games in Ligue 1, 15 goals and 6 assists - he has 1.58 key passes per 90 and 0.28 chances created per 90 along with the average of 26.84 passes completed per game.

[Ronaldo Beckham]

26 minutes ago, MattyLewis11 said:

@Ronaldo Beckham the below is a nice comparison for you, it looks as if in the only real differentiator between the two is in my system he is also having a greater influence in build-up/shot creation. 

19 games in Ligue 1, 15 goals and 6 assists - he has 1.58 key passes per 90 and 0.28 chances created per 90 along with the average of 26.84 passes completed per game.

Very nice mate. I hope he continues doing well for you. Dembele now has 39 goals in 33 games and his value has skyrocketed to £44m-£58m. 

 

[Ronaldo Beckham]

@MattyLewis11 the youth gens coming through at Lyon are insane. Look at this talent Colman Saintini.

Have you had your youth intake yet ?

Any good players coming through ?

 

[SteinkelssonFM]

It is fairly tight at the top, Monaco have just defeated PSG to give OGC Nice a slither of hope in the race for the Ligue 1 title.

As for us, March has been our worst month to date which has seen us pick up our only victory in the second knockout round of the Europa League.

Our strength lies with our performance at home, we are one of three leagues who are still yet to taste defeat in front of our own fans! 

 On the flip side our 22 points away from home is only enough to see us joint fifth...

There are two players in the race for the OL player of the season IMO Dembele (10 POTM awards) and Emerson (8 POTM awards) 

Unfortunately, the Italian's impressive form hasn't gone a miss from his parent club and with no pre-arranged option to buy it looks as if our main priority in relation to summer recruitment is going to be a left-sided wing-back (attack). 

You guessed it, a bigger piece on this recruitment/selection will follow....likely after or as a part of the season analysis. 

[SixPointer]

Away form is killing you! Any ideas why such a difference on the road? Potential to make an away from home setup?

[karanhsingh]

Good going so far, europa knockouts should be an exciting backdrop to the end of the season. 

[SteinkelssonFM]

All to play for as we approach the end of season one, PSG will in Ligue 1. However, the excitement comes below them with three sides chasing the two UCL places.

@SixPointer looking at those away defeats in greater detail, there is indeed a little trend. 

PSG away (1-2) - off the back of FC Midtjylland away in the UEL.

Nice away (1-2) - off the back of Slovan Bratislava away in UEL. 

Montpellier (0-2) away - off the back of PSV Eindhoven away in UEL. 

Monaco away (0-1) - off the back of Coupe de France 11th round 

Lorient away (0-1) - off the back of Coupe de France Semi final

I think squad depth is having an impact when presented with the above. 

@karanhsingh we could be on for a final vs Real Betis 

 

Edited May 22, 2022 by MattyLewis11

[_Ben_]

On 17/05/2022 at 09:11, MattyLewis11 said:

Tracking Talent 

So many great things to comment on here Matty but this is my favourite!

I despise having players play for two teams in a season (and, right now, I cannot exactly fathom why) so I don't mix players between my 2-Team and my first team but this is such a simple way to track and then reward high performance and development.

Keep it up! (and, by that, I mean it. You've made so many great starts to games in the past couple of FMs that I'm rooting for you to get some long term, sustained success!)

[SteinkelssonFM]

Thanks @_Ben_ the aim for this save is to complete Aulas' three year cycle and see what can be achieved. 

That in itself would be grand for me given my recent form (or lack of). Appreciate the compliment on the tracking tool (spreadsheet) not all tracking tools need to be complex, this very basic sheet ticks the boxes for me and helps to keep players outside of the main squad on my radar. 

[SteinkelssonFM]

FM22: LES GONNES — SEASON ONE ANALYSIS

Season one has been completed and I must say I am really enjoying my time in France, a league which I will no doubt appear in again with the next edition of Football Manager.

As always PSG have dominated the league, they finished the season with a goal difference of +75. (How can I compete with that) Taking Qatar out of the equation the competition between ourselves, OGC Nice and Monaco was fierce, everything you would want in a title race.

Credit goes Christophe Galtier and his OGC team as they only succumbed to three defeats across the campaign (Troyes, Lens and Lyon) in which they outperformed their expected points by +19.

Angers were the side which performed worse than expected (-11 points) However, even when looking at the table using xPTS they still finished rock bottom.

