FM24 - Athletic Club (Bilbao) - Loyalty and Long Term Saves!

[Rich162]

55 minutes ago, bowieinspace said:

You can find my save file here: https://filetransfer.io/data-package/KsTiiifp#link

The only odd thing I've done in this save is due to the insane lack of goalkeepers who came through, I was beginning to wonder if there was legimately a bug - from the game start through until 31/32 season when Alberto Etxabe came through my youth intake in late March, there wasn't a single newgen Basque goalkeeper who had the ability OR potential to be a decent La Liga keeper. At that point Simon was rapidly declining and other options who start the game such as Remiro etc were all too old also. My only option as a stop gap was Julen Agirrezabala who I resigned for a ludicrous fee just to give me a couple more years of having a playable keeper, he came back in summer 2032. Outside of Agirrezabala there were 1-2 2* CA options and the rest were absolutely miles off. I'd kept an eye on another keeper Jesus Valencia, who had been at Gernika and Lugo and was considered a top Liga 2 keeper, but he moved to a Saudi club the year before in 2031 and was miles off it according to my scouts, I've just re-scouted him and he's a 1.5* player despite looking half decent on the limited knowledge view on this save file). Agirrezabala was by far the better option despite the crazy fee, and Valencia was someone I could think about later if I was desperate. 

In January 2032 a couple months before Etxabe appeared and I bought Agirrezabala back, I decided to sign a spanish keeper who was 16 who looked decent enough to be first team capable in the future, just as a fall back option in case the situation with keepers continued to decline, with the view I'd only use him if there were no viable other options. Worth noting at this time also Agirrezabala was a key player at Bournemouth and they wouldn't consider selling him under any circumstances. He played in the B team a bit and I gave him a few first team appearances in dead rubber games/off the bench/due to injuries while Julen Agirrezabala was my number 1 to allow him to develop a bit (he was very young and a big step down from Agirrezabala at the time). I didn't want to use him at all but the situation was dire so I wanted to at least give myself an option I could consider down the track. I was basically down to the prospect of 1.5/2* goalkeeper options within a year or so who had hit their peak already. Fortunately Etxabe did appear so now in summer 2035, although Etxabe is my best keeper at 2* CA, I at least have a bit of potential there and a couple options who will be decent longer term.

In the end I couldn't stick the idea of breaking my own rules for the sake of having a decent keeper, and Etxabe (although a way off first team level) looked like he would be decent enough in the future, so I sold the keeper for near enough what I paid in summer 2034, committed to my rules and throwing Etxabe in at number 1 despite his 1.5* CA - his name is Jose Angel Blanco and he's at Spurs now not getting any game time, I don't consider him as someone I would ever repurchase so I just ignore him on player search. If you search for Basque keepers now, you have him, Jesus Valencia (previously mentioned above) and then the rest is utter garbage. 

My situation now at keeper is still pretty bad, Etxabe is number 1, he is 2* current ability, but I also have Carlos Etxeberria who is 2* and consistent with a nice attribute spread (he's improved well but always had low potential), and then Iker Zubillaga is my other back up - he's just had a really positive loan spell and looks set to be a long term squad member. I had a decent looking keeper in my last intake also.

Thanks for the earlier feedback on youth development.  For people starting their save, there is a goalkeeper in Barca B in 23/24 that is worth a look at. In my save he is 4 star potential. He is miles better than the Athletic goalies in the b team and could come good. His name is Andre Astralaga. I have had him for 6 months and he is developing nicely. Born in Berango - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berango. He cost me a million euros but given the goalie issues you were having I thought it might be worth it. 

Edited March 29 by Rich162

[bowieinspace]

23 minutes ago, Rich162 said:

Thanks for the earlier feedback on youth development.  For people starting their save, there is a goalkeeper in Barca B in 23/24 that is worth a look at. In my save he is 4 star potential. He is miles better than the Athletic goalies in the b team and could come good. His name is Andre Astralaga. I have had him for 6 months and he is developing nicely. Born in Berango - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berango. He cost me a million euros but given the goalie issues you were having I thought it might be worth it. 

Yeah he's on my save, may have had a boost in the last update potentially. He's pretty good in my save he was on my list of potential options around the 1.5-2* CA, had a really good attribute spread, he's a good suggestion for sure if he has more potential that he showed in my save or in the new db update, or just as a good back up

Edited March 29 by bowieinspace

[dothestrand]

I've had Astralaga as a third keeper but I don't think he's ever better than that. 

[MattyC78]

It has been a couple of months since I have posted.  I have been off playing other saves but I have enjoyed catching up with your Athletic updates.  Thank you in particular to @bowieinspace, @dothestrand and @Darius1998. 

I always enjoy a save where you can sign wonderkids but I have now got bored of the constant churn and yearn for the Athletic world where you develop stronger ties with your players because there is only them and your developments and achievements mean more.  So I am back to managing Athletic and rather than starting again I have picked up my save from earlier.  So I am in 2028 and after five years of coming second, a moderate performance in the Champions League and with a couple of Spanish cups and three Spanish Super Cups, I want to push on for some sustained success.

Whilst I can remember most of my players (even better than the players in my last save - the beauty of Athletic) I cannot remember the situations in relation to staffing, tactics, contracts, dynamics, training etc so I am treating this as I would if I was taking on a new job.  The first thing to decide is to determine whether I continue the Lezama only perspective or allow myself to purchase the odd player to bolster the ranks.  

[dothestrand]

@MattyC78 I find I can never get past a few seasons of another save before returning to Athletic Club, a save I know I can keep going til the next FM comes out. In any other save it's too transfer-heavy, transitioning the squads constantly. With Athletic Club you know there's a focus and an ethos that gives you something to work with and you can work with players over a long period and to help them develop. I could go Lezama only but that's not probably not realistic and the game usually factors in that certain players would never move so it's not like you can hoover up every Basque player. 

[Darius1998]

2026-27: Season Review

La Liga: 3rd, 78 points (down 1 place and 9 points)
Copa del Rey: Semi-finalists, lost to Barcelona
Champions League: League Phase (27th)
Supercopa: Semi-finalists, lost to Atletico

Very different season to 2025-26 as we started off slowly, losing 3 matches by the end of October - as many as we had lost in the whole of last season. We were massively underperforming in all underlying metrics - xG, xGA, expected points, etc. but a great run through November turned the season around, only losing to Real Madrid (twice) and Barcelona after that. We made the top 7 in the 14th round of fixtures and then spent the 2nd half of the season hauling down (and eventually passing) Sevilla and Real Sociedad. We had a chance to seal CL football and Sevilla but threw away a 3-0 lead in the last 10 mins, before Sancet's goal secured a 1-0 win in the Basque derby in our penultimate game.

We took revenge against Valencia for last season's cup semi-final by beating them 3-0 at their place in the quarters. In the semis, a 1-1 draw at home was followed by a 5-0 pasting at Camp Nou to knock us out. The players ended up refunding the fans for it.

The CL campaign was a disappointment but was really tough from the get go. A poor loss at home to Ajax dampened our hopes and although we beat Zulte and Lille, that was followed up by draws against Barca and Arsenal and then losses against Bologna, Juventus and Milan.

 

Transfers

Two incomings of note - Julen Jon Guerrero joined for €1m from Milan. He hasn't really developed since going there from Alaves and seems to have some unfulfilled potential. Low-risk signing anyway and he spent the season on loan at Serie B's bottom club Vicenza. The other was 16 year old CB Dani Martin from Eibar. Came in for €250k and went into the U19s. I mostly got him for his professional personality so hopefully he can fulfill his 4/4.5* potential.

One major outgoing as Unai Simon had his €85m release clause triggered by Man Utd and left in the summer.

 

Youth Candidates

Some really nice prospects again.

Miguel Jimenez (DR/MR):

Spoiler

A good attacking full back.

Ibon Serrano (DM/DC):

Spoiler

Talented DM who can drop into defence if needed.

Fran (AMR/ST):

Spoiler

The cream of the crop. Another excellent wide player through the ranks. He already looks very good too.

 

Squad

GK: Agirrezabala, Ayesa, Hugo Palacios*
RB: Areso, Inigo Albisu*
CB: Yeray, Unai Nunez, Paredes, Josu Romero*, Jon Martin, Sergio Aguirre*
LB: Munoz, Imanol
DM: Moncayola, Guillamon
CM: Sancet, Unai Gomez, Vencedor, Julen Jon Guerrero
RW: Nico Williams, Nico Serrano
LW: Berenguer, Adu Ares, Victor Villanueva*
ST: Inaki Williams, Guruzeta, Villalibre

* - Newgen

I promoted a number of youngsters from the 2025 batch and loaned most of them out. Aguirre (loaned to Recreativo) and Villanueva (loaned to Rayo Vallecano) highlighted as they are probably the closest to being first team ready. Albisu was going to get more first team games but had a couple of injuries and I sent him to Numancia in the 3rd tier for 6 months where he has done well.

Berenguer was phased out for Ares and Serrano and will move to Rayo Vallecano for 5m in the summer while Inaki is on the decline and will be off to Damac in Saudi Arabia for 19.5m.

[vvegg]

Great thread as always.

