[FM24] Dievs, svētī Latviju

[SixPointer]

4 hours ago, Rikulec said:

Artjoms Laizāns' Management Career - Pre-Season - 2040/41 - SSC Napoli

Friendlies

Goals, goals, goals!

Transfers

Two significant outgoings as we say goodbye to long-time loyal players Tarabini and Galarza. It wasn't easy, but with their transfers we save over £500K p/w worth of wages. There's also a chance that we might have one more big sale before the end of the transfer window, so watch this space.

Eight new players in.

Bernardo Maia - last season we severely lacked a proper backup striker. Now we have a really good one.

Matteo Dini - looks like an absolute steal. Even if he doesn't develop much, he could become a useful second choice player.

Gianni Fiorentino - I'm taking a huge gamble here, but this is who we're going to replace Tarabini with in the short run.

Paul Finnerty - Leeds got relegated this season and we picked up their best player for peanuts. He should provide a great option for the no. 6 position.

Flávio - a decent cheap rotation player.

Mauro Peluso - I can't believe we've got him so easily. Probably one of the top goalkeeping prospects in the world at the moment.

Augusto González - him and Rapanaro are going to battle it out for the starting spot on the right wing.

Glenn Derks - one more backup player.

Looks a very sensible move, cutting some big wages and filling the gap with a few players you’re taking a chance on. If it comes of it will be a masterful stroke 

[Rikulec]

3 minutes ago, SixPointer said:

Looks a very sensible move, cutting some big wages and filling the gap with a few players you’re taking a chance on. If it comes of it will be a masterful stroke 

That was the initial plan, more or less, but since then I've stumbled across a player that, well, kind of changed it.

[Rikulec]

Not much variety in our Champions League fixtures, four opponents from Germany and two from Spain!

[Rikulec]

Artjoms Laizāns' Management Career - August 2040 - SSC Napoli

Serie A

A poor start and a deserved loss in Bergamo followed by a reassuring victory over Bologna. Still early days, and once again I suspect we're probably going to need some time to get going.

Transfers

Not one, but two big sales. Machado leaving was always a possibility and I'm happy to have got rid of his £240K p/w wage. The sale of Perišić, on the other hand, was purely making way for a very special player joining us.

Kirils Sevelovs - I have no idea how we managed to get him so cheap and why there wasn't more interest. The one-footedness is a worry, but other than that he really doesn't look worse than Machado to me!

Sandro Tschannen - yes, I know I was supposed to cut down on spending. But when you get the chance to sign possibly the world's best left back... who the **** wouldn't?

[SixPointer]

Sevelovs looks the bargain of the century. An elite striker for 13.5 million 

Sandro is technically sound business, look at his value already sky rocket! Speculate to accumulate! 

[Rikulec]

5 hours ago, SixPointer said:

Sevelovs looks the bargain of the century. An elite striker for 13.5 million 

Sandro is technically sound business, look at his value already sky rocket! Speculate to accumulate! 

I'm really happy with those transfers. Hopefully Sevelovs can be more consistent and less frustrating than Machado!

[Rikulec]

Artjoms Laizāns' Management Career - September 2040 - SSC Napoli

Serie A

I'm back on my work laptop, so it's low res images (but with proper team names at least) again. As for our performance, we're scoring loads and we've had an unbeaten month that really should have been perfect, but we conceded a last minute equaliser against Salernitana. Also, look at Inter at the top, who amazingly still have a perfect defensive record!

UEFA Champions League

The Bayern game was yet another frustrating evening where we couldn't convert our advantage into goals and they scored from two laser-precise long range efforts from Archie Gray. It feels like we're so, so close to being able to consistently beat world class teams, but we're always just a bit off.

[Rikulec]

What a month for the youngster!

[Rikulec]

[PequenoGenio]

Em 28/11/2023 em 22:45, Rikulec disse:

Spoiler

Alright, I'm just gonna share a few ideas related to the attacking phase since this is where I feel I can't replicate my ideas in FM.

