[FM24] The Traipsing of the Shrew

[danielgear]

Just caught up Shrew, Loving the start to this career and the job change made sense. Great first season in charge

[higgins]

On 19/12/2023 at 20:14, Shrewnaldo said:

Is there any money in Italy

I Mastini - Hellas Verona

Football can be a cruel game, Football Manager all the more so. Going into the final minute of my first season in Verona, we were pulling off an improbable qualification for Europe. Fiorentina, who had gone into the final day holding 7th spot, were losing 2-0 at Lazio. We only needed to beat Sassuolo, already safe and playing for nothing, to steal into Europe at the final hurdle. Well there's final hurdles and then there's a banana skin just yards from the finish line. In the 95th minute, leading Sassuolo 1-0, we conceded a dreadful equaliser to a dreadful human being that I shan't name on these pages.

Pain.

Yet we can't be too disappointed with 8th. It's well ahead of our media prediction which meandered between relegation fodder and safe by the skin of our teeth. In the end, we were never troubled by the bottom half of the table, nevermind the drop, and were unsurprisingly the over-achievers of the season.

Milan won the Scudetto back from Juve, whilst the usual suspects filled out the upper echelons of the table - only Roma were surprisingly poor, finishing 10th. Benevento, Empoli and Spezia were relegated back to Serie B with Parma, Salernitana and Sampdoria (finally) making their way back to the top tier. FeralpiSalò finished a creditable 7th in my absence but failed, again, at the preliminary playoff round. The former Parma manager Gabriele Cioffi taking advantage of the match engine fixes to provide the defensive stability I never could - the Lions of Garda conceding just 30, scoring a paltry 40.

It was nice to see that Feralpi's best player was 6'4" holding midfielder Simone Panada, a deal I'd arranged before departing. Semuel Pizzignacco, a stalwart in goal during my time there, was also so impressive that he won the Serie B Goalkeeper of the Year Award... and a free transfer to Hellas Verona.

Pizzignacco joined Strasbourg's Abakar Sylla (centre half) and Sampdoria's Leonardo Benedetti in pre-arranged Bosmans to the Bentegodi. The former two are squad players more than starters, whilst Benedetti should get plenty of game time as a box-to-box midfielder. I've always liked doing my business as early as possible but here it caused me no end of problems.

Because, much like in Salò, the board has implemented a cut to my wage budget of about 10%. So those deals to bring in Pizzignacco, Sylla and Benedetti bust my budget immediately. With just £2.2m in transfer budget, I had to look at selling before buying.

We don't really have many sellable assets - or at least ones that I wanted to let go. Primarily I was looking at the highest earners and who I could do with getting off the bill. Mickael Malsa, earning £55k a week at 32, was therefore an easy target and he was joined at the exit by 30 year-old Toni Moya on £22k a week. Neither were first-choice players and could easily be replaced with cheaper options.

So far, they are the only ones out the door but there's a decent chance they could be joined by other high-earners. Centre back Bruno Amione (£59k), Ander Guevara at 6 (58k), left mid Jordan Zemura (£58k) and first-choice striker Pablo Rodriguez (£46k) are all decent but I think replaceable for those wages. My concern is that we are short on quality, rather than quantity, so my scouting has largely focused on potential replacements should either of these four move on. Without the wiggle room in fees or wages, what we've brought in so far has been primarily providing a solid second-string, with the exception of Giovanni Fabbian for whom I have high hopes.

They'll all look to fit into the evolving 4-1-4-1, and all with a view to improving that physical, aggressive element I've committed to.

Having given up on the notion of the wide midfielders moving into the 10 role for creativity, I'd been using a false 9 to drop off the line, create space and play through balls for runners from deep. Per my post above, this had been working to an extent but we'd really struggled for goals and a look into the details had indicated that we just weren't making the passes for the runners. So I've switched it up a bit again and changed the roles of the wide players. Rather than attacking wingers looking to get in behind with pace and running power, I'm holding them in deeper roles and looking for them to make the passes from wide.

In particular, I was looking to exploit the talents of newgen right mid Alexander Barbaro who came through our academy in 23/24. He has elite first touch, technique, balance and - most crucially - passing. So whilst he did ok as a winger, it really wasn't making the most of his potential. Instead, I'm looking for something much more like this. Hold the width, draw the fullback, don't look to take him on with a dribble but instead play the pass into space for the on-rushing CM(A) from MCR. Perfect.

With the fullbacks coming inside as inverted wingbacks, it also really helps our transition from through the middle-third. Here's a basic example where Barbaro is holding the width around halfway and receiving the ball from defence as the fullback behind him is moving into midfield.

The Empoli left-back has pushed right up to engage Barbaro on the turn, leaving the huge highlighted gap behind him. The Empoli centre halves should really shift across but our CM(A) is bursting into that space and receiving a very simple pass from Barbaro. Inside two passes we've bypassed their entire midfield and disrupted their defensive line. I haven't tended to use wide players in this way before but I'm absolutely loving the WM(S) role and its versatility through the PIs.