My question would be if there is a way to keep Vivian in the squad with the new database. He has a relatively low release clause fee and refuses to renew his contract. The Saudis were interested and eventually signed him in my first save. After a 5 season save I restarted a new game and the situation seems the same. After 3 seasons Nico Williams is also gone for 180 million euro release fee.

Another problem with the save I discontinued was too many gk newgens. Every year there were 1 or 2 4/5 star potential basque gk newgens with promising attributes.

There were not enough left backs to sign or produce from youth system. Any suggestions? I thought to retrain Vesga for a lb but could not take the risk and he is already fine for dm anyway. Javi lopez was a good option but I had to wait for Alaves to get relegated and Aihen Munoz to be transfer listed.

Quick tip for right back is if you sign Guillamon from Valencia he could be retrained for rb and becomes a rb for the national team level.

[Darius1998]

2027-28: Season Review

La Liga: 3rd, 84 points (no position change, +6 points
Copa del Rey: Quarter-finalists, lost to Barcelona
Champions League: Quarter-finalists, lost to Porto
Supercopa: Semi-finalists, lost to Atletico

Very good season overall as we blitzed a few goal records along the way, notching up 104 in the league itself. Barcelona ran away with it and it was a battle for 2nd between us and the two Madrid clubs. Real Madrid edged us out towards the end but it was still incredibly fun nevertheless. At home, we were imperious, even beating Barcelona and Real Madrid and rallying from 2 down to draw against Atletico. 65 of those 104 goals came at home, giving us 16 wins and 3 draws.

A bad injury crisis from December to February saw us lose 4 of our 6 defenders at one point, needing to promote Diego Martin from the U19s to fill in at RB as I didn't want to recall those out on loan. He did well and then got injured himself as we got dumped out of the cup by Barca while we lost the Supercup semi 4-3 to Mourinho's tycoon-owned Atletico.

The CL campaign was wild. We have often had luck going against us in Europe but none of that happened in the League Phase as we finished inside the top 8, even beating Man City 2-1 despite conceding over 4 xG to them at the Etihad. A 2-2 draw at Lille was followed by nearly getting knocked out in the 2nd leg, only for Josu Romero to make it 2-2 on the night in stoppage time before Adu Ares scored the winner in ET. Porto were the best draw possible but we fluffed it, going down 2-0 and then immediately conceding an equaliser after going in front at home.

 

Transfers

Just one transfer in - An 18 year old LB Pedro Agirre joined from Real Sociedad for €7.5m, which may some day rise by another 1m. He spent the season on loan at 3rd tier Cordoba. No major outgoings either after Inaki Williams and Berenguer left. A bunch of players went out on loan and some of them look good enough to get first team games next season.

 

Youth Candidates

Decent intake with two standout prospects.

Jon Garrido (MC/R, AMC):

Spoiler

Talented two-way midfielder.

Inigo Rodriguez (AML/R):

Spoiler

Another wide player. We have loads of them but with a small talent pool, I'm hardly going to be annoyed about that.

 

Squad

GK: Agirrezabala, Ayesa, Hugo Palacios*, Francisco Hernandez*
RB: Areso, Inigo Albisu*, Diego Martin*
CB: Yeray, Unai Nunez, Paredes, Josu Romero*, Jon Martin, Sergio Aguirre*
LB: Munoz, Imanol, Pedro Agirre*
DM: Moncayola, Guillamon
CM: Sancet, Unai Gomez, Vencedor, Julen Jon Guerrero, Asier Alberdi*, Alex Rubio*
RW: Nico Williams, Nico Serrano, Javier Gabilondo*
LW: Adu Ares, Victor Villanueva*, Asier Albisu*
ST: Guruzeta, Villalibre

* - Newgen

Yeray's contract is up and I will be letting him go. Sergio Aguirre will return from his loan spell at Las Palmas to take his place. Inigo Albisu had a good spell at West Brom, even though they finished 23rd in the Championship and can compete with Areso on the right. Guerrero spent a season at 2nd tier Numancia will take Gomez's place in midfield while Villanueva is ready to play more regularly. The other newgens all spent a season out on loan and will hopefully do so again next season.

Also here are the newgens who are good enough to be squad players/regular starters now:

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

Slightly off-topic but it was great to see Athletic win the Copa del Rey IRL yesterday. The 40 year wait is finally over!

Edited April 7 by Darius1998

[dothestrand]

On 06/04/2024 at 11:56, vvegg said:

Great thread as always.

My question would be if there is a way to keep Vivian in the squad with the new database. He has a relatively low release clause fee and refuses to renew his contract. The Saudis were interested and eventually signed him in my first save. After a 5 season save I restarted a new game and the situation seems the same. After 3 seasons Nico Williams is also gone for 180 million euro release fee.

Another problem with the save I discontinued was too many gk newgens. Every year there were 1 or 2 4/5 star potential basque gk newgens with promising attributes.

There were not enough left backs to sign or produce from youth system. Any suggestions? I thought to retrain Vesga for a lb but could not take the risk and he is already fine for dm anyway. Javi lopez was a good option but I had to wait for Alaves to get relegated and Aihen Munoz to be transfer listed.

Quick tip for right back is if you sign Guillamon from Valencia he could be retrained for rb and becomes a rb for the national team level.

My game is very flush with keepers. My first choice is a regen and I've got these two out on loan:

I reckon Mateo is the best of my three keepers, but I don't really want to lose any of them so I'm fine with loaning him out (I've also brought Unai Simon back to the club in the 31-32 season as backup).

[bowieinspace]

On 06/04/2024 at 23:56, vvegg said:

Great thread as always.

My question would be if there is a way to keep Vivian in the squad with the new database. He has a relatively low release clause fee and refuses to renew his contract. The Saudis were interested and eventually signed him in my first save. After a 5 season save I restarted a new game and the situation seems the same. After 3 seasons Nico Williams is also gone for 180 million euro release fee.

Another problem with the save I discontinued was too many gk newgens. Every year there were 1 or 2 4/5 star potential basque gk newgens with promising attributes.

There were not enough left backs to sign or produce from youth system. Any suggestions? I thought to retrain Vesga for a lb but could not take the risk and he is already fine for dm anyway. Javi lopez was a good option but I had to wait for Alaves to get relegated and Aihen Munoz to be transfer listed.

Quick tip for right back is if you sign Guillamon from Valencia he could be retrained for rb and becomes a rb for the national team level.

I can't comment on Vivian in the new DB sadly, I've not explored it with a full save (I started my save during the beta). 

I certainly don't share your newgen goalkeeper experience haha, you can check previous posts I've made on this thread. I didn't get a single Basque newgen keeper in my entire DB with La Liga level potential for the first 7 or 8 years of my save, but I'm blessed with attacking talent... probably just variance/luck of the draw.

Edited April 7 by bowieinspace

[bowieinspace]

Also Aupa Athletic! I hope everyone was able to catch the Copa final over the weekend. Very stressful but so good in the end.

[MattyC78]

I have completed my first season back at Athletic.  After five years of coming second, a moderate performance in the Champions League and with a couple of Spanish cups and three Spanish Super Cups, I wanted to push on for some sustained success.  I came in and reviewed the whole structure as if I was a new manager.  I overhauled the staffing structure, initially focussing on coaches and scouts, changed the training schedules and tweaked the tactical style based on the strengths of the first eleven.  No stone was left unturned I hope the hard work delivers some longer term success but this season we finished third and failed to win any trophies!

The season was not a complete write-off though with a couple of our youngsters making significant development progress.

Arkaitz Aranburu had a big season as he broke into the first team and will be first choice alongside Dani Vivian next year.

Gonzalo Astrain has been retrained to be a left back and is ready to take over from Imanol

Mikel Eguaras is our one striling hope and has taken the lead role from Inaki Williams.

Inaki Pascual already plays a crucial role in our centre midfield alongside Oihan Sancet.

Santiago Kortina  is a very able back-up to Nico Williams who gets more than enough games to allow his development.  At the moment we have two options on the right but we are considerably weaker on the left with Jon Morcillio, Peio Hestamendia or an out of position Nico Williams.

Asier Alonso is older than Inaki Pascual.  He does not have the same level of quality but he has still developed into an able deputy. 

We shall dust ourselves down and go again.  This summer we need to decide what to do with Inaki Williams and Julen Agirrezabala as they want to leave for new challenges and neither are first team players.  I am also going to have to try to fight off Newcastle who have set their eyes on Unai Simon.

The one thing that has happened this summer that I have never noticed before is that I have had youth players poached.  Is this something that other people have experienced?  I have lost three players in the early part of the summer to Lugo, Alaves and Huesca.  I was not expecting this.  I thought it was more likely that we would be doing the poaching.  I have made a list of the names to track their progress when they enter the game.  Hopefully we have not lost our best players.

So far I have not bought anyone.  I missed out on Aymeric Laporte as he left the game before I could persuade him back to Athletic.  I am wavering and considering buying some Basque youngsters to bolster the ranks.

[bowieinspace]

Some good youngsters @MattyC78! 

I've not had any poached this year I don't think, maybe 1? Certainly not that many anyway, and interesting they're being poached by smaller clubs. I'm not sure what prompts that happening but maybe someone knows about it 

[bowieinspace]

Season 2035/36 Review - The Perfect Season?

