[FM23] Ports of Call

[keeper#1]

I spent the majority of my time in FM23 bouncing between a bunch of one-club saves which have lasted 2-3 seasons and then I either get promoted or lose interest.  I'm more a journeyman and like to look for a bigger project.  In my personal life, I spent a lot of time (for both work and pleasure) on cruise ships so I get to see a lot of ports and the shipping infrastructure that goes along with those ports.  Finally, I had a eureka type moment where I could combine my desire to move around as a manager and my interest in shipping ports.  And so, the Ports of Call save was born.

First thing I did was research what are the largest shipping ports in Europe since has an American I don't have know that information first hand.  According to Wikipedia, these are the largest shipping ports in Europe.

1. Rotterdam, Netherlands
2. Antwerp, Belgium
3. Hamburg, Germany
4. Amsterdam, Netherlands
5. Cadiz, Spain
6. Izmit, Turkey
7. Aliaga, Turkey
8. Marseille, France
9. Valencia, Spain
10. Iskerderan, Turkey
11. Bergen, Norway
12. Botas, Turkey
13. Trieste, Italy
14. Le Havre, France
15. Barcelona, Spain

Backing out the four Turkish ports, nine of the 11 remaining ports are in Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, and Spain.  Those five countries all connect with each other.  It made sense to me to use these five countries as the basis of the save.  The goal of the save is to end up in at the biggest club in one of the major port cities and lead that club to glory.  Right now, that puts these clubs in the running:  Feyenoord (Rotterdam), Royal Antwerp FC (Antwerp), Hamburg (Hamburg), Ajax (Amsterdam), Cadiz (Cadiz), Marseille (Marseille), Valencia (Valencia), Le Havre (Le Havre), and Barcelona (Barcelona).  But I will start toward the bottom and work my way to get to one of those clubs.  

I've broken the save into major nations, minor nations, and added nations.  Major nations will have all of their leagues loaded.  Those nations are the major port nations (Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, and Spain).  Minor nations will have their top two leagues loaded.  Those nations are Austria, Denmark, England, Italy, Portugal, and Switzerland).  Added nations are Argentina and Brazil and will have their top league loaded.

Team and Player Focus

The 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 will be the base formations used during the save.  I will be very flexible when it comes to how those formations can used.  Both are very flexible formation and can give the opposition a lot of different looks and ways to win.  But it will ultimately be down the players or whether we can win or lose.  What type of player am I looking for?  I am looking for players who are smart on the ball.  Players who can read the play both offensively and defensively.  Players who are good on the ball and players who are willing to work for the entire 90+ minutes.  How does this translate into FM?

• Anticipation
• Decision Making
• First Touch
• Natural Fitness
• Off the Ball (attacking players)/Positioning (defending players)
• Work Rate

I find players who can do that.  I have a great chance of being successful.

Manager

Theodor Loewe is a German from Hamburg, Germany who was a decently successful player in the lower levels of the professional game in Germany.  He played for Hansa Rostock before blowing out his knee.  At that point, he hung up his boots and starting his coaching career.  Working with the Hansa Rostock youth teams, he decided to break out and try to forge his own career with a senior side.  He earned all of his German coaching badges.

Path to the First Club

• 20 June 2022 - Applied for URSL Vise job
• 1 July 2022 - URSL Vise application unsuccessful
• 19 September 2022 - Applied for Elversberg Job
• 20 September 2022 - Applied for Hvidovre job
• 26 September 2022 - Applied for Logrones job
• 8 October 2022 - Logrones offer interview
• 10 October 2022- Applied for Verl job
• 15 October 2022 - Logrones application unsuccessful
• 20 October 2022 - Hvidovre offer interview
• 21 October 2022 - Applied for First Vienna job
• 23 October 2022 - Applied for FC Volendam job
• 26 October 2022 - Elversberg application unsuccessful
• 28 October 2022 - Hvidovre application unsuccessful
• 28 October 2022 - Applied for SV Horn job
• 31 October 2022 - Applied for FC Blau-Weiss Linz job
• 6 November 2022 - FC Volendam application unsuccessful
• 6 November 2022 - Applied for RFC Liege job
• 19 November 2022 - RFC Liege offer interview
• 21 November 2022 - SV Horn offer interview
• 22 November 2022 - First Vienna offer interview
• 26 November 2022

First Vienna will be my first "port of call" for this save.  First Vienna have just started their World Cup/Winter Break so  I will have three months to figure out the club's strengths and weaknesses before I get into my first competitive match.

 

[keeper#1]

Early Days in Vienna

Taking over a team in a relegation fight is a tough ask especially as a new manager.  You have to make the players believe that you can do the job.  You have to get them into your training program.  Oh and you have zero margin for error when it comes to results on the pitch.  

I put the players through a tough winter training camp in hopes of getting them to believe my system and what I wanted to see from them on the pitch.  It was a tough sell.  We did not fare in the Vienna Winter Cup when I brought three lower tier teams in an attempt to boost team morale.  Then, we struggled offensively in the first league matches.  It's been a tough road for us.  Starting out a career trying to save a club from relegation and then failing is not a good look.  But that's the look, I have right now.

There it is.  The split in the Vienna League and then we open the spring season going three matches without a goal.  When we finally score, we find a way to have our worst defensive performance to lose the match any.  Another loss to Admira ran our winless streak to 11 games stretching back to late October.  Against Dornbirn, I made a shape switch to a 4-3-3 hoping that would spark a change in the squad's performance since I was on the verge of completely losing the locker room.

Heading into the Dornbirn match, I was facing a team-wide revolt.  We needed a win badly.

We earned a late set piece which was sent to the back post.  Centerback Noah Steiner got his on the ball and it found its way into the far top corner earned us a 1-0 victory to break us out of slump.

This table does not reflect the Admira and Dornbirn matches.  Through 22 matches, the bottom of the table looks like this.

13) SV Horn 22 pts.

14) Young Violets Austria 20 pts.

15) Vienna FC 17 pts.

16) SK Vorwarts Steyr 14 pts.

My hope is that we finish above the cut line and my next post is a season recap and what I hope to achieve in the summer transfer window.  I don't want to make another post but the job search that comes with managing a club that gets relegated.  Because if we survive, the kids that came through the intake are looking pretty good.

[keeper#1]

Survival in Vienna

A tactical switch was the key to our end of season success.  The squad was much happier and more comfortable playing in a 4-3-3.  We beat Dornbirn 1-0 in the first match after we switched to the 4-3-3 on a set piece.  The match against Sturm Graz II was very similar - a 1-0 win on a set piece.  A victory over struggling Vorwarts ran the winning streak to three matches before Liefering brough us back to earth.  A four-match unbeaten stretch was more than enough to move us out of the relegation places.  We played a weakened side against St. Polten because win or lose - we could not be relegated and they were locked into third place.  Our last nine matches was very successful: 5W 2D 2L.  We moved from 15th place to 10th.

Admira won promotion to the Austrian Bundesliga  while Young Violets Austria, Dornbirn and Vorwarts have been relegated into the Regional leagues.

The offense is one of the many things that we need to overhaul for next season.  18 goals in 30 matches is unacceptable.