Our performances deteriorated significantly over the month of March, a trend which had often occurred during my time in France with OGC Nice in FM21. I often associated this with the winter break and also the return of continental football increasing the demand of the playing squad.

One win in eight fixtures was enough for me to trial out my Mario Zagallo tactic with OL, given the fact we have an abundance of 10s (list) the false 4–3–3 felt like a great option.

Looking at our general performance in the league we can be proud that we have performed above all metrics highlighted in the general performance radar.

The 91% pass completion is one which I am proud of given the fact that my aim was to implement a possession based (vertical) game.

Looking at the ‘Team Attacking’ visualisation within the hub, it highlights just how good we were on the ball, drawing 15.45 fouls per game. We also averaged 15.16 shots per game and boasted a Shots on Target Ratio of 47.40 which was above the league average, the boys weren’t wasteful with their decision making in this department.

On the flipside, our ‘Team Defending’ visualisation has been heavily impacted by our dominance of the ball, we have performed less clearances, blocks and attempted less tackles than the average side, which is pretty self-explanatory.

Looking at our end of season tool, the good old squad analysis, individuals such as Damien Da Silva, Julian Pollersbeck, Karl Toko Ekambi and potentially Jerome Boateng (Highest earner £82k p/w) can look to be moved along. The squad have a total of seven players frequently featuring who are in their prime, three players who are experienced and and three players in their youth gaining above average minutes, offering a good blend.

Due to the potential departure of Boateng, I have opted on securing the signature of Oumar Solet. The 22-year-old defender returns to OL after departing for Austria at the end of 2019/20, Solet has a primary DNA score of 77 and total of 119.

 

Moussa continued his emphatic form in front of goal to secure the Ligue 1 Golden Boot. My love for analysis took me down another rabbit hole where I compared his performances to the top scorers in the other four of the big five leagues. (eyebrows will be raised when you look at the winners).

Dusan Vlahovic secured the European Golden boot with 27 goals in Serie A. However, looking purely at non-penalty goals our Frenchman finished joint top with Valencia’s Maxi Gomez.

Che Adams of Southampton boasted the best conversion rate, whilst Erling Haaland amassed the most shots with a whopping 155. Dembele really stood out when looking at his non-penalty expected goal per shot score of 0.14, this figure was significantly higher than the majority of the field with only Gomez scoring a value over 0.10. This credits both Dembele and the teams ability to present the forward with opportunities in good goal scoring positions, I’m not entirely certain but I think a clear cut chance has an xG of 0.15 which speaks volumes.

Moussa has been fundamental in OL’s successs in Ligue 1 this season, he has doubled our second highest goal contributor in Houssem Aouar, to say we are over reliant on the Frenchman is probably an understatement at present. Despite Faivre, Emerson and Aouar all having good seasons in relation to goals and assists, if you take Moussa out of the squad we don’t have anyone to lead the line at his level. Therefore, there is a necessity to secure the signing of an individual who is happy to play second or even third string (not to block the development of Barcola). In my opinion I am thinking of someone like Zlatan Ibrahimovic (1016 minutes played) and the impact he has had for Milan across their Scudetto winning season.

 

Aulas and his vison for the club to have an improved synergy to the OL DNA lead me to create the below visual/tracker which shows how the playing squad align to the DNA.

The primary attributes are those that are greatly linked to the mental attributes of the player (Anticipation, Composure, Flair, Leadership, Positioning and Vision) whilst the secondary are more technical (First Touch, Passing and Technique)

The below is an example of how player shortlists are created within the game, the custom view enables me to easily see at a glance how potential targets align with the OL DNA.

This example focusses on central midfielders, Tanguy Ndombele is set to leave OL at the end of the season and Habib Keita hasn’t shown his ability to fill the void when provided with chances in the team, therefore there is a need to strengthen this area of the squad.

Many of you will have noticed that Matias Vecino is available on a free transfer at the end of the first season. The Uruguayan is an attractive option to bolster any side and his primary DNA score of 80 made him too good to refuse.

Vecino, a player who has just finished his prime and entering the decent of his career is a mental beast and will absolutely add significant value both on and off the pitch. Diversity is the spice of life right!

It would have been exceptionally rude of myself to not sign my golden boy Ludovic Blas, my go to midfielder within Football Manager. The 24 year old signature was secured from Nantes for £6.25 million, Blas has a primary DNA score of 78 (ranked 5) and when combined with his secondary DNA (46) sees him score a total of 124 (5th place). His ability to operate as the advanced playmaker (433) or even shadow striker (False 433) makes him the perfect acquisition for such a small fee.

