_Ben_

Yeah, I'm finding that the academy has somewhat underperformed but did produce this gem, who sadly moved on before I took charge: I'm really trying to focus on development of the youngsters that we do have! I have garnered a lot of interest in the background of Bayer since taking over and must say that I do like the club model.

Love your work and the passion you put into our writing but I love this result more than anything, else! UTV!

Building from the previous post about developing a style here at Bayer, I also want to really rationalise my decisions about where the players come from. I have long stayed away from central Europe, feeling that there are often far more flair players in South America or fair more rough diamonds in Africa but, fitting in with the board's objectives, I think that there is a real bonus to shopping a bit more locally. Right now, the Bundesliga is the fourth most reputable league in Europe and , because of this, talent is exceedingly expensive, as it is from any of the other leagues of a similar standing. Whilst I do need to get into the mindset that - at this level - the €10m signing is akin to the €500k signing in Sweden and a €70m sale is also akin to a €10m sale tere, I think that there is significantly better value at a number of leagues that - unlike Africa - are loaded within the game and can give me a fully detailed set of statistics as well as a better pathway for player development and the added bonus of modeled youth leagues so that I can identify talent at an even younger age. Particularly interesting to me are those neighbouring nations - Poland, Czechia, Austria and Switzerland - as I feel that the language will be relatively easy to pick up if, in nations like Austria, they don't already know German to, at minimum, a basic level. I will look to reshuffle the recruitment team over the next six to twelve months to ensure that I have sufficient coverage in terms of nationality of my scouts so that I am able to send them to these countries and they already have strong understanding of it. My target costs are between €5m and €15m because that should skim off the bottom end but also keep signings manageable as we will still have to accrue income from players sales to fund them. Those player sales, across the next years, will likely be these players who are then able to move on for a profit, which is exactly what the board wants. At present, the squad is shy of German talent but, in the longer term, I envisage that the only incoming German talents will be those who are too good to say no to or those that are young enough that they are able to spend one or two years within the youth side and, potentially, become home-grown at the club. This should allow opportunities for a steady stream of German talent from within to work alongside those players brought in from lesser European nations. This is not moneyball; that term has been banded far and wide and, the origins of which have largely been forgotten. This is targeted recruitment within set focus areas, again looking to recruit the following type of players: Players Under 23: The board want me to sign U23 players for the first team so it seems a no-brainer that the target area is between 15 and 22, meaning that I can identify, scout, watch and bide my time to get the best deal for a player before he really hits his peak. This does add extra importance in keeping the experienced heads as well as identifying any 30+ players still at their peak who can add that level of been there, done that to our young squad. Strong personalities: I want to become serial winners here at Bayer and, to do that, I need the right mentality. I will look to recruit and develop good personalities and even reject poor personalities if I don't feel I have the tools to develop that player. Versatility: I want to recruit players and develop players who can play across a number of roles, ensuring a need for rounded players who can attack and defend. Decisions, Determination, First Touch, Pace and Technique: In trying to build a slick, vertical footballing system, I feel that these five attributes are key to our playing style so will look both recruit with and develop into these attributes. WIth those parameters in place, I felt energised heading into the summer and have completed my planned business nice and early, leaving me very happy with the outcomes. Following Ipswich’s bid for Simons and an amicable departure where Hlozek agreed a move to the Middle East, I had €38m to spend but had removed two really high earners from the wage bill, yet created two quite big holes within my first team squad. One of the things that I have been enjoying utilising is the 'Team Report' for clubs who have been relegated or, opposingly, teams who have good academies. Krassnitzer fell into the former category. Relegated at Admira Wacker, his stats don't look amazing but there needs to be (from me, mainly), a more holistic approach to this; Thomas' goals scored percentile is above 50%, meaning that, whilst my eyes aren't drawn to a long, green bar, he's still scoring better than half of the players based on data collated from the top twenty European leagues. This context, then added to the fact he hasn't been played as a striker and that - in the two games I watched back - his team are so, so so, bad at retaining the ball, he's actually doing pretty well at completing any dribbles, accruing any xG and is a pretty good player. Originally, I had identified Thomas Lackner as an emergency replacement for Hlozek as he attracted some interest in January. However, that contextual understanding was used again, as Lackner was involved in nine of their thirty-six league goals: 25%, whereas Krassnitzer was involved in ten of their 22: 46% and has eighteen goals over the last two seasons where Admira have finished seventh and twelfth, where they succumbed to relegation. Additionally, Krassnitzer - found after his relegation - was available for around 12.5% of the cost that Lacker would've been given a relegation release clause. This transfer window has been the first where I've completely handed this over to my DoF for signing the players and this is where my first mistake has been made: despite very much being a 'project player' - he's been brought into under the promise of being a star player and, whilst his wage demands are low, the minutes required to keep him happy will be a concern once he sees that I'm not able to, nor want to, make this a reality. My largest outlay of the window - €9m - went on Stepan