Not a lot of bright spots on this roster and thankfully for me...not a lot of them want to stick around next season.  Here's a list:

Players Exploring Options

• DM Thomas Kreuzhuber (age 29)
• CF Deni Alar (age 31)
• LF Lukas Grozurek (age 31)
• RB Stephan Auer (age 32)
• CF Nils Zatl (age 31)
• RB Raphael Strasser (age 21)
• GK Andreas Lukse (age 35)

Players on Loan

• CB Karim Abazovic
• CB Kevin Bukusu
• LB Felix Selwald
• CM Marco Sulzner
• RF Daniel Owusu

Players I'm Willing to Let Go

• RF Oliver Bucher (age 23)
• LF Sebrastin Zettl (age 21)
• WF Marcel Tazmayr (age 21)
• RB Noah Rossler (age 20)

That's 16 players from the senior team.  There's going to be a lot of roster turnover this summer.

[_Ben_]

Congrats on keeping them up! Hopefully you’ll be able to work some magic with an entirely new team out next season. 

[Sonic Youth]

I like your idea for a save. It’s good to find an idea you can invest in. I’d also call that an exciting first season in charge of your first club. Good luck with the upcoming transfer window 

[keeper#1]

Been a busy week with work so it's been tough to get games in.  Hopefully, I can push to the winter break tonight and have a full update tomorrow at somepoint.

[keeper#1]

2023-24 Fall Update

Eight new faces come to Vienna.  Most of them will be in the starting XI and some will be key reserves.  Really don't want to dive deep into all eight of them so I will go into one at key positions.

Christoph Pinocher is a center back who can also play defensive midfielder.  He is a great marker but struggles when players have good off the ball movement.  He's not fast but is a solid decision maker and can read the play well.  He will see time at both the center back and defensive midfielder position.

Mario Abenza is a great Spanish all-around midfielder.  He fits into everything I want from our midfield.  He can pass the ball.  He is willing to be in the work both on offense and defense.  Not a great decision maker but is good enough for this level.  A solid starter for where we are right now.

Souaibou Marou is a player that my scouts had to do some digging to find.  They found him at Coton Sport where he had outgrown the club but did not have much interest from European clubs.  He wasn't interested in us, at first, but once he saw that we were his only interest...he finally agreed to talking about a contract.  Really good for this level and he hopes that he can bring the club some success so he can move to a larger club in the future (a lot like me!).

We came out of the gate on fire and just smashing the competition.  A goal-fest against Gleisdorf was a turning point for the season.  Our form started to become more choppy and mainly had problems on the defensive side of the ball.  It took until our eliminated from the cup for our form to recapture our early season success.  Hopefully, we can keep that form when we return in late February.

We sit on top of the table with a four point lead over St. Polten.  Should we finish in first, it will be First Vienna's first time back in the Austria Bundesliga since 1992.  But in order to secure promotion, we must finish as champions.  There is no promotion for 2nd or 3rd place.

Player of the first half: CF Souaibou Marou (13 goals, 3 assists, 7.51 average rating, 1.06 goals/90)

Defender of the first half: CB Noah Steiner (94% tackle success rate, 86% header won rate, 3.48 interceptions/90) - downside: he has requested a transfer to a larger club

Young player of the first half: shared by CM Antonio Paric (6 goals, 2 assists, 7.14 average rating, 0.45 goals/90) and CF Edvin Ramic (6 goals, 0 assists, 6.95 average rating, 0.75 goals/90)

Hard luck player of the first half: DM Dalibor Velimirovic - blew out his knee in September will be out for 8 to 10 months.  Tough loss as he was our starting defensive midfielder

It looks like a decent intake coming in the spring but nothing to write home about.

 

[Sonic Youth]

Good start until you hit the cup. Positioned nicely to aim for promotion 

Nice bunch of players you recruited too.

[keeper#1]

2023-24 End of Season

On the field

We put together a solid run of form.  The only downturn occurred when Marou was out of the lineup for over a month with an injury.  Our offense suffered to find a goal scorer and the goals dried up.  Wins turned into draws.  Draws turned into losses.  If we scored two goals or more, we won.  If not, we lost or drew.  It was very simple.  9 wins 3 draws and 2 losses.  Will 30 points in the late winter/spring be enough to push us to the league title and promotion?

We pulled away from all the promotion-eligible competition.  FC Liefering, as a B team, is not eligible for promotion to the Austrian Bundesliga.  We finished 12 points clear of both St. Polten and Linz so it was an easy cruise to promotion even if Liefering found a way to overtake us late in the season.  Two of the top five teams were B teams with Sturm Graz II finishing in 5th.  Rapid Wien II, Elektra and Kapfenberger all drop into the Regionalliga landscape.

On the Statsheet

The only player who recorded a season-long average rating below 7.00 was our starting goalkeeper, Daniel Bartosch, and he checked in with a 6.93 for the season.  Everyone played great and put us in the position to earn this promotion.

Christoph Pichorner is the 2023-24 Defender of the Year.  He was our best all-around defender this season.  He won 85% of his tackles and 77% of his headers.  He also ranked highly in both interceptions/90 and key tackles/90.  He completed an excellent 92% of his passes.  He pushed in just about every category by loanee Kaan Bengi but Bengi could not play two positions like Pichorner, who saw time at both center back and defensive midfielder this season.  That versatility earned him the Defender of the Year Award.

Right winger Nicholas Wunsch ran away with the 2023-24 Midfielder of the Year Award.  He led the team and the league with 17 assists while adding in seven goals.  82% pass completion and 13% cross completion rate.  That cross completion rate is a bit low but his assists to chances created ratio was extremely high.  He created his 17 assists off of 23 created chances and he overperformed his xGA and actual assist number.  

His fine play throughout the season also earned him the league wide Player of the Year Honor.

Souaibou Marou was the tip of the spear for our offense.  His goal scoring ability was the main reason while Wunsch's assists to chances created ratio was so high.  He poured in 20 goals for the season.  Only 37 of his 94 shots found the target but 20 of those 37 shots went in the net.  If the shot was on frame, it was likely going into the net.  He didn't do much when it came to getting others into the play but that wasn't his job.  His job was to score goals and he did that very efficiently.  

The Academy

One elite talent but at the same position as last season's elite talents.  Three top talents.  Not a great class but a class that help the club from a depth prespective.

Another class that does not have strong personalities.

Simon is an elite dribbler that can run past most defenders in the Austrian league system.  Needs some mentoring to get rid of that "unambitious" personality.  His other viewable mentals are decent for the age.  Needs to work on his decision-making and staying focused for the full 90 minutes.  That will come with age and experience.

Infrastructure

We need undersoil heating as part of joining the Austrian Bundesliga and it's costing us a pretty penny to install.  We needed to take a 2.3 million euro loan to pay for it.

My Plans

As of right now, Loewe has his UEFA B license and is currently studying for his UEFA A license.  Ideally, I'd like to jump to a German 2.Bundesliga side or a Danish SuperLiga side.  Both leagues are a step up (3* compared to the Austrian 2.Liga 2.5*) in league quality.  The Danish SuperLiga would be an interesting stop.  The league really dropped off from 2022-23 to 2023-24.  It fell from 12th to 22nd in the European rankings.  The German 2.Bundesliga is ranked 24th and held steady year over year.  But, I don't want to take over a relegation candidate.  I'd like to get my hands on a mid-table side that has some room for growth.  As of right now, none of those opportunities exist.  Maybe as the summer rolls on, a job in one of those of leagues fitting that criteria will open up.  

[keeper#1]

It's a bit of a reach but Twente is a mid-table Eredivisie side that is looking for a replacement after Ron Jans stepped down.  They think my high-tempo philosophy is a match for their club.

