SixPointer

B and youth teams doing the business, securing the future of your plans Shrew. Some of your exceptional recruitment style mixed in and it’s not going to be long before the chokers come out on top!

He was on BPD training, passing training, trait training for plays short simple passes. Perhaps this all combined boosted the vision. But you would like to think passing would get the same effect. My general training has a lot of technical work as well. In past editions when I’ve zoned in on my training it’s usually the technicals that improve most. This is in senior players. A solid investment 🤣 I think he is already 6ft 5inches so I would like to hope he was tall enough 🤣

2027 Review Gametime is scarce but I've managed to complete the first full season in Santiago. After a previous tactical update I'll keep this as a general overview of the year to try to kick on into the next season. Fabricio Coloccini is starting to feel at home here, he is getting his tactical philosophy across, the board is backing him and the squad he is starting to build he feels in a few years could be genuine copa libertadores challengers. A record points total in the league saw Universidad De Chile crowned champions for the 19th time, the first league title in over ten years. There is some way to go to match that of city rivals Colo Colo who hold 35, but it keeps them 3 ahead of Universidad Católica. The Copa Libertadores turned out to be a very eventful group, the Santiago side coming back from a bad start to qualify in second place, after a massive 5-0 win over argentina champions Talleres. The current holder Flamanego were up next for the U's and it was always going to be a big ask, the Brazilian side actually went on to win the tournament making it three in a row, only something Fabricio Coloccini can dream about for the time being. The Copa Chile was a rollercoaster ride for Los Azules beating Universidad Católica in the third round in a massive Classic Universitário, only to be beaten in the Chilean Superclásico in the next round by Colo Colo. The 433 is our standard shape across all three systems, how we execute our attacking patterns is different but that's for another day. There were a few positions that were up for grabs, but the team eventually began to pick itself. While I would like to have a more balanced squad in terms of quality to rotate game by game, it takes time to build this level of squad. The fact our goals and assists are coming from all over the pitch is pleasing, proving that we are one dimensional in our attacking play. Reyna, Ojeda and Andrade all take their fair share of corners, Andrade being the main one but as you can see he was in and out the side as he looked to settle into Chilean football. Goals wise, Assadi leads the way but again penalties skew his numbers he scored 8/8 from 12 yards. The wide man went on to win the player of the year, Coloccini said at the start of his tenure he was a special player, but it looks like the Aregntinan who also took manager of the year is getting the best out of him, he has given him license to attack at will and the improvement in his numbers are clear to see. Player Development This is something I'm really trying to improve on, while like everyone I have had my fair share of wonderkids but it is usually because I've bought them, rarely do I shape them from my own academy. So inspired by the Shrew and his recent thread In Spain I'm trying to get better at doing just that. Matías Arancibia - no player development update could go ahead without the mention of the big centre back from Macul, which is Colo Colo's territory so i'm surprised he's made his way through the U's academy. The Promising 18 year old has come on leaps and bounds and is now the first choice LCB. Here you can see his growth from 18 years old to 19. He now looks in shape to potentially become a leader on and off the pitch, as well as an asset at set plays with 8 headed goals. Dribbling +1 Heading +1 Marking +1 Passing +2 Tackling +1 Technique +1 Anticipation +1 Bravery +1 Composure +1 Concentration +2 Decisions +1 Leadership +2 Flair +1 Off The Ball +1 Positioning +1 Vision +4 Acceleration +1 Agility +1 Jumping Reach +1 Pace +1 Stamina +1 Strength +1 Good all round growth for his first year under Colocini who has looked to improve his on the ball skills, a weakness in his game which did not suit the tactical style. He responded well to ball playing defender training and is now capable in that area. Furthermore the addition of simple passes offsets his current lack of true passing abilities to make him a refined defender, comfortable on the ball, but don't expect him to be playing line breaking passes. Simon Ordenes - Being handed his senior debut at 16 by Fabricio at the tail end of last season, he did enough to convince the manager he would be able to provide competition on the flanks for the big hitters Palacios and Assadi. 6 goals and 6 assists in his first full season at the ripe age of 17 is most impressive, so much so that he is being tipped for an international cap. With both big hitting wide men being right footed Ordenas offer a perfect alternative, either cutting in on his left when playing on the right or going down the line when on the left. From 16 to 17 years of age the kid has already progressed nicely. Crossing +1 Dribbling +1 Finishing +1 First Touch +1 Long Shots +1 Passing +1 Tackling +1 Technique +1 Acceleration +1 Agility +1 Balance +2 Jumping +1 Pace +1 Stamina +1 Strength +2 Anticipation +3 composure +3 Concentration +1 Decions +3 Leadership +1 Off The Ball +4 Positioning +1 Teamwork +1 Vision +2 Work Rate +1. The training of inside forward on support on the left side was purely down to the fact he would play that positioning most often than not, depending on the attacking patterns it's either that or a AP out on the same flank and occasionally a winger on the left, but more often than he was used to cut in and be direct. The big boosts in OFB, Anticapton and decisions came from the additional focus on attacking movement. The added traits of getting forward and cuts inside from the right help tailor him to that wide right role. The next stage for him is learning to knock the ball past opponent and changing to final third to help increase that composure. At 17 with a professional personality I really think I have a potential superstar on my hands here. I was concerned about throwing him in too early but he has shown moments of real brilliance, like last minute winner in the Classic Universitário cup game. I think I need to play him like Pep has Foden, bring him in and out the side, keep nurturing his potential, to get his full blown ability to shine in the end. Transfer Business It was a rather quiet window as the squad looked pretty good all round. Three players would leave, a youngster and two older players who didn't even really live up to the squad player status. Tapia and Aranguiz will fetch just shy of a million pounds which can now be re-invested into the side. £1.2 million pounds was spent activating Luis Angel Diaz release clause. Ángelo Henríquez's time at the club is coming to an end, at 33 am not willing to offer him a new deal. He did score 8 goals come the end of the season but this was most likely down to Diaz tearing his hamstring after two games in which he had two goals. Diaz is quick and direct and looks to be an excellent ball carrier, in fact he is a perfect foil for Valencia who is more about working hard out of possession and linking play. Diaz comes off the back off some nice goalscoring numbers and while his injury hampered him settling he still managed to score 5 goals in 7 games, his ability in behind should give us another weapon. He could also see a more complete forward role come into play. The off season I feel there could be a few more moves, a couple of players are coming to the end of their peak so i may cash in. I need a RCB backup to Hernandez. I would like another ball winner and creator for the middle of the pitch and maybe one more wide man. That's a large list and with the foreign player rules it can be tough to find true quality within the league for affordable prices, especially when you can buy off the two main rivals.