First of all, what's crucial to understand is that in order to organise the attack I've moved away from the traditional division of the pitch into thirds and from the related subphases of playing through those thirds. Instead, I divide the pitch into zones according to the positioning of the opposition's lines. Therefore, we'll have a zone in front of the attack line, a zone between the attack and midfield lines, a zone between the midfield and defence lines, and a zone behind the defence line. Consequently, our attacks are divided into three subphases: breaking the attack line, breaking the midfield line, and breaking the defence line (including finalisation). Hope that's clear enough.

Now, a central element of the way my teams attack is a predetermined organisation based on occupying the correct spaces - again, those spaces are related to how the defending players are positioned. While the player in possession has complete freedom and may pass, dribble, or shoot in whatever way they decide is the best, the other players have to provide a number of passing options in different directions and at different heights in order to create dilemmas for the defenders. Another important thing here is that this structure also prepares us for the possibility of losing the ball and immediately transitioning to the defensive phase; ideally we're going to have a good number of players around the ball to immediately counterpress with everyone jumping to mark their nearest opponent individually.

To give you an example of how it's supposed to work in practice, I'll show you a fragment of how we'd normally try to break the attack line against a 4-4-2. This would be our initial positioning with the goalkeeper in possession:

The lines represent the zones and vertical channels defined according to the positioning of the defending team. As you'll notice, together they form a net of what we define as spaces. Against a 4-4-2 we're going to have four zones (as I described before) and five channels (the central channel, two wide channels, and two half spaces). And so, in this scenario we want to have our centre backs occupying the half spaces in the zone in front of the attack line (also known as zone 0); our full backs providing width in the zone between the attack and midfield lines (zone 1); our defensive midfielder in the central channel in zone 1; our central midfielders in the half spaces in the zone between the midfield and defence lines (zone 2); our wingers positioned in full width and as high as possible, threatening to attack the zone behind the defence line (zone 3); and our striker in the central channel, also as high as possible. With this structure we effectively create an 8v6 situation in build-up, pinning back the four-man defence with three players and using the goalkeeper as an additional outfield player in possession.

One more quality of the system I haven't mentioned before is that virtually every pass leads to a change in the structure, making it more dynamic and creating natural off the ball movements. Here's what happens if the goalkeeper passes the ball short to one of the centre backs (the right centre back in this case). While most players remain in the same spaces as before, the positioning of the central midfielders will shift depending on which side we play to. Assuming that one of the striker jumps out to press the centre back in possession, the ballside central midfielder drops into zone 1 to create a vertical passing option (the blue space). At the same time, the other midfielder moves higher up into zone 2 (the orange space), creating a dilemma for the opposition's CM and potentially destabilising their whole defensive structure while also providing an immediate passing option for the striker should we decide to go long from here. There's one more crucial aspect to consider here and it's how the ballside central midfielder and the defensive midfielder work together with the centre back:

Basically, the role of these two players in this situation is to create the options to bypass the nearest pressing opponent with a pass either inside (the defensive midfielder) or outside (the central midfielder). If possible, the defensive midfielder remains in zone 1 while also opening up a possible passing lane for the centre back. However, depending on the trajectory of the opponent's run, they also have the freedom to drop into the defensive line and form a three, if that's required to create the passing option we need. This is something we used slightly higher up the pitch; inside the box we'd use the goalkeeper and not have the DM drop so deep.

This is just a small fragment of the system. It might seem quite complex (and when you consider the whole thing at the same time, it probably is). However, it's mostly based on a few simple instructions for individual players (if x, then y) that come together in an organised and logical way. The players don't have to memorise the whole system, they just need to understand their role and be able to recognise the triggers and spaces in real time during the game. What FM fails to give me is the consistency of the right players occupying the right spaces and moving at the precise moments required. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. 

 

After read this i would love to see what you do in FM about tactics

Edited January 10 by PequenoGenio

[SixPointer]

6 hours ago, Rikulec said:

Artjoms Laizāns' Management Career - September 2040 - SSC Napoli

Serie A

I'm back on my work laptop, so it's low res images (but with proper team names at least) again. As for our performance, we're scoring loads and we've had an unbeaten month that really should have been perfect, but we conceded a last minute equaliser against Salernitana. Also, look at Inter at the top, who amazingly still have a perfect defensive record!