Pejsa from Sparta Prague. Originally found by my scouts, his stats are phenomenal for a team a who ran Slavia all the way in the domestic competition. Again, my DoF decided that he'd be a star player but I do see him as a much stronger player than Krassnitzer at this point in time. A little too slight to be a lone striker, I intend to use him as a like for like replacement for Hlozek out on the left wing, cutting inside once he has learnt enough of that position for this to become available. At Sparta, he played as part of a front two with a big strong target man, which, to be fair, Boniface could be - should I need to change my style at any point. However, I envisage a combination of his Technique, Dribbling, Flair and Agility making him a really difficult player to mark but need to secure his transformation into a wide man is done carefully at his young age. Again, trying to replace those not fitting with my DNA for those who are, both Neuer and Porciani moved on for a total of €4.5m, whilst I spent that, and a further €4m on two replacements, who meet the versatility requirements allowing me to have less players within the first team. Javorcic arrives from Dinamo with a decent record of ball retention and positive passing and - again - not a bad set of stats defensively, hugely skewed from playing for a strong team that really doesn't do a lot of defending! Pacy enough that he'll assist with our high line and mentally strong, this time, my DoF got it right that he will indeed be a squad player for us, probably backup for Ozdemir at right back, initially. I like that he can play as a holding midfielder, too. The same can be said for Christoph Bauer - a €4m signing from 2.Bundesliga champions Mainz. Whilst not really fitting in with my transfer identity, his stats - like Javorcic's - are somewhat skewed due to little defending and comes into the squad in an area where we do not have the luxury of several promising youth players right now. Yuki Minami is my last planned signing of the window and another project player, initially coming in to learn from Boniface in the striker role. At 5'7", he's slight but quick, agile and very technically strong offering me more options in terms of creating counter attacking, ball carrying forwards. His stats in Japan have been great but I am well aware that there is a significant difference between the quality of players he's played against at JEF United to those he will face in the Bundesliga. Part of my journey, as well as with transfer fees, is to realise that a set of attributes that I used to rate highly in the 11-14 category, are now the same as those in the 14-17 category as those are the levels I am facing week in, week out. The youngster does have the right base to work from and I look forward to see what I can do with him. --- Overall, I'm really quite happy with my first team squad for the current season and, now that I'm up and running with my plans, I think that I can focus on the planned transfer business of replacing like for like as the seasons go on - starting with the aging players of Krecja, then Tapsoba and Boniface. Obviously, I need to contend with players who are pinched from my club or those who are not performing well enough, but that is why I have built (or, at least at this point) envisaged, my recruitment policy, which can now go out and identify shortlists of players worth keeping an eye on. My aim is to have ten to twenty players per position that could be viable targets for the club. In addition to that, I hope that, over the coming years, I can cement a clear pathway for youngsters to move into the first team. One thing that I have been doing of late that I'd previously brushed off is attending the weekly staff meetings. I've been reading and listening to my staff's interests in changing individual foci (of which I ignore for youth team players following the monthly rotation - as spoken about in a post, I think, I wrote when I was at Bochum), but then also looking at what they have to say about player development. Previously, I'd never consider loaning players under 18 out, but, given that our affiliate - Duisburg - are in the 2.Liga and my staff believe that certain players are good enough, I've allowed five young players to move there. They're not predicted to do amazingly well in the second tier but there is a good opportunity for football - in particular for Schulz and Nikolic, of whom I have the highest hopes. Not a huge area for writing here but I'm playing with something and I like it! I've felt that, in the past, we've been quite stagnant at times going forward, so, therefore, want to look to commit more forward whilst still keeping a 3box3 shape. One of my biggests areas for inquiry has been around the role of Ferhat Duran, one of my best players. His ability to fire off long shots has been great and he lacks any kind of defensively ability, but, playing him as an MC - even on attack - meant that he wasn't getting into that Zone 14 enough. Moving him to the AMC role with a SS(a) role is also really interesting for me, given that he has a trait of comes deep. I want to watch and observe how he uses that to find space before arriving late in the box, another trait not necessarily considered for this role. With the new elements of positional play here, I like that he and Boniface can interchange their sides but it does mean that I've gone for wrong footed wingers, rather than more traditional inverted wingers in order to allow some more stretching of the play, although the use of 'Fairly Narrow' for our attacking shape will also sit them narrower but, in essence, keep them wider until later on in the transition. That means that I have to utilise a link up midfielder and, to do that, Hannibal will become the Volante. Whilst I do not really have a right back capable of doing it, I can also move to a mirror image of this and use a HB(d) instead of a DM(d), allowing a wing back - Hagiwara - to overlap. As a team, we'll need to push even higher up and move the press - which isn't particularly incessant - slightly higher to alleviate balls over the top from more creativite players. It's early days but I'm enjoying what I've been seeing in pre-season from it! --- I've been all for the past week or so and have, as such, spent hours staring at FM! I'm completely invested in this save but I do expect to see a decrease in both playing time and posting time as I try to make a return to the real world over the coming days! I hope you've enjoyed the three updates in three days!