 

La Liga - 1st, 102 points
Copa Del Rey - Winners
Supercopa - Winners
UEFA Super Cup - Winners
Champions League - Winners

Yes oh yes oh yes oh yes!

We lost a handful of games during the season (away to Real/Barca in the league), but otherwise we were comfortable this season. I did feel like we lacked a bit of depth off the bench in the forward line (in terms of raw quality), as our youngsters were a bit of a step down from the forward line. Jon Ibanez came back around Christmas time from a 9-10month ACL injury and my goodness was he impressive on his return, notching 15 goals and 10 assists as an inverted winger on support from 18 league games, with equally impressive contributions in Europe. 

In the Champions League we had a pretty friendly league draw and qualified at a canter, we then beat Leipzig comfortably in the round of 16 6-1 on aggregate, before beating Man City 3-0 on aggregate. We then took on Spurs in the semi final - the first leg at San Mames was comfortable, we took an early 1-0 lead and then they went down to 10 men about 20mins in, and we ended up comfortable 4-0 winners at home. The second leg at their place was a bit different, they really took us apart in probably the only game all season we were outplayed, they won 2-0 and honestly it could have been more, so I was happy to get into the final without a second leg bottle job! In the final we took on domestic rivals Barcelona, who have built a really good team now. A tight game but we didn't give up many chances and created the best one - Gorrotxategi getting the winner. 

A couple of our youngsters, noteably Inaki Goni and Ismael Lafuente didn't really come on that well this season which contributed to the lack of forward quality off the bench, especially as we lost Aizpurua for large chunks of the season too. To fix this I've spunked 135million GBP on Julen Diez from Stuttgart - he came through the Alaves academy before moving to Man City, I didn't pick him up at the time due to the quality we had coming through at the time, but he barely featured for Man City over 4 years or so before moving on to Stuttgart, where he's become a key player. Now, a resolute personality, super consistent and enjoyer of big matches he's an ideal addition to my forward line. Inaki Iturrino was our other big highlight this season as he performed well off the bench and is improving well, so he sticks around to complete my forward line. 

 

 

So 3 consecutive Champions League titles now is really something - this team is impressive. We still lack top, top players in central defence, goalkeeper and defensive midfield, but the players we have in those positions are pretty effective and our immense forward line just gets the job done. 

[dothestrand]

2031-32 Season Review: Fourmidable!

La Liga: 1st (-) - 101 points (-)

Copa Del Rey: QF (lost to Las Palmas 0-1)

Super Cup: W (beat Real Madrid on pens, 1-1)

Champions League: QF (lost to Man City 1-2 on aggregate)

Another comfortable La Liga title, our fourth in a row now. We finished on 101 points again, 14 clear of Barcelona and 18 clear of Real Madrid. We lost one league game, our 34th of the season, which was away to Alaves, a game that we were clearly not going to win. We went behind twice and equalised, then had a man sent off and conceded again. So close to being an Invincibles! Despite this performance in the league, we only had four players in the team of the season, which was dominated by Barcelona (if their players are individually performing so well, how are they losing matches?)

We won the Super Cup for the first time in this save on penalties after a 1-1 draw with Real Madrid. We were defeated in the Copa Del Rey at the QF stage by Las Palmas with a very lacklustre performance. Had we won, we would've played Valencia in the SF, who won the competition, so consider that a trophy missed out on. We finished second again in the CL group stage, and our reward in the last 16 was a tie against Man Utd, who we beat 6-5 on aggregate. In the quarters, another trip to Manchester beckoned. City defeated us 2-1 on aggregate, so fine margins. City then hammered Inter in the SF and are playing Chelsea in the final.

Squad Performance

A real squad effort this season with more rotation than usual, with 15 players making more than 20 league appearances, and another 3 making more than 10 appearances. Nobody played more than 25 matches, and that's not down to injuries. Fortunately, we have enough squad depth now that we can switch up the starting XI often, and the players are just about happy enough with it (you get the odd gripe about starting enough games but that usually goes). The attacking players were in great form, with nine attacking players averaging more than 7.0 in the league. The defensive ratings were interesting as apparently my two Spanish international CBs were not the best performing!

Transfers

Not much to report. We brought Unai Simon back as a rotation GK - he's 34yo and still Spain's number one. We also signed this wonderkid from Man City. He started at Eibar and wouldn't sign for us, and then went to City. We loaned him a couple of seasons ago, but still wouldn't sign permanently. Then after a great loan at Palermo, he finally agreed. He's an AMC/AMR by trade but very quickly retrained as a CM, so that versatility will get him more game time.

We also signed an attacking midfielder from Real Sociedad for 20m-odd who may come good, but we can afford the gamble.

Youth Development

A poor intake this season but it doesn't really matter - we've got so many promising players anyway. No new wonderkids at the moment - Eguaras is the only players who's gained this reputation this season, but I'd expect a few other youngsters to have that status soon, so you'll see them then.

Going Forward

Well, hopefully it's another league title and can we go further in the Champions League? Let's hope so. A few seasons back, the elite sides would've battered us, now we can definitely compete, so with a bit of luck, we can hopefully get a few results together in the knockouts. In terms of squad changes, Vivian, Sancet and Aimar are in their 30s now, Simon too - any decent offer for any of them would probably be accepted as we can cover their departures. But I am just as happy to keep them around. 

 

[Rich162]

Hi, has anyone had a problem where the C team players suddenly become ineligible with a message saying that they cannot play for an affiliate when registered for the main club?   The 9 players are definitely not registered for Athletic so I am not sure what is happening.  Is it a bug? 

[bowieinspace]

2036/37 Season Review

 

La Liga - Winners, 103 points
Champions League - Lost in QF to Bayern Munich
Copa Del Rey - Winners
Supercopa - Lost in SF to Atletico
UEFA Supercup - Winners
Club World Cup - 3rd place, lost in SF to Liverpool

Our European winning run is over  We ran into a stubborn Bayern Munich side in the QF, who beat us 1-0 in the first leg at San Mames (and deservedly so) and then 2-0 at their place. The 2-0 scoreline at the Allianz Arena doesn't really do it justice though... we were comfortably the better side, missed our chances while they scored an own goal and a freak one that bounced over the keeper off a goal kick. Over the last few years there's always been one knock out leg that felt a bit ropey... this one just didn't go our way. 

We cruised the league and Copa Del Rey, and add i the Supercup and we won a treble of sorts, so still an excellent season. I was really hoping for success in the CWC at the end of the season but unfortunately we lost 2-1 in the semi final to Liverpool in a close game, before beating Milan in the 3rd/4th playoff.

Squad wise, we've sold a few youngsters in Inaki Goti, Ander Santos and Ismael Lafuente who plateued - they may be players we go back for in a few years but they are't good enough right now. This year our squad is basically the same, with the addition of a young centreback Sergio Garmendia, who looks promising.

Interesting the core of our squad are all approaching their late 20s... Jon Castro, Josu Blasco and Jon Martin will be 30 come the end of the season, with Ibanez, Gorrotxategi, Aguirre, Cordoba, Javi, Jimenez, Diez all 27-28 at the time of writing. Basically we're in our absolute peak at the moment, but within a couple of seasons we'll likely be crossing that peak. We don't have anywhere near enough quality coming through to replicate this squad at the moment, but it's a worry that's a few years away and I'm not sure if I'll keep the save going much longer anyway. It kinda makes it interesting to keep going though!

[bowieinspace]

2037/38 Season Review - The best season I've ever had

 

I'll preface this by saying I've had a week off work so I've been on the FM buzz this week haha. 

La Liga - Played 38, won 36, drew 2. Scored 115, conceded 16 - 110 points

I'm pretty sure that is the best season I've ever had on FM, or certainly in recent version of the game with Athletic. This team is completely at it's peak - a team full of consistent players, all but 1 or 2 love big matches and the average age is around 27 or so. We are going to be moving past this peak I'd imagine and our next generation doesn't look as good, so I'm enjoying this while it lasts.

Champions League - Winners

We went in at half time in the final 2-0 down to a Milan side who had just walked Serie A - but I hit the right notes with the team talk and we blitzed the second half, winning 4-2. Prior to that we beat Real Madrid in the semi final, Napoli in the 1/4 final on penalties and Porto in the round of 16. 

Copa Del Rey - Winners

A 3-0 final victory against Real Madrid after favourable draws all the way to the final

Supercopa - Winners

We beat Barca 4-1 in the semi final and Atletico 4-0 in the final

 

I'm not sure I'll ever be able to recreate this season honestly, utterly incredible and the comeback in the Champions League final was the icing on the cake. Our draws in La Liga both came at home to the two Madrid clubs FYI, and we did lose a few games during the season against Bayern (league phase) and Porto and Napoli both away in the Champions League.

 

No major transfer business to speak of, just some young prospects from other Basque clubs (and a Basque player from Barcelona also). 