 

Given the fact that Emerson would be scheduled to leave Lyon at the end of his loan spell it was necessary to explore the market to establish if there is anyone available who is delivering outputs week in week out at a similar level to the Italian.

The below is an analysis of all left sided defenders who have accumulated over 2,000 minutes of league football across the 2021/22 season in the top five leagues (England, France, Spain, Germany and Italy) along with Portugal and the Netherlands.

Apologies in advance — medium isn’t the best for uploading images! However, you can see when slicing the data across two metrics. Clear cut chances per 90 (vertical) and Dribbles per 90 (Horizontal) adds real emphasis in relation the outputs which Emerson has created whilst wearing an OL shirt, he is an outlier and would be hard to replace.

Ben Chilwell and Thierry Correia are hitting dribbles per 90 (2.4)closest to Emerson (3.4), however both individuals are out of our price range. Whilst only Nuno Mendes and Maximilian Wittek are out performing the Italian in relation to chances created per 90.

Don’t get me wrong we still looked at a few of the potentials, Federico Dimarco of Inter (wanted £100k p/w contract), Owen Wijndal (£30m price-tag and wanted by Europe’s elite), Borna Sosa and Rico Henry were also considered although a move to a new league could be a potential problem and for that decision along with the data analysis helped to make us decide to submit an offer.

Emerson was delighted to agree terms with OL, the Italian joins from Chelsea after his exceptional season on loan, the initial fee is £17m with a further £17m to be paid across a three year period.

I am just going to leave this here…

 

 

 

[karanhsingh]

Congratulations on the europa win!! Massive. 

Love the analysis you've done on the squad. Onwards and upwards from here. 

Also Che Adams, really!? 

[SixPointer]

12 hours ago, MattyLewis11 said:

FM22: LES GONNES — SEASON ONE ANALYSIS

Season one has been completed and I must say I am really enjoying my time in France, a league which I will no doubt appear in again with the next edition of Football Manager.

As always PSG have dominated the league, they finished the season with a goal difference of +75. (How can I compete with that) Taking Qatar out of the equation the competition between ourselves, OGC Nice and Monaco was fierce, everything you would want in a title race.

Credit goes Christophe Galtier and his OGC team as they only succumbed to three defeats across the campaign (Troyes, Lens and Lyon) in which they outperformed their expected points by +19.

Angers were the side which performed worse than expected (-11 points) However, even when looking at the table using xPTS they still finished rock bottom.

Our performances deteriorated significantly over the month of March, a trend which had often occurred during my time in France with OGC Nice in FM21. I often associated this with the winter break and also the return of continental football increasing the demand of the playing squad.

One win in eight fixtures was enough for me to trial out my Mario Zagallo tactic with OL, given the fact we have an abundance of 10s (list) the false 4–3–3 felt like a great option.

Looking at our general performance in the league we can be proud that we have performed above all metrics highlighted in the general performance radar.

The 91% pass completion is one which I am proud of given the fact that my aim was to implement a possession based (vertical) game.

Looking at the ‘Team Attacking’ visualisation within the hub, it highlights just how good we were on the ball, drawing 15.45 fouls per game. We also averaged 15.16 shots per game and boasted a Shots on Target Ratio of 47.40 which was above the league average, the boys weren’t wasteful with their decision making in this department.

On the flipside, our ‘Team Defending’ visualisation has been heavily impacted by our dominance of the ball, we have performed less clearances, blocks and attempted less tackles than the average side, which is pretty self-explanatory.

Looking at our end of season tool, the good old squad analysis, individuals such as Damien Da Silva, Julian Pollersbeck, Karl Toko Ekambi and potentially Jerome Boateng (Highest earner £82k p/w) can look to be moved along. The squad have a total of seven players frequently featuring who are in their prime, three players who are experienced and and three players in their youth gaining above average minutes, offering a good blend.

Due to the potential departure of Boateng, I have opted on securing the signature of Oumar Solet. The 22-year-old defender returns to OL after departing for Austria at the end of 2019/20, Solet has a primary DNA score of 77 and total of 119.

 

Moussa continued his emphatic form in front of goal to secure the Ligue 1 Golden Boot. My love for analysis took me down another rabbit hole where I compared his performances to the top scorers in the other four of the big five leagues. (eyebrows will be raised when you look at the winners).

