[FM23] Benfica & the Curse of Bela Guttmann

[warlock]

4 hours ago, Jogo Bonito said:

great work mate

Thanks buddy. We'll see about keeping it going.

4 hours ago, Gee_Simpson said:

How did you manage to sign him for such a low fee?

I don't know the background but he was transfer-listed at Villareal. If you're watching players you sometimes find these bargains. I got Olise for a knockoff fee in the Brentford save, and I was hoping for the same this time but even after relegation Palace are insisting on £50m for him. Every save happens in a slightly different universe.

[Gee_Simpson]

5 minutes ago, warlock said:

I don't know the background but he was transfer-listed at Villareal. If you're watching players you sometimes find these bargains.

Nice. What an amazing signing for that price.

[warlock]

Back to it after another weekend of the hectic social whirl!

October 2023

A quick month with just four games scheduled - one in the  league, one in the cup, and two in the Champions League. And we secured wins in all of them:

I was expecting a tough game against Marseille but it was comfortable in the end - we bagged two early goals and then shut the game down. And a simillar story against Portimonense in the league, although they made us work a little harder for the victory.

The third round tie against lower league opponents Amora was a stroll in the park, notable largely for the 5 goals for young striker Marcos Leonardo. In looking to replace the goals from the departed Ramos I expected Henrique Araujo to be the main man, but the Brazilian has grabbed his opportunity and now has 10 goals and 2 assists from 6(3) appearances. Araujo has just 2 goals from 4 starts.

We ended a short month with a trip to Danish outfit Randers in the Champions League in a game that should have been much more comfortable than it turned out. There were some poor performances from the usually-reliable Schjelderup and Scott that resulted in us squandering some good chances, while a couple of sloppy mistakes by Vlachodemos saw us concede twice. Still, we have 3 wins from 3 and top our group:

In the league we have maintained our 100% record and have yet to concede a goal:

November will be a tougher month with an away trip to Porto in the league, and a European tie away at Marseille. Hopefully, we can maintain our excellent form while I continue to improve my standing with a still-restless squad.

[Hootieleece]

Jester has wet dreams about 4 match months with PNE!

Keep up the good work. It is a funny thing judging talent in the game....sometimes the player you don't suspect becomes the "Man" by his play on the pitch. I have some 2 star players that often put in a good performance better than 4-5 star youngsters with better attributes, but they are also 26-28 prime years for players.

[SixPointer]

At least you have your restless squad winning games, which can only benefit the morale. They don’t deserve you….

[warlock]

2 hours ago, SixPointer said:

They don’t deserve you…

Ah, they're a bunch of good lads, really . But they're being led astray by Vlachodimos and I'm not sure what to do with him - team leader and hugely influential. Transfer-listing him might provoke another meltdown. I'll probably bring in a better 'keeper and gradually reduce his influence. Softly, softly catchee monkey

[SixPointer]

1 hour ago, warlock said:

Ah, they're a bunch of good lads, really . But they're being led astray by Vlachodimos and I'm not sure what to do with him - team leader and hugely influential. Transfer-listing him might provoke another meltdown. I'll probably bring in a better 'keeper and gradually reduce his influence. Softly, softly catchee monkey

There’s more than one way to skin a cat 

[lfds89]

Clearly Marseille could do with a better manager 

[warlock]

16 minutes ago, SixPointer said:

There’s more than one way to skin a cat

Indeed, and it looks as though things are improving already. Vlachodimos has dropped his issue about the Morata transfer and is now showing a better attitude in his desire for increased opportunities for young strikers:

And the total number of players who still have an issue with the Morata situation are now down to just 9, from the initial group of about 20.

Forward through progress!

[warlock]

14 minutes ago, lfds89 said:

Clearly Marseille could do with a better manager 

In this parallel universe, they could indeed

[Jogo Bonito]

Monkeys. Cats. Thought I was on the wrong forum for a moment 

Good management skills to keep winning relentlessly despite the rebellion.

[AlfieLucas]

Is the end goal for you, Champions League? Or will any european trophy, break the curse?

[warlock]

On 13/08/2023 at 17:40, AlfieLucas said:

will any european trophy, break the curse?

I'm not sure, to be honest. The reporting of the curse usually talks about Europa League in terms of "European champions", but I think the phrase should really be limited to winners of the Champions League.

Of course, if I haven't won it in a couple of months, real time, I reserve the right to change my opinion

[warlock]

January 2024

Despite a 100% record in the league so far, November brought a timely reminder that there's no room for complacency...

