[FM23] THE CROWN OF ARAGON

[MattyLewis11]

Thanks @SixPointer I really enjoyed pulling this one together, hopefully Yeremy can continue his progress both on and off the field across season two and break into the national side. 

Parejo will still hold the number 10 shirt when it comes to assigning shirt numbers, Yeremy can get that next season (S3) if he can get over 15 assist.

5 hours ago, GIMN said:

How has Pino's decision making been in that regard?

He has a pass completion rate of 75% when compared to the other leaders in terms of open play key passes is a little below his peers as documented above. I think if he can get this to 80% that is my preference. One in five misplaced passes is better than one in four, I have at times been a little frustrated with some of his passes.

However, at times he has only had one player to hit, hence the changes to the tactic to help support his outputs.

10 hours ago, Hootieleece said:

Might want to add tries tricks

This is next on my wishlist, can't wait for him to become the finished article, it's like I am building my Frankenstein haha 

[MattyLewis11]

Pre-Season 2023/24

Pre-season has been grand, we followed the recent approach as laid out by our friends over at 'View From The Touchline' which is basically four days training two match days (A and B squad) and one days rest. 

If applied over a four week schedule the level of opposition should scale up from significantly weaker to strong. However, we only managed to fit in two weeks of games before playing Lyon in a testimonial before heading to England to play Leicester and Chelsea .

I must say this approach is bang on and ALL players have a good level of match sharpness heading into the new season. 

Transfers Out 

The first player to leave the club in the summer was 22-year-old Gambian international Nicholas Jackson, English Premier League side Aston Villa put in a bid of £15 million for the player (who was happy to move, meeting our criteria), which we managed to inflate to £21 million. A win , win for all as prior to this deal our transfer budget going into season two was just over £3 million. 

I decided that I wasn't going to give Alberto Moreno a squad place for the 2023/24 season which triggered the Spaniard to hand in a transfer request. We already have two competent left-sided wing-backs at the club in Alfonso Pedraza and Johan Mojica and also have promoted Dani Tasende from the Cantera to provide additional competition. Fiorentina offered £8.25 million which I swiftly accepted, we wish Alberto all the best as he continues his journey in Serie A, he has now played in four of the top five leagues in Europe. 

Manu Trigueros stood by his decision (wanted to explore his options) and has signed for Real Sociedad on loan, there is an agreed mandatory future fee of £3 million for the 31-year-old who hasn't drawn down a first-team squad position, from the look of his absent squad number. 

The final player to leave the club this summer was Boulaye Dia, the 26-year-old from Senegal has signed a year long loan deal with Real Sociedad before the mandatory future fee of £6.25 million kicks in. The striker was on loan with Salernitana from Serie A last season, who opted to not take up his optional transfer fee. 

We did receive a bid of £22 million for Fer Nino on deadline day from Tottenham, fortunately for us his agent was open to discussing a deal which matched Tottenham's, thankfully he wanted to stay with us. However the interest has boosted his wage to £56k per week, making him our fourth highest earner.  

 

Transfers In 

A pretty decent window for the club, no big names on the table. However I feel we have acquired players which will both be able to do the job and are individuals who are undervalued.

• Joan González was the first player through the doors, as previously documented we picked up the 21-year-old from Lecce for free. The player from Sant Cugat del Valles is mentally strong and well rounded physically which should see him cope with the demands of La Liga. 
• Álex Collado joins us from Barcelona for an agreed fee of £3.3 million, The 24-year-old from Sabadell is our Giovani Lo Celso replacement and he is technically gifted (Dribbling 16, First Touch 15, Passing 14 , and Technique 16). He also has some excellent mental attributes (Flair 17, Off the Ball 15, and Determination 15). Collado is comfortable playing anywhere across the AM strata and is both a consistent performer and enjoys big matches. 
• Iker Bravo has agreed to join us on loan from Bayer Leverkusen, at only 18 years of age he could be seen as one for the future. However, I feel with Jackson leaving there is a support role for him as an Advanced Forward. We managed to secure a £6.5 million optional future fee for the player from Sant Cugat del Valles, which could turn out to be an absolute steal.
• Dani Tasende joins us from the B Team given the sale of Alberto (mentioned above). The 23-year-old is by far the most defensive left-sided wing-back we have and I feel that his services could certainly be called upon, given that he offers something different. 
• Filip Jörgensen is the second player called up to the first-team for the season (keeping my promise). The 21-year-old Swede will play second string after we released Pepe Reina from the club (40 years of age).

*Note - all three players signed are from the Crown of Aragon, this takes our first team percentage up to 33%, a 10% rise from last season. Our representatives in the first team are Pau Torres, Raúl Albiol, Kiko Femenia, Joan González, Manu Morlanes, Alex Collado, Gerard Moreno, Carlo Adriano and Iker Bravo.

Alberto Del Moral and Diego Collado both have been loaned out to Ponferradina and Tenerife to ensure they both gain experience in La Liga SmartBank after our B Team were relegated to the Spanish third tier.

 

UEFA Champions League Draw

A tough draw in the Champions League, we will look to secure maximum points against Ludogorets, the Bulgarian side managed by Ante Šimundža, and then see where our luck lies against the likes of Inter and Bayer Leverkusen. 

 

 

[danielgear]

3 hours ago, MattyLewis11 said:

Pre-season has been grand, we followed the recent approach as laid out by our friends over at 'View From The Touchline' which is basically four days training two match days (A and B squad) and one days rest. 

If applied over a four week schedule the level of opposition should scale up from significantly weaker to strong. However, we only managed to fit in two weeks of games before playing Lyon in a testimonial before heading to England to play Leicester and Chelsea .

I must say this approach is bang on and ALL players have a good level of match sharpness heading into the new season. 

Love it Matty, glad it worked for you and you saw the same benefits 

[MattyLewis11]

August 2023

The fixtures generator has been kinder to us this season, we don't have to play last seasons top three back to back. This season we play Betis and Real Madrid in September and Barcelona in November. However, we still have a horrible close to the season...

I guess if we are going to secure another top four finish we will need to be consistent in the league, which means there is no place to hide.

Our only two fixtures in August were at home to Mallorca and away to Getafe. Fer Niño started the campaign off from where he left off with a hat-trick against Mallorca (scoring a perfect 10) and a brace against Getafe.

Pau Torres scored two goals, both stemming from set-pieces (one corner, one in-direct set piece) his positioning is almost identical for both. 

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The first full month of competitive fixtures isn't the easiest, we could well close the month with just a single victory if we aren't on our game. 

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La Liga Transfer Movements 

I am aware that I didn't provide you with a little update on the rest of La Liga and any significant transfer activity from within the league.

Marco Asensio joined Manchester City for a fee of £57 million which could rise to £68 million, the Spaniard has expressed his joys to be working under Pep Guardiola.

Ferran Torres has signed for Liverpool for £56 million, the versatile forward could lead the line at Liverpool after Roberto Firmino left  the club on a free transfer to PSG.

Javi Galán was the highest internal transfer joining Barcelona from Celta for £24.5 million, the left-sided wing back will provide competition for ageing Jordi Alba and Marcos Alonso.

Matteo Lovato was the highest external transfer joining José Mourinho's Club Atlético de Madrid from Salernitana for £8.25 million.

[MattyLewis11]

September 2023

Here we go then a full month of fixtures to sink our teeth into along with our very first Champions League game at the helm of The Yellow Submarine. 