One of the reasons I'm retaining an interest in this save is because we are close to another generation coming in. Currently we have:

Gk - Etxabe 22, Zubillaga 24, Etxeberria 25
RB - Urrutia 27, Etxebarria 24, Lafuente 20
LB - Cordoba 29, Jimenez 28
CB - Blasco 30, Etxebarria 27, Goti 26, Garmendia 20
DM - Castro 30, Javi 29, Aketxe 25, Marin 27
AM - Gorrotxategi 28, Aizpurua 24
RW - Ibanez 28, Diez 28
LW - Aguirre 29, Iturrino 21
CF - Etxabe 26, Martin 30

Cordoba at 29 is a key player, he's about to turn 30 next week in game (September), Castro is a key player and has already turned 30, Javi is first choice DM and hits 30 in Feb, Blasco will be 31 in April and is our key centre back, Gorrotxategi turns 29 in November but fortunately Aizpurua is a world class player in the same position, Jimenez is a key option to cover Cordoba and at 28 is not far behind him in years, Jon Martin is a super sub across the front line and will be 31 this season. Basically we have a large group of players who are going to be passing their prime in the coming years - we're probably good for 2 seasons and then we'll start losing elite players with young players coming through who don't look anywhere near their level, so I'm keen to keep playing the save to see how that transition plays out - we've got time, but it's such a big group of key players who are all going to need to be replaced around the same time that makes it fascinating.

 

 

 

[MattyC78]

17 hours ago, bowieinspace said:

2037/38 Season Review - The best season I've ever had

 

I'll preface this by saying I've had a week off work so I've been on the FM buzz this week haha. 

La Liga - Played 38, won 36, drew 2. Scored 115, conceded 16 - 110 points

I'm pretty sure that is the best season I've ever had on FM, or certainly in recent version of the game with Athletic. This team is completely at it's peak - a team full of consistent players, all but 1 or 2 love big matches and the average age is around 27 or so. We are going to be moving past this peak I'd imagine and our next generation doesn't look as good, so I'm enjoying this while it lasts.

Champions League - Winners

We went in at half time in the final 2-0 down to a Milan side who had just walked Serie A - but I hit the right notes with the team talk and we blitzed the second half, winning 4-2. Prior to that we beat Real Madrid in the semi final, Napoli in the 1/4 final on penalties and Porto in the round of 16. 

Copa Del Rey - Winners

A 3-0 final victory against Real Madrid after favourable draws all the way to the final

Supercopa - Winners

We beat Barca 4-1 in the semi final and Atletico 4-0 in the final

 

I'm not sure I'll ever be able to recreate this season honestly, utterly incredible and the comeback in the Champions League final was the icing on the cake. Our draws in La Liga both came at home to the two Madrid clubs FYI, and we did lose a few games during the season against Bayern (league phase) and Porto and Napoli both away in the Champions League.

 

No major transfer business to speak of, just some young prospects from other Basque clubs (and a Basque player from Barcelona also). 

One of the reasons I'm retaining an interest in this save is because we are close to another generation coming in. Currently we have:

Gk - Etxabe 22, Zubillaga 24, Etxeberria 25
RB - Urrutia 27, Etxebarria 24, Lafuente 20
LB - Cordoba 29, Jimenez 28
CB - Blasco 30, Etxebarria 27, Goti 26, Garmendia 20
DM - Castro 30, Javi 29, Aketxe 25, Marin 27
AM - Gorrotxategi 28, Aizpurua 24
RW - Ibanez 28, Diez 28
LW - Aguirre 29, Iturrino 21
CF - Etxabe 26, Martin 30

Cordoba at 29 is a key player, he's about to turn 30 next week in game (September), Castro is a key player and has already turned 30, Javi is first choice DM and hits 30 in Feb, Blasco will be 31 in April and is our key centre back, Gorrotxategi turns 29 in November but fortunately Aizpurua is a world class player in the same position, Jimenez is a key option to cover Cordoba and at 28 is not far behind him in years, Jon Martin is a super sub across the front line and will be 31 this season. Basically we have a large group of players who are going to be passing their prime in the coming years - we're probably good for 2 seasons and then we'll start losing elite players with young players coming through who don't look anywhere near their level, so I'm keen to keep playing the save to see how that transition plays out - we've got time, but it's such a big group of key players who are all going to need to be replaced around the same time that makes it fascinating.

 

 

 

Looks like a week well spent to me.  Congratulations. 

That's the thing about Athletic, there is always a challenge.

 

[jcpclr]

Guys, thank you for such a great thread, in particular to bowieinspace, you have inspired me to start my own save. Any tips on save setups to maximize the Athletic experience? I want to make it a light database to be able to play through it fast (no point in having too many players in DB if you can't signt them...) but I also want some realism and good teams in Europe from outside the Spanish setup, which tens to not happen when you don't select them. Any general tips bowieinspace?

[DavutOzkan]

I started a proper Athletic save last weekend and have been loving it so far. I tried to do one earlier in FM back in December, but it didn't stick (I think because some of the ratings weren't all that accurate to real life), but after the CDR win, I wanted to start again. I matched results for the first season, including the CDR win, and we finished 5th in the league (likely where they will finish irl, so I was good with it). 

Nico Williams left for Newcastle, who activated his $97 million release clause, and they did it after the Spanish window was already shut, so I couldn't do anything with the money and was left without an impact player for the first half of the 24/25 season. I bought Aimar in January though and after a slow few games to start, he's been on fire lately, and scored a hatty in a recent game. I've been trying to work out how to get the best out of both him and Sancet in the same team. Sancet was playing my number 10 role before Aimar came in, but because Aimar is probably a better playmaker than attacker, after some tinkering, I decided to put him back in the number 10 role for now, and moved Sancet back into a CM role. 

This has caused my early-save crush Benat Prados (been such a pleasure to have in the team this season) into a more defensive role or onto the bench though, which I don't like too much. Vesga is still more than capable for a DM role and I don't want to drop him right now either, so Prados is usually the odd man out, but I try to play him whenever I can. We've had a lot of fixtures between Europa League and the CDR (which we are in the finals of again-- against Real Madrid though, so I think we lose), so he is still playing a lot. 

I think for season three, I want to try Aimar wide left in the advanced playmaker role, and Sancet back into the CAM role as an attacking midfielder. I am just hesitant to try it now late in the season. I am also hoping Osasuna get relegated so I can buy Moncayola on his dirt-cheap relegation release clause of about $6 million. I don't really need him, but at that price, you kinda have to. 

Anyways, that is a lot of rambling for just about two seasons. This thread has been such a great resource, ad playing as Athletic has really gotten my interest back in the game. Playing as Athletic was what initially inspired me to get into FM back with FM 22, but I think it was too overwhelming a save for me to start out with, and I just never did it, but I am glad to be getting into properly now. Aupa Athletic! 

Edited May 3 by DavutOzkan

[bowieinspace]

12 hours ago, jcpclr said:

Guys, thank you for such a great thread, in particular to bowieinspace, you have inspired me to start my own save. Any tips on save setups to maximize the Athletic experience? I want to make it a light database to be able to play through it fast (no point in having too many players in DB if you can't signt them...) but I also want some realism and good teams in Europe from outside the Spanish setup, which tens to not happen when you don't select them. Any general tips bowieinspace?

The time savings for a smaller db are outweighed by the competitiveness gained from having the right database size and loaded leagues. Unless absolutely necessary due to a terrible PC/laptop id always recommend having all the key European leagues loaded plus the top south American ones.

[bowieinspace]

Bumper update! Still off work due to injury (I'll be fine), so smashing out FM for many hours a day while on paid leave and on bed rest. Lovely stuff.

 

2038/39 Season Review - The Last Dance

 

Going into this season I felt like it was the final hurrah of my existing squad before some upheaval was needed... I wanted to get as much as we we could out of it.

La Liga - Winners 101 points
Copa Del Rey - Winners
Supercopa - Winners
UEFA Super Cup - Winners
Champions League - Lost in RO16 to Bayern.

A superb domestic season, but sadly we didn't achieve our goals in the Champions League. We had a pretty poor run through the league phase leaving us going into the playoff round - we comfortably beat Hertha there but a tough draw as an unseeded team against Bayern awaited... Bayern and Liverpool are probably the scariest teams out there, so I didn't want to see them at this stage. We won 2-1 at San Mames and lost 2-0 in the second leg in Germany. 

However as the summer rolled around it was time for sales:

Departures:
Jon Martin now 31, departed to PSG for 50million after 416 appearances for Athletic Club
Julen Diez, 29, departed to Chelsea for 40million. He'd been with us for 3 seasons and had performed admirably - we cop a big loss on him but money isn't an issue - I needed to make room for others coming through.
Aitor Aketxe, 26, departed to Bournemouth for 36million. An excellent servant in the defensive mid area, however he was never more than a rotation option and I had other options
Jon Castro, 31, departed to Arsenal for 40million. 403 appearances for Athletic Club and one of my personal favourites... he was hugely influential in the DLP role to our success and it was a sad day to move on from him.
Jose Jimenez, 29, departed to Arsenal for 31.5million. 331 appearances for Jimenez who was a superb rotation option for us throughout his time at Athletic - covering for Cordoba at LB and also at CB. 
Ibon Marin, 28, departed to Arsenal for 40million. 364 appearances for Marin! He was a superb option in defensive midfield - I had quite a few options coming through so decided midfield was the primary area I was going to whield the knife initially in my squad overhaul. Without Marin, Castro and Aketxe I would be bringing through multiple new midfielders.

