GIMN

A work excursion with only a chromebook at my disposal means there's been no FM for a few days. I'm getting older (that is how time works, after all) and I can barely remember what happened yesterday, let alone last weekend, so it is perhaps fortunate that I committed myself to do some data diving as it allows me to get back into the swing of things. I'm excited by the new Data Hub additions announced for FM23, and I hope one day we'll also get more options for editing the layout, so I can group the visualisations exactly how I want them. Anyway, I digress... On The Front Foot We know we've performed well so far this season, and it's good to see that play out in the stats. Leading the league in most successful dribbles is obviously encouraging, especially as this is something I don't usually try to do tactically, and it hasn't come at the cost of ball security. It's also good to see that we are consistently creating and converting good quality chances. Our xG per attempt is just over 0.12 which means we've regressed closer to the mean after a pretty electric start to the season, but we're still above the average. Perhaps more importantly, our goal output is inline with our xG so from an attacking perspective we might not have been as reliant on luck as I've previously suggested. The bit I'm more interested in, however, is our Crossing numbers. We lead the league in crosses attempted, yet are the 6th worst at finding our target. If we exclude Rensch & Watkins due to their relatively low sample size, we can see only 1 player who is completing crosses above the league average 25%, Matty Cash (although Kesler Hayden isn't far off). On the other side, however, Jamal Lewis has struggled in this regard. When he plays, he is deployed as a regular wing-back, and the formation is flipped accordingly so should have the same type of support around him. Both players are considered good crossers of the ball, and are very comparable in attributes you'd expect to be relevant for the role, so this might just be an indicator that Cash lands towards the upper end of the range for crossing, whilst Lewis is at the lower end. Nonetheless, this is something that needs closer attention, and I'll be looking at this more closely during the next few games to see if this is poor execution by Lewis or some other contributing factor. Buendia, Bailey and Grifo are also lower than average. My initial suspicion is this is the result of them being designated set piece takers. I have been lazy so far, and not set up routines yet. This is obviously next on my to-do list. "If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It" It would be safe to say that, so far, we have been a defensive anomaly. We have only conceded 6% of shots faced, whilst the next best team is at 9%. Whilst it has improved since the quarter-way mark, we're still rather poor at winning our tackles and conceding free-kicks. This probably explains why we don't attempt them much, either! None of this feels particularly sustainable. What does stand out positively, however, is our interceptions, as we seem to be very effective at winning back the ball before it reaches our box. Our wing-backs lead the way, and I can only imagine this might be an indicator of our tackling numbers. With both wing-backs, regardless of role, encouraged to Close Down Less, it's clear that we're restricting space more effectively than we are at engaging the opposition. When we consider where we're winning possession, it's also clear that the Counter-Press instruction isn't working well to cause turnovers in dangerous positions. That's not to say it's not forcing the opposition to progress the ball quickly into areas that we're then able to win the ball, but it does ask the question: is it necessary. With a home FA Cup fixture against QPR a couple of weeks away, I might try a change - specifically maxing out the pressing for the 5 players who I consider to be part of the attack (who this will be will depend on the formation chosen). This is going to mean at least one flank is going to be very vulnerable, so I'm keen to see how it plays out (and too scared to do it in a league game just yet). Get It In The Mixer The last bit I want to look at is goals and assists. Nothing ground-breaking or insightful here - just that it's good to see that we're creating our chances in the area that matters most - the width of the goal posts. For all the pomp and posturing about tactical philosophies, the main aim is to score goals, and the best way of doing that is by creating chances in the most dangerous positions. It should probably go without saying, but the best way to create those chances, is to make sure we are a threat in multiple areas. Whilst it's good that there's a balance of assists from different locations, improving our crossing numbers should help this distribution further. At the moment we are possibly too reliant on creating centrally, and a well organised defence would be able to shut us down. Keeping The Band Together Heading into the January transfer window, I'm not overly inclined to make any moves. The squad is at a size I'm happy with and, with the exception of a couple of easily-placated stirrings of unhappiness over playing time from Joe Rodon, everyone seems to be in high spirits. "Best laid plans" and all that, I might not be the one who gets to dictate how the transfer window will unfold. There is interest in a handful of players: Alex Meret (West Ham and Inter) Joe Rodon (Watford) Ezri Konsa (Real Madrid!?) Jamal Lewis (Tottenham and West Ham) Konsa isn't going anywhere! Or at least, I hope. The highest average rating of my back-3 and still only 27 years old, a new contract has been offered to try and stave off interest. Rodon, on the other hand, is available at the right price. He's valued just under £20m and is a good player, but he's ultimately a back-up. For the money we might be able to get, I can probably get a decent young-ish replacement. Having only been in charge since May, the scouting pool is a little light, but the following players seem like possible candidates should the need arise: It seems crazy to say this, but it might be a similar situation with Meret. Despite keeping 11 clean sheets already this season, he is not the best distributor of the ball. If Inter are willing to pay £35m+, I'd seriously consider letting him go. It would have to be big money, too, as a replacement wouldn't be cheap. Kepa and LaFont, who had previously been earmarked, are still on my radar but neither are transfer listed anymore. I also have my scouts running the rule over Wolves' Altay Bayındır and Tottenham's Arijanet Muric, who are both currently back-ups but look like good tactical fits. Ultimately, I hope no bid is made for Meret so I don't have to make a decision! Finally, Jamal Lewis. This could, perhaps, be the most difficult decision. His crossing woes aside, he's been solid. He's also the only out-and-out left wing-back I have, but I've used the IWB Left variant of my tactic more regularly than any of the others. If Lewis was to be sold, would I be able to find someone good enough who will be happy as a rotation player? Should I go all in on the IWB formation and instead look to find a starter who would improve on Rensch? I've thought about retraining McGinn as a LWB. He has the pace and the technical ability that I feel he could work as a WB or IWB, and I'd love to target a truly elite player to fill the carrilero role, with Guendouzi and Bruno Guimarães on my shortlist - the latter of which is currently transfer listed. But...McGinn is performing very well - and do I really want to move him out of a role he is effective at for what ultimately amounts to an experiment? That's a lot to say that I've essentially narrowed down possible replacements to a confusing mish-mash of very different players. There's relatively unknown left-backs, possible candidates for inverted wing-backs and regular midfielders who might result in a chance elsewhere. Furthermore, some of the scouting on these players is far from done - Noussair Mazraoui might be the most interesting player on that list. He's certainly got the profile, but I don't have enough accuracy from his scout report to know whether he's truly an option. Hopefully, like Meret, there'll be no bid and I won't have to find out.

A cracking read. I opened it for the pun. I stayed around so I could thank you for using a map that includes Western Sahara. Kept on reading for the content. Do you think you can eventually take the next step with CNEPS, or are the top two too far away, and you might need to take a job with one of them if it ever gets offered?