An away trip to Porto was all it took to bring us down to earth with a bump:

Porto were happy to give us possession in non-threatening areas of the pitch but were at us as soon as they won the ball, crafting decent chances and taking 3 of them. Meanwhile, our forwards couldn't make anything of our chances and Leonardo, Neres and Danjuma were each rated no better than 6.3 for the match. That CB Silva scored our only goal, heading  home a Rovella corner, tells its own story. Even worse, that single defeat cost us our position at the top as Porto moved past us to the summit.

Elsewhere this month, we managed another two victories in the Champions League, ensuring that we would finish top of our group and move straight into the Round of 16.

If November was bad, December was worse:

The loss at Porto cost us just 3pts - two draws in the league cost us another 4pts. I have no idea how we couldn't beat Chaves:

But that 1.46 xG from 10 shots on target probably goes a long way to explain it. Against Braga we created for more but couldn't put our chances away:

Generally, I'm happy with the performances of our two young strikers where some inconsistency is to be expected - Leonardo has 14 goals from 10(3) appearances, while Araujo has 12 from 11(4). The good news is that, thanks to their poor start to the season, Porto are just 1pt ahead of us:

The transfer window is about to open and we'll need to do at least one piece of business - DM Fredrik Aursnes wanted a deserved new contract, but insisted on an increase from £29k a week to more than £110k, which was out of the question. He then demanded a transfer and Real Madrid immediately offered £39m. That has been accepted and he'll almost certainly move, so we need another body there. We already have good options so a backup/prospect is required. I'd also like to improve at RB, which continues to be a weakness.

 

[SixPointer]

Tough December. But it will be character building 

[Jogo Bonito]

It will be good for Porto to give you a bit of domestic competition. That might keep the lads sharp on those European nights (going great on that front, topping the group).

[AlfieLucas]

On 14/08/2023 at 17:55, warlock said:

I'm not sure, to be honest. The reporting of the curse usually talks about Europa League in terms of "European champions", but I think the phrase should really be limited to winners of the Champions League.

Of course, if I haven't won it in a couple of months, real time, I reserve the right to change my opinion

Understandable

I know the eight they've lost since the curse has been a mixture of both. Going great so far though, enjoying the career.

[warlock]

February 2024

January proved to be a long month with 9 games played in three domestic competitions, against a backdrop of constant transfer interest in key players. We'll get to the transfer window shortly, but first...

On one hand, we put up some impressive results; on the other, there's that Estoril result. It was made clear to the team that against a bottom-half team, and especially at home, a defeat was completely unacceptable. Some would say we were unlucky but for me it was a shocking performance:

Yes, we were thoroughly FM'd but they should have been dead and buried before halftime. All through the window Napoli were in the media talking up a move for Araujo, who started this one. By the time he was hauled off in the 60th minute I was ready to accept a decent offer. Lucky for him - and perhaps for us - no offer was forthcoming until the last week of the month, by which time he'd been given another opportunity against Boavista, and he was god-like, finding the net four times. A stay of execution, then.

Otherwise, the month couldn't have gone much better. We gained a measure of revenge against Porto for December's league defeat by knocking them out of the Taca de Portugal, and cemented our superiority over Sporting with a 3-0 win in the Allianz Cup, so we're on course for another domestic treble. And better still, Porto slipped to a draw early in the month and then lost as we were losing to Estoril, which allowed us to resume our place at the top of the league.

Transfer window

The best news of the window were the moves that didn't happen... Spurs made several offers for Alex Scott but he wasn't keen, which allowed me to reject them all. Ajax made a couple of low-ball offers for Leonardo, which were batted away; and on deadline day Napoli finally made their move for Araujo, but he has his heart set on Real Madrid (who have never shown any interest) so they were rejected, too.

There were two out-goings. Want-away DM Fredrik Aursnes got his move to Madrid, who paid £38m; and third-choice LB Mihailo Ristic joined Watford on loan, for which they will pay us around £500k in loan fees with an optional £4.6m fee to make the move permanent.

Back in December I said I was planning a future replacement for Aursnes and an upgrade at RB. Neither happened. Instead, at DM I decided to give youth a chance:

Luis has been getting some games anyway - rating 7.4 in six Champions League appearances - so I'm confident he can do the job for us, and deserved a chance to claim more first-team football.