This meant new faces! In the summer of 2039 we saw the following new faces enter the side -  note that these pictures were taken in November 2040, so around 15 months after summer 2039 - they've developed quite a bit since they first came into the squad! When we first reviewed the squad after the above sales with these guys in, we looked way worse than we did before, but now we're looking very strong.

 

Ok not exactly starting with a banger here, Jon Goni made huge strides while on loan and facilitated the sale of Jimenez - he's back up to the legendary Cordoba. I think he totally peaked at the end of his loan as he's not developed much since then, but Cordoba hogs the minutes so he's just a reliable back up really.

 

 

 

Victor Encaje is one who has had a few years on loan - primarily a DM but he's actually in the squad as the 4th choice CB first and foremost, but he's just solid and useful.

 

 

Raul Aizpurua came through at Osasuna and totally slipped under my radar really. I scouted him and he didn't seem to have much potential but I really liked his attribute spread - I signed him for 10million in the January 2039 window and loaned him back to Osasuna - he just improved so well and despite never having much potential according to scouts and coaches, he's become an excellent option in our midfield as a DLP - not world class by any means but a really good fit for our system. He is back up to Xabi Aizpurua who I shifted back to DLP from AM - he's really superb. These two replaced Castro and Marin.

 

 

Benat Virto was on loan at Hellas Verona in 2038/39 and I planned another loan for him, but a cruciate ligament injury in the April scuppered that plan. He remained with the team for 2039/40 to recover with the view I'd get him minutes as a 3rd choice right wing. I had planned initially to move key player Unax Urrutia from RB into the attacking line, but that wasn't working that well, so when Virto returned from injury he became back up to Jon Ibanez at right wing - he continues to improve and I can see him being an important player for us long term.

 

 

Jon Prieto joined from Alaves for 16.5 million - another one that I signed in Jan 2038 but loaned back to his original club to continue his development. I'd been targetting him since his intake, but he wouldn't join until he turned 18. He then joined as back up to Julen Aguirre at left wing and has come on leaps and bounds since then and at the time of writing (early 2040/41 season) he's a genuine threat to Aguirre's spot in the team... despite his incredible years, Aguirre is 31 now and just starting his decline.

 

 

This guy is a real diamond... he came through our academy and always showed middling promise, but two loans firstly at Zaragoza and then Sporting CP saw him come on really well... another who according to star ratings didn't have a high ceiling but I just liked the attribute spread. It's proven to be faith repaid as you can see now he's a top tier defensive midfielder and has exceeded my coaches expectations. He was the direct replacement for Aketxe.

 

 

Moving Unax Urrutia into the forward line was partly to allow this guy to come through at RB as back up to Alex Etxeberria. However... Urrutia struggled to find form in our front line and with Virto coming back from injury I needed to find solutions. I was conscious that Blasco and Javi, two long term central defender options for us were into their early thirties and would soon need replacements lined up. I hadn't really considered this guy to be a CB (he couldn't play the position at all), but after reviewing his attributes I thought he would definitely be decent there... it took nearly the full season of playing him most games at CB to naturally learn the position, and his attribute shift to suit a CB was remarkable, alongside his general development - certainly not a decision I regret. Centre back was an area of concern as Blasco and Aitor Etxeberria had held that area down for a long time... Etxeberria had shifted into defensive midfield to replace Javi (who moved back as cover), but everyone was ageing and I feel like I'd always kinda made do there for years... Etxeberria and Javi were both DMs really, Blasco was a retrained RB. Lafuente here taking to the position so well has been a god send... combined with:

 

 

Jewel of our academy Sergio Garmendia now forms a formiddable centre back duo with Lafuente - these two will be the central defenders we rely on long term. 

 

 

Finally with the loss of Jon Martin, we needed a new centre forward to cover for Etxabe. Ander Garmendia was the man. He's a player we signed from Villarreal at 18 years old for 13.25million... honestly he was a total punt at the time because he didn't look like he would live up to that price tag really, there was just something I liked about him. He came in and played for the B team for a season and scored A LOT of goals. He then earned promotion to the first team as a 2* player (with one additional grey star potential) to replace a guy in Jon Martin who had made 400 odd appearances for us who was still world class... he has been amazing though, scoring goals for fun! Etxabe is so good though, but this guy is a reliable back up.

 

 

 

2039/40 Season Review - The New Recruits

 

Easily our biggest overhaul squad wise left us considerably weaker, but I knew the short term pain would probably be worth it long term. 

I didn't expect how difficult it was going to be though...

In La Liga we started off with an opening day victory against Real Sociedad, but then it went down hill... an away loss to Barca was followed up with a draw away to Zaragoza, a loss to Real Madrid in the UCL and a loss away to Sporting Gijon in the league.... while imperious at home our away form was very poor with draws against Osasuna, Villarreal and Espanyol before Christmas. In January we lost in the Supercopa semi to Barca, away to Real in the league and a heartbreaking 4-3 loss to Real Sociedad in a match we totally dominated. By the end of January we were 11 points off the top sitting in 4th place having already lost 4 and drawn 4, while sitting 1st in the xG table. I knew the quality was there and we were playing well, but we were conceding way more goals than we should have done. I just stuck with it and from there on we were superb - a great run in Feb-Apr saw us only drop points in a loss away to a srong Cartegena side. With 4 games to go with were 5 points behind Real Madrid and 3 points behind Barcelona and I felt like we were unlikely to win it, but we did at least have Real Madrid at San Mames on the final day which might allow us to do something. In the 3rd to last game Real Madrid had a surprising draw away to Sevilla, and Osasuna did us a huge favour beating Barcelona. Come the final day we were 3 points behind Real Madrid and all we needed was to beat them at home to secure the title... and we did!! A season which I thought was going to totally pass us by ended up in a domestic double.

La Liga - Winners, 91 points
Copa Del Rey - Winners
Supercopa - Lost in SF to Barca
Champions League - Lost in QF to Liverpool

In he Champions League we narrowly lost a tight game to a Liverpool side who are very impressive... no shame in that one.

Fortunately squad turnover was largely behind us, but we did see a departure for Josu Blasco in the summer of 2040, a man who made 458 appearances for Athletic Club. He left for Saudi for 32million. We also saw back up keeper Iker Zubillaga leave. Javi is also due to leave the club in January after many years of service.

 

Urtzi Saizer came in to replace Zubillaga... not impossible he usurps Alberto Etxabe but he has a way to go yet.

 

Now I think given this is such a long post it's a good chance to have a look at some of our legends:

 

Still in the 300s for league appearances (he rotated with Nico Williams for quite a few years), but Unax Urrutia is a club legend... a truly world class right back who has been a key player in our success.

 

 

466 league appearances and counting - Cordoba has been our main man at left back for a long time now.

 

 

Juan Etxabe is one of the most reliable forwards I've ever had on FM. 263 goals in 360 league appearances and counting, and a Ballon D'or winner.

 

 

Julen Aguirre at 31 is just starting to decline, but no significant impact yet. 

 

 

Gorrotxategi... once an inconsistent woodwork specialist is now an incredibly reliable, clinical player. 431 league appearances and counting.

 

 

Jon Ibanez... an absolute legend. 393 league appearances, no thanks to a full year out with cruciate ligament injury.

 

 

Much younger, but a very impressive Xabi Aizpurua.

 

 

With Blasco gone, Javi soon to depart, Aguirre at 31, Gorrotxategi at 30, Ibanez at 30 and Cordoba at 32 we are reaching the end of this golden generation. We've had some wonderful new players come through but it'll be tough to replicate this group. 

Cordoba is at 553 career appearances for Athletic, meaning he's only 61 shy of Iribar's record. Given our best LB prospect is only 16, I think he'll beat it.

[jcpclr]

Em 04/05/2024 em 00:03, bowieinspace disse:

The time savings for a smaller db are outweighed by the competitiveness gained from having the right database size and loaded leagues. Unless absolutely necessary due to a terrible PC/laptop id always recommend having all the key European leagues loaded plus the top south American ones.

You mean playable or in view only? thanks!!

[bowieinspace]

1 minute ago, jcpclr said:

You mean playable or in view only? thanks!!

I run most playable but I do have a few view only (the ones who are unlikely to compete with me at Champions league level). If I had a faster machine I'd run them playable

[MattyC78]

In the summer ahead of the 2029-30 season, we sold Julen Agrirrezabala for £8.5 million as he wanted to leave and was only our back-up keeper, Alex Berenguer for £750,000 after last season out on loan and youngster Benat Garcia for £2.6 million as he was never going to make the first team.  In order to properly compete with Barcelona and Real I decided to buy some Basque players.  So the first signings of the save are Andres Dominguez and Urtzi Albistegi.  Dominguez  is a promising 20 year old left-back that came in at the same level of Imanol but with significant potential.  We paid £8.75 million to meet his release clause and sign him from Osasuna.

Albistegi is a young forward signed from Antiguoko for £66,000.

The other major change is that I took charge of the B team to manage the playing time and positions of my youngsters with a view of aiding their development.  I have quite enjoyed this although I have only been playing games on instant result (there are limits to my control freakishness).