Congratulations on the league win! How are RB approaching their summer? Is it a ‘throw money at it’ approach to getting the title back?

How are you finding giving youth players minutes now that you’re a ‘bigger team?’ I’ve always been able to develop and prioritise youth in smaller leagues but, now that I’m at the top end of Bundesliga, I feel that they are noticeably out of their depth and aren’t playing well enough to develop. Is your ‘B’ team the bridge that I am maybe missing?

Really enjoying your writing style. Hope that you’ve been able to turn around the fortunes of Venlo!

Yeah- it’s really annoying. I need to update the fake files for the recent patch to get Brazilian names back so I may add ‘Maik Schulz’ to the banned names list file that sits in there, alongside some other well-known German names! If that doesn’t work - I guess that I’ll be drawn to use the editor to - at least - remove some of the four ‘Schulz’s’ I had through this intake and give them other names contained within the DB. Not ideal - but a pretty straightforward workaround.

Up until a week or so ago, I didn’t know the ‘Die Werkself’ was linked to Bayer. I’ve not long taken over them too and hope to, one day, emulate your successes. How have you found them as a club? How is their academy performing?

Just caught up on this and don’t think the ‘grind of the 3.Liga’ will be a forever problem! You’ve started really well! Assuming the plan is built around promotion this term?

Just a short one to wrap season nine up for me but one that has given me a lot of ideas and excitement going forward! League round ups, for me, are very difficult when I've not been in charge for the whole season. I'm unable to really dig into team and player stats because half of them are generated under a different manager, who, certainly in this case, had a different ethos and style. That being said, the past seven games have been a great indicator of just what we can do, if I get things right. We're still a bit unsteady in certain areas of our game and do look likely to concede quite a few more goals than we actually do. At the other end, we can be a little unconvincing, to say the least, with a far-too-regular occurrence being an xG total of less than, or close to, one. That being said, we're making some great progress and I am excited to see - statistically - how things are matching up to the playing style that I'm spending a lot of time watching live. With some mandatory purchases from loan deals, I am already starting to get an idea of just how much I'll have to play with in order to make this squad mine over the summer! I saw this amazing blog by Andy (@TacitcalFool on X) and immediately felt like I'd been missing something! Gone are my days where I spent endless hours on Excel, calculating things that I've now skinned into my game but also gone are the days of really being able to calculate what I want. Now that I'm a little more knowledgeable around the building of certain formulae, I have been able to create more complex calculations to do this. Above, you can see the grading of my squad, split into positional areas and a calculation that I can now use going forward to recruit and also identify those who may be more suited to my style. As Andy mentions in his blog, a higher percentage score here doesn't immediately indicate a better player, but does show me areas where I can build upon or where things such as individual foci, mentoring or even smarter recruitment could allow us to improve. Building on my recruitment strategy of young, good personalities and from local non-big 5 leagues (plus Japan and other parts of Asia, which has - historically - always served Germany well), I have created a percentage score for the fit with the Bayer DNA - which encompasses the aforementioned non-attribute areas as well as First Touch, Determination, Decisions, Technique and Pace as I aim to create a dynamic and intelligent team. A harmonic mean, multiplied five times (so that I can better punish those with extreme attributes (see how Schulz drops by 24 points on this scale because he has the top speed of a fridge) then gets multiplied by an amount three times - called the multiplier - with 1 being the greatest, on each area I rate as important. These figures are my own interests or, for the personalities, areas that I've garnered knowledge on and are by no means either set in stone or factually correct. I can then create some nice little exportable profiles, too, as seen below: Whilst it does not replace a statistical view for signing and developing players, it does give me a nice idea of who is most suited to what I'm trying to build here, it does, immediately, show that I have some players who are just not suited to the team; Neuer and Porciani lack the technical ability to make it, whereas players like Boniface and Krejci are older. That doesn't mean to say that I shouldn't be keeping them but it does show that they are maybe not the players who I want to have here long, long term as they'll be unable to contribute. Again, the bias for German youngsters means that my best rated player is actually a youngster out on loan: Archie Reckert. Whilst I believe he will be great, it is purposely there to make me aware of their fit, not their overall quality. I'll be taking this suitability score into the summer transfer window and applying it to my incoming and outgoing signings, hopefully moving the club closer to the ideology that I have!

This feels like some kind of post-apocalyptic word where the Schulz family are taking over the world... And that is just the 'Maiks'

Within days of starting, I was greeted by a huge bid for Adam Hlozek, meeting the release clause of a man who hasn’t really stood out over the last five or six years. Obviously, Stuttgart - then bottom of the Bundesliga - were desperate to buy themselves out of trouble and, to be honest, I wasn't that bothered about the bid. The problem with such an out unexpected offer so early into my tenure is that I don’t have a lot of things lined up. I like to watch games and get an eye test for a player as well as looking at their statistical outputs. However, I was able to get to a Rapid Wien match after my scouts indicated some areas of potential: Kuhn, Maier and Lackner added to the DoF shopping list after excelling in a couple of games, with my preference being Lackner given his more rounded attribute make up. Then, whilst I was getting excited about that and how else to use some of the money, he rejected the contract. Great. I then made an attempt to use an intermediary but was only able to attract bids of €15m, which, once I had declined that, led to him becoming unhappy and desperate to leave. So I was left with no Lackner, Kuhn or Maier and an unhappy Hlozek. The joys of the transfer window! Ten games into my tenure (plus one under - technically - my stewardship that I left to my staff) feels like a good time to take stock. As always, these are written live and my tactical thoughts often descend into rambling nonsense with little actionable points, but...nevermind! Hertha played a 343 (523 as the game calls it) so I knew that space would be easier to attain centrally, therefore opted for two inverted full backs and a libero, in order to create this shape in build up where each area of transition is more than the defensive one: 3v2 at the back with a 4v3 created by the box. They then have a back five against our three forwards but will need to sacrifice players to even the numbers up and, hopefully, create opportunities like this one where Ferhat Duran can run into Zone 14 to lay off a pass or utilise his shooting ability. The game itself was very even - we didn't actually create a 'big chance' whilst Hertha made two and our xG totals ended with 