Dusan Vlahovic secured the European Golden boot with 27 goals in Serie A. However, looking purely at non-penalty goals our Frenchman finished joint top with Valencia’s Maxi Gomez.

Che Adams of Southampton boasted the best conversion rate, whilst Erling Haaland amassed the most shots with a whopping 155. Dembele really stood out when looking at his non-penalty expected goal per shot score of 0.14, this figure was significantly higher than the majority of the field with only Gomez scoring a value over 0.10. This credits both Dembele and the teams ability to present the forward with opportunities in good goal scoring positions, I’m not entirely certain but I think a clear cut chance has an xG of 0.15 which speaks volumes.

Moussa has been fundamental in OL’s successs in Ligue 1 this season, he has doubled our second highest goal contributor in Houssem Aouar, to say we are over reliant on the Frenchman is probably an understatement at present. Despite Faivre, Emerson and Aouar all having good seasons in relation to goals and assists, if you take Moussa out of the squad we don’t have anyone to lead the line at his level. Therefore, there is a necessity to secure the signing of an individual who is happy to play second or even third string (not to block the development of Barcola). In my opinion I am thinking of someone like Zlatan Ibrahimovic (1016 minutes played) and the impact he has had for Milan across their Scudetto winning season.

 

Aulas and his vison for the club to have an improved synergy to the OL DNA lead me to create the below visual/tracker which shows how the playing squad align to the DNA.

The primary attributes are those that are greatly linked to the mental attributes of the player (Anticipation, Composure, Flair, Leadership, Positioning and Vision) whilst the secondary are more technical (First Touch, Passing and Technique)

The below is an example of how player shortlists are created within the game, the custom view enables me to easily see at a glance how potential targets align with the OL DNA.

This example focusses on central midfielders, Tanguy Ndombele is set to leave OL at the end of the season and Habib Keita hasn’t shown his ability to fill the void when provided with chances in the team, therefore there is a need to strengthen this area of the squad.

Many of you will have noticed that Matias Vecino is available on a free transfer at the end of the first season. The Uruguayan is an attractive option to bolster any side and his primary DNA score of 80 made him too good to refuse.

Vecino, a player who has just finished his prime and entering the decent of his career is a mental beast and will absolutely add significant value both on and off the pitch. Diversity is the spice of life right!

It would have been exceptionally rude of myself to not sign my golden boy Ludovic Blas, my go to midfielder within Football Manager. The 24 year old signature was secured from Nantes for £6.25 million, Blas has a primary DNA score of 78 (ranked 5) and when combined with his secondary DNA (46) sees him score a total of 124 (5th place). His ability to operate as the advanced playmaker (433) or even shadow striker (False 433) makes him the perfect acquisition for such a small fee.

 

Given the fact that Emerson would be scheduled to leave Lyon at the end of his loan spell it was necessary to explore the market to establish if there is anyone available who is delivering outputs week in week out at a similar level to the Italian.

The below is an analysis of all left sided defenders who have accumulated over 2,000 minutes of league football across the 2021/22 season in the top five leagues (England, France, Spain, Germany and Italy) along with Portugal and the Netherlands.

Apologies in advance — medium isn’t the best for uploading images! However, you can see when slicing the data across two metrics. Clear cut chances per 90 (vertical) and Dribbles per 90 (Horizontal) adds real emphasis in relation the outputs which Emerson has created whilst wearing an OL shirt, he is an outlier and would be hard to replace.

Ben Chilwell and Thierry Correia are hitting dribbles per 90 (2.4)closest to Emerson (3.4), however both individuals are out of our price range. Whilst only Nuno Mendes and Maximilian Wittek are out performing the Italian in relation to chances created per 90.

Don’t get me wrong we still looked at a few of the potentials, Federico Dimarco of Inter (wanted £100k p/w contract), Owen Wijndal (£30m price-tag and wanted by Europe’s elite), Borna Sosa and Rico Henry were also considered although a move to a new league could be a potential problem and for that decision along with the data analysis helped to make us decide to submit an offer.

Emerson was delighted to agree terms with OL, the Italian joins from Chelsea after his exceptional season on loan, the initial fee is £17m with a further £17m to be paid across a three year period.

I am just going to leave this here…

 

 

 

Lovely write up matty! Great depth of analysis rounded of nicely with a trophy win!

