FM24: Manchester United - Same old problems?

[luka_zg]

I had a tycoon takeover in the end of my 5th season. The debt is cleared, and had 130mil euros cash injection. The club vision changed a bit. No more develop young players required. Some other requirements added but none is a must. Winning the PL is now set as required.

Btw , why does Garnacho has "dreads playing big matches" trait?

To top that off he came off the bench in the CL final game and was a player of the match with 8.9 rating and two crucial assists. So, how does that trait even work?

After 5 seasons played:

2x premier leagues

1x champions league

3x FA Cup

2x Carabao Cup

4x Community Shield

[molemenacer]

I must be doing something wrong as even though i am doing pretty well my goalkeepers are worse than awful.  The number of shots to goals is ridiculous and it seems like the AI can score a lot easier than i can.  Obviously this can't be the case but i have just had a Quater Final CL game against PSG and this was the outcome

Final score as you can see was 10-8 to PSG (far too many goals in this version of FM in my view but that is a different story)

First game at their place, 5-0 at half time.  Perri made 2 mistakes and then let in 3 more before i subbed him off with a score of 5.6 on 35 minutes.  Pulled it back to 5-2 before Onana (who has just come back from injury then made a mistake to make it 6-2 and then a poor effort to let in their 7th from 7 shots on target, neither keeper could make a save, Onana also has Relishes Big Matches so you would think would play better in this game.  Their XG for their goals were 0.27, 0.10, 0.15, 0.46, 0.39, 0.26, 0.12 - 1.75 total

My 3 goals where 0.23, 0.31, 0.23, i also had 0.30,0.20, 0.20, 0.27 - 1.74 total

Overall not much in it but 3 of their goals came from a chance with a XG 0.15 or less.  Fast forward to the second leg, their 7 shots 0.12, 0.24, 0.18, 0.08, 0.20, 0.15, 0.07 and they score 3

I had 5 clear cut chances, 5 half chances, i can't be bothered to go through all the XG but i score 5 goals.

Overall, 7 CCC to 3, 12 HC to 6

I cannot understand why my GKs are so poor at making any saves

Edited November 10, 2023 by molemenacer

[Champ15]

Started new save last night now the full version is out. Transfer window disabled. I probably won't be as cavalier with the spending that i had done in the Beta. I'm introducing a little rule to only be allowed spend 50% of whatever transfer fee i get for selling a player on purchasing a new player. So say if i get €100m for Varane to a Saudi club the max I'm allowed to spend on his replacement is €50m which isnt too bad until you get to the likes of Martial, Eriksen etc  who would only fetch fees between €20 to €30m at most . Aim is to try & develop youth 1st from our setup before looking at signings. I went a bit overboard on the beta spending willy nilly and it took the joy and difficulty element out of that save.

[sedge11]

It's been a few days but season 2 is finished, and season 3 is already underway.

So we had a tight title battle which went all the way until the final day, however we weren't in it, we lost 6-1 to spurs with 4 games to go and that cost us as we finished 3rd.

Just 12 points separating the top 7 is really quite incredible, and it made for an exciting season. Sadly it was a trophyless season though as Real Madrid and Arsenal knocked us out of the champs league and fa cup late rounds and both teams went on to win them.

In the end it was small margins that cost us. So season 2 summary wrapped up quickly as I didn't want to focus on it much, I spent alot of season not happy with my squad and a couple of the transfer decisions I made, so that didn't help. But I stuck with the save, took the pain of the 2nd season, and we will correct the errors and fight back next season.

Player stats for season 2.

Ito and Bardghji had great impacts signing in January. Our average ratings were quite low, which is why we left the season without a trophy.

We had 5 players get double figures in goals, which was nice but I still want more. Toney was a good backup to Hojlund and actually ended up playing more games, I would like one of them to hit 30 goals next season. Tchouameni and Bruno both had great seasons as well in the midfield, while Mainoo put in solid numbers as his development continues.

Rashford was awful with only 11 goals and a poor average rating, and Antony was even worse with only 3 goals and 2 red cards, and as your see below I was sick of him and he left.

So we put that season behind us and build towards making our 3rd season a successful one.

So after the madness of the transfers in the 2nd season, it was more back to normal for me with only 4 players in.

With Sancho, Antony and Pellistri all going, I had to bring someone in, I looked at Chiesa but he was going to cost well over 100 mil and I didn't want to spend that much. Ansu Fati is a great young player and can rotate across the front line, so seemed the best choice.

Casemiro off to Saudi, so I needed another midfielder, Seiwald was my first choice but my son choose Ricci so in he came. Diomande was my main target and he was wrapped up before the season ended.

With Kayode back off loan, I needed to sell a right back, Wan Bissaka had been the better of the 2, so Dalot was sold and weirdly he choose Brentford over Barca.

This is how my best 11 looks and the rest of the squad for the 3rd season.

I'm now very happy with my squad and the business I have done. We have good depth all round, and plenty of the youngsters in.

We have started the season well winning 4 out of 4 in the league. However for the 3rd season straight we have lost our first champions league game, somehow losing to Betis.

We had some injuries to deal with as well, Bruno has only just come back during the Betis game, with Tchouameni, Maguire, Shaw and Bardghji all missing at the start of the season.

Edited November 11, 2023 by sedge11

[Sherkey]

How good does Hannibal become on your saves? Got an offer for him - 48 Mn$ mandatory future fee, not sure if I should take it..

[Marc Lister]

Assuming people are letting Lindelof and Evans go, who are you replacing them with? I'd like to see who it is possible to sign to replace these two as backup DCs. Lindelof isn't brave nor aggressive enough and Evans is too slow in terms of both speed and acceleration. Will Fish from the reserves looks like he could be promoted to the first team as the 5th DC?

[Sherkey]

I've tried to offer contracts for Diomande and Inacio, but both of them want Important Player or above - which is a bit insane. Think Anotnio Silva might be more reasonable (despite being more expensive)

[milan_manutd]

Start my UTD save and it going very slow.

First of all I wanted to sell only Lindelof (because I always try make until january without any new signings) but van de Beek and Martial are also deadwood. Now I'm looking for good DC and maybe one more striker, if I get around 70mil for this three players together.  Also thinking about your proposition to cash out Casemiro or Varane, maybe Saudi Arabia will help. Don't know - my rule is not selling anyone before I try him (Marcos Rojo was an exception from the rule )

Second, our coaching staff are awful so I need extra time to sort that out. 

