Turning the Tables – Athletico Madrid (FM23)

[g1nh0]

 

Turning the Tables – Athletico Madrid (FM23)

I’ve decided to take over the helm from Diego Simeone at this what one could say, potential Spanish giant.

Although they have been competing valiantly over recent times with Barca and Athletico, when it comes down to it the club have been punching above their weight, but never quite achieved a success to bring them on par with Real and Barca.

In the last 45 years they have only won La Liga 3 times and 5 Copa Del Rey’s. Also from a financial perspective, they have always been up against it and starting this save still have a debt of GBP 85mil to pay. The club has also never won the Champions League.

But the club do have a Worldwide rep and have the ability to recruit some top quality talent. Only problem is that neighbours Real Madrid already have an awesome foundation in place to control La Liga domestically for a number of years.

And along with Barca’s youngsters and ability to still invest in top quality players despite their current financial predicament, both clubs are still significantly ahead of Athletico. Athletico also aren’t the youngest side, and it won’t be long before a rebuild is required.

So for a big club in this year’s game, it seems like quite a nice challenge to manage the club long-term, in the hope that over time we will be able to step up a level and finally compete head to head with these two clubs, but attempting to have this reflected with trophies in the cabinet.

 

The challenge here I see in my eyes:

-To become a financially stable club Long Term.

-To compete with Real and Barca, with the knowledge they will likely always have an advantage of a superior squad / players compared to Athletico and greater pulling power.

-To try and spread out the trophies more equally between ourselves and Real / Barca.

-To win the Champions League that has yet to be achieved.

--

It’s going to be far from easy, as the big two clubs will unlikely drop many points in the league, or at least one of them you would expect to have a strong year. So we will need a bit of luck at times I am sure.

It will mean I need to create a squad with depth, sufficient enough quality, but more importantly be able to consistently make sure tactically I get things right in the big games, and against clubs of a more equal qualities and stature such as Sevilla, Villareal, Sociedad and Betis where points can be easily dropped. Bilbao is never an easy place to go to as well.

So I doubt I’ll ever be able to dominate with this club simply due to the stiff competition Real and Barca will always bring, but I hope to try and bring Athetico to be on par with the big two, whilst bringing a UCL trophy to the club and make the club financially strong.

===

Season	La Liga	Copa Del Rey	Spanish Super Cup	Champions League
1	Athletico	Athletico	Barcelona	Athletico
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

 

Athletico

La Liga: 1

Copa Del Rey: 1

Spanish Super Cup:

Champions League: 1

 

Real Madrid

La Liga:

Copa Del Rey: 

Spanish Super Cup:

Champions League:

 

Barcelona

La Liga:

Copa Del Rey: 

Spanish Super Cup: 1

Champions League:

 

 

Edited June 26, 2023 by g1nh0

[karanhsingh]

Nice, good luck with this 

[AlfieLucas]

Goodluck, i like Atletico.

[Jogo Bonito]

A good idea and good luck with Atletico.

[g1nh0]

Thanks all, what may actually be trickier as well that just occurred to me - style of football. I don't play in any way shape or form direct football, which is a preference so I probably cannot afford to have a bad season or my job will be on the line!

[g1nh0]

 

Season 1 - 22/23

Objectives

The board want us to challenge for the title, the Copa Del Rey they want the semis, whilst reaching the quarters of the UCL.

Challenging for the league would be tough, but in the cups we have to try our best to perform well and achieve those objectives.

Mine, let’s just try and hit our objectives first and foremost. But, knowing FM is probably easiest in it’s first season (at least I find I get more lucky in season 1), I’ll be trying hard to see if I can win a trophy this year.

Ultimately, I want us to try and win a major trophy each year – so I guess why not aim for this right from the off. Bare minimum would be a Spanish Super Cup. A trophy is a trophy at the end of the day, and it isn’t an easy one to win.

Squad

We have some star players like Oblak and Depay amongst our ranks, who will need to be our difference makers at both ends of the pitch.

Otherwise we’ve got a fairly solid group, but not quite of the standard of the big two. We also do lack a bit of quality depth in areas, especially at right back where Doherty doesn’t cut it for me, and Morata isn’t going to be the most reliable hit-man up top.

We also lack numbers in the centre-back position which may require Witsel predominantly a midfielder to play here at times.

Transfers

None were made at the start of the Season.

In January after a financial boost, to fix our problem with a CB shortage I brought in Sutalo from Dinamo for GBP 30.5mil. A lot of money and where did we get it from?