Just 14 Players When Villa last won the league in 1980/81, only 14 senior players made appearances, 7 of which were ever present. By comparison, we've already used 21 this season and that's the 2nd fewest in the league (only behind Liverpool's 20). Only Alex Meret, Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa have played every minute, and that might be about to change with 7 games in December. Obviously a lot has changed in 40+ years, and I'm grateful that the larger squads allows me both the flexibility to employ different formations, but hopefully also get through this month without too much disruption. Whilst I'm certainly enjoying this luck, I wish it wasn't confined to the world of FM. I wouldn't mind winning the lottery. Or stumbling upon a genie-filled lamp. Maybe Dua Lipa's type happens to be overweight, hirsute Anglo-Grecian's approaching middle age? Regardless, I'll make do with what I've got, and what I've got is a 76th minute Jacob Ramsey winner. The goal was made by the subs bench, with Harry Winks (who'd replaced John McGinn) switching play to the left flank for Grifo to flick into Ramsey's path. Grifo had come on to replace Jamal Lewis, who was playing as a left winger in Bailey's absence. It was a bold decision, as I felt he'd have the pace to be a threat whilst also giving us further support in containing Bowen, and ultimately a poor one. Lewis struggled to make an impact in an attacking or defensive capacity, but at least I now know that's unlikely to be an option again in the future. West Ham ramped up the pressure into the final 10 minutes, and despite a rash challenge by left-back Renan reducing them to 10 men, they should've equalised - with both Jack Harrison and Dennis Man spurning great chances. This is it. The big game. The home derby. Harry Winks was rewarded with a start after his impact mid-week, and he made the difference curling a sublime effort from the edge of the area off the underside of the bar. Things could have been different, though. As an even and entertaining first half ran into injury time, Mings was a bit too handsy and pushed Raul Jiménez. The dependable Mexican stepped up to the spot, but was denied low to his right by Alex Meret. Meret had been a doubt for the game with a slight knee injury - although thankfully it was nothing a cortisone injection couldn't sort. We rang the changes at half time, as Wolves seemed to be getting joy down their left hand side. A swap to our IWB Right formation saw Rensch and Ramsey (unlucky not to start after last week's heroics) came on for Cash and McGinn, and we were very much in the ascendency. A straight red for Jiménez pretty much summed up his day, and the rest was a formality. Although it took another 10 minutes for us to open the scoring, Wolves were under the cosh and will probably be thankful they only lost by 1. A hat-trick of 1-0 wins, this time courtesy of a Tyrone Mings header from a long-throw. I felt it was a deserved win, as Nick Pope was in inspired form, twice denying Toney from point blank range. That's now 4 games without a goal for our striker, whose scoring exploits seem to have deserted him since his perfect game against Blackburn. Whilst the goal contributions have dried up, he's still performing well, so no need for panic. Yet. Ronnie Edwards also made his first league start since the opening game of the season, coming in for Konsa who had a slight thigh injury. It was a composed performance from the youngster, who fared well against Dwight McNeil (who was surprisingly deployed as a striker). Time for a little aside. I write these updates as I play the game. After a game finishes, I copy and paste the score/stats into the little crib sheet, upload the image and write the game summary. I then do my scouting/prep for the next game and start work on the next crib sheet. All of this to say: Ivan Toney's goal drought has come to an end. This wasn't a set-up. The previous summary wasn't some kind of knowing-nod. It was a fine goal, too - running between the two centre-backs to get onto an angled ball over the top by Mings, taking a touch to get the ball out from under his feet, and taking the roof of the net off as he spanked it in at the near post. It was a much deserved equaliser, after we'd gone 1-0 down early. Stretching to cut out a pass wide, Mings deflected the ball into the path of Daniel Bragança who drove forward and gave Utd the lead on 5 minutes. Things could've been worse as Adeyemi had a goal ruled out for offside only moments later. From then on, however, it was all Villa. Watkins hit the post from about 3 yards out, whilst Toney was repeatedly denied by Diogo Costa in the Man Utd goal. It's definitely a case of points dropped, but I'll take it. A great performance against a rather lacklustre Crystal Palace managed by former player and much-maligned England manager, Gareth Southgate. Grifo was the star man, coming in for Buendia who picked up a calf injury in the last game. The experienced Italian winger was a constant thorn in their side, finishing the game with 8 successful dribbles - 1 in particular where he looked like he showed inside, deftly turned 270° to leave Tyrick Mitchell for dead, and drove to the outside - and 6 key passes. 2 of those key passes were assists for Ivan Toney, who know surpasses Danny Ings for most league goals in a single season (in FM) since the Gerrard era started. Leon Bailey made a late appearance, and marked his return from injury with an assist of his own, dinking a lovely cross right onto the noggin of Ollie Watkins for our final goal of the afternoon. A job well done. Well that was humbling. An abject Boxing Day performance gets the result it deserves. Watford started brightly and took full control. Emmanuel Dennis set up Mavidi for the first, before racing through himself to score the 2nd minutes later. I expected Watford's threat to come from the other flank, and by the time I made changes it was too late. Watford did a great job of mitigating the weakness that is Antonee Robinson, by not playing him. Whilst we did get more of a foothold into the game as it wore on, we never really managed to create any decent chances. No time to lick our wounds however, as we have Nottingham Forest in just over 48 hours time. A good bounce-back win, which owes as much to the mismatch in squad depth as anything else. Both sides made 6 changes, but whilst I was able to call on the likes of Bailey, Buendia and Jacob Ramsey, Nottingham Forest had to turn to Scott McKenna, Richie Laryea and Jonathan Panzo. The difference in quality told, as Ramsey broke from deep to slot home from a Winks through ball, before Toney took full advantage of Joe Worrall's wayward pass to make it 2-0 at the break. Forest did pull one back - an absolute worldy from the edge of the area by Christian Bassagog - but no sooner had they scored, they were 3-1 down. Winks got his second assist of the game, this time putting through Emiliano Garcia to score his first goal for the club. That brings 2024 to a close, and it's definitely been a productive 6 months in charge. The table makes for some very pleasing reading, and I think we can be confident we're competing for a top 7 finish. I'm sure there will be people reading this thinking I'm being insincere or pessimistic. Whilst there's been a lot of deserved wins, we've been very fortunate to pick up points at home against the big clubs. The return fixtures against Liverpool, Man City, Arsenal & Man Utd are all away and we'll be doing very well to come away with 3 points combined from those fixtures. Our luck is also going to change at some point, and those tight games against other top-half teams are likely to see us drop further points. That said, my personal target was to reach 55 points, the amount that Dean Smith managed in his final first season with us, and we look like we're going to smash that pretty comfortably. Next up: a midseason data review and transfer plans.

The Good In a talented, albeit aging, Beşiktaş side, Jaden Philogene-Bidace is more than holding his own. He's had 3 starts in those 11 appearances, and even has some Champions League experience under his belt. Whilst he's not setting the world alight, he's getting game time, and performing well enough. He's probably the player that developed the most during Gerrard's tenure, having been away on loan at Stoke and then Bristol City. His lack of determination is probably the main thing holding him back, but otherwise he's a firm part of my plans going forward, and would've been part of the squad this season if I felt I could've moved on Watkins without any major disruption. Cameron Archer has had the completely opposite experience. Once his loan to Preston had ended, he was left to sit in the reserves without even a cup appearance to his name. As a result the loan to Minnesota was his first taste of regular first team football in 2 years, and he's been okay. Like Philogene-Bidace, he hasn't been sensational, but 2 goals in 7 games and a 7+ average rating is a decent return. He'll be returning in January, as the loan was until the end of the MLS season. Unfortunately the season has concluded already, so he'll play no games throughout December and is likely to return a little short on condition but, once that's been worked on, he'll likely take Emiliano Garcia's spot on the bench. Given the lack of game time over the last couple of years, I can't help but feel he's going to fall short of his potential, but thankfully he has some standout attributes that should mean he can still contribute. Elite pace and finishing is a solid combo for any striker, so I still have reasonable hopes If we ignore the standard of competition provided by the Nigeria Professional Football League, then Tim Iroegbunam is the stand-out loanee so far. 2 goals and 3 assists in 11 games is a pretty nice return for a player I would've otherwise expected to contribute more defensively. This is his second season on loan to Nigeria, after spending time at Enyimba Aba the year before, and his performances are improving. I think he may have been given a little boost in January's data update, as he has more potential than I remember him having when FM22 was first released - although that could just be luck of the roll against one of those pesky random range PAs. Despite the positive performances, it's got to be noted that his attribute distribution is a little all over the place, and I'm not sure he's got the talent to usurp our more attacking options, nor the discipline to play in a more defensive role. The Bad Much like in real life, Louie Barry's career seems to have sputtered ever since those FA Cup heroics against Liverpool. Now at Rotherham, he's failed to get many games under his belt, thanks in part to a couple of injuries which have essentially robbed him of the last 2 months. He can perform at League One level, as shown by a solid loan at Walsall a couple of years ago, but he failed to make the step up in the Championship for Barnsley last season. He did make his return from injury 2 days ago, so we'll see how the season pans out for him, but it's looking increasingly likely that he's not quite going to make the grade. He's considered a better prospect than Archer, has decent attributes, and still is only 21, so maybe I shouldn't be writing him off just yet. Joining Barry at Rotherham is Aaron Ramsey who, despite no injury woes, has only managed 2 substitute appearances. These are his first senior games since an underwhelming loan spell at Cheltenham in 2021/22. With potential a possible 3.5 stars, it looks like he might have not been completely underrated, but his lack of a mental game is a severe hinderance. He's not going to make at Villa in this universe, and I have serious doubts he'll ever be even a Championship calibre player. The Ugly A much celebrated signing from Fleetwood Town as a youngster, Josh Feeney, is not going to make the grade. Whilst he is currently my 6th choice centre-back, in case of emergencies, that speaks more to the dearth of young defensive talent in this team. He has absolutely zero technical ability. In situations like that, you've got to hope he's an absolute man mountain and, whilst it would be unfair to expect a 19-year old to compare to his more senior peers, he is not that. Caolan McBride and Kyrie Pierre are the only other players remaining from the U19s squad at the beginning of the game, and neither are troubling the first team anytime soon. The real ugliness, however, lies in the other prospects who are no longer with the club. Ben Chrisene was sold at the earliest opportunity, and is currently part of Bournemouth's U23s. Dominic Revan is currently plying his trade at League One's Burton, whilst his brother, Seb, is unable to get a game for Hartlepool. Arjan Raikhy, who I thought was really impressive in our 2021 FA Youth Cup victory, left on a free for Bengaluru. Ajani Burchall had shown no signs of development and is now at Coventry in League One, whilst I had to release Sil Swinkels and Lamare Bogarde as they were unable to get work permits. The same might have been the case for keepers Ákos Onódi and Viljami Sinisalo who were sold to Honvéd and SCP07 respectively. Finally, as mentioned before, Kerr Smith's contract was left to expire, and by the time I inherited the squad he had already agreed a move to Hibernian despite looking like a genuine talent. Sure, most of these players probably weren't going to become Premier League regulars. Some, like Iroegbunam, will have certainly had an awkward distribution of attributes that made it unlikely they'd be able to fulfil a specific role. Others, like Aaron Ramsey, may have lacked the mental fortitude to ever make use of any technical talent they might possess. Nonetheless, they are almost all 21 or younger, and should really still be within the club's system in some capacity.

