SixPointer Posted June 4, 2023 Share Posted June 4, 2023 43% possession with 26 shots on goal compared to 57% possession and 1 shot at goal sums up your style of play perfectly! Lethal when in possession! Whats your target’s for this season? Strong UCL campaign and a title challenge? Or do you feel winning the league is a must? Is one going to get a priority over the other? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 7, 2023 Author Share Posted June 7, 2023 On 04/06/2023 at 05:03, SixPointer said: 43% possession with 26 shots on goal compared to 57% possession and 1 shot at goal sums up your style of play perfectly! Lethal when in possession! Whats your target’s for this season? Strong UCL campaign and a title challenge? Or do you feel winning the league is a must? Is one going to get a priority over the other? Absolutely. We’ve added some more pace and power to the side now and are really making progress in that area. However, I must say that I’m most impressed with how we played against SPAL - where we had to control the ball and the game but were still just as lethal when attacking. I want to see how we cope with the added difficulty of Champions League football and may prioritise that knowing that both Inter and Juve may well be in a state of transition next year with new managers, although Milan may be replenished and stronger under Montella. We won’t win the Champions League, though, so I’ll also look at the Coppa Italia as a good chance for some silverware. I’ve got a little bit of thinking to do about the squad I want to have in front of me in 12 months time but I think, again, it’s evolution not revolution in that sense. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lfds89 Posted June 7, 2023 Share Posted June 7, 2023 Loved the descriptors. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted June 7, 2023 Share Posted June 7, 2023 34 minutes ago, _Ben_ said: Absolutely. We’ve added some more pace and power to the side now and are really making progress in that area. However, I must say that I’m most impressed with how we played against SPAL - where we had to control the ball and the game but were still just as lethal when attacking. I want to see how we cope with the added difficulty of Champions League football and may prioritise that knowing that both Inter and Juve may well be in a state of transition next year with new managers, although Milan may be replenished and stronger under Montella. We won’t win the Champions League, though, so I’ll also look at the Coppa Italia as a good chance for some silverware. I’ve got a little bit of thinking to do about the squad I want to have in front of me in 12 months time but I think, again, it’s evolution not revolution in that sense. Once you get to the stage of evolution and not revolution, recruitment becomes clear and concise, it’s easier to plan ahead and have people lined up rather than having to take a chance on players as you need the depth etc Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 11, 2023 Author Share Posted June 11, 2023 (edited) September 2031 Instead of pressing 'Submit Reply' I closed my browser and, therefore, a lovely, wordy post getting me back into my save after real life was completely lost. I have salvaged the screenshots, below, that can be clicked on to show some more game details, but, sadly, a lot of the words have been lost in the ether. Nevertheless, I'm back playing the game... Spoiler ☑ Unbeaten start to the season. ☑Opening win in the Champions League. ☑Scoring at two goals a game. ☑ Not conceded a goal in the league so far this season. ☑ Playing time for youngsters, including an assisting debut for Lorenzo Pierno. Life is good. It's early on in the season and the giants of Inter, Juve and Milan are all there but we've done everything that we needed to. The draw on the road to Inter is going to be important later in the season, too, I feel. --- My initial post had a big section on the appointment of my new Director of Football, but, sadly, this one will be somewhat briefer.. Ramon Rodriguez Verdejo. Monchi to most. A key figure in Sevilla's form over the last decade to most Andalusians. In a lovely Wiki copy and paste job, here's a bit of extra if you didn't know about him: In 2000, after Sevilla were relegated from the top division, Monchi was appointed their director of football. He was given two objectives by the board: develop the club's youth system and implement a vast scouting policy inside and outside Spain. Monchi helped discover Diego Capel, Alberto Moreno, Jesús Navas, Antonio Puerta, Sergio Ramos and José Antonio Reyes, and he also created a network of over 700 scouts around the world. Within this setup, he sourced a number of profitable bargains (including Adriano, Dani Alves, Júlio Baptista, Federico Fazio, Seydou Keita and Ivan Rakitić), making a profit of around €200 million in the transfer market, as the club established itself in the top half of the top division in his 16 years there. In terms of FM ability, our very own @MattyLewis11 wrote a fantastic piece about how to implement his methods into the game and, most recently, my own team - Aston Villa - have been linked with his signature. For me, this kind of move is the one that'll take us to the next level. The four images below are why. In this FM-gameworld, Monchi moved to Spurs and spent seven years in London before I was able to sign him. He's worked with Ernesto Valverde for the past five years and I certainly feel like the deals that have been made are synonymous with the Spaniard. He's obviously made some mistakes but the €150m spent on these four (Silva: €57m, Fernandez: €50m, Cuadros: €22.5m and Roque: €19.75m) have yielded four players, who, at minimum, could be sold for €700m, given their market values. All four players are now elite (whether they were before is another matter). If I take a look at my recent recruitment of younger players: Jonny Rodriguez - €1.6m Daniel Ferreira - €6m Cristian Pilenga - €9m Joao Roberto - €9m If I were to sell these, I'd make €40/50m profit - some 10% of what the Spurs players would have sold for. Whilst appreciating the initial outlay of them, I do feel that the talent acquisition, negotiation of deals and then moving players on at the right time needs to improve at Atalanta. With our positively-growing financial situation, I have taken the steps, below, for the first team and the youth squads: I'll still approve or deny the deals if I'm not in agreement with Monchi but I feel that I can really tap into his player ID skills and build the next set of stars at the club that compliment those that we are working really hard to develop. --- I signed a new contract to end the month, although the wage is still far from at parity with the likes of Conte - €170k p/w, Simeone - €160k p/w and Montella - €120k p/w. Given the speed that I'm playing at, it'll likely be the last contract I sign at Atalanta with a move to either the MLS or South America on the cards for this point of the save, all being well. Forza La Dea! Edited June 11, 2023 by _Ben_ 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich ruzzian Posted June 13, 2023 Share Posted June 13, 2023 The master Monchi, interesting to see how this will work out. In FM i always find the rol of the Director of Football a bit meh. Do you give him totally freedom in who to sign? Or do you give him suggestions? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 13, 2023 Author Share Posted June 13, 2023 4 hours ago, rich ruzzian said: The master Monchi, interesting to see how this will work out. In FM i always find the rol of the Director of Football a bit meh. Do you give him totally freedom in who to sign? Or do you give him suggestions? I agree but I'm hoping it's something else I can add to my playing style and hopefully develop it. I'll attempt to build shortlists, yes, and create groups for transfer targets, which I can order in terms of preference. This'll be done manually based on what I'm finding in my reviewing of reports and shortlist creation. I will also utilise his suggestions, as you can see here: Whilst I'm not actually going to move for any of these players here - it is really interesting to see that both Yahiaoui and Butler, below, really fit that age group and price range that he's identified at Spurs and both could then go on to produce significant profits for me: 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted June 21, 2023 Author Share Posted June 21, 2023 (edited) October 2031 October is done despite way more real life stuff getting in the way. More information is available on each game, below, with the thumbnail linking to a full statistical match report. Spoiler A rout of the Swiss side started our month off as I gave Antonio Pacifico his first start of the season. I remember watching Italy a year or so back and being incredibly impressed with Leonardo Spinazzola, a right footed left back who was fantastic going forward. I think that the reason I'm drawn to Antonio is because he's somewhat similar. At 18, his key attributes for a wing back are pretty good and I'm sure that there's significant room for him to grow. What it does do, however, is create a log jam as he joins the queue behind Jonny Rodriguez, Joao Roberto and Luca Pellegrini. I envisage a loan move for either he or Rodriguez in January before Pellegrini departs in the summer. Luciano Costa, another player pushing for more football this season, got us off to a great start with a lovely finish after cutting inside from the right wing before he turned (unofficial) provider for Kean as his cross clattered off the post and into the path of the in-form frontman. Ferrigno continued his fine form with a header from a corner before Pacifico, cutting back on to his right foot, lofted a ball in for Ragatzu to nod in. After half time, we did ease off but the damage had been done by then. Another three points and €2.8m. Against Bologna, we were much the better side but really failed to capitalise on several really good opportunities that we had. At home to Fiorentina, I really decided to dig into body language. I come and go with this but don't really ever give it the time that it deserves. Whilst it was a compressive win - Ederson and Carvalho netting from pull backs by their respective widemen and then the Portuguese interior then finding the net with a direct free kick in injury time - I had concerns around performances of a couple of players: I gave a positive team talk to all - saying that they've been good but can definitely find another gear. I then, accidentally, told the defensive unit that I was furious with them (not sure why it says I told Okoli I was angry whereas I was furious to the others) before making amends for me error and telling the rest that I have trust in them - again, there is that slight disparity between what is recorded there, which may be worthy of investigation. By full time and my 'I'm delighted' teamtalk, things were great, but there was some things to consider in between that and that is the reactions to this and how I can continue to really build this ultimate team that are, to quote Mr Klopp, mentality monsters. The easiest comparison is between the two centre backs, Fusari and Okoli: Michael Fusari. Personality: Resolute Media Handling: Level-Headed Determination level: At least good Full time rating: 7.3 Caleb Okoli. Personality: Resolute Media Handling: Level-Headed Determination level: At least good Full time rating: 6.8 In terms of them as people, they are very similar. I'm not going into the micro-management of personalities but Resolute is - from memory - pretty professional, at least good Determination, not amazing under pressure and a good sportsman whilst their Level-Headed descriptor tells me that they aren't terrible when it comes to controversy or temperament. Therefore, should be pretty easy to handle. Yet, throughout the second half, Caleb Okoli shifted between 'unconvinced by the feedback,' 'overwhelmed by the feedback' and 'looked stressed' whereas Fusari just looked 'pleased' throughout. I purposely gave both players feedback as frequently and only altered in terms of what type, giving Okoli a 'No Pressure' when he presented as stressed (as well as removing him from marking Fiorentina's tallest centre back at corners, and used 'Encourage' on Fusari when his rating had dipped to a 6.5, which, as you can see by the end rating, worked really well. What have I learnt from this? Well, I don't really know! But I'd suggest that Pressure - the attribute that I know both of them aren't great at, could come into play here. Fusari played better and was on the ball more than Okoli and therefore, the shouts, combined with his on-the-ball actions, possibly allowed him to develop his match rating and feel better about the game. Clearly, looking at the wider team, the fact that there are strong relationships has a big impact on player reactions but it's not