[keeper#1]

Interviews Aplenty

Once it became public that I was interested in the Twente, others clubs became interested in my managerial services:

Frosinone in Serie B was the first to show interest.  Not sure why they came in with an unsolicited interview since they agree with my philosophy of not focusing on set pieces.  We train set pieces every week but it's not the focus of our attack since we can score from open play.  But Serie B is a step up for me.  

Nacional in Portugal is an interesting offer.  They want to move back into the Liga Portugal and liked that I was able to get First Vienna from the second tier in Austria to the Austrian Bundesliga.  Not the biggest of clubs but they did produce Ronaldo so that's an interesting angle that this club could bring to the save.

Sparta want to get me before Twente can get me.  They are in Rotterdam which is one of the major port cities that I want to end up in.  It could be an ideal launching point to Feyenoord if I'm successful at Sparta.  They play in The Castle which is just a cool name for a stadium.  Their only concern is I've never really been in a season-long relegation fight but like that I have a high-tempo philosophy.  Could be a nice back-up if Twente goes in a different direction.

Twente is the last club to bring me in for an interview.  They are the biggest club of the four clubs and will have most pressure.  They have the best youth academy of the four clubs so I'd have plenty of talent to ship away to other clubs.  Their high-tempo philosophy fits my philosophy.  One of the biggest questions is they, historically, have a quick trigger when it comes to getting rid of managers.  It would be a high risk-high reward situation should I take the job.  Am I ready for this big of a stature jump in club?  But former manager Ron Jans went from FC Cincinnati, a MLS expansion team, to Twente.  So....

Edited January 14, 2023 by keeper#1

[Sonic Youth]

Congrats on promotion 

I guess you want to move to a port destination as soon as you can to start ticking off achievements 

[keeper#1]

4 minutes ago, Sonic Youth said:

Congrats on promotion 

I guess you want to move to a port destination as soon as you can to start ticking off achievements 

I'd like to get to a port city. 

Frosinone isn't really a port city so that's not a great fit.

Nacional is in Funchal, Mederia which is the largest cruise port for Portugal so that's an option.

Sparta Rotterdam is in Rotterdam.  That's self-explanatory - Rotterdam is the biggest commercial port in Europe.

Twente is located in Enschede which is on the German border.  It has a port since just about every city in the Netherlands has a port because of the nature of the country.  On one hand, the port isn't large.  On the other hand, it's the biggest club to offer an interview so it could be a starting port to a larger port in Netherlands, Belgium or Germany.

[Sonic Youth]

It looks like this from reading your breakdown (barring another offer): Twenty, Nacional, Sparta, with Frosinone not an option.

Twenty as a better step to Feyenoord. Though it would be an interesting wrinkle going from Sparta to Feyenoord 

[keeper#1]

Onto the Second Port of Call

Nacional took themselves out of the running by going with Vasco Faisca as their new manager.  Nacional was third in my internal rankings for my Second Port of Call so I wasn't too disappointed.  Frosinone is my bottom choice since the club is not really in a port city.  It comes down, in my mind, to the two Dutch clubs: Sparta and Twente for my Second Port of Call.  The only way I end up at Frosinone is if both Sparta and Twente go with a different manager.

In a surprise move by the Twente board, they have hired Theodor Loewe as their new manager over Roland Nilsson, who has a much better CV.  He has led Veije to 5th and now 3rd place in the Danish Superliga where as I have only led First Vienna to the Austria 2.Liga title.  Twente limped home, last season, winning just one of their last 12 matches as they crashed out of the Eredivisie European Places Playoffs in the semi-finals.

The board have high but achievable goals for the club over the next five years.

The board are excited to have join the club.  I have a decent sized wage budget and a very small transfer budget.  With that in place, I'm going to focus on the youth academy to produce talent for the club.  The academy is one of the best in The Netherlands so we need to take advantage of this talent source to help move the club forward while generating revenue for the club at the same time.

The fans have a mixed reaction to Loewe's appointment to manager.  Some are excited while others are looking at this as a bad appointment and the club will be worse off for making it.

The players had a negative reaction to the appointment.  They think I'm not ready to make the jump to Twente and need to boost my CV before taking a job of this stature.

The club seems to follow a similar pattern.  They have a big boost of income over the summer as the sponsorship money comes in and then the bank balance dwindles as the season goes on as they likely outspend their means on player salaries while not selling enough players to offset this salary spend.  I'd like to even this out and bring the club more in the black even late in the season.  I've poured money into the scouting budget so we can search the world for cheap talent that can supplement the academy.

 Speaking of the academy, it's a weird setup.  When I took over, the club only had one player on the U18 squad.  Everyone else was "on loan" to the Twente-Heracles Academie which appears on my squad filter as a U19 team.

Further investigation has uncovered that the Twente-Heracles Academie is an affiliate club that Twente and Heracles can send players.  Twente has the option to buy any Heracles players loaned to the academy.  Plus, the Academy uses all my normal youth training facilities.  It's a odd arrangement that I've never come across in my time playing FM.

The Senior Roster

The senior side roster is a bit bloated, at the moment, some players will be coming off the roster at the end of June when their contracts expire.

Currently there are four goalkeepers on the roster but only two will be on the roster come July 1.  This is the type of roster bloat that I'm talking about.  Lars Unnerstall is the clear starter with Issam El Maach as his understudy.  We have a quality goalkeeper, Luca van Hees, waiting in the wings with the U18 team.  

Right side and the center of the defense look to be squared away already.  Joshua Brenet is set to be the right back with Mees Hilgers and James Gomes working the middle with Robin Propper in the mix for the a starting role.  The glaring weakness is the left side.  We only have Danny Rose on the roster and his contract expires in a few days.  He's not a good option any more for a starting role.  My first priority as a manager will be to bring in a new starting and probably even backup left back.

The midfield looks to be the strength of the team.  They already have a nice defender-water carrier-attacking runner trio.  Ramiz Zerrouki is the defender.  Michal Sadliek is the water carrier and Michel Vlap is the attacking runner.  We will see how well they fit into my 4-3-3 formation or if I will need to adapt their roles within the formation to best use their skillset - a goal for the 2024 summer friendlies.  Lots of good young talent behind those three in the backup roles or long-term injury replacements.  

Wing midfield is a bit weaker again with no real solid left side option.  The right side is manned by Vaclav Cerny.  I could play Norwegian Mathia Kjoto in that position or go a different direction with some who likes to play a bit more inside and bring in a true wingback on the left side.  Not really sure which way I'm going to go at this point.

Center forward is a soft spot as well.  Diogo is the best option up top and is backed up by Olaf Kok and Yaid Marhoum, whose contract is expiring.

So, Twente will be my Second Port of Call.  My goals here:

• clear the roster bloat
• Use the youth academy to improve the club both on the field and on the balance sheet
• Get Twente into Europe for the 2025-26 season
• Push the Big Three (Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord) for a Champions League place
• Win the KNVB Beker Cup
• Move to either a top tier club in The Netherlands (one of the Big Three), Belgium (Club Brugge, Anderlecht or Standard) or a mid-table side in Germany

[Sonic Youth]

Twenty it is! I wondered if your reputation was enough. I guess the board saw enough in you 

Looks like you’ve got a reasonable base  at at Twenty to work with.

[keeper#1]

Me too.  I was expecting Twente to go in a different direction and I would get the Sparta job but here we are at Twente.