We're Unstoppable... In only has 6th game for us, Ivan Toney has already matched last season's goal output. It's somewhat of a relief that his poor scoring exploits in the Premier League seem to have been tactical rather than ability. His penalty put us 2-0 up before half-time, after Bailey had opened the scoring, latching on to a first-time through ball by John McGinn. Manor Solomon pulled one back for Brighton early in the 2nd half, and they can probably feel hard done by to have not got an equaliser. Despite the win this was easily the most frustrating game so far. Brighton manager Andrea Pirlo seems to be an impatient man, changing positions and formations what felt like every 5 minutes. There was a 4-4-2, a 4-2-3-1 and a 5-2-1-2 at various points of the game. Alexis Mac Allister played as a BWM, AP, MEZ and DLP. It felt like an exhausting game of cat-and-mouse. He might've lost, but Pirlo won the mind games. F*** that guy! Oh, also Rensch finished the game with 3 tackles (100%) and 4 interceptions. It's only 1 game, but a good sign nonetheless. A good performance almost marred by wasteful finishing. The McGinn-Bailey partnership was again crucial, as our Jamaican star raced onto a delightful ball over the top in the 43rd minute to slot home. Whilst Bailey and Toney both contrived to miss from inside the 6 yard box, it was otherwise a pretty complete performance, despite a clear game plan by Southampton to disrupt our rhythm through fouling. 6 yellow cards for the Saints, and I feel like they got away lightly. Rodon once again stepped in for an injured Zabarnyi whilst Grifo reprised his starting role whilst Buendia recovers. Bad team are bad. Unlike Fulham, this isn't some kind of tactical suicide, Blackburn just don't have any players of the required quality for this league. Craig Dawson, Luke Ayling and Solly March may have been okay as squad players in their prime, but they're not in their prime anymore and are arguably Blackburn's best players. We'd been forced into a few changes, too, with Bailey picking up a thigh strain whilst on international duty and Matty Cash suspended for 5 yellow cards. Buendia returned and excelled in the Trequartista role, setting up 2 goals - the opener for Watkins and Toney's 2nd in what would be a 4-goal haul. His first was a penalty in the 10th minute, that put us 2-0. Two more goals early in the 2nd half - a header from a Lewis cross, and a cheeky dink over the onrushing keeper after Watkins through ball - put us firmly in coast mode for the rest of the game, as we looked to conserve energy in the build up to the Man City game. A word about Ollie Watkins. He got the start today, as the natural choice up top whilst Bailey is out injured. His goal and assist brings his tally to 5 combined in 10 appearances (7 from the bench). Yet somehow he was again offside 5 times. He has the 11th most offsides in the league despite not being a starter. It felt like the only times he was able to time his run correctly, it resulted in a goal. At 28, he's unlikely to develop much, but training focus on Attacking Movement is a priority. Our 6-game win streak is over. And deservedly so. Man City were too much for us and should've won by more had it not been for a heroic performance from Meret. Lewandowski was the catalyst, playing in Haaland and Sterling for goals either side of half time. Both were absolute clinical strikes, powered into the top corner. We rallied late in the game, and a flurry of chances certainly means the stat line flatters us a little. We did restrict De Bruyne to only 1 key pass. So that's something at least. Arsenal have jumped above us, but we hold onto 3rd place as, despite them comprehensively beating us, Man City had a pretty indifferent November. With Tottenham, Chelsea and Man Utd all stuttering (the latter have just sacked their manager, Zinedine Zidane), it looks like European places might be achievable. There's just the small matter of 7 games in December, and then we'll probably have a good idea of where we stand. This is likely to be the biggest test of my decision to go with a relatively small squad, and I'll be keen to see how things shake out when I can't put as much focus during the week on training specifically for the upcoming game.

Lies, Damned Lies & Statistics (and some other stuff) We're roughly 25% of the way through the season, so this feels like an appropriate time to reflect on how things are going and have a look at some data. I want to start by taking a closer look at Devyne Rensch and how we've made some tweaks to one of our formations based on his performances. With a rating of 6.7 in the Premier League, he is by far and away our "worst" performer, yet he is essentially doing exactly what I want him to do. He's keeping possession ticking over and winning his tackles. Even though the aerial part of his game is a known weakness, he's even winning a respectable 71% of his headers. Whilst his tackle success rate is perfect, it is worth noting that he is only averaging 1 tackle and 2 interceptions per 90 minutes. Part of this can be attributed to his low aggression, and instructions to close down less when we're out of possession, but he's definitely lagging behind our other wing-backs in terms of his ability to win back to the ball, whilst being considerably more reliable in possession. Ultimately, he's winning the ball more than he loses it, and that can only be a good thing, but we'd certainly like to see more from him. There's also basically no creative output from him whatsoever. Whilst his job is to primarily recycle possession, he's got decent enough vision, passing, etc... to at least be a little bit more progressive. Again, tactically I've hindered him, as all wing-backs have Take Fewer Risks as an instruction. This can be really useful for a regular wing-back, who may at times find themselves isolated on the flank and try to do too much, but doesn't seem quite as necessary for an IWB. With all that in mind, and considering the comment of @13th Man, there's been a slight adjustment to the IWB Left variant of my tactic. Gone is the Take Fewer Risks instruction, and in it's place Rensch will be advised to Tackle Harder. More over, he's been swapped to a defend mentality, whilst the WCB, which will ostensibly be fulfilled by Tyrone Mings, has been changed to support, helping reduce that gap that can occur between those two players but also (hopefully) allowing each to play more to their strengths. This does mean, sometimes, we'll end up building up in more of a 2-3-5 formation. Hopefully this means we'll be able to be a little bit more situationally dynamic, but I'll have to keep on an eye out for the impact this has on our defensive shape, especially in transition. Onto those damned statistics now, and it's a good time to take a look at how we compare in the division: Pretty good reading, right!? We lead the league in Shots on Target % and Fewest Goals Conceded Per Game, whilst performing well above average in all areas. Well, all areas but 1. We have the worst Tackles Won Ratio in the league, and have made the 2nd fewest tackle attempts only behind Liverpool. This would be fine if we were playing a high possession system, but at this point we've averaged 51%. This doesn't necessitate any tactical changes right now, as we're doing a reasonable job of restricting teams in a more disengaged manner - we're 5th for clearances, 6th for blocks and 9th for interceptions. However it is worth noting that only 3 other teams have higher numbers in both those areas, and there all teams that are expected to fight for relegation. I think it would be fair to conclude that good teams - and by that I mean teams who are consistently in the top-half - don't rely on last ditch interventions as their primary defensive approach. This is definitely something to keep an eye on as the season progresses, and I fear it may result in my wing-backs having to engage more, and looking at other ways to keep the flanks protected. Time for a quick glance at the xG table. We're outperforming expectations both offensively and defensively, but it seems on the balance of things we're in roughly the right place so far. It's quite nice, after their attacking woes a few years ago IRL, to see Brighton almost doubling their xG! Although I can't be too enthusiastic about that, as we face them next. Finally, as with my other write-ups this year, I've made use of Google Data Studio to help display some info. Currently I've just added player profiles whilst I have a think on how I want to display other stats/data. If you want to see a bit more info on a player, this might be the easiest place to find it (rather than having to look through the thread to see if I've uploaded a screenshot yet!). I've tried to keep the layout slightly consistent with the skin, so unfortunately that means attributes are still obscured! Link here (and I've added it to the opening post, too)

Bouncey, Trouncey, Ouncey, Pouncey, Fun, Fun, Fun, Fun, Fun Not overly keen about facing Arsenal after defeat last time out, but once that's out the way we enter into a run of games that are considerably more winnable. Hopefully we'll be able to bounce back and put together some good results against Notts Forest & Fulham. Welcome to the Matty Cash show. The Polish wing-back was sensational, making 5 key passes, one of which was a delightful cut-back to Chukwuemeka around the penalty spot which opened the scoring late in the first half, and gave the 20-year old his first senior goal. The key moment was 10 minutes after the break, when Cash raced onto McGinn's through ball into the channels, shrugged off the challenge from Bukayo Saka and fired an absolute rocket of a strike into the top corner from just inside the area. More impressively, however, we restricted the league's top scorers to a whopping 0 shots on target. Zabarnyi was immense, going toe-to-toe with Joaquin Correa all game long, holding the Argentinian to just one shot, which he duly blocked. A great bounce-back win, and we head into the international break on a high. Rodon comes into the starting lineup, after Zabarnyi picked up a minor knock during International duty. We were effective with the ball, carving Forest open on multiple occasions; Buendia sent Toney racing through from deep for a deserved opener. Bailey doubled the lead early in the 2nd half after he was played in by Chukwuemeka. With a lot of tiring players, through a mixture of international exertion and some strong Forest tackling, we took our foot of the proverbial throttle after our second goal - dropped the tempo and played within ourselves a little more. Forest did throw everything at us, mustering up 60% of their shots in the last 20 minutes or so, although nothing so significant to cause concern. Fulham played a huge part in kickstarting our summer, paying £31.5m for Matthew Targett and Danny Ings. Both players had a miserable time as we ran absolute riot. 2 goals and an assist for Ramsey's opener, was enough to give Leon Bailey a perfect 10.0 rating. His second goal, a well timed run onto a perfectly weighted Mings through ball, being the best of the day. Watkins came on early to replace an injured Buendia and scored a late 4th, before Toney wrapped up the win with out first goal from outside the box this season. Whilst I was wary of the potential this game had for an upset, I shouldn't have been concerned. Fulham's combination of inverted wingers, wingbacks, a mezzala and an advanced playmaker all behind deep-lying forward, Ings, made for a bizarre tactic that somehow simultaneously had 6 attackers, and yet none. All 5 of their shots were from about 25 yards out (2 of them free-kicks). They're a shoe-in for relegation. The last game in October saw us return once more to Bramley-Moore Dock Stadium, as we faced Everton in the Carabao Cup. Truth be told, I kinda wanted to lose. We're getting to the point in the season where the fixtures come thick and fast, and I'd be happy for fewer games if possible. This all changed when Grifo laid the ball into the path of Jamal Lewis to give us the lead just before half time. Even more so, when into the final 5 minutes we were still good value for the win. Perhaps it was karma, but Amir Dedic, the inverted left back I largely maligned ahead of our season opener, rifled in an absolute banger of an equaliser with just a few moments left. Penalties ensued, with Meret saving the first from Gauld. Everton were perfect thereafter, and misses from Bailey and Rensch sealed the win for the blue half of Mersey. In a weird way, I got what I wanted. Shame that by that point I'd changed my mind. It was an otherwise perfect month. 3 wins, 3 clean sheets and 9 goals in the Premier League, and the plaudits were coming our way, as Villa players clinched both the Player of the Month and Young Player of the Month awards. It's still too early to draw any conclusions from the league table, but we're amongst exalted company right now. A tricky away trip to Brighton is up next, and a home fixture against Man City looms at the end of November, so I very much doubt this run of form is going to last much longer. But let's enjoy it whilst we can!