At RB I struggled to find anyone who could genuinely improve us at a price I was willing to pay so I decided to solve another minor problem. A feature of our play is the ability and willingness of CB Antonio Silva to play out from the back, often carrying the ball deep into enemy territory. His backup, Lucas Verissimo can't do that, so our gameplay changes significantly whenever Silva isn't available. But there was a player available who can do it:

We paid the bargain price of £22.5m to Sheffield United for a player I've signed many times before in FM and have no doubt he'll be a great for Benfica. He's also capable of covering at RB and at LCB, which makes him a very handy utility player.

The final move was kind of forced on us by injuries. At the beginning of the month, AMR Francisco Conceicao tore a calf muscle that will keep him out for two to three months. Also this month AMC Scott suffered a back strain. Suddenly a scout report appeared on this guy:

Not a player I've come across before, but he's natural at both AMR and AMC, and pretty good at set-pieces, something that has been a surprising weakness in the squad until now. My coaches rate him as good as, or better than, David Neres. At a frankly ridiculous £5m fee and low wages, he looks like an excellent piece of business to me.

Looking ahead, we start February with another match against Porto, this time in the final of the Allianz Cup, and then again a week later with the home tie in the league. We also resume Champions League duties with a trip to Napoli who are sitting in 12th in Serie A, so hopefully that will be a fruitful journey.

[SixPointer]

Offt that’s a proper FMing! But two good months after a couple of shaky ones

[warlock]

6 minutes ago, SixPointer said:

Offt that’s a proper FMing!

Oh yes . I can laugh about it now...

[warlock]

March 2024

February started off badly with Porto once again the grit in my shoe. I'm not bothered about the Allianz Cup and neither are the board, but it would have been easier to take had we lost to anyone but Porto. The rest of the month was cake, including a famous away victory at Napoli in the Champions League:

Having got the better of Porto in the Taca do Portugal just a couple of weeks earlier I thought we'd have their measure in this one:

We probably should have won, having more and better chances, but not for the first time this season we couldn't find a finish. It was still tied after the first 5 penalties but Alex Scott stepped up to take No.6 and hit a tame effort straight at the Porto 'keeper. All the more frustrating as we beat them a week later in the league although having led 3-0 at half-time I was ready to erupt when we allowed them two goals back. Fortunately, we managed to hold them off and see out the win.

The biggest game of the month was the Champions League R16 first leg:

Despite taking the lead just before the hour mark, we never really looked comfortable and a very close match could have gone either way. When Napoli equalised with less than 10 minutes remaining I thought we'd have to settle for the draw but Marcos Leonardo had other ideas and he popped up with the winner four minutes from time. We can be cautiously optimistic about the return leg at the Estadio da Luz midway through March.

Best of all has been the return of Andreas Schjelderup to his best. He took his tally to 15 goals and 6 assists, including 5 goals this month, and he is now third in the club scoring charts not far behind Henrique Araujo.

As we close in on the business end of the season we have opened up a small lead at the top of the league:

Edited August 18, 2023 by warlock

[Jogo Bonito]

Still going strong, good stuff. The league looks yours to lose, and again great form in Europe. KUTGW mate.

[SixPointer]

Bounced back from the defeat and big champs league win. Leonardo is red hot!!

[Guest]

Very enjoyable save btw. Marcos Leonardo might sign for Roma this window irl so if he does I'm keeping a close eye.

[Gee_Simpson]

5 hours ago, Crazy_Ivan said:

Very enjoyable save btw. Marcos Leonardo might sign for Roma this window irl so if he does I'm keeping a close eye.

Looks like he'll be joining in January 👍🏻

[Domizion]

Nice save! I started a new save with Benfica some days ago, been loving it. But I have an older database, don't have Casper Tengstedt and Andreas Schelderup for example.

I went with João Mário in CM and Rafa in LW, so I didn't bought anyone for these two positions, but went for a cheap "10". Find one in Josué of Legia Warszawa. Excelent technical attributes. My strikers were Ramos, Henrique Araújo and Rodrigo Pinho, either the first two did great numbers in 1st season. Now I'm having problems in defense, because Otamendi didn't accept the renovation and signed for Sevilla, and Lucas Veríssimo will transfer for Real Madrid for 37,5M€. Signed already with this Jan Paul van Hecke from Brighton and Matts Hummels from Dortmund (always like one experienced CD), and have youngster João Fonseca, and of course António Silva.

I'm receiving approaches for Ramos, Rafa and Florentino, although not of top clubs. Let's see if I can mantain them for seconde season...

Good playing  

[warlock]

A minor delay for this update... I can't remember the last time I had a technical issue with FM but when I went to load my save the other night the file was corrupted. Fortunately, I use a rolling three-file save setup on a weekly basis so I only lost two games. Phew!