0.4 of each other, yet we scored four times more than them to give me a pretty perfect start, albeit not entirely comfortably. We retained that shape against Dusseldorf and Hamburg with the midfield duo both getting on the scoresheet as we leapfrogged Fortuna before two silly goals saw us lose to struggling HSV. Boniface – a man very much low on confidence at the moment with one goal in his last nine games – squandered 0.94xG in just forty-five minutes after he was hauled off at half time. Two lapses, both coming in at over 0.5xG chances, allowed the hosts the win and to make the match stats look even in a game that we absolutely dominated. Ferhat, again, was ominous and I cannot understand why, during the previous regime, he was used as DLP and, essentially, allowed no freedom to get around the box as – once again – a strike from 20 yards found the bottom corner, giving him four in his last three games. I hope that, as time goes on, our tactical awareness and understanding of this shape, and shapes following the same ethos, will be fully embedded and I’ll see less of these silly mistakes that are attracting pressure and allowing goals to be scored against us. We battled hard against table toppers Dortmund, matching them blow for blow but outscoring them on xG, spending much of the game chasing the game after going behind early on. I saw some things that I liked during this time; how a higher defensive line, even with no other changes, can change the way the game is played and how passing length can dictate the starting point for forward movement. In trying to see the game out, I shut up shop a little but was nearly cursing my luck when keeper Fischaber’s goal kick was passed straight to a Dortmund attacker, who, fortunately, couldn’t find the net with what would’ve been heartbreak in the last kick of the game. Overall, it was a good point. The same couldn’t be said for the Wolfsburg game – where they dominated possession and, in terms of momentum, pretty much all of the match. Our lead held out until the eighty-fourth minute before two strikes – one thunderbolt and one being another lapse in concentration, saw them take the points. A game of two halves as high-flying Freiburg came to town as we shot ourselves in the foot with some lacklustre transitional play and found ourselves two-nil down at the break. The first water bottle of by B04 career was thrown as we came out and dominated in the second half, scoring 91% of our xG and ending with a non-pen (because we gave away the softest possibly penalty, too) expected goals win. Yet, again, it’s the actual goals that get us the points and we came up short, again. In times like this, I like to reduce my tactical demands to really build the tactic around the player, rather than around the team instructions. We have roles that are ball carriers by nature and, furthermore, other roles than can be manipulated to further allow that, so I don’t need to keep ‘dribble more’ on. Likewise, our natural shape emphasises a central overload so I don’t need to force the play centrally when that is probably stifling some potential attacks down the flanks. The only two In Possession instructions that remain are the passing length – slightly longer and the crossing direction – low, as these can’t be manipulated on a player-by-player basis. Simple but hopefully impactful. Slipping to eleventh before kick-off, a reaction was needed against Heidenheim, but it didn't come as we faded to a 0-0 draw. A clean sheet and a modicum of calmness in our defence, for a change, but a lack of passion, drive and intensity going forward. Finally, a win came our way as we beat form side Augsburg following a Bangura penalty - his first for the club. At the time of the award, he was the most 'positive' body language and, despite being a poor penalty taker, stepped up and scored for me when it really matter We faced the hardest trip of the lot - away to Bayern - but did ourselves relatively proud, even if we accrued under 1xG. Again, our phases of play are getting stronger and more fluid and, on several occasions, we were able to play around Bayern's press but, as has been the case very often, just lacked one really strong pass in a move of ten to fifteen. Boniface eventually ended his scoring drought, coinciding with the fifth game in a row that Hlozek has been poor - I just can't seem to catch a break with them! Despite being hugely comfortable for the majority of the game, we only had three shots against Stuttgart, with two of them going on. Yet again, we conceded a huge xG chance - 0.63xG - but Fischaber was able to claw it back before the visitors halved the deficit. Again - a strong shape but pretty poor excitement and attacking ingenuity, something that I do want to explore. Overall, I've stuck with the 325/3box3 build up that I used successfully at Elfsborg, given the fact that neither full back is particularly strong going forward and, in terms of what I see in transition, it allows an easier return to our defensive shape, limiting times we can get caught on the counter, something which I always feared at Bochum with my aggressive wingback and lopsided back three. It has come - slightly - at the cost of offensive overloads but I'm now relying on more creative and, essentially, better players in my offence, all of whom seem to be going through their own barren spell simultaneously. That being said and keen to avoid the cliche of my squad - I really want a pre-season with this bunch to get them fit and really hone my tactical direction. 90% of them are good enough and I don't need a fire sale and a reshape but I just want to 'do some' coaching with them. My record here at Bayer isn't amazing: We're moving at 1.4PPG at the moment, which, at that pace, sees us just below fifty points for the season, which, whilst disappointing, would be our best total and - likely - our best finish since 2027/28. May is horrible - Gladbach, Koln and Leipzig but we do have to play Bochum, Eintracht, Nurnberg and Bremen next month: four teams that are below us. In that time, I need to see an increase in goal created and goals scored as we're just not making those big chances. At the other end, we are keeping things relatively tight but are so prone to a massive error leading to a big chance. There's lots of lapses in concentration of poor decisions in transition that sees us piled under the pressure, plus, we seem a little shakier from set piece than we ever did at Bochum, too. Europe is still on the cards with seventh going into the Conference League and fifth and sixth into the Europa League. Honestly, a shot at competition recently won by Gladbach, Villa, FC Midtjylland, Chelsea, AEK, Villa, Spurs and Villa seems like a pretty good opportunity and one that exceeds the board's desires of top half. March means a welcome to some new recruits and a little bit of a focus on the youth side: The entire intake was pretty strong and I signed all but the bottom two players from the list, in an attempt to allow each of the players at least one year in the youth side to grow, develop and then to have a decision made about their future, fleshing out some gaps that will appear in the summer when the over-age players are no longer available to play at this level. I agree with the ratings of the staff largely with Maik Vogel, Felix Schulz, Victor Manuel Mayor, Fynn Angerer and Arman Batyrkhanov being the players I have highest hopes for. Really strangely, we have another Maik Schulz - taking the total Maik Schulz's in my game to over six hundred. I do not know if this is a bug or something that everyone is experiencing but it's getting rather strange now! --- With not too long until the end of the season, I'm getting excited for what a full summer can bring to this club!