Villarreal 2-0 Huesca

Iker Bravo was handed his Villarreal debut against newly promoted Huesca and the 18-year-old delivered by scoring both of our goals. 

Defensive Midfielder Joan Gonzalez put in a tackling masterclass winning three more duels than any other Villarreal player as he completed five tackles.

MOTM: Iker Bravo (2 goals)

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Villarreal 2-1 Real Betis Balompié

We managed to continue our good run of form at home against Betis, the result now gives us the edge when it comes to the head to head. Although the result did flatter us a little as Betis came out best in the following areas.

• shots 15 to 10
• shots on target 6 to 5
• expected goals 1.9 to 1.45
• tackles won 84% to 74% 
• kilometres run 134 to 131

Fortunately we had more of the ball in the final third and with strikers in great form, goals from Nino and Moreno was enough to secure us the three points.

MOTM: Gerard Moreno (1 goal, 1 assist)

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Villarreal 5-0 Bayer Leverkusen

I could not have wished for a better start to my debut UCL match with The Yellow Submarine, I don't think anyone could have seen this result on the cards.

Yeremy Pino was at his creative best, contributing to two assists from his five key passes. Whilst Fer Nino marked his debut in the Champions League by scoring a hat-trick and walking away with the match ball.

MOTM: Gerard Moreno (2 goals, 2 assists, and 3 clear cut chances)

*on a side note I have seen some slight changes in the role of the CF (Support) since the update has taken place, the changes has made the role appear to play slightly more aggressive and is reflecting in the increase in goals scored, not that I am complaining.

The result also secures the club an additional £2.4 million in prize money.

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Athletic Club 3-3 Villarreal

Despite fielding a rotated side, given we play Real Madrid in three days time, we should have no excuse for throwing away a two goal lead in a game which we 100% deserved to win.

Credit must go to Athletic Club who never gave up and 'Super Sub' Nico Serrano for his brace at the death.

Goal scorers were Pino, Moreno and Bravo, in a second-half which seen both goalkeepers pick the ball out of their net three times each.

MOTM: Samuel Chukwueze (2 assists, 8 key passes, 3 clear cut chances) 

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Villarreal 1-1 Real Madrid

We have become to rely upon our home form since starting the save and today we once again showed how important it is to make your home a fortress. 

We managed eight shots in the oppositions box with three of them testing Thibaut Courtois and one beating him, whilst Madrid had an equal record. 

MOTM: Yeremy Pino (6 key passes, 1 goal)

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The La Liga table at this early point in the season, with only three teams remaining undefeated (Real Madrid, Villarreal and Valencia). 

As for the individual data Fer Niño is a goal behind Robert Lewandowski, whilst topping the average ratings chart. Granada feature highly across all three categories with Football Manager favourite Matias Arezo doing bits with Granada, along with veteran José Callejón.

Three away games before returning home to the Estadio de La Cerámica to close the month, I am going to look to switch up the documentation of the save going forward by providing results blocked together for the month as I look to get a few more games in and focus on providing detail surrounding areas which I deep dive into whilst playing the game. 

[MattyLewis11]

October 2023

We remain undefeated in La Liga across the month of October, you will be able to see from the above results we opted to play a heavily rotated side against Levante, the only dropped points from the month. Apart from that is was business pretty much as usual, we were never behind on the scoresheet and edged it when looking at the pitch tilt, with more passes in the final third, than against.

Fer Niño continues his form in front of goal, the striker has scored nine goals in seven appearances, these have come from 30 shots, a 30% conversion rate. 

One challenge which we are struggling with is to find the long-term partner for Pau Torres at the heart of our defence due to the age (38-years-old) and decline of the Spaniard.

When pulling together some of the outputs you can see a massive difference in quality when comparing the aerial duels success rate with Pau Torres dominating, Jorge Cuenca is in second place nine percent down on Torres. 

The issue with starting Jorge Cuenca as Pau Torres defensive partner is that Jorge is also left-footed which means we don't have a good balance for progressing the ball from the back. Aissa Mandi and Raul are our right-footed options, we could well need to look to the market for a right-sided centre-back. 

Although, knowing that I am targeting a CWB for the right there is potential to bring Juan Foyth into the pairing, which is the more likely option, above is how he compared to Raul Albiol. 

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UEFA Champions League

The tie away in the San Siro against the Champions of Serie A was always going to be a tough fixture. 

Inter4-2 Villarreal

We showed our spirit by twice coming from behind to level the score, to go again and do it for a third time was a little too much to ask. The brutal and honest truth, Inter were superior they dominated the following.

• shots 19 to 10
• xG 2.51 to 1.58
• Possession 62% to 38%
• Final third passes 98 to 47.

One of their standout players was Hakan Çalhanoğlu who manged to create eight key passes, Inters dominance was down to their ability to overpower us in central areas.

Looking at the above, which is a representation of our average position without the ball and Inters with, it is clear to see that they have an extra man in the central zones (8&11), this left Danilo Pereira, Marcelo Brozović and Hakan Çalhanoğlu on a three vs two.  The 5-3-2 is actually our least successful formation to play against with +5 clear cut chances for/against, compared to 4-2-3-1 (+17) and 4-4-2 (+18) at the other end of the scale. 

MOTM: Edin Džeko

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Villarreal 4-0 Ludogorets 1945 Razgrad

We dominated against the Bulgarian side and manged to run out convincing winners with four different goal scorers.

Francis Coquelin was the stand-out player, completing 96 passes (5 key) along with completing three tackles, interceptions and clearances, demonstrating his effectiveness on both sides of the ball.

MOTM: Francis Coquelin

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Three games in and another victory will be enough to secure us a third-place finish (minimal) and progress to the UEFA Europa League. We have however played the majority of games at home and have tough journeys to Razgrad (Bulgaria) and Leverkusen (Germany). 

Gerard Moreno is the competitions best player with three match days gone, he is 0.4 above his next competition in Ansu Fati of Barcelona. 

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We are going to need to be at our best to ensure we keep our invincible home record, I think we could well see it disappear. 

[MattyLewis11]

November 2023

Another month passes as we continue to get deeper into season two, I am thoroughly enjoying my time at the club and am pleased to say that all the issues I had surrounding sticking to a save in FM22 have gone, who would have known at the time that a little break from the game along with playing at a much slower pace seems to be doing the trick.

Anyways, enough about me...you are all hear to find out how the save is progressing, the answer in short...very well.

HUGE home victories were secured against the likes of Barcelona and Seville to keep our momentum going. However, the result against Barcelona was not justified, as we were second best on the day. 

Fern Nino scored a 15 minute hat-trick to blow Seville off the park at home in the stand out performance of the month, still not quite sure why he didn't score a perfect 10 on the day.

Espanyol continued to prove a tough opponent, we have failed to beat them on the last two occasions (draws).

Looking at the expected points data from within the data hub, we can count ourselves a little fortunate in terms of league positioning, we have picked up seven more points than expected and should be sitting in fourth place in the league, we are currently leaders. 

You can see the main reason for this is the fact that we have conceded seven goals less than expected, a big player in this statistic is Gerónimo Rulli who is once again leading La Liga in terms of his save percentage (94.87%) and only Joan Garcia of Espanyol has a better expected goals prevented figure at 9.1, compared to 6.9.