UEFA Champions League

The Bayern game was yet another frustrating evening where we couldn't convert our advantage into goals and they scored from two laser-precise long range efforts from Archie Gray. It feels like we're so, so close to being able to consistently beat world class teams, but we're always just a bit off.

My beloved Hearts are in the champions league. 

[Rikulec]

9 hours ago, PequenoGenio said:

After read this i would love to see what you do in FM about tactics

To be honest, it's a simple tactic and you may find it a little bit disappointing.

In possession the general idea is to keep possession with short passing and wait for the right moment to create overloads in the final third and try to finish. The half back drops in between the centre backs to form a back three, the full backs come inside to form a double pivot, pushing the central midfielders higher to either play between the lines or make runs behind the defence, the wingers act more like wing backs, offering support in earlier stages of the attack but also moving up higher when we're in the final third, either looking to beat their man 1v1 or even coming inside to finish when the half spaces aren't occupied by our mezzalas, and the striker is a Haaland type of player whose job is to, well, score goals, and also push the defensive line as deep as possible in order to create space in front of it for our midfielders. In general this setup gives us a nice 3-2 shape to recycle possession at the back and a good number of outlets out front, with the goals spreading nicely between the five attacking players. I've found the inverted wing backs to be the game changers here. A player like Tschannen makes a world of difference with his quality and if we had another one like him on the other side, maybe this would give us the edge we seem to be lacking at the moment.

Out of possession we simply aim to win the ball as high as possible, shutting down the central channels to force the opposition wide and either win the ball directly there or force them into making errors and giving away possession. Nothing fancy at all.

6 hours ago, SixPointer said:

My beloved Hearts are in the champions league. 

They've actually won the league three times already since the start of the save (2036, 2037, 2040). However, you may not like the fact that it was actually Hibernian who became the first non-Old Firm team to win it and that was in 2029!

[PequenoGenio]

Keep it simple is always the best thing to do. Any PI?

[Rikulec]

4 hours ago, PequenoGenio said:

Keep it simple is always the best thing to do. Any PI?

None at all.

[Rikulec]

Artjoms Laizāns' Management Career - October 2040 - SSC Napoli

Serie A

First we come out on top after a six-goal thriller against Lazio, then we randomly switch off and lose to Torino, only to obliterate the league's best defence (well, not anymore) in the final game of the month. Quite a ride, eh? 

UEFA Champions League

We were hopeless, a heavy defeat fully deserved. We better start picking up some points or else we're in for a very disappointing Champions League season.

[Rikulec]

Artjoms Laizāns' Management Career - November 2040 - SSC Napoli

Serie A

Demolishing two mid-table teams only to suffer another big defeat to Fiorentina, who seemed to score effortlessly whenever they wanted to? Yeah, sounds about right. 

UEFA Champions League

What a joke.  I'm starting to wonder how we even managed to beat Hearts.

[Rikulec]

Yaaay, awards. Well done.

[Rikulec]

Wait, what? This can't be right surely? 

[Rikulec]

Artjoms Laizāns' Management Career - December 2040 - SSC Napoli

Serie A

Out of all the games this month, we somehow lost to ****ing Pisa. We also blew a great chance to beat Juve as Sevelovs wasted a sitter that would have put us 2:0 up.

UEFA Champions League

Out of nowhere we produce a brilliant performance that puts us back among the living.

[Rikulec]

That's two in a row for Derks, both from direct free kicks. 

[Rikulec]

Artjoms Laizāns' Management Career - January 2041 - SSC Napoli

Serie A

Still randomly dropping points here and there. We're still in the top 4 though, and not that far off top when you think about it.

Coppa Italia

A good win sends us through to the quarter final...

....where we're facing a trip to Fiorentina. Might as well rotate the whole team to give the starters some rest, we're not getting a result there anyway.

UEFA Champions League

Gianni Fiorentino's late goal in Germany sends us through to the knockout play-off round, saving us from embarrassment.

Transfers

Two players sold. Boutaleb was a youngster with no future here and Savić was probably the weakest player in the starting XI.

Gaetano Zaza - not quite the elite CB I was looking for, but not far off either. At 24 years of age he might hopefully still develop a bit.