Welcome to the Leverkusen diaries. If Bochum wasn’t quite the ‘end goal’ then this place certainly is. With some new, aged, images of Torbjorn, I'm ready to dive head first into this. Given the time I have to play FM these days and the speed in which I play and update, it’s unlikely that this FM will see my journey continue too much further than the gates of this famous club. Sadly, Bayer have fallen into a bit of pit of mid-table nothingness of late and it appears to be my job within – initially – the three years of my contract to turn that around. Memories of the golden era in the early 2000s under the management of coaches such as Christoph Daum and Klaus Toppmöller feel a million miles away. The club achieved unprecedented success during this period, notably finishing as runners-up in the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, and UEFA Champions League in the 2001-2002 season. Despite falling short of major trophies, Leverkusen's performances earned them widespread recognition and respect within the footballing community. Similarly concerningly, the financial situation is of concern to me, especially when nearly €70m was raised this summer, alone, on the sale of Piero Hincapie. As is almost German tradition, the Ecuadorian now resides at Bayer Munich but is not the last of the current real life crop to have moved on but that list did start with the sacking of Xabi Alonso after less than 450 days in the job. Since then, they’ve hired, and sacked a list containing Sergio Conceicao, Arne Slot, Gerhard Strubel, Tony Jantchke and, most recently, Max Schulz – who was part of the Red Bull family in Austria prior to a short and wholly unsuccessful stint in Germany. Over the course of these managers, Alex Grimaldo has moved on, as has Florian Wirtz – annoyingly, for free to Man City – and the likes of Palacios, Schick and Frimpong all find themselves in the Middle East, retired or on a rather crowded Parisian bench, respectively. This job gives me the biggest platform of them all to exhibit the vast expanses of my playing and management style; we’re a huge club, who, as of right now, have no continental football but do possess a vast scouting network and fantastic youth facilities with the draw that Bochum could only dream of. Players such at Boniface, Tapsoba and Hlozek remain from the original crew who didn’t live up to what the real life Xabi is doing right now. It is the former Spanish midfield maestro, a man who brought his unique playing philosophy and tactical acumen to Bayer Leverkusen when he assumed the role of manager, that I can take a lot of inspiration from in my FM playing. Known for his elegant style and astute understanding of the game during his playing career, Alonso's transition to management at Leverkusen has been characterized by several key elements: Possession-based Football: Alonso's managerial style at Bayer Leverkusen emphasizes a possession-based approach to football. He prioritises fluid ball movement, intricate passing sequences, and maintaining control of the game through intelligent positional play. Leverkusen under Alonso seeks to dominate possession to dictate the tempo and rhythm of matches. Tactical Flexibility: Alonso has demonstrated a willingness to adapt his team's tactics based on the strengths of the opposition and the specific context of each match. Leverkusen has showcased tactical flexibility under his guidance, seamlessly transitioning between different formations and systems to exploit opponent weaknesses while maximizing the team's strengths. High Pressing and Intensity: Leverkusen under Alonso often employs a high pressing game, seeking to win the ball back quickly and disrupt opposition build-up play. Alonso emphasizes intense pressure on the ball carrier, coordinated pressing triggers, and collective defensive efforts to regain possession and launch swift counterattacks. Player Development and Youth Integration: As a manager, Alonso has shown a commitment to nurturing young talent and integrating academy graduates into the first team setup. Leverkusen's squad under Alonso features a blend of experienced professionals and promising youngsters, with an emphasis on player development and long-term sustainability. Attacking Fluency: Leverkusen's attacking play under Alonso is characterized by fluid movement, intricate passing combinations, and intelligent off-the-ball runs. Alonso encourages his players to express themselves in the final third, promoting creativity and spontaneity in attacking situations while maintaining defensive solidity and organizational discipline. I always had Xabi down for his 3-4-3 preference and, therefore, didn't really feel a connection to his style but deeper reading around his philosophy does see quite a close match, to be honest. I've watched bits of Bundesliga football this season and, honestly, Bayer have become a team that I'm rooting for - probably because they are the underdog in this and partially because I'd love to see Harry Kane not win the Bundesliga after years of also not winning trophies. Their style of play is fantastic and the way that they took apart Bayern in their 3-0 is just the kind of entertaining football that my board want to see. Yet, actually, it was the tactical nuances in that game that I am way more interested in developing and hope that the board give me enough time, with low enough expectations to try this, make mistakes and grow. Whilst Xabi has sadly retired, an ode to his legacy was my first port of call in terms of building my backroom - bringing back to the club his old assistant, below. The Spaniard came to Leverkusen from top Spanish club Barcelona, where he was assistant coach with the U19s since 2017. In the spring of 2018 he fulfilled the same function with the Barca B team. Bayer 04 sporting director Simon Rolfes recognised Encinas' "very good work" with the Catalan club. And he added “We expect a lot from him, particularly in working with our young players." Encinas' tendencies feel pretty aligned with what I'd like to do and his formation matches my own. He is mentally strong and his ability to work with youngsters will be hugely beneficial to the youth integration policy that I want to instill here. I won't be delegating much to him, given my desire to micromanage tactics and training but the move feels right for us. He'll join a key group of employees, highlighted below. When looking through my staffing, I saw a name that I remembered from CM/FM past. A little bit of digging led me to some more information about a player, who, despite not being a Bayer academy graduate, seems to have found himself very much in the spotlight and part of the furniture at the club. Simon Rolfe s' transition from a distinguished playing career to the role of Sporting Director exemplifies his commitment to Bayer Leverkusen's ethos and values. As a former player, Rolfes brings invaluable insights and experiences to his new role, bridging the gap between the playing squad and the club's management structure. Rolfes has overseen the acquisition of promising young talents and established performers, emphasizing a balance between youth development and experienced professionals. Leverkusen's squad composition reflects Rolfes' vision of building a competitive team capable of challenging for domestic and European honours. As Sporting Director, Simon Rolfes has played a key role in shaping Bayer Leverkusen's footballing philosophy. Leverkusen's playing style emphasizes attacking flair, possession-based football, and tactical flexibility, reflecting Rolfes' commitment to entertaining and dynamic football. Rolfes' vision for Leverkusen transcends immediate results, focusing on sustainable success and the cultivation of a distinctive playing identity. Whilst he is a board member and not an active part of my backroom team, the narrative is that he can feed Kim Falkenberg – who holds both the DoF and Chief Scout roles – with this rationale. I think that this could be the perfect opportunity to really dive into the DoF transfer business; we're (hopefully) well off enough that I can accept poor decisions from him but, by ensuring I do have the final say in transfer dealings, would not be against letting him initiate deals and, if not directly done by him, lead him to them through DoF shortlists. Potentially, my wage structure will be compromised but I will endeavour to set strong constraints on the upper limits of these weekly wages and, essentially, live and die by the sword of bonuses and release clauses, much like a professional manager may do in this modern age. Plus - it gives me more time to focus on the player development aspects... Two other key members of my backroom team, Jorgensen and Bakayoko have enjoyed a journey with me, having originally joined me in Borås with Elfsborg and then moving to Bochum. The Dane has brought through a number of strong players in his time working with me and his methodology and philosophies are largely in line with my own. He'll become a key member of the backroom team at both senior and youth level. My Ivorian coach has a similarly strong set of credentials - as we have demonstrated a strong set of set piece metrics, both offensively and defensively: an area he has sole control of. Around them, I will look to bring through a strong coaching team, pulling Kolo Toure and Zlatan Ibrahimovic with me on this route, too. One thing that stood out from their website was the following quote: "B04 stands for a family-like atmosphere and a transparent club policy, both internally and externally. Transparent management culture is the motto. This means involving employees in all important issues, holding regular staff meetings, but also engaging in an open exchange with the outside world and involving fans, for example with regard to the jersey or catering offers within the framework of various