[keeper#1]

Trimming the Roster & Early Results

This roster had a lot of bloat to it when I took in June.  My first mission was to trim that bloat and try to put together a starting XI that could be competitive in the Eredivisie.

We shipped a lot of players out the door either on loans to other clubs for some of our marginal younger talent that is too old for the U18 squad and not good enough for a spot on the senior team.  Some of the older (21-23 year old players) who were on the senior roster despite not being good enough to hold down a senior team place were just sent out the door at the first offer.  The only big loss in the transfers out is Mees HIlgers, who was one of our starting center backs.  Coming in, we made three signings.  Two of the three signings were on deadline day which I generally don't like to do.

Rasmus Balle

Balle is a young winger who was a free agent.  He is raw but has a good physical ability for a 17 year old.  Primarily a left winger but can also fill in at the center forward and right wing positions too.  He's a good low-cost (or in this case no-cost) buy that could either pan out for the senior team or be a decent profit sell to other club.

Ibou Sane

Sane comes from Generation Foot in Africa and is a very talented Senegalese center forward.  He was a player that my scouts honed in on early.  I was rushed to buy him when Diogo went down with a long term injury.  He was more senior side ready that my current center forward options in the youth setup.  He is another low-cost purchase that could bring the club a decent profit in the future.

Charles

Charles is the most "game ready" of the three summer signings.  He is a good defensive midfielder that brings a professionalism that I want to instill to the team.  He can also step into the more advanced center midfield roles if needed as well.  Decent with both feet and has a solid, but not spectacular, all-around game.

Roster

It may look bloated but there is a lot of player overlap in the positions with the same player appearing in multiple position groups.

Results

Not the best of starts.  We opened the campaign getting drilled by Heerenveen 4-0.  Responded with a 3-1 victory over Go Ahead Eagles but falling late to Fortuna Sittard, 2-1.  Definitely not helping my players faith in my abilities as a manager.  Hopefully we can turn things around as I spend more time with the team.

[Sonic Youth]

Looks like you’ve organised the squad/team, and now it’s about tweaks, tactics and training.

What’s your board and fan expectations?

[keeper#1]

12 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

Looks like you’ve organised the squad/team, and now it’s about tweaks, tactics and training.

What’s your board and fan expectations?

Thankfully, only mid-table.  We aren't ready to compete with the big teams yet.

[keeper#1]

First Half Recap & Defensive Woes

Throughout the first half of the season, I got to watch many matches where our defense allowed goal after goal.  Opponents getting clear chances on target after clear chances on target.  It didn't matter what the formation was or how we were set up.  We just played poorly.  After one sequence where our center back received the goal kick and just passed to the opposition sitting at the top of 18-yard box, I determined that the players were the problem not my set up since every set up was clearly not working.  In early December, I took a dive into the defensive stats and was disgusted with what I saw.

I'll break it down by player:

RB Joshua Brenet:  5.35 Interceptions/90, 6.94 headers won/90, 2.82 tackles/90, 87% tackles won, 77% headers won - above average for the position

CB Robin Propper - 4.12 INT/90, 10.97 headers/90, 0.79 tackles/90, 81% tackles won, 73% headers won - poor for the position

Converted LB Michal Sadilek - 3.65 INT/90, 2.66 headers/90, 3.04 tackles/90, 77% tackles won, 45% headers won - poor for the position

CB James Gomes - 3.26 INT/90, 14.47 headers/90,  1.22 tackles/90, 86% tackles won, 84% headers won - average for the position

CB James Plegurzuelo - 3.71 INT/90, 5.11 headers/90, 0.89 tackles/90, 70% tackles won, 56% headers won - very poor for the position

LB Rody Schouwenaar - 4.06 INT/90, 4.76 headers/90, 1.96 tackles/90, 78% tackles won, 77% headers won - average for the position (only 15 years old)

RB Rickson van Hees - 3.65 INT/90, 2.43 headers/90, 0.97 tackles/90, 50% tackles won, 50% headers won - poor for the position

CB Julian Brandies - 3.70 INT, 4.44 headers/90, 0.74 tackles/90, 100% tackles won, 53% headers won - below average for the positions

That's not good and we are need of a serious retooling on the defensive side of the ball if we are to get some consistent improvement from the squad.  Defense always comes first for me.

It's either boom or bust with this defense and, as a result, the team results.  We either have a clean sheet through some magical stroke of luck or we allow multiple goals and the offense can't score enough to keep up.  Getting only three points from those last four league games is pretty disappointing.  We should have won, at least, one of those matches but just couldn't score.

10th place is about the best we could have asked for given all of the defense problems that this team has.  In terms of just raw "newspaper stats,"  we ranked tied for 11th in goals allowed (23), 11th in xGA (21.01), and 9th in tackles won (77%).

Not a whole lot of green 7.00+ average ratings in the first half.  After 17 league matches, I've figured out that this just isn't a good team and we need a serious retool.  Probably some combination of selling and promoting young players from the youth team.  Not a lot of bringing players in from the outside unless they are really inexpensive.  We are very tight to the wage budget at the moment.

Attacker of the first half - Ibou Sane

Sane is proving to be a good signing from Generation Foot in Senegal.  He's the leading scorer with seven goals.  But he's already doing the things that I would expect a more mature player do, he's making sure that his shots are on frame (59% accuracy), he's doing some things in the passing and defensive side of the ball as well.  Not making a lot of tackles but putting the opposing defense under pressure.  With a better backline, this should mean more possession recycling as the defense wins the ball and we can restart the offensive phase of the game.

Cerny Midfielder of the First Half

Cerny is a very versatile midfielder who has played a variety of positions for us this season.  He leads the team with six assists and ranks second in key passes/90.  Almost of all of his key passes are coming from open play and as a result is one of the team leaders in chances created/90.  Not a strong crosser of the ball but it's just enough to keep the defense honest.  He's a better defender than some of our defenders.  A good solid player for us thus far this season.

Gomez Defender of the First Half

Gomes is the best of a bad bunch of a defenders.  He's a league average defender and his value is very close to his 4.1M euro release clause.  I won't be disappointed if some club activates the clause so I can go bring in a better defender for less money.  Not much more to say than has already been said about our defense.

Twente Academy

The academy looks like it's ready to churn out another solid crop of young Dutch players for the club.

[Sonic Youth]

13 hours ago, keeper#1 said:

Thankfully, only mid-table.  We aren't ready to compete with the big teams yet.

Judging by the mid-table position, your player’s performed to expectations (of course your expectations are different). Now you know the state of the club. Good thing you’ve just got a good youth intake preview 

I’ve been wondering, are you playing with no player skills showing and relying on stats to determine the success and quality of players?

[keeper#1]

12 hours ago, Sonic Youth said:

Judging by the mid-table position, your player’s performed to expectations (of course your expectations are different). Now you know the state of the club. Good thing you’ve just got a good youth intake preview 

I’ve been wondering, are you playing with no player skills showing and relying on stats to determine the success and quality of players?

I'm using what I feel is the most accurate type of recruitment:

• Using my scouts to find players - sorting through those to find interested players
• Treating attributes as "scout ratings" for the players to create an initial ranking of the interested players
• Using the player stats in matches to see if the stats backup the "scout ratings" of the attributes to create a final ranking

For example, I brought in Nil Armah Bekui, a 18-year old playing for Accra Lions in Ghana, to replace Julio Pleguezuelo - who got shipped back to Spain after his awful first half of the season.