Looking, once again, very finely poised. Those away games you picked out certainly look to be the possible spoilers, and it's a shame that arguably the three best opposition remaining for you are all away fixtures. But, still looks very achievable!

3 seems to be that magic number. It's like the game knows your intention and strings it out for as long as possible!

Back to Reality With the squad now set until January, there's nothing left to do but get on with it. A home game against big spenders, Newcastle, is sandwiched between trips to London to face Chelsea and Tottenham. I doubt we'll maintain our 100% record, but I think if we continue as we have so far, we should be able to pick up at least 4 points. Our first defeat of the season, and a deserved one at that. Chelsea dominated the first half and took the lead on the half hour mark, when Havertz's run was found by Lukaku and the German forward eased the ball into the bottom corner from just inside the area. Matty Cash was the responsible defender, but it's difficult to be too hard on him. Deployed as the IWB on the left hand side, he was both playing out of position and given the mammoth responsibility of marking Havertz when I know full well that the defensive side of his game isn't exactly his strength. In hindsight, Mings might've been the better option, but I didn't want to lose him from the centre of our defence. We rallied in the 2nd half, though, and Buendia twice struck the woodwork. I can hardly bemoan our luck after the start we've had to the season and it was ultimately a fair result. Watkins struggled up front again, and I'll be happy to have Toney available for our next game against Newcastle. Back to winning ways against an inconsistent Newcastle side currently managed by Erik Ten Hag. For all the big bucks, they've yet to finish in European places and defeat leaves them with only 4 points in their opening 5 games. It was actually quite an even first half, but once Jacob Ramsey opened the scoring on 49 minutes - a neat volley from just inside the area after a Bailey knock-down - the floodgates opened. Ivan Toney dinked the ball past Uğurcan for a debut goal against the team he made his first ever Premier League appearance against, before substitute Grifo headed home from close range in the dying moments. Carabao Cup time, and a chance to give some of the fringe players a game. Felt like a friendly, with us 3-0 up at half time courtesy of a brace from Grifo and after Watkins had given us the lead. Bristole Rovers had a couple of chances in the 2nd half, but by that point our thoughts were already on to the next round. I was able to bring Jamal Lewis on at half time for his first game since a back injury and it couldn't be better timing, as Matty Cash looks like he might be out for the next 2 weeks. Everton away in the next round. This one stung a little. Tottenham maintain their 100% record to start the season, with Andrea Belotti having an absolute field day. The 30-year-old striker, laid on the opener for Kane before bagging a brace for himself, but all 3 goals were avoidable. Zabarnyi will shoulder a lot of the blame, especially for misjudging the flight of a long ball forward for the 2nd goal, but our defensive rotations were generally poor throughout. When one of the WCBs engaged, Zabarnyi would shift across (as he should), but the 3rd defender time and time again didn't do their part. It's something to keep an eye - as I can't be certain if this is a flaw with the tactic, a limitation of the ME, or just players still familiarising themselves with the system. Toney did bring us level for a bit, from the penalty spot, which ultimately inflated our xG, but I otherwise thought we went toe-to-toe with Spurs and could've got a draw if not for defensive errors. That wraps up September. Only 3 points from a possible 9, but considering who we've faced so far I can't be too disappointed. That leaves us 8th after 6 games, although it's far too early to really assess the table. We've got Arsenal next, but after that the fixtures get a bit easier, and it'll be nice to see how we fare against teams that are considered around the same level as us.

Deadline day is upon us, and I finally have a semblance of a plan. The will-I-won't-I try and sell Ollie Watkins issue has been resolved. There appears to be no firm interest in him and, with his high station in the squad as a Team Leader, it looks like he's going to be a part of the squad going forward. I still want to pursue a more physical presence up front, and I'm wary of the knock-on effect that will have for some of the youngsters. As a result Philogene-Bidace and Archer have been listed for loan. They both have a part to play in my long term plans, but I'd rather they get first team opportunities elsewhere and come back as part of the squad next season. Ivan Toney remains my first choice, and he is now transfer listed by request. Unfortunately, that also means there is plenty of interest in him from better teams, most notably Leicester and AC Milan. Otherwise, there's been some interest in Rensch and Meret, and I'll see if bids are forthcoming. Despite his recent red card, I'm keen to keep Rensch around. He's young and can be play in multiple positions, and I hope he can be a key part of what we're trying to do. I'd similarly like to keep Meret, but I'm open to a deal if RB Leipzig are willing to exceed his market value. I've earmarked Nantes' Alban Lafont and Chelsea's Kepa as possible replacements if needs be. Before any of that, however, the first deals have been finalised for the youngsters: Surprisingly, both have gone abroad (into un-simulated leagues), but should get a lot of game time this season. As always, I'm sure the board will be unhappy with the lack of financial benefits from the Philogene-Bidace loan, but that's just the way things are. Of course with those moves wrapped up, that really adds to the pressure of making sure I get someone in. There's 11 hours remaining, but I don't want to move too soon and get usurped by those bigger clubs. Interest has waned in Rensch and Meret, and the only player getting attention right now is Joe Rodon. Everton are the ones snooping around, although they've recently signed Omar Aldrete so I doubt they'll make a bid. On the Ivan Toney front, Leicester and AC Milan are no longer interested. With 6 hours remaining, and only Notts Forest, Burnley and Crystal Palace as competition, now seems as good as ever to give my DOF the green light. £32m might seem a steep price for a player who only managed 5 goals in the Premier League last season as Brentford were relegated. For that reason, it's probably best I make a confession. I wanted Villa to sign Toney back in 2020 whilst he was still at Peterborough. I have a friend who supports Posh and I've been to a few of their games and he stood head and shoulders above the rest. Instead, we went for Ollie Watkins who, in fairness, had just had an excellent season of his own converting from a winger to play as a striker. Nonetheless, this is my way of righting a perceived wrong. That is, of course, assuming we get the deal done. Whilst we wait, Swansea and Wigan have made loan bids for Kaine Kessler Hayden, which have been rejected. Might be very short-sighted, but he is pretty much guaranteed to start the next game with Lewis injured and Rensch suspended. Realistically, he's the fourth choice wing-back, but the 3-4-3 is pretty brutal for that position, so I still expect him to get decent game time even when all players are available. With 2 hours to go, we've got our man. Welcome Ivan... Whilst the fee is high, I think José Boto has done a good job on the contract negotiations. £68k p/w for a starting striker feels cheap, and there's no wage rises or release clause. Pretty solid business. It's the 2nd biggest Premier League deal of the day, only behind Man Utd's £41m signing of 23-year-old Austrian centre back Emanuel Aiwu, although more than double what Leicester have paid for everyone's favourite wonderkid Benjamin Sesko. Nonetheless, I'm happy, and that wraps up the transfer window. As mentioned early in the process, I wanted to trim the squad down, and feel that's been achieved. It's a 23-man squad, with some of those players unlikely to see much game time - most notably 3rd choice keeper, Lovre Kalinic, and 6th choice centre-back, Josh Feeney. Whilst some players are able to play multiple positions, and my personal depth chart likely to look a little different to this, below is the Squad Depth for the season: This should be good enough for mid-table and, if we can keep our luck going, I think there's a decent chance of sneaking a top-10 finish. With only 3 players over 30 (Mings, Kalinic & Grifo), there's a pretty good balance of players in their prime and some still developing, so hopefully this can be the core of the team for the next few seasons. Realistically, if we want to start pushing for Europe, I do feel we're going to need to improve at wing-back, and I'd definitely like an elite central midfielder (wouldn't we all) to eventually replace John McGinn. Next up, Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

We've definitely had the rub of the green and could quite easily be looking at only 3 points rather than the 9 amassed so far. I think I would've probably felt hard done by if we'd lost both the Everton and Liverpool games, but wouldn't necessarily have been able to complain. A draw in both would've been fair. Definitely agree on the gap between the CB and WB; quite frankly, it makes me nervous. But...so far, at least...it hasn't actually caused any major problems. When opposition have been able to switch play, the back 3 are usually able to shift across quickly and reset their shape. I can't help but have a feeling though there's going to be one game where it all comes crashing down. In fact, I think all it might take is an opposition winger with the Likes to Switch Play to Wide Areas trait and that gap is going to be seriously tested.