It also had a knock-on effect on the 9. As we're looking to build through these wide players, I didn't necessarily need the false 9 to be dropping off and looking to link play any more. I haven't entirely settled on what to do with the 9 but have gone with a DLF(A) for now - something of a halfway house really. I think ideally I'll go with a Complete Forward on Attack duty in time, but suspect that the real game-changer will be the quality of personnel rather than the role. And sadly we just can't get that quality at the moment. I nearly managed to sign Mateo Retegui on a free transfer from Genoa. Having scored 80 goals over the last 5 seasons, the nationalised Argentine would have been perfect and a real step up from our current options. Sadly he chose the riches of Saudi Arabia and a £725k per week salary. Fair enough, really.

The lack of such funds is probably the only thing holding us back now. I think one of two pieces of genuine quality would turn us into genuine contenders for the European spots. A quality 9, 6 and midfield runner would go some way to bringing the additional 20 points we need to bridge the gap. But we'll have to do without. Money seems to be in short supply in Italy - at least until we hit the Champions League. So it'll need to be more targeted signings, free transfers and unearthing quality bargains. 

And whilst we're at it, increasing the physical prowess of the side. I went back to FeralpiSalò in January to sign 6'6" Coli Saco for back-up in midfield. He heads a long list >6' signings including one I really like the look of, the aforementioned Giovanni Fabbian.

His statistical output on loan at Bodø Glimt and a handful of games for Bologna was quietly impressive and my scouts were keen. Furthermore, he's a Model Citizen with good physicals and a suite of very handy traits that'll suit the CM(A) role perfectly. Even his negatives - "has a competitive streak which can occasionally lead to him bending the rules" - fits in nicely with the model we're going for. I have high hopes.

Given the finances, I should probably be going all 'meta' and buying wonderkids with re-sale value but I'm really enjoying this alternative way of playing. Now I just need it to work on the pitch too.

I always stay far from the "get stuck in" TI, how many yellow cards are you getting using it?

[Shrewnaldo]

7 hours ago, higgins said:

I always stay far from the "get stuck in" TI, how many yellow cards are you getting using it?

It's not too bad really. A few related statistics from last season:

• =1st most fouls made, 528 in 38 matches (the other team on 528 played 39)
• 5th tackles on, 898
• 19th tackles won ratio, 74%
• =5th yellow cards, 65 (Juve were top with 82)
• =6th red cards, 1 (Torino were top with 5)
• =5th goals conceded from indirect free-kicks, 2 (Bologna were worst with 7)
• =worst for goals conceded from direct free-kicks, 3
• The top foul-makers in our team were, in order, the 9, the CM(A), the right mid and the left mid
• Six players accumulated enough yellows for a suspension - the CM(A) twice, the right mid, both left mids, the back-up left IWB and our best centre back.

Only the direct free-kicks would worry me too much. For me, it's about encouraging the players to aggressively engage in the mid-block. Primarily using the 4-1-4-1, we have plenty of numbers within the compact block and so can afford to let one get pulled out of shape a little - particularly if it's those more advanced players that are making the fouls.

[Shrewnaldo]

Europe

I Mastini - Hellas Verona

A successful season, no doubt, but also another frustration as we let a superior position slip away through March and April. As is becoming a recurring theme, the lack of quality squad depth becomes exposed in the latter moments of the season and we just couldn't overcome a goal drought through some critical fixtures.

Looking at the positions graph above the table, you can see that we were consistently in the Champions League spots throughout the season and only dropped into 5th in March and then 6th in late April. What's all the more frustrating is that, thanks to the expanded Swiss system and Italy's strong co-efficient, 5th spot would also have got us into the Champions League. As it is, we'll need to make do with the Europa. Not a disaster but the financial difference is staggering and, again a recurring theme, the money is a real problem for us.

We ended last season £25m in debt and with a project that this will double every season from here on in. Correspondingly, the board have greeted the prospect of continental football with a cut to the wage budget and a transfer kitty of <£1m. That really isn't going to go far.

It's particularly frustrating given our track record of successful recruitment. Giovanni Fabbian, who is fast becoming my new favourite player, was Serie A signing of the season - and little wonder with 25 goal involvements in 36 games. 7 of those goals came in the opening 6 games and I was feeling incredibly smug about his summer recruitment from Bologna. Sadly his only dry spell coincided with similar profligacy from those around him - particularly the supposed strikers - and killed us during that spell in March and April. An xG of 9.86 resulted in just two goals across 8 games and, with a number of those games coming against rivals in the upper echelons, was the critical factor in not turning a good season into a great one. 

The obvious priority for this summer's recruitment is, therefore, at 9. In an ideal world, I'd like to strengthen in some of the areas where the incumbent players are advancing in years. Specifically in goal with 33 year-old Lorenzo Montipò; at 6, where I think we could do better than 31 year-old Ander Guevara; and 32 year-old Toma Bašić is starting to struggle with the physicality of the B2B role. 

But we already have the best defence in the league and need to prioritise the limited funding at my disposal. Coli Saco, the 6'6" stalwart that I brought with me from FeralpiSalò, should be able to do a pass-able job at 6 and it was always my intention to phase in Leonardo Benedetti as Bašić's replacement, after the former arrived from Samp on a free last summer. At 9, we are very short of options. The problem, I think, is two-fold.