[SteinkelssonFM]

15 hours ago, karanhsingh said:

Congratulations on the europa win!! Massive. 

Love the analysis you've done on the squad. Onwards and upwards from here. 

Also Che Adams, really!? 

Can you actually believe it Che Adams! 

[SteinkelssonFM]

A curve ball in the market , in the form of Newcastle United.

The joys of the transfer window, you take a step back, admire your squad and start to dream of the good times to come...only for Newcastle United to submit a bid for your 'Number 1'.

The fee which was presented was that of £49 million, a number which you really can't refuse, especially for a 31 year old, even if he was outstanding last season! 

I have seen many a blogger and YouTuber give their thoughts on the GK and how they can't see too much difference between a world class keeper and your run of the mill three star player, due to the flaws within the M.E.

Lopes' deal was one a multiple signings which Newcastle have made since the start of the game, Dani Olmo joined from RB Leipzig (£62m),  William Carvalho from Real Betis (£33m), Joel Veltman from Brighton (£20m), Giorgian De Arrascaeta from Flamengo (6.75m) and Chancel Mbema from Porto for free. Managed now by Paulo Fonseca, I am keen to see how the progress this season in the Premier League.

Robert Sanchez is not a flashy goalkeeper. At 6'6" and with a muscular build, he has superb reach (Jumping Reach 18) and can take up strong, deep starting positions safe in the knowledge he has the arm length and dive to get most shots (Reflexes 15). The Spaniard is also very loud, very audible when coming for crosses and holds a significant presence in his area (Command of Area 17). 

Another strong point is his distribution. Sanchez has excellent feet (Passing 14), he is also adept at throwing the ball out (Throwing 14) which could be an asset in looking to spring the counter through distribution to wide defenders. 

Musa Barrow is an individual who is great at transitioning quickly into attack, combining his clever body positioning (Agility 15) with creative touches (Flair 16) and turns to set the ball onto his front foot and drive directly at unsteady defences (Acceleration 15 and Pace 16). 

Despite only holding a DNA profile of 105 (Positioning 2 and Leadership 9) he aligns well with the other attributes (Anticipation 14, Composure 14, Flair 16, Vision 11, Technique 14, Passing 11 and First Touch 14) making him an appealing option. In my opinion every pack of cards holds a 'Joker'.

Quote

The 'Joker' often acts as a wild card, it belongs to no suit, yet is a master card of all suits. 

Above is a look at the squad as we enter the second season, with UCL football the rotation will need to be carefully considered to ensure that we don't de-rail our own challenge for silverware, like we nearly did in season one.

The Graduates 

As stated, I aim to promote three players from the Lyon 2 side each year into the first team, this years graduates are as follows.

Hugo Vogel will be given the opportunity to breakthrough, playing second string to Emerson. The Frenchman is capped at U18 level and possesses a fairly well rounded profile when looking at his attributes. The standout ones being Tackling 16, Determination 14, Teamwork 14 and Work Rate 15, you can see he isn't like for like when comparing him to the Italian. However, I am certain his engine will get him through games and over time his technical skills improve.  

Bradley Barcola continues his development and has earnt his place in the first-team off the back if his performances last season. The 19 year old, yet to score in Ligue 1 will need to change that if he is to earn the right to holding down a place with the big boys.

At 24 Pape is no doubt a late bloomer. The Senegalese International somehow found himself in the Lyon 2 side despite holding a very strong DNA (114). His standout attributes are First Touch 14, Passing 14, Technique 14, Anticipation 14, Off the Ball 15, Teamwork 15, Work Rate 15, Acceleration 14 and Pace 14, I know right! 

Ones to Watch 

Players who are currently in the Lyon 2 side who came close to getting a call up are as follows, let's see how they all progress this season in Lyon 2. 

On loan last season at Villefranche Beaujolais (National) the midfielder averaged 7.13 and scored 4 goals along with his 4 assists, ideally a loan spell with a Ligue 2 side would be grand.

The same applies to Mohamed who had a similar season to Sanchez last season at Lyon for the second team. 

A loan move to Auxerre was secured at the midpoint of last season for Lenny, he hit the ground running in Ligue 2 scoring 10 goals and adding 2 assists to his name, also grabbing four POTM awards along the way! 

 

[Ronaldo Beckham]

1 hour ago, MattyLewis11 said:

A curve ball in the market , in the form of Newcastle United.