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CONTINENTAL COMPETITION

Ludogorets 1-4 Villarreal

Light work was made of the away leg in Bulgaria, we simply had too much up top for Ludogorets to deal with, this is reflected in the average ratings for the attacking quartet and their performances. (All either scoring or claiming an assist)

MOTM: Fer Niño

I think this Inter game will take some topping and it could well be our best performance this season, come the end of season review.

Fer Nino took the early opportunity to provide us with the lead, something which we had yet to do over both ties, remember we twice had to come from behind away in the San Siro. 

Nicolò Barella then saw RED after a two-footed challenge, which handed us the initiative to go for the jugular, you will see that the match momentum reflects this.

Pau Torres scored just before half-time before Lautaro Martinez pulled one back before the break, if Inter thought they were back in the game they were wrong, we played them off the park after the break and scored again through Fer Nino and José Luis Morales.

MOTM: Yeremy Pino - the Spaniard was the star of the show, he needed a big game as he had not registered a goal or assist in the last five matches. The above visualisation shows his individual heat-map along with progressive/switch of play passes and most importantly his key passes. 

These came deep within the final third, unlike his favoured position coved in my earlier post. Yeremy was picking the ball up in the space behind the wing-back and playing measured passes across the face of goal for tap-ins. (0.51xG, 0.34xG, and 0.15xG)

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Looking at the individual performances in Europe's best competition, Fer Nino is setting the pace in terms of goals scored, whilst his expected goals per 90 is impressive, he is a long way off Erling Haaland. Yeremy Pino is leading the way with respect to assists, again this is reflected in his expected assists per 90.

We have qualified for the knock-out stage, a draw away in Leverkusen should be enough to see us secure top place, can you believe it! 

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HOW ARE THE NEW SIGNINGS SETTLING IN?

FYI the skin is the 'Statman' skin which has been created by @_Ben_ from the forum, a man of many talents.

When comparing against defensive midfielders across the 'Big 5' leagues Joan González's output's are considered elite for the following metrics.

• Pressures completed per 90, 14 with elite being 9.01

Whilst his pass completion percentage is 89% which sits between elite and average, his other outputs tackles won (2.35), Interceptions completed (2.14) and blocks (0.43) all rank as poor. However, I wouldn't expect them to be in the elite due to our results and style of play. 

When comparing against attacking midfielders across the 'Big 5' leagues Álex Collado's output's are considered elite for the following metrics.

• Open play key passes 2.26 per 90, elite 2.25.
• Expected assists per 90 0.36, elite 0.33.

Whilst his dribbles completed (2.02) and shots on target per 90 1.19 sit above average, the Inverted winger does have a low pass completion percentage of 73% which is categorised as poor.

When comparing against goalscoring attackers across the 'Big 5' leagues Iker Bravo's output's are considered elite for the following metrics.

• Dribbles completed 2.23 per 90, elite 2.18.
• Non-penalty expected goals per 90 0.73, elite 0.59.

Whilst his conversion rate 23% is one percent off the elite and shots on target just under the average 1.71, average being 1.84. The optional future fee of £6.5 million agreed as part of his loan deal is starting to look like an absolute bargain, we will 100% be activating this come the end of the season. 

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BEYOND THE CROWN

We have three central midfielder who are either approaching the end of their contracts (Dani Parejo has a one-year option from the club), or are classified as an experienced player. (Polite way of saying ageing).

I wanted to make sur e we build for the future by securing a signing early, before the January. I need a player that can offer significant quality and also someone who has a good return on investment.

The below is a shortlist of players selected as potential targets to play in central midfield, of which only Saúl, Arnau Puigmal, Carles Aleñá and Pablo Fornals are from within the Crown of Aragon's region. The others are individuals who have caught my eye from scout reports, all scoring highly in relation to their recommendation and performing to a good level. These were needed due to Saul's wage demands, he is currently on £250,000 per week and Pablo Fornals transfer value £54-64 million. If I were to stick to only recruiting players from within the realms then we would have submitted a formal offer for Puigmal as Carles Aleñá is more of a creative midfielder.

When looking at individuals performances against metrics I wanted to highlight that only three individuals have played over 1,000 minutes of football to date. 

Maxence is a hugely disruptive defensive presence whose tireless running and work rate make him an effective defensive-minded number six, this is reflected in his 8.23 pressures completed per 90 (2nd) and possession won per 90 of 15.97 (1st).

The midfielder also is producing 1.31 open play key passes (2nd) and has an expected assist per 90 of 0.27 which is above average, this creative quality shows me that he is capable of playing in advanced midfield roles and I will be looking for him to play as our Segundo Volante. This is the area which Manu Koné slipped down, the Frenchman is only creating 0.08 clear cut chances per 90 whilst Maxence is at 0.36, a 350% increase.

The player from Borussia Mönchengladbach is also estimated to cost £52 million, again out of our financial reach.

Lyon accepted our offer for their 23-year-old which I feel has been excellently structured, we will initially pay £11 million up-front with a future fee of £10 million to be paid in a single instalment after 12 months, a further £3 million will be paid after 50 games. To secure a player at the bottom end of his estimated value, one who has a high ceiling in terms of ability and re-sale value is excellent business, 

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FORWARD LOOK

Will we finish the year in first place in La Liga, the above is what separates us from that goal. 

 

[SixPointer]

Glad to see you engrossed in a save Matty. Too many times last year a belted up for your save only to be thrown out after a season or so of intrigue! 
 

formidable form and some huge results… love to see your process for opting for Maxence, it’s something I’m striving to improve at myself.

The tactical tweak to Pino have you found him playing more like Riqueleme numbers wise 

[Tiago Ferreira]

very good read men congrats !!!

can you post this filters for download ? thanks 

[_Ben_]

You've made some great strides in really quick time here! I had hopes you'd move for Pablo Fornals because he's a player I've seen a lot of on FMs but have never managed or seen managed by a human; guessing he may have some decent attributes that would lead him to have a successful (FM) career. 

[MattyLewis11]

6 hours ago, SixPointer said:

The tactical tweak to Pino have you found him playing more like Riqueleme numbers wise 

I think it is a little too early to judge, I will be using @_Ben_ tool to compare outputs from season one to season two when I wrap up this season. One thing which is of clear benefit is the implementation of the CWB on attack, 

You can see here how the advanced position enables Yeremy to push forward, often last season it was him playing the pass from a similar position to Kiko. 

@Tiago Ferreira the view is one of @FMStag custom views megapack a really great addition for scouting, especially when looking at statistical outputs.

46 minutes ago, _Ben_ said:

I had hopes you'd move for Pablo Fornals because he's a player I've seen a lot of on FMs but have never managed or seen managed by a human

He was simply out of my league in terms of budget, I would have really liked to have brought him into my project. Remember Villarreal's record transfer prior at present is Gerard Moreno at £17.3m, to spend £50-60m on a single signing is unheard of for a club which has been build of a smart transfer policy.

[_Ben_]

43 minutes ago, MattyLewis11 said:

I think it is a little too early to judge, I will be using @_Ben_ tool to compare outputs from season one to season two when I wrap up this season. One thing which is of clear benefit is the implementation of the CWB on attack, 

This version has far less calculation errors than the last. Use the same in-game filter though...