Our two options for 9 are Pablo Rodriguez and Emanual Vignato - two quite different players. Pablo is a poacher-type, trying to play on the shoulder of the last defender to use his pace and traits. He looks like he should be a very good striker for us and the Mustermann radar chart would suggest so.

0.50 non-penalty xG/90 is really very good, but he lets himself down in two areas - the comparatively low number of shots he takes per 90 and his ability to meet that xG. Underperforming by any amount is sub-optimal in your primary goal threat and Pablo underperformed his xG by 1.54. That's probably 5 or 6 lower than I'd be looking for in a 9, and it's the second season in a row he's underperformed against expectations. At this point, I'm more than willing to take the cash for him.

The second option is Emanuele Vignato. Initially signed with the intention of being a creator from 10, Vignato has consistently underwhelmed and this season has scored just a single goal when played at 9. He is notably better from deeper, more creative positions and would probably be a very nice squad option were it not for his £37.5k a week wage. Having paid Pisa £5m for his services when I was in the honeymoon-period of post-Feralpi spending spree, I think I have to chalk this one up as an error. At maybe £2.5m and half his wage, he'd be a perfectly acceptable signing... but the fee and the wage are quite the millstones. And because of that wage, I doubt we'll be able to move him on - but he is certainly not a reliable 9 for a team in European competition.

Our strikers' ability to convert is not the only problem going forward, though.

As a team, our finishing ability is not terrible. We create the 5th best xG per shot in the league and we're 5th best at converting those shots. However, both these graphs show, to me, that we're just not taking enough shots in the first place. Right from the start of this thread, I'd wanted to prioritise high-quality chances over quantity - but there has to be a balance and 1.85 shots per 90 for our only striker just isn't good enough.

As is so often the case, as I write these posts my views tend to change - 'when the facts change, I change my mind - what do you do, sir?' you might say. And now my mind is going to the 31 year-old 6 that I wanted to replace... and a creative 9 who isn't a 9 but plays much better from 10. Perhaps the answer is to combine the replacement at 9 with a change of system. To date, we have been employing the 4-1-4-1 - sitting deep and hitting teams on the break with pace and direct running power. 

Intuitively, this is something I've done as in-game changes throughout the season if we've been chasing a goal. Either I've shifted the DM to AM and gone with the flat 4-4-1-1, or I've brought the AM in but switched to two DMs rather than MCs. Both have the same idea - simply trying to get someone closer to the 9 and be more creative rather than relying on turnovers to create our space. I can't say that either option has been spectacularly successful. Where we were able to create more shots, they rarely fell to the 9 which is what I'm aiming to do here.

I'm also a little hesitant to weaken the defensive solidity on which our success has been based. We conceded the fewest goals in the league last season and kept 17 clean sheets (at 2.53 points per game). Any evolution has to supplement, rather than replace, this defensive success.

Lastly, I wanted to look at the games we didn't win to see whether there were any consistent themes or obvious failures. 

I reckon a lot of these games we can just accept losing or drawing. Away at champions Inter, for example. Or away at Atalanta when Zemura was sent off after 13 minutes.

Losing at home to Genoa or at Lecce? Not so much. In the former, we've created more xG with 11 shots for 1.44. Pablo played at 9 and had one shot. In the latter, Lecce created more xG from 5 shots than we did from our 10. And Pablo played and 9 and had one shot. Indeed, in this game Pablo didn't receive a pass within 20 yards of their box. Every single year, every single FM, strikers are a problem for me. It probably comes from having played in defence - I naturally know how to stop things happening rather than create.

So I reckon I'll be using pre-season to develop a better alternative tactic which I can use against weaker sides or when chasing games, something which aims to get the 9 into more regular (but still high-quality) goalscoring positions. Perhaps this will include some sort of evolution away from the purely low / mid block counter-game... something which I think is an inevitability as we get better and better. Perhaps we need more established possession in the final third - moving away from this sort of direct, transitional attack that has served us so well but to which we clearly need an alternative.

With an £884k budget, it's highly unlikely that we'll have any major evolution through recruitment - it'll have to be tactical and one or two signings. We could look to sell a few to make room and money, but we're back to the conundrum of having very few high-value assets. I'd love to sell Guevara at 6 - on £58k and eminently replaceable - but the board would only give me 20% of the pittance we get for him to bring in a replacement.

Another summer of recruitment dilemmas, tactical meandering and baleful looks at the bank balance looms.

[higgins]

3 hours ago, Shrewnaldo said:

It's not too bad really. A few related statistics from last season:

• =1st most fouls made, 528 in 38 matches (the other team on 528 played 39)
• 5th tackles on, 898
• 19th tackles won ratio, 74%
• =5th yellow cards, 65 (Juve were top with 82)
• =6th red cards, 1 (Torino were top with 5)
• =5th goals conceded from indirect free-kicks, 2 (Bologna were worst with 7)
• =worst for goals conceded from direct free-kicks, 3
• The top foul-makers in our team were, in order, the 9, the CM(A), the right mid and the left mid
• Six players accumulated enough yellows for a suspension - the CM(A) twice, the right mid, both left mids, the back-up left IWB and our best centre back.