Well, PSG bought Carasco our backup AML on the release clause he had at GBP 17.25mil. Not ideal for our squad strength, and this led to me bringing in Fabio Carvalho in from Liverpool on loan – and to take the plunge and invest in Marcos Leonardo who I hope to be a striker long-term at the club for GBP 14mil. How I will manage him to try and help him develop is something I have to decide on for next year.

I also ended up arranging sales for end of season and also players due to come in. They are listed further down briefly in the season review section.

First Half Season Review

After the first 19 games, we did phenomenally to create a 4 points gap to Real behind us in second spot. Barca are well off the pace a massive 16 points away from us in 3^rd.

Two potentially key moments this year already occurred, an away 0-0 draw vs Real Madrid and a 1-2 away win at Barca. Both games I chose to park the bus and try to get something on the break.

Against Real Madrid, we were very lucky. They dominated the whole game and we only registered one shot on target. But a MOTM from Oblak saw us take a valuable point. A defeat would have seen Real go top, but the draw kept our noses in front of them.

Versus Barca, we went a goal down after 18 minutes. However we kept plugging away and grabbed an equalizer just before the hour. Barca were then pushing for a winner being the home side, but we were able to snatch a dramatic 91^st minute winner giving us an unexpected win at Camp Nou – but it was one we actually deserved having a considerably better xG despite them having more shots and more on target.

Against the other sides in the league at times we had to dig in, but we’ve been able to win most of them with only Bilbao taking a draw off us at their place. We’re also still in the Copa Del Rey whilst qualifying from our UCL group in top spot that consisted of Eintracht, Dinamo and Shakhtar.

Second Half Season Review

La Liga – Athletico Madrid Winners 22/23 (Invincibles)

Our record for the first half stage was 17 wins and 2 draws – and we maintained that record exactly for this second half. With Barca and Real already played away from home at their place, I was confident if we didn’t drop many silly points we could go into these games playing a little less risk averse and use patience to break them down.

This was to end up being the case, with Real Madrid by the time we had to face them again were 11 points behind. We beat Real at home 2-0 and in the immediate fixture after beat Barca by the same scoreline. What really derailed Real Madrid this year was a lengthy injury to Courtois, missing over a couple of months in this second part of the year. And it showed, with our gap to them ending up 14 points where they safely took second spot. We lifted the trophy in the home game vs Vallecano where we comfortably took the victory 3-0.

Also of note were a couple of games we scored some later winners in. Celta Vigo away was one where on loan from Liverpool Carvalho pounced on a defensive mixup at the back in the 93^rd minute to give us 3 valuable points. The other, we were 1-0 down second from bottom Espanyol, but we were able to turn this game on its head in the last quarter to win the game 2-1 which at the time, was important in keeping a healthy gap to Real.

Copa Del Rey – Athletico Madrid Winners 22/23

In the Copa Del Rey, after getting through some relatively easy ties we ended up facing our Madrid enemy of Real in the semi's.

With the first leg at the Bernabau despite taking a 0-1 lead and then retreating into our shell, Real then scored 3 unanswered goals to give them a strong advantage. Then playing more positively we were able to grab a goal back to reduce the deficit to 2-3 with the second leg to come.

In the return leg, we looked to play positively from the off and eventually made a break through after half an hour – only for 2 minutes later our RB Molina to get a red card. I must've played at least half a dozen times with 10 men this year. Our discipline wasn't good.

Changing to a 4230 and playing more on the backfoot, we kept Real at arm’s length without them ever creating any good chances. And then it was time for super sub Lemar, who came on the 71^st minute to score just one minute later with a belter.

We then closed out the game really well and made the Cup Final where we were due to come up against Betis.

Athletico Madrid 2 – 0 Real Betis

We started this game really well going ahead after 17 minutes from Depay – but only a minute later Saul stupidly went in recklessly and got a straight red. (I wasn't lieing above!)

Going to my 4230 yet again as I tend to do in this situation, we somehow quickly doubled our lead only 5 or so minutes later where their left back got caught in possession and we countered quickly and clinically.

From them on we stifled Betis really effectively. And so the longer the game went on, the more frustrated they became and they surprisingly didn’t offer much danger at all.

Great credit to the side for not losing their heads after going a man down, as in such a pressured environment it could easily have been us conceding a goal soon after and we would have had a really tough time to have turned the game around.

Champions League – Athletico Madrid Winners 22/23

After safely making it into the knockouts, we found the away games quite tricky enroute to the final. A 3-3 away draw vs Leverkusen, to then be 0-1 down at home in the return leg. It needed a comeback from us to turn it around, and we eventually won the home tie in a nervy 2-1 game.