April 2024

Another strong month for us with good progress in three competitions:

Domestically, matches followed the natural order and we won all four games for a total of 11 goals scored and just 2 conceded, and the Taca de Portugal semi-final allowed Marcos Leonardo to burnish his stats for the season with another hat-trick. The striker now has 33 goals from 21(7) appearances in all competitions. I suspect I'll have no chance of retaining him this summer and Araujo, while good, is not quite on the same level. But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

In the Champions League, Napoli came to Lisbon and gave us a tough battle. They claimed an early goal to level up the tie but that man Leonardo again came to our rescue and helped us to a 3-2 aggregate victory. At this stage of the competition, success means an even-tougher opponent next time and April will see us face Liverpool in the quarter-final. Elsewhere in the draw Man City face Man Utd, Real Madrid face RB Leipzig, and Barcelona face Inter so it's not as if there was an easy alternative. But a quarter-final represents another step forward for the plucky underdogs (that's us, by the way!)

In other news, our two January signings have settled in well and are contributing nicely: Ahmedhodzic has an average rating of 7.2 for his last 5 games, and Shopov has one goal and 4 assists for an average rating of 7.3.

 

[warlock]

Some more good news:

This year's NXGN list was just published and we have the No.1 - AML Andreas Schjelderup; and No.3 - Joao Veloso, our 18-year-old understudy to Alex Scott at AMC. Alex is just recently back from a 6-week layoff with a knee ligament injury and has struggled a bit to regain his best form but he needs to watch his back because Veloso is pushing hard for that spot.

Edited August 24, 2023 by warlock

[Dong21]

22 minutes ago, warlock said:

I use a rolling three-file save setup on a weekly basis so I only lost two games. Phew!

Glad to hear the save is not lost! Another month of great form and congrats on making it through to the Champions League quarter finals. Liverpool will be tough opponents, but stranger things have happened. Good luck amigo.

[SixPointer]

10 hours ago, warlock said:

Some more good news:

This year's NXGN list was just published and we have the No.1 - AML Andreas Schjelderup; and No.3 - Joao Veloso, our 18-year-old understudy to Alex Scott at AMC. Alex is just recently back from a 6-week layoff with a knee ligament injury and has struggled a bit to regain his best form but he needs to watch his back because Veloso is pushing hard for that spot.

Benfica doing Benfica things. Done well to pass Napoli in ucl. They are the holders in my save. 

[Jogo Bonito]

Pleased to hear the corrupt file was a minor blip.

Going fantastically well here mate. Dominating the league and wish you good luck in the Champions League QF too.

[warlock]

May 2025 - Close but no cigar

We gave it our best shot but just couldn't get the result against Liverpool. Our Champions League campaign is over for another season.

In the home leg I thought we had a chance, but those hopes went out of the window when Leonardo got himself sent off for a brain-dead, two-footed lunge from behind:

The ball was near the halfway line and Liverpool were no threat but Leonardo decided he had to win the ball at all costs. I decided not to replace him and see out the game with a strikerless 4230, which severely hampered our attack but allowed us to keep Liverpool at bay.

At Anfield for the return leg we again fought a brilliant rearguard action:

With the scores level after 90 minutes, we had a couple of good chances to snatch the win in extra time. Cruelly, it was former Porto striker Evanilson who settled it with a winner seven minutes from time. A huge blow but probably no less than Liverpool deserved.

In domestic terms, we have been imperious:

Five wins from five mean we go into the last 4 games of the season with an 8pt lead over Porto, with everyone else trailing far behind. And we end the season with a Taca de Portugal final against Sporting. But already my thoughts are on next season's Champions League - how and where do we strengthen the squad, and do we need a different tactical approach, particularly for those big European matches? Much pondering required.

 

[Hootieleece]

Are you using only one tactic? Are you at least changing mentalities during the Champion's League matches depending on the situation. I am learning to be more of a match manager by doing things like that. I am also trying to switch up my tactics from structured to fluid for this season even though we are moving up leagues because I am already planning for FM24, to see if that will open up the attack some.

 

[Guest]

Ouch, that sucks re: The CL what  dumb sending off.

 

[warlock]

9 hours ago, Hootieleece said:

Are you at least changing mentalities during the Champion's League matches depending on the situation

Yeah... default tactic is 'positive' but often use 'balanced', depending on the match and situation. Other changes include putting the dm-vol-sup to something more defensive; LB from wb-att to wb-sup; setting wide AMs to man-mark opposing fbs or wbs. Against gegenpressing sides like Liverpool I turn off 'play out of defence'. I'm pretty active, tactically.