Only the direct free-kicks would worry me too much. For me, it's about encouraging the players to aggressively engage in the mid-block. Primarily using the 4-1-4-1, we have plenty of numbers within the compact block and so can afford to let one get pulled out of shape a little - particularly if it's those more advanced players that are making the fouls.

Not bad, really.

[Boycott]

Had a read through this page all at once this past hour or so. Very interesting concept and way of playing. The analysis stuff is still something I myself need to learn to dabble into more. What I generally like to do is look at the end of season league stats in detailed view and see what players would be in a budget range who performed a particular task very consistently and that's been enjoyable but the way you do it is far more proper and provides answers to questions more efficiently. I like the club choice to move to as Hellas Verona as well purely because in my opinion they get a bit hard done by when people talk about Serie A's glory days. Everyone knows the story of Maradona leading Napoli to the Serie A title but Verona did it first a couple of years before without having a superstar in the team. 

[Shrewnaldo]

45 minutes ago, Boycott said:

Had a read through this page all at once this past hour or so. Very interesting concept and way of playing. The analysis stuff is still something I myself need to learn to dabble into more. What I generally like to do is look at the end of season league stats in detailed view and see what players would be in a budget range who performed a particular task very consistently and that's been enjoyable but the way you do it is far more proper and provides answers to questions more efficiently. I like the club choice to move to as Hellas Verona as well purely because in my opinion they get a bit hard done by when people talk about Serie A's glory days. Everyone knows the story of Maradona leading Napoli to the Serie A title but Verona did it first a couple of years before without having a superstar in the team. 

Thanks! I always appreciate feedback. I do feel like I've got it right with this move to Verona but thanks for reminding me of their scudetto in the 80s... maybe the answer to my question is to sign a massive Danish striker. Pretty sure someone suggested that early in the thread.

[Shrewnaldo]

I Mastini - Hellas Verona

It was another difficult summer of recruitment where we had to sell to buy - and then buy at a fraction of what we'd managed to bring in. Perhaps more important than the fees which were recouped, the sales had to free up wages with the board implementing another cut to our budget despite the prospect of European football.

Hence the decision to sell Ander Guevara, on £54k a week, and Pablo Rodriguez, on £42k a week. Joel Mvuka, on a measly £9k, was surplus to requirements as we no longer play out-and-out wingers - the £3.7m we should recoup from that sale was a nice bonus.

Guevara had been our regular starting 6 and Pablo the 9, leaving a couple of key gaps in the starting XI. I was also conscious that, with at least 8 additional games in the Europa League, we faced the increased demand for squad depth that comes at this stage of a save. Sadly we couldn't find any sufficient quality on free transfers or within our budget for the majority of positions and Gabriele Ferrarini, capable of providing cover for both IWB positions, was the only real depth we could bring in.

The other three signings should be proper first-team material. First, Cristian Volpato who had just come off a season at Sassuolo where he hadn't played a single first-team game. However, from the saves that I'd kept from the end of previous seasons, I could see that he'd had an impressive campaign at Ligue 2 Clermont Foot in 27/28 with 0.4 chances created per 90. On loan at Wolfsburg the season before, he'd struggled for game time but created 0.83 chances per 90.

 

My eye was also immediately drawn to his height - with my continued theme of producing big, physical sides - and his traits. I want him to play wide, acting as one of our wide midfielders that look to draw the fullback by pinning to the touchline in a deep position and then playing smart passes into the space behind for the runners from deep. Likes Ball Played Into Feet and Tries Killer Balls Often are absolutely perfect for that. Then there was his elite First Touch, Technique and Flair. 

To me, he looked like one of those players with high potential whose development has been stifled by lack of game time at a good level. With an injury to Barbaro, Volpato has been thrown in earlier than I'd anticipated and repaid all my faith with 3 goals and 3 assists in 7 starts. 

The key target was a 9 and I decided to go with a more simplistic strategy for that one. Extracting a database of all strikers in active leagues and then filtering for only those who were >6'1" and under 31, I sorted them all by xG over-performance per 90 minutes. 

Marcos was transfer-listed for just £120k but after taking him on trial he clearly wasn't of the required standard. Frustratingly I'd had the chance to sign Bibishkov from Juve on a free a couple of seasons ago but turned it down because he didn't yet have senior-level statistics on which to make a judgement. Having recently signed a new contract at Mølde, he wasn't interested in coming back to Italy. That left Milošević as the next option after an impressive season on loan in Belgium. He was available for about £2.5m from Stuttgart but I opted for a loan instead - partly because the limited statistical approach was a bit new for me and partly to limit the immediate outlay.

Keeping that money meant we could jump quickly when Gaetano Castrovilli came on the market for just £2.6m. Following his move from Fiorentina, Castrovilli had spent 5 very solid seasons at Real Sociedad - slowly picking up less game time but clearly of genuine quality and with european experience, something that I'm not sure translates into the game but I felt was a nice realistic touch to add.