[dothestrand]

@MattyC78 One of my favourite things in an Athletic Club save is signing young players from low level Basque clubs who then become world class. 

[jcpclr]

6 horas atrás, bowieinspace disse:

I run most playable but I do have a few view only (the ones who are unlikely to compete with me at Champions league level). If I had a faster machine I'd run them playable

thanks mate! which skin are you using btw?

[MattyC78]

I have now completed the 2029-30 season and what a season it was.  We have been second before but this year we were in our first title race.  We won both cups and progressed to the Champions League final so it has to be described as a success.  The league was decided on the final day of the season and we beat Alaves to maintain our unbeaten season in the league.  We needed that to hold Real at bay as we both got over 100 points.  What a battle to secure our first league title.

The B team also had a good season finish fourth but most importantly the younger players got some good experience and reasonable average ratings to maximise their development.

We lost to PSG in the Champions League final without really getting into the game but we were never expecting to win that trophy and getting to the final was an achievement enough.

This is our team of the year.  Interestingly no place for Nico Williams.  He got in a bit of a huff regarding a move (or lack of) and was moved out to left-wing for most of the season where he was largely a disappointment.  Other than that there was a little variation but these were largely my preferred 11.

Now the planning to retain the tile.  Having made my first purchases I am going to look to see if there are any additional options t bolster the squad.  At the very end when the games were coming thick and fast we were struggling with squad depth.  We have a transfer budget of £412 million though we may need to move some across to wage budget if we are going to make any signings.  It may be time to loosen the purse strings.

[MattyC78]

14 hours ago, bowieinspace said:

Bumper update! Still off work due to injury (I'll be fine), so smashing out FM for many hours a day while on paid leave and on bed rest. Lovely stuff.

 

2038/39 Season Review - The Last Dance

 

Going into this season I felt like it was the final hurrah of my existing squad before some upheaval was needed... I wanted to get as much as we we could out of it.

La Liga - Winners 101 points
Copa Del Rey - Winners
Supercopa - Winners
UEFA Super Cup - Winners
Champions League - Lost in RO16 to Bayern.

A superb domestic season, but sadly we didn't achieve our goals in the Champions League. We had a pretty poor run through the league phase leaving us going into the playoff round - we comfortably beat Hertha there but a tough draw as an unseeded team against Bayern awaited... Bayern and Liverpool are probably the scariest teams out there, so I didn't want to see them at this stage. We won 2-1 at San Mames and lost 2-0 in the second leg in Germany. 

However as the summer rolled around it was time for sales:

Departures:
Jon Martin now 31, departed to PSG for 50million after 416 appearances for Athletic Club
Julen Diez, 29, departed to Chelsea for 40million. He'd been with us for 3 seasons and had performed admirably - we cop a big loss on him but money isn't an issue - I needed to make room for others coming through.
Aitor Aketxe, 26, departed to Bournemouth for 36million. An excellent servant in the defensive mid area, however he was never more than a rotation option and I had other options
Jon Castro, 31, departed to Arsenal for 40million. 403 appearances for Athletic Club and one of my personal favourites... he was hugely influential in the DLP role to our success and it was a sad day to move on from him.
Jose Jimenez, 29, departed to Arsenal for 31.5million. 331 appearances for Jimenez who was a superb rotation option for us throughout his time at Athletic - covering for Cordoba at LB and also at CB. 
Ibon Marin, 28, departed to Arsenal for 40million. 364 appearances for Marin! He was a superb option in defensive midfield - I had quite a few options coming through so decided midfield was the primary area I was going to whield the knife initially in my squad overhaul. Without Marin, Castro and Aketxe I would be bringing through multiple new midfielders.

This meant new faces! In the summer of 2039 we saw the following new faces enter the side -  note that these pictures were taken in November 2040, so around 15 months after summer 2039 - they've developed quite a bit since they first came into the squad! When we first reviewed the squad after the above sales with these guys in, we looked way worse than we did before, but now we're looking very strong.

 

Ok not exactly starting with a banger here, Jon Goni made huge strides while on loan and facilitated the sale of Jimenez - he's back up to the legendary Cordoba. I think he totally peaked at the end of his loan as he's not developed much since then, but Cordoba hogs the minutes so he's just a reliable back up really.

 

 

 

Victor Encaje is one who has had a few years on loan - primarily a DM but he's actually in the squad as the 4th choice CB first and foremost, but he's just solid and useful.

 

 

Raul Aizpurua came through at Osasuna and totally slipped under my radar really. I scouted him and he didn't seem to have much potential but I really liked his attribute spread - I signed him for 10million in the January 2039 window and loaned him back to Osasuna - he just improved so well and despite never having much potential according to scouts and coaches, he's become an excellent option in our midfield as a DLP - not world class by any means but a really good fit for our system. He is back up to Xabi Aizpurua who I shifted back to DLP from AM - he's really superb. These two replaced Castro and Marin.

 

 

Benat Virto was on loan at Hellas Verona in 2038/39 and I planned another loan for him, but a cruciate ligament injury in the April scuppered that plan. He remained with the team for 2039/40 to recover with the view I'd get him minutes as a 3rd choice right wing. I had planned initially to move key player Unax Urrutia from RB into the attacking line, but that wasn't working that well, so when Virto returned from injury he became back up to Jon Ibanez at right wing - he continues to improve and I can see him being an important player for us long term.

 

 

Jon Prieto joined from Alaves for 16.5 million - another one that I signed in Jan 2038 but loaned back to his original club to continue his development. I'd been targetting him since his intake, but he wouldn't join until he turned 18. He then joined as back up to Julen Aguirre at left wing and has come on leaps and bounds since then and at the time of writing (early 2040/41 season) he's a genuine threat to Aguirre's spot in the team... despite his incredible years, Aguirre is 31 now and just starting his decline.

 

 

This guy is a real diamond... he came through our academy and always showed middling promise, but two loans firstly at Zaragoza and then Sporting CP saw him come on really well... another who according to star ratings didn't have a high ceiling but I just liked the attribute spread. It's proven to be faith repaid as you can see now he's a top tier defensive midfielder and has exceeded my coaches expectations. He was the direct replacement for Aketxe.

 

 

Moving Unax Urrutia into the forward line was partly to allow this guy to come through at RB as back up to Alex Etxeberria. However... Urrutia struggled to find form in our front line and with Virto coming back from injury I needed to find solutions. I was conscious that Blasco and Javi, two long term central defender options for us were into their early thirties and would soon need replacements lined up. I hadn't really considered this guy to be a CB (he couldn't play the position at all), but after reviewing his attributes I thought he would definitely be decent there... it took nearly the full season of playing him most games at CB to naturally learn the position, and his attribute shift to suit a CB was remarkable, alongside his general development - certainly not a decision I regret. Centre back was an area of concern as Blasco and Aitor Etxeberria had held that area down for a long time... Etxeberria had shifted into defensive midfield to replace Javi (who moved back as cover), but everyone was ageing and I feel like I'd always kinda made do there for years... Etxeberria and Javi were both DMs really, Blasco was a retrained RB. Lafuente here taking to the position so well has been a god send... combined with:

 

 

Jewel of our academy Sergio Garmendia now forms a formiddable centre back duo with Lafuente - these two will be the central defenders we rely on long term. 

 

 

Finally with the loss of Jon Martin, we needed a new centre forward to cover for Etxabe. Ander Garmendia was the man. He's a player we signed from Villarreal at 18 years old for 13.25million... honestly he was a total punt at the time because he didn't look like he would live up to that price tag really, there was just something I liked about him. He came in and played for the B team for a season and scored A LOT of goals. He then earned promotion to the first team as a 2* player (with one additional grey star potential) to replace a guy in Jon Martin who had made 400 odd appearances for us who was still world class... he has been amazing though, scoring goals for fun! Etxabe is so good though, but this guy is a reliable back up.

 

 

 

2039/40 Season Review - The New Recruits

 

Easily our biggest overhaul squad wise left us considerably weaker, but I knew the short term pain would probably be worth it long term. 

I didn't expect how difficult it was going to be though...

In La Liga we started off with an opening day victory against Real Sociedad, but then it went down hill... an away loss to Barca was followed up with a draw away to Zaragoza, a loss to Real Madrid in the UCL and a loss away to Sporting Gijon in the league.... while imperious at home our away form was very poor with draws against Osasuna, Villarreal and Espanyol before Christmas. In January we lost in the Supercopa semi to Barca, away to Real in the league and a heartbreaking 4-3 loss to Real Sociedad in a match we totally dominated. By the end of January we were 11 points off the top sitting in 4th place having already lost 4 and drawn 4, while sitting 1st in the xG table. I knew the quality was there and we were playing well, but we were conceding way more goals than we should have done. I just stuck with it and from there on we were superb - a great run in Feb-Apr saw us only drop points in a loss away to a srong Cartegena side. With 4 games to go with were 5 points behind Real Madrid and 3 points behind Barcelona and I felt like we were unlikely to win it, but we did at least have Real Madrid at San Mames on the final day which might allow us to do something. In the 3rd to last game Real Madrid had a surprising draw away to Sevilla, and Osasuna did us a huge favour beating Barcelona. Come the final day we were 3 points behind Real Madrid and all we needed was to beat them at home to secure the title... and we did!! A season which I thought was going to totally pass us by ended up in a domestic double.