And third I can't decide should I play 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3V.  Where is Bruon better - as mezzala or as classic number 10 ?

 

[sedge11]

5 hours ago, Marc Lister said:

Assuming people are letting Lindelof and Evans go, who are you replacing them with? I'd like to see who it is possible to sign to replace these two as backup DCs. Lindelof isn't brave nor aggressive enough and Evans is too slow in terms of both speed and acceleration. Will Fish from the reserves looks like he could be promoted to the first team as the 5th DC?

I sold Lindelof after the first season and Evans stuck around until he retired purely as he’s a model citizen. I have brought in Tapsoba and Diomande for my CB, with Diomande at the moment preferred to partner Martinez.

[milan_manutd]

Ok now Lindelof is off to Spurs for 22mil£ plus 3mil in add ons. I'm satisfied.

If Martial leave I don't think that I will rely only on Hojlund.  Talisca (ex Benfica) is listed in Al Nassr for 6mil - maybe it can be interesting, although he didn't play in Europe for 5 years already.

[Marc Lister]

3 hours ago, sedge11 said:

Evans stuck around until he retired purely as he’s a model citizen.

Fair point. Evans is only on £50k a week and has no pay rises built into his contract. I guess I'll keep him as an emergency cover. Lindelof is off as soon as I can get him sold for a decent fee!

[Chapman7]

16 hours ago, Sherkey said:

How good does Hannibal become on your saves? Got an offer for him - 48 Mn$ mandatory future fee, not sure if I should take it..

Think it can vary I have a 4-5 star ability but on other saves on beta he was less so maybe he has varied potential 

[Chapman7]

14 minutes ago, milan_manutd said:

Ok now Lindelof is off to Spurs for 22mil£ plus 3mil in add ons. I'm satisfied.

If Martial leave I don't think that I will rely only on Hojlund.  Talisca (ex Benfica) is listed in Al Nassr for 6mil - maybe it can be interesting, although he didn't play in Europe for 5 years already.

Wont his wage demands be economical damaging 

[Chapman7]

4 hours ago, milan_manutd said:

Start my UTD save and it going very slow.

First of all I wanted to sell only Lindelof (because I always try make until january without any new signings) but van de Beek and Martial are also deadwood. Now I'm looking for good DC and maybe one more striker, if I get around 70mil for this three players together.  Also thinking about your proposition to cash out Casemiro or Varane, maybe Saudi Arabia will help. Don't know - my rule is not selling anyone before I try him (Marcos Rojo was an exception from the rule )

Second, our coaching staff are awful so I need extra time to sort that out. 

And third I can't decide should I play 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3V.  Where is Bruon better - as mezzala or as classic number 10 ?

 

I tend to play 4-3-3 and have never managed get him to perform as Mezzela but as a Central Midfield Support&Attack are where I find he performs best with Get Further Forward, Roam & Move into Channels

[milan_manutd]

23 minutes ago, Chapman7 said:

Wont his wage demands be economical damaging 

He is on 164k£ but he is already listed and I will never pay for back up striker more than 100k. Talisca can be short term solution.
On the other hand Martial is on 250k£ and spending half season in hospital.

[Chapman7]

1 hour ago, milan_manutd said:

He is on 164k£ but he is already listed and I will never pay for back up striker more than 100k. Talisca can be short term solution.
On the other hand Martial is on 250k£ and spending half season in hospital.

Expected his Al Nassr wage to be much higher but that is pretty decent for short term although Taremi is availble on a free in first season for wages of £135-£185k which aint too bad either and would be good mentor also for Hojlund 

[molemenacer]

Season 2 has finished and in the end a league and FA Cup double was the reward

Competition Overview:
 

Spoiler

League:

Another 90+ point season and this time no one could stick with us.  Around January it was us, Arsenal and City, with Arsenal yet to lose, all separated by 1 point with Liverpool adrift.  Arsenal lost 3 times in 4 games, City had a shocker second half of the season and Pep has now been sacked.  Liverpool got stronger and almost pipped Arsenal to second.  We scored an obscene amount of goals, Hojlund scored 31 in 33 games, Scott McTominay 15.

Spoiler

FA Cup:
Except for a crazy Fifth round game at Brighton it was a straight forward run the final and a comfortable win over Newcastle for our first Cup win.  With both Perri and Onana injured it was Wooster in and they scored 3 from 5 shots of target with an xg of 1.16.  Their keeper got a 9.8 and our xg was 6.14.  I thought we were out as Wooster was not saving anything and their keeper was insane, we had 21 shots on target, 21 and scored 4 with the 4th in the 120th minute.

Spoiler

League Cup:
Got to the final with the only tough game a victory over Chelsea in the semi and then no goalkeeper for the final ands Wooster had a shocker, as expected.

Spoiler

Champions League:
Group phase was good, easy win over Ajax in the Round of 16 and then the PSG game happened that i posted about above.  Was crazy and coincided with either of my keepers not able to make a save at all and keep making mistakes.  Really disappointing to go out as we were much the better side over the tie easily and i fully blame Onana and Perri for it.

Spoiler

Squad:
Going forward we were amazing, Hojlund was insane finishing with 48 goals in 50 games, Marcos Leonardo scored a bucket load mostly from the bench, what a season for Scott, playing as the Segundo Volante, he was amazing.  Barco playing as a WB(A) role, his number of assists was crazy and finally Mason Mount, playing in the AMC role as an AP(s) as Fernandes missed pretty much the whole season injured and ended with 10 goals and 20 assists.