The main problem, I think, is the age of the squad. We're very heavy on youngsters, which works in the league but they lack the experience for European nights. And we tend to lose them before they reach their prime.

[warlock]

4 hours ago, Crazy_Ivan said:

what a dumb sending off.

I was far less polite

[Jogo Bonito]

Agree that sending off was a bit pointless and could have cost you a great chance. A tough fixture made even harder there, but a great effort from your side and still an excellent season.

Any chance of pairing your naughty boy with Evanilson in the future?

[warlock]

22 minutes ago, Jogo Bonito said:

Any chance of pairing your naughty boy with Evanilson in the future?

Hm... yeah, if Liverpool play a two-striker system . Evanilson is valued at around £120m, on a salary of £115k a week so there's little or no chance we'll be going for him. He was my top target back in the summer window but we just couldn't compete with Liverpool for his signature.

If we lose Leonardo I have my eyes on Hojlund as his replacement. He'd cost us £25m and around £60k a week - scouts initially reported 'no interest' on his part but having him shortlisted for 7 or 8 months, plus our Champions League performances, seem to have moved the dial and he's now showing as 'interested'. Second choice might be Brazilian wonderkid Vitor Roque - he'd cost £19m and a much lower salary, but he's two years younger and much less experienced.

Ideally, though, I'd prefer to keep Leonardo and invest the money elsewhere in the squad.

[Jogo Bonito]

1 minute ago, warlock said:

Hm... yeah, if Liverpool play a two-striker system . Evanilson is valued at around £120m, on a salary of £115k a week so there's little or no chance we'll be going for him. He was my top target back in the summer window but we just couldn't compete with Liverpool for his signature.

If we lose Leonardo I have my eyes on Hojlund as his replacement. He'd cost us £25m and around £60k a week - scouts initially reported 'no interest' on his part but having him shortlisted for 7 or 8 months, plus our Champions League performances, seem to have moved the dial and he's now showing as 'interested'. Second choice might be Brazilian wonderkid Vitor Roque - he'd cost £19m and a much lower salary, but he's two years younger and much less experienced.

Ideally, though, I'd prefer to keep Leonardo and invest the money elsewhere in the squad.

Yes those wages of Evanilson won't be achievable, shame. If you keep Leonardo that will be excellent, but the young Dane would be quite exciting if you had to go there. Best of luck in the summer trading!

[warlock]

June 2024

The remainder of the season turned into a procession. We stormed to a 4-0 victory over Arouca and then clinched the title with our next game against arch-rivals Sporting:

Sporting love to hog possession but our defence - and Vlachodimos in goal - ensured they couldn't do any damage. Santiago Hezze picked up the PoM award after completely bossing the midfield, and our wide men combined to give David Neres the winning goal. The victory was also important because it laid down a marker for our last game of the season where we would face Sporting again in the final of the Taca de Portugal.

And we went into that final in excellent form, completing a clean sweep of the last league games of the season. So it was a bit of wake-up call when Sporting grabbed the lead in the cup final:

But wake up we did and Marcos Leonardo led the charge with a hat-trick either side of halftime before Schjelderup, on as a substitute for the tiring Danjuma, crowned the victory with a brilliant fourth goal, running on to a Luis through-ball and slotting past the Sporting 'keeper. Which meant we bagged another treble:

Which was followed by this news:

In summary, we made further progress in the Champions League - even if ultimately disappointed - and produced another season of domestic dominance:

Marcos Leonardo is surely Portuguese player of the season:

But the whole squad played well throughout - everyone who made a first-team appearance enjoyed average ratings above 7.0. Notable among them, backup striker Araujo scored 23, and AML Schjelderup bagged 19 and 9 assists. A shoutout also to new signing Nicola Rovella - the DM weighed in with 6 goals and 14 assists.

Time, then, to look ahead to the transfer window. There's no-one I particularly want rid of, but changes at two positions are likely. Despite our early-season difficulties, Vlachodimos knuckled down in goal and produced 27 clean sheets in 46 appearances but he'll turn 31 this coming season and is wanted by Spurs, among others. If we can get an offer around £20-25m I'd be happy to let him go and look to bring in someone like German hot prospect Denis Seimen. The second change is likely to involve RB Alexander Bah who has been the weakest of the first-team squad and, at 26, isn't likely to improve much, if at all.