45 minutes ago, MattyLewis11 said:

He was simply out of my league in terms of budget, I would have really liked to have brought him into my project. Remember Villarreal's record transfer prior at present is Gerard Moreno at £17.3m, to spend £50-60m on a single signing is unheard of for a club which has been build of a smart transfer policy.

I'd completely overlooked the financial issues/strategy that they have. You make a great point, as per!

FM23 Statistics Season Comparison.xlsx

[MattyLewis11]

December 2023

Real Sociedad 2-5 Villarreal

A thrilling game away in San Sebastián which was packed with plenty of goals, made this great viewing for the neutral.

Three goals from Álex Collado ensured we moved back in front of Real Madrid to the top of La Liga, we secured the result despite going a goal behind in the second minute.

If I am being critical, we lacked a little bite in the central areas which is reflected in both the player ratings above and the statistical data which showed that 24 of the 54 occasions which we've allowed the opposition into the attacking third of the pitch came from central positions.

For context, Álex Collado has produced 19 dribbles and 29 key passes in 15 appearances for Villarreal.

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Villarreal 2-4 Club Atlético de Madrid

José Mourinho puts an end to our 38 game undefeated streak at home, our first defeat at Estadio de La Cerámica. His side twice came from behind, before putting us under significant pressure in the second-half in which they accelerated away from us, ending up 4-2 winners. The results was deserved with Club Atlético de Madrid winning the xG battle, our goal was under constant fire. 

MOTM: Antoine Griezmann

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Valencia 0-1 Villarreal

The Derbi de la Comunitat, away at the Mestalla. What a fixture to have to see if we can bounce back from the last result. We have a good record in the Derby, drawing both fixtures in La Liga last season and picking up the victory in the Copa del Rey Quarter Final.

We racked up an xG of 2.29 xG against Valencia's 0.30, let that settle in...0.30! Valencia didn't test Gerónimo Rulli, of their four shots taken, three were blocked and the other off target.

MOTM: Gerard Moreno (92% pass completion, 2 key passes, 1 goal)

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Villarreal 1-0 Rayo Vallecano

Looking to build up our home record again, we made hard work of dispatching Ray Vallecano. Fer Nino had a poor day in front of goal, the striker only had 25% of his four shots on target and fluffed two clear cut chances. 

The star of the day was Kiko Femenia, the 32-year-old is excelling in the role of complete wing back on attack duty. In the game he completed...wait for it 18 dribbles! 

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UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

We fielded a second string side in the only continental fixture of the month, we had the game against Club Atlético de Madrid a few days later and wanted to keep the heavy artillery fresh. 

The early momentum was with the home side, and they took the lead through Vitinha just before the break, this lead to the introduction of a few key personnel (Danjuma, Chukwueze and Parejo).

The tipping point of the game was our equaliser, from that point on it was all Villarreal. We have well and truly flexed our muscles in Europe this year, performances to date have been of the highest calibre. 

MOTM: José Luis Morales (2 goals)

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The result secured us first place in Group D, this means that the list of potential of opponents for the knockout stage includes the following...Juventus (9pts), Man City (11pts), SL Benfica (11pts), FC Porto (13pts), Chelsea (13pts), Monaco (11pts), and PSG (6pts). Looking at the potential opponents, for me I would like to avoid PSG and both of the English clubs, whilst Juventus would be my favourable opponent. 

Oh the joys!

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One game away from the midpoint and we are sitting snug at the top of La Liga, early signs are indicating this year could well be a two horse race! 

Some standout team attacking stats are as follows.

• 41 goals scored (1st)
• Expected goals for 37.39 (3rd)
• Chances created 77 (3rd)
• Shots on target 123 (1st)

Can we survive January's open window, interest is strong for a few of our players with Atletico keen on Jorge Cuenca, Juventus and Marseille showing major interest in Alfonso Pedraza, Milan and Newcastle in for Samuel Chukwueze and Manchester United and RB Leipzig hot on Fer Nino's tail.

 

[Hootieleece]

You're in a good position in the table, but I wouldn't consider it a two-horse race just yet...

Athletico under Mourinho are definite spoilers....and Barcelona probably just has to find form.

Since there seems to be interest in your players do you have replacements lined up yet?

 

[SixPointer]

Shame about the home record. I love a good fortress so I do, especially in a beautiful stadium like yours.

Tough draw in the champions league but I suppose that’s what it’s all about!

[MattyLewis11]

10 hours ago, Hootieleece said:

Since there seems to be interest in your players do you have replacements lined up yet?

I will make sure I cover transfers in the next monthly update along with plans etc. One thing is that the talent pool from within the realms is a little limited in terms of improvement, we will continue to look within before broadening the horizons. 

10 hours ago, SixPointer said:

Shame about the home record.

We had a great run, the defeat now provides me with a new target...beat the 38 games! 

Champions League is going to be extremely tough. However, I am really proud of the lads in being able to navigate the group stage, the additional income has been so so helpful, it has enabled me to keep on pumping up the wage budget. 

[MattyLewis11]

JANUARY 2024

Transfer Window Update

Real Madrid came in with a huge offer of £84 million for Yeremy Pino, the structure of the deal was one which would not have been favourable to Villarreal as Los Blancos wanted to pay £43.5 million up front with a further two payments of £20 million after 12 and 24 months, the deal also included a 30% clause of profit from next sale.

If Real Madrid wanted their man, we would expect them to stump up £100 million for the 21-year-old, with at least £80 million up front. They opted to not pursue the deal and signed £170 million worth of talent on deadline day.

• Domenico Berardi of Sassuolo £85 million.

• Jota of Celtic £27.5million.

• Rafa Mir of Sevilla £40.5 million.

Their final transfer was to secure the signing of Monchu from Real Valladolid, a player which we had been keeping a close eye on and one which we were keen to sign in the next window.

Monchu was signposted as the replacement for Dani Parejo, he was born in Palma de Mallorca (Crown of Aragon) and possessed two pro’s within his scout report which I often look for, consistent performer and enjoys big matches. Real Madrid met his minimum fee release clause of £16.75 million on deadline day, we matched the bid even though we didn’t have the funds available, a cheeky ploy to attempt to stall the deal. It didn’t work as he opted for a move to the capital. 

The second player who we rejected a bid from Real Madrid, was Fer Nino. Again, the structure of the deal was not favourable for us as a club, if we are to sell a prized asset we need to have capital in the bank now to fund a deal for a replacement. However, this time the player was not keen on the move, he favoured a move to Manchester United, the bid from them never came.

We did see some movement away from the club, an offer was submitted from Wolfsburg of the Bundesliga for Manu Morlanes. We negotiated the price and managed to secure £15 million for the midfielder, the fee means that only  £6 million initially will be outgoing for the signing of Maxence Caqueret.

The knock on effect enables us to have a surplus of £15 million to invest into the team, the first position we looked to improve was that of the complete wing back. I have been tracking Óscar Gil of Espanyol for a little while, the 25-year-old was born in Elche (tick), and had a release clause of £11 million. 

The additional monies was utilised to secure the services of Iker Bravo, remember we had an optional future fee set into the loan deal for £6.5 million. The fee seems so small for a player who already at 19-years of age has a non-penalty expected goals output of 0.79 (elite), averaging 1.99 shots on target per 90 (good), and 22% conversion rate (2% off elite). 