Spoiler

Hojlund:

McTominay:

Going into next season

Luke Shaw: Before we had won anything he wanted a transfer as he had won everything at the club, we have been rubbish for years and won nothing so no idea but with Barco playing more and more and being better i accepted so he will probably move on
Scott McTominay: Same as Shaw, really annoyed by this as you can see above how good he was for me this year.  He doesn't have massive interest so might be able to keep him
Sancho: Contract runs out next year and he wants £400k, he can do one.
Fernandes: Interest from Saudi and after missing the whole of the season his attributes have dropped and he is now 30.  If a bid comes in then he will go
 

Position breakdown:

GK - Both made mistakes in the biggest games so i am after a new number 1 this year.  Not a priority but will be on the look out
DR - Geertruida and Dalot have been solid this year, there is interest in Dalot and if a decent bid comes in he will go and i will need a new backup
DL - Barco has been insane this year but with Shaw wanting to go i need a new backup
DC - Silva, Inacio, Scalvini and Riad have been amazing no changes here
WM - Tchouameni and Mainoo have this position locked down
SOL - Was Mount and McTominay but with Fernandes injured all year and probably going and McTominay wanting to go i will probably need a player for here.  I have a very unrealistic option here but we will see
AMC - Probably going to be fine here even if Fernandes goes
AML/AMR - Plenty of options even with Sancho going
ST - Hojlund and Leonardo have this covered

So not too much hopefully in the summer, a DL and a SOL required and then a GK as well

[Gee_Simpson]

@molemenacer

Nice season 👍🏻

What position is WM? 

[molemenacer]

50 minutes ago, Gee_Simpson said:

@molemenacer

Nice season 👍🏻

What position is WM? 

That is called the tpyo position, missed off the B for BWM.  This is the tactic that i used all of last season and half of season 1

[molemenacer]

So after a very busy July there has been a lot of outgoings and over £300 million worth of transfers out so my war chest is massive and so far only £61 mill has been spent.

McTominay has gone along with Fernandes so with Mount moving into the AMC role i need a player for the Segundo Volante role, i have spent all month looking and i need an English player to help with the home grown status.

I have decided on 1 of 2 (or i can actually get both or neither and keep looking).  Both are extreme in their own way.

First up:

I am happy with everything except the £100 million, he has a release clause and Bournemouth will only accept that, also Star Player, it seems every signing wants this playing time when joining me for some reason.

Second up:

Everything about this deal is obscene but he is one of the best players in the world and would take me up a level.  He can also play the AMC role and then i drop Mount back into the Segundo role.

Wages wise i have 4 player son £200k and above, Rashford (£300k), Tchouameni (£240k), Thuram (£210k) and Mount (£200k) so Bellingham would destroy my aim to bring everyone wages under control

What are peoples thoughts?  I have the wage budget and transfer budget to do 1, both or just keep looking.

[milan_manutd]

19 hours ago, Chapman7 said:

Expected his Al Nassr wage to be much higher but that is pretty decent for short term although Taremi is availble on a free in first season for wages of £135-£185k which aint too bad either and would be good mentor also for Hojlund 

 

Taremi have contract until july 2024., I'm just starting first season. 

[fman1]

At the end of season 5 and after 2 defeats in previous finals by Real Madrid we finally lifted the Champions League.

Beat Real in the quarters and Barca in the final, marked the end of this side I built as a few are in the last year of their contracts and I do not want to pay anyone over £200k a week.

Offers are starting to come in but I have invested in a few youth regens that are looking the part with 3 or 4 coming through the academy. Struggled with the CL squad registration as I went to win it and this is the rebuild and reset time.

Well, I did make an exemption for Simone Pafundi and gave him £225k a week as he is 5 stars and just incredible. It is a 5 year deal so wont be negotiating half way through as don't want to end up like City who have a number of players on £350k a week and over.  

Also finally got a takeover this season, just as most of the debt was finally paid! Brazilian tycoon came in, upgraded all facilities and stadium expansion. Also £6.5m wage budget (I am currently £4.6m) and transfer budget of £250m.

Tempted to go all in for Bellingham, but that wage cap will be blown away....

Edited November 14, 2023 by fman1

[molemenacer]

The 2025 Summer transfer window slam shut with a lot of business being accomplished.

Based on the end of the season McTominay and Shaw had both wanted to leave as they had accomplished everything at the club and a Saudi club were sniffing around Fernandes as well and he had missed pretty much the whole last season with an injury.  This has been a really tough window actually but am happy with the outcome.

First off the out list (£409 million!!!)

Diallo - Had plenty of opportunities with me and on loan and had never impressed so a £32 mill offer from Benfica was accepted and off he went
Fernandes - It happened in came Al-Ittihad and we negotiated a fee of £125 mill, he had turned 30 and his attributes had suffered because of his 8 month injury so reluctantly i accepted and he signed a £1.4 mill a week deal
Sancho - Had 1 year left on his deal and wanted a new contract at £350k, no chance so a cut price deal to Milan but his wages off the book
Bayindir - Was out on loan last season and a decent fee for him
Shaw - He wanted to go and a £49 mill offer from Napoli was more than i was expecting so a he went and his wages were also saved
McTominay - Another one who wanted out and a deal i wasn't massively happy with but almost £40 mill and he went to Inter
Hannibal - Just not good enough and a £19 mill offer from Roma meant that he went
Onana - Not happy with him at all in his first 2 seasons and Spurs can deal with him now
Mount - Interest in him arrived very late in the window and when it did i felt it was too much to turn down, £76 mill from a rival but £200k off the wage bill as well.

Players in (£397 mill!!)

Smith Rowe - Had him on loan from January and he covers the front 3 positions and is English for a decent fee as well
Mitchell - Comes in to replace Shaw and should provide competition for Barco
Ramsdale - I am not really happy with any of my goalkeepers and Ramsdale is better than any of them and for £23 mill was worth the gamble
Bellingham - The BIG ONE, i thought about this for a long time and spent ages looking for other options and there is no one close to Judes level so in he comes for an obscene fee and comfortably my highest earner
Boulton - A newgen from Spurs, i have scouted him for a year and they raved about him, i think his potential is huge and worth an obscene fee for an 18 year old
Vitor Roque - As we got into mid August i thought i was short in the wide areas and for £31 mill Roque has huge potential 
Patricio - A 3rd choice keeper (due to keeper injuries!!!)
Lionel Messi - It happened, after Mount went Rashford kicked off about depth and when looking Messi was available for £1 mill and a decent £250k a week for 10 months.  Never had Messi before in any FM so excited about this

Round up:


Wages:

Despite everything we are now 6th in the wages table, Man City have gone nuts

[Chapman7]

22 hours ago, molemenacer said:

Wages:

Despite everything we are now 6th in the wages table, Man City have gone nuts

Holy Sh*t! Would love to see who they splashed their wage budget on to get it to £7 million!

[sedge11]

On 14/11/2023 at 16:35, molemenacer said:

The 2025 Summer transfer window slam shut with a lot of business being accomplished.