like either of those, above, are new to this team. Obviously - I said the wrong thing so there is, realistically, an understanding of why he reacted like that but I found it interesting that two players who are so similar (clearly, Okoli had mentored Fusari before I joined), have reacted so differently across the game. We then had a really strong showing against Renne, maintaining our perfect start to Champions League football before a hard fought draw against Juventus saw us maintain both the lead in the league and our incredible defensive record. ---- The new reign of Monchi is well underway and my first signing may well be a player identified by him. As we go through, I want to build shortlists of players that I can ask him to sign but Jose Cristiano - full profile linked in thumbnail - is a potential replacement for Ederson, who, at 32 and declining, now wants a new deal. The comparison tells me that I'm getting a player who can potentially be just as good as the Brazilian but, given the Palmeiras lad's EU-passport, another player who can assist me with my wider goals for the club's registration needs. A strong market value for Ederson, which is likely to fall quickly, means that I may actually be able to make a profit in this transfer and I've already submitted a bit of €20m - his release clause - and had the deal endorsed by Joao Roberto, who recently made the move over. Forza La Dea! Edited June 21, 2023 by _Ben_ 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonic Youth Posted June 23, 2023 Share Posted June 23, 2023 Sitting pretty on top after a good start. That’s harsh on your excellent ‘mean’ defense. We know who the real meanie is It was also curious the response from your GK Cristiano looks an interesting player. He does have a lot of minutes in him already! Ederson having a message about decline is something to keep an eye on, and looks well in hand Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post _Ben_ Posted July 1, 2023 Author Popular Post Share Posted July 1, 2023 November 2031 Another hugely interrupted month with real life absolutely taking over again. When I've had chance to play, it's largely been focused on finishing a few little things off for my skin - of which you'll see showcased in this report, beyond. I'm really going to try and put my attention back into playing, rather than skinning but, with the new announcements, there does feel to be an opportunity to be had by keeping the pace, engagement and enjoyment, knowing that I could - if I wanted/needed to - take this save into FM24. However, in the meantime, a further five matches played, with some good progress being made on both fronts. More information is available on each game, below, with the thumbnail linking to a full statistical match report. Spoiler With the time between games played and fragmented playing time, I've been poor at saving screenshots and remembering much actual game action from this month. However, I do remember the gulf in class between the starting XIs in our tie with Arsenal. Obviously, my plan is to build a team of players who can compete at the top of Europe and beyond but it was a stark reminder that my methodology - both tactically and recruitment wise - is very different to the bigger clubs around at the moment. November has also seen us drop points for the first time this season - firstly in a tie away at Lecce where we failed to control Marko Milavanovic, once again, as the big Serb netted the winner before a Tammy Abraham double - his second coming from a shockingly misplaced backpass from Aaron Ciammaglichella - consigned up to defeat. One stand out this month has been the form of youngster Daniele Ragatzu. My new statistical landing page really shows how he's growing into the role vacated by Gavi. Consistent in all areas of my game as a supporting midfielder, his passing types show that he gets the ball and makes things happen - progressing it, creating opportunities and really good chances, being rewarded with three assists so far this season. Furthermore, 0.85xG and 0.73xA in 3(1) Champions League ties shows that he's not scared by the big occasion, either. I am pleased with the link up play between he and Joao Roberto, who is growing into his role as an aggressive wing back. It does feel that this left hand side could very much now be a constant for the coming years. Neither player here is world class but they are both doing what is required of them on the big stage, as the form this month, below, shows: --- From sitting atop the table at the end of October, we've dropped back a little, losing to a struggling, managerless Roma side and a Lecce side that are really starting to become a threat to many teams. Inter play Juve in the first round of December fixtures so that could either see us trail by three or four points once the games are evened up - by no means an unassailable lead but one that I know we're going to have to work very hard to close. Next month provides some further opportunities but the quality of opposition is tough with all four league games against top half teams, although I only have to travel to Milan. They sandwich a tough trip to Belgrade but against an opposition I should be beating. --- In transfer news, we were paid another installment in the Gavi deal. Given the form of Ragatzu this season, I feel that this was a real masterstroke to sell him whilst he was playing well at such an inflated fee compared to what we paid for him. With his value at over €200m, he won't go anywhere else in his career and this is that example of what I spoke about in an earlier update - I need to spend more to sell for more. The €1m deals are great, but they're less likely to lead to a €50m sale simply because clubs know the potential that these players have so I must be uncovering an absolute hidden gem - and that is not happening each season. With that thought, and that cash in my pocket, I instructed Monchi to swoop in and seal the deal for Jose Cristiano, meeting his €20m release fee. I then was able to recoup €16m of that, moving Ederson to money-bags AEK. At 32 and quite rapidly declining, I felt that this was a good time to cash in and, given the form of Ciammaglichella, felt that I had enough depth to go without a transitional period. However, speaking of those hidden gems, my scouting team unearthed a man that my statistical side absolutely loved. Granted, FC Motown are in an unplayable and un-modelled league, but the outputs that Matias Ledesma has put in this season and his scout report give me hope that this lad could become pretty decent and, certainly, worth more than the €0 that I'd have to pay for him. Unfortunately, he does not hold an EU-passport so this risky deal takes up one of the slots which I could be using for first team recruitment. However, given Cristiano's Italian passport and a relatively settled first team squad combined with the sale of non-EU Ederson, I do have a little bit of wiggle room right now. --- Forza La Dea! 8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Number seven Posted July 1, 2023 Share Posted July 1, 2023 I really like to follow this thread. Love to see how methodical you do the recruitment of players. Considering SI will make savegames transferable from FM23 to 24, do you plan to do that with this save? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted July 3, 2023 Share Posted July 3, 2023 While I love the skinning version of Ben, I can’t help but be selfish and say i miss the relentless writing version of Ben will the skin transfer over to fm24? Save games are hopefully the skin does Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 4, 2023 Author Share Posted July 4, 2023 On 01/07/2023 at 20:31, Number seven said: I really like to follow this thread. Love to see how methodical you do the recruitment of players. Considering SI will make savegames transferable from FM23 to 24, do you plan to do that with this save? Thank you! I may transfer the game but that just depends how far I get with my goals - Serie A is up first and then I'd likely to go MLS -> Argentina to wrap up the career, but we'll see. If something new comes about and takes my interest, I may end at the end of this cycle. 11 hours ago, SixPointer said: While I love the skinning version of Ben, I can’t help but be selfish and say i miss the relentless writing version of Ben will the skin transfer over to fm24? Save games are hopefully the skin does Thanks @SixPointer. I must say that, despite all the time I've spent working on my skin, some of my best writing has been in this save and some of the deepest understandings of how FM works have been in this iteration. The skin will move over but I'm conscious of 'a new UI' for FM25 and I do actually want to play the game! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jtomsett11 Posted July 5, 2023 Share Posted July 5, 2023 Have just caught up with this, with real life having taken over both my own save and ability to read on the forum (doesn't sound dissimilar to your own experience!). I'm enjoying the evolution of your transfer approach which seems really sensible as the stature of the club grows. Good luck for the rest of the season! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 12, 2023 Author Share Posted July 12, 2023 On 05/07/2023 at 12:16, Jtomsett11 said: Have just caught up with this, with real life having taken over both my own save and ability to read on the forum (doesn't sound dissimilar to your own experience!). I'm enjoying the evolution of your transfer approach which seems really sensible as the stature of the club grows. Good luck for the rest of the season! Exactly the same! I need to read through so many threads and leave some comments because I'm so out of touch! I've barely played my own game in the past few weeks. I'm enjoying where this (necessary) turn is taking me and hope to see the fruits of my labours soon. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 12, 2023 Author Share Posted July 12, 2023 December 2031 Another month spread over a significant real life time frame. I've kind of lost my mojo a little for playing and for writing, but, history tells me that this will return in time. All it takes is a clear mind and a session where I can get my teeth into the time I'm having at Atalanta - which, to be fair, isn't all quite sunshine and rainbows. We opened with a draw against Udinese in a game of little quality but one where I felt we were, overall, better. Obviously, as the FM23 engine seems to do, our players all rated really poorly given the lack of possession we had but all of our visitors ball time was in front of both of our banks of defensive lines. The same nearly happened against Sampdoria as a pretty profligate attacking display was saved when Fusari nodded in his first of the season to give us the win. The goals flooded in on the road in Belgrade as we wiped the floor with a poor Red Star side; the most impressive part, for me, was how we acted when we were given way more of the ball than we are used to. A late defeat to Milan, who scored with their first shot on target before a comprehensive win over Verona to see the month out. Full match reports can be accessed by clicking the thumbnails, below. Spoiler A little down on where I wanted to be and, interestingly, unable to distance ourselves from the chasing pack. Inter have started really strongly this season and hold quite a commanding lead over their Milanese rivals with Juve back in third. Once again, it'll be any one of those four, I'd imagine, but, at this point, we have work to do if we want our names to be considered in any way. Fiorentina and a Steven Gerrard led Roma continue to struggle whilst SPAL have dropped back a little from their first season at this level, probably due to the fixture congestion that a Conference League trip brings. Udinese, Lecce and Verona dare to tussle with the big boys and Verona, with league top scorer Alvarez leading their line, do look strong. January is nice. We start against bottom side Salernitana before moving away to my old club Sassuolo and then to Sardinia. With us flying in the Champions League, the games against Athletic and Leipzig (not in below image) may well see some rotation as I look to ensure a perfect haul of fifteen points come back to Bergamo in the new year. ---- Full profiles can be accessed by clicking the above thumbnail. One of the biggest successes, for me looking holistically at the club, is the development of players on loan at other Serie A sides. I currently have four players plying their trade elsewhere in Serie A and, as is expected, there is a mixed bag performance wise but a good spread of growth. Lassina Cisse is struggling at Salernitana but, to his defence, is playing in the weakest team in the league. As he's developed, I've always kept an eye on his below average Heading ability, but that is seemingly becoming less of an issue for him now. I'm in two minds