Jesus - the lines on that pass map are almost too wide! Sensational result, and what a fitting end to the career. Congratulations!

Something about that blindside run onto a pass dissecting two defenders that's just delicious! Definitely agree, though, that team moves are far more satisfying than solo efforts. Also, Löehmannsröeben looks a good addition, and a very fun name to say (less so to spell). Hopefully those bounce-back wins after the Cottbus game will be enough to wrestle back momentum and keep top spot. What does the run in look like?

Pull The Trigger After the last game, I had a nagging concern about the CB position. The fact that I felt I couldn't trust Pinnock against someone like Calvert-Lewin expedited my plan to sign a new centre-back. I noticed that Tottenham were no longer showing an interest in Illia Zabarnyi, so my DOF was given the green light to do what it takes to get him. I don't know if I'd missed an email, or it was kept private, but it transpired that Lazio had already submitted a bid. Thankfully, with a war chest bolstered by our summer clear out, we were able to meet Dinamo Kyiv's asking price and Lazio dropped out of the race. Terms agreed and work permit granted, Zabarnyi was mine. I have no qualms over the fee, but Jose Boto was definitely feeling generous when it came to wages. Zabarnyi comes in as our highest paid centre-back, surpassing the £85k a week earned by our captain, Tyrone Mings. There's been no complaints from Mings, but I certainly would have had sympathy for him if there were. The deal was wrapped up the day before the Leicester game. He's in good condition, but I will probably give him a little bit of time to acclimate before throwing him into the starting lineup. Pinnock has been transfer listed, and a £2m fee sees him depart for Rennes. The upcoming Leicester game is a bit of an unknown quantity. Antonio Conte was their manager last season, but after England were knocked out by Israel in the 2nd round of the European Championships, Conte was poached for the national team. Vladimir Petkovic, the former Levante manager, was appointed Leicester Manager 2 days before their season opener against Newcastle, an entertaining 0-0 draw. As with Everton, I wanted to try and match up against Leicester's formation as I ultimately thought they were the better team. Mings moved out to DCL and Rodon came in for Edwards at DC. Lewis and Winks came in for Rensch and Chukwuemeka respectively, as they were more appopriate for the formation. It worked a treat, again creating high xG chances whilst conceeding low xG chances. Not really much more I can ask for. Bailey was an absolute menace and could have had 4 goals, had it not been for a tight (but correct) offside and some spurious finishing. McGinn scored an absolutely worldie, carrying the ball from inside his own half before striking it top bins from outside the box. Rensch's red card 3 minutes after coming on as a substitute dampened the mood a little, but we held on comfortably. A Carabao Cup match against a struggling Brentford side was an opportunity to ring the changes. Zabarnyi made his debut, whilst Kaine Kesler Hayden was given the start at RWB and Grifo made his first start in place of Buendia. Watkins scored the winner against his former club, a back post header from a Grifo cross, in an otherwise pretty uninspiring game. Bailey had to come off at half time with a knock to his achilles, and he's touch and go for our next league game against Liverpool. Our reward for victory is a home game against Bristol Rovers. Ollie Watkins kept his place in the starting lineup after the Brentford game, and repaid that faith by constantly being offside. Chukwuemeka once again started alongside McGinn, and it was his cross that took a big deflection of Andy Robertson and nestled inside the near post after 12 minutes. Lewis came off injured shortly after, and with Rensch still suspended, we had to flip the formation and send Cash over to the left wing-back slot. Despite the disruption, we were good value for the lead at half time. Contextually, at least. It was an even contest, and if you can go toe-to-toe with Liverpool, I feel you deserve any luck that comes your way. Salah eventually scored a second-half equaliser, gathering a Henderson cross before side footing it into the far corner. It was the first time Liverpool had the greater xG, but there could be little complaints as it had been coming. Again, the blame probably lands squarely at my feet, as I was slow to react to their changes, which saw Henderson come on and TAA move back to right back, and I hadn't updated Opposition Instructions accordingly. Jacob Ramsey was thrown on in the 76th minute and 4 minutes later he'd picked up some space 25 yards out and played a beautiful through ball to Grifo. The Italian, starting in place of the not-quite-fit Leon Bailey, took a touch before firing high past Alisson. Liverpool could, and should, have equalised - Salah heading straight at Meret from about 4 yards out. That said, we could've scored more ourselves, with Alisson saving from Buendia and Archer late on. It's been a cracking start to the season, especially considering all of our league opponents finished in the top 8 last year. The games have been very open, and it's definitely entertaining. 3 games is not a large enough of a data set to reach conclusions, but we've averaged 0.15xg a chance, which is quite astonishing. The first international break is upon us, and the transfer window closes in the next couple of days, so this seems like a good place to stop for now.

An Implied Behavioural Contract I can neither remember the exact details nor the source, but many years ago I read about how attempts to impress in the early stage of a relationship can create an implied behavioural contract that will often set the tone for its entirety. Not the grand gestures, but the small little things that can almost become a millstone to the relationship. Bringing your significant other coffee in bed every morning, making the same corny joke when a regular thing happens, and so on. As time passes, some of these routines can drop off, and without consciously knowing it can be perceived as an indicator that the love is no longer there (whereas in reality, it's that you forgot or some other event has taken precedent). I don't know how valid the thesis was but, nonetheless, it has me thinking about how sometimes you can set out to do something that you ultimately no is unlikely to continue forever and how, if that isn't communicated, that can be perceived by others. Thankfully, in the world of Football Manager, the players have absolutely no idea about your intentions or efforts outside of the limited interactions the game allows. So when I attend Everton's last friendly in preparation for our season opener against them the following week. there is no implied contract that I will be paying this level of attention to every opponent going forward. Which is good, because whilst I'd love to do this for every game, I'm pretty certain I'm going to get bored of it quickly! But, with that in mind, let's take a look at Everton. Frank Lampard is still in charge, and guided Everton into the Europa Conference League for this season after finishing 7th. They're big signing (that doesn't appear here because it happened before the season change over date) is Pedro Porro from Man City, and with Mykolenko sold, it looks like he'll slot in at right back and Amir Dedic will be playing on the left. As Dedic is right footed and more defensively minded, this makes them quite lopsided - very narrow on the left, and very wide on the right. Watching their 3-0 victory over PSV in pre-season, there was a clear pattern emerging with them building up on the left, playing it back to Abdoulaye Doucoure at MCL, who would then switch play out to the right. Two of their goals were scored from this, so I'll be looking to press whoever plays in that midfield role in the hopes of cutting it off at the source. Everton are also a tall team. Morten Thorsby looks like he will slot in as the more defensive-minded midfielder, and he adds further height to a team that is already likely to feature Calvert-Lewin as a target in the box. I've set extra focus this week in training on the aerial aspect of the game accordingly. Going forward, I'm in two minds: either of the IWB variants are plausible. On one hand, I could play the IWB and W on the right - this is perhaps the more attacking approach, as I'll be looking to exploit Dedic being on his wrong side even though he is defensively quite capable. This would have Bailey as a F9 on the left, who'll be able to drift into the space vacated by Porro, and potentially be a significant threat on the counter attack. It will, however, leave us with only 1 player on that left flank, and that might be too risky with Porro and a winger on that side. The IWB and W on the left would perhaps be more pragmatic, matching up against their formation a lot better, although it means we'll be more reliant on individual brilliance than tactical mismatches for our chances. Given we are the away side, and Everton are better than us, this is likely the route I'll choose (despite being the boring option). This does mean that we might create fewer chances than I'd like, so we'll have to be clinical in front of goal. With all that in mind - here is this week's prep: If we can avoid injuries during the week, this is my likely line-up. Archer gets the reward for his pre-season performance - his goals against a strong Napoli side gives me confidence he might be able to perform against Premier League defences. Chukwuemeka to get the nod ahead of Ramsey, mainly for his height - it's not as if he is particularly good in the air, but the rest of our midfield are definitely vertically challenged. In defence, I'm thinking of handing Ronnie Edwards his debut. As mentioned before, I like his ability to carry the ball out of defence, and whilst Ethan Pinnock impressed me during pre-season, I'm scared about his ability to hold up against Dominic Calvert-Lewin, so I'm keen to deploy Mings in the centre, where his greater athleticism might be needed. Thankfully, the week played out with no incidents, so come match day we were able to see the plan, as intended, in action. An absolutely cracking match to start the season! We rode our luck, most notably with Meret saving Alli's penalty, but there was a lot to be encouraged by. Removing the penalty from the equation, we restricted Everton to 0.07xg per chance, whilst average 0.2xg ourselves. This is kind of what I was expecting going into this game - they were the better team, and we set up to restrict Everton rather than trying to impose our will. We can disappointed that, despite our work on the training field, their goal was scored from a corner. We did, however, respond immediately with Bailey getting a free header inside the 6 yard box to head home Matty Cash's deep cross. Cash could and should have had more assists, as he twice set-up Chukwuemeka who was denied both times by Pickford. The winner came courtesy of a set-piece of our own. Archer rising at the far post to force a good save from Pickford, before smashing home the rebound. I hadn't realised it, but that was Archer's debut in this universe, as he had been left in the U23s by Gerrard up until now. Philogene-Bidace also made only his 2nd senior appearance, coming on for Bailey early in the second half after the Jamaican winger had picked up a slight knock. As identified beforehand, a lot of Everton's chances came from switching play to the right flank, and despite our set-up we can see they had a lot of chances from this side. That said, most of these were in the 2nd half and entirely my fault. In addition to bringing on Philogene-Bidace, Jamal Lewis replaced a tired Matty Cash and I pushed Rensch into the RWB spot. This necessitated a change of roles, which left the other debutant, Ronnie Edwards, too exposed. Everton substitute, Anthony Gordon had a couple of great chances that would've been goals had it not been for Meret's heroics. On another day, I would've been punished for those changes. Eventually, I brought on Winks for Chukwuemeka to help add some more defensive support, and that seemed to be enough to see out the game. Hopefully a lesson learned. There were a couple of moments in the game that really stuck with me, in terms of how I want to see the tactics to play out, that I want to focus a bit more on. Firstly our Chukwuemeka's chance in the opening 5 minutes. Everton had an opportunity to counter, when Sarr switched the ball out to the left and Cash misjudged his header. Rather than pursuing Harit down the wing, Cash dropped back, whilst Konsa came out to engage and the other centre-backs shifted across. Whilst there's a big gap between the LCB and LWB, there's no route for Harit to get the ball there, and Rensch is well positioned to track any run that Sarr might make. Instead Harit's only option is inside to Szymanski. Fortunately for us, Buendia is there to cut out the pass, turn and run down that right flank, draw the Everton defence towards him, before laying it back to Cash. Archer's movement has dragged Mina over and created space for Chukwuemeka to break from deep, and within 8 seconds of Everton losing possession we have a gilt edged chance to score. Cash's delivery was pinpoint, dropping the ball over the defence to about the penalty spot. Pickford was well placed, however, and able to get enough of a touch to keep out Chukwuemeka's volley. Midway through the 2nd half, there was a moment I thought we were in big trouble. At the bottom of the pitch, Everton have two men over. Philogene-Bidace (#35) has abandoned his man and started to move inside. Dedic, who is right footed is in a good position to shift the ball-inside and either play an ambitious ball over the top into that right channel, or square it across to Thorsby who has the space to try and do the same. Buendia is able to apply pressure from inside, however, forcing Dedic to play into Harit on the left wing, and give us time to recover our shape. It's not perfect, as Everton still have a possible overload on the right flank, but there isn't an easy route for the ball to get there. Rensch is now in position to prevent the ball over the top, and the cross field pass is going to give time for Philogene-Bidace to get back into his spot. Instead, Everton have to work the ball through their central midfielders to get Dele Alli on the ball. By that time the overload is gone, and Rensch is able to easily intercept the attempted through ball (although this owes a lot to Alli's poor pass) Of course it didn't all go this well - after all Everton had 21 shots! These were just a couple of moments that stuck out, and I remembered well enough to be able to find again after the game. What's encouraging, however, is that we were effective at denying opportunities for Everton to exploit space when it did open up. There's always going to be space somewhere, but if we can effectively kite the opposition into less dangerous areas and restrict their passing options, we've got a chance of being a lot more defensively solid than I expected. Next up, my home debut, against Leicester (don't worry, next updates will be multiple games in far less detail!)