We're now 10 games into the season and it's been going pretty well results-wise - but I wanted to take a minute to check if the issues of last season were now solved, or if we were simply heading for more of the same. 

Losing to Milan on the opening day isn't exactly disastrous but I was moderately concerned given the complete lack of chances. 5 shots for 0.28xG is poor, even if we limited last season's runners up to 9 shots for 0.51xG. Not the most entertaining of games then.

The defensive side of the game clearly hasn't suffered. 7.8xGA is the second best in the league and our 4 clean sheets so far have brought us 10 points. But we don't appear to have improved any at the other end.

Ignoring the European games, we've scored 10 in the next 7 - drawing blanks at Sampdoria and reigning Scudetto holders Inter. Again, not hugely concerning - particularly when you know that we played with 10 in Genoa for 65 minutes, and at the Giuseppe Meazza for 18 minutes... before then playing with 9 men for another 20. Creditable draws then.

Last season, the average xG per team per game was 1.3 - ours was 1.4. Across our 8 league matches so far we've averaged 1.08xG. Even ignoring the two outliers where we've had red cards, we average 1.3. And that's with 4 home games and 2 away. All of this matches my 'eye test' that we're still not creative enough.  I've said before that my aim is for about 1.8xG per match from an average of 12 shots per 90 (0.15 xG/shot). Currently, we're creating 1.08xG from 9 shots per 90 (0.12 xG/shot). 

So, in short, we're failing offensively across the board - not enough xG, not enough shots, and the shots we're taking are of insufficient quality.

Any positives?

If I'm trying to find silver linings then there may be some extenuating circumstances. We've played last season's top three. We've had two games with significant numerical disadvantages. Milošević has been taking about 30% more shots than predecessor Pablo... Erm... And I guess we can be pleased that, so far, we have managed the addition of midweek European fixtures. Not to mention that our defence is still outstanding.

But the fact remains that, offensively, we're scraping past teams and I don't think have won a game comfortably yet this season. Our best performance was probably  the 2-0 against Lecce, where we out xG'd the southern side by 2.53 to 0.10. Yet we still needed a penalty and an 83rd minute goal from a corner to win it.

All of which is a really, really long-winded way of saying that I think the time has come for a change of approach. If we want to step up to be comfortable against the poorer sides, then I need to accept the inevitable and become more of what is, "these days", termed a "progressive" side with more possession and control of the ball in advanced areas. The counter-attacking system is still clearly effective against the better teams - or at least our defensive system is - so we will continue to employ that. But I think I'll need to transition over the course of this season into a different sort of team.

To be honest, this suits me fine. Six seasons of counter-attacking - four in the direct system at FeralpiSalò and two in a more fluid manner in Verona - is starting to get a little monotonous and I've been feeling the urge to experiment a bit.

Speaking of Feralpi, after they reached the playoffs in their first Toporagno-less season, they have sadly reverted to the norm and were relegated in 2028/29 - winning just 3 games as they finished bottom of Serie B. After a stint in Belgium with Charleroi, former Parma, Milan, Fiorentina and indeed Hellas Verona striker Alberto Gilardino has taken over at the Lina Turina. As I've now removed Serie C from the game, I can't tell how well he is doing until or unless Feralpi are re-promoted. I'll certainly be keeping one eye on the Leoni del Garda.

For my part, I'm wondering if this will be my last season in Verona. I am enjoying it but feel like we might have hit a financial ceiling. Again, I think an ambitious manager in Toporagno's position would be keeping an eye open for opportunities. Having taken I Mastini into Europe for the first time since 1988, you'd think bigger clubs would be starting to take notice. Perhaps not one of the elite clubs but someone like Roma - who have finished 7th, 9th, 10th, 10th and 7th - would be on the lookout for an up-and-coming manager.

Or further afield, Sevilla have failed to qualify for Europe in the last two seasons. Or Gladbach finished 15th just three seasons ago. These sorts of 'next echelon' teams would be a realistic step-up if I decided to move away from Verona. That decision may rest on how much I enjoy the transition away from a purely counter-attacking team... and how successful that transition is.

Edited January 2 by Shrewnaldo

[_Ben_]

I think you’re doing wonderfully Shrew, even though you’re a sucker for punishment! Not one, but two teams you’ve taken to their absolute ceiling but still you push on in tough conditions. 

I still love the ethos and well-considered nature of your signings; Volpato was on my radar last FM at Sassuolo and Atalanta, so I think he’ll do well for you. 

I would expect another European push based on the starting results but I do look forward to seeing how you bridge a potential style change, as that’s something I’ve never really been able to achieve, personally. I tend to stick to the same ethos throughout, at whichever club I move to - often choosing the club on style not merit. 

[higgins]

Tha lack of money you're facing could be quite realistic regarding the situation of the Italian leagues, even if It's  strange that a team that won a European qualification would reduce its salary budget, perhaps there was mismanagement in the years before your arrival?