We also dipped our toes into the market for a replacement for Etienne Capoue, who has made the decision to hang up his boot after this season. His replacement Sander Berge who we pick up on a free transfer after he decided to run his contract down with Sheffield United. Sander is a player who I have admired but never took the option to purchase him on previous editions of FM, I hope he can deliver for us in this save. 

We have sent the scouts to conduct assignments on a range of players from within our primary scouting region, I will be looking to secure the signing of a player of the similar mould to Dani Parejo, along with a complete forward, given the age of José Luis Morales (36 years of age), who currently plays back-up to Gerard Moreno. 

---

LA LIGA

Two away victories followed up by another home win helped us to continue our challenge for the La Liga title. Yeremy Pino’s form has not been affected as the Spaniard scored three goals and picking up an assist against Levante, our Fantasista has now contributed with seven goals and 12 assists in all competitions. Maxence Caqueret also managed to score a debut goal for the club in what was a busy month of away fixtures. 

I also took the decision to promote Adrián De la Fuente into the first-team at the expense of 38-year-old Raúl Albiol. The 24-year-old is a very consistent performer and I am hoping for him to provide another option as the right-sided centre back.

---

Copa del Rey

Three away games in the Spanish Cup and three positive results, Oscar Gill was the star of the show as the debutant provided not one, not two, but three assists to score a perfect 10, a match to remember. Iker Bravo continued to use the cup as his playground and his form in the competition was one of the drivers behind me having confidence that his signature should be secured for the club.

---

Plenty of football still to be played, the Atletico game away in the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano could not have come at a worse time as three days later we have to travel to Manchester in the Champions League. Do we go for redemption in Madrid or look to play for the draw and then try and navigate Man City who are top of the Premier League with Erling Haaland scoring 15 goals in 17 league games, 20 in 24 in all competitions. 

[SixPointer]

Real Madrid trying to unsettle title rivals then stealing players linked to them! I love FM the realism is something else.

 

[MattyLewis11]

FEBRUARY 2024

LA LIGA

Huesca 1-1 Villarreal

The game at the El Alcoraz in Huesca was tough, Jorge Sampaoli’s side were well drilled and hard to break down, which reflected in our inability to create any clear cut chances in the match. 

Saying that Huesca did catch us on an off day in relation to bringing our shooting boots, the above two images show our shots on target (left), of which only the goals and one save were from within the box. Whilst on the other side you can see we had six chances inside the box where the players either skied the ball or hit the post (Yeremy Pino).

Whilst on the subject of our Fantasista, Yeremy was on the verge of writing his name into lore as he stood on the verge of becoming Villarreal’s leader for assists in a season. He needed one to beat the existing record of 12, which he secured in playing in Gerard Moreno for the opening goal. 

MOTM: Julián Aude

---

Villarreal 1-3 Barcelona (AET)

We have a good record against Barcelona, having yet to concede defeat to them in three La Liga matches. I opted to play a slightly rotated side for the Quarter Final, this is due to playing Athletic Club in four days time, an opponent which we have only defeated once. 

Stupidly I forgot to add substitutes in when selecting the match day squad, Barcelona’s ability to bring on four fresh players whilst my starting eleven were run into the ground was the difference. I guess we will never know what advantage the fresh legs would bring us, the visitors scored twice in extra-time to see them progress into the Semi-Final. 

MOTM: Frenkie de Jong the Dutchman completed 90% of his passes and made four dribbles, along with contributing with both a goal and assist. 

---

The following week is HUGE for the club as we face Athletic Club, Sevilla and Atletico over a crazy six day period, the results from these three games could well define our season. We will not hold back and will be looking to play our best XI at each and every opportunity. The first game is at the Estadio de La Cerámica, before travelling to both Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán and Estadio Wanda Metropolitano. 

Villarreal 1-1 Athletic Club

An early gift was presented to Athletic Club by Geronimo Rulli, as Mr Reliable panicked with the ball at his feet and played a loose pass straight to Raul Garcia, to slide home.

Thankfully we managed to bring the score back on level terms through Gerard Moreno, the news story from this game was the half-time substitution of Fer Nino. 

I think his performances are being impacted due to the lack of game time, he took a minor knock a few weeks back which meant he missed the Huesca match and was an unused substitute for the Copa del Rey match against Real Zaragoza, meaning he hasn’t played close to a full match since playing Granada, eight games ago.

MOTM: Gerard Moreno

---

Sevilla 0-3 Villarreal

Sevilla were the form side in La Liga going into this fixture and a victory could bring them within five points of ourselves in second place. We were hit with the news that Yeremy Pino picked up a minor injury before the game meaning, he would be fit to play but with limited condition. We took the choice to not include him in the match day squad and offer a starting birth to Samuel Chukwueze.

The Nigerian played a massive role in our victory, leaving the field with the most dribbles (4), key passes (4) and the highest xA rating of 0.7. (one for you @Shrewnaldo)

As you can see he operated from a slightly deeper position, this enabled him to complete the highest progressive passes (8). He also made 3 tackles and five interceptions from deep and used his ability to progress the ball from deep via running.

The result now provides us with an eight point gap between us and Sevilla and Atletico Madrid who are both on 49 points, we are a single point behind Madrid who top La Liga. 

MOTM: Fer Niño, back on the scoresheet with a brace.

---

Club Atlético de Madrid 1-0 Villarreal

Another textbook José Mourinho performance as we succumbed to defeat away in Madrid, in a game in which we should have at least secured a point.

• Shots on target 6 to their 5

• Expected goals 1.63 to their 1.34

• Clear cut chances 2 to their 0.

• Final third passes 64 to their 52.

Kudos to the AI as they have Mourinho down to perfection.

MOTM: João Félix 

---

Villarreal 3-1 Getafe

Three goals scored in a six minute period was enough to secure the three points against Getafe, a result which keeps us in second place in La Liga. The table is starting to tighten up with only eight points separating 1dt from 5th. It looks like we could be set for some fireworks as we approach the business end of the season. @Hootieleece you called it! 

Fer Nino is still in the race to the Pachichi, he is four goals behind Karim Benzema, can we tick off another one of our objectives come the end of the campaign?

---

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Manchester City 5-4 Villarreal

What a game, despite having 86% less final third passes (93 vs 37), we managed to come away from the game with our heads held high. Manchester City showed the gulf in talent with the likes of Jack Grealish and Kyle Walker completing an obscene amount of dribbles (8 and 6) as their pace was far too much to handle.

 

Yeremy Pino scored the goal of the game, the technique to hit the ball on the volley and direct it into the top corner was absolutely sublime. Haaland isn’t bad either, walking off the pitch with four goals, doubling his xG of 2.0.

MOTM: Erling Haaland (4 goals)

--

 

[SixPointer]

What a blockbuster against city!!

[rich ruzzian]

What a game against City! And still all the chance to go through to the next round. 

About scouting: Are you already looking for replacement candidates for Pino? 

Edited December 13, 2022 by rich ruzzian

[john1]

Wow what a game against Man City!  

[NeedNoLicense]

Pretty nice story telling, im curious about what role you give to Fer Nino?? I barely found Fer Nino using stats data in 22/23 season and find Fer Nino pretty good stats but with less time playing at Villarreal. So I decided to bought him. anyway I'm playing Brighton my first season evaluation is the team didnt have good Goal Getter.

now in 23/24 season I use him pretty good at first but nearly every match he got a goal but dissalowed. 