Something is Better Than Nothing, Right? José Boto was tasked with negotiations for Man City's Irish goalkeeper, Gavin Bazunu. A £1.4m bid and offer of a backup role was enough to prize the youngster from the Etihad, and we have our first signing! A solid back-up, with room to improve, but it's highly unlikely he's ever going to be first choice. He is an improvement on Lovre Kalinic and will likely take a bench spot unless there's a clash with an U23 fixture (I'd prefer he plays for the U23s over sitting on the bench). More importantly, it means I now have 3 goalkeepers as none of the youth prospects looked up to snuff. With pre-season now wrapped up, he remains our only signing, although I do hope to change that. I'll get to that a little later. Until then, a quick look at the friendlies: Let's face it, it's difficult to really determine if things are working in pre-season as the majority of the games are about building fitness and cohesion. Nonetheless, 7 wins and 25 goals is an encouraging sign. Tactically, we looked solid and I was seeing the things I wanted to see. We progressed the ball sensibly, not afraid to pass sideways or backwards if the situation called for it, but when we are able to get one of our attacking players into space, they were looking to drive towards goal. Sadly the Data Hub and/or analytics is a little bit useless for this, as I was often changing between different set-ups multiple times in the game as I looked to see how different players handled different roles. I don't think I've used the Run At Defence instruction ever before now, or, if I have, it's many years ago. The majority of teams I manage end up near the bottom of Dribbles Attempted, and I was looking to rectify this as there are a number of talented dribblers, or "dribbly bois", in the team. An unexpected benefit has been a surfeit of penalties, with us winning a spot kick in each of the last 4 games. It may, of course, just be coincidence. Perhaps surprisingly, the biggest challenge came in the form of Holstein Kiel. They fielded a narrow 5-2-2-1 and our centre-backs seemed to struggle with handling third-man runs from the attacking midfielders. I tried to respond using the HB variant to little success, but instead found some joy by giving some lopsided marking instructions to enable me to have a free man in the back-line. On the left side, where I had a winger, they were responsible for the opposition wing-back, whilst my IWB was given marking instructions on the AMCR. On the right side, my WB was responsible for his counterpart with my F9 given the task of dropping into the midfield to disrupt their deeper options. They did score, but that was more of a reflection of the poor marking skills of 19-year old, 6th choice CB Josh Feeney. Against Barnsley we came up against the same formation, and this time using what we learned we ran out comfortable 3-0 winners against what is, respectfully, a better side that Holstein Kiel. Due to injuries, we did shift to a 3-4-1-2 with a Trequartista behind two Advanced Forwards and used it again in spells against Napoli to good effect. Going forward, I've settled on two/three formations: Whilst I expect there will be some game specific tweaks, I think these are going to represent the main base that I'll be using (there is a flipped version of the first tactic, too). There are some role specific instructions: IWB - Close Down Less, Take Fewer Risks WB - Close Down Less, Take Fewer Risks, Stay Wider CAR - Tackle Harder CM - Dribble More F9 - Move Into Channels AF - Dribble More Of course tactics are only half the battle, and with an opening fixture against Everton just 8 days away, there's quite a few personnel decisions to be made. In defence, Ethan Pinnock has played his way into the starting line-up ahead of Joe Rodon for the middle CB role. Whilst Rodon's average rating has been higher, he's made fewer tackles and Pinnock does a better job of carrying the ball out of defence when the opportunity presents itself. The same could be said of Ronnie Edwards, who has impressed me playing as a WCB. His ability to play in midfield, too, means he's likely to see a reasonable amount of game time. There is one problem, though. Pinnock is unhappy with his game time (a carry over from last season), which is understandable considering he's played 15 games in the last 2 seasons. Whilst he's slated to start, it is a position I'm actively scouting for and it might be best to cash in on interest in him from Sampdoria and Genoa. I've managed to placate him so far, and I'd prefer to keep him around and sell off the Joe Rodon Experience, as he's also attracting interest and will fetch a considerably higher fee. Carney Chukwuemeka and Jacob Ramsey are fighting it out for the CM - Att role (when I use it). With Ramsey missing some games due to injury, Chukwuemeka was impressive both in his ability to break into the box and in his willingness to harass opposition and win the ball-back. His aerial presence in an otherwise diminutive midfield is an additional plus. To be honest, 4 games into pre-season the starting spot was his. Once he returned, however, Ramsey might've wrestled that place back. He's not been as good breaking forward, nor defending, but he's been more effective with the ball - taking advantage of the snowball-effect from beating his man to play in one of the players ahead of him. Neither player appears to be particular special, attribute wise, but both look like they'll be able to contribute this season. Jacob Ramsey Carney Chukwuemeka Up front, Leon Bailey and Emi Buendia are almost certainly going to start every game when fit. Whilst Vincenzo Grifo's stats look amazing, it has been bolstered by penalties and corner assists. Buendia should have had more assists, had it not been for some poor finishing, as he's been excellent at dropping into midfield and playing angled balls over the top for his team-mates. Bailey has just been a joy whether he's played as a False 9 or Winger, seemingly causing problems whoever he's up against. His shooting has been a bit on the wasteful side, but I know that's not the strength of his game. Jaden Philogene-Bidace was also impressive, but is unlikely to get the start ahead of the other three. I do expect him to feature, though. That leaves one spot, and this is probably the biggest conundrum. Ollie Watkins missed the first two games due to an abdominal injury and was working his way back to fitness. In his absence, Cameron Archer was phenomenal - he might've played 40% more minutes, but he scored 200% more goals, including 2 to wrap up the win against Napoli. That alone should be enough to suggest a passing of the guard, but it's key to point out that Watkins has done a much better job of both pressing and maintaining possession. To complicate matters further, Emiliano Garcia, a 20 year-old Mexican signed last season from Puebla, scored twice in just 50 minutes of football. He was away for the Olympics meaning I didn't get much of an opportunity to see him in our system, but there is certainly the possibility that he could move up the pecking order. This quandary, whilst unlikely to be solved by the opening fixture, may be remedied another way. For all of their work-rate and attacking instinct, I do lack an element of physicality up front. I had considered selling Watkins, then decided to keep him, and I'm now starting to favour trying to sell him once more. Although this is dependent on finding the right man for the job. Pietro Pellegri has been suggested by my scouts, and an impressive 25 goals in Ligue 1 last season definitely works in his favour. His injury proneness causes me fewer concerns than it should, as I just see that as an opportunity for the youngsters to get more starts. There are two other players, however, that have also been brought to my attention: Right now, Ivan Toney is my preferred option. Despite being older, and slightly worse both mentally and physically, his better passing and technique feel more appropriate for what I'm trying to do. Both players, however, have the pace and work rate to be effective in my system, and I think they'd both offer the steel I am otherwise missing in the team. Having made wholesale cuts to the squad over the summer, affordability is not an issue, as I sitting rather idly on a £128m transfer budget and a £610k wage budget. An upgrade on Ethan Pinnock is also being scouted, with the shortlist having narrowed to 3 players. It was 4, but whilst I waited for my scouts to do their thing, CSKA Moscow's Igor Diveev signed a new contract. Ilya Zabarnyi Diogo Leite Manuel Akanji The team currently lacks anyone that excels at marking, so Akanji is the obvious choice. He's transfer listed by request and is the most experienced. He's also only got a slight interest. Same for Leite, who according to the scouts is currently the best and also is left footed, which would give me balance/cover for Mings at LCB, too. Zabarnyi is probably the most exciting, given his age and mental acuity. Whilst he is the weakest marker out of the 3, he does have elite concentration which, one could argue, is even more important. He is probably my first choice for those reasons, but he is also courting interest from Tottenham and if they bid for him, I doubt we'll have a chance. For both positions, I'm happy to go into the season with what I've got and exercise some patience. With years of regression, I am wary that Villa are in a weak negotiating position compared to other Premier League teams, so I'm hoping that I may be able to pick one of these guys up on transfer deadline day by leaving other teams little to no time to react. It's a risky strategy, not just because it isn't guaranteed to succeed, but also because it gives me very little opportunity to offload the players they would likely replace. Next up...the season is finally here.