discussion formats. On the one hand, this togetherness promotes the positioning of B04 as an attractive employer brand and, on the other hand, is the basis of the work "for the dream of our fans". " I think that this is absolutely important when considering the staff I am bringing in and how I work with them to listen to, and engage with, their thoughts. Falkenberg might have highly recommended a player to me - therefore I need to listen to that. I'm told that there are concerns with some areas of training - I need to address them. This is the kind of transparency and good-will that I intend to bring here. On the pitch, I must say that the step up is pretty clear to see: Hicham Arkine - a €20m signing from Standard Liege is the jewel in my attacking crown, playing up top with current Leverkusen stars Boniface and Hlozek. The young Belgian is a hugely well rounded attacker, who can contribute to all areas of our attacking play but maybe not quite physical enough to lead the line. Cutting in from the right hand side might be the best option for him, particularly with the Czech on the left and the Nigerian up top. At just €4.6m from Excelsior, Ferhat Duran looks to be an immense talent. He's been here for two years now and, despite not quite hitting the heights possible, came off the back of a season where he scored twenty times from midfield: largely, I imagine, down to his Long Shot ability. He's a little weak defensively but the ability to be that late man in the box will provide opportunities for cutbacks to him, meaning that his trait to come deep will not stop him from effectively joining in. At the back, Tapsoba is still going strong; a man of pretty immense defensive quality but also a player who is really comfortable on the ball and will allow us to play out of defence far more. He'll be flanked by Ozdemir, a bargain €450k defender who looks to have been played out on either flank so far in his career. Aside from these headline stars - there's the typical Bayer method at play here too: Hannibal came in on a free from Man Utd, Hagiwara cost €4.3m from Gamba Osaka, Tom Bischof cost €500k from Wolves, Jevon Simons cost less than €10m from PSV, as did Markovic, a €7m signing from Milan. Linking back to the above point above transparency - a key part of the management of this team will be through the use of conversing with them. Overall, there are a solid group of players, minus maybe Neuer's mercenary status and Duran and Hannibal's outspoken media handling methods. The entire team looks stronger than I've ever had before but, statistically, things aren't quite going to plan. Defensively, we look quite weak and susceptible to crosses into the box and our successes in battles looks lower than I'd like it to be across the backline. Combine that with a high number of blocks for my centre backs and you'll see that, as part of the twenty-seven goals we've conceded this year, I would suggest that a number have come as part of some rash defending and last minute work, some of which - naturally - won't come off. I like that we have a number of progressive players but that, to me, suggests, that we're quite deep in our transition and we're lacking true creativity within the side, although Hannibal is rating quite well. Up top, we need to take more shots, although, when we do, they tend to be relatively high quality. Up top, we've been able to work with two decent aerial threats, but it's likely that Hlozek will play wider and, therefore, get less opportunities in my 433 shape. That quality doesn't just stop at the first team, though: Simo, Noa and Niklas are three of a group of strong youngsters who I have really high hopes for, as they look to follow Stiepermann and Bangura into the first team. At Bochum, I built a strong infrastructure in the U19 team but was never able to really crack the top teams, in particular, Dortmund but this season, I truly believe that there's a chance we can do that. Whilst Schulz will reach the end of his eligibility at this level at the end of this season, both of the aforementioned players can enjoy a further two years developing and honing their skills into the tactical approach I want and the attribute moulds that I need to make my style of play work. Direct from their website, these quotes shows the synergy that I feel I will create with this team whilst managing here: "Our young players receive optimum support and development through targeted individual and team training as well as interesting comparison matches. Of course, we hope that our youth players can develop to the maximum in an environment tailored to them to reveal their full potential and create the opportunity to make the step up to our first team squad." "The development of the personality of our young players has great significance. That includes... ...a performance-oriented and self-motivating attitude to matches and training. …self-critical assessment of own performance and the instructions of the coaching staff. ...a friendly presence. …the ability to have team spirit and cooperation. In addition, it is very important to us to make clear to our young players that school and vocational training take priority. With our U19 and U17 teams in the relevant youth Bundesligas plus the younger age groups we want to play a leading role at the highest level. In addition, we want our young players to be the most talented youth players in the region – and to convey sporting and non-sporting experience through participation in international tournaments and tours. At the same time, we want to contribute to the success of all tournaments we take part in through good sporting performances and a friendly approach from our players, coaches and support staff. We always nurture a co-operative approach to other clubs, the associations, our guests, our opponents and Bayer AG. Our management take a critical approach to their work and youth football in general. The target is to continually improve and be a strong as well as reliable partner. Given all the targeted support, the fun and joy of our players and staff still take centre stage." A match made in heaven! Likewise, their wording about player pathways is something that I'm likely to return to when transfers are being considered: " The value of the youth section at Bayer 04 is high in club political, financial and sporting terms. The cooperation between the first team and the Performance Centre presented by Barmenia is harmonious, practical and sensible. This is based on a concept from Bayer 04. In addition, the fact that the decision makers in the individual sections have worked with each other for a long time is beneficial to the targets set. Special measures in the youth section such as participation in national and international tournaments and performance comparisons are equally supported as conceptual thinking is. Even if the support of the first team is helpful in signing a particularly talented player, there is a dedicated and experienced contact in the youth section. Sporting managing director Simon Rolfes (left, here with the director of the licence team Thomas Eichin) regularly keeps up-to-date with the performance levels and the development of the youth section. This applies particularly to talented players in the U19 and U17 youth teams. There is the principle of the short path. It is no coincidence that Rolfes previously held the position of "director of development and youth" at Bayer 04. That means that players with potential from the youth teams are again and again included in training with the senior to give them early incentive in the sense of individual development." I took over on the day of a fixture, a derby against FC Koln. Therefore, in the instance of realism and, at this point, still with the Assistant - Sven Hubscher - from the old regime, I allowed him to take control of the tie as he would've actually spoken and worked with these players, whereas I had literally just arrived at the club. The result was one that has brought some concerns to me, particularly after watching back the highlights: If ever a game brings back very recent memories, it'd be this. Interestingly, a 433 was adopted as opposed to the regular 442 that Bayer had fielded under Schulz but it was deep and devoid of a cutting edge. A third of the key passes were deep, raking balls from Bischof that somehow found their way onto Boniface, who was unable to apply a finish. The pass combinations show a team that were unable to demonstrate any kind of authority over the centre of the pitch, moving quickly to the flanks but only completing sixteen dribbles, with only three completed crosses coming all game - none from these moves. Arkine moved to ten goal contributions for the season - 0.61 per game - but, aside from that, things really felt a little forced: unconfident but somewhat overcomplicated. My thoughts, after looking at the players, remain built around my core ideology: Extra man in early build up Exploitation of space and numbers Vertical quick paced transition But, given the players I have, I want to press a little more, play a little higher up the pitch and give my players a bit more freedom to do the unexpected. This means that my base instructions may look something like the this. The intention is, as always, to be tactically fluid but work within the domains of a 4231 and a 433 as that is probably what we are best suited for and that is where my experience lies. Obviously, with a DoF who will, within reason, have pretty free reign, I could - should I deem the player and the deal satisfactory - end up with five centre backs and then somewhat be forced into a three at the back shape. Whatever shape we play with and whatever style we end upon, I really want to be successful here and build something that feels like more than a team! Do that, and I'll have a feeling that this could be a pretty good ride!