What about some traits? Training the players to get forward more? Or gets into opposition box could useful if you have long term players in the roles.

Congratulations on the promotion Ben even if it feels bittersweet at the moment.

Nyheim looks a baller! What a bargain

“The challenge stadium” 🤣 I’ve always wanted to visit Vienna its definitely on my list.

The treq conundrum seems to be something that happens to me very often. I really want to make a role work but, I either don’t have the player or the players around it to suit the roles needed. This year for me it’s been the libero I’ve had limited success building around it, first off I never had a player capable now I have that I can’t get the balance of the rest of the side correct. A CF(a) could be a good alternative if you don’t want a plain AF, at least he should drop and link play, F9 you would most likely have the same issue as with Treq but could be worth a trial to see if it gets into the box after linking playing. My thinking is the F9 isn’t as flamboyant as the treq so you could potentially get the link play but still have some punch in the box from late runs?

Another good season to build upon! Transfer plans look set in stone already. Any signs of the next J-W-P in the academy?

Catching up bro. He was a machine for me at standard liege last fm for two seasons then sold him for a fortune and where he flapped at a couple top German clubs

Sublime write up dude! That 3-1-6 shape looks very aggressive talk about covering all channels. some beautiful Atalanta like signings as well, throw in a potential title challenge and tactical workings and the save’s blossoming

Another solid finish in the Bundesliga

Never considered that before great shout! I’m finding the previews and ratings from the HOYD to be a bit off. Now I’m paying some attention to youth development. I have had the odd player who looked average initially turn out to be quite promising which I like. There should be true late bloomers it’s a thing in real life so would be nice to see a Jamie Vardy story like player form time to time.

I know it’s not what you want to hear but I have the complete wing back roles flying in my latest system. Albeit I have been using them on both sides with a HB or anchor in the DM depending on the opponents shape. I have dual inside forwards on support. So like you say vanilla but it’s seen my wing backs, (left especially 17 assists) become real assets going forward. you could try moving them into the DM strata? Or add the overlap instruction for the right hand side and see if you can get him higher.