Based on the end of the season McTominay and Shaw had both wanted to leave as they had accomplished everything at the club and a Saudi club were sniffing around Fernandes as well and he had missed pretty much the whole last season with an injury.  This has been a really tough window actually but am happy with the outcome.

First off the out list (£409 million!!!)

Diallo - Had plenty of opportunities with me and on loan and had never impressed so a £32 mill offer from Benfica was accepted and off he went
Fernandes - It happened in came Al-Ittihad and we negotiated a fee of £125 mill, he had turned 30 and his attributes had suffered because of his 8 month injury so reluctantly i accepted and he signed a £1.4 mill a week deal
Sancho - Had 1 year left on his deal and wanted a new contract at £350k, no chance so a cut price deal to Milan but his wages off the book
Bayindir - Was out on loan last season and a decent fee for him
Shaw - He wanted to go and a £49 mill offer from Napoli was more than i was expecting so a he went and his wages were also saved
McTominay - Another one who wanted out and a deal i wasn't massively happy with but almost £40 mill and he went to Inter
Hannibal - Just not good enough and a £19 mill offer from Roma meant that he went
Onana - Not happy with him at all in his first 2 seasons and Spurs can deal with him now
Mount - Interest in him arrived very late in the window and when it did i felt it was too much to turn down, £76 mill from a rival but £200k off the wage bill as well.

Players in (£397 mill!!)

Smith Rowe - Had him on loan from January and he covers the front 3 positions and is English for a decent fee as well
Mitchell - Comes in to replace Shaw and should provide competition for Barco
Ramsdale - I am not really happy with any of my goalkeepers and Ramsdale is better than any of them and for £23 mill was worth the gamble
Bellingham - The BIG ONE, i thought about this for a long time and spent ages looking for other options and there is no one close to Judes level so in he comes for an obscene fee and comfortably my highest earner
Boulton - A newgen from Spurs, i have scouted him for a year and they raved about him, i think his potential is huge and worth an obscene fee for an 18 year old
Vitor Roque - As we got into mid August i thought i was short in the wide areas and for £31 mill Roque has huge potential 
Patricio - A 3rd choice keeper (due to keeper injuries!!!)
Lionel Messi - It happened, after Mount went Rashford kicked off about depth and when looking Messi was available for £1 mill and a decent £250k a week for 10 months.  Never had Messi before in any FM so excited about this

Round up:


Wages:

Despite everything we are now 6th in the wages table, Man City have gone nuts

That’s a mental summer in and out .

Bellingham looks insane on this years game, he is smashing it for Madrid in my save, so be interesting to see how he does for you.

[sounder22]

Been lurking about, on my third United save, thought I'd contribute with a little overall transfer post based on what I've done and read so far (mainly to highlight one Bruno replacement I haven't seen mentioned so far!). Kinda an overview of what's worked best across all the saves

DEFENCE

Out - Season two is starting. You've realised the finances are screwed. You've sold Maguire (20m to West 'Am), Lindelof (25m to Newcastle), Martinez (40m, someone in the Prem), got the big Saudi Varane cash (70 - 90m wherever) and released Evans. Maybe you've moved on Shaw (60m to PSG), Malacia (15m to Newcastle), you obviously didnt sign Regulon, AWB (40m to Chelsea), the reserves (Telles, Bailley, Williams 10m all in) - woke up 275m better off but with Dalot as your one player left. You need cheap. You need versatile. You need quality. You need sure things. And you need 150m in the bank so your finances dont go into the red by the end of the season to satisfy your OCD.

In - Great, you got Barco for 8m. You're a transfer genius. Not sure we can still get a bunch o CBs, a RB and another LB for the kitty so need players who can cover without compromising on title winning quality. Going to need a couple of absolute winners though. Lukeba is expensive (75m) but covers LB and has been 5* immense every time. He is basically what J Hato (30m) will be in a few seasons. We know about Silva, but Diomande (47m) is consistently better and covers RB as well. Nice core of players who can cover. Chuck in Hector Fort (20m) or someone young at RB and you have a defense of 20 year olds who can play in a bunch of positions. Maybe Martin Vitik (12m) if youre nervous about numbers. Who says you cant win anything with kids? To hell with it - I'm selling Onana (60m, Chelsea) and signing Seimens (35m). Highest quality creche ever. If we don't win it this season, we are winning the next ten.

MIDFIELD

Out - Season two is starting. You've realised the finances are screwed. You've sold Donny (15m anywhere), McTommo (30m anywhere), Eriksen (15m anywhere), you obviously didn't sign Amrabat, Hannibal (35m Prem, unless he's the good version), got the big Saudi Casemiro cash (50 - 60m wherever), maybe you got the big Bruno cash (160m Saudi) or he rejected the contract and you sold him the next season to Inter (45m) - woke up 200m better off but with Mainoo and Mount covering three positions. You need cheap. You need versatile. You need quality. You need sure things. And you need 150m in the bank so your finances don't go into the red by the end of the season to satisfy your OCD.

In - Great, you got Nypan for 8m. You're a transfer genius. Going to need a couple of absolute winners though. Joao Neves is a sure thing (55m) and can cover DM, CM and AM at a push. He is basically what Ouedraogo (20m) will be in a few seasons. What's that? You want a Bruno replacement for 25m that everyone seems to be sleeping on? Oh sure, no problem. Have a bit of Oscar Gloukh (25m) - he will be 4* by end of season. Back him up with Noah Darvich (35m). Maybe Archie Gray (15m) if you're nervous about numbers and voted for Brexit. Highest quality creche ever. If we don't win it this season, we are winning the next ten. I promise.

ATTACK

Out - Season two is starting. You've realised the finances are screwed. You've sold Pellistri (30m, West Brom), Diallo (15m Prem), Martial (12m wherever), the party bois Sancho and Antony (60m each) - woke up 175m better off wondering if Hojlund, Rashford and Garnacho can start in the same team. Have I got the good Shea Lacey version? Hmmm. Nope.

In -  Great, you got Matias Soule on a free. You're a transfer genius. Wait - is he better than both the party bois at RM? Well I never. Going to need a couple of absolute winners mOaR kiDs tHO. Marcos Leonardo (15m) wins the cool name top trumps competition and is ace and is cheap. Isn't it nice to see Van Persie (20m) pop up in the highlights, like when we were last any good? Maybe Mikey Moore (30m) if you're nervous about numbers and voted for Brexit. Who says you cant win anything with kids?