Otherwise, it's a matter of being patient while a very young squad develops - 17 of the squad are 24 years or younger, and only Vlachodimos and RB Gilberto are 30-years-old. Of course, some decisions might not be mine to make - no fewer than half of the squad are wanted by bigger fish in the top European leagues so there might yet be more business than I'd like.

[Dong21]

Big congratulations on your treble @warlock! Edging closer to achieving your ultimate goal. Hopefully you can hang on to Leonardo and add even more quality to take you to the next level in the Champions League. Even if players do end up getting poached, I trust you to replace them with better. 

[SixPointer]

Phenomenal on the domestic front and very unlucky against Liverpool. Crazy when a striker decides to wipe someone out for no reason, drives me nuts but suppose these things happen in real life from time to time.

Summer transfer plans? 

[warlock]

2 hours ago, Dong21 said:

Big congratulations

2 hours ago, SixPointer said:

Phenomenal on the domestic front

Thank you both. As I suggested, transfer plans are rather vague at the moment apart from GK and RB, and I'm not going to force the situation at 'keeper. RB might end up needing two players - Bah probably isn't good enough, while first-choice Gilberto wants new contract talks and at 31 he doesn't look like value for money on a bigger deal.

We're fine in central defence, and better than fine in attacking midfield, which leaves defensive midfield to think about. We have two good players in Rovella and Hezze, and one excellent prospect in teenager Rafael Luis, leaving a question mark over Nicholas Dominguez. He was my first signing and has done well. But he might have reached his limit and is a definite candidate for an upgrade if I can find one.

And then there are the questions about enemy action. With 10 players wanted by other Champions League clubs it's largely a matter of 'wait and see', although I do have a shortlist of likely replacements across the board.

[SixPointer]

44 minutes ago, warlock said:

Thank you both. As I suggested, transfer plans are rather vague at the moment apart from GK and RB, and I'm not going to force the situation at 'keeper. RB might end up needing two players - Bah probably isn't good enough, while first-choice Gilberto wants new contract talks and at 31 he doesn't look like value for money on a bigger deal.

We're fine in central defence, and better than fine in attacking midfield, which leaves defensive midfield to think about. We have two good players in Rovella and Hezze, and one excellent prospect in teenager Rafael Luis, leaving a question mark over Nicholas Dominguez. He was my first signing and has done well. But he might have reached his limit and is a definite candidate for an upgrade if I can find one.

And then there are the questions about enemy action. With 10 players wanted by other Champions League clubs it's largely a matter of 'wait and see', although I do have a shortlist of likely replacements across the board.

As crazy as it sounds we are still feeder teams to the elite. I’ve broke the bank this year which you will see soon! But i think if I started at Benfica like you I would follow your more methodical approach and keep it the benfica way 

[warlock]

47 minutes ago, SixPointer said:

i think if I started at Benfica like you I would follow your more methodical approach and keep it the benfica way

I'm certainly aware of the temptation to go for broke but - as plenty of clubs have demonstrated over the years - it's a big gamble. I'm hoping that as we become a regular competitor in the later stages of the Champions League we'll find it a little easier to hang on to our star players. Hopefully

[warlock]

The future's bright...

Bruno Baptista is just 16 years old

[lfds89]

8 horas atrás, warlock disse:

The future's bright...

Bruno Baptista is just 16 years old

I don't know about your save, but Kyanno is quite a player on my save.

[warlock]

1 hour ago, lfds89 said:

Kyanno is quite a player on my save

He's looking very promising. I'll try to post something tonight showing the best of the young talent at the club.

[warlock]

Benfica - Young Guns

Here's a quick look at some of the youngsters who have either already broken into the first team or aren't far away.

AMC Veloso, regular first-team player

DM Luis, regular first-team player

DM Cher Ndour, just completed a season-long loan at Cremonese in Seria A and won young player of the year award

CB Joao Fonseca, key player in the double-winning u23 squad

ST Bruno Baptista, another star of the u23 squad

Maybe £100m in potential value right there, plus another 7 or 8 youngsters the coaching team rate at 4.5* potential.

[Jogo Bonito]

1 hour ago, warlock said:

Benfica - Young Guns

Here's a quick look at some of the youngsters who have either already broken into the first team or aren't far away.

DM Cher Ndour, just completed a season-long loan at Cremonese in Seria A and won young player of the year award

I saw Cher Ndour live a few months ago when Malta played Italy. I've seen him on TV a few times recently too, and he looks a decent prospect.

You have some great young talents there, the Benfica production line never stops!