as to whether to recall him in January and try and find another loan at a club where he'll taste some - on pitch - success. Filippo Fontana is currently leading Udinese's charts in goals scored and red cards but the twenty-year old is having a great second season under Daniele De Rossi. He's the ideal complete forward, with good statistical outputs in both passing and finishing metrics and I'm sure he'll return to the first team next year, maybe to replace Moise Kean. Another one who may also do that is Luca De Zerbi, who's having a good season at SPAL and enjoying European competition. Playing in the same midfield role as I see him doing for me, he's returned nine assists already. Lastly is teenager Federico Bisio, also at SPA. Twelve of his fifteen goals have come in Europe, making the wonderkid the UECL top scorer so far but I'm concerned he's struggled on home soil. That quandary leaves the door open next year for which type of player to bring back into the squad. Potentially, if Kean does move on, there are two slots free and I think that's something I'd like to explore. Fontana is a lot more rounded in his outputs, creating some goals for others, whilst Bisio is the fox-in-the-box striker that matches the profile of my first choice, Marzio Zenga. Feels like a nice issue to have... Inspired by Squawka's latest tweet idea, I've decided to dig into my midfield three, seeing both what they offer now and seeing what Joao Cristiano will need to offer as he steps into the shoes of Ederson in January. In my trio, I have a clear three roles - Ederson is the all-rounder, Carvalho is the attacker and Pilenga is the retriever. I think that this is why two of these three - Ederson and Carvalho - worked so well in conjunction with Ragatzu and, last season, Gavi, coming off the left as the supplier. What it does show is just the scale of the job that Ederson does as he leads every midfielders in Europe in terms of the amount of dribbles he completes. Giving him the ball in a slightly deeper area and allowing him to progress it, as well as giving him the license to progress with passes, sees him become the cog in our transitional play. Whilst Cristiano's season at Palmeiras has not indicated his is a particularly top level dribbler, he does progress the ball well and completes huge distances per game as well as creating a lot of key passes. Pilenga is somewhat limited and, whilst doing the defensive stuff well, does not really contribute any further up field than that - hence my want to bring Aaron Ciammaglichella into the fold a bit deeper and utilise the all-round ability of Joao Cristiano to win the ball back more, an area that nobody really excels at. I really like these little dives into things as it both invests me in the game and my tactical and recruitment thinking again but showcases how far I feel I've come as a tactical manager. --- Forza La Dea! 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lestri Posted July 12, 2023 Share Posted July 12, 2023 Welcome back! Similar here re the real life taking up all the mental space. Great call regarding the midfield analysis. I often try to get the best player rather than the best player for the roles I need to play, so I enjoyed the breakdown with their roles. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 14, 2023 Author Share Posted July 14, 2023 On 13/07/2023 at 00:53, Lestri said: Welcome back! Similar here re the real life taking up all the mental space. Great call regarding the midfield analysis. I often try to get the best player rather than the best player for the roles I need to play, so I enjoyed the breakdown with their roles. Thank you! Always enjoyed the squad building element of this game... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 16, 2023 Author Share Posted July 16, 2023 January 2032 Back into the swing of things a little bit more and enjoying posting and playing. Each match report in the update below directly leads to a more detailed breakdown of the game if you click on it. ---- We were dominant in our first game of the new year against bottom side Salernitana. A rocket from Jose Cristiano was the pick of the goals, as there was a dominant performance from the debutant - six dribbles and nine progressive passes in his Player of the Match performance. Fabio Carvalho scored a rather dull goal - for him - bundling in a ball that was bobbling around the area before Ferrigno nodded in a corner taken by Marzio Zenga, as the rest of my takers had been removed at this point. For a man who rarely takes one and a man who makes his money from goal scoring not goal creating, this was pretty pleasing. Whilst our visitors are clearly the weakest team in the league, I was impressed with our shape, particularly in the midfield. Going forward, however, with ongoing moans of a new deal for Fabio Carvalho, I wanted to explore a slightly different midfield five: With Pilenga - from my graphic in the previous post - demonstrating that he excels defensively but lacks the offensive prowess, I wanted to try Daniel Ferreira in the pivot role and move Francesco Lanzo into the central role, as a Mez(a) - with the likeness to his normal IW(a) role. This would allow more game time for someone like Costa, who has relished his conversion to the wide midfield role and also allows Lanzo, as a left footer, to progress the ball better into the half spaces. However, my plans to do that were short lived: To try and be as realistic as possible, I have a price for every player, which, for Daniel Ferreira, was probably lower than his in-game transfer value, given his lack of game time so far this season. Juve entered with a fairly derisory offer but bit at my stupid counter offer. For me - in terms of value to my own squad - there is no way that the Uruguayan is more valuable than Gavi was before his move to Man City. Not only that, but there is the fact that the deal will bring the club a staggering €76m in profit after I brought him in from Nacional last summer, with him playing just 41 times for the club since then. Even if we have strengthened a direct rival in this league, I don't feel that we'd have been able to command such a fee to move him abroad. I've been impressed watching him develop - particularly mentally - and turn himself into a full international with Uruguay and, when he played, he did give us a nice offensive output from deep but, to be fair, is not a massive loss to us. Especially when I moved as quickly as I could to replace him with the lad below: A €4m signing from Universidad de Chile, I have barely scraped the surface of the money from the outgoing transfer but, given our strong squad depth, felt that this role was not a necessity to fill now. Pablo is a full Chilean international and holder of a Spanish passport, easing our non-EU options, too. Registering two goals and seven assists in the Chilean league (which just rolled over before I completed the deal), he's performed admirably, albeit at a much lower level than ourselves. What does impress me though is his attribute spread; a player who has the necessary ability to win the ball and pass it on, as well as being able to get up and down for the entirety of the game is key to me in the role that he'll play, and, combined with his trait, could see him before somewhat combative. I was also able to let Douglas Luiz move back to Brazil to see out the remainder of his career. ---- I did not name the Chilean in the starting XI - opting for Pilenga at the base of the triangle that, as intended, included Francesco Lanzo on the left hand side of the central midfield role. It was the combination between he and Daniele Ragatzu that was key, as our number eight registered 102 touches in his new role, ending with an assist and an 8.5 rating, second to only Ragatzu himself, who ran the show from the left wing assisting the other goal for Zenga. Sassuolo opted for two Mezzalas, which gave us a little more freedom centrally and - whilst I made a point to try and take advantage of that - I liked the slightly higher position, closer to Zenga, that Lanzo took up. A slightly quieter game for Joao Cristiano but already impressing me with his overall contribution across all three areas of the game and seemingly allowing the others around him to perform well. As the game progressed, I brought Navarro on for his debut as well as youngster Matias Ledesma, who just moved over from the USA. Another relatively simple game for us although we did squander a lot of chances and should have won far more comfortably than we did. --- Armed with my new panel that shows the attacking, defensive and possession contributions in one place, I knew that I'd have some issues against possession-hungry Cagliari. In the end, the scoreline was a fairly comfortable one but we were made to work hard for our points, not going ahead until Bruno's cross was put in by Marzio Zenga, who moved to twelve goals for the season after a slow start. Joao Cristiano provided the assist for Luciano Costa, slotting a lovely ball diagonally into the half space for the striker-cum-winger to finish well from. It was the Brazilian who recorded his second Player of the Match in three games, carried by his dribbling ability and leaving me safe in the knowledge that, if the opportunity for him is not there to progress it with a pass, he'll be able to do so with the ball at his feet. I must say that I'm already very impressed at his dynamism in the heart of my midfield. The Ragatzu/Lanzo match up was not quite as pertinent in this game as previously but, when my side attempts just over fifty percent of the passes of our opposition, it's easy to see that those little one-twos and delicate moves down the wing have gone missing. Still, three more points: an unbeaten start to the calendar year with no goals conceded. --- Jonny Rodriguez was also allowed to leave, again, owing to our squad depth and meeting of what I consider to be his market value. With Pellegrini here for another year, that should further allow the development of Pacifico, rated as the best youngster at the club, into the role with Joao Roberto there, too. Again, an example of my previous incoming talent identification but this Uruguayan was nowhere near as profitable as the previous, with us only making around €3m on him. However, he's never set the world alight and has struggled to hold down any kind of permanent place this season, despite making a total of twenty four appearances last time around. --- Lining up against what I believed to be the toughest opponent I'd have to face this month - I was somewhat sceptical but had absolutely no reason to be. Without the two new signings: Jose Cristiano and Pablo Navarro, I opted for Aaron Ciammaglichella in the middle, and it was he who was one of the most creative outlets. Zenga scored twice, both from lovely through balls and should have been credited for the third: a shot that cannoned in off Vivian with no other Atalanta men around him to even call it a cross. Athletic offered nothing with the elite talents of Nico Williams cutting a forlorn figure up top, struggling to get any space inside the compact defensive line that we have. The result keeps us atop the league phase table and the media are dreaming about what is to come; although I am very much keeping my feet on the ground amid any speculation of us being able to win this thing! --- My 400th game sees us brought back down to earth with somewhat of a bang. When their keeper records a Player of the Match performance, you kind of know what has happened. Pescara had a lot of the ball but I'm happy to allow that, given that the vast majority of their passes came deep within their half and nobody really showed any creative prowess going forward for them, as they mustered just the one shot that worked Carnesecchi, in our goal. Kean was somewhat isolated up front and looked rusty when he got the ball - hopefully not a sign of the start of a decline. The result was made even more infuriating as our dropped points couldn't coincide with anything to benefit us: Inter recorded a big win themselves and surprising rivals Hellas Verona recorded a 7-1 thumping of city rivals Chievo. --- Went behind from a freak goal - Andrea Bruno's clearance across the area - which goes against everything I learned as a young defender - cannoned off the head of striker Vahid Ebrahimi, Leipzig's €78m striker, and into the goal. Costa and Zenga combined down the right to level things up before the break but Ebrahimi netted again and that is how it stayed. Disregarding the quality that they have, we looked quite easy to exploit by Leipzig's 4-4-2 shape, which is a worry going down the line. ---- I still feel that we're a little off the pace, although the entire thoughts of a title challenge are still a year ahead of schedule after a fifth and second placed finish so far under my tenure. Once the games are evened out and we are, hopefully, above Milan, we can work trying to claw back the deficit to their city rivals, Inter, who visit us in February. Our defensive record is still absolutely outstanding and it's nice to see that it isn't at the expense of attacking football as we still continue to score well, although not quite as well as surprise package Hellas Verona. Themselves and Lecce occupy places not too far behind us as Udinese are starting to tail off under Daniele de Rossi but are still above the heavy-weights of Napoli and the two Rome sides with Fiorentina even further down. It's been a torrid season for Salernitana and Chievo and, as such, I've recalled Lassina Cisse from his spell at the basement side, with the intention of either loaning him elsewhere or testing him in the first team. I am, however, potentially sending my €1.5m summer signing, Peruvian Benedetti, off to Chievo - where he'll get a taste of first team football and really be able to cut his teeth in a poor side. Whether that, in the long run, will be more beneficial than a Serie B loan, I do not know. Also returning to the club is wonderkid Federico Bisio, who, despite his overall goal tally, has found Serie A tough this season. With fixtures piling up, I want to have three fit strikers at all times. --- February has seven ties in total with Inter (H) and Bologna (H) missing from the above graphic. Squad rotation and management will be key here and it'll be interesting to see how the other big sides around us fair as I am keen to push our transformation into more than just a perennial outsider. Forza La Dea! 