[Rikulec]

About time he was given some recognition! Our right winger is having an incredible season in the league so far, he already has 17 goals and 11 assists to his name and tops the goalscoring chart at the halfway point.

[Rikulec]

Artjoms Laizāns' Management Career - February 2041 - SSC Napoli

Serie A

A brilliant win over Milan followed by a defeat at Sassuolo, how typical of us. Juventus have built up a bit of a lead, but realistically we're among the four teams fighting for the title.

Coppa Italia

We even took the lead, but then everything went as expected.

UEFA Champions League

There were some nervous moments in the return leg, thankfully a late goal from González put the game to bed.

In the round of 16 we're up against Manchester City. Our chances are slim, but if we do go through... nah, let's just focus on what's in front of us.

[SixPointer]

On 11/01/2024 at 03:43, Rikulec said:

They've actually won the league three times already since the start of the save (2036, 2037, 2040). However, you may not like the fact that it was actually Hibernian who became the first non-Old Firm team to win it and that was in 2029!

Sorry I can’t follow the save anymore. Anyone but Hibernian!

[SixPointer]

Besides Hibs winning the league things are going well. A title challenge and the last 16 of UCL. 

Really like your tactical style as well. Very positional play. You must get some wonderful diamonds and triangles and some real half space dominance 

[Rikulec]

3 hours ago, SixPointer said:

Sorry I can’t follow the save anymore. Anyone but Hibernian!

Sorry about that! 

3 hours ago, SixPointer said:

Besides Hibs winning the league things are going well. A title challenge and the last 16 of UCL. 

Really like your tactical style as well. Very positional play. You must get some wonderful diamonds and triangles and some real half space dominance 

Thanks! And yes, on our good days the play is a real joy to watch. The problem is that we can't seem to do it consistently, although that seems to be an issue with the players rather than the tactic itself. This is a system I came up with when messing around back in the FM23 days and it worked well even then. Now with this year's improvements to positional play it seems to look even better!

[Rikulec]

Artjoms Laizāns' Management Career - March 2041 - SSC Napoli

Serie A

Two defeats in two big away games and I think Juve are too far away now. 

UEFA Champions League

We had to wait until the round of 16 for our first clean sheet in the Champions League this season. The tie was a closely fought one, but, as it very often seems to be the case, it just didn't tip our way.

Youth Intake

That's... not what I was promised. 

[Rikulec]

With five games still left to be played I hope to take this well beyond a hundred. 

[Rikulec]

This is the first time I've reached this landmark at a club!

[Rikulec]

Artjoms Laizāns' Management Career - April 2041 - SSC Napoli

Serie A

Finally we seem to have hit a consistent patch of good form! A perfect month, including a win over Fiorentina, has us sitting 2nd in the table as we approach the final stretch. However, we've still got Roma, Juventus, and Milan left to play, so it's going to be a big ask for us to retain our current position.

[Rikulec]

One more award for us and this time it's De Marco, who's been working very hard to prove himself this season.

[Hootieleece]

Are you still using the 4-3-3 Formation? or did you devise something different for Napoli?

[Rikulec]

1 hour ago, Hootieleece said:

Are you still using the 4-3-3 Formation? or did you devise something different for Napoli?

It's still the same formation and the same tactic that I've described a few posts up on this page. 

[Rikulec]

Artjoms Laizāns' Management Career - May 2041 - SSC Napoli

Serie A

We just can't play away from home, period. Roma's stoppage time winner offcially handed the title to Juventus and our defeat at Milan knocked us down to 4th, which is exactly where we finished last season. Even beating Juve doesn't help much, you just can't challenge for trophies when you keep losing away games all the time.

[Rikulec]

Artjoms Laizāns' Management Career - Season Review - 2040/41 - SSC Napoli

Serie A

Results (Aug-Nov) - Results (Dec-Mar) - Results (Apr-May)

Competition Performance: 4th

All that fuss just to finish in the same place as last season, albeit with seven points more and a staggering 108 goals scored (and 45 conceded, too; we certainly weren't boring!). The problem that ultimately was our undoing seems to be our away form. While we won 17 games at home and only drew twice (to the relegated Hellas Verona and Salernitana, funnily enough), it was the away games that our nine defeats came from. We lost to almost all top half teams at their stadiums, only drawing at Juve and beating Udinese. If we can take our home form with us whenever we leave Naples, we're going to be unstoppable.