Congrats! The finances are sorted, everyone in your team seems to be 20, they can all play everywhere, your wage bill is 7th in the league and you finished second with a cup. Next season for sure. You made so much money, you're scouting about players like Estevao (9m) or Restes (50m) cos you read about them somewhere. In your head its 2012 and you are still sticking it to Alan Hanson.

GK: Seimens/Restes

RB: Dalot/Fort

CB: Diomande/Vitik

CB: Lukeba/Hato

LB: Barco/some Arsenal regen

DM: Neves/Mainoo/Gray

CM: Mount/Ouedraogo/Nypan

AM: Gloukh/Darvich/(Estevao)

RM: Soule/Van Persie

LM: Rashford/Garnacho/(Moore)

ST: Hojlund/Leonardo

 

 

Edited November 15, 2023 by sounder22

[ApexFC]

On 13/11/2023 at 22:36, molemenacer said:

That is called the tpyo position, missed off the B for BWM.  This is the tactic that i used all of last season and half of season 1

@molemenacer Could you share Tactics and Mentality please?

[molemenacer]

21 hours ago, Chapman7 said:

Holy Sh*t! Would love to see who they splashed their wage budget on to get it to £7 million!

They haven't really bought anyone on extreme wages, it has been more on giving their best players huge pay rises.  These are all their players on over £200k.

I get the Haaland and De Bruyne deals but that Bernardo Silva deal is just insane.  He is decent but still.

[molemenacer]

18 hours ago, sedge11 said:

That’s a mental summer in and out .

Bellingham looks insane on this years game, he is smashing it for Madrid in my save, so be interesting to see how he does for you.

It wasn't supposed to be like that, it really wasn't i promise!!!

Shaw and McTominay wanted to go (In came Mitchell and Bellingham)
Fernandes and Mount deals were too good to turn down (In came Smith Rowe)
Sancho wanted a crazy contract (In came Vitor Roque)

I am playing Bellingham as the Segundo Volante on Attack at the moment and he is settling in nicely after 4 games. 

[molemenacer]

2 hours ago, ApexFC said:

@molemenacer Could you share Tactics and Mentality please?

Hi Apex,

I don't normally like to share tactics as i have no idea if this will work for anyone else, just suits my players but saying that if you want to give it a try you can.

This is my default setup

I will say that i change the out of possession instructions a fair amount depending on the team i am playing.
I also sometime change the Libero to a standard CD (C) role if they have 2 strikers.
Sometimes the Winger(A) in the AMR role become an IF or and IW

You are welcome to try to use it if you like but it does change a fair amount

4231.fmf

[Woolly]

I just about made it to the end of a seriously injury hit first season finishing in 8th. I lost Onana for about 15-20 games, at one point I had no fit RB, one fit first team GK, my first choice back four all either injured or just returning from injury and one striker yet the board still expected me to win. Then got sacked . On a positive note in that save I did find a gem of a Central Defender in Schlotterbeck who I signed from Dortmund for just under £50m who replaced the Saudi bound Varane.  Now starting the save again in the hope of a less injury hit season and a better result. 

[axehan1]

About to start season 3 and this is the first team squad with a couple of U18's helping out for pre season matches

 

Have settled on a 4231 playing some nice football.

Season 1 finished 2nd to City.

Season 2 won the premier league but lost the Champions League 2-3 to City.

[Stevmon]

5 hours ago, axehan1 said:

About to start season 3 and this is the first team squad with a couple of U18's helping out for pre season matches

 

Have settled on a 4231 playing some nice football.

Season 1 finished 2nd to City.

Season 2 won the premier league but lost the Champions League 2-3 to City.

Is that Iranian a regen?

[Gee_Simpson]

36 minutes ago, Stevmon said:

Is that Iranian a regen?

Without a doubt.

[axehan1]

1 hour ago, Stevmon said:

Is that Iranian a regen?

Yeah mate.

[Stevmon]

7 hours ago, axehan1 said:

Yeah mate.

There’s always hope 😝

[saware]

On 09/11/2023 at 15:17, saware said:

Just got into 1st week of October in S1 today & it’s going fairly well in the main. Currently 3rd in the league, 4 points behind Liverpool. Have only lost 2 games so far, both after going down to 10 men, & the team are scoring plenty of goals (2nd for GS & GD behind Man City).

Started with ‘real world’ database & the transfer window shut so have had to make do with the current squad. Playing a positive, modern 433, with roles and duties as follows:-

Onana - SK/S

Wan Bissaka - IFB/D

Varane - CD/D

Martinez - BPD/D

Shaw - IWB/D or S

Casemiro - DM/D or S

Bruno - MEZ/A or S

Mount - B2B/S

Antony - W/S (Cut inside with ball)

Sancho - W/A (Cut inside with ball)

Rashford - AF/A

Mount got injured early on so McTominay has filled in for him & done a good job, scoring several goals.

Anthony has also been in & out of the team, & in that instance I swapped Sancho over to the right & took off the PI then had Garnacho on the left.

Not overly happy with the IFB slot so will be looking to reinforce that position relatively soon… there seems to be plenty of options. Would like to bring in another IWB for the left but naturally there doesn’t seem as much choice. Any recommendations?

Haven’t managed to get much out of Hojlund so far. What role is everyone using him as?

Bruno isn’t setting the world alight either, was hoping he’d score more goals but so far he’s just doing ok.

Made it to Christmas, there’s just under 2 weeks to go until the transfer window opens. Haven’t settled on any targets specifically, although it looks like Barco is the way to go for the IWB-S role. Still need an improvement at IFB on the right as have used Lindelof & Wan Bissaka so far & neither have set the world alight.

Will have to wait & see what the budget situation is before any major incomings. Casemiro was unhappy & wanted an improved contract, that was refused, but he’s settled down now so hopefully I can keep hold of him this January.

Dalot is looking for a way out as he’s not getting games, so I’ll be looking at offloading him as well as Van De Beek. Have extended Martial’s contract, initially to try & get some value out of any sale but he’s done well when needed as cover up front. Hojlund is out for the season.

In terms of progress, we’re still hanging in around the top 3, which is positive after a really tough November that saw me play Liverpool, Man City, Tottenham, & Chelsea back to back in the league. In the CL we’ve managed to qualify for the next round, mainly thanks to a last minute winner from Maguire against Lazio. Our reward is a next round tie against PSG.