[MattyLewis11]

MARCH 2024

Four La Liga games and four victories as we continue our push in the league, looking at the league table below you will see that we hold a two point lead over Real Madrid with eight games remaining. 

You can see that we didn't progress in the UCL, but still managed to secure the draw against Manchester City.

Work has been a little busy so this update is short and sweet. However, you will be pleased it is business as usual from here on in.

@NeedNoLicense the tactic hasn't changes since earlier in the thread Nino is playing in the role of Advanced Froward on attack with a healthy supply line, I can not see him fail to perform for you. 

@john1 @SixPointer @rich ruzzian apologies for the mini update - as for your question in relation to scouting replacement - in short the answer is no...my priority at present is a right-footed CB.

The shortlist above are all from within the realms of 'the Crown' and the two which I am watching closely are Mario Gila of Lazio and Victor Chust from Cadiz. 

April we play 3rd, 7th, 10th, and 8th. First up Barcelona who are six games without defeat before travelling to the green side of Sevilla to face Mr Pellegrini. 

[MattyLewis11]

April 2024

Barcelona 4-2 Villarreal

This defeat to Barcelona really hurt, we showed every bit of character to come back from two goals down thanks to gaols from Yeremy Pino and Fer Nino, with 17 minutes left on the clock we had hope.

Frank Kessie had a different opinion and when Jorge Cuenca fouled Raphinha in the box the Ivorian picked up the ball and slammed it past Rulli, the Argentinian deciding to have one of his worst games in a Villarreal shirt, conceding shots with 0.04,0.06, and 0.15.

Barcelona now find themselves 

MOTM: Gerard Moreno (2 assists) 

---

Betis 1-2 Villarreal

Despite the result, today was not a day for finishing (missed chances of 0.32, 0.28, 0.26, 0.24, and 0.23) and it was only the injection of three attack-minded players at the break which really swung the result in our favour.

The first goal was a delight, a quick break down the left enabled Chukwueze to find Iker Bravo on the edge of the box, the striker worked the ball onto his right foot and curled it past the Betis keeper. 

MOTM: Samuel Chukwueze (1 assist)

Elsewhere in the world Barcelona hammered Espanyol 5-0, whilst Madrid defeated Granada 4-0.

---

The run in, on current form I think Barcelona are the side which I would be putting my money on...it is going to be another close one!

---

Villarreal 3-1 Espanyol

Nino scored his 50th and 51st goals for the Yellow submarine, whilst Iker Bravo added his 16th of the campaign as we romped to a much needed victory.

The Spaniard has now scored three more league goals than last season, and is four goals off his total number scored in the last campaign. 

MOTM: Fer Niño (2 goals, 1 assist)

---

Villarreal 4-0 Real Sociedad

It isn't the result which pleases me the most, it is the form of Fer Nino at this point of the season.

The striker has 10 goal contributions (7 goals, 3 assists)  in La Liga, if we are going to maintain our form and achieve the unthinkable then it will be his performances that drive us across the line in pole position.

MOTM: Fer Niño (2 goals, 1 assist) 

---

One final push, we have four games left...

 

[SixPointer]

Fer Nino could just take you to this title! In scintillating form the young man. Four games to be crowed it can be done!

[Hootieleece]

Big Match coming up against Real Madrid!  Hoping for a Villareal victory.

[_Ben_]

Wonderful as always! Good luck in the last four games. 

[deltablue]

Good luck with the end of the season!

[rich ruzzian]

It is going to be a real close call. At least top4 is secure 

[MattyLewis11]

The Big One

It wasn't to be...thanks to each and everyone of you for wishing me good luck going into the Real Madrid match. 

It is crazy how FM continues to replicate similar patters, you may remember that we went a goal up against Madrid last season only to concede two goals in quick succession, to lose the game at the Santiago Bernabeu.

We went ahead early doors thanks to Yeremy Pino before Rafa Mir and Monchu (yes our transfer target scored past us) put Madrid in front.

Domenico Berardi extended the lead before Iker Bravo pulled one back for us, we were in the game for a spell after our goal, as reflected in the match momentum visual.

The problem with chasing the game is that you are open to the counter, which Madrid pulled off to perfection and Mir scored his second of the match.

He was then shown a second Yellow, before Pino added his second in injury time.

• We completed more passes 522 vs 512
• Had more share of the ball 51% vs 49%
• More passes in the final third 59 vs 53

Not bad considering Real Madrid's salary is five times that of our own. The defeat shatters our dreams of winning the league. However, I am extremely proud of the sides achievements this year. 

Three games to go, 

[MattyLewis11]

Rayo Vallecano 1-3 Villarreal

The home side put up a spirited fight in the first-half of the game, which was reflected in their seven first half shots, compared to three after the break.

Fer Niño opened the scoring after some good work from Yeremy Pino (assist), before Ivan Balliu equalised.

Fer Niño scored again on the 60th minute before Pau Torres completed the scoring in the 90th minute.

MOTM: Fer Niño (2 goals) the striker has now scored 34 goals (the same as last season). However, he has seven more in La Liga this time around. 

There is one goal now separating Fer from Karim Benzema  in the race for the Pachichi. 

Meanwhile in Sevilla...

[rich ruzzian]

All is not lost! 2 points behind with 2 games to go. Changes are small but impossible is nothing! 

[MattyLewis11]

Villarreal 3-0 Valencia

Gennaro Gattuso's Valencia missed a massive opportunity to give their fans something to cheer for this season, a victory would have made up for their likely 7th placed finish and lack of European football next season.

Gerard Moreno made sure it was not to be, the striker scored his 100th and 101st goal in the Yellow of Villarreal in what turned out to be our best performance against bitter rivals. 

Nino's goal now sees him lead the way in the hunt for individual accolades, what a player he is.

Real Madrid pick up the victory  at home, it all comes down to the final game of the season, we need Real Sociedad to win as the head-to-head isn't in our favour. (neither is the goals scored or goal difference!). 

[MattyLewis11]

Villarreal vs Granada

One minute into the game and a deep cross from Pedraza is directed into the back of the net by Fer Nino, the news will surely be filtering down to Real Madrid - we are now joint on points with Madrid and need Real Sociedad to work some magic. 

It looks as if we spoke too soon, a double whammy as Madrid and Benzema react. 

Fer Nino doubles the lead, if we don't win the title then he wants to finish the campaign as top scorer. 

Let's not forget a defeat for Granada will send them down, this game is just as important for them as it is for us! 

The match ball belongs to Fer Nino after Oscar Gil finds the striker with a pin-point cross.

Danjuma scores his first goal of the season, nothing like leaving it until the last minute! This goal now takes us level on goals scored with Barcelona, joint second place in La Liga. 

Parejo scores from the spot, we now are the second highest scorers in La Liga, one goal off Real Madrid.

In all the madness, Real have scored again - they don't want us to take that crown either. 

The half-time chat was about complacency, two minutes and and we concede (sigh) 

 We react through Moreno, maybe the talk worked after all.

Meanwhile, Madrid is bouncing - the party has well and truly started.

FOUR goal haul for Fer Nino! We are now back on level terms with Madrid in terms of goals scored.

Iker Bravo scored from a Fer Nino assists - top scorers in La Liga! Thank you kindly Sir! 

Again, those horrible B*stards  men have something to say, at least Benzema only has one goal.

What a performance.

The final league table in all its glory.

I am just going to leave this one here! 