Coppa Italia

Competition Performance: Quarter Final

Yup, same as last season.

UEFA Champions League

Competition Performance: Round of 16

We managed to somewhat recover from an atrocious start to the league phase and make it through to the round of 16. City were a step too far, however it was really, really close (I keep saying it all the time, don't I?).

Squad (1) - Squad (2)

As proven by our goalscoring record in the league, this squad is a real machine where going forward with so many players who can put the ball in the back of the net. Even our CB Topholt banged in nine goals in the league! We have a couple of players who are truly world class and a whole bunch who are not far off at all. One or two transfers could be all we need to transform from the most frustrating team in the world into a juggernaut. If I were to point out specific positions, it would probably be right back and maaaybe centre back or defensive midfielder. There's one problem here though and it's the fact that we're unlikely to be able to afford suitable improvements. 

Transfers In (1) - Transfers In (2) - Transfers Out (1) - Transfers Out (2) - Transfers Out (3) - Finances

All in all, we made a net profit of over £20M while making a few big steps in the constant transition process that we're in. On the one hand, we've said goodbye to some long time club players such as Tarabini, Galarza, and Machado. On the other hand, the likes of Tschannen, Sevelovs, and Peluso might become equally, if not more important in the Napoli lore a few years down the line.

Despite making a good profit on transfers and some big payouts from UEFA, we're still deep in the red. I can't see a way out of this situation other than one or two big sales and this is something that would set us back a lot at the moment.

Player of the Season

1st - Giovanni Rapanaro - if you scroll back far enough, you'll notice I called him a "disappointment" in last season's review. My word, did that set him off. A triple-double of goals, assists, and MVPs in the league is one thing, but in all my years of playing FM I don't think I've ever had a player get above 20 goals and 20 assists in a season. It's always one or the other, never both at the same time. If he doesn't win a ****ton of awards, this game makes no sense. If I ever need an Italian name for a manager in the future, I have one right here.

2nd - Massimiliano De Marco - another player who had a lot to prove after last season and really stepped up to the task. 13 league goals and 9 assists is a brilliant return for a midfielder who seems to have finally grown into the Mezzala role in my tactic. He's also an academy graduate and it's always great to have a starter of his quality who's also a local lad. He's only 22, so who knows, maybe he's a future club legend in the making?

3rd - Sandro Tschannen - I remember saying in one of my posts that the inverted wing backs are probably the make-or-break players in my tactical system, and with a guy of his quality it's safe to say that I won't have to worry about the left hand side! An indispensable player for us, which was proven pretty much every time he wasn't on the pitch. Absolutely world class, perhaps even the best left back in the world at the moment.

Next Season

There are two options. First, the Milan job is opening up with Thomas Tuchel having already agreed to move to Hoffenheim, presumably for his last hurrah back in Germany. I'm going to apply for it since I believe it would be a step up and a club where I could really have a shot at the league, maybe even the Champions League too. Option two, I can obviously stay at Napoli and try to break through the glass ceiling. A good transfer window could take this team to the elite level.

[SixPointer]

5 hours ago, Rikulec said:

Artjoms Laizāns' Management Career - Season Review - 2040/41 - SSC Napoli

Serie A

Results (Aug-Nov) - Results (Dec-Mar) - Results (Apr-May)

Competition Performance: 4th

All that fuss just to finish in the same place as last season, albeit with seven points more and a staggering 108 goals scored (and 45 conceded, too; we certainly weren't boring!). The problem that ultimately was our undoing seems to be our away form. While we won 17 games at home and only drew twice (to the relegated Hellas Verona and Salernitana, funnily enough), it was the away games that our nine defeats came from. We lost to almost all top half teams at their stadiums, only drawing at Juve and beating Udinese. If we can take our home form with us whenever we leave Naples, we're going to be unstoppable.

Coppa Italia

Competition Performance: Quarter Final

Yup, same as last season.