Went out of the League Cup, somewhat frustrating but may well have worked out for the best. Have a FA Cup 3rd round game at home against West Ham coming up so fingers crossed we can make good headway into that.

[sedge11]

Season 3 is over and its been a long hard season, as we got to the final of every cup so played the maximum amount of games we could. But how many trophies could we win?

So lets do it in order and start with the carabao cup.

Trophy number 1 in the bag, we dominated the final and 2 goals in 3 minutes helped us on our way.

Now the league.

It was between us and City the whole season, but we just couldn't keep up with them, up until 7 games to go they had only lost 1. Haaland dominated the league with 36 goals and Ederson kept 23 clean sheets. We lost both games against them as well.

So 3 seasons in and we are yet to win the league, which is frustrating but when City get 99 points, there not alot I can do.

Mainoo did win the young player of the year though.

Now on to the FA cup. It was us and City again, playing each other in the final.

It was a tight game, then when Wan Bissaka got sent off, I feared the worse. I then brought Kayode on, and with the game looking like it was going into extra time, the sub Kayode was the hero with a 96th min winner, absolutely incredible way to beat our rivals.

So 2 trophies in the bag now, with 1 final left. The champions league final against Arsenal. We had a tough run to the final beating PSG, Barcelona and Milan to get to the final.

We did it!!!! We secured the big one, beating Arsenal in extra time, with 2 subs in Garnacho and Toney getting the goal.

So after a trophyless season 2, a treble of cups wins finishes off an incredible 3rd season.

As I said 3 seasons in and we still haven't won the league, but to win every cup competition and finish the season with a treble was great.

Here are the player stats for the season.

Hojlund and Toney both with over 20 goals, and 5 players in double figures in total is an improvement of previous seasons. Fati had a good first season for us.

Garnacho continues to get the best average rating for us, would just like abit more output from him. Kayode back from his loan had a great season, and Wan Bissaka was a good back up to him and they were definitely outperforming the left hand side. Shaw had a poor season, while though Ito had a good average rating his output was nowhere near Kayode's.

Hansen-Aaroen had a good breakout season, and will definitely keep him and continue to give him game time. Mainoo with another impressive season. However 2 of the younger players in Hannibal and Gore just hadn't developed and spent the 2nd half of the season on loan and will both probably be sold.

So now onto season 4, and I want that league title.

Shaw wants to leave for a new challenge, and with the LB position not performing as well as the RB, we will need a new LB. I'm also looking at Evan Ferguson, he has been unreal for Brighton, and though Toney and Hojlund have been good I need someone that can push on and get 30-40 goals to match Haaland. 

Mount will be sold as I barely used him this season. Maguire's contract will be up and he will leave on a free, he's been a good servant for me and performed well but now is the time for him to go.

[molemenacer]

@sedge11, that is a cracking season.  Unlucky in the league, a 99 pointer for City is tough to compete with.

Haaland is amazing and City are going to be tough as long as he is scoring the volume he does.

Garnacho is getting great ratings for me as well but as you say I would like a bit more from him in terms of goals and assists.

No better way to win the FA Cup than that.

[Stevmon]

So, I'm in January 1st 2024 in my first save and it's been quite up and down. Feels fairly realistic to where we are at IRL!

Pre season
First task was to bolster the staff. U18s and U21s were missing a few pieces, first team needed new Assistant among other things. Most notable in were Zlatan Ibrahimovic (U18 coach), Mike Phelan (Assistant) and Ole Gunnar Solksjaer (coach). I want staff with connections to Man United and good mental attributes, sprinkled in with high quality staff on the coaching side. Would love to have Paul Mitchell as DoF ("no jobb interests him") and Roy Keane as coach (only wast Ass Mngr) but no dice so far. 

Since I have first window disabled there wasn't too much to do. Mainly focused implementing my main tactic which is a 4-2-3-1 with high tempo/intense pressing with a positive mentality. I change the details quite a bit depending on opposition and situations.
 

First half of season
 

The start was OK, but I started to concede quite a few goals with Onana/Varane/Martinez not performing at all. After the 3-4 Chelsea defeat I had a harsh team talk and Martinez and Bruno both soured which affected me heavily for weeks. My avatar doesn't have the highest reputation (want a challenge) so I'm not having an easy time with managerial support or motivating the players.

Champions League went to **** and the 2-2 game at home to Feyenoord confirmed us missing the advancement. I was hobbling along in the Premier League ad advancing in the Carabao Cup, but my position was becoming insecure and at this time I had benched Martinez for most parts and Bruno was not performing at all...

 

Then December came around! A late defeat to Lazio means I finished 4th and there'll be no Europe in the second half of the season.
But the results (and performances for once!) in the Premier League were great. A great comeback after 2-0 down to Brighton sparked som great results against Arsenal (twice) and City away. 

Luckily the board is OK with me finishing 4th in the CL group and going in to the second half of the season my realistic aim of finishing 4th in the league and winning a domestic cup is still very much in play.

 

Player performances 
Bruno has been pretty bad most of the season along with his bad morale for my Chelsea team talked (he dropped his complaint late December) and Martinez + Casemiro has not played at the high standard I need them too. Dalot has performed a lot better than AWB and very few injuries mean the youngsters + Bayindir/Evans have hardly had any game time. 

Regullion, Pellistri and Martial have performed above expectations but my best players have been McTominay, Rashford and Hojlund, with Varane coming along very nicely the last few weeks.

 

[Stevmon]

First transfer window!
With the awful finances being what they are, I'm totally handcuffed in the transfer market. My balance is 28 million pounds and I have 1.4 million in my transfer kitty along with being just on the edge of my wage budget. Thank you leeches...

Main aim is to offload players to get in some kind of money and getting the wage bill down. Expecting more changes in the summer and realistically that's when I can get new players in.
I'm happy to sell Varane/Casemiro to the saudis in the summer (maybe even Fernandes), but I don't want to sell mid season.

Looking to sell 
Wan-Bissaka (might have to trigger the extension to get a decent fee...)
Maguire (perfoms OK, byt doesn't fit my plans and I need to sell him financially)
van de Beek (doesn't play, need to recoup money + get rid off wages)
Sancho (barely plays, ridiculous wages)

Looking to loan out
Malacia (needs game time after injury, Regullion playing well)
Mainoo
Gore
Diallo (same situation as Malacia)
Plus quite a few from U21s...