Interesting point. I'm not sure if that was the reason I signed the new deal though! I was touted as favourite for the job and (little spoiler here), the compensation fee wasn't huge as my wage was relatively small at Bochum.

Yeah, I think it's the one isn't it? I've brought through a few players a few players but I've hardly got a connection to them. Plus, all the work around culture and player pathways can and will be replicable here. As good as he’s been, I don't feel like it's realistic to bring Raya with me, in all honesty!

I really don't want to make this a clickbaity styled post here by not showing the full league table or even the xG table but I do want to focus on the actual outcomes that we've produced from a nearly-completed first half of the season. In our sixteen games, we've won seven and only lost four, with only Heidenheim and Bayern boasting a less defeats than us, with three apiece. Along with Dortmund, we have the best defence in the league, allowing just eleven goals this season but, at the other end, have the fourth worst offence, only finding the net fourteen times. A look at the xG table will tell you that, whilst we've been a little wasteful in front of goal, the issue isn't as exacerbated as previous years and it is, in fact, the other end where we have made the best gains. As I alluded to in the previous update, this cannot last forever - David Raya has been immense and we should've conceded more than double what we actually have. A celebration, yes, but also a huge cause for concern. I'd collated our goalkeeping, defensive, transitional and attacking team stats as well as collated player stats for defenders, midfielders and forwards but I think that there is more to it than that and, for once, I'll take a step back and look at the bigger picture. We simply do not have the personnel to actually compete. All but three players are classed as 'good enough for the 2.Bundesliga' including 'world class' Leon Goretzka and Lucas Paqueta, with only Lawrence, Raya and Tchetchoua deemed to be actually good enough for the top tier. January will see one change within the squad: Abalo's attributes are strong and statistically he's done ok in a side that, now in the second tier, have barely done any defending. However, Kodjo's contract is one that will need looking at again; he's signed for a lower wage than expected but his agent's demands over a release clause, at an amount that - being honest - is a pittance for a player who could be great means that I will need to look again soon. However, that may not be the case given an opportunity that has popped up meaning that this actual update has basically been shelved as my head has been more than just turned! I was all about dynasty building here at Bochum but I think that I may have already reached my glass ceiling. We're going to need significant input over a significant number of years to even think about competing with the best at this level, which, whilst I'm prepared to do, feels like I'll be stagnating as a manager in that time. I'm firm favourite to be installed as their manager and their demands are certainly reasonable. I can't help but think that, whilst this would be a move to a rival club, it's the kind of move that needs to happen for me to reach the next step of my managerial development. I can still rely on the academy, which is actually stronger than here, rather than spend hundreds of millions of pounds but, at least, I can do it a club with a bigger fanbase, better infrastructure and a much higher ceiling...

Nope. So much will have changed.

Yep. Find the relevant widget from person properties. You can move the players, it’s just a slightly more difficult move because of the icon shape. Try clicking and holding to drag from the bottom part (where the role/duty is located) and dragging it to where the other one would be. You can’t use the tactic creator in this skin because I’ve had to use the box for something else! Sorry. Not sure about the screenshot - let me have a look and try to replicate.

Thank you! I'm really not sure, sorry. I'm guessing it's to do with the number of files used. I will take a look and try and streamline. As for the clock - have a look around the threads for the fix; I've forgotten where it is! They don't on that screen, annoyingly even though they do on the Player Search areas. I need to look at the table properties and see if there is anything but - for me, in the interim - the want for the easy analysis meant that I've just added 'Goals' next to 'Goals/90' and use that to sort, as the non-per90 stuff does not utilise the dots. Sorry for not being able to give you an answer you hoped for!

Thanks! Honestly - things grow and evolve over time: ten years ago, I was using the editors to give myself super teams and destroying morale/fitness before matches so I could win 27-0 or whatever; four years ago, I was using Excel more than actual FM to create visualisations of average player growth between sixteen to eighteen compared to their personality descriptor and now I'm knee deep in tactical thoughts and that element of game realism. It's just built up over the years as my interests in the real-life game have changed and evolved, too. I'd say more than just performances from Raya. He's one of my favourite players and he's currently the best in Europe, in my eyes: Compare that to people like Ramsdale - Arsenal - (-2.05xGP), Maignan - AC Milan - (-0.77xGP), Donnarumma - PSG - (2.94xGP), Seimen - Man City - (0.50xGP) and Mamardashvili - Man Utd - (-0.30xGP) and you'll see just how well he's done and how much he's saved us! We'd be in a right mess without him...