UEFA Champions League

Competition Performance: Round of 16

We managed to somewhat recover from an atrocious start to the league phase and make it through to the round of 16. City were a step too far, however it was really, really close (I keep saying it all the time, don't I?).

Squad (1) - Squad (2)

As proven by our goalscoring record in the league, this squad is a real machine where going forward with so many players who can put the ball in the back of the net. Even our CB Topholt banged in nine goals in the league! We have a couple of players who are truly world class and a whole bunch who are not far off at all. One or two transfers could be all we need to transform from the most frustrating team in the world into a juggernaut. If I were to point out specific positions, it would probably be right back and maaaybe centre back or defensive midfielder. There's one problem here though and it's the fact that we're unlikely to be able to afford suitable improvements. 

Transfers In (1) - Transfers In (2) - Transfers Out (1) - Transfers Out (2) - Transfers Out (3) - Finances

All in all, we made a net profit of over £20M while making a few big steps in the constant transition process that we're in. On the one hand, we've said goodbye to some long time club players such as Tarabini, Galarza, and Machado. On the other hand, the likes of Tschannen, Sevelovs, and Peluso might become equally, if not more important in the Napoli lore a few years down the line.

Despite making a good profit on transfers and some big payouts from UEFA, we're still deep in the red. I can't see a way out of this situation other than one or two big sales and this is something that would set us back a lot at the moment.

Player of the Season

1st - Giovanni Rapanaro - if you scroll back far enough, you'll notice I called him a "disappointment" in last season's review. My word, did that set him off. A triple-double of goals, assists, and MVPs in the league is one thing, but in all my years of playing FM I don't think I've ever had a player get above 20 goals and 20 assists in a season. It's always one or the other, never both at the same time. If he doesn't win a ****ton of awards, this game makes no sense. If I ever need an Italian name for a manager in the future, I have one right here.

2nd - Massimiliano De Marco - another player who had a lot to prove after last season and really stepped up to the task. 13 league goals and 9 assists is a brilliant return for a midfielder who seems to have finally grown into the Mezzala role in my tactic. He's also an academy graduate and it's always great to have a starter of his quality who's also a local lad. He's only 22, so who knows, maybe he's a future club legend in the making?

3rd - Sandro Tschannen - I remember saying in one of my posts that the inverted wing backs are probably the make-or-break players in my tactical system, and with a guy of his quality it's safe to say that I won't have to worry about the left hand side! An indispensable player for us, which was proven pretty much every time he wasn't on the pitch. Absolutely world class, perhaps even the best left back in the world at the moment.

Next Season

There are two options. First, the Milan job is opening up with Thomas Tuchel having already agreed to move to Hoffenheim, presumably for his last hurrah back in Germany. I'm going to apply for it since I believe it would be a step up and a club where I could really have a shot at the league, maybe even the Champions League too. Option two, I can obviously stay at Napoli and try to break through the glass ceiling. A good transfer window could take this team to the elite level.

What’s Milanst recent trophy haul been like?

[Rikulec]

7 hours ago, SixPointer said:

What’s Milanst recent trophy haul been like?

Since the start of the save they've won ten league titles, eight cups, seven supercups, two Champions Leagues, and one UEFA Super Cup.

[Rikulec]

Not bad, eh? 

[Rikulec]

Here goes nothing!

[Hootieleece]

Are You doing this because you can't take Napoli any further?

 

[Rikulec]

24 minutes ago, Hootieleece said:

Are You doing this because you can't take Napoli any further?

 

That's one of the reasons, yeah. Napoli just don't seem to have the resources to build and maintain a proper world class team, there are just always some shortcomings and the money isn't there either. Also, as you probably know, the way I've been playing this save has always been about realistic career progression and if I get the chance to jump to a club that's everything we're aspiring to be, I feel that's the thing to do.

[Rikulec]

From Latvia U19 to earning six figures a week. What a journey this has been.

Artjoms Laizāns' Management Career - New Club - AC Milan

Among other trophies, Milan currently have 29 league titles and 9 Champions League titles under their belt. It would feel nice to be the one to make it at least 30 and 10 respectively.