The joys of the transfer window, you take a step back, admire your squad and start to dream of the good times to come...only for Newcastle United to submit a bid for your 'Number 1'.

The fee which was presented was that of £49 million, a number which you really can't refuse, especially for a 31 year old, even if he was outstanding last season! 

I have seen many a blogger and YouTuber give their thoughts on the GK and how they can't see too much difference between a world class keeper and your run of the mill three star player, due to the flaws within the M.E.

Lopes' deal was one a multiple signings which Newcastle have made since the start of the game, Dani Olmo joined from RB Leipzig (£62m),  William Carvalho from Real Betis (£33m), Joel Veltman from Brighton (£20m), Giorgian De Arrascaeta from Flamengo (6.75m) and Chancel Mbema from Porto for free. Managed now by Paulo Fonseca, I am keen to see how the progress this season in the Premier League.

Robert Sanchez is not a flashy goalkeeper. At 6'6" and with a muscular build, he has superb reach (Jumping Reach 18) and can take up strong, deep starting positions safe in the knowledge he has the arm length and dive to get most shots (Reflexes 15). The Spaniard is also very loud, very audible when coming for crosses and holds a significant presence in his area (Command of Area 17). 

Another strong point is his distribution. Sanchez has excellent feet (Passing 14), he is also adept at throwing the ball out (Throwing 14) which could be an asset in looking to spring the counter through distribution to wide defenders. 

Musa Barrow is an individual who is great at transitioning quickly into attack, combining his clever body positioning (Agility 15) with creative touches (Flair 16) and turns to set the ball onto his front foot and drive directly at unsteady defences (Acceleration 15 and Pace 16). 

Despite only holding a DNA profile of 105 (Positioning 2 and Leadership 9) he aligns well with the other attributes (Anticipation 14, Composure 14, Flair 16, Vision 11, Technique 14, Passing 11 and First Touch 14) making him an appealing option. In my opinion every pack of cards holds a 'Joker'.

Above is a look at the squad as we enter the second season, with UCL football the rotation will need to be carefully considered to ensure that we don't de-rail our own challenge for silverware, like we nearly did in season one.

The Graduates 

As stated, I aim to promote three players from the Lyon 2 side each year into the first team, this years graduates are as follows.

Hugo Vogel will be given the opportunity to breakthrough, playing second string to Emerson. The Frenchman is capped at U18 level and possesses a fairly well rounded profile when looking at his attributes. The standout ones being Tackling 16, Determination 14, Teamwork 14 and Work Rate 15, you can see he isn't like for like when comparing him to the Italian. However, I am certain his engine will get him through games and over time his technical skills improve.  

Bradley Barcola continues his development and has earnt his place in the first-team off the back if his performances last season. The 19 year old, yet to score in Ligue 1 will need to change that if he is to earn the right to holding down a place with the big boys.

At 24 Pape is no doubt a late bloomer. The Senegalese International somehow found himself in the Lyon 2 side despite holding a very strong DNA (114). His standout attributes are First Touch 14, Passing 14, Technique 14, Anticipation 14, Off the Ball 15, Teamwork 15, Work Rate 15, Acceleration 14 and Pace 14, I know right! 

Ones to Watch 

Players who are currently in the Lyon 2 side who came close to getting a call up are as follows, let's see how they all progress this season in Lyon 2. 

On loan last season at Villefranche Beaujolais (National) the midfielder averaged 7.13 and scored 4 goals along with his 4 assists, ideally a loan spell with a Ligue 2 side would be grand.

The same applies to Mohamed who had a similar season to Sanchez last season at Lyon for the second team. 

A loan move to Auxerre was secured at the midpoint of last season for Lenny, he hit the ground running in Ligue 2 scoring 10 goals and adding 2 assists to his name, also grabbing four POTM awards along the way! 

 

I replaced Lopes with Onana from Ajax who got on a freebie in 2nd season if Sanchez doesn't work out for you.

[karanhsingh]

Interesting what you mentioned about the keepers. I didn't know that. Anyway it's definitely a good deal. The key for you right now I guess is keeping hold it Dembele and Aouar. How has he been btw?

[SteinkelssonFM]

@Ronaldo Beckham after paying a total fee of £21 million for Sanchez, there is no way I will be looking to recruit another GK even if his performances are sub par, the deal, despite monies recieved from Lopes is a huge one for the club. 

However, Onana on a free does sound like a decent purchase as long as he doesn't fail anymore drugs tests lol.