The reward was then a trip to Milan in the first leg. We lost 0-2 at the San Siro, and at the time I felt that our run would have been over. This in part knowing that Morata up top isn’t quite of world-class standard, and with the Betis cup final actually sandwiched in between these games, managing the squad and having players at their fittest wasn’t going to happen.

However a fantastic performance at home saw us 4-0 victors and it left us with guess who in the Semis? Real Madrid.

We had the home tie first this time around, and we did so well for most of the game to get our noses ahead 2-0, to then concede a careless late goal which really placed the tie in their favour.

Going to the Bernabau, last time it needed a MOTM performance from Oblak to get a 0-0. This time around, Real Madrid broke the deadlock and took a 1-0 lead. We tried to hang on and just get that lucky break. With it entering the later stages of the game, Real Madrid were pushing for the second – where we then got that lucky break, with Morata finding himself one on one with the keeper to calmly place the ball into the bottom corner.

We held on and made it into the UCL final, hoping this time maybe the club can get over the line….

Athletico Madrid 1 – 1 Chelsea AET (Athletico Madrid win on Penalties)

Chelsea were to be our opponents in this one, after comfortably dispatching Benfica in the semi-finals – and it meant we would end up facing our own player Joao Felix.

And well he came back to bite us. After we took a deserved 1-0 lead and we were controlling the game nicely from the start, we then also had a disallowed goal in the 3^rd minute. But the longer the game wore on, the more Chelsea seemed to be getting a grip of it. Their equalizer then came in the 75^th minute, from you know who – Felix. We then scored a minute after, only for it to be chalked off again, and it felt like this wasn’t going to be our day.

Further matters that complicated things was just a day before, the sale of Griezmann actually went through to Liverpool (I sold a number of players in place to depart end of the year to begin our rebuild). So Lemar was our starter today, and consequently our options on the bench were limited. We were already missing Reguillon and Reinildo at left back (so we had to play Hermoso for the final who was playing at CB for us this year), and Correa versatile in the attacking wide slots was also injured.

So the only options off the bench were two kids Carvalho and Leonardo, both having limited game time only from the bench. And with the game eventually ending up going into Extra Time, with our players fatigued and a weak inexperienced bench, it was going to be a struggle.

Chelsea immediately seemed the stronger side. We were failing to create anything, and Chelsea were getting the ball into the box causing a few dangerous moments. Fortunately for us they didn’t make the most of the chances. We held on and so it eventually went to penalties! Carefully picking the 11 in order and trying to inspire them with the right words going into the shootout in the hope it may help the lads… and well it seemed to do the trick.

Only Koke missed for us penalty number 2, but Felix and Havertz missed their first two spot kicks. Both kids Leonardo and Carvalho did fantastically well to hold their nerves in this situation so early on in their careers both putting their spot kicks away, and Gimenez our main CB for this year kept his composure to put the final spot kick away.

So the UCL and domestic double was ours (we weren’t competing in the Super Cup this year), much more than I expected - a Copa Del Rey I thought may be my best chance for success this first year, and probably for the next few years.

Players Out / In for Next Year

As mentioned, the squad will be decimated for next year. With a number of players aging I felt I really needed to start the ball rolling and get rid of as many as I could that were getting on a bit and on significantly high wages.

The outs include: Carasco, Reinildo, Kondogbia, Correa, Griezman and Morata.

But the players in, that include some pre-arranged transfers prior to my appointment: Bellerin, Frattesi, Parisi, Zaniolo, G.Ramos

We also have a number out on loan that will return that will either bolster our ranks or hopefully provide additional funds. Players that should form part of our squad or will be Felix, Lodi, Cunha, and Camello

So I don't think I'll be in a bad spot. But the ties we had against Real Madrid, even with them not having Courtois they certainly seem to be the side that will challenge us hard every single season. We were generally always getting outplayed at their place, but fortunately we always gave them a tough time on our patch.

Overview

Despite our fans not happy with the style of football being played, they couldn’t not be delighted with how our season turned out in the end – as with the board.

The start of the season saw me play Depay up front, because Morata seemed quite poor and inconsistent. But with injuries occurring as they do through the season, Morata played himself into the first XI and became an integral part of the side that maintained our league form and our run to both cup finals. He ended up getting 40 goals for us this year.

Another important aspect was the January signing of Sutalo. Although injured for a couple of weeks before joining us, he adapted quickly into the side and formed a solid partnership with Giminez. He’ll be an important signing for the club long-term.