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 23, 2023 Author Share Posted July 23, 2023 February 2032 Very sporadic playing time has been the theme of this season so purposely keeping this one to mainly images. Match reports and further details can be found by clicking on the images in the spoiler, below: Spoiler Strong league progress as we maintain our unbeaten record, as we start to form a two-horse race at the top. Despite Zenga's slow start, he's now firing in the goals and, pleasingly, when he isn't' Bisio has stepped in and his double against Lazio showed me the potential he has. Coinciding with a drop in form for Moise Kean has also benefited the young Argentine striker as he will get plenty more league minutes with us still fighting on the European front, too. --- We've been drawn against Lyon (full draw) in the Champions League. As always, I do like the Twitter reaction to it but actually fancy ourselves here, despite their lofty Ligue Une position. Elsewhere, there is literally no let up in the Serie A schedule as we look to keep pace with Inter. --- The one transfer point of the month is thinking about replacing Fabio Carvalho, my mercurial centre mid. He's unhappy that I won't meet his €200k p/w demands; there is part of me that agrees we need to expand the wage budget off the back of two €70m+ sales this year but this is a longer term objective that I envisage the club will take on once I've achieved my own goals here and moved on. Clearly, Carvalho is a top quality player but I've been drawn in by the Brazilian - a product of the famed Santos academy - and certain areas that he excels in, most notably his elite Composure, Flair and Technique combined with some traits that should give me some absolute Ronaldinho-vibes when on the ball. Once again, it's a move that matches my DNA at the club, utilising his Italian passport and meeting a release clause that is surely below his market value. All in all, this could total at a €22m incoming with a deal worth over €50m potentially for Carvalho to tycoon-owned Bournemouth. Monchi has agreed an interesting contract with the Brazilian - really focusing on his performance with a large bonus coming for a combined goal and assist bonus, resulting in what I'd believe to a lower weekly wage of just around €60k per week: a third of Carvalho's demands. I've got a couple of tickets to some Sudamerica action to see him myself but my recruitment team love him. Once the eye test is complete, he could well be the first deal of the summer window... --- Forza La Dea! 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 23, 2023 Author Share Posted July 23, 2023 (edited) March 2032 A lovely Sunday afternoon of FM and nothing else! March is done and I'm delighted at our inability to concede goals at the moment - long may that last! We enter April having only conceded six times in the league. I'm getting plaudits for being a strong defensive manager, but, realistically, we are pretty strong everywhere at the moment! For a deeper look at each of these ties, plus March's opener away at Chievo, you can click on the match reports within the spoiler, below: Spoiler We're keeping page with Inter but those two draws have cost us quite significantly. Granted, the point away at Juve is probably what I could have expected and I should be happy we were able to keep Dusan Vlahovic quiet: a man who has scored 58% of their goals this season. I was also happy to get one over on Lecce, after they dumped us out of the cup in February but the two top performances were definitely saved for Europe - as we outplayed Lyon and earnt a double header against Spurs. The league is taking shape now as the bottom three begin to lose touch with Pescara, who, themselves, are losing touch with the bottom half sides. There are some giants of the game down there - Genoa, Fiore, the Steven Gerrard led Roma and then my old side, Sassuolo, who have the great quality of being pretty much average. No worse than when I left them but really no better. Milan have had a shocking season this year whilst Unai Emery's Napoli are back among the bigger teams, yet those sides are spread by three sides not really expected to be there: Hellas Verona, Udinese and Lecce. Gennaro Gattuso, the man whose departure from Sassuolo allowed me to move their, has done a great job in Verona, spending just €200k this year and still being ahead of title holders Milan. Udinese are also reaping the rewards of showing faith in Daniele De Rossi, who is working his way back up from an 11th placed finish, following his 8th placed in year one. Gerardo Seoane has shown he's one of the top managers in this league and, like De Rossi before him, is looking good to improve on 13th last year following sixth and seventh previous to that. At €7m, Billy Gilmour has been his marquee this summer and it certainly is showing that the big money does not need to be spent to do well. Speaking of big money, and in no way related to us, AEK have become somewhat of a laughing stock. Eidur Gudjohnsen has spent €400m over two seasons for the Spanish-led tycoon club but Olympiakos' Roberto De Zerbi, a man with a net spend of €12m this season is sitting atop of the Greek Superleague. Again, money can't buy everything and that is my mantra as I progress through my career - currently sitting at a spend of €124m on 76 players, recouping €320m from 105, before any summer deals are completed. --- One thing that has been on my mind this month is our transitional and offensive positioning and, most importantly, how to ensure I a) get the best out of all of the players and b) ensure that current performances are not just flashes in the pan. With our starting shape still sitting as the 4-1-4-1 shape that I've used for a while now, the image to the let shows our current attacking style, creating a 3-3-3-1 shape. I do this with Joao Roberto playing as a CWB(a) and asking Ragatzu to come inside from his WM(s) role. This has had its upsides, but looking at the attacking contribution of the full back, I don't feel that it's been completely successful. Furthermore, looking at the overall impact Ragatzu has had on the game this season, it feels quite criminal to stop him getting as far forward as he can, which may be the reason that his assists tally sits quite low. I have, by far, the best defensive record in the league so - to me there is little concern about any defensive frailty caused by the current situation, or any further changes, to this role. By asking Roberto to become either an IWB(s) or IWB(a) - I can create what seems to be the most hipster style of them all right now: a 3-box-3 shape. This shape gives me more players between the lines, creating a split pivot with Pilenga and Roberto - with the latter being a converted playmaker himself and should provide us with more options to move the ball vertically and pull players out of position to allow my front three, who I'd actually consider as forwards despite both wide men defending as midfielders, opportunities. It's a work in progress, but I've already seen the box in action - creating more of stretched shape with Pilenga at the tip than my original diagram shows. --- With the above news coming not long before the transfer window, I need to be aware of how this could potentially implicate an important summer transfer window at the club. To help me further understand the needs for reinforcements, I've created the below scatter graph, of one of my favourites: comparing minutes played this season to the age of the player. There are some really interesting things to notice here - and one big concern that there is a lot of riding on the four defenders: Fusari, Joao Roberto, Amey and Okoli, who have all played more than 2,000 minutes by early March. Whilst I do have Bruno and Ferrigno - able backups - this has raised a recruitment issue for me and was in part why Lassina Cisse was not shipped out permanently following his recall from Salernitana. Furthermore, Pellegrini is the oldest player within the team and plays in the same position as both Joao Roberto and youngster Antonio Pacifico, who has nearly overtaken him in terms of minutes this season. I also have to hope that Santos - who has since confirmed his move - can replace Carvalho next year, who, likewise, has completed a pre-arranged move to Bournemouth. Those minutes should have been assisted by the arrival of Ciammaglichella, but he's been injured for long parts of the season and looks like a transfer who is going to struggle to be a success here in Bergamo. Up top, I have the option of Fontana, returning from Udinese in the summer, to replace Kean if necessary but I am conscious of that given the slow start Bisio has, overall, made here in Serie A. It definitely paints quite a clear picture of what I need to do this summer, and - importantly - need to start before any takeover plans begin: A centre back who can take the burden off Okoli and Fusari. Ideally someone who could play as either a DM as further cover for Pilenga and Navarro or the false-full back RB role to act as further cover for Amey and Bruno. Another central midfielder to ease the load on Lanzo playing as either a RM or CM and to potentially allow Ciammaglichella to move on in January or the following summer. I do have De Zerbi returning from a successful loan spell at SPAL. A right winger/inside forward who could then allow De Zerbi to play as a backup to Ragatzu on the left and Lanzo to rotate with Santos. This player could put real pressure on Costa for a starting berth. Potentially another top class forward if I still deem Bisio/Fontana to not quite be ready for Serie A. I still have €30m left over from the Carvalho/Santos swap so should be able to spend a little, particularly if I can move on some academy players who, essentially, are free money. Speaking of which, my academy intake has just arrived: Terreni and Marrucci look to be the standout players here but they'll join an already strong youth setup, with both the U18 and U20 team doing really well in their leagues. The NxGN announcement sees two of my players on it, with encouraging opportunities for young players across the domestic and European leagues - something that I will ensure to repeat next season. The squad/empire building is one of my favourite elements of this game and I hope that - over the next two or three years I spent at Atalanta - I can really push this to create a truly 'elite' squad within the style I want and without breaking the transfer or wage budget bank. --- April, as you'd expect at this time of the season, is going to be tough! More Champions League ties before a game against a Milan side who won't be winning the Scudetto this year and are now under manager Michele Pazienza, following Vincenzo Montella's sacking. This feels quite the step up for a man whose only experience at this level was with Benevento. However, they still have the same quality within their squad that did win them the league and I need to be very warey of that. --- Forza La Dea! Edited July 23, 2023 by _Ben_ 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 24, 2023 Author Share Posted July 24, 2023 April 2032 Another month done and, Champions League hiccup aside, we've done pretty well. As always, finer details are available by clicking on the match report in the spoiler, below. Spoiler I'm still trying to find the perfect amount of squad