[rich ruzzian]

So sad :(. But what an end in this season. 

[MattyLewis11]

1 minute ago, rich ruzzian said:

So sad :(. But what an end in this season. 

An absolute head spinner of a finish, so happy with what this team has achieved over the two seasons. 

I think one more stab at the La Liga title and then start up another save now that the increased realism pack is out. 

[SixPointer]

Smashing season matty. Ran them close and your two shining starts led the way!

[Dereka]

19 hours ago, MattyLewis11 said:

I am just going to leave this one here! 

Great job on completing 4 objectives!

I may have missed it in an earlier update, what happened to objective #5 ?

[HowzatFM]

Amazing season! Be good to see how your tactics have developed? 

[deltablue]

At least you did your bit on the final day.

[_Ben_]

You’ve gotta look at that and say that you just could not have done more. I know that you’re going to approach the off season meticulously, so looking forward to that!

[GIMN]

Considering it needed a 16 goal swing if Madrid drew, your players certainly did that bit in trying to secure it!!  A fantastic season, and a great platform to build on.  It's not much consolation, granted, but having Fer Nino lead the goalscoring charts has to be pleasing.  Looking forward to seeing how this evolves next season.

[MattyLewis11]

@SixPointer I really couldn't be happier with the performances which Fer and Yeremy have been able to consistently put in across the season. 

As @_Ben_ stated, I really don't think we could have done anything more this season, some of the football we have been playing has been phenomenal. 

The tactic @HowzatFM has not changed since I have shared it earlier in the thread, what had changed over time is the player traits which I have been working on to try and make those marginal gains in terms of what the players do on the pitch. 

@GIMN I have started to write up a season review which will be my next post on the thread. The phrase 'going all in' comes to mind with regards to next seasons plans.

Keep your eyes peeled, I hope you all and others lurking have had an amazing Christmas. 

[Lasson]

Quality thread from the start. Great results, as well. I only seem to be able to find your original tactic with the wingers in the midfield strata as IW and WP. I have looked and looked (and maybe overlooked) your new tactic with an IW and TRQ. 

[MattyLewis11]

Apologies @Lasson for all those who are interested...

 

The Engineer and his magic rectangle.fmf

[Lasson]

3 hours ago, MattyLewis11 said:

Apologies @Lasson for all those who are interested...

 

The Engineer and his magic rectangle.fmf 43.54 kB · 2 downloads

Thank you. I'm sure it is somewhere in this thread, but I must have overlooked it again and again and again. It looks awfully similar to something I'm running with Red Bull Salzburg.

[MattyLewis11]

---

LA FURIA ROJA — SEASON TWO

It’s a marathon not a sprint, that is the motto for this years edition of FM. Historical form would see me at least a few seasons down the line at the festive period and here I am on Christmas Eve starting to write my review of season two in charge of Villarreal. 

My update of season one was an in-depth focus on Yeremy Pino, the player which I have chosen to hopefully become a club legend with The Yellow Submarines (one of my objectives).

Therefore, it is on the subject of Yeremy that I will open this blog, consistency is key right? Looking at the above progress visualisation shows how the Spaniard is continuing to progress in relation to his development. At the end of season one he was labelled as a ‘Wonderkid’ by the media, he now has the media description of ‘Elite winger’. 

The training process has not changed since I covered it earlier in my thread over on the SI Forum, in which I have a weeks training for when we play stronger opposition and another schedule for when we play weaker opposition.

The training schedule has had a positive impact on Yeremy’s attributes and he has seen significant progress in the following areas. *Note I have only highlighted attributes associated to the role of Trequartista which have seen an increase.

Technical Attributes: Dribbling +2 and Passing +1.

Mental Attributes: Anticipation +2, Composure +1, Decisions +1, and Off the Ball +2.

Physical Attributes: Acceleration +1, Agility +1, and Balance +2

You will also note that Pino has adopted the traits ‘Tries Tricks’ and ‘Tries Killer Balls Often’.

These improvements have lead to Yeremy having a standout season in both La Liga and in the UEFA Champions League, the above visualisation helps to demonstrate how effective the Spaniard has been. First and foremost, let’s take a look at his creative outputs, Yeremy has an open play expected assist per 90 of 0.28, this is 0.19 more than the La Liga average for creative forwards. 

His actual output of 17 assists across all competitions (3192 minutes) equals an assist per 90 of 0.48! We can thank Fer Niño for helping Yeremy’s assist figure as the striker scored 39 goals across all competitions (31 in La Liga and 8 in European competition), this led to him securing the ‘Pachichi’ and the ‘European Golden Shoe’ beating Karim Benzema (28) of Real Madrid and Arnaud Kalimuendo (26) of Rennes.

Secondly, looking at his attacking output Yeremy has a non penalty expected gaols figure of 0.31, again this is 0.18 higher than the La Liga average. Yeremy managed to hit the back of the net 16 times across the campaign (13 in La Liga and 3 in Europe).

His outputs for the season were higher than in season one (13 goals and 10 assists), scoring and assisting double figure numbers also meant that the following statement which I made in ‘THE CROWN OF ARAGON — FANTASISTA’ was met.

Whilst I am happy with this, I would like to see him secure a greater number of assists compared to goals scored, although I would like both outputs to be stay in the double figure realms.

The below spreadsheet which compares statistical outputs across seasons for individuals, produced by Ben on the SI Forum shows that Yeremy has improved across all attacking statistics.

It is this improvement which has helped Yeremy to pick up the second best average rating in La Liga, topped only by teammate and fellow countryman Fer Nino.

The simply magnificent performances, which spanned across the duration of the season from both players, secured them both slots in the La Liga Team of the Season, the first non Real Madrid/Barcelona players to secure places in the select group since starting the save. 

Yeremy demonstrated his ability to perform in the UEFA Champions League, securing the third best average rating and leading the charts for assists (6) with teammate Gerard Moreno. For those of you who haven’t been following along in the thread we secured top place in the Group Stage before being knocked out to eventual winners Manchester City.

---

LA LIGA

I am opening this section with a quote from Soccernomics by Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski.

Clubs spending on salaries was extremely telling, the size of the wage bill explained a massive 92% of variation in their league positions. In short, wages buy success.

You will see from the above ‘Salary per annum’ that we currently hold the seventh highest salary in La Liga. Therefore, using the above quotation, our media predication of finishing in fourth place was already outperforming our positioning based on salary.

Our second place finish was exceptional and honestly after looking at the results, I have got to say that I simply could not have done more. Season two has been smashing and some might say if we didn’t win it then…will we ever?

Comparing our general performances from season one, it is clear to see that we have become a little more aggressive in attack. This is reflected in our increased goals per game and shots per game, the quality of shot has not decreased (note our expected goals per game). However, we have conceded more, although the expected goals against per game has decreased. It was always going to be hard for Rulli to maintain such a high save percentage across two campaigns.

Despite having improved from season one, there is one trend which has continued across both years, a trend of significant value in our attempts to be crowned ‘Kings of La Liga’.

Our inability to secure results against the ‘Big Three’, this is clear for the world to see, if we are going to secure the title then we MUST improve when facing the Super-clubs of Spain.

---

LA FURIA ROJA

Yeremy Pino now has a worldwide reputation, this paired with his consistency on the pitch has secured him a call up to La Furia Roja, the Spanish national side.

He joined four other Villarreal players in the squad selected to play in the UEFA European Championships in Germany 2024.