Yeah I was tempted to do as you said, in making the wingbacks close down more, but as I'm not really relying on any truly defensive midfielders, I think I'm going to need them to drop back quickly. In my head I imagine it almost like a cantilever when we lose the ball. The wing-backs drop as the central midfielders come up to engage the counter-press. This may actually make things worse, as that's a lot of central pressing, which might encourage the opposition to go wide. Although with my wing-backs dropping back maybe that's okay. I'm confusing myself now! Correct with the HB, too. I'm keen to maintain that 3-2-5 approach, and with Tyrone Mings already having runs with ball down the left, I envision he will essentially act more like a traditional wing-back. The HB can drop in to form the back-three, whilst the DLP and IWB create the midfield pivot. Theories and practice, however, don't always go hand-in-hand, and the one time I did employ this in pre-season it didn't quite work. Mings did provide the attacking width I wanted, but the IWB didn't seem to tuck in as much as I expected and the two got in each others way. There seemed to be the space for the IWB, too, so it might just be a case of tweaking a couple of things. Some good news, then! - Ramsey, Chukwuemeka (sorry!), Philogene-Bidace and Archer all look like they're going to feature in some capacity after impressive pre-season performances. Kaine Kessler and Josh Feeney are also in the senior squad now, and whilst Kessler will get some game time, I don't think Feeney is ready yet. Ideally, I would've been included Kerr Smith as well, but his contract was allowed to expire by my predecessors and Hibs snapped him up on a pre-contract deal. I'm pretty gutted about that as he's looking like he's going to develop into a pretty decent player I wasn't going to write about this save, initially, as I'm only just getting back into FM and I'm not sure of the longevity of it with 23 around the corner, however... ...it looks like I'm going to be working in India around the time the beta/full game is released, so I'm not going to be able to get wrapped up in the hype as I inevitably do each year. With that in mind, I might not buy FM23 as soon as I get back, so they're could be some legs in this yet. It's all ifs and buts at the moment, but I'll guess I'll find out when it happens!

A Summer of Change When Gerrard was shown the door, his backroom staff left with him. Gone was Gary McAllister, Michael Beale and Tom Culshaw. It was clear that the buck stopped him with him. Or, so it was thought. Shortly after, DOF, Johan Lange was also given his marching orders along with almost the entire recruitment and medical team. All of their contracts were due to expire at the end of the season, and now seemed like a good opportunity to make wholesale changes. I was quick to promote Sean Verity and Mile Jedinak from the U18 coaching set-up to Senior Assistant Manager and coach respectively; whilst Mark Harrison was the only senior member of staff (HoYD) to have his contract extended. Sean Verity had been part of the backroom setup since 2007, seeing the development of players like Jack Grealish, Jacob Ramsey and Carney Chukwuemeka. Jedinak had joined as a player in 2016 and played a pivotal part in our return to the Premier League, eventually taking up a coaching role after his retirement. Keeping those guys around was important to maintain a little semblance of continuity whilst I wait for the job applications to come in. 6 weeks and 23 new hires later, we have a backroom staff. There are 3 hires, in particular, that I hope will shape things to come. Firstly, Guillermo Amor, the former Barcelona player and director - I'm hoping his La Masia education will shine through in his scouting focus, and we'll see a plethora of technically talented youngsters unearthed to help catapult us back up the league. José Boto comes in as Director of Football, having previously been an integral part of the set-ups at Benfica, Shakhtar and PAOK. Like Amor, he has a penchant for passing Tiki-Taka football, and I'm hoping to that we can align the backroom staff all towards a common goal. And that brings me to Björn Hamberg - he's followed Graham Potter all the way from Ostersunds, and will play a key part in coaching the mental aspect of the game. Guillermo Amor José Boto Björn Hamberg Whilst the staffing overhaul was underway, a similarly ruthless approach was being taken with the players. Those players identified in the previous post were transfer listed and offered out to bidders. I did have a change of heart when it came to Ollie Watkins however. Or, perhaps more specifically, I noticed he was considered a Team Leader and I chickened out. We found suitors for every other player, with Douglas Luiz being the only player I had to compromise on asking price. 14 players sold or released (Smith, Nakamba, Wesley and Traore arranged before I took over), £102m received. Not a single player signed, although a £1.4m bid has been tabled for Man City's Gavin Bazunu to join as 3rd choice/U23s goalkeeper. If Bazunu joins, that will bring the senior squad to 23 players (including the few youngsters I want to have in and around the first team), which is a much more manageable size as far as I'm concerned. New contracts were given to Leon Bailey (removed a release fee clause) and Emi Buendia (stave away interest from Arsenal) who I hope will be the two players I build the team around. Tyrone Mings was also extended, whilst youngsters Cameron Archer, Aaron Ramsey and Carney Chukwuemeka were also tied up on long term deals. We've yet to reach pre-season, but things are going to plan. And things going to plan means, I can unleash my tactical revolution upon the unsuspecting world. "Tactical revolution" might have been hyperbole, but sometimes you have to be your own cheerleader. It's pretty straightforward, in possession I want us to progress the ball methodically whilst giving the attacking players the freedom to do their own thing. With intentions to utilise a 3-2-5 in build up, I have bodies up top to engage in counter-pressing, although there will be some slight quirks in how we plan to approach this. The biggest thing, however, is that the formation and roles are likely to change depending on players available and who we're playing against. As such it's difficult to provide one tactic here, but below are some of the combinations I'm thinking of trying at various points throughout the season: In all scenarios, however, the wing-backs are instructed to Close Down Less. Despite the counter-press, I am aware that the flanks are vulnerable and I want them to drop back when we lose the ball, leaving the onus on the double pivot to help apply pressure alongside the strikers. Ignoring the final example, the 3 at the back are expected to stay deep, providing spacing for recycling the ball and protection for when we do lose possession. With that extra man in the backline, there is less of a need for a defensive minded midfielder. There's a risk we're going to conceded quite a few goals, but I'm confident we'll be able to score a far few, too. The tactic also sees the return of my much beloved off-set false 9s which have, without a doubt, become my favourite role in this year's game. Initially a response to the combat the ease with which opposition players were keeping Inverted Wingers on the outside, I've found the false 9 to be a great way to get my technical wingers into the half space and able to drive either inside or out depending on the situation. Whenever a player lines up in either the STCR or STCL slot, they'll also be required to defensively mark the opposition full-back, helping to give protection down the exposed flank. Of course this is all theory at the moment. A pre-season training camp in Germany is mere days away and, as always, that should give a lot of insight into how the above might change. I expect that the key to success here will be flexibility, and this is why I want to build around Bailey and Buendia. Both are technically capable and can fill multiple roles within the attacking third. I see Bailey being able to play as a Winger, a False 9 or an Advanced Forward. There may even be some situations where he's played as an Inside Forward off the right. Buendia slots in more as a False 9 or Trequartista, as well as a winger on the right. Watkins can even shift out into one of those wider roles in case I need a more physical presence through the middle. Leon Bailey Emi Buendia Whilst those two will hopefully be the stars of the show, I'm a sucker for the squad players that really help to give you options. The real driving force behind this approach is Devyne Rensch. He's a completely average player (with scope for growth) who is comfortable with both feet and can play a number of positions. He's not strong enough aerially, however, to play CB, and his crossing is poor. This makes him a great candidate as an IWB or in a supporting CM role. As with the first tactic example, an IWB on the left gives me the opportunity to push Bailey out wide and create space for someone like Jacob Ramsey to take on a more attacking role from the central midfield position. For attacking versatility, I have Vincenzo Grifo. He's not a player I think I'd ever sign, and he's unlikely to start many games, but he looks like he can be an impact player from the bench in a multitude of positions, and I'm looking forward to seeing how that will allow me to tweak things during games. Devyne Rensch Vincenzo Grifo Nothing left to do now, but play out pre-season...