August We started with a Pokal tie against third tier Aachen – a side we’d beaten twice last season as we faced opposing outcomes to our seasons. I was taken aback by Aachen’s high line and advanced press but, as intended, we were able to play through this early pressure and over the top to our runners in offense. A first senior goal for Cherkaoui and a dream (second) debut for Goretzka got us up and running. The Kleines Revier derby – against Dortmund – was far from the ideal season opener but I ensured that morale was high, speaking and commenting on performances from the previous games along with my monthly training review time. We took an early lead through Tchetchoua before switching to a double pivot, moving Goretzka back to a DM role and Paqueta up to an AM(s) role. My plan was two-fold: more defensive cover but also get my players to draw in Dortmund’s double pivot of a BWM/SV, neither of whom are particularly renowned for staying put. This extra space would allow my forwards more opportunities to isolate defenders in 1v1 situations. Dortmund drew level through a well worked goal but the bragging rights, and dream start, belonged to us as Lawrence leapt highest to nod in a corner with minutes to go. Our defensive 4141 shape was then employed to see the game out but the learning from this is that I do think a 4231 can work, despite my repeated moves between that and our usual 433. A nice away draw at Wolfsburg followed where another tactical tweak helped us. Their play went through their false back three – created with a HB(d) sitting in with two attacking wing backs. I instructed Goretzka to press Essugo, pulling Sadirov inside to mark the AM, where Goretzka would’ve been. By putting a more defensively sound player to mark higher up and then filling the gap, as well as instructing all defenders onto their left foot to funnel the ball away from the in-balance I’d created on our left-hand side worked really well. Freiburg came to town and I was able to utilise long kicks from David Raya and a pacier, more direct approach to counter their aggressive full backs, with both goals coming from moves down the left after catching them high up the field. September We started with a poor result against Heidenheim, ending our strong start. However, the game was largely in our favour despite going a goal down inside two minutes. I trusted our processes in terms of transitional play and we ended with 1.45xG, some 300% of our opponents, rarely allowing them to threaten. A draw with Augsburg followed where, again, we couldn’t hold our lead before we ended with defeat in Munich, to Bayern. They created just over 2.00 non pen xG and missed a penalty but secured the win in injury time in, arguably, our best spell of the game, catching us on the break as we piled forward for an unlikely equaliser. Our season won’t be made or broken on these results but our form – 0.71xG, 23 passes, 51 passes in the final third, two half chances – will stand us in good stead. October The entirety of October was pretty dull, to be fair! Draws against Stuttgart and Nurnberg could – potentially – go down as points dropped, given our overall play but a win over high flying Bremen was pleasing, as we demonstrated a slightly more potent level of attacking after moving from ‘Balanced’ to ‘Positive’ mentality. Given that we’ve scored among the lowest in the league, albeit underperforming our xG, I felt that a move to increase risk was necessary. That being said, our -4xG differential is overshadowed by our +6xGA differential, where David Raya has worked wonders in the next, with an xSave % of 86% being matched by his actual save percentage, stopping 0.61xG per game. I think that I need to find the balance - obviously, going forward more aggressively should lead to more chance creation but will only leave us wider open at the back, an area we're already hugely overachieving in. Our work on opposition threats is still paying dividends for us we are quite strong at restricting teams to a few chances, but, right now, they all seem to be from big chances - a failed transition where we're caught out on the edge of Zone 14 or a quick break where the man we've committed isn't quite sure of what to do! But, when that build up does work, things go pretty well! I keep going back to that style over substance thought in my head and, especially after I've created an infographic of my intended style, feel that I am often revisiting the stats board to see where we lie. Last season, we sat first in many metrics that I care about but, for example, we now sit fourteenth in dribbles completed - although that is actually only two less per game than last year at 12.67. Our possession - as expected with a team who will now be attacked, rather than attack, is down below 50% and that's leading us to create the second least chances and have the second deepest defensive line, some six metres lower than last year. Furthermore, this luck cannot last forever - an opponent conversion rate of just 6% is what dreams are made of but, when we sit fourteenth in shots allowed, I think that the levee will break at some point! After all is said and done, we’re now exactly in a bad place… End the season now and I'm delighted - six places above our predicted finish and above the likes of Bayer, Wolfsburg, Hertha and Stuttgart - all teams predicted to finish inside the top ten. That being said, those teams, with just over a quarter of the season gone, are all far too good to be there and at least one of them will surely overtake us. I'm following Heidenheim's progress with interest, considering that they were promoted with us but have, seemingly, taken well to life in the top flight. Whether that is a flash in the pan or not, time will tell. Team-wise, we're doing pretty well but, of course, there's a small matter of managing individual player progress through player targets, discussions an general morale management. The midfield duo haven't quite gelled in the way that I'd have wanted, with Paqueta struggling to adapt to life in Germany and the role that I want for him. The left sided midfield role, my number 10, has been an issue for some time now with Fernandez also struggling but an output of just 0.19 key passes per game, totalling to exactly one across his nine appearances is pretty abysmal. His expected outputs are, largely, from set pieces and his ball carrying - especially into that dangerous Zone 14 - is virtually non existent, too. I'll give him some time to bed in - absolutely - but we're now on to player number two who has struggled to turn into a creator - this time without the humongous xG/xA underperformance. On the flip side, Goretzka has (re)settled in wonderfully and has been a creative and driving force in either of the roles, covering a near-13km per match and having solid outputs in terms of ball winning and possession metrics. His key passes sit at just 1.07 per game, still down on what I'd want from that role but significantly higher than the 'actual' creator in the team. The fact that he's helped himself to both goals and assists is also a strong sign as is the fact that his advancing age doesn't seem to be causing him much in the way of concern. My two academy graduates have been doing really well but only in one area of their game! Molina is yet to get on the scoresheet, despite registering three assists from 2.75 xA this season as well as thirty-three dribbles and forty-three progressive passes, which, at just under four a game, is really strong for a man as advanced as he is. Registering 1.34 key passes per game is a little on the low side and is certainly a decrease on last year but, again, I must recognise the increase in quality. Up top, Tchetchoua has been scoring really well - over a goal every other game but is offering virtually nothing creatively, certainly making me question his CF(a) role within the side. His lack of shots feels a little synonymous of our offensive struggles and, yet again, his actual goal figure isn't far off his expected figure but his goals are all we've had since August so I can't complain too much! I was so worried about Raya last year but, this year, he's stepped up and is - arguably - the form keeper in the league. Despite us not keeping a huge number of clean sheets, his expected save ratio is actually now surpassed by his save ratio - with both numbers in the high eighties. The comfort and class he possesses on the ball is absolutely second to none and, for goalkeepers, his ability to progress the ball - remembering that you cannot be in the defensive third to complete a progressive pass, is wonderful and a true sign that he's a real sweeper keeper. The 'problem' is that he's going to have to keep up this level of performance all year, which is truly going to be tough! --- I've just signed a new contract, which runs for five years - a real sign of commitment from the board to this project and we're heading towards January with the basics of a small recruitment drive to look forward to. That being said, more work needs to be done on the actual pitch to ensure that we've got enough to keep our heads above water, survive and then thrive at this level. Nur de VfL!

Left back, left winger, right inverted winger, even a Pressing forward - he’s got the potential to be anything!

Sat playing through some Bundesliga games tonight, reflecting on my tactical thoughts and processes over the last years and scrolling through X. This post made me want to - again - really make my ethos concise. So I made this. Three bullet points, minimal wording!

Yeah - I rate him. Not quite at that elite level in some areas but certainly good enough for now. Do you feel like you're going to outgrow him or, given the constraints upon you, reckon you'll just work really hard to continuously get the best from him? I feel for Soriano but I've had a couple - even one touted as the best player - who have gone on to do nothing: it's the luck of the draw! I do really like Mourino still, though.

Great start, Shrew! Looks like a year without mid-week fixtures is a blessing for you. Really interested to see that front line - 19 and 17 years old. How does Polo look now, because he was originally a wide man, wasn't he? Is is Soriano I picked from your first intake as someone I liked? I forget! How does he look?