rotation as I look to get through the many multi-game weeks that I am faced and being able to compete on more than one front. Therefore, it's somewhat expected that our football will be a little sloppy - thankfully, I feel we have mitigated that quite well this month. We opened up with a decent win in Udine as youngster Ledesma got off the mark for us, coming off the bench late on. A strong defensive display and more than a hint of luck saw us end the first leg victorious against a Spurs team managed by Valverde and assembled by the talents of Monchi, now with us, of course. Joao Roberto, somewhat relishing his IWB(a) role, found himself free on the underlap and finished superbly. A strong showing against a ball-hungry Roma side followed that. At this level, the margins are fine. An Okoli mistake and some poor judgement from Fusari saw us crash out of the Champions League at in London despite a first leg lead. We never really looked like winning and winning comfortably but there are lessons to be learnt from this. Despite dropping points against Milan, a bit of a stutter from Inter has actually left us in the driving seat for the run in, as seen below. With the thirty-fourth round played, there are just four games left to decide the Scudetto and, for the first time this season, I actually have some positivity. Our run in, Verona aside, is definitely the easiest, with Inter playing rivals Milan on the last day and Juve having to face Lecce - albeit slightly out of form and Napoli - currently bang in form. I reckon that three wins from the last four could be enough here, although a 100% record to end the season and to see us win our first title would be something very special indeed. --- As I look ahead to the transfer window and think about the players that I need to recruit to turn next season into either a full ascent at the title or a tight ship capable of title retention, there are some statistical things I need to take into account. Whilst we have maintained an insanely good defensive record across this season, I must show some concern at our offensive record that is not quite up to scratch. Yes, I know the old adage of 'defense wins championships' but there is work to be done as we currently possess the seventh most lethal attack in the league, despite a plethora of home-grown and well-recruited talent that fits quite nicely into the style that I want to play. The left hand pie chart shows goals/90 for my midfielders and forwards, the middle shows xg/90 for those players and the right chart shows the xg/90 differential across my whole team. It's no surprise that my three strikers lead the stats for both of the pie charts - as that is how their role, an AF(a), is designed to play. However, Bisio's involvement has been small and, actually, would be significantly better off if he had not been so inconsistent upon his return to the team. I do question whether another ready forward, maybe of a different type to the nimble, pacey Zenga/Kean pairing could be a good option for investigating. My concerns come when I work backwards and are shown very clearly on the third graph. Three midfielders - Lanzo, Ragatzu and Sottil - are in the top four players for greatest xG underperformance per 90 minutes this season. Whilst both are in double figures for assists and, actually, both are among my top performers and key players, I think both need to improve their ability to put the ball into the net when offered the chance, which, for Ragatzu, will naturally occur less than Lanzo given his role. We currently have four of the top ten performers in the league and Joao Roberto has shown a fantastic increase in his attacking outputs since swapping from a CWB(A) to an IWB(A) - the next job is now making it all come together. Whatever the last month of this season brings, I know that the summer will likely see the most money committed of any window, for me, and will also see me - once again - attempt the laser focused approach that I know is needed to get the results at this top level. --- Forza La Dea! 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonic Youth Posted July 25, 2023 Share Posted July 25, 2023 An exciting end to the season with 5 to go! The Champions League second leg against Tottenham was a bit tough to watch I bet, with that Spurs equaliser just before fulltime and taking momentum into extra time scoring two more. Are you looking to move on Kean? He seems to contribute reasonably well for the minutes he plays. I guess the question I have about him is are they important goals or when scored are not really at a contributing point of games. When do you find out if the takeover starts? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 25, 2023 Author Share Posted July 25, 2023 2 hours ago, Sonic Youth said: An exciting end to the season with 5 to go! I've had a bit of time this morning to play and I can only say it gets even more so! 2 hours ago, Sonic Youth said: The Champions League second leg against Tottenham was a bit tough to watch I bet, with that Spurs equaliser just before fulltime and taking momentum into extra time scoring two more. Absolutely. I'd already started trying to see the game out and, given the congestion, had already made five subs by the time that they netted the equaliser in the 86th minute. With that, they just took over and I couldn't really change my game plan (from a very Emery-styled 6-2-1-1 defensive shape) for extra time as Pellegrini and Bruno as my most offensive wide men was just ineffectual. Again, lots to be learnt from this experience and we'll be back stronger. 2 hours ago, Sonic Youth said: Are you looking to move on Kean? He seems to contribute reasonably well for the minutes he plays. I guess the question I have about him is are they important goals or when scored are not really at a contributing point of games. Love this question. It's these kind of interactions that get me to dig deeper into the game and share what is happening within my world and my reasons. In the last twenty games, Kean has made 5(7) appearances for a total of 440 minutes - some 24% of the total playing time available to him. In that time, he's scored four goals - at 0.81 per game, just down on what he was doing at the start of the season but still a great number. His goals have come versus Genoa, Lyon, Roma and Cagliari; all three of the league goals were against weaker opposition but the Champions League goal was important, so I would certainly say that he's not padding his stats in any way. There is, however, definitely a clear shift in terms of the opponents he faces. When faced up against the bigger teams, this is how he's done: vs Napoli. Unused. vs Inter. 8 minutes. 0 shots vs Lyon.Unused vs Juventus. 15 minutes. 0 shots. 6.5 Rating vs Lyon. 58 minutes. 1 goal. 0.26xG. 7.2 Rating vs Tottenham. 7 minutes vs Tottenham. Unused vs Milan. Unused So definitely a sense of underuse but that, I think, comes from the fact he's rather similar to Zenga in how he plays and how he favours an AF(a) role. The answer to your question about moving him on is a no. I've tried Bisio (8 appearances in last twenty with an AR of 6.68) and he hasn't worked, taking time from Moise but also vindicating the fact that I need someone different. I think Kean can be an able deputy to Zenga when he needs a rest or when he's injured but not when we need to change the game plan. I have been working on a shorter term player to plug this gap and I'll share him with you in the next update. However, he's not a newgen and is fairly well known so open to guesses on what you think I've done and why?! 2 hours ago, Sonic Youth said: When do you find out if the takeover starts? No idea. However, trying to get all of my deals done early feels like the bold but sensible strategy anyway. He's been a really good owner so I'm hoping that any replacements do not rock the boat! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 25, 2023 Author Share Posted July 25, 2023 (edited) (Nearly all of) May 2032 Talk about a rollercoaster of a run in! All match reports can be seen in the spoiler, below: Spoiler We very nearly started the month off in the worst possible way, being, frankly, outplayed by Hellas Verona with only a Lanzo wonder goal saving our bacon. We looked lifeless and everything felt like it was just one pass too many or one silly run that left us offside, gifting the ball back to our hosts. The issue is becoming more and more clear against teams who want to maintain possession against us as well as playing with a relatively deep defensive line themselves. Our back luck continued then as we failed to capitalise on being slightly better against Sassuolo, but could not find the net. At this point, we sat two points behind Juventus and I felt somewhat demoralised. In gameweek 37, we came back to crush Cagliari and were delighted when Lecce frustrated Juventus, in a true 'FM-styled' game. Neck and neck heading into the last game and, after Juventus took the lead whilst we were still level, I feared the worse, again. Yet, Zenga's first and second put the game to bed and put us back in the driving seat. The final whilst came around and we were greeted by a lovely trophy presentation. Season over. Success. So I thought. Now, the rules of Serie A stipulate that a team level on points is then judged by their head to head record. Great. Except our home and away performances yielded the same scoreline so head to head could not even be used here. At home, we had the edge; away, they had the edge. Simply inseparable. Enter game 39. Not a playoff between 11th and 12th. A game that decides the title. Juventus - perennial winners against Atalanta: searching for their first Scudetto. A win is expected but I absolutely consider us outsiders! --- Forza La Dea! Edited July 25, 2023 by _Ben_ 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 25, 2023 Author Share Posted July 25, 2023 (End of) May 2032 I'm genuinely gutted. Not a game we deserved to lose but what a day for 30-goal man Zenga to decide he cannot hit the target. We've come so far in such a short space of time. The next quest is to ensure that we are prepared for everything. The smallest things make a huge difference. That's what will bring us the title next year. We'll lick our wounds and come back, with vengeance. 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lfds89 Posted July 25, 2023 Share Posted July 25, 2023 WOW! What an ending to the season! It's funny both you and Juventus have way more draws than 3rd and 4th. And I'm amazed by your only 8 goals conceded in such a good league. Brilliant! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 25, 2023 Author Share Posted July 25, 2023 1 hour ago, lfds89 said: WOW! What an ending to the season! Every emotion! I guess that's why I love playing FM so much. 1 hour ago, lfds89 said: It's funny both you and Juventus have way more draws than 3rd and 4th. And I'm amazed by your only 8 goals conceded in such a good league. Brilliant! My style has always been around building from a solid defence and Juve play that 3-4-3 shape so I guess I can see why we've got two good defences. I can also imagine that, similarly to us, Juve also have had a lot of games whereby they've been unlucky and where teams have just sat right off them and made it hard to break down. As I type, I'm clicking through June trying to solve those problems! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 26, 2023 Author Share Posted July 26, 2023 June 2032 No time to feel sorry for ourselves. This summer is imperative to getting the squad that little bit better and, as I've found out, that little bit more rounded, in order to compete on three fronts and to get one over on Juventus, after the pain they've just inflicted on us. With that, it's probably best to first introduce the three new players, who have already agreed to join on July 1st. You can see a full profile for each player by clicking on the thumbnail. I need options for when things don't quite go right. I think that these three moves - two Bosmans and the aforementioned €22m for Santos really display that. I like Cristian Pilenga but he was mainly brought in as a defensive minded player and even through watching Navarro, the Chilean, I think we can get away with some more industry. Therefore, bringing in a player who I enjoy watching in real life, still close to the peak of his powers, feels like a no-brainer, especially when he's taken a pay cut, accepted a squad role of Impact Sub and has cost no upfront fee. Alexis Mac Allister has spent the last ten years at Brighton, mainly in the top flight but has just been relegated, hence his decision to move elsewhere. Given that I started this save on the FM23 beta, I am still somewhat plagued by the youth development issue, even though I was told it was save game compatible. This means that the best players in the world are degrading much later and much slower than may be happening in other people's saves - not too gameworld-y but important in the context of this signing. Alexis will likely play the DM(d) role, particularly against teams that do sit deeper and do require a little bit more out-of-the-ordinary to break them down. Thanks to @Sonic Youth's recent post, I decided that Kean had been underused but was too similar to Zenga. Enter Lorenzo Lucca. I've never managed him before but in this gameworld, he's scored seventy four times for Valladolid in La Liga and is just so different to what I already have. He's big, strong, holds the ball up, will be a menace in the box and yet he can still finish and run off the ball really well. Obviously seeking a route back to Italy, he announced that he was going to explore his options at the end of his deal and I was then able to bring him in to provide that different option. I'm paying him less than what he's currently earning in Spain and he's aware that he'll be a fringe player. I think that this is a win-win deal for me. Pre-season will be interesting: we're not going to go long ball but if I can find a way of getting the ball to the man, rather than over the top of the defence, then we could be winning here - maybe a TF(s) is the answer... The next job is sorting out how the squad feels: Players in red are those capable of playing in more than one role in this tactic. Those in purple have been out of loan this season and Bisio, in green, was part of the team but I'm not willing to let him leave permanently, at this point - however, he's not in my first team plans for next season. I've identified twelve players who, with Carvalho's departure already confirmed, can bring me potentially €70m in transfer fees and save me over €150k p/w in wages. Obviously, some of that has gone on the three transfers above, but there is scope for furthers deals, should they be needed. Of those, many are just returning from loan but also hitting that 20/21 year old mark without having made an impact on the top levels of the game. Some, like Vinicius, are likely to leave for a loss but that, in the transfer game that we are moving into (read: €76m profit for one player in January) is fine - it's all about the risk. Most valuable in that list is Luca Pellegrini, who, at 33 and on €70k p/w, is a drain on resources as third choice full back. That money can absolutely be reinvested. I've just tipped into July in the save now as I write this but it does mean that my loanees are back and I can get a better picture of what I actually think of them. Firstly, and in the area I'm the shortest, is the left footed centre back: somewhat of a luxury it seems. Fusari is the first choice here: a key player in the side but I do not currently have the luxury to rest him or give him a reason to keep up his good form. Bringing through Andrea De Zerbi, fresh from a loan in Belgium - at St Truiden - is the easiest option here. He's just 19 and is a natural ball player but I need to balance out those loanees who have gone on to have success with those who haven't. If not, there could be a call for a move for either Fabio Chiaroda of Sassuolo or Beraldo from Santos - although getting them in as pretty much out and out backups may be tough. Next to consider is his namesake (but not related), Luca De Zerbi. He's been at SPAL and has been really impressive in Europe, but, like Bisio before him, less so in the league. A total of seventeen goal contributions, but only five of those in Serie A, is still great and he's certainly far more ready than Benedetti, who spent time at Chievo. He'll essentially be third choice on the left hand side and can also slot in as the central attacking midfielder, too, so i feel that his versatility may pay off. A wildcard in this is Kastriot Memaj - who is returning from a successful (9G, 3A in 31 apps) spell in Belgium with a struggling Cercle Brugge side. I've spoken about that different with Lorenzo Lucca and, whilst Lanzo and Costa both possess pace, neither are quite as quick off the mark as the Albanian international, who, looking at his report card - is consistent and loves a big match. He's a product of my academy, who, right now, isn't too valuable, and, therefore, would likely be happy to be a fringe player within the first team and used when needed. It's very low risk and certainly not a marquee signing, but he could give us something else in the last fifteen against tired full backs. With three first team strikers already - both Bisio and Fontana will return out on loan, for their third season, with the former already agreeing a loan to take him to Nashville, in the MLS and the latter extending his time at Udinese. I don't like actively keeping players who are ready for this level but with two strikers past thirty and one being somewhat experimental, I feel that it is justifiable. Both of these lads like playing on the last man and getting in behind so it's likely that they are both vying for the spot that Kean currently holds. Another South American striker is Drzewiecki, who hasn't really impressed me - despite notching twenty goals for Vizela. Far too raw and inconsistent at the moment; will almost certainly move out again but I would very much be tempted with a future fee included. Furthermore, I'd like to see De Toni, Di Martino, Valtulina, Uria and Giovagnoli go out on loan again whilst looking at the older players: Poli, Cangelosi, Galli, Henriques, Muratori - all of whom are 19 and are still yet to taste first team football. I'd like to leave fifteen or so players in each of my youth squads to really focus on their development with a further 10/15 out on loan. What this is doing, however, is having a huge impact on the development clubs of my first team squad. A couple of smart deals and we could be getting very close with this squad! We've just reached the 1st July 2032 and I can already sit and look at two full squads with three utility players in there: This feels good! Forza La Dea! 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lestri Posted July 26, 2023 Share Posted July 26, 2023 Something beautiful about the 25 man squad! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 26, 2023 Author Share Posted July 26, 2023 8 hours ago, Lestri said: Something beautiful about the 25 man squad! Oh yeah! I normally have used squads of 17-20 with a lot of extra coming from the youth setup but both believe that we need considerable more depth and am spoilt by the youth we have means that I can go a little bigger. I've always struggled with squad rotation and squad management so that's another bump in the road for me to overcome on the way to the Scudetto! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 26, 2023 Author Share Posted July 26, 2023 July 2032 With the squad almost decided - Berardo being a no-go due to him not accepting a contract as a squad player and Chiaroda costing upwards of €30m - we set off for the USA for a string of friendlies following a quick friendly against our feeder team, Sudtirol. A squad of forty men was selected for the trip, of which we've played the first two friendlies of. Full details can be seen by clicking on the images below. I like to really get in depth with different things across the save and, coming off the back of some development and recruitment stuff, it's always nice to think tactically, even if it's in games that we are - and should be - winning at a canter. I feel that meaningless friendlies against local amateur sides are utterly meaningless as there is nothing learnt and only goals scored. However, I had no say in the game against Serie C side Sudtirol, whose lineup included Poli, the youngster I'd just sent on loan to them. With the slight tactical adjustment in the latter part of the season working pretty well, allowing Joao Roberto more license to get forward, I wanted to explore just how far I could take that. I tend to watch the games in pretty high amount of detail and keep some notes but, when we're winning - as we have done in the league a lot over the past couple of years - the tendency is to somewhat sweep the things under the rug and move on, getting the three points. Even in the Sudtirol tie, I was disappointed with the attacking positioning and, in fact the overall shape was disjointed - not the 3-box-3 that I think creates the most space to move the ball quickly between the lines. I know that the formation feels pretty hipster right now as Pep, Klopp and De Zerbi are coming up with their versions of it, but, for our style and the pace and power we have going forward, I really think that it's useful. My first thought was to look at what Ragatzu was doing as a WM(s) - so I looked at what his role suggests. Clearly, a WP(s) felt more appropriate for this role and, by tweaking the marking roles of the Mez(a) as well as using the underlap left instruction, keeping the IWB(a) on Positive and the WP(s) also on Positive - without it, he was on Attacking and that'd only further disrupt the box/diamond shape, I felt that I would have an answer to this. I did not, necessarily, however I was treated to the absolute carnage that Santos and Zenga produced together. Fun times could be ahead. Against Charlotte, I did manage to do what I wanted and a perfect 3-box-3 shape was achieved, however, that was for a matter of seconds and it used an asymmetrical formation - something that I would say I'm against, given that the AI does not use them. The Miami tie saw an entirely different shape - a 4-3-3. I must say that the overall positions with the ball looked great and there were numerous good examples of the box midfield with Ragatzu employing the CM(s) with 'Get Forward More Often' ticked. I watched pretty intently at his play in, ironically, his worst game of the summer so far, as seen below: I switched between the CM(a) and CM(s) role - not wanting to use the playmaker role if I could help it and came to the conclusion that the CM(s) sits off the front line a little bit more, waiting for the ball to get into the final third before driving towards the box: the perfect tip to the midfield diamond, in my eyes. However, one of the reservations of the 4-3-3 has always been the defensive positioning following a turnover and that was evident here. We've conceded a phenomenal nineteen goals in the last seventy-six league games with this 4-1-4-1 shape, scoring 140; I don't want to rush into changes that may impact this but I do feel that I need more strings to the tactical bow. This shape seems to create a bit more confusion - granted, there was a penalty and a Mac Allister free kick in the Miami tie but we had some great chances on the counter but I can't let us become more defensively fragile - although neither goal came from anything to actually worry about. I think that this shape needs to be tried out against tougher, Serie A level opposition before I either write it off or try and integrate it properly. There are many positives to it but I must take them with a pinch of salt considering the main reason we're in the southern part of the USA is to generate some extra income, rather than play against top quality opposition. Those times will come. --- I've purposely front-loaded the minutes for Zenga and Kean here, giving Lorenzo Lucca just 17 in total. Now I've come a little closer to a conclusion with this shape and style, I want to move on to looking at how I can make that different to include the power and height of the Italian forward. I have four more friendlies in which to do that: Forza La Dea! 