La Liga - Winners, 91 points
Copa Del Rey - Winners
Supercopa - Lost in SF to Barca
Champions League - Lost in QF to Liverpool

In he Champions League we narrowly lost a tight game to a Liverpool side who are very impressive... no shame in that one.

Fortunately squad turnover was largely behind us, but we did see a departure for Josu Blasco in the summer of 2040, a man who made 458 appearances for Athletic Club. He left for Saudi for 32million. We also saw back up keeper Iker Zubillaga leave. Javi is also due to leave the club in January after many years of service.

 

Urtzi Saizer came in to replace Zubillaga... not impossible he usurps Alberto Etxabe but he has a way to go yet.

 

Now I think given this is such a long post it's a good chance to have a look at some of our legends:

 

Still in the 300s for league appearances (he rotated with Nico Williams for quite a few years), but Unax Urrutia is a club legend... a truly world class right back who has been a key player in our success.

 

 

466 league appearances and counting - Cordoba has been our main man at left back for a long time now.

 

 

Juan Etxabe is one of the most reliable forwards I've ever had on FM. 263 goals in 360 league appearances and counting, and a Ballon D'or winner.

 

 

Julen Aguirre at 31 is just starting to decline, but no significant impact yet. 

 

 

Gorrotxategi... once an inconsistent woodwork specialist is now an incredibly reliable, clinical player. 431 league appearances and counting.

 

 

Jon Ibanez... an absolute legend. 393 league appearances, no thanks to a full year out with cruciate ligament injury.

 

 

Much younger, but a very impressive Xabi Aizpurua.

 

 

With Blasco gone, Javi soon to depart, Aguirre at 31, Gorrotxategi at 30, Ibanez at 30 and Cordoba at 32 we are reaching the end of this golden generation. We've had some wonderful new players come through but it'll be tough to replicate this group. 

Cordoba is at 553 career appearances for Athletic, meaning he's only 61 shy of Iribar's record. Given our best LB prospect is only 16, I think he'll beat it.

I hope you are recovering well.  A very pleasant way to pass the time until you are recovered though.  Congratulations on your continued success.  I enjoyed seeing the legends.

[bowieinspace]

5 hours ago, jcpclr said:

thanks mate! which skin are you using btw?

Wtcs

[bowieinspace]

4 hours ago, MattyC78 said:

I hope you are recovering well.  A very pleasant way to pass the time until you are recovered though.  Congratulations on your continued success.  I enjoyed seeing the legends.

Thanks mate, yeah recovering well... Old man playing football sustains injury shocker 

Yeah this is longer than I'd usually sustain a save to be honest but I've really enjoyed the players/team I've had... Seeing them come through as young, inconsistent players and go through to hit their peak has been really enjoyable. I'm invested in Cordoba breaking the  appearance record now.

[GonzaloFlores]

I've loved reading through other people's success with Bilbao with this that it's made me decide to do a save myself with them. I haven't managed Bilbao since the Llorente/Susaeta/Iturraspe etc. days so I'm sure I have a lot to do to catch up with what the squad is like now.

I was wondering if anyone had any advice on a tactic to run with them at the start?

I know after a few years it all depends on who you get coming through but what do people recommend going with for the first couple of seasons. I'm typically a pretty boring 433 guy but I don't know if the current squad would suit that.

Also, how do people develop their youngsters? Send them out on loan or put them in the B team. I've found in other saves that players going out on loan seem to develop a lot better but I haven't managed a club that have a B team in a professional league so don't know if they are better off staying so I can be control of their training as well.

Any advice would be great and I hope to add how I've got on with them on here as well.

[dothestrand]

8 hours ago, GonzaloFlores said:

I've loved reading through other people's success with Bilbao with this that it's made me decide to do a save myself with them. I haven't managed Bilbao since the Llorente/Susaeta/Iturraspe etc. days so I'm sure I have a lot to do to catch up with what the squad is like now.

I was wondering if anyone had any advice on a tactic to run with them at the start?

I know after a few years it all depends on who you get coming through but what do people recommend going with for the first couple of seasons. I'm typically a pretty boring 433 guy but I don't know if the current squad would suit that.

Also, how do people develop their youngsters? Send them out on loan or put them in the B team. I've found in other saves that players going out on loan seem to develop a lot better but I haven't managed a club that have a B team in a professional league so don't know if they are better off staying so I can be control of their training as well.

Any advice would be great and I hope to add how I've got on with them on here as well.

I tend to play a 4-1-2-2-1 and train my players to suit the formation. The full backs tend to push on, and one CB is a ball playing one. I play a screening midfielder whose job is to protect the defence, then the two CMs tend to be a deep lying playmaker and more advanced midfielder respectively. Two wide midfielders are either wingers or advanced playmakers depending on their strengths, and the striker role really depends on who you have. I prefer an advanced forward role if you have a good all rounder.

It's been a while since I've managed the starting players but as the starting posts suggest, you can be versatile with who you have.

Regarding youth development I tend to keep young players at Lezama until they're 19 or so and would then loan them out to a higher level than your B team, so usually the second tiers in Spain, France or England. This has kicked on their development for me. I bring them back once they're pushing for a starting place even if that's when they're 23-24. Regular game time is better than warming the bench. 

 

[KristianT]

On 29/03/2024 at 23:04, bowieinspace said:

You can find my save file here: https://filetransfer.io/data-package/KsTiiifp#link

The only odd thing I've done in this save is due to the insane lack of goalkeepers who came through, I was beginning to wonder if there was legimately a bug - from the game start through until 31/32 season when Alberto Etxabe came through my youth intake in late March, there wasn't a single newgen Basque goalkeeper who had the ability OR potential to be a decent La Liga keeper. At that point Simon was rapidly declining and other options who start the game such as Remiro etc were all too old also. My only option as a stop gap was Julen Agirrezabala who I resigned for a ludicrous fee just to give me a couple more years of having a playable keeper, he came back in summer 2032. Outside of Agirrezabala there were 1-2 2* CA options and the rest were absolutely miles off. I'd kept an eye on another keeper Jesus Valencia, who had been at Gernika and Lugo and was considered a top Liga 2 keeper, but he moved to a Saudi club the year before in 2031 and was miles off it according to my scouts, I've just re-scouted him and he's a 1.5* player despite looking half decent on the limited knowledge view on this save file). Agirrezabala was by far the better option despite the crazy fee, and Valencia was someone I could think about later if I was desperate. 

In January 2032 a couple months before Etxabe appeared and I bought Agirrezabala back, I decided to sign a spanish keeper who was 16 who looked decent enough to be first team capable in the future, just as a fall back option in case the situation with keepers continued to decline, with the view I'd only use him if there were no viable other options. Worth noting at this time also Agirrezabala was a key player at Bournemouth and they wouldn't consider selling him under any circumstances. He played in the B team a bit and I gave him a few first team appearances in dead rubber games/off the bench/due to injuries while Julen Agirrezabala was my number 1 to allow him to develop a bit (he was very young and a big step down from Agirrezabala at the time). I didn't want to use him at all but the situation was dire so I wanted to at least give myself an option I could consider down the track. I was basically down to the prospect of 1.5/2* goalkeeper options within a year or so who had hit their peak already. Fortunately Etxabe did appear so now in summer 2035, although Etxabe is my best keeper at 2* CA, I at least have a bit of potential there and a couple options who will be decent longer term.

In the end I couldn't stick the idea of breaking my own rules for the sake of having a decent keeper, and Etxabe (although a way off first team level) looked like he would be decent enough in the future, so I sold the keeper for near enough what I paid in summer 2034, committed to my rules and throwing Etxabe in at number 1 despite his 1.5* CA - his name is Jose Angel Blanco and he's at Spurs now not getting any game time, I don't consider him as someone I would ever repurchase so I just ignore him on player search. If you search for Basque keepers now, you have him, Jesus Valencia (previously mentioned above) and then the rest is utter garbage. 

My situation now at keeper is still pretty bad, Etxabe is number 1, he is 2* current ability, but I also have Carlos Etxeberria who is 2* and consistent with a nice attribute spread (he's improved well but always had low potential), and then Iker Zubillaga is my other back up - he's just had a really positive loan spell and looks set to be a long term squad member. I had a decent looking keeper in my last intake also.

Would you mind uploading your save file again? The link has expired.

Same as last year I get going with an Athletic save some months after everyone else and have just finished the first season now. Won the league with 80 (!) points.

[SK]

I’ve been doing a Bilbao save on FM23. I’m three seasons in and have been a regular CL participant. 
 

Just wondering how do most handle the better youth prospects. I’ve got a few that are 2 star CA, 5 star PA that are around 17/18 age. I’ve given them bits and pieces of first team action and they’ve done well when played.  I’m thinking I’m at a point where I can give them more first team footy and kinda just throw them in the deep end. There all 2nd division standard. Was thinking of leaving them in the B squad (3rd div) so they get plenty of games still and fill the gaps when needed.  Feel like this is better than loaning them out and there’s not loads of options on the transfer market anyways so it’s almost by necessity. 
 