He only has a 10 rating for jumping reach and 9 rating for heading which are worse than Pleguezuelo's.  But, Bekui is 12 years younger and his mentals (anticipation, decisions, positioning, etc.) are already better than Pleguezuelo's.  So, I looked at the stats for Bekui.  He was winning 85%+ of his tackles and headers in top league in Ghana.  Granted it's Ghana but it showed me enough that the scout's thoughts on his ability don't match the stats.  I think after a couple of seasons that his physical ability will grow - the mental ability is already there.  He will be an upgrade over Pleguezuelo.  So, he came in as his replacement.

This is what I have set up for recruitment focuses - all ongoing

It's also why you see me bounce between the Statman and Tato skins.  Tato fits my laptop screen in windowed mode better but use Statman in the transfer windows to better see the stats even though it doesn't fit my screen as well.

Edited January 19, 2023 by keeper#1

[Sonic Youth]

11 hours ago, keeper#1 said:

I'm using what I feel is the most accurate type of recruitment:

• Using my scouts to find players - sorting through those to find interested players
• Treating attributes as "scout ratings" for the players to create an initial ranking of the interested players
• Using the player stats in matches to see if the stats backup the "scout ratings" of the attributes to create a final ranking

For example, I brought in Nil Armah Bekui, a 18-year old playing for Accra Lions in Ghana, to replace Julio Pleguezuelo - who got shipped back to Spain after his awful first half of the season.

He only has a 10 rating for jumping reach and 9 rating for heading which are worse than Pleguezuelo's.  But, Bekui is 12 years younger and his mentals (anticipation, decisions, positioning, etc.) are already better than Pleguezuelo's.  So, I looked at the stats for Bekui.  He was winning 85%+ of his tackles and headers in top league in Ghana.  Granted it's Ghana but it showed me enough that the scout's thoughts on his ability don't match the stats.  I think after a couple of seasons that his physical ability will grow - the mental ability is already there.  He will be an upgrade over Pleguezuelo.  So, he came in as his replacement.

This is what I have set up for recruitment focuses - all ongoing

It's also why you see me bounce between the Statman and Tato skins.  Tato fits my laptop screen in windowed mode better but use Statman in the transfer windows to better see the stats even though it doesn't fit my screen as well.

All makes perfect sense 

This approach reminds me of @_Ben_ thread he has going in Career Updates too.

 

[keeper#1]

27 minutes ago, Sonic Youth said:

All makes perfect sense 

This approach reminds me of @_Ben_ thread he has going in Career Updates too.

 

I've read his threads for years.  He goes in depth to a level that I didn't think could be possible.

On the save front, I'm headed to bed with a big match waiting for me tomorrow.

[keeper#1]

KNVB Beker Final

Couldn't wait until this evening to play the final so I squeezed in the match while working from home.

Vaclav Cerny pounced on a poor touch in the box by Feyenoord defender, Tim Oermann, who misplayed a poor throw by Twente's Joshua Brenet.  Cerny took a couple of dribbles and smashed home a goal in the 6th minute to give Twente a 1-0 lead.  That was all the scoring we would see in the match.  Feyenoord kept missing the target with their shots throughout the first half and beginning of the second half.  Twente moved more and more into a defensive shell finishing the match a 5-4-1-0 formation to hold on to the 1-0 victory and claim its first KNVB Beker trophy since 2011.

The fans are absolutely buzzing over the cup win.

It took all season but the locker room is finally starting to turn around after the cup win and berth in the Europa League.

[ihsviks]

Great work on the cup capture!!

Any specific targets for the upcoming transfer window? 

[keeper#1]

1 hour ago, ihsviks said:

Great work on the cup capture!!

Any specific targets for the upcoming transfer window? 

Not yet.  Still sifting through who wants to come now that we have European football to offer them.

[keeper#1]

2025 Youth Intake

One intake and I'm already in love with this academy.  Five elite talents and a big handful of top talents.  In all my years of playing FM, this has to rank as my best ever intake.  

Personalities are not terrible either.

Ferd Schokker is a pure sniper.  Not great in the air but has great pace.  Willing to fire the ball on net whenever he gets the chance.  Needs to develop the mental side of his game like most young players.  A great player to top a great class.

Colot is a good center back that isn't strong in the air but is quick for the position.  Could be a good candidate to move into a defensive midfielder role.  I like a big center back who is good in the air in front of the goalkeeper.  I've seen, first hand, what small center backs can do to a defense this season and don't want a repeat of that going forward.

Stijn Klaverweide could be a good attacking midfielder if he is willing to put in the work to make his game better.  Looks like one of those players who was better than everyone else in the youth teams and never put in the work.  He needs to put in the work to become a great player.  The potential is there.  He just needs to tap into it.

El Amrani is another good center forward who can dribble through a defense but like Kalverweide doesn't want to put in the work to make himself better.   Doesn't make good choices on the field and doesn't read the game well.  He will need to develop the mental side of his game to become the best player that he could be.

Schouten is a good midfielder who could be a starting central midfielder for Twente before going off to big club and hopefully some time with the Dutch National Team.  A great passer of the ball who can see the whole field.  Once he learns how to make the proper pass, he will be a great player.

[keeper#1]

2024-25 Second Half Recap

I thought we had turned the corner during the three-match winning streak in February but we fell back into our season-long trend of choppy form.  We just weren't a squad who could put together a consistent set of results.  The only bright spot was winning the KNVB Beker to put into the Europa League for the 2025-26 season.  Personally, it gives me an appearance in European football which will only help my reputation even if we lay an egg.  All about trying to get to the next port of call.

10th place is about the best we could ask for as a side who couldn't string together wins.  Offense would be there some nights and then complete disappear others.  No Dutch European Places for us again (second straight year).  Never under relegation threat.  Never pushed the top team.  Just a side who got through the season with some highs and some lows.

Defender of the Year - James Gomez

James Gomez is our 2024-25 Defender of the Year.  He earned that award by being, basically, the only defender who could start for club above us in the league table.  Solid in the air and decent in the tackle.  Just need three more defenders like him in the side and I'll have a defense that I won't have to worry about before every match.

Midfielder of the Year - Michel Vlap

It was a close race between Michal Vlap and Vaclav Cerny for Midfielder of the Year.  Vlap got the nod even though he had zero assists for the season.  How did he get the award?  He scored a team-high 13 goals.  A good veteran presence on the team.  Put his shots on target and helped move the ball from the midfield to the attack.  Then got rewarded for his efforts when he got back into the box.

Forward of the Year - Diogo

Another tough call between Diogo and Ibou Sane.  It was basically a coin flip but I gave the award to Diogo because he put up better stats even though he played fewer minutes than Sane.  Diogo's problems was he was constantly injured.  If he could have stayed on the pitch, we could have had a consistent offense but injuries plagued him all season.

Not quite sure how this happened?

My transfer priorities for the upcoming summer transfer window

1. Center Back
2. Wing Back
3. Goalkeeper
4. Center Forward
5. Wing Forward
6. Midfield

We've got a lot of holes to fill and we can't fill them all internally with youth players like Van Hees here who is going the U20 World Cup

Edited January 21, 2023 by keeper#1

[keeper#1]

Summer 2025 Transfer Targets

After sifting through a lot of player scouting reports, I've got a few targets at each of the positions where we need help.