Transfers in
Might not have money for anyone...
I have however offered Taremi a pre contract. With Martial performing very well I don't need another striker to back up Hojlund and I wiew Taremi as close to a perfect backup to Hojlund as possible. Wish he was 1-2 years younger, but he should be good for two seasons considering his attributes.

Really looking forward to the second half of the season and then to have a big overhaul in the summer!

[Chapman7]

8 hours ago, Stevmon said:

First transfer window!
With the awful finances being what they are, I'm totally handcuffed in the transfer market. My balance is 28 million pounds and I have 1.4 million in my transfer kitty along with being just on the edge of my wage budget. Thank you leeches...

Main aim is to offload players to get in some kind of money and getting the wage bill down. Expecting more changes in the summer and realistically that's when I can get new players in.
I'm happy to sell Varane/Casemiro to the saudis in the summer (maybe even Fernandes), but I don't want to sell mid season.

Looking to sell 
Wan-Bissaka (might have to trigger the extension to get a decent fee...)
Maguire (perfoms OK, byt doesn't fit my plans and I need to sell him financially)
van de Beek (doesn't play, need to recoup money + get rid off wages)
Sancho (barely plays, ridiculous wages)

Looking to loan out
Malacia (needs game time after injury, Regullion playing well)
Mainoo
Gore
Diallo (same situation as Malacia)
Plus quite a few from U21s...

Transfers in
Might not have money for anyone...
I have however offered Taremi a pre contract. With Martial performing very well I don't need another striker to back up Hojlund and I wiew Taremi as close to a perfect backup to Hojlund as possible. Wish he was 1-2 years younger, but he should be good for two seasons considering his attributes.

Really looking forward to the second half of the season and then to have a big overhaul in the summer!

Decided to finish my Beta save first season(work and amongst other things means not got to far before full release). Am in January have had offers for AWB and like you decided to trigger his extension, Chelsea came in for him for around £20 million negotiated to £34.5million waiting on a response but had Arsenal sniffing around rumoured to be of that fee so hopefully accept the offer I negotiated. Offered a contract to Taremi and Isaac Babadi(Beat City and Arsenal to pre sign him!)  Along with Enoch Mastoras a 17 year old RB Inverted Wing Back who also plays CB and DM as natural and CM, RWB and RM as acomplished so could have a very versatile player with a 3.5-4 potential 

[BigV]

Is the beta a full season now? i thought it was only till jan. 

[Chapman7]

50 minutes ago, BigV said:

Is the beta a full season now? i thought it was only till jan. 

Far as I know it was the Demo only half a season and Beta you could few seasons in 

[BigV]

16 minutes ago, Chapman7 said:

Far as I know it was the Demo only half a season and Beta you could few seasons in 

Yeah I was being dumb, only just realised what I asked lol. 

Edited November 19, 2023 by BigV

[Chapman7]

8 minutes ago, BigV said:

Yeah I was being dumb, only just realised what I asked lol. 

All been there 

[MatthewS17]

So, just got done with my first season. Transfers disabled, so no incomings. We still feel a bit strong in-game, so I decided to play a more defensive style, starting with a 4-2-3-1 with two DMs who just shielded the defense. Focusing on absolutely parking the bus against big teams and ceding possession against most of the teams, while trying to catch them on the counter. It probably was more effective than I planned, as we beat City 4-1 with a 0.83 xG(Their first loss of the season), and in general seemed to hit teams too hard and fast for them to do anything. We conceded a few, but nothing too crazy and only two teams managed more than two against us(Real Madrid and Liverpool).

I largely thought I was battling for third or fourth place, with us battling Liverpool who couldn't stop drawing games, while Arsenal were 6 points ahead battling it out with City. While we then clicked into gear, Arsenal then lost 3 of their last 6, falling to pieces at the end(as expected) and a comprehensive victory over Liverpool in the last game secured us second place in what was probably a really good run. 

Bruno(17), Rashford(21) and Hojlund(16) all managing  a really good goal count which contributed to our 100 goal tally.

Getting Madrid in the Round of 16 was unlucky and we just couldn't match them at home, but we somehow motored our way to an FA Cup win. The 1-0 against City was a game I should never have one, but it was a treat to steal the match from City(Again!)

In terms of transfers, I made one out and one in. Unfortunately, I had it with Varane earlier in the season who cost us a game with a terrible mistake then had repeated mishaps in the coming games. I had enough and used the Saudi interest to send him off for a handy 60m. Could have got more, but thought maybe that would be a bit unrealistic. Since we were playing a deeper defensive line, Maguire was pretty handy and popped in with a few goals from set pieces as well.

On the other side, Martial did not feature at all, and I needed a backup, so Toney came in as his ban was up for a pricey but necessary 43 mil. Not really got going yet, but I'm sure he'll be handy.

Onto the new season, and with Van De Beek, Martial and Sancho all not featuring in a single game for me, I have done my best to get rid. So far, we've been rid of:

Van De Beek: 12m
Hannibal: 15m
Martial: 0(Completing removing his wage was worth)
Sancho: Loan, but with mandatory 60m purchase
Heaton: Retired
Evans: Free

I still plan to get rid of Dalot, as he never feature much for me either. The freed wages getting Sancho, Martial and Van De Beek out is so much more refreshing to see.

Despite interesting in their services from Saudi clubs, I decided that I wanted to keep Bruno and Casemiro(despite poor performances), as it would be too much to fix in one window. Bruno is also part of the core players that I will never sell until they've past it. I'll probably give him a contract to lock that down soon. Bruno, Martinez and Shaw make up that core.

On the In side, I probably did more than I wanted, but this United side is in disarray. It's still a solid window, but I usually draw a line at 4 first team players max. So far we've brought in:

Alex McCarthy: Free(Replacement for Heaton)
Michael Kayode: 32m(Too cheap to ignore, and won every U21 award in Italy, looks a great prospect. Also, hence selling Dalot)
Ousmane Diomande: 53m(Wasn't my first choice, but getting him below the release clause looked great business)
Valentin Barco: 8.5m(Signed him because he actually looks a top quality midfielder if he could be a little less one-footed)
Ismael Bennacer: 43m(Was chasing Calhanoglu and Lobotka all season, but 80m was too much for them. Bennacer is more mobile and can allow my midfield to be more dynamic. A good buffer till Mainoo develops)
Michael Olise: 35m(Release clause, replacement for Sancho. Form at Palace was worrying but will give him a go. Don't think Diallo can make it).

