Guimy
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Posts posted by Guimy
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I was certain you were going to reference their rather snarky Twitter presence as another reason for picking the White Lions.
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Having managed five or so countries in FM21, I feel like I have earned my spurs in terms of international management. Based on these experiences, let me show you what I’d like to see changed, updated or added to make the international experience far more enjoyable.
National identity
I reckon this would be easy to implement since the feature is already in the game on a club level. Create a national identity by creating a country version of the club vision feature already in the game.
I appreciate that it is not a straight port, not every option on club-level would work for the international level. On the other hand, the only assessment right now is based on your performances and let’s face it, that’s not realistic. In a lot of countries, it’s not just about the results but about the way these results are achieved as well. Style is often just as important as substance (results).
Countries like Brazil and The Netherlands care about more than just winning; you have to win in style. Some successful national teams were chastised for playing boring, unattractive football. Ask anyone on the street in either country what they think about the performance of their team, and you’re likely to get a detailed answer of how they’re doing, and suggestions for improvement. During a major international tournament, everyone is a football coach.
It, therefore, makes no sense that the style aspect is ignored during job interviews. Managers like Dunga for Brazil and Bert van Marwijk were chastised and criticized for their tendency to play a brand of football not considered typical for the respective nation they were managing. I believe such aspects ought to be part of the job interview, play a certain brand of football.
I will stick with the Dutch national team in this example, as it’s the one I am most familiar with. When Louis van Gaal and Ronald Koeman fielded a 5-3-2 formation, the entire country was up in arms initially, as the quintessential Dutch style is a 4-3-3 formation with actual wingers. The typical style of play involves short passing combinations but with plenty of penetration, akin to a vertical tiki-taka style. None of these requirements are included in FM when you apply for the job of managing the national team, while I reckon it should be.
Similarly, losses in major derbies or against underdogs ought to be considered more severely during your performance assessment. We’ve seen plenty of managers meet their Waterloo over a lost derby or a disappointing result versus a perceived underdog. FM does not reflect this aspect of real-life international football here.
Finally, I would like to see long term goals added beyond just performances. I’d like to take the Belgian national team as an example here. As its Golden Generation is getting old(er), its manager is focussing on preparing the next generation to bleed into the starting line-up. Replacing certain key players, focussing on rebuilding or on growth ought to be included as long term goals. I can even imagine an FA demanding a radical rejuvenation course after a particularly disastrous tournament performance, where they insist certain players are no longer called up or slowly faded out of the team.
Adding such goals and incentives would be akin to adding sidequests to the game. It would give the player additional targets to aim for besides winning silverware or qualifying for a tournament, which in turn would spice things up. While I am aware that for narrative’s sake, we, as managers, could add such conditions ourselves, it’s just not the same as the game telling us we ought to do so.
If the game told us to drop a certain key player after a disastrous showing, you are faced with a diabolical conundrum. Ignore the board and compensate by winning, thus forging an alliance with the player in question, or dropping the player faster than a strippers’ G-string when money is involved.
I strongly believe in the power of visual aids when it comes to metaphors.Team Dynamics
Dynamics. It wasn’t long ago that we witnessed team dynamics being introduced into our beloved series. Regrettably, it’s still missing in international football, despite the fact that it is possibly even more meaningful there. Team dynamics could make the rather stale international football loads more interesting.
Consider the following scenario: Steven Berghuis is a wonderful gentleman who used to ply his trade for Feyenoord. Upon transferring to Ajax, his former teammates were and are not very pleased with Steven Berghuis and his conduct up and around the transfer. For his team dynamics at a club level, this is not a big deal. At the national team, where he shares a dressing room with a few of his former Feyenoord colleagues, this could make for a very interesting dynamic.
“Hi Steven, we’ve missed you. Quite literally, it seems.”
Similarly, players who are a big shot at a smaller club but have to play second fiddle for the national team would have a major impact. Take for instance someone like Ollie Watkins, who is an undisputed starter for Aston Villa but on the fringes of the national team squad. This should have an impact on the squad dynamics, especially if said player is particularly driven and ambitious. Managing and massaging those egos is a major factor at club level and it ought to be a factor internationally. Sadly, it is lacking there.
Another scenario where team dynamics could make international football more interesting is if you call up players who are not regularly active for their club in favour of players who are regular starters for their respective clubs. Again, I look at the often troubled team dynamics surrounding the Dutch national team. Donny van de Beek, despite not being a starter for Man Utd (understatement of the century…), was regularly called up by Frank de Boer. I imagine this would have an impact on a dressing room and the team dynamics.
A final occurrence to consider is the disruption of the dressing room due to injuries to talismanic players. Again, I will refer to the Dutch national team. Virgil van Dijk was undoubtedly one of the leaders of the national side. When he suffered a severe injury, the national side lacked a leader. I imagine that would have an impact on the pitch. International football in FM does not offer such depth.
Dynamic youth ratings
I was going to type a whole paragraph on dynamic youth ratings. Then, real-life caught up.
I believe the rating system should be dynamic, but in order to be remotely realistic, it should be based on generational differences. In order to make any kind of significant difference, it should take decades of consistent success. Even in the best of circumstances, national football is cyclical. If Scotland, for example, were to win the World Cup, I believe football would become even more popular in the country as a result. But, given the fact that it is unlikely that a dynasty will be established, do the children who have flocked to the game become disinterested in it before reaching their full potential?