Just caught up, and a lot has happened. Really glad to see that Hasenhutl and Mijnans have made the move with you - there's always something satisfying about seeing those kind of relationships grow.

I've finally caught up. What a fantastic journey - and glad to see that there might be an opportunity to one-up the "emotional peak"!

Cheers, glad to be back (the usual work/life getting in the way) - I'm reading through the other threads at the moment. Ironic that I've managed to return in time for Ben to wrap up his big save. It actually took me 3 days to set up this save. Essentially on holidaying 1 week at a time, in case he was appointed at a different club. First couple of times, he got sacked within the first season, and I felt that wasn't enough of a wait. Then, we he finally survived the first season, he seemed untouchable. There wasn't even a hint of pressure in the season he finished 15th, and with the board seemingly placated after the win against Liverpool, I thought he'd managed to keep the job for at least another summer.

A Hero Returns With the club in turmoil, Villa's next managerial appointment is truly make-or-break. Julen Lopetegui was by far the most high-profile candidate, but has no experience of English football, Marco Silva has gone through 7 clubs in the last 10 years and Gabriel Heinze hasn't had many suitors since leaving Atlanta United in 2021. MK Dons manager, Liam Manning, has a growing reputation, but what has he actually achieved? With the Gerrard experiment having failed, there was a growing nostalgic sentiment for Dean Smith amongst large portions of the fan base. Sure, towards the end of his tenure and after Grealish had been sold, Villa lacked an identity. The same fans who are now remembering him fondly, were the ones clamouring for his dismissal. But hindsight is a wonderful thing. Villa had made a statement with the signings of Buendia, Bailey, Coutinho, etc... and there was great optimism that the team could push for European qualification, and Smith just hadn't shown that he was the man to do that. But, he was one of us. A Villa fan. Part of the Claret & Blue army. No-one could deny his affinity with the Villa faithful and, in an age where fans feel increasingly disconnected from their teams, this was invaluable. With this in mind, the Villa board turned their hand to finding someone whose connection to the club runs deep. Step forward, Ian Taylor. A lifelong fan, and iconic former player was the perfect candidate. As club ambassador, he was already well regarded within the Villa hierarchy, and having completed his training badges in secret, he was ready to be their saviour in this time of need. Of course, it is not without risk. Taylor has no managerial experience and the fans' grace will only last so long if results are not forthcoming. A Squad in Stagnation With 3 seasons having passed, it would be expected that there has been a lot of changes to their squad. Whilst there's been a lot of movement, perhaps the most telling situation is that the Best XI I've inherited is not far removed from what I would've expected at the beginning of the game: Alex Meret, Jamal Lewis and Ianis Hagi come in for Emi Martinez, Lucas Digne and Phillipe Coutinho respectively. In each scenario, these players were signed after their predecessors were sold. I think it would be fair to say that all 3 are a downgrade. Whilst none of them are bad players, it's pretty easy to see why the team has regressed over the last 3 years. And this isn't through a lack of trying. Looking just at the senior team, 13 players have been signed and 13 have been sold (3 of which are future transfers). There are some good players, too. Devyne Rensch and Ronnie Edwards are both young and versatile whilst Harry Winks is an upgrade (in my opinion) on Douglas Luiz. Vincenzo Grifo looks like a really good squad player, too. Here's a summary of the changes: One of the most noticeable things is we have a very large squad. When I include youngsters who I would want to have in and around the first team, there's 31 players in the senior squad. That is, without a doubt, too many. Whilst I have a sizeable war chest - £52m (185k wages) - I'd be keen to cut the squad down first before strengthening. Generally speaking, I consider 4 groupings for outfield players; DEF (centre backs), WB (full backs and wing backs), MID (defensive midfielders, central midfielders and attacking midfielders) and ATT (wingers and strikers). In this current squad, we have 13 players I would consider belonging to ATT which is not just excessive, but perhaps embarrassing considering the teams underwhelming attacking performances. This is going to be the area with the most casualties. I am actually happy with my DEF, whilst WB and MID just need a little trimming. Obviously this all depends on finding buyers for the deadwood, but my current intentions is to play a 3-4-3. In an ideal world, the squad would end up looking like this (with some players being able to play in multiple positions if needed): Ethan Pinnock and Ollie Watkins would be further casualties if I can find the right marquee players to replace them. This does mean, however, there are a lot of candidates I'm trying to push out the door: Purple (contract expiring) Red (transfer list) Green (loan list) One thing is for sure - it promises to be an interesting summer. I tend to veer more towards evolution than revolution, so being in a situation where an overhaul is needed brings a nice challenge to the table. Furthermore, the backroom is looking pretty empty, and with the self-imposed restrictions in place, I'm glad I'm able to start the job in May. Gives me a little bit of time to build some shortlists! Once I've got a better idea of the squad going into the season, I can hopefully have a firmer idea on the tactical approach, too. I have an idea around having a central philosophy, but with the positions and roles changing depending on personnel available (or maybe trying to exploit a specific opposition weakness). But that can be for the next update.

2023-24 The 3rd Premier League season has concluded, and Villa continue to regress despite strong flirtation with the relegation zone. A 36-point tally saw Gerrard's position become insecure, but Villa stuck with him through the season. Whilst it would've taken an unprecedented 12-goal swing in on the final day for things to change, Villa's safety was eventually confirmed as Leeds fell 2-0 to Brighton. Yet another season without a double-digit league goal scorer, it was this time Ollie Watkins who lead the way with 9 goals. John McGinn's 5 assists lead the team, but it was arguably his early goal against Liverpool in a 1-0 win that was his most important contribution - giving Villa their final win of the season before they sputtered to a winless 4-game streak. Man City regained the league title, on the back of their £134m striker, Erling Haaland, whilst Bournemouth and Brentford joined Leeds in dropping to England's second division. Juventus made it 3-in-a-row in Italy, whilst Barcelona were victorious in Spain. No prizes for guessing who won the Bundesliga, as Bayern Munich continue to dominate the German scene. Before European cups could be wrapped up, however I wanted to take a look at Villa's performance over the season, and Teflon Steve's ability to keep his job. Astonishingly, Villa had been in the bottom 6 since GW14, yet confidence in Gerrard only started to wane towards the latter stages. Defeat to Chelsea in GW32 was the first time Gerrard's job security dropped below stable despite Villa having found themselves in the relegation places prior to then. It was also short lived, as wins over Brighton and Villa quickly restored that security. A superior goal difference meant Villa went in to the final game of the season having virtually secured Premier League football the next season, and it seemed that Gerrard's job was safe as long as he avoided relegation... ...or not. Finally, the moment I've been waiting for has arrived.

2022-23 It is often said that "it is not what you know, but who you know". It certainly feels that way, as Gerrard's friendship with Villa chairman Christian Purslow shows no signs of strain despite a season of regression. Villa plummet to 15th and an uninspiring points tally of 43, yet there are no signs that Gerrard's position is in any danger. A slight defensive improvement on the season before, bolstered by the summer signings of Joe Rodon and Ethan Pinnock, came at the expense of attacking output, as Villa barely mustered a goal per game. Emi Buendia finished the season as top scorer with 9 goals. Ianis Hagi, Quincy Promes and Vincenzo Grifo all came in to fill the spot vacated by the end of Coutinho's loan, and they managed a whopping 3 goals and 2 assists between them. Liverpool returned to the summit of the Premier League, with West Ham a shock 3rd place finisher. Crystal Palace, managed at times by former England manager Gareth Southgate, tumbled into the championship alongside yo-yo specialists Fulham and an abysmal Sheff Utd. Nottingham Forest secured their promotion to the Premiership, just one season later than real life, with Watford and Brentford also making their return. Bayern Munich won their 11th consecutive Bundesliga, and were crowned champions of Europe, whilst Juventus also successfully defended their league title. La Liga headed back to Real Madrid now managed by Jorge Sampaoli. Porto and Lazio were winners of the Europa League and Europa Conference league respectively. France retained the World Cup, demolishing Belgium 3-0 in the final, in a competition that was perhaps most notable for only 1 non-European team, Mexico, making it to the Quarter Finals. Despite being knocked out in the 2nd round by Norway, Luis Suarez finished as top scorer with 7 goals. I'm still waiting...