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 28, 2023 Author Share Posted July 28, 2023 August 2032 Full match reports can be found by clicking the thumbnails, above. We end our trip to the USA with a simple win against Tampa Bay Rowdies but, quite annoyingly, end conceding in every game. I decided to change the style slightly and give Lorenzo Lucca ninety minutes. To do that, I slowed the tempo a little and increased the passing length, floating crosses in a little earlier. Both of his goals came from these opportunities and a knock down was blasted in by Kean for a third contribution for the big striker. It's early but I am confident that this change of plan could be vital going forward. For the visit of Chievo, I opted for the same 4-3-3 shape but back to the traditional style in order to iron out a few things against some more familiar foe. I think I've settled on the IF(s)/IW(a) combo on the wings, as you'll see. I have set both wingers to mark the ML/MR areas so that they tuck back in and help us defensively but I like that our out of possession shape can quickly change into an aggressive, transitional shape within three or four seconds. There was a time when Wisdom Amey became Levi Colwell as we looked to bait the press with his boot on the ball. This move, actually, led to this position within just two passes and Sottil netted our second: I feel that this may be vertical enough. The last screenshot is maybe even better: it shows Fusari stepping out with the ball and then breaking the lines with a pass to Zenga, who then feeds in Memaj to score. What I like most is that we tend to build down the left more, as that is the side of the IWB(a) and the side that Fusari - the target of the goal kicks - is on, but having the AF(a) and IW(a) both on the right hand side makes a nice little overload. Once the centre back had committed to follow Zenga, he was 1v1 as was Memaj, who, as I spoke about before, is lightning quick. Once we are in that situation, nobody is catching my winger and he was left with a pretty simple finish. I guess that the only thing missing here is having the ability to switch that around and build up on the right. I think both Amey and Bruno are capable of doing that job and Pacifico is actually right footed anyway - it'll just be finding a solid enough outside left centre back, who is left footed. Potentially Andrea De Zerbi could be that man but I'll wait to see how the shape works on the left before jumping to conclusions here. With the trio of Costa, Bruno and Luca De Zerbi back from the Olympics, I put them all to the test in the toughest pre-season tie, against Betis - not for match fitness but for tactical understanding. It was Costa who assisted the opener for Zenga before a Ragatzu penalty made the scoreline safe. This is exactly what I want from my football here: letting Betis have the ball but offering little to no threat but always having the option of Zenga and our other advanced players. Marzio completed just six passes but still managed two shots on target and a goal. The epitome of an advanced forward showing up in the most complete performance of the pre-season! A rotated squad ran out as fairly comfortable winners against Como to end the pre-season with a 100% record! The only point of contention here was my thoughts about playing as a 10 after Moise Kean was sent off for an utterly horrific challenge. I've no answers to this which can be carried over, but I do need to really consider what to do in what circumstance. We only recorded one red card last season - the league lowest - so it's not a common occurrence, but, ultimately, one that needs a plan just incase... --- Full match reports can be found by clicking the thumbnails, above. An opening day win against a good side. Our first goal again felt like a tactical win: we've occupied their defenders with a clever run from Navarro that has left Santos and Zenga 1v1 with their defenders and Ragatzu driving forward. His clever pass through the half space was met by Santos, who deftly chipped the keeper for a debut goal. The second also felt good too - asking Pilenga, the DM, to take the throw in, allowing the three man rest defence to stay as well as some 'considered confusion' of asking the LB to stand on the near post meant that we were hard to mark and, eventually, when the ball came into substitute Costa, he finished with aplomb. The whole game was key for me - so soon after our dismal performance that probably cost us the league title at the end of last year, so it was good to see how the new midfield worked. With eleven progressive passes for Ragatzu and eight dribbles for Navarro, we still felt positive and direct without feeling gung-ho and letting the dangerous attacking threat of Verona to have a chance. We still need to be better with our shot selection - nine attempts from outside the box for a combined 0.42xG - just 0.046xG/shot would back up my claim that, if we don't catch them quite on the break, our high tempo game does lead to this. However, it's about balancing it out and, when this type of shot becomes the norm, adapting the way we play: in the case, Lorenzo Lucca. The joy of a strong win is that I am not forced into any changes. With Jose Cristiano now fit, I chose to not start him, keeping faith with Navarro and trying to create some deep rooted competition within my first team. Another point I'm trying to make is picking players on training performance - which meant Pacifico (9.00) rating, got the nod over Joao Roberto (6.85). Whilst I can't tell Joao that, I can tell Antonio that he's trained well and hope that it clicks to why he got a starting berth. Also forcing my hand was a six week lay off for Lucca, which will hopefully not be a sign of his time at the club. With that being said, I was still able to name a strong lineup for the big derby game against newly-promoted Brescia. The result was never really in doubt but, again, there are some things to pick out: our first goal was, again, through some overloads on the right in the initial build up before a quick switch of play and our second was when you allow a playmaker with the ability of Ragatzu have all the space and time to drive forward but our shooting - a 1.48xG underperformance may come back to haunt us against better teams. The early season league table brings nothing to note except for us being above Juve. Piacenza are the only newly promoted side to get a victory in their opening two games, demolishing Pescara on the opening day. Interestingly, our xG stats (4 goals from 5.43) are quite similar - in terms of underperformance - to Juve's three goals from 4.97xG. Likewise, Napoli have 4.82xG with only three goals to show. ---- Our Champions League group phase fixtures have been drawn and we've, somehow, managed to get both sides of el Classico, which will probably see our 100% record from last year not followed through. Big spending AEK - now with the combined €100m+ Daramy, Schlotterback and Sohm adding to their array of riches have to visit, as do Legia and Athletic with the first two - hopefully - being pretty simple wins. Travelling to Eindhoven and Liege, for a club with ambitions to win the title, should see us bringing back six points too although the Lyon tie will, undoubtedly be a tough one. The first big tie of the season comes when we travel to the San Siro to face Inter, who haven't done much to improve this summer, if I'm honest... Forza La Dea! 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted July 30, 2023 Author Share Posted July 30, 2023 September 2032 Full match reports can be found by clicking the thumbnails, above. A month where I've stepped away from the detailing writing and just enjoyed the playing. I must say that the move to the more traditional 4-3-3 shape has helped immensely, as we are able to create tactical shapes and danger that I was beginning to feel would be impossible to do. I am in the process of recreating this on the other side, working out who is best placed to become the third centre back when we attack - likely to be De Zerbi at present. I will then look at ways in which it is sensible to move between these shapes, countering strong left or right hand sides of the opposition, watching them to work out their in-game roles. Once that is done, I want to look at how we can create different shapes in the build up: maybe turning the diamond to more of a box with a double pivot in a 4-3-2-1 shape. More thoughts and ideas in a season that must just continue to offer the (near) perfection that is has done. In the league, we've been amazing - running riot against Genoa and Sassuolo but also being able to grind out victories, such as that against ten man Inter. We've looked a little off in the Champions League, failing to overcome AEK until substitute Memaj did exactly what I wanted for him to do - run at tired defenders. A defeat at the Bernabeu ended the month in, probably, expected fashion. With news of our standing within elite player development, I wanted to highlight the performances again of Daniele Ragatzu, who, whichever statistic, below, you look at, is excelling: Assist scatter graph Positional contributions FBREF styled metrics against attacking midfielders It certainly feels a lot like 'whatever we can do, Juve can do, better' but we've done everything that we can to start well and pull away from the likes of Milan and Inter. If this season, again, comes down to a two-horse race, then so be it; I know we're a better team than last year based on both my input into the game at the moment and how we're performing. I'd really like to continue our 100% record looking at the fixtures for October, but time will tell! Forza La Dea! 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lfds89 Posted July 30, 2023 Share Posted July 30, 2023 Solid start to the season. Good luck! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted August 1, 2023 Author Share Posted August 1, 2023 On 31/07/2023 at 00:39, lfds89 said: Solid start to the season. Good luck! Thank you! I must say that this is fast becoming my favourite part of the story. I love the initial takeover and sorting a team out but we're at the point where I know we have to be almost perfect and really analysing the 'why' behind why we are or aren't perfect brings me a lot of joy when playing this game! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted August 1, 2023 Author Share Posted August 1, 2023 October 2032 Full match reports can be found by clicking the thumbnails, above. An unbeaten October, yet two draws which, hopefully, won't come back to haunt us at the end of the season. Bologna really frustrated us and, even though some tinkering - mirroring the usual 3-box-3 to the side to try and exploit any kind of weakness just did not work. Points on the road are important, but, again, that conversation around a shot xG of just 0.05 is a concern: we're not able to break through teams who naturally sit back against us. We'll find that happening much more as time goes on and is already pretty evident in the fact that the majority of games this season so far have seen us have more of the ball than our opponents - a big change from the Atalanta underdogs that we were the season before last and even into last season. Gerardo Seoane and, usually, Marko Milovanoic have long been a thorn in my side but the combination of the training week - focusing on aerial defence and more defensive shape, below - as well as some clever tactical instructions - using Okoli to man mark - meant that we were rather dominant. Some pleasing Champions League progress following with two of the best goals I'll see all season: Mac Allister from 25 yards, showing that he's still a dead ball master, which gave us the lead eighteen minutes after Telletxea produced an immaculate lob over Carnesecchi's head from near thirty yards out. The goal that Harry Souttar scored was far less pleasing - a free header from a corner. A slightly tweaked shape - trying to create different type of 3-box-3 shape, using a double pivot and aggressive, wide, wingbacks led to Andrea Bruno being the furthest man forward and taking advantage of a rare opportunity in front of goal. The month ended with another draw, and, annoyingly, another set piece goal as Plesko nodded in. I need to spend some time working through what has gone wrong in these goals and whether we're training these situations enough. Clearly, teams are now seeing that we're virtually impenetrable in open play so they need to find another way through and set plays may be that way. Our equaliser was scored by Jose Cristiano, who himself becomes a contender for goal of the season with a screamer from twenty-five yards. I've been really impressed with the competition that I've built between him and Navarro in the centre of midfield, as seen here: Two tireless, tenacious players who will cover ground and help in all phases of play, yet, still offering slightly different options for me. Jose is more suited to progressing the ball and advancing towards an end target whereas Navarro also possesses a bit more bite in the tackle. Importantly, one is left footed (Navarro), whilst the other is right and that means I can quite easily switch the method of attacking whilst maintaining a wider option who is suitable on the outside. Likewise, I can play both at the bottom of the diamond if I need to add a bit more progressive action from deeper, although I haven't quite considered who would play ahead of them - maybe Ragatzu in a 4-2-3-1 - with these two as the double pivot. I'm happy with where we are in the league at present. I've said it a lot but we have to be perfect. That includes capitalising on mistakes. Juve lost and we didn't. Perfect. We are ahead, albeit by one point but that's enough at the end of the season. Behind us, Napoli are the most unfortunate team in the league but it is Roma - now under Roberto De Zerbi - who are much better than last season under Steven Gerrard and actually playing some nice football. In a hark back to olden days, Fiorentina are there, too and gave us a pretty good match last time out. Milan and Inter have started really slowly whilst Lecce and Verona, the two surprises of last season have not fared as well, yet. A tougher month with a visit from Napoli and a trip to Lyon. I'm excited for what we can do! Forza La Dea! 