Club Name: Associazione Calcio Milan
Nickname: Rossoneri
Year Founded: 1899
Status: Professional
Stadium: San Siro (75,710 all-seater)

The squad is packed with some absolutely elite players, but at the same time there are some aging high-earners who I'll certainly be looking to sell in order to raise funds for a couple of necessary transfers. Our best players at the moment are Mauro Centi, Matteo Piazza (both academy products), and last season's Serie A top scorer Kurt Andresen Spring.

Lots of objectives and plenty of ambition from the board, which isn't a surprise. There is one thing that you may have spotted that I haven't mentioned yet (mostly because I only noticed it after joining the club)...

Yes, we're actually the most reputable club in the world! There are nine 5* reputation clubs in the world at the moment and obviously we're one of them. Interesting to see Newcastle and especially Hoffenheim up here!

Even though it's 1st July and you'd expect the team to be on holiday, that's not the case. In fact, we're in Australia, gearing up for the FIFA Club World Cup semi final against last season's Champions League winners Manchester United. If we win, we'll face either Newcastle or Manchester City in the final. Seeing as Milan haven't won this competition since 2007, I'd definitely like to go for it!

[Rikulec]

Artjoms Laizāns' Management Career - Season Preview - 2041/42 - AC Milan

Board Expectations:

Serie A: Win it
Coppa Italia: Not important
EA Sports FC Supercup: Win it
UEFA Champions League: Quarter Final
FIFA Club World Cup: Semi Final

My Expectations:

Serie A: Win it.
Coppa Italia: Not important.
EA Sports FC Supercup: Not important. We have no business even being there, we didn't win the league or the cup last season.
UEFA Champions League: It all depends on how quick the team adapts to my tactics. We should definitely be one of the contenders.
FIFA Club World Cup: I'd love to win it.

Budgets:

Transfer: £29,480,705
Wage: £7,491,630 (currently spending £6,681,086)
Balance: £179,658,364

[Rikulec]

Artjoms Laizāns' Management Career - July 2041 - AC Milan

FIFA Club World Cup

Well, I won't be starting my tenure at Milan with a trophy then. At least we managed to beat Pep Guardiola's Newcastle in the third place play-off. Now it's time to finally end the 40/41 season and get this team ready for a new era!

[Rikulec]

Artjoms Laizāns' Management Career - Pre-Season - 2041/42 - AC Milan

Friendlies

Two defeats, boo.

Transfers

Yup, I did my usual thing and sold almost half of the squad.  On the other hand, we brought in over £300M and reduced the wage bill to just over £5M per week.

Eight players in for a combined fee of £276M.

Salvador - brought in by Tuchel before he left. Not great, not terrible.

Álvaro - I'm reunited with an old friend from Ajax. 

Edouard Mvondo - not the best in terms of technique and creativity given that I intend to play him as an inverted wing back, but the physicality should more than make up for those deficits.

Sascha Petersen - a ****ing ridiculous player, I have no idea how Benfica managed to hold onto him for so long.

Julius Pohl - a nice and cheap option at centre back for some league games.

Václav Kaplan - a very good all-around player.

Dráusio Birkheuer - my crazy idea is to convert him into a mezzala. Another fantastic player with amazing physicals.

Maverick Parmentier - one for the future.

In addition, GIovanni Cavallo and Domenico Valtulina have been promoted to the first team.

[Rikulec]

Gunnar Nordahl was a Swedish striker who played for Milan between 1949 and 1956. What a record to break. 

[Rikulec]

Not a bad set of Champions League fixtures, I think.

[Rikulec]

Artjoms Laizāns' Management Career - August 2041 - AC Milan

Serie A

What a ****ing joke, I'm getting sick of this. We were 1:0 up and cruising against Roma, looking like we were going to add a second sooner or later. Then with their first shot of the game they equalise from a set piece. Then, after half time, they only proceed to have two more highlights. You guessed it, both were set piece goals. Hopefully it's just a one-off, otherwise I might bin this **** altogether.

[Rikulec]

An important upgrade, unfortunately I couldn't convince the board to upgrade the youth facilities as well.

[Rikulec]

I love that, and what I love even more is the fact that we have a few players in the ranks who look like they could make it to the elite level in the next few years.