tyler16

Not the most exciting signings as you alluded to but incredibly realistic and strengthens the squad on all fronts. Really enjoy that you have shorter term options in mind as you loan out the academy players, making sure they come in at the right time.

I would personally ignore the trio of players you listed to stay consistent with your recruitment model. Sometimes "house rules" are needed to preserve immersion and while players definitely can go without accumulating minutes IRL, they probably wouldn't wind up at a CL club on the merit of their attributes, since those would be a lot muddier than they are in FM. Just my opinion!

Fantastic progress, second has to be the aim now. Quaye is amazing at 15. I can see him being the first choice right footed centerback you've been craving within a year's time.

Some thoughts as I read through. What can you do with a player who isn't ready for the pressure of first team football? Loan them to a lower professional level or demote them to a youth team? Bruneck looks solid, that's definitely a successful loan spell for you. Is he an academy graduate? Early signs on the players brought in are encouraging, hopefully you can get more out of the attacking players in the second half of the season. Really like the big switch from Couto and more-so how wide the winger remains in buildup. Stretches the opposition horizontally and mimics how top teams play IRL.

Another great update! Leaving four important players out of a derby is a bold, but correct call long term. Are the other loanees getting on any better than Swager? Scouting blueprint looks thorough and realistic, curious who pops up.

Said it a million times, this is incredible content. Enjoying the match to match tweaks, rationale for decisions, player development, visuals, all of it really. Don't have a ton to add but I think moving to more aggressive wide players is suitable for the players you have and something worth continuing to experiment with. I agree with your analysis of the Vitesse match, that's a goal I'm happy conceding as the setup looks spot on. Looking forward to the next update!

Glad you're back, miss reading the daily updates when there's nothing new. Sending a group of players out on loan together to see who sinks/swims is great, curious how it turns out.

Love when you post videos of goals/moments such as that Jonsson assist. Brilliant play and exactly what I imagine him doing.

Some great signings, love the varied background in the players you target. Do you have a first choice XI in mind? edit: some thoughts on the new players now that I have the time. Couto is exactly the type of fullback I'd go after. Quick, team player, ability to play on either side and some really good mentals. I can see you getting 3-4 more years out of him, even if he eventually drops down to become a squad player. Schuur is solid. How does he compare to the left back you sold? Also, did he have a problem with accumulating cards last season? ter Burg looks like the perfect player to complement Jonsson, with the former playing off the right side. His athleticism will be deadly both in transitions and running into the space created by Jonsson. I would be shocked if he isn't your top scorer, especially with his finishing ability. Cespedes genuinely looks like a world class player in the making, even if he's a bit rough around the edges right now. Curious if you have a specific idea for his development! Looking forward to the season!

Sporadic thoughts as I read your last post. - Is xA recorded in this version of FM? Curious who is over/underperforming as assists tend to be one of the least predictive stats in real life. Also, have we ever gotten a concrete definition on what FM considers a key pass? In the real world, it's simply the pass before a shot. Neira looks to be a key player no matter what the definition, even if it's probably inflated by set pieces (just checked his profile, makes sense with the high corners/technique/curls ball). - Jonsson's numbers look decent, I'd imagine he'll come good. Nice to see he has more key passes than Westra which checks out with how you'd imagine them to play. Things like this, even though they're expected, help with the immersion for me. - Evident to me you've improved the team since you've arrived, mainly defensively. The "passes attempted" chart suggests you've had a bit more control as well. Looking forward to how this progresses over time.

Fantastic write up, glad to see Holland is providing a challenge and fully engaging you again. How did Krasnodar end up performing this season? Additionally, are you interested in bringing in any of your former players over the summer?

Yep, looks like just noise. I guess my perhaps gamey follow up is if FM's xG is predictive to FM goals, which I would hope it would be since it should be able to estimate the chance of a goal better than any real life model ever could. Getting into the weeds here I know. Unrelated, how is Ostergaard performing? His combo of low decisions/vision/composure worry me.