Our best average performer of the year though was Depay, finishing on 7.48 and playing well both in the AML and Striker positions. His versatility was very important this year, and although he’ll hit 30 next season I didn’t consider selling him this year.

Financially, it's hard to evaluate at this moment I am reviewing the season. but our nett debt is very high at 125mil GBP. Without compromising our squad on the pitch too much, the plan simply has to be a policy of get rid no older than 32 years old and invest in players no greater than 23 years old (unless they are on Bosmans). At least, that will be my policy I'll be looking to follow.

Key Moments

The plan was to pick one, and have a video clip end of each season to reflect it. But there were so many actually this year, which as I expected being season 1 in FM, would go our way.

A few late winners as mentioned above, the away draw vs Real in the league and late winner vs Barca, UCL comebacks both in the knockout rounds and away tie vs Real, and of course the penalty shootout win vs Chelsea with our kids showing great maturity and confidence to step up and convert their penalties.

I guess consistency overall was king, and with us also achieving an Invincible in the league, the fact we were so hard to beat meant our side always felt they could turn any game around. We only lost two games in 90 minutes this year, away to Real in the Copa Del Rey semi’s 2-3 and to Milan away 0-2.

But with everything done and dusted, given Athletico had never won a UCL and it needed penalties to do it, the penalty shootout to complete a fantastic treble achievement it has to be. The epic at the death winner away at Camp Nou though was a real stand out moment too - one of those fist pumping ones.

Penalties

Winning Penalty

 

[TheGoodRebel]

Outstanding first season! Well done! 

[karanhsingh]

Okay well, that was quick 

Well done! What a season 

[g1nh0]

Thanks all, I didn't expect it to go this well although after 19 games I smelled I was onto something. Things can only go downhill now! - I needed some luck at times, but fortunately most of the time any tactical changes that I made came off, and when they didn't, I had another game, or cup leg to fix it.

========

Season 2 - 23/24 (Transfer Movements)

Well with now almost the second season soon to start, the ins and outs are a little clearer. Taking all the pre-arranged transfers into account below will make the latest movements over the past few windows a little clearer. Also below is my updated squad of 25 I'll be looking forward to work with this year.

All in all, I've had a nett spend of GBP 17.75mil which all things considered isn't too bad. The players I've invested in monetary wise are around / below the 23 year old age mark, which just happens to be a club vision in place from the board, and so they are delighted at adhering to the club's transfer strategy.

Some extra names not previously mentioned include the signings of Ugarte and A Silva, Singo, Thiaw, Luis, and Vicario. I had a good raid of the Portuguese league here. The one position I really would have like someone better in the first team is the right back. I had several other targets that included Fresneda, Gusto and Soppy. But these players would have been considerably more expensive and when I did offer them a contract, wanted insane wages.

So I've decided to go for the cheaper option in the hope SIngo will improve a little over time, and perhaps in the next couple of years when I hope to complete the general squad rebuild I'll be able to invest more heavily then (replacing Bellerin who I brought in on a Bosman free).

And with the sale of last year's right back to Barca Molina for GBP 25mil I've made a profit here. Although whether this was a mistake I don't know, but the fact Doherty appeared to be outperforming him, said to me maybe I can try to recruit someone better.

I'm quite happy with the age blend this year, as I still have a few experienced heads around the squad that I think is important. Koke is in his last year, I did try to sell him given he's on huge wages but it doesn't appear clubs are willing to match his GBP 275k per week demands.

 

 

 

 

I couldn't resisit 

 

[TheGoodRebel]

What tactics did you end up using?

[g1nh0]

I got my own 433 which I use, have several variants of it but rather than 2 CMs and a DM it has 2 DMs and a CM that forms the 3.

[karanhsingh]

14 hours ago, g1nh0 said:

I got my own 433 which I use, have several variants of it but rather than 2 CMs and a DM it has 2 DMs and a CM that forms the 3.

What are the roles of the midfield 3?

[g1nh0]

They will vary depending on my various game setups but generally they involve a DM a Volante and a Mezzala.

[john1]

Too easy in first season

[karanhsingh]

29 minutes ago, g1nh0 said:

They will vary depending on my various game setups but generally they involve a DM a Volante and a Mezzala.

You can't play a Mez if you have just one CM right?

[g1nh0]

The Mez is my CM, the Volante and DM are in the DM stratas. I class it as a 433, but in FM terms, I guess you could say it is a 4213. It's asymmetric.