1. Center Back

I've got four players queued up for the center back position since it is the position where we need the most help.  Listed in order of preference:

2. Left Back

Only player on the left back target list - Dutch Eredivisie player Boy Kemper

3. Right Back

We need a little bit more help at the right back position so three bigger name players are on the list

4. Goalkeepers

Two players on the goalkeeper list - one in country and one in South America

5. Center Forward

Now we are getting into the positions where we don't need as much help but I'm still putting a good number of people on the list namely for tactical flexibility

Traore (a familiar name for @_Ben_ ).  I remembered where I learned about him.  I signed him in my Triestina save and he smashed the net on the way to Serie A.

6.  Wing Forward

7. Defensive Midfield

I wish more of these players had more stats but some of them are in a league that I don't have loaded or haven't gotten much playing time for their current team - which is one of the reasons why I'm looking at them.  If the larger club isn't giving you playing time, I can offer that to you.  This is where the combination of attributes and stats is beneficial to using just stats.

 

 

[_Ben_]

On 20/01/2023 at 04:25, keeper#1 said:

I've read his threads for years.  He goes in depth to a level that I didn't think could be possible.

Thank you for the kind words! Just a heads up as I know you're using my skin - I've now released an optimised version, v2.0, that should look much nicer on your resolution.

[keeper#1]

4 hours ago, _Ben_ said:

Thank you for the kind words! Just a heads up as I know you're using my skin - I've now released an optimised version, v2.0, that should look much nicer on your resolution.

I'll give it a look.  I'm sure if it's a resolution issue or laptop screen size issue.  Hopefully it works!

[keeper#1]

Look who found themselves on the transfer list after only six months after leaving Twente.

 

[keeper#1]

This could change the course of my summer.  Offer came unsolicited. 

I wouldn't call a 10th place league finish and a cup win....great performance.

No longer an issue.

Edited January 22, 2023 by keeper#1

[Sonic Youth]

Congrats on the cup win 

I bet it was a relief to finish the season in the end.

Lyon’s interview is a surprise, much like you winning best German manager (because of the cup win?)!

Transfers look in hand for Twenty.

Reputation raising is coming along swimmingly 

 

[keeper#1]

Tactical Thoughts

I did a bit of tactical experimenting in my first two friendlies with the fullbacks and the wingers.

Fullbacks Inverted Wingers Wide - My usual setup

This is the shape I like.  The fullbacks feel attached to the play with the midfielders and provide a decent square pass from the DCM.  The main weakness: they can exposed on the flanks by a ball chipped into the corner.

Fullbacks Wide (sit narrower when in possession) WIngers Wide

Now they sit wider and lose some of that connection to the central midfielder but it's harder to chip over the top of them into the corners.

Fullbacks Wide Wingers Inverted

Fullbacks are still stretched away from the midfield play and they have a tight passing angle to their wing partner.  Still hard to get beat into the corner.

Fullbacks Wide Wingers Wide

Fullbacks and wingers are in line with each other but the wingers start to be disconnected from the lone center forward.  Very hard to get beat down the wing with this setup.

Four different ways to play the fullback-wingback combo.  All have their uses and could be used this season depending on the opponent and/or how they set up their attack.

 

[keeper#1]

Summer 2025 Transfer Window

We had a lot of transfer activity during the summer transfer window.  A lot was our doing as I'm trying to upgrade the roster.  Some of the dealings were forced - mainly by players who did not want to renew their contracts that were expiring at the end of the season.

Transfers In

My African scouting paid a lot of dividends over the past year.  Five of the six of players come from Africa and were able to come over for a greatly reduced price than if they were playing in Europe  The only exception is Rami Kalb, who joins us from Heerenveen, but is of African descent.  The big signings from this group is center forward Seydou Traore and center back Mohamed Tougai.  Both players should slot into the starting lineup right away.  Goodman Mosele and Boubacar Biaye have been brought in for depth at the center midfield position while Vicent Atangana will battle for the backup goalkeeper role.

Transfers Out

No big loses here.  All players were in reserve roles and will not be missed.

Transfers In/Out

Now, we have to talk about some big losses.  The trio of Sadilek, Zerrouki and Cerny will definitely be missed.  All three were starters.  All three had contracts that expire at the end of the current season.  All three were not interested in signing a new contract.  As a result, all three were shipped out to new teams.  Sadilek was the biggest sale going to Premier League side Bournemouth for just over 11 million euros.  Zerrouki was another big sale going to Serie A club Lecce for eight million euros while Cerny was the hardest player to move.  Eventually, I found a buyer in Real Valladoild battling for a promotion to LaLiga.  They bought him for 5.75 million euros.  This gave me some money in the transfer kitty where I could out and buy some players without going bargain hunting.  I found three players.  Two in the midfield and another center back to add some depth there since I have to worry about European matches this season.

You can click on the player to see the attributes/scout's report on the player.  Quispe is a playmaking midfielder but is very right footed.  That said, his right foot can work magic and he can see the entire midfield.  I've put him into a roaming playmaking role.  When on the left side of the pitch, he has the entire field at his disposal or the right side of the pitch, he's a bit more limited but some still work magic with that right foot.  If I can get his left foot to something passable, he will be a quality player in the center of the pitch.

Casseres is hard working midfielder who is good with both feet.  He should slot into the midfield next to Quispe.  I want to him to push a little bit further ahead of Quispe and link the midfield to the attack.  Only an average passer but if given enough time and space he should be a very successful player for us this season.

Gudmundsson is an absolute unit standing at 6'8" and weighing almost 200 lbs.  As a result, he's not the fastest player but he will push just about any player off the ball and can win almost everything in the air.  He's not a big goon either.  He has good balance when he's on the ball and can be depended on to make the simple pass to a player who can make more things happen with the play.  Will be a great sub for us, this season, since he can eliminate the opposition's aerial game.

Finances and Expectations

All of these transfer dealings and about 3.5 million euros coming from direct entry into the Europa League group stage have really boosted out bottom line and put us in the black where we should stay for the entire season since our wage budget is not much different than last season.

The board's expectation for league play has not changed that much from last season.  They still want a top-half finish and just want to be competitive in the Europa League.  I'm convinced that we can hit both of those targets with ease.

Looks like the Europa League does the same thing as the Champions League when it comes to the group stage.  It's now the League Phase.  We need to finish in the top 24 to qualify to the knockout round and in the top eight to earn a bye.  We have a decent draw with some tough games in Germany and Portugal.

[keeper#1]

Job Offers

I turned down this offer.  The roster wasn't appealing and they are in financial trouble.  Not a good place to land.

About a month later, this interview and job offer came along.  A much better team.  Currently in Europe.  Flush with cash.  Excellent youth academy and I don't have to beg the board to create a reserve team like I've been doing at Twente.

So, I leave the Port of Enschede and arrive in the Port of Wolfsburg - another inland river port.

I depart Twente with a Dutch Cup and an overall record of 24-12-22 78 GF (1.34/game) 73 GA (1.26/game)

[keeper#1]

Wolfsburg Intro

Wolfsburg is a club with some success.  They've won on "salad dish" for winning the Bundesliga in 2009 and a DfB-Pokal in 2015.  But since then, the trophy case has gone empty year after year.  This is where I come in:  I've won a Austrian 2.Bundesliga title with First Vienna and a KNVB Beker with Twente.  I've won trophies everywhere that I've been.  That's why they have brought me into to manage the club.  They want silverware.