Here is a little update on how the quintet performed for Roberto Martínez side.

Unlike the World Cup of 2022 in which both Gerard Moreno and Pau Torres both played peripheral parts in Luis Enrique’s side, four of Villarreal’s player played over 52% of the total minutes which Spain accumulated in the tournament, one which they ended up winning.

Yeremy Pino was the only Villarreal player to start the tournament as Spain hit Wales for five goals. Pau Torres was introduced on the 59th minute, replacing Thiago, Pino assisted Rodri in the 34th minute and picked up an average rating of 7.6. The other goals were scored by Ferran Torres (Brace), Ansu Fati, and Aymeric Laporte.

Portugal were up next and again the only player to start was Yeremy Pino, with Aymeric Laporte and Eric García favoured in defence, whilst Ferran Torres leads the line in the Spanish 4–2–3–1. Gerard Moreno and Pau Torres entered the action in the 75th minute for Rodri and Ansu Fati, the final score was 1–1 after Rafael Leão scored a very late equaliser after Ferran Torres opened the scoring early on. 

Slovenia were up next, starts were handed to both Torres (Double Pivot role in CM) and Gerard Moreno lead the line. Despite Spain’s dominence (2.24 xG plays 0.24) the deadlock could not be broken. Yeremy Pino was introduced for the last 15 minutes to see if he could find the killer pass to beat ‘Man of the Match’ Jan Oblak. Spain topped the group thanks to goals scored and progressed to the knock-out stages. (0–0)

Serbia were Spain’s opponents in the second round, a game in which Moreno was trusted with the starting birth up top, the Villarreal player walked off with the match ball after scoring a 20 minute hat-trick. Pino played the full 90 minutes along with Torres who partnered Rodri in the double-pivot. Jorge Cuenca secured his first minutes in this match, coming on in the 71st minute for the other goal scorer Aymeric Laporte. (4–1)

Gareth Southgate’s England were up next in a game which seen the lead exchange hands three times. Foden opened the scoring before Yeremy Pino assisted Pedri to level the score. Pino secured Spain the lead before Jude Bellingham took the game into extra-time. The result was secured by Gerard Moreno in the first period of extra-time, Pino played 120 minutes, Moreno replaced Ferran Torres after the first-half, whilst Pau Torres partnered Laporte, this time at centre-back. (3–2 aet)

Fer Nino made his first appearance against the Netherlands, as Roberto Martínez opted to start Gerard Moreno from the right-wing. Pau Torres was the only other started as Pino didn’t feature and Jorge Cuenca was brough on for extra-time, Pedri scoring the decisive goal to take Spain to the Final.

Roberto Martínez again made wholesale changes for the Final against Germany, adopting a 3–4–2–1 formation with Pino the only starter. Our boy scored Spain’s second after Marc Cucurella opened the scoring as Spain were crowned Champions. (2–1).

---

FORWARD LOOK

The plan is to have one more stab at La Liga, if we are to be crowned ‘Champions of Spain’ then I needed to make a number of changes to refresh the squad, given the ageing side which we had, along with players who were in the final year of their playing years.

There were quite a few players out the door, 10 to be exact, which generated the club an additional £57 million to spend.

• Jorge Cuenca (24) to Arsenal £32 million.
• Boulaye Dia (27) to Real Sociedad for £6.25 million.
• Manu Trigueros (32) to Real Sociedad for £6 million.
• Dani Tasende (24) to Betis for £3.8 million.
• Ivan Martin (25) to Getafe for £2.2 million.
• Francis Coquelin (33) to Zenit for £2 million.
• Aïssa Mandi (32) to Leicester for £2 million.
• Kiko Femenía (33) to Rayo Vallecano de Madrid for £1.5 million.
• Johan Mojica (31) to Galatasaray for £900k.
• Adrián De la Fuente (25) to real Valladolid for £425k

We also had the following three players make the decision to hang up their boots.

• Raúl Albiol retired at 38.
• Étienne Capoue retired at 36.
• José Luis Morales retired at 37.

TRANSFERS IN

The defence is as good a place to start as any, we sold Jorge Cuenca to Arsenal, our back up and only other left-sided centre-back other than Pau Torres. Our primary target Mario Gila opted to join Monaco, stating he felt they had a better squad than us. His signature would have cost £7.25 million, therefore the signing of both Víctor Chust and Rodrigo Tarín was made for a combined fee of £3.7 million. 

• Álex Centelles was signed for £14 million from Almeria, the 24-year-old will provide competition for Alfonso Pedraza as our wing-back down the left flank. Centelles is a slightly more technical player with better decision making skills. However, he most likely wont be as effective without possession. 
• Víctor Chust was signed from Cadiz for £1.9 million, at 24 we have signed a player who is about to enter into his prime. Chust is the more defensive player when comparing him to Tarin, his concentration and decision making skills paired with strength and jumping reach leads me to believe he will be an effective presence at the back.
• Rodrigo Tarín was signed for £1.8 million from Real Oviedo, despite playing in the second tier I believe the 28-year-old can be utilised as a back-up to Torres (no side preference when playing in a defensive duo). There is also potential for Tarin to be re-trained as a defensive midfielder.

Moving onto the midfield, we have two big names to announce at the club, both of which will no doubt show that we not only mean business but absolutely improve this unit when comparing to last season. 

• Pablo Fornals was transfer listed by West Ham after the English side felt he was of no use to them (madness). This mean that the midfielder and model citizen was available at a cut price (£30 million), which is still a club record fee. Pablo is a player which I have wanted to sign since setting my eyes on the list of players which are available within the realms of ‘The Crown of Aragon’. I am hoping that his first touch paired with his technical ability and agility will make him a handful to play against in the role of inverted winger on support. 
• Sander Berge is another player that needs no introductions, the 26-year-old joins us from Sheffield United after failing to agree a new contract. The Norwegian is 6′ 4'’ and will add some additional height to the side (our tallest player), he has a strong mental profile, along with an exceptional pivot (Passing 14 , Technique 14 , and Vision 14) along with great Strength (15), I think he can operate in the role of SV similar to a prime Michael Ballack.

Last but not least the attack, we lost José Luis Morales to retirement and therefore needed a player to play as the complete forward (support) and second string to Gerard Moreno.

• Abel Ruiz is the man who we opted to bring in from Football Club København for £11 million. His traits of ‘Moves Into Channels’, ‘Plays With Back To Goal’ and ‘Plays One-Two’s’ goes a long way in highlighting how he can operate on the field of play. At 24 years of age there is still room for him to develop and take Moreno’s spot as the 32 year-old declines.

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THE CROWN OF ARAGON

The above visualisation goes to show where our eleven players in the first-team come from within the realms of the crown.

We have 48% of the senior squad from within the region and 70% of the squad are Spanish nationals.

As I enter Season Three we are one signing away from having the majority of the squad from the realm. To those of you who have yet to try a regionnaire save, I highly recommend it as it stops you from signing players which you/other normally gravitate towards and provides a nice challenge. 

 

[SixPointer]

Fantastic write up as always matty. Actually making me want to dust of the laptop. The usual hectic holiday period I usually neglect the game but reading your update gets the mind ticking 

[Carambau]

Wow!!!  Late to the party and had to catch up a lot but man this is fantastic! Gorgeous presentation combined with deep analysis. Perfect.