[Shrewnaldo]

1 hour ago, higgins said:

Tha lack of money you're facing could be quite realistic regarding the situation of the Italian leagues, even if It's  strange that a team that won a European qualification would reduce its salary budget, perhaps there was mismanagement in the years before your arrival?

Yeah possibly. With the prize money, we're holding our own financially for the moment and even got out of debt for a while there. However, I'm getting the new save itch and thinking that getting out of Italy and its inherent financial constraints is probably for the best

[Shrewnaldo]

Cups and Done?

I Mastini - Hellas Verona

This is season 7 for me and I'm beginning to get the new save itch. There's a number of reasons for this, some of which I've alluded to in this thread (such as the finances) and some which are just my natural attrition level with saves. 7 seasons of defensive football, focused on physical counter-attacking play is getting a little monotonous. As detailed above, I have been looking at changing that approach a little bit but this has left me at an impasse. Once I've set out the premise of a save, I don't like deviating from that. Yes, it may be logical but there's a reason that I set the parameters in the first place - something by which to differentiate this save from the hundreds of others I've had over the years, or those you may be reading about on this forum or elsewhere.

So my eye has been wandering and I'm enjoying the thought of a new, differently-themed save which would allow me to keep this FeralpiSalò > Hellas Verona > who knows where journey for another time.

Before we get there, though, I would definitely like to see out this seasons. Domestically, my previous post proved prescient. We continued to struggle for goals and have been desperately inconsistent. Whilst we're still on the coat-tails of the European spots, indeed just 4 points behind, every other team has games in hand and I'd expect to drop back a little to maintain mid-table mediocrity by the end of the season.

The cups, however, are a different story. In the Europa League, we have already guaranteed at least a playoff position and have two points left to skip that potential banana skin. Hoffenheim away and Crvena zvezda at home are not the most straightforward of fixtures but 4 points will likely put us through to the knockouts proper.

Meanwhile, in the Coppa Italia things are looking even better. A comfortable 3-1 win over Udinese in the third round sees us face Serie B Cittadella in the quarters.

Get through that and it's either another Serie B side, Genoa, or Cremonese - struggling in the Serie A relegation zone - in the semi final. Juve, Milan or Atalanta would all be tough, but not insurmountable, opponents in the final but such a comparatively easy run to the final in the first place cannot be ignored.

Meanwhile, we're hitting something of an injury crisis with Barbaro just returning from 6 weeks out as Volpato breaks his ankle and will be missing until April. We're already short-handed in the wide areas and I'm desperately scouring for a loan deal or cheap option to cover either flank. Which is a shame because I'd like to have invested in another striker. Jovan Milošević has done great in Europe, with 4 goals in 5, but struggled in the league - also scoring 4 but in 19 starts. Perhaps another loan up top would also help us challenge for European qualification through the league again whilst I prioritise silverware in the cups...

Either way, come the end of this season, I think this save will go on hold for a little while. Let's just hope that it goes out on a positive note.

[Lestri]

Solid effort in the cups! As an Australian, I do always try to pick up Volpato as he does provide something quite special. Shame he done himself an injury! Will you change it up for the end of the season or stick to the guns?

[Shrewnaldo]

5 hours ago, Lestri said:

Solid effort in the cups! As an Australian, I do always try to pick up Volpato as he does provide something quite special. Shame he done himself an injury! Will you change it up for the end of the season or stick to the guns?

He's been really handy so far. With his Flair, he's properly exciting to watch and takes on defenders for fun. The injury is, as you say, really unfortunate

I had been switching it up tactically, reverting to my preferred 4-3-3 but I've gone back now. I want to see out the season sticking to the original premise even though I know that's probably holding me back somewhat. It'll also mean the new save feels a bit fresher if that's the route I decide to take

[higgins]

10 hours ago, Shrewnaldo said:

Cups and Done?

I Mastini - Hellas Verona

This is season 7 for me and I'm beginning to get the new save itch. There's a number of reasons for this, some of which I've alluded to in this thread (such as the finances) and some which are just my natural attrition level with saves. 7 seasons of defensive football, focused on physical counter-attacking play is getting a little monotonous. As detailed above, I have been looking at changing that approach a little bit but this has left me at an impasse. Once I've set out the premise of a save, I don't like deviating from that. Yes, it may be logical but there's a reason that I set the parameters in the first place - something by which to differentiate this save from the hundreds of others I've had over the years, or those you may be reading about on this forum or elsewhere.

So my eye has been wandering and I'm enjoying the thought of a new, differently-themed save which would allow me to keep this FeralpiSalò > Hellas Verona > who knows where journey for another time.

Before we get there, though, I would definitely like to see out this seasons. Domestically, my previous post proved prescient. We continued to struggle for goals and have been desperately inconsistent. Whilst we're still on the coat-tails of the European spots, indeed just 4 points behind, every other team has games in hand and I'd expect to drop back a little to maintain mid-table mediocrity by the end of the season.

The cups, however, are a different story. In the Europa League, we have already guaranteed at least a playoff position and have two points left to skip that potential banana skin. Hoffenheim away and Crvena zvezda at home are not the most straightforward of fixtures but 4 points will likely put us through to the knockouts proper.