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryninho Posted August 1, 2023 Share Posted August 1, 2023 this skin you've made (im guessing youve made it) is ridiculously cool. I think the screenshots of the different bits in your game with this skin make the experience of reading the thread so much better and actually motivates me to play the game in a similar way rather than my usual 'plug and play' style of fm. Great work. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich ruzzian Posted August 2, 2023 Share Posted August 2, 2023 Is it just me or are the pictures not working @_Ben_ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lfds89 Posted August 2, 2023 Share Posted August 2, 2023 15 minutos atrás, rich ruzzian disse: Is it just me or are the pictures not working @_Ben_ I can see all of them Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonic Youth Posted August 2, 2023 Share Posted August 2, 2023 38 minutes ago, rich ruzzian said: Is it just me or are the pictures not working @_Ben_ Lately I have some working, some not showing the cover picture, some not showing either. I’m using an iphone. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted August 2, 2023 Author Share Posted August 2, 2023 15 hours ago, Ryninho said: this skin you've made (im guessing youve made it) is ridiculously cool. I think the screenshots of the different bits in your game with this skin make the experience of reading the thread so much better and actually motivates me to play the game in a similar way rather than my usual 'plug and play' style of fm. Great work. Thank you, so much. Yes the skin is made by me and, the more I post, the more ideas I have to create thing within the skin that I can share. It's certainly meant that I've had to split the time between playing and skinning but, for FM24 - at least - I hope it'll be worth it! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted August 2, 2023 Author Share Posted August 2, 2023 2 hours ago, Sonic Youth said: Lately I have some working, some not showing the cover picture, some not showing either. I’m using an iphone. I've had some issues. On my phone, for example, I can't see any images from my January 2032 update but I can on my PC. Not sure what is going on... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted August 3, 2023 Author Share Posted August 3, 2023 November 2032 All in all, a pretty strong November as we continue to push on across both fronts. Some interesting takeaways included the 4-2-3-1 shape that I started with against Legia, although the VOL(s) quickly turned to VOL(a). Furthermore, I remembered the issues with the IWB when already playing a double pivot - that, basically, he won't invert. However, the 'box' shape was evident, but not quite as clear. The game was made far more memorable though when somehow Ragatzu picked out Zenga for his second. The rest of the month ebbed and flowed: a poor draw with Pescara before a left wing overload - using the 4-2-3-1 shape with an IF(s) and SS(a) - the latter in the AMLC slot, causing enough trouble to see us take a late lead against a resilient Sampdoria side. I think that I am at peace now with my decision to sell Gavi last summer and I really feel that Daniele Ragatzu has grown into those shoes. You can see below how they have performed this season, when compared with other attacking minded midfielders across the big leagues: Certainly, Daniele is holding his own! I wanted to take it a little further and extrapolate some data in Microsoft Excel. I've spoken a lot about my tactical play and how I like to take risks to move the ball forward aggressively. I wanted to see how my midfielders were doing compared to the aforementioned Gavi, and the two best midfielders in the world right now: Ilaix Moriba and Jude Bellingham. To create this data, I collated the players progressive passes and dribbles (assuming that most are forward in nature) in order to create a 'Progressive' measure and combined that with the amount of times they lose possession, indicating how safe or risky they are. The dotted lines show the median (50th percentile) values for each. The percentile next to each name is possession lost (1st percentile is most lost and 99th is least) on the left and progressive actions (1st percentile least progressive and 99th most progressive) on the right: To have all three of my central midfielders in the top three percent of European midfielders in terms of progressive play is fantastic. Their job is to win the ball and take it up field towards an Advanced Forward, who offers little in the build up play and they are doing just that. It's interesting to see that Gavi progresses the ball much less - although that is somewhat less of a surprise when you see that it's still a Pep team that he plays for. Whilst both Jude and Ilaix are slightly different types of players to the three I've highlighted, I would like to see a reduction in the number of times that my trio lose the ball but that can't come at the expense of their ability to get the ball forward quickly. --- Things are looking good! We sit three points atop of the league with a health goal difference and doing well. Still, the two Milan sides struggle and - as of yet - Verona and Lecce have not made a move. Napoli are the most unlucky side, with an xG underperformance of nearly 8.00 and they should, statistically, sit third. I've been tracking a lot of our metrics across the season and they'll show up in various reports as I go but I wanted to focus in on the below statistics, which are created taking a five-game rolling average of the statistic. As you can see, we started the season off creating a load of xG - the 3.48xG against Brescia in gameweek two was a season high for us and, naturally, it has tailed off. We've had a couple of frustrating draws - creating 1.5xG against Lazio and scoring once was the only time that we've scored but underperformed on xG: vs Fiorentina we accrued 0.6xG for our 1-1 draw. These things are promising. I've spoken about the low xG/shot ratio and I'm happy to see that, of late, that's catching up a little. I have every faith that steady rotation and encouraging good form will keep my forwards in form now that they're being presented with better opportunities. December is tough! I look at those badges and see a plethora of teams I like: Roma, because, well, why wouldn't you?! And Totti, De Rossi, Balbo, Montella etc etc; Barcelona, because, Messi; Palermo because they were one of my first Italian ventures: pink kit and representing Sicily. However, I need to do well against these sides. I want at least eight points in the league and, with that, should head into Christmas top of the league! Forza La Dea! 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lfds89 Posted August 4, 2023 Share Posted August 4, 2023 I like that "Progressive Action x Possession Lost". Will use it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted August 4, 2023 Share Posted August 4, 2023 I love that data marker Ben. It certainly looks as if your midfielders like to break the lines something I’ve been a lot more interested in this years game. This year I’ve been trying to be more direct/progressive than my usual positional play. I’ve actually really enjoyed creating the style, I would say it’s more gegenpressing than how you play. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted August 8, 2023 Author Share Posted August 8, 2023 (edited) On 04/08/2023 at 09:17, lfds89 said: I like that "Progressive Action x Possession Lost". Will use it. On 04/08/2023 at 20:25, SixPointer said: I love that data marker Ben. It certainly looks as if your midfielders like to break the lines something I’ve been a lot more interested in this years game. This year I’ve been trying to be more direct/progressive than my usual positional play. I’ve actually really enjoyed creating the style, I would say it’s more gegenpressing than how you play. Thanks, both. It's been a metric I've been toying with for some time and I've even considered 'skinning it' - by creating some kind of visual that shows their power of progression. Whilst we're still direct, we're becoming far more normal with our pressing - as you can see from this rolling average I've collated this season. We're pressing less than the average of our opponents but those numbers - if I had the raw data from last season, for example - would certainly show an increase. The use of OI to create pressing triggers (mainly through focus pressing/forcing on to foot/more aggressive PI) has seen that number increase from the days where I'd purposely want to sit off. Plus, teams are now seeing us as a 'big team' and are, as such, playing more direct themselves as the underdog, lessening their touches of the ball before they meet our low/mid block. There are times, however, when we are very much the Atalanta of old... Let Barca keep the ball (look at the state of their pass map!) and make ourselves hard to break down before being clinical. The result? 5-1 to us! Edited August 8, 2023 by _Ben_ 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted August 8, 2023 Share Posted August 8, 2023 2 hours ago, _Ben_ said: Thanks, both. It's been a metric I've been toying with for some time and I've even considered 'skinning it' - by creating some kind of visual that shows their power of progression. Whilst we're still direct, we're becoming far more normal with our pressing - as you can see from this rolling average I've collated this season. We're pressing less than the average of our opponents but those numbers - if I had the raw data from last season, for example - would certainly show an increase. The use of OI to create pressing triggers (mainly through focus pressing/forcing on to foot/more aggressive PI) has seen that number increase from the days where I'd purposely want to sit off. Plus, teams are now seeing us as a 'big team' and are, as such, playing more direct themselves as the underdog, lessening their touches of the ball before they meet our low/mid block. There are times, however, when we are very much the Atalanta of old... Let Barca keep the ball (look at the state of their pass map!) and make ourselves hard to break down before being clinical. The result? 5-1 to us! I love how much you stifled them. Giving them the ball but not letting hem penetrate. You’ve created a very potent style of football. And you said I was the tactics guy? I think you’ve take that mantle and added it to your data and skinning exploits. Tremendous Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Ben_ Posted August 8, 2023 Author Share Posted August 8, 2023 35 minutes ago, SixPointer said: I love how much you stifled them. Giving them the ball but not letting hem penetrate. You’ve created a very potent style of football. And you said I was the tactics guy? I think you’ve take that mantle and added it to your data and skinning exploits. Tremendous Appreciate it! A lot of writing inspiration has come from you though, the tactics guy. I'm really enjoying the laser focused tactical approach this season as it means that I'm both learning more and more about the match engine and my team but also developing a new found love for yet another thing in FM! I'm so happy that I've been able to translate a lot of my own data collation into the game through skinning as that's saved me so much time. My favourite little piece of late has been this addition to the analyst report: Using the same 'contribution' metrics that I use for my own players, I can really get a realistic picture of the way that each player plays, putting together their role, attributes and traits with their actual on-pitch outputs. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SixPointer Posted August 8, 2023 Share Posted August 8, 2023 3 hours ago, _Ben_ said: Appreciate it! A lot of writing inspiration has come from you though, the tactics guy. I'm really enjoying the laser focused tactical approach this season as it means that I'm both learning more and more about the match engine and my team but also developing a new found love for yet another thing in FM! I'm so happy that I've been able to translate a lot of my own data collation into the game through skinning as that's saved me so much time. My favourite little piece of late has been this addition to the analyst report: Using the same 'contribution' metrics that I use for my own players, I can really get a realistic picture of the way that each player plays, putting together their role, attributes and traits with their actual on-pitch outputs. The level you take the skin to excellent. I think if I hadn’t being doing another happel challenge which I need to keep increasing my game and writing speed I would shift to the skin. But it can’t give it my full attention, and it woulda be wasted. I’m speed playing for the first time ever well what feels like speed playing to me 🤣 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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