@karanhsingh Aouar is doing fine, we tied him down to a new deal with the club until 2026...unlike IRL where Lyon look to be holding a major reshuffle over the summer. He played 48 games in total last season (too many possibly) and scored 12 goals and contributed with 11 assists, his average rating of 7.07 across all competitions matches his player report 'Fairly consistent performer'.

Whilst on the topic of Newcastle, we did the job on them with Lopes conceding four goals and the other Musa scoring twice on his first appearance in the colours of OL. 

 

[Ronaldo Beckham]

2 minutes ago, MattyLewis11 said:

@Ronaldo Beckham after paying a total fee of £21 million for Sanchez, there is no way I will be looking to recruit another GK even if his performances are sub par, the deal, despite monies recieved from Lopes is a huge one for the club. 

However, Onana on a free does sound like a decent purchase as long as he doesn't fail anymore drugs tests lol.

@karanhsingh Aouar is doing fine, we tied him down to a new deal with the club until 2026...unlike IRL where Lyon look to be holding a major reshuffle over the summer. He played 48 games in total last season (too many possibly) and scored 12 goals and contributed with 11 assists, his average rating of 7.07 across all competitions matches his player report 'Fairly consistent performer'.

Whilst on the topic of Newcastle, we did the job on them with Lopes conceding four goals and the other Musa scoring twice on his first appearance in the colours of OL. 

 

Yeah you will be happy to know he hasn't failed any drug tests recently lol.

[haier_fm]

With the GK deal, I like the thinking behind it. Sensible, solid. While Onana on a free sounds like a steal, I like seeing people sign players that are not as frequently used by other FM players but are still decent. 

 

[SteinkelssonFM]

The start to the 2022/23 season

A dominant performance for OL in the opening game away in Brittany, of course the sending off of Hugo Magnetti certainly helped us to maintain the continued ascendancy of our xG throughout the second half. 

A brace on his Ligue 1 debut for Musa and Moussa opening his account for the year, could this be good signs for the times ahead? Gusto added a trio of assists from his CWB (At) on the right! 

We played the second string in the Rhone Derby against Saint-Etienne as the first string played and defeated Real Madrid (2-1) in the UEFA Super Cup. 

Boy oh boy, they delivered! Karl Toko Ekambi scoring FIVE goals from nine shots (2.2xG) and Leo Dubois showing Gusto anything he could do vs Brest the Frenchman could match with another three assists from the right.

Bradley Barcola broke his Ligue 1 duck with a goal in the 90th minute which really was the cherry on the cake...

...the frightening thing is we could have scored 13 with Romain Faivre (3) and Ekambi hitting the woodwork four times between them! 

Another comprehensive victory vs Rennes in which the spread of goals appear to be much more diverse in the early stages of the season. We now already have nine scorers in the first three games, scoring a total of 18 goals and conceding three.

The Board are happy with the brand of the entertaining brand of football on offer and are pleased with how good the team have looked in the final third, long may this easy on the eye style of play continue. 

@haier_fm Sanchez' early league form has seen him grow into the role as our 'number 1' he has made 14 saves to date (9 held and 5 parried) which gives an indicator of the difficulty of shot faced. He did have one mistake leading to a goal in his debut, I am going to put that one down to nerves. 

 

 

[SixPointer]

6 minutes ago, MattyLewis11 said:

The start to the 2022/23 season

A dominant performance for OL in the opening game away in Brittany, of course the sending off of Hugo Magnetti certainly helped us to maintain the continued ascendancy of our xG throughout the second half. 

A brace on his Ligue 1 debut for Musa and Moussa opening his account for the year, could this be good signs for the times ahead? Gusto added a trio of assists from his CWB (At) on the right! 

We played the second string in the Rhone Derby against Saint-Etienne as the first string played and defeated Real Madrid (2-1) in the UEFA Super Cup. 

Boy oh boy, they delivered! Karl Toko Ekambi scoring FIVE goals from nine shots (2.2xG) and Leo Dubois showing Gusto anything he could do vs Brest the Frenchman could match with another three assists from the right.

Bradley Barcola broke his Ligue 1 duck with a goal in the 90th minute which really was the cherry on the cake...

...the frightening thing is we could have scored 13 with Romain Faivre (3) and Ekambi hitting the woodwork four times between them! 

Another comprehensive victory vs Rennes in which the spread of goals appear to be much more diverse in the early stages of the season. We now already have nine scorers in the first three games, scoring a total of 18 goals and conceding three.