Still need a replacement for an ageing Casemiro, but that can wait another season. Still maintaining a solid net spend of under 150m, so I'm pretty happy with that. I got a lot of players at what I think are bargains for their quality and for good wage values(For now). Freeing up an entire 1m in wages between 4 players as well showed how ridiculously overpaid our squad was in the first place as well.

All in all, a really good start, the squad looks more balanced, and I'm looking forward to giving City a greater run this season. We'll also play more on the front foot now that my midfield is temporarily complete.
 

 

[Shippy]

12 hours ago, MatthewS17 said:

So, just got done with my first season. Transfers disabled, so no incomings. We still feel a bit strong in-game, so I decided to play a more defensive style, starting with a 4-2-3-1 with two DMs who just shielded the defense. Focusing on absolutely parking the bus against big teams and ceding possession against most of the teams, while trying to catch them on the counter. It probably was more effective than I planned, as we beat City 4-1 with a 0.83 xG(Their first loss of the season), and in general seemed to hit teams too hard and fast for them to do anything. We conceded a few, but nothing too crazy and only two teams managed more than two against us(Real Madrid and Liverpool).

I largely thought I was battling for third or fourth place, with us battling Liverpool who couldn't stop drawing games, while Arsenal were 6 points ahead battling it out with City. While we then clicked into gear, Arsenal then lost 3 of their last 6, falling to pieces at the end(as expected) and a comprehensive victory over Liverpool in the last game secured us second place in what was probably a really good run. 

Bruno(17), Rashford(21) and Hojlund(16) all managing  a really good goal count which contributed to our 100 goal tally.

Getting Madrid in the Round of 16 was unlucky and we just couldn't match them at home, but we somehow motored our way to an FA Cup win. The 1-0 against City was a game I should never have one, but it was a treat to steal the match from City(Again!)

In terms of transfers, I made one out and one in. Unfortunately, I had it with Varane earlier in the season who cost us a game with a terrible mistake then had repeated mishaps in the coming games. I had enough and used the Saudi interest to send him off for a handy 60m. Could have got more, but thought maybe that would be a bit unrealistic. Since we were playing a deeper defensive line, Maguire was pretty handy and popped in with a few goals from set pieces as well.

On the other side, Martial did not feature at all, and I needed a backup, so Toney came in as his ban was up for a pricey but necessary 43 mil. Not really got going yet, but I'm sure he'll be handy.

Onto the new season, and with Van De Beek, Martial and Sancho all not featuring in a single game for me, I have done my best to get rid. So far, we've been rid of:

Van De Beek: 12m
Hannibal: 15m
Martial: 0(Completing removing his wage was worth)
Sancho: Loan, but with mandatory 60m purchase
Heaton: Retired
Evans: Free

I still plan to get rid of Dalot, as he never feature much for me either. The freed wages getting Sancho, Martial and Van De Beek out is so much more refreshing to see.

Despite interesting in their services from Saudi clubs, I decided that I wanted to keep Bruno and Casemiro(despite poor performances), as it would be too much to fix in one window. Bruno is also part of the core players that I will never sell until they've past it. I'll probably give him a contract to lock that down soon. Bruno, Martinez and Shaw make up that core.

On the In side, I probably did more than I wanted, but this United side is in disarray. It's still a solid window, but I usually draw a line at 4 first team players max. So far we've brought in:

Alex McCarthy: Free(Replacement for Heaton)
Michael Kayode: 32m(Too cheap to ignore, and won every U21 award in Italy, looks a great prospect. Also, hence selling Dalot)
Ousmane Diomande: 53m(Wasn't my first choice, but getting him below the release clause looked great business)
Valentin Barco: 8.5m(Signed him because he actually looks a top quality midfielder if he could be a little less one-footed)
Ismael Bennacer: 43m(Was chasing Calhanoglu and Lobotka all season, but 80m was too much for them. Bennacer is more mobile and can allow my midfield to be more dynamic. A good buffer till Mainoo develops)
Michael Olise: 35m(Release clause, replacement for Sancho. Form at Palace was worrying but will give him a go. Don't think Diallo can make it).

Still need a replacement for an ageing Casemiro, but that can wait another season. Still maintaining a solid net spend of under 150m, so I'm pretty happy with that. I got a lot of players at what I think are bargains for their quality and for good wage values(For now). Freeing up an entire 1m in wages between 4 players as well showed how ridiculously overpaid our squad was in the first place as well.

All in all, a really good start, the squad looks more balanced, and I'm looking forward to giving City a greater run this season. We'll also play more on the front foot now that my midfield is temporarily complete.
 

 

Would be very interested to see the tactics for the city wins.

Ive been spanked 3 times so far in the first season 😭

[Stevmon]

13 hours ago, Shippy said:

Would be very interested to see the tactics for the city wins.

Ive been spanked 3 times so far in the first season 😭

I played them December my first season, away. They had never lost and won almost every game with Haaland banging them in.

I won 2-0 while playing with my normal 4-2-3-1on a Catious mentality, pressing hard on normal line, but with a very high defensive line to congest the midfield. Worked out great!

[MatthewS17]

17 hours ago, Shippy said:

Would be very interested to see the tactics for the city wins.

Ive been spanked 3 times so far in the first season 😭

I basically got very lucky. I scored 4 goals off 0.83 xG(Maguire with two headed in from a corner), while they scored 1 from an xG of 2.82. And it was a penalty at that.

It was a defensive 4-2-3-1, with 2 DMs, lower defensive line, lower engagement, to compact the space for them to play through, balanced mentality, direct passing at highest tempo. Hold Shape when ball is lost, but counter in possession. I kept play out from the back, because I thought it would help prevent long balling. I don't remember pressing, but it wasn't maxed.

Rashford left, Garnacho right and Hojlund upfront had pace to burn which helped in both games. My 1-0 was off a counter, scored by Rashford. Got battered in everything but the scoreline too.

 

It's not recommendable, because the defending in the ME doesn't really work properly, so sitting deep is never effective, other than through luck, but honestly, going at them makes even less sense than being battered by them, so I went with this.

 

Second season, I'll have a go at them though.