Anyone had downsides to this approach?

[bowieinspace]

On 10/05/2024 at 00:07, SK said:

I’ve been doing a Bilbao save on FM23. I’m three seasons in and have been a regular CL participant. 
 

Just wondering how do most handle the better youth prospects. I’ve got a few that are 2 star CA, 5 star PA that are around 17/18 age. I’ve given them bits and pieces of first team action and they’ve done well when played.  I’m thinking I’m at a point where I can give them more first team footy and kinda just throw them in the deep end. There all 2nd division standard. Was thinking of leaving them in the B squad (3rd div) so they get plenty of games still and fill the gaps when needed.  Feel like this is better than loaning them out and there’s not loads of options on the transfer market anyways so it’s almost by necessity. 
 

Anyone had downsides to this approach?

I generally have my hot prospects playing B team football. I like to have them in the first team squad and made available for the B team though so I can control their training, mentoring and give them minutes off the bench here and there.

[KristianT]

8 hours ago, bowieinspace said:

I generally have my hot prospects playing B team football. I like to have them in the first team squad and made available for the B team though so I can control their training, mentoring and give them minutes off the bench here and there.

I tried to go really OCD on the registration in the third season now as Bilbao are in La Liga 2 and Basconia on level 3. I had failed to notice the wage limits in La Liga 2 though, and for some reason I could not register 7-8 players for Basconia due to them "being registered in the first team", which they weren't. Ruined it a bit for me, because I was eager to ensure that all the best prospects got playing time. I can do that now, but since the problem with Basconia registration appeared, the B team is currently over-flowing a bit and the U19 players fill in for Basconia. Not too big a deal, just not as perfect as I'd planned.

Long story short, I have adopted the same strategy as you and try to give the best ones playing regularly. Not easy though.

[DavutOzkan]

So how does one check which B-team players are registered and thus eligible to come up to the main team? My understanding is that U23 players who are registered for the B-team are available to be called up. Do I have that right? 

It seems that no matter which players I try to call up, I am still told that they are ineligible. Do I just have to hope that my B-team manager registered the ones I wanted? 

My hunch right now is that it is because Bilbao Athletic are not in a playable league (my fault for not loading every playable Spanish league, I don't know why I wouldn't have done that), so there are technically no games to register players for. 

[dothestrand]

My B team are on the cusp of being promoted to the second division. It's always a headache with the salary cap because the young players earn too much. I often have to sign older players on low wages to help balance out the salary cap. Again it's crazy that a teenager nowhere near the first team asks for 20k per week. 

Edited May 14 by dothestrand

[KristianT]

I was planning on just sticking every promising youngster not ready for the first team in my La Liga 2 B team, but that is not possible then. Might do more of loans from now on.

@dothestrand see your point with getting cheap good players for the B team to keep them in La Liga 2, although it defeats the purpose of keeping it in La Liga 2 as a development arena for young players 

[dothestrand]

2032-33 Season Review: Best in Europe

La Liga: 1st (-) - 101 points (-)

Copa Del Rey: QF (lost to Real Madrid 1-3)

Super Cup: SF (lost to Barcelona on pens, 0-0 AET)

Champions League: W (beat Bayern Munich on pens, 1-1 AET)

Our strongest season to date as we finally cracked the Champions League. Our fifth successive La Liga title seemed quite comfortable in the end, as we finished 10 points ahead of Barcelona, but it was quite close around two-thirds of the season and Barcelona then started to fall away whilst we kept winning. The same point tally as last season reflects our domestic dominance. Again, one loss all season - away to Villareal.

No domestic cups this season. We lost on penalties to Barcelona in the Super Cup semis, and then drew Real Madrid pretty early in the Copa Del Rey. Obviously this was pretty minor, as we finally won the Champions League! The league stage was straightforward, but we drew our old friends Real Madrid in the round of 16. We lost the away leg 2-1, but demolished them 4-0 at San Mames. We drew both games in the QF against Liverpool but triumphed on penalties with our Spanish international CB Carlos Acosta holding his nerve whilst everyone was missing their spot kicks. In the SF against Dortmund, we won the away leg 3-0 so we could take the home leg quite easy and we lost by the single goal. Bayern Munich won the other SF against PSG. In the final, we conceded a penalty in the 2nd minute but our Spanish international GK Xabi Jimenez denied Musiala. Mikel Gomez, our former wonderkid midfielder gave us the lead in the first half but Bayern equalised just before the break. A tight second half featured no goals and the only action in extra time was Peio Huestamendia getting sent off, so we just defended our way to the shoot-out. And who stepped up to score the winning kick? Carlos Acosta again! 

Squad Performance

We've got a really deep squad now, with competition in every area. Whilst the squad accepted rotation last season, it was a bit trickier this year to keep everyone happy given their squad statuses. Fortunately, I have two amazing strikers (Martinez and Casado) sharing one position, and they're scoring at a goal a game. EIGHTEEN of the squad averaged more than 7.0 over the league season - I've never seen such consistency. It's now a squad where everyone massively contributes.

Transfers

We spent 113m this season - and why not? We've got a bottomless transfer fund. Our big outlay was on Gorka Ramos, an AML from Real Sociedad - see the screenshot below. £65m is a bargain. We signed a CB from Alaves and a Basque GK from Atletico Madrid - we'll see if they come good but we can afford the gamble. Plenty more speculative punts too on young Basque players who we've got modest expectations for, but they'll fill out the other squads.

Youth Development

So, Gorka Ramos. Fortunately, he was willing to cross the divide - he is an elite winger in the making. With that ability and a perfectionist personality to boot, the sky's the limit. 

Koldo Sesma was a versatile midfielder we signed from Real Sociedad last year for £23.5m. I wasn't sure whether he'd really develop to the full extent of his potential, but I reckon he can push on further and provide depth in the CM positions.

Looking Forward

Winning La Liga does feel like a formality though I'd like an invincible season. Over the last two seasons, our two losses have been totally avoidable. Having conquered Europe, we'll aim to retain the trophy. We've now got the World Club Championship to come, so there's another chance of a trophy there.

Unai Simon is retiring, and it's probably the right time to move Dani Vivian, Oihan Sancet and Aimar Oroz on. That would leave Peio Huestamendia as the only original player, and given that Ramos has taken his role in the starting XI, I'd probably take a decent offer. We've got a deep enough squad and can bring players in to replace them. 

[kurooben]

Want to start an Athletic save but not sure if I should sign Nico to a new deal to get rid of his low release clause. Did you all do that cause I assume Chelsea or someone will pay for it but is it realistic?

[bowieinspace]

3 hours ago, kurooben said:

Want to start an Athletic save but not sure if I should sign Nico to a new deal to get rid of his low release clause. Did you all do that cause I assume Chelsea or someone will pay for it but is it realistic?

Absolutely get him on a new deal with a very high release clause asap

[dothestrand]

6 hours ago, bowieinspace said:

Absolutely get him on a new deal with a very high release clause asap

Yep! Someone will pay the release clause in the first or second window. The best you can do is then sign Aimar Oroz from Osasuna, who is great, but a) he will probably have a high release clause himself and b) you'll be able to sign him soon enough anyway. 

[kurooben]

7 hours ago, bowieinspace said:

Absolutely get him on a new deal with a very high release clause asap

Thanks! Yeah he has a 43million pound release clause at the start of the game so I need to fix that haha

[kurooben]

53 minutes ago, dothestrand said:

Yep! Someone will pay the release clause in the first or second window. The best you can do is then sign Aimar Oroz from Osasuna, who is great, but a) he will probably have a high release clause himself and b) you'll be able to sign him soon enough anyway. 

Aimar is definitely someone I want to bring in!

[SK]

Thanks for the replies all. 
 

Annoyingly my B team is in C division still so some of my better prospects are outgrowing that league. Would ideally get that team promoted but don’t want waste some players development in that league.

Ended up promoting 2 players; potentially a tiny bit early but there’s a need in the squad for them and nothing on the market I can do to fill the gap. Hopefully they handle it ok

[KristianT]

Just wanting to share this. I am currently in my 4th season and chasing after Barcelona (and Real Madrid) to get another league trophy. In the 1st season I won the league with 80 points, which was rather bizarre. In the 2nd and 3rd seasons 80 points would've gotten 3rd and 4rd place respectively. In season 2 Barca got 93 points and season 3 they got 97. We have been 11 and 10 points behind them. This season I was trailing by 7 points after six games and thought the league was over already.

BUT!

Now in February 2027 and round 25 we are within a shout of Barcelona and face them at home.

Before the match:
Barcelona 23 games, 60 points
Athletic 24 games, 58 points

So a loss means a theoretical 8 point gap between them and me, and a draw would mean 5 points, both which make the outlook for a league title rather gloom.

What happened then?

Dani Rodriguez, who was signed from Barcelona back in the day and has been in the B team and loaned out twice, only recalled this January due to injuries and sales, comes in from the bench for his third appearance all season and gets two goals in injury time to keep the title race alive!

 

UPDATE: we have already wasted the chance by drawing with Gijon and losing to Sevilla in the next home games 

Edited May 18 by KristianT