It's a big club.  Huge compared to First Vienna.  They want us to be a set piece team.  That doesn't fit in with my philosophy.  I want to score from open play and put the other team on the back foot.  You don't do that by winning with set pieces.  We will see if they adapt to my style of thinking after a couple of seasons.

We have plenty of money in the bank and to make some waves in the transfer market.

Goalkeepers

Two good goalkeepers on the roster.  Baumann is on his last legs and has an expiring contract.  Hopefully, he will entertain staying with the club as a youth team coach for the 2026-27 season.

Centerbacks

We have a decent core of center backs led by Sebastiaan Bornauw, who will man the center of our three-back formation.  He will be flanked by youth Spaniard Garcia-McNulty and borderline US National Team player Chris Richards.  The primary backup is German Felix Lange and multi-purpose back Lukas Klunter.

Wingbacks

Wingback is a strength of this team.  Led by Manchester United cast-off Diogo Daiot, who will man the right-hand side of the formation.  On left, we have three great options.  Yannick Gerhardt will get the first crack at the job.  Should he fail, it could be a platoon of Noah Katterbach when we play a more defensive setup and Guilherme Biro when we want to have a more attacking formation.  Lots of good options here.

Midfielders

Midfield is another position of depth.  The starting pair will start out as Mattias Svanberg from Sweden and German Maxmillian Arnold.  We can bring in Jens Cajuste and Dennis Geiger if either of the starters is in poor form.  Aster Vranckx is the understudy for all four players in the midfield.

Forwards

The player that I'm most excited about in this group is Jonas Wind.  I always tried to sign in previous versions of FM and never had any success.  It's great to be inheriting a squad that has Wind on the roster.  Most of the talent at the forward is young.  I'm excited about youngsters da Silva Moreira and Pejcinovic and seeing what they can bring to the attack going forward this season and in future seasons.

[keeper#1]

Brief Wolfsburg Update

Four days off making real money left zero time for FM and my new venture in Wolfsburg.  Now that I'm home again, I can dedicate some of my time to dive into the Woflsburg club.  Not really worried about wins and losses at the moment - though more wins are always helpful.

We got off to a rough start in league play.  No wins in December.  A couple of nice draws against Dortmund and Hertha, who have spent their way to the top of the division, but no wins.  The lone wins came in Europa Conference League play where we secured a 7th place finish in the league stage which gives us a bye into the second knockout round.  January was a month with a lot of turnover which spiced up the offense while sacrificing some defense.  But it led to wins which is starting to see Wolfsburg move up the table.

Two big transfers out.  First is right back Diogo Dalot who had his minimum release clause activated by Barcelona.  The second is midfielder Dennis Geiger who became unsettled after a 15 million euro bid by Dortmund.  I was able to talk Dortmund up to 20 million and accepted their offer.

With that money, I brought in four new players.  Konsa is a center back to fill in a depth weakness at that position.  We are short staffed due to a tactical switch to a three-back formation with only four/five players who can play center back.  Zappa is a straight up replacement for Daiot at the right wing-back position.  Bryan Gil and Sorin Ursu are players who are comfortable playing both at the wing forward and attacking midfielder positions which will give some variety to our attacking shape.

Konsa fell out of favor at West Ham and they were looking to move on from him.  I wanted an additional center back who was strong in the air and in the tackle.  Due to his lack of playing time at West Ham, I had statistical data to base this signing on.  He looks like a defender who should be getting playing time at club in a Big Five league.  He should be able to do the job for us a Wolfsburg.  A defender who can win the ball the back and move it to the midfield to start the attack.

Zappa is a pacey right wingback who can do a lot in both the offensive and defensive game.  Like Konsa, I had no statistical data to base this signing on.  A good decision maker on the ball and quick.  Not the best when it comes to defense but his offensive game should make up for his lack of defensive skills.

Gil is a creative player that is more suited to play out in space on the wing.  Can read the play well and is unpredictable with the ball.  Not an ideal central player but we can use of individual instructions to get him out in space where he can use his playmaking skills to help the attack.

Ursu is a younger version of Gil.  Needs time to develop his game.  Will get playing time to develop that game and become a more rounded player who is able to play in more central positions than Gil can.

[keeper#1]

2026 Youth Intake

We've got the makings of a good but not a great class.  A lot of poor personalities and very few good personalities.  I'll need to do some scouting in the youth leagues of Germany and surrounding countries to help fill out the holes created by this youth intake.

Jocelyn Kern is a solid wing forward from France, who is only 15 years old but looks like he's 35.  He has the looks of being a more goal-creating forward than a goal-scoring forward.  He is strong on the ball and getting the ball to his teammates.  Like most kids, he needs to work on the mental side of his game and making the right decision and the proper pass.  

Peter Sutalo is not the most talented center back but he is one of the most hard-working center backs on the roster.  He is not the fastest defender in the Germany but he makes up for this lack of pace with an ability to  be in the right place at the right time.  Not the best passer but can make the right decision to find the best pass for the situation.  An interesting hard-working player who has some work to do on his game.

Hermann Weber is an interesting winger.  He's more defensive-minded than attack-minded but is not a true wingback which is where he will be trained.  He could provide with a depth attacking wingback option on the right side.  Not a great tackler or decision maker.  He will need lots of time to develop in the youth team and then may need to be loaned out for a season or two to get that development and growth he needs to be a more rounded defender who can use his skills to attack on the wing.

[keeper#1]

2025-26 End of Season

Once we got into February, we started to turn the corner and play much better.  The games we lost were games that we should be expected to lose (Dortmund, Hertha).  The lone exception is the loss at Dusseldorf.  We had a great run in the Europa Conference before we lost in extra time to Manchester United, who went on to defeat Benfica on penalties in the final.  A European trophy, even a minor one, would have been a feather in my cap and could have really opened up some doors in terms of clubs.

The slow start to their season and the mid-season manager change was just enough to keep Wolfsburg out of Europe for the 2026-27 season.  When I took over, they were in a relegation battle.  By the end of the season, they were battling for a return trip to the Europa Conference League.  Not a bad turn around if you ask me.

There is a good squad here.  It just needs some refining and some positional depth brought into the squad.  We have a great strike duo with Pejcionovic and Wind.  Pejcinovic has a note to sign him to a new contract which eliminates his 9.5 million euro release clause as he is now worth three times that value.  Bryan Gil was a great winter signing.  He scored one goal but added seven assists which tied him for the team lead in just half of a season.

Defender of the Year: Sebastiaan Bornauw was a rock in the center of our three back formation.  Strong in the air winning 91% of his headers and good in tackle win 82% of his tackles.  He is just competent enough in the passing game to allow us to keep possession and start our attack.  Doesn't turn the ball over in deep positions on the field.  A good solid defender.

Midfielder of the Year: Mattias Svanberg gets this award because he was on the roster for the entire season.  If it was a half season award, it would have gone to Bryan Gil.  Svanberg is a good two-way midfielder.  He moves the ball between the defense and the attack and does it well.  He is decent in the air and in the tackle.

Forward of the Year: Dzenan Pejcinovic is a dynamic young forward who led the team with 21 goals.  That said, there are some things which he needs to work on.  He needs to work getting more shots on frame (45% is a little low).  His conversion rate is pretty good at 13%.  Already good at pressuring the ball and forcing turnovers to restart the attack.  

Board is giving a good amount of money to spend this off-season.

[SixPointer]

Just catching up! Congratulations on the KNVB beker!

reasonable first season in Germany plenty to build on!