Training
I realise that training for a national team can and will never have the same level of impact as on club level. There simply isn’t enough time to train. I get that. On the other hand, we could use the training module to focus on specific tactical aspects. I imagine that an extra set pieces training session could be quite useful. Or an additional training focussing on penalties prior to a match during the knockout stages could make the difference between elimination and progressing to the next round. Give us the option to add maybe one training session a day or use it as a resting day to help players recover their overal fitness. This adds a bit of a risk-and-reward strategy to training.
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On 11/09/2021 at 23:20, _Ben_ said:
High praise from Mr Strikerless himself! How are you Guido? The Dugout was a long time ago now I think back!
It's been far too long
I did catch you on FM Now, but I admit to being far from a regular sight there. I do know a few of the old guard are still knocking around, even besides FM Now. Cheeky Deeky is still blogging, though irregularly. Forza has branched out into real football and Shrewnaldo is an irregular blogger.
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Took me a while to read through it all, excellent stuff!
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2 hours ago, jtaylor1409 said:
I put the app folder on my desktop. I had initial problems with it starting but think it was because I had a previous R installation on my computer. Once I'd got rid of that I made sure to run the app 'as administrator' and that seemed to resolve the issue I had.
Same here. I'll try removing R and re-installing outside of Program Files.
edit: installing R outside of Program Files has done the trick! Eureka!
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Should I place the app on the C:\ drive as well? Ran the installation as you instructed but can't get the app to open.
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It would be pretty cool if you managed to win the league here
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On 19/01/2020 at 18:00, ManUtd1 said:
Fellas, the tactical madness is finally here.
A full-blown breakdown of Partizan's tactics (now being used with the Ivory Coast) is up, a collaboration with @Guimy: Live Every Week Like It's Shark Week.
#NeedsMoarSharkmouth
It's been fun collaborating, brother
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I'm definitely curious, since I love the concept of a libero
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I'd say the basic framework looks sturdy and stable, but I'm mostly interested in what the libero does
He will make or break the tactic.
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This should prove interesting
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@ManUtd1 I don't suppose you'd like to do a write-up of one or both of those tactics on Strikerless?
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On 14-4-2017 at 17:04, ManUtd1 said:
We kids hate it when mommy and daddy fight...
I'm the daddy though, right?
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On 8-4-2017 at 23:22, ManUtd1 said:
He also cites you, if I recall correctly
We're all one big happy family. Most of the time anyway.
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13 hours ago, ManUtd1 said:
Closing the loop, @Guimy - a couple of quick matches on the train confirmed that playing a deeper line is helping because the issue isn't necessarily us working to break down the opposition when in possession, 30 yards from goal, staring down a well-organized defense. Rather, when facing a side who intends to sit deep, we want to create moments where, in transition, they're in disarray and we have and can exploit space. It makes perfect sense and also explains why I was struggling - I hadn't stepped back to assess avoiding the problem I was facing in the first instance.
(I'm also seeing why you have said that you prefer to play on as big a pitch as possible!)
On my phone now for the day, so no stats/screenshots.
There is a method to my madness
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If you're looking at breaking down a tight defensive formation, it's all about finding space in the final third somehow. Against these compact defences, space is restricted, which nullifies the effect of through balls, balls over the top and crosses. With so many players crowding the box, you're going to have a torrid time breaking through. You may get lucky with the odd flukey ball or flash of brilliance, but overall, sticking to a game plan that clearly isn't working is akin to trying to break down a door using your head as a battering ram. Eventually, you're going to make a dent, but it's going to be a painful affair.
Don't be this guy...
Going into full-blown overload mode is not the answer you are looking for either.
This is not the game plan you are looking for...
Seriously, it doesn't make sense. If you are already facing a cohesive, compact defence, which is packing the penalty area with bodies, what good will it do to add more bodies to the fray, restricting the amount of space even further? That's right, it's about as useful as tits on a boar.
What might work is simply playing a bit deeper. This either lures the defenders forward or it means your players generate pockets of space for themselves. Either way, space is found on the pitch. If you have a few players moving around upfront, they will make use of that space, provided they have the footballing intelligence to recognise these pockets of space.
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If I can help out, as a sort of consultant, feel free to fire away.
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22 hours ago, ManUtd1 said:
I'm in the midst of a tactical-rethink. I've gone down the rabbit hole.
I find the sudden appearance of strikers... disturbing...
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On 24-1-2017 at 23:29, ManUtd1 said:
It is utter and complete madness. I blame Guido, not you, for that combination.
I am not insane, merely a misunderstood genius
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I did catch you on FM Now, but I admit to being far from a regular sight there. I do know a few of the old guard are still knocking around, even besides FM Now. Cheeky Deeky is still blogging, though irregularly. Forza has branched out into real football and Shrewnaldo is an irregular blogger. 
[FM23] Passing the IJ Test
in FM Career Updates
Posted · Edited by Guimy
https://www.thebestsocial.media/nl/15-rake-tweets-cultclub-sc-telstar/
Looks like they got a new social media manager. The old one did it better.
What exactly will we be moderating?