Meanwhile, in the Coppa Italia things are looking even better. A comfortable 3-1 win over Udinese in the third round sees us face Serie B Cittadella in the quarters.

Get through that and it's either another Serie B side, Genoa, or Cremonese - struggling in the Serie A relegation zone - in the semi final. Juve, Milan or Atalanta would all be tough, but not insurmountable, opponents in the final but such a comparatively easy run to the final in the first place cannot be ignored.

Meanwhile, we're hitting something of an injury crisis with Barbaro just returning from 6 weeks out as Volpato breaks his ankle and will be missing until April. We're already short-handed in the wide areas and I'm desperately scouring for a loan deal or cheap option to cover either flank. Which is a shame because I'd like to have invested in another striker. Jovan Milošević has done great in Europe, with 4 goals in 5, but struggled in the league - also scoring 4 but in 19 starts. Perhaps another loan up top would also help us challenge for European qualification through the league again whilst I prioritise silverware in the cups...

Either way, come the end of this season, I think this save will go on hold for a little while. Let's just hope that it goes out on a positive note.

Money is always a balancing act in FM, too much is bad, too tight could be frustrating, anyway if for you this is the right moment to leave the save just do it, seven seasons remain a remarkable effort.

[Shrewnaldo]

27 minutes ago, higgins said:

Money is always a balancing act in FM, too much is bad, too tight could be frustrating, anyway if for you this is the right moment to leave the save just do it, seven seasons remain a remarkable effort.

To be fair, the money is no longer the biggest issue for me. I think that, now we're in Europe and should be regularly going forward, that it'll have relaxed somewhat. At least to the point where it's a good challenge rather than completely debilitating. I also thought about just moving on from Hellas and waiting for a bigger team where, like you say, the problem would then be that I'd have too much money. 

[higgins]

56 minutes ago, Shrewnaldo said:

To be fair, the money is no longer the biggest issue for me. I think that, now we're in Europe and should be regularly going forward, that it'll have relaxed somewhat. At least to the point where it's a good challenge rather than completely debilitating. I also thought about just moving on from Hellas and waiting for a bigger team where, like you say, the problem would then be that I'd have too much money. 

When I start a career with FM I always hope to have limited success with limited money, to keep things interesting...

[_Ben_]

21 hours ago, Shrewnaldo said:

Either way, come the end of this season, I think this save will go on hold for a little while. Let's just hope that it goes out on a positive note.

Shame - I've really enjoyed this work you've done here Shrew! That being said, you'll do your best work when you're involved and enjoying it. What are your thoughts about next steps?

[Shrewnaldo]

23 hours ago, _Ben_ said:

Shame - I've really enjoyed this work you've done here Shrew! That being said, you'll do your best work when you're involved and enjoying it. What are your thoughts about next steps?

 Cheers Ben. Not settled on the next steps yet. It's been a long time since I've done a save focused on youth development and I'm leaning towards getting back into that. Single club save with Sporting Gijon is currently high on the list - the Escuela de Fútbol de Mareo is a really famous academy and they've just become part of a Mexican-owned multi-club model that sounds great 

[SixPointer]

I think when the interest wavers it’s time to change. I suffered massively towards the end of the Happel challenge, but we becoming a chore.

If this is the end? What next?

[Shrewnaldo]

#

The End?

I Mastini - Hellas Verona

The end? For now at least. I'm weighing up whether or not to just look at moving to another club within this save universe. But I don't think that's the problem. I'm quite enjoying Hellas. It's the right level of club for me. As @higgins has pointed out above, too much money is even more boring than not enough. Certainly for this sort of game style. And I have enjoyed the more direct counter-attacking style, although there's certainly been a level of familiarity breeding contempt. 7 seasons of relatively similar styles is enough for me.

So after four seasons in Serie B with Feralpisalò and now three seasons in Serie A with Hellas Verona, I will be departing Italy and heading... somewhere. I'm not completely sure yet but I think a save more focused on youth development is in the offing. All of my recent major saves (Bristol City, Telstar, Traipsing around Italy) have jettisoned the youth teams in an effort to save cash and focus purely on the first team. Reading other saves which develop player pathways and newgen factories has me nostalgic for saves of old - or even just the Cantolao / Perú club and country save. So watch this space. If I settle on a new save with a youth development focus, then I'll likely post about it in a fresh thread here.

As we put this save on the shelf, at least we can do so with some silverware on the shelf.

We didn't manage to get FeralpiSalò promoted but we have brought Hellas their first trophy since the 1985 scudetto. Indeed, their only major trophy outside that remarkable achievement. We may have finished 11 points and 2 places lower than last season but that sacrifice came as we prioritised the cup competitions. Sadly, we met English opposition in the Europa League and couldn't get past Wolves. But Hellas Verona were, in the end, comfortable winners of the 2030 Coppa Italia.

Which was nice.