[Sonic Youth]

Good finish to the season after a busy January transfer window. Missing out on Europe was unfortunate, though as you said on the cards because of how the season started.

Next season will be better, especially after another transfer window to strengthen the squad 

[keeper#1]

Summer 2026 Transfer Window

We had a very busy summer transfer window.  With no European competition to play in, some of the older or more experienced players wanted to leave so they could play some place that could offer them more playing time or European playing time.  All told, we lost four pieces from last season's team that played key roles.  The biggest loss is watching center back Chris Richards leave us for Dortmund.  We lost some midfield depth pieces in Viktor Tysganikov and Josep Brekalo.  Tsyganikov has a chance to get some European playing time with Sevilla but the Brekalo move is interesting since he left us for Hoffenheim, who were relegated last season.  The last important piece was Rafael Santos Borre who moved on to the Premier League and Bournemouth.  The other players departing were Wolfsburg II players who were struggling to get playing time and wanted to depart for more playing time.

What did we do in response?  We got younger and cheaper.  We went after hungry players who want to earn a spot in Europe.  All told, we spent a bit more than what we sold but not by a crazy amount.  We spent more in upfront fees but spent less in clauses.  In the end, we just came out behind in terms of spending.  Let's meet the new faces:

Jamal Ulshofer was stuck in a goalkeeping logjam at Hoffenheim and wanted out.  I was able to get him out of that logjam for 3.4 million.  He will spend next couple seasons as our primary backup and cup goalkeeper.  Should we get back into Europe, he will become our European goalkeeper too.  He is being groomed to become our next #1 goalkeeper in the future.  He's just 19 years old and already has two U21 caps with the German National Team.

Thomas Babatz, even at 19 years old, saw that was not going to be given the chance that he deserved at Hertha Berlin.  They have become a spending club not a developing club.  At his age, he has the tools to become a solid center back and take over the center of our three back formation.  Another good young piece that will provide depth this season with an eye for a starting spot in future seasons.

We bought Achiel Duchesne back in February and had to wait until July for him to officially join us.  Just 18 years old and already a key piece of the Belgian National Team with six caps.  The scouts think he is best playing in the defensive midfield.  Right now, he has the pace and marking ability to play as our starting left wing back.  He's fast and willing to get into the attack and has the ability to get back on defense and break up the opposition's attack.  A bargain buy at just 12 million euros from Genk.

Milos Radakovic is a direct replacement for Santos Borre as our backup center forward.  Already a prolific goalscoring for the Serbia U21 team with six goals in 13 appearances.  We hope he can bring that goal scoring touch to our second team off the bench and the spot start.  He's another player that was bought cheaply now with an eye to the future as our more experienced players either become unaffordable or want to leave. 

Tim Oermann was our expensive signing at just under 20 million euros from Feyernood.  He was signed as a direct replacement for Chris Richards, who we lost to Dortmund.  Oermann is younger and better than Richards.  Great at marking and tackling the opposition.  Good in the air and fast enough to get back if the defense tries to go over the top.  A solid buy for us as we bring in yet another player with U21 national team experience.

Christian Mosegaard is another buy with an eye to the future.  We could not give him a lot of playing time this season and Brondby asked for a loan back.  We were willing to send him back to Brondby for the season.  He will get lots of playing time for them and they are a club with good training facilities which will help him improve.  He should come back to us in a season as a better player and ready to fight for a first team place.

Marcus Holmgren Pedersen comes to us to play a role as a depth piece.  He can play both wing back positions.  He has plenty of experiences with 220 club appearances and 47 senior appearances for Norway.  Another wing back who is willing to get into the attack but still defensive-minded enough to track back and help the back line.  

Michael Dorler was never going to get the playing time he wanted at Bayer Leverkusen even with four appearances for the U21 Austrian National Team at just 18 years old.  Knowing that Bayer was not high on him, I came in to bring him into Wolfsburg as a key backup for us in the attacking midfield.  Has the potential to be an elite passer and can see the whole field at just 18.  A great signing for us going forward.

 

[Sonic Youth]

Looks a good transfer window. I like Dorler 

[keeper#1]

Me too.  Dorler and Duchesne have the potential to be truly elite players for us in a couple of seasons.

[keeper#1]

2026-27 Midseason Update

Midway through my first full season at Wolfsburg and things are going very well.  We sit in third place and if the season ending today we would be in the Champions League.  However, the difference between 3rd place and 8th place is just five points and just a quick poor run of form could see us fall out of the European places completely. Right now, it likes a typical Bundesliga season with Bayern running away with league and everybody else fighting for second place.  Karlsruhe are all but relegated and Hannover could easily join them.  The playout spot is up for grabs with three teams (Union, Koln, and Dusseldorf) fighting it out for that spot.

Everything was going great until December when our form took a downward turn.  The defense was ravaged with injuries and we just couldn't keep a clean sheet with the rotational players in the lineup.  Before that, we were flying high with Leipzig as the only team who could break us down and beat us.  Need to get rest and healthy during the Christmas break and push on in the second half of the season.

The bright side to all the injuries is plenty of players have seen plenty of playing time.

Sebastiaan Bornauw has been our defender of the first half of the season.  He plays an important role in the center of our three back formation.  His job is to be the last line of defense and the most defense-minded of the trio.  Bornaux does this very well.  He is very strong in the air winning over 18 headers per game and at a 92% rate.  His tackling is very solid too with 86% of his tackles won while making just under one tackle per game.  That's a tad low but goes to show how hard we are to break down if his numbers are that low.

Bryan Gil wins the midfielder of the first half of the season in another tight race.  His creativity and playmaking is earns him this honor again.  He creates almost two key passes from open play while averaging an assist every other game.  His pass percentage is low for the position at 79% which is make the race close.  I'd like the rate to be higher but I also understand that to make passes to unlock a defense, you need to make passes that sometimes fail.

Dzenan Pejicinovic is averaging almost a goal every 90 minutes which makes him an easy nominate for attacker of the first of the season.  He has improved across all categories this season.  Shots per 90, shots on target per 90 and conversion rate are all up from last season's numbers.  A great player who makes our attack go.

[keeper#1]

2027 Winter Transfer Window

We had a very busy winter window with a 16 players coming in but only one player Jens Cajuste who had his minimum release clause activated by Real Madrid and left for 15.5 million euros.  A lot of these players were bought for the future and will be working with our II team or U19 team depending on their age.  I've going to focus on the last three signings as they will have the biggest impact on the second half of our season.

Szymon Bednarczyk is a Polish-German center forward who saw that his playing time at Bayern was going to be limited and wanted to get out to a place where he could compete for playing time.  He has 26 appearances with Bayern II team and has scored 10 goals.  He has the potential to be an elite finisher with above average dribbling and speed to get him through opposing defenses.

We were able to beat Sporting CP out for the rights to Marcos.  Marcos is listed as a defensive midfielder but he is more attack-minded than defense-first in the midfield.  Already playing with the Brazilian U23 squad as a 19-year old.  Can read the play well and is very strong in the air.  Also is an above average marker and decision-maker.  Has the potential to play a variety of roles for us in the midfield going forward.

Independiente's Federico Varela could be an elite playmaking option for us in the midfield.  Can see the whole field and can pick out the right pass.  Not a strong dribbler but can beat you with his speed.  Is willing to mix it up on the defensive side of the game as well.  Another 19-year old South American who has seen time for his country's U23 team.