The Board are happy with the brand of the entertaining brand of football on offer and are pleased with how good the team have looked in the final third, long may this easy on the eye style of play continue. 

@haier_fm Sanchez' early league form has seen him grow into the role as our 'number 1' he has made 14 saves to date (9 held and 5 parried) which gives an indicator of the difficulty of shot faced. He did have one mistake leading to a goal in his debut, I am going to put that one down to nerves. 

 

remarkable start to the season 👏🏻 What tactic are you using now matty? Have you went back to a basic system? Or you still hitting it with the Brazilian 70’s number? 

[SteinkelssonFM]

8 minutes ago, SixPointer said:

Brazilian 70’s number

Given the fact our squad has the following...

Lucas Paqueta 

Ludovic Blas 

Houssem Aouar

Romain Favre

All capable of playing as a 'Number 10' it made compete sense to continue using the False 433 tactic which I attempted to replicate.

Once I have played 10 league games I will give you a display of the data hub so you can see exactly how it is playing out. 

Edited May 26, 2022 by MattyLewis11

[Hootieleece]

I might end up doing a save with your rivals St. Etienne this summer......depending on if they get relegated or not.

[SteinkelssonFM]

42 minutes ago, Hootieleece said:

I might end up doing a save with your rivals St. Etienne this summer......depending on if they get relegated or not.

They could certainly do with your help in this save...

Might be of interest for you 

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS9XdV9qbzRyTQ/episode/OTMwZGIyZGItYjM3ZC00NmQ4LWJlMzktNjIzZTllOWMyMzg0?ep=14

 

 

[Hootieleece]

29 minutes ago, MattyLewis11 said:

They could certainly do with your help in this save...

Might be of interest for you 

https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS9XdV9qbzRyTQ/episode/OTMwZGIyZGItYjM3ZC00NmQ4LWJlMzktNjIzZTllOWMyMzg0?ep=14

 

 

I will give a listen. Also in the running are Hertha Berlin and Preston North End.

I decided I'm going to save a sleeping giant...... (Maybe not PNE)

[karanhsingh]

Great start to the season! 9-2 

[haier_fm]

20 hours ago, Hootieleece said:

I will give a listen. Also in the running are Hertha Berlin and Preston North End.

I decided I'm going to save a sleeping giant...... (Maybe not PNE)

Highly recommend Dynamo Dresden. I may be biased towards German football, but they have a rich history (an interesting read!). The club recently got relegated into the 3.Liga (due to Kaiserslautern beating them over the two legs), without a win in 2022. Most successful side in the former GDR now trying to find their feet again after stagnating and eventually declining.  

On 26/05/2022 at 22:10, MattyLewis11 said:

The start to the 2022/23 season

A dominant performance for OL in the opening game away in Brittany, of course the sending off of Hugo Magnetti certainly helped us to maintain the continued ascendancy of our xG throughout the second half. 

A brace on his Ligue 1 debut for Musa and Moussa opening his account for the year, could this be good signs for the times ahead? Gusto added a trio of assists from his CWB (At) on the right! 

We played the second string in the Rhone Derby against Saint-Etienne as the first string played and defeated Real Madrid (2-1) in the UEFA Super Cup. 

Boy oh boy, they delivered! Karl Toko Ekambi scoring FIVE goals from nine shots (2.2xG) and Leo Dubois showing Gusto anything he could do vs Brest the Frenchman could match with another three assists from the right.

Bradley Barcola broke his Ligue 1 duck with a goal in the 90th minute which really was the cherry on the cake...

...the frightening thing is we could have scored 13 with Romain Faivre (3) and Ekambi hitting the woodwork four times between them! 

Another comprehensive victory vs Rennes in which the spread of goals appear to be much more diverse in the early stages of the season. We now already have nine scorers in the first three games, scoring a total of 18 goals and conceding three.

The Board are happy with the brand of the entertaining brand of football on offer and are pleased with how good the team have looked in the final third, long may this easy on the eye style of play continue. 

@haier_fm Sanchez' early league form has seen him grow into the role as our 'number 1' he has made 14 saves to date (9 held and 5 parried) which gives an indicator of the difficulty of shot faced. He did have one mistake leading to a goal in his debut, I am going to put that one down to nerves. 

 

 

How are you finding this strikerless system? I have never got it working myself and interested to see what you think of it.