The final itself was an anticlimactically disappointing affair, running out 3-0 winners over a Juventus side which failed to rest players the weekend before and so were easily over-ran by our physical and, crucially, fit side. Getting to that final was, however, more complicated than I'd anticipated. Udinese (3-1) and Cittadella (6-2) were unusually high-scoring affairs for us in the early rounds and I thought we were on for more of the same when we were 3-0 up against Cremonese after 52 minutes of a two-legged semi.

Only for Cremonese to suddenly realise that, with both my 'keepers injured, we had a 5'9" two *grey* star newgen in goal and to shoot on sight. 3 goals later and we faced a dangerous trip to Cremona - a dangerous trip which became all the more hazardous after 12 minutes when they went 1-0 up. A switch to 4-3-3 brought a second-half equaliser and then a dramatic 96th minute winner from box-to-box midfielder Leonardo Benedetti - signed from Sampdoria on a free last season.

Lovely stuff. In the final, it was fitting that two goals from new favourite Giovanni Fabbian. A third minute back-post header from a Barbaro freekick and a 78th minute close-range shot into the ground from a Milosevic headed knock-down. Lovely stuff. 

The guy ends the season with 17 goals and 7 assists, from 47 starts. First name on the teamsheet and absolutely vital in his CM(A) role to the way we play, he's also a Team Leader - and whilst his Model Citizen personality got downgraded to Resilient, he's a brilliant role model for any younger midfielders at the club with all those lovely Traits. How Bologna let him go for just £1.5m I will never know. If I did move to a bigger club, then Fabbian would be number one on my list of players to take with me.

And if we did leave, it would be with Hellas Verona in a far better shape than when I arrived three seasons ago. For a start, the bank balance is now, essentially thanks to prize money, in the black with a healthy £10m and the transfer budget for next season is now into 8 figures.

The club is also starting to produce a few decent newgens which has given me some pause for thought - perhaps looking to evolve this save into something a bit different. But, as I've mentioned a few times now, I like to stick to the premise which I set out at the start of the game and, with the exception of finding value in markets like Romania, I think we've definitely done that.

At both Feralpi and Hellas, I developed big (literally), physical teams who prioritised clean sheets and played on the break in an effort to create high-value counter-attacking opportunities. Both clubs looked to use statistical metrics to identify signings and both had a pretty high degree of success from this. Both have over-achieved, even if we were never able to bring Feralpi to an unlikely - perhaps unrealistic - Serie A promotion.

I don't know how often I ever come back to saves, or if anyone ever comes back to saves which are "put on hold" but I do think this one would still have legs - either at Hellas or looking for the next step in an Italian journeyman. But, for now, that's it for me. Forza Feralpi and Hellas. We might be back.

[SixPointer]

A nice way to bow out with a trophy shrew. Peru sounds fun come join me in South America

[higgins]

Well done, you've finished your adventure in Italy on a high note by lifting a trophy, I know it's sad to leave a club when you've rebuilt it, but if the level of involvement drops it's time for a change.

Personally, I have never approached a career based on the youth sector, mainly for aesthetic reasons, I hate the faces of regens, but now that there are ways to replace the faces of those scary freaks it is a possibility I might also consider for the future.

[Lestri]

Nicely done, always good to get a win over Juventus, regardless of the circumstances!

[Shrewnaldo]

On 06/01/2024 at 03:29, SixPointer said:

A nice way to bow out with a trophy shrew. Peru sounds fun come join me in South America

 

On 06/01/2024 at 08:04, higgins said:

Well done, you've finished your adventure in Italy on a high note by lifting a trophy, I know it's sad to leave a club when you've rebuilt it, but if the level of involvement drops it's time for a change.

Personally, I have never approached a career based on the youth sector, mainly for aesthetic reasons, I hate the faces of regens, but now that there are ways to replace the faces of those scary freaks it is a possibility I might also consider for the future.

 

11 hours ago, Lestri said:

Nicely done, always good to get a win over Juventus, regardless of the circumstances!

Thanks all. It was indeed a satisfying way to end this (part of the) save. A nice change from my Perú C&C where we went out on massive anti-climaxes.

It won't be Perú for me again, SP. Although it is likely to be a Spanish-speaking country and I'll definitely be keeping an eye on the South American market for recruitment.

[cmason84]

Really enjoyed this save, some great ideas to your logic, and how you able to progress as a manager in game. I look forward to reading whatever you decide to put out next.

[Shrewnaldo]

2 hours ago, cmason84 said:

Really enjoyed this save, some great ideas to your logic, and how you able to progress as a manager in game. I look forward to reading whatever you decide to put out next.

Cheers Chris, much appreciated. If you haven't seen it already, I've started a new thread for the new save here. I'll certainly be taking some of the new logic and ideas to the new save. 

 

 

 

[Chris_ANZFM]

On 08/01/2024 at 14:38, Shrewnaldo said:

Cheers Chris, much appreciated. If you haven't seen it already, I've started a new thread for the new save here. I'll certainly be taking some of the new logic and ideas to the new save. 

 

 

 

Oh thank heavens the new thread is up already. I was starting to stress as I got caught up on this and sensed the inevitable. 
 

This has been the first thread of yours that I’ve really delved into properly before and I’ve really enjoyed. So thanks for the read and see you again soon in Spain.