Nice league and cup double

Im having a little bit of an issue with my keeper as well. The Chilean number one, he can’t catch a cold even though his attributes make him a standout at the level. So like you I threw by prospect in and he got man of the match on his debut. With scatterings of decent attributes! MAKE IT MAKE SENSE!! Good enough they are old enough Shrew you said it yourself. Perhaps a few a head of schedule at 17 but the likes of Javi, Aguirre and Martinez were always going to make that step up!

Loving it Ben! Utilising the DOF is something I have yet to try. I still love making those deals. The stockpiling of shortlist players is the way it’s done I usually have five players each position am tracking closely, but as always you’ve taken it to the next level infact into the stratosphere. So much depth in everything you do. Your a really testament to the game and how it really should be played am sure many others like me draw so much inspiration from your updates.

Thanks man! Yeah I had a couple of nights at work were things were quiet so took the chance to do some detailed tactical stuff. Tonight is game night so won’t be update till at least next Sunday I think.

Yeah it’s something I tend to use when looking for overloads. Another good thing is having support duties on the side you want to overload and attacking duties on the isolate side. Find that helps me get the 1v1’s and when they do they go all in to make it count.

Thanks man am trying my best to keep the detail. I’m working a lot right now in Africa so it’s killing game time so im glad you appreciated the work on the save. I ask him to stay wider and focus play down that side. While keeping the width is key I also want to confuse the defence into thinking I want to score on that side when in reality I want to pull them that way then hit on the left. With that system anyway.