Love both of the defenders you've brought in. Who is de Wit's current parter and do you plan on replacing him, or is it more of a situation where you want all four to rack up ~2k minutes? In regards to Jonsson's underperformance - I want to apply what I know from the real world, that almost all finishing over/under performance is noise, but I'm not sure that's the case in FM. Have you found the model used to be predictive and tracking actual goals over time? I don't say this as a skeptic but rather somebody who hasn't played the game since it was introduced.

Love that you recruit players who are both practical and realistic. Diallo brings something different to the squad and can be useful in different roles and even off the bench protecting a lead. Should age gracefully with the elite natural fitness. Fernandinho vibes to this one.

Happy to help! My favorite manager is Pep so I'm in love with the idea of molding players/finding creative ways to get the best out of their skillset. Also have an academy background myself so FM is my playground. Some decent results, definitely excited to see how you reshape the squad over the summer.

Great breakdown, thanks for sharing! My updated ideas would be the following. Escalona is comfortably the best player of the three and a natural fit for the F9/DLF role. That composure, anticipation, and off the ball are rare for an 18 year old. He's not the most aggressive, physical, or flashy, but he's good at basically everything. Forget what I said earlier, this is the Jonsson backup. I'd move Swager to the right wing as an inside forward. He runs with the ball, has flair and dribbling, and enough quality in front of goal to take his chances. I'd prioritize getting his pace up in the meantime. That leaves Asante who I'm trying to think outside of the box with. There could be a playmaking CM in here (first touch, technique, passing, flair, decisions, vision) now that you mention it, and he's certainly unique with his size. Lack of mobility, mentality, and defensive prowess make me think you'd need to watch it closely, but he's not worth writing off as I initially thought. All are moldable and there's no ~right~ answers here, but that's probably what I'd do!

Enjoying deep dives into your players as I don't have a save of my own at the moment. Speaking of, what's the plan with Asante? Slow and average at dribbling Poor defensive attributes Low team work and work rate This rules him out from any wide positions or midfield roles for me. So what's he good at? High technique, first touch, flair, vision and decisions Tall, good balance, agility, jumping reach In your system, I think he's best fit for the F9 role in a similar mold to Jonsson. I'd probably train his passing, heading, and finishing while starting him in the cup/against weaker opponents.

Great results this month and nice to see the squad take some shape. I love the decision to move Zambrano to DM, specifically with the lack of options there you inherited. The physicals, determination, bravery, balance, and tall frame combined with the already good first touch, passing, and technique make me thing he could be an elegant do-it-all player if the mentals come along with game time. I'd probably try to teach him the long passes trait too.

Loving this aspect of the save and happy my take on Jonsson could be of some use! The balance, first touch, off ball, and flair make me thing he's a player who would excel dropping deeper or laterally and either holding up play for more direct players or turning and playing them in, which is only aided by the one-two's trait you're training.

Loving the enthusiasm you're writing with again! Looking at some of the most notable players, here are my thoughts: Westra is interesting, almost a poor man's Zlatan (especially with the player traits). de Wit is class and screams future club captain if you're able to hold onto him. Good fit to play in the left of a three (arguably better suited for this role if anything). I'd probably focus on his defensive side and hope the physicals get a bit of a jump in the next couple years. What are you doing with Jonsson? I'd be tempted to use him as a second striker to get the most of his off the ball movement, flair/vision, and long shots/technique. Don't love him deeper due to the limited ball carrying ability.

I say go for the move, clearly you want a new challenge and it's definitely a step up in league.

Makes sense you'd want to move on considering Zenit have fallen off as of late. Enjoyed them giving you a challenge for as long as they did. Germany or Holland are realistic, I suppose it depends if the focus will be on youth, recruitment, or some combination of the two. What kind of stature/qualities are you looking for in the next club you take over?

Interested where your next potential move would be. Outside of Russia surely?

Do you have anything out of the box planned for how to get the most from da Silva? The composure, vision, decisions, agility, and balance make me think he'd be an amazing pivot dropping between the CBs with a trait to carry the ball utilizing his incredible physicals. I think he's wasted at CB to be honest.