Great result against Leverkusen! Riedel turned amazing in my FM23 save

Ten games have flown by, time flies when you're having fun, while eight wins and two losses from ten sounds fun, the most fun part has been finding our feet tactically and really starting to impose our positional play at the club, throw in a colossal andean clash and it's worth a little write up. A key principle of Positional Play is the concept that players should occupy space on the field in a rational way in order to achieve certain superiorities, e.g numerical, qualitative, positional. Put simply, numerical superiority is about overloading and outnumbering the defenders in the area where the team has possession of the ball. If we can create situations where our player's abilities and characteristics give us advantages over the defenders, then we have achieved qualitative superiority. The team that is better positioned will have the benefits of time and space and create more chances to score is key to positional superiority. The changes to FM24 is something I have wanted for a long time. Anyone who has followed previous posts when I have tried to create these patterns of play will know only too well the work I have done to try and achieve them. For instance creating the Salida Lavolpiana (CB's split wide and DM drops in to make a three to overload the press) now is simple the half back role works as it should, before you needed to use higher wing backs and it would only happen from time to time. The Carrete system has this very mechanism, but much like modern football times change no longer do the wing backs just play wide, the twist is the right sided wing back moves into the midfield to make a 3-2 box shape to allow progression through numerical superiority. Now with the lone forward outnumbered the midfield line has a decision to make, either join in the press and neglect the double pivot, or allow the defenders to advance the ball down the sides where the wide players are stretching the team and getting 1v1 creating that qualitative superiority. Focusing play down the left and using a standard WB, DLP and IW all on that half of the pitch creates its own triangle capable of drawing the opposition into the overload when the ball has bypassed the initial press and moved into the second tier. The inverted wing back once again shines here, linking the left hand side overload to the right hand side with all the space. As you can see from the build up to the 3rd goal against Huachipato the right hand side truly exploits the space. The space being exploited by the RCB is purely down to the fact we have shifted the opposition to open up the space, while inverting our wing back to further draw his marker away. The extent in which he can progress is due to the opposition full back being pinned by the IF 1v1 and leaving him with a huge predicament, at the exact moment he decides to press the RCB plays the IF in behind and he cuts back to the PF to finish off a perfectly executed team goal and to put the game beyond doubt. The forgotten free man The evolution of tactics is usually matched by the evolution of counter tactics, for some time inverted wing backs, dropping defensive midfielders had become the best way to overload the press. Teams had caught onto the idea and many started doing what Pep had been doing for a while, but with that teams have worked out how to defend against it. Enter Pep, the most innovative coach of our time? Or simply someone who can bring football past times back to life. John Stones earned the moniker the Barnsley Beckenbauer, mainly due to Pep shifting him to a modern day Libero role but why? The transition phase of play is always a weak spot in which you can be quickly countered, now and inverted wing back has to drift inside which means in order to regain his defensive shape he must transition outside, many teams worked out this was the area to exploit right after the turnover, so to counter that moving one of the CB's into the midfield allows for the overload in possession but also out of possession he is centrally placed to stop a counter before smoothly transitioning into the defensive shape. The Caleta System (meaning to much) brings the libero back, while Los Azules are no stranger to deep creative players having brought through Marcelo Diaz, who earned the nickname of "South American Xavi", as both of them have a great ball control capabilities and excellent passing skills he operated more at the number six and dropped into the defence line. Now Rivaldo Hernandez would be asked to do the opposite. The 24 year old looks more than capable of playing the role, and if his marauding run as a simple ball playing defender is to go by he should excel. Flair and vision could well be a little better but his football intelligence is sublime as a whole and he has the physical ability to get up and down the pitch. In his first game in the role he supplied a lovely ball in behind for the first goal against Santatiago Wanderers. Our passing was off the charts that game but it was the LCB dropping deep that excelled in linking the play that day as we ran out convincing 4-0 winners. After beating Paraguayan side Libertad over two legs, 3-0 at home then 1-0 away the reward was a true Andean battle. Deportivo Independiente Medellin could well have been a place Fabricio ended up after Venezuela as he had been touted for the job at times, however they stuck by their manager, Fabricio was keen on the idea, the city's underdog team seeing as their rivals are Atlético Nacional the most successful team in the country, of course this is not the only fire power the city is famous for Pablo Escobar supported Independiente. The first leg started so well going 1-0 up inside the first ten minutes, then it came. Loyola deceded a two footed leg breaker on 17 minutes would be a good idea, the Colombians took it up a gear and equalised but, Colcoccini through men forward and took the lead again but in the end the collapse came and the club went back to Santiago with their tails between their legs after a 6-2 defeat. Giving up two penalties with ten men was absolute suicide. Enter the Forgotten man............. What a turnaround to make the Copa Libertodroes group stages. 24,000 faithful turned up and boy were they rewarded as Fabricico Coloccini's men put on a show and came away with a famous comeback victroy. The star of the show was the Libero Rivaldo Hernandez, netting twice, a nice strike om the second phase of a corner and then heading home at the back post from a freekick. The in possession shape shows how he nicely steps up to form the double pivot, creating that 3-2 shape once again. This move from Fabricio shows his tactical fluidity and that he can now build up in different ways but still create the same build up structures with subtle changes. I wouldn't be surprised to see him create something like a 2-3 shape in the near future to cover all bases. He moved to an AP on the right flank to help create a box-like shape on that side of the pitch, perfect for overloading. The central presence is clear but that once again its dominance has focused the opponent and has now created 1v1's across the back line, and especially out wide. No wonder La U's manager is being lauded for his clever planning. The wide 1v1's allowed for exceptional passing combinations down the sides, so the focus of the overload in the centre by adding the Libero has paid off, but mainly because its drawn so much attention that other players are allowed to be free and in space. Using the DLP at the base ensures that both number 8's can get wide and into the half spaces while the ball magnets sit in the pivot and dictate play. The sheer number of passes leading to Henriquez goal is incredible, i can't even count how many, but once again it shows the ball circulation will eventually create the space, the main thing to be mindful of is not passing for the sake of it. Possession isn't the aim, it's mainly a byproduct of trying to shift the opponent around and make the space to exploit. For anyone interested in positional play at more depth, this article from Eagleclaw club is always my go to. I have linked it so many times when I do these types of tactical ideas as it's a great example of it without being too over the top, it's also fantastic what they are doing on the whole. Los Azules are top of the pile, and really should still be unbeaten, a poor decision to go for broke against Deportivo Nublense cost them a 1-0 defeat. They smashed Colo-Colo in the sold out superclasico, and on the overall have been very pleasing on the eye in the early part of the season. The Copa Libertadores group will be very interesting, Club Universitario de Deportes from Lima could well be classed as Andean but i'm not sure how strict that is as they are Andean coastal club, I didn't have Lima on the list as am unsure but it's probably close enough. They will be looking to make their mark as their great rivals Allianz Lima won this in 2023 and then the Copa Sudamericana last season. Emelec comes from a nation on the rise, Ecuador. With Independiente del Valle winning back to back Copa Sudamericana 2022 & 2023 it's perhaps time for another team to make a statement, mind you they haven't won a domestic league title since 2017 as well. Talleres won the league cup in argentina but while their great rivals Belgrano won the league they also have a huge chip on their shoulder and something to prove.

Survival is survival 👏🏻

Thanks dude! Appreciate the support

Very solid first season to build on. Always hard letting go of key players but 55 million in his last year is a huge sum of money. Very Atalanta thing to do as well.